Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

Sunday January 06, 2013

Man severs 10 hospitals built, upgraded in 2012 uncle’s wrist ... more services delivered in various locations- Health Minister A long brewing feud between uncle and nephew yesterday turned tragic with both parties becoming patients at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).

Trevor Duke is now a patient in the Burns Care Unit of GPHC while his uncle, Leon Duke, has been admitted to the Male Surgical 1 with an arm amputated.

Kaieteur News understands that Trevor Duke, 33, who resides in Prashad Nagar was attacked by his uncle Leon Duke, 52, of Joseph Pollydore Street, Lodge.

It is alleged that Leon threw acid on his nephew and attempted to escape on foot.

The incident occurred around 5:00 hrs. Trevor, who is said to have just returned to his home from buying bird seeds, on being doused with a corrosive liquid, armed himself with a cutlass and raced behind his uncle.

Reports are that Trevor caught up with his uncle at Section ‘K’ Campbellville and dealt him several chops about the body completely severing one hand. Leon is said to

have also sustained a chop to his head.

Both were taken to GPHC by police ranks. However Kaieteur News learnt that neither was under police guard.

This newspaper understands that yesterday’s incident came as a result of a long standing dispute over the house in which the younger Duke resides.

Kaieteur News learnt that Trevor’s father, who is Leon’s brother lives abroad and left him to occupy the lower flat of what is reported to be a family property.

Leon is said to have been in procession of the keys for the top flat of the property but lived elsewhere. “He does go and come.”

According to reports, earlier this week, there was a dispute because of Trevor’s failure to pump water into the tank.

It is said that Leon usually “quarrel a lot with de nephew.” As recent as Thursday, the two were involved in a physical fight but no severe injuries were sustained by either party.

Health Minister Dr Bheri Ramsarran has lauded the Government for making major investments which he said sparked the improvement of health service dissemination, and saw the functioning of at least 10 hospitals during 2012.

Diamond, Leonora, Suddie, Mahaicony, Port Mourant, Linden, Mabaruma and Lethem, the Minister said, saw such improvements.

“Over the past few years we have built or significantly repaired 10 new hospitals,” he told media operatives.

Within the past year and from the latter part of 2011, Minister Ramsarran asserted that major investments were made in the West Demerara Regional Hospital. With the functioning of those hospitals, Minister Ramsarran noted that the investment has positioned the Ministry, “To deliver more services, to more people in more places,” since these hospitals are being used as “the base for the projection of outreach activities.”

Since these improvements and the acquisition of certain equipment, specialty service

Health Minister Bheri Ramsarran providers, the Minister said, have been able to be more active in providing health care to areas once difficult to reach. More emphasis has been placed on major hospitals such as the West Demerara Hospital, Dr Ramsarran said. He added that the hospital has been “greatly improved and is functioning way above the standard it did in the early part of 2012.”

Several of the hospital departments, he said, that were not functioning as they

ought, are now available and are under new leadership. At the same time, Dr Ramsarran said that the Diamond Hospital is “doing far better since the Ministry was able to attach on a scheduled basis, the doctors who work during the day at the health centres, are now working on call at the facility.”

The Georgetown Public Hospital accident and emergency department, Ramsarran noted, has indicated a reduction in the number of referrals coming from the East Bank hospital.

This is because of the increase of the quality of in service provided.

Apart from these achievements, the Health Minister introduced his initiative to have health centres open beyond the regular eight to four working hours.

This move he said is extremely important to provide additional health care which is very much needed in certain locations in the country.

Parika, which the government has slated for a

township, is stiff on the agenda for new health facilities, he said. The Diamond Hospital, he said had been built with the same notion since the area is being developed as a major residential and commercial district.

Having explained his idea on the extension of health centre working hours, Dr Ramsarran said that the experiment for the New Year would see the facilities opening until late at nights.

“This is revolutionary and this is what primary health care comprises of,” Ramsarran boasted.

The Minister also said that he has been sending out senior health officials from his office to make visits and to check the type of service that the hospitals have been providing. He said that they have also been accepting complaints and concerns from the public pertaining to accommodation and service.

This can now be done because of an increase in doctors and medical staff that can be deployed to offer some management changes.

Sunday January 06, 2013

Kaieteur News

Judge dismisses Opposition’s challenge to Govt’s deposit of monies into Lotto Fund Justice Dianne Insanally has dismissed legal proceedings filed by APNU Member of Parliament, Mr. Desmond Trotman, against Attorney General Anil Nandlall and has ordered him to pay $50,000 court costs.

Trotman had challenged the constitutionality and legality of the government’s deposit of proceeds from the lottery into a Developmental Fund popularly referred to as the “Lotto Fund”.

According to court documents, Justice Insanally ruled that the motion which was filed was misconceived and struck it out. Mr. Trotman was represented by Mr. Miles Fitzpatrick, S.C. and Mr. Christopher Ram. Attorney General Anil Nandlall who issued a statement, yesterday, said that for several years now, Opposition politicians and critics of the Government including, Mr. Christopher Ram, and Mr. Anand Goolsarran, a former Auditor General, have been critical of the government on this issue of depositing money in the “Lotto Funds” as opposed to depositing same directly into the Consolidated Fund.

He said that Government’s contention has always been that it is perfectly lawful and proper

and constitutional to place those monies in a fund separately and apart from the Consolidated Fund. The AG said that Mr. Carl Greenidge had moved a Motion in the Parliament last year seeking to compel the Minister of Finance to deposit these monies directly into the Consolidated Fund contending that it was unlawful and unconstitutional to deposit it elsewhere.

In debating this motion in the National Assembly, he said that Government argued that the Motion was misconceived and that the provisions of the Fiscal Management and Accountability Act, Article 216 of the Constitution and the Lotteries Act permit those monies to be keep outside of the Consolidated Fund and in a Development Fund.

Trotman’s motion had questioned whether article 216 of the Constitution and sections 21 and 38 of the Fiscal Management and Accountability Act 2003 requires all monies paid to the Government of Guyana by the Guyana Lottery Company Limited under an agreement made between the said Government and Canadian Bank Note Limited and/or the (continued on page 14)

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Missing GEA employee...

Money withdrawn from victim’s account The prime suspect in the disappearance of Guyana Energy Authority employee LeVoy Taljit was in possession of the missing man’s bank card and reportedly withdrew money from Taljit’s account after he vanished, a close associate said yesterday.

Kaieteur News was told that the man handed over the bank card to the police after taking them to a house where he had hidden it. The associate said that the suspect withdrew some $50,000 from Taljit’s bank account, but claimed that the missing GEA staffer owed him money and had given him the bank card.

According to the source, the two men communicated extensively via an internet site.

A senior official said that investigators are going through the men’s computers in the hope of unearthing any evidence about Taljit’s whereabouts.

But police are said to be running out of time regarding the detention of the suspect and will be forced to release him if no more evidence surfaces.

Yesterday, detectives again carried out several unsuccessful searches up the Soesdyke/ Linden Highway. Some of the suspect’s associates were still in custody yesterday.

LeVoy Taljit The 32-year-old Soesdyke resident has reportedly told police that Taljit visited his

home around the time of his disappearance. He alleged that the young man had a bag of money and asked the suspect to stash the Toyota Raum. He is said to have also claimed that Taljit left in another vehicle.

Phone records reveal that someone had used Taljit’s mobile phone in the vicinity of Marudi, on the Soesdyke/ Linden Highway, a few days after he went missing. The individual also used Taljit’s phone to make a call to a land line.

Indications are that investigators believe that Taljit came to serious harm after being lured away from his home.

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Kaieteur News

Kaieteur M@ilbox

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

Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: ADAM HARRIS Tel: 225-8491, 225-8458, 225-8465 Fax: 225-8473 or 226-8210

Editorial

The Opposition and Police Reform

One of the most encouraging events that ushered in the New Year was the announcement by Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee of the Strategic and Implementation Plans for the Guyana Police Force (GPF) - 2013-2017. Even the most fervent booster of the GPF would concede that reform of that key institution was long overdue.

The State was invented to bring order in organised human collectives. The police are the modern institution to ensure that order and citizen security are maintained. From the very onset of the introduction of this institution in the early 19th century, there were concerns about the existential potential for its abuse: Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? (Who will guard the guardians?).

The abuse could be initiated by either or both the ruling class or elements within the institution itself. In Guyana we have unfortunately been the victims of both types of excesses.

It is therefore rather disheartening to hear that even though the Opposition parties agree on the need and specifics of the proposed reforms, they have announced that they will not cooperate in the implementation unless their earlier demand for the removal of the Minister is met.

Whatever the merits or demerits of the Opposition’s demand, they must agree that ultimately it is a political question, based on a partisan perspective.

Reform of the police force, on the other hand, transcends such narrow parameters. There was a time, not so long ago, when an overhaul of the GPF was demanded only by certain sections of the populace, but we have long moved past that hurdle. This unanimity of views on such a crucial and ubiquitous institution cannot be ignored or sidestepped. In fact it has the potential of initiating the wider political consensus that is needed if we are ever to have sustained and sustainable progress in our country.

It is interesting that the leaders of both Opposition parties have more than a passing interest in the security area. David Granger, leader of the combined opposition and of the APNU and PNC, was once head of the Disciplined Forces – which include the police - and also Security Advisor and head of the Defence Board to President Desmond Hoyte. He was also a member of the Disciplined Forces Commission that inquired into the reforms needed to set the GPF on a course that would actually enable it to fulfil its mission to ‘serve and protect’ the people of Guyana.

By his own assertion, Khemraj Ramjattan, leader of the AFC, took an early interest in the need to reform the police force and made several proposals towards that end to his then political party, the PPP. In fact, he claims that he got into hot water with them over his espousal of reforms. With such backgrounds, the process of police reform can only benefit with their involvement from their parliamentary perch.

The reforms will need extra budgetary support – especially to fund the extra overseas training module that forms one of the key cornerstones on the Strategic Plan.

Parliamentary debate is vital to ensure that value is received from such new expenditures. The Minister also promised that his Ministry will be making institutionalised reports to the Parliamentary Oversight Committee on the Security Sector.

This is a most welcome innovation and adds a further dimension to the increased civilian oversight built into the Strategic Plan. Most importantly it allows policy initiatives to be reviewed during the implementation state and beyond.

Finally it is our considered opinion that the Opposition is exercising poor political judgement in choosing to stand on the sidelines on police reform. The unanimity in agreement for reform by the public (which is, in the end, also the voting public) is matched by the intensity of their desire for such reform to be implemented sooner rather than later.

Police reform for Guyanese is literally a life and death matter for all Guyanese living in fear of crimes and banditry; for those enduring domestic violence and for those seeking justice for unsolved crimes.

We hope that good sense will prevail.

Sunday November 11, 2012

Send your letters to Kaieteur News 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown or email us kaieteurnews@yahoo.com

The decision to locate a Monument to this major revolt must be guided primarily by the evidence of history DEAR EDITOR, One may think that the case was well-made, as if one were necessary, for the location of a Monument to commemorate the 1823 Demerara Slave Revolt in Independence Park, formerly Parade Ground. This should hardly be a matter for protracted disputation; the historical evidence being overwhelming. Our society, regrettably, has become less and less susceptible to reasoned arguments particularly on matters of a sensitive nature and, after a year of intense acrimony and recriminations in the political

sphere, an exchange on the state of the weather can incite a storm.

We are fortunate to have some thorough and incisive accounts on the revolt and there is very little more that can be said. Foremost is the superb analysis by Professor Emeritus, the Rev Winston McGowan, highlighting, inter alia, the impact of the uprising on the institution of slavery in the Americas and especially on the anti-slavery movement in England that would eventually culminate in the abolition of slavery in August 1834. Further, two editorials in the Sunday

Stabroek of December 9 and 23, 2012, carefully explored the historical evidence on the rising as well as remarking on the three anniversaries that fall in this year.

Additionally, there is the recent meeting of a number of African interest groups at the Bethel Brethren Church that left no doubt about the participants’ resolve to have a Monument placed at Independence Park. The Group included representatives from the African Cultural and Development Association, the African Guyanese Council, the Pan African

Movement and the Guyana Institute of Historical Research. Among them were recognized historians, political scientists and attorneys. There has also been increasing contribution from private individuals as is the current one.

When the revolt is viewed against the wider global developments of its time, its historical mark is even more impressive. In its climacteric consequences on the future and the fortunes of people of African descent in the entire Americas, as well as on the peoples of the African Continued on page 7

Sunday November 11, 2012

Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur M@ilbox

The first cut is always the deepest DEAR EDITOR, Help to stop violence against women.

The people that influence your thinking in the world of romance, being a ‘sweet man’ and the power and popularity of being a player, never really tell the truth of such a life. They never really tell you that one day you will fall in love. Only to realize that other sweet men, sweet women and players exist and will forever exist.

I believe there is a definite reason why the term “FALL” IN LOVE exist instead off “Stand” IN LOVE. Unless you have wings or you are a superhero with a cape, naturally the process of falling only ends when you hit a surface or grab on to something to break that fall.

When I was a child growing up, I had many dreams of falling from great heights. In those dreams I always woke up before landing. I don’t know why as an adult I have similar dreams

of falling and only jump out of my sleep when I hit surface.

The pain of falling and hitting a hard surface can be excruciating. But I have seen people get up and pretended they are ok. You asked if they needed help and they say they are fine. When you are not looking they begin to rub the spot with an expression of pain on their faces as they limp away. Indeed, pride goes before the fall.

Men, I believe, abuse women they are with because they are control freaks and cowards but deep inside there is fear.

Fear of being seen as a lesser man, the fear of how your friends and society will perceive you if they find out that your ‘better half ’ is unfaithful to the relationship.

I believe the emotion of fear can overcome that intention to love. There is also that unexplainable feeling one goes through as a result of being cheated on; some just

call it a broken heart. I don’t think one can live with a literal broken heart but one can tell you how it feels to have that figurative broken heart. Not even bereavement equals it.

The first heartbreak I experienced, I was just about seventeen or eighteen.

Growing up in my society, a boy was never allowed to express weakness when it comes to relationships.

To tell your friends you are nursing a broken heart is to risk being laughed at, disrespected and called names such as softie and gal, etc. You just had to get on with that pain while pretending you didn’t give a damn.

Whenever, you lose a girlfriend to another guy and everyone found out. You just had to put on a brave face and tell your friends it is you who broke the relationship and you never really cared about her. Your respect and streed cred remain intact. What is happening inside of you is far

DEAR EDITOR, I refer to a letter by Mr. Vidyartha Kissoon (no relation) in the Jan 3 edition of the Kaieteur News captioned; “Let’s hope viewpoints aren’t expressed incognito anymore.” With the rise of the blog, social networking and FaceBook, one would have thought that the newspapers would now do away with persons writing letters and deliberately omitting their names.

Throughout my career as a newspaper columnist, I have lamented this injustice and macabre invention. I have argued ad infinitum that it should only be allowed when loss of employment, victimization or injury can result.

An example hardly matters but here is one. If a banking institution is facilitating money-laundering then an anonymous letter from an employee is in perfect order What the two independent dailies are condoning is the perpetuation of attacks on people in government, the opposition and civil society by nameless writers who laugh at the society.

I can imagine that each time they set about to attack Robert Corbin or Khemraj Ramjattan or Donald Ramotar or whoever, they must laugh before they go on the keyboard. Because they do their nonsense and they then walk into society and no one knows the cowards they are.

It is the same with web pages.

Imagine what goes through the mind of someone who runs a web site attacking viciously all kinds of persons and hides under their mom’s dress. These people laugh at the world. They go on the worldwide web, accuse real, living persons of all sorts of things and they hide when they do that. Why do they do that – because they have deep-seated personality/ character problems in life and with life. They have issues.

You cannot stop such persons from going on the internet but the newspapers can.

I do not believe “M. Maxwell,” “Sultan Mohammed,” etc are the real names. I don’t care how much letter-writers criticize the PPP Government that this columnist wants to see go.

Their pursuits have no justification in the use of hiding under an opaque veil.

There are principles involved that must be upheld. The KN and SN should not allow it.

There is no onerous task in ascertaining the names of these writers. Just send back an e-mail requesting address, phone number, place of employment, and the names of two persons with similar details who can verify the information.

This will not take five minutes. If Sultan Mohamed exists, send him an e-mail, ask for his local address. Contact him, let him provide his ID and if he is real he can write how much he wants because the

papers have an obligation to ventilate his views.

IF KN and SN do not insist on proof that can be tested, these persons will go on. I insisted that “M. Maxwell” publish his factual existence and he did not reply. Yet this man or woman is in the KN and SN almost daily asking questions of opposition leaders and governmental leaders but he/she refuses to answer a simple question.

About ten years ago on this issue, I got a public response saying why bother with the messenger. Look at the message. That is fair enough.

But when the messenger comes as often as M Maxwell and Sultan Mohammed do, then it is human nature to ask them to take off their mask and come in for a cup of coffee.

But more importantly, why the messenger wants to become a messenger and is so afraid to be seen?

Why take on a job of which you know what it involves but you are prepared to shirk your obligations to those you are delivering the notes to? Interestingly, why should we tolerate messengers who come to despot a note and each time puts a bag n his/her face? I hope KN and SN bring this to an end in 2013. As for me I will never, I repeat never reply to someone who chose to attack me and hide. That person is getting the better of you and laughing at you.

Frederick Kissoon

From this year KN and SN must not publishing anonymous letters

from being intact. I learnt early that you can find an outlet in telling your friends such things as a joke. It helps. Just tell them you got over it and that was what you were feeling when it first happened. It is good to let them know you are with a nicer girl too.

So when the beautiful miss S Y B handed me my first heartbreak, I was not prepared for it. No one ever is, the first time. I felt I was going to die. I played the album, Best of Percy Sledge a thousand times as I stayed on a couch at home most of the day.

The track, ‘ when a man loves a woman’ was played most. I went out, hung out with my friends and pretended all was well. You knew something was wrong when you are laughing at jokes only realizing that you were laughing because everyone else was laughing. You hardly heard what was being said.

It is when you go to eat and realize the first spoonful could hardly go down. You are very hungry but can’t eat.

Very tired but can’t sleep. I went to bed very tired one night, very tired and exhausted, after feeling like

dying all day. I feel asleep instantly.

That was about 9 pm. Oh that sleep was rocky, the dreams tormenting. I felt that I had made it to the brightness of morning. The time was only 9:45 pm. I had a long dark night to go all alone, thinking I really didn’t want to live any more.

A few days into my heartbreak, without food and sleep, I really felt I was not going to make it. So, I visited Medex Glasgow at Blueberry Hill Hospital. I couldn’t tell her why I was depressed.

I had to tell her, what my symptoms were and the reason why? I told her I was raised by my grandmother and she died suddenly a few days ago, hence I couldn’t sleep.

She gave me an understanding nod and wrote a prescription for tablets with very funny names, Valium and Periactin one to make you sleep and the other to open your appetite.

I am sure as I thanked her and was about to leave, I saw a brief flicker of an understanding smile. Perhaps, just perhaps, I wasn’t the only boy that made such visits to

her with similar complaints.

The great thing is if you allow it to run its course, heartbreak will heal itself. You will come out stronger, more experienced and knowledgeable. Try never to be bitter and angry. Try never to exact revenge on others or the girl that breaks your heart.

But most of all try never to be consumed by fear and paranoia when falling in love again.

You may just end up being abusive for no real wrong done to you by the partner you are with. Just talk about your fears and hurts; make a joke about it if you may.

Never be violent to your woman. Seek professional help. Treat your woman with respect and be honest, you may very well find her reciprocating. If it can’t work, just leave and try to do so on good terms. Do not carry any bitterness with you. We can help to stop the abuse of women. It starts with us.

Let us have a national conversation amongst men.

You will find we are not softie and gal for doing this. Just real men!

Norman Browne

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Sunday November 11, 2012

Kaieteur M@ilbox

Kaieteur M@ilbox

Mr. Abu Bakr knows that rape is virtually impossible to prove given the demands of Islamic law

We continue to hold the view that the opening hours at Haag Bosch landfill site are too restrictive

DEAR EDITOR, Before a person finishes reading this letter, thousands of women all over the world would be raped. Among the victims would be the young and the old, rich and poor, married and unmarried. They will be from every country and culture in the world including those areas where women are draped from head to toe.

Contrary to his protestations, Mr. Abu Bakrhere returns to the narrative that a woman’s dress “nourishes” the “ambience” in which rape is committed.The female dress provides the “perception” of her lewdness, hence rape. To appreciate the gravemen of this contention and grasp its disastrous implications for society as a whole and the victim herself, we need to locate this discussion in the Guyanese, if not the larger Caribbean, society.

We live in a society, with a popular dominant creole calypso culture permeated with sexual innuendos and stereotypes demeaning to the female. We don’t have to look to the “decadent” west, as we ourselves have mastered the technique and style that revel

in the objectification of the female body. When this pervasive mindset is supported by arguments made by respected men based on their religious convictions that a woman’s dress is responsible for her rape, the female is further demonized and traumatised.

Imagine, a rape victim reporting her ordeal to a police officer who feels that her mode of dress inflamed the passions of her attacker, imagine lawyer defending a rape accused who believes the same thing, and add to this prosecutors, magistrates, judges, doctors and nurses, care givers, media people, and to add to all of this imagine one’s parents, siblings, and the community at large sharing the same belief, then we will be able to appreciate why the ul-Hack-Abu Bakr proposition helps to perpetuate the stereotype of the female.

But there are other implications. In his book, Book of Counsel for Kings, alGhazzali, arguably the greatest theologian in Islam’s history, informs us that as a result of Eve’s disobedience of eating from the forbidden

tree, God has cursed all woman kind with eighteen kinds of punishments. So, to suggest that a woman’s wanton dress code has the power to seduce the man helplessly leading him commit rape is to re-enforce the Eve syndrome of the woman as an eternal temptress.

Secondly, the myth of the female temptress, discerned by her mode of dress, inflaming the passions of the man reduces the male to a helpless creature victim. While the female is endowed with effective agency using her mysterious sexual potency to lure the male, he on the other hand, a helpless victim of the woman’s satanic guiles, is denied any agency and responsibility. The myth of the modest dress essentialises both female and male sexuality.

Thirdly, and most importantly, the literature on the subject tells that many rape victims are assailed with self-doubt in the aftermath of the attack, and to tell a victim that somehow she brought it on, provoked it, or by her dress helped to create the “ambience” for the rape, is to Continued on page 7

DEAR EDITOR, Over the last few days, eight of our collection trucks have been out of service for repairs. The repairs to these vehicles have been delayed because of the unavailability of spares and the apparent difficulty to diagnose the problems affecting them. Our technical team has been working assiduously to correct the situation but it is a daunting challenge. Had it not been for that, it must be admitted, we would have been able to do a better job at collecting garbage from our local communities. However, existing circumstances continue to restrain the effectiveness and efficiency of our collection system.

In the face of this mounting embarrassing problem, we continue to hold the view that the opening hours at Haag Bosch landfill site are too restrictive. It is impacting on the turnaround time of the trucks and the general rhythm of garbage collection in all sections of the city. We are aware that the contractor operating the site- BK International- has certain contractual obligations and that an extension of the opening hours would require additional sums. The question is who will pay for an extension of the operational time at the site?

What is clear is that the council does not have the money to pay for that extension. In fact, a comparative analysis of collection of revenue for the last three years will show that last year council’s performance in the area of revenue collection was noticeably poor. Add to that the fact that we have not had a valuation of properties in the city for more than two decades, substantial increases in the cost of certain essential commodities used by the council to provide services to citizens, the changing demographics of the city, lack of new revenue sources, and the increasing varying environmental, public health and other needs of the capital.

The city’s treasury is very shallow.

The lack of financial and other resources along with other factors including an embrassing culture of indiscipline by some citizens, inability of council to enforce compliance with the law, and the lack of an aggressive environmental education programme have combine to encourage illegal dumping in almost every community.

As a result, the council must consider other options to manage its solid waste. Let us examine two of them: The first approach is to increase the number of collection vehicles and crews in communities. This could compensate for the restrictive hours and distance the trucks

must travel to tip. Additional trucks will double up on collection. The advantage is that garbage will be cleared faster from local communities; citizens will not have to wait an additional two days to have their regular garbage removed from their premises. They will not have to see the disgusting site of vagrants rummaging through their bins or endure the nuisance of flies.

The disadvantage is that more trucks require more money, which the council does not have at this point in time. Additional collection vehicles will increase direct cost by 80%- 90% on what is currently paid to our contractors.

The second and more viable approach is to set up a transfer station to manage municipal solid waste. Waste transfer stations are facilities where garbage is unloaded from collection vehicles and briefly held while it is reloaded onto larger longdistance transport vehicles for shipment to landfills or other treatment or disposal facilities.

The advantages are by combining the loads of several individual waste collection trucks into a single shipment, local communities can save money on the labour and operating costs of transporting the waste to a distant disposal site. Also, they can reduce the total number of vehicular trips traveling to and from the disposal site. Again, citizens would be encouraged to take the garbage to the facility.

The station can then function as a regulatory valve to work with the time and rhythm of the landfill site at Haag Bosch.

The disadvantage is that such a facility requires substantial inject of funds, which is not within the coffers of the council.

Yet there is an urgent need for a properly managed and efficient transfer station, to help with the management of municipal solid waste, in Georgetown.

However, a few months ago, Cevons Waste Management Company approached the council for permission to set up such a transfer station, on the portion of land off Nelson

Mandela Avenue, next to the Gymnasium. In addition, the company plans to put in place certain features to capture the methane gas from the old landfill site and convert it to energy to benefit neighbouring communities, and to set up a recycling plant for plastic and cardboard. The benefits of that proposal are clear: 1.

It will facilitate small businesses with their canters and small trucks to disposal of their garbage without the headache of going the distance, time and money. At the moment, certain types of vehicles and horsedrawn carts are not permitted to dispose garbage at the Haag Bosch site.

2.

It will allow those horse- drawn carts that collect garbage from different areas and dump it anywhere, in the city, to dispose of it in an appropriate manner that will not hurt the environment and the health of communities.

3.

It will be accessible to the public; residents can assist our effort to keep the city clean by taking their garbage to the transfer station rather than getting involved in illegal dumping.

It is clear that, that area is most appropriate because it is close to a heavy duty main roadway, which is needed to haul heavy garbage from the city to Haag Bosch.

Having regards to those and other benefits facilitated by the project, the Mayor and City Council, at its Statutory Meeting, granted approval to Ceveon Waste Management to utilize that portion of land.

Finally, we believe that, this environment challenge requires an aggressive national effort.

All stakeholders must be involved in very practical ways, to put an end to this situation that continues to spiral out of control. We need to work together to make Georgetown safe for us and the next generation. We need to act now!

Royston King Public Relations Officer Mayor and City Council

DEAR EDITOR, I read Mr. Peter Persaud’s letter which applauds the granting of the Norway funds.

In his missive, Peter mentioned the ‘detractors’ who were against this plus for the Amerindians, and proceeded to name them. Poor Peter had the gumption to say that The Amerindian Movement of Guyana (TAAMOG) supports the Government’s initiative. Mr. Editor, I wish to ask through this medium – how many

members comprise TAAMOG? I know of only two – the (dis)honourable President and his Secretary.

Also, it comes as no surprise that Peter Persaud would want to push this line to us the readership. He is just ‘singing for his supper’. He does that very well – ask a major timber company.

To quote the late poet Martin Carter, “A mouth is always muzzled by the food it eats to live.”

Amused reader

Poor Peter’s just singing for his supper

Sunday November 11, 2012

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Mr. Abu Bakr knows that rape is virtually impossible to prove given the ...

From page 6 compound the victim’s selfdoubt and to make her a victim all over again. There is hardly anything that one can say to a victim that is ever likely to give comfort and solace, apart from giving unquestioning, unconditional love and compassion. There is nothing else that a woman could have done to prevent the rape. Care givers and the victim herself need to know this.

Mr. Abu Bakr assures us that rape is a crime in Islam and that the severity of the

punishment exceeds that which prevails elsewhere.

First, however, the perpetrator has to be found and convicted. But Mr. Abu Bakr knows that rape is virtually impossible to prove given the demands of Islamic law that requires four reliable male witnesses to testify to having seen the actual violation of the woman. Think of a rapist who breaks into a female dormitory and rapes a student!

But this is not all. Since she is most unlikely to prove rape, she would in effect be

admitting to commit either adultery or fornication, both of which are crimes under Islamic law with heavy penalties, including stoning to death.

The irony of this situation is such that while the alleged rapist is innocent until proved guilty, the victim is presumed to be guilty until she proves her innocence!

Hence large numbers of women in Pakistan and Iran, to name only two Islamic countries, are committed to prison precisely for this reason, where they are now subjected to “custodial rapes”

From page 4 continent, it cedes priority in historic grandeur only to the French Revolution of 1789 and the ensuing uprisings in Saint Domingue that led to the independence of Haiti.

The Demerara Revolt preceded the revolutionary wave in Europe of the 1830’s that commenced, as expected, in the Paris communes in July; then in August the Catholic Walloons and Frenchspeaking sectors broke away from Dutch-speaking Netherlands to establish an independent Belgium; then Poland, partitioned and reformed, tried again to break away from the Russian empire. In England, after widespread pressure, the first of the wide ranging changes in the electoral system took place in the first Reform Act of 1832 that ended the rotten boroughs and opened the path to the full democracy we know.

The Demerara Revolt has been internationally recognized as a major event in the resistance to subjugation and in the advance of freedom. It therefore finds a place in the International Encyclopedia of Revolution and Protest, published by Blackwell, alongside the three French Revolutions of 1789, 1830 and 1848; the last two being considered as having as immense an impact as the first.

On the American side, the Encyclopedia of Slave Resistance and Rebellion, published by the Greenwood Publishing Group, also gives fair attention to the matter.

Thus, the 1823 Revolt has already established a monumental presence in the historiography of revolution and resistance. We are late in our considerations of a Monument; perhaps the national attention rightly paid to the earlier Berbice revolt of 1763, may have diminished our concerns for the later event.

It is interesting that, although at a public ceremonial event twelve years earlier, on August 1st,

2000, an official decision to erect a Monument at Independence Park was indicated, reminders of that act have come only from the proponents of Independence Park; there has been no statement or reference to the ceremony from official quarters. Like so much that has occurred over the last decade, the good faith in the commitments made comes into question.

Thus, an opportunity is lost to rally the nation to contemplate certain extraordinary achievements as truly national occasions, rather than partisan, and to cultivate understanding and appreciation of the continuing contribution of every citizen to the consolidation of the state void of lip-service. The passing of Philip Moore, eminent citizen, was allowed to occur without timely and appropriate national recognition.

The posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award eventually extended six months later, and specifically created, may have shed some of its lustre in time.

Did the DemeraraEssequibo slaves know anything about the turmoil unfolding in slave-based societies? The late eighteenth century was packed with slave revolts and other insurrections.

The acclaimed French uprising would have inspired the revolts in Saint Domingue and Guadeloupe; whereas those in Berbice, Grenada, Jamaica, Suriname, Venezuela and the Windwards may have been home-grown.

The early nineteenth century saw no abatement; there was such vehemence and single-minded purpose in the revolts in Richmond, Virginia (1822), Demerara (1823), and Jamaica (1831).

Geographically separated and almost hermetically sealed by the rigidities of the institution, though, as in the case of Demerara, the activities of the London Missionary Society had

opened some information to the slaves, only the masters may have known about the global developments. Yet knowledge of external happenings may not have been critical. For, in the long course of human history, the irrepressible instinct to rise against tyranny and oppression has never been subdued. And if the Demerara-Essequibo slaves were unread, they certainly were not unlearnt.

That is why the colonial authorities, fully grasping the implications, reacted with such barbarity and savagery.

From time to time English colonial policy has displayed such inhumanities as is currently evident in the newly available documents, previously secluded for over six decades, on the Mau Mau uprisings in Kenya during the early 1950’s. (One report asserts that some documents on British Guiana in the early 1960’s are also at this previously undisclosed destination).

The decision to locate a Monument to this major revolt must be guided primarily by the evidence of history. Second, due respect ought to be given to the judgment of the citizens of African descent and the Organizations which represent them. Arbitrarily, to do otherwise, whatever misunderstandings and miscommunications are being claimed, will be another reminder of colonial attitudes and strengthen the apprehension that other speculative motives exist.

This year of anniversaries can also be one of national commitment.

On our part, citizens of African descent and their representative organization may find value in a commitment to accept any financial requirements to complete a commemorative project in a place of our choice, notwithstanding the fact that our ancestors have already fully discharged this undertaking.

Cedric L Joseph

The decision to locate a Monument to ...

seen as part of their punishment.

