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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: 225-8491, 225-8458, 225-8465 Fax: 225-8473 or 226-8210
Editorial
Change is coming! In his first inaugural address at the ceremonial opening of Guyana’s 11th Parliament on June 10, 2015, the Head of State Brigadier David Granger touted Guyana’s development potential and promised to unleash all the forces needed to move Guyana forward. Among the 15-member CARICOM, Guyana is indeed perhaps the only country in the region with tremendous potential for development. It has untapped resources such as oil, minerals, timber and bauxite, just to name a few. Viewed as the bread basket of the Caribbean in an earlier time, most of Guyana’s territory is uninhabited virgin forest with the vast majority of its population living on the coastal belt. It is blessed with fertile lands that yield an abundance of sugar, rice, fruits or other food crops. Guyana is also rich with mineral deposits of gold, diamonds and bauxite, among others. Its trenches, streams, canals and rivers provide a bounty of more than ten different types of fresh water fishes. And the largest American oil company, Exxon Mobile has just discovered significant deposits of crude oil, which provide additional economic benefits for this multiracial and multiethnic country of just under 750,000 people. Despite possessing such huge territory and vast natural wealth, Guyana has unfortunately lagged from a development perspective behind most of the CARICOM states, including Barbados which gained its Independence from Britain in 1966, the same year as Guyana. In fact, the Bahamas, Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago which were on par with Guyana or just ahead of it in economic growth have moved ahead, leaving it way behind. One of the reasons is that racial politics has led to the marginalization of a large section of the ethnic population. A second reason is that for over a decade, the country has been hurt by rampant corruption which has stifled economic development and made it the second most corrupt country in the Caribbean after Haiti. A third reason is that Guyana has been hit by a major exodus of skilled personnel since the 1970s because of political and ethnic problems, and even though it had started to show encouraging signs of an economic rebound in recent years, it remains the second poorest country in the region after Haiti. The recently concluded general and regional elections which saw the defeat of the PPP government, presents a golden opportunity for Guyanese to embrace change and to carve out a new path to move the country forward. However, the main obstacle is an angry and badly wounded PPP, which has refused to accept the results of the election even though international observers certified the poll as generally free and fair. The PPP continues to claim that the election was rigged and has rejected an invitation from President Granger to form a governmentof national unity. The PPP has also refused to attend the ceremonial opening of Guyana’s 11th Parliament. Mr. Granger’s promise to be the president for all of the people is reassuring to the nation that race which has historically been the cause of racial division in Guyana would not be tolerated by his administration. This is unlike the defeated PPP administration which catered to Indo-Guyanese in the same way that the People’s National Congress (PNC), under the country’s first president Forbes Burnham served Afro-Guyanese.In the eyes of many, racism has stifled the political, human and economic development of Guyana. There is no doubt that Mr. Granger has assumed the presidency with credibility and a lot of support, which he can effectively use to unite the races and chart a vibrant and positive course for the country. However, this needs the support and unity of all the people to send a powerful message to the world and foreign investors that change has come to a blessed Guyana and that the country is open for business. This will improve the country’s image both locally and internationally and build confidence among the citizens that the Granger led-Coalition Government is working in the nation’s best interest.
Sunday June 14, 2015
Kaieteur M@ilbox Send your letters to Kaieteur News 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown or email us kaieteurnews@yahoo.com
The Mandate of the Guyana Revenue Authority DEAR EDITOR, It is noted with grave concern the numerous missives, published in both the local newspapers and broadcast in the social media, which attempt to cast an incorrect and negative view of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA). While it is my humble opinion that these communiqués seem to stem directly from a recently recurring call for the resignation of perceived politically appointed officers within the Revenue Authority, and to serve as a not so new forum by which staff air grouses against management, I wish to emphatically say that the GRA has always been seen as one of those Government Organisations which operates with a high degree of transparency and accountability
surpassing its revenue target year after year and the distorted views of a few individuals should not be regarded as an accurate reflection of the organization. As is the norm with most semiautonomous entity, the work of the GRA is managed by a Governing Board comprising of both executive and nonexecutive directors as provided for under the act that establishes the Revenue Authority. As is common with such large organisations there would be various sub-committees of the Board such as the Internal Audit Committee. the Human Resource Committee among others to ensure strict adherence to standard operating procedures by various divisions, section and unit within the GRA. As such, any appointment and/or promotion and
remuneration of officers within the organization would at all times confirm to a process that would not only be transparent but that is fully sanctioned and competitive. I would like to take this opportunity to reemphasize that the peddling of allegations, misconceptions and innuendos is not an accurate reflection of the GRA, but rather, a cheap attempt by disgruntled individuals to malign the professionally intact and good reputation of the Revenue Authority as a whole, in an effort to satisfy personal and unwarranted grievances. The media should thus forthwith, desist from publishing such wholly inaccurate, greatly misleading and mischievous references to the GRA and (Continued on page 6)
Sunday June 14, 2015
Kaieteur News
Kaieteur M@ilbox
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Freddie Kissoon accuses Ramon Gaskin of hypocrisy DEAR EDITOR, One day in March I picked up the Stabroek News to find a letter by Ramon Gaskin that made hair-raising criticism of my character. Titled, “Kissoon has behaved like the rest of them,” SN, March 24, 2015, Gaskin derided me for taking money from businessmen for building my house (which is not true; I assistance from friends I knew thousands of years ago) Gaskin wrote; “Mr. Kissoon has gravely damaged his reputation as an independent commentator and FATALLY (my emphasis) damaged his integrity as a journalist. As a person, he has behaved just like the rest of them.” The next day, Mr. Gaskin got his friend, the frequent letter-writer who hates to publish his first name, GHK Lall to pen two
letters further vilifying my character. Lall went so far as to say that I am contaminated I responded to Gaskin and Lall with colossal transparency. I said I will name the four businessmen to the editors of the KN and SN because it was risky to openly identify them with the vindictive PPP Government around. One has to be drunk, indecent and silly to deny me similar requests from Gaskin and Lall What I demanded was tiny and modest. From Gaskin I wanted to know how long he has been an employee of BK Tiwarie. From Lall, I said that he should name the reliable sources that told him I took money from businessmen. Gaskin did not respond. Lall was pompous and arrogant and failed to see the stupidity in his hubris.
He wrote back to say whether the money was from corporate Guyana or my friends I should pursue the public identification of these men and asserted that he will not respond further Time moved on, the vindictive PPP lost the government and I am now prepared to publicly name these businessmen without consulting them. The Guyanese people have my word on that. I will identify them even without a casual telephone call. Gaskin and Lall got their convoluted information on my house from a speech Jagdeo and Ramotar made in 2006 at Babu John at Jagan’s death anniversary I am naming names not because I have any respect for Gaskin and Lall. I have known Gaskin since the seventies when I was a
Port Kaituma residents are indeed struggling for water DEAR EDITOR, Reference is made to an article penned by frustrated residents of Port Kaituma titled “ Port Kaituma struggling for water “ captured in today’s (June 13, 2015) edition of Kaieteur News. As Port Kaituma continues to vastly develop, one thing is certain, the need for adequate infrastructural support for the growing population becomes paramount. My checks have substantiated the writer’s comments, and I’m disturbed
to know that, under the previous administration, two years have elapsed without the required repairs taking effect on this much needed pump. I understand that the current pump, which is operating at 1700 RPM has indeed outlived its usefulness carrying water for 2 miles from its location at citrus grove to Port Kaituma, which by itself is 1 mile wide. Furthermore, residents’ services are temporarily disconnected when schools in the regions require water. It is an accurate
expectation on the part of Port Kaituma’s residents to desire these improvements as mentioned in their letter. The Minister of Communities has heard your dilemma and will endeavor to correct, what is in my view, a terrible state of affairs. Raphael Hazel Ministry of Communities
scrawny half-starved youth and I had no admiration for him with his flashy Fiat sports cars from Italy, his three story house on Durban and Palm Streets and his big job as the CEO at the then Prashad Hospital. I don’t know who is GHK Lall, don’t want to know and I don’t think the Guyanese people are interested in Lall’s interest in me. Why Lall doesn’t ask Gaskin about who helps Gaskin Gaskin I am naming the names because that is my life – it has always been an open book. No one gave me money to build my residence. My friends helped me when they learnt I was building a home at Turkeyen. These are people I knew many, many moons ago. I must be the only public figure in the world that has to identify friends who are generous to me in my personal life. But what the hell; I have nothing to hide.
This entire country will laugh when they are told who these four persons are and how the generosity came about. Gaskin and GHK Lall will end up being fools. At the time Jagdeo and Ramotar made their Babu John announcement about my home, only one businessman was identified. My lawyer Anil Nandlall at the time, I guess told Jagdeo and Ramotar who the businessman was. In 2006, I had no idea that Nandlall was in the PPP camp. I admitted later that it was four helpers and not one In the Wednesday edition of KN, Gaskin wrote a letter accusing me of character assassination. This is sickening and atrocious from Gaskin. This man started the exchange by assaulting my integrity and principles as a media operator. He tries now to claim sympathy by making a character assassination
accusation against me. The editors and readers of this newspaper can Google my writings since March 24 when Gaskin attacked my morality and they will find that all I have asked of Gaskin is to describe in time and space his association with BK Tiwarie. Gaskin is a hypocrite to say that I have attacked him. For a man who opens his mouth every second of every day, he needs to provide the evidence If Gaskin and Lall think I am finished, I am not. I haven’t got anything to hide so there is no fear on my part. It was Gaskin and Lall who started this scandal. They have to finish it. Not me. Frederick Kissoon
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Sunday June 14, 2015
Kaieteur M@ilbox Kaieteur M@ilbox The Caribbean Press has never published three books by Dr. Paloma Mohamed DEAR EDITOR, The Law Firm,Ibis Law Chambers has been retained by Dr. Paloma MohamedMartin, Senior Lecturer at the University of Guyana, to do all things necessary in relation to certain libellous bits of information published by one Ruel Johnson and carried by your newspaper. With reference to a letter published on the 29th May, 2015 in the Stabroek News under the caption “Pointing out facts is not envy” authored by the said Ruel Johnson, following on from two weeks of vitriol published on his online extensions; we wish to correct the following falsehoods published therein in an attempt to set the record straight:
1. The Caribbean Press has never published three books by Dr. Paloma Mohamed, though she has over nine books in print. “Duenne: Guyana Prize winner of 1997 is the only book written by Dr. Mohamed that was published by The Caribbean Press. Please refer to http://caribbeanpress.org/ caribbean-press-downloads/ 2. No monthly salary has been received by Dr. Paloma Mohamed from the Ministry of Culture or any other government agency in Guyana. In fact, there is verifiable evidence that a single one off sum was paid to Dr. Mohamed for teaching a course at the National School for Drama in 2014 which sum was donated to the Theatre Guild since
September of the said year. 3. On the issue of Carifesta X, which was raised in the said letter by Mr. Johnson, it must be noted that the success or failure of Carifesta X in Guyana is not a matter of personal opinion, but should be premised on evidence of the lasting effects of the event. Moreover, whatever evaluations are made cannot be attributed to any single individual; such evidence is replete and available for balanced though critical evaluation. 4. The public and private stature of our client is a matter of international record. Those wishing to understand the depth of contributions Dr. Mohamed has made and continues to make may visit; http://belovedp.wix.com/
beloved-p 5. We hope that in the interest of accuracy, fairness as well as legal and personal probity; more care will be taken in the future when distinguishing what is fair comment in service of the public good and what is unfair, false and/or personal attack. 6. Albeit Dr. Mohamed has been advised not to deflect her attention from other important pressing matters to engage, at this time, in responding personally to the aforementioned uninformed caviling and vituperations; this law firm will nonetheless uphold her right to protection against libel and slander allowable under the law, whether committed through the local media or the internet
The Mandate of the Guyana Revenue... From page 4 its senior officers as carried in the Kaieteur News letter writer column of Monday, 8th June, 2015 as many of the misconceptions and innuendos peddled would appear to be unsubstantiated and are the very type of campaigns His Excellency President David Granger frowns upon, that is deliberately targeting a person/persons because of who he/she may be perceived to be, or because of the colour of his/her skin, or whom he/ she may have voted for. It is important to note that the GRA comprises in the main
senior officers who are highly qualified and professional who ought to find such views expressed in letters published as obscene and highly offensive to them and the work that they do. Additionally, such letters only serve to expose those elements who would have been fairly and justly dealt with by the GRA’s Grievance Procedure but who may have had to part ways with the GRA due to their errant ways, and who are now using the media to seek revenge on those they perceive to be enemies.
While I do not wish to be involved in any campaign of support for or against top echelons remaining in the organization post General Elections, as this is very much the prerogative of those who are in the current administration and the government, it should be noted that the individual records and that of the Commissioner General ought to attest to the level of their competence and professionalism, and this should not be tarnished by the grouses of some disgruntled members of the public and used to determine the future of such sets of employees that are critical to the proper functioning of
the GRA. I am therefore calling on your media house to desist from publishing false information contained in letters relating to the GRA as a means of denigrating persons in higher echelons of that organization, as well as to portray the agency as an ad hoc organization with no proper systems of discipline, work ethics, policies on transfer and promotion. Such letters can prove to be demoralizing to all staff of the GRA who have a mandate to promote compliance of tax laws and regulations with integrity and good standing. Ramesh Indarjit
should such efforts to tarnish her reputation and bring her into public ridicule and opprobrium continue. 7. Notwithstanding the foregone, my client remains a
great admirer of your paper and a most passionate supporter of all responsibly wielded freedoms. Leslie A.Sobers Attorney-at-Law
More of the recent past is retrogressive DEAR EDITOR, Ruel Johnson’s letter to me, June,6 [D-Day] 2015 brought home to me the reality of CARIFESTA X11. Since I had concluded the discourse on Paloma, realising that truth and reason would not prevail in that arena, my focus lay in his legitimate argument on ‘The transparency of Secret committees dictating Cultural participation’ my interpretation. I proceeded to Investigate and I decided to call some Cultural professionals, who I assumed should have been invited, as these committees most likely were leftovers from the Frank Anthony era,to which neither myself nor Ruel should expect to be called. But none of those to whom I spoke, who are of the contemporary school, were in the know or had been engaged. This Included Paloma Mohamed and some talented younger folk in the Visual Arts, our fledgling film makers, drama, and local Literature. The current post elections administration is new, and should recognise that more of the recent past is retrogressive. Culture is not about the familiarities of social gatherings. Nor does cultural development have room for dabbling, postulating, to protecting some income earning turf. This has been the theme for the past ten years, and I’m positive these particular [to quote you Ruel] Gate
Keepers are intact, and are ready to slither into the present and infect the future. The current Minister of Education is a participant of the Arts, and knows what I’m saying is true. He needs to address the Arts community publicly and introduce the secret committee to us, let us judge their credentials, as I’m hearing some names that are baffling, to evolve the logic as to why there’re there. I do look forward for a public Invitation. Sunday June 7, Stabroek News, carried an advertisement Inviting Arts practitioners to come and uplift forms, if they’re interested in participating in CARIFESTA X11. This is ridiculous. Who came up with that Idea? It’s Infra dig for any artist to now compete, and why compete? This is essentially the problem, and not an ordinary problem, that the Department of Culture cannot extract from the best of Visual Arts competitions and exhibitions, top Dramatic plays, best Publications, Fabric productions and photographic Prints over the past five years, engaging artists if no such records exist, to find out what’s in studios, that just need a nudge to complete to make Guyana shine. Advertisements like that are done for In-house competitions, not for an Ambassadorial expo like CARIFESTA. IT’S TIME ! Begin the process of transparency for progress. Barrington Braithwaite
Sunday June 14, 2015
Kaieteur News
Nine dead in air raid on area inhabited by Yemeni ex-leader’s relatives
A Houthi militant walks past a building of the Defence Ministry compound damaged by a Saudi-led air strike in Yemen's capital Sanaa June 10, 2015. Reuters/Khaled Abdullah Reuters - Nine people were killed when Saudi-led coalition warplanes bombed a district in the Yemeni capital Sanaa inhabited by relatives of ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh, residents and medics said. The air raid, which also wounded at least 60 people, came ahead of planned U.N.sponsored talks in Geneva aimed at ending Yemen’s civil war that has drawn in regional powers, including the world’s top oil exporter Saudi Arabia. Residents said the warplanes had targeted vacant houses in Bait Me’yad, a district near the heart of Sanaa that is home to a number of relatives of Saleh, whose loyalists are allied with Houthi forces, the dominant armed faction in the conflict. Mohammed Yahya, an eyewitness, said two missiles struck two Saleh relatives’ houses while the third crashed in the middle of the neighborhood, causing several casualties. Another witness said three explosions shook the neighborhood. “We felt as if the house was going to collapse over our heads,” said the man, identified as Ali Ahmed. “We ran, with the children, and hid under the stairwell. It was terrifying.” Medical sources said nine people who had suffered severe injuries died on arrival at hospital while 60 others were under care at three hospitals in the capital. The Houthi-controlled Saba news agency said most of the victims were women and children. In the southern port of Aden, residents said a dozen people were killed or wounded by Houthi shells fired into districts in the north of the city. Residents of Aden’s
Mansoura district described houses being shaken by overnight explosions. Fighters in the Southern Resistance movement and supporters of Hadi had fended off Houthi efforts to advance from the north, Aden residents added. Saleh remains influential in Yemen through his control of the former ruling party, the General People’s Congress, and the loyalty of many in the military, despite having stepped down after mass protests in 2011 against his long authoritarian rule. He subsequently made common cause with the Houthis, members of the Zaydi branch of Shi’ite Islam who seized control of Sanaa last September and forced President AbdRabbu Mansour Hadi to flee the Arabian Peninsula country. The Saudi-led coalition is trying to restore Hadi to power. The Houthis, who have advanced across wide areas of Yemen, say they are pursuing a revolution against corruption and Sunni Muslim militants, and deny any military or economic links with Iran, which also says it accords them only diplomatic support. Western powers and the Arab alliance fear Iran, via the Houthis, is trying to extend its regional influence into Yemen. The World Health Organization said on Friday that 2,584 people had been killed and 11,065 injured in the conflict, which has wrought a worsening humanitarian crisis. The United Nations said on Friday that talks between Yemen’s warring parties scheduled for Sunday has been delayed by one day to Monday as one delegation was arriving late in Geneva.
Tensions rise between Kurdish and Shi’ite forces in Iraq Tensions ran high in eastern Iraq on Friday between Kurdish and Shi’ite fighters, highlighting divisions hampering efforts by the U.S.-backed government to blunt the momentum of Islamic State militants. There were conflicting reports on what transpired in Diyala province after Kurdish peshmerga fighters attempted to dig a trench to separate two towns there, Jalawla and alSaadiya, police sources said. Jalawla is held by Kurds while al-Saadiya is controlled by Shi’ites.
A police official said five people were killed after clashes erupted between the two sides competing for territory in several parts of Iraq, even though they have joined forces against Islamic State in the past. But Mahmoud Sangawi, the senior Kurdish frontline commander in the area, said the forces only fired over each other’s heads and the situation was tense. “We don’t have a problem with them, but we won’t accept for them to attack us,” he said.
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Sunday June 14, 2015
Kaieteur News
Trio on trial for Campbellville murder...
Court hears statement procured from accused The caution statement of Ralph Tyndall, the number one accused in the murder of Colleen Forrester has been admitted into evidence before the court. The statement was read aloud in court on Thursday. According to the evidence provided, Tyndall essentially blamed the murder on his coaccused, Anthony De Paul Hope. De Paul Hope, called ‘Papa’, 27, of ‘C’ Field Sophia; Tyndall, 28, called Nick of ‘C’ Field, Sophia; and 28-year-old Kevin O’Neil of Seaforth Street, Campbellville, are facing a trial before Justice Roxane George and a mixed jury at the High Court in Georgetown, for the murder, which took place in December 2007. The 56-year- old woman, was beaten to death and her body dumped in a septic tank. She had disappeared on December 26, 2007. She was last seen at her brother’s house at Lot 55, Wi l l i a m St r e e t , Campbellville. The woman was reported missing after neighbours noticed something was amiss and raised an alarm. On January 6, 2008, her body was found by police ranks; her ankles were bound and her body wrapped in sheets before it was tossed into the septic tank. Forrester was allegedly strangled and beaten to death with a pestle (mortar stick) by her nephew, (De Paul Hope) and his friends. Last Wednesday, the dead woman’s granddaughter, Nikita Semple, provided the court with a chilling recollection of what transpired the night her grandmother disappeared. Semple, who currently resides at Rosalina Straat, Paramaribo Suriname related that she was 12 years old when the incident occurred. She vividly recalled, however, hearing screams, the night her grandmother vanished. In her evidence yesterday, Semple, recalled on December 26, 2007 she and her grandmother went to Lot 55 William Street, Campbellville after they attended the Main Street Lime. Once there, the witness said that they called for her cousin,”Papa” to open the gate but they received no answer. Semple said that based on her grandmother’s instructions she jumped over the gate and gained access
to the house. Inside, she said that she met “Nick” (Tyndall) who appeared to be asleep at the back bedroom. She said that she knew Nick because he was her cousin’s friend. The witness said that Nick opened his eyes and talked to her; he told her not to tell her grandmother, he was there. Semple said that she went to look for her cousin, (Papa). She recalled that she met him at the back of the house, near a washroom. Semple said that she saw when her cousin hid a gun in a mattress. She told him that grandmother was outside and he went to open the gate. The witness recalled that her grandmother was wearing a blue track pants with white stripes to the sides and a white and black shirt. She also noted that that she visited Lot 55 William Street, residence often because her grandmother was the caretaker of the property. The witness told the court that when grandmother came up the stairs and into the house, she attempted to tell her about the gun but was sent to fetch four buckets of water. The witness said that she went down the stairs with buckets and the
Anthony De Paul Hope number three accused (O Neil), who was also her c o u s i n ’s friend accompanied her. While in the yard, Semple said that she heard screams coming from upstairs. She said that she ran upstairs and tried to gain access to the house, but both the front and back doors were locked. She said that O Neil then told her that her grandmother and cousin may not want her inside because they must be cleaning the house. She said that moments later she went upstairs and her cousin sent her to the shop with O Neil.
