Kaieteur News

Saturday Edition

Online readership yesterday 86,693

January 12, 2013 - Vol. 7 No. 02 - Price $80 kaieteurnews@yahoo.com Website:http://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com Guyana’s largest selling daily & New York’s most popular weekly

President Ramotar tackles corruption,

transparency questions …releases privatisation deals between 1993-2011 President Donald Ramotar displays a copy of the report on the privatization deals

- $25.6B in proceeds - $11.7B paid to Treasury

Canadian firm eyes US$205M investment …3.29M ounces of gold over 17 years Teenaged sex worker found Govt suing Hand-in-Hand for dead in St. Phillips Church Green Synergy’s non-performance

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Saturday January 12, 2013

Teenaged sex worker found dead in St. Phillips Church Green

A

m a l e commercial sex worker, 19-yearo l d We s l e y Holder, called ‘Oraysha’ or ‘Tiffany’ of 65 Cross Street, Werk-en-Rust was found dead in the compound of St. Phillips Green. He had been murdered.

According to a police statement the man’s body was found around 08:25 h o u r s y e s t e r d a y. T h i s publication was told that the man’s body bore a cut to the back of the neck, one to his throat and cuts to his wrists.

There were other marks of violence on the body.

Holder was last seen alive around 21:00 hours on Thursday evening. Another sex worker who asked not to be identified said himself and ‘Tiffany’ were out on King Street doing business.

“When we went King Street and then I tell he leh we go to Subs and Salads to get something to eat. We went and when we come back three men come up to we and they say leh we go up High Street”.

The dead man’s aunt Paula Niles being consoled by other relatives after the discovery of the body.

The commercial sex worker identified the men, as one sporting dreadlocks, another with braids and the third being bald.

“I turn and I say me ain’t going nowhere cause I don’t deal with them low life but ‘Tiffany’ say she gone and

she go with them and when they de walking away I see one show de other one he had a long knife, and that was the last I see me friend.”

The woman with whom the now dead Wesley Holder lived and who was described as his aunt said that they

were very close. She said that she last saw Holder earlier on Thursday night, after pleading with him not to go out on the road.

Paula Niles said that she had a strange feeling and begged him to stay home.

“We went gaffing and he go inside put on he clothes and tell me he going out I say man why u don’t stay off the road and he say man I ain’t staying long. You ain’t see I aint even put on makeup,” Niles said.

The woman further related that early yesterday morning a man came to her and began enquiring about ‘Oraysha’.

“I say he must be inside sleeping but the man say how he hear ‘Oraysha’ went in some fight last night, so I send me niece to check at Brickdam Station but a li’l while after a man come and say how he hear how dey

Dead: 19 year-old Wesley Holder, called ‘Tiffany’ or ‘Oraysha’. find a body in de churchyard and we must check see if is ‘Oraysha’.

Not long after Niles said her worst fears were confirmed as she found her nephew’s badly battered body.

They woman wept while she recalled that her nephew was a very loving person and in spite of his lifestyle he did not deserve such a death.

Niles said she is at a loss about a possible motive for her nephew’s murder.

“He was very close to me; he would tell me anything, Wednesday night he come home and he bring a boy in de yard name ‘Dougla’ and he tell me how Dougla come outa prison about three days ago.”

Niles said nothing seemed amiss since she had met ‘Dougla’ some time last year when her nephew brought him to the house and introduced him as his

boyfriend. Further the woman said only a few weeks ago her nephew was before the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court to answer a charge of assault.

“He and a woman had a story and later the woman come and say how she man planning to do ‘Oraysha’ something. Is so much things; we don’t know is what really responsible for he death.”

The man’s death sent shock waves throughout Cross Street. Many people wept openly and some fainted.

Meanwhile, a source close to the investigation told this publication that they are working on the theory that Holder was lured to the area where his body was found. This was concluded since freshly used condoms and the man’s slipper and a knife were found under a tree close by.

Crime scene ranks combing the area early yesterday morning.

Saturday January 12, 2013

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President Ramotar tackles corruption, …releases privatisation deals transparency questions between 1993-2011 - $25.6B in proceeds -$11.7B paid to Treasury Since taking office back in December 2011 and in one of his most significant moves to address lingering questions of transparency and accusations of corruption within the government, President Donald Ramotar has released details of privatization deals done between 1993 and 2011.

The release of the reports comes after years of pressure on the ruling PPP/C to come clean on details. There have been questions in the National Assembly and in the media, but the answers were long in coming.

The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) assumed continuous power from 1992.

It was following the November 2011 General and Regional Elections that Ramotar became President, immediately signaling his intentions to address the accusations of corruption that faced former and current ministers and other senior officials.

Speaking at his first press conference for the year, the President made it clear that the transparency issue has been a sore one for a while now. At the heart of the problems is the operations of the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) and its sister company, Privatisation Unit (PU). Both are state-owned agencies tasked with the management and privatisation of government assets.

The manner in which NICIL had sold properties had seen Government again and again coming under fire.

The deals include the New GPC deal with the Sanata complex and the use of

monies to fund a Marriott Hotel.

The release of the reports would clearly be seen as substantial and strategic move by President Ramotar to clean the image of his administration, and separate it from that of Bharrat Jagdeo government which has been tinged with corruption accusations.

According to President Ramotar yesterday, the reports are in depth and should “end a lot of speculations” regarding transparency. Probably the most important of the report would be the “Privatisation In Tables, Phase 11-1993-2011”, prepared by Winston Brassington, Executive Secretary and Head of the Privatisation Unit.

WILLING TO TALK Ramotar said that NICIL’s annual reports have been tabled in the National Assembly up to 2010, … so “all the talks of accountability…hope we can put that to rest.”

Government, he insisted, is prepared to engage the opposition on all the major projects. “I have said it and I will state again…We are ready to work with them on any information on any of the projects.”

However, a number of the projects are still in the making and because of its commercial implications, it would not be possible to make these public.

But the President said he was more than willing to engage the Opposition to make the details available. Once the deals are sealed, the details will be made public.

The main report, “Privatisation in Tables”,

which was recently approved

by Cabinet, updates and details an earlier one issued in July 2008, entitled “Guyana’s Privatisation Program: The Institutional Framework and Results for Phase II (1993 to 2009).”

According to a separate statement from the Office of the President (OP) on the release, the report details every transaction handled by the Privatisation Unit and NICIL under the Phase II privatisation programme, started in July 1993.

The report contains information including date advertised, date submitted to the Privatisation Board (by the PU) for consideration, date submitted to Cabinet for approval and date transaction is completed.

It also includes details of the transaction - type of transaction, name of buyer, proceeds received, final destination of proceeds— whether paid to Government or NICIL or any other entity.

The report summarizes all of its transactions from 1993 to November 2012. $25.B PROCEEDS Of a total of $25.6B in proceeds, $11.7B was paid to the Treasury, $6.4 B was capitalized (a form of privatisation), $4.8B paid to NICIL, and $2.6B paid to other entities.

“The Government noted the substantial work of NICIL, and the Privatisation Unit and the success of its stakeholder Privatisation Board, which includes members of labour, consumers, and the private sector.”

Government also pointed out that there was a substantial turnaround of state-owned entities relative to the 1990s, noting that since 2004, NICIL and all of its companies, have been net

Three of the reports released by President Donald Ramotar yesterday.

President Donald Ramotar with one of the key reports on privatization deals made during the last 15 years. contributors in terms of dividends, taxes, investment, employment, without requiring Government funding, except in the cases of electricity subsidies to consumers and NCN public programming component.

“NICIL/PU has also been at the forefront of developing public-private partnerships such as the Berbice Bridge,

the Marriott project, and the Amaila Falls Hydro Project.

The Government notes that in addition to the above, almost $13B in dividends has been paid by NICIL to the Treasury [$2.1 B from 1991 to 2001 (11 years); and $10.6 B from 2002 to 2012 (11 years).”

Office of the President also stressed that most of this

information is contained in NICIL’s accounts that have been public, with up to the 2010 report being laid in Parliament most recently.

“The PPP-C Government is committed to transparency and accountability and will continue to expand and publish more on its companies (led by NICIL) and its privatisation programme.”

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Kaieteur News

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

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

EDITORIAL

Clamping down on crime The year is less than two weeks old but already there have been two murders, a death by fire, a road fatality and more than a few reports of armed robbery that claimed the lives of two of the victims. One of them was the wife of a former mayor of Rose Hall Town and the other a housewife who was attacked on December 20, last year but who died earlier this year.

These statistics would not have been so worrying had it not been for the fact that in all these cases not one of the victims could have claimed to have been relatively high profile people who would attract attention. But there is another aspect to these unfortunate happenings; no one saw or heard anything.

In rural Guyana where the principle of a village raising a child is still the main factor, people always look out for each other. Neighbours would inform each other if they are leaving and ask that someone keeps an eye on the property and more often than not, the children. This is routine.

However in Rose Hall Town, when armed men attacked the home of the former mayor, although there were buildings nearby, none of the neighbours claimed to have heard anything. Perhaps it may have had to do with the manner in which homes are being constructed these days—sealed to the roof and requiring artificial ventilation.

Perhaps in recognition of the changing nature of the society the Ministry of Home Affairs introduced such concepts as Neighbourhood Police and Community Policing Groups.

These are expected to patrol the communities in the company of a member of the regular police force.

In some cases these groups have been successful in either apprehending criminals or in averting crimes.

The government is pouring a lot of money into citizens’ security yet one gets the impression that even members of the community are not too enamoured with lending support to the very groups that have undertaken to be responsible for their safety. And there is a reason for this. People have become more reclusive and less open to other members of the society.

This situation may have to do with financial status.

People who are financially better off may not be inclined to hobnob with the less fortunate and it is always the poorer people who must provide the security service for the wealthy.

Every house in an affluent neighbourhood has a guard—these days more women than men—and there are more police patrols than anywhere else. One would suppose that the wealthy have more to fear from criminals.

Where village life is strong, crime is at its lowest; people not only look out for each other but they also react like bees from a hive in the face of a criminal attack. It has been the same in certain sections of the city.

On some streets there are those who are public spirited citizens who would respond to a criminal attack and this may have helped curtail the rate of crime in and around the city.

But there is still a humbug and it is linked directly to police operations. There have been countless reports of people calling the police stations and even the hotlines and getting no response. And when they do they are informed that there are no police ranks to respond.

The now dead police commissioner, Henry Greene, had announced that each police station would have a unit that would respond to crime in a timely manner.

Indeed, there have been reports of policemen arriving so quickly that they were able to catch the criminals in the act. This needs to be expanded countrywide; the government is pouring money into the Guyana Police Force.

It has not escaped notice that some policemen have also been caught in armed criminal activity, adding to the concerns of the wider society. However, there seems to be a slow change for the better.

Saturday January 12, 2013

Letters... Where your views make the news

The “curse” of poverty DEAR EDITOR, Close to a third of the world’s population is condemned to a world of poverty. This is so not because there is not enough food and other resources to allow for every man, woman and child to live dignified and satisfying lives, but because the resources of the world are so inequitably distributed that the poor just don’t have enough to meet basic nutritional requirements whilst the rich have much more than what is required to satisfy not only their basic needs but their wants, based on extravagant lifestyles.

This unjust world order was commented on by Pope Benedict XVI when he urged world leaders to try to reduce the growing gap between the rich and poor in regions such as Europe and elsewhere, which are currently gripped with severe economic and social crisis of unprecedented proportions. He urged world leaders to focus more on the increasing differences between ‘those few who grow richer and the many who grow hopelessly poor.’

Commenting on the financial crisis, he said that the root cause of the crisis came about because profit was all too often made absolute, to the detriment of labour, and because of unrestrained ventures in the financial areas of the economy rather than attending to the real economy.

Similar comments were made by other world leaders, including UN Secretary-

General Ban Ki-moon, who lamented the rise in income inequality at all levels over the past twenty-five years, which he said posed a serious barrier, worldwide, to poverty eradication and social integration.

There can be no doubt that the gap between the rich and the poor has been increasing steadily over the years.

This situation requires a critical re-thinking of traditional approaches to poverty eradication. The blame must be put squarely on the excesses of global capitalism, which can only be effectively addressed by attacking structural causes that generate them such as a consumerist, selfish and predatory global system that is based on the ‘commodification of man and nature,” according to Jorge Valero, Permanent Representative for Venezuela to the UN and Chair of the Commission for Social Development, during a Roundtable Discussion on the Underlying Assumptions of the Relationship between Poverty and Wealth.

Something has to be fundamentally wrong when 20 percent of the world’s population consume more than 80 percent of the global income whereas the poorest 20 percent have less than one percent of the global income.

It is not that the poorest 20 percent are lazy and do not aspire to that good life, but structural factors based on positions of power and influence by a tiny few have

effectively militated and suppressed the creativity and entrepreneurial instincts of millions who have no other option in life but to serve as wage labourers and eat of the ‘crumbs that fall from the master’s table.’

Part of the problem has to do also with a growing materialistic world view which underpins much of modern economic thinking and in the process diminishes concepts of value, human purpose and interactions to the selfinterested pursuit of material wealth.

The late Dr. Cheddi Jagan, whose vision for a New Global Human Order has been recently endorsed by the United Nations, had always championed the cause of the poor and oppressed not only in Guyana, but at the global level.

He remained firm in his conviction that there are more than enough resources in the world to provide a better quality of life for all of the earth’s inhabitants. However, the wealth created by human labour is hogged by a small group of people who live extravagant and ostentatious lifestyles at the expense of the poor and the deprived.

Many of the ill-gotten gains are spent on lavish lifestyles and all manner of ego gratification not to mention the billions that are hidden in secret bank accounts in order to evade taxes. Many banks, including some that are well established, fail to disclose huge sums of money deposited and therefore

provide safe haven for money which should have been taxed, depriving governments of billions of dollars which could have been spent to enhance the quality of life of the poor.

Some kind of financial intelligence unit at the global level should be set up with powers to investigate such illegal transactions and take disciplinary action against financial institutions that harbour, aid and abet financial transactions designed to circumvent national financial laws and regulations.

The call for a more equitable system of distribution of the wealth must be taken seriously if the global social and economic crisis is to be averted. People are poor not because they chose to be poor, but because they are deprived of opportunities to live comfortable and rewarding lives. This deprivation takes the form of a lack of education and training, and accessibility to the means of wealth creation and income generation, including capital and entrepreneurial skills.

Poverty is a man-made ‘curse’ which deprived billions of their dignity and humanity.

In this regard, credit must be given to the current PPP/C administration for allocating so much money to education and training. One sure way of eradicating poverty is to empower people through education and training. As the saying goes “one cannot be educated and poor at the same time.”

Hydar Ally

Saturday January 12, 2013

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

Teachers - good or bad - often leave a lasting impression on their charges DEAR EDITOR, I read Jermaine Figueira’s letter, which I would describe as a heartfelt plea to the teaching profession, and which echoes so much of what I have been advocating for a long time.

When my son was at primary school, his teachers would always express fear of the children being bored with any subject, if they kept ‘drumming it in’. I held the view that children needed mental stimulation and would be bored only if the subject was presented in a boring way or the teacher did not have the personality needed for the job.

In my own days at primary school (in the 1930s/40s) in B.G., although our teachers were mostly ‘uncertificated’, they always presented lessons in a way that held our attention throughout and, since we were keen on learning, very few of us were left behind.

Being known as a dunce was a stigma to be avoided at all costs, so we tried to keep up. Teachers took their jobs seriously, because their increments might have depended on how well their

charges performed overall.

“Let us strive to extend our efforts in which we teach our children to teach themselves when they are out of the school’s learning environment.” Indeed. As a child of pre-school age, my brother (older by 3 years) and I had our meals at a table covered with an oilskin (the equivalent of present-day vinyl), printed with animals and their names given below.

So, from an early age, I could identify all those animals and he could also spell their names. Of course, we were helped initially by our parents.

With the present questionable standards of literacy and numeracy in the UK,I have often wondered whether a range of bedroom linen, wallpaper, etc., carrying pictures of everyday objects with the names written below, and multiplication tables, simple sums, etc., could be designed and produced specially for children’s rooms.

Instead of staring at computers, they could learn from such materials. Much more enjoyable.

Yes, “let us be passionate about what we teach and continue to provide

challenges for the nation’s children. Let us continue relentlessly in encouraging creativity in our students and challenge them to think outside the box for new possibilities and solutions that would contribute to a better society.”

Many of the ‘lessons’ I remember from my own schooldays were from throwaway lines by teachers, some of them in no way connected with the subject being taught. At high school, a teacher of languages joined the staff and took over the English Literature class. He insisted that we learn and could recite virtually every major speech from Shakespeare’s ‘As You Like It’ (and later ‘Julius Caesar’) which we felt unnecessary and moaned about it.

One day he said “Long after you’ve left school, you’ll realise how beautiful these things sound”. I got down to memorising the speeches. In the mid-1960s, as a secretary in the public service in London, when my Oxfordgraduate colleague could not remember some lines from the ‘The Seven Ages of Man’ (“As You Like It”), I was able to fill the gaps and we

laughingly finished the piece together with “...sans everything”. He seemed taken by surprise that a ‘colonial’ knew Shakespeare and other colleagues seemed impressed. I was glad that I heeded that teacher’s wise words.

Incidentally, earlier on, as a temporary agency secretary, I shared a room at work with

an elderly, dignified chap, who always wore a bow-tie.

One day, as was usual at that time, he asked “What part of the world do you come from”? When I told him, he gleefully informed me that his very good student had been working in B.G. as an anthropologist.

I discovered I had been sharing a room with Professor

Dudley Stamp, whose ‘World Geography’ was required reading for our Cambridge exams! Like me, he was at Encyclopaedia Britannica on a temporary basis, presumably updating his entry. Small world.

Teachers - good or bad often leave a lasting impression on their charges.

Geralda Dennison

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Saturday January 12, 2013

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

This teacher clearly is unfit to teach in any school DEAR EDITOR, This letter is in reaction to your January 11, 2013 article entitled “Under-fire teacher repays Penny Bank funds.” It is simply shocking that this teacher, from the No. 48 Primary School in Berbice, who is entrusted with shaping the minds of our future leaders, someone with authority over the young innocent ones of our society, could have so cruelly betrayed the trust of these children, violated the professional standards of the noble teaching profession,

and more than that, committed a criminal act against these same students, by stealing their money that had been saved up for long periods of time.

I cannot comprehend how any decent, self-respecting individual, more so a teacher, could stoop so low, and engage in such despicable, disgusting acts.

It is a disgrace, and reflects a severe lack of character, lack of morals, and disrespect by this teacher for the principles of law and order that ought to exist in our

society.

This teacher clearly is unfit to teach in any school in Guyana, and must be removed from the classroom.

What possible justification does the Regional Education Officer have for not ensuring that this teacher is removed from the classroom and prevented from teaching again?

How can the Department of Education not do everything in its power to ensure that our precious, innocent children are not taught by an individual

found to have committed a crime?

Would she have returned the money if she had not been caught and her fraud exposed?

I don’t think so. In any other country, this teacher would have been in jail, and brought to trial for her crime, and not merely allowed to pay back the funds, and have the matter swept under the rug.

I am calling on the Guyana Teachers’ Union, the Teaching Services Commission, and the Chief Education Officer to promptly

ensure that all professional guidelines are followed, and that this teacher is removed from the teaching system immediately.

Additionally, I hope that the police will press charges against this individual. If they do not stand up for the victims, young, innocent, precious children, who will?

What lesson will they learn?

Why will they respect any teacher? And what will they grow up believing about our legal system?

The ball is in the hands of the authorities, and they have the power to prove to these young children that justice

does exist in Guyana, and those who commit crimes will be punished, no matter what sorts of “connections” they have - because apparently, this teacher has so far taken utmost advantage of her “connections” to stay out of jail.

To allow her to continue teaching in the classroom would be a further blot on our teaching service, and harm the students psychologically, especially the victims who might end up in this teacher’s classroom.

To this teacher, I say, shame on you!

Amanda Persaud

DEAR EDITOR, The recent statement by Dr. David Hinds on Plain Talk giving APNU’s coalition building process and activity in parliament an “F” grade might well rattle the nerves of formal political structures, but should actually be viewed as a positive indicator of a developing political culture in Guyana.

It will be uncomfortable to those who espouse formal party discipline, but there should be no rush to judgment on Hinds.

Only recently Ralph Ramkarran made an unexpected but commendable public critique of the performance of his party.

There is precedence for this apparent political apostasy.

In the past, Eusi Kwayana and Moses Bhagwan were both facilitators (and victims) of speaking out.

For its part, the phrase “new political culture” was popularised by the WPA from the 1970s all the way up to the present, and includes a wide span of concerns in national politics, including the push for constitutional change, anti corruption, the struggle for inter-ethnic solidarity, and the promptings for civil public discourse and the ever-present hope for a government of national unity.

Yet the ambit of “new” in political culture has its failings.

No political party in Guyana has consistently or successfully united the issue of women’s rights to political practice in an organic way.

Andaiye and other women have publicly and consistently made the point that women’s rights are central to the transformation of political and social life in

Guyana or elsewhere.

The other area in which political culture has never been fully addressed is the relationship of inter-personal relations, party rules and public politics.

