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Kaieteur News
KAIETEUR NEWS Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: ADAM HARRIS Tel: 225-8491, 225-8458, 225-8465 Fax: 225-8473 or 226-8210
Editorial
A new beginning for the sugar industry In Guyana, agriculture, especially the sugar and the rice industries remain the primary focus of the APNU+AFC government, especially the Minister of Agriculture who has and continues to make every effort to save the industry. Historically, sugar has been the mainstay of the economy, a key foreign currency earner and the second largest employer in the country after the government. Today, the sugar industry is in serious financial and management crisis; it is badly wounded and needs more than money for it to return to a healthy life. It needs qualified and technical personnel and a long term solution with more government intervention to save it.The granting of $8.2 billion to GUYSUCO by the Granger/Nagamootoo-led coalition government will help the industry but this should only be a short term and not a long term resolution to the crisis. Several attempts were made by the former administration to rescue GUYSUCO from its current dire state but it appears that they have all failed. The cold, hard truth is that the former government had saddled the taxpayers with billions of dollars in subsidies to the insolvent sugar industry, even when it was failing. This was done out of pure political expediency as the sector employs a significant number of voters, most of whom are supporters of the PPP. However, immediately after taking office, the new political directorate had resisted the temptation to only pour money into the industry without a solid plan or strategy to turn it around. They believe that the sugar industry is too big to fail and should be saved. This was emphatically stated by both President David Granger and Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo. It is for this reason that the new Board of Directors has been given the unenviable task to rescue the industry before it collapses any further. GUYSUCO has been bankrupt for years but it is only now that genuine efforts are being made by the new APNU+AFC coalition government to truly save the industry. Even though they are faced with this harsh reality to continue subsidizing the industry, the present government has no plans to close any of the unprofitable sugar factories or reduce the workforce as claimed by the PPP during the election campaign. It would be political suicide to do so. But whatever decision the government makes, it will take into consideration the impact of the industry on the well-being of the sugar workers and on the economy in light of the stiff global competition for the price of sugar, which has been declining on the world market. The APNU+AFC coalition government is serious about making the sugar industry profitable again, and has not embraced the policies of the former administration. Those policies were not practical and have since become part of the problem and not the solution. The consequence is the taxpayers continue to pay a heavy price because of the failing policies of the former administration, especially the building of the White Elephant Skeldon Sugar factory at a cost of US$208 million. It was the norm for the previous administration to maintain the status quo, which led to corrupt practices and them mismanagement of the sugar industry. This government has given GUYSUCO a fresh start from the top to efficiently and competently manage the industry. There should no longer be any more free rides for the sugar industry. As such, the goal of the APNU+AFC government is to correct the mistakes made by the previous administration and save the sugar industry from further ruin for the sake of the workers and the country. The bottom line is, as tough as things are for the industry and its workers, there has to be a trade-off in which both the management of GUYSUCO and the government could meet each other halfway. This should be a new beginning for the industry which should be fair to the taxpayers who have been subsidizing it for almost a decade.
Sunday September 06, 2015
Kaieteur M@ilbox Send your letters to Kaieteur News 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown or email us kaieteurnews@yahoo.com
Jagdeo must be held accountable through every institution in this country DEAR EDITOR, Inclusionary democracy is grounded in the Constitution, laws and internationally acceptable timehonoured principles. Bharrat Jagdeo is a breed of politician with crude Machiavellian instinct, driven by a singular focus of oligarchic desire to control the nation’s wealth and resources. Having wrenched control from immediate past President Donald Ramotar, to return to parliament along with other nefarious characters, has become Leader of the Opposition. The Leader of the Opposition is a constitutional office and the holder has to be treated with in an official manner. But while it is so, one cannot lose sight of Jagdeo’s track record as a leader in this society, who acquired wealth under questionable circumstances and
associates with questionable characters. Under his government, he has signed agreements with Desmond Hoyte as Leader of the Opposition, Robert Corbin as Leader of the Opposition, the Guyana Public Service Union and Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC). He refused to honour one iota of the things he had agreed upon. It will be an understatement to say Jagdeo has no moral standing and cannot be trusted. It is a sad day for Guyana that such a man can continue to hold public office where he will be automatically attributed dignity and prestige that he does not deserve. If Forbes Burnham, Desmond Hoyte, Cheddie Jagan and Janet Jagan who are dead, their records are scrutinised today and many are critical of their stewardship, he who is alive
must be asked to account for his stewardship. At no time the society must be led into the false illusion that because Jagdeo is Leader of the Opposition we must turn a Nelson’s eye to his past. The recent meeting between him and President David Granger that has been dubbed as a process of inclusionary democracy/inclusive governance cannot be shrouded in secrecy, because Jagdeo’s track record is one of such that will see him most likely come out later to say: 1) there was never any discussion of the issues with the president and, 2) at some point down the road when he is asked to account for any agreement made with the president, he is most likely to say there was never any agreement on the issue/s. The GTUC can speak from experience, having had meetings and (Continued on page 6)
Sunday September 06, 2015
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Not all vehicles were for Reparation must be given Prime Minister, Freddie to East Indians of Guyana DEAR EDITOR, I have been asked about two paragraphs in the Freddie Kissoon column in Kaieteur News of Friday, August 28th,entitled “The passing of the droit du seigneur”, in which he interprets wrongly the reported purchases of vehicles by/for the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM). Did I as Prime Minister “in one of the poorest countries of the globe”, expend over 2013and 2014, US$250,000 in purchasing vehicles for me and my retinue? It certainly was not so. It is well known that I was also Minister Responsible for Energy and Electricity, particularly GEC/GPL, the Linden Electricity Company Inc (LECI) and the Hinterland Electrification Unit (HEU). Depending on the source and nature of the funding and what it might require, on precedence or just convenience, expenditures in these areas would be entered in the accounts of OPM or the Ministry of Finance (MOF) or other relevant Ministry, or parts in each. For example, the G$ 3.1 Billion in continued electricity subsidy for Linden/Region 10 in our 2015 Budget is being met by G$ 2.1 Billion from OPM and G$ 1.0 Billion from the Ministry of Public Infrastructure. Mr. Kissoon might still see in GPL’s vehicle fleet some vehicles with the insignia, “Unserved Areas Electrification Programme – OPM”. As I recall, the reported purchases of vehicles by/for OPM over 2013 and 2014 included vehicles for the Lethem Power Company Inc (LMPCI) and LECI, replacing vehicle(s) destroyed in the 2012 disturbances in Linden.
Mr. Kissoon can console himself that the then PM was never travelling in luxurious extravagance: not all the vehicles purchased on the OPM’s accounts were intended for the PM. There is no truth, only aggravation, in Freddie’s conjecture, that, “This very mendicant (country) spends US$250,000 on transport resources for just one Minister and within a time frame of just two years”. It was just not so Mr. Kissoon. Perhaps it is to avoid misunderstandings and conjectures such as Freddie’s that the Office of the President (OP) has been renamed The Ministry of the Presidency. Perhaps Mr. Kissoon should start reviewing how he sees us; the PPP/C. Life has much more grays than blacks and whites. Perhaps he should be satisfied in seeing “the menagerie of eight old, rickety, reconditioned cars in the PM’s direct jurisdiction”, as just being in line with where we have gotten to, so far. And those vehicles got
the job done. Great was my pleasure in late 2012 in driving to the top of Kurupung mountain,(along the rebuilt and extended UMRP road) from Georgetown through Bartica, Itaballi, Puruni Landing, Oranapai Junction to Olive Creek and Pappyshow Landing on the left bank of the Middle Mazaruni where we spent the night , thanks to our Correia Mining Group. Next morning, driving up the Kurupung mountain, crossing the Serong river on the new “Dream Hole” Mining Inc. (DHMI) bridge, beholding the Komarou Falls (said by some to be the most beautiful in Guyana)and at the top, driving past Mahaica’s “top side” concrete airstrip,(the cement for which was brought up the mountain on the backs of “druggers”), to DHMI’s camp. We Guyanese can now drive to Kurupung and say “morning”, and greet some pioneering people and communities along the way. I too am not happy that (Continued on page 6)
DEAR EDITOR, Please permit me a space in your paper to express my experience of the East Indians in Guyana in regards to the much talk of Slavery, Emancipation and Reparation in Guyana and the World. East Indians in India were always servants, and never being slaves until the invasions of European and Western Invaders, about 3,500 years ago. In ancient time, they were
not sold nor bought, they were servants. It has to be stated at the very outset that the Eastern conception of slavery is quite different from that of the West. Before the European Expansion , there is no evidence the word “Slaves” was ever used in the Vedic time in the Indian subcontinent. The Südras were servants and labors of the ancient Indian Caste system which maintained that the
cast-distinctions arose in society, with the inevitable division of labor natural to social evolution, within the four orders of society, Sudra, Vaisyas, Ksthattria and Brahamana, that governed the Hindu Religious Society and the way of a Hindu life. They were not “slaves in the real sense of the term as understood, for example, in the West. It is clearly stated in Hindu Scripture, the (Continued on page 6)
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Sunday September 06, 2015
Kaieteur M@ilbox
Battle for Opinion Poll Jagdeo must be held... Prediction in Trinidad DEAR EDITOR, Over a dozen pollsters (including from Jamaica, Barbados, England, Canada and US) are conducting opinion polls to predict Monday’s general elections in Trinidad. Virtually all the polls gave different outcomes. Generally speaking, polls conducted around the same time should produce similar results. But that has not been the case in Trinidad similar to what happened for the 2007 elections. It is being referred to as the battle of the polls not significantly different from the battle to form the government. There are 41 seats with the PP safe in 15 and PNM safe in 16 and ten seats very close called marginals. A poll commissioned by the Guardian newspaper puts the opposition PNM well ahead to win the election leading in virtually all of the marginal seats. A poll commissioned by Express Newspaper puts the
race a dead heat with the ruling PP leading by 2% and not offering a projection in seats. Several polls commissioned by the PNM and done by polling organizations from US, Canada and UK put the PNM winning a landslide. Similar PP commissioned polls also conducted by different pollsters from US, UK and Canada give the PP a landslide victory. Local pollsters are divided with a few giving a PP and a few giving the PNM a comfortable victory. A UWI conducted poll gives the PP 23/24 seats. The independent NACTA poll finds the Peoples Partnership on track towards re-election leading the opposition Peoples National Movement by 4% in popular support and 21-18 seats with 2 seats. The findings do not rule out a decisive victory (22 to 24 seats) for either party though the findings reveal a hotly contested election. The poll also finds competitive contests in fourteen seats (ten being defended by the PP and four currently held by the PNM) with the former likely to retain seven, neck and neck in two, and losing one to the PNM.