When they returned, Semple said that her cousin told her that her grandmother was leaving. She said that she ran to the verandah and started yelling frantically for her grandmother but saw no one. The witness said that she then noticed water on the floor and blood on cousin Papa’s and Nick’s feet. She inquired about the blood and they both told her they got dig on their feet. The witness noted however, that she observed no injuries on the two men only the fresh blood. She said that there was also blood on the floor and on a mattress. The witness said that she left with a mattress and spent the night at Minerva who lived nearby. The next morning she spoke with Papa who told her that her grandmother had left for Trinidad The witness said she had believed her cousin and hence she had no questions. Semple recalled that it was days later that her father and uncle accompanied her to the Alberttown and Kitty Police Stations where they made a missing person report and gave statements in regard to the incident.
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Dem boys seh...
Luncheon talking to a blank TV set People does get blame fuh all kind of things. Some does get blame fuh good thing and bad things. When Jagdeo tun president he was young and good looking. A lot of people, most dem gyal, use to seh good things in store fuh Guyana, under him. Dem did see de young Jagdeo, now dem live fuh see de old part that become a full-fledged international scamp. Not only dem gyal but all Guyana cussing him about he stinking, dutty lowlife ways that he try to push down de throat of de nation. He cuss everybody, even de new kid on de block, Soulja Bai. He cuss Soulja Bai before he tun president and he still cussing him now. He, de goat and Donald Dumb get Labba Lip fuh put out a statement telling de nation that Soulja Bai who just sit down in de chair fuh one month, thief out all de rice farmers money over night. That is like de bank robbers who blame de police fuh robbing de bank. Dem boys seh don’t be surprise if dem blame Soulja Bai fuh sinking de Titanic. This remind dem boys of a story that happen to de Waterfalls boss man many years ago, before Jagdeo did even dream of kissing anybody. De boss man went to de cinema and he hustle a gyal in House. He get couple kiss and he feel great. He smile fuh a whole month and tell de story to de whole world. De second month de boss man stop smiling suh one of he friend ask he wha happen to de big smile pun you face. Wheh it gone? De boss man tell him that de gyal he kiss in de cinema meet him and telling him how she pregnant and de child is he own. Dem boys seh look out fuh hear that Moses tief out de whole US$200 million wha Jagdeo seh he spend pun de Skeldon plant, Soulja Bai thief out de US$150 million from de airport project, Li’l Joe thief de Amaila Falls money and Rumjattan cause de Tsunami in Indonesia a few years ago. If you surprise but all this, is not dem think it up. Luncheon cousin tell dem boys that he go home a day to see him because he accustom seeing de man every day on TV. When Luncheon wife open de door, he see Luncheon busy talking to a blank TV set. When he ask Luncheon wha he doing de man seh that he advising de nation. Talk half and watch how de ridiculous, unthinkable, unbelievable blame game now start.
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GWI contains gas leak after area evacuation
Two officials from the Guyana Fire Service Hazmat team removing the cylinder A potentially deadly situation was averted yesterday after the Guyana Water Inc. contained a chlorine gas leak at its Better Hope, East Coast Demerara Water Treatment Facility. The gas leak was first reported early Saturday morning and following its containment an investigation was launched into the
incident. At least one person has been hospitalized following the leak. For hours, several residents of the East Coast Demerara community were in a state of panic after they were rushed out of their homes when word of the chlorine leak spread. According to a GWI official, the leak was first
reported by a female operator of the utility company. A GWI official explained that the woman had been on duty at the time and had picked up the peculiar smell. After realizing that something was terribly wrong and that there was a possible leak, the operator quickly informed her superiors. Though prompt, the woman was nonetheless affected. She was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital after complaining of difficulties with her breathing. Though she had smelled the chlorine, the official explained that GWI could not immediately ascertain where it was coming from or whether more than one cylinder was damaged. GWI was only able to pinpoint that the leak had (Continued on page 16)
Sunday June 14, 2015
GDYD hosts fundraiser to help less fortunate The Members of the Grove/Diamond Youths in Development (GDYD) hosted a cake sale, which is one of the group’s annual fundraising activities. The sale was held in front of M&S Mattai Supermarket yesterday. The Organisation has been in existence for some nine years now and has approximately 25 active members. Over the years the members have been focusing on the development of disabled children. The group would host fund raising activities for Christmas parties and other special events to help with the development of the children. Yesterday’s activity was
one of many. The group concluded an annual blood drive earlier this year. The Cake sale featured a variety of eatables— Dhal Puri and chicken, a variety of cakes, cupcakes and pastries, which targeted passers-by. For the past nine years the committee has ventured throughout the neighbourhoods in search of less fortunate children and especially from the Diamond School of Disabilities, whether it was for a simple invite to the annual Christmas party kept at Guyana Bank of Trade and Industries (GBTI) or to assist in any way possible. The members insisted that even though it is
founded in the Diamond/ Grove area it is not restricted to such since anyone is welcome to join them in their initiative. Public Relations Officer (PRO), Devi Ramcharitar, who was present on location with other members spared no time lobbying persons to support their worthy cause. “Today we are having this sale; it is an annual activity to raise funds for our Christmas party and other activities that we cater for disabled children… We to events will be a grand BBQ raise funds for that event… Everything that we have here at this sale was donated by the members of the (Continued on page 16)
Members of the Grove/Diamond Youths in Development at their Cake sale
Sunday June 14, 2015
Kaieteur News
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Education Minister preparing to meet NGSA top one percent
A total of 15,225 pupils participated in the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) this year. It is therefore understandable that despite their competitive spirits all of them could not have placed in the top one per cent. However, those making up the upper stratum of the top one per cent performers are usually the beneficiaries of a great deal but well deserved attention. But according to Minister of Education, Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine, he has plans to shortly meet with all those who made it into the top one per cent. He made a point of highlighting that while many of the top performers are from privately operated schools, some of them had benefited from a foundation in the public school system. Adding to this theory was, Chief Education Officer (CEO), Olato Sam, who revealed that private schools are known to use the Ministry’s teaching curriculum and some have even asked to access other resources used by the public system. In addition, he said that they also use the teachers trained by the public system. “There are some other dynamics there that certainly speak to different outcomes that you might see...clearly private schools are able to do a number of things that we in the public schools are not able to do,” Sam observed. Speaking of the top performers Minister Roopnaraine, in disclosing plans to meet with them said, “we are going to meet them in the very near future because I have had it said by some of my friends who have been engaged in education for a long time that it’s great that we honour our top performers but frankly we want to honour all of our students...” As it relates to the students not in the top
- has plans to “rapidly” improve output of low performers shared by Celine Farinha of Peter’s Hall Primary, Shreya Persaud and Isabella Hussain, the latter two being pupils of the Academy of Excellence of in Region Three. And Minister Roopnaraine related that already he has his own views on how the classroom Minister of Education, Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine performing category, the Minister said that the aim is to “bring them as rapidly as possible into the top 100 per cent.” But according to Sam, while the performance of those in the top one per cent is laudable, pupils’ performances are not measured based merely on their representation in that category (top one per cent). He pointed out that there are other factors that are taken into consideration. “There are other indicators that we look at in relation to their general performances,” asserted the CEO who however admitted that it does speak to their ability to produce at a certain level. Pupils who participated in the NGSA participate in a total of four subject areas with the highest possible standardised scores obtainable being 138 in Mathematics; 132 in English; 132 in Social Studies and 133 in Science. The highest possible total score obtainable was 535 marks. Attaining 530 marks was 11-year-old Solomon Cherai of the privately operated Success Elementary primary school. The second position was claimed by the same school in the person of 11year-old Shania Eastman with 529 marks. The third position, with a score of 526 marks, was
experience can be enriched. He however noted that “I have to engage my friends in the Guyana Teachers Union to ensure that we are on the same page in relation to what teachers are expected to do.” He nevertheless assured that the Education Ministry is poised to build on the gains
that have been made in the past. “Over the next two years we are going to ensure that the Ministry of Education sets the standard in Guyana.” In fact it is the fervent hope of Dr Roopnaraine that “other Ministries must look at the Ministry of Education and come and ask us what you are really doing? How did you manage to do what you are doing? That’s what we want,” said the optimistic Education Minister.
According to him, currently he is doing a full assessment of the system and there are going to be some changes. “What works we will continue to do, what needs fixing we will fix, what has not worked at all we will abandon,” said the Minister. He has asserted though that things will not be changed for “changing sake” but rather “what can be anticipated is the continuity of best practices.”
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Kaieteur News
Sunday June 14, 2015
Those economic time bombs…
Booming rice sector could still go bust - Dr. Clive Thomas Given his analysis of the economy and its revenue earners, local economist Dr. Clive Thomas believes that while the rice market may be booming at this point, certain factors affecting it, leaves the industry poised for a dispiriting future. He believes that it could very well be on
the brink of a collapse. In his recent writings, Dr. Thomas opined that while the sugar commodity life cycle for Guyana is in long-term decline, rice has been in a marked upswing. Contrarily, he said, “The ticking timebomb that rice is perched” on is due to three factors. He
listed these to be explosive growth of output, increasing difficulty in finding lucrative markets and the level of unit production costs. The economist noted that rice output has grown explosively in the 2010s; rising by more than 100,000 tonnes annually since 2012.
He said that much of this expansion has been fuelled by Government support to both supply (production) and demand (finding lucrative markets). He said, “As is common knowledge, the Venezuelan market is at great risk generating a potential demand/ supply market imbalance. This imbalance risks a collapse of rice and paddy prices later this year, thereby impairing livelihoods, in contrast to what prevailed in the first half of the 2010s.” In an interview with Kaieteur News last week, the economist opined that should Guyana fail to deal with the aforementioned factors with great haste, then the sustainability of the rice industry could prove to give the new government, a similar kind of hell it is facing in trying to nurse the ailing sugar industry back to good health. Turning his attention to “the ticking economic timebomb on which the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) is perched”, Dr. Thomas said that whether this is “politically triggered” with or without malice, its underlying dynamics plainly indicates an explosion in the not- too- distant future. He reminded that in his previous columns, he restated his long-held conviction that, at this stage of the long-term sugar commodity life-cycle in Guyana: “the industry had
Economist, Dr. Clive Thomas passed its tipping-point; thereby dashing hopes of an orderly reform and reconstruction”. The economist said that GuySuCo has been producing over recent years, if not decades, less and less sugar at greater and greater unit and total costs; while its unit sale price has been declining. He said that the logic of such a sequence is that GuySuCo has reached a point of no return. Going forward, Dr. Thomas opined that the entity can remain open over the short to medium-term in only one of two possible ways. “These are either through the provision of regular direct official bailouts and/or
increasing borrowings and indebtedness, based on government guarantees. Clearly neither of these is sustainable, given GuySuCo’s present indebtedness, which already exceeds $90 billion and is projected to remain at this level through 2017,” he added. He said that based on available data on the sugar company, only a distressing picture of the state-of affairs of the company becomes very clear. The economist said, “Thus, in recent years, sugar output has been at its worst levels in four decades. It produced on average 320,000 tonnes of raw sugar back in the late 1960s to early 1970s with fewer assets.” Dr. Thomas added, “Moreover, its present day unit production cost, at US0.40 per lb in 2013, has been rising, even though GuySuCo had projected in its Strategic Plan 2013-17, a decline from this year.” He said that indeed, unit cost has been frequently about three times the world price of raw sugar. The economist said that not surprisingly therefore, net profit before tax has been negative through 2014, even though GuySuCo had, in its Plan, projected a return to profitability this year. He said that this is obviously impossible.
Sunday June 14, 2015
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PetroCaribe fund...
GPHC Maternal death…
PPP/C explanation about PetroCaribe funds ‘pathetic’- Doerga
Husband outraged by hospital's decision to withhold post mortem results
Dr. Turhane Doerga, GRPA
Former President, Bharrat Jagdeo
PPP/C General Secretary, Clement Rohee
General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C), Clement Rohee, recently offered an explanation why the PetroCaribe fund is not there. But rice industry experts have come out in strong condemnation of Rohee’s explanation. They now say that only two months ago the PPP/C had offered a completely different explanation of how the PetroCaribe funds were used. On Thursday, Minister of State Joseph Harmon made the shocking revelation that the PetroCaribe fund was bankrupt. His announcement caused the PPP/C to fire back by accusing the current administration of “managing to empty the PetroCaribe fund”. The PPP/C had also declared that the funds were used for projects such as the new Guyana Power and Light (GPL) power plants in Kingston and Vreed-En-Hoop and the Hope Canal. Chairman of the Rice Producers’ Action Committee Dr. Turhane Doerga labeled Rohee’s efforts to explain away the missing funds as “pathetic”.
He said that former President and central committee executive of the PPP/C Bharrat Jagdeo clearly stated that only US$15M was used from the PetroCaribe fund by the previous administration and that this money was used in the construction of the Hope canal. According to Doerga, Rohee’s declaration is clearly contrary to what Jagdeo declared on the campaign trail, in an effort to assuage farmers of the existence of the money to pay them. Payment is in keeping with the PetroCaribe agreement, which stipulates that Guyana imports oil from Venezuela at a reduced cost, in exchange for the provision of rice to Venezuela. This arrangement has led to Venezuela becoming Guyana’s single largest foreign market for rice. For 2015, it was in fact expected t h a t Ve n e z u e l a w o u l d account for 30 per cent of rice exports. On Friday the PPP/C, in a statement issued in response to Harmon’s declaration had said, “The Fund was managed optimally and transparently by the PPP/C government and within one
month the APNU+AFC government has displayed its incompetence in being unable to manage the fund’s operations properly, resulting in hardship to the rice farmers and millers.” The PPP/C on Friday also declared that “absolutely no money was missing from the PetroCaribe fund and even if the fund has a limited balance that does not mean in any way that money is missing.” The party had also asserted that detailed records reflecting the inflow and outflow from the fund could be had and would furthermore withstand scrutiny. But the PPP/C’s latest statements that the monies fund projects included in the national budget and submitted to parliament for approval are startling and fly in the face of what the PPP/C had been saying along the campaign trail. Doerga also went on to remind the current administration of their responsibilities to the rice industry in order to find alternate markets. According to him, contrary to what the PPP/C would have taken credit for, many markets were brokered as a result of private rice producers.
Driver dies after swerving into Diamond access road canal A 26-year-old driver died at around 01:30 hrs yesterday after his vehicle overturned in a canal on the Diamond Housing Scheme access road. Police said that Travis Thompson, of Land of Canaan, East Bank Demerara, was driving west at a fast rate when he lost control and veered off the roadway. Passersby dived into the canal and pulled the motionless Thompson out of the vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the Diamond Diagnostic
Centre. A Guyana Fire Service vehicle arrived at the scene and was used to haul the vehicle to land. William Thompson, the victim’s father, estimated that his son left home at around 19.00 hrs on Friday. Mr. Thompson said that he received word about the accident shortly after 02.00 hrs. By the time he arrived a t t h e s c e n e , h i s s o n ’s body had already been taken to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre. He suggested that his son may have been heading
out of Diamond Housing Scheme after dropping off a friend when the mishap occurred. Police have recorded 45 road fatalities from 36 accidents as at the end of May 2015, in comparison to 44 fatalities from 41 accidents for the same period in 2014. Sixteen of those killed were pedestrians, four were pedal cyclists, 13 were passengers, four motor cyclists and eight were drivers. Sixteen of the 36 fatal accidents were as a result of speeding.
Following the death of 41-year-old, Carol Bollers, of Festival City, South Ruimveldt, a post mortem (PM) was done at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) last week to set the minds of the woman's family at ease. However the results are allegedly being withheld by the hospital which claims to be conducting further investigations. Robert Greaves, Bollers's grieving husband, is overwhelmed because he was expecting an immediate release of the results. He said, “It is strange that the autopsy was done and the family cannot get the results.” Greaves believes that GPHC is responsible for his wife's death. He opined that the results being withheld represent a strategy being used by the hospital to conspire in the covering up of their malpractice which led to his wife's demise. A press release by GPHC had stated that the woman was admitted to the hospital with a ruptured uterine membrane (which suggests that she may have had a botched abortion) and was being treated for that during her admission. The husband has since refuted knowledge of such. He said that although he is not ruling out the possibility of his wife having an
Carol Bollers
abortion, he is not aware of it as up to the time when he took her to the hospital she was not bleeding and a doctor who attended to her, could verify. He also maintained that he had no knowledge of his wife's pregnancy until her admission. However, he said that he had suspected that she was pregnant and had even suggested that she (Continued on page 56)
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Sunday June 14, 2015
Certain officials need to explain their ‘extravagant’ wealth -- Economist While the APNU+AFC administration is currently engaged in conducting a series of forensic audits on several agencies, local financial experts are urging the government to ensure that certain officials of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) explain “their extravagant wealth.” Specifically, economist, Dr. Clive Thomas, said that it is important for this to be done while emphasizing that the legal procedures must be
- “It would be a crying shame should the previous administration escape scrutiny on this front.” incorporated into that process. In an interview with this newspaper, he said, “This is something the new government must pursue. But in doing so we must show respect for the laws and procedures governing how we must go about this process.
“Even though I know some of them stole I can’t just advise that they be locked up without due process, so we have to ensure we go through the procedures to legally challenge them for what they have done and how they acquired their assets through corrupt activities.” Dr. Thomas reminded that
it was under the previous administration that Guyana became a signatory to the Inter American Convention Against Corruption and the United Nations Convention Against Corruption. He added, “We signed onto the conventions which demand of us certain obligations like rooting out corruption. So we don’t have to go and draft legislation to ensure that we hold certain persons accountable for their actions. The very conventions require this and since it was signed by the previous administration it puts the liability on them.” The economist asserted that the new government in taking such a step would only be enforcing an obligation Guyana took solemnly by signing on to the two conventions. He said that should Government pursue this, it would turn out to be a “winwin” situation for the nation. He said, “It would be a crying shame should the previous administration escape scrutiny on this front.” Also lending his voice to the matter was Chartered
Economist, Dr. Clive Thomas
Chartered Accountant, Anand Goolsarran
Accountant, Anand Goolsarran. The former Auditor General (AG) said that he agreed with the sentiments expressed by the economist. He noted, however, that it is not the PPP officials alone who have to explain their wealth. Goolsarran then said that the Integrity Commission Act lists the persons who are required to file their financial returns. The Chartered Accountant said that the new administration needs to get the Commission up and running through the appointment of a competent Chairman supported by a
team of experts to scrutinize the returns and to carry out investigations where there is suspicion that a full and honest declaration has not been made. He stressed that the Commission would also help to a significant degree in exposing how officials acquired their wealth. Goolsarran reminded that the Act was passed in 1997. He said that it would be necessary for a fully functioning Commission to start its work with effect from that year. He highlighted that it therefore has a backlog of 18 years.
Guyana to send contingent to Carifesta XII Guyana will be sending a contingent to Haiti to participate in the Caribbean Festival of Arts (Carifesta) XII, set to take place from August 21 to 30. According to a release from the Ministry of Education’s Culture Department, Guyana is registered to participate in 11 areas of the festival. These include Visual and Literary Arts, Fashion, Theatre and Music. Registration forms
and criteria for each discipline will be available at the Special Projects Unit of the Culture Department, Middle Street, Georgetown, from June 15. A Committee of persons involved in the Arts and Culture will host a selection process to determine persons who fit the necessary criteria to be part of Carifesta XII. The Ministry said that “the contingent is expected to be made up of persons who will have to submit where
NDIA estimates August... From page 3 made at the 57GD level, Wordsworth said the NDIA experts would determine whether to raise the levels to 57.5GD. “It's the first time we have water flowing through it and it's important that we take these precautionary measures at these various levels to do an assessment of the entire facility as we go along,” said Wordsworth. He emphasised that the whole objective of the test was to bring down the level at the EDWC to 58GD or less. The entire process commenced with a 25-foot wide and twofoot deep cut in the conservancy at the Head Regulator to allow water flow into the northern relief channel at the Hope/ Dochfour Outfall point. “We will continue to monitor the embankments to see if there is any significant settlement or seepage,” Wordsworth said. As of yesterday afternoon, Wordsworth reported that the test release proceeded smoothly with water levels in the conservancy dropping to 55.5GD. The tests are scheduled to continue today.
necessary; their works for jurying and in some cases attend auditions.” The jurying of work and auditions is expected to be completed by early July. This year, Carifesta will be held under the theme ‘Our roots, Our Culture, Our Common Future’, and features a logo that represents “a synergy of multiculturalism, pride and joyful unity.” All 15 Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member states will be part of this year’s event, and will be Haiti’s first time hosting the multinational cultural festival. Along with CARICOM countries, Carifesta will also traditionally host delegations from the wider Caribbean, Latin America and representatives from Africa, Asia, Europe and North America. The festival was first held in 1972 in Guyana with Suriname being the latest host of Carifesta in 2013. As a symbolic gesture, at the closing ceremony of the 2013 festival President Desi Bouterse of Suriname extended the cultural baton of Carifesta to Haitian President Michel Martelly to signify his country’s turn at hosting the event.
