Saturday Edition
Online readership yesterday 108,900
June 02, 2012 - Vol. 6 No. 21 - Price $80 kaieteurnews@yahoo.com Website:http://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com Guyana’s largest selling daily & New York’s most popular weekly
Govt. wants MPs to declare annual income and assets Pg 6
Woman gets sound beating in public for threatening to leave husband Thursday last in Eccles, E.B.D.
Gunmen in police Brumell to act, uniform lift $2.5M Seelall deputy from petrol dealer
Two deputy CoPs to be named ...
Pg 9
Pg 13
Delinquent contractors to suffer same … as Robeson Benn insists fate as 'Fip' Motilall adequate safeguards in place Pg 18
Kaieteur News
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Saturday June 02, 2012
First Lady exposes children to … creates Garden agricultural science for the Children
E
n r i c h i n g children's knowledge in agriculture, botany, food and nutrition are among the many reasons that First L a d y, D e o l a t c h m e e Ramotar, launched the Garden for the Children of Guyana Initiative. The launching ceremony was held yesterday, on International Children's Day, at State House, Main Street. It is anticipated that this initiative will be rolled out across the country. “On this International Children's Day, as we c e l e b r a t e t h e b e a u t y, creativity and enquiring minds of children, I wish to honour the children of Guyana in a practical way by involving them in an activity that would produce tangible results,” Mrs. Ramotar said. This initiative aims to expose children and stimulate their interest, from an early age, in botany and agriculture. Citing her personal experience of a germination exercise that led to her
children's interests in Science, Mrs. Ramotar expressed her pleasure in launching this programme. The project has a small demonstration plot located in the compound of State House. She expressed hope that the small garden at State House will become a space where children can interact, share experience, build team spirit and be inspired to cultivate their own small gardens at school and at home. The demonstration plot involves three different methods of cultivation: traditional gardening, hydroponics, and raised-bed gardening. The First Lady recommended that Guyanese continue in the tradition of having kitchen gardens and flowers as a source of sustenance, income, beautification and healthy recreation. “Encouraging our children to cultivate small gardens at home and at school is one way of doing
First Lady, Deolatchmee Ramotar, gives students a tour of the garden created at State House
this while allowing them to enjoy the attendant personal, recreational, health and educational benefits.
Children can make good use of their free time engaging in gardening,” Mrs. Ramotar stated. According to
President Donald Ramotar, there is no nobler task than producing food for human consumption. Ramotar emphasized, “For a very long time many people have looked down on agriculture as a low title type of work and this is why I am happy that my wife has taken this type of initiative because I think we need to bring dignity to every form of work that people do.” He stressed that one of the focal areas for development in Guyana is agriculture. He emphasized that agriculture could be a
prosperous business for entrepreneurs. Ramotar pointed out that Science has not left agriculture untouched. Agriculture is being done in scientific and interesting ways, which could ignite children's imagination to participate in their activity, he added. He asserted that urban children who do not have similar experiences as children living in the countryside would have an opportunity to appreciate nature, their environment and work generally.
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GT&T moves against Digicel in Linden
Officials of the Private Sector Commission and CGX Energy yesterday.
Lindeners yesterday flocked the Egbert Benjamin Exhibition Hall at Spieghtland, Linden, to cash in on the “Switch it up” promotion, by either redeeming their old Digicel cell phones for a new GT&T one or purchasing brand new phones from as low as $1,000. Some eager customers waited patiently in the blazing sun, for several hours, until they were allowed inside the gates. The eager residents had begun trekking to the venue from as early as 5:00 hours, and took up their places outside of the gates long before it was opened for the GT&T latest promotion. In excess of 700 mobile phones were sold, according to Kurt Jardim, GT&T promotional manager. Many more people switched from ‘the other network’ to GT&T. Jardim, told this newspaper that when he
arrived at the venue at 7:00 hours there was already about 100 persons waiting eagerly to go in. By nine, there were already about four hundred persons, according to Jardim. He noted that the main hiccup to the smooth running of the promotion was the ‘pushing down’ of the gates by the eager customers, after which there was a brief delay to reorganize. Jardim said that the ‘Switch it Up’ promotion is an awareness programme, whereby GT&T is seeking to prove to Guyanese that the Company is genuinely interested in the customer, and is therefore encouraging them to switch to the cheaper network where they can talk for $1 per minute. According to Jardim, this will continue indefinitely. He pointed out that with other networks they are saying talk for free, but
‘Mad sick’ not driver in Coverden crash In two reports on the recent Coverden, East Bank Demerara crash, Kaieteur News had mistakenly identified the alleged culprit as a driver popularly known as ‘Mad Sick.’ Kaieteur News has since confirmed that ‘Mad Sick, was not the individual who drove
into the back of the Kuru Kuru-bound bus, causing injury to the driver, conductor and several passengers. The accused driver, who was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, is Inshan Williams, of Lot 41 Public Road, Coverden, East Bank Demerara.
customers are actually paying and not talking free. The overwhelming response to the promotion was not really surprising, Jardim pointed out, noting that GT&T has been a good corporate citizen and has been given back to the Linden community and communities all across Guyana for that matter. “We know that they were gonna come, probably not as many that we are seeing here today, but a lot, because basically what has been happening is that people are becoming conscious of the ways that GT&T has been giving back.” He pointed to the recent facelift given to the Mackenzie Sports Club by the entity, and the 10/10 cricket countrywide, and the last GT&T Jingle and Song competition which he described as the biggest ever. The next stop for the “Switch it Up Promotion’ is Georgetown today, and Berbice next week.
Weeks after its first offshore attempt came up empty, Canadian oil exploration firm, CGX Energy, has announced plans to drill at least five more in as many years. Its next well, Eagle-D, is scheduled to be drilled next year. The company, which has exploration licences to operate in the Guyana/ Suriname basin, off-shore Corentyne, also faced probing questions during a public presentation to stakeholders, politicians and the business community yesterday at the Pegasus Hotel. Prominent businessman and Chairman of the Demerara Distillers Limited, Dr. Yesu Persaud, said that should Guyana find oil, it will have to “learn to spend the money”. He too was of the opinion that it is only a matter of time before oil is discovered but the country will have to start to examine mechanisms to establish special funds, among other things, to manage the proceeds. Attorney-at-law and senior official of the Alliance
For Change, Nigel Hughes, raised the questions about institutional arrangements that the country will have and urged that Guyana look to the examples of other countries to learn from their mistakes. One official of the newly established Ministry of Natural Resources which oversees the oil and gas sector assured that organizations, including the Commonwealth Secretariat, and governments like Canada, are already helping to craft the legal framework that will be necessary to regulate the oil industry. According to CGX’s Chairman, Professor Suresh Narine, establishing the necessary regulations to deal with the eventual discovery of oil and gas, is a task for the Guyanese government and people. Canada’s High Commissioner to Guyana, David Devine, disclosed that his country had visited the North Sea area and the Middle East, to help develop its oil industry. Regulatory bodies were established based on the
models seen. He urged that a unified posture be taken from the people to develop the necessary system of control for the industry which is not unknown for being complex and a high risk one. In response to a question by AFC Parliamentarian, Moses Nagamootoo about the possibility of a drop in price as more oil fields are being reserved, Narine noted that while development of the country’s oil industry is a far way from “barrel”, it is a commodity that is susceptible to the vagaries of the market. With Guyana in need of oil, it is the reality that demand has far outstripped supply. CGX is pinning its hopes to finding oil in the Jaguar-1 well, in which it has a 25 per cent interest with partners R e p s o l Exploración (operator), YPF Guyana and Tullow, located about 100 miles offshore Georgetown. Total depth for the well is projected at 6,500 metres and it is expected that (continued on page 6)
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Letters... Where your views make the news
Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: Adam Harris Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210
EDITORIAL
Those ERC budget cuts Ever since the life of the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) came to an end and President Bharrat Jagdeo decided to extend the operation there has been objection by the political opposition, especially the People’s National Congress Reform. In keeping with the statutes the political parties, the non-governmental organizations, the religious organizations and social groups were all asked to name representatives to the ERC. All was well until the life of the commission came to an end. Of course there was a level of dissatisfaction with some members of the commission. There was the view that some of the commissioners were really political animals, incapable of dealing fairly and squarely with issues of discrimination. Chief among them was the Chairman of the Commission, Juan Edghill. One would have expected that given Guyana’s ethnically diverse community and the importance of the Ethnic Relations Commission, the government would have moved to avoid any controversy. It should have agreed to a reconstituted commission. Instead, the Bharrat Jagdeo administration insisted on the Ethnic Relations Commission being reconstituted as it is. And this insistence came even as the Inter-Religious Organization insisted that Juan Edghill was no longer its representative. This is an interesting development. In the first instance, Edghill was nominated by the Inter-Religious Organization. If that body says that it no longer wanted its nominee, then the government should have acceded to its request. However, the Jagdeo administration insisted that it wanted Edghill. Unless there was some kinship, then the government should not have rushed to keep Edghill. The mere idea that it did that and more created some raised eyebrows. In the end, the other organizations, with the exception of the Guyana Trades Union Congress and the private sector, withdrew their nominees. At that stage the commission was all but defunct. The dissatisfaction of the political opposition has seen a cut in the budgetary allocations for this organization. What the opposition is saying is that it is not prepared to accept the ERC as it is currently constituted. And it has good reason to adopt this position. For one, the Chairman could not be trusted to be impartial. He helped organize the Appreciation Day programme for President Bharrat Jagdeo. That was a quasi-political event. Jagdeo was leader of a political slate at the elections; he held a partisan political view and above all, he signaled that he was not prepared to accede to some of the requests of the political opposition, regardless of how trivial. By supporting this public acclamation of Jagdeo, the ERC was simply saying that it had stepped beyond the realm of neutrality. There is more. There was the Latchmansingh Report which more or less confirmed some of the things that the political opposition was saying about the ERC. In fact, it was a most damning report. In the wake of this report, there was no move to modify the ERC. And as if to show that the Chairman of the ERC was not the impartial figure he should have been, there was his presence on a political platform. And this happened while Edghill was still chairman of the ERC. In the end, Edghill resigned as chairman, but the veil of impartiality had already been destroyed. And after the budget cuts, members of the ERC joined government media employees to protest. Guyana needs an Ethnic Relations Commission. Yet, for all the talk of racial tensions, never once has the ERC been moved to take action against anyone. It is either the society is not as ethnically divided as one may want to believe, or the ERC was merely there to mouth platitudes. The staff members took a decision to meet with the political opposition and Edghill, who should no longer have anything to do with the ERC having resigned as its chairman, hosts a press conference to chastise those workers. He accused them of being compromised. Those who protested the budget cuts and by extension, protested against the opposition, were equally compromised. It should come as no surprise that the Alliance for Change, one of the partners in the political opposition, says that it has no regrets to the budget cuts.
Civility starts with respect for self and the other DEAR EDITOR, Lincoln Lewis is accurate on Critchlow. Response is made to Vishnu Bisram’s letter “Lewis not accurate on Critchlow” (KN, May 31). First, let Bisram provide the evidence to this nation that I said, “Dr. Cheddi Jagan was not instrumental in the battle for the franchise which [I] maintained was all the work of Critchlow [and] Indians and the PPP do not give recognition to Critchlow.” He needs to disabuse himself that this is one of his devious polls/bigoted articles and he will pit races against each other and get away with it - not when Lewis’ name is inserted! The beauty about history is that it happens in timeline and the hands of time cannot be turned back. Whomever Bisram seeks alliance with or quotes from on Critchlow’s role or timeline in the fight for universal franchise, they are all wrong. They are advised Hubert Nathaniel Critchlow’s legacy will be truthfully recorded and accurately contextualised, because it is a legacy the trade union community zealously guards and will not let it be tarnished or coveted as seen happen to some political leaders. The trade union in Guyana predates the mass based political parties -PPP, PNC- that started in the 1950s. The fight for one man one vote (universal franchise) for the colonised started with Critchlow and other Caribbean leaders in 1926 at the first Regional Labour Leaders Conference (RLLC), held at Parliament Buildings, Georgetown, Guyana. This fact is not only known to the trade union community but also by historian Professor James Rose and Attorney-at-law Ashton Chase. In October 2006, the Caribbean Congress of Labour marked the RLLC’s 80th Anniversary in Georgetown, Guyana. Professor James Rose in his presentation titled, “The Impact of the Labour Movement on the Cultural Life of the Caribbean” had this to say, under the subhead ‘Demands of the Labour Movement [1926]’- “Socioeconomic: Immunity for trade unions from claims for damages resulting from strikes; Immunity from charges of conspiracy; The right to picket peacefully; Minimum wage legislation; The forty-four hour week; Old age pension; National health insurance and sickness benefits. [And] Political demands: Federation; Universal adult suffrage; Limited powers of
the colonial governors; Free compulsory primary education; Limitation on the size of a plantation; Nationalisation; State ownership of public utilities; Cooperative marketing of agriculture produce.” Ashton Chase in his presentation titled, “The Vision, Struggles and Victories of Hubert Nathaniel Critchlow” had this to say: “To recall some of the matters dealt with at that Conference will give a pointer to the vision of Hubert Nathaniel Critchlow. They included 1) The passage of a resolution of the formation of a Labour Federation between Guianese and West Indians to be called “The Guianese and West Indian Federation of Trade Unions and Labour Parties; 2) A Federation of our respective Territories; 3)Compulsory education throughout the West Indies; 4) An urging on the respective Governments to introduce Workmen’s Compensation; a standard 8 hour working day, the abolition of child labour, minimum wages, noncontributory old age pensions and National Health Insurance; 5) Prison reform, peremptory challenge to jury and the abolition of the Special Jury; and 6) Universal adult suffrage.” It is hoped Bisram and his cohorts would not now seek to besmirch Rose and Chase for acknowledging what is evidently an irritant and inconvenient truth for them. Rose and Chase are known PPP supporters and it is hoped what they said will end the fabrication of history and not be seen as ‘opportunity’ to malign them for making such
acknowledgments. In 1926 Cheddi Jagan was eight years old and those Bisram named in his May 18 letter were not at the Conference or are known to make any contribution to universal suffrage prior to 1926. Bisram has to deliver credible evidence to make the case. Saying it is so does not make it so, especially given the credibility deficit he carries around. At the rate some are going it is only a matter of time before this nation is told that Jagan or Indians led the struggle for emancipation and Jagan led the struggle to end indenturedship. What is happening in this society - Africans are not only fighting to have their rights respected as enshrined in the Constitution, they also have to fight for the most basic of right, i.e. to name their reality and have their contributions/ achievements honestly recorded and credited. Those who seek to deny these fundamentals have no modicum of decency and are primitive in their outlook to life, because no self respecting person will engage in these type of behaviours. True to form Bisram couldn’t suppress his bigotry that “Critchlow was a hero to the African working class.” He is wrong again. Critchlow’s passionate representation for the Indian indentured workers caused them to nickname him “Black Crosby” after a famous Immigration Agent General. All Guyanese should be proud of Critchlow because of what he did and made possible for us and he should be honoured in spite of his race. Critchlow is Guyana’s
second national hero. He is also the hero for trade unionism in the former British Commonwealth. His legacy spreads far and wide and continues to impact the life of every citizen. And if with this superb track record Bisram thinks he “was a hero to the African working class,” I’d say he is worthy of continued acclamation! This society is being fed daily distorted diet of “28 years” and is told African leaders did nothing good for this country and the citizens. And for the last 20 years Africans are projected and being treated as undeserving, unequal, incapable of leading, and should be on the fringe of society. Roger Luncheon under oath in a court of law confessed the PPP could not find any suitable African to be ambassador. In this environment, Critchlow is just what the doctor would order! For his track record speaks for itself and can motivate, inspire and heal the wounds of a people and remind them of their capabilities and contributions to this society. Most importantly it empowers them to confront the bigots, pursue their dreams, and stand up for what is just and fair. In closing Bisram is advised that I am within my right to be angry at his bigotry and fabrication of history. And as for a civil discourse, he will never understand civility even if it stares him in the face or drops on his head, for civility starts with respect for self and the other, none of which he possesses, given the nonsense he spews! Lincoln Lewis
National Service is not “history” DEAR EDITOR, Once again I note and read Peeping Tom’s description of the Guyana National Service and cannot help but deduce that the particular ‘Peeping Tom’ has some kind of ingrained hatred of the Guyana National Service and its former planners. As regards the paramilitary aspect of the training in the GNS, Peeping Tom must have been somewhere far removed from Guyana when one of our geographic neighbours was engaged in sabre-rattling in the hope of driving fear in the Guyanese populace. I suspect that “Peeping Tom” will next try to denigrate the Guyana Peoples Militia and the concept of “every citizen a soldier”. The Americans call up their nationals (National Guard) to defend America and its interests way outside of the USA (Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan). We stood our ground against threats through preparation of minds (young and old) in the school system (Young Brigade and National Cadet Corps), the Pioneer Corps and on through to the Reserve Corps. I am aware that the Guyana National Service had shortcomings while it pursued the inculcation of national pride, a sense of p a t r i o t i s m , r e s p e c t f o r a u t h o r i t y, recognition of national heroes and
