Kaieteur News

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

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

Editorial Sugar’s downward spiral The news from the sugar front is not too sweet: in fact it is rather sour. After producing only 236,000 tonnes (which was a 7% increase over the previous year) GuySuCo quite optimistically projected that they would deliver 250,000 this year - 101,800 tonnes were going to be delivered in the first crop that traditionally ends in May. As late as mid-March, new Agriculture Minister Leslie Ramsammy promised that even in view of ‘strike action’ and adverse weather, the corporation would still achieve its target.

This week, GuySuCo announced that only 70,000 tonnes of the 101,800-tonne target has been met. And most predictably, fingers are being pointed in all directions.

GuySuCo blames the workers and their allegedly irrational compulsion to strike, along with the now obligatory “inclement weather”.

The main sugar union, GAWU, blames management for not getting a grip of the challenges confronting the industry.

There is no question they have a point. And the almost reckless optimism of the Minister in holding onto a most unrealistic production projection buttresses that point: management had to have advised him on the statement.

This newspaper has consistently warned that the sugar industry should not be made into a political football, because of its still critical role in the economy. But for that same reason it cannot be made into an untethered balloon to float wherever it may. Somebody has to take charge.

A year or so ago, the then president had warned that unless GuySuCo’s management delivered better results after all the funds and support the administration was pouring into the industry, he would have to step into the picture.

That president has since departed, but with the continued deterioration of production, somebody had better step in to stop the bleeding.

We have had a Sugar Modernisation plan unfolding since 1998. In the fourteen years since, in excess of US$200 million has been sunk into the Skeldon Expansion – factory and new lands; production at Diamond has been abandoned; LBI factory has been closed but yet rather than production heading upwards it has been stuck on a downward trajectory. GuySuCo’s present management is well advised to remember that Bookers had achieved 395,000 tonnes of sugar in 1971 – without the Skeldon land expansion, much less a new factory.

To those that would note the 1990 drop to 130,000 tonnes; this had recovered to 321,000 by 1999. Most alarmingly, even in the face of billions provided by the EU to compensate for its draconian price cuts ($93 billion since 2006) and sales of assets (mainly land) the government has had to inject increasing amounts of subsidies into GuySuCo. The corporation seems to be on permanent life support.

The corporation needs to make some strategic decisions.

The first question it must answer is whether it has the resources to deliver the 500,000 tonnes the industry was supposed to produce at below 12 cents per pound.

A decision must be made on the Skeldon plant after the next round of rehabilitation scheduled for the next two months. We cannot keep throwing good money after bad: right now Skeldon is skewing the entire industry’s unit cost of production into the stratosphere.

Then there are the human resource challenges. Even the kindest analyst of the industry must concede that the present crop of managers is in way over their heads. We can do worse than start at the top: in an industry facing a production crisis – especially in the fields, is a financial man the most suitable to turn things around?

The field constraint was presented a decade ago to management. “It is unlikely that cane-cutting can be mechanised. (The ubiquitous drains in the fields) in combination with the high moisture and clay content of the soil, does not lend itself to the use of heavy cutting machinery. The unusually high water table in Guyana has also been cited as a possible constraint on the overall productivity of the industry since saturated soils can severely damage cane root structures.”

Crunch time is here and management has to step up to bat.

Kaieteur News

Wednesday May 30, 2012

Letters... Where your views make the news

The irredentist claim of Venezuela DEAR EDITOR, As Guyana celebrates its 46 years of independence, it is time to reflect on the major changes which have occurred during the last few decades. Our institutions are still largely shaped by the British, although we have sought to distance ourselves from British institutions.

However, the lack of institutional strength and expertise in key areas has moderated the zeal to be truly independent.

After becoming independent on the 26th May, 1966, Guyana went further and declared itself a Republic on the 23rd February, 1970. The county even went further to distance itself from Britain by passing the Termination of Appeals Act 1970, which effectively terminated appeals to the Privy Council in England.

H o w e v e r , notwithstanding these

measures, it is still difficult for Guyana to completely severe most of its ties with Britain.

Guyana’s history and political culture has been, and continues to be inextricable interrelated with Britain.

Several examples illustrates why this is the case.

Guyana is too small to completely sever all ties with Britain. A major challenge to Guyana’s sovereignty and independence occurred on October 12, 1966, when Guyana discovered that Venezuela’s military and civilian personnel had occupied the Guyanese half of Ankoko Island in the Cuyuni River. Apparently, the Venezuelans had begun developing an airfield and mining facilities on the island.

On January 4, 1969, a major disturbance occurred in the Rupununi region of southern Guyana. The ranchers of the Rupununi’s savannah had

unsuccessfully attempted a secessionist revolt. The police station in Lethem was attacked.

Four policemen and one civilian employee of the police were killed. The insurgents then seized and blocked most area airstrips. The airstrip at Manari, eight kilometers from Lethem, was left open, apparently for the insurgents’ own use.

This was when the Britishtrained Guyana Defence Force displayed superior military skills. They moved quickly into the area and restored law and order. The insurgents retreated from the area.

Some of these insurgents flew to Brazil and some flew to Venezuela. They were seeking to establish a separate state in Guyana. This attempt failed and Guyana was able to successfully defend its territorial integrity.

Other challenges to

Guyana ‘s sovereignty have occurred, but the international community, including the British have supported Guyana’s territorial rights.

Guyana has been largely successful in defending its border. Hence, there is a legitimate reason for Guyanese to be proud after 46 years of achievements.

The Venezuelans are still pushing a claim which the world community considers to be an irredentist claim.

This defiance is reminiscent of Ian Smith of Rhodesia who once made his famous remark “not in a thousand years.” He made these remarks when he was questioned on when he will gave up power to blacks in Rhodesia, now known as Zimbabwe.

On the diplomatic front, Guyana has made progress.

This progress is reflected in Continued on page 5

An objection to corporal punishment DEAR EDITOR, I am a very experienced secondary school teacher and leader. In the last 20 years I have worked in four schools, in various roles from classroom teacher to assistant Headteacher, all of which carried huge responsibilities for ‘child protection and safety in learning’.

I woke up Saturday morning, tired and jaded from a three-day camping experience with 120 students, none older than12 years (all Form One). The experience was successful in more ways than one. The primary objective was achieved because all the students would have left the camp, in the countryside, with an enriched set of new knowledge, skills and appreciation for learning.

More importantly, these youngsters would have formed new and improved relationship with peers and staffs. However, were all camping arrangements, rules and curfews accepted and adhered to? Absolutely not.

Were any of the students deemed defaulters beaten?

Absolutely not. Was at any time the use of physical punishment considered by the staff? Absolutely not, because physical punishment or physical abuse can never be considered as appropriate by UK teachers.

One wonders what the outcome would have been for those youngsters (defaulters) in Guyana.

It is widelyrecognised and scientifically proven that there is no place for corporal punishment in schools or in any environment where learning is intended.This is

my second attempt at addressing this notion of corporal punishment as a form of corrective therapy in schools.

Let it be known, that corporal punishment is a form of child abuse that is punishable by law and my attempts at sharing ‘good practice’ is falling on deaf ears.

So when I read the newspaper to learn that “Corporal punishment has its place in schools, teachers say at MOE consultation” May 26, 2012 | By KNews. I was devastated. On second thought I wonder if our educators were be going bunkers and I would challenge any brave person involved in the education system in Guyana to enter into a debate on this issue.

I am curious to find out if anyone in the MOE takes account of the education available through some letters to the editors of the

dailynewspapers.We have to, because if they do, it would be prudent to recall and revisit my article of February 1, 2012 “Corporal Punishment and the rights of the child”, KNews.

We are in a sad state of affairs when teachers have to revert to physical abuse to change behaviour to enhance learning. It is even more sorrowful to learn that parents in Crabwood Creek has endorsed this form of abuse by teachers in the 21st Century and woeful that the MOE still has a ‘current policy’ on beating students.

It is time for change because the alternatives are numerous, available and have proven to be successful.

I would like to urge my colleagues to go out, find the alternatives, and try them (How about a pilot or a case study?) before endorsing abuse.

It is my belief and those of many others that physical

punishment is a practice that sends the wrong message to children.

It usually demonstrates the inability of adults to educate, and when necessary discipline, children by other means such as dialogue and discussion. It also shows adult ignorance of the capacity of children to understand and distinguish right from wrong, with proper guidance.

The use of violence is a practice that can hamper the child’s development of his or her communication ability; it can encourage aggressive behaviour and can destroy the child’s self-confidence and internal value system.

Physical punishment generates a destructive relationship based on force, between the adult and the young person; a relationship that can (a) hinder trust within the family and (b) lead to gender bas violence at a societal level Brendon Mounter

Councilor shocked by what he witnessed at hospital

DEAR EDITOR, I went to the West Demerara Regional Hospital just after 4 p.m with a patient [Mr.Nazir Ahamad] who was helpless and barely conscious. There were no porters to take him to the Emergency Department. Further enquiries yielded the fact that the hospital is short of porters. I had to take the patient in myself was told.

I struggled with the patient; the door entrance is very steep to push wheel chair on...I had to haul the wheelchair while the patient’s wife helped to keep patient in chair.

Just outside of Emergency Room is a cupboard standing in corner with lots of electrical cables loosely dangling all over the place overhead.

The emergency room was awfully hot; the

doctor was sweating profusely as well as other staff members. There was no air conditioning; there was only one small solitary fan that was unsuccessfully trying to keep doctor cool when she sat at her table. There was no screen hence no privacy for the patients.

Mr. Ahamad was placed on a bed while the sun was caressing him brutally. Other patients were caressed likewise.

Nurses and doctor really nice people don’t want to give information because they will be victimised. The conditions they and the patients have to endure is totally inhumane, depressing and outright outrageous!!

The Emergency Department of this hospital leaves much to be desired. I believe there are other areas that are equally bad.

Latiff

Wednesday May 30, 2012

Kaieteur News

Page 5

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

No more ‘Jim Cock Bring There are no Ram Goat’ excuses dancehall role models

DEAR EDITOR, Firstly we must thank NCN for opening the door to the opposition for TV time, but it will be fruitless to debate unless we get the draft accounts and the cooperation agreement with NICIL and the PU. Let us make it clear, we have a methodology as to how we arrived at the missing $50 billion figure and it is furthest from the truth what the NICIL Board members are trying to portrait. But to protect our sources we have to “stan easy for now”. More to come later!

So this $50 billion figure is no “pie in the sky figure” and we ask the Guyanese people to stay with this figure because the NICIL Board is yet to provide tangible evidence to the public. The time is soon approaching when they will have to either “put up or go to jail”. We presume they will try a Henry Greene on the legal system when their time arrives. So much for justice in Guyana!

We know that there is a culture of secrecy surrounding NICIL operations, but in the gallery of public opinion, we are convinced in our conviction that Guyanese are predisposed that much is wrong with NICIL’s financial transactions and unless the Ramotar administration fixes this situation promptly, expect the beginning of the end.

NICIL will be its Achilles’ heel.

The public debate at NCN has revealed that NICIL has US$3.5 million in cash but is committing US$19 million to

the Marriott Hotel. Where is the difference (US$15.5 million) coming from? That debate confirmed that the NICIL Board has no problem with the real conflict of interest with a wife auditing a husband, and its CEO purchasing shares for his brother who resides in the U.S. How more bizarre can this get?

Nothing has changed in this minority regime— nepotism, discrimination, patronage, and wanton corruption are still the order of the day. The new culture of “it’s our time now in the PPP to tek” is very much alive and well. When will the tekking end in the PPP? This nation is in crisis morally, spiritually, economically and socially.

We were all under the impression that with the change in Government, the PPP would have swept the Jagdeo regime under the carpet and cleaned up its act.

But we are baffled at the energy being poured into maintaining the Jagdeo status quo.

The public record of the PPP administration’s statements and utterances on NICIL and other slush funds revealed a disturbing trend of apparent deliberate misinformation. As if this was not bad enough, the Attorney General claimed that NICIL operated within the law and he sees no conflict of interest.

Did Jonathan Brassington benefit from insider information?

The moral crisis gets worse when the Guyanese

A democratic experience DEAR EDITOR, Those of us who have been following developments in Burma cannot but breathe a sigh of relief now that the military junta has freed Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest and granted permission for her to travel out of the country after over two decades in confinement.

This is indeed a big step forward in the democratization process of Burma even though much more remains to be done in terms of the realization of a full-fledged democracy.

The recent parliamentary elections, even though limited, which her party won by a landslide is indicative of the strong and powerful appeal she enjoyed among the Burmese people. Now she is travelling to Thailand for the World Economic Forum on East Asia, after having been issued with a travel visa earlier this month.

According to a BBC Report, she has plans to travel

to Norway to formally accept the Nobel Peace prize which she won in 1991 but could not have received. After that she will visit the UK where her family lived.

Before her departure for Thailand, she met Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who was on a visit to Burma, the first Indian leader to do so since 1987. She was invited to go to India to deliver the prestigious Nehru Memorial Lecture.

Aung San Suu Kyi is today one of the most respected and admired politician in the world, someone who stood up for believed in, at great personal sacrifice.

One hopes that she will sooner than later be given the opportunity to lead her nation after having been prevented from so doing since the early 1990’s when her party won the elections but were prevented from taking office by the military.

Hydar Ally

public learned that one Jonathan Brassington was the beneficiary of a $225 million deal in Hand-in-Hand Trust soon after his brother, Winston Brassington, privatized that entity. This transaction reminds us of RAJ RAJARATNAM (the Bangladesh stock broker jailed in the US) who was found guilty of conspiracy and securities fraud crimes stemming from his involvement in insider trading in the United States.

Although some would have us believe that NICIL has only $700 million in cash and that all its transactions were legal, we in the AFC are not buying their “JIM COCK BRING RAM GOAT” story.

We will continue to sensitize and educate the people, particularly the poor and the working class that it is the ultimate responsibility of the minority PPP regime to tell the nation what has happened to the remaining $49.3 billion.

They ought not to shy away from their obligation. This is their moral responsibility.

With $50 billion of taxpayers’ money unaccounted for, with sugar production just over 60 percent of its target for the first quarter of 2012, and with no economic development plan aimed at creating jobs for the youths, the minority PPP regime has forfeited its right to govern.

It must be made unequivocally clear that if voluntary compliance is not enough to get the board of directors of NICIL to tell the truth about the missing $50 billion, then Parliament and the opposition must act to ensure that the enablers are held legally accountable for the reckless misuse and squander of the taxpayers’ money.

Only then will this delinquent behaviour of merely covering up for the “big fishes” will come to an Continued on page 23

DEAR EDITOR, As Dancehall music continues to strive for international recognition among the mainstream genres of music, it apparently remains blemished by crime, homophobia, and violence.

While there have been several dancehall pioneers who have worked and continue to work tirelessly to highlight the versatility and creativity of the genre, and to launch themselves and the dancehall flavor into international markets, dancehall reggae still fails to garner the international appeal its producers, artistes and marketers envisage.

Sometimes one wonders if dancehall music and criminality are inextricably linked. Recently, too many dancehall artistes were brought before the courts for varying degrees of criminality.

This state of affairs does not reflect favourably on a genre struggling to take its place on the international music scene. Dancehall artistes must know that they play an important role in Caribbean society, especially when one looks at the impact of dancehall reggae on the socialization of modern Caribbean youth.

Caribbean youth are tuned in to dancehall. This is a fact that cannot be denied.

Therefore, it is my belief that our Caribbean dancehall artistes need to be more responsible in their words, thoughts and actions.

Bounty Killer was recently brought before the Jamaican courts on domestic violence charges. Movado was also recently charged with aggravated assault.

Elephant Man was booked together with Bounty Killer and others on tax evasion charges. Ninja Man remains in jail on a murder charge.

Vybz Kartel, the selfproclaimed “World Boss”, is also before the Jamaican

The irredentist claim of...

From page 4 the quality of the diplomatic efforts of Norman Girvan. Mr. Girvan, who served as CARICOM Secretary General, is now the United Nations Good Officer. He has quietly sought to defuse tensions on Guyana’s borders.

Some of these tensions have been brought about by increasing mining activity on the Guyana’s borders with both Venezuela and Brazil. As a result, the reports of Venezuelan military amassing troops on Guyana’s borders warranted special attention. These issues have been dealt with through quiet diplomacy.

However, in order to maintain its territorial integrity, Guyana still needs to increase funding for the military. Quiet diplomacy and reliance on Britain, are not enough to guarantee Guyana’s territorial integrity. In the final analysis, it is the ability of the nation to utilize its resources wisely and to adequately prepare its military for any eventuality, notwithstanding the irredentist claim of Venezuela.

Winston Felix President, Guyana-Associates, Inc

courts on drug charges and his alleged role in two murders. Buju Banton is incarcerated in the US on drug charges. And a very beloved Busy Signal is about to be extradited from Jamaica to the US on drug charges.

Who precisely is a dancehall reggae role model?

Can dancehall music even produce positive role models? Are Sean Paul, Shaggy, Cécile, or even Beenie Man role model material?

Rap/Hip-Hop also has its fair share of criminal personalities at the forefront of its success. However, it seems as if the world is far more interested in the Rap/ Hip-Hop genres and exercises more tolerance for the notorious crime figures it exemplifies. A large number of rappers and hip hop artistes have gone to prison and continue to go to prison for a variety of criminal activity.

