Kaieteur News

Online readership yesterday 98,341

November 14, 2012 - Vol. 5 No. 46 Price $80

Online: www.kaieteurnews.com

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

NIS will run out of

- Actuarial Review

funds in nine years - Report says Board failed to make key changes since 2007

Diwali serenity A little boy lights diyas at the Eccles Manidr

Indifference to corruption Child, 2, “Kidnapped” girl not good for law enforcement allegedly returned to parents - Senior Govt. Official

molested - found at East Bank restaurant

C'tyne carjacking suspect

confesses about cop's execution …leads investigators to murder weapon

Page 2

Kaieteur News

Wednesday November 14, 2012

“Kidnapped” girl returned to parents - found at East Bank restaurant

By Abena Rockcliffe Relatives of seven-yearold Roxanne McLean yesterday breathed sighs of relief after she was returned to their care. The child, who went missing since last week Monday, was found in a restaurant at Houston, East Bank Demerara.

Her mother, Tova Patterson, said that she was alerted by an unknown caller that she could pick up her daughter from the above mentioned location.

According to Patterson, the anonymous call was made

to her phone around 14:00 hours. She said that it was the same voice that had been in contact with her from the day of the child’s disappearance.

Patterson said that after receiving the call, with her suspicions of it being a “set up”, she contacted the police, and by the time she arrived at the location, so did the lawmen.

The mother collected Roxanne and took her to the Georgetown Public Hospital.

Patterson, who said that she was happy to see her daughter alive, indicated

that no marks of violence were found on the sevenyear-old.

Even though skeptical of speaking about the issue, a close relative said that the girl identified someone close to the family, who she saw hanging around the house where she was held. The relative disclosed that the person identified, is the same suspect who was previously detained by police.

An identification parade conducted last week saw the teacher pointing out the said individual as someone

“looking like” the man who went to the school inquiring about the child. However, the police stated that “looking like” was not enough to keep the suspect detained longer than 72 hours.

Further reports indicated that the girl is speaking but seems “spaced out”.

Walter McLean, Roxanne’s father, said that he is relieved that his daughter is safe. However, he still has reservations.

Both parents expressed gratitude to the police. Efforts made by Kaieteur News to contact police officials were to no avail. Roxanne McLean went missing from her school on Monday, November 5, leaving her book and lunch bags behind.

A teacher had noted that a man was at the school twice inquiring about the child. The description given by the teacher fitted the physical characteristics of a young man well known to the family.

Patterson received numerous calls that were made with the aim to intimidate her and make demands. According to the child’s mother, on the line, was a strong male rusty voice.” An unknown caller, who contacted Patterson on the day of the child’s

Roxanne McLean

disappearance, said that any police involvement in the matter would have resulted in Roxanne being found dead.

A caller on Sunday, last, informed Patterson that the “kidnappers” were seeking a whopping $10M for the safe return of her daughter.

Both Patterson and McLean expressed that the demand came as a total shock as neither of them was capable of having a readily available $10M that was demanded.

Patterson had also informed this newspaper that the caller told her that her

daughter was “okay” and was being held in Nickerie, Suriname.

The caller told Patterson that he would have contacted her on Monday, last, with information on where to receive the child, providing she came up with the ransom.

The mother had indicated that she suspected the possibility of Roxanne indeed being held over in Suriname, as both she and the suspect who was initially held had connections residing in the country.

Wednesday November 14, 2012

Page 03

Kaieteur News

NIS will run out of funds in nine years - Actuarial Review - Report says Board failed to make key changes since 2007

A

key assessment on the state of the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) has been completed; its findings are alarming and in keeping with the fears expressed by Government a few weeks ago.

According to the 8th A c t u a r i a l R e v i e w, a n independent analysis of the fund as at December 31st, 2011, NIS is nearing crisis stage and will be exhausted in less than 10 years, unless contribution rates and benefits reforms are done immediately.

The report also criticized the National Insurance Reform Committee for failing to make critical changes that were recommended from the 2007 review Among other things, the report is recommending an increase of the contribution rate from 13% to 15% no later than January 2013. The wage ceiling should also be increased to $200,000 per month. The pension age should also be raised from 60 to 65 years on a phased basis and there should be a freeze on pension increase for two years until the contribution rate is increased and finances improve.

The reform committee was established to look at the NIS and provide guidelines as to the way forward from the 2007 report. “However, no meaningful changes emanating from either of these reports have been made,” this recent assessment found.

Government has already expressed worry in the future of the fund and the report has b e e n s e n t t o Parliamentarians with

According to the Review, the NIS will have to immediately take drastic action, if it is to survive

several meetings planned with key stakeholders to plot the way forward.

Wi t h t h o u s a n d s o f pensioners and others depending on NIS, for spectacles, among other things, the implications would be a troublesome one for the administration of the People's Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), which for the first time in its 20year continuous rule is now also facing an unrelenting opposition which has a oneseat combined majority in the National Assembly.

DEFICIT According to the report, in 2011, the fund experienced its first deficit of $371M and will incur an even larger deficit in 2012.

“With assets of just over two times annual expenditure, the entire fund will be exhausted in less than 10 years if contribution rate increases and benefit reforms are not made immediately.”

The report noted that the

7th Actuarial Review which was conducted in December 2006 and submitted to the NIS Board in early 2008, contained several recommendations for reforms, but the situation worsened.

“Between 2007 and 2011 the Guyana economy performed well, but NIS finances deteriorated more than expected as the greater than expected increase in the number of old age pensioners and reduction in investment yields have not been fully offset by increased contributions.”

The review was conducted by Derek Osborne, Chief Actuary of Horizonow Consultants Ltd, who was in Guyana in June.

He had some comments for the management of NIS, which included inefficiency in management and failure of government and the Board to plan properly for the future.

“The Guyana NIS can be described as providing a generous benefits package in

a low-wage economy. These two factors result in the system being very costly. Due to administrative inefficiencies, a large portion of the workforce does not contribute regularly and after over 40 years of operations, less than half of the over-60 resident population receives an NIS old age pension.”

MANAGEMENT FAILURE Regarding government and the NIS Board, the report noted that policymakers have not responded to changing socio-economic conditions and deteriorating finances and thus the longterm financial sustainability of the system is now in jeopardy.

“Urgent attention is required if the NIS is to meet its future obligations without burdening employers and workers.”

Given the gloomy predictions, there is likely to be a heavy backlash from the public. The report warned that if the situation remains the same, the cash flow

deficits will continue in all years -meaning that payouts and other expenses will outstrip income and contributions.

In addition to the fund becoming exhausted in 2021, there is all likelihood that NIS will be required, in an aggressive mode, to hike the pay-as-you-go rates to 18 7% in 2021 and 28% in 2041.

“If NIS performance is better than assumed (higher contribution and investment income and lower benefit and administrative expenditure) depletion of reserves may be deferred until 2023. Conversely, if performance is worse than assumed, depletion of reserves may be as early as 2019.”

SURVIVORS' PENSION Among the other recommendations are the increase of the minimum survivors' pension to 50% of the minimum old age pension and the increase of the maternity grant to at least

$5,000.

NIS, it was noted, should also start developing links with various government departments that issue licences and permits so that such licences and permits are only issued if the employer/business/selfemployed person is NIScompliant. The Scheme should also strengthen and enforce existing penalties for late or non-payment of contributions and introduce new legal measures, such as garnishing.

The report also recommended that NIS publish “annual audited financial statements and periodic actuarial reviews and share openly with the general public NIS's financial challenges and reform options.”

NIS began operations on September 29, 1969, providing coverage to employed, self-employed and voluntary insured persons for three main types of social security benefits – short-term benefits, longterm benefits or pensions and industrial benefits.

The system is financed by contributions which are levied on employment earnings up to a wage ceiling and are paid by employers, employees, self-employed persons and voluntary contributors. Surplus funds are invested in various types of securities.

NIS's surplus in past years has taken a beating, especially after the Scheme invested US$30M in the bankrupted CLICO. Even though it was able to invest almost US$10M (G$2B) in the Berbice River Bridge, its earnings are definitely not enough to help cover its

Page 4

Kaieteur News

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

Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: Adam Harris Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210

EDITORIAL

Light or Darkness?

Yesterday, the nation commemorated the festival of Divali which, being a National Holiday, hopefully focused the minds of our politicians on how they will extricate us from the “Mexican Standoff” we described in our Sunday editorial, “Disorder in the House”. Are they going to continue wallowing in the darkness of rule of law abuse or will they act to take us into the light of peace and progress by working together?

It is almost one year since our elections delivered us into the now clichéd ‘new dispensation’ that arose out of the Executive and Legislature being controlled by different parties for the first time in our history.

In that time, the populace has become increasingly jaded at the hope that their votes would force a more consultative democracy. Part of the reason is that there are elements in the society who conveniently cite the Constitution when it suits their interest but close their eyes and ears when it doesn’t.

The nature of our Executive is a case in point. Ever since 1980, it was clearly stated in the Constitution that a party securing the largest number of votes in the elections automatically secures the Presidency and the Executive.

The possibility that in a race between three or more parties, one of them could capture the Presidency with a plurality was widely discussed. After all, the Constitution precluded two or more of those parties from pooling their votes to form a coalition government after the elections.

When, after a great deal of blood, sweat and tears, the Constitution was comprehensively overhauled to satisfy concerns raised by the Opposition, neither that Opposition nor the government saw fit to change the ‘plurality Executive” clause. Therefore it is highly inconsistent for the Opposition to excoriate the Executive as a ‘minority government’, as if the latter is not a legitimate institution.

In the US, through the mechanism of their ‘Electoral College’ adumbrated in their constitution, there have been four instances when the party with a majority of the popular vote did not capture the presidency. In countries with the ‘constituency first-past-the-post” electoral system’ such a ‘minority’ executive is a regular feature.

On the other hand, the same functioning of the Constitution has delivered control of the House to a combined Opposition. It was expected that in the grand tradition of politics being ‘the art of the possible’, the two sides would have ‘horse traded’ across the table to arrive at a balancing of the possible conflicting interests between these now independent arms of government. We actually had a rather auspicious beginning which was disrupted by three set of factors.

APNU had consistently raised the possibility of forming what has been called a ‘grand coalition’ after the elections, if it were to have emerged victorious.

It claimed it would have included members of the PPP in its Executive. It appears that even though the PPP never expressed any interest, much less enthusiasm for the idea, the leadership of APNU were very disappointed when the ‘shared governance’ model was not mooted by the new PPP executive.

The PPP had persistently downplayed the applicability of the model because of its propensity to slide into an elitist oligarchy sans any moderating influence from the outside. The failure of the model in Kenya, a similarly situated fractured polity, and its slide into a kleptocracy, gave credence to the PPP’s position.

It must be said that even after the disappointment of its expectations, APNU reacted very positively to a new device initiated by President Ramotar – the Tripartite Talks. We do not have to revisit the torpedoing of this mechanism by the smaller Opposition AFC, over the Linden Agreement negotiated by APNU with the Executive, save to point out that no one needs to be lectured now as to the futility and ultimate nihilism of such tactics.

We believe that the Tripartite Talks must be resuscitated immediately and all the parties must participate in crafting a way forward. The alternative is a snap-election which, evidently, no one relishes.

Wednesday November 14, 2012

Letters... Where your views make the news

Maltreatment of a Guyanese national DEAR EDITOR, Approximately two months ago I sent a letter to the Commander of Immigration in Suriname outlining an incident where I was maltreated by an Immigration Official at Nickerie, Suriname.

The letter was copied to the following persons: Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, Secretary General, Caribbean Community Secretariat; Minister Carolyn RodriguesBirkett, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Guyana; Minister Winston Lackin, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Suriname; Ambassador Manorma Soeknandan, Ambassador of Suriname to Guyana.

To date I have not received a response or an acknowledgement of receipt of my letter (despite providing full contact details in the letter). At minimum, I would have expected a follow up from my own Ministry of Foreign Affairs or at least a call from the Embassy of Suriname but then again maybe their plates are probably full dealing with other important matters and not infringed human rights.

This non response speaks volume about the regional integration movement.

CARICOM’s Secretary General, Irwin LaRocque has been advocating that regional integration would only work if you put people first. The actions of Suriname regarding this matter suggest the country may not be ready for the CSME regime based on LaRocque’s postulation.

I feel compelled to highlight this issue in the

media because of the non response so far and I therefore think this is my final recourse for highlighting this matter to the relevant authorities and to the Guyanese public.

Guyanese who suffer from such mistreatment and unjust actions on a foreign land has a civic (and personal) responsibility to make the relevant authorities aware about these incidents (not just complaining about it amongst family and friends) and I would to think the Guyanese authorities will be interested in ascertaining the facts and raising these at the appropriate bilateral level.

Guyana, like any other country, has some citizens whose actions and conduct will not classify them as bona fide but is this reason to stereotype Guyanese as a whole? Shouldn’t the requisite due diligence prevail before any pronouncements are made?

The issue of mistreatment of Guyanese is not a new one and Guyanese have been harassed and their basic human rights were infringed

by Immigration authorities in our sister CARICOM countries notably in Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and Antigua and Barbuda.

Is Suriname signaling its intention to join this bandwagon?

Below is a copy of the letter referenced above.

Dear Captain Samuels, RE: Maltreatment at Immigration Office in Nickerie Further to our telephone conversation earlier today,

please find below the details of the above incident: On August 31, 2012 I arrived at Nickerie via the 9am MV Canawaima. I parked my car and proceeded to the immigration queue for CARICOM citizens. There was a second queue for non CARICOM nationals (which was considerably shorter and processing seemed to be more expedient). As the non CARICOM queue was nearing its end, I noticed several persons who were in the CARICOM queue voluntarily left and joined the queue for non CARICOM nationals and they were processed by the Immigration Officials. Upon seeing this, I joined the non CARICOM nationals queue (based on the precedence that others were allowed to do so).

When it was my turn to proceed to the Immigration Officer, I was told that I had to wait since I came out of the CARICOM line. When I pointed out to the Officer manning the queue that other travelers did the same and were processed, I was ignored. I further pointed out to the said Officer that there should be non discrimination in administration of the procedures.

At that juncture, I decided I will not seek to reclaim my space in the CARICOM nationals queue but wait until the end of said queue to be processed.

Upon presentation of my documents to the Immigration Officer, I was

asked by him if I had a problem with Surinamese rules, to which I replied “I don’t have a problem with Surinamese rules, but I have a problem with how they are being administered.” I started to recount my earlier experience and I was told by the said Officer, to “shut up” that he didn’t want to hear anything from me. I was shocked at his response and I told him he should not speak to me in such manner since I was respectful to him and I indicated that his behaviour was unprofessional. This was interrupted by several commands to “shut up” and as I continued with my response, the officer threatened to refuse me entry if I didn’t “shut up.” To this, I remarked, “On what grounds, for speaking for my rights?” I was eventually processed and sent through to Customs.

Upon clearing Customs, I asked the Customs Official to speak with the Officer in Charge of Immigration. I was referred to an officer who queried what the problem was. I asked whether he was in charge and he replied that no one is in charge since Immigration works independently. I also asked him for the name of the Officer that harassed me and he refused to provide the name. When I insisted again to see the Officer in Charge, I was finally taken to an Officer in army uniform. I related my ordeal and he was defensive of the Immigration Officer saying that the officer didn’t mean what he said.

(Continued on page 6)

Wednesday November 14, 2012

Kaieteur News

Page 5

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

Real police reform needed The PNC grew out of Burnham’s DEAR EDITOR, With the recent testimonies given by both senior officers and junior ranks of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) Guyanese must be concerned about the state of this most crucial institution. We have listened to comments by senior officers, inferring or intimating that they do not trust anyone in the force, but themselves.

I recall a particular question posed to Senior Superintendant Hickens who was asked, while on the witness stand, whether he trusted the Commissioner. He deliberately chose to answer the question by stating that he only trusts himself. While the witness has a right to respond in way he feels and that might be beneficial to his acquittal, a Senior Superintendent of Police who publicly seems to suggest that the nation’s commissioner of police is an individual who is not prepared to deem trustworthy is a worrisome signal to be sent to the masses.

Why Mr. Hickens chose to answer the question in that manner, I don’t know, but his response certainly leaves much to be desired, as it also highlighted that something is seriously wrong with how some who lead the GPF view their role and responsibility.

One wonders whether protection of personal image of officers is paramount to the protection of image and stature of the institution.

During the Linden Commission of Inquiry the testimony of the police officers who took the stand, have exposed a grave reality which seems to exist in the police force.

It is a reality which speaks to possible lack of cohesion, seemingly disregard for the chain of command, apparent misinterpretation by officers

of the force’s standard operating procedures, a perceived overlap of political authority over some senior officers, among other unfortunate realities.

While the work of the Commission is not yet completed I believe that what has been revealed so far, through the crossexamination of those police officers, who took the witness stand, is sufficient to cause every Guyanese to demand urgent and immediate reform of the Guyana Police Force.

We must be concerned that the current picture of the police force, as exposed by some of the most senior men in the organization, has the potential to foster a deeply divided security institution which has the potential to further expose us to an increasingly dangerously and fragile security situation in which all of us are placed at unimaginable risk.

Are we to believe that should the current status-quo remain in the force, despite the testimony at the COI, that the force will somehow be different or function in a more professional manner? I think not!

The fact is that the police force needs a serious overhaul and it must start with the removal of the current political directorate with ministerial responsibility, Mr. Clement Rohee. The position that the powers to remove this subject minister resides with the president is irrelevant and inconsequential to the larger over-riding concern and reality.

That reality that the nation’s police force is in urgent need of restructuring while Mr. Rohee, who has been the subject minister, has been most incompetent as he presided over this drastic decline in the force.

Any reasonable president would have good regard for the larger security concern for

the people rather than engaging in actions, which at best can be described as political posturing and aiding and supporting a seemingly ‘spoil system’ where friends and cronies are protected regardless of their gross incompetence, while the people are left exposed to rampant crime and criminality.

In all this period of uncertainty I am hopeful that the voices for total reform of the police force will become louder and reverberate in all the communities throughout the length and breadth of Guyana. As we demand better let us be reminded that many of the police officers themselves are not our enemy but that they might be mere victim of a system which is working against them, a system that continues to adequately provide the necessary resources to make them truly successful; a system which has failed to restructure to successfully meet new and emerging challenges; a system which paints them as villains to the ordinary people; a system that leaves them more pauperized than they can imagine; a system where the rogue elements within the force seem to boast their ‘rogueism’ with confidence and bravery because they feel protected by their political bosses; a system where the decent and kind hearted officers go unnoticed; I pray to God that we fix this system.

