Kaieteur News

Thursday Edition January 17, 2013 - Vol. 6 No. 03

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

Murder/suicide rocks Berbice …as fisherman hacks reputed wife to death

Dead: 29 year-old Patricia Bacchus

Govt. now mulls Independent investigation appeal against needed for single sourcing contracts - AFC urges Chang's ruling

Six death row inmates'

sentence commuted to life

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Thursday January 17, 2013

Kaieteur News

US Army General meets President Donald Ramotar, local officials As part of the continuing State Partnership Programme (SPP) between the Florida National Guard and Guyana, Major General Emmett R. Titshaw, the Adjutant General of Florida, is visiting Guyana.

During his visit which ends today, he has been assessing the current status of the ongoing SPP programme, looking at the challenges, opportunities, and accomplishments so far.

He also discussed plans for 2013 activities under the partnership, considering what both Florida and Guyana hope to achieve.

Major General Titshaw met with President Donald Ramotar; Commodore Gary Best, Guyana Defence Force Chief of Staff; other GDF senior officials; as well as members of the U.S. E m b a s s y.

He also participated in a Senior Leadership Engagement seminar at Camp Ayanganna on January 16, 2013.

Major General Titshaw's visit serves as a welcome reminder of the collaborative efforts and common goals the United States and

President Ramotar (centre) with US Ambassador Brent Hardt (3rd from left) and Major General Emmett R. Titshaw along with members of the Florida National Guard Guyana share in regional security and disaster relief.

Guyana's relationship with the Florida National Guard (FLNG) is part of a programme implemented by the State of Florida on behalf of the U.S. Department of Defence, which seeks to engage with partner nations on common goals and

military cooperation. This initiative has given members of the Florida National Guard an opportunity to share skills, experience, and information in the context of bilateral exchanges with Guyana and 65 other countries worldwide, to enhance military capacity and capability.

L a s t y e a r, G u y a n a participated in four events under the SPP – an Officer Candidate Development School Visit, a Water Purification Assessment, a Combat Life Saver Subject Matter Expert Exchange, and performances and subject-matter exchanges by a U.S. Military Band.

Other programmes include integration of counter-illicit trafficking into GDF training, assessments of tactical communications, search and rescue skills and techniques, medical waste management, and emergency disaster management planning.

Major General Titshaw

has been serving in the Florida National Guard for 42 years in a variety of command positions. In his current position as Adjutant General, he is Governor's Senior Military Advisor and is tasked with overseeing both state and federal missions of the Florida National Guard.

Thursday January 17, 2013

Kaieteur News

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Six death row inmates’ Local Govt. Ministry hosts workshop to sentence commuted to life target overpayments to contractors

By Rabindra Rooplall Six Death Row inmates yesterday had their sentences commuted to life imprisonment. The prisoners were taken off Death Row after a ruling was made by Chief Justice Ian Chang.

The main reason offered was that the men had been on Death Row for too long and to execute them now would be inhumane treatment. Their stay on Death Row for such a prolonged period meant that they had served a life sentence and to hang them would be to punish them twice, the Chief Justice said in an earlier interview.

What has been tested is the provision in Article 39 (2) (introduced in 2001) of the Constitution, which stipulates that in the interpretation of the fundamental rights provisions in the Constitution a court is to pay due regard to international law, international conventions, covenants and charters bearing on human rights.

Those whose sentences were commuted were Terrance Sahadeo, Ganga Deolall, Bharat Raj Mulai and his brother Lallman Mulai, Kornel Vaux and his brother Daniel Vaux.

Attorney at Law Nigel Hughes filed the petition for the Mulai brothers while Attorney Simone MorrisRamlall represented the others. Each provided the services pro bono.

Terrence Sahadeo and Muntaz Ali were condemned to death for the 1985 murder of 18-year-old Roshana Kassim of Sheet Anchor, East Canje. They had been convicted with Shireen Khan.

They have been in prison for over 28 years. Shireen Khan died in the New Amsterdam Female Prison in December 2009. Before she died she expressed the hope that she could be paroled so that she could see her grandchildren for the first time. She never got that wish.

One other woman remains on Death Row.

The workshop being conducted at the Convention Centre yesterday

Ganga Deolall was arrested on October 26, 1993 and charged with the murder of Yvette Lall on November 3, 1993. The body of 29-year-old Yvette Lall washed up at the La Grange koker with a slab of concrete in her stomach and a crankshaft tied to it. The victim’s head had been placed in a plastic bag, and her intestines removed from her gaping stomach before she was submerged in the Demerara River, according to the evidence.

On November 22, 1995, Deolall was convicted of murder and sentenced to death. The Court of Appeal dismissed his appeal and affirmed the death sentence on January 30, 1997. He had his death warrant read to him twice but he got a stay of execution on both occasions.

Lallman and Bharatraj Mulai have been on Death Row since July 1994, when they were sentenced to death for the 1992 murder of Doodnauth Seeram at Mahaica Creek. The Court of Appeal set aside the death sentence and ordered a retrial in 1995. Again the Mulais were convicted and sentenced to death a year

later. The Court of Appeal affirmed the sentence on appeal.

After several requests to the government for information on the case in April 1998, December 1998, December 2000, August 2001 and March 2003 went unanswered; the United Nations Human Rights Committee concluded in August 2004 that the brothers’ trial had been unfair and recommended “an effective remedy, including commutation of their death sentences.

The Vaux brothers were arrested and charged with the July 1993 murder of Baiwant Jaikissoon, an airport worker, and were subsequently sentenced to death after being convicted for the murder on December 19, 1997.

They subsequently appealed their conviction to the Court of Appeal of Guyana, and their appeal was dismissed on December 07, 2000.

For a number of years the International Human Rights Commission has been plugging for the abolition of the death penalty in many countries. It described the death penalty as barbaric.

Audit Office received bids for Laptop computers The Audit Office of Guyana received four bids for the supply of laptop computers and related hardware equipment.

Bids were opened Tuesday at the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board. The bids were divided into three lots and were as follows:

The Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development yesterday hosted a workshop for the Regional Engineers Department and Works Committee, in an effort to target issues surrounding overpayments to contractors for various projects in the ten administrative regions; from the issue of preparation of bills of quantities, to the completion of projects.

The venue was the Guyana International Convention Centre.

Emphasis was being placed on the duties of officers who are tasked with the responsibility of assessing works and recommending payments-the area in which overpayments occur.

Minister of Local Government, Ganga Persaud, addressing the Convention Centre yesterday, said that his Ministry is hoping to put an end to the poor works being reflected in the Auditor General’s report.

Regional officers all gathered at the Turkeyen venue for the workshop. One

of the Regional Executive Officers, Deolall Rooplall, was tasked with presenting on the “Budget and Fiscal Management Act”. Design and Preparation of the Bill of Quantities was done by Mr. Kheeraj from the Ministry of Public Works.

Mr. Budhan Nipan, of the Expenditure Planning and Management Unit, presented the topic - Monitoring and evaluating the projects.

Functionality of the Works Committee was presented by Mr. Peter Ramotar, another REO. The workshop also dealt with the issue of Payments and Overpayments; presenting on this was the Works and Structures Department of the Audit Office of Guyana.

Prior to the workshop, Minister Persaud had explained that “overpayment” in this sense does not mean that contractors getting more than the contract sum, but that they are paid for works which they were not able to complete for whatever reasons.

Overpayments have been repeatedly featured in reports of the Auditor General. There have reportedly been numerous instances of overpayments to contractors by some regions.

These overpayments were as a result of payments made for works without prior assessments.

Heads of some agencies have recovered monies, but others did not.

It was reported that despite contracts being incomplete, officers from the works department of the region continue to certify payments.

Persaud yesterday noted that while many may want to point fingers for various political reasons, there are persons from the various political parties who are members of the Works Committee who would report that the works were “satisfactorily” done.

This, he explained, is how payments are being issued.

He added that if Regional Officers feel that their salaries are too small, “they should find another job.”

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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

No impartiality where needed This past Monday, the Public Accounts Committee of the National Assembly began examining the relationship between the Ministry of Health and the new Guyana Pharmaceutical Corporation. For more than a decade the government has been paying the New Guyana Pharmaceutical Corporation billions of dollars each year for the supply of drugs, to the exclusion of many other agencies with the potential to supply the drugs.

There are many questions, some representing the continuation of comments by the Auditor General. Indeed, there have been questions about the relationship between the government and the New Guyana Pharmaceutical Corporation. There have even been questions about the pricing to the extent that there have been accusations of price gouging.

However, since that issue is now before the Public Accounts Committee the revelations or explanations should be forthcoming and there would be extensive media reports.

What is of more interest at this is the partisan nature of the Public Accounts Committee. This body exists in every parliament. It is expected to monitor government expenditure of money released by the very parliament.

Indeed, there is the report by the Auditor General which highlights discrepancies in the various accounting practices in Government Ministries and departments. These discrepancies are more often than not, noted and corrected or at least attempts are made to correct them. But sometimes they are ignored and repeated the following year. This has been the case with the relationship between the government and the New GPC. When that happens, the Public Accounts Committee would become involved.

This committee has the authority to demand legal action if it suspects that the irregularities were deliberate. In those countries where the politics is not as partisan as Guyana’s professionals examine the accounts, question the decisionmakers and move to seek corrections in every case.

The composition of the body is often such that not one of the members appears to have a political interest. And even if they do, they behave in a purely professional manner. The members more often than not, are people selected by the parliament, sometimes from civil society, to review the public accounts. In this manner the public can be assured that their interests are best served.

This is certainly not the case in Guyana. On Monday the committee behaved as though it was a matter of partisan political interest. The committee was divided between the government side and the opposition. The result was that there were arguments to the point that things became acrimonious when a member of the committee kept asking specific questions.

One would have believed that in the interest of justice and fair play the other members of the committee would have accepted the right of a member to seek edification. When he was finished other members would have had their chance to ask more questions or to seek clarifications.

This situation of a divided Public Accounts Committee is most untenable. For one, the wider society could never believe that their interests are being served. Already some believe that there are moves to cover up aspects of the report by the Auditor General and certain aspects of the operation of the Ministry of Health and the Georgetown Public Hospital.

For example, there is the claim that the new GPC enjoyed a special waiver by Cabinet in 2009 but the records would show that even before then the Auditor General was contending that this should not be the case, that every tender over a certain amount should go to the National Procurement and Tender Administration.

The Minister of Health, Dr Leslie Ramsammy, had also stated that there was no longer a special waiver for such drug purchases. Certainly something was horribly wrong.

And one cannot accuse the then Health Minister of lying.

The bottom line now is whether the Public Accounts would serve any meaningful purpose being as politically divided as it is. Surely, the appearance is that the members appear to be protecting political interests rather than national interests and this certainly does augur well for the nation.

Thursday January 17, 2013

Letters... Where your views make the news

We condemn APNU and AFC’s disregard of our constitution in their efforts to silence Mr. Clement Rohee DEAR EDITOR, The army of lawyers at the disposal of the opposition seems to be useless. Senior opposition leaders of the same party, both purporting to be lawyers, have managed to contradict each other over the same issue. Can we put this down to plain incompetence?

The opposition decided to issue a no confidence motion against PPP/C Member of Parliament, Mr. Clement Rohee who is also the Minister of Home Affairs. It is a motion that contravenes his rights as a member of the National Assembly.

The opposition clearly lacks the understanding of the Constitution. The Constitution is the highest law of the land. The National Assembly and the Executive both have to adhere to the Constitution.

We would like to think that these “learned” men and women of the opposition have at least read the Constitution. And, if we assume that they have read it and are especially learned men and women of the law, then we can only assume that they wanted to use their natural despotic tactics to silence the constitutional and democratic right of an elected member of the National Assembly.

The ruling given by the Chief Justice, Mr. Ian Chang, is crystal clear. In the most basic terms, the Chief Justice ruled that the National

Assembly cannot silence one of its elected members. That such an act is in fact, in contradiction to the Constitution. What the Constitution says is “Sovereignty belongs to the people, who exercise it through their representatives...” with Minister Rohee being one of the representatives of the people.

Therefore, the National Assembly does not have the right to suspend an elected Member of Parliament from speaking and introducing bills, simply because he is acting on behalf of the people.

This right is shared by all elected members, inclusive of those from the PPP as well as the joint opposition.

Furthermore, the ruling states that it is only the Cabinet that can suffer a vote of no confidence and not an individual member of that Cabinet.

This commandment of the Constitution is what allows for the Separation of Powers, this being a fundamental principle of law which ought to have been known by the “learned” lawyers of the opposition. Is this principle something that the opposition leaders have been inexplicably unable to grasp?

Maybe it stems from their natural instinct to govern through tyranny and not lawfully.

By their very misunderstanding of the

basic principles of the law and worse yet, not being able to comprehend the Honorable Chief Justice’s ruling; they have once again shown their true colours. It appears that they intend to influence events through sheer bullyism. We daresay that this has been their modus operandi throughout their existence. Let’s not forget that it was under the opposition rule, that the PNC’s flag was flown on the front of the Court of Appeal. A tiger does not change its stripes, in fact, those stripes become more pronounced by time as is evident here via the opposition’s interpretation or clear lack thereof of the Constitution and also the judgment of Chief Justice Chang.

Assuming they (opposition) are indeed learned men and women of the law, what can we conclude?

What was the opposition trying to gain from their attempt to gag Mr. Rohee and a similar threat against the Minister of Finance Dr. Ashni Singh?

Was this simply the act of a schoolyard bully? Were they trying to dictate to President Ramotar, in a clear contradiction of the principle of Separation of Powers in our Constitution, on the makeup of Cabinet? Or was this something more sinister.

If this maneuver was successful, would they have then used these tyrannical tactics to shut up all elected

PPP members of Parliament, thereby interfering with the will of the people? It has been the modus operandi of the opposition to shirk democratic norms and practices ever since their party was spawned. Again they have resorted to these dirty tactics, completely ignoring democracy and the Constitution which protects our freedoms.

We the people must never be unclear of how the opposition would walk over the rights of us, ignore the Constitution, ignore the rule of law, and ignore the Honourable Court, for their own sinister motives. The members of the opposition will stop at nothing and care about no one in their quest for power.

The PYO calls on all members of society, including the Diplomatic Corps, to condemn the action of the opposition, whereby they are using a one-seat majority to rob the people of being meaningfully represented by the duly elected representative of Parliament, Mr. Clement Rohee. If not for the vigilance of the PPP our constitutional rights would be trampled upon by the opposition.

They are trying to gag us in the most undemocratic way.

We the people will never sit idly by and allow our rights to be infringed upon and taken away by the opposition.

Progressive Youth Organization

DEAR EDITOR, There are a few things I would like to highlight. The first has to do with the impending payment of water rates in the Lethem area. I am privy to a letter sent to the RDC by the Public Utilities Commission (PUC).

We the residents of this area are not averse to paying such rates, providing that the quality of water improves drastically. In its present form, the water is highly saline.

One tastes the salt when drinking the water.

Additionally, the water leaves a sandy substance on your skin when you’re finished bathing and it does not lather when washing.

As a result, most residents resort to hand-dug wells in their yards. Others use the creeks and nearby rivers. In short, the water is totally unfit for human consumption, and the residents intend to resist any attempts to have them pay for such a commodity.

We are therefore urging the authorities to have consultation with us to inform us how they intend to remedy

this situation.

Secondly, in a section of the press, it was recently reported that 24-hour electricity has been restored to Lethem and its environs. I would wish to inform readers that that is not so. That report is erroneous.

The electricity was restored to 24 hours for selected days during the holiday period. However, on other days, and it seems as though that will be the norm from now on, electricity was turned off at 4 am and restored between 7:30 am and 8:00 am.

That is a dangerous situation as it has some implications for security and the many children who wake up at that hour to do their studies for various examinations. Again no consultations were held with the community to arrive at that decision.

The final issue has to do with garbage collection and disposal. The NDC was fiercely criticised for lacking in this area. However, there was a regular collection programme with the use of

arguably, the oldest tractor and trailer in the government system.

The NDC was seriously hampered in its work by the fact that this area does not pay rates and taxes, since all the lands are still state lands and royalties are being paid to the central government instead.

With the 19-year-old yearly $3,000,000 subvention, the NDC did all they could to alleviate the ever-growing garbage problem.

In came the IMC with a promise to better that situation. They would get two out of a possible 10 in that regard. Garbage is piling up everywhere.

We are now hearing that the service of garbage collection and disposal will be contracted out to a foreign company.

Again, no consultations were held with the residents.

Garbage disposal, especially by foreign companies should be examined very minutely. It is not that I have any bones with foreign companies; it is just that when it comes to garbage disposal, we have got to be very careful, as there is potential for unwanted waste getting mixed up with our waste which can have very serious consequences for the environment and our people down the road. So we have to be very careful.

The people are demanding an informative session with the new architects of our community development in this regard. A fter all we will be paying for this service, and we would not like to find out later that we have paid for our own demise.

Come on IMC, get it right.

