Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

Kaieteur News Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana.

Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: Adam Harris Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210

EDITORIAL

For the benefit of those affected

When charges of murder are dismissed for want of prosecution, questions will be asked as to what went wrong. The more high profile the accused the more searching will be the queries. Recently policeman Sherwin Smith was freed of the capital charge which was instituted in 2011 after Mr. Justice Brassington Reynolds quite rightly upheld no-case submissions by Smith’s defence counsel after the presentation of unreliable prosecution witness testimony.

Prior to this sorry state of affairs, those more knowledgeable about such matters were of the opinion that Smith would be freed because he was not the shooter; a fact that was allegedly known to investigators and certain officers of the court. The stage was already set to introduce that element of doubt about who the real shooter was, which ensured that the accused walked away a free man with hopefully a free conscience.

These types of occurrences are taking on a life of their own, especially when the accused Harry Rajpat – a community policing group member, walked out of the Wales Magistrate’s Court after being freed of the December 2013 murder of construction worker Godfrey Jhaggroo, due to insufficient evidence.

It appears that not enough effort was taken to ensure that material witnesses attended court to testify, plus the inexcusable lapses by investigators, again raising questions about the diligence exercised by the police in matters where their own are charged.

Quite understandably, the victim’s mother, Chunramanie Jhaggroo, felt that her son had suffered a further injustice another victim of a defective system.

And as if to add insult to injury suffered by the victims of crime, there are several matters which seem destined never to move beyond their current stage (whatever that is) including the sexual abuse of young boys by a caregiver at an orphanage; the shooting of a teen in the mouth by a serving police rank.

One recent matter which should urge an urgent rethink of how cases are prepared is where the magistrate freed a man charged with causing death by dangerous driving when he reversed his truck and killed a pedestrian standing at the side of the road. Clearly the defendant did not exercise due care and attention, and at the very least, was guilty of careless or reckless use of the road. To accept that the man should have heard the engine of the truck and taken evasive action is to ignore the responsibility of that driver to use the road with care.

It should go without saying that victims of crime and survivors of deceased victims of crime - whether through vehicular mishap or one involving the use of a weapon deserve closure in a manner which respects the sanctity of the life lost, and the human dignity of those left to grieve their loss.

Several issues stand out when a questionable level of effort is the apparent cause for the dismissal of court matters. But chief among them is the quality of supervision which attends investigations, since there is no reassurance that these probes are properly managed, from inception through decision or advice to prosecute. So what obtains is a clear violation of victims’ rights and a bald ignoring of the expectations of those directly and tangentially affected from the victims’ side.

The initiatives of the police are recognized, but these must be sustainable and not cosmetic in intent. The public expects that these interventions, when they are presented, would be accompanied by clearly stated objectives, and not have to wait until something positive happens, only to be told that, that is one expected outcome. It is quite easy to link an occurrence to an initiative with no one the wiser, because in the first place, no one knew what to expect.

Friday December 12, 2014

Letters... Where your views make the news

The history of sugar proves that politicians must allow professionals to manage DEAR EDITOR, I was most surprised to read the recent report (SNof 9/12/14) indicating that H.E. President Ramotar is “seeking sugar help from Cuba”.

Our sugar industry has certainly been see-sawing from its British colonialcapitalist inception through the “Bitter Sugar” syndrome as depicted by our dear Dr. Cheddi Jagan to the preIndependence “Sweetening of Bitter Sugar” as was scholarly researched and eruditely described by Prof.

Clement Seecharran to the post-Independence nationalization projecting “ownership and operation by the people of Guyana,” as emblazoned at the entrance

to all units of GUYSUCO but under full control by our politicians.

Nationalization, p r e d i c t a b l y, b u t a l a s , unfortunately, led to a steep decline in the fortunes of the industry until our politicians wisely decided to invite the British to return in a ‘management’ capacity as p e r t h e B o o k e r - Ta t e arrangement.

Then, from virtual extinction, the industry was resuscitated through a process of objective management by BookerTate. However, the ‘curse’ soon returned in the form of full control and management by our politicians.

And now, in the reported words of H.E. President

Ramotar: “the local sugar industry has seen slumping production in recent years and is struggling to attain a modest target for 2014. It also has major problems with its flagship Skeldon factory which is now a huge drain on the Guyana Sugar Corporation.”

It must be recalled that our politicians have already flirted with the Chinese, the South Africans, the Indians with a view to reversing the aforesaid trend.

This obviously begs the question whether the Cubans will succeed where the others have failed?

Is anyone prepared to wager on a turnaround under the current ‘hit and miss’ or ‘shooting in the dark’

approaches by our politicians?

When will our politicians ever realize that nowhere in the world has any industry been successfully run by politicians. The history of our sugar industry has proven beyond any doubt that politicians must allow professional managers to manage the industry.

Why can’t we take a leaf from the books of companies like our own very successfully run local DDL and Banks DIH which are blessed by the absence of political interferences.

The de-politicization if not de-nationalization of our sugar industry is long overdue.

Nowrang Persaud

WRITERS OF ADVOCACY LETTERS SHOULD SIGN A REAL NAME DEAR EDITOR, I refer to a letter in the SN of Dec 9, 2014 – “This is the perfect time for young people to take a stand.” The letter has a non-identifiable signature.

That letter should not have been published because whereas it expresses the views of a reader, it has no journalistic value in terms of an editor’s role, not only in obligation to the media but to the wider society itself.

From the time I entered the media in 1988, I have always stressed there are very few circumstances in which an anonymous columnist and/or letterwriter can be justified. There is only one reason for a penname commentator in the print media – a whistle blower who can come to harm. Outside of this situation, the print media should not permit a commentator whose viewpoints are contained in an all-inclusive methodology.

It is simply morally unacceptable for a nameless person to be condemning others while hiding his/her identify. This is where social media becomes dangerous.

You can start a web site

without legal identification of ownership and accuse your former boss of terrible crimes because you were caught stealing and were dismissed. No one knows who you are.

Modern newspapers should not allow for pen name writers who compose essays on all types of subjects, including analyses of public figures. I may be wrong, but that anomaly no longer obtains in the print media. In 1990, while a columnist at the Catholic Standard, I came across an unpublished letter that the editor Father Morrison was about to print.

Penned by a retired public servant, Basil Collins of Duncan Street (deceased), the letter advocated that there should be a general strike by civil servants against the Hoyte Government. Mr. Collins appealed to public servants to be brave and join the picket line even if arrest or loss of employment follows.

He signed his name as “Observer.” I accused Mr. Collins of crass dishonest and immoral behaviour. On my side, I had the support of deputy editor, Colin Smith,

Probably not even the architects.

Maybe legal luminaries could consider introducing Victim Personal Statements to give victims an opportunity to express their thoughts and feelings on how a crime has affected them. Another innovation could be Community Impact Statements which can be used to bring to the awareness of those making decisions about a case, the impact the offence has had on the community. These are doable and can only redound for the benefit of all victims throughout the justice system.

who told Father Morison that Collins was asking people to be brave while hiding. It is one of my moments in journalism that Colin and I always reflect on. I will never forget that incident because it helped shape my attitude to editing In that letter in the Stabroek, the person wrote; “…this is the perfect time for the young people of this country to take a stand. To let those in power recognize that we are no longer going to allow Guyana to be controlled by persons who do not have the best interest of the country at heart. That we are not going to allow race and class to dictate the decisions that are being made for our country and that we as youth intend to have a vital input in how the Cooperative Republic of Guyana moves forward.” (end of quote) The moral contradiction is glaring there. This is an advocacy statement in which the person is afraid to be part of his/her own advocacy.

That person has not taken a stand because no one knows that. Even if the editor knows the name of the writer, the society doesn’t and the writer is asking the society to be openly brave. In discussing this aberration with Adam Harris, I told him one should not advocate the use of mango leaves for hearth reasons when you don’t use it. You are bound to be seen a hypocritical. Harris agreed. Finally, both the Stabroek News and Kaieteur

News have continuously warned letter-writers to identify themselves through submission of some piece of evidence, yet both newspapers have consistently ignored their own guidelines. M. Maxwell and Sultan Mohamed are fictional signatures.

It is simply unbelievable that editors at Kaieteur News and the Stabroek News continue to publish correspondences with these phantom names. It is simply unbelievably that Mr. Vishu Bisram could write often to these two newspapers and say NACTA has done a poll when there is absolutely no evidence anywhere in the world that a polling organization exists by the name of NACTA and the newspapers and the Guyanese society know that.

The role of the editor in the light of that information has a duty to journalistic integrity to omit the name NACTA and simply retain Mr. Bisram’s name because Mr. Bisram exists; he is real.

But should we be surprised?

No! There isn’t anything that should surprise us in a country named Guyana.

Frederick Kissoon

Friday December 12, 2014

Kaieteur News

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

LOST IN TRANSLATION Anil Nandlall responds to Mike Persaud

DEAR EDITOR, This writer recalls the halcyon days of that major part of the industry when owned and managed by Bookers Sugar Estates.

Despite the persistent onslaught of strikes the management team was still upbeat, confronting the challenges and surmounting the hurdles. Rather than be discouraged, they were stimulated with renewed energy to conquer the obstacle course that was life in the sugar industry.

Morale was hardly diminished, and unlike these murky days, there was openness in communication vertically and laterally.

Team spirit was key.They would shout at the climate and challenge it to slow production. Humans were seen and treated as the primary resources they were.

So much so that when in the years its economy was down and there had to be cutbacks in expenditure, one fundamental edict was issued: ‘Do not cut back on training.

The skills are our future’.

So one made a career in the industry. There are still several of those senior managers alive and available to provide today’s GuySuCo with the institutional memory, as well as relevant skills, the industry so desperately lacks.

Their names and profiles have already appeared in these columns, as well as having been made known to successive Ministers of Agriculture. From the aural evidence however it would appear that the current dispensation is not attuned to Guyanese who speak its own English, to help, indeed to lead GuySuCo in the right direction.

Instead the glaring preference, following Booker Tate, has been for a multilingual grouping –

Chinese, Indian, South African, from whom the extant locals obviously have not learnt, and have gained little.

Now, not for the first time, we are considering closing the geographic gap, by inviting a forlorn regional industry to assist us – in Spanish.

Few would remember the earlier announcement to employ Cuban sugar boilers some years ago. Despite their non-arrival GuySuCo has not since complained of the performance of their own teams.

Which brings me back to those halcyon days referred to at the beginning. It was Guyanese sugar boilers and process foremen who I was mandated to select and send respectively to Nigeria, Zambia, and Tanzania to train their locals as Bookers set up sugar factories there.

Their impact was most impressive and the transmission of skills so effective that within an unexpectedly brief period those factory positions were operated by locals.

Incidentally, if I am not mistaken, there was a relevant start-up course emanating from the Apprentice Training school at Port Mourant. All in English.

But there should be pause to reflect on the communication process within (without), the GuySuCo Administration, and enquire whether the conversation in Cuba was in fact initiated through the technical management team and the Board of GuySuCo. Or whether it was an off-thecuff commentary arising from

an innate sense of inadequacy?

For one thing it is unlikely that with the Cubans in charge they would ever agree to pay incentive (bonus) for well publicised underproduction of the industry.

They would have argued that such action only served to confirm management’s satisfaction with a level of mediocrity that is reflective of their own performance.

Worse, it also reflects the quality of management’s relationship with the Unions whose empathy or understanding the former cannot win in any discourse on the cost of production in relation to the price of sugar on the market. How can such increases be tolerated in a serious business management context? One must also ask of the role and responsibility of the Board in this connection; and for that matter, for the human behaviours in the industry.

For what are its members, individually and severally accountable?

In the absence of any articulate response, one can only determine that they may well be irrelevant of the decision-making process.

In the meantime the Brazilians would most likely be relieved at not being considered as the last resort of foreign technical assistance to a depreciating project.

E.B. John

DEAR EDITOR, Our attention was drawn to a letter written by Mike Persaud and published on pages 4 and 5 of Kaieteur News, dated Wednesday December 10, 2014, under the bold caption, “Anil Nandlall and his role in fraudulent powers of attorney.”

We regret that your newspaper has rushed to publish this defamatory letter without, at least, affording us an opportunity to respond.

Nevertheless, we do so now with the hope that our response will be given equal prominence.

Firstly, we wish to make it clear that our attorneys at law do not engage in the preparation of Powers of Attorney.

Powers of Attorney are prepared by our secretarial and clerical staff.

In the instant case, our record reflects that a Power of Attorney was prepared for Mr. Rampersaud of 57 Waterloo Street, Identification number 068610. The Power of Attorney was prepared upon the instructions of Mr. Rampersaud who appeared personally and gave those

said instructions. In those instructions he appointed Narine Persaud of Dornhagg, Leguan to act as his duly constituted attorney.

That document was then taken by the parties and duly executed before a Notary Public and filed at the Deeds Registry.

The said Rampersaud would have been required to appear personally and sign before that Notary Public and provided his Identification Card in order to verify and confirm his identity. We have no Notary Public in our office.

After the Power of Attorney had been filed and returned to us, we were then instructed to use that Power of Attorney to prepare and file certain conveyances by way of transport, whereby Rampersaud transferred certain properties to Narine Persaud. We did so in the year 2001. The transports were passed on the 13th of October, 2001. All these transports were advertised in the official gazette allowing for Mike Persaud and anyone else to oppose them on certain grounds stipulated by law.

No opposition was filed. As

a result the transports were passed. We now learnt that Rampersaud died only in 2009. Therefore, assuming that Rampersaud was the victim of some wrong doing, as is contended, he could have challenged all the aforesaid documents during the period 2001 to 2009, i.e. nine years during his lifetime.

He did no such thing. We are aware that several years after a third party has challenged the transports and those proceedings are pending in the High Court.

We hope that there will be no further publication of the defamatory matter contained in the letter to which we are responding. We will file legal proceedings if there is a repetition.

Shamina Khan Confidential Secretary Mohabir A. Nandlall & Associates Attorneys-at-Law

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Friday December 12, 2014

Find ways to reduce tariffs, get off Guyanese backs - Harmon tells GPL

By Sunita Samaroo The Guyana Power and Light Company has admitted that it loses millions annually by private operators utilizing its infrastructure without paying, but the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T) has sought to debunk such claims and at least one politician, has called on the power company to find ways to “reduce tariffs and get off the backs of Guyanese”.

The telecommunications company has said that over the years, the two utilities have essentially enjoyed a “symbiotic relationship.”

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the power company, Bharrat Dindyal, on Wednesday last, was reported as saying that there is currently no agreement in place with third parties using the company’s utility poles.