Mr. Abu Bakr also knows that the expression “illegal sexual intercourse” to which he refers and which is defined by the Arabic word zina, connotes consensuality and the willingness of two persons to engage in sexual intercourse, and covers both adultery and fornification. And since it does not mean rape, one is only left to conjecture whether there is such a thing as rape in Islam,as it is universally understood.

It is clear from the above then that it is not just a matter of this or that dress code. One has to be concerned with the reasons, implications and consequences of the assertion. This is why my entire being rebels against the notion that a modest dress prevents rape and an immodest one encourages the rapist. This is why also the “traditional Hindu practice” is in no way close to what is being advocated here.

Now speaking of truth, all sacred religious texts, including the Quran,that claim the status of divine “revelations” are revealed in a historical context, and have to be re-examined in the same light with the passage of time. If this were not so the religious text becomes meaningless across history. The Quran, as a claimed revelation, can only make sense in the

context of the Arab society as it existed then. On the other hand, if it were “revealed” in the dense equatorial forests of the Amazon, its content, not to speak of its language, would have been different.

Thus to claim finality of truth in fact turns out to be an assault on truth itself. Truth in the sense of the ultimate and eternal verity has to be both without beginning and without end. It is nonabsolute and open-ended and leading us on to greater depths and understanding.

It follows that no revelation is privileged, no source is privileged, and no prophet is privileged. We must question everyone and every book, and the more convinced believers are of their truth the more it should be subjected to the light of inquiry. No area should be exempt, not even the “nature of Allah.” For, if we are not free to question this, then we are not free at all.

A privileged, absolute, unique, and exclusive truth which we alone possess will lead us to denounce and persecute others.

Their burning will never cease as new skins will always be given to them in the eternal hellfire. After hunting down the animist, the pagan, the polytheist, the idolater, and the Buddhist and Hindu, we pursue the Jews and Christians.

Then, we will exclude Bahais, Ahmadis, and Shiites. And even among the believers there are those who lay claim to the pristine truth, so when all others are excluded, who will remain?

Thus we hold that truth is not what is given once and for all. It is a discovery, a quest. No single book, however sacred, privileged and unique its adherents believe it to be, exists or is likely to exist, that will completely and fully exhaust truth.

However the ultimate truth may be conceived or constructed there is always more to be said about it. We are still searching for the final definitive version of the truth.

Talking about physics, is not all science seen as a relentless search and inquiry into the ultimate nature of things?

If this were not so, quantum mechanics would not have been a reality and we would still be living in a Newtonian paradigm. The Copernican revolution would not have taken place and we would still in the age of Ptolemy, on a flat earth. We would not have been blessed with the likes of Einstein, Raman, Bose, Planck, Heisenberg, Chandrashekhar, and Salam.

Swami Aksharananda

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Sunday January 06, 2013

Sunday January 06, 2013

Kaieteur News

Page 9

Dem boys seh

PPPC is misleading Guyanese on the national security strategy Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee’s press conference on 31st December 2012 promised to make announcements on security reform. The public was presented instead with a selective review of some incremental security sector changes which, though necessary, are insufficient to reduce the incidence of the most violent and virulent crimes.

The Government of Guyana needs to introduce, as a matter of urgency, a serious security strategy to protect our citizens from criminal violence.

A Partnership for National Unity is of the view that the People’s Progressive Party Civic administration is misleading the public by fiddling with the security sector and playing with new labels instead of implementing ‘root-andbranch’ reforms.

Proposals have been made, for example, to change the names of the three services to the Guyana Police

Service, Guyana Fire and Rescue Service and Guyana Correctional Service, respectively. The nice new names will not necessarily improve the performance, enhance the professionalism or alter the public perception of these services.

It is clear, also, that some measures – re-introduction of two separate “E” & “F” Police Divisions; reintroduction of Traffic Wardens on the streets of Georgetown, reestablishment of an aeronautical branch and redrafting of a National Drug Strategy Master Plan – are not new at all. These existed before and were allowed to lapse or were changed without success.

Rohee’s statement seemed to suggest that the emphases of the reforms will be in four areas: Administration, aimed at strengthening the Administration of the Guyana Police Force with particular reference to standards for recruitment and retention of staff; Succession Planning,

aimed at developing a sustainable approach to succession planning with particular reference to career planning and retention of cadet officers; IntegrityProbity (professionalization), aimed at improving the Professionalism of the Force through strengthening its accountability and instigating a more rigorous approach to development of integrity; and Public Relations-Communications, aimed at developing a sustainable approach to public relationscommunications with particular reference to a modern and responsive approach to dealing with the media and other internal and external stakeholders.

The Partnership accuses Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee, of deliberately avoiding references to the high rate of armed robberies, contraband-smuggling, gunrunning, money-laundering, narcotics-trafficking, peopletrafficking, piracy and

banditry plaguing the country.

The Minister’s so-called ‘plan’ failed to provide assurances that human safety will be enhanced and police conduct and performance will be improved.

A Partnership for National Unity has studied Rohee’s statement and has determined that it would not be in a position to endorse or support the proposals without examining the CapitaSymonds consultancy Report which seemed to be the basis of those changes.

APNU demands, therefore, that the Capita-Symonds Report – which was handed over to Rohee 22 months ago in March 2011, and now forms the basis of the new ‘plan’ – be laid before the National Assembly.

It should also be published in the media so that the public could read its contents and assess its relevance to crime fighting and the improvement of the (continued on page 10)

Garbage coming out of Irfaat mouth Everybody know that de mayor is de biggest thing in a city. He got power. In New York de Mayor was suh big that he nearly tun de president of de United States. He decide who gun be Police Commissioner and things like that.

But Guyana is a different story. De Commissioner would lock up de Mayor if he sneeze in de wrang direction. He ain’t even control de city because de Minister got to tell he staff wha fuh do and who fuh pay.

Now Irfaat telling people fuh tek way de city. He use de word adopt parts of de city. It got to be somebody step child he talking bout because he want people fuh remove de garbage that pile up.

Now dem boys seh that when Irfaat talk bout cleaning up de city he got to fix he mouth.

He got to get a toothbrush and all that it tek to get a clean mouth. In short, dem boys seh that he got to lead by example.

But another man seh that if people follow Irfaat example then dem gun have more house than people. Everybody gun have three of four house that mean more garbage fuh de poor city council. That is wha he probably got in mind when he call on people to adopt parts of de city.

And dem, have people who siding wid he. Dem is de people who don’t pay dem rates and taxes. Instead, dem does pay dem junkies to dump garbage all over de place.

But people seh that it good fuh Hammie because he was de first one to hug up Irfaat when de man get de wuk. He is also de man who does see people dumping garbage and all he does do is tell de people fuh pick it up and carry it somewhere else.

That is how dem does mek money—move garbage from one place to another and then move it back.

But dem boys want to know how come Donald can allow people like Irfaat to talk bout controlling de city. Like he is now de new president.

Dem boys seh that Donald got to watch heself.

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Kaieteur News

PPPC is misleading Guyanese...

From page 9 efficiency and effectiveness of the Guyana Police Force.

APNU points out that there has been no shortage of so-called plans for security sector reform by the PPPC administration over the past 12 years. These efforts, however, have been deliberately derailed and not one of them has been fully implemented. Some of these plans are: · 1999. The British Regional Adviser, Paul Matthias, visited Guyana, conducted a study of policing and produced a report making recommendations for improvement. · 2000. The British Department for International Development-funded consultants “ Symonds Group Limited “ released their report on the Guyana Police Force in November 2000. · 2002. President Bharrat Jagdeo promulgated a “menu of measures” claiming that they would improve the police force’s crime-fighting capacity.

Jagdeo actually went to London to meet the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police to seek British assistance. · 2003. The British government sent the Defence

Advisory Team to Georgetown to conduct a study of the security sector.

The team’s report recommended measures to enhance the Police Force’s capability. · 2004.

The Disciplined Forces Commission, under the chairmanship of Justice Ian Chang, presented its report to the National Assembly containing 164 recommendations for the Police Force and other security sector reforms. · 2005. The British Scottish Police College conducted a series of management training programmes. It presented the Guyana Police Force Strategic Plan in partnership with the Inter-American Development Bank as part of the Guyana Citizens Security Programme. · 2006.

British Parliamentary UnderSecretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Baroness Valerie Amos, and President Jagdeo agreed to a Statement of Principles which formed the basis on which the British Department for International Development proceeded with a fresh consultancy. A new British-funded security sector reform team visited, in

October 2006, and integrated various local and foreign initiatives into a holistic strategy.

The PPPC administration adopted a Citizen Security Programme which was to be funded by a US$19.8 million loan from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). · 2007. British High Commissioner, Fraser Wheeler, and Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon, signed an Interim Memorandum of Understanding for a Security Sector Reform Action Plan in August 2007. · 2009. The British Government decided to abandon the negotiations with the Guyana Government of Guyana for the £ 4.9M Security Sector Reform Action Plan in the face of unprincipled resistance by the PPPC administration to previously-agreed guidelines. · 2010.

Clement Rohee stated: “Guyana has no desire to have any resident experts in our country at this point in time [nor] …in the not too distant future either…We have enough experts here in Guyana in the police force, in the security sector…So we don’t need a foreign expert to come and tell us… In fact

we have already gone a very far way with the reforms so I don’t know what we need an expert to tell us about…when it comes to bringing experts to Guyana for the security sector that is a no go.” · 2011. The British consultancy firm - CapitaSymonds - presented the final draft of the strategic plan for the modernisation of the Guyana Police Force to the Home Affairs Ministry, on Thursday 29 March 2011. · 2012.

Clement Rohee made a statement to a Press Conference, on 31st December 2012, outlining recommendations contained in the Capita-Symonds Report.

A Partnership for National Unity makes it clear that it supports the implementation of a serious security sector reform programme to enhance human safety.

The Partnership iterates its previously-stated support for reforms based, essentially, on the recommendations of the Disciplined Forces Commission and the Security Sector Reform Action Plan both of which the People’s Progressive Party Civic administration failed to implement over the past nine years.

Sunday January 06, 2013

Toddler undergoes kidney surgery and recovering

Little Emanuel Pratt recovering shortly after surgery.

Last February, Tessa Pratt did what any mother would do for her child who was in urgent need of a kidney surgery.

Mrs. Pratt began pleading with members of the public for financial assistance for her then two-year-old son, Emanuel Pratt, who was diagnosed with a swollen right kidney and multiple cysts in the other kidney.

Members of the public responded to her cry for help.

They were able to assist Mrs. Pratt and little Emanuel raise some $2 M for the much needed surgery.

Mrs. Pratt and her son were able to travel to Trinidad

last July to begin preparation for what she thought would have been corrected with one surgery. After going into operating theater on three separate occasions little Emanuel is now back home and is recovering well.

Little Emanuel is now three years old and is leading a healthy life. He is even more active than he was before surgery. For this his relatives are extremely thankful for all those who supported in whatever little way.

In the meantime the toddler remains on medication and will soon have to return for medical checkups in Trinidad.

Sunday January 06, 2013

Kaieteur News

Page 11

Guyana Marriott costs three times more than Jamaica - Govt. remains mum on investors Construction cost of the Guyana Marriott hotel is more than three times the comparative cost of a Jamaica Marriott.

The cost for constructing the Guyana “Marriott” Hotel and Casino is projected as at almost US$60 million, while the Jamaican project has been announced at US$23 million.

Guyana projects to build 197 rooms while the Jamaican project is 130 rooms.

Using the Jamaican cost, the comparative cost for Guyana project should be in the vicinity of US$35 million.

Taking the average cost per room, if one were to use the overall cost in Jamaica and divide it by the projected number of rooms, it would mean that the cost per room is US$176,923.

The comparative price in Guyana should be the same. But, Guyana is building a room for US$294,416.

I n t e r n a t i o n a l construction companies peg an average cost for a 130room hotel at US$22.8 million which matches the Jamaica project cost. According to one analyst, “Guyana defeats logic in its projection of costs on its projects.”

The Guyana “Marriott” project should be cheaper than a comparative Jamaican projects for many reasons including the low labour cost and the free land. It must be noted that the Jamaica cost includes the cost of land whereas in Guyana the land is Government-owned and therefore would be free to the Government project.

Despite pressure by opposition parliamentary

An artist’s impression of the Marriott Hotel rooms, it is strange that government is insisting that the Guyana “Marriott” hotel is viable, but it is refusing to make public the studies which

QUICK FACTS · Jamaica project - US$23M versus Guyana project US$58M · Average cost per room in Jamaica - US$176, 923 verses Guyana cost US$294, 416 · Guyana’s project cost is 152 per cent more than Jamaica · Jamaica project is privately funded (private equity) versus GOG investment Full disclosure on Jamaica project, little disclosure on Guyana project parties and a Parliamentary motion to halt Government funding for the project, the government is stubbornly pushing ahead with the project.

With existing hotels in Guyana struggling to fill their

justify the project.

The government is so far using tax dollars to fund the project. It has already handed over US$10million (G$2 billion) to SCG Shanghai Construction Group International (Trinidad and

Man held for father’s murder Forty-year-old, Roy Moses, of Dredge Creek, Pomeroon River, remains in police custody, as a key suspect in his father’s murder.

Police on December 26, last discovered Moses floating in the Pomeroon River with a deep wound to his neck.

A post mortem report revealed that Moses died as a result of an injury to the neck (wound).

In police possession is also the alleged murder weapon, which has been named as a chopper.

Cindy Moses is maintaining her father, Steven Moses, was murdered. According to Moses she recalled her mother, Evelina Moses, leaving their Dredge Creek home with her, for her sister’s residence, several miles from where they lived.

Moses added that her father and her brother Roy Moses were imbibing alcohol but that her father was not heavily

intoxicated at the time she left for her sister’s residence.

Moses added that upon her return home she did not see her father. When her mother returned home she heard noises emanating from her yard and went across to investigate.”

He must be dead.” Those words, Moses said her mother overheard. But Moses said luck was not on her family’s side and after intense searches by family members, her mother, Evelina, discovered her father’s clothes at their landing early the following morning.

Moses said that the next day the police discovered her dad floating in the Pomeroon River with a wound behind his neck.

Moses said that police have held her brother for the past three days with no indication as to whether he will be charged for her father’s suspected murder.

Organisation aids released prisoners Seventeen prisoners, who were all held for committing non-violent crimes, had their requisite fines paid by Food For The Poor (Guyana) Incorporated.

The 17 prisoners, who were released in time to spend the previous Christmas holidays with their families, were targeted from

Georgetown, New Amsterdam, Lusignan and Timehri prisons.

According to a release by FFTP, 11 of the 17 prisoners released are between the ages of 18 and 30.

The prison release programme is held twice annually, at Easter and Christmas, commencing in

Guyana in 2005. Previously it was held once per year, at Christmas.

President and CEO of Food For The Poor, Robin Mahfood, in a message to the prisoners who were released said, “The Gospel message calls us to do this work. God is releasing you. We are just doing his work.”

Tobago) Ltd, which was awarded the contract to build the hotel. Private investors are expected to contribute US$27 million.

The government has some special arrangement that guarantees the private investors that they would get their money if the project folds.

So, if in a scenario where the project fails and the value of the property depreciates to a value below what the investors have plugged, then the investors will get back their money, and there would be nothing to return to NICIL. Taxpayers’ dollars would go down the drain.

The government will participate in the project, by way of equity, in the sum of US$4 million. This will be committed through NICIL, one of the investment arms of the government which holds its assets.

The equity contribution determines the government’s strength in Atlantic Hotels Incorporated – the company created to see the project through. As it stands, the government is currently the sole shareholder in the company.

However, apart from the equity contribution, financing for the project would also come from “subordinate loan

stocks” of US$15 million invested by NICIL. Adding the US$2 million, NICIL will end up spending in development costs for the project, including design and other preliminary studies altogether, US$21 million into the project.

So, in total, the amount of money the government is pushing into the project is just about what the Jamaica hotel project is costing, a n d j u s t a b o u t what it should cost in Guyana to complete the project, industry experts say.

The additional US$40 million remains a mystery to everyone.

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Sunday January 06, 2013

Sunday January 06, 2013

Kaieteur News

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$254M “illegal” transfer to NICIL…

APNU prepared for more Rohee-like sanctions against other MPs A determined Opposition in the National Assembly has signaled its intentions to bring more sanctions against Members of Parliament (MPs) unless there is strict adherence to how public monies are being spent.

Shadow Finance Minister of A Partnership For National Unity (APNU), Carl Greenidge, also made it clear that the coalition is exploring options in changing a number of legislations to ensure the system of fiscal accountability is strengthened in Guyana.

Greenidge, himself a former Finance Minister under the PNC regime, was at the time referring to reports that Government may have recently “illegally” transferred $254M from the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) to National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL).

The commission is charged with collecting taxes and royalties, as the regulatory body, from the mining and other natural resources industries. The monies are reportedly for the maintenance of interior roads.

APNU and the Alliance For

Change (AFC), which combined to have a one-seat majority in the National Assembly, insisted that they have no problems with monies being spent to repair interior roads.

Rather, it is transfer of the $254M that has them smarting.

NICIL is a state-owned private company which does not fall under the oversight of the National Assembly.

Both the government and the opposition have been battling over NICIL for a while now. Government says that NICIL is private and therefore its revenues do not have to be deposited to the Consolidated Fund, the central account where state revenues are placed.

However, the Opposition has been arguing that NICIL’s funds are state monies and therefore should fall under the oversight of the National Assembly.

NICIL, whose board is chaired by Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh and include a number of Government Ministers, has been under the spotlight for a while now for the billions of dollars it controls.

There have been endless questions over how the monies are being spent but

Government has refused to relinquish its control.

Government has since said that some US$20M ($4B) will be invested in the Marriott Hotel planned for Kingston, a project which also is under fire.

According to Joe Harmon, another senior APNU Parliamentarian, the $254M would have followed another transfer back in August for over $500M. According to Greenidge, APNU is not aware that NICIL has the mandate to build roads. “I suppose the legislations setting up NICIL allow transfers to be made but there is supposed to be logic to such transfers. NICIL was originally established to receive the resources from privatized agencies. Now, it seems that NICIL is receiving resources from anywhere in the state to do what it likes.”

Greenidge was convinced that the ruling party deliberately wanted no public scrutiny.

“NICIL’s directors are the representatives of Government.

The government in turn has to come to Parliament and be supervised. We don’t know whether tenders have been

Accounts Clerk challenges Local Government Ministry Although the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development has issued a letter of termination to Troy Isaacs, an Accounts Clerk attached to the Georgetown Municipality’s Treasurer’s Department, a letter from his lawyer is insisting that such an action is not possible.

The letter of termination dated December 28, 2012 has implicated Isaacs in mismanagement allegations at City Hall which saw the termination of several top City Hall officials including the Acting Town Clerk, Yonette Pluck-Cort; City Treasurer, Andrew Meredith; City Engineer, Gregory Erskine and Director of Solid Waste Management, Hubert Urlin.

The correspondence, which was brought to the attention of this publication, states that the action followed an investigation requested by the Local Government Minister and authorised by the Auditory General.

The investigation was conducted by staff of the Audit Office of Guyana in relation to specific allegations of mismanagement of the city entity and embodied in the

...hires lawyer to fight termination Burrowes Implementation Committee Report of June 4, 2012.

The Report was prepared by economist Ramon Gaskin who was able to detect several serious breaches of the financial and other related regulations and acts of irregularities as well as instances of negligence and incompetence.

Moreover, the correspondence went on to state that “the evidence provided in the Report has revealed inter alia, several acts of transgressions committed by you during the course of execution of your normal duties as Accounts Clerk...”

Isaacs’s transgressions, according to the correspondence, entailed the encashment of cheques using the Council’s revenue.

Investigations, the Local Government correspondence added, revealed that “you would col l e c t w o r k e r s ’ weekly pay cheques from them and encash same at the Council’s cashiers for a commission/fee. This happened when the cashiers had insufficient

cash or were closed.”

Further, it was revealed that a total of 475 cheques totalling $8 million for the period January to December 2011 were deposited into Isaacs’s account.

But the man’s lawyer, Mortimer Coddett, in a legal response to the Ministry stated that “I wish to bring your attention to the common phrase which is popular in Guyana ‘If you ain’t hire, you can’t fire’.”

Coddett went on to outline that since the Ministry was not responsible for the hiring of Isaacs it can in no way seek to terminate his employment.

He also went on to lash out at the encashment of cheques statement stressing that “this statement is somewhat vague because it is open to several interpretations some of which infer fraudulent behaviour which has not been established.”

Against this background, Coddett informed that his client still considers himself employed by the municipality and is therefore expecting to collect his salary for the month of January 2013.

AFC’s Leader, Khemraj Ramjattan Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh

APNU’s MP, Carl Greenidge

put out for the road works.

We don’t know whether the monies are yielding the best returns. As a matter of fact, we won’t know. From what we see of NICIL so far, it is simply operating as a device to bypass Parliament.”

Greenidge admitted that while Parliament does not have a police force and its powers are limited, APNU is moving to make some legislative changes to force

compliance.

“So when a Minister gets an instruction from the House not to do A, B, C and D, he will ignore these at his or her own peril. We have done it before. We will take actions and we are serious.”

Last week, an official of the Ministry of Natural Resources, which oversees GGMC, said that the monies are for interior roads and that the Cabinet of Ministers had

authorized it. It was not the first time that such transfers have been done, this publication was told.

The $254M transfer was revealed by AFC’s leader, Khemraj Ramjattan last week.

According to Ramjattan, the monies should rightly go to the Consolidated Fund, where all revenues for the state are controlled.

“To place these monies elsewhere is a breach of financial regulations of the country. The government is fully aware of this.”

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Kaieteur News

OAS anti-corruption mechanism begins analyzing new group of countries

Immigration INFO Immigration News For Our Community

Resolving Problems at the U.S. Port of Entry Attorney Gail S. Seeram Since 9/11, there has been heightening security at the airports and U.S. port of entries.

Though many travelers feel safer at the airports and on airplanes, there are a few travelers that are harassed at the borders and delayed during their course of travel. Some common complaints include watch list issues, repeatedly referred to secondary screening at the port of entry, an inability to print electronic boarding pass, and unfair treatment by officers.

In response to traveler complaints, the Department of Homeland Security has implemented DHS TRIP or Department of Homeland Security Traveler Redress Program. Through DHS TRIP, passengers complete an inquiry form that can be submitted on-line or by mail.

Supporting documents must be mailed to DHS TRIP within 30 days of the on-line filing or with your paper inquiry form. Once the inquiry form and supporting documents are received, then DHS TRIP will process your request.

Visit www.dhs.gov/trip for further information on filing an inquiry form.

The following topics are also discussed on the DHS TRIP website: Redress Control Number: When you submit your DHS TRIP inquiry form, the DHS TRIP system automatically assigns you a Redress Control Number. You will be able to use this number to track the status of your inquiry. After your inquiry is

completed, you will also be able to use the number when you make an airline reservation.

When you make an airline reservation, provide your redress number when requested by your travel arranger or airline representative, or when prompted by an interactive reservation system. This will enable your airline to determine quickly your identity and reduce the likelihood of mistaken identity during future trips.

Government Watch list( The U.S. government does not reveal whether a particular person is on or not on a watch list. If the government revealed this information, terrorist organizations would be able to circumvent the watch list’s purpose by determining in advance which of their members were likely to be questioned or detained.

Many people erroneously believe that they are experiencing a screening delay because they are on a watch list. In fact, such delays are often caused merely by a name similarity to another person who is on the watch list.

Ninety-nine percent of individuals who apply for redress are not on the terrorist watch list, but are misidentified as people who are. DHS TRIP can help resolve inconveniences resulting from name similarities by providing a Redress Control Number that allows systems to prevent such misidentifications from

Sunday January 06, 2013

Gail S. Seeram recurring.

When Should You Use DHS TRIP? DHS TRIP can help you work to resolve travel-related issues when ?

You were not able to print a boarding pass from an airline ticketing kiosk or from the Internet; ?

You were denied or delayed boarding; ?

A ticket agent “called someone” before handing you a boarding pass; ?

You were told your fingerprints were incorrect or of poor quality, your photo did not match the travel document, your personal information was incomplete or inaccurate or you are on the “No Fly List”; ?

You want to amend a traveler record because of an overstay as a result of not submitting the required I-94 when exiting the United States or ensure your biometric record created in US-VISIT is removed from Department of Homeland Security systems; ?

You believe you were unfairly detained during your travel experience or unfairly denied entry into the United States or the U.S. government’s record of your personal information is inaccurate.

The Organization of American States (OAS) has begun the process of analyzing a new group of countries — Chile, Colombia, Guatemala, Panama, Uruguay, and Venezuela — as part of the fourth round of the Mechanism for Follow-Up on the Implementation of the Inter-American Convention against Corruption (MESICIC) of the OAS, which aims to analyze the legal and institutional frameworks of each country, their adaptation to the InterAmerican Convention against Corruption and the objective results achieved.

The analysis of this process began with the sending of the responses to the questionnaire by these countries on December 12, 2012, and will include “on site” visits in April 2013.

The next six “on site” visits will be added to the previous ten that were performed in 2012 in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, P a r a g u a y, P e r u , a n d Trinidad and Tobago, in which interviews were carried out with more than one hundred government officials from more than 60 public institutions responsible for preventing, detecting, punishing and eradicating corruption.

In addition, the Technical Secretariat of the Mechanism, under the Department of Legal Cooperation of the Secretariat for Legal Affairs of the OAS, has also concluded the preparation of the preliminary reports of the second group of states, composed of Argentina, Costa Rica, Honduras, Peru

and Trinidad and Tobago, which will be considered by the Committee of Experts of MESICIC at its next meeting in March 2013.

The Mechanism for Follow-Up on the Implementation of the InterAmerican Convention against Corruption (MESICIC) is a tool created to foster the development of the Inter-American Convention against Corruption, through “peer” cooperation between Member States to the Mechanism.

The incorporation of onsite visits as a stage and an integral part of the process of analysis is an innovative development in the field of the OAS that has further strengthened this mechanism of reciprocal analysis between states.

Man robs former national boxing champion A man who allegedly took the chance of breaking and entering the dwelling house of former national boxing champion and World Title contender, Howard “the Battersea Bomber” Eastman, and escaping with close to $1M worth in items was on Friday granted bail in the sum of $200,000.

Leamont Leacock, 27, of Angoy’s Avenue, New Amsterdam Berbice, appeared before Magistrate Adela Nagamootoo at the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s court and pleaded not guilty to the charge of break and enter and larceny.

… placed on $200,000 bail Corporal Orin Joseph, the prosecutor, said that the accused knew Eastman and that Leacock once lived at Eastman’s house.

He stated that between Wednesday December 12 and Friday December 14, 2012 at West Canefield, East Canje, Berbice, Eastman secured his house and went out.

Some time between that time the bandit broke into the dwelling house and stole one Desk Top Computer, one Panasonic Amplifier, one digital camera, one cordless

telephone, 2DSL modems, one computer wireless modem, one car device, and one Apple computer.

When Eastman returned, he noticed a window open and upon checking he discovered the items missing. A report was made to the police and following investigations the accused was arrested and charged.

He hadn’t any money to post bail and was taken to prison. He will have to return to court on January 23.

Judge dismisses Opposition’s ...

From page 3 Guyana Lottery Company for the conduct of a lottery in Guyana to be paid into the Consolidated Fund.

Secondly, the motion sought to clarify whether the monies received by the government from the Guyana Lottery Company Limited ought to have been paid in the past and ought to be paid in the future into the Consolidated Fund.

It had also asked for a declaration that the failure of the Government to pay into the Consolidated Fund all the monies received from the Guyana Lottery Company Limited (GLC) under the said agreement is unconstitutional and illegal.

The Court, in dismissing the matter, found that the deposit of the monies in the Development Fund of Guyana (Lotto Fund) is in accordance with Article 216 of the Constitution, the provisions of the Fiscal Management and Accountability Act and the Lotteries Act, thereby vindicating the Government’s position.

The administration hopes that this would put this matter to rest. Trotman plans to appeal the decision.

Sunday January 06, 2013

Government has denied any prior knowledge of the state of affairs which led to the demise of Chartered Airline Service, EZjet, and has instead pointed accusing fingers at the media for helping to deflate the operations of the airline.

Minister of Public Works, Robeson Benn, on Friday criticised reportage about the airline charter service ahead of its collapse even as he emphatically stated “...you shot it down. I am saying that the timing and the way it was done...you linked it to the operations which was unfortunate; that is the position I will continue to hold.”

The Minister was at the time alluding to the embezzlement allegations against Chief Executive Officer of EZjet, Sonny Ramdeo, who is currently before a Florida Court to answer fraud charges.

Benn contended that criticisms of Ramdeo led to the collapse of the airline. He

Kaieteur News

could not explain how media reports from a small country could influence the people who were providing credit to Ramdeo.

Ramdeo had secured credit long after the media questioned his financial security and his credentials to operate an airline.

Benn’s remarks came at a press briefing at the Fort Street, Kingston, Georgetown, Public Works Ministry on Friday.

According to the Minister he is of the firm belief that the attacks on EzJet, coming at the time that they did in the press, were perhaps unwarranted and are perhaps still unwarranted.

He insisted, too, that the attacks on the chartered airline occurred at the low point in the season when cash flow for all the airline operations to Guyana was affected.

It also came at a time when people had stopped travelling as much resulting in immediate demands of upfront payments from service providers including those responsible for fuel, ground handling

...claims media attacks were unwarranted services and food, said the Minister. “All of those things are what killed the operations,” stressed the Minister.

“It is my belief that cash flow would have been in a better position in December and now than at that time and we might have survived...Guyanese would have been able to travel cheaper to Guyana,” said the Minister.

He contended that EZjet was responsible for transporting more than 63,000 new passengers during its operation.

“It was a saving to those persons and there was a tremendous increase of Guyanese from the Diaspora coming to visit their friends and families, some who didn’t come back to the country in 20 or more years.”

In amplifying his displeasure over the discontinuation of the airline service, the Minister asserted that even if a boss of a company is implicated in such an affair it does not mean that the

NAMILCO’s boss elected President of region’s milling body

NAMILCO’s Bert Sukhai (left) with the other elected executives of the Caribbean Millers’ Association (CMA).

Managing Director of the National Milling Company of Guyana, Bert Sukhai, was last month elected President of the Caribbean Millers’Association (CMA).

According to the association, the elections took place during the body’s 16th Annual General Meeting (AGM) at La Creole Beach Hotel and Spa in Guadeloupe over two days from December 4, 2012, under the theme “The Future of Flour Milling: A More Inspired Approach to ValueCreation”.

Representatives from some fourteen mills in thirteen countries- Barbados, Belize, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago participated.

Jocelyn Mire, Vice President of the region, emphasized the need to produce a quality product as customers become more demanding.

Jean-Michel Penchard, Vice President of the Guadeloupe Chamber of Commerce, noted the challenges facing the business climate in Guadeloupe and expressed an interest in becoming more involved in the Caribbean region.

He said that the Chamber recently celebrated 80 years of existence.

Several international companies also made presentations on the future of the milling industry.

Concern was also raised on the influx of frozen dough in the region and its preferential treatment. According to CMA,

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overall, the region is suffering the effects of the recession in the developed world, but most have managed to maintain economic stability.

CMA is now seeking to become a member of the region’s trade arm, CARICOM’s Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED).

In addition to Sukhai, the other executives of CMA elected are Karlene Nicholls, Sales Manager, ADM Barbados Mills Limited and Tom Sowden of Kansas City Bags as the 2nd Vice President.

The Secretary/Treasurer remains Derrick Nemhard, General Manager of the Jamaica Flour Mills.

The 17th AGM will be held in the Dominican Republic in December 2013.

service must come to an end.

He explained that “even if a corporate person could do something in a company which could be illegal and punishable he could be held accountable for that but the company continues.

My interest is that the company and the operations continue because it was a benefit to Guyana...”

But Benn did not realise that EZjet was a one-man company headed by Sonny Ramdeo. It was only after Ramdeo got caught up in the fraud that he said that there were others in the airline. And to this day the others remain unnamed.

“Benn’s criticism of the media stems from a blinded desire for cheap airfares that would boost Guyana’s image.

He wanted to report that many people are coming to Guyana because of confidence in the country.

He wanted to promote cheap politicking even though the airline was being operated by a crook,” said one airline operator.

Minister Benn has insisted that currently there is no possibility of resuscitation for the failed Airline Service whose operation came to a

screeching halt during the latter part of last year. He has in fact vocalised that the company is “dead, it is finished...There is nothing that we can do at this point in time...it has been killed off.”

The Minister turned his attention to satirical presentations that were recently published, which according to him, criticised his style of dealing with the whole licensing process of the now flopped airline service.

“I repeat that the Government of Guyana through the Ministry and the Civil Aviation Department did all the requisite reviews and assessments with respect to the licensing of the EZjet operations,” insisted the Minister.

