Kaieteur News

Thursday Edition

Online readership yesterday 105,774

Price $80 February 07, 2013 - Vol. 6 No. 06 (VAT Inclusive) Online: http://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com

Guyana’s largest selling daily & New York’s most popular weekly

Three killed in confrontation with police Malfunctioning koker leads to flooding in Kingston

$4.5million missing, overseer disappears Schoolboy stabbed in head with scissors by fellow student

PM Hinds’ office under water

Rapist knifes stepson, 4, to death

Union alarmed no Guyanese hired in Marriott's construction - calls on President Ramotar to intervene

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Kaieteur News

Thursday February 07, 2013

$4.5M missing, Eccles overseer disappears - Auditor General, police investigating The overseer of the Eccles/Ramsburg Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC), East Bank Demerara, has reportedly been sent home after more than $4.5M disappeared last month.

However, there are allegations that the overseer, Rawle Kissoon, was not sent on leave but rather has not returned to work since last month and has since not been seen.

He reportedly still has, in his possession, keys to the office. Attempts by officials to contact him failed.

There were reports, also, that shortly before he left, there was an attempt to set fire to the office. Yesterday, the NDC’s Chairman, S. Khan, said that Rawle Kissoon is on leave and checks are being made to determine if any monies are missing. He said that the Ministry of Local Government is handling the matter and that the fire was of electrical origin.

The official declined to get into details but said the matter was to have been discussed at the NDC’s

monthly statutory meeting, held yesterday.

Minister of Local Government, Ganga Persaud, was unavailable for comments and Junior Minister, Norman Whittaker, did not return calls made to his office on the matter.

According to sources close to the NDC, Kissoon was appointed the overseer late last year, after the previous one was reportedly fired.

The $4.5M rates and taxes were collections made over several days, this newspaper was told.

There are questions now how the office was allowed to have kept that large sum as there is a limit of $25,000 in cash at any one time.

One well-placed official, who asked not to be named, said that Kissoon did not report for work for about two days. The last date he was seen was the morning of January 14.

Two days later, on Wednesday, January 16, the NDC needed money to pay a telephone bill. However, calls to the overseer’s number went to voice mail. His office was

Chairman of Eccles/ Ramsburg NDC, S. Khan locked and he had the keys.

The NDC took a decision to break into the office since they needed the money right away. Officials found undeposited cheques and deposit slips written up but no evidence of the bank deposit stamps.

The office of the Auditor General was written to requesting an investigation and the police were also contacted about his disappearance.

Further, a government

Some $4.5M has disappeared from the Eccles/Ramsburg NDC and the overseer is nowhere to be found. locksmith was requested to assist in opening the safe/ vault in the NDC. Kaieteur News understands that the Regional Democratic Council is charged with making mandatory checks to ensure that the monies are regularly deposited to the bank.

It is unclear whether there was a lapse in the checking.

Shortly before the statutory meeting in January—meetings held on

the first Monday of every month— workers of the nearby M&M Snackette noticed smoke pouring from the building and raised an alarm.

Kissoon who had just reportedly left the office was one who helped to douse the flames.

It was this same NDC which a few years ago came under criticisms for attempting to sell a playfield in Republic Park.

The Local Government Ministry has been on a campaign to clean up NDCs and towns across the country as complaints continue to surface about corruption and neglect.

Several NDCs have been replaced by Interim Management Councils (IMCs).

Local government elections have not been held since 1994.

(Leonard Gildarie)

DO YOU KNOW THAT JAGDEO’S BEST FRIEND IS THE ONLY PERSON IN GUYANA TO OWN THREE MEDIA HOUSES ...

Radio, Television and Newspaper?

Dr. Bobby Ramroop

1) Channel 28 now TVG 28 2) A radio station - 89.5FM 3) Guyana Times newspaper

Former President Bharrat Jagdeo

Thursday February 07, 2013

Kaieteur News

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Rapist knifes four-year-old to death The small community of Buck Hill on Wismar, was rocked by the brutal murder of a four-year-old nursery school child, who was stabbed repeatedly about the body by his mother’s paramour.

Moments earlier the man, said to be 24-year-old Rawle Samuels, had reportedly raped the child’s aunt at the house where she resided with his mother.

The child, Jamal Naranjan, had reportedly just returned home from school, when he came under attack from the man, with whom his mother shared a relationship.

A woman who said she was going down the hill at the time, said she happened to look back to see Rawle Samuels with a long knife in his hand running Naranjan’s younger sister.

“So I pull in the corner fuh leh she pass , and I ask he, “Is wha you running da f***ing girl for.

“And with dat he turn back and see this li’l boy

coming down the step, and he run and snatch he by he hand and throw he over he shoulder. I start hollering, ‘Banna lef da li’l youth man, but I see the desperateness in he eye and wid duh I run down at the station, and tell dem police.

“At that time da lil boy didn’t get kill yet, so if dem police de go right away, dat boy coulda get save, because look is weh the station deh; not even ten minutes walk.

She said that the police did not have to drive to go there. “They coulda just run up da hill and catch the man before he kill the child.”

The police only arrived at the scene after the child was viciously stabbed, and Samuels had made good his escape. He was apprehended late yesterday afternoon.

Irate residents condemned the tardy manner with which the Police responded, considering the proximity of the house to the Wismar Police station.

Jamal Naranajan was

Dead: Jamal Naranjan

Rawle Samuels stabbed to the abdomen, back and thighs.

His intestines protruded from the incision in his

Women Miners’ president claims fabricated article threatens her life

President of the Women Miners’ Organisation, Simona Broomes, wants to clear the air on reports published in a daily newspaper claiming that she had information pertaining to gold smuggling.

She said that the publication appears to be a deliberate attempt to endanger her life and that of her family, while at the same time maligning her organisation.

According to Broomes, not only is the information further from the truth but it seems to suggest that her organisation is less than objective in its pronouncements. “We are very factual, we are not a gossip group,” said Broomes.

According to her, the article in question claims that she informed that traders’ smuggling of gold is a serious issue that needs to be tackled.

The article, she said, went on to state that Broomes revealed that members of her organisation have vital information which the government is not listening to as it relates to smuggling.

“I never said that...I don’t know anything about smuggling of gold. Clearly what I said is that I don’t know anything about smuggling nor do I have any evidence...What I know about smuggling is what I read via newspapers,” said an evidently disturbed Broomes.

As it relates to smuggling, Broomes said that she did say that she was aware that the Minister of Natural Resources and the

Simona Broomes, President of the Women Miners’ Association Environment had held a meeting with the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners’ Association but the Women Miners’ Organisation was not in attendance.

“We were not a part of that meeting so we don’t know the magnitude or anything we don’t have any evidence...”

According to Broomes, since the launch of her Organisation in 2011, it had never peddled anything at all, be it public or otherwise, that was not factual.

“We have all our information and evidence when we talk about trafficking in persons, we have evidence.

When I talk about child labour...these are things that I have a deep passion for...abuse, exploitation and these kinds of things,” insisted Broomes.

Given her usual frankness when representing her

organisation, Broomes said that it is strange that an entire article could be crafted without her honest input. “I want to say if someone has a problem with mining and wants to attack somebody on smuggling, don’t see the organisation as a scapegoat that you would peddle a whole story and put Simona Broomes, President of the Organisation, says that...”

“That is a serious issue because people are now accusing us of having information and they want to know what kind of information we have and who is the person to come forward with this information and that endangers my life.

“If a man can stab a fouryear-old what about gunning me down on the road thinking I have (information about) something.”

According to Broomes not only is she not an informer but the organisation that she represents does not deal with smuggling.

The woman said that she is hoping that good sense would prevail and the medium responsible for publishing the damning information would retract same with much haste.

This is in light of the fact that the officials at the medium in question have been unable to produce a recording of an interview, Broomes disclosed.

According to Broomes, failure to retract the article and issue an apology could see Broomes taking legal action starting with her lawyer inking a strongly worded correspondence to the entity.

abdomen. He was rushed to the Linden Hospital Complex where he died shortly after.

The child’s mother, Neisha Naranjan, was too distraught to speak, and cried incessantly.

The woman, according to informed sources, had decided to sever her

relationship with Samuels.

This decision reportedly angered Samuels.

Naranjan was at work when she received the dreadful news. APNU Member of Parliament, Rennis Morian, who rushed to the Linden Hospital complex to offer the family moral support, noted, “I

continue to ask for a halfway house to be established for mothers and children who are facing this kind of threat.

“When they have to go back to the environment without the right counseling and support, these are the kind of results we have. So I’m asking that we have this kind of facility where these people could go and be safe.”

Two days ago another man attacked his former lover and her son, at their Block 22 Wismar home.

The man had lashed the fourteen year old boy in the face with a plank, after he tried to save his mother from the abusive man, who had bitten her in the face.

According to reports the assault came after the woman refused to have sex with her attacker. Both the woman and her son who had fallen unconscious, had to be taken to the Linden Hospital Complex.

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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

The newspapers that officials hate There was a time when the media, more particularly the newspapers and the radio, reported on the happenings in the country. These reports were primarily about the daily happenings, the social events like weddings of prominent people and births and things like the weather. On radio there was a special segment for the deaths of people.

In the pre-independence days there were no less than five newspapers, two of them were evening issues.

They were cheap and chockfull of advertisement. Each newspaper had its clientele; one was business oriented; one focused on politics and the other was a hodge podge of everything. One by one those that failed to cater for the wider national interest failed.

The first to go was the paper that concentrated on what people considered the mundane business reports. The readers were not enamoured about the arrival of some goods or the other unless or the expansion of some family business. This was the forte of the Argosy and it was the first to fold. The society was changing and so too was the face of business in Guyana, literally.

The Graphic was the major newspaper being older and more in keeping with the broadsheet courts; it has a special column called Champagne and Gossip that dealt with the social events but only those that featured the hoity toity.

In short, it had everything that the society wanted to know.

The Chronicle, which had a largely political focus, was acquired by government when it foundered. And the Graphic had hit dire straits. Neither was satisfying the needs of the people.

As much as people may criticize the ownership of the state media the government of the day kept both newspapers alive by way of a merger and pretty soon there was a staff that covered every gamut of the social spectrum.

Up until 1992 it remained the largest selling newspaper in the country despite the appearance of the privatelyowned Stabroek News.

There were other newspapers that surfaced but they failed because they could not satisfy the taste of the readers.

The result was that they failed to make a dent on the clientele of the two major newspapers and soon closed their doors.

Another factor was that they did not have their own printing press so the cost of production was excessively high.

Kaieteur News emerged to compete with the established papers first by opening its pages to every section of the society; it also pandered to the tastes of the ordinary man by reporting on the things that make the society what it is.

There were the various disputes between neighbours, the harassment by officialdom, the sufferings of people, the impact of robberies, fires and even rapes.

In the end it became the most sold newspaper in the country and remains so to this day.

It still covers just about every aspect of the society and while it has been doing this it has seen the rapid decline of the state newspaper and the development of a culture of governmental dislike of the private media, the Kaieteur News more than the Stabroek News.

What become more noticeable are the reports that the government finds objectionable. Both of the private newspapers have begun to focus on investigative reports, often questioning decisions by the government and challenging the award of certain contracts. More recently, the probes by these papers have centered on the relationship between the government and the New Guyana Pharmaceutical Corporation.

Not surprisingly, the government has not been happy with the disclosures although at the centre of the probe is a private company.

New Guyana Pharmaceutical Corporation has not taken kindly to the disclosures and has even resorted to ad hominen attacks against the owners and editors of these papers.

More recently, the issue took on unimaginable proportions with slanders being heaped on people, especially by people closely associated with the government. It begs the question of whether a defence mechanism has kicked in. This would be rather unusual for a government that prides itself on being open and fair.

Thursday February 07, 2013

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

The current public relations stunt by the Government will not fool us DEAR EDITOR, The current public relations stunt by the Government of Guyana on matters relating to the bauxite industry has not and will not fool the communities and workers whose lives are directly affected by bauxite.

December 2009 marked three years where the Bauxite Company of Guyana Incorporated (BCGI) has refused to treat with the Guyana Bauxite & General Workers Union (GB&GWU), which is a violation of Section 23 of the Trade Union Recognition and Certification Act, Chapter 98:01.

The Minister of Labour, Nanda Gopaul, who has given the High Court a commitment to reissue the Letter of Arbitration, is still to act and the GB&GWU believes his decision is another act of contempt the PPP has for the Rule of Law and the Judiciary.

The rule of law and the courts only make sense to this oppressive regime when they can derive personal benefit.

There is no universality in respecting rights and the courts, regardless of who benefits or feels the consequences.

Yet the government and sections of society would want us to believe this is the “return to democracy.”

Return to democracy for this society has come to mean open corruption, marginalisation, greed, oppression, unethical behaviour by holders of high offices, wanton racism,

disregard for universal respect for the law, efforts to enslave some, and deny many what’s rightly theirs under the law.

It is known that persons who don’t have respect for laws are inherently corrupt in their behaviour and this is the reason why government and public officials near to this regime are constantly caught engaging in corrupt practices.

The heightened interest shown by the government in bauxite is only because bauxite is making money and they can get kickbacks and gifts from the Russians and Chinese, who so far have shown no respect for our laws and Guyanese.

The government, and by extension the people of Guyana, have co-ownership in BCGI and BOSAI, but to date this government has refused to ensure respect for the Laws of the Land and the rights of bauxite workers and their families.

These acts of violation constitute a new form of enslavement of Guyana’s labour force.

Though there are laws that clearly state how workers must be treated and employers comply when it comes to bauxite workers, the government turns a blind eye to their mistreatment because it serves their purpose to receive kick-backs and enrichment.

With all due respect to the workforce in the sugar sector, they cannot match the work ethics and production

performance of the bauxite workers, yet they do not have to suffer what their counterparts in bauxite are going through. Statistics and evidence in the public domain strengthened this claim.

In other societies, bauxite workers would have been used as model workers, with unions and companies trying to emulate their standards.

Performance, competence and innovation are not admired and rewarded under this administration.

These qualities are misguidedly seen as opportunities for exploitation by a government which is clearly out of its depth on matters of good governance and management.

This letter serves to remind the government that the bauxite workforce are Guyanese too, and based on the history of this country, the ancestors of this workforce successfully fought enslavement and other forms of indignity and inequity.

It was the families of these workers who paved the way for others to not have to suffer similar treatment and stood beside them as they fought for their dignity.

Bauxite workers will not be the mule for anyone. If such was resisted during slavery, then having learnt from the lessons of the past the current forms of violation will continue to meet resistance.

The wheels of production cannot turn without the workers and the boasted

billions from sales and proposed expansion of production cannot be achieved without the workers. Make no mistake, if Africans resisted enslavement with all their might, and used different methods in their fight, the workers and their unions have not lost sight that similar methods are still applicable in the 21st century.

This society must not be fooled by the few scholarships given out by BCGI and their community outreaches because such fall under the category of corporate responsibility, and in fact ,were BCGI a good corporate citizen it would obey our laws and respect the workers’ rights.

The General Manager who had threatened workers has been returned to the Aroaima location even as BCGI in their own inquiry stated that this manager’s conduct was unbecoming.

The manager can only be brought back because the government is party to the programme of disrespect and oppression.

For far less the PPP and its unions would have created waves in this society if such treatment were meted out to sugar workers and their actions would have been supported.

The Bauxite workforce is no less deserving if we are truly living in a society where all must be treated equally.

Leslie Gonsalves President, GB&GWU

Thursday February 07, 2013

Kaieteur News

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

The Attorney General is proposing the emasculation of the President’s constitutional powers of assent to Bills DEAR EDITOR, Anil Nandlall’s letter titled “Inaccurate utterances and a superficial acquaintance with the law” (KN, February 5, 2013) highlighted a practice that is undemocratic, despotic, unconstitutional, offensive to the electoral wishes of the people who indirectly vote for the president, damages separation of powers and assaults the office of the presidency and the constitutional obligations that the holder of that office must meet.

Nandlall wrote “A concatenation of these functional responsibilities has crystallized into a practice of great utility dating back to the days of the Colonial Assembly which requires all Bills passed by the House to be sent to the Chambers of the Attorney General by the Clerk of the National Assembly, firstly to be examined by the Chief Parliamentary Counsel and then by the Attorney General, who issues an Assent Certificate advising His Excellency, the President, that he may properly assent to the Bill, provided, of course, that in the opinion of the Attorney General, the Bill is in order.

This document, together with the Bill, is returned to the Clerk of the National Assembly for transmission to His Excellency.”

This is scandalous and brazen stuff here and no custom, practice or usage can save it. It is offensive for the Attorney-General to direct the President to use of the presidential assent, which is a constitutional discretion specifically outlined in the constitution to be exercised only by the president.

This very notion of an ‘Assent Certificate’ is an assault on the constitution. It does not matter whether the colonials used this procedure. We became an independent country in 1966

and we had a new constitution in 1980, which while flawed, remains the law of the land. That constitution puts the presidential assent only, and exclusively, in the hands of the president. The president can rely on the Attorney-General or any other person for advice, but he does not have to.

The president can read the bill himself and then assent without even discussing the matter with the Attorney-General. The AG cannot constitutionally direct the president on the use of the presidential assent. The AG can advise when called upon, but cannot direct in this fashion.

The constitution mandates the president to govern in his own deliberate judgement. That clause was put there to ensure the President is not a puppet.

That clause can cause the President to be removed if it can be proven he is a puppet.

This procedure Nandlall is touting is one that is also repugnant to the operation of Parliament and the National Assembly and victimizes the separation of powers doctrine. Before a bill is passed in Parliament, it goes through many steps and is scrutinized and debated many times at many levels.

When it is passed by Parliament, no AttorneyGeneral has the right to review it and then to direct the President whether to sign it.

The opinion from the Attorney-General whether the bill is in order is out of order. A bill passed by the legislature is in order, regardless of whether the President says yes or no. For the Attorney-General, who is nothing more than the government’s lawyer and who incidentally is appointed by the president, to claim he has some authority to tell the president that he (the president) can assent to the bill is nonsense and

preposterous.

More dangerously, this practice is an attempt to subvert the National Assembly by having the executive fool around with a bill passed by a majority of the people’s elected representatives.

This atrocious practice of the Attorney-General sending the bill back to the Clerk of the National Assembly for transmission to the President is an affront to the constitution and infuriates the separation of powers doctrine. The Clerk of the National Assembly’s job has to be to pass the bill passed by a democratically elected National Assembly straight to the President, not to some hireling of the President who seizes the President’s authority with this ‘Assent Certificate’ foolishness.

If the President wants to have his Attorney-General review the bill, that is his discretion. However, a bill from the legislature has to go directly to the executive, and they can do what they want internally before the president issues or refuses his assent.

The Clerk of the National Assembly should not be sending bills to the AttorneyGeneral for any bizarre ‘Assent Certificates’. He should be sending the bill directly to the President or to someone the President specifically designates, such as the Attorney-General, with the clear instruction and understanding that the National Assembly awaits the presidential assent or veto.

This is how this process works in every decent democratic government.

Not only does Nandlall embrace and zealously defend a practice employed by the Colonial Assembly, the same assembly scorned and reviled by Cheddi Jagan, founder of the PPP, anticolonialist, nationalist and independence fighter.