Over the years, private cable operators across the country have taken to servicing homes by using the GPL utility poles to string their cables. This informal “pole-sharing” situation, Dindyal indicated, is also one that has been utilized by GT&T. The CEO had claimed that this state of affairs has continued unhindered by the power company. Dindyal added that GPL is only now looking to put arrangements in place to secure revenue from the cable operators and from GT&T. Dindyal had reported that

the power company is currently looking to finalise a formal agreement which would then be applied across the board.

But by way of public statement yesterday, however, GT&T said that claims by GPL which indicate that they are utilizing the power company’s poles free of charge, are a misrepresentation of the facts.

“The fact is that unlike the other companies seeking access to GPL’s poles, GT&T has a considerable amount of poles across Guyana.

“Consequently, over the years the two utilities have enjoyed a symbiotic relationship whereby each utilizes the other’s poles under a Pole-Sharing Agreement,” the telecommunications company said.

GT&T went on to say that with the recent surge in demand for pole space occasioned by the roll-out of cable television (TV) and other services, GPL has understandably expressed a preference for pole tenancy agreements with companies wishing to make connections to its poles.

“Currently, negotiations of a pole tenancy agreement between GT&T and GPL are well advanced and should be concluded shortly.”

In fact, the telecommunications company’s statements are in accordance with those of the GPL CEO, who had said that the power company is

GPL Boss, Bharat Dindyal

APNU’s Joseph Harmon

CEO of GT&T, Radha Krishna Sharma

currently looking to finalise a formal agreement. According to Dindyal, this agreement would then be applied across the board.

Additionally, a cable TV operator who spoke to Kaieteur News said that an arrangement has been made with GPL, and since the beginning of last year the company has been waiting on GPL to “work out prices.”

The situation is compounded further with the fact that on an annual basis GPL is handed billions of dollars in subsidies which would mean that the power company is in effect subsidizing the operations of the private cable operators.

The power company, had said, that at present it is unaware of just how many cable operators are stringing cables on its poles. The CEO also said that he could not quantify just how much money has been lost.

In an invited comment, General Secretary of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), Joseph Harmon, said that GPL has always been about looking to raise its tariffs “to get money off the backs of Guyanese people.”

The electricity company, he posited, could look for other ways to raise money which could take the heat off the company; not requiring them passing the expense off on the Guyanese people.

“When you look at the way they are spending money given by Parliament, we (APNU) are not satisfied that GPL has a plan for the long term development of the company.”

The Member of Parliament said that in the past when his party examined the modus operandi of the company, calls were made for certain documents to be produced and “some have been, but some have not.”

Harmon said “If we have better management in GPL, we

could have a better-run company that would redound to Guyanese electricity consumers.”

The General Secretary also added that there is Telecommunications Reform Legislation which questions the sharing of poles and speaks to the need for an agreement for the rental of same. The matter, he said, is at the level of the Select Committee.

In discussing the roles of the Public Utilities Commission (PUC), Harmon

divulged that focus had been given to the sharing of facilities (such as poles) being subjected to commercial agreement. “It’s amazing that they are now talking about that,” he added.

Over 8,000 power poles are in use by a number of local cable companies, including ENetworks, Bartica Communications and Atlantic Cable TV Network (ACN).

E-Networks has been stringing cables along GPL’s poles across the country.

That company and Quark Communications Inc. were among two companies controversially given the goahead to run cable TV services by former President Bharrat Jagdeo.

Both companies, along with Global Technology, are now poised to be handed telecommunications licences once the pending amendments to the current laws are passed.

These licences will also allow both to offer telephone services, mobile services, internet and a host of other important services in demand.

Jet plane and money seized...

From page 3 Inc” located at 13 Edward Hart Drive, Jersey City which offered trucking and warehouse services, and was operational from 1995 to 2010.

In 2007, he purchased a gas station now known as the Kaylee's Service Station located at Coverden, East Bank Demerara, as part of his investment plans in Guyana and later expanded his venture when he introduced Quin's Special Events & Services, comprising two limousines.

Through his lawyer, Lall was successfully granted a request to restrict access by the public to several documents to be used in his court matter.

In his petition filed in the

Puerto Rico, US District Court, Lall claimed that he was “filing the motion with the requested level of restriction because it is necessary to protect the confidentiality of the information detailed in the document and exhibits.”

He requested certain documents be accepted by the Court for filing with the level of restriction of “Selected Parties.” He wanted the restricted parties limited to the Attorney filing the document, the United States, Probation Office and the Court.

In seeking to enforce his position that the documents not be made accessible to the public, Lall through his attorney said, “The protection of the information in the motion outweighs the presumption of public access.”

He was granted US$100,000 bail.

Last week, the Puerto Rican court ordered the jet owner to surrender all his pilot licences. He was restricted to travel between New Jersey in the United States and Puerto Rico only for purposes pertaining to his court hearing.

The pilot was also allowed to continue working as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of his aviation company, but only in an administrative capacity, and the duties must be performed from his residence.

Local aviation authorities have confirmed that Lall's local operation is currently on pause given his court matter.

They continue to say that all the pilot's local operations were above board and all his international papers were in order.

News surfaced that Lall has a private hangar at Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) and it was stated further that Lall and his staff had special privileges at CJIA, an allegation that Government and aviation officials have strongly denied.

The Alliance for Change (AFC) said that in its own investigations, it too became aware of unorthodox movements afforded to the private company's operations. President Donald Ramotar had travelled on at least three occasions onboard Lall's aircraft.

The exact cost of the flights is still unclear.

Corruption benefits the rich and powerful at the expense of the poor. Say no to it!

Friday December 12, 2014

Kaieteur News

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Friday December 12, 2014

Digicel boss wary of regional CWC monopoly …Make them sell duplicate assets Trinidad Guardian Digicel executive chairman Denis O’Brien said Wednesday that to preserve competition and protect consumers in the Caribbean, regional regulators should insist that the combination of Cable & Wireless Communications (CWC) and Columbus International be required to sell assets.

Speaking to regional regulators and telecom company officials at the start of the two-day Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) forum at the Cascadia Hotel, St Ann’s, Wednesday, O’Brien reiterated Digicel’s argument that the proposed acquisition of Columbus by CWC would lead to a “very substantial reduction” in six regional countries, including T&T, and in four product categories, including fixed broadband, cable television and fixed line services.

As reported exclusively Wednesday’s T&T Guardian, O’Brien spoke at the CTU forum and held discussions with Finance Minister Larry Howai at the Ministry of Finance building, Port-ofSpain. Asking what should regulators do to protect competition, O’Brien said:

Denis O’Brien “The answer is the big D: Divestiture. CWC and Columbus will have duplicate fixed line, cable TV and submarine fibre infrastructure in your markets if this deal is approved.

“If this merger is to be approved, regulators in the region will have to insist on the conditions precedent that these duplicate assets are sold. This is what will preserve competition.” The Digicel chairman said he was not arguing that those assets needed to be sold to Digicel, only that they did need to be sold to some third party so that competition could prevail. O’Brien said the spinning off of assets to preserve competition was “the only answer and the only

effective solution.”

He said that as was the case with all merger approvals frameworks, it was for the regulators to highlight where concerns existed and “it is for the parties applying for the permission to merger that must put forward solutions to address these problems.”

O’Brien said while the risks to competition were huge, Digicel was not saying that the merger could not happen or that it necessarily meant Armageddon for the Caribbean telecoms industry.

“It is only with a comprehensive and thorough economics driven merger impact analysis and the imposition of proper approval conditions and safeguards that we can prevent our industry sliding back to the dark days of a monopoly services,” the Irishman insisted.

In a presentation in which he accused CWC/Columbus of attempting to “dictate ridiculous timelines to regional regulators,” O’Brien noted it took eight months for regulators to approve the Digicel deal with Claro in 2011 and ten months to get approval of its acquisition of a submarine cable company in 2013.

Shaw wants Auditor General to probe Bureau of Standards KINGSTON, Jamaica — Opposition spokesman on finance, Audley Shaw, wants the Auditor General to carry out an immediate performance audit of the Bureau of Standards of Jamaica (BSJ).Shaw said that it is necessary and urgent because “it appears manifestly clear that the standards compliance fees

collected by the Bureau of Standards at the ports of entry are not being used for the purposes for which they were intended”.

Shaw said that the Bureau seemed to be short of inspectors to adequately monitor the main areas of food, standards compliance and weights and measures.

He said that this has left

the health and welfare of Jamaicans “potentially exposed to the importation and sale of dangerous and unapproved products, as well as victims of unfair trade practices in the marketplace”.

He said that he had read reports of stoves exploding and fans catching fire, which are clear and present danger to public safety.

Friday December 12, 2014

Kaieteur News

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LEADER OR NOTHING There were two splits within the PPP. The first was in 1952 when Forbes Burnham demanded “leader or nothing”. This triggered a crisis within the PPP. The crisis eventually abated, but the challenge by Burnham remained.

Burnham would eventually split the PPP into two factions, the Burnhamite PPP and the Jaganite PPP. The effects of this split would splinter the nationalist movement and divide the working class along ethnic lines. That was the first split in the PPP. There was to be a later split. This split was deemed an ideological split, in which Jagan separated himself from extremists, some of whom were more wildly communist that he was. That split had no effect on working class unity.

“Leader or nothing!” This was ultimatum that Forbes Burnham issued to the PPP in the face of his uncontainable ambition to lead the party and country. That was 1952.

Sixty-two years later, the Alliance for Change has issued an ultimatum to APNU, a grouping in which Burnham’s PNC, now the PNCR, is the major partner.

The AFC after initially

rejecting the idea that it should join in a pre-election coalition with APNU has now indicated that it is willing to lead a pro-democracy coalition that would involve APNU, trade unions, and persons from the PPP who are disgruntled with their party.

The AFC in other words is saying that it is not going to enter any pre-election coalition unless it leads that coalition. It is “leader or nothing”.

Burnham of course had his share of coalition politics. The PNC when it was first formed was a coalition of Burnham’s PPP and a number of small parties, very much like what APNU is today.

Burnham eventually came to power through a coalition government with the United Force. But very early in the day there were major divisions in the coalition government, because of differences between the leader of the United Force and Burnham.

The two almost parted ways soon after they formed the government, but the United States ambassador quickly intervened to bring the two leaders together, fearful that any break-up of the coalition government

would lead to Jagan taking over again.

By 1968, Burnham had grown tired of coalition politics. He decided, and publicly announced, that never again would he lead the PNC into a coalition government. He did not have to. He rigged every election from that year until 1980.

In 1968, Burnham was totally finished with coalition politics. Those who question why the 1980 Constitution of Guyana allowed for a party gaining a plurality rather than a majority to hold the government must go back and understand Burnham’s sentiments about coalition.

He was never again going to rule with the support of a coalition. With an Executive Presidency, all he felt he needed was a plurality to form the government. This is why the Constitution of Guyana is the way it is.

The PPP was not interested in changing that after the Constitutional Reform Process from 1998 to 2002 and the PNC felt that this arrangement was its only chance of gaining power. This is why the PNC did not oppose the plurality rule.

The AFC has always rejected the idea of a pre-

election coalition with the PNCR. For one, the party was offering itself as an alternative to Guyana’s race-based politics. It was offering itself as an alternative to the domination of Guyana’s politics by the PNC and the PPP. Therefore how could it join with either of these forces?

The AFC was also not interested in a coalition with APNU for tactical reasons. In the 2011 elections, its strategy was to woo supporters of the PPP in PPP strongholds.

Thus, it sought to undermine PPP support as a means of causing the PPP to lose the elections. It did not succeed, but it did for the first time consign the PPP to the role of a minority government.

Some of the AFC’s top brass did not participate in the recent rally held by APNU to protest the prorogation of parliament.

The explanation was later given that the AFC did not wish for the PPP to spin the presence of certain of its leaders on APNU’s political platform. This was followed by a rejection of a pre-election coalition with APNU. Then suddenly, at its National Conference came the

idea that the AFC would be open to joining ranks with APNU, but only as part of a pro-democracy alliance, and only if the AFC leads the alliance. In other words, the AFC is saying, “leader or nothing.”

The AFC in so doing has again done what it has become quite adept at: it has turned the ball around and placed it in APNU’s court.

Instead of the AFC having to defend its rejection of a coalition with APNU, it is APNU which now has to

explain why it would be unwilling to join a prodemocracy movement in which it will not hold the leadership.

The AFC has done it again. It has APNU right where it wants it: around its little fingers.

(To be continued)

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Friday December 12, 2014

== THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN ==

The Nigel Hughes formula: Can it change Guyana?

Attorney Nigel Hughes has come up with a cluster of constitutional points which form a new constitutional arrangement for this troubled land. Before we enumerate his adumbrations, mention should be made of a trenchant reminder by Hughes of obnoxious sections of the 1980 Constitution, a reading of which is bound to disgust you. Here is what Hughes observed: “Article 50 of the Constitution boldly proclaims “The Supreme organs of democratic power in Guyana shall be (i) The Parliament (ii) the President and (iii) the Cabinet.

One may well draw the conclusion that the three organs of democratic power are separate, divided and equal. The very next article in the Constitution, article 51, begins the unmasking of the true architecture behind the distribution of power.

Article 51 located in a different chapter under the heading PARLIAMENT.

Composition of Parliament states, “There shall be a Parliament of Guyana, which shall consist of the PRESIDENT and the National Assembly”. The second “organ of democratic power”, the Presidency, is vested with “supreme executive authority” by virtue of the provisions of Article 89 of the Constitution.

The third and final “organ” the cabinet, is constituted as follows in Article 106 “There shall be a Cabinet for Guyana, which shall consist of the President and such other Ministers as may be appointed by the President. The power to appoint is coupled with the power to terminate which is located in Article 183 3(b) which provides “The office of any Minister shall become vacant if the President so directs…”

“The icing on the cake is located in Article 99 which does not vest executive authority in the Cabinet, but in the President. But it gets

worse. If as Article 13 has mandated, that the principal objective of the political system is to establish “an inclusionary democracy”, then the manifestation of inclusionary democracy is a mirage, as Article 50 locates democratic power effectively in the hands of the President.”

(End of quote) We should thank Nigel Hughes for this unambiguous and straightforward explanation of what Forbes Burnham wrote into that 1980 constitution. Long before Hughes’s exposition of Forbes Burnham’s tight grip on power, two UG professors – Rudy James and Harold Lutchman – in the eighties wrote a superb book on the 1980 constitution that showed the power instincts of Mr. Burnham. Titled “Law and Political Environment” the authors demonstrated that you will find an article in the constitution that gives power to the citizenry, then another article overrides that and empowers the president in an

absolute way.