While I do not concur with Dr Hinds’ grade allocation for APNU (in my opinion the reaction of the state to the parliamentary and public activity of the opposition in parliament demonstrates that separately and in alliance with each other, they did manage to frustrate aspects of the government’s monopoly but the measurement of success and failure in parliament is a matter for another deliberation), the overall thrust of his very public statement unwittingly brings a test for the relationship between political culture and coalition or intraparty politics.

In other terms, parties and their leadership have to overcome the notion that public criticism of political party practice from within the ranks is a negative.

Guyana desperately needs a crash course in civil discourse. But civil discourse should not mean reliance on hushed conversation or backroom coalition building.

The latter has its place but has consistently failed the Guyanese political process, even prior to independence. The state of the country requires loud resounding shouts to wake it up.

Dr David Hinds and Ralph Ramkarran before him have overcome a taboo that takes the national debate beyond fixed notions of inter-party coalition and discipline.

Nigel Westmaas

The state of the country requires loud resounding shouts to wake it up

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Saturday January 12, 2013

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Crime, malaria, mercury ban on front burner for miners - floating police outpost for gold mining areas A floating police outpost for the mining areas in the hinterland as well as strategic checkpoints are all on the card this year as stakeholders move to tackle an upsurge in crime. On Wednesday, the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment (MNRE) hosted a luncheon with the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) to discuss the plans for the mining sector for 2013.

According to a joint statement from the two, this was in keeping with the commitment made by the Ministry after its formation, to have a more inclusive and collaborative working relationship with the miners’ association and to continue building on the relationship and achievements of 2012.

The meeting which focused on technical assistance to the mining sector, security concerns, health issues and infrastructure development also witnessed the participation of senior officers of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission and the Guyana Gold Board. Also there were

Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee and Minister of Health, Dr. Bheri Ramsaran.

According to Dr. Ramsaran, malaria is a critical issue being tackled in the hinterland.

Soon 50,000 mosquito nets will be distributed especially in Regions One, Seven and Nine and other “hot spot” communities affected by malaria.

Miners were also informed by Minister Rohee that the process for the application and granting of firearm licences was revised and all applications would be reviewed by an Approval Board which will be established to ensure that the process is transparent, structured, efficient and just.

In addition, the application process will be computerized to expedite and streamline the process.

Meanwhile, in a separate statement, the GGDMA said that it has launched a countrywide outreach programme with the main objectives of increasing miners’ understanding about developments in the industry

The mining meeting on Wednesday. and to help push for increased gold declarations.

Speaking at the first outreach meeting for 2013, GGDMA’s President Patrick Harding called on miners to ensure that “this year the small and medium scale mining operations will produce the most gold ever in the history of Guyana” surpassing the 2001 target of 456,918 ounces of gold set when Omai Gold Mines was at the height of its operation.

This year, according to the GGDMA, the Association has not set a ‘figure specific’

target since it expects to surpass all expectations and urged members to sell their gold to the Guyana Gold Board and licensed dealers.

Specific issues being addressed in the meetings are malaria, crime, the reduced international supply of mercury and the need to

explore alternative recovery mechanisms.

According to GGDMA, miners were also urged to ensure that they backfill areas after mining, to ensure that special attention is paid to the health and safety of workers and to follow the regulations established by the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC ).

The first meeting was held at Charity, Essequibo Coast and saw a large turnout of miners and other stakeholders in the industry, who took the opportunity to ask several questions and to raise many other issues.

Among other issues raised were land allocation, the need for improved infrastructure such as roads, the influx of foreign miners and the benefits of selling gold to the Guyana Gold Board and licensed dealers.

Auto dealers under the microscope…

Unfair pricing, trade practices for key consumer meeting next week

Auto dealers are being warned against unfair pricing and trade practices.

Guyana is getting ready to meet next week with the country’s auto dealers to discuss unfair contract prices and trade practices.

The seminar will be part of a broader push by the Competition and Consumer Affairs Commission (CCAC) to ensure that dealers and other stakeholders comply with the laws.

According to the Commission yesterday, it is imperative that suppliers of new, used and reconditioned vehicles in Guyana, as well auto part dealers attend the seminar next week and participate in discussions regarding these topics.

“Businesses found to be in contravention of the CAA may be imposed with significant fines,” the Commission warned.

CCAC is established by

the Competition and Fair Trading Act (CFTA) of 2006 and the Consumer Affairs Act (CAA) of 2011.

The Commission said that its main objectives are to encourage competition, prohibit anti-competitive business conduct, investigate alleged abuses of a dominant position in the market and in trade, and promote consumer welfare in Guyana.

“The CAA significantly alters the way in which consumer protection is viewed in Guyana. It outlines the duties of a supplier and creates a framework in which all transactions between consumers and suppliers must adhere to.

The topics to be covered during this seminar are information to consumers, warranties, unfair contract

terms and unfair trade practices.”

There have indeed been complaints in the past against especially dealers who used all manner of tactics to repossess vehicles. This was after they would have gotten consumers to agree to contracts which at first glance were deemed vulture-like.

The banks have been lending more in recent years and car loans have been a big money earner. Government said that at least 10,000 vehicles are being registered annually.

The theme for next week’s seminar on the Consumer Affairs Act by the Commission is “How the Consumer Affairs Act will impact the Auto Industry in Guyana” and is to be held at the Regency Hotel on Hadfield Street.

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Govt. does not need to work with City Hall Georgetown is in a crisis and the M&CC is obviously hoping that the government can come on board to bring some relief from the present situation which has seen the capital acquire the dubious reputation of being the ‘garbage capital of the Caribbean”.

But the garbage crisis is merely symptomatic of a decay that has been in the making for nearly thirty years.

The build-up of litter around Georgetown exemplifies the failure of the municipality, which likes to claim that it has been starved for funds.

Those e x c u s e s a r e n o w u n c o n v i n c i n g and deserve little or no c r e d i b i l i t y. St r a n g e l y, despite the failings of the m u n i c i p a l i t y, the government seems to be shouldering a great deal of the blame from those who are ashamed to admit that the leaders they support have failed to stem the decline of the capital city.

The government has an obligation to act but it would be a disaster if the government were to offer assistance through the existing Council.

The government should assist but it should assist without any funds being processed through City Hall.

That body should have nothing to do with the management or disbursement of any funds provided by

government.

A few years ago, a major commercial bank decided to renovate the Promenade Gardens. The work included redoing the outer perimeter fence and improving the grounds of the gardens proper.

A dispute arose during the execution of this project because City Hall wanted to control the funds; the bank said no and held its ground.

Had it not done this, it could not be certain that one of the few bright spots in Georgetown would have existed still.

The government must by now know that it makes no sense committing funds to City Hall.

To hand over any funds or other resources such as garbage trucks would be to throw these resources down the drain.

At present there is concern that a large number of the garbage trucks which the government had provided are sitting idle because they are in need of repairs.

This not to have happened and the government should ask that the trucks be handed back to the government so they can be used to pick up garbage.

The government in fact should assume all responsibility for picking up residential garbage and should deploy its own fleet and implemented its own schedule that would see at least a once weekly service to all areas in the city.

Dem boys seh ...

Donald gun skin dem up What don’t happen in a year does happen in a day. Dem boys never believe that dem woulda see de day when de government woulda put it belly pun de line and release all dem deal wha Jagdeo and Brazzy mek.

Is only Donald coulda do that and that is because he done know that he ain’t got nutten to hide. Dem boys seh that all dem talk bout corruption does bother de man and he know that ain’t corrupt. Donald even seh that he wouldn’t sit at de top of any heap of corruption.

Well when he release dem deals he prepare to answer any question people might ask because he done know that all dem deals happen before he tek office.

But dem boys seh that even if everything above board it show that Donald is a big man and he know that people got a right to know how dem assets sell out and how much money come in. And de man gone back over ten years, from de time he party come into power.

De thing is that fuh all dem years dem boys was calling pun de government to tell dem how it sell off de people property but Jagdeo and all dem kavakamites had no respect fuh people. Dem send a clear message that nobody ain’t got a right fuh ask dem anything.

Donald use to sit down and Freedom House and tell dem that dem wrang but dem was too big. Well Donald showing dem how de government does do business and he releasing all dem deals.

Dem boys gun see how much de Santa Complex sell for.

People already know and that is why dem was always talking.

Some people pay more than that fuh a house lot.

Dem boys now know why all of dem who wuk wid Jagdeo trying to press Donald to call snap elections. Dem want he out of de way because at de rate he going he gun expose everything to de people of Guyana. That is why dem boys love he.

Talk half and wait fuh de revelation.

The government also has other plans which it said it is considering.

One of these is having businesses adopt certain parts of the city. This is a good idea and should be taken further by asking those businesses to also be responsible for garbage collection.

The government should also assume responsibility for cleaning the major outfalls into the Demerara River, and to dredge some of the major canals.

There was never any proper working relationship

between City Hall and central government even when the government had committed to provide the sum of ten million dollars per month to aid in keeping the city clean many years ago.

It will be asking too much to ask for the parties to now work together now, even considering the garbage crisis that the city faces.

There is no political gain to be had by seeking to work with City Hall. The political parties that control the power strings at

City Hall are not worried that they need to perform to be elected back to power whenever local government elections are held.

The citizens of Georgetown will re-elect the same parties that have lorded over the decline of Georgetown.

There is therefore little incentive for change at City Hall and t h e r e f o r e t h e government should not be concerned that it may be foregoing any political gains by not working with City Hall.

It will be a waste of effort

for the government to try to engage City Hall. The government should honour its obligation to the city by launching its own initiative to pick up garbage and clean the canals and outfall and leave City Hall to flounder a bit as it has been doing for twenty five years now.

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Saturday January 12, 2013

Saturday January 12, 2013

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NCN scandal…

President Ramotar preparing to meet officials, sanctions likely Months after a damning report recommended critical changes at the state-run National Communications Network (NCN), sanctions are now likely to be taken against a number of officials.

Declining to name the individuals yesterday, President Donald Ramotar, hinted at a possible shakeup of the entity which last year was rocked by revelations of wrongdoings.

NCN’s Chief Executive Officer, Mohamed Sattaur, resigned while Production M a n a g e r, Martin Goolsarran, was handed two consecutive suspensions back in June.

Following a special a u d i t , N C N ’s B o a r d o f Director had prepared a wider report of the situation at NCN with r e c o m m e n d a tions of possible sanctions.

The board is chaired by Dr. Prem Misir and includes Kwame McCoy, both staffers of the Office of the President.

During his first press conference this year, yesterday, President Ramotar

in response to questions declined to speak of the sanctions but said that it would be “unethical” to announce what some of his decisions would be.

He said that he has not yet spoken to the persons involved but “I have a fair idea of where that should be going…”

NCN controls a network of televisions and radio stations across the country, including Channel 11.

Last year, it all fell apart for NCN when during the budget debate, an upset Opposition questioned assertions how the entity collected over $500M in revenues yet was asking for an additional $60M in Government subvention.

Following complaints, a probe was launched into NCN’s handling of a contract with the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T) to record and produce the Jingle and Song Competition.

The report by the Board was completed and handed over to the President late last

Board Chairman, Dr. Prem Misir year.

A board-ordered audit by accountant Harry Parmesar unearthed shocking details of how over $3M from GT&T was deposited into Goolsarran’s personal bank account.

There were allegations of missing cameras, lax internal controls, and of contracts being issued without any

NOC Commission of Enquiry…

Inmates and staff finally interviewed The investigation into the violent breakout at the New Opportunity Corps (NOC) Onderneeming, Essequibo Coast, is finally heading somewhere.

After being stalled for a while to facilitate the replacement of the Chairman of the Commission of Enquiry, the interviews of inmates and staffers of the juvenile detention centre has finally been completed.

This was according to member of the commission, and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Culture Youth and Sport, Alfred King.

King explained that the interviews lasted about two days and that the commission is in the process of putting together a summary which will later be evaluated to determine the findings. He could not say how long this process will take. The Commission of Inquiry is now being headed by Winston Moore, following the resignation of Prem Persaud.

A few months ago, a number of youngsters, ages ranging from 14 to 16 went on a violent rampage, storming through several communities while being armed with cutlasses and other weapons, in a bid to escape from the Juvenile detention facility.

Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Culture Youth and Sport, Alfred King After the incident which resulted in the destruction of parts of the facility, including the female dormitory and a workshop which were set afire, inmates and staffers gave their statements.

It was as a result of these controversial statements that a Commission of Inquiry was set up.

Inmates had claimed that they were being abused by staffers, and that they had reached breaking point. A senior Ministry official had

however stated that none of the juveniles made any such allegations to the team which visited the centre shortly before the escape.

The Board of Inquiry currently includes Alfred King; Senior Superintendent and Divisional Commander of ‘D’ Division, Christopher Griffith; Senior Probation Officer of Ministry of Human Services and Social Security, Trenetta Scott and Mr. Maydha Persaud, a retired headmaster and member of the Teaching Service Commission.

Of the 48 inmates who had appeared in court following the incident, eight were charged with arson, and 40 were arraigned for escaping from a training school. Thirtysix of them were male.

Thirteen of the juveniles pleaded guilty to escaping from the NOC, while the remainder entered not guilty pleas. Sixteen of the inmates were remanded to the juvenile facility in Georgetown, while the other 32 were returned to the NOC. Minister of Culture Youth and Sports, Dr. Frank Anthony has assured more than once that should any staffer of the facility be found guilty of abusing the children, they will be dealt with accordingly.

written agreements.

There were also indications of an attempted cover-up by the two as the special auditor found.

Parliamentary opposition parties, A Partnership For National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change (AFC), have called for criminal charges to be laid.

Following the damning report by Parmesar, there has been a major shakeup at NCN. Part of the major changes at the agency included the reactivation of a special review committee, called the ‘Rates Committee’, and which includes senior departmental heads.

It has been the allegation that the committee was deliberately stifled for a number of years and that two senior officials unilaterally bargained with large advertising companies for lucrative low rates. In return for the low rates, senior officials of NCN reportedly took kickbacks.

The situation at the state agency has drawn widespread anger and was a

CEO, Mohamed Sattaur major embarrassment for the new PPP/C administration last year.

A number of dissatisfied staffers leaked records that indicated a seemingly ‘wild west’ situation of advertisements being aired free, and of links between at least one senior staffer and a heavy equipment company.

An angry opposition, upset with NCN’s ‘biased’ coverage to them, blocked a budgetary subsidy for NCN for over $65M. The opposition had called for more accountability and balanced coverage by the state agency.

The Parmesar report made it clear that both the CEO and Goolsarran failed to carry out their duties diligently and

Production Manager, Martin Goolsarran professionally.

“They have knowingly breached the company’s internal control procedures.

Their actions in dealing with the GT&T Jingle and Song Competition clearly demonstrated conflict of interest.”

The report also recommended that the Board of Directors should take necessary actions, including legal ones, to recover loss of revenue for all amounts paid to any individual.

The two, according to the report, tried to pressure staff to backdate key records in what was seen as an attempted cover-up.

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Saturday January 12, 2013

Man suffers severe electrical burns after clutching live wire - GPL says passing truck caused mishap

Asgar Mohamed at the scene Doctors may be forced to amputate the left arm of a 39year-old man who suffered severe electrical burns yesterday after coming into contact with a burst wire in the Stabroek Market area.

Asgar Mohamed, called ‘Jesus’, of South Better Hope, East Coast Demerara, collapsed outside Demico House around 13:00 hrs after clutching the dangling wire.

He has been admitted to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation’s High Dependency Unit. A brother of the victim described Mohamed’s condition

as critical. He said that doctors have informed the family that they may have to amputate the limb if Mohamed’s condition does not improve.

According to the sibling, he has already signed a document which would permit the staff to perform the surgery. Eyewitnesses said that the mishap occurred when a passing vehicle snagged a wire which stretches from an area near the Stabroek Market to a pole near Demico House. The wire then snapped.

A woman who operates

one of the Digicel and GT&T booths near Demico House said that she heard a ‘booming’ sound shortly after 12:00 hrs. “Then we see a wire fall on a car and light it on fire.”

She said that ‘Jesus’, who performed odd jobs in the area, was attempting to remove the wire from the vehicle when he was hit by volts of electricity. However, other eyewitnesses said that Mohamed was attempting to pick up the wire from the ground when he sustained his injury.

Asgar Mohamed at the hospital

Vendors at the scene assisted in putting the badly injured man into a police vehicle, which took Mohamed to the GPHC. Amazingly, Mohamed was still conscious and attempted to climb out of the vehicle unaided. The victim has sustained burns to the entire left arm, which was swollen to twice its size. His fingers were twisted out of shape.

Some eyewitnesses blamed the Guyana Power and Light for Mohamed’s injury.

They claimed that a GPL crew arrived before the handyman was injured, but did not immediately cordon off the scene or attempt to repair the

damaged wire.

However, one woman stated that several people continued to walk in close proximity to the wire despite appeals by the police.

A Guyana Power and Light (GPL) release stated that a truck came into contact with an overhead guy wire, causing it to snap and fall to the ground. The release said that a section of the wire came into contact with a 13.8 KV feeder, and this caused the guy wire to become energized.

“Unfortunately, the energized guy wire fell unto a few persons who were in the vicinity, causing injuries to at least one of them,” the release said.

“The police and fire service responded immediately and cordoned off the area in which the incident occurred to prevent persons from coming into contact with the live guy wire.

Inexplicably, a male civilian forcefully breached the cordon and came into contact with the live wire, which resulted in his electrocution.”

Mohamed’s brother said that they had seen him on Thursday and that he had informed his mother that he wanted her to bring food for him. He said that when they received the news of the mishap, family members were initially informed that he had died.

Govt suing Hand-in-hand for Synergy’s non-performance The battle between the Government of Guyana and Synergy Holding has gone up a notch with the Ministry of Public Works, through Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, now suing Hand-inHand Insurance Company in the wake of its failure to effect payment on a Performance Bond to the tune of in excess of US$1.5 million.

According to a Writ filed

by Nandlall, on March 31, 2010, Hand-in-Hand executed a Bond/Guarantee No. PB 2009/008 in favour of the Government whereby Synergy Holdings Inc. of 951 Sansbury’s Way, Suite 204, West Palm Beach, Florida 33411, United States of America, had undertaken the construction of the Amaila Falls Road and Transmission Line Clearing Project.

The contract was intended to cater to works from Linden to Amaila Falls in Region Eight.

Based on the contract the contractor should have furnished the Plaintiff with a security Performance Bond issued by a duly licensed and reputable guarantor for the sum specified as security for

compliance with the contractor’s performance obligations.

As such Hand-in-Hand of Lot 1-4 Avenue of the Republic, Georgetown, Guyana, had agreed to give the contractor a security stating that “we hereby affirm that we are Guarantors and responsible to you, on behalf of the Contractor, up to a total of USD 1,540,000.00 equivalent to G$318,780,000.00…and we undertake to pay you, upon your first written demand declaring the Contractor to be in default under the Contract and without cavil or argument…without your needing to prove or show grounds or reasons for your demand or the sum specified therein and without the consent of the Contractor.”

However, the Writ went on to note that by letter dated January 11, 2012, the Government was forced to terminate the said Contract since Synergy Holdings Inc. did not duly perform the terms of the said contract, or execute and complete the works set out

in the contract and within the time prescribed thereof.

It was noted too that by letter also dated on January 11, 2012, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Public Works and Communications wrote to the Defendant Company in accordance with Article 10 – BONDS AND INSURANCE Sub-Clause 10.2 demanding that it honoured its obligation.

Despite the aforesaid letter, the Writ states that the “Defendant has failed, refused and or neglected to effect payment of said sum USD 1,540,000.00 (one million five hundred and forty thousand United States dollars) or at any sum at all.”

The government is also seeking interest at a rate of six per cent per annum from the date of filing to the date of judgment and at the rate of four per cent until fully paid. Additionally it is claiming costs in the sum of $797,137 and any other court cost.

The matter is set for Wednesday February 20, 2013, at the High Court, Georgetown, Demerara.

Saturday January 12, 2013

Kaieteur News

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March trial for EZjet boss Florida (News Americas) The Guyana-born founder and CEO of the now defunct airline EZjet, Sonny Austin Ramdeo, is set to face a March trial for allegedly embezzling US$20M from his former employer in a payroll tax fraud scheme.

Senior Judge Kenneth L. Ryskamp on Wednesday set the trial date for March 11.

Ramdeo is accused of embezzling the money as early as 2005 from Promise Healthcare Inc. and Success Healthcare Group, where he worked as the payroll supervisor.

As the payroll supervisor for both companies, Ramdeo managed the payroll for more than 3,500 employees in hospitals nationwide.

Federal officials say Ramdeo incorporated PayServ Tax Inc., and told the hospital chains he would handle the transfer of local, state and federal payroll taxes to the proper agencies on their behalf. Instead, authorities say, he kept the

EZjet boss, Sonny Ramdeo money.

In October, Promise Healthcare filed a lawsuit accusing Ramdeo of embezzling more than $5 million to keep his airline afloat.

He was arrested by the

FBI in New York late last year, after reportedly being on the run.

Ramdeo is being represented by a public defender, Attorney Robert E. Adler. He has pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Ramdeo, 35, started EZjet last year, as the cheaper alternative to fly on the New York to Guyana route. The airline collapsed last November.

