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Kaieteur News
Wednesday October 31, 2012
Letters... Where your views make the news
Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: Adam Harris Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210
EDITORIAL
Sandy’s Cautions Hurricane Sandy should serve as a wake-up call for us in Guyana. Natural disasters abound across the globe – earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanoes, tsunamis, etc. and we in Guyana used to take pride about this a bit. We ignore the fact that the vast majority of our population are living in a man-made bowl on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, with the seawall in the north and conservancy dams in the south. Any threats to those man-made barriers would subject large numbers of our population to inundation either from the ocean or the conservancy. And was the case as late as 2005. Those threats can arise from a variety of sources: a breach in our dilapidated seawall, a breach in the conservancy dams or excessive rainfall, as occurred in January. Then there are the man-made disasters such as the Omai spill. When the rains came in December 2004, leading to the great flood of 2005, President Jagdeo could not even find the then head of the CDC – Dr. Luncheon. We now know that absolutely nothing had been done to get Guyana in any shape to deal with the major identified disaster that could befall us. Rather than continuing to look backwards, however, the different responses to the destruction wrought by Sandy in the Caribbean versus that in the US cautions us that we cannot hope to muddle through another flood. We were comparatively lucky in 2005 – even though we endured untold suffering, lost thirty-five lives, and $100 billion in property and goods. There has to be a plan and we have to all trained in our roles to execute the plan. In the Caribbean some 69 lives – 51 from Haiti alone were lost after Sandy swept through our islands. There was more than US$4 billion in damage – mostly in Cuba and Haiti, two islands that can least afford such a reconstruction drive. In contrast, the US suffered less loss of lives and proportionately smaller economic damage - primarily because it had disaster preparedness plans in place. Excepting for Cuba, it became painfully obvious that our Caribbean islands, especially Haiti and Jamaica were unprepared. For us in Guyana, the question is, “What is the state of the disaster preparedness plan that was hopefully tweaked after 2005?” Has it been updated to take into account our expansion into the interior, for instance? And potential disasters will not arise only from natural phenomena. There are several international companies drilling for oil off our coast. Apart from talking about preventing a Gulfscale disaster, do we have actual contingency plans in place for such an eventuality? The last well had to be abandoned and capped more than three miles under the sea because of excess pressure. Any plan would have short, medium and long term components. We have heard much of the emergency work that has been done, say, on our drainage facilities and the conservancy dams since 2005. The December rains should give us an indication of how effective these efforts were. What is the state of our evacuation option? Sandy cautions that if the people are not drilled in evacuation exercises, the actual event will be disastrous. Compare the orderly evacuations on the US Eastern Seaboard with the confusion in the Kingston, Jamaica shantytowns last week. Sandy cautions us that if we only prepare for the minimum disaster scenario, we may be setting ourselves up for a fall, or in our case, a flood. In the medium term, what are our plans as far as the height of our dams? In the long term, we know that global warming will cause the Atlantic to rise appreciably. What are our plans in relation to our sea walls which were built to deal with only a four-foot-below-sea-level coastline? If that option is prohibitively expensive, does it change our views on relocation into our interior? These are only some of the cautions of Sandy.
Keep a close eye on the Linden Commission DEAR EDITOR, There is need for the Guyanese public to closely observe the process of the Linden Commission of Inquiry. Its progress so far, because of both apparent lawyers’ restraint and puzzling signals from one of the Commission’s members, barely rises above the standard of a departmental hearing. The United Nations Protocol for Law Enforcement Officers indeed lays down that criminal responsibility in cases of the use of deadly fire falls on the offending officer and cannot be excused by “higher orders”. But while it lays direct responsibility on the operatives, responsibility for “higher orders” must also be pursued. The pursuit of Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee, however unpopular he is, will not shift responsibility from those firing. Minister Rohee’s own alleged conduct, however, raises other matters bearing on his ministerial responsibilities. The International Committee in Continuing Defence of Linden cannot accept such an early attempt by a Commissioner to provisionally clear the Minister, as reported in the media, before the Minister had a chance to explain his alleged meddling and his disregard for the Rule of Law, especially since this behaviour seems to be treated by one Commissioner as “privilege”. Reported
evidence seems to indicate that Minister Rohee may have had conversations with officers on the site at some time after the shooting. This report must be followed up and examined if there is to be a fair process. No country can tolerate that kind of licence by a government, behaviour which is more typical of bandit regimes. The testimony of the police officer who had sought on oath to deny a conversation on July 18 with the Minister continues to perplex the public after release of some telephone records. The Committee welcomes the instructive remarks of Dr. Nigel Westmaas published in Guyana on October 25, 2012 in Stabroek News and Kaieteur News, regarding the comments of a member of the Linden Commission to Mr Desmond Trotman MP. The Commissioner disapproved of the fact that a Member of Parliament could support mass protests, which the Commissioner judged to be breaking the law. The Committee welcomes MP Trotman’s candid defence of the only rights available to the powerless whose financial ability to sustain life was under threat. And in any case, it is always the democratic right and duty of the population to protest injustice. The Committee also welcomes the forthright testimony of trade unionist Lincoln Lewis who tried to assist the enquiry by a reference to past custom in the use of the Bridge. It is regrettable that one Commissioner declared a lack of
interest in some of the traditions of the bauxite town. Lewis’s evidence included essential facts and should not be ignored. The Commission of Enquiry must have taken notice of the Regional Chairman’s official responsibilities. If Regional Chairman Solomon can be asked whether he advised demonstrators to leave the bridge, then Minister Rohee can be asked about his alleged conversation with the Officer who under oath sought strangely to deny his conversations with the Minister. The Minister’s conversations with any officer below the rank of the Commissioner of Police were highly irregular and the Police Commissioner should not try to disguise this fact, especially in a crisis that has led to fatalities. It should be clear even to the uninitiated that the Minister would be ill- advised to be talking to officers below the rank of Commissioner of Police in the absence of the Commissioner. The Minister of Home Affairs cannot cross channels of communication by going beyond the Police Commissioner (except the Deputy in the event of the absence of the Commissioner). This is bringing politics into the police force. Immediately after the shooting, Minister Rohee publicly denied communicating with Linden, and pointed to the lack of range in the police radio system to support his denial. It is only the production of telephone records that revealed what the Minister had concealed. The Commission can take
judicial notice of the Minister’s Oath of Office which places the Minister always on oath when he speaks on public affairs. His appearance before the tribunal is therefore long overdue, if the whole procedure is not to be written off as farce rather than justice. The fundamental issue from which the Commission should not be distracted is this: Can the Police justify shooting at peaceful protestors, killing three and wounding twenty? Are the Police and the governing authorities advancing the government/police defence of ‘self defence’? Apart from plain commonsense there is enough law, in statute and cases, to guide the Commission in examining such a defence. The Commission cannot be seen making a case for the authorities. Where then can the people apply for justice? If anything it should lean in sympathy toward the victims. This is not a court of law. Sincerely, Dr. Sara Abraham; Dr. Peggy Antrobus; Syadazem Azeem; Moses Bhagwan; Dr. Horace Campbell; Dr. Dennis Canterbury; Prof. Jan Carew; George Daniels; Luke Daniels; Lord Anthony Gifford QC; Vic Hall; Errol Harry; Dr. Adeola James; Selma James; Mushtaq Ahmed Khan; Marc Matthews; Eusi Kwayana; Tchaiko Kwayana; Dr. Kimani Nehusi; Michael Parris; Dr. Patricia Rodney; Dr. Terrence Roopnaraine; Sylvia Salley (Tlinget Nation)
Wednesday October 31, 2012
Kaieteur News
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Letters... Where your views make the news Letters... Where your views make the news
Shaquille Grant must not be used as excuse for violence DEAR EDITOR, I am really not happy with one of your political columns in the Sunday Issue of the Kaieteur News captioned “Don’t Cry For Me Agricola”. Obviously this article seeks to bring continued support to my friends and relatives of the late Shaquille Grant’s family. Yhis I support and further I add my voice unequivocally in condemnation at the way this young man met his untimely death. I am certain that if the policemen involved had exercised common human discretion we would never have to deal with the aftermath of this willful act. However we are left to deal with the consequences of all that transpired on that fateful day September 11, 2012. I dare say I had to work with Shaquille in his lifetime and shortly before he died. He had shown lots of respect to me and others in our small environment. But it is time we call a spade a spade and we must be honest and help our youths in every way possible. To make politics out of everything that occurs
negatively in these depressed communities will never help any one of us, not even the politicians. People will soon find out their motives and when they discover the reasons for sympathies they will back off. Too much was done that is harmful to this community I love, this community I have great hope for, this community that I will never give up on, regardless of the Sanbalats and Tobiahs, there will always be Gainsayers, we must not allow political mileage at the expense of our goal to bring improvement, peace and restoration to Agricola, Buxton and Linden. We don’t want people who would only show their faces when there is tragedy, we do not need reactive approaches but proactive ones, we need these same politicians to be with us throughout the year, to help us get our youths reformed, educated, employed and create more opportunities for them, this is a message that I would want all and sundry to take, especially the Government of the day, yes, I mean this now is the time to
DEAR EDITOR, I write today in response to a letter published by the Kaieteur News on Tuesday, October 30, 2012, titled “Ramdeo and his EZjet venture may be about to end their short flight into infamy”. First let us not be fooled. Mr. Lionel Lowe is no other than now defunct charter operator/scheduled air services operator, Nohar Singh. The service that he ran most recently was operated as Travelspan G.T. Inc., SA. It should also be noted that Mr. Nohar Singh formerly, Nohar Ramkishun, previously operated several other failed services including Transwing in 1989 and Leisure Air in 1994 and in all cases left thousands of passengers stranded. He was accused of being a cheat, a man of no moral standards or credibility based on public documents. When Travelspan G.T. operated in Guyana, it once again left stranded passengers and the Government of Guyana used the $200,000 to reimburse some of the passengers. Mr. Nohar Singh has been jealous on EZjet operations from day one and searches the internet every day for any information on EZjet that he can use to scare the traveling public. Mr. Singh allegedly copied the now infamous court newspaper article
regarding Ramdeo getting sued and delivered it to travel agencies on Liberty Avenue so that they will stop selling tickets for EZjet. Mr. Singh who has block seat agreements with both Delta and Caribbean Airlines, has been suffering heavily because of the market that EZjet has captured and gained and the record low fares by other carriers are proof positive. Speaking with EZjet staff members, we were made to understand that Travelspan no longer sells tickets for EZjet since February of 2012. In closing as stated on public documents, “Nohar Singh is a man of no morality, someone who has hoodwinked and robbed honest and simple people of the Guyanese community here in Richmond Hill, New York. He has never reimbursed his passengers for their lost baggage or personal property or cancelled flights after being stranded for weeks. He simply closed his doors and walked away. I challenge Nohar Singh or “Lionel Lowe” to dispute any of the facts I outlined. Is this someone who the public should listen to as having their best interest at heart? Satesh Mohabir Brooklyn-based Guyanese
A case of profound jealousy
step in with the other political forces and develop this community. Please do not spurn our youths, All that transpired on October 11, 2012 was influenced by outside forces therefore, they were misled. Talk to some of these same youths and you will find a calmness, intelligence and very coordinated group. They need intervention, not just for political purposes but for their personal development. Coming back to that article the writer, and I wish he/she had put a name then I would have
confronted him/her personally on alluding to an interview I gave to the Kaietuer News some years ago. I detest what was done by that writer, firstly for not consulting me before using what I said and secondly by using it to make it seem as though this was done a short time ago. Further to use it as a misrepresentation of the facts is horrible. To cause people to think that I have criticized the police for actions inimical to the public interest is partly true, but what needed to be said in that article was to highlight the fact that the police since then have done a lot
to redeem themselves and have carried out a number of developmental projects to build a better relationship with the residents here. They have been responsible for the improvement of the Evan Phillips Playfield. The scouts movement was birthed not so long ago and they are in the process of securing land to build a scouts’ Den right here in Agricola. Since the unfortunate loss of our son and brother Shaquille the police have not let up but have been doing more to
assist us. Sad but factual the killing of Shaquille, this I condemn wholeheartedly and will continue to condemn in cohesion with my fellow pastors. Shaquille should never have been made to suffer and I support all peaceful efforts for justice by his family. Please politicians do not use us for your own gains but rather help us and remember there are hundreds of good policemen/women in the force. Bishop Ivan John
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Kaieteur News
Wednesday October 31, 2012
Letters... Where your views make the news Letters... Where your views make the news
Registrar General debunks discrimination charge DEAR EDITOR, I wish to respond to letters signed by Rev. Gideon Cecil and Eshwari Shakti Persaud and published in the Stabroek News and Chronicle Newspapers within the past week. They stated, among other things, that the Registrar General discriminates against Hindu Marriage Officers. I wish to deny this vexatious allegation. I am unaware of any incident of favouritism to Marriage Officers because of their religious beliefs. Any
