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December 18, 2012 - Vol. 5 No. 50 - Price $80
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Guyana’s largest selling daily & New York’s most popular weekly
House votes: no more tax $$$ for Marriott unless... - Govt. not obliged to abide - AFC vows to go to court
Govt. seeking US$15M
more from Parliament Den Amstel wife killer sentenced to death
New DSL outlet opens in Diamond -“Consumer is always King” says Chairman of DDL group
EZjet bosshas tonot stay in jail hired a lawyer until trial passengers will be refunded - Benn
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Tuesday December 18, 2012
Kaieteur News
New DSL outlet opens in Diamond -“Consumer is always King” says Chairman of DDL group
The new Distribution Service Limited (DSL) Cash and Carry Diamond outlet A new upgraded Distribution Service Limited (DSL) Cash and Carry outlet was opened yesterday at Diamond, East Bank Demerara. The building stocks a wide range of goods including food and toiletries. This is the‘fifth such branch
launched by DDL. The new building boasts 6,500 square feet and was constructed within six months under the guidance of its parent company Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) group of companies. Other outlets are located
on Sherriff Street, Ruimveldt, two branches are now in Diamond and New Amsterdam. D u r i n g y e s t e r d a y ’s opening ceremony, Dr. Yesu Persaud, Chairman of DDL, said that the consumer is king and DSL aims to
provide the best quality service to the consuming public. He said that the entity is part of DDL’s expansion programme since DSL has been a vibrant and successful institution. “We started with nothing and we created
something from there. Today we are very proud to say DSL has done it.” Persaud said. “And as time goes by there will be DSLs throughout the country. Service is our motto and we provide the best of services and nothing but the
best…we hope those that are in competition will be prepared for some good competition too.” DDL Marketing Director S h a r d a Ve e r e n - C h a n d thanked the many persons who made the opening of the new DSL branch possible.
Tuesday December 18, 2012
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Kaieteur News
House votes: no more tax $$$ for Marriott unless... - Govt. not obliged to abide - AFC vows to go to court The National Assembly last evening voted that taxpayers' money should stop going into the Marriott Hotel project unless first approved by the National Assembly. Further, the House also voted that all revenues in the account of the government's investment arm, NICIL, should be deposited into the Consolidated Fund, from which any spending would first have to get the approval of the House. But the government is not expected to abide by the ruling of the Assembly; it is sticking doggedly to the project, and disagreeing that the spending is illegal. That position, however, may not be the end of the game for the seven-seat Alliance for Change (AFC), which signaled its intention to argue its case before the courts. While defending the need of the project, the government is refusing to make public the studies which show that the project would succeed. Finance Minister Dr
Ashni Singh said that the economic, feasibility and environmental impact assessments would be made known to the opposition parties if they accept an invitation to meet at the Office of the President. But the opposition argued that the information should not be provided behind a closed door. Rather, it should be made public in the National Assembly for the public to know. AFC Parliamentarian Khemraj Ramjattan said that the money would be best spent on infrastructure projects that are badly needed, instead of the Marriott project which to him is designed to satisfy just a few. In the case of Marriott, the money is coming from the government's investment arm, NICIL, which itself is a private company. The Minister of Finance contended that it was given the status of a public corporation by order of the President.
He argued that NICIL has the right to retain its revenues, much the same way that other public corporations like the Guyana Sugar Corporation and the Guyana Oil Company. But Ramjattan maintained that being a public corporation, NICIL is required to put its money into the Consolidated Fund. Ramjattan argued that while assets from one public corporation can be transferred to another public corporation, assets of NICIL cannot be transferred to Atlantic Hotels Incorporated – the private company that was set up to build the Marriott Hotel. “This is corruption in broad daylight,” Ramjattan declared. H o w e v e r, Minister Singh countered that the provisions governing public corporations can, by notification, be applied to any company that is not a corporation owned by the government. Ramjattan pointed out that US$21 million of
taxpayers' money is being put into the Marriott. The other funding is coming from an additional sum of US$27 million, rated as a senior debt garnered by Republic Bank, which opposition Parliamentarian Carl Greenidge argued would only mean that taxpayers' money would be the last to be recovered if the project fails. Ramjattan questioned why would the Chinese construction company, the Marriott and Republic Bank enter into “binding” agreements with Atlantic Hotels Inc. a company with no business history and inadequate capital. “Rather than focusing on building a hotel for Marriott International, and then paying them 10 per cent to operate it, Government should focus and commit the very resources in addressing the everyday problems of poor infrastructure of roads, drainage, unreliable electricity, crime, public health, unemployment,
poverty and hopelessness among our youths and migration,” Ramjattan stated. Ramjattan insisted that the opposition was not blocking any development, but seeking to ensure that monies from public purse be spent properly. In the arrangement with Republic Bank (Trinidad), taxpayers' rights rank last among investors. The syndicated loan, as is the arrangement with Republic Bank, is one that is provided by a group of lenders and is structured, arranged and administered by one or several commercial banks or investment banks. In this case, the loan is being administered by the Republic Bank but the government has not named the other lenders. By agreeing to this type of loan arrangement, the government is agreeing for the investors who are part of the syndicate, to get back their investment first ahead of any other investor in the project. So, if in a scenario where
the project fails and the value of the property depreciates to a value below what the investors have plugged, then the investors will get back their money, and there would be nothing to return to NICIL, meaning that taxpayers' dollars would go down the drain. Parliamentarian Joe Harmon argued that there are other Marriott branded hotel projects, but not of the standard that the government is building here. He said that Caribbean countries with established tourism and hospitality industries, unlike Guyana, have introduced Marriott Courtyard, which is below the 5-star resort Marriott brand that is being put down on the mudflats at Kingston, Georgetown. The government charged that Ramjattan is seeking to block the project to satisfy selfish political interests, given that the owner of the Pegasus Hotel is Robert Badal, a supporter of the AFC.
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Kaieteur News
Kaieteur News Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: Adam Harris Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210
EDITORIAL
Wanton killings and mental illness The news media were all abuzz with reports of a shooting in a small community in Connecticut. A 20-yearold, who was said to be a victim of Asperger’s Syndrome, took a gun to his mother, twenty children all under seven and six adults. Asperger’s Syndrome is considered a mild form of autism, which in itself is a disorder that affects children in many different ways. Autistic children have certain learning disabilities although some of them are near wizards in certain fields. They have been known to be excellent mathematicians, excellent musicians—in short they are not our mainstream individuals. In this case the shooter was classified as someone more likely to be a victim than a violent and aggressive person. So it just goes to show that no stereotype can work here. People talk about the bond between mother and her son. They identified her as a woman who gave up her job to home tutor her son, having recognized that he had a disability although those who knew him from his short stay at school contended that he was bright but that he had a social deficiency. However, the real issue is about what would trigger a person to kill a parent then go on a rampage at a school that he once attended. What could it be in the mind of the person? This is not the first shooting in a crowded area, nor is it the first mass shooting in the global community. With the proliferation of guns there are bound to be cases of people discharging their weapons at any source that annoys them. There was the mass shooting in a place called Columbine in the United States. Also in that country there were shootings in shopping malls, schools and even at military bases. There have been similar mass shooting in other countries. Not so long ago a man visited an island on which many children and their parents had gone on a tour. Like a hunter of wild animals, this man killed more than seventy people. There is a school of thought that some of these are copycat behavior in the same manner people who are suicidal would mimic a report of a suicide. When Saddam Hussein was hanged and a video of that hanging was made public, at least five children mimicked the hanging and died. This brings us to the point where we need to ask if we could protect our society from that kind of killing. Four years ago, Guyana had its share of mass shootings. Gunmen walked into a community at Lusignan, East Coast Demerara, and killed more than a dozen people, some of them in their beds. This could not have been copycat behavior but it was certainly madness at its most brutal. The nation has seen wanton killings but not in this volume until then. There were people who were gunned down without a chance during robberies; there were people who were shot out of hand because they offended someone or a group, and there were those who were shot and killed in a bout of jealousy. Today, some people feel that knowing that Guyanese love to copy everything that is despicable from the outer world, there could be in this country, the kind of madness that broke out in this Connecticut school last Friday. Yet this seems so farfetched given that the family structure, while not as strong as it once was, is still strong in this country. Further, no matter how we try to make things appear bad in this country the extent of mental illness is not what it is in those other countries. Although, when we take a look at some of the murders committed within the country we cannot help but wonder at how some of us perceive human life. Incidents like the recent shooting highlight the need for psychiatrists in our society. We have less than a handful of these people who are known to deal with the mentally ill.
Tuesday December 18, 2012
Letters... Where your views make the news
Vieira Communications Limited was the licencee, not Tony Vieira DEAR EDITOR, Apparently there is still some confusion regarding the situation of the Ramroop radio licence and a letter from Mr. Harry Gill in Sunday’s newspaper confirms my suspicion that there are still some misconceptions, despite my recent letter stating that among equals, Ramroop is the first in line. Ramroop is not my friend, he is Jagdeo’s friend, and at this time we are in court since I am claiming that he repudiated the contract we had and I want compensation for breach of contract. As time progresses the facts of this matter will become better known, but the matter is set for hearing on 18th January, and so I will not say much more about it. In 1993, Vieira Communications Limited, which was the name of my company and which is the name that appears on my licence on file with the office of the Prime Minister, applied for a radio licence. The National Frequency Management Unit [NFMU] did not even afford me the courtesy of a response from 1993 to 2001. So in 2001, after the Privy Council’s 2000 landmark ruling declaring that the denial of the Antigua government to grant a radio licence to Observer Publications was unconstitutional and violated their free speech rights, I decided to do what the Observer people did i.e. to launch a constitutional claim in our courts, and at the
same time, to put a FM broadcast on the air. The Observer case was very straightforward, they applied for a licence to broadcast a radio signal, the Antigua government refused, so Observer put the radio station on the air and claimed in the Antigua courts that their constitutional rights to free speech were violated. The police seized the equipment and the matter ended up in the Antigua court. Two years later, in an unprecedented decision, the Privy Council, from the bench in England, granted the licence and in addition they gave permission to operate it as a business and directed that the government of Antigua should pay all costs, including any damage to the equipment removed from the place of installation of the Observer transmitter. As a result of all of this ruling I commenced an FM broadcast in Guyana in 2001 to challenge the unconstitutionality of the monopoly of government radio and the NFMU illegally entered my premises and removed the equipment with around 10 police officers and representatives of the Ministry of Home Affairs. Vieira Communications Limited was the licencee, not Tony Vieira, as is wrongly claimed by Mr. Harry Gill, therefore the company’s shares were transferred with all of the rights and privileges that they held to Ramroop. If
the licence was in my personal name, I doubt whether I could have sold the television station, and up to today, the licence should be in the name of Vieira Communications Limited, since if it is not, then Ramroop would have given up all of the rights and privileges that Vieira Communications Limited held as the station which pioneered television broadcasting in Guyana, applied to the NFMU for a radio licence and got the Appeal Court to instruct the NFMU to grant them that radio licence. But if the name on the broadcast licence was changed and not just the sign on the TV screen used as station ID, then it is my belief that in allowing it to happen the government would have broken their own laws as usual, since no new licences were to be issued until the Broadcast Authority was formed and if Ramroop gave up the name Vieira Communications Limited on his licence, he lost his position of privilege, since he would be the most recent licencee, not the first. And since the appeal court awarded a radio licence to Vieira Communications Limited, I doubt whether it could be legally transferred to Ramroop’s company, and the new broadcast authority, when formed, should look into the matter. I am assuming that the opposition would do the right thing and remove this political and ridiculous
authority which Jagdeo has placed in this country, and which could never be impartial. I do hold one opinion on this matter and I would like to see it enshrined in our laws: if a person wants to sell his broadcasting facility since the spectrum is a limited natural resource, he could sell all of his equipment to anyone, but he cannot transfer the licence to use the national spectrum to just anyone who can pay him. The broadcast authority should issue the new licence to the buyer after screening them to ensure that they meet the criteria for being a broadcaster, according to our laws, and it should in fact be a new licence. I have already asked members of parliament to ask the question of who holds the Ramroop licence today, since if the station is still licenced to broadcast in the name VCL, then Ramroop holds the right to have the first licence for radio. If, however, he did not, then he gave up that right and should join the line at the rear since he would have lost his place as the first among equals. These people who are doing so well in this country due to their obtaining huge concessions from Jagdeo cannot think and thrive in a society governed by the rule of law, and I sincerely hope that this licence still bears the name Vieira Communications Limited. And I urge the opposition to find out. Tony Vieira
Tuesday December 18, 2012
Kaieteur News
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Letters... Where your views make the news Letters... Where your views make the news
The Linden Water System Rehabilitation is a major investment and a transformative project DEAR EDITOR, The Linden community must urgently adopt a new, collective approach to, and narrative on water, if it is to protect and conserve this valuable resource. In more recent history, our water resources have been managed by GWA/GWI. For the past two decades the Linden community has bemoaned the state of the Linden Water System; the complaints justifiably included poor and intermittent distribution, low pressure, and poor quality (colour, bacteria) water. In its more distant history,
Linden enjoyed a very high level of water security: this was due to a combination of partial access to high quality potable water and readily available sources of healthy and unimpaired surface water. Our very actions over the years, along with our unmindful approach towards water, have resulted in continuing environmental degradation and almost universal degradation of surface water sources. In Linden, water is ubiquitous; it is everywhere and affects every aspect of life in the town. Water, rain, surface water and
groundwater, are all one resource and must be managed and approached accordingly. The flow of water is the most dominant natural force in Linden. The nature of this flow is a result the geomorphology of the land but also shapes the land. In Linden, a good proportion of the rain/ precipitation falling on the sandy hills flows to the river by way of springs and creeks. This flow is constant, persistent. We have not quantified the flow nor have we monitored it. What we have done is hamper the flow,
Incentives and disincentives for investment in Guyana, and the Presidential smokescreen DEAR EDITOR, Stabroek News reported President Ramotar as telling Go-Invest that he ‘would like to see it more institutionally driven and become a [stronger organisation],’ (‘Ramotar urges Go-Invest to stop making excuses, be more proactive’, Stabroek News 16 December 2012). President Ramotar encouraged Go-Invest ‘to seek out new types of investment to match the wave of new industries that are creating wealth and jobs’. Although the Go-Invest website dates mainly from 2006 and 2007, and appears to have been last updated in mid-2008, it covers the range of most practicable investments and offers a comprehensive investment guide (2007, 72 pages). Priority sectors largely match the National Competitiveness Strategy (NCS, 2006) and the National Development Strategy (19957). The range of incentives is similar to that in other developing countries. For agriculture, Go-Invest refers to the excellent market surveys undertaken by the New Guyana Marketing Corporation (New GMC) and to the market support services and infrastructure then provided by the donor agency, USAID, through the Guyana Trade and Investment Support (GTIS) project, but now sadly closed. So why isn’t low-risk legitimate business growing in Guyana, with such backing? Why instead is high-risk illegal business thriving – drug and gold smuggling, gun running, illegal logging and mining,
money laundering, people trafficking – and enterprises which could not possibly be based on the legal incomes of the owners and backers? How has Guyana become so topsy-turvy that low-risk legitimate business becomes high-risk, for bankers and for the entrepreneurs. Some reasons are spelled out in the NCS document itself. For example ‘This slight competitive edge can easily be whittled away quickly unless the interventions highlighted in Chapter 3 are not promptly implemented to deal with factors such as high transaction costs due to overregulation, red tape, discretionary concessions process, customs delays etc.’ (page 91). These barriers are not within the mandate of GoInvest. As operated during the regime of former President Jagdeo, Go-Invest could recommend the award of investment concessions, but the Cabinet (in effect, Jagdeo and his close colleagues) took the decisions, so unlevelling the investment playing field. Jagdeo’s notorious micro-management failed to prevent the encroaching decisions of the Commissioner of the Guyana Revenue Authority, who makes personal decisions about the award of investment incentives, regardless of what has been confirmed by Go-Invest. That is, precisely the arbitrary ‘discretionary concessions process’ which the NCS had criticized. Every year, a number of international business surveys comment on the difficulties of starting and
operating enterprises in Guyana, noting the excessive licencing and petty bureaucracy which facilitates petty corruption – the payment of numerous ‘small pieces’ just to move the papers through the approval processes, while politically w e l l - c o n n e c t e d entrepreneurs are apparently exempted from many of the rules and the customs procedures; as the independent Press has repeatedly reported. President Ramotar cannot do much about the shortage and unreliability of international air cargo capacity to move manufactured products from Guyana (although GTIS showed how some of the obstacles could be avoided or minimised). What he can do, and what his PPP promised in election manifestos they would do, is to get rid of the excessive regulation – other countries don’t need it, so why does Guyana put up with it – and get rid of the czars in government agencies who appropriate illegitimate powers to themselves. This will call for leadership from the top, starting with the greedy Ministers and the apparatus in the Office of the President which is absurdly outside the regime of the civil service and has few transparently described functions. This is not rocket science, Mr. President; you just need to use the authority of your executive presidency as you did in the case of the national flag carrier airline decision. Janette Bulkan
deliberately and inadvertently: rerouting and blocking of creeks, cutting of trees, uncontrolled building on the flood plain and creek beds, dumping of refuse, poor drainage design, lack of engineering controls. There is an uninformed approach to water accompanied by an equally uninformed narrative. Landslides, erosion, flooding, rapid deterioration of roads, and the referenced universal degradation of surface water sources are directly related to our uninformed approach and practices. The Linden Water System Rehabilitation is a major investment in the health and well-being of the community. It is also potentially one of the most transformative projects in the history of Linden. Transformative in that it offers an opportunity for, and demands, a new narrative and informed appreciation of the role of water in the social, economic and cultural development of Linden. It is transformative, also, in that it invites the community to act within its interest, by
becoming actively engaged in the development of this critical natural resource. Unfortunately, the community has not embraced the project with the level of curiosity and engagement required. The proposed design of the Rehabilitated System was based on GWI’s internal assessment, consultations with the Linden community, and a number of assessment and studies. The latter included The Linden Water Safety Plan, National Program of Action for the Minimization of Land-based Sources of Pollution at Linden and Household Water-Use Survey. The sources of water for the rehabilitated system are sub-surface wells at Amelia’s Ward and the Dakoura Creek at Wisrock. The program calls for protection of both sources. The Dakoura Creek Protection Strategy has been initiated; the required protection strategy for the Amelia’s Ward wells has not been initiated. The most likely strategy for the Amelia’s