The PNM is fending off stiff challenges in four seats and is projected to lose one to the PP. The Prime Ministerial contenders, Kamla Persad Bissessar and Dr. Keith Rowley, are safely ensconced in their respective (Indian and African) seats winning by larger majorities than in 2010. NACTA found PP has lost support in several seats making it more hotly contested than in the last general election. One PNM commissioned poll has the PP losing a safe Indian seat. And one PP commissioned poll has the PNM losing two safe African seats. NACTA poll found all three seats remaining in traditional hands as the electorate is not breaking from the tribalized pattern of voting that has been institutionalized since 1956s. PNM is confident of wresting a dozen seats from PP and forming the government. NACTA gives it up to ten of those 12 seats. In 2007, pollsters found Basdeo Panday’s party losing all the Indian seats to Winston Dookeran’s COP. NACTA’s poll contradicted those findings awarding all 15 Indian seats to Panday and that was the outcome embarrassing the other pollsters. A similar outcome is possible in the battle of the pollsters. Vishnu Bisram
From page 4 agreements with him. Let it be known that on 8th March 2000, the parties agreed, in the presence of then President Jagdeo, that the government will make available a plot of land on the Linden/Soesdyke highway for an all-inclusive housing settlement, on the condition that the GTUC presents a concept note on the issue. This was done and when same was presented to the government, Jagdeo said that that was not the agreement. Roger Luncheon was so embarrassed about Jagdeo’ attitude that he turned to him and said ‘Chief, what the TUC is saying that was the agreement we had.’ Jagdeo then said, if that was the agreement, make the application to Lands and Survey and
instruction will be given for it to be processed. During the Jagdeo and Ramotar governments the application was never processed. On the change of government, the file was presented to the GTUC and we were advised that instruction came from the Office of the President that the application must not be processed. Asgar Ally, former Minister of Finance in the PPP government publicly described Jagdeo as a liar. Today Jagdeo is on record saying he will champion the fight against corruption, and is demanding transparency and accountability, when from the outset in every form of life he had denied people their fundamental rights and together with his cohorts raped the coffers of this nation. He will be par excellence
in fighting corruption because he has the strongest attributes identifying how corrupt practices ought to be executed. President Granger, while well intentioned, cannot be allowed to be lulled into any level of complacency, but must be encouraged to hold the course in making sure that the period Jagdeo led this country, a public inquiry be conducted to find out who was behind the extrajudicial killings of 400 plus young men and the rapping of the national coffers. The people have voted for a change which is premised on good governance and accountability. Jagdeo must be held accountable through every institution in this country, inclusive of the judiciary. Lincoln Lewis.
Reparation must be given... From page 5 Bhagwatgita, ( B.g: 4.13) Sri Krihsna said ; “The four order of Society, the Sudra, the Vaisya, the Ksthattria and the Brahman were created by Me, classifying them according to their p r e n a t a l qualities and apportioning corresponding duties to them; through the author of this creation, know Me the immortal Lord, to be a non-doer. We are all born equal and we have to work our way up the ladder, from a Sudra to a Brahman. East Indians are born servants ( Shudras) and labors, according to the ancient cultural philosophy, the Vedic System. The term dasa and dasyu in the Vedic and other ancient Indian literatures have been translated as servants, religious devotees, and abstract concept depending on the context, but daysu was also interpreted by modern scholars as ‘slaves’. There is no evidence of Slavery in India in ‘ancient time’ but as servants and service to their masters and kings without fuss, quibbling or refusing to work. They were not held in servitude. East Indians in Guyana, and in other parts of the world, do not have to celebrate Emancipation
because they have never considered themselves slaves but servants, then farmers, then defending the people and become a spiritualist. This is the ‘Cultural Order” of the East India society. REPARATION: In regards to Reparation in Guyana, reparation “must be given” to the East Indians of Guyana. Since 1839, 177 years ago, East Indians and the AmeriIndians are the people who worked the lands and carry the burden to build Guyana. East Indians cultivated the Sugar and Rice Industries, whilst Ameri-Indians and East Indians were cultivating the Cash crops. SUGAR has historically formed the mainstay of Guyana’s economy. Sugar and Rice were the main source of revenue for up-keeping Guyana’s economy, and the
story of sugar in Guyana interweaves this nation’s past, present and, indisputably, its future. The arrival of most races of the Guyanese nationhood is only because of the sugar industry of Guyana, but they all run away from the Sugar Industry, leaving only the East Indians of India to be leached on. East Indians, the Indenture Workers, were promised a lot by the British that brought them to Guyana and so far they were not the recipient of anything, given what was promised to them. East Indians are always servants of the world and easy are going, people, they have no reason for Emancipation but must be given Reparation, because they were enslave at first. S.N. Singh
Not all vehicles... From page 5 “almost fifty years after Independence Guyana still begs developed countries for aid grants”. But I would have preferred that there was not that hint of self deprecation about our nation’s condition in Mr. Kissoon’s remarks; rather that he would see our PPP/C’s” international
panhandling” as proudly doing what was necessary at this time for our people and country, bolstered with the knowledge that it is blessed to give and it is blessed to receive and our endeavoring to make a blessing of our receiving. Samuel .A. Hinds Former Prime Minister
Sunday September 06, 2015
Kaieteur News
Major PetroCaribe agreement to be inked shortly Jamaica Observer - St James, Jamaica - Energy Minister Phillip Paulwell on Friday disclosed that a major PetroCaribe agreement for the region is to be inked shortly. “It is going to be a massively new agreement to deepen the scope...,” said Paulwell, who was speaking with reporters following a Media Briefing at the Office of the Prime Minister in Montego Bay. The agreement was
- Energy Minister Phillip Paulwell expected to be inked during 10th Commemorative Summit of the PetroCaribe Agreement which is to be held at the Montego Bay Convention Centre yesterday evening. The Summit was to be attended by a slew of representatives from signatory countries to the agreement, including Jamaica’s Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller.
Paulwell said the existing agreement is evaluated annually and as a result, there is to be a further strengthening and deepening of the existing agreement. “It is an agreement that is devaluated annually, and we have only recently done so. What we are doing now is to deepen PetroCaribe. There is a proposal that we discussed
yesterday of the PetroCaribe economic zone. So, it is much more than just trade in energy. It is going to involve trade in fertiliser, cement..., Jamaica can offer language training, that is going to be a part of it,” stated Paulwell. “We are going to be looking at transportation, because it is too difficult for us to travel in the region. We have to have more direct transfers, a whole range of issues apart from energy.”
Berbice Bridge toll is a hindrance... From page 3 be reduced from $2,200 to $1,900. For other categories of vehicles, the decrease will be 10 percent. The toll increase would be subsidized by Government. However, according to Government, BBCI has been using delaying tactics. In the first instance, Directors of the US$40M bridge as the September 1, deadline for the tolls reduction implementation approached, said it wanted its shareholders to have the final say. The bridge company then insisted that it wanted a toll increase or an extension from the 21 years it had to manage the facility, to 40 years. Harmon recently stated that Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan, has been mandated to continue engaging the Directors of the Bridge Company on the toll reduction. “We are of the firm belief that very soon the Bridge Company… whose Directors referred the matter to the shareholders…that they will see the light and move to have the tolls reduced,” Harmon said. The Government spokesman made it clear that it is the administration's duty to provide the necessary infrastructure and regulatory frame-
work. He explained that initially the “two launches” similar to the covered ones operating between Vreed-en-Hoop and Georgetown, will be put into operation. The vessels will not belong to the State. A special committee that would include representatives from the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Social Protection and Ministry of Public Security is expected to travel to Berbice over this weekend to fine tune the details, including locations. Harmon also disclosed that there was a loophole in
the agreement between the Government and the bridge company, which while blocking vessels from transporting vehicles across the Berbice River, does not say anything about passengers. Over a week ago, Minister Jordan had also made it clear that the Berbice River does not belong to BBCI. The BBCI situation has even angered the new administration, especially after it was disclosed that private businesses were allowed to invest five percent into the construction of the bridge, which was opened in December 2008 but managed to gain ownership
control of almost 50 percent of the equity. This subsequently led to calls for the Shareholders Agreement to be made public. There was disbelief when it was learnt that New GPC and Queens Atlantic Inc., two companies owned by Dr. Ranjisinghi 'Bobby' Ramroop, a close friend of former President Bharrat Jagdeo, were able to install two Directors on the Board of Directors while the Government of Guyana had little say in the affairs of BBCI.
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Austria and Germany open borders to migrants offloaded by Hungary Reuters - Austria and Germany threw open their borders yesterday to thousands of exhausted migrants from the east, bussed to the frontier by a right-wing Hungarian government that had tried to stop them but was overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of people. Left to walk the last yards into Austria, rain-soaked migrants, many of them refugees from Syria’s civil war, were whisked by train and shuttle bus first to Vienna and then on by train to Munich and other cities in Germany. By early evening, about 6,000 had arrived in Munich and nearly 2,000 more were expected on two trains due after midnight, said Christoph Hillenbrand, head of the Upper Bavaria regional administration. Clapped and cheered as they disembarked, new arrivals queued at registration tents to be screened, fed and clothed. Most were set to stay in Munich, although more trains were due to take 800 people to Dortmund and 460 to Frankfurt yesterday
A migrant child sits in a train to Hegyeshalom at the railway station in the town of Gyor, Hungary, September 5, 2015. REUTERS/LEONHARD FOEGER evening. Munich police said Arabic-speaking interpreters were helping refugees with procedures at the emergency registration centres. The seemingly efficient Austrian and German reception contrasted with the disorder prevalent in Hungary. “It was just such a horrible situation in Hungary,” said Omar, arriving in Vienna with his family.
German Interior Ministry spokesman Harald Neymanns said Berlin’s decision to open its borders to Syrians was an exceptional case for humanitarian reasons. He said Europe’s socalled Dublin rules, which require people to apply for asylum in the first EU country they enter, had not been suspended. “The Dublin rules are still valid and we expect other
European Union member states to stick to them,” he said. After days of confrontation and chaos, Hungary deployed more than 100 buses overnight to take thousands of the migrants who had streamed there from southeast Europe to the Austrian frontier. Austria said it had agreed with Germany to allow the migrants access, waiving the asylum rules.
Wrapped in blankets and sleeping bags, long lines of weary people, many carrying small, sleeping children, got off buses on the Hungarian side of the border and walked through t h e r a i n i n t o Austria, receiving fruit and water from aid workers. Waiting Austrians held signs that read “Refugees welcome”. “We’re happy. We’ll go to Germany,” said a Syrian man who gave his name as Mohammed; Europe’s biggest and most affluent economy was the favoured destination of most. Austria said 9,000 people had crossed from Hungary yesterday. The Austrian state railway company OeBB estimated it would have transported 7,500 migrants before stopping services for the night, with the last train from the border due to arrive in Vienna at 2100 GMT. At the frontier with Hungary, Austrian police said the flow of people had slowed, with some still crossing on foot. Hungary insisted the bus rides were a one-off as hundreds more people
gathered in Budapest, in what has become Europe’s most acute refugee crisis since the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s. Almost emptied of migrants the night before, the main Budapest railway station was filling up again, a seemingly unrelenting human surge northwards through the Balkan peninsula from Turkey and Greece. With trains to western Europe cancelled, hundreds set off by foot for the Austrian border, 170 km (110 miles) away, as others had tried to do on Friday. The Hungarian authorities allowed some to board trains taking them to, but not over, the Austrian border. Hungary, the main entry point into Europe’s borderless Schengen zone for migrants, has taken a hard line, vowing to seal its southern frontier with a new, high fence by Sept. 15. Hungarian officials have portrayed the crisis as a defence of Europe’s prosperity, identity and “Christian values” against an influx of mainly Muslim migrants.
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GPL’s $242M Vreed-en-Hoop wharf still not in operation - fuel still being trucked across Demerara Bridge An oil truck pumping fuel from a truck at Vreed-en-Hoop.