These processes, he said, were no less than what was done for another failed airline service, RedJet, and other such operators including Caribbean Airlines which had applied to Government for new routes.

The procedure for licensing an airline here is in fact on par with what is required by the United States Department of Transport and Transport

Canada, said the Minister who pointed to the fact that those bodies have significantly more resources than Guyana.

The eager move to license Ezjet, the Minister said, was critical to have low cost competitive airline traffic to Guyana particularly for the Diaspora and for business interest even as he noted that the Sonny Ramdeo incident is in fact a different matter.

“We are not aware that at any point whether there might have been any corporate or malfeasance or other issues, which are yet to be tested in the courts, but I am not defending it one way or the other...,” said the Minister “Whether there is a flowthrough somehow improperly moving of funds from other places that was not an immediate issue and we could not have been aware of it with respect to licensing of the airline.”

Minister Benn sought to reject what he described as “suggestions trying to link the positions that I took on this matter at the time.”

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Kaieteur News

Sunday January 06, 2013

Conflicting reports surround child assault in Chinese store

By Rehanna Ramsay As the saying goes there are two sides to every story.

The reported assault of an 11year-old girl by two Chinese nationals last Friday is no different. However debate continues to surround the issue.

The child, a West Ruimveldt Primary School student, accompanied by her grandmother and uncle came forward to give her side of the story. The girl told this newspaper that contrary to initial reports that she was accused of stealing a pair of jeans, the child claimed that she was nowhere near any jeans.

“Me grandmother left me in the store and gone to collect money to buy bread and she tell me go and see fu any cheap tights I got to get for school.”

The girl said that she was browsing around looking for the item when a swimsuit fell from a rack. As she bent over to pick up the item, a Chinese woman ran up to her, physically attacked her and accused her of stealing. “She scramble me kemar and kick me in my belly and back and spit pon me and the (Chinese) man come. He hold me and

Alyssa Ren

Sino mall owned by the Chinese Nationals bounce me head to the wall” “She tell me that I come fu thief because I got on a kemar.

She said that is a mask. I start cry and people come fu help and two people come fu help me.”

By this time, the girl said that a crowd started to converge to the scene and her uncle who was also in the vicinity also came to her rescue.

The man, Eon Thompson,

said that he had to force his way into the building as the Chinese had blocked the entrance of the store to keep out the crowd.

“When I got into the store this Chinese woman claim that my niece went upstairs in her house and try to harm her baby. But even if she ain’t find she with nothing she gon beat de child and spit pon she?”

According to the man the police were summoned before the angry crowd could have got hold of the Chinese couple. The obviously offended man said that his niece was taken to Brickdam Police Station and later to the

Georgetown Public Hospital.

There, a medical certificate was issued in her name. The child sustained injuries to her head, elbow and back.

“We went to Brickdam but the station doctor say that he ain’t find no serious injury. When we went to Georgetown Hospital the Doctor issued a medical showing her injuries which although are not life threatening, could cause disfigurement.”

A still irritated Alyssa Ren, owner of the Sino Store, said that she found the child under her bed at the third floor of the building.

“Me store is downstairs, middle floor is storage bond and top floor I live. Around 12 0 clock I went upstairs to feed me babies. One is oneyear-old and the other two and half. I find this girl in my house and me beat her but not so bad and she tell me not to call the police.”

“I was in shock and angry.

Me throw she down and beat she and my husband come

Grandmother Doreen le Fluer and try separating me from her. I was angry because I left my two babies upstairs alone and I come and find this stranger in my house.”

The woman claimed that she was not able to search the girl or inquire what she was doing in her home because the police came and they were taken to the Station.

“The police charge me and my husband because the little girl tell them that we both beat she but they no ask the little girl no question. They charge me for doing the right thing.”

Ren claimed that when she returned to her store someone had broken into it and stolen goods, money computer and surveillance cameras. She estimated her losses to be over $1.4 million. The couple was placed on $10,000 station bail each. They are scheduled for court on Tuesday.

CB&R Mining, Aruwai Inc and Bartica Lions Club treat Barticians - more than 2000 children, senior citizens, receive gifts, monetary awards In what was described as truly giving and sharing, a former teacher and now a successful businessman, Mr. Chunilall Babulall, and his companies CB&R Mining and Aruwai Inc. in collaboration with the Bartica Lions Club successfully concluded its second annual Christmas Day treat.

This event saw residents, among them the elderly, disabled and children from 11 riverain communities being served a lunch and Christmas goodies while the elderly and some of the older children received monetary gifts.

Among those present were Fr. Malcolm Rodrigues, former Region Seven Chairman, Mr. Hilbert Knights; Regional Chairman Mr. Gordon Bradford; executives and members of the Central, West Demerara and Bartica Lions Club’s and staff and management of

CB&R Mining and Aruwai Inc. Mr. Gordon Bradford invited father Malcolm Rodrigues to pray and bless the family and members of the two businesses, and a man whom he described as the true son of the soil of Bartica, Mr. Chunilall Babulall.

Father Rodrigues asked the children to sing a verse of the Christmas song ‘Oh come all ye faithful”. They complied and shouted cheers to Babulall and family for hosting them to this treat.

The host of the event Mr. Chunilall Babulall thanked all those who came.

He recalled three years ago on Christmas Day while in the United States of America where he was sitting flipping his television channels, he saw a number of organizations hosting large numbers of people on Christmas Day to lunch. He noted that this struck him.

He said that there and then he made a commitment

to return to Guyana and do this for the people of Bartica and its environs.

On return to Guyana, he spoke to his family and could not wait for December 25 to arrive. He teamed with the Bartica Lions club to make it a signature event in Bartica, Guyana and on the Lions club of Guyana calendar of events.

President of the Bartica Lions Club Lion, Calment Young, commenting on the activity, said that the Bartica Lions Club is heartened to be associated with the CB&R Mining, Aruwai Inc. and Mr. Chunilall Babulall and family in hosting and making such an event successful.

Young noted that Mr. Babulall has always been supportive to any event for the development of the community of Bartica as his companies have provided employment to hundreds of Guyanese and have made a significant impact on all sectors of development on Guyana.

Sunday January 06, 2013

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Sunday January 06, 2013

HOW TO LIVE LONGER AND HAPPIER IN THE NEW YEAR

By Ralph Seeram On the stroke of midnight on Old Year’s Night I was on my computer in bed, I refused to turn on the TV to the view the celebrations welcoming the New Year. It was as if I was in some sort of denial that a new year has dawned on us. That is unlike me, it is a departure of how I traditionally spend Old Years

Night.

I always had to go out to a party and made sure I only return home at daylight.

Sometimes your host insists you don’t leave, I recall one party where the host “closed her doors” to prevent her guests from leaving before daylight.

So why was I in bed and refused to see the dawn of a new year? I tried to reflect on

reasons, and tried to make sense of it. I realize as one gets older one’s perspectives and priority in life change.

I looked up on contacts on my phone to call at midnight and realized there are a few who cannot accept calls where they are. They have moved on beyond this world. That was a troubling; you never know if you or your loved ones or friends will be around to celebrate another new year. I made it a point years ago not to have

enemies, or hold grudges against anyone. If I have a disagreement with anyone, I always make sure it ends on a pleasant note.

Too often we engage in “I don’t talk to him/her anymore” and hold grudges.

I know of many cases where people were not on speaking terms but ended up crying uncontrollably over the person’s coffin. I can tell you of a particular case where many children were not speaking to their mother, but

ended up crying hysterically when she was about to be buried.

It is something we should all think about; it’s no point crying over the dead body.

Wouldn’t it been better if they had made peace before the person became deceased?

So my reluctance to greet the new year was not so much of the challenges the new year would present, but to live a fruitful life that would be beneficial not only to myself, but to my relatives and friends in the New Year.

My goal this year is to do the things I want to do. I am a great procrastinator, and I aim to change that this year. I am going to do the things I have been postponing, through the years. Travelling is high on the list. I am going to live life for today, not tomorrow; tomorrow never comes.

Too often we get caught up in the accumulation of material things and money, completely forgetting what life is all about. On Christmas Day some friends of my daughter were viewing a montage of pictures taken from previous trips to Guyana.

One picture caught their attention. It was a picture of three young boys no more than seven or eight years old holding a fish they had caught.

It was a cat fish about two to three feet. They went to the koker aback of Smythfield in New Amsterdam fishing.

What caught the guest’s attention was the clothing.

Their clothes were tattered and clearly not their size. One of the boy’s entire clothing consists of a woman’s blouse.

That they were from a poor family was no question, but the radiant smiles told how happy they were; poor but happy.

That simple photograph became the topic of conversation on Christmas Day. My daughter’s guests became reflective of their life and what we should all be thankful for. That simple picture became a reference point for them to wonder what life is all about. Is it about happiness or wealth?

I recently came upon an article in an AARP magazine

on ten tips or resolutions for a healthy life. What was surprising was none of it included drugs or medicine.

Guess what the first tip was?

Throw a party, maybe not literally but to keep social connections with friends, family, neighbours or colleagues. Yes social ties can make you live happier and live longer. The next tip did not surprise me; adopt a pet, and we are not talking here of how some people in Guyana treat dogs and cats. According to the article, people who own pets have healthier hearts and pay fewer visits to the doctor; they have lower blood pressure, and especially with dogs they help provide exercise.

When I come home the first person that greets me is the love of my life, my cat Chelsea. If I am stressed or in a bad mood, as soon as I lift her up, cuddle her and have a few kisses I melt like ice cream in hot sun. She has a calming effect.

Pets are now taken to senior citizens’ homes as part of a therapy for senior folks.

The rest of health tips may be surprising. Those of you who love chocolate should not feel guilty anymore; it’s good for the heart and helps lower blood pressure. And I may add that a cup of cocoa does the same.

While I keep away from caffeine it says that coffee has some medical benefits; so too does a glass of red or white wine or a bottle of beer daily. I am sure the next recommendation will surprise no one. Sex; sex among other things relieves stress and depression.

It releases endorphin that reduces anxiety.

Others on the list include listening to your favourite music, take a mid afternoon nap, enjoy the outdoors like fishing, cycling going to the park, anything that keeps you in touch with nature, and keep you away from too much household chemicals.

The article concludes with the ultimate suggestion, “spending time doing exactly what you want”.

Ralph Seeram can be reached at email: ralph365@hotmail.com

Coalition to host ‘An Afternoon of reflection’ The Coalition of The 1823 Parade Ground Monument has arranged ‘An afternoon of reflection and knowledgesharing’ for today, at Independence Park (Parade Ground), Georgetown. The event will commence at 12:00 hrs and is estimated to last for three hours.

Guyanese historians and cultural workers will interact with the public to commence

a process to fill the knowledge gaps in Guyanese history as it relates to the resistance of African people used as slaves on the British plantations in Guyana.

There will be a special focus on the Demerara Revolt of 1823. The session will be interactive and include dramatic readings. Our African ancestors will be honoured through a Libation.

Sunday November 11, 2012

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Venezuelan VP says…Chavez can be sworn in by Court CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez can take the oath of office for his next term before the Supreme Court at a later date if the ailing leader isn’t fit to be sworn in next week, his vice president said.

Vice President Nicolas Maduro sent the strongest signal yet that the government may seek to postpone Chavez’s inauguration as the 58-year-old president fights a severe respiratory infection more than three weeks after undergoing cancer surgery in Cuba.

Maduro’s position in a televised interview on Friday night generated new friction between the government and opposition over the swearingin, which the constitution says should occur Thursday before the National Assembly.

Some opposition leaders have argued that if Chavez doesn’t make it back to Caracas by that date, the president of the National Assembly should take over as interim president.

Such brewing disagreements were expected to be aired on Saturday as the National Assembly, which is controlled by a pro-Chavez majority, prepared to convene to choose its president and other legislative leaders.

Maduro’s comments shed more light on potential scenarios. If the government succeeds in delaying the swearing-in and Chavez’s

condition improves, the president and his allies could have more time to plan an orderly transition and prepare for a new presidential election. If Chavez dies or is declared incapacitated, the constitution says that a new election should be called and

Jamaican Gleaner Jamaica Flour Mills has increased the prices of flour.

The price of baking flour has gone up eight per cent, while counter flour has been increased by seven per cent.

The increases took e ff e c t on M o n d a y, December 31st.

Jamaica Flour Mills said the increases are influenced by the continued devaluation of the Jamaican dollar and the

rising cost of wheat on the global market.

Meanwhile, a 45 kilogram bag of baking flour is now being sold for $3,500, while the same amount of counter flour is being sold for $3,450.

And a 45 kilogram bag of all purpose flour is being sold for $3,480.

There have also been increases in the prices of the other products sold by Jamaica Flour Mills.

In this photo provided by Miraflores Presidential Press Office, Venezuela’s Vice President Nicolas Maduro holds a miniature copy of Venezuela’s constitution as he gives an interview on state television in Caracas, Venezuela. (AP Photo/Miraflores Presidential Office)

Flour prices increase in Jamaica

Grenada politician resigns after domestic violence charges ST GEORGE’S, Grenada - CMC - The main opposition New National Party (NNP) says it will soon announce a caretaker replacement for the St David constituency after Gabriel Henry resigned after appearing in court earlier this week on domestic violence related charges.

“The New National Party caretaker for the constituency of St David has tendered his resignation to the Executive Branch of the Party. His resignation has been accepted and recommendations for a replacement caretaker will be made by the Constituency Branch shortly,” the party

said in a statement.

Henry appeared in court on Wednesday charged with using a dangerous instrument in assaulting a female companion.

He is on EC$6,000 bail and is to appear in court on January 7.

T h e N N P, w h i c h i s preparing for a general election that Prime Minister Tillman Thomas has already acknowledged, would be held this year, said “as a general point of p o l i c y, categorically denounces any acts of violence, particularly against women, regardless of circumstances”.

held within 30 days.

The National Assembly president chosen on Saturday could end up being the country’s interim president under some circumstances. Anyone elected by the Chavezdominated legislature is expected to remain loyal to the president.

But Information Minister Ernesto Villegas reiterated on Saturday that Chavez is still in office, saying in comments reported by the state news

agency that “Chavez has won a thousand battles and has reappeared when no one expected.”

Speaking on television, Maduro held up a small blue copy of the constitution and read aloud passages as he argued that opponents were using erroneous interpretations to try to drive Chavez from power.

“They should respect our constitution,” the vice president said. “The formality of his swearing-in can be resolved before the Supreme Court of Justice, at the time (the court) deems, in coordination with the head of state, Commander Hugo Chavez.”

Maduro echoed other Chavez allies in suggesting the inauguration date is not a firm deadline, and that the president should be given more time to recover from his cancer surgery if needed.

“Maduro’s comments are not surprising.

The government holds all the cards in the current situation, particularly given the compassion for Chavez’s serious illness.

It has interpreted the constitution loosely, to its own political advantage,” said Michael Shifter, president of the Inter-American Dialogue think tank in Washington. “In this way Maduro is able to buy some time, assert his authority and rally support within Chavismo. He puts the opposition on notice and throws it off balance.”

Chavez was re-elected in October to another six-year term, and two months later announced that his pelvic

cancer had returned. Chavez said before the operation that if his illness prevented him from remaining president, Maduro should be his party’s candidate to replace him in a new election.

Maduro reiterated on Friday that the president is fighting a “complex” battle for his health but expressed hope that eventually, “we’ll see him and we’ll hear him.”

“He has a right to rest and tranquility, and to recuperate,” Maduro said.

“The president right now is the exercising president. He has his government formed.”

Maduro read a portion of the constitution detailing procedures for declaring an “absolute absence” of the president, which would trigger a new election within 30 days, and declared that “none of these grounds can be raised by the Venezuelan opposition.”

The Venezuelan Constitution says the presidential oath should be taken Jan. 10 before the National Assembly.

It also says that if the president is unable to be sworn in before the Assembly, he may take the oath before the Supreme Court, and some legal experts have noted that the sentence mentioning the court does not mention a date.

Others disagree. Ruben Ortiz, a lawyer and opposition supporter, argued that the inauguration date can’t be postponed.

If Chavez is not in Caracas to be sworn in on Thursday, Ortiz said in a phone interview, “the president of the National Assembly should take

charge.” He added that “there is a formal separation between one term and the other.”

Shifter said the opposition is on the defensive, with its only tactic being to insist that Jan. 10 is the established date.

“Chavez controls all the key institutions, and it’s doubtful that most Venezuelans will get too upset about defying what seems a fairly minor constitutional provision,” Shifter said.

“Attacking the government because it has no objection to the Supreme Court swearing in Chavez after Jan. 10 is not exactly a winning political strategy for the opposition.”

A delay also serves the government’s purposes, Shifter said.

“The government wants more time, whether to see if Chavez gets better, or to consolidate their ranks and further splinter and demoralize the opposition.”

Chavez hasn’t spoken publicly or been seen since his Dec. 11 operation. The government revealed this week that Chavez is fighting a severe lung infection and receiving treatment for “respiratory deficiency.”

That account raised the possibility that he might be breathing with the assistance of a machine.

But the government did not address that question or details of the president’s treatment, and independent medical experts consulted by The Associated Press said the statements indicated a potentially dangerous turn in Chavez’s condition, but said it’s unclear whether he is attached to a ventilator.

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T&T unemployment system needs overhaul - Minister Trinidad Express - The 5.1 per cent unemployment rate in the country does not represent the reality of the situation, says Labour Minister Errol Mc Leod.

He was responding to questions at the post-Cabinet news conference at the Office of the Prime Minister, St Clair on Thursday.

He said the system by which the unemployment rate was determined needed to be overhauled.

“I think it is safe to say that the system that is now employed…doesn’t really represent the truth of the situation.

That needs to be overhauled, there are many people who have become disgusted, they have become fed-up and they stop looking for work. They are not considered in the number but they are unemployed and they have to eat,” said Mc Leod.

Economists like Indera Sagewan-Alli continue to dispute the jobless figure in the country, suggesting that temporary work programmes distorted the true unemployment rate in the country.

Mc Leod also announced that Attorney General Anand Ramlogan has been mandated

by Cabinet to draft legislation for improved compensation for employees who are injured on the job.

An international labour expert was hired to conduct consultations with various stakeholders and a draft policy was produced, he said.

Cabinet approved that the draft policy be sent to the Attorney General to establish new legislation to govern employment injury benefits to employees.

Mc Leod noted that in November 1960 the Workmen’s Compensation Act was enacted and this Act was reviewed as part of the labour legislation reform project.

He said while this legislation brought “reasonable” benefits to employees, economic changes over time had devalued the impact and relevance of the existing Act. Mc Leod said the new draft policy proposes: • The new legal framework for employee injury benefit ought to provide employment

injury benefits to all people in an employment relationship with an employer and all people in a state of dependency of a deceased employee.

• Cash benefits and medical benefits are to be improved and new legislation should provide for periodic review of cash benefits to take into account cost of living increases —Such benefits be in harmony with the benefits from employers’ insurance payable under the National Insurance Act. • The Industrial Court established by virtue of the Industrial Relations Act Chapter 88:01 be answered to adjudicate any claims arising thereunder the period within which an action for employment injury benefits can be initiated being extended from one year to four years from the date of the accident • The list of occupational diseases for which employment injury benefits can be claimed be extended in alignment with those prescribed under the Occupational Safety and Health Act.

Sunday November 11, 2012

Canada reviewing aid commitment to Haiti The future of funding for new aid projects in Haiti appears to be cloudy following a report that Ottawa was freezing money to the Caribbean country.

On Friday, Montreal’s La Presse published a story quoting International Cooperation Minister Julian Fantino as saying that he was disappointed at what he considered the lack of progress in Haiti during his November visit there.

According to La Presse, Fantino said that his department would continue to fund programs in Haiti that are already underway, but that funding for new projects was “on ice” for now.

The article, written in French, was accompanied by a headline that said funding for new projects in Haiti is frozen.

But a statement released by the Canadian International Development Agency Friday said that the report’s headline was “not indicative of what was said by the minister.”

“The minister has made clear that Canada is reviewing its long-term engagement strategy with Haiti to maximize taxpayer dollars based on results achieved, lessons learned and the needs and priorities of the Haitian government,” it said.

“CIDA will continue to offer our support for the people of Haiti in response to their emergency needs should humanitarian crises arise.”

The department noted that Canada has committed more than $1 billion to Haiti between April 2006 and March 2012.

“Canada remains concerned with the slow progress of development in Haiti due to its weak governing institutions and corruption,” the department said. Haiti continues to struggle to rebuild following the 7.0 magnitude earthquake in 2010 that killed thousands, devastated infrastructure and displaced millions.

In a November telephone call with media during his visit to Haiti, Fantino told reporters that CIDA doesn’t exist to fund aid groups indefinitely and his job is to ensure Canadians get value for their overseas-development bucks.

Michaëlle Jean, Canada’s Haitian-born former governor

general who is a special envoy to Haiti for UNESCO, told The Canadian Press that she hopes Fantino’s funding freeze is truly just a temporary one.

But she acknowledged that donor countries must rethink how they allocate aid money in Haiti to ensure the long-term rebuilding process there is a success.

Fantino also remarked about the filth and garbage he saw during his recent visit and wondered how a country with so many unemployed people had not found a way to clean it up.

Jean believes it’s hurtful for Haitians to hear comments like this about the condition of the country.

“Where do you want them to find the means to do it?” she said. “You think it gives them pleasure to live with this garbage? No, not at all. On the other hand, they are overwhelmed.”

She added that tasking Haitians with the cleanup would be a good idea, but Haiti lacks the costly infrastructure to collect trash and dispose of it.

“I think Mr. Fantino has a good opportunity, now that he’s found the garbage situation shocking,” said Jean, noting that the Haitian government is working on a plan to clean up the country.

“Maybe it would be a good idea to help Haiti in waste management.”

(CBC News)

Barbados Nation - Former Governor of the Central Bank of Barbados, Winston Cox, isn’t happy with Governor Dr DeLisle Worrell’s recent clash with managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Christine Legarde, in Washington D.C. “I wouldn’t have done it,” said Cox, who headed the bank in the 1990s.

He indicated it was not what the Central Bank Governor said when he debated the issue with Legarde, a former minister of finance of France, about the fund’s economic policies in Barbados and the rest of the developing world but the circumstances that led to the heated exchange. Cox said that the “protocol” of such

World Bank/IMF meetings required that the ministers of finance speak at such sessions while their advisers defer to them when time came to make official statements.

“I would have allowed the minister (Chris Sincker) to take the floor,” said Cox. “The protocol suggested that would have been the way to go.”

Julian Fantino

IMF c lash ‘not g ood’ clash good’

Sunday November 11, 2012

Kaieteur News

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Bittersweet deal for cane farmers Jamaica Gleaner - Several cane farmers have been lamenting their loss of crop and financial investment due to an absence of water. The farmers are pointing their fingers at the Pan Caribbean Sugar Company, which operates the Monymusk sugar factory in that parish.

One farmer told The Gleaner of losing in excess of $600,000, money spent on clearing and tilling the acreage she had leased to go into sugar cultivation to supply the Monymusk sugar factory in Clarendon.

Barbara Johnson explained that her decision not to plant her first crop of sugar cane after realising that the estate owners, Pan Caribbean Sugar Company, were likely to renege on the contract to supply water proved to be correct. She would have lost much more money spent on planting and fertilising the crop, the businesswoman reasons.

Veteran cane farmer Granville Whitelock, who also leases land adjoining the factory, was not fortunate, as he lost an entire crop of seed cane, most of which did not germinate for lack of water. He also paid for the water in advance.

Clive Vassell is one of some 20 contractors who, prior to the Chinese takeover of Monymusk, loaded and hauled cane to and on behalf of the factory; but they now find themselves out of work.

Having being loaned $250,000 to repair his tractor, Vassell says he was advised three

days before the December 3, 2012 start of the crop that the factory would not need his services.

He and other friends who received similar loan deals are now concerned that, with no guaranteed income, they will be unable to repay these loans and the company will seize their trucks and tractors after they default.

These stories are typical of the harrowing experiences recounted by cane farmers and other people who have had to do business with the Chinese investors who bought Bernard Lodge estate in St Catherine, Frome in We s t m o r e l a n d and Monymusk in Clarendon. In addition, some have complained that the credit facility under which the estates usually advances money for replanting and input such as fertiliser has been put on hold.

Farmers vented their frustration at the recent AllIsland Jamaica Cane Farmers’ Association (AIJCFA) annual general meeting, demanding dual registration in order to bypass the long-standing arrangement with the Sugar Industry Authority (SIA) under which farmers in Clarendon, St Catherine and Westmoreland and Hanover are registered to sell their cane to Frome and Monymusk.

“If we are not getting a satisfactory response from them, then we are going to have to press for multiple registration where we can have the option, if it becomes

necessary, to sell our canes to different factories. We are serious about it,” one farmer insisted.

Meanwhile, Ambassador Derick Heaven, executive chairman of the SIA, has made a case for the Chinese to be allowed time to evaluate the longstanding practices between farmers and factories over the decades and decide if they want to continue with them.

He told The Gleaner, “If the Chinese were to come to Jamaica and do every thing along the lines that the former owners used to do, they wouldn’t last too long. But it is in their interest to ensure that whatever changes, it is done in manner where people understand it and where i t ’s not counterproductive.”

H o w e v e r, Allan Rickards, chairman of the AIJCFA, believes that the new owners of the factory are being disingenuous.

“There is nothing we are demanding now that Pan Caribbean did not know in the minister’s presentation at the signing of the agreement giving them the right to market their sugar.

The minister (of agriculture) made it clear that they would have to sign a contract with the farmers,” stated Rickards.

“This was to put in place with the transparency that now obtains in terms of the marketing of sugar by Jamaica Cane Products Sales Limited.”

People should choose new president says top nominee Trinidad Guardian - The president of the republic should be chosen by the people and not the Parliament, says Kenneth Lalla, SC, who is himself reportedly among the top nominees for the post of head of state.

This would require constitutional reform, however, and until such time the procedure will have to be followed as set out in the constitution, Lalla added. He said the election of the president by the existing procedure is a foregone conclusion.

PNM MP Colm Imbert agreed, going so far as to say it was a “pretence” and “farcical.” Lalla said: “Basically, the appointment of the president is a foregone conclusion, because the party with the majority will get the president it wishes.” Lalla recommended a different system of electing a president in his book A Republic in

Kenneth Lalla Constitutional Transition (T&T).

“I recommended the president be elected by the people and not Parliament, and his term of office be four years, not exceeding two terms.” Does it make a

difference who is president?

Lalla believes the president generally acts in accordance with the advice of the Cabinet in power.

“The role of the president is merely ceremonial. While he is given certain powers under the constitution which he exercises independently of the executive, he generally acts in accordance with the advice of cabinet.”

He believes the president should be someone who has been out of politics for at least five years.

Lalla, a former MP under the Rudranath Capildeo-led Democratic Labour Party from 1966-1971, has served as chairman of several commissions, including the Regional Judicial and Legal Service Commission, and as a temporary judge. He said he was identified as a presidential candidate in 1997 and the role of president does not have any special appeal to him.

The poor state of the cane cultivated at Monymusk, one of three estates owned by the Chinese, has cane farmers puzzled. The crop has not been watered or fertilised.

Simpson-Miller to address the nation today KINGSTON, JamaicaPrime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller will address the nation today.

According to the Office of the Prime Minister, Simpson-

Miller will highlight some of the government’s achievements during its first year in office and set out key areas of emphasis for 2013.

The broadcast will be

carried on all major television and radio stations. The two major television stations will air the broadcast at 9:00pm while it will be aired on most radio stations at 8:00pm.

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Kaieteur News

Sunday November 11, 2012

Syrian army rockets Damascus rebel district BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Syrian army fired rockets at a district of Damascus on Saturday to try to drive out insurgents fighting their way closer to the seat of President Bashar al-Assad’s power.

As a conflict that has killed 60,000 people in 21 months shows no sign of abating, Syria’s deputy foreign minister visited Iran, seeking to maintain the support of Assad’s main ally in the region.

Iran’s Fars news agency said Faisal al-Makdad would meet President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and other Iranian officials.

Syrian state media said Assad would give a speech on Sunday morning about “developments in Syria and the region”, his first major public comments on the uprising since he told Russian television in November that foreign intervention would be a disaster for the Middle East, and vowed never to flee into exile.

Since then, rebels have brought the fight closer to the capital. On Saturday government forces fired rockets at Jobar, a Sunni

Free Syrian Army fighters run during clashes with forces loyal to Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad in Ouwayjah village in Aleppo. REUTERS/Zain Karam (SYRIA - Tags: CONFLICT)

enclave close to the center of Damascus, said Housam, an activist in the city. On Friday they had bombarded Daraya, a suburb in the east that is part of a crescent of rebel-held areas on the outskirts of the city.“The shelling began in the early hours of the morning, it has intensified since 11 a.m., and now it has become really heavy. Yesterday it was

Daraya and today Jobar is the hottest spot in Damascus,” Housam said by Skype.

Western countries have so far shown no appetite for military engagement in Syria of the sort that helped oust Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, but NATO is sending U.S. and European Patriot surface-to-air missile batteries to the Turkish-Syrian border.

The United States military said U.S. troops and equipment had begun arriving in Turkey on Friday for the deployment. Germany and the Netherlands are also sending Patriot batteries, which will take weeks to deploy fully.

Turkey and NATO say the missiles are a safeguard to

protect southern Turkey from possible Syrian missile strikes. Syria and its allies Russia and Iran say they could presage eventual military action by the Western alliance.

Syria’s war, the longest and deadliest of the conflicts that arose out of popular uprisings in Arab countries over the past two years, has killed at least 60,000 people, according to a United Nations tally released in recent days.

The war pits rebels mainly drawn from the Sunni Muslim majority against Assad, a member of the Shi’ite-derived Alawite minority sect, whose family has ruled Syria since his father seized power in a coup 42 years ago.

Syria’s SANA state news agency said a journalist, Suheil al-Ali from the progovernment Addouniya TV, had died of wounds sustained in an attack by terrorists, the term government media use to refer to rebels. Syria was by far the most dangerous country for journalists last year, with 28 killed.

The opposition-linked

Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the conflict from Britain through a network of activists on the ground, reported fighting and shelling on Saturday in the eastern Euphrates River town of Deir al-Zor and near the central city of Hama, as well as near Damascus.

The rebels have made big advances in the past six months, seizing swathes of rural territory in the north and east. However, their control over areas they hold is limited

by Assad’s air power.

Assad’s forces still control most of the densely populated southwest around the capital, the Mediterranean coast, the main north-south highway, and military bases across the country from which aircraft are able to strike at rebel-held areas.

The rebels appear to have failed so far to seize an air base at Taftanaz in the north after an assault in recent days; the base is still in government hands and Observatory chief Rami Abdelrahman said it had been quiet since Friday.

Obama Fears ‘Catastrophic’ Debt Fight HONOLULU - In his first weekly address of the New Year, President Obama touts the “fiscal cliff” compromise as “one more step in the broader effort to grow our economy and shrink our deficits” but warns that another “manufactured crisis” over the debt ceiling could wreak havoc on the economy.

Continuing his effort to frame the looming fight over the nation’s debt limit, Obama makes clear “one thing I will not compromise over is whether or not Congress should pay the tab for a bill they’ve already racked up.”

“If Congress refuses to give the United States the ability to pay its bills on time, the consequences for the

entire global economy could be catastrophic,” he continues. “The last time Congress threatened this course of action, our entire economy suffered for it.”

Speaking from Hawaii, where the president is vacationing with his family, Obama cautions that another “messy brinkmanship” in Congress would make business owners and consumers less confident.

By the end of February, lawmakers must deal with the need to raise the nation’s debt ceiling and tackle the delayed across-the-board sequester cuts.

Obama vows to do more to reduce the deficit but continues to insist that any

future spending cuts must be balanced with tax reforms.

“The wealthiest individuals and the biggest corporations shouldn’t be able to take advantage of loopholes and deductions that aren’t available to most Americans,” he says.

“If we focus on the interests of our country above the interests of party, I’m convinced we can cut spending and raise revenue in a manner that reduces our deficit and protects the middle class,” he concludes.

“These aren’t just things we should do, they’re things we must do. And in this New Year, I’ll fight as hard as I know how to get them done.”

(Reuters) - Work on China’s largest planned nuclear facility has restarted, state media said yesterday, a sign that the thaw in the country’s nuclear industry is gaining pace after it was frozen in response to Japan’s Fukushima atomic crisis in 2011.

Building of the Shidao Bay nuclear plant in coastal Shandong province, eastern China, resumed on December 21, Xinhua news agency reported.

Beijing - in common with many governments worldwide

- suspended work on nuclear projects after the Japanese earthquake and tsunami in March 2011 which triggered a radiation disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi reactor complex.

