Monday October 19, 2015
Kaieteur News
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Letters... Where your views make the news...Letters... Where your views make the news
Micromanaging people is never This locked gate at Republic easy and is destined for failure Gardens is a nuisance to drivers DEAR EDITOR, Responding to Featherstone’s letter of October 16th, although I am an admirer of the French philosopher as quoted by Featherstone, at the same time he disrespected authority, and distrusted democracy that we enjoy today. First let me say that my mental faculty as I write, is free of any hallucinating drugs, or alcohol as insinuated by a previous writer, which I took with a grain of salt. My intention was not to assail that writer as mentioned, but to speak about micromanagement, to which Featherstone disagrees. I had the opportunity to
meet many so called professionals whose job product was below standards, it means nothing to me if one holds high office but lacks diminished mental capacity. Returning to the subject matter of micromanagement, “a method of management in which an individual closely observes or controls the work of an employee or organization”. Featherstone states that it is a preferred management approach in certain circumstances, simply because it works. This is absolutely untrue as any professor in a reputable university will tell you, one does not have to look far for an outstanding example in Steve Jobs of Apple, who became a
reformed micromanager ,after which he was a success. Micromanaging people is never easy and is destined for failure. Micromanaging establishes a tone of mistrust and it limits the organization’s capacity to grow. A good administrator trains and delegates. Studies have shown that when an organization is micromanaged, employees learn less and performance suffers with the effect of obstructing progress and neglecting broader and higher-level policy issues. There is a big difference between micro-management and monitoring, which should be in place to ensure Continued on page 23
DEAR EDITOR, The United Nations (UN) International Day for the Eradication of Poverty is observed on October 17 each year since 1993. It promotes people’s awareness of the need to eradicate poverty and destitution worldwide, particularly in developing countries. We are standing because we refuse to accept more excuses in a world where people die every day as a result of extreme poverty and the gap between rich and poor is getting wider. We are standing because we want our leaders to
honour their promises to meet the new sustainable development goals and we ask them exceed these goals. To the leaders of the wealthy countries we urge you to keep your promises on poverty, debt relief, more and better aid, trade justice and gender equality. To the leaders of poorer countries, make it your first responsibility to save the lives of your poorest citizens. We ask you to tackle inequality, to be accountable to your people, to govern fairly and justly, to fight corruption and to fulfill human rights.
Today, and every day, we will stand up and speak out against poverty. We will continue the fight against poverty and inequality and to hold our leaders to their promises. We are asking not for charity but for justice. We are millions of voices standing in solidarity to say, no more excuses end poverty now. Sherwood Clarke
Let us speak out against poverty and inequality
DEAR EDITOR, Kindly permit me a space in your letter column to draw attention to a vexing issue; that is, the prohibition of traffic into the community of Republic Gardens, East Bank Demerara, developed by CARICOM Insurance Company. There are two entrances to the Community, one through Republic and Continental Parks, and the other from the Industrial Site road behind Eccles Housing Scheme. CARICOM Insurance seems unwilling to pay a security guard to man both entrances and has opted to close one, but cannot seem to decide which, since at its whims and fancies, shuts either the Republic Park or the Industrial Site entrance. At present, the Industrial Site road entrance is closed. If someone wants to gain access to the community by vehicle, a drive is required all the way around through Republic and Continental Parks. Residents were coerced into purchasing keys to the closed gate which they can only open between 6 am6pm since the lock is changed faithfully by the Chairman of the
Homeowners’ Association at those times, prohibiting access at nights. The closing of gate has been a major inconvenience to the residents, who are forced to leave their vehicles to open it every time they use the entrance during the day. It is an overall vexing and untenable issue; a major inconvenience and could be perilous in unforeseen emergencies spawning fire, security, or medical. Since the scheme is still developing, home construction is ongoing. Trucks laden with building materials are forced to use the Republic Park entrance, which will become impassable during the rainy season, given its very poor state right now. Residents were instructed to use the Industrial Site road entrance for transporting building materials to delay further deterioration to the Republic Park road, but given that the gate is closed and residents would have to personally open the gate to allow the free
flow of traffic, that instruction was largely ignored. It was drawn to my attention that according to authorities at the Neighbourhood Democratic Council, CARICOM Insurance should not be closing any entrance into the Community. The closing of the gate has not provided any added security, since the area surrounding it is porous and people on foot walk around the gate to gain entrance and leave the community. Essentially, it is a restriction to vehicular traffic. It would bring great relief to residents and members of the public if the relevant authorities would address this matter for a resolution that prohibits CARICOM Insurance and the Chairman of the Homeowners Association from restricting vehicles’ access to this public, albeit privately developed space. The current practice is unsafe and inconvenient, and despite several pleas for the gate to be opened, the situation remains unchanged. Concerned resident
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Kaieteur News
Govt. asks nation to “trust” them on salary increases…
Nation’s bank account of trust is overdrawn - Dr. David Hinds By: Kiana Wilburg Minister of Governance, Raphael Trotman recently called on the disgruntled members of the public to exercise “trust” in the government regarding the salary increases for Members of Parliament (MPs). But in the face of such a comment, University Professor, Dr. David Hinds says, “The bank of trust is overdrawn.” In his most recent publication on his website, www.guyanacaribbeanpolitics.com, Dr. Hinds said that Trotman’s plea for more trust is not what the doctor orders. In fact, he said that it is the government’s turn to trust the people. The Political Activist said, “The way you trust the people is by grounding with them, relating to and seeking to correct their history of government denial, consulting with them and embracing them not as an abstraction, but as living flesh and blood whose right is to be is given due value.” He added, “I think I hear the voice of the people saying ‘you are mistaken, you are wrong, we don’t like it and we don’t want it.’ Can’t we the leaders trust that voice? In the words of the poet, the government must hear with ears of the people and speak with the voice of the people.” He noted that while the Minister of Governance asked the people to trust the government last week
Dr. David Hinds Wednesday, President David Granger later weighed in on the matter to the effect of justifying the hike. Speaking at the recording of the Ministry of the Presidency’s “Public Interest” programme last week, Granger said that while the decision on the salary increases was a difficult one, it was decided on in the best interest of the country. “As far as the salary increases are concerned, we had to make some choices, and choices were made in order to assure the public of the efficiency and commitment of the Ministers … It was a difficult choice in the first place. It was not something that we did recklessly. We had to consider all of the options and in the final analysis we felt that this was the best means of ensuring that the work of
the Cabinet would continue,” he said. Dr. Hinds said Granger tried to soften the blow, since the bulk of the resistance came from his own supporters. But it is this aspect, he said, that intrigues him the most. Dr. Hinds questioned, “How can a leadership and a followership that seemed so in sync five months ago have such divergent views on a matter in such a short period of time? Worse, why is it that both sides so badly misread each other?” He said, “The answer, of course lies in the very nature of our politics and society. Ours is a post-plantation society in which the governed and the governors and potential governors have found common ground against things but never for things. Our history is full of that phenomenon…” The University Professor continued, “I know David Granger better than I know any of our past maximum leaders and I think he possesses an understanding of our history that would preclude him from repeating the sacrilege of our past leaders. For, it is in our history that the key to a higher politics lies.” The political activist noted however that he would be lying to readers and to himself, should he not admit that he worries when examining the entire situation and all its nuances. For all the breath of fresh
air it has brought to the country, Dr. Hinds said that the APNU+AFC coalition government has stumbled when it comes to feeling the heartbeat of the nation. He emphasized that it is not enough to give workers a salary raise and to fix their roads and afford them water and electricity. He said that that is what any and all governments are supposed to do. Dr. Hinds said that while the coalition government does it better than the one before, it has to do more than that because more is expected of it. The Professor said, “This government is expected to lift the political culture, to be qualitatively better than those before.” Dr. Hinds opined that the government has to understand its “specialness” and the responsibility that comes with that “specialness.” He said that “Wrongly or rightly, they are the Joshuas of our time; they simply can’t be like the others.” The political activist said that Guyanese have been betrayed too many times and they are “Sick and tired of being sick and tired.” He concluded, “Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, one of the political finds of our time, correctly told the discredited PPP that he has no apologies for the 50 percent raise (for senior Ministers). But Joe has to understand that the matter of government compensation is bigger than the PPP; it is at the heart of his constituency’s rage. So when he speaks on such a matter, he must know he is speaking to his supporters too or at least they hear him speaking to them too.”
Monday October 19, 2015
Govt. to accelerate spending on large …GRA to redouble projects efforts in meeting 2015 revenue target - Jordan
Works on the East Bank Demerara Public Road, one of the many government projects which has been suffering from delays A delayed Budget in 2015 is being blamed for expenditure by Central government on capital projects declining by more than 50 per cent during the first half of the year. But with increased revenue collection there is likely to be an acceleration of spending in the latter half of the year. The official figures related to government’s spending and collections have been compiled and presented in the 2015 mid-year report, which has been made public ahead of it being tabled in the National Assembly this week. According to the report compiled by Finance Minister Winston Jordan, despite the significant slowdown of government spending earlier in the year, it remains committed to the implementation of the public sector investment programme, as presented in Budget 2015. The Minister has since reported that the second half of 2015 will experience a substantial growth in capital expenditure, as works on new and on-going projects will be accelerated. REVENUE On the matter of the
revenues earned, the Minister in his mid-year report, documents that in the first half of 2015, Central Government’s current revenue, minus inflows from Guyana REDD +Investment Fund (GRIF) reached $78.3B, an increase of 6.1 per cent over the same period in 2014. Tax revenue collections also increased, according to Minister Jordan, and it reached $70.9B, compared to $66.8Bin 2014. Tax revenue collections represent 90 per cent of total revenue collected by government. It was noted that total tax remissions for January to June 2015 was $26.4B, some 37.2 per cent of tax collections. It was observed that when compared to the same period in the previous year, tax remissions were $28.2B resulting in an overall decrease of $1.8B. Internal revenue collection also increased by 4.6 per cent, according to the mid-year report, reaching $31.6B in the first half of 2015. This compares to $30.2B, in the same period in 2014. The Minister credited the (continued on page 24)
Monday October 19, 2015
Kaieteur News
Iran deal moves forward as U.S. and EU line up sanction waivers Reuters - The United States and the European Union both took formal legal steps yesterday that will lift sanctions once Iran meets the conditions tied to a landmark nuclear agreement with major world powers. The legal acts have no immediate effect but cement a process that began with a deal reached in July to end sanctions against Iran in exchange for curbs on a programme that the West suspected was aimed at developing a nuclear bomb. For the waivers to come into force, Iran, which has always denied seeking nuclear weapons, must now demonstrate to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that it has restricted its nuclear programme as promised, a process that Western officials say is likely to take at least two months. Ye s t e r d a y was “adoption day” for the agreement clinched in Vienna by Iran, the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China and endorsed 90 days ago by the United Nations. The European Union
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (L) at a negotiation session with Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif (R) over Iran’s nuclear programme in Lausanne. Also at the negotiating table is European Union Political Director Helga Schmid (rear C). REUTERS/BRIAN SNYDER formally enacted the legislative framework for lifting all nuclear-related economic and financial sanctions on Iran by publishing the documents on its official website. In Washington, President Barack Obama directed the
secretaries of state, treasury, commerce and energy to “take all necessary steps to give effect to the U.S. commitments with respect to sanctions described in (the Iran deal).” “Today marks an important milestone toward
preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and ensuring its nuclear programme is exclusively peaceful going forward,” he said in a statement. Iran had passed a law on Oct. 14 approving the terms of the nuclear deal.