The litany of rap/hip-hop artistes who have been inmates at some point in time in their careers is too numerous to mention. Names like T.I., Lil Wayne, Tony Yayo, Mystical, and DMX immediately come to mind.

Yet somehow rap and hip-hop manage to be widely accepted internationally, far more than dancehall reggae could dare dream of

accomplishing.

Arguably, rap, hip/hop and dancehall reggae are all black music albeit different genres.

Perhaps the dancehall industry might want to strategically focus on the image of their artistes who like it or not, are the brand ambassadors of the industry.

While many might argue that a tough image is needed to lend ‘street’ credibility to the genre, this has little effect on the international audience.

Dancehall must rise from its humble beginnings and establish itself as an internationally commercially viable product.

Dancehall lyrics must evolve from its primitive, internationally unmarketable form, where violence, explicitly gross sexual content and stunning homophobia forms the basis of its structure.

On the issue of homophobic lyrics, Beenie Man has come out recently with an apology for using this harmful lyrical formula in his music and urges its eradication from the genre.

However, this brave move by the self-proclaimed ‘King of Dancehall’ has been met with conspicuously mixed reactions from friends, fans and foes.

Richard Francois

Page 6

Kaieteur News

Wednesday May 30, 2012

Chinese ferries not likely to be operational for at least six weeks - Minister Robeson Benn Two new Chinese-made ferries are not likely to be operational in the Essequibo River for at least another six weeks.

It will take at least that time for modification works to be completed on the Parika and Supenaam stellings, Essequibo River. A more realistic time may be in August.

Updating Kaieteur News on the status of workers, Public Works Minister Robeson Benn also blamed the poor management of time by the contractor, B.K. International, as a major cause for delays.

“We had anticipated that the ferries would have been able to go over to Essequibo to start training routes and thereafter we would have had an earlier date of the ferries between Parika and Supenaam,” Benn admitted.

The two ferries arrived in December, but modification works to the two stellings remained incomplete despite several deadlines being given, starting from February.

One of the major problems had to do with the concrete piles being driven.

Some broke and had to be replaced and driven again.

“We have had to replace and drive new piles, but primarily we have not been able to get our contractors to extend hours to bring it to completion. Parika (stelling) is fundamentally finished.

But there are a couple of (mooring) bollards to be put in place. We believe that in another six weeks all the construction will be finished.”

DELAY More problems were also encountered with getting material and equipment to the worksite on time by B.K. International, Benn said.

“Fundamentally, B.K. is responsible for the entire contract. One of the things that we have to recognize is that the initial designs on which the contract was premised had to be changed

- Delay of material, contractor’s mismanagement of time blamed - Vessels will not make a profit One of the two Chinese vessels which will be plying the Essequibo route

by August

Public Works Minister, Robeson Benn because of the lifting capacity for the type of piles that had to be driven.”

To speed up the contract, another contractor - Dynamic Engineering - was brought in to help B.K. at the Supenaam stelling. But B.K. remains responsible for the contract at both locations. Engineers from the Ministry and its Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD) are supervising the works.

There had been concerns after B.K. was awarded the contracts, especially following problems with the new Supenaam stelling a few years ago. Shortly after that stelling was commissioned, there were issues with the support beam holding the ramp leading from the stelling to the ferry.

Millions more were spent to correct the defects with the final bill a whopping $500M. An independent investigation did not fault a single party.

The tenders submitted by B.K. to modify the Parika stelling was $240.1M, while the tender for the Supenaam stelling was $138M. Regarding concerns over the estimated high costs that the ferries will be incurring, Minister Benn defended them, noting that the current two ferries working the

Works to modify the Parika and Supenaam stellings will take another six weeks to be completed.

Supenaam and Parika routes are “maxed out” in terms of capacity.

It is a fact, he said, that the vessels are larger than the current old vessels that the country has. Not only are the Sabanto and Kanawan larger, but they are equipped with

modern, high speed Caterpillar engines.

NO PROFIT “These ferries will also carry 60% more capacity, in terms of large trucks and numbers of cars. So that accounts for the high costs the weight of the ferries, the

large size and capacity and larger engines.”

Benn also admitted that the ferries when placed into operation are unlikely to make a profit at the current tariffs being charged by T&HD. “If you recall, T&HD is a subsidised agency… it has to get support for fuel and other operational costs. Two ferries brought from Berbice and put to the Essequibo River…the capacity has been maxed out.”

The two vessels arrived

late December as a “gift” from the Chinese Government and are said to be worth around US$14M ($2.8B).

Each vessel has three decks and can hold up to 800 persons, 44 cars, and 20 lorries and can travel at a test speed of 12.5 knots.

The ferries will continue to provide a crucial link between Essequibo Coast, Region Two, and the city. Rice and cash crop farmers are heavily dependent on ferries to transport their produce.

They also provide a link to Wakenaam and Leguan, two islands in the Essequibo River.

It is about 19 nautical miles between Parika and Supenaam.

Wednesday May 30, 2012

Kaieteur News

Taylor could be jailed for the rest of his life AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Former Liberian President Charles Taylor could be jailed for the rest of his life today when he is sentenced by an international court for backing Sierra Leonean rebels in their war of murder, rape and mutilation.

Prosecutors seek an 80year sentence for Taylor, 64 the first head of state convicted by an international court since World War Two and the decision could set a precedent for other war crimes courts.

The Special Court for Sierra Leone ruled last month that Taylor aided and abetted Revolutionary United Front rebels during an 11-year war which left 50,000 dead in Liberia’s West African neighbor by 2002.

The rebels raped and murdered civilians. They hacked off the limbs of thousands of people in a campaign of terror while Taylor profited from trading

in so-called blood diamonds that helped finance the conflict.

The court’s judges said Taylor knew about the brutality and had nonetheless helped equip and fund the rebels, giving them satellite phones and money.

“Charles Taylor ’s sentence should reflect the

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s Supreme Court is expected to rule today on whether to approve the extradition of WikiLeaks chief Julian Assange to Sweden, a potential turning point in the Internet a c t i v i s t ’s controversial career.

Assange, 40, has spent the better part of two years fighting attempts to send him to the Scandinavian nation, where he is accused of sex crimes. At least one extradition expert said that his long-running legal campaign may finally yield a victory for the Australian programmer.

“When he first started out, I thought: ‘He hasn’t gotten much of a chance,’ but now I’m much more hopeful.” said Karen

Todner, whose company, Kaim Todner Solicitors, has fought many highprofile extradition battles.

“I would say that in the last few months there has definitely been a swing in favour of defendants in relation to extradition.”

Assange is best known for revealing hundreds of thousands of secret U.S. documents, including a hard-to-watch video that captured U.S. forces gunning down a crowd of Iraqi civilians and journalists that they’d mistaken for insurgents.

His release of a quartermillion classified State Department cables outraged Washington and destabilized American diplomacy worldwide.

But his secret-spilling

Charles Taylor

gravity of his heinous crimes,” said Elise Keppler of Human Rights Watch.

“Sentencing is a crucial step in bringing redress to Sierra Leonean victims and reinforcing the principle that no one is above the law - not even a head of state.”

Not since the Nazi trials at Nuremberg has a head of state been found guilty by an international tribunal, and Taylor’s sentencing could also set a precedent.

The International Criminal Court, which recently marked its 10th anniversary, will soon begin the trial of Laurent Gbagbo, the former Ivory Coast president, who faces charges of crimes against humanity.

Accused of genocide, Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir is also wanted by the court.

Over the course of Taylor’s six-year trial, the court heard gruesome testimony.

Britain’s Supreme Court to rule on WikiLeaks chief

work came under a cloud after two Swedish women accused him of molestation and rape following a visit to the country in mid-2010.

Assange denies wrongdoing, saying the sex was consensual, but has refused to go to Sweden, saying he doesn’t believe he’ll get a fair trial there.

Page 7

West expels envoys over massacre of Syrian children BEIRUT (Reuters) Western powers expelled Syria’s envoys yesterday in outrage at a massacre of 108 people, almost half of them children, and peace envoy Kofi Annan urged President Bashar al-Assad to halt the bloodshed as “a tipping point” had been reached.

The killings in the town of Houla drew a chorus of condemnation from around the world, with the United Nations saying entire families were killed in their homes on Friday, some by army tanks and others probably by pro-Assad militia.

“Bashar al-Assad is the murderer of his people,” French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told Le Monde. “He must relinquish power. The sooner the better.”

U.S. State Department spokeswoman described an “absolutely indefensible, vile, despicable massacre against innocent children, women, shot at point blank range by regime thugs.”

U.N. peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous, whose monitors are in Syria, contradicted the Assad’s government assertion that the killings were carried out by terrorist gangs.

“Part of the victims had been killed by artillery shells, now that points ever so clearly to the responsibility of the government. Only the government has heavy

Kofi Annan (left) and Bashar al-Assad weapons, has tanks, has howitzers,” Ladsous told reporters, adding: “But there are also victims from individual weapons, victims from knife wounds and that of course is less clear but probably points the way to the (pro-Assad) shabbihas, the local militia.”

The United States, France, Britain, Canada, Germany, Italy, Spain, Australia and Bulgaria gave Syria’s envoys hours or days to leave their capitals in a coordinated move meant to isolate Assad further diplomatically.

Some had already

expelled ambassadors or downgraded ties and so, like Washington, ordered out less senior charges d’affaires.

Western countries that have called for Assad to step down hope the Houla killings will tip global opinion, notably that of Syria’s main protector Russia, towards more effective action.

The killings have contributed to doubt about whether a peace plan backed

by Annan, a former U.N. secretary general, has any chance of success. Some of Assad’s opponents say Annan’s plan is only making the situation worse by buying Assad time.

Page 8

Kaieteur News

ACM against closure of Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad - CMC - The Association of Caribbean MediaWorkers (ACM) yesterday called on Caribbean Community (CARICOM) governments to ensure that no decision is taken at the upcoming general assembly of the Organisation of American States (OAS) that would have the effect of reducing the strength and influence of the Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression.

“We are calling on regional governments present in Bolivia to mirror the strong concerns of the region’s journalistic community on these matters and to express their strongest support for the Office of the Special

Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression,” the ACM said in a statement.

It reminded regional governments that in January, it had foreign ministers and other heads of delegation attending the OAS General Assembly in Bolivia from June 3-5, “to ensure no decision is taken there” to erode the effectiveness of the Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression.

“As stated in our January 18 letter to 14 Caribbean leaders, we note with dismay moves that would ensure the Office’s adherence to a “code of conduct”, the cessation of annual publications on the state of freedom of

expression in the Americas and “a proposed reallocation of financial resources that can reduce support for the Office,” the regional media organisation said.

The ACM, which groups journalists and media workers from the English, French, Dutch and Spanish speaking Caribbean, said a “growing awareness of the value and application of free expression in the flourishing of democracy in the Caribbean and wider region is considerably advised by the work of the Rapporteur in researching and bringing such issues to public attention and stimulating action.

Opposition party seeking answers from Prime Minister Thomas ST GEORGE’S, Grenada CMC - The main opposition New National Party (NNP) yesterday called on Prime Minister Tillman Thomas “to come clean” on a US$150,000 overseas donation made to his ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC).

“I think the Prime Minister has a responsibility to come clean with the Grenadian people.

I don’t think that this transaction is a very normal one,” NNP campaign manager Terrence Forester told a news conference.

“I think this matter could be put to rest once truthful information is shared with the Grenadian people. It would

Tillman Thomas be wise of our prime minister to not allow this matter to cloud the airwaves of Grenada and to create further suspicion and to create that

anxiety in our communities”.

On Monday last week, Prime Minister Thomas denied reports of the donation after several weeks of accusations by the NNP. But, speaking on a Government Information Service (GIS) television broadcast last Friday, he acknowledged that someone in his government received the donation but denied suggestions it might have been an under-hand deal.

But while Prime Minister Thomas has said that the funds were a donation to the NDC, the party’s general secretary Peter David said it has not been placed in the party’s bank account.

Wednesday May 30, 2012

17.5% VAT extended Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler showed yesterday that not only had the Value Added Tax (VAT) outperformed all projections but that the country’s high fiscal deficit of nearly nine per cent of Gross Domestic Product in 2010 had been dramatically lowered to 4.5 per cent.

Introducing the Value Added Tax (Amendment) Bill to Parliament today – which will extend the original 18month increase in VAT from 15 to 17.5 per cent – Sinckler said VAT had outperformed projections every month, with the last quarter raising $184 million in revenue over the

previous financial year and raising $1.3 billion over the last 18 months.

“We said the VAT was one of the most effective and efficient ways for us to help raise revenue, to bring our revenue levels up to around 29 per cent of GDP … and now the results have borne us out that our policy was the correct policy. We predicted we would bring in anywhere between $800 million and $900 million in VAT as a result of those measures. Over the 18 months we’ve bettered that, and we’ve brought to book, based on the estimates of the Accountant General, $1.3 billion in VAT,” Sinckler said

Chris Sinckler to sustained applause.

Noting that VAT was a transactional tax, he said its revenue was consistent with the progress of the Barbados economy from recessionary trends onto a growth path.

Phillips listening to tax cries The Finance Minister Dr. Peter Phillips has indicated that he is willing to make changes to the announced taxes to raise almost $20 billion for the Government’s coffers.

However, Dr. Phillips said those clamouring for the adjustments must present credible alternatives that would ensure that that the Government is able to close the Budget gap. Dr. Phillips was speaking yesterday morning at a Gleaner Editors’ Forum at the company’s North Street Office.

At The Gleaner’s Editors forum this morning, Dr. Phillips reiterated that the country is in on what he calls the edge of survival.

However, Dr Phillips said he has not closed the door on discussions with a view to making adjustments to the

Dr. Peter Phillips tax measures like the room tax on the hotel sector.

The 16.5 per cent GCT on electricity is another move for which Phillips has been harshly criticised.

Previously a 10 per cent GCT was imposed on electricity consumption over 200 kilo Watt Hours a month.

However last week, Dr Phillips announced changes to that arrangement.

Now the use of up to 300 Kilo Watt Hours per month

will be tax free come June 1.

People using more than the 300 kilo Watt hours will be pay a higher GCT rate at 16.5 per cent.

At this morning’s editor’s forum, Dr. Phillips gave little hope that the GCT on light bills will be adjusted.

He said based on his research those using more than 300 Kilo Watt Hours of electricity a month can afford it.

However, given the commitment by the People’s National Party while it was in Opposition to roll back the GCT on light bill, we asked Dr. Phillips whether it was irresponsible or purely political for Portia Simpson Miller to have promised to do away with the tax on electricity.

Meanwhile, Dr Phillips said Jamaica will be getting more technical help from overseas to tackle the matter of tax evasion.

He said the assistance will be provided by multilateral partners and through direct partnerships with other countries.

(Jamaica Gleaner)

Wednesday May 30, 2012

Kaieteur News

Page 9

WHY QUESTION NICIL ABOUT PRADOVILLE 2?

The Alliance for Change (AFC) has some nerve.

Imagine, it is making an accusation against NICIL, and then demanding that NICIL prove the allegation.

This is what the AFC’s stance as regards how much money NICIL is supposed to have amounts to. It was the AFC which went public with the claim that NICIL was conceivably sitting on some fifty billion dollars.

Well, if you make an allegation, it is your duty to prove the allegation. You cannot on the one hand accuse NICIL of having fifty billion dollars and then ask NICIL to prove you wrong.

This is exactly what the AFC is asking of NICIL. The AFC makes the accusation and then wants the accused to prove the accusations wrong.

Perhaps that is what operates in some Dutch jurisdictions where the onus is on an accused to establish his or her innocence, but when it comes to the system under which we operate and which is dominant throughout the free world, the obligation is on the accuser to establish the guilt of the accused.

The AFC has failed to do this. It had an opportunity to do so and thus embarrass the government on national television. But it was a “no

show,” offering the excuse that it does not wish to debate the head of NICIL; it wants to interrogate him.

But on what basis is it going to interrogate him? Is it going to interrogate him on the basis of what he calls “jumbie arithmetic”? Or is it going to interrogate him by asking him to produce the very evidence which is likely to contradict the AFC’s position?

On top of this, some of the mouthpieces of the AFC are now claiming that persons should stick to the fifty-billion-dollar figure, because NICIL has not disproved it. It is not for NICIL to disprove anything.

Two schoolgirls caught in compromising positions with four men at WBD home Gossip spread like wildfire in Canal Polder No.1, West Bank Demerara (WBD) yesterday morning when police ranks raided a home and discovered two teenage girls in compromising positions with four men during school hours.

Reports are that around 11:30 hrs, neighbours noticed the girls, clad in their school uniforms, entering a house located at Beauvision, Canal Polder No.1, with the young men.

Shortly after, police officers swooped down on the house following a tip they received and discovered the girls having sexual intercourse with the men.

The girls were taken to the West Demerara Regional Hospital, West Coast Demerara, to have medical

examinations conducted.

Meanwhile, law enforcement officers arrested the four men, and they were taken to La Grange Police Station, WBD. Kaieteur News was told that many young girls would be seen frequently entering the house with men at various hours.

One of the neighbours told this newspaper that most of the girls would be in their uniforms.

“It is a normal thing to see schoolgirls coming with the young men plenty times… almost every other day. One of them cousin, who lives at the house, is about 24 years old, and he does bring in girls in the nighttime while the others use the house daytime.

The young man’s mother

works out of town and doesn’t be home. The poor woman… she would be ashamed,” said the neighbour.