Sunday June 14, 2015
$200M frozen… The Ministry of Communities has launched a major investigation into the operations of the government-run Scrap Metal Unit and a bank account containing almost $200M that was under the control of the former Minister, Irfaan Ali. The unit, once controlled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Commerce, was placed under Ministry of Housing during the tenure of the previous administration. It was tasked with collecting fees and monitoring the scrap metal industry. It is how that unit ended up under the control of former Minister Irfaan Ali and a senior staffer, Taslim Baksh that has the new Government perplexed and extremely curious. Confirming that something is happening with the unit, Minister within the Ministry of Communities, Keith Scott, on Friday disclosed that investigations are underway along with an audit into the unit’s bank account which contained millions. Scott has responsibility for the housing sector. “I found it weird that the former Cabinet removed the Scrap Metal Unit from another Ministry and placed it, under strange circumstances, under the authority of the Minister and one other person. We are investigating this and a number of other things that
Kaieteur News
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Ramotar Cabinet move $$millions from Bank of Guyana to private bank
Minister in charge of Housing, Keith Scott
Former Housing Minister, Irfaan Ali
CH&PA’s Director of Finance, Taslim Baksh
appear irregular like the operations of the bank account. We are talking about a very large sum of the taxpayers’ monies.” Scott, who did not want to say much, said that he has instructed a local commercial bank to freeze the account and not allow any withdrawals or payments. The signatories to the account are also being changed. “We are hoping for a new Board of Directors to be in place at the CH&PA by the end of the month so that we can have a better handle on the situation.” Kaieteur News was told from other sources that in December 2012, the Donald Ramotar Cabinet gave instructions for the Scrap Metal Unit to be placed under Ali’s charge. The instructions were signed by former Cabinet
Secretary, Dr. Roger Luncheon. While under the direct control of Ali, the unit’s daily operations were left to CH&PA Director of Finance, Taslim Baksh. Baksh, in addition to his salary at CH&PA, was supposed to receive a ‘stipend’. The unit was allowed to purchase pickups and pay other expenses and use staffers from CH&PA. What was strange about the Cabinet’s decision was that it also authorized the transfer of the bank account of the Scrap Metal Unit from Bank of Guyana to a private commercial bank. It was highly unusual for this to be done, an official close to the investigations said. Reportedly, when the new Government took office last month, the “private” account surfaced. It contained more
than $190M. The scrap metal trade had been under the jurisdiction of former Prime Minister, Sam Hinds, but alleged irregularities into the trade saw it being halted after utilities companies and other stakeholders complained that copper was being stolen from telephone cables. The Scrap Metal Unit had come into existence to address the concerns of Government. It was collecting up to
The viable scrap metal trade
$35,000 to $60,000 for 20-foot and 40-foot containers being exported by scrap metal dealers. Almost 25 dealers across the country are involved in the trade with some of them shipping scores of containers monthly. The payment of the fee was critical for the processing of Customs export documents. According to Scott, who did not want to disclose too many details, auditors will be zeroing in on the spending of that “private” bank account. Under current arrangements, dealers have to visit CH&PA to pay the fees. He said that an audit is also set to start into the accounts of the CH&PA. Not many staffers were said to be aware of the workings of the unit which fell directly under the control of the former Minister and Baksh, the Director of Finance. On Thursday, Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, disclosed that investigations are underway into several “private” bank accounts
belonging to the state that should have been under the control of Bank of Guyana. Harmon made it clear that any wrongdoings unearthed during the investigations will result in criminal charges. Several audits are underway in a number of Government agencies including the Guyana Revenue Authority, the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission, the Guyana Gold Board and the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL). The coalition, which was in opposition until a month ago when it won a close victory in the May 11 General Elections had vowed to examine several accounts which had billions and which were not being deposited into the central government account- the Consolidated Fund. Rather, the monies were controlled by the previous administration and spent without oversight of the National Assembly. Spending from the Consolidated Fund has to be authorized by the National Assembly.
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Sunday June 14, 2015
GWI contains gas leak... Gizmos and Gadgets launches (From page 10) occurred in the area where the chlorine cylinders were stored. Along with the aid of a Hazmat team from the Guyana Fire Service, GWI was forced to scour through the storage facility, carefully checking each cylinder to determine where the leakage was. Simultaneously, nearby residents were quickly advised to evacuate their homes. The official estimated that fewer than 30 persons were forced to leave the surrounding area. GWI
employees were also evacuated from the compound. The official explained that the main concern of the deployed teams was to contain the leak to allow easy breathing. It did not seem that the possibility of an explosion was a major concern. Finally, after about 5 hours of hunting for the leak, GWI was able to detect and subsequently contain it. Fortunately, only one cylinder was found to be damaged. It was quickly separated from the facility and was soon
buried as an extra precaution. According to GWI, an investigation has immediately been launched into the incident. This investigation will be headed by GWI’s Occupational Health and Safety Officer, Christopher Cathro. Residents were also advised to return to their homes. Meanwhile, the operator who discovered the leak remains under observation. She was reportedly provided with oxygen and remains conscious.
‘No Hassle Return’ Policy
GDYD hosts fundraiser... (From page 10) organisation and the generosity of Mr. Mattai for giving us this space to carry out this activity which we appreciate”, said Devi. “We are currently working on a hotline for persons who are in crisis whether its depression, suicide or domestic
violence. It is a work in progress… We are also planning to have trained counsellors so that they could render professional assistance to people. The programme would not be restricted to one community but throughout Guyana”, she also added. The group hopes to raise
enough funds from the general public and also from various activities to make this dream a reality. Anyone who wishes to contribute to the Organisation can contact them via their Facebook page Grove-Diamond Youths in Development or GBTI.
Gizmos and Gadgets Gizmos and Gadgets is determined to improve its services provided to retail customers by introducing a “No Hassle Return Policy.” Customers who purchase any product from the Gizmos and Gadgets Super Store will be automatically entered into the entity’s Very Important Customer (VIC) Club program. With this, consumers will have up to 14 days to return any product for a refund, in a
process that would take no more than 10 minutes. Another great feature of this game changing “No Hassle Return Policy” is that customers do not need to walk with their receipt to make the return. Chief Executive Officer of Gizmos & Gadgets, Mr. Ravi Mangar, said, “We believe that retail stores in Guyana need to be held to a higher standard with the products they provide and the service they offer to customers. We
at Gizmos have taken this step because we believe in the high quality of our products.” Mangar added, “We also know that customers’ minds can change for various reasons after they would have purchased products. A customer shouldn’t be hassled for changing their mind. We decided to roll out this promotion now so in the event that fathers wanted to return their gifts for another one or for cash back they would be able to do so hassle free.” Also, Gizmos and Gadgets will be working closely with the Guyana National Bureau of Standards during the implementation of this programme.
Sunday June 14, 2015
Kaieteur News
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Understanding Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) By Dr. Zulfikar Bux Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine Our veins are responsible for returning blood to our heart for re-circulation. Disruption in this blood flow can lead to catastrophic consequences and complications. Deep Vein Thrombosis is one such condition that blocks flow of blood in our veins. DVT occurs when a blood clot (thrombus) forms in one or more of the deep veins in your body, usually in your legs. One in every hundred persons with DVT will die from its complications. Knowing who is at risk and how to detect DVT can help you to access early treatment which can decrease your chances of having lifethreatening complications. SYMPTOMS · Discoloration of the legs · Calf or leg pain or tenderness · Swelling of the leg or lower limb · Warm skin · Surface veins become more visible · Leg fatigue WHO’S AT RISK? Many factors can increase your risk of developing deep vein thrombosis (DVT), and the more you have, the greater your risk. Risk factors for DVT include: · Inheriting a bloodclotting disorder. Some
When a new government comes into office there are people who are going to test it. When the PPP came into office, the test was the Loo Lands cocaine drop; tons of it. This time around the test is robbery. Young gunmen feel that they can test the administration by going on a rampage and nothing will happen. A rude awakening awaits a three-member gang in the coming hours. **
people inherit a disorder that makes their blood clot more easily. · Prolonged bed rest, such as during a long hospital stay, or paralysis. When your legs remain still for long periods, your calf muscles don’t contract to help blood circulate, which can increase the risk of blood clots. · Injury or surgery. Injury to your veins or surgery can increase the risk of blood clots. · Pregnancy. Pregnancy increases the pressure in the veins in your pelvis and legs. The risk of blood clots from pregnancy can continue for
up to six weeks after you have your baby. · Birth control pills or hormone replacement therapy. Birth control pills (oral contraceptives) and hormone replacement therapy can increase your blood’s ability to clot. · Being overweight or obese. Being overweight increases the pressure in the veins in your pelvis and legs. · Smoking. Smoking affects blood clotting and circulation, which can increase your risk of DVT. · Cancer. Some forms of cancer increase the amount of substances in your blood that
The government is going to announce a cash find in some secret accounts. That is to be expected, but the shock will come when they trace who has been accessing
those accounts for their own gain. The authorities are going to seek the help of the police. ** The new government is going to reach across the political divide and appoint someone from the opposition camp to serve in one of its diplomatic missions. Suffice it to say that the hotspot is Venezuela and there is where this individual would be posted.
cause it to clot. · Heart failure. People with heart failure have a greater risk of DVT and pulmonary embolism. Because people with heart failure already have limited heart and lung function, the symptoms caused by even a small pulmonary embolism are more noticeable. · A personal or family history of deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism (PE). If you or someone in your family has had DVT or PE before, you’re more likely to develop DVT. · Age. Being over age 60 increases your risk of DVT, though it can occur at any age. · Sitting for long periods of time, such as when driving or flying. When your legs remain still for many hours, your calf muscles don’t contract, which normally helps blood circulate. Blood clots can form in the calves of your legs if your calf muscles aren’t moving for long periods.
Two life-threatening complications. Clots from DVT can break off and travel to your heart or lungs causing blockage. DVT patients are at risk of having a Pulmonary Embolism (lung blockage) and a heart attack (heart blockage). A person with DVT should monitor themselves for the following signs/ symptoms which may indicate heart or lung blockage. · Unexplained sudden onset of shortness of breath · Chest pain or discomfort · Feeling lightheaded or dizzy, or fainting · Rapid pulse · Coughing up blood WHAT CAN YOU DO? If you suspect that you or someone has DVT, do not hesitate to visit a doctor. Your doctor will put you on blood-
Dr. Zulfikar Bux thinning medications and monitor you over a prolonged period (6 months to a year) to ensure the clot is dissolving. Early detection and treatment is the key to decreasing complications of DVT. Therefore the more you know about DVT the better your chances of surviving an episode of this condition.
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Sunday June 14, 2015
Samantha Ashby’s last night out Samantha Ashby’s body was found near the community centre. Inset: Samantha Ashby
By Michael Jordan Had it been a horror movie, some psychic force would have whispered a warning to Madonna Welcome. But this was real life, so Madonna walked right past the Matthew’s Ridge playfield without the slightest
inkling that her sister, Samantha Ashby, lay dead just a few feet away. It certainly never entered her head that her sister could have met such a cruel end. Not after all this time; when 32year-old Samantha had walked away from her old life as a commercial sex worker.
Samantha’s story was that of so many other pretty girls who live in interior locations like Matthew’s Ridge, North West District, a place with few educational opportunities and too many free-spending men. By the time she was in her late teens, Samantha had fallen in with the wrong
crowd. “We tried talking her out of it, but she chose that way of life,” her sister, Madonna, told me. But the fun-loving woman finally settled down with a young man from the community. All it took was one night out to change that… On the night of Monday, September 15, 2014, Samantha Ashby visited a relative’s shop at Matthew’s Ridge. The shopkeeper remembers seeing her drinking with three men. Samantha’s companions were said to be newcomers to Matthew’s Ridge who were working with a businessman from the community. They say that two were porters, while the third was a miner. One of the men went by the
nickname ‘Killer.’ According to reports, no one saw them leave. At around eleven o’clock the following day, a group of students who were training for school sports entered the Matthew’s Ridge Community Centre ground. They ventured further onto the playfield, and it was then that they spotted a woman’s body. Someone had dumped her at the side of the community centre. She was clad in her brassiere, her underwear lay a short distance away. The students immediately contacted a teacher, who identified the victim as Samantha Ashby. Ashby’s killers had raped her then beaten her to death, some 30 yards from her home. Pathologist Dr. Nehaul Singh established that she had suffered multiple injuries, including a broken hip and fractured skull. Detectives retrieved two condoms from the scene. Madonna, who confirmed the victim’s identity, recalled that she had passed that area a few hours earlier on her way to work. Knowing that her sister was not one “to take stupidness from people,” Madonna believed that the five feet seven inches tall Samantha would have put up a valiant fight before being overpowered. Detectives soon learned about Samantha’s night out, and picked up her three companions. They brought the suspects to Georgetown and interrogated them at CID Headquarters, Eve Leary. But the detectives found nothing to implicate the men, and released them on advice from
the Director of Public Prosecutions. Investigators also took DNA samples from the suspects, and similar samples from the two condoms that they retrieved from the crime scene. Madonna is convinced that these same men know more than they are saying about her sister’s death. She alleges that about two months before Samantha’s murder, one of the suspects had stalked another one of her sisters. Madonna also believes that there are people at Matthew’s Ridge who may have actually witnessed the attack on Samantha. “It (the crime scene) is close to the police station. How is it that nobody heard anything and people are living near to the (Matthew’s Ridge) Community Centre? People know what happened, but they are afraid to talk.” But there’s a saying in forensic circles that the dead speak, and there’s that slim hope that, in the very near future, the contents of two used condoms will help to unmask Samantha Ashby’s killers. If you have any information about this or any other unusual case, please contact Kaieteur News by letter or telephone at our Lot 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown offices. Our numbers are 22-58465, 2258473 and 22-58458. You need not disclose your identity. You can also contact Michael Jordan at his email address mjdragon@ hotmail.com.
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=== The Freddie Kissoon column ===
Welcome to the Hotel California I bet that if you practice Eastern culture or Arab culture, if you are a Buddhist, or a Rastafari or Hindu devotee or you love classical music, you would like one of the most complete pop songs ever written – Hotel California by the Eagles. Elegantly arranged with touches of reggae drumming and undulating variations in guitar arrangement interspersed with touches of cross over in musical genres, Hotel California is one of pop music’s phenomenal accomplishments. If you think Michael Jackson has the most outrageous live performance where scores of fans fainted and dozens went into uncontrollable euphoria to the point of psychotic behaviour, then you should see the first live performance of Hotel California by the Eagles after the song became a worldwide phenomenon. For me, it remains the most emotionally crazy live performance where the audience just became unnatural in their response. Hotel California tells the story of the obsessive pursuit of hard drugs once you indulge. The lyrics take you on a journey of a trapped mind forever imprisoned in the lure of false satisfaction. Once in, there is no way out. Here are those lyrics: On a dark desert highway,
cool wind in my hair Warm smell of colitas rising up through the air Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim I had to stop for the night There she stood in the doorway, I heard the mission bell I was thinking to myself this could be Heaven or this could be Hell Then she lit up a candle and she showed me the way There were voices down the corridor, I thought I heard them say “Welcome to the Hotel California Such a lovely place Such a lovely face Plenty of room at the Hotel California Any time of year You can find it here” Her mind is Tiffany twisted, she got the Mercedes Benz She got a lot of pretty, pretty boys that she calls friends How they dance in the courtyard, sweet summer sweat Some dance to remember, some dance to forget So I called up the captain, “Please bring me my wine” He said, “We haven’t had that spirit here since 1969"
And still those voices are calling from far away Wake you up in the middle of the night just to hear them say “Welcome to the Hotel California Such a lovely place Such a lovely face They’re living it up at the Hotel California What a nice surprise Bring your alibis” Mirrors on the ceiling, the pink champagne on ice And she said, “We are all just prisoners here of our own device” In the master’s chambers they gathered for the feast They stab it with their steely knives but they just can’t kill the beast Last thing I remember I was running for the door I had to find the passage back to the place I was before “Relax,” said the night man, “We are programmed to receive You can check out any time you like but you can never leave” Remove the death trap of
drugs in the song and replace it with the death trap of absolute power and the message of Hotel California can be applied to the PPP in government. Remove the intoxicating hold of drugs in Hotel California and replace it with the inebriation of absolute power and the message in Hotel California is about the kind of behaviour we saw in the PPP Government. The meaning of Hotel California is the losing of reality. That explains the words, “we are all just prisoners here…you can check out anytime but you can never leave.” What is meant by “you can never leave” is that you can never reclaim your rationality; you can no longer
recognize reality. PPP Parliamentarian in the 10th Parliament Dr. Vindhya Persaud points to some manifestations of the loss of reality when she criticized her leadership for its continued cries of rigged elections and its refusal to go to Parliament. She specifically pointed to erratic behaviour of Rohee, Ramotar and others. These were the people who for fifteen years since 1999 were in the master’s chambers in Hotel California where pink champagne and mirrors on the ceilings formed part of the ambience of a mind infested with the rut of absolute power. Dr. Vindhya Persaud didn’t framework her criticism. Had she done that,
Frederick Kissoon she would have situated her critique within the concept of naked power. Rohee, Ramotar, Robeson Benn, Gail Teixeira, Luncheon, Jagdeo, Charles Ramson Senior, Ashini Singh couldn’t help themselves. They were intoxicated with absolute power. With absolute power, there is no escape. Welcome to the Hotel California. There is plenty of room. Perhaps at Camp Street.
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The Alliance for Change (AFC) party, its executives and members will be eternally grateful for the overwhelming immeasurable support we received from Guyanese everywhere, at home and abroad. We deeply appreciate the high level of commitment and the unstinting voluntary work done by our compatriots who placed their faith in the AFC and its Coalition partners to bring about this most welcome change in the fortunes of our country. We are immensely grateful that you heard the messages we delivered and you believed that we are truly committed to restoring to this nation the high international standing it once enjoyed; to restoring to Guyanese the pride that used
to be evident every day of our lives in our interactions with each other, with visitors and even when we visited other countries. We are very thankful for the hard, relentless work done by a multitude of people, especially the youths who gave their time and resources to educate voters. Hundreds of young people walked the streets, visited homes and business places to encourage Guyanese to go out and exercise their franchise to choose the government they wanted. It is an immense credit to you that you ignored so many acts of provocation which, we are sure, were designed to stimulate situations that could have postponed the national
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elections. We commend you highly for the patience you demonstrated and the maturity with which you comported yourselves before and after the elections. We are proud indeed. The AFC reserves much of our gratitude to everyone, the young and the not so young, who voluntarily watched over the conduct of voting in the city, in rural areas in East and West Berbice, Linden, the East Coast and East Bank of Demerara, in Essequibo and islands, and in the hinterland regions. You all made a conscious decision to bring about change. You stayed the course and remained resolute, firm and steadfast in your determination to regain your
open the doors of communication to members of the public. Each Minister will shortly announce the time and days of the week when they will meet with you to discuss your issues. In the meantime, the spanking new headquarters of the Alliance for Change party which was completed and commissioned before the recent elections, will remain open to the public. It is located on upper Lamaha St. just south of David St., Kitty. The capacity is there for people who wish to volunteer some of their time to meet with the public. It is very heartening to see our people of every hue and every creed displaying such strong national pride in themselves and their surroundings. It is as if new elements were installed into lights that had burned dim for too long. Our love for country and home has been rekindled and now we could all look forward to a good life coming out of good governance. The people of Guyana continue to inspire us and we renew our pledge to stay true to our commitment to act responsibly at all times, and to be held accountable for the nation’s resources and its finances.
right to live fruitful lives. Now that the induction ceremonies are over (for the most part), it is time for all of us to knuckle down to the task of rebuilding this nation. Unexpectedly, we entered the offices recently vacated by the former Ministers of government and found acute disarray and emptiness, but we appreciate the assistance we are receiving from employees at all levels of the public service. While the transition team is working with the opposition, the entire team of senior and junior Ministers, permanent secretaries and administrators are working night and day to unravel the administrative mess and put in place simple, nonbureaucratic systems that will ease the burden on both the
members of the public and public sector workers. The APNU+AFC Coalition gave you our to-do list for our first 100 days in office and we are well on the way to keeping those promises. One major commitment we made was to begin the process for holding Local Government Elections and now preparations are underway. The timing of the Local Government Elections is dependent upon the signing into law of certain amendments which the 10th Parliament had already passed. Our President and Prime Minister will ensure that this is done posthaste while GECOM sets the machinery in motion. We expect that the ‘teething pains’ of transitioning into government and building systems (from the ground up) that work for all of our people will subside very shortly. Soon thereafter, we will
TREATALLGUYANESE EQUAL By George Noel Ah see mi mother an’ father working in harmony, Building our new Guyana fo all deh children to see. A look at dem an’ a wonder what make dem working like dat, So ah ask Daddy fo di answer. Well hear di answer ah gat: Chorus We want to build our nation Fo di future generation, So practise co-operation we will. Forget race an’ religion An’ yuh wealth an’ yuh position, An’ treat all Guyanese equal. Yes, we will! Ah see mi brothers an’ sisters living in unity, Building our new Guyana fo all young people to see. Ah look at dem an’ a wonder what make dem livin’ like dat, So ah ask Daddy fo di answer. Well hear di answer ah gat: Chorus Ah see people in dis country serving humanity, Building our new Guyana so dat di whole world could see Ah look at dem an’ ah wonder what make dem t’inkin’ like dat, So ah ask Daddy fo di answer. Well hear di answer ah gat: Chorus So I decided to follow di good example ah see ¬Building our new Guyana to make it what it should be. Mi Daddy notice an’ wonder how I start actin’ like dat, So he ask me what was di matter. Well hear di answer he gat: Chorus Silvertorch.com
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MY COLUMN
The former rulers are fooling themselves I was there in 1992 when the People’s Progressive Party came into office. Back then I had a head of black hair, sideburns and a lot of youth. I was the Editor-inChief of the Guyana Chronicle, a newspaper that was the top selling issue in Guyana because its pages were open to all. Today, almost 23 years later I am still around, but during that period I watched the Chronicle slump to the lowest possible place a newspaper could hope to be. According to a recent report the company-Guyana National Newspapers Limited-is bankrupt. I don’t know how this could happen. I then had to leave because I was perceived to be a member of the then political opposition. I left and the Man above has been good to me. I did not have to leave the country in search of employment, but only because I was a determined Guyanese. I remember Dr Roger Luncheon saying to me that I was one of the lucky ones, that the government could not prevent me from getting a job. Today I hear talk about witch-hunt. I could not help but read the comments of the people who were once in the seat of government, about the current administration targeting people. For one, I couldn’t understand the comments when the very people were the ones who made no bones about targeting those
perceived to be opposition members. And it was not only kicking the people out of jobs they held for years, the spite went on to the point where they denied people benefits due to them. Noel Holder, the current Minister of Agriculture was one of them as was Norman McLean. Fortunately, these people did not have to depend on that money to live. There was an economist who was based in Office of the President. Her name was Darlene Harris (no relation). I watched her cry when she was kicked out. Dr Luncheon did the kicking. She was just an employee who had no pretentions to political life but she was ordered out of office in a most unceremonial manner. These recollections come flooding back when I hear people talk about witch-hunt. When the shoe is on the other foot it really pinches. And that is not the whole story. I am in the process of recovering a list of the victimized that was first published back in 1993. The column that contained those names was titled ‘Lean, Clean and Mean’. This time around the new government is asked to maintain a relationship with people who were actually on the PPP list of candidates. Some of them were Permanent Secretaries. There was a media head who informed staff that if the opposition people
attempt to place advertisements, then the staff must say that all the spots have been taken. This woman had the nerve to criticize the government of being less than professional. From my vantage point, I sit and look at the shenanigans by those who at one time felt that they could never lose an election in Guyana. In fact, they often said as much. To their credit, though, the new government is concerned about making life in Guyana better for all. Guyanese in the various corner of the world now say that they feel a breath of fresh air. The calls from overseas were too numerous to mention. I had people from all over the world calling in to congratulate all those who fought for the successes of May 11, 2015. Kaieteur News merely focused on the shortcomings of the then government and was accused of being an opposition media house. Such an accusation came about because as a watchdog for the people, the newspaper was keen to highlight what the people were losing. But we took it in stride. There were people who called us brave because they believed that anyone who attempts to take on a government is dicing with danger. And so today I continue to do what I have been doing for 23 years, writing about what I see around me. I will also be enjoying what the
people would be doing in Brooklyn, New York. They say that they felt the breath of fresh air and to breath freely they are going to have a victory parade and rally along Church Street. People have come from far and wide. There are Guyanese who came from the West Coast and from the midWest. Of course, there is a large Guyanese contingent in Brooklyn and an even larger one in Queens. They are going to be celebrating with unbridled enthusiasm within a few
hours. Many of them would have left Guyana after 1992. I know that my ex-wife and children did, and they were among the first to call in their congratulations. They knew what I went through in the early days. I remember them begging me to come out and I insisted that I will rest my bones right here. So for now, I would like to see the people who felt that they could never lose an election in Guyana join the government, even if it is only in the National Assembly. There is so much to do. I am
Adam Harris also tempted to ask some of them to return the money they took for their personal gains, more money than they could spend in their lifetime.