Nigel Hughes proposes far-reaching constitutional changes that, if they become a reality, could be the beginning of the end of political hegemony that began in British Guiana a long, long time ago, and which has virtually killed off the future of this country a long, long time ago.

Included in Hughes’s formula are the following; there should be direct election for the presidency; the president’s Cabinet selections must have approval of the National Assembly, the US system embodies this feature; ministers do not necessarily have to be Parliamentarians.

The section of Hughes’s outline that I have an emotional attachment to is his advocacy for the severe reduction of the immunities of the president.

Hughes wants the president to be open to criminal and civil litigation after his/her presidential

tenure is over. He suggests that if during his/her tenure, the president commits a criminal violation, then after demitting office, the president can face criminal charges.

This is a priceless inclusion in a package of constitutional changes that can save a nation from tyrannical torment.

It is my unshakeable belief, to which I cling tenaciously, that several civil and criminal cases can be made out against Mr. Jagdeo during his twelve-year reign as an autocratic president. I honestly believe the evidence is overwhelming.

Mr. Hughes promised to submit a more far-reaching document about constitutional changes.

Because of his national standing and popularity, his proposals have given weight to the discussion on exigent constitutional newness that this country must have sooner than later.

One of the greatest ironies in the political history of Guyana is that the PPP, which

Frederick Kissoon denounced with mad fury the 1980 Constitution, and facetiously nicknamed it the “Burnham Constitution”, has mastered it more than Burnham himself. Both Jagdeo and Ramotar have resorted to unilateral use of the authoritarian sections of the document that Burnham and Desmond Hoyte never did. I don’t believe in their wildest imagination that Dr. Mohamed Shahabudeen and Sir Shridath Ramphal who worked on the 1980 document would have thought that the PPP would have made more use of the 1980 paper than Burnham himself. What an irony!

Dem boys seh...

Brassington sharing we pole A pole is a useful thing. It does carry nuff thing; some does carry current, some does carry flag and some does fly flag.

Dem boys complain yesterday how cable people and GT&T using GPL poles fuh nutten. GT&T get vex and put out a statement in which dem seh that fuh years de company been in pole exchange wid GPL. Brassington is de chairman of de Board of Directors that controls GPL. In short he is de chief pole controller. He got to decide wheh de pole must go, when it must go, how it must go, how often it must go, and who it must go to.

He also decide pun de length and size of de pole. According to de statement, GT&T satisfy wid all dem GPL pole. As de new GT&T chairman seh, GPL pole more long and strong than GT&T pole.

That is why whenever pole fall down it does be a big, big story. Nobody don’t want own it; dem does go by night and prop it up, quietly. Dem boys ain’t got a problem wid that, because GPL and GT&T does use one

another pole. In short dem does pole each other. How often? Dem boys don’t know. Wha dem know is that Brassington belly always up in de air, so dem assume is plenty polling does pass.

But dem boys got a big problem wid dem cable operator and Brassington. Dem don’t know how de pole sharing, but de cable operators gaining.

Brassington tekking pole from GPL and giving dem cable operator for free. Dem girls got a big question fuh Brassington. Dem want Brassington to tell dem wheh dem can get de length and strength pole from.

Is de same Brassington did give away de US$15.4 million Amaila road contract to Fip, a man who never even build a pavement. He go way wid couple million US dollars.

But de Creatah don’t sleep and he never does forget. Fip deh in jail wid he blue jumpsuit and Brassington and de others, including Jagdeo, Babbie and de rest of de Bees should tek note.

Talk half and don’t play wid pole.

Friday December 12, 2014

Kaieteur News

Page 11

Cops under pressure, crime rising, but Rohee looking for birth certificates - APNU there is a manpower problem.

He said that this is obvious since there have been a reduced amount of ranks deployed for the Christmas campaign as compared to previous years.

He said that a strategy must be put in place to attract recruits and these are things that the Minister needs to focus on. “He has to decide which one he is better performing,” said Felix.

The Shadow Minister then called on Rohee to

By Abena Rockcliffe A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) is convinced that the Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee, who is also General Secretary and Elections Campaign Manager of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), has too much on his plate and is, as a result, not effectively carrying out his public servant duties.

This view was reflected

by APNU Leader David Granger and the coalition’s Shadow Minister of Home Affairs, Winston Felix.

During separate interviews, the two officials said that Rohee’s division of himself has left the public holding the less attractive end of the stick. This was said as they addressed the fact that there has been a spate of murders in recent days.

Granger told the media that while Rohee, the Minister responsible for the Guyana Police Force (GPF) is busy “running around looking for birth certificates” a number of Guyanese citizens are being killed. Felix, on the other hand, said that over the past few weeks he has been listening to Rohee’s “ramblings” each time he hosts PPP’s press conferences, but has noticed that the Minister doesn’t pay as much attention to his Ministerial portfolio as he does to his Party duties.

The Former Top Cop told the media that Rohee has instead been putting all his time and energy towards picking on the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) and the political parties.

Felix pointed out that Rohee “became extremely ridiculous by suggesting that if Granger doesn’t want to see the misuse of state funds he should give up his constitutionally-provided facilities.”

The Member of Parliament rubbished that comment and said that Rohee, being paid as Minister of Home Affairs, is a complete waste of taxpayers’ money as “while

APNU Leader, Brigadier David Granger

Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee

APNU’s Shadow Minister of Home Affairs, Winston Felix

he is wasting time being the ‘other GECOM Chairman’ we have people being murdered.”

Felix was at the time referring to the fact that on Tuesday, the media reported on two different murders and a case where a Zeelugt, East Bank Essequibo family was

forced to abort their home as a result of high crime in the area. The APNU MP said that all the while, “Rohee is absent from duty.”

He pointed out that the Minister made no public statement to comfort the Guyanese people neither did

he have a meeting with the acting Top Cop to see how best the situation can be addressed.

Felix, a former Police Commissioner, said that he has been able to point out that the Police Force is under tremendous pressure and that

address sensible policies to protect the interests of the Guyanese public.

“The public wants to be protected by Police who are trained to patrol, investigate, solve crimes and yet interact with them in a friendly and intelligent manner…We demand a higher standard of operation from the Minister.”

Felix suggested that Rohee should just step down and focus on his campaign if he knows he cannot manage all his portfolios effectively.

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Kaieteur News

Friday December 12, 2014

Windsor Forest murder…

EZjet boss gets Christmas reprieve on sentencing Children accused of stepfather’s EZjet boss, Sonny Ramdeo, who is battling in a Florida court for his freedom, will spend Christmas in jail knowing that he has not been sentenced. That is because a court in Florida has agreed to allow his motion to hear the possibilities of him making restitution for the fraud he is accused of.

According to court proceedings filed, the hearing is expected on December 29.

Since being found guilty, Ramdeo has filed several motions and other appeals in an about-turn. He was set to be sentenced on Wednesday

by Judge Kenneth Maria in a West Palm Beach Division Court.

Last year October, Ramdeo pleaded guilty to wire fraud.

However, he subsequently recanted his plea on the ground that he was poorly represented. That led to him filing several motions to have his guilty plea overturned.

Judge Maria had accepted his appeal and appointed a public defender to represent the accused.

Ramdeo is alleged to have embezzled several million US dollars from a hospital chain

EZ jet boss Sonny Ramdeo with which he worked, and plugged some of it into EZjet, a charter that he ran from JFK airport to Guyana. The US Department of Transportation suspended the airline services in October 2012.

Ramdeo, in one petition to the Court, filed a motion seeking to have the court grant a 20-day extension to his sentencing.

According to Ramdeo, he has been representing

himself for some time now, is without the adequate resources to properly file a reply, and further, is being held in oppressive incarceration at the Palm County Jail. He signaled his intention also to file a response to the government, but lamented that he is still awaiting access to the legal research from his country jail library.

Ramdeo contended that none of the attorneys that had represented him sought any independent discovery, nor did they compel the government to provide all materials available and based on recent filings with the court.

According to Ramdeo, he has been incarcerated for over two years and has no access to resources to get information needed to refute the government’s case.

Ramdeo has over the course of his incarceration, fired a number of defence attorneys as well as changed his plea on several occasions.

He has already been found guilty of obstruction of justice, when on a previous occasion he attempted to change his plea.

killing to lead defence soon

Following the closure of the Prosecution’s case this week, the siblings accused of murdering their stepfather five years ago are expected to begin leading their defence on Monday before Madame Justice Dawn Gregory and a mixed 12-member jury.

This is the second time that Hoosman Khan called ‘Strongman’ and his sisters Bibi Farida called ‘Pum’, Shamiza called ‘Sham,’ are on trial for the murder of their stepfather Motielall Singh in September 2009.

Earlier this year the siblings’ trial ended in a hung jury before Justice Navindra Singh. They were being prosecuted along with Bissoondial ‘Weed Man’ Mahadeo and Ayube ‘Little’ Hamid. Mahadeo was acquitted of the murder charge, while Hamid died in prison.

The case is now being prosecuted by State Attorneys, Natasha Backer and Mercedes Thompson, while Senior Counsel Bernard De Santos is representing the siblings. The Khans were charged following the death of their stepfather after they

The sisters, Shamiza (left) and Farida Khan reportedly made statements claiming that they had instructions from their mother who sent them US$700 from overseas to hire a ‘hit man’ to kill their stepfather who was at the time on a visit to Guyana.

The victim, a resident of 290 Hemlock Street, Brooklyn New York, was found lying in a pool of blood at First Street, Windsor Forest, West Coast Demerara.

Following investigations, they were arrested and charged with Singh’s murder.

In their caution statements which were read to the jury, the accused related that following a broken relationship between their mother and stepfather overseas, the mother sent money to them with instructions that they should use that money to hire someone to kill Singh during his visit.

The statements gave accounts of places they had visited and the persons they contracted in their search for a killer.

Following the reading of the statements, however, three voir dire (trials within trials) were conducted by Madame Justice Gregory to determine admissibility of caution statements. Those

Dead: Motielall Singh ended with the judge finding that all three statements given to the police by the accused were voluntary and as a consequence, the statements were admitted into evidence.

The prosecution’s case was closed earlier this week following the testimony of Government Pathologist, Dr. Nehaul Singh. Dr. Singh, who performed the post mortem, disclosed that a person suffering from diabetes could find themselves in a coma.

The pathologist revealed that Singh had died from multiple incised wounds. The doctor said he found 20 wounds on the man’s body.

The trial has so far lasted three weeks during which 13 witnesses have testified. The accused were supposed to begin leading their defence yesterday but the court was informed, via letter, that Senior Counsel De Santos was ill.

As such, the case was put off and is expected to continue next Monday.

Friday December 12, 2014

Kaieteur News

Page 13

Fibre-optic cable project reeks of corruption

By Kiana Wilburg Leader of the Alliance For Change (AFC), Khemraj Ramjattan is of the opinion that projects conducted in stealth and secrecy invariably reek of suspicion and corruption, and the dying Brazil/Guyana fibre-optic cable project is a prime example of this.

Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon had said that the project did not collapse nor was it scrapped or abandoned. He told members of the media fraternity that the venture which was started in 2011 suffered some failures due to defaulting contractors and consultancy firms, but those responsible had been hauled before the courts.

While a ruling is yet to be made, Dr. Luncheon did note that Guyana in terms of construction expended, almost $1B, and while Guyana is not receiving bandwidth from Brazil, its contractual

- AFC Leader

AFC Leader, Khemraj Ramjattan agreement with the neighbouring country requires Guyana to pay some $76,000 a year. He said that Guyana has not paid this and is indebted to the Brazilians.

The Cabinet Secretary did note that the Brazilians “are quite understanding”, considering that the mechanism for receiving the bandwidth has not kicked in.

Nonetheless, Ramjattan, in an invited comment, said that because of the public

scrutiny of deals such as this, the players behind the scenes are getting nervous, and a whole lot of other factors that were not taken into consideration are causing the project to falter and collapse.

He insisted that were it transparent and done in “daylight”, the planners would have been forced to do a checklist of all the potential hazards, thus being able to plan effectively.

But when it is done in haste, the politician said it is logical for one to expect it to falter, as is currently the case with the Brazil/Guyana project, and “Luncheon is now trying to bring it back to life.”

Ramjattan opined that while Dr. Luncheon preferred to not use the word collapse, but rather that the project is in a “remedial” stage, the Cabinet Secretary is not being forthright in his assessment of the situation.

Girl, 15, thanks businessman, NGO for health-related assistance Nareesa Kaleel and her mother, Sharmala

Businessman Tony Yassin Thanks to businessman Tony Yassin and his NonGovernmental-Organization (NGO), Guyana Watch Inc., 15-year-old Nareesa Kaleel can go about her life without any pain or complication.

Kaleel, of Lot 9 La Jalousie, West Coast Demerara (WCD), was born with cleft palate.

The roof of the mouth (palate) is formed between the sixth and ninth weeks of pregnancy. A cleft palate happens if the tissue that makes up the roof of the mouth does not join together completely during pregnancy.

Yesterday, the teenager’s mother, Sharmala (only name given), said that her daughter was born with a “hole” in the roof of her mouth. She added that as her daughter got older, “the hole in her mouth got wider”.

The mother of three related that she took Kaleel to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC)

but at the time she was told that there was no doctor at the facility who could operate on her.

She further related that health workers at the hospital referred her daughter to a private hospital but again, the surgery wasn’t done.

“She was growing all the time and the hole was getting bigger and there was nothing I could have done. She could have only attended Nursery school because of the pain she was in,” Sharmala revealed.

She added that because of her daughter’s condition, she was always in pain.

“She couldn’t eat and so.

We had to feed her with a straw and she couldn’t eat much,” the mother said.

The woman further explained that early this year she was informed of the Guyana Watch Team.

“I took her and the doctors dem examine her. I also met with Mr. Yassin and he helped me. She did the surgery at Woodlands and (Continued on page 16)

“It will continue to cost Guyana millions which will go down the drain because of corrupt transactions behind the scenes.”

The attorney-at-law said that there should be regulations to penalize individuals and relevant stakeholders who indulge in this kind of transaction so that there can be a deterrent to such deals and minimize the losses.

Meanwhile, Project Manager of the E-Governance Unit, Alexei Ramotar, categorically stated that the E-Governance project and the Brazil/Guyana fibre optic cable project are two different ventures.