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Kerry to meet Netanyahu, Abbas on PalestinianIsraeli unrest this week PARIS (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said yesterday he would meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Germany this week, followed by talks with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas after more than two weeks of violence between Israelis and Palestinians. It is the first time Kerry has confirmed media reports of a meeting with both Netanyahu and Abbas. He did not say where he planned to meet Abbas only that it would be in the Middle East. However, the meeting is widely expected to take place in Jordan. “Later this week I will meet with Prime Minister Netanyahu because he will be in Germany...and then I will go to the region, I will meet with President Abbas, I will meet King Abdullah and others,” Kerry said during a lunch at UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris. While in Europe Kerry said he would also hold meetings on Syria. He has been pressing Russia to agree on a political transition in Syria which would see President Bashar al-Assad hand over power. His comments came as
John Kerry Israel and the United States resumed talks in Jerusalem on future military aid that Netanyahu suspended in protest against the Iran nuclear deal. More than 40 Palestinians and seven Israelis have died in the recent street violence in occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank, triggered in part by Palestinians’ anger over what they see as increased Jewish encroachment on Jerusalem’s alAqsa mosque compound. Israel says it is keeping the status quo at the holy compound, which is also revered by Jews as the location of two destroyed biblical Jewish temples.
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Kaieteur News
Monday October 19, 2015
Migrant backlog builds in Balkans after new diversion Reuters - Buses packed with migrants backed up on Serbia’s border with Croatia yesterday, their passage to western Europe slowed by a new diversion through Slovenia, which vowed to limit the influx. Many spent the night on the buses, wrapped in warm clothes and blankets against the autumn cold, waking to dense fog and another hours-long wait around a kilometre from Serbia’s western border with the European Union. Slovenia said it would only accept as many as are able to exit the country into Austria. “Croatia asked us to accept 5,000 migrants per day, but Austria told us they can accept at maximum 1,500,” Bostjan Sefic, state secretary at the Slovenian Interior Ministry, told a news conference. “We cannot accept unlimited numbers of migrants if we know that they cannot continue their journey.” Some 3,000 migrants, many of them Syrians fleeing war, entered Slovenia from Croatia on Saturday after fellow EU member Hungary sealed its southern border with Croatia at midnight on
Migrants exit a train at a train station in Croatia’s Cakovec, where they will be transported to Slovenia by buses and train. REUTERS/ANTONIO BRONIC Friday. Hungary’s right-wing government says the mainly Muslim migrants pose a threat to Europe’s prosperity,
security and “Christian values”, forging ahead with a unilateral crackdown in the absence of EU unity. The arrival of a projected
700,000 migrants this year to Europe’s shores, fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and Asia by boat and dinghy across the
Mediterranean and Aegean seas, has exposed deep and often ugly divisions in the EU. EU members Croatia and Slovenia have both said they
will not stop migrants from crossing providing Austria and Germany also keep their doors open. But while Slovenia says it wants to limit arrivals to around 2,500 per day, upwards of 5,000 daily are crossing from Greece into Macedonia and then Serbia. Aid agencies are concerned about backlogs building in the Balkans, lashed by autumn winds and rain and with winter on its way. Sefic said he believed Croatia, Serbia and Macedonia would also have to take measures to slow the flow. In Serbia, tempers frayed as overstretched police officers tried to keep order around a kilometre short of the border, where some 40 buses packed with migrants were stacked up in the village of Berkasovo. On reaching the border, migrants disembark and cross by foot. “This part of the trip has lasted 20 hours, and we’ve been here for almost 12 hours,” said Khair, 40, a former sales manager from the Syrian capital, Damascus. “What can we do? We’re here and we have to wait.”
Monday October 19, 2015
Kaieteur News
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Traffic action plan bearing dividends, less Toshao says police raid accidents, road deaths - Traffic Chief Moore was unprofessional A reinstituted action plan targeting drivers who operate above the legal speed limit, do not wear seatbelts, breach traffic light control signals, use cell phones while driving and drink excess alcohol, is bearing fruit. This comes as Guyana is preparing to observe Road Safety Month starting November 1, under the theme, “Be wise, stay alive. Stop speeding, don’t drink and drive.” Started in August to enforce traffic laws, the recently confirmed Traffic Chief Dion Moore told this publication that the Action Plan has yielded a lot of positive results, including a reduction of traffic accidents by 20 percent and a 15 percent reduction in deaths on the roadways. “We have seen a reduction in the amount of fatal accidents thus far and we are hoping to have it further
reduced by the end of the year.” He said there has been an evident positive change over the past month, especially on the weekends when accidents are more likely to occur. The Traffic Chief is calling on persons to be more responsible as road users in the interest of stemming the tide of wanton injuries and lives lost. By this he is referring specifically to the lot of persons who sit idly by and allow drivers to commit traffic offences because it does not appear to directly, or immediately affect them. “If you sit in a vehicle that’s overloaded or remain quiet while the driver is speeding, you are allowing the driver to commit an offence while endangering your own life,” the Traffic Chief said. Superintendent Moore also noted that persons are just as guilty if they
knowingly enter a car being driven by an unlicensed driver, and he said the time has come for more persons to speak out. “Too many persons sit and say nothing and wait for an accident to happen then they suddenly realize that the driver was committing infringements. In some cases persons who knew they were in harm’s way but said nothing have not lived to tell their side of the story.” He reminded persons that while there is a Traffic Department, it is an individual’s duty to understand that they have a role to play in road safety. “Road safety is not just traffic policemen duties. It encompasses all the stakeholders and there is need for all to accept their responsibility to ensure more safe roads nationally.” He also encouraged persons to think as each
Dem boys seh...
Brassington memory gun fail him again Whole week, ever since people start to talk bout de Pradoville deal somebody talk bout jailing Jagdeo because de whole Pradoville deal was illegal. It was a case of Jagdeo tekking de state land and buying de bulk then sharing de rest between he friends and some of he Ministers. Of course he sell at a low price suh when some of he Ministers sell dem mek a big profit. People seh that Jagdeo should go to jail. But he had he lawyers and friends who seh that he can’t get prosecute. But nuff people seh that he can’t claim immunity fuh anything illegal that he do. Thiefing is illegal and once he thief land, he can’t seh that nobody can try him. Brassington in de same boat. He tek people money and spend it like water pun whatever he friend Jagdeo tell him. He can’t claim that he was carrying out orders because de law always seh that a man can’t carry out
something illegal because somebody tell him. That is why dem boys gun charge he tail. He got size but by de time all this done he gun look like an ordinary man. De fat crook gun become a slim crook. He friends wouldn’t recognize him. And because of de jail threat, he cussing de Waterfalls paper. De paper save Guyana and everybody know that. At de rate things was going, Jagdeo, Brassington and dem friends woulda own more than half of Guyana. De Berbice Bridge is a simple example. De people who put in de least money own half de bridge. De government who put in de most ain’t own nutten. De plan was to build de Demerara Harbour Bridge. Jagdeo and dem friends would go to parliament and collect billions of dollars but dem woulda only spend a fraction pun de bridge. Dem boys seh that people mustn’t ask wheh de rest of de money
will go. That is only part of de story. Dem had other people who benefit from de freeness because Jagdeo decide that de best way to survive was to surround heself wid crooks like himself. All of dem now quiet because dem seeing jail door. De Waterfalls boss man seh that he talk bout all de wrong things and people didn’t listen. Now dem listening. He did talk bout de crookishness. Jagdeo and he friends did want Pegasus and dem try till de British step in at de last minute and mek he back off. That is why dem build de Marriott fuh kill de Pegasus. He had plans fuh Guyana Stores. He woulda build a hotel and a cafeteria. He fail. He mek Brassington go to court and when de questions face de fat crook, he claim he couldn’t remember nuff things. He gun forget nuff more when dem question this time. Talk half and wait fuh Brassington memory loss.
other ’s keepers and custodians of the general society. On the subject of seats belts, Traffic Chief Moore said while there may have been some relaxing moving forward, more stringent law enforcement to ensure that persons buckle up or face the consequences can be looked forward to from his unit. “It is no secret that whenever you do not wear seatbelts in event of an accident your body would be tossed in the vehicle, causing you to sustain more injuries than normal,” he posited. At present there are 18, 640 persons charged for speeding while 1,754 are before the courts for driving under the influence of alcohol. Some 778 were charged for jumping the traffic lights and 519 persons were charged for using cellular phones while driving. Persons charged for operating Private hire amounted to 277 drivers while 1844 persons were charged for loud music in breach of their road services license. Moore also said that 727 persons are before the courts charged for failing to adhere to sirens to date. (Mondale Smith)
Nazim Haniff, Toshao of Yarikita Village, Mabaruma, North West District has condemned actions of three policemen attached to the Mabaruma Police Station. In an interview with Kaieteur News, the Toshao related that he is appalled at the way the officers conducted themselves while carrying out a raid in his community, last month. Haniff explained that the three police officers (name given) went into his community on September 15, in pursuit of three suspected thieves without consulting him. According to certain sections of the Amerindian Act, the Toshao, who holds responsibility as head of the community, should be consulted before certain operations are carried out. The Toshao explained that the police “barged” into the village, located the suspects’ home and carried out their search. He pointed out that the officers were unprofessional in executing their duties. In explaining this, Haniff pointed out that the officers had no search warrants and were dressed in civilian
clothes. Further, he added that the officers who were armed with guns, failed to identify themselves to occupants in the home.” In the end, Haniff said that the police were able to locate two of the suspects but sought his assistance in locating another. “This is when they consulted me, almost when everything came to an end,” he stressed. Nonetheless, Haniff said that with his assistance, the other suspect was found and taken into police custody, where investigations were carried out. Haniff highlighted the reason for the officers conducting the early morning raid. He recalled that on September, 6 last, businessman, Benedict Nazeer reported to the police that he was robbed of $45,000. Nazeer, who recently moved to the village, hosted a party at his business place on that day. However, the party ended abruptly after Councilors and police were forced to end the revelry because the businessman had violated the village’s 10pm curfew. According to (continued on page 23)
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Kaieteur News
Monday October 19, 2015
=== The Freddie Kissoon column ===
A great scholar dies and leaves a sad statement on Guyana “But man, proud man, Dress’d in a little brief authority, Most ignorant of what he’s most assur’d (Shakespeare – Measure For Measure) Let me quote my source. I don’t want to be accused of malicious incorrectness. In the Stabroek News of Friday, October 16, 2015, on page 11, there are the photographs of siblings Ryan Roberts and Lisa Mangru with the caption, “Siblings fined for ganja possession.” The story mentioned the fine of $5000 for each defendant. The Stabroek News printed $5000. At the time of writing there is no correction. Was it a mistake by the
newspaper or is it my imagination or is Guyana becoming a modern nation? On the same day I read about this unbelievable attitudinal metamorphosis (a phrased first used by President Burnham) in the judiciary, I saw the news of the death of one of Guyana’s most learned and prolific scholars, Professor Raymond T. Smith. His seminal work on this country, “British Guiana” was on the compulsory reading list when I was a student at UG. Professor Smith died with the belief as expressed a few years ago that Guyana was not much better off; if better off at all, since Independence in 1966. How sad the goodly
professor won’t be around in seven months’ time when we celebrate 50 years of sovereignty. He may ask what we are celebrating. As I stated in my last Saturday column, look out in the future for my critiques on the 50-year achievement show. My first column on the subject will be titled, “Shall we celebrate the anniversary of a ghost?” Those columns will probably be penned next year The same day I read about the incredible turn around in sentence structure and the death of Professor Smith, I also read that the police charged and the courts fined a male for cross-dressing. A heavily burdened police force found time to charge a person, put him through the courts, and the courts convicted him for cross-dressing. It was a full day of reading the newspapers because on the very same day I saw that Magistrate Ann McLennan was promoted to Chief Magistrate after her predecessor, Ms. Beharry
was elevated to the High Court. Is there any connection between the day of the announcement of the promotion and the visible departure from a pattern of harsh sentence on young offenders for mere possession of small amounts of marijuana? In the case of the siblings, they were found with one gramme of marijuana. For those who are reading this and you are not familiar with weights and measurements, a gramme of marijuana is a little less than the content of that tiny packet of sugar or Splenda that you get at any airport cafeteria around the world. President Desmond Hoyte actually brought in a law where the sentence for possession of a gramme of cannabis or possession of a smoking utensil is three years in jail. Here now is the problem I have with this country. The official governmental reason for changing the name Home Affairs Ministry to Public Security Ministry was
that the former was the retention of a colonial appellation. There doesn’t seem to be a problem here. Why should a post-colonial country retain colonial semantics? The sad state of postcolonial countries is that they have kept values, semantics, aesthetics, cultural traits, legal systems, administrative rules that the colonials themselves have discarded many moons ago. Our Mother Country was the UK. In the UK youths do not get three years for possession of a smoking utensil. In none of what we cynically and derisively like to call white man country – the UK, US, France, Germany, Canada, Australia – you are charged for a gramme of marijuana much less a smoking utensil The white man brought his nonsense here, gave us Independence, and the nonsense he had in his own country he got rid of while we glorify the mores, customs
Frederick Kissoon and values that the white man gave us and that the very white man would frown upon in his own country. How admirable that we changed the Ministry of Home Affairs to Ministry of Public Security. Are there any leftovers from the white man days we should also dump in the garbage? What is wrong with a woman wearing an expensive sleeveless dress that prevents her from entering a Government building in Guyana? Really, can some of the philosophers in Guyana tell us what is culturally or aesthetically wrong with a sleeveless dress? The ancient Greeks once wrote that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. A little colonial knowledge is a self-hating thing.