symbols in support of the education system, homes and communities. However, in the least conspicuous school in any part of Guyana there was a national service component. The National Pledge and Anthem and their meanings and interpretation were known by pupils and students. The level of social order was above that which now obtains. As regards “first becoming skilled and proficient” one has to approach this with, among other things, a sense of pride, respect and discipline which at the moment is sorely lacking even among some of our leaders at all levels. Yes Peeping Tom, many skilled programmes are now available. So many of those who now ‘graduate’ or qualify lack a sense of patriotic pride, respect, and do not know the second and third verses of the National Anthem. I humbly agree that “the best national service is for people to become productive citizens” and “there is a need for a new type of national service”. National Service is not “history”. It is a requirement for the future when we observe the present. Ask any parent whose offspring lacks social direction. Ask any former teacher officer. S.A. Scott
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Letters... Where your views make the news Letters... Where your views make the news
In the spotlight: Charles Taylor DEAR EDITOR, Liberia’s former President Charles Taylor has been found guilty of aiding and abetting war crimes during the brutal civil war in neighbouring Sierra Leone and was sentenced to 50 years in prison. He became the first former Head of State to be convicted of war crimes by an international court since the Nuremburg trials of Nazis after World War 2. Taylor, 64 years old, was President from 1997 to 2003. Presiding Judge Richard Lussick, in handing down the sentence, said that Taylor “has been found guilty of aiding and abetting as well as planning some of the most heinous and brutal crimes recorded in human history.” The trial has attracted international attention given the severity of the allegations made against him and his status as a former President. He was charged and found guilty on eleven counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity over his alleged role in the brutal civil war in neighbouring Sierra Leone, where he was accused of backing rebels belonging to the Revolutionary United Front responsible for widespread atrocities. The Judge at the United Nations-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone found that Taylor, though not directly
involved in the rebel activities, aided and abetted the process by way of supplying weapons and selling diamonds to the rebels, who allegedly were notorious for cutting off the hands and legs of civilians. According to the Judge, Taylor knew full well that the rebels were guilty of serious atrocities against the civilian population and therefore could not escape criminal responsibility. Taylor for his part argued that he only dealt with the rebels in order to facilitate peace talks, something which the Judge did not find credible. The question that may be asked is how this trial came about in the first place, given the fact that Taylor was a former President of a sovereign state. The story goes like this: Taylor, in an effort to bring an end to the civil war which had engulfed the country, was granted asylum in Nigeria. He escaped from custody following an extradition request from the new Liberian government led by President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf who took office in January 2006. He was subsequently recaptured and repatriated to Liberia where a UN helicopter took him to Sierra Leone in the custody of the Hague tribunal. It is interesting to note that the trial initially
commenced in Sierra Leone to allow victims of the alleged crimes to see justice at work but was shifted to the Netherlands in order not to spark fresh instability in Sierra Leone and Liberia. This case attracted much attention due to some of the high profile witnesses who were called to testify and the bizarre nature of some of the alleged atrocities. Supermodel Naomi Campbell told the court that she received “dirty-looking stones” from Taylor in September 1997 at a charity dinner hosted in South Africa by the then President Nelson Mandela. Another guest at the dinner, US actress Mia Farrow testified that she was present when the offer was made, a key testimony by the prosecution to establish that Taylor was making use of “blood diamonds” to provide support to the rebels in Sierra Leone. The allegations made against the rebels were heinous and barbaric. These included cutting off the limbs of their victims and cutting open pregnant women to settle bets over the sex of their unborn children, not to mention the numerous cases of rape and torture. One witness spoke of being forced to carry a bag containing human heads. On the way, the rebels
ordered her to laugh as she carried the bag dripping with blood. Upon arrival, the bag was emptied and she saw the heads of her children. According to a BBC Report, Taylor showed no remorse during the sentencing and instead accused the prosecution of ‘bribing’ witnesses during his trial proceedings. He maintained that the entire process had been politically motivated, a statement that did not go down well with many of his fellow countrymen and certainly not with the thousands of Sierra Leoneans who experienced the pain and sufferings at the hands of the rebel groups. One woman whose husband was killed during the days of Taylor’s rule put it this way; “ Today I join Sierra Leoneans in saying this should be a lesson to people that God has his own way of bringing judgement to people.’ It is interesting to see how this case will eventually end. Of course, there is recourse to appeal, but if the sentence is upheld, it would mean that Taylor would spend the remainder of his life behind bars, most probably in the United Kingdom. For now he is still in custody in the Hague, pending the results of his appeal. Hydar Ally
Slothfulness of a govt. agency
DEAR EDITOR, I am not an economist, politician or public figure but I conclude that government functions can be packaged into the following: provision of law and order and defence, provision of social services, responsibility for overall state of the economy and the encouragement and control of certain sectors of the economy for social, strategic and economic reasons. With regard to the latter, this communicates that government role is also facilitatory and regulatory. How government carries out its function determines how fast or slow the pace of the country’s development will proceed. I am a Guyanese who spent thirty years in a developed country. During that time I kept abreast of developmental issues concerning my dear country. Now I am home; a remigrant. I am appalled and greatly disappointed as it appears as though government is lagging in its role as facilitator and regulator; something that can stymie human and social development. I have followed the situation outlined below because I am connected to the community actors. A
community has embarked on the establishment of a local church. To be a legal entity in the land requires such organization to be registered. Registration is facilitated by the Registry for Friendly Societies, under Chapter 36:04 of the Laws of Guyana. An application for registration was made December of last year. We are at the halfway point of 2012 and there is no progress on the registration. The officers concerned with this at the Cooperatives Office at the Ministry of Labour, Human Services & Social Security can give no reasonable explanation for the inaction(s) when checks are made - despicable. This is a government agency with important responsibilities and if this is the manner business is conducted then I can appreciate why Singapore is where it is and Guyana is where it is after 40 plus years of independence. Seems like we have long chosen to ride on the back of the turtle. Disappointed remigrant
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Teachers will be forced to Govt. wants MPs to declare annual income and assets protect themselves at any cost Government has tabled a motion that will force Parliamentarians to declare their annual earnings and assets. According to Notice Paper # 55, released by the Parliament Office yesterday, the motion will be tabled by Prime Minister Sam Hinds during the next sitting scheduled for June 13 and June 14. Hinds, the Minister responsible for Parliamentary Affairs, is asking that defaulting Members of Parliament” be sanctioned by the House, according to established norms of ethics. “They should also be brought before the Committee of Privileges,” the motion proposed. Should the government have its way on this motion; Parliament will have the powers to conduct an annual voluntary monitoring exercise to ensure compliance by Members of Parliament. The motion will also ask the House to have the President disclose to the Speaker annually the names
of those Members of Parliament in default. There have been growing questions over the assets of several politicians with a number of them reportedly owning mansions with pools after just a few years in office. The Prime Minister in the motion explained that the Integrity Commission Act was passed in the House in 1997 and made into law on September 24, 1997 as the Integrity Commission Act 1997, Chapter 19:12, Act No. 20 of 1997. The Commission and support staff were established shortly after and all persons in public life in high office were expected to be in compliance with this law. The Act empowers the Commission and the President to publish the names of persons who are not in compliance in the Gazette and in the daily newspapers. It also addresses the offences and penalties for failure to comply which include fines and imprisonment.
The government motion said that “all elected officials, and more so, Members of Parliament in particular… are expected to be standard bearers of ethics in public office and uphold the Code of Conduct outlined in the Act and in Schedule II.” Hinds is also seeking to have the House recognise the “lawful and legal obligation of Members of Parliament to submit annual declarations and call on all Members of this National Assembly to submit their declarations in accordance with the law.” Failure or refusal of Members of Parliament to submit declarations will become a violation of the law and a gross indictment of those Members of Parliament and vicariously on the integrity of Parliament,” the motion said. Meanwhile, the Parliament Office announced yesterday that the sitting of the National Assembly which was scheduled for June 7 has been postponed to June 13 and June 14.
A company from India has expressed an interest in investing in palm oil and citrus at Akawini, an Amerindian community in the Lower Pomeroon area, according to Junior Minister of Agriculture, Alli Baksh. Baksh alerted farmers at Siriki, Lower Pomeroon, that discussions are currently underway with the company. Some 30,000 acres of virgin land is being scrutinized for the cultivation of palm oil, citrus and other non-traditional crops.
The junior Agriculture Minister reasoned that the investment will be an economic venture, especially since it is geared at benefiting farmers financially and also by opening exporting markets, of palm oil. Baksh explained that the intended project is expected to garner direct markets and as such farmers will be encouraged to plant and produce more. He added that potential exists in the Pomeroon with the discovery of numerous areas of virgin land being
d e veloped at Siriki and Warapana, in the Upper Pomeroon area. Baksh notes that the government is developing another 5,500 acres of virgin fertile land aback of Aurora/Rivers town to foster agriculture development on the Coast. “Gove r n m e n t i s a l s o spending millions of dollars to empolder farms in the Lower and Upper Pomeroon so that crops can be protected from flooding during extreme rainfall.”
Indian company eyes Pomeroon palm oil, citrus
The Guyana Teachers Union during a press conference, yesterday, stated that if proper measures are not put in place by the Ministry of Education to protect teachers, the teachers will be forced to protect themselves at whatever cost. This statement stemmed from a number of reports of teachers being assaulted by parents, and even students themselves. Most of these attacks resulted in teachers having to seek medical attention. Some were even hospitalized, Union President Colin Bynoe said A pregnant teacher also suffered a miscarriage as result of a thrashing she received from the aunt of a student. Ms. Coretta McDonald, General Secretary to the Union, noted that it has been far too long since teachers are being assaulted, and that it is about time that teachers stand up for themselves, and their attackers face the full penalty of the law. The union believes that as important as it is for schools to be children friendly, it is also that imperative for teachers to feel comfortable and safe in the environment in which they are expected to function. Mr. Malcolm Marcus, First Vice President of the Union, explained that neither a teacher nor a child can task effectively if either is in an
- GTU environment where each is being blatantly disrespected, or have to be scared of being attacked. The GTU believes that it is the lack of efficient and capable guards in schools that is adding to the situation. According to Marcus, though the Ministry would issue payments to the guard services, there have been cases where teachers doubt guards are ever at the institutions. And as such, he advised that there be a log process to ensure that the guards are doing, or at least showing up to do what they are being paid to do. The Union is also of the view that the guard should receive a proper orientation on the environment that he or she is to be stationed. Marcus also spoke about reinforcing a system which was once in place whenever a visitor goes into a school’s compound. He or she must be escorted directly to the Head’s office, before visiting any part of the school. This also entails that the visitor and whoever he or she is there to meet would only be able to talk in the presence of the HM; regardless if it is a personal visit, or on behalf of a student.
It would be an assurance to teachers that at least outsiders cannot barge in and attack them. It must be noted that during a meeting with some of the assaulted teachers last month, Minister Manickchand urged that speedy action be taken to bring the perpetrators to justice, and that they must ‘face the full force of the law”. M r. C o l i n B ynoe, addressed the issue of the promised five per cent increase in teachers’ salaries. He said that it has not yet been applied. This is despite an agreement to have the said raise be enforced in January last. He added that it was explained to them that the elections and parliamentary debates encouraged a delay in the raise. He did however explain that senior officials at both the Ministry of Education and Finance have assured them that the hike in salaries will be applied this month end. As it relates to the Teachers’ Housing Fund, Bynoe said that the GTU is yet to meet with the Minister of Housing in this regard. The Union, on behalf of all its members also took the opportunity to extend condolences to the relatives and close friends of the late teacher, Gertrude Dolphin, who died at the age of 104.
CGX continues search for oil From page 3 results will be known by August. According CGX’s Chairman, cost overruns are nothing unusual. The company said that its recent Eagle-1 well went over-budget by around US$20M. Calling for patience, he noted CGX remained confident of striking oil as it has developed more data for drilling. Drilling offshore is a very difficult and dangerous exercise and not an exact
science. Recently the company managed to sign a deal with one of its investors, Pacific Rubiales, for US$30M in financing. For the next well, the company has already started talks with interested parties. According to Kerry Sully, President and Chief Executive Officer of CGX, the Eagle-1 well would have meant it is a fifth well for Guyana. CGX has drilled three onshore wells since coming here back in the 90’s.
Explaining the Eagle-1 well, Sully pointed out that it was not a case of no oil. The company has since developed data that will allow its technical team to narrow the search. In the last 18 months, CGX said it has invested US$135M to find oil since the company entered Guyana. There are around 80 members of staff employed directly with another 30 indirectly. Yesterday’s event was organized by the Private Sector Commission and CGX. With a significant part of the revenues spent on oil imports, Guyana is desperate to make a discovery, especially in light of the fact that neighbouring Venezuela, Suriname and Brazil have found.
Saturday June 02, 2012
Kaieteur News
Dire jobs data deal blow to Obama reelection hopes Dire new unemployment data and a rise in the jobless rate dented Barack Obama’s reelection hopes yesterday and boosted his foe Mitt Romney who brands the president a failure who cannot create jobs. Labour Department figures bolstered fears of an economic slowdown - only 69,000 jobs were added in May and the unemployment rate rose to 8.2 percent, numbers that detonated in the middle of a cliffhanger US election race. “It is now clear to everyone that President Obama’s policies have failed to achieve their goals and that the Obama economy is crushing America’s middle class,” Republican White House candidate Romney said. “The President’s reelection slogan may be ‘forward,’ but it seems like we’ve been moving backward. We can do so much better in America. That’s why I’m running for president.” Obama, however, hit back in a combative speech, warning that Congress should immediately pass his
Barack Obama job creating plans, for tax breaks for small businesses, for more teachers and police officers and to put veterans to work. “The economy is growing again, but it is not growing as fast as we want it to,” said Obama, in Golden Valley, Minnesota. “We’ve had a crisis in Europe’s economy that is having an impact worldwide and it’s starting to cast a shadow on our own as well. “So we’ve got a lot of work to do before we get to where we need to be.” Alan Krueger, chairman of Obama’s Council of Economic
Advisers, echoed the same concerns and urged no change in course. “It is critical that we continue the president’s economic policies that are helping us dig our way out of the deep hole that was caused by the severe recession,” Krueger said. But the jobs data will dismay Obama’s campaign team which is locked in a tight race with Romney ahead of the November 6 election, in which the sputtering economic recovery is seen as the Republican’s best hope of victory. Recent polling shows that while Obama enjoys advantages on foreign policy and in his ties to the middle class, Romney is as, or more, trusted for his capacity to improve the US economy — the top election issue. What may be most damaging is that the data do not appear to represent a one off downward blip in the unemployment and economic situation, as fears mount that overseas crises, including in Europe, could spread to the United States. (AFP)
Florida judge revokes bail for Trayvon Martin Killer SANFORD, Florida (Reuters) - A Florida judge yesterday revoked bail for George Zimmerman, the neighbourhood watch volunteer charged with second-degree murder for killing unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin. Circuit Court Judge Kenneth Lester Jr., granting a motion from prosecutors that Zimmerman’s bond be revoked, gave him 48 hours to surrender to the Seminole County Sheriff. The judge’s order, cancelling his release from behind bars on a $150,000 bond in April, came after prosecutors accused Zimmerman and his wife of lying to the court about their
George Zimmerman finances and the status of Zimmerman’s passport. The order was a surprising twist in a murder case that has riveted the United States and sparked widespread debate over guns, self-defense laws and U.S. race relations.
Zimmerman’s lawyer, Mark O’Mara, told Reuters after the hearing that he would request another bond hearing for Zimmerman after he complies with the order to turn himself in. Zimmerman, 28, is charged with shooting and killing 17year-old Martin as he walked through a gated community in Sanford, Florida, near Orlando, on February 26. Police initially declined to arrest Zimmerman, citing Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” self-defense law, but the special prosecutor who was subsequently appointed charged Zimmerman with second-degree murder. Zimmerman has pleaded not guilty.