Almost seven months after the Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL) commissioned a US$36M power plant- its biggest to date- on the West Bank of Demerara, an adjoining wharf is still to become operational. This is because of technical problems on the $242M structure which is now unlikely to be used anytime soon. The wharf is critical for fuel boats from Suriname to pull alongside but inspections by experts from that country advised that more piles need to be driven in the Demerara River to further stabilize it. Fuel lines from the wharf
runs to the tanks at the plant. Apparently, the wharf was built without the area being dredged. As a result of the wharf’s non-commissioning, GPL has been forced to pay a private contractor millions of dollars every month to truck fuel across the Demerara Harbour Bridge. Because of weight restrictions, the fuel trucks have been forced to take only quarter of a tank on the morethan-ten trips across the bridge daily. It is unclear what procurement process was used in the contract award for the trucking of fuel as GPL
has not been saying anything much. With the new power plant requiring a reported 1,000 barrels of fuel daily from GPL’s Kingston compound, there is real worry for the management of the state-owned company. There is not much leeway for delays in the fuel trucks across the Demerara River. Any unfortunate episode of the bridge going down is likely to see the new power
plant being forced to shut down. The trucks have also been causing anger among drivers in the busy Vreed-enHoop area because of the congestion. GPL was forced to spend monies to build a temporary facility to take the fuel from the trucks at Vreed-en-Hoop. The plant has been key in boosting and stabilizing GPL’s supply with the power
being distributed as far as Berbice through an interlinked system. The wharf contract was reportedly awarded to BK International back in June 2013. GPL’s Chairman, Winston Brassington, said earlier this year that liquidated damages will not be ruled out against the contractor for the delays which are now placing the Vreed-en-Hoop plant in jeopardy. The entire project itself was delayed by almost two years, sending costs up to US$36M. GPL had signed a US$26M contract with Wartsila, a Finnish company that has several engines across the country, since entering the Guyana market in the 1990s. GPL was responsible for the foundation, fuel lines and wharf. The company, which has been criticized for its high losses and costs, had admitted that the cost of trucking fuel is significant. As a matter of fact, Loris Nathoo, Divisional Director (Finance) of GPL, said that the company is spending about US$1 more per barrel. The previous Government had hailed the Vreed-en-Hoop plant as a major boost to GPL’s generating capacity.
Chairman of GPL, Winston Brassington Another major plus, said the officials, is the fact that Demerara, because of a new power cable link in the Berbice River, has been supplying around 10-12 megawatts of power, stabilizing the systems there. It is much cheaper than Berbice actually generating power. GPL has been under scrutiny as consumers complain of blackouts and increasing costs. The business community has been calling for cheaper, more reliable power. Brassington had blamed former Chief Executive Officer, Bharat Dindyal, for the woes of the Vreed-en-Hoop plant because of poor planning and project management. Dindyal has asked to leave a few weeks ago after he clashed with Deputy CEO, Colin Welch, over the suspension of two senior managers. Welch has been appointed Interim CEO.
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Jagdeo helping to recover billions By: Kiana Wilburg It appears that the Granger government and the new corruption watchdog of the people, Bharrat Jagdeo, have found a way to work together in improving democracy and returning transparency and accountability to the nation. This conclusion was reached when President David Granger facilitated this newspaper with an interview after the recording of government’s television show, “The Public Interest.” The Head of State said that a meeting was recently
President Granger says the Opposition Leader has been “friendly and cooperative” held with the Opposition Leader and they spoke on various issues of national importance. Granger however, seems most heartened by the fact that the Opposition Leader indicated a willingness to offer advice on financial matters and in helping the coalition administration in recovering monies. Granger was then asked to speak on some of those issues they were able to reach
some level of mutual understanding on and to share his views on Jagdeo’s promise to hold the feet of the coalition government to the fire. “Well, that is the role of the Opposition. We want to get criticisms from the opposition side and that is why we have a Parliament with two sides, ours and theirs. Jagdeo was President for 12 years and has been a long serving member of the
People’s Progressive Party, going into government in the time of the late Dr. Cheddi Jagan,” the President said. He added, “I wouldn’t divulge what he said but from our conversation on Monday he was quite prepared to give advice on financial matters and in fact he mentioned some things which I am confident will help the government to recover some revenue and bring more money into our coffers. So he
President, David Granger
Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo
has been very friendly and cooperative. I look forward to a fruitful engagement.” The Head of State noted that he is pleased with some of the things related to him by Jagdeo, which he believes would lead to greater efficiency in revenue collection as well, and said that the next meeting between the two is not confirmed as yet. Granger said that both parties have agreed to the appointment of high level contact persons to be nominated so as to facilitate the smooth flow of meetings between the two at any hour of the day or night, short notice or not. “You know we never broke contact with the PPP/C and I don’t mind my feet being kept to the fire,” said the President. Earlier this week, the Ministry of the Presidency informed the media that the Jagdeo-Granger meeting also saw the agreement between the two on the Venezuela territorial controversy. According to the Ministry, Granger said that Guyanese can look forward to the current administration doing its part to ensure inclusive governance. In an invited comment following the meeting with Jagdeo, he said that his administration is prepared to work with the Opposition for the benefit of
the people of Guyana. He added that there is the urgent problem of threats to Guyana’s territorial integrity that must be addressed. President Granger said that the Opposition Leader has agreed to work with the administration to deal with the Venezuela territorial issue. Jagdeo and Granger also discussed as a matter of national interest, the establishment of the five bipartisan committees. These bodies are the Agriculture Committee, Budget Committee, Border Committee, National Unity Committee and a Security Committee. “Once Mr. Jagdeo was elected Leader of the Opposition, I wrote him inviting him to talks, because as Leader of Opposition he has certain Constitutional obligations,” President Granger said. The Head of State added that, there is important work that has to be completed on the packed roster of the Eleventh Parliament, which includes the 2016 Budget and support for the agriculture sector, particularly the rice and sugar industry. Given the magnitude of these and other matters, the President said, he is pleased that the meeting happened, as it is important to start the process of addressing matters of national interest.
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Guyana has been dodging corruption for a long time US urges patience over forensic audits - Charge d’Affaires Bryan Hunt
By Leonard Gildarie The US has urged Guyanese to be patient as a number of Governmentordered forensic audits continue. Charge d’Affaires of the US Embassy, Bryan Hunt, made the comments on Tuesday during an exclusive interview with Kaieteur News, in which he also urged for interim measures to safeguard the country’s procurement system. The David Granger administration took office in May, following general elections, and immediately ordered a number of forensic audits into state entities and projects. These include at the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA); Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC); Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC); Guyana Gold Board (GGB); Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA); the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) and the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL),
US Charge d’Affaires, Bryan Hunt among others. But there has been impatience expressed in segments of society that no one is being held accountable or taken to court, although there are strong indications that corruption existed under consecutive administrations of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C). The PPP/C, while in power, had accused the US of meddling in the affairs of Guyana. Don’t Criticize According to Hunt, the forensic audits are not
straightforward, describing white collar crime as a complex affair. “Forensic audits are tremendously important. I think understanding what went wrong, holding those responsible for violating the laws of justice is an important thing today. It is not something that is done quickly. Official investigation into corruption in the US can take years to develop and bring to prosecution.” The Diplomat noted that some US investigations can be more complicated than the ones in Guyana, but that does not mean local auditors should not proceed carefully as there is a need to build a solid case before taking the matter to court. “So I don’t think that criticizing Government for not moving rapidly enough is the way to go. I think we need to encourage the Government to do its duty in the law enforcement sphere…do the forensic audits… do the identification of criminal responsibility…take it to the conclusion of the case.” Hunt warned that rushing
the audits as a result of public pressure could see “shoddy work” being done. “…and we are going to end up with somebody who was not guilty taking the fall for what happens or we are going to end up seeing people who are criminally responsible not being jailed because the Government didn’t do its job in building the case. I think it is important for the Guyanese people to exercise patience.” He stressed that white collar crime is never something which moves quickly from investigation to prosecution. “And you probably should not because it is a lot more complicated to prove a white collar case than to prove a garden variety type of crime.” Hunt, an outspoken Diplomat, who has been running the US Embassy since the departure of Ambassador D. Brent Hardt around mid-last year, is convinced that the country has weaknesses in the system that allowed corruption to happen. MIS-SPENT
“It’s very clear that monies were mis-spent. The question is who is responsible? Is there criminal liability etc.… will have to be answered in the investigations. The Government has to spend some time probably working with the Auditor General and the (Office of the) Ombudsman to figure out how was that allowed to happen. What are the procedures that someone could in fact mis-allocate in some cases billions of dollars? I think it is going to be important to tighten not only the procedures but the internal accountability (of the country)”. Moving forward, Hunt believes that the establishment of the Public Procurement Commission is the right step for Guyana. The body is supposed to oversee the award of state
contracts but its establishment has been delayed for nearly a decade. “I think that it should move forward as soon as it is constitutional possible. It requires the support probably of both sides of the aisle to make that happen but I think it is the right decision and I hope it does move forward.” In the interim, the new administration should take steps to increase the independence between politicians and the procurement decisions. “…there can be steps taken to increase the independence of the National Tender Board…steps taken…that people at the top levels are not the ones that are making the decisions about whose friends get the contracts. I think having an open process with multiple (Continued on page 64)
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Sunday September 06, 2015
Berbicians share views on the Berbice Bridge tolls saga By Malisa Harry The recent initiative by the new administration to reduce the Berbice Bridge Toll is at a standstill, with the Berbice Bridge Company including shareholders still to have their input in the reduction. The contractual agreement allows Hand in Hand Trust and
BILL, NEW AMSTERDAM – “It is not good for the country. The government should have continuous negotiations and the shareholders along with the government should come to a compromise to alleviate the situation as it is”
MURRAY, BUSINESSMAN – “It was an agreement with the previous government and investors but what I can tell you is that at that time the people were badly in need of a bridge and so the government try and do anything to make the bridge”
New GPC to own fifty percent of the entity when their investments are only five percent. Equity shareholders whose investments are five percent ($400 million) of the total funds of the company are given controlling interest in the company. Against this backdrop, Berbicians shared their views on this issue. These are some of their responses.
MOHABIR, GOLD DEALER- “That bridge apparently belong to the PPP. It’s too hard and it’s too much to deal with as a citizen. They already had a deal but here is what we could do, give them the bridge and take revenue from them and let us get our own boat on the water top”.
GOBIN, VENDOR - “The government can make their own fee, but now they can’t interfere with the bridge because is a binding agreement, the only thing the government can do is nationalize the bridge and let the government pay off the company and let the government run it.”
MARK JOHNSON - “It seems like the shareholders are only looking after their own interest and their financial gain. I think they should try to come to a compromise and reduce the crossing of the bridge. It could happen, depends on the shareholders interest of the country.”
ISHMAIL KING, ENTREPRENEUR - “I feel that decision that was made, the government just try to please the people because of the election promise that they made but if the decision cannot come through because of the private companies, I think what the government needs to do is to bring back the boat so it will be a competition with these shareholders who got big shares at the bridge company. The bridge should have been owned by the government; so if the government can’t rectify it with the shareholders, put back the two boat to cross the river, so people can use the boat to pay a cheaper fair rather than paying such an expensive fee on the bridge.”
MARK, SELF EMPLOYED - “The poor people are feeling the pressure because everybody that has to cross that bridge will have to pay exorbitant prices just to move from point A to point B. If the government who is in position now said that they are going to lower that bridge toll at $300 or $400, that would have been an ease enough for the poor people who have to cross everyday with their schoolchildren to go to school. And as to the government who was in position before, I figure as a normal Guyanese that they sell out the bridge, and that’s wrong because if it was a subsidy, in five years time that subsidy would have been paid off. No part of the world I travel as a seaman I never paid more than US $10, why we gotta pay a $4000 or $3000 to cross a bridge, just a couple of miles from way we living? The first government sell out the bridge and the Guyanese people that is why poor people got to face all this pressure.”