Monday October 19, 2015
Kaieteur News
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Jagdeo paid himself five times more …of course, no Minister dared than a Minister to complain - Ramkarran A 50 year-old anomaly is being addressed with the revision of the salaries paid to government Ministers, an anomaly that saw former President, Bharrat Jagdeo and his Attorney General taking home about five times more than a Cabinet Minister. This is the latest in the stunning revelations coming to light since the debacle over salary increase for government Ministers began last month, this time by a former big wig under the Peoples Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) administration, Ralph Ramkarran. The former Speaker of the National Assembly during the tenure of the PPP/C in Office has since added his voice to the public debate utilizing his conversationtree.org medium and spoke to the disparity in the salaries of the President and Attorney General as against Cabinet Ministers. According to Ramkarran, even though Jagdeo was raking in five times more than his Ministers, “of course, no Minister dared to complain.” Ramkarran, in providing some insight into the 50 year-old disparity in the salary scales for Ministers and Presidents, said it was the Peoples National Congress (PNC) United Force coalition government that instituted the disparity. According to the political stalwart, the government was at the time looking to recruit Sir Shridath Ramphal to be his Attorney General. At the time (1957 and 1964), the totality of salary and benefits for a Minister was $840.00 per month with $120.00 as a travel allowance and a driver. Ramkarran said that in order to attract Sir Shridath Ramphal, who had served as Deputy Attorney General of the West Indian Federation and was then in private practice in Jamaica, the PNC—United Force coalition government in 1964 offered him a salary of $4,000.00 tax free as Attorney General. The salaries of Ministers remained the same. “Thus commenced a fiftyyear anomaly with the Attorney General earning one million plus, tax free, and everybody else, including the President, earning far less at the end of 2006.” Increases Turning his attention to Jagdeo, Ramkarran recalled that during his second term as President, Jagdeo increased his own salary above the Attorney General. Ramkarran said that in increasing his own salary, the former President did nothing to reduce the gargantuan disparity between the President and Attorney General on the one hand and
also queries how Government could not know that fixing your own salaries from the
Bharrat Jagdeo Ministers of government on the other, being even greater when taxes, which the President and Attorney General do not pay, are deducted from Ministers’ salaries. “In increasing his own salary, the President no doubt had his eyes on his pension, which is calculated on the highest salary,” he surmised. Ramkarran said even though under the PPP Ministers’ salaries were increased around 1994 and substantially so from 2001, by 2011 President Jagdeo and the Attorney General were taking home about five times as much as a Minister. Ramkarran said too that there had been numerous occasions since 1973—when Ramphal left to take up the post of Secretary General of the Commonwealth—for the anomaly in salaries to be resolved, but nothing was done. During this period what did obtain, according to Ramkarran, is the salaries of Judges, the Chancellor and the Chief Justice climbed far above those of Ministers, “no doubt using the Attorney General’s salary as the template.” As such, “This situation where the President and Attorney General take home about five times that of a Minister and where judges take home thrice and more as much as Ministers, faced the APNU+AFC Government when it entered office.” Ramkarran said no one denies that some rectification was needed but he questioned, “How could the many experienced politicians in the Government not have known that the collective national senses would revolt against the Cabinet awarding itself any increases at all, much less fifty percent in most cases, with Public Servants and seniors having received less than promised on account of shortage of resources and with electricity and water subsidies being removed from seniors.” Ramkarran in his writing,
public purse, which is taxpayers’ monies held in trust, “Is an abuse of that trust
and of the electorate’s trust…How could the Cabinet not understand that
this is a blatant case of a conflict of interest, as severe as any that can be imagined.”
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Kaieteur News
Monday October 19, 2015
Economic growth dips to lowest in decades Guyana‘s economic downturn has been revised negatively for some time now by pundits and experts alike but for the first time in a number of years the country’s economic growth rate has been set at below one per cent. At least this is according to the latest revised figures. The Ministry of Finance over the weekend released the figures for the first half of this year and according to the statistics revealed, “at the time of preparation of Budget 2015, preliminary estimates indicated half year growth rate of 0.9 percent.” According to the Finance Minister Winston Jordan, “with the passage of time and the benefit of actual first half performance in a number of sectors real GDP (Gross Domestic Product) recorded growth of 0.7 per cent in the first half of 2015.” He noted too that the delay in the presentation and passing of the National Budget due to Parliament being prorogued in November of 2014, its dissolution
in 2015 and elections being held in May, 2015, contributed to the lower mid-year economic growth compared with similar periods in previous years. This delay meant that many government agencies were unable to carry out their planned programmes for the year.” According to the mid-year report issued by the Finance Minister, many new projects were held in abeyance while only a few projects, which were rolled over from the previous year, attracted funding. He said too, “at the same time, the atmosphere of uncertainty and tensions surrounding the holding of General Elections, led to investors postponing decisions in many cases.” According to the Midyear Report with the installation of a new government and the passage of the National Budget, growth is expected to surge in the second half of 2015 and is projected to reach 3.4 percent, as a result of the measures outlined in Budget 2015.
SECTOR PERFORMANCE Regarding the traditional sectors, Minister Jordan has reported that sugar production grew encouragingly by 1.6 percent in 2015, to reach 81,271 tonnes. He said on the evidence of the first half performance, the whole year projection of 219,913 is being maintained. “Even though the industry has projected a more buoyant Mid-Year Report 2015 outcome of 227,400 tonnes for 2015, the lower estimate has been used given past experiences.” He said “this slight increase of 1.7 percent in 2015 production will result from expected better weather conditions, facilitating increased harvesting of canes, coupled with the ongoing efforts to resuscitate GuySuCo including a $12B injection by Government.” According to Minister Jordan, notwithstanding the performance, the industry’s average cost of production remains excessively high. He reported also that the rice industry continued to record exceptional growth. It was noted that in light of that performance, the end of year output and growth projections
Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan have been revised upwards to 703,462 tonnes, equivalent to 10.7 percent over the 2014 record production level. RICESUBSIDY It was noted too that the
Government has provided generous support to the rice industry, with $9B being transferred to the Guyana Rice Development Board by June 2015. However the loss of the Venezuelan market under the Petrocaribe Rice Trade Agreement has heightened uncertainty, according to the Minister’s report. It states too that with pressure mounting to find new markets, the Government is committed to assisting the farmers to find alternative markets and will support Private Sector initiatives to secure the future of the industry. The production of the other crops subsector rose by five percent over the half year output for 2014 and this was as a result of the ongoing support to the subsector. According to Jordan, the
subsector is projected to grow by 2.0 percent in 2015. He noted too that the livestock industry grew by 15 percent in the first half of 2015, compared to the same period in 2014, as a result of growth in poultry, egg, mutton and milk production. He said the sector is projected to grow by 8.9 percent for this year, with poultry and egg production continuing to be the main drivers of this growth. According to Jordan, “The fisheries sector continued its downward spiral in the first half of 2015, contracting by 11.6 percent.” He said this persistent contraction in the industry has been the result of overfishing and possible under-declaration, combined with smaller fleets, lower harvesting in aquaculture, and piracy.
Guyana recovering from economic slowdown - Jordan - believes economy will pick up by December Minister of Finance Winston Jordan believes that the economic slowdown which the country started to experience in 2014 will soon
be over and “things will pick up by December.” The Minister is of the view that there are several contributing factors to this alleged
slowdown both locally and internationally. “Things appear to be picking up based on some amount of statistical evidence and some of anecdotal evidence. Anecdotal in the sense that in speaking to the average man in the street, the taxi driver and so on, they have been telling me that things are picking up, they are not saying business is good but, they are saying things better than a month or two before,” said Jordan The Minister remains optimistic that economic activities will commence at a faster rate soon since the elections are now over and there is a level of political stability in Guyana. “I think, all and all we can expect things to be more and more on track as we had envisaged in the budget and we hope that talk of slowdown not necessarily disappears but, could be at the bottom of our lexicon by the time the next budget comes out.” According to Jordan, consumers are gaining confidence with the stable political climate and are moving on from the uncertainty of the elections season. “The budget is over, people have been paid their salaries and their back pay and there is more monies that is going to be circulating in the economy between now and December,” the Finance Minister noted. Explaining the reasons which might have contributed to the slowdown of Guyana’s economy, Minister Jordan pointed to political instability which (continued on page 24)
Monday October 19, 2015
Kaieteur News
Page 21
JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT IT WAS SAFE One of the most famous movie taglines came from the film JAWS 2. The first movie in the series, the one that contributed considerably to the reputation of Stephen Spielberg, JAWS, was released in 1975 and immediately became the biggest summer blockbuster until STAR WARS came along and had the force with it. The matter-of-fact “adlib” or improvisation by actor Roy Scheider who plays the police chief in the movie, “We’re gonna need a bigger boat”, is fifth on the list of the top 100 movie moments. So what did author Peter Benchley do as an encore for the sequel JAWS 2? He created perhaps the most famous tagline in movie history, “Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water…” I thought about the much parodied “Just when you thought it was safe…” when I saw an article that said “High caffeine use is linked to psychotic symptoms.” I started drinking coffee a long time ago in a galaxy far away. I can still remember my grandfather’s house in a little village in South Trinidad where every morning I would sit in what we called the “gallery” or verandah of the house and watch my grandmother prepare the many different teas – cocoa, green, coffee and Milo. There was no talk in those days about caffeine being bad for you. In any case, with all the milk and sugar, the taste was not as important as it is today. No barista making patterns of the swirls in my cappuccino. You had to be early to grab your breakfast
before the other children finished the food. No “better latte than never” then. My grandma boiled the hell out of the coffee, strained it, mixed it and I drank it to keep my piece of roti or hops bread from choking me to death and then headed outside to play with my many cousins. Guilt, if it ever existed, was not something I remember, certainly not over the coffee. It might have been when one of my cousins and I raided my grandfather’s stock of DANO canned luncheon meat which he kept especially for his prized hunting dogs, but that is another story. Until I went to Canada in the early seventies, my coffee was a concoction of Nescafe, Caroni brown sugar and Frico powdered milk sometimes with Crix crackers soaking in it. No supplies were more vital than that. During the week, having to get up at 4.30 in the morning to walk across the dew-laden savannah, my shoes and socks wet, hustling to catch the 5.30 a.m. bus to go to school, the coffee provided some heat and released some energy which I was unaware of at the time. Caffeine was not on the list of products to avoid. Bad dogs were. It was not an issue when I went to Canada and studied in Ottawa, a city that is possibly the coldest capital in the world. There, coffee was a necessity, a lifesaver even. I would have a cup, leave my rented apartment shivering despite the many layers of clothing, walk about two blocks, have a coffee at a friend’s home before the other two blocks to catch the shuttlebus to school and then
immediately upon arrival, have another coffee before going to class. Each class was punctuated by cups of coffee and the return to my apartment was celebrated with it. No more milk and sugar for me. I became and continue to be a black coffee drinker. I was unaware at the time about the psychotic symptoms although some of my friends there would nod wisely now and say in hindsight, “That explains it…” Just to get some perspective, I explored the jungle of the terminology of the mind’s states and illnesses to see exactly what is meant by “psychotic”. One writer tried an explanation, “A neurotic is a man who builds a castle in the air. A psychotic is the man who lives in it. A psychiatrist is the man who collects the rent.” Another said, “Doubt is to certainty as neurosis is to psychosis. The neurotic is in doubt and has fears about persons and things; the psychotic has convictions and makes claims about them. In short, the neurotic has problems, the psychotic has solutions.” This does not really solve the problem of determining whether my still continuing love affair with coffee is as bad as the research says it is. Is it really a Freudian sip? What the Australian team at Melbourne’s La Trobe University found is that high coffee use combined with stress can cause people to exhibit psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions. They discovered that around five coffees, or the equivalent of 200mg of
GHRA objects to City Hall’s ‘name and shame’ campaign Litter-bugs are finding themselves in an unflattering light on social media, thanks to Georgetown Mayor and City Council’s vigorous campaign to restore Georgetown’s long-lost Garden City image. According to M&CC Public Relations Officer Debra Lewis, persons caught littering will have their photos taken and their names circulated to the media. They will also face prosecution. Lewis said that in the next few weeks, M&CC personnel will be policing the city regularly while targeting defaulters. The litter-bugs are liable to pay the maximum $10,000 fine. Lewis has said that no one will be excluded from the campaign, since every citizen is responsible for maintaining a clean environment. “We are holding every person accountable,
especially those in the business community,” In addition to the ‘Name and Shame’ campaign, the M & C C will organize community talks to raise awareness about littering. “The Council has been working assiduously to ensure that Georgetown is restored to its former glory as the Garden City … It is taking a lot of time and resources, and the Council has persons volunteering each week, through the Green Volunteer Corps.” According to Lewis, many persons have welcomed the campaign, and have expressed their approval via social media websites. But not everyone is happy with this campaign. In a statement issued on Saturday, the Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) called on the media and government to desist from supporting what it described
as “the latest example of highhandedness” at City Hall. It sees the campaign as being just another form of harassment of citizens. “For years the sight of City officials indulging in slanging matches, confrontations and ‘busing’ as the routine way of doing Council business has become a standard feature of the evening news,” the human rights organization stated. As such, the GHRA calls on the relevant political authority, the Magistrates and the media to discourage what appears to be another discriminatory and ill-judged campaign from City Hall. “Furthermore, we believe the media should desist from supporting this type of campaign and apologise for having already published lists of names provided by the Council,” GHRA said.