More recently it has softened its stance on nuclear energy. In October last year, China announced revised plans for the sector and said it would start approving new reactors, though at a slower pace than pre-Fukushima.

Before the Japanese disaster, many in the industry had expected China to set a

2020 capacity target of around 80-90 gigawatts (GW), but that target was scaled back to 58 GW. The Shidao Bay plant is expected to start supplying electricity to the grid by the end of 2017, and ultimately to have the capacity to supply 6,600 megawatts, Xinhua said.

Initial investment in the project, led by power producer Huaneng Power International Inc., is planned to be 3 billion yuan $481.52 million (299.6 million pounds), Xinhua said.

Work restarts on China’s biggest nuclear power plant – Xinhua

Sunday November 11, 2012

Kaieteur News

Violence in Northern Ireland for 3rd day over flag

Protestant Loyalist protestors converge on Belfast city hall yesterday.

(AP Photo/Paul Faith/PA) UNITED KINGDOM OUT BELFAST, Northern Ireland (AP) — Northern Ireland police used water cannons to fend off brickhurling protesters in Belfast yesterday as violent demonstrations over flying the British flag stretched into a third straight day.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland said it was investigating reports that a number of shots were fired at police lines. A 38-year-man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, police said.

More than 1,000 demonstrators marched on Belfast’s city hall earlier yesterday afternoon amid a heavy police presence. While

the rally passed largely without incident, police then came under attack from a mob of more than 100 people hurling bricks and fireworks.

Two men were arrested, police said.

Protesters have been out in force — with sometimes violent results — since a Dec. 3 decision by Belfast City Council to stop flying the British flag year-round.

Such issues of symbolism frequently inflame sectarian passions in Northern Ireland, where Protestants mainly want to stay in the United Kingdom and Catholics want to unite with the Republic of Ireland.

Many Protestants want the council to reverse its

decision about the flag, and dozens of police have been injured in ensuing demonstrations.

Saturday’s flare-up followed a tense Friday night in Belfast when nine police officers were injured and 18 rioters arrested during rioting.

Police said that more than 30 petrol bombs were thrown at officers, along with ball bearings, fireworks and bricks as they responded to clashes in Protestant sections of the city.

Similar clashes on Thursday saw 10 police injured in east Belfast.

The controversy has also seen death threats made against politicians.

CARACAS (Reuters) Venezuelan lawmakers reelected a staunch ally of Hugo Chavez to head the National Assembly yesterday, putting him in line to be caretaker president if the socialist leader does not recover from cancer surgery.

By choosing the incumbent, Diosdado Cabello, the “Chavista”-dominated legislature cemented the combative ex-soldier’s

position as the third most powerful figure in the government, after Chavez and Vice President Nicolas Maduro.

“As a patriot ... I swear to be supremely loyal in everything I do, to defend the fatherland, its institutions, and this beautiful revolution led by our Comandante Hugo Chavez,” Cabello said as he took the oath, his hand on the constitution.

He had earlier warned opposition politicians against attempting to use the National Assembly to “conspire” against the people, saying they would be “destroyed” if they tried.

Thousands of the president’s red-clad supporters gathered outside parliament hours before the vote, many chanting: “We are all Chavez! Our comandante will be well! He will return!”

TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - Honduras has removed its ambassador to Colombia amid reports his personal aide was involved in a wild party held at the embassy of Honduras in Bogota which, according to media, was attended by prostitutes and where cell phones and computers were stolen.

Ambassador Carlos Rodriguez quit his post

yesterday, Honduras’ foreign ministry said in a release, after the government requested his withdrawal.

Rodriguez’s personal aide went out with friends on December 20, picking up some prostitutes in Bogota’s red district before going to the embassy, where they consumed alcohol and trashed the facilities, El Heraldo daily reported.

It was not clear if

Rodriguez was present, but the ministry said an investigation was under way.

Last year, about a dozen U.S. Secret Service employees were accused of misconduct for bringing women, some of them prostitutes, back to their hotel rooms ahead of a visit to Colombia by President Barack Obama, in the biggest scandal to hit the agency.

Venezuela lawmakers elect Chavez ally as Assembly chief

Honduras removes its ambassador to Colombia amid party scandal

Page 23

Strong earthquake shakes parts of Alaska, Canada JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A powerful earthquake sparked a tsunami warning for hundreds of miles of Alaskan and Canadian coastline, but the alert was canceled when no damaging waves were generated.

The magnitude 7.5 quake and tsunami warning that followed caused concern in some coastal communities, with alarms sounding and people rushing to higher ground for safety.

But the Alaska Tsunami Warning Center later said the waves were too small to pose a threat, reaching just six inches above normal sea level in places such as Sitka and Port Alexander.

“Initially, in the first 15 to 20 minutes, there might have been a bit of panic,” Sitka Police Chief Sheldon Schmitt told The Associated Press in a phone interview. But he said things calmed down as the town waited for the all clear.

The temblor struck at midnight Friday (1 a.m. PST yesterday) and was centered about 60 miles west of Craig, Alaska, the U.S. Geological

Survey said.

The quake was followed by several aftershocks, including a 5.2 quake felt in southeastern Alaska and British Columbia.

“Houses shook; mine had things tossed from (the) wall,” Craig Police Chief Robert Ely said. But he added that there were “no reports of any injuries, no wave, no tidal movement seen.”

The tsunami warning was eventually expanded to include coastal areas from Cape Fairweather, Alaska, to the northern tip of Vancouver Island, Canada — an area extending more than 700 miles.

The center had warned that “significant widespread inundation of land is expected,” adding that dangerous coastal flooding was possible.

In its cancellation statement, the center said that some areas were seeing just small sea level changes.

“A tsunami was generated during this event but no longer poses a threat,” the center said.

The Alaska Earthquake Information Center said the quake was widely felt but it received no reports of any damage.

“It was the most intense earthquake I’ve felt in my 10 years here. I’m pretty sure there was stuff falling off of shelves,” Chief Schmitt said.

“There is no report of any wave activity here.”

He said that an evacuation sirens and announcements came shortly after the quake, prompting the temporary rush to higher ground.

Some people in Craig also moved to safer territory.

“Several citizens elected on their own to move to higher ground. Several locations in Craig were set up for staging (and) shelter,” said Chief Ely, adding that “no evacuation was ordered.”

In addition to the warning, a tsunami advisory was briefly in effect for some Alaska coastal areas to the north of the warning zone, as well as to the south of the zone, from the Washington state border to the northern tip of Vancouver Island.

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Kaieteur News

Fugitive Saddam deputy lends support to Iraq Sunni protests (Reuters) - The most senior member of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein’s entourage still at large has urged Sunni Muslim antigovernment protesters to stand their ground until Shi’ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is toppled.

Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri heads Saddam’s Baath party, which was banned after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 that overthrew the Sunni strongman and empowered majority Shi’ite Muslims.

Over the past two weeks, tens of thousands of Sunnis, some waving Saddam-era flags, have staged demonstrations in a show of anger against Maliki, whom they accuse of marginalising their community and monopolising power.

“The people of Iraq and all its nationalist and Islamic forces support you until the realisation of your just demands for the fall of the Safavid-Persian alliance,” said Douri, addressing the protesters in footage broadcast on Alarabiya television.

Safavid is a reference to the ruling dynasty of Shi’ite Iran from the 16th to 18th

centuries that at times also controlled parts of modernday Iraq.

Since Maliki came to office in 2006, Iraq has edged closer to neighbouring Iran, which wields strong influence over several Iraqi Shi’ite parties.

Surrounded by men in military uniform, Douri said the Baath party leadership was considering launching a campaign to “justly and decisively” punish civilians and soldiers who supported what he described as Iran’s “Safavid project” for Iraq.

“It is a clear plan to destroy Iraq and annex it to Iran,” he said. “We warn those traitors, agents and spies ... who support the dangerous project ... that the national resistance will confront them before Maliki and his evil alliance”.

The authenticity of the video could not be verified.

Douri said he was speaking from the Iraqi province of Babil.

Influential Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, a rival to Maliki who has voiced support for the Sunni rallies, said Douri and his followers were agents of the United States and Israel and urged

protesters to denounce him.

“If the government is not able to seriously and urgently capture (or kill) him, this will be our job, we the soldiers of God upon earth,” he said in a statement on his website.

Douri, seldom seen since 2003, was the deputy head of Iraq’s Revolutionary Command Council under Saddam, and took over the Baath Party leadership after Saddam was executed in 2006.

After the 2003 invasion, he was ranked sixth on the U.S. military’s list of 55 most wanted Iraqis and a $10 million reward was offered for his capture. U.S. officials accused him of organizing the insurgency that peaked in 2005-07.

The conflict in neighbouring Syria, where a Sunni-led insurgency is fighting to remove a leader backed by Shi’ite Iran, is whipping up sectarian tension across the region and straining a precarious political balance between Iraq’s Sunni, Shi’ite and Kurdish factions.

That has raised concern about a relapse into intercommunal slaughter in Iraq just over a year since U.S. troops withdrew.

Sunday November 11, 2012

Rebels in C. African Republic seize another town

Several hundred protesting merchants, one holding a placard using the french acronym of the country’s name, hold a demonstration calling for peace as negotiators prepare for talks with rebels from the north, in downtown Bangui, Central African Republic yesterday. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis) BANGUI, Central African Republic (AP) — Rebels in Central African Republic seized control of another town yesterday, just days before they are to begin negotiations with the government in nearby Gabon.

Alindao town was taken by rebels of the Seleka alliance, who now control 11 cities and towns, according to residents of a nearby community.

“In the early morning hours the attackers burst into Alindao without meeting any resistance from the Central African armed forces,” said Jean Balipio, speaking by telephone from the neighboring town of Bangassou.

Alindao is not on the path to Bangui, the capital of 700,000 which is heavily fortified by Chadian troops

and other forces sent from neighboring countries.

Alindao is located about 75 miles (120 kilometers) from Bambari, the third largest city which is already under rebel control.

The insurgents have taken 11 towns and cities within a month. They had previously said they would halt their advances pending talks with President Francois Bozize’s government, which are set to begin in Gabon on Tuesday. The new move by rebels on Saturday casts doubt on the possible success of the talks. Already the rebels said they are seeking Bozize’s departure but the president said he does not intend to leave office before his term ends in 2016.

On Friday, the United Nations Security Council urged the rebels

to withdraw from the towns they hold and take part in the negotiations in Libreville, Gabon “without preconditions and in good faith.”

Pakistan’s U.N. Ambassador Masood Khan, the current council president who read the press statement, was asked whether the talks would definitely take place given uncertainty about participation of all the rebels in the alliance and other groups.

Seleka, which means alliance in the local Sango language, is made up of four separate groups which have previously fought one another. Bozize has offered to form a government of national unity but the rebels have questioned his sincerity and demanded that he relinquish power.

Netanyahu’s rivals eye centre-left pact for Israel vote JERUSALEM (Reuters) Three Israeli parties on Saturday proposed forming a center-left opposition bloc to try to topple conservative Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the January 22 election, but disagreements over the terms suggested any pact could be elusive.

Former foreign minister Tzipi Livni, head of the centrist Hatenuah party, said on Twitter that she and leaders of the centrist Yesh Atid and left-leaning Labour parties would “discuss the creation of a ‘united front’ to work together to replace Netanyahu”.

Opinion polls suggest the three parties could collectively win about 37 of parliament’s 120 seats, more than the some 35 seats projected for Netanyahu’s rightist list and potentially enough to form the next Israeli coalition government.

Livni’s proposed partners agreed to meet her in the coming days but quickly disagreed over whether the center-left should remain open to the idea of being part of the ruling coalition.

A unity government with Netanyahu has been ruled out

by Labour, whose leader, Shelly Yachimovich, said this week she intended either to be the next prime minister or to sit in opposition.

By shunning any future partnership with Netanyahu, challengers could “plant enormous hope in the heart of the public ... and bring about grassroots mobilization for a determined and spirited struggle,” Yachimovich said in a statement on Saturday.

“A unified move by ... all those who seek to change the government will be real and meaningful only if such parties act as we did,” Yachimovich said.

Describing Netanyahu’s re-election as a foregone conclusion, Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid said he wanted the center-left to be open to the idea of joining the coalition so as to offset the premier’s religious-nationalist allies.

“Let’s create a taking-theinitiative bloc, to create a unity government,” Lapid said on Channel Two television.

Livni has cast herself as an alternative to Netanyahu but stopped short of saying she would not join him in government.

Netanyahu, in his second term as premier, takes credit for the relative stability of the Israeli economy and appeals to the Jewish state’s burgeoning religiousnationalist sectors by championing the settlement of occupied land. He has taken a hawkish line on the Palestinians and Iran but avoided major wars.

Sunday January 06, 2013

Kaieteur News

Page 25

Immune system ‘booster’ may hit cancer Two white blood cells attacking a cancer

Vast numbers of cells that can attack cancer and HIV have been grown in the lab, and could potentially be used to fight disease.

The cells naturally occur in small numbers, but it is hoped injecting huge quantities back into a patient could turbo-charge the immune system.

The Japanese research is published in the journal Cell Stem Cell. Experts said the results had exciting potential, but any therapy would need to be shown to be safe.

The researchers concentrated on a type of white blood cell known as a cytotoxic T-cell, which can recognise telltale markings of infection or cancer on the surfaces of cells. If a marking is recognised, it launches an attack.

Teams at the University of Tokyo and the Riken Research Centre for Allergy and Immunology used advances in stem cell technology to make more Tcells.

One group extracted Tcells which targeted a patient’s skin cancer. Another group did the same for HIV. The next step will be to test whether these T-cells can selectively kill tumour cells, but not other cells in the

body” These T-cells were converted into stem cells, which could dramatically increase in number when grown in the laboratory. These were converted back into Tcells which should also have the ability to target the cancer or HIV. NEW WEAPON? The groups have proved only that they can make these cells, not that they can be safely put back into patients or that if would make a difference to their disease if they did.

Dr Hiroshi Kawamoto, who worked on the cancer immune cells at Riken, said: “The next step will be to test whether these T-cells can selectively kill tumour cells, but not other cells in the body.

“If they do, these cells might be directly injected into patients for therapy. This could be realized in the notso-distant future.”

Dr Hiromitsu Nakauchi from the University of Tokyo said it was “unclear” whether this technique would help in treating HIV and that other infections and cancer may be a better place to start.

‘VERY EXCITING’ Experts in the field said the

findings were encouraging.

Prof Alan Clarke, the director of the European Cancer Stem Cell Research Institute at Cardiff University, said: “This is a potentially very exciting development which extends our capacity to develop novel cell therapies.”

He said it was important that cells could be tailored for each patient so there would be no risk of rejection.

Other experts said the findings were still at an early stage, but were still very promising and represented a strong foundation for future research. However, Cancer Research UK said it was still too early to know if any therapy would be safe.

Prof Sir John Burn, from the Institute of Genetic Medicine at Newcastle University, said: “This is a very appealing concept and the research team are to be congratulated on demonstrating the feasibility of expanding these killer cells.

However he added: “Even if these T cells are effective, it could prove very challenging to produce large quantities safely and economically.

“Nevertheless, there is real promise of this becoming an alternative when conventional therapies have failed.”

Dermatitis can lead to fingerprint ID failures Adults with excessively dry hands were four times more likely than healthy counterparts to fail computerized fingerprint verification tests in a small new study from Malaysia.

“Because of the emerging use of biometrics in daily living, I think hand dermatitis is an upcoming problem,” said lead author Dr. Lee Chew Kek, a dermatologist at UCSI University in Kuala Lumpur.

“This can have effects on the economy, jobs and security.”

Fingerprints are still the most common unique personal trait used to identify an individual.

Other measurable unique biological features include the iris of the eye and even keyboard typing patterns. Analysts have projected that the global biometrics market will be worth $16 billion in four years.

Cracked or swollen skin can disrupt the unique crevice pattern found within individuals’ thumbprints, which are increasingly used for security checks at banks or to access buildings.

According to an earlier study from Denmark, an estimated 15 percent of people worldwide will suffer from hand dermatitis - skin inflammation usually caused by an allergic reaction.

Lee told Reuters Health she provides hospital verification for patients who cannot have biometric data encoded into a computer chip on their Malaysian national identity card, called MyKad, because of unreadable fingerprints.

To the authors’ knowledge, no previous study has investigated how often dermatitis patients fail fingerprint tests.

The research team recruited 100 patients with dermatitis affecting either thumb and 100 participants with healthy fingers as a comparison group. All

participants possessed readable MyKad cards.

Each patient had three attempts with each thumb to get an accurate match with a fingerprint scanner that processed the images and linked them to MyKad data.

Twenty-seven of the 100 dermatitis patients failed fingerprint verification tests compared to only two participants in the comparison group.

Eighty-four in the patient group had areas on their thumbs where prints were missing or skin appeared mottled due to rough skin. The larger the area of so-called dystrophy, the more likely a patient was to fail the test.

Abnormal white lines in the prints caused by wrinkles or cuts were found in both groups. However, when white lines appeared in prints, dermatitis patients had a greater number of them.

Researchers guessed that the cuts may ruin the pattern of tiny ridges within thumbprints.

Despite the limited size of the study, published in the Archives of Dermatology, the subject is important for dermatologists to be aware o f , s a i d D r. P i e t e r- J a n Coenraads of the University of Groningen in the Netherlands.

“Human biology is a lot more variable than security authorities would like to believe, I think,” said

Coenraads, who was not involved with the study.

“Dermatitis is one of the many factors which can certainly affect fingerprint image quality,” Steve Fischer, spokesman of the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services division told Reuters Health in an email.

Disruptions in fingerprint images do happen in the FBI’s Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System, which maintains more than 70 million print records, he said.

The FBI processes an average of 160,000 fingerprints each day with approximately three percent rejected due to poor image quality, Fischer wrote.

The division doesn’t have a record of how many disruptions are attributable to dermatitis.

Since hand dermatitis is not a rare problem, “there may be a significant number of individuals who will be handicapped by fingerprint technology,” explained Dr. Bruce Brod of the University of Pennsylvania, who was not involved with the study.

Though most hand dermatitis can be resolved with topical creams, people who have allergic contact dermatitis - like the majority of patients in this study - may struggle with constant exposure to irritants in the workplace, according to researchers. (Reuters Health)

New Research Gains Ground in Understanding Infertility For many, a substantial part of the American Dream is to marry, settle down, and have a family.

But for an estimated 10 percent of couples, a part of their dream becomes a nightmare when they find themselves unable to have children due to infertility issues of either or both prospective parents.

However, new hope for forward advancement in battling infertility has sprung from the research of an international team that has

discovered how a human egg catches a sperm in the fertilization process.

Results of the new study, led by Professor Anne Dell from the Department of Life Sciences at Imperial College London, have shown that a sugar chain called the sialyllewis-x sequence, or SLeX, is responsible for egg/sperm binding since it is highly abundant on the egg’s outer coat.

The sugar molecule makes the outer layer of the egg “sticky,” which allows the egg

and sperm to bind. Dell was joined in the research by a team of researchers from the college, as well as teams from the University of Missouri, the University of Hong Kong, and the Academia Sinica in Taiwan.

Although researchers have known for years that proteins on the head of sperm are able to find and identify an egg by a variety of sugars contained in the egg’s outer coating, until now it has remained unclear as to which specific sugar molecule led to

an egg match, allowing the outer surfaces to bind together before merging, and leading to the sperm releasing its DNA to fertilize the egg.

Regarding the breakthrough, Dell said, “Unraveling the composition of the sugar coat that shrouds the human egg is the culmination of many years of painstaking research by mass spectrometry colleagues at Imperial.”

She commended the team of researchers by saying, “This endeavor was an

enormously difficult task because human eggs are very tiny—about the size of a full stop—so we didn’t have much material to work with.”

Couples facing infertility can experience extreme emotional and physical stress, and the inability to start a family can wreak havoc on a marriage.

Women who are unable to conceive suffer depression, and may feel shame because they are unable to do what millions of other women do so easily—have a child. In the

United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that among women ages 15 to 44, about 7.3 million (11.8 percent) have an impaired ability to have children and have turned to infertility services in hopes of conceiving a child.

The number of married women in the same age group who are considered infertile (unable to get pregnant for at least 12 consecutive months) totals approximately 2.1 million (7.4 percent).

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Sunday January 06, 2013

Sunday January 06, 2013

Kaieteur News

Some of the movie items on display that are to be shown.

SUNDAY SPECIAL POLICE TO SPLIT INTERIOR DIVISION WITH TWO SEPARATE COMMANDERS After long and careful deliberations, the Guyana Police Force is finally contemplating a return to the pre- 1992 position by splitting the large interior division into two separate divisions.

Senior sources in the force have said that instead of the one E&F Division, there will now be two separate divisions headed by two separate Commanders.

For quite awhile it was argued that the current E&F Division, which covers Region One, Seven, Eight, Nine and 10, was too large to be effectively controlled by one Commander, whose office is located at the Police Headquarters, Eve Leary.

Under the proposed new structure, E Division will now encompass, Linden, Kwakwani and other parts of Region 10 with the Commander being based at Linden.

The F Division will cover the other interior locations including Regions One, Sections of Region Seven, Region Eight and Region Nine. This newspaper was informed that Senior Superintendent of Police, Owen Trotz, will head the Region 10 ‘E’ Division, while Senior Superintendent Ramsey is touted to be the Commander of ‘F’ Division and will be operating from Georgetown.

The current Commander of the Interior Division, Assistant Commissioner Gavin Primo, will be retiring soon.

US$2M “AVINASH THEATRE” ENTERTAINMENT COMPLEX OPENS The landscape of Water Street, Georgetown has been transformed as the new US$2M Avinash Entertainment Complex was

formally opened last week Saturday (December 29).

Upon eventual completion in approximately two years’ time the Panday family members, who are the proprietors, would have spent US$4M on the multicomplex.

The ‘Magic of Movie’ theatres will show movies 50 times bigger than the screen at home, and there will be 300plus seats for patrons who want to use the theatre and another drive through theatre that caters for 130 vehicles.

“Guyanese can now enjoy the long missed cinemas, which were enjoyed by the older parents and siblings, almost two decades ago. It will be a new experience for many Guyanese to look at a show with actors 20 times larger than life,” proprietor Malcolm Panday said. “The state-of-the-art theatre is comfortable, air conditioned and equipped with all the modern technologies one can have in other developed countries. These include a top-of-the-line surround sound system.”

Admission will be $500 for adults and $300 for children.

The two cinemas are located in the Panday’s shopping mall currently under construction at Lots A & B Water Street, Georgetown.

MONDAY EDITION APNU NOT STALLING LOCAL GOVT. BILLS DAVID GRANGER Opposition Leader David Granger has refuted Local Government Minister Ganga Persaud’s claim that his party is responsible for local government bills being stuck at the select committee.

Granger said that he has denied the statement in its entirety.

According to Granger, on the last sitting of the National Assembly on December 20th 2012, at a meeting of the members of the Special Select Committee on the local

government Reform Bills, under the chairmanship of Raphael Trotman, Mr. Basil Williams was elected chairman of the said committee ahead of the minister.

Granger said that with the Yuletide season (Christmas) being at hand, Parliament was adjourned to the 3rd of January, 2013. He said that as a result, members returned to different parts of Guyana and abroad.

The APNU has maintained that with an interview with the Stabroek News, Mr. Basil Williams told the reporter that on the resumption of the National Assembly, he would call the first meeting of the Committee.

Granger said that it was fallacious to assert that the local government reform bills were stuck in the Select Committee when the Assembly has been adjourned to a date after the Christmas season. He said that his party has always dilated on the fact that the PPP/C government is responsible for the nonimplementation of local government reform in Guyana.

According to Granger, for over a decade the PPP/C government has had custody of the process of introducing local government reform, but failed to do so.

He said that likewise, the PPP/C had custody of the said local government bills in the ninth Parliament and only passed into law one of the five bills. Granger further noted that he hoped that the negative utterances of the Minister were not the precursor of a plan of noncooperation by the PPP in the Select Committee under the new chairmanship.

TUESDAY EDITION TWO POLICE OFFICERS CHARGED FOR BELGRAVE KILLING After much delay over the

Page 27

controversial shooting death of Dameon Belgrave, two police officers finally appeared before Magistrate Sueanna Lovell on a charge of manslaughter in relation to the October 5 killing of the 21year-old Lethem resident.

Belgrave was shot in the vicinity of White Castle Fish Shop while police ranks were in hot pursuit of suspected criminal elements who were occupying a white motor car, the suspect turned out to be an unlicenced teenage driver.

Police constables Sheldon Williams, 34, of Coldingen, East Coast Demerara, and Errol Williams, 41, of Glasgow Village, East Bank Berbice, yesterday, faced the court to answer a charge for the unlawful killing of Belgrave.

They were not required to plead to the indictable charge.

However in a request for bail, Attorney-at-law Patrice Henry told the court that his client, Errol Williams, has 15 years work experience in the Police Force and at the time of the incident he was attached to Tactical Services Unit (TSU) performing his duties.

Henry argued that the circumstances in which the

defendants were arrested are questionable as an explosion reportedly took place at the scene of the crime in which witnesses could attest to.

Henry claimed that it would be hard to prove who actually did the shooting as both officers were armed. He also pointed out that no warhead was recovered from the scene of the crime.

Meanwhile Sheldon Williams’s Attorney, George Thomas, also endorsed the call for bail. Thomas said that his client assisted with police investigations and has no reason why he would not wish to ventilate the issue so as to clear his name of the allegations.

Thomas also told the court that “the strength of the evidence against the accused is weak and challengeable” in content.

Although Prosecutor Stephen Telford made no objection to bail he asked that it be on condition - that both accused lodge their passports and report to the Alberttown Police Station once every week.

After listening to submissions by both the Defence and the Prosecution,

the magistrate ruled that both accused be admitted to bail in the sum of $250,000. The matter was adjourned until January 22.

GGMC ILLEGALLY TRANSFERS $254M TRANSFER FROM GGMC TO NICIL – AFC The Alliance For Change (AFC) has raised an alarm over a $254M transfer from the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) recently, describing it as an outrageous and illegal act by government.

According to AFC Leader, Khemraj Ramjattan, the money was transferred two weeks ago to the bank account of the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL).

GGMC is the government’s semiautonomous agency tasked with regulating the natural resources sector, excluding forestry. It collects royalties, taxes and other fees from gold mining and quarrying activities, among others.

NICIL is the government agency in charge of managing state assets.

According to Ramjattan, (Continued on page 39)

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Kaieteur News

Sunday January 06, 2013

MY COLUMN

No resolutions, but there must be change I have already announced that I made no resolutions this year because I simply could not keep them, but that did not stop me from encouraging people to develop meaningful habits in the New Year. And what a welcome the year got. There I was in the village of my birth, Beterverwagting, when I heard one of the most beautiful sounds, something that I had not heard in years— the sound of the church bell welcoming the New Year.

There was no Auld Lang Syne. but there was old music and drinks, plenty of them.

There were relatives and friends and nostalgia. But as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end.

One day later, it was back to

work with people who were still in the holiday spirit. Some simply did not turn up for work, obviously believing that they were living in Cuba where the first two days of the year are public holidays.

They were not the only ones who did not want to think about work. Some of the leaders were either hung over or just too tired to take on the activities that they would be taking on for the rest of the year, anyway. But when they did get going it was all about reviews of the past year and there was a lot to review.

I also did some reviews and I found that there was a lot that happened that really should not. For example, I was one who became concerned about the Demerara Harbour

Bridge. This was a bridge that linked the East Coast to the West. It helped open up West Demerara, because people who wanted to live close to the city but could find nowhere comfortable, suddenly realized that the West Demerara was the next best thing.

Today, there are really large housing schemes in that part of the country, but only one access route. There have been times when that route collapsed and caused much inconvenience to the people who travelled. Of course the Bridge was not always there.

There was a time when one ferry vessel crossed the river in as long as thirty minutes (the days of the Querriman).

So the review continued and the government sees the need to improve the connection between East and West Demerara. There were further reviews. One had to do with what transpired in the latter part of the year. There was the Parliament chamber that became a battleground of political desires and wills.

Each side had valid points.

The government wanted to

plan for the country and the opposition was keen to have a say in whatever plan there was to be.

This year should see some compromise. Already both sides found common ground on some issues. One of them was rape. Both sides concurred that the laws governing rape should be amended to close all loopholes and they voted together.

There will be other votes When they all agreed on the rape issue I felt good. I recalled the days when Parliamentarians battled it out in the halls of the Parliament and when it was all over they met at some watering hole and laughed at so many things. These days one finds that many of the parliamentarians cannot even sit and have a social drink.

In this country where social drinking is perhaps the best thing for people in public life, I was surprised that the parliamentarians do not even socialize. They are supposed to be the people who would set an example for the nation but they are setting none.

Such is the case that even

in sport there is division.

There were two football competitions, one by Kashif and Shanghai and another supported by Banks DIH. The year before, a political decision by Kashif and Shanghai saw football lovers giving them the boot. That trend continued this year and if the crowd is anything to go by, the football community is preparing to say goodbye to the Kashif and Shanghai tournament.

There was another review that almost took my breath away. Soon after the 2011 elections the PPP series came.

It disappeared about a year later, to be replaced by the PRR series. After about a month some one thousand of those cars have already been sold. But from all appearances those cars are heading for the junk heap just as fast. People refuse to apply the basics when it comes to road use with the result that they are causing themselves and countless others a lot of grief.

They are ignoring basic signs and getting into accidents.

For this year already I have had to stop at

Adam Harris intersections when I have the right of way. And if the truth be told, I was glad I did because I cannot afford a new car if another driver hits the one I have. Even people walk as though they are made of steel, ignoring fast-moving vehicles.

I did think that when the New Year dawned, people would have been glad to have been alive and would have taken extra care to see this year through. It seems as though nothing changed once January 1, 2013 disappeared.

Even I had a problem. I kept writing 2012, but I do resolve to change that. Wish the other things that need changing in this country could change as easily.

Sunday January 06, 2013

Kaieteur News

Page 29

Ravi Dev Column

We are pleased that, even though late, the police force is about to undergo a makeover. Our entry into politics was occasioned by an unwillingness or inability of the Guyana Police Force to do its job. In 1999, when ROAR was launched it was the acronym for “Rise, Organise And Rally” against crime.

It was not coincidental that we issued a detailed plan for police reform that was centred on the need to reorient, “balance”, streamline, supplement, decentralise and the GPF. What we emphasised was that our Police Force does not just need its “capabilities upgraded”; it needs a complete makeover in its composition, values and raison d’etre.

As we wrote, “To start with the last one, we can see that no matter what changes have been made up to now,

the Police Force and its leadership still views its role as it was when it was founded in 1839, right after the abolition of slavery: as a “force” to pacify the newly-freed slaves.

This has to go! Its militarystyle and high-handed mode of operation within that population in the present has really turned off and even incensed the average man in the street – even some of its erstwhile supporters.

The GPF needs to be redefined, retrained and redeployed as a police “service” rather than a police “force” for the citizens of Guyana. This will have to go far beyond a mere name change.” We are happy that the new Strategic Plan agrees.

Unfortunately, it ignored the need for ‘proportionality’ of composition in the GPF. “The composition of the force has to change to reflect the general population. At the

start the British brought in Barbadians to ensure they would take on the local exslaves. When the locals showed they were not a threat, they were recruited to keep down the new ‘threats”: Indian indentureds with cutlasses on the sugar plantation. This “divide and rule” policy was maintained by the PNC after independence because it served their purpose. But this foundational policy not only created an Indian Security Dilemma, but eroded the legitimacy of an institution of the state that more than any other needs to be affirmed by all the citizenry.

In 2003, under direct Constitutional mandate, a Disciplined Forces Commission (DFC) took submissions across the country on how to professionalise the Forces.

They submitted their

THE BACCOO SPEAKS The country is enjoying a breather from the madness because the beast has flown to foreign climes where conditions are more favourable than they are in Guyana at this time.

Indeed the Angel of Doom seeks out the weakest spot in the world and he can see these spots in a twinkling.

However, this situation will not last because Guyana is a place that breeds negativity. There is going to be the accident that would claim its first life. The streets are full of vehicles to the point of overcrowding. This would breed impatience in a

young man who will throw caution to the wind in an open area with deadly consequences. ** Guns are still all too common as the nation would learn when there will be a shootout as some gunmen attack a man who is capable

of defending himself.

The fallout will have the police wondering if all their efforts have gone to naught. ** Family disputes are the order of the day and will actually lead to the first murder this year. Envy among relatives would be the order; the consequences would be fatal. At the root of the dispute would be a murder that occurred a few years ago.