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Annan frustrated over Syria, all eyes on Russia BEIRUT (Reuters) - Peace envoy Kofi Annan said yesterday he was “frustrated and impatient” a week after a massacre in Syria of 108 people shocked the world, and there were signs Russia might be moving closer to the West’s position on tackling the crisis. President Vladimir Putin denied that Russia, which has a base in Syria and supplies it with weapons, was providing the government with the means to crush rebels, brushing off U.S. comments that its latest shipment to Syria was “reprehensible”. Putin, speaking after talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and before a meeting with French President Francois Holland, restated that Moscow does not back any side in Syria and said patience was needed to
last month, advancing to a June 16-17 runoff against Mohammed Morsi, the candidate of the fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood. The Morsi-Shafiq race is a polarizing contest. It mirrors the conflict between Mubarak, himself a career air force officer like Shafiq, and the Islamists he jailed and tortured throughout his years in power. But it sidelines the
mostly young, secular activists who led the popular uprising last year. In the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria, at least 7,000 protesters, some of them carrying Egyptian flags or holding their shoes in the air in a sign of disrespect, said that Shafiq should be barred from running because of his senior position in the Mubarak regime. Smaller rallies demanding
achieve a political solution. World powers increasingly fear that Syria, where more than 10,000 people have been killed in a 15-month uprising against President Bashar al-Assad, will slide into an all-out civil war that could also trigger regional conflict.
China arrests security official on suspicion of spying for U.S. HONG KONG (Reuters) A Chinese state security official has been arrested on suspicion of spying for the United States, sources said, a case both countries have kept quiet for several months as they strive to prevent a fresh crisis in relations. The official, an aide to a vice minister in China’s security ministry, was arrested and detained early this year on allegations that he had passed information to the United States for several years on China’s overseas espionage activities, said three sources, who all have direct knowledge of the matter. The aide had been recruited by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and provided “political, economic and strategic intelligence”, one source said, though it was unclear what level of information he had access to, or whether overseas Chinese
Egyptians rally against Mubarak-era candidate CAIRO (AP) — Thousands of people took to the streets in cities across Egypt yesterday to demand that Ahmed Shafiq, a former senior official in Hosni Mubarak’s ousted regime, be disqualified from next month’s presidential runoff. Shafiq, who served as Mubarak’s last prime minister, was one of the top two finishers in the first round of Egypt’s landmark presidential election
Kofi Annan
“I think perhaps I am more frustrated than most of you because I am in the thick of this,” Annan told reporters after talks in Beirut with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati. “I want to see things move faster.” Syrian rebels, who agreed to Annan’s April 12 truce plan, have urged him to declare the plan dead, freeing them from a commitment that both sides have repeatedly violated. Damascus says it wants Annan’s plan to succeed in ending the violence so the crisis can be resolved through political talks. Although refusing to declare the ceasefire a failure, Annan welcomed any further steps from the U.N. Security Council. “If there are other options on the table, I will say ‘bravo’ and support them,” he said.
Shafiq’s disqualification also took place in Cairo, Port Said, Suez, North Sinai as well as at least six other provinces. Shafiq has cast himself as a strongman who will restore law and order after nearly 16 months of sporadic but violent protests and a lapse in security. Shortly after the first round results were announced this week, Shafiq’s campaign headquarters in Cairo was torched.
spies were compromised by the intelligence he handed over. The case could represent China’s worst known breach of state intelligence in two decades and its revelation follows two other major public embarrassments for Chinese security, both involving U.S. diplomatic missions at a tense time for bilateral ties. The aide, detained
sometime between January and March, worked in the office of a vice-minister in China’s Ministry of State Security, the source said. The ministry is in charge of the nation’s domestic and overseas intelligence operations. He had been paid hundreds of thousands of U.S. dollars and spoke English, the source added.
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Kaieteur News
Saturday June 02, 2012
Police Service Commission to meet on Warner’s ‘clearance’
Opposition Leader blasts government’s fiscal policy
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad - CMC - The Police Service Commission (PSC) will meet on Monday to discuss the “apparent contradiction” regarding the police investigations into allegations of bribery against the former vice president of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) Austin Jack Warner. The police have since said that the investigations against Warner have been “terminated pending further developments”. The bribery allegations surfaced here following last year’s campaign for the FIFA presidential elections. Director of Public prosecution (DPP), Roger Gaspard, told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) that he had never instructed the police to end the investigations since he is of the view that further
KINGSTON, Jamaica CMC - Opposition Leader Andrew Holness has hit out at the government’s tax package, saying it is paraded as tax reform. Holness, who unsuccessfully led the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) into general elections last year, told legislators that tax reform is necessary to increase compliance, and should be used not only for revenue enhancement but also as part of the country’s growth inducement strategy. Contributing to the budget debate on Thursday, Holness, a former prime minister, urged the government to reconsider the taxes on books. “Placing a tax on text books is not tax reform. The current Prime Minister, then opposition leader called us wicked for attempting to tax literacy when in our search for revenue we flirted with the idea.” The Portia Simpson Miller administration said hopes to raise J$314 billion dollars (One Jamaica dollar = 0.012 US cents) in taxes during this fiscal year, as Finance
investigations may be warranted pursuant to the Customs Act that deals with the non declaration of a significant money into the country. It is an offence to fail to declare or file a false declaration in respect of bringing into the country any goods or money over $5,000 respectively. “I have not cleared anybody in this matter. Neither have I cleared any police officer to bring the investigations to an end,” Gaspard told CMC, after media reports quoted Commissioner of Police Dwayne Gibbs as having informed the PSC that “on the advice of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), no further action can be taken in this matter”. Gibbs said the matter which was alleged to have occurred on or about May 10, 2011, was investigated by the
police and the DPP advised the matter can proceed no further. But PSC chairman Professor Ramesh Deosaran told the Express newspaper Friday that he views “very seriously” the “apparent contradiction” in the statements from Gibbs and Gaspard. “This matter is very important and we would have to take a serious note of it,” he said, adding that the Commission would keep the public informed on the issue which had “serious implications”. Meanwhile, Police Public Information Officer ASP Joanne Archie said the matter involving Warner, a senior member of the coalition People’s Partnership government here, is closed until further information surfaces. “I have been advised that
Austin Jack Warner the matter was thoroughly investigated and there was insufficient evidence to proffer any charges. However, the matter has been terminated pending any further developments that may arise.” Asked whether the police will now work along with the Customs and Excise officials as suggested by the DPP, Archie said: “Well I imagine any assistance or input the police can have with any new information coming to hand, the police will deal with it.” To date Warner has not been questioned by the police regarding the allegation.
GOVT. TO PROBE THA ACCOUNTS The People’s Partnership Government will launch a forensic investigation into the accounts of the PNMcontrolled Tobago House of Assembly (THA). That was disclosed by Minister in the Ministry of Finance Dr Delmon Baker during Thursday’s post-Cabinet news conference at the Magdalena Hotel, Lowlands, Tobago. He said the investigation would be undertaken in response to questions in the
wake of concerns raised by the Auditor General in her 2004 and 2005 reports on the THA. Baker, MP for Tobago West, is also a member of the Tobago Organisation of the People, one unit of the fiveparty PP coalition. He said before monies were disbursed to the various divisions of the THA warrants of expenditure had to be approved. “Monies were taken out of the account without those warrants being issued,” he said. Baker added
that in some other instances when the Auditor General requested the THA books for inspection they were not presented. He added: “In addition to which, there are numerous transactions for which the authority does not exist.” He said he could not say the THA acted in any manner that would lead to somebody ending up in jail. “I am saying that there is sufficient evidence for the Central Government to
ARGENTINE OFFICIAL DENIES DEVALUATION PLANNED BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — A top Argentine official denied yesterday that the government plans to devalue the peso amid rumours that drastic official actions are looming. “We are not going to take any explosive measures,” Deputy Economy Minister Axel Kicillof said at a news conference. Argentina’s economy is under increasing pressure from rising inflation and slowing trade, and people have been increasingly trading their pesos for U.S. dollars to shelter their earnings. Currency controls aimed at reducing rampant tax evasion have fueled Argentines’ anxiety about their economy,
accelerating capital flight and discouraging investment. After years of booming growth, the economy is slowing sharply. But Kicillof insisted that Argentina is wellpositioned to confront the challenges, with nearly $47 billion in central bank reserves, more than enough to meet a $2.3 billion bond payment due in August. Kicillof raised the issue as he accused opposition news media of trying to instill panic in a population that lost two-thirds of its wealth a decade ago, when the government tried to avert economic collapse by limiting what people could withdraw from their savings, and then devalued the currency.
inquire further into the accounts of the Tobago House of Assembly,” Baker said. (Trinidad Guardian)
Andrew Holness Minister Dr. Peter Phillips last month gave lawmakers his plans to finance a spending bill that is twice the size of the tax haul. Phillips told the House of Representatives a mix of taxes and borrowing would pay for a J$612-billion budget. Holness said he was also objecting to the tax on animal feeds and seeds, claiming the move would effectively place an additional cost on agriculture. The budget debate will continue next week with Prime Minister Simpson Miller’s presentation on June 5. The Finance Minister will close the debate on Wednesday.
Editors to appear in court in Muslim leader’s trial CONCERNS over comments made on the Internet sites of two daily newspapers have been raised by attorneys representing Jamaat al Muslimeen leader Yasin Abu Bakr. Bakr’s attorney Wayne Sturge Thursday expressed concern about comments made by the public on the blogs of Trinidad Express and Guardian Internet sites as it related to the trial. Subpoenas have been issued for the Editors in Chief of the two newspapers who are to appear before the judge on Monday. Bakr, also known as Lennox Phillip, is before the courts on charges of sedition, and inciting others to breach the peace, stemming from his November, 2005 Eid sermon
Yasin Abu Bakr at his Mucurapo mosque. Presiding over the trial in the Third Criminal Court at the Hall of Justice, Port-of-Spain, is Justice Mark Mohammed. Nine jurors — all women — have been selected to sit on the main panel while one alternate has so far been selected. The jury selection
process will continue until six alternates are chosen. Bakr’s trial has been in abeyance since 2007, when a cooling-off period was ordered by the trial judge, to determine whether adverse media reports at the time had tapered-off enough to ensure he gets a fair trial. Bakr ’s attorneys complained that pre-trial publicity was likely to taint the case, making it impossible for him to get a fair trial. Although expected to start in January, it was again adjourned as Bakr was forced to undergo surgery for an injury to his right ankle. Bakr’s condition worsened when the leg became infected and further complicated by his diabetic condition. (Trinidad NewsDay)
Saturday June 02, 2012
Kaieteur News
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AN IMPROVED SERVICE FOR WATER IS NEEDED Water is by far the most important commodity in any country. Without water we cannot survive. Without water, a great many things would not be done. Guyanese have experienced times when water was not readily available and it is well known how hard those days were. As such it should be appreciated how important water is. This is the 21st century. In this day and age, consumers of water in Guyana expect that now that Guyana has been rebuilt, they would enjoy good water pressure, capable of reaching the second level of any building and for twenty-four hours each day. It is no use boasting about increasing access to a potable water supply when those who receive that access have to store water in order to be assured of its supply for the greater part of the day when there is minimal pressure. It is no use announcing adjustments in the traffic
structure so as to promote conservation of water when there are persons who are willing to pay for the water they receive but are not obtaining this water. It is high time that the Guyana Water Authority Inc. explain to the public, just when those who now have access to potable water will be able to enjoy water at a steady pressure twenty-four hours a day because this is what used to happen in colonial Guyana, more than forty-six years ago. I t i s accepted that in colonial Guyana there were many areas that were without water and later persons with supply lines had to fetch water for hours each day and sometimes for miles. However, since 1992, billions of dollars have been spent in improving the water supply network in the country. Many areas which were previously not provided with potable water are now receiving but in most instances, either the quality of water is a problem or the
Dem boys seh...
Jagdeo teach man fuh beat woman Jagdeo teach all dem wife abusers fuh beat dem wife or dem girlfriend. One radio announcer who get bail fuh beating he wife use to wuk wid Jagdeo. He use to announce he name every day pun de radio. De only day he didn’t call Jagdeo name was when de same Jagdeo put lash pun he wife. He beat she suh bad that she clothes fall off. Then he push she out de front door without clothes and a security guard had to rescue she wid he shirt. Fuh weeks she was wearing big dark shades. A next time he beat she, de commissioner of police who was McDonald didn’t know wha fuh do. Like McDonald, all because of he wuk, de same radio man didn’t call no name. In case people don’t know, dem boys seh that de beating happen in de Queenstown house before dem move in de State House. Jagdeo couldn’t get arrest because he was de president. De radio man is no president and he get charge. He might end up in jail. De other one pun de front page think he more big and bad. He tell de photographer ‘do wha yuh want’. He beat de woman in public. Well dem boy wish he well and hope that he sing wid de bell in Camp Street when dem boys do wha dem want wid he. Dem boys want fuh seh that nah all man like beat woman. As a matter of fact dem got some men who like get beat. Meh friend, de Boss Man fuh de Waterfalls paper use to get beat. One time he get lash pun he head wid a belna. He holler, cry and pretend fuh three month. De poor woman had fuh noint he hand every day. And is he did wrang. After then, whenever he wrang and he got fuh get licks, he use to run in de bedroom, cover he head wid a pillow fuh don’t get knock in he ears and pun he head. He lie down pun he belly, lock he two foot fuh protect de family tool and tek he blows. Right deh he does start fuh play trick fuh months. After de licking he does proppa get loving and caring. Dem boys ain’t certain if is de same thing in de reverse. Talk half and jail de other half.
reliability of the supply is of concern. We are now learning about the impressive percentage of Guyanese who now have access to water. But what kind of water and at what pressure is this water being supplied and for how long each day? The Ministry of Housing and Water has to stop bombarding this nation with talk about improvements. The public is tired of that. The public wants water and they want clean water coming through their taps and they want to have this water without using storage tanks or water pumps. People know the
importance of water. They are willing to pay for this water. It is patently unfair to ask people to pay for water which they have to store and pump to their upper flats in order to use it. It would be much better if a higher tariff was charged and in turn a better service provided. Then there is the issue of sewage. Here again a great deal of money has been spent. Yet in many areas sewage spillage occurs and not far from where an international hotel is being built raw sewage used to be disposed of into the river leading to the ocean
Thus it is not sufficient for the authorities to keep boasting about the improvements to the system when all these problems still exist. What is needed is not to discourage persons who are large users of water. This is all the more so considering that there are thousands of homes in Guyana which use water and do not pay and others who steal water. These problems need to be addressed before any decision is made to make adjustments to the tariffs. But in the meantime it is important that the level of service improves for those who enjoy
access to the water. The government must make a concerted effort to phase out the black tanks and water pumps that most households have to use in order to guarantee an adequate supply of water in their homes. The government must supply water at a high pressure and for twenty-four hours a day.
Two deputy CoPs to be named ...
Brumell to act, Seelall deputy
President Donald Ramotar meets with Opposition Leader Mr. David Granger and APNU member, Joe Harmon, in the presence of Dr Roger Luncheon and Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee (partly hidden). The officials consulted on the Commissioner of Police (CoP) post.
Leroy Brumell
Seelall Persaud
President Donald Ramotar, accompanied by Cabinet Secretary Dr Roger Luncheon and Home Affairs Minister, Clement Rohee, met with Opposition Leader David Granger and Member of Parliament Joseph Harmon on the issue of senior promotions in the Guyana Police Force, yesterday. At the meeting, President Ramotar reportedly informed the opposition that he proposes to promote Assistant Commissioners Leroy Brumell and Seelall Persaud to Deputy Commissioners. Further, a source said, the Head of State announced that he would appoint Brumell to act as Commissioner of Police
and Seelall Persaud as Deputy Commissioner of Police with responsibility for Law Enforcement. Brumell has been performing the duties of Police Commissioner ever since Commissioner Henry Greene demitted office amidst a scandal of rape and a court battle that found that the Director of Public Prosecutions was irrational when she recommended that Greene be charged with rape. Greene’s departure was so unceremonious. He became the first Commissioner to demit office without a ceremonial parade at which he would have transmitted that baton to his successor.
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Kaieteur News
Senior citizen disappears seven years after daughter goes missing - relatives suspicious of drug addicted sons After scouring the area and making multiple checks at hospitals, mortuaries, homes of relatives and friends, the siblings of 59-year-old Sandra Deejes of 30 Gordon Street, Kitty, are worried that something terrible might have happened to her. She has been reported missing for more than a week now. The woman disappeared hours after meeting with her sister who lives a few blocks away. Her siblings, most of whom reside in the Pomeroon, are of the impression that the woman may have lost her way home. Her daughter Shelly Deejes, disappeared in 2005. She has not made contact with relatives or friends since.
Now that the woman has “mysteriously” gone missing, their relatives say that they are forced to think that the woman’s two drug addicted sons with whom she and her daughter once resided, might be responsible for their disappearance. The woman’s sister claims that when they suggested this to the police, they were told by a rank that the men are too retarded to harm anyone. N o n e t h e l e s s , investigations are continuing. Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Mrs. Deejes is asked to make contact with her siblings on telephone numbers, 656-5486, 6128512, 6169692, 6682939, 2269198 or the nearest police station.