EZjet follows the trail of former national carriers, New Age Air Services, Guyana Air 2002, Guyana Airways and Universal Airlines, which all went belly up. North American airlines, which flew to Guyana for many years, pulled out to serve c e rtain U.S. government agencies.

So far, authorities in Guyana have set a January 14 deadline for passengers, who had purchased EZjet tickets locally, to apply for refunds now that the airline has been declared dead.

The Guyana government has since negotiated with Caribbean Airlines the placement of additional flights on the New York – Georgetown route.

There had been questions about Ramdeo and his finances for EZjet.

Saturday January 12, 2013

Policeman among three freed on robbery with aggravation charged A police Constable, a former policeman and another man, were on Thursday freed on a charge of Robbery with aggravation.

Policeman Colin Jonas, of Canje; former colleague Satish Rajnarine, of Orealla; and another man, Marvin Samaroo, of Cumberland, East Canje, Berbice who were charged with robbery with aggravation committed on businessman Ramesh Kalicharran of Grant 1805, Crabwood Creek, Corentyne, Berbice on December 23, 2009, were freed by Magistrate Fabio Azore before whom they appeared at the Whim Magistrate’s Court more than two years after they were charged.

The men were on $300,000 bail each. Jonas was represented by attorney at law Mursaline Bacchus, Samaroo was not represented while Rajnarine was never arrested.

The case for the prosecution as presented by prosecutor Corporal Shurland King was that around 20:00 hrs on the day in question the two men allegedly entered the shop operated by the Kalicharrans under the pretext of making a purchase.

Kalicharran, 53, was in the

shop when the two men entered, and as he was in the process of handing them the drinks, he was allegedly handcuffed and ordered to hand over his belongings.

The businessman complied after which the men fled.

During the night the police stopped a motor car at Number 76 village with two men inside. The men who were allegedly identified as Jonas and Samaroo were arrested and taken to the Springlands Police Station.

Files were prepared and taken to the DPP for advice and the men were later charged.

In his submission Attorney at Law Mursaline Bacchus had submitted that there was no case for his client to answer, since there was no evidence to implicate him in the crime. The learned attorney at stated that the evidence of identification was weak. He said that no identification parade was held.

He stated that the witnesses had mentioned that he never knew the accused before thus necessitating an Identification parade.

Mr. Bacchus had also stated that his client was held at the station and the witness saw him in custody. This was not permissible by law for one

to make an identification.

The Magistrate, after listening to the submission

by Bacchus, concurred with the defence and dismissed the case against the men.

The attorney has since indicated that he will be moving to the High Court to begin legal proceeding against the Guyana Police Force and the Government of Guyana on a number of points so as to recoup benefits his client has lost.

The case was tried before three Magistrates at two different courts and after more than a year before Magistrate Krisendat Persaud, at the Springlands Magistrate’s Court it came to an abrupt end without a decision.

Jonas had subsequently written to a number of persons including the DPP. The matter restarted after a while before Magistrate Azore. Jonas was dismissed from the force on December 29, 2009 under section 35(1) of the police act chapter 16:01 without receiving his entitlements.

His former colleague (Satish Ragnarine) who hails from Orealla who was implicated in the murder committed on Emron Hoossein, on the 12 April 2004. Ragnarine had escaped from custody and had fled to Orealla, but was later recaptured and brought to trial.

Even as the Haags Bosch landfill site is being deemed a work in progress it will also serve as a model for other landfill sites in the other administrative regions.

This is according to Local Government Minister, Norman Whitaker. According to Whitaker the Haags Bosch site is what they would like to see replicated in the other regions. Hence steps are already being made to move in that direction, the Minister said.

“In fact we have already moved in that direction with the assistance of the Environmental Protection Agency and with the support of the Regional Democratic Councils of Regions One, Two and Three and Regions Five to Ten and we have been able in each region to identify one or more landfill sites.”

He added that the Ministry has also started inviting expressions of interest from persons interested in solid waste collection and disposal.

“We have engaged them and we have entered into contractual arrangements that is RDC and contractors in

respect of the operations and Ministry of Local Government and RDC with respect to supervision by the RDC of the activities in the Region”.

Whitaker said that even as development continues at the Haags Bosch site the Ministry will continue to seek experience from that model.

“In spite of all the challenges including compaction, odour management, cover and so on we have made significant progress” Whitaker lamented.

The Minister also announced that his Ministry will be reconsidering the closing off hours for the Haags Bosch Landfill site.

According to Minister Whitaker they have noticed a buildup of garbage along the road leading to the landfill site.

“After discussion and while the situation may have to do with old attitude, we need to reconsider the opening hours, to see if this is the issue but it must be understood that extending the opening hours will carry a cost and given this cost we will have to engage the

contractors and the NDC and municipalities, (even though) not all of them may have the resources to do so,” Whitaker explained.

Further, the Minister said that it is his hope that with the implementation of the Solid Waste Management Bill persons will practice better habits as they relate to the storage and disposal of garbage.

“Whilst the regulation of Chapter 28:01 of the Municipal and District Council Act and the EPA Act and regulation does allow for monitoring and some amount of enforcement, it is the solid waste management bill when it becomes an Act with the authority, that is going to in our view help in a large way to ensure that not only the contractor but the households adhere to the strict regulations and rules under the solid waste collection, storage and disposal”.

The Minister stressed that there is need for those responsible for the enforcement of current legislation to play their role.

- Lawyer to file High Court proceedings on policeman’s behalf

Haags Bosch a model for other landfill sites

Saturday January 12, 2013

Kaieteur News

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Assault victim disappointed at court’s sentencing

J

ustice is the last thing a mother and her son said they received, after a man with whom they had a dispute, was yesterday jailed for one day on a conviction of assault causing actual bodily harm.

Indra Sookdeo and her 34-year-old son, Visham Sookdeo, of New Hope, East Bank Demerara, say they are totally dissatisfied with the Magistrate’s ruling, and further disappointed at the manner in which their case was handled. The matter was heard at the Providence Magistrate’s Court where Magistrate Leslie Sobers is presiding. The Sookdeos said that Magistrate Sobers gave the defendant, Andy Ramkishu, one day to sit on a bench as punishment for assaulting Visham Sookdeo with a cutlass.

On September 3, last year, the Sookdeos said they had come to loggerheads with their tenants when the female occupant took in a 15-year-old niece whom they described as, “troublesome and rowdy.” Ms. Sookdeo said she had asked the tenants repeatedly to leave because of the child’s behaviour.

When nothing materialized, Sookdeo’s son intervened and asked the tenants to leave.

That very morning young Sookdeo said that after talking to the tenants he was about to go out when the next door neighbour stopped him and accused him of, “Wanting the 15year-old girl,” hence his behaviour.

Sookdeo alleged that he told the woman to mind her business and went on his way. On his return home, a short while after, Sookdeo said the neighbour’s husband jumped his own fence and attacked him on the roadway with a cutlass.

The man then said he was dealt several lashes (broadsided) with the cutlass. The attack left physical injuries on his body. The diminutive Sookdeo said that he did nothing to defend himself, except to go to the Grove

tried to explain to the Magistrate, he tell me sit down, he didn’t want to hear anything.”

“This thing upset my mother and she started to cry and told the Magistrate that it was all lies since she had seen the whole thing from the house.”

“You can imagine, the Magistrate tell them to arrest my mother and the orderly and the other police pulling she and pushing her out of the court.” Sookdeo said in the commotion, both his mother’s slippers came off her foot because of how the police handled her.

Being concerned for his mother, Sookdeo said he collected the slippers that were at the court steps and took them to his mother at the station which is located to the front of the

Visham Sookdeo exhibits one of the wounds he sustained Police Station. The matter, Sookdeo alleged, did not engage police attention until a month later, after he had made numerous complaints at various police institutes.

In court, Sookdeo said that the defendant had admitted to hitting him but alleged that he had used a piece of wood. “He claimed that I threatened to burn his house and throw kero on him. Now this is not true, and when I

building. “When I give her the slipper, hear them, book him too.”

“To my surprise, they charge me and mother for disorderly behaviour and put us on $5,000 bail each. The next day we were fined $10,000 each.”

“Now this man assaulted me. I never fight back, and this man get one day to sit on a bench. My mother see everything. She try to tell the court they truth and she get fined. The court didn’t want to hear me, they didn’t even look at the pictures of my injuries and when I took the slipper of my mother they fine me $10,000 too.

“Now that is justice? What kind of justice is that? I am totally dissatisfied,” the Sookdeos charged.

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Saturday January 12, 2013

Court ruling on Lotto Fund surprising - Greenidge “I am little surprised by it” said A Partnership for National Unity (APNU)’s point man on Finance, Carl B. Greenidge, of the recent ruling of Justice Diane Insanally in relation to the Lotto Fund case which was filed by the party’s executive member, Desmond Trotman.

However Greenidge in a statement issued yesterday stated, “I have no view to offer on the decision of the judge in the absence of a written explanation of the logic of the decision....”

The case was brought against the Government in relation to the constitutionality of the mode of deposit and use of the Development Fund of Guyana (Lotto Funds).

According to the former Finance Minister, he has noted with sadness a subsequent press statement attributed to Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, in connection with the December 28 High Court ruling. The AG, he said, “has taken the opportunity of this lacuna to relay the decision to the media using his own peculiar interpretation which is consistent with his well known penchant for spin.”

According to Greenidge,

the main legal counsel to the Cabinet has implied that the Court has, in effect, ruled that the PPP regime enjoys a carte blanche under Article 216 of the Constitution to deposit in and spend from the Lotto funds as it wishes.

Greenidge noted, too, that after outlining his version of the decision, the AG went on to urge that “in the light of this decision by the Courts, the Opposition should bring to the Courts those other concerns it has about the constitutionality or legality of the numerous controversial Government actions. He would say that wouldn’t he!”

H o w e v e r, G r e e n i d g e noted that the APNU will decline this invitation from the Attorney General, particularly in the light of the unrelenting effort of the Government to suborn the Judiciary and the illegal legislative measures to curtail its independence.

The latter matter, he said, is currently engaging the attention of the legislature.

Tw o implications of the AG’s statement, Greenidge said, are that the House erroneously approved the Motion because it regarded the Fund as illegal and that

the Court decision has some bearing on the relevance of the Motion.

“By implication, the AG alleges a close link between the case and a Motion passed by the National A s s e m b l y.

Presumably he was referring to Resolution 15, passed by the House on June 27. I have been cited by the AG as having shepherded that Motion through the House,” Greenidge added.

However Greenidge is optimistic that the AG is destined to be disappointed for the decision “especially, as he cast it, could not possibly ‘put this matter to rest’.”

“The facts surrounding the controversy are simple and clearly not as set out by the AG. The Motions to which he has made reference gave rise to Resolution #15 which clearly states in the preamble that “whereas the FM&A Act caters for Extra-Budgetary funds to be established...”

According to Greenidge, there can, therefore, be no doubt that the House did not challenge the constitutionality of the Lotto Fund or Extra-Budgetary Funds in general.

He said that the National

Assembly’s difficulty was not with the acceptability of the fund under the Constitution or the Fiscal Management and Accountability Act but rather with their administration.

He added that the preamble and resolution of the Motion cite the fact that the permission to establish and hold such funds is conditional on the submission of annual reports and audited accounts within a time period as well as a specific requirement to account for the use of the funds. In that context the Motion mentions two agencies with such funds: the Lotto Funds and NICIL. According to Greenidge “of the $2.950 billion received from the Guyana Lotteries Company 19962006 and deposited into account No. 3119, (the total of) $2.875 billion were expended to meet expenditure defined by the persons unknown and Mr Jagdeo.”

“This use was challenged on many occasions.

Subsequently, it was the subject of an unsolicited opinion of the then Attorney General.

That action was designed to prevent the Auditor General from further reporting on the

retention of the Lotto funds and its unauthorised use,” APNU executive added.

He noted that the World Bank report on Tracking Poverty-Reducing Expenditures and, their Public Expenditure Management Action Plan (AAP) both recommended the reduction, if not elimination, of these too numerous Extra-Budgetary funds in Guyana In the case of the Lotto Fund, over the decade 1996 to 2006 alone, some G$3 billion of revenues have still to be accounted for, Greenidge said.

In the case of NICIL the figure is a multiple of that “so, we are not looking at a minor esoteric debate,” he added.

“Countless reports of the Auditors General have pointed to the refusal of the PPP Government to account for these extra-budgetary funds.

Let me take the opportunity to also remind readers that the National Assembly is still awaiting the reports and audited accounts from the Government for the use of the millions of dollars of funds associated with the: 2005 Floods; the Cricket World Cup; the hosting of CARIFESTA X; and the ICC Twenty/20 tournament.”

The Motion, Greenidge

said, is concerned with the fact that the law establishing extra-budgetary or other agencies which do not transfer funds automatically to the Consolidated Fund, is conditional.

He said that it requires that the agency reports in various forms within four months. “Since the PPP regime has failed to report a s p e r t h e l a w, t h e resolution called on the Government to pay over to the Consolidated Fund, the surpluses being held by these agencies beyond Feb 2012.

The Government has also been required to conduct a special audit, etc. Nowhere in the motion does the word unconstitutional appear at all.”

“As is common, this AG seems to see his task as one of PR and ‘spinning’ for the PPP regime rather than properly and professionally advising the Cabinet and the public,” said Greenidge.

“Happily, no judge can usurp the power of the Assembly to authorize the spending of funds and, by the same token, the judge cannot purport to remove conditions associated with the establishment and operations of the said funds.”

Guyana records continued growth - mining and tourism made important impact The country’s economy has seen a four percent growth for 2012; this was according to Head of State Donald Ramotar. Ramotar made the disclosure yesterday at his first press briefing for the year.

According to the President, last year the economy continued on an upward path. He said that even though the growth is probably about four percent, one must appreciate that fact when they compare it with the whole international economic environment.

The President said that new areas of growth were developed. He explained that at one time the country solely depended on rice, sugar and

bauxite. Although those sectors are still operational, government notes that other areas such as mining and tourism are making an important impact, he added.

He said that is to show that country’s economy base is being boarded and government has tried to diversify the economy from external shocks.

In the area of agriculture, the head of state said that rice did well.

However sugar didn’t do so well, because of unmet targets.

The President said that if sugar had met these targets the growth rate would have been higher. Focus, he said would be given on further

economic growth.

Back in September, it was the Finance Minister who said that Guyana’s economy has grown considerably.

Singh had stated that it was gold that was one of the major contributors According to the Minster, the domestic economy achieved real growth of 2.8 percent, with non-sugar gross domestic product expanding by 6.2 percent.

He said that an overall growth for the year is now projected at 3.8 percent and non-sugar growth at 3.9 percent.

Dr. Singh noted that the total export earnings grew by 9.2 percent to US$592.1 million

Man 62, jailed for beating age old mother A 62-year-old pensioner who was described as a court regular was on Friday jailed again for inflicting a beating on his 78-year-old sickly mother.

The man Balram Pooran, 62, of 702 Belvedere, Corentyne, Berbice appeared before Magistrate Adela Nagamootoo yesterday at the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s Court charged with assaulting his mother, 78year-old Regina Kellowan. He reportedly beat the woman on Wednesday at her home in

Belvedere, Corentyne, Berbice.

According to prosecutor Corporal Orin Joseph, the accused was at home with his mother when he continually asked for food. He was fed twice and demanded more.

The woman refused his request since she was busy preparing some things to send to relatives overseas.

The man became annoyed and went over to his mother and dealt her several slaps about her face and other parts of her body.

The matter was reported and the accused was arrested and charged.

In court he pleaded guilty and begged for a chance.

The prosecutor told the court that the man is known to the authorities and is considered a nuisance. He told the court that the man was jailed before for 10 days on a similar charge.

The Magistrate then sentenced Pooran to 14 days in jail.

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Canadian firm eyes US$205M investment …3.29M ounces of gold over 17 years Guyana Goldfields has signaled its intentions to start commercial operations in early 2015 and will be looking to plunge up to US$205M in the initial startup, a reduction from over the US$500M it originally wanted to invest.

According to a statement from the company yesterday of its plans for the Aurora operations, in the Cuyuni, Region Seven area, the Canadian company said that it has received its latest feasibility study which reflects numerous positive changes, in p a r t i c u l a r, “ t h e p h a s e d mining and milling approach, reduced footprint of the mine site and facilities, and utilization of an optimized

mobile equipment fleet.”

Guyana Goldfields will be among the few large scale gold operations in Guyana interested in cashing in on the high gold prices.

A statement on Friday said that its Aurora Gold project will cost US$205 million to build, less than half an earlier estimate as the company scaled back its plans.

An earlier estimate for the project in northern Guyana had proposed a $525 million cost for a mine with a life of 22 years and total production of nearly 4.4 million ounces of gold.

The new mine plan calls for production of 3.29 million ounces of gold over an initial 17-year mine life at an operating cash cost of

US$527 an ounce.

Average annual gold production over the life of mine is expected to 194,000 ounces and 231,000 ounces a year over the first 10 years.

“The updated feasibility study p r o vides very attractive returns based on a sound execution plan,” Guyana Goldfields chief executive Patrick Sheridan said in a statement.

“The project is fully permitted and has the support of the Guyanese Government.

Our recent senior management hired on the operations side gives us the foundation to expand our team as we continue with development and mine construction.”

The Aurora property,

Immigration INFO: Immigration News For Our Community

By Attorney Gail S. Seeram Through this “Question & Answer” column, our goal is to answer your immigration questions. We appreciate your comments and questions. If you have a question that you would like answered in this column, please email: Gail@GailLaw.com.

Question #1: I lost my certificate of naturalization.

Do I need to reapply for one or will my U.S. passport be enough to prove that I am a U.S. citizen?

Answer #1: T h e certificate of naturalization and certificate of citizenship is primary proof that you are a U.S. citizen. The U.S. passport is second proof. I advise you to file Form N-565 to replace your certificate of naturalization.

The filing fee is US$345.

Note, you should get a safe deposit box at the bank and keep items like your passport, birth certificate and certificate of naturalization safely

stored.

Question #2: My U.S. citizen sister filed for me since April 2001, how much longer do I have to wait?

Answer #2: According to the February 2012 visa bulletin, visas for siblings of a U.S. citizen are being issued for petitions filed on or before September 8, 2000.

So, you have less than a one-year wait. Assuming all required documents have been submitted to the National Visa Center, you will receive an interview notice from the U.S. Embassy when the visa is available.

Question #3: My lawful permanent resident spouse filed a petition for me. Can I still apply for a visitor visa?

Answer #3: Yes, you can apply but since you have intent to live in the U.S., this may impact your approval for the visitor visa.

Remember, to obtain a visitor visa, you must show strong ties to your native country and also that you have no intent to reside or overstay to live in the U.S.

Guyana Goldfields has scaled back plans to invest over US$500M. which consists of a number of gold deposits, is located on the eastern side of the Aurora zoned intrusion, in the Cuyuni greenstone belt of the Guiana Shield in the Amazon

Gail S. Seeram Question #4: Why was my tourist visa revoked?

Answer #4: There can be several reasons why the U.S. Embassy revoked your visa. Some reason may be that you failed to meet the requirements for the visa.

Maybe you overstayed in the U.S. with your visa or maybe you made a fraudulent misrepresentation to the U.S. Embassy. I would advise you to see an explanation from the U.S. Embassy, though one is not legally required.

Question #5: I’m a lawful permanent resident, can I apply for my fiancé?

Answer #5: Unfortunately, the answer is no. Only a U.S. citizen can apply for a fiancé visa. A fiancé visa is not available for a lawful permanent resident.

Residents rescue minibus driver The man who was driving minibus 5519 at the time o f t h e a c c i d e n t involving a toddler on the Cullen Public Road Thursday morning had to be rescued by residents of Cullen, hours after the accident.

Reports stated that the toddler’s father, armed with a cutlass pursued the driver.

The incident occurred shortly after 7:00 hours, Thursday morning.

The three-year-old, who attends a play School in the neighbourhood and his mother were said to be going to purchase produce from a mobile Canter truck that usually sells food items along the Essequibo Coast.

The report added, while

standing near the truck, the toddler apparently loosed the grip off of his mother’s hand and attempted to cross road when he was hit by the minibus, which was traveling to Supenaam.

The toddler was rushed to the Suddie Public Hospital and later had to be transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation.

Craton.

Since, the departure of Omai Gold Mines a few years ago, Guyana has been without a large scale mining operation. Last year, in the

face of high gold prices, productions from the small and medium scale mining operations broke new records, reaching 438,000 ounces.

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St. Kitts’ PM looks to CARICOM for help in Venezuela’s Maduro to visit Chavez again in Cuba preserving privileges under US trade act

Nicolas Maduro CARACAS (Reuters) Venezuela’s Vice President Nicolas Maduro flied to Cuba yesterday to visit cancerstricken Hugo Chavez, a month after the socialist leader underwent his fourth operation in 18 months.

The 58-year-old president has not been seen nor heard from since the surgery, and has suffered multiple postoperative complications including a severe lung infection.

He missed his own inauguration on Thursday, but the Supreme Court said he could be sworn in later - in theory meaning he could remain in office for weeks or months from a Havana hospital. There has been no firm evidence he is conscious.