evidence of this malpractice, if available should be submitted to the Minister in charge of the Registrar General. The Registrar General or staff are under no obligation to ensure Marriage Officers who depend on performing Marriages as a source of income are provided with work. The Registrar General and Staff are under no obligation to ensure that Marriage Officers are provided expeditiously with Marriage certificates for delivery to
their clients. On many occasions couples have reported at the General Registrar Office that Marriage Officers are with holding their Marriage Certificates because they are unable to pay the required fees which range from $10,000 to $15,000. Marriage Officers are required by Law to lodge the registration of marriage at the General Registrar Office; they are not required to obtain certificates. This should be done by the couple. If a Marriage Officer
chooses to obtain marriage certificates for marriages solemnized by him, he knows that he is performing extra community-based services for which he should be commended on condition that his services are free and not for a fee. I take umbrage to assertions that Hindu marriages are being cancelled because of their religious belief without an iota of evidence to support this claim. The writers of the letters must produce proof of the legal marriages that were
performed and proof of their cancellation. For the information of the writer The Registrar General does not possess such authority and no such cancellation ever occurred. Therefore the writer should take the parties involved, proof of marriages and cancellations to the Honourable Minister of Home Affairs or the Crime Chief for investigation. To the other ludicrous allegations especially against their brother Marriage Officers, I wish to state that Marriage Officers are expected to be religious leaders in their communities and organizations and possess the attributes capable of resolving conflict peacefully, free of hatred, free of casting aspersion, and
bearing no false witness. They must be persons of strong character worthy of emulation. The writers are clearly not interested in solving their perceived problems but attempting to intimidate the staff of the General Register Office with the use of the pen in an effort to coerce whatever assistance they require. Proof of these allegations are easy to obtain. I wish to assist by requesting the writer to contact the Heads of the Muslim and Hindu Communities to obtain Registrations of all cancelled marriages within their Organisations. The General Registrar Office’s records are also open for inspection. G. Mc Donald, DSM Registrar General
DEAR EDITOR, Gold is an amazing commodity. Gold has launched wars, destroyed and created whole societies. For thousands of years gold has been the trusted medium of exchange, and for hundreds of years had been the reserve currency of developed nations. Today, there is revived interest in gold. Central banks are net buyers of gold bullion, and more and more individuals are buying gold and silver. That’s because gold has intrinsic value as money anywhere on the globe. Gold maintains its value as fiat currency is debased as central banks print Trillions more paper notes on the pretext of stimulating ailing economies. In fact, these robberbaron governments are implementing their secret agenda to monetize massive national debts, that is, paying interest (rarely principle) with paper currency of everdiminishing value. On the other hand gold has been good for investors to own. Owning gold is an excellent way to diversify
almost any portfolio. Hedge funds, banks, and other institutional investors have been buying gold, particularly in the last few years. The price of gold shows the bulls have been in control for years, pushing the price of gold up four-fold over the past ten years. Responsible citizens and prudent investors protect themselves and their wealth against the ambitions of overreaching government authority and debasement of the currency by owning gold. Raw gold, silver and gold stocks will bring to you real money. The world is in real crisis. Paper money is in excess and inflation is advancing at a rapid pace. Geopolitical crisis are also looming and gold will glitter. Be smart! Make sure you own gold, silver and gold stocks instead of paper money. Gold producing countries like Guyana also stand to progress tremendously and will rapidly boost its economy as a result of this reality. Mr. Nazar Mohamed Gold Trader Mohamed’s Enterprise
DEAR EDITOR, Following your publication of article headlined “Better roads inspire protection for children” on October 24, 2012 I went into the village of Enmore and what I noticed is that there are speed humps on the newly built road. However those speed humps are just at the beginning and at the end of the street. There are absolutely no humps in the
middle of the streets and these streets are relatively long. Placing speed humps at the beginning and end of the streets basically serves no purpose because there is still a lot of room in the middle of the street for speeding. If the authorities can have at least place a hump or two more per street then it will be effective to minimise speeding. Randy Persaud
Gold is the way to go, not cash
Please, more speed humps
Wednesday October 31, 2012
Kaieteur News
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Letters... Where your views make the news Letters... Where your views make the news
Fraud is rampant in Region Eight DEAR EDITOR, It is with grave concern that I write this letter. I have been residing in Mahdia for a number of years, going in and out from the community on business. I have been paying tax on my every income with the understanding that the money the Government of Guyana is collecting as Revenue/Tax is money spent for the development of Guyana. Here is where I do have a problem. I was told that the former Regional Executive Officer (REO) Mr. Ishwar Dass, The Regional Education Officer (REdO), The Regional Accounting Unit (RAU) staff and the Sub-treasury Officer passed a lot of payments for large sum of money for services that were never delivered to the region. Recently more than $500,000 was approved on behalf of the Education Department for meals supplied to persons who participated in the Mashramani Road March in Georgetown. This money was never delivered to the camp. Where did the taxpayers’ money go? Can some proper investigation be
done to answer this question? This malpractice has been going on for quite some time and has gone undetected by the Auditors. Just think about this. The REdO has been in the region for less than 24 months and has already bought herself a minibus that is working the Number 72 route. An accounts staff has also bought one that is working the same route. This is the same REdO that was involved in converting monies entrusted to her from the Ministry of Education for the School Feeding Programme in Region Two. These are officers who work side by side along with the Sub-treasury officer. In the year 2010 a fire of unknown origin destroyed the Mahdia Arcade. Digicel came on hand with $500,000 to assist the victims. This amount was deposited into the Regional account. This said amount was debited to the Account via cheques to various staff members. When this was brought to the attention of the fire victims at that time, Mr. Dass after seeing the News requested thart Continued on page 10
Baldeo should be judged on positives and negatives DEAR EDITOR, This is in reference to “Prominent Guyana-born Queens District Leader on federal corruption charges” (KN Oct 25). Baldeo is a man of enormous talent and political potential and it is most unfortunate that this political matter has brought him down. He had come across to me as brilliant but at times I felt he exercised poor judgments especially on this one for which he was indicted and arrested. It is hoped that he will not be judged by the apparent indiscretions and mistakes he made according to the allegations in the indictment and that people will also look at the positive contributions he has made to society. Baldeo has done some good things from which the community benefited. However, in seeking elective office, Baldeo has made several enemies (especially political opponents) who may have turned him in on allegations of violating campaign finance rules. The court will decide on Baldeo’s guilt or innocence.
I heard a lot about Baldeo’s negatives and perhaps he has not exercised wise temperament in some of his actions. But few have come forward to cheer the man for his positive contributions to the Guyanese and Caribbean communities. I feel the public should not judge Baldeo or anyone else for that matter exclusively on negativities. We must also look at their positive contributions to society before rendering judgment. I first met Baldeo some twenty years ago as a young lawyer in New York after spending some time in Florida where he also may have practised law. I was told he had become one of the youngest lawyers and a magistrate (at age 24) in Guyana before leaving for the U.S. Like all of us immigrants to a new environment, he had struggled to establish himself and became a success story in the legal field. In the process, Baldeo may have rubbed shoulders wrongly with several community
persons, former friends and even with some clients. But he became deeply embedded in community issues. Also, he sought elective politics unsuccessfully running for City Council and N.Y State Senate and then winning a District Leader’s position for the Richmond Hill area. I admire his commitment and dedication in attempts to uplift the community of Richmond Hill. Baldeo deserves a lot of credit for his community work especially over the last decade. He has been one of a few who consistently lobbied for resources and defended the greater Richmond Hill community, when it was under assault, when others failed to step up to the crease to bat for the community. I organized several events and Baldeo was there to make his input. In addition, I attended dozens of community events organized by others and Baldeo was there. Most recently he was at the candlelight vigil for the four teenagers who died in the Long Island crash a weekend
ago. He contributed financially to organize events and also gave his views on matters of critical importance to the community. At the last redistricting public forum with city commission in mid October, Baldeo led the community making a strong case for a seat for Richmond Hill. I understand he spent his personal money, with contributions from others as well, to print placards and to hire a bus to transport advocates to the hearing site in Astoria. In addition, last May, Baldeo joined myself, Vishnu Mahadeo, Ashok Ramsaran and others to pay the costs for a bus, tee-shirts, snacks, placards to make a case at Queens Borough Office for a state Assembly seat for Richmond Hill. As an aside, very few know Baldeo is an avid cricketer, an outstandging batsman. Also, he used to pen a cricket column many years ago focusing on outstanding Guyanese cricketers. Vishnu Bisram
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Wednesday October 31, 2012
Plans apace to re-staff Ophthalmology Centre with local specialists Having opened its doors to the public in 2009, the Port Mourant Ophthalmology Centre has been delivering a much needed service offered predominantly by Cuban specialists. However, measures are being streamlined to revise this mode of operation, since according to Minister of Health Dr. Bheri Ramsaran, Government is currently looking to train local personnel to staff the facility. Those being targeted for training in this regard are young graduate doctors, most of whom were trained in Cuba, the Minister disclosed during an interview. According to him, the training of these doctors comes at a time when immense consideration is being directed to the fact that “we have probably not been as aggressive as we should have been in analysing the needs of our workforce and the different categories of our workforce.” “We have a lot of graduate doctors that I like to call ‘Baby Doctors’...they need to grow from graduate doctors into specialists and we are grateful to Cuba for helping us to create a large cadre of graduate doctors.” In the quest to staff the
Health Minister Dr. Bheri Ramsaran Port Mourant Centre, the Minister said that a few of the graduate doctors have been selected for training in the field of ophthalmology with the assistance of an international NonGovernmental Organisation. Those undergoing training, he disclosed, are currently in the final year of a three-year programme. One doctor who had undergone similar training has since been sent to Linden. “We are doing our part...we have done some work to train a few eye care specialists, but we need to expand and get more of these Guyanese specialists if we are
to fully take over the Port Mourant facility. We need to wean ourselves from total dependence on the Cuban specialists, and it is not that we would ever forget them, or that we don’t need their support anymore, but we need to start growing up,” the Minister asserted. He acknowledged that while the Health Ministry might have unfortunately not been aggressive enough, “we are starting to have our doctors specialise in the needed areas”. Ramsaran made reference to the areas of orthopaedics, general surgery, paediatric and emergency medicine, for which graduate doctors are being trained to fill. Postgraduate programmes in these fields are undertaken at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation and are guided and supported by international centres of excellences, he pointed out, while emphasising that “these are not fly-by-night, third world, wishy-washy programmes...it is something that is well thought out, which allows for exchanges of students, and overseas faculties are constantly coming in to guide our young doctors”. He disclosed that the total
...as Health Ministry seeks to fill several fields number of graduate doctors undertaking the courses in the various specialist fields, represent about 99 per cent of those trained in Cuba through the medical cooperation Guyana has with the communist territory. Minister Ramsaran revealed that efforts are also being made to attract the graduates to scholarships programmes in the areas of psychiatry and pathology that have not been traditionally pursued by the ‘Baby Doctors’. He lamented the fact that there are currently a mere two veteran pathologists in the public health system, adding that “one is very old and he comes to me often and says he is tired and he needs help. We have another that is not much younger who is swiftly approaching retirement age”. The shortage of pathologists had just last month caused the Minister to
challenge recently registered doctors to take advantage of available scholarship programmes in the area of pathology. He revealed that young doctors accepting the challenge could see the Health Ministry deviating from its administrative regulation which requires that doctors serve at least twoand-a-half years before being eligible for post-graduate scholarships. Doctors who are the product of scholarship programmes awarded by the Government of Guyana are expected to serve the country for a period of five consecutive years throughout the administrative regions. One doctor has since answered the call and has commenced unofficial training in order to function as the understudy of the existing pathologists.
However, Minister Ramsaran revealed that plans are in the pipeline to have the young doctor undergo formal training at a recognised university shortly. “We have to look at our various sources, such as Cuba or India, but we have to look at where it will be most cost-effective...the cost of these programmes in some countries are humongous.” As a result, the Minister said that sourcing of the relevant universities will require the intervention of not only the Public Service Ministry but also the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other international support agencies, to leverage such opportunities. Dr. Ramsaran disclosed too that President Ramotar during a recent visit to Cuba was expected to explore the possibility by engaging discussions with officials there.