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Sunday September 06, 2015
Stigma, taboo on suicide doing more harm than good By Desilon Daniels Since childhood, Selina Kyle (name changed) would struggle each day with mental health issues; one moment, she would be as happy as any child, bouncing off the walls with excitement. The next, she would be nearly on the brink of tears, solemn but unsure of why. Now 22-year-old, Selina still struggles with this issue but now she understands what it means. Recently, she was diagnosed by a psychiatrist as suffering from Bipolar Disease, a mental illness characterised by mood swings ranging from depressive lows to manic highs. Bipolar Disease is also known as “manic depression” and can’t be cured but treatment may help. The disease is often for life. Selina is mostly alone in tackling her problem; she believes that there is a stigma in Guyana surrounding issues of mental illness and feels that while she can speak about it with few persons, she is nowhere near making any public declarations as yet. According to Selina, the silence initially began in her family. She explained that she
often suffered from episodes of depression and suicidal thoughts. These episodes, which had always been present, intensified earlier this year and were debilitating. However, her experiences were never broached with her family despite the fact that others in her family suffered from mental illness. “Depression runs in my family but it’s not something we talk about unless it’s very obvious, like if you ‘trip out’; we all just keep it to ourselves,” she said. She said too that once she had mentioned her depression to her mother but
sessions for months and even began taking medication but her family never knew. “Having suicidal thoughts is not something you feel proud of or something you’re willing to share with anyone, including your family,” Selina said. “You feel a bit of shame that you want to kill yourself.” However, despite the previous failures at raising the topic, Selina tried once more with her mother. She explained to her mother that she had been receiving help and had been diagnosed with Bipolar Disease. In turn, her mother expressed concern at her
“Having suicidal thoughts is not something you feel proud of or something you’re willing to share with anyone, including your family. You feel a bit of shame that you want to kill yourself.” was told, “You just have to get prayers and get those thoughts out of your head.” Selina said that she eventually sought the help of a psychiatrist and though it was expensive she found a way to afford it. She attended
taking medication and worried about possible addiction. There was a positive outcome, however, Selina said. “My Dad suffers from it [Bipolar Disease] as well and he knew my struggles so
when I told her she said she understood more than I think she does,” Selina said. “At first she didn’t understand though. She still doesn’t understand my feelings completely but I’m not upset about that because she’s not the one in my head.” For Selina, opening up about her illness and suicidal thoughts with her mother helped her tremendously. She added that not much has changed in the way her mother relates to her and she said she was thankful that her mother was not “babying” her. “I thought she needed to know in case I went over the edge and she needed an explanation for my behaviour,” she said. She continued, “I feel relieved now because I know if I ever get into a really dark place she’ll understand; if I kill myself I feel a sense of peace knowing that she’ll understand where it all came from.” Selina added that she had also raised the issue with another relative but is still keeping her problems close to the chest from other relatives. Outside of her family, her mental illness is not raised. She said that typically the issue is a hushed up one. She explained that she had known someone who had failed at suicide, however, after the suicide attempt, this friend never spoke about it. She added that the issue of
The Caribbean Voice Managing Director, Bibi Ahamad suicide is sometimes trivialised. “Everyone is going to think you’re an attention seeker or a weak person who doesn’t have a problem but who is just exaggerating things,” she said. She said this is particularly true with Bipolar Disease since you often cannot track the source of the depression. Suicide, the unmentionable Bibi Ahamad, Managing Director of the nongovernmental organisation (NGO), The Caribbean Voice, agreed that suicide is indeed a taboo subject in Guyana.
She explained that Caribbean Voice had visited Black Bush Polder, East Berbice and its four main areas, Lesbeholden, Johanna, Mibicuri and Yakusari. There, the NGO met with people in the community and interacted with them on suicide prevention and the issues surrounding suicide such as depression. She added that there was a wide crosssection of participants including teenagers, young children and adults. She said that the area was decided upon based on statistics which showed (Continued on page 64)
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BaiShanLin ordered to stop selling logs on local market
In a bid to stop Chinese logging company BaiShanLin’s encroachment on the local market, the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) entered into an agreement with the company to prohibit them from direct competition with local loggers. This agreement was inked on 20th April, 2015 and was meant to cover a six-month period, but the Government mandate was reportedly not enough to deter the Chinese company from continuing its sale of logs on the local market. In the document, seen by Kaieteur News, the “numerous complaints from various stakeholders within the forestry sector” was cited as the principal reason for the agreement. The contract also noted that BaiShanLin was selling logs at reduced prices, thereby affecting the “livelihood of various companies, communities and associations in Guyana”. BaiShanLin has come under much fire in recent times with the company being
BaiShanLin’s Berbice location
Managing Director of BaiShanLin Chu Hung Bo
GFC Commissioner James Singh
accused of expanding out of the logging sector by diverting funds and equipment originally intended for logging purposes to gain footholds in industries such as mining, housing and commercial river transportation. There have also been protestations from local loggers who have found it impossible to compete with BaiShanLin, since the tax breaks and duty free
concessions granted to the Chinese company for their logging operations, gave them a distinct advantage and allowed them to charge prices far below what the locals could offer. According to the agreement between Commissioner of GFC James Singh (acting on behalf of Government) and Managing Director of BaiShanLin, Chu Hongbo, the Chinese company was ordered to halt
its sale of logs on the local market from April 2015 until the six month period ends, in October.
The terms of the agreement stated that, “The Company shall desist from selling logs locally until the
conclusion of this agreement.” The agreement also specified, “The (Continued on page 57)
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Cops solve murder of 68-year-old…
Drug addict cuts out old woman’s tongue after raping her on roadway When the drug addict saw 68-year-old Megan Jones wandering alone on a West Coast Demerara roadway, last July, he beat her unconscious, raped her, then cut out the old woman’s tongue. That’s the shocking confession that 40-year-old Stanley Barrow, called ‘Cuffy,’ gave police last Friday. Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum said that detectives are now questioning Barrow in relation to other incidents of rape, which occurred in nearby communities. He is likely to appear in court by Monday. Another man who was arrested with the suspect was released after the alleged killer said that he acted alone.
Mrs. Jones, who resided at Stanleytown, West Bank Demerara, was mentally unsound, and residents had reportedly grown used to seeing her wandering in the streets at all hours of the day and night. But on July 22, last, they found her lying, badly battered and barely alive, on the access road to the Vreed-en-Hoop jetty area. Mrs. Jones’ attacker had also sliced off her tongue. She died the following day at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation. But police did not identify her until a few days ago. On Friday, a post mortem examination performed by Pathologist Dr. Nehaul Singh revealed that Mrs. Jones had sustained multiple injuries, including blunt trauma to the head. She had also suffered a broken jaw. And although the killer had silenced old Mrs. Jones, residents who had seen the gruesome attack spoke up for her. “After the incident, people started calling in and saying that we should hold him (Barrow) and another suspect,” Blanhum said. “Both men were picked up and he (Barrow)
confessed. He said that he acted alone and we released the other man.” “He (Barrow) said that he saw her wandering and had sex with her, and during intercourse, she started complaining that she was in pain, and he became annoyed and dealt her several blows. He also had a knife and he cut off her tongue,” the Crime Chief said, adding that Barrow then left the area. Police have been lauded for solving several ‘cold’ cases in recent months. Among them was the shocking killing of 77-year-old Carmen Ganesh, who was battered to death in her Montrose, East Coast Demerara home. A surveillance camera recorded the killing, and a suspect, Colin Alleyne, has been charged. But the murders of several other elderly women over the years have gone unsolved. Among them is the August 28, 2009 slaying of 80-year-old Bhemwattie Ram, who was bound, gagged and sexually assaulted in her La Grange, West Bank Demerara home. Her gold earrings, gold ring and gold bands were missing.
Sunday September 06, 2015
Ramotar sees “nothing wrong” with Red House deal By Abena Rockcliffe Former President, Donald Ramotar sees no wrong in the People Progressive Party/ Civic’s (PPP/C) action when it leased Red House to a company controlled by Party members, yet continued to allow the state to foot the bill for workers’ salary. He said this yesterday during a telephone interview with Kaieteur News. Ramotar admitted that he was fully aware of the process which was not made public until discovered by the new government. During the interview yesterday, the former President said, “I see nothing wrong with what was done. What is so wrong with giving a lease?” Pointing to the fact that the building was leased for just a measly $1000 per month, Ramotar said “I still do not see anything wrong with that, I do not see what all the noise is about.” Building his defence, Ramotar pointed to the fact that the PPP/C government had given five acres of land to the Burnham family. “We gave five acres of land to the Burnham family, to Viola Burnham; and what did they do? That family sold it for a profit. But we did not hear noise about that. We did not sell Red House we leased it.” Questioned about the PPPC government’s decision to continue paying the staff, Ramotar responded, “Well if
the new government does not want to pay the staff anymore that’s their business, I cannot do anything about that.” He said that the Cheddi Jagan Research Center did lots in facilitating research for many local students and foreigners and is in honour of an extraordinary human being. However, Ramotar dodged the question as to whether the government which he was leading was not doing a good enough job running Red House. The PPP’s action was revealed when Minister of State Joseph Harmon took the floor during the Budget debates. The Minister told the House that the PPP/C administration spent tens of millions of dollars over the years to renovate the Cheddi Jagan Research Centre (Red House) which remained state property until 2012. During that year, a company was established named ‘Cheddi Jagan Research Inc.’ and the building was leased by the PPP to that company. The lease agreement has duration of 99 years at a cost of only $1000 monthly. This will add up to $12,000 per year and $1,188,000 over the 99-year period. This will not be even a quarter of what was spent to build, renovate and maintain the building over the years. Apart from this, Harmon said that the entity’s staff remained on the job and were
Former President, Donald Ramotar still being paid by the State. Harmon said it is clear, the direction of the transaction since the Board involved top executives of the PPP including Geoffrey Da Silva, the late Janet Jagan, Ramotar, James Rose, Michael Khan, Hydar Ally and Ralph Ramkarran, among others. Ramotar was President at the time he assumed membership of the Board. When Members of Parliament found out about the lease, they became incensed. Minister of Social Cohesion, Amna Ally, was perhaps the loudest heckler during this time shouting things like “thief”, “shame”, “barefaced thieves” and “bam bam!” The late Dr. Cheddi Jagan is the founder of the Red House. Members of the government said that the PPP’s “theft” of the site is a dishonour to the late President.
Sunday September 06, 2015
Kaieteur News
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Investing in Emergency Care: The best value for money in low and middle income countries After reviewing an article from Dr Ziad Obermeyer of the Harvard University on the importance of emergency medical care in health systems, I had to share it to show the importance of emergency medicine in health care. Emergency care is often overlooked in budgets and in the agendas in healthcare systems but it easily provides the best value for money when it comes to the delivery of efficient and effective healthcare. When we think about health care in low and MiddleIncome Countries (LMICs), we think about vaccines, maternal and child health and controlling epidemics of major infectious diseases, and perhaps improving nutrition and sanitation. There is a
good reason these interventions come to mind: over the past few decades they have saved literally millions of lives. But it’s easy to forget that people in poor countries also get into car accidents. They get pneumonia, heart attacks, diarrheal illnesses, and asthma too. Not all these emergencies are preventable-even in highincome countries that have been investing in prevention and primary care for decades. So it’s no surprise that studies consistently put emergency conditions at the top of the list of causes of death and disability worldwide. Evidence showing importance of emergency medical care Recently an international group called the Acute Care Development Consortium, reviewed over 40,000 published and unpublished
The craziness is never far away. We have had a spate of gang-related violence. This is far from over because a group of young men believe that they are the judge, jury and executioners in their dispute resolution programme. This time around, one group is going to be too adventurous. Its members would run into a patrol soon after they would shoot at another young man. ** A fire would break out at a business place and cause extensive damage. The word would be arson because people in the know would contend that the owner of the property is in debt and he wants some insurance money to tide him over.