“I’m going to give our commander-president the good news about how the people are working, making revolution with courage, discipline and enthusiasm,” Maduro said in a televised broadcast.

Argentine President Cristina Kirchner, a friend and ally of Venezuela’s socialist leader, was visiting Cuba on Friday and said on Twitter she planned to take Chavez a Bible. The vice president said Peru’s President Ollanta Humala - whom he called another “comrade in arms” of Chavez - was also expected in Havana yesterday.

Unlike after Chavez’s previous cancer operations in Cuba, the government has published no photos or video of the former soldier’s recovery. Neither has he made any of his normally frequent phone calls back home to Venezuelan state television.

While Maduro has said he spoke to Chavez by telephone and in person during a previous visit to Havana, his comment on December 24 that the president had been up walking and doing exercises was met by derision from many in the South American country.

Perhaps more than anything, the silence from the normally garrulous leader famous for his lengthy diatribes has led many to believe his 14 years in power may be coming to an end.

In his absence, government officials were forced to postpone a ceremony on Thursday to swear him in for the new sixyear term that he won at a presidential election in October.

A clutch of Latin American and Caribbean leaders attended a rally that went ahead in Caracas regardless, where thousands of redshirted loyalists held aloft

Opposition calls for removal of Speaker CASTRIES, St. Lucia CMC – Opposition Leader Stephenson King has called for the removal of Speaker of Parliament, Peter Foster, citing a conflict of interest in the ongoing Commission of Inquiry into the St. Lucia Fire Service.

King, who has written to Prime Minister Dr. Kenny Anthony, alleges that Foster’s law firm had been appointed counsel to the Commission even though he sits as a member of the House of Assembly.

“The general public is reminded that the Speaker of the House, Peter Foster, is an attorney by profession with over twenty years’ experience and should therefore be well versed in the law. He ought no doubt to have been aware of the immediate conflict of

interest and his contract with the Government of Saint Lucia, which is a violation of House rules given his current membership.”

But a spokesman for the law firm said that the Opposition Leader’s letter had been written in ignorance of the fact that the law firm had long withdrawn from providing services to the Commission.

In his letter, King had called on Prime Minister Anthony to seek the immediate resignation of Foster.

“Dr Anthony may also exercise the option, to act responsibly in the name of good governance, and dismiss Mr Peter Foster QC from his duties as Speaker of the House of Assembly,” King wrote.

copies of the constitution and were symbolically sworn-in in Chavez’s place.

His condition is a top concern of officials in Cuba and other allied nations whose leftist governments have long benefited from years of Chavez’s oil-fueled generosity.

Maduro, a former bus driver and union leader who shares his boss’s radical views, is in charge of day-today government until there is clarity over whether the president will return.

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - CMC – Prime Minister Dr. Denzil Douglas says he will look towards his Caribbean Community (CARICOM) colleagues to help the twin island Federation deal with the new “high income” country status placed on it by the United States.

Dr. Douglas said that his administration would pursue talks with the Obama administration so as to ensure that despite the new status the trading privileges afforded to other CARICOM countries are preserved.

“What it means therefore is that there are greater responsibilities for us as a people because some of the privileges that we might have had as a middle income country, having moved now from middle to a high, is there are certain important expectations of us as a people.

“We are expected to have an increase in the quality of service that we provide and improvement in the quality of the goods that we would trade to other countries; it is expected that the service

generally that we will provide for example, service to investors locally and overseas, that there would be general improvement,” he told listeners to his weekly radio programme “Ask the Prime Minister.”

Dr. Douglas said that citizens would have to be prepared mentally and professionally to deal with the new status since “these expectations can become challenging if we are not in a state of readiness for it.

Continued on page 21

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Trinidad seeking CARICOM waiver on cement duty P O R T- O F - S P A I N , Trinidad – CMC – The Trinidad and Tobago government says it plans to lobby the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) grouping for a decrease in the import duties on cement after a major regional manufacturer increased the price of the commodity by nearly 10 per cent.

Trade Minister Vasant Bharath, reacting to the decision by Trinidad cement Limited (TCL) to increase the price for a bag of cement by 9.5 per cent, said he had held talks in December with the company on whether the hike was based on increased costs of inputs, or due to inefficiencies.

Bharat said that TCL’s costs include an annual energy cost of US$12 million for natural gas, a debt of TT$1.9 billion (One TT dollar = US$0.16 cents), increased costs of labour and importing parts from Europe.

“That has resulted in a bag of cement moving from TT$52.50 to $57.50,” Bharat said, adding “what TCL is requesting is a waiver from the

Vasant Bharath National Gas Company (NGC) of their escalation clause for the next eight years.

“They are also requesting to be re-classified as, what is called a ‘middle user’ which will entitle them to a lower gasprice than they currently enjoy,” Bharath said he would seek CARICOM assistance to reduce the 15 per cent duty on cement imports, adding “no CARICOM country can afford for its citizens to be burdened by any organisation that is inefficiently run”.

He said because Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica are engaged in cement production, any country wanting to waive import duty must first get approval from the regional grouping.

“I intend to go back to the CARICOM through COTED (Council of Trade and Economic Development) to look at the possibility of some form of relief of the 15 per cent duties on cement that comes in ex-CARICOM. “There is precedent for this as in 2006, the then government went to COTED and had a removal of duties on cement for a period of time.

So there is precedent for it,” he added.

If approved, the move would cut duty from cement imported from places outside CARICOM such as the Dominican Republic.

“So the intention really is to allow free-market forces, for a specific period of time possibly,” Bharat said, adding “so the price of cement coming in from outside of CARICOM would no longer attract the 15 percent duty.

Saturday January 12, 2013

Partial victory for Bolivia in coca fight LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Evo Morales’ global crusade to decriminalize the coca leaf, launched in 2006 after the coca growers’ union leader was first elected president of Bolivia, has finally attained a partial, if largely, symbolic victory.

A year ago, Bolivia temporarily withdrew from the 1961 U.N. convention on narcotic drugs because it classifies coca leaf, the raw material of cocaine, as an illicit drug.

It has now rejoined, with one important caveat: The centuries-old Andean practice of chewing or otherwise ingesting coca leaves, a mild stimulant in its natural form, will now be universally recognized as legal within Bolivia.

To press for coca’s decriminalization, Bolivia’s first indigenous president has chewed it at international forums, bestowed coca-leaf art on such figures as former U.S. Secretary of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and promoted the leaf as a “nutritional” ingredient fit for school lunches.

Bolivia’s condition for rejoining the convention met resistance from 15 countries, including the United States and the rest of the G8 group of industrial nations, according to U.N. spokeswoman Arancha Hinojal. But the objections

received by the United Nations ahead of Thursday’s midnight deadline fell far short.

In order to block Bolivia’s return to the convention a full third of its signatories — or 63 — needed to object.

Among nations objecting were Germany, Mexico, Russia, Sweden, Britain, Japan, The Netherlands and Portugal. Notably, neither Peru nor Colombia, the world’s two other cocaineproducing nations, filed objections. Nor did any other South American nation.

The White House has, since 2008, maintained that Bolivia has failed to meet its i n t e r n a t i o n a l counternarcotics obligations.

“We oppose Bolivia’s reservation and continue to believe it will lead to a greater supply of cocaine and increased cocaine trafficking and related crime,” said a senior U.S. State Department official, who was not authorized to be quoted by name.

“While we recognize Bolivia’s capacity and willingness to undertake some successful counternarcotics activities, especially in terms of coca eradication, we estimate that much of the coca legally grown in Bolivia is sold to drug traffickers, leading to the conclusion that social control of coca

( a l l o w i n g s ome legal growing) is not achieving the desired results,” the official said in a statement.

Morales had long sought to remove language from the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, which obliges its signatories to ban the chewing of coca leaves, and temporarily withdrew from it on Jan. 1, 2012.

Morales’ government said a celebration was planned for Monday with coca farmers.

“It’s a great achievement but much remains to be done,” said Rolando Vargas, a coca growers’ leader in Cochabamba who belongs to Morales’ union.

Coca leaves and coca tea, which fight hunger and alleviate altitude sickness, are widely available in Peru and Colombia and the highlands of northern Argentina. The coca leaf also has deep religious and social value in the Andean region.

Its non-narcotic extract has also been used to flavor the soft drink Coca-Cola.

Bolivia has the world’s third-largest coca crop, by U.N. estimate, with 31,000 hectares (120 square miles) under cultivation. More than a third of that crop is legal.

Morales expelled the U.S. ambassador and U.S. counterdrug agents in 2008, accusing them of inciting the opposition.

Portia says IMF deal vital KINGSTON, Jamaica CMC – Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller says it is “necessary” for Jamaica to secure an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as her Cabinet ended the first day of a three-day meeting here.

A brief statement issued at the end of the first day on Thursday said that Prime Minister Simpon Miller said the agreement with the IMF would “underpin the economic reform while securing the protection of the poor and the most vulnerable in the society.”

The main opposition Jamaica Labour Party has already called on the government to make public the details and timetable for the implementation of Prior Action Requirements of the IMF before an agreement can be reached.

JLP’s spokesman on Finance Audley Shaw said following the Finance Minister Dr. Peter Phillip recent admission that an agreement with the IMF

Portia Simpson Miller cannot be reached until these prior action benchmarks are achieved; it is now a matter of urgent national importance that the minister publishes this information.

Phillips has blame on the JLP which when in government had started talks with the Washington-based financial institution for a new Stand By Agreement (SBA).

Phillips said the collapse of previous talks had resulted in the IMF insisting that, as much as possible, measures that were necessary for the

conclusion of the deal must be implemented upfront.

The Jamaica government had earlier indicated that it wanted to reach an agreement with the IMF by the end of last year.

The statement said that the Cabinet had received an update from the IMF negotiating team and gave directions for transmission to the IMF staff in order to bring about a conclusion to the negotiations.

“Over the next two days Cabinet will continue to review and complete the growth and development agenda for the country for the 2013/2014 period and the medium term,” the statement said, noting that Prime Minister Simpson Miller had outlined her administration’s focus on growth, development and job creation.

“She emphasized that in order to achieve this over the medium term it is vital that we reduce the burden of the national debt,” the statement said.

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Kaieteur News

Barbados union “definitely” plans nationwide strike

Sir Roy Trotman BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - CMC - The Barbados Workers Union (BWU) says it will “definitely” embark upon industrial action after efforts to get the telecommunications company, Cable and Wireless (Barbados) Limited, to retract dismissal letters sent to nearly 100 workers last week failed.

BWU general secretary Sir Roy Trotman said that while no date has yet been

decided on when the industrial action would start, he was insisting “there will be industrial action but we will determine where, how and when. The time and the hour will be decided when the General Secretary announces”.

Speaking after an emergency executive meeting on Thursday night, Sir Roy said that there was “absolute and total support” of the BWU’s membership after Cable and Wireless (Barbados) Limited, which operates here under the brand, LIME reneged on a collective bargaining decision on New Year ’s Eve to continue.

“I have spoken to all of the issues, the members support all of those issues and feel strongly about them and … this will guide our actions,” he added.

Last week, LIME, blaming substantial losses, said that it would be outsourcing its retail operations in a bid to improve its financial position.

LIME managing director

Alex McDonald said while the company would be sending home 97 employees 48 new positions would be created.

Earlier this week, Sir Roy met with Labour Minister Dr. Esther Byer-Suckoo and warned afterwards that if by Wednesday there was no indication that the matter would be resolved, he would be seeking the support of his executive council to declare a national strike.

Sir Roy addressed hundreds of BWU members on Thursday night, said that to date, LIME has not withdrawn the 97 dismissal letters even after ByerSuckoo met with BWU and LIME representatives.

Sir Roy was also critical of the decision of LIME to use bailiffs to deliver the redundancy letters to some of the workers at their homes in the middle of the night.

He also condemned the Barbados Employers’ Confederation and other entities that he accused of being in solidarity with LIME management’s position.

Ramdin urges international community not to give up on Haiti

WASHINGTON - CMC – Assistant Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Albert Ramdin yesterday urged the international community not to wane in their commitment to Haiti, three years after a powerful earthquake killed 300,000 people and left more than a million others homeless in the French-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country.

Ramdin told an event organised by the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF) and the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, D.C. that Haiti remains high on the agenda of the OAS which continues to mobilize support for the country from across the Americas.

Albert Ramdin He told the panel discussion that while commitment from the international community has been unprecedented, “there is a limited window of opportunity for Haiti to experience this level of commitment.

“I would hope that international commitment would not wane, but the reality is that global and domestic pressures have caused priorities to be reassessed for many countries.

“A foundation has been laid in Haiti and the government is working to ensure this foundation is built upon. Political stability, economic stimulation, education and employment remain priorities which we share,” Ramdin told the participants that also included experts from the Wilson Center and Habitat for Humanity, Haitian Ambassadors Paul Altidor and Duly Brutus, as well as United States Department of State Special Coordinator for Haiti Thomas Adams.

St. Kitts’ PM looks to CARICOM for help ...

From page 19 “We would want to make sure that we continue the dialogue which we have started with United States government to ensure that even though we have attained this particular status, that some of the trading privileges that we’ve had and shared with other CARICOM countries with the United States of America, that these can be preserved,” said Prime Minister Douglas.

Dr. Douglas is of the view that the Organisation of

Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and the CARICOM Secretariats would be involved in assisting the federation in any of the negotiations.

“There is going to be implications which can be negative in impacting us, that these would be minimized or these would be completely prevented as we prepare ourselves for this new status of a high income country.”

President Obama said recently that it was his intention to “terminate the

designation of the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis (St. Kitts and Nevis) as a beneficiary developing country under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) programme” in accordance with the provisions of the 1974 Trade Act. He said this was because St. Kitts-Nevis had “become a high-income country as defined by the World Bank” and accordingly it’s “eligibility for trade benefits under the GSP program will end on January 1, 2014”.

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Obama, Karzai agree to speed military transition WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama and Afghan President Hamid Karzai said yesterday they have agreed to speed up slightly the schedule for moving Afghanistan’s security forces into the lead across the country, with U.S. troops shifting fully to a support role. The leaders also said Obama agreed to place battlefield detainees under the control of the Afghan government.

The capabilities of the Afghan army are “exceeding initial expectations,” the two said in a joint statement released after their private White House meeting and working lunch and in advance of a joint news conference. As a result, Obama said he acceded to Karzai’s desire to put Afghan forces in the combat lead across his country this spring, rather than wait until summer.

In their statement the leaders said they discussed the possibility of a continued U.S. troop presence beyond December 2014, when the U.S. and allied combat mission, is to end. But they did not settle on any

specifics.

The U.S. now has 66,000 troops in Afghanistan.

U.S. commanders in Afghanistan have proposed keeping 6,000 to 15,000 U.S. troops after 2014 to continuing pursuing terrorists and training Afghan security forces. But the White House, which tends to favor lower troop levels than the generals do, says Obama would be open to pulling all U.S. forces out of Afghanistan at the end of 2014.

“We wouldn’t rule out any option,” Ben Rhodes, Obama’s deputy national security adviser, said earlier this week. “We’re not guided by the goal of a certain number of U.S. troops in the country. We’re guided by the objectives that the president set — disrupt, dismantle, defeat al-Qaeda.”

Yesterday’s meeting was the first between Obama and Karzai since November’s U.S. presidential election. Heading into his second term, Obama is shaking up his national security team, including key players who deal with Karzai and the war.

Secretary of State Hillary

Rodham Clinton and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta are both expected to leave their posts within weeks. The president nominated Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., as the nation’s top diplomat and former Sen. Chuck Hagel, RNeb., to lead the Pentagon.

Both Kerry and Hagel are likely to favor a more rapid withdrawal of U.S. forces.

After Karzai met Thursday with Clinton and Panetta, the Pentagon chief offered an upbeat assessment of the war’s progress.

“After a long and difficult path, we finally are, I believe, at the last chapter of establishing an Afghanistan, a sovereign Afghanistan, that can govern and secure itself for the future,” Panetta said.

The U.S.-led NATO coalition is aiming to turn all combat missions over to Afghan forces by the end of this year. The 66,000 U.S. forces still there are already turning over territory or handing off many combat missions to the Afghans.

Still, the war’s endgame is punctuated with uncertainty, beginning with doubts about whether the Afghan

President Barack Obama talks with Afghan Hamid Karzai during their bilateral meeting in the Oval Office of the White in Washington, yesterday. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Mansivais government can build legitimacy by credibly serving its population. Also in question is whether Afghan security forces will be capable of holding off the Taliban after international forces leave.

Panetta told a news conference that he and Karzai had laid the groundwork for the Afghan leader’s White House meeting.

“We made very good progress on, you know, the kind of equipment that we would try to make available to them,” to enable the

Afghans to not only secure their borders but also prevent a Taliban takeover, Panetta said.

Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the same news conference that U.S. and Afghan officials are developing a common assessment of threats Afghanistan is likely to face in the future. Conclusions from that study will help determine the full range of Afghanistan’s military requirements, he said.

Karzai was greeted at the Pentagon by a ceremonial honor guard, and at a phototaking session in Panetta’s office, the Afghan leader said he could assure the American people that his country “will not ever again be threatened by terrorists from across our borders” — an allusion to the al-Qaeda leaders hiding in Pakistan. It was from Afghanistan that Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda operatives plotted the Sept.

11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

Protesters block roads in Belfast, burn bus BELFAST (Reuters) Hundreds of pro-British youths blocked roads across Belfast yesterday evening and set a double-decker bus on fire in the latest protests against a decision to remove the British flag from Belfast City Hall.

The vote late last year to end a century-old tradition of flying the flag has sparked some of the most sustained street violence in the British-

controlled province since a 1998 peace deal ended 30 years of tit-for-tat killings.

Loyalist politicians, who want to maintain a union with Britain, have joined their Nationalist rivals, who want a united Ireland, in condemning the violence.

But they have been unable to prevent groups of young men draped in British flags from clashing with police

on an almost nightly basis.

Police said at least eight roads around the city had been closed by protesters.

Over 100 gathered at the Rathcoole estate in north Belfast and set fire to a bus, a Reuters witness said.

Television footage showed dozens of protesters at two other points in the city and at least 200 protesters gathered in the nearby town of Glengormley.

MADRID (Reuters) Spanish police arrested two men and seized the contents of a truck bound for Iran loaded with materials destined for use in the Islamic state’s nuclear programme, the Interior Ministry said yesterday.

The truck, intercepted on a motorway in northern Spain early on Wednesday, was carrying highly corrosionresistant valves, the ministry said in a statement.

Police were examining computer databases and documents at the company, Fluval Spain, a ministry

spokesman said. The two arrested men were employees at the firm, he said.

“The company, registered in the Basque Country, used false companies in the United Arab Emirates for the deliveries, channeling cash through banks in other countries,” the ministry statement said.

The company had commercial links with Iranian firms that featured on lists drawn up by the European Union as having connections with Tehran’s nuclear programme, the ministry said.

No-one at the company

could be reached for comment.

The European Union has banned the sale of such material to Iran, which denies Western accusations it is seeking to develop a capability to make nuclear weapons.

Tehran says its atomic programme is for civilian energy purposes.

Wo r l d p o w e r s a r e searching for a diplomatic solution to a decade-old standoff over the nuclear programme to avert the threat of a Middle East war.

Spain seizes valves bound for Iran’s nuclear program – ministry

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Central African Republic signs peace deal with rebels LIBREVILLE (Reuters) Central African Republic’s government and rebels agreed to the formation of a national unity government under a ceasefire deal yesterday to end an insurgency that swept to within striking distance of the capital.

The agreement, signed in Gabon’s coastal capital after three days of negotiations mediated by regional neighbours, eases the biggest threat yet to President Francois Bozize’s decade in charge of the minerals-rich former French colony.

“This is a good deal to bring peace,” rebel spokesman Eric Massi told Reuters by telephone. “But the ceasefire is contingent on several of our demands being met and we will judge Mr. Bozize’s sincerity in the coming days.”

Massi said that among the Seleka rebel coalition’s demands was the release of political prisoners and the withdrawal of most of the foreign forces deployed to

reinforce the country’s military.

The deal also calls for the new transitional government to have a prime minister drawn from the opposition and for a parliamentary election to be held within 12 months.

Seleka launched its insurgency in early December, accusing Bozize of reneging on a 2007 peace deal supposed to provide jobs and money to insurgents who laid down their weapons.

The rebels had previously insisted that Bozize’s resignation was a precondition for peace and that the president, who seized power in a Chadian-backed 2003 coup, should stand trial at the International Criminal Court. Chad President Idriss Deby, who attended the signing ceremony, said the deal would allow Bozize to complete his mandate, which expires in 2016.

“We have not undermined the integrity of the constitution of Central African Republic. President Bozize was elected for a five-

Flu reaches epidemic level in U.S. - CDC says (Reuters) - Influenza has reached epidemic proportions in the United States, with 7.3 percent of deaths last week caused by pneumonia and the flu, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said yesterday.

That is above the epidemic threshold of 7.2 percent, CDC said. Nine of the 10 regions of the United States had “elevated” flu activity, confirming that seasonal flu has spread across the country and reached high levels several weeks before the usual time of late January or February. The other U.S. region, the Southwest and California, had “normal” flu

activity last week.

The vaccine against the flu strains that were forecast to predominate this year is 62 percent effective, scientists reported on Friday in the CDC’s weekly publication.