Carl Parker Regional Councillor

A few concerns about Lethem and its environs

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

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Thursday January 17, 2013

Kaieteur News

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Stelling needed at Corriverton

The community-owned MV Orealla Residents of Orealla, Region Six (East Berbice/ Corentyne) are complaining that the launch that transports produce and lumber from Orealla to coastal Corriverton is forced to moor alongside a plank at Corriverton because of the absence of a jetty or stelling there.

“There is no stelling or jetty at Corriverton and getting to the shore from the Corentyne River is proving to be very tricky and dangerous especially with the large amount of agricultural produce and forestry products we are bringing out for sale,” one villager said.

He added that it can also be time consuming especially if the community-owned MV Orealla arrives at Corriverton during the low tide since those on board will have to remain on board until the tide rises enough for the launch to get close to land.

“Then they have to literally walk the single plank from the boat to the shore with their produce as well as

forestry products,” the aggrieved villager said.

The situation is even more dangerous on the return trip since the launch has to be boarded at high tide via the single plank and then two men have to swim out into the river to release the boat from its moorings some distance from the shore.

“Most times they have to do so in pitch black darkness,” he said.

He said that residents have complained about the situation to the Administration of Region Six as well as the Public Works Ministry.

Another resident said that he had been informed that some movement for the construction of a stelling on the Number 79 village foreshore at a cost of $100M may be imminent.

He added that his understanding was that this was dependent on whether funds would be made available in the 2013 budget.

“We at Orealla are hoping

for the best,” he said.

Orealla is located some sixty miles inland from the mouth of the Corentyne River.

The residents are involved in farming and logging as income generating activities, selling some of their produce to neighbouring villages in Suriname but mostly bringing their commodities out to Corriverton via the M V Orealla.

There is no road linking Orealla and Corriverton.

Both residents who spoke with Kaieteur News said that there has been increased production of agricultural items and forestry products at Orealla in recent years making the need for a jetty or stelling at Corriverton more urgent.

Residents are hoping that funds will be allocated this year for this facility which is considered to be very important to the increasingly productive farmers and loggers of Orealla.

The year is a mere 16 days old and the Essequibo Coast has already seen a number of suicides. Nandranie Narine, 49, formerly of Charity Housing Scheme, died recently after she ingested a quantity of Gramoxone.

Another woman remains a patient at the Oscar Joseph Hospital, at Charity, after she ingested a noxious substance earlier this year.

Param Gamsundar, 43, formerly of Anna Regina and Hampton Court Village, died at the Suddie Public Hospital, Tuesday morning, 13 days after ingesting a poisonous substance.

The most recent case to have hit the Essequibo Coast is the suicidal death of former ranger, of Queenstown Neighbourhood, Roy Jones.

Jones, formerly of Queenstown Village, died Sunday night, three days after ingesting a large quantity of Gramoxone.

Monica Jones, his wife, said that previous reports which suggested that she was at the time viewing an X Rated movie, which subsequently propelled her husband to imbibe the poisonous substance are untrue.

Mrs. Jones who wants to clear the air about what she described as a tasteless rumour, said that she had endured numerous years of both verbal and physical abuse from her now dead husband.

She said that on the day of the incident she was returning to her Queenstown

residence from work when she noticed her husband staggering.

Mrs. Jones added that as she got closer to the front entrance of her house she also noticed what appeared to be slime emanating from her husband’s mouth and proceeded to inform her sister-in-law.

She said her eldest son, Ricardo Jones, was at home at the time when his father came home and ingested the poison.

Due to a prolonged domestic problem, Mrs. Jones said that her husband had vacated her residence a few days prior to his death.

Two other members of Jones’s family died as a result of ingestion of a poisonous substance some time before.

Essequibo leads in suicides

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Kaieteur News

Thursday January 17, 2013

Thursday January 17, 2013

Kaieteur News

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Independent investigation needed for single sourcing contracts – AFC urges Failure on the part of Government to appoint a Procurement Commission, several years after the enactment of legislation for the introduction of such a body, has had dire consequences.

And according to Leader of the Alliance for Change, Khemraj Ramjattan, in the health sector alone there is evidence of the very disturbing implications.

He said at the party’s press conference, yesterday, at Side Walk Café, Middle Street, Georgetown, that for the past 12 years, billions of dollars in drugs were being sourced through the New Guyana Pharmaceutical Corporation (GPC) without competitive bidding. This process, according to him, fell

AFC Leader, Khemraj Ramjattan under what the government refers to as single sourcing.

Ramjattan added that many reports in the media pointed to prices paid by the

government “many times the retail price for similar items and under sweet heart arrangements which conflict with normal commercial terms.”

“In particular, the entire annual purchase is paid for at the beginning of the year rather than on delivery,” added Ramjattan.

The AFC Leader also made reference to the fact that the Auditor General’s report repeatedly raises questions such as over-buying, nondelivery, expired drugs, dumping of damaged items all of which cost taxpayer billions of dollars annually.

Given the noncommercial terms with New GPC, the special relationship between the company and Government officials, past

Lotto Fund case dismissed on procedural point - AFC Executive ...Attorney General’s claims inaccurate The Lotto Fund case which was filed in the High Court by A Partnership for National Unity (APNU’)s Desmond Trotman, was dismissed on a procedural point. At least this is according to Alliance for Change Chairman, Attorneyat-law Nigel Hughes.

Hughes said, yesterday, that “the principal issue of whether or not the Lotto Fund should go into the Consolidated Fund was never determined; it was never heard...arguments on that matter were never heard in the court.”

Hughes was at the time sharing the spotlight with other AFC Executive Members at the party’s weekly press conference which was hosted at the Middle Street, Georgetown, Side Walk Cafe.

According to the lawyer, “I’ve noticed...the media has assumed that the representations made by the Attorney General (Anil Nandlall) on the Lotto case are accurate.”

Hughes said that he had himself made contact with the presiding judge, Madame Diane Insanally, who informed him that the case was in fact dismissed on a procedural point.

“I just wish to clarify that and make it very clear... As a matter of fact the order of court has been entered...I was not in that case but I thought it would be useful.”

“The Court dismissed the case on a preliminary point...the issue on whether or not the Lotto Funds should go into the Consolidated

AFC Chairman, Attorney-at-law Nigel Hughes Fund is still unanswered and undetermined.”

Reports are that following the dismissal of the case the Attorney General vocalised claims that the judge had decided the case based on its merits having discovered that “the deposit of the monies in the Development Fund of Guyana (Lotto Fund) is in accordance with Article 216 of the Constitution, the provisions of the Fiscal Management and Accountability Act and the Lotteries Act, thereby vindicating the Government’s position.”

This was disputed by Hughes yesterday.

The misconceived reason for the dismissal of the case had even invoked the ire of APNU’s point man on finance, Carl Greenidge, who in a lengthy missive to the media last week said “I am little surprised by it.”

“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 Lotto Funds.

According to the former Finance Minister he has noted with sadness a press statement attributed to the Attorney General 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.”

Greenidge said, too, that 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.

He also noted 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?”

However, Greenidge noted that APNU will decline this invitation from the AG, particularly in light of the unrelenting effort of the Government to suborn the Judiciary and the illegal legislative measures to curtail its independence.

and present and failure of the government to open this purchase to competitive bidding, it is necessary that a fraud investigation be carried out by an independent commission, Ramjattan stressed yesterday.

At the very least, such an investigation would remove speculation and put to rest any perceived malfeasance, he said yesterday.

The Public Procurement Commission which is a constitutional body born from the Public Procurement legislation should have been established in June of last year. At least this was the pronouncement of Government through Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carolyn Rodrigues, during a sitting of the National Assembly in May. She was at the time responding to her shadow Parliamentarian, A Partnership for National Unity’s, Deborah Backer.

The Foreign Affairs Minister had in fact told the House then that to the best

of her knowledge this is a matter actively engaging the attention of the political opposition and the administration. She said too that at present the status quo is set at the submission of names.

The parliamentary opposition and the government were expected to submit the names of persons to sit on the commission.

With a Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament in place, the Commission would have been finalized thereby allowing for its establishment thus rendering Cabinet’s involvement in matters related to procurements irrelevant.

The Procurement Act of Guyana stipulates the role of the Commission. Under the current Legislation, Cabinet has the right to review all procurements that exceed $15M. According to the legislation in force, Cabinet shall conduct its review on the basis of a streamlined tender evaluation report to be

adopted by the Public Procurement Commission.

“The Cabinet and, upon its establishment, the Public Procurement Commission, shall review annually the Cabinet’s threshold for review of procurements, with the objective of increasing that threshold over time, so as to promote the goal of progressively phasing out Cabinet involvement and decentralising the procurement process.”

The Procurement Act also states that in c o n d u c t i n g a r e v i e w, Cabinet may object to the award of the procurement contract only if it determines that the procuring entity failed to comply with applicable procedures.

If the Cabinet objects to an award, the matter shall be referred to the procuring entity for further review. It is emphasised that the legislation’s clause shall not be construed as authorising the Cabinet to award a tender to any other supplier or contractor.

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Kaieteur News

Thursday January 17, 2013

Murder/suicide rocks New Amsterdam …as fisherman hacks reputed wife to death An Angoy’s Avenue fisherman is currently in police custody after he hacked his reputed wife to death early yesterday morning.

Undertakers early yesterday removed the body of 29 year-old Patricia Bacchus from her Patrick Dam, Angoy’s Avenue, New Amsterdam Berbice, home.

According to reports the woman and her reputed husband, Narindra Thakoor, were heard arguing earlier in the morning. During the argument neighbours said the woman threatened to leave Thakoor. Shortly after the woman was heard screaming.

Persons told this publication that the man was seen armed with a cutlass and chopping the woman. The woman tried escaping but collapsed in the yard where she died. Her reputed husband then fled the house with a bottle of insecticide. However a police source said there was no indication that the man ingested the insecticide when he was arrested.

Late this evening there was word that Thakoor died in police custody. A source said that when he was

Dead: 29 year-old Patricia Bacchus

Narindra Thakoor

arrested he was taken to the New Amsterdam Hospital where doctors said that there was nothing wrong with him.

However, around 17:00 hours, the man reportedly complained of feeling unwell.

Soon after, he began to soil himself.

The police ranks rushed him to hospital where he reportedly died an hour later.

This publication was told that the couple had a very troubled seven-year relationship, which bore two children.

Reports are that Thakoor left his legally married wife and his four children to be with Bacchus. However, some

time ago Bacchus reportedly left Thakoor and started a relationship with someone else. This publication was told that after much pleading Bacchus returned home with Thakoor because of their two young children.

The dead woman’s mother, Bhaspattie Rampersaud, called Leila, said that Bacchus was a housewife and is the second of five daughters.

The woman, who spoke to media operatives at the home where the incident took place, stated that after her daughter and her husband separated, she got into a relationship with the accused, Thakoor called “Dado”, 43, a

fisherman. She said the relationship bore two daughters Vashnie, five, and Renita, three. The man, she said, already was the father of four sons, one of whom lives with him and is also a fisherman. .

She stated that her daughter and her paramour would have regular misunderstandings, mainly over accusations of infidelity on both sides. She said that the situation got worse when her daughter moved out of the house in January and moved in with an 18 year-old at Number Two Village, Canje.

The teenager was said to be Thakoor’s nephew.

“She left with one of the children while her husband kept the other”. Rampersaud said.

After a while Rampersaud said Thakoor went to collect the other child.

Mrs. Rampersaud stated from what she understands, Thakoor would from time to time make contact with Bacchus and that he begged

her to return, but to no avail.

The woman said that she did not like what was going on so she decided that she would take her daughter home by her the very morning. She also had instructed one of her other daughters to accompany Bacchus home.

However only the other daughter arrived at her home and when she enquired she learnt that Bacchus had gone with her reputed husband to their Angoy’s Avenue home.

Rampersaud said she was on her way to the couple’s home when she was informed via cellular phone that her daughter was dead.

The woman said she immediately disembarked the bus and boarded a car and headed to the scene. When she arrived she could not control her grief. Her daughter lay sprawling on the ground in front of the house with her neck almost severed.

She said from what she understood not long after her

daughter returned home, she and the accused got into a misunderstanding around 08:30 hrs. “She didn’t even take her clothes upstairs,” the woman said trying to hold back tears.

“I understand that he started on her since they enter the house. He jook she behind she neck.”

She said that her daughter on being injured, jumped over the verandah and landed on the ground, bleeding.

“The man then ran downstairs with a cutlass and chopped she neck right on the ground,” pointing to the spot drenched with blood.

The woman, who stated that she is already taking care of one of her daughter’s children from the earlier relationship, said that she will have to take care of the two small children, one of whom was at home when the killing took place.

Meanwhile police have recovered the weapon used to carry out the attack and investigations are ongoing.

Ugly situation averted

..timely intervention by high ranking officials credited

The scene in front of the congested Strand New Amsterdam area An emergency meeting on Tuesday in the boardroom of the Regional Democratic Council averted an ugly situation in New Amsterdam.

The meeting involved Region Six Chairman, David Permaul Armogan, officials of the Mayor and Town Council of New Amsterdam, including deputy Mayor Harold Debydeen, the hierarchy of the police B division led by Commander Assistant Commissioner Derek Josiah and Traffic Officer Deputy Superintendent Calvin Brutus.

Also present were executives of the Stanleytown, East Bank Berbice Hire car Drivers Association.

This came about after a dispute developed between hire car drivers and authorities over parking space utilized by the many hire cars on the busy Strand

New Amsterdam public road.

The Guyana Police Force had made moves to regulate the busy area by installing a number of ‘no parking’ and ‘no stopping’ signs in the area.

The area under contention is the stretch Pitt Street and New Street New Amsterdam where a number of businesses including the New Amsterdam market, Republic Bank, Geddes Grant and the recently opened state of the art J’s Supermarket exist.

The business owners were from time to time complaining that the hire and private hire cars were stopping and blocking their entrances thus affecting their businesses.

The hire car drivers were not pleased with the new arrangements which saw them being given parking space some 50 meters away.

The drivers felt that it was unfair and would cause hardship on commuters, vendors, the elderly and sick persons coming from the market and other areas with their children and load.

After the meeting the delegation led by the Regional Chairman visited the area and met with some of the business owners to find a practical and or temporary solution to the problem.

After much discussion, owner of the J’s Supermarket agreed that he would allow, for the time being, six cars to park on the parapet of his business premises until a more permanent solution is found. The decision was welcomed by the more than 50 hire car drivers gathered.

Regional Chairman David Armogan and Deputy Mayor Harold Debydeen decided that they would pursue other avenues in the meantime.

Thursday January 17, 2013

Kaieteur News

Page 9

THE PPP HAS TO RETRACE ITS STEPS Any analysis of the fears engraved within the psyche of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) is always going to be flawed if it ignores the important question of class domination.

Such flawed analyses will inevitably, in turn, produce explanations that swing like a pendulum from one extreme to the other.

Initially for example, an inside view of the PPP’s loss of its parliamentary majority was attributable in the main to “incumbency fatigue”. But later when the inside view became de-linked from the party, different claims arose as to why the PPP now finds itself like Robert Mugabe did in Zimbabwe, when he too failed to win a majority in the presidential elections despite the historical greatness of his party.

The failure of the PPP to secure a parliamentary majority has allowed all manner of political gofers to use a razor-slim majority to flex their political muscles and in the process subject the country’s political system to a great deal of uncertainty while these underlings wet their political feet.

To reverse this instability requires majority rule. Such a system has ensured political stability. But correcting the faults that led to the PPP’s failings in 2011 requires a sound examination of what precipitated the marginal decline in the PPP fortunes.

Any analysis of what caused this decline that ignores class considerations, and particularly how the PPP has shifted away from its working class origins, is going to lead the PPP further down that the slippery slope of decline, as this will destroy the legacy of Cheddi Jagan.

The founder of the PPP was not a transformational leader. The very concept of transformation, as it is now understood – a watered down version of social and economic change along capitalist lines - would have been an anathema to everything that Cheddi Jagan stood for.

Cheddi Jagan was a revolutionary. He was the most respected 20th century political revolutionary, apart from Fidel Castro and Che Guevara, to have emerged from this part of the globe.

The PPP has produced many champions, including a Champion of the Earth. But in Cheddi Jagan the PPP had its purest and noblest working class champion.

Whatever views one may have about his political ideology, Cheddi Jagan never deserted the working class. The same cannot be said for many of those who were his protégés. This is where the PPP failed badly and this is one of the principal reasons why it failed to gain a parliamentary majority. The PPP strayed from its working class roots, strayed in fact so

Dem boys seh...

Thief man does defend he mattee Anybody who defend thiefing got to be a thief. That is why in certain place when people ketch and beat thief man all dem who run and holler pun people not to beat dem got to be thieves too. Dem boys been in parliament de other day when people start asking question about de drug deal between de Ministry of Health and de company that use to mek drugs in this country.

De government arrange things in such a way that only this company can sell drugs to de government. De Auditor General complain bout this but dem didn’t care. Dem continue to give away de people money. Now de people asking if de drugs did come in and some people talking how dem got to check.