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ICT - The Shape of things that must come By Lance Hinds The recent reports in the media highlighting the latest challenges in the sugar industry, the potential problems with rice, and drop in gold prices, are all a grim reminder that despite all the sentiment, these primary sectors can no longer continue to be the primary drivers of our economy in their current scope and framework. It is the technologydriven, knowledge management industries that will have to be cornerstone of this country’s future. The development of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) as a productive sector has been slow. The high cost of supporting infrastructure,
absence of enabling legislation, and limited skill sets, has been a significant contributor to this state of affairs. In general, the growth of ICT in Guyana has been a very mixed bag. It has meandered, it has had its fits and starts, it has had some individual achievements, but by and large 2015 still finds us way behind our Caribbean colleagues in terms of scope, function and overall contribution to national development. Despite this, there have been some encouraging signs. There has been some growth in the call centre line of business. The industry has now created close to 5,000 jobs. It should be noted, however, that 2008 it was projected that, based on a
then 40% rate of growth, by 2013 there would be over 6,000 jobs generated in this market. Skill sets in ICT are improving. The University of Guyana’s Department of Computer Science is producing far better graduates than it did in past years. It has been exciting to watch their progress. I have said this publicly many times before and will say it again. Those lecturers do not have to be there; there are greener pastures. The fact that they are still here doing what they do to develop future information technology professionals is testimony to a level of dedication and commitment that should always be recognized and appreciated. There can be no doubt that the development of the
ICT sector can transform life in Guyana in so many ways. We continuously read and see how this sector has become the engine for global social and economic growth. In the Caribbean region, the past two decades has been a period which has seen the introduction and spread in use of mobile phones, personal computers and the Internet, dramatic expansion in the number and range of telecommunications and broadcast media providers, and growth of applications of ICTs in businesses, schools and households. The appropriate utilization of ICT can improve the lives of all Guyanese and must therefore be the fundamental cross-cutting component in the overall national vision to attain developed country status in the coming years. This will involve the growth of ICT as a sector and its application in all other sectors to achieve rapid and sustained development. We will need to grow and nurture the industry with policy and legislative frameworks. Traditional ways of incorporating technology, such as importing machinery and equipment or direct foreign investment, are not enough to confront the challenges of inclusive economic development. It is critical that all stakeholders collaborate to build a national ICT roadmap.
This must be an actionoriented portfolio of initiatives, formulated over distinct time horizons for our long-term objectives, medium-term objectives and short-term priorities. These initiatives should be situated into four major areas: strategy, policy and legislation; infrastructure development; ICT-enabled public sector modernisation; and ICT sector capacitybuilding. The overall strategic objective must be the development of an environment that will consistently enable the creation and sustainability of ICT-related businesses. The initiatives must develop the processes involved in building capacity for the sector: creating policies and programmes that will stimulate new business opportunities, innovation and entrepreneurship in the local ICT sector. We need to enable and foster the process of innovation: getting high school and university graduates to tap into their creativity and to channel that into creating businesses. One of the problems Guyana faces now is youth unemployment, but there are lots of young people with great ideas who are unable to convert those into sustainable incomegenerating operations. The competitive advantage of an economy is increasingly dependent on innovative ideas and services There are some critical things we need to address, and soon. There has to be telecommunications liberalization. We will be unable to be competitive otherwise. The rates in Guyana for enterprise level/high-end connectivity continue to be among the highest in the Caribbean.
Lance Hinds That is impossible to work with. It is only competition that will address that state of affairs. Comprehensive intellectual property is fundamental, critical for the development of a successful knowledge economy. It is difficult to provide the higher level of ICT services otherwise. Some companies have already suffered from this. Guyana cannot position itself as a credible offshore provider of ICT and other knowledge-related services, unless our prospective clients are comfortable that their intellectual assets are protected. We live in an age when time, distance or location is no longer relevant. Guyana had better adapt or we are going be left even further behind. In years past, we spoke about Guyana having the potential to be the breadbasket of the Caribbean. We are now using similar language about Guyana, as, because of its English language, similar time zones to potential clients, and willing workforce, it has the potential to be an information technology hub in the Caribbean. The time for talking is now over. This is the shape of things that must come. Lance Hinds is the President of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He is also the Chief Executive of the BrainStreet Group, an Information Technology and Content Development Company.
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try back to “good health”. But the condition seems to have gotten worse. Dr. Thomas said the industry has now found itself “buried” in excess of $90B in debt until 2017. Based on an overview of GuySuCo’s accounts, he said that it was just less than this for the period 2012 to 2014. Dr. Thomas said in no uncertain terms that, “the sugar industry is now sitting on an economic time bomb.”
SUNDAY SPECIAL HIDDEN NCN REPORT FINALLY COMES TO LIGHT… EX PRESIDENT RAMOTAR TRIED TO DUCK NCN $$$M FRAUD FILE – PM NAGAMOOTOO More than three years after an explosive report of a major fraud at the state-owned television station came to light, embroiling its two most senior Managers, the matter is refusing to die. The special audit report that was commissioned by former President Donald Ramotar had been sitting on his desk since 2012. Despite repeated requests from the media, and promises from the former President, he steadfastly refused to release the report and take actions. It became clear two weeks ago why the report could not have been made public. Former Chief Executive Officer, Mohamed ‘Fuzzy’ Sattaur, who resigned following the submission of an audit report to the National Communications Network (NCN) Board of Directors by Parmesar, Chartered Accountants, was part of a protest by the former ruling party in front of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), in Kingston. It was widely felt that his association with the former ruling party was the reason that the report was not released and why no actions were taken against him. The report, following the swearing in of the new Government, has made it into the hands of a few media houses. Last week Saturday, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, who has responsibilities for public information, said that he has not yet seen the report but expects it to be sent to him so that recommendations can be followed up. WEAK PROCUREMENT PROCESSES LEAD TO US$140M LOSS ANNUALLY – GOOLSARRAN Chartered Accountant, Anand Goolsarran, contends that the weak systems of the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) need to be addressed by the new administration once and for all as they are costing the country approximately $28B annually. Goolsarran said that it is critical for the Ministry of Finance to review the operations of NPTAB given the fact that the agency has been cited by the Auditor General for numerous cases of financial discrepancies. He emphasized that about
Former CEO, Mohamed ‘Fuzzy’ Sattaur 70 percent of the national budget relates to public procurement and this translates to approximately $140 million. MONDAYEDITION TERRITORIAL CLAIM…VENEZUELA THREATENS FORCE, GUYANAWILLDEFEND NATIONALINTERESTAT ALL COSTS – GREENIDGE Things are about to get intensely serious between Guyana and Venezuela as Foreign Affairs Minister, Carl Greenidge has revealed that Venezuela is threatening to use force to deprive Guyana of a significant piece of its territory. Greenidge has however declared that the Government of Guyana “will not accept this new provocation by the Venezuelan Government, sitting down.” He stated emphatically that the Government intends to “utilize all tools available to us to defend our national interest.” The provocation to which Greenidge referenced is the fact that Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro on May 27, 2015 issued a decree, extending Venezuela’s claim to Guyana’s territorial waters. A map which was issued, accompanying the decree, shows that the claim includes the area where the US giant oil company, ExxonMobil is currently drilling for oil. MINISTER BROOMES SWEEPS BARTICA – HUMAN TRAFFICKING RAID NETS 29 Last Sunday morning, a Counter Trafficking in Person Unit of the Ministry of Social Protection and the Guyana Women Miners’ Organisation (GWMO) raided several homes and the two business entities, as part of an investigation into human trafficking. Heading the operation was internationally recognised Trafficking In Persons (TIP) Hero and recently appointed Minister within the Ministry of Social Protection,
Former Production Manager, Martin Goosarran Simona Broomes. As the team scoured Bartica, two bars/hotels on First Avenue, Bartica and a few homes were raided. A number of women – Brazilians, Colombians, Venezuelans and Dominican Republicans and about three men were taken into custody. In all, authorities found 29 foreign nationals living under suspicious circumstances at the various locations. Investigators are looking at the possibility that some of the women were being trafficked to Guyana and exploited, and being controlled by some Brazilian business people, including one who was previously charged with five counts of human trafficking. TUESDAYEDITION TERRITORIAL CLAIMS… VENEZUELANENVOY SEEKS TO CALM TENSIONS …BUT GUYANA CONTINUES PREPARATIONS FOR EVENTUALITIES While Guyana continues to mobilize all tools available to defend its territorial integrity, Venezuelan Ambassador to Guyana, Reina Margarita Arratia Díaz is seeking to calm the tension, showing a face that contradicts the reality of her country’s actions. Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro on May 27, 2015 issued a decree, extending Venezuela’s claim to Guyana’s territorial waters. A map which was issued, accompanying the decree, shows that the claim includes the area where the US giant oil company, ExxonMobil is currently drilling for oil. On Sunday evening, Foreign Affairs Minister, Carl Greenidge, revealed that Venezuela is threatening to use force to deprive Guyana of a significant piece of its territory. Greenidge has however declared that the Government of Guyana intends to “utilize all tools available to us to defend our national interest.” On Monday evening, the Minister said that a further
THURSDAY EDITION GOVT. RETRIEVES ALMOST $10B FROM DISUSED BANK ACCOUNTS
The invoice which was reportedly done in the name of Martin Goolsarran. look at the decree, written in Spanish, leads Guyana to believe that the decree is quite dangerous and very much illegal by the standards of international law. He said that in light of such, Guyana continues to prepare for eventualities. In the meantime, Greenidge handed to the Venezuelan Ambassador a note verbale denouncing her country’s action. It is understood that the Venezuelan Ambassador sought to calm the already high tension professing peaceful intent and friendly credentials. However, Greenidge said that while the Ambassador is professing one thing, her county’s action is screaming otherwise.
the PETROCARIBE deal. It was said that despite such assistance offered to Guyana, the new government seems “unfriendly.” According to Venezuela, the David Granger-led Administration is exhibiting a dangerous policy of provocation against the Bolivarian Venezuela of peace, “supported by the imperial power of a US multinational, Exxon Mobil, which must be rectified in the short term. ”This unfriendly policy of provocation will be defeated by the force of reality imposed by the foreign policy of peace and friendship between Venezuela and the people of Guyana itself.”
VENEZUELAFURTHER URGES PEACE, BUT MAINTAINS TERRITORIAL CLAIM
GUYSUCO BURIED IN OVER $90B IN DEBT UNTIL 2017 “INDUSTRY IS SITTING ON AN ECONOMIC TIME BOMB”- ECONOMIST DR. CLIVE THOMAS
While Venezuela maintains a position seeking to deprive Guyana of a significant portion of its territory, the Bolivarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a statement saying that it wants peace. In the statement, Venezuela essentially asserts that Guyana is somewhat overreacting in its issuance of statements saying that it will use all means necessary to firmly reject Venezuela’s latest threat to its sovereignty. Venezuela made reference to initiatives it had/has with Guyana to promote “solidarity and brotherhood” such as
The more local economists continue to analyze the accounts of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), the more they realize that the sugar industry is in a financially dreadful state. Dr. Clive Thomas in an interview with Kaieteur News on Sunday related, that the industry needs to be purged and its deficiencies addressed from several areas, apart from a managerial perspective. Recently, the board members of GuySuCo and the entity’s CEO were forced to step down after years of failing to nurse the ailing indus-
WEDNESDAYEDITION
The new Government has managed to retrieve almost $10B lying in “old” bank accounts, a senior Government official confirmed Wednesday. In the past weeks, the Ministry of Finance and its departments have been conducting exercises to determine the state of the country’s finances. It is unclear why the previous People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government kept that amount of money lying around in virtually unused accounts. Finance Minister Winston Jordan admitted, Wednesday, that the “old” accounts could have potentially been open to fraud. As a result the monies were transferred. According to Minister Winston Jordan, the sum is estimated to be between $8B and$10B. The issue of public funds not being deposited in the treasury has been raised over time by the coalition Government when it was in Opposition. ELEVENTH PARLIAMENT CONVENES – 36 MPS SWORN IN One of the most powerful organs of the land, the Parliament, was convened Wednesday after being in a state of dissolution for several months. Given its victory at the May 11 polls, A Partnership for National Unity plus the Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) entered the House and its elected Members of Parliament (MPs) took their seats on the eastern side of the House. But the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) did not turn up. The proverbial show, in spite of the PPP’s absence, went on. The eight first-time MPs, who were sworn in along with 28 seasoned members, were excited about the auspicious event which saw the presence of several special invitees from the diplomatic community, the (Continued on page 41)
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(From page 31) business community, the judiciary, the Disciplined Services and civil society. The Clerk of the National Assembly Sherlock Isaacs at precisely14:00 hrs, read the Proclamation summoning the session. During that time, the Mace of the Parliament was brought from the Speaker’s Chambers and erected at the table of the Clerk. The Clerk announced that the Social Cohesion Minister, Amna Ally, was nominated the government’s chief whip. Ally had served in this position when the APNU was in opposition. Isaacs also declared that he was still not in receipt of the names of the PPP elected MPs. The session for the nomination of Speaker then began. The Chief Whip rose to her feet and nominated Attorneyat-Law, Dr. Barton Scotland. This was seconded by Minister of Tourism, Cathy Hughes. Dr. Scotland was confirmed to the post and escorted by Ally and Hughes to the dais. Parliament was suspended to allow members to witness President David Granger inspecting the Guard of Honour in the forecourt of the Public Buildings Compound. The President then made his way to the Parliament Chambers. Meanwhile, there was a rather entertaining discussion brewing in an on-line chat room by those who viewed the first live streaming of the proceedings of the Parliament via the website parliament.gov.gy. Nagamootoo, the leader of the House, named June 25 as the date for the first sitting of Parliament. TERRITORIAL CLAIM…VENEZUELA PLANS TO UP PRESSURE TO WEAKEN GUYANA’S RESISTANCE – GREENIDGE WARNS “For 49 years we have lived in the shadow of Venezuela’s illegal claim and attempts to despoil our country. The sword of Damocles, for the most part unseen, hangs over our heads. Unless removed, it will be the legacy that will be inherited by our children. It is time to end this cycle. A definitive solution has to be found that will put to rest Venezuela’s contention of nullity.” So said Foreign Affairs Mini s t e r, Carl Greenidgein an address to the National Assembly, Wednesday. Greenidge was at the time
Kaieteur News
speaking to Venezuela’s claim to Guyana’s territory. While Greenidge spoke, he had the attention of Venezuela’s ambassador to Guyana, Reina Margarita Arratia Diaz, who was there to witness the convening of parliament. FRIDAYEDITION BILLIONS MISSING FROM PETROCARIBE FUND – GOVT. SCRAMBLES TO FIND US$15M FOR RICE FARMERS, MILLERS Billions of dollars are missing from the PetroCaribe Fund, an account that was created to pay for oil taken under concessional terms from neighbouring Venezuela. The situation has left the Government scrambling to now find US$15M ($3B) to pay rice farmers and millers who have been supplying Venezuela under a rice-for-oil deal. In a bombshell announcement questioning where the money has gone, Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, on Thursday blamed the situation on a “casual” and “callous” administration of the fund by the previous Government under the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) The “fund is almost bankrupt”…there is just nothing in it, he said. The coalition Government is now swiftly moving to revamp the management of the rice industry to ensure new markets are found and the situation regularized. PetroCaribe is an oil alliance with a number of Caribbean states and Venezuela to purchase oil on conditions of preferential payment. The alliance was launched almost a decade ago in Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela. SUCCESS ELEMENTARY PUPIL IS TOP NGSA PERFORMER With five marks more, Solomon Cherai could have secured a perfect score, but his effort was enough for him to be named the top performing candidate at the 2015 National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA). Cherai, a pupil of the privately-owned and operated Success Elementary School gained 530 out of a possible attainable score of 535. His schoolmate Shania Eastman followed closely with 529 marks. They are both eligible to attend Queen’s College. Via a televised press conference, Chief Education Officer, Olato Sam, made the
highly anticipated announcement of the results Thursday. Sam graced the spotlight in what was a noticeable shift from tradition, as usually it is the Minister of Education who is tasked with making the official pronouncement. The recently appointed Education Minister, Dr Rupert Roopnaraine, sat in the company of senior officers of his Ministry, as Sam took to the podium to announce the results. Many persons across the country were reportedly glued to the National Communications Network (NCN Channel 11) to hear the CEO’s report of the results and, of course, mostly to learn the identities of the top performers. Although Sam was able to reveal the names and scores of the top performers of the country and even by Regions, he was however unable to present a detailed analysis of the results. This he said will be done at a later date. Among those named in the top performing one per cent are 72 males and 94 females. ENTIRE TENDER BOARD TO BE SACKED – GOVT. Government on Thursday announced that it has started sweeping changes to its procurement systems to bring back confidence and reduce corruption in state contracts. One of the first moves includes the appointment of an entirely new Board of Directors for the National Procurement and Tender Adm i n i s t r a tio n Board (NPTAB), the body that assesses tenders for state contracts. Already, the Finance Ministry, under Minister Winston Jordan, has submitted proposals to the Cabinet of Ministers on changes that are expected. Speaking to media houses in his first post-Cabinet press conference, Minister of State Joseph Harmon disclosed, that the idea of the clean-up has been a major source of concern for the Opposition under the last Government. A new board will only be part of the changes. The current one is headed by Chairman, Donald De Clou with the offices located in the Ministry of Finance compound, Main Street. Already, the new administration has clamped down on the use of “sole sourcing”, a procurement process where a single contractor is used over others.
SATURDAY EDITION GOVT TO REVIEW CONCESSIONS GRANTED TO FOREIGN, LOCAL FIRMS NO PLACE FOR FAVORITISM TO INVESTORS – BUSINESS MINISTER Business Minister Dominic Gaskin has a number of new plans; one is the restructuring of the system for the granting of concessions to local and foreign investors. Gaskin said that he intends to work towards depoliticizing the method used to dictate how concessions are to be granted. The Business Minister said, “We need to end this culture where people think that knowing a Minister is going to automatically grant you a ticket to a menu or a buffet of concessions.” He said that investors will be informed that they will only get what they are legally entitled to. The politician emphasized that “there is no place for favouritism in this sector, especially when it comes to
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granting concessions.” He added, “You will get concessions based on how sound your plan is and the type of investment it is. We need to clean up those processes and look at what was granted to local entities and foreign companies here to ensure it is within the law. PPP/C BLAMES NEW GOVT. FOR EMPTY PETROCARIBE FUND – FREEDOM HOUSE BEHAVINGLIKE BANK ROBBERS WHO ACCUSE POLICE OF ROBBING THE BANK – RAMJATTAN The People’s Progressive Party has charged that after less than a month in office, the new government has managed to empty the PetroCaribe Fund. It is responsible for hundreds of millions of dollars owed to rice farmers and millers, the PPP said. The former ruling party made the startling counter claims against the coalition Government on Friday in defence of revelations that a bank account used to collect monies from oil sales supplied by neighbouring
Venezuela has been “bankrupt”. On Thursday, Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, disclosed that A Partnership For National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) administration discovered that there was no money in the account. Under arrangements with Venezuela, Government has to deposit proceeds from oil sales. Some of the monies were to pay off the farmers and millers in the rice industry. With the permission of the Venezuelan Government some of the money was used to build a senior citizens’ home in West Berbice. It was widely believed that millions of dollars were supposed to be in the account. Commenting of the PPP/C statement, Minister of National Security, Khemraj Ramjattan, said the spin on the situation is most disgusting and revolting. “It is like robbers of a bank blaming the police for the heist. We will be issuing a detailed statement. Expect them to make more preposterous statements to defend all these shocking findings that are being unearthed.”
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Chigger bites - Tiny but Powerful By Dr. Kumar Sukhraj Chiggers are tiny members of the arachnid family. These tiny, 6-legged wingless organisms (larvae) are found worldwide in areas of vegetation like forests, fields, grassy areas, yards, parks, and areas near rivers or lakes. Chiggers have tiny claws that allow them to attach tightly to people and animals. Once attached, a chigger pierces the skin and injects its saliva. The saliva contains digestive juices that dissolve skin cells. The chigger eats the dissolved cells. After a couple of days the chigger falls off, leaving a red bump on the skin. Their bite causes severe itching. Chiggers bite humans around the waist, ankles, or in warm skin folds. Symptoms begin after the chigger has started to inject enzymes into the host skin. The actual bite itself is not noticeable. The main symptoms of chigger bites are: 1. Severe itching - Itching usually occurs several hours after the chiggers attach to
By Dr. Kumar Sukhraj the skin. The bite is painless. 2. Red pimple-like bumps or hives A skin rash may appear on the parts of the body that were exposed to the sun. It may stop where the underwear meets the legs. This is often a clue that the rash is due to chigger bites. Your health care provider can diagnose chiggers by examin-
ing the rash. The goal of treatment is to stop the itching. Antihistamines and corticosteroid creams or lotions may be helpful. Antibiotics are not necessary unless you also have another skin infection. Call for an appointment with your health care provider if the ra s h i t c h e s v e r y badly, or develops signs of a secondary bacterial i n f e c t i o n o f the skin (spreading areas of redness, warmth, pus, and increasing tenderness or pain) or if your symptoms get worse or do not improve with treatment. Please feel free to send an email to kumarsukhraj@yahoo.com or call 6228032 for further enquiry and discussion on the topic. Patient education plays an important role in the diagnosis and management of any illness. Please look forward for a continuation of the discussion on common health issues in the future publication.