That is considered “moderate” effectiveness and means that almost four in 10 people who receive the vaccine and are exposed to the virus will nevertheless become infected.

Experts recommend the vaccine for everyone over 6 months of age. Even if it does not prevent flu, it can reduce the severity of the illness, preventing pneumonia and other life-threatening results of flu.

year term and he should carry on until that is finished,” Deby told reporters.

U.N. special envoy to the Central African Republic, Margaret Vogt, told the U.N. Security Council on Friday that the government and the rebels needed to discuss why past peace deals had not worked to avoid a failure of the new agreement.

“We are hopeful that the agreements that were signed today in Libreville will contain the immediate flair-up and will calm the situation in CAR,” Vogt told the 15-member council via video-link from Libreville.

“However, failure to go further to discuss the reasons for the lack of implementation of previous agreements and to correct these may lead to another melt-down, a few

years down the line again, as a result of lost expectations and frustrations.”

Central African Republic is one of a number of countries in the region where

U.S. Special Forces are helping local soldiers hunt down the Lord’s Resistance Army, an unrelated rebel group that has killed thousands of civilians across

four nations.

The country remains one of the least developed on the planet despite rich deposits of gold, diamonds and uranium.

PA R I S / B A M A K O (Reuters) - The French air force carried out an air strike in Mali yesterday in support of government forces trying to push back Islamist rebels, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said.

The raid came as France launched a military intervention in the west African state to help the government resist a push south by rebel forces.

Western powers fear the alliance of al Qaeda-linked militants that seized the northern two-thirds of Mali in April will seek to use the vast desert zone as a launchpad for international attacks.

“French forces brought their support this afternoon to Malian army units to fight against terrorist elements,” French President Francois Hollande told reporters. “This operation will last as long as is necessary.”

Hollande said United Nations Security Council

resolutions meant France was acting in accordance with international laws.

Earlier, Hollande had made it clear that France would intervene to stop any further drive southward by Islamist rebels as Malian soldiers launched a counter-offensive to wrest back a town captured by militants this week.

Mali’s government appealed for urgent military aid from France on Thursday after Islamist fighters encroached further south, seizing the town of Konna in the center of the country. The rebel advance caused panic among residents in the nearby towns of Mopti and Sevare, home to a military base and airport.

“We are faced with blatant aggression that is threatening Mali’s very existence. France cannot accept this,” Hollande said in a New Year speech to diplomats and journalists.

“We will be ready to stop the

terrorists’ offensive if it continues.”

The U.N. Security Council in December authorized the deployment of an African-led force supported by European states.

“The French believe that France, and Europe, face a real security threat from what is happening in the Sahel,” said Jakkie Cilliers, executive director of the Institute for Security Studies in South Africa.

More than two decades worth of peaceful elections had earned the Mali a reputation as a bulwark of democracy in a part of Africa better known for turmoil - an image that unraveled in a matter of weeks after a coup last March that paved the way for the Islamist rebellion.

Mali is Africa’s third largest gold producer and a major cotton grower, and home to the fabled northern desert city of Timbuktu - an

ancient trading hub and UNESCO World Heritage site that hosted annual music festivals before the rebellion.

Residents had seen Western soldiers arriving late on Thursday at an airport at Sevare, 60 km (40 miles) south of Konna.

Sevare residents also reported the arrival of military helicopters and army reinforcements, which took part in the counter-attack to retake Konna overnight on Thursday in a bid to roll back the militant’s southward drive.

“Helicopters have bombarded rebel positions.

The operation will continue,” a senior military source in Bamako said.

A source at Sevare airport also said around a dozen war planes had arrived on Friday.

A spokesman for the Nigerian air force said planes had been deployed to Mali for a reconnaissance mission, not for combat.

Michel Am-Nondokro (Left), leader of Central African Republic (CAR) Seleka rebel alliance, shakes hands with CAR’s President Francois Bozize, (Right) yesterday. Reuters/Levis Boussougou.

France launches air strike in Mali

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Saturday January 12, 2013

Saudi king grants women Syria rebels seize base seats on advisory council as envoy holds talks RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Saudi Arabia’s king granted women seats on the country’s top advisory council for the first time yesterday, giving them a longawaited toehold in the ultraconservative kingdom’s male-dominated political system.

King Abdullah’s decrees come against the backdrop of heavy restrictions on women, who are not allowed to travel, work, study abroad, marry, get divorced or gain admittance to a public hospital without permission from a male guardian. Recently, airport authorities were instructed to send text messages to the phones of male guardians — husbands, fathers or brothers — with information about the movements of their wives, daughters or sisters.

“The decision is good but women issues are still hanging,” said Wajeha alHawidar, a prominent Saudi female activist. “For normal women, there are so many laws and measures that must be suspended or amended for women to be dealt with as grown-ups and adults, without a mandate from guardians.”

But she said that having female members of the council could help to change the image of women in society.

“Men can finally respect women when they see them playing a (traditional) male role,” she said.

The nation’s official news agency said the king issued two royal decrees granting

King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud women 30 seats on the Shura Council, which has 150 members plus a president.

The council reviews laws and questions ministers, but does not have legislative powers.

All members are appointed by the king and serve four-year terms.

Since 2006, women have been appointed only as advisers to the body.

The king has made incremental steps toward reform but appeared to be treading carefully to avoid angering powerful religious clerics, among them the country’s grand mufti who most recently spoke out against the mixing of genders last week. In modern Saudi Arabia, which is the birthplace of Islam and the home of its holiest sites, the governing Al Saud family supports the clerics and the clerics support the family’s rule.

According to the decrees,

the female council members must be “committed to Islamic Shariah disciplines without any violations” and be “restrained by the religious veil.” The veil in Saudi Arabia typically refers to a full face covering, also known as a niqab.

The decrees also specified the women will be entering the council building from special gates, will sit in reserved seats and pray in segregated areas.

Earlier, officials said male and female council members would be separated by a screen and would communicate on an internal network.

The Inter-Parliamentary Union, an international organization of parliaments, commended the move as “another step forward” for women’s political rights in Saudi Arabia.

“Until the announcement last September by King Abdullah to give women the right to vote, stand for election in municipal elections and be appointed to the Shura Council, the Gulf country remained the only country in the world where women remained excluded from the political process,” the IPU said in a statement.

Although the council does not have law-making powers, the IPU said the 20 percent quota given to women in the Shura Council makes Saudi Arabia the fourth highest in the Arab region in terms of women’s political participation in parliament.

Members of the Free Syrian Army pose with their weapons and a snowman at the Jouret al Shayah area in Homs. REUTERS/Yazan Homsy B E I R U T / G E N E VA (Reuters) - Rebels seized control of one of Syria’s largest helicopter bases yesterday, opposition sources said, in their first capture of a military airfield used by President Bashar alAssad’s forces.

Fighting raged across the country as international mediator Lakhdar Brahimi sought a political solution to Syria’s civil war, meeting senior U.S. and Russian officials in Geneva.

But the two world powers are still deadlocked over Assad’s fate in any transition.

The United States, which backs the 21-month-old revolt, says Assad can play no future role, while Syria’s main arms supplier Russia

said before the talks that his exit should not be a precondition for negotiations.

Syria is mired in bloodshed that has cost more than 60,000 lives and displaced millions of people. Severe winter weather is compounding their misery. The U.N. children’s agency UNICEF says more than 2 million children are struggling to stay warm.

The capture of Taftanaz air base, after months of sporadic fighting, could help rebels solidify their hold on northern Syria, according to Rami Abdelrahman, head of the proopposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

But Yezid Sayigh, at the Carnegie Middle East Centre in Beirut, said it was not a gamechanger, noting that it had taken months for the rebels to overrun a base whose usefulness to the military was already compromised by the clashes

around it. “This is a tactical rather than a strategic gain,” he said.

In Geneva, U.N.-Arab League envoy Brahimi’s closeddoor talks began with individual meetings with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov. He later held talks with both sides together.

A U.S. official said negotiations would focus on “creating the conditions to advance a political solution specifically a transitional governing body”.

Six months ago, world powers meeting in Geneva proposed a transitional government but left open Assad’s role. Brahimi told Reuters on Wednesday that the Syrian leader could play no part in such a transition and suggested it was time he quit.

U.N. chief dismayed by Saudi beheading of Sri Lanka maid UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-moon expressed dismay yesterday at the execution of a Sri Lankan housemaid in Saudi Arabia over the death of an infant in her care.

Rizana Nafeek was beheaded in the town of Dawadmy, near the capital Riyadh, on Wednesday morning after being sentenced to death in 2007.

She was accused by her Saudi employer of killing his infant daughter while she was bottle-feeding in 2005.

The secretary-general “is concerned about reports of irregularities in her detention and trial, as well as the increase in the use of capital punishment in Saudi Arabia,” Ban’s press office said in a statement.

Ban insisted that all men and women in Saudi Arabia regardless of their migration status or nationality - be treated under international human rights law, which includes the right to a fair trial.

“Currently, in Saudi Arabia, women do not have equal access to the courts or an equal opportunity to obtain justice. The SecretaryGeneral is concerned that this is a situation which is even more precarious for women migrant workers given their foreign status,” the statement said.

The Sri Lankan government appealed the death penalty but the Saudi Supreme Court upheld the sentence in 2010. Sri Lanka said on Thursday it had recalled its envoy to Saudi Arabia over the execution.

Saturday January 12, 2013

Kaieteur News

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Girl gives birth after being abused, - Relatives accuse Police raped in Corentyne Welfare Department of sloth A father’s love for his daughter forced him to leave his adopted home in the USA and return to Guyana in a hurry, but he was too late to save his daughter from abuse and from being impregnated.

The girl who hails from Crabwood Creek, Corentyne is now hospitalised in the Skeldon Hospital where she delivered a baby boy after being allegedly raped and forced to have sex by her mother, who would lock her in a room with a male at her home at Black Bush Polder, Corentyne.

Speaking to Kaieteur News, the father who resides in the USA stated that he is very disturbed with the entire scenario and is questioning the purpose of the Police force and the Government We l f a r e Department.

The man stated that his daughter is an “outside

child” he fathered with someone else. However, he takes care of her and is in the process of filing for her to join him and the rest of the family overseas. He has full custody.

He stated that the girl’s mother lives in Black Bush Polder and has a number of other children from different relationships.

On one visit home he made all arrangements for the child to live with her maternal grandmother in Crabwood Creek.

He also made sure that she was attending the Skeldon Line Path Secondary School.

He said that during the early part of 2012 the girl’s mother turned up at her mother ’s residence and after abusing the elderly woman forcefully took the child back with her to Black Bush Polder stating the child was hers.

The girl who was 16 then

and a fourth form student was then subjected to a regular bout of abuse and was repeatedly forced to have sex with an older guy who is the nephew of her step father.

The man said that his daughter told him that her cell phone was taken away and “daddy mommy does lock me in a room with a boy.”

She told her father that the perpetrator and his cohorts would give her mother money.

The abuse continued until the girl decided to make some promises to the perpetrator if he would buy her a cell phone. When she received the phone she used the opportunity to telephone her grandmother and inform her of the abuse.

Her grandmother travelled to Black Bush Polder and took the girl back with her to Crabwood Creek.

The older woman eventually

Muse or Amuse

Of Monopolies and other evils Did you ever reassess how you feel inhumane after dealing with a monopolistic company? How they treat you like trash? As if the service they are selling is a “favour” to you? And the money you have to pay them is your legal duty?

Yes, I have felt that way many times. And what is worse, the people who work with these companies are the folks next door.

The man next door works with one of them; a girl down the road works with another – they are our people. But, somehow, when they enter the jaws of the monopoly, they undergo instant therianthropy.

Monopolies are bullies.

They control a market and fix prices based on their own jacked-up input prices. They also are cash cows that fund wide acquisitions and economic spread of their owners. Look at NICIL and the monopolies that pay cash to NICIL – to encourage and allow NICIL to expand more and to have money to do more of its own monopolistic things.

Look at other companies and how their owners have expanded over the years – all via the huge cash flows from the monopolies that supply poor quality and service products to Guyanese.

But, hold a minute, who are they? Well, the Government holds a

monopoly on all public offices. Registry, post office, taxes, etc are all owned by the Government and they all belittle and abuse us.

The telephone company enjoys its monopoly and its exorbitant prices coupled with poor service. The two telephone companies are busy creating their duopoly in preparation of the legislation – but it is the same old story of monopolistic behaviour. Data supply is controlled by a monopoly.

Some of the monopolies have made everyone complicit in the way they conduct business.

Regulators, businessmen and politicians have been harnessed to their own ends.

Those who stand in their way are ultimately taken out.

The power company is also a monopoly. NICIL is a monopoly. The Berbice Bridge company is a monopoly, and of course NCN, owned by NICIL is a monopoly.

Let’s tune into NCN a little.

NCN has a monopoly, not only in terms of its licensing, but in terms of Government’s funds (similar to Chronicle).

NCN’s attitude is so poor that customers who walk into NCN with cash to pay for advertisements are turned away – with their cash.

Imagine a company chasing away customers! The current officers of Marketing and

Finance are terrible at marketing and management.

Insofar as their knowledge goes, NCN’s monopoly will remain until the end of the world.

A visit to NCN will give y o u a s h u d d e r. T h e outlook and feel of the place alone is poor. Then you talk with some staff and you’re stunned. Worse if you have a meeting with management, especially if it is with marketing or sales.

I cannot wait to see NCN’s doors closing when more licences are given out.

Too much to ask? Well, I will therefore await that time when I can see some smiles on their faces when they have to beg me to do business with them.

We must put the monopolies on notice. There is no place for any business or company that will abuse the people as we have been abused.

All monopolies must be regulated, and must be regulated by independent professionals who are not likely to fall victim to inveigle.

Regardless of the sector of business, there must be regulation of that company.

Guyana’s economic future must be carefully strategized.

The Government must assure the public that they will stop pussyfooting around some of these monopolistic companies. The people deserve better.

Amusing times ahead.

got through to go overseas in October and left the girl with her sister. The child did not know that she was pregnant and returned to school.

She started to increase in size and relatives thought that she was getting fat. She eventually left for Suriname.

She became ill and authorities over there realized that she was pregnant and told relatives that they could not keep her there.

They were informed that it was a matter for the police and the Welfare Department because the girl was too young.

On their return to Guyana the matter was reported to the

Springlands Police station and the Welfare Department at Skeldon.

However the father said nothing was done. He is appalled at how the system operates in Guyana; that something like this is allowed to happen.

Even when the matter is reported to the relevant authorities nothing is done and no one is held culpable.

He was shocked when he got the news that his daughter was pregnant. He immediately made arrangement to return to Guyana to sort things out. He arrived in the country on January 7, last, to see his daughter in an advanced

stage of pregnancy.

He wants something to be done to the perpetrators, including the mother, and those who are paid to do their duty a n d a r e f a i l i n g t o perform.

He is appealing to the relevant authorities to assist. His daughter’s life has been messed up and he wants justice.

The man said that he was scheduled to return later to do a DNA for his daughter so that he could make the final arrangement to take her overseas. Her grandmother is also expected to return to the country during the coming week.

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Saturday January 12, 2013

High Court upholds injunction Rohee’s gag order unconstitutional against copyright infringement High Court rules

Chief Justice Ian Chang yesterday ruled that Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee should be allowed to speak in the National Assembly since he was an elected member of the Assembly. The Chief Justice however, made it clear that he could not rule on the parliament’s move to send the issue to the House’s committee of privileges.

The committee has yet to meet on the matter. The judge ruled that among other aspects of the motion by the Attorney General, the decision by the House’s Privileges Committee should be rendered null and void.

The Opposition parties have made it clear that they do not intend to recognize Rohee in the National Assembly as the Minister of Home Affairs. Just last week when Opposition Member of Parliament, Winston Felix, questioned the Prime Minister in the Assembly about the new Security Strategy and the Prime Minister said that Rohee would have to answer, Felix refused to ask any question of the Home Affairs Minister.

The Chief Justice explained that the Supreme Court has the right to address whether the conduct of the House has violated the law or constitution.

He added that the no confidence

Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee motion against the Minister was faulty.

The main opposition parties had argued that Rohee was incompetent for the position of Home Affairs Minister, citing his lack of administrative skills on the basis of national security following the deaths of three Lindeners during protest action on July 19, 2012 in the mining town allegedly at the hands of rank of the security force. Attorney General Anil Nandlall, on November 27, 2012 moved to the High Court to dispute the legitimacy of the no confidence motion against Minister Rohee.

In doing so, the Minister also challenged Opposition Leader David Granger and the Speaker

of the National Assembly Raphael Trotman who had placed a temporary bar on the Minister until the issue was resolved by the House’s Privileges committee.

The Chief Justice stated that on the matter of pure law, Rohee has the right to speak as an elected Member of the National Assembly. He noted that Rohee’s position as Minister of Home Affairs is irrelevant to the matter.

The Judge explained that Rohee’s right to speak in the National Assembly is consequent to him being a member of 65-body assembly, “not on the basis of his office as Minister o f H o m e Affairs.”

“If Mr. Rohee’s name was on a successful list of candidates and his name was extracted from that list of candidates to hold a seat in the National Assembly on behalf of all members of that list but he was not assigned a Ministerial portfolio, his right or privilege to speak in the National Assembly would not have diminished one iota by his non-tenure of a ministerial portfolio.

“Therefore, the prohibition must necessarily relate to Mr. Rohee only as a member of the National Assembly and not as a Minister of Home Affairs,” said Chang in his 34-page ruling.

Yesterday morning, Justice Rishi Persaud, ruled on the Injunction Orders in the matter involving Nelson Thornes and Abbisham Boodhoo & Gandhi Sales & Investments Ltd case.

The Judge ruled that the Interim Injunctions previously ordered by him in September last year, would be continued in force until the hearing and determination of the action. He refused the application of the first and second-named Defendants (Abbisham Boodhoo & Gandhi Sales & Investments Ltd.) to discharge the Injunctions, especially as he held that a prima facie case of infringement of copyright had been made out.

Justice Persaud’s ruling means that the defendants are prevented from infringing the Plaintiffs’ copyright (by the unauthorized reproduction

and sale of specified school texts) until the end of the litigation. When the matter first came up before Justice Persaud, the third, fourth and sixth named Defendants (T. Nicholas, J. Nicholas & Monica Beepat/”Giftland Office Max”) through their lawyers had informed the Court they did not intend to contest the matter and would abide by any Orders the Court saw fit to make.

Yesterday morning, theirs and the Plaintiffs’ lawyers told the Court they were close to a final settlement. The Plaintiffs are represented by Andrew M.F. Pollard of Hughes, Fields and Stoby, while the first and second Defendants (Abbisham Boodhoo & Gandhi Sales & Investments Ltd.) are represented by K.A. Juman Yassin. The third and fourth named Defendants (T. & J.

Nicholas) are represented by Charles Ramson Jnr. The sixth Defendant (Monica Beepat) is represented by Timothy M. Jonas of Fitzpatrick, De Caires & Karran.

Last September, Attorneyat-law Andrew Pollard, on behalf of the British Publishers’ Association, filed an injunction in the High Court stopping all local publishing houses from printing and selling the pirated textbooks. The orders were served on the respective publishing houses with immediate effect.

Pollard said that extensive complaints were made to former Education Minister Shaik Baksh who promised to take action against the illegal act. The Minister never fulfilled his promises, Pollard claimed. That forced the copyright company to move to the court this time around.

Michael Caine celebrates 40th wedding anniversary with Guyanese beauty wife

Florida (express.co.uk) Acting legend Sir Michael Caine marked his 40th wedding anniversary by treating his wife and pals to a steak dinner on Tuesday.

The Italian Job star celebrated his enduring marriage to former model Shakira Baksh with a meal at the Prime One Twelve steakhouse in Miami, Florida.

The loved-up actor and his wife weren’t shy about putting their romance on show despite being surrounded by a group of 15 friends and family, including their daughter Natasha, as well as British actress Joan Collins and her husband, Percy Gibson.

An onlooker tells the New York Post gossip column Page Six, “Michael looked

elated to be celebrating 40 years with his beautiful wife. When the desserts came out, they were smiling and sharing from the same spoon.”

Sir Michael tracked down the Guyanese-British beauty after spotting her in a coffee commercial on TV, and they married in Las Vegas on 8 January, 1973.

A woman employed at a guest house at Mabura was reportedly kicked by her expatriate employer, after he became enraged that the full cylinder of gas he threw at her feet missed its mark.

According to reports, the woman, Denean Deene, was accused of going to work late by her employer.

But an eyewitness said that the woman was not late for work. The individual said that the woman was probably targeted by the man because she had been complaining that he was in the habit of fondling her breasts, although he had warned her not to say anything.

Deene subsequently made a report to the police

after the incident and they promised to investigate.

She also reported the matter to Chief of Security, Malcolm McPherson, and union representative Angela Henry. When contacted by this newspaper Henry said, “It is high time that these people (expatriates) be exposed because this is not the first time that an employee has been kicked. This nonsense has to stop!”

Henry said that she reported the latest kicking incident to Chief Executive Officer Anthony Younge in the presence of the perpetrator, who subsequently spoke with the CEO in their native language.