When de people who want know how de government money spend start fuh ask more question is then dem boys see who does encourage de thiefing. One of dem claim how he gun talk to de man who import de drugs and see if he can get de man fuh sue some of dem who asking all dem question.

That is threatening and only when people sharing in something that dem does threaten to protect that thing and some does even protect it. Dem boys seh that dem always believe that everybody want to protect de state funds but it look like if some want to protect and some definitely want to see scampishness because dem does get a drawback.

De story ain’t done yet. Is more question in dem tail and dem boys waiting fuh see who gun push in dem mouth fuh defend de way how de money move from de Treasury to one company and one company only.

De thing that got dem boys worried is how de people tell de parliament that dem store any drugs fuh free when Leslie tell de media how de government does pay fuh store de drugs because de Ministry ain’t got space. Dem boys got de recording.

Talk half and watch fuh more crookishness.

far that it reached the stage where at one time a motion was entertained at one of its Congresses calling for the removal of references to Marxism- Leninism from its constitution. This was an attempt at making the party ideologically sterile.

The ease with which those who once flew the red banner abandoned the working class orientation of the PPP is far more miraculous than the biblical parting of the Red Sea. It exposed the fact that the PPP had failed to ingrain a revolutionary instinct within the structure of the party.

The bourgeoisie did not need a change in the constitution to stamp their domination and co-opt the

leadership of the PPP. This was eventually achieved without much of a whimper from those who had before so lustfully sang “The Internationale.”

Today, many of the cadres of the PPP who once preached the purity of MarxismLeninism are now masquerading as social democrats while being encamped within the capitalist class. These once dyed-in-the-wool Marxists are now shamelessly the errand boys of rich capitalists.

They have lost their philosophical attachment to the working class, having long separated themselves materially from that class by their conspicuous and lavish lifestyles.

This is why they were absent on the ground in the run-up to the 2011 elections.

It is not that they neglected to attend to the needs of their constituents. It is simply that many of them had long become divorced from the working class, who were mere pawns to satisfy their political ambitions.

The working class, however, is conscious of this neglect, and this is why when on the eve of the general election of 2011, there was a protest by sugar workers and the PPP dispatched their champion to try to appease the workers, this champion was told in no uncertain manner that it was too late: “Boat done gone a fall”.

If the PPP wants to

reverse its decline, it should ignore all the flawed analyses that it is receiving free of cost.

It should seek reconciliation with the working class by retracing its steps.

But to do this, it has to kick out a great many in its present leadership. However, dislodging the lackeys of the oligarchic class which now dominates the PPP will take some kicking.

Page 10

Kaieteur News

Thursday January 17, 2013

THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN

The high profile male lover of a murdered male prostitute Guyana is very poor and underdeveloped by even Third World standards. When students traveled to Trinidad and Jamaica when I lectured at UG, on returning they would say while we talked about their visit, “Oh God, Mr. Kissoon, Guyana is nothing compare to what I saw there.”

I hear that talk all the time, coming not from students only but all, I repeat of those who live here and happened to have traveled abroad.

The population is small by comparison. The Bureau of Statistic website stated that the census of 2002 showed Guyana’s population at 751, 223.

Against these backdrops, this country’s social and political landscape will intrigue and fascinate any visitor for one simple reason – there is never even a fleeting moment where nothing happens and there is not a thing to interest the population.

Never ending dramas, tall

tales, cascading stories, torrid conspiracies, spiraling rumours, relentless violent processes, unbelievable surprises and swirling controversies roll all over this nation daily like the mammoth waves that came across the Atlantic on Monday and covered the East Coast Highway.

In other words, there is never a dull moment in this poor, globally unknown, underdeveloped territory. You just don’t know where to begin the enumeration process. I once wrote that there is so much material that I can easily do two columns a day. Make that three.

So where to start? There is the controversy of a Minister and his daughter ’s book publication. Next comes an unbelievable political development in Linden.

There is a public exchange between the House Speaker and the Chief Clerk of the National Assembly where some not so diplomatic words have been used.

The House Speaker has publicly expressed reservations about the judiciary’s pronouncements involving the business of

Parliament. Mention needs to be made of some exceedingly scurrilous amendments of the PPP parliamentarians to a Bill by the Opposition Leader calling for an investigation into the period where Guyana experienced an internecine crime epidemic.

Guyanese had to be shocked at the most horrible slaughter of a male sex worker.

This is just a sample of the hairraising occurrences the past few days. Of course the mean streak of the Government continues to strangulate the land.

I read in the newspapers where the publishing company that is funded by the State has just completed the publication of a number of Guyanese classics and the republication of a book containing a selection of speeches by Dr. Cheddi Jagan. Two other Presidents’ have published similar books – Forbes Burnham and Desmond Hoyte.

In fact, Mr. Burnham’s “A Destiny to Mould” (edited by Christopher “Kit” Nascimento; wonder how he feels today about Burnham now that he is close to the PPP Government) is one of

the most known books on Guyana. When will this nonsense stop? If the State has a publishing company that prints famous books by famous Guyanese then if one of those famous Guyanese was from the PNC then fairness demand that if Dr. Jagan’s book can be reprinted then so should be Mr. Burnham’s.

One of the intriguing stories within recent days needs highlighting. It is the murder of a male sex worker, Wesley Holder. We knew him from the People’s Parliament because so many gays used to pass by the People’s Parliament and some would chat with us.

Holder was one. Last Saturday evening, five of us from the People’s Parliament went to Leopold Street to offer condolences to his family and relatives. When I saw the pictures of his gruesome death, I turned away. The person who murdered Holder is a very, very, violent, sadistic creature.

The first thing I asked for was to see his cell phone but it was not available. I wrote about two years ago that a serial killer may be murdering his lovers. We had the case

Frederick Kissoon of the actor on the seawall by Liliendaâl and Adam Harris’s step brother on the Kingston seawall. They were killed in identical fashion.

I went to investigate the Kingston death. The murder took place just yards away from where there was 24 hours police guarding of the GT&T underwater cable that at the time was being placed under the Atlantic.

The two policemen told me they heard no screams. That cannot be true. They were lying.

They just did not bother to investigate. The police failed to examine the phones of both victims. If they did, maybe they could have caught a serial killer of gay men.

We were told on Saturday night that Wesley Holder has footage of love-making between him and a very well known Guyanese professional. The police need to have Holder’s cell phone.

Thursday January 17, 2013

Kaieteur News

Page 11

Page 12

Kaieteur News

Thursday January 17, 2013

Govt. now mulls appeal against Chang’s ruling Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, yesterday said that Government welcomes the announcement that Speaker of the National Assembly, Raphael Trotman, will file an appeal against the ruling of the Chief Justice (CJ), Ian Chang.

Chang ruled last week that the Opposition measure of preventing Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee, from speaking in the National Assembly was unconstitutional.

Nandlall has revealed that Government is also mulling the decision to file its own appeal since many of the

reliefs applied for in the Court case were not granted by the CJ. However, the Speaker, Raphael Trotman, is not appealing the Chief Justice’s decision. He does not have the right of appeal, a judicial source said.

Trotman has since said that he is moving to the courts to seek an explanation of the ruling. The judicial source said that Trotman would have to move via a clarification order.

Speaking to the state media on the several responses made by the Parliamentary Opposition and the Speaker, Minister Nandlall

said that “a court of law has pronounced on the law and that is what is important.”

He was adamant that the Privileges Committee of the Parliament could not decide anything contrary to a pronouncement made by a court of law on matters of law, making it clear that the Chief Justice had also stated this in his judgment made on the Government’s case.

“If we have persons in the National Assembly, who are not prepared to give effect and to recognise the clear pronouncement of a court of law, what faith can I place in

the Privileges Committee?” he questioned.

In mid-November, Trotman had ruled that there was nothing in the laws of Guyana, the Constitution or the Standing Orders of the National Assembly that prevents Minister Rohee from speaking in the National Assembly.

Government is saying that this ruling clearly contradicted itself since it also included the prohibition against the Minister from presenting any legislation or making any presentations with respect to his Ministerial portfolio.

Addressing this “contradiction” with the current events, Minister Nandlall stated, “From the first ruling that the Honourable Speaker made, nothing has changed, and there still seems to be a reluctance to accept the legal position that an elected member of the National Assembly can speak on any matter. Whether that elected member is a Minister or not is completely irrelevant to his right to speak on any matter in the National Assembly.”

Meanwhile, the Opposition is insisting that the Privileges Committee address the issue.

Nandlall observed that it is the Speaker who has control over the National Assembly and the responsibility to ensure that members enjoy their legal right to speak there.

“That responsibility cannot be transferred to another agency. It resides exclusively with the Honourable Speaker.”

Minister Nandlall also observed that there has not yet been any definitive pronouncement on the Speaker’s initial response that he would be the one to decide whether Minister Rohee speaks or not.

He explained that Government would have to collectively make a decision if the Speaker, having regard to the pronouncements by the CJ, inhibits Minister Rohee from speaking on matters pertaining to the Home Affairs Ministry.

The other eventuality, on which Government would have to make a decision, would be if Mr. Trotman does allow the Minister to speak on ministerial issues and the subsequent negative response of the Opposition.

“Based on those two eventualities, Government will have to assess what

Attorney General, Anil Nandlall options are available and what recourse to pursue,” he said.

Nandlall noted that it was regrettable that the CJ’s ruling is being made to be ambiguous and equivocal.

“I am bewildered by some of the statements attributed to the Honourable Speaker that I misrepresented certain facts in the Court documents,” he said.

“Although the High Court has ruled on three successive occasions that it has jurisdiction to enquire into the business of Parliament upon an allegation that the Constitution is violated, these rulings do not seem to have settled the issue in relation to the undoubted power of the Court to review the actions of organs of State for their Constitutional compliance.

“This is the precise issue upon which the Honourable Speaker wishes to appeal, although this is a trite and settled legal position in the entire Commonwealth. I nevertheless welcome the decision to appeal. Hopefully, it will bring greater clarity to those in whose mind this axiomatic legal principle is unclear,” the AG declared.

Man chops wife, sister-in-law

- claims they were in compromising position Police in Berbice have detained a man who brutally hacked his wife and her sister after he allegedly found them in a compromising position on Tuesday night.

However, the two women who are now patients at the Georgetown Hospital have given police a different version of the events that led to their injuries.

A senior police officer in the Ancient County yesterday confirmed that the incident took place at Bath Settlement around 18:45 hours on Tuesday.

Kaieteur News understands that the man who was arrested shortly after the incident told investigators that he came home and was

angered by the sight of his wife and her sister engaging in a sex act.

He admitted that he dealt both women several chops about their bodies.

But the women told police that they had attended a funeral earlier that day and were at home when the man came in with a bottle of rum and offered them a drink.

It was while imbibing that an argument broke out resulting in the man going berserk and inflicting the wounds on his wife and her visiting sister.

Police say they are examining both versions of the story with a view to instituting charges.

Thursday January 17, 2013

Kaieteur News

Page 13

Mentally ill man was threat to community - relative A relative of Jermaine Hamilton, the man killed Tuesday evening in Beterverwagting, said that the 37-year-old was a threat to his community because of his violent and deranged behaviour.

Agnes Hamilton, the dead man’s great aunt, said that she is hurt by her great nephew’s departure, but his death via conflict comes as no surprise.

According to her, Hamilton was constantly involved in disputes with people in and out of the neighbourhood, and was thus frequently in trouble with the law. She claimed that because of the man’s behaviour, persons in the village had become fearful of him because he steadily attacked and threatened those around.

Hamilton said that her nephew, a patient of psychiatric doctor, Bhiro Harry, took medication to deal with his unstable condition, but she believes that he used

Jermaine Hamilton at a birthday gathering three years earlier his situation to get over people by driving fear to get his way.

Through her husband, Hamilton said she became acquainted with her great nephew. Almost three years ago, she said, she took him into her home after he was

released from prison. For about two years, the 37-yearold man lived at her Lot 106 Beterverwagting Sideline Dam home, since she alone occupied the premises.

That, she said, was until he threatened to kill her and she became fearful for her life and “put him out.” He was then taken to Melanie Damishana, another East Coast Demerara village to live with relatives, the woman said.

Hamilton remembered that her nephew returned to live with her after he and one of the relatives in Melanie Damishana had a conflict.

That relative, she explained, was the now dead Jermaine Hamilton’s uncle.

Hamilton said that her nephew returned to her home but was again put out after he threatened to kill her daughter who lives oblique to her. Ever since, the woman said that she had been keeping her distance.

“He would come round

Gold miner battles for life

Waldain McKenzie A 28-year-old goldminer is now battling for his life at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), after a PVC pipe reportedly burst and pierced through his navel.

The incident occurred early yesterday at Marudi, Region Nine.

According to reports, Waldain McKenzie was fixing a water system when a pipe burst and pierced is navel.

His fiancé, Davika Naipaul, said hat she was in the camp cooking when the 28-year-old man ran towards her, holding his belly and shouting for her.

“He run towards me and ask me to call the Brazilians who were not far from our camp so that they could take

him out to the landing so that he could get a boat to take him to Bartica Hospital,” Naipaul said.

She added that McKenzie was treated at the Bartica

Hospital and was immediately transferred to the GPHC for treatment.

Up to press time yesterday the 28-year-old was in a serious condition.

and he would say Nanny I out here. I would answer and acknowledge his presence but I maintained my distance.

He won’t go home. He would be on the streets the whole time.” Hamilton said that in the last couple of years, her nephew’s attitude worsened.

Having been released from jail, she said his attitude never changed despite the medication he was given.

She said that the death of her nephew was the first thing that greeted her yesterday morning. The elderly woman said on Tuesday evening she wasn’t feeling well and had retired to bed very early.

Yesterday morning, she said, she was awakened when a friend telephoned to tell her of Hamilton’s death. “I am not surprised,” she told Kaieteur News. “He finds himself in problem, always threatening people and promising to bore dem up and ting.”

“Only Monday he attacked the neighbour’s daughter with a cutlass and they went to the station.

Another time, a woman come to me and say how he try fuh attack her two granddaughters. Before that he buss a man belly; that’s how he went to jail,” Hamilton continued.

The elderly woman said

that she however understands that her nephew was beaten to death. She said she has no idea who did it, but she heard that he was beaten because he attacked someone.

Residents in the area were tight lipped. Many of those questioned said they did not know the dead man while others said they saw him around but made no contact.

Some said that Hamilton was regarded as a mad man so no one paid him any attention.

Yesterday, blood stains were still visible at the place where Hamilton died. Strands of dreadlocks were also seen about the walkway where the man was said to have met his demise.

It is alleged that around 17:00hours on Tuesday, Hamilton attacked an off-duty police officer who was returning from visiting a friend.

Reports said that Hamilton while armed with a cutlass and a knife assaulted the rank, causing him minor injuries. Civilians reportedly went to the cop’s aid and Hamilton was hurt in the process. A woman said she heard thudding noises and when she looked outside, Hamilton’s motionless body was seen lying on the

walkway.

He was eventually taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Authorities late last year had been expressing concern over the sporadic attack on citizens by persons of unsound mind. Towards the end of November last year, a 15-year-old student of the Brickdam Secondary School escaped with his life after a vicious attack by a mentally challenged man outside the Parliament Building.

Minister of Human Services Jennifer Webster had expressed concern over the issue and said that the issue of mentally ill persons was one that required medical attention.

Health Minister, Dr. Bheri Ramsarran had told this publication that the situation concerning these persons was unfortunate and there is no excuse for the attacks.

He pointed out that the problem of mentally ill persons on streets requires a collaborative multiagency effort, involving his Ministry, the Ministry of Human Services and Home Affairs and other Non-Governmental Organizations.

Page 14

Kaieteur News

Thursday January 17, 2013

Opposition, Government to meet Second missing again for budget consultations fisherman’s body found

While Finance Minister Ashni Singh says, that the 2013 budget is a work in progress, the Parliamentary Opposition is awaiting word on the next three-way consultation talks.

A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) executive member and Parliamentarian, Lance Carberry, told media operatives on Monday, that ever since an initial tripartite meeting which was held between the Government and executives of the combined opposition on budget issues, there has been no further word from the current Administration.

Carberry told reporters that at the tripartite meeting, it was agreed that both opposition parties would submit their views on issues they felt needed to be dealt with. “So far, both parties have done so and there has been no word from the Government.”

Minister Singh however said on Wednesday that he would be convening a follow up meeting of the three parties to discuss and ventilate the various issues highlighted by the opposition parties. He noted that the technical aspect of the budget has been

inance Minister Ashni Singh on the way for some time and he has already engaged members of the Parliamentary opposition.

Singh said that about a month ago, opposition members were invited to a meeting where discourse was favourable. He added that initial comments and observations were presented by the opposition, together with a number of references about ongoing issues that both the opposition and the government shared.

The Finance Minister further noted that submissions on issues of interest and priorities were asked to be made by the opposition members and so far, both parties, he said have done so.