It would be a bitter start to the year in which people have been seriously hurt because of their inability to recognize the power of reasoning.

recommendations in 2004 to Parliament. On the matter of ethnic representativeness they declared: “The Commission…is of the view that the allaying of ethnic security fears which stems from the predominance of Afro-Guyanese presence in the GPF must be addressed…but to ensure, in so doing, that no similar insecurity fears are caused in the Afro-Guyanese community.”

Exactly as we had proposed in our submission, the DFC recommended, “It should be an aim (of the GPF) to achieve a Force representative of the ethnic diversity of the nation without employing a quota system.” We are saying here and now that the Strategic Plan will fail if it should not adopt this key recommendation of the DFC. It would be ironic if it takes Brig General (Retd.) David Granger, Leader of the PNC/ APNU, who was a member of the DFC, to point out this lacuna.

While the Plan further decentralises the GPF by splitting Divisions E&F, it

does not go far enough. “In the end, all good policing is local policing. Practically every police organisation in the world – apart from those in totalitarian states – is decentralised.

The nexus between centralisation and totalitarianism is not coincidental. The colonial state was essentially a totalitarian one as far as its drive to control the actions and thoughts of the captive population. Our Force was explicitly modelled on the one England established to pacify the Irish rather than their decentralised one for the English. We have to decentralise radically and immediately.

It is not only in biology that form, to a large extent, dictates function: the truism also holds for organisations.

The centralised form of the Force encourages a very hierarchical and authoritarian mindset, not only in the upper echelons, but also even among the rank and file. Such a mindset is totally unsuitable for dealing with a civilian population.

Ravi Dev

The decentralisation we envisage would see the creation of several police forces for the country based on population and geographical considerations.

The decentralisation would rest on a base of Neighbourhood Policing.

Then in an internal decentralisation, the Force needs to farm out all those tasks that can be handled by civilians.” Only the latter was suggested.

We commend the Strategic Plan as a good beginning. But we need to go further. To deal with the “new-age” crimes of drug trafficking, high intensity crimes and money laundering etc, the creation of specialised units of the Force is demanded. Where is the intelligence unit that is key to breaking drug rings? Where is long-promised the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) unit?

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Sunday January 06, 2013

Scottish shipyard that built many of Guyana’s ferries to close (Evening Times) Scotland - The threat of the dreaded axe is again hovering over the River Clyde’s dwindling shipyard industry.

BAE Systems, which owns the only Glasgow yards remaining on the river, announced recently that one of its bases would close. That pits the historic yards at Govan and Scotstoun against Portsmouth.

But although the glory days of Clyde shipbuilding are long gone, there are still reminders throughout the world of what made the river famous.

From the waterways of Europe to the largest lakes of Africa and South America; from the great rivers of America to New Zealand and the Far East, ships built in Glasgow, Clydebank, Dumbarton, Paisley, Port Glasgow and Greenock are still playing their trade.

Many others, including liners such as the Queen Mary and the QE2 and former Clyde steamers, such as the Maid Of Ashton, have been converted into floating

hotels and restaurants.

The people living in the remote towns and villages on the shores of Lake Malawi can thank the MV Ilala for getting them from A to B. Built at Yarrow’s, it has operated continuously on the lake since 1951 and has featured on stamps of Malawi and the former Nyasaland.

The lake has also been home, for more than a century, to the steamship Chauncy Maples, now the oldest ship afloat in Africa. She was built in 1899, at the Alley and McLellan yard at Polmadie and was originally a floating church and clinic for the Universities Mission To Central Africa. She then served as a ferry and is now being restored as a clinic at the port of Monkey Bay. On Lake Victoria in Africa, two vessels built at Yarrow’s in 1965, the Umoja and the Uhuru, offer vital transport to residents.

The steamship Delta Queen is now classified as a US National Historic Landmark. In the course of her long career on the great

rivers of America she has carried three presidents, Herbert Hoover, Harry Truman and Jimmy Carter.

Now a floating hotel in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the vessel, built at the Denny yard in Dumbarton in 1924, has presidential dispensation to save it from the scrapyard.

Its sister ship, the Delta King, is also a floating hotel in Sacramento, California.

Thousands of miles further south, on Lake Titicaca on the Peru-Bolivia border, the oldest surviving ship built at the Denny yard is still in operation – now as a restaurant.

The Coya was assembled on the Clyde, then dismantled and shipped in parts to Peru, where she was reassembled and launched in 1893.

She plied the lake as a ferry for decades before being grounded in 1984. She was then rescued and restored and is now a floating restaurant.

Guyana has been the destination for a number of ferries built on the Clyde.

The MV Lady Northcote,

MV Lady Northcote

built in the Ferguson yard in Port Glasgow in 1937, still sails from Guyana’s capital, Georgetown.

The MV Makouria, a Ferguson-built ferry, is still in service and has featured on Guyana stamps.

In 1936 the luxury yacht Nahlin was at the centre of one of the century’s biggest stories.

The yacht, built at the John Brown yard in Clydebank, had been chartered by Edward Vlll for a cruise in the Adriatic with Wallis Simpson. It was her presence on board that alerted the world’s media to the impending abdication crisis.

Nahlin was later bought

by King Carol of Romania and is in Liverpool awaiting restoration.

Closer to home many ships built in the 19th century are still sailing. The Sir Walter Scott plies Loch Katrine, while the steamships Lady Of The Lake and Raven still sail

on Ullswater, Cumbria.

The paddle steamer Sudan, built at the Bow McLachlan yard in Paisley in 1921, was used for filming the movie Death On The Nile, and now offers Nile cruises.

Brown Owl was one of the Dunkirk Little Ships. Now privately owned, she took part in the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations on the Thames.

The floating crane Hikitia, built in Fleming and Ferguson, Paisley, in 1926, is still working in Wellington Harbour, New Zealand, and is considered one of the country’s maritime icons.

On the Thames in London, the former Clyde steamer Maid Of Ashton, now called the Hispaniola, is a floating restaurant, while the former Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve ship HMS President is a conference venue.

The SS Samuel Green, built in 1919 at the George Brown yard in Greenock, is a

naval trawler, converted into a floating restaurant on the Water Of Leith, Edinburgh.

And the De Buffel, which was launched in 1868 at the Robert Napier yard in Govan, is now a landmark at Rotterdam Maritime Museum. There are many more, but the saddest story must belong to the former Mersey ferry Royal Iris. In her heyday, in the 1950s and 60s, the Royal Iris “crossed the Mersey” between Liverpool and Wallasey. The Beatles and Gerry And The Pacemakers were among the acts that performed on board.

Built in 1950 at the Denny’s yard, she left the Mersey in 1993 to be a floating nightspot at Cardiff.

But the plan fell through for financial reasons and the vessel was taken to the Thames.

That’s where it now sits, a derelict rotting hulk of what was once a proud Clyde-built ferry.

Sunday January 06, 2013

Kaieteur News

Page 31

Book Review

A regrettable account of Guyana’s missed opportunity

By Dr. Glenville Ashby In A Dream Deferred: Guyanese Identity and the Shadows of Colonialism, academic Stephen Spencer examines Guyana’s squandered economic and political opportunities. There was a time, writes Spencer, that Guyana stood at the cusp of a robust identity, with an array of enviable accomplishments – the literary arts, sports, and economic sustainability. Now the South American nation is a mere skeleton of itself. What went wrong? This is the $64,000 question that continues to tax the most noted of highbrows.

Spencer attempts this onerous task, using a historical paradigm. His work is succinct, pointed. He explores the colonial area – slavery, indentureship, and the creation of a plural society.

His work is well annotated

and based on qualitative research conducted in the 1990s.

He reviews the concept of pluralism through the prism of many sociologists, citing the instrumentalist’s view that people with the same material interests will band together, and the primordialist’s contention that ethnic groups coalesce against change that may endanger their culture.

He adds that pluralism as a social construct is not monolithic, but is in a state of flux as circumstances periodically fashion individual and group dynamics. A Dream Deferred comes alive with Spencer’s findings on race relations in Guyana. He corroborates the nation’s deep divide – driven by naked distrust and entrenched prejudices between the Indo and Afro Guyanese. In one anecdote, he recalls interviews with Indians that paint blacks as drug pushers and thugs (the choke and rob people), who

intimidate and assault their (Indian) community. “Now, they cutting your finger off and they walking aside you on the pave…very bully.

They arlways (sic) shart (sic) of money and they need music…”

Indians, on the other hand are seen by blacks as niggardly, unrepentant hoarders of money, conniving, and chronic wife beaters. Arguably, these perceptions continue to linger a decade after Spencer ’s research. The author traces these prejudices to the influx of Indians as indentured servants, a development that threatened the economic viability of blacks, who saw their earning power threatened due to cheap labour.

The marginalization of Indians to villagers also contributed to deteriorating race relations.

But racial strife can be attributed to more than colonial designs and

UNASUR proposes single South American citizenship

By Odeen Ishmael The sixth summit of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), held in Peru’s capital Lima concluded on November 30 with a firm proposal to create a single South American citizenship.

In their final declaration, the South American leaders approved the beginning of the process to advance, “in a flexible and gradual manner towards the consolidation of the South American identity . . . with the aim of attaining a true South American citizenship as the backbone of an integrated South American space.”

The declaration expressed South America’s position on various pressing issues including regional integration, strengthening of democratic institutions, poverty reduction, disaster management and development projects.

In examining security issues, the member states urged greater unity to combat cross-border organised crime and terrorism. They also agreed to strengthen controls on illegal traffic of cultural goods and prepare joint action programmes in order to protect this heritage.

And following discussions on health policy, they called for “eradicating

Dr. Odeen Ishmael chronic infant malnutrition, promoting the social welfare system for the most vulnerable population, greater access to public services, and generating greater economic and productive opportunities for the poorest, especially in border regions.” To assist in these aspects, the bloc decided to adopt measures to make medicine more widely available to all corners of the continent.

To overcome the region’s geographical barriers and to develop a broad territorial connectivity and integration, the South American leaders set the objectives of promoting the intensive use of information and communication technologies and the prompt construction of the South American fibreoptic ring. To do so, they stressed their willingness to promote cost reduction and

universal Internet, among other regional infrastructure works, to improve the quality of life and equal development of the continent.

After an examination of development projects, they agreed to prioritise 31 key infrastructure projects, valued at around US$17 billion, to boost interconnectivity between countries, especially in rural and border regions, and also to advance regional economies. According to the organisation’s Secretary General Ali Rodriguez, UNASUR over the past eight years has undertaken at least 531 infrastructure projects, with an estimated investment of about US$116 billion in the region.

Looking towards future development, the summit instructed the Secretary General to coordinate with the corresponding sectoral councils by the first quarter of 2013 a study, including mapping and inventory, of the continent’s natural resources, aimed at designing a strategy for their economic utilisation.

In opening the summit, Peru’s President Ollanta Humala stressed the urgency of tackling the problem of poverty and inequality on the continent, a problem raised at all the previous summits.

“It is not possible to build (Continued on page 33)

manipulation.

Spencer cites authors who posit that economic factors aside, race relations were doomed from the outset, due to sharp cultural differences. The caste system based on colour, birth, customs and habits, long impacting intra-Indian relations, automatically relegated blacks to the lowest rung of the social totem pole.

That blacks were cosmically connected to the black (evil) god Ravana may have added to the seemingly irreparable damage to communal relations. Quite telling is a Hindu legend explaining the origins of blacks’ physical characteristics. The author cites Kusha Haraksingh: “They (blacks) were supposed to have been adherents of Ravana in his inglorious struggle against Rama. The money god Hanuman, faithful servant of Ravana, tied a burning cloth to his tail and swished it through the air. The flames darkened the Negroes’ skins and curled their hair.”

It is against this backdrop of supposed Indians exclusivity and resistance to creolisation, coupled with blacks’ overall distrust and disdain for Indians, that a national political framework was established. Despite these antagonist historical and religio-cultural forces at play, there was hope with the formation of the PPP (Peoples Political Party), where Cheddi Jagan and Forbes Burnham shared influential positions.

The embryo of a distinct Guyanese identity based on economic justice and social reform was being formed, and

a national identity seemed imminent. But the audacity of hope was undermined by colonialists, exploiting that ubiquitous racial albatross. Race riots in the early 1960s, the stranglehold on political power by the Burnham government through electoral rigging, mismanagement, corruption, and cronyism, impacted against national growth and homogeneity.

Not surprisingly, the game of cricket, long used to bolster regional identity and cohesion became another point of contention among Indo-Guyanese, who felt their presence on the national team was intentionally marginalised.

While Spencer’s work paints a picture of racial duplicity, replete with conspiratorial agendas, his injection of foreign involvement in exacerbating racial distrust is essential in

understanding the complexity of Guyanese society.

That Cheddi Jagan pointed a finger at CIA complicity in that nation’s deadly racial imbroglio is instructive and essential in understanding social dynamics, regionally and globally. “What is the trouble in Guyana?” Jagan asks rhetorically. He answers his question: “It’s foreign intervention, and if you don’t deal with that question you can’t understand the racial problem or how this society evolved.”

Unfortunately, stirred by propaganda that feeds on insecurity and fear, elements on both sides of the divide, continually stoked the fires of dissension and hatred.

Does the future augur well for Guyana? No one can offer a definitive response. What is certain is that beneath the veneer of (Continued on page 35)

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Nat’l Assembly approves legislation - will reduce delays in to overhaul Deeds Registry processing transports,

By Leonard Gildarie A critical bill that aims to reduce the delays at the Deeds Registry with the processing of transports, mortgages and registering a business was unanimously given a safe passage in the National Assembly on Thursday evening.

It was one of the several pieces of legislation that was approved on a day when the 10th Parliament seemed almost a home boys club, after a year of tension and standoffs in the House.

The passage of the Deeds Registry (Amendment) Bill 2012, will also address the problems of maintaining an accurate, up-to-date record of ownership and transfers of lands, and see the establishment of a semiautonomous agency to reduce the bureaucracy, Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, told the National Assembly, shortly before the Opposition gave its blessings.

Government will now be moving to establish the Deeds and Commercial

Attorney General, Anil Nandlall Registries Authorities which will have the mandate to improve the Deeds and Commercial Registry and establish the conditions governing the employment of offices and employees.

According to Nandlall, the current system at the Deeds Registry makes it impossible for an efficient running of what is considered one of the most critical government agencies.

There have been stories of files going missing, investors waiting for lengthy periods for processing and a

host of other complaints. The Private Sector Commission has been calling for a revamp for awhile now.

In addition to processing of land transports, the Deeds Registry is charged with handling of mortgages, Powers of Attorney, deed polls, incorporation of companies and registration of trademarks and patents, and trade unions. In 2011 alone, the Deeds Registry conducted in excess of 40,000 transactions, including more than 11,000 bills of sales, 5,000-plus business names and almost 11,000 powers of attorney.

“Needless to say, the volume of transactions, the current system and institution do not provide for the speedy and efficient delivery of services to the stakeholders,” the Attorney General said.

Drawing a parallel of the volume of work at the registry, he said that in 1990, around 4,000 conveyances were handled. This doubled by 2011. “The number of transactions in the last 20 years has doubled.”

A governing board will include representatives of the

business registrations

Government on Thursday successfully piloted a Bill to overhaul the Deeds Registry and reduce delays at the government agency.

Guyana Bar Association, the Private Sector, the Guyana Association of Legal Professionals, Registrar of Deeds and Commerce and from the Ministries of Housing and Finance.

Nandlall disclosed that the authority will fund itself from the fees and duties collected to cover operational costs, improvements and staffing.

The new arrangement,

when it is signed into law by President Donald Ramotar, will allow for separate registries to be created…a Deeds Registry and a Commercial Registry. The authority will also have the powers to establish offices in the various regions.

Significantly, the authority will only be able to keep all the monies it earns from fees, charges, duties, taxes and fines, but will have

to remit the balance to the government’s Consolidated Fund, after discounting operational and other expenses.

According to the AG, the bill is critical as the Deeds Registry is custodian to years of records…from as far back as the 1800s. Some of the documents are so old that they are falling apart. A move is underway to have the records digitized.

Anticipation at fever pitch for CeCe Winans gospel concert “Every bit of energy is focused in organizing the largest ever Gospel Festival in Guyana.”

So says Yog Mahadeo of Inspire Inc., the company that is bringing world-renowned gospel singer CeCe Winans to perform on January 26 at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence.

Inspire Inc. had made the announcement in 2012 that it was organizing Gospel Festival 2013. With an agenda of top local artistes and CeCe Winans live in concert, January 26th promises to be a night to remember, Mahadeo said.

Guyanese from all over, including the USA and Suriname have already signaled their intention to attend the show. Already Caribbean Airlines, Princess Hotel, Star Party Rentals, Micrografx and others have given their support by

CeCe Winans

Yog Mahadeo

sponsoring flights, accommodation, etc.

Tickets are already on sale at Ashmins, Gizmos & Gadgets, Red Mango, M&M Snackette, Kanhai’s Electrical (Sandy Babb St.) and other locations.

A number of churches are also selling the tickets which are at an “unbelievably low price” and they are going fast, the Inspire official said.

Tickets are priced at $2,000 (adult), $1,500 (child) and stage-front tickets at $5,000 (adult) and $3,000 (child).

According to Mahadeo, interested persons can also call 621-5109 for information and/or tickets.

CeCe Winans is a ten-time Grammy award winner. She is a very popular singer who also performed with the late Whitney Houston. Her albums have been top features in the religious charts. She is scheduled to arrive in Guyana on January 25th.

Speaking of Inspire Inc., Mahadeo said, “Our vision is to hold such events and activities that will inspire and motivate our Guyanese brothers and sisters to give their best toward the development of Guyana. Our aim is to build Guyana by building individuals, families and the community.”

Sunday January 06, 2013

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Foreign investments in CARICOM states require due diligence and commitment

By Ian Francis Recent policy announcements by CARICOM nations have expressed a desire to encourage foreign investment within their domain, as they recognize its importance. However, it is prudent that those nations in pursuit of foreign investment must take into consideration many important factors and ingredients that make foreign investments encouraging

and acceptable.

CARICOM governments must ensure that proper investment protocols are in place. These protocols include transparency, effective screening of potential investors, good environmental practices, investments must be diverse, employment creators, sustainable and applicable to the needs of the economy.

With the monitoring and implementation of these protocols, CARICOM nations should be in a position screen

out applications that are undesirable like suntan screening, financial pyramids, entertainment clubs and other bogus and tomfoolery initiatives.

During the last ten years, many phony foreign investors have turned up in various CARICOM domains armed with all type of promises, convinced elected and appointed corrupt decisionmakers about their armed prospects and future of growing economic prospects.

In return, they were blindly

UNASUR proposes single...

From page 31 democracy amidst poverty and injustice,” he declared, adding that countries of the region should fight for social inclusion and equity, priorities included in the UNASUR action plan for 2012-2014. He posited that South American countries must work together to build more just societies based on economic development.

The summit’s declaration later reaffirmed the Union’s commitment towards advancing social and human development, eradicating poverty and overcoming inequalities in the region.

Speaking during the plenary session, Guyana’s President Donald Ramotar stressed the need for stronger leadership at the policymaking level to end inequality and cautioned that the integration process must be approached gradually.

“Unless we can reduce the inequality and give all of our peoples equal opportunities, then it will be extremely difficult to avoid conflict in our various countries,” he explained. “We have to work towards dealing with many of the social problems that we know have been afflicting our continent.”

He urged greater attention to environmental issues and pointed to the direct relationship between these and economic and social development.

This topic engendered some discussion and the final declaration emphasised that in the promotion of sustainable development – particularly in its economic, social and environmental dimensions – an emphasis on the elimination of poverty and concern for the adverse effects of climate change should be a permanent feature in the South American integration process.

Advancing democracy featured prominently in the discussions. In reaffirming democracy’s crucial role, the leaders emphasised that they

would continue to collectively promote, strengthen and defend democracy in the region, and prevent situations affecting the rupture of the constitutional order. In so doing, they expressed their willingness to make the necessary efforts for the prompt enforcement of the Additional Protocol on Commitment to Democracy (generally referred to as the “democratic clause”) for the consolidation of the objectives contained in the U n i o n ’s Constitutive Treaty.

The summit also formally established the South American Electoral Council which will mount electoral observer missions in member states.

On examining the Union’s external relations, the leaders noted that the success of the third Summit of Heads of State and Government of South America and Arab Countries (ASPA), held in Lima on October 1-2, 2012, with respect to the cooperation agreements reached at that forum. They also decided to establish channels for political dialogue and cooperation with the Central American Integration System (SICA) and the Caribbean Community (Caricom) on a more regular basis. At the same time, they would commence preparations to participate in the third AfricaSouth America Summit (ASA) in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea on February 20-24, 2013.

The summit was attended by the presidents of Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Surinam, and Uruguay; while the Foreign Ministers of Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia and Venezuela represented their respective heads of state. Notably absent was Paraguay, suspended as a member since June and, therefore, Paraguayan President Federico Franco was not invited to participate.

The leaders did examine the Paraguayan political

situation and heard a report from former Peruvian Prime Minister Salomon Lerner, the head of UNASUR’s High Level Group. Just the week before he had visited Asuncion, the Paraguayan capital, where he held a series of meetings with different political and social groups as well as with the Electoral Tribunal of Justice. Due to the strained relations between the de facto Paraguayan regime and UNASUR, Lerner was not officially invited to meet with Paraguayan government officials, but he was not prevented from meeting with lawmakers from all political parties and the electoral body.

He reported that he left Paraguay with a positive attitude and was convinced the electoral process was “on the right track.”

UNASUR held firm to its position that the suspension will continue until the country’s April 2013 election.

However, Paraguay has continued to express rancour over its suspension from the continental bloc and has complained that the decision was “illegal, illegitimate and juridically baseless.”

Paraguay’s membership was suspended from both UNASUR and Mercosur (the Southern Common Market) following the controversial ousting last June of President Fernando Lugo after nearly four years in office. Although the impeachment of Lugo followed strictly the procedure established in the Paraguayan constitution, UNASUR and Mercosur separately considered that there was “a rupture of the democratic process” and enforced the suspension.

[Dr. Odeen Ishmael is Guyana’s ambassador to the State of Kuwait. He writes extensively on Latin American and Caribbean issues and is the author of several books including The Democracy Perspective in the Americas. The views expressed here are solely his own.]

handed concessions and bank guarantees, only to disappear overnight. While it is recognized that some con artists will be successful, CARICOM nations are warned that due diligence must not be compromised in favour of political desperation and tomfoolery.

St Lucia’s Prime Minister Dr Kenneth Anthony and immediate past chairman of the CARICOM heads of government must be commended for his recent forthright assessment of the CARICOM region. While Anthony was frank and truthful, there are many others throughout the region that continue to observe and comment on the weak and

ineffective leadership demonstrated by many of our CARICOM leaders.

In my view, those annoyed or skeptical about Dr Anthony’s assessment must also recognize that in his own backyard, United States energy entrepreneur Grynsberg is breathing down St Lucia’s back about a disputed oil exploration agreement. Grenada was engaged in a similar dispute with this investor through lengthy court and tribunal hearings which eventually went in favour of St George’s.

There are also many other unconfirmed reports that the same Grynsberg and his associates have been able to entice other CARICOM

states in signing oil and energy exploration contracts under the notion of foreign investment and economic prosperity for the nation involved.

Sadly enough, those charged with the responsibilities of ensuring due diligence and weeding out tomfoolery have failed miserably, thus allowing already cash-strapped governments to pay enormous litigation costs.

These litigation developments are very unfortunate and those responsible for the foreign investment files must do much better.

Many shady foreign (Continued on page 40)

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Sunday January 06, 2013

INTERESTING CREATURES…

The Cricket

C r i c k e t s , family Gryllidae (also known as “true crickets”), are insects somewhat related to grasshoppers, and more closely related to katydids or bush crickets (family Tettigoniidae). They have fairly flattened bodies and long antennae. There are about 900 species of crickets.

They tend to be nocturnal and are often confused with grasshoppers because they have a similar body structure including jumping hind legs.

Crickets are harmless to humans. The sound emitted by crickets is commonly referred to as chirping; the scientific name is stridulation.

Only the male crickets chirp.

The sound is emitted by the stridulatory organ, a large vein running along the bottom of each wing, covered with “teeth” (serration) much like a comb. The chirping sound is created by running the top of one wing along the teeth at the bottom of the other wing.

As he does this, he also

holds the wings up and open, so that the wing membranes can act as acoustical sails. It is a popular myth that the cricket chirps by rubbing its legs together.

There are four types of cricket song: The calling song attracts females and repels other males, and is fairly loud.

The courting song is used when a female cricket is near, and is a very quiet song.

An aggressive song is triggered by chemo-receptors on the antennae that detect the near presence of another male cricket and a copulatory song is produced for a brief period after a successful mating.

Crickets chirp at different rates depending on their species and the temperature of their environment. Most species chirp at higher rates the higher the temperature is (approximately 62 chirps a minute at 13°C in one common species; each species has its own rate).

The relationship between temperature and the rate of chirping is known

as Dolbear’s Law. According to this law, counting the number of chirps produced in 14 seconds by the snowy tree cricket common in the United States and adding 40, will approximately equal the temperature in degrees Fahrenheit.

Crickets, like all other insects, are cold-blooded.

They take on the temperature of their surroundings.

Many characteristics of cold-blooded animals, like the rate at which crickets chirp, or the speed at which ants walk, follow an equation called the Arrhenius equation. This equation describes the activation energy or threshold energy required to induce a chemical reaction.

For instance, crickets, like all other organisms, have many chemical reactions occurring within their bodies.

As the temperature rises, it becomes easier to reach a certain activation or threshold energy, and chemical reactions, like those that

occur during the muscle contractions used to produce chirping, happen more rapidly.

As the temperature falls, the rate of chemical reactions inside the crickets’ bodies slow down, causing characteristics, such as chirping, to also slow down.

Crickets have tympanic membranes located just below the middle joint of each front leg (or knee). This enables them to hear another cricket’s song.

In 1975, Dr. William H. Cade discovered that the parasitic tachinid fly Ormia ochracea is attracted to the song of the male cricket, and uses it to locate the male in order to deposit her larvae on him. It was the first example of a natural enemy that locates its host or prey using the mating signal.

Since then, many species of crickets have been found to be carrying the same parasitic fly, or related species.

In response to this selective pressure, a mutation leaving males unable to chirp

was observed amongst a population of field crickets on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, giving these crickets the obvious advantage of eluding their parasitoid opponents.

Crickets are omnivorous scavengers who feed on organic materials, as well as decaying plant material, fungi, and some seedling plants.

Crickets eat their own dead when there are no other sources of food available, and exhibit predatorial behavior upon weakened, crippled crickets.

Crickets have relatively powerful jaws, and several species have been known to bite humans. Crickets mate in late summer and lay their eggs in autumn.

The eggs hatch in the spring and have been estimated to number as high as 200 per fertile

female.

Species Acheta domestica however lays eggs almost continually, with the females capable of laying at least twice a month. Female crickets have a long needlelike egg-laying organ called an ovipositor.

Crickets are popular as a live food source for carnivorous pets like frogs, lizards, tortoises, salamanders, and spiders.

Feeding crickets with nutritious food in order to pass the nutrition onto animals that eat them is known as gut loading. In addition to this, the crickets are often dusted with a mineral supplement powder to ensure complete nutrition to the pet.

(Source: Wikipedia – The Free Online Encyclopedia)

Sunday January 06, 2013

Kaieteur News

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THE 1823 SLAVE REVOLT WAS AN EAST COAST UPRISING One of the last public acts of Forbes Burnham, the former President of Guyana, before his voice failed, was to demand that Murray Street, now Quamina Street, be renamed because, as he stated, Murray was a Governor who had oppressed and inflicted brutality on the local slave population.

Just before his death in 1985, Burnham insisted that Guyana would be unworthy of its Independence if it failed to rename Murray Street. In so doing, Burnham seemed to have had either a very uninformed or a very convenient discovery of the Demerara Slave Revolt of 1823.

Murray Street was eventually renamed Quamina Street in honour of one of the leaders of the 1823 slave rebellion. At least four of the leaders of the rebellion- Paris of Good Hope, Hamilton and Rich of Success and Achiles of Beterverwagting - were subsequently hanged at the Parade Ground in Georgetown and this remains the only connection between the 1823 rebellion and the Parade Ground where some groups are demanding that the monument in honour of the revolt be sited.

The execution of some of the leaders of the revolt at the Parade Ground is the only link that can be established between the revolt and Georgetown. The vast majority of the floggings, beheadings and hangings that followed the uprising took place on the East Coast and especially at Mahaica, where

there was a military outpost.

The Demerara Revolt of 1823 was an East Coast phenomenon and the people of East Coast should rightly demand that the proposed monument being erected in honour of that event be located either on the East Coast or in close proximity to where the rebellion began.

The 1823 revolt began at Success on the East Coast of Demerara and the entire uprising was confined to the East Coast plantations. The slaves who worked on the Georgetown plantations had knowledge of the revolt but they did not join it or support it. It would therefore be an insult to the people of the East Coast for Georgetown to claim some special right to have the monument situated in the capital. The 1823 Revolt was an East Coast thing.

Ideally, the monument could be located at Success or Le Ressouvenir which were the epicenters of the start of the revolt. Georgetown should not lay claim to this revolt because this uprising was confined strictly to the East Coast and was not supported by the plantations of Georgetown.

The leaders of the revolt were all from the East Coast and they received support from the missionaries, one of whom, John Smith, was sentenced to death for encouraging disaffection amongst the slaves. He died before the sentence could be executed. It is hoped that he

A regrettable...

From page 31 normality simmers the embers of racial distrust.

Interestingly, the rise of Dr. Walter Rodney’s ill fated Workers Peoples Party in the late 1970s, may at least serve as a blueprint for discourse.

WPA’s ability to galvanise support among both ethnic groups demonstrates that meaningful reconciliation is possible when political and community leaders are sincere and reject politicisation of race and culture for power and control.

Spencer writes: “This challenge struck at the heart of PNC support...Such threats from a multi-ethnic party (articulated by a black man) could not be easily deflected by appeals to communal solidarity, as when there was an identifiable ethnic enemy.”

The author also lauds the clarion call by Jagan for inclusion and partnership when he assumed power.

Today, more than ever, the future of Guyana depends on impartial leadership that guarantees equal access to opportunities, power, and resources. Further, in a world torn by ethnic discord, the integral role of interfaith dialogue in ethnic healing is well documented, and cannot be dismissed. Guyana’s leaders must heed every viable measure at their disposal. Follow me on Twitter@glenvilleashby/ glenvilleashby@gmail.com Dr Glenville Ashby, literary critic - Caribbean Book Review A Dream Deferred: Guyanese Identity and the Shadows of Colonialism by Stephen Spencer ISBN 1870518772 Hansib Publications Limited info@hansib-books.com Available: Amazon.com Rating: Highly recommended

is not written out of the script.

The revolt was not a success and the retaliation by the colonial rulers was brutal and excessive.

The authorities had received a tipoff from a slave one day before the uprising about the plans for the revolt and they were therefore able to mobilize armed forces to diffuse the revolt. When they did bring it under control, they inflicted grave and severe reprisals against those involved.

However, the 1823 revolt

is of historic significance because it was the largest slave revolt in Guyana’s history, with over 10,000 slaves being involved. It is said that it also helped to hasten the decision for emancipation, because it took place within the context of the pressures being applied by the abolitionists in England and followed closely on the heels of a violent slave uprising in Barbados in 1816.

The 1823 uprising was also said to have influenced

the 1831 slave rebellion in Jamaica. Given the relative proximity of these uprisings to the decision to abolish slavery, the 1823 uprising, because of its scale, must be credited with influencing the decision to end slavery in British colonies.

The 1823 revolt must be seen as the most significant slave rebellion in Guyana’s history.

The much more heralded 1763 revolt pales in significance and scale to the 1823 uprising

which took place exclusively on the East Coast.

For the capital city, therefore, to lay claim to hosting the monument, robs the people of East Coast of being acknowledged for the role their ancestors played in the greatest slave revolt in Guyana’s history.

The people of the East Coast should therefore demand that the monument be located therein.

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Sunday January 06, 2013

== THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN ==

Obsession that may end in tragedy Let me apologize upfront for the little boasting that will follow in a few lines below. There may never be another incident at the University of Guyana where the policy-making body named the Council of the University will arrogate to itself the pomposity to terminate the appointment of lecturers, whether one, two or ten, without any input from any section of the University, without even a vague complaint from some section of the University and without giving that individual or lecturers the right to a hearing.

I believe that was my contribution to my country in 2012. I paid the price but my sacrifice will forever resound in the hallways of UG. The days of the Council taking upon itself the privilege to terminate lecturers’ contracts without a complaint being made or the granting of a hearing and without any consultation with the Vice Chancellor are over. They say never say never, but that will never happen again. One of the reasons is that in the very near future, UG’s governing structures will be overhauled

to prevent the Council from preserving such arrogance.