caffeine, may be enough to tip people over the edge and cause psychotic-like symptoms. The head of the team, Professor Simon Crowe, said that people who are highly stressed and who are prone to high-level caffeine use are more likely to report phenomena like hearing things that aren’t necessarily there.
It is just around 5.30 am as I sit in my living room researching and writing this article. I am under heavy deadline pressure. I just had a huge cup of hot, black, thick and strong Kenyan AA coffee. It was so thick that I bent the handle of the spoon
and I had to use an electric mixer to stir it. The dog is barking… or is it? *Tony Deyal was last seen saying that a psychotic told Sigmund Freud, “I feel like a pack of cards.” The busy Freud replied, “I’ll deal with you later.”
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Kaieteur News
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Monday October 19, 2015
VACANCY
SALON
VEHICLE FOR SALE
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1 NZE Fielder Silver Gray, HC 5916, 17" rims, price $1.5MCall: 675-3186 or 621-7236
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PROPERTY FOR SALE
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HEALTH Herbal treatment; get rid of your diabetes, get instant reliefs, stop using insulin & other doctor’s medication. Call: 651-3560 Continued on page 23
Monday October 19, 2015
Kaieteur News
Page 23
Letters... Where your views make the news...Letters... Where your views make the news
Wanted: A new global order that places people ahead of profits DEAR EDITOR, According to a BBC Report, three of the wealthiest families in Scotland own more wealth that the combined wealth of the lowest thirty percent of the population. This is consistent with wealth and income distribution in several other capitalist countries, including that of the United States, where less than one percent of the population have at their disposal more than the combined wealth of the other ninety-nine percent of the population! Something is fundamentally wrong with the structure of the global economy when such a tiny handful of the population has command over the aggregate wealth created by human labour. As Karl Marx pointed out over a century ago, profits are a derivative of human labour through exploitation and the creation of surplus value. Yet, workers are paid a small fraction of the wealth created, resulting in a state of impoverishment of the working class. Such unequal and unfair distribution of wealth is the root cause of such widespread conflicts and social turbulence in several countries of the capitalist world including some countries in western Europe. Bourgeois ideologists tend to downplay the significance of classes and
the class struggle in contemporary society by positing that the emergence of corporate ownership and the stock market has created a situation where the dichotomy between workers and owners have become somewhat diffused. While this may be true to a point, corporate managers are paying themselves astronomical sums at the expense of workers and shareholders. As we observe International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, it is opportune that we reflect on the root cause of global poverty, which is fundamentally structural in nature and to a large extent the result of a highly skewed distribution system in which the capitalist class continue to wallow in luxury at the expense of the toiling masses. The income gap between the rich and the poor continues to widen despite advances in science and technology which has resulted in much higher levels of production and productivity. Yet, nearly one billion people mainly from the developing world are forced to live below the poverty threshold which is defined by the World Bank as the equivalent of roughly two United States dollar a day. I think it is time for the World Bank to get real and come up with a more realistic
assessment of what is required to survive, since there is no way in which any human being in any part of the world can exist minimally at such a disgracefully low sum. Indeed, there appeared to be some measure of disrespect for the poor on the part of the Bank to suggest that anyone can realistically live on such a paltry sum. As the late Dr. Cheddi Jagan pointed out in his book “A New Global Human Order” there are more than enough resources in the world to feed every man, woman and child but the resources of the world are so highly skewed in favour of the rich that there is hardly enough to meet the basic needs of the poor and the downtrodden. Far too many lives are lost because of hunger, malnutrition and preventable diseases, the vast majority from the developing world. This is why there is need to aggressively pursue the call for a new global human order which incidentally has been adopted by the United Nations General Assembly. The idea of a new global human order was conceptualized and initiated by the late Dr.Jagan who was known for his strong advocacy for debt relief and for pro-poor programmes and policies. This is why it is so important to ensure that the wealth and income gap
Attorney Benjamin Gibson did not allow race to blind him to violations of the people’s rights DEAR EDITOR, The courts of Guyana by now paid fitting tribute to the life and work of the late Benjamin E Gibson Attorney at Law. I heard of his passing only the day after his funeral and was able to let Dr Kean Gibson know of my regret I should like to place on record three things about Mr. Gibson. First. he came out of the village system in Beterverwagting . As a lawyer he was almost always successful in the courts representing public servants who had been wrongfully dismissed. He made a specialty of cases of dismissal without a hearing or a fair hearing,. If he lost in a lower court he was always confident of winning “upstairs” as the lawyers called the Court of Appeal. The rest may be seen as directly political, and should also be instructive. He was one of many like the late Peter Britton, SC. Odel Adams, Cleveland
Hamilton, Eleazar and others who did not allow race to blind them to violations of the people’s rights under a ruler of their race. They understood racial dignity and also the need for untouchable rights that persons of any race, gender or class could rely on. They understood the link between barbarism and civilisation, which is never a question of mere technology. They understood too that without advocates on the other side, there would be no justice. If we let our own side erode rights because it is our own side, we help to create a mindset hostile to rights for everyone. It becomes a matter of whose “time” it is, and then life becomes a matter of what the courts used to call “malice aforethought”. Although I often “played lawyer “and represented myself often, I never did so without sound legal preview by lawyers like Miles
Fitzpatrick and the late Peter Britton (SC) and Benjamin Gibson. These things have happened in Guyana, especially under the PPP. I remember our many conversations about the 1980 Constitution One of the thlngs he said over and over was that under the immunity articles the President had no private identity. Many lawyers of the eighies refused to read the 1980 Constitution because of the way it was produced and the powers and immunities it created. Gibson, trained in England which had no written “constitution” had studied it keenly. In a later letter I shall let the public have my version of how I networked with Gibson, Hughes before he became political and my WPA colleagues to use the courts against a learned Attorney General to remove a decisive abuse of presidential power. Eusi Kwayana
between those at the bottom and at the top is kept to a minimum. In this regard, policy makers and those in positions of authority need to be sensitive and exercise restraint in the manner in which the remuneration package is configured . Every worker feels justified in a bigger basket of goods and services especially since
there is no separate market for the rich and the poor or for the low and the high income earners. The fact is that regardless of what kind of job someone does, human needs are basically the same. There can be no justification for huge income gaps especially in the context of low per capita income and an under performing economy as in the
Micromanaging... From page 5 performance. Studies have shown that micromanagement may increase productivity over the short term, but long term problems will eventually defeat any short term gains. Customer service goes out the window when frustrated police constables take it out on the public they encounter. Featherstone contradicts himself when he stated that unless and until the government in a particular jurisdiction provides the necessary” latitude” (scope for freedom of action or thought) it is virtually impossible for the police to be the catalyst of great Improvement and change. I encourage Featherstone to try the Frim-Fram sauce, he may find it appetizing to the pallet. Lastly, kudos to Freddie’s column on October 8th, yes, the country is enduring some difficulty of digging itself out of backwardness, thanks to the mentality and culture of responsible parties. I hope APNU-AFC bring back a sense of sanity to the deserving citizens of our country, who have endured immense hardship over the years. Where else in the world but Guyana do the police brutalize, tantalize, terrorize, and torture a defenseless juvenile, committing gross felonious crimes on this kid and eventually receive promotions instead of jail time. This new government needs to do the right thing and return Freddie to his rightful place, and that is, in the classroom where he belongs. Jagmohan
Does Freddie have to... From page 4 those least suited to do it. Abraham Lincoln said, “Elections belong to the people. It’s their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they will just have to sit on their blisters”. I wholeheartedly concur with Freddie’s statement that the current leading party lack individuals with transformative leadership qualities, but let’s be intelligent; it is somewhat simplistic at best to believe that ballot papers define leaders. Leadership is defined by conviction, vision, passion and inspiration. Authority confined in you does not make you a leader. It is the authority created by you that makes you influence people with your purpose. So Freddie, roll down your sleeves, take a deep breath while you survey the depth. Conserve your might and please pick your fight. Yvonne Sam
Toshao says police raid... From page 9 the Toshao, “The community has a bylaw which states that all businesses and loud music should stop at 10pm. He (Benedict Nazeer) disregards the rules and regulation of the village.” During a confrontation with the police, Nazeer reportedly retaliated by hurling indecent language at the officers. He later visited the police station where he made the allegation against the three men. Toshao Haniff explained, “after he was asked to close off the party, he claimed that somebody went into his shop and stole the money. He didn’t know who went into the shop. He just randomly selected these three persons.” Meanwhile, the Toshao reported that the ride to the Mabaruma Police Station with the suspects was a rough one. The suspects were placed on motorcycles and transported along jagged trails. Strangely, he said, one of the suspects was handcuffed to a motorcycle, which later crashed into a concrete bridge. The impact of the collision caused the suspect to be hurled some 12 feet away resulting in him receiving injuries about the body. Although the Toshao related that he is unaware of what caused the accident, he is questioning whether it’s standard procedure to confine someone in that manner.
case of Guyana. Whatever salary anomaly may have existed at the executive or other levels in the past cannot be corrected at the stroke of a pen but in a calibrated and incremental manner having regard to the state of the economy and the general price and income levels. There is virtue in a egalitarian society in which people regardless of the kind of work they do are provided with enough to meet the basic necessities of life. Capitalism, with its emphasis on profits for the few cannot provide the answers to the problems of humanity. There is need for a new global order in which people are placed ahead of profits and where all men are equal and not where” some men are more equal than some.” Hydar Ally
From page 22
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Sisters make donation to ... Guyana recovering from economic ... From page 14 helped out survivors of 2012’s Hurricane Sandy. She admitted that she had given so much over the years that some of her relatives believe that she “gives too much”. However, she said, she does not believe that she has done enough and decided to expand beyond the U.S, with the help of her sister. “It’s something that I want to do everywhere,” she said. “I do charity work at home in the States and it’s just something we’re looking to broaden,” she added. The mother of eight – five of her own and three stepchildren – continued, “Since I have a Day Care, I have a passion for kids. There are so many homeless kids – not only
in the States but here as well – and for some reason the parents have to give up their kids. For some, it’s just hard to maintain children without getting help from outside. So while I’ve given to people in the States, now I want to give back something to my country.” She added that she could not judge parents who leave their children as orphans since the unpredictability of life can prove difficult for many. Ellen further expressed hope that other regular citizens would take up the responsibility to help others. She explained that she recently visited Lethem and was surprised by how many adults cannot read or write. “I want others to follow suit with what we are doing,
especially the overseas-based Guyanese,” Ellen said. She opined that people should extend helping hands in any way possible, whether it’s from establishing a reading club or donating items to the needy. “We in the States can come back and simply lend a helping hand,” Ellen stressed. Meanwhile, the donation to the Convalescent Home saw Ellen and Roxanne delivering a number of items, ranging from pampers and other sanitary items to books. The sisters indicated that while some of the items had been donated by parents of the pupils in Ellen’s Day Care, most of the items had been bought by the two women. Members of the home expressed gratitude for the women’s donation.