NDCs at Industry/Plaisance, Number 52/74 Village replaced with IMCs The Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development has dissolved two Neighbourhood Democractic Councils (NDCs) and replaced them with Interim Management Councils (IMCs). According to government, following a public inquiry to dissolve the Number 52/74 NDC and install an IMC at East Berbice, Corentyne, last week Tuesday, a new IMC was sworn in. Norman Whittaker, Minister within the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, “provided words of encouragement” to the 15 newly-sworn in councilors
including appointed Chairman, Rishiram Moti. Also at the ceremony were Regional Chairman, Permaul Armoogan; Deputy Regional Executive Officer, Bhadase Poonai and other Local Government officials. Meanwhile, due to the depletion of the elected members in Whim/Bloomfield and Port Mourant/John NDC, eight new councilors were appointed to Whim/ Bloomfield and five councilors for Port Mourant IMC by Whittaker. Similarly, Minister Whittaker, last Wednesday, also installed an IMC to replace the dissolved NDC of Industry/Plaisance.
Addressing 13 of the 14 councilors present, including appointed Chairman, Seedath Persaud, the Minister challenged them to view their appointment as a necessary response to the hue and cry of residents for the introduction of fresh blood with new ideas and renewed energies. Minister Whittaker charged the Council to extend and to improve the quality of services they deliver and be ready to deal with issues that affect their everyday lives, including drainage, road maintenance, vending, cattle grazing, weeding of school compound, among other things.
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Kaieteur News
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TIME FOR THE OPPOSTION TO ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR ITS ACTIONS There is one thing that can be said about the opposition parties: they do not accept responsibility for their actions when these actions go askew. They demand political accountability from the government, but they are adept at avoiding responsibility for their own actions. Once problems develop during political protests, the opposition parties are quick to find excuses and scapegoats and to extricate themselves from responsibility. It is always someone else’s fault; there is always some justification for what took place. The opposition never stands up and accepts responsibility or says we regret whatever injury or destruction was caused. APNU and the AFC cannot be held responsible for what happened recently on the Agricola Public Road. The AFC does not have the capacity to organize such a protest and if APNU was involved it would have been a much larger demonstration. It is however hoped that if either or both of these two main parties are found culpable for other protests in which they had a hand and which went askew, that they would do the right thing and accept responsibility rather than use the same old excuses about the protests being infiltrated by agents provocateurs. It is time that the opposition parties are held responsible and they take responsibility for those actions with which they are proven to be associated, otherwise, Guyana will continue to suffer embarrassment in the Region, as has been the case in the past. Following the 1997
elections, the PNC took to the streets in mass protest action to question the outcome of those elections. From the statements of poll of its polling agents, the party ought to have known that it had lost those elections and lost it convincingly. Yet it stubbornly refused to concede defeat and instead took to the streets, employing the most hateful forms of political protest ever seen in the country. The consequences were tragic for this country and the economy took a long time to recover from the ensuing instability and destruction that accompanied it. As part of the Herdmanston Accord, it was decided that an independent commission drawn from Caricom would undertake an audit of the elections. The opposition’s antics in the streets had caused its supporters to be suspicious of those results. The supporters were claiming that their votes were stolen. The audit therefore formed part of a menu of measures aimed at settling the controversy and bringing about some form of political reconciliation. The supporters of the PNC pinned their hopes on this audit because they were led to believe that they were robbed at the polls. As it turned out, the audit upheld the declared results of the elections. The PNC was supposed to have abided by the outcome of the audit. The only caveat on signing the Hermanston Agreement was that the audit would not prejudice other actions which the main opposition party would take. An election petition was eventually filed. Yet as one international report later surmised, the PNC,
Dem boys seh...
Dem backlog really old De court now got three new judges and Uncle Donald seh is a good thing. He seh that dem gun help clear up de backlog. But wha he ain’t know is that every day more and more cases ending up in de same court. Suh dem judge gun sit down and deal wid all dem case, starting wid de backlog. That is wha Uncle Donald seh. De only problem is that some of dem case deh suh long that de people who file dem either dead or gone away. De other day de Chief Justice decide to deal wid some divorce case. One lady who file ten years ago didn’t got to go to court anymore because she husband dead five years before de divorce case call. De woman married and she was still waiting fuh de divorce and de court didn’t even know. Another woman file in Guyana and then she go and
file in de States. She get she divorce in de States eight years before de case call in Guyana. Now dem got more judges suh people expect that dem case gun call quick. Dem boys seh that now dem gun try fuh file case bout all de thiefing that going round. Dem hope that dem judge ain’t gun tek orders because de habit is fuh mek dem case go to dem acting judge who got to tek instructions. This set ain’t acting. Dem boys seh that dem have one big problem. De court don’t have seat fuh dem judge. All de courtroom full, suh even if this new set willing fuh wuk, dem got to find dem own court. Is same thing gun happen. Dem gun still got de backlog, because dem judge ain’t got place fuh wuk. Talk half and watch dem backlog
even after the audit confirmed the results of the elections, continued to call into question those results. The opposition was shamed in the eyes of the region for having, at great expense and time, had a team of highly recognized persons come to carry out an audit supposedly because the PNC felt that there were serious irregularities that would have called those results into question. Instead, the audit found that the declared results, with only minor exceptions, coincided with their own findings - and the auditors went through ballot box by ballot box. The time the audit team took
to go through the ballot boxes, one by one, and count every single vote, was just longer than it recently took APNU to verify the just over 2000 statements of poll that it had received in electronic format from the Guyana Elections Commission following last year’s elections. Again APNU, of which the PNCR is the dominant partner, had cast suspicion over the results and some of its supporters had even misguidedly taken to the streets to protest the results of the elections. At various stages of its reconciliation of the statements of poll, it had sought
to convey the impression that there were problems. It even had the gall at one stage to say that the presidency could be called into question. In the end, APNU could produce nothing that could alter the results and its supporters were once again left in an embarrassing situation. After the protests in Linden and the terrible incidents of July 18, the PNC pressed for a Commission of Inquiry into the deaths of the three persons who were killed in the unrest. They even demanded that Caricom play a role, and it is because of this that we now have commissioners drawn from the
region. APNU was clear as to who it thought was at fault. It is left to be seen if the conclusion of the Commission of Inquiry concurs with APNU’s original assessment and if not, whether the grouping will dissociate itself from the findings of the Commission. It would be a sad day if after all the efforts that have gone into the work of the Commission of Inquiry, APNU does not accept the results of that Commission. But then again, considering the record of the PNC, that would hardly be surprising.
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Wednesday October 31, 2012
THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN
The CCJ: The horror house a small country is Three new judges have been appointed two days ago. In this country whenever you talk about justice and the judiciary, you thank your lucky stars that there is the Caribbean Court of Appeal (the Caribbean Court of Justice or CCJ). But ironically, among the masses of the CARICOM region, the CCJ has little appeal. John Public seems to want to cling to the Privy Council. Why? Let’s discuss political theory. What do you find when you make the comparison of a small country with a large
industrial land with hundreds of millions of inhabitants? At first instance, your choice would be the smaller territory. From the time the ancient Greek philosophers roamed the streets of the City-State and preached about justice and government, people have been attracted to little countries where they feel life can be less stressful and more rewarding in terms of human relationship. The famous actor, Marlon Brando, chose one of the smallest European countries, Ireland, as the place he wanted to live out his life.
After the Second World War, and decolonization in the Third World, industrial Europe and the USA became the pull for the people of the developing world. Migration out of the Third World increased on a mass scale. It became frenetic after the collapse of the Cold War and the rise of isolationism among the great powers of the world. The motive for leaving was economic. Third World people flooded to the US and Canada in search of a better life. At the same time, decolonization didn’t bring the paradise that the non-
white world had hoped for. Small was beautiful, but small was also full of ugly things. Those who left the developing nations weren’t coming back, and they weren’t coming back for reasons that had much more than economic motivation. The small, thinly populated Third World states were also political and sociological tragedies, an image that influential international writer, VS Naipaul, helped to spread The post-colonial leader was a law unto himself and justice was goodies to be shared out by him and his acolytes.
The story of justice is one of the biggest tragedies of small states. Is size an essential component for the existence of the equitable distribution of justice? In other words, can justice be achieved in territories where there aren’t too many citizens? To put it another way; aren’t smallness and justice antithetical? A helpful guide in answering this question is the almost non-recognition of the Caribbean Court of Justice among the population of CARICOM. After about fifty years of sovereignty, only three CARICOM nations submit to the jurisdiction of the CCJ. Of those three, Belize joined a few months ago (Barbados and Guyana are the others). The rest of CARICOM states recognize the Privy Council based in London. It is not going to be easy for any government in CARICOM to win a referendum on replacing the Privy Council with the CCJ. The argument of CCJ advocates is that those who want to stick with the Privy Council have not broken away from colonial thinking. This is not so. It has to do with how Caribbean citizens see justice in a small country. CARICOM citizens feel that their local judges do not meet the standards of the white man in London; that the white UK judge does not know the rich and powerful in CARICOM states; that the white UK judge will not be intimidated by telephone calls from a Caribbean office; that the white UK judge will not be enticed by
Frederick Kissoon a bribe. It is my opinion that in a referendum, the anti-CCJ bandwagon will win if they use these kinds of arguments. Caribbean people feel that they can more get justice from a group of white judges in London than in their own nations. The argument is not without its merits. This writer would vote tomorrow for the replacement of the Privy Council by the CCJ in CARICOM counties, but bitter experience in his own country makes him understand how the citizens in the rest of CARICOM feel. I know that a judge appealed to the President of Guyana when a duty free letter was refused. I saw a judge openly dining with a particular lawyer at New Thriving. Surely that doesn’t look good, even though it may be innocent. I know a judge who refused to hear a petition for bail after three days of the accused being on remand on a minor traffic offence that does not carry a custodial sentence. President Jagdeo’s libel case came to trial eleven months after papers were filed. The CCJ may be going nowhere fast.
Letters... Where your views make the news
The PPP should record these projects DEAR EDITOR, I think the PPP Government forgot some of the major developments which occurred under their watch. The party needs to photograph and place for the public to see and cheer the following: a) the Kumaka Waterfront at Mabaruma; b) the Port Kaituma Hospital; c) the Pakera Hospital at Matthews
Ridge; d) the roads in Mabaruma and Port Kaituma/ Matthews Ridge; e) the Barabina Swamp Road (Mabaruma); f) the Agriculture Station at Hosororo We have to give credit where it is due and the PPP did work hard to bring about these projects/services to fruition. Clap, clap. Resident
From page 7 another $500,000 cheque be written to Mr. Herman to clear up the issue. Did the auditors came across this transaction? I am calling on the Integrity Commission and the Auditor General Office to wake up and reinforce the laws of this country.I was told that the new REO requested a change of signatories to the Regional account. This list of persons included a number of senior officers. First is the Clerk 2 General who only recently bought himself a bus. Second is the Assistant Accountant
who was interdicted in Region Three for fraudulent conversion of Government funds. Surprisingly the witnesses died before her appearance in court. Then there are payments tendered with fake signature for services in the North Pakaraimas of which senior officers, in that area have no knowledge. In conclusion I wish to compliment the Minister of Local Government who was in the Region recently. Thank you, sir, for visiting. George Smartt Concern Resident
Fraud is rampant...
Wednesday October 31, 2012
Kaieteur News
Amaila Falls Hydro project…
Engineer’s estimate US$1.8M, T&T company bids US$37M Under the Ministry of Public Works, three bids were opened yesterday for the procurement of works for the Amaila Falls Hydro Electric Project (AFHEP) for the design and building of the Kuribrong Bridge. Envirotech of Trinidad submitted a bid for $7.4B (US$37M) with the engineer’s estimate being US$1.8M. The bids were opened by the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB), Ministry of Finance, Main Street. The engineer’s estimate was US$1,828,000 and the bids:
Meanwhile, in the security sector, the Ministry of Home Affairs under the Citizens Security Programme also received bids for the supply and delivery of forensic laboratory and (IT) equipment. The bids were divided into 14 lots. The bids are as follows:
Last year April, the Guyana Government signed a $450M contract with Courtney Benn Contracting Services Limited for the construction of a forensic laboratory at the University of Guyana, Turkeyen Campus. The construction of the laboratory was funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in partnership with the Guyana Government.
Amputee remanded for Patentia man’s murder
Magistrate Clive Nurse yesterday remanded Abdool Salim Rasheed to prison after he was charged with murder. The accused who has one leg hopped his way into the Vreed-en-hoop Magistrate’s Court where the charge was read to him. It is alleged that on Saturday October 27, Rasheed killed Yusuf Shaddick, called ‘Smith’ and ‘Disco’ of East Patentia Squatting Area, West Bank Demerara. The accused, who
was unrepresented, was not required to enter a plea to the indictable charge. Rasheed was remanded and the case will be called again on November 8 at the Wales Magistrate’s Court. Yusuf Shaddick was discovered dead by neighbours after Rasheed, who shared a derelict house with him, told them that bandits had attacked the two men on Friday night and he believed that ‘Disco’ was dead. Shaddick’s body bore
multiple stab wounds and there was also a gaping wound to his head. Police had said that their investigations r e v e a l e d t h a t Yu s u f Shaddick and another man were imbibing, when an argument ensued, during w h i c h S h a d d i c k was stabbed to his chest. He was pronounced dead on arrival at the West Demerara Regional Hospital. Shaddick was previously charged for the murder of his brother some 13 years ago.
