Sunday May 06, 2012
Kaieteur News
Three narrowly escape death on Cemetery Road Bridge By Latoya Giles A driver and two passengers narrowly escaped drowning yesterday evening after the car they were in veered off the dilapidated wooden bridge at Cemetery Road, North East La Penitence, and toppled into a canal. Alma Thorne, her son Elbert Thorne, 16, and the driver who has not been identified were all rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital. Kaieteur News was told that the teenage boy was in an unconscious state. His mother told Kaieteur News that she had just hired the car and was heading to Grove, East Bank Demerara. According to Thorne, as they approached the bridge in the vicinity of the cemetery, she felt the car bounce and heard a “popping” sound. The woman said the next thing she knew the car had toppled into the canal. “I just reached for a window….and was screaming for my son…get out get out.” The woman said that she even t u a l l y managed to crawl through a window, then started shouting for her son who was still trapped inside. Her cries alerted residents who managed to pull the woman’s son and the driver to safety. The victims were all rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital. One eyewitness told Kaieteur News that the driver was travelling at a slow rate but encountered immediate problems after one of the front wheels ended up in one of the many deep ridges on the bridge. “All is see is de car look like it stopping li’l bit and then it just went over I swear
this was like a slow motion thing,” the eyewitness told Kaieteur News. He said that as the car was going overboard, the driver opened his door and attempted to jump. He added that the driver and a female passenger managed to exit the car which by this time was overturned in the canal, but her son remained trapped by the seatbelt. The eyewitness said that the woman began screaming that her son was still inside. Upon hearing this, a few young men plunged to his rescue. George Greene, who was one of the rescuers, told Kaieteur News that after he heard that the boy was trapped in the car he decided to render assistance. He said that persons tried to turn over the water-filled car, but to no avail. After several tries they managed to rescue the boy, who was rushed to the hospital. Shortly after, angry residents began blocking the bridge, they now call the “murder bridge”. The residents and users of the bridge fear that the faulty structure may have to take a life before authorities even opt to repair it. It was only when a motorist lost his life because of the damage on the neighbouring bridge that it was fixed, they said. Some residents also burned tyres and pieces of wood to demand the immediate repair of the bridge. “Last year, a motorcyclist died on that other bridge (adjacent to the Cemetery Road Bridge) and is then them come and repair it. If it wasn’t for that man’s death that bridge would have remained like that,” a resident, Fiona Wilson, claimed.
Survivor of Saturday night’s accident Alma Thorne Other residents shouted, “The government has turned a blind eye on us. For years we have been making complaints but these people want to see blood before they do something.” Last Wednesday, a USbased Guyanese almost perished after his vehicle also toppled off the same bridge. Christopher Giles 41, was forced to crawl out of the car after slipping out without unbuckling his seatbelt,
which had trapped him. He managed to crawl his way through the driver’s window and was then assisted by public spirited persons. According to information, Giles was driving his sister’s car. Eyewitnesses to that accident had told Kaieteur News that Giles had driven into a huge hole, which caused his tyre to burst and the car to plummet into the trench.
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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: 225-8491, 225-8458, 225-8465 Fax: 225-8473 or 226-8210
Editorial
Arrival Values Arrival Day 2012 was commemorated and celebrated as usual with great pomp and energy by the descendants of those who were imported to provide cheap labour on the sugar plantations after the horrendous system of slavery had finally been abolished in 1834. As usual also, the goings-on were suffused with nostalgia and history: immigrant ships, logies, depictions of plantation life etc. These are all well and good since it is very important to remember one’s origins. The latter, however, are not restricted to the material artifacts that are usually trotted out on these occasions. Of equal, if not greater, significance in our estimation are the values and world view that were brought from their “old world” and which enabled the immigrants to rise above the slave-like conditions into which they were dumped. In that rise, their contributions inevitably pushed the entire society upwards and by the time of independence, we were slightly ahead of most of our neighbours. For a multiplicity of reasons, we lost our way for quite a while; the jettisoning of most of those “old world” values is right up there among the causes of our decline. While all of us, including the descendants of immigrants, have moved forward from those days of deprivation in absolute terms, we have just returned to where we were at independence. Relative to other societies that were in similar straits at the time, we have lagged badly. To be constantly reminded that we are just above the international basket-case of Haiti in this hemisphere might be grating to our sensibilities but it is the truth. After we commemorated Arrival Day 2012, it might be salutary to remind ourselves of the values and outlook that we alluded to above and hark to their promptings. There was firstly the ideal of thriftiness. Nowadays, developmental economists assure us that unless a society can generate savings from the income of its citizens, which can then be intermediated into investments in the real economy, it is almost impossible to lift itself out of poverty. Borrowing and receiving aid from international agencies and “development” banks at best is akin to running on a treadmill. Our immigrant forbears, in the tradition of the slaves that preceded them who saved the modern equivalent of millions to purchase the first Guyanese villages, consistently stashed away a portion of their meager earnings. The economists have a fancy name - “deferred gratification” – for this act of not spending all that one earned – much less spending more than one’s income, as has become the norm today. All the countries that have climbed out of poverty had high rates of savings: we must emulate them – and our ancestors. Another value was cooperation. Our ancestors could not have survived the harsh plantation experience unless they cooperated with each other. This spirit of cooperation extended into all facets of their lives – economic, with the box-hand and “lend a hand” in agriculture etc, social, with weddings, religious celebrations etc being a “village” responsibility, personal – raising children and finding spouses for young adults etc. The sprit of cooperation can be fostered by local government extending once again to the village level and we hope that the authorities will move forward with the necessary legislation expeditiously. Finally, there is the matter of how we celebrate. Today alcohol consumption is de rigueur. And we are not talking about “social” drinking - the rallying cry, as the imbibers would have it, is “Rum till I die”. And die they do, in ever increasing numbers. But in the case of alcohol, death is not final: it leaves behind traumatized families and friends that are scarred for life. Alcohol was not common in the old world setting of our forbears. It was foisted on them on the plantations as one of the tools of control. This scourge must be destroyed. We do not really honour the memory of our ancestors when we reject the values that made them overcome their predicament after arrival. Let us commit to do better henceforth.
Sunday May 06, 2012
Send your letters to Kaieteur News 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown or email us kaieteurnews@yahoo.com
The PPP must be reminded that the Constitution is the Supreme Law of the Land DEAR EDITOR, We refer to an article in KN captioned “Govt has no obligation to transfer money to Consolidated Funds says Brassington.” Might we remind anyone of this mindset that the Constitution is the Supreme Law of the land? It is our understanding that in times of conflict in the interpretation of the supremacy of the law, the Constitution completely overrules any subsidiary law. To support our position we have conducted research both on the legal system in Australia and the UK and the evidence clearly support that the constitution is the supreme law in those Commonwealth countries. From our understanding, Guyana has used the Commonwealth Legal System to formulate the spirit and
structure of our legal system. Thus it is difficult to reconcile this deviation as practiced by the PPP, from the established precedence? We in the AFC want all Guyanese to know that the minority PPP is determined to contravene the letter and spirit of the law to hide over G$50 billion of the people’s money in secret overseas and local NICIL, GGMC and Bank of Guyana accounts. We see a civil case in the Law Courts in the making to legally expose and regularize this illegality. If the PPP was to do the right thing and adhere to the Supremacy of the Constitution, then Section 216 of the Constitution clearly outlines the appropriate legal treatment for these hidden funds. This is what Section 216 states:
“All revenues or other moneys raised or received by Guyana (not being revenues or other moneys that are payable, by or under an Act of Parliament, into some other fund established for any specific purpose or that may, by or under such an Act, be retained by the authority that received them for the purpose of defraying the expenses of that authority) shall be paid into and form one Consolidated Fund.” In layman terms this constitutional clause makes it absolutely clear that revenues from these agencies can only be retained on their books for the purpose of defraying their annual expenses. Is NICIL’s annual expense G$50 billion? It is safe to say that the answer is a resounding “NO”. So why this secretive treatment for these vast
amount of funds? Only the PPP has the answers as to why they are prepared to violate the Supreme law of the Land – the Constitution. We want to put on the record that the AFC will not rest as an organization until all of the people’s monies are emptied out of these secret accounts and transferred into the Consolidated Fund. The custodians of the Consolidated Funds are the people’s representatives in Parliament including the PPP MPs. Therefore, it is difficult to follow why the PPP is not interested in greater accountability and transparency in their financial conduct in this new political dispensation. What are their financial intentions? Dr Asquith Rose and Sasenarine Singh
Sunday May 06, 2012
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I am alarmed that the NICIL accounts have not been audited and reported on since 2003 DEAR EDITOR, I have been on public record in my view that all public revenues should be placed in the Consolidated Fund and that no public expenditure should be incurred without parliamentary approval. This is a fundamental principle relating to public finance since it ensures transparency and proper accountability for public funds. Any lesser arrangement is not considered proper accountability for taxpayers’ funds and can result in all kinds of allegations of impropriety in the use of such funds, notwithstanding the very best of intentions. I am heartened by two recent letters appearing in the newspapers in support of my
view: one from Christopher Ram entitled “Contrary to what Luncheon claims NICIL is a government company” appearing in the Stabroek News; and the other from Nigel Hinds entitled “NICIL vs. Constitution of Guyana” appearing in the Kaieteur News. I am, however, alarmed to learn that some $50 billion is sitting in the NICIL accounts; that the accounts of NICIL have not been audited and reported on since 2003; and of the arguments put forward by the Minister of Finance, the Head of the Presidential Secretariat and Mr. Brassington seeking to justify the existing arrangement. As I understand it, the bulk of the funds collected by
NICIL relates to proceeds from the sale of state assets. Are these proceeds not public revenues which should find their as speedily as possible into the Consoildated Fund, as required by Article 216 of the Constitution? I do not have any information as to how much NICIL has collected over the years and what expenditures were incurred to date and would have been happy to review the audited accounts going back to the date when NICIL was established. I am nevertheless of the view that any expenditure by NICIL, other than to defray certain expenses, such as those relating to the sale of the related state assets, would be a violation of Article 217 (3)
DEAR EDITOR, Why cut monies to GINA and NCN and gave them only ONE DOLLAR? Because NCN made a massive profit of over $500, 000, 000 in 2011. NCN is in a financial position to pay all its workers and to meet its expenses. NCN is used by the PPP as part of its propaganda machinery. PPP 2011 campaign ads were classified as PSAs (Public Service Announcements) – so the PPP didn’t pay a blind cent for all the elections ads carried on a publicly owned utility. And the head of NCN, by speaking on the PPP election platform, was clearest proof of how the PPP has made NCN its propaganda arm. All of this is corruption! GINA must not receive taxpayers’ money to finance PPP propaganda. GINA’s job is to deliver news about Government policies and national events, not to sell PPP propaganda. PPP propaganda should be funded by the PPP, not the taxpayers! It is shameless for the minority government to want to give these propaganda outfits your hard earned TAX dollars! Any persons dismissed by GINA and NCN will be out of the usual political spite and not, as the PPP is telling you, because the opposition wants to take bread out of workers mouth. Keep the fat cats fat and starve the small people. That is the PPP way! The minority PPP Government said no to paying a $10,000 increase to ordinary public servants who are being paid a pittance, while the PPP favorites and cronies
are being paid monthly salaries of sometimes as high as 15000 US dollars (3 million dollars) a month! Some get less but plenty times more than nearly all other public service workers. Not to mention special contracts. APNU argued for a $10, 000 across the board increase
for public sector workers. Put that all together and it still is less than the total of some of the high paid ones when you add up their salaries. So it is crumbs for ordinary workers and champagne for breakfast everyday for the loyal special set. Name withheld
Some reasons behind the budget cuts
of the Constitution. That article reads as follows: “No moneys shall be withdrawn from any public fund other than the Consolidated Fund unless the issue of those moneys has been authorised by or under an Act of Parliament.” I have no recollection that Parliament has authorised any expenditure from the NICIL accounts neither am I aware that NICIL, as a state-owned company incorporated under the Companies Act of 1991, has the authority to intercept funds that truly belong to the Consolidated Fund and to use such funds for purposes extraneous to the defraying of certain expenses referred to above. The Constitution is the supreme law of the land, and if there is any inconsistency between any law and the Constitution, the latter prevails, except in situations where the Constitution permits this. For example, Article 216 permits ”revenues or other moneys that are payable, by or under an Act of Parliament, into some other fund established for any specific purpose or that may, by or under such an Act” to be retained by the authority that received them for the purpose of defraying
expenses of that authority. In addition, the Fiscal Management and Accountability Act 2003 makes provision for the creation of extra-budgetary funds but any such fund has to be created by an Act of Parliament. I am unaware that Parliament has sanctioned the establishment of any fund (extra-budgetary or otherwise) under the
operations of NICIL. The same can be said of the Lotto funds of which I am also on public record disagreeing with the unsolicited opinion of the then Attorney General to the Acting Auditor General. I can only interpret the former’s action as one designed to prevent the Auditor General from further Continued on page 6
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Sunday May 06, 2012
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The question of copyright and cultural industries
DEAR EDITOR, I read F. Skinner’s letter in the Stabroek News on April 26, 2012 which stated the ‘Enforcement of Copyright laws’ as a prerequisite for Cultural Industries. I absolutely agree. However, enforcement will require some Legislative changes in respect to the penalties instituted for breaking existing Copyright laws while extending its reaches to accommodate current IPR categories. These applications are not prohibitive, coupled by education programmes for Law enforcement and Customs. People obey laws only when they are applied. I can assure Mr. Skinner that the document from which the article in Kaieture News on Mon 22, was extracted from, has been distributed to all the parliamentary parties including the State authorities of the said Ministry of Culture. Newspapers are an Archival source of reference so I will also address other aspects of Mr. Skinners’ letter. Cultural Industries: embody a wide landscape of entities and have to be dealt with by cultivating the consciousness of those in authority. True, lawlessness and mediocrity have dominated our nation for the longest while and the PPP Governments have extended it to unprecedented levels. Mr. Skinner mentioned Eddy Grant as an obvious source of venture capital, since a predominant component of the Cultural Industries humanity is AfroGuyanese. The fact is CI will benefit all Guyana because Afro Guyanese do not have a monopoly on creativity, nature does not work that way. However, I know Eddie well; he has visited my home and has seen my work. We have discussed its potential, he has given me pointers but
he is not in the Graphic Novel/ comic book business, this is a dimension that have its own rules. As Skinner indicated; racism, Politics and a chronic self contempt left over from our recent colonial past are some of the hurdles that impede local initiatives. I can testify to that and I will even add an absence of sophistication and outright ignorance as an impediment. As for your reference to the post independence era, the private entities today are somewhat fractured, one has to be careful with who one approaches for venture capital collaboration, or your business can be a focus of money laundering. However, I have entered into Licensing contracts with a couple of businesses. I will give an extended example of the indifference existing here that has frustrated many of my peers pushing irreplaceable talents to depart these shores. I waited some twenty seven months with crossed fingers to have the Library of Congress in Washington USA grant me a Certificate of copyright for a production of the folklore character Brer Anancy and I was ecstatic when I received it. Research and Development [R&D] of any Literature is imperative to its respect and content and in Guyana you have to finance everything oneself, thus, the need for IPR protection. I had no capital to go to press so I attempted to conduct a Concept license arrangement with the Ministry of Education. This was 2009, as I presumed that the methods of edutainment were now common methodology almost
everywhere. Soon enough, from the back and forth movement of letters, I recognized that they were not grasping what I was saying, though from their letters they seemed to approve of the production. Aafter receiving a confusing Ministry letter on 15. May 2009 that was a proof reader’s critique of the work, I wrote explaining that what I was proposing was the application of how a popular concept and characters can be translated into their agenda. My final Letter was on the 27, May 2009 to which they ceased to respond. February 2012 I visited a primary School in South Georgetown on request sent to ACDA to do a presentation of local folklore and History. I had produced and taken five full colour 18x27 posters of Artwork on local folklore and a mural that included Fort Nassau, as we were in the month of Mash. When I addressed the students none of them could identify any item on the posters. One teacher told me in a defeated, embarrassed mood, “ask them about Buju Banton and they will know that.” A representative of the Ministry of Culture was there and I was sorry he left and did not witness this. True to the teachers’ prediction, the next student came up with a Hip Hop something and the students came alive. Incidentally one of the posters was an enlarged page of the selfsame Brer Anancy Graphic novel. The teachers knew what was missing but even they could not anticipate the current stage of deterioration. When my son was in primary school one of the items that
helped his attitude with maths was a Power Rangers [teen Sci-fi TV series j early mathematics book. A product of someone else’s Cultural Industries. On Copyright; Petember Persaud invited me to a presentation on Copyright last Tuesday, I was disappointed at the presenter who claims to teach this subject at UG. This distinguished citizen told us that over the last six years there was a cultural renaissance in Guyana. His audience began to grumble in disapproval I stood up and enquired what was he talking about, if he was referring to the frequent concerts featuring foreign artistes, because that was something totally different going on there. Nothing to do with the development of local Culture, or Cultural Industries. It was obvious that the presenter was comfortable with the current Status quo or did not fully understand the concerns of Creative citizens or empathized with them. The presenter did commend a publisher in the audience whose condescending biases are well known. Most of the younger citizens left before the presentation was over. I want to conclude by assuring Mr. Skinner that I have always looked within myself to help myself. Most of my work has been self published. You mentioned that ‘It is highly unlikely that Government will make this kind of investment. I am frustrated that we are unable to look within ourselves to help ourselves. We are the ones that Continued on page 7
The God the true Christians serve has His own timing DEAR EDITOR, I am responding to a recent letter by Mr. Pantlitz concerning the question about the Church being dead. Mr. Pantlitz, there is much truth in what you have written and I understand your frustration. The Church is not the
building or the various administrations of the “Church”. Jesus the Christ is the Head of the Church and wherever two or more are gathered in His Name, there He shall be and whatever they ask in His Name will be fulfilled. Further, whatever they bind on earth, is bound in Heaven and whatever they release on earth, is released in Heaven. Christianity is about having Christ in you and not necessarily warming the pews/benches in the building called the Church, on Saturdays/Sundays. Many a true Christian has objected vociferously also by letters, to the discrepancies
within the “Church” and elsewhere. The God whom the true Christians serve, has His own timing since ours is not His, to deal appropriately with the perpetrators. Pedophilia, adultery and fornication exist also in other religious circles and in some cases, these acts are successfully hidden from the public. Witchcraft is an act of adultery against God as well. What, Sir, we must do, is to agree in prayer, calling down the Wrath of God upon the perpetrators of the aforementioned un-Godly acts. Stephen Michael Monasingh
Much work is required to present Guyana as an overall attractive tourism product DEAR EDITOR, I have just returned from a short holiday in Guyana after 11 years - and had a very enjoyable time, getting together with friends of old. In fact, in the departure lounge at the CJI airport, I was reunited with a colleague and friend I had not seen for 60 years. The friendly lady smiled at me and pointed out a comfortable wide, curvedupwards seat. We started to chat and she mentioned where she had spent her holiday. I said that I once knew a family from that area and mentioned their surname. Imagine my surprise and joy when she identified her maiden name and I found that I was actually speaking to my friend - neither of us had recognised the other! We were like children all over again. The world is round keep on walking and one day we might all meet again. My holiday was an eyeopener. Georgetown, our once pretty city, seemed ‘overgrown’ with general rubbish and building rubble. It is difficult to envisage a reversal of environmental conditions - it seems to be taken for granted that empty spaces need clutter. The neat, prim houses, occupied by proud owners, are now dwarfed by unsightly concrete structures architectural nightmares.
Much has been said about encouraging tourism; but to attract tourists, the infrastructure and conditions have to be ‘right’, the product must be attractively packaged and presented. Instantly springing to mind is the pricing policy. Hotels need to be more flexible about currency choices. As with the departure tax (incidentally the highest I have come across so far), one should be allowed to pay in Sterling, US dollars or Guyana dollars; also in Euros. Confining payment to US dollars, if resident in the UK or Europe, is not the most convenient route for Europeans to take. Local phone calls lasting less than, say, 15 minutes should be free, as part of hospitality. Years ago I stayed at a guesthouse with several young volunteers from overseas, working in various disciplines. As a matter of routine, after a busy day’s work, they looked forward to their ‘dialup-and deliver’ pizzas and at weekends for a taxi to take them around. Could the tourist industry imagine the strain on these youngsters’ pockets if they were charged by the minute for ordering a meal or taking a trip along the coast? Fortunately, these calls were all ‘on the house’ Continued on page 7
I am alarmed that the... From page 5 reporting on the retention of the Lotto funds and its unauthorised use. Since the Auditor General has not requested such an opinion, he may choose to disregard it. Alternatively, he can seek an independent opinion, and should that opinion support the views of the Attorney General, it would be appropriate for the Auditor General to seek a judicial review of the matter. I should mention that the Attorney General is part of the Executive, and in the event of any disagreement by the Audit Office with the Executive, the Attorney General is likely to be placed in a difficult position to pronounce in favour of the Audit Office. Arguably, any attempt by the Attorney General to pronounce on any disagreement with the Executive could be interpreted as a conflict of interest. The issue of other state-owned entities retaining revenues that are considered public funds should also be addressed. If such entities are collecting agencies on behalf of the State, then the moneys collected net of related expenses should be paid over promptly to the Consolidated Fund. An example is the Guyana Revenue Authority which pays over gross to the Consolidated Fund its takings for each day but has a separate budget to meet its expenses. In the case of the Geology and Mines Commission and the Guyana Forestry Commission, these entities do retain moneys collected by virtue of their respective Acts of Parilament that creted them. However, mechanisms should be put in place for periodic transfers to the Consolidated Fund of the accumulated surpluses or part thereof. After all, they are state-owned entities, and to the extent that they record accumulated losses, there is recourse to the Consolidated Fund to bail them out. It follows therefore that accumulated surpluses should find their way to the Consolidated Fund. Anand Goolsarran
Sunday May 06, 2012
Kaieteur News
Lalchan confronted ‘hit-man’ a week before his execution - female associate
Howes Street resident, Aman Lalchand, confronted the man who was allegedly paid to execute him a week before he was slain, a close female associate alleged yesterday. Lalchand, who had a long criminal record, which included a murder charge and several armed robbery charges, was gunned down Friday night while standing in Sussex Street. Police are said to be investigating reports that he was involved in Monday’s execution-style killing of former policeman Renie Williams, who was shot dead while sitting in a car outside his King Edward Street, Albouystown home.
According to this report, that deal might have been set up while Lalchand was still in prison. He was released from jail last February. Lalchand’s female friend told Kaieteur News that about a week ago, 31-year-old Lalchand informed her that an individual, whom he named, had been paid $2M to kill him. The friend said that she urged Lalchand to contact his attorney. According to the woman, about a week ago, Lalchand confronted the alleged ‘hit-man. “He meet the person, and he say ‘why you want to kill me?’, and the person just smile and walk away.” The source said that the ex-convict was by a friend in
Aman Lalchand Sussex Street for the entire day on Friday. During Friday night’s power failure, Lalchand reportedly spoke to his reputed wife by phone and informed her that he was coming home. Another associate had told Kaieteur News that the Continued on page 14
GGMC warns of exploitation of interior workers The Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) on average receives at least five complaints daily of labour violations in the mining and logging industries. One of the most popular complaints investigated by GGMC is the non-payment of salaries. The Commission is currently investigating a common case of a female cook being accused of theft and chased out of the interior without payment. Vanessa Stephens, on Wednesday, made a complaint to GGMC against a shop owner/ dredge operator for withholding two months’ salaries. The woman is hoping that GGMC would help resolve the matter since she has no immediate financial security to support four teenage children. According to Stephens, in March she ventured into Tamakay Backdam, Region Seven, to work as a cook / shop assistant for $150,000 monthly. She alleged that after two months in the interior her employer accused her of stealing and sent her packing without money. “When she (the employer) come in back the Saturday she start cuss up and bring in the police claiming that gold was lost…I told her it cannot be me because I don’t work in the dredge… She brings in police and tells them beat me up to find money… They search me and didn’t find any money but she wanted me to leave the place,” Stephens alleged. Stephens said that her journey out of the backdam was aided by kindhearted individuals. She recounted that her request for her
payment was brushed-off by the woman in the presence of the police. She said, “After hearing my story, someone gave me $12,500 to come out of the backdam…when I reach the landing a man gave me $4,000 for a room for the night and another boy gave me $12,500 to get to Parika…Even at Parika I get a drop to Canal. The only financial assistance the woman received was from the Guyana Women Miners’ Organization. Stephens became aware of the organization through GGMC. As part of the Commission’s investigations the woman’s former employer’s mother was contacted. According to a GGMC Official, while both men and
women complain of nonpayment, the majority of the complaints received are from men. GGMC’s involvement in the matter sometimes sees complainants receiving their money. In some cases the parties settle the matter without informing the GGMC. The official emphasized that persons seeking employment in the interior should avoid verbal agreements. “We need to advocate to persons to be more businesslike in their jobs…” Put most job agreements in writing.” One way of doing that is to purchase a privilege or certificate of registration from the GGMC. The official explained that there are certificates for various categories of work including Continued on page 51
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Kaieteur M@ilbox The question of copyright and... From page 6 should be tasked with capitalizing on our cultural diversity and potential’. My request is based on the sound principles of entitlement. Governments are citizens elected to apply the resources of the Nation that are owned by the Nation for the benefit of the Nation. The Jagdeo administration was by all means a rogue Government. I fully understand my right and that of every other Artist and Artiste/ Craftsman and Woman and creative mind that will benefit from the development of Creative Industries in Guyana. I refer to the idea of State participation; when I was in the USA an artist friend Prof. Scott Scykin upon seeing my portfolio had contacted a Foundation that extended grants that allowed a footstep in the door. In exchange one had to participate in certain workshop programmes, but because of my commitments to my then young children in Guyana [1998]1 declined. The State is not there to facilitate the children and the shadowy environment of
state functionaries with illegitimate favours. From the beginning of recorded history Cultural Industries existed, and had access to the tribal economy or we would have had no Kemetic temple frescos, no Kama Sutra sculptures, no Benin masks or Mona Lisa. The Billion dollar Cultural Industry of Marvel Comics-Entertainment Group started as a department of Candence Industries. I remember the colonial era, but I was brought up in the day of Forbes Burnham, Denis Williams, Stanley Greaves, Robert Naraine and many others who helped to decolonize this nation, thus, I will never surrender my historical right to legitimately inherit through perseverance what I am entitled to, not as one of that particular type of vender that sells his soul, but as a citizen who works some sixteen hours a day on his craft. Cultural Industries sustain the identity of the nation and with the examples I have so far given failure to allot it its due would be foolish and unpatriotic. Barrington Braithwaite
Much work is required to present... From page 6 probably built into the rates per night. Then we have the vexing matter of 16 percent VAT on food items, whether cooked and consumed on the premises or bought to be consumed later and, most appalling of all, on bottled water and sodas, very essential to a non-tropical person when in the tropics. In fact, we were warned, in hot Israel, to always carry drinking water to sip, to prevent dehydration. The present level of VAT on food items is wicked. If food MUST be taxed, make it less, say, one or two per cent. Here are some samples of food I bought mainly from the same Water Street store: A. Two take-away cooked snacks - $254.30 + VAT $40.69 - Total $294.99; B. Two take-away cooked snacks and a bottle of cola = $396.54, VAT $63.45 - Total $459.99; C. one bottle drinking
water take-away $189.66 + VAT $30.35 - Total = $220.01; D. 1 bottle water + 2 soda drinks take-away $426.86 + VAT $68.14 - Total $494; l bottle cola, 20 ozs., $155.17 + VAT $24.83, total = $180.00. One store had the nerve to invite us to ‘Have a nice day’! To a ‘seasoned’ tourist, VAT - especially such a high rate - on food and soft drinks would be very strange and perhaps off-putting. Personally, in all my distance travel, in over 30 years, I have never come across anything like it. For what it is worth, here is ‘pull’ from a UK Vat Guidance page: “If you have to pay VAT on something, it will normally be included in the price you see. ... Food and drink for human consumption is, in general, zero-rated but many items are standard-rated, including alcoholic drinks, confectionery, crisps and savoury snacks, supplies of food made in the course of
catering including hot takeaways, ice cream, soft drinks and mineral water. Because certain food and drink is zero-rated, so too are certain animals and animal feeds, and plants and seeds if the animal or plant in question produces food that is normally used for human consumption. Many regular purchases such as food and children’s clothing are zerorated. ...” A city break in Georgetown for many - what with the dust - unsightly rubbish, crowds in narrow spaces plus high food prices would be a no-no. However, the Guyanese people, on the whole, are cheerful and helpful, so all is not lost. I was fortunate to meet some wonderful people, and made the most of my first holiday in three years. Much work is required to present Guyana as an overall attractive tourism product. I hope your enterprise will thrive. Geralda Dennison
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Kaieteur News
Sunday May 06, 2012
Sankar succumbs after being battered by mentally ill man By Rehana Ashley Ahamad The distraught family members of 69-year-old Walter Sankar, who was brutally battered in the head by a mentally ill man around 17:00hrs on Wednesday last, are hoping that justice will be served and their father ’s “murderer” will be put away, be it prison, or the mental institution. The incident occurred in a shop opposite the Sankars’ home on Fort Street, Kingston. The father of five, who was scheduled to return to his home in the United States just a few hours after he died yesterday morning, succumbed to his injuries at around 4:00hrs at the Woodlands Hospital. Reports are that Sankar suffered a cardiac arrest. Kaieteur News understands that Sankar was in the shop opposite his home awaiting his turn to purchase a pack of cigarettes, when a man who is suspected to be of unsound mind, started pounding him in the head with a piece of galvanized pipe. The man’s son, Asif Sankar, said that he was peering through the front window of his home when he saw a big commotion in his neighbour’s shop. Trying his best to get a glimpse of what was going on, young Sankar saw his father lying helplessly on the ground as his assailant, identified as 46-year-old Patrick Leonard, continued to hammer the piece of pipe in his face. “When I rushed outside then I see me father all blood up and deh on the ground. I rush over and try to hold back
- family believes someone needs to be held responsible
Walter Sankar the pipe from the man hand, and I get couple lashes too. But I can’t get over the fact that all that time when me father was helpless on the floor, this man just keep pounding away at he. You could see this man swinging this thing with all he power,” the son added. The attacker stopped only after an onlooker threw a brick at him. Neighbours later detained and handed him over to the police. The man was reportedly taken to Brickdam Police Station, but was later transferred to the Grove Police Station. According to relatives, the shopkeeper claimed that he was packing some beverages into his freezer, and only knew that something was wrong when he took a break and turned around. But by that time, Sankar had already fallen to the ground in an unconscious state. The shopkeeper, after seeing the scuffle between the mentally ill man and Sankar’s son, was of the impression that the fight might have been of a petty nature.