Nandlall went further to

USA/Guyana Humanitarian mission to host lectures The USA Guyana Humanitarian Inc. will be hosting its second humanitarian mission in Guyana. This visit begins from February 16 and will run until March 1, 2013.

The team is visiting with the hope of strengthening families and creating a better community.

“We are religious and community leaders, scholars, musicians and academics who are devoted to our respective fields of discipline and culture.” At the event, the presenters and musicians

include: Mohan Singh, Pandit Tillackdharry Seerattan, Kamla Seerattan, Prabhudyal Ramrattan, Lolita Singh, Gayatri Teakram amongst others. The group which has excelled in its respective fields

intends to start a series of countrywide lectures on domestic, spousal, drugs and alcohol abuses.

The first lecture will be held on Saturday February 16, 2013.

acclaim this sordid colonial practice that is an affront to the principles of democracy and good governance.

The Clerk of the National Assembly is not there to play lackey to the PPP or any g o v e r n m e n t ’ s caricaturization of the lawmaking process. As a handpicked officer of the president, the AttorneyGeneral should have no right to tell the President whether he could assent or not when the constitution specifically and unequivocally commands that the President is the only person who possesses this power to assent to a bill from the National Assembly. The assent lies only with the president, not with the Attorney-General.

The President could seek advice from the AttorneyGeneral but he is not bound to follow it and can freely reject it. The President can sign any bill without even involving the AttorneyGeneral. The practice and this statement from Nandlall is emasculating of the presidency in general and of the presidency of Donald

Ramotar. This practice and the philosophy behind it that Nandlall now vigorously defends, is constitutionally destructive, undermines the presidency and is against proper governance.

One may argue that Nandlall is ascribing powers to his office in that statement that are not allowed by the constitution, the very constitution Nandlall has publicly sworn to defend. It is not the opinion of the Attorney-General to determine whether the bill is in order! It is the President who gets to determine whether the bill is in order.

Whether this is Nandlall’s utterly misconceived understanding of his role or is his constitutional naiveté or an attempt to usurp or devalue the powers of the presidency and the constitution along with it, or whether this bewildering utterance is part of a new PPP strategy where President Ramotar has openly agreed to this assault of the constitution and of the subjugation of the powers of the presidency by trading his authority to Nandlall and the

Jagdeoites in spineless fashion, it is roguish and despicable on all fronts.

This madness does not occur in any presidential system nor does it even attempt to surface in any proper parliamentary democracy. A cornerstone of the presidential system is the president’s power of the assent and veto. AttorneyGeneral Nandlall is proposing to devalue this power by making the president a signing puppet who rubberstamps the AttorneyGeneral’s “Assent Certificate”.

If the PPP wants to go down this road, then it cannot, I repeat cannot, complain when the opposition mounts a serious constitutional assault on the presidency and its powers.

After all, the opposition will simply point to the President’s own AttorneyGeneral making him a complete fool and constitutionally backstabbing and subduing him, as the basis for them marching through the already opened door.

M. Maxwell

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Kaieteur News

Thursday February 07, 2013

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

PPP wants to tarnish me with its corruption brush DEAR EDITOR, The moribund PPP continues to target me for character assassination. The insane attack on my right to work and earn as a professional is a political response to my exposure of corruption, and the principled stand of the Alliance for Change that the billions being held by NICIL ought to be paid into the Consolidated Fund.

The latest attack is the banner Sunday Chronicle of February 3, headline “Nagamootoo exposed again – receives millions from NICIL”. The rag stated that “for the period January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2008, Mr. Nagamootoo received $6.7M in legal fees from NICIL”.

But from the figures provided by NICIL and published in Chronicle, the alleged $6.7M sum was paid over a six-year period (2006 to 2011) on several contracts for legal service, a couple of which are still to be completed.

We know that the Chronicle has a fatal attraction for lies. But it is pathetic when a liar forgets

his own lies.

In a previous front-page banner headline on Sunday, October 7, 2012, this government thing cited a single project (Berbice Bridge) and said that NICIL has paid me “almost $7M for processing of land transports” for relocated D’ Edward residents.

I am an Attorney-at-Law. I am self-employed and independent. Since 2006 I rejected a million-dollar, monthly, sinecure appointment as Political Advisor or Ambassador under the Jagdeo presidency.

I instead chose to do legal work for a living.

I was retained by the Guyana Government through NICIL, with full approval of Cabinet, to do specialized legal work. Since 2006, NICIL offered me contracts to:1. Draft legal frame-work and negotiate compensation and relocation of D’Edward home-owners for construction of the Berbice River Bridge.

2. Negotiate and settle compensation with Sheet Anchor-Palmyra land owners for acquisition of the pasture east of the Berbice Bridge.

3.

Negotiate compensation package and re-location of homeowners, farmers and occupiers in Dochfour-Hope for the digging of the Hope Canal.

4. Arbitrate as a quasi judge in a $600 million claim

by NICIL against GNIC together with Messrs. Robin Stoby and Stephen Fraser.

The Arbitration Tribunal held over 50 sittings, but I get only a contract fee since 2009 and not a per diem.

With these vulgar public attacks and earlier release of cheques paid to me, in breach of all ethical and professional conduct, it seems that the PPP-NICIL want to run me off the Arbitration Tribunal.

They want to take away my right to work, which is my right to life.

I am proud of the legal work I have done over several years. I am satisfied that D’Edward Villagers received in excess of $90 million in compensation, for which they know I had demanded that they pay no fees, and a package that included:• A house-lot for every home-owner who was removed from D’Edward; • Payment of $1.00 (yes,

one Guyana dollar) for a house-lot in Ketting (Cotton Tree); • Streets plus water, electricity and telephone services for the re-location area; • Extended time for affected residents to relocate; • Assistance to remove their houses and structures.

On 16th October, 2012 PPP side-kick, Manzoor Nadir, “live” on state-owned National Communications Network (NCN), said that I was paid “$10 million, maybe $20 million fees” by the Chinese company that is involved in expansion work at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport.

On 17th October, 2012, the Guyana Chronicle reported the lie.

The truth is I have NOT worked for the Chinese airport company. I did assist another Chinese company that wanted to invest in Guyana.

But I have NOT charged that Chinese company any fees.

The PPP is turning its guns on me for exposing the obscene $3 million a month in pension, benefits and other

facilities package for past presidents. They are mad that I exposed the billions that NICIL, the government’s fat milking cow, rakes in that should go into the Treasury.

Let me say this: As a lawyer, I have helped many poor people as well as this blighted PPP government. For example, I prepared conveyance documents for government at a nominal fee of $2,500 for each transport passed to people on the Corentyne and in West Berbice. I helped a few NDCs to recover arrears in rates and taxes at a nominal fee of $500 for each legal notice, hardly enough to cover paper, ink and stamps!.

For several years, whilst I worked as a journalist, I donated the bulk of my salary to the PPP. I was never and I am not infected with the greed for money. My hands are clean! And yes, I bitterly opposed in 2009 the vulgar move to pass the President Pension Package (with benefits and facilities) when it was rammed through the PPP as a Cabinet decision. I was not allowed a conscience vote on it in parliament. I had

to vote along “party line”.

On this issue, Nandlall reportedly “nailed” me. That claim was made by Judas when Jesus was nailed to the cross! The truth is, I opposed the 2009 bill. I gave so-called PPP leaders hell for it, and accused them of betraying principles of “revolutionary morality”. On November 4, 2011, Kaieteur News quoted me as saying “Jagdeo’s pension plan rattled my soul”.

I explained then: “To my utter shame and regret I voted for it, because I was required to do so as a PPP MP”.

I have not lied on this issue. The PPP realized it was caught with its pants down, so it back-tracked and now try to discredit me in my profession.

But these attacks are not simply about my earnings.

They are small potatoes compared to what government is paying their lawyer friends. What PPP wants is to tarnish me with their corruption brush. They want to buy my conscience, to silence me with their filthy money. No way, Jose!

Moses V. Nagamootoo AFC Parliamentarian

DEAR EDITOR, The pronouncements made by the entity delegated by the constitution in defining the legal functions of government, are subject to interpretations which may not be a true reflection of spirit and letter of intent.

Inadvertently, however, it has brought to light the important fact, which could help readers to gain a far better understanding on the role of President.

The high offices of the Chamber of the Attorney General and the paragon of legal knowledge has pronounced in his preamble that, ‘The Attorney General remains, constitutionally, the principal legal adviser of the state apparatus.

A concatenation of these functional responsibilities has crystallized into a practice of

great utility dating back to the days of th e c o l o n i a l Assembly which requires all bills passed by the House to be sent to the Chambers of the Attorney General by the Clerk of the National Assembly, firstly to be examined by the Chief Parliamentary Counsel and then by the Attorney General, who issues an assent certificate advising His Excellency, the President, that he may properly assent to the bill, provided, of course, that in the opinion of the Attorney General, the bill is in order’.

And that ‘Regnant and conventional prudence have long dictated both in law and in parliamentary procedure that ancient usage, customs and practice will and indeed have been employed for centuries to supplement legal vacuums wherever they

manifest themselves’ (SN, February 5, 2013).

Relying on old colonial principles, often frowned upon by government, the Attorney General nevertheless, invoked colonial principles to defend his role, which is far more than just an advisory function.

He does not simply just advise on Presidential Assent to Bills, he holds the actual powers of issuing a Certificate of Assent.

This means that once such a certificate had been issued, the hands of the President becomes tied and he has no choice but to rubber stamp the Bills into becoming law.

Alternatively, he could invoke his dictatorial powers by refusing to rubber stamp the Bill.

To put this scenario into proper context, the Office of the Attorney General has far greater powers than may have been envisaged, and this has inadvertently diminished the role of the President and reduced it to one much closer to a ceremonial function.

If this is the true intent of the Attorney General, then he must be applauded for his actions, as it would help to save taxpayers the vast expense of upkeeping the role of a non-functional President.

Mac Mahase

Does Guyana have a non-functional President?

Thursday February 07, 2013

Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

Outages expected as GPL gears to convert city to 60 Hz The state-owned power company is getting ready to convert Georgetown to 60 Hz frequency and there may be instances of outages.

According to the company yesterday, the conversion exercise is scheduled to run from February 17 to early May. “Preparatory work will begin on February 8th, when new transformers will be installed in order to minimize the duration and scope of the outage,” GPL said yesterday.

The power company explained that the exercise is in keeping with its decision of having a single frequency of 60 HZ. “The exercise coincides with the frequency conversion of units at the Wartsila Kingston 1 Plant from 50Hz to 60 Hz. Standardization of the supply frequency at 60Hz will allow for an improved quality of power supply in addition to duel frequency equipment operating more efficiently.”

The exercise will be done in phases to minimize inconvenience. “Individual transformers will be replaced with dual voltage transformers, which will be switched to the 60Hz source on a date agreed to by customers. Consumers, not necessarily limited to areas being converted, will experience power outages and will be advised accordingly on the time and duration of these outages.”

The first phase of the conversion, on February 17, will affect consumers in Bel Air Park, specifically in Jacaranda Avenue and along Eping Avenue, the company said.

Thursday February 07, 2013

Drainage pump station for Enterprise The Ministry of Agriculture, under the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), received bids for the construction of a drainage pump station at Enterprise, East Coast Demerara.

The bids were opened Tuesday by the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB), Ministry of Finance, Main Street.

With an engineer’s estimate of $135,799,680 the bids were:

City residents can expect outages as GPL gears for 60 Hz conversion of Georgetown.

“On that day, the power supply will be interrupted as the necessary changes are made to switch the network to a 60Hz source and complete the insulation upgrade. The second phase of the conversion scheduled for March 10th will affect consumers in parts of Kingston, and the Thomas

Lands area.” A schedule of other areas to be converted will be provided shortly.

“GPL will be in the areas to benefit from this upgrade to meet with consumers and to provide any clarification.

Consumers can also call Tel. Nos. 226-2600 or 225-1471 to obtain additional information.”

In addition, one bid was submitted for the operation security and remedial works at East Demerara Water Conservancy. With an estimate of $75,000 per day, the bid mirrored that amount.

GDF Coast Guard to benefit from more Brazilian expertise

Commodore Gary Best and Vice Admiral Ademir Sobrinho exchange signed agreements. In the background are members from both delegations.

Commodore Gary Best and Vice Admiral Sobrinho of Brazil have inked an agreement that paves the way for the Brazilian Navy to provide technical, operational and administrative assistance to support the Coast Guard and in particular the GDF flagship, the GDFS Essequibo.

The agreement, which in its current state is ready for implementation, subject to the approval of the local Defence Board, was signed when military delegations

from Guyana and Brazil met on Monday and Tuesday.

Chief of Staff Best headed the GDF delegation which included a corps of Senior Officers, while the Brazilian naval contingent was headed

by Commander of the 2nd Naval District of the Brazilian Navy, Vice Admiral Ademir Sobrinho.

A press release from the GDF stated that the two delegations were engaged in cordial discussions and the Brazilian team visited Base Camp Ayanganna where they

were given a brief on the Guyana Defence Force.

Thereafter they toured Coast Guard Ship, Hinds, at Ruimveldt.

The two delegations have also established points of contact. The Guyana Defence Force and the Brazilian Armed Forces have enjoyed a mutually beneficial relationship over the years.

The Brazilians played an integral part in the refurbishing of the auxiliary engines of the GDF Essequibo three years ago.

Thursday February 07, 2013

Kaieteur News

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EXPLAINING OUR ECONOMIC SUCCESS The theory of the criminalized state emerged over the past five years as a means to discredit and detract from the progress that was being made under the ruling Peoples Progressive Party Civic (PPPC).

This theory was concocted because previous attempts at weaving conspiracy theories about the economic performance under the PPPC had fallen flat on their faces.

When the PPPC first got in to office, the PNC, which had brought the economy to its knees and failed even under the Economic Recovery Programme to attain some of IMF/World Bank targets, had the audacity to attribute the PPPC’s early success as a case of the PPPC continuing the policies of the PNC. Yet it was the same PNC whose leader at a rally held just after surrendering power to the PPP in 1992 indicated to its supporters that the PPPC would soon find out how difficult it would be to manage the economy.

Then after unleashing “slow fire, mo’ fire” and later after scaring off investors in the local power company, thereby discouraging foreign direct investment, the same opposition raised alarm bells by claiming that a financial crisis was in the ma king since many businesses were highly indebted to the bank and these business would become insolvent.

We are scared into believing that the banks would soon become the largest property owners in Guyana since the business community was unable to service their loans.

It turned out that this was just one of the many false alarms sounded by the opposition to deflect from their abysmal record and to suggest that the PPP was running the economy into the ground.

As it turned out there was never any financial crisis. In fact as one economist, who was later to become associated with the AFC, would surmise, there was an under appreciation of the role of the financial sector in the economic growth that the country had enjoyed since 1992.

The real problem turned out to be political instability which was being generated by the opposition. That was the greatest disincentive to businesses, not to mention the fact that large sections of the municipality were being corralled by vendors who had turned Regent Street into a tent city.

No sooner did the tents come down that these businesses started to boom and a number of new jobs were created for businesses.

It seems as if the vendors are now back at it again. We may yet again see a downward cycle for some businesses.

Later, a new theory came up. The theory attributed the construction boom in the

Dem boys seh...

De hammer man get a dose of he own medicine When people block any thoroughfare, de man wid de hammer does visit dem wid a vengeance. A man build a kissing bridge at West Demerara and de man wid de hammer break it down in a flash. People use to go there fuh pose fuh dem wedding picture. De man wid de hammer tell dem that dem got to pose somewhere else.

People build things pun de reserve and de man wid de hammer break it down. Dem pun de line top feel de hammer.

Then de hammer tun to Mandela Avenue. A man had he shop wheh he use to mek a dollar. De man wid de hammer put some lash pun that shop that people couldn’t even recognize if was a shop or a pile of wood.

Well dem boys seh that dem got a koker near wheh de man wid de hammer wukking and that one of de koker attendants was a man who place get break down. This man tell he colleagues that de man wid de hammer don’t like see nutten block up anywhere and that de koker blocking de water from flowing.

Dem koker attendants lef wid dem eye open. Is then dem decide that dem wouldn’t interfere wid de koker and de water.

De man wid de hammer been in he office and he feel hungry.

Sam, who does wuk fuh Donald when he ain’t deh been there too. De two of dem walk out and de next thing dem boys hear was a big splash. Sam high top boots full of water.

De man wid de hammer nearly fall down. He call fuh de driver come and fetch he pun he back and de man play like he didn’t hear.

But dem boys feel sorry fuh dem people who live nearby.

Dem had water up to dem tail and dem start fuh cuss de man wid de hammer. He get vex. He now wondering if he got to use de hammer pun de koker.

Talk half and wait fuh de hammer fall.

country to illicit activities it seemed that almost every time a massive new building went up in the city, there was some rumor pedaled that the proceeds were from informal sources.

Unable to grasp how the country moved so rapidly, the detractors of the government turned to the most dangerous and damaging of speculations; that illicit funds were funding the development of Guyana.

This was complemented by a number of spin- off theories. For one it was said that the government was in bed with drug lords.

There was even questioning of the source of the growth of remittances to Guyana with the implied suggestion that the growth of these remittances had to involve illicit transfers.

That theory totally

dismisses the phenomenal success of first, second and third generation immigrants.

These immigrants from Guyana have done so well that by and large the Guyanese Diaspora was not hurt as much as other immigrants by the financial crisis of a few years back.

And the reason is not only because of the success of Guyanese immigrants but also because of the fact that many of them were investing back home through the remittances that were being sent.

If there is anything that the government should be wary of it is the housing market being dominated by overseas-based Guyanese.

Many of these Guyanese who already own properties in Guyana, are buying up more private properties and now have been afforded the

opportunity through the government’s re- migrant housing drive to invest in Guyana.

And so the idea of the criminalized state was born.

But what about the time when almost every citizen was turned into criminals by virtue of having to eat bread, roti and bake made from smuggled flour? If you were caught with this item you were liable to be charged, thus criminalizing our households.

The detractors do not wish to be reminded of this and so there is the usual refrain that we should not be comparing Guyana today with Guyana twenty years ago. But even in the early years of the PPPC rule, there were appeals for comparisons not to be made.

This is not to deny that there is a significant illicit

activity taking place in the country. But these activities are not driving economic progress.

Unless Guyanese disabuse themselves of this silly propaganda we may lose out on understanding just why our economy has moved from where it was to where it is today.

There are problems in the economy and in the country but Guyana has moved forward under the PPP. As the average man would say, “We are now seeking life under the PPP”.

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Kaieteur News

Thursday February 07, 2013

=== THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN ===

In physics and dialectics, there is the concept of balance Nigel Hughes, as chairman of the proceedings of a meeting at the Bethel Congregational Church in Beterverwagting hosted by the 1823 Coalition for Parade Ground, made the point that when African Guyanese speak about ethnic discrimination against Africans they receive accusations of being racist.

He went on to say that because of this African leaders tend to shy away from the subject. David Hinds was in the audience and the audience knew very well that Hinds has belaboured that point umpteen times in the past and still at it.