Ward wells would be “wellhead protection”. This strategy has national significance because the recharge area for the coastal aquifers, the ones serving Georgetown and the Coast, is in the vicinity of Linden. And currently there is no formal well-head protection strategy in Guyana. The G$1.7B project was funded by a loan from the IDB and is governed by that agency’s environmental and procurement policies. It would appear that IDB’s policies are not equally aligned with the interest and anticipation of the Linden community. One: IDB’s environmental policy mandates that potential environmental impacts of the project on the community be identified and mitigated, and the community consulted and engaged in any related responses; this appears to match the community’s expectation. Two: The procurement policy does not allow selective procurement of services or set-asides to (Continued on page 7)
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Kaieteur News
Tuesday December 18, 2012
Letters... Where your views make the news Letters... Where your views make the news
A solution to this scourge in our society DEAR EDITOR, A few weeks ago, a letter captioned “Violence against Women, The Islamic Perspective” attempted to furnish a solution to this scourge that continues to plague our society. In the Sunday December 16th edition of the Kaieteur News, someone who I hold in high esteem, Swami Aksharanda, penned a response, albeit a critique of the first letter. This missive seeks to provide some amount of analytical exactitude to the issue in question. The respected Swami should acquaint himself with the unedited version of the letter which was carried in both the Guyana Chronicle and the Guyana Times; clearly the Stabroek News’ edited version took much of the points out of context by virtue of its omissions thereby leaving a vacuum. We have witnessed the moral decadence in the society and a quote from the March 27th 2011 editorial of the Kaieteur News provides food for thought on the matter. The editorial states: “Yesterday, during the World Cup cricket match there were some ads by a carparts company that featured
a number of young women draping and otherwise provocatively exhibiting themselves in the skimpiest of short pants. There was not even the slightest pretence of creating a nexus between the product and the models that were being used (and there are no other words for the practice) to sell the cars and car parts. It was a most cynical example of exploiting the female body to sell a product by pandering to the baser instincts of males, who are known to be in the majority when it comes to viewing sporting events. The instance cited above is not an isolated one and in fact is a growing phenomenon: not just using the female body to sell products but specific parts of that body – primarily the ones that provoke a sexual response in males. We have seen these ads in one for a particular beer that is seeking increased market share in Guyana. The female form is in this fashion made into objects of sexual gratification: the ads are very suggestive – buy the product and you will (not may) possess the female.” The same editorial refers to a study conducted by Donnerstein and Linz which
found that “exposure to media depicting women in degrading and subordinate situations, even if not explicitly sexual or violent in nature, will lead to increased violent behaviour of men against women in society.” This should put to rest some of the queries regarding the source of such information and studies. Further, in a study conducted by several Government Agencies and UNICEF, a clear nexus is established between coming from a single Parent family and juvenile delinquency and subsequently a life of violence and crime, i.e. the general pattern not the exception. These two pieces of sources should address some of the queries posed by the respected Swami. The situation as it relates to women in some Arab countries and countries in the Indo-Pak subcontinent where male dominance runs amok with no religious or human limitations should be placed within its own socio historical and political context. Although the message of Islam had spread in these societies from early times, the teaching and inculcation of Islamic cultural values was not coextensive with the
horizontal expansion. Consequently some preIslamic values and prejudices have continued to persist, despite the domination of Islamic forms. In some cases there was manifest historical religious decline and a relapse to anterior social ethos and mores. This phenomenon has sometimes occasioned an even more serious development. New or degenerate Muslim societies would sometimes, out of ignorance, attribute their unIslamic legacy or custom to Islam itself. By attaching an Islamic value to these practices they seek to give them legitimacy and sanctity, the values of Islam being accepted as sacred and supreme. This explains the unabated influence on the minds of many otherwise good Muslims of attitudes abhorrent to Islam, especially in the sensitive area of gender relations, where passion is strong and custom is sacrosanct. In fact, most of the rulings of the Quran regarding women were sent down as restrictions on men, with a view to preventing them from transgressing against women, as is their natural disposition and their
actual practice in many societies. In Guyana, we live in a multi religious society where one’s freedom of worship is sacrosanct and where our religious tolerance could perhaps be viewed as a model worthy of emulation by other countries. And for this I am grateful. The Respected Swami should refer to the modest dress of our fore parents both Hindus and Muslims who came to these shores in their Romals, Ornhis, Sarees and Shalwars. On this note, the Swami should be commended for the dress code instilled in the students of his school which shows that we are in fact in agreement on this issue. Because of some of the issues highlighted in the preceding paragraphs, education of women has always been viewed with much indifference, when in fact every Islamic Injunction speaks contrary to this. That Education is compulsory on every Muslim male and female is an oft repeated Prophetic Tradition, but least adhered to. The second most narrations of Prophetic Sayings and Practices is by a woman, Aisha (May God be Pleased with Her). Much emphasis is placed on the education of women in Islam,
because when you educate a woman you educate a nation, this is an Islamic Position. In Guyana, domestic violence has transcended religion and race and each of us have a role in alleviating this problem. Violence, rape and murder against our mothers, sisters and daughters can no longer be condoned and therefore requires a concerted effort from all of us to stamp it out. The woman is a person of worth, nobility and dignity in our society. In conclusion to what I hope will bring a greater understanding to the issue being discussed, a statement from Nobel Peace Prize winner “Tawakkul Karman,” ‘The mother of Yemen’s revolution’ presents a beautiful explanation of the Hijab, the Islamic dress for women. Ms. Karman states, “Man in early times was almost naked, and as his intellect evolved he started wearing clothes. What I am today and what I’m wearing represents the highest level of thought and civilization that man has achieved, and is not regressive. It’s the removal of clothes again that is a regression back to the ancient times.” Moeen-ul-Hack
Tuesday December 18, 2012
Kaieteur News
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Letters... Where your views make the news Letters... Where your views make the news
Confirm the Chancellor, Chief Justice DEAR EDITOR, A state heading to war with itself should at least have effective and appropriate equipment to monitor the anticipated engagements. Article 122 of the Constitution of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana states “All courts and all persons presiding over the courts shall exercise their functions independently of the control and direction of any person or authority; and shall be free and independent from political, executive and any other form of direction and control.” The frequency and vehemence with which the Attorney General, acting in his capacity as the sole advisor to the Executive, has initiated and prosecuted legal proceedings against the Legislature in his quest to have the third arm of the State, the Judiciary, determine matters which are within the jurisdiction of the legislature,
have placed a significant burden on the Judiciary. From the commencement of the life of the tenth parliament, it became apparent that the Executive were not only unhappy with their lack of control of this arm of the state, but their preferred method of engagement with the legislature was open hostilities to be fought out and determined in the arena of the State’s only remaining arm, the Judiciary. On the occasion of the election of the new speaker of the tenth parliament, the subliminal invitation from the Prime Minister to the newly elected Speaker was “”Swords”. I have no doubt that the Honourable Prime Minister must have appreciated that to have a good fencing championship, one ought to at least ensure that one has objective, independent umpires to whom one can appeal in the event of any
difference of opinion as to what constitutes “fair play”. Whenever the Executive elects to go to war with the legislature, the remaining arm of the State should at least be strong, independent and confirmed in their positions as arbiters lest at some stage during or after the battle the umpires themselves become part or the source of the new contretemps. Article 127 (1) of our constitution provides “The Chancellor and the Chief Justice shall each be appointed by the President, acting after obtaining the agreement of the Leader of the Opposition”. And in the event of the inability to secure the agreement of the Leader of the Opposition, Article 127 (2) of the Constitution provides “If the Office of Chancellor is vacant...then until a person has been appointed to and has assumed the functions of such office…the functions
A ‘power trip’ at the Passport Office DEAR EDITOR, I was waiting in line at the passport office and I noticed there were no windows, just these sorts of display glass. Why I’m mentioning this is because of the lack of ventilation. I also noticed five air conditioning (AC) units and none of them were functioning. All this being this said,
the place was getting very hot. I approached an officer and mentioned to her that ‘it’s so hot I feel like I’m going to faint’, and if it’s possible for them to turn a fan or AC on. She replied: “Well faint nah, we gun fan yuh”. I got very upset at the response and felt like causing an uproar, but I was scared that I wouldn’t be able to get
my passport, so I kept my mouth shut. I also noticed she was a ranking officer, with three stripes, whose name I will acquire. I couldn’t believe that this is how a citizen is treated by a civil servant. It is a blatant example of one using their authority to go on what I call a power trip. Concerned Citizen
The Linden Water System... (From page 5) special groups (Linden contractors or firms); this apparently conflicts with the Linden community’s expectation that engagement of regional contractors and labourers would be among the economic benefits of the project. Recent missives from the community equate the lack of obvious engagement of the regional contractors with the PPP/C administration’s continued marginalization. This reflects part of the narrative that is neither helpful nor empowering. Actually, the issue of use and engagement of the Linden contractors and workers was raised and gingerly discussed in the IDB-sponsored Risk Management Consultation that was attended by the major stakeholders. The contractor association and other stakeholders should formally engage the construction companies on their procurement strategy for subcontracting, housing and office space, and other
services; there should be a list of required skilled and unskilled workers. What is also essential is the enactment of the requisite legislation that would facilitate mentoring of local contractors in conjunction with regional set-aside programs. The Linden Water System Rehabilitation Project also has a strong component for public consultation and education. This is to be administered by GWI’s PR Department and the firm providing construction supervision. The Linden community should be proactive and engage GWI immediately on the related plans, get to know the scope and allotted resources and name the community representatives, not wait as mere recipients. There is an existing Stakeholder Committee. It is not adequately staffed, is poorly attended and without appropriate guidance and direction. The various stakeholders do not claim their place on the committee,
with the result that GWI is the dominant stakeholder on the committee. The committee should be pressing for greater community ownership and stewardship, as it was conceived. It is important that the Linden Water System be introduced at the high school level as part of the environmental curriculum. The committee should be formalized and have its mandate expanded to include all aspects of water management and conservation in Linden. Finally, Linden would benefit from a specific, integrated environmental/ water policy that would guide the development, assessment and conservation of its water resources. The Linden Mayor and Town Council has previously been approached to adopt “Protecting the Waters” as its environment policy. Samuel Wright Environmental Management Consultant Linden
shall be performed by such other of the Judges as shall be appointed by the President after meaning consultation with the Leader of the Opposition. There is some considerable distance between “obtaining agreement” and “meaningful consultation”. The office of Chancellor of the Judiciary became vacant upon the ascension of the Honourable Justice Bernard to the Caribbean Court of Justice in 2002. Thereafter, successive Presidents and Leaders of the Opposition have been unable to agree on the appointment of a Chancellor. The consequence of this for Guyana is that we currently have an acting Chancellor and acting Chief Justice at a time when two arms of the State are about to engage in open hostilities before the third. To compound this already difficult situation, is the fact that the acting Chancellor has assigned to the acting Chief Justice the hearing of all constitutional matters at first instance. So, as the State goes to
war with itself, we now face the prospect of the third arm of the state been exposed to the possible indignity of allegations of potential bias. In the publication “The Independence of the Judiciary. The view from the Lord Chancellor’s Office.” Professor Robert Stevens opined “the prospect of promotion (had) sullied the purity of the relationship between the Judiciary and the executive.” Lord Bingham of Cornwall in his book “The business of judging” opined “In modern democratic societies judges continue to occupy a privileged position, but for quite different reasons. Now privilege springs from public recognition that democratic government and society as a whole can only function fairly and properly within a framework of laws, justly and fairly administered by men and women who have no obligation save to justice itself.” Lord Bingham continued at page 61 “Any mention of judicial independence must eventually prompt the
question independent of what? The most obvious answer is, of course, independent of government. I find it impossible to think of any way in which judges, in their decision making role, should not be independent of government. But they should also be independent of the legislature, save in its law making capacity.” The inability to achieve consensus on the identification of candidates to hold the permanent and secure posts of Chancellor and Chief Justice, is unlikely to engender confidence in the administration of justice in the light of the executive’s declared hostilities against the Legislature. In order to avoid the third arm of the state falling prey to the current difficulties and mutual suspicions which have metastasized in the other organs of the State, we urge that as a matter of urgency that the candidates for appointment to the principal positions in the judiciary be identified and appointed in confirmed positions. C.A. Nigel Hughes
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A CHALLENGE FOR UNCLE DONALD The Guyana Office for Investment (GOINVEST) does not need to become more proactive. It needs a shift in focus from being an organization that facilitates business to one that establishes business projects and then invite investors, both local and foreign, to come on board. GOINVEST is always g o i n g t o f a c e huge challenges as long as it has to facilitate investments. Public officials protect their turf like security safeguarding the Crown Jewels. The public sector operates within the old authoritarian tradition in which public officials feel that they are doing the public a favour when the public goes to them for services. As such even investors who are helping to keep the economy going are made to feel that they have to stoop to the whims and fancy of public officials. There is no better demonstration of this than the discomfort that the public has to endure just to apply for a passport. Even though passport applicants are paying for their travel documents, they are made to f e e l a s i f they are institutionalized and if you dare try making a phone call while in the passport office, they
are liable to be reprimanded or at worse lose their turn. The passport office is not run as a business service. It is run like it was in the old days under an authoritarian culture. Very little has changed in twenty years. It is the same elsewhere. Many pensioners still face hassles at the NIS. Unless there are stronger systems to punish staff that do not provide timely service, the system will not get better. If these are the tribulations that the public face when trying to access normal services, imagine what happens to investors who may require tax concessions, land, licenses and permits. This is why facilitating investment is always going to be a frustrating exercise. Public officials know their authority and they do not easily yield that turf, at least not to any person representing an investment promoting agency. To make the investment facilitation work better, the Head of GOINVEST has to have the ear of the President and when confronted with problems should be able to have direct presidential intervention. This however will politicize the investment facilitation process and defeat the objective of an
Dem boys seh ...
Bharrat still silent bout he US$500M house Talk is de cheapest thing dem got and when people get corner dem does talk fast. Some does bull sh…t. De boy Earle travel wid Bharrat to Korea pun some mission. This was de boy who use to wuk wid Bobby Ramroop suh perhaps Bobby give he money to go wid he best friend, Bharrat, to Korea. Whatever de case, de Earle boy ask Bharrat bout he house and Bharrat mek a bold statement. He tell de Earle boy that when he Bharrat come back to Guyana he gun hold a press conference and he gun answer every question bout he house. He seh that he gun discuss all de corners in de house and de million US chandelier. Well dem boys seh that Bharrat ain’t come back yet although couple months pass. That house had everybody talking. Fuh a man who didn’t have nutten when he tun president—that is wha Ash-knee seh—Bharrat had to do extremely well fuh build a US$500 million house. Dem boys seh suh. He salary couldn’t give he such a house suh he either tek a big mortgage or people give he nuff gifts. De fact is that he get de house and he promise to talk bout it. But it look like if is only talk. He probably still trying fuh cover he tracks. That’s why he is so silent. Talk is cheap and that is why de Bees also don’t talk. Dem ain’t know nutten bout cheap. Dem boys seh that anybody who thief got to know to cover he tracks. Tek Sonny for instance. He thief de old people money from de hospitals in Florida and he couldn’t cover he tracks. He deh in khaki jumpsuit, waiting fuh spend de rest of he life behind bars. Dem boys wish de Bees and dem kavakamites de same thing in 13-13-13. De man wid de hammer talk fat when he defend Sonny Ass-Tin and cuss de Waterfalls paper fuh exposing de man. Now Sonny up to he Ass-In trouble and de man wid hammer ain’t picking he teeth. He bowing he head in parliament. He shame. In fact, quiet as a lamb he tell he friends how he responsible fuh sharing out de money that de Easy Come Easy Go airline owe people. Dem boys seh that he should find some of that money fuh help Sonny Ass-Tin get a lawyer. He lawyer know that he can’t pay fuh a lawyer suh he didn’t waste time asking fuh bail. Talk half and wait fuh more talk.
institution-driven process. It is easy to speak about institution- driven processes. But a precondition for such a process has to be changing the way Government offices operate. Over the past twenty years little has been done to create a new culture within the public sector, one that is business oriented and friendly rather than bureaucratic in nature. If the government was serious about creating business- oriented public services, it would have by now changed the entire accounting system with the public service and made all government services more business friendly. It has failed to do so because politicians derive much of their power and pleasure from being in control and they exert a great
deal of co n t r o l t h r o u g h public officials. But these officials also have their own agenda and interests. GOINVEST should minimize its investment facilitation focus. If investment is to be institution-driven, there will be no need for an agency like GOINVEST. Investors would be confident that if they need land, tax concessions and permit what the rules for these are and they should feel confident that applications for these things would be speedily assessed and processed without having to offer any inducements. There is however a more fundamental reason why GOINVEST should move away from investment facilitation towards investment creation. There is
a need for jobs in Guyana. Jobs will improve the lives of Guyanese and investments are needed to generate many jobs such as garment factories and telemarketing services. What GOINVEST should be doing is putting together business plans for large scale business operations that would employ large numbers of persons. It should then sell those proposals to investors in return for government backed tax rebates and incentives. This is what GOINVEST should be doing. It should be putting together major investment deals that would create mass employment. The problem is that the sectors where these jobs can be created are already in the hands of friends of the business elite or these friends
may already have plans for entry into the sector. As such, there is bound to be some political resistance from others who are likely to compete with the friends of the political elite. If the President is serious about GOINVEST becoming more proactive, he should allow them to immediately put together plans for five data centers, two communication service-providers and five clothing factories. Is the President of Guyana willing to take this gamble?
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=== THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN ===
As the Egyptian protest intensified, Mubarak did a horrible thing. Mubarak sent men with swords on camels and they waded into the protestors with resulting deaths. From thereon, lines were crossed and one side had to win, one side had to lose.
Why did Mubarak do such a foolish act? The answer any first year student in politics can offer. As the Libyan protest became widespread, Gaddafi sent snipers onto rooftops where they shot and killed innocent demonstrators. From thereon, the days of
Policewoman shot in Home Affairs compound Pandemonium broke out at the Home Affairs Ministry yesterday after a female Special Constabulary rank was accidentally shot while on duty in the compound. Corporal Lorna Andrews, 53, was wounded in the left thigh around 12:25 hrs when she claimed that she accidentally dropped a firearm she had collected from another rank. Corporal Andrews was sitting in the waiting area when another female rank handed her a .38 revolver. A source said that the corporal was about to stand when the weapon fell and a round was discharged and the rank was
shot in the thigh. The bullet exited the limb. However, experts say that unless a revolver is cocked, it would not go off, even if it is dropped from a skyscraper. The wounded rank was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) by Home Affairs Ministry personnel. She has been admitted to the hospital’s Female Surgical Ward. Sources said that it is fortunate that no one else was injured, since about six Home Affairs Ministry staff members were in close proximity when the mishap occurred.
