Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

Wednesday December 19, 2012

Army appoints 11 new ensigns

Yesterday, eleven (11) Officer Cadets received their new badges of rank at the Guyana Defence Force Ensigncy Parade which was held at Base Camp Ayanganna’s Auditorium.

Their promotions came upon completion of Standard Officers’ Course #45.

The newly commissioned ensigns are: Officer Cadet (OCDT), Marvin Dey, OCDT, Godwin Maceron, OCDT, Akeem Kirton, OCDT, Wavon Samuel, OCDT, Stacey Cadogan, OCDT, Godfrey Isaacs, ODCT, Seon Abrams, OCDT Ewart Andrews, OCDT, Brian Christopher, OCDT, Steffon Cameron and OCDT, Teffrun James.

Chief of Staff Commodore Gary Best who delivered the address to the ensigns reminded them that as they graduate it should be clear to them that their journey to leadership is almost complete.

He told them that in a matter of months he expects all of them to be decorated as second lieutenants.

“That you have reached this far is most commendable.

Today, I will speak to you on four areas that I believe would have served you well in successfully concluding this

Officer Cadet Course and will also guide your military careers”.

The areas the Chief of Staff zeroed in on included the significance of military awards, the ensigns’ value to society and the Guyana Defence Force, leadership and its challenges and respect and protection of rights.

“It is significant for you to know now that it is not just about wearing stars on your shoulders but to recognize that your shoulders will bear greater burdens and challenges” he told the newly Commissioned ensigns.

Best further stated that it is common in the Guyana Defence Force to honour performance and issue awards for meritorious conduct. “Your parade today is yet another instance of an awards ceremony. However its significance goes beyond you, the recipients, as it recognizes those who taught, nurtured, guided, instructed and, in this particular circumstance, your parents who trusted us to train you.”

On this note, the Chief of Staff took time out to thank the parents and guardians.

“Another aspect of

military awards ceremonies, is its public nature. Today, our nation is able to join in observing your elevation, attend to our confirmation that you merited this parade and recognize that there is collective agreement on your success. Indeed our nation will no doubt have its own expectations of each one of you,” he stated emphatically.

He told the ensigns that duty falls upon them as future leaders to recognize and celebrate performances that merit recognition.

“A duty also falls on you to ensure that each and every one of your charges merit the award given as is the case with you today.

As gradaunds of this course, you will discover that your value to society has increased tremendously because you have added positively to the nations productive stock.”

He further emphasised the fact that the ensigns are now new national defense and security practitioners and will be seen as upholders of high values and standards.

“Our society will expect you to defend our territorial integrity, you will be expected to show leadership in your

Army Chief of Staff Commodore Gary Best decorating one of the newly commissioned ensigns during the parade yesterday. home communities and be a role model to the youths in your neighborhood”.

The Chief of Staff also charged the ensigns to always maintain the highest standards possible at all times, whether in or out of uniforms.

“You also add value to the Guyana Defence Force. As I anticipate your commissioning and military

service, I know that you will be expected to lead fearlessly.

You will also be expected to put your mission and country first and the rest of priorities will fall into their respective places.”

He reminded the ensigns that they will have to command men and women, and in so doing, they will discover that leadership is about getting things done

through people, and it is in that context they will be required to master people skills in order to effectively lead their subordinates.

“The Guyana Defence Force will demand that you train, educate and counsel your subordinates, and equally, we expect you, as subordinates, to effectively perform your duties, in the absence of your superiors.”

Wednesday December 19, 2012

Kaieteur News

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Govt. not punishing defaulters despite glaring evidence The administration’s failure to take timely sanctions for failures on a number of multi-million-dollar contracts and possible fraud at state agencies has seen a number of concerns raised by the Parliamentary Opposition.

A Partnership For National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change (AFC) yesterday criticized the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) for “refusing to take action despite knowing that hundreds of millions of dollars may have been wasted or stolen through fraud or corrupt practices”.

There has not been any serious reported case of civil servants being taken before the courts for the recovery of monies nor charges laid for any corruption in recent times.

Government has been denying that there is serious corruption in Guyana. While the administration has said it penalized contractors for under-performance and tardiness, it has not been forthcoming in providing information on how many, if any, financial sanctions there may have been.

According to APNU, issues like the investigations at National Communications Network (NCN); the delays and suspension of Synergy Holdings as the contractor of access roads to the Amaila Falls Hydro Project site; the spending of taxpayers’ money on the Marriott Hotel and the EZjet fiasco, are but a few of the instances where legitimate questions are being asked as to how state funds are being spent.

“APNU calls for accountability and transparency in all of government and calls on President (Donald) Ramotar to show leadership,” the 10party coalition, which has 26 seats in the National Assembly, said yesterday.

BEACCOUNTABLE “APNU once again calls on the government of Guyana to be accountable to the people of Guyana. APNU once again registers a lack of confidence in the way this government has handled several major projects in a less than transparent manner.”

APNU and AFC have a combined 33 seats, compared to the ruling party’s 32, in the National Assembly.

Since losing its majority in the National Assembly following the November 28th, 2011 General and Regional Elections, it has not been smooth sailing for the PPP/C. It suffered a significant setback after the Opposition reduced the National Budget for 2012.

In a rocky year, the

- AFC, APNU

President Donald Ramotar Donald Ramotar administration also had to face an opposition which passed a no-confidence motion against Home Affairs Minister, Clement Rohee, and which then tabled a motion to gag him in the National Assembly.

APNU made it clear yesterday that despite abundant evidence, the administration remains unmoved.

“APNU notes with great concern that even though in many cases there has been clear evidence of corruption and poor governance, no one has been held accountable.

No government or other officials have ever been punished for the millions of taxpayer dollars that have been wasted or misappropriated on the poorly constructed infrastructure; ill-conceived purchases; projects done without proper feasibility and environmental studies; just to name a few.”

APNU said that it strongly feels that the taxpayers of Guyana deserve a government that is “honest and accountable, a government they can trust. A government that is judicious with the nation’s treasure and not one that uses companies like NICIL (National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited), as a personal piggy bank for major projects and purchases that have not been sanctioned by the people’s representative (Parliament).”

PUNISHMENT APNU urged government to understand that it has a responsibility to ensure public officials adhere to high ethical standards and that those who fail to measure up must be punished…”rather than give them cover to continue doing wrong.”

Meanwhile, AFC’s ViceChairman and

Parliamentarian, Moses Nagamootoo, said it is no surprise that government has taken its continued stance and is not budging.

“No one should be seriously disappointed that President Ramotar has given a stiff back to the episodes of corruption at places such as NCN, NDIA and several other public entities.”

Nagamootoo, a former senior PPP/C executive, believes that the party could face serious internal backlash if action is taken against officials.

“If he (President Ramotar) was to take drastic action it is feared that the PPP regime could implode. The PPP/C is too busy circling the wagon to protect the moribund corrupt breed than to listen to rational voices like Ralph Ramkarran, who warned about pervasive corruption, or respond to bodies such as Transparency International that placed Guyana at the top of the corruption index in the Commonwealth Caribbean.”

The AFC official said that instead of fighting the “real monster”, the Government has invented the opposition as a threat to Guyana.

“The government has failed to tackle a single act of open corruption, but instead blames the independent newspapers as inventing corruption. Every day, the sleaze gets bigger and the PPP/C will find itself sooner rather than later in the dock to be indicted by public opinion.”

On Monday, during a sitting of the National Assembly, the opposition carried a motion to stop government from spending public funds on the Marriott Hotel in Kingston, currently under construction.

“The Parliamentary motion on Marriott is going to be an authoritative indictment for which public officials should not only be sanctioned but should be required to be surcharged for reckless spending of the public’s funds,” Nagamootoo, a lawyer by profession, asserted.

AN INDICTMENT Earlier this year, following allegations of wrongdoing, NCN’s Board of Directors, which comprises officials from within the Office of the President, initiated a probe that led to the resignation of

Chief Executive Officer, Mohammed Sattaur and the suspension of Programme Director, Martin Goolsarran.

This was after revelations that both had failed to follow procedures in hiring HJTV to record and produce the GT&T’s Jingle and Song competition for NCN. According to the special audit, Goolsarran reportedly took some of the GT&T payments and deposited them in his personal bank account. A report from the board has been sitting at the Office of the President for several months without any action being taken.

In the case of the access road to proposed site of the Amaila Falls hydro project, government in early January announced that it had suspended a $3B contract with Makeshwar ‘Fip” Motilall and his company Synergy Holdings.

This was after months of delays. Despite warnings that the Synergy had no road building experience, government had persisted, accusing the opposition and media houses of being

APNU’s Carl Greenidge

AFC’s Moses Nagamootoo

against development.

Synergy, as initiators of the Amaila Falls Hydro Project, and whose licence was sold to Sithe Global, the current developer, stands to benefit at least US$12M. The hydro project, tagged to cost at least US$840M, will be the country’s most expensive infrastructure ever.

Government has now reissued contracts for the access roads, which will end up costing millions more to build.

In the case of Marriott, the decision to sink taxpayers’ money amidst unclear still

circumstances, into a hotel, has raised the ire of the opposition who has been arguing that the National Assembly had no oversight over NICIL funds, a burning issue.

NICIL is the government company which manages state assets and the proceeds. Government has been insisting that it does not have to ask the National Assembly any permission to spend the money.

The opposition has disagreed. Despite the concerns, government has ploughed ahead with the project.

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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

GUEST EDITORIAL

Local gun violence The latest gun-facilitated mass murder by an American – this time of 20 children and six adults in an elementary school, along with his mother – has precipitated the expected recriminations, blame, analyses and calls for increased gun controls in the United States. Because of the power of their gun lobby and the entrenched belief in their constitutionally protected ‘right to bear arms’ not much, if anything, will change.

But lest we in Guyana smirk about ‘gun violence in America” we ought to take a hard look at our own situation.

In fact, the US State Department in its advice to its citizens travelling abroad, noted that in 2010 there were “140 murders, 108 shooting incidents, and 143 armed robberies”, warned that “The murder rate in Guyana is three times higher than the murder rate in the United States.” The last figures for 2011 we could find was as of December 28 -- 130 persons had been murdered. For the present year the trend appears to be holding constant, as is the increasing number of murders committed with guns. While the police do not issue figures breaking out the precise method of killings, one can eke out the latter assertion from the ‘execution’ and ‘felony’ murders reported. Murders associated with guns started to spiral upwards in 2002 following the Mash Day “Freedom Five” jailbreak of that year. Before that, there were about 90 murders annually – a rate of about 11.8 per 100,000.

In 2002, the toll was 142, with a rate of 18.9 per 100,000 – compared to the US rate of 5 per 100,000. In the following year, the number of murders jumped to a mind-numbing 205 - a rate of 27.3. It would appear that Guyana had now reached a new peak, which showed every sign of escalating in the immediate future, because of the new structural dynamics.

One recent study looked at the development of gangs in Guyana, from the small ad hoc criminal gangs to larger, professional organisations that sprung up to service the transshipment of drugs from the Andean sources to northern markets. The latter gangs adopted the ruthless modus operandi of their Latin American counterparts, in which guns and violence are used indiscriminately to settle “business” disputes and to intimidate the authorities. While guns and other weapons are also trafficked along similar routes as drugs, the bulk of the guns are smuggled from Brazil, home to Taurus, an important regional handgun manufacturer. According to the Guyana Police Force, 61 percent of firearms confiscated in 2008 were manufactured in Brazil. The ‘execution style’ murders attest to work of the gangs and guns.

But the foreign authors of a survey published earlier this year, point to another type of gang – represented in the present era by the “Freedom Five” of 2002, alluded to above, which had an explicitly political motive and as ‘backed by the PNC”. They were the inheritors of a tradition that went back to the sixties when the CIA sponsored local political/ labour operatives to overthrow the then PPP government accused of being “communist”. Intermediately, “During President Burnham’s rule, gangs (including ‘kick-downthe-door’ bandits’) were frequently used to intimidate political opponents.”

“With the police unable to stop the killings (of the “political gangs” mayhem) vigilante death squads took it upon themselves to restore order. These ‘phantom squads’, as they became known, targeted, tortured, and executed a number of Afro-Guyanese gang members.” They were explicitly claimed by the Roger Khan criminal drugsmuggling gang, which was linked to the PPP government in sworn US court testimony.

A new stimulus to murder linked with guns has been the boom in gold mining caused by the extraordinary rise in gold prices. This year, there have already been more than two dozen murders and numerous armed robberies in the interior. Because the interior is also the route for the drugsmuggling gangs’ operations, a most combustible mix has been created. The interior has always been poorly policed because of the vast and inhospitable terrain. The political class, which is part and parcel of this simmering volcano of violence with its nexus to ‘political’ and ‘criminal’ gangs, has to work together to save Guyana.

Wednesday December 19, 2012

Letters... Where your views make the news

Dr. Ranjisinghi Ramroop’s double standards DEAR EDITOR, I submit this letter to you, hoping that it is printed and all the parties whom it concerns read it and understand that “you can fool some of the people, some of the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.”

My letter concerns an article published in the Guyana Times, dated Thursday December 13, which originated from its owner, the famous Dr. Ranjisinghi Ramroop, This article’s headline is, “Lall’s radio licence refusal tied to US visa revocation.’

In this article, Ramroop goes on to vilify Glenn Lall stating all sorts of ill things about him, namely that he is involved in alien smuggling, drugs etc., and because of his nefarious activities, his license was denied.

Let us stop for one moment and agree with Ramroop and his unsubstantiated ramblings about Glenn Lall; let us give him credit for being such an outstanding member of the Guyanese Society, who believes that Lall’s character is so blemished that his U.S. Visa was revoked and it precluded him from being considered an appropriate candidate to hold a Radio License in Guyana.

Please remember readers, that is the attribute which Ramroop used to dictate that Lall was unfit to hold or obtain a Radio License in

Guyana and we concurred with him.

Here I am going to ask Ramroop to look within the PPP/C Cabinet and name the various persons whose U.S, Visas were revoked and still they are holding various Top Level positions within the Government.

I would not bother to name the various names of whom I speak, but Mr.

Ramroop knows them and knows them well, due to the fact that they are all his Kavacamites.

Please remember Ramroop, what is good for the goose, should be good for the gander.

Have a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year and wish the same for your fellow Guyanese, even though they may embrace a

different Political Ideology than you.

Aubrey Gill Editor’s note: Glenn Lall’s visa has never been revoked. The first person who uttered this statement about visa revocation, was C.N.Sharma and there is a pending lawsuit in the courts against Mr. Sharma and the television station.

Seema Chatterdeo may be a mythical figure DEAR EDITOR, I have noted that within the last month there have been several letters penned in the newspapers under the name “Seema Chatterdeo”. I wish to state that this ‘incarnation’ is in no way related to respected medical practitioner, Dr. Seepersaud Chatterdeo or to Attorney-atLaw, Mohalani ChatterdeoPersaud or any other Chatterdeos in Guyana.

Further, I wish to assure the reading public that over the years I have extensively researched the existence of other persons with the surname “Chatterdeo” and have found none outside of my family. Internet searches also fail to reveal the existence of other persons bearing this surname.

My research has revealed that on the 2011 List of

Electors issued by GECOM, the only “Chatterdeo” appearing outside of my family is that of one person bearing “Chatterdeo” as a first name. As a matter of fact, the name “Chatterdeo” is my father’s sole name. Hence, it became my mother’s surname upon marriage and the surname of the three children produced as a result of that marriage.

My father has no child named “Seema”; neither of my brothers is married to a “Seema”; neither of my brothers has a child named “Seema”; I do not have any children. I have searched the internet extensively for “Seema Chatterdeo” and could only find the recent letters and a Google + account. I wish to caution the newspapers to verify the existence of persons

submitting letters for publication. In particular, I wish to advise the newspapers to request proof of identity from this writer in future before publishing any further letters.

Should “Seema Chatterdeo” be a fictitious character, I wish to caution you and other aspiring letterwriters to do better research before choosing a pseudonym. If, however, you do exist, I am always happy to meet someone who shares this unique surname and I humbly apologise for any embarrassment that this letter may have occasioned to you!

Maybe as a result of some serendipitous occurrence you are the sister God forgot to send me?

Mohalani ChatterdeoPersaud, LL.B., LEC Attorney-at-Law

Wednesday December 19, 2012

Kaieteur News

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Letters... Where your views make the news Letters... Where your views make the news

The Marriott will hurt the taxpayer DEAR EDITOR, Based on your news item, “House votes: No more tax dollars for Marriott unless…”

(KN, December 18), Guyanese at home and abroad should welcome the AFC move to the court to force the PPP regime to cease and desist from using taxpayers’ money to help fund the construction of the controversial Marriott Hotel in Kingston, Georgetown.

It is a move that is a winwin situation for Guyanese, because Guyanese will continue to at least see that

the AFC is willing and able to fight the corrupt and defiant PPP monster, and it will also force the PPP regime to present its feasibility studies on the project and the financial arrangements of the deal in court, even if the government feels it is not obligated to abide by the House’s ruling.

Guyanese at home and abroad need to know that the AFC is not against any sort of development. In fact, since its inception in October 2005, the AFC has been fighting for

an overall change in the way Government does business.

And following the one-seat parliamentary majority it obtained together with APNU, November 2011, has prosecuted with undiminished intensity its fight for accountability and transparency in government.