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Wednesday October 31, 2012
Karen Livan retires as Cop testifies that ranks were GGMC’s Commissioner searched for extra ammo Linden Commission of Inquiry…
By Michael Jordan Attorney-at-Law Nigel Hughes yesterday queried whether police had attempted to conceal the fact that they used ammunition that was not officially used by the Force on the day that three Lindeners were shot dead. Hughes made the assertion while questioning a Tactical Services Unit (TSU) Constable, who claimed in a statement that every member of the squad that was sent to Linden on July 18 was checked twice for extra ammunition. The rank, Constable Osafo Timmerman, testified to members of the Commission of Inquiry that he was sent to Linden on July 18 specifically to take notes of events that transpired during the protest. T i m m e r m a n subsequently submitted a signed statement, dated July 19, that Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Patrick Todd had body-searched him and other TSU ranks twice for extra ammunition at Linden before they headed for the Wismar/ Mackenzie Bridge. However, the searching of ranks was not recorded in the notes that Constable Timmerman made at Linden, and this prompted attorney Hughes to query why he failed to do so then. “There is absolutely no record in your notes
recording everything that happens as it happens; you make absolutely no mention of being checked for extra rounds; that any of you were checked for extra rounds. But that happened twice that day. Could it be, Sir, that by the nineteenth (19th of July), you all realised that double zero (ammunition), some strange ammunition was used, and you were trying to cover your tracks by saying that that you were checked? “Could it be that on the nineteenth, when you made that statement that you had to cover because you were aware that ammunition that was not officially police ammunition was actually discharged by the police? “I am suggesting to you that you made absolutely no record in your minute-byminute record of what happened on the eighteenth (18th of July), that you were body-checked for extra ammunition.” “Was there a reason that by the time you wrote that statement on the nineteenth that you specifically mentioned that you were checked for extra rounds and ammunition?” The attorney’s line of questioning drew an objection from Attorney-atLaw Peter Hugh, who is representing the interests of the Guyana Police Force. Asked whether if it was the procedure of the Force to submit its ranks to checks for
ammunition before they went on an operation, Timmerman first asserted that this was so, but then indicated that he was unsure, since he did not go on such operations often. The TSU rank was shown a large notebook in which he stated that he had recorded, under instructions from ASP Todd, the incidents that occurred while the ranks were confronting the protestors. He stated that he was Todd’s ‘Orderly’, and this was the first time that he was making such written recordings for the police. Under oath, Constable Timmerman stated that ASP Todd instructed him what to write. “Is there anything recorded in this report, which Mr. Todd did not tell you to record, which you saw with your own eyes and you recorded it of your own free will?” he was asked by Commission member Mr. K.D Knight. “Everything that Mr. Todd tell me to write I write,” the constable responded. Knight: “I am asking you if everything in this document was told to you by Mr. Todd. Timmerman: “Yes Sir.” “You did not write down anything that you observed apart from what Mr. Todd told you?” asked Commission jurist Cecil Kennard. “Sir, I didn’t want nothing wrong, because it was my first time (making such recordings),” the constable said.
GGMC’s Petroleum Division Manager Newell Dennison presents outgoing Commissioner Karen Livan with an appreciation cake during a farewell ceremony. The Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), on Monday, hosted a farewell ceremony for Commissioner Karen Livan, who has retired. Ms. Livan served over 37 years with the Commission and the Government of Guyana, a release from the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment said yesterday. She was commended for her hard work and
commitment to serving miners and the sector as a whole by Minister Robert Persaud, who made the remarks while addressing GGMC’s staff and other well-wishers. Ms. Livan was also highly praised by her colleagues for her optimism and work ethic during their interaction and association over the years. Karen Livan joined the GGMC in 1975 as a Geologist
and was appointed Manager of the Geological Services Division in 1989. She was then transferred to the Environmental Division as a Manager in 1998 and was subsequently appointed Deputy Commissioner on April 1, 2011. She was appointed Commissioner on January 16, 2012, weeks after the state agency was placed under the newly-established Ministry.
Cane cutter charged with killing mason Twenty-year-old Rahesh Janak, called ‘Rakesh’, a cane-cutter of Zorg-en-Hoop Scheme Blairmont, West Bank Berbice, was yesterday remanded by Magistrate Roby Benn when he made an appearance at the Blairmont Magistrate’s Court on a murder charge. Janak is accused of killing Brentnol Richard Isaacs called “Tonguey” a 31-yearold mason, of 118 Ithaca, West Bank Berbice. The crime was allegedly committed last Saturday, October 27, at Zorgen-Hoop. According to reports, Isaacs and the accused had a misunderstanding at a house at Zorg-en-Hoop Scheme, at around 21:15 hrs on the day in question. It is alleged that Isaacs was at the house with some men when an argument broke out. A brawl ensued
Murder accused: Rakesh Janak
Dead: Brentnol Richard Isaacs
and the accused reportedly got annoyed and went for a cutlass and chopped Isaacs across his chest and left arm. He fell and was picked up and rushed to the Fort Wellington Hospital, before being transferred to the
Georgetown Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. It is alleged that Janak was furious over a relationship between Isaacs and a close female relative of his. Janak will make his next appearance on November 27.
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Guyana’s broadcast legislation has much in common with T&T - Telecoms regulator A team of top officials of the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (TATT) met Monday with local stakeholders at a forum organised by the National Frequency Management Unit. Delivering a brief presentation at the Regency Hotel, Hadfield Street, TATT’s Vice Chairman Kwesi Prescod noted that media and rules governing media operatives will have to evolve, as they have done before, to adapt to the changing times, and cited the internet as an area that holds challenges as well as opportunities, a government statement said Monday. Prescod added that, “With great power comes great responsibility”, hence self regulation is also necessary as is the need to build good faith amongst all stakeholders. After his presentation, various questions were posed by stakeholders inclusive of veteran media operatives and other participants. In response to a query, TATT Deputy Chairman Cagnay Casinire noted that the road to good broadcast
legislation is a long one, and though Trinidad’s route to legislation governing broadcast is yet to be put in place, the end result will be the same. After many public consultations, the twin-island Republic now has a code which will eventually form the basis for broadcast legislation and Casinire noted that Guyana’s move to institute an act to govern broadcast should be commended for its speedy implementation. He also echoed the view that Trinidad’s legal framework for broadcast legislation mirrors that of Guyana’s. According to Casinire, even contentious television stations are now on board, as they all understand that standards are important as they lend credibility to the entire industry. He added that whilst the two countries are clearly in different environments, which will dictate how key issues are addressed, the focus is the same in both cases. The event was described by Cabinet Secretary Dr Roger Luncheon, during his closing remarks, as the start
of the learning curve to generate confidence on both sides about the benefits of the Broadcast Act. Among those present, were Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, TATT Chief Executive Officer Chris Seecheran and TATT Spectrum Planning, Management and Monitoring Manager, Kirk Sookram. The Broadcast Act was first tabled in parliament in September 2011 and became effective in August 2012. The governing board of the Guyana National Broadcast Authority, subsequent to the commencement order identifying that the Broadcast Act of 2011 is in force. The Board’s chairperson is former Human Services Minister and Attorney-at-Law, Bibi Shadick and includes Margot Boyce, Gerald Gouveia, Major General Rtd. Norman McLean, Dr. Dindyal Permaul, Sherwood Lowe (nominee of the Opposition Leader) and Charles Ramson Jr. The governing board is statutorily tasked with licencing in the broadcast sector and ensuring compliance among broadcasters with the provisions of the Broadcast Act.
Wednesday October 31, 2012
Health sector gearing to introduce literacy initiative A move towards health literacy is being embraced by the Ministry of Health in an earnest quest to educate the populace on the importance of not only making healthy choices, but to raise awareness about where relevant health services can be accessed. This disclosure was made by Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Shamdeo Persaud, during a recent interview. He underscored the need for the health sector to raise awareness for the need to ramp-up the whole effort towards personal responsibility as it relates to health, even as he pointed to the importance of communities’ action in this regard. Dr. Persaud disclosed that in order for this strategic plan to foster a meaningful impact, there is need for health literacy to be introduced at the level of the education sector. Moreover, he spoke of the significance of the initiative to serve as a means to further develop the health and family health life programme in the country’s schools. “I think the biggest challenge is to integrate health as a mainstream part of our education sector... other than that we are looking at improving our delivery of materials in a non-traditional way.” Dr. Persaud alluded to the predominant use of the mass media to disseminate relevant information to the public, even as he pointed out that most times the media opts to report on events occurring in the health sector. He is hopeful that the literacy drive will see the media working in close collaboration with the Health Ministry, where not merely health events but issues will
Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Shamdeo Persaud take centre stage. “We are hoping for a change in the way things are currently done. We would like to see the media reporting on issues that the public needs to know about that will benefit it. It is not only about the outbreaks and the maternal and infant deaths or some unfortunate incident, but there should be reports abou t o b e s i t y a n d t h e promotion of healthy eating - the importance of road safety to prevent accidents on our roadways and the impact of smoking and alcoholism are also issues we would like to see highlighted in the media.” The highlighting of such issues, he said, will in fact mirror a move by community health facilities which are now seeking to fully embrace the concept of primary health care. Primary health care, he explained, was in fact approved globally since 1978, but was not fully implemented in many countries. However, with a call by many, including the World Health Organisation to improve its delivery, accentuated by the
theme “the ultimate goal of primary health care is better health for all”, efforts are being made to renew the integration of primary health care in systems worldwide. According to WHO, “globalization is putting the social cohesion of many countries under stress, and health systems are clearly not performing as well as they could and should. People are increasingly impatient with the inability of health services to deliver, and few would disagree that health systems need to respond better – and faster – to the challenges of a changing world. Primary health care can do that.” Primary health care, Dr. Persaud asserted, has the potential to bring not only health services to the population, but includes the population in a lot of the health decisions, thereby building its capacity. “Even if you are treating someone for a disease, unless they understand the social consequences and what are the dos and don’ts, it wouldn’t make much of a difference,” Dr. Persaud opined. He made reference to diabetes, which can be impacted by lifestyle choices since it requires not only treatment that is obtained from health facilities, but certain types of foods being consumed and regular exercise. “There are other risk factors associated and people need to know how to protect themselves from complications. It is for this reason that ‘health literacy’ will be one of the more exciting endeavours we will engage with the help of the media,” Dr. Persaud added.
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Wednesday October 31, 2012
Sandy’s aftermath: at least 40 dead, millions without power
People stood in line for gasoline along Route 35 in New Jersey (CNN) — Rescuers plucked stranded New Jersey residents from flooded neighborhoods, workers pumped water from swamped Manhattan tunnels and stunned homeowners dug through the wreckage of their houses yesterday after Superstorm Sandy ripped into the Northeast. Officials said it was impossible to measure the destruction Sandy left behind after it struck land near Atlantic City, New Jersey, around high tide Monday night. The U.S.
death toll rose to at least 40 last night, with three more fatalities reported in New Jersey, Gov. Chris Christie announced. “I never thought I’d see what I saw today,” Christie told reporters after spending the day reviewing the damage to his state. The other fatalities were in states ranging from North Carolina to Connecticut, plus one in Canada — in addition to the 67 deaths Sandy inflicted on the Caribbean last week. Recovery efforts were starting to take hold last night.