I have to have hope that the system will change to have hope not will be to succumb to the incompetence and ‘roguishness’ of a few, we must therefore, be hopeful. I salute all the female officers whose hard work and dedication to the real police work often go unnoticed, you are a large part of that system which gives me hope!

Lurlene Nestor

quest for personal power

DEAR EDITOR, This letter is in response to Barrington Braithwaite’s missive titled “Saying there’s nothing great about the PNC’s role in Guyana’s history is ignorance or orchestrated dishonesty” (KN, November 11, 2012) and Mike Persaud’s letter titled “Burnham and Jagan bequeathed to us ethnic parties and ethnic voting” (KN, Nov 12, 2012).

Persaud gets it wrong when he claims that I am blaming the PNC alone for ethnic politics. I have always blamed both the PPP and the PNC for racial politics. What I stated in my letter is that the PNC was the only major political party in Guyana’s history formed specifically to pursue a racially destructive agenda to obtain political power.

The PPP was formed as a multiracial party and became a racial party. The PNC was formed directly out of Burnham’s failed quest to seize power in the PPP. While

both PPP and the PNC fought it with equal ferocity, the PPP did not start the race war.

From even before Burnham joined the PPP, Cheddi Jagan commanded Indian support. The PPP was assured of Indian support because of Cheddi Jagan. The PPP did not need to seek racial support. It was guaranteed. Burnham did not have the support of the majority of Africans when the PNC was formed. Many Africans were distrustful of Burnham.

Africans had a strong presence in the educated and middle class. They were not easily convinced. Burnham had to convince them. He appealed to the basest of tactics; race and ethnicity.

Mike Persaud is absolutely correct when he talks about Jagan and Burnham as the two most destructive leaders this country has known.

Barrington Braithwaite should stop distorting history. No matter how hard and how tirelessly he tries to

distort history and undermine truth, there is nothing historic or great about the role of the PNC or the PPP in Guyana’s history.

Look around Guyana and we are witnessing the devastation the PNC and PPP have heaped upon Guyana. It assaults us everywhere we turn. When I state that Forbes Burnham was a divisive, power-crazed individual with an inflated sense of entitlement, history backs me up.

Braithwaite blinds himself to Burnham’s power drunk ways and his raging thirst for power which, in addition to Jagan’s rabid addiction to communism, caused the rupture in the PPP and the descent into racial politics.

The PNC was created for Burnham’s power egotism and opportunism. It was not created as an alternative. It became, in many ways, as communist as the PPP wanted, look at nationalization for a sound example.

M. Maxwell

Page 6

Kaieteur News

Wednesday November 14, 2012

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

Whither heads the Linden COI? Stealing one’s thunder DEAR EDITOR, The Linden commission of inquiry, judging from the direction it is headed, will most certainly disappoint many--more so Lindeners.

It moved from a shaky, contradictory and recriminatory start with members of the police force tripping over themselves, not representing a straight line account of event, on the July 18 protest to what it is now.

Now with each passing day and into the homestretch, this investigation has completely changed course, and seems destined for a disappointing, heartbreaking low- key ending.

As one writer, Mark Archer, has already concluded:”As it stands, judging from the tone and posture of many of the commissioners I would advise the people of Linden to start looking elsewhere for solutions and justice...”.

Listening to comments and views of Lindeners as

I move about and interact among them I can safely say that they are not in any way expecting any form of judgement in their favour except, maybe a token compensation for some injury.

The high spirits and enthusiasm in which the commission was welcomed have all dissipated; and while I’m positive that there are also many non-Lindeners following this inquiry who do feel the same, I’ve to date noted two gentlemen who have publicly, through the media, expressed their disgust and ire at commissioners; who obviously from the tenor of their missives have dismissed the inquiry as a charade.

Mark Archer: “I will not waste my time following this Commission of Inquiry any longer” S N October 19. and Nigel Westmaas: “Commissioner Wolfe’s preoccupation with `Order’ shows disdain for the

Cows in a bank DEAR EDITOR, I wish to recount a major incident which aroused my pet peeve while I conducted a transaction at a city bank on November 7, 2012. I was assisted by a Teller who chewed a gum throughout my transaction. The only thing I could have thought of was the deportment of a cow.

Do people really take a critical look at themselves in the mirror when they are chewing gum? I am sure they would be completely

disgusted by the unsightly countenance such an activity is likely to portray.

The organization I manage has implemented a policy that discourages the chewing of gum, especially among staff members who interface with the public. I would like to suggest that the management of all banks and other organizations implement a similar policy for staff members who deal with the public.

Mr. Michael H. Khan

historical struggles of working people “are two voices in condemnation of this inquiry. But who can disagree with them; says Archer:”...

What I witnessed was not a fact finding exercise but a gaggle of lawyers all fighting aggressively to protect their clients and witnesses who were grilled not so much to find the truth about what happen that day, but to establish grounds for unreliablity and lack of credibility; and the chairman of the Commission allowing Attorneys to question witnesses outside of their brief’.

Westmaas in reminding Commissioner Wolfe of our Caribbean history and the historical struggle of the working people further posed a very pertinent question which he said ought to have been of interest to for Mr. Wolfe and his commission.

My take is, I cannot say if the blocking of the bridge came about by happenstance; whether the protestors were initially heading for some other place and for whatever reason got a change of heart, but no one can deny the effectiveness of seizing the bridge; its profound impact.

And no one, absolutely no one in Linden should be apologising for the bridge being blocked.

Lindeners capitalised on the most telling option to make their point. So Mark Archer is on the mark when he states: “.... What they (protestors) were participating in was no

ordinary stroll but a struggle by the people of Linden for human rights and justice; that sitting on the bridge was an act of civil disobedience....”.

There ought to be no guilt or apology for the blocking of the bridge. In any event the protest was peaceful.

Let the commission be off with their badgering of witnesses with their specious frame of questioning about legality and right and wrong.

Whatever works as a hindrance to the service, advancement of a people’s cause should not be labelled as illegal.

Law must be made to serve people, there are too many laws that are just not just. Was it right for those living in opulence to sit, plot and impose an unconscionable and murderous increase of electricity on a community/ people fully conscious that 90 per cent lack the ability to pay? These are the guilty ones who the commission should be grilling. When deacon Paul Bogle and Rosa Parks led a protest and took a stand by sitting respectively, they were both indulging in actions that were deemed illegal, today they are both hero and heroine.

I hope that Commission Chairman Justice Wolfehe certainly has a crafty name- and team get it into their heads that Lindeners are not seeking their friendship, only for them to be impartial and let justice be seen to be done.

Frank Fyffe

DEAR EDITOR: In May 1999, the IMF said that G u y a n a ’s “economy improved substantially in the period 1991-1997 as result of the economic reforms implemented since 1988”.

The IMF however went on to say that the economic performance slipped as a result of shocks and policy slippage. Under whose watch did these policy slippages occur?

Dr. Jagan was long dead and gone and Mrs. Jagan was out of the way of Bharrat Jagdeo— as a “private citizen” when these policy slippages occurred.

There are a few issues that must be highlighted to destroy the myth of the Jagdeo/Ramotar regime that they brought economic prosperity to Guyana namely: · The debt write-off that shaved 54 per cent of Guyana’s debt off the books was as a result of hard economic work that started since 1988. Who was the President of Guyana in 1988?

Desmond Hoyte. Who was the Minister of Finance? Carl Greenidge.

Work continued until 1997 but the hard initial policy measures and negotiations were done under the Hoyte administration; this is a fact. · This work was continued under the Presidency of Dr Cheddi Jagan and his most able Minister of Finance Dr. Asgar Ally. · By the time Bharrat Jagdeo came to office, the heavy lifting was already done but unfortunately he chose get his propaganda machinery to give him all the credit and not recognizing the hard work of the world class economist like Carl Greenidge, Haslyn Parris, Asgar Ally and Dr. Gobind Ganga (a key advisor to Dr. Cheddi Jagan at the time) and their political leader Desmond Hoyte and Cheddi Jagan, who were collectively the principle thinkers behind the entire strategy.

In the interest of truth, we would like this publication of facts to be highlighted for the records books.

Dr Asquith Rose and Harish S. Singh

Maltreatment of a...

From page 4 When I told him, I will take the matter up with the relevant authorities, he then apologized on behalf his colleague.

I am utterly dismayed at this incident. I do accept responsibility on my part for joining the line for non CARICOM nationals (since it was shorter and secondly other persons with CARICOM passports, both Guyanese and Surinamese did so and were processed).

My decision to wait until everyone was processed and not reclaiming my spot in the CARICOM line was certainly acceptance on my part. My complaint is not that I had to wait but (1) unfair administration of rules (to a lesser extent) and (2) the maltreatment meted out to me as a CARICOM citizen by authorities in a neighbouring CARICOM country.

Guyana and Suriname are both signatories of the protocols leading to the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas establishing the Caribbean Community including the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) which provides for the free movement of persons.

Article 46 (2b) of the Revised Treaty provides for movement of CARICOM nationals into and within their jurisdictions without harassment or the imposition of impediments.

The harassment and

abuse I experienced in Suriname certainly negates the provisions under Free Movement of Persons regime one, “Facilitation of Travel” and is in direct contravention to the very treaty to which Suriname subscribes.

As a young CARICOM citizen, I am utterly concerned about the future of the region as a unified space for mutual trade and other economic benefits. The many cases of mistreatment of CARICOM nationals by Member States will certainly discourage intraregional tourism and trade.

Consequently there will be an exodus of Caribbean dollars to places outside of the region where our nationals are respected, get value for money and in the process contribute to the building of foreign shores.

This situation calls for increased understanding and improved participation in the implementation of the CSME regime by state agencies and hopefully we can curb this problem before it gets worse.

The Government of Suriname may wish to investigate this incident and take the necessary actions so as to avoid further maltreatment and abuse of CARICOM nationals in an effort to contribute to the realization of CARICOM’s vision of a unified and integrated region.

Anand Harrilall

Wednesday November 14, 2012

Kaieteur News

Page 7

Five companies in pilot project to reduce electricity costs - local banks urged to flex The Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GM&SA) has initiated a pilot project that will target a number of prominent business to lower their energy costs.

According to the private sector body, the five businesses are the International Pharmaceutical Agency (IPA), Brass Aluminum and Cast Iron Foundry (BACIF), National Milling Company Guyana Limited, Edward Beharry and Company Limited and GTM Fire and Life Insurance.

According to GMSA, cognizant that energy costs account for more than 30% of the average Guyanese company’s overheads in any given month, it started to examine ways to assist in reducing it. “ G u y a n e s e manufacturers in almost every category of industry, whether metalwork, food production, infrastructural and vehicle repairs, household artifacts or building accessories, have struggled with astronomical power costs for decades.”

GMSA said it found an answer in 2010.

“The association crafted a finely defined strategy for better energy management for companies in the manufacturing and services sectors to make the most efficient use of their installed applications, whether they receive power from the national grid or selfgenerate. Simultaneously they would be guided in the application of the most effective methods of conservation.”

GMSA approached the Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF) of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) for assistance with funding the project.

The bank gave its approval in 2011 and the jointly-funded project…IDB 70%, GMSA 30%... was signed into being on June 6th last.

The five companies, spanning different sectors, were selected to serve as pilots for the two-part project.

“The first involves a detailed energy ratings survey and baseline study on each company, which is being conducted by Jamaican, Eaton Haughton, the CEO/ owner of Caribbean ESCo Ltd,” GMSA disclosed in its statement.

“He is working in tandem with locally-based electrical engineering firm, Dynamic Engineering Company, that has recently ventured into energy conservation as a new service line.”

LESS COSTS Haughton is himself a high profile energy consultant, renowned throughout the Caribbean Region. Over the past 25 years he has completed or contributed to several internationally funded projects for the governments and private sectors in Belize, the Bahamas, Jamaica, St. Lucia, Suriname and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

He was instrumental in installing hospital solar water heating systems in Grenada and implemented energy audits and energy services projects for the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ), and on the Mona Campus of the University of the West Indies.

More recently, in 2011, he completed an extensive energy audit at the Turkeyen, East Coast Demerara, CARICOM Secretariat.

Haughton is currently visiting the pilot companies that are participating in the IDB/GMSA project and will shortly commence the process of measuring power input and output on each location and assessing the viability and suitability of their electrical installations in their factories, workshops and offices. He is examining each company’s systemic and operational energy demand for analysis against their needs. These will eventually be amalgamated with consumption patterns and costs and factored into workable energy management formulas for each category of enterprise.

Since his arrival, Haughton has met with Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, who holds ministerial responsibility for the energy sector.

“My first objective is to find the means that will enable Guyanese companies to save money. I am all about the ‘bottom line’,” Haughton said.

He explained that he found that companies and even householders opted for expensive installations that eventually proved that they were compensating for inefficiencies in their own consumption patterns.

“Reducing energy consumption and proper monitoring and maintenance of equipment that conduct electricity from the exterior to the interior of buildings is much more cost effective,” Haughton stated.

BANKS’ HELP He cited commercial banks as one more key factor that generally inhibits companies’ ability to sustain

their power efficiencies.

“Banks are generally conservative and reluctant to deviate from normal practice,” he said, referring to a pervasive reluctance to grant commercial loans for improvement or advancement of technical electrical equipment and components.

He cited the Jamaica experience, noting that the banking systems there had not been geared just a few years ago to cover technical equipment. “Fortunately, now the Jamaican lending institutions are beginning to recognize the value of investing in electrical equipment. There has been a

paradigm shift,” Haughton said. The biggest hurdle is awareness, and the rest is the domino effect.

The ultimate objective of this project is to guide Guyanese enterprises across the business spectrum towards effectively managing their energy costs through the application of conservation methodologies, technological adaptations and Best Practice techniques.

The project is geared to include Energy Conservation, Energy Consumption and alternative energy sources.

GMSA said that workshops will also be held for business owners and

representatives operating in the commercial, food and agricultural, services, manufacturing and other sectors. The first workshop will take place in January 2013, mainly to sensitize the business community to the bottom line value of efficient energy management.

GMSA President, Mohindra Chand, has noted that this energy efficiency project has deep implications for Guyana’s manufacturers who are ‘hurting’ as a result of debilitating energy costs.

The consequent high costs of production of Guyanese products, he noted, have had a serious

Energy consultant, Eaton Haughton impact on the ability of these products to compete well on the international market.

Page 8

Kaieteur News

Wednesday November 14, 2012

Wednesday November 14, 2012

Kaieteur News

Page 9

FOUR THINGS THAT HOLD BACK DEVELOPMENT Any government can have the right policies, make the right choices, do the correct things, and yet oversee a country that remains underdeveloped.

The right policies, the right choices and the correct approach will all be undermined, unless there is the right attitude by the people.

The blight of many a colonial society is that they measure development in terms of modernization. But while modernization in infrastructure is rising, standards are falling and the attitude towards development fall behind.

Guyana is no exception to this problem. Guyana needs to liberate from certain practices which existed under colonialism and which still exist today.

Interestingly, when Guyanese are overseas they are quick to dissociate themselves from some of these negative attitudes.

They don’t, for example, take it for granted that they can turn up late for work or absent themselves regularly from the job.

They know that if they try that they will be on the breadline. So snow or sunshine, they are out early and at their jobs on time, and they stay home only when they are genuinely sick.

So what are these attitudes that regardless of what is done by the government will undermine national development?

We can list four such attitudes. The first is squatting. The second is

illegal vending. The third is praedial larceny. And the fourth is littering.

You can have the best government, unless these things are fixed, unless they are seen as being detrimental to human progress, unless politicians stop defending these illegalities and stop m a k i n g e x c u ses for the perpetrators of these acts, Guyana will go nowhere.

You are driving along the coast and there is a vehicle in front of you.

Suddenly, a small white plastic bag comes flying out of the window of the car in front of you.

You presume it blew out by accident, until a few minutes later when another one is thrown out and then another one and yet another one. You cannot develop a country when so many people do not care about the environment in which they live.

Guyana is an agricultural society. Agriculture is susceptible to climatic conditions, but the biggest bugbear to the viability of agriculture is praedial larceny.

This is a practice that has driven many a farmer off the land, and which still affects many farming communities.

There are individuals who just live to steal what other persons produce.

They steal your cash crops, they steal your livestock and they rustle your cattle. Unless this practice is stamped out, agriculture will never fulfill its potential and Guyana, by extension, will never become the bread

Dem boys seh ...

Irfaat join de Bees When people want money dem does hold sale. Was a time when everybody use to hold a sale. Since you miss was a sale in dem store. But wha people did not realize was if the goods worth $100 de people would write how it worth $150 then scratch off that price and write $100. All who go in de shop believe that dem was getting a bargain.

Well one of de Bees decide that he gun do de same thing and he get Irfaat fuh side wid he. Dem cut a deal fuh all who building house pun government land wha dem get fuh house lot, once dem buy material from de Boyah Bee dem gun get 15 to 20 per cent discount.

Whole of last week de man writing high price pun dem goods and scratching off de high price and putting up de real price. But couple worker tell he that he too soon; that he got to wait till de housing people come in. De man tear up all dem sign wha he mek and put back de high price.

He done know that when dem come in and see de high price and when he give dem at a lower price dem gun believe that dem get a bargain.

Dem boys seh that Toolsie and Mazaharally peep de card.

Dem done drop dem price, suh people know who more cheap.

And dem ain’t deh in no private/public partnership. But Irfaat got a plan fuh dem. He gun mek sure that Boyah Bee don’t pay taxes pun de goods he bringing in. That way he goods gun be even cheaper.

People now advising Toolsie fuh hire Caribbean Airlines and Delta fuh teach he de trick wha dem pull pun Easy Come Easy Go. Match he cent fuh cent. Dem boys know that Boyah Bee got friends who got real money, but since Sonny bite dem, all of dem li’l scared fuh put out more money.

Talk half and wait fuh de cheapness.

basket of the Caribbean.

It is said that the Trinidadians are coming here to do large scale farming.

They had better walk with many watchmen, because what they sow they may not reap.

