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Kaieteur News
Kaieteur News Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: Adam Harris Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210
EDITORIAL
The impact of the lower oil prices What does the rapid decline in oil prices mean for emerging markets? Just like anywhere else, it depends on how much a particular country depends on oil for its livelihood. Net importers are expected to see an uptick in economic growth as lower crude prices stimulate consumer spending, reduce input and transport costs for industrial companies, and can allow governments more fiscal flexibility to pursue structural reforms. Net exporters, on the other hand, are in for some tough times. All-in, when it comes to emerging market economies and the oil price collapse, there are more winners than losers. Oil-importing countries account for around 80 percent of market capitalization, and the majority of those are Asian nations. Indonesia, for example, is expected to reduce fuel subsidies from an estimated 2.4 percent of GDP in 2014 to 0.5 percent in 2015, according to Credit Suisse. There are bright spots outside of Asia too. In Latin America, Chile is seeing the greatest upside. Even in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, there are some winners, such as Turkey and South Africa. “Lower oil prices will likely not only boost economic growth but also consumer sentiment in countries sensitive to fuel price inflation, and they will improve fiscal balances in countries with fuel subsidies,” says Dominik Garcia, emerging markets analyst at Credit Suisse’s Private Banking and Wealth Management division. Then there are the losers. Countries that depend on oil exports-such as Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, Russia and nations in the Gulf Cooperation Council—are dealing with serious shortfalls in revenue. Their fiscal situation is dire: most EM oil exporters require a Brent price of more than $100 per barrel to balance government spending. Only Qatar and Kuwait are able to do so with Brent at $80 a barrel, but that’s no saving grace with prices currently around $50 per barrel. So what are investors to do? Favour oil-importing countries, and then favor well-positioned sectors within. Oil producing companies are a no-go at the moment, as are fuelintensive industries such as materials. Better growth can be found in industries that benefit from low prices, such as transportation, refineries and manufacturing, Airlines, for example, should benefit from low jet fuel prices, which have dropped more than 30 percent since last June to the lowest levels in four years. Chinese airlines are particularly well off because a low percentage of their fuel purchases are hedged, and thus locked in at higher prices. Consumer staples should also benefit since people are spending less of their paychecks on energy and therefore have more money left over for retail purchases. Other attractive sectors include Chinese, Thai, Brazilian and Malaysian industrials, Indian IT and consumer discretionary stocks and Chinese utilities. Indeed, Asia is a heavy favorite on Credit Suisse’s list: “Asian economies in particular,” Garcia says, “will likely benefit as there are many net oil importers in the region.” These facts were presented by Jens Erik Gould. In Guyana, the full effect of the lower oil prices has not been passed on to the consumer. In fact, there is the view many are actually enjoying bumper profits. The Guyana Government is reaping a windfall from the excise tax. The state owned Guyana Power and Light told the press that it expects to save some US$35 million in fuel imports. Some of the savings are being offered to consumers of electricity and the owners of the electricity company say that the reduction in energy cost could be much less but the fact that the electricity company has been operating at a loss for a number of years, the management decided that it was going to recoup some of the money. All eyes remain on the world prices for fuel. Fuel prices at the pumps surged upwards this past week although there was no indication of a rapid rise in the acquisition cost of fuel. But while we celebrate the lower cost Trinidad is ruing every moment.
Thursday February 26, 2015
Letters... Where your views make the news
Violence and bullying in public schools should not be ignored DEAR EDITOR, In this election year, parents should demand an end to the numerous acts of violence and bullying in the public schools, many of which have gone unreported. Although this has been occurring for quite awhile, it still has not fully engaged the attention of the Ministry of Education and the Cabinet in a meaningful way. Is it because the school system is broken? Or is it because those involved are among the poorest in society with low academic achievement? Unlike the PPP regime which has ignored violence and bullying in the public schools for over a decade, the APNU/AFC ProDemocracy Alliance will pay full attention to it. Although the Minister
has stated that misbehaving would not be tolerated and that students could be taken to the courts and charged with a series of offences, most of the students have defied this warning in order to maintain an image and, as a consequence, become role models among their peers, thus giving them a sense of immediate gratification. For the past three years, the Ministry of Education has not presented any sound policy as a first step to addressing this problem. The reason is not only poor leadership, but those in authority are more preoccupied with party politics and electioneering than creating sound policies to reduce failures in the public schools and to d i s c i p l i n e the students. Education psychologists
have argued and several studies on child delinquency have highlighted some of the reasons that would influence and trigger the type of deviant juvenile behaviours pervading the public school system: 1. Weak parent-to-child bond; 2. Parents are of lower socioeconomic status; 3. Single-parent homes; 4. Fatherless parenting; and 5. Low self-esteem. The $10,000 payment to parents by the Ministry of Education has not improved the situation, because it did not fit into the structure of social and educational policy planning. Rather, it was politically motivated to encourage parents to support the PPP regime in the upcoming elections. Furthermore, the Jagdeo/
Ramotar regime does not believe or accept education as the primary vehicle for the country’s sustainable and human development and, ultimately, the greatest contributor to the creation of a globally competitive workforce. The results that have emerged from the public schools over the years have shown that the performance of the primary and secondary schools is mediocre to say the least. This latest assessment by the Ministry, which has not been made public, is similar to the results of the previous years. In fact, it shows that more than 65 percent of the public schools are performing less than satisfactory, and that a large number of students are not (Continued on page 5)
I’M INTERESTED IN HOW MUCH YOU HAVE US AT HEART DEAR EDITOR, Please allow me to speak to our politicians in a candid manner: “I’m not interested in your promises I’m interested in your actions! I’m not interested in how great your campaigns are put together to gain votes, I’m interested in how much you really have us, the citizens of Guyana, at heart. Yo u p r o m i s e j o b opportunities, but all I see is ‘get a job by knowing someone!’ Or be rejected for my past, causing me to be delinquent to survive. You promise better Education, but why are our schools and the University lacking of proper facilities? Why do we have to pay for facilities of dirt like they are made of gold? You promise better health services, but every time I take a visit to our health facilities there are problems like three mothers with just born babies sharing one single bed, poor surroundings, unpleasant smells, drug shortages, insolent medical personnel whom I don’t blame; after all they must be frustrated to have to do so much with so little pay. Why are our roads so rough when you call all the millions and billions of dollars for road construction? Why is it so hard for us born Guyanese Citizens to gain a land space but it’s so easy for foreign nationals to
come out of nowhere, gain ‘lands” and great businesses at which we Guyanese are employed and paid next to nothing? Why should they take over our forest that we’re being paid to preserve? Why? Why does each party talk against each other, demonizing each other over power? Why can’t you all get together and make a change? Is it that you need power to make a change in this land, or is it that you need power to gain taxpayers’ money to put in your own pockets? I don’t see you looking down further than your pockets! Don’t you think being one at heart and working together will make
Guyana better? You call Georgetown our Garden City but all I see is a Garbage City! Our Parliament building; the one you fight each other to gain one more seat in, is in poor condition! Its exterior looks like crap! There is always the most atrocious smell from the side of Timehri Park to the side of Linden Park! Then there are always vagrants taking home on the pavements right around the fence and you feel so comfortable going in and out and just have them there like they are a part of the landscape for the Public Buildings...You encourage tourism and yet our monuments are not upkept.
Our buildings of interest can be noticeably seen deteriorating but you are building Pradoville. The police are supposed to be protecting us, but they are the ones brutalizing us and killing our innocent children! They are a part of the crime; why is that Mr. Rohee? We see politicians’ family members committing crime and walking free, but the lower class of people are handed hefty jail sentences by Magistrates who inexplicably keep the real criminals on the road.... We trust you this elections.... Please do make a Change and remember you are not God!” Concerned Guyanese
Guyana Prize extension DEAR EDITOR, I’ve been too engaged with personal work to respond as comprehensively as I’ve wanted to regarding the latest interventions on the Guyana Prize. At this point, addressing the specifics of all that has been written would be tedious, although I believe that this is a conversation that needs to be had, and not just in the newspapers. If we are to fix/enhance the Guyana Prize, the Caribbean Press, and the literary development environment as a whole, it will not be done by ad hoc cross-talking every time an issue is raised, almost invariably by yours truly. If people are serious about contributing to the development and production of Guyanese writing, it has to be done by bringing serious, knowledgeable persons together to chart the course forward. I am happy to note that the Guyana Prize
for Literature Management Committee has taken my advice to extend the deadline for submissions, moving it from February 28th to now April 7. My suggestion to resident writers is to now take advantage of the opportunity to revise, network and workshop wherever you are. If anyone needs basic advice, feel free to e-mail me at ruel.johnson@gmail.com. Moving forward, when the dust settles after May 11, and hopefully we have in place a political regime that is not hostile to intellectual development, we can have a mechanism in place to ensure that our best literary minds can express themselves free from fear of victimisation in an environment that respects their talent and right to creatively comment upon the society in which they live. Ruel Johnson Janus Cultural Policy Initiative
Thursday February 26, 2015
Kaieteur News
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Letters... Where your views make the news Letters... Where your views make the news
The choices in the upcoming elections are clear DEAR EDITOR, In this letter I will consider the responsibility of Guyanese to their democracy, putting an end to the PPP’s fear-mongering of African Guyanese, and the choices before Guyanese in the upcoming elections. Guyana is a democracy. A democracy is a system of government where leaders are elected by a majority, and every citizen has equal rights under the established laws. We previously were never encouraged to pay attention to the meaning of democracy and the role we as individuals play in maintaining our
democracy. We need to start doing so and embrace, and take responsibility for our democracy. A democracy cannot stand by itself. It has to be fought for, instituted and defended. Our founding fathers, the late Dr. Cheddi Jagan and Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham fought for, and instituted our democracy. We and our generations have to defend it. While we may all not be soldiers of our army, we are definitely soldiers of our democracy, which we are born to defend. We must never again allow our democracy to be
overrun by wanna-be tyrants, despots and dictators who raise themselves above the law. Our learned men of the law will advise that our Constitution provides for our democracy to be scuttled, among other things. We all look forward to these issues being addressed immediately with the coming change in government. Also intrinsic to our democratic responsibility is our vote. Our vote decides who and which Party is better suited to administer the affairs of our Government. What we cannot and should not do is not vote on
Violence and bullying in... From page 4 attaining the minimum academic standards required to pursue post-secondary education. What is even worse, these trends are not likely to change under the PPP cabal, because they and their rich friends have abandoned the public school system for the private schools. Additionally, more than half of the lessons are unsatisfactory, due to the fact that there is absolutely no linkage between pedagogical practices and the national curriculum. To remedy the situation, the AFC/APNU Pro-Democ-
racy Alliance would have to establish a task force to conduct a thorough review of the public education system in order to improve performance and reduce the failure rate. The Alliance would present an action plan consistent with the vision to create a world-class education system in Guyana. In line with this recommendation, the Alliance will formulate the policy and legislative framework for the establishment of an Independent Education Commission to address the issues identified and effect changes complementary to the transformation of the
education sector throughout the country. They will also establish a National Education Quality Assurance Board to address the issues of performance and accountability not only in the public school system but in the private schools, technical Colleges and the University of Guyana. This “New Approach to Education in Guyana” will be framed within the context of the AFC/APNU-Pro-Democracy Alliance formal education system for a brighter Guyana. Asquith Rose Chandra Deolall, Dr. Merle Spencer-Marks
the assumption that a particular party ‘will win’, ‘all politicians are crooks’, etc., etc. Guyana has a crisis in government and this time, if any, is when your vote is needed in determining our next government. The answer to the PPP’s incitement of hate and fear of African Guyanese on the basis that the Peoples National Congress Reform, and ultimately, APNU, is a ‘racist party,’ and that its supporters were/are ‘racist’ was actually formulated in an intense discussion with one of my Facebook colleagues a few weeks ago, and now, if any, is an opportune time to share this with the public. The charge of PPP supporters having reason to fear domination and abuse by African Guyanese under APNU is upended by recognizing the fact that African Guyanese voted against the PNC, and in the process helped to install Dr. Cheddi Jagan as President and the PPP as the new government in 1992. Ultimately then, the PPP’s propaganda and fearmongering of African Guyanese among its supporters is ill-conceived, misleading, and without base. African Guyanese long ago extended support to both Dr. Cheddi Jagan and the PPP. Finally, if this is not
enough, the AFC’s embrace of APNU going into the upcoming elections is proof enough if any, that APNU and African Guyanese embrace and are in solidarity with PPP supporters for a fair, just and competent government. Many Guyanese, myself included, are heartened and overwhelmed that APNU and the AFC have been able to find compromise through negotiations for the benefit of Guyana. I have always considered this pivotal in moving Guyana forward. Examining the leadership and policy positions of both of these parties, it is clear they have much in common, and little in the way of differences on how Guyana should progress. They are both strongly against the corruption, injustice and abuses of the PPP, and they both are of the opinion that Guyana can achieve much more with a better government, stronger adherence to governance and Guyana’s legislative framework, and that there is dire need for constitutional reform. The recent Mash celebrations gave rise to some truly wonderful scenes of respect and brotherhood of our African and Indian cultures under the common nationality we share. The coalition is an expression of
the intense hope its leaders have that Guyanese can indeed move away from racist/ethnic ideas and politics to making choices and decisions on policy issues without fear of oppression by either ethnic group. The coalition is, to me, Guyana’s greatest promise for our future, and it is this promise that we need to take hold of and boldly vote for on May 11. The choices faced by Guyanese come May 11 are clear - to vote for the AFCAPNU coalition that gives hope and promise of a better life for us, our children and Guyana at large, or to vote for a continuation of the corruption, injustice and abuses of the PPP. On May 11, ensure that you take your friends and families to exercise your franchise and vote for the government of your choice. Craig Sylvester
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Thursday February 26, 2015
Amnesty International concerned over continued police ill-treatment, violence against women Police ill-treatment, Violence against women and girls and low conviction rates for sexual offences remain some of the major concerns that the international human rights group, Amnesty International (AI) has of Guyana. This was highlighted in its 2014/15 report. The report drew attention to two recent incidents of alleged police brutality, which gained much local and international attention. In one incident, Timehri resident Colwyn Harding alleged that he was sodomized with a police baton during his arrest by police on 15 November 2013, in Timehri. On 2 June 2014, two police officers were charged with causing actual bodily harm, and one of them was also charged with common assault. In the other incident that occurred on 30 April, 2014, 15year-old Alex Griffith was allegedly shot in the mouth by a police officer playing “Russian roulette” with his firearm. The police officer was
Junior Thornton
Colwyn Harding investigating an armed robbery allegedly committed against a member of the officer’s family. The officer was charged in June with unlawful assault and discharging a firearm with intent to maim. Additionally, in May last year, another teenager, Junior Thornton had his hands doused with methylated spirits and set on fire, while he was a prisoner at the Sparendaam Police Station lock-ups.
A police Constable is before the court for this incident. The report made no mention of the controversial death of fisherman Asif Rahim Khartoon, who died late November last year, a few days after he was released from police custody. The Director of Public Prosecutions recommended that disciplinary action be taken against several ranks. With regard to violence against women and girls, the Amnesty International report
stated that physical and sexual violence against women and girls remained a concern. According to reports, more than 140 cases of rape had been reported to the police by early September last year and conviction rates for sexual offences remained low. The report cited a statement from the Ministry of Legal Affairs in which it was stated in April last that there had been no conviction for sexual offences in any of
Strategic measures apace to tackle maternal mortality - Health Minister
Although it has remained constant for the past two years, maternal mortality is still a very troubling situation for the Ministry of Health. This is in spite of disclosures by Minister of Health, Dr Bheri Ramsaran, that the health goals in Guyana have more or less been achieved. This therefore translates to Guyana achieving the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) Five which speaks to improving maternal health. The Minister, during an
- training of midwives a priority interview with this publication, in making reference to the 18 maternal deaths that were recorded for both 2013 and 2014, said that “sometimes we are in a fragile situation because of the small numbers.” He insisted too that “maternal mortality has over the few years been dropping significantly but whenever you crunch small numbers you can get a
disproportionate shift to the negative. So we are happy that our maternal mortality rates are dropping.” At a recent press briefing, Cabinet Secretary, Dr Roger Luncheon, in commenting on the maternal mortality situation as at last year, said that 10 of the 18 maternal deaths were recorded at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation. The others, he revealed, were recorded at
other public and private facilities. But while the numbers are not worrying, the Cabinet Secretary did emphasise the need for reporting compliance of private institutions and went on to point out that Cabinet was concerned that these facilities were not recorded in a timely manner as prescribed by law. And even as private (continued on page 21)
the 22 cases heard in 2012 and 2013. Only recently a popular promoter was freed of a rape in a much publicized High Court trial. Implementation of the Sexual Offences Act, enacted in February 2013, and the National Domestic Violence Policy, launched in June 2008, remained very slow, the report noted, adding that concerns were raised by women’s rights advocates that there was no political will to fully implement either act. “For example, judicial, law enforcement and health officials had not received sufficient training on the new acts, and the public had not been sufficiently made aware of the important changes to protect the lives of women and girls that came into force with the enactment of these laws. A National Plan for the Prevention of Sexual Violence had yet to be drafted, despite the new legislation stipulating its creation,” Amnesty International stated. Freedom of expression in Guyana also attracted the attention of AI, which pointed to the threats of a
Charlie Hebdo-style attack that was issued by Attorney General Anil Nandlall, in October last year. In November, the InterAmerican Commission on Human Rights requested precautionary measures on behalf of the staff at the Kaieteur News after they received the threats. According to Amnesty International, following commitments made during Guyana’s UN Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in 2010, the government finally began public consultations on Corporal Punishment in schools. However, consultations into the abolition of the death penalty, the repeal of legislation criminalizing consensual same-sex relations, and discrimination against LGBTI people, to which the government also committed in 2010, had yet to begin by the end of last year. In December, Guyana voted for the fifth time against a UN resolution to establish a moratorium on executions, despite the promise to hold a national consultation on the issue.