The very 1823 Coalition for Parade Ground held a similar meeting at the Salem Church on Hadfield and Chapel Street in Lodge (South Georgetown). At that event, I spoke about the non-reaction to something I did twice on my Kaieteur News page. I examined advertisements in both the print and

electronic media and found out that ninety eight (you bet, 98 per cent) of the faces in those advertisement were either light in complexion, very white and are from people outside of the African ethnic mix.

To date, not a single organization that functions in the sphere of African rights and African culture has taken up the issue. I asked the Coalition at that Salem Congregational Church meeting to put this on their agenda of pursuits. I hope they do.

Let us look at another area of African silence in this country.

You can cite more than twenty times (you bet, more than twenty times including as recent as his last Sunday column) over a five-year period where Ravi Dev has called for ethnic balance in the police force.

But not only Dev, there are other Indian extremists who openly clamour in the newspapers for ethnic balance in the police force.

Where are the responses to Dev for ethnic balance in other spheres of life in Guyana? If my memory is still intact and if my eyesight is still functioning then I believe I see other important realms of life in Guyana that are so indispensable to national survival that there needs to be balance in those crucial segments of national existence.

What is so overwhelmingly sensitive about the security forces that there must be ethnic balance?

Where is the balance in commerce, import-export trade, financial houses, land ownership, property ownership, investments in business ventures, agricultural projects, engineering firms, the construction industry, the retail trade in downtown Georgetown etc?

No why must there be ethnic balance in the police force and not in these areas mentioned? Here is a reply from people like Dev. The police force is a

public institution and therefore it needs to reflect ethnic balance. On the other hand, things like commerce and investment depend on market forces.

The Government has an obligation to restructure public institutions but the State cannot intervene in market forces.

Forgive my language, but such an argument is elephant dung There is no country in the world where capitalism is more overflowing than the United States. Yet the US Government in 2010 intervened in market forces, lent the private section billions of dollars and saved the country from collapse.

The argument of the Indian extremists is that Guyana needs an ethnically balanced police force for the maintenance of stability.

One would think that the same reasoning applies to business, financial

transactions, investment structures and land and property ownership. Enter sociology.

Isn’t it the sociologist that tells us that if sections of a society are deprived, sensing gloom and doom, they tend to become desperate?

We come now to the A f r i c a n - b a s e d organizations. Where are the replies to Dev and others? Does the answer lie in what Nigel Hughes and David Hinds have posited? African leaders in Guyana are scared of engaging in narratives and discourses that revolve around the dilemma of African Guyanese out of fear of being accused of being racist.

So whereas Indian parties under the PNC Government were vocal about discrimination against Indian and operated without fear of

Frederick Kissoon being labeled Indian racist, this boldness is missing in Africans in today’s Guyana Finally, what about the leaders of other ethnic groups? Do they believe that there should be ethnic balance in the police force, the army, the public service, commerce, business, land ownership, financial houses, investments, and the award of contracts.

Speaking about contracts; surely in all types of contracts awarded by the Government, there seems to be an amazing ethnic imbalance. But there isn’t even a whisper against this ethnic predominance.

The opposite of imbalance is balance. We need balance in all forms of national life in this land.

Former Chancellor Aubrey Bishop dies at 81

Former Chancellor of the Judiciary Aubrey Fitz Ronald Bishop O.R., C.C.H., B.Sc, L.L.M. died last night at 19:00hrs in hospital, where he had been a patient for the past three weeks. He was 81.

Born in September 1931 in Georgetown, Mr. Bishop had a distinguished and exemplary career.

He was educated at Queen’s College. He was called to the English Bar in July 1963 and later enjoyed great success at both the Civil and Criminal Bars in Guyana.

He was elevated to the High Court in 1976; to the Court of Appeal in 1987; became Chief Justice in 1992; and Chancellor and Head of the Judiciary in 1996.

Justice Bishop was also a Member of the Caribbean Court of Justice’s Regional Judicial and Legal Services Commission.

Immediately upon demitting office, Professor Bishop assumed a full-time Professorship of Law at the University of Guyana and was Head of Department.

Professor Bishop, also held a B.Sc. Degree in Industrial Relations and Management, as well as a LL.M. degree.

Mr. Bishop was Vice President of the Methodist Church in the Caribbean and the Americas; and a FIFA International Soccer Referee.

He has also represented

Former Chancellor Aubrey Bishop Guyana at cricket and football.

Professor Bishop was Chairman of the Competitions Committee of the Guyana Cricket Board and a former President of the Guyana Football Association.

He started out his football career representing the Red Hammers F.C as a left winger and also represented Queen’s College and the BGCC. He played for Guyana against the British Fleet Air XI (England Army) in 1955.

In 1964, he took over the Presidency of the then Guyana Football Association (GFA) from Campbell Adams after serving as Vice President. One of the most respected referees in his time he achieved FIFA status,

becoming the second person after Mr. Deryck Whitehead.

Professor Bishop also played hockey and table tennis.

Professor Bishop was a Hockey Referee and was approached to referee Rugby but declined.

He was also the first Secretary of the Veterans Football Association which was formed in the late 1960s.

He was President of the Guyana Football Referees Association and also functioned as Secretary of the Guyana Olympic Association under the Presidency of Justice P. A. Cummings for a number of years.

On the recommendation of the Guyana Football Federation, Professor Bishop was accepted to serve a twoyear term as one of the Arbiters on the Court of Arbitration in Sport in Zurich, Switzerland.

Professor Bishop was twice honoured nationally, with the Cacique’s Crown of Honour, and the Order of Roraima, Guyana’s third and second highest awards, respectively, being bestowed on him.

Professor Bishop leaves to mourn his wife of 48 years, Dr. Carole Maison-Bishop and three children, Roderick, who is a Minister of Religion in the United States; Howard, who works in the Social Services in New York and Beverley, an attorney at law.

Thursday February 07, 2013

Kaieteur News

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Three killed during confrontation with police in Prashad Nagar

By Latoya Giles and Jenelle Willabus Three men were shot and killed midmorning yesterday by police ranks after they attempted to force their way into a house located at Premnaranjan Place, Prashad Nagar. The home is owned by Bartician Wayne Heber, proprietor of Platinum Mining.

Two of the men have been identified as 42-year-old Tony Ogle, called ‘Skin Teeth’ and ‘Ninja’ of Callendar Street, Albouystown, and 24-yearold Leon Gittens, called ‘Cow’ of Hill Street, Albouystown.

Up to press time yesterday the third man was only identified as ‘Mac’.

According to the police, ranks acting on intelligence, responded to a report that some persons had planned to carry out a robbery on a residence owned by a miner at Premnaranjan Place, Prashad Nagar, Georgetown.

A statement said that police ranks staked out the building.

It added that about 10:05 hours three men, two of whom were armed with firearms, entered the premises. Upon being

challenged by the police, the armed men opened fire on the ranks who returned fire, hitting all three of the men.

The injured men were taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital where one of them was pronounced dead on arrival, while the other two succumbed while receiving medical attention.

According to the police a .357 Magnum revolver with 2 live rounds and a spent shell, along with a .32 Taurus pistol with 9 live rounds and 3 rounds that had snapped were recovered by the police.

An eyewitness said that shortly before the shooting she noticed two cars in the area circling and residents became alert and called the police.

One security guard who works in the area said that one of the cars, a white Toyota AT 212, stopped and put off three men who entered the yard and within seconds gunshots were heard.

“All I see is these men run in the yard and then I see some plainclothes police run in behind them and I hear shooting. A li’l time after I see

a police pick-up come and they throw three men in de vehicle and drive off,” another eyewitness said.

There are reports that the bandits were heard pleading with the police ranks as they lay on the ground in the yard before being taken away. The three wounded “bandits” were eventually taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital.

According to hospital sources one of the men who was shot several times about the body was pronounced dead on arrival.

Kaieteur News was told that Ogle and Gittens both died while receiving medical attention. This newspaper was told that the third man who has not been identified was shot about two times to the face. They were also “sprayed” with bullets to the upper body.

As word of the shooting spread around Georgetown yesterday, relatives of the dead men converged at the GPHC mortuary.

Latisha Michael, who is the reputed wife of Gittens, was overcome with grief and collapsed at the hospital after

The building where the shooting occurred. she confirmed her worst fears.

The woman told Kaieteur News yesterday that Gittens was the father of her four children.

According to the woman, one of her husband’s friends “Oriley Small” came at the house calling for him yesterday morning.

“Oriley come and went calling for he…I tell he don’t go nowhere with

Oriley. I turned away to make porridge for my daughter and I didn’t realize that he left the house,” the woman stated yesterday.

Michael said that Small was driving a Black Toyota Raum. About an hour and half later Michael said she received the call about the shooting and that Gittens was killed. This newspaper understands that Gittens was

released from prison on Tuesday. Gittens was before the court on a charge of break and enter and larceny.

Meanwhile, relatives of Ogle told Kaieteur News that he had a “checkered” past but had tried to curb his lifestyle.

Relatives also said that it was Small who picked up Ogle in the small black Toyota Raum.

Ogle, 42, who was no (continued on page 16)

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Thursday February 07, 2013

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Kaieteur News

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Malfunctioning koker leads to flooding in Kingston

Sandbags at the door of the Prime Minister’s Office A malfunctioning koker yesterday led to the flooding of several sections of Kingston, Georgetown, including Prime Minister

Samuel Hinds’s office compound. Before noon, yesterday, water started pouring into certain parts of Kingston, forcing business

The flooded areas in Kingston owners to close their businesses and send home their employees. By 14:00 hours yesterday, water was three feet deep in some parts and people were even seen bailing water from their

homes. There were sandbags at the doors leading to the Prime Minister’s Office which also houses the offices of the Minister of Public Works.

There were reports that the koker attendant left the

koker door ajar but an engineer who preferred not to be named refuted that. He said that “the door was blocked” and while the problem was being rectified, the water got in and flooded

the area. Minister within the Ministry of Local Government, Norman Whittaker, visited the area yesterday and promised that an investigation will be launched.

debate, while stray animals and drainage were also brought into the spotlight.

City Hall has however charged that the Government does not have the authority to make any replacements to City Hall. They said that any implementation to the City Council is a procedure for Local Government election which has not been held since the 90s. City Hall has however blasted the government for what they said is nonfeasance and malfeasance.

They charged that the Local Government Minister has blatantly refused to grant or agree to the subventions recommended by the Council formerly installed. They said that the first defendant by servants and agents have indulged in dumping sewerage (sometimes raw)

into canals of the council.

City Hall is also blaming the Labour Minister that among other things, he failed to pass the necessary legislation to arrest the ongoing damage to streets of the City by huge vehicles and containers. They said that the government has also failed to maintain even at the level of minimum efficiency the East Demerara Conservancy which supplies water to the Municipality.

Cabinet Secretary Dr Roger Luncheon had made the announcement last year that an IMC would be replacing the long standing City Hall. Dr Luncheon had stated that the municipality of Georgetown had long time ceased to work in the interest of taxpayers.

He said, “It is now rife with a culture of corrupt practices and financial irregularities that have been chronicled in reports of the Auditor General.”

Government to decide on dissolving City Hall at next court hearing

In the case of the Georgetown City Council versus the Government, the state is expected to say at the next hearing in the High Court whether it is moving to replace City Hall with a government implemented Interim Management Committee (IMC).

The matter was presented before Chief Justice Ian Chang last July, when the City Council became aware that the Government was considering the installation of an IMC for Georgetown. City Councilors, Ranwell Jordan and Gladstone George, plaintiffs in the matter, immediately moved to the High Court to block the government’s intentions.

The civil matter which is being heard in the commercial court was brought against the Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Ganga Persaud and Attorney General Anil Nandlall.

Attorney-at-law

Llewellyn John is making an appearance for the plaintiffs while Beulah Williams is representing the defendants.

At the third hearing of the matter Attorney John had suggested yesterday that once the government gives the undertaking that they would set no IMC for Georgetown then the matter against the state would be withdrawn.

The two parties had engaged in the blame game until the CJ pointed out that the issue at hand was whether the government was seeking to replace City Hall.

He said that the bickering had no relevance at the time since it was not related to the issue.

John, however, suggested that once the government had agreed that they would not be moving against City Hall, then there would be no need for

Attorney for the plaintiffs Llewellyn John the court matter. Yesterday was set for testimonies but the government will return on February 21 to state their intentions, which would

ultimately decide the fate of the case.

City Hall and the government had started to point fingers blaming each other for the woes plaguing Georgetown. In response to the court’s intervention sought be City Hall, the government blamed the entity for negligence and breach of statutory duties.

The respondents charged that among other things, City Hall failed to clear the garbage from the city, creating a public nuisance and in contravention of the public health standards laws. They said the council failed to weed playgrounds, road ways etc. breaching health laws.

The maintenance of street lamps was also an issue in relation to citizen’s security; the Le Repentir and Kitty cemeteries came up for

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Kaieteur News

Thursday February 07, 2013

Union alarmed no Guyanese hired in Marriott’s construction - calls on President Ramotar to intervene

President Donald Ramotar

NICIL’s Winston Brassington

Former President, Bharrat Jagdeo

The Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) says that it is deeply disturbed over reports that the Marriott Hotel is being constructed without Guyanese labour.

“Guyana is a sovereign nation and governed by its own laws, among which include the citizens’ right to work and the protection of the people by the government.

With Government charged foremost with ensuring the security of its people, which does not only attend to crime, but every aspect of the people’s lives as outlined in the Guyana Constitution and its attendant laws, the news of the non-employment needs to be met with the needed action of ensuring the nation’s laws are upheld and its people’s wellbeing protected,” GTUC said yesterday in a statement.

The union body said that it is calling on President Donald Ramotar and his administration to immediately address the issue.

“…And if the Executive fails to act, then the Legislature must act to ensure the sovereignty of this country is maintained and the security of its people guaranteed. The absence of Guyanese labour, in our country, when Guyanese

workers at the site after repeated visits.

The only Guyanese at the site was a man who identified himself as a consultant.

Representatives of the Chinese company at the Kingston, Georgetown site

“…the involvement of Winston Brassington and the creation of Atlantic Hotels Incorporated to front this project raise searching questions that deserve answers.”- GTUC are paying the bill, constitutes an attack on statehood and is a form re-colonisation, which must be rejected.”

On Tuesday, this newspaper reported that neither the Chinese contractor, Shanghai Construction Group (SCG), nor the government is saying why.

The government had boasted that the project, which is costing some US$60 million, would create hundreds of jobs; but months into construction, Kaieteur News saw no Guyanese

are not being allowed to speak to Kaieteur News.

When Kaieteur News contacted Michael Ziang, SCG’s Managing Director in Trinidad, he said that he could not answer any questions and directed this newspaper to AHI. Ziang said that he would offer an interview to Kaieteur News if the reporter flies to Trinidad; but even so, he would need the permission of AHI. Kaieteur News contacted Brassington and Dr Ashni Singh, the Finance Minister,

Marriott Hotel under construction in Kingston, Georgetown.

for comments on the issue, but more than two weeks later, there has been no response.

In late 2011, former President Bharrat Jagdeo officially turned the sod for the construction of the hotel with the promise, that the project will create hundreds of jobs in the construction phase, and beyond when it becomes operational.

Brassington’s role The 160-room hotel and entertainment complex is expected by February 2014.

According to GTUC yesterday, the reported promise of former President Bharrat Jagdeo to hire Guyanese labour ought not to be a promise but a commitment to the people since it is guaranteed with Article 22 of the Guyana Constitution, “The right and the duty to work”.

“And this administration must be held accountable for obeying the Supreme Law of this nation-state.

The government’s reported silence to questions posed by a Kaieteur News’ reporter is not an option because Government functions on behalf of the people and must answer to

the people. Additionally, the involvement of Winston Brassington and the creation of Atlantic Hotels Incorporated to front this project raise searching questions which deserve answers.”

The union said that it is convinced that the “ill advised project” will add more burden to the taxpayers and the spending of tens of millions of U.S dollars cannot, and must not be to the benefit of the well-off (beneficiaries of the hotel’s hospitality) and China’s economy.

“Guyanese must be given first preference to any job that entails them having to foot the bill.”

Sovereign nation GTUC made it clear that while SCG in a global economy is welcomed to engage in global business, SCG must be equally mindful that Guyana is a sovereign nation, and its laws must be honoured and respected, including the right and duty of Guyanese to work… even moreso that Guyanese taxpayers (workers) are funding this project.

“The Chinese government would not have countenance

this display of contempt for its citizens and allowed any foreign company to engage in business in China, on the back of Chinese taxpayers (workers), without their workforce being given preferential treatment and their laws, customs and practices respected, and this would be the right thing to do.”

The union called on the Chinese Embassy in Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago, the Chinese Associations in both countries and SCG to let “good corporate and ethical sense prevail” and act in a manner that would communicate to this nation and CARICOM that they respect the citizens and are prepared in their business practices to honour the local laws, customs and practices.

“GTUC also calls on CARICOM and Guyanese to raise their voices to stop the violations of our principles, sovereignty and rights.”

The government is so far using tax dollars to fund the project. It has already handed over US$10million (G$2 billion) to SCG. Private investors are expected to contribute US$27 million.

Thursday February 07, 2013

Kaieteur News

Schoolboy rushed to hospital with scissors in head … assailant said to be fellow student The mother of a Patentia Secondary School student is diligently praying that her 13year-old son makes a complete recovery after the child was reportedly stabbed in the head by another student with a pair of scissors.

The lad, Neil Miggins, underwent surgery last evening at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) to remove the scissors. Doctors said that the operation was successful.

Barbara Miggins, of 79 Sisters Village, West Bank Demerara, said that she was at home during the mid afternoon when an ambulance pulled up at her house requesting that she come to attend to her son who was being taken to the West Demerara Regional Hospital.

Miggins said, “When I ran out I saw him in the ambulance with a scissors in his head.” The woman said that her son was in and out of consciousness before he could have related that he was running down a flight of stairs in the school when he “jammed” another male student standing of the

Nigel Miggins stairway. He said he just feel the impact and then he feel the scissors in his head,” the mother related.

Miggins said that while she awaited word about her son at the West Demerara Regional Hospital, the police had informed her that the culprit said that young Miggins had troubled him and, “with passion, he just threw the scissors in his head.”

The culprit was reportedly taken to the Wales Police Station for questioning.

While Miggins fought her tears, she said that her son’s situation, though stable now, is a matter of life and death.

She said she had to sign a document giving health care workers permission to remove the scissors since the surgery could have dire effects on the teen.

At the time, Miggins said that her son had gone in for surgery and doctors indicated that a bone would most likely have to be removed from the head.

“All the roughing up and driving, the scissors is still not coming out.

Despite the jamming and movements,” the mother said her son kept hollering for his head, but the object would not budge. She said X-rays and a CT scan were done subsequently.

Miggins said that so far the school has made no contact with her. She said she has constantly warned her children about violence and other negative acts. She believes children should be children, and has also sought the intervention of her church in assisting with their upbringing.

Footballer battles for life after slamming into pedestrians - One discharged, another in ICU

Colin Edwards Two persons are battling for their lives at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) after an accident around 20:30 hours (pm) on Tuesday on Norton Street, Lodge.

Hospitalized are 53-yearold Phyllis Luckie, of Lot 53 Norton Street, Lodge, and 21year-old Colin Edwards, a football player of Lot 14 Bent Street, Georgetown.