Focus on Mosquito Control (From the desk of the Vector Control Director) Over the past few weeks the general public has come out in droves all across the country and cut grass, removed garbage, cleaned drains and trenches. This behaviour change can only help our country prevent and decrease our vector population and most importantly, decrease our mosquito population. By continuing these activities we will rid our homes and surroundings of mosquitoes and other vectors which invariably make us sick by passing on diseases such as Dengue Fever and Chikungunya to name a few. Mosquitoes can make life miserable. Many recreational and work activities have been ruined by the constant annoyance and irritation caused by their bites. Also, some species can transmit serious diseases. While there are many species of mosquitoes found in Guyana, only a few are a sig-
Guyana and Venezuela: Let the... (From page 24) sent to collect him by the presidency of Colombia. He denounced “a MadridBogotá-Miami anti-Venezuela axis". González was in Venezuela to meet and offer his support for imprisoned leaders of the local political opposition. All of this may account for what seems to be an irrational act in issuing the May 27 decree. A number of Caribbean countries are beneficiaries of the Petro Caribe arrangement with Ve n e z u e l a , u n d e r which they pay for oil on a part cash-part loan basis. Guyana is one of the beneficiary countries. Regional governments have been grateful to the Venezuelan government for its assistance and they have all stated this in giving political support to both the Chavez and Maduro governments. Nonetheless, there will be regional, Commonwealth and international concern over the implications of the May 27 decree which flies in the face
of the 1897 treaty that obliged Venezuela and Britain (now Guyana), to accept the result of an Arbitration as a "full, perfect and final" settlement of the Guyana-Venezuela boundaries. The award, given in 1899, set the boundaries that now exist between the two countries. They were boundaries fully accepted by Venezuela for 63 years until 1962, as British Guiana moved towards independence, when the then Venezuelan President, Romulo Betancourt, sought to re-open the issue on the spurious claim that Venezuela was “robbed”. Both the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the 53-member Commonwealth of Nations have repeatedly affirmed “their unequivocal support for the maintenance and preservation of Guyana's sovereignty and territorial integrity”. The Guyana government has already alerted these two bodies and the UN Secretary-General of its alarm over the decree which
its Foreign Minister, Carl Greenidge, described in parliament on June 10 as a “baseless and shameless attempt at usurping Guyana's territory”. The first opportunity that Guyana and its regional partners will have to explore the issue at the international level comes up at the CARICOM Heads of Government Conference to be held in Barbados in early July, at which UN SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-moon will be a special guest. For more than 25 years, successive Secretaries-General have appointed a “Good Offices” person to promote a settlement to the problem, but these efforts have been to no avail and are now fully exhausted. Secretary-General Ban now has the option to choose another of the means of peaceful settlement in accordance with Article 33 of the United Nations Charter. The most effective would be to refer the matter to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to determine once and
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for all the Venezuelan claim that it was robbed and the binding arbitral award of 1899 is null. Guyana will obviously be encouraging the UN SecretaryGeneral to take this course of action even as, in the words of Foreign Minister Greenidge, it “stands ready to continue discussions with Venezuela with respect to our bilateral relations”. In the interest of peace, prosperity and development in the Hemisphere, all countries should be encouraging the Venezuelan government to withdraw the May 27 decree and to seek a final settlement in the ICJ where the world's most experienced and talented jurists would make a determination binding on all. (The writer is a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London and a Senior Fellow at Massey College, University of Toronto) Responses and previous c o m m e n t a r i e s : www.sirronaldsanders.com
nificant nuisance and/or public health threat. Successful long-term mosquito control requires knowledge of where and how they develop. All mosquitoes pass through four life stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. The number of days from egg to adult varies with species and temperature. Under ideal conditions, some mosquitoes can complete their cycle of development from egg to adult in less than a week. Female mosquitoes are blood feeders and may live for more than a month. They generally require a blood meal before laying eggs. Mosquitoes rely on various cues to find potential hosts on which to feed. Heat, movement, exhaled carbon dioxide, and body scent allow hungry mosquitoes to hone in on their prey from long and short distances. Some mosquito species feed on humans; many feed on wild and domestic birds and mammals. A few even feed on reptiles and amphibians. Adult male mosquitoes do not bite. They live one to two weeks and feed on nectar and plant juices. The most effective way to reduce the number of mosquitoes around homes and neighbourhoods is to find and eliminate their breeding sites - standing water. Adults of some mosquito species remain near their breeding site. Others can travel long distances, even up to several miles. Because of this, mosquitoes may come from breeding sites some distance away. Regardless of recent weather patterns - wet, dry, warm, or cool - there are plenty of potential places in which mosquitoes can develop. A neglected bird bath, open rain water tank, tyres in the yard, or clogged rain gutter can produce hundreds of new mosquitoes in just a few days. Trees uprooted by storms leave soil depressions that collect seepage and rainwater. Large areas of standing water, such as from swamps low areas where water is collected may require
Dr. Reyaud Rahman help to solve these problems. However, there are effective steps that individuals can take to minimize mosquito breeding in their household or their yards: Dispose of old tyres, buckets, aluminium cans, containers or other refuse that can hold water. Empty accumulated water from garbage cans, receptacles, wheel barrows, dog bowls, and flower pot bottoms. If possible, turn these items over when they are not in use. 1. Clean debris (leaves) from rain gutters and unclog obstructed downspouts. Clogged rain gutters are one of the most overlooked breeding sites for mosquitoes around homes. Remove any standing water on flat roofs or around structures. Repair leaking faucets and air conditioners that produce puddles for several days. 2. If you own a pool ensure it is cleaned and chlorinated. 3. Fill or drain ditches and swampy areas, and other soil depressions and remove, drain, or fill tree holes and stumps with cement or mud to prevent accumulation of water. Eliminate standing water and seepage around animal watering troughs, cisterns, and septic tanks. 4. Irrigate lawns and gardens carefully to prevent water from standing for several days. With these simple interventions we will protect our family and ourselves from being bitten by mosquitoes and more so protect ourselves from contracting a mosquitoborne virus. Let us continue to work together for a cleaner and healthier Guyana.
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PUGWU taking a stand for workers of RUSAL The People United and General Workers Union (PUGWU) recently made allegations of the alleged ongoing mistreatment of workers. According to the General Secretary, of the PUGWU the bauxite company of Guyana Rusal shows “no regard and is disrespectful to their workers”. The Bauxite Company of Guyana is a technically advanced mining facility, developing a number of rich deposits of high quality bauxite. It was founded in December 2004 under an agreement between RUSAL and the Government of Guyana. RUSAL owns a 90 per cent stake in the company; the remaining 10 per cent belong to the Guyanese government. In 2006, RUSAL acquired the assets of Aroaima Mining Company from the Government of Guyana and transferred them to the Bauxite Company of Guyana. RUSAL owns licenses to develop Linden, Kwakwani and Ituni deposits groups in Guyana. “Of all the foreign Bauxite companies that operated at Aroaima, Kwakwani and Everton the Russian-owned
Bauxite Company Guyana Inc. (Rusal) is the worst. This company shows total disregard and disrespect for the workers and their union (the Guyana Bauxite and general Workers Union), for the Guyana Labour Industrial Laws and practices, and for the international labour conventions that Guyana signed into”, said Micah Williams, General Secretary of PUGWA. In May 2009 there was the suspension of workers who protested unsafe working conditions; in December 2009 there was the dismissal of 57 workers who were engaged in strike action for increased wages and improved working conditions, in November 2010 there was the dismissal of workers who protested BCGI’s cockroach and rat infested kitchen, and the use of expired food items to prepare their meals.” The Company’s Managing Director, Mr. Ruslan Volokhov wrote the then Minister of Labour, Manzoor Nadir, informing him that the Company had terminated the collective labour agreement and also derecognized the Guyana Bauxite and General Workers Union (GB&GWU).
It has stuck to this lawless position which is a breach of Article 23 (1) of the Trade Union Recognition Act, the trade unionist said. The then APNU/AFC joint parliamentary opposition party brought up the matter before the house requesting that Mr. Manzoor Nadir, the then Minister of Labour to have the matter addressed but no action was taken by the government as he did not fulfill his duty on the matter. Subsequent Labour Minister, Dr. Nanda Gopaul, decided to send the union and company dispute to arbitration but the company failed to turn up on March 13 for an arbitration meeting called by the Ministry of Labour. The company’s lawyer sent a letter informing the Secretary of the Arbitration Tribunal that he was unable to represent RUSAL’s management who are abroad. He said that he too was out of the jurisdiction. The company went to court on the matter and was granted an order halting arbitration proceedings. Chief Justice (Ag), Ian Chang, granted the Orders Nisi. The company refused to treat with
the arbitration process and took the matter to court. The minister was requested by the court to file a document stating the details of the matter and he did but the court ruled that his document had to be resubmitted since it was not properly prepared. Dr. Nanda Gopaul never fulfilled the court request. In 2014 in absence of the GB&GWU representation the company changed the standard format to calculate the annual Christmas safety bonus payout resulting in workers receiving less money. At present the company employs most of its workers on contract in doing so it does not make deductions for payments to NIS and GRA, which are required by the laws of NIS and GRA. Early last year the company prevented Hururu loggers and residents’ access through the Kurubuka 22 mines main road to access cut and uncut logs which they depend upon for livelihood. They initially refused to pay to the Hururu Village Council a reasonable monthly lease fee for the road leading to the wharf and the construction/ operations of a wharf at Kurubuka 22 mine site. This resulted in residents
staging a protest and blocking the road from the Hururu crossing barge area leading to Kurubuka 22 miles which the company uses from Hururu crossing Barge area to Kurubuka 22 miles and also blocking the Berbice River preventing the company’s vehicle tugs and barges from operating. It is the opinion of many persons that Mr. Herman Williams, the then company’s S e rg e a n t / C o m m u n i t y ’s Liaison Officer who had nothing to do with the protest and related blockages of the road and river, was made the
scapegoat and sacrificial lamb for the incident. The company soon after made his job Redundant in May 2013. In absence of GB&WU representation, many other employees have been wrongfully dismissed without payment of their entitled benefits. However with this new APNU+AFC government in power it is expected that the listed issues would be urgently addressed and remedied with the union finding its rightful place as the bargaining agent of the workers.
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Sunday June 14, 2015
‘The Exit of USAID’s Leadership and Democracy (LEAD) Programme
After almost two tumultuous years in Guyana, the USAID Leadership and Democracy (LEAD) Programme has concluded. Glenn Bradbury, Resident Country Director in Guyana for the Washington-based, International Republican Institute, will soon be departing. To say Bradbury received less than favourable treatment from the former PPP/C regime would be an understatement. Last April, the then PPP/C government, embroiled in its feral hatred of all things American and especially former U.S. Ambassador Brent Hardt, demanded that the LEAD programme be shut down before the PPP/C would consent to entering in what would turn out to be a time-
consuming three-month useless exercise with the US Embassy on the drafting of a new LEAD Programme - one that would ultimately remove the contentious programs and make it more acceptable to the PPP/C. While having actually agreed to the Programme in its initial discussions with the Americans, it became clear from the outcome of the negotiations what was really bothering the PPP/C. The government did not want any program that risked creating a more cohesive and productive opposition. This is even more evident when after the discussions on LEAD were concluded, the Program lost its ability to work with strengthening the capacities of political parties. To force the US to the
LEAD re-negotiating table, the PPP/C set its sights on Bradbury. They stripped him of his work permit, without any indication of what specific law he was in contravention of. The government then threatened to have him arrested if he did not immediately leave the country. For several weeks, the then Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee indicated his displeasure via pro-government newspapers over why Bradbury was still in Guyana. At no point did the minister ever produce evidence of Bradbury’s high crimes and against the state. This was due to the fact that there were no violations of any Guyana laws, nor was there any stomping on the country’s sovereignty. What was obvious was that the PPP/C did not have the moral, legal, or even intestinal fortitude to arrest Bradbury and carry out his forced departure - possibly because the government would lose its eviction order if the matter ever came before the counts. The PPP/C stated on a
few occasions that there were no laws in Guyana that actually applied to foreign democracy programmes working with political parties on trying to improve their capacity and to enhance the workings of the National Assembly. What is equally relevant is that LEAD never acted in secret. All political parties were invited to participate in the Programme and its activities - although by all accounts, the PPP/C never did. Despite the ludicrous and fanciful accusations by the PPP/C, no evidence was ever provided of the LEAD giving any money to either APNU or AFC. There was no proof offered of some covert US plan to overthrow the PPP/C government. It would seem that the government’s ramped-up hysteria focused on LEAD was more the product of an over-developed imagination and a long-standing paranoia that existed deep within the inner circles and psyche of the PPP/C leadership - fuelled by a growing hostility to a US Ambassador constantly harping on about why no
local government elections were being called and Dr. Roger Luncheon’s personal inability to process the fact that the Cold War ended decades ago and that his side actually lost. Regardless, the PPP/C announced that it would not enter into discussions with the Americans to re-design the LEAD Program unless it was put on hold. Once LEAD was shelved, and in an obvious ploy to defuse the negative publicity growing over the entire affair, the PPP/ C, under the crafty guidance of its chief tactician and thespian, Dr. Luncheon, set about to “negotiate” the obtaining of a watered-down LEAD that was more to the government’s liking - gutted of its ability to build the capacity of the various political parties; have no chance of improving the Assembly’s performance, and never achieve anything close to obtaining consensus in the gridlocked National Assembly. A politically-neutered LEAD Programme was left with working to empower women and youth and assist
in the provision of voter education for local government elections that the government never intended to call unless it was absolutely certain that it would win most of them. Fast forward to today. The PPP/C is no longer in power. Guyana has an opportunity with its new government, one more inclined to having good relations with the US and UK, to embark on a road of progress for its people - a road not washed out by ideology, paranoia, and a lust to maintain power at any cost. However, just as when a democracy programme would be welcomed with open arms, LEAD will end. Thus, there will be a significant vacancy in programmes that seek to assist in the advancement of the National Assembly and enhance its ability to become more effective, productive, and responsive to the needs of the people. There will be one less programme to provide capacity building and consultative advice to new MPs and to Cabinet ministers - many never having held such high office.
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GT&T takes customer to court over Skype The Caribbean Court of Justice heard arguments on June 2, last, in the matter of James Samuels v. GT&T. Samuels filed an appeal that included arguments concerning the legality of GT&T’s monopoly as well as concerning whether a private citizen can use Voice Over Internet Protocol (“VoIP”) in Guyana without permission from GT&T or without a telecommunications licence. Samuels applied for and was provided with DSL internet services by GT&T in 2006. After DSL service was installed on Samuels’s computer he subscribed to Vonage VoIP service. Vonage VoIP enables a subscriber to send and receive voice communication electronically over the internet by the use of a computer. Samuels wrote GT&T informing it of his intention to utilize VoIP on the DSL service provided. GT&T replied advising that under the terms of his contract with them, he was prohibited from utilizing the DSL service for international telephony traffic bypass and also pointed him to the fact that he had no licence to engage in telecommunications services, VoIP being telecommunications, the use of which requiring a licence. Samuels, according to court documents disregarded the caution proffered by the defendant and proceeded to utilize the DSL service provided by GT&T for VOIP activities. Upon the discovery of such activities GT&T blocked
Samuels’s internet access, thereby disturbing the DSL service which was provided to his residence. GT&T contended that the disruption of the service was justified since the plaintiff was unlawfully operating an unlicensed telecommunication service in contravention of the provisions of the “Telecommunications Act of 1990” as well as in breach of his contract with GT&T. Samuels moved to the courts seeking an injunction against GT&T, restraining it or its servant, agents from interfering with his use of the DSL service for the VOIP service as an accessory to the internet service available to users in Guyana and abroad, arguing that GT&T did not own the internet and was interfering which is freedom to communicate. Further, Samuels asked the court for a declaration that there was a breach of contract executed between him and the defendant (GT&T) for the provision of DSL service for his premises. Samuels sought damages in excess of $1,000,000 for the breach of contract whereby he said he suffered loss and damage because of the disruption. The main thrust of GT&T’s case is that the plaintiff was in breach of the DSL contract he entered with them. Additionally, GT&T also defended its actions of blocking Mr. Samuels’ use of VoIP by stating that the use of VoIP consisted of telecommunications pursuant to the Telecommunications Act, and
…matter reaches CCJ therefore required a licence for its use. Counsel for GT&T, Mr. Miles Fitzpatrick, S.C. and Mr. Rex McKay, S.C., argued that since Mr. Samuels did not have a licence for the use of VoIP, Mr. Samuels was conducting an illegal activity and GT&T was therefore justified in disrupting his use of VoIP, especially since GT&T had a monopoly on telecommunications and VoIP in Guyana given its exclusive licence.However, Samuels contended that he merely signed an application form for the provision of the DSL service and was not provided with a written contract setting out the terms and conditions of such service at the time he made the application. Mr. Samuels also argued that the use of VoIP did not constitute telecommunications and therefore did not require a licence, and in any event, GT&T’s licence was invalid since it was illegal to have a monopoly in Guyana according to the Civil Law Act. In a ruling by the trial Court in favour of Mr. Samuels, Justice Rishi Persaud stated that GT&T failed to prove the terms of its contract restricting Mr. Samuels use of VoIP, ruled that VoIP did not constitute telecommunications but the transmission of data, and opined that GT&T’s monopoly was illegal. He awarded Mr. Samuels $850,000 plus costs. GT&T promptly appealed the decision. In a dramatic turn of events, the Court of Appeal, in
decisions rendered by Chief Justice Ian Chang, Justice Yonette Cummings and Justice James BovellDrakes, overturned the trial Court’s decision, stating that while the Court of Appeal would not disturb the trial court’s findings of fact on the issue of GT&T’s failure to prove the express terms of its contract with Mr. Samuels, it was clear that there was an implied term in the parties’ contract restricting Mr. Samuels use of VoIP, especially since Mr. Samuels wrote GT&T informing it that he was going to use the DSL service for VoIP. It was clear that GT&T would never allow the use of VoIP since it constituted telephony bypass, the court ruled. The Court of Appeal also stated that the issue of GT&T’s monopoly was irrelevant to the matters in dispute that there was insufficient evidence on the record to justify a finding that VoIP did not constitute telecommunications. Mr. Samuels then appealed to the Caribbean Court of Justice. He argued that the Court of Appeal’s decision was incorrect as a matter of law since not only did its decision constitute an impermissible interference with the trial judge’s findings of fact, but it also implied a term which was never contained in GT&T’s pleadings or evidence in the Court below. He argued that the Court of
Appeal did so by impermissibly considering Mr. Samuels’ post contractual conduct as an aid to imply a term in the parties’ contract and misinterpreting the Law of Contract generally. Samuels also argued that there was no evidence of an implied term and no evidence that GT&T would be harmed by his use of VoIP. The Court Appeal in any event incorrectly analyzed GT&T’s position only without an analysis of the consequence of such an implied term to both parties. Samuels also argued that GT&T’s restriction of his use of VoIP interfered with his constitutional right of freedom of expression. Even if there was a contract between the parties restricting his use of VoIP, which he denied existed, that term would be illegal since it was mandated by an illegal monopoly. Samuels argued that VoIP did not constitute telecommunications and therefore did not require a licence for its use. GT&T argued that Mr. Samuels has admitted to the existence of a contractual term restricting his use of VoIP and that the Court of Appeal’s decision was correct The CCJ has reserved its decision. It is set to rule on these issues in the upcoming months. Mr. Samuels is represented by Mr. Devindra Kissoon of London House Chambers. GT&T is represented by Mr. Miles Fitzpatrick S.C. and Mr. Timothy Jonas of De Caires, Fitzpatrick and Karran.
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Sunday June 14, 2015
First Assembly of God to Special Miracles Ministries celebrates host Men’s Conference establishment of new sanctuary
Reverend Raphael Massiah With an aim of helping Guyanese men understand their purpose and power, the Men’s Ministries Department of First Assembly of God, Wortmanville will be hosting a grand Men’s Conference from June 20 at its church in Wortmanville. The featured speaker for this Conference is Reverend Murtland Raphael Massiah. He is a well-known, highly respected leader in Guyana, the Caribbean and wider world. As such, he has a local
and international platform, where he addresses varying issues. Reverend Massiah is the Assistant Superintendent of the Assemblies of God, Guyana, and Senior Pastor at First Assembly of God. The conference seeks to serve as a platform for men to find their original place as priests and kings in the family, the community and the nation. During these three days of Conference, men will have the space to listen, hear and come into their sphere of influence as God intended. The Ministry hopes that the conference would have a direct and positive impact on men in their homes, the community and the nation. Other initiatives include a “Man Talk” On Friday, June 19 from 6pm. The ‘Panel Discussion’ will be in the form of an outdoor event at The Church’s parking Lot at the Corners of Louisa Row and Durban Street. One June 20, there will be a ‘Men’s Health and Fitness Expo” where free health checkup/tips will be done from10:00 hrs to 14:00 hrs at the Church’s parking lot as well.
The assembly at the dedication celebration on Sunday. It is often said that the church is the extension of the Kingdom of God on earth and from the beginning of time, the establishment and consecration of places of worship has been practiced by men of all faiths. Last Sunday, Special Miracles Ministries, (SMM) International, held a dedication service in honour of the completion of its first building and hosted a special thanksgiving celebration, to
mark the occasion. Those in attendance, sang, danced and rejoiced returning thanks to God for his faithfulness in completing the project. During the dedication service, the assembly heard words of exhortation from Bishops’ Gary Mingo, Henry Brown, Nathaniel Lamazon and Terrence Esseboom. Many remarked at the excellence of the new building and expressed delight and
appreciation at the creation of another sanctuary in the community. The brilliantly adorned four storey edifice, located at Lot 203 Freeman Street, East La Penitence, which now houses the operations of Special Miracles Ministries, was constructed within the past eleven months. The Ministry is under the leadership of Archbishop Wingrove David Babb and his wife, Bishop Amy
Kumarie Babb. According to Babb, part of the plan for the new sanctuary is to be an overall blessing to residents of the community. While he is most appreciative of the role he played in the construction of a House in God’s name, Archbishop Babb is optimistic of the role the Ministry can play in the development of the Continued on page 64
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Kaieteur News
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LET’S TALK SERVICE: Helping Each Other in Business As business owners, providing assistance to other businesses should be a natural extension of our responsibilities. Many business owners are quite engrossed in their operations or daily tasks to assist others. In assessing my business, I have realized that a lot of my leads are generated from or during the provision of assistance to others. Recently, I pondered on the assistance provided by my company and assessed the benefited received, and need I say that the benefits outweighed the cost. Here are five benefits of providing assistance to each other: 1. Sharing resources and information: A wealth of information and resources are
available out there; and research whether it be personal or professional is becoming more and more popular as consumers and businesses rarely make purchasing decisions without information. In this regard, we are constantly churning out information and knowledge of resources, some we use, others we can share as it may be relevant to our colleagues or other business. That information shared can make a difference in how things are done, decisions are made or in the case of a resource shared, may determine the success of a business venture; 2. Highlighting new opportunities for Growth: You may be aware of opportunities daily due to
GT&T targeting month-end completion for faster internet project The Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T) says it is almost twothirds complete in its plans to upgrade customers across the country with faster internet. The US-owned company is aiming at June month-end to finish the project. In a statement, the company, which has the monopoly on landlines and overseas calls, disclosed that three months after the launch of its enhanced internet service, some 60 percent of the work has been completed and “customers are now experiencing the fastest and most affordable internet in Guyana”. GT&T’s internet customers were automatically upgraded to speeds as much as up to five times without having to pay more. “Customer feedback has been extremely positive with customers indicating, that they are indeed experiencing
the speeds that were promised, and are excited about all the things they can now do more efficiently on the high speed internet network.” Service to current GT&T internet customers continues to be automatically upgraded. “The services are being offered to both residential and business customers and are being sold in packages of Bronze, Silver and Gold within the speed range of 1.5 Mbps to 10Mbps. Free telephone filters are also provided for our customers with the aim of aiding in the experience of maximum speeds.” GT&T said that a small number of customers that do not qualify for higher speeds because of where their homes are located, have been receiving 50 percent price reductions on their current plans. “The roll out continues ahead of schedule with plans of completion by the end of June 2015.”