Another person lamented that the young girls would easily be “fooled” into skipping classes and committing such acts.

“These girls are young and are fooled and lured into that house to indulge in such wrong acts. They should think about the shame and embarrassment they caused on their family and school and on their own bodies.

These men often do these acts, but nobody can say anything because we would get threatened or cursed up,” another woman stated.

Up to press time the men were still in police custody.

Dem boys seh

Henry de Yellow ain’t get no parade

When de government raise dem security guard pay all dem private security people get vex. Nuff of dem use to rob dem old people because is dem who is security guard—people who can’t sleep when de night come suh dem decide to do something to ketch dem hand.

Dem got dem women who ain’t got husband and who got children to mind. Dem does tun security guard too.

Long ago dem was watchman because dem job was to watch out fuh thieves and when dem see de thief dem was suppose to holler and mek nuff noise.

These days is bandits does come and dem guard suppose to confront dem, when even de police don’t tek chance.

Anyhow, de government decide fuh raise dem pay and de guard service vex. Some of dem use to pay

dem people $800 a day and tek out money when de people late. But de guard service use to collect nuff money from de client. De owners use to get rich.

Dem boys seh that if de guard service want to still mek money, dem got to knock off some of dem guard and let de big ones go out and do de wuk demself. But Uncle Donald seh that he was waiting fuh dem because he see how dem was taking advantage of dem old people.

De guards smiling. But dem boys watching, because de guard service gun want pay de old rate and tell dem

old people fuh keep dem mouth shut because dem gun get knock off. De court waiting fuh dem.

And dem boys seh that dem waiting fuh de farewell parade fuh Henry de Yellow.

De man lef de wuk long now and it look like if de police force done wid he just suh.

De man got to get driving round de Eve Leary compound and he got to mek a speech.

If that ain’t happen he gun be de fuss retiring commissioner who ain’t get a parade.

Talk half and watch fuh de other half.

It is the AFC’s duty to establish the veracity of its claim that NICIL is sitting on fifty billion dollars. If the AFC cannot do this then its credibility is seriously tarnished, and it needs to offer an apology for misleading the nation.

The AFC is inconsistent.

On one hand, it claimed that it voted down the LCDS because the monies were not yet received by Guyana, and suggested that when they were received that, the government could approach the parliament for a supplementary provision, seemingly forgetting that it was the initial position of APNU that a supplementary provision could only be approved if the expenditure was not predicted.

It then indicated another reason for withholding approval. It said that what was required was a conditional appropriation.

Yet one of its leaders was on television arguing that the party did not consider the LCDS funds as revenues, and therefore it required a

conditional appropriation.

This is confusing, because if the LCDS money is not revenue, then there is no need for a conditional appropriation, since the funds would then constitute developmental assistance.

The AFC needs to clear up its fuzziness on this issue before it gets lost in its own haze.

The AFC also supported slashing the subventions from NCN and GINA, claiming that reform was needed. This is despite the fact that GINA is the government propaganda machinery and is expected to be partial to the government.

The opposition claimed that these cuts were intended to force change, one of which is presumed to be a greater voice for the opposition in NCN programming. Yet when presented with an opportunity to promote change, it backed out of an all-critical debate.

But this is probably how the AFC hopes to promote reform: by staying away and then making an excuse about

wanting to interrogate the head of NICIL in front of the Economic Services Committee of parliament.

It seems now that in the process of interrogating the head of NICIL in front of the Economic Services Committee, its grilling of him is not going to be confined to the fifty billion dollars, but is now going to involve wasting the committee’s time.

The AFC wants to interrogate the head of NICIL about the sale of land at an area which the public has nicknamed Pradoville 2. It wants to know what were the criteria used for the allocation of lots.

But why ask NICIL? What does the head of NICIL have to do with answering questions about the allocations here? NICIL does not allocate lots.

Page 10

Kaieteur News

Wednesday May 30, 2012

THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN

The Guyanese people must demand freedom and democracy The Philip Moore burial controversy has struck a raw nerve. The more you think of it, the more the picture becomes clear as a sunny day on a tropical afternoon when the sun is in its fiery mood – We live in a totalitarian society.

The central government has jurisdiction in everything. And when it doesn’t, it invents methods to dissolve the restriction.

The most graphic examples are the salary of the Chief Justice and the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC).

Because he is acting as Chief Justice, it was not possible for the Chief Justice to get a pay as if he were a confirmed judge. That was taken care of by parliamentary legislation. When the life of the ERC ended, it needed a two-thirds parliamentary vote to prolong its legal life. A

motion to keep it going was passed by a simple majority.

There are literally hundreds of deep-seated sociological and political caricatures like these, in which restrained power unties itself. The nastiest is the devolution of municipal authority.

This writer contends that in no other country you can have the political caricature like the castration of the Region Four election. Since 1992, there have been five general elections involving a regional vote to elect the government of each of the ten regions. Not once in those five times did the PPP win Region Four. Yet, the PPP decides who the Regional Executive Officer is and how much the Region Four budget will be.

I posit that in no other country that brazen approach

to unrestrained power would have gone unprotested for twenty years. To add insult to injury, there is the situation in Georgetown, where an opposition victory in the municipal elections means absolutely nothing. The Georgetown City Council has no legal independence.

Yet, there was a municipal vote, and citizens of Georgetown chose their local government. When I was small I heard my parents and other elder relatives using the term, “Pick sense out of nonsense.” Many times when my mom and dad or older siblings were quarreling, I would hear the exclamation, “why don’t you pick sense from nonsense?”

Why don’t we do that here and maybe we will see how dishonest are organizations like the Private Sector Commission (PSC), the

Chamber of Commerce etc?

There is a stalemate between the opposition and the ruling party over local government reform. Surely, it is not complicated physics that the population cannot understand.

What important stakeholders need to do is to dialogue with the opposition parties and the PPP and ask a simple question – what is the PPP point that you cannot accept and conversely what is the opposition point that you cannot accept? A highranking diplomat left this country with the parting statement to me that the ruling party does not want a democratic local government structure.

So let us pick sense out of nonsense. The opposition is saying two things. One is that there must be a law that insulates elected local government officials from the intervention of the central authorities. This is the pattern worldwide. European mayors

are powerful people, especially in France.

Secondly, these elected people must have legal independence over their budget, which includes the right to realize revenue through their own projects.

Local government elections have stalled for more than fifteen years because the PPP representatives in the talks are inflexibly rejecting legal autonomy and the right to raise revenue. The Guyanese people must demand this intransigence from the PPP be stopped.

Take another example of totalitarian power – the Philip Moore burial quarrel. Surely, it is obnoxious in a modern world where these kinds of decisions rest with the President alone. Why should the President of a country decide where national heroes are to be buried? There must be two objections to this. One is that he must have other important things to do.

Secondly, why put this kind

Frederick Kissoon of authority in the hand of one person only?

What the Philip Moore burial farce should do for us is to instruct us that there is urgent need for a broadbased committee to make these decisions. And by broad-based, I mean really inclusive, that takes in a representative from all other sources except the political parties and government. So the list should include the churches, academic community, Labour, the media, business community, organizations like the Lions, Jaycees etc.

If we had such an entity, it would have decided if Philip Moore was qualified as a brilliant patriot to have his soul rest at the Seven Ponds.

In the end, the decision was made by totalitarian power.

Kaneville murder trial continues Nazeema Persaud, the granddaughter of murdered Kaneville businessman Barbot Paul, yesterday began her evidence in chief in the trial of Dwight DaSilva, who is accused of the killing. Paul was robbed and slain in 2006.

The matter is presently before Justice Roxanne GeorgeWiltshire.

Prosecutors Konyo Sandiford and Renita Singh are presenting the state’s case, while the accused is being represented George Thomas.

Persaud, who is considered to be the main witness, was questioned by the prosecution. Up until the adjournment, the witness was being cross-examined. On Monday, last, the judge, along with the accused, prosecutors, DaSilva’s lawyer and the jury, all visited the crime scene.

Paul, 54, a shop owner of 312 Second Field, Kaneville,

Murdered Kaneville businessman, Barbot Paul East Bank Demerara, was gunned down by bandits on August 6, 2006. After killing the businessman the gunmen took his licenced .32 Taurus pistol. Paul was also stripped of his gold chain, band and ring before the bandits took

the shop’s earnings for the day and three cellular phones.

It was reported that on the night of the incident, around 21:10 hrs, Paul and his wife were attracted by shouts of “Thief! Thief!” from the street.

According to a police statement, the businessman went to close the gate of his premises when he was confronted by one of the men who shot him in the back and took away his licenced .32 Taurus pistol.

Paul’s wife had stated that her husband told her to close the shop, and she was about to do so when she saw a gunman standing on the step leading into the yard. She said before she had time to react, the man began firing several shots in her husband’s direction.

The woman said her husband, who was a licenced firearm holder, retaliated by firing his pistol, telling her to hide.

Wednesday May 30, 2012

Kaieteur News

Page 11

New logistics and support Society for the Blind striving to services company launched continue literacy programme The Guyana Logistics And Support Services (GLASS) Inc, after nine months of operation in the country, officially hosted its launching ceremony last evening at the Pegasus Hotel.

The company, which is the first of its kind to provide a “one-stop shop” for businesses locally at a reasonable cost also caters for internationally based companies becoming involved in business ventures in Guyana.

In its aim of meeting the needs of both the local and international markets, GLASS presently offers services in the areas of labour, agency and brokerage, heavy-duty and equipment rentals, office and residential rentals, corporate legal services and Information Technology Security.

GLASS also provide services for documentation and licence processing, engineering and procurement, travel and immigration, relocation and domestic support, shipping agency and stevedoring, logistics, transportation, security and accommodation service.

John Alexander Lewis, Managing Director of GLASS, stated that international companies that are conducting businesses in Guyana, obtain logistics support from local providers and they tend to rely on these companies’ experience and knowledge of local business procedures.

However, while many logistic providers are available, they are mostly specialists who focus on their strengths, thus offering one or two of the services that clients require. This results in the clients needing to visit more than one company to get what they need, which proves to be a hassle.

“After careful research of the target market and realizing the extensive demands of expatriate companies and contractors, the owners of

GLASS Inc. took the initiative of setting up, under one roof, a service provider that allows easy access to all of the services that clients require.

Our company’s current main target customers have been expatriate companies that work specifically for the Oil and Gas and the Mining Sectors,” said Lewis.

In addition, the company is also focusing on targeting expatriate contractors who are in the country to provide services to these expatriate companies.

Lewis emphasised that GLASS will continue to expand and evolve its services in the near future to both local and expatriate companies including the local manufacturing sector.

“The company has been in operation for nine months and growing exponentially since start-up. We have been privileged to be associated with and provide services to the oil company that just completed drilling offshore Guyana. We were able to provide local manpower to the rig and utilized local service providers to provide certain services,” he noted.

Kaieteur News understands that GLASS Inc is currently in the final phase(s) of signing a representative agreement with MPX Geophysics Limited.

This is an internationally accredited company that offers a complete suite of airborne geophysical survey equipment using either fixed wing or helicopter platforms.

MPX’s geophysical technologies include magnetics, radiometrics, gravity and LiDAR. Their services include data acquisition, managing data quality control in the field, final data processing, report and final map production and data interpretation, if required by the client.

According to Lewis, with the significant investments made by expatriate companies in the gold mining sector the

past two years, GLASS Inc, in collaboration with MPX, is poised to be the only “incountry” service provider of geophysical services, which are critical to the start-up of gold mining operations.

The Managing Director added that it is the company’s goal to utilize local service providers and local manpower, as far as possible.

“It is our intention to provide, also, some free basic training in occupational safety and health to persons who may be eligible to work in the oil and gas and/or mining sector, but who may be disqualified because of safety certification. We will also facilitate the training of persons in Guyana, in Trinidad, and other countries with special skills, as required by sector-specific customers. It is our goal and intention to cooperate with the University of Guyana to allow graduates and prospective graduates an opportunity to expand their job prospects by registering with our job bank,” Lewis further noted.

GLASS indicated that it seeks to provide high quality services that combine performance with competitive pricing, while establishing a successful relationship with customers and suppliers; and continuously strive to meet customers’ needs and expectations of price, service and selection.

The company also aims to stay ahead of the competition by innovation, based on the needs of customers and market demand; develop an organisation that will encourage all employees to prosper and grow to their maximum potential; and conduct business with the highest levels of integrity in the interaction with customers and suppliers.

(Kristen Macklingam)

- welcomes $300,000 donation from Geddes Grant

A Geddes Grant representative makes the presentation to President of the Guyana Society for the Blind, Cecil Morris As the Guyana Society for the Blind (GSB) continues to face struggles in executing its daily duties, it still remains committed towards empowering blind individuals in areas such as education, health and more.

In light of Blindness Awareness Month, several activities were scheduled, including a literacy programme for the blind which began on April 19.

At the Society’s headquarters yesterday morning, staff from the Geddes Grant Group of Companies donated $300,000 to the organisation to help them continue the works that are ongoing.

GSB President Cecil Morris told Kaieteur News that his organisation would utilise this money for transportation fees and possibly stipends for participants in the literacy programme.

He explained that funding for the various programmes remains a major challenge for the society.

“We are thankful for this help and welcome any more

help we can get from wherever. With this money we can help pay transportation costs for those participating in the ongoing literacy programme, because many live out of town. But we also try to do training for persons with laptops which we got from the one laptop per family programme, and any money we get will help us do our job here at the society,” Morris emphasised.

While explaining what the entity caters for and how it plays an integral role in the lives of blind individuals, Morris stated that the GSB is also open to persons who are visually impaired, as well as

those who recently became blind.

“We cater for persons who are blind or visually impaired and we try to rehabilitate persons who lost their sight recently or within the last few years, and get them comfortable as well as able to move around and become self sufficient in their homes, etc. This is to make sure that they can do little things for themselves like even making a snack.”

Kaieteur News understands that membership is about 120 persons, yet only 60 remain active within the society.

(Kristen Macklingam)

Page 12

Kaieteur News

Ex-convict escapes attempt on his life A Riverview, Ruimveldt resident escaped being gunned down on Monday night and is now being held at the Brickdam Police Station in what police are claiming is protective custody.

Reagan Rodrigues called ‘Grey Boy’ told this newspaper last night that gunmen in a silver grey Toyota 212 motor car opened fire on him as he was heading towards his home just before midnight on Monday.

From all appearances, it was a miracle that Rodrigues escaped unhurt, since police reportedly recovered a number of spent shells that were fired from an automatic weapon.

Evidence of the attempted execution adorned the walls of a popular hangout bar in the Ruimveldt area.

Rodrigues, who is no stranger to the law, told this newspaper that he had just

- detained in Brickdam lock-ups parked his car and was heading into the Riverview area when he saw a silver grey Toyota with tinted windows heading in his direction.

Immediately he became suspicious, since he recognised the car as similar to the one used in the execution of Aman Lalchand a few weeks ago.

“All I hear is rat-a-tat-tat.

I run. Wha’ save me is that de gun stick,” Rodrigues related to Kaieteur News.

The occupants of the car eventually drove away.

Rodrigues subsequently contacted the police.

“De police pick up about 15 spent shells and none ah dem bullets ain’t hit me, all in de shop wall,” he said.

According to Rodrigues, what was strange was the fact

that there was a police roadblock at Ruimveldt and as soon as the roadblock was called off, the car with the gunmen appeared.

Rodrigues has been fingered in a number of armed robberies within the past 10 years.

He was held for illegal possession of arms and ammunition and armed robberies, one of which cost him 10 years in prison.

When asked why he was in the lock-ups, Rodrigues said, “dem tell me dey put me in hey fuh me safety.”

“I hear $10M pay fuh kill out all dem thief man wha dey know,” he added.

Police remained mum on the execution attempt, although they did confirm that there was a shooting incident at Ruimveldt.

Wounded cop discharged from hospital The injured police rank Jomo Williams, 29, who was chopped on Saturday, last, by a man he was attempting to arrest, is said to be resting comfortably in his home, and on the road to recovery. This publication was told that Williams was released from the Georgetown Public Hospital where he was receiving medical attention for chop wounds to his back and right elbow. His colleague, 20 year-old Alex

Solomon, was treated on the same day of the incident and sent home.

Initial reports are that 42 year-old Shawn Watkins known as ‘Rastaman’ was shot dead after he chopped the two policemen. This publication was told that the ranks had a one-hour standoff with the man before he attacked them.

Kaieteur News understands that after the officers arrived at the house,

Watkins was allegedly armed with two cutlasses. Watkins reportedly attacked the two officers. He had earlier threatened to chop a female acquaintance and burn her house. He was warned several times by police ranks who pleaded with him to surrender.

Despite their efforts Watkins refused to surrender and a patrol which had been summoned to the scene called in and asked for permission to shoot.

According to one of the officers, permission was granted and when an officer fired the first shot, “Rastaman run to us and start chopping and the patrol open fire at him,” Solomon stated.

It is unclear how many shots Watkins sustained.

Wednesday May 30, 2012

$1 allocation to ERC means closure Junior Finance Minister and former Chairman of the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC), Juan Edghill, yesterday informed members of the media that due to recent budget cuts made in Parliament, the ERC which was allocated $1, is unable to function. Edghill said that due to those cuts, the ERC has been brought to a standstill, which will eventually lead to its closure.

Apart from that, he said that to date, staffers are yet to receive a salary.