He said that those submissions are being looked at by the Government and are being given careful considerations. Many of the issues raised by the opposition, the Minister said, did not come as a “huge surprise, since many of the issues have been publicly ventilated.”

Singh further revealed that at the second meeting it is expected that the opposition’s concerns would be discussed and ventilated in greater detail. On a general note, Singh mentioned that the Government continues to engage, on a broader sense, stakeholders to get feedback on issues and priorities that are perceived to be of importance.

It is the Minister’s hope, he said, that with the conclusion of the 2013 budget, it will be one that will “continue to serve the cause of development in the country.”

The second missing fisherman’s body was discovered around 16:00 hrs yesterday by a search party.

The body of Naim Chand Ram, 42, of Train Line Dam, Port Mourant, Corentyne, Berbice, was discovered at the mouth of the Berbice River.

Earlier, Ram’s elder brother, Hemchand Dowlatram, 52, of Long Dam, Hog Town, Kilcoy, Corentyne, was found on Tuesday. The two men were reported missing after they went out on a fishing expedition on Monday morning that should have lasted no more than a day.

The men were reported missing after they did not return around the scheduled time and it was suspected that they had encountered difficulties in the raging spring tide that swept the Atlantic Ocean on Monday.

Dowlatram’s body was discovered in the Borlam area.

When he was found he was clad only in his underwear.

His foot was entangled in a fishing seine some distance away from his boat.

Ram’s body was spotted floating around the mouth of

Hemchand Dowlatram

Naim Chand Ram

the Berbice River in the vicinity of the Berbice River Bridge by fishermen from the Rosignol area who were also on the lookout for the body after word circulated that the men had gone missing.

The brothers, who recently started working on their own and had taken a loan from IPED to invest into the business, were spotted by fellow fishers on Monday encountering difficulties.

However due to the turbulent waters, the other fishermen hustled to shore.

Inmatie Gopaul stated that her husband Dowlatram, a father of two, was a fisherman all his life.

Sometimes he worked by himself and at other times he would go out with a team on the bigger boats.

Jasmattie Ram, the wife of Naim Chand Ram, and mother of five- three girls and two boys aged 10. 7, 6, 4 and 2, was in tears when she spoke about her husband.

She said that her husband was the sole bread winner of the family.

President Ramotar meets with Opposition Leader

President Donald Ramotar yesterday met with Opposition Leader, Brigadier (ret’d) David Granger, to discuss a number of critical issues and as part of routine engagements.

While the state’s news agency only released photos, well placed sources said that high on the agenda would have been the budget preparations and developments in the National

Assembly.

Also at the meeting at the Office of the President was Joe Harmon, Member of Parliament for A Partnership For National Unity, of which Granger is the Leader.

Thursday January 17, 2013

Kaieteur News

Page 15

247 blackouts in Berbice last year PSC meets main Opposition party - 63 per cent rise in blackouts in 2011

By Leon Suseran Berbice recorded 247 blackouts last year, the most ever for the past three years and a 63 per cent rise from the 2011 total. In 2011, there were 157 blackouts compared to 222 in 2010, a reduction of 65 power outages last year in the Berbice area.

The electricity situation in Guyana has been getting worse over recent times resulting in Guyanese experiencing various periods in the year of severe power outages. These ‘blackout periods’ are often met with numerous excuses by officials of the Guyana Power and Light Inc; 2012 was no exception.

A period of electricity delivery usually follows an electricity crisis, but the situation usually returns to a poor state not too long after.

In Berbice, the worst months for blackouts were May and November. In May, there was a whopping 34 blackouts while there were 30 in November.

In August, when there was a power crisis which saw 20 blackouts, GPL informed Berbicians of annual maintenance works on two of its main transmission lines (from Onverwagt in the West to Canefield and the other from Canefield to Number 53 Village). Problems were being encountered with a

transformer at the company’s main power station in Berbice, the Canefield Power Station.

By July, there were already 160 blackouts for the year, compared to 89 during the same period in 2011.

The next crisis came in November, which saw 30 power outages. Berbicians were asked by the company to bear with the outages for four weeks into December due to a damaged 69kV transformer at the Canefield station.

This transformer was said to be the crucial component in the Berbice Interconnected system whereby power can be shared amongst the three power sources in the Berbice area: Skeldon Sugar factory, Onverwagt and Canefield Power Stations.

The stations, as a result of the damaged transformer, were no longer inter-linked and therefore, could not have MONTH January February March April May June July August September October November December

2010 24 18 22 10 20 19 16 26 19 17 24 9

shared or transferred power to each other.

But perhaps no other area suffered more power outages than the Upper Corentyne area. The situation became worse in November when rolling blackouts hit the heavily- populated area. The generating equipment at the Skeldon Sugar Factory was reported to have been down for maintenance. Letter writers sharpened their pens and wrote several letters to the press about the disgusting situation.

Not too long after, GPL denied that Skeldon was out of operation, however, the facts of long hours of blackouts, before and after the GPL statement was issued, proved otherwise. GPL Chief Executive Officer Bharrat Dindyal and GPL’S Technical Director, in November, visited the Skeldon Co- Gen Plant in Skeldon.

2011 11 15 11 10 17 32 2 5 14 16 7 17

2012 20 24 24 18 34 17 23 20 13 20 30 4

APNU representatives (right) meeting with representatives of the Private Sector Commission.

Members of the Private Sector Commission (PSC) met yesterday with representatives of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) at the Office of the Leader of the Opposition, Hadfield Street, Georgetown.

In what was described as a very amicable meeting, the two sides discussed a wide range of issues including the relationship between the two organizations; the upcoming

budget, matters pertaining t o R e g i o n Te n a n d t h a t R e g i o n ’s a g r e e m e n t w i t h the government.

Representing APNU were Brigadier David Granger, Leader of the Opposition; J o s e p h H a r m o n M P, a n d Lance Carberry.

The PSC representatives were Ron Webster, President; Ramesh Dookhoo, John Willems and Elizabeth Alleyne. The representatives on both sides agreed to meet

more frequently-at least once every quarter-and even more regularly when the situation demands.

This was the first meeting of the year between the two groups, with the next meeting scheduled for next Wednesday, which will deal primarily with the budget.

It is expected that both sides will have more representatives at the upcoming meeting.

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Kaieteur News

Thursday January 17, 2013

Auto dealers and consumers brought up to speed with Consumer Affairs Act Consumers and dealers in the auto industry have been exposed to their legal rights given that the Consumer Affairs Act is now in place and is in full effect.

Yesterday the Competition and Consumer Affairs Commission (CCAC) held a seminar which was aimed at raising awareness of the new Act which was assented to by former President Bharrat Jagdeo, in September 2011.

The Seminar was held under the name “How the Consumer Affairs Act will impact the Auto Industry in Guyana”, The venue was the Regency Hotel, Hadfield Street.

Director of the Competition and Consumer Affairs Commission Ms. Seema Rambaran said that since the Act was not around for very long both the consumers and suppliers are not aware of their rights and responsibilities.

“We started an awareness campaign dealing with warranty, the return of goods, unfair contract terms and unfair trade practices.”

Rambaran said that many of the suppliers they have

Director of CCAC Seema Rambaran.

Competition and Consumer Affairs Commission (CCAC), Economist, Haroon Khan reached out to have been receptive and open to discussion. Rambaran said that in cases where they received complaints from consumers they were able to sit down with both parties and come up with mutual agreements.

“Suppliers are willing to comply when they find that most of the issues coming up can be dealt within the confines of the law, we also find that more businesses are complying with the

regulations.”

In the meantime Rambaran said that the CCAC will continue to work with other organizations including the GNBS to fulfill their mandate.

Meanwhile at the seminar which was attended by most auto dealers from around the country and other stakeholders, CCAC Economist Haroon Khan highlighted some basic rights of a consumer when purchasing a vehicle.

“All dealers of reconditioned, refurbished and used vehicles must provide the consumer with a warranty of six months on parts and labour,” Khan stated.

A section of the gathering yesterday at the CCAC seminar.

Khan said that the Act also provides for dealers or franchise holders selling new vehicles to provide manufacturers’ warranty which would be more than six months.

Dealers were also informed that they are to be held liable if a consumer is “unintentionally injured” or incurs a financial cost as a result of some incident after paying for the vehicle.

Compensation in the event of such an incident should be paid to the consumer within a seven-day period. Failing to do so could result in legal action against the dealer, Khan added.

The economist added that the consumer is allowed to return a vehicle no later than seven days if the purpose for which the vehicle was bought has changed. In such a case, the dealer has a right to charge a 10 percent restocking fee and the vehicle can be put up for resale at its original value.

Dealers were also urged to be honest in their dealings as the CCAC has been in receipt of numerous complaints.

Some of these, Khan said, include a consumer not being in possession of not even a copy of their registration for the vehicle which they

purchased and consumers being made to pay for insurance through the dealer.

Some issues raised by dealers include the CCAC lobbying with the relevant authorities for a reduction in taxes for importers of new vehicles, the clamping down on counterfeit spare parts and a review of the section of the Act which deals with warranty on used vehicles.

As it relates to the warranty on used vehicles, dealers argued that consumers will want to take advantage of this since when dealers purchase used vehicles no warranty is offered them as is done in the case of new vehicles.

Thursday January 17, 2013

Kaieteur News

Page 17

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Kaieteur News

Thursday January 17, 2013

Population growth is generally highest in the poorest countries - report - Governments’ lack resources for services, infrastructure, jobs growth Last year, the world’s population surpassed seven billion and it is projected to reach nine billion by 2050, according to State of World Population 2012 report.

The report says that population growth is generally highest in the poorest countries, where fertility preferences are the highest, where governments lack the resources to meet the increasing demand for services and infrastructure, where jobs growth is not keeping pace with the number of new entrants into the labour force, and where many population groups face great difficulty in accessing family planning information and services.

Worldwide, the report stated that birth rates have continued to decline slowly.

However, large disparities exist between more developed and less developed regions.

A d d i t i o n a l l y, i t w a s further underscored that poverty, gender inequality and social pressures are all reasons for persistent high fertility. But in nearly all of the least-developed countries, lack of access to voluntary family planning is a major contributing factor.

The State of World Population 2012 underscored that planning the number and timing of one’s children is today largely taken for granted by the millions of people who have the means and power to do so. Yet a large proportion of the world’s people do not enjoy the right to choose when and how many children to have because they have no access to family planning information and services, or because the quality of services available to them is

so poor that they go without and are vulnerable to unintended pregnancy.

No right exists without obligation, and no obligation is meaningful without accountability, the report further stated that the United Nations treaty-monitoring bodies are charged with tracking government compliance with major human rights treaties and now routinely recommend that governments take action to protect sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights.

In addition, people younger than 25 years now account for 44 per cent of the w o r l d ’s total population, and in developing countries, the numbers of children and youth are at all-time high— 1.6 billion and 1 billion, respectively. Girls aged 10 to 19 alone account for nearly one-fifth of all women of reproductive age.

“Millions of young people have sex before their parents acknowledge it or before institutions respond to their needs.

These young people— married and unmarried—also need services to avoid unintended pregnancy and prevent sexually transmitted infections including HIV but often do not have access.”

The report says.

A number of important population groups are neglected by family planning systems or face sometimes insurmountable barriers: young people, unmarried adults in their central reproductive years, people who are separated from their partners, older men, people with disabilities, refugees, people living with HIV/ AIDS, ethnic minorities and other disadvantaged

groups.

An enormous need exists to provide more systematically and more generously the means to delay and prevent unintended pregnancy. A human rights-based approach to health and to family planning points to this reorientation.

A human-rights framework for policy and programming calls for a focus on fairness and nondiscrimination to achieve equality; on reaching the most neglected, often marginalized and vulnerable groups; and on building mechanisms that strengthen monitoring and accountability (UNFPA, 2010). Applying a human rights-based approach requires not only having laws and policies that prohibit and sanction discriminatory practices, but also the systems and civic participation to implement them and to ensure accountability.

The 2012 report further noted that the recent estimates of unmet need indicate the significant levels of investment necessary to uphold the right of the world’s people to family planning. High levels of unmet needs for family planning will be increased in the coming years by the large generation of young people entering their reproductive years.

Family planning has been shown to be one of the most cost-effective public health interventions ever developed.

Thus any decision regarding how to invest in family planning must counterpose its costs against the range of benefits it brings to individuals, households and nations.

Salaries of public servants late as govt. accounting system crashes G o v e r n m e n t ’s computerized accounting system reportedly crashed on Monday, causing salary payments to public servants to be delayed.

However, salary payments are now being handled manually as attempts are made to bring the system back up.

Cheques had to be written manually, this newspaper was told.

While Kaieteur News has been hearing that the staffers who handle IFMAS walked

out on Monday, an official would only say the system went down.

The Integrated Financial Management and Accounting System (IFMAS), according to the Ministry of Finance, emerged on January 1, 2004 as the new mechanism for modernizing the business of the Government of Guyana.

The Accountant General Department, housed at the Ministry, is responsible for the management of the IFMAS. T his records all financial data generated by

the Government of Guyana and the payment function with reference to the issuing of cheques and the reconciliation of the main bank account, the recording of warrants, contingency funds advances, deposit fund advances and the generation of the annual financial statements.

It also corrects any mistakes made by Ministries, departments and regions that may have inputted incorrect information.

Thursday January 17, 2013

Kaieteur News

Venezuela publishes decree with Chavez signature

University students hang a banner that reads in Spanish: “Respect the constitution,” over the side of a bridge near a billboard showing President Hugo Chavez in Caracas, Venezuela, yesterday. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano) CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela’s government has published a decree signed by President Hugo Chavez, while his vice president said yesterday that the ailing leader also sent a message of gratitude to the military for its loyalty.

It was the first time the president’s signature has appeared in the Official Gazette since his latest cancer surgery in Cuba more than five weeks ago.

The decree issued Tuesday and published in the government newspaper yesterday names former vice president Elias Jaua as Venezuela’s new foreign minister. The signature is printed along with the presidential stamp.

Current Vice President Nicolas Maduro, who has been in charge of the country during Chavez’s recovery, announced Jaua’s appointment at a National Assembly session on Tuesday.

Chavez has not made any public comments since his operation last month, his fourth in 18 months. He has been fighting an unspecified

type of pelvic cancer, and his silence has fed speculation about his medical condition.

Before the decree was published, the opposition had questioned the legality of the new foreign minister’s appointment, citing a lack of publicly released documents with Chavez’s signature.

The opposition has also been demanding more information about the president’s condition.

“If the president of the republic can sign decrees, I call on him to appear, speak to Venezuela and talk about everything that’s happening in that government,” top opposition leader Henrique Capriles said yesterday.

In a televised speech to soldiers, Maduro recalled meeting with Chavez in Havana earlier this week, saying the president was pleased with how his allies have been working together. “ We w e r e w i t h t h e commander in chief 48 hours ago, and yesterday we spoke with Minister Jorge Arreaza (Chavez’s son-in-law), and he really feels great happiness to

Barbados economy had a dismal year Barbados Nation - The Barbados economy had a dismal performance in 2012, registering no growth, and the Central Bank is predicting hardly any increased economic activity in the country this year.

Central Bank Governor Dr DeLisle Worrell delivered the disappointing news Tuesday in his review of the economy for last year and his projections for the next 12 months.

The island’s main engine

of economic growth – tourism – sputtered in 2012 as foreign exchange generated from the industry contracted, with long-stay arrivals to the island falling by 6.2 per cent, though the length of stay rose by 4.3 per cent.

The fiscal deficit, which Government has been trying to rein in for the past three years, widened between April and December last year to reach 6.4 per cent, compared with the 5.2 per cent for the same period in 2011.

see, when we described how we’ve been interacting, the work we’re doing constantly,” Maduro said.

“He told us to transmit to the Bolivarian National Armed Force, from his heart, all his gratitude for so much loyalty from you all.”

The government says Chavez is being treated for “respiratory deficiency,” but it remains unclear how much longer he could remain in hospital in Cuba.

Addressing the troops, Defense Minister Diego Molero said the military will be watching for any “disturbance” of public order.

Page 19

Senior government ministers oppose legislation to increase senators BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - CMC – The division within the Denzil Douglas administration surfaced here during the debate on legislation seeking to increase the number of senators in the St. Kitts and Nevis National Assembly.

Attorney General and Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs, Patrice Nisbett led off the debate in which the government wants to increase the number of senators from three to six, with one of the additional legislators being assigned to the opposition.

But Deputy Prime Minister Sam Condor and his senior Cabinet colleague, Dr. Timothy Harris publicly opposed the legislation.

Debate on the matter has been adjourned to January 29 following a late night session on Tuesday.

Both senior Cabinet ministers, who have been blamed for not participating in Cabinet meeting where the national budget was being discussed, forcing the government to postpone its presentation last month, said they were adopting a principle position on the matter.

“I really have a difficulty with imposing, with employing, with recruiting, with doubling the number of Senators 100 per cent, doubling it from three to six. I have a problem with that, and no increase of elected members,” Condor said to some heckling from the government benches.