Lyndell Danzie-Black your current position, that information may not be useful to you at that particular time. We should always think of who can benefit from the particular opportunity. Opportunities may arise for careers, business contracts, endorsements, recognition etc., and this may be the break that your colleague have been awaiting and think about it, you provided that inroad. There is self-satisfaction as well as your contribution to the success of your colleague that may augur well towards you or your business
in the future; 3. Making introductions: Over a decade ago, I read an article on the benefits of networking, and never forgot how the writer highly recommended keeping records of contacts when meeting new people. In so doing, I am now able to have a secured network of people, not just for myself but to provide assistance to my colleagues through introduction to the right people. An introduction can have a great impact on business deals, professional as well as personal relationships; 4. Volunteering and Providing Genuine feedback: In dealing with small businesses, some are not able to pay a full fee per hour and the time given to that business may be more valuable to the business owner than the dollar value. Once I have agreed to undertake the task, I ensure that I am genuinely involved and this demonstrates my willingness to assist. In being genuinely interested you are able to provide
feedback that will assist in providing solutions required; 5. Promoting and Recognizing: We interact daily with colleagues, business, and people generally, how often to you promote the products, services or qualities of our associates to other people that we meet. Within our businesses, we can promote the qualities of our colleagues or staff, we can promote the service or business of a colleague and recognize staff through award schemes or nominate other business for industry awards. Your recognition will mean the world to your colleagues as well you will be promote a skill, quality or product that others can learn, grow or benefit from in one way or another. This contributes to the dynamism and growth of your industry or sector and you will
ultimately benefit. Businesses need a successful community, sector or industry that creates demand for its products or services within a supportive environment. Great business leaders are also leaders in the community. In providing assistance to other businesses we are actually assisting ourselves and our business community. Lyndell Danzie-Black, Managing Director – Cerulean Inc www.ceruleanmanagement.com Twitter: @CeruleanInc I write on Service Quality, Business, Customer Service, Tourism and Destination Management Email your comments/ questions: danzieblack@ceruleanmanagement.com
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Kaieteur News
Sunday June 14, 2015
Please don’t term prostitution trafficking
By Ralph Seeram Bai dem gyals does do more than dem gyal here does do. Dem Spanish gyal can suck “cane” good. My friend on the other end of the phone was calling me from the heart of the jungle in Guyana, from one of the gold mining areas in the interior. This was some three weeks ago. I was trying to get some info on life in the goldfields; I could not have asked for a
better person. She worked in different mining areas, and currently she was doing two jobs, by day working in the fields and at night, running a bar. She made it clear to me that she doesn’t “hustle”. So I asked her how much money she makes, and was surprised when she told me the money she saved in two weeks. She said sometimes she would get her tips in gold. She saved over G$150,000 in that period, “but I don’t
hustle” she insisted, “Dem gyals does mek mo”. “Things dear hay; a bottle of Banks Beer cost a thousand dollars”. So I asked her to tell me more about “dem gyals”. She said they come from “all about”, Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia and Dominican Republic mainly. “Dem man like dem foreign gyal”. So it was with some amusement when I read of Simona Broomes’s big public display of rounding up “victims” in Trafficking in Persons (TIP). I knew all she did round up was a set of sex workers. It had nothing to do with TIP, and I rather believe
Simona Broomes knew that before she started the exercise. I knew all she rounded up under the pretence of TIP were women who either overstayed their visa or entered the country illegally. That was eventually brought out in Court, where it was proved that the women were not victims of TIP but were merely in the country illegally. What a waste of resources!! No wonder she complained before about not getting the c o o p e r a t i o n o f p o lice before, I rather suspect the police has more important things to than rounding up members of the world’s oldest profession. Broomes built her reputation on fighting TIP. I said last week that her work is overrated at best; her actions in her latest raid, proved this. Trafficking in Persons is a serious international problem; it is also something difficult to prove in court. I did a little research to make sure I understood the definition clearly. Under the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) which other agencies take their cue they defined it as: (a) Trafficking in persons” shall mean the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of
exploitation. (b) Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labor or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs. The recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of a child for the purpose of exploitation shall be considered “trafficking in persons” even if this does not involve any of the means set forth in sub paragraph (a) of this article; “Child” shall mean any person under eighteen years of age. Basically if a child is less than 18yrs engaged as sex workers, those responsible are automatically guilty of TIP. It is a different story when you have adults of their own free who come to “hustle” for whatever reason. If Broomes wants to be a Morality police she should come out and say so, but don’t go rounding up whores under the pretext of fighting Trafficking in Person. Now lots of pork knockers are angry. The price has gone up for them; demand and supply have stepped in— fewer gyals more money. At least Broomes has reduced the competition for the local girls, and I am sure they can step to the competition and do better than what “dem foreign Spanish gyals can do”. I am sure it will not take long to fill the vacancies left by the women that were deported. Some may have already started making their
way back. After all, they have customers to ‘service”. Look let’s be real here, prostitution is not called the world’s oldest profession for nothing. You can’t get rid of it, so leave dem gyals alone. They are doing a service. If you don’t believe me go ask dem pork knockers who miss dem gyals. What is needed is for the authorities to focus their energies on child sex exploitation in the country especially in the interior. They are the ones more vulnerable to the charms of exploiters. According to UNICEF “as many as two million children are subjected to prostitution in the global commercial sex trade. International covenants and protocols obligate criminalization of the commercial sexual exploitation of children. The use of children in the commercial sex trade is prohibited under both U.S. law and the Palermo Protocol as well as by legislation in countries around the world. There can be no exceptions and no cultural or s o c i o - e c o n o m i c rationalizations preventing the rescue of children from sexual servitude. Sex trafficking has devastating consequences for minors, including long-lasting physical and psychological trauma, disease (including HIV/AIDS), drug addiction, unintended pregnancy, malnutrition, social ostracism and death.” This is the area I think the focus should be for the Guyana Government. I will have to ask my friend if the recent raids scared away the “foreign gyals” in her (Continued on page 64)
Sunday June 14, 2015
Kaieteur News
SERVICES
WANTED
PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. – CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620
1 Maid, 40years and older to work in SurinameContact: (+597) 322-5442; (+597) 651-6666
Visa Application: U.S.A, Canada & UK; Guyana Passport application. Graphics design, Advertisement. Tel: 6267040; 265-4535. Repairs & spare, fridge, freezer, A/C, washers, stoves. Contact Nick: 6831312, 627-3206 Your Dream Yard Today! Stunning designs, Assortment, colourful plant choices, Professional Landscapers Tel: 219-0468/ 648-1821 Balloon decorating for birthdays, weddings, anniversary etc, make your event extra special! Tel Maya: 642-6664
VEHICLE FOR SALE
FOR SALE
Make Up Courses with Mac, Bare Minerals, Black Opal and Sacha cosmetics. Call: 647-1773/660-5257
1 L-Touring Wagon, excellent condition - A.C Alarm & Remote start, flair kit, CD player, 16" mags, price -$1.3M - Tel: 626-2884
1-AT192 Carina (private), automatic, fully powered, A/ C, mags, CD Player, price $850,000 Contact Rocky 2251400,621-5902
LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICK SILVER) 99.99995% PURITY$19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-227-4754.
Star Cars Auto Sales: In Stock, Premio, Vitz, Bluebird, IST, Alteeza, Benz C200, Spacio - Tel: 679-3140 Don’t Miss! Venus Auto Sale: pre-order, specials on Toyota IST, Vitz, Ractis, Passo, Raum- $1.9M, $1.8M Call: 624-5617
1 Isuzu canter open back (diesel engine), manual, short base, price $1.2M- Excellent condition- Contact Rocky 225-1400,621-5902
Great Deals on video games & all gaming consoles. PC, phone games & applications. Delivery also. Call: 672-2566; 265-3232
1- Toyota RZ (excellent condition) manual, CD player, mags, 15 seater, price $950,000 – Contact Rocky: 225-1400, 621-5902
Spare for washing machine, microwaves, fridges, stoves, timers, gearbox, motors, etc call: 225-9032, 647-2943
1 Honest driver salesman must have lorry license & experience in sales- Contact: 233-3512. Email: prestige foodsguyana@gmail.com
50 Acres titled farm land @ The Belle, Upper Dem, River Front -reasonable offer accepted, serious enquiries only! - Tel: 695-3493
Salesgirls to work in Grocery stall in Stabroek market. Experience is an asset- Call: 226-9800
Prime land in Corriverton 1.3 acres roadside land suitable for Gas station, hotel, Shopping mall etc.- Call: 6266245, 335-3347
Experienced pastry makers, Roti/Puri & Curry, cook, cleaners, apply @ Hack’s Halaal, 5 Commerce Street. Immediate opening for entry level office assistant, construction or technical background preferred. Must be computer literate – Call: 685-1001 Attractive live- in waitressCall: 228-5129, 604-8277 Truck drivers, security guard, office staff: 5 CXC subjects minimum & computer literate, to work in Georgetown - Tel: 218-5105
K. Lakeram, building contractor: carpentry, masonry, drawings of plans, general maintenance –Call: 216-0671, 622-0267, 6928 4 6 4 / klakeram.construction@gmail.com Brian Moe @642-3543: Computer Technician: FB/ Brian.Moe.165: Home and office visits at your comfort!!
1 Live- in domestic, salary $50,000- Call: 688-5409, 6741767
HEALTH Follow-me male enhancers, diabetic, hypertension and more. Sickness free sample treatment- Tel: 696-2957 WANTED 1 gas welder- Call: 628-1756, 228-5655
VEHICLE FOR SALE
Need an advisor to help with setting up a new Private School, email details to mozatart@yahoo.com
EAGLE’S FRIDGE RE-GAS - $8,000 & WASHING MACHINE REPAIRS. PHONE: 697-2969, 6460966 Emergency Repairs & 24hrs Service to all roll up/shutters @ Luk’s General store –Tel: 223-0998; 613-1921; 6551072 Licensed custom-brokerCall: 660-9478 REPAIRS AT LOW COST: FRIDGES, AIRCONDITIONERS, WASHING MACHINES, TVS, MICROWAVES, FREEZERS - CALL:6294946 OR 225-4822 We repair fridge, freezer, AC, washer, dryer Call Omar:2310655,683-8734
For custom brokerage & break bulk Cargo to USA, Canada, U.K etc –Contact: D&J Shipping –Tel: 2236056; 231-7185
SALON
LAND FOR SALE Commercial lots available at Eccles E.B.D $14M - Tel:592227-2913 or 592-689-3033
Cook must know to bake, able body cleaner, housekeeper & general domestic, waitress Tel: 679-5993
Salesgirls and porters, apply to Best Buy Food Supplies, at 1E Dennis & Middleton Street, Campbellville with written application.
Parfaite Harmonie $1.3M, $1.5M. Tushen $1.6M. We buy all low income landsCall: 689-3339, 611-7223, 2231443 Luxury gated communitypool, mall, swipe card entry, underground irrigation. Selling @ $6USD per sq.ftCall: 609-0783 Land as low as $2M between Eccles & Diamond (100ftX50ft) & (110ftX56ft) Tel: 675-7292; 223-1443 1500 acres transported land 4½ miles from Bartica Rock, Quarry, Forestry, Agriculture. Contact Mark: 603-1266; 6259788 Professional Realty: we buy/ sell/rent/value your real estate –Call: 694-3875; 6490535; 654-6198
1 General domestic to take care of guest house in Interior. Must know how to cook- Tel: 231-0363
Female assistant for interior. Salary $80,000 monthly- Call: 674-1767, 688-5409, 664-5199 Maid/ cleaner- apply at Wieting & Richter Ltd. (1)Mechanic to work in the interior. Must have knowledge with perkins engine Call: 611-4495, 6290037, 226-9768 We buy land in Eccles, Herstelling & Parfaite Harmonie, Uitvlught & Tuschen. Legal fees paidCall: 611-7223, 689-3339, 2231443 Honest & reliable person to do light work & look after an elderly woman. Preferably age 45-50- Call: 227-2321
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WANTED CANTER DRIVER AND SALESMAN, SECURITY GUARDS FOR LAND OF CANAAN, E.B.D BUSINESS. POLICE CLEARANCE REQUIRED. 676-6700 2 Accounts clerk with Grades 1 & 2 in Maths & English. Apply at Technical Services, Eccles Industrial Site, E.B.D. Contract cars & HC drivers @ A1 taxi Service - Call: 2201000 One live in maid –Tel: 6755256 Carpenter and mason- Call: 668-9863, 675-6136, 602-9469 1 farm worker & 1 clerk- Call: 265-3586
One Toyota Allion PNN SERIES & 1 new & unregistered Mazda Axela, excellent condition -Tel: 649-0956 2004 Spacio -$2M 2008 Fielder (new shape) -$2.5M unregistered –Tel: 617-2891 We buy & sell vehicles for cash, also parts available & 30 seater buses; Extra Cab pickups; 2006 Tacoma - Call: 680-3154 Just Arrived! TM Trucks from UK, excellent condition –Tel: 679-7587; 695-3188 Toyota Prado, Price$4.4M Neg. Call: 643-2403 AT192, 212, Allion, unregistered Premio, Hilux Surf, BNN, RZ & Pit-bull, 7 seater super custom. Cash / terms - Call: 680-3154 1 beige Toyota spacio 2003 model. PMM series. Lady driven in excellent condition. 1st owner- Call: 628-5828 One Noah registered in BTT series, never used. Reasonable price- Call:698-8617 Fantasy Auto Sales: 38 Alexander Street Kitty. Get $100,000 discount on perorders- Tel: 611-1833 Fantasy Auto Sales: Nissan X-Trail 2008 $5,450,000, Mitsubishi RVR 2010 $5,600,000. Both fully loadedCall: 611-1833 Smart Choice Auto: Premio, Allion, Spacio, Fielder, Bluebird, Carina 212, ISTCall: 652-3820, 665-4529 RZ minibus EFI in working condition - Call: 677-7580 Toyota AT150, excellent condition, price negotiableCall: 226-1751 Saturday or Sunday Toyota Dyna Canter, open back, excellent condition – $1.3M -Tel: 684-8231 AT170 Corona EFI, PGG 4289 -$250,000 – Tel: 685-5298 Honda 600 RR, Toyota AT212, AT192, BB, Premio, Tundra fully off-road, RX-8, Nissan Bluebird –Tel: 644-5096; 6971453 Corolla EE90 PFF 9681, salon type automatic, good for racing, four mag wheels $250,000 negotiable- Cell: 646-7339
1-AT212 Carina (private -new model), automatic, fully powered, A/C, mags, CD, alarm, Price $1.350M Contact Rocky 225-1400,621-5902 1- Toyota Land Rover (Discovery) manual , fully powered, alarm , 4X4 Diesel (2700 cc) Price -$6.7M Contact Rocky: 225-1400, 6215902
Pure breed pitbull puppies 7 weeks- Call: 661-1715 or 6692434 Roxie’s fashion sale on black leotards, tights, dance shoes, dance costume dresses etc.- Call: 227-8538 Electronic and battery operated snow cone machines- Call: 266-2711, 609-4594
1- Toyota Raum (PPP series) automatic, fully powered, AC, alarm –price -$1.3M - Contact Rocky: 225-1400, 621-5902
Rare and expensive stamps, first covers/post cards with stamps, coins & paper money, etc –Tel: 227-6817; 624-7341
1- Toyota Picnic (7 Seater) 4 doors, automatic, fully powered, A/C, mags, alarm CD –Price -$2.3M –Contact: Rocky: 225-1400, 621-5902
XBOX One, XBOX 360, PS2, PS3, PSP and Nintendo DS system, plastic barrels $6,000-Call: 603-8643; 6217497; 649-3277
Toyota Caldina, Wagon, Black, 17" Rims, AC, Stereo $900K –Tel: 600-3500 Blow Out Sale!!! Unregistered Toyota IST $2,100,000- Bodykit, TV, Spoiler, Fogs, Alloy Wheels, Crystal Lights & Alarm – Call: 643-6565, 226-9931
Pine cupboard doors 16"x27" $3,200. Also any size made on order- Call Singh: 6211278 10 Acres of land roadside at Kuru Kururu for business. Cheap price- Call: 601-3369 One customize Honda motorcycle 150cc. price $140,000- Call: 691-1794
HB Yellow 192, good condition -$650,000 – Call: 647-0271; 684-2539
Full breed German shepherd puppies, black & brownCall: 682-5664
1-AA 60 Carina, good working condition – price $160,000 –Tel: 689-5254; 2560504
1 Ford econoline van (left hand drive) in excellent condition. Sale price $2.2 million - Contact: Ms. Rooplall 233-3512
Mitsubishi Galant, excellent condition, remote alarm, power windows, A/C, USB Deck –price: $880,000 negotiable – Call: 651-5692 1 RZ EFI bus BHH – Call:6413700 Unregistered Corolla Fielder 2003, body kit, fog, rear spoiler, dark interior, roof rack Call: 617-5536.
One complete music system Tel: 699-5790, 221-2817 GENERATOR 30KVA, BRAND NEW, AUTO TRANSFER SWITCH, DIESEL. SUPER SILENT, SINGLE PHASE. FROM USA, SIGMA. $3M- CALL: 695-1138 F-160 Shil weeding machine HP 1.9 in great condition blades & glasses including, price negotiable. For information call: 661-2888 One 15 Yamaha engine and 30ft boat. 300lb seinecontact: 660-8024, 693-6492
LEARN TO DRIVE Soman Son & Outar Driving School at Maraj BuildingTel:644-5166; 622-2872; 6150964; 689-5997
3 plastic injection mould machines in excellent condition. Sale price $8 million for all 3- Contact: Ms.Rooplall 233-3512 Continued on page 64
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Kaieteur News
Sunday June 14, 2015
Special Miracles Ministries celebrates... FOR SALE Pools table, cloth, balls, pocket, cue stick, rubber, coin Shute, spring coin, chalk holder –Tel: 669-9927 Dachshund puppies, finish de-wormed -$12,000 - Tel: 216-0521; 642-8671 Pile driving hammers, weight 3 and 4 tons, 6 cylinder Leyland engine, 10 tons double steel wheeled roller Call: 275-0538; 693-7105 D4H CAT bulldozer, Leyland DAF 55 Tipper truck, 20 lengths- plastic sheet piles– Contact: 275-0538; 693-7105 Pneumatic roller – 9 wheels, 2,500 GLS, steel tank, 2,000 GLS, steel tank , 428 CAT Back-Hoe Call: 275-0538; 6937105 1 miller bobcat welding generator 225 amps - Tel: 6165424, 680-0378 German shepherd pupsContact: 615-0513 WOOD- USED T-SHORE AND 3/8 PLYWOOD, TO CAST DECKING, ONLY USED ONCE @ HALF PRICE- CALL: 695-1138 1 David bridal wedding dress (used once), 1 Hitachi digital camcorder –Tel: 615-5627, 689-8896 One Toyota Celica Convertible, customized (high performance set-up). One Toyota Ipsum (new model) going cheap. Contact: 6295414 TO LET Prime office space @ lot 239 Quamina Street, Central Georgetown, parking available in Private yard. Tel: 592-227-2913, 592-689-3033 Four storey building located on Robb Street next to Bourda market- Tel: 623-7731, 629-0636 Newly constructed apartment/ house in healthy and safe environment at W.C.D- Call: 698-6496
PROPERTY FOR SALE Residential lots ad houses for sale at Eccles, E.B.D $7.5M. Tel:592-227-2913 or 689-3033 Transported concrete property for sale at Lot 458 Block “8” Mon Repos, E.C.D, Top flat 2 bedrooms, bottom flat 2 bedrooms $20M. Tel: 625-1514 Property for sale, Grove $18M neg. Tel: 625-5461. TWO STOREY 3 BEDROOMS, 3 BATHS @CHARLOTTE ST. GARAGE, BUSINESS DOWNSTAIRS. NO AGENTS PLEASE. $80M NON-NEGOTIABLECALL: 695-1138 169 Thomas St. Kitty, double lot, vacant possession ideal for business or commercial purposes – Call Zeena: 2203348; 611-8222 Property at Agriculture road $15 million negotiable- Tel: 612-2522 Property for sale at Covent Garden, E.B.D- Call: 265-3586 Property at Kersaint Park LBI, price $13M negotiable Contact: 664-1865; 698-5713 Concrete house for sale in Eccles new scheme $35 million neg- Call: 611-1018, 622-0722 Property @ Lot 63 West Ruimveldt, Estate Housing Scheme Georgetown – Contact Mark: 618-9744 2 STOREY 2 BEDROOMS HOUSE ON LARGE LAND 300’X40’ CLOSE TO MAIN ROAD, CANJE BRIDGE, BERBICE. $11M- CALL: 609-8132, 672-8569 Brand new 2 storey concrete building in 5th Avenue, Diamond, E.B.D –Tel: 6629335; 612-3244 2 Storey building , 8 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, hot & cold water, Lot 11 Coghlan Dam, W.B.D, Just off main Road- Tel:264-1582, 679-7587 Two storey wood and concrete business building located at 35 Ketley and Howes Street Charlestown – Tel: 623-9679
CAR RENTAL DOLLY’S CAR RENTALCALL: 225-7126/226-3693 DOLLYSAUTORENTAL@ YAHOO.COM/WWW. DOLLYSAUTORENTAL.COM PROGRESSIVE AUTO RENTAL:CARS&SUV FOR RENTAL- $4,000 & UP PER DAY- CALL: 643-5122, 2193900, EMAIL: PRO_AUTO RENTAL@YAHOO.COM Aidan’s Car & Pickup rental, cheap rate, low security - Tel: 698-7807
Newly built, 2 storey house in Mon Repos, Modern Kitchen, 3 bedrooms, 2.5 Bathrooms & Laundry room -$40M negotiable - Call: 6911521 (Delmar).