Monday October 19, 2015 Aries: Bizarre and unexpected events lie in store for you today, so don't be surprised if not everything goes according to plan. Take note that these events may be part of a larger trend indicative of a tremendous opportunity. Taurus: You should team up with others and initiate action that resonates with your inner being. This might not be obvious now, but be on the lookout for unexpected events. Gemini: People of great power and drive may pop out of the woodwork today. They'll confront you directly and perhaps challenge you in some way. You may be at a climactic point right now, and feel like you're at a junction. Cancer: You may be going through tremendous growth now. Focus on this and see where you need to make some changes. This may be interrupted by powerful energy from other people or situations. Leo: There's a free-spirited energy calling your name. Latch onto it and manifest creative abundance in your life. Perhaps a major opportunity for change is knocking on your door. Look through the keyhole before you invite anybody in. Virgo: A major force confronts you now. It may seem like this energy will never stop. It might be mental or physical, but either way, you may be letting it consume too much of your attention. Try not to get caught in drama that doesn't really involve you.
Libra: Keep your eyes open today. Be on the lookout for opportunities and invitations. Don't act too hastily. This is a key time in which life seems to be moving more quickly than ever. Change may be just what you need to foster your growth. Scorpio: Unexpected events may throw you for a loop today, but these incidents could be part of a bigger trend that you should pay attention to. There's great opportunity at hand, and you shouldn't ignore it. Sagittarius: There's a powerful movement of energy in your life now. Major overhauls and subsequent undertakings are just waiting for you to give the green light. Realize the potential of instigating a significant change in your life. Capricorn: Take charge of your life. Initiate action and major change in an important area. Large trends are being activated today, alerting you to the fact that there's a great opportunity at hand. Aquarius: There's electricity in the air today, which may spur you to make a significant change in one area of your life. Try not to rush on this one. Don't change just for the sake of change, but really examine something that needs to shift. Pisces: You're at the start of a very expansive time in your life, and opportunities are available whether you realize it or not. You may get the feeling that there's an area that needs a total overhaul.
From page 12 plagued the country prior to the 2015 General and Regional Elections. “When you have political instability or a political situation that is not normal, people do several things. One they hold back on their investment. You tend to hold on to your money, some capital flight takes place where people try to get out their monies just in case, so unlike a tap that you can turn on and off with ease when people make those decisions, it takes a while after political stability returns for those economic decisions now to be reversed,” Minister Jordan explained. Questioned as to whether the implementation of the recently passed Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Act (AML-CFT) has had an impact on the economic slowdown, the Minister believes in some regard it does by crippling the underground economy. The Minister was quick to point out that in the absence of substantial statistics, no
definitive conclusion can be drawn as to whether the AML/ CFT law and its implementation is providing a much more difficult time for persons involved in illegal activities to have their proceeds enter the real or formal economy. “If I were to offer an opinion, I would say that it could be one of the contributing factors simply because it has always been rumored that our economy really was standing on more or less two legs, the parallel economy – heavily financed by drugs,” Jordan said. The Finance Minister further stated that since the coalition Government took office, there has been increasing evidence of drug busts, which has led to the capturing of high profile traffickers. “So that definitely will have an overall effect on the economy,” he said. Meanwhile, on sustaining the formal economy, the Minister said that for the first time in recent years, a decline in remittances has been recorded. This is not only in the case of Guyana and it has attracted international attention. On the international scene,
Minister Jordan advised that Guyana and the Caribbean are currently waging a battle with the withdrawal of corresponding banking in the Caribbean since international banks are closing its operations in Caribbean countries. “They are becoming very risk averse so one and two banks have already pulled out in one and two countries,” he said. Minister Jordan explained that the Governor of the Bank of Guyana, Dr. Gobin Ganga, has been actively involved in staging a rearguard action to stave off this withdrawal since it would have widespread implications for banking and transactions in the Guyana economy. According to a World Bank overview of Guyana, which was last updated on September 08, 2015, real growth of Guyana’s Gross Domestic Product is projected to fluctuate within the range of 3 percent to 5 percent during 2015-2018. Economic activities will be driven by continued investments in primary industries while potential offshore and hydro-energy projects may also attract foreign investment and further boost growth. Inflation is expected to remain relatively subdued.
From page 6 performance to increased collections from personal income tax, via the Pay As You Earn (PAYE) category, which was largely as a result of salary increases granted in December 2014. It was said too that several major companies increased their payments in the first half of 2015 relative to the first half of 2014. Net property tax on private sector companies increased by $494.4M, largely due to arrears payments received in 2015 for the period 1983-2014. VAT collection decline It was not all positive news as Corporation Tax from the Private Sector companies declined by $434M. This was said to be due to advance payments made in 2014. Withholding Tax also declined by $335.8M and this is being blamed on the contraction in the gold mining industry. Tax collections from self employed persons increased by $108.2M. This is attributed to an increase in the number and income of self employed persons. The ever controversial Value Added Tax (VAT), which has become one of the largest revenue earners for government, totaled $18.2B, a decline of $212.9M. It was noted that domestic supplies decreased by $114M, because of arrears payments received in 2014 while VAT on imports declined by $54.5M, due to significant decreases in the values of several categories
of commodities imported in the manufacturing and trading sectors. Non-tax revenue collections increased moderately in the first half of 2015 by $472.8M, or a 6.7 percent increase over the same period in 2014.
It was noted that in spite of revenue losses from the environmental tax and several items from VAT as well as the removal of NIS deductions from chargeable income, the “GRA intends to redouble its efforts to ensure that the 2015 revenue target is achieved.”
Govt. to accelerate spending ...
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‘Trudeaumania’ heir could China, Britain to benefit from become Canada’s next PM ‘golden era’ in ties – Cameron
Liberal leader Justin Trudeau greets supporters as he makes his way through a crowd at a campaign rally in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. (Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press via AP. TORONTO (AP) — The son of a man who brought glamour and excitement to Canadian politics in the late 1960s is favoured to become Canada’s next prime minister. Justin Trudeau, the son of late Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, is leading in the polls ahead of today’s election that could spell the end of a decade of Conservative rule under Stephen Harper. Trudeau, tall and trim at 43, channels the star power — if not quite the political heft — of his father, who swept to power in 1968 on a wave of support dubbed “Trudeaumania.” Pierre Trudeau, who was prime minister until 1984 with a short interruption, remains one of the few Canadian politicians known in America, his charisma often drawing comparisons to John F. Kennedy. A bachelor when he became prime minister, he dated actresses Barbra Streisand and Kim Cattrall. At age 51 while in office, he married 22-year-old Margaret Sinclair, who earned
notoriety as first lady for partying with the Rolling Stones and at New York’s Studio 54. They had three sons, including Justin, the eldest. The couple divorced when Justin was six and the boys were raised by their father, who died in 2000. If he wins, Justin Trudeau, who has three young children with former model and television host Sophie Gregoire, would become the second youngest prime minister in Canada’s history, despite a thin resume. A former teacher who sported long hair until recently, Trudeau has been an opposition member of Parliament since 2008. Antonia Maioni, a political science professor at Montreal’s McGill University, said the room changes when Trudeau enters. “It’s like a celebrity thing.
Bill Clinton had that. Not many people or politicians can do that. Mr. Trudeau can do that. That’s why now you hear the Conservatives say it’s not a popularity contest,” Maioni said. “Mr. Trudeau can raise that kind of excitement in a room, but let’s be frank: he does not have a lot of political experience.” The Conservatives have blitzed the country with TV ads targeting Trudeau, saying “He’s just not ready.” But Trudeau is tapping into an appetite for change among many Canadians with promises to cut taxes for the middle class and increase them for the wealthy. He plans to spend billions on infrastructure, running deficits for three years to do so. And he has pledged to take in 25,000 Syrian refugees by the end of the year.
Reuters - Trade and investment between China and Britain can benefit further from a “golden era” in their bilateral relations, Prime Minister David Cameron said ahead of a state visit to London by Chinese President Xi Jinping. Cameron was echoing remarks by China’s ambassador to Britain, Liu Xiaoming, who said Xi’s visit from today to Friday would mark the dawn of a “golden time” in bilateral ties. “It’s going to be a very important moment for BritishChinese relations, which are in a very good state, something of a golden era in our relationship,” Cameron told China Central Television. “The change we will see is obviously the investment into our infrastructure, Chinese companies employing people and creating jobs. But I think it’s also a big win for China as well, having access to a country that is a leading member of the EU and has so many other contacts and roles in the world.” Cameron’s Conservative government is seeking to renegotiate the terms of Britain’s EU membership and will call a referendum by the end of 2017 on whether to stay or leave the bloc. Diplomats say Beijing is concerned about the implications of Britain, a strong advocate of free trade, exiting the EU and about any weakening of a bloc it views as a vital global counterbalance to the United States. Despite such concerns, Xi’s visit will take place in a cordial atmosphere and include a state banquet hosted by the Queen at Buckingham Palace.
China’s Xi Jinping shakes hands with David Cameron during a 2013 meeting in Beijing. Photograph: Xinhua/Reuters The British government has moved forcefully to strengthen financial ties with Beijing. Earlier this year, it broke ranks with the United States, its close ally, by signing up as a founding member of China’s new infrastructure investment bank. Cameron said British exports to China had quadrupled over the past decade and he shrugged off concerns about the current slowing of Chinese economic growth. “Obviously there are
issues at the moment that are being addressed in China and I think the growth will continue,” he said. Data due out today is expected to show Chinese growth fell below 7 percent in the third quarter for the first time since the global financial crisis. Chinese leaders have been trying to reassure global markets that Beijing is able to manage the world’s secondlargest economy after a shock devaluation of the yuan and a summer stock market plunge.
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Colombia govt., Turnout low in Egypt’s longrebels agree to joint awaited parliamentary election search for missing BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombia’s government and its biggest rebel movement say they’ll work together to locate thousands of people who vanished during more than 50 years of conflict, hoping to advance toward a permanent peace. Chief Government negotiator Humberto de la Calle said yesterday the agreement aims to ease “the profound pain of relatives of the disappeared” who have lived in permanent uncertainty for years. Representatives of the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia announced the
plan Saturday in Cuba, where they are holding talks on a peace treaty. They have committed to reach a final deal by March. Both sides agreed to give information on people who died, whether in combat or as victims of kidnappings, force disappearances or massacres. De la Calle said at a news conference in Bogota that an independent commission would be created to oversee the search for the missing. Some 25,000 people have been registered as missing since 1985. An estimated 220,000 have died and 5 million have been displaced from their homes during the conflict as a whole.
People queue to cast their vote at a polling station in Giza governorate, Egypt, yesterday. REUTERS/MOHAMED ABD EL GHANY Reuters - Many Egyptian voters shunned the first phase of a parliamentary election yesterday that President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has hailed as a milestone on the road to democracy but his critics have branded as a sham. Polling stations visited by Reuters correspondents pointed to a turnout of around 10 percent, in sharp contrast
to the long lines that formed in the 2012 election, suggesting that Sisi, who has enjoyed cult-like adulation, is losing popularity. Elderly supporters of Sisi comprised a large proportion of those turning out to vote, while younger Egyptians boycotted an election for a chamber they say will just rubber-stamp the president’s decisions.