Gaddafi were numbered. Why did Gaddafi do that? Again, you can find the answer from anyone who studies politics. Authoritarian governments are essentially insecure regimes. Concessions bring about the fear of the lessening of power. Thoughts of losing power spiral out of control for two reasons – prosecution and humiliation. Where the PPP goes from here after the 2011 national elections is not something one can easily predict but it is not hard to imagine that like Mubarak and Gaddafi, there will be no negotiation, no compromise, no concession. For the PPP, one side has to win, one side has to lose. Since the election of 2011, the pattern of unpopular rule has gone on unabated but if one were to point to any anomaly inside the PPP that largely indicates that the irrationality of power has sapped the soul of the PPP, it is the Ramkarran affair and the nature of the PPP reply to Ramkarran’s now famous Stabroek News commentary
It is not that Mr. Ramkarran was quietly engaged and asked to wait and be patient with his wish list. On the contrary his criticism was met with pomposity, arrogance and insults. For Ralph Ramkarran, it was time to part company with a government that not only lost its way but was perhaps irredeemable. Then came the stupid reply to his popular Stabroek News article. When governing parties become morally and politically bankrupt, the capacity to intellectualize and philosophize die. Simple PR tasks are overtaken by aridity, inanity and asininity. No one in the regime can rise above the ordinary and invent an explanation that is elegant, penetrating and successful. One silly thing follows another. You know then that the regime has lost direction and time is closing in. After losing the majority of votes in a general election; after seeing the rejection by that part of Guyana that came
to be synonymous with the PPP – Berbice; after witnessing the support among Indians for Moses Nagamootoo, it was only logical to thread carefully with its second best personality after Nagamootoo, Ralph Ramkarran. The PPP couldn’t do. It cannot do it. The authoritarian instinct destroys rationality. It replaces sense and sensibility with hubris and hauteur. But most of all the authoritarian instinct is driven by fear of losing power. If Ramkarran’s wish list is accepted, then the domino effect comes into play. We give in to Ramkarran on corruption, then, he may want to go in other directions. Ramkarran succeeds then another party leader will come up with his demands. The government gets weaker and the door is open for the opposition. This is the thought that permeates the collective psyche of the PPP. It explains the frenetic drive to confront the opposition
Frederick Kissoon This writer does not share the popular view out there that the PPP is so psychologically traumatized by the 2011 election results that it cannot see and face the reality. My theory is that the PPP is overcome with the domino effect. If the opposition is allowed to get an input into NCN, then it will be the Chronicle next, then UG, then the public service then the NIS, then the Bank of Guyana. This is what has overran the psychology of the PPP. This is standard political theory. This theory explains why dictatorship falls. It cannot save itself. It has no internal dynamic to propel it forward. The only logic that moves it is survival not negotiations. This explains the murderous men on the camels and the snipers on the rooftops.
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Teenager dies in road accident after drinking spree A Mahaica, East Coast Demerara family has shelved their Christmas plans to prepare for the funeral of a member who died as a result of a road accident early yesterday morning. Rohan Simon, 18, of Vevay, Mahaica was pronounced dead on arrival at the Mahaicony Cottage Hospital around 01:00 hours after he was hurled from the back of an out of control pickup truck, owned by a highranking member of the judiciary. He and his brother, with some friends, had gone on a drinking spree which started early Sunday evening. Another member of the drinking party, Indar Singh, of de Hoop, Mahaica, was also hurled onto the roadway and was treated at the same hospital for injuries he sustained. Police in a press release stated that about 00:15 hour yesterday Rohan Simon and Indar Singh were travelling in the tray of an open-back motor pick-up vehicle along the Airy Hall Public Road, Mahaicony, when they fell out as the driver was negotiating a turn. Simon’s brother, Delroy Thomas, is probably the most devastated family member; he was in the pick-up with his
The ill-fated pick-up truck. Rohan Simon younger sibling when the mishap occurred. Thomas told Kaieteur News that he, Simon and some other friends went to several drinking spots in the Mahaica area to usher in the festive season. But just before midnight they were not satisfied, so they passed their homes and travelled all the way to Mahaicony where they continued to imbibe. It is alleged that the driver of the pick-up was another teenager whose father works for a high-ranking judicial officer and who had possession of the official’s
Contracts approved for infrastructure, education and forensic lab As the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) seeks to beef up its effort to reduce its losses, Cabinet has granted no objection for the award of US$796,183 for the procurement of 10,000 water meters by the Ministry of Housing and Water. This disclosure was made on Friday by People's Progressive Party Civic Chief Whip, Ms Gail Teixeira, during the postCabinet press briefing at the Office of the President. Chief Executive Officer of GWI, Shaik Baksh, said that GWI has a strategic plan in motion to address the loss situation faced by the company. He was at the time alluding to a massive metering drive throughout the country. With meters in place, Baksh is optimistic that “once people consume more water they will pay more or a higher tariff rate.” Not only will metering reduce the level of consumption but according to the CEO, the programme will also serve to significantly reduce the water company's energy cost. Currently GWI's monthly energy cost is some $220 million which is payable to the Guyana Power and Light Incorporated. Last week too,
Cabinet approved in excess of $800 million for the construction of roads which is under the purview of the Housing Ministry. According to Teixeira, a contract has been approved for the construction of an alternative access road to the Region Three Community of La Parfaite Harmonie. The contract is valued at $595 million and according to the Chief Whip “this is a project that the residents of that area have been asking for. I believe this will make a big difference in the lives of people in the community.” Cabinet, last week too, approved contracts for the rehabilitation and construction of miscellaneous roads in Region Three valued at just over $208 million while the Region Four, East Coast Demerara areas of Brusche Dam, Paradise, Nabacalis and Ann's Grove will benefit from similar works to the tune of $29 million. More than $300 million was also approved for the construction of pumping stations under the purview of the Ministry of Agriculture. Teixeira said that a contract valued at just over $149 million was granted for a pump (continued on page 12)
vehicle. This newspaper understands that the employee’s son, who is said to be unlicenced, had taken
the vehicle without his father’s knowledge and proceeded on the drinking spree. Although he was
supposed to be the designated driver, the teenager was also overcome by the liquor and it was not
surprising that tragedy struck. According to Thomas, on their way back, the driver lost control of the vehicle which spun around several times hurling Simon and Singh on to the roadway. “I see my buddy deh pon de ground, he and a next Indian boy. I pick he up and put he in a vehicle and from deh we go to Mahaicony wheh he dead. De Indian boy, he deh bad,” Thomas explained. For him, the Christmas season is virtually over. “As a brother, me feel bad, man. We had plans but this is close off; no more drinking,” Thomas declared. Meanwhile, the driver of the pick-up is in police custody assisting with investigations.
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Digicel injects over US$70M into local market ...plans to improve service in 2013 Since its introduction to Guyana in May 2006, Digicel has plugged more than US$70 million into the local telecommunication market. However, there is more spending on the horizon, as according to Chief Executive Officer, Gregory Dean, Digicel has even more plans to improve the mobile service it offers to its customers. At Digicel’s end-of-year press conference last week
Thursday, at its Fort and Barrack Streets, Kingston, Georgetown headquarters, Dean reflected on a number of network sites that were launched, among them one at Omai, even as he related that the company is currently working to set up another site this month at La Parfaite Harmonie. He said that the mobile company has been closely gauging the new and upcoming residential areas
Contracts approved for... From page 11 ing station at Windsor Forest, West Coast Demerara; another valued at $120 million for Canal One Polder, West Bank Demerara and yet another for Rose Hall, Corentyne, Berbice valued at just over $37 million were also approved. Cabinet's no objection was also in order for a more than $367 million contract for the construction of the foundation for the 26 Megawatt Wartsila power plant at Vreeden-Hoop, West Coast Demerara. This move, according to Teixeira, represents “a major intervention in terms of the whole
electrification programme for Guyana and the national grid.” The education sector is also slated to benefit from a contract valued at just over $130 million for the provision of sweetened biscuits under the National School Feeding programme 2012/2013. Additionally, over US$1.8 million was approved for the Ministry of Home Affairs and Inter-American Development Bank Citizen Security project to cater for the supply, delivery and installation of forensic laboratory equipment, training and laboratory furnishing for the Police Forensic Laboratory.
with a view to providing extra coverage. “We have already looked at areas like Eccles and some of the areas on the East Bank. We are working on High Hill which is another out of town area that will give service mainly to Micobie and Tumatumari...” he added. It is the CEO’s expectation that the High Hill set-up will allow for persons traversing into Mahdia to have mobile service access. “Once you get to 58 Miles and beyond you should be able to have service all the way from there right into Mahdia...There might be some areas on the trail where there might be spots where you lose service but pretty much we are expecting to have service right through into Mahdia in January,” Dean said. The CEO said that there were a significant amount of network upgrades during the course of this year and there are even more plans to do further upgrades before Christmas. An attempt by the company to complete a series of upgrades before the Christmas season kicked in had in fact resulted in Digicel
customers suffering a bit in terms of service, Dean disclosed. He commended the company’s clientele for having tolerated the inconvenience since according to him it is only a means toward improvement. “Once w e g e t t o t h e Christmas period we normally go into a network freeze...we would like to thank our customers for being patient with us...” said Dean. Digicel, he explained, is further expanding its reach by opening new stores at areas including: Grove, Kwakwani and Mabaruma. However, work in this regard will not continue for the rest of this year but come January through March works will resume to upgrade existing stores, he said. In the interim though, Digicel has been working diligently to introduce new handsets, such as the Samsung Galaxy, to its customers, a move which according to Dean has been gaining favourable responses from customers. Despite to improve it services, Dean said that Digicel is still looking forward to the liberalisation of the sector. According to him “as
Digicel’s CEO, Mr Gregory Dean an investor what you want is certainty in terms of where your business is going day to day and currently there is no clear idea of where the telecommunication sector is going.” At the moment Dean is confident that Digicel is able to meet the international market. “We believe we can compete in the international sector and offer international rates cheaper.” “I think we did have a period in July when we felt that it (the market) was opened and we were able to do that in quite a short
time...so we don’t see it any differently in terms of a fully liberalised market,” Dean related. He said that since Digicel entered the market domestic rates have decreased by over 50 per cent and “I think that both operators of the market are still able to exist in the market with those rates.” Dean is convinced that the local telecommunication market can allow operators to exist while at the same time give customers greater benefits for their dollars. “We don’t have this idea that if you liberalise and have an open competitive sector it would be an end of the world for operators or consumers...We believe that there is a happy medium where all stakeholders can benefit.” Guyana, according to Dean, should be exposed to even more technology even as he noted that most of the other markets have 4G services as well as cheap access to internet. “For us Guyana still has some ways to go in terms of catching up with some of the other Caricom markets and that is one of the reasons why we believe liberalisation is critical.”
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US$20M fraud… EZjet founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Sonny Austin Ramdeo, whose dramatic arrest last week in New York made headlines, has agreed to stay behind bars until his trial in Florida. Ramdeo, accused of a multi-million-dollar tax fraud, was widely expected to seek his pre-trial freedom in a Brooklyn, New York court yesterday. However, Ramdeo, before Magistrate Judge Robert M. Levy, agreed to remain in jail until his case is moved to Florida. The executive, who is facing up to 60 years in federal custody for a US$20M tax fraud scheme, was escorted into Courtroom 2A in the Brooklyn Federal Court
Kaieteur News
EZjet boss to stay in jail until trial - has not hired a lawyer House at approximately 11:25 hours. Wearing a khaki jumpsuit and red undershirt, a visibly withdrawn Ramdeo wore no shackles or restraints. He was represented by Assistant Federal defender, Kannan Sundaram. He stood throughout the hearing with his hands behind his back and responded with a simple “Yes, your Honour”, when questioned about his knowledge of his rights by Judge Levy. The proceedings lasted just a few minutes. Sundaram, his public defender, declined to give Kaieteur News a statement on
the case. It is not clear if and when the case reaches the Florida courts if Ramdeo will continue with the federal defender or will seek to retain a lawyer. He is expected to be transferred to Florida within the next few days. Judge Levy told him that if he is still in New York by this time next week, he should make contact with his federal defender. Ramdeo was indicted on December 6 by Florida prosecutors and arrested on December 11 in Brooklyn. He was arraigned a few hours later on Wednesday before Magistrate Judge Vera Scanlon.
... passengers will be refunded - Benn Minister of Public Works, Robeson Benn, with responsibility for Transport and Aviation yesterday told the National Assembly that Ezjet owes $3.1M to the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority and another $2.6M to the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA). He also noted that the only EZjet passengers who will be refunded by the Government of Guyana are those who purchased their tickets in Guyana. The overseas operations would have to deal with the other passengers. However, reports are that the other EZjet offices are in limbo and that the staff from the New York office has
Tuesday December 18, 2012
walked off the job. Benn yesterday reiterated that refunds will come from a US$200,000 bond that the now collapsed airline had to lodge. Benn added that the government has learnt that EZjet has been able to secure some funds which will go towards refunding some other passengers also. The Minister made the announcement in response to a question posed in the National Assembly by Alliance For Change leader Khemraj Ramjattan, during yesterday’s sitting. Asked about the arrangement for payment to EZjet’s local employees, Minister Benn stated that that is a private issue and those
employees will have to wait until the upcoming events unfolds. However, acting Chief Executive Officer, Rosalinda Rasul, had said that the staff had been paid to the end of this month. Asked about the background check that should have been done upon the airline, Benn told the National Assembly that the six to nine months of investigation revolved around business plans and related to permission granted to EZjet through US Department of Transportation EZjet Airline’s licences have been suspended in the US and in Georgetown following financial difficulties it encountered with its creditors.
Remaining in custody: EZjet boss, Sonny Ramdeo Legal officials had said that even if Ramdeo had applied for bail, it would have been unlikely that his application would have been successful as Assistant US Attorney, Catherine Mirabile, last Wednesday was successful in securing a temporary detention order. Wi t h c h a rg e s f i l e d against Ramdeo since December 6, and the FBI reportedly looking for him since last month, the possibilities of bail being granted for the EZjet founder had seemed all the more remote. Ramdeo, according to court documents, reportedly stole US$20M from a hospital chain over a seven-year period. The court document did not say whether Ramdeo had hidden the money. Some of the monies he is accused of stealing were said to be used to finance the
Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida operations of EZjet, a chartered airline that he started up last year December and which flew the New York/ Guyana route with flights also to Toronto and Trinidad. The Federal agents, led by Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, said that Ramdeo transferred the money from Promise and Success Healthcare, which ran more than 17 hospitals across the US. He allegedly funneled the monies to his payroll tax company, PayServ from where some were used to finance EZjet’s operations. The federal agents had signaled their intention to arrest him in early November. Ramdeo immediately went into hiding, but gave the impression through his local country manager, Rosalinda Rasul, that he was communicating with the Feds.
He even returned as Chief Executive Officer having resigned when the first accusation of theft surfaced through a writ filed by Promise Healthcare, accusing him of stealing US$5.4 million. Nobody seemed to have known where he was, yet he was running EZjet. Investigators cornered Ramdeo in Brooklyn, New York on Tuesday night. He was immediately arrested and placed before Magistrate Judge Scanlon in a federal court in the Eastern District of New York. Court documents released by the Feds explained that Ramdeo was employed as the Director of Payroll of Promise Healthcare Inc. and Success Healthcare LLC. He was responsible for the payments of bi-weekly wages and related payroll taxes for more than 3,500 employees of the companies. According to the indictment, as early as September 3, 2010, and continuing through October 12, 2012, at Boca Raton, Palm Beach County, in the Southern District of Florida, and elsewhere, Ramdeo devised a scheme to defraud the hospitals by stealing the payroll taxes. He did this by establishing Payserv Tax Inc. which he claimed, using false e-mails, was a subsidiary of Ceridian Corporation, a well known company that once did payroll services for the hospitals . This case in Florida, where Ramdeo was based, is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ellen L. Cohen.
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OLPF Programme slowed in 2012 The One Laptop Per Family Programme (OLPF) slowed significantly in 2012, because it had become a victim of the budget cuts. But other ways were found to procure more computers and accelerate the distribution drive of the computers to the applicants. Minister of Agriculture, Dr Leslie Ramsammy, while distribution of over 60 laptops at the studios of the National Communications Network Inc (NCN) in Berbice on S u n d a y, s aid that the programme is being accelerated again. The government has found ways to cross the budget cuts hurdle, he said. Some $18.3B was cut from the 2012 budget by the combined opposition. One of the items on the list was the OLPF Programme. Prior to the disbursement of the LCDS Fund, the GOG had advanced the money for the programme. “We had bought a set of computers
which we distributed last year and we were hoping that once we got back the money from LCDS, we would then procure a larger amount for distribution”. He stated that the government had to go and “find ways of doing the programme.” “As government, we depend for support on the parliament…and when they vote against such a thing, they vote against good programmes and people getting benefits. But we had said when the budget was cut, that we’d find a way to make it happen, and we did. This programme is back and is being accelerated.” “You would have noticed that last year we were going fast—virtually every day we were distributing 100, 50, 100, 150 computers in villages…and then we became a little slow for this year—2012 has been slower than 2011”. But he stated that the budget cuts did not cripple the OLPF Programme
because the government found other ways to procure the computers “which we, today are distributing. In fact, in the 2013 budget, we are hoping that everything goes right and we will have an acceleration.” The Minister added that other partners and donors, the Government of China for instance, has come on board and has offered to donate computers towards the project “and other private partners who are contributing to the programme”. Dr Ramsammy, when asked about the possibility of the combined opposition slicing more money from the programme in the 2013 budget, stated that “well, you never know…all these programmes are for the entire country, not for the PPP supporters, rather for every family and there are certain things we should not make a political football.” H e n o t e d that when certain developmental programmes are threatened,
45 E’bo teachers graduate with management skills Forty-five teachers tasked with responsibilities of manning schools across Region Two received certificates upon completion of an Education management course offered by the National Centre for Education Resource Development (NECERD), yesterday. The Education Management course offered to senior members of the teaching profession was aimed at improving School performance among senior educationists and to meet the needs of a child. Master trainer and former head master of the Abram’s Zuil Secondary School, Mr. Maydha Persaud, said that a survey was done to ascertain the reason for poor performances in some schools. Results have shown that one of the factors responsible is poor leadership displayed by many of the heads with responsibilities for schools. Persaud noted that the Education Management course was initially piloted in the Region, in 2000, which primarily targeted Head teachers. Persaud stressed in his report that it has been widely agreed that one of the key factors influencing school effectiveness is the nature and quality of leadership and management provided by individual school heads. He reminded teachers that the Head is said to be the heart of an institution and his leadership style is the heart
Best graduating student Senior Mistress, Patsy Jainarine beat. “A good and effective Head must instill in his staff that good teaching is about substance and treating students as consumers of knowledge.” Best graduating student Senior Mistress, Patsy Jainarine, urged her fellow graduates to believe in themselves and to allow their dreams to emerge. Jainarine added that while she had to endure tremendous challenges by juggling her home duties and her studies, the shifting of priorities has paid off in the end. Senior Mistress, Kumarie Surettan, charged the graduating teachers to become instructional leaders while maximizing the capacity of the students’ will power to
learn. Surettan reminded her fellow teachers to also be role models for both their students and society. Ms. Leslyn Edwards Charles, Regional Education Officer, said that all of the teachers from Region Two, who participated in the programme were successful. She however added one of the most disappointing aspects of the programme was the recognition of the failure of teachers to apply what they would have learnt during previous programmes. She called on the graduating teachers not to wait to become administrators to perform but to apply the gained managerial skills readily. (Yannason Duncan).