Female cop charged with taking $20,000 to drop rape matter A female police Corporal is now in hot water after she was placed before the court on a charge of corrupt transaction. Wanda Dutchin, 45, of Paradise Village, West Coast Berbice, committed the crime whilst stationed at the Central Police Station, New Amsterdam. Dutchin who was in charge of investigating juvenile, domestic and rape matters is accused of accepting a bribe to drop a rape allegation. Dutchin appeared on Tuesday before Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus in the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s Court on the charge of corrupt transaction by an agent of the state. She was not required to plead to the indictable charge and was placed on $30,000 bail.
According to Prosecutor Sergeant Phillip Sherriff on February 17, 2014 at Central Police Station, whilst being an officer of the State, she collected the sum of $20,000 from Janetie Doni Comraj to drop a charge of rape against one Vedyabarran Sookraj who was being accused of rape. After the matter of rape was reported and investigations began the relatives of the accused allegedly paid a sum of money to the Corporal for her to drop the matter, The virtual complainant after being given the royal run around began to make enquiries and eventually the matter reached the OPR. Dutchin was investigated and charged. She will have to return to court on April 20.
Thursday February 26, 2015
Kaieteur News
Venezuelans protest Maduro’s visit to Trinidad and Tobago PORT OF SPAIN Trinidad — Venezuelans residing in Trinidad protested in Port of Spain on Tuesday, calling for the resignation of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro who arrived in Trinidad on Tuesday morning on a working visit. Spokesperson, prominent psychic Yesenia Gonsalves, said the group met outside Queen’s Hall on Tuesday morning and marched to President’s House at noon where Maduro was expected to have a meeting with President Anthony Carmona. Gonsalves in a telephone interview with the Express before the protest said: “There is a big crisis in Venezuela right now. There is a lot of violence. People are not getting the basics like food and medication. Children with cancer are dying the hospital because there is no medication. Everything they want they have to line up in very long lines for one item alone. He does not have good policies and we want him to resign.” “He is not helping the country; the country is going down every day. People are not safe in Venezuela, they are scared to go out and be free. You cannot speak anything against his policies because
DISGRUNTLED: A Venezuelan citizen living in Trinidad and Tobago displays a placard during Tuesday’s protest outside the Diplomatic Centre in St Ann’s over the visit of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. they threaten to jail you. He is not democratic he is a dictator. We are tired. Want to him to resign. We co nsider him to be a criminal and we want him out,” said Gonsalves. Last February a group of Venezuelans also protested outside the Venezuelan Embassy in Port of Spain, calling for peace in Venezuela
following the deaths of persons in violent protest action against Maduro and his government. Thousands had taken to the streets in Venezuela, demonstrating over the scarcity of basic goods and alleged human-rights violations, as well as high levels of criminal violence. (Trinidad Express)
‘Criminals, not heroes’ Barbados Nation - The Parliament of Barbados has been challenged to define slavery as a crime against humanity in order to deny past slave owners being robed with a mantle of national hero. This is coming from Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, principal of the Cave Hill campus and vice chancellordesignate of the University of the West Indies, as he addressed a standing roomonly audience at the University of the West Indies’ Errol Barrow Centre For Creative Imagination on Monday night. Sir Hilary praised Jamaica, whose parliament unanimously passed a resolution that acknowledged slavery as a crime against humanity and that the British government should engage in reparatory justice.
Professor Sir Hilary Beckles (left) embracing former university chancellor Sir Shridath Ramphal after delivering his lecture on Monday night.
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Showdown looms between Govt., farmers over rice industry An independent group of rice farmers is claiming that the industry is in a huge crisis with a massive cover-up by Government. However, the Ministry of Agriculture yesterday, while acknowledging that there are problems, insist the situation is not that bad. According to Rice Producers Association Action Committee (RPAAC), it will be hosting a press conference today at the Georgetown Club to talk about the troubles in the industry. It said that more than 100,000 tons of paddy from the last crop is still at rice silos around the country with no markets. In the next three weeks, more than 400,000 tons of paddy will be harvested and no arrangements have been made to find market for this new intake. “This impeding crisis has been created as a result of the unnecessary control of the industry by the Minister of Agriculture, Leslie Ramsammy, and his PPP cronies at the Guyana Rice Producers Association, a front-organisation of the PPP and the Guyana Rice Development Board. The rice industry is the only private sector entity that is legally controlled by the state through an Act of Parliament,” said a statement from the group yesterday.
Minister Ramsammy, in his own statement a few hours later insisted that the group is politically motivated. The group said that rice farmers and millers have little or no control over the marketing of their paddy or rice and warned that there will be little buying this crop unless markets are found. It said that the “muchadvertised” PetroCaribe deal with Venezuela was offered to families and friends of the ruling PPP to the detriment of the industry, as a whole. “Rice farmers in Berbice and Essequibo Coast are still owed a huge amount of money from the previous crop. Both Berbice and Essequibo rice farmers have taken their anger to the streets - burning tires and other materials to highlight their financial crisis and their inability to pay their debtors and look after their families.” RICE LIKE SUGAR RPAAC said rice farmers are very fearful that the rice industry will end up like the sugar industry, which is being sustained by taxpayers to the tune of billions of dollars, with no resolution in sight. In his reply, Minister Ramsammy said that the rice industry of Guyana continues to re-write the record books and create new success stories. “In spite of the doomsayers, the industry has
grown phenomenally. There are some simple truths about the Guyana rice industry that no one can dispute with any credibility.” He said the People’s National Congress destroyed the industry in the 70’s and 80’s. He accused executive of Alesie Group, Turhane Doerga, of being one of the beneficiaries under the PNC. Ramsammy admitted that while the industry broke production records last year, there are serious constraints. “The facts speak for themselves. In 2014, rice production was 635,000 tons and rice export was 501,000 tons. The self-styled experts repeat the false tale that there is no export market. But the rice export last year increased by more than 105,000 tons, or more than 25% over 2013 export. The 2013 export itself was about 20% larger than the 2012 export. Guyana has increased its export between 1990 to now by more than 1,000 %. The truth is that when the PNC was in control, supported by these same self-styled experts, Guyana could not produce enough rice to meet local demands and even if we did, we did not have sufficient market.” This year, Guyana will add “sizable markets” in other countries, particularly African countries. “We are presently negotiating a supply of more
Dem boys seh ...
De Bog Cop tek two gift bag in custody Without humour we are all dead. No country can live without it. We crave for it. Is not dem boys seh suh; is de people who does read dem boys seh suh. And that is how people survive all dem years wid Kwame as de biggest comic Guyana produce. From de time you watch he you got to laugh. When he open he mouth you laugh till you cry. Even when he was begging Julius he had de nation laughing at he and crying fuh de kid at de same time. When he walk that tells de biggest story; it show that he craving fuh something like how a coke addict does crave cocaine. When he ain’t get enough of it he does lash out like mad dog. He boss, that idiot Jagdeo, does lash out too. But he don’t mek you laugh so much like Kwame. Although he brings no humour to de table, he crave
for everything. You name it. He never refuse anything. Dem boys hear a story last week when he went wid Cheddi to Malaysia. De Prime Minister fell in love wid Cheddi and actually offer Cheddi US$1 million as a gift. Cheddi refuse. De PM then told him to take the money as a contribution to his party. Again Cheddi refuse. Two years after Cheddi dead, that idiot remember de million-dollar offer, and call and ask de PM if de offer still stand. To this day de Malaysian PM ain’t answer or see him but he did tell a few people that he spirit didn’t tek Jagdeo. That is how dem boys know de story. Dem boys wonder how many people he approach fuh gift and how much he collect. According to dem boys he mek State House into a gift
collection centre. He had two container of building material from de States. Dem two container been pun State House lawns fuh a long time till de mansion done. De big chandelier wha he got in he house he get as a gift from a Chinese business enterprise here in Guyana. Wid all who seh dem give he gift dem boys wonder if Bai Shan didn’t provide gifts too. Dem boys know dem love to share gift. Dem video a Bai Shan team yesterday afternoon going in to see de Big Cop. Four of dem walk wid two big gift bag. When dem come out dem didn’t come out wid de two gift bag. Dem boys want know who collect de gift—de sentry or de secatree? Dem wonder of de two bag in custody and if dat file got to go to de Dee Pee Pee. Talk half and find out what’s in dem bags.
than 70,000 tons to one African country. While we leave the private sector to service the market, the Government has been opening up these markets.” The Minister said that the major constraint in entering a competitive international trade regime is that these require waiting for payments. “Our international trading partners have requirements that necessitate a waiting period for payments. This situation has created hardships for the industry that has resulted in millers and exporters not paying the farmers on time.” This is a problem that farmers understand, but it creates tension between farmers and millers. “The Government of Guyana has
not been on the sidelines, doing nothing. Indeed, even though the cultivation, milling and processing and export have been exclusively in the hands of the private sector, the PPP/C Government has intervened to facilitate the industry and reduce the impact of late payments.” $5B REVOLVING FUND He said that in 2014, a revolving amount to reduce waiting time for farmers and millers, amounted to almost $5B. “The industry in 2014 produced paddy worth more than $44B. Of that amount, more than $43B was paid out to the farmers by millers. An amount of less than 1% is presently outstanding to the farmers and the Government
Rice Miller/Farmer, Dr. Turhane Doerga has been working to ensure that this amount is fully paid off before the harvesting for the first crop of 2015 begins.” The regulatory, Guyana Rice Development Board (GRBD), estimates that the millers have about $20B outstanding to them from rice (continued on page 23)
Death of Essequibo pensioner ...
Killers inflicted injuries to - nephew fake sexual assault detained By Michael Jordan Suroogpattie Ramlakan’s killer may not be a sadistic stranger roaming through the Richmond, Essequibo community, but a well known member of the area, with greed as his sole motive. This is the theory that detectives are pursuing in the hope of finding the person who beat and strangled 73year-old Ramlakan, called “Auntie Carmen’, in her home last week. Acting on this theory and on information supplied to them, detectives yesterday detained a nephew of the slain woman. He was still in custody up to late yesterday evening. The nephew has reportedly told investigators that he visited ‘Auntie Carmen’ regularly, and that he visited her the day prior to her death. A post mortem has revealed that Ramlakan died
from manual strangulation, compounded by blunt trauma to the head. But the pathologist’s examination also revealed that the pensioner’s killer inflicted injuries on the old woman to make investigators believe that she was raped. Condoms were also reportedly placed at the murder scene, and the body was also placed in a position to suggest sexual assault, when no sexual assault had occurred. “We are looking at a number of theories, including the possibility that relatives were involved,” a police source told Kaieteur News yesterday. A source said that detectives hope that Ramlakan’s killer left DNA evidence on her body and forensic tests may be conducted to extract such evidence from scratches the assailant inflicted during his attack.
The pensioner, who lived alone and owned at least two properties, was discovered dead last Friday by a young female neighbour, who had called for her earlier that day without getting any response. Her night dress was pulled above her knees and her neck bore lacerations. There were other injuries that indicated sexual assault. Detectives also found a packet of condoms below a window through which the killer(s) reportedly gained entry. A raincoat was also found at the scene. Detectives believe that Ramlakan’s killer dragged her off her bed some time between Thursday night and early Friday morning. Residents later saw blood dripping from the slain woman’s floor. Police said that the victim was last seen around 19:30 hrs on Thursday.
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Thursday February 26, 2015
=== The Freddie Kissoon column ===
Republic Bank messed up my daughter’s smart phone purchase I received a mail from Republic Bank that I needed to come in. My account at the bank has three names-- mine, wife and daughter. I was told I have to supply proof of address for myself, wife and daughter. The Bank said it was the stipulation of the Bank of Guyana. I contacted the Bank of Guyana; it confirmed the information. That was that. Life goes on. On Valentine’s Day, Digicel advertised a phenomenal sale. You get fifty percent off their latest smart phone model. The saving
was seventy thousand dollars. Most people would grab the opportunity. I did. The sale was only for two hours – midnight to two in the morning. I am not seen on the roads after 10 PM. I simply fear for my life because of my politics. Given the horrible experiences I had, I am not staying on the streets of Guyana after 10 PM and if I am, I will be with others who have to accompany me home. So midnight came and I went to cash in on the Digicel sale. I produced my daughter’s National Identification card and mine. The sales clerk asked for my daughter’s
proof of residence. I was stumped because I had no idea that such was a requirement. The sales clerk politely called me by my first name and said, it was written on the advertisement in the newspapers. I apologized for the lapse then walked away. I was summoned back by another person who referred to me as Mr. Kissoon. With a winning smile she said, “Mr. Kissoon tell us her address so we will record it, it is alright we will accept your word.” I then declined the offer telling the sales personnel that I don’t want to endanger their employment. I explained that two weeks
ago I picketed Digicel on a matter of principles and the company will certainly endanger their employment if they abandon the policies of their company to please me. I insisted that I could not accept an exception to the rule and that I would not want to be treated with special dispensation. They were emphatic that they could waive the rule. I was emphatic that I did not want special treatment. I thank those Digicel personnel who were extremely pleasant. Such attitudes do Guyana a great deal of good. I was accompanied back home in the uncivilized hours of the morning. I immediately checked the Kaieteur News and the advertisement did state that purchaser must supply proof of address. I had none for my daughter because of the way Republic Bank operates. My daughter gets no correspondence. She is a student. Republic Bank sends customers a quarterly statement of account. My daughter is a bona fide
account holder at Republic Bank. The account has three names, all of whom can act independently of each other. In other words my wife or daughter can transact business at the bank on their own. But there is a ‘but.’ The quarterly statement comes addressed in the following way; “Frederick Kissoon and others.” How can my wife or daughter take a document with the name, “Frederick Kissoon and others” and submit that to GPL or GWI or GT&T or Digicel or Caribbean Airlines and say this is proof of their residence? It is not. The document doesn’t carry the name Janet Kissoon or Kavita Kissoon. The next day, I went to the bank with Dale Andrews, senior reporter at this newspaper. I showed them a copy of the Digicel advertisement in the newspaper. I insisted they make a photocopy. I was advised that in future, the full names of my wife and daughter will be on the statements of accounts. But that was too little too late. My daughter missed the Digicel offer.
Frederick Kissoon What I think is unacceptable about this situation is the insensitivity of the bank. The bank had to know the importance of evidence of residence because it insists on such a requirement. How can a commercial bank that on a daily basis demands of customers that they produce evidence of where they live but in the same breath, correspond with customers without being specific when it posts mail to them? The explanation is that everything has broken down in this country. Nobody cares about anything in this country. Everybody does what each likes in this country. What is sad is that people just accept this breakdown and accept to be like slaves. As the French people said during the turbulent sixties; “God is dead, Marx is dead and I’m not feeling too well myself.”
Thursday February 26, 2015
Kaieteur News
Kwame McCoy attacks Kaieteur News Editor, reporter Angered at a published article highlighting his unsavory behaviour at a recent press conference, Information Liaison, Kwame McCoy sought this time, to display his hurt feelings, by lashing out at Kaieteur News Editor-in-Chief, Adam Harris and an accompanying reporter. This episode occurred at the conclusion of a press briefing hosted by Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Roger Luncheon at the Office of the President, yesterday. With what seemed to be a constipated facial expression, McCoy noticed the KN editor conversing with another official attached to the Office of the President but from his actions, it was apparent that he knew not the right way to ask for an excuse. Instead, the Information Liaison disturbed the two individuals and it was here that the drama began. The minute McCoy rudely intervened, Harris immediately slapped him down. “Kwame, I am not speaking to you.” This was apparently like a red flag to a bull because McCoy then turned to the Kaieteur News reporter and told her to get out of the premises. But the KN Editor was in his radar again until he left the compound. As Harris was making his way out the corridors of the building, McCoy behaved in a manner never before seen at Office of the President. Almost shouting he said, “Kaieteur News is gutter news; I don’t read that crap, that is toilet paper. I use it in my toilet. Y’all use that newspaper as a weapon.” Harris told the official that while he holds that view, he still reads the newspaper, hence he is angry about what was published about his repugnant behavior the day before. This truth seemed to burn McCoy so much that he continued to scream even more at the senior media operative. He then overstepped his authority by ordering the reporters to “get the hell out of here.” They all ignored him. The Information Liaison, determined to let down his hair and “throw down more bad” as one reporter stated. He escorted Dr. Luncheon to the Cabinet room where the NIS meeting was in progress and then hurried to find Harris, apparently to speak the rest of his mind, which was a short speech. Harris was by this time, making his way down the stairs.