The third victim, Lydia Bishop, 63, also of Norton Street Lodge (opposite Luckie’s home) was treated at a private hospital and discharged late yesterday.

According to information, Edwards was proceeding

Lydia Bishop west along Norton Street on motorcycle CG3325 when he struck the two women who were waiting to cross the road.

The accident occurred outside both victims’ home.

Bishop was rushed to a private hospital with minor injuries while the other two persons were taken to the GPHC. At the hospital y e s t e r d a y, E d w a r d s ’s mother said she was only informed of the accident early yesterday.

The woman said that when her son was rushed to the public health institution, the security guard kept his two cellular

phones but failed to inform his family about the accident.

Edwards’s brother, who declined to be named, said that he was about to go to work yesterday when one of his friends informed him about the accident. “We went straight to the hospital.”

There, the family discovered that the 21-yearold was on a life support system.

They also learnt the bitter truth that Edwards was the one who caused the accident.

When Kaieteur News visited Lydia Bishop’s home yesterday, she was resting.

Her daughter, Donna, said that her mother was going to a nearby shop when the accident occurred.

“I told her to be careful as she crossed the road and is turn I turn to go inside when I heard a loud ‘bang!’ and I saw her lying on the road.”

Bishop’s daughter said she rushed out to her mother ’s aid and it was then that she realized that there was more than one person involved in the accident.

Edwards’s motorcycle is impounded at the East La Penitence Police Station.

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Kaieteur News

Thursday February 07, 2013

‘B’ Field Sophia residents Teen driver slapped with scare off phone cable thieves Mon Repos smash-up

four more charges

A Fifth Form student of School of the Nation’s was yesterday granted bail in the sum of $750,000 on five charges including two counts of causing death by dangerous driving.

The defendant, Gidram Rasiawan, who was represented by Attorney-atLaw Huckumchand, appeared before Magistrate Alex Moore at the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court was placed on $300,000 bail on each of the two counts of causing of death by dangerous driving; $50,000 for taking a vehicle without owner’s permission; $50,000 for being an unlicensed driver for the class of vehicle; and $50,000 for breach of insurance.

He was granted bail on the basis that he is preparing for examinations in May and needs to focus.

Huckumchand related that his client is traumatized and would be able to focus less on the matter and more on his studies if he were granted bail.

However, he was required to lodge his passport with the police.

Initially, his attorney did not want him to submit his passport but the Magistrate pointed out that Rasiawan is preparing for examinations and may not have uses for the travel document.

Nonetheless, in the event that there is an emergency, he will have access to his passport.

The youngster, who looked depressed throughout the proceedings, is required to report every Saturday between 8:00 hrs and 12:00 hrs to the Providence Police Station, which is the nearest station to his Eccles, East Bank

The teenager entering the courtroom Demerara residence.

The Magistrate cautioned Prosecutor Lloyd Thomas that the teen’s passport should be placed at the Vigilance Police Station. He recalled that previously a Canadian Passport lodged by a Jamaican man at the said Court was misplaced.

Thomas had objected to bail because of the various offences.

He noted that in addition to the two deaths, eight persons were injured when the vehicle Rasiawan was driving, smashed into a bus that was travelling in the opposite direction.

Because seven of the injured persons were released from the hospital and the other who is still hospitalized is stable, the Magistrate granted the teen pre-trial liberty. The Magistrate said that it is unlikely that another death may occur since the hospitalized person is in a stable condition.

On Sunday, Rasiawan was

the driver of the Toyota Tundra that smashed into a minibus that resulted in the death of two personsminibus driver Godfrey Daniels, 42, of Ann’s Grove, and passenger Shondell Yaw, 36, of Annandale, East Coast Demerara. Yaw was a teacher and mother of four.

The accident occurred on the Mon Repos Public Road.

According to the Guyana Police Force, the defendant was way over the allowable alcohol limit.

The teenager was charged for driving under the influence and was placed on $7,500 bail, on Monday last.

However, he was subsequently taken into police custody to assist with further investigations which resulted in the four additional charges. Rasiawan was not required to plead to the two counts of causing death by dangerous driving, but he pleaded not guilty to the other charges.

vehicles have been the main road users affected by fatal accidents, with four such persons having lost their lives during January. One pedal cyclist, one pedestrian and one passenger also lost their lives.

Five of the fatal accidents happened in ‘A’ Division, while one each in Berbice and the Linden District occurred.

January also saw reductions in relation to the

other categories of traffic accidents – serious, minor and damage.

Traffic enforcement by the police during January resulted in a total of 6,252 cases being made against errant motorists; of these 1,800 cases were for speeding.

Meanwhile, four road fatalities have already been recorded so far for this month from three accidents.

Speeding main cause of road fatalities The police say that speeding was the cause of all seven road deaths recorded in January.

Police figures revealed that the month recorded one less fatality than the corresponding period last year. In addition to speeding, drunk driving is also being cited for some of the fatalities.

So far, drivers of motor

Three killed during confrontation with ...

From page 11 stranger to the lockups, was charged and placed before the courts several times in the past.

Back in 2009 Ogle was charged with robbery under arms and larceny. He was refused bail and remanded to prison by then Acting Chief

Magistrate Melissa Robertson. The allegation was that Ogle on September 30, 2009 while armed with a gun, robbed Ethan Curtis of gold and diamond jewellery, worth $800,000 and booty worth a total of $1.8M. Another allegation against him is that he, also at

gunpoint, robbed Shondell Wilson of a $30,000 cellular phone amongst other things valued at $69,300.

Ogle was also before the court on two charges of robbery under arms, discharging loaded firearm and possession of firearm without licence.

A part of the cut cable which was left behind by vandals

The footwear and hack saw which was left behind by the vandals.

Vandals continue to create havoc in the Sophia area. This time they targeted another large quantity of cables, property of the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company.

Residents of 11th Field, ‘B’ Field Sophia said that they were alerted to the vandals on a utility pole around 02:00 hours yesterday. Fed up with the situation which has been plaguing the community, the residents said that they began alerting each other via telephone then decided to launch an attack on the persons.

This publication was told that as residents emerged from their homes with the aim of capturing the culprits, they noticed a man, a woman and a child who appeared to be no older than 10.

“By the time people come out their house the man jump off the pole and start running with the woman and child behind. We run them but they

get away.”

As if the first attempt to scare the persons away was not enough, some time later the persons returned to the area to remove another length of cable which was already cut, but was still dangling from other wires attached to the pole. As a result several residents of the area were without telephone service.

However this second attempt to remove the remaining cable was thwarted again by residents. The trio again fled the area, this time leaving their footwear and a hack saw behind.

The residents say that a greater police presence is needed in the area to deal with this issue since they, the residents, are the ones affected when the cables are damaged and stolen. This publication was told that a report was also made to the telephone company and officials visited the area later in the day to assess the

damage.

Further, residents are calling on the police to increase police patrol in the area as it is believed, that some persons in the area are condoning the act.

“They got some boys who does be liming at a bridge around ‘C’ Field leading into ‘B’ Field and they saw us chasing these people and just sit and we feel as if they tip off the people where to run and hide,” one resident said.

Public Relation Officer of the Telephone Company, Ms. Allison Parker, said that they did receive the report and officials visited the area to assess the damage.

She said efforts are being made to have telephone service restored to the area as soon as possible.

Parker also pleaded with persons who are bent on conducting these criminal activities to desist from doing so.

Thursday February 07, 2013

Kaieteur News

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Thursday February 07, 2013

Guyana state-owned media Renowned Muslim companies admit libel scholar to visit Guyana …slapped with $120 million lawsuit

Legal woes deepened Wednesday for two of Guyana’s state-owned media companies, three privately owned media entities closely associated with Guyana’s ruling People’s Progressive Party (PPP) and Presidential Liaison Kwame McCoy. Last week the state entities admitted to defaming Rickford Burke, President of the New York-based Caribbean Guyana Institute for Democracy (CGID).

The State-owned Chronicle newspaper and National Communications Network (NCN) Television were forced to apologize and retract a story that Burke was arrested in New York for identity theft. The story turned out to be a complete fabrication. Burke was in fact the victim of identity fraud.

The falsehood was allegedly fabricated by a PPP supporter in New York and dispatched to President Donald Ramotar’s office.

Ramotar’s public relations liaison Kwame McCoy allegedly disseminated it to State and PPP friendly media.

The Guyana Chronicle,

NCN Television, Multi Technology Vision Inc., Little Rock Television, Guyana Times, and Kwame McCoy broadcast, published and/or repeated the story on January 30, 2013. Consequently they were each slapped with $20 million libel lawsuits.

NCN officials rushed a retraction and apology on air last Friday. The Chronicle sneaked its retraction and apology into its online archives on February 1, Burke said.

However Burke’s Attorney, Nigel Hughes, wrote the entities last Tuesday rejecting their retractions on several grounds, including a lack of prominence as the offending article which was published on the front page.

He told the parties that in light of their admission of error Burke was entitled to “substantial damages.”

The parties were issued twenty-four hour ultimatums to submit proposals for monetary cost for damages, failing which legal proceedings will continue.

Brooklyn Attorney

Donnell Suares also slapped the publisher of the PPP website Newguymedia.com, Clinton Dubissette of Brooklyn, with a libel lawsuit.

CGID spokesman, Jevon Suralie, assailed the editors of the entities, saying “they are vile PPP henchmen whose character assassination plot blew up in their faces.”

He said that Burke has battled identity theft since his wallet with identification documents were stolen in 1999. “In January he received a traffic violation summons from NYPD officers.

The summons was due to other persons driving under his name and accumulating violations unbeknownst to him.

The PPP’s attempt to deceive the Guyanese people by turning the facts on their head is disgraceful,” he contended.

Burke’s Attorney, Mark Pollard said, “This is a traffic infraction at best. It could have been resolved by paying a $50 fine but my client is a victim of identity fraud, thus even a small fine is too much for an innocent man.”

The Guyanese and Muslim community will receive a historic visit from one of the world’s most renowned and respected Muslim scholar, Huzoor Maulana Zain ul Akhtab Siddiqi, from February 20 to February 25, 2013 which will include a packed itinerary with programmes and activities throughout the country.

According to Public Relations Officer, Reyaz Hussein, the visit of his eminence Maulana Zain is coordinated through the Anna Catherina Islamic Complex and the Guyana United Sadr Islamic Anjuman but has the support of all the Sunni Muslim organizations in Guyana. He explained that His Eminence will be accompanied on his visit by Shaykh Esa Alexander Henderson, a young convert to Islam, who is gaining great fame, worldwide, with his presentations. He is 20 yrs old; was born in England of English parentage. He was an atheist and converted to Islam four years ago through Huzoor Zain Siddiqi. His knowledge of Islam is equivalent to a scholarly level already. He is currently studying Micro Medicine at a University in England. It was further added that the visit is made possible through the International Muslim Organization of Toronto, Canada (IMO), the largest Muslim organization in the Toronto Area. The scholars of Islam will be accompanied by a large

Maulana Zain Siddiqui delegation from Canada, led by its President Al Haj Omar Farouk. The delegation arrives on February 20, and the opening programme is slated for Peter’s Hall Jama Masjid, East Bank Demerara.

On February 21, the Meten Meer Zorg West Demerara Masjid will host the scholars, while on February 22, the scholars will conduct the Juma (Friday) prayers at the Queenstown Masjid/MYO (Woolford Avenue), Darul Uloom in East Street, Georgetown and Alexander Village Old Mosque. On the same date, the Central Jama Masjid in New Amsterdam will host a program with the scholars (18.30hrs).

On February 23, the Anjuman Hifazatul Islam and the Windsor Forest Masjid will host the delegation at 18.30 hrs. The main programme will be held at the famed Anna Catherina Islamic

Complex on February 24 at 13.30Hrs. On February 25, the University of Guyana Islamic Society (UGIS) will host a programme on the Turkeyen Campus at 11.30 hrs while the final programme will be held at the Mon Repos Masjid, East Coast Demerara at 18.30 hrs. The delegation will also be hosted at meetings by the Central Islamic Organization of Guyana (CIOG) as well as the Inter Religious Organization of Guyana (IRO). While here, they will also pay courtesy calls on several government functionaries, Opposition Leader and Members of the diplomatic corps.

The programs will be staged under the theme “Muhammad is the way to Paradise” and in attendance also, will be representatives from Muslim organizations of Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Holland and USA.

Bush Lot West Coast Berbice man faces murder retrial

The retrial of murder accused, Ramesh Sahadeo, called “Bado”, of Bush Lot, West Coast Berbice, who is accused of murdering 17year-old Darshanan Ramanan, called “Tato”, of the Bush Lot Housing Scheme, began Tuesday in the Berbice High Court before Justice Brassington Reynolds and a mixed jury.

The 45-year-old, a former tractor operator of Bush Lot, West Berbice is accused of murdering the teenager following a misunderstanding on September 20, 2009 at Bush Lot, West Coast Berbice.

After the jury was sworn in, state appointed attorney, Raymond Ally, asked for an adjournment until Thursday.

He claimed that he only received the file for the case on Tuesday and that he needed some time to peruse the file.

The judge granted the adjournment.

The first trial ended in a hung jury.

The state’s case is being presented by Attorney at law Dionne Mc Calmon.

The accused, Ramesh Sahadeo, being escorted from The High Court

Thursday February 07, 2013

Kaieteur News

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Former St Kitts minister dismisses attempts to unseat him in Parliament

Sam Condor BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - CMC – Former deputy prime minister Sam Condor has rubbished attempts by a section of the ruling St. KittsNevis Labour Party (SKNLP) to have him resign from Parliament even as Prime Minister Dr. Denzil Douglas announced a minor re-shuffle of his Cabinet on Tuesday night.

Condor, who last week resigned from the Cabinet in the ongoing spat with Prime Minister Douglas, described the move by the SKNLP West Basseterre Branch, which he represents in Parliament as “interesting”.

“I believe any scientific poll that is to be done in West Basseterre would indicate that I still have the support of the vast majority of the people in West Basseterre…It just goes to show the confusion that is taking place in this country at this time,” he added.

In a statement, the Branch said that it has taken a

decision to replace Condor as the candidate to contest the next general election as a representative of the Labour Party whenever that election is called.

It said that it has already started the process of finding the new candidate.

But Condor told reporters “out of this current situation, I hope the country will benefit. Nothing in that letter makes any sense really”.

He said he wondered whether those who penned the statement understood the implications if he were to resign as the parliamentary representative.

“That is the last thing that anybody would want to happen now…to resign as a member of the Cabinet is one thing, but to resign as the parliamentary representative, it means that you would want…a by-election right now to fill the vacancy. In addition to that there’s a Vote of No Confidence. Should we have a by-election or should we have a Vote of No Confidence?”

In its statement, the Branch said it had taken note of Condor ’s recent resignation and accused him of having embarked upon a “course of conduct whereby his actions were designed to destabilize and undermine the

Government.”

It said his views were never the views of the general Constituency Branch and were undertaken as a “personal narrative” expressed without general consultations with the majority of the members who elected him to serve as their representative.

The statement said by his own actions, the former deputy prime minister has abandoned his constituency, and according to the SKNLP is now indicating that he is an independent legislator.

The statement calls for his immediate resignation from the party and also as the elected representative of Constituency Three since he no longer represents the views and opinions of the vast majority of constituents that gave him the mandate to serve.

Condor and sacked senior government minister Dr. Timothy Harris have publicly contradicted statements made by Prime Minister Douglas and has challenged his account of why the national budget was postponed in December.

The two legislators have also spoken out against the Land for Debt swap involving the exchange of 1,200 acres of state-owned land for debt

Cayman Islands police extend bail of former premier GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands — Former Cayman Islands premier McKeeva Bush was re-bailed until late March, after presenting himself to police on Tuesday in accordance with the terms of his original police bail following his December 11 arrest on suspicion of theft and corruption.

According to a statement released by the Cayman Islands police, “The investigation is still very active and police are following several positive lines of enquiry.

The re-bailing of the suspects is to allow further investigations to take place in a number of foreign jurisdictions including locations in Europe, the United States and in Asia.

“Officers are working closely with law enforcement colleagues overseas and the investigation is being progressed as expeditiously as possible; however it

McKeeva Bush should be noted that the enquiry team is required to follow the stringent, and often lengthy, legal processes in place within these overseas jurisdictions to obtain the necessary evidential exhibits and supporting statements.”

One week after his initial arrest, Bush was ousted from office when Cayman Islands lawmakers passed a vote of no confidence in him.

Bush’s party, the United Democratic Party (UDP) accused the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service of “abuse of official power” in a statement released on Tuesday.

“The UDP is of the opinion that over the last 24 months there has been an orchestrated witch hunt against the former premier in an effort to damage his reputation and remove him as the democratically elected premier together with the government which he led. The use of extraordinary resources of the RCIP in carrying out this objective is, in the opinion of the UDP, an abuse of official power,” the statement said.

Local businessman Suresh Prasad, whose name surfaced in earlier years in connection with Bush and a number of controversial transactions, and who was also arrested along with Bush, was likewise re-bailed to appear in March.

owed to the St Kitts Nevis Anguilla National Bank and last week voted against the Increase in Senators Bill that only passed after government increased its numbers by adding a new senator in Attorney General Jason Hamilton. That Bill passed 87.

Condor resigned from Cabinet soon afterwards citing issues pertaining to good governance and constitutional integrity as his reasons for doing so and then teamed up with the leader of the main opposition People’s Action Movement (PAM), Shawn Richards, to jointly filed an injunction to restrain the Attorney General from performing as a senator in the National Assembly and blocking the performance of the Increase in Senators Act. Meantime, Prime Minister Dr. Douglas Tuesday night announced a minor re-shuffle of his Cabinet by naming his most senior Cabinet colleague, Dr. Earl Asim Martin as his Deputy Prime

Minister.

Dr. Martin, a Cuban trained physician was first elected to the St. Kitts and Nevis National Assembly in July 1995.

In a nationwide broadcast, Dr. Douglas said he would now assume responsibility for the Social Security Board, while Patrice Nisbett will be responsible for the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Homeland Security, and Labour, previously held by Condor.

Tourism Minister Richard Skerritt will assume the added Ministries of International Trade, Industry, Commerce, and Consumer Affairs.

“I therefore once again thank Mr. Condor for his many years of service, and hereby make official my acceptance of his resignation,” Dr. Douglas said, informing listeners he had been unable in the past to privately thank the former minister.

In his address, Dr. Douglas said that the twinisland Federation is on a solid social, economic, and political

path.

“Crime has been reduced to levels we could never have anticipated a few short years ago. The dramatic reduction of our debt has freed up millions of dollars, formerly used for debt servicing that can now be used to meet the needs of Kittitians and Nevisians.

The IMF (International Monetary Fund) consistently declares our performance targets as having been met,” said the Prime Minister.

He told listeners that despite the sometimes frenzied political propaganda, his democratically elected Government has always been guided by the dictates of the Constitution, “and this we shall continue to do.

“There is a great deal of work to be done. There is our Constitution that must be upheld. And to both, you can be assured, this Government – your government – is completely committed. Thank you, and may God bless and protect St. Kitts and Nevis,” he added.