“It just doesn’t feel good

Denzil Douglas to me. It just doesn’t taste right. It’s really not for me a good thing…it says something about the way we do things at a swoop, one swoop, doubling 100 percent, the number of senators without any reference to elected members.”That is something like we looking for a Senate, a bicameral system of government, if that is what we want, canvas that,” said Condor who was recently stripped from his position as Leader of Government Business in Parliament.

In his presentation, Harris dismissed the Bill as being out of touch with reality.

“The Bill in my view, humbly so and respectfully so, is out of sync with too many things, Mr. Speaker.

And, I would have preferred honestly that the first sitting of the Honourable House, in the year of our Lord 2013, would seek to addresses issues of more fundamental importance to the upliftment of ordinary poor

people in St. Kitts and Nevis.

“I consider it a distraction in the face of the overwhelming challenges which ordinary people, everywhere are facing.

That the very first meeting in the New Year, we should be as it were tarrying all day, tarrying with regard to finding place and position for three unelected people to come in the parliament,” said Harris.

But as he piloted the bill, Nisbett said the increase in the number of senators is in keeping with the trends in modern government.

“The business of a modern government has become more sophisticated because of the social, political, technological and other developments which are taking place globally. In other words, Mr. Speaker, a modern government today is such a complex business, much of which business requires or demands legislation, and for that reason we are constantly being called upon to make new laws which are very sophisticated.”

Nisbett, the new leader of Government Business, said the complexity of running government business today inevitably requires additional human resources.

“Mr. Speaker, because of what I have just stated, it is really necessary to improve on the complexion of our Parliament by introducing in the House new blood, and, Mr. Speaker, this initiative is intended to give us an opportunity to revisit, for instance the issue of gender balance, if we are to fulfill our national and international obligations in that regard.

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Kaieteur News

Jamaica could earn billions from Japanese firm’s research here Red mud holds big earning potential - Paulwell

Phillip Paulwell Jamaica Observer - A Japanese aluminium company believes that there’s big money to be made from red mud deposits here and has put up US$3 million for a pilot project that could result in Jamaica earning billions in foreign exchange.

According to Energy Minister Phillip Paulwell, Nippon Light Metal Company Limited researchers have confirmed high concentrations of rare earth elements in Jamaica’s red mud, and are convinced that those elements can be extracted efficiently.

“The concentration of rare earth elements in mineable quantities around the world is unusual, and the concentration of rare earth elements found in Jamaica’s red mud deposits are significantly greater than what is known about other red mud sites around the world,” Paulwell told Parliament Tuesday.

He said Nippon Light Metal’s ultimate objective is to extract 1,500 metric tons per annum.

Rare earth oxides, the commodity that will be extracted, are currently being traded at rates up to US$3,500 per kilogramme, according to Paulwell.

“When we compare that to alumina, which is now being traded at US$330 per tonne, it is clear that this resource presents an opportunity Jamaica must pursue, and which must be managed in such a way that Jamaica and Jamaicans benefit significantly,” the minister

said.

Even at US$1,000 per kilogramme, 1,500 metric tons of rare earth metals have the potential to earn US$1.5 billion annually.

He also assured that the country was protected against exploitation as the Crown Property (Vesting) Act stipulates that any minerals found in Jamaica are owned by the Crown. Licences granted to bauxite/alumina companies are specific to the extraction of bauxite ore only.

Paulwell explained that in September 2012, Nippon Light Metal entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Jamaica Bauxite Institute (JBI) for the establishment of the pilot project to determine the commercial scope of the project.

He described the project as “the starting line of an opportunity that has the potential to redefine Jamaica’s economic prospects in a positive way”.

Thursday January 17, 2013

Barbados Workers Union puts nationwide strike on hold BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - CMC - The Barbados Workers Union (BWU) has decided to put on hold, plans for a national strike pending the outcome of talks with Prime Minister Freundel Stuart tomorrow.

Prime Minister Stuart has summoned officials from the union and the telecommunications company, Cable and Wireless (Barbados) Limited, to the meeting in a bid to end the impasse over the company’s refusal to withdraw termination letters issued to 97 workers last week.

Stuart met with BWU and the company officials including general secretary Sir Roy Trotman on Tuesday and while reports indicate there had been some progress, there were still some outstanding issues to be addressed.

“We were able to the root of the differences between the two sides. We have not resolved the outstanding issues that would result in a return to normalcy but I would say that to the extent that we have narrowed the issues down and we now know what remains to be resolved to effect a return to normalcy we have made some progress,” he said. He said the telecommunication company, which operates here under the brand LIME, had accepted that the decision to issue the letters ahead of scheduled talks with the union on January 7, was flawed.

“Obviously an issue has been the fact that termination letters were sent out to 97 workers at LIME at a time when the Minister of Labour was meeting with the parties.

That was perceived as a breach of process and I expressed myself appropriately strongly on that issue because I do not think that we can allow in Barbados a state of affairs to develop where industrial relations harmony is imperil, threatened or undermined by the highhanded behaviour either by employers or trade unions “I am aware there is a creeping virus in Barbados in the area of industrial relations that manifest itself in a tendency to say that negotiations are taking too long and that there should be unilaterally ended in this case the employer and of course I know of a few other cases.

“I am not going to allow

that to take root in Barbados it just cannot be allowed to take root it is dangerous for what it portends not only for industrial relations harmony but also for habits in the society in general and I think the company now understand how I feel about it and by extension how the government feels about it because the government is one of the social partners and I think that we reached a civilised understanding on that issue.

“The Minister of Labour received from the company an apology that satisfied her, that satisfied me and I think that we are unlikely to leave our footprints down that unworthy path at anytime in the foreseeable future.”

Prime Minister Stuart said that the issue that continues to divide the parties is the terminations and that while the process is still ongoing “the level of compensation being paid the workers being terminated that is a matter still on the table.

“From my point of view having regard to the fact that the process was breached I have therefore asked the parties to allow me to resume this meeting on Friday afternoon at 2:30 (local time) so that we hammer those issues out.”

He said he had spoken with Sir Roy and asked that the union “suspend any industrial action for the time being while we move toward an aggressive resolution of the outstanding issues.

ST JOHN’S, Antigua CMC – The Antigua and Barbuda Investment Authority (ABIA) says negotiations are continuing with investors for the establishment of a US$75 million poultry farm here.

A statement posted on the government website said the project, which will focus mainly on the export market, will provide direct employment for approximately 800 people.

ABIA chairman Dr. McChesney Emanuel has commented on reports here that the Ciboney Poultry Company (CPC) multi-million dollar project would adversely affect the local poultry industry.

“We are restructuring what exists in the poultry industry by setting a new standard for Antigua and Barbuda with this project. We met with all stakeholders to

discuss the project, and, during these consultative meetings, unmistakable assurance was given, and they understand, that all stakeholders will have enhanced opportunities for growing their businesses and that no one will be forced out of the industry,” he said.

Emanuel said the stipulation for the importation of live birds or bird eggs for hatching, other than those imported by CPC, is a mechanism to ensure biosafety and to safeguard the integrity of the product, in keeping with industry standards.

“The Ministry of Agriculture will set the policy relating to bio-safety, and that will also deal with the importation of birds. CPC’s position is that eggs and birds will be made available to the producers, through CPC, and this will guarantee the local

producers a stable, ready supply, at an affordable price and at established industry standards,” he added.

CPC principal Ron Mann said local producers would be eligible for compensation, from CPC, for any losses incurred.

“What we are asking is for the importation to stop once we reach the construction stage, although people who have flocks can finish out that cycle. All those producers will be compensated, by Ciboney, for any lost income,” Mann said “This is a product for export and we will have to reach international standards and bio-safety is important.

The purpose of this is to ensure that we can adhere to the standards. We are safeguarding against someone with a 50-100-bird flock infecting a million-bird flock,” Mann added.

Freundel Stuart

Multi-million dollar poultry farm for Antigua

Thursday January 17, 2013

Kaieteur News

Blows for Jack over new anti-crime plan

Jack Warner Trinidad Guardian Criticisms are mounting over plans by National Security Minister Jack Warner to set up five army bases around T&T, immediately after granting powers of arrest to 1,000 precepted soldiers. The outcry has come from the business sector and nongovernmental organisations who believe that Warner is making a mistake by not implementing a proper legislative framework to regulate the conduct of soldiers.

President of the Penal/ Debe Chamber of Industry and Commerce Sahid Hosein said an emergency meeting was being organised to discuss Warner ’s latest move. “We are uneasy about his plan to precept 1,000 soldiers and set up army bases. If this is not properly managed, it will create a real crisis for our citizens,” Hosein said.

He said there was lawlessness in every institution of the country, including the regiment, so there was a grave possibility

that there could be abuse.

“We have to put systems in place to prevent abuse of power,” Hosein said.

Meanwhile, president of Fixin’ T&T Kirk Waithe said Warner should be stripped of his ministerial portfolio and removed from the National Security Council because he could not be trusted with law enforcement.

“We run the risk of becoming a military state if these measures are implemented. I don’t support army bases being set up anywhere,” Waithe said. He argued that instead of giving the soldiers powers of arrest, Warner should focus on providing proper equipment and better working conditions for the police.

“We need to find ways of motivating the police. Warner has demonstrated that he has no regard for process, and we consider him to be a threat not only to our international reputation but also to our constitution, democracy and our citizenry,” Waithe said.

President of the Police Social and Welfare Association Sgt Anand Ramesar accused Warner of ignoring the concerns of the association.

He warned that the police would not co-operate with the soldiers unless there was proper consultation. “If Warner doesn’t take into account our concerns, our relationship with the soldiers could be seriously affected.

It will not work out in terms of co-operation. It is not too difficult for us to reflect on this with a delayed approach and with considerable thought. We could rest and reflect,” Ramesar said.

He added that during the

state of emergency last year, a number of people were arrested by soldiers but their detention could not be justified by the officers. “We are concerned that two parallel bodies, equally vested with the same powers and serving two leaders, could create real problems.

We believe that all persons with powers of arrest should fall under the Commissioner of Police,” Ramesar said.

He recommended that Government fast-track the Special Reserve Police recruitment, as well as rehiring retired specialised police officers to fight crime.

Ramesar also warned that the Government should refrain from mimicking foreign crimefighting strategies without recalibrating them to suit local conditions.

He said even if armies abroad were used to fight crime, this might not work in T&T because there was no proper legislative framework to regulate conduct. He said that if abuse of power occurred with the police, disciplinary action could be taken by the Police Service Commission, the Police Complaints Authority or the internal disciplinary committee.

However, president of the San Fernando Business Association Daphne Bartlett said the move to grant powers of arrests to soldiers was long overdue, and the army bases were being set up at key points where there could be careful monitoring of the coasts. “We support the locations that Mr Warner chose, because he acknowledged recently how porous our borders are,” Bartlett said.

Page 21

OAS official warns illegal drugs fuelling ongoing crime situation in the hemisphere

Adam Blackwell P O R T- O F - S PA I N , Trinidad - CMC – A two-day conference of the Caribbean Outreach Working Meet on Drug Problems began here yesterday with a senior Organisation of American States (OAS) official warning that the crime situation, which is being fuelled by the drugs trade, has gotten worse.

Secretary for the Multidimensional Security of the OAS, Ambassador Adam Blackwell told delegates that there is no easy solution to the drugs trade and disagreed with suggestions

that legalising the consumption and supply of drugs could eliminate the problem.

“We also have to acknowledge honestly what we have done wrong and what is not working. We have to identify where mistakes have been made, where we need to make a compass check and most importantly about exploring openly what options we have to move forward.

“It is not about playing the blame game that is simple. The traditional definition of consuming, transit and production countries no longer applies. Drug issues have changed. Likewise there is no simple fixes and anybody thinks there is something we can do overnight I beg to differ”.

Blackwell said hemispheric leaders have recognised “that we have reached this catalectic moment” adding that “problems we are facing with drugs and violence, much of it fuelled by the drugs trade are far from being resolved, if anything in some areas they are worse”.

He said the task now will be to offer leaders as well as citizens “complete realistic and vision of possible consequences, positive

and negative of certain decisions.

“Here I am talking about the overly simplistic solution of let’s just legalising the consumption and supply of drugs (and) we are going to eliminate the problem. I don’t think so folks, I think we need to have a much more in-depth, much more realistic discussion of the various options and this is what I hope will happen,” he said.

Earlier, a senior Trinidad and Tobago public servant, deputing for National Security Minister, Austin “Jack” Warner, said that a recent study has found that a high number of school children throughout region are abusing drugs. Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of National Security Jennifer Bocoud-Blake said the issue is of great concern to all stakeholders.

She said the report “reveals expression of hopelessness and marginalisation by a wide cross section of our young people” adding that this is compounded by the information contained in successive school surveys that show a high level of substance abuse by school age children.

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Kaieteur News

Two dead, 13 hurt after helicopter crashes in London

Smoke billows from the scene, yesterday. (AP Photo/Max James Tolhurst, PA) LONDON (AP) — A helicopter crashed into a crane and fell on a crowded street in central London during rush hour yesterday, sending flames and black plumes of smoke into the air.

The pilot and one person on the ground were killed and 13 others injured, officials said.

The helicopter crashed in misty weather just south of the River Thames near the Underground and mainline train station at Vauxhall, and close to the headquarters of spy agency MI6.

Police said one person had critical injuries. Six were taken to a nearby hospital with minor injuries and seven treated at the scene, ambulance officials said.

“It was something of a miracle that this was not many,

many times worse,” police Cmdr. Neil Basu said.

The pilot, who was killed, had requested to divert and land at the nearby London Heliport because of bad weather, the heliport said in a statement.

“The London Heliport never gained contact with the helicopter,” the statement said.

The aircraft, an AgustaWestland 109, was on a commercial flight, said Philip Amadeus, managing director of RotorMotion, an executive helicopter charter business.

The company identified the pilot as Peter Barnes, 50, whose career included flying in films including “Saving Private Ryan” and the James Bond movie “Die Another Day.”

“He was a very highly skilled pilot, one of the most experienced in the U.K., with over 12,000 flying hours,” Amadeus said. “We are devastated by the loss of a highly valued colleague and very dear friend.”

The crash unfolded at the height of the morning commute when thousands of pedestrians in the area were trying to get to work. The weather at the time was overcast and misty with fog and poor visibility, according to the Met Office weather forecasting service.

Video from the scene showed wreckage burning in a street, and black smoke in the area, with a line of flaming fuel and debris marking the area where the helicopter Continued on page 24

Thursday January 17, 2013

Obama unveils biggest guncontrol push in generations WA S H I N G T O N (Reuters) - President Barack Obama proposed a new assault weapons ban and mandatory background checks for all gun buyers yesterday in a bid to channel national outrage over the Newtown school massacre into the biggest U.S. guncontrol push in generations.

Rolling out a wide-ranging plan for executive and legislative action to curb gun violence, Obama set up a fierce clash with the powerful U.S. gun lobby and its supporters in Congress, who are expected to resist what they see as an encroachment on constitutionally protected gun rights.

Obama presented his agenda at a White House event in front of an audience that included children from around the country, a poignant reminder of the 20 first-graders who were killed along with six adults by a lone gunman on December 14 at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.

“While reducing gun violence is a complicated challenge, protecting our children from harm shouldn’t be a divisive one,” Obama said.

Until now, Obama had done little to rein in America’s weapons culture during his first four years in office. But just days before his second inauguration, he appears determined to champion gun control in his next term with a

concerted drive for tighter laws and other steps aimed at preventing further tragedies like the one at Newtown.

The proposals stem from a month-long review led by Vice President Joe Biden, who on orders from Obama met with advocates on both sides, including representatives from the weapons and entertainment industries.

Obama’s plan calls on Congress for a renewed prohibition on assault weapons sales that expired in 2004, a requirement for criminal background checks on all gun purchases, including closing a loophole for gun show sales, and a new federal gun trafficking law - long sought by big-city mayors to keep out-of-state guns off their streets.

He also announced 23 steps he intends to take

immediately without congressional approval.

These include improvements in the existing system for background checks, lifting the ban on federal research into gun violence, putting more counselors and “resource officers” in schools and improved access to mental health services.

The most politically contentious piece of the package is Obama’s call for a renewed ban on military-style assault weapons, a move that Republicans who control the House of Representatives are expected to oppose.

The Newtown gunman, 20-year-old Adam Lanza, used a Bushmaster AR-15 assault rifle to shoot his victims, many of them 6- and 7-year-olds, before killing himself.

Underscoring the tough political fight ahead, the National Rifle Association, launching a scathing advertising campaign against Obama’s gun control effort and deployed its representatives in force on Capitol Hill.

The NRA, which says it has about 4 million members, took aim at Obama in a stinging TV and Internet spot, accusing him of being “just another elitist hypocrite” for accepting Secret Service protection for his two daughters but turning down the lobby group’s proposal to put armed guards in all schools.