Information Liaison to the President, Kwame McCoy Some media operatives who were appalled by McCoy’s behaviour implored the Editor-in-Chief to just keep calm and to “let dogs be dogs.” In a squealing tone, McCoy asserted, “You like use ya newspaper as a weapon but ya can’t conquer me, you can’t. Listen, anything you publish about me is glory for me, it’s glory, ya wicked old man. Get out the place man.” But Harris calmly replied, “Good ah glad. You will be a rich man.” Even after this, McCoy was not done throwing his tantrum. Displaying more disrespect for the protocols of the President’s Office, he walked out behind the Editor-in-Chief and continued with his unpleasant ramblings. But when Harris asked why he is being followed, McCoy stated, “Me ? I walking behind you? Look is something you want… if I walk behind you.” Harris told concerned reporters that he finds McCoy’s actions to be a direct reflection of the kind of indiscipline and indecency that has invaded the Office of the President. He said that no longer is there any decorum on the part of the support staff and that it is obvious that the Information Liaison was angry at the article that was published. The article spoke to the fact that the official continuously interrupted reporters as they posed questions at a press conference held at Freedom House by the People’s Progressive Party / Civic on Tuesday. The meeting was being hosted by the PPP’s General Secretary, Clement Rohee and Executive Secretary, Zulfikar Mustapha. Neither of the officials sought to reprimand McCoy in spite of several complaints by reporters who were present.
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Kaieteur News
Thursday February 26, 2015
Elections’ media monitoring FITUG renews calls for inquiry unit gets EU $5.8M funding into sugar’s dismal performance The European Union (EU) has committed Euros 25,000 to support the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) towards the reestablishment of the Media Monitoring Unit (MMU) within GECOM. Director of the Americas Department in the European External Action Service, Roland Schaefer, who is in Guyana for a two-day working visit, and the Chairman of GECOM, Dr Steve Surujbally, endorsed the initiative yesterday at the Commission’s headquarters in High Street, Kingston. The funding towards the re-establishment of the MMU comes from the
Governance component of the Technical Assistance Facility of the 10th European Development Fund. Funding has also been given by the EU from this instrument to provide two international experts to support GECOM in its capacity-building activities. According to EU, its total funding in support of GECOM related activities ahead of the forthcoming elections amounts to Euro 300,000. The initiatives were undertaken as a result of requests by GECOM and the Government of Guyana. MMU will establish a Code of Conduct for the media on reporting; conduct
training sessions on reporting in the lead up, during and after the elections. The Unit will also monitor the media’s reporting on the elections. Schaefer also made calls on President Donald Ramotar, Minister for Home Affairs, Clement Rohee and the Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs. Early general elections are to be held on May 11, after the ruling People’s Progressive Party (PPP) suspended Parliament in November in face of a noconfidence vote. In January, President Ramotar, announced May 11 as Elections day.
Former GAWU President, Albert Boodhoo, passes away The Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) says it is mourning the death of its former President, Albert Boodhoo, more popularly known as “Thicker Persaud Khalideen”. “Comrade Albert as we would fondly call him died at age 72 in New York, USA on Friday…” Boodhoo, GAWU said Tuesday, was a trade unionist and a political stalwart who rose to become President. “As a member and leader of the union, he represented the union in different workers’ fora overseas and in Guyana. He also served in the Executive Committee of the Guyana Trade Union Congress (GTUC) and in the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG).” GAWU said that in many of the long and bitter battles it had waged to become the
recognized union in the sugar belt to replace the Man Power Citizens’ Association (MPCA), Boodhoo displayed courage, consistency and firm leadership. “He stood his ground despite the daunting situations characterized by police intimidation and semisuppression of union actions by the powers that be in his time. In the rich history of GAWU, a number of illustrious comrades have emerged, forged and nurtured by the workers’ struggles.” Boodhoo, who was cremated in New York on Monday, has earned the respect of sugar workers and by extension, the workers of Guyana for his contribution in their overall class battles, the union said. “These battles still going on, and the courage displayed by comrades such as Cde Albert Boodhoo, are
Died: Albert Boodhoo sorely needed as we continue in the arduous tasks of defending and winning other victories for our working people.”
The Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG) yesterday concluded its 5th Delegates Conference, endorsing a renewed call for an inquiry into the performance of the sugar industry. According to FITUG in a statement following the conference, it unanimously approved five resolutions. These include the general international situation and the growing struggle of workers and peoples; trade union unity; endorsing the calls of the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) and the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Emp l o y e e s (NAACIE) for an inquiry into the sugar industry and solidarity with the Clerical and Commercial Workers Union (CCWU) and on tax reform. The resolutions will now be sent to different agencies and bodies for their attention. The sugar industry, whose workers represent a significant percentage of FITUG’s membership, has been suffering from low production in recent years, plunging to a two decade low in 2013 and 2014. The industry is facing a severe cash crunch with the Opposition threatening withholding of bailouts until a feasible turnaround plan is tabled. According to FITUG, the 5th Delegates’ Conference was successfully concluded yesterday under the theme “Upholding Democracy and Struggle for Social Transformation”. The one day conference brought together approximately 60 delegates from the federation’s four affiliates – GAWU, NAACIE, CCWU and the Guyana Labour Union (GLU) – to review the work and performance of the organization since the 4th Conference in 2012 and to chart goals for the ensuing triennium.
FITUG’s President, Carvil Duncan in his Presidential Address to the delegates and special invitees, at the opening session at the Cheddi Jagan Research Centre, noted the current international situation, pointing out the growing inequity in the world, the increasing militarization throughout the planet and the effects and harms of climate change, among other matters. Duncan also used the forum to reiterate the federation’s call for a united trade union movement and noted that the division of the working class has been detrimental to the nation. The FITUG’s President also called for peaceful and violence free elections which will take place on May 11 and challenged political parties to ensure that workers and their families take a prominent position in their proposed policies and actions. Minister of Labour, Dr. Nanda Gopaul, delivering the feature address, recalled the circumstances in the country which led to the formation of FITUG. He called on employers to treat with
workers and their trade union representatives in a fair and equitable manner and chastised employers who are utilizing union dues remittances and credit union savings from the union which ought to be promptly paid over to the unions concerned. He also touched on the l e g i s l a t i v e a nd other improvements to further protect the nation’s workers. During the plenary session at the GAWU Conference Room, FITUG’s General Secretary, Kenneth Joseph presented the report of the Executive Committee which outlined the work of the organization and other important national and international issues. The 11-page report addressed many issues including FITUG’s educational programme, participating in national and international events, the prevailing global situation, issues affecting affiliates, meetings of the Executive Committee, among other things. A 15 person Executive Committee was also elected (continued on page 21)
Police detainee dies on way to hospital Investigations are being conducted by the Guyana Police Force into the death of another prisoner in police custody at the Parika Police Station, East Bank Essequibo yesterday. The man was identified as 28-year-old Zaharadeen Razan of Cornelia Ida, West Coast Demerara (WCD). Reports reveal that the man, who was found unconscious, was later pronounced dead upon arrival at the Leonora Cottage Hospital. Prisoners had told the police the man was constantly hitting his head within the lock-ups walls for reasons unknown. This may had
contributed to his unconscious state. Razan was arrested and taken into custody at about 21:10hrs on Tuesday February 24, following a report of damage to property that was made against him. Police disclosed that Razan was found alive and lying on the floor of the lockups during a visit to the cell by the police. Noticing the man’s condition, prisoners were questioned in the lockups and Razan was taken for medical treatment at the Leonora Cottage Hospital. Investigations are being conducted by the Police Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR).
Thursday February 26, 2015
Kaieteur News
Berbice police nab another drug dealer The police in Berbice, in their quest to eliminate drug use and abuse, on Tuesday nabbed another drug dealer who is expected to be charged shortly. According to information, around 15:00 hrs on Tuesday the police on West Berbice were conducting anti-crime duties including a stop and search exercise. They stopped and searched a white Fielder Wagon, PRR 2749, driven by Graham Fraser, 55, with a number of occupants, among them, Keron Thompson, 32, a cash crop Farmer of Lot 156 No 22, Bel Air West Coast Berbice. Thompson who was sitting in the front passenger seat had a black and red haversack in his possession. When the contents were checked a plastic wrapped parcel was seen and on opening it, a quantity of leaves, seeds and stems suspected to be Cannabis was found inside. The man was cautioned,
Andrew Simon arrested and taken to the Fort Wellington Police Station where the suspected cannabis was tested and weighed in his presence and amounted to 699 grams. Thompson told investigators that he purchased the commodity in New Amsterdam. He is in custody and is expected to be charged shortly. Meanwhile, a New Amsterdam man was on Tuesday remanded to jail by
Magistrate Sherdel IsaacsMarcus when he appeared before her in the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s court, on a charge of possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking. Andrew Simon, 18, of 46 Stanleytown, New Amsterdam was nabbed with 814 grams of marijuana around 11:00 hrs on Tuesday. According to Prosecutor Sergeant Phillip Sheriff, the police were on mobile patrol in the Vryman’s Erven area when they noticed Simon acting in a suspicious manner. He was stopped and searched, but nothing incriminating was found on his person. However, the cops proceeded to search a haversack he had on his back and concealed inside was 814 grams of the prohibited substance. He was arrested, told of the offence and charged. He will have to make his next court appearance on April 2.
Two remanded following drug bust Two men who were found with over 15 kilograms of drugs in a house at Sheet Anchor, East Canje on Sunday have been remanded to jail. The men Frederick McLean called “Mumbee”, 38, a fisherman of 24 Sheet Anchor, Village East Canje, Berbice, and Carl Lampkin, called “Knuckle”, 25, of the same address appeared on Tuesday before Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus in the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s court, on the charge of possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking. The men pleaded not guilty and were remanded to jail. Detailing the Prosecution’s case Sergeant Phillip Sheriff told the court that on Sunday, last, about 16:20 hours the police were on a mobile patrol in the desolate New Forest, East Canje area when they noticed Steve Balkarran, 32, of Lot 36 Section C Cumberland, East Canje, Berbice, acting in a suspicious manner. He was challenged, stopped and searched and a
Albouystown carpenter freed of businessman’s murder Edward Skeete, a carpenter from Lot 309 Independence Boulevard, Albouystown, was yesterday freed of a murder charge after a 12- member mixed jury, returned a unanimous verdict of not guilty for the capital offence. Skeete, also known as “Pretty Face”, was accused of killing businessman, Bedi Ramjewan, during a robbery which took place at Industry East Coast Demerara, (ECD) onApril, 27, 2011. He was on trial before Justice James Bovell-Drakes and a 12-member jury at the High Court in Georgetown. According to reports, the businessman was shot and killed during a mid-morning robbery at Crown Dam Industry, ECD. Ramjewan was reportedly cornered near his home by two men on a motorcycle. The allegation was that Skeete and another participated in the robbery. During the robbery Skeete allegedly shot the businessman in his chest and beat him in the head with a helmet. Ramjewan had left a commercial bank in the city, moments before the incident occurred. The suspects reportedly snatched a bag containing some $2M from him before escaping on a motorcycle.
Freed of murder Edward Skeete
Bedi Ramjewan was shot and killed during a robbery in 2011
Ramjewan was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, (GPHC) where he succumbed to his injuries. A post mortem report revealed that the 40-year-old businessman, who had recently returned from vacation in the United States, died from shock and hemorrhage due to a gunshot. Ramjewan’s case was presented by State Prosecutors Natasha Backer and Narissa Leander. Skeete was represented by Attorney-at- law Nigel Hughes. Thirteen witnesses were called upon to testify in the trial. On Friday, the judge and
jury visited the scene of the crime where Ricki Kumar Mohan, an eyewitness to the crime, demonstrated to them what he saw the day the crime allegedly took place. However, yesterday after a lengthy summing up of the evidence presented in trial by Justice Bovell-Drakes, the jury retired to deliberate on the outcome of the case. The panel returned to the courtroom less than two hours later and announced the verdict. They had found the accused not guilty of murder.
according to the Minister, is to cater to reduce the challenges in the sector which will be complemented by the availability of more diagnostic tools so that “we will be able to identify mother in distress and foetuses in the womb that are in distress long before the delivery period is established.” In addition, the Minister said that high risk clinics within the public health
system are being upgraded and are likely to be furnished with a number of trained doctors. According to Dr Ramsaran, with the introduction of locally administered post-graduate programmes, a number of doctors drawn from some 500 trained in Cuba, will be trained to specialise in the area of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and a number of other areas as the efforts are made to expand the services offered.
Strategic measures apace ...
Frederick McLean
Carl Lampkin
multicolored plastic bag containing what was suspected to be a quantity of leaves, seeds and stems of the cannabis sativa plant were found on his person. He was told of the offence, arrested and taken to the police station where the suspected drug was weighed and tested and found to be 10 grams of marijuana. The police acting on further information cordoned off and swooped down on a house situated at Lot 24 Sheet Anchor Village, East Canje
Berbice around 19:30 hrs. The cops found a quantity of bags containing marijuana amounting to some 15 kilos, 454 grams in the hall way of the house. Two men, Mc Lean and Lampkin, were found inside the house, hiding behind a curtain. They were arrested and taken into police custody. McLean is being represented by Attorney-atLaw Murseline Bacchus while Lampkin is being represented by Attorney-atLaw Ramesh Rajkumar. They were refused bail and remanded to jail until April 20. Balkarran also appeared before Magistrate Isaacs- Marcus in the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s court. He was granted bail in the sum of $15,000 and told to return to court on 8th April at the Reliance Magistrate’s Court to where the matter has been transferred. Contrary to earlier reports the drugs were not found in a house in which a businessman was murdered.
FITUG renews calls ... From page 12 by those present. Those elected were Carvil Duncan, President; Komal Chand, First Vice President; Sherwood Clarke, Second Vice President; Kenneth Joseph, General Secretary; Irma Glenn, Principal Assistant Secretary; Bhagmat Hochand, Assistant Secretary; Seepaul Narine, Treasurer; Michael Stephens, Organising Secretary; Harvey
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Tambron, Assistant Organising Secretary; Aslim Singh, Education Secretary; Jagdeo Paul, Press and Publicity Secretary and Roxanne Garraway, Narda Mohamed, Savitri Thomas and Elmy Ishmael as Executive Members. The elected committee will be responsible for the Federation’s functioning until the sixth (6th) Conference.
From page 6 institutions are being urged to be compliant, Minister Ramsaran intimated that certain measures are being taken with a view of helping to further reduce the number of maternal deaths. But the focus, according to him, will not only be on the number of mothers who have unfortunately died in childbirth, but also bettering certain other support services such as the availability of blood as well. Last year a record 11,000 plus units of blood were garnered by the National Blood Transfusion Service to help cater to this need, according to the Health Minister. But in addition to this, he noted that the Ministry is directing increasing attention on the training of requisite personnel. In fact he disclosed that there is set to be a significant upgrade of in-house training of midwives, for instance. “Only two weeks ago we had a meeting with one of our strategic partners to have consorted training of midwives. So you will not just have a nurse dressed as a midwife going to deliver services; they will have to be trained as midwives and each midwife will have to have continuous upgrade which will be obligatory as part of our service obligation,” asserted the Health Minister. The intent of putting strategic measures in place,
Another home alone woman attacked Less than a week after 73year-old, Suroogpattie Ramlakan, a/k” Auntie Carmen” was raped and murdered in her Sideline Dam, Richmond, Essequibo house, someone attempted to break into the home of another Richmond Village woman’s home, on Tuesday night. Auntie Carmen was laid to rest Wednesday afternoon. According to reports, the intruder attempted to break into the woman’s home but apparently failed to do so and fled the scene but not before dropping some personal belongings. The woman, whose house was attacked, was physically assaulted on six previous occasions. A report has
since been lodged with the Anna Regina police station. The 61-year-old, who was sleeping at her sister due to the numerous attacks on her house, was previously physically assaulted and choked by her cutlass wielding assailant. The woman’s attacker had previously stolen cash, women’s underwear and other personal belongings from her house. Women who live alone in various parts of Essequibo have been abandoning their homes, especially at nights to sleep with family members. The constant attacks on women are becoming scary and those women are pleading with the police to intervene swiftly.
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Kaieteur News
SALON Make Up Courses with Mac, Bare Minerals, Black Opal and Sacha cosmetics. Call: 647-1773/660-5257
CAR RENTAL PROGRESSIVE AUTO RENTAL:CARS&SUV FOR RENTAL- $4,000 & UP PER DAY- CALL: 643-5122, 2193900, EMAIL: PRO_AUTO RENTAL@YAHOO.COM
FOR RENT PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 2-Bedroom upper flat @ 5 Wallers Delight, W.C.D – Tel:674-4929; 662-0187 GT TOOL RENTALS: COMPACTOR; CHIPPING HAMMER RANSOM & FLOOR SANDER, , JACK HAMMER, CONCRETE SAW & MORE - CALL: 675-0767, 627-5098 1 -8000 SQ Feet ware house, located 20 miles from City $5000USD monthly – Contact: 695-0333 Sharon’s Building, limited mall space from $65,000 $275,000- Call: 225-4413/ 614-0949 Container Bar 160 Vryheid Lust E.C.D, for bar or any other kind of business – Tel:220-4375 or 690-3129 Wash bay and snackette at Lot 15 Good Hope E.B.E – Tel: 663-2882
WANTED 1 Mechanic to work in the interior; must know about Cummings & Perkins Engine. Tel: 691-6260 1 Live in waitress, with Secondary Education – 1825yrs salary $60,000 monthly, must be honest and willing – Tel: 610-3974 1 Carpenter Mason to work in the Interior – Tel: 691-6260
PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY,ETC.–CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 2161043; 677-6620
Cook: must know how to bake, bar attendant, waitress, cleaner and house keeper needed. Tel: 669-1900
Guyana Passport & Visa Forms Application, USA, Canada and England. Tel: 626-7040; 265-4535.