The past year has seen an even darker side to this country. I had a chat with my daughter about eminent people and how we show respect to them. They only deserve respect when they respect themselves.

I had that conversation with her after I saw the performance of Dr Compton Bourne, the Chancellor of UG in 2012. This was supposed to be a distinguished professor of economics of the Caribbean, the Head of the

Caribbean Development Bank at the time and most of all, one of a select few who possess the Order of Excellence, the highest honour of this land. There was nothing excellent or distinguished in his performance as UG Chancellor.

I ended the chat with my daughter with the reminder that she must not judge a person by his or her popularity and achievements but what that person is essentially made of. I told her of the statement by George

Bernard Shaw; “A man should be judged not by what he says he is but what he is” and the caveat that when it comes to self-interest some eminent, honoured persons will not think twice about endangering their credibility once their selfinterest is served.

Look who turned up at Mr. Jagdeo’s Day of Celebration in 2011. Some of the names were of distinguished people who didn’t care about their own names so why should others show respect to them?

I almost lost my life in 2012. At the stroke of midnight, I left the People’s Parliament on High Street, crossed to the National Assembly to get into my car parked outside Demico only to be attacked by a man beating me with his fist on my head only. Nothing came out of it despite a car load of police outside my gate for three consecutive days wanting to have a statement from me. In 2012, I finally took the stand in the libel case brought against me by then President Jagdeo. He said publicly in 2010 that he was looking forward to his day in court but he closed his case without telling the judge in what ways he was libeled and how he felt about being libeled. I took the stand and presented my research which was the assertion of my right as an academic to make analysis. But also on the stand I produced my research that power in Guyana has always been exercised to favour one ethnic group over the other. For any trained mind to deny that is to reject commonsense.

If anything, a baby in Guyana sees soon after he/ she opens his/her eyes that our country since the forties has been terribly divided by race instincts perpetuated by serving governments that are bound up with ethnic communities.

In 2012, I was spared a jail term. Juan Edghill through Mr. Ashton Chase filed a writ so

Frederick Kissoon worded that once the judge found me guilty I had to be sent to prison. The judge ruled against Mr. Chase. My saddest moment in 2012 was the hangover I carried about the way my wife was treated in 2011 by the Government. I think I may not recover from that in 2013.

If you know my wife you would like her. She is devoid of any instinct of malice and carries no grudge against anyone, be it PNC, PPP etc.

There was this maddening curiosity I had in 2012 and for which I consulted many close people whose opinion I value.

I can name some of them but will not repeat their responses. After my UG contract was terminated a mere five months before its expiration, I asked my Dean why he thought the rulers could not wait for just five more months. I asked Dale Andrews for his opinion of this obsession and Gerhard Ramsaroop of the AFC. I e-mailed Nigel Hughes who was away on family matters requesting an analysis from him. The PPP and its government have an obsession with me that makes me fear for my life. Why this obsession by the Leviathans with a mere columnist? Please note that I am not the owner of a media house or even the editor of one? I do not belong to any opposition party and have no seat in Parliament.

Why the hounding down of me to include even my wife?

And there was a situation with my nephew? This was life in 2012 of which I definitely feared that someone wanted to hurt me and I knew where that desire resided. I hope I live to see out 2013. But 13 is an unlucky number.

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Commonwealth or Europe? Why a choice?

By Sir Ronald Sanders The New Year started with yet another welcome affirmation from the British government of the importance of the 54nation Commonwealth.

Hugo Swire, who was appointed Minister of State for the Commonwealth last summer, published an Opinion in the Daily Telegraph in London on January 2 in which he said that the Commonwealth “is an important institution” that can “through dedication and reform become stronger and speak with a louder voice than ever before”.

This is the second time since his appointment that Minister Swire has published his positive view of the Commonwealth. In doing so, he is echoing the position of his predecessor, Lord Howell, who, with Prime Minister David Cameron and Foreign and Commonwealth Office Secretary, William Hague, was keen to assert Britain’s renewed interest in the Commonwealth from the time that the present ConservativeLiberal coalition government took office in May 2010.

What is pushing this renewed interest in the Commonwealth by the Conservative Party in particular? Part of the answer lies in a genuine belief in the global benefits of a respected and influential Commonwealth. Another part resides in the increasing dissatisfaction with Britain’s membership of the European Union (EU) by leading members of the Conservative Party who have always deeply resented the extent of the EU’s jurisdiction over matters they felt should have remained directly under London’s control. Among these matters are: justice and home affairs, and the financial services sector. There is also deep annoyance that Britain is required to contribute to bail-outs of countries in the Eurozone even though Britain is not a member of the single currency.

A further clue to the insistent voices in the Conservative Party that Britain should hold a referendum on the European question and so offer the British people the chance of untying themselves from the EU, is trade. For example, Daniel Hannan, a Conservative Member of the European Parliament, wrote in the same edition of the Daily Telegraph as did Hugo Swire, that “the EU’s share of our (Britain’s) trade is falling by the minute. British exports to the EU fell by 7.3 per cent in the past three months for which we have data, while exports to the rest of the world rose by 13.2 per cent”. He

argues that the EU is “increasingly just one market”. But, the EU is still the largest single market for Britain’s exports accounting for over 40 per cent of its total. Further, at a time of austerity in the majority of countries in Europe, weakening of purchasing power should be expected.

This has tossed up the argument that Britain should be looking to the Commonwealth of Nations for trading opportunities.

While it has not been baldly stated, the underlying narrative in this argument is that Britain will be able to expand trade in Commonwealth countries to its advantage while freeing itself from the EU. Thus, contained in Minister Swire’s Opinion in the Telegraph are two assertions: “trade in the Commonwealth is booming, with member states collectively exporting more than £1.5 (US $2.4) trillion of goods and services each year”; and “today’s Commonwealth contains at least seven of the fastestgrowing countries, with ballooning new markets.

Hitherto, the stars have been mostly in Asia but African states are coming up fast, Ghana, Tanzania, Mozambique are examples”.

It is a shame that these two concepts have become interlinked, however unintentionally. Increased trade with Commonwealth countries is perfectly possible for Britain. It does not have to shed itself of Europe for that to happen.

Curiously, it was this same consideration of expanded trade that, in part, convinced British successive governments in the late 1950s and afterwards that Britain was better off in a relationship with its European neighbours than it was with the Commonwealth. Seeing very few opportunities for expansion of British trade in the Commonwealth, the then European Economic Community became attractive. By the 1960s, British trade with the Commonwealth was stagnant, and in the early 1970s, Britain joined the European Economic Community, calculating that its economic interests were in Europe.

In any event, there is a fallacy in linking all the Commonwealth countries to the increase in Commonwealth trade. Only six Commonwealth countries accounted for 84 per cent of Commonwealth trade in 2011.

Those countries were: Singapore, India, Malaysia, Australia, Britain and Canada.

It is certainly true that the economies of other Commonwealth countries – many in Africa – are performing better than they

have in the past. But, they will require considerable investment if they are to be genuine partners in two-way trade and not just new markets.

The Commonwealth can be helpful to increased trade, not only for Britain, but for many others of its member states. The association is a ready-made network of past and present connections, of common language (mostly), common laws, and a shared history that makes conducting business easier than it would be in countries with different laws and different languages.

However, ambitions for increased Commonwealth trade should be seen for what they are: opportunities for countries which have the vital transportation links to each other or services that are required elsewhere in the Commonwealth.

Some Commonwealth countries will be able to take advantage of those opportunities because they already have the capacity; many others will not and they will remain at the margins of increased trade unless there is investment in their infrastructural development, their productive sectors and

their knowledge.

The Commonwealth can help to promote trade and investment among its member states – something the Commonwealth Business Council (CBC), headquartered in London, was set-up to do. In 2013, it would be beneficial if the Commonwealth countries that are now the principal beneficiaries of Commonwealth trade were to invest in a rejuvenated, refocused and functional CBC – working closely with the Commonwealth Secretariat - so that it could bring more Commonwealth countries into

Sir Ronald Sanders the gains of increased trade.

(The writer is a Consultant and a Visiting Fellow at London University)

Page 38

Kaieteur News

Sunday January 06, 2013

Our security sector would have been better off today

By Khemraj Ramjattan AFC Leader In the very early days of the PPP’s Administration, and against the grain as it were, I urged my colleagues in the leadership that there must be civilian oversight in the Guyana Police Force.

Writings out from academia on the subject, and calls by reformist politicians in the UK and the Commonwealth for civilian oversight were very much the in-thing at the time.

A number of our top personalities, inclusive of Ian Mc Donald, Miles Fitzpatrick, J. Whitehead, Chris Ram, Schooner, Clairmont Lye, in 1994, also noticed the need for such oversight of the Police Force and formed a voluntary association called Guyanese Against Crime. Its purpose was at the core to offer civilian oversight, to seek international support towards this process, and to localise its monitoring of the Force’s activities.

This noble and worthy civic endeavour was smothered completely in its formative stage by the combined effort of a ruthlessly cunning Laurie Lewis and a Minister he commanded, the hapless Feroze Mohamed.

Our security sector has been the worse as a consequence of this abortion.

I had recognised the danger of this development and without a blink penned a piece in the Stabroek News in early 1995. I reprint same here in view of the PPP Administration now coming

around to understanding the need for civilian oversight of the Police Force some two decades after. ***** “IN DEFENCE OF GUYANESE AGAINST CRIME: CIVILIAN OVERSIGHT A NECESSITY” Good and successful policing require the Police to procure and preserve the confidence of the public. A community which has little trust in the police or is angered by policing policies will be reluctant to provide assistance in prevention and detection of crimes.

My experience in the Criminal Bar both as Prosecutor and Defence Counsel has taught me that the proportion of crimes solved by the police without help from members of the public is negligible. A partnership between the police and the public is, thus, the fabric out of which a good police force is weaved.

A police chief who bears this in mind must ensure that he grabs at every opportunity which comes his way to meet and consider the views of members of the public, especially those members who have gone the length to associate as a body against crime.

Mr. Laurie Lewis, our Top Cop, missed the bus completely when he, instead of grabbing the opportunity to discuss the ugly crime scene in Guyana, rebuked the association called Guyanese Against Crime (G.A.C.). And the

arrogance and audacity with which he did it leaves me wondering as to his motive for so doing. I have considered a whole host of motives. The one which stands out in my mind is that he is fearful of the Police Force, under his helm, being scrutinised.

The Guyanese Against Crime is not your ordinary policing community group which he can direct and control. These are not persons who would be instructed to form themselves into bands walking with batons at nights to preserve the peace. Rather, they would question the personnel, the structures; in a word the institution of the police as it is presently constituted in its entirety, as is their right and duty.

But no says the Top Cop. He is concerned with the way the G.A.C. is going about its business. How does the G.A.C. go about its business? Just like every other civic association does.

It issues press reports, meets with community organisations and foreign governments. Tell me, in God’s name, what is wrong with conducting business in such a way?

Discussing police matters is not the exclusive right of the hierarchy of the Police Force or the Ministry of Home Affairs. What is so delinquent about a concerned association discussing police matters with other associations and foreign governments and then being transparent in these activities by releasing

press reports about them? Is it not justifiable for an association like the G.A.C. to do some groundwork to give itself credence, before it meets with the hierarchy of the police force or the Ministry of Home Affairs? Any association which wants to earn its mettle will do as the G.A.C. did.

But no says the Top Cop. ”I want to know your leader,” he demands. I am aware that this question is never asked when a policing community group wants to meet with him. He never attaches this conditionality, for he knows he is the leader. But then the G.A.C. is not your ordinary policing group. In any case, is there not a role for associations with a collective leadership in Guyana?

No says the Top Cop. ”I want to know if you are properly constituted and registered,” he probes. Well this makes me hit the roof. For over 10 years the Commissioner was the head of an organisation called the National Guard Service which dealt with millions and millions of dollars and hundreds of guns. Was this organisation ever registered Mr. Commissioner? Up to this day it is not.

The double standard and the hypocrisy continue in his rebuke: “The G.A.C. should have joined the Impact Advisory Committee.” Why does an association, obviously with fundamentally different views about improving the Police Force, have to join the Impact Advisory Committee before it is granted an opportunity to be heard by the Police Chief? This approach is reminiscent of an authoritarianism which must be forever extirpated from our land. The discretion to join or not to join is exclusively the G.A.C.’s! Why make the exercise of this right not to associate with the Impact Advisory Committee a condition precedent for not talking to the G.A.C.? This will do no good in the partnership required for good policing because inherent in this policy is the subjective selection of who should be in partnership, when the correct policy

should be all are partners.

Is it the case that since this Impact Advisory Committee is the brainchild of the Commissioner, then anyone who wants to discuss policing matters has to ingratiate into this Committee? Could not an association in this democratic era stand up autonomously and independently of a brainchild of the Commissioner, and be heard?

This same argument in a like vein counters the second occurrence which forms the basis of the Top Cop’s scepticism of the G.A.C. ”The Police must have membership in the G.A.C.,” he pleads. The G.A.C. rightly did not respond to this request. The G.A.C has a right to accept who it wants in its association. I strongly feel that the Commissioner’s motive here is infiltration. He wants to get at how much they know, of what they know, and how they are thinking.

The third occurrence, namely, the G.A.C. not participating in a march against crime, is nonsensical! Mr Commissioner if you feel marches will solve the lamentable upsurge in crime you are being asinine!

Quite frankly, the Commissioner should reconsider his approach and take a far more responsible attitude towards genuine Guyanese who wish to contribute in their own way against crime. Contributors in this fight must not only do so on the Commissioner’s terms. They must be allowed and tolerated on whatever their terms are; of course, keeping within the confines of the law.

The President of this country, Dr. Jagan, who I know to be a supreme democrat, understands this. Though I am certain it is indirect, His Excellency, President Jagan, counterpunched the Commissioner’s outburst against the G.A.C when he said: “I intend to bring all those concerned together to map out a strategy to deal with the growing crime problem”. The President will not, I am absolutely certain, exclude the G.A.C. on the frivolous grounds

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Khemraj Ramjattan proffered by the Commissioner.

I do hope the Commissioner takes a cue from the President and climbs out of the authoritarian enclave he helped to create and apparently still lives in.

Khemraj Ramjattan Attorney at Law, MP (PPP) ***** After writing this piece, I suffered my first disciplinary proceedings at the hands of the Executive Committee of the PPP. Luncheon, Reepu and Nokta were delegated to “arrest my misconduct in publicly being critical of the Commissioner and by extension the Minister of Home Affairs”.

I enjoyed the defence I put up against this silly claim.

I then complained to Dr. Jagan who expressed much surprise at disciplinary proceedings taken against me. And then I never heard back from the trio.

But some months later, lo and behold, then Crime Chief Felix, now APNU Parliamentarian, walked into my office. He said he was instructed by the Commissioner of Police to put an allegation to me. He had already put it to my friend and drink-mate Rohan Singh. I said go ahead. And he alleged that “You, Khemraj Ramjattan, and Rohan Singh conspired to assassinate the Minister of Home Affairs and the Commissioner of Police at Natoo’s rumshop on ......”

The expletives were fast and furious, causing Felix to walk back to the door, saying “Mr. Ramjattan, I will make a note that you denied the allegation”.That brought an end to that episode.

There are serious lessons to be drawn from what happened here. The PPP must allow reasoned and reasoning voices to be heard, and give consideration to their messages. The other lesson for the PPP is, never seek to exile these voices away with fear and threats and expulsions.

Our security sector would have been better off today had there been civilian oversight since 1994. Two decades have been wasted.

Sunday January 06, 2013

From page 27 the monies should rightly go the Consolidated Fund, where all revenues for the state are controlled. “To place these monies elsewhere is a breach of financial regulations of the country.

The government is fully aware of this.”

Chairing the Board of Directors of NICIL is Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh. He was not immediately available for a comment.

However, a senior official of the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment, which has the ministerial responsibilities for GGMC, confirmed that the monies have been transferred to NICIL. The official, who asked not to be named, explained that the money is for the repairs and maintenance of several key hinterland roads that are critical to the mining community.

INTERNATIONALPOLICE OFFICERS TO ASSIST LOCAL FORCE – ROHEE Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee has outlined an elaborate plan that will see, among other things, significant changes within the Guyana Police Force and other entities under the purview of his Ministry.

Facing a gag order in the National Assembly, the Minister took the opportunity to use a forum conference to detail his five-year plan that will see a name change for the Police Force, the Guyana Prison Service as well as the Guyana Fire Service; the employment of specialist civilian professionals within the Police Force and the possibility of international police officers as consultants.

Addressing more than 100 people in the auditorium of the Police Officers’ Training College, the Home Affairs Minister noted that Government’s Public Safety and Security Strategy is now on the cusp of a critical but necessary phase.

He said that if this phase is not implemented, the result would be a backward step for the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Security Sector as a whole.

The strategic plan for the Guyana Police Force for the

Kaieteur News

period 2013-2017 will see the implementation of a Strategic Management Department, which will have oversight of the plans’ implementation.

This body will have in its employ 10 high level civilian professionals in certain positions within the Force to ensure that a high degree of professional technical and efficient inputs guarantee the implementation of the plan itself. The plan was drawn up by a United Kingdom-based consultancy group.

THURSDAY EDITION OPPOSITION MOVES TO CAP BENEFITS TO FORMER PRESIDENTS APNU’s shadow Home Affairs Minister and security expert, Winston Felix, says that there should be a limit to the number of “guards” assigned to former President Bharrat Jagdeo.

This newspaper on Tuesday had reported that the former President still had his full complement of security personnel, consisting of full-time members of the Guyana Police Force.

According to Felix, Carl Greenidge’s Bill which he tabled to amend the President’s Benefits and Other Facilities Act of 2009, has proposed to slice away chunks of benefits that Jagdeo is presently entitled to and limit them to a maximum of 10 years.

Felix said that the wisdom of Greenidge’s Bill is obvious.

He said that there needs to be a “cap” on the benefits, because there is no limit.

Felix further noted that whatever he receives should be “sensible” and not run into excess or waste.

But Government Members of Parliament say that the Bill will in no way affect former President Jagdeo, since Bills cannot be applied retroactively.

At a recent press briefing Presidential Adviser Gail Teixeira said that the amendment could affect future Presidents. However, given his earlier pronouncements, President Donald Ramotar may not assent to the amendment.

ANOTHER DEATH ROW INMATE GETS SENTENCE COMMUTED Another death row prison inmate has had his sentence commuted. Attorney-at-law Nigel Hughes was on Wednesday able to have his client, Oral Hendricks’ sentence commuted to life imprisonment by the High Court. Back in 1992, Hendricks was 25 years old and working as a caretaker at the Speedway Hotel at Land of Canaan, East Bank of

Demerara.

Hendricks was involved in a common-law relationship with a woman, Carol Braithwaithe, and her three small children: Jason Braithwaithe, seven; Althea George, four; and Travis Bunbury, two.

Carol Braithwaithe eventually moved to Plaisance, where she allegedly had a live-in job.

Oral Hendricks was left to take care of Carol’s three children.

This situation continued for several months, until Hendricks eventually took the children to the West Demerara Regional Hospital and left them in the compound. The children remained at the hospital in the care of staffers, but on Friday, December 10, Hendricks collected the children from hospital officials.

According to police records, on the night of Saturday, December 12, 1992, Hendricks took his reputed wife’s three children to a canal in Depot Dam in Pouderoyen, East Bank Demerara. The court heard that Hendricks flung two-year-old Travis Bunbury into the canal and watched the child drown. He then did the same to the boy’s four-year-old sister, Althea George.

Finally, Hendricks dumped seven-year-old Jason Braithwaithe into the canal, but the child managed to swim to the other end.

Hendricks, it is alleged, pursued the child and slit his throat with a knife. He then held the child’s head underwater to ensure that he was dead.

FRIDAY EDITION DETAINED MAN CLAIMS HE WAS INSTRUCTED TO HIDE VICTIM’S VEHICLE Police have detained a 32year-old Soesdyke man who appears to have information about the fate of Guyana Energy Agency employee LeVoy Taljit, who disappeared two weeks ago. The suspect was detained on Wednesday at his home and reportedly admitted to stashing Taljit’s Toyota Raum on the Soesdyke/Linden highway.

He has reportedly also admitted to selling the missing man’s mobile phone.

Sources close to the missing man also said that the suspect was found in possession of financial documents belonging to Taljit. An associate of Taljit’s said that the man claims to have befriended the 25-yearold GEA employee some time ago. He alleged that they had first communicated via an internet site.

EZJET BOSS EXTRADITED TO

Page 39

From left: Former State Senate Democratic Majority Leader, John Sampson, Mark Green and Edul Ahmad FLORIDA, REMAINS IN JAIL Chief Executive Officer of the collapsed charter airline, EZjet, Sonny Austin Ramdeo spent a mere nine minutes in a Florida court shortly after his extradition from New York on an indictment of wire fraud.

He is charged with filching some US$20 million from Promise Healthcare Hospitals and transferring the money to his charter airline, EZjet.

Appearing before Magistrate Judge Dave Lee Brannon, Ramdeo again waived the formal reading of the indictments and pleaded not guilty. Earlier, he was informed of his rights and at his request to address the court, he pleaded indigence (that he had no money to afford counsel) so that the state would appoint a defender.

The case in Florida is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ellen L. Cohen. In New York, he had also waived the formal reading of the indictment and had also pleaded not guilty.

He remained in jail until his extradition to Florida on Old Year’s Day (December 31). He has until February 4, next, to file all necessary pre-trial documents in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

Ramdeo was again refused bail and remains in a Florida jail. The rules of court stipulate that the government shall, upon request of the defendant, disclose to the defendant a written summary of testimony the government reasonably expects to offer at trial.

SATURDAY EDITION MISSING GEA EMPLOYEE… POLICE DETAIN SUSPECT’S ASSOCIATES Police on Friday detained several associates of suspect, Sherwin Francis, while intensifying the search for

Guyana Energy Authority (GEA) employee, LeVoy Taljit, who has now been missing for two weeks.

The prime suspect, 32year-old Francis, is still in custody, but sources said that police need more evidence if they are to charge him in connection with Taljit’s disappearance.

This is despite the fact that the Soesdyke resident has reportedly admitted to hiding the missing man’s Toyota Raum and selling his mobile phone.

Sources close to the missing man said that the suspect was found in possession of financial documents belonging to Taljit.

According to the sources, the detained man claimed that Taljit gave him the phone and a financial document. He also said he subsequently sold the phone.

On Friday, detectives and residents again scoured forested areas near the Soesdyke/Linden Highway in the hope of finding clues to the 25-year-old man’s whereabouts.

An associate of Taljit’s said that the man claimed to have befriended the 25-year-old GEA employee some time ago.

The associate also said that the Soesdyke resident claimed that Taljit visited his home around the time of his disappearance. He alleged that the young man had a bag of money and asked the suspect to stash the Toyota Raum. He is said to have also claimed that Taljit left in another vehicle.

According to the source, the suspect had initially told detectives that the missing GEA staffer was alive and well and that he has spoken to him from Paramaribo, Suriname.

He reportedly admitted some time later that this was a fabrication.

Phone records revealed that someone had used

Taljit’s mobile phone in the vicinity of Marudi, on the Soesdyke/Linden Highway, a few days after he went missing. The individual also used Taljit’s phone to make a call to a land line.

ED AHMAD SQUEALS ON NY SENATOR...FEDS MOUNT PROBE The feds have launched a criminal probe of former State Senate Democratic Majority Leader, John Sampson, of Brooklyn, the New York Post has learned.

The inquiry focusing on Sampson’s campaign fundraising stems from a broader federal probe into Queens Democratic Congressman, Gregory Meeks, sources said.

Shady real-estate broker, Edul Ahmad, is the common link that drew the feds from Meeks to Sampson, said sources familiar with the investigation.

Ahmad was embroiled in a congressional ethics probe for giving Meeks a secret $40,000 loan believed to have been a gift.

State Sen. John Sampson is now being targeted by federal investigators, whose probe into Rep. Gregory Meeks over dealings with realestate broker Edul Ahmad led to Sampson.

More important, Ahmad pleaded guilty in October in a separate, $14 million mortgage-fraud scheme.

But his sentencing date has not been scheduled and the defendant is now cooperating with the feds and possibly singing about Meeks and Sampson, sources said.

They also said that he has been singing about his relationship with former President Bharrat Jagdeo and some of his close associates.

However, details of what he has been telling the Feds are not being released at this time.

Page 40

Kaieteur News

Sunday January 06, 2013

Foreign investments in CARICOM states...

From page 33 investors are well aware of the local desperate and gullible needs for foreign investment; the prone and entrenched culture of corruption amongst elected and appointed officials that allow many undesirables to gain entry and fool governments about their investment proposals.

This article is not about anti-foreign investments, as it is fully recognized that foreign investments are very important for economic growth and sustainable development throughout the region. However, too often,

CARICOM governments are confronted with investment scams hatched in Europe, North America, Africa and Middle Eastern countries that find solace in regional CARICOM domains.

As we enter 2013, CARICOM governments and other interests in search of foreign investment partnerships need to do a better job of screening and weeding out shady foreign investors. To ensure the success of foreign investments in CARICOM nations, local investment stakeholders are obligated to ensure that there is a well

defined and designed foreign investment protocol in CARICOM nations.

As a strong supporter and advocate for foreign investments throughout the CARICOM region, investment stakeholders must take cognizance of these four important suggestions: • A central foreign investment strategy that is indigenously designed; a strong national and global designed mechanism to manage the strategy; effective coordination and centralization of one foreign investment mechanism that is

influenced by local needs and demand. If CARICOM governments are serious and committed to meaningful and sustainable foreign investments, the necessity for a strong and effective local central agency with competent staffing, a global vision and understanding about foreign investments and their likely contribution to the local economy or that they will contribute to the local economy. Within this agency, there should be a strong and dedicated tem of legal officers and financial analysts. This will minimize the time frame for seeking a

legal opinion from the ministry of legal affairs, which can take months and is oftentimes flawed.

• CARICOM members’ diplomatic and consular missions must be strongly oriented towards playing a constructive role in advancing the foreign investment agenda. Already, Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad seem to have invigorated foreign investment responsibilities into their consulates. Local diplomatic and consular officials should play a very valuable role in pre-screening would be investors. Under various forms of legislated access to information, they can obtain relevant consumer information about the potential investor(s). These CARICOM nations’ missions can assist the central local agency in screening, accessing relevant corporate information; utilizing technology to glean adequate information that will be useful in the foreign investment process.

Too often, shady potential investors get through the line and waste government’s time, only to later determine that these imposters cannot “cut it”.

• CARICOM governments must recognize the need to effectively promote their nation for foreign investment. For example, a foreign investor might not have a load of foreign cash. However, with his or her knowledge and the willingness of government to partner can result in a win-win benefit for each partner. For example, it was recently understood that the government of Grenada has embarked upon a divestment program to accumulate cash for recurring expenditures. As information slowly emerges, it is understood that the former St James Hotel is one

government property up for divestment.

The St James Hotel is considered prime property and it is quite possible that government and the World Hostelling Association could have worked out a joint venture agreement to create a youth hostel for young foreign visitors who might not be able to stay at an expensive resort. Jobs would be created and it could have been one more new initiative for encouraging youth visitors to return to the shores of Grenada.

• Governments interested in meaningful foreign investment have a responsibility to reach out to potential investors; they must be provided with accurate information about investment opportunities; concessions and returns.

Governments cannot idly sit by with the hope that foreign investors will come in droves to invest. Foreign investment must ensure that there are meaningful returns for all.

As the gloom and doom for economic sustainability in the region continues, gullibility and no visionary planning should not be replaced with detrimental and insensitive advice by some of the noted Washington multilateral mouthpieces. As previously expressed on this forum, a foreign investment success in Haiti or a pariah Latin American state should not be used as future success indicators in CARICOM states. It is wrong and our elected leaders and senior appointed bureaucrats must at all time stand up and question such irresponsible advice.

It is time to stop the selfinflicted wounds and let’s face the challenges and move forward in 2013. We can do it.

(Caribbean News Now)

Sunday January 06, 2013

Kaieteur News

Fatal Pomeroon River accident…

Region Two Chairman may not have to face charges While the Captain of the Region Two vessel may be charged in connection with the Pomeroon tragedy, no charges will be laid against any of the passengers who were present when the mishap occurred.

There have been suggestions from some quarters that the Region Two officials, its Chairman, Parmanand Persaud included, should be prosecuted along with the boat Captain for failing to assist the victims.

However, when asked to comment on the issue, Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Ganga Persaud, during his end of year press conference on Friday last, noted that as far as charges go, “the Regional Chairman, was neither the boat Captain nor was he in charge of the control of the movement of either boats; the Regional Chairman was just a passenger”.

An official from the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) later confirmed this, stating that the maritime laws do not apply to the passengers; and Persaud was a passenger of

the boat.

“The passengers are not required to know maritime law...No passenger can be guilty of any wrongdoing,” the official said.

The MARAD source also confirmed that the Captain has been suspended from operating any vessel until the investigation is completed.

Six of the seven persons who were onboard the small boat died.

The collision occurred in the vicinity of Siriki/Adam’s Creek in the Pomeroon River around 5:30PM on December 18.

Those who died includedthe boat’s captain- 42-year-old Harinarine Bhagwandin; Velda Rodrigues, 50; Vincent Singh, 40; Shawn Anthony, 14- all of Adams Creek; along with 14year-old Rajkumar Singh, and his 10-year-old sister Amrita Singh, of Charity Housing Scheme, Essequibo Coast.

The lone survivor of this vessel was 12-year-old Eli Orlando of Adams Creek.

These were all passengers of a vessel much smaller than the one belonging to the Region Two Administration, on which the Regional

Region Two Chairman, Parmanand Persaud Chairman was.

A probe into the accident revealed that the Region Two boat breached a number of collision regulations.

These included failing to maintain a proper look out at all times; failing to proceed at a safe speed so as to take proper and effective action to avoid collision; failing to alter the vessel’s course to starboard and failing to render assistance to the operator and passengers.

Page 47

Ruby girl’s death ...

Post mortem supports teen died by suicide The father of 15-year-old Natasha Nazamudeen doubted that his daughter’s death was a suicide but a source close to the investigation has stated that the death was a clear case of suicide.

The teen’s father had expressed his concern in sections of the media that he believes that his daughter’s death was a murder, since according to him her body bore marks of violence.

However, a post mortem revealed that his daughter died from suffocation as a result of hanging.

In the teen’s father opinion if his daughter had hanged herself the post mortem should have stated that she died of a broken neck, given the fact that she tied a piece of cloth around her neck and jumped from the top of the wardrobe.

However, a source close to the investigation explained that the cause of death was suffocation due to hanging because after the teen jumped from the wardrobe she was not suspended. Instead her feet were touching the ground.

Hence the teen suffocated

while hanging from the rope with her feet touching with not enough support to free herself from the cloth.

The man had also reported that his daughter had never shown suicidal tendencies and to date investigators have not showed him the cloth his daughter used to hang herself.

On December 18, last, the teen was found hanging in her mother’s home at Tuschen East Bank Essequibo, where she lived with her mother and step-father. She was a student of the Stewartville Secondary school.

Further, there are also reports that a close friend of the teen, Mohammed Safraz Sattaur, took his own life on Friday after reportedly being questioned about Natasha’s death by welfare officers.

And an irate grandmother is blaming social welfare officers for the death of her 16-year-old grandson. She is claiming that the officials caused the child to commit suicide and is demanding that the welfare officers who spoke to the child in the absence of his parents step forward and

identify themselves.

Rahala Sattaur, of Anna Catherina, said that the welfare officers questioned her grandson; Mohamed Safraz Sattaur, about a young girl who had committed suicide in early December. Sattaur said that her grandson was the friend of Natasha Nazamudeen who killed herself on December 18 last.

Sattaur said that her grandson and Nazamudeen both attended the Stewartville Secondary School and were close friends.

Welfare officers then intervened in the matter and it is her understanding that they had visited the girl’s mother.

“I don’t know what the mother tell the welfare officers,” the grandmother said, “But it seem like she direct dem to my grandson cause she did know that she daughter and he was friends.”

On Friday, she said the welfare officers visited her grandson at his Lot 38 Fourth Street Anna Catherina home and questioned him. Sattaur admits that she is not aware of what the child was told. She further said that she has no (continued on page 50)

Page 48

Kaieteur News

Sunday January 06, 2013

Sunday January 06, 2013

Kaieteur News

Page 49

The Abigail Column Daughter can’t move past loser ex

DEARABIGAIL, My daughter has been through some hard times. She left an abusive husband and is raising her child alone, far from family.