I know of no other democratic government in any law-abiding country that takes taxpayers’ money and invests it in a private company without the legislative branch and other

APPELLANT DISMAYED DEAR EDITOR, I pen this letter as an appellant in this matter. More than 6 months has elapsed since the Caribbean Court of Justice made certain Orders regarding the matter RAJENDRA SINGH & ROBIN SINGH v THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF GUYANA. This matter was challenging the Government of Guyana’s (GOG) authority and decision to unilaterally disband the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) and install an Interim Management Committee (IMC).

The attorneys for the Appellants have duly complied with the Orders of the CCJ and have since filed all the necessary applications and affidavits, including settling the records of appeal, in support of same since June 15, 2012.

Numerous written followups as outlined above and attached herein for your perusal have been made with the Guyana Court of Appeal and the Chancellor’s Office; yet still this matter has not been heard nor has a date even been set for such an important hearing of this

appeal.

We strongly urge the Court of Appeal to set an urgent date for this hearing.

We view this as a severe breach of natural justice as justice delayed can surely, in this case, be equated to justice denied.

In the meantime, the GOG is rapidly moving ahead to ram through some form of legislation to control cricket administration in Guyana, clearly attempting to bypass the court, whilst cricket and cricket administration is bleeding from these multiple and relentless onslaught against a legal body and its Officers that has been in existence for decades.

I wish to place on record that there has been several accusations of financial impropriety made against the GCB and its Officers, confiscation of the physical assets of the GCB, lockout from its Offices, harassment and searches of Officers’ residences and Trustees of this Board, investigation by the GPF for which NOT A SINGLE CRIMINAL CHARGE HAS YET BEEN INSTITUTED. The independent Rupert

Foster report which was commissioned by the Minister of Labour has clearly vindicated the GCB even though it unearthed a few minor irregularities, not unusual in any organisation.

This governmentcommissioned report has never been made public by this Minister or the Offices of the Friendly Societies.

One can only assume that the report was not to the liking of the powers that be. Indeed, it really is a tremendous tribute to the tenacity and fortitude of these distinguished Officers that cricket is still being played in Guyana and national teams are still being sent to represent Guyana at the Regional WICB tournaments.

Should legislation be passed allowing control of cricket administration to be Government controlled, Guyana risk being ostracized from being a shareholder of the WICB since the ICC holds a similar view as FIFA regarding government intervention in sports.

This is clearly not the road that we need to pursue.

Yours faithfully Raj Singh- Appellant

checks and balance agencies being privy to the investment.

Even President Barack Obama, who has used American taxpayers’ dollars to invest in private companies - some too big to fail - has to subject those investments for public scrutiny, including, if necessary, any queries by the US Congress.

Deemed ‘venture capitalist investments’ by some, the Obama administration set aside US$80B in 2009 to subsidize energy green energy projects, and while the report card on these projects have been mixed or even politically controversial, it is the fact that every single taxpayer dollar must be and has been accounted for; even where losses occurred.

With the Marriott project, the way the financial deal is structured, investors, other than the Guyana Government, will have first dibs at whatever money is left in the hotel if it were to go bust later on. And this is one near fatal aspect of the entire investment that worries the AFC, APNU and all concerned Guyanese, because there is no

investment company (which is what the PPP regime is becoming here) that cares about its clients that would ever enter into such an arrangement not caring if its clients came out the losers.

Again, the AFC is not against development, but the haphazard and irresponsible manner in which the PPP regime has been approaching the Marriott with public funds, even as it has done with other projects and investments demands our public input. For example, the regime signed off on a US$15.4M road construction project with Makeshwar ‘Fip’ Motilall, even though it and everyone knew Motilall never built a driveway or sidewalk, let alone a road.

The regime invested US$30M of NIS money in Clico (Guy), US$4M of NIS money in the Caricom complex, and $6B in the Berbice Bridge, then watched as the NIS sank.

Moreover, the Marriott is not a manufacturing or production-based entity, but a service entity that will depend on mostly tourists and others with money to burn on entertainment. And

these people are not reliable sources of support. For example, the Jagdeo regime loaned $168M to Buddy Shivraj to complete his hotel in time for CWC 2007 and watched as he struggled to repay the loan because of low occupancy. So why would the regime proceed to invest taxpayers’ money again in an almost similar project?

Finally, it would be apposite to note that NICIL’s CEO, Winston Brassington, told Guyana Times several months ago that NICIL’s audited accounts for the last 8 years will be presented to Parliament by July 31, 2012.

Here we are at the end of the year and he has not kept his promise, yet NICIL is using taxpayers’ money to fund the Marriott.

I believe the AFC has an iron-clad case before the court if the President refuses to abide by the House’s vote to stop the regime from using taxpayers’ money on the Marriott, and Guyanese at home and abroad should publicly come out in support of the AFC as it once again takes on the corrupt and defiant PPP regime.

Emile Mervin

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Kaieteur News

Wednesday December 19, 2012

Letters... Where your views make the news Letters... Where your views make the news

No end to a noise nuisance DEAR EDITOR, This letter serves to bring a cruel situation to the attention of the authorities responsible for maintaining and safeguarding the rights of Guyanese. It is truly disturbing to observe the number of letters and complaints appearing in the daily media regarding noise nuisance.

More and more persons are afflicted by this noise and ironically, it seems as though our cries are falling on deaf ears.

Two popular Hotel Bar and Discos at Charity right under the nose of the Charity Police Station, the Roman Catholic Church and a short distance from the Charity

Cottage hospital, are sources of unrelenting pounding loud noise.

On holidays, permission is given to persons to hold open air functions on the car park tarmac and this adds more thunderous noise in Charity. It is difficult to comprehend how the responsible authorities could give permission to hold open air functions with large music boxes so close to the church and hospital with other residents living so close to these places.

As if the constant banging of loud music is not enough, you have private cars with powerful music boxes that will play their music anytime of the day or night.

These people have no respect for the residents in this area and their right to a quiet atmosphere.

It appears that the owners and workers at these locations are now deaf and too damaged to even comprehend the agony faced by residents on a daily basis.

We are sure that certain laws are in place for dealing with such activities. The business places should be made to soundproof and the authorities should be enforcing the laws of Guyana.

How permission was granted to conduct such activities in an area where a church and a hospital is close to these discos is beyond us.

Legislation against noise

nuisance should be enforced so that persons suffering can have some semblance of quiet in their environment.

Numerous complaints were made to the Charity Police Station, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Charity Urasara Neighbourhood Democratic Council. So far, the noise continues.

Apparently, the noisemakers are above the law or the constant stream of complaints is not serious enough for the authorities to act on.

It is not just frustrating and irritating, but very unhealthy for us to be

exposed to this nuisance.

Some of us have members of our families suffering with various illnesses and the noise is definitely a detriment to the improvement of their health. When there is the loud noise we cannot have our rest constitutionally due to us and others.

It is totally unfair for hardworking law abiding citizens to be persistently harassed by this issue. The elderly, children and homeowners are forced to endure this abhorrent hammering and pounding without any satisfactory measures taken by those in charge to alleviate their

anguish. Don’t we have right to peace and comfort in our homes anymore? When will this lawless and irresponsible behaviour stop?

We hope the authorities finally act on their duties to protect sufferers of this form of mental torture. Our suggestion to take care of this lawlessness is to give the police the power to prosecute these lawbreakers under the Environmental Noise Management Regulation Act 2000.

This Act empowers the police to make use of noise measuring instruments which we are willing to subscribe to.

Residents of Charity

AG’s continuous run to the courts is habitual DEAR EDITOR, Like most Guyanese I have lost count of the number of times that the Attorney General has taken court action against the Speaker of the National Assembly, the Opposition leader Brigadier David Granger, and actions by the Majority in the 10th Parliament of Guyana.

This proliferate court action by the Attorney General should not be taken lightly, because there are some frightening consequences that can develop if this course of action becomes habitual, or goes unchecked.

A close perusal by anyone of the actions brought by this Attorney General recently, will see a pattern of the government in the form of the Executive Branch (in the person of Mr. Nandlall), seeking to influence action taken by the National Assembly, by going to the Courts (the Judicial Branch).

Our Constitution is very clear in the way it spells out the powers bestowed in each branch of government.

Therefore it was not surprising that in the first

preliminary ruling by Chief Justice (Ag) Ian Chang the court stated that it could not intervene in the internal affairs of the National Assembly, unless there was a breach of the constitution.

Still action after action, the Attorney General persists in running to the Judiciary with matters that are of the same genre.

I am not an Attorney, neither do I have any legal training, but I have decades of life experiences. All of these matters that have been brought to the courts by Mr. Nandlall have been heard exclusively by the Chief Justice Mr. Ian Chang. I would like to humbly suggest to the Honourable Chief justice that he excuse himself from any further deliberations and farm these cases out to other Judges.

I say this because the mere weight of matters coming before this Chief Justice, from this Attorney General, may present a temptation for things to be balanced in favour of the Attorney General. This is by no means an affront to the character of the Honourable Chief Justice, but let us be

honest with ourselves, Ian Chang is only human, and Judges have been known to “give” one to a Complainant whom they have frequently ruled against.

Here-in lies the clear and present danger to the constitution of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana; where the abuse of the courts leads to a miscarriage of justice or one branch of government overreaching its authority.

One cannot be presumptuous to tell the Attorney General what action to file and what not to file. But our constitution gives certain supreme powers to the Legislative branch that is sacred. What is at risk here if this practice is allowed to continue unabated, is a direct attack on the sovereignty of one branch of government by another.

The Attorney General cannot have it both ways. I have heard him in Parliament expounding on the constitution as the law of the land. Yet he chooses to forget that the same constitution when he and his party are displeased with the actions taken by the parliamentary majority in the National Assembly.

The PPP must realize that it is a minority government, that the opposition speaks for the majority of the electorate and that power always belongs to the people.

As we approach a new year, one would hope that good sense will prevail and the Executive Branch will come to realize that more can be achieved through negotiation and consultation, rather than confrontation and frivolous court actions.

Mark Archer

Wednesday December 19, 2012

Kaieteur News

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Rohee no confidence motion…

Opposition Leader deems AG’s move to court legally misconceived Opposition Leader David Granger has described as legally misconceived, the Attorney’s General’s move to the court for a determination of the matter regarding the temporary gagging of Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee by Speaker of the National Assembly Raphael Trotman.

Granger, who along with Trotman, was named as a respondent in the matter filed

by Attorney General Anil Nandlall, has filed a counter summons in the High Court seeking to strike out the orders being sought by Nandlall. In a summons filed yesterday, Granger is seeking an order, staying all proceedings filed by the Attorney General until the hearing and determination of his summons.

The whole issue stems from Granger filing a no confidence motion in the National Assembly against Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee, which was subsequently committed to the Privileges Committee by Speaker Trotman.

Opposition Leader David Granger

Speaker of the National Assembly, Raphael Trotman

Attorney General Anil Nandlall

That move has effectively seen the Home Affairs Minister being temporarily prohibited from speaking as a Minister in the National Assembly until the determination of the matter.

The Attorney General, who is seeking to overturn the Speaker’s decision, filed a motion in the High Court on November 27, which replaced a previous application that was withdrawn, asking for a declaration that the decision of the Speaker to commit Granger’s no confidence

motion to the Privileges Committee, and prohibiting Rohee from speaking or not recognizing him for the purpose of presenting bills, making other representations in the house, is unlawful, in excess and without jurisdiction.

Nandlall is also seeking a declaration that the Privileges Committee has no jurisdiction to deal with or determine the issue.

However, Granger in his affidavit in support of his summons stated that the

declarations and orders sought by the Attorney General are without merit and are misconceived. He noted that the decision of the Speaker to send the matter to the Privileges Committee was an internal proceeding of the National Assembly.

The Opposition Leader argued that the court has no jurisdiction to inquire into the validity of internal proceedings of the National Assembly where there has been no breach of the constitution.

He said that Nandlall’s affidavit in support of his motion contains no allegation of fact capable of supporting a finding of constitutional breach by any of the respondents or by the National Assembly.

“I am further advised by my counsel…and verily believe that alleged irregularities in the conduct of parliamentary business are a matter for parliament, not the courts,” Granger stated.

He further argued that the speaker’s decision to commit the no confidence motion to the Privileges Committee is not in itself unlawful.

“My (no confidence) motion only seeks to prevent the Minister of Home Affairs, Clement James Rohee, from speaking in the National Assembly, so long as he is purporting to carry out the functions of Minister of Home Affairs as published in the Official Gazette. Minister Rohee is free to speak in the National Assembly in any other capacity,” the Opposition Leader said.

He argued that Members

Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee of Parliament had “no constitutional right” to speak during debates; that right to speak was governed by the Standing Orders and any failure to comply with it did not invalidate the proceedings and could not be inquired into by the courts.

According to Granger, the Home Affairs Minister has not been silenced completely, but is only limited as a result of the resolution of the National Assembly expressing no confidence in him as Minister of Home Affairs.

Granger said that the Attorney General’s move is an abuse of the process of the court and is a violation of the doctrine of the separation of powers “thus the court has no jurisdiction into this matter.”

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Wednesday December 19, 2012

Wednesday December 19, 2012

Kaieteur News

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THE AFC’S BUDGET PROPOSALS REPRESENT AN ACT OF PROVOCATION The Alliance for Change (AFC) has presented the most politically opportunistic and almost brainless proposals for inclusion in next year’s annual Budget.

The AFC is once again using the Budget process to partially achieve the campaign promises it made to its constituents.

On the campaign trail, the AFC promised to reduce the Value Added Tax (VAT). In its Budget proposals for last year, it asked for a mere 1% reduction. This must have shocked the living daylights out of the party’s constituents, many of whom were anticipating that the proposal would have been to remove the VAT. Opposition supporters have been consistently fed the line that the cause of the high cost of living is the VAT. Yet there is no empirical evidence to support this and as such, these supporters have associated the pressures they face with the VAT and not with the increase in prices for food items globally.

Reducing the VAT by 12% makes absolutely no sense.

This will not affect the cost of living for the poor but a 1% or 2% reduction in VAT can be used by large companies to skim millions away from taxes. The AFC’s VAT

proposals will only therefore benefit the rich and not the poor people.

But by far the most scandalous proposals made by the AFC and one that insults the intelligence of their supporters, is the suggestion that the government reduce the toll on the Berbice River Bridge. This too was another campaign promise of the AFC. But how can the government do this when the Bridge is controlled by a private consortium and will not become the property of the State until the next fifteen years.

While indeed the formula for setting the toll represents a scandal in itself since it links the bridge tariffs to that what was charged for an inefficient and costlier ferry service, the AFC is yet to say just how the government is going to achieve this reduction.

Is the AFC proposing nationalization of the bridge?

If so, it should state so. Or does it want taxpayers’ monies to be used to subsidize the bridge toll? If so it would only be using taxpayers’ monies to allow the private consortium that controls the bridge to profit from exorbitant rates.

Or is it proposing that transportation tariffs be regulated? This will mean that it will also have to regulate

mini bus fares and hire car fares, because why pass a law only to benefit those who use the Berbice River Bridge and not other consumers who are also exploited by other means of private transport? The call for equal access to the state media is both imprecise and outside of budgetary policies.

If the AFC wants equal access it should indicate just what it means by equal access and make the distinction between access by government and access by political parties.

AFC could not, however, be serious about equal access, because when it came to discussing the allegations of conflict of interest involving elements of its leadership, the AFC did not turn up to defend itself but had the temerity to call for a right to reply, having failed to accept the invitation for immediate response to the allegations.

The AFC has also made the call for the establishment of the Public Procurement Commission. This too is an extra-budgetary proposal.

The AFC should be less enthusiastic about having this commission in place because the amount of powers that it will wield will make it all-powerful and if the contracting class gets a foothold in this commission, not even the majority of one

Dem boys seh...

Brazzy get ketch wid another man suitcase Brazzy always like pick up wha is not he own. He also does put down wha is not he own. He fit de bill of a kleptomaniac.

That word mean dem people who can’t help picking up other people thing.

He does do that all about he go. He went to China and he pick up computer; he guh to Florida and he pick up Fip. He drop Sonny before he pick he up.

He hand, he foot, he belly, he mouth in everybody business. He use to be a good church boy. He parents use to mek sure that he go to church every hour of de day but he get big in more ways than one. He belly is ten. He follow de thiefing Rat, and dem thief three-quarters of Guyana wid dem kavakamites.

He ain’t satisfy wid three-quarter of Guyana. He suh greedy that couple days ago he come home pun

Delta from New York.

At Kennedy he check in a small green suitcase; when he arrive home he pick up a big brown one and head to Georgetown. When he near meet home he get a call from de airline people telling him how he lef he suitcase at de airport.

Brazzy tell dem “Nah man.

I got me two suitcase wid me.”

De people tell he that he lie because he thief somebody suitcase and lef he own.

That is an old trick dem traders use to do—check in a suitcase full wid paper and pick up one wid people goods after dem switch de tag.

Brazzy had to do that because nobody coulda see how he can check in a small green suitcase and pick up a big brown one.

Brazzy realize that he get ketch and head back to de airport. He get ketch like how he get ketch pun all dem project including de hotel dem building.

That is why he head back to de airport. He didn’t expect that dem boys woulda hear de story.