After the brief exchange

between the two, Henry said that she was advised to report the matter to the personnel Manager, Ralph Trotman, which she did.

“Another person, Allan Chalmers, who no longer works with the company was also kicked by one of these people, and nothing, came out of that incident.

“You cannot fight with these people or cannot hit them, because that would be instant dismissal, so why are they hitting workers?

This is total eye-pass, and advantage, so the people in authority need to look into these people that come here and abuse Guyanese,” Henry exclaimed.

Michael Caine and Shakira

Guest house worker accuses employer of kicking

Saturday January 12, 2013

Kaieteur News

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New crossing over the Demerara River in progress “A lot of proposals are with us but we are looking for more…then we will be making a decision on what kind of model can be used,” the President By: Romila Boodram The government has received a number of proposals for the construction of a new crossing across the Demerara River but according to President Donald Ramotar, the tender is still open for more.

The President made this announcement yesterday at a press conference at Office of the President.

In July, a temporary pontoon sank after breaking loose from the bridge, causing parts of the structure to collapse. The bridge was closed for three days, leaving hundreds of commuters and vehicles stranded on both sides of the river.

The three-day chaos at the 34-year-old structure had

apparently forced government to embark on studies for an alternative since the bridge has already passed its initial life span.

Yesterday, the President announced that after all the proposals are received and viewed, a decision on the model will be made.

“A lot of proposals are with us but we are looking for more…then we will be making a decision on what kind of model can be used,” the President said.

He also added that the construction of the new crossing across the Demerara River is an important project that the government will work on, especially with the increasing volume of traffic which in recent years has been proving a headache for

Minibus driver in court for causing child’s death A minibus driver was ordered to post $300,000 bail when he faced the court for causing the death of a sixyear-old boy on August 13, 2012. Mark Gobin appeared before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court yesterday, and entered a not guilty plea.

The charge is that on August 13, while in Georgetown, the accused drove his minibus BMM 7207 in a manner dangerous to the public thereby causing the death of Kellon Europe.

Police Prosecutor Burgettte Grant said that sixyear-old Kellon Europe was fatally struck down by a minibus on Mandela Avenue, near the South Ruimveldt Shopping Plaza Bridge.

The prosecutor said that the vehicle was heading east along Mandela Avenue at an accelerated rate when it hit the boy, who had been walking in the company of his older sister. The two pedestrians were heading west along the same route when the collision occurred.

The child is said to have sustained severe head injuries as a result of the accident. He was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he died while receiving treatment. Further reports suggested that the driver of the route 72 minibus was subsequently charged for driving under the influence of alcohol and breach of

Causing death accused Mark Gobin

insurance.

Grant did not object to bail but asked that it be granted at a substantial amount. The Prosecutor also asked that the accused lodge his passport and report to the East Ruimveldt Police Station once weekly. When the bail was posted Gobin declared, “My worship my minibus get seize and I don’t have so much money.”

The prosecution objected and the bail sum remained.

the policy makers.

The new crossing will not replace the Demerara Harbour Bridge which was commissioned in 1978. It will instead, support it.

President Ramotar also announced that the Ministry of Public Works will soon be working on a plan as it relates to transporting late workers and school children.

“I am very much aware of some of the difficulties that people have with transportation… I have asked the Minister of Transport to come up with a plan to deal with the situation as it relates to dealing with people,” the President said.

The 34-year-old structure which collapsed in July last.

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Saturday January 12, 2013

Refined legislation needful to deal with mentally-ill vagrants – Joe Hamilton Addressing the existing problem of mentally challenged vagrants, who have for several years been allowed to freely roam the streets, is no simple task in light of the existing mental health legislation.

This is according to the Health Ministry’s Parliamentary Secretary, Mr. Joseph Hamilton, who during an interview, yesterday, said that not only is the legislation outdated but it does not offer the Ministry much leverage to effectively tackle the problem.

Hamilton’s observation comes a few months after a reportedly mentally-ill male vagrant physically attacked a schoolboy in the vicinity of Parliament Square as he headed to the Brickdam Secondary School.

Human Services Minister,

Mr Joseph Hamilton, Health Ministry’s Parliamentary Secretary Jennifer Webster, commenting on the matter, had insisted that while her Ministry is responsible for

dealing with vulnerable persons it is certainly not mandated to deal with mentally challenged persons.

Although acknowledging that mental illness falls under the purview of the Health Ministry, Hamilton said that “the big elephant in the room is legislation.”

He explained that the existing Mental Health Legislation currently requires that a relative of a suspected mentally challenged individual appear before a magistrate or judge in a court of law and swear to their mental condition before that individual could be committed to psychiatric care.

“This is a legal procedure and so the Ministries of Health and Human Services together can’t go on the road and pick up these people...The police can however intervene if the person is violent.”

According to Hamilton not even the Chief Medical Officer, who is considered the top most medical professional of the country, has the authority to assemble and commit persons of unsound mind without legal action being taken.

Moreover, he emphasised that legislation is a primary problem that must be dealt with urgently. He said that discussions in this regard have been engaged within the Health Ministry which has since made moves, in collaboration with the Human Services Ministry, to create a

Task Force to monitor the challenge even as efforts are made to refine the existing legislation. A draft legislation, in this regard, has since been crafted and it is currently at the stage of consultation, Hamilton disclosed yesterday.

“We are reviewing at the level of the Health Ministry the Mental Health legislation and we hope that in the consultations we will find a way as a nation how we could deal with that specific matter.”

“I don’t know of any country that hasn’t had vagrancy...The only place I have travelled to and not found vagrancy is Cuba and perhaps we can learn from them...” said Hamilton yesterday.

However, the Parliamentary Secretary is hopeful that a new legislation could incorporate a feature similar to the security sector’s citizens’ arrest policy whereby a citizen could cause a mentally ill vagrant to be

taken into custody and dealt with appropriately. This move, he speculated, could be engaged if a citizen believes that a mentally ill vagrant is a threat to public safety.

“This is my personal opinion it is certainly not a policy of the Ministry and so we might have to wait and discuss and agree to this...we cannot do as much as we want right now because some of the same people who are saying that you should get them (vagrants) off the streets they will end up saying that you are violating the human rights and all of the other fundamental rights of these people based on the present law.”

“This is not an easy and simple matter as some people believe and I think unless we as a nation are determined that we want the law to be updated and refined to deal with the present circumstances the problem will continue to exist,” Hamilton stated.

In the interim, Hamilton

said that the Task Force will seek to pay attention to the exiting situation and will even extend its reach even to those vagrants who are not mentally challenged. In this regard, he said that body will be responsible for rounding up vagrants who will be accommodated in a facility which is being constructed at Onverwagt, West Coast Berbice. The facility, which will fall under the purview of the Human Services Ministry, is expected to accommodate in excess of 200 vagrants with the view of having them rehabilitated so that they could be returned to the society.

“The issue now is how we separate those who are ‘down on their luck’ and those who are mental health cases among those who will be brought to the facility,” Hamilton mused. Such an undertaking, he said, will require the skills of technical medical persons to advise the operation.

Teen charged with Annandale businessman’s murder A 19-year-old man was remanded yesterday after being charged with the murder of Annandale businessman, Kamal Ramsahoye, who was slain last December in his home.

The accused, Philip Paul, of Middle Walk, Buxton,

appeared in the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Shurdel Isaacs.

Paul, who was unrepresented, is scheduled to return to court on January 28. The teen is accused of murdering Ramsahoye on December 9, 2012.

The 35-year-old businessman, who lived alone in his Annandale Market Road property, was found with multiple stab wounds in the bottom flat of the building.

The building was ransacked.

Saturday January 12, 2013

DTV CHANNEL 8 08:55 hrs. Sign On 09:00 hrs. Power Ranger Samurai 10:00 hrs. Supah Ninjas 11:00 hrs. Saved by the Bell 12:00 hrs. Prime News 12:30 hrs. Saved By the Bell 13:00 hrs. House 17:00 hrs. The Baptist Hour 18:00 hrs. World News 18:30 hrs. Nightly News 19:00 hrs. Greetings and Announcements 20:00 hrs. Alliance on the Move (Live) 21:00 hrs. Indian Movie 00:00 hrs. Sign Off NCN CHANNEL 11 05:00 hrs - Inspiration 05:30 hrs - Newtown Gospel 06:00 hrs - NCN Late Edition (R/B) 06:30 hrs - Feature 07:00 hrs - Ebezener Praise Time 07:30 hrs - The Truth 08:00 hrs - Pulse Beat 08:30 hrs -Weekly Digest 09:00 hrs - Cartoons 10:00 hrs - Youth Expression

Kaieteur News

11:00 hrs - Cartoons 12:00 hrs - CNN 12:30 hrs - Close Up 13:00 hrs - Epic Hype 13:30 hrs - Feature 14:00 hrs - Save the Children 14:30 hrs - Feature 15:00 hrs - Revelation & Power 16:00 hrs - Feature 17:30 hrs - Choices 18:00 hrs - NCN News Magazine – Live 18:30 hrs - Feature 19:30 hrs - President’s Diary 20:00 hrs - 3d/daily millions/ play de dream/lotto draw 20:05 hrs - Video Hitlist 21:05 hrs - Bollywood Hits 22:00 hrs – Movie MTV CHANNEL 14/ CABLE 65 Sign on 06:30 hrs - Peace Love & Harmony (live) 07:00 hrs - Dabi’s bhajan Hour 07:30 hrs - Times of Refreshing (live) 08:00 hrs - Full Life Broadcast with Pastor

Findlay 08:30 hrs - News Update 09:30 hrs - Living the Life 10:00 hrs - Camille’s Institute Presentation 10:30 hrs - Children Movie: Franken weenie 13:00 hrs - Youth excel…with Ms. Diva 13:30 hrs - MTV School Quiz with Ms. Diva 14:00 hrs - National Geographic: Buggin’ with Rudd 15:00 hrs - National Geographic: Amazing Ocean 16:00 hrs - Sitcom 16:30 hrs - Alabama Trading Music break 17:00 hrs - Birthdays & other Greetings 17:15 hrs - Death Announcements/ In Memoriam 17:30 hrs - Sitcom 18:00 hrs - Searching the Scriptures with Pastor Floyd 18:30 hrs - Cabinet Briefing 19:00 hrs - Apex Forum (Live) 20:15 hrs - MTV music break 20:30 hrs - English Movie:

Saturday January 12, 2013 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) You are wired with the anticipation of doing something daring today, even if others think you’re the epitome of stability. You may feel wild and crazy since your impulsive reactions are even stronger than usual.

TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) You might begin the day with simple goals, but complications mount as you head in one particular direction because of an irrepressible craving.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) It seems as if everyone wants to have a good time today and you certainly don’t want to be left out of the fun.

CANCER (June 21–July 22) Your obligations may feel overwhelming today, but you could still find a way to avoid too much drudgery. Your evasive behavior isn’t necessarily an act of irresponsibility, especially if you are just setting your own personal boundaries.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) You may grow frustrated by thinking about how much fun you could have if you ditched your current obligations, jumped bail and declared yourself free.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) If there are issues in your love life that need to be brought out into the open, today may be your lucky day.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Unconventional desires can land you in trouble today, but a bit of self-awareness helps you get through the day without too much drama.

However, sidestepping an emotional scene proves difficult because unexpected circumstances might sneak up on you.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) It’s hard to maintain your concentration on chores today because enticing social circumstances are very distracting.

SAGIT (Nov. 22–Dec. 21) You look like you have both feet planted on the ground, but your creative imagination may be soaring with the birds.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) You may not be able to resist your heart’s desire today. Although logical analysis leads you to the right answers, it might not be sufficient to keep you on the straight and narrow path now.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20–Feb. 18) Amorous Venus squares edgy Uranus today, encouraging you to risk more in your quest for emotional fulfillment and physical satisfaction.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Your mind is free to go anywhere today as your thoughts play out one possible scenario after another.

Funny farm 22:00 hrs - Ms. America Pageant Sign off

Guides are subjected to change without notice

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Saturday January 12, 2013

Saturday January 12, 2013

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Trophy Stall presents uniforms to Den Amstel FC - 2013 WDFA U17 to kick off shortly The Den Amstel Football Club’s Under-17 team were this week presented with a set of complete uniforms including shin pads by the Manager of The Trophy Stall, Ramesh Sunich.

This was promised to the team after they won the inaugural (2012) edition of the Trophy Stall / West Demerara Football Association ( W D FA ) Under-17 League.

Sunich was impressed by the performance of the team in winning that he made the promise which he fulfilled.

In a brief comment at the presentation of gear, Sunich said that he was very elated with the collective efforts of the team in winning the competition which he sponsored and the level of skills exhibited by not only the Den Amstel players but by the other clubs that participated in the tournament.

“This is my way of encouraging these young and talented players to keep playing and to aim high. I am committed to continuing sponsorship of this competition and I can assure you that the 2013 edition will kick off shortly.

Guyana and especially these out of town areas abounds with talent so I would like to do my part in unearthing this talent along with the association.”

Present at the Trophy Stall to receive the uniforms were Coach and senior player of the club, O’Neil Heywood who expressed gratitude to Mr. Sunich on behalf of the club and particularly, the Under-17 team.

“We are very grateful to The Trophy Stall and Mr. Sunich for fulfilling his promise which we had no doubt he would have. This would be further motivation for the team as we prepare for the competition this year.

Den Amstel FC U-17 Captain Joseph Payne (left) display one of the tops with Trophy Stall’s Leroy Jack. At right is Coach, O’Neal Heywood.

We are looking forward to retaining the championship this year and are prepared to

take on the other clubs.”

According to Sunich, he is looking forward to another

exciting tournament this year and is encouraging the supporters of all the teams

that will compete from the various villages to come out and support the players.

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Kaieteur News

Saturday January 12, 2013

Chattergoon century puts GT&T B’ice in strong position, E’bo fight back GCB senior 4 day inter county tourney

- Half centuries for Singh, Mohamed, Adams grabs 6wkt haul

Sewnarine Chattergoon plays a cover drive during his innings Opener Sewnarine Chattergoon slammed an attractive century as GT&T Berbice closed the second day of their Guyana Cricket Board Senior 4 day inter county match against the President XI in a comfortable position at 267-3.

Chattergoon and fellow

opener Richard Ramdeen laid the foundation for a huge GT&T Berbice total with an opening stand of 87 with enterprising batting on a flat Demerara Cricket Club pitch.

Ramdeen, who hardly played a false stroke, hit five fours and two sixes before he was leg before to Collins Butts for

47. Chattergoon and Assad Fudadin took the score to 163 with a second wicket of 76.

Fudadin after hitting two fours was bowled by Raj Nanan as he played over a delivery that kept low.

Chattergoon soon brought up his half century with a boundary off Nanan off

114 balls in 145 minutes and dominated a third wicket stand of 93 with Gajanand Singh.

The Albion left hander mixed who aggression with defense and executed some lovely shots both off the back and front foot, and eventually reached his century off 313 balls before he was caught off

Butts for 114 which contained eleven fours and four sixes.

Singh, another left hander, stroked five fours and ended the day on an unbeaten 57 which came off 101 deliveries.

With him is Anthony D’Andrade not out on 02.

Butts has so far taken 2-53 from 39 overs.

At Everest, Demerara resumed on their over night score of 103-3, with Vishal Singh on 03 and Chanderpaul Hemraj on 06. They took the total to 132 before they were dismissed in quick succession to leave their team in trouble at 132-5.

Zaheer Mohamed and Joseph Perry then featured in a 6th wicket stand of 112 before Perry went after lunch for 26 at 244. Left arm spinner Herry Green trapped Kellon Carmichael (00) and Mohamed for 76 as Demerara

lost two more wickets without addition to the score.

Mohamed innings contained seven fours and two maximums.

Adams wrapped up the innings by removing Andrea Stoll (07) and Totaram Bishun (00) as Demerara were bowled out just after tea for 259 in 106.4 overs; Amir Khan was left not out on 05. Adams, who bowled with good control and variation, finished with 6-63, while Green had 2-59 and Royan Federicks 2-34.

With a deficit of 92, Essequibo in their second innings, lost Royan who was caught off Carmichael for 10, but Norman Federicks and Dillon Heyliger batted patiently to see them at stumps without further loss on 72-1 after 23 overs.

Norman is on 33 (2x4) while Heyliger is 25 (5x4).

BERNE (Reuters) European football chiefs will meet this month to discuss proposed reforms to present to the sport’s governing body FIFA, including an age limit for the president and a restriction on the number of mandates he can serve.

A working group which was set up to revise the FIFA statutes has proposed setting an age limit of 72 for the FIFA president and executive committee members at the time of their election, reelection or nomination.

It has also proposed limiting their mandates to two four-year terms.

Other matters under discussion for possible

reform include the make-up of the International Football Association Board (IFAB), which makes decisions on changes to the rules of the game.

The IFAB currently consists of four members from FIFA and one each from the four British associations.

UEFA, European soccer’s governing body, said in a statement that it would host a meeting of the presidents of its 53 members associations on January 24 to analyse the proposals.

“UEFA wants to ensure that the FIFA reform process maintains its good governance objectives and this has been made clear to our members in a clear and

transparent way, to enable them to make their position clear,” said UEFA secretary general Gianni Infantino.

“We now need our members to put forward their views.”

FIFA was hit a string of corruption cases in 2010 and 2011.

Three members of its 24man executive committee were sanctioned for corruption, including former presidential candidate Mohamed Bin Hammam who was banned for life, and another two resigned amid allegations of wrongdoing.

It is due to vote on changes to the statutes at its annual Congress in Mauritius in May.

The Rose Hall Town Anniversary and Development Organization has organised an Inter Street 5-a-side Small Goal football Competition for teams in the Rose Hall Town catchment area.

The competition will be played from Sunday 10th February to Saturday 16th February at the Rose Hall Town Basketball Court (Area H Ground) and is opened to all streets in the Municipality of Rose Hall Town.

Over $100,000 in cash and prizes will be up for grabs.

Prizes will also be awarded to the MVP, the player scoring the most goals, the most disciplined team and the fair play award. While there will be sumptuous gate prizes for patrons during the competition.

The playing days are Sunday 10th Feb from 10:00am and continue on Tuesday 12th, Thursday 14th, while the semifinals and finals will be played on

Saturday 16th February under Floodlights. There will be two exhibition games preceding the grand finals.

Entrance fee per team is Two Thousand Dollars ($2,000) and closing date for registration is Wednesday 6th Feb 2013.

For further information persons can contact coordinator Godwyn Allicock at Allicock Wild Meat, Independence Avenue or telephone 337-4774, 660-9048 or 612-8387.

Anthony Adams

FIFA reforms to go under the microscope

Inter Street 5-a-side Football set for Rose Hall Town

Saturday January 12, 2013

Kaieteur News

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Ansa McAl hands over MSC - after $3M field upgrade Ansa McAl Ltd. yesterday handed over the McKenzie Sports Club (MSC) Ground after a $3M upgrade to the field, which is about 85% completed with minor works to be done that include the final phase of rolling and planting of Bermuda grass.

The MSC was chosen as the venue for renovation after Chicken’s Bar in Linden had won the Stag Beer ‘Crown Your Community’ promotion.

The popular liming spot in Linden is renowned as a popular outlet for Stag Beer in the community.

“This promotion was revolutionary. Chicken’s Bar won and they chose MSC,” Public Relations Officer at Ansa McAl, Darshnie Yussuf told the media yesterday in Linden.

The ‘Crown Your Community’ promotion was based on the community that collected the most Stag crowns being adjudged the winner at the end. The crowns were weighed and the community with the most won a field renovation project to the tune of $3M. “They could have chosen any aspect of the ground to renovate, but they chose the ground, and we thought that was the best choice,” Yussuf said, adding that there was a fair amount of mishap to get

the field right, but in the end they believe it is up to standard.

She said when Ansa McAl enters a community they usually ask what can be done to improve the community, so that a lasting impression can be made.

According to Yussuf, the company had an exciting year in 2012 and looks forward to even a better year this year.

On receiving the facility, MSC first vice-president, Leon Garrett, said that they had approached several sponsors to get the ground renovated and none of them took up the challenge. Hence, he was elated when the facility won the renovation from Ansa McAl. “We suffered a lot of embarrassment from even Lindeners who were saying all kinds of things as we tried to get the ground done. We didn’t have the ground for the inter-schools competition for instance and maybe that is why we lost to Georgetown,” Garrett said.

He said the ground is renowned in Linden for a number of activities and he is happy to see that it was redone to benefit the community. He thanked Ansa McAl for the important gesture, adding that it is an important fillip in the development of local sport.

French motorcyclist dies during Dakar Rally in Chile Thomas Bourgin

SANTIAGO (Reuters) French motorcyclist Thomas Bourgin has died after colliding with a police car in northern Chile as he was driving to the start of Friday’s special stage of the Dakar rally, organizers said on Friday.

“The 25-year-old rider collided with a Chilean police car that was traveling in the opposite direction,” the Dakar Rally said in a statement on its web site. “The exact circumstances of the accident are being subjected to an

inquiry.”

Friday’s accident comes on the heels of two deaths this week in southern Peru, after an accident involving two taxis and a support truck working for a Dakar team.