“you are threatening the livelihood of everyone, whatever ethnicity, religion and so on and we should not play with the lives of ordinary people.” “It was wrong to block programmes like the OLPF, and solar panels for hinterland families”, he noted. He is hoping common sense would prevail “and don’t take our wards to a level where people are affected and if we want to have a war, it is okay but let us find things that don’t hurt people”. He stated that the government is trying its utmost to ensure that every nursery, primary and secondary school has computers. He said, though, that this process will take time but it will become a reality, “and one day soon, every child will have access to computers in schools.” Dr Ramsammy stated that it is also the intention of the government for families to
access the computers, “and to bring equity to people whereby not only rich people have access”. The PPP/C government, he added, designed the programme for 90,000 persons “and if you take an average of four persons in a home, it means almost 400,000 people would benefit directly from the OLPF programme”. Also, he addressed the concerns about the long wait being experienced by some applicants “because we don’t have all of it to give at the same time…we have to—it’s hundreds of millions of dollars.” Ramsammy also addressed what he termed ‘rumours’ about persons having to pay for the laptops, or do laborious work after they would have received the instruments. He debunked those claims. He stated that when the programme was first started, budget funds were used
“because we were going to do this programme on the Low Carbon Development Strategy and we are getting some money for a service that Guyana provides…for us preserving the forests, we help the world absorb the carbons from the air and we are selling that service so Norway is paying us and one of the sources of the money of this programme comes from LCDS.” He thanked Member of Parliament, Faizal M. Jaffarally who is playing a crucial role in the OLPF Programme in the Berbice area. So far in 2012, some 3,000 laptops were distributed to Berbicians. This week, more than 175 instruments will be distributed across various hubs in Berbice, Dr Ramsammy revealed. Black Bush, Manchester, Port Mourant, Liverpool, New Amsterdam, and Albion have recently seen laptop distribution.
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Tuesday December 18, 2012
Kaieteur News
First Lady visits Red Cross Children's Convalescent Home
Shootout bandits ... F i r s t L a d y, M r s . D eo la tch me e R amo tar, visited the Guyana Red Cross Society Children's Convalescent Home in Durban Backlands, y e s t e r d a y, t o s p r e a d Christmas cheers. While there, Mrs
Ramotar interacted and sang Christmas carols with 36 children between the ages of one and five years old who are residing at the home. Accompanying Mrs. Ramotar was Santa Claus. Christmas presents were also distributed to the Children
“Pop Corn” remanded on six charges
who were all nicely decked out in their Santa hats. Yesterday's activity was one of the many events planned by the First Lady's e o d a t Foundation for the Promotion Seecharran, of the Positive Family to called “Pop celebrate the joyous occasion Corn”, 20, of Edinburgh of Christmas. Housing Scheme, East Bank Berbice, who was among a gang of four that was involved in a gun battle with police on Sunday December 9, was on Monday arraigned on six charges. Three of them were shot and seriously wounded. Seecharran appeared before Magistrate Adela Nagamootoo on Monday at the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s court on six charges. He is accused of discharging a loaded firearm at police cadet officer Roger Pilgrim with intent to maim, disfigure, disable or cause him grievous bodily harm. He is also charged with discharging a loaded firearm at Police corporal Randy Hamilton with intent to maim, disfigure, disable or cause him grievous bodily harm. Another charge read that on the same day he and
D
others discharged a loaded firearm at Doodnauth Moses with intent to maim, disfigure, disable or cause him grievous bodily harm. Seecharran is also charged with being in possession of a firearm without being the holder of a firearm licence. Another charge is that he was in possession of ammunition without being the holder of a firearm licence. He is also charged with the offence of attempting to commit a felony by attacking the dwelling house of Ragesh Parsram at Betsy Ground, East Canje Berbice. Seecharran was refused bail and will have to return to court on January 16, next at the Reliance Magistrate’s court. Two other men, Keshwar Harrinarine, called “Bread”, 32, a hire car driver of Fyrish, Long dam; Corentyne, Berbice; and Parmanand Joseph, 24, also a hire car driver of John’s, Corentyne, Berbice, were earlier arraigned on six charges and
remanded to jail. Another man, Zaheir Abdul, 22, of New Scheme, Adelphi, East Canje Berbice, is still hospitalised in the city. Three of the bandits were injured--Seecharran was shot to his left buttock; Abdul to his left hip; and Harrinarine to his right buttock. They were all hospitalised. Joseph who was said to be the getaway car driver, was intercepted with vehicle-HC 1390 in the area and could give no plausible excused as to why he was in the area. The men were captured after a failed robbery on the house situated at Betsy Ground, East Canje. They were then involved in a gun battle with police which ended with three of them being cornered in the St Patrick’s burial ground in Plantation Rose Hall, Canje, next to the Rose Hall Estate. The police recovered one shot gun, pellets empty casings. Boots, caps and jerseys were also recovered.
Tuesday December 18, 2012
NIS consultation supports Govt rejection of higher retirement age “We were right in saying to Mr (David) Granger 'no we cannot agree to this in the budget talks',” said People's Progressive Party Civic, Chief Whip, Ms Gail Teixeira as she alluded to calls from the parliamentary opposition to increase the retirement age to 65. Teixeira's disclosure was forthcoming as she responded to questions from the media during the post Cabinet press briefing at Office of the President on Friday. According to her, in the budget talks of April this year, the opposition through the person of Granger, called for the age retirement to be increased, a notion to which the ruling party did not subscribe. She pointed to the fact that the parliamentary record can show that the leader of the parliamentary opposition was of the opinion that “we could just announce that the age of retirement had moved from 55 to 65. We disagreed vehemently and we said that a matter like this had major repercussions and consequences.
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Kaieteur News
“The matter would have to be taken to a level of consultation with the unions and public service where the ordinary people can decide whether they want to work to 65 before they retire.” Teixeira speculated on Friday that many people look forward in the public service to retiring and doing a range of other things in their lives with some even opting to stay on and work in the public sector. She pointed to last week's National Insurance Scheme's (NIS) consultation which saw stakeholders rejecting a recommendation to increase the retirement age. They said the five-year gap that was suggested for the retirement age may be difficult for low income earners, while pointing out that most public servants retire at 60. Also rejected were recommendations relating to Old Age pension and increased contribution rates which attracted intense discussions. The recommendations raised, however, have not been put in place, but according to
NIS General Manager Terry Thomas, great scrutiny would be given to the pointers. The NIS debate was based on the review of its actuarial review which saw Dominican, Derek Osborne, o f f e r i n g 2 8 recommendations. Though not totally connected with the budget debates, Teixeira insisted that the recent consultation is in fact “an interesting indicator to me that we were right of what we said in April that this is an issue that would require a lot of discussions, a lot of consultations before...so the NIS consultations right now give us a window into the public's opinion.” “Having seen what has been reported in the press...I am rather titillated in a sense that here was the Government in April saying that this is an issue that needs discussion ...and now you are getting a response from the NIS (consultation) that this is still a controversial issue...this still a controversial issue and this is absolutely right,” Teixeira said.
Six weeks after child molested ...
No word from police, suspect still on the run
T
he investigation into the alleged rape of a twoyear-old girl at Imbaimadai, Region Seven, on November 4, last, has come to a standstill and the suspect continues to roam free. The child was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) by her mother the day after she was assaulted. At that time, the mother did not know that her daughter was molested. She claimed that she had taken the child to the hospital for a check-up because she realized that the child was not eating. It was there she learnt from a doctor that her twoyear-old daughter was raped. The police were summoned to investigate the matter. To date, the only information the police are giving is that “the matter is under investigation” nothing else. A police source told this newspaper that no officer has gone to Imbaimadai to investigate the matter. The
source claimed that no one from the Police Force has ever picked up that file after the “verbal investigation” an investigator had with the child’s mother. A few days after the child was molested, the mother told Kaieteur News that “I was going to the shop so I take the padlock and I just rest it on the door and I left and go to the shop.” Her husband was at work. “When I come back I didn’t see the padlock on the door, I see it on the step, but I didn’t really think anything. I go and I see my son on the bed alone, so I ask he where he sister deh, and he said that he don’t know. So me and he went and search around the place but we didn’t find her,” the mother claimed. She said she decided to stop searching and returned
home. “As soon as I walk in the yard I hear she crying at the back of the yard so I go there with the torchlight and I see her.” The child’s mother claimed that she found her daughter crying bitterly. “She didn’t have on her top just her skirt and no underwear. I pick her up and I bathe her and put her to sleep.” Although the woman had found her in distress, with bruises on her skin, she did not at first think that her daughter had been molested. She claimed that the following day she realized the girl wasn’t eating so she rushed her to the city at her husband behest. “When I come to the hospital that is when they tell me that she was molested and they called in the police,” the child’s mother claimed.
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Kaieteur News
Tuesday December 18, 2012
Kitty man committed to High Court for 2010 motorcycle murder Murder accused, Terry Kissoon, was yesterday committed to stand trial at the next appropriate sitting of the Supreme Court. The man is accused of murdering 34year-old Troy Smith of Lot 108 Thomas Street, Kitty. The Lot 126 Thomas Street, Kitty resident is alleged to have shot Smith over an alleged stolen bike. According to the police report, on July 30, 2010, Kissoon reportedly accused Smith of stealing his motorcycle. The two ended up in a heated argument before Kissoon reportedly took out a handgun and shot Smith in the abdomen. In a report issued for the accused in 2010, it was disclosed that Kissoon went to the home of the deceased around 07:00 hours and after the theft allegation, told the
deceased that he had 24hours to find the motorcycle. It was from that, reports said, that the argument ensued and Smith was shot to the left side abdomen. He was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital by his relatives, but was pronounced dead on arrival. On August 10, 2010, Smith was charged with murder after police said he was evading the law. The now 35year-old man was not required to plead at his first court appearance. Yesterday, Magistrate Sueanna Lovell informed the accused that the prosecution which was led by prosecutor Neville Jeffers had established adequate evidence to prove that he had reportedly killed Smith. Kissoon was represented by Defence Lawyer Nigel Hughes in association with
Dead: Troy Smith Candace Rodney. In contrast to the police, the defence felt that enough evidence was not led and thus posited a no case submission. The prosecution had presented seven witnesses to the court with one of them reportedly being an eyewitness to the offence.
Rosignol murder accused to know fate today The Number Two a c c u s e d , Sean Benjamin, called “Blacka” or “Blackboy” of Rosignol, West Bank Berbice, who is on trial for the murder of Ian Adonis called “Safo” or “Iron” of Lot 30 Edward Street, Rosignol will know his fate today when the judge is expected to sum up the evidence to the jury before they retire to consider the evidence. Benjamin is accused of killing Adonis on August 29, 2007 at Rosignol Village West Coast Berbice. He is appearing before Justice Roxanne George-Wiltshire and a mixed jury in the Berbice High Court. Yesterday, both the defence and the prosecution addressed the jury. Defense Attorney Raymond Ally stated that the deceased was killed by the now freed accused, Mark Massiah, who admitted to lashing the accused.
He was freed on no case submission. His lawyer argued self defence, contending that the now dead Adonis attacked him three times with a knife. Defence counsel Ally discredited the prosecution’s main witness who had testified that she saw Benjamin inflicting blows on Adonis. He stated that the woman had a motive because in her evidence she stated that the accused on several occasions would trouble her calling her ‘Black Bird’. He also stated that there were major differences in the woman’s evidence in the Magistrate’s Court and in the High Court. He also tried to discredit the evidence given by the police sergeant. “Who will you believe? An 18-year-old girl whom the accused frequently interfered with or a police Sergeant Gravesande?” He also commented on the
statement by the Pathologist Dr. Vivekanand Bridgmohan in which he stated that after the blow to the back of the head, Adonis would not have been able to get up. He then asked, “So who gave the fatal blow? It was Mark Massiah.” Prosecutor, Attorney-atlaw, Priteema Kissoon, urged the jury to unravel the evidence. Benjamin had earlier given an unsworn statement from the dock in which he denied having anything to do with Adonis’s death. He had stated that star witness Nightingale had a grudge against him because he always called her “Black Bird” and had promised to give him trouble. Benjamin was on trial along with Mark Massiah called “Red Man”. Massiah was freed on Wednesday following no case submission by his attorney Charrandass Persaud on the grounds of self defence.
Caribbean Public Health Agency to launch operations in 2013 The Caribbean Public Health Agency will formally launch operations in January, the organization announced this week. Dr Carl Hospedales, a native of Trinidad and Tobago, has been named the new executive director for Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), according to Jamaica Health Minister Dr Fenton Ferguson, the Chair of CARPHA's Executive Board. CARPHA is the consoli-
dation of five regional health institutions: the Caribbean Epidemiology Centre (CAREC), Caribbean Health Research Council (CHRC), Caribbean Environmental Health Institute (CEHI), Caribbean Regional Drug Testing Laboratory (CRDTL) and the Caribbean Food and Nutrition Institute (CFNI). It has already received $2 million in funding from the European Union, along with $800,000 from the Public
Health Agency of Canada and $200,000 from the United Kingdom. It has also received two other grants: $2.5 million from Canada for epidemiology training, and $5 million from the US-based Centre for Disease Control and the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. C ARICOM Member States will make annual contributions to CARPHA's operational budget.
Tuesday December 18, 2012
Kaieteur News
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Delays in Haags Bosch dumpsite…
Less than half IDB money disbursed, 8 months to go An ambitious waste disposal project at Haags Bosch, East Bank Demerara, is behind schedule with government yesterday meeting with players to express worry. Minister in the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, Norman Whittaker; Permanent Secretary (PS) Collin Croal; Minister in the Ministry of Finance Juan Edghill; and Representative, Inter-Development Bank (IDB) Leslie Ann Edward, were among those present at the meeting at the Kingston Ministry yesterday, a government statement said. The Haags Bosch Project began in February 2007 and is scheduled to be completed by August 13, 2013. Minister Whittaker expressed the need for the stakeholders present to, “offer opinions, recommendations, observation with a view to advancing the work that still needs to be done and bringing conclusion to those work within the timeline.” He was also critical of the seeming lack of urgency of the project which was designed to provide a
sustainable solution to solid waste collection and disposal problems in Georgetown. The project has not been without its problem after the government’s supervising engineer, Walter Willis, clashed with the main contractor, BK International. Willis was removed from the project. According to Whittaker, by now, the project should have been wrapping up. Somewhere along the line, some or most of the stakeholders have been failing to deliver on aspects of the project, he said. The government statement did not immediately name any of the parties that were guilty for the delays. Other stakeholders represented at the discussion were solid waste collectors…Cevons Waste, Puran Bros and FH Disposal, BK International, IBA Consultant, GuyEnterprise, Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment, the Region Four Regional Democratic Council (RDC,) the 15 Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs,) the Mayor and City Council and the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA). Whittaker called for suggestions that would help to meet the target date. “Whilst Government has not been able to deliver on some of the expectations of the project in a timely manner, there has been vast improvement in waste collection in the city. Waste is being collected in a controlled manner, with organised waste recycling, an improvement that was not afforded at the Mandela dumpsite,” the statement said. Minister Edghill identified some areas that must be addressed in relation to the project. He listed compaction among these and said that arriving at ‘real compaction’ is critical to prolonging the lives of the cells. The Haags Bosch project is financed under a partnership agreement between the Government and the IDB, with the latter committed to providing a total funding of US$18.07M for the completion of the project. The bank commenced disbursing the resources from 2007 and the project was due to be completed within five years. With the project entering its sixth operational year, the
There are delays in the Haags Bosch dumpsite with government yesterday meeting with stakeholders to complain. IDB Representative said that the bank is pleased that the Guyana Government has seen the need to prioritise the issues and challenges affecting the closure of the project. She said this has been a concern, in light of the fact that just under half of the
resources for the project remain undisbursed. The un-used resources have costs; an opportunity cost in terms of social programmes that require resources that the bank is unable to fund and as well as financial cost as the loan resources have interest rate.
Over the last year, the IDB has been providing technical support to the government to ensure the successful implementation of the project. IDB has also been providing training and capacity building skills to those persons managing the project.
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Kaieteur News
Huge Trade Deficit (Jamaica Gleaner) One of the country’s most powerful private sector bodies, the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce (JCC), has criticised the country for not acting on a national export strategy that was proposed four years ago. The criticism, made by JCC President Francis Kennedy, comes in the wake of data provided by the website diGJamaica.com, which show that the country’s trade deficit widened significantly over the first eight months of the year. Kennedy said this is a clear indication that measures have to be quickly put in place
to drive exports of Jamaican goods and services. “The Government has been sitting on it (the proposed export strategy) for the last three or four years,” the JCC president told The Gleaner Sunday. The proposed strategy was designed to be a publicprivate sector partnership that would help to advance the productivity and competitiveness of firms and industries while enhancing the business and trade environment and improving Jamaica’s export performance. The rationale was to help reduce the country’s balanceof-trade deficit, increase job
Francis Kennedy creation, and reduce debt. But permanent secretary in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Reginald Budhan, explained
Tuesday December 18, 2012
- JCC alarmed by low exports - Govt. says lack of funds stalling strategy that the proposal presented several challenges. According to Budhan, some of the challenges were not only about enacting new legislation, but required Government intervention, which has “budgetary implications”. “There is a limit as to what we can do, so the implementation date has to be moderated,” he reasoned. “Remember, this is a government document, so there is no motive not to do it, except that there are constraints, and those constraints have to do with resources,” he explained. The permanent secretary said an implementation plan had been worked out between the country’s trade promotion agency Jampro and the Jamaica Exporters’ Association. Data gathered through the website diGJamaica.com have shown that the total value of Jamaican exports over the first eight months of the year was significantly less than the value of imported petroleum products alone.
The data revealed that total exports between January and August were valued at US$1.1 billion, or J$97 billion, while the value of all imported petroleum products was US$1.6 billion, or J$142 billion. “This represents a US$500 million, or J$45 billion, trade deficit on petroleum products alone,” the website pointed out. “Put another way: the trade deficit on petroleum products alone would purchase 4.5 billion $10-Cash Pot bets,” it reasoned. CAN’T COVER IMPORT BILL According to diGJamaica.com, total imports, including petroleum products, were valued at US$4.3 billion, or J$382 billion, putting the total deficit for the eight-month period at US$3.2 billion, or in excess of J$284 billion. “Put more simply: for every J$1,000 in exports we earn, Jamaica has to find J$3,900 to cover its import bill,” the website revealed. “After we have collected our export revenue, Jamaica
Reginald Budhan must find almost J$105,000 for each man, woman, and child on the island to pay for all the imports Jamaica has made this calendar year up to August,” it added. Kennedy said the JCC has been alarmed about the growing deficit “for a long time”. “We’ve been shouting and shouting, but nobody is listening. Now they are listening when we are having difficulty paying our foreignexchange bills,” he said. But while agreeing that the figures are alarming, Budhan said they were not surprising to people who had been tracking the numbers and who understood the reasons behind them. The export strategy is built on the pillars of agroprocessing, aquaculture, coffee, education, and entertainment exports.