At de airport he tell de owner that he mek a mistake.

De man ask he, “How he coulda mek such a mistake.

Look at wha you check in and look wha you carry way. How on earth you can mek such a mistake. Big man, that is a deliberate act. You did want thief me suitcase.”

De man tell he that if he can mek a mistake over suitcase, imagine de mistake he mek wid de Marriott, and de hydroseed road, de Clico deal, Fip p e r f o r m a n c e bond, and dem GPL turbine.

Brazzy call de Rat and seh, “Dear Leader, dem want lock me up.” Dem boys wish that he de pick up a cocaine trader suitcase at JFK and leh we see if De dear leader he call coulda help he.

Talk half and guard you suitcase from dem Bees.

would be able to constrain this commission. Having a Public Procurement Commission will not end corruption; it may not even reduce it. But it can institutionalize it.

The AFC has called for a 1% salary increase. When it was campaigning it had promised more. Ten percent is not an unrealistic proposal, but it does not address the fundamental issue of a living wage which some unions are now demanding. The AFC, of course, is cautious about demanding a living wage because it knows that its allies in the private sector are not keen on a living minimum

wage, since that would place all manner of pressures on their businesses.

The AFC needs to go back to Budget 101. Its proposals do not pass muster. But then again, the AFC is more interested in muscle, and in particular, muscle-flexing, when it comes

to the Budget, as was so evident last year when it sought to settle old scores under the pretext of trimming the Budget.

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Wednesday December 19, 2012

=== THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN ===

Death in a strange land: The enigmatic USA I once wrote that no columnist should leave out of his/her repertoire an opinion on Michael Jackson. Whether you saw him through positive or negative lenses, he was simply one of the intriguing personalities in the world.

It would be an incomplete career in the life of a public commentator if there are no thoughts on one of the most uncivilized atrocities in modern times, the killing of twenty tots by a gunman in a school in the United States In societies torn by civil war (Rwanda comes to mind),

children are massacred by opposing sides. Nazi Germany’s extermination of the Jews (along with the enslavement of Africans) remains the largest blot on civilization since the origin of Homo sapiens.

How in peace time, in the 21st century, in one of the most scientifically developed territories on earth can a gunman walk into a school looking for little children, four, five and six years of age to kill? One can only conclude that in that country, something is deadly wrong

with its inner fibers This columnist here is unapologetic in his view that the United States of America is one of the great democracies of our time.

Don’t tell me about Russia, whether under communism or Putin. Russia is one of the woeful failures of modern European civilization.

Don’t talk to me about Cuba. Any country that can have a leader who fell just months below achieving 50 years of being in power is a total failure.

China is not my cup of tea.

It is an unfree society. Don’t tell me about the Third World.

Leaders there show scant regard for freedom, justice and rights.

The Third World loves to criticize Europe and the US, but where are the essential freedoms in the Third World that our ancient ancestors fought so hard for?

The reality is that outside of civil war in the Third World in today’s world, some of the most unspeakable crimes occur in this impressive country named the United States of America. If the US

should declare that the peoples of the world don’t need a visa to enter its borders, the US population will jump to six billion which is the numbers on Planet Earth. Yet this land that people the world over want to go to is a very strange and disturbing country.

Too many characteristics in the culture of the US lead one to embrace the theory of declinism. Declinism is a concept in International Relations that argues that the US Empire, after reaching its zenith at the years following World War 2, is in decline and is about to be overtaken by other states in both economy and world influence.

Is this latest massacre of the 20 tots the largest indication to date that the US is on the verge of becoming just an ordinary nation that was once great as the European empires were?

Too many things are fundamentally wrong with the US that are danger signals in the 21st century. One such egregious stain is America’s gun culture. A nation has to be insane to allow a citizen to just walk into a store and buy some of the deadliest mobile weapons technology has produced.

What does the average citizen in the US want with two machine guns in his/her home? The mother of the young man that killed those twenty babies had four guns in her home. This great nation is the only land on Planet Earth where citizens who have attained legal age can buy any type of guns they want. It is

Frederick Kissoon time the US realize that such behaviour is bordering on an uncivilized throwback to Genghis Khan Then there is the anomaly (using a mild word) of the worship of wealth. The US military budget must be close to a trillion. Imagine what the national budget is like. This is a stupendously rich country that most intellectuals would regard as post-modern, yet abominable poverty exists in the US. The American wealth is concentrated in less that fifteen percent of its population. Yet Americans elect politicians who are shamelessly against gun control and those who are wealthy beyond one’s imagination.

In the last presidential election, the two candidates were the exact opposite in terms of possession of wealth. Mitt Romney said that half of American wants to be looked after by the government.

It was a contemptuous dismissal of working America.

Yet this man lost the popular vote by only five million (60M for him, 65M for Obama). You would have thought he would have been devastated. Can the US survive in the not too distant future?

Wednesday December 19, 2012

Kaieteur News

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GRA set to collect over $116 billion in taxes - Sattaur Despite an increase to the tax threshold, the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) is set to surpass its 2011 collection target, netting over $116 billion. This is according to Commissioner-General, Khurshid Sattaur, who revealed that last year GRA collected just over $111 billion.

An increase to the tax threshold, however, saw a noticeable dip in the Pay As You Earn (PAYE) area of collection, reflecting a shortfall amounting to in excess of $2.5 billion.

“This is not an over-taxed nation; this is a nation in which I think a lot of people do not pay taxes so we can’t confuse the two. A lot of people feel that we are overtaxed, but I don’t think that is

a right statement to make.”

Sattaur insisted that the GRA has been continually striving to efficiently carry out its tax collection mandate although there is still room for improvement. He asserted that improvement does not necessarily translate to taxing people more, but to bringing those people who are “out of the net into the net” and ensuring that they pay their fair share of taxes.

This move, according to him, could even allow for Government, through the GRA, to offer “bigger” tax breaks to the entire nation.

“Everyone shares in the pie as they ought to and obviously that pie will not only increase but that pie will become more equitable in terms of the contribution to it

Commissioner General, Khurshid Sattaur

and that is what we are aiming to achieve at the GRA.” According to the GRA boss, one of the major

Scotiabank tak es Christmas takes to the less fortunate

Scotiabank staff members with some of the less fortunate children Scotia Bank has continued its tradition of donations to the less fortunate. Every year at Christmas time the staff, their families and friends get together for an evening of

caroling, sharing and giving.

Last Wednesday, a team from the bank walked and sang carols through the streets of the city with Santa and Mrs. Claus on a horse cart.

The group visited several homes and organizations including the Nazareth Home, Ptolemy Reid Rehabilitation Centre, St. Ann’s Orphanage, Joshua House and St. Vincent De Paul Homestead.

achievements of 2012 was realised in the area of licencing, which now sees persons being eligible for licence renewal on the registration date of their vehicles. Previously, a fixed period was allotted for the purchase of licences after the passing of the national budget annually. According to Sattaur, the introduction of the new feature was accomplished mainly by the company’s Information Technology (IT) department.

He confided that initially there were some difficulties to implement the system at the beginning of the year due to

the lack of legislation as parliament was in recess at the time. Nevertheless, efforts were made to efficiently put the system in place.

“We had to start on January 1...and we eventually got legislation in, so we had the legal authority to enforce it. Surprisingly it has gone very well...” Sattaur revealed.

This development, he said, has reduced the queuing time at the Revenue Office, since all relevant information is captured in the IT database,. He added that “now you spend less than two minutes when previously that person would have taken perhaps 10 to 15 minutes.”

In terms of the actual vehicle sales, the Commissioner-General said that efforts are being made to keep abreast with what the statistics require of GRA in order to be au fait with the number of licence renewals are necessary for a particular period of the year.

“If at this point there should be 70 per cent of people having their licences renewed we are very close to that, and that is one of the reasons that we have not yet involved the police in our campaign to enforce the sale.”

Sattaur explained that

GRA has also been playing a major role in encouraging voluntary compliance by sending out mail to vehicle owners’ last known addresses as a means of reminding them to conform to the process.

Meanwhile, the GRA boss said that registering a vehicle is now a straightforward and regulatory function which also is a reflection of the work of the IT department.

According to him “there is no big deal in registering the vehicle. What has to happen is that the vehicle has to be physically inspected, that is the only reason for any delay that the registration will be subjected to...”

The system, according to Sattaur, is working fairly well, with an average of 50 vehicles being registered on a daily basis. He pointed out that even though there might be a high incidence of sales, the process is now very manageable.

“We don’t deal with more than 50 a day...We have delineated the process and we do part of it at Customs...” As a result, he noted that the process is simplified, where most of the payment takes place at the Licence Revenue Office.

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Wednesday December 19, 2012

Guyana seeks assistance in dealing with impending mercury ban fallout Guyana has won support to delay the phasing out of mercury use in gold mining and is asking for help to deal with the fallout.

According to a release from the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment, the issue of mercury in mining was a main topic of discussion in the Regional consultations for Latin America and the Caribbean, which was held in Bogota, Colombia, November 26-29.

The consultations were held to facilitate regional preparations for the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC5) - to prepare a global legally binding instrument on mercury - which will be held in Geneva, Switzerland, from 13 to 18 January 2013.

Representing Guyana at the forum were Minister Robert Persaud; Rickford Vieira, Commissioner of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) and Mahendra Persaud, Executive Member of the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association.

The event attracted g o v e r n m e n t a l representatives, observers from non-government organizations, and other stakeholders from all parts of the world, in order to facilitate negotiations for the preparation of a global legally binding instrument on mercury.

According to the ministry, issues discussed at the forum related to mercury supply and trade, mercury storage, health, mercury waste and the institution of a financial mechanism to assist developing countries and economies in transition.

Negotiations centered on the implementation of stipulations for prohibiting or restricting the production and export of mercury from identified supply sources and facilitating a reduction in the manufacture, distribution in commerce or sale of mercuryadded products.

The issue of mercury is a contentious one, with miners and authorities admitting no cheaper, alternative methods at the moment.

EXEMPTIONS It was decided that Latin

American and Caribbean countries should seek allowable exemptions for products such as batteries, measuring devices, switches and relays, topical antiseptics, and various lamp categories. It was also noted that these exemptions might necessitate the institution of a licencing regime at the national level to facilitate the regulation of the importation of mercury-based products and mercury elemental and mercury compounds for use in sectors such as Artisanal and Small-scale Gold Mining (ASGM).

At the forum, the issue of storage was seen as being integral to the regulation of mercury-based products and processes. Above ground storage was considered as being the most consolidated and, technically, the most feasible option for the longterm storage of mercury. It was noted that underground storage is an option to be considered, but that some countries might not meet the conditions required to host an underground facility, either because of geographic, legal and/or cultural conditions.

A worldwide ban on mercury is imminent but there is concern by local gold miners about alternatives In terms of environmental health, it was noted that mercury and its compound are highly toxic to humans, ecosystems and wildlife and that even relatively low doses can have serious neurotoxic effects on adults and children.

Initially considered as an acute and local problem, mercury contamination was now understood to be a global challenge with chronic effects. As such, the negotiating parties deliberated on the institution of various strategies which are meant to: identify vulnerable populations based on the risk of exposure to establish the promotion and prevention measures necessary to improve their resilience and reduce the chances of health conditions; develop indicators of environmental health to enable follow up and assess compliance with established means for the promotion and prevention of mercury exposure of vulnerable populations; and establish rules and controls to prevent exposure.

Guyana’s main arguments in the negotiations were noted in its position paper which was prepared by an interdisciplinary committee comprising of stakeholders from the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment, Geology and Mines Commission, Environmental Protection Agency and the Guyana Gold

and Diamond Miners Association.

IMPACT The position paper, which was presented at the negotiations, stated the effects that the proposed ban on mercury trade can have on Guyana’s mining industry and the associated economic development trajectories of the Government of Guyana.

As such, a call was made for transfer of technology, financial support and other assistance for developing countries (such as Guyana) which will be affected by the cross-cutting decisions made at these negotiations, including the global ban on the trading of mercury.

Guyana’s team was successful in getting mercury in Small and Medium Scale Mining being declared as one of the accepted uses for Mercury and this was unanimously agreed to and added to the position paper.

Countries such as Colombia, Bolivia, Peru and Chile, like Guyana, had thousands of families that are solely dependent on Mining for their survival and while being cognizant of the fact that Mercury needed to be phased out in the long run, recognized the impact it would have economically and socially on many small miners. The Parties discussed the establishment of a mechanism to provide financial and technical cooperation and assistance,

including the transfer of technologies, to Parties that are developing countries and economies in transition, so that they can implement the control measures stipulated in the globally binding instrument on mercury. It was decided that the fund should receive contributions from donor countries in order to cover all the incremental costs incurred by the aforementioned parties so that they can be compliant with control measures established under the legally binding instrument on mercury.

There was no time frame for the phasing out of mercury from gold mining.

However the Latin America and Caribbean group will recommend, at the Conference of Parties at the INC5, that a timeframe be established which should give parties time to prepare for the implementation of the procedures and provisions that prohibit the production, sale, distribution or use of mercury and associated compounds after the entry into force of the convention.

These measures, and the associated decisions taken at the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) group, will be presented in Geneva at the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to prepare a global legally binding instrument on mercury (INC5). The LAC will negotiate as one body for the mutual benefit of all associated countries and will cooperate with each other and with relevant intergovernmental organizations and other entities, as appropriate, to achieve the objectives of the convention.

This year, declared gold production has already passed a record-breaking 400,000 ounces, thanks to mainly small and medium scale miners who have been spurred by high world prices.

Gold is the biggest earner of the Guyana economy for the last couple years.

Wednesday December 19, 2012

Kaieteur News

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Grove woman sentenced to three years for trafficking in cocaine ….appears for sentencing with baby A Grove East Bank Demerara woman was yesterday sentenced to three years in prison after she was found guilty of having in her possession 3.4 grams of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.

Coretta Roberts, 34, of Lot 190 Second Street Grove Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara, appeared before Magistrate Leslie Sobers at the Providence Magistrate’s Court. She appeared in court with her four-month-old baby despite knowing that yesterday was slated for the court’s decision.

The charge stated that on September 24, 2010, the cocaine was found at the woman’s residence. Ranks of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) said that they had swooped down on a notorious drug yard where several persons were seated on a bench. A man was nabbed by the police and a portion of cocaine was found on his person.

The accused, having seen

what was happening, dashed for her house to lock up, but was prevented by the drug ranks from doing so. A search conducted in the woman’s house unearthed the aforementioned quantity of drugs hidden in the bottom of a sofa. In the said sofa, another portion of cocaine was found in the outer shell of a crazy glue container. The quantities amounted to 3.4 grams.

The woman had admitted to having the drugs, CANU said, claiming that she was given it to sell and was just doing a “small hustle”.

In court, Roberts had hired three lawyers on separate occasions, with the most recent being Onassis Granville. While the prosecution, lead by CANU prosecutor Donald Downer, sought to establish the location of the drug at the time of its discovery, the defence claimed that the drugs was not found in the accused woman’s house.

According to their story,

the drugs were found in the yard that housed several other residents. They said it was found under a bench which the accused and several other persons were sitting. The woman told the court that she was seated with the persons on the bench when she heard a voice say “don’t move”. She claimed that she was prevented from entering her home while the CANU ranks searched her home.

The defence however failed to convince the court of its story, when several prosecution witnesses testified to the occurrences of the day in question.

Roberts was found guilty and was given a three-year sentence. She was however left on a bench with her baby awaiting escort to serve her jail time.

The court advised Roberts that a relative come for the child or keep the child and a provision would be made for the state’s intervention.

Wednesday December 19, 2012

BTV Channel 2 off air after financial fallout BTV Channel 2 “ah we TV” will be off the air and it is unclear when the station will be resuming its services. The station, which is owned by Godfrey Washington, was on Monday vacated by lessee Christian Duncan, owner of Brutal Tracks.

The station’s suspension of operations reportedly came after a quarrel over money owed to Washington.

Millions are said to have accumulated over a period of three years for unpaid rent and equipment access.

Washington had disclosed that an arrangement was made with Duncan where he would have exclusive rights to the business and would be the sole commander of operations. He however said that for the first half of operations, partial payments were made for the use of the station. Following that,

payments, he said, had stopped completely.

Washington even noted that the court had been approached and he was not allowed certain rights to his place since the agreement had provided for the lessee’s total control.

Amounts owing from the lessee - who is also the investor prior to his vacating - had been ordered to be paid to the court after a Judge ruled that outstanding monies should be paid over to the station’s owner.

Washington said the investor had not honoured agreements which were set out for a long term business venture. That included payments not being made when he was supposed to.

Washington said he was not informed that the investor was vacating the building. A month prior to that he said he

had served the lessee an eviction notice, but was not told that a move was being made. He said he was however relieved, feeling “like a cross had been lifted off his shoulder.”

Duncan said he is disappointed since for the most part the business venture had been made with trust being at the forefront.

He said he was unable to say when the station will be up again since he is looking forward to a big and better broadcasting service. While noting that with his last investor it was virtually impossible to make upgrades or improve the station, he asserted that he would be making efforts for an improved station and was optimistic that the next time around he would find a more “honest and professional” person.

Health Min. arson accused tries to burn down prison Quick action by authorities at the Georgetown Prisons averted what could have been a disaster of immense proportions after high profile murder and arson accused Colin Jones set fire to his mattress in an attempt to start a major conflagration at the facility yesterday morning.