Saturday June 02, 2012
Amna Ally takes issue with Minister Manickchand’s statement Shadow Minister of Education and Opposition Chief Whip, Amna Ally, has taken issue with the Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand’s statement, at her recently concluded consultative meeting on Automatic Promotion and Corporal Punishment in New Amsterdam. Ms. Ally described the Minister’s statement as irresponsible, insensitive, uncaring, selfish and distasteful. It was during the Minister’s Budget 2012 presentation that she ended her speech by saying, “I love you teachers.” “What a strange way to demonstrate that love. According to the Kaieteur News headline, on 31st May
2012, Minister Manickchand said, “If you do not like the salary, quit.” How insensitive, irresponsible and uncaring. Not surprisingly, in today’s Kaieteur News, Friday 1st June 2012, it is claimed that the statement by the Minister was taken out of context.” Ms Ally said that the problem with this Government is that Ministers and other members of the Administration seem to be incapable of acknowledging their mistakes or to take advice or set out to work with persons with the required skills and techniques to overcome challenging hurdles. It is evident that the members of the Administration have rejected the Consultative Mechanism, she added. “Here it is that our head teachers, at a very important forum, to discuss very important issues for the future of the education of our nation’s children, naturally expect that the Minister would join them to examine the issues intelligently. “Unfortunately and disappointedly, the Minister,
instead, comes up with the bizarre statement, “If you do not like the salary, quit.” The Minister must be capable of rising above making such hysterical and irrational statements, whether it was said at an open forum or within closed doors. But this behaviour is typical of that particular Minister. Not so long ago, in the Tenth Parliament, during the 2012 Budget Debate, Shadow Minister of Education, Ms. Amna Ally said, “There is no one who is qualified in Technical Education to manage the Technical Programmes run by the Ministry. Ms. Manickchand refuted this contention. As an educator, Ms. Ally pointed out that a teacher must have the requisite skills, knowledge, patience, q u a l i f i c a t i o n s , resourcefulness and, above all, the love for the job to be a good teacher. Many of our teachers do possess those skills. Some of them are young and still need to achieve those requirements. On the specific issue at
hand, “Automatic Promotion”, the Minister must seek to have workable programmes and develop strategies to deal with this issue. Teachers are currently very poorly paid, she said. However, there is the urgent need to identify teachers with the right combination of skills to deal with the problems of slow learners. Teachers with the needed experience and expertise must be adequately paid. Successful results with higher percentage benefits cannot be expected if little or nothing is paid for Remedial Programmes, Ally said. We, therefore, call on the Minister to examine the areas of education expenditures, educational programmes, incentives for our teachers and priorities to improve the education system in Guyana. “Now is not the time to ridicule our teachers, rather the Minister should be encouraging them and working with them to improve the present education system which is undoubtedly facing a serious crisis.”
Food vendor remanded for guns at Kitty A 20-year- old man was yesterday remanded to jail after he made an appearance before Magistrate Hazel Octive –Hamilton at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court. The man, Cornel Atkinson, of Lot 29 Railway Embankment Kitty was charged with illegal firearm possession. The police said that on May 29, last, at the defendant’s home they found one .243 Smith and Wesson rifle and one telescopic rifle. They said the man does not have licence for the guns. To
the charge Atkinson pleaded not guilty. The defendant was represented by Attorney-atlaw Sonia Parag who said that to her knowledge, the guns were not found in her client’s yard but were taken from the yard next door. The woman said that if the matter is to go to trial, there is pictorial evidence that will show a policeman removing the guns and placing them in her client’s yard. The lawyer also claimed that her client was severely beaten in the abdomen by the
police. After taking a look, the court was unable to see any physical indication that would prove that the man had been beaten in the stomach. No marks of violence could be seen on the defendant’s abdomen. The prosecutor however objected to bail for the defendant since the police’s facts differed. She told the court that the guns were found in a pair of blue jeans in the defendant’s yard. She further said that the man admitted to owning the prohibited articles. Atkinson was denied bail and ordered to remain in state custody until July 3 when his matter will be heard again. This publication understands that the guns were found after a misunderstanding between two friends. It is said that the disgruntled friend told police about guns hidden in the man’s yard. Searches were conducted and the rifles were found in the vicinity.
Saturday June 02, 2012
High winds, rains topple GPL poles
C
ommunities from Herstelling to Garden of Eden, East Bank Demerara were without electricity for about 12 hours yesterday as early morning rainfall and intense winds caused two utility poles to collapse at Herstelling. Guyana Telephone and Te l e g r a p h C o m p a n y ' s western cable link was damaged during the incident. Landline telephone services were temporarily disrupted on East Bank Essequibo; Essequibo Coast; and West Bank Demerara. A Herstelling resident who was awakened by a loud
crashing sound shortly after 04:00 hours informed Guyana Power Light Incorporated of the incident. Within 15 minutes a crew from the power company arrived at the scene. The team removed the pole, which had fallen across the road. Another pole, which collapsed at First Street, Herstelling, was shattered. The third pole was being supported by the electric wires. An official of the power company attributed the incident to rainy conditions yesterday. Poles being uprooted during heavy downpours and high winds are common, he said.
Housing scam unearthed…
Fraudsters “whiteout”, alter transports in illegal land sales
F
raudsters, using a l t e r e d photocopies of transports, have managed to scam a number of would-be house lot owners of hundreds of thousands of dollars. The disclosure was made by Housing Minister, Irfaan Ali, on Thursday. His Ministry, he said, has successfully infiltrated a group posing as housing officials and defrauding persons. “They are taking transports and whiteout the original owners and information and they put the victim’s name in the transport, photocopy it and issue it as a transport…It is sad that persons within our society are still not heeding the Ministry’s call to avoid being caught-up in these circumstances,” Minister Ali is quoted as saying in a Government release. He added that information has thus far revealed that two persons were victims, one of whom is an overseas-based Guyanese who paid more than $1M. “One of the suspect’s names was just given as Bradley, while the other was described as a person with plait hair…we are asking members of the public to be vigilant and to desist from encouraging these fraudsters by participating in these fraudulent schemes,” the Housing Minister said.
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Kaieteur News
Ali had in his possession one of the forged transports which was constructed by the fraudsters. Earlier in the year, the Ministry also successfully infiltrated a group operating out of Eccles, East Bank Demerara. The persons were tampering with housing documents, titles and transports in an effort to defraud persons. “A number of persons were defrauded by that group…the group was arrested and the matter is before the courts,” Ali said. With a number of housing schemes going up across the country and still a huge demand for house lots, there have been reported cases of many lands still remaining vacant. Quite a significant number of persons have migrated but are unwilling to relinquish their hold on their property. It is believed that some confidence tricksters would survey some of the empty lots, alter existing documents and use these to “prove” ownership to unsuspecting persons who believe that they are getting into a good bargain. Government has restricted the sale of new house lots until they have been in legal possession of the owner for 10 years. But there have been numerous reported cases of the lands being sold illegally.
Collapsed pole at Herstelling E.B.D
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Kaieteur News
Saturday June 02, 2012
Saturday June 02, 2012
Kaieteur News
Gunmen in police uniform lift $2.5M from petrol dealer
The car that Trevor was driving at the time of his attack Bandits in Police uniform yesterday opened f i r e a t a We s t C o a s t Demerara sales representative of Supreme, before carting off $2.5M in cash. The incident occurred some time before noon, yesterday, on Brutus Street, Agricola, East Bank Demerara. According to reports, Trevor Tankoon had just conducted business at the Sol petrol depot in Agricola and was about to leave, when two men on a motor bike approached him and opened fire. Luckily one of the bullets just grazed his fingers. “I was proceeding to cross the road and a truck was in front me so I was waiting when I see the guys on motor bike approach me,� Tankoon claimed. At first, he said he thought they were policemen but after the men opened fire, he was
The disturbed man
confused. Ye s t e r d a y, w h e n Kaieteur News visited the scene, one of Tankoon's
windscreens was broken. The shattered glass from the windscreen and two bullet casings were recovered at the scene. Tankoon, who was still in shock, told this publication that he was still confused over the entire episode. Kaieteur News was unable to obtain further information.
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Saturday June 02, 2012
High winds send trees crashing on Linden houses Several Linden residents early Thursday morning had the scare of their lives as heavy winds and rain uprooted trees and sent at least two crashing down on houses. Among the hardest hit were houses in Retrieve and Blue Berry Hill. At least two houses in Retrieve had parts of their roofs ripped off. One resident, Maureen Reece, said that God saved her from death, as she was sleeping in her bed, right under the spot where the tree
crashed into the roof. “I was so scared, I woke up trembling, I couldn't even sleek back. When I look at the spot where that tree crashed, I could only say is God saved me, because if it de only come down, I woulda been a dead woman,” Reece related emotionally. According to the woman she was asleep when she heard a thunderous crash. She said that when she jumped out of her bed, she noticed that leaves were
'flying' all over the house, and her curtains billowing skyward. Reece said she never slept back, but got up early yesterday morning only to see the huge mango tree resting on her roof, where it had fallen. Another woman on Blue Berry hill, Viola Jarvis, was adamant that she must be compensated for the damage to her verandah, which resulted from the impact of an awara tree crashing down on it during the storm. Jarvis said that the tree which was located in a neighbour's yard became uprooted and fell on her verandah. The woman said that this is not the first time that a tree from the said neighbour's yard has caused damage to her property. The first time, another awara tree had crashed down on her fence and damaged it. Jarvis said that she never received any satisfaction from the neighbour, neither did she receive any
assistance to repair her fence. The woman said that she had admonished the neighbour about the tree, and the potential threat, but all her admonitions fell on deaf ears. “Right now this entire verandah wall got to be repaired, and I need some kind of assistance to do it, because this is a new structure that I building here to replace the old one, and now look at it, look at the damage; this is not fair to me”, Jarvis lamented.
Saturday June 02, 2012
WANTED Urgently wanted. 1 House lot to buy at Pharfait Harmony. Call: 672-3017. Wanted to buy, Washiba Squares & Logs. Call Jettoo’s Lumberyard & Sawmill @ 261-5041 or 2615042
Kaieteur News
CAKES & PASTRIES Courses in cake decoration, pastry making & cookery, tel: 670-0798. Wedding dresses for sale & rental.
Drivers & porter to work on water trucks on the WCD $20,000 wkly Call: 684-8231
Visa and Immigration forms prepared for Canada, USA and UK. Also Passport forms. Call 626-9857 MASSAGE American Style Massage Service. Call 609-4036 Treat yourself to a relaxing massage Call: 622-6256
Experience Interior drivers Call Paul : 592-646-6730,592225-1939 Mill/Saw Doctors, Moulder Operators to work @ Jettoo’s Sawmill @ Coverden Public Road, E.B.D. Call – 261-5041, 2615042, 226-2756 One female to do domestic work in interior, age 40-45. Interested persons contact Donna on 688-96597 Bright, well-spoken sales assistant for small store, with 5 subjects CXC. Send written application to PO Box 101599 Live-in attractive waitress. Tel# 228-5129 East Coast Guyoil pump attendants wanted (day and night), wash man, office assistant & sales girls. 6842838, 602-5031 Taxi drivers (yellow) Tel: 2253234 Tailors @ B. Paul Tailoring Establishment, 14 Lombard St. Tel: 223-8266, 680-8046 Porters; male & female, to work in Grocery Shop, Stabroek Market. Call: 2269800 Contract cars. Must be in Hire & Yellow. Base free. $3500 weekly. Call 660-9977 1- Male cleaner. Apply Technical Services Inc., Eccles 18-23 Industrial Site EBDem. (2) Attractive waitresses. Call: 233-5481, 5450 Urgently needed, live-in waitresses to work in Bar. Attractive salary offer. Tel# 259-0574 1 – Experienced General Domestic. Must know to cook & iron. $10,000 per week – 227-0557
US & Canada VISA application services. Call 643-6630. Family discounts available. We refill HP cartridges for $1,800. Call:650-7699
Office Clerk, CXC English/ mathematics. 225-0188, 2256070 1 cleaner, must know to cook. 1 cook must know Indian and English dishes. Preferably from Georgetown. Call: 647-7432.
SERVICES Permanent &Visitors Visa Applications Professional Immigration Consultant Sabita, Room E-4 Maraj Building 225-6496/ 223-8115/662-6045.
WANTED Garden maintenance crew, no education needed. Neatness & hardworking is a must,1830 years Tel: 648-1821 7:45am -5pm Salesperson + plant maintenance staff for #1 Plant Shop,70 Sheriff Street. Secondary education a must. Tel: 648-1821 Live-in/Live-out babysitter/ clerk/domestic. 225-0188/ 225-6070 Domestic help. Call 225-2598 Two (2) experience block makers, Super concrete blocks, Eccles Industrial Estate Tel: 233-5517 1 mechanic to work in the interior. 688-4905
Repairs, sales & spares, air conditioning, microwaves, washer, fridges & Stoves. Ultra Cool: 225-9032, 6472943 ONLINE SHOPPING NO COMMISSION, WEEKLY S H I P M E N T S , AFFORDABLE RATES, FREE PRIVATE MAILBOX. TEL: 231-5789. FREIGHTLINKEXPRESS@ GMAIL.COM WE FILL OUT PASSPORT & VISA FORMS: USA, UK & CANADA. TEL: 231-5789 Electrical installation domestic & commercial maintenance & repairs also AC installation , estimates , call Marlon Tel: 2160934,626-6298 or 669-8992 Do you need a female bahir (cook) or bartender to work in interior? Call Andrea 6921798, 652-7355 Service and repairs to gasstoves, deep fryers, washing machines, electrical stoves Call: 686-6209
Bulah Enterprise Inc. seeks interior charter Call: 592-6466730,5692-225-1939
1 kitchen assistant/cook to cook for family in the interior. 688-4905
Get your VISA or get refunded. Call: 645-0975
Cashiers, porters, drivers and salesman. Lot10 Vlissengen Rd. Survival Wholesale Bond.
Hello, the doctor is back!! Have your gas stove repaired and serviced. Tel: 601-0595, 220-4073, 220-5785
Diesel mechanic, excavator operators, attractive salary offered Call: 223-5273-4 General domestic age 2535yrs Call: 233-5450 Male tool room clerk, computer literate. Apply Technical Services Inc. 18-23 Eccles Industrial Site EBDem Call: 614-4358
Imperial College – CXC Jan/ June 2013 exam. Day/ Evening classes, flexible hours. Contact 227-7627, 683-5742 Learn to speak Spanish in 1 month. Call: 673-1232 Princeton College. CXC Adults/Students. Slow learner classes. Day & Evening. January/May June 2013. 690-5008, 611-3793
TO LET Business place to rent, very spacious. Call: 226-2674/6846360,223-1301,682-6822 Furnished 2 bedroom apartment with hot & cold water & internet in Amelia’s Ward Linden Call: 6144415,444-4704 Diamond “AA” Prime location. Newly built apartment 2 & 3 bedrooms with parking, $75,000 – negotiable. 682-3483 One apartment to rent, Friendship E.B.D. Phone# 643-2934-266-2494 East Street $55,000. South $100,000. Albertown $150,000. Nandy Park US$1700. Diana 227-2256, 626-9382. Short term apartments, Eccles. Call: 679-7139 Apartments. Tel: 667-1549
Land V/Hoop 2 acre: school, housing, factory, etc. call: 658-0115
1 5000 watts Centurion generator $175,000. 1 stand up Frigidaire Freezer $110,000. 3 coffee makers $10,000 each. Tel: 692-7377 GPS Map 76, Garmin System. 600-0036 or 223-1719 Brand new American made Crosely 10.5 cu ft Refrigerator for sale $75,000. 626-4452/697-5677
1 Super-custom minibus. $1.4M negotiable. Contact #693-6630, 231-8051 (2)60-180 Leyland DAF I working condition Call: 6281756,228-5655 1 Tundra, 1 Perkins engine & Welder 400 amps. Call: 6605462, 611-5114 Spares for washer, microwaves, fridges, stovetimers, gear boxes, pumps, etc. Contact 225-9032, 647-2943 Games for PSP $900, PS2 $900, XBox 360 $2600, PS3 $2600, XBox, Wii. Junior 6722566, 265-3231 Corrugated Zinc sheet @ 40% off. Local Lumber @ 25% off. Pine Lumber @ 10% off. Zack’s Lumber. Tel# 2267054. Toyota Camry-left hand drive. No reasonable refused. For inspection Call: 226-1176,618-9512 (9am-5pm) One ERF hauler and 45FT trailer in contact Call: 6534455 Pallet Wrap & Plastic Film. Tel: 231-8819
FOR SALE Large Land in Bagotville, WB. Great for Greenhouse farming. 600-0036 or 223-1719 NARS lipgloss, eyeshadow & Clinique Chubby Stick. Tel: 669-8374. Electric threadmill, no reasonable offer refused Tel: 662-7398,621-2453
LAND FOR SALE
FOR SALE 6 brand new in box IPod touch. 8GB $60,000, 32GB $75,000. Price neg. Contact: 686-5004
Going cheap, foreign used Perkins Engines, pressure & clutch plates, hydraulic pumps. 661-3043
Pitbull pups Tel:225-6137
1 Carnegie trained cook 2035yrs Call: 614-4358 1- Small engine mechanic,1handyman Call: 2332408,233-2631
EDUCATIONAL
We repair fridge, freezer, AC ,washer, dryer Call: 231-0655, 683-8734 Omar.