“It’s not going to matter. It’s just for show, to show that we are a democracy, and we have elections, and blah blah blah any nonsense,” said Ahmed Mostafa, 25, who works in a lab. Ahmed Ibrahim, a 34year-old accountant, had a similar view. “The youth in Egypt, our ambition in 2011, we were going to build the country –
but then suddenly it was stolen from us,” he said. “Ninety-nine percent of my friends are not going to vote.” The government declared a half-day holiday today for state workers, apparently hoping to encourage more voting. Egypt has had no parliament since June 2012 when a court dissolved the democratically-elected main chamber, then dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood, reversing a key accomplishment of the 2011 uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak. In 2013 Sisi, then army chief, overthrew Egypt’s first freely-elected president in 2013, the Brotherhood’s Mohamed Mursi, then launched the fiercest crackdown on dissent in Egypt’s modern history. Human rights groups say Egypt has about 40,000 political prisoners, many of them supporters of Mursi. “The election is a farce. I don’t think anyone in Egypt is taking it seriously,” Muslim Brotherhood official Wafaa Hefny told Reuters yesterday.
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Monday October 19, 2015
PNP Leadership Stands Behind Portia Despite Poll Findings
In a release Saturday night, the PNP said its leaders emerged from the Candidates and Campaign Managers retreat united in its confidence in Simpson Miller. The Gleaner - The Leadership of the People’s National Party (PNP) says it is standing by its president Portia Simpson Miller despite a slew of negative poll findings. According to a Bill Johnson poll commissioned by The Gleaner, Simpson Miller has lost favour with Jamaicans who think she is inaccessible, has not stood by a promise to lead a transparent and accountable government and should not be Prime Minister past the next General Elections. In a release Saturday
night, the party said its leaders emerged from the Candidates and Campaign Managers retreat united in its confidence in Simpson Miller. The party says this confidence is bolstered by key performance indicators such as the significant reduction of the National Debt, the reduction in Inflation which now stands at the lowest in more than 30 years. It also cites the return of investor, business and consumer confidence in Jamaica to the economy.
According to the PNP, these are indisputable and tangible signs of the correctness of the decisions being taken by the Simpson Miller Administration. It says the country has needed bold and decisive leadership for years, and Simpson Miller displays these traits. The party did, however, note that there is work that needs to be done to retain the confidence of Jamaicans in the PNP to ensure that it can continue on the path for the further development.
Holness says that JLP ‘wandering in the wilderness’ for too long KINGSTON, Jamaica – Leader of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), Andrew Holness, says he agrees with Labourites who believe that the party has been “wandering in the wilderness for far too long”. The Opposition Leader told supporters from the JLP constituency of North Western St Andrew at Curphey Place in Kingston, that he was depending on them to spread the message to the wider public, that the country has suffered immeasurable economic and social losses over the past 26 years due primarily to the rule of the People’s National Party (PNP), for 22 of those years. “I know that some of you feel that we have been wandering in the wilderness for far too long, far too long. (But), in the last 26 years, the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP)
Andrew Holness has held power for four years,” he stated. Holness said that he was depending on the successful constituency teams like North Western St Andrew’s, which has kept former
A mini health check is the first step to donating blood.
Cabinet minister, Derrick Smith, in Parliament for the past 26 years, to help him spread the message that JLP could not be blamed for the failures of government over the past 25 years. He said that it took the JLP its four years (2007-2011) as government to transform the economy, while grappling with a severe global economic crisis and destructive natural disasters. “You are a worker for this transformational party, and you are the heroes in the street for us, bringing the message to the people that the JLP can transform Jamaica from poverty to prosperity,” he told those gathered. The function was held by the North West St Andrew JLP constituency executive to honour its workers, including members of the executive, election indoor and outdoor agents, and runners. The Opposition leader and his wife were guests of the function. (Jamaica Observer)
Monday October 19, 2015
Kaieteur News
Brazil’s president backs finance minister, austerity drive
Brazil’s Finance Minister Joaquim Levy and Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff participate in the signing ceremony for the concession contract of the BR-101 Rio-Niteroi Bridge at the Planalto Palace in Brasilia. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Brazil President Dilma Rousseff yesterday expressed support for Finance Minister Joaquim Levy and said the government will continue efforts to push austerity measures through Brazil’s Congress. “Finance Minister Levy stays,” Rousseff told reporters during a visit to Sweden, following a flurry of speculation in Brazilian media in recent days that the finance chief was getting ready to step down. The comments come as Rousseff, a beleaguered leftist struggling to revive an economy now in its worst recession in nearly three decades, seeks to counter criticism against Levy by many officials from within her own Workers’ Party. Levy, a former banker seeking to introduce austerity measures needed to rebalance overdrawn government accounts, faces increasing criticism from ruling party officials who oppose the measures and support economic stimulus instead. In her comments to reporters in Stockholm, Rousseff said a meeting last Friday with Levy was a discussion about how to move forward with economic policy, not a conversation, as widely reported, about his possible departure. The government, she added, will continue efforts to push the austerity measures through a Congress that has been reluctant to approve them. “Crucial,” she said, is a
proposed tax on financial transactions that is needed to boost government revenues that have plummeted in recent years. Yesterday, the Folha de S. Paulo newspaper published
an interview in which Rui Falcão, president of the Workers’ Party, said Rousseff should shift away from the austerity push and that Levy should leave if he did not agree.
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China fully funded children’s hospital, so...
Govt. to probe $239M spent
Trinidad Guardian Finance Minister Colm Imbert is set to probe why $239 million was allocated by the previous government towards the Couva Children’s Hospital when the project was being fully funded by the Chinese government. He raised the issue Saturday during the Standing Finance Committee meeting on the expenditure of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development held at the Parliament. Imbert said it was his understanding that the project was financed through a government-to-government loan facility with the Chinese government and therefore, normally, there was no obligation for the T&T Government to finance the construction of the hospital.
The lender is the Export Import Bank of China on behalf of China. The loan matures in 20 years. Imbert was responding to questions raised by Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar. But in trying to find out why no allocation was made towards the hospital in 2016, she found herself being crossquestioned by Imbert. On August 14, PersadBissessar “opened” the hospital; however, it has since remained closed to the public. Persad-Bissessar said an allocation of $130 million was made in 2014, an estimate of $140 million in 2015 with a revised allocation of $109 million, and then “nothing” in 2016 for the hospital. She said, “No allocation is
being made in 2016 and I am asking why. Is it that the hospital construction has been complete? Imbert said, “Well, you opened it.” Persad-Bissessar then said she was asking a question and that he was now in charge. After much crosstalk, he said it was Persad-Bissessar who was the prime minister at the time who promoted the project and secured financing from the Chinese government. “She cut the ribbon and opened the hospital with great fanfare just before the election. So, it’s just wrong for the Honourable Leader of the Opposition to say or pretend that she does not know. This project, if you have been paying attention, has been transferred to the
Ministry of Health and I think we now need to investigate this since this was supposed to be fully funded by the Chinese. We need to know why the Government of Trinidad and Tobago was spending money on this project and I can assure you that there will be an investigation.” He said too that he was shocked that PersadBissessar would ask if construction was completed on the hospital. “I assure this Parliament that we will find out whether that building was complete or not. We will advise the national population through the medium of this Parliament,” Imbert said. Contacted after Parliament, Imbert said he
also intended to look at the 2013 expenditure to see if any money was allocated towards the project. He said via text, “This is a very expensive project, at $1.5 billion where the construction cost was $1 billion, and another $500 million was for fees, etc. “That is an unusually high amount for nonconstruction costs, which are usually a maximum of 20 per cent of the construction cost for a specialised project.” According to a June 1, 2013, article on news.gov.tt, the estimated cost of construction of the children’s hospital was $975 million. The article said funding for the institution was through a government-togovernment arrangement with
Finance Minister Colm Imbert China. It said the hospital will stand on a 60-acre site on lands from the former Caroni (1975) Ltd. However, by June 25, 2013, it was announced by former health minister Dr Fuad Khan that Cabinet had approved $1.521 billion for the project.
Venezuela buys 25 percent stake in US pursuing Warner’s claim of Antigua and Barbuda Oil Co. political corruption in Trinidad
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad — Late last month, the extradition hearing in Trinidad in relation to corruption-accused Jack Warner was postponed until December 2, after Warner’s attorneys requested more time so they could travel to the US and discuss extradition terms. According to confidential sources, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) may be more receptive to such a discussion in the light of unrelated claims made by Warner. An earlier invitation to open a dialogue with the US Department of Justice (DOJ) in the immediate aftermath of his indictment in New York on May 27, 2015, on multiple counts of racketeering, bribery and money laundering and his subsequent arrest in Trinidad was said to have been rebuffed by Warner. Since then, claims by Warner in relation to an ultimately unsuccessful extradition attempt by US authorities of two local businessmen accused of bribery and corruption in relation to the Piarco airport expansion project have apparently triggered increased interest on the part of the DOJ in talking to him. Specifically, Warner has alleged that he witnessed then Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla PersadBissessar accepting TT$8.3 million (US$1.3 million) from local businessmen Ish Galbaransingh and Steve Ferguson in exchange for legislative protection against
Former Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar (left) and Jack Warner extradition. These allegations have also been referred to the AntiCorruption Bureau of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service but they have not responded to several requests for an update in this respect. It is believed by US authorities that there may be some substance to Warner’s allegations because, in responding to these assertions, Persad Bissessar appeared to be deliberately evasive and tried to obfuscate the relevant timeline. Specifically, she stated that in November 2011 the Trinidad court halted any move to have Galbaransingh and Ferguson extradited as being “unjust, oppressive and unlawful”. “This was well before the proclamation of Section 34 (in fact, almost one year before). So that claim of a connection is, as others, absolute nonsense,” she said in a press
statement. What she failed to mention and apparently tried to obscure was that, while the extradition of Galbaransingh and Ferguson to the US was halted by the local court in 2011, they could still have been prosecuted for the same offence(s) under Trinidad law. However, the passage of new legislation, which included the so-called “Section 34”, the following year allowed them to escape all local charges as well. In response to a request for official confirmation as to whether or not the DOJ has an active ongoing interest in the circumstances in which Galbaransingh and Ferguson apparently managed to escape justice completely, Peter Carr of the Office of Public Affairs said, “As a matter of policy, we generally do not comment on extradition-related matters.” (Caribbean News)
ST. JOHN’S, Antigua (AP) — Venezuela announced Saturday that its state-owned oil company will buy a 25 percent stake in West Indies Oil Co. and that it will establish a regional bank with the Antigua and Barbuda government to fund a new resort. The announcement came during a visit to Antigua by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was on a whirlwind weekend Caribbean tour that included stops at three other nations — Suriname, St. Lucia and Grenada. He was meeting with their leaders to discuss economic and social development initiatives. Venezuelan officials said
the regional bank would finance the new Simon Bolivar Resort Hotel and other development projects using resources generated by the Petrocaribe programme, which provides low-cost oil financing to Caribbean and Central American countries and invests in social development projects. Executives at Venezuela’s state oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela SA, said the purchase of a stake in West Indies Oil Co. was just the beginning of “joint investments” between the countries. The Caribbean nations visited by Maduro are members of the Petrocaribe programme, which critics say
has lost effectiveness with the drop in oil prices. Last March, Barclays analysts estimated Venezuela had cut the programme’s daily oil shipments in half, to 200,000 barrels from 400,000. Maduro defended the programme Saturday, saying Venezuela is looking to increase cooperation with its Caribbean neighbours. “Petrocaribe is a reality and it is our starting point, our foundation to build a powerful economic zone,” Maduro said. Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne said that he and Maduro “agreed to work in various areas of cooperation.”
Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne (left) greets Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro on his arrival at the VC Bird International Airport.