It was when he approached the counter that he saw the badly beaten Sankar lying on the floor. The Brooklyn resident had returned to Guyana on Boxing Day 2011 for the first time in 15 years to spend some time with his two sons, the only two of this five children residing in Guyana. The elder of the two, Intakhab Sankar, told Kaieteur News that it is hard for the family to console themselves with the fact that the assailant is of unsound mind, since he does not eat out of the garbage, but rather, shops for goods and cooks for himself. He said that the man lives on the seawalls and has been going to the shop to purchase food items on a daily basis for many years now. The dead man’s family is stressing that the streets should not be the place for mentally ill persons, as they pose threats to themselves and those innocent. “I remember seeing a mad lady walking with a knife in she hands just a few weeks ago. I mean, she could’ve stabbed anybody passing by, even a child. What happened to my father could happen to anyone,” Asif Sankar recalled. The senior Sankar left Guyana 30 years ago to reside in the United States of America, where he had been working as a Chef in a senior citizens’ home until recently when he retired. Intakhab Sankar said that it is because his father had retired that he decided to visit. The man said that his father’s visit resulted in them creating memories that will
unfortunately have to suffice and help them move on. However, the man’s youngest child, and only daughter, with whom he resided in the US, told Kaieteur News that someone has to be held responsible for what happened. Her name is Sherry-Ann Sankar, and she arrived in Guyana yesterday morning with the intention of taking care of her father, and making him well enough to travel back home. She was however, given the shock of her life when she got the news of his passing. The distraught woman told this newspaper that her
father was a perfectly healthy 69-year-old. “Somebody don’t just go on vacation and get their head bashed; they got murdered. The word “murder” is floating around now. This man did not come here and die of natural causes. He was a perfectly healthy 69-year-old. He was on no medications whatsoever.” “Over here there is no system where these people get treatment. They just let them go on the street. Back home you would get treatment, psychiatric evaluation. You will be placed in somewhere where you would not be able to hurt anybody. And there will be
people who will be held responsible for this guy’s actions, because he shouldn’t be on the streets,” the woman said. Meanwhile, her brothers, with tears in their eyes, recalled the wonderful times they had with their father over the past couple months. “We went everywhere, Bartica, Linden, Berbice; we went all over and hangout,” Intakhab Sankar said. The man was expected to return in January for his 70th birthday. As of now, the attacker remains in custody, and is expected to be taken for a psychiatric evaluation, after which he will be placed before the court.
President bluffing on snap elections…
Ramotar politically a “dead duck” if elections called - Nagamootoo By Rabindra Rooplall We are helping this Government to deal with its own dilemma which is its own corruption and they don’t have the political will to fight the corruption.” For the first time society now sees both the government and the opposition going around the country explaining the budget situation and observers are saying that it appears as if the government is inclined to call snap elections. Observers see the moves of political parties at this time as campaigning ahead of snap elections. However, Alliance For Change (AFC) Executive Moses Nagamootoo says he is calling the bluff of the Government and
is challenging them to call snap elections since society is now much more aware of what government does with taxpayer monies and the way they administer governmental functions throughout the country not as public servants but as authoritarians. “We are trying to clean this government up, and trying to give accountability and governance a good face…With all my 50 years in politics I see no elections on the horizon; this is only a ‘pappy show’; this is grandstanding in its very fine form.” Nagamootoo said that if Ramotar goes to snap elections he is politically a “dead duck” because of rivals in his party who would not want him to run for
elections since he did not give them an absolute majority in the last elections. “The only one to lose is the man who is claiming that he doesn’t mind calling snap elections.” He added that President Ramotar must work for a compromise with the opposition, “but not in a cuss down mode. He cannot wear Jagdeo’s shroud. It will stifle him.” Underscoring that President Ramotar needs to divest himself of the pretence that the PPP is the Majority, Nagamootoo said President Ramotar need to step down one step on the ladder and realize that he should accept the new reality which is working for a Modus (continued on page 53)
Rains add to Diamond roads deterioration - residents call for Govt. intervention
The May-June rains are here and are contributing to the deplorable condition of roads in the Diamond Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara. Huge potholes, slush, and flooding in certain sections are some of the challenges residents encounter. Commuters of Avenues ‘A’ and ‘B’ are now faced with a 10-minute increase on their travel time in and out of the area. Taxi drivers have increased their fare to $400 and are promising to go higher if the roads continue to deteriorate. Earlier this year, some residents pooled resources and smoothed Avenue ‘A’ road. Those minor rehabilitation works could no longer withstand daily traffic and heavy downpours. However, the works provided
temporary relief to one year of bumpy travel owing to the lack of maintenance by the Grove/ Diamond Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC). Residents stressed that complaints to the NDC and Government Ministers are unheeded. They said that during visits to the community by Minister within the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, Norman Whittaker, promises were made to rehabilitate roads and clean the drains. Residents stated that if those promises were fulfilled they have not seen the evidence. They noted that Whittaker spoke of the Community Road Improvement Programme (CRIP), which will see roads being rehabilitated in the area.
A vehicle maneuvering the huge potholes through Avenue ‘A’, Diamond Housing Scheme
Road development under that programme has stalled since a criterion was the refurbishment of the NDC building. Currently, action is in the court to determine the ownership of the building. According to residents, they are fed up of this excuse and are demanding that
Government reconstructs the roads. “Housing Minister Irfaan Ali always saying road development has to do with occupancy rate being a certain percentage. If you come here almost every lot has a house…Only about 16 lots empty so we should get
good roads…We are not asking for a swimming pool,” a resident said. Another resident emphasized, “It takes longer to reach Avenue ‘A’ third corner than it takes from Georgetown to Diamond entrance when traffic is light…That can never be
fair…Imagine if you in labour and you have to come out of there to go to the hospital.” In addition, other roads in the Diamond housing establishment are deplorable. Some of the holes in the roads have become ponds while some roads are impassible if the vehicle is low.
Sunday May 06, 2012
Kaieteur News
Where have the rewards of increased growth been placed? Does the Government find no discomfort in dolling out $3M to one person as pension and benefits every month or $100,000 per day? The people who must face the high cost of survival in Guyana with their shrinking income must look to this Government for assistance. Many of them are children and persons with disabilities. The Minister in his presentation also spoke of the Government’s decision to make the Guyanese economy more robust and resilient, to withstand external shocks and less vulnerable to the vicissitudes of domestic single industry upheavals. While the Government speaks of robustness and resilience it seems they are not aware of the increase of applications for public assistance from persons who have to grapple to withstand the shocks of survival in Guyana. The continuous increase in the number of applications for Public assistance is reaching alarming levels. Is our Minister oblivious to the number of our people who are suffering? One needs only to look at the figures coming out of the Ministry of Human Service. The number of applicants for Public Assistance has increased tremendously over the last three years. Year Applications Recipients 2009 1,399 9,186 2010 5,300 17,800 2011 6,472 16,400 Yet, the Minister of Finance in sharing the national pie has boldly flaunted in the faces of Guyanese, particularly those in need of assistance, the meager increase of $13.00 per day for or a monthly increase of $400 for them: In reality, the cost of one sweet per day for our vulnerable group. AGE OF RETIREMENT The number of persons seeking Old Age Pension and Public Assistance is alarming and the facts representing longevity cannot be ignored. The World Bank 2009 Report highlighted that the aging index was nearly eight elderly persons to every 100 children in 1970. By 2002, it had risen to 12 elderly persons, accounting for an annual growth rate of 0.82 percent. In contrast to a decrease of 16.3percent in the number of children aged less than 15 years in 2006, the number of people aged 65 and over increased by 26.3 percent. Guyana like other countries must, therefore, review our age of retirement and look at the emerging picture of the Elderly group. With the increase in the number of Elderly people, our pension schemes would be unable to support the large number of pensioners who make demands on them. This discourse on the review of the age of retirement in Guyana has been going on for too long. The typical retirement age is fifty-five years in the public sector and sixty to sixty-five years in the private sector. Yet this does not entitle one, upon retirement, to receive pension from the two main state institutions. Persons must acquire the age of 60 years to receive pension from the National Insurance Scheme and, sixty-five for Old Age Pension. What happens in the interim? Given the increase in the number of persons living above sixty-five years, the strain on our pension schemes and the inability of families to cope with the cost of taking care of their elderly relatives, it is imperative that the situation be brought to an end and a firm decision is made to increase the retirement
age in the Public Service to sixty-five years. Alternatively, there may be need to reduce the age of eligibility for NIS pensions to coincide with the age of retirement. It is lamentable that nothing has been forthcoming from the Government regarding the Report from the committee, which was put together by the Government for the review and reform of the NIS scheme. There is urgent need for restructuring this pension scheme. In November 2007, the committee produced its final report, which entailed several recommendations. At that time the PNCR had some reservations over some of the recommendations made particularly one which suggested further raising the age of eligibility. On March 3, 2008, Ms. Priya Manickchand, told the National Assembly, “It is presently engaging the attention of Cabinet, where these recommendations that were examined and considered, are going to be looked at, with a view to making the scheme, as the Terms of Reference said, more financially viable and efficacious.” The retirement age of 55 years indeed places a greater strain on the ability of the NIS to meet its obligations to the large number of persons who are forced into retirement. Apart from support from family members at home or remittances from those abroad, the Elderly depend to a large extent on the NIS for financial support. The NIS, we have been told for some time now, cannot withstand the pressure to provide benefits for the large number of pensioners in our midst. Despite a Stabroek News Article by Prof. Clive Thomas last April, under the caption, “Downside Risks & the Upside Potentials Facing the Economy”, the Minister’s 69 page presentation made absolutely no mention of the government’s intentions for this institution. According to Prof. Thomas, “ The National Insurance Scheme is at risk of turning to the state for bailouts with which to fund its outstanding liabilities.” In fact this institution which helps to bridge the gap between ability by pensioners to meet their survival needs and living in poverty did not find favor in the distribution of any of the revenues which the Government raked in the last year. Instead the NIS management is left to face the many complex problems, including but not limited to: • Resources tied up with the Clico/Standford debacles • An ageing work force • Humongous and burdensome financial arrears • Over abundance of bureaucratic & administrative problems • High administrative costs (estimated at about 1/6 of its income) Despite comments by Minister Manickchand, the Government’s reluctance to act on the recommendations put forward for this institution is another blatant disregard for the many pensioners, and workers who by compulsion must continue to have their earnings paid into this scheme. Is this not another deprivation of the rights of the workers who on retirement expect to receive a pension for their hard years of service only to be faced with another Clico Fiasco if nothing is done in the near future to secure their benefits? The Government must recognize that many of the past and present contributors to NIS gave a mandate to APNU and AFC on 28 November, 2011 to represent them and address their concerns in the National Assembly. This is, therefore, one of those issues which we will have to undoubtedly address as we review this 2012 Budget.
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Dem boys seh
Uncle Donald under pressure Desmond Hoyte use to put pressure pun de government wid slow fyaah; moh fyaah. Some people in La Penitence decide fuh wake up de City Council and everybody wid de slow fyaah. Only tonight dem go straight to hot fyaah. Dem have a bridge that get suh bad that it does throw car in de trench. Fuh this week it throw two car in de trench and all of dem tun over. People nearly dead. De people get really vex because dem know that since de first accident de council people shoulda fix it. Dem decide fuh shut down de bridge and then dem apply de fire. Wasn’t slow fyaah. Police come and dem couldn’t stop de fyaah because dem know de people was angry and dem mighta set de police pun fyaah too. And talking bout fyaah. Uncle Moses tell Uncle Donald that he shouldn’t play poker because he can’t bluff. Uncle Donald threaten to call snap elections. Right away Uncle Moses tell de whole country that Uncle Donald was a dead duck. Uncle Donald get vex because he know people does call he Donald Duck, but only behind he back. And he only talking bout how de Opposition cut de budget. Dem boys seh that he lucky dem didn’t cut he Finance Minister tail fuh putting in things that shouldn’t be in
de budget. And dem boys want to know why he encouraging Brazzy to hold on to de NICIL funds. Is more money than de opposition cut from de budget. Why dem keeping that money pun de side? Dem boys seh that perhaps de money only deh in de account pun paper but it gone ever since. That is why dem talking how dem don’t have to put no money in de budget. Dem ain’t got no money fuh put. Is de same thing wid de Lotto Funds. Dem boys want to know if it got any money. Dem see all de big house wha dem Ministers got and dem see de kind of pay some of de people get and dem know that de money couldn’t come from de treasury, that it had to come from another source. People looking and de boys in de Cabinet telling Uncle Donald that he should call elections and win fuh stop all de questions because people gun go to jail. Uncle Donald thinking. Talk half and bluff de other half
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Kaieteur News
Sunday May 06, 2012
Mahdia in crisis - APNU - main access roads a war zone Opposition political parties are calling for urgent Government intervention, yesterday saying that Mahdia, a mining community in Region Eight, is in deep crisis. A team from A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) visited the area in response to requests from residents to address a number of critical issues. The team which comprised Members of Parliament, Ronald Bulkan and Desmond Trotman, and with APNU’s Region Eight political coordinator, Gloria Bancroft, said that it was able to see firsthand, several problems, including the “shameful conditions” of the main access road leading from Mango Landing to Mahdia, a long-time mining outpost of the hinterlands. “The condition of this road is totally unacceptable and signals a form of disrespect to the residents of Mahdia and those who use the road and by extension the people of Guyana,” APNU’s Parliamentarian, Ronald Bulkan said yesterday. “Deplorable and disgraceful does not even begin to describe the condition of this main roadway.” The road from Mahdia to Mango Landing is the main access from the community and by the hour is becoming virtually impassable. “This is a valuable economic zone to the country and APNU considers it a near impossible situation to get in and out. People’s livelihoods are at stake here. The residents are complaining but the government is not listening. These roads are the lifeblood to the community.” The area was previously under the control of the People’s Progressive Party until the November 28, 2011 General Elections when the
AFC won a plurality in that Region and later its chairmanship. The stretch of road from the airstrip junction to Mahdia and the roads in Mahdia itself were yesterday described as a war zone. “This particular stretch of airport road to Mahdia is worse than war zone. We also had people raising issues of the water shortage, garbage and health risks. The garbage situation is terrible and if not addressed urgently will pose a serious health hazard. We fear, now, that the community may face a health crisis if the situation is not urgently addressed.” Following a joint APNU/ AFC public meeting with residents on Thursday, at the Mahdia Community ground, the two parties met with Regional Executive Officer of Region Eight, Ronald Harsawack. Also at that meeting were APNU’s Councillor, Timothy Junor, and Regional Chairman, Mark Crawford. “The last RDC allowed conditions to deteriorate and showed total disrespect for the residents of Region Eight. We are now asking Government to make emergency interventions to address the crisis. “We are calling for a grader, dump truck and a front end loader to start the emergency works on the Mango Landing road.” According to Bulkan, the REO said that he had written Mekdeci Mining Company (MMC) which has been contracted by the government to maintain that road but the company is yet to reply. The REO had also requested the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development for help to fix roads in the community. “We requested that he supply us copies of those letters since we, APNU, would like to follow up.”
APNU is calling on government to fix this road leading from the Mahdia airfield, Region 8, to that mining community. The APNU delegation also visited nearby Princeville, an Amerindian community 11 miles from Mahdia. “The area along the Bartica/Issano road is also near impassible. We can’t have our people in Guyana living like this. The residents are saying that if they don’t get immediate attention, they will take their own immediate
actions.” Meanwhile, on the water situation, Bulkan is questioning claims by the REO that the water lines leading to Mahdia were vandalized on Wednesday. “During our meeting with him on Friday, he (Harsawack) said that a police report was made and investigations are underway. We sought to ascertain the status of the
investigations only to be informed by Officer-inCharge, a Sgt. Daniels that the police were not in receipt of any reports of vandalism or theft.” On Friday, Harsawack in a statement said that vandals had damaged the water lines to Mahdia. However, Bulkan said that checks found that water lines were not deliberately cut but rather were not fixed properly
and the force of the water had pushed them apart. “All the lines are there even though the delegation was informed by the REO that 250 meters of water mains were apparently stolen. We are puzzled about this claim of the pipe being deliberately cut and pilfered. The evidence established by the Regional Chairman Crawford does not support this.”
Vendors criticize Mayor and City for demolition of Bourda stalls Officials at the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) are once again being chastised by the public, this time for breaking down stalls along Bourda Street (in close proximity to Bourda market) without giving notice to the vendors who owned these concrete structures. According to one vendor, she lives across the street of her large clothing stall and was not at home on Friday morning when officers of the
M&CC began to break down the concrete walls around the shop. She explained that she received a telephone call from someone notifying her about the situation but by the time she arrived home the damage was already done. “I have been selling clothes and shoes here for years and I have one of the largest stalls here, not the largest, but there are others who have large space too and
I would look out for those here. “The M&CC told us in a meeting last December that they wanted us to vend in a uniform way with concrete shops, painted in green and white with sloped roofs. They just come here today (Friday) and broke down the concrete work I had done and I spent so much of money. So who will repay me now?” Kaieteur News understands that the group
of persons whose stalls/ shops were destroyed completely was also following instructions that they had received at the said meeting during last year. “They tell us to build concrete and make us spend so much of money but all of a sudden without any notice they come and break down our structures that were freshly built. “That is not right. The (Continued on page 53)
One of the stallholders in Bourda Street.
Sunday May 06, 2012
The flavoursome rums of Demerara
By Margaret Swaine Guyana is not a place on most tourists’ radar. It should however figure prominently on a rum lover’s bucket list. All of the world’s fantastic Demerara rum comes from here and from just one distillery, the Diamond Distillery of Demerara Distillers Limited. Demerara gets its name from the river that runs through the capital Georgetown and the region. Demerara Distillers makes over two dozen rums for other spirit companies around the world and they sell a lot of young rum spirit in bulk. For example I saw bottles of Pyrat rum (Patrón Spirits Company) being packaged when I was there and pictures of Lemon Hart rum being bottled. I also learned that some American bourbon companies were buying the young spirit to make up the 49% of their product that doesn’t need to be corn spirit based. “The Land of Many Waters” and Rum! Guyana located in the northeastern shoulder of South America is the only English speaking country on that continent. Rainforests carpet about 80 per cent of the land but there is still space for a considerable amount of sugarcane cultivation. It was the Dutch who centuries ago brought sugarcane to this part of the world and with it the off shoot of rum production. At one point there were an estimated 300 sugarcane estates and perhaps as many distilleries. The by-product of sugar production is molasses. Take molasses, ferment it and then distillate and you have rum. Much of the land in Guyana is below sea level which gives a particular cherished characteristic to the sugarcane and subsequent molasses. For economic and other reasons the number of
Kaieteur News
the air, the rain and anything else that chooses to fall into the tank. This just adds character says Shaun and as the fermented molasses is boiled and vaporized to form the spirits, nothing dangerous will survive the journey. The place is dirty, grimy and noisy with the constant sounds of machinery grinding away. However it’s also fascinating with a great bonus of molasses wafting in the air. A sweet mist arises from the hot boiling molasses and you can breathe in the Continued on page 14
distilleries shrunk to as little as a dozen by 1940s. By independence in 1966 there were but nine left and now there is just the one. The challenge for the Diamond Distillery is to maintain the distinctiveness of the many different brands while having them all under one roof. One way they do this is by using a variety of different stills including the only wood stills left in the world. There’s quite a collection of old stills from former distilleries – a virtual museum of every kind of still that was every used in the country in the production of rum. Shaun Caleb, operations manager at the distillery, started my tour right where the molasses poured into the fermentation tanks. It was quite something to see thousands of liters of molasses cascade into open tanks; dark, deep and frothy at the top. Some of the molasses ferments in closed tanks so that carbon dioxide that’s produced during fermentation can be captured to use later in carbonated drinks such as Pepsi made here. But other vats are open to
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Kaieteur News
Sunday May 06, 2012
NICIL’s refusal to hand over its $$$ is criminal - former Auditor General The pressure is continuing to mount on Government to release details on the billions of dollars it is holding in a special company without any Parliamentary oversight. It is estimated that $50B, representing proceeds of the privatization sales of state companies and properties, is in the coffers of National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL), a government-owned company. The refusal by Government to hand over the monies is a violation of the Constitution, says former Auditor General, Anand Goolsaran. The at-least $50B would represent a quarter of the $192B National Budget that government recently tabled and the opposition parties, already up-in-arms over a number of other issues, have been joining the growing calls to make the monies available for scrutiny and possible use by the taxpayers. According to Goolsaran, who left Guyana fearing for his safety following threats a few years ago, he is on public records saying that all public revenues should be placed in the Consolidated Fund and that no public expenditure should be incurred without parliamentary approval. The accountant made the
- GGMC, GFC, Lotto also obligated disclosure in a released statement to this newspaper yesterday. “This is a fundamental principle relating to public finance since it ensures transparency and proper accountability for public funds. Any lesser arrangement is not considered proper
Ashni Singh, the Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon. Recently, Dr Singh insisted that NICIL is a company that does not have to fall under Parliamentary oversight. Dr. Luncheon had also said that he is unaware of any
“I have no recollection that Parliament has authorised any expenditure from the NICIL accounts neither am I aware that NICIL, as a state-owned company incorporated under the Companies Act of 1991, has the authority to intercept funds that truly belong to the Consolidated Fund and to use such funds for purposes extraneous to the defraying of certain expenses referred to above.” accountability for taxpayers’ funds and can result in all kinds of allegations of impropriety in the use of such funds, notwithstanding the very best of intentions.” ALARMED Goolsaran said that he is alarmed to learn that some $50B may be sitting in the NICIL accounts; that the accounts of NICIL have not been audited and reported on since 2004; and of the arguments put forward by the Minister of Finance, Dr.
regulations which compel NICIL to hand over its monies to the Consolidated Fund. The opposition parties have accused Government of deliberately keeping the monies from Parliament so that there could be little perusal on how it is spent. NICIL has been responsible in a number of questionable transactions including the sale of the Sanata Complex to Queen’s Atlantic, which is owned by Dr. Ranjisinghi ‘Bobby’ Ramroop, who is said to be a
close friend of former President Bharrat Jagdeo, and who reportedly benefitted from a number of lucrative concessions. It was also involved in the highly questionable sale of several parcels of lands, including to current government Ministers. “As I understand it, the bulk of the funds collected by NICIL relates to proceeds from the sale of state assets. Are these proceeds not public revenues which should find their way as speedily as possible into the Consolidated Fund, as required by Article 216 of the Constitution?” The Consolidated Fund is where all Government revenues are placed. Goolsaran offered to audit the books of NICIL going back to when that company was started. VIOLATION “ I do not have any information as to how much NICIL has collected over the years and what expenditures were incurred to date and would have been happy to review the audited accounts going back to the date when NICIL was established. “I am nevertheless of the view that any expenditure by NICIL, other than to defray
Former Auditor General, Anand Goolsaran certain expenses, such as those relating to the sale of the related state assets, would be a violation of Article 217 (3) of the Constitution.” According to Goolsaran, that article made it clear that “No money shall be withdrawn from any public fund other than the Consolidated Fund unless the issue of those monies has been authorised by or under an Act of Parliament.” “I have no recollection that Parliament has authorised any expenditure from the NICIL accounts neither am I aware that NICIL, as a stateowned company incorporated under the Companies Act of 1991, has the authority to
intercept funds that truly belong to the Consolidated Fund and to use such funds for purposes extraneous to the defraying of certain expenses referred to above.” Recently, Government said that it was using millions of dollars of NICIL’s funds to finance the startup of a Marriott-branded hotel in Kingston, a project that is still shrouded in mystery as the owners and details of financing are unknown or unclear. Goolsaran said that the Constitution is the supreme law of the land, and if there is any inconsistency between any law and the Constitution, the latter prevails, except in situations where the Constitution permits this. “I am unaware that Parliament has sanctioned the establishment of any fund (extra-budgetary or otherwise) under the operations of NICIL.” Touching on other stateowned entities retaining revenues that are considered public, the former Auditor General urged for this issue to also be addressed. “If such entities are collecting monies on behalf of the State, then the monies collected net of related expenses should be paid over promptly to the Consolidated Fund. An example is the (continued on page 53)
Sunday May 06, 2012
Kaieteur News
TGI, Govt. avoid local cement crisis …T&T strike triggered hiccup, local hoarders to be penalized
The TGI plant in Georgetown By Gary Eleazar The Guyana Government and the local premier supplier for cement TGI Inc have avoided a potential crisis over the supply, demand and current price of the commodity on the local market. On Thursday, Chief Government spokesperson, Dr. Roger Luncheon, told the nation that Cabinet was exploring a number of initiatives to stem what is believed to be a hoarding of cement to jack up the prices. Dr. Luncheon spoke of a ‘name and shame’ campaign for those retailers of cement believed to be hoarding the commodity with a view to increasing its prices. He spoke, too, of a last resort measure in the form of applying for a waiver of the Common External Tariff (CET) to import cement from extra regional sources. Under the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) initiative should a member country import a commodity already being produced within the region, then the tax (CET) would be applied and in special circumstances a waiver would be applied for. The application is made to the CARICOM Council for Trade and Economic Development. A TGI Inc source said that the Head of the Presidential Secretariat was blowing ‘hot air’ and that the administration has blown the situation out of proportion. It was pointed out that the industrial action (strike) at the Trinidad Cement Company Limited (TCL) production plant caused a hiccup, delaying
shipments of cement to the Guyana bagging plant (TGI). This led to the company having to ship bulk cement for the Guyana Terminal from its bigger factory in Jamaica. This publication was told that TGI has not increased the price of its cement but rather what had transpired, was that retailers, realizing that there was a delay in the shipment arbitrarily hiked the cement price by as much as 100 per cent in some cases. This publication was told that one shipment of cement arrived from Jamaica over the past weekend and another shipment is expected shortly. TGI’s Plant Manager, Mark Bender, has reported that following industrial action at TCL, measures were taken to ensure that the supply of cement to Guyana remained steady. “Arrangements were made for TGI to receive its cement supply from TCL’s subsidiary in Jamaica in an effort to ensure that there was no undue shortage on the local market.” Minister with responsibility for Commerce in Guyana, Irfaan
Ali, met with stakeholders last week and pointed to the fair trade and competition laws which could see the retailers being penalized for arbitrary price hikes and hoarding. When contacted yesterday, Ali confirmed the TGI position and said that the current problem remains with the large scale suppliers of cement in Guyana. Without naming any of the companies or culpable entities, the Commerce Minister said that these entities had purchased cement in bulk, hoarded the commodity and took advantage of consumers. He said that the Ministry is in continuous receipt of reports and that officials are making continuous checks to ensure that the entities are not breaching the competition laws of Guyana. Ali assured that the Ministry has the situation under active monitoring with a view to ending the commodity hoarding which led to price increases. He did confirm, also, that while the Government has hinted at applying for a waiver of the CET this has not been done as yet.
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Essequibo’s oldest, May Garraway, is 102 May Garraway accredits her longevity to God. She is also of the opinion that her being around for 102 years must have been the result of a good deed on her part. The 102-year-old Pomeroon resident, who celebrated her 102nd birth anniversary on May 3, amazingly continues to enjoy favorable health, except for blurred vision. The mother of ten, four of whom are alive today, celebrated her birthday with a thanksgiving service, at the Seventh Day Baptist Church, Grant Mainstay, Lower Pomeroon River, yesterday. Aunt May as she is commonly known, showered praises on God for allowing her to observe another birth anniversary.
Her daughter, Joyce Garraway, is currently her caregiver. The centenarian enjoys chicken and thrives on metagee and fish. She is the lone member of her family to have lived past five decades. Born in 1910, on May 3, to David Alexander a/k David Miller and Georgeina Welcome May Garraway, she grew up in Hackney, Pomeroon. She attended a Roman Catholic School as well as a Brethren School at Hackney, along with her siblings, all of whom are deceased. But her school life was short-lived, according to Aunt May, who said due to the adaptable culture of Agriculture, which continues to be the practice of residents
May Garraway and her descendants
in the Pomeroon. She recalled working with her siblings on the farm planting mainly ground provision, which supplemented her parents’ income. According to Aunt May, there are numerous accolades attached to her name, but the most outstanding she acquired for delivering more than 200 babies, at Hackney, a job she said she enjoyed during her younger years. She said that she was never married, worked as a seamstress and also farmed. She single-handedly took care of her ten children. May Garraway has 70 grand children and 108 greatgrandchildren. Her advice is to “fear God and keep his commandments.”
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Kaieteur News
Sunday May 06, 2012
Battered woman bullied in police station A mother of four is calling on the Commander of ‘C’ Division, Brian Joseph, and relevant authorities to investigate a female police rank at the Leonora Police Station who, allegedly, is protecting a member of the Anna Catherina Policing group who assaulted her on Friday. The victim was identified as Shellyza Ally of Anna Catherina, West Coast Demerara. According to reports, the man confronted Ms Ally on Friday about family related issues. He then attacked the woman while she was driving out her street. He reportedly dealt her several blows to the face and ripped off her head scarf (kemar) before tearing off her top and bra. Shellyza Ally explained that on Friday her husband’s aunt visited her residence. Later that day, her aunt’s stepson called her landline
- alleged abuser a member of Community Policing Group
Shellyza Ally phone and began to use abusive and explicit words toward her. She later cut off the phone. “The phone ring about four times again and I didn’t pick it up because I saw on the caller’s ID that it was the same person calling. He left a message on the phone
saying, ‘Shelly you are a whore just like your aunt,” Ms Ally lamented. She then left to visit the Leonora Police Station. Ally said that on her way, as she was driving through the street in her vehicle she was confronted by the same caller who is well known in the Anna Catherina Policing group. “While driving to the police station there was my aunt stepson on a bicycle coming towards me, when he ride in front of my car and I had to stop.” Ms Ally explained that the man then walked toward her vehicle and started slapping her in the face several times, then ripped off her Kemar, top and bra in the process. “I was yelling ‘help’, and no one was coming forward to help me, and he was saying that he would kill me. But a
Lalchan confronted ‘hit-man’ a... From page 7 alleged hit-man had collected a $1M down-payment to do the job. While the associates say that they know the identity of Lalchand’s killer, the motive for the killing is still unclear. According to reports, Lalchand and some of his friends were in Sussex Street on Friday night during a slight drizzle, when there was a sudden blackout in the area. At the time, Lalchand was standing by a gate smoking a ‘joint’, when a white car turned from Lyng Street into Sussex Street. One of the friends said that the occupants of the car discharged two gunshots, one of which struck Lalchand. According to the
associate, they were unaware that Lalchand had been shot until they saw him lying on the ground. The friends placed him in a vehicle rushed him to the GPHC, where he succumbed while receiving medical attention in the Accident and Emergency Unit. Close friends of the slain man said that Lalchand’s killers had been ‘circling’ the area earlier in the day. They said that a gold-coloured car, which they recognized, passed in the area at around 17:55 hrs. “Some friends see the car and tell him (Lalchand) come off the road, but he say that he got to get something to eat.” Aman Lalchand had had several brushes with the law.
He was charged, but acquitted, for the 2008 execution-style murder of George Barton, called ‘Georgie Berlin.’ Barton was riddled with bullets by gunmen in a car while walking in Laing Avenue with his teenage daughter. The daughter was shot in the knees and buttocks. The young woman never testified in court during either preliminary inquiry, citing fear for her safety. In 2011, Lalchand was also charged with robbing designer Trevor Rose at gunpoint of $2.65M at a Middle Street Mashramani Camp. At the time, the accused had several other cases of a similar nature pending.