At the same time the absence of business would keep his creditors off his back. ** Another car crash and another road fatality, this time in the eastern corridor. Efforts to curb the spate of road accidents are failing because many drunk drivers are not stopped, routinely. The situation would have been worse had there not been the curfew on night clubs.
By Dr. Zulfikar Bux Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine
reports to generate a snapshot of emergency care in LMICs. They found that 10-15 percent of all deaths occurred in emergency facilities. And unlike highincome countries, where emergency facilities serve growing numbers of chronically ill elders, these patients are young, healthy, and economically productive. The volume of patients seeking emergency care in LMICs is enormous; facilities see on average 10 times the caseloads of primary care doctors in similar settings. And mortality rates are staggering-multiples of those in high-income countries, especially in paediatric facilities in central Africa. In some facilities, up to one in five children brought in for treatment died in the emergency setting, in front of a provider. They found that emergency care in LMICs is shockingly under-
resourced. Conditions were often heartbreakingly rudimentary. Findings suggested that funding for emergency care is almost nonexistent. This and the issues surrounding emergency care is usually absent from agendas of most donors, international organizations and Ministries of Health. But with so many competing priorities in global health, most of them underresourced, what makes emergency care different? What can be done? A key insight comes from the evolution of emergency care in high-income countries. Over the past few decades, focused efforts to improve quality-advances in clinical operations, protocolized care, provider training, and morehave translated into major reductions in mortality across several diseases and conditions. And for all the
hand-wringing in policy circles about overuse, emergency care accounts for a tiny fraction of national medical expenditures. It is a small price to pay for lives saved. Encouragingly, they found early indications from LMICs that similar improvements in emergency care-better triage, improved patient flow, supervision/ training of junior providerscan also lead to dramatic reductions in mortality. These interventions did not require massive new investments in infrastructure; they simply tweaked the way existing health system resources are used, meaning that lives, limbs, and discomfort were likely saved at very little cost. There is no question that disease and injury prevention are core functions of health systems everywhere. But parallel investments in
Dr. Zulfikar Bux emergency care could help promote innovative costeffective interventions, break down disease-specific silos in health care delivery, and prepare us for the next epidemic of Ebola-or something worse. So, in a way, rethinking emergency care might actually get us closer to the original Alma Ata goals of primary care and health for all. Emergency care in Guyana is still in its infancy and has strong potential for growth. Continued support and nurturing will ensure its evolution into a force that tremendously benefit the health of all Guyanese.
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Kaieteur News
Sunday September 06, 2015
The execution of ‘Big Six’ By Michael Jordan It took me two days to find the spot where they killed ‘Big Six.’ After all, it had happened 17 years ago, near a narrow wooden bridge in Savage Street. This is a long road stretching from NorthEast La Penitence to the West La Penitence area known as ‘The Island.’ But I couldn’t find that bridge, and I eventually learned why. The authorities had torn it down years ago. An ugly concrete bridge, located between Savage and Sussex Streets is now in its place. I couldn’t help wondering whether ‘Big Six’ might still be alive if that concrete bridge had been there on the night the gunman ambushed him. He wouldn’t have had to dismount from his bicycle and present himself as an easy target. But Big Six’s mom doesn’t believe in untimely deaths. So I guess she would just say that it was her only son’s time to go. His real name was Adrian Williams, and at an early age he knew that he wanted to be a policeman like one of his uncles, whom he held in high esteem. Immediately after leaving
The late Constable Adrian Williams (at left) with two colleagues. school, the18-year-old from Friendship, East Coast Demerara, enlisted in the Guyana Police Force. He was now Constable 15418 Adrian Williams. Joan Williams had no concerns about her son’s safety, since, “at that time they weren’t killing police.”
But by 1996, after just two years in the Force, Constable Williams was wondering if he had made a career misstep. He had reportedly told some relatives that the job was becoming dangerous. His mother would later receive reports that her son was threatened after he and some
colleagues had raided a house and found drugs on the premises. He decided that he would enroll in the Guyana Technical Institute the following year. At around 8.00 p.m. on Saturday, July 6, 1996, Constable Williams visited his mother at her stall outside the Stabroek Market. He then bid her goodbye, before setting off on his bicycle to the East Ruimveldt Police Outpost to work the night shift. He was immediately summoned to go out on duty. A woman had alleged that someone was threatening her life. She pleaded with the ranks to accompany her to her West La Penitence home. Williams, accompanied by Rural Constable Sean Jack, set out on their bicycles to investigate. According to reports, the woman suggested to Williams and Jack that they take the Punt Trench route to her home. Instead, Williams and Rural Constable Jack took another route through Savage Street. William and Jack eventually reached a narrow wooden bridge separating Savage Street from Sussex Street. According to reports, the two ranks dismounted and were crossing the bridge when two men who were standing on the bridge confronted them. There was the sound of rapid gunfire and a bullet-riddled Constable Williams fell dead. Rural Constable Sean Jack dropped his bike and escaped without a scratch. Meanwhile, the woman who had made the complaint began to wonder why the police ranks had not turned up. She then returned to the East Ruimveldt Outpost, where she received the grim news. But why had the gunmen murdered Constable Williams? There was no crime
wave back then, and the killing of a policeman was a rarity. Investigators questioned the sole eyewitness, Rural Constable Sean Jack. They found nothing to implicate him in Williams’s death. Detectives later received information that suggested that Constable Williams had an unfortunate encounter with members of the triggerhappy Michael Craig Gang. Craig was one of the most feared gunmen of that era. He committed brazen armed robberies and he seemed to relish killing. In the late nineties, Craig and his gang trailed a jewel store owner’s son and gunned him down. They later turned up at a fair at Linden wearing the stolen jewellery. The local cops never caught him. Craig fled to the United States but it was a short-lived stay. Craig entered a New York store and tried to stick up the owner. The New York cops riddled him with bullets. But police believe that the individual who actually pulled the trigger on ‘Big Six’ was a Michael Craig associate known as ‘Green Man’. He was killed at Nismes, West Bank Demerara. One cop suggested that Williams may have ordered the loitering men on the bridge to disperse, and they responded by killing the uniformed cop. Joan Williams has received similar information about the identity of her son’s killers. But that doesn’t mean that she believes that the real perpetrators were ever apprehended. “He might be out there still. People in the area called a name. One of his (Constable
Williams’s) friends called a name of a man who used to live in Albousytown and escaped to French Guiana. I don’t know if there was any investigation. They go willynilly and kill about six people…some known criminals; one ‘Green-man’ and others. “I kept going to Eve Leary and they say that they looking into it, and that they have no leads. They offered me a job, which I refused. My son get kill and you want to kill me too? I asked for compensation.” But Mrs. Williams said that she had to wait until 2002, when other policemen were being slaughtered, before the Home Affairs Ministry awarded her $1M in compensation. She now makes the yearly journey to Eve Leary to lay a wreath for her son, during the memorial service for fallen police ranks. “I remember him every day. He was a jovial person. He would always say something to make you happy. I grieve no more. I don’t believe in untimely death. Death is inevitable, and you have to let them go and hold onto the memory.” If you have any information about these or any other unusual cases, please contact us by letter or telephone at our Lot 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown office. Our numbers are 2258465, 22-58458 and 2258452. You need not disclose your identity. You can also contact Michael Jordan at his email address: mjdragon@ hotmail.com
Sunday September 06, 2015
Kaieteur News
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=== The Freddie Kissoon column ===
Grandfathers may no longer be grandfathers when in power If there is anything I have learnt both as a human-rights activist and a trained academic is that power is an irresistible temptation that has destroyed the best of intentions and the best of men and women throughout history in all parts of the world. When the PPP came to power in 1992 I was elated. It ended the long, long reign of the PNC. The PNC reign certainly wasn’t a bed of roses. The PNC rule was too long and Guyana needed a change of faces and ideas. There were personal implications for me; fear of victimization was gone. There was the realization in 1992 that there would be more space for creative, liberating politics. I have never been a PPP supporter but I knew all the leaders of the PPP through my activism as a WPA activist, a UG student then a UG lecturer and as a media operative. You had to be glad that people you knew closely were now in power. You could go to them to support democratic projects. These were people that you knew from your long years of interactions with that would be better leaders, better in many ways than those who governed for almost three decades To say that I was just a casual acquaintance with many PPP leaders would be a huge understatement. I knew
many of them closely. WPA leaders and PPP leaders were tight as they say in local lingo. The long friendship between WPA and PPP leaders, PPP leaders and anti-dictatorship activists, me and PPP leaders came to an end as 1992 and the years afterwards started to pass into history. Only one culprit was at work – power. The little boys and girls in the PPP that became mature adults after 1992, the “great” Cheddi Jagan that became President after 1992, the humble doctor, Roger Luncheon that rode on a bicycle to work were all transformed into personalities that had no bearing to their pre-1992 character. Power did that to them. People will tell you not to enter the den of gambling, smoking, doing hard drugs; alcohol consumption because once in there is no exit (remember the meaning of the world famous song, Hotel California?). But in a most strange philosophical irony in human society, people never advise others to stay away from power. Why it is ironic is because the billions of pages of history books are instructive of what political power does to people who get hold of it. If you believe Mandela only wanted one presidential term because of age then you are mistaken. He didn’t want power to destroy his legacy.
Gorbachev and Mahatma Gandhi were contemptuous of power. Eusi Kwayana would have frowned on any Ministerial job if offered. So why would humans advise others that they should run for office? Because people believe that humans are inherently good people and that the world needs citizens with ideas, courage and imagination to change it for the better. The philosophical danger in that thinking is that you need power to implement your ideas but power is always pregnant with flawed instincts. Greece is the latest manifestation of how power
can lead to deception and destruction. The left-wing party, Syriza saw a chance to save Greece from horrible debt relief requirements. It campaigned on a bandwagon of the rejection of such conditions. After victory, Syriza’s Prime Minister, Alexis Tsipras, implemented the same requirements he denounced when in opposition. Tsipras wanted power, he got it, it turned him into another person and caused a huge rebellion in his party. It is much too early to judge the APNU-AFC Government on the use of power. But we mortals must at all times remember that
power does strange things to even good women and honourable men. President Granger is a grandfather so is Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo. The nation knows Nagamootoo a long, long time ago; he has been around politics forever. He is now the Prime Minister. Will he be the grandfather we knew so long? Isn’t the grandfather now the second most powerful man in Guyana? Most Guyanese, even the Indian constituencies of the PPP, felt somewhere in their mind that David Granger was not from the seventies with any baggage. Granger always
Frederick Kissoon came across as a decent family man that would have made a good president. But that Granger we knew before 2015 is now in power. Will he be the same man now he is president? Will our new Cabinet Minister be the same people we knew on the picket line and in the battles against PPP dictatorship? Are any signs there to cause concern? Let’s wait and see.