The next major impediment to development is the practice of squatting. This problem has become so rampant and uncontrolled that it now poses a serious obstacle to national development. Persons who claim to be poor simply go and occupy a piece of land.

These same impoverished people within a few years put up a fancy house. And when

the authorities try to move them they claim that they have rights.

When it is shown to them that they have no rights to be on the land, they then contend that they have no place to go. The rich also squat, but they have the connections to make things right, and the poor use this to justify their own unlawful actions.

This is the same tune that is sung by vendors, and just like squatters, they seem to feel that it is right for them to sell in front of private businesses. Georgetown is in a mess, it is unsightly and it is chaotic, and in no small

measure because of illegal vending.

The vendors may keep their surroundings clean, but they generate a great deal of garbage and have destroyed the ambience of the city.

Those who are advising them that vending is the route to empowerment cannot be serious, because there are not many cases of vendors who have risen from rags to riches.

Most of the vendors eke out a living and many refuse to accept that the time and resources that they have invested in their makeshift businesses could have been put to better use.

Until such time that Guyanese emancipate themselves from these ills littering, praedial larceny, squatting and vending Guyana will go nowhere.

The government and the opposition can have the best of plans and perfect policies, but these will not amount to much until there is a new attitude towards development.

Page 10

Kaieteur News

Wednesday November 14, 2012

THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN

Comparing Ramotar and Jagdeo Most intellectuals would say that it is unworkable to compare a president who held power for twelve years and another who is about to complete just one year.

Analytically, it would not work.

Ontologically speaking, it is quite possible for Ramotar to become a global phenomenon before he ends his presidency. He could do unique things that could cause him to hit the international spotlight, never mind the obscurity Guyana has on the world stage. But

for now, his presidency is just a year old.

The scholarly integrity of this analysis will reside in the methodology of comparing the two men in terms of their political character, not the exercise of State power and an anticipation of Ramotar’s attitudes and behaviour in the future, based on what we know about him over the thirty-five years he has been in the PPP. We repeat; the presidential comparison cannot be made because of the newness of Ramotar’s

ambition. Nevertheless, it is not outside the scope of intellectual assessment to predict what President Ramotar will be like.

One factor that partially explains Jagdeo’s excesses cannot be adumbrated, because many academics would say that the material is unproductive in employing it to understand why Jagdeo was so oligarchic in his pattern of policy-making and so autocratic in his governance. I don’t agree and I vehemently denounce such a rejection.

This particular factor has been used in countless biographical studies, particularly two new books, one on Mahatma Gandhi and one on J. Edgar Hoover.

There are very few historians, if any, who would deny that an extreme, physical impediment can and did play a huge role in how some great leaders behaved. In a superb biography of Adolf Hitler, R o b e r t Wa i t e ( “ T h e Psychopathic God”) brilliantly uses Freudian analysis to prove that certain psychological and related factors were important in u n d e r s t a n d i n g H i t l e r ’s

attitude to sex, women, v i o l e n c e , c hauvinism, bravery, patriotism and greatness. This is one of the best leadership analyses ever written using that methodology, and for this columnist, remains one of the best biographies ever composed.

This factor strongly accounts for some of the differences in the political persona of Jagdeo and Ramotar. Jagdeo, conscious of the role of this factor, tended to react to it by asserting his power. Ramotar does not have to go in that direction.

But Jagdeo’s youth and obscurity in the PPP, led him in directions that would at this moment seem impossible for Ramotar.

Roger Luncheon, testifying in Jagdeo’s libel writ against me, said in cross examination that he first knew Jagdeo in 1992. That is when the PPP came to power and Jagdeo became special assistant to the Minister of Finance.

It means then that Jagdeo was virtually unknown to any of the top leaders in the PPP by 1992. To become the President in 1999 meant that

Jagdeo was hardly, if ever, a party boy. This lack of party induction meant that Jagdeo didn’t have the conscious loyalty to the Jaganite protégés who, from the seventies onwards, carried the party blood in them and who were the leaders of the PPP by the time Jagdeo became president in 1999.

It meant, also, that Jagdeo didn’t embody the mountain of sentiments that these protégés had among themselves for each other.

These sentiments are what differentiate the political character of Jagdeo and Ramotar.

A good example of this was that as some of the top leaders were crying at the funerals of Shree Chand and Fazil Ally, Jagdeo didn’t display that kind of emotion.

At the time of their deaths, Jagdeo hardly knew them, and had no memory or sentiments of them.

Ramotar on the other hand is your quintessential party apparatchik. His loyalty is to his party and his seniors. This explains why most people think that Luncheon, Teixeira and Rohee are in charge of the Government. It is not that Ramotar does not want to stamp his image on

Frederick Kissoon governance. It is that at a deep psychological level, Ramotar wants his party to stamp the party image on the government, and not that of any individual.

This is where Jagdeo and Ramotar are widely dissimilar.

Jagdeo had no reservation in looking beyond the PPP, bringing into the party his own discoveries and befriending the rich and wealthy.

For Jagdeo, the government was to be run by the presidency, not by the party. This explains why he reacted hostilely to Mrs. Jagan when she criticized him for his policy of withdrawing advertisements from Stabroek News.

Ramotar and the older leaders of the PPP would not even for a split-second ever contemplate a word of unpleasantness against Mrs. Jagan. (To be continued)

Wednesday November 14, 2012

Kaieteur News

Differently-able Ithaca woman claims daily torture, abuse by male partner - Says children also suffer

By Leon Suseran A speech and hearingimpaired woman of Ithaca, West Bank Berbice is claiming that she and her children are being physically abused on a daily basis by her commonlaw partner.

The 36-year-old (name provided) related a tragic tale of verbal, physical and emotional abuse allegedly being meted out to her and her children by the man with whom she has been living for the past 12 years.

The alleged abuser is also 36 years old, and resides just a stone’s throw from his inlaws’ home, is a cane harvester employed at the Blairmont Estate.

The couple used to live with the woman’s mother but the man’s behaviour became intolerable and his mother-inlaw decided to kick him out two years ago. His ‘childmother’ left the home with him and has “lived to regret it”.

“Every time he drink rum and if he friends dem tell he something, he always a pick on me and my children and if he friend wife see me go

anywhere, she [will] go on the road and meet him up, and he race home, pick up cutlass on me and sometimes he does push me out from the house.”

The woman noted too that if she happens to ask members of the community to speak with him about his behaviour, “he does cuss people up”.

Reports have been that the past 12 years have been filled with abuse, but it is now heading in a dangerous direction whereby it has not only become more frequent and severe. The children, too, are now enduring it.

The woman has three children, all attending the Ithaca Primary School, and they are all scared too.

They related to this newspaper the daily torment they allegedly endure and that they “don’t want to live with he anymore”.

“Me whole skin, look what he do me skin—he chopped me; this one here because—all me marks me get on me skin is after what he friend wife tell him”, the (continued on page 17)

Page 11

‘Bin Laden’ squib rips through roof, misses boy While Diwali is observed by our Hindu brothers and sisters as a celebration of light over darkness and a victory of good over evil, quite a number of misguided youths use the festivities to cast dangerous explosives, particularly squibs.

One such act almost ended with someone being severely wounded on Monday night as a thrown squib narrowly missed a young West La Penitence Housing Scheme resident, Adrian Grant.

Grace Grant-Andries, a teacher, told this newspaper that her son, Adrian, was sitting on his bed fixing his footwear when “he saw his life flash before his eyes” after hearing a loud explosion.

The squib, referred to as a ‘Bin Laden’, narrowly missed the boy, having ripped through the zinc roof directly above where he was sitting.

A sizeable hole remains.

Mrs. Grant-Andries claims that the act was done by a group of young boys and girls who reside in the neighbourhood.

The woman said that after she noticed the hole in the roof, she summoned the police to her home. However, that offended parents and resulted in her being verbally abused for almost the entire remainder of Monday night.

Andries said that the police checked the area and noted that they will carry out necessary investigations.

The sale and purchase of such explosives have been banned. However, they continue to be sold and citizens are being continuously put in harm’s way.

As recent as Sunday, last, an arrest in relation to a similar incident was made. Kaieteur News is not aware whether the suspect remains in custody.

The zinc roof bears the mark of the dangerous squib

Page 12

Kaieteur News

Wednesday November 14, 2012

C’tyne carjacking suspect confesses about cop’s execution What started out as a routine carjacking investigation for ranks at the New Amsterdam Police Station turned out to be a major breakthrough in the probe of the execution-style killing of Anti-narcotics rank Detective Jirbahan Dianand, at Corentyne.

Detective Dianand’s body was discovered in his motor car, PHH 6528, on the Jackson Creek Public Road by a police patrol attached to Springlands Police Station on Friday, September 14, last. He had two gunshot wounds to his head.

Reports are that following last Saturday’s night carjacking and shooting of taxi driver, Jermaine Rover, 21, of No. 78 Village, Corentyne, police at Fort Wellington Station on a routine road block recovered the car.

The Corolla AT 192, HB 3172, was found at Plantation Foulis, West Coast Berbice, on Sunday. The two occupants of the car were arrested and taken to New Amsterdam Central Police Station for questioning.

Rover was shot and is currently at the New

bag, supposedly containing a large amount of cash.

The man reportedly told the police that as Dianand wound his window down and stretched out his hand to collect the bag the suspect never released the bag to Dianand but instead drew a gun and shot the Detective twice in his head before fleeing the scene.

The man also reportedly told investigators that he asked his accomplice for a ‘cut’ of the money but he was denied his request.

The man claimed that his accomplice threatened to kill him if he told anyone what he knew.

The suspect also claimed that his accomplice went to a location and hid the murder weapon and then dropped him home.

A source said that the man then related that he returned to the location where the murder weapon was hidden and stole it with the intention of eliminating Dianand’s killer, but he ‘didn’t have the guts to do it’. The

man also related that he eventually took the weapon to a relative to ‘stash it’.

Reports are that the man has since led investigators to the murder weapon.

Detective Dianand was attached to the Springlands Police Station and was based at Moleson Creek Police Outpost as a Narcotics rank who had a number of drugrelated cases in court.

Shortly after his death, eight persons were taken into custody to assist with investigations. Two police officers were also held under close arrest in relation to the Detective’s murder. The

The G u y a n a F i r e Service is yet to make a definitive pronouncement on the Julius Variety Store blaze which occurred two Sundays ago.

Initially the fire department had ruled that the fire was suspicious.

However when contacted recently, Fire Chief Marlon Gentle said while they suspect arson, they had not yet come up

with something definitive.

Earlier the Fire Chief had said their suspicions came about following reports they received from persons in the immediate environs as well as a call on the morning of the fire.

The business, a popular baby product, cosmetics, household goods and appliance store owned by M r. J u l i u s M e n t i s , w a s gutted by fire on Sunday

November 4, last. Losses have been estimated in the millions.

One of the family members who had spoken to this publication said that the building housed two separate stores; C&C Prestigious Styles and Julius Variety Store which was also known as the ‘Baby Store’.

The family has owned the property since the 1930s.

The bottom flat housed

…leads investigators to murder weapon Amsterdam Public Hospital.

The taxi driver was robbed and relieved of his car at Moleson Creek after leaving a gas station.

Meanwhile, under intense interrogation about the carjacking and possible involvement in other crimes in the Corentyne, one of the men reportedly broke and made some startling revelations.

A source told this publication that he confessed to being in the company of others - whose names were given to the police signaling their involvement in the brutal execution of Detective Dianand.

The man reportedly told investigators that on the night of September 13, he was in the company of another man who was making arrangements to meet the Detective Dianand to hand over some money.

Sources say that the man related that once the detective arrived at the Jackson Creek Public Road he stayed in his car while the other suspect walked up to his car with a

Detective Jirbahan Dianand persons detained were each placed on $100,000 bail, but were never charged.

No definitive report yet on recent Regent Street blaze the variety store while the upper flat housed the boutique.

All was not lost since some of the items from the upper flat were salvaged.

M e n t i s s aid he was told by fire ranks that the blaze started from the front of the store and spread to the back. He had attributed the extent of the damage to the flammable items in the store.

Wednesday November 14, 2012

Kaieteur News

CCJ dismisses TCL claim against regional Competition Commission Trinidad- (Caribbean Court of Justice) - The CCJ on Monday dismissed a claim by Trinidad Cement Limited (TCL) against the CARICOM Competition Commission.

The CCJ also ordered the parties to make submissions on the issue of court costs within 21 days.

TCL's case arose from the first matter undertaken by the Commission in fulfilment of its role under the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas (“the Treaty”) to protect and promote competition within the Community.

The Commission had divided itself into two Panels and, unknown to TCL, the Investigating Panel had initiated and conducted an investigation of alleged anti competitive business conduct by TCL. Following the investigation, the Commission instructed TCL to appear at an Enquiry so that the Commission's Adjudicating Panel could arbitrate on the matters raised in the investigation.

Upon being informed of t h e E n q u i r y, T C L immediately filed an application before the CCJ claiming that the decisions both to conduct the investigation and to hold the Enquiry were void. TCL argued that there had been no proper request for the investigation from the CARICOM Council for Tr a d e a n d E c o n o m i c Development (COTED) and that in conducting the investigation “behind its back” the Commission had failed to respect the rights of TCL. The Commission advanced several grounds for concluding that the CCJ had no jurisdiction to hear the matter. These arguments were rejected by the Court.

The Commission also argued that TCL should first have attended the Enquiry to have the Adjudicating Panel decide on any procedural complaints TCL wished to make about the conduct of the investigation.

The CCJ agreed with the Commission in principle holding that “where no

Enquiry of the Commission has as yet been held, the Court will not ordinarily take cognizance of allegations that certain procedural steps taken by the Commission during the investigation stage are unlawful or void”.

On the issue of whether TCL had a right to be consulted and notified about the investigation, the CCJ stated that “Although it could be said that a targeted enterprise has an interest in being able to convince the Commission that … the proposed investigation was not justified in all the circumstances of the case, such interest is clearly outweighed by other considerations.

These considerations include safeguarding the effectiveness of the investigation which should not be compromised.”

The Court also dismissed TCL's claim that there was no proper request from COTED for the Commission to embark upon the investigation. The Court went through all the relevant correspondence and concluded that although there was some ambiguity in the language used by COTED it was clear that COTED always intended that the Commission should embark on the investigation.

The Court was presided over by the President, Rt. Hon Sir Dennis Byron along with Hon Justice Adrian Saunders, Hon Justice Desiree Bernard, Hon Justice Jacob Wit and Hon Justice Winston Anderson.

The case for TCL was argued by Dr Claude Denbow SC, who appeared together with Mr Darrell A l l a h a r, M r J e r o m e Rajcoomar and Mrs Donna Denbow.

The Competition Commission was represented by Mr Roger Forde QC and Ms Nargis Hardyal. CARICOM was represented by Ms. Safiya Ali and Mr Bevan Narinesingh and Trinidad and Tobago was represented

by Mr Ronnie Bissessar, Mr Alvin Ramroop, Ms Kamala Mohammed-Carter and Ms Avisha Panchu.

The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) has dismissed an appeal by TCL. The company was objecting to being investigated by the CARICOM Competition Commission.

Page 13

Page 14

Kaieteur News

Wednesday November 14, 2012

Customary conflicting opinions on TIP facts and figures

A

total of 14 persons were last year charged and brought before the court for human trafficking offences, signalling a victory for the Counter-Traffickingin-Persons (CTIP) Unit of the Ministry of Labour, Human Services and Social Security.

In fact, according to the Ministry's 2011 Annual Report, which was made public for the first time last

Thursday in the National Assembly, financial and psychosocial support was provided to a total of nine alleged victims of trafficking-in-persons (TIP).

During the past year, too, the Counter-Trafficking-inPersons Unit conducted several workshops and sensitisation campaigns countrywide with regional administrative officials, community leaders and other stakeholders, the

Report details.

Through this medium, too, it was disclosed that 10 TIP awareness seminars were held at secondary schools in hinterland and riverain communities. The schools targeted were in Regions One, Two, Seven, Eight, Nine and 10.

Addressing the daunting social issue saw efforts to conduct training seminars for CTIP focal points in Regions One, Eight and

Nine. CTIP focal points are currently operational in Regions One, Two, Six, Eight, Nine and 10.

These served as conduits between the Ministry and those Regions, and benefited from ongoing training provided from the Unit.

According to the Report, which was tabled by Human Services Minister Jennifer Webster, the CTIP Unit has been attending the monthly meeting of the National Task

Human Services Minister, Jennifer Webster Force on TIP. In fact, it was revealed that the CTIP Unit was represented at 83 per cent of the meetings of the National Task Force.

It is believed that dedicated efforts on the part of the collaborating bodies and individuals were instrumental in the arrest and subsequent charging of the 14 persons as at the end of last year for the offence of trafficking in persons.

However, the 2012 TIP Report which places Guyana on a Tier 2 level not only contradicted a great deal of the achievements detailed in the Human Services Ministry Report, but also sought to highlight reasons why some cases are not reported.

The TIP Report, which was released in June 2012, accuses the administration of failing to adequately address the TIP problems stressing that “Government made no discernible progress in holding human trafficking offenders in Guyana accountable during the reporting period.”

It highlighted too that the Combating Trafficking of Persons Act of 2005 prohibits all forms of trafficking and prescribes sufficiently stringent penalties, ranging from three years to life imprisonment.

The penalties are commensurate with penalties prescribed for other serious crimes, such as rape.

The TIP Report stated that while Government reported 13 trafficking reports during the year, it only reported initiating two new trafficking

investigations, adding that authorities reported no new prosecutions or convictions.

It added, too, that of two sex trafficking prosecutions initiated in previous years, one remained pending, and one was dismissed.

In fact it was outlined that there were many challenges to achieving prosecutions in Guyana. “In almost all cases, the government treated trafficking as a summary offence in the lower courts, where cases are often dismissed, indicating a lack of severity assigned to the crime of trafficking.”

Guyana's legal system, the TIP Report states, suffered from a severe case backlog in all areas, that limit the efficiency and effectiveness of the system, and as such “repeated delays in nearly all criminal prosecutions increased the likelihood that victims would become discouraged and cease cooperation as witnesses in trafficking prosecutions.”

Perceived corruption and low public confidence in the Guyana Police Force also were problems, the TIP Report outlined, adding that “the government's public insistence that human trafficking in not a significant problem in the country created a potential disincentive for police and court officials to address trafficking cases.”