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Kaieteur News

Thursday February 07, 2013

CONSTITUTIONAL SNAG MAY HINDER APPOINTMENT OF T&T NEW PRESIDENT Trinidad Guardian Hours after Justice Anthony Carmon was nominated unopposed for the post of President Tuesday, Government denied there were issues over whether Carmona met one of the constitutional criteria to qualify for the position.

Concerns were raised yesterday after Carmona was announced on Monday as Government’s nominee for the presidency.

The nomination was submitted to the Parliament around noon yesterday with the requisite 12 signatures.

Signatories included Prime Minister Kamla PersadBissessar, COP, TOP and other PP MPs, according to PP House leader Roodal Moonilal. Carmona was the sole nominee for the post, the Parliament confirmed.

However, concern was expressed in various quarters on whether Carmona’s work at the International Criminal

Court (ICC) in recent years allowed him to meet the criteria of Section 23 of the Constitution.

That section states “a person is qualified to be nominated for election as President if they are a TT citizen, are of age 35 and upwards and who at the date of nomination has been ordinarily resident in T&T for ten years immediately preceding his nomination.”

Section 23 (2), meanwhile, states a person “shall be deemed to reside in T&T if he holds an office in the service of the Government and lives outside T&T because he is required to do so for the proper discharge of his functions.”

According to the ICC’s website, Carmona, from 2001 to 2004, held the post of appeals counsel in the Office of Prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the

International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR).

The website stated he successfully prosecuted appeals of persons convicted of crimes within the jurisdiction of the tribunals, The website said at ICTY, Carmona served as vice president of the staff union and represented UN personnel in disciplinary proceedings before the United Nations Administrative Tribunal in New York.

The website added Carmona was appointed a judge of the T&T Supreme Court in 2004 and had been serving as a judge in the criminal division for the past eight years.

Government officials yesterday were asked whether Carmona met the stipulations of Section 23 considering his work with the ICTY and ICTR. In a release yesterday, Attorney General Ramlogan said: “The issue

Barbados police investigating missing data on oil industry BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - CMC – Police are investigating the disappearance of a significant amount of data on Barbados’s critical oil industry from the Division of Energy and Telecommunications.

In a statement responding to a newspaper report that “millions of dollars worth of seismic data” had been reported missing, the Division of Energy and Telecommunications sais that “the matter in question is now

subject to an on-going police investigation” and as a result it “is not in a position to engage in a detailed discussion at this time.

“However, it is important to stress that while a hard drive containing seismic data was discovered to be missing from the Division, as part of sensible IT policy, a complete backup of this data had been created.

Consequently, the Division has assured the public and its existing and

potential stakeholders in Barbados’ offshore sector that it remains open for such business.”

It said that the purchase of seismic data from the Division of Energy and Telecommunications of the Prime Minister’s Office “is always a precursor to the establishment of relationships between the Government of Barbados and entities desirous of exploring the potential of Barbados’ valuable offshore acreage”.

raised whether Mr Justice Anthony Thomas Aquinas Carmona fulfils the constitutional requirement to be nominated was considered by the Government prior to its making the decision to nominate him for the office of the President.

“The relevant law was in fact independently researched and considered by three eminent international jurists and the Government is therefore satisfied Mr Justice Anthony Thomas Aquinas Carmona fulfils the constitutional requirements for him to be validly nominated as President of the Republic of T&T.” Ramlogan added: “With respect to the specific concern raised, I have been advised Mr Justice Carmona satisfies the constitutional criterion in section 23 (1) as he was in fact ordinarily resident in Trinidad and Tobago for ten years immediately preceding his nomination. Legal advice was sought from three internationally-respected jurists, namely Lord David Pannick, QC, Sir Fenton Ramsahoye, SC, and Michael Beloff, QC, on the issue. This was the unanimous conclusion arrived at by all

three learned counsel.”Ramlogan said Carmona was in fact “ordinarily resident” in T&T during the last ten years immediately preceding his nomination.

He added: “The term ‘ordinarily resident’ is a legal term that does not simply mean a physical presence per se.”

Since Carmona was nominated unopposed for the post of President yesterday, he may be sworn into office around March 18, following next week Friday’s meeting of the electoral college to formalise his election.

PNM PRO Faris Al-Rawi said since the Opposition supports Government’s nomination and agreed not to submit a nominee, the PNM would second Carmona’s nomination when the college meets next week Friday for the formal election. PP House leader Roodal Moonilal said since there was only one nominee, there would be no ballot vote at those proceedings.

The short ceremony will involve the Speaker’s declaration of the duly nominated sole candidate as the President-elect. After that, Moonilal added, when

Anthony Carmona President George Maxwell Richards’ term ends on March 17, the President-elect is expected to take the oath of office soon after. Moonilal said a successor to the President was usually elected the day after the end of term of the incumbent.

The T&T Guardian confirmed Carmona’s resignation from the judiciary was being handed in to the Chief Justice yesterday.

Carmona was working as a judge up to Monday when his nomination was announced and the T&T Guardian understands his resignation is effective February 14, the day before the electoral college meets to formally endorse him.

Moonilal said Senate President Timothy HamelSmith may act as President from next week as Richards is expected to go on vacation from February 14 to month end.

Jamaica looking beyond region for trade opportunities KINGSTON, Jamaica CMC – Jamaica says it will continue to promote technical and economic co-operation with developing countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as with traditional partners Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan and the European Union.

Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Minister A.J. Nicholson, said in relation to Africa Jamaica has recognised that the potential exists to deepen the trade and investment relationship with the continent and to promote African Union/African Diaspora engagement, among other areas of cooperation.

“I am pleased too, that this year, we hope to embark on new areas of co-operation with Botswana, including the inauguration of the Jamaica/ Botswana Joint Commission, thus expanding our cooperation in Southern Africa,” Nicholson said Tin an address to members of the

A.J. Nicholson Diplomatic Corps as part of activities to observe Diplomatic Week that ends tomorrow.

Nicholson said the conclusion of multilateral discussions surrounding the Arms Trade Treaty is of major importance to Jamaica, as the country continues to work towards curbing violence and strengthening national security.

He said the need to control the use of conventional weapons, most

notably, small arms and light weapons, is of critical importance to Jamaica.

“Recent tragic experiences both at home and broad, have graphically reminded us of the need to curb gun violence.

We are conscious that this is a sensitive issue for many countries requiring a judicious balance between constitutional, national security and ethical considerations,” he said.

Nicholson said he believes the moment is opportune for the international community to take the bold and decisive step to agree on an Arms Trade Treaty.

“We owe no less to the peoples of the world, especially those beset by armed violence,” he added.

The highlight of the Diplomatic Week 2013 is a black tie reception and diplomatic dinner hosted by Governor General Sir Patrick Allen and Lady Allen on Thursday.

Thursday February 07, 2013

Kaieteur News

Page 21

Oil fuels British-Argentine standoff over Falklands LONDON (Reuters) Argentina stepped up its row with Britain over the Falklands yesterday with its foreign minister thanking God for the decline of the British Empire and vowing to prosecute oil firms exploring off the remote South Atlantic islands.

In a defiant news conference, held in London but conducted in Spanish, Hector Timerman called Britain the “greatest colonial empire from the 19th century ... that thank God has been defeated worldwide”.

He insisted the islands’ roughly 3,000 British inhabitants should not be referred to as Falklanders, but as “British inhabitants of the Malvinas islands”, the name Argentina uses for the remote territory some 300 miles off its coast.

Timerman has refused to meet British Foreign Secretary William Hague to discuss the islands because of Britain’s insistence that Falklands residents be present, part of what London says is their right to self-determination, but a condition Timerman referred to as an “ultimatum”.

“The United Nations is very clear. Self-determination applies to a native people, not to people that have been implanted,” he said at a news conference titled “Meeting of European Pro-Dialogue Groups on the Malvinas Question”.

“I have left an invitation for him (Hague) to go to Buenos Aires without any ultimatum, without any conditions so that we can meet as two friendly countries for dialogue,” he added,

Hector Timerman

speaking through a translator at the ambassador ’s residence.

Britain fought a 10-week war to eject Argentinian forces who invaded the islands in 1982. The Falklands are part of Britain’s selfgoverning territories, and Buenos Aires has ramped up

Dominica PM lauds relationship with Venezuela ROSEAU, Dominica CMC – Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has praised the relationship between his country and Venezuela adding that he hopes the ailing Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez makes a full recovery so that he could continue his work of deepening regional integration.

Speaking at a ceremony on Monday night in honour of outgoing Venezuelan ambassador Carmen Martinez de Grijalva, the prime minister said the relationship Roseau has enjoyed with Caracas under Chavez goes beyond “just government to government.

“There has also been a personal relationship, a relationship of friendship, a relationship of love, a relationship of affection and we continue to pray for his improvement and that he could get back to the management of the affairs of Venezuela and continue his fostering of closer bilateral relations between Dominica and Venezuela”.

Skeerit said what would also be critically important is Chavez’s role in “fostering the integration of the Caribbean and Latin America because Latin America region has always been elusive in so far as closer ties with the Caribbean and because of the leadership and vision of President Chavez we have seen closer ties in large measure between the Caribbean and Latin America.”

Chavez, who won another

Roosevelt Skerrit term as president is now in Cuba recovering from an operation for cancer and Skerrit said he was “looking forward to him returning to provide leadership and guidance”.

Prime Minister Skerrit said Dominicans from all walks of life would all agree that the existing relations between Roseau and Caracas “is at an all time high where we have seen increased cooperation between our countries, also at the multilateral level through PetroCaribe and ALBA. Under PetroCaribe, Venezuela provides oil at concessionary rates to

Caribbean countries, while the ALBA, the Bolivarian Alliance for the People’s of Our Americas is an international cooperation organization based on the idea of the social, political and economic integration of the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean.

“These two instruments of cooperation were inaugurated under the guidance of Ambassador Carmen Martinez de Grijalva here in Dominica and one can recall the much debate these two instruments of integration received not only in Dominica, but the Caribbean and internationally.

“But we have all seen the benefits of these two instruments of cooperation to the entire world and the closer ties between Venezuela, Latin America and the Caribbean,” he said.

The outgoing diplomat said that the relationship between the two countries have grown over the 12 years of her posting here, adding “we have consolidated the relationship of consensus and participation”.

“We are now working to ensure a more just world with more solidarity,” she said.

efforts to stake its claim to the territory as London-listed firms seek to tap oil and gas deposits around the islands.

Timerman arrived in London this week to make the case for Argentine ownership of the islands, but has met a mostly hostile response, with British lawmakers on Tuesday accusing him of “megaphone diplomacy” and using “offensive” arguments.

Hague said it was a shame Timerman was unwilling to attend a meeting with him and Falkland Island representatives.

“There is no way such a conversation could have taken place without members

of the Falkland Islands government being present, especially given the current Argentine government’s behaviour towards the Islanders. It is, and must always be, for them to decide their own future,” Hague said in a statement.

A referendum on the Falklands’ future is scheduled for March, a vote in which the islanders are almost certain to choose to remain British, and which Timerman likened to asking Israeli settlers whether they want to be Israeli or Palestinian.

Timerman, 59, batted away suggestions from British reporters that Argentina was also a colonial power, its settler pioneers having colonised land once belonging to indigenous Indians, a comparison Timerman labelled “audacious”.

On Tuesday he ruled out any future military efforts to seize the Falklands, but said he was confident negotiations would lead to Argentine ownership of the islands within 20 years.

Argentina has tried to deter ships from travelling to

the Falklands, banning Falklands-flagged ships and other vessels involved in trade with the islands from stopping at its ports.

On Wednesday Timerman vowed to take legal action to stop energy firms from exploring for oil and gas around the islands, accusing them of stealing Argentine resources and not being capable of guarding against accidental oil spills.

“We will continue the legal action against the oil companies who are doing hydrocarbon-related exploration activities in the south Atlantic, because they are stealing part of the natural resources of Argentina,” he said.

Argentine hostility has not deterred companies and the islands are set to start producing their first oil in 2017.

Rockhopper Exploration has formed a $1 billion partnership with Premier Oil to pump oil from its find north of the islands.

Last month, another British firm, Borders and Southern Petroleum, said its gas condensate discovery in the Falkland Islands was also commercially viable.

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Heavy clashes erupt in Syrian capital

Syrian man carries his sister who was wounded in a government airstrike hit the neighborhood of Ansari, in Aleppo. (AP Photo/Abdullah al-Yassin) BEIRUT (AP) — Heavy fighting erupted in Damascus yesterday as government forces tried to hold back a new rebel effort to push the civil war into the heart of the Syrian capital, activists said.

Elsewhere, a car bomb killed at least 19 security officers.

The clashes in Damascus were the most intense violence to hit the capital in

weeks. The sounds of gunfire and blasts from government shelling of rebel-held areas could be heard in most neighborhoods.

Activist videos online showed shell explosions dotting rebel areas east of the city, covering them with clouds of smoke.

Government troops blocked traffic at a key intersection in the city’s

northeast and on a number of nearby roads.

Damascus has not experienced the same fierce fighting as other Syrian cities like Aleppo or Homs, where whole neighborhoods have been destroyed.

While the government has lost control of parts of those cities, it has kept a tight grip on the capital, despite rebel attempts to storm the city center from enclaves on its outskirts.

Much of Wednesday’s fighting centered on the northeastern neighborhood of Jobar, which is bisected by the Damascus ring road.

Rebels, who control the area east of the road, launched attacks on army checkpoints in the regime-controlled western part in a push to seize the road, one of the capital’s most important thoroughfares.

Rami Abdul-Rahman, director of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said Wednesday’s shelling of Jobar and Qaboun is part of a wider government offensive against towns and villages near the capital that have

been opposition strongholds since the beginning of the uprising against President Bashar Assad in March 2011.

A government official said army troops are pursuing rebels in the suburbs of Harasta, Sbeineh, and Jober. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief reporters.

The Observatory also reported two car bomb blasts in the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria. One targeted the local branch of Syria’s military intelligence agency, killing at least 19 security officers and wounding many

more. A second and apparently coordinated bomb hit another security office.

Eight civilians were wounded in gunfire and explosions following the two attacks, the Observatory said.

Syria’s state news agency confirmed the blasts but said two suicide bombers blew up their cars near a garage, killing and wounded an undisclosed number of people.

No one claimed responsibility for the blasts.

The government blamed them on “terrorists” — its blanket term for the opposition.

Homs has been an opposition stronghold throughout Syrian uprising.

The province and its capital of the same name were the scene of mass protests early in the revolt, which has since developed into a civil war that has turned urban centers like Homs and the northern city of Aleppo into battlefields.

The United Nations say more than 60,000 people have been killed since the conflict started. At least 700,000 Syrians have fled, seeking shelter in neighboring countries like Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey.

More than one million people have been displaced within Syria during 22 months of fighting, according to aid agencies.

Canada to toughen laws against bribery abroad OTTAWA (Reuters) Canada will toughen its laws to be better able to combat corruption by Canadian businesses at home and abroad, the government said on Tuesday following the recent bribery conviction of a Calgary oil company.

“Our government ... expects Canadian business to play by the rules. Canadian companies can compete with the best and win fairly,” Foreign Minister John Baird said in a statement.

Baird said existing laws on the bribery of foreign officials would be amended to grant the government jurisdiction over all Canadian nationals and Canadian companies, regardless of where alleged crimes took place. That would make it easier to prosecute

John Baird cases in foreign countries, he said.

Canada will also raise the maximum penalty for bribing a foreign official to 14 years from the current five years.

In January, a Calgarybased oil company that

admitted to bribing the wife of a Chadian diplomat in Canada to secure an oil and gas contract agreed to pay a C$10.35 million ($10.35 million) fine.

Also last month, a Canadian police document released by the courts revealed that authorities believe a son of deposed Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi received $162 million in bribes for giving major contracts in Libya to Montreal-based SNC-Lavalin Inc. The allegations surrounding the Libyan contracts have not been proven in court. SNC, which has said that any wrongdoing was the work of a small number of former employees, says it is cooperating with the police investigations.

U.S. sanctions Iranian broadcasters, citing censorship WA S H I N G T O N (Reuters) - The United States said yesterday it has sanctioned state-sponsored broadcasters in Iran for helping the government censor its opposition, part of a broader U.S. effort to pressure Teheran over its nuclear program.

The Treasury Department named the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, its director, Ezzatollah Zarghami, and others as subject to sanctions that effectively block their access to the U.S. financial system.

U.S. law permits the Treasury Department to sanction anybody in Iran it believes restricts the flow of information to the Iranian public.

The Treasury Department also said that, as scheduled, U.S. sanctions that lock up Iran’s oil earnings took effect yesterday. The sanctions prevent Iran from repatriating earnings it gets from its shrinking oil export trade.

Washington is trying to curtail Iran’s oil revenues and access to them in an effort to slow its nuclear program, which the West believes is aiming to develop weapons.

Iran says the program is solely for civilian purposes.

Officials have said the sanctions could largely shackle Iran’s oil revenues within countries that are its customers. The funds would be useable only to purchase goods from those countries and prevent Iran from

repatriating the earnings.

In addition to increasing economic pressure on Iran, the United States is cracking down on the government’s restrictions on information.

Human rights groups have said Iran is using state media reports to trample dissent, and have pointed to forced confessions of political detainees in front of state media outlets.

“We will also target those in Iran who are responsible for human right abuses, especially those who deny the Iranian people their basic freedoms of expression, assembly and speech,” David Cohen, the undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence at Treasury, said in a release.

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Zimbabwe’s parliament mulls constitutional reforms HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Zimbabwe’s parliament yesterday began discussing a new constitution that reduces some of the president’s powers, demands political impartiality from his longtime loyalists in the police and military and paves the way for a peace and reconciliation commission to investigate a decade of human rights and electoral abuses.

The 160-page draft, completed after three years of bickering between hardliners and reformists during often bitter and violent nationwide canvassing, will be voted on in a national referendum slated for April, ahead of elections to end a shaky coalition formed after the last disputed, violent polls in 2008.

Regional mediators made a new constitution a key condition for fresh elections.

Lawmakers will not be able to change the draft unless there is a last minute revolt against

it in the legislature, Veritas, an independent legal monitoring group, said yesterday.

There was no immediate sign of that in the Harare parliament house yesterday.

Paul Mangwana, co-chair from President Robert Mugabe’s party of a parliamentary panel in charge of rewriting the constitution, told legislators the lengthy, delayed process cost about $45 million.

“It has been a long journey and we think did our best for the country,” Mangwana said.

He described the funding, including United Nations and foreign donations, as money well spent.

“People will ask why, but democracy is very expensive,” Mangwana said.

All main party leaders have called for a ‘Yes’ vote in the referendum after years of violence, uncertainty and economic meltdown that has left the nation weary and

Robert Mugabe demoralized.

The parliament debate is expected to wind up after several sittings in coming days, followed by a month for distribution of the proposed constitution to electors nationwide, said Veritas.

The draft shows Mugabe’s ZANU-PF party and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s Movement for

Tunisian leader to form new government after activist shot

A protesters throw tear gas canister back at police during clashes in Tunis yesterday.

REUTERS/ Zoubeir Souissi (Reuters) - The killing of an outspoken critic of Tunisia’s Islamist-led government yesterday sparked street protests by thousands who fear religious radicals are stifling freedoms won two years ago in the first of the Arab Spring uprisings.