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De Kock, Morkel power South Re: Legitimacy of Voters for the Africa to 2-1 lead in India GFF Elections of Office Bearers Letter to the Sports Editor
DEAR SIR, With the public pronouncement of four (4) out of five (5) Presidential hopefuls for the acclaimed winner’s prize, in the upcoming Electoral Congress of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) which will be held under the auspices of the Normalization Committee, in November 2015, Editor, first and foremost I must compliment the honesty of the GDF’s Coast Guard Commander, John Flores, “dismisses claim of GFF Presidency run (S.N.09.10.15).” However, for public edification and the records, the current President, Guyana Volleyball Federation (GVF) was once a Vice President of the Georgetown Football League (GFL), under the Presidency of former President, Colin Klass. With Messrs.: Odinga Lumumba, Alfred King, Rawlston Adams and “new kid on the block”, Commander, A-Division, Clifton Hickens. By and large, my principled positon and personal perspective is: Within the public elimination process; it is not who is likely to succeed! But rather, who must not be counted as a Presidential hopeful; much less be the President; given their previous “history of woes; failures, lack of vision/ foresight; towards ensuring the Association and the nation’s football, can be integrated into the 21st century! In words of the late Ashton Taylor, a former national player and national coach, “We cannot continue playing stone-age football, aided by a Jurassic style of administration/ leadership”. With nothing personal against the Commander since I don’t know him personally, or his administrative capabilities, in relation football, hence, my evaluation of his candidacy would be: “Too inexperienced for the Presidency, GFF, channel and focus your energies on the GFA, of which Police FC is an affiliate. Restore, Rebuild, Reorganize and Reclaim the GFA’s image. Establish for the first time ever a Nursery in Police F.C, participating in all youth competitions of the GFA. Develop a female programme! Commander, there are enough schools within close proximity of Police ground; this is most important for the GPF to adopt. In actuality, Hicken’s vision of “My focus is on developing youths” once rightfully implemented, can restore the GFA’s
creditability of acquiring meaningful sponsorship! Meanwhile in relation to MP, Lumumba a radicalized revolutionist, a former 2 times GFA President, Hon. Secretary and President, Alpha United, with more experience than any other Presidential hopeful administratively. The individual’s bid first and foremost will ultimately depend on securing a nomination and seconder! Additionally, the composition of his supporting cast (slate) must be foolproof, compounded by an acceptable manifesto and the wherewithal to reach out to all Associations and Affiliates in campaigning. Would his political acumen aid his cause strategically? Would he be an attentive listener to the views of others? Once these can be achieved Lumumba like the others has a chance. P.S Alfred King, articulate, astute with an insight into Constitutionality and Parliamentary procedures, the President of the Referees Council have transformed that body over the years, into something meaningful! A candidate in 2011, along with Aubrey “Shanghai” Major and Ivan Persaud, all of whom lost out to eventual but disgraced winner Christopher Matthias, King’s popularity can work well in his favour, which is a plus ahead of the others. Rawlston Adams, General Manager, Demerara Harbour Bridge, a former Vice-President, under Matthias; Adam’s professionalism as a nononsense individual, also articulate, supports documentation rather oral indications “for the records sake”! His resignation began the process for Matthias’ demise and subsequent eviction by FIFA/ CONCACAF, paving the way for the installation of a Normalization Committee. What Rawlston lacks in experience and popularity can definitely be surpassed with his manifesto and composition of his slate. A symbol of “integrity and professionalism”also is befitting Alfred King. Finally, with the largest association, Georgetown “being caught between a rock and a hard place”! Its descendancy with “supersonic speed” into maladministration, devoid of a structural developmental plan, is in dire need of a metamorphosis; albeit a total rebirth. As a consequence good sense must prevail in the minds of the electorate towards an infusion of modern ideas and definitely not a transformation into a
“launching pad compliments of NASA! In local idioms” Matthias got guts, where is he going”? Can flowery speeches work again? What more does he need to achieve within football administration? Further destruction and additional indebtedness! Already, the individual is in the history books of the nation’s football, as the only President, both at the GFA and GFF that never served out an entire term. A “vote of no confidence” in 2001 and FIFA ousting in 2014 were both contributory factors! At this crucial juncture, can the sport continue with recycled failures? If so, then former President, Colin Klass must be reinstated and not reelected! By the way are all of the GFA affiliates houses in order? Which club has nominated Matthias? And who is the seconder, confirming to parliamentary procedures? By the way the 5 Elite clubs, along with their executive can have no participation in the GFA’s Elections of Office Bearers. Since this would be a conflict of interest; dual affiliation and registration, surely against the norms of FIFA. Speaking of FIFA, does its statues grants voting rights to the Referees Council, Coaches Association and Women’s Association? Have their status received an upgrade from Committee Member/ Association to Affiliate? When did the GFA convene an Emergency General Council Meeting to fill the existing vacancies within its executives? Is Beacons FC still a full-fledged affiliate of the GFA, following its previous poor track record, in conceding walkovers in the most recent GFA Senior Competition? Respectfully yours, Lester Sealey
Quinton de Kock made his fourth ODI ton against India in seven innings, India v South Africa, 3rd ODI, Rajkot, October 18, 2015. (BCCI) RAJKOT, India (Reuters) Opening batsman Quinton de Kock provided the early flourish with the bat with his seventh century while fast bowler Morne Morkel applied the finishing touch with four wickets as South Africa beat India by 18 runs on Sunday to take a 2-1 series lead. The 22-year-old de Kock continued his purple patch in ODIs against India, scoring his fourth century in seven innings against the opponents to set up South Africa’s total of 270-7 in 50 overs after they chose to bat on winning the toss. The hosts lost opener Shikhar Dhawan (13) early to Morkel but looked well poised for a victory charge with halfcenturies from Rohit Sharma (65) and Virat Kohli (77). Opening batsman Rohit and Kohli added 72 for the second wicket before the former fell to a smart return catch from part-time offspinner JP Duminy. Kohli then added 80 for the next wicket with his captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (47) to keep India in the hunt before Morkel returned to strike. The South African plan of bowling short at the
batsmen’s bodies while packing the leg side boundary with four fielders proved effective. After Dhoni failed to negotiate a short delivery from the tall Morkel, Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane holed out deep on the mid-wicket fence on consecutive deliveries in the paceman’s final over, which put paid to India’s hopes of chasing down the total. India could only manage 252 for six in their 50 overs. Earlier, South Africa sent David Miller, who had scored 13 and nought in the series, to open the innings to help him regain form and the new opening pair gave the touring side the ideal start with a stand of 72. India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh and legspinner Amit Mishra stemmed the flow of runs while bowling in tandem and gave away 79 runs between themselves in their 20 overs, picking up a wicket each. De Kock, who hit 11 fours
and a six in his knock, added another 118 for the third wicket with Faf du Plessis (60) to set up a solid platform for South Africa for a late assault. Du Plessis lived a charmed life on his way to his third consecutive 50 in the series. Suresh Raina and Dhawan dropped him twice while the right-hander was also caught when on 16 but replays showed Mohit Sharma’s delivery was a noball. His dismissal to Mohit sparked a mini-collapse and South Africa were suddenly reduced from 205-2 to 210-5 in the space of nine deliveries. South Africa captain Ab de Villiers and de Kock, who was run out by a direct throw from Dhawan, were the two other batsmen out during that period which robbed South Africa of momentum. Scores: South Africa 270 for 7 (de Kock 103, Mohit 262) beat India 252 for 6 (Kohli 77, Rohit 65, Morkel 4-39) by 18 runs.
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Dominant Djokovic dispatches Tsonga in Shanghai final SHANGHAI (Reuters) It proved all too easy once again for Novak Djokovic as the world number one continued his frightening dominance of men’s tennis by blitzing past Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to win another Shanghai Masters title on Sunday. The Serbian, 10-times a grand slam champion, brushed aside the challenge of a befuddled Tsonga 6-1 6-4 to claim his third Shanghai Masters and ninth title of a standout year that has left him being spoken of among the sport’s all-time greats. Djokovic won three grand slams this year, was runner-up at the French Open and since suffering a surprise quarter-final loss to Ivo Karlovic in Qatar in January has made the final of all 13 events he has played. The 30-year-old Tsonga had shown his serving prowess in taking out Rafa Nadal in three tight sets in the semi-finals on Saturday but against the imperious returning skills of Djokovic he had no answers. The 28-year-old Serb nullified Tsonga’s most potent weapon to break his three opening service games and take a first set which the Frenchman played predominantly way behind the baseline. Things improved for Tsonga at the start of the second set where he worked hard to fight off break points and stay on serve through the opening eight games as the Serb sauntered through his own service. But the pressure proved too much, Djokovic pummeling balls to all angles with supreme court coverage at the expense of just eight unforced errors and he broke at the third attempt in the crucial ninth game and served out for victory. SERVICE RETURNS “Today the key was to get as many serves back into play to Jo because he has one of the biggest serves in the game,” Djokovic told the ATP website (www.atpworldtour.com). “He has shown that in the second set, with some break points early in the set. He came up with some aces, some big serves.” It was a second straight tournament Djokovic had won without dropping a set after he landed his sixth China Open title in Beijing last week. The Serb now boasts a 38-1 win loss record on the Chinese hardcourts. “Generally I felt always in control of the match. I felt like I’ve done everything right. I didn’t allow him to get into the rhythm, get into the match,” he said.
Monday October 19, 2015
Wallabies squeeze through to semi-final with Pumas
Scotland’s Greig Laidlaw in action. (Action Images via Reuters / Henry BrowneLivepic)
Novak Djokovic of Serbia kisses the trophy after winning the men’s singles final match against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France at the Shanghai Masters tennis tournament in Shanghai, China, October 18, 2015. (Reuters/Damir Sagolj) Tsonga will be comforted by his strong showing in China, which helped move him up to ninth in the race to qualify for the eight man end-of-season ATP Tour Finals in London next month. “The first set went quick,” Tsonga said. “It’s not easy to stop him. He is really consistent on his return. Today I didn’t serve well enough, especially in the first set. “After that, in the second, I served a little bit better, and it gave me the opportunity to have a chance on his serve. But finally I was not able to do it.” The victory was Djokovic’s 57th ATP Tour title, moving him within two of Nadal’s mark of 27 Masters Series crowns and took his prize money for the year past a record $16 million.
LONDON (Reuters) Completion of a southern hemisphere sweep of the Rugby World Cup quarterfinals took some unexpected twists and turns before Australia edged Scotland in a dramatic finish at Twickenham on Sunday to line up a semi-final clash with Argentina. The Pumas, seen as the least likely to reach the last four before the weekend, scored four tries in a convincing 43-20 victory over injury-depleted Ireland in Cardiff before the Scots threatened a big upset in London. Scotland, who had beaten the Wallabies in two of their last three tests, led 16-15 at halftime and 34-32 going into the final minute in a downpour only to lose 35-34 after flyhalf Bernard Foley kicked a controversial penalty at the death. Both semi-finals will be played at Twickenham next weekend with holders New Zealand taking on South Africa in the other after a Six Nations team failed to reach the last four for the first time. Scotland had a second
semi-final since 1991 within their grasp but South African referee Craig Joubert would not be swayed in his decision to give Australia the last-gasp penalty in a controversial offside decision at a lineout. Before that, Australia had scored five tries, two by Drew Mitchell who took his World Cup tally to 14, one short of joint record holders Bryan Habana of South Africa and former All Black Jonah Lomu. Scotland’s reply in a match that swayed one way then the other included three tries and 19 points from the trusted boot of their inspirational captain Greig Laidlaw. A gutted Laidlaw, the tournament’s top scorer with 79 points, wondered why Joubert had not checked with the TMO on his penalty decision when the ball had appeared to come off a Wallaby jersey. “They go to the TMO for everything else. It was such a big decision, why didn’t they go to the TMO for that?” asked Laidlaw. Despite Scottish frustration, a World Rugby spokesman said the South
African had been right and that such an incident did not fall under the protocols for involving the TMO. Australian coach Michael Cheika said: “It’s a penalty and that’s the way it works. You’ve still got to kick it.” That is what Foley, not at his place kicking best earlier in the match when he missed three conversions, did from the touchline. Cheika also admitted to Australia having maybe played into Scottish hands by sticking to their favoured running rugby, saying: “We didn’t go to a kicking game, maybe that was a bit naive from me. Maybe we shouldn’t have opened it up for them.” PUMAS POWER Argentina made a scintillating, almost error free start to their quarter-final at the Millennium Stadium and ran up a 17-0 lead with their first two tries by centre Matias Moroni and wing Juan Imhoff always appearing to have one and sometimes two men extra in their attacks down the wings. Ireland, deprived through injury of top players including flyhalf Johnny Sexton and captain Paul O’Connell, fought back to within three points early in the second half at 23-20 down after tries by Luke Fitzgerald, thanks in part to a yellow card for prop Ramiro Herrera, and Jordi Murphy. But the last 15 minutes belonged to Argentina, with tries from fullback Joaquin Tuculet and a second for Imhoff, a sign of the progress in the last four years of Rugby Championship experience by a side who in the past failed to stay in the game for the full 80. Imhoff, whose tries took his Argentine World Cup record to seven, said the Pumas defence had made the difference. “Ireland played with a great intensity. We are a really good team in offence. But today we had a defence to make the difference,” he said.