The number of electric customers shivering without power fell to just under 6.9 million, down from nearly 8 million reported earlier in the day across 15 states and the District of Columbia. But thousands of people waited in shelters, not knowing whether their homes had survived. Salt water streamed down the concrete canyons of lower Manhattan as utility workers pumped out the tunnels that carry people and power lines around New York. And as if the water wasn’t enough, one Queens
neighborhood lost scores of homes to an inferno that erupted at the height of the storm, hindering efforts to contain it, while others within a few blocks were washed away. Christie said about 1,000 people had been rescued Tuesday. But rescuers were being called back at nightfall in many towns because of the hazards lurking in the dark, swirling water that lingered across much of the region. Atlantic City, a resort town famed for its beaches, boardwalk and blackjack, became an extension of the ocean as seaweed and flotsam swirled in the knee-deep water covering downtown streets. But while the property damage there was “pretty extensive,” Mayor Lorenzo Langford said, “I’m happy to report that the human damage, if you will, has been minimal.” One fatality had been reported in Atlantic City, Christie said last night. Parts of the boardwalk were washed out in the storm, Langford said, but the Atlantic City Alliance, which promotes tourism there, said the damage was limited to a residential area away from the district most tourists visit. Across the Hudson River in New York, parts of the city could be without electric service for four days, Consolidated Edison President Kevin Burke told reporters. Mayor Michael Bloomberg said restoring power and mass transit were the biggest challenges facing officials in the days ahead. “I’m happy to say it’s the beginning of a process that we all know will take a while,” Bloomberg said. “But this is the
end of the downside, and hopefully from here is going up.” Bloomberg said free, albeit limited, bus service was slated to resume last evening to take up some of the slack left behind by the crippled subway system, and the New York Stock Exchange is scheduled to resume trading this morning. The storm closed all three of metropolitan New York’s major airports. Two of them, John F. Kennedy International and Newark Liberty, are scheduled to reopen today with limited service from carriers, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced late yesterday. But LaGuardia International Airport was expected to remain closed because of extensive damage. While the East Coast was still grappling with the scope of the disaster, federal officials warned that Sandy was an ongoing concern with the potential to inflict more pain on inland states. “The coastal impacts are certainly less today than they were last night, but the effects are not zero,” National Hurricane Center Director Rick Knabb told reporters in a conference call. “There are still some fairly strong winds out of the south.” The storm was centered about 50 miles east of Pittsburgh and packing 45-mph winds last evening, bringing flood warnings to Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania and blizzard warnings to high elevations in the Appalachian Mountains. Forecasters predict the storm’s center of circulation will be north of the Great Lakes by today. But coastal flooding in the 2- to 4-foot range could still occur “in spots,” while the potential for
other floods stretched as far west as Lake Michigan. Winds remain “fairly breezy” as far north as coastal Maine, which could see new power disruptions. The full scale of Sandy’s wrath has yet to be determined. But according to a government prediction, the storm’s wind damage alone could result in more than $7 billion. One estimate Tuesday from Kinetic Analysis Corp., which conducts weather hazard assessments, said the storm’s economic impact could be up to $25 billion. The dead included at least 10 in New York City, including a 28-year-old off-duty police officer who died in his home of Staten Island, the New York Police Department said. One of the two dead in Connecticut was a firefighter. Falling trees or limbs killed motorists in North Carolina and New Jersey, as well as an 8-yearold boy in Pennsylvania. Canadian authorities blamed flying debris for the death of a Toronto woman. And before hitting shore, Sandy’s high waves swamped the tall ship HMS Bounty, a replica of the historic British sailing vessel. One of the ship’s deckhands was killed and her captain was still missing Tuesday, but the remaining 14 people aboard were rescued. In Washington, President Barack Obama pledged the full support of the federal government for recovery efforts. He signed major disaster declarations for New Jersey and New York yesterday, clearing the way for federal aid to residents and to state and local authorities.
MOSCOW (AP) — Several hundred demonstrators rallied in Moscow yesterday to press for the release of opposition activists on the same day that Russia commemorated the victims of Soviet-era repression. Protesters demanded that authorities free more than a dozen people who are in jail facing accusations over their role in a May protest that turned violent, among other charges. The opposition calls them “political prisoners.” President Vladimir Putin has launched a multi-pronged crackdown on dissent since being inaugurated for a third term in May. He has signed off on several repressive laws and allowed numerous arrests and searches of opposition activists. One of the jailed activists, Leonid Razvozzhayev, said he
had been abducted from Ukraine while seeking a political asylum and smuggled back into Russia where he was tortured into confessing. Russian authorities say he turned himself in. Participants in the rally, which ended peacefully, demanded punishment for those involved in the abduction and torture of Razvozzhayev. Leftist leader Sergei Udaltsov, who himself is facing charges of plotting riots which he has rejected as politically motivated, called on opposition supporters to keep pressing for the jailed activists’ release or face a “long totalitarian winter.” The rally came on the day when Russia paid tribute to the victims of Soviet-era repression. Mourners attended a church service
Tuesday at a former firing range at Moscow’s district of Butovo, where some 20,000 priests, artists and other “enemies of the people” were executed at the height of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin’s purges. Millions of Soviet people were sent into prison camps and either died there or were executed in mass purges that continued until Stalin’s death in 1953. Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev marked the day by issuing a harsh criticism of Stalin, which contrasted with a more cautious stance taken by Putin, who has restored Soviet-era symbols and tried to soften public perceptions of Stalin in the past. Medvedev told members of the Kremlin’s United Russia party that Stalin and his entourage committed a grave crime by “waging a war against their own people.”
Moscow rally urges release of opposition activists
Wednesday October 31, 2012
Kaieteur News
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Regional countries give commitment under EPA accord
Dr. Denzil Douglas GEORGETOWN, Guyana - CMC - Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries have given an undertaking that they would work towards meeting a January 2013 deadline for the second round of cuts in tariffs under the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) signed with the European Union (EU) in 2008. A CARICOM Secretariat statement said that the
commitment was given at the recently concluded second meeting of the Joint Caribbean Forum (CARIFORUM) EU Council held in Brussels. It said that the meeting “delved into challenges that have arisen in the implementation of the EPA and provided political guidance, with a view to ensuring that EPA implementation remains on track”. CARIFORUM consists of the 15-member CARICOM grouping and the Dominican Republic, and according to the statement, eight countries have already taken action to reduce their tariffs on goods from the EU and that the remaining CARIFORUM countries, which it did not name, were engaged in efforts to put in place the tariff reductions required. “In addition, CARIFORUM gave the commitment that every effort would be made to meet the deadline of 1 January 2013 for
the second round of tariff cuts,” the statement said. Last month, St. KittsNevis Prime Minister Dr. Denzil Douglas said his administration would seek to hold talks with the EU on seeking an extension on the issue. The twin island Federation is among eight Caribbean countries that have not yet removed tariffs from goods coming into the country from the EU under the agreement. “We would always be mindful of our international obligations and in bilateral and multilateral situations involving the EPA,” Douglas said, adding “what I would say is that before we can just simply and dramatically hurt ourselves, the appropriate economic analysis will have to be done”. The CARICCOM statement said that the meeting in Brussels also agreed to amend the EPA, in order to allow for
Major roadblocks still exist for regional financial centres
ST. JOHN’S, Antigua CMC - A two-day conference examining the emerging framework of governance of international finance and new non tax business models that can guide the future of Caribbean financial centres began here yesterday. The second Caribbean Forum (CARIFORUM) Conference on the International Financial Services Sector in the Caribbean Region is being held against continued concerns by regional countries of the ongoing efforts by the developed countries, such as the United
Pamela Coke-Hamilton States and Europe, to implement legislation to deal with so-called tax havens in the Caribbean. Pamela Coke-Hamilton, executive director of the Barbados-based Caribbean
export Development Agency, reminded delegates that the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) will require US tax authorities to levy a 30 per cent withholding tax on so called foreign financial institutions and non-financial foreign institutions where new reporting requirements have not been met. “We have been advised that this Act will require changes to IT (information technology) infrastructure in the region, changes to the legal framework governing financial services and could result in possible loss of correspondent banking relationships.
incorporation of the commitments of The Bahamas into Annex IV of the EPA which addresses Investment, Trade in Services and Ecommerce. It said that the meeting also considered reports on efforts to establish institutions of the EPA which have not as yet been convened and in this regard, there were deliberations on efforts to bring into operation the Consultative Committee under the EPA. “These deliberations were inconclusive as the EU Delegation indicated that it is required to refer a number of elements for consideration by the EU Council, given that positions previously endorsed by that body needed to be amended if there is to be agreement with respect to proposals tabled by CARIFORUM.” The two parties also agreed to exchange the list of five arbitrators and to engage in discussions to derive the five neutrals which would complete the slate of fifteen arbitrators. The statement said that CARIFORUM countries also
raised a number of other issues and that two of them “pertain to provisions in the Agreement that CARIFORUM considers do not reflect its understanding of the position previously adopted by the two sides. “The first matter concerns the arrangements applicable to CARIFORUM states regarding the reduction of tariffs on motor vehicles and parts, while the other concerns the rate of duty on certain paper and paper board products applied by Trinidad and Tobago. “In both cases, the two sides were unable to arrive at an agreement for adjusting the provisions of the EPA and the Joint Council concluded that these issues would remain on the agenda for further consideration.” But the Caribbean countries have also repeated a concern that certain exports to the French Caribbean islands attract taxes higher than those on similar goods from other countries, including EU member states. “The EU indicated that these internal taxes were authorized under the EU
arrangement and in certain provisions of the EPA, and that they are not discriminatory. “CARIFORUM called attention to the fact that the provisions governing taxation on international trade do not permit the application of such discriminatory charges and also pointed to the inclusion in the EPA of a provision which also prohibited such discrimination. The EU undertook to further engage CARIFORUM to resolve this particular problem.” The meeting also agreed on issuing a joint declaration dealing with restrictions based on age regarding used vehicles imported into Barbados, Jamaica, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago. In addition, the Joint Council took note of the efforts being undertaken by CARIFORUM to prepare for the monitoring of the operation of the EPA which would help in determining its impact, including the costs and consequences of implementation,” the statement said.
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Wednesday October 31, 2012
Sandy’s devastation in US Dominican children to benefit from regional project could affect Jamaica’s tourism BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - CMC - The Foundation for the Development of Caribbean Children (FDCC) says it is providing US$90, 000 to Dominica to support mainstreaming the island’s Roving Caregivers Programme (RCP). FDCC said that the funds will assist with the effective transition of the RCP project to the Dominica government, making the ECD services accessible to more children up to the age of three years. “This is a major milestone for the project in Dominica. We are pleased to see that the Government of Dominica has seen the value and effectiveness of the programme and will now make it much more accessible to families across the island,” said F D C C ’s consultant director, Susan Branker, S h e s a i d t h a t this transition of FDCC-supported projects is also taking place in St Lucia, Grenada and St
Susan Branker Vincent and the Grenadines, as the FDCC seeks to increase the number of disadvantaged children who will benefit from ECD services within the next year. “Once the programmes have been successfully mainstreamed in Dominica, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines and St Lucia, Phase 2 will seek to expand the RCP project and other ECD services into more Caribbean territories,”
she added. Branker said that that while the government will now be responsible for the ECD projects, the Foundation will still provide support services to the relevant ministries to ensure the effective growth of the programmes. She said the Foundation needs increased and continued financial investment from the private sector and governments to ensure that more and more disadvantaged households have access to early childhood stimulation and development. “Almost 50 per cent of rural families have no information about how to mentally stimulate their childre n o r w h y e a r l y childhood stimulation in the first three years of a child’s life is critical. As a result, the research shows that 30 per cent of our children have not acquired the basic skills to benefit from primary school education,” she said research has shown.
Jamaica Gleaner Hurricane Sandy’s destruction of the Northeast United States could have a devastating effect on Jamaica’s tourist industry. The Northeast is Jamaica’s largest source market. Forty per cent of the business that is generated by the country’s tourism stakeholders comes from areas such as Boston, New York, Washington, and Philadelphia. And these are the areas that were being pounded by the hurricane Monday. “It is a situation that we are watching very closely, already some of our members are reporting that guests have not been able to travel to Jamaica,” president of the Jamaica Hotel and To u r i s t Association ( J H TA ) , Evelyn Smith, told The Gleaner Monday. Smith said the greater concern is the damage that the storm will do to the economy of the Northeast. “It’s our most important source market, in comparison to the Midwest, South and West Coast, and in recent years the Philadelphia gateway has been doing very well. And the hurricane is cutting right through that area.” The JHTA president noted that it was way too
early to say how the conditions would affect the upcoming winter tourist season. From as early as Sunday afternoon, flights from New York to Jamaica and the rest of the Caribbean were being cancelled as airlines such as JetBlue and Caribbean Airlines moved their aircraft to safer ground. M o n d a y, the cancellations continued with Caribbean Airlines and JetBlue forced to cancel all flights from Norman Manley and the Sangster international airports, into the John F. Kennedy Airport in New York. Both US Airways flights to and from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
and Air Tran to and from Baltimore, Maryland, were also cancelled. Expectations are that not all flights from Jamaica into the Northeast United States will resume today. “It is essential that passengers check with their airline on the current status of their flight. While MBJ works hard to keep our website up-to-date, the information is subject to change very quickly,” said Elizabeth Scotton, chief commercial officer at the Sangster International Airport. It is not all bad news for the industry as calls made to a number of hotels revealed that those passengers who were scheduled to depart the island Monday have had to remain here, injecting funds into the coffers of many of the island’s resorts. But the situation could turn as visitors who were expected to arrive in the island have been forced to cancel their trips. In the meantime, the JHTA president said her thoughts and prayers went out to the many persons in the Northeast who were feeling the effects of Hurricane Sandy. “Many of these people have been guests of ours,” she said.