According to Edghill, the ERC is an independent entity which is unable to selfgenerate funds. All funds given to the ERC, he noted, comes from taxpayers, thus with the recent cuts, it is impossible to pay workers.

During the half-hour long press conference, the Minister touched on at least three issues which he said was plaguing the organization.

He spoke on what he called rumours and said he wanted to clear the air about the facts of the ERC. Edghill said that contrary to what some media entities have been reporting and are also quoting from members of the opposition - on talks about the re-commissioning of ERC members - it is only the parliament that can determine such acts.

He elaborated on the subject, saying that it has been put out by media personnel that members of the opposition, specifically A Partnership for National Unity (APNU)’s David Granger, have stated that the money billed for the ERC will be restored to the organization if the President would hold talks with the APNU head about the re-commissioning of the organization’s

Staffers can’t receive salaries - Edghill members.

Edghill sought to clarify that by the constitution, neither Granger nor the President has the power to put any money back into the ERC. He instead asserted that it was the members of Parliament who held that power. Edghill went on to say that according to the law, there must be a two-thirds vote in the House which would determine the direction of the ERC. In that light, Edghill said he wanted to debunk the myth that presumes that the two leading political figures would be able to restore funds to the ERC. “The recommissioning of members is determined by parliament and they must vote,” Edghill emphasised.

The second contention of the Junior Minister related to the amount of money set aside by the Government which would have seen $99.4M being pumped into the ERC. Edghill pointed out that the opposition claimed that the sum was too hefty, in the sense that something unscrupulous was afoot.

The Minister, however, discarded any suspicions and alluded to previous budget sums set aside for the organization. He pointed out that last year $90M was allocated to the ERC and in 2006, in excess of $100M was utilized by the organization.

Edghill said that there are about 23 staff members at the ERC, but that number, he said, could easily grow to 70 or 80 persons since there could be part-time workers who are

hired to monitor political matters. He added that those persons are scheduled to monitor all 10 Regions.

Edghill reasoned that the budgeted sum for the ERC is no unusual amount.

In concluding, Edghill touched on the topic of ERC workers going to opposition leaders and “begging for their jobs and begging for money to be released to the ERC.” Edghill said that he is aware that staffers of the organization had met with opposition leaders of both APNU and the AFC. That, he noted, was not sanctioned.

He attributed the actions of the workers to the threat they faced as it related to their jobs.

He said persons were fearful and felt insecure.

The former ERC chairman even mentioned that were he a member of either of the opposition parties, he would have never facilitated talks with the ERC staffers, since the entity is an independent one.

He condemned the actions of the opposition leaders and said that not only have their parties crippled the ERC, but they had also compromised the situation.

Edghill stated that there is nothing the Minister of Finance could do to provide money for the organization.

He reiterated that parliament would have to approve this.

Edghill opined that the opposition has plotted for the Government to say to ERC workers “go home because we have no money to pay you.” But he said it was the opposition to be blamed for persons not being paid.

Wednesday May 30, 2012

Kaieteur News

Page 13

GGMC’s Chairman has usurped Livan’s authority - GPSU The Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) is questioning the impartiality of the Major General (rtd) Joe Singh, Chairman of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), amidst disagreements over an overhaul of that state agency.

During the last few weeks, GPSU has expressed unhappiness over what it saw as interference of the newlyestablished Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment into the daily affairs of GGMC. It had also accused the Ministry of wanting to replace the current Commissioner, Karen Livan, who is due to proceed on retirement leave in a matter of months.

Last week, the union said that Minister Robert Persaud’s “outburst” against Livan, at a recent interactive forum with Brazilian miners, was out of place and warranted an apology. It also caused her to lose credibility with her staffers, the union said.

The Minister had publicly questioned Livan after revelations that she may

have granted permission for a Brazilian to mine in government reserves. Last week, the Ministry said that Persaud had apologized to Livan.

BYPASS Yesterday, GPSU hosted another press conference insisting that the Chairman “with practiced regularity has bypassed the said Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer of the GGMC, Mrs. Karen Livan, and in preference instructs the Deputy Commissioners and other staff without her knowledge. Such instructions include matters involving specific routine management and operating procedures.”

The Chairmanship of management meetings of the GGMC, that is the responsibility of the Commissioner, has now been usurped by Minister Persaud, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment, Joslyn McKenzie and Chairman Singh, GPSU’s Deborah Murphy said in a prepared statement.

“Further, a series of releases to the press highlighting alleged wrongdoing or nonperformance by GGMC staff appears to have the full support of the Chairman Singh, even though investigations were not conducted to authenticate the details released or due process observed. Such conduct appears to violate the code of conduct of members of the Board of Directors.”

NO SUPPORT GPSU also accused Singh of showing no support for Livan at the Brazilian meeting following the “outburst” by the Minister.

“More so, at the subsequent board meeting, Chairman Singh did not comment on or express any concern at the treatment of Mrs. Livan. Rather, the current mouthing, attributed to him in Kaieteur News, is clearly one that attempts to justify the Minister’s behaviour, by ignoring the wrongful act and instead patronizingly referring to non-existent support.”

Enmore factory workers down...

(From page 2) de workers suffering,” the worker added.

They claimed that while their earnings are tied to the amount of production, the management enjoys their normal pay “no matter what”.

The strike will significantly hamper the sugar company since it will affect the planned maintenance of the Enmore factory.

“It is the maintenance period now and they want to grind early (for the next crop).

They throw ripener pon de cane and it gon ready fuh de third week in July, so dem fighting fuh grind by then.

With this strike they gon get a good setback,” the workers' representative explained.

The workers said that although they know they will not be paid for the three days

they will be off the job, they are willing to make that sacrifice.

“Years ago the elder people used to make sacrifice for us and now is the time we have to sacrifice. Three, four days nah gon bother we, it gon bother GuySuCo. Every time workers fuh get a money, dem gat fuh strike. Why we gat fuh suffer so much?” one worker asked.

GGMC’s Commissioner, Karen Livan, and Chairman, Major General (rtd) Joe Singh.

Also at the press conference yesterday were the union’s Second Vice President, Dawn Gardener; Education Officer, Vera Naughton and Dennis English, Senior Industrial Relations Officer.

The union also made reference to the Workers’ Representative who as a board member was summoned to a meeting but was “embarrassingly ordered out of the meeting by the Minister, under the guise that

the officer was not a duly elected Workers’ Representative.”

This was another example of the Chairman’s “inaction and lack of support for key functionaries at the GGMC”, GPSU said.

“The GPSU is therefore of the view that this pattern of behaviour is an attempt to discredit the management and staff of the Commission and to justify the imposition of selected persons, contrary to the Collective Bargaining

Agreement between the GGMC and the GPSU.” Government has made it clear that it wants to revamp GGMC amidst growing interest in mining and the introduction of emerging oil and gas sectors. Guyana is drilling for oil now.

There has reportedly been increasing lawlessness in the gold fields, with murder rates there on the rise. A recent ongoing operation netted illegal guns and the arrests of illegal miners.

Page 20

Kaieteur News

Wednesday May 30, 2012

Berbice manslaughter trial…

Sophia man critical after struck in West Opening arguments head with plank - two teens detained set for tomorrow An altercation which began last Saturday, ended yesterday with a 20-year-old Sophia man critical in the Georgetown Public Hospital, and two teenaged suspects in police custody.

Devonty Da Silva of 862 ‘B’ Field Sophia, Georgetown, and a student of Mercy Wings Vocational School, was struck in the head “with a 2x4 wood” allegedly by a vengeful teenager.

Da Silva was rushed to the hospital, where he was immediately taken into the theatre for surgery.

According to the victim’s relatives, last Saturday, one of Da Silva’s friends, Marvin (only name given), had organized a party at which he (Dasilva) was the barman.

The party was held in Sophia.

They further claimed that a teen, who they called ‘Chucky’, approached Da Silva and purchased a

Devonty Da Silva Mackeson stout from him.

“When Devonty turn to open the stout, he (Chucky) pick up another one, so Devonty told him ‘man you pay fuh one you can’t tek two’ and they start argue and then Marvin come and tell Devonty to leave him with it and let them leave the party.”

Yesterday, however, Da

Silva, and another friend, Sean Allen and his girlfriend, were heading to the Da Silva’s home when ‘Chucky’ and a group of other teens confronted him.

According to Allen, ‘Chucky’ was apparently upset over the incident at the party and started arguing with Da Silva.

He claimed that the argument turned into a scuffle “and I part and tell them ‘look man that done happen and gone, left it,’’’ Allen stated.

He further revealed that after Da Silva turned away, one of the gang members pulled his shirt, and “when he turn Chucky brother lash he in he head with a piece of wood and he fall to the ground and dey run away.”

Marvin told Kaieteur News that he was on his bicycle when he witnessed ‘Chucky’s’ brother hit Da Silva with the wood.

“I see it and I follow he and hold onto he until the police come and take he down,” Marvin claimed.

At the h o spital yesterday, Da Silvas relatives gathered in front of the hospital’s Accident and Emergency Unit (A&E), shouting and screaming passionately.

The victim’s mother, Alma, said she was at work when she received the disturbing news.

“I was at work feeding an old lady and something tell me fuh pray and I started to pray although I didn’t even know why I was praying.”

She explained about half of an hour later she received a call that her son was in the hospital.

“My son is a good boy he don’t trouble anyone, he was everybody baby, everybody like him. When anybody got any party he does go and cook for them,” the mother reflected as tears trickled down her cheeks.

“The situation didn’t call for that. It done happen, the story done finish. Why they hit him? Why? He gave him the stout,” the distraught mother said.

“They pull he shirt and when he turn, he turn into the wood and flutter like a fowl on the road.”

She explained that next month is her son’s graduation and his school got him employment on a cruise ship “He told me one month more old girl and I will mek you right. My son was loving.”

The mother also claimed that her son has been suffering from “some head problem for years” and she is scared that this incident will just worsen things.

Up to press time yesterday, Da Silva was still in the theatre.

The manslaughter trial of 64-year-old Thakurmani, the West Berbice woman who is accused of killing her husband, which was set to begin yesterday morning before Justice James BovellDrakes and a mixed jury in the Berbice High Court, did not get started as planned due to the fact that the judge was not feeling well. However the matter was called to order yesterday afternoon. The woman, who told the court then that she could not read and write and had a hearing impairment, was not represented by a lawyer. Her son in law was called in court and it was explained to him that they would be given time to secure the services of an attorney.

Yesterday, attorney at law Rabindranauth Singh made an appearance for the accused. However, before the matter began he informed the court that he would like to challenge the caution statement allegedly made by the accused.

The Judge has fixed tomorrow for the commencement of arguments into the admissibility of the statement.

The woman, of Bennett Dam, Rosignol, West Berbice, is alleged to have killed her husband, Yodha, called ‘Ramsook Maikhoo,’ a fish

vendor on April 27, 2008, following a misunderstanding at their home. The couple had seven children.

Thakurmani was initially charged with the capital offence, but was committed on the lesser charge at the completion of a Preliminary Inquiry held at the Blairmont Magistrate’s Court, before Magistrate Nigel Hawke. She was subsequently granted bail in the sum of $200,000.

The matter is being prosecuted by state prosecutor Attorney at law Rhondell Weaver.

Reports were that the couple had a misunderstanding at their Bennett Street home on the day in question and he was dealt a blow on his left hand after which he subsequently succumbed.

The woman had claimed that she was asleep and when she got up she discovered his lifeless body under the house and raised an alarm. A post mortem examination performed on the body showed that Yodha, died from shock and internal hemorrhage.

A mini health check is the first step to donating blood

Wednesday May 30, 2012

Kaieteur News

Page 21

Suspect in custody for Ice-pick costs vendor $10,000 chopping Patentia students Yet another violent incident at the Patentia Secondary School, West Bank Demerara, has raised serious concerns among parents who have children attending the institution.

On Monday, last, after being ordered out of the school’s compound, a stranger waited outside of the school where he attacked and chopped two students. One of the injured students has been identified as third form student Brian Fredricks who was chopped in the palm of his hand while the other student was chopped on his back.

Fredrick told this publication that the incident occurred at around 15:15 hours on Monday while he was awaiting transportation just in front of his school on the Patentia Public Road.

According to the lad, he was told that his attacker has a cousin attending the school, and the cousin had had a misunderstanding with another student.

“I really ain’t know is wha happen, but the afternoon I hear the man come in the school and he get put out the

Brian Fredricks displays his bandaged palm school, and like he wait outside.”

The lad further related that he merely went to the assistance of his fellow student when he was chopped.

“The man go up to the boy and pull a knife and is the wrong boy he go to, because is not the boy and he cousin had the problem. So when I see he chop the boy I run and pull away the boy and he chop me too.”

He said that by that time persons who witnessed the incident had called in the police.

Thief beats woman...

(From page 14) houses. So desperate was he to escape, that he abandoned his bicycle on the street.

For more than an hour, persons armed with weapons stood in front of the abandoned houses while some ventured into the bushes in search of the robber. They also searched the old houses but to no avail.

The police were summoned and they too swept the area, but turned up empty-handed. The suspect's bicycle was placed into their vehicle.

Kaieteur News understands that after the crowd had dispersed and the police had left the scene, the assailant was seen climbing down from a tree in the area where the searches were conducted. The police were called again, but by the time they returned, the man had again disappeared.

The victim, who is from Buxton, was at the time attending a barbeque. She and her friend had left the event for a brief period when the incident occurred.

Fredricks and the other student were taken to the West Demerara Regional Hospital where they were treated and sent away. The man who attacked the students was up to press time yesterday still in police custody.

Meanwhile, parents who have children attending the school have expressed their concern about the safety of students.

One female parent who spoke with this publication said she has been concerned over a number of things that have been going on at the school. The woman pointed out that there has always been the issue of the school being invaded by outsiders.

“Boys who don’t even attend the school are always going in there and picking trouble and gambling in the school compound.”

The woman also referred to an incident which occurred several years ago where a student of the school was shot after fleeing the school when police were called in.

Kelvin Fraser was shot dead by a police rank. It was reported that on the day in question Fraser was not dressed in his uniform and after lawmen stormed the school he ran and was shot a few yards away.

A man who pleaded guilty to having an ice-pick in his possession without reasonable cause was yesterday fined $10,000 by Magistrate Hazel OctaveHamilton at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.

The charge stated that on May 25 at Avenue of the Republic, John Beckles, without lawful authority, had the item in his possession and could not give a reasonable response as to why he did.

The court prosecutor said that on the day in question, around 22:45 hours, a Cadet Officer (CO) and other ranks were patrolling north on the western carriageway of the Avenue of the Republic, when the CO observed the defendant riding a bicycle.

The prosecutor said the defendant took something out his pants waist and stuck it at the front of his bicycle.

He was stopped by the CO who identified himself as a policeman. A search was conducted on the defendant

and his belongings. A greyhandled metal ice-pick was recovered. The police further explained that Beckles could not give a reason as to why he had the ice-pick.

He was subsequently taken to the Brickdam Police Station where he was told of the offence and later charged.

After the information from the police was read, the defendant started to explain to the court that he is a vendor who for the past three months operated outside the White Castle Fish Shop on Friday nights.

He continued that he kept the weapon for his business. But before he could finish his explanation, Beckles was asked if he ever related that information to authorities. He replied in the negative.

Beckles was asked why at no point, before facing the court, he had related his story to the police. The court said it was not accepting the defendant’s story since at no

time did he seek to clarify the matter.

Later, Beckles alleged that on the night in question, the police officers were high.

He said he could have smelt the alcohol on their breaths.

The Magistrate however said that the policemen’s state was not the issue, she needed answers in relation to the offensive weapon matter.

Beckles was subsequently told that he would have to pay the fine forthwith or he would have to face an alternative penalty.

The man said his sister was outside the court and she would pay.

But after the police called the sister’s name a few times and she did not appear, Beckles asked the court to give him the alternative penalty which involved imprisonment.

He was however spared when a cousin of his entered the court and said she would pay the fine for him.

Man remanded for discharging firearm A 21-year-old man was yesterday denied bail when he appeared before Magistrate Hazel OctaveHamilton at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.

Ewart George was charged with the offence of discharging a loaded weapon at Gregory Nichols.

The charge also stated that on March 19 at Georgetown, with the use of the gun, George intended to maim, disfigure or disable Nichols.

George was not required to plead to the charge.

The prosecutor asked that the accused be remanded to jail and the court granted the application.

George told the court that he did not know the victim.

He further claimed that he has been in the lock-ups for over

two months and was only now being charged with the offence.

The court discovered that after the alleged incident, Nichols had to be hospitalised.

It is alleged that George’s charge stemmed from an attempted robbery.

According to information

received, Nichols reportedly heard unfamiliar sounds in his yard and upon checking, noticed a shadow. It is alleged that Nichols attempted to approach George, but the accused reportedly opened fire on him. Nichols was shot in the hand.

George will return to court on June 11.

Page 22

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 Office Clerk, CXC English/ mathematics. 225-0188, 2256070 Workers for interior general store and Georgetown location. Call: 226-2940 Pastry, roti/puri makers, counter servers, cleaners, handy boys & waiters.

Apply Hack’s Halaal, 5 Commerce St. 1 Diesel Mechanic, to work in the interior. Tel# 688-4905 Drivers & porter to work on water trucks on the WCD $20,000 wkly Call: 684-8231

Kaieteur News

EDUCATIONAL Imperial College – CXC Jan/ June 2013 exam. Day/ Evening classes, flexible hours. Contact 227-7627, 683-5742 Private tutor –home schooling. CXC English, adult upgrading. Call: 6494247 Pam’s Daycare, Playschool & Nursery. Lot 227 KuruKururu.