This is the fifth year in a row that the Dakar, a grueling event that started out as a race from Paris across the Sahara desert to the Senegalese capital Dakar, has been held in South America. The rally started in Lima on January 5 and is scheduled to end in Santiago on January 20.

Ansa McAl PRO, Darshnie Yussuf shakes hands with MSC first vice-president, Leon Garret at the facility yesterday to ceremoniously hand over the renovated ground to the Club.

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Saturday January 12, 2013

Horseracing in 2012 nothing new

By Samuel Whyte The Horseracing season has come to an end for 2012 and like ‘everything else in Guyana’ the question could be asked what has changed.

A review of things in the horseracing arena for 2012 would be a similar plot like 2011 and years before.

On can simply change the date of a previous review insert 2013 and reprint. There is still no Guyana Horse Racing Authority (GHRA).

Although some in the fraternity made desperate efforts to get thing organised with the formation of an Interim Management Committee (IMC) headed by retired Chancellor of the Judiciary Cecil Kennard, things can still be termed as being in disarray. All despite the best efforts of the IMC and as put by Justice Kennard, “…there are not enough rules for us to nail law breakers.”

Those in the horseracing business including owners, trainers, grooms, jockeys, commentators and turfites either by choice or commitment are putting the

blame squarely at the feet of the Government for refusing to come to the assistance of the sport which once brought honour and glory to Guyana.

Their main bone of contention is the refusal of the government to lay the draft horseracing legislation in parliament for it to be discussed and become law.

With no proper rules in place persons cannot be properly sanctioned.

Despite the influx of large sums of money, things still leave much to be desired.

Even as the sport can take some credit for maintaining its large crowd appeal and upping prize moneys, blames can also be thrown to those responsible for running the sports like organised Gymkhana’s as some old timers opined. Horseracing at the moment is not very well organised and leave much to be desired and even as some clubs and owners are pouting that the media is going after them, it is not so, we are just trying to help those responsible to get their acts together. As was mentioned before, if nothing is done

quickly, horseracing can very well descend into chaos.

The blame can be thrown at many quarters. To get simple information about racing in Guyana is a herculean task. There are only some rules that are being bandied about and used from time to time. Nothing sometimes goes to plan.

There is no body or organisation or system in place to disseminate such information.

Things like the amount of wins, by the respective stable, the criteria being used to select the top animals and stables, and top jockeys are hard to come by whilst some grooms and connections are peeved that no end of year award ceremony is held.

While some Tracks and stables try to maintain a standard at times, others are found badly wanting.

Closing dates are rarely observed and entries are sometimes allowed until race day. Doping will take another few pages and is widespread in the business. This scenario could well be a case for the Guyana Society for the

Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Crowd control continues to be a serious problem with persons who are not officials and animals all on the track at the same time even during races. Betting should be controlled and they need to be a reintroduction of the betting booths. One bright spot is that most of the Tracks have made efforts to improve their facilities and should be commended.

The Government continues to take the flack and is been deemed the biggest culprit by horse owners for doing nothing to help horseracing in the country and is keeping the sport down. Owners are very disappointed with the Government for failing to pass the necessary legislation and say the Guyana Revenue

Authority (GRA) and government attitude is killing the sport. They want to know if there is legislation among Caribbean countries (Caricom) concerning trade, free trade and duty free, why animals, feed and other necessities coming in from the Caribbean has to be taxed.

They cited the Government getting involved in the controversies of Cricket and Football and trying to bring solutions.

Why can they assist Horseracing? The sport is a very expensive hobby. The animals have to be well taken care of. Over 1500 persons are directly employed in the horseracing industry in Guyana, while thousands more benefit.

While there was undoubtedly no champion

horses, a number of animals had an outstanding year including Score’s Even, Settle in Seattle, Sleeping in Town, Third World, Joyful Victory and War Craft. There was no such uncertainty in deciding the champion stable with two stables standing out in the Jumbo Jet and the Shariff Racing stables. However the Jumbo Jet entity once again took the cake with their barrage of horses and numerous entries.

Banks DIH, Digicel and others such as DDL, Ansa McAl and The Trophy Stall, Bourda Market were among some of the leading sponsors.

It is hoped that those responsible including the government will get their act together fast and help save the sport from total destruction.

Chanderpaul expects a “great show” in front a full house Port-of-Spain, Trinidad – Guyana batting stalwart Shivnarine Chanderpaul says he’s excited and looking forward to today’s showdown against Trinidad and Tobago.

All the tickets for the game have been sold out long before the match-day and a record crowd of over 20,000 is expected at the Queen’s Park Oval.

This is the first time in West Indies cricket history a regional match has been sold out in advance. First ball is 8 pm (7 pm Jamaica Time). The other match today will feature traditional rivals Leeward Islands and Windward Islands at 4 pm (3 pm Jamaica Time).

Chanderpaul is the most experienced and successful player in the tournament and is presently at Number 2 in the ICC Test Match batting rankings. He made his debut for Guyana back in 1992 as a slim teenager, and he has played a record 146 Test matches for the West Indies in close to two decades at the international level.

“This will be a great show!

It is really exciting to hear that the match sold out almost two days before we have to play. This has never happened before, at least not since I have been involved in Guyana and West Indies cricket, and this is a wonderful thing. I am really looking forward to playing in the match. This will be great for the game of cricket in the West Indies,” the 38-year-old told WICB Media on Friday.

“We know there will be a

Shivnarine Chanderpaul lot of Trinis in the stand supporting their team and that’s fine. They are the home team and that’s part of home advantage. But there are also quite a few Guyanese living here so we expect some support as well. A lot of people have also flown in to see the tournament and that will add to the support.”

Chanderpaul added: “The way things have been going with our games and the Trinidad games, the people have really caught on and we knew they would come out and support the match. We have played well and we managed to get two hardfought wins. The ‘fellas’ have been working really hard and we will come out looking for a win tomorrow. We are proud of what we have done so far but there is still a long way to go.”

The former Guyana and West Indies captain has been the anchor at the top of the order in both victories so far.

Batsmen have found scoring a challenge and Chanderpaul’s contributions

have been crucial for Guyana – 38 in the helter-skelter run chase against Combined Campuses and Colleges; and 23 in the low-scoring triumph over Barbados. The lefthander, who has played cricket at every major cricket venue in the world, said a packed Queen’s Park Oval is sure to offer a lively atmosphere.

“There is always a buzz at the ground whether you play for Guyana or for the West Indies. The atmosphere is always lively and the fans always get the chance to offer advice to the players. This helps to add a unique kind of flavour that we have here in West Indies,” he said.

Going into today’s match Guyana have a 100 percent record and are on eight points, while Trinidad and Tobago have nine points from wins against Leewards and Combined Campuses and Colleges and wash out against Jamaica. Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana are the two most successful teams in the Caribbean T20.

Guyana won the inaugural tournament in 2010 while the Trinis won back-to-back titles in 2011 and 2012.

Fans in the region can watch the entire tournament live on ESPN Caribbean – the broadcast partner of the West Indies Cricket Board.

Additional coverage is available on ESPN’s Networks in the UK, Australia, Middle East and Africa. In Canada, fans can see the action via the Titan GSG Media Corporation.

Saturday January 12, 2013

Kaieteur News

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::: Letter to the Sports Editor :::

Buxton Utd’s victory in K&S Finals is commendable DEAR EDITOR, Upon entering the Red Stand of the National Stadium Providence, during the course of the third place playoff between eventual winners, Alpha United and Pele (4th ), on the evening of January 1, 2013, and ahead of the finals of the 23rd edition of the Annual Kashif & Shanghai K.O, in pursuit of exchanging greetings for the New Year, with well wishers, my visitation was intended to be brief, but I couldn’t have avoided the bellowing voice of a Buxtonian daughter, Miss Sherry Abrams, who immediately after exchanging greetings handed to me a copy of the “Buxton Battle Song”.

She implored upon me its publication, as a tribute to Buxton’s victory. As a consequence it would be a great disservice to my late father and elder: Eusi Kwayana, whose letters and articles in the newspapers never escape my reading. In one of those articles many years ago, mention was made of my late father B. H. Sealey in a positive light of which I’m eternally grateful.

Editor, in assessing Buxton’s passage to the finals, it must be outlined that in my estimation the Buxtonians had a tougher draw in the top half, consisting of reigning national club champions

Alpha “The Hammer United” and runner-up counterparts B.K Int. Western Tigers; Rosignol United, Timehri Panthers, BV/Triumph, Winners Connection and Grove Hi Tech.

The bottom half consisted of: Amelia Ward (losing finalist), Mill Ballers, Milerock, Den Amstel, Silver Shattas, Uitvlugt, Buxton Stars and Pele.

Winners Connection, 2-1 in the first round; Western Tigers, 1-0 in the quarterfinals; Alpha United, also 1-0 in the semifinals; and finally Amelia’s Ward, 5-4 in a “sudden death” penalty shootout, after a goalless stalemate in regulation and extra time, of the finals.

In the four matches played the 23rd edition winner scored five goals; conceded one, for a goal difference of +4, with an average of 1.1 goals scored per match.

Runner-up, Amelia’s Ward also conceded a solitary goal; this may be historical for both finalists, in addition to being the joint Best Defensive Teams. The Most Valuable Player (M.V.P); Best Coach and the Fair Play Award are among the other trophies and prizes carted off by the East Coast Lineup.

Meanwhile, the camaraderie display by the Buxtonians was commendable. On Boxing Night it began on their home

THE BUXTON BATTLE SONG Thou wilt not cower in the dust Buxton my own native land, Thy glorious name shall never rust, Oh Buxton my own native land.

Remember Fredericks, yes we must, The Buxton Scholarship his thrust.

And now he slumbers in the dust, In Buxton my own native land And now may every girl and boy, In Buxton my own native land, His heart and brain all day employed, In Buxton my own native land.

To add to our illustrious line Of sons and daughters who all time, Give of their best that you may shine For Buxton my own native land. turf the Buxton Community Centre ground, the toothless Tigers lost their stripes, in a 0-1 quarterfinals loss.

And three days later also at the same venue, in the semifinals Alpha United’s sledge hammer was reduced to a “rubber” hammer.

The star – studded lineup boasting previous and present national players both at the junior and senior level, also lost by a 0-1 margin.

Nevertheless, it was a good gesture by Alpha’s President, Odinga Lumumba, also a Buxtonian, to donate a quantity of football gears to Buxton United.

Likewise Sherry Abrams, who placed Buxton first and for most in lending her support, incidentally, the individual is the coach of Buxton Stars that also

Swiss lab head denies assisting Lance Armstrong BBC Sport - The director of Switzerland’s laboratory for doping analysis has denied allegations that he told Lance Armstrong how to avoid being detected for performance-enhancing drug EPO. Martial Saugy said he had one meeting with the disgraced cyclist in 2002 at the request of the International Cycling Union to talk about the tests.

But he refuted the suggestion he told Armstrong how to avoid detection. “I did not give the keys to Armstrong to circumvent tests,” he said. “It would be a paradox as my job as leader of an anti-doping laboratory.

The fight against doping is our life’s work.

“It’s true that a meeting took place, and that’s not a new fact. In the context, I think it was the right thing to

Martial Saugy do. It was not a mistake or an act of naivety as some have written. “I’ve met him for only about 20 minutes in my whole life.”

Saugy was responding to claims made by the head of the US Anti-Doping Agency (Usada) Travis Tygart, who told US television programme 60 Minutes that Saugy had told him over dinner he had met Armstrong and his US Postal Team manager Johan Bruyneel at the request of the UCI in 2002 to explain how the

EPO test worked.

The UCI insists the meetings were arranged as a “deterrent” to show riders they were getting tough on doping and not to show them how to beat the system.

However Saugy added: “It’s a fundamental right for the sportsmen to know the scientific basis of an analysis.”

Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles, won between 1999 and 2005, and banned for life in October following a report by Usada which said that Armstrong had been involved in the “most sophisticated... and successful doping programme that sport has ever seen”.

Armstrong is due to break his silence on the doping allegations on Oprah Winfrey’s TV talk show on Thursday, 17 January.

participated in the tournament, but was a first round casualty.

And from a historical perspective Sherry is the only female, who coaches an allmale team locally; in addition to Buxton having two teams from the same village participating in major competitions. Former coach, Lyndon France receives special mention along with present Secretary, Eton

Moses for molding the unit, despite the adversities. While Fruta Conquerors and Camptown for providing weekly practice matches must also receive mention, along with their respective former coaches Deryck Whyte and Desmond Alfred. However, it was Fruta Conquerors, in 2003 that invited Buxton Utd to participate in the Fruta Conquerors Challenge Cup Round-Robin K.O Under-15.

Editor, it must also be noted that this was further extended in 2008, under the Troy Mendonca led GFA administration, the best in Georgetown, for a very longtime.

It was the former Hon. Secretary, Marlan Cole, who lobbied extensively for Buxton United, to participate in GFA Youth Competitions.

Two consecutive Courts sponsored under-13 PEEWee Competitions in addition to a Beepat sponsored Milo Under-20 paved the way for Buxton’s overall development.

Importantly, it must be noted that the East Coast lineup’s participation was during the years of dormancy in youth football on the East Coast.

Buxton and Buxtonians be proud of your productBuxton United.

The administrative, coaching and managerial staff; the years of dedication and perseverance has finally paid off! And last but not least the players namely: Clive Andries, Denvor Dennis and Michael Phyll all of whom I can vividly recall from 2003-2008.

Salutations for the commitment and dedication to the sport of football, since within the 10 years of completing a cycle of total development, victory in a major competition was achieved. Maybe, the Guyana Football Federation, that receives an annual subvention of Guy$50,000,000 from FIFA, until now cannot have a ten year development plan in place.

Lester Sealey

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Saturday January 12, 2013

HUGHES DEBUT CENTURY POWERS AUSTRALIA TO WIN (Reuters) - Phil Hughes became the first Australian to score a century on his oneday international debut as he powered the side to a 107-run win over Sri Lanka on Friday.

Hughes hit 112 and standin captain George Bailey struck 89 before David Hussey smashed 60 not out off 34 balls to turn a good total into a commanding 3055 on a flat MCG wicket.

Dinesh Chandimal kept Sri Lanka in contention with a belligerent 73 but four wickets from Clint McKay and some superb fielding, including three run-outs, restricted the tourists to 198 in reply.

Australia, who won the test series 3-0, lead the fivematch ODI series 1-0 with the second game on Sunday in Adelaide.

Sri Lanka could be without Chandimal for that game after the wicketkeeper, one of the few success stories of a one-sided test series, had to have repeated on-field treatment to what looked like a hamstring problem.

His mobility steadily decreased after he had his

thigh bandaged.

Australia, though, can be happy with the way an inexperienced line-up coped without rested captain Michael Clarke and the omitted Mike Hussey.

Opener Aaron Finch and number three Usman Khawaja managed just 16 and three respectively after Australia won the toss but Hughes put on 140 for the third wicket alongside Bailey at the rate of a run a ball.

Khawaja later compensated for his failure run out when he failed to ground the bat - with a direct hit from mid-off to run out the dangerous Tillakaratne Dilshan for 51.

Hughes, who averaged 46.60 in the test series that finished on Sunday, timed his strokes sweetly, deploying his favoured cut shot whenever possible and compiled 14 boundaries.

THREE FIGURES “It is a good deck,” Hughes said. “It flattened out beautifully.

“It was nice to get a few.

My first game in the one-day format, to get to three figures

Clint McKay reacts after an acrobatic catch by the wicketkeeper to dismiss Dinesh Chandimal (Getty Images) is a dream come true. This is my favourite ground.”

The leading run scorer in Australia’s domestic one-day and Twenty20 tournaments, Finch was more circumspect and made his way to 16 from 28 balls before edging Ajantha Mendis to Chandimal.

Khawaja’s run out brought Bailey to the crease with the score on 72-2 and Australia’s Twenty20 captain took on a bowling attack bolstered since the end of the

test series by Lasith Malinga and Mendis. He hit eight fours and smacked Jeevan Mendis for a big six high over long on.

Australia slipped from 212-2 to 248-5 as Hughes edged Malinga to Chandimal, Bailey pulled Angelo Mathews to Jeevan Mendis at deep midwicket and Glenn Maxwell departed for 5.

But the experienced Hussey grasped the finisher’s role with a whirlwind innings that

Phillip Hughes was the first Australian to score a century on ODI debut (Getty Images) included 20 runs and a wide off the last over from Ajantha Mendis.

Sri Lanka were never in a position to challenge as wickets fell steadily thanks to some poor shot selection and sharp fielding.

Upal Thuranga nicked Mitchell Starc to Brad Haddin for just 1 and it was 17-2 when Mahela Jayawardene edged McKay to Finch at first slip for 5.

Chandimal and Dilshan did their best to rebuild but

Khawaja’s direct hit, another

by Maxwell that accounted for Mathews (12) and then the run out of Lahiru Thirimanne (0) by the combined efforts of Maxwell and Haddin made it 128-5.

There was no way back for Sri Lanka and McKay finally winkled out Chandimal before mopping up the tail.

Scores: Australia 5 for 305 (Hughes 112, Bailey 89, Hussey 60*) beat Sri Lanka 198 (Chandimal 73, Dilshan 51, McKay 4-33) by 107 runs.

Saturday January 12, 2013

Kaieteur News

Page 37

Heat evaporate in tight loss to Trail Blazers (Reuters) - Guard Wesley Matthews buried successive three-pointers to cap a stunning late rally as the Portland Trail Blazers stunned the NBA champion Miami Heat with a tense 92-90 win on Thursday.

Trailing 80-68 with just over eight minutes left, Portland finished with a rousing 24-10 run to record their fourth straight win and their ninth in a row at home, improving to 20-15 for the season.

Matthews’ heroics put Portland ahead 91-90 and a LaMarcus Aldridge free throw then made it 92-90 with 10.4 seconds remaining.

Guard Mario Chalmers missed a late three-point attempt as the Heat slipped to their fifth defeat in their last eight games for an overall record of 23-11.

Nicolas Batum led the way for the Trail Blazers with 28 points, forward LaMarcus Aldridge contributed 20 points and 15 rebounds while Matthews finished with 18 points on seven-of-18 shooting.

“We got a lot of

confidence and we are playing great at home right now,” Williams told reporters after his step-back threepointer with 26.9 seconds left put Portland a point in front.

“We are playing very well overall. We played against a great team ... and we knew they would make their run. We just got to stop the bleeding and we were able to do that.”

Though Chris Bosh scored a game-high 29 points for Miami and Dwyane Wade weighed in with 18, the visitors paid the price after being outscored 29-22 in the final quarter.

JAMES STREAK ENDS LeBron James was restricted to 15 points on sixof-16 shooting, ending a run of 54 games including the playoffs with at least 20 points dating back to last season. “It’s a tough loss, no doubt about it,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “Our guys are disappointed about that.

With seven minutes to go, we’re taking control of the game and gaining some confidence in our defense.

“And then we slipped a little bit. But it’s still a ballgame down to the end, and they made more plays.”

Portland began the game brightly but James poured in a three-pointer to give slowstarting Miami a 21-18 lead after a closely contested opening quarter.

With the “Big Three” of James, Bosh and Wade all getting into double figures, the Heat upped the tempo and padded their advantage to 5239 halftime.

Portland ended the third quarter on a 14-7 run to cut Miami’s lead to 68-63 but the Heat appeared to have the game in control midway through the fourth before the home team took over in spectacular fashion.

“It’s an understatement to say it’s great to beat Miami,” Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts said. “I gotta hand it to our guys for sticking with it.

“You keep competing, playing through and finding ways to win games. That’s what we did tonight, and what we’ve been doing most of the season.”

Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard Wesley Matthews (R) celebrates with teammates LaMarcus Aldridge (12) and Nicolas Batum (88) after defeating the Miami Heat in NBA basketball game in Portland, Oregon, January 10, 2013. REUTERS/Steve Dipaola

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Kaieteur News

Saturday January 12, 2013

Police ‘B’ Division prepares All tickets sold out for for Commissioner of Police Saturday’s big Caribbean T20 10/10 male and female cricket The Berbice Police Force ‘B’ Division under the leadership of Assistant Commissioner Dereck Josiah has commenced preparation for the Commissioner of Police Leroy Brummell InterDivision male and female 10/ 10 cricket competition which is slated for February in Georgetown.

On Wednesday the three subdivisions namely No1 sub division New Amsterdam Canje East Bank, East Coast Berbice, No2 subdivision Central and Upper Corentyne and Training School and No3 West Berbice, competed against each other in both the male and female category in a one day competition held at the Scot Church ground in New Amsterdam which was coordinated by Assistant

Superintendent Jairam Ramlakhan and Sergeant Michael Newland.

In the male category in the first game played between Subdivisions No1 and No2, Subdivision 1 won by 4 wickets. No2 batted first and compiled 100-8 in their allotment of overs with C. Singh 32, O. Sobers 19 and Mark Wilson 14. Bowling No1- N. Chase, A. Ali and Y. Chatterpaul picked up two wickets each. No1 in reply raced to 101-6 in 8.3overs with Phillip Sheriff hammering 54 and Chase returning to strike 42.

In the finals between No 1 and No3 subdivisions, No 1 got the better of their counterparts by 12 runs.