Trinidad Guardian Trinidad and Tobago is yet to abolish criminal appeals to the Privy Council which is to be replaced by the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ). This despite Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar saying last April in Parliament that the Government will table legislation to make the historic change. To date however, the People’s Partnership Government is still working out how to access the appellate system, said Sir Dennis Byron, president of the CCJ Monday. “I wouldn’t say that either Trinidad or Jamaica is having any problems with the CCJ. They are working out internally the method by which they would access our appellate jurisdiction,” Byron said. He said all CARICOM countries had signed an agreement giving the green light for the CCJ to become the final appeal court. Byron was speaking
at the ceremony for the signing of a Memorandum Of Understanding between the Caribbean Conference of Heads of Judiciary, the CCJ and the United States’ National Center for State Courts (NCSC). The MOU will facilitate co-operation in a mutual effort to implement sector reform and enhance the administration of justice for the Caribbean region. The objective also is to increase the capacity of the CCJ to design and implement justicereform programmes through shared vision, mentorship, knowledge transfer and expertise provided by the NCSC. Byron said there have been challenges and expressed confidence these will be dealt with successfully. “But in each country there have been, from time to time, various internal hurdles that they have had to overcome. It is my understanding that they have been addressed
in different ways in each country. The countries that came on first were Guyana, Barbados and Belize and in each of the other countries, and there have been various releases from the various government authorities indicating steps they are taking, we anticipate these steps would be addressed in a most reasonable fashion,” Byron said. He said once these steps had been worked out, it would pave the way for the respective countries to be part of the appellate court. Asked what was the time frame for such matters to be ironed out, Byron said, “My time frame is not the best one to go by. My time frame is immediate. “So if I had the ability to make the decision I would do it immediately. But of course I don’t and one has to allow the process to work in the best way in the relevant country.”
Evelyn Smith
T&T yet to abolish appeals to Privy Council says Byron
Wednesday October 31, 2012
Kaieteur News
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Jamaica warns referendum on CCJ will be costly
Mark Golding KINGSTON, Jamaica CMC - A senior government minister says a referendum to determine Jamaica’s full accession to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) will be unwarranted, divisive, disruptive, inappropriate and could cost at least J$700 million (One Jamaica dollar = US$0.04 cents) to conduct. Justice Minister Mark Golding said also that under Jamaica’s constitutional arrangements, a two-thirds majority vote in the House and the Senate would suffice for Jamaica to subscribe to the Appellate Jurisdiction of the Trinidad-based CCJ. The main opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) has already said that Jamaicans should be given an opportunity to vote in a referendum on whether to join the CCJ that was established in 2001 to replace the London-based Privy Council as
the region’s final court. But Golding told a Jamaica Information Service (JIS) “Think Tank” session that there were a number of “practical reasons for the efficacy” of the regional court, emphasising that the average Jamaican, stands to benefit greatly from accession to the CCJ. “The average Jamaican cannot afford to take a case to the Privy Council… land disputes, commercial disputes, personal injury, accidents, tax disputes or criminal matters. They find it very difficult, if not impossible, to take the case beyond the local Court of Appeal,” he said. Golding said that because the CCJ will be a “mobile court” and will utilise information and communication technologies, it will be a more accessible and affordable court to the average person, “particularly with the employment of audio-visual technology, which allows you to fight most of the cases from right here in Jamaica. “The court is set up with the region in mind, so there is significant investment in audiovisual and information and communications technology. Much of the work that takes place can be done without counsels of litigants having to travel to the home base of the court, which is in Port of Spain. “That saves significant cost for litigants and for governments which have cases before the CCJ. Right now, because the
Former chairman of COP blames CLICO brief for his defeat Trinidad Guardian Former chairman of the Congress of the People (COP) Joseph Toney says the controversial CLICO brief could have caused his defeat in the party’s internal elections on Sunday. The issue was raised by one of his opponents, Rekha Ramjit, on the public debate platforms during the run-up to the elections. Toney returned the CLICO/Hindu Credit Union inquiry brief to the Finance Ministry after complaints by party members and members of the public who questioned his integrity. Toney said Monday he had no regrets he gave up the brief to preserve his integrity. Carolyn SeepersadBachan secured 1,191 votes to take the chairmanship from Toney, who polled 619 votes. Ramjit received 243 of the votes cast in 20 polling stations throughout the country. Both Tony and Seepersad-Bachan spoke Monday about the mere 25 per cent voter turn-out. Toney and Seepersad-
Bachan agreed there was disillusionment among party members and saw an urgent need to bring them back into the fold to make the party relevant. In a telephone interview he said: “There is some disillusionment in the party. Some people feel the COP is not as influential as it ought to be in the People’s Partnership (PP) Government and some of them are losing faith in the COP. “Our duty, as members, is to try to bring them back, encourage them not to break ranks, to help keep the party strong and unified.” However, Toney was quick to point out: “That is a matter for the new executive.” He said he remained a loyal member of the COP but the role he now would play was a matter for the leadership. He added: “I will play any role the leadership of the party wishes me to play but I do not intent to trespass on anybody’s portfolio or responsibility. I am sure my telephone number is still on the list and at the snap of a finger I am sure they can get in contact with me.”
Privy Council is our final court, many cases that go there, which involve the Government, end up in huge invoices for English Counsels and English solicitors, which can run into many millions of dollars,” he added. Golding also argued that many Jamaicans would require a visa to travel to England to fight their cases. “Many Jamaicans cannot get a UK visa. It’s not available as of right. It actually is a very complex (undertaking). Many people who apply don’t get it. I
think from that standpoint, it’s fundamentally inaccessible to our citizens, because they don’t have the right to go to Britain. Whether they get a visa or not is entirely a matter for the discretion of the Home Office”. Jamaica and a number of Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries are signatories to the Original Jurisdiction of the CCJ that also functions as an international tribunal interpreting the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas that governs the 15-member
CARICOM grouping. However, only Guyana, Belize and Barbados are signatories to the court’s Appellate Jurisdiction. Jamaica’s attempt to formalise its participation was blunted in 2005, when the Privy Council ruled that the CCJrelated companion Bills passed by the Jamaica Parliament in 2004 were unconstitutional and therefore void. The Bills would have established the CCJ as the final court of appeal in Jamaica. But following the December
2011 general elections, the new People’s National Party (PNP) Government has re-stated its intention to join the CCJ and in July this year, the Portia Simpson Miller government tabled three Bills in Parliament in support of the move to replace the Privy Council. Golding told the Think Tank session that after 50 years of political independence it is appropriate that Jamaica embrace its own final court of appeal.
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Kaieteur News
U.S. and EU push for progress in troubled Balkans
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks next to Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic during a news conference following meetings at the Palace of Serbia in Belgrade yesterday. REUTERS/Saul Loeb/Pool SARAJEVO (Reuters) Europe and the United States teamed up yesterday to press Bosnia, Serbia and Kosovo to overcome the legacy of Yugoslavia’s bloody collapse as a condition of closer integration with the West. “If you do not make progress you will be left behind,” U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned at the start of a trip to the region with EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton. NATO member Croatia will follow Slovenia in joining the 27-nation EU next year, but accession is a very distant prospect for the other five countries carved from federal Yugoslavia in the 1990s.
In Bosnia, where 100,000 people died in a 1992-95 war, Clinton urged rival Serb, Muslim and Croat leaders to overcome ethnic infighting that has stalled reforms sought by the EU and NATO, “for the sake of the young people of this country”. In Serbia, Clinton and Ashton called on the government to mend relations with Kosovo, the former Serbian province where ethnic Albanians declared independence in 2008 with the backing of the United States and major European powers. “This is good for Serbia and it is good for Kosovo,” said Ashton, who is
leading a push for agreement in EU-mediated talks. Serbia rejects the secession, and some Serb leaders still hold out hope of retaining a small northern region of Kosovo populated by Serbs and controlled from Belgrade. Clinton, whose husband Bill Clinton wrestled with the wars in Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo as U.S. president, said this would not happen. “Kosovo is an independent nation,” she said after meeting President Tomislav Nikolic and Prime Minister Ivica Dacic. “The borderlines of Europe will not change. But there is still a great deal that can be accomplished by Serbia and Kosovo working together. “I understand that this is difficult. But it goes hand in hand with meeting the needs of the Serbian people.” The West invested heavily to cement peace and
stability in the former Yugoslavia, using the pull of NATO and EU membership to reconcile foes and encourage reform. But progress has been patchy. The debt crisis in the euro zone has contributed to a growing sense of resistance among some EU members to further enlargement, and hurt the bloc’s influence in the Balkans. “The euro crisis and the EU’s diminishing ability to win hearts and minds threaten to both marginalize and fragment t h e w e s t e r n Balkans,” Dimitar Bechev wrote in a policy brief for the European Council on Foreign Relations thinktank. While Croatia will join the EU next year, others are at least a decade behind. Bosnia has yet to apply for membership, its development hostage to opposing visions of its future. Bosnia’s Muslims want the central state strengthened, but are opposed by leaders of the autonomous Serb Republic who frequently threaten to secede. Clinton said such threats were “totally unacceptable” and a distraction from the real problems facing the country. The Muslim chairman of the rotating Bosnian p r e s i d e n c y, Bakir Izetbegovic, said the EU and U.S. investment in Bosnia’s future would be “preserved and protected”. “We have to finally turn toward and focus on building a joint future in this country,” he said. Clinton and Ashton flew to Kosovo late yesterday ahead of talks today. Clinton, who is expected to step down as secretary of state early next year, will then continue to NATO allies Croatia and Albania.
Wednesday October 31, 2012
Iran pulls back from nuclear bomb goal: Israeli defense minister
Ehud Barak LONDON (Reuters) Iran has drawn back from its ambitions to build a nuclear weapon, Israel’s defense minister was quoted as saying yesterday, while warning that his country may still have to decide next year whether to launch a military strike against it. Tehran denies its nuclear work has any military dimensions but governments in Europe and the United States are increasingly concerned over its intentions. Diplomacy and successive rounds of economic sanctions have so far failed to end the decadeold row, raising fears of Israeli military action against its arch-enemy. Defense Minister Ehud Barak told Britain’s Daily Telegraph newspaper that an immediate crisis was avoided when Iran chose to use more than a third of its mediumenriched uranium for civilian purposes earlier this year. He told the paper that the decision “allows contemplating delaying the moment of truth by eight to ten months”. “There could be at least three explanations. One is the public discourse about a possible Israeli or American operation deterred them from trying to come closer,” he said. “It could probably be a diplomatic gambit that they have launched in order to avoid this issue culminating before the
American election, just to gain some time. It could be a way of telling the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) ‘oh we comply with our commitments’.” Analysts say Iran already has enough low-enriched uranium for several nuclear bombs if it were refined to a high degree, but may still be a few years away from being able to assemble a missile if it decided to go down that path. Western diplomats say Iran appears to have nearly finished installing centrifuges at an underground nuclear plant, potentially boosting its capacity to make weapons-grade uranium if it chose to do so. Asked by the British newspaper whether, if Iran had not pulled back, the crisis would have peaked “about now”, Barak said: “Probably yes”. He added however that he believed Iran was still resolved to build nuclear weapons. “We all agree that the Iranians are determined to turn into a military nuclear power and we all share the declaration that we are determined to prevent Iran from turning nuclear and all options are on the table,” he was quoted as saying. “We mean it - we expect others to mean it as well. So it’s not something just about us. But we, for obvious reasons, see the Iranian threat in much more concrete terms.”