He said via a telephone conversation with this publication yesterday that the Brazil/Guyana fibre optic cable project is “part of a promise” to improve access to the internet locally, at a cheaper and more reliable rate. He noted that with regard to this project, it has only received US$4.5M. As for the US$32M EGovernance project, Ramotar said that it is not concerned with internet, but acts as a

database centre for government agencies and ministries with certain applications which would facilitate a better management of payment processes and other information efficiently.

He said that internet is just a service the project can provide, but it is not the main purpose of the project. He had said that the project will be rolled out in a phased manner and could take a number of years because of its expansive nature.

The E-governance project, he insisted, “was completed and is in the process of being operationalized.” With regard to the Brazil/Guyana fibre optic cable project, he said that “it is completed, but certain parts of it were not done properly.” The remedial work, he said, will carry an additional cost.

Though Ramotar disclosed that he is not in discussions with any firm or consultant on the completion of the project, Dr. Luncheon did reveal that he is currently engaged in dialogue with two firms and will be giving direction on how renovation and correction of the defects that have been documented can be dealt with.

“I for one am engaged in negotiations, but I have to be hesitant in these days of prorogation. I am involved in discussions with a local firm and one from a neighbouring country to conclude the rehabilitation of the existing cable that traverses the over 200 kilometres from its entry point in Lethem to its termination here at Castellani in Georgetown…but in so saying (the project) is obviously in need of being remedied.”

The Cabinet Secretary had also stated that while Guyana is not accessing the bandwidth, it has incurred some debt with the Brazilians.

“Well I would hate to say this publicly, but we haven’t paid them for the connection.

We do have a contract to purchase bandwidth, but the mechanism to access it hasn’t kicked in. The Brazilians have been understanding.

“We owe some US$76,000 a year for bandwidth connection on the project,” Dr. Luncheon had said. But Ramotar, who is directly in charge of this project, insisted that Guyana is not receiving any bandwidth, and as such, he is not aware that Guyana owes the neighbouring country a cent.

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Kaieteur News

Friday December 12, 2014

Death of four-year-old at GPHC...

Candlelight vigil held outside hospital to commemorate one-year anniversary

The vigil in session

Nathalie Caseley (left) and Juliet Harrison have both lost family members at the GPHC One year after the death of her son at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), Nathalie Caseley still has many concerns; primary among them is the delivery of health care offered at the institution.

For this reason, she is on a relentless mission to fight for justice for her son, Jaden Mars, who was four years old at the time of his demise.

In order to commemorate her son’s one-year death anniversary, Caseley on Wednesday evening spearheaded a vigil on the pavement outside of the hospital’s Accident and

Emergency entrance at New Market Street, Georgetown.

She was accompanied by several hymn-singing supporters, some of whom have had similar experiences of loss at the hospital.

Speaking to media operatives, Caseley said that she is hopeful that efforts to keep the issue of her son’s death alive will serve to not only improve the institution, but the quality of medical practitioners who deliver service there.

The woman, who has been struggling not to lose herself in grief, recalled that the day that her son was

pronounced dead, she even then made a promise to him that she will ensure that justice was served.

“These people have me fighting for justice even after a year of them knowing that they caused the death of my son!” said Caseley emphatically, as she spoke of her desire to help bring about change in the institution.

“I don’t mind if my son was a sacrifice; if my son would have died for the betterment of the institution I can live with that. If I can say that because Jaden died this is now a better institution I can live with that, but I am still

reading Jaden’s story, I am hearing about other Jadens, I am still hearing from people who are still losing people (family members) every day.”

Just recently the woman was informed by correspondence from the Guyana Medical Council that another investigation will be conducted into the death of her son. It is however her conviction that “they seem to be stalling.” She is convinced that rather than taking definitive action, efforts are being made to ‘wear her down’.

She disclosed that the Medical Council in its correspondence to her, stated that the renewed investigation into her son’s death will see all parties involved being interviewed.

This is in spite of the fact that several investigations, at the level of the Hospital and the Ministry of Health, had found glaring evidence of negligence in the treatment Mars received at the public health institution.

Chief Medical Officer, Dr

Shamdeo Persaud, had told this publication that he was satisfied that the investigations that were conducted offered sufficient information for action to be taken at the levels of the Nursing and Medical Councils.

This publication was informed that one nurse who attended to the child was sent on administrative leave, while at least three doctors involved in the case have remained on the job.

Caseley, in her quest to claim justice for her dead son, had a few months ago retained Attorney at Law, Nigel Hughes, on a Pro Bono basis to legally fight her cause.

According to Caseley, “we have served them through the court with our statement of claims and are awaiting a response from their attorney.”

Hughes had told this publication that “the deceased estate will be claiming exemplary damages for negligence to the tune of

$40 million.”

The legal action was taken in light of the fact that the hospital has not been taking steps to compensate her in any way for her loss.

Jaden Mars was admitted to the GPHC on December 4 last year to have his tongue sutured for a minor injury which he sustained when he fell at home and hit his mouth on a five-gallon bucket.

The child was initially taken to the East Ruimveldt Health Centre for medical attention but was transferred to the GPHC where as part of attempts to treat him, he was administered at least 50 milligrams of Ketamine, intended to sedate him so that his tongue could be sutured.

However, since the anaesthetic medicine was not effective in putting the child to sleep he was referred to the theatre to allow for controlled sedation.

The process should have taken about 15 minutes but it was not until one hour later that medical personnel (Continued on page 25)

Friday December 12, 2014

Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

Friday December 12, 2014

Demerara Bank celebrates 20 years in the industry ...launches Visa Cards

By Zena Henry Demerara Bank on Wednesday evening celebrated two decades in the banking industry and ushered in a new era for corporate Guyana as it launched for the first time in the country, Visa Signature and Classic Cards.

At a special cocktail reception at the Pegasus Hotel, Kingston, the bank launched its two new products; the full service Visa Cards, and longstanding staffers who have been with the bank from its inception were honoured with certificates and badges.

In terms of the newlyintroduced card facilities, it was emphasised that they will do away with the hassle and danger of carrying around large sums of cash during business transactions and offer customers a wide range of benefits and coverage.

Many of these persons

will however, have to satisfy the ability to maintain good credit and may access this convenience with ease given their good credit history.

Mr. Jerrett Morgan, senior supervisor of the bank’s investment department, notified that Demerara Bank is registered as a principle Visa member and is accessible to all the products and services offered by the international agency.

Morgan said that under the Visa brand, Demerara Bank will be providing services that are currently unavailable in Guyana.

Customers will have the ability to conduct business with ease inside and out of Guyana at any bank, merchant or other financial institution where Visa services are accepted. This speaks to the millions of ATMs and merchants around the world where the international company has made its links.

Several of Demerara Bank’s longstanding members were honoured at the occasion In terms of the Visa Classic card, Guyanese will have access to credit from $100,000 to $1M. The Signature card offers credit from $2M and above.

Generally, all the transactions performed with these cards will be free, except for when cash withdrawals, from ATMs especially, are made.

The two cards will attract separate interest rates, but no more than 24 percent, while

cash advancement rates per annum will also attract separate rates, but not exceeding 25 percent.

The Visa Signature card caters generally to those accustomed to high benefits and privileged lifestyles, Morgan asserted. Prior to that, he explained that the significant benefits which come with having the Signature card, also allows for those frequently outside of

Girl, 15, thanks businessman, NGO for...

(From page 13) Mr. Yassin paid for it,” Sharmala noted.

This newspaper was told that Kaleel underwent surgery on December 2, last,

and she is currently recovering.

In an invited comment,

Yassin said that Kaleel went to the Leonora Secondary School to seek medical assistance. He added that almost all the doctors examined her.

“This child went to several different hospitals… she was so sick that sometimes she crawled.

When I saw her, I collected her records and sent it to New York for advice,” the businessman noted.

He further revealed that after speaking with a number of doctors, the surgery was successfully done at the Woodlands Hospital.

The teen’s mother said that she cannot stop thanking the businessman for his generous help.

Guyana. The card also offers massive benefits to vacationers and other travellers in need of financial assistance outside of the country.

It was explained that a customer’s Visa account will be different from that of their ordinary bank account.

Customers are advanced the credit based on their choice of card. The customers also have the choice of replenishing their visa account at their discretion, but they must pay at least five percent of their advanced credit per month.

The highlight of Morgan’s presentation was the ease customers will have in accessing services due to the Visa call centres. The call centres will be the go-to departments for assistance on their service. They offer insurance for travellers’ onboard flights, car rentals, health wise and other emergencies. They offer vacation assistance such as exchange rates, tourist destinations, hotels, among other benefits.

Even purchases made with Visa cards have insurance up to a certain period and one percent of purchases made with the card monthly will be credited to the customer’s

account.

Head of State, President Donald Ramotar and Finance Minister Ashni Singh, endorsed the Visa cards and both commented on the positives for Guyana.

Minister Singh first congratulated the bank on its growth and evolution, and more significantly, their contribution to Guyana.

President Ramotar also congratulated the bank on its strides and urged the agency to continue in its advancement in what he described as a changing political and financial Guyana.

Demerara Bank’s Chief Executive Officer Pravinchandra Dave, also spoke at Wednesday’s event and highlighted the performance and certain changes which the bank must accommodate within the business sphere of things. He made specific reference to online shopping and ecommerce.

Several prominent persons including Minister Singh received Visa Signature cards on Wednesday evening.

Persons interested in accessing cards can do so online or visit the bank for more information.

Friday December 12, 2014

Kaieteur News

Death of St. Stanislaus teacher…

I will miss my baby girl this Christmas Like any other Christmas, Carol Green, the mother of Nyozi Goodman, the teacher whose decomposed body was discovered in a desolate area at Pattensen, East Coast Demerara (ECD) more than three weeks after she went missing, was hoping to have her daughter by her side for the holiday.

Yesterday, a distraught Green related to this newspaper that during the Christmas holidays, her four children, including Goodman and her grandchildren, would visit her in Linden, and they would all “have a blast”.

However, this year they will all be mourning the death of the 34-year-old St. Stanislaus teacher who was last seen alive at the National Sports Hall, where she had taken a few of her students to participate in a basketball game on July 06, last.

Relatives of the teacher were clinging to the hope that she was alive and well, but their worst fears were confirmed two days ago when a DNA sample taken from the skeletal remains found in Pattensen and sent to Trinidad, were confirmed as being those of Goodman.

During a telephone interview, Green said that she and other family members are currently planning the funeral arrangements.

The dead woman’s mother said that she received a telephone call yesterday from Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, who informed her that the ministry will be standing the cost for

- Mother the funeral.

“I am very thankful for this,” Green said.

She added that instead of thinking about preparing her children’s favourite dishes for the holiday, she now has to plan to bury one of them.

“I did not want to believe that it was her. I was hoping that she is still out there,” the woman reflected. She continued “I ain’t really got no Christmas spirit. I just going through the motion.”

It was more than three months ago that samples for DNA testing were taken from the skeletal remains of a female found in a bushy lot at Pattensen. A canvas belt was tied to the victim’s right arm and Goodman’s mother subsequently identified the belt as her daughter’s, but samples had to be sent overseas to positively identify the remains.

Goodman’s mother said that even though taxi driver Royston Waldron, the prime suspect in her daughter’s disappearance, is now dead, she still believes that the killer is somewhere out there, since the case has not yet been solved.

Waldron, an expoliceman, was shot dead on November 15, last, during a confrontation with police in Kitty.

He was also a suspect in the disappearance of policewoman Patriena Nicholson, who went missing in August 2013.

Candlelight vigil...

(From page 14) emerged from the theatre to inform Caseley that her son’s “heart had crashed.”

He remained in an unconscious state until December 10, 2013, when he died, in the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

A post mortem examination revealed that the child died from Pulmonary Embolism, commonly referred to as PE. PE is a blockage of the main artery of the lung or one of its branches by a substance that has travelled from elsewhere in the body through the bloodstream.

Speaking at the vigil on Wednesday evening was another grieving woman, Juliet Harrison, who spoke of the questionable deaths of two of her relatives, also at the GPHC. According to Harrison, who is a shopkeeper, she

was very surprised to hear of the death of Mars, as the child would frequent her shop with an uncle when he was alive.

“I can’t see how he died like that; I was very shocked.

I think that hospital (GPHC) needs to do something better for patients,” said the woman. She also spoke of the need for the hospital to rethink having young doctors on the wards.

The vigil, which was conducted under the watchful eyes of police ranks, saw the attendance of Hughes, who holds the position of Chairman of the Alliance for Change; A Partnership for National Unity’s, Dr George Norton and Attorney at law, James Bond; Social Activist, Mark Benschop and Human Rights Activist and Social Commentator Vidyaratha Kissoon, among others.

Page 25

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Kaieteur News

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Guyana Passport & Visa Forms Application, USA, Canada and England. Tel: 626-7040; 265-4535.

Repairs & spare, fridge, freezer, A/C, washers, stoves. Contact Nick: 683-1312, 627-3206 Repairs, sales & spares air conditioning, microwaves, washer, fridges & stoves.

Ultra Cool, call: 225-9032, 647-2943 REPAIRS AT LOW COST: FRIDGES, AIRCONDITIONERS, WASHING MACHINES, R1 2007; Candy Red motor TVS, MICROWAVES, cycle, never fall; 40 original FREEZERS- CALL: 629paint 1100 miles -$7,000US 4946 OR 225-4822 or best offer – Call: 623-4045 Real Deal Realty & Advisory Pitbull bus ($3.2M) Verossa Services: for all your real - $3.7M, Noah- $2M (All estate needs – Contact:223new) – Call: 603-9700 1440; 626-4489; 660-7672 Unregistered Spacio 2004, We repair fridge, freezer, AC, camera, rims, body kit, Fielder washer, dryer Call Omar: 2312003, black interior, fully 0655,683-8734 loaded. Call: 617-5536 2015 Calendars Personalised Unregistered fielder wagon - and beautiful designs @ $2.650M, Allion - $2.275M, City Printery, 58 Ornaque & Premio - $2.350M, $2.45M Robb Streets -Tel: 225-4968, (Mags, Rear Camera) City 621-3345 Motors- Call: 616-3413, 6926159.

Christmas Sale! 2003 Toyota Premio - $2.2M; never registered – Tel: 617-2891

VEHICLE FOR SALE One Toyota Raum : TV; Alarm, remote start ; PRR 8782 – Call:670-7243 Toyota Mark 2 - $2.2M neg.

BMW 318i - $2.2M neg.