Chokri Belaid was shot at close range as he left for work by a gunmen who fled on the back of a motorcycle; crowds poured on to the streets of Tunis and other cities, attacking offices of the main ruling party Ennahda, and by the end of the day the Islamist prime minister promised a national unity government.

There was no immediate local reaction to the plan by Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali of Ennahda to dissolve his coalition and bring in a wider range of political groups.

After dark, hundreds of demonstrators were still fighting running battles with police in the capital, throwing rocks amid volleys of teargas.

Jebali, whose party has dismissed any suggestion it might be behind the assassination, said he would shortly announce the formation of a new government of non-partisan technocrats.

World powers, alarmed in recent months at the extent of radical Islamist influence and the bitterness of the political stalemate, urged Tunisians to reject violence and see through the move to democracy they began two years ago, when the Jasmine Revolution ended decades of dictatorship and inspired fellow Arabs in Egypt and across North Africa and the

Middle East.

As in Egypt, the rise to power of political Islam through the ballot box has prompted a backlash among less organised, more secular minded political movements in Tunisia. Belaid, a 48-yearold left-wing lawyer who made a name challenging the old regime of Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, led a party with little electoral support but his vocal opinions had a wide audience.

The day before his death he was publicly lambasting a “climate of systematic violence”. He had blamed tolerance shown by Ennahda and its two, smaller secularist allies in the coalition government toward hardline Salafists for allowing the spread of groups hostile to international culture.

Democratic Change both made concessions over points in dispute.

According to the proposed constitution, a person can be president for a maximum of two five year terms, but the term limit is not retrospective.

That means Mugabe, who turns 89 this month and has been in power for 33 years, can run for president again and if he wins could rule to the age of 94, and even to 99 if he ran for, and won, a second term.

But according to the draft, Mugabe would no longer have the power to veto legislation and presidential decrees, which Mugabe has often used unchallenged, would need parliamentary approval, mostly by a twothirds majority of lawmakers.

The president would not be able to arbitrarily appoint the ten powerful provincial governors from his party and provinces will be able choose their own chair, or premier.

Increasingly frail at public appearances, Mugabe is seen to have recently lost much of his trademark combative spirit. Tsvangirai’s party

agreed not to insist that presidential candidates nominate a running mate for the next poll, so Mugabe will not have to pick a possible successor in his fractious, rivalry-ridden former ruling party.

The draft allows the victorious president to personally appoint two vice presidents.

The new constitution binds the police and military to be impartial and not to “further the interests of any political party or cause.”

Military commanders, accused of condoning past political violence blamed on Mugabe militants, have refused to salute Tsvangirai, 60, repeatedly vowing allegiance only to Mugabe, the nation’s first black ruler and leader of the guerrilla war that led to independence from Britain in 1980.

A beefed-up constitutional court with powers over all other courts and the new peace and reconciliation commission are proposed as reforms to a judicial system critics say has long been packed with proMugabe judges and officials.

The constitutional court would deal with violations of the charter and abuse of power or governance.

The proposed constitution says the often violent seizures of whiteowned farms since 2000 restored land to blacks who were “unjustifiably dispossessed” of it by colonial-era settlers and states that the seizures cannot be reversed. Displaced white farmers say that clause legitimizes theft and the plunder of internationallyrecognized property rights.

The new reconciliation body was praised as “a hopeful sign that victims of political violence may obtain some justice” by the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa, a non-governmental organization that encourages democracy.

Despite continuing arrests of rights and democracy activists in Zimbabwe, the constitutional changes represented some “significant gains,” said the organization.

OSISA said the proposals were “better than feared but far from ideal.”

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NHS RAVAGED BY HOSPITAL SCANDAL (Reuters) - The deaths of hundreds of hospital patients, left without food or water in filthy conditions, exposed an urgent need to change the culture of National Health Service (NHS), a report said yesterday.

Between 400 and 1,200 patients are estimated to have died needlessly at Stafford Hospital in central England between January 2005 and March 2009 in one of the worst scandals to hit the NHS since it was founded in 1948.

“There were patients so desperate for water that they were drinking from dirty flower vases,” Prime Minister David Cameron told parliament in a statement on the report.

Describing events at Stafford Hospital as “a despicable catalogue of clinical and managerial failures”, Cameron apologised to all the families affected on behalf of the government and the country.

The author of the 3,000page report, lawyer Robert Francis, said: “This is a story of appalling and unnecessary suffering of hundreds of people.”

“They were failed by a system which ignored the warning signs and put corporate self-interest and cost control ahead of patients and their safety,” Francis said in a televised statement as his report was published.

The NHS, which provides medical care for free at the point of delivery, is an institution so dear to British hearts that it was proudly showcased to the world in the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in London last summer. The harrowing details of what happened at Stafford have shocked the nation.

“Elderly and vulnerable patients were left unwashed, unfed and without fluids.

They were deprived of dignity and respect. Some patients had to relieve themselves in their beds when they were offered no help to get to the bathroom,” said Francis. He said some patients were left in excrement-stained sheets and some who could not eat or drink without help did not receive it. Medicines were prescribed but not given.

“Many will find it difficult

David Cameron to believe that all this could occur in an NHS hospital,” he said.

Francis described a culture of secrecy and defensiveness in which whistleblowers were silenced and bereaved relatives who asked questions were ignored.

He said hospital managers were focused on a narrow set of bureaucratic targets and on balancing the accounts so that they could obtain the coveted status of “NHS Foundation Trust”, instead of paying attention to

the quality of care.

Francis said the NHS had undergone one root and branch re-organisation after another over the decades and he did not want to recommend yet another upheaval. He stressed that what was needed was cultural, not organisational change.

“My recommendations are intended above all to support all in the service to make patient-centred values and standards real, but also to bring teeth to the task of changing behaviour when required,” he said.

His 290 recommendations included that there should be a legal “duty of candour” on doctors, nurses and all others in the health system to be open with patients about any mistakes and that breaches of this duty should be a criminal offence.

The report also said contractual gagging clauses silencing whistleblowers should be banned.

Cameron said the report’s findings of systemic failure in the NHS meant that “we can’t say with confidence that failings of care are limited to one hospital.”

He said he would create a new post of chief inspector of hospitals and enforce a new regime of hospital inspections by the autumn.

Underlining the special place the NHS holds in British life, Cameron prefaced his statement by declaring: “I love our NHS”.

“What makes our National

Health Service special is this very simple principle ... that whoever you are, wherever you’re from, whatever ’s wrong, however much you’ve got in the bank, there’s a place you can go where people will look after you,” he said.

“The shocking truth is this precious principle of British life was broken.”

House Speaker Boehner opposes delay in automatic budget cuts John Boehner

John Boehner

(Reuters) Top Republican lawmaker John Boehner said yesterday that he would oppose any delay in the automatic budget cuts that are set to kick in March 1, without other spending cuts and reforms.

“At some point Washington has to deal with its spending problem,” Boehner, the speaker of the House of Representatives, told reporters.

About $85 billion in across-the-board budget cuts will go into effect if Congress does not pass legislation to change the law.

Half of the cuts will hit the defense department.

Thursday February 07, 2013

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China says extremely concerned after latest North Korea threats BEIJING (Reuters) China expressed serious concern yesterday after North Korea stepped up its bellicose rhetoric and threatened to go beyond a third nuclear test in response to what it sees as “hostile” sanctions imposed after a December rocket launch.

“China is extremely concerned by the way things are going. We oppose any behavior which may exacerbate the situation and any acts which are not beneficial towards the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula,” said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying. “We call on all the relevant sides to remain calm and exercise restraint and earnestly work hard to maintain peace and stability

in the Korean peninsula,” she told a daily news briefing.

China is the North’s sole remaining major diplomatic and economic benefactor but has been showing sings of exasperation with its isolated neighbor. One of China’s most widely read newspapers, the tabloid Global Times published by Communist Party mouthpiece the People’s Daily, said China should take a tough line and inform North Korean leaders of the consequences of their actions.

“If North Korea insists on a third nuclear test despite attempts to dissuade it, it must pay a heavy price,” it said in an editorial in both its Chinese and English-language issues.

The newspaper said China should cut its help if North Korea went ahead with the nuclear test. In 2009,

China reportedly cut fuel supplies to North Korea after a nuclear test, although it was impossible to verify the reports. “The assistance it will be able to receive from China should be reduced. The Chinese government should make this clear beforehand to shatter any illusions Pyongyang may have,” the Global Times said.

While the stridently nationalist newspaper is not considered an official mouthpiece of the Chinese government, it is nonetheless an influential publication.

North Korea has vowed to conduct more rocket and nuclear tests in response to a U.N. censure for its launch of a long-range missile launch in December. On Tuesday, it vowed “stronger” but unspecified actions in

UK to borrow more in 201213, deeper job cuts loom LONDON (Reuters) Britain’s government will borrow more rather than less this fiscal year and its multiyear austerity plan will lead to 1.2 million public sector job cuts, a leading policy institute said yesterday.

The forecasts, which the Institute for Fiscal Studies said supported the case for the Bank of England to do more to boost the economy, are more pessimistic than those used by Chancellor George Osborne to set policy, with the IFS pencilling in an extra 270,000 job losses by 2018. If correct they could put Osborne’s deficitreduction programme, already undermined by a chronically weak economy, even further behind schedule.

IFS programme director Gemma Tetlow said tax revenues were likely to be lower and spending higher in the year ending in April than expected by the Office for Budget Responsibility, the government’s fiscal watchdog. “Our baseline forecast is therefore that borrowing will be higher in cash terms this year than it was last year,” she said.

Osborne’s plan to eliminate Britain’s structural budget deficit by the next election in 2015 with a tough programme of spending cuts and tax rises is already two years off track as a result of economic weakness.

The IFS predicts borrowing excluding one-off items will rise to 125.4 billion pounds this fiscal year from 121.4 billion in 2011-12 and against the OBR’s forecast of a drop to 120.3 billion.

Extrapolating on the same

George Osborne basis, Britain would end up borrowing 69 billion pounds more in 2014-15 than the watchdog had expected in late 2010, the IFS estimated.

That amounts to a “very much looser” fiscal policy than Osborne intended in 2010, the IFS said in a report prepared ahead of his halfyearly budget statement in March.

The IFS is also gloomier than the OBR on publicsector job losses between

2010, when the Conservativeled coalition came to power, and 2018 when current government cuts are due to end. The budget office estimates 929,000 jobs will have gone over that period.

The IFS said there was a strong case for the BoE’s Monetary Policy Committee to do more for the economy, given that a significant fiscal stimulus looked unlikely.

“We believe that the (U.S.) Federal Reserve provides a good template to follow,” the institute said.

It noted that the Fed had purchased a much wider range of assets, compared to the BoE’s focus on government bonds, and provided guidance on the likely path of monetary policy.

“By contrast, the MPC has reacted more slowly to stimulate the UK economy,” the institute said.

The BoE is not expected to announce any policy changes after its monthly meeting today.

addition to the test.

U.S.-backed South Korea and others who have been closely observing activities at the North’s known nuclear test grounds believe it is technically ready for a nuclear test and is awaiting the final word from supreme leader Kim Jong-un. The Chinese spokeswoman reiterated China’s wished to see a nuclear-weapons-free Korean peninsula.

In 2010, North Korea was blamed for sinking a South Korean naval vessel. It also shelled a South Korean island in the same year, killing civilians. The North, which frequently aims fiery rhetoric at South Korea and the United States, did not spell

out the actions it would take in its comments on Tuesday.

It is not capable of staging a military strike on the United States, although South Korea is in range of its artillery and missiles and Japan of its missiles.

“The DPRK (Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, or North Korea) has drawn a final conclusion that it will have to take a measure stronger than a nuclear test to cope with the hostile forces’ nuclear-war moves that have become ever more undisguised,” the North’s KCNA state news agency said. New U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry discussed North Korea in what he said were “remarkably similar”

telephone conversations with his counterparts from Japan, South Korea and China, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.

U.N. resolutions ban North Korea from developing missile or nuclear technology after its nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009. North Korea says that it has the sovereign right to launch rockets for peaceful purposes, even though the multiple U.N. resolutions make this illegal under international law.

The North has in the past said its nuclear program was for peaceful purposes but has more recently boasted of becoming a nuclear weapons state.

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Health Minister disturbed by management of Berbice system Minister of Health, Dr. Bheri Ramsaran, has stated that there are management problems that are plaguing the Berbice health system, causing the government’s resources into the health sector to be under utilised or even not utilised at all.

He added that it was totally unacceptable that the generator at the New Amsterdam Hospital did not kick-in immediately after a recent blackout during a crucial surgery, even though the hospital management may have very well known that the generator switch was non- functional.

During an exclusive interview with Kaieteur News on Monday evening in Berbice, the Minister was called to address the situation which occurred at the New Amsterdam Hospital whereby 47-year-old Tirtawattie Shoandeo, of Whim, Corentyne, died during a blackout in the operating room at that facility.

The woman’s relatives stated that they were frantically searching for the porter to start-up the hospital generator, but to no avail.

They also claimed that the doctors turned to torchlights and cell phones as light sources.

Power was restored some time later but the woman was pronounced dead.

A post mortem revealed that the woman died of septicemia and perforated duodenal ulcer. The family arrived at the conclusion that the doctors’ inability to see properly during the blackout caused their loved one to die.

An investigation has been launched and results are expected shortly.

UNACCEPTABLE “That is unacceptable, that the standby generator fairly new, did not kick-in”. He stated that an investigation has been launched.

“The patient did not die on the table and it is a bit precipitate to say that the patient died because of the blackout.

“There are other cases when patients are on the table and there are blackouts and they do not die, but I do know that this patient was in a very critical condition which was confirmed by the post mortem and findings during surgery.”

He added that the surgeon, a well-trained Guyanese doctor, was performing the operation with the support of his team when the blackout occurred just after 10:00pm on January 20.

“And of course the machines used in the surgery to keep the patient alive and well could not be operated, therefore the team continued to sustain her and support her breathing and other functions manually. This is acceptable”.

An instrument, called an ambu bag (manual resuscitator), could have been used by the surgeons, “which can be used in place of the mechanical device used to support them when there is electricity.”

He “suspects” that the doctor was using that, [and] “from all indications, the patient was sustained and surgery was completed”.

The Minister also noted that preliminary reports and investigations have concluded that the patient was suffering from a serious internal condition “and that would have added to her burden of the disease, putting

on a critical condition”.

Additionally, the preliminary indications found by a team which was immediately dispatched to the state-of-the-art hospital, the Minister said, showed that the automatic switch on the standby generator was non– functional, [and] “apparently, this had been so for some time and that is why I am convinced that something should have been done before to have it fixed.

“And we are looking into that to see how we can rectify the situation”.

He stated, too, that the generator is a fairly new piece of equipment. “We need to look at this [situation] as a management problem.”

Dr Ramsaran expressed his further disappointment that during an impromptu visit to the health care facility in early January to ascertain the effectiveness of the newlyinstalled Berbice Regional Health Authority (BRHA), which was inaugurated in July last, he received several complaints from the hospital ground staff of nurses, etc.

After hosting meetings with various seniors of the health care system of the

The first month of 2013 has already shown an increase in the number of serious crimes, with murders already 50 per cent above last year’s figure at the end of January.

Figures released by the Police Public Relations Department show that there were nine murders for the month of January 2013, three more than in the same month last year.

The police said that three of the murders occurred during armed robberies, one was of the domestic type, three were disorderly and three of the killings were of the unknown type.

Strangely though, the police statistics do not show any execution type murder for the month of January although the evidence

suggests otherwise.

On January 24 businessman Intaz Roopnarine was gunned down as he was leaving the Cool Square hotel in West Ruimveldt. Many believe it was a well planned hit.

While the police have stated that Roopnarine was relieved of his jewellery by his killer, camera footage showed otherwise, as the gunman was seen running away from the scene after the shooting.

Then on January 31, last, gold miner Jason Wills, called ‘Teddy’, was shot dead in a house in Meadowbrook, in what is also being deemed an execution.

Again, A Division leads the list with four murders in January while two occurred in Berbice, two in the interior and one on the West Demerara.

Overall a three per cent decrease in serious crimes has been recorded at the end of January 2013 (317) in comparison to January 2012 with 326.

Other offences monitored were robbery under arms, robbery with violence, larceny from the person, break and enter and larceny, burglary, rape and kidnapping.

In January this year robbery under arms decreased by one percent, with 73 reports compared to 74 for January 2012.

The statistics indicate an increase of 19 per cent in the number of armed robberies involving the use of firearms; however there has been a 28 per cent decrease in armed robberies where instruments other than firearms were used by the perpetrators.

By Leon Suseran

Health Minister, Dr. Bheri Ramsaran

2013 begins with 50% increase in murders

hospital, he later toured the wards and other parts of the hospital and received several complaints from nurses and other workers there—”that they [nurses] were having to do deliveries under torchlights when there were blackouts”.

He stated that he was shocked. “I was closely associated with the construction of the hospital and I worked closely with the Japanese team.

“I know. The patients and visitors can look on the walls and see that we have 122 standby lights, special lights, heavy duty which kick- in as soon as there is a blackout”.

These lights are placed strategically around the hospital complex.

These are rechargeable lights and do not depend on the generator to kick-in.

Dr Ramsaran was peeved that it was he who had to find out and subsequently discover that none of the lights were working.

None of this had been mentioned just minutes earlier at the various meetings he had with the hospital’s Chief Executive Officer of the hospital, Mr. Alan Johnson, and Chief Executive Officer of

BRHA, and Dr. Vishwa Mahadeo MP. Dr Ramsaran said that he sent up an electrician who examined the bulb units on the hospital complex “and it was discovered that the batteries had outlasted their useful periods and that they should have been replaced before.”

He insisted that the batteries be procured immediately, “but in the meantime I suggested to the hospital CEO [that he] purchase the blubs, which are so very available in the local market….and which are so easy to install and useful in conditions like this”.

He added that it was disappointing that this management intervention had not occurred even at the Regional leadership.

“I am disappointed, because in the first place the Ministry of Health was not informed that these batteries had, for a protracted period, been down…that there was no replacement option in place and that we [Central MOH] had to actually mobilize the resources to come and examine these things.”

“If you had that blackout on that fateful day, the

criticisms that we are enduring [regarding the surgery blackout incident] would have been far less because there would have been light.

“But the mere fact that there was some discomfort and confusion because there was no light adds to the whole scenario, to the whole drama...the sad drama and I am told that there was difficulty locating lights and so on…this is unacceptable!”

“If those lamps were in place, you would not have had the extreme discomfort that occurred in the theatre and hospital.

“Not only the standby generator would have kicked in but that generator would have been powering key and critical parts in the hospital like the theatre and maternity ward.

“If that had kicked in, we would not be having this problem”.

The Minister stated that a closer eye would be kept on the Berbice health officials.

“I apologize, empathize, feel with the patients, and their families and say that we are going to use this bitter lesson to make sure it does not happen to any other person and there will be a thorough investigation.”