OTTAWA (Reuters) Canada’s Conservative government does not expect to launch a new round of fiscal stimulus despite the possibility of weaker-thanexpected growth in the first quarter, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said yesterday.

“I don’t see the need for it, quite frankly. I think we have adequate economic growth, and I think the prospects for stronger economic growth later in the year and next year are good,” Flaherty told a news conference.

Flaherty is preparing the federal budget, due in coming weeks, amid signs economic growth in Canada has slowed. The country has long recovered the jobs and output lost during the 200809 recession but exports, heavily reliant on the United States, have yet to return to pre-recession levels.

Flaherty sees growth in 2013 of about 2 percent and noted that the first quarter of

the year might be a disappointment.

“Some of the forecasters are making the observation that economic growth in the first quarter of this year may be more modest than some had anticipated but that the second half of the year may well be stronger, particularly in the U.S. economy but in our economy as well,” he said.

The modest growth and controlling spending “with some intensity” is sufficient for Ottawa to balance the budget during the course of the current Parliament, which means before the October 2015 general election, he said.

As for the housing market, which policy makers had feared was overheating, Flaherty welcomed data on Tuesday showing housing starts slowed in December for the fourth straight month, but suggested further cooling would be healthy.

“Housing starts are still relatively strong in Canada,” he said.

Barack Obama

Canada does not foresee stimulus despite tepid growth

Thursday January 17, 2013

Kaieteur News

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Cameron under new Pakistanis protest killing pressure to dilute EU ties of 15 in village raid

Women supporters of Sufi cleric and leader of the Minhaj-ul-Quran religious organisation Muhammad Tahirul Qadri link their hands during his speech on their third day of protests in Islamabad yesterday. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Several thousand protesters shouting antimilitary slogans displayed the bodies of 15 local villagers yesterday in northwestern Pakistan, claiming they were shot dead in their homes by security forces in an overnight raid.

The outcry came as thousands of supporters of a fiery Muslim cleric continued their anti-government protest for a third day in Islamabad, paralyzing key areas of the capital.

Exhibiting the bodies, which were wrapped in blankets, recalled a protest last week in the southwestern city of Quetta. There, the relatives of dozens of Shiite Muslims killed in a bomb attack refused to bury the victims for four days until the government met their demand to dissolve the government of surrounding Baluchistan province. Islamic custom dictates the dead should be buried as soon possible.

The villagers in the latest incident were killed late Tuesday in an area known as Khyber Agency. It’s part of the tribal region where the Pakistani military has been waging a campaign against

Islamic militants.

An official with the Frontier Constabulary, which operates in the area, blamed militants for killing the villagers. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

There have been previous attacks by militants disguised in military uniforms, although such incidents are not common.

About 3,000 people gathered outside the house of the governor of northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Peshawar. They said gunmen wearing military uniforms stormed homes and fatally shot the villagers.

The protesters called on the military to end its operations in the Bara area where the shooting occurred.

One sign written in Urdu read: “We are also Pakistanis.

Don’t kill us.”

Shabir Ahmed, a soldier from the Frontier Corps, said his four brothers and father were at their home when uniformed gunmen stormed his house.

“I want to know who killed my brothers and father and why,” he said.

Human rights groups have accused the Pakistani military of widespread human rights abuses in their counterinsurgency campaign in the tribal areas.

In a December report, Amnesty International claimed the Pakistani military regularly holds people without charges and tortures or mistreats them in custody.

The London-based group said some detainees do not survive and their bodies are returned to their families, or dumped in remote areas.

The Pakistani military rejected Amnesty’s allegations, calling the report “a pack of lies.”

The Amnesty report also criticized the Taliban for a range of rights abuses, including the killing of captured soldiers and innocent civilians.

David Cameron LONDON (Reuters) Prime Minister David Cameron came under fresh pressure from his own party to loosen ties with the European Union yesterday, two days before a speech in which he will spell out plans to renegotiate Britain’s membership of the bloc.

As different interests jockey to influence his speech, which some say could end up reshaping Britain’s role in the world, a group representing about a third of MPs in the ruling Conservative party published a “Manifesto for Change” listing areas where they want decision-making brought back to London.

Cameron will deliver his speech - one of the most closely watched Europe addresses by a British leader since World War Two - in Amsterdam tomorrow, a choice meant to underline the fact that some other EU member states such as the Netherlands are sympathetic to many of his policies towards the bloc.

He is expected to say he will offer a referendum on any new settlement he manages to hammer out to change

Britain’s four-decade-old links with the EU, probably in 2018. His prospects of success are uncertain, however, as there is unease in some EU member states, notably Germany and France, about Cameron’s plans.

“The status quo in the European Union is no longer an option,” the group’s manifesto said. “The euro zone is facing up to the inevitable consequences of the financial crisis, and is moving towards fiscal and banking union. This is not a path that the British people will go down.”

“We also want to protect British sovereignty, ensuring that the British Parliament can decide what is best for Britain.

We do not share the vision of ‘ever closer union’ as set out in the EU treaties.”

Areas where the members of parliament (MPs), who call

“aggression” against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the spokesman said, a possible reference to an Israeli military operation in Gaza in 2008 and 2009.

Mursi’s comments appeared at odds with the diplomatic, moderate image the Islamist leader has sought to convey since taking office last year and may stir unease among Egypt’s Western allies, whose help he needs to weather a financial crisis.

For Washington, which was a staunch ally of Egypt’s former leader Hosni Mubarak until he was overthrown in 2011 and is now trying to build a dependable relationship with Mursi, the remarks will have made uncomfortable viewing.

The United States provides Egypt with $1.3 billion in military aid each year - support that flows from Cairo’s 1979 peace treaty with Israel.

Mursi has promised

repeatedly to respect the treaty, a cornerstone of U.S. policy in the Middle East, since becoming Egypt’s first democratically elected president last June.

He worked with U.S. President Barack Obama’s administration to help broker a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in Gaza late last year.

The U.S. delegation, led

by Senator John McCain, said it had expressed strong disapproval of Mursi’s remarks about Jews.

“We had a constructive discussion on this subject,” said McCain. “We leave it to the president to make any further comments on this matter that he may wish.”

Senator Richard Blumenthal said they had “expressed our view in no uncertain terms” and that Mursi’s remarks “counter the goal of the friendship between our two peoples”.

Egypt leader says speech against Jews taken out of context

(Reuters) - Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi said vitriolic comments he made against Jews and Zionists three years ago had been taken out of context, an explanation that fell short of a U.S. call for him to repudiate the remarks.

The New York Times said it had obtained video of a speech by Mursi in 2010, when he was already a leading figure in the Muslim Brotherhood opposition movement, in which he urged Egyptians to “nurse our children and our grandchildren on hatred” for Jews and Zionists.

In a television interview that the paper said he made months later, Mursi described Zionists as “these bloodsuckers who attack the Palestinians, these warmongers, the descendants of apes and pigs”.

Footage of the later

Mohamed Mursi comments was viewed on YouTube by Reuters.

Mursi told a delegation of U.S. senators visiting Cairo yesterday that the remarks needed to be put “in the context in which they were said”, his spokesman said in a statement.

That context was Israeli

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Thursday January 17, 2013

Dozens held after Islamists India, Pakistan agree to attack Algerian gas field ease tensions in Kashmir ALGIERS (Reuters) Islamist militants attacked a gas field in Algeria yesterday, claiming to have kidnapped up to 41 foreigners including seven Americans in a dawn raid in retaliation for France’s intervention in Mali, according to regional media reports.

The raiders were also reported to have killed three people, including a Briton and a French national.

An al Qaeda affiliated group said the raid had been carried out because of Algeria’s decision to allow France to use its air space for attacks against Islamists in Mali, where French forces have been in action against al Qaeda-linked militants since last week.

The attack in southern Algeria also raised fears that the French action in Mali could prompt further Islamist revenge attacks on Western targets in Africa, where al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) operates across borders in the Sahara desert, and in Europe.

AQIM said it had carried out Wednesday’s raid on the

In Amenas gas facility in OPEC member Algeria, Mauritania’s ANI news agency reported.

The Algerian interior ministry said: “A terrorist group, heavily armed and using three vehicles, launched an attack this Wednesday at 5 a.m. against a Sonatrach base in Tigantourine, near In Amenas, about 100 km (60 miles) from the Algerian and Libyan border.”

“TheAlgerian authorities will not respond to the demands of the terrorists and will not negotiate,” Interior Minister Daho Ould Kablia was quoted as saying by official news agency APS. The gas field is operated by a joint venture including BP, Norwegian oil firm Statoil and Algerian state company Sonatrach.

BP said armed men were still occupying facilities at the gas field, which produces 9 billion cubic meters of gas a year(160,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day), more than a tenth of the country’s overall gas output, and 60,000 barrels a day of condensate.

“The site was attacked and occupied by a group of

unidentified armed people at about 0500 UK time. Contact with the site is extremely difficult, but we understand that armed individuals are still occupying the In Amenas operations site,” it said.

A spokesman for BP said it usually had fewer than 20 people working at the site but would not be drawn on whether there were any talks with the hostage takers. He said: “Obviously we are doing everything we can to make sure our people are okay.”

APS said a Briton and an Algerian security guard had been killed and seven people were injured. A French national was also killed in the attack, a local source said.

Also among those reported kidnapped by various sources were five Japanese nationals working for the Japanese engineering firm JGC Corp, a French national, an Irishman, and a number of Britons.

The U.S. State Department said it believed some U.S. citizens were also among the hostages, while Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg said 13 employees of Statoil, a minority shareholder in the gas venture, were being held.

Kashmiri villager Rafiq Ahamad displays a box allegedly damaged by firing from the Pakistan side of the border. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan) NEW DELHI (AP) — India and Pakistan agreed yesterday to ease tensions in disputed Kashmir by strictly observing a decade-old cease-fire after five soldiers were killed in recent clashes, an Indian army spokesman said.

The military commanders of the two armies spoke by telephone for 10 minutes and reached an understanding not to allow the situation to escalate further, spokesman Col. Jagdeep Dahiya said.

Three Pakistani soldiers and two Indian soldiers have died in the worst bout of fighting in the region since the cease-fire was signed in 2003. India said one of its soldiers was beheaded.

The series of tit-for-tat attacks had threatened to ratchet up tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.

Early yesterday, Pakistan accused Indian troops of killing one of its soldiers along the cease-fire line a day earlier. The Pakistani army

said the shooting was unprovoked and occurred in the Hot Spring and Jandot sectors of Pakistan-held Kashmir.

However, Col. R.K. Palta, another Indian army spokesman, said Pakistani troops fired at two Indian positions using small arms and mortar fire on Tuesday night in the Poonch sector of the Indian portion of Kashmir.

“Our troops didn’t fire at all,” Palta said.

Lt. Gen. K.T. Parnaik, an Indian commander in charge of the troubled area, said, “We want to ensure that we dominate the line of control and don’t let them (Pakistanis) provoke us into making it a hot line of control.”

In a sign of the rising tensions, Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar accused India of “warmongering” in a speech in New York on Tuesday. In New Delhi, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said his country’s relations

with archrival Pakistan “cannot be business as usual.” India and Pakistan have been rivals for decades and have fought three wars, two of them over Kashmir.

The Himalayan region is divided between the two countries, but each claims it in its entirety.

Senior Pakistani and Indian officials are trying to limit the potential damage from the recent clashes to relations, which have slowly warmed since Pakistani militants killed 166 people in the Indian coastal city of Mumbai. They suspended peace talks after the Mumbai attack, but both countries have economic and other reasons for wanting better ties.

Still, the fighting along the Kashmir border highlights how easily simmering tension can flare into conflict. The biggest risk remains an attack by militants like the one in Mumbai that would likely scuttle the reconciliation process once again.

From page 22 smashed down. Witnesses said the disaster unfolded when the helicopter hit a crane atop a 50-story residential building, the St. George Wharf Tower.

“I was 100 percent sure it was a terrorist attack,” said Allen Crosbie, site manager for the landscape firm Maylim Ltd., who was working at the scene.

“There was debris everywhere, a ton of black smoke. Parts of the crane, parts of the helicopter. I heard bang, bang — I presume it was the helicopter hitting the crane and then the ground.

People were just panicking.”

William Belsey, 25, a landscape worker, also said he heard the helicopter hit the

crane.

“Luckily the crane operator was late for work this morning. He picked a good day to be late,” Belsey said.

Mayor Boris Johnson said the crane had been secured and was not in danger of collapsing.

Basu said one of the dead was the pilot of the commercial helicopter, which had been flying from Redhill, south of London.

No one else was thought to be aboard, Basu said; the other fatality was a person on the ground.

British aviation authorities had issued a “notice to airmen” warning pilots about the crane, which extended to 770 feet (235 meters) above ground. The

crane is lit at night, and police said investigators would look at whether the light was faulty.

The area, roughly 10 blocks from the major Waterloo train and Underground s t a t i o n , i s extremely congested during the morning rush hour.

Many commuters arrive at the main line stations from London’s southern suburbs and transfer to buses or trains there.

Aviation expert Chris Yates said that weather may have played a role.

Investigators also would look at whether the crane had navigation lights.

“The question then becomes whether the pilot was fit,” Yates said.

Two dead, 13 hurt after...

Thursday January 17, 2013

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Thursday January 17, 2013

“Coolie, coolie come for roti, all de roti done.”

By Tony Deyal In the elementary schools I attended in the fifties, this racist chant was common.

Now, fifty years after Independence, making, buying, selling or eating roti is not limited to any one race.

It is not the speed with which the roti “done” but the question, “Where de roti gone?” As we say in Trinidad, it “gone for higher”.

Now you can buy all the different variations of roti in Toronto, New York, Miami and wherever Trinidadians and other West Indians live, lime and labour.

In 1962, the roti best known outside of the home was the “dhal puri”.

There is no such commodity in India, where a puri is either a flat, flaky bread cooked in ghee (clarified butter), or a dish made by mashing or grinding peas, vegetables or meat and cooking it in hot water.

The purists say that what we call a “dhal puri” is really a dhal paratha which is a stuffed roti but in Trinidad what is called a “paratha” is not stuffed and is known as a “buss-up-shut”, taking its

name because of its likeness to a tattered shirt. The version of roti that is the breakfast and dinner staple, is “saada” which means “homely”, “simple” or “rustic” in Hindi but, in South India, would be a “chappati”. However, the Trinidad “roti” is made using baking powder as a leavening agent and not yeast which is used to make “nan”, the generic Hindi word for “bread”. The first time I heard the name Kofi Annan I thought it was an Indian breakfast.

It is not surprising that the Indian indentured immigrants to Trinidad, coming in contact with the British and mingling with the other races and cultures that comprised the most cosmopolitan of countries of the Caribbean, should come up with some culinary innovations. Although barra (or bara, a fried flatbread originally made from ground peas and flour) exists in India and in other places where curried channa (chick peas) is a staple, it is Trinidad that invented the “doubles”, a sandwich made by putting curried channa between two

barras.

Now you can get doubles almost anywhere in the Caribbean, North America and Britain.

The “pulao” or mixed rice dish of India became “pelau” and was popular long before roti made the hit parade.

Even in music technology, the country that gave the world the steel pan also reputedly invented the “dhantal”, a percussion instrument that was fashioned out of the iron “bows” that yoked the oxen that pulled the canecarts.

The dhantal and “chutney” music, another Trinidadian invention, go together like a roti with a Red Solo soft-drink or “curry duck” and a river “lime”. In politics, the combination of “rum” and roti characterized a unique form of garnering votes for elections that was not limited to race.

When Trinidad became Independent in 1962, we did not understand what was happening or appreciate what we had. Boys and girls of East Indian descent leaving

their rural villages to go to the city High Schools and Colleges had an especially rough time. We studied by rote and by roti. There was a lot of stuff to memorise but what has stayed in our memories longest was the shame that we were made to feel for taking our saada roti to school.

Saada roti was not well known outside the household. Civilised people bought bread from the bakery or had enough money for sandwiches from the school’s “tuck” shop or the “parlours” or cake shops outside. We carried our food in oily, currysoaked paper (one bag per week) bags or wrapped in brown paper and we huddled together, rotis held close to our mouths, hurriedly gulping down our food, sometimes with mouthfuls of paper, so ashamed were we.

It was “doubles” that served as the wedge that opened the floodgates for Indian food.

Doubles vendors were always around but increasingly there were more of them and their customers were not limited to Indians.

Paratha was next to taste the limelight. It might be because of the name by which this roti is best known. “Buss-upshut” captured the Trini imagination.

Paratha, which is also a misnomer in the classic Indian sense since it is not stuffed with anything, is made to separate into smaller, bitesized pieces. Unlike the dhal puri, it cannot be used as a wrap but has to be served separately from the curry.

This requires a container.

Interestingly the paratha went mainstream when containers became commonplace.

In a way it demonstrated that there is a link between food and technology – the barra and dhal puri needed only pieces of brown wrapping paper and paper bags which were common.

The paratha needed a container and became popular when these were available in Styrofoam, cardboard and plastic.