1 Farm Manager to work @ Pomeroon River must have Vast Farming Experienced. Accommodation & Attractive Salary offered. Contact: 226-9768 Pastry maker, counter servers, roti cooks & handy boys @ Hacks Restaurant, 5 Commerce St Georgetown Carmen’s Funeral Home, wanted driver, porter, handyman – Call: 265-5010, 265-4099; 666-3637; 647-1776
Repairs & spare, fridge, freezer, A/C, washers, stoves. Contact Nick: 683-1312, 627-3206
One cleaner – Call: 225-3234 General Kitchen Helper – Call Sabrina at 223-9725 (5pm8pm) One Poultry farm to rent preferably W.C.D – Tel: 6161422 LABOURERS & FORKLIFT OPERATORS/HELPER MUST BE HARDWORKING AND ABLE TO WORK FLXIBLE HOURS. CALL: 231-8344 Two wash bay attendant to work in Georgetown – Contact: 227-5169
1 Business place to rent Experienced salesgirls @ opposite Stewartville, Courtney Boutique 37 A Primary & Secondary School Bourda Market Second lane W.C.D – Tel: 613-5261 – Tel: 227-3407. House to rent at Mon Repos 1 Male & female to work in North - $55,000 monthly – the Interior to look after layer Contact: 682-6016; 692-9295 birds – Tel: 691-6260 1 garage to rent in One welder must know to do Herstelling with yard space grilled work and able to work – Tel: 628-2660 with limited supervision – Tel: Five bedrooms house @ 107 613-3879 Lamaha Gardens & large Handyman, care for dogs and parking, AC rooms, hot & yard – Call: 227-2027 cold, purified water system – Call: 661-8908; 335-3590 Unfurnished 3 bedrooms & 1 bedroom apartments in Granville Park E.C.D. Free water & parking – Call: 6813660 Two bedroom apartment in Timeheri – Tel:658-4754 FOR SALE/RENTAL American pool table – Tel: 277-0578
LEARN TO DRIVE Soman Son & Outar Driving School at Maraj BuildingTel:644-5166; 622-2872; 6150964; 689-5997
SERVICES
Repairs to plasma, LED, LCD television etc – Call: Abdul Electronics: 225-0391 Permanent & Visitors Visa Applications, Professional Immigration Consultant Room D5 Maraj Building Call Sabita: 225-6496, 6626045 REPAIRS AT LOW COST: FRIDGES, AIRCONDITIONERS, WASHING MACHINES, TVS, MICROWAVES, FREEZERS- CALL:6294946 OR 225-4822 Repairs, sales & spares air conditioning, microwaves, washer,fridges & stoves. Ultra Cool, Call: 225-9032,6472943 Eagle’s fridge re-gas - $8,000 & washing machine repairs. Phone: 697-2969, 646-0966 Mahadeo Construction for all construction, carpentry, masonry, pluming, painting etc. Free estimates and plan Contact # 669-7376
ACCOMMODATION Inner Retreat Hotel Restaurant & Bar, Retreat Road Parika. Indoor /Outdoor bar in Picturesque setting – Phone: 260-4504; 685-6934 Saturdays & Sundays after lunch @ Inner Retreat Hotel Parik: Bar-B-Cue & games: pools, darts, table tennis etc – Phone: 260-4504. DRESSMAKING Designing & Sewing classes, ladies wear, curtains etc. (CanadianTrained Tutor), Schoon-Ord, W.B.D- Tel:6262629, 676-6312
Thursday February 26, 2015
FOR SALE LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICK SILVER) 99.99995% PURITY$19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-227-4754. Sale! Sale! 2004 Toyota Premo: TV, CD, DVD, fully loaded, unregistered - $2.2M. Call: 642-7295 Cheap! Cheap! CCTV Security Surveillance Kit, 8 Channels DVR with built in Hard Drive, 8 bullet cameras Tel: 621-4740 Pure bred pit bull pups – Tel: 661-1601 Brand New, Power fist, 6,500 watts gasoline generator (on wheels) 110/240 volts AC/DC – Contact: 617-2205; 681-1032 3 Engel moulding machine – Please Contact: 695-0333 Lady Driven Toyota Rav4 PRR – Call Selvin at 622-0137 Ducklings: French Mascouie$600 each – Tel:671-2474 1 New/ Ridgid /Generator 3600W - $180,000, Two 32" Flat Screen, TV $75,000 – Tel: 672-7194 Sawmill: Timber Harvester, 30th 25th fully hydraulic, electric motor- Tel: 261-2553 Ryobi Tools, routers, sanders, circle saw, glue –Tel: 264-2126/ 683-0113
VEHICLE FOR SALE Nissan X-Trail 2006, low mileage, good condition $2.6M – Call: 695-9548 Nissan Titan 4X4; fully loaded; good condition; price negotiable - Call: 6201026 We buy & sell vehicles for cash, also parts available & 30 seater buses; Extra Cab pickups; 2006 Tacoma- Call: 680-3154 AT192, 212, Allion, unregistered Premio, Hilux Surf, BNN, RZ & Pit-bull, 7 seater super custom. Cash / terms- Call:680-3154 Toyota Prado, Price$5M Neg. Call: 643-2403 Unregistered vehicle: Toyota Sienta- $1,895,000, Honda Civic-$1,895,000, 318i BMW -$3,000,000 - Contact: 650-0402 One RZ minibus, good condition – Contact: 6785887 2003 unregistered Toyota IST Special Edition, TV/DVD Player, HID, after market suspension, rims & aero body kit – Tel: 609-2815 One 2004 NZE $1.750M, One 2001 Stick Shift, Carina 212 $1.9M – Call:616-5974 or 6188703 Canter: Short Based - $2.2M, Voxy $1.7M, Spacio $2.1M, (all never registered) – Call: 617-2891
1.60 everude engine, caterpillar skidder spare parts, modulim truck spare parts, 75 Yamaha spare partsTel:672-9272; 261-6634
Toyota Carina 212 real good condition -Tel: 691-5485
Green Heart Piles, Green Heart Logs, Wamara Logs, also rare old coins – Tel: 639-3450
Toyota Vigo smart cab for sale - $3.3M negotiable – Call: 6684553
Large China Cabinets $80g, whirlpool heavy duty washing machine $120g 3pcs sofa set -$150g – Call: 6813660
1 Mitsubishi Canter GNN 722, good working condition – Tel:228-5655; 628-1756
1 Music system, 80 mercury engine, 40 Tohatsu Engine, Hilux extra cab fiber glass cover – Tel:672-9272; 2616634 Spare for washing machine, microwaves, fridges, stoves, timers, gearbox, pumps, etc Call: 225-9032, 647-2943
One Toyota 212 Carina PSS Series & one Toyota Premio, PPP, Immaculate Condition (Owner migrating country) – Tel:618-2576; 678-0109 Toyota Mark 11 GX90$1.1M, Ford F150 - $1.2M, good condition – Call: 6106066
Vacancy for cashier/CSR apply with written application & passport size picture to survival - 173 Sheriff Street. Tel: 227-5286/9
PROPERTY FOR SALE Transported two storied concrete property $22M, Block “8” Mon Repos E.C.D Tel: 602-4418 Executive 4 bedroom house @ AA La Flora Gardens, Eccles, EBD, -$55M negotiable; serious e n q u i r i e s : houseforsale.921@gmail.com Prime Property in Brickdam - $60M – Phone: 617-4261 Building for sale & removal dimensions 105ftX50ft – St Anne’s Anglican Church Agricola – Call: 233-0077 to arrange viewing. Public Road Grove corner property $25M Negotiable Call: 613-5645 Corner lot with building foundation at Sec ‘A’ Block ‘X’ Diamond E.B.D- Tel: 233-5106; 609-3701 6 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms house and land at Mon Repos (Martyrsville) $13M negotiable – Call: 629-5300
Honda Civic PLL remote start alarm etc - $560,000 negotiable – Tel: 615-7473 HB yellow AT192; good condition - $850,000 negotiable – Call: 647-0271
CAR RENTAL
VACANCY Work from home: Earn $5,000 to $20,000 daily, 9am to 5pm, Monday to Saturday - Call: 233-6517/ 638-0595 or www.jobfairworldwide.com RA Soda Factory: Bond Clerk, Accountant, Drivers – Call:330-2399, 330-2772, 6235920 Administration officer CXC subjects or above experience would be priority. Contact number: 668-7104 Alice Zhang, attractive salary.
2005 F350 Ford, door ½, fully loaded 4X4, diesel, automatic, leather interior, 35" tyres & rims; excellent condition – Tel: 610-5370
DOLLY’S CAR RENTAL CALL: 225-7126/ 2263693 DOLLYSAUTO RENTAL@YAHOO.COM/ WWW.DOLLYSAUTO RENTAL.COM
Just arrived Massey Ferguson, 290 Tractor 2WD, Excellent Condition – Tel:6846661; 669-9315
Aidan’s Car & Pickup rental, cheap rate, low security – Tel: 698-7807
1 Toyota Vigo, manual transmission – Tel: 6005759
LAND FOR SALE Measuring 90’X165’ facing Atlantic Ocean, approximately half mile from Sheriff Street on High Way. Contact Shiv: 600-6681 Land @ William Street Kitty; Size: 79FT wide by 116FT length, price $60M Negotiable - Tel: 664-0829 Transported land, cultivation lots 29, 30 & 33 in Rosignol - Tel:327-5934; 625-5746 Continued on page 23
Thursday February 26, 2015
Kaieteur News
Page 23
Leonora Fisherman beating to death probe…
DPP RECOMMENDS DISCIPLINARY ACTION AGAINST POLICE RANKS By Michael Jordan The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has recommended disciplinary action against several ranks from the Leonora Police Station in connection with the November 2014 beating to death of fisherman Asif Rahim Khartoon. A senior police official confirmed this yesterday while saying that the disciplinary action has been recommended for “a number of subordinate officers and constables.” Asked whether the disciplinary action could include charges, the official said that the Police Act (Chapter 17:01) allows for such a measure. This is in sharp contrast to Chairman of the Police Complaints Authority Cecil Kennard’s recommendation, that manslaughter charges be instituted against a civilian who had allegedly beaten Khartoon. This reportedly happened while the two were handcuffed at the Leonora Police Station. Kennard had told Kaieteur News that there was “clear evidence” that the prisoner “was the assailant.” “I recommended that he (alone) be charged with manslaughter,” Kennard told Kaieteur News. But Kennard had also recommended that no charges be instituted against the police ranks who arrested the fisherman, since Khartoon’s wife was unable to identify the rank that she claimed assaulted him. “In my view, if the policeman (who allegedly struck Khartoon) was identified, both the policeman and the civilian should be charged, but the policeman was not identified,” Kennard said. However, the Police Complaints Authority Chairman had stressed that the DPP’s decision was final. Kennard made the recommendations before
sending the file to Crime Chief Leslie James on December 23, 2014. That document was subsequently sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) on January 7. Kaieteur News was unable to ascertain whether the DPP’s report contained any information about the prisoner who allegedly assaulted Khartoon. Police have been unable to locate the civilian. Kaieteur News understands that the civilian was arrested on November 22, 2014, after he allegedly paid a West Coast Demerara restaurant owner with counterfeit money. He was taken to the Leonora Police Station and handcuffed to Khartoon, who was detained on the same day. But the restaurant owner reportedly then told the police that he was unwilling to pursue the matter, and the civilian was subsequently released on cash bail. It was reportedly only after Khartoon succumbed, and allegations of assault were leveled against the police, that the restaurant owner and one of his female employees claimed that they had seen the civilian beating Khartoon while the two were handcuffed together. However, police were unable to locate the civilian at the address that he had given them. There are suggestions that the man went into hiding after learning of Khartoon’s demise. But the fisherman’s wife, Soorsattie Chandrapaul, alleged that she saw a police rank strike her husband on the back with “a long gun” after arresting him at his home. However, the widow said that the arrest occurred at night and she was unable to identify the police rank. She said she refused to participate in an identification parade on the grounds that she could not pick out the policeman. In the report sent to Justice Kennard, Khartoon’s
wife allegedly stated that she heard her husband saying “police ah beat me”, and described the rank as being a “short, stocky man”. Khartoon, 38, of MetenMeer-Zorg, West Coast Demerara, died on November 27, 2014, from injuries he sustained while in custody at the Leonora Police Station. A post mortem examination revealed that he died from multiple injuries to his head, face, chest and other parts of the body. While police suggested that the prisoner sustained his injuries at the hand of a fellow inmate, the dead man’s relatives claimed that police ranks inflicted the injuries. Police had stated that he was arrested shortly after midnight on November 22, 2014, following investigations into a report that he had assaulted his reputed wife, Sursattie Chandrapaul. “During efforts to arrest him, Asif Rahim Khartoon resisted, but was eventually subdued and taken to the Leonora Police Station.” “At the station he made no complaints against the arresting ranks. At the Leonora Station, Asif was kept on the bench handcuffed to another man in custody whom he later reported had allegedly assaulted him,” the release stated. “Asif was subsequently taken to the Parika Police Station that Saturday where he was kept in the lockups. He was charged with assault and brought to the Leonora Police Station on Monday November 24, 2014, to attend the Magistrate’s Court.” Police stated that while at Leonora, the prisoner’s reputed wife reported that he was beaten by the police and as a consequence, he was taken to the Leonora Cottage Hospital which then referred him to the West Demerara Hospital. He was later released and was scheduled to appear in Court on November 26, 2014.” Chandrapaul said that
Showdown looms between... From page 9 and paddy they have exported and awaiting payments and also from rice and paddy still to export. “While the banks have allowed overdrafts, this amount is too large for the banks to accommodate. The Government of Guyana, protecting the interest of farmers, has stepped in to ease the difficulties.” Ramsammy denied that 140,000 tons that were still in
stock in the mills at the end of 2014 represents a failure to find markets. “Indeed, the rice industry in every riceproducing country will have an amount remaining at the end of the year. For the three month period between January and March when no paddy is produced, the country has to maintain a stock that will meet local demands and also to ship to clients who require shipments during that period.”
For January, the stock was further depleted when 40,000 tons was shipped with another 35,000 tonnes shipped in February. “ Wi t h s h i p m e n t i n March expected to be around 40,000 tons, the remaining amounts of rice and paddy from 2014 would be fully depleted meeting local demands. This was another blatant attempt to misinform and lie to people.”
when she visited her husband at the station the following day, she found him in a battered state, with his face badly swollen. After inquiring from the police about her husband’s condition, they told her that he had been beaten by other prisoners. However, Chandrapaul said her husband insisted that police ranks had inflicted the injuries. After being admitted to two West Coast Demerara
hospitals and the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, Khartoon took his own discharge, and then succumbed. Khartoon’s relatives have mounted numerous protests in their quest for justice, while also expressing concern at the length of time that it was taking for the investigation to be completed. Two police ranks were initially placed under close arrest.
Norway's Ethics Council... From page 3 company to a considerable risk of corruption. It is the Council's opinion that a company in this given situation is required to have solid systems and measures in place to prevent corruption.” GHRA said that while the China Railways First Group (CRFG) is not the company directly referred to in the CE Report, the extensive interchanging of Directors and CEOs between parent and wholly-owned subsidiary companies has to be a matter of concern to Guyanese authorities and citizens. “With the Norwegian Government having recently given the green light to the Inter-American Development Bank to facilitate the Guyana Government with US$80M to serve as the Government of Guyana's equity contribution to the Amaila Falls project, the investment hurdles to this project appear to have been largely overcome. However, in
light of the deep political divisions around this ambitious project, before contracts are signed, a prudent step would be to hold another round of consultation together with serious due diligence investigations of contracted companies, following general elections in May 2015.” The 165-megawatts hydroelectric will be Guyana's most expensive one to date, if it gets off the ground. But questions over the costs saw the Opposition-controlled National Assembly voting down a key piece of environmental legislation in 2013 that was needed for IDB to approve their loan. The project has been stalled since then. Government has already spent an additional US$35Mplus to build more than 160 kilometers of road to the Amaila Falls site. The project has been one that is being aggressively pushed by former President Bharrat Jagdeo.