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Kaieteur News

Thursday February 07, 2013

Thursday February 07, 2013

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12:00 hrs - The View 13:00 hrs - Village Talk: Port Mourant 13:30 hrs - The Young and The Restless 14:30 hrs - Days of Our Lives 15:00 hrs - General Hospital 16:00 hrs - The Bold and the Beautiful 16:30 hrs - Cartoons 17:00 hrs - Birthdays and other greetings 17:15 hrs - Death Announcements/ In Memoriam 17:50 hrs - CNN News 18:00 hrs - Sitcom 18:30 hrs - Jai Santoshi Ma 19:00 hrs - Soul Melodies with Trans Globe 19:30 hrs - News Update 20:30 hrs - Winners Row Quiz

21:30 hrs - English Movie: Roots 23:00 hrs - News update 22:30 hrs - English Movie: Roots continues Sign off DTV CHANNEL 8 08:55 hrs. Sign On 09:00 hrs. GMA 10:00 hrs. Live! With Kelly and Michael 11:00 hrs. The Ricki Lake Show 12:00 hrs. The View 13:00 hrs. Prime News 13:30 hrs. The Young and the Restless 14:30 hrs. The Bold and the Beautiful 15:00 hrs. The Talk 16:00 hrs. Steve Harvey 17:00 hrs. The Ellen DeGeneres Show

Thursday February 07, 2013 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) At first, nearly every opportunity sounds good today and you’re tempted to say yes before you even have all the facts. Although the power of positive thinking can impact your day, there may be a point at which enough is enough.

TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) Your good luck could be the envy of others at work today because it appears as if everything is going your way.

The support you receive now encourages you to feel confident and act generously.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) You may be feeling very lucky today, but it’s still not a smart idea to bet the farm on an intuitive hunch at this time.

It’s not that you are destined to lose; you could even win big.

CANCER (June 21–July 22) You are being drawn into a deep emotional mystery that involves complicated interrelationships and unresolved feelings. Although your initial approach may be intellectual now, your curiosity motivates you to investigate places you’ve never been.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) You could have a challenging time setting limits today. However, it’s even more likely that others in your life are frustrated with your lack of boundaries. l VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) You may have fallen into the giant Jupiter trap of dreaming about future success.

It’s not that you lose touch with reality; you don’t. It’s just that you can get swept up in the potential comforts that go along with material rewards.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Once again you find yourself in that all too familiar place where both sides of a dilemma are equally attractive.

No doubt, you love your freedom now. But you might have to give up some independence to gain the security of love that you also want.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Getting along with others isn’t always easy for you because of your low tolerance for trivial matters. However, you may be feeling more confident about your role in relationships now.

SAGIT (Nov. 22–Dec. 21) More of anything seems like a good idea now as delicious Venus harmonizes with your key planet Jupiter.

You agree with William Blake, who wrote that the road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) Your vision inspires you to work harder now, especially if you love what you’re doing.

But don’t get sucked up into expansive Jupiter’s inflationary spiral, or you might not be able to work your way back to Earth.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20–Feb. 18) You might talk yourself into thinking that all is in good working order at this time.

However, you can also see the weak spot in the big picture and you believe your direct intervention could save the day.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) You may be exuberantly shining in all your glory today when sexy Venus kisses your key planet Jupiter.

18:00 hrs. World News 19:00 hrs. Greetings and Announcements 21:00 hrs. The Big Bang Theory 21:30 hrs. Two and a Half Man 22:00 hrs. Person of Interest (New Episode) 23:00 hrs. Elementary (New Episode) 00:00 hrs. Sign Off

Guides are subjected to change without notice

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Kaieteur News

Thursday February 07, 2013

>>> Letters to the Sports Editor <<<

Disgraceful - Dru Bahadur embarrasses Guyana Cricket DEAR EDITOR, We the stakeholders of Guyana cricket were informed by some of our national cricketers that an extremely ugly incident involving the President of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB), Dru Bahadur.

The National Cricket Team was preparing for departure and this activity was being covered by the press.

The cricketers who witnessed the incident reported that Dru Bahadur launched a verbal assault on Guyana Times reporter Rajiv Bisnauth during which he used a series of expletives and threatening language.

Although cautioned about his behavior especially in the full view of the national cricketers and the public, Bahadur arrogantly refused to tone down and continued his tirade for sometime.

The controversial Anand Sanasie, who claims that he is the secretary of the GCB, looked on and said or did nothing to remotely suggest that he disapproved of Bahadur’s atrocious conduct.

To his considerable credit, Rajiv Bisnauth although

shocked and embarrassed did not respond.

After the sordid episodes of the recent elections, the blatant disregard of injunctions and the hijacking of the GCB, this latest episode have sunk our national game to an all-time low. The persons holding themselves out as officers of the GCB are making a mockery of our cricket as they continue their hold of the GCB. In this regard, Rajesh Singh must be congratulated for disconnecting himself from the GCB by resigning as the Assistant Secretary.

We have since learnt that two (2) other persons have resigned from positions on Sub-Committees of the GCB. We are heartened by the fact that media organizations in Guyana, the region and further afield have been duly informed of Bahadur’s abuse of a reporter in the execution of his duties.

We trust that, as this disgraceful incident is now in the public domain, the Commissioner of Police will take affirmative action by having Bahadur answer to the court for this clear act of lawlessness.

Media

Personnel must be protected from such hostilities.

At a personal level, Bahadur must be cognizant of the fact that, as a professional accountant, he is expected at all times to conduct himself properly and to hold himself up to the highest standard of integrity.

Sadly as a result of his reprehensible display he has embarrassed his profession, his family and Guyana cricket.

And this coming from a man who has not made a contribution in any shape or form to the development of cricket not even at the club level and he now pretends to be the president of the most important sport organization in Guyana. What a shame!

The Stakeholders of Guyana Cricket strongly condemn this latest fiasco involving the cabal that has hijacked our dear game.

We call on the West Indies Cricket Board to urgently intervene in Guyana Cricket in order for proper and legal elections to be held involving all stakeholders, and for a decent and responsible GCB to be installed.

Guyana National Cricket Stakeholders

More pretenders, than serious contenders for GFF Presidential hopefuls DEAR SIR, Reference is herby made to the above caption as it related to an article by Iva Wharton published in S.N. 02.02.13 captioned “Harmon, Lovell, Matthias, Gilhuys, Lumumba in the running for GFF presidency”. Editor, before I attempt to offer my honest opinion and fair assessment of the five individuals whose names were publicized in the article.

I must commend the honesty of Mr. Aubrey “Shanghai” Major, who empathically said no. When asked if he or CoDirector, Kashif Muhammad of the K&S Organization will be contesting in the elections.

In addition to Lumumba, who indicated his interest as of now is towards redeveloping his club, ahead of the Regional Club Championship, while time and space will not allow me the priviledge to assess the capabilities of the five individuals, as to who is best suited for the position. I must remonstrate that whoever is elected, would have a lot of

work to do, in repairing the battered image of football, towards making it more attractive for sponsorship from corporate society, along with an improved relationship with the government.

As a consequence Colonel Bruce Lovell of the Guyana Defence Force, remains the best option to command the respect of all and sundry, since he has no baggage from the past, in relation to ineptitude, financial impropriety, unprofessionalism and an inflated ego. As a matter of fact, if one is to seriously examine the credentials of the other four individuals football-wise, towards moving the sport from point A to B, from an administrative perspective, in pursuit of development, sadly, none would fit the bill, either at club or association level.

Coincidentally, a few years ago, I had suggested Colonel Bruce Lovell as a challenger for the GFF’s presidency against the then incumbent. And two Sundays ago, I mentioned his name

once more!

Finally, two other individuals that are worthy of mention in my estimation as presidential nominees/ contenders are Troy Mendonca and Alfred King.

Mendonca, a former national player brings a wealth of experience as an administrator to the table, having previously served as Hon. Treasurer, GFA. In addition to former, President, (then) Sunburst Camptown and also the GFA, during which time football in Georgetown, was at an all time high!

In relation to King, he has been able to transform the Referees Council, into a more professional outfit over the years, to the extent that never before in the history of refereeing, has Guyana, been able to achieve such a large amount of FIFA accredited officiating personnel.

As it relates to President (ag) Franklin Wilson, it would be left to the Federation’s General Council, to decide if he is credible!

Lester Sealey.

Thursday February 07, 2013

Kaieteur News

Page 31

Mings Products & Service and Universal DVD R&R 11-race cycling on this Saturday assist Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club - 40 mile road race set for Feb. 24 The Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club preparation for the busy 2013 Berbice Cricket Board season received a major boost on Monday when it received cricket balls from Mings Products and Services of Urquhart Street, Georgetown.

The balls valued at $60,000 would be used by the cricket teams of the club to get themselves properly prepared for a season where cricket would be played at the Under-13, Under-15, Under17, Under-19, Under-21, Second Division, Intermediate, First Division, Inter-zone and Female levels.

The Universal DVD Club and its CEO Vickram Seubarran also supported the Rose Hall Town Youth &

Sports Club with a donation of $50,000 towards the cricket teams monthly personal development charity programmes.

Under this programme, the Rose Hall Town Farfan & Mendes Under-15, Bakewell Under-17 and Second Division, Pepsi Under-19 and Intermediate, Gizmos & Gadgets Under-21 and First Division and the Metro Female Teams would undertake a total of 60 charity and pro-education programmes in 2013. These would include weekly feeding of the poor, hampers for less fortunate families, donation to other cricket clubs, educational scholarships and pro-education billboards.

Secretary/CEO of the

Club Hilbert Foster in accepting the donations expressed gratitude to the Management of both Mings Products and Services and Universal DVD. The main aims of the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club in 2013, Foster stated would be to continue its dominance of Berbice Cricket at all levels while continuing to make a positive difference on a daily basis in the lives of youths, the elderly and less fortunate. Special thanks were expressed to Mr. Stanley and Colin Ming of Mings and Mr. Vickram Seubarran of Universal DVD. The Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club has set it self a record 170 programmes/activities in 2013.

Carib Beer First Division T/20 Cricket Competition...

Foo’s 71 propel Albion Community Centre into the Play-offs A brilliant knock of 71 from Guyana T/20 batsman Jonathan Foo led Albion Community Centre to victory over Port Mourant Karibee Rice in their final Zone C preliminary match of the 2012 Carib Beer First Division T/20 Cricket Competition in Berbice, gaining enough points to assure them of ending up as one of the top two teams of that zone and thus earning a place in the Play-off of the competition.

In the match which was played at Port Mourant, Albion Community Centre, choosing to take first strike, lost former Guyana Under-19 batsman Kandasammy Surujnarine with only 7 runs on the board. However Foo joined Veerapen Permaul and together they put on 53 before Permaul went for 26. The Guyana Captain Veerasammy Permaul came in and he and Foo added another 75 between them in 8.5 overs after which Foo

departed for 71 which included 4 fours and 4 sixes.

With Permaul going on to make 29 and former West Indies cricketer Devendra Bishoo 16 N.O. Albion closed at 156 for 5 in their 20 overs.

Bowling for Port Mourant Karibee Rice, former West Indies Under-19 allrounder Zamal Khan, bowling offspin took 2 for 22 from 3 overs.

When Port Mourant responded they were given a fine start of 43 runs in 6 overs from former Guyana Under-19 captain Harrinarine Chattergoon and Joshua Ramsammy.

After that however the Albion spinners tightened the screws and made runs hard to come by and could only crawl to 120 for 5 in their 20 overs with Chattergoon topscoring with 33, Zamal Khan 30 and Boughnarine Persaud 20.

Bowling for Albion offspinner Veerapen Permaul took 2 for 24.

Bobby Noel General Store hands...

From page 34 with Public Relations Officer (PRO) Rawle Toney thanking the entity for the contribution.

“It’s always nice when businesses from within the community support an event that’s one of theirs.

New Era Entertainment is commonly known around Linden for bringing events that is of standard and this basketball tournament is no different.

We are grateful for the support of Bobby Noel General Store because they have over the years been supporting us in whatever way they can,” Toney said.

“Why a bicycle, some might ask…well the areas and playing venues in Linden are not too far so often times persons would ride or even walk so I think this bike would go a far way in helping whoever wins it stay competition ready.

With a new LABA body recently installed, they are

many tournaments planned and clubs are now on a high as it relates to preparation for these competitions,” Toney further mentioned.

The tournament kicks off on March 9 and concludes on March 30 featuring eight teams from Linden all vying to stake claim of the $200,000 first prize, second place

$100,000, third place $75,000 and fourth place $25,000.

Victory Valley Royals, Amelia’s Ward Jets, Kashif and Shanghai Kings, Retrieve Raiders, Bulls, Block 22 Flames, Wismar Pistons and an All-Star team will be the teams participating in tournament that takes on a knock-out format.

Rose Hall Town Pepsi edge...

From page 34 Berbice Cricket Board and Chairman of the Special Events Committee, Hilbert Foster, expressed gratitude to the Management of Neal & Massy for their massive investment into Berbice Cricket.

Foster stated that the Berbice Cricket Board was pleased to organise such a tournament of high standard and was able to discover new talents. Regional Manager of the sponsor Wazir Ally expressed his delight at what

he described as a brilliant and well organised tournament by the Berbice Cricket Board.

Ally stated that Neal & Massy would continue to invest heavily in sports at all levels as it understands its responsibility as a corporate citizen. Rose Hall Town Pepsi received $60,000 and the beautiful Neal & Massy trophy while D’Edward carried home $30,000. Delbert Hicks received $10,000 and a trophy after been named Man of the Finals. Other prizes were also given out.

The cycling season will continue this Saturday with the 22nd annual R&R International sponsored 11-race Meet at the inner circuit of the National Park. The event is being held in observance of Guyana’s 43rd Republic Anniversary and will get underway at 09:00 hours.

Seasoned campaigner Robin Persaud, who has not been in the limelight so far this year, will be aiming to successfully defend the feature 35-lap School Boys and Invitational race.

Persaud won last main race in a One Hour 17 Minutes 34 Seconds but will be hard pressed to repeat given the form some of his rivals have displayed to date.

Among those in contention are Alonzo Greaves, Raul Leal, Warren ‘Forty’ McKay, Geron Williams, John Charles, Paul DeNobrega and Raynauth Jeffrey, Orville Hinds, Rastaff O’Selmo.

DeNobrega, who won the Junior/Juvenile 10-lap contest last year in 23 Minutes 27 Seconds will involuntarily give way to a new champion since he has now graduated to the senior ranks.

Raymond Newton will be looking to keep a hold on the Veterans Under-50 title having won last year in 11 Minutes 35 Seconds but will have to get past old nemesis Junior Niles who has virtually lay claim to this category.

Meanwhile, R&R International will also sponsor the annual 40 Mile Road Race on F e b r u a r y 2 4 o n t h e We s t D e m e r a r a roadways to coincide with Mashramani celebrations as well.

Robin Persaud In its 22nd year, the race will pedal off from the Demerara Harbour Bridge at 09:00 hours, proceed to Bushy Park, Parika, East bank Essequibo before returning to the point of origin for the finish.

Persaud is also defending champion of the senior category having won last year’s event in One Hour 45 Minutes 16 Seconds. A new champion will be crowned in the Junior division which was taken last year by DeNobrega. Talim Shaw took the Open Veterans top spot last year.

Former cyclist and current Managing Director of R&R International, Jacob Rambarran, will be on hand to assist with the presentation of prizes at the conclusion of both events.

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Kaieteur News

Thursday February 07, 2013

East Coast ‘Guinness ‘Greatest of de Streets’ Tournament launched Residents of the East Coast of Demerara will for the first time have the opportunity to experience the exhilarating format of Futsal when Banks DIH in collaboration with Petra Organisation stages the Guinness ‘Greatest of de Streets’ Competition, starting tomorrow, at the Buxton Playfield Tarmac.

The tournament was launched yesterday during a simple ceremony conducted, at the Company’s Training Centre at Thirst Park.

In attendance at the

- First round of matches slated for tomorrow in Buxton ceremony were Banks Beer Brand Manager Brian ChooHen, Brand Managers Errol Nelson and Jeoff Clement, Sales Representative Clive Pellew, Company PRO Troy Peters, Co-Director of Petra Organisation Troy Mendonca and Referees Coordinator Wayne Joseph.

Speaking at the occasion, Choo-Hen said that the Company was extremely excited that the Guinness

brand has gone further afield thanks to the Futsal tournament, adding that the fans on the East Coast now have their opportunity to not only witness the enthralling action that the format provides, but also participate in the game with the chance to represent the community in the national finals and possible Guyana at the Caribbean championship.

He added that he strongly

feels that the tournament will be an overwhelming success, especially judging from the feedback received.

Choo-Hen then urged the teams to play fair and have fun during their rivalries which will see two teams advance to the national final later this year. He further informed that the Caribbean Championship is billed to be played in June in a country to be announced shortly.

Mendonca, whose responsibility is to organise the tournament said the occasion marks the beginning of a new project, referring to the first time that the format will be played outside of Georgetown and Linden.

“The tournament has grown since its initial start in 2008 and I have to say that it is one of the biggest grassroots programme to come out of this country,” Mendonca declared.

He related that the move to play the tournament in different areas of the country was simply to determine the best team in the country that could be seen as the true representative of the country in the Caribbean Series.

Sixteen teams will be battling for prize monies totaling in excess of $800,000 with the winner set to collect $400,000, runner-up $200,000

and 3rd place $150,000 along with trophies.

Teams will be divided into groups of 4 with the top two in each group moving on to the knockout stage and the final set for February 16.

Apart from Buxton, games will also be played at the Haslington Market Square and play starts at 18:30 each night.

The fixtures for tomorrow evening are: Beterverwagting (BV) ‘B’ versus Victoria Eagles; Ann’s Grove Young Warriors vs. Plaisance ‘B’; Ann’s Grove Punters vs.

Mahaica; Golden Grove Superstars vs. Mahaicony; Nabaclis vs. Plaisance A’; Melanie vs. Church Yard United; Buxton ‘A’ vs.

Vryheid’s Lust and Buxton ‘B’ vs. BV ‘A’.

The competition continues Saturday and Sunday.

Rising Sun, Banks DIH Mashramani Horserace meet set for Sunday February 24 The 2013 Horseracing season will continue on at the Rising Sun Turf Club, Arima Park, West Coast Berbice when that entity in collaboration with Beverage Giants Banks DIH Limited stages its traditional Mashramani one day horserace meet on Sunday 24th February 2013.

The organizers have put together an impressive seven-race programme with incentives totaling over $5.5M in cash, trophies and other goodies are up for grabs during the d a y ’s proceedings.

The feature B class event has total prize money of close to $2M with the winner set to race away with a sumptuous $1M and trophy compliments of Banks DIH Limited.

There are two three year old events which will see the horses covering a distance of 1400M. The first for animals Bred and Born in Guyana and the West Indies, which has a winning prize of $400,000.

The other three year old race is for Guyana Bred and born horses and that winning purse is set at $300,000 and trophy.

The F Class event has a first prize of $340,000 and trophy also over 1400M. The G and lower showdown will see the top animal running away with a $300,000 first prize in another 1400M encounter.

There is a race for I class

horses with the pole position taking set at $200,000 and trophy over 1100M. The other event on the days programme is for horses classified J and lower and will see the winner receiving $150,000 and trophy.

The nation’s largest Horseracing sponsors Beverage giants Banks DIH Limited is one of the sponsors on board so far.