What about the saada roti as the breakfast food of choice of so many Trinidadians? Its present popularity has as much to do with health and changing lifestyles as with taste. In rural homes, the husbands worked and the wives, even if they laboured in the cane-fields, were still responsible for the home and the food.

Work started from before four a.m. and the bread vans came much later so that roti was the fastest, easiest and, for most Indians, the only palatable solution.

However, with the new generation where both men and women work but despite the increased income still have to hustle early in the morning to avoid the traffic, it is easier to buy breakfast than wake up and cook. The rationale for continuing to want Indian food is that the last thing people give up is their food.

They are willing to change their language, their clothing and their external lifestyles but are very reluctant to part with their food which, for them, is the most important of comfort zones. In fact, under stress most people revert to their comfort foods.

The health fad also helped. The “chokhas” or pulped or mashed vegetables (“aloo” or potato, tomato, “baigan” or eggplant) that accompany the saada are healthier than bacon and eggs. Health-conscious Trinis eventually hopped onto the bandwagon. Now, saada roti has become the breakfast dish of many people in both rural and metropolitan areas.

For lunch, you can also buy dhal (split-pea soup), rice and any of the curries or chokhas in the food courts of the many malls throughout the country.

In the intervening years between 1962 and today, there were two other phenomena that helped to take roti and other Trinidadian East-Indian

products outside the c o u n t r y. O n e w a s t h e migration of many skilled workers to other parts of the world. Because of Trinidad’s long established petroleum industry, there are Trinidadians working in every oil-producing country in the world.

Also, during the past fifty years many Trinidadians have migrated to the US and Canada. These people, many of whom were of East Indian descent, missed their “home” food and eventually, some found a living making and selling “local” food to the others.

The other event is the rise of “chutney”, a hot and spicy music mix associated with Trinidadian Indian culture.

It is a unique combination of Hindi and Trinidadian English, calypso, soca and Indian melodies. Increasingly it carved its own niche in the music world. While the song that took it over the national and global threshold was Sonny Mann’s “Lotala”, the indications were always clear that chutney would emerge as one of the country’s global cultural exports.

Today roti has come out of the closet or the safe, the brown paper bag and the dirt fireside or “chulha”.

You can get any variation in the supermarkets, not just in Trinidad but throughout the diaspora. At the same time, there are signs that the tossed salad that Trinidad is, has been quietly fusing into the melting pot that it should be.

The emergence of roti is one of the contributors to a growing national unity of taste and culture – not what we put on the stage but our way of life and our values.

It is only under the pressure of politics that we tend to become tribal.

Hopefully, we can learn from the humblest and most homely of rotis and evolve beyond that – saada but wiser.

(This article first appeared in the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce’s CONTACT Magazine)

GPL system shuts down again For the second time within the last two weeks, the Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL) suffered a shutdown of its Demerara network.

The power company said that the outages experienced Tuesday night, commencing at 23:12 hrs, were as a result of a shutdown of its 60 Hz system.

“This was caused by the failure of a cable at our Kingston 11 Wartsila Power Plant feeding one of our high voltage 13,800/69,000 volts transformers.”

The entire 60 Hz areas in Georgetown, the East Coast, East Bank, West Bank, and West Coast Demerara were affected.

“The power plant had to be kept off-line to allow for an inspection of the damage and to determine what was safe to re-energize. This activity delayed power restoration to sections of northern Georgetown which are supplied directly from this plant.”

According to GPL, it started repowering of areas

about 30 minutes later, starting with areas on the East Bank and West Bank Demerara. Then followed by areas on the East Coast around 23:30 hrs.

Windsor Forest and Edinburgh were the last to be repowered at 02:47 hrs yesterday, GPL said.

“Further investigation is being carried out at the Kingston 11 Plant to determine the full extent and cause of the damage. GPL sincerely apologizes for the inconvenience caused.”

Thursday January 17, 2013

NCN CHANNEL 11 05:00 hrs - Inspiration 05:30 hrs - Newtown Gospel 06:00 hrs - NCN Late Edition News(r/b) 06:30 hrs - BBC 07:00 hrs - Guyana Today 08:00 hrs - Feature 09:00 hrs - Stop the Suffering 10:00 hrs - CCTV 11:00 hrs - History 12:00 hrs - CNN 12:30 hrs - NCN Newsbreak 12:35 hrs - Movie 15:00 hrs - Caribbean T20 Highlights 16:00 hrs - Cartoons 16:30 hrs - Farming Today 17:00 hrs - Anderson 18:00 hrs - NCN News Magazine – Live 18:30 hrs - Current Affairs 19:00 hrs - Al Jazeera 19:30 hrs - NIS and You 20:00 hrs - 3d/daily millions/ play de dream/lotto draw 20:05 hrs - NCN Newsbreak 20:10 hrs - Miners World 20:40 hrs - GINA Presents 21:00 hrs - The Ravi D Show 22:05 hrs - NCN News Late

Kaieteur News

Edition 22:35 hrs - Caribbean Newsline 23:00 hrs - Movie -Firefox MTV CHANNEL 14/ CABLE 65 Sign on 05:30 hrs - Revelation and Power 06:00 hrs - Islamic Perspective 06:30 hrs - News Update 07:00 hrs - DAYBREAK 08:00 hrs - Dabi’s Musical Hour 08:30 hrs - Avon DVD Club music hour 09:15 hrs - Top Notch Music Break 09:30 hrs - Caribbean Temptation Music Mix 10:00 hrs - Amanda’s Costume Jewellery Music break 10:30 hrs - BBC World News 11:00 hrs - National Geographic 12:00 hrs - The View 13:00 hrs - Village talk 13:30 hrs - The Young and the Restless

14:30 hrs - Days Of Our Lives 15:00 hrs - General Hospital 16:00 hrs - The Bold and the Beautiful 16:30 hrs - Cartoons 17:00 hrs - Birthdays and other greetings 17:15 hrs - Death Announcements/ In Memoriam 17:30 hrs - CNN News 18:00 hrs - Sitcom 18:30 hrs - Jai Santoshi Ma 19:00 hrs - Soul Melodies with Trans Globe 19:30 hrs - News Update 20:30 hrs - Winners Row Quiz 21:30 hrs - English Movie: Predator 23:00 hrs - News Update 23:00 hrs - Movie: Predator Continues Sign off DTV CHANNEL 8 08:55 hrs. Sign On 09:00 hrs. GMA 10:00 hrs. Live! With Kelly and Michael 11:00 hrs. The Ricki Lake

Guides are subjected to change without notice

Thursday January 17, 2013 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Your emotions are strong but inconsistent now that the Moon is back in your excitable sign. You may think you’re receiving conflicting signals from a friend or partner today, but it’s probably your interpretation that is mixed, rather than what is actually said.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) A friend or associate may seem overly pushy today, yet you’re able to hold your ground without exerting too much effort. Your key planet Venus receives solid support from stabilizing Saturn, empowering you to take a realistic approach to relationships.

TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) Although you are feeling quite grounded today, your imagination is taking off as if it has a life of its own.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) The magic of love feels nearby today, along with the frustration of realizing that your current attractions are based more on illusion than reality.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) You might try to avoid a deep discussion about your feelings with someone at work today. You prefer to keep conversations lighthearted, but you’re less interested in clever repartee now than getting to the truth.

CANCER (June 21–July 22) A memorable vision may come to you in a daydream or in your sleep, and you have a chance to touch a deep spiritual truth now if you surrender to your intuition.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) You try to stay on a straight and narrow path today, but you may end up misleading others or they could mislead you.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) If something is bothering you physically today, the cause of your symptoms may be elusive.

SAGIT (Nov. 22–Dec. 21) You might be dealing with a struggle between connection and separation today.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) It’s wise to reread something that you write today since you may not be as clear and straightforward as you think.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20–Feb. 18) Your dreams seem so real now that it’s difficult to know exactly what’s going on.

Although you may want to take a quick escape into your fantasy world, too much activity in your daily life prevents you from retreating.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) You have stepped into the carnival fun house and are standing in the Hall of Mirrors, where everything is distorted.

Show 12:00 hrs. The View 13:00 hrs. Prime News 13:30 hrs. The Young and the Restless 14:30 hrs. The Bold and the Beautiful 15:00 hrs. The Talk 16:00 hrs. Steve Harvey 17:00 hrs. The Ellen DeGeneres Show 18:00 hrs. World News 19:00 hrs. Greetings and Announcements 21:05 hrs. Movie: The Devil’s Own 00:00 hrs. Sign Off

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Thursday January 17, 2013

NADAL RECOVERY ON COURSE, CONFIRMS RETURN NEXT MONTH MADRID (Reuters) Rafa Nadal has passed the latest medical tests on his injured knee, the Spanish tennis federation (RFET) said on Wednesday as the world number four confirmed he would return after more than seven months out at the Brazil Open next month.

“The tests confirm that Rafa’s recovery is proceeding favorably,” RFET doctor Angel Ruiz-Cotorro said.

“Medically speaking we are in the final stages and the results were very satisfactory and the return to the circuit is expected to proceed according to plan,” he added.

Nadal was due to make his competitive comeback at

last month’s exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi that is not part of the ATP Tour.

The 26-year-old won the event in 2010 and 2011 but withdrew on December 25 saying he had a stomach virus and later pulled out of this month’s Australian Open.

He has not played since June when he suffered a shock defeat in the second round of Wimbledon to Czech Lukas Rosol.

He was subsequently diagnosed with a partial tear of the patella tendon and inflammation in his left knee and was unable to defend his Olympic title at the London Games.

The 11-times grand slam

singles champion also missed the U.S. Open and the season-ending World Tour championships before returning to the practice court on November 20.

Nadal, who is projected to drop to number five when the rankings are updated after the Australian Open, said on Wednesday he was looking forward to the Sao Paulo event, played indoors on clay and which starts on February 11.

“Here you see me on a clay court preparing for the tournament in Sao Paulo,” he said in a message posted on You Tube.

“I am very excited about returning to play in Brazil after so many years,” the French Open champion added.

“The last time was in 2005 and I have some fantastic memories.

I want to give a huge thanks to the organizers for inviting me to participate in the tournament and I hope to see you there very soon.”

Spain's Rafael Nadal combs his hair back

Tevez banned from driving after ignoring police letters LONDON (Reuters) Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez has been banned from driving for six months after ignoring police letters about speeding offences because he did not understand the word ‘constabulary’.

The Manchester Evening News reported on Wednesday that the Argentine international had pleaded guilty to three offences, including driving without a valid UK licence, at a magistrates court hearing.

The player’s lawyer told magistrates that Tevez, who has played in the Premier League for seven years, had not responded to the letters because he had not understood them.

“He does understand the word ‘police’, but not more complicated words. The letters are written from Cheshire Constabulary and the word police doesn’t appear on it anywhere,” PA news quotes solicitor Gwyn Lewis as saying.

“The word constabulary is not one that is recognised internationally, but of course police is.”

Manchester City’s Carlos Tevez celebrates after scoring his side’s first goal during their FA Cup football match against Watford at The Etihad Stadium in Manchester, northern England January 5, 2013.

REUTERS/Phil Noble

Tevez, 28, had driven with an Argentine licence and his lawyer said the striker, who was not present in court, would take a UK driving test once the ban had expired.

The newspaper said Tevez’s Hummer was caught on camera exceeding the speed limit in March and May

last year.

He denied being at the wheel on those occasions but was stopped by police while driving his Porsche Panamera last November without a valid licence.

Tevez was also ordered to pay fines and costs of 1,540 pounds.

Thursday January 17, 2013

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Samuels to miss Australia tour GCA Marketing Manager

Marlon Samuels SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA The facial injuries suffered by Marlon Samuels in the Big Bash League this month have kept the all-rounder out of the West Indies’ squad to tour Australia.

Samuels was an absentee from the 15-man squad named on Wednesday to arrive on Australia Day, as he has been

sidelined since being struck by a Lasith Malinga delivery while playing for the Melbourne Renegades against the Melbourne Stars at the MCG on January 6.

Samuels is understood to be still in Melbourne, as he must front a Cricket Australia hearing over his report for clashing with Shane Warne

during that match.

Samuels is expected to return to the Caribbean next week to continue his recovery.

The West Indies at least regained some experience in Dwayne Bravo, who was named vice-captain after overcoming the injuries that kept him out of last year’s tour of Bangladesh.

Veteran batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan was also recalled.

The West Indies will play five one-day internationals and a Twenty20 in Brisbane and start their tour with a match against the Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra on January 29.

The ODIs start in Perth on February 1, with the MCG to host the fifth game on February 10.

Khan passes on

Jamaican coaching expertise...

From page 34 (JTB). “It’s going to be an interactive process where we find out what their objectives are for the season and we will assimilate that with our

programme. Persons are so fascinated with what is happening in Jamaica, so they are going to be interested in what we do.

It will not be a difficult process as we make decisions

regarding the way forward,” Wilson said.

Meanwhile, the expenditure of the Aussie contingent is projected at US$45,000 and will be covered by that country.

Friends and relatives fo the late Afzal Khan view his body yesterday at MYO Marketing Manager of the Georgetown Cricket Association Afzal Khan died last Saturday at the Mercy Hospital after suffering

from a heart attack. Khan, who was 71, also served a Marketing Manager of the Guyana Cricket Board.

Thursday January 17, 2013

Kaieteur News

Bravo brothers make life easy for leaders T&T

Darren Sammy congratulates Dwayne Bravo (WICB) Gros Islet, St Lucia – Trinidad and Tobago have now won four out of their five games in the Caribbean T20 and are at the top of the table.

Their latest win came against Windward Islands in St Lucia, and a comprehensive one at that. Windwards batted first and were restricted to 125-6, thanks to economical spells from most of T&T’s bowlers.

Keddy Lesporis topscored with 31, but it came off 33 balls, and even Darren Sammy scored at less than a run a ball, making an unbeaten 25 off 27 balls. Leg-

spinner Samuel Badree was the pick of the bowlers, taking 2-15 in four overs.

T&T lost openers Lendl Simmons and William Perkins inside the first five overs but Dwayne Bravo and Darren Bravo ensured there were no further hiccups.

Both struck halfcenturies, Darren striking four fours and three sixes, and Dwayne finishing with 62, with five fours and four sixes.

Their unbeaten stand of 112 in just 68 balls sealed victory with 22 balls to spare.

SCHEDULE:

AT

BEAUSEJOUR CRICKET GROUND, Gros Islet, St. Lucia) Thursday, January 17 Leeward Islands vs Guyana – 4 p.m.

Windward Islands vs Barbados – 8 p.m.

Friday, January 18 Combined Campuses & Colleges vs Jamaica – 4 p.m.

Windward Islands vs Guyana – 8 p.m.

Saturday, January 19 Play-off: 2nd Place vs 3rd Place – 8 p.m.

Sunday, January 20 Grand Final: 1st Place vs Winner of Play-off – 8 p.m.

POINTS STANDINGS TEAMS T&T Jamaica Barbados Windwards Guyana CCC Leewards

M 5 5 4 4 4 4 4

W 4 3 2 2 2 1 0

L 0 1 2 2 2 3 4

NR 1 1 0 0 0 0 0

P 17 13 8 8 8 4 0

NRR +2.897 -0.361 +0.685 +0.227 -0.624 -0.647 -2.302

Page 31

Sarwan happy to be back in West Indies team for upcoming tour Castries, St Lucia – Ramnaresh Sarwan is eagerly looking forward to his return to the West Indies for the upcoming limited-overs tour of Australia.

The experienced middleorder batsman was named in the 15-man squad announced by the West Indies Cricket Board’s Selection Panel on Tuesday.

The team will be led by Darren Sammy with Dwayne Bravo as vice captain. The World T20 Champions will play five One-Day Internationals and a T20 International from February 1 to 13.

“I’m happy to be back in the team. Obviously I’ve been out for a while, but it feels really good to be back r e p r e s e n t i n g t h e We s t Indies.

I am really looking forward to this tour and I’m confident things will go well for us in Australia,” he said.

Ramnaresh Sarwan The 32-year-old Sarwan is a f o r m e r We s t I n d i e s captain.

He last played a One-Day International in June 2011 and his ODI career statistics show 173 matches with 5,644 runs at an average of 43.41 runs per innings.

“As a team we like the ball when it comes onto the bat

so we should enjoy the conditions in Australia.

I have played there a few times and we have other experienced members of the team who have played there as well.

The team has been playing some good cricket recently so I will just fit in.

I am an experienced player at the international level and will look to play my part and make a contribution in any way I’m called upon,” added the Windies Number 53.

“I am hitting the ball pretty well. It’s a matter of me trying to get myself in and settle down and look to get big scores for the team.

I want to get scores and help the team to win matches.”

The squad departs from Barbados on Wednesday, January 23 and arrives in Australia on Saturday, January 26.