The flavoursome rums of... From page 11 scents of the future rum. From the ancient wooden pot stills, spirit bubbles out from tiny leaks at the seams of the staves. There’s even a wooden column still, a form of continuous spirit production. These oldfashioned stills create very flavourful rums; you need only a pinch of them to add oodles of character. Two new enormous stainless steel continuous stills have been added at a cost of $25 million and these will help increase production to meet the demands of their many customers. THE EL DORADO RUMS Demerara’s own brand is El Dorado and they produce about a dozen different and amazingly good rums under this label. All the rums are aged in former bourbon barrels, and they have about 90,000 barrels spread out
between three warehouses. The oldest rum they have in cask is over 40 years. As part of my El Dorado Heritage Tour I tasted through their entire line. These are the ones available in Ontario: El Dorado Five-year-old ($24.95) is a phenomenal value. It’s golden coloured, with deep, slightly rubbery, rummy flavours. Six-year-old Deluxe Silver Demerara Rum ($29.85) is colourless and clear as the barrel color and perhaps even some of the congeners have been filtered out. It has more of a punch, elegance and spice flavour to it and less of the rummy aspect. The 12-year-old Demerara Rum ($35.60) is deeper, darker with more colour. It lingers on the palate and is an elegant rum but also with an overlying sweetness and some vanilla, bourbon, spiced notes to it. The 15-year-old Demerara ($59.05) is my favorite of the
lot in terms of quality, price and character. It’s lighter in colour than the 12-year-old, with a real elegance to it. There is a soft rum delicacy and sophistication along with spice and a lively character. The 21-year-old Demerara Rum ($109.95) is a deep amber colour with dense, concentrated, vanilla sweetness. Very velvety with less spice it’s almost cognac like except for that overlying sweet molasses character. It’s long, lengthy, with layers of complexity and flavours. It’s an incredible bargain. El Dorado Single Barrel EHP Demerara Rum Of the three single barrel rums which sell for $99.95 in Ontario only the El Dorado Single Barrel EHP is currently on the shelves. They sport an average age of 12 to 14 years old. EHP is made in their wooden Coffey still. (From the National Post)
junkie hold him back then I escaped through the front passenger seat. Only then people started to assist me and carry me in a yard where I got another top to wear.” Adding that she called her husband after the ordeal, Ms Ally said they then visited the Leonora Police Station where she was insulted by a female police rank and told to leave the police station because she was crying. “She told me I can’t cry in the place and I have to get outside. She told me I can’t sit inside the police station and that I have to go outside. I saw the man who is with the policing group and who beat me up in the station and the
female police told him to go get a pen and write his own statement… “She then started yelling at me when I had to give a statement and she told my family to go outside.” Earlier in the year, Court Superintendent of the Guyana Police Force (GPF), Maxine Graham, in an address at the National Congress of Women (NCW) symposium which was held in observance of International Women’s Day 2012, noted that the Police Stations have systems in place to deal with domestic violence that affect many women in society. “At these stations, we have specific domestic violence and sexual offences
rooms. In addition, to the rooms, there are units- we have Sexual Offences Unit and Domestic Violence Unit”. “The Sexual Offences Unit is manned by specialised female officers. This is to avoid female victims feeling uncomfortable while reporting their experiences.” Ms Graham explained that even if victims go to the Inquiry Office to lodge complaints of an abuse, the report is taken but that person is sent immediately to the Sexual Offences Unit that would deal with the matter. However, according to Ms Ally, this was not the case when she visited the station to make a report pertaining to her being beaten.
ImmigrationTALK
Widow (er) of U.S. Citizen Eligible for Permanent Residency By Attorney Gail S. Seeram Prior immigration laws required a widow(er) of a U.S. citizen be married at least two years at the time of death of the U.S. citizen to be eligible to self-petition for lawful permanent resident status (or a green card). In other words, if an undocumented alien was married to a U.S. citizen and the U.S. citizen spouse died before your marriage lasted two years, then under prior law, the undocumented alien was not eligible to selfpetition as a widow(er) to obtain a green card. This prior law caused many widow(er)s of U.S. citizen to have their immigration petitions denied and to be placed in removal/ deportation proceedings. Many practitioners didn’t see the purpose of the two-year marriage clause and this law was termed the “widow penalty”. In October 28, 2009, under President Obama, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act of 2010, P.L. 111-83, 123 Stat. 2145 removed the words “for at least 2 years” from INA §201(b)(2)(A)(i). The change in the law allowed the widow(er)s of U.S. citizens married for any length of time to self-petition for immediate relative status, but must still file within two years of the death of the U.S. citizen spouse. Additionally, if the U.S. citizen spouse filed a I130 prior to the death, the I130 is automatically converted to an I-360 upon the death of the petitioner. The requirement that the
widow(er) not be remarried was not changed. Requirements to Qualify as a “Widow(er): The following requirements must be met for a widow(er) to self-petition for lawful permanent resident status (or green card) after the death of their U.S. citizen spouse: 1. He or she was the citizen’s legal spouse; 2. The marriage was bona fide and not an arrangement solely to confer immigration benefits to the beneficiary; 3. He or she has not remarried; 4. He or she is admissible as an immigrant; and 5. In an adjustment of status case, that he or she meets all other adjustment eligibility requirements and merits a favourable exercise of discretion. Children of Widow(er)s: The child of a widow(er) whose self-petition is approved may be included in the widow(er)’s petition as long as they meet the definition for “child” under the immigration laws. Where the deceased citizen filed an alien relative petition for his or her spouse that was pending at the time of his or her death, and the alien relative petition can now be adjudicated as a widow(er)’s self-petition, the child(ren) of the widow(er) will be included in the widow(er)’s self petition. An individual qualifies as the “child” of a widow(er) depending on his or her age when the alien relative petition was filed. Q. Are my children, who
Gail S. Seeram are not the children of my deceased U.S. citizen spouse, covered under this new law? A. Yes. Regardless of whether your children are also the children of your deceased U.S. citizen spouse, the programme covers your children in the United States, as long as they meet the definition of your “child” under the immigration laws. Q. What if I was legally separated or divorced from my U.S. citizen spouse at the time of his or her death? A. If you were divorced or legally separated from your U.S. citizen spouse at the time of his or her death, you are ineligible for this programme. Q. What if I am a widow(er) who was removed or departed from the United States while an order of removal was pending? A. If the widow(er) is outside of the United States and had been ordered removed, U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) has discretion under the immigration laws to consent to the widow(er)’s reapplication for admission. USCIS will generally exercise discretion favourably and grant an application for consent to reapply for admission once all the requirements are met. Q. What if I am in removal proceedings? A. Your attorney or accredited representative is in the best position to advise you about your specific case.
Sunday May 06, 2012
Kaieteur News
Page 19
THE WORLD IS NOT WAITING ON GUYANA TO SOLVE ITS POLITICAL PROBLEMS For many years, political divisions were blamed for the problems in Guyana. But on closer examination, the real problem was the lack of proper models and the lack of talent to effectively manage the economy. Guyana’s political problems have been overstated when it comes to the underperformance of the economy. But right now, it is the political divisions and the present unworkable arrangement that exists in parliament that is creating headaches for the economy. The reason for these headaches is quite simple. Guyana is now an open economy and is integrated into the global economy in a way that makes it very dependent on external markets and external capital. And if there are problems that affect markets and access to capital, Guyana is doomed. The Low Carbon Development Strategy is part of the plan to link Guyana to external markets and capital. This is a plan that is reliant
on the sale of carbon credits to Norway and the use of the funds earned from such sales to be put to specified purposes, in keeping with the objective of achieving a low carbon economy. Guyana could have gone another route. It could have invited East Asian companies and the Brazilians to come and plunder our forests and excavate our gold. We would have also made billions that way. But what would have happened to future generations? They would have lived in a wasteland. The government chose another route. They opted to sell carbon credits to Norway, which has reduced emission targets to meet. Guyana sells the carbon credits to Norway which used these credits to meet its targets and in return pays Guyana some $250M over a period of time. This is a good deal since it does not require us to reduce our present rate of deforestation or reduce gold mining below what exists at the moment. Guyana is taking this
money and using it to develop hydroelectricity so that we do not have to import fuel for electricity purposes. This new energy source would be sustainable. It is therefore simplistic to argue that the only link between the Amaila Falls Hydroelectric Project and the LCDS is a financing link. This is not so. The hydroelectric project is part of a grand scheme to have a low carbon economy which will avoid Guyana having to do like some other countries and burn down its forests or open up its mining districts to rapid destruction. Political problems between the government and the opposition now place this entire strategy in doubt. Sadly, while the world is not waiting on Guyana. The opposition parties had impressed upon the Norwegian government the need to ensure transparency and accountability for the funds being provided. As such, the disbursement of funds under the Norwegian
deal is linked to the readiness of these projects. The end use of the funds is integral to the deal. Those responsible for the funds cannot release the monies into the hands of the government without some assurances that these funds will be put to the uses to which they are intended. Once, therefore, the opposition begins to hold up these projects, it jeopardizes the entire Norwegian deal and by extension the LCDS. There are other funds which will come from elsewhere for other projects under the LCDS. The Chinese are likely to come on board some of these other projects under the LCDS, but the Chinese are not going to wait on Guyana to solve its political problems. There are countries lining up to ask the Chinese to invest. The Chinese themselves have a fair stake in Guyana with proposed investments in a hotel, the extension to the airport, plus in the running of a cable from Brazil. The Chinese are not
going to wait on us to solve our problems. They are searching for resources and investment opportunities. Latin America is knocking on their door. So the opposition can play their silly games. The country as a whole will suffer and the people will know that Guyana did not get on the fast track to development because of the opposition’s antics in parliament. Everyone says that hydroelectricity is needed. There were concerns about the deal the government entered into during the Jagdeo administration. The Donald Ramotar administration invited the opposition to a briefing on the project and released all the agreements. The opposition indicated that they were pleased by the briefing. And despite having the agreements, which were previously much criticized by the opposition, there has been little criticism since being made public. So it does seem as if most of the deals
signed under President Jagdeo has passed muster and are reasonable deals. So why then hold up the monies for the LCDS and by implication the Amaila Falls Hydroelectric Project? Do the opposition really believe that the investors are going to sit and wait for them to make up their mind? Do they really believe that Guyana is so important to the Blackstone Group which is putting together the investments that the grouping is going to wait on them? Not in today’s world. And not with so many other investment destinations around. So the opposition can play its games. Except that if they continue, they will be the only ones left on the field, because the people of Guyana do not have to waste with silliness.
Courts celebrates Indian Arrival Day Dr. Vindhya Persaud accepts the cheque of $200,000 from Managing Director of Courts Guyana Inc.
The contestants dancing to cultural Hindi songs Courts Guyana Incorporated on Friday welcomed the occasion of Indian Arrival Day by donating $200,000 to the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha. The money will go towards the construction of the shelter in Berbice.
The cheque was handed over to Executive member of the Sabha, Dr. Vindhya Persaud. In addition, some staff members of its Main Street location took part in an ‘Indian wear’ competition, while some also
danced to the Bollywood filmy songs being played. The winners of that competition were, Jermaine Ghanie, Veer, Jason Cush, Natasha Hyles and Subrina Razak. Customers were also treated to samples of a number of sweet meats.
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Kaieteur News
Sunday May 06, 2012
Sunday Special TIME NOW TO NEGOTIATE FOR SUPPLEMENTARY FUNDS - GRANGER
Christopher Ram
David Granger The $192.88B Budget as was presented to the nation at the end of March, “if left unchanged, would have had catastrophic consequences for the entire nation for years to come.” This was the position of the leader of the Parliamentary Opposition Brigadier (rtd) David Granger when he responded to a State of the Nation Address by Head of State Donald Ramotar who called the actions of the opposition when it recently gutted $21B out of the budget, “callous and heartless.” Brigadier Granger, in firing back at the President, said that the Combined Opposition “acted correctly in making cuts to the budget.” According to the Leader of the Parliamentary Opposition it is now up to the ruling administration to introduce the reasonable reforms that have been demanded. He said that it is now time for the Government to return to the negotiating table and to collaborate with the Opposition to introduce an agreed Supplementary Budget “which gives the Guyanese people the good life that they deserve.” CHINESE BUYER ARRIVED AT US$30M PRICEAFTER INSPECTING GT&T’S BOOKS - LUNCHEON
Dr. Roger Luncheon
Government has defended the US$30M selling price of its 20 per cent stake in the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T). A government spokesman said that last week the approved Chinese firm examined the books of the communication giant before arriving at its decision to buy. That US$30M price tag had raised questions, with accountant Christopher Ram even writing about the matter in his weekly columns in the Stabroek News. Ram, speaking with Kaieteur News last week, said that Guyana may have lost almost $2B more on the price when it sold its 20 per cent stake in GT&T to Datang. The shares, he believes, are worth US$40M, using standard accountant calculations. But questioned on Thursday about how government arrived at that US$30M figure, Government spokesman, Dr. Roger Luncheon, said that the Hong Kong-based, China’s Datang Telecom Technology and Industry Group conducted its due diligence before it arrived at the price. “The Chinese firms came here and they looked over GT&T’s books… they worked with GT&T and they found a way-I am no financier - of costing the company.” “…You could actually say on that (US$30M) costing that there is an understanding that GT&T’s shares probably can be capitalized at US$150M right now. That is what it seems to be saying.” Ram, in questioning the deal which was announced earlier this month during a Government press conference, said that while the value of a share in a private company is a subjective matter, the sales of shares in private companies take place regularly and the finance industry has what it calls standard tools for arriving at an indicative price range. Monday Edition LOCAL POLICE CONFIDENT OF CAPTURING KILLER Acting Police
Nikita Ramischand
SUSPECT: Ramesh Sookram Commissioner Leroy Brumell is confident that the suspect in the brutal murder of Nikita Ramischand, the daughter of Trinidad-based attorney, will be captured soon. Brumell confirmed that Immigration records show that that suspect, Ramesh Sookram, called ‘Alan’, entered Guyana. “Immigration records show that he came here…it looks as if he planned the kill. We are working…we will get him.” The acting Top Cop said that he has also spoken to Crime Chief Seelall Persaud about issuing a wanted bulletin for the suspect. He said that his counterparts in Trinidad will be informed as soon as the arrest is made. A source said that information indicated that Sookram entered Guyana around 01:00 hrs two Thursdays ago. Detectives here have already checked at the Soesdyke, East Bank Demerara residence where the suspect’s mother resides. The 25-year-old Guyana-born construction worker has been on the run since April 25, when he allegedly killed 18year-old Ramischand near her mother’s salon in Maracas, Trinidad. The victim’s throat was slit and she was stabbed several times in the abdomen. Tuesday Edition GOVT HAS NO OBLIGATION TO TRANSFER MONEY TO CONSOLIDATED FUND – BRASSINGTON
There is nothing in law that says that Government is obligated to transfer what is believed to be over $50B from the coffers of the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) to the Consolidated Fund, according to Head of NICIL, Winston Brassington. The monies, representing largely the privatization proceeds of Government assets, has been a subject of contention with growing calls for more transparency and for it to be moved to government’s central accounts - the Consolidated Fund. According to Government’s spokesman and Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Roger Luncheon, the legal regulations that direct the operations of NICIL do not speak of the proceeds having to be transferred to Central Government. “No obligations on the government. There are 20-something articles that underpin the creation of NICIL and none of them says that money from NICIL has to be put into the Consolidated Fund.” Luncheon was responding to questions following his weekly press briefing last week. The opposition has been accusing Government of abusing NICIL’s resources. TEEN STABBED AND CHOPPED TO DEATH A 17- year- old lad of Lot 75 ‘B’ Number 70 Village, Corriverton, lost his life last week Sunday after he tried to save his stepfather from being badly beaten by two men in the area. Dead is Sasenarine ‘Suraj’ Persaud, an aspiring mechanic. He was allegedly stabbed and chopped by two brothers, believed to have been deported a few years ago from the United States. Wednesday Edition RAMOTAR CHIDES DIVIDED WORKING
CLASS FOR BUDGET CUTS Prefacing his presentation with the exigencies of the global environment which has been leading to higher unemployment around the world, President Donald Ramotar on Tuesday lashed out at the political opposition and also took an accusatory swipe at what he described as a divided working class. Ramotar was making his maiden address to a May Day Rally as Head of State, and his presentation was as charged as one could be for such an occasion. Ramotar stated that a lot of what the political opposition has been able to achieve in the House was due to a divided labour movement in Guyana. The President asserted that in today’s world, Guyana finds itself at a difficult crossroad not just from external forces, but from factors within. Speaking to one of the more influential external factors that has affected Guyana in recent times, Ramotar reminded of the cut in preferential pricing for Guyana’s sugar by the European Union. This he said was done “at the stroke of a pen” and the Europeans reneged on a long standing agreement that cost Guyana some US$45M a year, “and we were still able to avoid the worst consequences.” GRANGER WILLING TO RESTORE BILLIONS, BUT WANTS REFORMS A Partnership For National Unity (APNU) has reiterated its openness to restore billions of dollars slashed from the $192B National Budget, providing there are significant reforms in the operations of a number of government agencies. Addressing workers during the May Day rally of the Guyana Trades Union
Congress (GTUC), Leader of the Opposition, Brigadier General (rtd), David Granger, also brushed off government’s accusations that the opposition has totally slashed the budget of drug agency, Customs AntiNarcotics Unit (CANU). The traditional May Day messages, delivered to separate factions of workers at the National Park and Critchlow Labour College, was done to dwindling numbers this year amidst growing dissatisfaction, particularly by public servants. Like last year, the Guyana Teachers’ Union went its separate way, a clear indication of the growing divide among the unions. On Tuesday, also, President of the Guyana Trades Union Congress, Norris Witter, unveiled a list of demands that included a comprehensive review of the country’s taxes, and of several questionable decisions by the courts as well as constitutionally established Commissions. Thursday Edition GOV’T LOSES COURT BATTLE OVER PARLIAMENT COMMITTEES The government on (Continued on page 37)
Chief Justice Ian Chang
Sunday May 06, 2012
Kaieteur News
Page 21
Ravi Dev Column
Arrival: The more things change... Quite recently, we had several spontaneous strikes by sugar workers on several plantations, complaining about agreements on their conditions of labour being violated. This is an old story...in fact, as old as indentureship itself. With the abuses of slavery still fresh in the public’s mind, the only way the planters could convince the British government to introduce indentured labour was to agree that such a system would follow overt and written rules. Some have claimed these work rules – and agreements on housing, medical care etc –actually ‘pampered’ the indentured Indians! In reality, not surprisingly, the rules were observed more in the breach. When the workers protested, there were the standard responses: charging
Fear is slowly creeping back to blanket the country. It was once a feature in the days when cocaine wars and gunmen battled in the streets and in communities. Ordinary people kept off the streets for fear of getting caught in the crossfire. It soon emerged that there were those who targeted every criminal, active or otherwise. Those days are returning; no criminal is safe from the hired guns. There will be three such killings in the coming days. The killer would be
them with violating their labour agreement – which was a criminal matter ejecting them from the plantations; docking their pay and ever so often calling in the police to shoot them down after ‘reading the riot act’. The immigrants had very few partisans in authority to champion their cause – even though one of the ‘rules governing indentureship insisted that there be a “Protector of Immigrants” and his agents. After an 1869 protest by some immigrants at Leonora, a sympathetic magistrate (who at the time was posted in the WI) wrote a devastating critique of the abuses of immigrants. It led, as was the usual British response, to a Commission of Enquiry in 1870-71 – right before five protesting workers were shot and killed at Devonshire Castle in Essequibo in 1872.
But the abuses continued unabated and in 1896 at Pln. Non Pareil , another 5 immigrant workers protesting slashed wages were gunned down and fiftynine wounded. A champion of their cause came from an unexpected source. Bechu was an indentured Indian who had arrived two years before, bound for Enmore. He wrote a letter to the Daily Chronicle that inspired other Indians in the colony to defend their exploited compatriots in the sugar fields. Bechu wrote: Sir, Will you kindly permit me, through the medium of your widely circulated paper, to say a few words with regard to the official investigation which has been made concerning the rate of wages paid to the indentured workers on Pln. Non Pareil?
someone with protection from the very agency targeted with the responsibility of protecting the society. ** Closed circuit television is going to capture a most horrific scene. A gunman is
going to shoot a businessman whom he had targeted. The reality is that the increased police presence has spawned a group of people bent on acquiring money at all cost. But there is going to be fallout. The banks are going to step up their efforts to remove paper money from active circulation. ** The political scene is not going to become calmer. A government entity is going to be at the centre of a heated debate that will fuel charges of corruption.
Being a coolie myself, and an indentured one in the bargain. I have up to now refrained from saying anything in the matter, but as I see it mentioned in last Saturday’s issue of The Argosy that the referees after due enquiries are satisfied that the wages paid for punt loading and cane cutting is ample, and that the price for weeding is only a trifle below the usual rate. I am curious to know on what they have based their decision. Prior to registering myself for service in this colony, I, in common with the rest of my countrymen, had to sign an agreement which is printed in three different languages and which reads as follows: [Bechu then reproduces in detail the terms of the agreement with reference to (1) Period of Service. (2) Nature of Labour. (3) Number of days per week for labour. (4) Number of hours daily for labour. (5) Monthly or daily or task work rates – for men, women and children. (6) Conditions as to return
passage and (7) Other conditions. Bechu then delivered his indictment.] It will be observed from paragraphs 4 and 5 above that every male immigrant above 16 years of age is entitled to a rate of wage of not less than one shilling per day and every male and every female under 16 is similarly entitled to a wage of not less than 8 pence per day for seven hours of work in the field and ten hours in the factory and when performing extra work shall be paid in proportion for every extra hour of work. [Bechu details how these rules are violated preventing workers from earning even the measly stipulated wages.] In this colony however, an agreement appears to be binding on one side only, for we constantly see coolies being brought up for ‘neglecting to attend work’, for ‘not completing their task’, and for many such trivial breaches in contract, but in not a single instance have I seen a Protector charge an employer for not
Ravi Dev
fulfilling his part of the contract...Is this fair? ...[Bechu concluded] Verily ‘unto everyone that hath been given and he shall have abundantly; but unto him that hath not shall be taken away even which he hath.’” It is really an indictment on our humanity that 116 years after Bechu, sugar workers still have to protest identical violations of their working conditions. What they have to be careful about however, that those who purport to speak for them, must first understand (like Bechu) their dilemma. And secondly, that these ‘spokespersons’ are not just using them to further their own ambitions.
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Kaieteur News
Sunday May 06, 2012
A brazen abduction and execution…Another cold case By Michael Jordan Of all of the cases that I have reported on in this series, I believe that none has been quite as strange as the saga of Mohamed Hassan Ibrahimi. Ibrahimi, an Islamic cleric from Iran, arrived in Guyana ten years ago, in 2002. Eighteen months later he had married a Guyanese woman and had established the International Islamic College for Advanced Studies, located at Lot 42 B United Nations Place in Geirgetown. He was also the school’s Director. One day in 2003, Ibrahimi turned up at the Kaieteur News. He was drenched in blood and explained that he had been robbed. At the time, Guyana was in the throes of unspeakable violence and that attack was soon forgotten. It was in 2004, when the
Islamic scholar and his wife, who lived in Queenstown, were expecting their first child that their lives began to unravel. At around 22:30 hrs on April 2, 2004, Mohamed Ibrahimi stepped out of his college. The scholar was accompanied by an employee, Raymond Halley. The two men entered Ibrahimi’s white Toyota Carina and the cleric was about to drive off when two men, brandishing assault rifles, blocked their path. “Nobody move!” the gunmen shouted. Ibrahimi and Halley raised their hands in surrender and the gunmen opened fire, riddling the car with bullets and wounding Halley in the right foot. The assailants then dragged the terrified Ibrahimi out of his vehicle and forced him into a dark-coloured car, which was parked nearby. Slamming the doors shut,
Mohamed Hassan Ibrahimi they then raced away east into Brickdam. Within hours of the daring abduction, ranks from the police force’s AntiKidnapping Squad had launched a search for the missing cleric. Ibrahimi’s associates also began their own efforts to locate him. Muslim groups scoured various sections of Georgetown and the East Coast of Demerara. But not a trace of the Iranian was found. One thing soon became clear. Money was not the motive for the kidnapping, since the abductors made no ransom demand. Speculation was rife as to who was behind Ibrahimi’s disappearance. Was it the notorious gunmen who were hiding out in Buxton and Agricola? If so, why was there no ransom demand? Was it the work of the feared ‘phantom’ gang that had sprung up during the crime wave? If so, what did the ‘phantoms’ want with an Iranian cleric? On Thursday, April 9, 2004, a week after the abduction, police received a tip about his possible whereabouts. The information indicated
that Ibrahimi was being held against his will at a private school building in the city. Ranks from the AntiKidnapping Squad cordoned the area and entered the premises where students were preparing for exams. Although they found no trace of Ibrahimi, the ranks detained the principal, his deputy and about four other staff members.They were all released after intense questioning. The arrests and the police search sparked outrage in certain quarters. The days passed and the trail grew colder. I was at work at around 21:00 hrs on Tuesday, May 4, 2004, when someone telephoned me. The caller disclosed that police had located a two-and a half-feetdeep gravem some 400 yards off the St. Cuthbert’s trail and about three-and-a-half miles in from the highway. The victim, a man, had been placed face down, his mouth and hands were ducttaped and he had been shot twice in the forehead. The victim was dressed in a black jersey beneath a plaid shirt and a pair of brown trousers. These were the same clothes that Ibrahimi was wearing when he was kidnapped. The following day, police allowed Abdul Kadir, a former parliamentarian and close associate of the missing cleric, to view the body. After viewing a silver cap on the lower jaw, a gold finger ring, and the victim’s clothing, Kadir informed police that the dead man was indeed Mohamed Ibrahimi. Detectives believe that Ibrahimi’s kidnappers executed him about three days after he was abducted.The investigators believed that the cleric’s
captors forced him to walk through the trail until he reached the spot where he was executed. But according to police, no bullet casings or warhead were recovered. Reports at the time indicated that about three weeks before the discovery, a resident from the predominantly Amerindian area was walking along a trail when he spotted a strange, dark-coloured pickup with what appeared to be bloodstains. According to this report, he approached the vehicle with a view to getting a drop, but the pickup sped away. The man then saw what appeared to be a shallow grave nearby. He reportedly pushed a stick into the ground. It was covered with blood when he pulled it out. He reported the matter to his Village Captain, but there was no immediate report to the police. A few weeks later, the police got word of what had transpired and attempted to locate the captain and witness.
Investigators immediately suspected that the grave contained the body of the abductd Iranian cleric, since the vehicle the witness saw, appeared to be similar to one that was seen parked outside the International Islamic College when Ibrahimi was kidnapped. In response to the gruesome discovery, the Iranian government sent four detectives to Guyana to assist in the investigations. They visited the murder scene, but, like the local cops, they found nothing. Ibrahimi’s wife subsequently migrated, and the case like so many others, remains cold. If you have any information on this case or other unsolved murder, please write to us at our Lot 24 Saffon Street Charlestown office or you can contact us on telephone numbers 22-58465, 2258491, or 22-58458. You can also contact Michael Jordan at his email a d d r e s s : mjdragon@hotmail.com.
SEEKING HELP TO LOCATE RELATIVES OF EIGHT CHILDREN KILLED BETWEEN 1969-1970 Michael Jordan is trying to contact relatives of eight children who were murdered between March 20, 1969 and June 1970, by Harrynauth Beharry, also known as Harry Rambarran, Charles Bissoon, Charles Pereira, Anant Persaud and Maka Anan. Some of the victims are Basmattie, an eight-year-old schoolgirl from Anna Catherina, West Coast Demerara. David Bacchus, 15, of Tucville, 11-year-old Mohamed Fazil Nasir, of Number 78 Village, Corentyne, Mohamed Faizal, of Crabwood Creek, Corentyne, Jagdeo Jagroop, Mohamed Nizam Ali; Paulton of Hogg Island, Essequibo; Orlando Guthrie, of Grove Village, East Bank Demerara. Please contact him via his email address mjdragon@hotmail.com., or on telephone numbers 22-58458, 22-58465, or 22-58491. HeI can also be contacted on 6452447.
Sunday May 06, 2012
Kaieteur News
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== THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN ==
The wealthy party boy in the suit among the protesters There is an insurmountable dilemma the PPP has with its propaganda. For propaganda to penetrate, the facts have to be on the side of those driving the machine. Adolf Hitler became increasingly effective because the facts were on his side. One is that in the Great Depression of 1929, although all countries were hard hit by it, Hitler argued that Germany’s poverty was due to the burden the West placed on it after it lost the First World War. Although it was horrible what he did with his propaganda on the Jews, it was a fact that some of the wealthiest sections of German society were Jews. If there was no division of Germany territory in 1919 and no wealthy German Jews, the world might not have seen Hitler. In the US, Obama is vulnerable because the US is still to regain its economic robustness when Bill Clinton ruled and in the first few years of George W. Bush. Once the facts are on your side, you can present a distorted, manipulated picture to paint your opponent in a corner. The British Labour Party was bound to lose, because Blair made a mess of things. The Conservative Party simply milked the corruption scandals under Blair. In Guyana, a jaded, faded group of tired oligarchs are trying to save their power
after twenty years of insane use of power. So what do they do? They descend to unimaginable levels of absurdity by coercing state employees to picket the two opposition parties and seeking to compose a theme of propaganda that looks like elephant dung and smells like cow dung. The composers are incompetent and the facts are graphically against them. We start with the protester in the suit. He joined the state employees to denounce opposition budget cuts. But he cuts a pathetic figure when the facts about him are known and the protesters know about his facts. At that age to own a mansion, a swimming pool and untold other assets must make him uncomfortable among the demonstrators. The
protesters know that they will never, in a million years working in Guyana, own what this protester acquired in a few short years. It is comical for the PPP architects of propaganda to invent a theme of sympathy for NCN. No one reads the Chronicle; no one is influenced by it. Few look at NCN, no one is influenced by it. The Guyanese people know that if ten babies die in one day at the Georgetown Public Hospital, NCN for that day will feature tassa drumming by Reepu Daman Persaud as its lead item. There will be a news blackout on the babies because they died at a government hospital. The Guyanese know that they will have to tune in to Prime News and Capitol News to hear about those babies.
The Guyanese people know that when ‘Killaman’ or Kwame or the Oginga Obumba or De Raat turn up buried inside a shocking controversy, there will be a news blackout on NCN. If the Guyanese people were contemptuous of NCN then, they became insanely hostile to it two months before the general elections last year. Three private organizations were the major contestants in that election – PPP, APNU and AFC. But NCN, a state-owned company whose job is to report on State activities, showed obsession with one of those private organizations, the PPP. Every newscast for the two months leading up to the day of the election, reported on the election campaign of
the PPP. In 2011, NCN practiced paramountcy of the party that never reached such shocking heights under Burnham as the nation saw in the election campaign in 2011. It is not only that the subsidy for NCN should have been dissolved, but the entity itself. Could any propaganda exercise to support NCN be successful in this country? Only the PPP thinks so. Now we hear talk of a snap election. The hope of the tired oligarchs is that they will get votes by telling the Guyanese people that the opposition cut money for NCN among other things. Can this propaganda work? It cannot, once the man in the suit in the crowd is there for the opposition to lambaste. So the election campaign is on again and there you
Frederick Kissoon have these attentive cane cutters in Berbice listening to Moses Nagamootoo, and Moses is talking about the party boy in the suit with his mansion, pool, pool house and God knows what else he has. And Moses is talking about the OP consultant that has a monthly salary of $3 million. Let’s have the snap election, please!