It was also emphasised in the TIP Report that there was evidence that people could be penalized for reporting suspected human trafficking crimes to the police.

Wednesday November 14, 2012

Kaieteur News

Page 15

Latin America and the Caribbean “becoming - new World Bank report finds a middle class region” 50% increase over last decade WASHINGTON - A new World Bank report released yesterday found that Latin America and the Caribbean registered a 50 percent jump in the number of people joining the middle class during the last decade, which was called by economists an historic achievement for a region long riven by wealth inequality.

The report, called 'Economic Mobility and the Rise of the Latin American Middle Class', found that the middle class in the region grew to an estimated 152 million in 2009, compared to 103 million in 2003, an increase of 50 percent.

“The recent experience of Latin America and the Caribbean shows the world that policies balancing economic growth while still expanding opportunities for the most vulnerable can spread prosperity to millions of people,” said World Bank President Jim Yong Kim. He added: “Governments in Latin America and the Caribbean still need to do much more one third of the population is still in poverty but we should celebrate this achievement of growing the middle class and learn from it.

For decades, poverty re-

duction and middle class growth in the Latin America and Caribbean region (LAC) crept along at a very slow pace, as low growth and stubborn inequality held back progress. Over the last ten years, however, the regions fortunes improved dramatically due to changes in government policies that emphasized the delivery of social programs alongside economic stability.”

The end result: The middle class grew by a half to include 30 percent of the region's population in 2009.

Among the highest achievers were Brazil, which comprised about 40 percent of the regions middle class growth; Colombia, where 54 percent of people improved their economic status between 1992 and 2008; and Mexico, which had 17 percent of its population join the middle class between 2000 and 2010.

Today, the middle class and the poor in Latin America account for roughly the same share of the population, according to the report.

The report found that some of the key factors favouring the upward mobility in Latin America were higher levels of education

World Bank President Jim Yong Kim among workers; higher employment in the formal sector; more people living in urban areas; more women in the labour force; and smaller families.

The report defined middle class in income terms of anyone making between US$10 and $50 per day. This level of income provides an increased resilience to unexpected events and reflects a lower probability of falling back into poverty.

The report, however, also described a fourth, vulnerable class, which underscored the need for countries

to do much more to increase shared prosperity.

Members of this vulnerable class, representing 38 percent of the population, fared better income-wise than the poor, but lacked the economic security of the middle class.

Sandwiched between the two, the vulnerable class makes between US$4 and US10 per capita, per day.

It was also determined that, with the exception of years of schooling, intergeneration mobility remains limited. A young person's parents' economic and social background still plays a substantial a role in determining that person's economic future.

This may change, however, according to Augusto de la Torre, Chief Economist for Latin America and the Caribbean at the World Bank. “A society with a growing middle class is more likely to reduce such inequalities,” he said.

It is widely recognized that the middle class is an agent of stability and prosperity. For a middle-income region such as Latin America, a larger middle class has crucial implications.

Around the world, a larger middle class can mean better

governance, deeper credit markets, and greater spending in social sectors, such as public health and education. But this promise has not yet been fully realized for Latin America, explained the authors of the report. They cited historical reasons for that.

In the second half of the 20th century, the regions small upper and middle classes had limited commitments to and expectations from their government; they were not asked to pay much in taxes and did not expect to receive much from public services.

As a result, the state was typically small, and the middle class tended to opt out of public services, paying privately even for core services such as electricity and security.

While this picture has been changing in the past 10 to 20 years, the region's fragmented social contract often keeps the middle class opting out, and unwilling to contribute to the public purse. This in turn reduces the opportunities for those who remain poor to join the recent entrants into the middle class.

The report identifies three strategies which governments could employ to gain the sup-

port of the middle class for a fairer and more legitimate social contract: "Explicitly incorporate the goal of equal opportunities into public policy to break the perception that the system is rigged in favoor of the most privileged.

"Embark on a second generation of reforms to the social protection system -- including both social assistance and social insurance -- to overcome fragmentation and thus enhance fairness and efficiency.

"Break the vicious cycle of low taxation and low quality of public services by investing some of the region's commodity windfall to improve the quality of public services, service and administration.”

This social policy debate on how to achieve greater buy-in from the wealthier segments of society is likely to remain a key topic in Latin America for the foreseeable future.

To drive such discussion, the report concluded that the right set of reforms will result in the middle class becoming an increasingly powerful agent of change to expand prosperity to those left behind.

Page 16

Kaieteur News

Wednesday November 14, 2012

Indifference to corruption not good for law enforcement

By Dale Andrews The apparent indifference to corruption on the part of the Guyana government could lead to public disdain for the entire law enforcement system.

This is according to a senior government official, who asserted that the lack of action taken against corrupt state officers is being interpreted by the public as support for law breaking.

Guyana has seen its fair share of scandals, some involving senior government officials, and despite investigations following public outcry, very little in terms of criminal prosecutions and/ or disciplinary actions has been taken against those fingered.

Within the past decade, the nation has heard about the “Dolphin Scam”, “Law Book Scam” and “Duty Free Scam”, all of which solicited investigations which found culpability by the officials involved.

Then there were scandals involving government ministers and yet no criminal proceedings followed.

Instead, in some cases, the officials were moved to higher or better portfolios.

Only recently a Field Auditor from the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) was sent on leave after he revealed some major discrepancies in the operations of the entity.

He had fingered two senior officials as the main culprits.

Former speaker of the National Assembly, Ralph Ramkarran, became a casualty of the

- Senior Govt. Official administration’s indifference, when he highlighted that corruption was pervasive in the s o c i e t y. H i s c o m m e n t s angered many in the ruling party, with which he has been closely associated for his entire adult life.

The government official, who spoke to this newspaper and asked not to be named for obvious reasons, said that the posture of the administration towards corruption has led to a public that is carefree about the subject.

One of the worst fears in a society is when good men show indifference to law enforcement,” he said.

“Nothing is really happening whenever corruption is exposed and what is happening is that people in Guyana do not give a damn about it anymore,” the official opined.

While corruption is not seen in the same light as the traditional criminal a c t i v i t y, n o t m a n y w i l l argue against treating it in t h e s a m e m a n n e r. B u t investigating and prosecuting corruption is another matter that needs the right type of legislation to be effective.

R e c e n t l y, former Auditor General Anand Goolsarran had advised that Government should seriously consider introducing whistleblower laws that will protect individuals who report cases of mismanagement, fraud and corruption.

Goolsarran is also of the opinion that the

government’s record in relation to its fight against corruption has not been an impressive one. Given Guyana’s low ranking in the Corruption Perception Index (CPI), he warned that it is the government’s duty to put in place appropriate measures to correct this within the shortest possible period of time.

Guyana has approached the O r g a n i s a tion of American States (OAS) requesting technical support in the drafting of whistleblower legislation.

At a recently held United Nations Development Programme Workshop for Regional Journalists on the Caribbean Human Development Report, which placed emphasis on c i t i z e n s e c u r i t y, i t w a s noted that Guyana was probably the most advanced in terms of legislation in the field of security.

However, legislation is one thing, but making it work is another, especially when it comes to the prosecution of those who are responsible for framing and policing the legislation.

“We have examples in Guyana of our own elements committing criminal acts. But when the public sees the treatment they are given it incenses them. In as much as we w a n t t o prosecute the ordinary man, we must be even more vigilant in prosecuting those who are vested with the powers of administration,” the official stated.

Child, 2, allegedly molested Police, as well as the Child Care and Protection Agency (CPA) are probing the alleged rape of a two-year-old child, two Saturdays ago, at her Imbaimadai, Region Seven home.

According to reports, the child arrived at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) two Sundays ago and is currently being treated for the assault.

During an interview yesterday, the child’s mother said that the toddler was assaulted sometime around 09:00hrs on the day in question.

The mother claimed that she left her four-year-old son and her daughter sleeping while she went to the shop to purchase some items.

“I take the padlock and

I just rest it on the door and I left and go to the shop,” the woman recalled, while adding that her husband was at work.

“When I come back I didn’t see the padlock on the door, I see it on the step, but I didn’t really think anything.

I go and I see my son on the bed alone, so I ask he where he sister deh, and he said that he don’t know. So me and he went and search around the place but we didn’t find her,” the mother claimed.

She said she decided to stop searching and returned home.

“As soon as I walk in the yard I hear she crying at the back of the yard so I go there with the torch light and I see

her.”

The child’s mother claimed that she found her daughter crying bitterly. “She didn’t have on her top just her skirt and no underwear. I pick her up and I bathe her and put her to sleep.”

Although the woman had found her in distress, with bruises on her skin, she did not at first think that her daughter had been molested.

She claimed that the following day she realized the girl wasn’t eating so she rushed her to the city at her husband behest.

“When I come to the hospital that is when they tell me that she was molested and they called in the police,” the child’s mother claimed.

Wednesday November 14, 2012

Kaieteur News

Differently-able Ithaca woman claims daily torture...

From page 11 woman complained.

According to her, “he lazy and he don’t like to work— he works 3 days a week and when me talk to he about if he don’t want to work, he does put cutlass to me neck—you understand?”

The abused woman said, “he does choke me throat— cuff me all in m e e y e s because me been to a friend birthday up the road and he and them is not friends and he does walk up and tell me son to call and when me reach home— he does start to beat me up—tek me food and throw it away outside because he said something was in the food”.

One of the kids, a 10-yearold, was very vocal during the interview and said that, “Every time he does beat people and tell people that me stink and all kinds of things.

The last time, he soak a belt in the water and beat me.” The boy displayed visible marks of violence.

The alleged abuser’s son, too, stated that ‘every time when he friends dem tell he something, he does beat me and if we don’t wash he shoe, he does beat me and brand up me skin—watch here, and here—look right here” (pointing to marks of violence

on this body).

“When he drink rum, he does beat us for nothing at all.”

The abused woman’s mother said “he does not buy clothes or anything—I am the person who does supply the children, and if they ask for anything, he does always abuse them”.

She said that this abuse has been continuing for over nine years, “because when they born, I had to buy everything and give them everything; he don’t give them nothing”.

She related that they have made several reports to the nearby police at the Blairmont Station but the man was only warned a few times. “Me aint’ know— they does only warn he. He was last warned for chopping the girl and beating the kids a few weeks ago. I want the authorities to warn him.”

But when asked whether another warning would be sufficient, she related, “or let them do what they want to do with him because this thing getting overbearing!

You can’t live with your children—he don’t carry the children nowhere and every night he does drunk and every night they does be

abused.

This little boy does got to get up off his bed to open door and go downstairs to look after his food late late in the night— 10 ‘o clock, so I think enough is enough!

Meanwhile, although the abused woman has special needs, she works three jobs [as a domestic] to maintain her children “and when she work and she come home, he does want to beat [her]”, her mother said.

“He cuff her nose and had it bleeding—because what he friend told him,” the woman’s mother lamented.

“Sometimes daytime, we does be hungry and me mother is 63 years old… How can I depend on her?” the differently-able victim questioned.

The woman’s mother said that even though her daughter cannot hear or speak well, she can make pastries and has other skills. She recently did a drawing for the local scout group in the area and copped first place in a competition in Georgetown.

“She has a lot of skills.

The authorities have to save my daughter.”

Page 17

Page 18

Kaieteur News

Wednesday November 14, 2012

Child Care and Protection Agency fulfilled its mandate last year - Report - several shortcomings detailed Having ensured that there was a response to all reported cases of child abuse and a safe place for recovery and rehabilitation for every victim, the Child Care and Protection Agency was last year able to fulfil its mandate.

At least this is documented in the 2011 Annual Report of the Ministry of Labour, Human Services and Social Security, which was tabled in parliament last week Thursday.

According to the Report, a total of 3,358 cases were reported and responded to, indicating that the Agency attended to 100 per cent of its cases during the past year.

Reports of abuse were made though the Ministry's hotline and by visits to the Agency situated at the corner of Broad and Charles Streets, Charlestown, Georgetown.

Emphasising what can be described as a laudable year, the Report details that psychosocial support and other assistance were directed to 8,631 at-risk children and their families, suggesting that Agency, headed by Ms. Ann Greene,

surpassed expectation, reflected by a 108 per cent response rate. It was however revealed that while the target set was exceeded, there were many more children who needed assistance. Moreover, the Report highlights that “human and financial resources allocated were inadequate in making an impact.”

The claim of the Report, too, is that the Agency was unyielding in its quest to remove a total of 175 children from the streets and other risky places and exposed them to rehabilitation at the three care centres at Mahaica, Sophia and the Drop-inCentre. With similar vigour, the Agency was able to monitor the operations of all Children's Homes and Institutions to ensure the implementation of the minimum standards of operation.

It was also detailed that the Agency was instrumental in facilitating the reunification of some 150 children living in institutions with their families or placed in foster care, while at the

The Child Care and Protection Agency

Director, Ms. Ann Greene same time affording them financial and psychosocial support to aid their wellbeing.

This, however, represented 81 per cent of the intended target of the Agency, which also fell short in its quest to equip some 300 care providers, including police officers who provide child protection services, with knowledge and skills to meet the needs of abused children.

A mere 50 persons or 17 per cent of the target were trained in this regard, the Report outlines.

According to the Report, another shortcoming of the Agency was evident in its attempt to provide 5,000

parents and other primary caregivers with techniques and skills for effective parenting and a move to facilitate four skills training programmes for youths in children's homes and orphanages.

Though ambitious, both objectives were not realised during the past year. A need for more planning and the nonreceipt of financial resources, were cited as reasons for the failure in these areas.

Also among the targets

for the past year was a plan to conduct public awareness programmes via the media, on child rights and other issues affecting the wellbeing of children and encouraging community members to foster a child.

However, though the Report failed to indicate whether this target was achieved although an analysis of the Agency's performance in this area, it stated that “the work that was done was not enough to have the desired

impact. A national public awareness programme is needed to ensure the desired result.”

The Agency also failed in its quest to create a coordinated body of Child Protection and Child Welfare Service Providers, since according to the analysis contained in the Report “the body is still to be implemented. Work was done but needs Ministerial approval to proceed with the launch.”

Wednesday November 14, 2012

Page 19

Kaieteur News

Cops work on London to share its expertise with poorer nations relationship with Agricola

I

n an effort to renew and strengthen the police-community relationship, residents of Agricola on Saturday last accepted donations for the recently initiated Shaquille Grant Foundation.

The donations were made by ranks of the police force who had vowed to assist in the growth of the Foundation which was set up following the teen's death.

Commander of 'A' Division George Vyphuis handed over several items including food supplies, clothing, cricket gear, a flat screen television and a blackboard. He noted that several organizations such as Food for the Poor, Cummings Electrical, Kashif and Shanghai and BK International - to name a few - had come on board in support of the initiative.

Being the second community donation the police have made in the past two months, the commander explained that the events are mainly to make Agricola “a safe place”. He dismissed arguments that the donations were made in light of the community's recent exchanges with the police.

“The initiative is not based solely on the premise of the execution of 17-yearold Shaquille Grant, but it is the continuation of an ongoing relationship maintained with the community,” Vyphuis stated.

Vyphuis said the concept is supported by the Ministry of Home Affairs, but prior to that, the police had played an integral role in interacting with the community.

“This has always been our posture. This is just us stepping up and taking our program to another level.”

He disclosed that

Agricola will not be the only community to benefit from such programs. He said that currently the force is seeking to work with other communities and making more donations towards their development.

Shaquille Grant's mother, Shonette Adams, said that the area was extremely grateful to the police for the donation. She said the recipients would be chosen according to their needs. She added that anyone wanting to assist in the building of the Shaquille Grant Learning Centre could make payments to a Citizen's Bank account number- 2186966873.

Adams said that the aim of the Centre is to provide opportunities for the children in the community to be productive citizens.

“In five, six years time we (the people of Agricola), want to start producing the best of the best in every profession. We want to have the best lawyers, doctors, cosmetologists, gynecologists, professors, footballers, cricketers and the list goes on”.

Adams further noted that the residents want to help reform the Guyana Police and Defence Forces with some of the best officers, adding that several young men in the village have already started training in that field.

Last month, the police donated a quantity of footballs after forming the McDoom/ Agricola police youth club.

It was then that the promise fulfilled on Saturday was made for the items for the foundation.

Vyphuis had noted then that from his continuing work with youths, he recognized that “it is better for them to be occupied than have idle time on their hands. The latter usually allows them the time to explore.”

Security guard dies at G/T School of Nursing A security guard stationed at the Georgetown School of Nursing located in Kingston, Georgetown, was found dead in a hut yesterday.

The body of Ivan Fraser was discovered at around 03:00hrs by another guard stationed at the same building but a fair distance from Fraser’s hut. Yesterday,

when Kaieteur News visited the scene, only one security was on duty.

The female guard said that the dead man had been ill for awhile. “He is a heart patient… so like when he was at the back there he get a heart attack and collapse.”

Kaieteur News was unable to make contact with the man’s relatives.

(The London Free Press) London wants to share its economic acumen with the Caribbean. City council recently approved a recommendation to be part of the Canada Caribbean Local Economic Development Program, an initiative aimed at helping poorer Caribbean nations.

“It's very important that we, as one of the members of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities that have many types of expertise, that we participate in these programs,” said Coun.

Harold Usher.

The program is sponsored by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and Usher sits on the FCM's

standing committee on international relations.

The $23.4-million program is funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and is slated to last from 2012 to 2018.

As many as 20 Canadian municipalities are to be chosen to be “models of expertise in local economic development.”

London, with the London Economic Development Corporation, is already involved in a similar program that is helping Ukraine.

“In essence, we are saying we are available if you need us,” Usher said.

The Caribbean program

is aimed to support almost 50 local governments and agencies. The initial countries to be targeted are Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago.

E a c h c h o s e n municipality would be asked to send experts to the countries on two-week missions on various topics highlighting economic growth. Members of the participating countries may also travel to the Canadian communities to see firsthand ideas that could be modelled.

Usher, who came to Canada about 40 years ago from Belize, said areas of expertise offered could

range from business to engineering to social development.

“We have the type of knowledge that is needed to help these municipalities and it's important we offer our services,” he said.

Usher stressed that any aid London can offer will be made only based on availability of city staff, LEDC staff and councillors.

All participants are volunteers and travel expenses could be paid for by the federation. In addition to the Ukraine project, London has been involved in FCM programs in Cambodia, Sri Lanka and Haiti. Almost 5,000 Londoners are of Caribbean heritage.