Registration commenced. Limited places available. Tel no: 261-5496 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

Skilled Lathe Operator, livein domestic, live-in handyman Arc/Acetylene Welder. Tel: 22-71830 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 Sawmill workers. Tel: 2616412/653-9752 Urgently needed one hire car to work and keep. Call: 6155609 Female workers needed; 3 subjects or sound secondary education. Call: 225-7307.

Waitress to work in a bar. Will have to live in. Contact tel# 661-8965

WANTED Contract cars. Must be in Hire & Yellow. Base free. $3500 weekly. Call 660-9977 Sales boy and girl. 615-3090 Live-in/Live-out babysitter/ clerk/domestic. 225-0188/ 225-6070 Domestic help. Call 225-2598 Taxi drivers (yellow) Tel: 2253234 (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 Truck drivers & excavator operator. Tel# 657-7293, 6433195 DATING SERVICE Immediate link-Singles 1880yrs. Confidential: Tel: 2238237,648-6098. (No -text) 8:30am-5:00pm Mon-Sun (Both phones same hours).

Security Contact: 223-5273-4 Scrap Iron, 1 Cutter/ Fabricator, 1 gardener, 4 scrap metal loaders, dredge workers, 1 truck driver. Tel: 623-2728, 618-1967, 667-5717 One general live-in domestic.

Must know to cook and bake, Security on the E.B.D. Contact: 665-8737

MASSAGE American Style Massage Service. Call 609-4036 Treat yourself to a relaxing massage Call: 622-6256

ACCOMMODATION

FOR SALE

Signature Inn Luxury Suites & Apartments 83 Laluni Street, Queenstown.

Call for reservations 2262145, 227-5037

6 brand new in box IPod touch. 8GB $60,000, 32GB $75,000. Price neg. Contact: 686-5004

US & Canada VISA application services. Call 643-6630. Family discounts available.

We refill HP cartridges for $1,800. Call:650-7699 Visa and Immigration forms prepared for Canada, USA and UK. Also Passport forms. Call 626-9857 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: 2315789

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

SERVICES Permanent &Visitors Visa Applications Professional Immigration Consultant Sabita, Room E-4 Maraj Building 225-6496/2238115/662-6045.

Wednesday May 30, 2012

Repairs in all types of Jet-Ski, stern-drive, inboard and outboard engine (2 & 4 stroke). Contact: 694-7949

1 5000 watts Centurion generator $175,000. 1 stand up Frigidaire Freezer $110,000. 3 coffee makers $10,000 each. Tel: 692-7377 Original projector, next to new. Call: 671-935

FOR SALE GPS Map 76, Garmin System.

600-0036 or 223-1719 Large Land in Bagotville, WB. Great for Greenhouse farming. 600-0036 or 223-1719 Body kit for IST. 641-1127 Canon 4 Function Inkjet Colour Printer; also: 80 GB IDE Hard Drives for computer. Reasonable price – Call: 675-5196 or 622-1541 233 pieces Mastercraft Tool Kits; IBM P4 Computer, 18" LCD Monitor. Reasonable price–Call:675-5196or622-1541 2001 F-150 Ford, 8 cylinder engine with 4 WD. Very good condition, with fiberglass cab on back. GLL plates. $2,000,000. Call Hans 645-5596 NARS lipgloss, eyeshadow & Clinique Chubby Stick. Tel: 669-8374.

Brand new American made Crosely 10.5 cu ft Refrigerator for sale $75,000.

626-4452/697-5677 Bag Neck Seal Tape. 231-8819 One Caterpillar D6 Bulldozer.

Call: 622-1957 Going cheap, foreign used Perkins Engines, pressure & clutch plates, hydraulic pumps. 661-3043 1 Super-custom minibus. $1.4M negotiable. Contact #693-6630, 231-8051 Two Detroit Diesel series 50 engines, 300 HP. Call Troy 601-9004.

1 Tundra, 1 Perkins engine & Welder 400 amps. Call: 6605462, 611-5114 2004 Land Rover Discovery.

100,000 miles. Excellent condition.

Off road suspension and tires. Warn Winch. Call: 645-2286

Do you need a female bahir (cook) or bartender to work in interior? Call Andrea 6921798, 652-7355

Roofing shingles. Call: Mr. Skepmire . 227-5195 (8am to 5pm)

Seeking partners for gold investments. Gold detectors $275,000. Computer repairs.

670-4302

Spares for washer, microwaves, fridges, stovetimers, gear boxes, pumps, etc. Contact 225-9032, 647-2943

Roof Rack, Spot Lights, Crash bar, Blue Tooth Radio, Double Battery System, Leather seats, 645-2286

We repair fridge, freezer, AC ,washer, dryer Call: 231-0655, 683-8734 Omar.

Two 8ft Slate American pool tables, one Nissan Titan & variety of restaurant equipment. Call: 622-1957

Brand new Blackberry Torch 9800, under $100,000. Call: 676-7443

Bulah Enterprise Inc. seeks interior charter Call: 592-6466730,5692-225-1939 Get your VISA or get refunded. Call: 645-0975 General Contractor. Does interior decorating, carpentry, mason work.

Estimate from $5000. 6694511, 684-2100 Mahadeo’s Construction.

Reliable Services for your renovations. Contact Tony.

Tel: 618-3523, 669-7376. Free estimates and plans.

Hello, the doctor is back!!

Have your gas stove repaired and serviced. Tel: 601-0595, 220-4073, 220-5785 TOUR June special. Santa Mission, $4,500 per person. Joy 2181285, 649-9059, 692-3114.

DRESSMAKING Working uniforms and more.

Made within 48 hours. Call Sharmela 225-2598, 641-0784.

Yamaha Crankshaft outboard 150HP-200HP, fine & fat top, Piston Kits, Crankshaft Bearings. Call Terry 665-9405 Massage Leather Table, brand new in box, perfect for massage business, heavy duty; $65,000. Call Terry: 6659405 Exercise Bike, brand new.

Electric Schwinn 131, Digital Heat Rate monitor; $75,000.

Call Terry: 665-9405

Corrugated Zinc sheet @ 40% off. Local Lumber @ 25% off. Pine Lumber @ 10% off. Zack’s Lumber. Tel# 2267054.

Games for PSP $900, PS2 $900, Xbox 360 $2600, PS3 $2600, Xbox, Wii. Junior 6722566, 265-3231 2003 Kawasaki Ninja, also 8 Camera DVR Security System. Tel: 643-6468, 6867273 Tibetan Terrier, Daschund pup, Pekinese pup. 694-7221, Vreed-en-Hoop – Pet Shop

Household items for sale.

Call 225-3079, 656-7864 1 Hamilton Beach Commercial Milkshake Machine, 3 cups, excellent condition, 110v $100,000.

Call: 696-5566 or 683-7968 New Blackberry Torch (Slider) $80,000. Accessories included. Buy 2 or more & receive a discount. 680-1722

1999 Tacoma 4 cylinder engine with 4 WD. Good condition, GLL plates. $2,000,000. Call Andrew 6388599

Everything must go. Salon products & equipment, exercise equipment, florals.

669-4511

Big blow out sale at Lot 29 Croal Street Enterprise, kids shoes $200 and lots more.

Call:664-2209

Used 1400x20 Model M Truck tyre. Call 648-2413

1 Kawasaki Ninja Bike Model 2009, 600cc, CG 2468.

Contact# 677-1218, 216-0317

VEHICLES FOR SALE Just arrived: Allion and Premio, tel: 624-2000, 6221610 Hilux 4x4 solid def pick-up, diesel, long base, excellent condition Call: 623-0243 Unregistered Allion and Spacio. Tel# 697-0294 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 One Allion, fully powered, A/C, music, mag. Tel: 2590836, cell: 621-7838 Two (2) Nissan Titan; year 2004. LE and SE model; new tires $3.5M and $3.7M, price neg. Contact 681-3300.

One 2 ton enclosed canter.

Price $1.1M negotiable.

Contact # 253-3349, 6938830 Unregistered Spacio (Blue) $2.5M. Fielder (Blue) $2.4M. Tel# 641-1127 First Class Auto. Allion, Premio, NZE, Fielder, AT212, Carina & Raum. Tel# 6098188, 602-6307 One RZ EFI long base minibus.

Excellent condition. Price $1.175 neg.

Call: 619-5157 Leading Auto. Unregistered Allion, Premio, Runx, Spacio, Avensis, Verossa, 212. Tele: 677-7666, 610-7666.

1 Honda CRV Call: 233-5476, 617-4133 1 -2 Ton Mitsubishi Canter open back, GKK series $1.4M Neg. Call: 684-8231 3 ton enclosed & open back canter, unregistered. 617-2891 One New Model Caldino Wagon, 41,000km. Excellent condition. Price negotiable $1.4M. Call: 629-1451, 6776003 Quantum Auto. Allion – Silver & white with TV/NAV/ RCam. Grey Premio, Spacio, Fielders. 624-7684 Toyota Prado, 2004 Prado, 2005 Mark II GX110, 2005 Tundra. All fully loaded.

Excellent condition. Call: 6005759 Guyana Auto Sale.

Unregistered 2007 Tacoma, Solid Def Pick-up, Raum, Refrigerated and Dump Isuzu Truck. 227-1737 LIBRARY Closing down sale; text, university, novels & others from-$100 up. Call: 223-8237 (Continued on page 23)

Wednesday May 30, 2012

Kaieteur News

Page 23

Letters... Where your views make the news

Other factors can help in the development of football, etc..

DEAR SIR, A letter appearing in S.N on May 12 captioned “Public open spaces should be developed so youngsters can play football, etc” by Lennox Arthur, former national football player, football coach and organizer of soccer tournaments.

The content is a clear indication of intellectual dishonesty from Arthur.

This letter isn’t intended to defend the government’s (in) abilities for national sports development.

Least of all it is trying, despite the fact that much more can be done,construct

a national training facility in a remote area, of at least 1000 feet above sea level, to aid climatision, in overseas sojourns, for various national teams.

It is also ensuring that each community has a recreational facility; new housing areas are being developed.

Additionally, Regional Sports Officers must become compulsory, who must ensure that regular reports must be submitted to the management committees of the various facilities outlining the respective sports and cultural developments, along

with the relevant ministries.

But what of the Mayor, in whose honour a tournament is held annually?

Isn’t this the same Mayor that in a previous letter in your publication accused NICIL of owing M & CC millions? And in Arthur’s letter a similar chord is being struck; “the government should stop NICIL from disposing state lands”.

The combined opposition more so, the AFC are along with Christopher Ram, the doing a splendid job in this endeavour. By a similar token both Messrs Arthur

and Greene should cease playing politics, after all “wa mouth na load”. Since previously when the Parade ground, was rented out to the Miners’ Association and for a Circus, under the auspices o f t h e c u r r e n t M a y o r, which garnered revenue, and until a day like today no proper remedial works was done to the surface and in the process depriving hundreds of youths from various schools in the area, along with residents of a recreational facility.

Easton Canterbury

We can learn from Marley’s example DEAR EDITOR, In London over Easter I saw the Kevin MacDonald documentary film MARLEY which chronicled the reggae superstar’s rise from abject poverty in St. Ann, Jamaica to become an icon of popular music not just in Jamaica but worldwide.

Around the same time I viewed several episodes of a TV documentary series on Hitler and the Third Reich.

After viewing these two documentaries, both riveting in different ways, I found myself comparing these two world famous players on the stage called life.

The one, Hitler, did all he could to establish himself as the dominant and supreme world leader using every duplicitous bone in his body, every ounce of guile, deceit, treachery and cunning he could muster in conjunction with a massive army, an intrepid air force with amazing strategic bombing capability, an impressively brainy, though warped and brutish leadership cadre.

This cadre of Hitler’s henchmen, as the

documentary is titled, included Joseph Goebbels, Martin Bormann, Hermann Goring, Adolf Eichmann, Albert Speer, Heinrich Himmler, Wilhelm Keitel and other formidable Nazis.

Hitler also enlisted the help of a clutch of selfserving allies, employed German state-of-the-art technology and ramped up the imposing of his own indomitable, charismatic leadership style.

Yet, Hitler failed miserably in his quest to dominate the world, suffering ignominious defeat at the hands of the Russian, British and American war machine in 1945.

In February that same year, the year the second World War ended, there was born in St. Ann, a small lamentably poor village in Jamaica, a boy of mixed AfroJamaican and English blood who rose practically unassisted by man or machine from extremely humble beginnings to conquer the world as a reggae singer, folk poet, musician, humanist and Jah Rastafari devotee.

No more ‘Jim Cock Bring...

From page 5 end. Today, the poor and the working class whom the PPP has abandoned are the by-products of a vicious cycle—a cycle of theft, corruption and fraud which has been fortified by the regime—a regime that has not demonstrated the political will to effect change.

Sadly, the poor and the working class are left to fend for them selves and as they become poorer, the “big fishes” in the PPP are getting richer. One only has to reflect on the Stabroek News editorial of May 24, 2012 to get a reality check of what is happening in Guyana.

Let us use this opportunity to remind the Guyanese public that the World Bank’s Governance Indicators reflect that the PPP Government has a serious problem with corruption.

The reason is that in the past, the police have not demonstrated the will to touch the “untouchables,” so doubts will linger as to whether they have now developed the capacity to do so.

Can the people rely on the police to do their job? Only time will tell. Good intentions and political will may serve to arouse a perception of public interest, but that may be as far as it goes. It’s going to be interesting to see what happens.

Dr Asquith Rose and Sasenarine Singh

What came over in the documentary was Bob Marley’s amazing sense of self and sense of mission.

Remarkably he managed to tame his vaulting ego very early in his music career. For instance, when members of his band strenuously objected to Bob opening a Commodores concert as lead supporting artist, Marley insisted that the band accept the role of second fiddle so to speak.

Marley was able to do this because he never lost sight of the big picture which was to take his music to the world and implant his Jamaican culture universally and in an endurable way. Marley was driven by a sense of purpose few possess.

His purpose was clear and foremost in his mind at all times for he was ever confident of his place in the world and what he was bringing to it.

In time the world saw it was good, just and moral and so it embraced him across geographical, cultural, political, socio-economic,

language and ethnic lines in a way and to an extent few others have been able to achieve.

Marley was able to pursue his dream and mission without the arrogance and egocentricity that often accompanies self awareness, opportunity and power. He was a man of the people and for the people.

Not some of them but all of them.

The ultimate New Age philosopher he truly believed in the “Weare one” principle. In this sense we can all learn from the Marley example.

F. Hamley Case

VACANCY

Male Sales Clerk. Hand written application. Perfume Dazzle, 137 Regent St., Lacytown, G/Town.

Experienced cooks & able bodied security guards.

Apply in person @ Aracari Resort, 160 Plantation Versailles, WBD. Tel: 2642946 One Electronics Repair Specialist to repair cellphones, laptops, cameras. Attractive salary, blackberry service. Contact 231-9770 for information.

Single female, seeking a male companion. Must be between 40-45 yrs old.

Interested persons contact: 261-6699 or 688-1352.

LAND FOR SALE Land V/Hoop 2 acre: school, housing, factory, etc. call: 658-0115 95 acres, transported land, W.B.D, Maria Lodge, fully drainage and aggregation. $40 million. Contact 266-5447 1½ acre V/Hoop 48ft x 1300ft, housing, parking lot, work shop, lumber yard, etc. Call: 627-9351

One female clerk. Call: 2315171

TO LET Clean, freshly painted house. 3 bedrooms, South Ruimveldt Park. Phone# 672-9846 Business place to rent, very spacious. Call: 226-2674/ 684-6360,223-1301,682-6822

LEARN TO DRIVE Prudential Learning “ Training to Pass” stick/ manual and automatic 6424827 We’re #1 Soman & Sons Driving School; First Federation Building. Call: 225-4858, 6445166, 622-2872, 615-0964

House, upper flat, Vreed-enHoop. Tel: 227-4764 Ann’s Grove, ECD. Brand new upper apartment unfurnished, 2 bedrooms. $30,000 monthly. Call: 6839548

PEN PAL

(From page 22)

Salesgirls & Salesboys.

Apply: Avinash Complex, Water St. Georgetown. 2263361/227-7828

One two bedroom bottom flat; toilet & bath; fully grilled. Public Road, Grove, E.B.D. Call: 621-0090 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, 6269382.

House @ Kingston concrete (2) storey 3 bedrooms $100,000. Nandy Park 4 bedroom, self conditioned US$1500 Contact GME Realty 231-2199,618-7483

PROPERTY FOR SALE 1 three bedroom house Prashad Nagar, asking price $29M neg. Call: 227-2563, 684-2115 East Bank $12M. Newtown $30M. Queenstown $35M. East Coast $16M. Diana 2272256, 626-9382 House & land, Diamond, E.B.D. Tel: 677-3472

SALON Make up courses, artist trained & certified in Trinidad: 660-5257,647-1773 Qualify yourself in Cosmetology or nails, make up, Register, Limited spaces.

Call Abby: 216-1950, 6197603, 666-5241

CAR RENTAL Progressive auto rental, cars from $4,000 per day.

Call: 643-5122, 656-0087, www.progressiveautorental.com Al’s Car & Pick-up Rental.

Call: 698-7807

Seeta & Soma Salon.