Wednesday October 31, 2012
Kaieteur News
Opposition leader sentenced to 8 years in Rwanda KIGALI, Rwanda (AP) — A Rwandan court sentenced the country’s top opposition political leader to eight years in prison yesterday for treason and on a charge stemming from this central African nation’s murderous ethnic attacks 18 years ago — genocide denial. The opposition leader, Victoire Ingabire, returned to Rwanda in 2010 after living abroad for 16 years and quickly visited the country’s genocide memorial, where she asked why Hutus killed in the violence were not recognized like the minority Tutsis were. She had planned to run for president but instead was arrested. More than 500,000 Rwandans, mostly ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus, were killed in Rwanda’s 1994 genocide. In the wake of that violence, the government set out to de-emphasize ethnicity. Many in the country now identify themselves simply as a Rwandan, not a Hutu or Tutsi. The government accused Ingabire — who has had contacts with the FDLR, a group of Hutu fighters in Congo — of trying to raise
an armed group, a charge Ingabire denied. The court on Tuesday acquitted her on charges of promoting ethnic division, genocide ideology, creating an armed group, and complicity in terrorist acts. Ingabire’s lawyer, Iain Edwards, said Ingabire will appeal the court’s ruling. “That’s the problem I have with this government. If you talk about ethnicity, they say you are a divisionist,” Ingabire said in a 2010 interview with The Associated Press after she was put under house arrest. “I think the better solution is you talk about it and find a solution.” The government’s chief prosecutor, Martin Ngoga, responded that Ingabire’s statements were not simply a free-speech issue because she could incite Rwanda “to once more explode” as it did in 1994. President Paul Kagame has been lauded by the international community for leading Rwanda through nearly two decades of peace, for advancing women’s rights and for leading the country to strong economic growth. But the court’s sentence reinforces the view by
political analysts that opponents of Kagame have little space to operate in postgenocide Rwanda. Human Rights Watch criticized the guilty verdict as the culmination of a “flawed trial that included politically motivated charges.” “The prosecution of Ingabire for ‘genocide ideology’ and divisionism illustrates the Rwandan government’s unwillingness to tolerate criticism and to accept the role of opposition parties in a democratic society,” said Daniel Bekele, Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “The courts should not be used for such political purposes.” Human Rights Watch said it can’t comment on the veracity of the charges relating to Ingabire’s alleged collaboration with armed groups, but expressed concern that some of the evidence used to convict her appears to be unreliable. Though Rwanda appears serene on the surface, Ingabire’s political party — FDU-Inkingi — calls Kagame a dictator. The party urged Rwandans to remain calm and “to get ready for the day to
march until freedom is won.” “This is a conclusion of a long chapter of hope that the current dictatorship would understand how important peace, genuine unity and sustainable reconciliation are,” a statement from a party leader Boniface Twagirimana said. Judge Alice Rulisa, speaking for a three-judge High Court panel, said Ingabire was given a lighter sentence because she had written a letter to Kagame asking for leniency. Edwards, the lawyer, said Ingabire admitted to no crimes in the letter. The trial began in September 2011 and wrapped up in April. Four codefendants all implicated Ingabire in collaboration with armed groups. The prosecution had requested a total of 35 years on the two charges. The court said it gave credibility to Ingabire’s argument that she had been out of the country for so long that her statements and speeches were out of touch with reality when she returned to participate in the 2010 presidential election.
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Race is tied, but most think Obama will win: Reuters/Ipsos poll
Barack Obama WASHINGTON (Reuters) The U.S. presidential race remains a dead heat one week before Election Day but most Americans think President Barack Obama will defeat Republican Mitt Romney, according to a Reuters/Ipsos daily tracking poll released yesterday. Obama leads Romney among likely voters by 47 percent to 46 percent, a statistically insignificant margin, the online survey found. Neither candidate has held a clear lead since early October.
But 53 percent of all registered voters predicted Obama would win the November 6 election, while only 29 percent said Romney would be the victor. A majority also said that they expected Obama to win their state. That reflects the opinion of many analysts and pollsters who say Obama holds a tactical advantage in the state-by-state battle to win the White House. Because Obama starts off with a greater likely number of states’ electoral votes, Romney must win a higher number of the seven to 10 states that remain truly competitive. Obama also holds an advantage among the 22 percent who said they have already cast their ballots. Some 55 percent of this group said they had voted for Obama, while 40 percent said they had voted for Romney. The four-day poll was not affected in a significant way by Hurricane Sandy because only a small fraction of the 3,293 interviews were completed after the storm hit on Monday afternoon, Ipsos pollster Julia Clark said. Some other polls have suspended their activity due to the storm.
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Wednesday October 31, 2012
Wednesday October 31, 2012
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Wednesday October 31, 2012 ARIES (March 21 - April 19): You've been too agreeable lately -- and you run the risk of being branded a pushover! Today, it's time to stand up for what you think is right. Don't back off from being the lone voice of dissent in the room. ******************* TAURUS (April 20 - May 20): You have become quite a trendsetter in your group, haven't you noticed? Your friends are starting to emulate the way you talk, the way you dress, even the way you laugh! ****************** GEMINI (May 21 - June 20): When you think you've come across a great bargain or amazing, no-fail investment opportunity today, you had better stop and look more closely. ******************** CANCER (June 21 - July 22): You don't have to be as skilled as a professional chef to throw a dinner party -- so what else is stopping you? ********************* LEO (July 23 - Aug. 22): There is no law that says you can't stir things up once in a while! Today, pick a controversial topic and ask someone smart what they think about it. ******************* VIRGO (Aug. 23 - Sept. 22): Today you need to develop a more analytical attitude, especially when it comes to people you don't like. If they rub you the wrong way, so what? ********************* LIBRA (Sept. 23 - Oct. 22): Today you will have an
intense magnetic effect on people, which will be thrilling and fun. But keep in mind that while you are pulling some fabulous people into your orbit, you will also undoubtedly pull in one or two very insecure people, too. ********************* SCORPIO (Oct. 23 - Nov. 21): If you are going to say something that might be tough for someone to hear today, first consider their temper. Is it easily triggered? ******************** SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22 Dec. 21): Your fresh attitude is fresher than ever right now, and today it will help other people jump onto the happy wagon right along with you! **************** CAPRICORN (Dec. 22 Jan. 19): If you are working on building a new romance, the best course of action for you right now is to take no action at all! ******************** AQUARIUS (Jan. 20 - Feb. 18): The good news is that today you will finally be able to close the door on past work issues. It's all water under the bridge right now, and you can feel free to start focusing on more productive and positive goals. ********************* PISCE S ( F e b . 1 9 March 20):Today it will be easy for you to see the truth behind any false fronts, so it's a great day for judging someone or picking a new member of your team. After a few minutes of light conversation you will be able to know who is genuine and who is full of it.
Wednesday October 31, 2012
Kaieteur News
Letter to the Sports Editor DEAR EDITOR, Soccer as is known in North America and football all over the world is the most loved and played game in the universe, but when there are elements that go out of their way to destroy this lovely sport they should be chastised instantly.
Is Banks contributing to football or is it something else?
I refer to Banks DIH Ltd, the Beverage Giant, home grown and good, one of, if not the biggest Business Organisation in Guyana. How can this company indulge in illegal activities in the football arena, how is it illegal, illegal because the Georgetown Football
Top horses to be in action as Kennard Memorial Turf Club closes yearly activities The year 2012 will soon be forgotten but horserace fans will remember the excitement derived from their attendances at horserace events staged under the auspices of the Kennard Memorial Turf Club (KMTC). That entity will be capping its year of activities with another such event dubbed ‘the Xmas Race Meet 2012’ at the club’s Bush Lot Farm Corentyne headquarters on Boxing Day, Wednesday December 26 next. Turfites will be treated to 8 exciting races featuring the country’s top horses with the main attraction being the B and Lower class over a distance of one mile. The winner carts off $1.2M dollars while the runner up wins half that amount. The third and fourth place finishers receive $300, 000 and $150,000 respectively. Then there is the G and Lower Class over a distance of 7 furlongs. The winner in
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this race will cart off $320,000 while the second place finisher wins half that amount. The third and fourth place finishers receive $80,000 and $40,000, respectively. The other events include the J and Lower over 7 furlongs; the H and Lower over a similar distance; the event among the 2 years olds over 6 furlongs; the D3 and Lower over 6 furlongs and the I3 and lower, also over 6 furlongs. The organizers wish to remind horse owners that the event is being conducted under the aegis of the Guyana Horse Racing Authority (GHRA) and that all of the rules would be applied. The registration period ends on Sunday December 16 and horse owners can conform to this prerequisite by contacting Justice Cecil Kennard (226-1399, 225-4818, or 623-7609) or Roopnarine Matadial aka Shine (3253192).
Unbeaten Raiders beat... From page 32 as the scores read 45-43 for the Jets. As the Raiders made a run for it Alexander Rose was fouled and he missed the first of two freebies. His second free throw allowed his side to be within one point of the Jets trailing 4445. Then, the Jets turned the ball over as the Raiders pressed forward and with just 25 secs remaining they had a turnover as the Jets kept up their defensive wall. With 21.8 secs to go an alert Dwayne ‘Brown Sugar’ Roberts intercepted at midcourt a Jets pass and in turn he dunked on break-away basket as the Raiders zipped past the Jets 46-45. Marks was then fouled on a penetration and made one of two shots from the stripe for a 47-45 cushion, and with seconds ticking away Rodwell Pellew hit one of two free throws awarded, after being fouled with 2.9 secs remaining in the game as the Raiders eventually prevailed 47-46 for a memorable win. Apart from Marks’ 16 points Roberts had eight and guard Sheldon Noel six for the winners. Shane Webster netted 12 points before his exit even though he was not fouled out (with five) with less than four minutes in the game remaining even after committing his fourth foul, Joseph had 11, Leonard Caleb contributed six and Allister Webster four for the Jets. Allister Webster then signed the score-sheet signaling an intentiontoprotestthepremature ejection of his brother Shane Webster in that game. In the first game the Kashif and Shanghai Kings, the top ranked club in Linden kept their hopes alive of reaching the final four with a 65-57 win over the winless Block 22 Flames as Steve Neils (Jr.) led them with 19 points inclusive of three from beyond the arc, former national guard Marvin Hartman got 11 and national junior guard Orin Rose eight and former national forward Abdulla Hamid. For the Flames, Quacy Richmond led them with 12 points, Selwyn Noble and Devon Morrison each had 10 and Patrick Clarke eight. Saturday night’s double header was not played due rain in Linden.
Association (GFA) took the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) to court which is illegal hence they have been suspended by the GFF and Banks DIH have endorsed this organisation to continue in its illegal activities. For the entire 2012 Georgetown played no properly organised football but in December when the Kashif & Shanghai Organisation has been there for twenty two (22) years running off its annual tournament, up comes Banks DIH dolling out millions of dollars to compete. Is this contributing to Football Development or is it a vendetta type of operation? This makes me wonder if COCA COLA COMPANY which is an International
Name Brand would ever indulge in such activities. Another aspect of deception is that Banks DIH Products are sold throughout the length of Guyana and yet the other Affiliates are in dire need of Sponsorship and if this Beverage Giant really cares and loves football why is it that they can’t sponsor the respective leagues. The GFC Ground which has close ties to Banks DIH is in dire need of repairs, the pitch is deplorable, there is no seating at GFC for approximately a decade, the dressing rooms are excuses and the list goes on. This is where teams and substandard teams will be playing for millions of dollars, will this help to develop football? Do the organisers
and sponsors really care about the spectators and players, this behavior is tantamount to vindictiveness, greed and selfishness. Who will be the R e f e r e e s officiating, I hope it is not those bunch of misfits that we saw last year. Mr Editor this is how football is being treated with ill equipped and incompetent officials to Referee this “High Profile Tournament”. By supporting the GFA to organise a parallel tournament with the Kashif & Shanghai Tournament is supporting wrong and makes one wonder why, what is their motive. There needs to be a solution to the problem that is in Guyana for over a year now and by being in partnership with the GFA, Banks DIH is
supporting the Court action which is in contravention to FIFA rules by adding fuel to an already delicate situation. Based on my little football knowledge, the Kashif and Shanghai Organisation did not walk away and leave Banks DIH it may be the other way around, after being in partnership with the K&S Organisation for approximately twenty (20) years, then leaving so abruptly, there needs to have an investigation so all the facts could be ascertained so the records could be put right. At the end of the day football will suffer with parallel tournaments and the players and spectators will be short changed. Selena Wortman Parent and supporter
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Kaieteur News
Wednesday October 31, 2012
Veteran football tournament pushed back until February Local veteran footballers initially scheduled to relive the years in a tournament against their overseas counterparts, organized by former footballer, Godfrey Norville, initially scheduled for tomorrow evening, will be a mite disappointed after the organizer was forced to postpone activities until February 24, 2013. Mr. Norville explained that the decision to postpone the tournament was arrived at after the organizers experienced difficulties in the acquisition of adequate sponsorship. Further, the veterans residing in North America have said that they are constricted by work commitments. They said that the new date is more convenient for them. The tournament had its genesis in 2000 and ever since then the veterans residing in North America and Europe have been returning to engage their local counterparts on a yearly basis. Among those expected to participate in the tournament are former national player, Michael Pierre, Ken Gibbs, Terrence Archer, Richard
Ying, Marlon DeSouza, Mickey Layne, Rtd GDF Captain, Laurie London and Compton Birdette among others. Mr. Norville, who has since gone blind after his playing days have expired, said that the proceeds of the tournament will be used to assist past footballers with similar deficiencies, undergoing turbulent times. He is grateful for the input of several entities and individuals towards the success of the tournament. These include the executives of the Guyana Football Federation, Demerara Mutual Life and Fire Insurance Company, Federal Security Services, Cummings Electrical Co and Minister of Public Works, Robeson Benn. The retired ball weaver is appealing to the corporate community for support towards the success of the tournament. Persons interested in rendering support may contact Mr. Norville at telephone #s 223-0175 or 6940972 or Ms Rodney (2318003).