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Sunday May 06, 2012
Greening the Economy - Challenges and Opportunities for Guyana By Mark Bynoe, PhD Two decades after the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) that brought us the three multilateral environmental agreements in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and United Nations Convention on Biodiversity (UNCBD), the concept of the
and development. It emphasises the generation of growth and improvement in people’s lives in ways consistent with sustainable development. Additionally, it promotes the pursuance of a triple dividend: advancing and sustaining economic, environmental and social wellbeing, and reinforces the broader sustainable development principles, i.e., allowing current generations to meet their needs without compromising the ability of
Using Guyana’s forests to promote actions that will gain social, economic, and environmental benefits through their prudent management Green Economy is once again entering the lexicon of policymakers, technocrats and academics as we prepare for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) (also known as Rio +20). But what is a Green Economy and what is its relevance for Guyana? According to the World Resources Institute (2011), a Green Economy can be viewed as an alternative vision for economic growth
future generations to meet their own needs. Unfortunately, the development imperatives for small, open economies like Guyana are still largely based on economic indicators, such as the expansion in gross domestic product (GDP) and foreign currency reserves held, and improvements in the purchasing power parity (PPP). While these are necessary ingredients for advancing a country’s well-
Pursuing mangrove reforestation to protect Guyana’s shoreline
being, they are insufficient for the sustained growth that will help in promoting inter- and intra-generational equity. Furthermore, these economic indicators often come at high, significant and irreversible social, environmental and economic costs, such as extreme poverty levels that are still reportedly above 30% in Guyana (World Bank, 2010). There is clearly, therefore, the need for a new economic paradigm for a small, open developing economy like Guyana, with substantial natural resources, limited human capital and high fossil fuel costs estimated at US$0.31/kwh. But the persistence of poverty and environmental degradation (associated mainly with, but not exclusive to, mining and inadequate coastal zone management) can be traced to a series of market and institutional failures that make the prevailing economic model pursued far less effective than it otherwise would be in advancing sustainable development goals. These market and institutional failures are well known to economists, but little progress has been made to address them. For example, there are insufficient mechanisms to ensure that polluters pay the full cost for their polluting actions. There are “missing markets” – meaning that markets do not systematically account for the inherent value of services provided by nature, like water filtration or coastal protection. A “market economy” alone, therefore, cannot provide public goods, like efficient electricity grids, sanitation or public transportation. And economic policy is often shaped by those who wield power, with strong vested interests, and rarely
Solar Panels being used to derive energy in Capoey captures the voice and perspectives of those most at risk. It is mainly because of the foregoing that the Green Economy concept remains so attractive for a country like Guyana, with vast renewable energy resources potential (inclusive of solar, wind, thermal and hydropower). The attractiveness of this proposition is that: (i) it offers Guyana an opportunity for energy security, (ii) it reduces the cost of doing business in Guyana thus encouraging more foreign investment in a country ranked 114 out of 182 in the Doing Business Survey of 2011 (World Bank, 2012) and making exports more competitive (This is particularly important for a country which ranks 109 out of 142 countries in the 2011 – 2012 Global Competitiveness Index) on the world market, (iii) it allows for more foreign exchange to be earned, (iv) it reduces foreign exchange leakage, where it was estimated that the cost for importing fossil fuel in 2008 was 43% of Guyana’s GDP (GEA, 2012), (v) there is more downstream
processing of its raw materials, thus creating more employment, and (vi) it improves the country’s fiscal position. It should be obvious to all that the funds which are “lost” through importation of fossil fuel or due to substantial line losses can be directed towards pursuing Guyana’s push to achieve and surpass the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), as well as improve the social and physical infrastructure, all aimed at enhancing the country’s sustainable development thrust. Critical for transforming Guyana’s economy, therefore, towards a more sustainable low-carbon pathway, even though the country emits less than 0.001% of the global greenhouse gas (GHG), would be to ensure that its income and employment expansions are driven by both public and private investments through an enhancement in the business environment (World Bank, 2012), reform the policy environment (Klass, 2010) and incentivise areas for fuel efficiency and investment in renewable energy resources. While not seeking to be prescriptive, some of the important questions to be asked in the context of Guyana are: · How to broaden and execute its bold low-carbon development strategy (LCDS) that must include, potentially, making ‘every building a power station’ by maximising their energy efficiency and potential to generate renewable electricity. With the major energy provider estimating line losses in excess of 40%, this amounts to US$48.40 (priced at US$121 of Brent Crude in April 2012) on every barrel of fuel! With energy being one of the three main inputs into the manufacturing process, this reduces the attractiveness of Guyana as a place to do business, increases the country’s emissions level and
reduces the price competitiveness of its exported products. · How to create, train and retain a ‘carbon army’ of workers to provide the human resources for an environmental reconstruction programme, when the country still suffers from high levels of emigration estimated at above 70% of University graduates (World Bank, 2010). · How to create the right policy environment and economic incentives to drive efficiency and bring alternative fuels to market. This can make available more funding for the LCDS and safety nets to those vulnerable to higher fuel prices via raising carbon taxes and revenue from carbon trading. · How to regulate the domestic financial system to ensure that the creation of money at low rates of interest is consistent with democratic aims, financial stability, social justice and environmental sustainability. In parallel, the challenges remain on how to prevent inflation, tighter controls on lending and on the generation of credit. The challenges and opportunities for Guyana in pursuit of a green economy objective are many. Clearly, there are roles for both the public and private sectors, with a major tenet being enhanced energy and resource efficiency, while simultaneously preventing the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services. These investments need to be catalyzed and supported by targeted public expenditure, policy reforms and regulation changes. This development path should maintain, enhance and, where necessary, rebuild natural capital as a critical economic asset and source of public benefits, especially for poor people whose livelihoods and security depend strongly on nature.
Sunday May 06, 2012
Kaieteur News
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My column
Is the government shortchanging the treasury? There was a time when people believed that money was a scarce commodity in Guyana. Of course this was indeed the case when the country could not import many things, leading to a call for what became known as import substitution. This import substitution led to the production of local salted fish, eschallot, various peppers, tomatoes and a host of products that Guyana once imported. This substitution saw the disappearance of canned foods like sardines. It also saw the failed attempts to replace wheat flour with rice flour. In fact, that is still the most criticized experiment, to the point that people still accuse the previous government of attempting to starve them. There were lines for gasoline. People slept in their cars outside gas stations and resorted to every single dodge to get fuel supplies. But things changed. Many of the supplies returned following an edict by the late President
Desmond Hoyte. There was still need to harness the resources, but gradually things got better. That growth in resources continued with increasing imports, debt write-offs and foreign inflows by way of loans and grants. Cocaine, marijuana and inflows from overseas-based Guyanese played no small part. The government helped the cause by disposing of assets that merely sat there and earned a lot of money. That money went into the body established in the 1980s; that body was the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL). Today, NICIL is one of the most talked about entities. For starters, it holds at least $50 billion that is not even shared with the Treasury. This has been the talking point for quite awhile, but it was only with the new Parliamentary disposition that the real attention is placed on this entity. It was set up as a holding entity for the
government’s assets. Any government property sold or disposed off was to be done through NICIL. In recent years there have been a lot of assets disposed of. There were the state lands sold for purposes of housing; there were those lands sold to businessmen for the purposes of setting up business estates and industrial sites; there were the sugar lands, some of which went to facilitate Pradoville. There were also the lands on the Sparendaam foreshore that have allowed for the establishment of some of the most remarkable homes in this country. Some of those homes would hold their own with any, in any part of the world. Then there were the various assets including Sanata Textiles Limited which went to Queens Atlantic, the various state agencies including Guyana Pharmaceutical Corporation, Guyana Stockfeeds, the properties in Duke Street across from the United States Embassy, Herdmanston
House and Herdmanston Lodge, the bauxite companies, Omai Gold Mines Limited, and the list goes on. One would have expected that this money would have been placed for the benefit of the people, since the assets belonged to them. Instead, the Head of NICIL, Winston Brassington, had no compunction to hold on to the money. Just this past week, Cabinet Secretary Dr Roger Luncheon told the press that there is nothing in law to compel NICIL to transfer the money to the Government treasury. While this may be the case, it begs the question of who must spend the money held in the NICIL coffers. Of course, the Head of State has access to these funds, but one has been asking, who else? The last time the books for this entity were audited was back in 2003, almost nine years ago. Khemraj Ramjattan, addressing a press conference on Thursday noted that while the
government is accusing the parliamentary opposition of cutting $21 billion from the budget, the very government has withheld $50 billion from that same budget. This is a most interesting observation. If indeed the government had prepared a budget to cater for the needs of the people of Guyana, then why has it not made the $50 billion available? If indeed the money is the people’s money, then it should not be held in secret. One is now forced to believe that since the government does not need parliamentary approval to spend this money it can do as it pleases - buy what it wants and spend on what it wants. The upshot is that the $21 billion cut from the budget should not be a problem. If there is need for anything, all the government has to do is to apply to the NICIL funds. This is what it did with some $5 billion of Lotto funds. Former President Bharrat Jagdeo openly said that he had no intention of having anyone dictate how
Adam Harris the Lotto funds would be spent. This is why the nation keeps talking about executive theft and rampant corruption. This is why when the ordinary man sees the politicians amass huge wealth they know that all is not above board. Many now feel that the billions of dollars in the Lotto fund and in NICIL are there for the so-called big ones. And the government is doing nothing to prove the people wrong. I see that some parliamentarians propose to ask questions about the NICIL funds. I hope that they get answers.
Demerara Bank rakes in $500M profit for first half By Leonard Gildarie Demerara Bank Limited (DemBank) has announced robust growth with net profits of over $500M for the first half of its financial year, officials say. According to bank managers, the financial institution, which has described itself as Guyana’s first truly indigenous bank, has performed remarkably well in all areas of performance during the first half of the year ended March 31, 2012. The bank is reporting Profit before Taxation of $719M against profit of $631M in 2011, an increase of 14% whilst Net Profit increased from $455M to $501M; an increase of 10% over corresponding half year of October 2010-March 2011. “These significant improvements are reflected in its deposit base which is at its highest at $33.5 billion,
- says wireless Point-of-Sale a big hit registering a rise of 16% when compared to the 2011 corresponding year. Investment increased by 17.1% to $13.7 billion while loans and advances grew by 17%.” DemBank’s listing of its assets for the half year ended March 31, 2012 totalled $39.8 billion compared with $34.7 billion at the end of March 2011. Its interest earned on income for the period under review totaled $1.7 billion representing interest earned on both loans and advances and investments. This compares with earned interest totaling $1.0 billion during the preceding period. According to bank officials, as a consequence of the Bank’s solid performance for the first half of the year, shareholders’ earnings per share increased by 10.4%, to
$2.23 per share. Meanwhile, speaking on some of its strides in the first half of its financial year, which runs from October 2011 to September 2012, officials of the bank said that one of the highlights was the launching of the institution’s Wireless Point-Of-Sale device. The once stationary device which allows for debit cards to be used are now mobile and many companies, including supermarkets, retail businesses and restaurants are catching on fast and using them. “Demerara Bank has
shown great fortitude over the years and it is the first bank to introduce such a device to its customers. This has followed nicely with its line of first timers. Demerara Bank is the first indigenous bank in Guyana; it was the first bank to launch a real-time ATM; first to launch internet banking and the first to open a bank on the East Coast of Demerara.” Demerara Bank first opened for business on October 31, 1994. To date, the bank has six branches across the country. The last financial year, the bank amassed a $984M net profit, its highest to date.
DemBank, raking in over $500M in the first half of its financial year, says that its mobile Point-ofSale device has been one of the highlights of the bank’s products and services in recent times.
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Sunday May 06, 2012
Guyana’s LCDS and the Norway funds WHAT IS THE GUYANA LCDS? According to the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) website, the LCDS sets out Guyana’s approach to transition to a green economy. Its stated aim is to combat climate change while simultaneously providing economic growth and development. It sets out how Guyana’s economy can be realigned along a low carbon development path by investing payments received for avoided deforestation into strategic low carbon sectors. THE LCDS AND GRIF The Guyana REDD+ Investment Fund (GRIF) is the fund for the financing of activities identified under the LCDS. The Government of Norway has committed to provide up to US$250 million to the Fund by 2015. Under the agreement with Norway, the World Bank will be the Trustee of GRIF. It will receive the money from Norway and transfer this money to the Partner Entities when a request is made. WHO ARE THE PARTNER ENTITIES? The Partner Entities are
the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Bank. (Not the Government of Guyana) The Partner Entities carry out the projects that are requested by Guyana and approved by the Steering Committee that is made up of representatives from Norway and Guyana. HOWARE PAYMENTS MADE FROM GRIF? - Once the Steering Committee agrees to the allocation it will notify the World Bank and the Partner Entity (IDB, UNDP or WB) of such approval. - The Trustee (WB) will the issue a Letter of Commitment to pay over the approved allocation - When the Partner entity receives this letter it will send a Transfer Request to the World Bank. - When the Transfer Request is received the World Bank will pay the requested allocation to the Partner Entity. - The Partner entity will then make all payments to the implementing agency.
CAN THE POLITICAL OPPOSITION STOP PAYMENTS FROM THE GRIF? No! The process clearly sets out that the money from Norway will be kept by the World Bank. Payment from the Fund is the sole responsibility of the Steering Committee and the Partner Entity and payments will only be approved when the Steering Committee (including Norway) is satisfied that the project meets the eligibility criteria. CANAMERINDIAN COMMUNITIESAND OTHER LOCAL ENTITIES STILLACCESS MONEY FROM THE GRIF FOR LCDS PROJECTS? Yes! The agreement provides that once the projects are approved by the Steering Committee and do not exceed the amount in the Fund, money will be allocated. All projects approved by the Steering Committee whether it be Amerindian Land Titling, provision of solar panels for Hinterland communities, Micro and Small Enterprise Development or any other
approved project, will receive funding once they reach the eligibility criteria of the Partner Entity and the Steering Committee. CAN THIS INFORMATION BE VERIFIED? Yes! Persons can check this information against what is provided by the World Bank by visiting the World Bank website: www.worldbank.org/grif To attempt to mislead the Parliament into thinking that the $18 billion was money that would form part of the treasury was dishonest to say the least, and could very well be intended to establish a false defensive position the government intends to take when it fails to reach the standards set by IDB and UNDP for accessing the fund. This would not be the first time that the PPP/C Government would have failed to meet internationally set standards for accessing financing. Guyanese well remember the negligence of the PPP/C administration in 2011 that resulted in Guyana not accessing $3.8 billion of EU funding for the sugar industry and the failure of that same administration to agree to benchmarks that would have allowed Guyana to secure a $4 billion security sector reform project fund from the British Government. It is clear that that the PPP administration is unwilling to actively pursue any foreignfunded project with high standards of accountability and transparency.
Sunday May 06, 2012
Kaieteur News
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Is the cooperative movement in Guyana dying? By Dale Andrews (Continued from last Sunday) Kaieteur News (KN): It seems that you have given the matter of the operations of PMCS (Paradise MultiPurpose Cooperative Society) a lot of thought. According to an item carried in this newspaper, at that March 18 meeting you were identified to be a part of the team managing the affairs of the Society. Have you been able to make the transition from what many might see as an adversarial role to a more participative one in the interest of the general membership? Patrick Mentore (PM): If you mean have I been welcomed with open arms; the answer is no on many fronts. I don’t think that I have made any impression on the minds of some who arguably have benefitted from a situation of disorder. I am still of the opinion that if we do not move swiftly in the direction of a cooperative community, we will be doing ourselves a grave injustice. I strongly maintain the view that the Paradise Housing Scheme needs a place where we organize for community development; where members can be educated on the obligations and benefits of cooperatives. To my mind, members need to be continually exposed to cooperative education, which incidentally is one of the planks of an expanded and strengthened cooperative movement. Earlier I alluded to a joint Local Government and UNDP initiative; in that venture several items were bought for the Paradise community, including three computers with accessories, office desks and chairs, bookshelves and books. Sadly, I would have to admit that the lack of a community space has resulted in the items being reallocated to another community, to the disadvantage of the Paradise residents, who are no less deserving. KN: At the start of this interview you mentioned that the registered office of the PMCS is Lot 8 Paradise on the East Coast. Why not use that address for Society business and as a space for other communal activities? PM: First of all I am not sure where that address is, but I have a strong suspicion that it is connected to the founder of the PMCS, who I firmly believe will not be willing to cooperate under the circumstances. As it stands,
- The second and final part of an interview with Patrick Mentore, Community Advocate, Paradise Housing Scheme the PMCS business is conducted out of the office of the Chief Cooperatives Development Officer (CCDO) every Tuesday and Thursday of each week. My question is what input do members have in such a situation? Another concern that I have is the number of unoccupied lands in the Paradise Housing Scheme. Since October 1, 2011, I suggested that a notice should be sent to the media requesting persons who are allottees of house lots to come forward and reestablish their interest in building homes. This was never done. There is a general view that many of these lands are owned by persons who abandoned them after the
2005 floods and by persons residing overseas - something I have no serious quarrel with. However ,the condition of these lands does not give a favourable impression of the residents, and generally reflects a community without pride in its appearance… reminiscent of a disorganized squatter settlement. Those persons who reside overseas should be asked to pay an environmental fee towards keeping their lands free of unsightly bushes, while those in residence could be encouraged to keep their surroundings clean. It is only right that I add that my suggestions have earned me the label of “joining with the PPP to take away Black people land.” I believe that the injustice we are meting out to ourselves and our children is much more than any efforts towards improvement I could ever think up - joining with the PPP or not. There is need for a centre where youths can be the focus of motivational talks by respected Guyanese; sessions dealing with healthy
life choices; opportunities to become members of the police scouts or participate in sports and extracurricular activities. KN: Would you subscribe to a government takeover of the community with the attendant conditions which obtain under the policy among which is the reallocation of land if construction does not begin within a given timeframe? PM: Some persons have approached me saying that they would prefer the government to take over, because in their view, PMCS has been a cash cow for too few for far too long, with no accountability to members. I am not going to push that line,
simply since I feel that that sentiment is exactly what some others are trying to provoke, because they might be feeling that any such transition under the current circumstances would cause any wrongdoing to be covered up. I would prefer to
wait on the results and recommendations of the audit. What I find hard to understand is why so many opportunities to develop the cooperative spirit have not been utilized by the management. It was within the remit of the CCDO to ensure that the persons whom he appointed under 56(2) were qualified and knowledgeable of cooperatives or, if not, that they tapped into those with the necessary expertise. On a related point there was, as far as I am aware, no collective effort by the community to contribute to the victims of two house fires which occurred in the scheme during 2011 and this year
where two children lost their lives in a shack, and an entire home was destroyed respectively. The Golden Heart Day and Night Care and Play Group is the only institution which organized a hotdog sale, with the proceeds going
to the victims of this year’s fire. Why can’t we purchase brush cutters as a Society and charge a fee to residents for cleaning their yards of unsightly bush? There is a commendable effort by a few who have established little shops to cater for the needs of residents, but by and large there is no concerted effort to encourage the return to the land through kitchen gardening, where house lots measure in excess of 130 feet long. This would, I am sure, give real meaning to the concept of Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED). Right now, a group of concerned residents are examining ways to arrest the crime situation in the community, and it is hoped that all would come on board for our collective security. It is an established fact that criminals thrive on disunity and disorder, and I think that if we have the will and spirit of cooperation and cohesion, they will be forced to either adjust or find things to do with their time, or alternatively, relocate to more vulnerable communities. Finally, and I think that this is a fitting end to our discussion, the community needs to allocate lands for a burial ground, since all available lands outside of the housing scheme have been exhausted. KN: You preempted me there, but before you go, could you share your thoughts on how cooperatives generally can better perform their role for the benefit of members. PM: Sorry! My readings have shown that successful cooperatives are those which have ongoing cooperative education programmes, where members are informed and involved. Cooperatives
Patrick Mentore need to be proactive in seeking out and using appropriately qualified and experienced advisers and committees. If we talk cooperatives, we must be prepared to collaborate with other cooperatives based upon mutual management philosophy and practice. Regular meetings must be businesslike, with members encouraged to speak freely and to vote on important issues including amending the cooperative‘s rules. I have been particularly harsh on the governance of the PMCS, and I paraphrase these words for any board or committee entrusted with conducting the affairs of a cooperative society: know your duties and legal responsibilities under the Cooperative Act Chapter 88:01; place the cooperative first in all dealings and decision-making, and be the first to disclose any conflict of interest; be willing and mature enough to have your performance evaluated, and accept the results, because after all, you are serving at the behest and in the interest of the membership. Finally, do not be afraid to take members into your collective confidence in the process of development, while ensuring at all material times that there is transparency in all processes.
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A failed system?
Kaieteur News
Sunday May 06, 2012
Help for those little children…the vulnerable
By Leonard Gildarie As a journalist, years of practice would automatically steel you for the harsh realities. The sight of mutilated bodies, heart rending tears, fire, and twisted metal in vehicular accidents, becomes routine. You have to treat it as such, or you would have no place in that world. Being a family man, I have deliberately, lately, stayed away from the coverage of crime. However, it is inevitable that you would be called out to cover a number of late-night incidents. The last few weeks have not been easy ones for me. I have a wonderful family that I would dread to have anything to happen to, or worse yet…to me. The world is not an easy place by any means. There are the very real issues like mortgages and expenses to deal with. I was six when my father a policeman - was killed while performing duties at a government facility. The killers wanted his gun. They got that and his life. In the wake, they left two little children and a young wife. I can still vividly remember the police funeral. So it was that last month, I had just reached my home
Guyana may need to reexamine its strategies in dealing with vulnerable families that have suffered from tragedies. at La Parfaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara, when I got a call from the office that there was a fire in the area. Persons were jumping through the windows to escape the flames, I was told. I came out of my home and sure enough, I saw the redness in the sky, a fair distance away. A family of seven living there was left homeless. Two children, Andrea James, 10,
and Jarvin Douglas, 6, died in the fire. Three of them, all under the ages of 10, escaped the blaze by jumping through a window. The children were being looked after by their aunt, who that night had made an unfortunate decision to leave them alone and attend to some business in the city. A lit candle was later to be blamed. I saw the anguish on the faces, the disbelief on those of neighbours and persons in the community. The family had lost everything. A sixyear-old, tears streaming down his face, told of breaking windows and encouraging the others to jump. The Lions Club and a number of Good Samaritans assisted the family. One evening, last week I passed and saw that the family had constructed a makeshift home in the remains of the property. A television was on, a stark reminder that life continues. It pained. A SHOCKER Two Thursdays ago also, I was preparing to close off at the office. It was about 19:00 hours. One of the newspaper’s freelance photographers brought some accident photos. That accident was by the Botanical Gardens, on Vlissengen Road. It was a motorcycle accident in which the person had died after reportedly crashing into a truck. The body was covered and the accident scene was littered with broken parts and blood. I prayed for the victim. About 10 minutes later, I called the wife and she was crying. Our neighbour, Andy, had died in a motorcycle
accident. I rushed back to the computer and started it up. Sure enough, I recognized the bike and on close examination, the gloves on the victim’s hands, and I was convinced that it was indeed my neighour and close family friend. The pain was unbelievable. It was like déjà vu. I thought of his two sons - one is eight and another 12 and his wife who adored him. A father lost, a husband gone. The concern now is how they would make it through. He was the breadwinner for the family. We had gone fishing a few weeks before. He was light-hearted and happy. He would play hopscotch with his children and was known to spend a lot of time with them. On Thursday, I was at the funeral. He was cremated. His wife had to be rushed to a hospital after collapsing. The children bravely carried out the last rites. It is not an easy thing to watch. What was going through their minds? Did they comprehend the situation? The neighbours committed to helping them. I was one in that lot. It would be intolerable for me to go to sleep at nights knowing that I could, in my limited means, lend a helping hand. How would they afford now to attend the school that is at least five miles away at Vreeden-Hoop? What would the wife do now? It struck my heart. MURDER Shortly after that funeral, on Thursday, I received a call that a neighbour of the community where I grew up Grove, East Bank Demerara -
had been murdered. His body was discovered at Enmore. He lived at the new housing scheme, at Golden Grove, East Bank Demerara. He had two kids, a home and family. Everything was going for him. He left home Wednesday night, reportedly after dinner with his family, to work his taxi at the Diamond car park. They never saw him alive again. The family after not seeing him at home that night, made searches and later learnt early Thursday that a body had been discovered with hands and feet bound at Enmore, almost 24 miles away. Their worst fears were confirmed after he was identified. Yes, it was indeed Rajesh Puran - father, husband, brother, and dear friend. Growing up, I always saw Rajesh working. He left working on America Street where he changed money for a number of years to operate a taxi. We would give him work. He said it was hard there and he wanted to be more stable. He bought a Toyota Ceres. Lately, he reportedly bought a Toyota Raum. At the time of writing, it is believed that his killers may have wanted his car and took his life for it. The car is still to be recovered. Again, this particular case struck home straight to the heart. His daughter, I am told, was set to write exams. He was close to both kids. Again, I wondered… what would happen to these two kids? Across Guyana, like the rest of the world, there are untold and countless tales like these. In Guyana, there are a number of government
programmes - the Women of Worth, which allows single mothers to tap into a fund and the public assistance monies, readily comes to mind. One of the problems that I constantly hear from affected families is that they are not aware of the assistance being offered by government. I am also not sure whether Guyana cannot do much better than the amounts we are allocating to assist families in need. I would love to see the debates start in earnest on critical issues like these and the pensions. Another problem that Guyanese face, and I would be to blame also, is the recognition that there may be a need for the country to seriously think about offering mandatory counseling in situations like these. We tend to overlook the importance. Here, the church, the government and even schools and organizations like Lions and Rotary may be able to play a part. Let us not wait until help is asked for. Let us go to the victims. Guyana has got to go back to the drawing board and rethink some of its social assistance programmes, and maybe I am ignorant of them at this time. We cannot in a country of such a small population allow our future, our children, to fall by the wayside… It is an unimaginable situation. We are known as a very hospitable people to our guests. Charity begins at home. Let us extend our hearts to those vulnerable, those little children, lest we be accused of having a system that has failed its people.
Sunday May 06, 2012
Kaieteur News
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Illegal gold mining, logging, smuggling…
Brazil sending more troops to guard Guyana, other Amazon borders Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (New York Times) - Brazil is deploying more than 8,500 troops to the far reaches of the Amazon rain forest this month in an operation aimed at cracking down on drug smuggling, gold mining and illegal deforestation, officials said. The troop mobilization sends a clear message ahead of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, which is scheduled to take place here in June, that Brazil is taking steps to assert greater control over its porous frontiers in the Amazon. Soldiers are being sent to border areas near Venezuela, Suriname, French Guiana and Guyana. “The Amazon is Brazil’s No. 1 priority from a strategic viewpoint, given its importance to humanity as a source of water, biodiversity and food production,” Gen. Eduardo Dias da Costa Villas Boas, chief of the Amazon Military Command, said in a telephone interview. The operation, expected to last several weeks, showed its first results on Thursday when officials announced the detection of 10 clandestine airstrips in the state of Roraima. The airstrips were being used for illegal mining operations on indigenous territory, General Villas Boas said. Defense Minister Celso Amorim, speaking before the Brazilian Senate in March, said the country was planning to increase its military presence in the Amazon over the next several years. “It’s the most vulnerable part of our
Brazil struggles to patrol its borders in the Amazon. country,” Mr. Amorim said. “We have a wealth of resources, which can make us the target of adventures.” Sovereignty over the Amazon, about 60 percent of which is in Brazil, is a sensitive issue among Brazilians, with some military thinkers expounding on perceived threats to the region. The Amazon is also changing fast as it urbanizes; in Brazil, more than 20 million people live in the Amazon. Manaus, in the state of Amazonas, was Brazil’s fastest-growing city over the past decade. In addition to scourges
like illegal timber extraction and deforestation for producing pig iron, drug smuggling from neighboring
countries has emerged as a big concern. In Amazonian cities like Belém do Pará, use of a cheap variety of crack
cocaine has surged, alarming public health officials. At the same time that lawmakers have carried out a
contentious debate over legislation creating new rules for land use in the Amazon for agriculture and ranching, Brazilian military officials have reached out to neighboring countries in an effort to strengthen ties and share information. For instance, Brazil forged a military agreement this year with Colombia enhancing cooperation along their border in the Amazon. Ahead of this month’s operation, Brazilian officials said they went to Venezuela, Guyana and Suriname, explaining to authorities in those countries that the deployment was intended to reinforce the government’s presence in some of Brazil’s most remote areas. While Brazil emphasizes that relations are peaceful with all its neighbours, the military still deals with occasional flare-ups of instability in the Amazon. In a separate deployment in recent days, Brazil sent troops to Acre State, bordering Bolivia, after Bolivian forces threatened to forcefully expel Brazilians living in Bolivian territory.
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Sunday May 06, 2012
Sunday May 06, 2012
Kaieteur News
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The Poles melt, we drown By Sir Ronald Sanders In 1982, the less than oneyear old Caribbean small island state, Antigua and Barbuda, raised the proposition at the United Nations that Antarctica should be regarded as a global common similar to the deep-sea bed and should be managed by the UN for the good of mankind. Few could understand why a small island state would want to raise a matter that seemed to be “big country politics”. Today, as “polar ice caps melt and small islands drown”, the reasons for Antigua and Barbuda’s concern in 1982 have become very apparent. In 1982, arrangements for the governance of Antarctica lay exclusively in the hands of the signatory states to the Antarctic Treaty System. It was an exclusive arrangement between 12 countries. Of the 12, seven — Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom — have territorial claims, sometimes overlapping (as in the case of Britain and Argentina in the region of the Falklands/ Malvinas islands). The US
and Russia also maintain a “basis of claim”. As matters turned out, Antigua and Barbuda was too recent an independent nation and lacked the resources to continue to press the case for the UN declaring Antarctica “a global common” that should be managed by the UN for the good of all nations. It was left to Malaysia to take up the cudgels. In 1983, Malaysia argued at the UN that Antarctica should be a global heritage similar to that of the high seas and any benefits derived from Antarctica should be shared by all and not only the exclusive right of certain vested countries and parties. Malaysia also argued that the pristine “Antarctic environment be protected and preserved”. The seven countries with claims to Antarctica were as unhappy with the Malaysia proposal, as they were with Antigua and Barbuda’s aborted first raising of the issue. Nonetheless, Malaysia garnered sufficient support to ensure that until 1996, the Question of Antarctica was discussed at the UN. But, in 2005 it dropped off the UN agenda.