Prison wardens quickly eliminated the threat posed by Jones’ action after an alarm was raised by other inmates who had observed smoke coming from Jones’s quarters.

Jones, a suspect in the arson of the Ministry of Health building on Brickdam, is also committed to stand trial for the murders of two of his accomplices. He had previously showed signs of

Colin Jones being mentally challenged, which prompted a magistrate to order that he undergo a psychiatric evaluation.

This is not the first time that he has tried to start a fire

in the prison and prison officials have been forced to isolate him.

“By his conversations, he seems a bit unstable,” a source at the prison told this newspaper.

A few months ago Jones, although handcuffed and shackled, had tried to wrestle a weapon from a police rank who was part of the escort party taking him to court.

“We don’t know if his recent action is a ploy or if it is mental illness,” the source said.

According to the source, head of the local mental health body, Dr. Bhiro Harry, would usually visit the prison where he would meet with inmates, including Jones, to evaluate their mental state.

Main Street to be transformed into Christmas Village The Main Street area is to be transformed into a Christmas Village, starting Friday, and replacing the annual ‘Big Lime’.

According to the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA), the Christmas Village will become an annual feature. The event is set to begin Friday and end Tuesday night…Christmas Eve. GTA said that the area will be transformed into a “dazzling wonderland set aglow in a unique setting of holiday scenes meshed with festive foods and a wide array of local entertainment”.

According to the organizers, this Ministry of

Tourism activity, which stems from the traditional ‘Main Big Lime’ will be the family event of the year. Activities will take place from 14:00hrs to 22:00hrs daily. Following the grand launch on Friday at 17:30hrs in front of the Courts, Main Street Branch, the Main Street Avenue - from Quamina to Middle Streets - will be transformed to include live entertainment of jazz, steel pan and caroling.

Several charities will also be using the events to raise funds and the proceeds from the sale of Christmas goodies will go towards their charities of choice.

In addition, the sponsors

of the event, including Courts, Banks DIH, DDL, GT&T and Digicel will be launching several promotions and giveaways to encourage more persons to come to the village It was stated that visitors gathering to commemorate and share the Christmas Village spirit can rest assured of safe and secure paid parking at a facility nearby.

The Ministry is also advising that no unauthorized vending will be allowed in the vicinity of the Christmas Village during this period as this will affect the smooth flow of traffic.

Wednesday December 19, 2012

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US, Caribbean nations share ideas for ending gender-based violence

According to a release from the United States Embassy in Georgetown, Government, law enforcement, and judicial officials from 12 Caribbean nations convened in Miami to exchange ideas and share strategies for strengthening the rule of law and ending gender-based violence in their countries.

Hosted by the U.S. Department of State at Florida International University from December 11 to 13, the Caribbean Dialogue on Rule of Law and Gender-Based Violence brought together judges, prosecutors, and high court justices, police officers, and civil society members from throughout the Englishspeaking Caribbean.

The delegation from Guyana, sponsored by the U.S. Embassy, included: Attorney General Anil Nandlall; Director of Public Prosecutions Shalimar AliHack; Managing Attorney of the Guyana Legal Aid Clinic Simone Morris-Ramlall; Director of Help and Shelter Margaret Kertzious; and Representative from the Caribbean American Domestic Violence Awareness organization Tiffiney Jackson.

During their stay, the Caribbean law enforcement

officials toured the Miami City–Dade County domestic violence courts for an overview on the U.S. judicial and legal approach to prosecuting perpetrators of domestic violence and gender-based crime. They also heard from experts such as Rosina Wiltshire, the first advocate for gender justice for CARICOM. Caribbean officials will have an opportunity to share with their regional counterparts their ideas, experiences, tactics and strategies to strengthen a multi-sector response to gender-based violence.

They will also devote time to developing or expanding on country-specific national action plans to determine the next steps that should be taken.

A big concern for all the countries involved is how to “remove barriers to dealing with impunity for perpetrators of gender-based violence,” said Anita Botti, Chief of Staff and Deputy Director of the Department of State’s Office of Global Women’s Issues.

“That’s a big issue, and it can only be dealt with if all the players are working together.”

Violence against women and girls is a growing

New home for CARICOM offices in Barbados New facilities for two sections of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat, as well as a Regional institution, all based in Bridgetown, Barbados, were officially opened on Monday by the Hon. Freundel Stuart, Prime Minister of Barbados.

The two sections of the Secretariat – the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) Unit and the Office of Trade Negotiations (OTN) – and the CARICOM Development Fund (CDF) previously were housed in different locations.

They now have a permanent home in Mall Internationale, Haggatt Hall, St. Michael. Speaking at the opening of the new offices, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, CARICOM Secretary-General, expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Stuart, the Government and people of Barbados.

“The two CARICOM Secretariat sections and the CDF have had separate homes. However, over the years, the Government of Barbados has steadfastly worked to ensure that they have been equipped with the

resources necessary to undertake their tasks while at the same time bringing to bear considerable energy in helping to acquire common and more permanent premises. The provision of these modern facilities is testament to the fruits of that labour,” the Secretary-General said. He added that the development reflected not only Barbados’ lead responsibility for the realisation of the Single Market and Economy, but its firm commitment to Regional integration and development.

The Secretary-General referred to staff members’ adaptation to the new environment as well as to the adaptation by the Secretariat and the Community to current challenges. He said that the opening of the new offices should signal that the Secretariat and the Community had begun to transform and that there was recognition of the sense of urgency which needed to be infused into the integration process and the Region’s development.

“In these times, transformation and reform are (Continued on page 16)

national and regional concern, she said. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, every one of the Caribbean islands has a sexual violence rate that is higher than the world average.

In addition to Botti, the U.S. officials who attended included Larry Palmer, U.S. Ambassador to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean; Pamela Bridgewater, U.S. Ambassador to Jamaica; Liliana Ayalde, Deputy Assistant Secretary in the

State Department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs; and Brian Nichols, the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton sent a special message to participants via video.

Additional speakers included representatives from U.N. Women, an entity created in 2010 by the United Nations General Assembly to

accelerate gender equality and the empowerment of women by bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact.

One of the desired outcomes of this dialogue was to explore ways that the United States can improve or expand its existing programs in the region. The United States recently released the first Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender-based Violence Globally, accompanied by a presidential executive order directing

implementation of the strategy — underscoring the U.S. commitment to address this issue. U.S. embassies throughout the region, including the U.S. Embassy in Guyana, conduct public diplomacy programming for community outreach, sponsor professional exchanges, offer small grants for the development of programs to support women, and provide training to those involved in preventing and responding to gender-based violence.

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Wednesday December 19, 2012

Commuters requesting Govt.

Busby Dam robbery/murder… intervention in ‘shed boat’ operations Shot porter still hospitalised

Commuters obviously prefer boats with sheds during the rainy season Commuters and Essequibo residents are calling on the Transport and Hydraulics Minister, Robeson Benn to intervene with regard to the way speedboats operating between Parika and Supenaam are assigned by the monitor in the rainy season.

They say boats without sheds are being given preference to be filled although the rain may be pouring, something which is illogical, as there are numerous shed boats available.

“Imagine you got to go

into a boat without shed and the rain falling hard… people skin getting soak and the monitor saying that there is a turn system!

The Government implemented a rule since January 1st, 2010, to have their boat fixed with a shed, now commuters must suffer because some boats don’t have shed! Then such boats should not work when it rains!” one irate commuter explained.

Passengers noted that they are made to suffer because of nonsensical decisions by the monitor.

Thus, they said speed boats with sheds should be given preference in the rainy season instead of boats which don’t want to comply with the shed rule.

According to officials of the Public Works Ministry, which is charged with monitoring safety on the country’s waterways, there have been numerous complaints from travelers using the speedboats on the Parika/Supenaam route, but although there have been meetings, there is a seeming reluctance for the operators to agree.

New home for CARICOM offices...

(From page 15) inevitable, and necessary.

Indeed, the people of the Region have demanded that the Secretariat and the Community transform the efficiency and effectiveness of our service delivery.

“We have been compelled to confront the expectations of the people of the Region to make a real and meaningful impact on their lives. Whether it is through the implementation of the CARICOM Single Market

and Economy, the negotiation of trade agreements, or the provision of development support for the Less Developed Countries (LDC) of the Community, the main focus and beneficiaries of our efforts must be the people of our Community,” he pointed out. He added that the consolidation of the offices in the shared facilities was indicative of a wider initiative “upon which we have embarked towards the

improvement of the administration and governance of the Secretariat and all Community institutions.

“The newly arranged proximity of these sections of the Secretariat and the CDF, physical and otherwise, is intended to improve the linkages and coordination between them and to advance efficiencies in the discharge of their critically related tasks and responsibilities within the Community,” he said.

Mervin Marcus, the porter who was shot in his shoulder at Busby Dam (also known as Buzz Bee Dam), Craig, East Bank Demerara (EBD) remains in a stable condition at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, exactly six weeks after the robbery/murder.

Marcus, of Kaneville, East Bank Demerara (EBD) was returning to his workplace on November 6 last, with t w o o f h i s colleagues, Aga Khan and Ken Ross, when three armed bandits forced the motor lorry GJJ 2806 which was being driven by Khan, to stop.

The bandits shot and killed the 47-year-old driver and then turned their weapons on Marcus before escaping with $100,000. Since then Marcus has been hospitalised. There were reports that Marcus’s condition had worsened and he was taken to the hospital’s High Dependency Unit twice before being transferred to the male Surgical Ward.

Shot robbery victim Mervin Marcus Currently, his condition is listed as “stable” but according to a source, the injured man’s condition tends to change often and he is

constantly being monitored by doctors. One man has been charged with the shooting and has been remanded to prison.

Govt., Region 10 officials zero in on ‘social needs’ committees Premised on a principle that is enshrined in the constitution, Government and officials of the Region 10 administration have been engaged in what has been described as meaningful discussions with a view of having the Technical and Economic Committees become fully operable.

The two committees were established in August last, in a bid to deal with the social needs of the residents of Linden following a monthlong protest action, during which residents had initially demonstrated against government’s announcement of a hike in electricity tariff in the mining town.

At a recent meeting between officials of Government and the Region 10 administration, an agreement was reached to “clean the slate” of all previous names of those proposed for chairmanship of the committees, according to People’s Progressive Party Chief Whip, Gail Teixeira. She made this disclosure at the most recent post Cabinet press briefing at Office of the President.

At that meeting the Government’s side was represented by Teixeira, Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, Public Works Minister Robeson Benn and Presidential Adviser on Community Development, Odinga Lumumba. Regional Chairman Sharma Solomon, People’s National Congress

Reform Executive Aubrey Norton and APNU’s Vanessa Kissoon represented Region 10.

According to Teixeira “we agreed at that meeting that we would clean the slate of all previous names of proposed chairpersons that had been brought by both sides and we would start with a clean slate to find persons.” The meeting, she said, saw emphasis being given to the need for names that are acceptable to both sides. Teixeira related that some of the names that were proposed by the Region 10 delegation were in fact likened to “red flags to a bull.”

“We have made it clear to them that if we really want to get these committees functioning and chairpersons in place, we have to start out on what is a principle that is enshrined in our constitution of not putting names that are unacceptable to the other side.”

Another meeting was slated for Friday last, and according to Teixeira, it was anticipated that new names would have been offered by both sides. However, this is not likely to see an end to the engagements as according to her “we hope to keep talking and to move as the saying goes ‘one, one dutty build dam’. It is important to talk sometimes when you don’t even always look as if you are moving forward...”

Teixeira emphasised the importance of talks, even as she disclosed that there are

many engagements sometimes at other levels with the opposition. However there are instances, she added, when such discussions are not reflected in parliament “and then it is a different issue altogether.”

She insisted that the Region 10 issue is important to Government, thus efforts will be sustained to ensure that there is no misunderstanding and there is no area that could become a problem on either side.

Aside from the issue of chairpersons for the committees, Teixeira said that one of the major talking points was the work of the committee. Moreover, she said that efforts were made to extend the contracts of the persons in the Secretariat for the two committees in anticipation of “whenever we reach agreement we don’t have to go and create a secretariat or call back people.

So people are being retained and that is for us an issue of good faith to make sure that there is no hiccup once the chairpersons are named”.

Also being addressed is the issue of broadcasting licences for the Region.

“I understand from the Broadcasting Authority that they are meeting on Tuesday (yesterday) and a number of the licences will be examined and therefore as far as I am aware the process for the Region 10 applications is proceeding in accordance with the law,” Teixeira noted.

Wednesday December 19, 2012

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Wednesday December 19, 2012

Bandwidth cost drives more customers to cell phone use The high cost of broadband in Guyana is perhaps a key element that drives cell phone usage in Guyana.

This assumption was made by Chief Executive Officer of Digicel Guyana, Gregory Dean, as he responded to questions at the company’s recent end-ofyear press conference.

To support his speculation, Dean made reference to the fact that in a lot of the other markets which Digicel operates, customers have access to cheap broadband services, thus the cell phone becomes a secondary medium to access the internet.

“In Guyana it (cell phone) is a primary medium for some people to access internet service. In a lot of the areas that we provide service, this is the only access to internet service, because the internet access is not widespread and

then the cost per month many cannot afford,” Dean theorised.

The CEO asserted however, that this state of affairs is certainly not being touted by the company as an excuse for not offering better service. In fact, he noted that efforts are continually being made to provide customers with improved data service in order to meet the existing demand.

Based on feedback from customers, he said that there is a demand for speed of service “so what we have been looking at is what is the average usage for customers on the network and can we adequately meet the average usage.”

Initially, he disclosed that 30 megabytes of data was made available to customers, but then it was recognised that they were using more than that on the average day.

Subsequent expansions saw

the available data being increased to 50 megabytes.

“What we have been saying all the time is that we will keep monitoring performance and we will keep reviewing that policy but I think our intentions are not to ultimately limit persons in terms of what they can use but there is always going to be a pay off between speed of access and the amount of data people are utilising and it is a situation where you have a few customers whose usage is extremely high on the network.”

According to Dean, at the moment Digicel’s network cannot sustain those persons using over a gigabyte of data per day. He emphasised that “there is no way you can dimension a network to meet the needs of that person unless they are the only person in some community that is using data...I think it is the biggest

- Digicel CEO opines challenge we have in how we provide adequate data service for our customers.”

The CEO related that at the moment customers are demanding something more than the available Edge provision, something that Digicel is closely monitoring.

Considering other markets that Digicel has already been able to penetrate, Dean said that the ultimate decision is usually to divert to 4G or LTE or some other technology that allows customers even greater access in terms of data. However, he surmised that such undertakings are usually tied up with opinions of where the market is going.

“There are a lot of developments happening in the market, and I suppose all operators are kind of asking what the plan is for the

telecommunication sector and I think the sooner that is clearly defined, the sooner it is that the operators in the market can start making bolder decisions.”

“We would love to be more aggressive in terms of some of the things that we are doing, whether it is rolling out to new areas, launching new services, looking at better data service for customers...those are some of the things we would love to do in the market.”

According to Dean, many customers are looking at access in and out of the country but currently there is a lot of uncertainty in this regard.

He nevertheless alluded to moves by Government to incorporate its own fibre optic cable, even as he disclosed that other operators had in the past looked in the same direction.

“Sometimes I think it is a grey area and investors are probably a bit reluctant to invest, so that is most likely the major issue. I think if you can have the cheaper bandwidth in and out of Guyana a lot of industries would flourish, not just the

Digicel Guyana CEO, Gregory Dean obvious telecommunication players, but all the industries in Guyana who are seeking cheaper bandwidth.”

Dean pointed to the fact that the first step in terms of providing data for customers is the amount of bandwidth available in and out of the country.

Moreover, he said that “until we see bandwidth developing and there is some competition and prices start dropping and access to that bandwidth develops, there will be some limiting factor and I think it is the same thing in terms of operators who want to do 4G or other services.”

Bill on parliamentary clerk’s autonomy sent to select committee The Special Select Parliamentary Committee will examine a Bill presented by opposition Member of Parliament (MP) A Partnership for National Unity’s Volda Lawrence that calls for the independence of the office of Clerk of the National Assembly.

That decision was made despite an objection by Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall, who said that the provisions called for in the Bill violate the constitution.

Speaker of the National Assembly, Raphael Trotman, recognised concerns put forward by Attorney General but ruled that the Committee “would decide what to weed out of the Bill and bring to the House a piece of legislation that will do us all proud”. However, Nandlall asserted that “the bill is incapable of correction.”

Both Trotman and AFC leader Khemraj Ramjattan argued that the government has a responsibility to provide legal advice to all members of the House in drafting legislation.

Trotman, in his written response, “for the benefit of all members of the National Assembly” noted that “in

raising constitutional points against a Member’s Bill, the Hon. Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, has his entire chambers behind him. We in the Parliament Office and chamber lack those competencies”.

Nandlall opined that the bill is unnecessary as the opposition did not identify the problem as it relates to the current function of the Clerk’s Office “but want to pass a law that will create a new regime.”

He said that the first rule in law-making is to examine whether the law is needed and “the government doesn’t see the need”. The Bill, if approved by the committee, will give the Clerk of the National Assembly the title of employer of all staffers attached to parliament.