(From page 22)
LAND FOR SALE Land @ William Street Kitty; size: 38FT wide by 116FT length, reasonable price – Tel: 664-0829 One residential land at Herstellling Plot ‘B’ E.B.D $4.5M Tel: 661-0618; 6013469; 600-1062
TO LET Fully Furnished vacation home with all amenities- Call during working hours – Call: 227-1218 Rooms & Apartment in Alberttown & Eccles – Call: 225-3234 Two bedroom house – Contact Joy: 218-1285; 6278562 Spacious 3 bedrooms upstairs with inside toilet and bath - $50,000 monthly – Call: 629-5300 1 Two bedroom apartment to rent at Lynn Street Charlestown - $50,000 per month, Tel: 652-6565
Page 24
Kaieteur News
Thursday February 26, 2015
Black Bush rice farmers DPP advises against charging paid $80M with post-dated presidential guard cheques, says Rambrich Slapping of Aishalton teacher …
The police have been advised by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Shalimar Ali-Hack, against instituting charges on the presidential guard who allegedly slapped Aishalton teacher, John Adams for heckling President Donald Ramotar during a rally. In December, Adams was at a People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) public meeting in the Region Nine Village of Aishalton, where President Donald Ramotar delivered the feature address in an open forum. During the rally, Adams was said to be openly questioning the policies of the President and his administration. As the speech continued, Adams related that the Head of State was not addressing matters that directly affected the village. Rather, he said that the President focused more on lambasting the parliamentary opposition and independent news outlets, Stabroek News and Kaieteur News. Adams says that he was singled out by rally organisers and later confronted by two members of the Presidential Guard Services. Adams claimed the men questioned him on whether he did in fact criticise the President’s speech, which resulted in one of the
guards slapping him. A recording was later released from the same meeting whereby the President is heard addressing another villager who spoke out during his speech. In the recording President Ramotar could be heard saying that the opposition “doesn’t have a history that they can be proud of”. A villager is then heard responding”Yea, yea like Jagdeo.” To this the President retorted, “You don’t know anything about Jagdeo; if he bin hay he mighta slap yuh, coz yuh stupid.” In a letter addressed to Adams’ lawyer, Nigel Hughes, it was stated by the Commissioner of Police, Seelall Persaud that the DPP “advised that no charges be instituted”. Despite this, Adams told this newspaper that he “will not give up” and will continue until the matter is heard before the Lethem Magistrate’s Court. “I have met with my lawyer (Nigel Hughes) and we will pursue private charges against the presidential guard,” said Adams. On his Facebook page, Hughes condemned the letter saying that it is “a further disregard and contempt for
..remaining $60M to be paid in weeks
Aishalton teacher, John Adams the indigenous community”. He further stated that the State cannot discharge its responsibility, which is why he and his client are pressing for private charges. Since the alleged incident between the guard and Adams, the teacher has claimed to be under intense scrutiny from members of the Aishalton community. Some had even called for him to be transferred to another teaching district, due to his behaviour at the rally along with previous demonstrations which he has been involved in. However, at a community meeting the teacher also received overwhelming support from other members of the village for his action. He continues to be stationed at Aishalton.
President of the Guyana Rice Producers Association (GRPA), Leekah Rambrich, has said that post-dated cheques were issued last Friday to most of the unpaid Black Bush Polder (BBP) rice farmers who were owed millions of dollars by Mahaicony Rice Mills farmer, Surinamese national, Mr. Jai Beni. The GRPA President, speaking to Kaieteur News, said that these farmers would have been able to encash these cheques yesterday. He revealed that $80M in postdated cheques were issued to most of the farmers. The remaining $60M owed by Beni would be paid within two weeks. Two weeks ago, irate BBP farmers protested, blocked the roads and burned tyres because of almost $140 million owed to them by a Black Bush Polder miller since last year. After being told that the Manager of the Black Bush Rice Mill was not around, several rice farmers became irate and started to burn wood, tyres and other debris on the road leading to the factory. After that incident,
Prosecution closes case in 2010 murder The prosecution has closed its case against two men who were said to be part of a six-member gang that shot and killed Hansraj Samaroo, called “Buddy, Long Hair, of 63 Hampshire squatting area, Corentyne, Berbice. On trial before Justice Brassington Reynolds and a mixed Jury in the Berbice High Court are O’Jay Gourie, called O.J, 25, of 37 Stanleytown, and Troy Holligan, called “Shatta”, 33, of 55 Stanleytown, New Amsterdam. The men who are being represented by Attorney at Law Peter Hugh, are charged with murdering Hansraj Samaroo between March 27 and March 28. When the matter continued yesterday, three more witnesses were called by the prosecution. They were government Pathologist Dr. Vivekanand Brijmohan, Deputy Superintendent of Police Steve Booker and Police ballistics expert, Sergeant Eon Jackson. Booker who was in charge of the sub division at the time testified to the role he played during the investigation. Dr. Brijmohan stated that
he conducted a post mortem examination on the body of Samaroo. He stated that death was due to a laceration of the Pulmonary Artery and gave the cause of death as shock and haemorrhage. He added that he can’t explain the injury that killed the man. Sergeant Jackson who was deemed a firearm and ammunition expert by the court gave a résumé of his training, experience and background. He took the court back to April 7, 2010 when he examined a 12-gauge shotgun casing. The item was tendered as an exhibit. After that, the prosecution closed its case. Defence counsel Peter Hugh then made no case submissions to which Prosecutor Judith Gildarie Mursaline replied. The judge is expected to rule today. Prosecutor Judith Gildarie Mursaline had stated that Samaroo, a father of four and a watermelon and fruits vendor in the New Amsterdam Market, was shot and killed when he resisted attempts by the men to rob him and his family on March 27, 2010. He died on March 28, around 13:30 hrs, at the
Georgetown Public Hospital. The man wife, Kumarie Samaroo, called “Leila” testified that she was at home with her husband. They had returned home from their selling where she sells alongside him. She was in the kitchen when she suddenly saw a man appear with a handkerchief tied over his face and a hat on his head. He was holding a short gun. He pointed the gun at her and told her not to make any noise. He then ordered her to lie on the floor and take off all her jewelry at the same time asking for the money. However she started to shout for thief and help. The bandit started to beat her as he wrestled to take off the jewelry. During that time two other bandits made their way upstairs and started to wrestle with her husband. In the process one of the bandits fired a shot that hit Hansraj in the groin. The woman said that upon hearing the shot she ran upstairs and saw her husband lying on the floor in a pool of blood. The bandit then turned to her and started to beat her about the body, demanding the money. They then broke open the
wardrobe in which they found two parcels of money amounting to over $800,000. The bandits escaped with $100,000 from the day’s sale, $300,000 from the week’s sales. Her son had sold a motor bike earlier and had $200,000 in a bag. The bandits then left by scaling the fence and disappearing into the back lands. The man was picked up and rushed to the New Amsterdam hospital and was referred immediately to the Georgetown Public Hospital. The two men were identified at an identification parade by Kumarie Samaroo which was held at the Whim police station, Corentyne. She stated that she knew both of them having seen them before. Testifying earlier were policemen Detective Sergeant Lawrence Thomas, Detective Corporal Primus Sam and Detective Constable Andel Doris. Civilians Ramnarine Samaroo called “Rishi” the eldest son of Samaroo, Liludar Sukraj and neighbour Sajadewan Perryman. Samaroo, before he died, had identified the gunman who shot him. The matter is continuing.
General Secretary of the GRPA, Mr. Dharam Kumar Seeraj stated that Beni was given a few days to pay the farmers, or his assets would be seized and he would be taken to court. Rambrich said that Beni “had a late transfer through a bank—they had to establish a bank transaction from some people in Jamaica, and that was what actually delayed the transfer, and that’s what caused the set- back.” “Jai Beni gave us the assurance that the postdated cheques would be cashed on Wednesday (yesterday).” But not all the farmers would be paid. Some paddy was shipped out to BBP over the weekend, and Rambrich said that the remaining farmers that are owed $60M would be paid “in a matter of a week or two—that was related to us from the General Manager of the GRPA.” Rambrich noted his concerns about such late payments and what it is doing to the industry. “On Friday in BBP, I saw a huge gathering of people at the rice mill and I stopped to investigate what was going on, because they were supposed to be paid.” He said that upon his intervention, he was told by farmers that no individual from the GRPA came to listen to their complaints, or to see what was happening. Immediately, he telephoned Georgetown and intervened. “But I became very annoyed, because you have over 200 people wasting their day—these people could have gone and do some other work, you know, and you are frustrating farmers, and this is not good from an industrial point of view.” ANOTHER BUMPER CROP EXPECTED Rambrich said that at present, most of the crop is at the heading stage. He added that farmers are anticipating a “very good crop.” Over 600,000 tonnes of paddy, he added, are being anticipated at the national level when harvesting does occur. “The crop looks good in the fields, and once the
Leekah Rambrich weather prevails, we can harvest a good crop.” The Corentyne rice miller credited the high anticipated output to the large expansion rice is currently undergoing especially in the Kokerite Savannahs in Black Bush Polder where more homesteads are being converted into rice cultivation. Rambrich added that currently in Berbice, 62,000 acres are under cultivation— the highest ever being cultivated. He added that Region Six has more lands that can accommodate rice farming as well. One challenge facing the industry, he said, is the late payments to farmers. “Then we are foreseeing for this (Spring) crop that there will be a lot of paddy in the system; farmers would face a hard time getting their paddies out, due to the huge lines at the mill—we can foresee that coming.” Speaking about prices, Rambrich said that from the way the market trends are going, “We can safely say that the prices can remain the same during the next crop, or dip a little—not too much.” “Now that the government is bringing in (fertilizers), the private sector prices drop real down to $5,200.” This was opposed to $6,000 per bag by private sellers during the time when the government did not import the item for sale to farmers. “Government importing fertilizers plays a major role in the assistance to farmers.” Rambrich, a popular miller along the Corentyne, a few months ago also cultivated his variety of rice called the Bengal Aromatic Rice, which is doing very well on the market.
Thursday February 26, 2015
Kaieteur News
Top Panama judge Moncada pleads guilty to corruption The former president of Panama’s supreme court, Alejandro Moncada, has pleaded guilty to charges of illicit enrichment. Moncada was suspended from his post in October when he came under investigation by Panama’s Congress. He also pleaded guilty to falsifying documents and was sentenced to five years in detention. Moncada was appointed by former President Ricardo Martinelli, who himself faces a corruption probe. As part of the deal struck with prosecutors, Moncada will hand back two apartments worth a total of $1.7m (£1.1m) he had bought since coming to office. Shortly after taking up his position in 2010, Moncada had declared only a gold watch and a 2005 Toyota van. He also said at the time that he had no other income apart from his judge’s salary. Moncada’s lawyer said his client’s health was deteriorating and he had
Alejandro Moncada
therefore agreed to plead guilty to two out of the four charges against him. He was also facing allegations of money laundering and corrupting officials. It has not yet been decided whether Moncada will be sent to jail or whether he will be allowed to serve his sentence under house arrest. Moncada is one of a series
of officials to face corruption probes since President Juan Carlos Varela came to office on a promise to clean up Panamanian politics. Last month, the supreme court voted to investigate Mr Varela’s predecessor in office, Ricardo Martinelli, over allegations he had inflated multi-million-dollar contracts. (BBC News)
Jamaica decriminalises marijuana use Kingston (Jamaica) (AFP) - Jamaica, long associated with a vibrant potsmoking culture, on Tuesday passed a law decriminalizing possession of small amounts of the leaf it calls ganja. “Ganja law gets green light,” the Jamaican Observer said in its online version. Minister of National Security Peter Bunting said the change came after an “elephantine” slog through parliament that took decades. “To describe this Bill’s development as elephantine, is to label it in euphemistic terms since the Parliamentary deliberations on it commenced as far back as 38 years ago,” he said in a statement. He added: “It eliminates an unnecessary source of friction between police and citizens, and ensures that our
young people are not gratuitously shackled with criminal records.” The new law makes possession of small quantities of pot a non-arrestable offense that can instead result in a fine. It will also permit the use of marijuana for religious, medical, scientific, and therapeutic purposes. Finally, it will provide for regulation through the granting of licenses to permit the development of a lawful industry for medical ganja and industrial hemp, the minister’s statement said. “It is significant because it begins to correct decades of criminalizing tens of thousands of Jamaicans, mostly poor young black males, for possession of a little ‘spliff’,” Bunting said. “This progressive
Peter Bunting legislation also begins to correct the victimization of our Rastafarian brethren which started in colonial times and continued after Independence,” he added. Rastafarianism, the religion followed by late Jamaican reggae star Bob Marley, includes the ritualistic use of marijuana.
Raises Risks for Foreign Companies (Bloomberg) — Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s increasing pressure on his political opponents amid a crumbling economy is a warning to the governments of foreign investors operating in the South American country. Citing an “endless coup” against his twoyear-old government, Maduro last week sent Venezuelan intelligence police to raid Caracas Mayor Antonio Ledezma’s office and take him into custody. Amid shortages of basic goods, he has accused companies of fomenting an
“economic war,” ordering the arrests this month of executives of the country’s biggest pharmacy retailer and taking control of a supermarket chain. “What the Venezuelan government has clearly transmitted to the world it that is willing to take extreme measures,” said Elsa Cardozo, a professor of international relations at the Central University of Venezuela. “How far will this go? It depends how desperate Maduro is facing the internal crisis in Venezuela, which is very grave.”
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Kaieteur News
Thursday February 26, 2015
U.S.-Israel tension deepens
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu (Reuters) - U.S. officials yesterday questioned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s judgment and said his outspoken condemnation of efforts to secure an Iranian nuclear deal had injected destructive partisanship into U.S.-Israeli relations. In an escalation of hostile exchanges between the allies six days before Netanyahu gives a speech to Congress on the threat from Iran, the Israeli leader accused world powers of abandoning a pledge to prevent Tehran from getting a nuclear bomb. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, engaged in international talks with Tehran on its nuclear program, said Netanyahu may be wrong. Kerry told a congressional hearing: “He may have a judgment that just may not be correct here.” Kerry advised waiting to hear what Netanyahu had to say in Tuesday’s speech. Republicans who control Congress invited Netanyahu and agree with his opposition to an Iran deal. But Kerry said Netanyahu “was profoundly forwardleaning and outspoken about the importance of invading Iraq under (President) George W. Bush, and we all know
what happened with that decision.” White House spokesman Josh Earnest, echoing comments by President Barack Obama’s national security adviser Susan Rice, warned against allowing the U.S.-Israeli relationship to be reduced to a party political issue, saying this would be destructive. “The president has said the relationship between the U.S. and Israel can’t just be reduced to a relationship between the Republican party and the Likud party,” he told
reporters, referring to Netanyahu’s party. The Republicans did not consult Obama or Democrats in Congress, as is customary before extending an invitation, and Obama said he would not meet Netanyahu because it would be so close to March 17 Israeli elections. Netanyahu said in a speech in a Jewish settlement near Jerusalem that world powers had pledged to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons but appeared to have given up on this commitment.
Iran stages war games, boats hit mock-up U.S. ship (Reuters) - Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards staged war games in the Strait of Hormuz yesterday, including a gunboat attack on a model U.S. warship, in Tehran’s latest display of military muscle in a Gulf shipping channel vital to world oil exports. The Shi’ite Muslim Islamic Republic sees the Gulf, between Iran and the Sunni Arab states, as its own
backyard and believes it has a legitimate interest in expanding its influence there. A ceremony marking the exercises was attended by commanders of the Guards, an influential military force led by anti-Western hawks, as well as by parliament speaker Ali Larijani. “With attention to the situation in the region, we have noticeably expanded the defense budget of the armed forces to ensure the stable security of the region,” Larijani told a news conference before the exercises, according to Fars News. State TV footage showed a number of gunboats swarming a huge model warship and blasting it with missiles. The “maquette of an American aircraft carrier” was built to scale and targeted with cruise missiles and ballistic missiles, according to Fars News, which is linked to the Revolutionary Guard. The gunboats also carried out an exercise in laying mines, according to the Iranian Students’ News Agency.
Thursday February 26, 2015
Kaieteur News
Page 27
Bounty Farm Ltd Handicap JADCO TURNAROUND... Squash tournament underway The Guyana Squash Association in collaboration with its number one corporate sponsor Digicel opened its season for 2015 with the holding of the annual Bounty Farm Ltd Handicap Squash Tournament at the Georgetown Club Inc. squash courts. This is one of the most eagerly awaited tournaments on the association’s calendar and for this year’s tournament there were a record number of entries with more than 60 persons participating. The tournament is divided into two categories, and play commenced on the opening night with matches in the Open category. Results in the evenings opening matches were as follows: OPEN CATEGORY John Maikoo +7 defeated Timothy Jonas +10 15 – 11, 10 - 15, 15 – 9 Ingram Edwards +4 defeated
Stephen Fernandes +7 15 – 12, 8 – 15, 15 – 11 Dwayne Jan +9 defeated Andrea King+8 8 – 15, 15 – 13, 15 – 13 Joe Mekdeci 0 defeated Taylor Fernandes+6 13 – 15, 15 – 12, 15 – 9 Daniel Islam +7 beat Robert Hiscock +8 16 – 14, 15 – 5 Shane Seebarran +11 beat Jonathan Fernandes +9 15 – 11, 15 – 11 Sarah Lewis +11 defeated Robin Low +10 18 – 16, 8 – 15, 15 – 10 Anthony Islam +9 defeated Haopei Yang +10 15 – 13,
15 - 9 Raphael De Groot -13 defeated Medhi Ramdhani +5 15 – 11, 15 – 12 Kyle Waldron +10 defeated Jonathan Edwards +12 15 – 10, 15 – 8 Ashley de Groot +1 beat Alex Cheeks +7 15 – 8, 15- 9 Ben Mekdeci -11 defeated David Fernandes +8 16 – 14, 15 – 12. Play is continuing at the Georgetown Club Inc. courts from 6:00pm nightly, while Saturday action commences 12:00noon with the finals set for Sunday from 12:00noon.
ABDUL-JABBAR...
From page 28 NBA Draft after one year of college. “A lot of the guys that are trying to jump into the NBA are immature and don’t understand the game and it’s having a negative effect on the college game and on the pro game,” said Abdul-
Jabbar, who won three successive NCAA titles at UCLA. “Maybe they should do something about that such as raising the age to 21. Something should be done about the one-and-done phenomenon.”