Toyota Tacoma (RHD) (Auto/ 4WD) - $1.2M neg. – Call:6532005 1-Honda-600RR, Toyota Raum, Rav4, AT212, AT192, AE100 Sprinter Fun cargo, Tacoma 2007- Call: 644-5096, 697-1453

Toyota Prado, Price$5.5M Neg. Call: 643-2403 One GX110 Toyota Mark 2, in excellent condition, A/C, TV, DVD - 85000KM, price $1.9M neg – Call:629-5300

LEARN TO DRIVE Soman Son & Outar Driving School at Maraj BuildingTel: 644-5166; 622-2872; 6150964; 689-5997 Driving classes @ 3540 Stevedore Housing Scheme, North Ruimveldt, Georgetown – Call: 655-1534, 225-6337 FOR SALE/RENT American Pool Table – Call: 277- 0578

CAR RENTAL PROGRESSIVE AUTO RENTAL:CARS&SUV FOR RENTAL- $4,000 & UP PER DAY- CALL: 643-5122, 2193900, EMAIL: PRO_AUTO RENTAL@YAHOO.COM Aidan’s Car & Pickup rental, cheap rate, low security – Tel:698-7807;690-6494

FOR SALE XBOX 360Slim: Systems, games, controllers, hard drivers and kinect sensorCall: 683-8386 Pools table cloth, balls, pocket cuestick, rubber, coinshute tips, chalk spring, chalk holder, coins– Call: 669-9927

FOR RENT PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 GT TOOL RENTALS: COMPACTOR; CHIPPING HAMMER RANSOM & FLOOR SANDER, (SALE) AND MORE, SAWS & DRILLS -$10,000 - CALL: 675-0767, 667-2535 Executive Residence – centrally and beautifully located in Bel-Air Springs, Georgetown for immediate occupancy. Ph 226-6229, 2265903 Metal Scaffold for rent- Call: 623-6586 or 225-7607 Five bedrooms house, 107 Lamaha Gardens & Large Parking; AC Rooms Hot & Cold, Purified Water System – Call: 661-8908, 335-3590 One business place for rent @ Stewartville W.C.D, opposite School – Call: 6135261 1 Bedroom apartment @ 1 Church Street Friendship E.B.D – Call: 661-8700

PROPERTY FOR SALE Six acres prime roadside land and metal workshop in Corriverton, can be sold with or without workshop. Call: 626-6245 Two storey business property at the corner of Ketley and Howes Street Charlestown – Call:623-9679 Property @ Meadowbrook Drive: four bedrooms, 3 bathrooms – Tel:664-5199; 675-7043 One unfinished house in West Minister - $4.5M- Call: 661-0618, 601-3469 (size: 20X47)

Friday December 12, 2014

VACANCY Work from home & earn $5,000-$20,000 daily; www.jobfairworldwide.com Tel:233-6517; 622-1957; 9am5pm Mon-Fri & Saturday 10am-4pm Male & female workers: managers, accountants, checkers, salesperson & housekeepers @ RA Soda Factory – Call: 330-23992772; 623-5920 One female clerk – Call: 2315171 Live in housekeeper, to care for infant; 35-45yrs – Call: 697-8797 Immediate: Ice machine operators (training provided) & night security to work @ Ice Factory in Meadow Bank – Call: 231-1408; 642-9191 Porters; rip saw and moulder operator – Call Richard: 6097675; 233-2614 Vacancy: Exist at GME Realty for real estate agents or salesperson; please text Mr. Waaldijk: 618-7483 One qualified hairdresser; one housekeeper – Call:225-6492 Pastry maker & counter clerks/servers @ Kiskar Natural Way with police clearance , food handlers certificate & NIS; 5 Camp & Durban – Tel:231-4971 Cooks – must able to prepare vegetarian dishes @ Kiskar Natural Way, 5 Camp & Durban St – Tel: 231-4971

LAND FOR SALE Parika (Butcher Shop Street) – One (1) Lot 38' X 150' $ 7m - Contact 650-0402 - for serious inquiries Blankenburg @ The Back Of Gas Station (3) Lots @ 75' X 76' Each. $20M for all 3 Lots.

(1) Lot for $10m - Contact 650-0402 One residential land at Herstelling -$4.5M – Tel:6610618; 601-3469 Prime business spot @ Parfaite Harmonie - $3.5M, $1.5M, $2.2M with house, Grove - $2.5M (with foundation) Call: 675-7292

Property at Block 8 Tuschen; lot 334 – Call: 660-0439 EDUCATIONAL

CAR RENTAL

Pre- Christmas Give away $25,000 OFF 9 Course Computer Diploma.

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Micrographics, Vreed- EnHoop. Call: 264-3057

DOLLY’S CAR RENTAL CALL: 225-7126/ 2263693 DOLLYSAUTO RENTAL@YAHOO.COM/ WWW.DOLLYSAUTO RENTAL.COM

FOR SALE LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICK SILVER) 99.99995% PURITY$19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-227-4754.

Spare for washing machine, microwaves, fridges, stoves, timers, gearbox, pumps, etc call: 225-9032, 647-2943 1 Double door fridge $165,000; 1 New Rigid 3600 W generator - $170,000, 1 Washer and Dryer Maytag $120,000 each – Tel: 672-7194 Two 15" RCF Speaker MB15H401 series with box – Tel:686-5341 or 654-2847 Complete Snapper Boats for sale – Excellent Condition – Contact: 648-6815; 641-4506 Stalls at Robb Street & Bourda –Contact: 695-1359 between 9am -11am PICK YOUR PIG! CHOOSE YOUR SIZEAND WE WILL HAVE IT READY! CALL:266-2711 OR 6094594 Two forklifts Clarke & Toyota 5000lbs, wood mizer XT40 sawmill, fire proof explosion proof safe – Call: Paul: 612-7206; 619-7393 1 Toyota Rav4; year 2000 $2.5M neg. PKK Series; great condition – Tel:612-8803 Used Dell E4300, E6500 M4400, HP Elite Book 6930 Laptops – Contact Sean: 226-9377

WANTED Drivers with lorry licence apply @ Wieting & Richter Ltd. Experienced Roti/Puri cooks, Pastry makers, kitchen assistant; apply at Hack’s Halaal – Lot 5 Commerce Street Female worker needed, 3 CXC subject or sound secondary school education- Call: 6121607 Receptionist, maid to work shift at Hilton Crest Hotel – 25yrs and over, must be experienced – Call:223-6284 1 Female cleaner to work in snackette & bar , must know to cook, age 20-35yrs – Tel:647-7432, 223-5798 Bartender, kitchen assistant, waitress, ASAP @ Streem Café & Bar : Oronoque & Robb St. Must have ID – Phone: 658-6873 (apply In person) Shop assistant to work in the interior salary $80,000 – Tel:688-5409; 664-5199; 6757043 One live in domestic to work in Diamond; age 25-45 – Salary $60,000 – Tel:6885409; 664-5199 Hire car driver @ Gem’s Taxi Service – Call: 667-9013, 2255075 Contract cars & hire car drivers at Atlas Taxi Service – Tel:218-5593; 218-5594 Girls to work as waitresses in bar – Tel:256-4096 Experienced taxi drivers with valid hire license – Call: 2310250 or 231-0260 One puri maker – Call: 2269561 One assistant salesgirl @ E.C.D – Call: 644-9802

Panel indicating light, Genset exhaust box, contractors & relay. Tel: 6277835 Perkins Engines: One 6 Cylinder - $400,000, One 4 Cylinder - $300,000, 3" Water Pumps - $60,000, GPS $60,000 – Call:693-2237 One Nail Technician specialized in Nail Art design, Outboard Engine - $300,000, Air Brush and also Hair Bedford Model M 4X4 - Extension. Tel: 231-6000 $3.5M Negotiable – Trailer One experienced bus driver; $80,000 – Call:693-2237 must be 45 years or older; Lumber: Crab wood boards zone 41 – Contact:666-9534 and planks, greenheart etc, (rough & dressed) excellent Mason & Carpenters wanted prices – Call Richard: 609- – Call: 668-9863, 615-7526 7675/ 233-2614; 674-1705 One able bodied male to Exercise equipment: Treadmill, work in a Hardware store cardio, bicycle, infant bed, Call: 231-2029; 219-4533 swing & high chair – Call:600- One porter to work on 1329 beverage canter – Call:222Xbox ONE, Xbox 360 - $40,000, 3927; 649-9876 PS3 - $35,000, Nintendo 3DS - Land to buy in Providence, $25,000, PSP - $16,000. Call:- Herstelling, Eccles, Parfaite 621-7497/603-8643 Harmonie, Uitvlugt, Zeelugt.

Two super scoop bass box Call: 675-7292 with two RCF p300 18" 1 Labourer for 2 or 3 half day Speakers – Tel: 623-9679 – Call: 226-3736 CATERING Rubberized Tarpaulins for sale 20X20 - $20,000, any size From the USA Catering available – Tel: 600-0498 American & Guyanese Grand Yard Sales @ 19 Cuisine Specialty deserts for holidaysGarnett Street, C/Ville, the Floral, gifts, herbal, clothes valstastytreats.com / 219& craft – 50% off all items 3166 – Call: 225-2681, 684-5868 (Continued on page 31)

Friday December 12, 2014

Kaieteur News

Mabura miner faces murder charge after burnt employee succumbs A 45-year-old mining operator appeared before Magistrate Ann McLennan yesterday at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court to answer a charge of murder, involving one of his employees.

It is alleged that on December 6 at Mabura Upper Demerara River, Rajesh Roopnarine, also known as “Boss man” murdered David Campbell.

Roopnarine was not required to enter a plea to the indictable charge. He was represented by Attorney -Atlaw Peter Hugh, who told the court that his client is unmarried, a father of two, and has no previous brushes with the law.

The deceased was a chainsaw operator. He sustained third degree burns about his body and died at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation last Saturday, seven days after he was reportedly set alight at a mining camp at 14 Miles Mabura, Upper Demerara River.

The incident occurred around 17:30 hrs on

Accused: Rajesh Roopnarine November 30. Campbell resided at Old Road, Timehri, East Bank Demerara.

His colleagues, Jason Persaud, Etwaroo Karran and Tyron Campbell, who were also in the camp when it was set alight, managed to escape without injuries.

Magistrate McLennan adjourned the matter until December 17.

Page 31

‘Fip’ Motilall arrested in Florida The former, controversial contractor of the Amaila Falls hydro road has ended up in a Florida jail. On Tuesday night, Makeshwar ‘Fip’ Motilall, was arrested by the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office. He was arrested for driving under the influence (DUI). He was taken to the Sheriff’s office where he was booked.

Motilall gained notoriety in Guyana after he initiated the Amaila Falls hydroelectric project but was unable to find financing. The project was taken up by Government and handed to a US developer.

Motilall was rewarded by being granted a US$15.4M contract to build more than 150 miles of access roads to take equipment and turbines to the project site at Amaila Falls, Region Eight.

However, there was no evidence that Motilall had experience in road building, much less handling the harsh terrain that the road construction would have involved.

Despite being advanced hundreds of millions of dollars, Motilall’s company, Synergy Holdings Inc., ran into all kinds of trouble. There was evidence that he brought

(From page 30)

TO LET One two bedroom bottom flat apartment @ C/Ville also Arrested: Makeshwar ‘Fip’ Motilall Business Space @ C/Ville – Call: 650-0716/667-7836 in problematic equipment with the contract to Motilall. some even sinking in the Brassington was insistent Bedroom bottom flat swampy areas. that Motilall was eminently apartments; preferably single Under the contract, qualified to execute the person – Call: 689-6965 Motilall was supposed to project. He even wagered that design and construct the road. the contractor would One 3 bedrooms upstairs Government had announced complete the project on time with inside toilet & bath at Mon Repos (Martyrsville) the award of the contract to and in excellent fashion.

Motilall on March 26, 2010.

In January 2012, days E.C.D – Price $45,000 monthly Synergy Holdings was given after being sworn in, the – Tel: 629-5300 the first notice to proceed on Donald Ramotar 1-2 Storey 3 bedroom back October 5, 2010 for some administration announced house with toilet & bath, grill, sections of the road, while the that Motilall had been fired for fence, water @ Vreed-Engreen light for the other missing deadlines and failing Hoop – rent: $55,0000 – Call:685-7566 section through virgin to submit a required bond. rainforest was given on January 11, 2011.

Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh, and Head of the Privatisation Unit, Winston Brassington, had met with the press to justify the award of

Page 32

Kaieteur News

Friday December 12, 2014

Jamaica approached to Kamla must say why she didn’t go to Cuba sell PetroCaribe debt The Gleaner - Finance and Planning Minister Dr Peter Phillips has said the Jamaican Government had been approached by institutions who have expressed an interest in purchasing the country’s stock of PetroCaribe debt which now stands at about US$3 billion.

His comments came this week during a meeting of the Standing Finance Committee of Parliament where Opposition spokesman on finance Audley Shaw quizzed Phillips on whether Jamaica had been approached to sell its portfolio of PetroCaribe debt on the global money market.

Wednesday, The Financial Times reported that the Venezuelan government, in an attempt to raise desperately needed cash and quell growing social turmoil, has reportedly sold debt owed to it by the Dominican Republic and Jamaica to Goldman Sachs at a steep discount.

With oil accounting for

Dr Peter Phillips roughly 96 per cent of the country’s export earnings and 48 per cent of budget revenue, the slump in oil prices has taken a toll on Venezuela’s already dire finances.While admitting that the country had received proposals to sell its PetroCaribe debt, Phillips said he was not in a position to divulge information that was still at the discussion stage.

“From time to time the GOJ receives proposals regarding liability-management issues and have received proposals

in relation to the PetroCaribe portfolio from more than one institution,” he said.

“We are not in the habit of commenting on potential transactions until they become a reality and that’s the situation now but we have been (approached),” Phillips told Shaw during the Standing Finance Committee meeting.

Shaw also wanted to know whether any discounting that may arise from the potential sale of Jamaica’s PetroCaribe debt would be passed on to the country. Phillips noted that while he could not respond to the question in the absence of a specific transaction, “in general terms, there would be no interest unless there was a discount sufficient to make it worthwhile”.Additionally, he said, in Jamaica’s case, the country would have to be mindful of the commitment that had been made by the Venezuelan authorities to the island and other PetroCaribe partners over the period.

Barbados Nation - The Movement for Social Justice (MSJ) is condemning Prime Minister Kamla PersadBissessar’s decision not to attend the CARICOM-Cuba summit and says she must give a reason for her absenteeism.

Wednesday, MSJ political leader David Abdulah said Persad-Bissessar missed out on an opportunity to represent Trinidad and Tobago at the summit held on Monday in Havana, Cuba.