Skilled Lathe Operator. Excellent rates. Tel: 22-71830
Dredge workers Tel: 6232728,618-1967,667-5717
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Yamaha Crankshaft outboard 150HP-200HP, fine & fat top, Piston Kits, Crankshaft Bearings. Call Terry 665-9405
95 acres, transported land, W.B.D, Maria Lodge, fully drainage and aggregation. $40 million. Contact 266-5447
Massage Leather Table, brand new in box, perfect for massage business, heavy duty; $65,000. Call Terry: 6659405
1½ acre V/Hoop 48ft x 1300ft, housing, parking lot, work shop, lumber yard, etc. Call: 627-9351
Cricket bowling machine with automatic feeder and balls. Priced at $1.2Million for quick sale Call: 689-0305
Big blow out sale at Lot 29 Croal Street Enterprise, kids shoes $200 and lots more. Call:664-2209 Exercise Bike, brand new. Electric Schwinn 131, Digital Heat Rate monitor; $75,000. Call Terry: 665-9405 1 House lot for sale, Canal No.2 WBD,1/4 Pal $6M Neg. Call: 619-5307,650-2391 Complete floristry equipment & supplies, variety of paints, office chairs, one electric stove (GE) Call: 623-1575
VEHICLES FOR SALE Just arrived: Allion and Premio, tel: 624-2000, 622-1610 1 White Toyota Runx/Allex $2.1M neg. Fully loaded. Tel: 227-0568, 691-4897 Corolla Wagon, excellent condition Tel: 677-7666,6107666 International Tow Truck with flat aluminum bed; takes two vehicles. Call: 639-3900, 619-5400 1 2004 Honda Civic AT, music, excellent condition. PMM series. One year in taxi, $1,750,000. Contact 6505567 PPP series Alteza, fully loaded. Tel: 677-7666, 6107666 Two (2) Nissan Titan; year 2004. LE and SE model; new tires $3.5M and $3.7M, price neg. Contact 681-3300. Toyota RAUM, black, fully loaded, never register year 2000 Call: 269-0432,686-0323 Late GKK 2 Ton long base canter Tel: 677-7666,6107666 First Class Auto. Allion, Premio, NZE, Fielder, AT212, Carina & Raum. Tel# 6098188, 602-6307 Two door Jeep with Toyota engine open/ closed back manual, cheap Call: 2690432,686-0323 Leading Auto. Unregistered Allion, Premio, Runx, Spacio, Avensis, Verossa, 212. Tele: 677-7666, 610-7666. 1 RZ minibus in excellent condition Call: 675-3093 2002 Toyota RAV 4 $3.7 Neg., fully loaded,2000 Toyota VITZ $1.9 Neg. ,PNN series Tel: 276-0229,641-0909 1 -2 Ton Mitsubishi Canter open back, GKK series $1.4M Neg. Call: 684-8231 3 ton enclosed & open back canter, unregistered. 6172891 One New Model Caldino Wagon, 41,000km. Excellent condition. Price negotiable $1.4M. Call: 629-1451, 6776003 Toyota Prado, 2004 Prado, 2005 Mark II GX110, 2005 Tundra. All fully loaded. Excellent condition. Call: 600-5759 1 Toyota 4x4, V6.Tele: 642-4779
Brand new Blackberry Torch 9800, under $100,000. Call: 676-7443 New Blackberry Torch (Slider) $80,000. Accessories included. Buy 2 or more & receive a discount. 680-1722 Household items for sale. Call 225-3079, 656-7864
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Kaieteur News
UG student-teachers host exhibition out of recycled materials Third-year studentteachers of the University of Guyana Berbice Campus on Thursday hosted an exhibition of learning materials aimed at enhancing learning among the students they teach in their respective primary schools. The teachers constructed materials out of recycled materials readily available in the environment. These were intended to improve their curriculum delivery skills and help their students learn concepts faster and better. Concrete teaching aides push learning and thus, the teachers constructed materials to teach topics such as The Family, Pollution, Cultural diversity, Animals: vertebrates and invertebrates, the community, environment conservation and the Amerindians. Thei r e x h i b i t s w e r e judged by officers in the Ministry of Education and
Some of the exhibits
graded. Lecturer in charge of the students at UGBC, M s M a r c i a C o n w a y,
Slight decrease in traffic accidents There has been a decrease in motor vehicle accidents and fatalities for this period of the year compared to the same period last year. According to the police statistics as at the end of May 2012 there was a 26 per cent decrease in accidents and fatalities when compared to the same period in 2011. The police stated that for the period under review, 2011 recorded 46 fatal accidents resulting in 47 deaths of which two were children, while for 2012, and 34 such accidents resulted in 35 deaths in which two children died. In Division ‘A’ Georgetown, a total of 13
deaths was recorded, the highest across the divisions while ‘C’ & ‘D’ Divisions recorded eight deaths each. The police insist that speeding continues to be a major contributory factor to fatal accidents, causing 24 of the 34 accidents as at May 31, 2012. It was noted that traffic education and rigid enforcement of traffic laws continue to be the main factors responsible for the recorded reduction of road carnage. Up to the end of May, 16,808 cases were instituted against motorists. Of these speeding accounted for 6, 932.
expressed delight in the e f f o r t s p u t i n by the students to construct elegantly-made materials out of basic materials. She noted that the exhibi t i o n i s r e a l l y a continuation of the one which was held last year
Vulnerable groups in Guyana and the Caribbean say they could be denied European Union (EU) funds being administered by the regional trade and integration bloc, CARICOM. The groups making the claim include organizations that represent drug users, orphans and vulnerable children, commercial sex
- victim suffered heart attack eating. Crandon and his girlfriend operated a shop at the girlfriend’s home and some relatives suggested that there was an individual who was unhappy with this arrangement. But an aunt told Kaieteur News yesterday that Crandon, who worked in the interior, had suffered fainting spells in the past and had also contracted malaria and typhoid some time ago. He had spent a week in the interior before returning to Linden last week Tuesday. The aunt told Kaieteur News that she was at home
Guyana celebrates International Child Protection day Yesterday the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport joined the Russian Embassy in celebrating International Child Protection Day under the Theme, ‘May there always be sunshine’. On the occasion Ambassador of Russia to Guyana, Nickolay Smirnov, said he was pleased to be a part of the celebration since this event goes way back and represents a good relationship between the two countries. The Ambassador added that through this art competition the participants will be able to express themselves and views. “Many children specialists have said that art is a good way of allowing children to express and they believe that self expression gives children the opportunity to express their inner feelings and thoughts,” Ambassador Smirnov further wished all the participants well and said he hoped the day of celebration will be beneficial. Culture Minister, Dr. Frank Anthony, said that he too was happy to be a part of the celebration. He said that Russia as a nation did a lot of
lobbying for this day and its observances. He added that since this day was designated, Guyana like many other countries have signed several pieces of legislation with the aim of protecting children. Making reference to education, Dr. Anthony said Guyana has made some significant strides in making education free of cost for all. “There was a time in Guyana when education was a special privilege but today almost every child who is of the age to attend school can do so free of cost and for that we ought to be proud.” Dr. Anthony added that as it relates to legislation, Guyana has not only passed pieces of legislation but the groundwork needed to make the legislation work is also in place. He also made mention of the various entities that have been set up to ensure children are protected and properly cared for. Meanwhile, the art competition took the form of chalk drawings by children from different schools around the city. It was held at the Burrowes School of Art.
Vulnerable groups claim being denied EU funding
Foul play ruled out in Blue Berry Hill man’s death Foul play has been ruled out in the death of Blue Berry Hill, Linden resident, Clayton Crandon, called ‘Boo Boo’, who passed away suddenly at his home two Fridays ago. Kaieteur News understands that a post mortem performed on Monday revealed that the 38year-old had an enlarged heart. He is believed to have suffered a heart attack shortly after consuming two large helpings of cook-up rice. Some relatives had suggested that Crandon had been poisoned. They had claimed that he had vomited and frothed at the mouth after
during the same time and is a r e q u i r e m e n t for the students’ course- work grades and addresses the practical aspect of the course the teachers are pursuing. All of the teachers are reading for their Bachelor’s Degree in Education.
Saturday June 02, 2012
last week Friday when Crandon’s girlfriend called to say that ‘Boo Boo’ had vomited and had fainted. According to the woman, she advised the girlfriend to apply methylated spirits to his face. However, about 15 minutes later, the girlfriend called to say that Crandon had died. His body was subsequently taken to the Linden Hospital Complex. A relative refuted reports that the body was removed from the institution without permission.
workers and lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender people. The groups claim they have been left out of the definition of “civil society” in a proposal by CARIFORUM, which is made up of the 15-nation CARICOM and the Dominican Republic. The possible funding of 4.5 million Euros would be administered by CARICOM. Representatives of the various groups argue that if the proposal goes through they would be missing out on much needed funds. F u r t h e r, D r. J o h n Waters, who represents vulnerable groups in the Dominican Republic, claims that vulnerable groups in that country were not even consulted. Ian McKnight, the executive Director of C a r i b b e a n Vu l n e r a b l e Communities Coalition, said the funding is being made available under the 10th European Development Fund and is intended to enable civil society groups to be “front and centre” in the decisionmaking process.
He said that if the proposal goes ahead and excludes vulnerable groups from the definition of civil society, then that would represent a “threat” to these groups. He accused CARICOM of being selective in using the term “vulnerable” groups when it suits its purpose, such as seeking funding from the Global Fund for HIV/AIDS. Dr. Waters, mentioned e a r l i e r, s a i d t h a t b y excluding vulnerable groups in the proposal for the EU funding, CARICOM was in fact “diluting” the concept of civil society. The resort to a public outcry is part of the groups’ strategy to force a change in the proposal that would be more favourable to them. Miriam Edwards, who represents a group of commercial sex workers, insisted that vulnerable groups would not give up in their fight. “We are not prepared to be left out anymore,” Edwards said at a press conference held at Moray House in Georgetown. The groups have written a letter to Irwin
LaRocque, the SecretaryGeneral of CARICOM. “One can only wonder if prejudice and discrimination is the source of the resistance in including the populations long considered vulnerable populations, from inclusion in the project,” the groups stated in their letter. “It would appear that it would be disingenuous to have one definition of vulnerable population when it suits the Community in their negotiations with the Global Fund and then to allow technocrats to exclude those same populations because of their personal prejudices and phobias,” the groups further charged. The groups want the CARICOM Secretary General to clarify how men who have sex with men, lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender people, sex workers, orphans and vulnerable children, migrant populations, people who use drugs (PWUD) would be reached with capacity building activities under the 10th European development Fund.
Saturday June 02, 2012
Kaieteur News
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GPL apologises to Berbicians Berbice suffers more for spate of blackouts blackouts than last year May saw 34 blackouts in the Berbice area, the worst thus far in the year for the power company. There were 17 blackouts in May, last year. Since the year began, there have been an estimated 120 power outages, compared to 64 during the same period last year. Branch manager of Guyana Power and Light, Ayube Bacchus said that the company has tried to clear the transmission lines and network. “We are working on the plan itself to ascertain what is happening”. He added that some technical glitches “which should not have been there” were found but have been cleared up. This past week, he said, one of the five-megawatt generators at Canefield was “taken down to do maintenance and we used that opportunity to scrutinise those circuits as well. We did find some areas that needed fixing and we have fixed them.” It is quite a challenge for the company’s outdoor transmission and distribution network crews whenever there are ‘trips’ in the system, triggering blackouts. Skeldon Sugar Factory, he noted, is generating power to the Berbice grid. During the off- crop season, as much as 4MW is generated. During the
grinding season, he said, “6.7MW are generated”. The company was scheduled to generate 10 megawatts. He lauded the efforts of his outdoor technical crews who work in extreme weather at times to get their jobs done “and ensure power is restored in the shortest possible time”. The generating network extends from Bygeval to Moleson Creek and the electricity generating load, he said, is “growing in Berbice”. At present, the peak demand is 18MW.” He added that the blackouts being experienced cannot be blamed on generation shortfall but trips in the system and that the time taken to “put back the system online” can be tedious and time- consuming. “When we get a shutdown, we come back online and we leave no area out, even though it may take some time to get there. We re- power all the areas because we have the capacity to generate.” If there are blackouts during the night, he noted, it becomes more complicated to put the system back together. The Branch manager said that he understands the customers’ frustrations with the blackouts “but it is fixable and we can do it but it takes some time and we apologise
for those irritating spells of outages”. He added that the company has increased its capacity in Berbice even though “we can meet the peak [demands] adequately”. By the end of the year, he said, that at least three megawatts in the system “will be restored to cater for the increased demand in December. Recently, too, the 5MW Generator at Canefield was recommissioned and put back online. “Very shortly we will commission it on Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO)”. Canefield, he added, as it is now, “we have restored that capacity to what it used to be— 11 MW”. The fleet of Caterpillar Engines, he said, is always on standby to be used during emergencies, “to give support in the system, during the peak, if and when required”. BUDGET CUTS Bacchus noted that Berbicians would not see the impact of the budget cuts in Parliament “right away”. “It is not an instantaneous thing...but it can have impact on us.” Use of fuel, he said, is one crucial area in which the company would pay much attention to cushion the effects of the cuts”.
Immigration TALK: Questions & Answers By: Attorney Gail S. Seeram Through this “Question & Answer” column, our goal is to answer your immigration questions. Many of you have questions on backlog time and eligibility – we seek to clarify these issues and more. We appreciate your comments and questions. If you have a question that you would like answered in this column, please email: Gail@GailLaw.com. Question #1: I have a B1/B-2 tourist visa, how often can I travel to the United States? Answer #1: As often as you like. However, if you spend excessive amount of time in the U.S. and an immigration officer detects that you spend more time in the U.S. than in your native country, then the immigration officer can deny entry or limit your time in the U.S. Generally, the immigration officer allows a visitor to spend six months in the U.S., but he can restrict your time in the U.S. to one month or one week if he finds you have traveled excessively into the U.S.
Gail S. Seeram Question #2: My child’s father just got a green card. Can he file for his 27-monthold daughter in Guyana or does he have to wait until he is a U.S. Citizen? Answer #2: Yes, a permanent resident or green card holder can file a sponsorship petition for a child under age 21 and an unmarried child over age 21. Currently, the processing time for a permanent resident filing for a child under age 21 is 2.5 years. Question #3: I am a U.S. Citizen and I filed a sponsorship petition for my brother and it was denied
because we failed to establish the relationship. What does this mean? Answer #3: In some cases, birth certificates are not enough to establish sibling relationships. Usually, you need to show at least one common parent. There may be some error or discrepancy in the birth certificate for you and/or your brother. My recommendation is to get a DNA test for you and your brother to establish the sibling relationship. DNA testing is accepted by U.S. immigration. Question #4: I am a green card holder living in the U.S. and would like to sponsor my wife who is in the U.S. without status. Can I file for her as a green card holder or should I become a U.S. citizen and then file for her? Answer #4: Since your wife is in the U.S. without legal status, my recommendation is for you to file for U.S. Citizenship and then you can file an alien relative petition and adjustment of status application for your wife. As an immediate relative of a U.S. citizen, your wife would be eligible to apply for permanent resident status in the U.S. only after you are a U.S. citizen.
By Leon Suseran The Branch Manager of the Guyana Power and Light Inc (GPL), Mr. Ayube Bacchus, has apologised to Berbicians for the recent spate of power blackouts which gripped the entire Berbice area. Over recent weeks, both East and West Berbice have been plagued by power interruptions during the day and night. This intensified Tuesday evening when there were some nine blackouts between 18:45 hrs and 23:00 hrs. Bacchus blamed Tuesday’s ‘fairy- light’ blackouts on a thunderstorm that passed through the area. “I know customers are not happy with the state of affairs in the region, and rightly so”. He noted that last Tuesday around 18:45 hrs, “we experienced a severe lightning storm that hit our network, both at Onverwagt and Canefield [Power Stations]”. Bacchus added that the lightning strikes were so severe that one strike split the top of four power poles at Number 29 Village, West Coast Berbice and brought them down. That plunged the entire West Berbice in darkness. Compounding the situation, “spurious shutdowns” began to follow. It was certainly a bad night for GPL, since the problems were not over. In East Berbice, there were trees that became entangled with transmission
GPL Berbice Operations Manager, Ayube Bacchus lines. “That brought down the system as well”. The split poles in Number 29 Village saw the company making several attempts to reenergise the affected areas. “Shortly after, it went down again because of encumbrances in the transmission lines that triggered these spurious trips”. He said that because the series of unfortunate events took place during the nighttime and while it was raining heavily, “we could not really send crews out there. Even though we attempted to close back [the circuits (reenergise)], we said that we cannot continue anymore”. The company then activated what is called ‘isolation’ whereby the company broke apart the
interconnectivity within the East and West Berbice network, in a bid to find the source of the “spurious trips”. As a result, the transmission line between Skeldon and Canefield was taken out of operation. The transmission line linking Onverwagt and Canefield Power Stations was also put out of operation, in a bid to find the fault and re- power small clumps of the population. The power stations were then operating independently from each other. “We had to close up there and try alternative measures to power up the consumers over that period of time”. “We could not have moved power in bulk supply, even though we had the generating capacity and that is what really triggered Tuesday night’s spurious blackouts”. He apologised but said that the problem was beyond GPL’s control at that point in time. The following morning, he noted that the crews were sent to “run the line and they found, in certain areas, that trees got entangled, limbs broke off and got entangled in the lines so we had to clear that off”, in both East and West Berbice. He noted that all of Regions Five and Six were reenergised fully by Wednesday afternoon and the system was normalised again.