Thursday February 26, 2015 ARIES (MAR 21 - APR 19): You could be on the receiving end of a romantic advance from an associate, client or customer. ********************************* TAURUS (APR 20 - MAY 20): Events today will force you to acknowledge unconscious thinking patterns that have controlled your actions in the past. It’s never easy to change a long-term habit. ********************************* GEMINI (MAY 21 - JUN 20): You are proud of your efforts and you expect a loved-one to be equally as delighted. Something that boosts your ego seems to have the opposite affect on them. ********************************* CANCER (JUN 21 - JUL 22): A fixation with career or outside concerns is stopping you from giving loved ones the attention they deserve. ********************************* LEO (JUL 23 - AUG 22): Be cautious in your investments otherwise you could be tempted to take a foolish risk. A big loss can be avoided if you’re sensible. ********************************* VIRGO (AUG 23 - SEP 22): You could strike up a powerful rapport with someone you meet in a place you don’t often frequent. Before weaving too many fantasies around this person find out more about them.
LIBRA (SEP 23 - OCT 22): Activities that allow for selfexpression such as art, music or the theatre are likely to draw you now. ********************************* SCORPIO (OCT 23 NOV 21): If thinking about changing your lifestyle there are a number of important factors you must take into account. The most important being: are you making changes for the right reasons. ********************************* SAGITTARIUS (NOV 22 - DEC 21): You are never keen on being committed to any one person or pinned-down to any one spot. You won’t be happy when someone starts treating you as if they own you. ********************************* CAPRICORN (DEC 22 JAN 19): Something you have longed for could soon become yours but there is a catch. Stipulations and conditions attached will do nothing but destroy your original enthusiasm. ********************************* AQUARIUS (JAN 20 FEB 18): Decisions made today will have far-reaching consequences; this in itself makes you nervous. ********************************* PISCES (FEB 19 - MAR 20): Your intuition will warn you not to agree too quickly to a newly proposed project. Someone else who is mixed up in this venture could be involved for all the wrong reasons.
From page 29 at the time, to presume that the findings could be just the “tip of the iceberg” in an interview with the international media. Since then, JADCO has attempted to restore the public’s and the world’s confidence in their organisation, and Reedie believed they have done a great job. “Nobody could be anything but hugely impressed by the amount of work that has been done. WADA, I would like to think, helped a little bit with a couple of visits,” said Reedie, who became the third president of WADA in 2013. “You were wise in cooperating with the CCES, the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sports [which is] a first-class Anti-Doping organisation,” he added. In December 2014, the Jamaican Government sanctioned a new AntiDoping in Sport Act that gives JADCO greater autonomy to handle its affairs. “There are 183 signatures to the UNESCO convention, which Governments need to become properly committed to the anti-doping movement. But I have to say that many less than 183 actually implemented it, and to have an act of parliament to bring in a new code in this country is an example to the rest of the world of how it can be achieved,” said Reedie. Meanwhile, Mike Fennell, president of the JOA said Jamaica is a leading nation in track and field and its invitation to the WADA boss is to bring him up to speed on what is happening in the sprint capital of the world. “Through him the world may know that Jamaica is fully committed to a programme of
World Cup Cricket fixtures Fri Feb 27 19th Match, Pool B - South Africa v West Indies Sydney Cricket Ground LIVE D/N Sat Feb 28 20th Match, Pool A - New Zealand v Australia Eden Park, Auckland LIVE D/N Sat Feb 28 21st Match, Pool B - India v United Arab Emirates Western Australia Cricket Association Ground, Perth LIVE D/N (Dates are Australia and
doping-free sport. We are a leading player in the world, and we owe it to the world to demonstrate our commitment to this very important aspect of sport management,” said Fennell. The minister with responsibility for sport Natalie Neita-Headley recalled the tough times that JADCO went through and is
happy the organisation seemed to have repaired the damage. “What a difference a year makes. I recall at that time we weren’t as pleasant as we are now. So quite a lot has happened in the past year, which allows us to be proud, give thanks and [have] a lot to look forward to,” said Neita-Headley.
Restoring Pride to West... From page 29 termination of the recent Indian tour. Priority Actions 1. Have a face to face meeting with the BCCI to sort out the issue of the $42 million, otherwise we would have to wind up the organization. 2. Introduce and implement succession planning to ensure that all management positions, including the CEO, have properly trained and prepared successors within the organization. 3. Ensure that better and earlier planning for all WICB
events, tours and programmes is implemented. 4. Put mechanisms in place to ensure that the secretariat executes policies and daily routines with consistently high levels of professionalism. 5. Continue to build on the relationship with the WIPA ensuring that everyone is working towards rebuilding West Indies cricket. WIPA is a stakeholder. 6. Develop management and leadership skills throughout the WICB and its constituent territories, from players to CEO, by providing suitable training and developmental opportunities.
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Kaieteur News
Thursday February 26, 2015
Pele Alumni makes donation to clubs, ABDUL-JABBAR spreads wide wings schools following Watson memorial tourney as Renaissance Man
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports) (Reuters) - Kareem AbdulJabbar proved to be an ultimate winner during his Hall of Fame career but for the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, missing out on a chance to be a head coach may have been a blessing. The shy, cerebral 7-foot-2 (2.18 m) Abdul-Jabbar, a prolific winner from New York’s Power Memorial High School to UCLA, from the Milwaukee Bucks to the Los Angeles Lakers, is now thriving as the kind of Renaissance Man he always thought he could be. A writer, actor, filmmaker, political essayist and U.S. cultural ambassador, AbdulJabbar, 67, also put in years as an NBA assistant coach with an eye on becoming a head coach. “I pursued it for a while, but the doors didn’t open and I moved on,” Jabbar, a six-time NBA champion told Reuters during a telephone interview to promote his latest young adult novel, “Stealing the Game.” “Where I am now, I can do a lot more than I could have as an NBA coach. So I’m very pleased with the opportunities that I’ve gotten and was able to take advantage of.” The six-time NBA Most Valuable Player is not embittered at never landing a head coaching job, but conceded there might be a bias against big men calling the shots on court. “Certainly they think the point guards know more because on the court, the ball starts with them. They get to initiate everything,” the 19time NBA All-Star said. “People think they’re the only ones that understand that,” he said, debunking that notion with a nod to successful coaching ‘big men’
including Phil Jackson, Bill Russell and Kevin McHale. Jabbar’s first book in his Streetball Crew series, penned with collaborator Raymond Obstfeld, landed on the New York Times bestseller list. He has also authored a book on the Harlem Renaissance Big Five basketball team of the 1930s. He co-wrote the screenplay for a documentary based on the Harlem Rens and recently amplified on one of his regular Time Magazine columns on the NBC news program, “Meet the Press.” “That was something I always had my eye set on, that maybe I could do a number of things well,” he said. Learning to spread his wings after an awkward adolescence is something Abdul-Jabbar wanted to share with middle-school aged readers in his witty, engaging series. “I was always shy,” said Jabbar, who drew attention for his height and accomplishments as a High School All-American as a 10th grader. “You’re shy, but you stick out and have all that attention focused on you because you have a talent. It changes everything in your life. It can be overwhelming. “I use my own experience when I was that age,” he said about his books’ themes. “Just tried to convey what it’s like to be different at a time of your life where you want to be just like everyone else.” Abdul-Jabbar, whose virtually unblockable skyhook was one of the game’s greatest offensive weapons, remains a keen observer of the sport and suggested the league reconsider its policy that allows players to enter the (Continued on page 27)
Pele Alumni Corporation, a non-profitable organization which is based in New York and has satellite locations in Atlanta and California, recently made a contribution to several local clubs and schools following the conclusion of the inaugural Frank Watson Memorial tournament on Saturday night last at GFC ground. The entity was founded in 2012 in memory of Frank Watson, the first president of Pele FC who died tragically on December 3, 1973 at the age of 23. He was also a co-pilot with the Guyana Airways. The organization successfully hosted a U-15 and U-17 tournament in which 26 teams from 13 clubs participated. Fruta Conquerors overcame Western Tigers to take the U15 title while Santos claimed the U-17 crown after defeating Pele on penalties. Prior to the finals, Little Divas went down to Foxy ladies FC in a female exhibition game. Members of the finalists were presented with medals.
Johnny Barnwell (center) of Queens College receives the balls from and Patrick Barton. Additionally the organization donated 80 $5,000 school vouchers to students that took part in the competitions. Lap tops were given to the MVPs as well as Stephen King of Queens College and Thomas Diarra of
Marion Academy. Each participating teams received complete sets of uniforms, two balls and a pair of goalkeeping gloves. Speaking with Kaieteur Sport yesterday, president of Pele Alumni Corporation
overseas based Guyanese Denis Ivor Carrington said the body was formed exclusively for assisting the youths in Guyana while enjoying the beautiful game. “Our main is to improve education here through football by utilizing non-cash donations,” he added. Carrington explained that during Pele FC 40th anniversary celebrations in 2011, over 50 former players as well as Coaches, fans and former executive visited and it was at this forum the idea of forming this body was born. “In order to develop our bylaws in education we decided to host these tournaments,” he said. Treasurer of the entity, former Pele captain Patrick Barton, who also captained Guyana at the U17 and U-23 levels, stated that they are pleased to facilitate the development of the youths. Barton who led Guyana to the Inter Guiana Games U-17 title in 1973, was also part the victorious Pele team that won the Demico league and Father Niles trophy.
JUVENILE UPSETS FIELD TO TAKE FEATURE 40-MILER IN BERBICE Sixteen-year-old juvenile cyclists Romallo Crawford of Fyrish, Corentyne, Berbice scored the biggest win in his short 2½ years cycling career when he beat a star-studded field to score a big upset victory in the annual Mashramani 40-mile cycle event sponsored by the Sha’veh Restaurant, Night Club and Bar of Rose Hall Town in collaboration with Benjamin Sports Store of Fyrish and organised by the Flying Ace Cycling Club FACC of Berbice. The win by Crawford was his first in a major event featuring most of the top riders. Crawford, riding for the Trojan Cycle Club, won in a time of 1 hr: 31:33:02 seconds. The 40 riders were sent on their way around 10:30 hrs from in front of the Sha’veh Restaurant Night Club and Bar at Rose Hall town by owner of the business entity. As the race got underway a leading pack of four cyclists including Alonzo Greaves, Jebon Crawford, Andrew Hicks and Junior Niles took to the front and opened a lead on the rest of the field. However, the chasing pack came hard and connected in the vicinity of Whim. That pack included Romello Crawford, Paul De Nobrega, Jamal John and
Stephano Husbands. There was another break at Aucklyne as the quartet of Crawford, De Nobrega of Lucozade Cycling Club, Husbands and John of Team Coco took to the front and extended a handsome lead on the rest of the field. The race continued at a blistering pace as the cyclists continued their battle on the upward journey until the turn back point at No 51 Police Station. As the race got deeper on the downward journey the leading quartet of Crawford, De Nobrega Husbands and John continued to press forward as they extended a handsome lead on the rest of the field. As the riders neared home there was a sprint for home with all four going for gold. It was Crawford that was leading towards the line with De Nobrega closing in fast, but it was a little too late who came out on top. Husbands took third with John fourth. The chasing pack saw Greaves beating off Eastman to decide fifth and sixth positions. Crawford also claimed the top spot in the junior category with John second and Andrew Hicks third. Among the veterans, Junior Niles won with
Jaikarran Sookai second and Syborne Fernandez third. Marica Dick continued her dominance among the females as she rode home easily ahead of Christine Matheson second and Whitney Poyer third. The sprint point prizes were taken by Crawford, John and Husbands with two each, while there were one apiece for Niles and De Nobrega. While the veterans rode from the start point to Nanad Persaud and back, the females rode from Adventure to the finish line in front of Sha’veh Beer Garden. Among some of the seasoned campaigners that took part in the event were Marlon ‘Fishy’ Williams, Michael Anthony, Hamza Eastman, Alonzo Greaves,
Christopher Holder, Shaquel Aguard, Akeem Author, Paul De Nobrega and Orville Hinds. The events were jointly sponsored by Sha’veh Beer Garden, Benjamin Sports along with Banks DIH Limited, CJ Lewis and Sons, Colin El Cock Racing Stables, Jumbo Jet Racing Stables, Chris Jagdeo Racing Stables, Spread’s Supermarket, Banks DIH, Hamid Hardware Store, Shabba Carrington, Annirude Construction and Archway Snackette, Dennis Deoroop, Home Line Furnishing, P Jai Jai Ram, Imran and Sons, Bara Rice Company, Sankar Wholesale, Poonai Pharmacy among them. The coordinator was Randolph Roberts. (Samuel Whyte)
Region Nine Athletics Championships set for this weekend Region Nine athletics club will host its championship this weekend at Tabatinga ground. Action gets underway on at 13:30 hrs on Saturday and concludes on Sunday. Athletes from neighbouring Brazil are also listed to compete. Successful local athletes will represent the Region in the upcoming CARIFTA games trials. Among those slated to be in action are Brandon Parks, Beverly Ignatius, Simona Lawrence, Mary LeAndrew and Leo King.
Thursday February 26, 2015
Kaieteur News
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Restoring Pride to West RHTY&SC Silver Jubilee 1990-2015 Minister Westford Indies Cricket is important commits to Says WICB Presidential hopeful Joel Garner
“During the last few years we have been focusing on many other things while neglecting the main business of the WICB which is “cricket” and this is the main product that we must concentrate on. The initiatives outlined in this document will not require great financial input but must be managed efficiently and effectively,” says former West Indies fast bowler Joel Garner, the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) President and challenger for the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Presidency which currently held by Jamaican Dave Cameron. “We know that there is a Strategic Plan which outlines the WICB programme up to 2017 but these small adjustments can make a great difference to our cricket going forward,” Garner added. THE VISION The Territorial Boards are key resources in West Indies Cricket. As such, we must work with these Boards and all our stakeholders, including WIPA and the players, corporate organizations and CARICOM, among others, to create effective partnerships in order to build a strong, unified, accountable and wellgoverned organization capable of bringing West Indies Cricket, on and off the field, to a position where we are once again a respected force in world cricket. The WICB will be respected as a high quality cricket playing entity, both men and women, and respected as a business organization, capable of efficient planning and implementation, to keep pace with the dynamism of the modern business environment within the sport. RESTORING PRIDE TO WEST INDIES CRICKET 3 CRICKET DEVELOPMENT AND PERFORMANCE Some of the Key Issues to be addressed: 1. Over the past ten years the West Indies has languished in the lower half of the Test and ODI rankings. 2. There have been too many below-par performances that have let down the fans and paying customers all over the world. PRIORITYACTIONS 1. Place more emphasis on cricket with a definitive plan for moving up steadily in the rankings. 2. Establish definitive standards of performance and conduct as agreed between the WICB and the players. 3. Conduct and implement a full review of cricket at the junior level starting in the territories and moving to international competitions. 4. Work more closely with the territories in formulating policies for developing our young cricketers in order to achieve a revolution of the structure of our junior cricket. 5. Improve and increase communication between the WICB and territorial administrative heads (CEO’s, etc.) to ensure that the WICB and the territories are in sync with each other. 6. Work with the territories to provide more coaching education and training in order to improve the preparation and development of players at the territorial level. RESTORING PRIDE TO WEST INDIES CRICKET 4 7. Ensure that players prepare for tournaments in the way they play i.e. net sessions must be supplemented with more practice games and game scenarios. 8. There must be a focus, through the High
Performance Centre, on remedial work for our players when technical flaws are discovered. 9. Encourage and expand women’s cricket within the region. 10. Develop and implement suitably structured training for curators, umpires, match referees, scorers and analysts. GOVERNANCE Bearing in mind that the Territorial Boards are the shareholders of West Indies cricket, we have to embrace change and make the WICB more acceptable to the stakeholders. And another Key Issues to be addressed is that of Governance. Over the past ten years the WICB has been plagued by many debilitating disputes and incidents that have dented finances and hurt our reputation. 1. These incidents can often be avoided and generally better managed by improving our governance framework. 2. The Executive Committee which is a standing committee that is supposed to carry on the business of the WICB has not met this session. 3. We are aware of the public concerns about the structure of the Board and it (the Board structure) will be dealt with by the shareholders. PRIORITYACTIONS 1. Reactivate the Executive Committee Restoring Pride to West Indies Cricket 5 2. The CEO to implement and manage the Board’s policies without the need for an “Executive President”. 3. Allow the WICB to become more accessible to the public and other stakeholders. This will be achieved through the establishment of a consultative committee which must include a representative of CARICOM, a representative of the players, a representative of the UWI, a representative of the CAIC and possibly other eminent persons with a proven track record of strategic and tactical thinking as well as a commitment to Caribbean cricket. 4. Provide the shareholders’ representatives, on a quarterly basis, with information regarding the activities/decisions of the Board in order for them to properly discharge their responsibilities. Finances The WICB has never been financially strong and Key Issues to be addressed are: 1. Over the past ten years the WICB has operated largely in deficit. 2. The WICB needs to manage its finances better in order to properly support its programmes, salaries and administration costs going forward. PRIORITYACTIONS 1. Develop marketing/sales capability to generate sufficient income to sustain the WICB’s programmes for the foreseeable future. 2. Work with Territorial Boards to create new business opportunities and sustainable corporate relationships within the territories. RESTORING PRIDE TO WEST INDIES CRICKET 6 ADMINISTRATIONAND MANAGEMENT Key Issues to be addressed: 1. Over the past ten years there have been a number of costly and embarrassing failures with regard to meeting obligations and managing logistics. As a result West Indies cricket is seriously affected by a tarnished image and low creditability issues. 2. The very serious incident ending in the (Continued on page 27)
fulfilling duties as celebration Patron Members of the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club (RHTY&SC) led by Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster recently paid a courtesy call on Minister of Public Service, Dr. Jennifer Westford who has been appointed Patron of the club’s Silver Jubilee Anniversary. The delegation briefed the Minister about the 200 activities/programmes planned for this year and also discussed the duties of the Anniversary Patron. Minister Westford pledged to fulfill all the duties assigned her as Patron and to work along with the club to make a positive difference in the lives of youths, the elderly and less fortunate. Among the main projects, Minister Westford would be working along with the club to achieve are the Annual Youth Review Magazine, a Television Commercial
featuring the Say Yes to Education and Say No to Drugs Message, distribution of school bags to less fortunate students and hosting of a number of fundraising events. The Minister was also given a brief on the history of the club, its outstanding record of achievements and plans for the future as the entity strives to maintain its status as an organisation that touches and changes the lives of youths, the elderly and less fortunate. Foster expressed thanks to Minister Westford for accepting the role as the Silver Jubilee Patron and expressed confidence that she would successfully fulfill her duties. The Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club was founded in 1990 by three-time Guyana and Commonwealth Youth Service Awardee, the St. Francis Community
Dr. Jennifer Westford Developers and has won numerous awards including the Guyana Cricket Club of the Year Award four times. On a yearly basis the club undertakes over 200 programmes under the subheadings of sports, education, anti-drugs, anti-suicide, community development, youth development, awards among others. Currently, the club is being led by a broad based Management Committee that include President Keith Foster, Treasurer Dawn Hicks, Organising Secretary Shemaine Campbelle, Cricket Coach Delbert Hicks while Managing Director of Ansa McAl (Guy) Ltd Ms. Beverley Harper is the Club’s Official Patron.