Page 20

Kaieteur News

Wednesday November 14, 2012

Wednesday November 14, 2012

Kaieteur News

Page 21

Page 22

Kaieteur News

Wednesday November 14, 2012

Still no power for 84,000 in New York, New Jersey

A crew works on replacing a pole in the street of Queens, New York. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle) NEW YORK (Reuters) The Long Island Power Authority expects to restore service yesterday to most of its New York customers able to receive electricity, but more than 84,000 homes and businesses in New York and

New Jersey will stay dark due to flood damage from Hurricane Sandy.

LIPA, a New York Stateowned power company, said it should hook up almost all of the remaining 15,000 homes and businesses that

still lack service yesterday, more than two weeks after Sandy battered the region.

But that number excludes customers within the flooded areas of Long Island that have yet to be surveyed for damage or may need repairs

and certification by an electrician before the company can restore service, LIPA said. On Monday night, LIPA said about 38,000 homes and businesses were located within the flooded areas 26,000 on the Rockaway Peninsula in New York City, 11,000 in Nassau County and 300 in Suffolk County.

Other New York and New Jersey utilities had restored power by the weekend to most customers able to take service.

However, thousands of customers remained without power due to flood damage especially from seawater which may have damaged electrical panels, wires, outlets and appliances, making it unsafe to restore electricity. In New York City, Consolidated Edison Inc said on Monday it still had about 16,300 customers in floodravaged areas of Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island who could not regain electric service until they fixed their internal equipment.

In New Jersey,

FirstEnergy Corp’s Jersey Central Power and Light utility has said about 30,000 customers on the barrier islands and shoreline communities could not have power restored due to infrastructure damage in that area. Sandy knocked out power to about 8.5 million customers in 21 states after hitting New Jersey on October 29.

More than 1 million of LIPA’s 1.1 million customers lost power due to Sandy, while a nor’easter storm last week knocked out 123,000 more customers - thousands of whom had had power restored after Sandy.

Combined, Sandy and the nor’easter knocked out more homes and businesses on Long Island than LIPA has customers.

Despite the hard hit, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has attacked all of the affected New York power companies - especially LIPA for the slow pace of restoration.

Fitch Ratings, a credit

rating firm, on Monday revised its outlook on LIPA’s $5.9 billion of outstanding electric system revenue bonds to negative. Fitch said the effects of Sandy would challenge LIPA’s already tight financial flexibility and frustrate the authority’s efforts to achieve improved financial performance.

The cost of the Sandy restoration was uncertain but would likely exceed the $170 million LIPA spent to restore service after Hurricane Irene in August 2011, Fitch said.

LIPA expects to recover about 75 percent of its Sandyrelated restoration costs from the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency, Fitch said. Ratepayers usually cover unreimbursed storm costs. However, Fitch said LIPA’s willingness to make customers pay more may be limited “given the intense political pressure surrounding LIPA’s storm response and the authority’s historic objective to moderate already high electric rates”.

Robert Mugabe’s ruling circle has stolen at least $2b worth of diamonds

In this Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2006 file photo miners dig for diamonds. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi-File) VICTORIA FALLS, Zimbabwe (AP) — At least $2 billion worth of diamonds have been stolen from Zimbabwe’s eastern diamond fields and have enriched President Robert Mugabe’s ruling circle, international gem dealers and criminals, according to an organization leading the campaign against conflict diamonds.

Zimbabwe’s Marange fields have seen “the biggest plunder of diamonds since

Cecil Rhodes,” the colonial magnate who exploited South Africa’s Kimberley diamonds a century ago, charged Partnership Africa Canada, a member of the Kimberley Process, the world regulatory body on the diamond trade.

Zimbabwe’s eastern Marange field — one of the world’s biggest diamond deposits — has been mined since 2006 and its vast earnings could have turned around Zimbabwe’s economy,

battered by years of meltdown and political turmoil, the group said. But funds from the diamond sales have not showed up in the state treasury. Instead there is evidence that millions have gone to Mugabe’s cronies.

The report, released Monday to coincide with the Zimbabwe government’s conference on the diamond trade here in Victoria Falls, casts a shadow over the (Continued on page 23 )

Wednesday November 14, 2012

Kaieteur News

Page 23

Israelis, Palestinians put lid on Gaza, for now TEL AVIV/GAZA (Reuters) - Israel and the Palestinians stepped back from the brink of a new war in the Gaza Strip yesterday, sending signals to each other via Egypt that they would hold their fire unless attacked, after five days of mounting violence.

The tacit truce arrested an escalation to all-out fighting, but both sides remain armed and primed for another round in the unresolved conflict that has festered since Hamas Islamist militants took over the enclave in 2007.

Ismail Haniyeh, prime minister of Gaza’s Hamas government, praised the main armed factions in the enclave for agreeing on Monday night to a truce.

“They showed a high sense of responsibility by saying they would respect calm should the Israeli occupation also abide by it,” he said.

Haniyeh spoke during an unannounced visit to a hospital to see wounded Palestinians. Some Israeli leaders say it is time to resume the controversial tactic of assassinating Hamas leaders.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu consulted his inner circle of ministers in Jerusalem. One of them, Benny Begin, said the flareup had subsided but the conflict was far from resolved.

“This round of firing appears to have ended and things must be looked at soberly without illusions for both sides,” he said.

Netanyahu promised Israelis security.

“Whoever thinks they can

harm the routine lives of southern residents without paying a very heavy price is mistaken,” the prime minister said in a radio speech. “And I am responsible for us exacting this price at the most proper time.”

Three Palestinian fighters and four civilians have been killed by Israeli fire since Saturday, and 40 others wounded. Eight Israeli civilians were injured by some of the 115 rockets fired from

From page 22 Mugabe regime’s effort to win international respectability for its gem trade. Government officials at to give exact figures on diamond revenues, said the PAC report. M p o f u , t h e mines minister since 2009, amassed an unexplained personal fortune and is linked to a “small and tight group of political and military elites who have been in charge of Marange from the very beginning” and who are personally benefiting from the diamond sales, the report alleged.

In 2010 leading industry insiders, including Filip van Loere, a Belgian diamond expert working for the Mugabe government, forecast the country could produce as much as 30 million to 40 million carats a year, worth about $2 billion annually, the PAC report said.

The diamonds are being mined and sold but the funds are not reaching the Zimbabwean treasury, according to the report.

Most of the diamond revenue is lost through a lack of transparency in accounting for how many diamonds are mined, how much is earned from their sales, the underpricing of gems on world markets, smuggling and a “high level of collusion” by government

officials.

Records show that 10 million carats of Marange diamonds were exported to Dubai in late 2012 for $600 million, which the report said is an artificially low price because the same stones were sold for double their original price when they left Dubai for Surat, India — the world’s biggest diamond cutting center. It says the gems should have been valued at $1.2 billion.

The low valuation lost the Zimbabwe nation considerable money and “underscores a price manipulation scheme perpetrated by Indian buyers and their Zimbabwe allies, with whom they are believed to share the spoils,” the report said.

In addition, the report’s researchers were unable to locate a 2.5 million carat stockpile, valued at around $200 million, which mysteriously disappeared in November 2011. It also charges that $300 million in diamond sales never made it to the Zimbabwe treasury in 2011.

The PA C ’s allegations are “totally false,” said the chairman of one of the state-run diamond mining companies in Marange. Goodwills Masimirembwa, chief of Zimbabwe Mining Development Company, told The Associated Press

that it was the first time he heard charges of diamonds disappearing.

“No diamonds have ever gone missing,” said Masimirembwa.

“When we are selling our diamonds all stakeholders, the police, revenue board and the country’s mineral marketing body come together. So are they saying all these institutions are in collusion? Instead, let them come up with specific allegations, then the police will investigate.”

The watchdog report also criticized the Kimberley Process for a l l o w i n g Z i m b a b w e ’s diamonds to mined and sold in way that was not open to scrutiny.

“Calls for greater transparency have been dismissed within the Kimberley Process,” it said.

“The lack of transparency surrounding Zimbabwe’s diamond revenue is matter of critical public interest and amplifies concerns for some time that these revenues are funding a parallel government” of police and military officers and government officials loyal to Mugabe, many known to be building private mansions and buying luxury cars costing far in excess of their income from tax-funded salaries, said the report.

Palestinian relatives of a Hamas militant, who died of wounds suffered from Israeli tank fire, mourn during his funeral in Gaza City yesterday.

REUTERS/Mohammed Salem

Robert Mugabe’s ruling...

Gaza and four soldiers were wounded by the anti-tank missile that hit their jeep and fuelled the fighting.

An official involved in the Egyptian mediation confirmed both sides were ready to stop.

“The message was clear and Israel too told Egypt they were not interested in escalation if rocket firing stopped. The situation now is calm for calm and I hope it does not deteriorate,” the official told Reuters Israel struck three targets in the Gaza Strip in the early hours yesterday, including what the army said was a weapons depot and two rocket launch sites. There were no casualties.

Only one Palestinian rocket strike was reported in Israel by 10.00 a.m. (0800 GMT) yesterday.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak told reporters Israel was not prepared to forgive and forget following four days of violence.

“The matter has definitely not ended and we will decide

how and when to act at the time when there will be a need,” he said.

Israel has shown little appetite for a new Gaza war, which could strain relations with the new Islamist-rooted government in neighbouring Egypt. The countries made peace in 1979. But Netanyahu will be reluctant to seem weak ahead of a January 22 election that opinion polls currently predict he will win.

Hamas is emboldened by the rise to power in Egypt of its spiritual mentors in the Muslim Brotherhood whom it views as a “safety net” that would stop an all-out Israeli onslaught.

The Palestinian Islamist movement believes it now presents a challenge that Israel’s military superiority cannot easily best.

“This assault and other assaults by the occupation will not break the will of the Palestinian people and their steadfastness in the face of barbaric Israeli attacks,” Haniyeh said.

Israel invaded Gaza in

their last war in January 2009 in which 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed.

International critics said Israel used “disproportionate force”. Strategists say there is no obvious military solution to the conflict, barring re-occupation of a territory Israel held from 1967 to the unilateral withdrawal of 2005. And re-occupation would be a security nightmare.

Hamas, ruling 1.7 million Gazans, does not recognize Israel and pledged to win all of Israeli territory by force for the Palestinians.

Its stand is in stark contrast to the U.S.-backed Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, which recognizes Israel and is ready to make permanent peace in return for a state.

The gulf between them poses a seemingly insoluble obstacle to the goal of a peace treaty establishing a Palestine in the West Bank and Gaza with East Jerusalem as its capital

Page 24

Kaieteur News

Wednesday November 14, 2012

New Syrian opposition chief seeks recognition, arms

Mouaz Alkhatib

CAIRO (Reuters) - The leader of Syria’s new opposition coalition urged European states yesterday to recognize it as the legitimate government, enabling it to buy the weapons it needs to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad.

Britain and France appeared to set further conditions, notably that it first rally support inside the country, before they grant full recognition to the Syrian National Coalition. And, like the United States, Europeans are still reluctant to arm rebel

forces which include antiWestern Islamist militants.

Western caution, and an Arab League endorsement that stopped short of full recognition, indicate that the coalition forged with such difficulty in Qatar two days ago may yet find it hard to win wholehearted support, even from its allies.

Speaking to Reuters by telephone as Arab and European ministers met to discuss Syria at the Arab League in Cairo, Mouaz Alkhatib, the Damascus preacher elected unopposed

on Sunday to lead the new group, asked for diplomatic backing. “I request European states to grant political recognition to the coalition as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people and to give it financial support,” he said. “When we get political recognition, this will allow the coalition to act as a government and hence acquire weapons and this will solve our problems,” Alkhatib added.

France’s defense minister and Britain’s foreign minister both said that forming the

new group under Alkhatib, a moderate noted for his embrace of Syria’s religious and ethnic minorities, was an important milestone but not sufficient for full recognition as a government-in-waiting.

So far, concerted action on Syria has been thwarted by divisions within the opposition, as well as by big power rivalries and a regional divide between Sunni Muslim foes of Assad and his Shi’ite allies in Iran and Lebanon.

Russia and China, which have lent Assad diplomatic support since the uprising erupted in March last year, have shown no sign of warming towards his Western- and Arab-backed opponents. Lebanese analyst Nadim Shehadi said Western conditions were just as great an obstacle to resolving the Syria crisis.

Where once the United States sought to convince Iraqis and Afghans that U.S. military intervention was for their own good, now Syrians seeking democracy and freedom were trying to persuade a reluctant Washington to act, he said.

“The U.S. is playing hard to get,” he said. “It’s like you have to pass a test to show you are united, have leadership, are not Islamist jihadists ... and the U.S. is still hesitant as though you have to ‘deserve’ all that before they intervene.”

Cajoled by Qatar and the United States, the ineffectual Syrian National Council, previously the main opposition body based abroad, agreed to join a wider coalition on Sunday.

But French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said the new body still needed to unite armed rebel factions within Syria under its umbrella to earn full recognition.

“What happened in Doha is a step forward,” he told reporters in Paris. “It is still not sufficient to constitute a provisional government that can be recognized internationally.” Britain’s foreign minister, William Hague, also said the coalition must show it had support within Syria before London would acknowledge it as the rightful government.

“If they have this, yes, we will then recognize them as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people,” he told reporters at the ArabEuropean meeting in Cairo.

The opposition had hoped its new-found unity would clear the way for outside powers to arm the rebels, but Western nations fear such weapons could reach the hands of Islamist militants. Western concern

has also been heightened by documented reports of atrocities by ill-disciplined insurgents. “Syria’s newly created opposition front should send a clear message to opposition fighters that they must adhere to the laws of war and human rights law, and that violators will be held accountable,” New Yorkbased Human Rights Watch said.

The French defence minister called for “a unification of military action to avoid haphazard military operations” and also urged rebels to rein in radical Islamist “Salafist elements”.

Assad, whose family have ruled Syria for 42 years, has vowed to fight to the death in a conflict that has already killed an estimated 38,000 people and risks sucking in other countries.

His warplanes again struck homes in rebel-held Ras al-Ain. Civilians fled over the border dividing it from the Turkish town of Ceylanpinar and thick plumes of smoke billowed upwards.

Syrian jets and artillery hit the town of Albu Kamal on the frontier with Iraq, where rebels have seized some areas, according to the mayor of the Iraqi border town of Qaim.

Tension also remained high on the Golan Heights, where Israeli gunners have retaliated against stray Syrian mortar fire landing on the occupied plateau in the previous two days.

Twenty months of conflict have created a vast humanitarian crisis, with more than 408,000 Syrians fleeing to neighboring countries and up to four million expected to need aid by early next year, according to the United Nations. Fighting has also displaced 2.5 million civilians inside Syria, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent estimates.

“If anything, they believe it could be more; this is a very conservative estimate,” Melissa Fleming, chief spokeswoman of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, said in Geneva.

“So people are moving, really on the run, hiding,” she told a news briefing. “They are difficult to count and access.” In Cairo, Arab League chief Nabil Elaraby urged other opposition factions to join what is formally known as the Syrian National Coalition for Opposition and Revolutionary Forces.

But although six Gulf Arab nations recognized the coalition as Syria’s only legitimate representative on Monday, Iraq, Algeria and Lebanon prevented the League from following suit.

Wednesday November 14, 2012

Kaieteur News

Page 25

CCJ rules in favour of CARICOM CLICO inquiry Competition Commission far from over PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad — The CCJ Monday dismissed a claim by Trinidad Cement Limited (TCL) against the CARICOM Competition Commission.

The CCJ also ordered the parties to make submissions on the issue of court costs within 21 days.

TCL’s case arose from the first matter undertaken by the Commission in fulfilment of its role under the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas (“the Treaty”) to protect and promote competition within the Community. The Commission has divided itself into two Panels and, unknown to TCL, the Investigating Panel had initiated and conducted an investigation of alleged anticompetitive business conduct by TCL. Following the investigation, the Commission instructed TCL to appear at an Enquiry so that the Commission’s Adjudicating Panel could adjudicate on the matters raised in the investigation.

Upon being informed of

the Enquiry TCL immediately filed an application before the CCJ claiming that the decisions both to conduct the investigation and to hold the Enquiry were void. TCL argued that there had been no proper request for the investigation from the CARICOM Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) and that in conducting the investigation “behind its back” the Commission had failed to respect the rights of TCL. The Commission advanced several grounds for concluding that the CCJ had no jurisdiction to hear the matter. These arguments were rejected by the Court. The Commission also argued that TCL should first have attended the enquiry to have the Adjudicating Panel decide on any procedural complaints TCL wished to make about the conduct of the investigation.

The CCJ agreed with the Commission in principle holding that “where no

Enquiry of the Commission has as yet been held, the Court will not ordinarily take cognizance of allegations that certain procedural steps taken by the Commission during the investigation stage are unlawful or void”.

On the issue of whether TCL had a right to be consulted and notified about the investigation, the CCJ stated that “Although it could be said that a targeted enterprise has an interest in being able to convince the Commission that … the proposed investigation was not justified in all the circumstances of the case, such interest is clearly outweighed by other considerations. These considerations include safeguarding the effectiveness of the investigation which should not be compromised.”

The Court also dismissed TCL’s claim that there was no proper request from COTED for the Commission to embark upon the investigation. The Court went through all the

relevant correspondence and concluded that although there was some ambiguity in the language used by COTED it was clear that COTED always intended that the Commission should embark on the investigation.

The Court was presided over by the President, Rt Hon Sir Dennis Byron along with Hon Justice Adrian Saunders, Hon Justice Desiree Bernard, Hon Justice Jacob Wit and Hon Justice Winston Anderson. The case for TCL was argued by Dr Claude Denbow SC, who appeared together with Mr Darrell Allahar, Mr Jerome Rajcoomar and Mrs Donna Denbow. The Competition Commission was represented by Mr Roger Forde QC and Ms Nargis Hardyal. CARICOM was represented by Ms. Safiya Ali and Mr Bevan Narinesingh and Trinidad and Tobago was represented by Mr Ronnie Bissessar, Mr Alvin Ramroop, Ms Kamala Mohammed-Carter and Ms Avisha Panchu. (Caribseek)

Trinidad Guardian - The commission of enquiry into the collapse of CLICO is expected to last all of next year, a source close to the inquiry said Monday.