However, Nandlall’s major concern is that the Bill will take some of the constitutional powers given to the President and grant them to the Speaker of the House. One such is that the Speaker would be able to appoint a Clerk.

Nandlall noted that the Bill violates article 57 of the Constitution and therefore should not be considered to become law.

Wednesday December 19, 2012

Kaieteur News

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Cannonier promises “big changes” New Premier Craig Cannonier vowed to start announcing his new Cabinet team tomorrow (Wednesday).And he promised “big changes” from the first new Government in 14 years.After he was formally sworn in as Premier at Government House, he said: “You will be hearing about appointments very swiftly – within the next day. ”We need to move as swiftly as possible.”And he said he would keep preelection promises to ask a member of the PLP to join the Government in some role.Mr Cannonier said that PLP members had “already extended their arms to him” and he had responded.

He added: “I will be making these calls to ensure we all move forward together, everyone with one voice. ”Our first priority is to look at the financial state of our country and set realistic goals as to what we can and cannot do.”I will live up to these promises – but I haven’t chosen that person.”Mr Cannonier said: “It’s a bit historic what has taken place and the One Bermuda Alliance has always said, from

the beginning, that this is about not leaving anyone behind.”Mr Cannonier added that he would call for Parliament to reconvene early in the New Year.After the ceremony, OBA heavyweight and former shadow Finance Minister Bob Richards, a racing certainty for Finance in the new administration, said: “The first thing we have got to do is look under the hood and see what’s under there.”We don’t know yet.

Once we do that, then we can have something meaningful to say. I know what you know, what’s in the public domain – and that’s not all there is.”

Asked if a pledge to create 2000 jobs in five years was achievable, Mr Richards said: “I wouldn’t have made that promise if it wasn’t.”OBA rising star Jeff Baron, who slashed the PLP majority in the tough Pembroke South East seat but failed to win against the PLP’s Rolfe Commissiong, is likely to be appointed to the Senate.

Businessman Glen Smith, who got a hero’s welcome at the post-election party at Hamilton’s Vasco De Gama Club after he unseated Premier

Paula Cox in Devonshire North West, confirmed he was prepared to serve in Cabinet.Mr Smith said: “If the Premier wishes me to be in his Cabinet, I would gladly accept.”I guess I would be interested in business development. I’ve started several businesses in Bermuda, local and ones reliant on the service industry with international business.” ”I believe I have a reputation in the local and international business community which would help Bermuda.”Mr Cannonier’s wife, Antoinette, said after the ceremony she was “very proud” of her husband’s achievement. She added: “He has worked hard, he believes in what he is doing and he wants to make a difference. ”Mr Cannonier told the crowd of more than 100 assembled in Government House: “We are going to use this election to bring about two big changes to Bermuda.”First, we are going to get this economy working again for people. There is no more important task now than to grow jobs to end the hardships felt by thousands of families.”

Feminist research group calls on Govt to act now (Trinidad Guardian) The local chapter of the Caribbean Association for Feminist Research and Action (CAFRA T&T) is expressing concern over what it calls Government’s “continued vacillation” over the approval of a national gender policy.

A draft gender policy is currently before Cabinet. In a news release yesterday, the association said thorough consultations on the gender policy had been done more than ten years ago and added that the positions of all groups were well known.

It added: “While we respect the absolute right of individuals to believe, and to follow in their own lives, whatever religious teachings they choose, it is the duty of the State to promote and protect all human rights and fundamental freedoms.

“These include the rights of citizens to attain the highest standard of sexual and reproductive health and to live a life free of discrimination, coercion and violence. An approved gender policy signifies our country’s aspiration to work towards a society in which men and women are able to live equally fulfilling lives.

“It means recognising

that men and women often have different needs and priorities, face different constraints, have different aspirations and contribute to development in different ways.” The release said heterosexuals, as well as people who defined themselves as lesbian, bisexual, gay or transgender, were born free and equal in dignity and rights.

It said continued discrimination against people because of their sexual orientation makes a mockery of their contribution to national development and flies in the face of the ideal of this country’s national anthem, which says, “here every creed and race find an equal place.”

It added: “Laws that criminalise individuals on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity are anachronistic and breach international human-rights law (note the recent legal challenge to our

discriminatory immigration law).

“By reinforcing stigma, these laws not only undermine efforts to fight the spread of HIV/Aids, they also fuel violence.”

The group also raised concerns over the issue of women’s right to abortion.

“In spite of legislation prohibiting the procurement of an abortion, every year 2,000-3,000 women in T&T are treated at public hospitals after unsafe abortions.

It said: “The fact that the Government is vacillating on approving even the minimally agreed-on issues of legal abortion in cases of rape or incest is unconscionable. No woman should be obliged to continue an unwanted pregnancy.” The release said no religious belief or personal opinion, no matter how deeply held or widely shared, could ever justify depriving another human being of his or her basic rights.

Craig Cannonier was all smiles following his swearing-in on Tuesday morning. *Photo by Kageaki Smith

And second, we are going to bring people together.

We’re going to reach out to everyone, building cooperation and support.”Mr Cannonier said the party would end “all forms of discrimination” – a clear signal that gays would finally get equal protection under

the law.He added that students abroad would also be eligible for absentee ballots “making this the last election where they are denied a voice in the decisions of this country.”

He added: “And to the many Bermudians living abroad, who left for a job or

who fled intolerance, I want to send a simple message.

Come back to us.”Come back to build the better Bermuda we all know we can build. Your country needs you. Your country needs all your skills and all your dreams, right here at home where they can flower best.”

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Wednesday December 19, 2012

Police corporal killed in St. Ann (Jamaica Observer) WINDSOR HEIGHTS, St Ann — An off-duty detective corporal died yesterday after he was shot in the head by a gunman as he went to visit his child in Windsor Heights in this parish.

Corporal Ransford Durrant, who was assigned to the St James Division but lived in St Ann, was reportedly taking groceries to the home where the child lives

when he was ambushed, just metres away. He was not armed.

“Di bag dem all down deh pon di groun,” said one of the residents who gathered on the scene.

“A good policeman dat.

Mi nuh know why dem would want to kill him,” a man added.

Sergeant Peter Salkey, who turned up at the scene, said the St James police were saddened by Durrant’s death.

“Most of the police officers down there knew him,” he said. “It is not a comforting feeling when we lose a colleague... but it is even a graver feeling when we lose them in this way,” Sergeant Salkey added.

Outgoing head of the St Ann Police, Superintendent Dudley Scott said officers in St Ann were shocked as Durrant was well known in the parish, having worked

there before being transferred to St James.

“It is a very sombre moment for every member of this organisation,” Superintendent Scott said.

“We are appealing to members of the public for whatever information that they have. Please do not hesitate to inform us,” he added.

Scott also sought to reassure St Ann residents that

Senior police officers walk towards the scene where Detective Corporal Ransford Durrant was killed in Windsor Heights, St Ann, yesterday.

(Photo: Renae Dixon) the police would continue to carry out their duties without fear.

“We are recommitting our efforts to the people to ensure the safety of this parish and the nation on a whole,” he said, as he urged his colleagues to “stand resolute and don’t be disheartened by the criminal or criminal elements in this parish”.

He also vowed that the police would “use every

resource available to ensure that these culprits are brought to justice”.

The killing of the officer comes at a time when Superintendent Scott is being transferred to Area Two, while former head of the St James police Egbert Parkinson takes over as head of St Ann. Yesterday the Police High Command condemned the killing and said it had ordered a “toplevel probe” into the incident.

Health ministry probing sexual misconduct claims (Jamaica Observer) THE health ministry is walking on eggshells in the probe surrounding allegations of sexual misconduct by one of its top officials.

The allegations, which came to public notice last week, had apparently been brought to the attention of the ministry from as early as August this year through an anonymous letter.

But according to the ministry in a statement yesterday — which steered clear of mentioning that the allegations were of a sexual nature — action had not been taken because the persons who were allegedly affected had not come forward.

The ministry said that the investigation, which was initiated on October 18, 2012, soon after the letter was brought to the attention of Permanent Secretary Dr Jean Dixon, “is being delayed due to the fact that no person mentioned in the letter has filed any official complaint”.

“As a result of information obtained through an anonymous letter dated August 20, 2012 introduced via e-mail and which was circulated within the ministry, Dr Jean Dixon (permanent secretary) in consultation with Dr Fenton Ferguson

(health minister), wrote to the persons who were named asking them to assist with the investigation,” the ministry said in a statement yesterday.

It said the permanent secretary has since received confirmation of the receipt of two of the letters, and confirmation of delivery of an additional three.

In the meantime, the ministry is appealing to persons who can assist with the investigations to contact the investigator through a number provided “to participate in the interview process”, stating that it wants to maintain a hands-off approach to the matter.

It said “due to the fact that the allegations involve senior officials of the ministry, due care is being taken so as not to prejudice the outcome of the investigation. The ministry will therefore not be directly involved in any investigation of the allegations”.

According to the ministry, however, “the matter is being fully pursued”.

Yesterday, a well-placed source told the Jamaica Observer that the individual at the centre of the allegations has not been sent on leave because that person is being protected.

Wednesday December 19, 2012

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Syrian Jets Bomb Palestinian Camp in Damascus (AP) Syrian fighter jets bombed a Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus Tuesday for the second time this week after rebels made significant advances, seizing large areas within the camp, activists said.

Meanwhile, American foreign correspondent Richard Engel of NBC said that he and his crew escaped unharmed during a firefight after being held captive for five days by pro-regime gunmen.

The rebels fighting to topple Assad’s regime have pressed hard against the regime in the past weeks, capturing air bases and military installations in and around Damascus.

Their offensive in the Palestinian refugee camp of Yarmouk in southern Damascus, which began Friday, is aimed at driving out a pro-government Palestinian faction.

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and other activists in the camp said fighter jets dropped bombs on the camp Tuesday afternoon, but there was no immediate word of casualties.

Similar airstrikes on Sunday killed at least eight people in Yarmouk.

When the revolt against Assad’s rule began 21 months ago, the half-millionstrong Palestinian community in Syria stayed on the sidelines.

But as the civil war deepened, most Palestinians backed the rebels, while some groups — such as the Popular Front for the Liberation of PalestineGeneral Command — have been fighting on the government side.

By Tuesday afternoon, the Syrian military deployed several tanks along camp’s main entrance, residents said.

There were no Syrian government troops in the camp and most of the fighting

was between rebels and PFLP-GC gunmen, they said.

The group is led by Ahmed Jibril, Assad’s longtime ally.

Activist videos posted online show armed men moving through the streets of the Damascus camp, as people cheer their presence and chant “God is great.”

Gunfire is heard in the background, and the narrator says the rebels are members of the Free Syrian Army.

Rami Abdul-Rahman, chief of the Observatory, said rebels were now in control of most of the camp but intense clashes were continuing in several areas.

The fighting in the camp has forced an exodus of Palestinian refugees and Syrians who came to the camp in past weeks to escape violence elsewhere in the city, according to United Nations officials.

Civilians continue to leave Yarmouk, with some heading to UNRWA installations around Damascus. Others are fleeing to other Syrian cities and many are headed to the Lebanon-Syrian border, said Sami Mshasha, spokesman for the U.N. Relief and Works Agency.

In Geneva, the United Nations said 4 million people need humanitarian aid in Syria.

World Food Program spokeswoman Elisabeth Byrs told reporters Tuesday that about 2.5 million Syrians need food aid, but her agency can only reach 1.5 million of them.

The World Health Organization said the Damascus Hospital, the largest hospital in the capital, is now receiving 70 to 100 patients a day whose most frequently observed injuries are burns, gunshots and injuries from explosions resulting from the escalating violence.

WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said women and children are increasingly among the injured and said

Syrians, who fled their homes with their families, gather around a fire to warm themselves at a makeshift vegetables store in a camp for the displaced in the village of Atmeh, Syria, Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2012. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

the hospital has had an increase in cases of severe malnutrition from rural Damascus and other Syrian provinces.

The 21-month battle to bring down the Assad regime has forced some 3 million Syrians from their homes, according to a new estimate.

Cold, wet winter weather is making life increasingly difficult for the displaced.

Among those who left their homes are more than 500,000 who fled to neighboring countries — Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan.

As the violence escalates, the Syrian regime’s few remaining allies appear to be preparing for the possibility of Assad’s fall.

Russia said on Tuesday it was sending warships to the Mediterranean amid official talk about a possible evacuation of its citizens from Syria.

Moscow has been President Bashar Assad’s main ally, shielding him from

international sanctions over a brutal crackdown on an uprising that began in March 2011 and turned into civil war.

Last week, however, a senior Russian diplomat said for the first time that Assad is losing control and the rebels might win the civil war, a statement that appeared to signal that Moscow has started positioning itself for an endgame in Syria. But the Foreign Ministry disavowed Mikhail Bogdanov’s statement the next day, saying his words were misinterpreted and that Moscow’s position on the crisis hasn’t shifted.

The Russian Defense Ministry did not say whether the navy ships that set off for the Mediterranean are intended for an evacuation of Russian citizens. It said the ships will rotate with those that have been in the area since November.

Russian diplomats said last week however that Moscow is preparing plans to

evacuate thousands of Russians from Syria if necessary.

The Interfax news agency, citing unidentified naval sources, reported that the navy command wants the ships to be on hand for the task if needed.

NBC’s Engel meanwhile said Tuesday he and members of his network crew escaped unharmed after five days of captivity in Syria, where more than a dozen pro-regime gunmen dragged them from their car, killed one of their rebel escorts and subjected them to mock executions.

Appearing on NBC’s “Today” show, an unshaven Engel said he and his team escaped during a firefight Monday night between their captors and rebels at a checkpoint. They crossed into Turkey on Tuesday.

Engel said he believes the kidnappers were a Shiite militia group loyal to the Syrian government.

The Syrian government

has made it difficult for foreign journalists and citizens to report in Syria.

Those journalists whom the regime has allowed in are tightly controlled in their movements by Information Ministry minders. Other foreign journalists sneak into Syria illegally.

The kidnapping of foreigners has been rare, but as Syria descends further into chaos, the abduction of Syrians has become increasingly common.

Separately, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that two Russians were kidnapped along with an Italian in Syria, and their captors have demanded a ransom for their release.

The three, who worked at a Syrian steel plant, were kidnapped late Monday on the road between Tartus, where Russia has a naval base, and Homs, the ministry said in a statement. It did not specify the amount of the ransom demand.

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Wednesday December 19, 2012

New Inquiry into 1988 S. Africa Disappearances JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A specialized missing persons unit in South Africa has opened a new investigation into the 1988 disappearance of two men last seen in the company of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, the former wife of Nelson Mandela, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Authorities say new information caused them to reopen the case of Lolo Sono and Siboniso Shabalala. The two young men figured into M a d i k i z e l a - M a n d e l a ’s chaotic life in Soweto when she ran a soccer club and faced a host of allegations that she and those under her committed violent attacks.

The National Prosecuting Authority of South Africa’s Missing Persons Task Team, assigned to investigate disappearances from the apartheid era, is handling the investigation. Already, investigators have taken DNA samples from Shabalala and Sono’s family members, spokesman Makhosini Nkosi said in a statement.

“The investigations into this case are still ongoing and

possible burial sites are still being examined on the basis of recently obtained information,” Nkosi said. “No exact burial sites have yet been confirmed or excavated.”

News of the reopened investigation was first reported by the Sunday Herald newspaper of Scotland.

Madikizela-Mandela married Mandela in 1958 and they spent 27 years apart while Mandela was imprisoned by South Africa’s racist white government.

While beloved by some, her behavior grew increasingly erratic in the 1980s as crackdowns against her and the African National Congress liberation movement grew increasingly intense. She and her former bodyguard unit, known as the Mandela United Football Club, were accused of committing 18 killings and other crimes during this period.

The violence by young men she allowed to sleep at her house and sponsored as a soccer club caused the mainstream anti-apartheid

movement to ostracize her.

Exiled ANC leaders, on instructions from her jailed husband, ordered the club’s disbandment.

Madikizela-Mandela later was convicted on kidnapping and assault charges involving four young men in 1991. Initially sentenced to six years in jail, she was ordered to pay a $3,200 fine on appeal.

In 1997, as she appeared before the country’s Truth and Reconciliation Committee in what she described as an attempt to clear her name, Sono’s father Nicodemus testified that he saw his son and MadikizelaMandela in the same van. He said his son’s face was puffy from a beating.

Asked why his son was attacked, Nicodemus Sono said Madikizela-Mandela told him his son was a spy who needed to be dealt with. The van drove away, and Nicodemus Sono said it was the last time he ever saw his son.

“I went to see Mrs. Mandela and she said, ‘Lolo, we dropped him off

Ruling party African National Congress (ANC) member Winnie MadikizelaMandela attends the nominations session for the new leadership of the ANC's elective conference at the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein, South Africa, Monday, Dec. 17, 2012. (THEMBA HADEBE/AP Photo) somewhere,’” the father testified.

Nomsa Shabalala, mother to Siboniso, said he had been part of a group, including Lolo, targeted by MadikizelaMandela’s bodyguards “I want Winnie to give my

son back. I want his bones and remains,” she said at the time of the hearings.

When it came time for her to offer testimony, Madikizela-Mandela described most of the accusations as “ludicrous,”

‘’lunacy” or “ridiculous.”