Businessman Ramesh Sunich of the Trophy Stall in Bourda Market as usual is on board with sponsorship for the individual prizes, which includes the champion jockey, champion trainer and champion stable trophies among others.

Chester Fry Chicken of Bush Lot, West Coast Berbice and Hablaw Meat Centre are already a part of the day’s proceedings.

The Race will be held under the rules of the Rising Sun Turf Club and Bugle time is 13:00 hrs. Entries close on Sunday 17th of February.

Persons interested in being a part of the day’s action can make contact with Fazal Habibulla at Chester Fry at Bush Lot West Coast Berbice on Telephone No 2320232 or 648-6522, 6577010, or Inshanally Habibulla on tel No 623-4495, and 623-5453 or 232-3295, Donald or Zaleena Lawrie on telephone nos 2254530 or 225-4565.

Proceeds go towards charity. (Samuel Whyte)

Thursday February 07, 2013

Kaieteur News

Page 33

“Old Beef” Inter-Secondary Mc Almond, Bacon guide FAPC into School Memorial tournament HQ final, to clash with Immigration2 New Amsterdam Multilateral Secondary School (NAMS) defied the odds to come out victors when the latest edition of the Hilbert “Old Beef” Humphrey Inter Secondary Schools U-16 Memorial Football tournament was played recently at the Scots Church ground at Princess Elizabeth Road New Amsterdam.

Six schools took part in the one week 11a-side tournament. The schools were New Amsterdam Multilateral Secondary School (NAMS), Berbice High School (BHS), Berbice Educational Institute (BEI), Vryman’s Erven Secondary School (VESS), Tutorial Academy Secondary School (CSS) and Canje Secondary School (CSS).

In the final which was played in front of an appreciative crowd NAMS got the better of Berbice Educational Institute (BEI) 4-2 on penalty kicks after the game ended nil all after full and extra time. The game was evenly matched with both teams creating a number of scoring opportunities, but was unable to score the vital winner.

Berbice High School (BHS) copped third place after they got the better of Vryman’s Erven Secondary School (VESS) by a 2-0.

Scoring for the winners were Stephon Hinds and Shimron Hetmyer.

Earlier in semifinal play, NAMS squeezed past VESS 4-3 on penalty kicks after the game ended 1-1 at the end of full time. Ray Hinds scored for VESS with Shakeel Grant leveling the score for NAMS. In the other game BEI edged BHS by 1-0 margin with a Jason Drakes

strike in the 20th minute.

In earlier play, BEI gained a walkover from Tutorial Academy Secondary (TASS), NAMS edge past BHS 1-0 with Grant scoring in the 48th minute.

VESS led by a hat-trick off the boot of Steffon Boucher then demolish TASS 5-0. Also on the scorecard was Rai Joseph with one and the final goal coming by a defence error.

BHS eeked out a 1-0 win over Canje Secondary (CSS) with Shamar Arrindell being the man on target.

BHS then drubbed VESS 5-0 in their encounter. Omario Bentham and Stafford Edwards with two each and Denzil Ogle one were the marksmen.

NAMS were also 5-nil winners as they whipped CSS in another preliminary match. Godfrey Edwards and Trivelle Grimond hit home two each, while the prolific Shakeel Grant netted the other.

The top teams and outstanding individual players were presented with their accolades immediately after the finals.

NAMS took home the Hilbert “Old Beef” Humphrey trophy with BEI copping the runner up spot and BHS third, all receiving trophies.

VESS ended fourth.

The individual prizes were presented to Jamal Benjamin of CSS - best goalkeeper; Akeem Bollers of NAMS - best defender, the best midfielder award went to Shakeel Grant also of NAMS. Steffon Boucher of VESS took away the trophy for the best striker. The tournament was coordinated by Neil “Grizzly” Humphrey.

Felix Austin Police College defeated Immigration1 by 4 wickets in the lone semifinal of the Guyana Police Force Head Quarters 10\10 softball cricket competition yesterday at the Police Sports Club ground, Eve Leary. They will now clash with Immigration2 who drew the bye in the final tomorrow at the said venue from 15:00hrs.

Immigration1 batted first and scored 139-6 in 10 overs with Kevin Archer slamming 66 (8x6), while Troy Benn supported with 35 (2x6, 3x4).

FAPC then responded with 140-6 in 9 overs. Jamine Bacon led with 31(2x4, 3x6) and Jason Mc Almond made 30 (1x4, 2x6).

Meanwhile, Immigration2 and FAPC won their respective quarterfinal matches which were contested earlier.

Immigration2 overcame Construction by 3 wickets.

Construction took first strike and posted 71 in 10 overs with Collis Cort scoring 35. Raja Adams took 3-14 and Mark Smith 2-15 for Immigration2

who replied with 72-7 in 9.4 overs. Smith made 18 as James London and Nathaniel Giddings picked up 2 wickets each.

FAPC got the better of Finance by 39 runs. FAPC took first strike and posted 119-6 from 10 overs. Andre Steven was their leading run scorer with 60 (4x4, 5x6) and Jamine Bacon chipped in with 19. Rohan Bowen claimed 220. Finance in reply managed 80-9 in 10 overs. Michael Corbin made 23 as Cary Bookie grabbed 3-8 and Mc Almond 2-5.

The Leroy Brumell 10\10 competition will conclude on Sunday with the male and female semifinals and final. In the male semis, HQ will face D Division and B Division will come up against G Division, while in the female category, HQ and B Division will battle for the right to meet A Division who drew the bye, in the final. This will be followed by a female 10\10 match between Trophy Stall Angels and 4 R Lioness.

There will also be male and female 100 and 800 meters race and Dominoes.

Jason Mc Almond

Kevin Archer

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Kaieteur News

Jacobs sees turnaround for Leewards ST. JOHN’S, Antigua – Ridley Jacobs said Leeward Islands will try to recapture past glories in this year’s Regional 4-Day and Super50 Tournaments which open this week. The newly-appointed Leewards manager/assistant coach said he will be looking to instill the kind of confidence that epitomised the team’s play in the past when they were once kings of regional cricket.

“You will see a different Leewards team this season,” said the former Leewards captain and West Indies wicketkeeper/batsman.

“We will be showing a different attitude, a different mindset, a difference in terms of how we carry ourselves and how we approach the game.” He added: “We will be a unit which will be working together, respecting each other and trusting as we hunt together with everyone

moving in one direction.

“Leewards have been competitive in regional cricket, and we have won titles and been in finals, so it’s sad to see some of what has happened in recent years but now we are going to raise our standards.”

Leewards have endured tough times in recent seasons. Last year, they finished bottom of the table with one victory and five losses in their six matches in the 4-Day and were knocked without a single win in the previous edition of the RS50.

Jacobs said he has seen enough talent and quality from the players in the last week of preparation to give him hope that things will be far better this season.

“The team is solid in both batting and bowling,” he said.

“It is for the players to fully understand their roles and perform those roles on the

field. “We have had seven intense days of training inclusive of three-day and one-day practice games, and those have gone very well.”

He said: “The players are looking forward to getting on the field and I believe we have a good chance in both the 4-Day and the RS50. I can see the players showing signs of wanting to do well.

“I believe we have quality players, who can perform with both the bat and ball, but they have not come to the fore in regional cricket. Now, it is time for them to step up and show their quality.”

Jacobs said one of the most impressive of the brigade is fast bowler Quinton Boatswain from Montserrat.

“He is bowling really well at the moment,” said Jacobs.

“He is very fast and is showing good progress.”

Jacobs concluded: “Our batting hasn’t been bad, but it is about working in combination and partnerships not about individual performances.

“The most important thing for Leewards is the team working together, respecting each other, trusting together.”

Thursday February 07, 2013

BCB/Neal & Massy Intermediate 50-Overs Finals...

Rose Hall Town Pepsi edge determined D’Edward by one wicket to win Title

Regional Manager of Neal & Massy Wazir Ally hands over trophy to Hall Town Pepsi captain Ravi Narine Pre-tournament favourite, Rose Hall Town Pepsi held their nerves in a tense atmosphere to defeat a determined D’Edward Cricket Club by one wicket to clinch the 2012 BCB/Neal & Massy Intermediate 50-Overs Tournament.

Playing infront of a fair size crowd at the Albion Community Centre Cricket ground under hazy clouds, Rose Hall Town Pepsi were indebted to a tense last wicket partnership of six runs from 42 balls by national player Arif Chan and former Berbice Under-19 player Ingram Dey who both ended on three not out each.

Play was delayed by 90 minutes at the start of the day due to overnight rain and the match was reduced to 40Overs per side. Batting first after losing the toss, D’Edward were given a flying start of 31 in 4.3 overs by openers Romesh Boodram

and Jagdeo Persaud before Boodram was dismissed by medium pacer Jason Sinclair for 19 (3x4) and then Jagdeo was caught brilliantly by Devin Baldeo for 15 (3x4) off Ingram Dey for 15 to leave the visitors 35 for 2 in the 6th Over. Seasoned middle order batsman Heeralall Bridgelall was then removed by Sinclair for 03 at 38 for 3 and it took Derick Narine Jnr 25 and Jaipaul Heeralall 20 to take D’Edward to 114 all out in 32 Overs. Batting at No. 9 Lakraj Sukhra supported with 15 as Sinclair ended with 3 wickets for 16 runs (5 Overs) and Berbice offspinner Eon Hooper 4 for 27 (8 Overs). Ingram Dey, skipper Ravi Narine and Dominique Rikhi supported with a wicket each.

Needing to score 115 runs off 40 Overs Rose Hall Town Pepsi was given a solid start of 34 in 11 overs by former national Under-19 player Dominique Rikhi and Berbice

Under-17 player Devin Baldeo before Rikhi ran himself out for 15 and then Baldeo was caught off offspinner Derick Narine Jnr for 18 to leave Rose Hall Town Pepsi at 47 for 2. Jason Sinclair was then caught behind by the highly impressive wicket keeper Lakraj Sukhra for 12 off Navindra Rampersaud.

National player Delbert Hicks and his older brother Michael Hicks then added 41 for the 4th wicket to take their team to 90 for 3 in the 25th Over before Michael Hicks was stumped off Romain Boodram for 08.

Eon Hooper 02, Askay Homraj 02, Ravi Narine 03, Delbert Hicks 38 (2x6,3x4) and Jamal Jarvis 00 were then dismissed to leave Rose Hall Town Pepsi at 109 for 9. Chan and Dey then calmly took Rose Hall Town Pepsi home with their last wicket (Continued on page 31)

The winning Rose Hall Town Pepsi Team pose with officials of the sponsors

Thursday February 07, 2013

Kaieteur News

Page 35

GFF Electoral Bobby Noel General Store hands Committee convenes over Best Defensive player prize New Era ENT/LABA/Cell Smart Super 8 Tournament...

- Juman Yassin & Emily Dodson elected Chair and Deputy

Bobby Noel General Store yesterday became the first Linden base business to support this year’s New Era Entertainment, Linden Amateur Basketball Association (LABA), Cell Smart Super 8 tournament which is set to begin on March 9.

Proprietor Nikeza Noel made the presentation of a bicycle to the organisers, while stating that her business has ever been showing their support to sports within the Linden community and they are elated to be part of this year’s event.

“We are happy to be part of this tournament in a major way because we see it as helping in the development of basketball. Linden is a very vibrant sporting community where most of the teams are area based so they would go out and support the people most of them would’ve known all the days of their lives,” Noel said.

She added, “Our store receives great support as well from the people of Linden so in whatever way we can help, we do so.

Basketball is a sport in which I love as well, my husband too, so we see it as just supporting a game we have

Members of the GFF Electoral Commission from right, Mark Waldron, Emily Dodson, K. A. Juman Yassin, and Stephen Lewis.

Nikeza Noel (center) hands over her the prize which will be given the best defensive player of the tournament to co-Directors Kenrick Noel (first from left) and Aubrey Major Jr. at her One Mile Wismar business location. over the years come to enjoy.”

The bicycle, according to the organisers should help in

keeping the person who wins it in a healthy shape, (Continued on page 31)

Kashif and Shanghai supports organizer of Mayor’s Cup football tournament

Former national coach, Lennox Arthur has only just hosted an Inter-Ward knockout soccer tournament in commemoration of Mayor Hamilton Green’s 78th birth anniversary. Fans are still reveling in the action packed encounters and already Arthur is putting the

modalities in place to host the annual Mayor’s Cup Football extravaganza, billed for the Georgetown Football Club Ground, March 15-31 next.

Mr. Arthur said that the tournament has always provided keen competition and he envisages a tournament of similar

proportions this year.

Monday morning he visited the Irving Street offices of K&S Football organization where one of the Directors, Aubrey ‘Shanghai’ Major donated several footballs as well as uniforms to facilitate the successful staging of the tournament.

Mr. Major said that he was encouraged to support the tournament especially since its objectives are on par with those of his organization—to maintain the growth of the sport. “This is certainly good for the game and I wish to encourage other members of the corporate community to render similar support,” said Mr. Major.

Mr. Arthur thanked his benefactor while saying that he plans approaching the business community for additional support. He said that he is optimistic that such support will not be withheld.

In this photo he is seen receiving the gift from Mr. Major (left).

In accordance with the terms of the agreement brokered by the FIFA/ CONCACAF delegation which visited Guyana in early January 2013, members of the recently appointed Electoral Committee of the GFF had their first meeting on Tuesday February 5, 2013, at the GFF Secretariat in Section ‘K’ Campbellville in preparation for the execution of their supervisory role in the upcoming GFF elections. The purpose of

this inaugural meeting was to select the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Committee and to acquaint members with the guidelines in the FIFA Electoral Code and the GFF Constitution which will provide direction for the Committee to effectively carry out its functions. At this first meeting the Committee subsequently elected Mr. K. A. Juman Yassin, Attorney at Law and President of the Guyana Olympic Association, as its Chairman, and Ms.

Emily Dodson, Attorney at Law and cricket official, as i t s D e p u t y. The other member of the three-person Committee is Mr. Stephen Lewis, with Mr. Mark Waldron as the alternate. Both Mr. Lewis and Mr. Waldron are also Attorneys at Law. Also present at the initial meeting were President (ag.) of the GFF, Mr. Franklin Wilson, General Secretary, Mr. Noel Adonis, and Deputy General Secretary, Mr. George Rutherford.

FIFA launches new Reporting Mechanism FIFA has launched a new reporting mechanism where infringements of the FIFA Code of Ethics, and violations of FIFA’s regulatory framework relating to match manipulation can be securely reported and treated with the strictest confidentiality.

The decision to launch this online reporting mechanism is part of FIFA’s on-going reform process.

FIFA’s regulatory framework is intended to ensure that all statutory rules and rules of conduct are complied with at all times, and without exception by FIFA’s stakeholders, setting standards for legal and ethical behaviour.

The reporting mechanism will enable individuals to notify FIFA of potential violations, another milestone in FIFA’s effort to strengthen

football governance.

The website: https:// www.bkms-system.net/FIFA is a specially secured platform administered by an external provider (Business Keeper AG).

The reports, if related to infringements of FIFA’s Code of Ethics will reach Michael Garcia, Chairman of the Investigatory Chamber of FIFA’s Ethics Committee, directly.

t r o Sp

Australia seal series after Watson century Darren Bravo scored 86 off 96 balls (Getty Images)

Kieron Pollard caught Glenn Maxwell spectacularly at deep square leg (AP).

Shane Watson celebrates his hundred (Getty Images).

A

Shane Watson century, an Australian victory. In the minds of the coach Mickey Arthur and the captain Michael Clarke, such a scenario should occur far more often, and Watson could scarcely have made a better start to life as a non-bowling batsman with a fluent innings to set the platform for a total that proved beyond West Indies in the third ODI at a resplendent Manuka Oval.

The 39-run victory sealed the series for the hosts, but they were as satisfied by the fact that minus the distraction of allround duties Watson was able to sail to three figures on an amiable pitch. His free-scoring was followed up by a contrasting innings from Phillip Hughes, scratchy early but sublime later,

while George Bailey clattered 44 from a mere 22 balls before leaving the field with a tight hamstring in the evening.

Kieron Pollard had leapt outrageously to catch Glenn Maxwell, and the visiting batsmen were set a similarly high mark to win. Their pursuit threatened to amount to something when Darren and Dwayne Bravo joined forces in an attractive stand, but Mitchell Starc broke their union just when Clarke’s brow was beginning to furrow, having brought himself on to bowl after leaving out the specialist spin of Xavier Doherty.

Chris Gayle batted down the order due to a side strain suffered in the field, and was to be the first of four victims for James

Faulkner, who reprised his strong showing against the tourists on this ground for the Prime Minister’s XI to round up the remainder of the innings.

Seeking a record chase for their region, Devon Thomas and Kieran Powell were conservative to begin with but played some handsome strokes to reach 50 inside nine overs, Starc not gaining much swing and becoming a far more hittable bowler as a result. However Thomas’ stay was ended when he miscued Clint McKay. Powell threatened a more lasting stay before he too failed to find the middle of the bat, top edging a sweep at Glenn Maxwell that was held in agile fashion by Matthew Wade, running around from behind the stumps. The Bravo brothers were soon looking comfortable however, and Clarke looked short of options on a slow surface as Maxwell’s overs dried up and the visitors engineered a realistic Twenty20 scenario.

Starc’s strike was critical, coaxing Dwayne Bravo to play down the wrong line the ball after a wide, and following a drinks break Faulkner disturbed the stumps of Gayle and Darren Bravo with deliveries moving first from the off, then from the leg. Faulkner’s send-off for Gayle drew a word from the umpires, and there was to be little need for histrionics as the innings petered out.

Manuka’s turf had provided Watson with a chance to play himself into form at the top of the Australian batting order ahead of the Test tour of India, and he was soon in firm touch, punching down the ground and through cover with

comfort and also cutting profitably. While the pitch and the opposition were not of the kinds to be faced on the subcontinent, Watson’s clarity suggested he may not be seeking a return to the international bowling crease any time soon.

Aaron Finch was similarly crisp, flicking neatly to the midwicket fence more than once, and the runs arrived at pace without either batsman taking many risks. Having made a halting start to his ODI career, Finch looked capable of a major score, but soon after Watson passed 50 he gave his innings away with a dainty dab from Sammy into the gloves of Thomas standing up to the stumps.

The wicket brought a downturn in the run-rate - despite a duo of Darren Sammy noballs, the first of which was called rather harshly by the umpire Asad Rauf - as Hughes battled to settle in.

A little circumspect as he neared his century, Watson reached it confidently then accelerated, swinging lustily for a pair of sixes before he was pouched at deep backward square leg.

Hughes’ innings grew steadily in fluency and speed, mirroring Bailey’s Perth effort in terms of the skill of building a score from a shaky base. Clarke fell cheaply, but it was a surprise when Hughes edged Sunil Narine behind short of a century, the catch completed by Thomas via thigh as well as glove after the wicketkeeper had earlier been struck a painful blow on the thumb.

Bailey’s late hitting ensured the total would go comfortably past 300, and ultimately the West Indies would leave Manuka with only Pollard’s catch to console them.

Scores: Australia 7 for 329 (Watson 122, Hughes 86) beat West Indies 290 (Darren Bravo 86, Dwayne Bravo 51, Faulkner 4-48) by 39 runs.

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