FOR RENT PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 Two bedrooms furnished house at Crane, Housing scheme, W.C.D $30,000- Tel: 671-6855 Office, storage bond, lessons place, other businesses at Vreed-EnHoop- Call: 680-9905 Church at 180 Charlotte Street- $150,000 negotiable – Tel: 227-6817; 624-7341 2 Bedrooms house at A43 East La Penitence (behind East La Penitence Police Station) - $65,000 monthly – Tel: 693-9179 12 Offices $60,000 at 220 South road- Call: 601-3369 3 Bedrooms top flat apartment at Broad St. Charlestown, Georgetown. 10 minutes walk to Stabroek market- Call: 692-0828 1-8000 sq ft modern warehouse/ manufacturing facility centrally located @ Eccles industrial site. $5,000US per monthContact: 233-3512 Colonial Style: 3 bedrooms house, extremely spacious, fully detached @ Upper Robb Street Bourda –Call: 661-5110 (suitable for residence/office) GT TOOL RENTALS: COMPACTOR; CHIPPING HAMMER RANSOM & FLOOR SANDER, JACK HAMMER, CONCRETE SAW & MORE- CALL: 6750767, 627-5098 TWO STOREY 3 BEDROOMS, 3 BATHS @CHARLOTTE ST. GARAGE, BUSINESS DOWNSTAIRS. NO AGENTS PLEASE. $3200 USD/ MONTH- CALL: 6951138 House to rent – Contact Vishnu Ramnarine: 639-3099 Newly built modern executive three bedroom two storeyed house with all modern amenities US$1,400 neg. Phone: 621-6888. FOR SALE/RENT
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VACANCY Cutter/straight stitch/ button tack/hole operators. Call: 222-2541 (8:00am4:00pm Mon-Fri) Experienced female accounts clerk, must have four years experienced. Apply @ Alabama Trading, Georgetown Ferry Stelling Stabroek. Work from home, earn $5,000-$20,000 daily Call Monday-Friday 9am-5pm #233-6517, 638-0595 www.jobfairworldwide.com I N T E R N AT I O N A L EMPLOYMENT: NURSE, TEACHERS,CARPENTERS, ELECTRICIANS, COOK, WAITERS, BELL BOYS, HOUSEKEEPERS, STOREKEEPERS, SECURITIES. CONTACT: 231-6296; 650-9880/ www.plzrecruitme.com Male security guards, male desk staff & male supervisorcall: 225-0198 or 233 South road, Lacytown Security guard @ Coverden E.B.D, Apply in person to Alabama Trading Georgetown Ferry Stelling Stabroek Sales representative for Pureguard oils and heavy duty equipment, excavator, etc- Contact: 223-5273/4 Dental Laboratory trainee technicians- Tel: 639-5577 (between 5:00pm-8:00pm)
3 Storey established business at 220 south roadCall: 601-3369
Fully furnished two storey building, fully AC, alarm system, 4 bedrooms, 4 full baths, backup generator $60M neg. Call: 691-1521 (Delmar)
Enroll Now! Classes start 13 July: floral arrangement, cake decoration, cakes & pastries, bridal accessories Contact: 223-3303; 6124193; 672-8768
From page 60 community in which he grew up. The Archbishop believes that the church has a responsibility towards the enrichment of communities, individuals and the nation. He looks forward to the role SMM church will play in this regard. He also spoke of a number of projects intended for the benefit of residents, especially the young people in the neighbourhood. SMM started in August 1994 with Archbishop Babb and a few brethren. The Ministry, a Pentecostal movement, started as a prayer group that later developed into a church, with earliest members, Gurdai Tiwari, Beverly Nelson and the late Evelyn Hopkinson.
Throughout the years, the church had the experience of assembling at different locations, which, according to Babb, was at times frustrating but provided valuable lessons. It was during this time, Babb said, that God gave him “a faithful few and strength anew.” He described his wife as a significant support for him. Babb holds firm in the conviction that the first lady, Amy Babb, is truly a gift from God. It was through the prayers of members and the noteworthy support of his wife and faithful covenant partners around the world, Babb said that the Ministry was able to acquire its own sanctuary.
Porters, moulder & re-saw operators, Eccles Industrial site, E.B.D- Call: 609-7675, 233-2614, 674-1705
Please don’t term...
One welder/ fabricator- Tel: 642-7898
(From page 62) area. I know the raids were not in her area, but I must remember to ask her if there are any underage girls in the “business in her area’. She should know. She shares a room at the back of the bar, and as you know a barman or in this case barwoman knows everybody’s business. Maybe I can give Ms Broomes some real info on TIP. Oh so I asked my friend what Smart Phone she was using since the reception for both Skype and phone conversation was good; she said a Samsung Galaxy S6. I said to myself wow she must be making good money. However she still insisted “I don’t hustle” Ralph Seeram can be reached at email: ralph365@hotmail.com and Face book
Vacancy exists for (1) one DJ/ Entertainer/ Promoter to work at a club in EssequiboContact: 226-9768, 615-6172 Male driver, 3 years experience. Age 21-35 from Timehri/Turkyen. Valid driver’s license- Call Alice: 668-7104, 261-2280
For Sale: Rush, household items: TV, etc. For Rent: house. Tel: 628-7884
3 Storey commercial building, 39 Broad St. Charlestown, inclusive of convenient store, bar & Lounge -$80M neg. Call: 691-1521 (Delmar).
The new sanctuary which houses the operations of Special Miracles Ministries.
CAKES & PASTRIES DRESSMAKING Morning and evening classes also dressmaking service. Call Sharmie (Canadian trained): 6262629, 676-6312
PROPERTY FOR SALE 1-4 Bedrooms house & complete shop at Tuschen Phase 2 –Tel: 682-2951
EDUCATION Register now with Alpha foundation for child care, care for elderly, cosmetology, dressmaking, cake decoration & more –Phone: 264-1052; 663-7930 CXC Adults classes: day & evening. Phonics class, grade 2,4,6,9 lessons- Call: 231-1209, 690-5008, 657-7398
Sunday June 14, 2015
Kaieteur News
Iran’s Rouhani aims to limit nuclear inspections, warns of talks delay
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani leaves after delivering a speech at plenary session during the Asian African Conference in Jakarta April 22, 2015. Reuters Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday a comprehensive nuclear deal could be delayed if world powers brought new issues into play, and he would not accept a U.N. inspections regime that jeopardized state secrets. Iran is aiming to strike an accord with six powers by June 30 that would curtail its nuclear program in exchange for relief from sanctions. But negotiators have hit an impasse in part over how much enhanced access International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors should have to Iranian sites. “Iran will absolutely not allow its national secrets to fall into the hands of foreigners through the Additional Protocol or any other means,” Rouhani said in a televised news conference, referring to an IAEA provision that would allow more intrusive inspections in the Islamic Republic. U.S. and French diplomats have called for Iran to accept stringent measures including granting inspectors access to its military sites as well as inspections on as little as two hours notice — access that the Protocol could encompass. Rouhani said Iran could embrace the Protocol, noting that other states that are signatories to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) had done so without problem. But he insisted Iran should not face especially farreaching measures. “A problem we face on many issues is that when we reach a framework in one
meeting, our negotiating partners go back on it in the next meeting,” said Rouhani, a pragmatist elected in 2013 on a platform of limited Iranian engagement with the West, after many years of deepening hostility. “If the other side sticks to the framework that has been established, and does not bring new issues into play, I believe it can be solved... But if they want to take the path of brinkmanship, the negotiations could take longer.” The IAEA has long had regular, if limited, access to Iran’s nuclear-related sites. But Tehran has refused to let the agency visit military sites, citing the risk of securitysensitive information being passed on to Western intelligence agencies. The U.S. ambassador to the IAEA, the U.N. nuclear watchdog, said on Thursday that additional nuclear transparency measures were outlined in a preliminary deal
reached in April between Iran and its negotiating partners. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final word on Iran’s foreign and security policy, has ruled out several requests by the West, including on interviewing its nuclear scientists and “extraordinary supervision measures”. The Additional Protocol would also permit the IAEA to collect environmental samples like soil that can unearth military dimensions to nuclear activities years after they have taken place. Western powers have long suspected Iran of trying to develop the means to make atomic bombs, while Iran insists its uranium enrichment program is purely for peaceful purposes. Rouhani said: “What is important to Iran is that, in implementing this protocol, we make it clear to the world that the accusations we have faced about trying to build a bomb are baseless.”
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Sweden royal wedding: Prince Carl Philip marries ex-reality star
Sweden royal wedding: Prince Carl Philip marries ex-reality star Sweden’s Prince Carl Philip has married a former reality-TV star and glamour model in a lavish ceremony in the chapel at Stockholm’s Royal Palace. Sofia Hellqvist, 30, also worked as a topless model and a yoga instructor before helping to set up a charity. Her new husband, 36-year-old Carl Philip, is third in line to the throne. Thousands of well-wishers lined the streets for the event, despite polls suggesting the Swedish royal family’s popularity is waning. They cheered as Miss Hellqvist, a 30-year-old commoner, became a princess. After their marriage, the couple took to a horse-drawn carriage to parade through the cobbled streets of Stockholm’s old town, waving to crowds in the hot summer sun, before returning to the palace for a 21-gun salute and wedding banquet. About 550 guests attended the ceremony, many of them royals, including Princess Takamado of Japan and Britain’s Prince Edward. Prince Carl Philip was initially reported to have had difficulties putting the ring on his bride’s finger while the royal couple said their vows. A band played a version of the Coldplay song Fix You in the royal chapel, and the newly weds were then serenaded by a man singing a Swedish version of the song Umbrella by Rihanna. The pair reportedly first met at a restaurant in 2010, with news of their relationship being revealed soon after.
The Swedish media made much of Ms Hellqvist’s past, which included posing topless with a boa constrictor for a men’s magazine in 2004. A year later she appeared on the Swedish reality TV show Paradise Hotel, in which scantily dressed singletons compete to stay in a luxury resort. In response to the media interest, Ms Hellqvist told Swedish television that she had long since moved on. “I don’t regret anything. All these experiences have made me the person I am,” Ms Hellqvist said. “I wouldn’t have made those choices today,” she added. Amid rumours that her past had caused disquiet among the royal family, the palace has emphasised her charity work. In 2010 she co-founded the Project Playground charity which helps disadvantaged children in South Africa. She has also worked as a volunteer in several African countries. Ms Hellqvist, who is from the central Swedish town of Alvdalen, also studied accounting in New York in 2005 and worked there as a yoga teacher and a waitress. On Friday evening, more than 200 wedding guests attended a dinner in honour of the couple on the island of Skeppsholmen. Carl Philip is third in line to the throne behind his elder sister Crown Princess Victoria and her three-year-old daughter, Princess Estelle.
Shares on European stock markets have fallen amid reports that senior EU officials have discussed a possible Greek default for the first time. The Athens stock exchange closed nearly 6% lower. Germany’s Dax and France’s Cac 40 ended more than 1% lower. Shares also fell in the US, with the Dow Jones index dropping 0.8%. Cash-strapped Greece is trying to reach a deal that will unlock bailout funds. It is seeking to avoid defaulting on a •1.5bn debt repayment to the IMF. The payment is due by the end of the month. According to official sources quoted by news agencies, senior eurozone officials meeting in Bratislava on Thursday held their first formal talks on the possibility that Greece might default. Also on Thursday, officials from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) pulled out
of talks with Greek politicians in Brussels, citing “major differences”. Shares on the Athens Stock Exchange had soared on Thursday amid renewed optimism about Greece’s talks with its creditors. The index climbed more than 14% - the best performance in several weeks. But the IMF’s withdrawal has dampened investors’ moods. On Friday, Jeroen Dijsselbloem, president of the Eurogroup of finance ministers, said a deal without the IMF was “unimaginable”. On Friday stocks in the National Bank of Greece fell by more than 10%, while Piraeus Bank fell more than 11.5%. European and US shares also fell on fears that a potential Greek default would hurt foreign investors in Greece. However, German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged all parties to continue negotiations.
European shares fall amid Greek default fears
Sunday June 14, 2015
Kaieteur News
Texas police investigate gunman Dallas attack:
BBC - US authorities are investigating a gun and bomb attack targeting the Dallas police headquarters. A man left bombs outside the police HQ and opened fire on the building early on Saturday, before fleeing the scene in a van. A police chase led to a standoff in a car park, which ended after police shot and killed a suspect, and detonated bombs in a vehicle. Police say they believe the attacker was motivated by personal grievances. Authorities say are awaiting the result of a medical examination, which will confirm the identity of the suspect. The FBI is assisting investigations into the attack, and Dallas police say they are seeking more information about the incident from the public. PIPE BOMBS During the assault, the gunman called the police and accused them of causing him to lose custody of his child. Dallas Police Chief David Brown told reporters that the suspect had given his name as James Boulware, and that officers had attended three incidents of domestic violence in the past involving a man with that name. However, Mr Brown added that the suspect could have lied about his identity. The gun attack on the police headquarters began at about 00:30 local time (05:30 GMT) on Saturday. Following the shooting, the suspect fled in what appeared to be an armoured vehicle, ramming a police car. Officers also found at least two bombs planted
Photos released by the authorities showed bullet holes in the police building. outside the police headquarters they successfully detonated one, while another exploded as a robot tried to move it. The police chase ended in a standoff at a car park in Hutchins, about nine miles (14km) from central Dallas. Police snipers eventually shot through the front windshield of the van, but police did not confirm the suspect’s death until several hours later. Police used a robot equipped with a camera to confirm that the suspect had died, because the gunman had warned that he had explosives in his vehicle. Police then carried out controlled detonations on the two pipe bombs in the van,
leaving the van in flames. There was “lots of shrapnel... in the pipe bombs that exploded”, including screws and nails, police said. Mr Brown said snipers had decided to shoot the suspect after “he became increasingly angry and threatening” during negotiations, and appeared to pose a threat to those around him. He added that it was extremely lucky that no-one else had been killed during the attack. “There are bullet holes in squad cars where officers were sitting,” he said. “It raises the hair of the back of your neck just thinking what could have happened.” He added: “I believe we are blessed that our officers survived this ordeal.”
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Hillary Clinton vows to champion ‘everyday Americans’ BBC - US Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton has vowed to help “everyday Americans” in the first major rally in her presidential campaign. Mrs Clinton outlined her key policies in a speech to thousands of supporters on New York City’s Roosevelt Island. She pledged to support working families, saying: “America can’t succeed unless you succeed.” Her campaign team hopes to boost approval ratings, which have flagged since her soft-launch in April. Her husband, former President Bill Clinton, and daughter Chelsea appeared alongside her. She promised to “make the economy work for everyday Americans, not just those at the top” if elected president next year. “Prosperity can’t be just for CEOs and hedge fund managers; democracy can’t be just for billionaires and corporations,” Mrs Clinton, 67, said during the rally. “It’s America’s basic bargain... if you do your part, you ought to be able to get ahead, and when everybody does their part, America gets ahead too,” she said. Until now, the former US secretary of state has held
Hillary Rodham Clinton
small events with selected audiences in early voting states such as Iowa. Saturday’s outdoor rally marked a change in gear for her campaign. Mrs Clinton hopes to
make history as the first female US president. If successful she would also keep the White House within the same party for a third term. She did not detail specific policy proposals on Saturday.
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Sunday June 14, 2015
‘67M euros for T&T Jamaican PM calls for change in middle income status cane farmers missing’ Trinidad Guardian Political Leader of the Independent Liberal Party (ILP) Jack Warner is outraged and disgusted by what he describes as the latest display of treachery by Speaker Wade Mark Friday in disallowing seven urgent questions he filed as the MP for Chaguanas West. According to Warner, what was the most appalling of all was the fact that four of his questions posed in the Parliament sought to find answers for the approximately 6,000 cane farmers and their 3,000 workers, as to what had become of the 77 million euros entrusted by the European Commission to the T&T Government for implementation of the exit strategy for former cane farmers and their workers under the EU’s National Adaptation Strategy for Sugar Protocol Countries. “According to information obtained from various sources, at least 67 million euros have been
Wade Mark allegedly paid over to the T&T Government, [of which] only 3 million euros remain, and not one red cent has reached the cane farmers or their workers for whom this money was intended, and who continue to struggle to access funding for making their exit from the sugar industry,” Warner said. “The ILP is further
advised that the monies were allegedly used by the Government to do things that were not contained in the official exit strategy for sugarcane farmers and their workers which was developed under the watch of the European Commission’s representatives, and assisted by the Ministry of Planning, the Ministry of Food Production and the cane farmers, and submitted to the Joint Committee chaired by Planning Minister Dr Bhoe Tewarie in August 2013,” he added. Warner further explained that any expenditure of the EU funds outside of the agreed and approved strategy would amount to an alleged misappropriation of funds. “Given the alleged fact that none of this money has reached the cane farmers or their workers, it would mean that approximately TT$800 million has been diverted by the current administration. Where did this money go? And why did the PP have to reach such desperation as to have these questions blocked in the Parliament?” Warner said.
BRUSSELS, Belgium (JIS) — Prime minister of Jamaica, Portia Simpson Miller, has pressed for changes to be made to the existing classification of some developing countries as “middle income”. She noted that the classification has prevented these countries from accessing greater levels of funding for development and other economic support. The prime minister was addressing a retreat held on June 11 in Brussels, Belgium, as part of the of two-day summit of heads of state and government of the European Union (EU) and the 33 countries of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC). At the retreat, Simpson Miller spoke about some of the major issues of concern to Jamaica. These included the need for greater l e v e l s of development financing for developing countries within the framework of the Post 2015 Development Agenda, as well as practical on-the-ground programmes
to prevent and respond to the effects of climate change. The prime minister, over the course of the summit, which got underway on June 10, also held bilateral meetings with prime minister of Spain, Mariano Rajoy Brey; and prime minister of Sweden, Stefan Lofven. The meetings reviewed several areas of cooperation between Jamaica and the two EU countries and identified additional areas of cooperation to be pursued. Areas of technology transfer, agriculture and agro-processing formed a major part of the talks with Spain. Prime ministers Simpson Miller and Lofven spoke about of the commitment of their governments to prudent macro-economic management; trade and investment facilitation; employment creation; gender equality; the protection of children; social programmes for the most vulnerable segments of their populations; and programmes to mitigate the effects of climate change.
Rowley confident of election win Trinidad Guardian Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley says September 7, 2015, will be get rid of UNC/ PP Day in T&T. He made the comment moments after Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s announcement in Parliament of the September 7 date for the 2015 general election. The Parliament will dissolve at midnight on June 17. Rowley, who was suspended from the Parliament by the Government last month, said he was very
optimistic about his 59-yearold-party’s chances. “We are ready and we will get readier and by September 7 we will be at our most ready and we will win the election,” he said. “Given half a chance or any chance, this Prime Minister would not have called elections at all. It is clear that she is in love with office and preferred to stay in office for every day that the law allows.” He said the choice of September 7 was “a total disregard for the fact that the fiscal year starts on October
1.”The national budget is usually presented in September, and Rowley said “combining the election with the budget preparation is irresponsible on the part of the Prime Minister. That does not serve the national interest.” He also said PersadBissessar had set the election for that date “for one reason and one reason only, to give herself the very last day the law allows in office.” He said, however, that this would negatively affect matters of national interest. Noting that there would be no Parliament for the next three months, Rowley said, “The Government, in an unsupervised manner, will behave in a most reckless manner to award contracts and using state resources to campaign.” He said he was now asking the population “to look at the government’s conduct in the next 90 days to ensure it did not abuse its authority to do all kinds of things to retain office.”
Sunday June 14, 2015
Kaieteur News
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LeBron’s weary Cavs try to fill up tank for Finals push CLEVELAND (Reuters) LeBron James has carried the Cleveland Cavaliers throughout the NBA playoffs but getting them over the finish line could prove too big a challenge as his weary team’s shortened bench is taking a toll. The banged-up Cavaliers, already down two starting players and dealing with health issues to a few others, looked sluggish in Thursday’s loss to the Golden States Warriors that knotted the best-of-seven NBA Finals at 2-2. “The one thing we’ve been preaching the whole series is that we wanted to wear them down,” Warriors forward Draymond Green said after Thursday’s 103-83 win. The Warriors did just that on Thursday as they played with a much higher intensity level, contested shots, pounced on loose balls and battled for rebounds en route
to posting their highest regulation point total of the NBA’s championship series. Feisty Cavaliers guard Matthew Dellavedova went to hospital to be treated for dehydration following Tuesday’s Game Three and Iman Shumpert is battling a painful shoulder bruise. That is on top of losing All-Star guard Kyrie Irving in the opening game of the Finals and Kevin Love early in the playoffs. And on Thursday, Cleveland nearly lost the heart and soul of their team when James crashed into a camera along the baseline, leaving him with a headache and a bloody gash on his head that required stitches. Even James, one of the most competitive players in the NBA, needed rest during key moments on Thursday’s pivotal game. After cutting a 12-point halftime deficit to six points
in the third, James needed a rest in the fourth. With Cleveland’s best player sitting, the Warriors restored their double-digit lead and cruised to the most lopsided victory of the series. “I was just hoping our team could just buy me a couple minutes,” said James. “We weren’t able to do that tonight in the fourth quarter, and, I mean, it’s difficult. “You want to be out there, but also you don’t want to be — you want to be effective while you’re out there too. So they made a huge run, and we just couldn’t regather after that.” During Thursday’s game, the Cavaliers trainer was massaging the cramped legs of both James and Dellavedova. “(It) was the third game in five days, including the trip back from the West Coast, and it seemed to have an impact on us,” said Cavaliers head coach David Blatt.