Madikizela-Mandela divorced Mandela in 1997.

She currently is a member of the nowgoverning ANC political party’s national executive committee.

Taliban kills five polio aid staff (Belfast Telegraph) The Taliban has murdered five women polio health workers in a series of attacks in Pakistan.

The victims were shot in the head at close range, two of them as they administered vaccine drops to young children.

The killings halted a polio campaign that international health officials say is vital to contain the crippling disease but which the Taliban claim is a cover for US spies.

The government is in the middle of a three-day vaccination drive targeting high risk areas of the country as part of an effort to immunise millions of children under the age of five.

Four of the women were gunned down in the southern city of Karachi, and the fifth in a village outside the northwest city of Peshawar.

Yesterday a man working on the anti-polio campaign was shot dead down in Karachi.

The Taliban also killed three soldiers in an ambush of an army convoy escorting a vaccination team in the northwest.

The attacks in Karachi were coordinated and occurred within 15 minutes in three different areas of the city

A Pakistan soldier on guard against the Taliban in Peshawar (AP) that are far apart. In each case, the gunmen used 9mm pistols. Two of the women were 18 and 19, and the other two were in their 40s, he said.

Two of the women were killed while they were in a house giving children polio drops.

The other two were travelling between houses when they were attacked, he said.

Taliban opposition to the polio campaign grew last year after it was revealed that a Pakistani doctor ran a fake vaccination programme to help the CIA track down Osama bin Laden.

Janbaz Afridi, a senior health official in Khyber

Pakhtunkhwa province, where the fifth woman was killed, said the shootings would not stop the local government from continuing its vaccination program in the province and the neighbouring tribal region, the main sanctuary for Taliban militants in the country.

“These incidents are depressing and may cause difficulties in the anti-polio drive, but people should not lose heart,” he said. “The government is very serious, and we are determined to eliminate polio despite all odds and difficult conditions.”

The shootings in Karachi all took place in areas mainly populated by ethnic Pashtuns. The Taliban is a Pashtun-dominated movement and many militants are reported to be hiding in these communities in the city.

Wednesday December 19, 2012

Kaieteur News

Page 23

862 TEACHERS GRADUATE FROM CPCE Even as the Ministry of Education embraces a vision to have at least 70 per cent of teachers in the education system trained by 2013, the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) yesterday held its 78th Convocation at the National Cultural Centre, at which a total of 862 educators (759 female and 103 male) graduated, among them the first batch of teachers (197 in total) under its Associated Degree in Education (ADE) programme.

The other 665 completed the Trained Teacher’s Certificate Programme.

The overall best graduating student was Khemwattie Diana Algoo of Rose Hall, Berbice, who completed the Secondary School, ADE programme at the College’s Rose Hall branch.

Each graduate of the ADE programme is to be presented with a laptop.

Chief Education Officer, Olato Sam, related that it was just a few years ago that the Ministry had committed itself to ensuring that the children of Guyana enjoy the benefits of adequately staffed institutions.

As such he pointed to the move towards ensuring that

there is an increased number of trained teachers in an effort to guarantee that a larger percentage of children will have the opportunity to access a better quality of education.

“I proudly declare that as I stand here today that objective has not only been attained but has been surpassed,” Sam said. As if that were not enough, he added too that a highly ambitious project aimed at transforming CPCE into an institution in-line with contemporary educational practices on par with any teacher training institution in the world has commenced.

With very strategic interventions, the Chief Education Officer said, that the aim is to improve the quality of the training experience available at the College, thereby making it a true dual mode institution, producing individuals capable of delivering the highest quality of pedagogical output.

Moreover, Sam said that academic standards were raised, aligning education delivery of the institution with that of the School of Education and Humanities at the University of Guyana.

This, according to him, has allowed for the smooth transition to that institution for all graduates.

Added to this, Sam related, there is a well designed mentorship programme, affording all new entrants to the system strong guidance and support from Master teachers identified within the institutions where they serve.

To further align the output with contemporary education, a strong emphasis was placed on Information and Communication Technology, thereby allowing for all of the Associates Degree graduates to each receive laptops as promised to them by former Minister of Education, Shaik Baksh, Sam informed the gathering yesterday.

Directing his charge to the graduands, the Chief Education Officer expressed his conviction that “you are not just teachers, you are transformation agents and should regard yourselves as such. If we are to effectively equip our children with the skills, knowledge and attitudes that will enable them to attain their life’s potential and in the process transform their communities and by extension this nation we all

Best Graduating Student, Khemwattie Diana Algoo, receives a trophy from Chief Education Officer, Olato Sam. love, it must start with each of you.”

As such he urged them to ensure that their mission must be to go well beyond mere education and penetrate the walls that impede sweeping

behaviour change.

The auspicious ceremony also saw the delivery of speeches by Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, Opposition Leader David Granger and Minister of Culture Youth and

Sport, Dr. Frank Anthony. Dr Anthony, who delivered the feature address, attended the ceremony in the stead of Education Minister Priya Manickchand who was unavoidably absent.

Page 24

NTN CHANNEL 18/ CABLE 69 0500h -Sign on with the Mahamrtunjaya Mantra 0510h - Meditation 0530h - Queenstown Masjid Presents Quran This Morning 0600h - R. Gossai General Store Presents Ram Bhajans 0615h - Jettoo’s Lumber Yard Presents Ram Bhajans 0630h - Muneshwar Limited Presents Ram Bhajans 0645h - Double Standard Taxi Presents Ram Bhajans 0700h - RRT Enterprise Presents Ram Bhajans 0715h - M & M Snackette Presents Raja Yoga Discourses 0730h - Dr. Balwant Singh’s Hospital Inc

Kaieteur News

Presents Ram Bhajans 0745h - The Family of the Late Leila & David Persaud Presents Ram Bhajans 0800h - Timehri Maha Kali Shakti Devi Mandir Presents Ram Bhajans 0815h - NTN This Morning Live with Reyaz Husein 0930h - Indian Soap - Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke 1000h - Indian Soap - Rab Se Sohna Isshq 1030h - Indian Soap - Pavitra Rishta 1100h - Indian Soap - Mrs. Kaushik Ki Paanch Bahuyien 1130h - Indian Soap - Punar Vivaah 1200h - DVD Movie:TOMORROW NEVER DIES 1400h - DVD Movie:- DIE

ANOTHER DAY 1630h - Drying Tears Live with Pastor Edson 1730h - Kingdom Agenda Hosted by Bishop Dr. J. Edgehill 1800h - Ganesh Parts Presents - BHAGAVAD GITA ( Discourses in English) Serial 1815h - Birthday Greetings / Deaths Announcement & In Memoriam 1830h - Hare Krishna Today 1900h - Music Fantasia with Asif Nawaz 2000h - Ashmins Presents DANCE WITH ME with Joel 2100h - Indian Soap - Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke 2130h - Indian Soap - Rab Se Sohna Isshq 2200h - Indian Soap - Pavitra Rishta 2230h - Indian Soap - Mrs. Kaushik Ki Paanch Bahuyien 2300h - Sign Off NCN CHANNEL 11 05:00 hrs - Inspiration 05:30 hrs - Newtown Gospel 06:00 hrs - NCN Late Edition News(r/b) 06:30 hrs - Feature 07:00 hrs - Guyana Today 08:00 hrs - Guysuco Roundup (R/B) 08:30 hrs - Close Up. 09:00 hrs - Stop the Suffering 10:00 hrs - CCTV 11:00 hrs - History 12:00 hrs - CNN 12:30 hrs - NCN Newsbreak 12:35 hrs - Focus on GRA (r/ b) 13:05 hrs - Beauty of Christmas

Wednesday December 19, 2012

14:05 hrs - African Moves(r/ b) 16:00 hrs - Cartoons 17:00 hrs - Anderson 18:00 hrs - NCN News Magazine – Live 18:30 hrs - Oral Traditions 19:00 hrs - The Big PrizeCourts 19:30 hrs - Inside Parliament 20:00 hrs - 3d/daily millions/ play de dream/lotto draw 20:05 hrs - NCN Newsbreak 20:10 hrs - Citizen Security Programme 20:30 hrs - GWI Alert 21:05 hrs - NCN Sports Magazine 22:05 hrs - NCN News Late Edition 22:35 hrs - Caribbean Newsline 23:00 hrs - Movie MTV CHANNEL 14/

CABLE 65 Sign on 06:00 hrs - Islamic Perspective 06:30 hrs - News Update 07:00 hrs - DAYBREAK – Live 08:00 hrs - Dabi’s musical 08:30 hrs - Avon DVD Musical 09:00 hrs - Current Affairs 09:15 hrs - Top Notch Music Break 09:30 hrs - Caribbean Temptation Music Mix 10:00 hrs - Amanda’s Costume jewellery musical 10:30 hrs - BBC World News 11:00 hrs - National Geographic 12:00 hrs - The View 13:00 hrs - Village Talk 13:30 hrs - The Young and The Restless 14:30 hrs - Days of Our lives

15:00 hrs - General Hospital 16:00 hrs - The Bold and The Beautiful 16:30 hrs - Cartoons 17:00 hrs - Birthday and other greetings 17:15 hrs - Death Announcements/ In Memoriam 17:30 hrs - Sitcom 18:00 hrs - Aracari Resort Hour 19:00 hrs - Update on Boxing Day lime 19:30 hrs - News Update 20:30 hrs - DJ Stress Update 23:30 hrs - Infomercial: Out and About 22:00 hrs - English Movie: Christmas with Holly 23:00 hrs - News Update 23:00 hrs - Indian Movie: Christmas with Holly continues Sign Off

Guides are subjected to change without notice

Wednesday December 19, 2012 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Your day could start off as if it was a dream, but you may quickly acknowledge the limits of your fantasies as other people’s expectations become more real.

TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) You may be in an unsettled mood today, especially if you’re distracted by someone you really like.

Paradoxically, although you typically seek security from routine, you’re excited now by the idea of doing things differently.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Your mood lightens up today, yet you could be carried off by the changing breeze if you’re not somewhat careful. Your whimsical desires and clever witticisms are less constrained now by social conventions.

CANCER (June 21–July 22) Everything starts off lovely today and you feel strongly connected with your own emotions. This is sweet for you watery Crabs, but the energies shift as your comfort turns to worry.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Yo u r creative expression kicks in early today, yet you might lose focus if you try to act on every good idea.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) If you have been experiencing differences of opinion with someone you love, it might be time to mend the conflict.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Your life feels more unpredictable today, yet you don’t really seem to mind. You may even be swept up in a tide of uncharacteristic enthusiasm as you consider an upcoming trip for relaxation or study.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) There may be so much happening today that you cannot keep up with your own thoughts. However, there are very real issues that need to be addressed now, affecting situations in the outer world.

SAGIT (Nov. 22–Dec. 21) You continue to be a source of support and inspiration for others, even if your feelings are pulling at you from different directions.

Your inner voice is reminding you to take care of your own needs.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) If your life has grown overly rigid, you may feel excess stress today as you dream about making radical changes.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20–Feb. 18) You are arriving at a highenergy intersection, and might feel the need to take charge and make something awesome happen.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) The past feels like a vortex today, and you’re being sucked into it while simultaneously being pulled into your future. Weird energies that are invisible can add stress to your life as they float around you now.

Wednesday December 19, 2012

Kaieteur News

Four bid to build $$M NIS sports complex building Four (4) bids were submitted for the construction of a sports complex building at Carifesta Avenue, Thomas Lands, for the National Insurance Scheme (NIS). The bids were opened yesterday by the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB), Ministry of Finance.

With an engineer’s estimate of $30M the bids are as follows:

Under the Ministry of Agriculture, the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) received bids for engineering surveys along the Essequibo Coast, Region two.

The bids were divided into four lots, the engineers’ estimates: Lot (1) $1,785,000 Lot (2) $1,735,000, (3) $2,205,000 and Lot (4) $1,935,000.

The Hydrometeorological Service, under the Ministry of Agriculture, also received bids for the provision of security services.

The National Parks Commission received bids for the revetment of irrigation canal at the park. The engineer’s estimate was $4,880,787 and the bids:

There were also bids opened for the revetment of the Manatee ponds at the Botanical Gardens under the National Parks Commission. The engineer’s estimate is $4,480,287 and the bids:

In addition, bids were opened for the rehabilitation of the staff room at the Guyana Zoo. The bids were:

Page 25

Six dead in Pomeroon speedboat crash - child rescued Six people including three children perished at around 17:00 hrs yesterday in the Pomeroon River after a speedboat owned by the Region Two administration struck the vessel in which they were travelling.

Eyewitnesses said that the Region Two vessel, which was occupied by several regional officials, was heading out of Siriki, in the Upper Pomeroon, when it “rode over” a smaller boat, which then crashed into a large mangrove swamp.

Sources identified the dead as Velda Rodrigues, of Abrams Creek, Pomeroon; her 14-year-old son, Shawn Anthony; Rajkumar Singh, aged 14 and his 10-year-old sister, Amrita Smith; the boat captain, identified only as Harry, and a sixth person who remains unidentified. There are reports that a seventh passenger is missing.

All the victims are said to be related.

A little boy, who is so far unidentified, appears to be the lone survivor. He sustained lacerations to the head and was admitted to the Charity Hospital. He is listed as stable.

Rescuers retrieved the bodies from the wrecked boat at around 21:00 hrs after venturing far into the mangrove swamp into which the vessel had crashed.

The distraught mother of two of the three children.

None of the passengers in the boat owned by the regional administration were injured, but the captain has been detained. Region Two Chairman Parmanand Persaud was among the passengers.

A Region Two official said that the Chairman and staff assigned to the One Laptop Per Family (OLPF) programme were returning from the Upper Pomeroon after distributing laptop computers when the tragedy occurred.

“They were coming out of the area. There was heavy rainfall and everyone was covered so no one saw what took place,” the official said.

But the source said that reports indicate that the boat owned by the region ‘rode

over’ the smaller vessel, which was occupied by the captain and about seven passengers.

The damaged boat then veered out of control and crashed into a mangrove swamp.

A rescue team which included police ranks was dispatched to the area and eventually retrieved the bodies several hours later.

A large crowd gathered at Charity to witness the bodies being brought ashore before being transported to the Suddie Hospital mortuary.

Prior to this, the distraught mother of 14-yearold Rajkumar and 10-year-old Amrita had rushed to the area after learning of the tragedy.

Page 26

Kaieteur News

Wednesday December 19, 2012

Letters to the Sports Editor

Appellant dismayed at inordinate delay in hearing of GCB matter DEAR EDITOR, I pen this letter as an appellant in this matter. More than 6 months has elapsed since the Caribbean Court of Justice made certain Orders regarding the matter RAJENDRA SINGH & ROBIN SINGH v THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF GUYANA. This matter was challenging the Government of Guyana’s (GOG) authority and decision to unilaterally disband the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) and install an Interim Management Committee (IMC).

Hereunder is a brief summary of the various approaches to the Courts and the surrounding events over the past year:

The attorneys for the Appellants have duly complied with the Orders of the CCJ and have since filed all the necessary applications and affidavits, including settling the records of appeal, in support of same since 15th June 2012.

Numerous written followups as outlined above and attached herein for your perusal have been made with the Guyana Court of Appeal & the Chancellor’s Office; yet still this matter has not been heard nor has a date even been set for such an important hearing of this appeal.

We strongly urge the Court of Appeal to set an urgent date for this hearing.

We view this as a severe breach of natural justice as

justice delayed can surely, in this case, be equated to justice denied.

In the meantime, the GOG is rapidly moving ahead to ram through some form of legislation to control cricket administration in Guyana, clearly attempting to bypass the court, whilst cricket and cricket administration is bleeding from these multiple and relentless onslaught against a legal body and its Officers that has been in existence for decades.

I wish to place on record that there has been several accusations of financial impropriety made against the GCB and its Officers, confiscation of the physical assets of the GCB, lockout from its Offices, harassment

and searches of Officers’ residences and Trustees of this Board, investigation by the GPF for which NOT A SINGLE CRIMINAL CHARGE HAS YET BEEN INSTITUTED. The independent Rupert Foster report which was commissioned by the Minister of Labour has clearly vindicated the GCB even though it unearthed a few minor irregularities, not unusual in any organisation.

This governmentcommissioned report has never been made public by this Minister or the Offices of the Friendly Societies. One can only assume that the report was not to the liking of the powers that be.

Indeed, it really is a

tremendous tribute to the tenacity and fortitude of these distinguished Officers that cricket is still being played in Guyana and national teams are still being sent to represent Guyana at the

Regional WICB tournaments.

Should legislation be passed allowing control of cricket administration to be government controlled, Guyana risk being ostracized from being a shareholder of

the WICB since the ICC holds a similar view as FIFA regarding government intervention in sports. This is clearly not the road that we need to pursue.

Raj Singh- Appellant

BCB responds to ‘prize money letter’ DEAR EDITOR, The attention of Berbice Cricket Board has once again been brought to another letter to the press (Stabroek News edition of 12th Dec, 2012) under the headline “Prize money for the finals of the Upper Corentyne T/20” and Kaieteur News on Thursday 13th Dec, 2012 “Unfair Practice in Berbice Cricket” written by Mr. Rishi Thakur who once famously called himself President of the Upper Corentyne Cricket Association.

This gentleman seems to be a stranger to the truth and to date has not answered questions posed to him after his last misinformation letter.