There is clear evidence now that the worry about preserving the pristine condition of Antarctica was very valid when it was raised in the UN in 1982. Human activity in the area and climate change in Antarctica and in the Arctic are adversely affecting small island states and vulnerable coastal areas of larger countries. This point was well made at a conference most people would say small island states in tropical climates had no business attending. The International Polar Year Conference 2012, under the theme, “From Knowledge to Action” was held in Montreal, Canada, from 22-27 April. Organized by several partners especially the World Meteorological Organization, Ronald Jean Jumeau, Ambassador for Climate Change, for the small island state of Seychelles, made a compelling argument for the continued active concern by small island states for what is happening in Antarctica. His remarks at the Montreal Conference have particular relevance because small island states and developing countries with vulnerable coasts (such as Belize and Guyana) appear to
have lost the toe-hold at the UN for discussing Antarctica and the effects on them of melting glaciers. In 2005, the UN agreed, in its First Committee, that Antarctica would not be placed on the agenda of the UN general Assembly. It hasn’t been on the agenda since then. But, it should be. Here are Ambassador Jumeau’s remarks on the effects of climate change in the two Poles: “The worse the situation gets in the Arctic and the Antarctic, the more worried we islanders get. For the more your ice melts in the north and the south, and on the mountain tops and in the glaciers of the world, the more our world, in tiny Seychelles just 4 degrees south of the Equator and in the rest of the Indian Ocean and in the Pacific, the Atlantic and the Caribbean as well, the more our world goes under. As the poles melt, we drown”. He pointed out: “The melting ice at the poles is not just contributing to sea level rise, it is affecting the oceans as drivers of the world’s climate as well. The seas around our islands, some of which are the lowest land on Earth, are rising, and coastal erosion is getting worse and
worse to the extent that some islands may be swept away before the waves cover them and wipe them off the face of the Earth”. The ambassador ended by saying: “The poles’ global linkages make the Arctic and the Antarctic a common, a global, heritage of the whole community of man and womankind”. And, if it might be felt that the Seychelles Ambassador’s warnings are self-serving, this is what Ban-ki-Moon, the UN Secretary-General said about the situation in 2007: “Antarctica is on the verge of a catastrophe – for the world.” He offered figures to support his claim: “glaciers on King George Island have shrunk by 10 percent, while some in Admiralty Bay have retreated by 25 kilometres; the 87-kilometre “Larsen B ice sheet” collapsed several years ago and disappeared within weeks; the entire Western Antarctic Ice Shelf is at risk — It is all floating ice, one-fifth of the entire continent. If it broke up, sea levels could rise by 6 metres or 18 feet.” Since then, matters have got worse. Work is being done by small island states to raise attention to the growing
The official said that a diver had gone to investigate the source of the problem and had made the discovery. He also said that machinery was being brought to the location to remove the obstacle and release the shutter. When contacted, Minister of Works Robeson Benn said that issues of the koker did not fall under his Ministry but out of an abundance of caution, the Minister did inform the relevant persons of the developments. Minister Benn said that if at any time the matter should escalate, his Ministry would render any assistance necessary.
While a number of coastal residents became concerned on Thursday evening when they experienced heavy downpours, Region Ten was the hardest hit area. Water measuring over 100mm at specific locations in Linden flooded the area. Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, during a press briefing at his Ministry on Friday stated that the areas of the heaviest intensity of rainfall in Region Ten were Wismar where it measured more than 160mm, Watooka with 131mm and Ebini which recorded more than 125mm. These areas were monitored from between 20:00 hrs on Thursday and 08:00 hours on Friday. According to Dr.
Ramsammy the La Nina Phenomenon continues to contribute to the weather pattern. The present situation is now complicated with the arrival of the spring tide. This means that the sluices would have shorter operating time due to the spring tide. Currently, the East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC) is being maintained between 55GD and 56GD in preparation for the above mentioned periods. He noted that many areas in Region Four experienced more than 100mm of rainfall in the same period, led by Maduni with 147 mm, Strathavon’s 138mm, Bee Hive where it was 137mm and at Lama with 123mm. Georgetown averaged 73mm in
this period also. Regions Three, Five and Six experienced rainfall which was measured between 60mm and 100mm. For Regions One and Two there was between 20mm and 60mm of rainfall. Flash floods were experienced in Linden and this has propelled the relevant authorities to have special mechanisms put in place to commence emergency clearing works at the Hymara and Cacatara creeks. Kaieteur News understands that there have been some parts in Region Six that also experienced flooding. Black Bush Polder was one. There have been no reports of flooding from Region Five however water continues to rise in various canals. Also, no reports of flood have been had from Region Two, and in Region Three while there is no flooding, the water levels in Windsor Forest and Canal Polders One and Two have risen. Meanwhile there was some flash flooding in Georgetown. One specific area of concern for authorities on the East Coast Demerara was the Greenfield-Bee Hive area where the situation is
Sir Ronald Sanders threat to their existence, and to the dangers posed to their productive areas and human habitats – both food security and human dislocation are real issues. This matter should be forcefully pressed at the forthcoming Rio+20 Sustainable Development Conference in the interest of all small island states and vulnerable coastal areas. It should also vigorously be pushed back on to the UN agenda, however resistant may be those countries that regard Antarctica as their exclusive preserve. (The writer is a Consultant and former Caribbean diplomat) Responses and previous c o m m e n t a r i e s at: www.sirronaldsanders.com
Flash flood hits Spring tide complicates operating Alexander Village time for sluices during La Nina rains and environs
Residents of First Street, Alexander Village, and its environs endured a wet afternoon yesterday when water flowing through a malfunctioned koker poured into their village and flooded it. The residents said that within an hour of the contraption experiencing difficulties, the community was under at least 18 inches of water. The flooding occurred so quickly the residents said that everyone was caught off guard. When this publication visited the area, business owners were scampering to secure their establishments with sand bags and other feasible innovations, while residents could only watch as the seawater filled their yards. A City Council employee said that the malfunction occurred around 14:00 hours yesterday and that the relevant authorities were aware of the situation. The man who was at the time stationed at the koker said that measures were being put in place to deal with the matter since it was discovered that a foreign object was preventing the koker shutter from completely closing.
Heavy rains cause Takutu to overflow …section of Boa Vista road washed away Guyana continues to experience heavy downpours as a result of La Nina. Neighbouring Brazil is also suffering with some parts experiencing severe flooding. According to reports up to yesterday, the Lethem/ Boa Vista area had experienced three days of continuous rainfall and there has been no break in this period.
This has badly affected the area and resulted in a section of the Boa Vista road being washed away. Meanwhile the Takutu River is presently overflowing along its banks and the water in the Moco Moco creek continues to rise. Residents have once more begun to prepare themselves for the worst and are
expecting the situation to worsen as the days go by. As a result, persons travelling along the trails to the south of Lethem and the stretch of road between Point Ranch and Pirara in the North of Region Nine, will encounter difficulties. It is expected that they experience challenging conditions in the process.
currently being monitored. This newspaper was told that a contract was given for the cleaning of internal drains and secondary drains in the said area. However, the shrubs and grass removed were somehow put into the secondary drains and that flowed towards the pump basin because the sluice could not be opened during the spring tide. Meanwhile this pump cannot be utilized at the moment but the Ministry is working to correct the situation. All other pumps in various areas are said to be operational minus one at Ankerville, Berbice, where the pump has not been working for a temporary period. Necessary repairs which included the replacement of a specific part of the pump were conducted and it is expected that this pump is up and running by Sunday.
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Nurses also have a role in research activities - Lecturer The knowledge and skills of nurses should not be confined to the hospital setting, but rather, they should be exposed to the research arena. In fact, according to Nurse Lois Stephanas who has been lecturing to Bachelor’s of Science Nursing students at the University of Guyana for the past five years, changes in time and technology have allowed for nurses the world over to have greater opportunities. Among the notable opportunities is the ability to operate in improved working environments and the fact that nurses today have access to a number of research journals. Research, according to Stephanas, while it may not be recognised as important by some, it is in fact a very crucial area in nursing and by extension, the medical field. As a result, she has been directing much effort to amplifying the importance of research. Her most recent attempt was evident last Friday when she made a presentation on BSc nursing students’ attitudes to, and their awareness of, research and development within the nursing profession. The forum was the University of Guyana’s School of Education and Humanities Research Day on the Arts and Sciences. Her presentation was made in the Senior Common Room and was among a number of other presentations designed to enhance research output at the University. Stephanas, an India National, has been lecturing to nursing students for the past 17 years; the last five, as indicated, at the local university. She revealed that her lecturing experience has revealed that many in the nursing profession are not too inclined to engage in research. “During my experiences as a lecturer I have seen some of them (nurses) have difficulties doing research projects...but I think if their attitudes are positive they will be able to participate in research activities.” She noted that while some may have the attitude and willingness to indulge in this area they are still in need of much support and encouragement which also includes financial support, and opportunities to present in various countries. In essence, she is convinced that nurses in Guyana are in need of exposure. “They need support from various organisations, otherwise they will continue to struggle...they need support not only from the Ministry of Health, but various other organisations...” Often the attitude of nurses to fully embrace the profession comes down to the fact that they expect to be paid well even as she asserted that “they need to be taken care of well because they are health care professionals and certainly if they are not taken care of well it would affect their proficiency and so on.” Stephanas revealed that there has been abundant research conducted, which speaks
Nurse Lois Stephanas to the reason why Guyanese nurses opt to migrate even in the face of a dire need for improved nursing care. Nurses, according to her “don’t just leave and go to other places such as the Caribbean islands because of salaries, but it has been found that lack of motivation and satisfaction in their work environment also has its effects; staff welfare not being up to the mark affects nurses too, and naturally they would look for greener fields where they can grow.” Stephanas revealed that for the past five years she has seen many exceptional nursing professionals graduate from the university and, “I usually encourage them to stay and contribute to the nursing profession...but it is very hard for me to convince them to stay because they all have their personal goals.” ‘What is the point of staying here when there are no opportunities for us to grow career-wise?’” many students have asked Stephanas. However, she remains resolute that nurses must seek to grow as a unified body even as they lobby for more support to be directed to the nursing profession. “We can do a lot; nurses have the potential and they have the ability they are just lacking the support,” she reiterated. However, she stressed the fact that the nursing situation in Guyana is certainly not unique, as a similar state of affairs obtains in India. She revealed that Indian nurses, while they were in the past motivated to simply serve, are now driven by the need to earn money. “They are money-minded; they want to be in the United States and the United Kingdom so that is the motive now for some people to get into the nursing profession...they want to fly to the west. This is not unique to Guyana.” As such, Stephanas emphasised the need for the reinforcement of solid values of nursing such as caring, compassion, empathy, responsibility and commitment into the younger generation of nurses. “These are just a few of the important values and we need nurses to inculcate all of the nursing values. Nurses should not be in the profession just to perform nursing duties but they have to demonstrate the ability to be caring to the human beings they are tasked with attending to. These are people who are in need of care...” Stephanas’ passionate remarks on the nursing profession come days ahead of the observance of International Nurses Day, which is observed globally on May 12. Come Saturday, according to the International Council of Nurses, it is expected that nurses the world over will be celebrated under the theme “Closing the Gap: From Evidence to Action.”
Sunday May 06, 2012
Adapt foreign policy coordination to changing global environment, says Suriname Minister PA R A M A R I B O , Suriname — The Caribbean Community’s (CARICOM) foreign policy coordination in a constantly changing international climate was the common thread running through the addresses at the fifteenth meeting of the Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR) in Paramaribo, Suriname on Thursday. The two-day meeting was preceded by a formal opening ceremony that was addressed by Winston Lackin, foreign affairs minister of Suriname and chairman of the COFCOR, and Irwin LaRocque, secretary-general of CARICOM. Lackin, in his brief remarks, called for more effective coordination of foreign policy to counter the changing international environment and for determining the Region’s international agenda. He emphasized the importance of COFCOR’s collaboration with the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) in promoting and developing coordinated policies in a holistic manner in order to enhance external economic and trade relations of the
Community. “Foreign Policy coordination also requires that we, as ministers, and as Member States, participate more pro-actively, in multilateral organizations and where necessary to bring about a reorientation of our focus,” Lackin said. LaRocque also made reference to the changing international environment and the concomitant impact on the Community and on its foreign policy. “This fifteenth meeting of the COFCOR has been convened against a backdrop of global, hemispheric and regional trends, developments and transformative changes of significant relevance to the conduct of the Community’s foreign policy and to its contribution to the development and welfare of the Community. Suffice it to say that ‘Change’ is the order of the day. The Community must therefore analyse and understand its underlying features, seek to influence it or adapt accordingly, or be left behind,” the SecretaryGeneral said. Coordination of foreign policy, he pointed out, was essential to address issues
such as the continued impact of the global economic and financial crisis on the economies of the Community, and the attendant outreach efforts to sensitize the members of the G-20 and other international decisionmaking bodies to the concerns and needs of the region. Coordination was also vital, he said, when addressing the issues affecting small island developing and low-lying coastal states in the continuing international negotiations on climate change and on sustainable development, given the upcoming Rio+20 Conference in June. During their meeting, the ministers of foreign affairs were expected to tackle matters including the security cooperation with external partners; issues before multilateral and hemispheric bodies; the Community’s role within the Association of Caribbean States (ACS); the Community’s continued support for Haiti; developments affecting some associate members; climate change and the environment; and the Caribbean Sea Initiative
China’s yuan is at equilibrium level: People’s Daily (Reuters) - China’s yuan is at an equilibrium against the dollar and even high in some respects, the country’s main official newspaper said on Friday in remarks that could sow further tension in talks between Beijing and Washington. The People’s Daily, the mouthpiece newspaper of the ruling Communist Party, said differences in labor productivity and operating costs in the world’s two biggest economies show the yuan, or the renminbi, is reasonably valued versus the dollar. The article came just a day after U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, in China with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for annual talks with Beijing, repeated calls for China to have a stronger yuan to create room for more flexible policy. “At the present stage, on the basis of value, and balanced supply and demand, the renminbi exchange rate is basically at a reasonable equilibrium,” said the article, written for the paper by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the country’s top think tank. It argued there was no need for the renminbi to rise further, especially since
comparisons of labor, raw material and what the article called ‘environmental costs’ - which were not explained show they are much lower in China than the United States. “If the renminbi exchange rate is measured against the ‘three lows’ in Chinese costs, it will be high at present,” the newspaper said. Labor productivity comparisons also showed the yuan was fairly valued, the People’s Daily said, adding that rises in the value of the Chinese currency between 2008 and 2010 outstripped the country’s productivity gains in that period. It said U.S. productivity was 5.4 times that of China in 2010, slightly under 6.1 times in 2008, and 12.6 times as high in 2000. The yuan rose 10.5 percent against the dollar between 2008 and 2010 and has climbed around 31 percent in nominal terms since a landmark revaluation in 2005. LIGHTNING ROD The yuan’s value has been a lightning rod in SinoU.S. ties, with some in Washington accusing Beijing of deliberately holding down the currency to gain export advantage.
China denies the allegation and says it too wants a currency whose value is decided by the market, but insists any changes to its foreign exchange policy must be gradual. It took a milestone step of widening the yuan’s daily trading band last month to let the currency rise or fall 1 percent from a mid-point set by the central bank, compared to a band of plus or minus 0.5 percent before. But even with incremental reforms, China still keeps the yuan on a tight leash, in part to protect its vast export industry, a huge employer in the country. Although the latest comments in the People’s Daily may not have been authorized by Chinese leaders, they likely reflect the thinking in Beijing and demonstrate the tensions between the world’s two biggest economies on a key issue. The annual Strategic and Economic Dialogue talks between the U.S. and China have already been upstaged this year by a row over a Chinese dissident who sought refuge at the U.S. embassy after escaping 19 months of house arrest.
Sunday May 06, 2012
From page 20 Wednesday lost its court battle on the composition of Parliamentary Committees. Chief Justice Ian Chang dismissed the government’s case, saying that Attorney General Anil Nandlall made his complaint to the wrong forum and that the court cannot inquire or interfere in the proceedings of the National Assembly. “The forum for a complaint of this nature is the National Assembly,” Chang said in a 30-page decision. The Chief Justice ruled that there was nothing constitutionally wrong about opposition parties moving to change the composition of the Parliamentary Committee of Selection from having ten members compared to government having nine members. The government was highly annoyed that the opposition, which has controlling power in the National Assembly, moved to give it one seat less on the committee of selection. This committee is responsible for nominating all other committees of the Parliament. When the ruling PPP held control of the Parliament, it had five seats on the committee. However, following the November 28 polls, which gave the opposition a majority in the National Assembly, the PPP’s seats were reduced to four by an opposition vote. As a result, an equal four seats each were voted for the governing PPP and the major opposition APNU. The AFC, the other opposition party, has one seat. Unable to convince the opposition, the government, through the Attorney General, moved to the court, insisting that the composition of the committee should remain the same as it was prior to the November 28 polls. In his arguments, the Attorney General said that the PPP and APNU could not have equal seats based on a system of proportionality. RAMOTAR WORRIED ABOUT IDB’S OUTLOOK ON BUDGET CUTS “When the InterAmerican Development Bank sees this, what do you think will be their attitude?” asked an incensed Head of State Donald Ramotar, on Tuesday when asked to expand on the impact of the cut in the budget on Guyana’s equity in the Amaila Falls Hydroelectric Project. Ramotar had just delivered a fiery address to the 2012 May Day Rally where he blasted the opposition for threatening the very life of projects.
Kaieteur News
At present, the future of the Amaila Falls Hydroelectric Project hinges on the US$175M currently being negotiated with the InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB). Days before the Finance Minister presented the 2012 Budget, IDB President Luis Alberto Moreno, visited Guyana and met with President Ramotar where discussions were held on the project. While President Ramotar failed to disclose any details of Moreno’s visit and concerns leading to the delay in financial closure, he said that the visit is a sign of optimism for the project. The Hydro project is pegged at US$840M with China Development Bank (CDB) plugging some US$413M in the project; its contracted developers-Sithe Global has committed US$152M and Guyana has committed as its Equity in the Project some US$100. . Friday Edition DIAMOND TAXI DRIVER’S BOUND BODY DUMPED IN ENMORE Residents of Logwood, Enmore, awoke Thursday morning to the shocking discovery of the bound body of Diamond taxi driver Rajendra Puran lying in a drain in their East Coast Demerara community. The discovery was made around 06:30 hours when Joseph Badal went to collect his newspaper and saw the body lying in the drain in front of his house. An alarm was raised and within minutes other residents converged on the scene to get a glimpse of the body. The hands were
bound with a leather belt while his feet were tied together with a piece of white cord. Puran’s vest was tightly wrapped around his neck, giving investigators the initial impression that he was strangled, while his jersey was pulled over his face as if the killers wanted to prevent him from seeing where they were taking him. Puran, who lived approximately 23 miles away, at Grove New Scheme, East Bank Demerara, is believed to be a victim of a carjacking from outside his operating base at the entrance to the Diamond New (Housing) Scheme, since his white Toyota Raum has also vanished GOLD MINER STABBED TO DEATH IN APARTMENT A 43-year-old gold miner was found murdered in his apartment shortly after lunch Thursday when worried relatives went looking for him. Bryan Dickson, also known as ‘Son Son’ and ‘Peck’ of East Street, Cummingsburg, was found gagged and lying on his back in his bedroom with over 20 stab wounds about the body. A pair of scissors found nearby was presumed to be the murder weapon. There was no sign of forced entry to the residence. Dickson’s reputed wife, Sabrina Gobin, told Kaieteur News that her husband’s nephew, Jonathan, found his body. Saturday Edition ALBOUYSTOWN MAN GUNNED DOWN IN DRIVE BY SHOOTING An Albouystown resident
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with a lengthy criminal record was gunned down around 19:00 hrs yesterday in Sussex Street by the occupants of a white car. He became the second man to be executed in the community within the past four days. An eyewitness said that Aman Lalchand, 31, also known as Randy, of Howes Street, Albouystown, was shot in the chest while smoking a marijuana ‘joint’, by the occupants of a car who used a city-wide power outage and rain as cover to carry out the hit. He died shortly after at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation. Close associates of the slain man said that Lalchand was targeted for execution by an individual who reportedly collected a $1M downpayment to carry out the hit. The associates said that Lalchand, who has three small children, had been warned that he was being targeted, and was even told the name of the gunman who had been paid to kill him. A friend of the slain man said that he, Lalchand and others were in Sussex Street, during a slight drizzle, when there was a sudden blackout in the area. At the time, Lalchand was standing by a gate smoking a ‘joint’, when a white car turned from Lyng Street into Sussex Street. The friend said that the occupants of the car discharged two gunshots, one of which struck Lalchand in the chest. According to the associate, they were unaware that Lalchand had been shot until they saw him lying on the ground.
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Sunday May 06, 2012
OAS secretary general calls for coordinated response to organized crime WASHINGTON, USA — The secretary general of the Organization of American States, Jose Miguel Insulza, referred to organized crime as “the main challenge to security in our hemisphere,” and called on governments in the region to coordinate their responses to the threat, in a speech to young Latin Americans studying in the United States at the Forum “Vanguardia Latina 2012” in Washington, DC. Insulza recalled that, according to polling data, insecurity is the main concern of the citizens of the Americas, and that organized crime, beyond the direct human cost, represents a threat to democracy. For that reason, in additional to national efforts, the response to the threat must also be regional. “One of the great problems of our strategies against transnational crime,” he explained, “is that they are not transnational enough. Criminals cross borders much more easily than we do.” In his address, Insulza delivered a report on the main activities of the OAS, as the institution that brings together all the countries in the hemisphere, and pointed out that the organization has
a record of carrying out coordinated action on this issue. He commented that the central theme of the OAS General Assembly in El Salvador in 2011 was “Citizen Security in the Americas,” and recently the Permanent Council approved an Action Plan against organized crime, that moves forward on the commitments made in the Declaration of San Salvador. In addition, the secretary general pointed out, the OAS is the repository for various hemispheric agreements that deal directly with security, such as the Inter-American Convention against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms or the Inter-American Convention on Transparency in Conventional Weapons Acquisitions (CITAAC). As far as the most recent actions, Insulza added that at the Sixth Summit of the Americas in Cartagena, Colombia, the heads of state and government of the hemisphere agreed to “the creation of a Center for Coordination against Transnational Organized Crime,” a proposal from Mexico that will seek to harmonize the strategies and actions of the member states against international criminal
groups. Improving coordination in the fight against organized crime, said the secretary general, “is something that we are working on and that, as an organization, we are going to develop further in the coming months together with other organizations.” The chief representative of the OAS highlighted the connection between insecurity and drug trafficking, an issue on which the Summit has charged the OAS with carrying out a study on the effectiveness of the different strategies in the hemisphere and in other parts of the world. Insulza specified that the mandate for the organization “is not to propose a different strategy, but to deliver to the governments of the region a study of the possible scenarios and different strategies, of different alternative policies.” Speaking to an auditorium largely filled with students, Insulza emphasized the need for governments to protect young people from exposure to criminality, which he called an “immense challenge.” “The possibility of saving these young people from the world of criminality depends upon giving them access to education and, in general, on
Jose Miguel Insulza the opportunities we can give them while they are still young,” he added. The “Vanguardia Latina 2012” Forum, organized by the Mexican NGO “Espacio de Vinculacion, Asociacion Civil (EVAC) brought together more than 150 young Latin American students this week at the headquarters of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), in order to exchange perspectives on the future of Latin America with business leaders, diplomats, government figures and representatives of NGOs from around the region.
UN concerned over Venezuela’s possible withdrawal from human rights body GENEVA, Switzerland — The United Nations on Friday voiced concern over Venezuela’s announcement that it is establishing a committee to evaluate the possibility of withdrawing from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR). “Regional human rights
bodies play a very important role in the promotion and protection of human rights mechanisms and reinforce universal human rights standards and treaties,” stressed Rupert Colville, the spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. “The IACHR, which is
more than 50 years old and is a highly respected body, has in particular had a very positive impact in the region, and it has been crucial in obtaining justice for large numbers of victims of human rights violations, particularly during the period when dictatorships ruled many countries in the
region,” he said. During a press briefing in Geneva, Colville noted the longstanding relationship between the Office of the High Commissioner (OHCHR) and the IACHR in areas such as citizen security, juvenile justice, torture prevention and prison conditions, as well as the collaboration between the UN Human Rights Council and IACHR experts on issues relating to freedom of expression, torture and indigenous rights, among others. “We would like to encourage the Venezuelan government, and all other states in the Americas, to continue to cooperate with regional and international human rights mechanisms, and urge them not to take any measures that would weaken human rights protection – not just in Venezuela but also with potentially negative ramifications for people all across the continent,” Colville said. The IACHR is an organ of the Organization of American States (OAS) whose mission is to promote and protect human rights in the Americas. The Commission, which was created in 1959, has its headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Sunday May 06, 2012
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Germs behind Urinary Tract Infections becoming more resistant to drugs
HealthDay News) — E. coli bacteria’s resistance to ciprofloxacin (Cipro), the most widely prescribed antimicrobial for urinary tract infections in the United States, increased five-fold between 2000 and 2010, according to a new study. The surveillance study of more than 12 million bacteria also found that nearly onefourth of E. coli in 2010 were resistant to trimethoprimsulfamethoxazole (brand name Bactrim), the second most commonly prescribed drug for urinary tract infections. The study was published in the April issue of the journal Antimicrobial Agents and
Chemotherapy. E. coli accounts for 75 percent to 95 percent of urinary tract infections, which are among the most common infections in humans. Half of all women experience at least one urinary tract infection in their lifetime. E. coli antimicrobial resistance reduces the likelihood of clinical cure, increases the risk of infection recurrence and increases treatment costs and hospitalization rates. “Our study is important because it shows that E. coli resistance to two common drugs to treat [urinary tract infections] rose substantially over the last decade,” lead
study author Guillermo Sanchez, a graduate student in the physician assistant program at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., said in a university news release. “For patients, this will ultimately translate into more expensive and sometimes more complex antimicrobial treatments,” Sanchez said. “What is more concerning, however, is the lack of new antimicrobial drug development, which has been declining for decades.” There are other antimicrobial drugs available to treat urinary tract infections, but they are more likely to cause side effects such as gastrointestinal problems, nausea and vomiting. “Our study reveals that ciprofloxacin and [ t r i m e t h o p r i m sulfamethoxazole] are no longer safe for outpatient urinary tract infection,” Dr. Jose Bordon, an infectious disease specialist at Providence Hospital in Washington, D.C., said in the news release. “Our study indicates that safer antimicrobials for outpatient [urinary tract infection] are nitrofurantoin in patients without kidney insufficiency and amoxicillin/ clavulana t e a n d t h i r d generation cephalosporins for all others.”
Sunday May 06, 2012
Men’s Breast Cancer Often More Deadly, New Research Suggests
(HealthDay News) — Breast cancer in men is much less common than it is in women, but it may be more deadly, new research suggests. “Men with breast cancer don’t do as well as women with breast cancer, and there are opportunities to improve that,” said study author Dr. Jon Greif, a breast surgeon in San Francisco. “They were less likely to get the standard treatments that women get.” Survival rates for men with breast cancer, overall, are lower than those for women,
at least when it is diagnosed in the early stages, Greif found. The cancers differ in other respects too. Greif and his team warn that some of the differences they found may not bear out in clinical practice. A big limitation to the research: The database they drew from keeps track of which breast cancer patients die, but not what they died from. So it is impossible to tell if they died from their cancer or something else, he explained. The investigators
Joggers Live Longer, Study Says (HealthDay News) — Jogging regularly could add about six years to your life, a new Danish study suggests. “The results of our research allow us to definitively answer the question of whether jogging is good for your health,” Peter Schnohr, chief cardiologist of the long-term Copenhagen City Heart Study, said in a news release from
the European Society of Cardiology. “We can say with certainty that regular jogging increases longevity. The good news is that you don’t actually need to do that much to reap the benefits.” In conducting the study, the researchers compared the mortality of joggers and nonjoggers who took part in the population study of 20,000 people aged 20 to 93
that began in 1976. In making their comparison, they asked 1,116 male joggers and 762 women joggers about their jogging routine, including how fast and how long they jogged weekly. “With participants having such a wide age span we felt that a subjective scale of intensity was the most appropriate approach,” explained Schnohr, who is based at Bispebjerg University Hospital, in Copenhagen. In the follow-up period of up to 35 years, the study found that 10,158 non-joggers and 122 joggers died. The researchers noted this was a 44 percent drop in the risk of death for male and female joggers. The researchers found that male joggers can extend their life by 6.2 years, and women by 5.6 years. Jogging at a slow pace for one to two and a half hours weekly provided the most significant benefits. “You should aim to feel a little breathless, but not very
breathless,” said Schnohr. “The relationship appears much like alcohol intakes. Mortality is lower in people reporting moderate jogging, than in non-joggers or those undertaking extreme levels of exercise.” The study’s authors noted there are several health benefits of jogging that contribute to increased life expectancy, including improvements in: · Oxygen uptake · Insulin sensitivity · Lipid profiles (raising “good” HDL cholesterol and lowering triglycerides) · Heart function · Bone density · Immune function · Psychological function The improved psychological well-being may be due to the fact that people have more social interactions when they’re out jogging, explained Schnohr. The researchers added that jogging also helps lower blood pressure, reduce
platelet aggregation and prevent obesity. The study was slated for presentation Thursday at a meeting of the European Association for Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation, called EuroPRevent2012, in Dublin. Data and conclusions presented at meetings should be considered preliminary until published in a peerreviewed medical journal.
Health Tips:
evaluated cancer characteristics and survival rates, taking into account age, ethnicity and other factors. Men with breast cancer were more likely to be black than women with breast cancer (11.7 percent versus 9.9 percent) and less likely to be Hispanic (3.6 percent versus 4.5 percent), the researchers found. In addition, men were older at diagnosis — 63, on average, compared to 59 for women. Men’s tumors were larger when diagnosed; they were more likely to have later-stage tumors, involvement of lymph nodes, spreading to other parts of the body and other differences. Men with breast cancer were less likely to get a partial mastectomy and to receive radiation, the study found. Men should be aware of potential symptoms of breast cancer, the American Cancer Society suggests. Among them: a lump or swelling, dimpling or puckering, a turning inward of the nipple, scaling of the nipple or breast skin, redness of the nipple or skin of the breast, and nipple discharge.
Recognize Early Signs of Autism
(HealthDay News) — Symptoms of autism can be difficult to recognize in very young children, especially in mild cases or in instances when a child has other mental or physical conditions. The U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke mentions these possible early symptoms of autism: · No pointing or babbling by age 1, or the absence of saying single words by age 16 months. · No response to calling the child’s name. · Lack of early social or language skills. · No eye contact with others. · Obsessive organizing or lining up of objects. · Not smiling.
Sunday May 06, 2012
How to Choose the Right Facial for Oily Skin BEST HOMEMADE FRUIT FACE PACKS FOR OILY SKIN Blend pineapple and papaya and add 5-6 drops of honey to get cream-like consistency. Apply this mixture over the face and wash off after 30 minutes. Another effective fruit face pack for oily skin is strawberry and yogurt face mask. Crush six washed strawberries and add a tablespoon of yogurt to it. Apply this silky paste all over face and neck and rinse off after 20 minutes. Take one tablespoon of cucumber pieces, one tablespoon of yogurt and a cup of oatmeal. Mix all these ingredients in a blender and make creamy paste. This is an excellent face mask for oily skin that will help to give an ultra cleansed look. A creamy blend of apple pieces and honey serves as another great face mask for oily skin. Another very effective facial mask for oily skin that treats pimples and blemishes can be made by blending one table spoon of plain yogurt, two drops of thyme oil and mint oil each, lemon juice from one lemon, one teaspoon of yeast and 10 drops of starch from potatoes. Make a smooth cream out of these ingredients and apply it on face. Rinse off after 20 minutes to discover glowing skin. Having oily skin does not necessarily mean that you have to live with coarse-looking and greasy skin all your lifetime. Choosing the right facial can give you glowing and youthful skin.