In a press release, Abdulah said: “Cuba has been rebuffed at the precise time that Cuba has, at the request of Trinidad and

Tobago, provided hundreds of health care professionals to assist with the shortage of personnel in the public service. Cuba has also volunteered to train our professionals and assist CARICOM countries in becoming prepared for the threat of Ebola.

“This is just one part of Cuba’s assistance to Trinidad and Tobago and the rest of the Caribbean.

The least that this country could have done is to demonstrate mutual respect to the Cuban head of government and head of state by attending the summit hosted by him.”

Kamla PersadBissessar

Blasts kill at least 40 in Nigerian city of Jos ( R e u t e r s ) - Tw o bombs exploded near a bus station in the central N i g e r i a n c ity of Jos on Thursday evening, witnesses said, the second one killing at least 40 people. Casualties from the first blast could n o t immediately be ascertained and Nigerian security sources could

not immediately be reached for comment.Bomb blasts that bore the hallmarks of Islamist Boko Haram militants killed 118 people in the same area of Jos in May. “I saw a flash of light and heard a loud boom. Afterwards there was debris everywhere and mutilated

bodies,” witness Tanko Mohammed said of the blast in Jos’s commercial Terminus district. A Reuters reporter counted 11 bodies at one bomb site and 29 at the other.

Boko Haram is a Sunni jihadist movement that has been waging a five-year insurgency to establish an Islamist state in the northeast of the country.

Friday December 12, 2014

Kaieteur News

Page 33

U.S Army Vet vanishes in Trinidad German killed in Kabul attack on play condemning suicide bombings Trinidad Express - A 59year-old United States Army veteran on vacation in Trinidad has gone missing in Princes Town.

Kevin Petway, of Queens, New York, was seen last week Thursday night in Mount Stewart Village.

His wife, Radica Petway, told the Express that at around 9.30 p.m. he told her he was leaving their vacation home that they had built at Douglin Street

and was headed to a nearby supermarket.

He never returned.The couple married some 12 years ago, and have children from previous relationships.

When at around 11 p.m. she did not see him, she went out into the street to look for him.“I walked out into road but it was too dark. So I was walking back in. I called out to my sister and told her what

happened.

Then I saw a police vehicle passing and I flagged them down and told them he was missing”, said Radica Petway.

By this morning when there was no w o r d o f h i s whereabouts, she made a formal report to the Ste Madeleine Police Station.

The wife said that he was last seen wearing a Blue and Black Hawaiian shirt, long blue jeans and black sneakers.

Dominica unions to discuss govt’s wage increase proposal ROSEAU, Dominica CMC – The latest salary increase proposed by the Dominica government will be the focus of a meetings scheduled yesterday and today with unions representing public servants.

For several months the government and trade unions here have been at odds over an increase in salaries for public servants for the period 2012 to 2015. Initially, the government had offered a wage freeze but that was turned down. The offer was then slightly increased but that was also rejected.

However at a rally held by the ruling Dominica Labour Party (DLP), only days before Monday’s general election, party leader Roosevelt Skerrit offered an increase of five percent, which he said, will be done with the help of “friendly governments”.

According to president of the Police Welfare

Association (PWA), Jefferson Drigo, the meetings will discuss the latest offer of five percent for the triennium.

Meanwhile, President of the Dominica Association of Teachers (DAT), Ceila Nicholas, the unions are in a very good position at this

Roosevelt Skerrit

time. “The national executive will be advising its members accordingly.

We have informed ourselves and we know that we are on the right track and we will hear what our members have to say on Friday, but we will be guiding them accordingly,” she said.

(Reuters) - A teenaged bomber on Thursday targeted a Kabul auditorium packed with people watching a drama condemning suicide attacks and being staged at a French cultural c e n t e r, killing a German man and wounding 16 people, officials and a witness said.

The suicide blast was the

second to strike the Afghan capital in a day, after six Afghan soldiers perished when their bus was hit on the outskirts of the city as they rode into work.

The violence, part of a nationwide campaign by Islamist Taliban insurgents to strike at military and civilian targets, came less than three weeks before the year-end

deadline for most foreign combat soldiers to withdraw from the country.

General Ayoub Salangi, head of the Interior Ministry while the cabinet is being finalised, said the suspected theater bomber appeared to have been about 17 years old and detonated his explosives at the venue during an early evening performance.

Page 34

Kaieteur News

Friday December 12, 2014

CIA chief admits agency used ‘abhorrent’ methods on detainees (Reuters) - CIA Director John Brennan said on Thursday some agency officers used “abhorrent” methods on detainees captured following the Sept.

11 attacks and said it was “unknowable” whether harsh interrogation techniques yielded useful intelligence.

With his agency under fire in the aftermath of a U.S. Senate report detailing the CIA’s use of torture on detainees after the 2001 attacks, Brennan rejected the report’s conclusion that the agency had deceived the White House, Congress and the public about its interrogation programme.

“Our reviews indicate that the detention and interrogation programme produced useful intelligence that helped the United States thwart attack plans, capture terrorists and save lives,” Brennan told a news conference at the agency’s Virginia headquarters.

“But let me be clear. We have not concluded that it was the use of EITs (enhanced interrogation techniques) within that programme that allowed us to obtain useful information from detainees subjected to them,” Brennan said.

“The cause-and-effect

Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) John Brennan relationship between the use of EITs and useful information subsequently provided by the detainee is, in my view, unknowable,” he added.

The programme was run under President George W. Bush. Senior officials from that administration have defended the methods, which President Barack Obama barred when he took office in

2009. Former Vice President Dick Cheney said in 2009 the methods were “absolutely essential in saving thousands of American lives and preventing further attacks against the United States.”

Brennan made an appeal to move on from the controversy over past CIA actions.

Friday December 12, 2014

Kaieteur News

Page 35

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Kaieteur News

Friday December 12, 2014

Kohli century leads India’s reply On Test captaincy debut, on the ground where he had scored his maiden Test century, Virat Kohli made his seventh hundred to lead India’s reply to Australia’s 7 for 517 declared. India would have been in a better position had M Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane pushed on after reaching halfcenturies on the easy-paced Adelaide pitch.

They would have still been in a reasonably solid position had Kohli not taken on a Mitchell Johnson short ball and top-edged a pull to long leg with four overs left in the day. Kohli departed for 115, leaving 119 as his highest Test score, with a corresponding ODI mark of 183.

Barring the opening stand

of 30, the next four partnerships were all 70-plus, Kohli the common factor in three of them. Kohli came into Adelaide having tallied 134 runs in ten Test innings in England. He ducked into a Johnson bouncer first ball, hit flush on the front of the helmet.

There was concern among the Australians, most particularly Johnson, visibly strained about the blow with Phillip Hughes’ death on his mind. Kohli steadied himself and won every crucial moment against Australia’s premier fast bowler from thereon, till his downfall.

Three balls after the hit, he strode forward to drive Johnson down the ground

for three. First ball from Johnson after lunch, he leaned on the front foot to drive through extra cover for four. First delivery from Johnson with the second new ball. Same result.

T h r e e b a l l s l a t e r, h e punched off the back foot.

Same result. Johnson went for 90 in 16 overs leading up to Kohli’s depature.

Australia’s fast bowlers were not able to get much more out of the easy-paced Adelaide pitch than India’s attack had, apart from the occasional Johnson lifters.

They pitched it up often, but there was little conventional or reverse swing, and Kohli helped himself to some emphatic drives and clips. He came

Friday December 12, 2014 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) A journey by air to a distant place might be on your mind, though you might not make it for a long time. Knowledge is important to you, and you can be insatiably curious.

TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) The desire to beautify your home could hit you full force today. Perhaps you're expecting visitors or house guests and want to make a good impression.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) A new neighbor could arrive who you feel especially drawn to. You might have high hopes for a friendship with this person.

CANCER (June 21–July 22) You could be feeling especially sociable today.

Maybe there's a party of some kind in your neighborhood.

You could hear some good news, and there is probably some truth to it, but take everything you hear through the grapevine with a grain of salt.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) An attractive neighbor with whom you seem to share a bond could become a friend.

A group you're affiliated with could be expressing highly idealized goals and purposes.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Dreams of a new career could fill your mind today, perhaps because of too much stress in your current one.

You might even think of becoming a movie star!

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Spiritual goals may be at the top of your priority list now, Sagittarius. You may be looking for metaphysical seminars or meditation workshops, perhaps taking place in a distant state or foreign country.

CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19) Lovely dreams could spark your imagination and get your artistic abilities going. You could learn a lot about yourself and whatever has been limiting you.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) You're feeling especially loving, attractive, and romantic, so romance is likely to be on your mind.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) A new friend could arrive today, Aquarius. You're probably going to like this person very much. He or she probably shares many of your interests.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) An increased level of ESP and imagination could have you feeling more creative and artistic. You might want to channel this energy into writing, painting, or adding touches to your living room.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) If you've been thinking about a job change or even a new career, a chance encounter could provide the opportunity. However, remember, "If something seems too good to be true, it probably is."

through a period of discomfort against the offspinner Nathan Lyon to milk him for runs off the back foot.

Two of his middle-order colleagues, Pujara and Rahane, succumbed to the offspinner. Lyon gained considerably more assistance than legspinner Karn Sharma had managed. Pujara and Kohli were troubled by Lyon’s control and testing length and line outside off stump. Vijay had countered the offspinner by stepping out and lofting a couple of sixes, but the middle order, hesitant to leave the crease or go right back, was tied down in the second session.

Wary of the turn and bounce with short leg in wait, Pujara was tentatively half-forward on 73 when one kicked, hit his thigh and slipped between his legs to roll on to the stumps. Rahane had a rather nervy start but he rode his luck to hit ten fours in his 62, displaying his strength off the back foot against both spin and pace.

He was beaten a few times

by Johnson, just cleared midon off Lyon and almost topedged Peter Siddle to deep square leg. A sharp turner from Lyon threw him in e n o u g h d o u b t t o play a similar length next ball off the back foot, but it bounced so much it took the top of the handle and popped to slip.

Vijay’s fall was down to a short, sharp burst from Johnson at the stroke of lunch. Johnson worked Vijay over with a few bouncers, hitting the opener on the shoulder with one of them.

Vijay, pushed back in the crease, feathered a pitched-up delivery to the wicketkeeper on 53.

Both Vijay and Pujara had looked good for plenty more after Shikhar Dhawan’s exit for a quick 25. Vijay was cautious initially, his first runs coming off his 19th delivery through a misfield, and his first boundary taking 46 balls. He left safely, as he had done for long periods in England.

Pujara was assured against the quicks right from the moment he came in. Harris and especially Siddle strayed into the pads often and Pujara picked them for boundaries.

He also drove superbly through the covers. Despite all their starts and managing one more fifty-plus score than Australia did, India had one hundred to show against the hosts’ three, all of them bigger than Kohli’s score.

Rohit Sharma, who has

Virat Kohli made a statement with a century on Test captaincy debut © Getty Images had a difficult time in away Tests, looked in fine touch during his unbeaten 33, and Wriddhiman Saha survived a

bouncer barrage from Johnson, but India were still playing catch-up with a deficit of 148. (ESPNcricinfo)

Friday December 12, 2014

Kaieteur News

Page 37

Scotiabank Joins CONCACAF as Official Partner Miami The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) has announced an official partnership with Scotiabank, designating the international bank as title sponsor of the CONCACAF Champions League and official bank of the Confederation.

The multi-year agreement makes Scotiabank the first official partner of CONCACAF, and covers multiple tournaments through 2018 including the region’s most important club competition – the CONCACAF Champions League –now to be known as the Scotiabank Champions League beginning February 2015 with the Championship Round of the on-going 201415 edition.

“I am extremely proud to welcome Scotiabank to the CONCACAF football family and commemorate this strategic partnership,” said CONCACAF President Jeffrey Webb.

“This agreement exemplifies the growing value of CONCACAF’s properties and demonstrates the trust and confidence in our Confederation.”

Headquartered in

Toronto, Scotiabank is Canada’s most international bank, with a presence in over 55 countries including Latin America, the Caribbean and parts of Asia. The Bank offers a broad range of products and services, including personal and commercial banking, wealth management, corporate and investment banking, to over 21 million customers.

“Scotiabank is proud of our deep roots and strong commitment in the CONCACAF regions – supporting customers, businesses and communities for over 180 years,” said John Doig, Scotiabank’s Chief Marketing Officer. “This partnership is a natural fit for Scotiabank. Football is a passion we share with our customers and we’re excited to support current and future football stars. We are looking forward to celebrating the sportsmanship and teamwork of this beautiful game.”

In addition to title sponsorship of the Champions League, Scotiabank becomes an official sponsor for the CONCACAF Gold Cup – the Confederation’s flagship event for national teams – for 2015 and 2017.

Scotiabank will also

Sealed Deal! CONCACAF President Jeff Webb (3rd right) and Mexican Football Federation President Justino Compean (2nd right) join Scotiabank Officials and others in celebrating the partnership. support multiple additional CONCACAF tournaments through 2018, including 2016 Olympic Qualifying events, and men’s and women’s tournaments at the under-20 and under-17 levels, starting with the CONCACAF Men’s Under-20 Championship Jamaica 2015, set to kick off in January.

The deal further includes sponsorship for the next two editions of the CFU Caribbean Cup and the UNCAF Central American Cup, as well as upcoming

Russian doping claims: IAAF president’s son stands down Two IAAF officials, including the son of President Lamine Diack, have stepped down from their posts. It comes after Germany’s ARD broadcast documentaries alleging that IAAF officials covered up systematic doping.

Massata Papa Diack, a marketing consultant for athletics’ governing body, has joined Valentin Balakhnichev, the IAAF’s treasurer, in stepping down.

The IAAF was unable to confirm reports that its legal adviser Habib Cisse had also quit.

The IAAF said Massata Papa Diack wrote to the organisation to confirm he will suspend his activities until the organisation’s ethics committee had completed its investigation into the allegations.

The documentaries alleged that doping in Russian athletics was rife and that Balakhnichev was implicated. Balakhnichev, Russia’s athletics chief, dismissed the allegations as “a pack of lies”.

He told the Tass news agency he had stepped down voluntarily from his IAAF

role, adding that he planned to return at “the end of the investigation into this doping scandal”. The IAAF released a short statement to say it “appreciates the gesture” made by Balakhnichev.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) has also launched an investigation into the claims, in which an unnamed top British athlete has also been implicated.

The BBC has not independently verified the documentary’s allegations and is awaiting responses from athletes targeted in the programme.

CONCACAF Appoints Denoncourt...