JADCO turnaround impresses WADA boss
Sir Craig Reedie (standing), president of WADA, makes a point while Natalie Neita Headley (2nd right), the minister of sport, and JADCO’s chairman R Danny Williams (right), and Mike Fennell, president of the JOA looks on. (PHOTO: JOSEPH WELLINGTON)
Jamaica Observer JAMAICA’S Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO) was Tuesday given a clean bill of health by the head of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), Sir Craig Reedie, following his five-day visit to the island. Reedie, who arrived in the island last Friday, met with the boards of the Jamaica AntiDoping Commission and the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA), as well as Prime Minister Portia Simpson-
Miller during his visit. “We are proud of what you have achieved. You have become an excellent case study, because there are many areas of the world which need the enthusiasm and the ability that you have shown,” said Reedie as he addressed members of the media at the JOA offices on Cunningham Avenue. In November 2013, the entire board of JADCO resigned in the wake of a doping situation that rocked
the nation. The situation came to the fore after former JADCO Executive Director Renee Anne Shirley commented to Sports Illustrated that JADCO had carried out just a single outof-competition test in the six months leading up to the London 2012 Olympic Games. Then, subsequently, several Jamaican athletes failed drug tests which prompted Dr Paul Wright, a senior sample collecting agent (Continued on page 27)
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Kaieteur News
Thursday February 26, 2015
Fernando Alonso: McLaren driver Will Plaisance Guardians slay another Goliath tomorrow night? leaves hospital BUT MISSES TEST - National Basketball Championships bounce into Super 8 By Edison Jefford Guyana’s thirteenth-ranked, Plaisance Guardians have already slain one giant, Amelia’s Ward Jets in their opening game of the National Basketball Championships: The Road to Mecca II, and will face yet another formidable opponent to confirm a giant-slayer status tomorrow night at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall. Guardians, boasting a much improved team for the 2015 Season, beat last year’s semifinalist, Jets in their first game last week to advance to the Super Eight round of the national tournament; they will play the fifthranked, Trinity Grid Holdings (TGH) Pacesetters in a quarterfinal game tomorrow night. From Jets to Pacesetters, which looked impressive, beating Wismar Pistons 72-36 in their round-of-16 game, it is clear that Plaisance Guardians will have to dig deep to earn this national title; if they beat Pacesetters, the next opponent Saturday night is the winner of the mega Ravens versus Victory Valley Royals clash also on tomorrow night. It’s a long shot for Guardians, but let’s look at the keys for victory against Pacesetters, which have not been at their ultimate best since the departure of Coach,
Robert Cadogan, who migrated. First, the neutralisation of Pacesetters’ guard, Travis Burnett is very important if Guardians want to give themselves any hope in this contest. Burnett is a prolific scorer and defensive guard. He is very difficult to defend once he gets to the paint and must be properly defended. Guardians have made a refreshing addition to the team with Nikkoloi Smith coming back from a loan to Colts. Most likely Burnett will be Smith’s assignment, which makes for a beautiful battle. Smith is very fit and so is Burnett; the battle among the two top guards for both sides should be something that can be anticipated in the game. Plaisance Guardians also have the prolific scoring ability of point guard, Ron Campbell to support Smith. In the guard position, Pacesetters have shooting guards, Stephon Gillis and Shawn Gillis to oppose Smith and Campbell as well. Guardians have also added forward, Mark Richards to their team to add some depth in the paint and support for Trenton Woolford. Pacesetters will throw their forwards, Randy Richardson, Jermaine Hamilton and Royston Siland at Richards and Woolford. On paper, Plaisance are short-handed in this contest, but good all-round quality basketball can help them slay another Goliath.
Rose Hall Town Bakewell start campaign with two victories Rose Hall Town Bakewell led by veteran cricketer Major James Fraser of the Guyana Defence Force started their pursuit for championship honours in the Raffik & Sons 20-Over Inter-Zone Tournament with two easy victories last weekend. Playing at the Area ‘H’ ground, Rose Hall Town Bakewell defeated GuySuco Training Centre by seven wickets on Sunday and then on Monday got the better of
Young Ambassadors of No. 35 by nine wickets. Batting first after losing the toss, GuySuco Training Centre were bowled out for 60 in 15 overs, Andy Mohan and B. Sattaur were the only batsmen to reach double figures with 11 each. Offspinner Khemraj Mahadeo 3 for 12 and medium pacer Sherain Murray 2 for 10 bowled well for the home team, who in reply reached 62 for 3 off 7.4 overs; Vihal
Ansa McAl annual Golf... From page 30 achieved by Kalyan Tiwari who quickly asserted that he is currently “the Biggest Driver on the golf course!” Best Gross (BG) of 70 was won by Avinda Kishore - his performance ‘parred’ the course - an accomplishment few local golfers have in their lifetime! The day’s champion, ‘Pur’ Persaud commented, “While golfing is my hobby – I play for the fun and enjoyment of the game – I recognise that mental toughness and concentration are necessary to produce a good game.” Very well said, especially for the day’s play when a distraction almost threw him off of his win! He continued in cheerful spirit, “It’s not easy keeping focus throughout the game; I had a few hitches, but
I persevered. I plan to take my game in hand this year and to bring my handicap down to single digits, if that’s possible in such time!” Public Relations Officer of Ansa McAl (Guyana), Ms Yussuf thanked the LGC for the opportunity to contribute to Golf in Guyana another year. She congratulated the winners and encouraged the other golfers to maintain good play. She added, “I look forward to us at Ansa McAl sponsoring another exciting tournament for golf in 2016.” The company is a subsidiary of the Ansa McAl Group of Companies -one of the largest conglomerates in the Caribbean,- and continues to be one of the very reliable sponsors of tournaments for the Lusignan Golf Club.
Crandon and Khemraj Mahadeo both top scoring with 20 each. On Monday, Young Adventure were restricted to 89 for 7 off their allotted 20 overs; A. Azeez 20 and S. Pestano 19 being the principal scorers. Off-spinners Azam Khan 2 for 11 and Khemraj Mahadeo 2 for 18 bowled well. Rose Hall Town Bakewell spearheaded by an opening stand of 62 between skipper James Fraser and Khemraj Mahadeo reached 92 for 1 off 18.3 overs as Mahadeo led with 40, while Fraser 30 not out and Jason Anderson 14 not out batted well to secure an easy victory. The Rose Hall Town Bakewell this weekend would be playing Jai Hinds at the Albion Front Cricket ground. The Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club has disclosed that the two Rose Hall Town Bakewell teams would be playing in the upcoming NBS 40-Overs Second Division Tournament. A full strength team would seek to win the tournament while a developmental Under19 team would also compete as the club tries to develop the skills of the players in a competitive environment. James Fraser would captain the senior team while national Under-17 player Brandon Prashad would lead the Under-19s.
Fernando Alonso leaves hospital following Sunday’s crash in testing. (Reuters) BBC Sport - Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso has left hospital following Sunday’s crash in testing. The McLaren driver, 33, has returned to his family home in Spain for further rest and recuperation. As a result, he will miss the third and final testing session, which is due to start on Thursday in Barcelona. McLaren said Kevin Magnussen will now share testing duties with Jenson Button at the Circuit de Catalunya, the scene of Alonso’s accident. The Formula 1 season gets under way in Australia on 15 March. Alonso suffered concussion when he crashed into a wall 20 laps into testing
on Sunday and was airlifted to hospital under sedation. A McLaren statement on Monday said he had been given body and brain scans in hospital, the results of which were “completely normal”. A photo of a smiling Alonso sitting up in his hospital bed was also posted on social media by his manager. McLaren dismissed as “simply not true” speculation in some media that the accident had been caused by Alonso suffering an electric shock from a malfunction of the car’s hybrid system. The statement said the data from the car showed Alonso was conscious until the moment of impact because he was braking at maximum force and changing
down the gears until the car hit the wall. The circumstances of the accident and length of Alonso’s hospital stay have raised questions about whether McLaren and the driver’s management have been fully open about what happened. BBC Sport has learned that governing body the FIA is to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the accident to ensure its causes and consequences are fully understood. Following news that Alonso had left hospital, Magnussen tweeted: “Nice to see Fernando leaving the hospital. Now I’ll go and do my best to help prepare the car for Melbourne in the tests this week.”
A. Ally and Sons Inter Secondary School Under-17 Cricket Competition
Vryman’s Durant (5 for 14), Lewis (3 for 6) rout NA Secondary for 36 The Berbice Cricket Board organised 2015 A. Ally and Sons Inter Secondary Schools Under-17 Cricket Competition continued recently with pacers Dominique Durant and Isaiah Lewis picking up 5 for 14 from five overs and 3 for 6 from four overs respectively to help their school Vryman’s Erven Secondary of New Amsterdam to bowl out New Amsterdam Secondary School for a paltry 36 in their first innings. Vryman’s replied with 129 for 9 declared, a lead of 93 runs. When NA Secondary batted a second time, they put on a better batting display to reach 108 for 6, earning a draw and in the process avoiding an outright win for VESS. Brandon Corlette made a responsible 46. Summarized scores: At the Rose Hall Community Center Ground, Vryman’s Erven Secondary took first innings points from New Amsterdam Secondary School in their drawn match. NAMS made 36 all out with Dominique Durant 5 for 14 and Isaiah Lewis 3 for 6 and 108 for 6
in their second innings with Brandon Corlette 46. Kyle Michael 2 for 10 and Junior Williams 2 for 12. Vryman’s Erven Secondary School only innings 129 for 9 with Junior Williams 28 and Isaiah Lewis 24. Floyd Kissoon 3 for 20 and Brandon Corlette 2 for 28. At Area ‘H’ Ground, Lower Corentyne Secondary School of Rose Hall Town took first innings from JC Chandisingh Secondary School of Port Mourant in their drawn match. JC Chandisingh Secondary in their first innings made 78 all out with former Guyana Under-15 batsman Matthew Hardyal 40. Joshua Beharry took 3 for 20 and Karan Arjpaul 2 for 10. LCSS in their first innings made 186 all out when the match ended in a draw with Ezekiel Kempadu 26, Keith Simpson 24, Kevlon Anderson 23, Junior Sinclair 22 and Veeramootoo Senwasane 20. Asif Ally took 3 for 44 and Joshua Harrichand 3 for 52. Schools are asked to submit their match reports Asap so that the scores can be carried in the press.
Thursday February 26, 2015
Kaieteur News
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RHTY&SC Silver Jubilee activities...
Guyoil, Tiger Sports, GGDMA, Office of the PM, Cameron & Shepherd on board
This Tiger Sports representative and Hilbert Foster display the trophies and balls.
Planned activities for the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club (RHTY&SC) Silver Jubilee Anniversary continues to receive widespread support from the business sector, Government Agencies and nonGovernmental Agencies.
On Thursday last, the club received $100,000 from the Office of the Prime Minister, $50,000 from the Guyana Oil Company, $20,000 from the Guyana Gold & Diamond Miners Association and an undisclosed amount from the
Law Firm of Cameron & Shepherd. Former national cricketer Sheik Mohamed of the Enmore based Tiger Sports Shop donated a quantity of cricket balls and trophies. Club Secretary/ CEO Hilbert Foster who is spearheading the Silver Jubilee yearlong celebrations stated that the club intends to make the year 2015 a memorable one in the annals of the Club’s history. Special emphasis is being placed on sports, proeducation and antidrugs/suicide activities, honours/awards, community development and youth development programmes. Foster disclosed that the financial contributions would be used to assist less fortunate students with educational materials, purchase of cricket gear for the club’s massive cricket development programme and its charity outreach programme for less fortunate
families. The main aim of the cricket development programme is to identify and nurture the next generation of players for the club as it strives to maintain its status as one of Guyana’s top cricketing clubs. The energetic Secretary/ CEO expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Samuel Hinds for his assistance
while describing Hinds as a friend of the club since he has been offering assistance over the last two decades. Gratitude was also extended to Mr. Patrick Harding of the GGDMA, Mr. Abdool Kadir of Guyoil, Mr. Ralph Ramkarran of Cameron & Shepherd and Mr. Sheik Mohamed of Tiger Sports. Foster assured the
donors that the contributions would be used for its intended purpose while stating that the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club would continue to uphold its very high standards and principles of success, h o n e s t y, h a r d w o r k , dedication and striving to make a positive difference in the lives of others.
Rain ruins Police and GYO first division fixture
R
ain prevented any play on the second and final day of the Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA)/Hadi’s World City Mall Inc first division two-day fixture on Sunday last between hosts Police and Gandhi Youth Organisation (GYO). In reply to Police first innings total of 133 all out, GYO closed the first day (Saturday) on 99-3 with Terence Liverpool on 32 and Wazir Alli on two. Pacer Seon Daniels trapped Cris Deonarine lbw for four to leave the visitors at 9-1, but Bhaskar Yadram and Liverpool added 85 for the second wicket to put their
team on course for first innings honours. Yadram struck four boundaries before he was bowled by Edison Williams for 43. Abdool Raheem was then run out for eight before Liverpool and Alli saw their team to the close. Earlier, Norman Fredericks stroked 41 (9x4) and Corwin Austin slammed 36 (3x4). The pair featured in a first wicket stand of 71, but after they were separated, Police suffered a collapse with only Miguel Parks of the remaining batsmen offering any resistance scoring 19 (3x4). Royston Gill grabbed 4-50 and Mark Hamilton 3-20.
Young Warriors Cricket Club fund raiser Mash Cup deemed a huge success Rose Hall Community Centre crowned champions
O
n a day blessed with brilliant sunshine and a crowd that is possibly the largest one for any kind of cricket in the county of Berbice for the longest while, the youthful Rose Hall Community Centre emerged champions after defeating Buski Eleven in the final. The day was packed with fun and entertainment for the entire family with eleven second division teams from the No 19 Straight Road to G a n g a r a m a r e a participating. The well organised five over aside competition started with the host Young Warriors CC defeating Gangaram and Buski Eleven defeating No 19 Kendall’s Union. Seawell then defeated Canefield, eventual winners Rose Hall CC beat Betsy Ground Triple Star, No 7 overcame Goed Bananen Land. 2014 champions Young and Restless drew the bye. In the second round, Young Warriors surrendered to Buski Eleven who drew the bye to the final. Seawell succumbed to Rose Hall CC. The final match of the
second round was the biggest upset with defending champions Young and Restless losing to debutant No 7. In the only semifinal, Rose Hall CC were again dominant with their youthfulness and disposed of No 7. In the final, Rose Hall CC beat Buski Eleven by a better run rate. Man of the match medals donated by Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club were awarded for every match. Outstanding players of the day were Rudolph Baker of the YWCC, David Loaknauth of Buski Eleven, Jainabi of Seawell, Raymond Mohamed of No 7. The most consistent player though was the man of the match in the final and two preliminary matches, Andrew Grant of RHCC. The winners took home $60,000 and a beautiful trophy, the runner up $30,000 and a trophy, the man of the match for the finals $5,000, a trophy and a medal. The third place team No 7 took home $15,000 and the fourth place winner YWCC $10,000. The club took the
RHCC skipper Ameer Rahaman collects the winners’ cash and trophy from Inshan Satar of Jim Bacchus Travel Service in the presence of club members. opportunity to thank the long list of sponsors, teams and fans for their support and promised that the tournament will get bigger and better as the years go on. The list of sponsors are: Ansa McAl, Attorney at Law Mursalene Bacchus, Prakash Mahadeo of No 19, Ashiek and Son Motor Supplies and A u t o S a l e s , Vi c k r a m Jewellery, Terminate Pest Control, Waqar Sahid of A
Ally and Sons, The New Building Society Limited, Mortimer George, Jim Bacchus Travel Service, Martin Singh of Associated Business Services, Magistrate Chandra Sohan, Republic Bank (Guyana) Ltd, Memorex Enterprise, Danzie’s Clothing, Footwear and Auto Sales, Lilboy Rice Complex, Extreme Trucking Service, Price is Right, Sharple Furniture
Establishment, Kris Jagdeo General Contractor, Ahmad Mundal Satar, A Mahabir and Sons, Massay Distribution, Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club, Sukhpaul Business Enterprise, J’S Printery, Sham Beer, Roshan Satar Supermarket, Anil Deonarine, Rafeek Kassim, Imran Saccoor and Suresh Persaud Auto Sale. Special mention was
made of ‘B’ Division Commander Brian Joseph, O ff i c e r i n C h a rg e o f Reliance Police Station Hamilton and Inspector Michael Newland and the media houses. The Berbice Cricket Board was also thanked for their blessings. The detailed financial statement will be made public soon and copies will be sent to all stakeholders.