Scores were; No1 took first strike and made 70-7 in their overs with I. Braithwaite 21,

A. Hope 18 and C. Smart 15 being the principal scorers.

The wickets were shared between J. Haynes 2, while A. Doris and R. Manns picked up one each.

No 3 in their turn at the crease were bundled out for 58 in 6.4 overs as they had no answer to the penetrative bowling of the bowlers from Subdivision B lead by Michael Newland with 3-7,A.Ali 2-11 and I. Braithwaite one wicket.

In the female category, only two of the divisions fielded teams. In the result of the game played No 3 subdivision defeated their counterparts from No1 by 26 runs. No3 batted first and scored 87-5 with L. Bennet 47 and O. Marks 20 being their top scorers. No1 in Reply could only reach 61-6 with P. Briggs 28 and N. France23 getting among the runs.

Two squads will be selected shortly to continue training in their effort to capture the trophy.

(Samuel Whyte)

showdown at Queen Park Oval

Port-of-Spain, Trinidad – Yesterday, the day before today’s double-header in the Caribbean T20 at Queen’s Park Oval, all the available tickets have been snapped up by fans eager to see some of the region’s best players in action.

They feature match will be the much-anticipated top-ofthe-table clash between defending champs Trinidad and Tobago and arch-rivals Guyana. It will also feature several members of the West Indies team which won the ICC World T20 championship last year.

The contest is being billed as a “mini final” and promises to be filled with entertainment from start to finish for the more than 20,000 fans who are expected at the historic venue. First ball is 8 pm (7 pm Jamaica Time).

A ticket will also allow admission for the day’s first encounter between traditional rivals Leeward Islands and Windward Islands at 4 pm (3 pm Jamaica Time).

Cindy McLean, the

Caribbean T20 Event Manager, said the spectator support all during the first phase has been “magnificent” and a capacity crowd today would cap a great week.

“It is simply amazing to see that tickets for a match on Saturday night (tonight) have been all snapped up so far in advance of the match being played. This means that the fans have totally enjoyed the experience in the stands and what they have seen on the field of play all week,” McLean said.

“Things have worked really well and we applaud the cricket-loving public of Trinidad and Tobago and several visitors who have come for their support of West Indies cricket in such a big way.

You can feel the incredible excitement, enthusiasm and energy of the people as they demonstrate a passion for the game.”

McLean added: “We anticipate a massive climax to the first phase here in Trinidad on Saturday night

before the tournament moves to St Lucia for the second phase next week. We have put all the systems in place to accommodate the spectators.

They are part of the heart and soul of the game and this event.”

Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana are the two most successful teams in the Caribbean T20. Guyana won the inaugural tournament in 2010, while the Trinis won back-to-back titles in 2011 and 2012. After play on Thursday night, T&T led the points table with nine points from three matches. Guyana are second with eight points from two matches, level with Barbados on eight points (three matches).

Fans in the region can watch the entire tournament live on ESPN Caribbean – the broadcast partner of the West Indies Cricket Board.

Additional coverage is available on ESPN’s Networks in the UK, Australia, Middle East and Africa. In Canada, fans can see the action via the Titan GSG Media Corporation.

Streetwise Jacobs does “inside job” on Bajans Port-of-Spain, Trinidad – Steven Jacobs had a major say in the outcome of Thursday night’s Caribbean T20 contest, bowling Guyana to a big win over Barbados in a low-scoring affair.

The highly-spirited offspinner had the impressive figures of 4-1-13-2, as the 2010 champions held the Bajans to their lowest T20 score of 66 to defend the 108 they made earlier in the night.

After letting the ball do the talking, Jacobs spoke of how he used “inside knowledge” of the Barbadian players to his advantage.

The 24-year-old is a student at Cave Hill Campus of the University of the West Indies (UWI) in Barbados and spent part of last year playing in the local club competition there.

“One of the weaknesses of the Bajans is batting spin.

The skipper tried to exploit that weakness tonight.

Playing in Barbados helped a lot. I’m going to school in Barbados and playing for UWI so I get a chance to look at the batsmen in local cricket.

Steven Jacobs That was a major thing for me and I also shared the knowledge with my teammates. It worked out well tonight,” Jacobs said after he received the Man-of-theMatch trophy.

The match-winning figures were his best in T20 cricket and took Guyana to

eight points from two matches.

The defeat left Barbados on eight points from three matches. The table leaders are Trinidad and Tobago on nine points from three matches.

Jacobs noted that there is great belief in the camp after such a hard-fought comeback.

“Guyana is a never-saydie team. We will always put in 100 percent. Having 108 runs on the board we knew that there was still pressure there on Barbados.

The ball was spinning and we knew that one of the strengths in our team is our spinning department. We executed really well tonight,” t h e f o r m e r We s t I n d i e s Under-19 vice captain added.

“This was one of my nights. I don’t have a secret to the way I perform. I just come out and stick to the basics of bowling in Twenty20 cricket – which is to be accurate and make life very difficult for the batsmen.”

Saturday January 12, 2013

Kaieteur News

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Tourists edge thrilling one-dayer in Rajkot BBC Sport - England held their nerve to edge out India by nine runs in a stirring opening one-day international.

Batting first on a flat pitch, an opening partnership of 158 between captain Alastair Cook (75) and Ian Bell (85) set England on the road to 325-4.

India stayed in the game thanks to half-centuries from Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina. But James Tredwell took 4-44 and Jade Dernbach removed the dangerous Mahendra Dhoni as the hosts fell short on 3169.

England’s victory was their first in 14 away matches against India - a barren run stretching back to April 2006 - and gave Ashley Giles a winning start as limited-overs coach.

The tourists are top of the one-day rankings but had had suffered 5-0 whitewashes on their last two visits to India and were comprehensively beaten in their two warm-up matches for this series.

Nonetheless, England began in a confident manner as Cook and Bell took advantage of a fast outfield to pepper the boundary at will.

Yuvraj Singh claimed three wickets With the merest push through a gap in the field racing away for four, the duo did not need to be overly aggressive as they put on England’s highest opening partnership in India. India’s spinners checked England’s progress in the middle of their innings and, with runs starting to dry up, Bell and Cook began to take risks.

Bell was eventually run out by Rahane’s direct hit

from short fine leg and Cook was caught by the same fielder after top-edging a sweep off Raina.

Kevin Pietersen (44) and Eoin Morgan (41) both perished just when they were starting to find their range and it was left to Samit Patel and Craig Kieswetter to ensure England reached the total the conditions demanded.

Patel was England’s

Delroy Murphy is Kitty Jamaat Judo Club Most Outstanding Student

Representative of Khan’s Auto Sales, Michael Khan hands over the trophy to Delroy Murphy in the company of Hamza Eastman (centre) and Hilbert Archer and Raoul Archer (extreme left & right back row) After a year of commendable achievements, where he won a Gold medal in an invitational tournament in Barbados that involved 5 other countries, Delroy Murphy was adjudged the Most Outstanding Student by the executive members of the Kitty Jamaat Judo Club, and Public Relations Officer/ Organizing Secretary, Hilbert Archer presented him with a trophy, donated by Khan’s

Auto Sales, Hadfield Street, Stabroek, at a simple ceremony at their Sandy Babb Street headquarters, Tuesday afternoon last.

The young judo practitioner had distinguished himself among his peers from Guadeloupe, Barbados, Ecuador, Trinidad and Tobago and Martinique at the one day tournament at the Sir Garfield Sobers Stadium, Bridgetown

Barbados.

Additionally, Murphy had travelled to Panama in March last year and had copped a Bronze medal after participating in an international judo tournament.

Murphy’s Sensei and Coach, Raoul Archer, is extremely proud of his charge and ventured that he has a bright future ahead of him. Mr. Archer further said that two other judokas, Kyle and Kevin Archer have been performing credibly and he will not be surprised when they eventually hit the spotlight. He said that there are approximately 35 judokas in the Kitty Jamaat and his executives will soon extend their services to non Muslims interested in honing their skills in the sport. He also said that administrators are currently preparing a team of judokas for the 2016 Rio Olympics in Brazil.

Mr. Archer had accompanied Murphy on the Barbados trip and had attended a 2-days workshop that dealt with the intricacies of judging. There was also an upgrade to the rules recently and the above forum examined those changes.

James Tredwell took crucial wickets (BCCI) aggressor-in-chief, smashing 44 off 20 balls as England plundered 59 off the last four overs of their innings, with Ishant Sharma conceding 86 runs from his 10 overs.

India started their reply in a similar vein to England as Ajinkya Rahane and Gambhir put on 96 inside 17 overs.

But both fell in quick succession to Tredwell, with Rahane caught at long-off and Gambhir chipping to Bell at midwicket before Virat Kohli was caught behind off Tim Bresnan.

Yuvraj wrestled the momentum back India’s way with a typically belligerent batting display, rattling 61 off 54 balls - his 50th one-day half-century.

Alongside Raina, he looked capable of taking the match away from England,

only to spoon Tredwell to Dernbach at short fine leg.

Raina was granted a controversial reprieve on 46 when the third umpire ruled that Tim Bresnan had grounded the ball in taking a catch at third man.

But his luck did not last much longer as a leading edge presented Tredwell with a simple return catch.

Dhoni, so often the scourge of England in the past, struck four huge sixes to take India within sight of victory. But with 55 needed from 35 balls, he failed to middle a drive off Dernbach and picked out long-off.

Three balls later, Jadeja played on to Dernbach to leave India without a recognised batsman and, although their tail-enders took the match into the final over,

Ian Bell raises his bat after scoring a fifty (BCCI) England maintained their composure to clinch the win.

Cook says his team need to win the series - which continues on Tuesday in Kochi - to justify their number one billing, and on this evidence they look good value to realise their captain’s ambition.

Scores: England 325 for 4 (Bell 85, Cook 75) beat India 316 for 9 (Yuvraj 51, Gambir 52, Tredwell 4-44) by nine runs.

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Kaieteur News

Saturday January 12, 2013

Kwesi ‘Lightening Struck Assassin’ Jones threatens to ‘strike down’ Shawn ‘The Sniper’ Cox Friday Night Fights...

By Michael Benjamin Several of the country’s top pugilists trooped to the Avenue of the Republic offices of Abdools and Abdool’s Insurance Brokers yesterday afternoon where they culminated the deal by signing the contracts for the January edition of the Guyana Fight Night boxing card slated to get underway at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH), Friday January 25 next.

Of all of the bouts, the 10 rounds non-title catchweight scrap between Kwesi ‘Lightening Struck Assassin’ Jones and Shawn ‘The Sniper’ Cox is the main event and promises to set the venue alight that is if the statements uttered by Jones should prove meritorious.

Jones is the local light/ heavyweight champion, not exceeding 175lbs but has acquiesced to a bout not exceeding 190lbs. It means that Cox will also have to compromise.

It must be noted that in

his last bout against Denis Lebedev in Russia he weighed in at 199lbs and went on to lose by a 2nd round knockout which may give Jones some inspiration that Cox may not be comfortable at that weight.

The muscularly built Jones has promised to avenge an early knockout suffered by his gym mate and close friend, Kurt Bess.

“When I saw what Cox did to my partner I immediately called for his head,” proclaimed Jones. However, Cox had ignored him and went on to challenge, and consequently humiliate the ‘Big Truck’ in just over 2 minutes of the first round.

When reminded of this fight Jones scoffed and replied, “I am not impressed; he has been dodging me for a long time but now he has to put up or shut up.” Reminded of the price Braithwaite paid for his brashness after uttering several derogatory pre-fight remarks, Jones said, “I am not Wayne (Braithwaite); I am a dangerous contender and

Cox will do well to take note.”

Jones was not the only boxer that exhorted himself; unbeaten pugilist, Gladwin Dorway goes after Mark Austin over 12 rounds for the local jnr/middleweight belt and the latter boxer has warned the former that it will not be a pleasant journey.

Indeed, Austin has compiled an unflattering career, winning only 7 o f his 11 bouts. However, he has surrendered to opponents that have proven themselves in the ‘square jungle’ the likes of Barbadian, Miguel Antoine and former local lightweight king, Revlon Lake. Austin had taken a rest from the sport in order to regroup and when he returned he disposed of Troy Hill in the December edition of the Guyana Fight Night affair.

Dorway has fought 4 times and none of his opponents were around to answer the final bell. He has promised to replicate those feats, a boast that raised the ire of Austin.

“After being away from the ring for a while I have returned

GBBC executives, Howard Cox and Clairmont DeSouza (extreme L) conducts the signing ceremony yesterday afternoon with a vengeance and I cannot begin to imagine myself losing to Dorway,” said Austin when asked his view of the fight. “It will be business as usual and folks will see the real Austin in action,” he concluded.

Charlton Skeete will match gloves with Delon Allicock in a 4 rounds super/ bantamweight fight and the latter boxer spent all of thirty minutes hurling threats at the former. “I am not afraid of anyone and come fight night Skeete will be taught a lesson,” said Allicock, now in his 2nd professional bout. He promised to dispose of Skeete very early in the fight. Skeete, a relatively new ‘Coolie Bully’

on the block believes that Allicock is merely using the press conference to spew rhetoric. He refused to be drawn into such ‘gaff’ but did say that it will be a war when they face off.

The night’s opener will witness Berbician, Richard Williamson opposing Orlan Rogers in a 6 rounds super/ bantamweight affair in what has been dubbed as the student (Williamson) versus the teacher (Rogers). This is a 6 rounds super/ bantamweight affair and already Williamson, who knocked out Rudolph Fraser in his last fight, has promised similar treatment. Rogers remain adamant that he has

not taught Williamson everything but has retained key knowledge while Williamson is confident that he has learned enough to dispose of his former teacher.

The boxers have opened camp in gyms countrywide; Williamson and Rogers moves back to Berbice but at different gyms, while Jones and Austin open camp at the Andrew Lewis Boxing gym, Albouystown. Skeete is at the Harpy Eagles Boxing Gym while Allicock will train at the Forgotten Youth Foundation Gym. Dorway is on the East Coast at the Five Star Boxing Gym. The admission price is $1,000 while children will be allowed in for $500.

GCB SALUTES T20 TEAM The Guyana Cricket Board salutes the Guyana Cricket Team on the two amazing performances to start off the Caribbean Twenty20 campaign.

The GCB heralds the total team effort and the unwavering commitment to triumph which epitomizes the spirit of the Guyanese people who despite hardships, obstacles, challenges and limitations have never given up and have fought to achieve, they said in a release.

The successes of the Guyana Team - against Combined Campuses and

Colleges and Barbados - have made all of Guyana - from Pomeroon to Corentyne, from Linden to Lethem, from Mabaruma to Mon Repos, from Bartica to Buxton immensely proud.

The GCB and the cricket fans of Guyana stand behind the team as they continue to work fastidiously together to achieve more success and win the final edition of the Caribbean Twenty20, having won the first edition in 2010, it further stated.

The team’s togetherness, resilience, fortitude and execution of their carefully formulated plans have been

GABBFF AGM set for Jan. 19 A new executive of the Guyana Amateur Body Building and Fitness Federation will be elected on Saturday January 19 when that entity holds its Annual General Meeting (AGM) at Olympic House, High Street.

Apart from the elections of office bearers, the President’s and Treasurer’s Reports will also be presented to the members as will the GABBFF’s Vision for 2013.

the hallmarks of success and the people of the Caribbean and the world are witness to what Guyanese can achieve when we work together towards a common cause.

The exposure and promotion the Guyana Cricket Team is affording our nation is both immeasurable and invaluable.

The Guyana Team may not be a perfect one, it may not consist of the galaxy of stars as other teams but with a dedication to success and a resolve to pool resources for a common cause they have demonstrated success. The Guyana team is representing our nation well.

The GCB and the cricket fans of Guyana wish the team continued success particularly for the crucial game against Trinidad and Tobago on Saturday and the following matches in St Lucia next week, the release concluded.

Saturday January 12, 2013

Kaieteur News

Page 41

Ministry forced to re-award contracts for Synthetic Facility The Synthetic Track and Field Facility as it was photographed yesterday with the demarked area for the football field in the centre.

By Edison Jefford Works on Phase II of the construction of the Synthetic Track and Field Facility are continuing on schedule with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport re-awarding two contracts yesterday for the completion of the ticket boxes and the parameter fence at the Leonora site.

BK International is generally responsible for Phase II of the project, but the Ministry was forced to reaward two sub-lot contracts to two entities, Ramraj Construction and Howard Construction after the first contractor, J.P Mangal defaulted on the sub-lot that included the fence, which had initially caused some setbacks.

Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr. Frank Anthony revealed that the ministry has

taken the matter to Court to recover money that was initially allocated. He said that the fence is especially important now given that grass was planted for the football field in the middle of the track and it can ill-afford to be compromised.

“By awarding these contracts to two separate contractors, we feel that we’ll be able to accelerate works on the fence. We have given the contractors specific deadlines,” Anthony said, adding that completion of the facility depends on the contractors working to precision.

The Minister said that the track will be laid this year once German company, BSW Regupol, who is responsible for that phase of the project, is satisfied with the asphalted surface to lay the track. “If everything goes well, we will

have the track this year,” Anthony asserted. He disclosed that a seating capacity of between 8,000 to 10,000 people will be built next year.

The synthetic track has three main phases with several sub-lots or components.

Phase I started in December 2010, and was expected to last around six months. That first phase included drainage and irrigation works, construction of two culverts, main access road and land preparation works, which included the loam filling process that allows for Phase II to commence.

Courtney Benn had won the award for Phase I after submitting a $124, 960, 227M bid. Overall, the Engineers’ Estimate for the completion of the entire facility is set at US$5M. This year will mark the third year of ongoing

Berbice Inter Club Banks Classic Basketball...

Central NA whip Rose Hall Town, Black Sharks devour Smythfield Play in the Berbice Inter Club Banks Classic Basketball round robin competition continued in Berbice with two more games over the weekend after a break for the festive season with wins for the New Amsterdam teams Central New Amsterdam and Smythfield.

In results of the matches played, Central New Amsterdam travelled to Rose Hall Town and whipped the host Corentyne Jammers 6541 with the Vanderstoop brothers combination of Enoch, with 21 and Jevon 11 points leading the rout.

Jammers’ Troy Paul contributed 19 points in a losing cause for his team.

Over at the New Amsterdam basketball court,

Fyrish Black Sharks were fearless as they swam in unfamiliar waters to intimidate and devour host Smythfield Rockefellers 45-37 to hand them their first loss and be the first team to book their place in the semifinals so far after completing all four of their games. Linden Joseph scored 12 points for the winners.

Fyrish ended with two wins and two loses.

The competition continues tomorrow with two more games as the remaining four teams battle for the remaining three semifinal spots.

At the New Amsterdam Basketball court, Central New Amsterdam will be at home to Rose Hall Town, while at the Rose Hall Town Hard Court, Corentyne Jammers will be at

home to Smythfield Jammers.

Both games are scheduled to get started at 16:00hrs.

Five teams are participating in the competition which is being played on a round robin basis. The top four teams will then advance to the semifinals which will see the team with the most points taking on the team third in the points standing and the second and fourth placed teams clashing for a spot in the finals which is slated for Sunday 20th January at the New Amsterdam Basketball Court.

The top four teams will all be presented with cash, trophies and other prizes while there will also be prizes for outstanding individual participants.

Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport among other ministry officials yesterday speak with the various contractors responsible for specific works on the Synthetic Facility at Leonora.

works on the Synthetic Facility.

Works in Phase II, Lot 5 is currently underway; these include, grading of the loam, filling base up to loam level and sub-surface drainage.

Visibly, the track has been defined; grass planted on the demarked football field and the loam surface at about one metre above road level is ready for asphalting.

Currently, crusher runs

are being enforced and two layers of asphalt will be laid following those runs.

When that is completed, there will be a ‘bleeding’ process to get rid of the oil in th e a s p h a l t b e f o r e a decision is made to lay the actual rubber track on the concrete base.

Apart from BSW Regupol, the International Association of Athletics Federations

(IAAF), which has to sanction the facility internationally, has to be involved in the decision making process that will result in the laying of the track, which was described as a complex process. The Synthetic Track will be Guyana’s first; Guyana, Suriname and Panama are the only countries without such facilities in South America.

t r o Sp

Banks Beer Cup winners receive prizes

The winning Sunburst Camptown team poses with officials of Banks DIH and the GFA following the conclusion of the presentation ceremony yesterday, at Thirst Park.

T

he2012-13 Banks Beer Knockout Cup winners collected their prizes, during a simple presentation ceremony that was conducted yesterday, at the Banks DIH Sports Club, Thirst Park.

Sunburst Camptown that won the tournament received the first prize of

$4million, while runners-up Riddim Squad walked away with $2.5million, 3rd placeNorthern Rangers took home $1.5million and 4 th place-the Guyana Defence Force $1million.

All the teams also received trophies, while Camptown swept the individual awards categories.

The Most Valuable Player and Highest Goalscorer awards went to Camptown’s Devon Forde and the Best Goalkeeper accolade was won by Oswald Cornette, also of Camptown.

President of the Georgetown Football Association (GFA) Vernon Burnett in his feature address promised the fans an even

better tournament come this year, while his Vice-President Mark Phillips recognised the input of the main sponsor Banks DIH, who he thanked for keeping the faith in them over the two years of the tournament’s existence and urged them to maintain their support for the event which has received overwhleming support from the football fraternity.

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