From page 38 becoming the first female referee to obtain a FIFA international badge. She later became the first woman to referee men’s first division matches in El Salvador and Brazil.

“It’s an honor and privilege to be in this position to help raise the level of professionalism in the region,” said Denoncourt.

“There is a lot of potential in CONCACAF, and we

need to provide more support to all 41 Member Associations in order to build a stronger structure leading to improved performance on the field.”

Throughout her career, Denoncourt has received numerous accolades, among them the Quebec Soccer Federation’s Referee of the Year award on five separate occasions: 1993, 1996, 1997, 1999 and 2000. She has also been inducted into

the Quebec Soccer and Canadian Soccer Halls of Fame, and was named as honorary and life member of the Canadian Soccer Association.

Denoncourt has been part of many football committees, including the FIFA Task Force and, most recently, was appointed as the first female member of the IFAB (The International Football Association Board) Technical Advisory Panel.

CONCACAF championships in Beach Soccer, Futsal and at the Girls’ and Boys’ under15 levels.

“When we extended our agreement with CONCACAF in late 2013, we focused on restructuring the sponsorship program in line with global standards led by CONCACAF Partners,” said Aaron Davidson, President of Traffic Sports USA, the sponsorship rights agency of CONCACAF. ”Scotiabank is the perfect founding CONCACAF Partner thanks to their footprint across the region and their commitment to sport and the communities they serve.”

The partnership was announced in an event hosted at the Mexican Stock Exchange in Mexico City on Tuesday morning, with the presence of special invited guests from the Mexican and international soccer community including Mexican Football Federation President Justino Compean.

In addition to the participation of the President of the Mexican Football Federation and other dignitaries, players from Cruz Azul, the reigning champion of the CONCACAF Champions League, sent a video message of support.

The team is currently in

Morocco, preparing to represent the region in the 2014 FIFA Club World Cup. The current edition of the newly-minted Scotiabank Champions League, a yearly regional championship disputed among the top club teams from countries across North America, Central America and the Caribbean, resumes in February 2015 with the Championship Round.

Quarterfinal matches are set to take place in Canada, Costa Rica, Honduras, Mexico and the United States.

Financial terms of the partnership deal were not disclosed.

Sri Lanka v England: Joe Root century inspires Pallekele win An unbeaten 104 from Joe Root guided England to a fivewicket victory in the fifth oneday international against Sri Lanka in Pallekele. Beginning their chase of 240 a day late after Wednesday’s rain, they lost both openers cheaply inside eight overs.

James Taylor (68) and Root put on 104 for the third wicket to revive England.

And Root added 86 with Ravi Bopara, reaching 100 with a six, as England won with five balls left to cut Sri Lanka’s lead to 3-2 with two matches to play. After seamer Chris Woakes restricted Sri Lanka with 6-47 before rain intervened on Wednesday, runs for a new-look middle order kept the series alive and brought further encouragement for England as they prepare for the World Cup in February.

Under-fire skipper Alastair Cook, returning to the top of the order following a onematch ban for his team’s slow over-rate, was unable to silence his critics however,

although he began positively under clear skies by cutting two boundaries in the opening over.

With spin in operation at both ends at the start of the innings, partner Moeen Ali added another boundary but was bowled in the second over playing an ungainly heave to Sachithra Senanayake’s fourth delivery in his first match since a suspension for an illegal action.

Cook’s problems pushing forward against spin resurfaced and he would have been lbw had the Sri Lankans chosen to review a not-out decision, but he was soon dismissed in similar fashion for 20, a second wicket for Senanayake, who was still able to cause problems despite not generating much spin with his remodelled action.

Root and Taylor batted with calm assurance to keep the tourists comfortably ahead of the required rate when the clouds built up to

offer the threat of a Duckworth-Lewis denouement. Taylor, in only his fourth ODI, struck a six over long-on when only on three and took 67 balls to reach his second successive fifty, Sri Lanka missing the variety of a left-arm spinner, with the wily Rangana Herath injured.

But having shared in England’s first century partnership of the series, the diminutive 24-year-old cut a forlorn figure when he picked out backward square-leg in the 29th over, with 101 still needed.

Bopara (28) provided the ideal foil for Root, but with only 15 required from as many deliveries he holed out to long on. Eoin Morgan reverse swept his first ball for four and although the left-hander was also caught on the boundary, Root guided his team to the highest successful run chase at Pallekele, putting them in fine fettle for the penultimate match of the series tomorrow. (BBCsport)

Page 38

Kaieteur News

Supreme Petroleum/Big Yard Auto Sale T20-EBE

Savory’s century propels Parika Salem to huge win An unbeaten century by Kemol Savory guided Parika Salem to a 145-run victory over Philadelphia when the latest round of matches in the Supreme Petroleum/Big Yard Auto Sale T20 tournament concluded on Sunday last at East Bank Essequibo.

Savory slammed 101 and got support from Kevon Boodie with 48 and Daniram Lallaram 42 not out as Parika Salem piled up 2113 in 20 overs, batting first in the afternoon fixture at Vergenoegen.

Philadelphia were skittled for 66 in 12.3 overs in reply.

Ravi Seenarine scored 31 not out while left arm spinner Hemchand Persaud captured 315, Lallaram 2-0 and Jason Heyliger 2-20. In the day’s first game, the host went down to Supreme Petroleum by 83 runs.

Keemo Paul struck 93 to lead Supreme Petroleum to a challenging 168-7 in 20 overs, taking first strike. Sheldon Alexander made 18; Kellon Daniel and R. Choo claimed two wickets each. Vergenoegen folded for 85 in 16.2 overs in response. Keron Montague made 29 and Abish Rambarran 17. Imran Khan snared 3-13 and Paul 2-4. At Tuschen, Hyde Park overcame Tuschen B by 45 runs.

Hyde Park batted first and managed 104-7 after the game

Keemo Paul was reduced to 15 overs due or rain. Mark Braithwaite cracked 23 and Ucil Armstrong 20. V. Roopchand took 2-12 and H. Ramcharran 2-17. Tuschen B were routed for 59 in 12.2 overs in reply. Medium pacer Inshan Mohamed grabbed 6-11 off three overs and Mahendra Nandkishore 2-11. Hydronie beat Zeelugt in their encounter at the said venue.

The semi finals will be played tomorrow with Tuschen A hosting Supreme Petroleum and Parika Salem entertaining Hyde Park. Both matches start at 13:30

Kemol Savory hrs.

The competition concludes on Sunday with the third place play off and final at Vergenoegen.

The winning, runner-up and third place teams will receive trophies while the most valuable player, batsman with the most runs and highest individual score, bowler with the best figure and most wickets will also be rewarded.

The most outstanding allrounder will pocket $20,000 compliments of Orville Stuart, Vice Chairman of the East Bank Essequibo Cricket Committee.

GCA tournaments play on this weekend Matches in the Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA) Hadi’s World City Mall Inc. first division two-day and New Building Society second division 40-over tournaments will continue this weekend.

In the lone first division game which starts at 09:30hrs tomorrow, Everest will travel to Malteenoes SC. (Umpires Hortence Isaacs and Cyril Garnath). In second division play tomorrow from 10:30hrs, Third Class will journey to Demerara Cricket Club (Clyde Layne

and Daniel Richmond); GNIC will host Guyana Defense Force (M. Yosef Yisrael and Mario Nicholls) and Sophia will take on Gandhi Youth Organisation (Heuvel Cunha and Reginald Grant).

On Sunday, Georgetown Cricket Club will host GNIC (Joseph Jeffery and Linden Mathews) and Third Class will play GDF at GYO (Randolph Rose and Zaheer Mohamed).

Clubs are asked to note that the next round of matches will be played on January 10, 2015.

BCB mourns the passing of former Treasurer Dhanraj

The Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) has registered its deepest condolences following the death of one of its former treasurers, Mr. Roopnarine Dhanray who passed away in Queens, New York City last week Sunday.

Mr. Dhanraj who was the younger brother of the stalwart Berbice, Guyana and West Indies cricketer Leonard Baichan, served as treasurer in 1973 and 1974. He will always be remembered for the role he played alongside the then BCB

President Lennox Phillips, Vice Presidents Leslie Amsterdam, J. Maurice Haniff and Ancel Hazel, Secretary Victor Omrow and Assistant Secretary Mortimer George, as the livewire behind the Board successfully hosting the Pakistan International Airway Cricket Team in Berbice in 1973 and the hosting of the Tony Greig led M.C.C. team against a Guyana second eleven team in a two-day match in Berbice in 1974.

These two events are two of

the many highlights of the history of Berbice cricket. Born in 1947, Mr. Dhanraj was also a very keen first division cricketer who represented both Bermine and the Mental Hospital before migrating to the USA. He was cremated last week Thursday in New York. The BCB sends its sympathy on his passing to his immediate family and friends, reminding that he had made his mark in the annals of Berbice cricket.

Friday December 12, 2014

Samuels, Devon Smith pile on runs Marlon Samuels was the major beneficiary on an almost full day of batting for the touring West Indians in Benoni. Their line-up enjoyed all but 6.2 overs of the day at the crease and Samuels and opener Devon Smith used the time to fill their boots ahead of the Test series.

The pair had shared in a stand of 182 on the first day, with Samuels reaching a century and both picked up where they left off. Smith reached his ton early in the morning session and the milestones see-sawed between him and Samuels after that with the partnership prospering. Samuels got to 150, then Smith 150 and finally, Samuels’ 200 while the Invitation bowlers toiled.

A labour-intensive day seemed to take its toll on Beuran Hendricks, who left the field after dislocating his finger, a concern because he was using the game to make a comeback from a stress fracture.

Kleinveldt completed Hendricks’ over but the left-armer later returned and was bowling without problems. Kleinveldt was also returning from injury and bowled three overs fewer than Hendricks. However, he was more expensive than he had been on day one on a surface which had flattened out. He did not add to his overnight wicket tally either.

Instead, it was mediumpacer Aviwe Mgijima who turned the screws and left-arm spinner Tabraiz Shamsi who

Marlon Samuels’ 203 came off 176 deliveries © BCCI (File photo)

Devon Smith works one away © AFP (File photo)

claimed the most wickets, including that of Shivnarine Chanderpaul for a second-ball duck. However, none of the bowlers could get rid of either Samuels or Smith. Both retired, Smith before reaching 200, to give the rest of the line-up some batting time.

Denesh Ramdin made the most of it and spent 23 minutes short of three hours at the crease scoring 48 but neither of Jermaine Blackwood or Assad Fudadin were among the runs. The West Indians were bowled out for 508 for a lead of 383.

The Invitation side made

a better fist of facing the new ball albeit for not more than half-an-hour. Gihahn Cloete and Dominic Hendricks survived until bad light stopped play. With only one day left in the match, the West Indians will hope to bowl the South Africans out quickly again so give their top-order another taste of South African surfaces before the Test series starts next Wednesday. South African Invitation XI 125 (Cottrell 516, Taylor 2-12) & 17/0 (Cloete 9*, Hendricks 8*) trail West Indians 508 (Samuels 203, Smith 174) by 366 runs.

CONCACAF Appoints Denoncourt as Director of Refereeing Miami The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) announced yesterday the appointment of Sonia Denoncourt as Director of Refereeing.

In her role, Denoncourt will lead all aspects of refereeing within the Confederation, which also involves directing the functions of the Heads of Refereeing in the Central American Football Union (UNCAF) and the Caribbean Football Union (CFU).

“Ms. Denoncourt not only brings a vast global knowledge of the refereeing arena, but also a solid vision to gear, advance and professionalize the region,” said CONCACAF President Jeffrey Webb. “Refereeing

Sonia Denoncourt has an extremely important role within the game. We are confident that her guidance will reinforce education and training, overcoming the intrinsic challenges of this fundamental position.”

Evaluating and elevating

performances of referees in the region is an important objective on the CONCACAF agenda.

Denoncourt will be key in the implementation of a performance-based plan that supports referee development at multiple levels by providing them with exceptional training, identifying opportunities for growth and, ultimately, promoting them to FIFA status.

Denoncourt’s extensive experience includes serving as FIFA’s Head of Women’s Referee Development and Refereeing Senior Manager.

Prior to joining FIFA in 2005, she was the Director of Referee Development for the Canadian Soccer Association (2001-05).

In 1994, Denoncourt made history by (Continued on page 35)

Friday December 12, 2014

Kaieteur News

PSP, MOE, MCYS U-17 School’s Football

Tutorial High beat E/Ruimveldt 2-0

By Sean Devers The Premier Sports Promotions, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport Under-17 School’s Football tournament continued yesterday at Ministry of Education ground after both Saints Stanislaus and St. Georges High, got walkovers from Charlestown Secondary and Dolphin Secondary respectively on the opening day on Wednesday.

In yesterday’s action, goals on either side of the break propelled Tutorial High to a 2-0 victory over East Ruimveldt in sweltering heat to send the South Georgetown Educational Institution packing from the knockout competition while North Georgetown Secondary also advanced compliments of another walkover from Lodge Secondary.

Ironically, it was East Ruimveldt who enjoyed the bulk of possession, especially in the second half, but after doing all the hard work their forwards struggled to finish the job of finding the back of the net and ended on the losing team.

Tutorial High, who exhibited a solid defense, opened the scoring in the 21st minute when the crafty Steve Stanton collected a cross and hammered a volley past the East Ruimveldt custodian from just outside the 18 yards box to put Tutorial High ahead.

The action ebbed and flowed as neither team could produce a clear scoring opportunity and when the half-time whistle was blown the score read Tutorial 1, East Ruimveldt 0. The momentum picked up in the second half and East Ruimveldt had their best opportunity to level the score when Alton Benn dribbled the defense only to see goalkeeper Kelly Blue, who had an outstanding day at the office, bring off a fantastic save, diving to his left to

Meet Team Toney

Lugard Mohan David Coats (left) & Steve Stanton scored the goals yesterday stop the thunderous leftfooter from point black range.

It was soon 2-0 when David Coats fired from about 16 yards to seal the issue in the 51st minute and this was the last scoring chance for either team.

Meanwhile, Deputy Permanent Secretary in the S p o r t s M i n i s t r y, St e v e Ninvalle, speaking behalf of his Ministry, pledged bigger support from his Ministry for the tournament next year while Kashif Mohammed, Director of the Kashif & Shanghai Organization, thanked the Organization for filling the gap in School’s football.

A friendly game between Saints Stanislaus and St. Georges High, which ended 3-0 in favour of George’ Secondary heralded the start of the tournament which saw Ninvalle performing the traditional kick off.