Page 32
Kaieteur News
Thursday February 26, 2015
Wilson, K O’Brien seal tense win Shaiman Anwar smites one over the leg side (AFP)
ESPNcricinfo - With nuggety wicketkeeper Gary Wilson for company, the bighitting Kevin O’Brien set right the mess he had left Ireland in with some ordinary plans and bowling at the death. Despite their blitz, Ireland didn’t finish the match easy. UAE kept scrapping, and by the time it ended Ireland had only two wickets in hand and four balls to spare. Thanks to the first World Cup and second ODI hundred for UAE, 106 off 83 by Shaiman Anwar, and a World Cup-record seventhwicket partnership between Anwar and Amjad Javed 107 in 11.5 overs - UAE recovered from 131 for 6 in the 35th over. They defended with passion and precision to have Ireland down at 97 for 4 and 171 for 5, but they wilted in the face of the onslaught from O’Brien and Wilson, dropping catches, misfielding, some of them walking off with cramps. It was an important match for Ireland to win. In the last World Cup, they had beaten England but lost to Bangladesh, thus losing out on a quarter-final spot. Having conceded 147 in the last 15 overs, a repeat of their poor death bowling against West Indies who recovered from 87 for 5 to post 300plus, Ireland were staring at
similar fate with their top order struggling for fluency, but their lower middle order and the famed luck of the Irish rescued them. O’Brien joined Wilson with 108 required off 68 balls and Wilson on 43 off 46, the only batsman remotely near a run a ball for Ireland. The first ball O’Brien faced he muscled it to mid-off. The second he pulled away for four. Business was about to pick up. You could see UAE were feeling the heat already. There had been literal heat too: they had lost their opening bowler Manjula Guruge to what looked like cramps. Others were falling too. Mohammad Tauqir, the 43-year-old captain who had bowled beautifully with dip and drift for the wickets of William Porterfield and the other O’Brien, Niall, walked off in the 43rd over. Kevin O’Brien and Wilson had added 36 by then, but were yet to steal the game. O’Brien now lofted down the ground, and the substitute fielder, Nasir Aziz, managed just a parry for four over him. Before that too, Ireland had enjoyed a bit of luck. Ed Joyce added 16 after being bowled by Javed. Except the heavy LED bail just came off, lit, and went back into its groove.
This drop of O’Brien was to prove costlier as he went on to demoralise the attack in his 25-ball 50. He hit eight fours and two sixes, but everything bowled to him was a candidate for being hit. By the time he fell to a slower ball from Javed, the equation had come down to 36 off 32. John Mooney can bat a bit, but he was struggling, which made Wi l s o n ’s r o l e m o r e important. He stayed calm except for one moment in the 47th over. With 21 required off 20, he went down on a knee to look to ramp Javed and missed. He was given not out presumably because he had got outside the line as is the case with such lbw appeals but the replays showed the ball had nipped back enough to hit him in front of off. Just when you thought UAE were going to get lucky, the replay also showed the ball to be only clipping the top of the stumps. Wilson then saw the struggling Mooney end his innings poorly, but seemed to have ended the game with back-to-back drilled boundaries down the ground in the 48th over. Javed, though, was not giving up yet. As Wilson looked to run the next, a shortish delivery, down to third man, Javed showed fearlessness by diving forward from short third man and sending Wilson back for 80 off 69. Twelve runs remained. Fifteen balls. And two wickets. Crucial runs with Anwar, hitting the stumps without removing the bail, taking three timely wickets and now this brave catch, Javed didn’t deserve to be on the losing side. It was down to
him in the 49th over, with 10 runs to get. He began with two immaculate dots. The third one was a yorker dug out into the leg side, but Ireland stole a second with the fielder running in from the deep letting the infielder chase the ball, which goes against the norm. The game was still tight, but George Dockrell opened it up with a calculated loft over mid-off to make it three off seven. Javed was at the centre of every comeback UAE made. He was with Anwar when the two added 107 for the seventh wicket to expose Ireland’s ordinary death bowling again. O’Brien was the main culprit bowling short and wide with his offside fielders in the ring. Anwar looked like Kamran Akmal in his relaxed stance, and the way he shaped up when playing his preferred shots square either side of the pitch, and took full toll of the poor bowling. Javed, who had played an important part in their score of 285 against Zimbabwe, kept bringing the big hits in. He didn’t get either of the new balls, with Guruge removing Paul Stirling - whose unbroken spell of 10-0-27-2 had handcuffed UAE - early. Javed should have had Joyce out on 21, but persisted long enough to send him back on 37. A rollercoaster followed, but Ireland’s experience prevailed in the end, with both the sides left looking back ruefully at their muddled bowling plans when put under pressure. Scores: Ireland 279 for 8 (Wilson 80, K O’Brien 50, Javed 3-60) beat UAE 278 for 9 (Anwar 106) by 2 wickets.
BANKS GT BEER/MCYS MASH BEACH SOCCER FESTIVAL
Five matches slated for today Five potentially exciting matches are slated for today when play in the Banks GT Beer/MCYS Mash Beach Soccer Festival organised by Cool Runnins Beach Football Club continues at the Bayroc Beach Soccer Park, Linden. In group B, Silver Shattas will take on Hi Stars to be followed by a clash b e t w e e n Va s c o a n d Blueberry Hill; Botofago oppose Hi Stars, Silver Shattas play Vasco with Blueberry Hill playing again when they close off the night
against Botofago, also their second game of the night. In latest play, Retrieve Lions and Bloc22 Goal Getters battled to an exciting draw on Tuesday night at the same venue while Cool Runnins was too good for To p C l a s s w h o w a s outplayed 6-1. Bloc22 took the lead through Stevan Henderis in the 9th minute but Retrieve Lions fought back to equalize a minute later thanks to a Leevan Sullivan goal. Henderis completed his double in the 14th minute to restore the
advantage for Bloc22. However, like they did before, the Lions clawed their way back into contention, thanks again to Sullivan who blasted the back of the nets in the 25th minute to even the score yet again. The see saw nature of the game continued with Bloc22 again taking the lead when Shawn Cameron converted in the 29th minute. Bloc22 were sensing that they were on the road to victory but that was not to be as Dainan Austin in the 36th minute ensured that Retrieve Lions
earned an equal share of the spoils by netting the third and equalizing goal. Cool Runnins took some time to get settle in but once they did, it was no stopping them. And despite taking the lead through an own goal from Rodwyn Fraser, Top Class couldn’t find the scoring touch to answer any of the goals that Cool Runnins netted. On target for the winners were Jermaine Grandison (10), Keon Sears (17), Paul Yaw (20, 24), Seon Murray (30) and Adrian Cadogan (34).
Gary Wilson guided Ireland’s chase with 80 off 69 balls (AFP)
Ansa McAl annual Golf tourney lives up to expectations - ‘PUR’ AND SHANELLA EXCEL Patanjalee ‘Pur’ “I love the winning feeling” Persaud and Shanella “By His Grace I win” Webster with their sterling performances emerged clear winners in the annual exciting Ansa McAl sponsored Golf tournament at the Lusignan Golf Course on Saturday last. Rain delayed the scheduled Tee-off from 12:00noon to near 1:00p.m., causing group composition to be announced inside the Club House rather than normally done in the open on the golf grounds. Ansa McAL, represented by Robert Hitchcock – Heineken Brand Coordinator, and Darshanie Yussuf – PRO, along with some three other staff members were present even before the scheduled midday start. Club member, Troy Cadogan, whose input at Ansa McAl continues to promote support for the Lusignan Golf Club, played in the tournament returning a reasonable score of 24/73. The Ansa McAl representatives indicated they thoroughly enjoyed the day’s activity, with Mr
Hitchcock even giving thought to becoming a golfer. Some 39 golfers took to the course which was in commendable condition despite the rain - due to the tremendous work being done by the ground staff. At the end of play, it was Pur Persuad (26/65); Shanella Webster (23/65) dubbed the “Most Improved Female Player -2014” by Captain Chen Deo;Joe Solomon (26/68) - 86-year old former West Indies batman; and Avinda ‘Gangully’ Kishore (2/68) former Guyana-Open winner, who placed 1st to 4th respectively by their net scores. Keen rivalry produced same net for Persaud and Webster, as well as same net for Solomon and Kishore! But it was the better back nine of 30 that pushed Persaud into 1st against Webster’s 33, and caused Solomon’s 32 to place him 3rd before Kishore’s 34. Nearest to the Pin (NTP), was won by Mahendra Bhagwandin. Longest Drive (LD), (some 270 feet,) was (Continued on page 30)
Thursday February 26, 2015
Kaieteur News
Page 33
Amateur boxers heighten training for Auto Fashion on the imminent international tournaments ship with Kashif and The year is going on to two months old and the executives of the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) are eyeing several international tournaments as they heighten preparations for the 2016 Brazil Olympics. These executives have recently released a list of boxers whom they have instructed to be on the ready for upcoming international tournaments. Training was scheduled to commence Tuesday afternoon at Andrew Lewis Boxing Gym starting at 16:00hrs. Cuban coach, Francisco Hernandez
Roldan has recently returned from his homeland after spending the Christmas season with his family and will be among several local coaches to oversee the training sessions. He will be assisted by Terrence Poole, Sebert Blake, Wincel Thomas, Clifton Moore and Adrian Thomas. Those boxers that will be under their tutelage include Tyron Lashley and Jamal Eastman (Rose Hall Jammers), Michael April (Tiger Eye), Glenroy Smith (ESSE), Imran Khan and Dennis Thomas (Guyana Police
Force), Jason Phillips (Young Achievers), Quincy Small, Travis Hubbard, Keevin Allicock (Harpy Eagles), Kevin Allicock, Nankumar Singh, Klaus Daniels, Anandram Dharamraj and Jason Barker (REP), Delon Charles, Seon Griffith, Orin Bancroft, Ron Smith, Dewani Lampkins, Junior Henry, Taseka Howard, and Theresha London (FYF), Clairmont Gibson, Aquincy Harvey, Eon Bancroft, Desmond Amsterdam, Markember Pierre, Trevon King, Enock John, Quincy Boyce and Dwon Thompson (GDF).
Shanghai Tourney
-Fruta Conquerors replace Bartica
Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League
Olimpia, Herediano battle 1-1; Pachuca rally to draw with Montreal Tegucigalpa, Honduras – Olimpia and visiting Herediano played to a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their 2014/15 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal series on Tuesday at the Estadio Tiburcio Carias Andino. Although the Lions saw their home winning streak in the competition snapped at three games, they were on the front foot from the opening whistle. Honduras international Antony Lozano was heavily involved in all the early action. The 21-year-old forward’s third minute header was saved by goalkeeper Daniel Cambronero and he fired an effort over the crossbar eight minutes later. In the 45th minute, the host took a 1-0 lead through Javier Estupiñan. The Colombian did well to bring down a long ball near the left side of the box, turned toward the middle and ripped a rightfooted shot inside the right post from 22-yards out. Shortly after the break, Olimpia’s lead was nearly doubled, when Keyner Brown directed a Romell Quioto cross off his own crossbar. As the Lions looked to increase their advantage, an error at the back saw Herediano equalize in the 58th minute. A long ball played over the top was misplayed by a pair of Olimpia defenders. Cristhian Lagos pounced quickly and raced towards the goal, slotting a shot from 11-yards out through the legs of goalkeeper Donis Escober. Cambronero came up with a double save with seven minutes left in normal time to preserve the draw. He
Auto Fashion proprietor Noel ‘Rupee’ Shewjattan is flanked by Kashif Muhammad (left) and Aubrey ‘Shanghai’ Major at yesterday’s presentation.
Action from the Sc otiabank CONCACA F Champions League game between host Olimpia (white jers ey) Feb. 24, 2015, in Te and Herediano on gucigalpa, Hondura s. thwarted an Alberth Elis effort, before blocking Estupiñan’s follow-up and gathering in the loose ball. The Costa Ricans finished the match with 10 men after Jonatan Hansen earned a straight red card in the third minute of second half stoppage time for a high tackle. The sides will meet again on March 5 at the Estadio Eladio Rosabal Cordero to decide which will advance to the semifinals. Meanwhile, Pachuca overcame a two-goal deficit in the second half to earn a 22 draw with the Impact de Montreal in the first leg of their Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League (SCCL) quarterfinal series on Tuesday night. The Tuzos stormed back behind goals by Heriberto Olvera and second-half substitute Ariel Nahuelpan at the Estadio Hidlago after
Dilly Duka tallied twice to put the 2014 Canadian champion ahead. Montreal – in the middle of its preseason training camp — drew first blood against the run of play. Duka took advantage of some space to make a run on the left, before sending a low shot from 18-yards out into the left corner past goalkeeper Oscar Perez in the 25th minute. The Impact had two other chances in the opening half as Perez caught Justin Mapp’s 18-yard header on one bounce in the eighth minute, while Duka’s leftsided attempt in the 40th minute went straight at the 42-year-old goalkeeper. Pachuca’s best opportunity of the half came in the 27th minute, when a Junior Sornoza effort went wide right. Duka doubled Montreal’s lead in the 53rd minute. After Perez saved
Mapp’s shot from the right side of the box, the 25-yearold midfielder was there to slot home the rebound. Four minutes later, Olvera got Pachuca on the scoreboard, netting off a 23yard free kick that appeared to take a deflection off an Impact player and sail past diving goalkeeper Evan Bush. Nahuelpan struck for the equalizer in the 68th minute, pushing the ball with his stomach over the goal line after Hirving Lozano’s leftsided feed towards the sixyard box was misplayed by the Montreal defense. It was the Argentinean’s fifth 2014/15 SCCL goal, giving him a share of the scoring lead with Ariel Rodriguez (Saprissa) and Martin Zuñiga (Club America). The second leg is set for the Olympic Stadium in Montreal on March 3. (CONCACAF)
The Kashif and Shanghai Organisation yesterday received a corporate boost from one of its long time sponsors, Auto Fashion, ahead of its 25th football tournament which kicks off on March 20 at the Demerara Cricket Club Ground. Known for its flashy and exquisite vehicle accessories, the company will be donating the tournament’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) prize and other trophies. N o e l ‘ R u p e e ’ Shewjattan, proprietor of the Seaforth Street Campbelville located business said that for the past 15 years, his establishment has supported the tournament and this year, he’s pleased to form an alliance with the event. A c c o r d i n g t o Shewjattan, his initial intention was to donate a car to the MVP, but said that it can only be done with Government’s intervention to grant him the duty free concession. “If they can take off the duty, next year for sure I will donate a nice sports car to the winner. I think a car will add more excitement to the tournament and when you think of it, a lot of these players can’t really go out and buy one and I would be
happy to actually make that happen. So next year, if the Government can help with regards to the duty, I will commit to giving the MVP that car,” said Shewjattan. Both Directors (Kashif Muhammad and Aubrey ‘Shanghai’ Major) of the organisation were on hand and all thanked Auto Fashion for not only their presentation towards this year’s tournament, but for also being a long time supporter. Auto Fashion now joins Ansa McAl, Mohamed’s Enterprise, Demerara Distillers Limited under its Pepsi Brand, Church’s Chicken, Cell Phone Shack under its Plum Brand, Hits and Jams Television, Sonic Business Services, Club 704 and JGS Telecommunications as the tournament’s sponsors. Meanwhile, the organisers announced that Georgetown based Fruta Conquerors was added to the tournament, replacing Bartica. The tournament will conclude on April 5 and will be played in a ‘win or go home’ format where the eventual winners will pocket $2M, second place $1M while third and fourth places will collect $500,000 and $250,000 respectively.
t r o Sp
Will Plaisance Guardians slay another Goliath tomorrow night? - NATIONAL BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS BOUNCE INTO SUPER 8
Mark Richards
Nikkoloi Smith
Royston Siland
Randy Richardson
Travis Burnett
Juvenile upsets field to take Restoring Pride to West Indies Cricket feature 40-miler in Berbice is important Says WICB Presidential hopeful Joel Garner
Joel Garner
The outstanding riders pose with the sponsors and organisers after the prize giving ceremony.
Wilson, K O’Brien seal tense win
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