T&T Minister: Development can take place only in climate of peace (Trinidad Guardian) The spiralling crime situation in Laventille and nearby districts in east Port-of-Spain is impacting negatively on the development of those communities. This is according to Planning and Sustainable Development Minister Dr Bhoendradatt Tewarie. As such he is making a direct appeal to the people of the volatile east Port-of-Spain region, including Laventille, Morvant and Belmont to make the communities more peaceful to allow for infrastructural development on a significant scale. The Laventille/East Portof-Spain region has the highest murder rate in the country and the Government has been implementing several initiatives aimed at reducing criminal activity over the past several months. Tewarie said yesterday that to residents in Belmont before opening a link road on Layan Hill. He said the community has to take responsibility for creating an environment of peace. “If you have a place that is a war zone, you can’t have development. You need peace, you need a certain amount of order to make the development happen,” Tewarie told the residents. He added that it was only when
Dr Bhoendradatt Tewarie
that happens “the state will play its role and we can development the place.” Earlier Tewarie talked about the level of crime in areas of east Port-of-Spain. One resident told Tewarie while he agreed with the comments there is still a role for the Government to play to deal with the crime problem in the specific areas. One of the more popular initiatives was the Hoop of Life which is a basketball competition across the country with the winning team receiving $1 million and the fortunes of the participating team dependent on the players having to keep a clean police record. US basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal was brought to T&T a role model to the people of the
economically depressed communities to launch the competition. And in recent months National Security Minister Jack Warner, along with acting Commissioner of Police Stephen Williams and Chief of Defence Staff Kenrick Maharaj have been visiting the so-called hot spots and meeting with the people of the affected areas with a view to addressing the crime problem. Warner has also initiated a URP-type programme where the people of the communities are being employed at a rate of $69 a day to undertake certain projects which are under the direct supervision of military personnel. Later, at the ribbon cutting ceremony, Tewarie re-emphasised his (Continued on page 24)
Tuesday December 18, 2012
Kaieteur News
Minister of Justice Mark Golding
(Jamaica Observer) The Ministry of Labour and Social Security says it is unable to implement an annual five per cent increase in the wage ceiling for contributions to the National Insurance Scheme (NIS), due to losses suffered under the Jamaica Debt Exchange (JDX). Minister of Justice Senator Mark Golding informed the Senate of the situation during Friday’s debate on a Bill which will increase the ceiling by 50 per cent, from $1 million to $1.5 million as of January 7, 2013. Senator Golding said the ministry has informed him that the annual five per cent increase, proposed by actuaries in 2010, would have
been inadequate in light of the fact that the JDX — which was introduced the same year — has reduced returns on the National Insurance Fund’s (NIF) investments in government paper. “Therefore, the fund needs to be supplemented by increased inflows from contributions in order to secure its viability in the long term,” Golding said. He was responding to a suggestion from the president of the Bustamante Industrial Trade Union (BITU), Opposition Senator Kavan Gayle, that the Government avoid burdening contributors to the scheme with increased payments occasioned by lifting the wage ceiling by 100
Jamaica Govt. says no - Annual NIS ceiling increase unsustainable per cent in 2010 and 50 per cent in 2012. The Bill also provides for a 100 per cent increase, to $100 per week, in the contributions of domestic workers, the self-employed and voluntary contributors. Senator Gayle said the suddeness and the size of the increases will create problems for workers, especially in the current economic environment. The NIS Insurable Wage Ceiling is the maximum salary level from which mandatory contributions are withdrawn from workers’ salaries and paid into the NIF. The increases, which were approved by the House of Representatives on Tuesday and by the Senate on Friday, mean that workers contributing to the scheme will now be required to contribute at a rate of 2.5 per cent of gross salary up to $1.5 million, and the employer pays a matching 2.5 per cent. The current ceiling has been at $1 million since
US, Canada sign visa and immigration information-sharing agreement WASHINGTON, USA — US ambassador to Canada David Jacobson and the Canadian minister of citizenship, immigration and multiculturalism Jason Kenney signed a US-Canada visa and immigration information-sharing agreement on Thursday last. This agreement will enable Canada and the United States to share information from third country nationals who apply for a visa or permit to travel to either country. This will better protect the safety and security of Americans and Canadians and facilitate legitimate travel and business. Increased information sharing will support better decision-making by both countries to confirm applicants’ identities, and identify risks and inadmissible persons at the earliest opportunity. It will increase safety and security, as both countries work to identify terrorists, violent criminals, and others who pose a risk before they reach the borders. All officers working on immigration and refugee protection will be equipped with more information to make decisions. This will better protect the safety and security of Americans and Canadians alike and further facilitate legitimate travel.
The agreement authorizes development of arrangements under which the United States may send an automated request for data to Canada, such as when a third country national applies to the United States for a visa or claims asylum. Such a request would contain limited information, such as name and date of birth in the case of biographic sharing, or an anonymous fingerprint in the case of biometric sharing. If the identity matches that of a previous application, immigration information may be shared, such as whether the person has previously been refused a visa or
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removed from the other country. The same process would apply in reverse when a third country national applies to Canada for a visa or claims asylum. Biographic immigration information sharing is set to begin in 2013, and biometric sharing in 2014. Under the agreement, information will not be shared regarding US or Canadian citizens or permanent residents. Any information shared on travellers and asylum seekers will be handled responsibly and, as with other information sharing agreements, exchanged in accordance with relevant US and Canadian laws.
August 2, 2010. In response to a request from Government Senator Angela Brown Burke for more punitive sanctions against employers who withhold the contributions, Senator Golding told the Senate that there are provisions already within the NIS Act for employees to sue their employers for up to 12 1/2 times the loss in benefits caused by the delayed
contributions, and that the ministry also takes delinquent employers to court. Golding said the changes to the NIS Act were based on the report of a recent actuarial review of the fund. “The amendments will ensure the long-term sustainability of the National Insurance Fund, while continuing to provide meaningful benefits to pensioners and
contributors,” he said. The Bill also proposes to increase NIS pension benefits by 16.67 per cent to cover a similar increase in inflation since July 2010. As at March 31, 2012, the net assets of the NIS totalled $71.5 billion. The Bill will now go back to the House of Representatives tomorrow for final approval in order to meet the January deadline.
NIGERIAN HELD IN $2.5M COCAINE-EXPORTING PLOT Investigations are continuing into the seizure of more than $2 million worth in cocaine. According to police reports, last Thursday, detectives of the Organised Crime Narcotics and Firearms Bureau (OCNFB) received information that a Nigerian national was exporting cocaine through the postal service. A sting operation was set up and the Nigerian was arrested with car parts, picture
frames, African art pieces and weed-whacker parts. Concealed in the items was cocaine. The drugs weighed 339 grams for the earlier posted package and 3.923kg for the packages seized at the home of the suspect. The street value of the cocaine, police say, is more than $2.5 million. The man appeared before a Port-of-Spain Magistrate yesterday morning. Police reports say after extensive
enquiries and house searches it was discovered that a cocaine-smuggling group had been sending mail packages to places as far as Indonesia, Japan and other Asian countries where the price of cocaine is very high. The Nigerian was also charged for another outstanding offence where the OCNFB had earlier this year discovered cocaine in a posted package which he was responsible for posting.
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Kaieteur News
Tuesday December 18, 2012
I CAN’T TELL YOU - Warner responds to failure to declare $.6m to Integrity Commission:...’I have an accountant. He will tell you’
(Trinidad Express) “I can’t tell you. I have an accountant, he will tell you.” That was the response from National Security Minister Jack Warner to an exclusive Sunday Express report that he failed to declare a Teachers’ Credit Union account of $611,126.23 to the Integrity Commission within recent years. Before Warner responded, Prime Minister
Kamla Persad-Bissessar was questioned on the issue at a Christmas gift outreach programme at Skinner Park in San Fernando. The Prime Minister directed the media to get answers from Warner. Warner in turn said he did not have answers on the issue. Asked if the accountant may have made an error in the declaration, Warner replied:
T&T Minister... (From page 22) point that there must be a change from a climate of conflict and tension to one of peace for development to take place. At the ribbon-cutting ceremony MP for Port-ofSpain North/St Ann’s West Patricia Mc Intosh appealed to Tewarie to influence the Government to cut the bush in the area. Mc Intosh said
there were mosquitoes in the area because of the uncut bush. She said it was posing a threat to the health of residents. The MP also appealed for improved street lighting. The projects are expected to cost in excess of $1 million. Several other projects are to be launched in coming months the T&T Guardian was told.
“It wouldn’t be the first time somebody made an error. And it wouldn’t be the last time.” According to the Sunday Express report, Warner, a former teacher, joined the credit union in 1983, some 29 years ago. The report stated that Warner, in his declarations for 2009, 2010 and 2011, stated that he received income from government pension, distributions from the Unit Trust Corporation, a salary as an MP and bank interest from Scotiabank, First Citizens and Republic Bank Ltd. The credit union assets were not declared. The Express attempted to get a response from Warner more than a week ago, but he had declined comment on the issue. Speaking at that time through his adviser, Francis Joseph, he had retorted: “You can do what you want.” Attempts to reach Warner again last Saturday before
publication of the story in yesterday’s Sunday Express proved futile. The Prime Minister on Sunday also came to the defence of Ashworth Jack, political leader of the Tobago Organisation of the People (TOP), who has been embroiled in controversy over his multi-million-dollar Tobago house. Persad-Bissessar said that issue will not affect Jack’s chances of winning the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) elections next month. The Prime Minister instead said she empathised with Jack, since questions were raised when her private residence at Philippine was being built. “I don’t know why it is a crime for a person to work hard and build a house,” the Prime Minister said. “I remember there were so many allegations regarding the building of my own home. And so I empathise with Ashworth... every person
National Security Minister Jack Warner
strives to build a home. And I do not believe it will affect his chances in the election. “There are other allegations about other persons and maybe we need to find out what is happening with those,” she added. Jack, the THA minority leader, is aspiring to replace Orville London of the People’s National Movement (PNM) as Chief Secretary of the THA in the January 21, 2013, elections. “I can’t see people allowing that to cloud their vision as to what will be better for Tobago,” said PersadBissessar. “The decision in Tobago has to be who are the best persons who can deliver. They have had the present
crop of people for 12 years and yet the quality of their lives has not improved. That is what would be the real issue, who you believe who can make better decisions, and better management of the THA.” She said the campaign by the TOP for the THA elections was ongoing. “He (Jack) is on the ground, he is having spot meetings, cottage meetings. I feel very confident that Tobago will make the right decision in this election.” This Thursday the Cabinet will meet in Tobago, where the Prime Minister will continue her Christmas outreach programme on the sister isle.
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Iran says it, world powers must end nuclear stalemate (Reuters) - Iran’s foreign minister said yesterday a way must be found to end the deadlock with major powers over the country’s nuclear programme, an Iranian news agency reported, but he offered no new initiative on how to achieve this. Ali Akbar Salehi’s comments came ahead of an expected resumption of diplomacy, perhaps next month, aimed at preventing the decade-old nuclear dispute from degenerating into a Middle East war that could damage an already fragile world economy. Israel, widely believed to be the Middle East’s only nuclear-armed power, has threatened military action to prevent its arch-enemy from acquiring nuclear weapons. Iran denies any such goal and says it would hit back hard if attacked. “The two sides (Iran and world powers) have reached a conclusion that they must exit the current stalemate,” Salehi was quoted as saying by the Iranian Students’ News Agency. The West suspects Iran is trying to develop the means to build atomic bombs under the cover of a declared
civilian nuclear energy programme. The Islamic Republic says it is enriching uranium as fuel for civilian energy, not bombs. Iran and the six powers the United States, Russia, France, China, Britain and Germany - have expressed readiness to revive efforts to find a negotiated solution. But Salehi said he did not know when the next meeting would be held. The powers, known as P5+1, said last week they hoped soon to agree with Iran on when and where to meet. There have been suggestions it could happen this month, though January now seems more likely, Western officials say. In Washington, the State Department said Iran had been presented with a specific offer of a date and venue for the next talks but had yet to respond. “We are continuing to maintain contacts with the Iranians. We did make an offer with regard to venue and timing for another round but we have yet to hear from the Iranians on this,” State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said. “Really the ball is in the
Iranians’ court. If they want to come back to the table we are ready to do that, but we want to see them be serious,” Nuland told a news briefing. Analysts and diplomats believe there is a window of opportunity for a new diplomatic initiative with Iran after last month’s re-election of U.S. President Barack Obama. The powers want Iran to scale back its uranium enrichment programme and cooperate fully with U.N. nuclear inspectors. The priority for Iran, a major oil producer, is for the West to lift punitive sanctions increasingly hurting its economy. Three rounds of negotiations earlier this year - the last one in Moscow in June - failed to achieve a breakthrough. The big powers have prepared an updated version of a package that was rejected by Tehran in the previous talks, Western diplomats say, without giving details. Their immediate priority is for Iran to halt higher-grade enrichment that could relatively quickly be further processed to bomb-grade
Global malaria battle stalls as financing gets tight (Reuters) - Global funding for the fight against malaria has stalled in the past two years, threatening to reverse what the World Health Organisation (WHO) says are “remarkable recent gains” in the battle to control one of the world’s leading infectious killers. After rapid expansion between 2004 and 2009, funding for malaria prevention and control levelled off between 2010 and 2012 - meaning there were fewer life-saving steps taken in hard- hit malarial regions such as sub-Saharan Africa. The WHO’s World Malaria Report, published yesterday, found the number of long-lasting insecticidetreated mosquito nets delivered to endemic countries in sub-Saharan Africa dropped from 145 million in 2010 to an estimated 66 million in 2012. “This means that many households will be unable to replace existing bed nets when required, exposing more people to the potentially deadly disease,” it said. Malaria is caused by a parasite carried in the saliva of mosquitoes and kills hundreds of thousands of people a year, mainly babies
and children under the age of five in Africa. According to WHO data, the disease infected around 219 million people in 2010, killing around 660,000 of them. Robust figures are, however, hard to establish and other health experts say the annual malaria death toll could be double that. An estimated $5.1 billion a year is needed between 2011 and 2020 to get malaria medicines, prevention measures and tests to all those who need then in the 99 countries which have ongoing transmission of the disease. The WHO says that while many countries have increased financing for malaria, the total available global funding remained at $2.3 billion in 2011 - less than half of what is needed. “Global targets for reducing the malaria burden will not be reached unless progress is accelerated in the highest burden countries,” Robert Newman, director of the WHO Global Malaria Programme, said in statement with the report. “These countries are in a precarious situation and most of them need urgent financial assistance to procure and
distribute life-saving commodities.” The WHO report found that by far the greatest impact of malaria is concentrated in 14 endemic countries which account for an estimated 80 percent of malaria deaths. Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are the most affected countries in sub-Saharan Africa, while India is the hardest hit in South East Asia. WHO director general Margaret Chan wrote in a forward to the report that there is now an urgent need to identify new sources of funding to boost and sustain malaria control. “We also need to examine new ways to make existing funds stretch further by increasing the value for money of malaria commodities and the efficiency of service delivery,” she said. The Roll Back Malaria Partnership, which includes the WHO, UNICEF and the World Bank, said it was already exploring several options, including financial transaction taxes, airline ticket taxes and a potential “malaria bond” to encourage more involvement from private sector investors.
material, shut the Fordow underground plant where this work is carried out and ship out the stockpile. SHUTTING FORDOW ‘NOT ENOUGH’ Iran has hinted at flexibility regarding its enrichment to a fissile concentration of 20 percent, but it wants substantial sanctions easing in return, something the powers say would be premature before Tehran makes significant concessions. Iran also wants recognition of what it says is its “right” to refine uranium, which can have both civilian and military purposes. “Iran demands its inalienable, legal and legitimate right and wants nothing more,” Salehi said. One Western official said it was too early to say whether the new diplomatic attempt may yield results. “We see that sanctions do have an economic impact on Iran and it is a matter for Iran to really take this offer seriously.” Iran’s economic minister was quoted on Sunday as saying the country’s oil revenues had been cut in half
Iranian foreign minister Ali Akbar Salehi
as a result of sanctions. Another Western diplomat said the powers were increasingly concerned about Iran’s expanded enrichment capacity at Fordow and wanted to address this issue in the new proposal. This could mean, he said, asking Iran to partially dismantle the facility. “Shutting Fordow is not enough,” the diplomat said, adding it would take longer to restart the facility if the enrichment installations had been taken apart. The world powers hope to gain momentum in dealings with Iran by introducing
“confidence-building measures” before approaching a final agreement at a later date, diplomats say. They say the powers are likely to offer Iran some form of sanctions relief in return but any measures may be limited. Salehi spoke a few days after the International Atomic Energy Agency and Iran both said progress was made in talks last Thursday on resuming a long-stalled IAEA investigation into suspected atomic bomb research in the country. (Continued on page 28)
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Tuesday December 18, 2012
Hopes rise for “fiscal cliff” deal as Obama, Boehner meet (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and top Republican John Boehner met at the White House yesterday as hopes rose that Washington will be able to head off steep tax hikes and spending cuts that could push the economy into recession next year. Aides from both parties said they were optimistic that a deal could be reached in the coming days to avert the “fiscal cliff,” as lawmakers set the stage for action before a year-end deadline. “There’s been too much progress at this point and neither guy wants to go over the cliff,” a senior Republican aide said. Although both sides still had major differences, investors were cheered by signs of progress. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index was up 0.72 percent in late afternoon. “I think there’s a lot of expectation that a fiscal cliff deal of some sort does get done,” said Joseph Benanti, managing director of Rosenblatt Securities in New York. Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid said his
chamber will wrap up work on the issue after Christmas. “It appears that we’re going to be coming back the day after Christmas to complete work on the fiscal cliff,” he said on the Senate floor. Boehner, the speaker of the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, has edged closer to Obama’s demand to raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans. In return, Obama is considering a measure that would slow the rate of growth of Social Security retirement benefits by changing the way they are measured against inflation, according to a Senate Democratic aide. GETTING CLOSER ON TAXES In a step toward an agreement, Boehner has put forward a tax increase for those earning over $1 million annually, while Obama wants that threshold set at $250,000. Republicans could probably stomach a tax hike on incomes above $500,000, a Republican aide said. The two sides face a deadline of December 31, when $600 billion in acrossthe-board spending cuts and
tax hikes are due to begin kicking in, a jolt to the economy that could throw it back into recession. Boehner’s latest proposal calls for $1 trillion in new tax revenue, which would come from raising rates and limiting deductions that the wealthiest can take. That is $400 billion less than the White House wants, but the gap between the two sides has narrowed by half in recent weeks. Boehner could float the broad outlines of a deal with rank-and-file members today. If there are no strong objections, he could try to finalize the deal tomorrow (Wednesday), the Republican aide said. A Democratic aide said that if a deal is reached by Saturday night, votes could be held in Congress next week. Both sides declined to say what Boehner and Obama discussed at the meeting, which was also attended by Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. The White House said Boehner’s latest proposal doesn’t meet its standards. “Thus far the president’s proposal is the only proposal
President Barack Obama and top Republican John Boehner met at the White House yesterday that we have seen that achieves the balance that is so necessary,” White House spokesman Jay Carney said at a news briefing. Republicans understand that the clock is ticking and they are confident that Boehner will get a deal they can support in the coming days, a senior House Republican aide said. Boehner “won’t sign off on a deal that doesn’t have enough votes to get through,” the aide said.