Her ex-husband is still in the picture and sees the kid regularly, so he is still in her life - and causing her a great deal of stress.

He has stopped paying child support, which doesn’t help. My frustration is this: Even though her husband was abusive, and they’ve

been divorced for two years, my daughter can’t seem to move on.

She is constantly broke, usually upset by something he has done and tells us we don’t understand what it’s like to be always “off-balance” - he is always threatening a custody battle. It’s clear to her family that he is too big of a loser to ever succeed in that.

We’ve all supported her emotionally - and financially, at times - but she still seems unable or unwilling to stand up to this man, focus on her child and her goals in life and not let herself be defined by this experience.

I don’t have the financial or emotional resources to keep this up.

What can we do to help her move on?

Concerned Mom Dear Concerned Mom, If your daughter’s exhusband is able to pay child support but doesn’t, he is a deadbeat. She can seek to collect child support payments through the courts.

Collecting overdue payments will solve some problems, but it won’t fix the issues at your daughter’s core. Her description of being off-balance perfectly conveys her emotional state.

Sunday January 06, 2013 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Your partner or friend may tell you something about yourself today that you prefer not to hear. But you’re so busy communicating about your current projects or creating career plans that you might forget about your own feelings.

TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) Discovering simple pleasures within your normal weekend routine is your best path to happiness now that the lovely Libra Moon is visiting your 6th House of Habits.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) You receive a creative buzz from the artistic Libra Moon as she floats through your 5th House of SelfExpression. Your enthusiasm is amped even higher by mischievous Mercury today.

CANCER (June 21–July 22) Logic isn’t often your most important consideration because you watery crustaceans are primarily emotional beings.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) You are in a rather noisy phase now that the peoplepleasing Libra Moon is moving through your 3rd House of Information.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Try to decipher the hidden meaning behind the information coming your way now, for there can be a chance for healing, especially around issues of love and romance.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) You are painting your day with a very wide palette of feelings. Unfortunately, others may see you as moodier than usual, but you feel that your emotions are well justified by the current circumstances.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) You might try to find solace within your own inner world today since the evocative Moon is traveling through your 12th House of Secrets.

SAGIT (Nov. 22–Dec. 21) It may feel as if the good times won’t last, but you actually have nothing to fear.

Everything must wax and wane in its own time, as does the light of the Moon.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) You want everyone to be happy, yet you’re not prepared to sacrifice your integrity for any reason. You may be facing a dilemma now that creates stress from these two conflicting points of view.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20–Feb. 18) Even if you are feeling a bit sluggish today, something significant is developing that will require you to take action in the days ahead. Although you start out optimistic, your confidence might wane throughout the weekend.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) You are intuitively picking up subtle messages that involve the needs of others, yet it’s difficult to get a clear read on the situation.

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Guides are subjected to change without notice

Page 50

Kaieteur News

Sunday January 06, 2013

Table Tennis continues to challenge...

From page 52 drills, point management, strength training, stamina, service and reception among other critical elements of the game.

The training paid dividends when Guyana’s 10member team came away with two silver medals and three bronze medals at the 54th Senior Caribbean Table Tennis Championships that was held in the Dominican Republic. Colin France, competing in the veteran’s 50 years and over category, secured a silver medal on the

final day.

Chelsea Edghill gained a bronze in the Girls Under-21 Singles. She lost 3-1 to eventual winner, Lineth Vila of the Dominican Republic. In the Men’s Singles category, Paul David won bronze, losing 4-2 in the semi-final in a close encounter to champion, Hector Morales Berrios of Puerto Rico.

In the Men’s Doubles, Bryan and David secured a bronze medal when they lost 3-0 to Dexter St. Louis and Curtis Humphreys of Trinidad and Tobago. Guyana’s

women team, Lowe, Cummings and Edghill won a silver medal.

September highlights one of the darkest epochs in the association’s calendar year, following the death the death of Greene, GTTA President, and former Commissioner of Police, who died in a car accident on the West Coast of Demerara. Greene had undoubtedly taken player incentive and standard to a high level in the sport. The sport was forced to quickly recover.

Greene’s demise brought

long-standing General Secretary, Godfrey Munroe to fore as the GTTA President acting. Weeks after, Munroe was formally elected to the post following the association AGM and Elections.

Munroe was elected unopposed at the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) Headquarters when the GTTA held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Elections. University of Guyana Sports Officer, Lavern Fraser-Thomas performed Returning Officer duties.

Dr. Pradeep Balram was

elected senior Vice-President as Patrick Triumph junior VicePresident.

Longstanding Assistant Secretary/Treasurer, Linden Johnson was elected to fill Munroe’s vacant General Secretary Post with Andrew Daly and Lisa Lewis elected to serve as Assistant Secretary/ Treasurer and Deirdre Edghill elected to function as the new Treasurer While the GTTA was sorting its administration, Edghill and Korean partner won the team event 3-0 at the Scotia Bank Junior and Cadet Open in Canada. Edghill also played in the Singles and Consolation competitions and finished in the top eight in both.

In an effort to support students with disabilities, the NSC in with the GTTA, held a six-hour coaching session with teachers working with children with disabilities from October 2-5 at the National Gymnasium.

Presently, six institutions cater for students with disabilities but only three institutions attended the seminar. David Rose School for the Handicap Children, Ptolemy Reid Rehabilitation Centre and The Special Needs of School East Bank Demerara attended.

The course saw Marvin Lewis, Oneka Chiddie, Rita Joseph, Faranaz Haneof and Marcia Lewis completing the course.

Any layman analysis will suggest that when you have the best player in a country on your team, you should win any tournament. Well, Bishop’s High School proved

that assessment true in the Digicel Schools’ Table Tennis Championships.

The Chelsea Edghill-led Bishop’s High School notched their second overall title in the Under-15 category of the GTTA/Digicelsponsored Championships to get their second overall gold medal after winning the U-18 category as well.

The GTTA’s decentralisation programme that started under Greene continued with the inaugural Berbice Table Tennis Championship, which at the Berbice High School Auditorium Queenstown New Amsterdam under the auspices of the Berbice Table Tennis Sub-Association and sponsored by overseasbased Guyanese.

In the end, it was Gibran ‘Gibby’ Hussein Sarfaraz, the one-arm wonder that remained unconquered as he defeated another top Player, Rono Joseph, in the final to continue his winning ways in the Table Tennis circle in Berbice.

Gibran Sarfaraz then participated in the Mike Dempsey Para Table Tennis Championships in the United States of America. Sarfaraz team up with Argentina Dario Naira in the teams’ events, and finished fourth place in the Class 10, and reached the last 8 in the Singles.

The GTTA closed their busy and productive year with an Open Championships that saw Edinho Lewis defeating national champion, Nigel Bryan to win the title. Edghill then brought the curtain down when she returned the T&T Super Singles title to Guyana.

From page 47 idea who the officials were that visited the home. “What I do know is that they went to the house and questioned the child when he parents went out.” Around 15:00hours on Friday, Sattaur said her son Mohamed Akbar Sattaur and his wife discovered young Sattaur hanging from the ceiling in his bedroom. The grandmother said that according to neighbours, persons had visited the home.

When they inquired, they said that the people claimed that they were welfare officers.

One neighbour, the grandmother claimed, told the officials that they should leave the child alone and come back when the parents were at home. That neighbour said that the officials had come in a white minibus, but did not think it necessary at the time to take the vehicle’s registration number.

When the parents arrived home that afternoon, they knocked on the front door but got no answer. After they suspected that something

was amidst, Sattaur said they broke down the front door and entered the house. They then had to break young Sattaur’s bedroom door and it was then that they found him hanging from the ceiling.

After the police were summoned, the child’s body was taken to the Ezekiel Funeral home.

Sattaur said that she was making plans for the child to start private school on Monday. Now she says she wants answers and most importantly, “I want to know who spoke to my grandson and what did they tell him.”

“I strongly believe that they (welfare officers) had something to do with my grandson killing himself and I want to know who went to him,” Sattaur continued.

She said young Sattaur is a quiet child who never got into trouble. She believes that the child was traumatized by his friend’s death and whatever the officials did, it added to his grief, “leaving him with no alternative but to kill himself.”

Post mortem...

Sunday January 06, 2013

Kaieteur News

Page 51

GCB 50-over Inter County tourney...

Wintz grabs 6wkts, Chanderpaul hits half century - Demerara, President XI record victories in opening round

Tagenaine Chanderpaul works a delivery throughthe on side during his unbeaten innings yesterday.

Vishal Singh plays through the off side yesterday at Everest.

By Zaheer Mohamed P a c e r P a u l Wi n t z grabbed six wickets and Tagenarine Chanderpaul slammed an unbeaten half century as Demerara and the President XI recorded victories when the Guyana Cricket Board Senior Inter County 50-over Cricket competition commenced yesterday in Georgetown.

Playing at Everest, Essequibo won the toss and elected to bat, lost opener Norman Federicks who was bowled by Wintz for 2 with the score on 6 in the first over. Wintz then uprooted t h e s t u m p s o f Vi j a y Surujpaul (05) to leave the score at 13-2.

Dillon Heyliger and opener Royan Federicks carried the total to 60 with a third wicket stand of 47 before leg spinner Amir Khan had Heyliger caught for 12 which came off 44 balls. Royan soon followed for 33 (1x4, 1x6) when he was caught off Khan at 60.

Off-spinner Zaheer Mohamed then got into the act by removing Ricardo Adams for 14 (1x4, 1x6) before Wayne Osborne was leg before to Khan without scoring. Wintz, who ended with 6-26 off 5 overs, mopped up the rest of the batting as Essequibo fell for 92 in 31.1 overs as no other batsman managed to reach double figures. Khan finished with 3-18 off 7

overs. The home team in reply lost an early wicket when Rajendra Chandreka (00) was trapped in front by Heyliger with the score on 02. Left arm spinner Anthony Adams removed Chanderpaul Hemraj (06) and Shemroy Barrington (10) as the home team slipped to 19-3. Vishal Singh and Travis Dowlin took the score to 31 before Dowlin was caught off Ricardo Adams at short extra cover for 07 as the visitors fought back. Singh and Joseph Perry added 37 for the fourth wicket stand, but Anthony Adams struck again with the score at 68 when he had Perry leg before for 11. That proved to be the last success for the Essequibians as Singh who ended un beaten on 26 and Mohamed 11 not out saw them to safety with a 6th wicket partnership of 26 as they finished on 94-5 in 36.4 overs, winning the game by 5 wickets.

At Demerara Cricket Club, the President XI upset defending champions GT&T Berbice by 6 wickets.

Berbice won the toss and choose to bat but found themselves in early trouble losing the early wicket of Richard Ramdeen who was caught off pacer Gilford Moore for 01 at 08.

Sewnarine Chattergoon and Assad Fudadin featured in a 27 run 2nd wicket stand before Chattergoon was

caught off Brandon Bess for 10. Fudadin was then joined

by Gajanand Singh and the pair carried the total to 63 before Fudadin 22 (2x4) had his wood work disturbed by Devon Clements who also trapped Zamal Khan leg before without scoring to leave the score at 63-4.

Berbice then lost a few more quick wickets before Eon Hooper and Delbert Hicks put together 39 for the 7th wicket. Hincks, who hit three fours and two sixes, was eventually caught off Clements for 30, while Hooper soon departed for 12.

However, Gudakesh MotieKanhai and Keon Joseph added 38 for the last wicket stand before Joseph was stumped off Jitendra Sookdeo for 07 as Berbice were dismissed for 151 in 45.4 overs.

Kanhai was left not out on 31(2x4, 2x6); Clements was the pick of the bowlers with 4-32 off 10 overs, while Eugene La Fleur had 3-27 from 10.

Pacer Keon Joseph then knocked back the stumps of opener Krishna Arjune for 01 as the President XI lost their first wicket at 09 in reply. Former national U-19 player Essequibian Kevon Boodie joined Tagenarine Chanderpaul and virtually took the game away from the Berbicians with an enterprising 2nd wicket stand of 90; Boodie slammed

six fours before he was dismissed for 48. The President XI then lost Elton Baker who was bowled by Kanhai for 01 and Jitendra Sookdeo caught behind off Joseph for 04 before Chanderpaul with a top score of 59(4x4, 2x6) not out and Anthony Bramble, who ended with an unbeaten 26(2x6), took them to safety with an unfinished 5th wicket stand of 46; the President XI closed on 154-5 in 43.4 overs. Kanhai grabbed 2-27 off 10 overs and Joseph, who was suspended from the attack after delivering two beamers, 2-36 from 7.5 overs. The competition continues today with Essequibo taking on Berbice at DCC and Demerara facing President XI at Everest.

Page 52

Kaieteur News

Sunday January 06, 2013

Table Tennis continues to challenge for mainstream attention - after another year of extensive growth and development

By Edison Jefford The Guyana Table Tennis Association’s (GTTA) administration of local Table Tennis continues to challenge for mainstream attention after yet another year of growth and development in 2012 at the domestic, regional and international levels.

Notwithstanding the death of President, Henry Greene, the embattled former Commissioner of Police, the sport still managed to end the year on a high when one of its shining lights Chelsea Edghill won the Super Singles title in Trinidad and Tobago.

The year under review began with its usual yearround training sessions at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH) and National Gymnasium for beginners, semi-intermediate, intermediate and advanced players.

In February, the association hosted the Annual Mashramani Table Tennis Tournament with the late President, Greene, in his opening remarks, welcoming the participants and stating that table tennis is on the move throughout the length and breadth of Guyana.

He had indicated that the GTTA is achieving its objective of decentralising the sport nationwide to have more tennis being played in Guyana. That has been essentially the mission statement for the association over the past two years.

The tournament had more than 220 participants in 25 categories and approximately 25 schools; participants came from both schools and clubs from Linden, Berbice, East Coast Demerara, East Bank

Demerara and West Demerara.

In March, the GTTA Cadets (15 years and under) and Juniors (18 years and under) trial matches to select players for the Junior and Cadet Caribbean Table Tennis Championship in Havana Cuba at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.

Bryton Murray, Joseph Johnson, Shemar Britton, Elishaba Johnson, Joshua Lalbachan, Ryan Narine, Scott Garraway, Stefan Corlette, Sachin Panday, Sunil Logan, Samuel Fraser and David Duncan were identified Cadets and Juniors identified.

The GTTA followed that up with a top 16 Men’s, top 8 Women’s and a Pee Wee (13 years and under) Table Tennis Tournament at CASH where Nigel Bryan, Joel Alleyne and Colin France took the top three Men’s prizes.

Trenace Lowe, Chelsea Edghill and Jody-Ann Blake took away the Women’s prizes, which were lucrative cash sums. Elishaba Johnson, Priscilla Greaves and Jeremy Singh were the Pee-Wee winners.

The following month, President of the Caribbean Regional Table Tennis Federation (CRTTF), Juan Villa, held a meeting with the attending delegations at the Cadet and Junior Championships concerning Table Tennis in the Region.

During the Championship Guyana came up against the strongest and more prepared players from Cuba and Dominican Republic. Chelsea Edghill continued her ascendancy with the lone Singles’ medal for Guyana, silver in the 15 years and under Girls’ contest.

She played unbeaten

Henry Greene throughout the competition and lost to hosts Cuba, Idalys Lovet Valdez, in the finals. At the conclusion of the Championship, Cuba won the most medals with Dominican Republic second and Trinidad & Tobago third.

In May, the Independence Table Tennis Tournament 2012 was held with the youngest National Champion in Guyana’s history, Nigel Bryan taking the male honours and Trenace Lowe on top again in the Men’s and Women’s Singles categories respectively.

At the Closing Ceremony, the late GTTA President, Greene congratulated the National Sports Commission (NSC) for delivering a wellorganized tournament. The Independence tournament is one of three competitions that have the NSC backing annually.

Meanwhile, The Business School sponsored School Team Table Tennis Tournament commenced during the last weekend of June at the National Gymnasium. Queens College picked up two titles namely the 15 years and under and

Godfrey Munroe

Chelsea Edghill the 18 years and under, and took the overall Champion trophy in the process.

Mae’s won the 13 years and under and North Georgetown got the 11 years and under; the Teams Tournament attracted over 50 entries and 135 players from 18 participating schools with Marian Academy being the only all-girls team namely, Jamaali Homer, Priscilla Greaves and Kristie Lopes.

Following the Schools’ tournament, the “Teach Them Young” Summer Camp targeting children 18 years and younger with sessions

running from 10:00–12:00 daily from Monday to Friday took over the summer.

The camp was aimed at developing the level of table tennis; to help children with the basic skills; to be better prepared for future tournaments; to increase the number of participants involved in the sport; create an integrated programme that incorporates the coach’s education. ITTF Level I Coach, Gavin Lowe facilitated the camp in August.

The camp also facilitated the visiting Barbados Table Tennis Club, comprising cadet players at the beginners and at the intermediate levels.

The Barbadians were hosted during August 8-15 at the National Gymnasium with daily sessions.

Guyana won overall at the seventh Pre-Cadet Caribbean Table Tennis (TT) Championships in Jamaica after picking up a total of five gold medals, four silver medals and ten bronze medals to topple the usually strong Dominican Republic.

Guyana secured a total of 48 points to win overall ahead of the 46 points that Dom Rep secured. Barbados was third.

In the history of table tennis, no team has ever brought back so many medals at any level, complimenting the GTTA training programmes.

The 13-Years-and-Under Boys team comprised Elishaba Johnson, Kyle Edghill, Miguel Wong and Rajiv Muneshwer; they defeated Barbados 3-1 in the final to win gold. Earlier in the group stages, Barbados had beaten Guyana 3-1 but could not repeat that performance.

The U-13 Girls team namely Priscilla Greaves,

Jamaali Homer and Kristie Lopes won the round-robin playoff when they beat Jamaica in the deciding match 3-1 to also win gold. In the Boys Doubles, Edghill and Johnson beat the Barbados pair of Stephen Payne and Tyrese Knight 3-1 in the final.

The GTTA continued its trend developed under Greene of rewarding success when it financially recognised the efforts of the Pre-Cadets team that won overall at the Caribbean Championships in Jamaica.

Guyana’s most celebrated junior female table tennis player, Edghill participated in an ITTF Latin American Junior Circuit in Mexico, which had an immense impact on her career moving forward to completely dominate the domestic and regional circuits.

She reached the quarterfinal in the U-15 category playing among the best junior players in the super-strong Latin American block. The talented player received an ITTF ranking as a result.

Members of Guyana’s national table tennis team, including Lowe, Bryan, Joel Alleyne, Edinho Lewis, Denzel Hopkinson and Priscilla Greaves completed intense training at the Lily Yip Table Tennis Training Centre in Dunellen, New Jersey in August. While there, the players were exposed to playing with top level Chinese and US players, Adam Hugh, Judy Hugh and Lily Yip, who is a four-time Olympian and who owns the facility.

In the programme, the players were exposed to technical and tactical strengthening, short play, speed and footwork (Continued on page 50)

Sunday January 06, 2013

Kaieteur News

Page 53

Buxton United FC The K&S football kings restore prestige and pride to a beleaguered village

By Michael Benjamin It was December 25 and Western Tigers FC were battling furiously for ascendency against Buxton United FC. The score was nil all and as the clock ticked away the minutes, neither side seemed capable of breaking the stalemate. It seemed apparent that extra time or possibly penalty kicks would have become necessary in determining a winner. It was then that Michael Phyll pulled the proverbial rabbit out of the hat. He latched onto a loose ball from around the middle of the field and let loose a mighty kick that flew past the opposition’s strikers, their defence cordon and

their goalkeeper to finally settle aback the nets.

Like the animal they were christened after, Western Tigers with a plethora of stars the likes of Devon Millington, Shawn ‘Bubbly’ Beveney and guest player, Walter Moore, battled feverishly to equalize the situation and preserve their reputation, all to no avail; the Buxtonians prevailed and moved on to the semi-finals.

The naysayer dubbed it a fluke and predicted that the ‘brash’ Buxtonians, slated to face off with the mighty Alpha United unit, would be booted out of the competition at that juncture.

They were oh so wrong; following a goal scrimmage

in front of the opposition’s goal, the Buxtonians benefitted from a goal default situation that sent them into the finals where, after a tough battle that necessitated all of regulation and extra time, they prevailed on sudden death penalty kicks against their nemesis, Amelia’s Ward, and after years of fluctuating fortunes while attempting to win the prestigious accolade, the team from the East Coast village had accomplished the impossible.

Coach of the Buxton United team, Herbert McPherson is not one to show his emotions and a flicker of a smile was the only evidence of his satisfaction at attaining the

coveted prize. For most of the matches, he stood on touchline bellowing out instructions or egging his p l a y e r s o n . Ye t h e acknowledges the administration of the club that has played a vital role in the victory. They include Reverend Adolph David who serves as the President, Eton Moses (Secretary), Damiana Armstrong (Treasurer), Mark Wade (Manager) and Lyndon France, a former coach who has relinquished the position after being appointed as Development Officer of the GFF. George Gibson is McPherson’s assistant.

Naturally, McPherson is ecstatic with the victory especially since he entered

Herbert McPherson

Dwayne Jacobs

the tournament as one of the underdogs. Even before the tournament had kicked off the lanky, dreadlocked coach had staunchly believed that his men had the necessary tools to pull off the feat. “We are going all the way,” he had then proclaimed. Now in retrospect he believes that it was a good tournament even as he complimented his boys for their dedication and commitment. He admitted that the team was operating on a shoe string budget and against all the odds. “That is what makes this victory so meritorious,” he said. The players were all relatively

young with the most experienced being Captain and midfielder, Dwayne Jacobs, whose expertise McPherson lauded.

The team battled the vicissitudes including the adverse weather conditions that hindered training sessions. Further, most of the players were from humble families and could hardly afford the necessary trimmings to enhance their chances of winning. All they possessed was staunch determination and an insatiable hunger to succeed.

“Many days the team (Continued on page 54)

Page 54

Kaieteur News

Sunday January 06, 2013

New format brings Windero Gym in Berbice... excitement to Caribbean T20 Port-of-Spain, Trinidad The West Indies Cricket Board has taken the bold step to change the format for the Caribbean T20 tournament – and the new set-up will see more matches and more exposure for the region’s players.

Roland Holder, the WICB’s Manager of Cricket Operations, outlined that there will be several benefits to the game with the change of format, which has been extended from group matches to round-robin fixtures. This year, the tournament will get going with a grand opening ceremony at Queen’s Park Oval at 4 pm (3 pm Jamaica Time). “Previously we had ten teams, including three visiting teams, for the Caribbean T20 tournament.

The teams were split into two groups and played four matches each in the group stage of the. We had a review of the three previous tournaments in 2010, 2011 and 2012 and the decision was taken to stick to the seven

regional teams,” Holder said.

“We re-examined the format and came up with what we are sure will benefit all the players and all the teams in the Caribbean T20 2013. We now have a round-robin format – which provides more cricket and is something the players and territorial boards have called for. This is sure to be a win-win as the players will have more matches and the fans will be able to witness more action on the field.”

Holder, a former Barbados captain and West Indies batsman who played 11 Test matches, noted that teams will have a lot more to play for and early defeats would not condemn a team to an early exit.

“In previous years you had a situation where if a team lost two of their first two matches, they faced the exit door quite early. This is unlikely to be the case in this tournament. If you lose early you still have a chance to rebound and compete in the

tournament. We will also have a play-off on the final weekend before the Grand Final,” Holder said.

“This is also a new concept and we expect to see teams battling hard for the play-off spots. The Caribbean T20 has been a truly magnificent tournament for the players and the fans. At the WICB we constantly look at ways to improve conditions for our players, our match officials and all our stakeholders. We believe the new format for this year’s event will please everyone.”

The first match in the Caribbean T20 is Sunday with a showdown between defending champions Trinidad and Tobago and last year’s losing finalists Jamaica at Queen’s Park Oval.

Matches will be played in Trinidad from Sunday to Saturday, January 12. The tournament then moves to St Lucia for the second phase at Beausejour Cricket Stadium from Tuesday, January 15 to Sunday, January 20.

From page 59 GRA and sponsorship and support for the athletes.

He sometimes has to be at his wits end to motivate his athletes to go to Georgetown and compete because of what he termed hometown and bias decisions. “Many times the guys feel that the decisions do not go their way, but we will keep fighting,” the soft spoken trainer said. But he stated, “We are overcoming the hurdles and like the legendary Berbician Hugh Ross we will reach to the top.”

With his athletes becoming more confident the Gym wants to be more active and plans to become involved in Weightlifting and Powerlifting on a competitive level this year which they also hope to dominate in the

ancient county. They are also plans to get more females involved.

The Gym is open for regular training five days weekly: Mondays – Fridays from 05:00 hrs to 08:00hrs in the mornings and from 15:00 hrs to 22:00 hrs in the evenings. Clements plans to use athletes to do community programmes. Plans are also on stream to have a Television programme where athletes will be featured discussing topics such as health and fitness, nutrition, diets, diabetes, hypertension, giving health tips among others.

Among some of the top performers for the Gym are among the males Alston Lancaster, Alvin Goodman, Sherman Haynes, Devon

Davis, Melroy Grant, Alex Hamilton, George Trim and Raymond Rabindranauth among others. Among the females expected to represent the Gym are Candacy Lynch and Jennica Sandy.

His advice to the general public is to pay attention to your health and fitness. It could add to, or take off 12 years from your life. He said that foods are grown and processed differently from what it used to be two decades ago and it makes a difference.

His basic training always allows him to be of service to the community. He is always willing to give advice and lend a helping hand. Clements can be contacted on telephone numbers 333-3058, 333-4960 and 677-0484.

Ba scores twice on debut as...

From page 62 and Will Hoskins earned Brighton a repeat of their fourth round victory over Premier League Newcastle last season, condemning Alan Pardew’s side to an 11th defeat in 14 matches.

Major shocks were nonexistent although Cardiff City, currently romping away at the top of the Championship, were beaten 2-1 at minor league Macclesfield Town who reached the fourth round for the first time.

Minor league Luton Town also beat second tier Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0. Several clubs struggling

in the Premier League flirted with defeats against lower league opposition but survived.

Fulham drew 1-1 at home to Blackpool, third tier Bournemouth earned a replay with Wigan Athletic after holding them to a 1-1 draw while Sunderland drew 2-2 at Bolton Wanderers who were relegated from the top flight last season.

Reading had to come from a goal down to beat third tier Crawley Town 3-1 away.

South coast seventh-tier minnows Hastings United, the lowliest survivors of the 758 clubs which began the 132nd edition of the knockout

competition in August, had their fairytale cut short in a 41 defeat at Middlesbrough.

Premier League champions Manchester City, winners of the competition in 2011, eased into the fourth round with a 3-0 defeat of Gianfranco Zola’s Championship side Watford.

Tottenham Hotspur’s fine run of form continued with Clint Dempsey scoring twice in a 3-0 home victory over third tier Coventry City, the side they lost to in the 1987 FA cup final.

Premier League leaders Manchester United are in action later at West Ham United.

The K&S football kings restore...

From page 63 was confined to indoor activities because the Buxton Community Centre Ground (where they practiced) was left in a sodden state after the rains had subsided,” said McPherson.

He also intimated that the players were devoid of the requisite resources to enhance their training. “We could not afford to employ professionals the different fields so we utilized those associated with the club to talk with the players and provide other services,” said McPherson.

He also singled out Dwayne Jacobs who shrewdly guided the youngsters to their tournament winning feat. “Dwayne was an important cog to the team’s victory,” the coach confided.

“He was a motivational force.” The tournament was marred by the dispute between the GFF and the GFA and many would want to say that the absence of the key

teams facilitated the Buxonian’s rise to the top.

McPherson scoffed at such a notion. “We’ve defeated two powerhouses, Alpha United and Western Tigers and I believe we have earned our place among the big guns,” he declared. He said that he would have relished a situation where all of the teams were participating. “But this was a pipe dream because the administrators seem unable to grapple with the present crisis so naturally Buxton Utd played it safe and participated in the tournament that received the blessings of the GFF,” he said. Notwithstanding, McPherson welcomes the news that a team of FIFA officials will be in Guyana soon to resolve the issue.

“With an amicable resolution, our footballers would benefit,” he said.

Jacobs has been adjudged the Most Valuable Player, while McPherson is the best coach. The former receives a motorcar donated by

Beharry’s Automotive Limited, while the latter receives a motorcycle. Indeed, it is just reward for two individuals whose input has changed the fortunes of more than a dozen youngsters, easily susceptible to crime.

The players return to the field on January 15 next when they resume preparations for the continuation of the GFF Super Leagues, scheduled to resume on February 3 next.

That apart, the administration of the club will move on with its programme of youth development, honing the skills of players from the U13 category right up to the senior level. The coach said that this is important in the ball weaver’s continued development. And what has the victory done for the Buxtonians? “It has restored prestige and pride to a beleaguered village,” McPherson stated matter of factly. He feels this is the beginning of the attainment of many other prestigious accolades.

Sunday January 06, 2013

Kaieteur News

Page 55

RHTY&SC makes reality, 10 year-old Calvin Simon’s New Year’s wish At the tender age of five, Calvin Shemar Simon of Rosignol watched on in horror as his father murdered his beloved mother Travlyn Kingston, ever since, life has never been the same for the bright eyed youngster who has been cared for by his grandmother, Roleen Alexander.

Christmas 2012 was a sad one for Calvin as there was no money for toys and his grandmother was unable to cook a Christmas meal due to lack of finances.

In addition, his dream of becoming a cricketer to follow in his hero Shivnarine Chanderpaul footsteps was going nowhere as he had no cricket gear.

His wish for New Year’s Day 2013 was to have a few toys to play with, food items for his grandmother to cook a warm meal and some cricket gear to make reality, his dream.

The cricket teams of Guyana’s leading, Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club, on Christmas Day read a newspaper article on young Simon and his grandmother and decided to pool their resources together to make a positive difference.

The teams; Rose Hall Town Farfan & Mendes Under-15, Bakewell Under-17 and Second Division, Pepsi Under-19 and Intermediate, Gizmos & Gadgets Under-21 and First Division and Metro Female on Thursday December 27, handed over $80,000 worth of items to Simon.

The donation included a cricket bat, a batting pad, school bags, educational materials, a collection of toys, clothing, blankets, footwear, hygiene kit and a large supply of groceries.

Club Secretary / CEO Hilbert Foster speaking

directly to Simon at the presentation pledged the Club’s continued assistance and committed the cricket teams to supporting the young man and his grandmother until he completes his Secondary education.

He urged the young man to develop a culture of personal discipline, hard work and an ability to listen to sound advice.

Education, Foster stated is the root to success and the pathway out of poverty. Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club cricketers Eon Hooper and Phaffiana Millington wished Simon a successful career and told him to practice regularly and hard.

Ms. Roleen Alexander speaking on her grandson’s behalf expressed gratitude to the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club and wished the club a blessed future.

Phaffiana Millington handing over the pair of batting pads to Calvin Shemar Simon in the presence of his grandmother and Eon Hopper.

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Sunday January 06, 2013

Australia on verge of Sri Lanka series sweep

Dimuth Karunaratne SYDNEY (Reuters) Australia were on the verge of a 3-0 series sweep after reducing Sri Lanka to 225 for seven with a slender lead of 87 at close of play on a dramatic third day of the third test on Saturday.

The hosts dominated the morning courtesy of a sparkling unbeaten century from Matthew Wade before

declaring at 432-9 with a first innings lead of 138 just before lunch.

The tourists stormed back in the second session on the back of a century partnership between Dimuth Karunaratne (85) and skipper Mahela Jayawardene (60) to fleetingly raise the prospect of a first ever Sri Lanka test win in Australia.

Karunaratne fell short of his maiden test century soon after tea with his country still six runs in arrears, however, and Sri Lanka then crumbled to lose six wickets for just 93 runs.

At stumps, Dinesh Chandimal (22) and Rangana Herath (9) were at the crease facing a huge task to extend the lead and make Australia’s chase anything more than a formality.

“It could have gone pearshaped quickly,” Wade told reporters. “It could have gone the wrong way for us this afternoon but luckily enough our bowlers were good enough and they did well to pull it back.

“We’ve got to take three wickets as quickly as we can

because we don’t want to be chasing too many on that wicket.” Tillakaratne Dilshan departed for five after just half an hour of the Sri Lanka innings but Karunaratne soon indicated he was in no mood to capitulate.

The 24-year-old lefthander, playing only his fourth test, smashed 11 boundaries in his 109-ball knock - the best of them a huge lofted six over long-on with which he brought up his second test fifty.

He survive a big scare on 54 when he was dropped behind by Wade but departed soon after tea when the wicketkeeper held on to the ball when Karunaratne was drawn into an edge by Jackson Bird’s reverse swing.