FORDE FORCEFULLY... From back page desired advantage, which he easily secured with 150m left in the race. Forde unleashed a burst of speed that left a nonresponsive lead pack behind; he finished with the time of 4:00.2 to win with about eightmetre space as Bentick (4:01.9) out-leaned surging Bayley (4:02.3) for the second position to cap a GDF top two sweep. Horatio, who was favoured to give Forde a challenge before the race, was nowhere in the picture. It was sweet revenge for the Defence Force after Janella Jonas ran 5:13.00 to win the female race from GDF’s Carlissa Atkinson (5:15.2) and Ashanti Scott (5:30.1) respectively. Atkinson was on Jonas’ heels for 1400m before the Police athlete took control of the event. The GDF distance team had given them a two-point lead after their win in the 10km Road Relay on Sunday. However, after strong performances in the Discuss and Long Jump events, the Police Force are holding on to a relatively slim nine-point lead in the competition. After nine finals and the close of proceedings yesterday the Police Force had amassed 135 points with Defence Force on 126 points; the Guyana Fire Service has 28 points with the Guyana Prison Service in the cellar
position on 14 points. Ronald Payne threw 41.23m to win the male Discuss event for GPF with Julio Sinclair (39.76m) taking the second place for them as well; GDF was locked out of the medals in this contest as the Fire Service’s, Walden Arthur (38.42m) was third. Then in the women’s event, the Police arrested the top two places again when Natasha Alder had thrown 32.38m for first and Latoya Rodney 30.42m for second. The GDF’s Wonetta Wayne was third with 27.42m. Patrick King, representing the GDF, leaped to 7.04m to win the male Long Jump contest as Troy Williams (6.96m) and Quacy Payne (6.89m) was second and third respectively for the Police. In the women’s event, Police’s Tandica Burgess won with 5.24m with the Defence Force’s, Letitia Myles (5.24) taking second; officials were forced to use their next best jumps to differentiate the winners of the contest. Police’s Tracy Moses (5.10m) was third. The Defence Force won both the male and female ranks 4x100m relays, restricting the Police to the second position. The Guyana Prison Service was third in the male race. The competition will continue today before a break tomorrow and Friday’s Grand Finale.
Wednesday October 31, 2012
Kaieteur News
Caribs 20th Anniversary Sevens competition
UG ruggers finish second in their first official competition
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LABA meets tonight to look at Jets protest The Linden Amateur Basketball Association (LABA) will meet with its table officials and referees this evening at 6:30pm at the Mackenzie Sports Club pavilion and one hour later at 7:30pm will discuss the protest made by the Amelia’s Ward Jets. This follows their controversial loss against Retrieve Raiders on Sunday night when key player centre Shane Webster was fouled out late in the fourth quarter even though he was tagged with four and not five fouls as required for ejection. Both the Jets and Raiders went into that game unbeaten in the BOSAI Minerals Group (Guyana) sponsored Open Challenge Basketball championship where the top four of the six contesting clubs will advance to the semifinals for a place in the final The respective referees and table officials for that game between the Jets and Raiders are invited to attend this important meeting along with one representative from the Raiders and Jets teams. The LABA Executive hopes to resolve also issues pertaining to the conduct of basketball fans towards officials during matches and will address both concerns while it is appealing for its members to make themselves available for this important meeting this evening.
Noitgedacht, Sans Souci through to final Members of the University of Guyana team. From Left: Ryan Dojoy, Jamal Angus, Ryan Dey, Kiefer Lopes, Lancelot Adonis, Coach Lawrence Adonis, Rondel McArthur and Michael Anderson. The University of Guyana rugby players stamped their authority on the local scene with a second placed finish last Sunday in the team’s first official competition under UG’s banner. Captain Rondel McArthur called the moment “pleasurable”, while their renowned coach, Lawrence Adonis, said that “all the hard work is paying off”. Playing in the Caribs 20th Anniversary Sevens competition at the National Park, UG defeated the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) team 177 before they lost to the Caribs in the virtual final 145. The newest rugby team
won three of the four individual awards: Lancelot Adonis won the fastest prop and longest punt kick trophies and Osie Mackenzie got an award for the longest plank. Some of the university players had played before. They had also proven themselves in the past since McArthur made the national 15s team to Barbados early in the year. Another player, Ryan Dojoy, was selected for the squad, but he failed to make the final cut. McArthur, Adonis and Ryan Dey were also short-listed for a national sevens tour to Canada last August. CAN BE THE BEST The skipper sees great
things for the side in the future: “UG can be the best team in the country and all of our players have the potential to make it to the national level.” McArthur said that it was Coach Adonis who molded the team during the last few years. “Without coach it would not have happened. Almost everyone that started the team was fresh.” Adonis, who has national coaching experience from under-16 to senior level, said that his boys are coming of age. “This team has progressed tremendously in three short years. They can handle themselves against
any other team and we have some potential national players,” he added with a smile. UNDERSTANDING SCIENCE Adonis disclosed that the UG team was different from other teams that he coached because they (the UG players) understood the science of the game better. “Right now we are at a stage where we can beat the balance of the rugby community, because we try to track the science of the game with less focus on the brutal aspect of it.” The university boys will continue training for upcoming events.
Noitgedacht and Sans Souci are through to the final of the Feroze Amin Twenty\20 cricket competition after recording victories in their respective semi final matches last Sunday in Wakenaam. At Noitgedacht, the host got the better of Zeelandia by 46 runs. Led by Dillon Retemiah with a fine half century, Noitgedacht posted a challenging 190 all out in exactly 20 overs after batting first. Carva Hinds and Neil Ramalho supported well with 30 each, while Shemroy Hartman chipped in with 28. Medium pacer Darmindra Pooran was the pick of the bowlers with 5-40, while Navishaul Pooran took 2-44. Zeelandia in reply lost Ricardo Adams for 10 and despite the efforts of Navishaul Pooran 31, Dinesh Persaud 21 and H.Pooran19 were never in the hunt and managed 134-9 off their allocation of overs. Ramalho picked up 3-22, Kemo Paul 2-30, and Hinds2-36 for the victors. At the Wakenaam Community Center ground, Sans Souci defeated Good Success by 41 runs. Sans Souci scored 148-6 in 20 overs, taking first strike. Tulsieram Ramdeen was their chief run getter with 32 while Roopnarine Persaud supported with 30. Shoaib Namaz, Nazeer Mohamed and Chandreka Ragnauth finished with 1 wicket apiece. Good Success in response could only manage 107-7 in 20 overs with Mohamed top scoring with 33 and Jaggernauth Manbodh getting 23. Satnarine Sahadeo grabbed 2 wickets, while Gurnauth Khemraj, Vickram Ramnarine and Seon Venture claimed 1 each. The date and venue for the final will be announced later.
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Kaieteur News
Wednesday October 31, 2012
GCA\Noble House Sea Foods 2 -day second division tourney
GNIC, GCC register victories, GYO, UG take 1st innings points By Zaheer Mohamed Georgetown Cricket Club and Guyana National Industrial Corporation registered victories, while Gandhi Youth Organization and University of Guyana grabbed first points when play in the Georgetown Cricket Association\ Noble House Sea Foods 2-day second division competition continued on Sunday. At YMCA, GNIC overcame Vikings by an innings and 73 runs. GNIC began the second and final day on 291-7, and reached 343 before being bowled out. Latchman Bissessar scored 34 and Earl Brown 21. Vikings in their second turn at the crease were dismissed for 113. Orlando Kurten, Bissessar and Tremchand Sookdeo were the men doing the damage with 2 wickets each. Scores: (GNIC 343 all out; Vikings 137 and 133). At MYO, GCC got the better of the home team by 145 runs. Batting a second time GCC declared on 218-9 in 42 overs. Bernard Bailey led with 64(11x4) and got support from Almando Doman 55(11x4), and Samuel Mc Kenzie 21 not out. Saheed
Byron hits century for DCC Gittens grabbed 3-67, while Mohamed Asif took 2-27 and Imtiaz Pooran 2-57. Set a target of 252 for victory, the host were bowled out for 107 in 23.1 overs. Abdul Kadir made 31; Doman captured 3-5, Bailey 3-40 and Devon Lord 2-32 for the winners. Scores: (GCC 215 and 218-8 dec.; MYO 181 and 107). At GYO, DCC and the host played to a draw. In reply to the visitors first innings total of 245, GYO, resuming on their overnight score of 139-4, managed to take first innings points after scoring 282 all out in 60 overs. Shivnandan Roopnarine who started the day on 78 took his score to 95 (13x4, 1x6) before he was dismissed, while Wazeer Mohamed supported well with 70 (8x4). Clint grant picked up 3-68 and Jaron Byron 2-36. Byron then fashioned a fine 109 (17x4, 3x6) and got valuable support from Cohen Ismond 75 (14x4,1x6) and Leroy Primo 48 (9x4,1x6) as DCC finished on 304-4 in 29 overs. Anand Goolsarran had 2-58. Scores:
(DCC 245 and 304-4 dec.; GYO 282). At University of Guyana ground, GDF and UG match finished in a draw with the latter taking first innings honours. UG batted first and posted 246 before being bowled out. Melroy Stephenson was their leading run getter with 58, while Ryan McCall contributed an unbeaten 43 and Frederick Pestano 37. Dennis Legay claimed 3-47 and Jeremiah Harris 2-76. GDF in response found themselves in trouble at 68-7, but Terry Fraser with a fighting 72 guided them to 152 before they were bowled out. Royston Alkins captured 4-33 and Dennis Heywood 3-52. The host in their second turn at the crease declared on 141-5. Kevon Hyman scored an even half century while Alkins contributed 26. Harris snared 3-49, and Legay took 2-30. At stumps on the final day the visitors were 24 without lost, batting a second time. Scores: (UG 246 and 1415 dec.; GDF 152 and 24-0).
BOBCAT of Berbice 2nd div. T20 KO
Azeez’s 81 goes in vain as Hetmyer’s 61 sees Young Warriors through Bobcat of Berbice second division T20 knockout cricket competition for teams in the East Bank/New Amsterdam/Canje/East Coast Area continued recently with three more first round matches. Young Warriors, Flying Star and Seawell were victorious and in the process advanced to the second round to join Kendall’s Union, Tucber Park, Glasgow New Scheme, Gangaram Strykers, Edinburg, Celebrity Times and Police. Shazam Azeez slammed 81 (6x4 7x6) the highest individual score in the competition so far featuring in an opening stand of 116 with Jeeraish Deegees (39) to help Overwinning Bible Church to 162 for 7 in 20 overs against Young Warriors. Guyana Under-19 batsman Shimron Hetmyer then blasted 61 (6x4 3x6) to guide Warriors to a sixwicket victory.
Shimron Hetmyer Quincy DeVelde’s 65 (4x4 5x6) guided Flying Star of Korthberaadt to 130 for 8 in 20 overs, a total that was enough to see them defeat West Canje by 21 runs. Charles Grimmond slammed 55 (3x4 4x6) for East Canje who lost to Seawell by 7 wickets. Collated scores: At Cumberland - Young Warriors beat Overwinning Bible Church by 6 wickets. Overwinning Bible Church
162 for 7 in 20 overs; Shazam Azeez 81, Jeeraish Deejees 39, Jermain Henry 3 for 25 and Kassim Khan 2 for 25. Young Warriors 168 for 4 in 20 overs; Shimron Hetmyer 61, Rudolph Baker 38 not out, Hubern Evans 25 not out and Marlon Latif 2 for 26. At Korthberaadt F l y i n g St a r b e a t We s t Canje by 21 runs. Flying Star 130 for 8 in 20 overs; Q u i n c y D e Ve l d e 6 5 , Michael West 3 for 13 and Sunil Sammy 2 for 17. West Canje 109 in 18.4 overs; Marvin Durant 3 for 13, Kenton Grumble 2 for 17, Garsham Barran 2 for 22 and Carl Campbell 2 for 24. At Kendall’s Union Seawell beat East Canje by 7 wickets. East Canje 125 in 19.5 overs; Charles Grimmond 55, Kassim Balkarran 3 for 24, Tajenarine Deonarine 3 for 8 and Nourang Singh 2 for 17. Seawell 126 for 3 in 18.2 overs; Aslam Ally 45 and Tajenarine Deonarine 29 not out.