Sunday June 14, 2015 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) The past few weeks may have seemed Earth shattering, Aries. You may still be trembling slightly as you head into the coming weeks.
LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Reality isn't always as exciting as you'd like it to be, Libra. But isn't this because you interpret reality in a particular way?
TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) You may be sensitive, Taurus, but you're also persistent. The waves you've surfed in the past few weeks have only strengthened your resolve. However, you will have to be satisfied with this past period of thrills.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) The planetary energies are encouraging you to make some adjustments regarding your social ambitions. You may desire to change professions or your circle of friends.
GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Perhaps the last few weeks impressed you as one of the most intense periods yet in this year. You will certainly admit that anything related to affairs of the heart was endowed with profound and lasting meaning. CANCER (June 21–July 22) The day ahead will suit you, but you mustn't expect miracles. Now is a time of healing.
SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) This planetary energy is going to test your recurring desire to go to the other side of the world or have a ready exit in any relationship. You do this so you won't feel trapped and, above all, so you won't be dependent. CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19) Why do you find relationships difficult, Capricorn? You know interactions with others help you learn and grow.
LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) You're going to have to get your papers in order, pay off old debts, face physical or moral obligations, and fix technical problems.
AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) The end of one cycle signals the beginning of a new one. Today, you will embark on a new period of understanding that harmonizes your energies.
VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) The astral energy says there's a time for everything. We tend to repeat certain tasks we like doing, while those we dislike we try to get out of the way as quickly as possible.
PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) You're resilient, but even you have found all the recent intensity a bit too much. You can relax now. The next few weeks promise to be calmer.
Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James moves to the basket against the defence of Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry and forward Harrison Barnes during the first half in game two. (Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports) After playing three games in five days, players will enjoy a two-day break before the series resumes on Sunday in Oakland where one team will move one win away from snapping a decades-long title drought. The Warriors are seeking their first NBA title in 40 years while the Cavaliers are shooting for a maiden championship and the city of Cleveland’s first since the 1964 Browns of the National Football League. Now that the Warriors have seemed to solve the offensive woes that dogged them in Game Two and Game Three losses, coupled with the obvious fatigue plaguing the Cavaliers, the momentum has shifted back in Golden State’s favor. “Maybe because it’s our first trip to the Finals, we
thought we can just play hard — but it’s not just about playing hard,” said Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said. “It’s about playing every single possession like it’s
your last. I thought (last night) our effort took a step up. And that’s why we were able to win.” The fifth game is set for today.
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Sunday June 14, 2015
“Inspirational West Indies cricket excellence all in one place!” Colin E. H. Croft If you were at Kingston’s Jamaica Pegasus Hotel last week, as were the seven surviving West Indies cricketing “Sirs” when they attended the awards ceremony hosted by West Indies Cricket Board and West Indies Players Association, then you ought to have been inspired! That room had to be dripping with cricket greatness. What a night it must have been! Realistically, it will not be often again in the future that Sir Everton Weekes, Sir Wesley Hall, Sir Andy Roberts, Sir Vivian Richards, Sir Curtly Ambrose, Sir Garfield Sobers and Sir Richard Richardson, tremendous cricketers for their respective countries and past WI teams, could be in the same place again. What a wonderful opportunity to reminisce on WI cricketing style! These seven knights have an astonishing 541 Tests; 644 ODI’s; 43,834 international runs and 1,499 international wickets between them. On paper, all they need to
have an unbeatable but imaginary proper team, for any format, would be a real wicketkeeper, two real opening batsmen and perhaps another front-line spinner. That timely opportunity last week afforded a chance of a lifetime for present WI cricketing underlings to rub shoulders with greats, hoping that something could “rub off” from them, especially with that word “great” having been so badly diluted over the past few decades. If you are a present WI cricketer, or aspirant, and you were there, you ought to have taken every chance, with risks too, I expect, to enquire from these stalwarts as to what was it that they did over their careers to make them not only special to WI cricket but revered world-wide. Denesh Ramdin, present WI captain, and the rest of his squad for Test No. 2 v Australia; even the Australians too; must have taken that opportunity to admire those knights with awe. Unfortunately, I had to be elsewhere, attending to more important personal situations. Pity!
1950’s, 60’s, 70’s and 80’s, cricket’s “time of romance,” and 1990’s and 2000’s, were very different times cricketwise, even if Sir Curtly and Sir Richie played during international cricket’s “time of transition.” Sir Richie’s career ended in 1995 while Sir Curtly played until 2000! The greatest, Sir Gary, is like boxer Muhammed Ali. They cannot be duplicated. Truth be told, I doubt, even after so much elapsed time, that Sir Gary knew, or even now realizes, how massive a cricketer he was! Having seen him play for the first time in 1971 v India; and as a Guyana Under-19 player even actually bowling to him at WI practice then; with achievements on cricket arenas, might it have been UK, India, Australia or Caribbean, that man is the last of cricket’s all-around geniuses. Sir Everton, third of “Three W’s”, following Sir Clyde Walcott and Sir Frank Worrell, is still my personal favorite WI cricketer of all time, and not only because I am similarly named, as Sir Andy probably was too, af-
ter Sir Everton’s big exploits around the time we were born; early 1950’s. Like Brian Lara, Sir Richie and Sir Viv, Sir Everton is a batting luminary, but unlike Sir Everton and Lara, Sir Viv was more openly destructive, like his name-sake, “Smoking” Joe Frazier of boxing fame. Sir Richie was not far behind Sir Viv either in batting aggression. Sir Everton was somewhat more classical, as smooth and effective as perhaps another boxer, Floyd Patterson. If Lara was a boxer, he might have been Sugar Ray Leonard! Lara, Sir Everton, Sir Viv and Sir Gary are always included in “All-time WI XI’s’, regardless of whom the selectors are. That alone confirms their own cricketing immortality. With modern cricket, so many avenues to endure, so many shorter competitions to manipulate, so many political and other obstacles to overcome, it is conceivable that these seven cricketing knights could be some of the very last that we might ever
know here. Barbados could still maybe suggest Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes and Joel Garner for knighthoods, while Jamaica might even think about giving similar acknowledgements to Chris Gayle, Michael Holding and Courtney Walsh, but few other ex-players deserve such accolades. Guyana and Trinidad & Tobago are both republics, so if Clive Lloyd and Rohan Kanhai are to be knighted, then they will have to get those gongs through their adopted domicile England. Guyana’s Shiv Chanderpaul and Lancelot Gibbs, and T&T’s Deryck Murray and Lara, all for tremendous services rendered sometimes beyond duty for President or Prime Minister, will simply have to miss out due to each respective country’s political foundations. Darren Sammy could be knighted by St. Lucia too, as were Sir Viv, Sir Andy, Sir Richie and Sir Curtly honored by Antigua & Barbuda, but
that barrel of knighthoods is becoming empty! Sir Curtly and Sir Andy have been headliners for recent successful WI fast bowling culture, but if one is to nominate “The real father of modern WI fast bowling”, then that additional accolade must go to Sir Wes, the only man ever described as “pace like fire”, always leading from the front! We may never see such justifiably honored cricketing knights again in our history. Enjoy! E-mail address = c.e.h.croft@gmail.com
Do or die for Golden Jaguars and Vincy Heat in return WCQ today Most important game of our lives – Shabazz By Franklin Wilson Only one team will advance to the third stage of qualifying in the ongoing CONCACAF round of action for the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 when the dust is settled this evening at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence. It will be the home team, Guyana’s Golden Jaguars taking on visitors, St. Vincent & the Grenadines Vincy Heat in what is anticipated to be nothing less than an epic battle with the respective nations knowing that only the winner will be going forward. Guyana will start this encounter with the physiological advantage following the 2-2 tie in the first game on Wednesday l a s t a t t h e Arnos Vale Play Field in St. Vincent. Vincy Heat battled their way back twice to salvage a draw which gives them a chance of advancing providing they can overcome the Golden Jaguars this evening. That will however be a monumental task given the reinforcements the home team has now with the English based quartet of Neil Danns, Marcel Barrington, Matthew Briggs and Sam Cox, being granted citizenship. Head Coach Jamaal Shabazz speaking with
Substitute Ricky Shakes (#14) shoots past SVG’s goalie Winslow Mc Dowall for Guyana’s second goal. Kaieteur Sport from the team Hotel yesterday, said that they Technical Staff is elated that the players have been grated their passports which enables them to be in contention but it does not guarantee them making the final starting eleven. ”But it gives us the choice to choose horses for courses. We want to thank the government personnel that acted swiftly, all of them, to make it happen; we’re thankful for that.” Shabazz was quick to point out that this game is the most important of their lives pointing out that they have to chose the players carefully that will do the job for Guyana
today. ”We have a good spirit in the team and we have a good feeling towards going to get a positive result.” Playing at home, Shabazz said, his charges will play with more confidence and take the game to their opponents whilst playing with more heart and desire. ”I thought at times in the game in St. Vincent we were timid and tentative. This game we want to be more assertive going forward and playing more like a team playing at home.” With the English players now being available changes would be made to the starting eleven Shabazz informed.
Danns, Briggs and Cox will all make their World Cup debuts; sitting out the starting team are Dwain Jacobs, Vurlon Mills and Sheldon Holder. The Guyanese fans are once again being urged to come out in their thousands to urge the team on to victory and a place in the next round of qualifying. According to Shabazz, they need to be part of the rebuilding process of football in Guyana. ”We’ve been through a lot as a country in football and this is a time for all the warring factions, all the different stakeholders to come together and see how we can give that good vibes and moral support to the team and
be part of this process.” World Cup time is a special time in any nation he posited, a time for total participation. “In this time I urge everybody to come and participate and hold the flag and play your role in the process of taking this football forward.” When St. Vincent touched down on Friday afternoon at the Ogle International Airport, both their Head Coach Cornelius Huggins and Captain Dorren Hamlet said they were confident of defeating the Golden Jaguars who have not lost to a Caribbean side at home since 2007. Vincy Heat displayed a lot of heart and speed at home
but will find that the atmosphere tonight will be very hostile with fans expected to be donned in their gold or yellow shirts cheering the Golden Jaguars on. The home team is expected to be decked out in their new Admiral gold kit having worn the green in St. Vincent. Kick off time is 19:00hrs or 7pm, gates will be opened at 17:00hrs or 5pm. Starting X1: Akel Clarke, Colin Nelson, Jamaal Smith, Matthew Briggs, Sam Cox, Christopher Nurse (Captain), Brandon Beresford, Daniel Wi l s o n , Wa l t e r M o o r e , Neil Danns, Emery Welshman.
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Golden Jaguars ready to roar despite passport fiasco! stroyed Guyana’s 2018 World Cup ambitions. In television interviews both GFF Assistant General Secretary Diedre Davis and Director of Marketing and Communications Rawle Toney insisted the delay had been due to the new Government’s thorough handling of the process and that nobody was to blame due to the unique situation of a change of Government. Ms Davis stated in a press conference that, “I think it’s a matter of thoroughness on the government’s part.We, as a federation, must appreciate that. While for us it’s a bit of a difficult position to be in, we must understand that we must appreciate their need for thoroughness.” It was a rather vague and confusing statement that repeated the words ‘appreciate’ and ‘thoroughness’ without actually explaining what had caused the problem to arise. No member of the Normalisation Committee, led by Clinton Urling, has commented on the matter so far. The story went on to make news in UK National Newspaper ‘The Daily Mirror’ under the headline ‘Neil Danns World Cup dreams scuppered by passport prob-
lems’, and the article was shared on social media over a thousand times, portraying Guyana as incompetent, it is a public relations disaster for not only the GFF, but also the nation as a whole, as any reader of the media reports would be led to believe that both Government and the GFF have been remarkably slow to act in the matter. The four UK-based players did not end up going to St Vincent, they took flights to Barbados on Tuesday, before having to turn back and return to Guyana the next day. Such a process was both a waste of valuable time and money, especially for a cashstrapped Federation such as the GFF. If Guyana wants to be taken seriously on the footballing stage, the GFF, led by the Normalisation Committee, can simply not allow such comical errors to happen. The situation of the UK-based players went right down to the wire and with tension building, they finally got their passports on
Switzerland thrash Ecuador, Japan motor on
NEW YORK (Reuters) A baffled Usain Bolt ran his worst turn ever as he barely won the 200 meters at the Adidas Grand Prix meet in a sluggish 20.29 seconds on a warm, windy day at Randall’s Island on Saturday. Bolt was running into a stiff headwind of 2.8 meters per second that surely affected his time, but the sixtime Olympic gold medal winner was bewildered by his sub-standard turn. His time was more than a full second slower than his world record of 19.19. The 28-year-old Jamaican, who also holds the world record in the 100 meters, failed to show his legendary runaway burst of speed and only just held off second-placed Zharnel Hughes of Anguilla, who timed 20.32. “I’m not happy about my performance today. My turn was horrible, I don’t know what happened,” Bolt said. “My worst turn ever.” Bolt said the turn affected the rest of his race, run in front of a packed grandstand filled with fans from his homeland. “After I came off the turn, I knew it wasn’t going to be fast ... so I pretty much just wanted to get home. I didn’t really stress it too much.” He had hoped to break 20 seconds in the race as he aimed to build toward this year’s Beijing world championships in August after a 2014
By Santokie Nagulendran Guyanese football has been a rollercoaster ride in recent times, with the lows of the Matthias administration consequently being put to rest by the initial good work being done by FIFA’s Normalisation committee over the course of 2015. However, things took a turn for the worse on Wednesday morning when it was shockingly revealed in the media that four overseasbased players had failed to be naturalised and receive the Guyanese passports required to play in the first leg of the World Cup qualifier against St Vincent and the Grenadines that same day. The players ultimately received their citizenship on Friday afternoon and are now ready to play for Guyana tonight in the second leg, but the fact that such a situation was allowed to occur is shambolic. The four players: Matthew Briggs, Neil Danns, Marcel Barrington and Sam Cox all play their club football in England and their inclusion in the Golden Jaguars squad had given fans renewed optimism in the poten-
tial of the Golden Jaguars. Danns and Briggs had played in Guyana’s 2-0 friendly win over Grenada, where they eased into the side and looked comfortable, so it was staggering to find out that these two players in particular, who had committed to Guyana way back in March, were without the Passports needed to play in the big World Cup qualifier for Guyana three months later. Was there a lack of communication between the GFF and Government? There was no transparency or clear explanation given to the public and fans as to what caused the delay. From what has been gathered so far, the issue related to the fact that all the concerned players were applying for citizenship via a Grandparent rather than a Mother or Father, and alongside the fact that Government has changed, this halted the process. Yet these issues should have been identified earlier on, and all parties concerned should have been prepared, instead we found four very talented players being forced to sit out the game on Wednesday, a move that could have potentially de-
Switzerland midfielder Fabienne Humm (16) scores (Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports) Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; (Reuters) Switzerland earned a record-tying 101 triumph over Ecuador on Friday for their first ever Women’s World Cup victory as defending champions Japan staved off a spirited figthback from Cameroon to continue their winning run. The 11 goals scored in the match equaled Germany’s 110 thrashing of Argentina in 2007. Fabienne Humm was the star for Switzerland as she needed just five minutes to complete a hat-trick, the fastest one ever recorded. Switzerland (three points), however, remained three
points behind Group C leader Japan (six points) after the Asian team’s 2-1 victory over Cameroon. Aya Sameshima and Yuika Sugasawa scored first-half goals as Japan held off Cameroon’s inspired second half activity which included a goal in the 90th minute. Cameroon also remain at three points for the tournament. The United States were unable to find a goal in a 0-0 draw with Sweden. The result kept the suspense alive heading into the final matches in Group D as the U.S., with four, are a point ahead of Australia and two
ahead of Sweden. Sweden controlled much of the first half against the Americans but could not put any real pressure on goalkeeper Hope Solo. The U.S. subbed in alltime leading scorer Abby Wambach in the 68th minute and she narrowly missed a header opportunity down the stretch. Earlier in the day, Australia defeated Nigeria 2-0 for their first win of the tournament. Australia will finish Group D play against Sweden on Tuesday while the Americans close out against Nigeria.
Friday, 48 hours before game time. However, football had to carry on regardless amidst this chaos, and the fiasco ended up over-shadowing the fact that Guyana still had a very good side playing on Wednesday. A tough battle saw the Golden Jaguars earn a 2-2 draw and more importantly, take an away goal advantage to take to the next leg tonight at Providence Stadium. Young midfielder Brandon Beresford and winger Ricky Shakes, making his first appearance for Guyana in three years, were the goal-scorers in a game where Guyana would be disappointed not to win after taking the lead twice. A concern still remains in the ability of defence, with the team leaking two goals, as they did earlier in the year against Barbados. The team should now be a lot stronger with the inclusion of the four-UK based players and with Matthew Briggs and Sam Cox set to join the starting line-up tonight, the defence should be better
equipped to deal with the pacey attack of the opposition. As of writing this column (Saturday afternoon), no Press Release has been given from the GFF to clarify the details of the delay, but Guyana will hopefully reflect and learn from these administrative mistakes; with the four players now officially Guyanese citizens, they can make an immediate impact by taking the Golden Jaguars one step close to the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Baffled Bolt wins 200 in sluggish time
Usain Bolt (C) of Jamaica crosses the finish line to win the 200m at the IAAF Diamond League Grand Prix track and field competition in New York June 13, 2015. (Reuters/Eduardo Munoz) season limited by injuries. Bolt ran 20.20 in Kingston and 20.13 in Ostrava earlier this year. In other featured races in the Diamond League meet, world record holder David Rudisha of Kenya, who pulled up early in his last race, ran easily in winning the 800 meters in 1:43.59, three-hundredths of a second shy of the year’s best. Cuban triple jumper Pedro Pablo Pichardo, whose 18.08m in Havana was third longest ever, won with 17.56 ahead of American Olympic silver medalist Will Claye with 16.96. Tyson Gay overcame a slow start to win the men’s 100 meters in 10.12 seconds, straining to overtake Jamaican Nesta Carter, second in
10.15. “My start wasn’t great and I feel bad because we’ve been working on it,” said former double world champion Gay, striving to find top form after serving a one-year doping suspension. “I ran like poop in the meet, so I’m still working on it.” Fabiana Murer of Brazil, pointing toward next year’s Rio Olympics, repeated her New York victory of a year ago by winning a high-caliber women’s pole vault by clearing 4.80 meters with fewer misses than Nikoleta Kyriakopoulou, of Greece. Olympic champion Jenn Suhr was third at 4.54. American Francena McCorory set a world-leading time of 49.86 seconds in winning the women’s 400 meters.
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West Indies struggling in chase of 392 ESPNcricinfo - Josh Hazlewood took career-best figures to secure a first-innings lead of 179, David Warner and Shaun Marsh built on that with a patient century opening stand, and Steven Smith reeled off another unbeaten fifty. The highlight of Australia’s outstanding third day at Sabina Park, though, was Michael Clarke’s declaration. He set West Indies 392 to win in two days and eight overs. With so much time left in
the Test, most of today’s captains would have waited until the lead was closer to 500, but not Clarke. He was rewarded immediately, as Mitchell Starc razed West Indies openers in the first over of the chase. Kraigg Brathwaite dragged a full and wide ball on to his stumps, and Rajendra Chandrika edged to gully to become the second West Indian after Alf Valentine in 1950 to bag a pair on debut. Both batsmen had attempted to drive away from their bodies.
From 1 for 2, Darren Bravo and Shane Dowrich batted the remaining seven overs before stumps and will return on the fourth morning to face Australia’s charge towards taking home the Frank Worrell trophy with a 2-0 sweep. Bravo survived only because he reviewed an lbw decision Nathan Lyon hit the pads in line once again - and replays indicated the ball was going to go over the stumps. It was an extremely close call. The West Indian batsmen
would do well to pay heed to how Warner and Marsh went about their innings when runscoring was difficult. Against accurate bowling from a quartet of bowlers - and not just Jerome Taylor - both openers struggled for fluency and the run rate hovered at about two for the first 20 overs. They did not give up. With the cushion of a comfortable lead, they played with patience, knowing the bowlers would eventually tire under a harsh sun. The 50 partnership
Jason Holder hits over the top, West Indies v Australia, 2nd Test, Kingston, 3rd day, June 13, 2015©Associated Press came up in 22.1 overs and in the 24th, bowled by the leftarm spinner Veerasammy Permaul, the shift in momentum came. Both batsmen had previously used their feet to advance and drive Permaul through covers, and now Marsh did it again before Warner unfurled a reverse sweep, an indication that he was feeling more settled. Warner had used 41 deliveries for his first 10 runs but took only 49 for his next 40. Marsh had been marginally quicker than Warner in the early part of the innings before slowing down. Now he too went after Permaul, using the depth of the crease to cut and then getting to the pitch of the ball and lofting straight for six. His half-century came off 109 deliveries. It looked as though Australia would go to tea with all ten wickets intact as Warner feasted on buffet bowling from part-time spinner Jermaine Blackwood. However, on 62, he skied an attempted pull off Roach and Denesh Ramdin settled under the catch. Marsh and Smith took the lead past 300, capping off a 115-run session for Australia after lunch. Marsh was caught at midwicket off Permaul shortly after the tea break, but by this time Smith had settled in and was building the lead fluently. A flurry of boundaries from Smith off Holder and Permaul took him past his half-century and indicated that Australia might declare before stumps. Few expected
Smith and Clarke to be sprinting off before the lead had reached 400 though. When the third day began, there was debate over whether Australia would enforce the follow-on if they had the opportunity to do so. Holder took that decision out of Clarke’s hands. With his team 57 short of making Australia bat again, Holder combined clean hitting and assured defence in a ninthwicket partnership of 77 in 12.3 overs with Kemar Roach, whose contribution was 7. His method against all the fast bowlers was the same: stay balanced, clear the front foot towards leg, press forward and slam the ball between point and long-off. It wasn’t manic slogging, for Holder was resolute in defence when the delivery demanded it. Roach had been sensible, moving on to 7 off 35 balls, before his patience ran out. Instead of leaving or blocking like he had done so well, Roach drove loosely at a good-length ball from Hazlewood and edged to Brad Haddin. Two balls later, Taylor offered no shot and was plumb lbw, leaving Holder stranded on 82 off 63 balls. Holder had only delayed Clarke’s decision to ask West Indies to bat again. Scores: West Indies 220 (Holder 82*, Blackwood 51, Hazlewood 5-38) and 6 for 2 (Starc 2-1) need another 376 runs to beat Australia 399 and 212 for 2 dec (Marsh 69, Warner 62, Smith 54*).