Republicans want substantial spending cuts in return for increased tax revenue, but any proposal to trim popular benefit programs like the Medicare health insurance plan for seniors will face fierce resistance from liberal Democrats, whose votes will be needed to get a deal passed. Obama could also face strong opposition from Democrats if he agrees to Boehner’s proposal to slow the growth of Social Security
benefits by changing the way the cost-of-living increases are measured against inflation, an approach that could save $200 billion over 10 years. Obama also wants to head off another confrontation over the government’s debt limit, which will need to be raised in the coming months. Republicans insist that any increase in the government’s $16.4 trillion borrowing authority must be paired with an equal reduction in spending.
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Syrian vice president says neither side can win war (Reuters) - Syrian Vice President Farouq al-Sharaa said that neither the forces of President Bashar al-Assad nor rebels seeking to overthrow him can win the war which is now being fought on the outskirts of Assad’s powerbase in Damascus. Sharaa, a Sunni Muslim in a power structure dominated by Assad’s Alawite minority, has rarely been seen since the Syrian revolt erupted in March 2011 and is not part of the president’s inner circle directing the fight against Sunni rebels. But he is the most prominent figure to say in public that Assad will not win. He was speaking to Lebanon’s al-Akhbar paper in an interview from Damascus, which is now hemmed in by rebel fighters to the south. Assad’s forces have used jets and artillery to try to dislodge the fighters from around Damascus but the violence has crept into the heart of the capital and activists said rebels overran three army stations in a new offensive in the central province of Hama yesterday. Sharaa said the situation in Syria, where more than 40,000 people have been killed, was deteriorating and a “historic settlement” was needed to end the conflict, involving regional powers and the U.N. Security Council and the formation of a national unity government “with broad powers”. “With every passing day the political and military solutions are becoming more distant. We should be in a position defending the existence of Syria. We are not in a battle for an individual or a regime,” Sharaa was quoted as saying.
“The opposition cannot decisively settle the battle and what the security forces and army units are doing will not achieve a decisive settlement,” he told the paper, adding that the insurgents fighting to topple Syria’s leadership could plunge it into “anarchy and an unending spiral of violence”. Sources close to the Syrian government say Sharaa had pushed for dialogue with the opposition and objected to the military response to an uprising that began peacefully. In Damascus, clashes raged between Palestinian factions loyal to and opposed to Assad in the Yarmouk district a day after Syrian fighter jets bombed a mosque there, killing at least 25 people. Activists said troops and tanks were gathered outside the camp on Monday and hundreds of Palestinians refugees living in Syria flooded into Lebanon. Syria hosts half a million Palestinian refugees, most living in Yarmouk and descendants of those admitted after the creation of Israel in 1948, and has always cast itself as a champion of the Palestinian struggle, sponsoring several guerrilla factions. Both Assad’s government and the mainly Sunni Muslim Syrian rebels have enlisted and armed divided Palestinian factions as the uprising has developed into a civil war. In a veiled criticism of the crackdown, Sharaa said there was a difference between the state’s duty to provide security to its citizens, and “pursuing a security solution to the crisis”. He said even Assad could not be certain where events in Syria were leading, but that
anyone who met him would hear that “this is a long struggle...and he does not hide his desire to settle matters militarily to reach a final solution.” CHANGE INEVITABLE “We realize today that change is inevitable,” Sharaa said, but “none of the peaceful or armed opposition groups with their known foreign links can call themselves the sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people”. “Likewise the current leadership...cannot achieve change alone after two years of crisis without new partners who contribute to preserving (Syria’s) national fabric, territorial unity and regional sovereignty”. Rebels have now brought the war to the capital, without yet delivering a fatal blow to the government. But nor has Assad found the military muscle to oust his opponents from the city. In Hama province, rebels and the army clashed in a new campaign launched on Sunday by rebels to block off the country’s north, activists said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition-linked violence monitor, said fighting raged through the provincial towns of Karnaz, Kafar Weeta, Halfayeh and Mahardeh. “There is not fighting in these areas often,” said Rami Abdelrahman, head of the Observatory, adding that rebels units from Idlib joined the offensive and three army stations had been destroyed. He said there were no clashes reported in Hama city, which lies on the main northsouth highway connecting the capital with Aleppo, Syria’s second city. Qassem Saadeddine, a
Draft EU rules open door to plain cigarette packs (Reuters) - The European Union’s executive Commission will propose larger health warnings on cigarette packs and a ban on flavourings such as menthol, a draft revision of EU tobacco rules seen by Reuters yesterday showed. The proposals stop short of forcing all cigarettes to be sold in plain packets carrying graphic health warnings, as required in Australia from the start of this month. But individual EU governments will be free to impose plain packaging if they so wish. “The proposal foresees that combined warnings
(picture plus text) of 75 percent should be displayed on both sides of the packages of tobacco products,” the draft legislation from the European Commission said. “However, a member state may maintain more stringent national provisions... in areas covered by this directive, on
grounds of overriding needs relating to the protection of public health,” it added. The proposals, due be published tomorrow, must be jointly approved by EU governments and the European Parliament before they can become law, in a process that could take up to two years.
A torn poster of Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad is seen at the entrance of a factory in Ouwayjah village in Aleppo - December 17, 2012. (REUTERS/Zain Karam)
member of the newly established rebel military command, told Reuters on Sunday fighters had been ordered to surround and attack army positions across the province. He said forces loyal to Assad had been given 48 hours to surrender or be killed. “When we liberate the countryside of Hama province ... then we will have the area between Aleppo and Hama liberated and open for
us,” he said. In 1982 Hafez al-Assad, father of the current ruler, crushed an uprising in Hama city, killing up to 30,000 civilians. Qatiba al-Naasan, a rebel from Hama, said the offensive would bring retaliatory air strikes from the government but that the situation is “already getting miserable”. “For sure there will be slaughter - if the army wants to shell us many people will
die. There are many populated areas and many refugees have fled here.” “(But) we felt it was always inevitable Hama would be shelled and we at least want to be fighting to liberate it,” he said from Hama through Skype. He said rebels would attack areas of strategic significance but not maintain a presence in other areas to allow civilians a safe place to flee.
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Clinton gets accountability report on Benghazi attacks (Reuters) - Secretary Of State Hillary Clinton yesterday received an official review of the September attack on a U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, setting the stage for testimony on an incident that prompted a political furor and sharp questions about security at U.S. diplomatic facilities overseas. The State Department said Clinton - who is convalescing after suffering a concussion last week received the report from the Accountability Review Board formed to probe the attack which killed U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans. “The ARB has completed
its work. Its report has gone to the secretary this morning. She now has it,” State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said. The committee has been meeting in private and State Department officials have declined to discuss almost all specifics of the Benghazi attack pending its reports. The findings are expected to cover questions on whether enough attention was given to potential threats and how Washington responded to security requests from U.S. diplomats in Libya. A determination that top State Department officials turned down those requests, as Republican congressional
Iran says it, world... (From page 25) A senior Iranian legislator said on Monday that Iran would expect some sanctions relief in return for granting IAEA inspectors access to the disputed Parchin military complex. The IAEA believes Iran has conducted explosives tests with possible nuclear applications at Parchin, a
facility southeast of the Iranian capital, and has repeatedly asked for access. “They must certainly give some incentive in return, and in my opinion a reasonable and equal incentive would be lifting the sanctions,” said Alaeddin Boroujerdi, who chairs the national security and foreign policy committee in the Iranian parliament.
investigators allege, could refuel criticism of the officials - and possibly even end the careers of some of them. Clinton had been expected to testify to Congress on December 20 on the report’s results, but is under doctors’ orders to remain at home this week. Deputy Secretary William Burns and Deputy Secretary Thomas Nides will testify in her stead at Thursday’s open hearings of the Senate and House foreign affairs committees, Nuland said. Prior to that, the Accountability Review Board’s two leaders - retired Ambassador Thomas Pickering and retired chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Michael Mullen - will testify in closed door hearings of the two committees on Wednesday, she said. POLITICALFALLOUT The political uproar over the September 11 Benghazi attack has already claimed one victim. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice, widely tipped as a frontrunner to replace Clinton when she steps down as
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
secretary of state early next year, last week withdrew her name from consideration, saying she wished to avoid a potentially disruptive Senate confirmation process. Republican lawmakers had blasted Rice for televised comments she made in the aftermath of the attack in which she said preliminary information suggested the assault was the result of protests over an anti-Muslim video made in California rather than a premeditated strike. Rice has said she was relying on talking points drawn up by U.S. intelligence officials. Nuland said the final
report could contain both classified and unclassified sections, and that only the latter would be made publicly available. Central questions raised include why the ambassador was in such an unstable part of Libya on the anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and the Pentagon. The five-person independent board usually includes retired ambassadors, a former CIA officer and a member of the private sector. It has the power to issue subpoenas, and members are required to have appropriate security clearances to review
classified information. Nuland said that Clinton who intends to step down toward the end of January when President Barack Obama is sworn in for his second term - was “on the mend” following her concussion, which occurred when she fell as a result of dehydration due to a stomach virus. She added that Clinton remained open to discussing the attack with lawmakers herself next month. “She looks forward to continuing to engage with them in January and she will be open to whatever they consider appropriate in that regard,” Nuland said.
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Tuesday December 18, 2012
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Tuesday December 18, 2012 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) You may talk as if you’re on top of your game today, but you might be surprised when you realize the powerful effect you have on people in your immediate environment. TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) Powerful people at work can totally overwhelm you with their grandiose plans today. It’s apparent their ideas are misguided and they need to pay closer attention to the finer points. GEMINI (May 21–June 20) You might feel as if you have promised more than you can deliver today. Perhaps you have lost focus and are overcompensating by trying to accomplish too much. The simplest solution is to be honest, but you may be afraid to admit that you’re in over your head. CANCER (June 21–July 22) Fun and games sound better than hard work, but you’re not in the mood to skip out and join your friends, even if it looks like they’re having a good time.
LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Normally you can avoid stress by talking out of both sides of your mouth until you muster up enough courage to begin a difficult conversation. However, today you may be eager to share your most intense desires. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) You may grow impatient in a relationship-oriented conversation today because the other person seems to take forever to say even the simplest thing. SAGIT (Nov. 22–Dec. 21) It may be challenging to keep your mind on your own agenda today when other people lure you into stories about their fantastic ideas. Nevertheless, it’s crucial to remember that you are the one who is in control of your own thoughts. CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) The intensity of your coworkers may become overwhelming today, yet listening to their crazy ideas can also be a major source for growth and fun.
LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) You may have to take a stand at work today; however, you might oversimplify a rather complex issue in order to make your point. There are conflicting opinions to be considered now, yet each person seems to be working with a different set of facts. important than being right.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20–Feb. 18) You have something important to say today, yet it seems as if you don’t have enough time to start the conversation. Activities at work may be pulling your energy away from personal matters, but it’s critical to find enough balance so you don’t ignore your home and family.
VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Although you’re often the champion of details, today it’s difficult to sustain your concentration.
PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) It feels as if others are leaning on you today, but you may not be very emotionally available to them.
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Tuesday December 18, 2012
Horse owner’s plans to keep their horses home as controversy deepens By Samuel Whyte With the controversy over horseracing dates seems to be getting bigger and deeper, both races may be held with little or no horses as horse owners plan to stay away from both tracks if the situation continues. The clubs have until this weekend to sort themselves
Don’t want things to degenerate into chaos like cricket and football out or be faced with a massive boycott from the horse owners. Both the Rising Sun Turf Club of Arima Park West Coast, Berbice and the Port Mourant Turf Club of Corentyne has organised
multimillion dollars nine-race events for the 30th of December, just three days after the Kennard Memorial Turf Club Boxing Day meet on the 26th of December. “We will not be taking part in any meet if the
situation is not sorted. If the two races will be held on the same day we will not be participating. The tracks will have to get their house in order.” Those were the words of spokesman of the horse owners and training in
Colin Elcock
Guyana, Mr. Colin Elcock. “As long there is two races planned for the same day, we as horses owners are saying that we will not take part. We will not be drawn into this madness. They have until this weekend to decide on the way forward. I will stop training and exercising my horses by then, if nothing is worked out. I have already spoken to a number of owners who have expressed similar sentiments,” the prominent horse owner and trainer stated. Elcock stated that even with an IMC in place he is surprised that things like this will happen. He is adamant that horseracing will not be allowed to degenerate to the state of cricket and football. “Horse owners have a big say. Horses make races, despite the money, horses make races and if there is controversy we will not be participating.” He stated that when the situation first came to light in August at an IMC meet. He urged the two clubs to sit down with the IMC and work out an amicable arrangement. Either one withdraws their race or they work out a two
day programme with different distances or one could have been a handicap race. He is surprised to see the situation has come to what it is now. He is also laying some of the blame of the feet of the government for not passing the necessary legislation in Parliament. Persons in the horse racing circle have stated that the venue which usually stage the end of year meet is the RSTC, which is held either on Old Years or New Years day or the Sunday closest. The PMTC will usually have a date on the first or second Sunday of December. How the situation came to this, they are blaming the absence of proper government legislation for the present scenario. Two of Guyana top brains and veteran horse racing personalities; Senior Counsel Marcel Crawford and retired Chancellor of the Judiciary Justice Cecil Kennard had both noted that the absence of proper laws and the sloth of government to implement same is lending to the discord.
Bin Hammam... (From page 34) pending investigations. Blatter was re-elected unopposed for a fourth term as FIFA president. Bin Hammam was then banned for life after being found guilty of breaking seven articles of FIFA’s ethics code, including one on bribery. In July, a CAS three-man panel voted 2-1 in Bin Hammam’s favour but added that his behaviour was “not of the highest ethical standard” and that “it is more likely than not” that he was the source of cash brought into Trinidad and Tobago and
distributed by former FIFA vice-president Jack Warner. CAS said then: “It is a situation of ‘case not proven’, coupled with concern on the part of the Panel that the FIFA investigation was not complete or comprehensive enough to fill the gaps in the record. Bin Hammam, who was elected unopposed for a third and final four-year term as the head of the AFC in January 2011, has long pleaded his innocence and complained his punishments have come because he challenged Blatter’s leadership.