Page 32

Kaieteur News

Amazing Taylor strikes gold as Windies Women level series Roseau, Dominica – Stafanie Taylor again proved why she is rated as the best women’s cricketer in the world, producing another superb batting performance to guide the West Indies Women to a series-levelling victory over South Africa in the fifth and final One-Day International on Tuesday.

The 21-year-old made a

top score of 76 off 93 balls – including four boundaries – as the West Indies made 1778 off 50 overs. They then bowled out South Africa Women for 155 to win by 22 runs at Windsor Park. It was a great result for the Windies, who came back from 0-2 down to level the series with one match being washed out.

“I didn’t really feel any

pressure today. I just went out and looked to dig in. It was a good pitch to bat on and I knew once I got in I could get a major score,” said Taylor, who won the Player-of-theMatch and Player-of-theSeries awards.

“That is not to say it was easy – I had to be watchful throughout. In the end it felt really good to win the match

Thursday January 17, 2013

Stafanie Taylor (WICB)

by a comfortable margin and level the series. We are delighted in our dressing room.”

Taylor added 117 for the second wicket with pint-sized Shemaine Campbell, who made a 47 off 64 balls including some classic offside strokes.

“The wash-out hurt us.

After we went 0-2 down in St

Kitts we knew we had to bounce back.

We came here to Dominica determined to win all three [matches]. We won the third match and had them under pressure in the fourth,” added Taylor, who is the Number 1 allrounder in the International Cricket Council’s One-Day rankings.

Earlier in the series, Taylor became the first West Indian woman to reach 2,000 runs in One-Day Internationals. This is another milestone in the career of the two-time ICC Women’s Cricketer-of-the-

Year award winner.

“We came here today and did a great job to win the last match. In our eyes we won the series.

To bounce back in this style says a lot about our team and the heart we have. This is great momentum going into the World Cup in India,” she said.

The two teams traveled to St Lucia yesterday where they will play back-to-back T20 Internationals on Saturday and Sunday. Both matches start at 4 pm (3 pm Jamaica Time).

Leewards beat CCC by 4 runs

SHATTERED! Leewards tailender Gavin Tonge is spectacularly bowled by Jason Holder of CCC. (Randy Brooks/WICB PHOTO) The Leeward Islands defeated Combined Campuses and Colleges by 4 runs in the 16th game of the Caribbean T20 at the Beausejour Cricket Stadium yesterday.

Scores: LEEWARDS 127

all out off 19.4 overs (Justin Athanaze 31, Gavin Tonge 25, Chesney Hughes 22; Akeem Dewar 3-15, Ryan Austin 317); CCC 123 for 8 off 20 overs (Sunil Ambris 25, Floyd Reifer 25, Jason Holder 20; Chesney Hughes 1-20).

Thursday January 17, 2013

GCB Senior 4-day Inter County tourney Rd 2...

Kaieteur News

DESPITE RAIN, DANIELS LATE BURST PUTS DEMERARA ON BACK FOOT, GT&T BERBICE RESTRICTS E’BO

Zaheer Moahmed plays a defensive shot during the last over yesterday at DCC

Pacer Seon Daniels grabbed 2 late wickets as Demerara ended day 2 of the second round of the Guyana Cricket Board Senior 4-day Inter County tournament on 157-5 after rain reduced play to 30.3 overs at DCC. Heavy overnight rain caused the game to start just after tea with Demerara on 107-1 with Rajendra Chandrika on 52 and Shemroy

Page 33

Barrington on 13. The pair took the score to 131 before Barrington, after seemingly well set was caught off fast bowler Brandon Bess for 32 which came off 83 balls and included four fours.

Steven Latcha then removed Chanderpaul Hemraj without scoring one run later.

Vishal Singh joined Chandrika who continued to play his shots, and took the score to

150 before Daniels trapped Chandrika leg before for 73 which came off 79 deliveries and contained twelve fours.

Daniels then induced Joseph Perry (00) to nick one behind as Demerara slipped to 152.

Singh 09 not out and Zaheer Mohamed, who is yet to get off the mark, saw their team to the close without further hiccups.

Daniels ended the day

Essequibo’s Vijay Surajpaul off drives Clinton Pestano yesterday.

with 3-34, while Bess (1-24) and Latcha (1-50) were the other wicket takers for the President’s XI. At Wales, Essequibo batsmen showed little fight against GT&T Berbice as they finished day two on 123\9 in 44 overs. When play finally began after the tea interval, Essequibo resumed on their overnight score of 55-3 with Ricardo Adams on 06 and

Herrell Green on 14. Adams failed to trouble the score as he played over one from Eon Hooper and had his stumps knocked over off the second ball of the day’s play. Green and Surujpaul added 17 for the fifth wicket before Hooper struck once again when he clean bowled Green for 18.

Surujpaul soon departed when he was stumped off left arm spinner Gudakesh Motie

Kanhai for 14. Essequibo then lost debutant Kemo Paul (13), Anthony Adams (21) and Herry Green (03) before Mark Gonsalves 10 not out and Mark Tyrell, who is unbeaten on 03, saw them to stumps.

Kanhai has so far taken 3-27; he was supported by Hooper 2-23, Clinton Pestano 2-29 and Keon Joseph 1-22. Both matches continue today.

(Zaheer Mohamed)

Page 34

Kaieteur News

Thursday January 17, 2013

Bangladesh Premier League 2012-13...

NO PAKISTAN PLAYERS IN BPL ESPNCricinfo - None of the 26 Pakistan players auctioned in this season’s Bangladesh Premier League will take part in the Twenty20 competition after the PCB refused to issue No Objection Certificates (NOCs).

The seven franchises will now have to hastily replace the cricketers in less than two days as the tournament begins on January 18. But the PCB’s stance is seen here as a backhanded victory for the BCB who now have a justification not to tour Pakistan, a tour they originally cancelled on December 31 due to security concerns, as this was used as the main cause of disagreement between the two boards.

“A little while ago, we received a phone call from their COO Subhan Ahmed saying that if we don’t send the Bangladesh team on tour to Pakistan, they won’t give NOCs to their players to participate in the BPL,” the

BCB’s media committee chairman Jalal Yunus said.

“We will hold the tournament without their participation and it will start as per schedule, the opening ceremony on January 17 and the matches beginning on January 18.”

The BCB president Nazmul Hassan said that the PCB knowingly waited till the last minute to inform them of the decision.

“I couldn’t imagine that they could deliberately wait for so long, a day before the opening ceremony, to inform us that they won’t give the NOCs. “There are many Pakistani cricketers who were bought in the auction so to have all of them pull out at the last minute is a problem for us.”

Hassan said that the action by the PCB has given the BCB free reign on deciding to tour Pakistan, which they will not do without a second trip by a security team.

“We are no longer in a hurry. We were under tremendous pressure, so now we have some breathing space. Just before the start of a tournament, they have taken such a tough stance without any prior notice knowing that it would throw the organisation into jeopardy.

“We will now decide on the sort of response regarding Bangladesh’s tour to Pakistan.

It is not possible for us to commit to a tour without an inspection, and we will not be cowed down by any preconditions.”

The franchises were informed on Tuesday evening of the situation, but the official word on the matter was only confirmed late on Wednesday afternoon after a final phone call from the PCB. Khulna will be the most severely hit as they have to replace Shoaib Malik, Umar Akmal, Awais Zia, Umar Amin,

Ahmed Shehzad, Haris Sohail and Bilawal Bhatti and they have already begun the process. The other six franchises have also been hit with Dhaka Gladiators being the least affected as they only lost Shahid Afridi.

Yunus explained that each team will put forward names to replace their Pakistan players and will be helped by the BPL governing council to contact them and seek NOCs. In the event of a dispute if a player is sought by more than one franchise, it will be decided on a first-come-firstserve basis.

“The teams are giving us names and we are giving approvals,” he said. “Clause 4.4 says that if a player doesn’t get an NOC he can be replaced.

This replacement can be from within the list of unsold players from the auction or even from outside, for example we are talking to Kieron Pollard. We are trying

Khulna Royal Bengals will have to go without the services of Ahmed Shehzad, one of their seven Pakistan players © BPL T20

to bring players from four or five other countries.

“Except for one or two players, most of the replacements are at a par with

the Pakistan players. It is troublesome for the franchises, but we are taking it as a challenge. We are ready to face it.”

Thursday January 17, 2013

Kaieteur News

Page 35

Jamaican coaching expertise for Australian sprinters Jamaica Observer GLOBAL interest continues to grow in Jamaica’s athletics programme on the back of its overwhelming successes at recent Olympic Games and World Championships.

At a press briefing Tuesday at the Courtleigh Hotel, the president of the Business of Sport entity, Carole Beckford, announced a partnership with Australian firm Competitive Edge and the Spanish Town-based GC Foster College to provide coaching to athletes from ‘Down Under’.

Beckford told the Jamaica Observer the deal is only part of a move towards seeing Jamaica reaping benefits from its exploits in the

international track and field arena.

“The Business of Sports initiative is really to put an economic value to Jamaica’s successes in sports and see how we can match them.

Australia needs technical assistance in track and field, but there is more to it.

“There’s an exchange of technical expertise, marketing and management. I think it’s natural for Commonwealth countries which have existing relationships to come together,” said Beckford, while adding that the Australians will provide rugby and basketball clinics to local participants.

Hayden Knowles, managing director of

Competitive Edge, said the opportunity was a big one for his contingent of 10 athletes, which includes Jordan Caldow, a beach runner with Jamaican heritage; Olympian Andrew McCabe; and Aboriginal youngsters who are indigenous to rural Australia.

“This move is changing the game. It has never happened before and it will change some lives. We’ve got some kids who have never been out of Outback Australia.

“For our elite guys they are looking for an edge... (and) they have travelled the other side of the world to find it, and there’s no better place than the best (sprint training

GFF Super League to re-commence Feb. 3

The battle lines will be drawn again from February 3 next when the Guyana Football Federation Super League recommences with first round action.

The league had taken a break to facilitate the year end Kashif & Shanghai knock-out tournament but it will be back to strategizing for the league format of competition.

Teams P Western Tigers 7 Pele 7 Buxton United 7 Alpha United 5 Uitvlugt Warriors 6 Rosignol United 6 Amelia’s Ward 5 Den Amstel 6 BV Triumph 6 Milerock 7

Teams by now will be working on upping their fitness levels having taken a bit of a rest after the year end tournament and the Christmas holidays. Coaches and Technical staff are by now finalizing their tactical plans for what is anticipated to be fierce rivalry.

Defending champions Alpha United has played 5 games the same as Amelia’s Ward United, the least of all the 10 competing teams.

Unlike other years, all the teams have lost at least one match (Alpha, Pele, Western W 4 3 3 3 3 1 1 1 1 1

D 2 3 2 1 0 3 3 3 2 1

L 1 1 2 1 3 2 1 2 3 5

GF 10 9 5 11 9 12 8 6 5 8

Tigers, Amelia’s Ward), Milerock losing the most to date, 5 of their 7.

Buxton United, Rosignol United and Den Amstel Porknockers have lost 2 each while Uitvlugt Warriors and BV Triumph United have lost 3 apiece.

BK Int. Western Tigers are atop the points table with 14 and a +3 goal difference from their 7 matches followed

by Pele 2 points back and a +5 goal average. Buxton United follow on 11 points with Alpha one point back in 4th place.

GA 7 4 8 3 10 11 8 8 10 14

GD +3 +5 -3 +8 -1 +1 0 -2 -5 -6

Points 14 12 11 10 9 6 6 6 5 4

AAG releases qualifying standards for CARIFTA Games The Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) yesterday released its qualifying standards for athletes hoping to make the national team for the 2013 junior CARIFTA Games that will be held during March 29-April 1 in the Bahamas. The standards are as follows: 2013 100m 200m 400m 800m 1500m High Jump Long Jump Triple Jump Shot Putt Discus

GIRLS UNDER 17 11.90 25.0 57.0 2:18.0 4:54.0 1.60M 5.40M 11.30M 10.30M 35M

GIRLS UNDER 20 11.70 24:0 55.44 2:14.50 4:44.0 1.80M 5.74M 11.43M 12.18M 38.09M

Australian Olympic 4x100m sprinter Andrew McCabe (left) hands a souvenir team gear to Jamaican coach Maurice Wilson during Tuesday’s press briefing at the Courtleigh Hotel. (Photo: Bryan Cummings) location) in the world.

“We plan on making this a regular thing and bringing athletes into the country and also sending invites for Jamaicans to come ‘Down Under’,” Knowles said.

Jamaica’s track guru Maurice Wilson who’s

certified by the world governing body (IAAF) as a Level V coach, is the technical director and will guide the Australian athletes, who will be based at GC Foster.

He expects the foreign athletes to be keen on picking up all they can from the local

coaches during the two-week course, which is largely propelled by main sponsors KFC; as well as Digicel, Pepsi Jamaica, through its Gatorade brand; Yellow Pages, Courtleigh Hotel & Suites and the Jamaica Tourist Board (Continued on page 30)

t r o Sp

Ruthless Djokovic, Sharapova lift Melbourne Park

Maria Sharapova (Getty Images) Novak Djokovic of Serbia hits a return to Ryan Harrison.

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Novak Djokovic and Maria Sharapova scorched into the third round of the Australian Open with displays of ruthless dominance on

Wednesday to bring some much-needed pizzazz to the main showcourts.

Djokovic remained on course for a third successive title with a 6-1 6-2 6-3 demolition

of Ryan Harrison, while Sharapova pummelled Misaki Doi 6-0 6-0 to become the first player in 28 years to hand out consecutive ‘double-bagels’ at a grand slam.

Returning with venom and lacerating the court with his forehands, Djokovic took just 91 minutes to whip past the American and set up a meeting with Radek Stepanek, rating it among his best performances in the early rounds of a major.

“You’re trying to perform your best in every match that you play in and this was definitely a better performance than the first round,” the 25-year-old said.

“I managed to play at a very high level already in the second round of a grand slam, which is very encouraging for the next challenge.”

David Ferrer and Tomas Berdych had earlier signally failed to fill the charisma chasm left in the top half of the draw by the absence of the injured Rafa Nadal, but both got through the second round with some ease.

Agnieszka Radwanska extended her winning streak this year to 11 matches with a 6-3 6-3 win over Irina-Camelia Begu in the opening match on Rod Laver Arena, while Zheng Jie wrapped up the day session with a 6-4 1-6 7-5 upset of local hope Sam Stosur.

Anyone looking for real fireworks, though, needed to be out on court eight, where Radwanska’s fellow Pole Jerzy Janowicz exploded in a sensational tantrum before battling back brilliantly to beat Somdev Devvarman 6-7 3-6 6-1 6-0 7-5.

The 24th seed was enraged by a line call during the tiebreak at the end of the 79minute first set and roared out his displeasure before hitting the umpire’s chair with his racket and throwing his water bottle across court.

“I was really worried about his voice,” said Indian Devvarman. “He was really yelling at the top of his lungs and I said, ‘Dude, calm down!.’”

American Brian Baker could have been forgiven for letting out a scream of frustration of his own after his tournament ended in a wheelchair when he sustained a serious knee injury. The 27-year-old, who returned to the professional circuit last year after seven injury-plagued years out, had won the first set against compatriot Sam Querrey when he

broke down.

“He said he kind of just felt his knee almost buckle and kind of heard like a pop or a snap,” said 20th seed Querrey. “He didn’t know if it was bones or a tear, but he couldn’t straighten it, couldn’t walk. I feel awful for him.”

MORE BAGELS Women’s second seed and 2008 champion Sharapova was in absolutely no mood for sympathy as she dismissed Japan’s Doi in just 47 minutes on Hisense Arena.

“I didn’t offer candy today,” Sharapova, who has just launched a confectionary business. “It’s not really the statistic I want to be known for. I want to be known for winning grand slam titles, not that I won two matches 6-0 6-0.”

The Russian is unlikely to make it through the third round without dropping a game, though, after Venus Williams beat Alize Cornet 6-3 6-3 in the match to decide her next opponent.

Djokovic is likely to meet Berdych in the quarter-finals, while Ferrer is seeded to play the Serbian world number one in the semifinals.

Fifth seeded Czech Berdych wrapped up a 6-2 6-2 6-4 hammering of Frenchman Guillaume Rufin with his eighth ace after exactly two hours on Rod Laver Arena.

Ferrer, seeded fourth in the absence of Nadal, was playing out on Margaret Court Arena and required 38 minutes longer to despatch American lucky loser Tim Smyczek 6-0 7-5 4-6 6-3.

There was Asian success on Hisense Arena when China’s Li Na battled back from 4-2 down in the second set to secure a 6-2 7-5 win over Olga Govortsova, but for once she was outshone by compatriot Zheng.

The 2010 semi-finalist recorded a 6-4 1-6 7-5 win over Stosur but, in truth, the former U.S. Open champion handed her opponent the victory after leading comfortably in the deciding set.

“Obviously it’s a pretty hard one to take when you get yourself well and truly into a winning position,” said ninth seed Stosur, who continued her miserable run at her home grand slam.

“At 5 2 up in the third, double break probably is a bit of a choke.”

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