D’Urban Street murder victim was strangled Donna Thomas’s killer inflicted a beating on her before strangling the 49-yearold former guard in her D’Urban Street apartment. An autopsy conducted yesterday revealed that Thomas died from manual strangulation and also suffered blunt trauma to the head. Sources said that some of the bones in the woman’s neck were broken. She also had a broken thumb. Earlier reports had suggested that Thomas had died from multiple stab wounds. Police believe that she was slain by a drug-addicted boyfriend during a quarrel over money. Police have received reports that the two were arguing some hours before Thomas was found dead. The suspect, who was detained on Wednesday night, has denied killing his partner. Thomas, a mother of three, and a former employee of Professional Guard Service (PGS), was found dead in her
- suspect bed last week Saturday. This newspaper was told that Thomas had been renting the apartment for the past eight months. Kaieteur News understands that some of the woman’s colleagues had visited the premises on Saturday and had observed that the front door was slightly open. After calling and getting no answer, they entered the apartment and saw Thomas lying motionless on her bed with marks of violence on her body. The landlord for the
apartment, Randolph Yaw, said that the woman was living with a drug addict and that the two often argued. Yaw said that he last heard Thomas’s voice around 23:00 hrs last week Friday just before he retired to bed. He said that from information gathered, he understands the woman collected her wages that day. Yaw said that the man with whom Thomas was living asked for money but that she refused to give him any. He suggested that this may have led to the suspect killing Thomas. Police had detained another man who frequented the house, but he was released.
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Kaieteur News
Saturday June 02, 2012
Fishing vessel disappears Delinquent contractors to suffer from Liliendaal foreshore same fate as ‘Fip’ Motilall Amaila Falls Access Road ...
…as Robeson Benn insists adequate safeguards in place The Guyana Government offered its no objection to a $832.8M contract to complete the Amaila Falls Access Road for the Hydroelectric project. And given the ‘Fip’ Motilall experience Public Works Minister, Roberson Benn, has assured that there are adequate safeguard measures in place. Since the announcement of the contract this publication has been informed by stakeholders that the contractor, Hassan N. Pasha, is akin to Makeshwar ‘Fip’ Motilall of Synergy Holdings Inc as it relates to competence in the execution of the project. Motilall’s contract had to be terminated on January 12, last, for failing to abide with the contractual obligations and according to Benn, the same fate will meet any of the other contractors should they too fail to meet their obligations. Hassan N. Pasha is the man who secured the contract for the company beating out China Railway First Group Company Limited’s bid of $2.5B and another bid from Joint venture – B&J Civil Works in collaboration with Ivor Allen Construction and Dynamic Engineering Company Ltd. China Railway First Group Company Limited is the company already contracted by the developers of the project Sithe Global to construct the Hydro Electric Project. Dr. Krishna Naraine’s Company, SRKN’ Gineering, has been appointed as oversight consultants. The Public Works Minister also s a y s t h a t SRKN has engineering personnel on the ground ensuring that the works being undertaken are to the required standards. He said that there is also a second tier of safeguard measures linked directly to the Public Works
Contractor, Makeshwar ‘Fip’ Motilall of Synergy Holdings Inc.
Minister of Public Works Robeson Benn
Ministry. The Minister explained that apart from SRKN undertaking its oversight work, Engineers from the Minister will also be adding another level of checks and inspect works completed and underway. He spoke too of performance bonds being in place and reminded that Motilall’s Contract had been terminated after he had failed to acquire a performance bond. Benn says that Pasha, as do the other contractors working on the road, have performances bonds in place and will be called upon should the need arise. The Guyana Government is still awaiting payment from Hand in Hand Trust which had issued a Performance Bond for some US$1.5M to Motilall. Motilall failed to have this bond renewed. The Minister did also remind that Pasha was selected from the public tendering process which also involves an evaluation process for all bids submitted. Benn says that he has accepted the process in place. As it relates to the maintenance of the road, Benn reported that this is not
a problem for the Government of Guyana. Sithe Global and its construction team China Railway First Group Company Limited will have to assume the maintenance responsibilities. Under the terms of the agreement with the Guyana Government, Sithe Global will Build, Own Operate and Transfer the facility to the Guyana Power and Light Company after two decades. Cabinet Secretary Dr Roger Luncheon on Thursday made the announcement as it relates to the winning bid for the contract for the final stretch of the Amaila Falls Access Road that involves construction through virgin forest. That section of the road has also been deemed the most challenging. The engineers’ estimate was $979,491,800. Since Motilall’s US$15.4M contract was terminated Toolsie Persaud Quarries Inc. was awarded the contract to build the Kurupukari junction and it also holds the contract for section four. Section five has been allocated to Ivor Allen, while section six is yet to be allocated.
Up to press time yesterday a fisherman from Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara was still hoping that the boat which earned him a living for the past 40 years will be located. According to Kumar Ramdeo, his fishing vessel which was moored at Liliendaal foreshore on Wednesday went missing sometime after 18:00 hours on the very day. Ramdeo told this publication that he and some friends had pulled the boat which values some $260,000 to shore to carry out maintenance work. According to the fisherman most of the works were completed by nightfall except for one strip of paint
which needed to be added. “After night come we decide to go home but we left the boat turn upside down. About midnight, me son who does do fishing, too, call me and tell me that the boat ain’t deh at the river.” The man said that he immediately left his home for the location where he had left his boat and to his surprise his boat was not there. According to Ramdeo as soon as day broke he began a search with the assistance of other fishermen. “I go till up the Demerara River and then up the Coast till to Montrose but we ain’t find the boat so we come back and we report the matter to the Sparendaam Police Station.”
Yesterday, Ramdeo said that he again carried out a search, this time on West Coast Demerara but he came up empty handed. He added that he cannot think of any reason why someone would steal his vessel. “I hope the police find it because this is what I depend on for a livelihood and it’s a new boat. Only about two months now I bring out that boat,” Ramdeo said that to his good fortune, at the time the boat was not fitted with its engine and fishing equipment. Ramdeo said he had been plying the fishing trade for more than 40 years now and this incident will in no way deter him from doing what he loves.
Bus driver jailed for three months for assaulting conductor Magistrate Hazel OctiveHamilton sent a strong message to persons employed within the transport system yesterday when she sentenced a minibus driver to three months’ imprisonment for assaulting a conductor. Odel MacIntyre was charged with assault causing actual bodily harm. The police said that on May 29, last, at the Stabroek Market, MacIntyre assaulted Jermaine Christiani. The prosecutor stated that on the day in question, at the Stabroek Market, the victim and the defendant ended up in an argument over a passenger. In the process of that argument the defendant gave the conductor several cuffs to the mouth which resulted in his teeth getting damaged. The matter was reported to the police mobile unit at the market. MacIntyre was later arrested, told of the offence and charged. Christiani’s medical report was presented to the court and it showed that one of his teeth was flaked as a result of the incident. MacIntyre told the court that he had three female passengers in the minibus. He said he was the only one on
Odel Macintyre
the park and Christiani sought to take a passenger out of his vehicle. He said he told the conductor that he should not do that but he persisted. He said that the man sought to take the lady’s bag out of his bus.
The driver continued that the conductor was the first to assault him since he had received a push. He said he retaliated by cuffing the conductor in the mouth. That evidence was not before the court. The Magistrate however spoke about the continued confusion at the city’s bus parks. She said that the incident was no reason for the assault. The driver was sentenced to three months in jail. The Magistrate emphasized that with the chaos occurring at the various bus parks it was time the minibus operators learn to conduct themselves and as such, she told the conductor to spread the word about the sentencing.
Saturday June 02, 2012
Kaieteur News
Page 19
The Abigail Column Needy friend too dependent on boyfriend
DEARAMY: I’m 25 years old, and I’ve happily been with my boyfriend for the last six years. We moved in together last December and took in a friend to live with us. Originally, it was to be my partner and me, but the third person needed somewhere to stay. I knew she was a lonely character, but we had a lot in common and got along great,
but things have changed. She is very needy and has formed a dependency on my boyfriend that has strained my relationship with him. Before this, most of our arguments consisted of minor bickering, but we were pretty open with one another. What can I do? I’ve tried speaking to him, but it usually turns into a shouting match in which he accuses me of jealousy and insecurity. I’m beginning to feel like the third wheel in my own relationship. Lonely Dear Lonely,
In interpersonal relationships, the triangle is the most challenging dynamic. The relationship with your boyfriend should be the primary relationship for both of you. Your friend’s loneliness and neediness should be your shared and mutual annoyance. If this friend glues onto your boyfriend, your status as third wheel will change if you take an active role in establishing some primacy. What I’m suggesting is that you will feel a lot better if you tell her, directly and simply, to take a step back.
Saturday June 02, 2012 ARIES (MAR 21 - APR 19): Branching off into a new direction gives you the chance not only to further your own aims but to invite new people into your life. It’s a great time for reaching accord with others and for cultivating friendships with people who share your interests. **************************** TAURUS (APR 20 - MAY 20): Career matters continue to be a positive focus of attention. New projects that were launched on Monday now need to be discussed and the next steps agreed on. **************************** GEMINI (MAY 21 - JUN 20): A creative or intellectual assignment will bring out the best in you. Any long-term plans that come under discussion are likely to pay off well into the future. **************************** CANCER (JUN 21 - JUL 22): A welcome windfall means you are able to meet a pressing financial obligation. Money dealings with others are likely to be mutually profitable. You’re thinking big and you have the confidence to turn thoughts into reality. **************************** LEO (JUL 23 - AUG 22): Someone you work closely with may take a personal interest in your ideas, responding to them with enthusiasm. **************************** VIRGO (AUG 23 - SEP 22): Material rewards and financial benefit come through a work related project. If approaching a bank manager or Trust Fund for financial backing, have answers ready to questions you are most likely to be asked.
LIBRA (SEP 23 - OCT 22): A tempting travel opportunity could boost your romantic and/or financial position. Today’s stars are all set to stir up your libido and turn your mind to thoughts of love. You radiate confidence. **************************** SCORPIO (OCT 23 NOV 21): You will find it easier than usual to take care of home and family affairs. A surprising amount of help comes your way. The sheer scale on which your plans are based requires the utmost from you. **************************** SAGITTARIUS (NOV 22 - DEC 21): An excellent day for sitting examinations or attending important meetings and interviews. Confidence and strength in personality will bring you greater advantage than strength of voice. **************************** CAPRICORN (DEC 22 JAN 19): The funding you need to achieve something special is within your reach. Pick up the phone, fill in application forms and approach those organisations that are more likely to support your specific interests. Grants and financial awards are available; all you have to do is look for them. **************************** AQUARIUS (JAN 20 FEB 18): An adventurous friend will open your eyes to exciting new possibilities. Expanding your horizons would be one way to stave off boredom especially if you feel you are standing still. **************************** PISCES (FEB 19 - MAR 20): Someone you meet could turn your dreams of success and affluence into reality. Your self worth will improve through the faith others seem to have in you.
DTV CHANNEL 8 08:55hrs. Sign On 09:00hrs. Supah Ninjas 10:00hrs. Power Rangers 11:30hrs. Prime News 12:00hrs. Movie: Trophy Wife 15:00hrs. Family Game Night 16:00hrs. Goosebumps 17:00hrs. The Baptist Hour 18:00hrs. World News 18:30hrs. Nightly News 19:00hrs. Greetings and Announcements 20:00hrs. Issues of the People (Live) 21:00hrs. DTV’s Summer Movie Fest 00:00hrs. Sign Off NCN CHANNEL 11 05:00 – Inspiration 05:30 – Newtown Gospel 06:00 – NCN Late Edition News(R/B) 06:30 – Ebezener Praise Time 07:00 – BBC World 07:30 – The Truth 08:00 – Pulse Beat 08:30 – Weekly Digest 09:00 – Youth Expressions 10:00 – Movie 12:00 – CNN 12:30 – Close Up 13:00 – Gospel Zone 13:30 – The Insider 14:00 – Feature 15:00 – Revelation & Power – Live 16:00 – Save the Children 16:30 – Payless Hour (Live) 17:30 – Choices 18:00 – NCN News Magazine – Live 18:30 – Law Enforcement & You 19:00 – Let’s Talk Tax 19:30 – President’s Diary 20:00 – 3d/daily millions/ play de dream/lotto draw 20:05 – Video Hitlist 21:05 – Bollywood Hits 22:05 – NCN News 22:30 – Movie NTN CHANNEL 18/ CABLE 69 05:00h - Sign on with the Mahamrtunjaya Mantra 05:15h - Timehri Maha Kali Shakti Devi Mandir Presents Hanuman Bhajans 05:30h - Queenstown Masjid Presents Quran This Morning 06:00h - R. Gossai General Store Presents Hanuman Bhajans 06:15h - Jettoo’s Lumber Yard Presents Hanuman
Bhajans 06:30h - Muneshwar Limited Presents Hanuman Bhajans 06:45h - Double Standard Taxi Presents Hanuman Bhajans 07:00h - Teaching of Islam by Brother Roshan Khan 07:30h - The Family of The Late Leila & David Persaud Presents Hanuman Bhajans 07:45h - Sankar Auto Works Presents Hanuman Bhajans 08:00h - Dr. Balwant Singh’s Hospital Inc Presents Hanuman Bhajans 08:15h - RRT Enterprise Presents Hanuman Bhajans 08:30h - AL - INSAAN 09:00h - CRICKET:- 1ST T20 - PAKISTAN v SRI LANKA 13:00h - Motor Car / Bike Race Sponsor by GUYOIL 14:00h - Getting It Right 15:00h - Saturday Afternoon Fiesta Live with Angelica 16:00h - The Family Album
with Frederick Rampersaud 17:00h - Assembly of Prayer 17:30h - Caribbean Power Outreach 18:00h - Ganesh Parts Presents - BHAGAVAD GITA ( Discourses in English) - Serial 18:15h - Drying Tears Live with Pastor Edson 18:45h - Birthday Greetings / Death Announcement & In Memoriam 19:00h - DDL HOUR Live with Joel 20:00h - Chitrahaar with Aarya 20:30h - DVD MOVIE :DANGEROUS ISHHQ 3D (Eng:Sub:) *ing Karishma Kapoor, Jimmy Shergill, Divya Dutta & Rajnesh Duggai 22:30h - DVD MOVIE :SAFE *ing Jason Statham 24:00h - Sign off with the Gayatri Mantra
Guides are subjected to change without notice
Page 20
Kaieteur News
Saturday June 02, 2012
LEGAL NOTICE
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VACANCY Male Sales Clerk. Hand written application. Perfume Dazzle, 137 Regent St., Lacytown, G/Town.
Sri Lanka overwhelm Pakistan in first T20 Hambantota - It was a refreshing return to international cricket after almost two months of the IPL, but the end result was as stilted as any of the allegedly doctored results in the recentlyconcluded cash-rich league. Sri Lanka and Pakistan kicked off their extended tour with the first of two Twenty20s at the Emerald Isle’s latest international venue – Hambantota – and
(From page 15)
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the outcome was quite in keeping with the desire of the crowd in attendance. The home team overcame Sohail Tanvir’s magnificent opening spell and gained immensely from a 43-run eighth-wicket partnership (a T20 record) between Thisara Perera and Nuwan Kulasekara to post 132, after Kumar Sangakkara elected to bat. Sri Lanka then inflicted upon Pakistan a torrid initial session through Kulasekara and Angelo Mathews to restrict them to 95 in the 18th over, for a comprehensive 37run win. Perera was named Man of the match for his gamechanging 16-ball 32. Pakistan did everything right in the first innings, but came undone despite Sri Lanka being generous enough to bowl 17 wides defending a paltry total. The visitors lost two
wickets off the first two balls of the chase, as Kulasekara dismissed Mohammad Hafeez and Shakeel Ansar for golden ducks, and when Mathews pried out Khalid Latif – out to a stunning catch behind the wickets by Sangakkara – Pakistan were in a hole they were unable to clamber out of. Pakistan stumbled from pitfall to pitfall and finally ended a ruinous pursuit woefully short of what had originally appeared to be an easy target. Earlier, Shahid Afridi, Mohammed Hafeez and Saeed Ajmal all conceded runs at less than six-per over, and were duly complemented by Tanvir – who removed Mahela Jayawardene, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara in his first three overs. The heroics confined Sri Lanka to 132.