Tuesday December 18, 2012
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=== Letter to the Sports Editor ===
ANTHONY SUFFERING FROM INSOMNIA DEAR EDITOR, Mitt Romney flip flopped his way out of a possibility to become the President of United States of America because he faced an opponent who was focused except for one debate and clearly honest. Romney even managed to cop the lie of the year award for his statement about Obama causing jeep to move operations to China. Minister Anthony seemed confused as to the real reason why he disbanded the GCB or as he wants us to believe why he acted on
instructions to disband the GCB, a private unincorporated sports entity. He sometimes seemed at best confused about how sporting entities manage their business and ignorant of the rules and regulations that govern them. Recently, in the Wednesday 13th December edition of Stabroek News, the minister stated that he disbanded the GCB because of the Chief Justice ruling. Lie number one, as the Honourable Chief Justice Ian Chang ruling never give him the right to do so and he
should read the Caribbean Court of Justice ruling in the case RAJENDRA SINGH & ROBIN SINGH v THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF GUYANA which states; “It is trite law, as stated in John v Rees, that a club or an association if unincorporated is not an entity separate from its members and so cannot sue or be sued. Nevertheless, it is also trite law, as stated in Hanchett-Stanford v Att-Gen, “that the members for the time being of an unincorporated association are beneficially entitled to ’its’ assets, subject to the contractual
GFA Executive & Senior Banks DIH officials are both treading on dangerous grounds DEAR SIR, I hasten to comment on the publication of an article published on page 60 of K.N publication (09.12.12) captioned “Pele will not be playing in the Banks/GFA tournament says Club President” wherein Pele’s President, Mr. Cecil Jacques an individual who I know for over 2 decades, while he was a youth player; then graduating to the senior ranks during which time he donned national colours as a goalkeeper, made some comments. Additionally, Cecil and myself served on the executive the then GFL, and also on the GFA. As a consequence I was totally shocked to have heard and subsequently read that “approaches were being made to players of Pele FC, to play as guest players for clubs participating in this year’s GFA Banks DIH Knockout Competition.” Editor, when an executive of the GFA, in collaboration with a senior official of Banks DIH can stoop so low to promote further division in football, by enticing players with financial rewards then that executive should be banished from the sport for a lengthy period. And in meaningful fashion the GFA Executive should offer a comment publicly to dispel any notion of one of its officials is promoting an “unethical and unprofessional” stance, in relation to for the “Good of the Game and Love for the World”! Sir, the mere idea that a club has to issue written
permission releasing the player(s), based upon a written request, of which the relevant association(s) must be duly informed, along with the GFF, So, in actuality this backdoor arrangement apart from being against the mode of Fair Play, which I do hope the relevant trophy is struck off the presentation list, also can jeopardize the player(s) and club. And the Carey “747” Jacques of old that I know is absolutely correct in saying “who want to leave go ahead but there are consequences that come with doing so.” Being fully aware that Pele FC, isn’t affiliated to the GFA, and is currently participating in the GFF Super League, automatically guarantees their participation in this year’s K&S KO Tournament. And the official (in) actions contravenes the very constitution he is supposed to uphold, as it relates to
articulation of: “Duties of Clubs, Officials and Players inter-alia, bringing the game into disrepute”! Finally, I do hope that the GFA official would be able to deal with the can of worms he has opened, when other clubs with players of a meaningful caliber of the approached Pele players, requests lucrative sums of monies for participation. And to the Banks DIH Official, the late Kenneth DeAbreu, Cecil “Bruiser” Thomas and John Nestor are surely turning in their graves to envisage their contributions to football on behalf of Banks DIH, is being tarnished by a senior official in pursuit of his own agenda, albeit a witch hunt with Kashif and Shanghai, against the norms of good corporate sponsorship. Former Football Official. (Name and Address provided)
arrangements between them”. He then tried to blame the ICC saying that their regulations give him the right to do so. Lie number two as the regulations gives you the right to investigate fraud, one would assume if any is found, the police lay criminal charges and the business of the Board moves on, no such evidence was found so certainly no charges were laid against officers of the GCB. He also said that the entire GCB had resigned. Lie number three, as this never happened and if I had resigned he should provide the evidence. He does have apparently a document from one officer which refers to state sponsored searches and harassment. That officer has clearly indicated that he has not resigned from the GCB. Mr Anthony also claimed that there is an injunction against the GCB, lie number four; we have the documents to prove otherwise. Your attorney general
should not outsource his office but participate in these matters so that he will be better informed. Maybe, after all of this Mr. Frank Anthony should resign and I advise that he sends that resignation to President Ramoutar and not the Secretary or President of the GCB or WICB, it would not be valid. Lying, Mr. Minister did not help Mitt Romney and it will not help you. Try some simple things like I made a mistake or I received the wrong information or even as Mr Jagdeo said, “I was busy and the boys gave the wrong advice but we need to move on.” Actually he (Jagdeo) had a solution which you definitely derailed with your legislation to take control of cricket administration claiming it is identical to the TTCB legislation. Well if they are identical I resemble Tom Cruise. You Mr. Anthony sent letters to all the officers of the
GCB instructing that the board is disbanded and all assets must be handed over to you. You then placed locks on our doors, you then searched our homes and offices, you then seized our assets and documents which you still have despite a court order to return them, you then trumped up charges against our secretary for perjury when none exist and no response is forth coming to the high court challenge, you took the GCB to court claiming its assets as ownerless. At every stage we had to respond to your court challenge or go to court to stop you. I am an optimist, so when I read that you decided to write FIFA to solve the football issue, I said to a few people “he is learning”, I was told “FIFA is not the WICB, they ban you and talk later.” Fizul Bacchus President (ag) Guyana Cricket Board
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Tuesday December 18, 2012
Clarke injured as Sri Lanka chase 393 in Hobart HOBART (Reuters) Australia removed Sri Lanka’s openers cheaply to leave the tourists clinging on at 65 for two and chasing an imposing 393 runs for victory at the close of play on the fourth day of the first test on Monday. There was bad news for the hosts on the injury front, however, with skipper Michael Clarke retiring hurt after smashing 57 runs off 46 balls to help drive his side to 278 in their second innings. Coach Mickey Arthur said the 31-year-old, the highest run scorer in test cricket this year with 1,489, had suffered a hamstring injury but would play on in Hobart even if he might miss the second test in Melbourne. “I think you’ll have to cut Michael’s leg off from him not to be out there,” he told reporters. “He certainly wants to marshal the troops and I think he certainly wants to be there if hopefully sometime tomorrow we can clinch a win.” Sri Lanka were dismissed for 336 on Sunday in reply to Australia’s first innings 450 for five declared and will need to set a new record for a
fourth innings run chase at Hobart to beat the 369 Australia scored against Pakistan in 1999. “Surely in 90-odd overs there’s eight balls that have got wickets on them?” Arthur added. “I’ve got full confidence that we’ve got an attack that has ability to get those eight wickets tomorrow.” At stumps, Sri Lanka’s hopes were in the experienced hands of Kumar Sangakkara (18 not out) and skipper Mahela Jayawardene, who took 25 balls to get off the mark and was unbeaten on five. Spinner Rangana Herath, who took five for 95 to mop up Australia’s tail, said the Sri Lankans were still going for a win despite the enormity of their task. “If we can bat through the first session without losing a wicket, it’s going to be a good game,” he told reporters. “It’s just an upand-down track. It’s going to be an interesting day.” While the Sri Lankan bowlers had to wait for their reward after being frustrated by the hosts’ openers for much of the morning, their
David Warner cuts over the top (Getty Images)
Australian counterparts made a more immediate impact. Shane Watson, taking on a bigger bowling burden after Sunday’s side injury to quick Ben Hilfenhaus, struck with his first ball to remove Tillakaratne Dilshan, who made 147 in the first innings, caught behind for 11. Dimuth Karunaratne had
put 30 runs on the board when he also fell victim to a superb delivery - a sizzling Mitchell Starc yorker which hammered into the base of the off-stump. Despite his injury, Clarke had led his team out to field but missed a chance to remove Sangakkara when he dropped the ICC Cricketer of the Year in the slips when the batsman was on three. PRE-LUNCHAPPETISER In the morning sunshine,
openers David Warner (68) and Ed Cowan (56) had combined for a partnership of 132 but both were removed in the half hour before lunch in an appetiser for what was to come in the second session. Herath had been belted for a six and a switch-hit four by Warner but got his revenge when his carrom delivery took a bottom edge and carried to the wicketkeeper. Cowan joined his partner in the pavilion 15 minutes later when Chanaka Welegedara, who finished with 3-89, swung in a fizzing delivery which hit the Australian’s pad before taking off the bails. Watson suffered torrid examination from Herath before he was stumped by wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene for five soon after lunch to bring Wade in at number five as Australia looked to up the run rate heading towards the expected declaration. Three overs later, however, Phil Hughes played the ball onto his own wicket to depart for 16 and Wade did not last that much longer before holing out to Kulasekara for 11. After Clarke’s departure, Peter Siddle (four), Starc (five) and Lyon (11) made brief appearances before Herath
Michael Clarke
trapped Hilfenhaus lbw for a duck to end the innings at tea. The final wicket gave Herath 60 for 2012 to put him ahead of England’s Graeme Swann in their personal duel to decide the most prolific wicket-taker of the year. “That’s a good achievement I guess,” he said. “I’m really happy with the way I bowled all day.” Scores: Sri Lanka 336 and 2 for 65 (Sangakkara 18*, M Jayawardene 5*) need another 328 runs to beat Australia 5 for 450 dec and 278 (Warner 68, Clarke 57, Cowan 55, Herath 5-96, Welegedara 3-89).
Bin Hammam resigns, FIFA bans him for life (Reuters) - Mohamed Bin Hammam, the former FIFA presidential candidate embroiled in corruption allegations, has resigned from all his positions in football and been given a life ban, FIFA said on Monday. The 63-year-old former Asian soccer chief was first banned by FIFA in July 2011 for alleged bribery during his failed bid to oust Sepp Blatter in the presidential race to head world soccer’s governing body. That punishment was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in July, but FIFA handed out another life ban on Monday and said he would never be active in organised football again. This suspension was not in connection with bribery allegations during the election campaign but for “conflicts of interest” while he was president of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). “In view of the fact that under the new FIFA Code of Ethics, the FIFA Ethics Committee remains competent to render a decision even if a person
Mohamed bin Hammam REUTERS/Fadi Al-Assaad resigns, the Adjudicatory Chamber decided to ban Mohamed Bin Hammam from all football-related activity for life,” a FIFA statement said. “This life ban is based on the final report of Michael J. Garcia, Chairman of the Investigatory Chamber of the FIFA Ethics Committee. “That report showed repeated violations of Article 19 (Conflict of Interest) of the FIFA Code of Ethics, edition 2012, of Mohamed Bin Hammam during his terms as AFC President and as member of the FIFA Executive Committee in the years 2008 to 2011, which justified a life-
long ban from all football related activity.” This latest suspension could bring an end to one of the most unsavoury scandals to have hit the sport. Bin Hammam was originally accused of trying to buy the presidential votes of Caribbean officials by handing them $40,000 each in brown envelopes at a meeting in Port of Spain one month before he was due to challenge Blatter in last year’s FIFA presidential election. He withdrew his candidacy and was subsequently banned (Continued on page 32)
Tuesday December 18, 2012
Kaieteur News
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Millington comes out on top in Banks Malta Supreme Cycle Road race in Berbice By Samuel Whyte The inaugural Banks Malta Supreme 40-mile cycle road race in Berbice lived up to its pre race billings ending in a nail biting sprint to the finish line. In the end it was up and coming Ray Millington that came out the winner in the grueling event as he out sprinted prefavorite Neil Reece to win by a wheel. The race was evenly contested throughout with the lead changing hands constantly as the cyclist tried to gain the early advantage. Reece, Millington and Rohan Persaud were out early opening a slight lead as the 16 cyclists were sent on their way by an official of sponsors Banks DIH Berbice branch. They were soon caught by the chasing pack which included Elijah Brijadar, Wazim Hassnu, Syborne Fernandes and Juban Crawford among others. From early there was evidence that
none of the riders were prepared to give in. Young guns Brijadar and Crawford soon took the lead which they maintained it for about three miles. Fernandes then made a move and took the lead with Reece following him out in front just about the turnaround point at Adventure Village. Reece started to show his intention on the down ward journey, but the impressive Millington did not allow him to go far as the two battled away at scorching speed, opening a substantial lead on the others. The chasing pack however was having none of it as the riders took turn in going after the leaders. A connection was made with about five miles to go as the bunch rushed past the Berbice bridge area. And it was the youthful Brijadar who took the leading as the cyclists ascended the Canje Bridge. With the finishing line closing in quickly, Reece and Millington
once again jumped their field as the cyclists gave it a go from way out. It was a furious sprint to the line with the taller Millington with his superior speed edging home for the glory and the Banks Malta Supreme first prize and trophy. Brijadar held on for third with Persaud, Fernandes and Crawford rounding out the top placings. Among the juniors Brijadar copped the top spot with Crawford riding in second. Romele Crawford was first among the juveniles with Audial Ross and Richard Alexander in that order. Marica Dick was all alone among the females, while Fernandes was the lone veteran to compete. Millington showed his superior sprinting powers by riding away with six sprint prizes with the veteran Fernandes and the youthful Brijadar copping the other two. At the presentation ceremony that followed
Verus launches franchise-based Twenty 20 league in the Caribbean
Cove Spring House, Barbados: Verus International yesterday officially launched a new franchise based Twenty20 tournament, ‘The Caribbean Premier League’ (‘CPL’). Present at the launch, were West Indies Cricket Board President, Dr Julian Hunte, Chairman and CEO of Verus International, Ajmal Khan, WICB CEO Michael Muirhead and a host of legends of the game and cricket officials and administrators. West Indies Cricket Board President, Dr. Julian Hunte, along with Ajmal Khan, Chairman and CEO of Verus International, formally announced the groundbreaking licensing agreement for the league, which will be played across several countries in the West Indies over a one month period each year. Comprising the best of West Indies cricket talent, each franchise team will be built around local Caribbean players complemented by a few international high calibre
star players from abroad. During his presentation Dr. Hunte said, “The realisation of the CPL is another landmark of the investor and commercial confidence which has been placed in the WICB and the brand of West Indies Cricket. The WICB is particularly pleased about the opportunities the CPL will provide to players but is equally elated with the agreement which will allow for regional retainer contracts for a broad pool of players.” Dr. Hunte continued: “This will truly allow for cricketers in the Caribbean to pursue their profession as professionals and not as semiprofessionals or amateurs. This, we at the WICB believe will allow for the strengthening and development of the game as while the CPL is a Twenty20 league the benefits that will accrue, specifically through the regional retainer contracts will extend to other formats of the game.” With the Caribbean
Premier League set to be beamed across the world in a high-definition first class production, the best of Caribbean cricket and lifestyle will be on show. The CPL will also be a showpiece tourism attraction for the region which WICB and Verus believe will further enhance the Caribbean’s world renowned tourism product in general and sports tourism in particular. Chairman and CEO of Verus International, Mr. Khan noted: “We are pleased to announce our long term partnership and investment in the Caribbean here today. We are honoured to be in the position to partner with a region so rich in cricket history and tradition. As the T20 World Champions, it is fitting that a high quality, wellfinanced franchise-based T20 League be solidified in the West Indies that will showcase the best of its cricket talent. In addition to showcasing the Caribbean, the CPL will offer great economic opportunities throughout the region, something we are sure will excite everyone, not just cricket fans.” The Caribbean Premier League will be announcing its tournament dates, locations and partners in 2013 as well as launching their website shortly.
Millington (R) receives his winning accolades from Sales Manager Joshua Terrazzo (L). immediately after, Sales Manager of Banks DIH Berbice branch, Joshua Terrazzo thanked the cyclist for their continued support to Banks DIH and especially for supporting the Malta Supreme brand. He told them they are in good company as Guyana renowned Mr. Universe Hugh Ross is the product brand ambassador. He encouraged them to
continue training, be of good discipline and take in their education. He also wished them a happy Christmas and a successful New Year. Coordinator and Coach of the Flying Ace Cycle Club (FACC) Randolph Roberts expressed thanks on behalf of the club and the participants. He noted that words cannot express their appreciation to Banks DIH
Limited for what they are doing for the community in general including the youths, sports and education. He urged other business entities to take a leaf out of the book of Banks DIH. Roberts was also high in praise for the Police in B Division led by traffic officer Deputy Superintendent Calvin Brutus for their outstanding job in making the race accident free.
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Busy weekend for table tennis - Lewis wins Open title, Britton cops ‘C’ Class
Edinho Lewis It was a busy weekend for local table tennis as Edinho Lewis defeated national champion, Nigel Bryan to win the Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) Open title on Sunday after Shemar Britton had snatched the ‘C’ Class title on Saturday at the National Gymnasium. In the Round Robin finals, Lewis played unbeaten to win, coming from behind to defeat Bryan 11-13, 6-11, 118, 13-11 and 11-7 (3-2); he also defeated Brad Belle 11-6, 11-6 and 12-10 (3-0) and Meusa 11-8, 11-8, 6-11 and 11-8 (3-1). Belle took second after beating Meusa 11-13, 8-11, 117, 12-10 and 11-5 (3-2) and Bryan 4-11, 11-8, 11-9, 11-5 (3-
1). Third place went to Bryan with his only win coming against Meusa 11-9, 11-6, 1210 (3-0); Meusa finished fourth after failing to win a match. Before the quarterfinal round, Nigel Bryan beat Kyle Edghill 3-0; Joel Alleyne defeated Brandon Belle 3-2; Colin France beat Patrick Triumph 3-1; Edinho Lewis put away Elishaba Johnson 30; Shemar Britton beat Xen Goliah 3-1; Brad Belle won against Akeicia Nedd 3-2; Chelsea Edghill dismissed Ayube Khan 3-2 and Paul Meusa beat Devon Richmond 3-1. In the quarterfinals, Bryan beat Alleyne 12-10, 11-3 and 11-6 (3-0); Lewis beat France 11-7, 7-11, 12-10 and 11-8 (31), Brad Belle beat Britton 14, 11-9 and 11-9 (3-0) while Meusa defeated Chelsea Edghill 11-6, 11-6 and 11-8 before the round robin finals. Hopkinson Mining and Stephen Belle both of Bartica sponsored the Open tournament. The top four players received cash incentives and trophies.
Meanwhile, Britton emerged on top of the ‘C’ Class tournament on Saturday from a field that included 48 entries and was divided into 12 groups. Players from Berbice, Linden, Bartica, West Demerara, East Coast, East Bank and Georgetown were represented in the tournament that was aimed at attracting intermediate players. In the round robin finals, Raynor Anderson forfeited the final match to Britton, who had beaten Patrick Triumph 9-11, 11-6, 11-8 and 11-6 (3-1) and Bryton Murray 11-7, 9-11, 11-6 and 11-8 (3-1). Second place went to Anderson after he defeated Triumph 11-8, 11-7 and 12-10 (3-0) and Murray 11- 7, 11-7 and 11-5 (3 0). Third place went to Triumph with his 11-5, 11-9 and 11-7 victory over triumph. Ramesh Sunich of The Trophy Stall in Bourda Market sponsored the trophies for the tournament.
Tuesday December 18, 2012
Players still to be paid by GFF - Nurse
Captain of the Golden Jaguars team Chris Nurse (left) alongside Odinga Lumumba addressing the press yesterday at Water Chris Hotel. Captain of the Guyana senior male football team, the Golden Jaguars, Chris Nurse said the players are yet to be paid by the Guyana Football Federation. He was speaking at a press conference held yesterday at the Water Crest Hotel. Nurse, who is a guest player of the Alpha United FC in the current Kashif and Shanghai football tournament, feels that as captain of the national team he has a right to speak on behalf of his players. He stated they have not yet received any payments from the camps that were held in St. Lucia and Grenada as well as the Texas game. “There was breach in agreement when the World Cup qualifying game was moved to Texas. GFF issued a letter saying we would be paid but we have not yet received any money from them. My aim is not to attack the GFF but to let the public know what is going on and it is not my decision to hold this press conference but the players as a group.” He stated that a number of players do not want to represent Guyana under the current administration. “The
players are experienced and want to represent Guyana in the best of form but are not willing to play due to the current administration,” Nurse noted. He added that no reason was given as to why the game was moved from Guyana and no agreement was made with the players. “Players did not sign any agreement and the GFF does not want to pay the money which was agreed to, so that is a breach of the contract, and the players have a right to speak.” “The players put their bodies on the line but are not properly rewarded.” He informed that the GFF received $200,000 from FIFA on a yearly basis and yet there are no proper training facilities. “There is no future for football in Guyana, players who are coming to the end of their careers cannot purchase lands because we are not being paid properly, Guyana has talent and can compete with anyone but that is not all, to be champions it takes a lot more than that. “What’s the point in playing if it is only to compete and not to win, I am here to win not just to compete,
players give up their jobs and travel with their families but where are the payments,” he asked. He said that it is not the first time the national team has had this issue with the GFF. “We had this problem before and it is with the same administration and if they can’t do anything for football they should get out of the game. We tried to have a better relationship with the GFF but to no avail.” “We wanted to play the game in Guyana and the players were not involved in that decision to move the game against Mexico. If it was beneficial to move the game then we have no problem. Why move the game when you do not know how much money you will make, we can’t get a figure until now,” added Nurse. Also present at the Press Conference was president of the Alpha United FC, Odinga Lumumba, he said that justice is a very fundamental right and he is in support of the players. Lumumba stated he supported the decision to move the game due to financial reasons but there is a need to disclose the finances.
BBC Sport - England completed their first series victory in India for 27 years as Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell both hit centuries on the final day in Nagpur. Trott scored 143 and Bell 116 not out as the tourists who lost in Ahmedabad before winning in Mumbai and Kolkata - earned the draw they needed to secure an historic achievement. India took just one wicket all day as debutant Joe Root added
an unbeaten 20. England finished 356 runs ahead on 352-4 when stumps were drawn early. Their final-day dominance was fitting because, since being beaten by nine wickets in the first Test, England have outplayed their hosts in every department. While recent Ashes victories will rank as some of England’s finest displays in recent years, former captain Michael Vaughan put the accomplishment into context
by describing winning a Test series in India as the hardest thing to do in cricket. It is only the fourth time in history England have won there, and it is the first time since David Gower ’s tourists were triumphant in 1984-85. Scores: England 330 (Pietersen 73, Root 73, Prior 57, Swann 56, Chawla 4-69) and 352 for 4 (Trott 143, Bell 116*) drew with India 326 for 9 dec (Kohli 103, Dhoni 99, Anderson 4-81).
Jonathan Trott & Ian Bell lead England to series win
Tuesday December 18, 2012
Kaieteur News
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Praise for Kieran Powell after good year with the bat Bridgetown, Barbados – Following his recent excellent showing in the Test series in Bangladesh, West Indies batsman Kieran Powell has come in for high praise from the Directors and Management of the Sagicor West Indies High Performance Centre. The 22-year-old lefthanded opening batsman was among the first group of players to join the Sagicor WIHPC in 2010. During his period in the WICB developmental programme, he demonstrated his talent on the field and made his Test debut last year – while still a member of the Sagicor WIHPC. Powell blossomed in Bangladesh last month with a stroke-filled 117 in the first innings of the first Test at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium. This was followed up with an equally brilliant 110 in the second innings of the same Test, which helped West Indies to win the match and the series 2-0.