The Berbice Cricket Board would like to state quite clearly that the main aim of the internal sub-zone tournament is to encourage clubs to continue playing the game and also to unearth new talent.

The Berbice Cricket Board was able to obtain sponsorships worth $100, 000 each for the New Amsterdam/Canje, West Berbice and Upper Corentyne areas and has n o k n o w l e d g e o f M r.

Thakur’s figure of $300, 000. A total of $70, 000 out of the $100, 000 was used for the prizes and trophies with balls, umpires, TV promotions etc still to be covered.

The 2013 tournament for the area would be bigger with the sponsors promising a bigger package.

What is beyond belief is that the honourable professor would seek to criticize the Berbice Cricket Board for promoting the game to the fullest. He can be excused on the grounds that he is unfamiliar with how this Board operates.

Everything done by the Berbice Cricket Board is par excellent and all finals are promoted so that the sponsors receive maximum promotion in an effort to get the sponsorship renewed.

One is left to wonder if there was no promotion if Mr. Thakur would have

been happy. His lack of knowledge of local cricket is also exposed when he says that the crowd was small. For Mr. Thakur ’s information almost all of cricket in Guyana attracts no crowd and it is always the players and umpires alone in the ground.

The exception is Berbice’s cricket and the finals at Skeldon attracted over five hundred spectators. If he was at the Independence Cup 20/20, Busta finals, Ramcharitar finals, Tenelec Inc finals, Day of Champion Cup and NBS 2nd Division finals he would have noticed the passion of Berbice supporters for the game.

The Berbice Cricket Board never expected thousands of spectators at a second division finals and Mr. Thakur must be careful of reading other people’s mind.

The Berbice Cricket Board also used the opportunity to meet with clubs in the area and the Board office contacted the twenty six clubs that are registered with the Board.

A total of fifteen clubs turned up at the meeting and were duly informed of the work of the Board in 2012, plans for the Upper Corentyne for 2013, while clubs were invited to make recommendations for the development of Berbice Cricket.

The Chairman of the meeting carefully informed the clubs that plans for the Upper Corentyne area includes a 40Overs tournament, 20/20 Cup, Two-day matches for youths, Two-day Cricket Academy, Coaching Sessions and taking part in several Interzones Tournaments at the Under-15, Under-17, Under19 levels.

Teams in the area would also be involved in at least sixteen Berbice Cricket Board Tournaments. It was also explained quite clearly that there is need for the Upper Corentyne Cricket Association to be formed back as the Berbice Cricket Board has its hands full to

host a record breaking 25 tournaments at all levels and 175 off the field programmes/ activities.

The proposal was accepted by the entire gathering without one voice in opposition and it was decided to elect a Steering Committee that would be prepared to properly organise elections in two to three months. One of the main duties of the Steering Committee would be to register all clubs in the area to make sure that everyone has a chance to vote.

Mr. Editor, the Steering Committee was made up of highly respected individuals selected by their Upper Corentyne counterparts and the group includes a former national player, very active cricket officials from the area, a senior Guysuco official and successful businessmen.

The Berbice Cricket Board would like to encourage Mr. Thakur if he so desire to run for office when elections are held he can get the support of clubs. Questions of course would have to be answered of his achievements as a cricket administrator and what has been done for cricket in the Upper Corentyne.

The Berbice Cricket Board is the most transparent cricket body in the Caribbean and the hosting of twenty nine press conferences in 2012, the issuing of over 200 press releases, hosting of a very informative monthly Television programme, publication of the Annual Magazine are proofs of these facts. The Berbice Cricket Board audited financial statements are also published in the magazine for public viewing.

Mr. Thakur please get your facts straight. This is sports not politics. Use your creative energy to assist less fortunate clubs in Upper Corentyne and become a part of the unbelievable cricketing revolution that Berbice is enjoying.

Angela Haniff, Secretary, Berbice Cricket Board

Wednesday December 19, 2012

Kaieteur News

Page 27

McClenaghan, Munro lead New Zealanders to win reaching speeds over 140kph. With McCullum anxious for the newcomers to step up, these two did.

South Africa A only had two players in their camp who are also part of the senior squad. Justin Ontong was called up for the T20s earlier today after AB de Villiers withdrew, but here he only scored 5.

The other in the senior squad for the T20s, left-arm spinner Aaron Phangiso, conceded 25 runs in his three overs without taking a wicket and blitzed 17 runs off the last over, although by then the match was already lost.

A display of poor strokes combined with wily bowling accounted for most of South Africa A’s early trouble. Davy Jacobs and Stiaan van Zyl were both bowled before Mangaliso Mosehle failed to read the spin of Ronnie Hira and Dane Vilas edged behind.

In the fifth over, South Africa A had collapsed to 22 for 4.

Vaughn van Jaarsveld, who is from Johannesburg but plays his domestic cricket with the Dolphins in Kwa-

Mitchell McClenaghan picked up three wickets. (Gallo Images) ESPNCricinfo - Earning a victory first-up was the main goal for Brendon McCullum when he discussed the 20overs practice match against South Africa A, and that is exactly what the New

Zealanders did. On a slow, low Pietermaritzburg pitch, the batsmen made steady by unspectacular progress with the bat before the bowlers showed venom with the ball.

Of particular importance

for the New Zealanders will be the performance of two of their rookies. Here, Colin Munro top-scored and leftarm paceman Mitchell McClenaghan had the best return of the bowlers,

Root cause of many issues affecting cricket originated from DCB - GCB The Guyana Cricket Board at a Special Executive Committee meeting held on December 15th 2012 at the entity’s board room recognised that many issues at the GCB originated from the Demerara Cricket Board level and as such the Executive appointed a special committee to call and overlook new elections in Demerara.

This is according to a document sent to this newspaper recently. The committee also decided that the allocation of delegates shall be as per the last undisputed Annual General Meeting held in Demerara and each Sub Associations shall be awarded the same amount of delegates that they were entitled to when they last

voted in an undisputed elections. It was further decided that no person who sits on either faction of the Demerara Cricket Board shall be a member of that special committee.

The committee also decided that the new constitution agreed to by the Executives, which includes changes made after consultation with stakeholders and suggestions from the WICB and the Government appointed IMC, shall be forwarded to the members and tabled at the next AGM for consideration, debate and possible approval.

It was also decided that the legal opinions obtained from Sir Fenton Ramsahoye

SC and Mr. Keith Massiah SC reference the status of the injunction against some Officers of the GCB shall be shared with all stakeholders.

The document further indicated that in an effort to ensure that the WICB deadlines for submitting teams for the Regional Four day and one day tournaments are met, immediate plans be put in place to commence inter county games and practice matches.

And the GCB representatives at the WICB must make all effort to ensure that Guyana hosts regional and international matches in 2013; the Executive Committee continues to engage the Government of Guyana to assist in this regard.

Zulu Natal, was familiar with the conditions and it showed.

He found the deep-midwicket, cow-corner and third-man boundaries before Ontong tried to reverse sweep a Hira yorker and was bowled.

Any hopes of staging a recovery were dashed when David Wiese was caught and bowled by Nathan McCullum; the rot had set in at 67 for 6. Van Jaarsveld continued aggressively until he also fell to a return catch and although South Africa A had folded, Phangiso had some fun in the last over, striking a few telling blows.

The South African A side’s inept show ensured the New Zealanders 140 was enough, although the total seemed a little slender initially. They recovered from 24 for 2, having lost both openers cheaply. Rob Nicol was stumped off Roelof van der Merwe in the first over but Brendon McCullum anchored the first half of the innings. He took on the spinner, sending him through point three times. He showed the same intent against the

seamers and both Hardus Viljoen and Craig Alexander were driven through the covers.

When James Franklin topedged an attempted pull, Munro’s turn came. He faced four balls before playing a short in anger and was dropped at long-on. His next shot was a reverse sweep and the tone was set.

McCullum departed at the half-way mark but Munro continued improvising, playing the upper cut over third man and charging the spinners. With Nathan McCullum, he put on 37 runs in 26 balls before he was caught at short-fine leg.

The New Zealanders lost three wickets in the last three overs, in which they hit just three boundaries but managed 23 runs. In the end, it proved enough and will boost their morale ahead of the first T20 against South Africa on Friday.

Scores: New Zealanders 140 for 8 (Munro 39, Abbott 4-16) beat South Africa A 116 for 9 (van Jaarsveld 43, McClenaghan 3-19) by 24 runs.

Page 28

Kaieteur News

Napoli docked two points over betting scandal (Reuters) - Serie A title chasers Napoli were docked two points on Tuesday in Italy’s latest match-fixing shame as three players were banned for between six months and three years over bets placed on a match with Sampdoria in 2010.

Paolo Cannavaro, brother of Italy great Fabio, and fellow Napoli defender Gianluca Grava received six-month bans while former goalkeeper Matteo Gianello was banned for three years and three months, an Italian Football Federation statement said.

Napoli, who now drop to fifth from third place in Serie A to lie 10 points behind leaders Juventus, were also fined 70,000 euros ($92,100).

The Naples club said they would appeal and criticized the soccer federation.

“Napoli do not agree with the decision of the disciplinary commission, believing that one cannot change the standings during a season. Any decision must be taken before or after a competition takes place,” a statement said, adding that no offence had been

Napoli’s player Paolo Cannavaro committed by the club itself.

The case is the latest in a string of match-fixing and betting scandals which have tainted Italian soccer and led to a number of players arrested.

Champions Juventus, demoted in a 2006 matchfixing scandal involving referees, recently welcomed back coach Antonio Conte from a four-month ban for failing to inform authorities of match-fixing at previous club Siena.

In this case Gianello, who is no longer with Napoli, was

accused of trying to fix the result of the match in order to bet on a Sampdoria victory.

He was accused of trying to involve Cannavaro and Grava, both of whom refused.

The duo were accused of failing to inform authorities of the offer.

The federation prosecutor, acting on evidence gleaned from a criminal investigation in Naples, had asked for Cannavaro and Grava to receive nine-month bans and the club to be deducted one point but a disciplinary commission tweaked the sanctions.

The 1-0 win for Samp on the last day of the season in 2010 enabled them to reach the Champions League qualifying rounds.

The federation’s disciplinary commission also imposed a fresh raft of points deductions, bans and fines for lower-league teams and players caught up in the widespread betting scandal.

Top-flight sides Siena, Torino, Atalanta and Sampdoria were deducted points before the season began. ($1 = 0.7598 euros)

Wednesday December 19, 2012

Siddle strikes to spark dramatic Australia win Peter Siddle traps Thilan Samaraweera in front (AP)

HOBART (Reuters) - Seamers Peter Siddle and Mitchell Starc skittled Sri Lanka’s last six wickets in a dramatic final session to give Australia a 137-run victory in the last hour of the first test on Tuesday.

Siddle, who finished the match with figures of 9-104, and left-armer Starc, who took 5-63 in the second innings, caught fire after tea to bowl the tourists out for 255.

Having been stymied in similar circumstances by a brilliant rearguard action from South Africa in Adelaide last month, Australia were desperate not to repeat the experience in Hobart.

However, it looked like it might be a case of deja vu at tea after some resilient Sri Lankan batting and a couple of rain breaks frustrated the hosts for two sessions. Captain Michael Clarke, whose team will take a 1-0 lead to Melbourne for the second match in the threetest series, said he never doubted his bowlers.

“We knew we had to be patient,” said Clarke, who was confident he would be fit for the second test despite a hamstring injury.

“No doubt I was confident that if we could bowl the balls in the right area for a long period of time that we would have success.

“It was going to be day’s work to get so many good batsmen out but take nothing away from the bowlers, they had to execute their plans and their skills. “If everyone’s got the heart that (Siddle) has, we’ll get back to being number one in the world no doubt.”

Siddle had already taken the key wickets of captain Mahela Jayawardene (19) and ICC Cricketer of the Year Kumar Sangakkara (63) around lunch but the tourists reached tea on 186 with six wickets still in hand.

In a sign of Australia’s growing desperation, wicketkeeper Matthew Wade shed his pads and gloves to bowl the final over before the break and claimed a maiden in his first spell in senior cricket.

Sri Lanka, set a victory target of 393, could still conceivably have won the match but a paltry return of 42 runs in the second session clearly indicated they were batting for a draw rather than a first win in Australia.

“Disappointed that we lost the game,” said skipper Jayawardene.

“It was a tough test match in the sense that we were chasing the game probably after the third or fourth day but we kept fighting.

“Today we knew we had to bat through a

couple of sessions sensibly, see what happens, and up until tea we were on target.”

BREAKTHROUGH The Australian bowling unit, a man down after local quick Ben Hilfenhaus suffered a side strain, never gave up, even if Siddle looked like the only man who might break through for much of the day. The 28-year-old struck again on the first ball of his second over after tea to dismiss all rounder Angelo Mathews for 19 and then removed the last of the Sri Lankan top order with a sizzling delivery which trapped Thilan Samaraweera lbw for 49.

With Sri Lanka reduced to 218-6, Siddle took a rest but left-arm quick Starc picked up the baton and had soon removed Prasanna Jayawardene for 21. A fullish inswinger nearly took the wickekeeper’s hand off and the ball flew off his glove to Mike Hussey at second slip to leave just three tailend wickets standing with around 90 minutes of play remaining.

Another peach of a delivery from Starc sent Nuwan Kulasekara back to the pavilion for nine and a perfectly delivered yorker soon afterwards removed Rangana Herath for eight.

With Siddle now bowling from the other end, it was a straight fight between the two for who would take the five wicket haul and win the match for Australia. Starc took the honours when he had Shaminda Eranga caught behind for six, sparking huge celebrations among his team mates and the disappointingly small crowd of some 2,000.

“As a group, I think we’ve been outstanding since lunch on the second day and we got our rewards,” said Siddle. “I said the other day that I got lucky and got the results and someone else would get it in the second innings and Starcy did today.”

Siddle was named Man of the Match but was also at the centre of a balltampering row after a picture of the bowler apparently picking at the seam in Sri Lanka’s first innings circulated on social media.

The Sri Lankan team had not made an official complaint but spoke to match referee Chris Broad. The ICC later said no charges would be laid. “Why would I jeopardise that when we can go out and win in the spirit of the game?” a surprised Siddle added.

Scores: Australia 5 for 450 dec and 278 beat Sri Lanka 336 and 255 (Sangakkara 63, Samaraweera 49, Starc 5-63, Siddle 450) by 137 runs.

Wednesday December 19, 2012

Kaieteur News

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Balotelli tribunal appearance in doubt as City star misses training through illness Daily Mail - Mario Balotelli’s appearance at the Premier League tribunal that will rule on his dispute with Manchester City is in doubt after he was sent home from training on Tuesday with a virus.

Balotelli is disputing City’s right to fine him £340,000 (two weeks’ wages) for picking up too many red and yellow cards last season.

The Italian, ill for two days, was sent home from training by the City doctor almost as soon as he arrived on Tuesday.

Whatever the case, today’s tribunal will go ahead at 9am, with former football administrator Brian Marwood fronting City’s case. He was moved sideways after Txiki Begiristain arrived last month and now heads up City’s academy. However, Marwood was at the forefront of affairs at the Etihad when Balotelli was fined at the end of last season.

If Balotelli doesn’t make it, then he will be represented by an Italian lawyer, with his agent Mino Raiola and PFA rep Richard Jobson attending.

Balotelli’s case will hinge

Mario Balotelli on whether City have acted outside of guidelines laid down by the football authorities and agreed by all clubs. The rules state that clubs can fine players for picking up cards for dissent and violent conduct but cannot do so just because a player has been booked or sent off too many times.

The 22-year-old will also argue that he was publicly supported by his manager Roberto Mancini after two red cards last season, those in games against Liverpool and Arsenal.

Normally, such cases are heard at the Premier League’s

headquarters at Gloucester Place.

That was certainly the case when Charlie Adam faced Blackpool in 2010 and Gabriele Heinze confronted Manchester United in 2007.

On this occasion, though, a two-man panel will adjudicate at a secret location in London.

The result is expected tomorrow or Friday.

Heading the panel will be a QC, while the second member is believed to be somebody who used to be involved in football.

At City, there is a desire to lay down a marker for player discipline. Balotelli missed a fifth of his club’s 54 games through suspension last season. City argue that is just too many. Mancini is not driving this issue but has ruled his protege out of Saturday’s game at home to Reading as he feels Balotelli is not training with enough intensity. It will be a surprise if Balotelli plays this Christmas.

In the Premier League, Balotelli has received 15 cards, 12 yellow and three red - a card for every 199 minutes of football he plays, worse than the likes of Craig Bellamy.

Wednesday December 19, 2012

TITANS win ASATT Invitational

A cross-section of TITANS Swim Club during Friday's March Past at the ASATT Invitational.

TITANS Swim Club emerged the victorious club at the Annual ASATT (Amateur Swimming Association of Trinidad and Tobago) Invitational Swim Meet hosted by Marlins Swim Club Westmoorings from December 13 – 16, ending an over ten year winning streak by host club Marlins.

In a meet which saw 14 local clubs and 12 foreign clubs competing over the four day meet, TITANS amassed 1,091.50 points ahead of perennial champions Marlins with 914.50 points, and 2011 runners-up Tidal Wave Aquatics of Trinidad and Tobago with 837 points.