He said sessions already were scheduled for next May and there was also the “very likely possibility” further sessions would take place after that.

“This is a very lengthy inquiry and it would take some time to complete.

It is difficult to say when it could be completed but it would last all of next year,” he added. He said upon its conclusion, Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Roger Gaspard could not use the findings to file charges against anyone.

The DPP could use the findings as a guide in the criminal investigation against individuals who were being probed, it was stated. Gaspard said last Friday the police had

started a criminal investigation into the conduct of individuals and corporate entities involved in the collapse of Clico and related companies.

In a statement, Gaspard said for the media to jeopardise, hinder or otherwise prejudice the investigation or any possible proceedings might amount to a contempt of court.

He added: “I remain mindful of competing public-interest factors, including the fair-trial rights of potential defendants, the freedom of the press and the requirement of open justice.” The source said it was not unusual for an inquiry to take place side-by-side with a criminal investigation.

“This happens all over the world so it is therefore nothing new to Trinidad but these are two separate matters and therefore one would not encroach on the other,” the source added.

Page 26

Kaieteur News

Wednesday November 14, 2012

Top aide to Brazil’s Lula gets 10 years for corruption

José Dirceu BRASILIA, (Reuters) – A chief of staff to former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and fellow founder of Brazil’s ruling Workers’ Party was sentenced Monday to over 10 years in prison for running a congressional

vote-buying scheme almost a decade ago.

Culminating the biggest political corruption trial in modern Brazilian history, the once-powerful Jose Dirceu, 66, received a 10-year and 10month sentence for heading a bribery scheme in which Workers’ Party officials and associates paid lawmakers a monthly retainer in exchange for support of their initiatives during the early years of Lula’s first term.

The high-profile case, heard by Brazil’s Supreme Court, has gripped Brazil for more than a month, bringing an unprecedented level of accountability to a country long-accustomed

to widespread corruption.

For many Brazilians, the convictions show that their country’s democratic institutions while not perfect have matured, especially a judicial system that historically was unable and often unwilling to tackle corrupt politicians. The trial has been all the more surprising because the Workers’ Party is still in power and most of the justices were appointed by Lula or his chosen successor, President Dilma Rousseff.

The court sentenced Jose Genoino, the president of the Worker’s Party when the scandal broke in 2005, to six years and 11 months in

prison, and its then-Treasurer Delubio Soares got eight years and 11 months. Dirceu was also ordered to pay a 676,000 reais ($329,700) fine.

Last month, the court convicted 25 people, including Dirceu, for diverting at least $35 million in public money to bribe legislators to support Lula’s minority government during his first two years in office.

Lula’s first term, from 2003 through 2006, was crippled by the scandal though the former president, amid an economic boom, was easily re-elected for a second four-year term.

Lula, who was not charged in the scandal, has denied any knowledge of the scheme and has even suggested it never existed. Though Lula remains Brazil’s most popular

politician, the convictions have tarnished the memory of his time in office and marred his legacy. Dirceu, who helped Lula found the Workers’ Party in 1980, was found guilty of corruption and conspiring with others to break the law by running the scheme. Known as the mensalo, or “big monthly payment,” the plot diverted public funds through front companies to pay the lawmakers.

It remains unclear when Dirceu and the others convicted will be arrested or how much time they will actually serve because the sentences could still be subject to legal challenges.

House arrest remains a possibility for at least part of

their terms, though their passports have already been confiscated to reduce the possibility that they could flee. Dirceu, the most powerful man in Lula’s cabinet who had been seen as his natural successor as president, was forced to resign when the scandal broke in 2005 and banned from politics, the end of a career that began as a communist student leader and urban guerrilla who fought military dictatorship four decades ago. If Dirceu goes to prison it won’t be the first time. He was arrested in 1968 by the military and freed in exchange for the kidnapped U.S. ambassador, a story that became the basis of the 1997 film “Four Days in September.”

Regional companies urged to overcome fear of trade agreements

ST GEORGE’S, Grenada - CMC - A senior official of the Barbados-based Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export) says fear and insecurities derived from regional and international trade agreements are impeding the progress and success of regional industries seeking to enter the European market.

Caribbean Export manager of Trade and Export Development, David Gomez told regional journalists attending a workshop on the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) that companies seeking to expand into Europe feel threatened by the potential for products coming into their domestic environment.

He said as a result the industrial development policies of regional states have not transitioned in the way they should.

“Once we can get them to understand the role that they could play both individually or collectively as a sector in supplying and meeting the value chain requirements, then companies would to a large extent eliminate or remove that fear.

“They must understand that it does not necessarily mean that a competitor would compete with me or with every aspect of my production capability, but may see me as a partner in helping to achieve a final product that has global brand value equity,” Gomez said.

He said “if we move companies along that line to understand that, not because I am a better producer means

David Gomez that I must of necessity make hot sauces, it could be that I am a pepper producer that provides ingredients of the highest quality for the best hot sauce coming out of the region”.

The Caribbean Export official stressed that helping enterprises understand their role and their position in the global export market value chain is key to helping them remove the fear for markets.

Caribbean Forum (CARIFORUM) countries comprising the 15-member regional integration grouping CARICOM and the Dominican Republic signed the EPA accord in 2008 and the workshop here is intended to provide participants with a better understanding of the kind of institutional support required in order to ensure the success of the agreement.

The workshop, which is into its second day, is being held in collaboration with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für I n t e r n a t i o n a l e Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Caribbean Export and the Grenada National EPA

Implementation Unit (NEPAIU). It is organised by the Guyana-based CARICOM Secretariat Regional EPA Implementation Unit.

Private sector specialist at the Regional EPA Implementation Unit, Rhonda Wilson, said regional producers having been used to preferential access they once enjoyed, continue to trade by trying to pit products against global brands that have established value.

“It does not matter how good my beans are or how good my shirts are, if I don’t have a brand that people recognize, and that delivers a promise of quality I would not get those products to sell, it does not matter where I put them on the shelf.”

She said that equally in terms of investment, “it does not matter how good we are in paving roads and improving ports and customs procedures, exporters must ensure that they provide the kind of inputs and export strategies to ensure that they have the best quality products.

“I can have the best roads but if my paw-paws and mangoes are not good I am still not going to get trade, so this has to be approached from a perspective that allows you to deal with all aspects of export development,” Wilson told the regional journalists.

She said addressing supply side constraints such as quality inputs and productivity along with the right type of infrastructure was crucial to a successful trade intervention.

Wednesday November 14, 2012

Kaieteur News

Page 27

CARICOM calls for end to Colombia, FARC peace talks embargo against Cuba delayed until Monday

Bruno Rodriguez, Joseph Goddard NEW YORK - CMC - The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries yesterday urged an end to the decades old United States trade and economic embargo against Cuba. Barbados Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Joseph Goddard, speaking on behalf of the 14 independent CARICOM countries, said the region has been backing the call for more than two decades for an end to the e m b a rg o Wa s h i n g t o n imposed on the Caribbean country after Fidel Castro came to power in 1956.

“While in some parts of the world, twenty-first birthdays are especially

commemorated, the twentyfirst year of adoption of the annual resolution on the Cuban embargo, should, instead give this Assembly pause for reflection.

“The embargo has persisted for too long in spite of the unambiguous reprove of an overwhelming majority of member states, as demonstrated by the annual adoption of the resolution before us,” Goddard told the United Nations General Assembly debate on the “Necessity of ending the Economic, Commercial and Financial Embargo imposed By the United States against Cuba”.

Goddard said that the regional grouping is aligning itself with the statements of Algeria on behalf of the G77 and China, the Islamic Republic of Iran on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and Chile on behalf of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), calling for an end to the embargo.

The UN voted overwhelmed to condemn the U.S. commercial, economic and financial embargo against Cuba. The final tally was 188-3, with Israel and Palau joining the United States. The Marshall Islands and Micronesia both abstained. Last year’s tally for

the symbolic measure was almost identical, 186-2, with three abstentions. The embargo was first enacted in 1960 following Cuba’s nationalization of properties belonging to U.S. citizens and corporations.

Sanctions against the Caribbean nation were further strengthened to a near-total embargo in 1962.

Speaking before the General Assembly, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez railed against the embargo calling the U.S. policy “inhumane, failed and anachronistic.” “Keeping this policy in force is not in the national interest of the United States. Quite on the contrary, it harms the interests of its citizens and companies — especially in times of economic crisis and high unemployment — which, according to every poll, are demanding a change of policy,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez added that although U.S. President Barack Obama had offered a new beginning with Cuba, after the 2008 election, “the reality of the last four years has been characterized by a persistent tightening of the economic, commercial and financial blockade.”

Juan Manuel Santos BOGOTA (Reuters) Peace talks between Colombia’s government and FARC rebels scheduled to start in Cuba this week will be delayed until Monday so negotiators can work on “technical” details, both sides said. The discussions, which had been set to begin tomorrow, are the latest attempt to resolve a fivedecade war that has left thousands dead and millions more displaced since the founding of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC. Negotiations promise to be complicated, with items on the agenda that will almost certainly cause roadblocks and heated discussion. The

five-point agenda kicks off with an analysis of rural development. “Delegates of the national government and the FARC agreed to continue technical meetings to finalize details of mechanisms for citizen participation,” said a statement sent by the president’s office yesterday.

“On Monday the 19th in Havana, Cuba, the negotiators will start discussion on the agreed agenda.” The statement did not elaborate on what it meant by citizen participation, but civil groups have called for the inclusion of other parties in addition to the two warring sides and mediators.

Past negotiations have been bogged down by the involvement of a range of actors pushing different agendas and played out before the world’s media in a tent in Colombia’s jungles.

While talks this time will be secret and the FARC comes to the table weakened, the rebels are by no means a spent force.

A decade of U.S.-backed blows against the drugfunded group has battered it to the point that President Juan Manuel Santos believes it will seriously seek to end the fighting.

Its ranks have been cut in

half and several of its toughest and most dedicated leaders have been killed or captured.

But in an effort to demonstrate that it is still relevant, the group has stepped up attacks on economic and military targets this year.

Santos, who was traveling to Portugal, said that the success of the talks depended on the FARC. “We hope that good will is demonstrated at the negotiating table,” Santos said as he arrived in Lisbon for a state visit. “If there is good will there will be agreements, and if there is no good will, well, there’ll be no accord.” Santos, who may run for re-election in 2014, says the government wants to reach a deal in a matter of months, not years, while the FARC says it will sit at the table as long as necessary.

“It is clear that both sides have a long way to go in order to seek common ground,” Heather Berkman, an analyst with Eurasia Group, wrote in a note to clients this week.

“We see current negotiations as broadly moving in the right direction and still expect the government and FARC to hash out an agreement in 2013.”

Page 28

Kaieteur News

Powell welcomes his second Test hundred DHAKA, Bangladesh – Kieran Powell appeared willing to take things in stride following his second Test hundred for West Indies.

The lanky, languid lefthander from Nevis struck 117 to set the tone for the Windies batting on the opening day of the first Test against Bangladesh at the Sher-eBangla Stadium here.

Powell and veteran, fellow left-hander Shivnarine Chanderpaul, undefeated on 123, sharing 125 for the fourth wicket, to lead the visitors to 361 for four in their first innings at the close.

He later deflected questions about becoming a permanent fixture at the top of the West Indies order.

“I can’t say if I am going ahead of anyone, you will have to ask the selectors,” said the soft-spoken Powell.

“All I could say is that I am trying to strengthen my case for a place in the team each and every day we play.”

He added: “The more runs I score, the easier it will be for me. I just try to control what I can control. “I was planning on scoring a hundred in this series, which I have now achieved. I will have to reassess my goals for the series and see what else I can achieve.”

The 22-year-old Powell scored his maiden hundred against New Zealand last July at the Vivian Richards Cricket

Ground in Antigua. He similarly shared a significant stand with Chris Gayle during that innings and was asked to compare the two and batting with the two senior pros. “Two totally different types of surfaces and bowling attacks, so I don’t think the two innings are comparable, but I think this was a good hundred nonetheless,” he said. “I regretted the way I was dismissed. It was a misjudgement in the length of the delivery. I thought it was a bit shorter than it actually turned out to be.”

Powell said: “Batting with any senior player is easy. Shiv has got lots of experience. He has played 145 Tests, so he takes the pressure off you and allows you to play your game.

“He constantly reminded me to be patient, stay positive, rotate the strike, put away the bad balls and play straight – reinforcing the basics.”

He continued: “Chris is more of a power player and Shiv is a manipulator of the ball. With Chris, you know you have to give him the strike and keep him flowing, and with Shiv you know you can manoeuvre the ball and build a steady partnership.”

Powell said neither the condition nor the tactics of the Bangladeshis, who chose to open the bowling with newly-minted Test offspinner Sohag Gazi caught

Wednesday November 14, 2012

2012 Upper Corentyne Second Division 20-Over Cricket Competition...

Half centuries for Harvey and Seergobin - Nehru Gopaul takes 5 for 20 Kieran Powell him off guard.

“Early in the day, the pitch was a bit soft, but it started to play evenly as the day wore on,” he said. “We expected a lot of spin in Bangladesh, so we were not completely surprised that they started with a spinner. As an international player, you have to prepare your mind for anything.

“I thought [Gazi] bowled some good areas initially, but once I started to understand his bowling action, it became a bit easier for me to score.”

Powell concluded that West Indies had made a grand start to the Test and would be looking to reinforce their position on Wednesday’s second day.

“I think we won this day,” he said. “Two of us got hundreds, 350-plus runs on the board, only four wickets down, I think we are in a commanding position to press on for an impregnable total. “Generally, we look at 400 in the first innings, but 500 runs plus would be an excellent first innings total for us.”

The Upper Corentyne Second Division 20Over Cricket Competition, sponsored jointly

by Safraz Photo Studio, Palace Liquor Restaurant and Taxi Service, T. Persaud (Redo) Business Enterprise and Larry’s Car Service all of Corriverton, has started.

After No. 70 Young Star made 147 for 8 in 20-overs against No. 52 Survival, Marcel Harvey slammed 64 which included 4 fours and 4 sixes but with no other batsman getting past 10. No. 52 were bowled out for 125 in reply with offspinner Alim Haniff picking up 4 for 21 from 3.2 overs.

Lionel Seergobin made 54 (5 fours and 4 sixes) which together with 42 from Navendra Tamessar and 39 from Qadir Khan helped Crabwood Creek Bible Church past 214 for 8 in their 20 overs against No. 70 Young Blood who could only reply with 115 all out.

Nehru Gopaul took 5 wickets for 20 runs from 3.4 overs for No. 69 Red Rose, while in the same match James Hart scored 43 and took 3 for 20 from 4 overs for Strykers, but with the game ending in a tie, Red Rose was awarded the match by virtue of scoring 48 runs in their first 5 overs as against Strykers scoring 26 in their first 5.

In scores from the matches played: At No. 70, No. 70 Young Star beat No. 52 Survival by 22 runs. No. 70 Young Start 147 for 8 in 20 overs with Chris Bollers 29, Thameshwar Kumar 24, Michael Kendall 3 for 19, Amit Ramroop 2 for 16. No. 52 Survival 125 in 17.2 overs with Marcel Harvey 64, Alim Haniff 4 for 21, Omesh Khemraj 3 for 22.

At No. 70, Crabwood Creek Bible Church beat No. 70 Young Blood by 101 runs.

Crabwood Creek Bible Church 214 for 8 in 20 overs with Lionel Seergobin 54, Navendra Tamesar 42, Qadir 39 N.O, Mahendra Bhola 36.

No.70 Young Blood 115 in 15 overs with Ganesh Bawhanadat 2 for 13, Romain Premsook 2 for 24, Satesh Baldeo 2 for 33.

At No. 69, the match between No. 69 Red Rose and Strykers ended in a tie with Red Rose adjudged winner by virtue of having scored more runs in their first five overs.

Strykers 146 in 19.4 with James Hart 43, Nehru Gopaul 5 for 20, Kumar Mathura 2 for 20. No. 69 Red Rose 146 in 19.5 overs with Parsuram Chaitram 28, Kumar Mathura 28, James Hart 3 for 20, Shawn Jackman 2 for 24.

At No. 43, No. 43 Scorpion beat No. 65 by 126 runs. No. 43 Scorpion 183 for 9 in 20 overs with David Etwaroo 37, Farouk Drepaul 35, Shammi Dhanroop 27, Naipaul Ayana 2 for 24.

No. 65, 57 in 11 overs with Shammi Dhanroop 2 for 8, Bhojpaul Deen 2 for 1l, Mahendra Sooknauth 2 for 8, Balram Samaroo 2 for 12.

At No. 0, No. 55 Mayflower beat Unity by 5 wickets. Unity 114 for 9 in 20 overs with Chandalall Persaud 4 for 20, V. Narine 3 for 34.

No. 55 Mayflower 117 for 5 in 15.4 overs with Chandalall 29, Fizul Mohamed 32 N.O. At No. 64, No. 70 M.Y.O beat No. 64 Fighting Marines by 26 runs. No. 70 M.Y.O 127 for 8 in 20 overs with Shabir Khan 47, Jamal Azad 25, Jason Itwaru 2 for 21.

No. 64 Fighting Marines 111 for 7 in 20 overs with Jason Itwaru 40, Jameel Azad 2 for 17, Shabir Khan 2 for 19, Mohamed Azaruddin 2 for 23.

Wednesday November 14, 2012

Kaieteur News

Page 29

JFF DEBT CLEARED

Jamaica Observer - THE Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) has made lighter its soaring debt of nearly $200 million with the news that the English FA has written off the £153,431.94 (approximately $22 million) owed to it by the local body.

JFF boss Captain Horace Burrell said following “a fruitful meeting” between the parties, FA chairman David Bernstein decided to cancel the debt which was incurred during a two-match tour of England back in 2006.

“The gesture is a noble one which will go a long way in easing the Federation’s crunching debt and to tighten the bonds between Jamaica’s football and the English FA,” Burrell told the Jamaica Observer after yesterday’s meeting at the FA headquarters at Wembley Stadium.

“But it goes to show what inspired negotiations can do.

Also, this favourable culmination speaks to the high regard each party involved has of the other, and it shows, too, that progressive thinking is a winner any day,” he added.

During the life of the debt, the English FA has been very patient and understanding of the JFF’s financial position and has postponed payment of the sum on numerous occasions.