SOLUTION FOR LAST WEEK’S SEARCH & FIND
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Country profile: OVERVIEW Poor in natural resources, prone to drought and with little arable land, the Cape Verde islands have won a reputation for achieving political and economic stability. The former Portuguese colony comprises 10 islands and five islets, all but three of which are mountainous. During the 20th century severe droughts caused the deaths of 200,000 people and prompted heavy emigration. Today, more people with origins in Cape Verde live outside the country than inside it. The money that they send home brings in muchneeded foreign currency. From the mid-1990s, droughts cut the islands’ grain crop by 80%, and in 2002 the government appealed for international food aid after the harvest failed. Nonetheless, Cape Verde enjoys a per capita income that is higher than that of many continental African nations. It has sought closer
Kaieteur News
Sunday May 06, 2012
CAPE VERDE
President Jorge Carlos Fonseca economic ties with the US, EU and Portugal. In 2008 Cape Verde became only the second country after Botswana to be promoted by the United Nations out of the ranks of the 50 least developed countries. In recent years it has seen economic growth averaging 6%, the construction of three international airports and hundreds of kilometres of roads.
Migrants arrested in Cape Verde’s waters Increasing numbers of Europe-bound migrants have been intercepted in Cape Verde’s waters Tourism is on the rise, but there are concerns that it poses a threat to the Cape Verde’s rich marine life. It is an important nesting site for loggerhead turtles and humpback whales feed in the islands’ waters. Cape Verde became independent in 1975, a year after its sister colony, GuineaBissau, won freedom from Portugal. The two countries planned to unite, but the plan was ditched after a coup in Guinea-Bissau in 1980 strained relations. In 1991 Cape Verde held its first free presidential elections, which were won by Antonio Mascarenhas Monteiro, who replaced the islands’ first president, Aristides Pereira. FACTS
Full name: The Republic of
Cape Verde Population: 501,000 (UN, 2011) Capital: Praia Area: 4,033 sq km (1,557 sq miles) Major languages: Portuguese, Crioulo (a mixture of archaic Portuguese and African words) Major religions: Christianity Life expectancy: 71 years (men), 78 years (women) (UN) Monetary unit: 1 Cape Verdean escudo = 100 centavos Main exports: Shoes, clothes, fish, bananas, hides, pozzolana (volcanic rock, used to make cement) GNI per capita: US $3,270 (World Bank, 2010) Internet domain: .cv International dialling code: +238 LEADERS President: Jorge Carlos Fonseca Jorge Carlos Fonseca won presidential elections with a decisive second-round
victory in August 2011, beating the ruling party candidate. Mr Fonseca, the candidate for the main opposition Movement for Democracy (MFD) needs to govern with a prime minister from the PAICV ruling party after they won a parliamentary election earlier in the year. Mr Fonseca, a former foreign minister, beat his socialist rival Manuel Inocencio Sousa in a battle between the candidates of the two parties that have dominated the political scene for the past two decades. The campaign hinged on the need to modernise the economy of the former Portuguese colony and keep the tourism boom alive while dealing with unemployment rates of up to 18%. Mr Fonseca replaced Pedro Pires, who served a maximum two terms. Cape Verde is a republic with a president, who is the head of state, and a prime minister who heads the government. The prime minister is appointed by parliament. Prime Minister: Jose Maria Neves Jose Maria Neves became prime minister in 2001 and gained further five-year terms in 2006 and 2011. In the 2011 elections, his African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde (PAICV) based its campaign
on strong economic growth averaging 6% after a golden period which included the construction of three international airports, ports, and hundreds of kilometres of roads throughout the islands. The PAICV and the MPD have dominated politics since independence from Portugal in 1975. Both have run the country, for a 10-year stint each since multi-party democracy was introduced in 1991. MEDIA Press freedom is guaranteed by law and is generally respected. Much of the media is state-run, but there is an active private press and a growing number of private broadcasters. No attempts to obstruct the media were reported in 2011, according to Reporters Without Borders, which placed Cape Verde among the top 20 countries in its world press freedom index. Portuguese public TV and radio for Africa and Radio France Internationale are relayed across Cape Verde, and Portuguese and Brazilian newspapers are available. Local newspapers reach overseas-based Cape Verdeans online. Some radio and TV programmes are presented in Crioulo - an AfricanPortuguese hybrid tongue. There were 148,800 internet users by December 2 0 1 1 (Internetworldstats.com).
Jose Maria Neves is in his third term as Prime Minister
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Sunday May 06, 2012
Born Loser
ROMANCE An older couple were lying in bed one night. The husband was falling asleep but the wife was in a romantic mood and wanted to talk. She said, “You used to hold my hand when we were courting. “ Wearily he reached across, held her hand for a second and tried to get back to sleep. A few moments later she said, “Then you used to kiss me.” Mildly irritated, he reached across, gave her a peck on the cheek and settled down to sleep. Thirty seconds later she said, “Then you used to bite my neck.” Angrily, he threw back the bed clothes and got out of bed. “Where are you going?” she asked. “To get my teeth!” ************** RUSSIANS A Brit, a Frenchman and a Russian are viewing a painting of Adam and Eve frolicking in the Garden of Eden. “Look at their reserve, their calm,” muses the Brit. “They must be British.” “Nonsense,” the Frenchman disagrees. “They’re naked, and so beautiful. Clearly, they are French.” “No clothes, no shelter,” the Russian points out, “they have only an apple to eat, and they’re being told this is paradise. Clearly, they are Russian.” ************** PHONE NETWORK DISCOVERY German scientists dug 50 metres underground and discovered small pieces of copper. After studying these pieces for a long time, Germany announced that the ancient Germans 25,000 years ago had a nationwide telephone network. Naturally, the British government was not that easily impressed. They ordered their own scientists to dig even deeper. 100 metres down, they found small pieces of glass, and they soon announced that the ancient Brits 35,000 years ago already had a nationwide fibre net. Israeli scientists were outraged. They dug 50, 100 and 200 metres underground, but found absolutely nothing......They concluded that the ancient Hebrews 55,000 years ago had cellular telephones. ************** MADE IN JAPAN There was a Japanese man who went to America for sightseeing. On the last day, he hailed a cab and told the driver to drive to the airport. During the journey, a Honda drove past the taxi. Thereupon, the man leaned out of the window excitedly and yelled, “Honda, very fast! Made in Japan!” After a while, a Toyota sped past the taxi. Again, the Japanese man leaned out of the window and yelled, “Toyota, very fast! Made in Japan!” And then a Mitsubishi sped past the taxi. For the third time, the Japanese leaned out of the window and yelled, “Mitsubishi, very fast! Made in Japan!” The driver was a little angry, but he kept quiet. And this went on for quite a number of cars. Finally, the taxi came to the airport. The fare was US$300. The Japanese exclaimed, “Wah... so expensive!” There upon, the driver yelled back, “Meter, very fast! Made in Japan!”
Garfield
Non Sequitur
Peanuts
Shoe
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Sunday May 06, 2012
West Demerara fisherman killed in hit and run While hundreds of families participated in “Arrival Day” celebrations yesterday, the family of Baldeo Mohan, of La Grange, West Bank Demerara gathered to mourn his death. Mohan was killed in a hit and run accident. Baldeo Mohan, who resided at 33 Doctor’s Dam, La Grange, left his home yesterday at 2:30hrs riding his bicycle from their home to purchase fish from Meadow Bank. Hardeen Mohan a.k.a “Roop”, the dead man’s brother, said that the last time he saw his 52-year-old sibling
was on Sunday at a family lime. He received a telephone call early yesterday morning from someone who notified him that Baldeo had met with an accident. He told Kaieteur News that Baldeo would usually leave his home at that time for the past 20 years to purchase and sell fish. It was while he was riding along the La Grange Public Road yesterday morning that a car hit his cycle from behind. “While he was going at La Grange Public Road a car came from behind and hit his cycle. He was tossed several
- police recover parts of car found at scene
Baldeo Mohan in happier times feet from where the accident happened and into the trench.” According to “Roop” it was only this morning around 05:00hrs that someone noticed his brother’s body lying in the trench. Baldeo’s bicycle had broken into two pieces from the impact and was in close proximity to the man’s body. The fish basket was found some distance away. The news quickly spread and villagers, neighbours and relatives rushed to the accident scene. Though there were no eye witnesses, the family members were positive that a car had hit the man, since evidence was left behind at the crime scene. “The vehicle that hit him, a piece of the bumper break off, and that piece belong to a white vehicle. It has the registration number on it
Relatives and friends lift the body of Baldeo Mohan out of the trench which the police are trying to work with. “The police were there and they did some investigation and they carried that piece to the station,” said “Roop”. This newspaper was told that Baldeo would sell fish at La Grange and at Westminster, La Parfaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara. As word quickly spread, some of his customers turned up at his residence to offer condolences. Some relatives were highly upset and terribly hurt that someone could hit someone with their vehicle and not render any assistance. “This is something prevalent in the country, these hit and run cases, but even if they do this why
couldn’t the driver stop and see if he was alive? He/ she just hit him (Baldeo) and he pitched in the trench and the driver drive off,” said one distraught female. Another family friend stated that the streets and roadway were brightly lit and that the driver would have been able to see Baldeo on his bicycle. “He (Baldeo) won’t ride on the road; he would be in the corner riding like always. The street lights on the road are bright especially at that hour and the car driver should have seen him. In fact, he must have. “I don’t know if the driver was drunk or on his phone or he swerve or what but he didn’t stop,” said the young man. Other relatives of the dead man are calling upon the
police to conduct their investigations in a speedy manner and have the culprit arrested. “You know how it is, sometimes the owner or driver could have the car in a workshop to get sprayed over, repainted, work done so people won’t know it was involved in an accident. Sometimes people know things and don’t come forward for various reasons. “But we want the police to find the perpetrator since they have the registration information. We want justice, that is all,” said one relative. This publication was further told that Baldeo was the main breadwinner of his home. He is survived by his wife Nowhari Mohan a.k.a “Dolly” and their two children.
Sunday May 06, 2012
Kaieteur News
Ramotar politically ... From page 8 Vivendi (an agreement between those whose opinions differ, so that they agree to disagree) with the oppositions. The PPP acknowledges that it has a radical and revolutionary past, Nagamootoo said, and the government needs to seek out a way of politically living with people it wishes now to be destroyed. “So they can’t come down with a mode of destruction and damnation and still say they want to talk to us, because right now when I read these things they say about us (AFC) everyday there is no way I feel I can sit down and talk to them (Government) in good faith.” Government perceives the opposition as holding them hostage for an ulterior motive because of decisions made in Parliament, Nagamootoo said that each side views the actions of the other as unreasonable. The government sees the opposition as being vindictive and spiteful and the opposition sees the government as being careless with public funds. “We are helping this Government to deal with its own dilemma which is its own corruption. It does not have the political will to fight the corruption.” Nevertheless, Nagamootoo
said that the government doesn’t know how to deal with its corrupt officials, since it uses a system of reward where persons are given various ambassadorial positions when they make various mistakes in their line of duty. “They must not only be given rewards but punishment also, so we are putting those persons against the wall that we believe committed infractions and who ought to be punished and not be rewarded politically.” He noted that there was a renewed vigour in democracy worldwide. He was hopeful that the Government would follow suit. “The opposition is an ally in governance, and part of the governance mechanism in Guyana. The AFC is not just about being an oppositionist force; it’s about developing Guyana…I am really prepared and willing to go into elections mode. I got this thing in my genes, blood and vibes and I have the electoral rhythm in me. I am hoping that Ramotar makes the mistake.” It was further noted that the government feels that unless it has a parliamentary majority then it would be confined; however, the opposition sees it role as being a representative of the majority who voted against the government.
Vendors criticize Mayor ... (From page 10) men that were doing the demolition were very arrogant and you couldn’t ask them anything. The Mayor and City Council gave us the permission and the instruction to do this yet our stalls got broken so the question is who is responsible for this and why?” one man questioned. He also produced the relevant documents to support that he was given permission from former Deputy Mayor Robert Williams to construct his stall. Two other women explained to Kaieteur News that they had wooden structures and upon advice from the M&CC they were told to construct concrete stalls to vend. They utilized their savings to comply with these rules however they were surprised and angry at the actions of the M&CC. “I was home and when I hear. I rushed down to see what was happening but by the time I get here the people gone. My friend who selling next to me try saving my stuff but the blocks were destroyed and cannot even be used again. I want to know who was so evil to do this and where I can get back my money because this isn’t right.” More vendors in the area were also peeved at the manner in which the M&CC workers operated. They, like the stall owners, were astonished at the sudden destruction of the stalls but could not utter a word of protest as they watched silently as the structures were broken down.
“We don’t know what really happened or why the City Council doing this when they are the ones who said we must do this in the first place. We have written permission and such but don’t know why this wickedness going on. “We are yet to see if more stalls will be destroyed and don’t know how the stalls are being singled out,” another man added.
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Man killed after Oldendorff tug slams into moored boat in Berbice River A 42- year- old man was killed at De Veldt, up the Berbice River, some time after 04:30 hrs Saturday when a tug belonging to Oldendorff Shipping Company ran over the boat in which he was sleeping. The body of Andre Thompson of Number 28 Village, West Coast Berbice, was discovered around 11:00 hrs Saturday by family members “under the bushes in the water”. Kaieteur News caught up with the man’s family at the New Amsterdam Hospital Mortuary late Saturday afternoon. His wife and children were inconsolable and could not speak to the media. However, according to his sister-in-law, Portia Thompson, persons in the De Veldt area and witnesses related to her that he was sleeping on his boat which was moored at the corner of the riverbank. De Veldt is located more than 50 miles up the Berbice River. Thompson was employed with Richard Lepse as a grocer in Aroaima and De Veldt. He was sleeping on the launch when the tug hit it. It seemed that he jumped out of the launch to save his life but he got pinned down. His sister-in-law added, “Like maybe he was asleep and when he heard the noise. He must have tried to escape but he did not succeed”. She added that the people and eyewitnesses who were present during the time were able to signal the occupants of the tug that it had hit someone and it [the tug) stopped.
... one arrested
Thompson’s daughter, Demolly, and his wife at the N/A Hospital Mortuary Dead: Andre Thompson The man’s wife, Sandy Thompson, was informed of her husband’s mishap by her brother-in-law, Lepse. Thompson noted that the captain of the tug was Hugh La Goudoue and the mate was G. Conway. Conway has since been arrested by the police who arrived on the scene early yesterday morning. Portia related that Oldendorff has not issued a statement on the matter but police have started their investigations. The man’s body was removed and brought to the New Amsterdam Hospital mortuary. The family wants justice. They said that this is the second time something like that has happened. The dead man’s niece, Ophelia Bender, said, “We need justice
because this is the second time it has happened...they hit the tug…They had to jump for their lives, but this time it hit the tug and he jumped and he didn’t succeed”. “We need justice—Is the company— He was moored, and he wasn’t like driving on the wrong side of the river.
What were they doing way down in the corner there? This cannot be swept under the rug like this— and the police should not take pay off; they should do their jobs also” Thompson leaves to mourn his wife and three children: Deon, 20; Denesha, 17 and Demolly, 13.
NICIL’s refusal to hand ... From page 12 Guyana Revenue Authority which pays over gross to the Consolidated Fund its takings for each day but has a separate budget to meet its expenses.” He cited examples of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission and the Guyana Forestry Commission which retain monies. “However, mechanisms should be put in place for
periodic transfers to the Consolidated Fund of the accumulated surpluses or part thereof. After all, they are stateowned entities, and to the extent that they record accumulated losses, there is recourse to the Consolidated Fund to bail them out. It follows therefore that accumulated surpluses should find their way to the Consolidated Fund.”
Page 54
Kaieteur News
WANTED One cook, must know to cook Roti & Puri. Call 6477432 Girls to work in bar, age 18 to 25, tel: 256 – 4096 Live in domestic. Light duties. 1 skilled Lathe Operator. Live-in Handyman duties. Excellent remuneration. Tel: 227-1830 1 male/female shop assistant to work in the interior # 688-0197 Live-in domestic must know to cook and 1 waitress, salary 50,000 monthly. Call:610-5043
EDUCATIONAL Learn Spanish. Call: 6731232 Princeton College Forms 1-5, CXC adults’ classes’; $1500 a subject S.A.T/ Phonics etc. Call: 6905008, 611-3793 LIVE AND WORK IN CANADA. GET C A N A D I A N CERTIFICATION AS A CAREGIVER. CALL 227 – 4881 OR 416 674 7973 Imperial College – CXC Jan/ June 2013 exam. Day/ Evening classes, flexible hours. Contact 227-7627, 683-5742
Persons/family to live & take care of farm @ E.C.D, attractive salary offered. Contact: 690-1943, 691-8021
Driver to work day only in a taxi service. #227-6567
Two male shop assistants to work in Georgetown & the interior, serious enquiries only. Call: 225-2940, 225-0305
Experienced dispatchers, must be computer literate. Contact Leroy on 639-7773 or 231-4110
Urgently: chainsaw operator to work in the interior. Call: 626-0006, 231-3159 Live in attractive waitress contact 228- 5129 1 Tutor to teach Form 1, apply Bissan’s Trading, 94 King Street. Call: 227-7306 1 handyman to work. Living accommodation and meals free. 628-1756, 228-5655 1 handy boy to work in the interior #688-0197 Lorry drivers to work Labour lorry at L.B.I Estate. 628-1756, 228-5655 Manager’s Assistant general duties including Custom and Bond, Security Guards, accommodation available. Call: 676-6700 Experienced sales representatives. Apply Wieting & Richter Ltd Waitress to work at Salo Bar Call: 233 – 5264 Female workers needed, 3 subjects or sound secondary education call 225- 7307 1 Lumber yard labourer call 226- 3736 1 general domestic, must know to cook- East Bank Area Tel 614- 4358 Experienced Welder/Fitter. Apply Wieting & Richter Ltd One (1) general worker shift system 266-5243 Sales supervisor with experience & computer knowledge. Apply Wieting & Richter Ltd.
WANTED
Upholsters, joiners, spray painter, handyman Tel# 2256810, 660-5190, 657-2790 Salesgirl and boy to work in shop on ECD. Text or call: 615-8121 Contract cars for BrazilGuyana Taxi Service. Tel: 2253234 One live in domestic no cooking, washing call: 6397700 Full time gardener/ handyman reference needed. Call: 226-0240, 225-3557 1 driver to drive in the interior. Must have bus and canter license. Tel# 688-0197 Drivers with lorry licence. Apply Wieting & Richter Ltd Labourers and Porters. Apply Wieting & Richter Ltd 1 female pastry maker/cook. Ages 25-35 starting salary $60,000. Phone 696-8418 Sales representatives, country wide, for musical CD original. Tel: 267-1565, 6788193 Experienced sewing machine operators. Tele no.: 220-4337 Waitresses @ Diamond Gate Liquor Restaurant and Bar, Lot 18 Belmont Mahaica. Tel# 228-5013, 622-5599 Carpenter with own tools. Apply at Guyana Variety Store, 68 Robb Street. Tel no. 225-4631 Honest/Experienced sales clerk. Apply with written application Nanda’s Boutique, 223 Camp St. Tel 226-1621
SERVICES Permanent &Visitors Visa Applications Professional Immigration Consultant Room E-4 Maraj Building 225-6496/662-6045. Get a visa or get refunded 233 – 2338 US & Canada VISA application services. Call 643-6630. Family discounts available. Looking for a job? Office, Domestic & need assistance, contact Angela: 694-0096 Now open KDRS Pharmacy at Mon Repos Mall 220-8675 nutritionist available every Saturday We refill HP cartridges for $1,800. Call:650-7699 CVs, applications, typing, etc. Tel: 667-1549 House plan drafting for only $10,000. Building estimate for only $10,000. Call 6949843
LEARN TO DRIVE Soman & Sons Driving School; First Federation Building. Call: 225- 4858, 6445166, 622- 2872, 615- 0964 B&C Driving School. Pickup & drop off. Contact 2250150, 680-6826, 229-7258
VACANCY Have an interest in customer service? Then be apart of Q! Call:220-0401, 225-6466 Needed: 1 male office assistant with some knowledge of accounts. Contact 684-7516, 226-3799 Kitchen assistant @ Charlestown- ages 18-35. Call: 614-1020 Two domestics for Bacanas Hotel, Charlotte St., between Oronoque & Albert. Call: 6807294 1 experienced sales girl. Apply in person at stall B Bourda Market, behind Wireless Connections, between 8am to 5pm. Call: 227-3407 1 male Office Assistant with some knowledge of Accounts, contact 684-7516, 226- 3799 One Driver & one Salesman at Humphrey’s Bakery & Farm Products Ltd. Tel 2257864 Experienced Hair Dresser at Nalline Beauty Salon, Vreeden-Hoop Junction (Raymond Building). Attractive salary. Contact: 687-3341, 639-9884 Be part of our world class customer care team. Join us now! Phone: 220-0401-3 Kitchen assistant to work in Ogle. Call Samantha 628-5590 or 222-5045
Sunday May 06, 2012
FOR SALE One Hilux Vigo (new) GNN series 231-5171, 619-7134
VEHICLES FOR SALE 99 Honda Civic Leather interior. Call:648-2075
Toyota Starlet 2 E Turbo engine with gearbox and ECU: Call: 624-7155.
Just arrived: Allion and Premio, tel: 624-2000, 6221610
NARS lipgloss, eyeshadow & Clinique Chubby Stick. Tel: 669-8374.
Leading Auto. Unregistered Allion, Premio, Allex, Runx, Verossa, Avensis, 2 ton Canter, 212. Tel: 677-7666, 610-7666
Home theatre, 1 fan, 146lbs weights (2 dumb bells & long bar), hot plate. Tel# 6988399, 673-1702. 15-15-15 fertilizer. Call: 2662711, 609-4594 2x2x1.5MM, Hollow section $4500 VAT inclusive. Call: 2200-6100, 680-5900 The CD Positive Messages in songs (a gift for mother) Tel: 267-1565, 678-8193 Peking ducks, call: 266-2711 / 609-4594 Quality upholstery materials tel # 220-3356/643-3627
PROPERTY FOR SALE 20 X 40 two flat concrete building @ Kitty. All amenities. Price $28 M Call: 668 – 9512, 223- 2570 Craig $5.5M, East Coast $10M, Farm $12M, Guyhoc Park $12M, Alberttown (Land) $24M, Diana 2272256, 626-9382 Nandy Park $25M, Queenstown $35M, Prashad Nagar $33M, Kitty $32M, Bel-Air $40M, Diana 2272256, 626-9382 L.B.I G$30m, Industry G$76m, Courida Park US$330,000, P/Nagar G$36m, D’Urban Street G$37m, 609 2302/645 2580/ 233 5711 Campbellville G$51m, McDoom G$23m, Agricola G$21m, CC Eccles G$22m, Blankenburgh G$20m, Tuschen G$12m. 609 2302/ 645 2580/233 5711 Business spot 3 lots, 2 building including store with glass cases $750,000 US Neg 621-4000,690-6000
AT 170 Toyota Corona PGG series. Tel# 216-0757 Sale Sale Sale on all zinc sheets 40% off. All lumber 30% off. All pine lumber 8% off. Tel: 226-7054 Nissan Ceriro Car (pearl white) Fully powered, AC, music. Yamaha Riva Scooter, 125cc #231-0786, 625-1874 Dell computers, complete with 19" LCD, from $69,000. Future Tech. Call 231-2206, 644-6760 Generator diesel, silent 27KVA 400 Gallon tank; key start like new $1.8 Million Call:621 – 4000,690- 6000 Generac 15000KVA or 15KVA 110-220 key start gas, $850,000each. Call: 621-4000, 690-6000
1 Honda Civic Ferio. PKK series. Manual transmission. Price $1,100,000 neg. Contact #650-5567 2 Raum, 1 Pit Bull contact 663 – 9727, 609 6458 1 Nissan Cube ( like Raum) PMM 1088, 1.350 M Neg. call 233 – 5557, 610 -1309 1 RZ Mini bus series BKK. Call: 667-9629
Titan parts, engine DIFF etc. Call:648-2075
2 – two ton canter, one enclosed. Good condition. Price $800,000 & $1.2m negotiable. 1 tapir price $160,000 negotiable. Contact# 253-3349
Samsung colour printer, fax, copy, email, also fridgidaire washer & dryer & many more stuff. Call: 626-5852, 681-8830 anytime.
2007 Toyota Allion W/TV/ DVD & 2007 Toyota Axio. Tel: 615-4114 w w w. f a c e b o o k . c o m / rashanautosaleslimited
Used: QSC Amps MX2000 & MX3000, Roland sampler SP404, Rcf speaker: 12" & 18", celestion speaker: 15". Contact: 644-3390
Unregistered Premio & Allion with TV, mags, back Cam. Call: 609-8188, 6026307
Moulders, multirip saws, resaws, cross cut saw and genset Tel 616-5595 Rodney
One ERF Hauler with 45 ft trailer (in-contract) & one Model M Truck. Tel: 6534455 FOR SALE Generac Generator/Americn made, 7000w, fully enclosed; low noise. Propane/gas cylinder, ATS available. Call: 612-1486, 646-8326 Pool table cloth, ball, pocket, Q-Stick, rubber, coin Shute, chalk, tips, coin. Call:6699927, 668-7805
Verossa PNN. Call:665-3067, 228-2609
1 Mitsubishi Fuso truck, 4 ton enclosed, 20 feet, new $5.2M. Call Salim 641-5075, 622-6746 New Air Brush Kit, gun, hose, compressor $35,000. 592-643-5720 Roofing shingles. Call: Mr. Skepmire . 227-5195 (8am to 5pm) Yamaha outboard engine parts for 115HP-200 HP, Crankshaft fat & fine top, pistons, bearings. Call: Terry665-9405 1 vehicle (Ipsum) in good condition. Call: 225-8673, 600-7448 American Ladders/Scaffold, 30ft/10ft, adjustable/ platforms. 20 ft heavy duty scaffold, platform/locking wheels. Call: 612-1486, 6468326 15ft Fiber glass boat $170,000 call: 260-0301, 685-1233 1 New Centurion Generator $175,000. 1 Frigidaire freezer $115,000. 1 Kitchen Aid Stainless fridge $140,000. 1 Samsung Microwave $12,500. Tel 694-5371
2005 H2 Hummer, 38,500 mileage fully loaded, chrome kit etc. Call: 6393100, 619-5400 One EP71 Starlet, 1 AE91 Sprinter,1 Mitsubishi RVR and Pajero JR,1 Nissan Pathfinder PMM, 1 Honda FIT 2004 Call:644-5096,6971453 1 AT 212 for sale tel 6740645 One Toyota Ceres Call: 6445096, 697-1453 2005 Toyota Belta with TV/ CD & 2003 Toyota Premio & 2004 Avensis Tel: 615-4114 w w w. f a c e b o o k . c o m / rashanautosales 1 PMM series Toyota Raum, fully loaded 639-7773, 2335383 Hilux 4x4 solid def pick-up, diesel, long base, excellent condition Call: 623-0243 1 special edition Toyota Runx PNN. 2 Nissan Wingroad Wagon. Tel: 612-2522 Corolla Fielder just registered, AT 170 Carina. Price negotiable. Call 6149623 Just Arrived. Toyota Hilux solid Axle 4x4 Pick-up. Tel: 222-2662, 691-2077 (Continued on page 56)
Sunday May 06, 2012
Kaieteur News
Page 55
The Abigail Column The up side of a long distance relationship being together in the future? Distance DEARABIGAIL, My friend and I have been involved in a long distance relationship for six months now. We keep in touch with each other on a regular basis, calling and visiting each other. I feel that the distance between us will cause our relationship to end. We have been seeing each other for a year and a half. What are our chances of
Dear Distance, There’s no crystal ball that can predict how long a relationship (long-distance or not) will last, but your current feelings may offer some clues about what the future holds for you and your friend. For some couples distance is a deal-breaker that brings the relationship to a close; however, for others absence really does make the heart
grow fonder. To consider the future of your relationship, it might be helpful to take a few steps back and evaluate your own feelings. Do you still care deeply for your friend, or have your feelings waned after six months apart? Take time to think about your feelings and ways to make the most out of being apart. There are many “right” ways to be involved in a loving relationship, and only time will tell if yours will last.
Sunday May 06, 2012 ARIES (March 21 - April 19): Your emotions can be a powerful motivator for change in your life, so why not follow them? Good or bad, they are a force to be reckoned with. If you want to spill your guts to someone you're seriously crushing on, you should do so today -- share your feelings in a safe way, maybe in an email or over the phone. ****************** TAURUS (April 20 - May 20): Someone is growing attached to you -- perhaps a little bit too attached. Their intense feelings are very flattering, but their jealousy is not. You need to watch for an increase in their possessiveness over you. ******************** GEMINI (May 21 - June 20): If you get your feelings hurt today, it's important that you not retaliate too quickly. Go home, be alone and let yourself mull things over for a while. ******************** CANCER (June 21 - July 22): Caution is an important ingredient in any partnership, and today that is doubly true - especially if you're entering into or finalizing a business partnership. Be wary if they are rushing you to make a commitment before you are completely ready. ******************** LEO (July 23 - Aug. 22): Follow your instincts when it comes to reading people today -- especially the people you see and work with every single day. What their words and body language are saying on the outside does not match up completely with what they really mean inside. ********************* VIRGO (Aug. 23 - Sept. 22): Feelings are not inappropriate tools for making progress. You can't be all serious all the time. Do not turn off part of yourself when you ar-
rive at work or at school -- you should be all that you are all the time. ********************** LIBRA (Sept. 23 - Oct. 22): Be critical of invitations you receive today, especially if they are business-related. Probe a little bit deeper, and ask a few more questions about what they are offering you in exchange for your time -- is this something you really want to get involved with? ********************* SCORPIO (Oct. 23 - Nov. 21): Has someone let you down? It happens from time to time, so don't let it ruin a relationship. They made a mistake, they fell short of your expectations, and they may have even lost some of the respect you've given them. ********************** SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22 Dec. 21): It's a great goal to want to live out one of your dreams, but you need to let a few more goals into your life! Devoting all your energy to one small task is too narrow a focus for you right now. ********************* CAPRICORN (Dec. 22 Jan. 19): The power you want so badly right now will eventually come to you -- but first you have to stop wanting it so much! You deserve more control, so stop looking upon it as a sort of gift you're waiting to be given. *********************** AQUARIUS (Jan. 20 - Feb. 18): If you're feeling unfulfilled right now, consider getting more involved in changing the world around you. ********************** PISCES (Feb. 19 - March 20): Even more than usual, the decision makers in your life have a lot of influence over you right now, so make an effort to understand them as completely as you can.