The remarkable batting display placed him alongside greats – George Headley, Sir Everton Weekes, Sir Clyde Walcott, Sir Garfield Sobers, Rohan Kanhai, Lawrence Rowe, Gordon Greenidge and Brian Lara – as West Indians who made two centuries in a Test. He also equipped himself well at the top of the order in the One-day International Series which followed the Tests. Sir Hilary Beckles, chairman of the Sagicor WIHPC, offered congratulations and urged Powell to continue his hard work. “On behalf of the Directors and Management of the Sagicor WIHPC I want to congratulate Kieran on his brilliant display of batsmanship in Bangladesh,” Sir Hilary said. “To reach two centuries in a single Test is a truly remarkable feat, which is worthy of the highest praise.” Sir Hilary added: “This performance was worth its weight not just in the number
of runs scored, but also for what it did for the team, in guiding West Indies to a hardfought victory. Kieran showed his awareness of the situations in both innings and demonstrated the strength of his batting technique – skills he honed while at the Sagicor WIHPC.” Sir Hilary said to gauge the magnitude of Powell’s achievement, it was interesting to note the list of great West Indians who have achieved it before – the very best of the best. “What Kieran has done is put his name alongside these great servants of West Indies cricket and we urge him to continue to exercise the same determination and ability which enabled him reach such a milestone,” Sir Hilary said. “The way he batted was an absolute joy to watch as he showed composure, high levels of concentration and a touch of class with his strokeplay.” In August, Powell
celebrated his maiden Test hundred of 137 against New Zealand at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground in Antigua – where he was involved in a record opening stand of 254 with Chris Gayle. Earlier in the year, he made 110 for the West Indians against England Lions at Northampton on the tour of England, and 137 for the West Indies “A” Team against India “A” at the Beausejour Cricket Ground in St. Lucia, which brought him a total of five first-class hundred this year. “Kieran has now emerged as one of the fine young batsmen in a West Indies team which is making strides forward,” Sir Hilary said. “This didn’t happen by accident. When he first entered the Sagicor WIHPC, it was clear he possessed immense talent, but it needed to be refined and nurtured towards producing at the highest level.” Sir Hilary added: “In a
relatively short space of time, he has demonstrated what can happen when a player is exposed to top-level coaching in high-quality facilities. Kieran is the first of many players we believe will benefit from the vision of the Sagicor WIHPC – which is to produce a platform for the future development of players in the Caribbean region – as we see the re-emergence of West Indies as a major cricketing force.” Several members of the Sagicor WIHPC have graduated to represent the senior West Indies side. They are Powell, fast bowlers Shannon Gabriel and Brandon Bess; left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul, wicket-keeper Devon Thomas, as well as top-order batsmen Nkrumah Bonner and Johnson Charles – who was a member of the team which won the World Twenty20 title earlier this year. Two members of this year ’s group – Carlos
Kieran Powell Brathwaite and Andre Fletcher played for West Indies before they joined the programme. Two other players, fast bowling allrounders Kevin McClean and Jason Holder toured with West Indies teams, but are yet to play at the international level.
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Kaieteur News
Tuesday December 18, 2012
Kitty Masjid Judo Club duo record 100% success at Int. Meet in Barbados H
ard work and discipline has always been their main watchwords that have driven them to succeed in the world of judo ever since they opened their doors to Masjid members and the general public some three years ago at Sandy Babb, Street, Kitty. And the committed work of Sensei and Coach Raoul Archer has been paying great dividends with the members excelling at International Meets. Archer is a former National Athlete representing Guyana across the globe. Adding to the success of the Kitty Masjid Judo earlier this month were Delroy ‘The Lion’ Murphy who captured Gold in the 43kg category with club mate and debutant Hamza Eastman copping Silver in the 66kg class at a just concluded International
Meet held in the Land of the Flying Fish, Barbados on December 8, 2012 at the Sir Garfield Sobers Gymnasium. The duo along with their Sensei/Coach Archer, are very happy that they have once again made Guyana and the Kitty Masjid Judo Club proud. The little man with the heart of a Lion, Murphy was devastating in demolishing his opponent in 9 seconds to win Gold. His Coach revealed that he got the nickname of ‘The Lion’ when he competed in Panama in March this year where he won a Bronze medal. “I am very proud of the accomplishments of these two 17-year-old athletes and I think we have been doing well for the time we have been in existence.” The young Guyanese
competed against fighters from the host country, Curacao, Guadeloupe, Tr i n i d a d a n d To b a g o , Martinique, and Ecuador. Public Relations Officer / Organising Secretary of the Kitty Masjid Judo Club, Hilbert Archer, disclosed that they have about 30 members on register and this is made up of Muslims and non-Muslims. The Club he informed is open to members of the community and they have classes every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 17:00hrs – 20:00hrs. It was also pointed out that the Kitty Masjid Judo Club is not affiliated to the Guyana Judo Association for many pertinent reasons but that they continue to uphold high standards and discipline. “We have already started to talk with other Masjids
with a view of opening more clubs to spread Judo and get our young people involved in meaningful activities of a disciplined nature.” Archer also informed that one of the sponsors of the team to Barbados, Khan’s Auto Sales, have already committed to sponsoring a Judo tournament in 2013 where they will invite about three countries to send representative teams. Some of the other sponsors of the Team that competed in Barbados are Sankar Auto Sales, Samaroo Investment and d. Wilson. The Team on behalf of the Kitty Masjid Judo Club is expressing gratitude to all the sponsors and well wishers whose collective efforts would have helped to propel them to success.
The successful team poses with other Club Members. Delroy Murphy (2nd right, front), Hamza Eastman (left, front), Sensei / Coach Raoul Archer (right, back) and PRO / Organising Secretary Hilbert Archer.
Tuesday December 18, 2012
Kaieteur News
Hugh Ross has billboard erected in his honour at birthplace by Banks DIH
W
o r l d acclaimed Bodybuilder, Guyanese Hugh Ross, returned to the village of his birth at Eversham, Berbice where a billboard was erected in his honour by local beverage giants Banks DIH Limited. Ross, who was crowned Mr. Universe in 2010 and currently holds the Masters Over-50 title at the NABBA World Championships he won last June in Ireland, interacted with pupils and teachers of his alma mater, Eversham Primary School during his brief visit to the village on the Corentyne Coast. The bodybuilding icon who resides in the United States is also the recipient of Guyana’s fifth highest national award, the Medal of
Service (MS). Ross called on the pupils of the school to be disciplined, study hard and to show respect to their elders. The 90 odds students and teachers of the school were overwhelmed to see him and acting head teacher Neomey Stewart extended a warm welcome to Ross and the visiting party on behalf of the school which has been in existence since 1910 although it is now housed in a building constructed in 1996. Inscribed on the billboard sponsored by Banks Malta Supreme are the words - “The Village of Eversham salutes Mr. Universe 2010 Mr. Hugh Ross – A proud Berbician.” Ross is a goodwill ambassador for Banks Malta Supreme, Banks DIH’s non
alcoholic malt energy drink. Carlton Joao, Sales and Marketing Executive of Banks DIH Limited said that Hugh Ross is the perfect ambassador for Malta Supreme because of his healthy lifestyle. “We are extremely pleased to have Hugh Ross partnering with us,” said Joao. Also present at the ceremony were Banks DIH Communications Manager Troy Peters and Berbice Branch Manager Reginald Matthews and Sales Manager Joshua Torrezao. International Bodybuilder Guyanese Hugh Ross (with cap) admires the new billboard mounted in his honour at Eversham, Berbice in the presence of Banks DIH Sales and Marketing Executive Carlton Joao and pupils of Eversham Primary School.
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Kaieteur News
Tuesday December 18, 2012
Trophy Stall on board Touchline Football Magazine Is Here! Banks Beer KO Cup
Trophy Stall of Bourda Market Proprietor Ramesh Sunich hands over the MVP Trophy to Treasurer of the GFA Dexter Schultz recently.
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roprietor of Trophy Stall of Bourda Market Ramesh Sunich recently presented the Most Valuable Player trophy for this year’s Banks Beer Knockout Cup which is currently being played between teams affiliated to the Georgetown Football Association and two invited teams. Sunich, whose business deals with
trophies, medals and other accessories related to sports speaking with Kaieteur Sport via telephone yesterday said he had done a similar presentation for this year’s Kashif & Shanghai Knockout Tournament. The trophy will be presented to the most outstanding player in the competition which ends on January 1 with the playing of the third place and final.
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fter much hype and anticipation, Touchline Football Magazine (TFM), the 2013 edition, made its debut Sunday evening at the Kashif & Shanghai tournament opener at the GFC ground and the GFA / Banks Beer Knockout tournament at the GCC ground. Patrons at both venues were treated to complimentary copies of the full colour glossy magazine which touts itself as being created by the fans for the fans. TFM, published by the Corbin Media Group (CMG) is an annual general football publication that chronicles the local and international football scenes with thoughtprovoking articles and exciting photography. According to CMG, the magazine does not promote the agenda of any one individual, organization, group, team, tournament or company. In an invited comment about Touchline’s premiere, publisher Mr. Simeon Corbin was quick to point out that the magazine could not have been produced had it not been for the corporation of sponsors Banks DIH Ltd, Republic Bank, Ansa McAl, Bryden & Fernandes, GEB Security Services, Elaine Ville Housing Development, Courts Guyana, Inc., John Fernandes Ltd., NAPS, DELTA Airlines, Scotiabank and other stakeholders, who showed a genuine interest in supporting the magazine and the sport of football. Mr Corbin added that since TFM is the only publication for football in Guyana, it is tasked with bringing the game to life on its pages and providing added exposure to the personalities and the news that surround football. The magazine will be distributed at the various venues throughout the tournament season as well as regionally and internationally. On the cover of the first edition are eye-
popping headlines and a map of Guyana with a collage of football personalities within its borders. Inside, the Alpha United Football Club, FIFA referee Dianne Ferreira-James, national captain Chris Nurse and the Kashif and Shanghai Organization are among the list of numerous features. Some of the major local tournaments like the GFA / Banks Beer Knockout competition are also highlighted. There is also a special section with lots of “Match Day” pictures and a local and world football trivia spread to test readers’ knowledge of the game. Putting TFM 2013 into perspective, the magazine is well put together with high quality pictures to compliment the articles. TFM is every football lovers’ dream, with content for everyone, from the fans, to players, coaches and administrators. No matter what gender or age, you will enjoy each and every page. Many recipients of the magazine were overheard voicing their appreciation and thanking the TFM team for taking the initiative to produce, what was in their opinion: “the most positive and possibly the biggest thing to happen to local football in recent times. Operating in Guyana since 2004, CMG is a multimedia company that specializes in high quality consumer and custom magazines. Since its establishment, the company has emerged as the top publisher with a assortment of glossies that includes its flagship GEM, Guyana Golf, IZWE, A VOZ Do Portuguese and Mashramani just to name a few. CMG handles the entire production process, from conceptualizing to planning, layout, printing and the delivery of the finished product.
Tuesday December 18, 2012
Kaieteur News
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Sunburst Camptown, Fruta Conquerors send ominous warning Banks Beer / GFA KO Cup
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oth Sunburst Camptown and F r u t a Conquerors were in no mood to accommodate any threat to their ambitions of advancing further in this year’s Banks Beer / Georgetown Football A s s o c i a t i o n ( G FA ) Knockout Cup after registering emphatic wins when the competition got underway on Sunday with a double header, at the GCC ground. In the feature game played in wet conditions before a crowd of about 3,000, a star-studded Fruta Conquerors line-up led by ‘Golden Jaguars’ striker Vu r l o n M i l l s c r u s h e d F l a m i n g o 11 - 0 , w h i l e Sunburst Camptown though not exacting a similar scoreline was equally punishing on Houston Stars who they demolished 5-0. Camptown FC from the onset displayed their dominance against opponents that looked outclassed and it took just 9 minutes for the Campbellville-based side to take the lead through Captain Reshawn Sandiford, who took advantage of a combination of the soggy outfield and poor judgement by the goalkeeper to score an unexpected goal. Bouyed by the early strike Camptown continued to assert themselves and a captivating solo run from their inspirational captain deep within their own half led to a brilliant finish from the ever lurking Devon
Forde in the 16th minute which sent the large crowd into wild celebration. The score remained 2-0 going into the half time interval. The second period started brightly for the boys from Houston who tried desperately to find a “foothold” in the game. They attacked relentlessly to pull back a goal and came close to doing that, but were denied by a brilliant save from the dependable Oswald Cornette stationed between the uprights. Clearly in need of a goal to make the contest a bit more interesting, Houston Stars went on an all-out blitz which was met with some threatening counter-attacks by Camptown and they were eventually rewarded through Forde, who netted his second in the 60 minute, while Anthony Sancho followed suit with a brace of his own in the 70 and 88 minutes to complete the rout. Tournament favourites Fruta Conquerors sent a clear message to all pretenders to the throne that they mean business by simply annihilating a game, but obviously outclassed Flamingo team. The game started at a frantic pace and creating buildups and maintaining possession was a difficult proposition on the muddy surface as both teams fought for the ascendancy in the early exchanges. Conquerors almost broke the deadlock with a brilliant build up only to be denied by a brilliant save th
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Action in the opening game that featured Sunburst Camptown and Houston Stars. from former national goalkeeper Gerald Williams. The attacking pressure continued and the stalemate was finally broken through miscommunication between keeper and defender which allowed the talented Jahal “Chico” Greaves to swoop in and score in the 31st minute. After that Flamingo briefly showed some attacking intent, but was thwarted by the resolute backline of Conquerors marshaled by the commanding Joshua “Brownie” Brown and the versatile Trevon “German” Lythcott”. Aggressive wing play and marauding overlapping runs sliced open the wretched Flamingo defence and it was only a matter of time before the floodgates were opened. Jermaine “Panky” Junor added his name to the scoresheet four minutes before half time. The resumption brought
no respite for the Flamingo side as Conquerors looked to inflict further misery on their opponents who seemed devoid of attacking schemes. Lacking the creative compass to be competitive, they were simply outmatched, outgunned and simply outdone by the better side. The talented Mills eventually got into the act,
scoring from a well taken strike in the 56th minute. The ensuing carnage led to a further 9 goals with Mills netting two more in the 67 and 86 minutes to end with a hat-trick, while Greaves did likewise with two moer in the 82th and 89 . Joshua Brown in the 48th, Steve Nelson 70th, Dwayne Lawrence 74th and th
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Eon Alleyne 90 completed their tally. Action continues with another double header tomorrow at the same venue. In the first game, Blueberry Hill FC takes on Caribbean United at 18:00 hrs and that will be followed by the clash between GFC and Kwakwani Strikers from 20:00 hrs. th
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Pele FC crush Buxton Stars FC and advance as K&S Football extravaganza commences
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ele’s strike trio, Konata Manning, Travis ‘Zorro’ Grant and Gregory ‘Jackie Chan’ Richardson sent an ominous message to their detractors and in a clinical display of team work characterized by precision shooting, disposed of Buxton Stars FC when the curtains went up on the 23 edition of the Kashif and Shanghai Football extravaganza at the Georgetown Football Club ground, Sunday evening last. The preliminary match between Amelia Ward and Mill Ballers saw the former team advancing after inflicting a 2 nil licking on the latter. Richardson made his intentions known from the onset when he collected the ball around the middle of the field and skillfully maneuvered to the opposition’s goal but his efforts were foiled by the opposition’s strong defence cordon. With the ball back in play, Manning advanced from his midfield position and in the 4 minute, collected a loose ball just in front of Buxton Stars goal mouth and made no mistake. The dapper striker featured again less than two minutes later when his free kick just outside the box, though commendable, failed to find any of his team mates. rd
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The Buxtonians then raided Pele’s goal but was stopped by a strong defensive cordon comprising Dirk Archer, Quincy Adams, Keoma Gravesande and Mervin Liverpool. This did not stop Kwame Moffat who managed to break through Pele’s midfield cordon and thundered to the goal but his right footer merely succeeded in hitting the right goal post for the ‘keeper,’ Shemroy Arthur to retrieve. The game progressed at a fast pace and when Richardson collected a pass in the 34 minute, swiveled and raced to the opposition’s goal, it looked like a sure success until he was stopped by what the referee deemed to be a dangerous tackle in the box and awarded Pele a penalty for Richardson to convert with relative ease. The persistent Richardson was like a thorn in the side of the opposition and shortly after the penalty, aimed for the opposition’s goal after evading their defence cordon. There followed a goal scrimmage with both teams battling for possession. The East Coast based unit owed a debt of gratitude to Kennard Simon who managed to kick the ball to the left of the field, thwarting another catastrophe. The Pele strikers then turned up the heat when providence, or more appropriately, the Guyana Power and Light, intervened and cast the venue into darkness with about ten minutes to the half. When electricity was restored, some thirty minutes later, the battle continued with no further addition to the score at the interval. Shortly after resumption, Richardson made his presence felt once again when he sprinted past the opposition’s defence in the th
The three ‘statesmen’, from left Konata Manning, Travis Grant and Gregory Richardson just after completing their mission 51 minute and with only the ‘keeper’ to contend with, tapped it gently to the right side of the goal. In an attempt to change their fortunes, Buxton Stars called in Quesi Williams at the expense of Jamal George and shortly afterwards Sion Thomas intercepted a pass meant for Richardson. The dapper Pele striker relentlessly pressed on and forced a wayward kick from Thomas and the shot, meant for the goalkeeper to retrieve, settled in his own goal 66 minutes into the game. Richardson featured for the third time when he received a long pass, spun and scooped the ball over the head of Buxton Stars custodian, st
Ravin Choo in the 68 minute to push the game 5-0 and further out of the reach of the Buxtonians. As the game entered its dying stages, Richardson and Travis Grant teamed up to weave circles around the Buxton Stars’ defence before the latter player tapped in the decider in the 89 minute and shortly before the final whistle brought some reprieve to the Buxton All Stars team. The preliminary game between Amelia Ward and Mill Ballers was also a gem. The game started at a fast clip but both teams were experiencing difficulties due to a wet outfield after earlier showers had subsided. Both teams appeared evenly matched and spent most of the first session attempting to seize the initiative. Despite their best efforts that session ended at a nil all stalemate. Keon Hall broke the monotony when he received a humdinger of a pass from his namesake, Keon Sears from his midfield position, and sent his team ahead in the 63rd minute. Hall also muffed an opportunity when he only had the goalie to contend with, shortly before Trenton Lashley struck five minutes later for the decisive goal. The Millballers’ strikers created good moves and a great build up but faltered terribly on the conversion. Meanwhile, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Frank Anthony took the salute when the march past was staged just after the Millballers/Amelia Ward encounter. Acting President of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF), Franklyn Wilson also shared the podium with the Minister along with Mayor Hamilton Greene, Government official, Odinga Lumumba and the principals of the K&S football organization. The general call for unity among the affiliates was echoed among these officials even as they urged the players to play within the confines of discipline and fair play. The action continues tomorrow evening with another double header at the same venue. Timehri Panthers will tackle BV Triumph from 18:30hrs followed by the feature match between Buxton United and Winners Connection at 20:30hrs. th
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