Lahiru Thirimanne (7), Thilan Samaraweera (0), Angelo Mathews (16), Jayawardene and Dhammika Prasad (15) then followed to leave the tourists floundering. “We were very disappointed with the batting in the last session,” Karunaratne SAID. “If Chandimal can put some runs on the board

tomorrow, we can do something on this track. I think 150, 175 would be a good target for us.

“The wicket is turning a lot now and the Aussie guys are playing the fourth innings, so I think (spinners) Rangana and Dilshan can do something.”

FINAL TEST Samaraweera’s wicket received the biggest cheer of the day as Mike Hussey, playing in his final test before retirement, took the catch in the deep off the bowling of Nathan Lyon.

The 37-year-old batsman got another rousing ovation when he bowled the last over of the day.

Wade had earned plenty of cheers in the opening session with a knock of 102 as bright as the pink shirts and hats being worn by much of the crowd in support of former Australia fast bowler Glenn McGrath’s breast cancer charity.

The lefthander resumed on 47 with Australia just 48 runs ahead of Sri Lanka’s first innings tally of 294 and he reached his third test half

century in the second over.

Initially combining with Peter Siddle (38) in a partnership of 77 for the seventh wicket, the sheer power of his strokes had the 24,675 crowd purring in the Sydney sunshine.

When Siddle, Mitchell Starc and Lyon were dismissed in quick succession it looked like the last rites for Australia’s innings at 393-9.

Wade, who was on 70, had other ideas and with Bird at the other end offering support with his first six test runs, he bludgeoned his way to his second test century.

He reached the mark by smashing his ninth four to deep cover and then raced around the ground, arms outstretched, in an emotional celebration of his first hundred on home soil.

“It was an amazing feeling. To do it on a day like today, with the McGrath foundation day, was something special. I will never forget it,” said Wade, who was diagnosed with testicular cancer as a teenager.

The 25-year-old faced just

Mahela Jayawardene two more balls but still had time to be dropped on the boundary by Prasad before captain Michael Clarke decided the lead was big enough and declared.

Scores: Sri Lanka 294 and 225 for 7 (Karunaratne 85, Jayawardene 60) lead Australia 432 for 9 dec (Wade 102*, Hughes 87, Herath 495) by 87 runs.

Sunday January 06, 2013

Kaieteur News

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“CT-20 2013 provides a great start of West Indies cricket excitement for 2013!”

Colin E. H. Croft As tremendously exhilarating, sporting 2012 eased into ever hopeful 2013, West Indies cricket is perfectly placed to continue its re-emergence as the standard by which the rest of the cricket world, especially in limited overs cricket, could; should; be measured.

Caribbean T-20 2013 is the right start!

While most of our present cricketers have made good names and sometimes large fortunes playing individually around the world, we are more especially proud that ICC’s World T-20 2012 trophy would be showcased, courtesy of Darren Sammy, Ottis Gibson and the rest of team who did so well in Sri Lanka.

What a fillip and boon, in every way, that has been for West Indies cricket!

West Indies T-20 2013 is almost certainly the last such competition in our region, since, already, there is that franchise situation fully scheduled to make its entry into our cricket next year. This likely last regional T-20 competition should be fully savored!

My most difficult cricket encounters ever, in many ways, was when I appeared for Guyana in regional competitions; not only for simple bragging rights either.

After national experiences, playing internationally for West Indies, in concert with some great players, was a relative breeze!

Then, as now, each player was, and is, representing the very nucleus; their homelands; of their very advent and existence as professional sportsmen. That

Darren Sammy

Shivnarine Chanderpaul

absolute beginning, back to the bare fundamentals and bases, always did; always will; bring out the raw animalistic attitudes in all of us! We also all know that nothing evokes more insularity in each of us than our own cricket, regardless of what everyone suggests, pretends and portrays. Nowhere in the world can such abuse be heaped on any representative cricketer than when he is playing for our own regional Caribbean teams!

I still remember Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago, great friends and colleagues when playing for West Indies, squaring up with very bad, massive pugilistic intent, in Stanford’s very first 20-20, fore-runner of Caribbean T-20 2013. None of the players thought of West Indies then, with only “yard” on their minds!

Forget friendships when you play for your country; pride, determination and bravado bring out attitudes, energies and behavior many did not even know existed or were capable of!

West Indies cricket is always exciting, full of energy

and colour, and, as have been hailed everywhere, it is very pleasant to see West Indies back on top again, with our all-encompassing, everpresent swagger!

Our players still smile, quite worryingly, really, when we lose internationally.

Someone has to explain to me what exactly there is to smile about when you lose! Maybe that is the new dispensation!

But that is exactly why our cricket is so varied, storied and fun. No one knows what will happen next, not even players themselves, even as prepared and, in some cases, as business-like as they are.

What is noticeable is that our players seem more responsive and rounded than in the recent past.

The pure, unadulterated enjoyment, the celebration of Sammy, taking a catch for Windward Islands or West Indies, is shared by team-mates, and each of the Caribbean’s over seven millions inhabitants. That energy even manages to transcend whatever ills one has at that time!

CT-20 2013 starts enough cricket to allow even skeptics

Businessman John Lewis elected to serve as Flying Ace President again The Flying Ace Cycle Club of New Amsterdam Berbice continues to show faith in the leadership of Businessman and long serving President John Lewis, the manager of Water Chris International Hotel, by once again unanimously electing him unopposed to the office of president. In fact only one change was made when the club held its Annual General Meeting recently in New Amsterdam, Berbice with all of the other embers being returned to their positions unopposed.

Attorney at Law Mursaline Bacchus will once again serve as First Vice President with Edward Davis and Ganesh Singh continuing as second and third vice president respectively.

Neil Reece has been elevated to the position of Club Secretary, while former Secretary police woman Margret Kuma is now a Committee Member.

Founder and Coordinator Randolph Roberts continues to triple up as Treasurer, Public Relations Officer and the Club Coach.

Former New Amsterdam Mayor and Businessman Errol Alphonso remains the Patron of the club. The committee members are businessmen Fizal Ally, Rudolph Blair, Businesswoman Pearl Arokium, Dharry Tulsie and Kuma. Neil Reece remains the club Captain with national female cycling champion Marica Dick being elevated to the position of vice captain. Former Long serving Secretary of the club Rhonda Russell remains an honorary member.

The first event for the club will pedal off today with the staging of the Wilbert Benjamin 40 miles cycle race from Fyrish to No43 Bridge and back.

The club will be also holding it 12th Annual presentation and awards ceremony shortly at the New Amsterdam Town Hall beginning at 19hrs. Top cyclist and other persons including officials and sponsors who would have contributed significantly to the club’s achievements, success and upward mobility during the year and past years will be recognised.

Ramnaresh Sarwan to become fans, so much of it to be endured and enjoyed in this strange, somewhat melancholy year. By the end of 2013, West Indies can also add ICC’s 50-over Championship, the last one too, by winning Champions Trophy 2013 in United Kingdom!

So, Trinidad & Tobago, as T-20 2012 champions, have much work to do, even if, on paper, they seem capable of winning again. As “Big’ George Foreman, former world heavy-weight

champions suggested: “To become champion, I ran three miles daily. As world champion, I needed to run ten miles per day, at least, to be ready, so that young upstarts who wanted my crown would have to work doubly hard to take it from me. Keeping my championship was much more difficult than getting it in the first place!”

Jamaica, Barbados and former champions, Guyana will, as always, be spoiling for a fight. Especially Chris Gayle’s absence for Jamaica, and Guyana’s inclusion of both Shiv Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan, both having not featured in this format for some time, could help the latter just have an edge, only just!

Leeward Islands, whose overall cricket has been almost comatose for so long, surely must raise its head, and is due, like Baron Frankenstein’s monster, to make some spectacular comeback!

Windward Islands, whose captain is also West Indies captain, are always energized,

Colin E. H. Croft and have somewhat erased the “old small island” moniker and taunt from the inhabitants of the other more prosperous and more populous Caribbean countries, with the advent of Sammy to our international team’s captaincy.

Combined Campuses and Colleges will not win the competition, but could be spoilers for other, better teams, with the almost ubiquitous upsets and wins against the bigger teams at the wrong time.

It may be too close to call, but CT-20 2013 starts another year of exciting West Indies cricket. Enjoy!

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Sunday January 06, 2013

Largest ever Christmas Charity Programmes completed by RHTY&SC Cricket teams

Hampers for Berbice Cricket Umpires The cricket teams of the Guyana’s leading youth and sports club on Sunday last concluded their largest every Annual Christmas Charity Programmes with the hosting of a Christmas Luncheon for 100 Senior Citizens at the St. Francis Training Centre.

Each of the senior citizens was treated to a warm meal, refreshments and also received a food hamper and a collection of

gifts worth a combined value of $10,000 each.

The teams also worked along with the Radio Needy Children Fund, the Berbice Cricket Board and the Berbice River Bridge Company on Thursday December 20 where they hosted a massive Christmas Party for 700 needy children at the J.C. Chandisingh School.

The children were entertained by Santa, a face

painter and a puppeteer.

They also received a warm meal, collection of goodies, drinks and a toy.

The teams - Rose Hall Town Farfan & Mendes Under-15, Bakewell Under-17 and Second Division, Pepsi Under-19 and Intermediate, Gizmos & Gadgets Under-21 and First Division and Metro Females, from December 14 – 23 also donated 200 Food Hampers to less fortunate

Toys presented for the Eden Children of Promise Home

families, clothing and footwear, 2000 Toys to children and also assisted students with Educational materials.

Donation of Toys, Food Items and Goodies were also made to several Orphanages and Senior Citizens Homes while assistance was also given to the New Amsterdam Mission Chapel Play School, St. Francis Xavier Roman Catholic Christmas Feeding Programme, Rose Hall Town Assembly of God Church, New Amsterdam Lions Club and several other NGOs and Churches.

Members of the Guyana Police Force Neighborhood Policing Group also received Hampers from the cricketers for the major roles they played in protecting the Township during the Festive Season.

The teams also sponsored several Television programmes for Christmas while several households also received a chicken to prepare a Christmas meal.

The Berbice Cricket Board also benefitted as the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club sponsored the printing of special Berbice Cricket Board Christmas Cards at the cost of $70, 000. The Board also received 50 food hampers and a large collection of toys for eleven clubs in County, while each umpire also received food hampers and a gift.

The Berbice Cricket Board was also able to make donations to the Eden Children of Promise Home, New Amsterdam Mental Hospital and honour Berbice Journalists with gifts from the

cricket teams.

Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster expressed his pleasure at the hard work of the players which resulted in a highly successful Christmas Programme. Foster explained that the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club since its formation in 1990 has made a rule that every cricketer playing for the club must be involved in Charity work in an effort to make the individual all-round.

The total value of the 2012 Charity Programme, Foster stated was in the vicinity of $3M. He expressed gratitude to all the sponsors of the club who contributed.

Special mention was made of Ansa Mc al, DDL, Banks DIH, Guyana Beverage Inc., Busta, Sterling Products, Toucans, DeSinco Trading, H.A Snacks, Gizmos & Gadgets, Bounty Farm Ltd, Food For the Poor, Churches Chicken, Cirkel Distributors, Roma Manufacturing, Scotia Bank, Bermudez, Berbice Bridge Company, the Gift Centre, Starr Computers, Lens Craft Optical, NAMILCO, Universal DVD, GT&T, NCN Radio Needy Children Fund, Minister Jennifer Westford, BCB, June Mendes, Farfan & Mendes, A. Ally & Sons, Gizmos & Gadgets, F&H Printery, Ricks & Sari Ltd, DTV-8, Bakewell, Shemaine Campbelle and Assad Fudadin among dozens of others.

Top cyclists in action today in Wilbert Benjamin season opener in Berbice Several of the top cyclists in Guyana are expected to be in Berbice today as the cycling season pedals off to an earlier than usual start in what is expected to be a keenly contested event.

The occasion will see the riders competing in the event sponsored by overseas based former national cyclist Wilbert Benjamin in collaboration with the Flying Ace Cycle Club as they compete for lucrative prizes up for grabs.

Back home on holiday, Benjamin a former member of the Flying Ace Cycle Club is also in the process of opening a sports store, “Benjamin Sports” at his home village of Fyrish, Corentyne Berbice.

The 40 miles event is expected to pedal off at 09:30 hrs from in front of his store at Fyrish Village and proceed

to No 43 Bridge before returning to the place of origin.

There will be prizes for the first six finishers, the top two juniors and the first two females to cross the finish line, while there will also be eight sprint point prizes up for grabs. There will also be special accolades for cyclist from the Flying Ace Cycle Club.

Benjamin is a native of Berbice was a former national cyclist who represented Guyana at both the junior and senior levels including the Pan Am and the Texaco games. He was also a former school and junior champion who won the national school championship on three consecutive occasions. He still rides in his adopted home land of Canada where he also operates a sports store.

He returns home on a regular basis and would assist his club and teams in whatever way possible including sponsorship of races. He is also expected to participate in the event.

The riders from Demerara are expected to have a tough time with the Berbicians ready and rearing to go. With the likes of Neil Reece, Dwight Holder, Ray Millington, Seaborne Fernandes Elijah Brijader, Wasim Hassnu and Rohan Persaud ready to defend their turf. Marica Dick will be leading the charge amongst the females.

The presentation ceremony will be held immediately after the completion of the event.

Cyclists are reminded that they must ride in their club colours. Randolph Roberts is the coordinator.

Sunday January 06, 2013

Kaieteur News

Page 59

Windero Gym in Berbice looking to make big impression for 2013

By Samuel Whyte Bodybuilding is catching on in Berbice and for the Windero Fitness and Body Building Gym situated at 4-15 Wapping Lane, New Amsterdam their intention is to take the sport to the next level. The Gym is quickly becoming a household name in Berbice and one of their main aims is to make the sport a premier sport in the ancient county. They are also striving to become one of the top if not the top Gym in Guyana having already achieved that feat in Berbice. The Gym, which has been in existence since 2001, had a fairly successfully year in 2012 crowning it off with some success at the first ever Flex Night Health and Fitness Exposition which was held at the National Cultural Centre in December.

Speaking with founder and trainer, Winston ‘junior’ Clement, he stated that since

Some members of the Windero Fitness and Body Building Gym during recent action.

the existence of the Gym there have been many challenges and with 2012 being one of their best years so far they expect to take it upwards from their on. The gym started into Bodybuilding in 2004.

The Gym, which is the top performing Gym in Berbice, has about 30 active participants who are into competition at the moment while hundreds more including Cricketers, athletes,

boxers, footballers and cyclists among others and those generally interested in improving their physical fitness use the venue regularly to train. On an average about 50 persons

participate in daily activities at the facility.

According to Clements he has a busy schedule supervising, working out with and designated programmes for the many persons using the facilities. He works personally with his bodybuilders making sure they have all the right stuff, training schedule, meals etc.

Then there are programmes for cyclists, athletes, cricketers etc. He also has to prepare programmes for the others who are interested in just keeping fit and wants to lose weight.

For his bodybuilders the training regiment includes various levels of training, including high intensity training, balanced nutrition and work out plan among other requirements.

Clements, who is a qualified Pharmacists and Fitness Instructor, has his own Pharmacy which is situated at Strand New

Amsterdam, between the Market and Scotia Bank and has been involved in Body Building and fitness development for over 13 years.

He stopped participating because he feels comfortable imparting his knowledge and generally helping persons improve their fitness.

He says that exercise and training is a therapy for fitness, better health and general longevity. He gave credit to long serving personalities Donald Sinclair and Yale Holder for their assistance and advice over the years, but stated that there are many challenges in respect to the development of the sports in Berbice.

He cited lack of support, sponsorship, time and the usual royal run around to organise a successful event in the Ancient County, with issues such as permission from Police, Fire service, EPA, (Continued on page 54)

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Sunday January 06, 2013

Minister promises Cricket Centre upgrade The National Cricket Centre in Balmain Couva is going to get a much needed upgrade after a tweet from Trinidad and Tobago senior cricketer caught the eye of the Minister of Sports Anil Roberts.

Roberts, speaking at a Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) press conference to announce the

TTCB’s partnership with various government ministries at Capital Plaza, Port of Spain yesterday, revealed that he is going to take a note to Cabinet to refurbish the Cricket Centre with a view to making it a first class facility for cricket development.

Partnering with the TTCB to host the Caribbean T20 are the Ministry of Sport and

Multiculturalism, the Ministry of Sport, the Tourism Development Company, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of National Security, the team sponsors, the National Gas Company and First Citizens Bank.

Before making the announcement, Roberts said that while T&T are inviting the world for the 2013

TT Sports Minister Anil Roberts

Caribbean Twenty20, he was saddened to see that a tweet was sent out showing a toilet and a sink in a dilapidated condition.

“Maybe it would not have been (in that state) if they had not paid the cricketers so many high wages but from today I could tell you that that tweet will never happen again,” he said. “...Because I am going to take a note to Cabinet in consultation with the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board to rehabilitate, refurbish and develop the Balmain Cricket Centre so that we have a first class area for playing cricket at the regional first class level,” the Minister added.

“We will develop the stands, the changing room, and the pitch. We will put practice nets, computers and analysts. Everything that is required, the government will work with the TTCB to develop that facility,” he insisted.

He also urged the T&T cricketers to remember that it is first and foremost an honour to put on the Red, White and Black to represent the country.

“As we welcome the Caribbean to T&T, this tournament is going to be about Red, White and Black and we need to remember what that means because in recent times...we have lost that especially in cricket,” he explained.

“In other sports, like track and field, in swimming, in sailing, in boxing, we see that spirit emanating from our athletes who work hard, who train six-seven hours a day and sweat for the Red, White and Black. (They) cry, push themselves, become depressed, become joyous free of charge.

“But in cricket something has been raising its head and we need to control it. I believe anyone who is plying their trade needs a fair wage and fair share but when greed steps in it leads to performances that are not inspiring.

“So to all our cricketers...it is first and foremost an honour to represent your country and put on that Red, White and Black.

“You must never lose sight of the fact that your country comes first...you are here to inspire a nation.

“Yes your wages are important but it must be done in a timely manner and that will never impact on the performance of the team,” the Minister added. (TT Express)

GUYANA BASEBALL LEAGUE...

Guyana to Compete in U15 Pan-American Championship 2013 The GBL is actively recruiting players for the male U15 division; there are 4 teams with 20 places per roster available.

Selected players will play a series of practice games in January and February followed by full league play in March and April.

The Guyana U15 national team expected to compete in the Pan-American championships will be selected based on performance during the league games. This Pan-American tournament is the qualification of the world U15 organized by IBAF the next year. Players born on or between Jan 01, 1998 to December 31st, 2000 are

eligible for this competition.

Open tryouts days are 12th /13th / 19th and 20th January, players are asked to wear appropriate sport clothing, and no other equipment is necessary.

Open tryout daily schedule of events: Catch Play Timed 60 yard sprints Infield/Outfield Fielding Drills Batting Practice The GBL urges all players and parents to avail themselves of this opportunity to participate in this exciting sport.

For Further information Contact the GBL: 614-4862/ 626-7522.

Sunday January 06, 2013

Kaieteur News

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Lance Armstrong may admit he used banned drugs - NY Times (Reuters) - Lance Armstrong, the disgraced American cyclist at the centre of the biggest doping scandal in the sport’s history, may admit he used performanceenhancing drugs during his career, the New York Times reported in Saturday’s editions, citing “several people with direct knowledge of the situation.”

The newspaper said Armstrong, 41, has told associates and anti-doping officials he may make the admission in hopes of persuading anti-doping officials to allow him to resume competition in athletic events that adhere to the World Anti-Doping Code,

under which Armstrong is currently subject to a lifetime ban. Such an admission would be a stunning reversal for Armstrong, who has vehemently denied doping for years.

Asked if an admission was coming from Armstrong, Tim Herman, the cyclist’s long-time lawyer, told the Times, “Lance has to speak for himself on that.”

The newspaper, citing “one person briefed on the situation,” said Armstrong has been in discussions with the United States AntiDoping Agency (USADA) and met with Travis Tygart, the agency’s chief executive.

The paper, citing the same

Cooper aims to step-up and fill Rampaul’s boots Port-of-Spain, Trinidad – Trinidad & Tobago will be without Ravi Rampaul, their new ball ace, for the Caribbean T20 2013. They will be counting on Kevon Cooper to step up in the bid to defend their title, starting Sunday night.

When Rampaul was ruled out with an injury on Thursday, attention immediately turned to Cooper, the lanky seamer, and Shannon Gabriel, the strongly-built pacer. Cooper has used the new ball with telling effect and also bowled well at the ‘death’ for Trinidad and Tobago in regional cricket and for Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League.

“I’d just like to play my part as a player when the captain calls on me – going out there and picking up wickets – and hopefully we can win the third time around and bring the trophy back home,” Cooper said.

“There’s no major pressure – I know what is required; in the team everyone knows what’s required. Once we win those four home games, we will have a good chance of winning again and bringing home the trophy. That’s the way we’re all thinking.”

Cooper has seen firsthand many of the highs and lows of cricket. At age 19 he made his senior Trinidad and Tobago debut in 2008, but until 2011 failed to cement a

place in the squad.

In the 2011 Caribbean T20 team Cooper and spinner Sunil Narine helped T&T secure the regional title and their second berth in the Champions League T20 tournament, but question marks over the players’ bowling actions forced them to head to Australia for successful remedial work.

“After playing and doing so well for Trinidad, Sunil and myself, and then to get called for ‘pelting’ was disappointing for me. I was feeling a bit down and having to go all the way to Australia to correct my action, it wasn’t easy for me as a player. But thank God for giving me the ability to cope and to come back and do well,” said the 23-year-old, who is also a capable lowerorder batsman.

He bounced back last year and was a crucial member of the championship-winning side. He played six matches and took six wickets.

This included a matchwinning 3-26 off four overs against Guyana at Sri Vivian Richards Stadium, which earned him the Player-of-theMatch award.

Overall in his career he has so far taken 43 wickets in 41 T20 matches.

Trinidad & Tobago will open the tournament against last year’s losing finalists Jamaica at Queen’s Park Oval on Sunday at 8 pm (7 pm Jamaica Time.)

source, said Armstrong is also seeking to meet with David Howman, the director general of the World Anti-Doping Agency.

Armstrong’s lawyer denied his client had talked with Tygart.

An October 10 report from the USADA blasted Armstrong’s involvement in what it characterized as the

“most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen.”

Less than two weeks later, Armstrong’s seven Tour de France victories were nullified and he was banned from cycling for life after the International Cycling Union ratified the USADA’s sanctions against him.

Radioshack team rider Lance Armstrong of the U.S. poses on the podium in Paris after the final 20th stage of the 97th Tour de France cycling race between Longjumeau and Paris in this July 25, 2010 file photo. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard/Files

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Sunday January 06, 2013

Serena offers ominous warning for Australian Open rivals BRISBANE (Reuters) Serena Williams felt she was close to accessing the sporting “zone” during her emphatic 6-2 6-1 victory over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the final of the Brisbane International on Saturday.

Williams needed only 51 minutes to beat the Russian in an ominous warm-up for the Australian Open, which

begins in Melbourne on January 14. “I’ve been in the zone a few times,” Williams told reporters. “I don’t know if I was in the zone today, but I was definitely heading in that direction. I’ve been in the twilight zone before, where I just felt so good I couldn’t do anything wrong.”

The world No.3’s performance was so strong

that Pavlyuchenkova said afterwards: “I always feel like I don’t know how to play tennis when I play against you.” Williams captured the 47th title of her career. She has won 35 of her past 36 matches while claiming Wimbledon, the Olympics, the US Open, the season-ending tour championship and now the opening event of 2013.

The 31-year-old American roared through the Brisbane tournament without the loss of a set. She said: “I was looking at a lot of old matches on YouTube, and I feel like right now I’m playing some of my best tennis. I feel like I want to do better and play better still.”

Williams said a decision to seek on-court tranquillity after a shattering defeat to Virginie

Serena Williams of the U.S. poses with her trophy after defeating Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia (R) in their women’s final match at the Brisbane International tennis tournament January 5, 2013. REUTERS/Daniel Munoz Razzano at the French Open last year had triggered her career resurrection.

“I really started being more calm on the court and just relaxing more, if it’s possible for me to relax,” she said.

“I feel better when I’m more calm. When I’m crazy like I was in Paris, as you can see, it doesn’t do great for me. I think it is a really fine line between being too calm... I think sometimes if I’m too calm it doesn’t work for me, either. I can be calm and still be pumped up and really excited.

“I can’t do too much of either.”

Williams said she wanted to take up meditation as an off-court routine, even though it would challenge her. “I can never sit long

enough for meditation,” she said. “I really want to meditate more and I want to be still and be in that quiet area. But I just pick up my iPad and start playing some games, and then next thing I know I’m watching TV. “Hopefully I can get there.” At Melbourne Park Williams will be chasing her 16th major championship and sixth Australian Open title.

She will start as the clear favourite after her irresistible progress through the Brisbane event coincided with injuries hampering the preparations of world No.1 Victoria Azarenka (toe) and No.2 Maria Sharapova (collarbone).

Ba scores twice on debut as Chelsea romp to FA Cup win

Chelsea’s Demba Ba (R) reacts during their FA Cup third round match against Southampton at St Mary’s Stadium in Southampton, southern England Jan. 5, 2013. REUTERS/Kieran Doherty LONDON (Reuters) Demba Ba made an instant impact with two goals on his Chelsea debut as the holders romped to an emphatic 5-1 victory at Southampton in the FA Cup third round on Saturday. Newcastle United, the club Ba left on Friday,

continued their dismal run of form with a 2-0 defeat at Championship (second tier) side Brighton and Hove Albion - a rare upset on one of the most eagerly-awaited days in the English season.

Goals from Andrea Orlandi (Continued on page 54)

Sunday January 06, 2013

Kaieteur News

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Footballers’ input acknowledged as Fruta Conquerors FC hosts appreciation ceremony

By Michael Benjamin The Fruta Conquerors FC lost 1-0 to Rhythm Squad and was booted out of the Banks DIH Premiere League football competition which concluded earlier this month.

Notwithstanding, President of that entity, Wayne Forde, is adamant that his players have performed credibly over the past year and should feel heartened by their achievements.

Mr. Forde assured his charges of this when he delivered the feature address at an appreciation dinner hosted by the administration on the upper floor of the Salt and Pepper Restaurant, Robb Street Georgetown, Friday evening last.

Several other executive members of the club shared the head table with Mr. Forde including Secretary Daniel Thomas, Olinda George (Treasurer), Jolyon Lewis (Ass/Sec/treasurer) and Committee member Kayode Lambert. FIFA license player’s agent, Faizal Khan, and Coach of the club, Sampson Gilbert, also attended the function.

Mr. Forde said that his fellow executives were thoroughly impressed with the players’ performance over the year and decided to host the ceremony to express appreciation. He further said that it will be a yearly feature on the Fruta Conquerors calendar.

The Conqueror’s President further noted the input of the Guyana Beverage Company and the National Flour Mill Company (Namilco) in supporting the programmes of the club. None of the two businessmen attended the function and Mr. Forde explained that they were out of the country on official business. “These two gentlemen have sent their best wishes even as they have recommitted towards the club’s development,” Mr. Forde confided.

Mr. Forde was elected to the Presidency in April last year and since then has been piloting initiatives towards the club’s advancement.

He said that ever since assuming office he is heartened by the progress made. He also reminded the footballers that their input served as the backbone of developmental initiatives of the club. “You are the heart and soul of the club and your diligence and commitment have been the catalyst of the progress made so far,” exhorted Mr. Forde.

Sampson Gilbert (4th left) strikes a pose with his charges shortly after they had received the commendations. From left; Kareem Knights, Adrian Adonis, Delon Williams, Trevon Lythcott, Joshua Browne and Vurlon Mills.

Nevertheless he warned the footballers against complacency while urging them to aspire for bigger accomplishments. “We have accomplished much but there is still much more to be done,” said Mr. Forde.

Mr. Forde noted that the players have enjoyed glorious moments over the year winning several prestigious tournaments including the Banks Powerade tournament while placing second in the Coaches’ U-17 Goodwill tournament in March. They had also enjoyed some measure of success, placing 3rd in the Super 8 KO League in November among other tournaments.

The club’s executives were further heartened with the results of the summer camp hosted in August. Mr. Forde feels it was comprehensive while addressing matters and other issues related to the footballers’ development.

That programme incorporated the input of qualified teachers from the Ministry of Education as well as other professionals and Mr. Forde feels that the ball weavers would have benefitted immensely from the initiative.

He was especially impressed with the successful staging of the Lester ‘Puppy’ Peters tournament late last year, in memory of Peters, a former national player and member of the club who had passed away in 2011. “Peter’s contribution to the sport is immense and worthy of recognition,’ advocated Mr. Forde. He also said that

following a successful resolution to the current impasse with the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) and the Georgetown Football Association (GFA), his executives will discuss ways of broadening on the scope of the tournament.

Shortly before wrapping up his presentation Mr. Forde advised the players to remain focused even as they aspire for higher goals. “Fruta Conquerors have invested hefty sums towards your development and we expect you to put in the effort that distinguishes your institution,” he said. “To whom much is given, much is asked,” he concluded.

The proceedings were chaired by Mr. Thomas who introduced FIFA license player’s agent, Faizal Khan who delivered a motivational speech on the business aspect of the sport.

He also stressed that investment in the youths is extremely important as it facilitates ongoing development. Mr. Khan also touched on the vagaries of the sport while underlining key variables like commitment, discipline and sacrifice as essential conduits of success.

Meanwhile, several players received special commendations for their input in the club’s development.

Kareem Knights received the award for being the best aspiring youth player of 2012 while Adrian Adonis copped the senior equivalent.

Trevon Lythcott was voted the most committed player while Delon Williams’

long service to the club earned him a special award. Joshua Browne was voted the most improved player while Vurlon

Mills’ efficiency was noted; he received an award for his dedication and commitment to the club. Shortly afterwards

members of the media were invited to join the executives and players to a sumptuous dinner.

t r o Sp

New format brings EXCITEMENT to Caribbean T20 P

Ramdin says T&T want winning start for home fans

ort-of-Spain, Tr i n i d a d – Confidence is oozing in the Trinidad and Tobago camp ahead of their Caribbean T20 2013 opening match against Jamaica today. Skipper Denesh Ramdin and his team looked relaxed and comfortable in their training session yesterday at Queen’s Park Oval.

Tickets for today’s match have been going very well and Ramdin called on his countrymen to come out and support the home side at the historic ground. First ball is 8 pm (7 pm Jamaica).

“It’s really great to hear that tickets are almost sold out for the first match. We can expect a full house when we take on Jamaica tomorrow (today). Playing at home is always great for us and we enjoy the feeling of being in front our supporters.

This is the kind of occasion we dream of and we will look to get off to winning start tomorrow night (tonight). It will be a fantastic atmosphere,” the longstanding wicketkeeper said. ”The goal is to win the tournament again. We are trying to focus on our team.

We have a fantastic bunch of players – some who won the World T20 for West Indies in Sri Lanka last year as well as have dominated T20 cricket all over the world.”

T h e Tr i n i s h a v e a balanced unit and are well marshalled by coach David Williams. The batting is headed by Kieron Pollard, last year’s MVP, and also includes Dwayne Bravo, who was Player-of-theMatch in last year’s final; his brother Darren; and openers Lendl Simmons and Williams Perkins.

The bowling is led by offspinner Sunil Narine, who won the ICC Emerging Player-of-the-Year award last year; Samuel Badree, the clever slow bowler with the new ball; Shannon Gabriel, the strongly-built pacer; as well as the seam bowling of Rayad Emrit, Dwayne Bravo and Pollard.

Ramdin added: “We have won this tournament two

Denesh Ramdin years in a row and we want to win it again. As the defending champs we know everyone will be gunning for us, but we have our plans and will look to execute properly.

We start against Jamaica and we have set out how we want to go against them. We will come at them hard. We will be focusing on what we have to do as a team to win and take it from there.

“Everyone has been really involved. We had one warm-up game against the Windwards to see where we’re at as a team and we managed to come away with a smart victory. In T20 you just need one guy to go out and play a big knock and win it for you ...so I have to say everything is going well.”

SQUAD: Denesh Ramdin (Captain), Darren Bravo (Vice Captain), Samuel Badree, Dwayne Bravo, Kevon Cooper, Rayad Emrit, Shannon Gabriel, Jason Mohammed, Sunil Narine, Yannick Ottley, E v i n L e w i s , Wi l l i a m Perkins, Kieron Pollard, Lendl Simmons.

Team Management: David Williams (Head Coach), Omar Khan (Team Manager), Kelvin Williams (Assistant Coach), Dr Oba Gulston (Physiotherapist), Ronald Rogers (Trainer), Dinesh Mahabir (Analyst)

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