The last time the FA extended the loan schedule was back in 2008 when it said it would defer collection until after the South Africa World Cup 2010.

Back then, following a meeting in Kingston involving the English FA’s Director of Corporate Affairs, Simon Jackson; head of international affairs, Jane Bateman; and senior advisor to the England 2018 FIFA World Cup bid team, Peter Hargitay, the JFF was granted a stay of execution and a guarantee the matter would not go to court.

“We expressed our continuing understanding for the work that Captain Burrell, Horace Reid (former general secretary), and others are doing with the JFF in trying to move football forward in this country.

“We would continue to help and assist the JFF in coming up with a way to find a mutually agreeable and acceptable solution to the difficulties that have been created in the past,” Johnson said at the time as he addressed reporters at the Courtleigh Hotel in New Kingston.

The debt in question arose after the previous JFF administration, headed by Crenston Boxhill, failed to hand over to the England FA the agreed portion of sales from the 9,118 tickets they were granted to sell to Jamaican fans for the June 3, 2006 friendly international game at Old Trafford, which saw England defeat the Reggae Boyz, 6-0. The tickets were to be sold for £25 each, which would total £227,950.

Of that sum, according to JFF documents, 204 tickets were

Rose Hall Town Gizmos & Gadgets...

From page 32 best ever with several outstanding individual including centuries from Shimron Hetmyer and Devendra Bishoo, a tied semi-final match and an action packed final. Foster also expressed his delight at the massive crowd support for the tournament and stated that the game of cricket in Berbice has once again regained its popularity and the confidence of the general public.

The veteran cricket administrator then expressed gratitude to Mr. Robert Selman and Shamiza Yadram of Guyana Beverage Company for their sponsorship of the tournament. Mr. Selman, General Manager of the Guyana Beverage Company, expressed his satisfaction of

the excellent organising of the tournament by the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club and the promotion of his Company’s products during the tournament. President of the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club and the Berbice Cricket Board, Keith Foster noted that Berbice Cricket is without doubt on the move and mentioned that three Berbice cricketers were in the West Indies Test Team currently.

Rose Hall Town Gizmos & Gadgets received $100,000 and a beautiful trophy, Albion $50,000, while Man of the finals Sewnarine Chattergoon also collected $10,000 and a large Fruta outdoor umbrella.

Best Bowler Shawn Pereira and best batsman Kandasammy Surujnarine also received outdoor umbrellas.

unsold, which would total £5,100, and the JFF had tabled a charge of £17,518.64 for “expense to sell” the tickets.

This charge was later dropped, the Observer understands. There was also a match fee of £48,648.65 and airfare and accommodation fee of £20,769.41, resulting in the current debt of £153,431.94.

Also coming out of that fateful trip in 2006 where the

Boyz also lost, 4-1, against African side Ghana, the JFF was also sued by the Chris Nathaniel-led NVA Management Limited for services rendered to the Federation to the tune of £10,000 (J$1.5 million). The matter was later taken before a Central London County Court and an order made for the sum to be settled.

Not being able to honour

the settlement promptly, bailiffs acting for NVA Management showed up at the JFF’s New Kingston offices to seize assets, and in an effort to save face, the Federation had to divert funds from its wage bill in order to pay over J$850,000 on the spot to the bailiff to prevent an ugly situation.

That debt has since been totally settled.

Captain Horace Burrell

Page 30

Kaieteur News

Jamaican Athletes back Grace Jackson for JAAA presidency Jamaica Observer - A number of athletes who have a vote are backing Seoul Olympic Games 200m silver medallist Grace Jackson for president of the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) at its annual general meeting set for Thursday, November 29.

“There are more athletes this year than ever before and they are taking the running of the organisation very serious and that’s not typical because we keep saying it’s not going to change and if we can effect the change the first step is to go out and vote,” former national 110m hurdles champion and record-holder Maurice Wignall told the Jamaica Observer.

“There are current athletes who believe in what Grace will do for them and the organisation and the consensus is that they really need a sort of change. They believe that Grace represents what they have been asking for and have needed for many years,” he added.

Wignall, who is himself running on Jackson’s ticket for the post of director of the bureau of records, started a Facebook page last week alerting those who have a voice that Jackson is running for the presidency.

“We have a lot of athletes who want to vote,” he said, adding that more than 50 of the 300-plus delegates with a vote are athletes.

The Calabar old boy said he is planning to establish a web site to help support Jackson’s bid. Jackson, the current first vice-president, is up against incumbent Dr Warren Blake and Lincoln Eatmon in a historic and seemingly contentious race which sees three candidates for the top post for the first time since the association was founded.

Wignall told the Observer the page was started to alert athletes that Jackson was

Grace Jackson running on a separate ticket for the top job as many were of the view that she was running alongside Eatmon.

“We’re trying to get the word out that she is actually running because a lot of persons are not sure that she is running,” he explained.

Asked why they would not be backing the current president in his bid for election, Wignall responded: “They don’t believe he represents anything new as direction and administration and if it’s not anything new, they don’t want anything of the same.”

Blake, a former vicepresident, has held the post since November last year when he was chosen during an extra-ordinary meeting of

the JAAA to run the body after the sudden death of former President Howard Aris on November 10, 2011.

“There are programmes that we would love to be in place to support athletes and see athletes as the number one priority, and right now we do not see that as the case,” Wignall asserted.

“I can’t completely blame anybody because it’s not a blame game, it’s just these things have not been done. Grace was an athlete, she knows what the athletes need. She knows the treatment athletes have gotten.

“It is something we need to support because at the end of the day I believe it is good for athletes and if we have a strong athlete-centred body, we will ultimately have a stronger administration and a stronger organisation,” he argued.

Meanwhile, Wignall rued the fact that there are more than two candidates up for the top position. “It would be nice if there were two teams running.

That way we could pool our votes and create a stronger force against the incumbent, but that is not the case.

“I am supporting Grace and I think Grace has the best ideas to move this organisation forward,” Wignall declared.

Sensei Williams is ISKF - Japan Pan Am Director The Trinidad and Tobago Karate Federation (TTKF) is pleased to announce that Darryl Williams, 7th Dan has been confirmed as the International Seishinryu Karate Federation (ISKF) Director for the Pan American region. He will be guiding the expansion of this top Japanese karate body in the region.

This appointment was made by Soke Katsumi Okubo, 10th Dan President of ISKF. Sensei Williams is an expert in Shito-Ryu karate and

occupies many leadership positions in the international karate community. He is also the Vice President and Coordinator of Referees for the World United Karate Organizations (WUKO).

He will be vacating his position as Chairman of TTKF to take control WUKO-USA, the umbrella body for WUKO in the United States. However he will remain as special adviser to TTKF. Contact can be made with Sensei Williams at bassai_1 @yahoo.com.

Wednesday November 14, 2012

Tourists battle hard to draw first Test BBC - South Africa survived the final two sessions to draw the first Test of the three-match series in Australia.

Australia captain Michael Clarke hit an unbeaten 259, the highest Test score at the Gabba in Brisbane. Michael Hussey completed his 17th Test ton to help the hosts declare on 565-5 - a firstinnings lead of 115.

Alviro Petersen and Graeme Smith fell either side of lunch, but Hashim Amla (38) and Jacques Kallis (49) dug in as South Africa finished on 166-5.

“Credit to Michael and the way his team batted. They put us under a little bit of pressure on the last day but we held on,” said South Africa captain Smith.

“The challenge for us was always going to be the first Test, to get into the series, and we’ve done that and we can go on to [the second Test in] Adelaide [on 22 November] with confidence.

“We know as a team we’re capable of playing better than this.”

Australia needed only four more wickets to wrap up victory over the number one Test nation because JP Duminy was unable to bat after rupturing his Achilles tendon earlier in the Test.

However, Clarke, who earlier eclipsed England captain Alastair Cook’s 235 not out at the Gabba in 2010, elected to halt the game with 11 overs remaining.

“Our attitude was spot on with the ball,” said man of the match Clarke. “We were quite aggressive with our approach. We bowled a lot better and we seemed to get better through this Test match.” Clarke resumed on the final morning on 218 and he and Hussey, who brought up his century off 128 balls before being caught next ball

James Pattinson defeated Alviro Petersen early, and his aggression was a notable feature of the final day © Getty Images at cover, racked up 40 runs in eight overs.

After a slow start to his innings, Matthew Wade hit three fours to reach 19 before Clarke’s aggressive declaration.

The move appeared justified when Petersen was caught behind for five off the impressive James Pattinson, who also bowled Amla before lunch off a no-ball.

Pattinson picked up the prized wicket of Smith for 23 after lunch, tempting the lefthanded opener to chase a wide delivery which he edged to Rob Quiney at gully.

But the Australians ran out of referrals in the afternoon session after unsuccessful reviews for caught behind decisons against Amla and Kallis. Off-

spinner Nathan Lyon went for 26 runs in his first two overs Kallis plundered a six and two fours in the second - as South Africa closed in on making Australia bat again.

Amla eventually fell for 38, caught by Hussey off Peter Siddle before tea, as the tourists took tea on 114-3, trailing by one run.

Kallis fell one short of his half-century but AB de Villiers dug in for a 114-ball 29 not out and, although Lyon had Jacques Rudolph lbw for 11, South Africa held on.

Scores: South Africa 450 (Amla 104, Kallis 147, Pattinson 3-93) and 5 for 166 (Kallis 49, Lyon 2-41, Pattinson 2-58) drew with Australia 5 for 565 declared (Clarke 259*, Cowan 136, Hussey 100, Morkel 3-127).

Wednesday November 14, 2012

Kaieteur News

=== Letter to the Sports Editor ===

GCA responds to letter

by Mr Alfred Mentore DEAR EDITOR, The Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA) is responding to a letter from Mr Alfred Mentore that was in Stabroek News on 5th November, 2012 with the headline – DCC concerned that system other than DuckworthLewis was used to pick winner of Queensway tournament.

1. Please note that Mr Mentore has not written to the GCA officially seeking answers to any of his club’s concerns.

2. The game was scheduled to begin at 9.30 AM and end at 5.15 PM which would have been good enough. Neither team raised a concern about the match timing during the pre-match meeting prior to the final.

3. In his letter Mr Mentore claimed that he was shocked at the revelation that a system other than the well established DuckworthLewis was used to establish the winner. As they say “if you want to hide something from some people, put it in writing”. Revelation is defined in the dictionary as “Something revealed, especially a dramatic disclosure of something not previously known or realized”.

Please note that the method used to calculate the target score was the same method that was in the playing conditions for the 2011 Queensway competition that were handed to all competing teams and was in the 2012 Queensway competition playing conditions that were again distributed to all competing teams. The GCA would expect that if there was a concern that it would have been raised either at the launching of the 2012 competition or at the pre-match briefing the day before the final. This was never an issue.

4. Also it must be noted that playing conditions seek to be consistent throughout the competition. The Duckworth-Lewis method mentioned is very complicated and requires an on sight computer and personnel capable of applying the formula. This would have been required at each venue simultaneously during the earlier rounds. We do not have many Duckworth-Lewis experts in Guyana. Also ICC makes rules for international cricket and it is up to the governing body at each level to determine what is appropriate for that level.

5. The GCA agrees with Mr Mentore that there should have been medical personnel at the venue, and efforts were made to get a physiotherapist and when that did not work out First Aiders were sought but that did not

work out either.

6. Regarding the DeSinco Under-13 Competition 2011; it must be pointed out that there is no prize money for that competition.

The Banks DIH Tropical Mist Peewee Competition in 2010 which DCC won did not carry any prize money and neither does the DeSinco Under-13 Competition of 2011. The reason that presentation has not been done so far was because the sponsor wanted to get specific books to go along with the Trophy and medals as he believed that boys of that age should be encouraged to read. He took some time to procure those books and had decided that at the opening ceremony for the 2012 competition the 2011 champions would be rewarded. It was unfortunate that the rains in July and August prevented this competition from being held during the school holidays.

However, the sponsor had hopes of playing it during the Christmas holidays and thus making the presentation to the 2011 winners.

The competition will not be played because of recent unexpected developments.

7. It is important to note that since winning the DeSinco Under-13 competition in 2011, DCC has received all prize money due for: Winning the Brainstreet Under-15 League Competition in 2012.

Winning the Brainstreet Cup Competition in 2012.

Winning the David Persaud Investments Under-19 Competition 2012.

Placing second in the Queensway Cup 2011.

8. The DCC team walked out of the NBS Final, literally. They did not complete the match, they did not attend the post-match presentation. In effect DCC withdrew itself from the competition and refused to take any further part thereby disqualifying itself from the competition. Mr Mentore needs to explain the grounds on which DCC should be rewarded for their unruly, disrespectful display.

9. For the sake of the readers Mr Mentore needs to state clearly what aspects of the fiasco at the GCA/NBS Final he “unequivocally condemns” and how his club has dealt with the matter.

10. The NBS playing conditions, clause 26 on page 16 clearly states that teams would have to pay a fine of $15,000 for conceding a match or giving a walk over. Therefore there is no question about whether that matter is settled or not.

GCA Executive 2012.

N&M Intermediate 50 overs...

Niroj Singh’s 5-wicket haul seal Albion’s semifinal spot Former Berbice all rounder Niroj Adrian Singh took 5 for 36 from 9 overs of off spin to guide Albion Community Centre to a convincing 9wicket win over Kim Il Sung of Corriverton in their quarterfinal match of the 2012 Neal & Massy Intermediate 50 overs cricket competition.

In the match played at the No.70 Ground, Kim Il Sung won the toss and chose to bat. They were given a good start by Ryan Ramdass and Jerry Moore, the two putting

on 45. But then Singh got into the act by removing Moore for 10 and Rabindra Singh for 0.

National Under-19 left arm spinner Gudakesh Motie soon took two to see them slip to 77 for 4, a position from which they never recovered as Singh picked up three more and Motie one to end their resistance at 106 in 29.4 overs; Ramdass top scoring with 37.

Bowling for Albion Community Centre, Niroj

Singh took 5 for 36 and Gudakesh Motie 3 for 6 from 7 overs.

When Albion Community Centre replied, Kandasammy Surujnarine and Veerapen Permaul put on 36 before Surujnarine was ran out for 26 at 36 for 1.

Balchand Baldeo then joined Permaul and together they put on 73 in an unbroken second wicket stand to take Albion to 109 for 1 and victory in 21.4 overs. Permaul ended on 35 and Baldeo 24.

Page 31

Page 32

RHTYSC Busta Champion of Champions...

A responsible eight wicket partnership between veteran national player and coach Esuan Crandon and former national Under-19 allrounder Loyydel Lewis led Rose Hall Town Gizmos & Gadgets to a hard fought two wickets victory over arch rivals Albion in the finals of the 2012 Busta Champion of Champions Tournament.

Playing in front of a colourful crowd at the Area “H” Ground, both teams fought to the end before Clinton Pestano turned Jonathan Foo through square leg for two to claim victory for the home team.

The match was reduced to forty overs per side after heavy early morning showers, Rose Hall Town Gizmos & Gadgets won the toss and elected to field.

Albion opening pair of former West Indies player Sewnarine Chattergoon and Kandasammy Surujnarine added 55 in 10.4 overs before national allrounder Royston Crandon dismissed Chattergoon, brilliantly

Kaieteur News

Wednesday November 14, 2012

Rose Hall Town Gizmos & Gadgets defeat Albion Community Centre to lift 8th Busta title caught by Rajiv Ivan for 30.

Kandasammy and Sharaz Ramcharran then put together 26 for the 2nd wicket before Esuan Crandon held a sharp chance to dismiss Ramcharran for 10 off his younger brother Royston.

The Rose Hall Town Gizmos & Gadgets spinners then restricted Albion to 140 all out from 33.3 overs as only Jonathan Foo reached double figures with 18, while Surujnarine fell for a well played 38 with three boundaries. Foo was severely tested with short pitched bowling from Clinton Pestano before holding out to long on off leg spinner Shawn Pereira.

Royston Crandon took 2 wickets for 23 runs from 5 overs, Eon Hooper 2 for 22 from 8 overs, Pereira 4 for 12 from five overs and Shailendra Shameer 2 for 7 from 3.3 overs.

In reply, Rose Hall Town Gizmos & Gadgets lost Dominique Rikhi run out for 03 and Renwick Batson bowled by Sewnarine Chattergoon for 09 to find

The winning Rose Hall Town Gizmos & Gadgets team poses with the staff of the Guyana Beverage Company themselves 21 for 2 in the 4th over. Delbert Hicks 27 and Rajiv Ivan (25) then added 30 for the 3rd wicket before Hicks was trapped LBW by Bishoo. Ivan and Royston Crandon then joined forces to score 33 very important runs

to take Rose Hall Town Gizmos & Gadgets to 84 for 3 before Ivan, Crandon 21, Pereira 00 and Hooper 00 were dismissed to leave Rose Hall Town shakily placed at 97 for 7 in the 20th over.

Loyydel Lewis’ and Esuan Crandon’s partnership then

took over before Crandon was caught at first slip by Sewnarine Chattergoon off Foo with two runs left for victory. Calm-headed Clinton Pestano then scored the two runs required to spark wild celebration among delighted Rose Hall Town Gizmos &

Gadgets supporters. Bishoo had bowling figures of 8-1-382 and Chattergoon 8-1-33-2.

At the presentation ceremony Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster hailed the tournament as the (Continued on page 29)

Bobcat of Berbice 2nd div. 20 over competition...

Tucber Park into semis, LaFleur hits 69 & takes 3-15 This year’s Bobcat of Berbice 2nd division 20-over cricket competition for clubs in the East Bank Berbice/New Amsterdam/Canje/East Coast area continued recently with Joemal LaFleur turning in a fine all round performance guiding Tucber Park of New Amsterdam past Police in a second round encounter to gain a bye into the semifinal.

LaFleur took 3 for 15 from 3 overs in Police’ 131 for 8 off 20 overs and when Tucber replied he held the innings together with 69 (9x4) steering his team to 132 for 6 in 19.3 overs.

Neither of the other batmen got past 9, including West Indies female cricketer, Tremayne Smartt who made 8.

After Kendall’s Union of East Coast Berbice was set a target of 120 to win by Glasgow New Scheme of East Bank, their middle order batsman Ravin Seecharran stroked 54 (3x4 4x6) and Chris Yadram 47, the two adding 90 for the 4th wicket to see them home by 3 wickets.