DTV CHANNEL 8 09:25hrs. Sign On 09:30hrs. Turning Point 10:00hrs. Kickin’ It 11:00hrs. Lab Rats 12:00hrs. Movie: To Love, Honour & Betray 14:00hrs. Movie: Bond of Silence 16:00hrs. Movie: Ultimate Deception 17:30hrs. Mr. Young 18:00hrs. Faith in Action 18:30hrs. Know Your Bible 19:00hrs. Greetings and Announcements 20:00hrs. Once Upon a Time (New Episode) 21:00hrs. Desperate Housewives (New Episode) 22:05hrs. Movie: Free of Eden 00:00hrs. Sign Off
CHARGERS 19:00hrs - Geet Gaata Chal Live with Joel 20:00hrs - Ganesh Parts Presents - BHAGAVAD GITA ( Discourses in English) Serial 20:30hrs - Birthday Greetings/ Death Announcement & In Memoriam 21:00hrs - Indian Soap -Choti Bahu 21:30hrs - Indian Soap Yahaan Mein 22:00hrs - Indian Soap - Pavitra Rishta 22:30hrs - Indian Soap - Mrs. Kaushik Ki Paanch Bahuyien 23:00hrs - Indian Soap - Punar Vivaah 23:30hrs - Sign Off with the GAYATRI MANTRA
NTN CHANNEL 18/ CABLE 69 05:00hrs - Sign on with the Mahamrtunjaya Mantra 05:00hrs - Mediation 05:15hrs - Dr. Balwant Singh’s Hospital Inc Presents 05:30hrs - Queenstown Masjid Presents Quran This Morning 06:00hrs - R. Gossai General Store Presents Krishna Bhajans 06:15hrs - Jettoo’s Lumber Yard Presents Krishna Bhajans 06:30hrsMuneshwar Limited Presents Krishna Bhajans 06:45hrs - Double Standard Taxi Presents Krishna Bhajans 07:00hrs - Ramroop’s Furniture Store Presents Religious Teachings 07:30hrs - The Family of The Late Leila & David Persaud Presents Krishna Bhajans 07:45hrs - Sankar Auto Works Presents Krishna Bhajans 08:05hrs - Sa Re Ga Ma Live with Joel & Natasha 09:30hrs - DANCE INDIA DANCE 10:30hrs - Teaching of Islam 11:00hrs - Dharmic Milan 11:30hrs - Guyana’s Entertainers Platform 12:00hrs - Hinduism in a changing world presented by Pt. Ravi 12:30hrs - LETS TALK WITH LAKSHMEE 13:00hrs - IPL 5 - MUMBAI INDIANS v CHENNAI SUPER KINGS 15:30hrs - IPL 5 - ROYAL C. BANGALORE v DECCAN
NCN CHANNEL 11 02:00hrs – Movie 05:00hrs – Inspiration 05:30hrs – Newtown Gospel 06:00hrs – NCN 6 ‘O’ Clock News(R/B) 06:30hrs – Tomorrow’s World 07:00hrs – Voice of Victory 07:30hrs – Voice of Islam
08:00hrs – Lifting Guyana to Greatness 08:30hrs – President’s Diary 09:00hrs – Ravi D Show 10:00hrs – Distance Education CXC Prog. 11:00hrs – Bollywood 60 Minutes 12:00hrs – Perspectives 12:30hrs – GRA in Focus 13:00hrs – Dharma Vani 14:00hrs – Feature 14:30hrs – Catholic Magazine 15:00hrs – The Naked Truth 15:30hrs – Feature 16:00hrs – Family Forum 16:30hrs – Shape 17:00hrs – Farmers’ Connection 18:00hrs – NCN Week in Review 18:30hrs – Guysuco Roundup 19:00hrs – Close Up 19:30hrs – Kala Milan 20:00hrs – Feature 21:00hrs – Feel the Beat 22:00hrs – IPL #49 Mumbai Indians VS Chennai Super Kings (Delayed) IPL #50 Rajasthan Royals VS Deccan Chargers (Delayed) 03:00 – Movie
Guides are subjected to change without notice
Page 56
Kaieteur News
Sunday May 06, 2012
>>>Letter to the Sport Editor<<< TOUR
(From page 54)
Mother’s Day Special 13th May Mainstay Resort, St. Cutbert’s Mission. Sean 2181285, 657-0825 Mother’s Day Special 13th May Saxacalli Beach. Joy 627-8562, 218-1285 TO LET Short term apartments Eccles. Call:679-7139
CAR RENTAL Progressive auto rental, cars from $4,000 per day. Call: 6435122, 656-0087, www.progressiveautorental.com Premio, 110 Corolla. Call: 6797139 First Choice Car Rental cars $5,000-7,000 per day 6680306, 225-6337 Al’s Car & Pick-up Rental. Call: 698-7807
Harmony inn fully furnished self contained a/c apartments, Short term& long term Parfaite Harmony WBD Tel:694-7817 Newly built apartment – WCD, call: 698-6496 Four (4) bedroom apartment. Contact: 682-8875 E.B.D furnished 3 bedrooms house, 2 bathrooms, a/c, hot and cold, grilled, meshed, telephone, internet, parking, US$500 tel 697-4131 East Coast $55,000, Kitty $60,000, Alberttown $80,000, Bel-Air US$1500, Hotel US$5,000; Diana 227-2256, 626-9382 Self contained rooms in Prashad Nagar. $10,000 weekly. Contact 227, 2993
LAND FOR SALE Land V/Hoop 2 acre: school, housing, factory, etc call:6580115 Supply Public Road to river 50x160ft 7.3M, sold without documentations. Contact GME Real Estate 231- 2200, 231 2199, 618 7483 32 Acres for sale, Lot 5 Content, E.C.D, $256,000.00(USD) Call: 813319-4219 or rpooran@tampabay.rr.com
One two bedroom bottom flat apartment. Tel no.: 6644898 Fully furnished 3 bedroom top flat US$950, 2 flat residence/business US$1,200, 609 2302/ 645 2580/ 233 5711 Furnished 3 bedroom house US$600, unfurnished 2 bedroom top flat G$65,000, 609 2302/645 2580/233 5711
VEHICLES FOR SALE One Toyota RZ Longbase EFI, Land of Canaan Wharf 140’ hardly used BKK series $1.6M. X 50’ on 11.88 acres US$2.5m, Call: Rocky 621-5902 Yarowkabra 50 acre & house G$15m, 609 2302/645 2580/233 Clearance Sale!! Toyota (Scion) bB & Sienta. Come 5711 and make your offer!!! 643Grove H/S 86’ X 50’ G$4.5m. 6565, 226-9931 609 2302/645 2580/233 5711 Lexus LS400/Luxury, BMW Forshaw Street 118’ X 62’ 740IL/Luxury, BMW 635CSI/ G$72m, Brickdam 96’ X 63’ Sports. Bring mechanic, make G$82m, Eping Ave B.A.P 150’ offer. Call: 612-1486, 646-8326 X 100" US$500,000, 609 2302/ Mercedes Benz 190E fully 645 2580/233 5711 skirted, customized interior Carmichael Street 100" X 62" work need repairs $650,000. US$500,000 Call:621-4000, 690-6000 609 2302/645 2580/233 5711 Cherokee Lorado, 4 doors AC Ogle Seawall Rd 140’ X 100’ windows, power locks PHH G$45m, Sophia Seawall Rd 130" series $1.950.000.Call 621X 86’ US$550,000, 4000,690-6000 Ogle Railway Corner 200’ X Mercedes Benz S300, fully 78’ US$750,000, 609 2302/ powered, armored, DVD 645 2580/233 5711 system $3.5million. call:6214000,690-6000 Hummer H2 sut Model 22"rims, DVD sound system call:639-7700 Mercedes Benz A-140 fully MASSAGE powered, sound system Relax your mind and body PMM series $2.8 neg. call:621-4000,690-6000 with a massage 622-6256
GOA and AAG bosses called on to respond DEAR EDITOR, Mr. K. Juman Yassin, (President of the Guyana Olympic Association) and Mr. Colin Boyce, (President of the Athletics Association of Guyana), I appeal to you both to go on record via the dailies and prove that Mr. Christopher Ram (Chartered Accountant) is totally wrong about Sports Offices/ Administrations not producing financial reports. I make reference to Mr. C. Ram’s KN captioned report “Ram flays GOA over lack of accountability” dated May 1, 2012 and SN contribution dated May 2, 2012 and captioned “Ram’s Legacy.” I respect both Mr. C. Ram’s and SN contribution, but I honestly don’t want to ever believe that both the GOA and AAG are guilty of accountability. Editors and readers can attest to the fact that I have spent time, energies etc. over the years via the dailies CAKE & PASTRIES Courses in cake decoration, pastry making & cookery, tel: 670-0798. Wedding dresses for sale & rental. TO RENT One Bobcat Skid Loader for rent. Please contact: 610-3575 ACCOMMODATION Signature Inn Luxury Suites & Apartments 83 Laluni Street, Queenstown. Call for reservations 2262145, 227-5037 DRESS MAKING Bridesmaid dresses, working uniforms, made professionally. Sharmela 2252598, 641-0784 6 weeks designing/sewing classes. Sharmela 225-2598, 641-0784 DATING SERVICE Immediate link-Singles 18-80yrs. Confidential: Tel: 223-8237,6486098. (No -text) 8:30am-5:00pm Mon-Sun (Both phones same hours).
SALON Make up courses, artist trained & certified in Trinidad: 6605257,647-1773 Qualify yourself in Cosmetology or nails, make up, Register, Limited spaces. Call Abby: 216-1950, 6197603, 666-5241
making a special effort to highlight Track and Field Sport, appealing for the Business Community Intervention in terms of consideration of sponsorship for athletes because they are at a disadvantage. Yes, I have hit out to both the AAG and GOA when there was a need to and it’s nothing personal, but merely trying to understand the system and never has it ever crossed my mind that these two offices headed by responsible people would not have financial
reports prepared/produced on an annual basis. It was Mr. C. Ram’s report that opened my eyes with the hope that a commentary will be forthcoming from both offices. Respectfully Mr. Colin Boyce, as an organising member of the upcoming President’s/Jefford’s Meet in Linden on May 20, 2012, it will be wise for you or your Public Relations Officer to address Mr. Christopher Ram’s accusation about financial accountability of the office of
the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) which you are President of and this should be done at the Launching of the Linden Meet on May 8, 2012 at 11:00hrs at the Digicel’s Headquarters, Kingston. Failing to address this current situation highlighted by Mr. Christopher Ram, It will leave me as a sports enthusiast to believe what he wrote in his report and honestly, I don’t want to believe it. T. Pemberton
I’ll Have Another rallies to win Kentucky... From page 58 although, surprisingly, it was Bodemeister under jockey Mike Smith who blazed to the front and forced Trinniberg to take a backseat. In the late afternoon heat - mid 80s Bodemeister set impossibly fast fractions. He ran the opening quartermile in 22.32 seconds and the
half-mile in 45.39. Meanwhile, I’ll Have Another was comfortably galloping along behind the blazing speed. Gutierrez, born in Mexico and riding his first Derby at 25, angled his colt clear on the final turn and took dead-aim at Bodemeister, who was clearly in front at the top of the stretch. Went the
Day Well finished fourth, followed by Creative Cause, Liaison, 5-1 favorite Union Rags, Rousing Sermon, Hansen, Daddy Nose Best and Optimizer. Alpha was 12th, followed by El Padrino, Done Talking, Sabercat, Gemologist, Trinniberg, Prospective, Take Charge Indy and Daddy Long Legs was last.
Golden Jaguars beat Guadeloupe... From back page centre back Ryan Crandon to give the Jaguars the equalizer. This allowed the teams to go into the first half interval 1-1. Guyana’s Head Coach Jamaal ‘Captain’ Shabazz felt justified.”All we said to them at halftime was keep going, keep taking the fight to them. Because these kids were playing their hearts out”, revealed Shabazz. “We forced them to go and press and encouraged them to search for the go ahead goal. The momentum was with us, added Shabazz.
Manning who was wearing the Captain’s armband on the night led from the front and in the 76th minute steered a Dwight Peters cross past the Guadeloupian goalkeeper to give Guyana the go ahead goal. Minute’s later, strikers Sheldon Holder and Daniel Wilson came close to extending the lead but saw their chances both go wide of the upright. Strong defending by the Guyanese defenders marshaled by Colin Nelson and Kestore Jacobs ensured the
Jaguars held on for a hard fought 2-1 win. Assistant Coach Wayne ‘Wiggy’ Dover was elated.”Our efforts to develop two teams and secure the future of Guyana’s football are starting to bear fruit. It’s still a long road and a thankless and tiring job but nights like these makes you feel but your commitment is paying off, said Dover. “These boys made Guyana very proud and they are still developing”, Dover concluded.
Berbicians protest omission of homeboy... From back page preparation including one month of intense training, that GABA executives only now realize that they have insufficient funding?” Rogers wanted to know. He feels that the mere fact that the boxers are representing their Country should be enough to attract adequate funding. Former amateur boxing champion and coach, Michael Crawford was also distraught at the turn of events. He lashed out at President of GABA, Steve Ninvalle and Tournament Director, Terrence Poole saying that they should hang their heads and resign from their respective positions. “These officials were in charge of the boxers that disappeared in the USA after participating in the CAC Games in Puerto Rico yet there were no sanctions. The fact that these two officials are still in charge speaks to the callous inefficiency of executives. Crawford said that Ninvalle had said that he had tendered his resignation after the incident but the executive had refused to accept, instead giving him a resounding vote of confidence. “I have worked with young Williamson and I know that he stood a great
chance of winning a medal and earning qualification to the impending Olympics,” asserted Crawford. Founder of the Unity of The Nation Organization, Eli Hazel, also a boxing official and community leader was also livid by the turn of events. He feels that since Ninvalle is a part of the government and should have sought intervention at that level. Community leader, Pastor David Rose was also unhappy with what transpired. He had been a part of Williamson development and feels that the boxer’s involvement in the sport has been instrumental in steering him clear of trouble with the law. He is adamant that Williamson’s omission is naked discrimination. “They always do this to Berbicians,” he ranted. “After all the buildup, hype and expectation, not to mention the expenditure, then they just dump the young man. This is preposterous!” Meanwhile, Williamson, the nephew of former national boxing champion and world rater Howard Eastman and who hails from the depressed community of Angoy’s Avenue (Cow Dam) New Amsterdam, is so despondent that he is contemplating fighting professionally. (Samuel Whyte)
Sunday May 06, 2012
Kaieteur News
Page 57
“Unlike 1976, lack of cricket and adverse conditions could affect West Indies in England in 2012” Colin E. H. Croft In a weekend which contained English Football Association (FA) Cup final at revered Wembley Stadium, between Liverpool United Football Club and Chelsea United Football Club, consider this for a moment: Premier League footballers, who are paid in excess of 100,000 Pounds Sterling (US$150,000), per week, for their skills and efforts, fall to ground, especially in or around the penalty area, even when a breeze, not an actual opposing player, touches them. They not only fall heavily, but feign serious injuries too! Yet, if that same player scores a goal later in that game, seven team-mates jump on to his back and shoulders to congratulate him and celebrate that goal. Unbelievably, somehow, this man who could not stand up to breeze, remains standing upright, celebrating, with seven guys on his back! Incredible! Yet the general press has the gumption to criticize cricketers who supposedly over-step for “spot – fixing”, or captains who deliberately
slow down cricket games so that they could not lose. No, I am not defending any lawbreakers here, just pointing out how some parts of the world of sports really works! Anyway, with weather in United Kingdom being so atrocious, cricket is taking a massive beating. Football and that other sport that really separates the boys from men – rugby – which somehow, for all its ferocity, is known for fair play and beer-drinking camaraderie, continue. England has been very wet! West Indies has been training indoors at Hove, Sussex, as they have found it very difficult to get anywhere dry outdoors. The sun has not been seen for weeks. One wonders how those new players who have not played much in England before would cope with the extremely wet and cold conditions. Perhaps 2012’s summer is already gone. I arrived in United Kingdom mid-March to complete coverage of West Indies v Australia for Sky Sports Television and for three weeks after my arrival, I was almost sure that I was back in the Caribbean or Florida, USA, certainly not in UK. It was severely hot then!
London Summer 2012 Olympics would also be hoping that the sun comes out, so that the games would be the glorious, positive spectacle that it could be. After all, we all want to know if Usain Bolt can get down to 9.5 seconds for 100 meters. Surely, someday quite soon, that record would be 8.5 seconds! When I first played County Cricket for Lancashire CCCC, May 1977, there was also much hope for that year too, weather-wise, as 1976’s entire summer was as hot as hell is generally regarded. I was quite unprepared for the coldest five months of my life. From May to September 1977, I saw the sun once! One of the qualifications to become a well-rounded international cricketer is to have experiences of playing cricket is all conditions. Playing cricket in England, though, is a special baptism. I actually played one Sunday afternoon v Derbyshire, after snow had fallen the previous Saturday night. Talk about cold! Summer 1976 saw the maturing of Clive Lloyd’s cricket team, inherited in 1974/ 5 with his first captaincy to India. By 1976, after a
diabolical tour to Australia months earlier, where West Indies had been annihilated 5-1, the tourists were ready to show that they belonged at the top table of world cricket. In 1976, the run-in for West Indies to the first Test, at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, in June, no less, included many preparation games where all cricketers - bowlers, batsmen, and wicket-keepers - had a chance to get themselves in quite good form. In 2012, West Indies have been fortunate to have two! The Counties Surrey, Hampshire, Kent, Somerset and Sussex, and Marylebone Cricket Club XI, all played 3day games against West Indies in 1976, before that 1st Test. In 2012, only Sussex; three-day game; and England Lions; four-day game; would be preparation for West Indies for 1st Test at Lords; not ideal at all! 1976 was also that year when England’s captain, Tony Greig, suggested that he would put so much pressure on West Indies that ‘would make them grovel.” Being South African, Greig probably did not even entertain the thought that that word would affect West Indies psyche in
exactly the opposite way! West Indies pummeled England in 1976. By August 17, Day 5, Test 5, West Indies had torpedoed England 3–0. West Indies batsmanship and fast bowling were exactly in place to start “Fire in Babylon!” Maybe West Indies tour of England 2012 could restart that quest for FI-B’s continuity and sequel! By the end of that series, (Sir) Vivian Richards, who had played only four of the five Tests, had scored a monumental 829 runs. Having started Test No. 1 with 232 at Trent Bridge, Viv closed out Test No. 5 with a majestic 291. He had no ‘not-outs’ in the series, yet ended with the unbelievable average of 118.42. Michael Holding’s match tally in Test No. 5; 8-92 and 657; 14 for 149, still stands out as pinnacle of West Indies fast bowling for an entire Test. Mikey bowled so fast that the grass was burnt brown! Ironically, spinners took only three wickets of 92 English Test wickets to fall that series! West Indies batting was to drool for; Roy Fredericks, Gordon Greenidge, Viv Richards, Lawrence Rowe, Alvin Kallicharran, Larry Gomes, Clive Lloyd, Deryck
Scotiabank/Pepsi Schools Football Academy tourney...
Trotz’ brace leads Christ Church to victory; East Ruimveldt & Tucville girls draw
Andre Trotz Andre Trotz Jr., son of former Beacon and National player Andre Trotz, was on song yesterday leading Christ Church Secondary to a sweet 2-1 victory over Central High when play in the Soctiabank/ Pepsi Schools Football Academy tournament continued at the Tucville Football Ground. The promising junior player, who has scored a total of five (5) goals so far in the tournament, netted both goals for his team in the feature game for the afternoon. The skirmish between the two schools was intense as both sides defended their territory as best they could but it was Christ Church t h a t proved they were
This Central High School player (2nd right) taking the attack to Christ Church during yesterday’s game at Tucville Ground. stronger of the two. The high skills level of the Christ Church boys saw them creating numerous goal scoring opportunities of which two were successful. The first of Trotz’ double was netted in the 22nd minute after he received a pass from the right flank. Trotz’ right foot bomb was too much for the Central goalkeeper to handle as the ball surged under his body as hi dived to
stop the ball from entering the back of the nets. The second goal for the winners came in the 59th minute when the keeper stepped out of the box in attempt to prevent Trotz scoring again, but he was unsuccessful. Central High got their consolation goal in the last minute (60th) through Lionel Holder but it was too little to late as they lost. East Ruimveldt and
Tucville Secondary played to a 1-1 draw in the female segment of the tournament. Treola Elliot of Tucville opened the account for her team in the 30th minute. But 9 minutes later, East Ruimveldt drew level when Oseyah Jones rocked the back of the nets to make the game interesting. Some of the Tucville players created goal scoring chances but those
opportunities all went a begging. The game persisted with no other player from either team being able to hit the network. Meanwhile, Lodge male team earned a walk over from North Georgetown Secondary. The tournament continues on Wednesday at the same venue with a female match between Lodge and Campbellville Secondary from 16:00hrs.
Colin E. H. Croft Murray, as wicket-keeper and Collis King and Bernard Julien as all-rounders. The bowling included Andy Roberts, Wayne Daniel, Michael Holding and Vanburn Holder, with sporadic inputs from Raphick Jumadeen and Albert Padmore. From being potential “grovellers”, West Indies, after this series, were called ‘sadists”, “terrorists”, every “ist” known to man. No-one remembered that West Indies were only reacting to suggestions that they would lose badly. All they did was win well. As the late Lord Kitchener concluded; “Take that, England!” For me, best Test of that series was Test No. 3, at my County alma-mater, Old Trafford cricket Ground, Manchester. Greenidge made 134 and 101, with Richards contributing the small matter of 135 in 2nd innings, as West Indies totaled 211 and 411, but it was West Indies fiery bowlers that impressed most. Perhaps Special Air Service (SAS) should have been called out for West Indies bowlers in 1976, as would probably be done if anything untoward happens in London 2012 Olympics. England managed 71 and 126 of the most painfully achieved runs any team ever got in a Test anywhere. At Old Trafford, Daniel, Holding and Roberts put more fear in England’s batsmen’s hearts then than ever experienced before! Frank Hayes, who played with me at LCCC afterwards, said: “There was a deadly ridge on that OT pitch. Noone could see the @#*& ball; all so @#$% fast!” Quite a story! For talent who debuted with a Test 100 v West Indies in 1973, Hayes played his only nine Tests against West Indies, and was soon discarded. Cricketers and fans throughout United Kingdom are all fervently hoping, maybe even praying, that sun would come out, so that England could try to keep its No. 1 spot in Test cricket with a series win against West Indies. West Indies must remember 1976, when tables were turned around very quickly! Enjoy!
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Sunday May 06, 2012
Elizabeth Styles U19 50 over cricket... Pacers waste big lead, beat Magic in OT, 101-99 Rahaman 96* & 4-24, Subhan 6-17, Austin 5-1 stand out in latest play
Indiana’s Danny Granger, center, gets past Orlando’s Hedo Turkoglu (15) and Ryan Anderson (33) for a shot Orlando, Fla. (AP) George Hill hit a pair of free throws with 2.2 seconds left in overtime to help the Indiana Pacers survive squandering a 19-point fourth quarter lead and beat the Orlando Magic 101-99 on Saturday to take a 3-1 series lead. David West scored 26 points, including 12 in the third quarter and four in overtime for Indiana. Danny Granger added 21 points. The Pacers won their third straight game and will try to close out it out Tuesday in Indianapolis. Orlando had a final chance to tie the game in the closing seconds, but Glen Davis’ fade away jumper bounced off the side of the rim. Jason Richardson led the Magic with 25 points and Davis added 24 points and 11 rebounds. The Pacers started the extra period with six straight points, including four by West. Richardson responded with 3 to make it 95-92 and Jameer Nelson fouled out Roy Hibbert with his three-point play following a Pacers’ miss to tie it. Hill hit two free-throws on the other end to put Indiana back on top, but Davis tied it again with a twisting layup. After an Indiana timeout, Hill hit a floater from the wing, but Davis again matched it on the Magic’s next possession. The Pacers quickly pushed the ball up the floor and Nelson fouled Hill in the lane to set up his decisive free throws. Hibbert finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Hill started slow, but was huge down the stretch and ended up with 12. All five Magic starters reached double figures, with Nelson adding 12 points and Ryan Anderson and Hedo Turkoglu chipping in with 11. Magic Coach Stan Van Gundy said before the game that he thought he left his starting unit on the floor too
long to begin Game 3. He went to the bench for the first time with just over five minutes to go on Saturday. But Orlando’s second unit struggled to provide the same boost it had in the previous three games. Still, with Anderson having his best offensive game of the series early on, some rejuvenated play by Turkoglu and strong free throw shooting, the Magic were able to keep nipping at the Pacers in the second half. Things got a little testy early in the fourth quarter, when Orlando’s J.J Redick picked up a technical foul after a post-play skirmish with Indiana forward Tyler Hansbrough. There were also a handful of foul calls that the Magic players took issue with and seemed to play into their frustrations as the Pacers built an 82-63 lead. Orlando wasn’t done, though, and used a 14-0 run to cut it to 82-77 with 4:40 to play, prompting the second Pacers’ timeout in two-minute stretch. The lead was then cut to 84-81 on a tip-in by Turkoglu, before Hill’s 3pointer was followed by a basket by Granger and put the Pacers up by eight with less than three minutes to play. Richardson nailed a 25footer to trim it back to five and it was 89-86 after two Davis free-throws. That was still the score when Redick got free on an out of bounds play and hit a 3 from the wing to tie it with 38.7 left. A desperation 3-pointer by Hill with the shot winding down resulted in a shot clock violation and gave Orlando the ball with 14.7 showing in the clock, but Nelson’s fade away jumper in the lane fell short at the buzzer. The Pacers led 46-44 at the half, but the Magic went into the locker room with lots of momentum thanks to a 178 run to end the second quarter.
A brilliant all-round performance from Akram Rahaman and a 6-wicket haul from medium pacer Abdool Subhan, led Chowramootoo’s Construction Blairmont Community Centre to a massive 200 run victory over Bath in the Elizabeth Styles Under-19 50 over cricket competition in Berbice. When Blairmont batted, Rahaman slammed 96 not out which included 5 fours and 4 sixes as his side posted 241 for 9 in 40 overs in their rain affected game. When Bath replied, they had to contend with the opening pace attack of Subhan and Baksh, between the two they ran amock bowling them out for a paltry 41; Subhan snaring 6 for 17 from 5 overs and Rahaman 4 for 24 from 6 overs which included a hattrick. After Young Warriors rattled up 176 for 6 in 20 overs in their rain-shortened match against Sisters Warriors, who in their reply had slumped to 50 for 5, Guyana Under-19 player, Linden Austin with off spinners snapped up the last 5 wickets for a single run as Sisters Warriors were sent packing for 62. Bush Lot New Generation
Akram Rahaman
Linden Austin
Abdool Subhan
opening pacer, Randy Singh’s 4 for 31 went a long way in helping restrict Rainbow Generation of Seafield to 129. However, Rainbow Generation off spinner, Derwin Nelson and Grayson Grant picked up 4-14 and 3-8 respectively as Bush Lot were skittled out for 55 in reply. Opening fast bowler Nicholas Seenarine took 5-16 which together with 3-17 from fellow pacer Aslam Baksh, helped Skeldon Community Centre bowl out Progressive Youth of Crabwood Creek for 38. When Skeldon replied, Progressive Youth left arm spinner, Kevin Grannum, took 4 for 6 from 4 overs but Skeldon nevertheless won by 6 wickets. COLLATED SCORES:
At Bath - Chowramootoo Construction Blairmont Community Centre outclassed Bath by 200 runs. Chowramootoo Construction Blairmont Community Centre 241 for 9 in 40 overs; Akram Rahaman 96 not out, Abdool Subhan 28, Ridwan Ramjohn 27, Dhanraj Gossai 2 for 38, Andrew Budhu 2 for 38 and Hariskumar Singh 2 for 39. Bath 41 in 11.1 overs; Akram Rahaman 6 for 24 and Abdool Subhan 6 for 17. At Cumberland - Young Warriors defeated Sisters Warriors by 114 runs. Young Warriors 176 for 6 in 20 overs; Shimron Hetmyer 39, Linden Austin 39, Kamdevin Permaloo 32, Cledwin Cort 23 not out, Kennie Durant 2 for 41. Sisters Warriors 62 in 15.3
overs; David Sookram 24 and Linden Austin 5 for 1 from 3 overs. At Bush Lot - Rainbow Generation beat Bush Lot New Generation by 64 runs. Rainbow Generation 129 in 19.5 overs; Fernandes Perreira 29, Joshua Fraser 20, Randy Singh 4 for 31 and Navendra Singh 3 for 18. Bush Lot New Generation 65 in 17.2 overs; Derwin Nelson 4 for 14, Grayson Grant 3 for 8 and Fernandes Perreira 2 for 4. At Skeldon - Skeldon Community Centre eased past Progressive Youth by 6 wickets. Progressive Youth 38 in 9 overs; Nicholas Seenarine 5 for 16 and Aslam Baksh 3 for 17. Skeldon Community Centre 40 for 4 in 8 overs; Kevin Grannum 4 for 6.
I’ll Have Another rallies to win Kentucky Derby LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) I’ll Have Another ran down Bodemeister in the final furlong Saturday (yesterday) to win the Kentucky Derby, winding up in the winner’s circle despite a rookie jockey, a more famous stable pony, and a price tag of just $11,000 as a yearling. With Mario Gutierrez aboard, the chestnut colt stormed out of post No. 19 the first winner from that slot in 138 runnings of the Derby - and bided his time back in mid-pack while Bodemeister set a blistering pace on a hot, muggy afternoon. ‘’He’s an amazing horse. I kept telling everybody, from the first time I met him, I knew he was the one. I knew he was good,’’ Gutierrez said. ‘’I said in an interview, even if they allowed me to pick from the whole rest of the field, I would have stayed with him, 100 percent, no doubt about it.’’ But a record crowd of 165,307 looking on didn’t know 15-1 shot I’ll Have Another had the goods until the 20-horse field turned for home. That’s when Gutierrez, who moved up between horses around the final turn, positioned his colt not far from the rail and set him down
Mario Gutierrez celebrates atop I'll Have Another after winning the 138th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs to run. I’ll Have Another overhauled a tiring Bodemeister to win by 1 1-2 lengths. He paid $32.60, $13.80 and $9. Bodemeister, trained by three-time Derby winner Bob Baffert, was second and returned $6.20 and $5.60. Dullahan was a neck back in third and paid $7.20 to show. Trainer Doug O’Neill
didn’t waste any time vowing that I’ll Have Another will go on to the Preakness in two weeks. ‘’Maryland, here we come baby!’’ he said. I’ll Have Another made his way to the starting gate accompanied by his stable pony, Lava Man, another cheap purchase turned into a career winner of more than $5 million by O’Neill. The trainer
has made his name predominantly in Southern California, although he’s won three Breeders’ Cup races. One of his best horses, Steviewonderboy, was the winter favorite for the 2006 Derby before being sidelined by injuries early that year. A hot pace was expected from speedster Trinniberg, (Continued on page 56)
Sunday May 06, 2012
Kaieteur News
Bolt in race row as Jamaicans accuse him suffering from ‘white woman complex’
Usain Bolt with girlfriend Lubica Slovak His arm around her waist, sprinter Usain Bolt and his latest girlfriend are the picture of togetherness. The world’s fastest man has been dating fashion designer Lubica Slovak for six months and the relationship is described as ‘very serious’. A friend of 28-year-old Miss Slovak declared: ‘Love has no race – it’s a heart to heart connection.’ But 25year-old Bolt has come in for criticism from fellow black Jamaicans unhappy that he has chosen a white partner. One online posting said: ‘Really now Usain! Some successful black men obviously suffer from a white woman complex. You too?’, while another complained: ‘Another one of our men snatched.’ Further protests included: ‘Out of all the girls on this island you pick a snowbunny’, and: ‘These superstars will always disappoint if we depend on them to raise our racial identity.’ The sprinter nicknamed Lightning Bolt is known for his mid-race celebrations and postvictory bow-and-arrow pose. He is the reigning Olympic champion and world record holder over 100 and 200 metres. He hopes to smash his own records and retain his titles in London this summer, watched by his Slovakian-born girlfriend. Miss Slovak emigrated to Canada with her father when she was 14 and studied fashion design at the Ryerson University in Toronto. She moved to Jamaica after she ‘fell in love’ with the island during a holiday in 2000. Miss Slovak was introduced to Bolt last year through a mutual friend, Reggae singer Tami Chynn, with whom she owns an award-winning clothing line called Anuna and a Kingston boutique. Shortly after they met, she interviewed Bolt for a feature in a Slovakian newspaper and they began dating in midNovember. A friend told the
Mail: ‘They are very comfortable together and easy. They do quiet dinners in the country and trips to Montego Bay. They don’t really do the red carpet thing.’ Fiercely private, the couple made sure they were not seen together at functions and spent most evenings at Bolt’s gated home in a suburb of Kingston. But when a picture of them kissing was published in the Jamaican Observer last month, they received a barrage of abuse. The accompanying article included a controversial cartoon of a black woman with ‘local’ written on her T-shirt looking upset while Bolt runs into the arms of ‘Slovakian fashion designer’. One reader responded: ‘They make he mingle with white girls. She just divorce him and take aways his money’, while another added: ‘I hope when he’s ready to settle down he chooses a beautiful Jamaican black woman ... In the meantime have fun “responsibly”, cause some “pretty girls” just a wait fi “lock u down” for the wrong reasons.’ Others called Bolt ‘the next Tiger Woods’, referring to the mixed-race golfer and his £60million divorce settlement with Swedish former model Elin Nordegren. Over the years, Bolt has earned a reputation as a ladies’ man and has previously been linked to British waitress Rebeckah Passley and Jamaican reality TV star Taneish ‘Lava’ Simpson. A friend said: ‘Usain is a young man at the top of his game and did date a few women, but he has settled down now with Lubica. ‘It works because they are both successful and focused. She focuses on her designs, he focuses on his sport. ‘There is no stress in this relationship. She is a calm, very nice, industrious, busy woman. She has her own life so she isn’t demanding.’