Pirates Swim Club of Barbados (394 pts) and Blue Dolphins Swim Club of Trinidad (255 pts), rounded off the top 5.

TITANS were formed in November 2011 via a merger of Centre of Excellence Sea Hawks of Macoya and Tsunami Swim Club of San Fernando. Head Coach of Tsunami, Vincent Tardieu was pleased at the performances.

“We have been working hard and the victory is great but it shows these athletes that what you put out is directly related to what you get back, which can be related to every aspect of life. Life lessons are being learnt here and they don’t even realize.

We stay focused on our main

goal which is to produce world class athletes and this performance radiates that we are on the right track.”

The club has had an impressive 2012 with 26 athletes making national teams. The club won the Sea Hawks New Year Splash, Stingray October Classic, the Torpedoes Invitational, and now the ASATT Invitational.

At the Invitational, several athletes won high point trophies. Daniel Jesurum (8 & under male), Joshua Ramkissoon (13 – 14 male) and Theana Hay (15 & Over female) won their respective age groups. Jonathan Ramkissoon (15 & Over male), Kristin Julien (15 & Over female), Amira Pilgrim (11 – 12 female) won second place trophies, while Osaze Riley (11-12 male) and Melina Marcano (13-14 female) placed third overall. TITANS amassed 88 medals (40 gold, 26 silver, 22 bronze).

President of TITANS Jason Wickham expressed utmost satisfaction with the performance of the team at the Invitational.

“Team TITANS performed exceptionally. This is the first time I believe since the advent of the 21st century that Marlins did not win the Invitational. Our team really went all out and came out ahead of two teams that had 10 and more swimmers than

us, and more relay teams as well. Our athletes achieving qualifying times for next year was also impressive. This victory makes us a prime candidate for Club of the Year 2012 and we hope a prospect for local sponsors to invest in”.

TITANS also had the distinction of having the first qualifier for the 2013 FINA World Junior Championships.

On day one of the meet, Kristin Julien won gold in the 15 & Over 50 backstroke in 30.25, surpassing the qualifying time of 30.36. Julien also achieved times for the 2013 CCCAN Championships in El Salvador and CARIFTA Championships in Jamaica in her gold medal performances in the 50m back, 50m fly and 100m backstroke. Like Julien, four other TITANS achieved qualifying times for 2013 regional games being Amira Pilgrim, Jonathan Ramkissoon, Kyle Sirju and Jessie Changar.

The club will have some training intermittently during the Christmas holidays with some well deserved rest in between. While there would be the Sea Hawks Splash and the Manta ray meet in January, the next main meet for the club would be the last qualifier for CARIFTA which is the National Age Group Long Course Championships, scheduled for 27th February – 3rd March 2013.

Inter Regional T\20 cricket in Guyana maybe solution for many issues affecting local game Members of various clubs affiliated to the South Essequibo Cricket Committee feels the Interim management Committee and the Guyana Cricket Board should run an inter regional T\20 round robin competition where all ten administrative regions can compete, more so an interesting ploy where the star players like Chanderpaul can play in teams of the outlying areas like region one.

Some of the members, who are actively involved in the game, told Kaieteur Sport that competitions of this nature would serve as a healing process which would bring together a wider range of cricketers and administrators.

They stated the government and the GCB should use this process to formulate a national constitution instead of

going county wise. They are of the opinion that monies used for court proceedings should be used for building regional competitions and the proposed bill that is being tabled should not be entertained unless every region is consulted.

They added that not much attention is being given to the clubs and associations.

Wednesday December 19, 2012

Kaieteur News

National T\20 team to engage Rest XI in warm up games under lights at National Stadium The Guyana team preparing for the 2013 Caribbean Twenty\20 championship will face a Rest XI in two warm up matches under lights at the Guyana National Stadium. The first game gets underway this evening while the second encounter will be played tomorrow. Both games will start at 05:30hrs.

Manager of the team Alvin Johnson said that their preparation has been somewhat affected by the inclement weather, forcing them to use the indoor facility at the Chetram Singh Centre of Excellence on several occasions. He told Kaieteur Sport, in addition to the games they are hoping to get at least two fielding sessions under the lights before they depart for the tournament. He

informed that Captain Veerasammy Permaul joined the squad yesterday but there is still a minor injury to fast bowler Ronsford Beaton.

However Chairman of the selection committee Rayon Griffith in an invited comment said he is satisfied with the players’ response to the training sessions. “The guys are committed and the team spirit looks good and i am confident they will give a good account of themselves in the competition”.

Meanwhile, the teams for both matches will come from; Permaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Devendra, Bishoo, Ronsford Beaton, Keon Joseph, Paul Wintz, Assad Fudadin, Jonathan Foo, Anthony Bramble, Christopher Barnwell, Leon Johnson, Dillon Heyliger, Shimron

Veerasammy Permaul Hetymer, Rajendra Chandreka, Andre Stoll, Rajiv Ivan, Royston Crandon, Trevon Griffith, Narsingh Deonarine, Steven Jacobs, Derwin Christian and Travis Dowlin.

No evidence of tampering tampering,, says ICC

Peter Siddle was Man of the Match for taking nine wickets in Hobart. (Getty Images) ESPNCricinfo - ICC match referee Chris Broad has said there was no evidence to suggest that the condition of the ball had been changed by Australia during the Hobart Test, after Sri Lanka had expressed concerns over alleged tampering. Broad said the umpires had reviewed the video footage and will not lay charges.

“The umpires frequently inspect the ball during play, and did so again after they had reviewed the video footage in question on Sunday [third day]. They found no evidence to suggest that the condition of the ball had been changed,” Broad said after Australia won the first Test by 137 runs. “During the tea interval on that day, I spoke with Australia coach Mickey Arthur and told him

that the umpires will continue to inspect the cricket ball regularly, and monitor the actions of all players.

“I subsequently informed the Sri Lanka team management of my discussions with the Australia coach. In the opinion of the umpires, there was no evidence to suggest that the condition of the ball was changed, or that the video or photographic evidence would support a charge under the Code of Conduct, so they will not be laying any charges relating to these incidents.”

Sri Lanka’s team management had expressed concerns over footage it believed showed Peter Siddle tampering with the ball in their first innings. They alleged that broadcast

Recreation does for you what it says literally.

It creates you again. It refreshes the mind, renews the spirit, and motivates the body.

Constant working towards some objective can do the opposite, unless we control it by rest and relaxation.

cameras might have captured Siddle using his fingernails to raise the seam of the ball in the 88th over of Sri Lanka’s innings, while bowling to Prasanna Jayawardene.

According to the team manager Charith Senanayake, their suspicions had been raised in the dressing room as they received the video-feed in real time, in the second session on day three.

However, the visitors did not make an official complaint to the match referee.

“We have the footage with us,” Senanayake had said. “We recorded the game and it’s there for everybody to see. We saw something illegal and have reacted to that. I have spoken to the match referee informally. It’s up to them to act now, but we will have to pursue it further if nothing happens.”

Senanayake had also drawn attention to another incident much earlier in the innings. He alleged the team had noticed tampering soon after Dimuth Karunaratne’s dismissal in the 10th over. “It didn’t just happen in the 88th over, it also happened at the beginning of the innings when our first opener got out ... they were picking the seam,” Senanayake told News Ltd. “I went straight into [Broad’s] room when the match was over and asked him if he is watching the same game I am watching. [He] said, ‘Yes, we have seen it’ and I left it at that.”

A Cricket Australia spokesman had declined to comment. “This is a matter for Sri Lanka and the ICC,” he said.

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Wednesday December 19, 2012

Banks Beer /GFA Knockout Cup

Determined Kwakwani Strikers look to upstage GFC - Blueberry Hill take on foreigners C/bean United

Terrence Lewis

Shad Fernandes

After an impressive opening night last Sunday, play in the Annual Banks Beer / GFA Knockout Cup continues this evening with a double header, at the GCC ground, starting from 18:00hrs.

In the opening fixture, Blueberry Hill FC takes on Caribbean United at 18:00hrs and that will be followed by the feature clash between GFC and Kwakwani Strikers from 20:00 hrs.

Both games promises to be scorching affairs and fans just as they did on Sunday are being urged to get to the venue early.

The ‘Bourda Blues’ versus Kwakwani Strikers has all the traits of being a sizzling affair with both teams known for their never-say-die mindset.

GFC will start at a distinct disadvantage, having now had the opportunity to play for the first time in this year’s

competition, while Kwakwani Strikers will obviously be a well-oiled unit, winning backto-back games to make it to the main draw.

They showed enough grit and determination in both of their previous encounters, winning 1-0 against Banks All Stars in the first game and them coming from behind to defeat a youthful Eagles United 3-2 in an overtime thriller.

Once again, they will be relying on the services of Norville Adrian, Joshawn Thom and Ronald Christopher to bolster their chances of advancing.

On the other hand, GFC, a team that is used to playing against some of the best teams in the City will be looking to notch up a win and progress further into the competition.

Players such as former national player Terrence ‘Old Head’ Lewis, Shad Fernandes, Cardel Tudor and Teshawn Blackman will

have to get rid of the body rust very early if they are to get past a usually determined Kwakwani Strikers unit.

Not much is known about the quality of the other encounter between Blueberry Hill and Caribbean United, but a source close to the Organisers revealed that this matchup could supercede the feature game in terms of excitement.

The source stated that the

Caribbean United team is largely made up of Guyanese players residing in Barbados, and while not much is known about the composition of the Region 10 team, it is widely acknowledged that that community possesses players with a high calibre of skills.

The Organisers have asured that all systems are in place for the matches to be played inspite of the weather.

The tournament carries prize monies in excess of $9million and is expected to conclude on January 1 with matches being played, at the GCC ground.

The winning team will receive $4Million, runner-up$2.5M, 3rd place-$1.5M and 4th place-$1M with outstanding individual performances to benefit from additional incentives, while there will be giveaways for fans.

CASH to host Phillip George Championship Game - inclement weather rules out Burnham Court The Phillip George Legacy Basketball Championship Game between Ravens and Republic Bank Nets will be played Friday night at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH) after rain inundated the Burnham Basketball Court over the past two days.

The much-anticipated final was originally scheduled for last Sunday night at the Burnham Court where the tournament had run its course. Apart from the Division I final, Pacesetters will play in the Division III final against Colts and an exhibition game between former Pacesetters and Colts players are also scheduled for the Grand Finale.

Vijay Panday, who is one of the Coordinators of the competition, confirmed the switch yesterday when he thanked Director of Sport, Neil Kumar for making the indoor CASH available.

Vijay Panday Panday said that they approached Kumar and he appropriately assented.

The Original Palm Court, Nigel Hinds and Associates and Giftland OfficeMax are main sponsors of competition with the top club walking away with $100,000 in the Division I contest. The Guyana Basketball Officials Council (GBOC) will manage the officiating of both the Division I and III finals.

Former National

Basketball Coach, Phillip George was laid to rest in January at the LeRepentir Cemetery f o l l o w i n g a funeral service at Our Lady of Fatima Church.

George is credited with the honour of leading several junior national teams to overseas competitions.

In addition, he piloted the careers of notable Guyanese basketball players, Lorenzo Withrite and Andrew Ifill, who both went on to international acclaim. Ifill is still in the game today and plays in the semi-professional League in Trinidad and Tobago.

George, who was also known as ‘One Foot’, ‘ C o ach Man’ and most recently ‘Mr. Fundamental’, was 63 years old at the time of his death. The renowned late coach was a consistent visitor to the Burnham Basketball Court and basketball games across Guyana.

Wednesday December 19, 2012

Kaieteur News

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Russian race-walker Morozov Ibaka powers Thunder gets life ban for doping past Spurs in West battle

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Serge Ibaka of Congo plays against the San Antonio Spurs during the first half of their NBA basketball game in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma December 17, 2012.

REUTERS/Bill Waugh (Reuters) - Serge Ibaka produced a season-best 25 points and 17 rebounds to spark the red-hot Oklahoma City Thunder to a 107-93 victory over Western Conference rivals San Antonio on Monday.

Usually known for his defense and energy, Ibaka dominated the post against Tim Duncan to help the NBAleading Thunder (20-4) cruise to their 11th straight win.

“Serge was terrific tonight,” Oklahoma City’s

Kevin Durant told reporters.

“They do a great job of taking the main scorers out of the game. So that’s when you have to step up.”

Russell Westbrook added 22 and nine assists while Durant added 19 for Oklahoma City in a rematch of last season’s Western Conference Finals when the Thunder eliminated the Spurs.

The Thunder blew open a close game with an 11-0 run in the third quarter and used

their speed and athleticism to run away from the Spurs.

Tony Parker had 14 points and seven assists for the visitors and Duncan was held to 12 but neither played in the fourth quarter where coach Gregg Popovich kept them on the bench with the game out of reach.

The Spurs were also without Manu Ginobili, who missed the game after sustaining a left quadriceps injury on Saturday against Boston.

The Spurs (19-7) have lost three of four and had their Southwest Division lead trimmed to one game.

Stephen Jackson returned to the court for the Spurs after missing 14 games with a broken finger.

Jackson had previously been fined $25,000 for a hostile Twitter message directed at Ibaka, but the Thunder forward hit back on the court where his offensive game continues to expand.

“He hurt us bad,” Jackson said of Ibaka. “He had, what, 18 in the first half, 16 in the first half? He was hitting everything.

“That’s the same way we lost last year in the playoffs, by him hitting those same shots. I take my hat off (to him).”

The Thunder lead the NBA in scoring and have not slowed down even after trading away Sixth Man of the Year James Harden in the offseason. Kevin Martin, who they acquired in the deal, had 20 off the bench.

South African FA president suspended over match-fixing BBC Sport - The president of the South African Football Association and four leading officials have been suspended after Fifa found “compelling evidence” that friendly internationals were fixed by Far East betting syndicates.

Kirsten Nematandani, new Safa chief executive officer Dennis Mumble and three others were relieved of their duties while an investigation takes place into their alleged part in the fixing of four matches in the run-up to the 2010 World Cup. A Fifa investigation discovered that Safa was infiltrated by convicted Singaporean match-fixer Wilson Perumal and his Football 4U organisation.

“Ten minutes in, referee Chaibou Ibrahim pointed to the spot even though Gustavo Cabrera’s questionable handball from Siphiwe Tshabalala’s long-range drive came outside the area” From Piers Edwards’ BBC Sport report on South Africa’s 5-0 win over Guatemala in May 2010. Perumal organised referees for the games against Thailand, Bulgaria, Colombia and Guatemala, the outcomes of which were found to have been pre-arranged to benefit an Asian betting syndicate.

A statement on the Safa website said the organisation “accepted Fifa’s report as

received” and added that “a commission of enquiry will be set up, under the leadership of a retired judge, to fully investigate the matter and the members cited in the report”.

The report added: “Safa apologised to Fifa and undertook to take the urgent and serious actions to deal with the matter.”

Safa vice-president Chief Mwelo Nonkonyana, who has been asked to act as president in the interim, said: “This is a difficult situation for the association, and for those who have been named in the report. “We hope that there will be no speculation about their presumed guilt or otherwise. We need to allow the investigation to take place speedily and fairly, so those that are innocent can be separated from those who are not.”

South Africa’s 5-0 win over Guatemala and 2-1 win over Colombia in May 2010 - two weeks before the World Cup kicked off - have long been under suspicion. Niger referee Chaibou Ibrahim awarded three penalties for handball in the Guatemala game and Fifa has been trying to question him for more than a year over his handling of several matches.

All three goals in the match against Colombia, refereed by a Kenyan official, came from penalty kicks.

MOSCOW (Reuters) Former world youth racewalking champion Sergey Morozov has been given a life ban for breaking anti-doping regulations, the Russian athletics federation (VFLA) said on Tuesday.

Morozov, 24, who won the 2005 world youth title in the 10,000 metres race walk, has shown an “abnormal haemoglobin profile in his biological passport”, the VFLA said on its website (rusathletics.com). It was his second doping offence.

The Russian was considered a medal contender for the 2008 Beijing Olympics after setting a 20-km world record time of one hour, 16:43 minutes at the national championships earlier that year. But his time was never ratified by the world’s governing body IAAF because of a lack of doping control at the event.

Morozov, who also won the 2007 European junior title, could not compete in Beijing because he was handed a two-year ban after testing positive for EPO in 2008.

He returned to competition in 2010 and competed for Russia at the 2011 world championships, finishing 12th in the 20-km.

Sergey Morozov (right) of Russia and Nazar Kovalenko of Ukraine (left) at the IAAF World Race Walking Cup in Saransk May 12, 2012.

REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin It was the latest in a series of doping offences by Russian athletes in less than two weeks.

On Friday, the VFLA banned European junior racewalking champion Tatyana Mineyeva for two years after she failed a drugs test, while the IAAF placed Olympic 2004 hammer champion Olga Kuzenkova under investigation after she also tested positive.

Last week, 2012 Olympic discus silver medallist Darya Pishchalnikova and Russian

hammer champion Kirill Ikonnikov, who finished fifth at the London Games, were temporarily suspended by the IAAF for failing drugs tests.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on December 5 stripped shot putter Svetlana Krivelyova of her bronze medal from the 2004 Athens Games.

Krivelyova, 43 and long retired from the sport, tested positive for anabolic steroids after her samples from eight years ago were re-tested.