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An alarming tendency has surfaced in the PPP/C to make full use of very dramatic words and phrases to describe non-dramatic situations. Very boldly, without any attempt to shield the true intent of their disingenuous posturings, they deliberately skewer every situation into an emotive appeal. The PPP/C Opposition has continued, even after the national elections, to do what they do best – propagandise for selfish gains and to save face. Our new three-month-old government has been grappling with the minutae of governance which fortunately and unfortunately involves the detailed, time consuming process of finding the missing money, equipment and facilities over which the PPP presided for some 23 years. The new administration is also doing what it committed itself to, i.e. ensuring that the people employed across the public service are properly retrained and to reset their focus on delivering a high standard of public service. This process involves a close examination of the suitability of each public servant for the posts they
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hold in order to determine the level of re-training needed, and to ensure that the square pegs are removed from the round holes they were stuffed into during the previous administration. This process is revealing that the previously informed assumptions are indeed fact, i.e. that many senior and mid level officers were promoted to positions they could not properly function in only because of their dedicated service to the PPP party. Others, though qualified, were found to have flouted the sacrosanct rules and regulations of traditional public service, and had committed many infractions which assaulted every course of natural justice. The APNU+AFC Coalition gave commitments to the people of Guyana to make their lives easier, to remove the red tape and systemic bureaucracy, and level the field to give every person a fair chance to benefit from the nation’s resources, whether it is a piece of land to farm or construct homes, or assistance to start or expand an enterprise. These commitments were made with the full knowledge that the public service under
the PPP was not delivering to Guyanese who were not closely aligned to the party. In fact, very many of their own supporters at the lower end of the pecking order could not receive any benefits, not unless they visited the party’s headquarters to appeal to a ‘big one’ in the central executive, and agree to certain pay back measures. This had to stop. Any honest government worth its salt would ensure that the system is cleared of corrupt, inept persons who were not serving in the interests of the people they are supposed to serve irrespective of their political affiliations. New governments all over the world are compelled to measure every system for its efficacy when they go into office, and restructure according to the regulations enshrined in the laws. Guyana was never an exception, not in 1964, 1985, 1992 and certainly not 2015. The new Coalition government of six (6) political parties is the largest in Guyana’s pre- and post independence history. It is made up of people from all of Guyana’s six main races (and then some), from every culture and from all walks of life – independent people who freely express their opinions and recommendations. There really is no room for blind faith to any particular race. This makes the PPP’s claims that the new government is practicing ethnic cleansing stupid and ludicrous. Ethnic cleansing, properly defined, is really seriously destructive and has wreaked havoc in numerous
Sunday September 06, 2015
countries the world over. The official United Nations definition of ethnic cleansing is “rendering an area ethnically homogeneous by using force or intimidation to remove from a given area persons of another ethnic or religious group”. These events are perpetrated under conditions akin to civil war and states of emergency when constitutions are suspended and martial law takes its place. Global scholars have defined ethnic cleansing as the systematic forced removal of ethnic or religious groups from a given territory by a more powerful ethnic group. The forces applied may be any form of forced migration (deportation, population transfer), intimidation or mass murder. It is usually accompanied by efforts to erase physical and cultural evidence of the targeted group through the destruction of homes, social centers, farms and infrastructure, and by the desecration of monuments, cemeteries and places of worship. It has been carried out with murder, torture, arbitrary arrests and detention, extrajudicial executions, sexual assaults, confinement of civilian populations in ghetto areas, forcible removal, displacement and deportation of civilians, deliberate military attacks or threats of attacks on civilian areas, and wanton destruction of property. All of these acts are crimes against humanity. No one (in the previous generation) would forget the horrible events that occurred in the east-central African
nation of Rwanda from April to July 1994. This was ethnic cleansing at its worst. Members of the Hutu ethnic majority murdered as many as 800,000 people mostly of the Tutsi minority in four months! Ironically, Hutus and Tutsis were differentiated only by association, not by any physical differences. The massacres began in the capital city of Kigali while flames of hate were being fanned by extremist Hutu nationalists on radio programmes, through loud hailers on vehicles driving through the streets, and by word of mouth. The President then was a Hutu. The genocide spread throughout the country with staggering speed and brutality. Ordinary citizens were incited by local officials and the government of Hutu Power to take up arms against their neighbours, those whom they believed to be Tutsi and from this a horrendous killing spree ensued that saw such brutality of man against his compatriots that the world prayed that we would never again witness anything akin to it in this lifetime or the next. By the time the Tutsi-led Rwandese Patriotic Front (RPF) party gained control of the country through a military offensive in early July hundreds of thousands of Rwandans of all persuasions were dead and thousands more displaced. There were over two million refugees (mainly Hutus) exacerbating a fullblown humanitarian crisis. Rwanda’s international image and their relations with the rest of the world have since been tainted by this massacre. This was highly dramatic ethnic cleansing. One cannot help but wonder how the PPP determined that the government’s decisions to terminate several employment and civil construction
contracts qualify for this harsh terminology, especially considering that some workers/contractors were not of Indian extraction. Their comments throw a harsh spotlight on their own mindset that has almost always been rooted in racial division. We recall the comments made by former HPS, Dr. Roger Luncheon, under cross examination during the Jagdeo/Kissoon libel trial. He had stated that his government could find no ‘black person’ sufficiently qualified for appointment to ambassadorship. Guyanese are fed up of being placed into brackets or pockets. We are no longer tolerant of people disposed to act with racial discrimination as their motivation. Irrespective of where our foreparents came from, we are all Guyanese first and unless we relinquish our citizenship in another land, we’ll always be Guyanese first. We note that former president Jagdeo has done an about-face recently. Overnight he has become clairvoyant and is promoting himself as having all the answers to the woes that he created during his 12-15 year reign. Notice we avoided the dramatic terminology “reign of terror”. These are dramatic words not even befitting the years of deprivation people suffered between 1999 and 2015. His new 20/20 vision, this cloak of righteousness that he donned lately, is not enough to make people forget his rule as a foul-mouthed, attentionseeking, disrespectful despot who took what he felt he was entitled to, and distributed the nation’s wealth to those who genuflected to him. This is a peaceful nation and the Coalition government will do all in its power to maintain that equilibrium.
Sunday September 06, 2015
Kaieteur News
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MY COLUMN
An attempt to make the national motto a reality Memories came flooding back on Thursday when I went to the roundtable on social cohesion. For one, the forum attracted people from all walks of life, all of them serious about trying to get on with their lives in a Guyana that was once one of the most peaceful countries in the world. Indeed, many of those came from rural Guyana where people look out for each other, where people eagerly rush to help their neighbours and where there was the time when people did not bother too much with locking their homes. Some in their sixties and older recalled the days when people accepted their ethnicity and were subservient to the colonial masters. Sir Shridath Ramphal, when he addressed the forum, brought some memories flooding back. Not many alive today would recall when sports clubs were the preserves of people of one ethnicity or another. So Guyana had the Chinese Sports Club and East Indians Cricket Club. As the name suggested the membership were for specific race groups. Even schools did not escape the tag. There was the East Indian Trust College, which has since been renamed the Richard Ishmael Secondary School. As Sir Shridath explained, it was in the interest of the colonial masters to propagate the racial division. Guyana became independent and adopted its motto of One People, One Nation, One Destiny but that was only on paper. To his credit, the late Forbes Burnham got the clubs to change their names. This was not as easy as it sounds because there were people who felt safe in the ethnic division. I remember those days because young cricketers were reminded of their ethnicity. And to make matters worse, the rivalry between the clubs was intensified because people wanted to establish their ethnic superiority. Matches between the predominantly black Demerara Cricket Club and the fair complexioned Georgetown Cricket Club were as hostile as they got. None can forget what
happened in Linden. There was the Watooka House and pool that was taboo to the natives. The whites lived on the hill above the natives and black guards prevented the entry of anyone who had no business there. And the business was going there as a domestic or a gardener or some task that was once considered menial. Then President David Granger hinted at another area of discrimination. Those who came from rural Guyana were considered inferior to those who lived in the city. I remembered some of my schoolmates who were assured of jobs at one of the commercial banks because they were light-skinned. The colonial masters left Guyana but the politicians found that the appeal to race was useful. A country with a motto of one people with one nation suddenly became a country with two distinct people. This trend continued until this year when a group of people shunned the race vote, but not entirely. Of interest is the fact that in the market place these one sees nothing but Guyanese. The people live as they are supposed to, ordinary people seeking to live their lives in peace and harmony. They rub shoulders and any investigator who would happen to investigate racism in Guyana and should visit the market place would be hard pressed to believe that there is any ethnic conflict. When I travelled to North America I found that the very people who were content to maintain their ethnicity back in Guyana were solidly Guyanese outside the borders. This is how life should be but ethnic division continues. Amazingly, this divided country becomes one nation when some external factor comes into play. There is not a Guyanese who would not take offence at another country seeking to lay claim to a sizeable portion of the
country. Politically, former President Bharrat Jagdeo is not a fan of President David Granger but they did agree that Guyana’s boundaries should remain as they are. Word is that they also spoke about social cohesion but not one member of the opposition party turned up to the roundtable. Perhaps it was political gamesmanship but the nation wanted to see that the politicians were keen to have everyone live in peace. Who could forget the violence that followed every election since 1992 until 2006?
People justified attacking each other on the basis of ethnic insecurity. They did not believe the oath about the president ruling on behalf of all the people. So there is now a coalition that involves people of just about every ethnic persuasion. This should have allowed the voters to see that someone or some group of people was serious about ethnic unity but some things are entrenched and one of them is racial voting. British High Commissioner, Greg Quinn, reminded the
Guyanese people that ethnic unity is possible. In his own Northern Ireland, there was the violent conflict between the Catholics and the Protestants. For more than 100 years these people were at each other’s throats. That is no more although there are still extremists on both sides. I still remember the violence that rocked the country between 1962 and 1964. Hundreds died simply because they were of a difference race; thousands were left homeless and even more thousands homes and
Adam Harris property were destroyed. Guyana does not want a return to those days. That makes this roundtable so worthwhile.
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Kaieteur News
Sunday September 06, 2015
Of Matters Financial By Lance Hinds Over the past few weeks I have watched the exchanges between the Government of Guyana and the Berbice Bridge Company Inc. with great interest. Let me say first of all that as the current head of the oldest private sector organization in Guyana, it is my hope that the two parties begin to engage constructively in a level of discussions resulting in a middle position acceptable to both sides. I believe this is also a teachable moment which hopefully triggers a soulsearching review and analysis of the role of Government and the Private Sector in national development and also each one’s position in the national economic space. It is one thing to talk about the Private Sector being the engine of growth. How that engine is positioned however, within the context of the expectations of the electorate, most especially in this political environment, needs careful thought and deliberation. Can the Private Sector
consistently pursue, which some may argue is its right, a singular agenda on maximum returns on its investment? Or must there be a hybrid model where financial expectations are tempered in view of the socioeconomic circumstances and challenges faced by our citizens? In a few weeks the Private Sector is going to host a National Economic Forum that will include inputs, recommendations and proposed solutions from Government, Academia, Civil Society and faith-based organizations. In my humble opinion, before anything else, we should paint a clear vision of all the respective roles in national development. We are steeped in almost 50 years of a socialist and now neo-liberal economic model that quite frankly has not brought about the sort of prosperity we deserve as a nation gifted with all these natural resources we are supposed to have. I no longer care whose fault it is. The bottom line is that we live in a highly competitive international 21st century environment that because of technology is
complete independent of time, space or distance. Nobody is waiting for us to wake up and realize this “potential” that has been incessantly drummed into our heads since independence. We had better find a way to address and improve our economic affairs. Let us go back to the matter of the Berbice Bridge. Out of academic curiosity I would really love to see the feasibility study or prospectus that made a convincing case for the creation of this ‘public/ private sector partnership’. Was it based on traffic alone? I thought the population in Berbice was declining as a result of migration. Isn’t the building of infrastructure of this nature undertaken in conjunction with a comprehensive economic plan for the beneficiary community? In its release the BBCI says: “Up to 2008, there was no Berbice River Bridge and the government used to provide a much subsidized ferry service that was a great inconvenience to the Berbice community and Guyanese consumers as a whole.”