Specialists in perming, relaxing, styling, manicure, pedicure, etc. Tel: 618-6346/ 644-7142 Certificate Courses in Cosmetology & Nails from $6000. 669-4511

Page 24

Kaieteur News

Wednesday May 30, 2012

The Abigail Column DTV CHANNEL 8 08:55hrs. Sign On 09:00hrs. Live! With Kelly 10:00hrs. The A-Team 11:00hrs. The View 12:00hrs. Prime News 12:30hrs. The Young and the Restless 13:30hrs. The Bold and the Beautiful 14:00hrs. The Talk 15:00hrs. Boy Meets World 16:00hrs. Beverly Hills, 90210 17:00hrs. The Wayans Brothers 18:00hrs. World News 18:30hrs. Nightly News 19:30hrs. Greetings and Announcements 20:00hrs. Channel 8 News 21:00hrs. Movie: Burlesque 23:00hrs. Sign Off NTN CHANNEL 18/ CABLE 69 05:00h -Sign on with the Mahamrtunjaya Mantra 05:10h - Meditation 05:30h - Queenstown Masjid Presents Quran This Morning 06:00h - R. Gossai General Store Presents Ram Bhajans 06:15h - Jettoo’s Lumber Yard Presents Ram Bhajans

06:30h - Muneshwar Limited Presents Ram Bhajans 06:45h - Double Standard Taxi Presents Ram Bhajans 07:00h - RRT Enterprise Presents Ram Bhajans 07:15h - M & M Snackette Presents Raja Yoga Discourses 07:30h - Dr. Balwant Singh’s Hospital Inc Presents 07:45h - The Family of the Late Leila & David Persaud Presents Ram Bhajans 08:00h - NTN This Morning Live with Reyaz Husein 09:30h - Indian Soap - Yahaan Mein Ghar Ghar Kheli 10:00h - Indian Soap - Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke 10:30h - Indian Soap - Pavitra Rishta 11:00h - Indian Soap - Mrs. Kaushik Ki Paanch Bahuyien 11:30h - Indian Soap - Punar Vivaah 12:00h - DVD Movie: BAJRANG (Eng: Sub:) *ing Arbaaz Khan & Bhoomika Chawla 14:15h - Classic Movie AVENGERS 16:00h - Devotional Times 17:00h - Drying Tears Live with Pastor Edson

Guides are subjected to change without notice

17:30h - Kingdom Agenda Hosted by Bishop Dr. J. Edgehill 18:00h - Ganesh Parts Presents - BHAGAVAD GITA ( Discourses in English) Serial 18:15h - Birthday Greetings / Deaths Announcement & In Memoriam 18:30h - Hare Krishna Today 19:00h - Music Fantasia with Asif Nawaz 20:00h - Ashmins Presents DANCE WITH ME with Joel 21:00h - Indian Soap - Yahaan Mein Ghar Ghar Kheli 21:30h - Indian Soap - Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke 22:00h - Indian Soap - Pavitra Rishta 22:30h - Indian Soap - Mrs. Kaushik Ki Paanch Bahuyien 23:00h - Sign Off with the Gayatri Mantra NCN CHANNEL 11 02:00hrs – NCN Late Edition (R/B) 02:30hrs – Late Nite with GINA 03:00hrs – Movie 05:00hrs – Inspiration 05:30hrs – Newtown Gospel 06:00hrs – NCN Late Edition News(r/b) 06:30hrs – Feature 07:00hrs – Guyana Today 08:00hrs – Guysuco Roundup (R/B) 08:30hrs – Feature 09:00hrs – Stop the Suffering 10:00hrs – CCTV 11:00hrs – History 12:00hrs – CNN 12:30hrs – NCN Newsbreak 12:35hrs – GRA IN FOCUS 13:05hrs – Your Health the Nations Wealth (R/B) 14:00hrs – African Moves (R/ B) 15:00hrs – Feature 16:00hrs – Round Table (R/B) 17:00hrs – Anderson 18:00hrs – NCN News Magazine – Live 18:30hrs – Feature 19:00hrs – Al Jazeera 19:30hrs – Inside the Government(R/B) 20:00hrs – 3d/daily millions/ play de dream/lotto draw 20:05hrs – GWI Alert 20:35hrs – Oral Tradition 21:05hrs – NCN Sports Magazine 22:05hrs – NCN News Late Edition 22:35hrs – Caribbean Newsline 23:00hrs – Movie

‘’A’’ is for affair with professor?

DEARABIGAIL, I recently have begun having sexual relations with one of my professors. I know that it in itself is kind of wrong but I can’t help it.

He has told me that he is divorced but new evidence has come to my attention that allows me to believe he may be married with children. I’ve confronted him but he always

avoids my questions with kisses. I think I am falling in love but I don’t want to share him. What should I do?

I want to get an “A” Dear I want to get an “A,” If you want to get an “A” in your course, I recommend that you work for it academically, so that your grade is based on your knowledge and skill. If this is a relationship that you really

want to pursue, at least wait until he is no longer your professor. If you want to get an “A” in the game of life, I strongly suggest that you reflect on what you have written: If you truly believe you cannot help the way you feel about this professor, I suggest that you talk with an experienced person. This is not an easy path you have chosen.

Wednesday May 30, 2012 ARIES (March 21 - April 19): Someone will have an awful lot of questions for you today, and you probably won't have time to give them as much attention as you'd like. ******************* TAURUS (April 20 - May 20): Any romance you're having right now is going to be especially easygoing -- you two are totally on the same wavelength, and you'll have absolutely no problem agreeing on something amusing to do together. ****************** GEMINI (May 21 - June 20): Instead of trying to schedule every minute of your busy day, let things unfold naturally. Calendars and alarm clocks are useful, but they can inhibit your creativity and interfere with a day's natural rhythm. ******************** CANCER (June 21 - July 22): There will be a vibrant energy of positive communication surrounding you wherever you go today -- enabling long, fascinating conversations to evolve from modest small talk quite easily. ********************* LEO (July 23 - Aug. 22): Don't be too surprised if you find yourself pinching a penny so tightly today that your fingers go numb! You are definitely feeling more conservative about money than usual, and this is probably because your gut instinct (or your intuition) is telling you that a big expense is about to show up. ******************* VIRGO (Aug. 23 - Sept.

22): Some amazing, lifechanging opportunities are in your near future, which is both a good thing and a bad thing. You're getting closer than ever to what (or whom) you want, so that's

great. ********************* LIBRA (Sept. 23 - Oct. 22): All of your perceptions about a recent conflict are accurate, so don't believe people who accuse you of being too dramatic or blowing things out of proportion. ********************* SCORPIO (Oct. 23 - Nov. 21): One of your most boisterous friends has a great social idea brewing, and he or she might want your help with some of the planning.

This person isn't quite on the ball with all the details -- not the way you always are. ******************** SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22 Dec. 21): Today, o t h e r people could be quite irritating for you, so try to get some distance from large groups. You may find yourself feeling unusually annoyed by the interruptions, multiple conversations and loud bursts of laughter that are typical in a crowd situation. **************** CAPRICORN (Dec. 22 Jan. 19): Get out your magnifying glass, because it's time for you to tackle the small stuff! This is an exceptional day for anything that has intricate details or small parts. ******************** AQUARIUS (Jan. 20 - Feb. 18): Your instincts about someone who is new on the scene are right on target, but that doesn't mean you should advertise your opinions to the world at large. ********************* PISCE S ( F e b . 1 9 March 20): It's totally normal for people take on different personas, depending on whom they're talking to. For example, you probably wouldn't talk to a prospective employer the same way you talk to your best friend.

Wednesday May 30, 2012

Kaieteur News

Page 25

James scores 32 as Heat Boyz will improve, says Montesso run past Celtics in Game 1 Trainer cites lack of chemistry for Panama defeat

Miami Heat's LeBron James (6) dunks the ball over Boston Celtic's Paul Pierce MIAMI (AP) Dwyane Wade grabbed a rebound, turned and fired a 90-foot pass to LeBron James to set up one of the easiest scores the Miami Heat had all night.

Yes, James and Wade are clicking - at the perfect time.

James scored 32 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, Wade scored 10 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter and the Heat beat the Boston Celtics 93-79 on Monday night in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. The stars were stars, and the role players more than did their parts as well, with the Heat enjoying a 48-33 edge in rebounds, blocking 11 shots and never trailing. ‘’One down. And they still have an opportunity in Game 2 to accomplish what they want to,’’ Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said, referring to how Boston can still grab home-court advantage by winning Game 2. ‘’At times it was a strange game. Some good runs, both teams. We felt we could have played better and I’m sure they felt the same thing.’’

Shane Battier had 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Heat, who wasted an early 11-point first-half lead, then gave up 35 secondquarter points before running away to break a halftime tie getting going with a 9-2 run early in the third, that Wadeto-James touchdown pass part of the flurry.

Kevin Garnett had 23 points and 10 rebounds for Boston, which got 16 points, nine rebounds and seven assists from Rajon Rondo and

12 points from Paul Pierce.

Ray Allen shot just 1 for 7 from the floor for Boston, which was outscored by 10 in the first quarter and 11 in the third. ‘’On the road, you can’t have two quarters of lulls,’’ Celtics coach Doc Rivers said.

Game 2 is tonight in Miami.

And while both sides would say there’s a long way to go in this series, Game 1 winners have a decided edge in any best-of-seven series, the conference final being no exception. In the 10 most recent postseasons, teams with 1-0 leads in conference finals have advanced 15 out of 20 times.

James had 13 points in the first quarter - two more than the entire Celtics roster - and Miami ran out to a 2111 lead. Garnett made three of his four shots in the quarter, while everyone else in Boston green was 2 for 16 from the floor.

Boston scored 35 in the second quarter, erasing what was an 11-point deficit early in the period by scoring 27 points in the final 8:46 of the half to pull into a 46-all tie.

Rondo, Garnett and Pierce combined to score 23 points in the quarter, looking absolutely vintage, nearperfect offensive execution getting to Miami time and time again.

And the Celtics’ comeback happened even while they got hit with three technical fouls in the second quarter, plus Ray Allen missing four first-half free throws - matching his careerworst for an entire game.

In the end, it went down as merely a one-quarter lapse for Miami.

Another technical foul, this one on Rondo, came in the third quarter, likely born from frustration as the Heat started to roll again.

With the game tied at 50, Rondo missed three shots in a 31-second span early in the third, the last of those getting blocked by Battier - who hit a 3-pointer 11 seconds later.

That’s when Miami got going, and by the end of the third, the Heat lead was 7261.

Rondo echoed Pierce’s thoughts.

Miami did and takes a 1-0 lead into Game 2 as its reward. But James said he knows Boston is far from done.

Jamaica Observer ASSISTANT coach Alfredo Montesso told reporters following the Reggae Boyz’s uninspiring performance against Panama in a friendly international at the National Stadium on Sunday that the main reasons for the defeat was a lack of chemistry and a lapse in concentration.

The Brazilian trainer said although they were organised defensively during the 1-0 defeat, they lacked concentration and the team was not at its best as an attacking threat as the players are still understanding each other.

“We have been receiving the players during the week and we have been training with the team at Braco (Hotel)... We were training and trying to build chemistry and we had a game in Montego Bay against Guyana and that was a time to establish the chemistry coming into this week,” he said.

“But some of the players were concerned because they travelled a lot to get here and it (team chemistry) was a concern to us, so we tried to work on those players to get them ready for the game. “But we didn’t play a good game, although (goalkeeper Dwayne) Miller didn’t make a single save... and we created chances and missed some opportunities.

“We felt a little lack of chemistry in the team, because some of them are playing together for the first time...,” said Montesso after the game.

He also pointed to the lack of concentration which led to the goal, noting that at this level, one will pay dearly for

U.S. women defeat China 4-1

The Sports Xchange - CHESTER, Pa — Alex Morgan continued her impressive 2012, scoring a pair of goals to lead the United States past the People’s Republic of China 4-1 in front of a crowd of 18,573 at PPL Park on Sunday.

Morgan’s speed was too much for the Chinese backline as the former Cal star continues to build on a quickly-improving international resume. The 5-foot-7 forward has six goals in the team’s last four games and five multi-goal games in just her second full year playing for the women’s national team.

It was China that got out to an early lead, silencing an energetic crowd in the 23rd minute on an unassisted goal by Zhang Rui, who sent a shot past diving U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo and into the back right corner of the net to open the scoring.

The United States had a number of opportunities both before and after Rui’s goal, but it wasn’t until the 35th minute that the 22year-old Morgan sent a deflected Heather O’Reilly pass into the back of the net to tie it at 1.

Two minutes later, China gave the United States the lead for good when a scramble in front of the net ended with Chinese defender Zhou

Gaoping heading the ball into her own goal.

Morgan, who became the first U.S. woman to tally a goal and assist in a World Cup final when she did so against Japan last year, added her second goal of the evening in the 50th minute. The speedy forward held off a Chinese defender on a long Christie Rampone feed, muscling her way down the field before putting a shot past Zhang Yue. Abby Wambach, the country’s second all-time leading scorer, tallied her 135th international goal in the 83th minute off an assist from Morgan to cap the scoring.

This was the U.S. national team’s first appearance at PPL Park since October 2010, when it played to a 1-1 draw against China. Morgan played the hero in that match as well, coming on as a substitute to score the equalizing goal, her first with the senior team, in the 83rd minute.

The United States is 10-1-2 in 2012 with three matches to play until the Olympics, which officially open on July 27. The soccer competition kicks off two days before the rest of the Games as the United States, twotime defending gold medalists, takes on France.

Jamaica’s Ewan Grandison (left) and a Panamanian player chase a loose ball during their friendly international match such lapses. “The problem... was the lack of concentration on the corner kick... we had the control of the game, but they (Panama) had good ball possession... we paid the price at this level of football,” he said.

However, he believes with more experienced players coming into the squad, they will improve for the return game in Panama City on Friday.

He said Dane Richards had already arrived and players such as Jevaughn Watson and Ryan Johnson were coming in as well. “So we have good options to work with the team,” he added.

However, the team could miss the experience of Montreal Impact goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts who was expected in, but got injured during his team’s MLS match against the Colorado Rapids on Saturday.

“I think that the team will build something better and we have another 20 days to get into our first (World Cup) game and time to adjust, and I think we are on the right way,” he said.

Meanwhile, Montesso said he was pleased with the way the team kept its shape and closed down spaces in midfield, and giving 19-yearold Ewan Grandison a passing grade for his role in centre midfield, he argued that they will need a more experienced figure for that role.

“Butter (Grandison) is only 19 years old, but I think he plays with a lot of maturity.

At the beginning of the game he was a little nervous, but after 20 minutes he settled down and gave a good game in the middle.

“But we will have to reinforce that (position), and we will have (Rudolph)

Austin, who has some more experience in the middle and so I think we will have some more things for the next game,” he reasoned.

The Brazilian added that their creative sparkle was also missing on Sunday and as a result, they pulled Keammar Daley after 45 minutes and tried to use speed instead to get behind the Panama defence. “We transformed the team and put three strikers upfront with Luton (Shelton) and Ricardo (Fuller) and I thought we were more aggressive in that situation and it worked better in the second-half.

“But we have said that the (lack of) creativeness was because of the characters of our players which is mainly velocity and speed. Most of those players in their clubs... work a lot with speed,” he said.

“We have players who did very well in the game... but we really need to work on that creativeness in the middle of the field so that we can give more opportunities to our players in front,” he added.

Meanwhile, the veteran coach said the most important thing is how the players reacted to the defeat. He said the defeat has hit them hard enough for them to give an appropriate response on Friday.

“The players felt really bad losing the game and they are really committed to correct that,” he said. “So we can look for a better pace in our next game and I think that me and Theodore (Whitmore) in the next few days will discuss... but what we expect in the next game is giving some more basic things to the team “... I think we are in the right direction and we have to believe in what we are doing with the team,” he said.

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Kaieteur News

Wednesday May 30, 2012

FRENCH OPEN: Serena Nadal advances in quest for 7th French Open title Williams loses to Virginie Razzano PARIS (AP) Rafael Nadal began his quest for a record seventh French Open title in style, wearing a pink shirt and pink shoelaces.

And he won easily, too.

The second-seeded Spaniard defeated Simone Bolelli of Italy 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 Tuesday on Court Philippe Chatrier - the same stadium where Nadal has won six of his 10 Grand Slam titles.

Maria Sharapova won by a score that couldn’t be better, a 6-0, 6-0 ‘’double bagel’’ victory over Romania’s Alexandra Cadantu. And Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova advanced by beating junior Wimbledon champion Ashleigh Barty 6-1, 6-2.

Nadal, who is tied with Bjorn Borg with six French Open titles, improved his record to 46-1 at Roland Garros. His only loss came in the fourth round in 2009, against Robin Soderling.

Against Bolelli, Nadal made only 18 unforced errors, fewer than half as many as his opponent. From 2-2 in the first set, Nadal won eight straight games to take control. And after a short blip in the second set, he won eight of the last nine games.

Later Tuesday, Serena Williams was to face Virginie Razzano of France, while fourth-seeded Andy Murray was playing Tatsuma Ito of Japan.

Sharapova routed Cadantu on Court Suzanne Lenglen, needing just 48 minutes to advance to the second round. She finished the match with 18 winners to zero for Cadantu, but had to save three break points. ‘’No matter how good or bad they’re playing, you still have to win that match,’’

Defending champion Rafael Nadal in action.