Tanvir, however, was lucky that all his victims fell largely to their own devices. Jayawardene edged behind, Dilshan hit straight to fine leg, and Sangakkara played on. Dinesh Chandimal and Mathews could have been run-out; as it happened they were bowled chasing big hits. Sri Lanka were 89 for seven in the 17th over when Perera and Kulasekara revived the innings with a 43run partnership in just 22 balls – a record – and it was eventually this association that stood them in good stead as they closed out a 37-run win. “We had our moments but we couldn’t capitalise on them. Perera made the difference, we were looking not to give away too many runs. We shouldn’t get too disheartened as it is only one loss,” Pakistan skipper Mohammad Hafiz said later.
Egypt and Ghana kick off World Cup campaigns with victories Egypt began their World Cup campaign with a 2-0 victory over Mozambique in a virtually empty stadium in Alexandria. In the country’s first game at home in eight months, Mahmoud Fathallah and Mohamed Zidan scored twice in nine minutes early in the second half. Ghana beat Lesotho 7-0 in a match that was delayed for nearly 90 minutes after a floodlight failure in Kumasi. The Black Stars were already 4-0 ahead in their Group D opener when the lights failed in the 55th minute. Egypt were forced to play their Group G encounter behind closed doors because of a FIFA ban after the Port Said Stadium riot in February that caused the death of 74 people. The Pharoahs’ American coach Bob Bradley,
in his first competitive fixture in charge, was relieved with the result after a poor first-half performance. “In the first half we created some chances but when they weren’t successful they got nervous,” he said. “But we spoke to the players and told them to focus and calm down, and they performed better.” Ghana were playing their first competitive game under coach Akwasi Appiah who replaced Serb Goran Stevanovic, sacked after a disappointing fourth-placed finish at the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations. Dominic Adiyiah and Jordan Ayew scored twice while Captain Sulley Muntari and debutants Christian Atsu and Jeremiah Akaminko added the others.
FRENCH OPEN 2012: Roger Federer battles to win over Mahut Roger Federer was made to work hard for a four-set victory over Nicolas Mahut in the third round of the French Open. The 16-time Grand Slam champion coasted through the first set, but was broken in the final game of the second as the Frenchman levelled. Normal service was resumed in the third set, but Federer was pushed all through the fourth before securing a 6-3 4-6 6-2 7-5 win and a tie with David Goffin. World number one Novak Djokovic brushed Nicolas Devilder aside 6-1 6-2 6-2. Federer’s 235th career win at the Grand Slams looked likely to be routine when he broke Mahut in the fifth game of the match and closed out the first set. But Mahut clung on in the second, and, when Federer went wide with a forehand in the final game to
gift a break point, the world number 89 found the line with a backhand return to level the match. World number three Federer, who has reached 31 consecutive Grand Slam quarter-finals, responded by breaking in the third game of the third set and taking it easily, and he seemed set to close out the win with a break in the seventh game of the fourth. However, Mahut, most famous for his 2010 defeat by John Isner in the longest Grand Slam match of all time,
broke back immediately to extend the set. It would though, be only a temporary reprieve, as Federer took the third chance to break presented to him in the 11th game, and then served out for the match and a meeting with the unseeded Goffin. Belgian Goffin, 21, initially lost in the qualifiers but was handed a place in the main draw after the withdrawal of Gael Monfils. With his straight-sets win over Lukasz Kubot, he became the first “lucky loser” to reach the last 16 of a Grand Slam since fellow Belgian Dick Norman at Wimbledon in 1995. Djokovic, bidding to become the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to hold all four Grand Slams simultaneously, was at his clinical best to race past Frenchman Devilder and ensure he will have Saturday off.
Saturday June 02, 2012
Kaieteur News
Page 21
Busy year for GAPF - President This year is shaping up to be a busy one for local powerlifters according to President of the Guyana Amateur Powerlifting Federation (GAPF) Peter Green, who spoke to Kaieteur Sport recently outlining the list of events scheduled to be staged in 2012. Green, who has been one of the architects responsible for the sport’s revival and prominence, said he is hoping that the corporate community and other agencies recognise the importance of supporting the sport which has been doing exceedingly well locally, regionally and internationally. Here below is a list of activities planned for this year: 1. Intermediate Competition - July Round two for this year’s crop of newcomers continues with competition billed for Sunday July 1st, 2012 at venue earmarked to be the St. Stanislaus Auditorium Brickdam Georgetown. This competition is open to lifters who had participated at the well attended Novices Competition held in Rosignol earlier this year along with newcomers who have not yet made their maiden appearance on stage. Registration is mandatory prior to participation. Clubs and individual lifters are requested to contact Federation Officials Farouk Abdool (West Berbice) 3302257, Egbert Jackson (Corentyne) 339 3509, Dawn Barker (Demerara) 642- 8322, John Edwards (All regions) 623-6550. Weigh in and equipment check is set for 08:30hrs with competition billed for sharp start at 09:30hrs. The competition will be divided into three
categories comprising the sub-juniors (U-18), juniors (U23) and Open (over 23 up to 39). 2. Masters (Claude Charles Memorial) Championships-July The annual Masters (Claude Charles Memorial) Champions will be held in tandem with the Intermediate Competition on July 1, 2012 at St. Stanislaus Auditorium and is open to all lifters 40 years and over. Categories include M1 (40 – 49), M2 (50 – 59), M3 (60 and over) and will be used as the yardstick for selection to the World Masters Championships billed for Texas USA in October 2012. Feature lifters expected to compete are John Edwards M1 (2011 World Bronze medalist), Winston Stoby M2 (2012 World dead lift record holder) and the evergreen Mark ‘Uno’ Perry of Linden making a welcome return after a lengthy absence. Overseas based lifters desirous of being a part of the National team will be requested to participate with the aim of establishing bona fide totals unless proof of any such totals can be given though participation in recognized powerlifting meets within their respective places of residence. 3. Inaugural Unequipped (Raw) Powerlifting Championships- September This Competition is tentatively set for the month of September at Linden and will be named the Sammy Barker Memorial Championships in honour of the late Sammy Barker. The Competition will be open to all lifters desirous of competing without the aid of squat, bench and dead lift
Peter Green suits save for the basic equipment such as wraps. Details will be made known at the July championship. Weight classes will be divided into Lightweight (59 – 66kg), Middleweight (74 – 83kg) and Heavyweight (105 – 120+kg) and will feature monetary prizes for the purchase of supplements amongst other prizes. 4. Senior National Open Championships- December The Premier event of the Power lifting Calendar, billed for December 1st and 2nd in Georgetown at a venue to be finalized, this Championship will be divided into two categories – firstly The Club Championships (2 athletes per weight class) and secondly the individual championships. Respective winners from this Championship will form the National team for International engagements billed for the Caribbean (March), Pan American (July) and Commonwealth (December) of 2013. All lifters (including the juniors) will be expected to participate in order to make their 2013 preliminary nominations totals. International Meets for 2012
Independence Cup over-40 cricket...
Two thrilling matches anticipated as tournament continues Bedi Masters will face off with Park Rangers Master when the action in the Independence Cup over-40 cricket tournament continues at the Cyril Potter College of Education Ground, Turkeyne ECD tomorrow morning. The action gets underway at 09:30hrs while at 13:00hrs, Savage Masters will oppose Uitvlugt Masters in what is expected to be another action packed affair. The tournament got underway on Independence Day May 26 last, with several thrilling matches that have set the stage for tomorrow’s encounters. Park Rangers defeated Enterprise Masters by 79 runs with several other matches being played on that day. Savage Masters defeated Success Masters by 10 runs in a closely contested affair. Savage Masters took first strike and
made 176 in 24.1 overs but returned to restrict the opposition to 166-9 in their allotted 25 overs. M. Malou led the attack with 3-27 while B. Muller scored a game high 40 in a fruitless cause for the losers. Success Masters returned one day later to defeat Enterprise Masters by 180 runs after the former team took first strike and scored 283-9 when their overs ran out. R. Baljet then took 4-30 to dismiss Enterprise Masters for 103 in 22 overs. In the final match played that day, Bedi Masters defeated Uitvlugt Masters by 26 runs after Bedi Masters won the toss and elected to bat. They made 207-8, M. Chumandatt stroked the game high 69. Uitvlugt Masters could only score 181-4 in 24.4 overs. The teams are contesting for lucrative prizes donated by several business entities.
1. North American Regional Tournament of the Americas – July 24-29 in the Cayman Islands. Guyana’s traditional attendance at this year’s NAPF Regional has been reduced to just a two lifters as the Federation in an effort to make maximum use of its limited financial resources will be placing emphasis on giving the various Categories of athletes an opportunity to represent Guyana at the highest level on the international stage. Double gold medallist Vijai Rahim 59kg juniors and open category of Rosignol, Berbice and 83kg Gold Medalist and junior Best lifter overall Anis Ade Thomas of Corriverton are this year’s nominees to the prestigious event featuring the best in North, Central America and the Caribbean. They are expected to be accompanied by two officials (a referee) and a delegate attending the WADA Symposium who will also be participating in a scoring seminar. 2. South American Championships – August 1519 Cali, Colombia The President of the GAPF along with World Masters 120kg Bronze Medallist John Edwards will be making Guyana’s maiden appearance at the Championships in keeping with a mandate of the IPF which has decreed that Guyana must participate. Edwards will be taking his
Vijai Rahim
Anis Ade Thomas
Referee category II Exams for International certification as well as warming up for the Worlds by participating in the Masters Category of the Championships. The GAPF President will be using the opportunity present to lobby for a future South American Championship to be held in Guyana as early as possible, amongst others. National Lifters desirous of participating at this event and are financially independent are welcome to attempt qualifying totals for selection by guest lifting at the July meet. Further details can be had from John Edwards. 3. World Masters Championships – October 29 Killeen, Texas, USA Winston Stoby and John Edwards will be spearheading a National team of lifters to be selected from the upcoming Claude Charles (Masters) Powerlifting
Championships slated to be held at home on July 1st. USA and Canada-based lifters will also be vying for a place on the National team to Killeen Texas. Current 74kg M2 World Dead lift record holder and 2012 Caribbean open Gold Medallist Winston Stoby has already shown form 4. World Open Championships – October 29- November 4 Aguadilla, Puerto Rico Top athletes Randolph Morgan and Dawn Barker have been earmarked to participate at the World Open Powerlifting Championships set for Puerto Rico in October coming. Powerlifting is one of the disciplines to be contested in the World Games 2013 billed for Cali Colombia and this year’s Championships will be used as the qualifier with the top ten placed lifters in each weight class going through.
Azarenka and Sharapova through in Paris World number one Victoria Azarenka reached the fourth round of the French Open with a straight-sets win over Aleksandra Wozniak. The Belarussian booked a last-16 meeting against Dominika Cibulkova with a 64 6-4 victory over the Canadian. However, Agnieszka Radwanska and Ana Ivanovic lost to Svetlana Kuznetsova and Sara Errani respectively. Maria Sharapova continued her bid to complete the career Grand Slam with a simple win over Japan’s Ayumi Morita. Sharapova’s secondround match was held over from Thursday after PaulHenri Mathieu took almost six hours to beat John Isner in the men’s draw. But she wasted little time in breezing past the world number 84 6-1 6-1. Sharapova will play Chinese Peng Shuai in the third round. Azarenka was in danger of seeing her match held over until Saturday, but when it became clear that it would be
unable to played on Court Suzanne Lenglen on Friday, it was switched to Court One. The Australian Open champion was challenged by Wozniak, but secured the first break in the ninth game of the first set to take the lead. The pair traded breaks early in the second set, before Azarenka went ahead in the seventh game and, after wasting a match point on Wozniak’s serve, made no mistake on her own to advance to a tie against 15th seed Cibulkova, who was an easy winner over Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez. Third seed Radwanska , conqueror of Venus Williams
in round two, was beaten 6-1 6-2 by 2009 champion and 26th seed Kuznetsova. Number 21 seed Ivanovic , Roland Garros winner in 2008, went down 1-6 7-5 6-3 to Errani. The former world number one, coached by Briton Nigel Sears, committed 37 of her 40 unforced errors in the final two sets. Italian 13th seed Errani, in what will be her first appearance in the French Open fourth round, meets Kuznetsova for a place in the last eight. Sixth seed Samantha Stosur went through with few problems, defeating Nadia Petrova of Russia 6-3 6-3. The Australian will play 19-yearold American Sloane Stephens for a place in the quarter-finals. Stephens, who beat Mathilde Johansson, the last Frenchwoman in the draw, 6-3 6-2 is the last American in the women’s draw. It is the first time she has reached the last 16 of a Grand Slam tournament in four appearances.
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Kaieteur News
Saturday June 02, 2012
WI hope Narine can revive their punch A mystery spinner from Trinidad who has never played a Test match will almost certainly be employed as West Indies’ secret weapon next week. With the selection of Sunil Narine the clock has been rewound fully 62 years. Narine has been called up as a replacement for the injured fast bowler, Kemar Roach, and will be drafted into the side for the third Test against England at Birmingham which starts next Thursday. He has played only six first-class matches and it was impossible on hearing of his enlistment not to think of his predecessor, Sonny Ramadhin. In the past few months Narine has a cut a swath through some of the world’s top batsmen. He bamboozled Australia in a one-day series earlier this year with his socalled knuckle ball and was a sensation in the Indian Premier League, in which he appeared for the winning
team, Kolkata Knight Riders in a close final last Sunday. Narine, 24 last week, comes from Arima. Although labelled as an off-spinner, he can turn the ball both ways and has a fast top-spinner. The knuckle ball is conveyed by being pushed with his index and middle fingers. He was called after the great India batsman, Sunil Gavaskar, though it might easily have been another Sunny, Ramadhin. Although Ramadhin was utterly unheralded, there are uncanny similarities. In the spring of 1950, Ramadhin (and the equally inexperienced leftarm spinner, Alf Valentine from Jamaica), was picked in the West Indies squad after playing in only two trial firstclass matches at home. He was 21 and although he was billed as an off-spinner he could turn the ball both ways. In the four Tests that summer, he took 26 wickets, including 11 in West Indies’ first victory at Lord’s. After
Sunil Narine
-23 clubs have benefitted from programme so far losing the first Test, the tourists won the series 3-1 and prompted a calypso: “Those two little pals of mine, Ramadhin and Valentine.” West Indies, 2-0 down in the series, must desperately hope that Narine can do something similar. It was his visit to Australia last year to rectify glitches in his action that seems to have transformed him as a bowler. More side-on now, he bowls with transfixing accuracy, has an off break which turns considerably and other varieties difficult to pick because of a scrambled seam. Mystery spinners are usually more effective early in their careers because the mystery wears off but Narine has shown himself quick to
adapt. He took 11 wickets in the limited-overs matches against Australia and would have been an automatic choice for the tour of England until the IPL came calling. He brought an astonishing $700,000 in the auction in a bidding war won by KKR. Although it has been said that he refused to join the tour of England, that is wrong. The West Indies board recognised they could not match such riches and sanctioned his playing in India. He took 24 wickets, second only to Morne Morkel at an economy rate of 5.20. England need to look at the tapes. (This article was taken from The Independent Newspaper)
TOPCO JUICES CHESS TOURNEY...
Keen competition anticipated as top players throw down the gauntlet All of the top chess players have been in terrific form recently and so it’s anybody’s guess which will walk away with the spoils when the Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) stages the Independence Topco Juices one-day Rapid Chess tournament at the KEISHAR’S Sports Club, Hadfield Street, Werk-enRust Georgetown, starting at 10:00hrs tomorrow morning. National champion, Taffin
Khan will start this tournament as the firm favourite following a remarkable performance in the just concluded Caribbean Container INC. (CCI) FIDE rating tournament. His strongest adversary in that tournament was his dad David, and even though the younger Khan had prevailed, he will nonetheless know that he cannot afford to take foolish chances. National junior champion,
Malta Supreme Hugh Ross Classic 2012...