Monday October 19, 2015
Kaieteur News
MotoGP: Marc Marquez wins thrilling race in Australia
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Lennox Allen continues his winning ways Stops Hungarian, Istvan Zeller in 2nd round
Marc Marquez won a thrilling race in Australia. (Getty Images) BBC Sport - Reigning MotoGP champion Marc Marquez snatched the lead from Jorge Lorenzo on the final lap to win a thrilling Australian Grand Prix. Honda’s 22-year-old Spaniard, who started on pole, overtook his compatriot on the last turn to win his fifth race of 2015 by 0.249 seconds. Lorenzo is now 11 points behind Yamaha team-mate Valentino Rossi in the overall standings with two races to go. Rossi was narrowly beaten to third by Ducati’s fellow Italian Andrea Iannone. Seven-time world champion Rossi, 36, was racing in a record-equalling 328th grand prix. He was aiming for his 16th podium on his 19th trip to Australia but was ultimately
unable to match Iannone’s greater speed. Marquez’s win - his 24th in 52 race starts - was his first in a premier-class race at Phillip Island after he crashed out while leading last year and was disqualified in 2013. It came at the end of an exhilarating battle between the top four riders, who were separated by just 1.058 seconds. “During the race I felt well but at the beginning there were many overtakes between me, Valentino, MotoGP world standings Rider 1. Valentino Rossi (Italy) 2. Jorge Lorenzo (Spain) 3. Marc Marquez (Spain) 4. Andrea Iannone (Italy) 5. Dani Pedrosa (Spain)
Andrea and Jorge who opened some gaps,” said Marquez, who had been fastest in all four practice and qualifying sessions and produced a track record of one minute, 29.280 seconds on the final lap. “I didn’t expect to overtake Jorge but I’m really happy with this victory because we’ve pushed really hard.” Cal Crutchlow finished seventh on his Honda, with fellow Britons Bradley Smith and Scott Redding 10th and 11th respectively. Team Yamaha Yamaha Honda Ducati Honda
Points 296 285 222 188 165
Jorge Lorenzo (right) cut Valentino Rossi’s championship lead to 11 points. (AP)
Boxer in critical condition with brain injury after Virginia bout (Reuters) Boxer Prichard Colon was fighting for his life on Sunday after sustaining an illegal blow to the head during a bout in a Washington, D.C. suburb, the fight’s promoter said. The super welterweight from Puerto Rico was injured during his 10-round fight with Terrel Williams in Fairfax, Virginia, on Saturday, promoter Lou DiBella said in a statement. Colon, 23, showed symptoms of head trauma in his dressing room following his bout and was rushed to the hospital where he underwent surgery to relieve pressure on his brain, DiBella said.
Colon remained in critical condition on Sunday, according to DiBella. An online video of the fight showed Williams, a 31-year-old fighter from Los Angeles, punching Colon in the back of the head in the seventh round, a shot that appeared to stun Colon, who was briefly examined in his corner. Williams was penalized for the illegal punch. Colon was then knocked down twice in the ninth round. He was disqualified after the ninth round his corner mistakenly took off his gloves, thinking it was the final round and that the fight was complete.
Lennox Allen needed just 1:31secs of the second round to dispose of Hungarian, Istvan Zeller, when the two fighters squared off last Saturday evening at the Eagle Bank Arena, Fairfax, Virginia USA. The Guyanese pugilist wasted little time after the first gong sounded and rushed over to his man with a series of head and body shots. Zeller opted to block most of the blows but was clearly out of his league. This proved insufficient and he was sent to the canvass twice. He rose after the second knockdown with blood spurting from his nose which was later diagnosed to be broken. To his credit, he managed to last out the first stanza. Boxing out of a southpaw stance, Allen upped the ante in the second stanza and
connected with several telling blows that pushed his opponent to the ropes. His highly held guards were certainly not enough to stem the flow of punches from Allen and after an especially wicked volley connected to his head Zeller fell, forcing referee, Danny Schiavone, to jump in and wave off the one sided bout leaving no work for judges, Don Trella, Tom Carusone and Steve Weisfeld. Allen now sports a record of 20 victories from 21 fights. He has improved his knockout ratio to 62% and his only blemish is a drawn decision against American, Darnell Boone, in August 2010. The Guyanese champion is being tutored by Aureliano Sosa and he said that he is satisfied that his trainer has his interest at heart. Quizzed
on plans for the future, Allen, who operates through an agent group, Debella Entertainment, revealed that he will engage his team shortly to decide on the way forward. The Guyanese pugilist operates out of the Cops & Kids Boxing Gym in Brooklyn and jogs along the pavements of New York’s streets during roadwork sessions early in the mornings. He said that he will only need a few days rest before resuming his schedule. Zeller’s record has now dipped to 9 losses with 24 wins. He has been victorious in his last 4 bouts, before the Allen bout with the most recent being a unanimous victory over his countryman, Jozsef Kormany when the two squared off last month, September 5. His knockout ratio remains at 22%.
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Monday October 19, 2015
Several companies on board More sponsorship for Flying Ace for Rising Sun Rodeo Cycle Club track attack meet
With just one week to go before rodeo day a number of companies are on board with others expected to sign up as preparation continue for the only coastland Rodeo activity held in Guyana. The much anticipated event which is set for this Sunday October 25th at the Rising Sun Turf, Club Arima Park, West Coast, Berbice is expected to begin at 11:00 hrs. With this turning out to be one of the biggest Rodeos held at the venue so far. The Ministry of Tourism and the Guyana Tourism Authority along with Beverage giants Banks DIH Limited, Trophy Stall of Bourda market are among the leading sponsors so far. With other major sponsorship coming from Jumbo Jet Auto Sales, Ishan Bacchus ‘Hard Runnings’ Trucking Service, Shariff Business Enterprise and racing Stables, Metro Office
and Computer Supplies, Hablaw Meat Centre, Chester Fry of Bush Lot West Coast and Rising Sun Cattle ranch among others. According to organizer Fazal Habibulla there are a number of new events and features this year, but he does not want to let everything out of the bag too early. Habibulla stated that he is pleased with the way things are going so far. He said that they are taking no chances as they prepare the venue for the big day and the anticipated large crowd that is expected to be on hand. The Rodeo area has been dug up and is presently being prepared with wetting and leveling taking place on a regular basis. Rehabilitation works have almost being completed on the Grand Stand and other Pavilion, while the entire arena is being given a face lift. In the meanwhile, a number of Vaqueros from
overseas and Hinterland Guyana are expected to arrive within the next day or two. These vaqueros along with the posse from the coastland are expected to be at the venue during the week practicing their stuff for the event. With the anticipated skills, thrills and spills expected to take centre stage once again. Among the events listed on the agenda are steer roping, bare back bronco, male and female barrel race, wild cow milking, calf roping, wild bull riding, saddle bronco along with the Rodeo King competition and the popular Tug O War events. A number of other novelty events are also carded for the days programme included the beer drinking competition, wine on horseback etc. The clown and the joker are expected to be in attendance once again. (Samuel Whyte)
Aguilleira hits half-century but Windies Women lose to Pakistan Women
Coach Randolph Roberts receives the sponsorship from a representative of the Sentinel Security Service in New Amsterdam. The Flying Ace Cycle Club (FACC) continues to receive assistance for their upcoming track attack cycling event slated for Sunday 8th November at the Area H Ground Rose Hall Town, Corentyne Berbice. The latest donation came from the Sentinel Security Services. The security company, which has operations throughout Guyana, has an office in Berbice and is not the first time they are associating with the club. Coach Randolph Roberts stated that the donation will go a far way in helping the club realize its dream and host yet another successful cycling event. Roberts also used the opportunity to call on others including former
members both home and abroad and business persons to come on board and assist the club in keeping youths off the streets and gainfully occupied. Apart from cycling there will also be flat races and a number of novelty events on the day. Cyclists and athletes from all over Berbice including New Amsterdam, Canje, West Berbice and Corentyne are expected to trek to the venue to be a part of the day’s activities. There will be events for open juniors, juveniles, BMX, veterans, school boys, starters, females and school girls including the 5000M, 3000M, 1500M, 1000M events, the devil take the hindmost and the
unknown distance among other races. There will also be flat races of various categories, distances and age groups including the much anticipated 100M, 200M and 400M events and a few distance races. All the top cyclist of the club including other riders and athletes who are preparing for annual National track, Field, cycling and swimming championships slated for November are expected to take part in the day’s action. Coach of the club Randolph Roberts said that sport is one of the few activities which help to keep youths focused. The day’s event is expected to ride off at 10:00 hrs. (Samuel Whyte)
All-rounder Campbelle joins Windies Women for ODI series Merissa Aguilleira cuts during the first One Day International between West Indies Women and Pakistan Women on Friday at the Beausejour Cricket Ground. (PHOTO: WICB/MEDIA) GROS ISLET, St Lucia (CMC) — West Indies Women succumbed to Pakistan Women by six wickets despite a patient halfcentury from Merissa Aguilleira in their first One Day International (ODI) at Gros Islet here on Friday night. Aguilleira, the former captain, compiled the top score of 67 to bring West Indies back into the match after they slumped to 96 for five, sent in by Pakistan. Javeria Khan hit 90 to guide the visitors as they successfully chased the 223 set by West Indies with 11 balls to spare to take a 1-0 lead
in the four-match series. Openers Kycia Knight (16) and Hayley Matthews (14) got West Indies off to a decent start with a 28-run opening stand, but both players lost their wickets in quick succession. New Captain Stafanie Taylor scored 27 and Deandra Dottin 19 to stabilise the innings in a 37-run thirdwicket stand before the hosts against lost quick wickets to be reduced to 96 for five. However, wicketkeeper Aguilleira struck five fours in an unbeaten knock to revive the innings, and with Britney Cooper, who scored 37, got Windies past 150.
The home side was able to plunder 66 off the last 75 balls to end on 222 for nine. Pakistan got off to a solid start with Javeria and Marina Iqbal putting on 54 for the first wicket in 83 balls. Javeria put on partnerships of 49 and 79 for the second and third wickets with Bismah Maroof (21) and Nain Abidi (31) as Pakistan inched closer to the target. Dottin was the pick of the West Indian bowlers with two wickets for 44 runs, while Stacy-Ann King, who scored 20, leaked 22 runs, but ended with the prized scalp of Javeria who was caught by Mohammed.
GROS-ISLET, St Lucia (CMC) — Allrounder Shemaine Campbelle has been added to West Indies Women’s squad for the remainder of the One Day International (ODI) home series against Pakistan Women, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) announced. The Windies Women will now have a 14-member squad for the last three matches of the series which have ICC Women’s Championship points on offer. They lost to Pakistan by six wickets in the first ODI here on Friday night despite a half-century from former Captain Merissa Aguilliera. Vice-captain and medium-fast bowler Shakera Selman missed the opener with a foot injury and is being treated by the medical staff. The 25-year-old Campbelle, a stylish right-handed batsman and part-time offspinner, made her international debut six years ago and has played 61 ODIs. The second ODI takes place today at the Beausejour Cricket Ground starting at 2:00 pm Eastern Caribbean time.
Shemaine Campbelle (WICB)