Sharapova said. ‘’It’s always about who takes their chances.’’

Sharapova, who lost in this year’s Australian Open final, is looking to complete a career Grand Slam by winning the title at Roland Garros.

The Russian has won the other three Grand Slam titles, but she has never reached the final at Roland Garros. Last year, however, she equaled her best result by making the semifinals. ‘’I feel like with every year I have improved and I enjoy it much more,’’ Sharapova said. ‘’I think I learn a lot more about the game and the point construction. I feel like I’m moving a lot better than I did years previously, which has helped me a lot in the recovery process within the point.’’

She moved well enough against Cadantu, a 22-yearold making her French Open debut. ‘’For me, to have that big crowd, it was a lot,’’ Cadantu said after playing on the second-biggest stadium at Roland Garros. ‘’I enjoyed it a lot.’’

Kvitova lost the opening game in her match against the 16-year-old Barty, but then

won six straight in the first set and again raced through the second set despite being broken once. ‘’She has a big serve with kicks and good forehand,’’ Kvitova said of the Australian wild card. ‘’She has very good touch.’’

The left-handed Czech won her first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon last year, and then won the WTA Championships. Although she has yet to win a title in 2012, she is seeded fourth and is expected to make it deep into the tournament.

Barty is the youngest player in the draw at the French Open, one of only eight teenagers entered. ‘’It was tough out there today,’’ Barty said. ‘’I didn’t play my best tennis, but she didn’t allow me to. I was out there giving it my all, but unfortunately just didn’t come out on top today.’’

The oldest player in the draw, 41-year-old Kimiko Date-Krumm of Japan, lost to 2010 French Open champion Francesca Schiavone of Italy 6-3, 6-1.

No. 6 David Ferrer of Spain and No. 8 Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia advanced on the men’s side.

DPP denies clearing Jack Warner From back page Opposition wrote Commissioner Gibbs about the possible breach of the laws of Trinidad and Tobago, including the Exchange Control Act, the Customs Act and generally the criminal law relating to bribery.

The move by the Opposition followed the suspension of Warner and Bin Hammam by the FIFA Ethics Committee based on allegations that they were involved in a bribes-for-votes campaign.

A secret report by FIFA’s Ethics Committee, which was published in England’s Daily Telegraph newspaper, noted there was “comprehensive, convincing and

overwhelming evidence” to support claims that Warner and Bin Hammam colluded to pay the bribes.

Warner and Bin Hammam were suspended from FIFA pending the completion of the scheduled hearing of the Ethics Committee, but Warner subsequently resigned and his charges were dropped while Bin Hammam was found guilty and banned for life from FIFA. Rowley, responding to the position of the DPP told reporters “the DPP has to rely on the police to conduct an investigati o n i n t o a n y matter. The DPP has no investigative power and it is only what the police put before the DPP that he can

act on. And clearly what was put before the DPP has caused the matter to end in this way”.

Rowley said the public is also unaware whether the minister implicated in the matter had been interviewed or whether the police have interviewed persons who were witnesses to the alleged offence and who provided testimony in other proceedings in another jurisdiction.

He said the public was therefore not in the position to determine whether the investigation into this matter represented the best of the country’s Police Service and whether it represents the only outcome into this matter.

Fifth seed Serena Williams succumbed to a dramatic 4-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 defeat against world number 111 Virginie Razzano in the French Open first round.

It is the first time the 2002 champion has lost in the opening round of a Grand Slam event.

The 30-year-old American squandered a 5-1 lead in the second set tie-break and lost in three hours, three minutes.

Second seed Maria Sharapova, who has never reached the final, beat Alexandra Cadantu 6-0 6-0 in only 48 minutes. Williams was at the top of Sharapova’s section of the draw and the two were expected to meet at the quarter-final stage.

Having lost six points in succession in the tie-break she then conceded the first five games of the deciding set.

Razzano, who has never gone beyond the fourth round, was struggling with cramp and lost three games in a row, but in 25-minute final game containing 12 deuces, the 29year-old finally prevailed on her eighth match point.

World number two Sharapova will next go up against Ayumi Morita of Japan, after she overcame Polona Hercog. Sharapova, a semi-finalist in 2007 and again last year, has already won titles in Stuttgart and

Serena Williams

Rome this year and had few concerns against 22-year-old Cadantu, who has never beaten a player ranked in the top 60. The French Open remains the only Grand Slam to elude Sharapova, who conceded only 18 points against world number 78 Cadantu, who did not hit a single winner.

Another former world number one, Caroline Wozniacki, the ninth seed this year, thrashed Eleni Daniilidou of Greece 6-0 6-1.

The 21-year-old Dane, who is yet to win a Grand Slam, plays Jarmila Gajdosova of Australia in round two.

Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova advanced with a comfortable 6-2 6-1 win against Australian wildcard Ashleigh Barty, the youngest player in this year’s draw, who was only 16 last month.

The 22-year-old fourth seed, who has never

progressed beyond the fourth round at the French Open, will now play Poland’s Urszula Radwanska, who beat Pauline Parmentier of France 6-4 6-3.

Italian Francesca Sciavone, the 2010 French Open champion, beat 41-yearold Kimiko Date-Krumm of Japan, the third-oldest woman to play at Roland Garros in the professional era, 6-3 6-1.

Krumm hit 15 winners, two more than 31-year-old Schiavone, but was guilty of 35 unforced errors as the 14th seed booked a second round encounter with Bulgaria’s Tsvetana Pironkova, who came from a set down to defeat Yanina Wickmayer of Bulgaria 3-6 6-0 6-3.

Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, the 22nd seed, beat Greta Arn of Hungary 6-4 6-4 and plays Anne Keothavong’s conqueror Melinda Czink in the next round.

season by picking up 24 wickets from 15 matches at an economyrate of 5.47 - a tally that earned him the Man-of-the-Series award.

“It’s nice to see him doing so well,” Williams said. “He is one who has been dedicated towards the development of his cricket.

He always had my utmost respect because he was so determined to get to the top.

He works extremely hard and is always trying to develop new things.”

However, Williams said the West Indies selectors

must not rush Narine into the squad for the third Test against England, which begins in Birmingham on June 7. “He has proved himself in all the other versions of the game and the next step is Tests. I think he will do well because he is so difficult to read,” Williams said. “I don’t think he should be rushed in. He will be up there for the ODI series (which starts on June 16) and I think he has made himself unavailable for the Tests. He should be in the Test team against New Zealand.”

Narine w on ade lik e won on’’t ffade like Mendis, says T&T coach

ESPNcricinfo - Sunil Narine’s Trinidad & Tobago coach, Kelvin Williams, has said that the offspinner must add more variations to his repertoire to avoid “fading away” like Sri Lanka offspinner Ajantha Mendis.

Williams, who was in charge of T&T when Narine made his first-class debut in 2009, said that the offspinner must continue to work hard to avoid being picked by batsmen around the world.

“He has got to develop variations,” Williams told Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.

“In international cricket batsmen will work you out so you can fade away if you don’t do that and that is what happened to Mendis. Narine is too smart for that to happen to him, though, but the first two years of his career will be a dream start.”

Mendis had a sensational debut Test series, against India in 2008, with a record 26 wickets but failed to live up to his promise and is no longer a permanent fixture in the Sri Lanka squad.

Narine played an important part in Kolkata Knight Riders’ title-winning IPL campaign this

Team Guyana gets another...

From back page their respective communities which has become increasingly popular in the sport and known as the critical 12th man., All in all, it should be another electrifying night of action in a format that has its origins in Guyana and the brainchild of co-organisers Troy Mendonca and Marlan Cole that has been embraced by Beverage giants Banks DIH under the Guinness brand.

Eight teams divided into two groups are contesting the tournament that carries a first prize of $200,000, while the second, third and fourth placed finishers will take away $100,000, $50,000 and $25,000 respectively.

Meanwhile, the teams that fail to qualify for the final four will each take home $15,000.

Wednesday May 30, 2012

Kaieteur News

Page 27

Windies A vs. India A Fifa’s Chuck Blazer ‘may have acted unlawfully over TV contracts’ Digicel Series will show deals are known as “implied the New York law firm King & Exclusive by Richard in fact” contracts under New Spalding, advises that the progress - Borde Conway BBC Sport York law.

Chuck Blazer, the whistle- contract agreed between St John’s, Antigua – West Indies A Team Manager, Colin Borde, is looking forward to the upcoming visit by India A. The Trinidadian said the Digicel Series will show the progress the regional development team has been making.

“We want to win every game in every format of the game that we play. We also want to see growth in all aspects of the game, on and off the field from the future players. This opportunity is one that both the players and the technical staff can benefit and grow from. Winning is a habit,” said Borde, who will be in his second series as Windies A Team Manager.

He has been impressed with the work ethic, determination and attitude of the young Windies players, and believes they are all committed to what he describes as the “rise of West Indies cricket.”

However, the former Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Team Manager cautioned against the public expecting miracles from the players as they make the step up to international cricket.

“Not every player will excel at international level but with the current pathway to success being improved, we [West Indies A technical staff] certainly are of the view that we can produce quality, intelligent, committed players to fly the West Indies flag,” Borde outlined. On a personal note Borde said he has been enjoying the job since joining the management team. He spoke of the experience as being “very enjoyable and personally and professionally rewarding.”

He said he did not find the need to make any changes to the set-up of the team but has contributed his skills towards the progress of the development side.

“My first thoughts were that the technical staff was a dynamic mix of individuals. I bring my own set of skills to the table.

I stress accountability and ownership from each member of the team, pride in one’s approach to the task at hand, collective responsibility, hard work and introspection,” Borde explained.

But being the position of Team Manager can be as challenging as it is enjoyable.

Borde is enamoured with the rewards of watching the West Indies A team win and young players graduating to the West Indies senior team.

Colin Borde He also disclosed that there are numerous challenges of working in a team environment. He identified team ethos, logistics, general preparation and ensuring there is synchronization of effort on the part of everyone as some of the areas which require detailed attention.

While the challenges of the job may outweigh the kudos it is accorded, Borde has found the ingredients that drive him and his colleagues to do what they do on a daily basis.

“I am still learning as we all are and the value of continued growth is encouraged to all in this team. My passion for West Indian cricket is boundless.

The members of the coaching staff share the same passion.

The players come with it and we harness it. We love what we do,” Borde said.

The West Indies A Team will face India A Team in three Digicel ‘Tests’, two Twenty20s and three One Day Internationals.

blower who reported corruption within Fifa last year, may have acted unlawfully over a multi-million dollar TV rights contract, according to lawyers acting for the football confederation he still represents.

Confidential memos obtained by BBC Sport - from lawyers acting for Concacaf, the organisation that runs football in North America, Central America and the Caribbean - allege that Blazer is attempting to claim more than $7m (£4.5m) in unpaid commissions for TV rights and sponsorship deals.

It also alleges that Blazer - a member of Fifa’s all powerful executive committee - was paid “a basic monthly fee” of at least $10,000 (£6,400) per month under the terms of a deal struck in 1994 with former Fifa vicepresident Jack Warner, who was the then president of Concacaf.

Blazer’s deal with Warner granted commissions of 10% - known as an “override fee” - on all sponsorship and TV rights deals negotiated by the American, through his company Sportvertising.

The initial deal between Concacaf and Sportvertising expired in 1998. However the arrangement between both parties continued on after that date. Concacaf confirmed last week that commissions and salary for Blazer equalled between $4m (£2.5m) and $5m (£3.2m) last year.

But the football federation now appears ready to robustly challenge any legal claim for the unpaid commissions by Blazer.

The memo, drawn up by

Warner and Blazer in 1994 could potentially be challenged along with any obligation to make payments.

King & Spalding provide an overview of Concacaf’s potential legal claims, although they also warn that the advice is given “based on our limited information of the facts, as we have not reviewed Concacaf files or interviewed its personnel”.

Significantly, the legal advice from King & Spalding, given to Concacaf on 6 December 2011, argues the agreement between Blazer and Warner could be construed as “fraud in the execution”.

To do so the lawyers state that “... Concacaf must show excusable ignorance of the contents of the agreement.

This argument is only available to Concacaf if it demonstrates that Blazer and Warner kept the agreement secret and never disclosed its terms to Concacaf. As with other fraud claims, this will require an intensive factual inquiry”.

These latest allegations come just days after a meeting in Budapest where Concacaf’s legal counsel, John Collins, told confederation delegates attending Fifa’s annual Congress that the organisation has reported itself to US authorities after failing to file tax returns for several years.

When contacted by BBC Sport over the contents of the confidential memos, Blazer declined to comment, stating he wished to seek guidance on the issue first.

But speaking last week in response to the revelations over Concacaf’s tax affairs, he

Did homework for Caribbean tour during IPL - Pujara

ESPNcricinfo - Cheteshwar Pujara, the captain of India A’s squad that will play in the West Indies in June, has said that he used the time spent on the sidelines for Royal Challengers Bangalore during the IPL to do his homework for the tour.

Pujara had played only three matches for Royal Challengers this season and, he said, he had used the opportunity to seek the advice of the more illustrious names in the Bangalore camp on how best to cope with the pitches in the Caribbean.

“I might not have played for RCB in the last month and a half, but I was working really hard at the nets,” Pujara told PTI. “Since this is my first tour of the West Indies, I was keen on doing a bit of homework.

“I spoke to AB (de Villiers) about the wickets there and also on my batting. He gave me some good tips on subtle adjustments in batting. RCB coach Venkatesh Prasad also told me that apart from Kingston, the pitches at

other venues would be on a slower side, which would suit our batsmen.”

Pujara said that having experienced players in the squad will stand them in good stead against West Indies. “Most of us have played for the A team on overseas tours, so we have that requisite experience,” he said. “I don’t feel any pressure. Rather than pressure of performing, it is a big motivation to play for India A as any good performance at this level will be noticed.”

Pujara, who is touted to be a leading Test prospect for India, has been trying to work his way back into national contention after prolonged layoff following a knee injury sustained during the 2011 IPL. He said that he has already proved he’s match-fit before flying to the West Indies.

I n d i a A w i l l p l a y t h r e e f o u r- d a y matches, three one-day matches and two Twenty20s on the tour, which begins in Barbados on June 2.

Chuck Blazer defended his record as general secretary saying: “I spent 21 years building the confederation and its competitions and its revenues and I’m the one responsible for its good levels of income.

“I’m perfectly satisfied that I did an excellent job. I think this is a reflection of those who were angry at me having caused the action against Warner. “This is also a reaction by people who have their own agenda. I now have to consider what my options are but to say the least I am very disappointed.”

King & Spalding’s memo also advises Concacaf the contract could be argued as voidable with Blazer and Warner in violation of their “fiduciary duties to Concacaf”.

Similarly they lay out how it may be possible for Concacaf to show that the contract “is void or voidable because Jack Warner did not have the authority to enter into the agreement on Concacaf’s behalf”.

In response to the memo, Warner told BBC Sport: “At no point have I ever acted fraudulently with Mr Blazer nor have I ever knowingly violated my duties to Concacaf.”

The legal advice goes on to point out how the contract between Blazer and Concacaf expired in 1998 and that, even if the agreement was valid, it could be possible to argue that no money is owed for “any contracts entered into after 1998”.

However, in a follow-up briefing to four members of Concacaf ’s executive committee - also obtained by BBC Sport - John Collins warns that existing precedent in New York case law “will be problematic for Concacaf” in winning any potential action involving Blazer.

The advice is put forward on the belief that Blazer may potentially argue that, after the expiration of the original contract, a new contract was created based solely on the conduct of both parties. Such

According to the Collins memo, Blazer is seeking compensation for three deals he negotiated. He has yet to launch any formal legal action over the unpaid commissions.

Specifically, Collins alleges in the memo that Blazer is trying to claim $7.15m in separate commissions. This is made up of $5.2m relating to the broadcast rights for the 2013 to 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup, $700,000 for the expected net ticket revenues for the 2013 Gold Cup and $1.25m for authorising “teams from the Concacaf region to participate in the Copa Libertadores”, South America’s premier club cup competition.

The legal memos graphically demonstrate the internecine war at the top of the confederation as the fallout from the corruption scandal that tainted last year’s Fifa presidential election, which was eventually won by Sepp Blatter, continues.

Blazer reported Warner and former Fifa presidential candidate Mohamed Bin Hammam to Fifa’s ethics committee in May last year, following allegations that financial incentives were offered to members of the Caribbean Football Union at a meeting in Trinidad. Warner subsequently resigned from all his positions in international football last June after being suspended by Fifa pending the outcome of the inquiry.

Following Warner’s resignation, Fifa said the ethics committee case against him was closed and the “presumption of innocence is maintained”. Bin Hammam, who continues to deny the allegations, was then banned from football for life by Fifa in August. His case is currently under appeal at the Court for Arbitration in Sport.

In a separate development BBC Sport has also learned that two apartments, worth $800,000, located in Miami’s exclusive South Beach district were purchased under Blazer’s guidance in May 2010. It is understood Concacaf ’s executive committee did not discuss their purchase.

The apartments were bought - and registered - through Concacaf Marketing & Television - a wholly owned, Florida-based subsidiary of Concacaf.

Concacaf delegates last week voted to have Blazer removed from Fifa’s executive committee but failed to get their motion added to the Fifa Congress agenda in sufficient time to gain its required approval.

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Kaieteur News

Wednesday May 30, 2012

Jaguars mauled 7-1 in Colombia

Bogotá, Columbia - Four goals in the first half and three in the second half saw Guyana go down 7-1 to a superior Colombia side ranked 23rd in the world in a closed door practice match at Estadio El Campin, on Monday evening.