Shafeek Khan’s 48 (4x4 2x6) for Edinburg went in vain as his team went down to Young Warriors by 12 runs.

Summarised scores: At Cumberland - Tucber

Joemal LaFleur

Shafeek Khan

Park locked up Police by 4 wickets. Police 131 for 8 in 20 overs; Albert Sinclair 37, Sean Jhetto 28 and Joemal LaFleur 3 for 15. Tucber Park 132 for 6 in 19.3 overs; Joemal LaFleur 69, Sean Jhetto 2 for 25 and Michael Campbell 2 for 28.

At Kendall’s Union Kendall’s Union squeezed past Glasgow New Scheme by 3 wickets. Glasgow New Scheme 119 in 19.2 overs; Desmond Duncan 27, Baichan Mahadeo 3 for 10 and Stephen Ramlochan 2 for 27.

Kendall’s Union 122 for 7 in 18.3 overs; Ravin Seecharran 54, Chris Yadram 47, Gary Solomon 3 for 10 and Alvin LaFleur 2 for 30.

At Edinburg - Young Warriors edged Edinburg by 12 runs. Young Warriors 145 for 9 in 20 overs; Sanjay Khan 25, N. La Rose 3 for 12 and Tameshwar Ramdeen 2 for 34.

Edinburg 133 for 7 in 20 overs; Shafeek Khan 48 and Murphy La Rose 29.

At Kortheberaadt on the East Bank - Flying Star eased past Gangaram Strykers of East Canje by 65 runs. Flying Star 147 for 7 in 20 overs; Ravi Bridgelall 34, Quincy DeVelde 33 and Chetram Bassant 3 for 16. Gangaram Strykers 82 in 19.4 overs; Latchman Roopchand 26, Chetram Bassant 25, Kenton Grumble 3 for 8 and Quincy DeVelde 2 for 8.

Wednesday November 14, 2012

Kaieteur News

Page 33

NOVAK DJOKOVIC DEDICATES WORLD TOUR FINALS WIN TO FATHER considering the circumstances that I had to face on and off the court, the expectations, all these things, has been even more successful for me.”

Djokovic fell behind in both sets against Federer but over the course of two hours and 14 minutes he fought his

Novak Djokovic BBC Sport - World number one Novak Djokovic dedicated his victory over Roger Federer at the ATP World Tour Finals to his ill father.

The Serb beat Federer 7-6 (8-6) 7-5 to win the seasonending title at London’s O2 Arena.

He later described how he had been motivated by his father Srdjan, who is said to be suffering from an acute respiratory illness. “This was a title for him,” said the 25year-old from Belgrade.

“He’s much better now. At a certain stage it was very critical. We didn’t know what tomorrow brings, but now he’s much better and he’s recovering.

“He’s still in intensive care. I’m going to visit him and see how it goes and try to bring the trophy with me and at least make him smile.”

Djokovic admitted that his achievement of retaining the year-end top ranking felt

comparable to his amazing achievements of 2011, when he won three of the four Grand Slam titles and racked up a 43match winning streak (including two matches in 2010).

It came to a fitting climax in London on Monday, when he saw off an at-times rampant Federer with a performance of incredible grit and determination.

“All in all, it was a fantastic year where I’ve had to face a lot of difficulties off the courts as well,” he said.

“Especially coming into this tournament, having my father fighting his own fight for health gave me extra strength that I wanted to play for him in a way, that’s one of the reasons I really gave it all every match, especially tonight.”

He added: “I actually feel more satisfied right now than last year, even though I had an incredible 2011.

“I feel this year,

WI Cricket - DHAKA, Bangladesh – Chris Gayle put his name in the record books again, becoming the first batsman to strike the first ball of a Test for six.

The talismanic West Indies opener lofted offspinner Sohag Gazi, a Test newcomer, over the rope for a straight six on the opening day of the first Test against Bangladesh on Tuesday at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium.

The International Cricket

Council, the sport’s World governing body, confirmed the feat – the first time it has been achieved since Tests started in 1877.

Gayle collected 18 runs from the over, after the Bangladeshis chose to open the bowling with Gazi on a hard, easy-paced pitch.

The towering left-hander fell for 24, when he tried a similar stroke off the same bowler and was caught at long-off inside the first hour.

Gayle creates history with first-ball 6

way past the 17-time Grand Slam champion.

“He’s somebody that’s aggressive, that likes to finish his points very quickly” said Djokovic.

“Especially when he’s a break up, he’s probably the best player I ever played against, he comes up always

with his ‘A’ game when he’s up. It’s very difficult to handle that.

“But I managed to gets lot of his shots back into the court, being passive, a couple of metres behind the baseline, coming into an aggressive position. “That was one of the goals tonight, to always

try to get him into the long rallies where I think I had the better chance.”

And asked about the stunning backhand winner he made on match point, he added: “It’s the best way to finish the match, I guess, with a passing shot - one of my favourite shots.”

Page 34

Kaieteur News

Wednesday November 14, 2012

Uitvlugt Warriors 2 Den Amstel 0; Rosignol 4 Western Tigers 1; BV 0 Buxton 0 GFF Super League...

The 2012/13 edition of the Guyana Football Federation Super League continued yesterday with four matches at venues around the country and more interesting results were recorded as the competition heats up gradually.

At the Uitvlugt Ground o n t h e We s t C o a s t o f Demerara old rivals Uitvlugt and Den Amstel met head to head in this first round in what was anticipated to be a fierce battle with both teams enjoying a fairly good run in the league to date.

Debutants Uitvlugt were coming off their second big win of the league having bounced past defending champions Alpha United 2-1 and Linden’s Milerock 4-3 on Sunday last at the same venue.

The fair size crowd was treated to an exciting duel but it was the home team that walked away from the showdown with full points.

They were boosted with

the return from duties in Trinidad and Tobago with Caledonia AIA of teenage sensation Trayon Bobb who scored a double against El Salvador in the just concluded World Cup Qualifying campaign for Guyana.

The younger Bobb, whose elder brother Orville, also a former National, is Captain/Coach of the Uitvlugt Warriors side, wasted no time in imposing himself on the opposition when he found the back of the nets with the game being just two minutes old.

Taking the early lead meant that Den Amstel would have had to work even harder against their old rivals to get back into contention. They had the confidence having drawn their last two matches a g a i n s t We s t e r n Ti g e r s and Pele, respectively.

And even while Den Amstel were harbouring thoughts of rebounding, Uitvlugt placed even more

Buxton United Sports Club’s Clive Andries getting past this BVTU defender as he surged forward in search of a goal for his team. pressure on Den Amstel when Jamal Harvey scored from the penalty spot in the 17th minute after himself being brought down.

No more goals were scored and that’s how the

game ended with Uitvlugt walking away with full points, their third win in as many matches.

Up at the Rosignol Ground, the home team inflicted a 4-1 whipping on

Western Tigers, while at the BV Ground on the East Coast of Demerara, neighbours Buxton United Sports Club and BV Triumph United battled to a 0-0 stalemate.

Buxton dominated

proceedings for the most part but were just not able to get it right in the attacking third.

The other game of the day was on at the GFC Ground last night when Pele entertained Linden’s Milerock.

Wednesday November 14, 2012

Kaieteur News

Page 35

Guinness ‘Greatest of de Streets’ Futsal Competition...

Sophia ‘B’, South Ruimveldt, California Square among winners Sophia ‘B’, South Ruimveldt, California Square, Stevedore Scheme, East La Penitence, Alexander Village, Broad Street ‘B’ and North Last Entrance were the latest teams to register victories when the Guinness ‘Greatest of de Streets’ Futsal Competition continued on Monday evening, at the Cultural Centre Tarmac.

In the opening encounter, Sophia ‘B’ led by goals from Fazal Kamal (14th) and Octive Graham (15th) beat D’urban Street 2-1. Chris Galloway (11th) minute strike had given them an early lead.

In the second game, South Ruimveldt defeated West Back Road 2-0.

The goalscorers for South Ruimveldt were Colin Daniels (5th) and Leon Dawson (10th).

Game 3 saw California Square cruise to a comfortable 2-0 win over Festival City.

On target for the winners were Christopher O’ Brien (1st) and Leon Bishop (6th).

In the next game, Stevedore Housing Scheme beat Norton Street 1-0 through a solitary strike off the boots of Quason Winter (6th).

East La Penitence then inflicted a crushing 5-1 triumph over Kingston.

For the victors, Sheldon Shepherd netted a brace (6th and 7th), Orvin Milton (3rd), Carl Tildon (11th) and Dennis Edwards (14th). Colin Clarke (10th) made the lone response for Kingston.

Alexander Village then hammered Norton Street 3- 0.

Shem Porter booted in a pair (3rd and 14th), while Delon Williams (7th) added the other.

Sophia ‘A’ went down to Broad Street ‘B’ 1-3 For Broad Street ‘B’ Daniel Favorite (2nd), Own Goal (10th) and Shaka Nunes (11th) were the players on target.

Quincy Chappelle (8th) netted for Sophia ‘A’.

Lodge Housing Scheme then lost to North Last Entrance 0-3.

Part of Monday night’s action in the Guinness ‘Greatest of de Streets’ Futsal Competition.

For North Last Entrance Travis Grant hit in a brace in (3rd and 16th) and Rickford Jones (14th) added the other.

Meanwhile, the fixtures for tomorrow evening

matches are as follows: 18:00 hrs Festival City plays Bent Street; 18:30 hrs Princess Street tackle Laing Avenue; 19:00 hrs Lodge Housing Scheme

engage Albouystown ‘B’; 19:30 hrs Island Allstar square off against Sophia ‘B’; 20:00 hrs Back Circle collide with Norton Street West and at 20:30 hrs East

La Penitence battle Norton Street East; 21:00 hrs Globe Yard versus Albouystown ‘A’ and 21:30 hrs Queen Street Tiger Bay tackle East Front Road.

Page 36

Kaieteur News

Wednesday November 14, 2012

CMRC assured of further support from Seaboard Marine

T

he ambiance was accommodating, the ceremony lavish and it was the perfect occasion for Vice-President Caribbean Division of Seaboard Marine Limited, Stephen Bell, to use to make the most important announcement that the entity will continue to support the Caribbean M o t o r - R a c i n g Championships (CMRC).

Bell was speaking at the presentation and awards ceremony on Monday evening at the Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club (GMR&SC) Pavilion on Albert Street which was organised to award outstanding competitors of the final leg of the Caribbean Series that ended on Sunday, at the South Dakota Circuit.

The executive said his company’s involvement with motor-racing dates back to the past three years,

and while there have been challenges along the way, they have used them as opportunities to build a product that has connected with the masses across the region.

“Seaboard continues to look at this as an opportunity where we can forge Caribbean unity. We have seen the competition grow this year where we had the Cayman Islands coming on board; we’ve had Trinidad come on board…so now it continues to grow,” he said.

“But that also puts responsibility not only on the organisers, but you [drivers and riders] as participants, because as it becomes a Caribbean event, then it means that we have to step up to the plate and continue to deliver a product that would pull 20,000 people to come and watch.”

Bell added that the entity, which prides itself in being

Part of the crowd that attended the presentation ceremony on Monday evening at the GMR&SC.

“A Leader in Ocean Tr a n s p o r t a t i o n ” , h a s injected approximately Guy$65M into the sport over the past three years.

He said this is a clear indication of the company’s interest in the development

of the sport and Caribbean people.

“That’s not pennies, but it shows the level of commitment that we have not only to the sport, not only to Guyana, but Seaboard’s commitment to the Caribbean. We want to be here, we want to be your transportation provider, but more importantly, we want you guys to continue to enjoy doing what you do…and we can play a small part and benefit from it, then

it’s a win, win,” Bell announced.

He added, “I really appreciate what you do, and like I said, I do believe motor-car racing is the future for Caribbean sport…so keep up the good work. And be assured that we will be there next year.”

At the final leg of the championships on Sunday last, Guyana’s Mark Vieira was crowned championship driver, but Jamaican David Summerbell Jr. copped the

overall championship driver title, after resounding performances in the previous two legs in Barbados and Jamaica.

The Jamaicans emerged as team champions with an unassailable 137 points, followed by Guyana on 88, Barbados on 74 and the Cayman Islands on 37.

The outstanding performers were treated to a cocktail reception after being presented with their silverware.

Horse racing: Dettori faces inquiry over “positive test” LONDON (Reuters) Italian jockey Frankie Dettori, one of the biggest names in flat racing, is to face an inquiry by French horse racing authorities after a ‘positive test’ at Longchamp in September, the rider ’s legal representative said.

“On behalf of Frankie Dettori I can confirm that, as a consequence of a positive test at Longchamp on September 16 2012, he will be the subject of an inquiry by the Medical Committee of France Galop next week,” said Christopher StewartMoore in a statement.

“In compliance with, and out of respect for, the regulations of France Galop, he will not be commenting further until the France Galop procedures have been completed.”

The statement did not specify what the positive test was for. France Galop was not immediately available

Frankie Dettori on Colour Vision celebrates after winning The Gold Cup on Ladies’ Day, during the third day of racing at the Royal Ascot, southwest of London June 21, 2012. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth for comment.

The 41-year-old Dettori, who enjoys celebrity status in the sport, announced in October that he was ending his 18-year stint as retained jockey for the Godolphin stable of Sheikh Mohammed, for whom he

has ridden more than 100 Group One winners around the world since 1994.

Dettori memorably won all seven races in one afternoon at Ascot, England, in 1996, costing bookmakers millions of pounds in payouts to gamblers.

Wednesday November 14, 2012

Kaieteur News

AAG Women’s Committee hosts seminar for athletes

AAG Female Council Members, seated from left, Wanda Richmond, Mayfield Taylor-Trim and Faye Naughton pose for a photo opportunity with participating athletes and officials yesterday at the GOA Headquarters.

The Women’s Committee of the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) yesterday hosted a one-day seminar for athletes under the theme “Enhancing Performance by Increasing Knowledge” at Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) Headquarters, Kingston.

Coach of the Upper Demerara Schools, Wanda Richmond, who is also an AAG Council Member chaired the proceedings that witnessed the participation of several athletes, especially females, of a wide crosssection of local clubs.

Several officials made presentations at the workshop that was aimed at empowering athletes. The AAG President, Colin Boyce, Vice-President, Cornell Rose, who spoke on

the “Code of Ethics for Athletes” and GOA Treasurer, Garfield Wiltshire were the male contributors to the programme.

Richmond, among AAG Council Member, Mayfield-Taylor Trim, civil society members, Julie Richmond (Medex UG) and Evadney Ennis also spoke on topics raging from General Health and Wellness, Nutrition, Socialisation to being a wise consumer and sports and conditioning.

There was an evaluation following the sessions and words of appreciation from the athletes. The AAG Women’s Committee committed to the annual empowerment sessions for female athletes, stating that it is necessary to develop athletes holistically.

Police drop probe into complaint against Clattenburg

Mark Clattenburg and Chelsea's John Obi Mikel. (Getty Images) (Reuters) - London’s Metropolitan Police the police. have dropped an investigation into a “Enquiries were made and no victims complaint made against referee Mark have come forward,” the Metropolitan Police Clattenburg for alleged inappropriate said in a statement on Tuesday. language towards a Chelsea player last “Without a victim and/or any evidence month. that any offence has been committed, the The European champions lodged a matter cannot currently be investigated. complaint with the FA over language “If the situation changes and a victim allegedly directed at their Nigeria midfielder and/or evidence to support an allegation of a John Obi Mikel by Clattenburg during the crime comes to police attention then further home Premier League defeat by Manchester enquiries will, if appropriate, be made.”

United on October 28.

Clattenburg has not been selected to That prompted the Society of Black referee Premier League matches for three Lawyers to lodge a written complaint with consecutive weekends following the claims.

Page 37

t r o Sp

Chanderpaul, Powell lead WI dominance W

i n d i e s Cricket DHAKA, Bangladesh – Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Kieran Powell, two lefthanders at the opposite end of the career spectrum, both stroked hundreds, as West Indies dominated the first Test against Bangladesh on Tuesday here.

Chanderpaul finished on 123 not out and Powell got 117, propelling the visitors to 361 for four in their first innings at the close on the opening day at the Sher-eBangla Stadium.

Chanderpaul, playing his 145th Test, and Powell, making his 12th appearance, added 125 for the fourth wicket, after West Indies had stuttered to 106 for three moments before lunch.

Chanderpaul has struck 17 fours from 195 balls in 239 minutes and Powell hit 18 fours and a six off 178 balls in 243 minutes.

When Powell departed

after tea to give debutant offspinner Sohag Gazi his third wicket, Chanderpaul remained to add 130 – unbroken – for the fifth wicket with Denesh Ramdin, who was unbeaten on 52 when stumps were drawn.

Gazi has been the most successful Bangladesh bowler with 3-97 from 32 overs, finishing the day strongly, after Chris Gayle created history, when he lofted the first ball of the match from the off-spinner for a straight six in an opening over that cost 18.

It was the first time in the history of Tests that the first ball of the match was struck for a six.

Gayle made 24 before he tried a similar stroke off the same bowler and was caught at long-off inside the first hour.

Darren Bravo was caught at point off Gazi for in the second hour and Marlon Samuels fell in the final over before lunch,

Chanderpaul and Powell complete a run during their 125 run stand (WICB).

when he mistimed a pull and was caught at deep midwicket for 16 off Shahadat Hossain.

Powell reached his 50 shortly after lunch with a four off Shahadat and led the charge, as Chanderpaul typically dug in. Powell

swept Shakib Al Hasan to deep fine leg for his 16th boundary to reach his milestone from 166 balls. He greeted Shahadat’s return for an afternoon spell with three successive boundaries, but he was bowled seven balls after tea, when he was

bowled pulling over the top of a delivery from Gazi.

Chanderpaul inched his way to his hundred and a scoreboard error led to early celebrations, but he got a single from the next delivery to confirm his hundred. He and Ramdin batted through

the remainder of the day with the West Indies vice captain and wicketkeeper/batsman reaching 50 in the final over of the day.

Scores: West Indies 361 for 4 (Chanderpaul 123*, Powell 117, Gazi 3-97) v Bangladesh.

Printed and published by National Media & Publishing Company Limited, 24 Saffon St.Charlestown, Georgetown.Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491 or Fax: 225-8473/ 226-8210