Lovely, this looks so far like a clear case of social entrepreneurship where the investors intervened to provide a solution to a regional problem. But then further down: “The investors and creditors were assuaged that the projected tolls would however be less costly than that the ferry on the average, and that the Berbice community was surveyed and was more than willing to pay the projected tolls.” Assuaged? Really? By whom or by what? Who participated in the survey that indicated that the residents of the Ancient County are more than willing to pay the projected tolls? I could have sworn I heard the residents of the Ancient County fretting about the prices from day one since the bridge was built. Is this basis on which the investment was made? Did the investors per chance conduct a study of their own? We are also advised that there is a formula that dictates that tolls should be increased periodically to cover and to meet annual inflation. What about the continued ability of the Berbicians to pay the tolls? Especially when one takes into consideration the well documented economic difficulties with sugar and the potential problems with rice. I am not in any way attacking any part of this state of affairs, but I am hoping someone very bright can provide clear answers to the simple questions posed above, since I am not steeped in the complexities of high finance. I would also
recommend that someone or some entity provide a comprehensive, balanced overview of this investment for public consumption, because we have now ended up in a situation where the government and the BBCI appear to be at loggerheads and the Berbice community unimpressed with the proposed toll reductions. If as a taxpayer I am going to be asked to contribute more to this operation, surely I am deserving of this level of information. Investment in this bridge, especially the debt instruments, include pension fund and trust funds. There may be many questions regarding the thought processes behind the overall investment but more importantly, this matter needs to be resolved, and soon. The difficulties surrounding the cost of operating the Berbice Bridge brings up another national economic issue. In 2015, a significant amount of our citizens are still unable to afford basic commodities and services. The light bills are too high; the water rates are too high. Every September school books and related items are a challenge. The reason why there is a thriving photocopying industry is because a significant number of parents cannot afford new school books. If for example, I buy cups in the US for $5. I add shipping taxes markup, so let’s say I’m selling them in the Caribbean for about $8. Chances are this cup is going to be affordable in many parts of the Caribbean but the howl
Lance Hinds here is going to be that it is too expensive. Is it that these things are really that expensive and is it we can’t afford it? I argue that there is a clear distinction between the two. We have to find new economic models which at their core must increase the earning and spending power of our citizens. We have crowed for years about the size of the economy and its growth, yet in 2015 we are looking at youth employment at 40 per cent. I don’t even want to think about the possible national employment rate. The National Economic Forum, therefore, must be the starting point of the development of a c o m p r e h e n s i v e macroeconomic framework that will provide the positive direction for our economic growth and evolution. It is either that, or we continue to meander as a backwater paradise lamenting what we could have been. Lance Hinds is the current President of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce. He is also the Chief Executive Officer of the BrainStreet Group, an ICT consulting and information services company.
Sunday September 06, 2015
SUNDAY SPECIAL BAISHANLIN MISUSED US$70M FROM CHINESE BANK FOR WOOD PROCESSING PLANT – INVESTED IN GOLD MINING, HOUSING INSTEAD Four years ago, Chineseowned logging company, BaiShanLin International Forest Development Inc., reportedly received almost US$70M in financing from China’s Development Bank (CDB) to build a wood processing plant off Linden, in Region 10. This year, the plant is still to take shape and it appears now that the company is in deep financial problems. In the meantime, the showpiece exhibition centre at Providence, East Bank Demerara, is at a standstill for several months now. The nearby housing development is also on hold with no major activities seen. But while all of this is happening, Baishanlin has been aggressively competing in the local market using its trucks to fetch logs for operators and barges to transport stones and other commodities for hardware suppliers to bolster its apparently dwindling revenues. The disclosures that BaiShanLin collected the US$70M financing would contradict statements earlier this month that the company is facing problems accessing financing from China Development Bank. Commissioner of the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC), James Singh, disclosed a few weeks ago that the company indicated to him that the holdup of the wood processing project is as a result of “financial difficulties.” “They told us that they have been experiencing some
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financial difficulties in the sense that they were unable to meet some benchmarks for certain lending agencies…We met with them and they had some concerns. They indicated to us that they met with some Government officials and are expected to submit a revised programme in relation to the facility for review.” STALEMATE CONTINUES OVER NEW GPC, HANDIN-HAND CONTROLLED BERBICE BRIDGE…GIVE US 20 YEARS EXTENSION OR INCREASE THE TOLLS – PRIVATE INVESTORS TELL NEW GOVT. The current standoff between Government and the company that controls the US$40M Berbice River Bridge has taken a twist with the latter asking for its agreement to be extended another 20 years or for the administration to consider hiking the tolls. The toll reduction for cars, from $2,200 to $1,900, announced during the budget presentation by Finance Minister, Winston Jordan, was set for implementation on Tuesday, (September 1). It seems to be in limbo at the moment. Jordan had also indicated a 10 percent reduction on other categories of vehicles, in what he said was the first of a series of interventions. Toll charged by the Berbice Bridge Company Inc. (BBCI) has been a sore point for consecutive administrations of the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C). The coalition Government, in the lead up to the May 11, 2015 elections, had accused the previous administration of hijacking the Berbice Bridge Company Inc., deliberately structuring operations in a manner that
allowed investors and their close friends with the least investment to take control. New GPC, a company with close relations to former President Bharrat Jagdeo, has been allowed to nominate the directors, thus taking control of the company, although Government and the stateowned National Insurance Scheme (NIS) are the biggest investors. MONDAY EDITION NEW GPC AND HAND-INHAND OWN 50% OF BERBICE BRIDGE – CONTRACTUAL AGREEMENTS ALLOW PROVIDERS OF 5% OF CAPITAL TO CONTROL THE BRIDGE AND RECEIVE 23% ANNUAL RETURN The saga of the Berbice River Bridge Company Inc. continues to reveal even more interesting details as Kaieteur News understands from experts very close to the Bridge that the current contractual arrangements
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allow for two entities to control 50 percent of the company: The NEW GPC and Hand In Hand Trust Corporation. New GPC, a company owned by Dr. Ranjisinghi ‘Bobby’ Ramroop has close relations to former President Bharrat Jagdeo and, according to an article on chrisram.net some time ago, that company has two Directors on the Board. The structure of the company allows equity shareholders whose investment is less than five percent ($400 million) of the total funds of the company to exercise controlling interest over the company. Of the $400 million, the Ramroop Group owns 40 percent and the Hand-in-Hand Group owns 10 percent. The contract also provides for the equity shareholders to receive 23 percent on their investments. The coalition government, in the lead up to the May 11, 2015 elections, had accused
the previous administration of hijacking the Berbice Bridge Company Inc. (BBCI), deliberately structuring operations in a manner that allowed investors and their close friends with disproportionately small investment to control the company. To ease the burden on users of the bridge, Finance Minister, Winston Jordan, pursued the reduction of the tolls in a phased manner.
Several Parliamentarians throughout the debates expressed that they felt the Honourable National Assembly was transformed into a fish market given the behaviour of some members. Speaking to the issue, Prime Minister and Leader of the House, Moses Nagamootoo said that he believes that members on both sides could have done a better job in showing respect for the Parliament.
MPS TURNED NATIONAL ASSEMBLY INTO A FISH MARKET …OPPOSITION CONCEDES “Thief…whore…son-ofa-b**ch”. These derogatory remarks were not used during a recent “cuss-out” at Bourda Market or a rum shop brawl. These came out of the mouths of Guyana’s respected Parliamentarians in the National Assembly during the 2015 budget debates and deliberations. On several occasions, like an overworked boxing match referee, Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr. Barton Scotland, appealed to Members of Parliament to engage “in a clean debate.” At times, he was forced to slam his gavel to call the House to order, given the harsh trading of insults. Often he implored, “Members I am certain we can use better language, we can do better than that in this Honourable House.” But it was like throwing the proverbial water on a duck’s back, even as the House moved into its onemonth recess, this behaviour was on display again. Members during the 2015 debates were so caught up in their trading of insults that they often forgot to extend the courtesy of being silent when the Speaker was addressing the House.
TUESDAY EDITION PRIVATE BRIDGE OWNERS WANT 55% TOLL HIKE GOVT. WILL NOT CONSIDER INCREASE– JORDAN Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan, Monday expressed “grave concern” about the inaccuracies contained in a press release issued by the Berbice Bridge Company Inc. (BBCI), on the tolls charged by the Company. He also noted that the Berbice Bridge Company, is seeking to impose a further 55% increase in tolls on an “already suffering population.” Commenting on the BCCI statement, the Minister noted that “there is no toll reduction to the Company.” He said that the company will continue to receive the full amount of the existing toll; if there is a reduction the company would receive the difference from the Government. Therefore the Bridge Company would not lose a cent. Jordan also raised concerns about BCCI reporting on a statement he allegedly made at the meeting on August 12, last. BBCI has stated that Jordan “accepted that ‘the company would like further discussions to take place on the proposal and an extension in the concession (Continued on page 41)
A multi-million dollar Baishanlin home at Providence, East Bank Demerara
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Sunday September 06, 2015
Democracy and Decentralised Government - Flags and Emblems Article 9 of the Constitution states, “Sovereignty belongs to the people who exercise it through their representatives and democratic organs established by or under this Constitution.” Further, Article 74 (1) states that, “It shall be the primary duty of Local Democratic Organs to ensure in accordance with law the
efficient management and development of their areas and to provide leadership by example.” The coalition is committed to democratic governance and the rule of law. In accordance with this philosophy, your new government remains committed to placing
decision-making power into the hands of the people, where it rightfully belongs. Decentralised political power is the cornerstone of self-determination by the people; the hallmark of a true democracy. Building a true democracy is the strategic vision of the administration. Decentralised
government is the opposite of dictatorship. Decentralisation of power, allows the people to play meaningful roles in shaping their future. Decentralisation of power involves devolution, deconcentration and deregulation. Devolution and deconcentration is the
transfer of administrative and decision-making processes to sub-national levels of government, such as our Local Democratic Organs (LDOs). This transfer of roles, responsibilities and functions will be accompanied by the requisite authority and autonomy, to empower LDOs such as Regional Democratic Councils (RDCs) to leverage their diverse natural and human assets to benefit residents of each region. RDCs will now be empowered and expected to raise their own revenues, work directly to attract business investors and thereby, create jobs and opportunities for their respective residents. Regions will not only be administrative subdivisions of the country, but they will be productive and selfsufficient. Citizens can therefore have more opportunities and wider prospects to build better lives regardless of where they live. Deregulation includes the divestment of state-controlled assets to the private sector, as well as delegation of responsibilities to noncentrally controlled statutory bodies. Decentralisation therefore, will result in central government working hand in hand with Local Democratic Organs, Non-Governmental Organisations, and the private sector, to raise the standard of living of all Guyanese, instead of dictating to citizens from offices in Georgetown. In line with the administration’s strategic vision, His Excellency President Granger had called on each Regional Democratic Council to craft a Plan of Action for Regional Development (PARD). President Granger has articulated a vision of each region being proud of its own identity and unique beauty. Stronger regions will result in a stronger Guyana, said His Excellency. With this in mind, the administration has unveiled 10 Flags and Emblems which embody the unique resources, economic activities and sources of pride, of each Region. Is being proud of our Regional Emblem not an act of patriotism, just as we are proud of our National Flag, The Golden Arrowhead? The two go hand in hand. How can we claim to be proud Guyanese if we are not equally happy to belong to our own Region; our own
neighbourhood; our own home? Taking pride in coming from a particular Region, in no way makes us less Guyanese. And embracing our Regional Flag in no way detracts from our love of The Golden Arrowhead. Taking ownership of our future begins with taking responsibility for our neighbourhoods and ends with taking pride in our rich and diverse country. Having Regional Emblems is long overdue; real democracies already have such symbols of ownership and pride. Each state in the US has a flag. In fact, individual counties and towns, within many states, also have flags. Does this mean that Americans do not adore the stars and stripes? Of course not. Guyanese are well aware that Americans love their flag and they are often moved to tears when their Star Spangled Banner is hoisted. Each Province in Canada has a flag. Are Canadians less proud of their National Flag, The Maple Leaf? Closer to home, many cities and even towns in Caribbean territories such as Trinidad and Tobago proudly display their own flags. It is time for Guyana to become truly democratic; to be sincerely proud of each part of our beautiful land. Unfortunately, the PPP is stuck in its communist and backward past. The PPP wants to keep Guyanese in the stranglehold of dictatorship. The PPP knows that North Korea has no regional flags and China has actually banned such flags and emblems. Guyanese are aware that neither China nor North Korea is a multi-party democracy. Your new servant-leaders will chart a different course. Your government recognises that there is strength in diversity. Being proud of our unique strengths, and making creative use of our own regional resources, will allow us to take greater ownership of our own future. Let us work towards a prosperous future, proud of our diverse and varied country, heads held high as we acknowledge our unique talents. Let us be true, patriotic Guyanese, proud of our different strengths, and with a single bright and glorious destiny.