This fixture was organised by the national coaching staff as part of the acclimatisation process to thin air and high altitude that is expected when the Jaguars face Mexico in their opening CONCACAF, third round, 2014 World Cup qualifier, on June 8th at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.

Colombia who defeated Mexico 2-0 in a friendly on February 29th, 2012 - the same night Guyana lost 2-0 to Guatemala at Providence Stadium also used this game as preparation for their

upcoming CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers versus Peru and Ecuador.

At a venue that was 2500 meters (8,200 ft) above sea level and was once banned

by FIFA in 2007 due to concerns about players’ health and the unfair advantage to acclimatised to conditions in countries such as Colombia, Ecuador and Bolivia, before the limit was raised to 3000 meters recently, the Jaguars welcomed back key foreign based players such as defender Leon Cort, John Paul “JP” Rodrigues, the Newton Brothers and Ricky Shakes to the playing group.

The Colombians colloquially referred to as the Los Cafeteros (The Coffee Growers) who are coached by highly rated Argentine Jose Peckerman, who took Argentina to the quarterfinals of the 2006 World Cup in Germany, gave the Jaguars a timely and valuable lesson of what is required to counter such opposition in these conditions.

Head Coach Jamaal Shabazz was very straightforward in his assessment of the loss.

Digicel Nationwide Schools Football Tournament

Berbice High School intensifies preparations Berbice High school is in the Digicel Nationwide Schools Football Tournament to win it, according to Manager and Physical Education teacher, Zahir Moakan.

Speaking via telephone yesterday, Moakan said that the squad of twenty-five have been in training for close to three months and has even had participated in two tournaments. According to Moakan, the squad has participated in the National Aids Programme Secretariat (NAPS) and the Daniel Singh Memorial Tournaments.

Those competitions he said gave the squad a chance to test their skill level in preparation for the much anticipated Digicel Schools Tournament which is scheduled to start in the middle of June.

“The boys are dedicated as hell and they understand what this competition means for them,” he stated.

The team he informed did not win the NAPS tournament and as such they are working hard to ensure that they win this competition. The Digicel Schools Tournament he added is being viewed as ‘a make up tournament’.

Moakan pointed out that they have the full support of

their head teacher Jennifer Rollins, who he indicated tries her best to ensure that the boys have everything they need to be fully prepared.

“Last year we were out in the round of sixteen and she expects us to do great things this year”.

The squad of twenty-five comprises students from, 2nd to 5th forms, but according to Moakan, the final selection which will be done shortly is anticipated to be dominated by fourth and fifth formers.

“We were a little sceptical about selecting fifth formers as they are preparing for exams and as such their practice times are limited”. He however, said that the fourth formers are attached to football clubs and the Coach Neil Humphrey has worked out a schedule with them since they are still involved in training with their respective clubs.

Humphrey he noted is a former national player, who has been working hard to ensure that the players have the required amount of training sessions and practice matches to get them ready for the tournament.

Humphrey, according to Moakan was instrumental in preparing the students to compete in the two warm-up tournaments.

Anthony Abrams “I think in the first half we took a long time to settle in a game where the altitude took its toll on the players breathing, but by the time we got settled we were already four goals down “, he stated.

Shabazz introduced Ricky Shakes Howard Newton and Brandon Beresford into the second half.

“We went to the bench early and I thought Ricky and Howard did a better job at closing down on the sides.

We had to defend for long periods and provided little support for Carl Cort alone up top, revealed Shabazz.

Guyana scored in the final minute through Anthony Abrams, but had two chances earlier missed by Cort and winger Brandon Beresford.

For Colombia singular strikes from James Rodriguez (FC Porto) and Freddy Guarin (Inter Milan) and braces from Jackson Martinez and Luis Muriel along with an a own goal by Guyana combined for their seven goals.

Looking at the overall

game Shabazz stated: “We were slaughtered tonight (Monday night) but it was no disgrace we are happy to play a top footballing nation in conditions like we will meet in Mexico where the breathing difficulty will be the same. Objectively we lost the first half 4 nil and an improved second half we lost 3-1, I saw an improvement so we are encouraged”, ended Shabazz.

Guyana are set to meet a top Colombian professional team today.

Guyana: Ronson Williams, Charles Pollard, Leon Cort, JP Rodrigues, Jake Newton, Walter Moore, Dwight Peters, Kayode McKinnon, Anthony Benfield, Shawn Beveney, Carl Cort.

Substitutes: Ricky Shakes, Howard Newton,

Brandon Beresford.

Colombia: David Ospina, Camilo Zuniga, Aquivaldo Mosquera, Mario Yepes and Pablo Armero, Adrian Ramos, Carlos Sanchez, Fredy Guarin and James Rodriguez, Jackson Martinez and Pabon Dorlan.

Substitutes: Luis Perea, Juan Guillermo Cuadrado, Bernardo Espinosa, Aldo Ramirez, Juan David Valencia, Juan Fernando Quintero, Luis Fernando Muriel, Cristian Zapata and Breiner Castillo.

In a highly anticipated slugfest, Hardy will do well not to underrate Eastman

By Michael Benjamin When Simeon ‘Candyman’ Hardy signed to fight Iwan “Pure Gold’ Azore for the Caribbean Boxing Federation (CABOFE) title his focus was so intense that disparaging remarks from Azore sparked a brawl in the Avenue of the Republic office of Abdool and Abdool Insurance Brokers, and acrimonious feelings that overlapped into fight night where Hardy prevailed.

Few would forget the brutal sixty seconds exchange between the two boxers that left Azore sporting a deep gash over his left eye. Hardy later completed the task with a stunning 9th round knockout of his nemesis.

The feat strengthened Hardy’s claim of being a knockout artist with a patented left hook he dubbed as the ‘chin check’ which meant that after delivering the blow he would be able to gauge his opponent’s resistance capacity.

To date, all but one of Hardy’s opponents, Troy Lewis, have failed the test with Patrick Boston suffering the worst fate after he was knocked out in just 20 seconds in their October 2010 bout. While Hardy’s record appears flattering, one is tempted to question the quality of his opponents in order to arrive at an informed choice. Closer examination reveals that the March encounter with Mark Austin was the toughest and it took the ‘Chin Checker’ all of 8 rounds to complete his mission.

Currently preparing for

the imminent World Boxing Council (WBC) 50th Anniversary tournament, Hardy is contracted to fight Howard ‘Battersea Bomber’ Eastman on June 1 next, in what is undoubtedly the sternest test of his fledgling professional career. Eastman is no slouch but his career has seen better days. He is depending on his vast experience, garnered after years of practicing his trade in Europe and North America.

The ‘Battersea Bomber’ started his career on a similar note as Hardy and at the end of his 8th fight, the stage Hardy is now at, he had also chalked up seven knockouts.

As a matter of fact, at the end of his 15th bout, Eastman had defeated all comers and only British fighter, Andy Peach, could have boasted of hearing the final bell.

It was only when Eastman ventured into the big league, fighting William Joppy, in November 2001, for the vacant World Boxing Association (WBA) middleweight title, that he suffered his first loss. Despite the hue and cry of the pundits that he was ‘done in’ Eastman would have realized that fighting in the big leagues was a total different scenario. He was to suffer back to back losses to Bernard ‘Executioner’ Hopkins, Edison Miranda and Arthur Abraham.

Eastman resumed his winning ways, winning thrice in Great Britain, before returning to Guyana where he distinguished himself among former WBA welterweight king, Andrew ‘Sixhead’ Lewis, Denny

Simeon Hardy Dalton, Leon ‘The Lion’ Gilkes and Trinidadian, Kevin Placide before his career hit another brick wall with losses to local light/heavyweight king, Kwesi Jones, local middleweight champion, Edmond DeClou and Trinidadian, Kurt Sinnette.

Maybe these losses have convinced Hardy that he too could join the bandwagon and hand Eastman his 10th loss from 37 fights.

The biggest mistake that Hardy could make is to believe that Eastman is ‘over the hill’ and an easy proposition. At present the former European champion is preparing ardently at the Pocket Rocket Boxing Gym, St Magdalene and Strand New Amsterdam under the tutelage of Orland ‘Pocket Rocket’ Rogers. His coach intimated that Eastman is in the best shape of his life and is currently engaged in sparring sessions with Kelsie

George, who fights James Walcott on the same card.

Eastman is also utilizing the services of a few amateur boxers including Richard Williamson, Kishon Simon and Travis Fraser.

When contacted yesterday afternoon, Rogers exuded confidence saying that Eastman plans to take Hardy into the late rounds where he (Hardy) is most uncomfortable. Indeed, this ploy seems sound especially since Hardy is yet to prove that he is capable of delivering the ‘chin checker’ with equal force in the late rounds.

It must also be noted that Eastman is a decent puncher after disposing of 36 of his opponents. He boasts a knockout ratio of 65.45 percent as against Hardy’s 87.5 percent. However, to his credit, Eastman would have fought more qualitative opponents. Hardy remains unperturbed and confident that Eastman, despite his most ardent application, will miserably fail the ‘chin check’ test. We will just have to wait and see!

The two other professional bouts will see Barbadian, Miguel Antoine, up against Trinidad based Guyanese, Iwan ‘Pure Gold’ Azore and Rudy Fraser versus Cassius Matthews.

There are also four amateur bouts among some of the nation’s top pugilists.

The bouts will be taped

by National Communications Network (NCN) for a later showing and as usual the admission fee remains at $1,000 for adults and half that amount for children. Bell time is 20:00hrs sharp.

Wednesday May 30, 2012

Kaieteur News

It’s a mental struggle - Gibson

Marlon Samuels

Cricinfo - Marlon Samuels stood there at the non-striker’s end. Head down, motionless.

His helpless and sorry figure summed up the terrible state of West Indies batting so far in this series. The previous delivery, Ravi Rampaul, West Indies’ last man, had gone chasing an away swinger from James Anderson, edging into the hands of the third slip. That meant Samuels missed out on scoring consecutive centuries in the same match by 24 runs.

This was the second time in the match that Samuels, who had lofted Graeme Swann out of the ground for 16 runs, including two straight sixes in the previous over, was left stranded in such a frustrated position. In the first innings, it was his captain Darren Sammy, who having compiled a resilient maiden century, played an irresponsible pull shot to be caught in the deep at a crucial juncture.

Samuels and Sammy had re-built the West Indies house after the early collapse on the first day. West Indies could have crossed the 500-mark but Sammy’s departure only hastened the visitors folding up the first innings at a good, but not good-enough total.

West Indies were not in a similar position today, but it takes just that bit of application and determination to turn a corner. Samuels is the best example of that theory working.

Unfortunately none of his top order batsmen had learned from him, as well as their own mistakes.

Consider this: in the four innings played in the series so far, not one among the West Indies’ top order has managed to score a half century. But the more incredulous fact is that the West Indies top-four comprising Adrian Barath, Kieran Powell, Kirk Edwards and Darren Bravo have scored an aggregate of just 203 runs in the two Tests. Samuels, on his own, has managed 310 runs.

At Lord’s, Barath had survived two hours on the first day to return not out at lunch. But as soon as he returned to crease, he went and pushed at the ball which he had left alone all morning. In Nottingham, he was clueless about his position and committed to playing the balls once again he should have let go. In the second innings at Lord’s, Powell had shown his weak mindset when he took on Stuart Broad, who had tempted him to go for the pull. The previous delivery, Powell had

been alerted by his batting partner Shivnarine Chanderpaul, about two fielders being placed in the deep, yet Powell consciously fell into the trap.

Edwards’ bad luck at Lord’s, when he was run out inadvertently for no mistake of his in the second innings, did not go away as he reported sick yesterday and survived just two deliveries, recording his second duck. His form in the first innings of both Tests has been no better with the England fast bowlers exposing cracks in Edwards’ poor defence easily. Bravo had been done by Chanderpaul’s erroneous call on the first day of the series last Thursday, but on Sunday he repeated the same mistake Powell had made minutes earlier, chasing a wide delivery outside the off stump delivery and edging.

Not only does it reveal a poor choice of shot selection from the West Indies batsmen but it also highlights a weak temperament.

Ottis Gibson, West Indies coach, said the problem was a “combination of both” technical and mental skills: “It is not entirely a technical thing. It is being able to repeat your skill over and over again. That is what top teams in the world do: they test your technique; they test your character; they test your mental strength. Perhaps that is where we are falling short,” Gibson said. “They are doing the hard work but they are not doing it for long enough.”

Gibson said West Indies would utilise the two-day tour match in Leicester to not only give more batting time to some of their ailing batsmen but also probably reshuffle the batting order to encounter the top-order failure. He did not rule out moving one of the pair of Samuels or Bravo to No. 3 in place of the struggling Edwards. “We have got a good week off to go back and sort of reflect on where we are the moment and what we can salvage out of the rest of the series with one Test match to go and look at all the different options that we have available; may be moving Marlon or Darren to three or Darren.”

Across the two Tests, West Indies have won many sessions of play while fighting hard in others. A good example came during the first session on the third morning when the pair of Ravi Rampaul and Kemar Roach put West Indies back in the game after the bowlers had been dominated by the pair of Andrew Strauss and Kevin Pietersen on the second afternoon. “We were outstanding yesterday to get eight wickets for 169 runs considering the way we had bowled the day before where we leaked runs from both ends,” Gibson said.

He said by blocking one end, West Indies had successfully suffocated England captain Andrew Strauss, who found it hard to accelerate once he had scored his century.

“We made it tough for him and then that caused him to get out,” Gibson said. But his batsmen had not learned when they were put under the scanner.

“When England make it tough for us, we get out far easier than they do. That is a concern. But we have shown that when we do the right things we can cause problems to the England team but we are not doing it consistently enough at the moment.”

Gibson said though he was disappointed that West Indies had lost the Wisden Trophy, he would still not be disheartened by the critics, who were expecting his team to beat a strong side like England. “This group of players has been criticised because of the decline, if you like, of West Indies cricket,” Gibson said. “You come to England, you are playing the No. 1 team in the world, it is difficult to expect that you are going to come and beat them. We challenged them at Lord’s, we challenged them here for periods as well but not for long enough to create any winning opportunities.”

Page 29

Japanese Swim Coach strengthening school programme Warm-up pool to be ready by year-end says Director of Sports Neil Kumar

Japanese Swim Coach Kumiko Inuzuka (centre) explains a point to Director of Sports Neil Kumar (right) and Pool Administrator Abraham Watson at the Colgrain Pool yesterday.

By Sean Devers Director of Sports Neil Kumar yesterday lauded the work of Japanese Swim Coach Kumiko Inuzuka and said her six-month stint in Guyana should greatly improve the standard of swimming at the school level and widen the pool of local swimmers.

Kumar was speaking at the Colgrain Pool on Camp Street where Inuzuka was conducting sessions for Adult beginners after completing an hour-session for Children beginners.

The Japanese is in Guyana to conduct a ‘Learn to swim beginners programme’ and is scheduled to depart in early August.

Her sessions run from 15:30hrs to 16:30hrs for Children and 16:30hrs to 17:30hrs for Adults every Monday to Friday and she is keen to return for another six months once she gets the clearance from the Japan International Corporation Agency which is responsible for sending Coaches to different parts of the world.

“She is doing a fantastic job in strengthening our swimming programme at the formative stage and building our school programme. We would love to have her back,” Kumar said as the eager beginners made splashes in the 25-feet pool behind him.

Kumar said that the club structure for swimming in Guyana is not as strong as it should be and said he was heartened not only by the huge interest for the Children’s Beginners programme but by the number of their parents attending the Adults levelone sessions.

Kumar said the Japanese loves what she is doing and

informed that all of her expenses are paid by the Japan Government with the Sports Ministry in Guyana just required to provide her with a stipend.

“The Guyana Government has to pay the swimming and Boxing Coach from Cuba since they are a higher level and working with the elites in their sporting fields. The Cuban Swim Coach works at the Aquatic Centre at Liliendaal and Coaches Guyana’s top swimmers,” Kumar disclosed.

For Inuzuka, her students are between ages 5-16 and the Adults and she says it should take about four months for them to graduate to the level where they will be able to swim well enough to go on to the Aquatic Centre.

Speaking in her fast improving English, Inuzuka said that the enthusiasm level among the swimmers is very high.

“We have sessions every day except Saturdays and Sundays and it is not that easy to just learn to swim in a short time. We have to grade them here (beginners classes) before they could move on the deeper 50 meter pool at the Aquatic Centre but everyone is working hard and I am enjoying my stay in Guyana,” the Japanese said.

She said that she finds Guyanese very hospitable people and says the Sports Ministry staff has been very supportive.

When asked her views on the Pool at the Aquatic Centre Inuzuka opined that it is very good for training swimmers to medal in top competitions but said that for it to host proper International events it must have lights, properly marked lanes and a warm-up Pool.

Kumar said that these things, including the warm-up pool should be in place by year end.

Abraham Watson, Administrator of both the Pools at the Aquatic Centre and Colgrain, feels the facilities are serving its purpose, adding that once Part-time Life Guards and more Instructors are available the pools will be open to more use by the general public.

He said that while work has to be done with the skill levels, the sport of swimming in Guyana is becoming more popular and feels that with the assistance of people like Inuzuka the interest for swimming locally can only rise as this country aims to one day become a force to be reckoned with at the International level in this sport.