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DROGBA CONTINUES WEMBLEY LOVE AFFAIR AS BLUES LIFT FA CUP Didier Drogba became the first man to score in four FA Cup finals as Chelsea overcame Liverpool at Wembley thanks to another massive goal-line controversy. The Blues appeared to be cruising when Drogba scored at the start of the second half following Ramires’ early opener, but the arrival of Andy Carroll turned the game on its head. The burly Liverpool striker smashed home a superb goal not long after his arrival, then, with nine minutes left, rose to meet Luis Suarez’s cross at the far post. Carroll was convinced he had scored, with Suarez equally certain the ball had crossed the line before Petr Cech clawed it back onto the crossbar. Linesman Andrew Garratt was not so sure - and those who had the additional advantage of television replays were mostly of the same opinion. Garratt could not signal the goal, so referee Phil Dowd did not give it. And once another goal bound Carroll effort had been blocked in stoppage time, the Blues were able to complete their fourth FA Cup triumph in six seasons, and give Roberto Di Matteo his first piece of silverware as a Manager in what could turn out to be a glorious double against Bayern Munich later this month. There was no hint of the drama to follow when Ramires became the first Brazilian to score in this most prestigious of showpiece occasions. When he first arrived on these shores two years ago, Ramires looked too slight to make an impact in England. Clearly though, he has guts, heart, drive and selfless determination. If Roy Keane’s endeavours for Manchester United in their Champions League semi-final triumph over Juventus in 1999 have gone down in history, then Ramires’ performance in the Nou Camp 12 days ago deserves to go alongside it. The yellow card he picked up means this will be the only cup final Ramires features in this season. And what a mark he made as Juan Mata slipped a pass beyond Jose Enrique. The Liverpool full-back failed to recover his ground, allowing Ramires to bear down on the Reds goal. Jose Reina elected to gamble rather than save the actual shot when it was unleashed. Reina chose incorrectly, diving to his right, allowing the ball to beat him rather
Didier Drogba celebrates in style
embarrassingly at the near post. Having fallen behind in both the semi-final against Everton and to Cardiff in the Carling Cup final earlier in the season, Liverpool had no need to fret. What would probably have concerned manager Kenny Dalglish rather more was the way his team were outgunned in midfield. It was not until the halfhour, when Steven Gerrard started to get in advanced areas that the Merseyside outfit began to exert any influence on the game. By that time Drogba, Frank Lampard and Salomon Kalou had all wasted halfchances. Branislav Ivanovic, like Ramires banned from the Champions League final in Munich on May 19, had done well to block a snap-shot from
Craig Bellamy early on. That was Liverpool’s only opportunity though, until Suarez rose on the edge of the six-yard box only to nod Jordan Henderson’s knockback wide. When he found space on the left side of Liverpool’s area and rattled a shot through Martin Skrtel’s legs and into the far corner, he was scoring for the eighth time in as many Wembley appearances. It prompted Dalglish into making his move, introducing his £35million portion of the £85million worth of striking talent that had been left on the bench, with Fernando Torres not starting for Chelsea. And Carroll responded immediately, twisting John Terry around superbly inside the area before lashing his shot into the roof of Cech’s
goal. The former Newcastle man then used his power to set up the much-maligned Henderson, who drilled a halfvolley narrowly wide as those ageing Chelsea legs began to creak. And Liverpool were convinced Carroll had levelled nine minutes from time when he rose at the far post to power Suarez’s cross goalwards. But the celebrations were cut short as the officials ruled Cech had clawed the ball out before it had crossed the line. Even after half a dozen replays, there was no clear verdict either way, meaning the linesman, with one look, was in an impossible situation. Carroll carved out one more chance, only for Terry to block, leaving Dalglish to reflect on the moment of controversy that denied him.
Rashidi Yekini: Tributes paid to... From page 61 whom he helped to reach the final of the then African Champions Cup in 1984. That was the same year in which he made his debut for Nigeria - and he was still playing for his country 12 years later, at the World Cup in France in 1998. The moment that took him to global fame came at the World Cup in the United States, when he scored that goal against Bulgaria. The strike itself was important enough, but the manner of his celebration, grasping the net in exultation (see photo above), became an iconic image of the tournament, and of the man. His death, on Friday night, comes after a long illness, and he was buried in his native Kwara State yesterday (Saturday). “Today I don’t think we have a striker who comes even a mile close to how good he was as a striker,” his fellow Super Eagles star Sunday Oliseh told the BBC’s Sportsworld programme. “During my generation, he was the reason
we were able to achieve the results we did because of all the important goals he scored.” Amongst those paying tribute to him is the President of the Confederation of African Football, Issa Hayatou, who expressed the shock of “the whole of the African football family” at Yekini’s death. “Rashidi Yekini’s fantastic display of skills and talent were evident to the world during Nigeria’s campaigns at the USA ’94 and France ’98 World Cup finals - we will deeply miss him,” Hayatou said. Yekini lived a reclusive life since he quit football in 2005, when he returned to feature in the Nigerian league. He aggressively shunned the media limelight and turned down several offers to be part of the country’s football in other capacities. Two years ago he rejected the chance to be a Nigerian football ambassador to the 2010 World Cup, a move which was never explained. (BBC Sport)
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Kaieteur News
Sunday May 06, 2012
Fourth Arrival Cup 20/20 Four matches to start off InterSchools Beach Football in Linden C/ship rescheduled The eagerly anticipated fourth annual Arrival Cup 20/20 cricket competition that was scheduled to be played this weekend at the Albion Sports Complex Ground, Berbice, has been rescheduled for June. According to a release from Goodwill Promotions Arrival Cup Management Committee (ACMC), the postponement was due to unforeseen circumstances. This year’s tournament is scheduled to be played under lights with the top four cricket Associations in Guyana competing. The tournament started some five years ago and was not played in 2010 as a result of the International 20/20 in the Caribbean. Lot’s more is anticipated in this year’s edition and fans can expect a bigger, better competition with lots of National and County stars in action. The organizers have said that they are leaving no stones unturned to ensure
that this event is a grand festival with lots of on field cultural displays and off field activities. Several corporate entities have pledged their support and fans can look forward for a blast in Berbice and Guyana at large. The organizers have also said that only Goodwill Promotions and the ACMC are the promoters of this competition. Information has come to the fore that someone else has been going around claiming to be promoting the event and that is not the case. Person(s) seeking information can do so through the ACMC email address arrivalcup@yahoo.com. The ACMC also wishes to thank all those entities who pledged their support and are hoping that the other businesses will come forward to ensure that the 4th edition is a resounding success.
Four matches are scheduled to be played on opening day, May 8 when the Guyana Beach Football Association stages its inaugural Powerade Inter-Schools Championship, at the Christianburg facility in Linden. In the first game which starts at 15:00 hrs, New Silvercity Secondary takes on Wismar and that will be followed by the clash between Christianburg / Wismar versus Marcia Craig Educational Institute from 15:40 hrs. In the next game, Harmony Secondary engages School of Excellence at 16:30 hrs, while in the final game of the day, Mackenzie High battles Linden Foundation Secondary from 17:00 hrs. According to General Coordinator of the tournament Rollin Tappin, during the schools championship there will be an International segment that involves Trinidad and Tobago’s
Bago, a Beach Soccer team and they will engage a local combination in a series of matches at the same venue. Eight schools will be participating in the championship with the top three teams set to receive trophies and medals while the fourth placed finisher collects medals only. The Organisers have also planned a post game interactive session on each playing day which will see personnel from the Linden Care Foundation, a part sponsor of the championship attempt to answer queries about HIV / Aids and other social issues that may be bothering young people. According to Co-ordinator Sharma Allicock there will be an incentive for the team that attends the sessions and interacts meaningfully. The chosen schools will be presented with a Plaque.
Turfites urged to prepare for KMTC No happy homecoming for Ganguly seasons. Following The pre-match hype was Ganguly McCullum’s fall in the 14th Pre-Independence Horse Race meet alltakingabouton hisSourav Gautam over, they scored only one former team at
Turfites have always looked forward to the exciting races at the Kennard Memorial Turf Club (KMTC) and will be pleased to know that the organisers have planned a Pre-Independence Race meeting scheduled for the Club’s Bush Lot Farm Corentyne tracks on Sunday May 20th next. Seven races are carded for the day and will comprise the nation’s best thoroughbreds battling for honours. The feature attraction will pit the skills and stamina of animals in the ‘D & Lower’ category. This race will be over a distance of 1 mile and carries a first prize of $500,000. The second place finisher will
receive half that amount while the third and fourth places will cart off $125,000 and $63,000 respectively. Then there is the race among the 3 year olds that attracts horses that are Guyana and West Indian bred. Jockeys will compete over a one mile stretch and the winner gets $350,000. The other three prizes are $175,000, 488,000 and $44,000 for the second to 4th prize. In total, there will be 7 exciting races including the G and Lower over 7 furlongs; the 12 and Lower over 6 furlongs; the h and Lower over 6 furlongs and the L Class event over 5 furlongs. Jockeys would be
competing for lucrative monetary prizes and the respective owners are advised that a fee of $3000 must be paid for each animal entered. This payment is due at the time of entry. Horse owners are also advised to take their animals to the identified vet to have them examined. All entries close on Sunday May 13 and late entries would not be accepted. The owners/ trainers may have their animals entered by contacting Justice Kennard (226-1399, 225-4818 or 6237609); Roopnarine Matadial (325-3192), Ivan Dipnarine (331-0316) or Isabella Beaton (325-3007 or 693-7812) .
Casey Stoner on pole position for Portuguese MotoGP Australia’s Casey Stoner will start today’s Portuguese MotoGP from pole position, despite leaving it late to record the best qualifying lap. Repsol Honda’s Stoner clocked one minute, 37.188 seconds to narrowly pip Spain’s Dani Pedrosa. Britain’s Cal Crutchlow completes the front row, ahead of Jorge Lorenzo, Ben Spies and Alvaro Bautista on row two. There was bad news for Colin Edwards, though, as the American broke his collarbone in a high-speed crash. Edwards collided with Randy de Puniet of France within less than 12 minutes of the session remaining. While De Puniet walked away and is expected to be fine for Sunday’s race, Edwards was not so fortunate, breaking his collarbone for the second time in a year. American Spies was a little unlucky, twice hitting
Casey Stoner
traffic despite being on-pace to set a pole-challenging time, and had to settle for fifth place on the grid. Andrea Dovisioso was seventh fastest on his Tech 3 Yamaha while Hector Barbera finished as the fastest Ducati in eighth. Valentino Rossi came ninth while Nicky Hayden rounded out the top-10 fastest riders. Crutchlow had looked on
course for pole at one stage, before Stoner made his surge to the top. “I am pleased because the team has done a great job and I think we shave shown our pace again,” Crutchlow said. “It will be very difficult to be on the podium because [Jorge]) Lorenzo is the fastest here, even though he is not on the front row, but we will see.” (BBC)
his nursery - Eden Gardens. He played a part in giving his struggling Pune Warriors a chance to upstage Kolkata Knight Riders, but in a bitter twist, his dismissal was the turning point, allowing the hosts to clinch a seven-run win. In a match that ebbed and flowed, Angelo Mathews halted Knight Riders’ charge with a flurry of sixes, but with support diminishing at the other end, he failed to muscle Warriors to victory. It wasn’t the homecoming Ganguly hoped for. Having done the hard work to restrict Knight Riders to a middling 150 after a rousing start, Warriors were tottering at 55 for 5. Ganguly curiously demoted himself to No. 7 and the chants for his arrival grew louder with the fall of every top-order wicket. Sunil Narine’s variations left Ganguly fighting for dear life, but having survived the spell, he ran out of steam as Knight Riders found some late inspiration in the field. Knight Riders’ win brought back memories of a similar game against Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. A strong top-order base was followed by a collapse, before the bowlers starred. At Eden Gardens, an opening stand of 113 between Gautam Gambhir and Brendon McCullum gave them the foundation to entertain thoughts of 200 and beyond, but the other batsmen batted as if on a different wicket and managed only 37 runs in the last 7.3 overs. The stand between Gambhir and McCullum was their third of more than fifty in this IPL. They ransacked 46 runs off three overs to end
Gambhir
the Powerplay on an imposing 68 for no loss. Sensing the spinners would play a crucial role in containing the run-rate on this sluggish pitch, Ganguly brought on Michael Clarke. Gambhir milked the singles by dabbing the seamers to third man. There were no pressure tactics applied by Warriors till the tenth over, when the wicketkeeper Robin Uthappa stood up to the stumps to prevent the batsmen from using their feet. Gambhir continued coming down the track but he failed to launch Murali Kartik over long-off, where he was caught by Mithun Manhas. It was the start of the slide for Knight Riders. After hammering 106 off 11 overs, Knight Riders managed only 44 in the last nine - their worst performance in all IPL
more boundary. The speed of Marchant de Lange, however, gave Knight Riders a rousing start with the ball as the South African beat Clarke for pace and clipped the bails. The Warriors top order perished in the quest for quick runs, though Steven Smith was unlucky to be given lbw because the umpire failed to spot an inside edge. Walking in later than anticipated, Ganguly was silenced by Narine with four scoreless deliveries. He then slapped Jacques Kallis over mid-off and upper cut him over the slips to perk up Warriors. Ganguly’s edginess against Narine, however, was one of the more memorable battles in the chase. As the ball spun and gripped, Ganguly poked and prodded like he was batting in the dark. Edges sneaked past the slips and it seemed like a wicket was around the corner. Three consecutive sixes over the leg side by Mathews, off Yusuf Pathan, meant that Warriors needed 42 off the last five. Narine slowed down Warriors with another parsimonious over to Ganguly, in which he gave just four. A flat six by Ganguly off Rajat Bhatia added another twist, but three balls later, he holed out to the deep. Narine’s spell, which featured 14 dots balls, and some inspired fielding by Laxmi Ratan Shukla put the target out of Warriors’ reach. Kolkata loyalists got what they wanted - a win, plus a contribution from Ganguly. What couldn’t be measured, though, was how many of the 60,000 odd that showed up were rooting for a Warriors win.
Sunday May 06, 2012
Kaieteur News
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Rajasthan end run FOURTH CRICKET REVIEW MAGAZINE LAUNCHED BY BCB & RHTY&SC of losses with big win The Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) during a simple ceremony yesterday at its Head Office, New Amsterdam, launched the fourth edition of the Berbice Cricket Review Magazine. The 24 page Magazine was a joint production of the BCB Special Events Committee and the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club (RHTY&SC) which reviews the outstanding work of the Board for the period, January 2011 to March 2012. Special Events Committee Chairman and Editor of the Magazine Hilbert Foster said that the latest edition of the Review Magazine was another red letter day for the Board as it strives to inform shareholders of the game and the rapid developments taking place there. Foster described the BCB PR Programme as one of the best in the cricketing world
Rahul Dravid Rajasthan Royals’ batting fired collectively to break a run of four consecutive losses and consign Kings XI Punjab to their fourth defeat in five home games this season. Royals blazed away at the start after Rahul Dravid chose to bat on a greenish pitch, slowed down in the middle and picked up the pace at the death to post the highest total at Mohali this season. Their bowlers kept the home batsmen under pressure from the outset, and at no stage did Kings XI threaten to chase successfully, something which had been achieved in the four previous games at Mohali. Royals’ batsmen had been guilty recently of easing off after strong starts to post inadequate scores. Just when it looked today that the flurry of boundaries upfront from Dravid and Shane Watson would dissipate into another middling total, Brad Hodge and Johan Botha cracked 27 off the last two overs to ensure Royals finished close to the 180-mark which they were aiming for. When Dravid and Watson were pounding the Kings XI attack in their contrasting styles, Royals would have eyed 200. The duo took control after the in-form Ajinkya Rahane fell early to Ryan Harris. Dravid, enjoying the pace and bounce on the true pitch, launched an array of orthodox strokes, clipping and cover-driving Harris for three consecutive boundaries in the fourth over. Watson did it his way, powering Parvinder Awana down the ground for two fours and a six in consecutive balls in the sixth. The stand was worth 69
off 39 deliveries by the time Watson mishit Piyush Chawla to long-off. Dravid had already started to slow down. After breezing to 27 off 16, he managed 19 off the next 23 before slicing a drive off Harris to third man. Ashok Menaria, batting ahead of Hodge and Botha, hit Chawla for consecutive sixes, but could not capitalise on a dropped catch when on 29, to fall for 34 off 27. From 76 for 1 in the eighth over, Royals had meandered to 133 for 4 after 16. Hodge and Botha, though, were around for a final push. Azhar Mahmood was taken for 16 in the penultimate over and Harris, despite taking two more wickets, conceded 11 in the 20th. Faced with a stiff askingrate right from the start, Kings XI needed Shaun Marsh and David Hussey to contribute. Watson began with a wicketmaiden, getting rid of Mandeep Singh. Shaun Tait, playing his first game of the season, proved difficult to score off with his combination of extreme pace, late swing and rare accuracy. With the overseas bowlers difficult to get away, Hussey tried to go after Siddharth Trivedi in the eighth over but only mishit a pull for Hodge to take a fine sliding catch running in from long-on. A thin line-up meant Marsh was Kings XI’s only realistic hope left, but he departed in the next over, stepping out to Botha but just managing to york himself. The asking-rate was almost eleven by this time, and long before formalities ended, Royals had ensured they would remain afloat this season.
and stated they are determined that everyone is kept abreast of everything in Berbice. He informed that the magazine was printed at the F&H Printery in Georgetown at the cost of $350,000 and includes five pictorial reviews, 37 articles on tournaments and programmes, a profile on promising Under-15 player Shimron Hetmyer, a thank you segment to sponsors, the Berbice Cricket Board financial statement and reports from the Special Events and Cricket Competitions Committees. It was disclosed that the Magazine would be given to all shareholders in Berbice and Guyana’s cricket; schools, NGOs and sponsors of the Board. It would also be distributed in the Caribbean and North America in an
effort to get other cricket organisations to emulate the work of the BCB. Board Treasurer Anil Beharry expressed gratitude to the sponsors who made the Magazine possible, stating his profound satisfaction at the overall structure and development of cricket in the Ancient County. Board President, Keith Foster noted that the sharing of information is a priority of his administration as he believes in transparency and openness in leadership. The President stated that the fans in Berbice were the most informed fans and this makes the work of the Board much easier in obtaining the cooperation of clubs, schools and the general public. He praised the work of the Special Events Committee which has totally transformed the face of the game in Berbice. The elder Foster also
issued a challenge to other cricket Boards in Guyana to follow in the footsteps of his cricket Board. Gratitude is being expressed to the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club which raised required funds to print the Magazine apart from producing same. Special thanks from eth BCB was extended to the sponsors Republic Bank (Guy) Ltd, Bissan’s Trading, Ansa Mc al, Diamond Fire & General Insurance, New GPC Inc., Guyana Lottery Company, Demerara Bank, Scotia Bank, Wattsan Catering, P&P Insurance Brokers, DTV-8, New Building Society, A. Ally & Sons Ltd, Tenelec Inc. and Universal DVD. Persons who require copies of the Magazine can contact Anil Beharry on 623 6875, Ms. Angela Haniff 333 2375 or Hilbert Foster 337 4562.
Vryman’s Erven Sec. win Inter School U13 football tourney in Berbice Vr y m a n ’s E r v e n Secondary School (VESS) defied the odds to upstage defending champions Berbice High School (BHS) to take the championship trophy in the 3rd edition of the annual Trinidad and Guyana (T&G) Sports Club/Outreach Programme Inter-Secondary School Under-13 football tournament. Organised for schools in the New Amsterdam/Canje area, the competition took place this past week at the All Saints Scott’s Church Ground, New Amsterdam. Seven of the eight schools invited participated in the round-robin competition; namely Berbice High, Berbice Educational Institute (BEI), Vryman’s Erven, Tutorial Academy, Canje, New Amsterdam Multilateral and Overwinning Secondary. School of The Nations (SOTN) did not participate. It was sweet revenge for VESS who lost last year’s championship to BHS. This time around, losing was not an option as they needled BHS to win the title after a 0-0 stalemate following full and extra time. In the third place game Ooverwinning Secondary also needled Berbice Educational Institute to win compliments of an Orin Glen goal. In semi final play, Vryman’s Erven were 2-0 victor’s over BEI, Keron
Williams and Christopher Ali the players on target. In the other game, BHS got past Overwinning by the lone goal of that match-up which came off the boot of Keyon Sancho. The champions received a trophy and 15 gold medals while the second placed team collected a similar amount of silver medals and trophy. Among the individual awardees were Burnis Griffith of VESS who was adjudged the MVP. Keyon Sancho of BHS with three goals was awarded the best striker accolade; the best defender on show was Randy Arrindell
also of BHS. Christopher Ali of VESS was the best midfielder; best goalkeeper was Joel Davis of BHS while Orin Glen of OWSS was rewarded for being the most promising player on show. All the individual awardees received a jersey, trunks, one shin guard and a pair of hose. Speaking at the presentation ceremony sponsor Isaac Daniel of Trinidad & Tobago and a regular visitor to Guyana stated that he started to organise activities in Guyana some eight year ago.
During his early visits he noticed that there was a lack of organised recreational which prompted him to start the village games which then led to nursery school activities. This is his third year he is sponsoring the Inter School Under-13 Football tournament and he has pledged to continue and on a bigger scale in the foreseeable future. The competition was coordinated by former national Player Neil ‘Grizzly’ Humphrey, Nigel Felix, Kenrick Bowry and Randy ‘Blades’ Sears.
Rashidi Yekini: Tributes paid to Nigerian striker following his death Tributes have been paid to the former African Footballer of the Year, Rashidi Yekini, who has died at the age of 48. The prolific striker was the first Nigerian to take the continental crown and played a key role in some of his country’s greatest football moments. He scored Nigeria’s first ever goal at the World Cup, against Bulgaria at USA ’94, and led the way as they won the Africa Cup of Nations in the same year. He is Nigeria’s top international scorer, with 37 goals from 58 games. He was also a prolific goalscorer in club football seeing huge success with Shooting Stars of Nigeria,
Rashidi Yekini
Ivory Coast’s Africa Sport and Vitoria Setubal of Portugal, amongst others. Yekini began his career
with UNTL FC in Kaduna in northern Nigeria before moving to Shooting Stars, (Continued on page 59)
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Kaieteur News
Giftland OfficeMax renews commitment for third year
West Indies depleted by visa problems It has emerged that the touring West Indies squad, due to face England in a threeTest series starting in less than two weeks’ time, currently comprises only 11 fit men, with three players still to arrive in the UK. Assad Fudadin, Narsingh Deonarine and Marlon Samuels have been delayed by visa issues while Fidel Edwards has a “back niggle” and will not play in their threeday match against Sussex, which was due to begin yesterday but fell victim to the weather. Samuels, who has been playing in the IPL with Pune Warriors, is expected in the country imminently, but Fudadin and Deonarine are in Jamaica trying to resolve their visa issues. “The rules have become more stringent due to the Olympics,” a West Indies spokesman said, “and we’re still working on getting that sorted.” The pair does not have a confirmed arrival date. Under normal circumstances, you might expect a team with just seven days of cricket ahead of a Test series in which they are the overwhelming underdogs to be champing at the bit to gain every chance to acclimatise to their new conditions. But West Indies reacted with an understandably phlegmatic attitude to the abandonment of the first day at Hove, where it was bitterly cold and a far cry from the conditions in they played barely a week ago against Australia in the Caribbean. While it would be premature to dismiss the prospects of a talented but raw West Indies squad, this does not represent the smoothest start to a tour. The original party was only 15 strong and may require strengthening. The team management insists they have yet to think about reinforcements, but it speaks volumes for their current predicament that 50year-old Richie Richardson, West Indies’ Tour Manager, admitted he may be obliged to act as 12th man in the current match. The fast bowler Corey Collymore, 34 and currently plying his trade with Middlesex as a Kolpak registration, might represent another local option, though he would surely be reluctant to turn his back on County cricket for a short-term flirtation with the touring squad.
Marlon Samuels
Assad Fudadin The niggle to Edwards may prove the most significant issue. The 30-yearold fast bowler, easily the most experienced member of the tourists’ attack, missed the final Test against Australia due to the same problem and has long been hampered by back problems. He played no cricket in 2010 after undergoing back surgery. “It’s not bad,” Darren Sammy, West Indies’ Captain, said. “We came here knowing Fidel would be rested for this game; he was rested for the last match. Come the first Test, everybody will be ready. “Fidel is somebody I know what to expect from. I know what he’s going to give and whenever he plays will be ready. Last time he played a game at Lord’s he was very unlucky - a few catches went down - and I know he’s going to give us 100%, just like all my team-mates. Whether he plays the Lions game or not, I know when that bell rings on the 17th, he will be ready. He’ll be the first one to say ‘give me the ball’. It will be up to Fidel himself to say how he feels, and what the physio recommends.” Barely a drop of rain fell at Hove after 9am on Saturday, but play was abandoned for the day at 1.40pm. It seemed an oddly ambivalent decision. “Everybody wants to get on the park,” Sammy said. “But that’s the weather; we don’t have control over that. We’re not in the Caribbean, where it’s nice and warm. This is England, where it’s going to be cold. So we’ve programmed our minds to get over it. I’m quite used to these conditions, but it’s been a while since we’ve played cricket here. Most of the guys have experience here. It’s England; you know it’s going to be cold, the ball’s going to sting your hands; all that stuff.” Sammy will hope that this
Sunday May 06, 2012
Narsingh Deonarine tour does not go the way of their disastrous visit in 2009, when West Indies arrived as late replacements for Zimbabwe, lost the first Test inside three days and ended up defeated 2-0 in both the Test and one-day series. (ESPN Cricinfo)
Giftland OfficeMax has renewed its sponsorship commitment to the President’s/Jefford Track and Field Classic for the third consecutive year of the championships that will be held in Linden at the Mackenzie Sports Club Ground. Giftland was among the first companies to support the event when it was first birthed in 2010 and according to Marketing Executive at Giftland, Compton Babb, the company will continue to support the event because of the value it attaches to its sports brands. “We at Giftland OfficeMax are very supportive of local athletes and local sports. This is another way of us showing that we are committed to the development of sports in Guyana; we are of view that the President’s/Jefford Track and Field Classic gives
Marketing Executive of Giftland OfficeMax, Compton Babb, hands over the sponsorship cheque to Edison Jefford at the Company’s Water Street Store. athletes a great opportunity to get their best performances in,” Babb indicated. One of the Coordinators of the event, Edison Jefford expressed gratitude to Gifltand for a leading role in corporate support for sports. Jefford said that Giftland has
ensured that athletes the attention they deserve in the sport and that is commendable. The President’s/Jefford Track and Field Classic will be officially launched on May 8 at 11;00hrs at Digicel Headquarters, Kingston.
Nationwide softball semi finals set for today @ Everest Ground The battle lines have already been drawn and while tensions - understandably so - will be high, the final four teams in both male and female segments of the GT&T 10/10 nationwide softball competition can ill afford any lapses when they battle for a place in the final today at the Everest Cricket Club Ground. Fans will have the opportunity to boost the confidence of their favourite teams by cheering them on at the semi finals of the 3rd edition of this competition which is being run in association with the Culture Youth and Sport and the Guyana Softball League. At least all the teams have one thing in common and that is that they are all unbeaten to date but by the end of the day’s play four of these teams would have that record altered while the successful lot will earn the right to place for the millions of dollars at stake in the finals which are set for the Guyana National Stadium, Providence on Saturday may 12, 2012. Today’s match-ups, on
the distaff side – Mike’s Wellwoman led by Captain Abena Parker, Zola Telford, Onica Wallerson and Katana Mentore will take on the might of the Trophy Stall Angels whose challenge for a place in the final will be spearheaded by Captain June Ogle, Nalanie Sumentra, Monica Seales, Alicia Pompey and Tamita Yadram. The other two teams competing for a place in the championship match are 4R Lionness whose quest for a final’s place will be led by their Captain Tracy Glasgow and supported by Nikita Nagamootoo, Shayan Goodluck, Gangaday Singh and Minique Benn. Their opponent is Rising Stars, a team hailing from Ann’s Grove on the East Coast of Demerara. The East Coast ladies, the less experienced of the two teams will not be undaunted by that fact and are coming to play team cricket with the hope of toppling their much more seasoned rivals. Taking on the role of effective leadership will be Captain Dianna Pompey along with Dianne Prescott, Manthana Cambridge, Nashela Cambridge and Gailand Stanford.
The male matches are anticipated to be breathtaking affairs with defending champions Wolf’s Warriors, displaying rampaging form set to do battle with Unstoppable. The Warriors have devoured all and sundry in their path while Unstoppable have done the same. Wolf’s Captain Amreith Rai and Mohamed Karim have been in explosive form and will be aiming to maintain their dominance by blasting the Unstoppable attack in today’s encounter. Unstoppable’s Surendranauth Sookdeo, Vinod Nankishore and Rajendra Hemraj have all been chipping in with good scores in guiding their team this far and will be seeking to maintain that winning momentum.
The other match-up will be equally electrifying with Rockaway Auto Sales ‘A’ X1 coming up against Regal X1. Rockaway’s Jagdesh Deosarran and Saikichan Jhadeo will be some of the key players hoping to click for their side today while Regal will be banking on the likes of Patrick Rooplall, Wasim Haslim and Chien Gittens to see to through to the final. Despite who comes out victors today and seal their places in the finals, fans are in for some exciting action with lots of giveaways in store from the main sponsor GT&T and their partners, Banks DIH (Vita Malt & Powerade), Guyana Lottery, Gizmos and Gadgets and Kings Jewellery. Other sponsors on board are Cell Phone Shack, Impressions and NCN.