Berbice Sub-Meet called off due to inclement weather Following the hosting of two successful Sub-Meets in West Demerara and Georgetown, the organizers of the Hugh Ross Classic and Bodybuilding show were forced to call off the Berbice Sub-Meet which was scheduled for today at the at the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club Ground, Corentyne. Consistent rain fall over the past few days has left the ground in a soggy state and the organisers had no alternative but to call off today’s activity. According to Chairman of the Hugh Ross Classic
Committee, Hugh Ross, it is disappointing that the meet would have had to call off the Sub-Meet in Rose Hall but that they had no control over the work of Mother Nature. Ross informed that the athletes who would have signed up to compete at today’s Meet would all go forward to the Hugh Ross Classic finals set for July 28 at the National Cultural Centre. Ross also disclosed that the committee will shortly release the name of the guest poser that has already been contracted to grace the Cultural centre stage at the main event.
Seven more clubs selected for WICB Digicel Grassroots Grants
Haifeng Su, will also stake a claim for the top prize as well as other top players the likes of Anthony Drayton and Cecil Cox. One will also have to be wary of Shiv Nandalall, a mean player on his day. Meanwhile, beverage giant, Demerara Distillers Ltd (DDL), has once again responded positively to appeals for corporate assistance and will be exclusively sponsoring the tournament. Sales Manager of that entity, Alexis Langhorne, performed the honours on Thursday afternoon last when she presented the requisite cheque President of the GCF, Shiv Nandalall, at the tournament venue. Ms Langhorne observed that chess is developing progressively even as she committed to continued assistance. She said that her organization has been working with the GCF since its resuscitation and officials
are heartened with the progress so far. This is the second tournament sponsored by DDL for the year and Ms Langhorne said that this certainly will not be the last. Mr. Nandalall conveyed deep gratitude to the DDL official while intimating that the local chess Federation body frequently organizes competitions to provide meaningful activity for the young players. The players will compete under the Swiss System which consists of seven rounds with a time limit of 40 minutes per game. The tournament is open to all male and female chess players in both the senior and junior categories. Tournament fee for senior non-members is $500.00 and juniors $300.00. Members of the Guyana Chess Federation will pay a reduced fee. Cash prizes and medals are at stake.
Bakewell/MYO Inter-Jamaat 15-overs quarter finals Quarter final play in the Bakewell sponsored, Muslim Youth Organisation (MYO) organized Inter Jamaat 15-overs softball cricket competition is set for tomorrow at the MYO Ground, Woolford Avenue with four quarter final matches. From 09:00hrs, Cornelia Ida will face off with MYO; Windsor Forest plays Farm A or Blankenburg from 11:00hrs; Land of Canaan challenges Grove from 13:00hrs with the day’s feature game between Farm C and Farm B from 15:00hrs.
St John’s, Antigua – The West Indies Cricket Board Digicel Grassroots Club Grant Programme continues with the latest disbursement of a total of US$35,000. Seven clubs have been selected for US$5000 grants each in the third period of the Grassroots Grant Programme which is open to all clubs in the West Indies. Two of the clubs selected are repeat beneficiaries. They are Antigua’s Liberta Sports Club which is the club of former West Indies fast bowler Kenny Benjamin and St Andrews Cricket League of Grenada. Liberta had previously received a grant for building all weather batting nets while St Andrews used their first grant to procure gear and execute a training programme. Benjamin, President of Liberta SC, one of the most prominent and active cricket clubs in Antigua, said he is most grateful for the financial support. “These funds have really assisted Liberta Cricket Club in a tangible way to help us improve our facilities so that the young players especially can work in all conditions to improve their cricket,” Benjamin said. “We will use this new grant to help these players to further develop their game which will be to the benefit of Antigua and Barbuda, Leeward Islands and ultimately West Indies cricket,” Benjamin added. “I would like to encourage other clubs in the Leeward Islands to also get more organized and take advantage of the Grassroots Grant which I think is a fantastic programme and WICB and Digicel should be commended highly,” Benjamin said. Digicel Group Director of Marketing Operations, Kieran Foley, said; “At Digicel, we believe the funding and support of grassroots cricket organisations is critical. This not only enables them to be sustainable and effective but also does wonders for the continuity of the sport by increasing direct participation and appreciation – as well as having a positive knock-on effect to the wider communities. As such, the WICB Digicel Grassroots programme is a fantastic initiative that empowers cricket clubs to develop the sport at grassroots level in local communities throughout the
region. The initiative underpins our sponsorship of West Indies cricket and we are proud to be a part of it.” Alwyn Benjamin, Secretary of the St Andrew’s Cricket League said that the Grassroots Grant has led to huge successes in Grenada. “As a direct result of the training programme we have been able to execute from the grant funds nine of the Under 15 players from St. Andrew’s Cricket League have made it to the Grenada national team,” Benjamin revealed. “This Grassroots Grant has been a God send for us because it has helped us to focus on the development of our Under-15 players by running a comprehensive training programme for them from Monday to Friday during the school holidays,” Benjamin explained. With their second grant St. Andrew’s will upgrade the facilities at Pearl’s Playing Field which will better enable the league to host matches at all levels of cricket. WICB Digicel Grassroots Grants Recipients Period 3 Antigua & Barbuda Liberta Sports Club – Training programme. Dominica - Tete Morne Grand Bay – Training equipment. Grenada - St Andrews Cricket League – Washroom facilities. Jamaica - Kensington Cricket Club – Renovate clubhouse/gym. St Kitts & Nevis - Pennyless All Star Cricket Club (Nevis) – Training equipment. St Vincent & the Grenadines Radcliffe Sports Club – Training equipment. Trinidad & Tobago Alescon Comets Sports Club – Training programme. This brings the total disbursements over the three periods of the WICB Digicel Grassroots Club Grant Programme to over US$120,000. A total of 23 clubs in nine countries have now benefitted from the initiative which is geared towards assisting clubs in three main areas: 1. Infrastructure development. 2. Strengthen training programmes. 3. Procurement of gears and equipment.
Saturday June 02, 2012
Kaieteur News
Page 23
Guinness ‘’Greatest of de Streets’ Warm-up tourney switched to Albouystown - Organisers laud support from the community By Rawle Welch Organisers of the Guinness ‘Greatest of de Streets’ warm-up tournament have disclosed that the third round of matches which were scheduled to be played at Burnham Hardcourts have been switched to the Albouystown Basketball Court. According to the release, the venue change was forced due to the inclement weather, but urged fans, especially those in the Albouystown environ to
come out and support the games as they’ve done in the past. According to coorganiser Troy Mendonca, the support from the Albouystown community has been tremendous and he would like to extend thanks on behalf of Banks DIH and all those associated with the tournament to the community. “When the tournament opened, we saw a community come out and embrace the event with their numbers and I would like to take this opportunity to
extend thanks to them on behalf of the sponsor and all of us on the Organising Committee,” Mendonca stated. He called on them to once more exhibit good behaviour as they’ve done in the past as the host community, adding that they will always remain one of the first choices as a host venue going forward. In on-court action, Team Guyana (Back Circle) that has remained unbeaten so far in the competition will oppose host Albouystown and this matchup should
A section of the crowd that watched the opening night in Albouystown. provide enough fireworks to keep the fans on their feet. The prolific Daniel Favourite will once again be called upon to lead the
Wortmanville/Werk-En-Rust through - Competition continues to next round tonight with double-header
W
ortmanville/ We r k - E n Rust eased into the next round of the National Community Basketball League (NCBL) surviving an early scare from New Amsterdam in the first half of the game at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall Thursday night. Wortmanville/Werk-EnRust overcame a 15-point deficit in the first half to win 79-67 and thus advance to the knockout round of the nation-wide competition. Veteran forward, Naylon Loncke scored 18 points for Wortmanville while Delon Davidson added 14 points and Randy Burgess 11 points for one of the favourite teams to win the tournament. The Wortmanville unit was surprised by the initial onslaught from New Amsterdam’s trio, Jarrel Aleyne, Carlos Crandon and Randy Richardson. The three players developed the early offensive momentum for New Amsterdam but
scoring defensive encounter. Jacob Lowe had 14 points for the Alpha/Bourda team while Earl O’Neil finished with 12 points for Tucville. The competition continues tonight with Kwakwani taking on the West Side Boys in the first game while South Ruimveldt battles Plaisance/Vryheid’s Lust in
Naylon Loncke struggled for second half sustenance. Alleyne led the scoring with 19 points while former national players, guards, Randy Richardson and Carlos Crandon finished with 17 and 16 points respectively after Wortmanville upped their defensive tempo in the last two periods of the crucial game. In the second game, Alpha/Bourda secured their first win of the competition with a 42-39 victory against Tucville/Guyhoc in a low-
the feature game at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall. As has become customary because of the clashing of the tournament with the NBA Playoffs, the NBA Conference Finals between Miami Heat and Boston Celtics will be shown on a big screen at the venue during the NCBL competition. The current
Points Standing is as follows: Group A Played Alboystown/Charlestown Plaisance/V-Lust Lodge/Medowbrook 2 South Ruimveldt Group B Tucville/Guyhoc Central Mackenzie 1 Albertown/Bourda 2 McDoom/Diamond 1 Group C West side 1 East/West Ruimveldt 2 North Ruimveldt Kwakwani 0 Group D BV/Melanie 1 Wortmanville/Werk-en-Rust 2 Wismar New Amsterdam
Points 1 1 1 1 4 0 0 2 2 3 1 1 2 1 0 1 4 1 2
2
2
2 2
team’s quest for victory and he will have as support the likes of Allan Kennedy, Phillip Rowley and Vincent Thomas, while the hometeam’s chances will rest on the shoulders of the silky skills of Andrew Murray Jnr., who has looked in awesome form throughout the tournament. Apart from Murray, Devon Small has been a thorn in the side of most defenders in this format of the game and he will be hoping to rediscover his scoring prowess after being absent from the score-sheet in the previous game. This will be perhaps the sternest test to date for the team that will represent Guyana in the inaugural Caribbean Guinness Street Football Challenge Tournament set for June 2123, at the National Park. In the opening match, Island All Stars, yet to register points, will engage D’urban Street, who too have lost both of their encounters and this state of affairs could bring out the best in both teams. In the second game, West Front Road takes on Broad Street and this is another clash that has all the hallmarks of a classic. Broad Street, previous winners of the competition is loaded with talent, especially the nippy Jimmy Gravesande, who’ve been on the score-sheet constantly, while Jamal Cozier always lend admirable support.
West Front Raod on the other hand is a very formidable opponent and are stacked with players who can be deadly in this version of the game. Stellon David, Michael and Kwame Pedro are no pushovers and as they did against a stubborn Tiger Bay unit in their preceding encounter, they are not bothered by deficits, but rather concentrate on getting goals themselves. The Tiger Bay versus Alexander Village affair is no doubt the best matchup of the night and a fitting feature clash. Shem Porter as always is a quality player for Alexander Village, but so too is Tiger Bay’s Solomon Austin and the two has already displayed in this competition their pedigree so stopping them is near impossible. The pint-sized Kwame Alfred is another player of immense talent and he too is anticipated to play an important role for Tiger Bay, while Delon Williams is expected to play a similar function for Alexander Village. The winning team gets a first prize of $200,000, while the second, third and fourth placed finishers take home $100,000, $50,000 and $ 2 5 , 0 0 0 r e s p e c t i v e l y. Meanwhile, the teams that fail to make it to the final four will receive $15,000 each.
t r o Sp
Guyana- near full strength for TT clash today Green attire should dominate By Rawle Welch
Despite the absence of one of the best players to have come out of Guyana in Kevin McKenzie, the local ruggers are still expected to be as formidable an opponent for Trinidad and Tobago (TT) who they meet today for a place in the Southern Zone final of the North American and Caribbean Rugby Association (NACRA) Regional Qualifiers for the 2015 Rugby World Cup is staged, at the National Stadium, Providence. Guyana, who holds the advantage in head to head meetings with the Trinidadians, 2-1 since 2005 including a closely fought win last year, apart from McKenzie’s absence will have all the other stars in their line-up including Theodore Henry, Claudius Butts, Richard Staglon, Ronald Mayers and Captain Ryan Gonsalves and these guys
National Stadium landscape combined have a vast amount of experience playing together, while the supporting cast according to Henry did look good in their clash against Barbados which they drew while the ‘big guns’ were unavoidably absent. They’ve now returned for today’s clash against T&T and the word in the street is that the visitors will be condemned to the same fate suffered by their ‘Soca Warriors’ on September 11, 2011 when the Guyana ‘Golden Jaguars’ booted them out of the FIFA 2014 World Cup campaign. It was a stunning upset against a team that was expected to defeat the Guyanese, but resilience, determination and the will to progress, all well documented characteristics of athletes from the ‘Land of
Many Waters’ were present on that famous night, at the National Stadium. The local ruggers have tasted overwhelming success at the same venue, winning both the CAC and NACRA tournaments against their regional counterparts and have completely dominated the rugby scene in the Caribbean for a number of years and according to the Technical Staff, they are not prepared to relinquish that stranglehold right now and more so on home turf. The Trinidadians have their work cut out and local fans have been summoned to come to the National Stadium decked out in their green attire to urge on their national heroes. Word emanating from the squad is that they are not over confident, but
Theodore Henry
Claudius Butts
Richard Staglon
Ryan Gonsalves
Peabo Hamilton
Ronald Mayers
determined to represent home turf against any
opponent, but it just happens to be nemesis Trinidad and Tobago and while not disrespecting their opponents, they are not going to let them come here and defeat them. Critical for the Guyanese will be the play of Staglon, Mayers, Butts, Gonsalves and Henry, while Dwayne Schroeder, Vallon Adams, a young, but emerging name in the sport, Peabo Hamilton and Jason Tyrell will all be asked to play ‘big’ to support the core players. The Trinidadians arrived yesterday and from all reports are brimming with confidence and sees this as the best chance to knock off their long standing rivals, who they have much respect for. They easily disposed of Barbados in their clash and while Guyana struggled against the Bajans, the Trinidadians could see the clear disparity in the results as a morale-booster for them, but are still wary of the local juggernauts, which as all are aware always seem to have the capacity to overcome adversities. Scrum time is 16:00 hrs and a massive outpouring of national support in national colours (Green) should dominate the landscape, at the National Stadium. The Guyana squad reads: Props- Jason Tyrell and
Distance athletes hope for good showing at today’s half marathon
T
he crème de la Marathon will start at c r è m e o f 5:30am at Paradise on the G u y a n a ’ s East Coast of Demerara with distance athletes participants competing in including United States of the Open (Men and Women America-based Euleen aged 18 & over); Masters Josiah-Tanner, Trinidad and (Men [40+] and Women To b a g o - b a s e d K e l v i n [35+]) categories. Dwayne Schroeder Johnson and Cleveland Josiah-Tanner, a mother Forde are all expected to of two has been producing Rondell McArthur; light up the streets today in superb performances this Hooker- Alain Crawford; the Independence Half season but will find stiff Second Row- Claude Marathon. opposition from the locallyProwell and Vallon Adams; The race returns after a based middle distance Wing-Forwards- Richard hiatus of 16 years, queen, Alika Morgan. Staglon and Dwayne compliments of the Ministry Others that do well over Schroeder; Lock- Delon of Culture, Youth and Sports the longer distance include Downer; Half-Backsin collaboration with the GDF’s Ashanti Scott who Ryan Gonsalves and Peabo Athletics Association of will compete today. Hamilton; Three-QuartersAlika Morgan Cleveland Forde Guyana. Two of the senior The men’s open category Rodwell Hutson, Theodore athletes in the race have said will also be one of interest Henry, Claudius Butts and that they hope to do well in South American 10km do what I always have done with the likes of Forde, Claude Alexander; and the event. Full-Back- Ronald runner in the history of the in races like these; I am Cleveland Thomas, who has “This is going to be good race said that he will not hoping to go out there and been giving Forde a run for Mayers. for my endurance. I am not reveal his strategy in the win,” she said. his money recently, Kevin The reserves are: Cyon looking at running fast times grueling distance because he Kitt, Troy Arjune, Walter Today’s race follows Bayley and Nathaniel in the half marathon, I just does not want the opposition closely on the heels of the ‘Brother’ Biddings battling George, Avery Corbin, want to win. Rickford Cummings, Elwin to have any plans to defeat j u s t - c o n c l u d e d for the cash prizes and I know that this is going him heading into the race. Chase and Ryan Hinckson. President’s/Jefford Track trophies up for grabs. to be good. I have the The event is slated to end The officials are Meanwhile, Josiah- and Field Classic III, which Granny Lucas 15km race in Tanner revealed that she is w a s a n o t h e r p r e m i e r outside the Ministry of Manager Robin Roberts, Trinidad next week so this going to do what she always athletics event held in the Culture, Youth and Sports Physiotherapist Ariane will be a good test,” Forde does, which is to go out and Bauxite Mining Town of Headquarters, Main and Mangar, Trainer Barry indicated. Quamina Streets, Browne, and Assistant Coast do her best and hope for the Linden. The most successful best result. “I am looking to Shane Grant-Stewart. The Independence Half Georgetown Printed and published by National Media & Publishing Company Limited, 24 Saffon St.Charlestown, Georgetown.Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491 or Fax: 225-8473/ 226-8210