The tournament, for s c h o o l s i n t h e C i t y, i s sponsored by Demerara Harbor Bridge, Facials Collection, Albert Cramer, Dev’s Grocery, German’s Restaurant, Nigel Hughes, Pooran brothers, Ross Gas Station, Dynamic Engineering, Medicine Chest, Juice Power, GFF, Talk is Cheap Internet café, O n z i e P e o p l e ’s C h o i c e Barber Shop of New York, Star Party Rentals, the Ministry of Culture and the Education Ministry. The

Anthony ‘Awo’ Abrams and Devon Millington.

They look strong on paper, Beavers seem to be a team that is not intimidated by big names, but rather use a busy work ethic to get things done. Could they repeat their previous feat; the answer will be known tonight.

Team Toney, which is a compilation from journalist Rawle Toney, will be taking on Team Bond tomorrow night in the Respect the Game Inc., Charity Basketball Event at Cliff Anderson Sports Hall from 7pm; we introduce some of the local personalities who will be suiting up for a night of fun and competition.

Team Toney has enlisted Compton Babb (‘Respect the Game Inc.’), Lugard Mohan (Former National Point Guard/Coach/FIBA referee), Carey Griffith (Proprietor Wind Jammer International

Nerissa Pearson

Pernell Cummings Hotel), Pernel Cummings (Courts Guyana Inc. Marketing Manager), Ronald

Robert Adelson Grogan (Canada), Nerissa Pearson (98.1FM), Robert Adelson (US Embassy Public Affairs Officer) and Joel Simpson (Founder-Director SASOD).

Team Toney has also drafted national guard/forward, Akeem ‘The Dream’ Kanhai (Ravens); guards Dominic Vincente (Ravens), shooting guard, Shelroy Thomas (Colts), Kester Gomes, Stephan Gillis (Pacesetters); forwards Randy Richardson (Pacesetters) and ‘big-man’ Shane Webster (Colts) to help ward off Team Bond.

Inaugural Maersk Guyana Golf tourney on tomorrow Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Sport, Steve Ninvalle kicks off the competition. final of the 16-team tournament is scheduled for Sunday December 21.

The Champions will collect $200, 000, the runners up $150,000, the third placed team walks away with $100,000 and the team finishing fourth gets $75, 000. The competition continues today with Bishop’s High facing-off with Queens College from 13:00hrs and Tucville Secondary battling North Ruimveldt Multilateral from 15:00hrs. Both games are fixed for the Ministry of Education ground, Carifesta Avenue.

Could Beavers spring another surprise...

From page 40 responsibility will be on Martin Bobb, Maxwell Trapp and Andrew St. Hill to guide them to another victory, while Slingerz’s pursuit of a win will depend mainly on the performances of Joshua Browne, Les Charles Critchlow, Vurlon Mills,

Page 39

Up for grabs for the winning team is the championship trophy and $1million, while the second placed team pockets $500,000 and a trophy. The third place finisher will collect$300,000, while the fourth placed side takes home $200,000 and a trophy.

Shipping Manager of Muneshwar’s Shipping Mr. Brian Pertab (left) hands over the cheque to LGC President Mr. David Mohamad in the presence of other staff members.

Tee-off time 12:00hrs tomorrow in the inaugural Maersk Guyana SA sponsored Golf tournament.

The Danish company Maersk, considered the largest container shipping company in the world said they are pleased to sponsor this final tournament of the Lusignan Golf Club 2014 calendar.

C l u b P r e s i d e n t M r.

David Mohamad expressed

his delight, on the part of the LGC, at having this global shipping conglomerate that operates in over 135 countries and has over 25,000 employees and over 600 vessels in the Shipping Line alone, come on board the Golf programme in Guyana.

M r. B r i a n P e r t a b , Shipping Manager of Muneshwar’s Shipping of 45-47 Wa t e r St . ,

Georgetown, the local agents for Maersk, advised that the inaugural sponsorship has a lovely flavour in the tradition of Christmas in Guyana. In addition to the 1st to 5th Best Gross and Nearest to The Pin prizes which will be awarded winners in the Medal Play Tournament and there will be 30 other gifts to be won by the players!

Page 40

By Michael Benjamin A brilliant display of attacking football earned the Guyana Defence Force a hard fought 3-1 victory against Black Pearl FC when action in the GFA/Banks Beer Cup round robin knockout tournament continued at the GDF Ground, Thomaslands last Wednesday evening.

The main feature of the double header saw Pele FC stamping its dominance with a clinical display that brought the Flamingos to the ground after a 3-1 beating. Tyson Carmichael (42), Nigel Braithwaite (76) and Clifford Garraway (90+ 2) were the soldiers’ marksmen while Mark Correga narrowed the victory margin with Black Pearl’s only contribution in the 53rd minute. The soldiers approached the match from the first whistle as if engaged in jungle warfare. The confrontations were furious as both teams attacked purposefully but with tightened security in both defensive quarters, goals were hard to come by.

Carmichael then charged down the field, eluding everyone in his path but encountered a stiff challenge from Black Pearl’s custodian. Demonstrating superb presence of mind, the wily striker changed his angle of approach and as the Black Pearl custodian slid past the ball, Carmichael deftly punched it aback the nets.

Undaunted, Black Pearl’s front men continued to toil and the equalizer was a replica of the first goal but for the principals; Correga took on the advancing goalie and deftly placed the ball around him.

The match then assumed a ferocious pace as both teams tried to grab the initiative. The soldiers marched on in the second session after Braithwaite latched on to a loose ball and

Kaieteur News

Friday December 12, 2014

GDF dulls Black Pearl’s shine; Pele clip ‘Flamingos’ wings

Organisers release fixtures Association (BFA) have released the fixtures for the tournament which is set to kick off on Sunday at the #5 Ground, West Coast Berbice with the grand March Past and official opening.

GDF dulls Black Pearl’s shine; Pele clip ‘Flamingos’ wings his shot cannoned into the right side of the goal while the Black Pearl goalie marked the left post.

Thereafter, the soldiers relentlessly pressed on but their over enthusiasm cost them a few goals as wayward kicks either slid down the side of the goal or were intercepted by the opposition’s defence.

The final goal was a classic; Garraway collected a pass on the left flank and struck with his left foot. The shot was piston-like, flew past the goalie and almost ruptured the network; the players were already into extra time and the dreaded whistle simultaneously sealed the Black Pearl’s fate.

Omalo Williams was a thorn in the side of the Flamingo defence and his first raid was met by a vigilant Flamingo custodian who spoiled the shot with a magnificent save. Not to be denied, the persistent Williams dribbled his way into the opposition’s quarters once again and this time he made no mistake, pasting the goalie with a fierce shot that opened Pele’s account.

The dapper striker starred once again and less than two minutes after his first success with an enterprising raid but the Flamingo custodian held on to the stinging shot. The ferocious battle for supremacy continued but neither of the two teams budged and just when it

appeared that Pele would have enjoyed the advantage at intermission, Sheldon Gorrick sent in a thunderous strike 5 minutes before the halfway mark to keep the battle intricately poised at the halfway mark.

The battle picked up pace in the second session as both teams attacked and counter attacked albeit without success. With the clock ticking away and the match heading for a stalemate, Jermaine Sutton struck in the 68th minute to send Pele ahead. Flamingo refused to say die and upped the ante but when Godfrey Powers slammed in Pele’s third goal with just seven minutes on the clock, The ‘Flamingos’ seemed defeated and found it difficult to fly. The whistle shortly afterwards sealed their fate.

Activities resume this evening when the Guyana Police Force tackles Black Water moments before Alpha United face off with Northern Rangers. Activities move to Tucville Ground tomorrow evening when Houston Stars take on Fruta Conquerors and GFC play Western Tigers.

The latter two matches were scheduled for Sunday evening but the organizers have shifted the fixtures to accommodate the finals of the Guinness in the Street tournament scheduled for that night.

GSCL Inc. President’s Cup bowls off tomorrow The Georgetown Softball Cricket League Inc. (GSCL Inc) inaugural President’s Cup is set to commence tomorrow.

The competition will be played in two categories- the Over-40 which will be hosted at DCC and the Open which will be contested at the Ogle Community Center ground, with the finals set for DCC on Sunday

The organisers of the inaugural Stag Beer Super 16 knock-out Cup, East Bank Football Association (EBFA), East Demerara Football Association (EDFA) and Berbice Football

from 10:00hrs.

In the opening round at DCC, Regal Masters will take on Savage on pitch number one while Fishermen XI will go up against Mike’s Wellman on pitch number two. The second round will start at 13:00hrs and will see the losers meeting on pitch one and the winners battling on pitch two.

At Ogle, Regal will take on Speedboat in the first game, followed by SPR Enterprise against Farm XI. The winners will clash in the final. The tournament will have a winner take all first place prize of $180,000 in both divisions and it follows on the heels of the entity’s Republic and Independence Cup that were played earlier this year.

Vitamalt/Aqua Mist sponsored WDFA KO Cup

Could Beavers spring another surprise against the star-studded Slingerz?

Flashback! Play in the clash between Beavers FC and Young Achievers which the former won.

With opening day providing two huge upsets, fans will be eagerly anticipating another round of rivetting action when play in the Vitamalt/Aqua Mist sponsored West Demerara Football Association (WDFA) Knockout Cup resumes today with a double header at the Den Amstel Community Centre ground, starting at 19:00 hrs.

In the first game, Stewartville do battle with

Pouderoyen and that will be followed by the clash between Slingerz and Beavers.

Stewartville will be depending heavily on the likes of Sherwin Grant, Densil Charles, Donald Bobb, Travis Chase and Kwame Hyman to spearhead their quest for victory, while Pouderoyen’s chances of winning will be in the hands of Adrian Giddings, Clement Brown, Marvin Frank, Delon

Garraway and Travis Bess.

The feature clash should be another interesting affair and the star-studded Slingerz side will definitely start as favourites to beat Beavers.

However, Beavers have already proven that they should not be taken lightly and opened their quest for top honours with an upset over Young Achievers by a 4-0 margin.

Once again the (Continued on page 39)

Kaieteur News

Friday December 12, 2014

Page 41

Trophy Stall Doubles tennis to conclude this weekend Despite the slow start due to rainy conditions on the opening weekend, the weather following was beautiful for tennis in the capital city. The Novice players wrapped up their final round-robin matches with first timers Sachin Puri and Daniel Razick being crowned the winners, while Philbert Clarke and Diana Bharat taking runner up position.

The crowd witnessed the upset of veteran Godfrey Squires and Jason Andrews at the hands of Khalif Gobin and William Spangler at 6-4 63. Both double partnerships were newly formed for the tournament but with powerful serves by Gobin and technical volleying by Spangler the team clenched the win. They advanced to face the Glasgow brothers in the semi-finals. However, the team forfeited the match after being up 6-4 5-3 (4040) at match point. Spangler could not contest the finals due to personal commitments.

In the same category of the Men’s Open Doubles, Leyland Leacock and Nicolas Fenty got a 6-3 6-1 win over Daniel Lopes and

Phillip Squires. The finals of the Men’s Doubles will feature Nicolas Glasgow and Jason Glasgow coming up against Leyland Leacock and Nicolas Fenty.

In the women’s doubles, the mother/daughter combination of Shelly Daly Ramdyhan and Nicola Ramdyhan won against Denise Barrington and

Kizzy Richmond at 6-3 6-2.

Barrington and Richmond were former runner-ups and winners in the novice category who have made a commendable transition into

the Ladies Open.

The Ramdyhan team later went on to beat Aretta Dey and Afruica Gentle 6-3 6-4 to win this year’s title.

In the Men’s Over-35

category, Godfrey Lowden and Omar Persaud defeated Bo Arbogast and Albert Razick at 7-6 6-4.

This evening, the Mixed doubles will conclude at Le

Resouevnir which starts at 18:30hrs sharp. Aretta Dey and Orande Dainty will be teaming up to challenge Leyland Leacock and Afruica Gentle.

Page 42

Kaieteur News

Friday December 12, 2014

Guinness ‘Greatest of de Streets’ to reward loyal fans Organisers of the Guinness ‘Greatest of de Streets’ Futsal Competition will be rewarding loyal fans who continue to come out in

support of their respective teams and communities.

According to Banks DIH Guinness Brand Manager Lee Baptiste because of the fans’ unwavering support throughout the history of the competition, they will be able to benefit from a few incentives when they arrive to witness Sunday n i g h t ’s f i n a l , a t t h e National Park. Baptiste disclosed that there will be a trivia at the break when fans will be asked to answer a question and the winner kick from half court to win $100,000. Additionally, a lucky fan will be able to win a voucher to shop at Nigel’s Supermarket, Colours Boutique, Roger Phillips General Store or Mattai’s. The final will feature North Ruimveldt versus Festival City Warriors, while the third place playoff is between Sparta Boss and Leopold Street.

Kaieteur News

Friday December 12, 2014

Page 43

Thomas wins Real Value Supermarket 5km Road Race Cleveland Thomas

Running Braves’ distance ace, Cleveland

Thomas capped an impressive year last

weekend when he won Real Value Supermarket 5km Road Race around the circuit at the National Park as Kevin Bayley finished second and Royston Fordyce third in the inaugural event.

Thomas won in 16:25.1 ahead of Bayley (16:50.1) and Fordyce (18:14.) respectively in the male race.

In the female event, Andrea Foster won in 20:40.1 with Ebony Nelson (24:51.0) second and Shansel Adams (30:00.8) respectively.

Other prize winners in the events included, Reuben Stoby (18:27.5) in the male 35-39 years; Alisha Fortune

(24:31.5) female 35-39; Michael Davidson (18:53.5) male 40-44 years; Cyrleen Phillips (25:02.7) females over 40; Linden Harrison (20:14.1) male 45-49; Llewellyn Gardner (20:22.0)

female 50-59 years and Maurice Fagundes (24:03.6) male over 60 years.

Guyana Masters Athletic Association (GMAA) organised the race with Assistant Secretary and

Treasurer, George Barry stating that the event was a success with plans afoot to make the event an annual one. He thanked Real Value Supermarket for their support.

t r o Sp PSP, MOE, MCYS U-17 School’s Football P.39

Tutorial High beat E/Ruimveldt 2-0

Kelly Blue pulls off a wonderful save as Alton Benn (number 8) fires from close range

GDF dulls Black P.40 Pearl’s shine; Pele clip ‘Flamingos’ wings Trophy Stall Doubles tennis to conclude this weekend P.41

Samuels, Devon P.38 Smith pile on runs Inaugural Maersk P.39 Guyana Golf tourney on tomorrow

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