Sunday September 06, 2015
Kaieteur News
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tourists to the Kaieteur Falls. A spokesperson said that while the pilots were on the ground no other aircraft landed or left. This meant that the woman could not have left the area by mistake. The woman was discovered missing when the tour guide was distributing chits to the passengers for snacks, at the Kaieteur airstrip before they boarded the aircraft back to Ogle. One of her colleagues on the trip said that the missing woman was with the party when it was returning along the trail from the falls.
Otto Pérez Molina, former president of Guatemala, was taken away under custody at the end of a hearing at the Supreme Court in Guatemala City. From page 31 period from 21 years to 40 years: or for the Government to give consideration to an application for an increase in toll made to the PPP/C Government on March 15, 2015.” But, the Minister said that contrary to that assertion, his record of the meeting indicates that he restated the intention of the Government to facilitate lower tolls for users of the Bridge to bring some relief to the people of Regions Five and Six. “I further indicated that the Company would not suffer any loss.” LOAN OFFICER FAILED TO MONITOR US$70M WOOD PROCESSING PLANT – SOURCE Questions are being asked how a Chinese logging company that received almost US$70M for a wood processing plant was allowed to divert the monies into other projects, including gold mining and housing.
The monies were received from China Development Bank (CDB) which appointed a special official to ensure the monies were spent properly by Baishanlin International Forest Development Inc. on the factory in Linden. As part of his responsibilities, the official would have been submitting periodical reports of how the monies were being spent. The loan was released to the logging company since around 2011. Baishanlin never made it known that it had received funding. As a matter of fact, a while ago the company claimed that it was experiencing problems accessing finance for the plant which would have provided jobs for Lindeners. The plant is reportedly a critical component of the company’s investment agreement in Guyana. On the basis of construction of that plant, among other things, Baishanlin was granted hundreds of millions of
dollars in tax breaks. It also received concessions on vehicles and lands. It was granted concessions in the Upper Berbice area, Region 10, and snapped up other lands throughout Essequibo, in questionable joint venture arrangements. WEDNESDAY EDITION DOCTOR DISAPPEARS AT KAIETEUR FALLS
MISSING: Laleta Sivanand This Lexus LX 570 SUV was seized by police
Police and officials of the Ogle Airport and Air Services Limited were up to late Tuesday night trying to ascertain the whereabouts of a passenger who disappeared after touring the Kaieteur Falls Tuesday. This newspaper was reliably informed that the Air Services Limited aircraft returned Tuesday with one fewer person than it transported to the world famous waterfalls. A source at the Ogle Airport told this newspaper Tuesday night that the aircraft left the city around midday with nine passengers for a tour of the Kaieteur Falls. Among them was a female environmental doctor who was scheduled to leave for Miami Wednesday. People on the flight said that the woman was seen crying into a phone while on the plane. When the aircraft landed at the falls the woman appeared to brighten. Air Services Limited transported two groups of
GOLD SMUGGLING, ILLEGALACTIVITIES…US INTELLIGENCE HELPS TO ZERO IN ON LOCAL PLAYERS – US CHARGÉ D’AFFAIRES Guyana’s collaboration with the US appears to be bearing fruits, with significant intelligence gathered over the last year about illegal activities and the individuals involved. According to Chargé d’ Affaires of the US Embassy, Bryan Hunt, over the last 18 months, intelligence was shared with local authorities. The US has especially been “watching” closely the movement of cash, gold and illegal drugs over the borders of Guyana. The embassy official was Tuesday speaking during an exclusive interview with Kaieteur News. The close US collaboration involved Customs Anti Narcotic Unit (CANU) and the Special Organized Crime Unit (SOCU). The latter has made the news recently after a major investigation into a gold smuggling racket was disclosed. The US, Hunt said, now has a better idea of how the criminal networks are operating and what is being moved. US authorities would have also been able to zero in on the individuals involved, the official disclosed. The information gathered would
have been shared. With criticisms over the years about Guyana’s capacity and will to tackle the trafficking of illicit goods and money laundering, the confirmation of the increased level of collaboration would spell good news for the new administration which has vowed to stamp out corruption, tax evasion and money laundering. THURSDAY EDITION FORMER CEO COSTS GUYSUCO US$75M, ABUSED COMPANY LAWS -REPORTEDLY TRADED SEX FOR SALARY INCREASE AND PROMOTION WITH ROSE HALL EMPLOYEE It didn’t take the coalition government much digging to unearth some of the unimaginable infractions committed by Dr. Rajendra Singh when he served as CEO of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo). Government reportedly has “indisputable” evidence to justify Dr. Singh’s dismissal. The government cited the violation of GuySuCo’s procurement procedure for equipment, spares and other items, the infringement of the corporation’s disciplinary procedure and the contravention of the corporation’s procedure regarding recruitment, promotion and remuneration of employees. But Dr. Singh is threatening the government with legal action over his dismissal which he claims is without cause. According to documents, Singh deviated from a decision handed down by the previous Cabinet and authorized the sale of 2.6792 acres of land at Plantation Good Hope, East Coast Demerara to one Kelvin Gobin. The former CEO also engaged in the procurement of one whole stalk harvester (Continued on page 44)
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From page 41 for mechanized harvesting at the cost of $19.2M despite technical advice to the contrary from the corporation’s technical personnel. NO SIGNS OF MISSING KAIETEUR FALLS WOMAN The search operations to find the woman who disappeared on Monday during a trip to the Kaieteur National Park is to be further intensified according to the Ministry of the Presidency. The woman has been identified as Laleta Sivanand, who is said to be in her early 40s. Contrary to what the woman had told people on the trip she is neither a doctor nor an environmentalist. In fact her field of employment is Human Resource and she is a former employee of Laparkan and Singer’s. The search started on the same day that she was discovered missing and according to the Ministry of the Presidency the search party has been expanded to include the Police Force and the Guyana Defence Force who joined the National Parks Commission Rangers on Tuesday. Reports are that all of the trails in the Park were searched and binoculars were also used to view the area below the falls and along the sides of the gorge. However,
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up to 18:00hrs Wednesday evening there was still no trace of the woman. FRIDAY EDITION GRANGER JUSTIFIES DISMISSALS IN PUBLIC SERVICE – CITES MALPRACTICE AND DISAPPEARANCE OF TAX DOLLARS President David Ganger on Thursday cast aside cries of witch hunting saying that in each case where the government has terminated the services of a public servant, there was a “good explanation.” “There has not been a purge; there has been no witch hunting,” said Granger. The President told the media of the instances where it was found that “funds have disappeared”. He recalled cases of malpractice saying that those cases were taken to Cabinet which made its decisions. “So there has been no witch hunting or any purging.” The Head of State said that his government intends to pursue a transparent and efficient economy. He added, “In my first week in office, I mentioned that we need an efficient public service. Some persons who were not prepared to participate in our programme have since left the service.” President Granger renewed his administration’s commitment to the launch of a Public Service Staff College. He said, “We want to make sure our Public Servants are trained and I told them that Public Servants must be ‘unbribeable’.
We want an honest and efficient Public Service (The public servants) will be better paid, better educated and they will be respected. That is what we are aiming at.” GUATEMALAPRESIDENT SENT TO JAIL HOURS AFTER OUSTED FROM OFFICE GUATEMALA CITY (New York Times) – Hours after resigning his post as the president of Guatemala, Otto Pérez Molina, a former general and the nation’s most powerful man, was sent to jail Thursday, to await the conclusion of an evidentiary hearing into his role in a multimillion dollar customs fraud. The decision to detain Mr. Pérez Molina, much like his resignation, is unprecedented in Guatemalan history and was a stunning conclusion to a day of swift change in the Central American nation. Mr. Pérez Molina tendered his resignation overnight, and by midmorning day the country’s Congress had accepted it. He then presented himself before the courts for the evidentiary hearing, where prosecutors played more than six hours of wiretapped conversations. At the conclusion of the hearing, which was set to resume Friday, the judge ordered the former president to be held at Matamoros prison in central Guatemala City. Mr. Pérez Molina, on his way out of the courtroom, spoke briefly to reporters, maintaining his composure. “It’s one thing to listen but another thing to investigate,” he said,
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referring to the long day of taped conversations. “All Guatemalans have to respect the law, and I assure you I will respect the law and this process.” POLICE PROBE SECOND DUTY FREE VEHICLE IMPORTED BYAXED GUYSUCO BOSS NO RECORDS EXIST TO JUSTIFY THIS PRIVILEGED EXEMPTION It appears that former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), Dr. Rajendra Singh, enjoyed certain privileges and pardons under the previous administration which some experts say, fly in the face of the law. Documents have once again surfaced to reveal that Dr. Singh was allowed to import a 2003 model Jaguar XJ8, with engine capacity of 4000 litre without paying the appropriate tax. The duty to be paid on this vehicle should be $8,988,503. Instead, Dr. Singh was only required to pay $100. One query is whether the exemption could have been had by the former GuySuCo CEO as a result of his remigrant status. But after several checks, Kaieteur News found that the axed CEO has two vehicles, one of them a Mercedes Benz he had already brought in courtesy of his remigrant status. Under this scheme, a remigrant is only allowed to bring in one vehicle of his choice, duty free. The logical conclusion is that any other vehicle being imported by Dr. Singh, such as the Jaguar, would require him to pay the stipulated duty. Kaieteur News understands that a request has been made for an investigation to be launched
to determine how Dr. Singh was granted such a privilege.
vowed to reduce the tolls.
SATURDAY EDITION TOLLS INCREASE STALEMATE… GOVT. INTRODUCING PASSENGERS’ BOATS TO BREAK DEADLOCK –BERBICE BRIDGE NOW CLAIMS IMMINENT INSOLVENCY Government is moving to introduce water taxis amidst an ongoing row with the Berbice Bridge Company Inc. (BBCI). But the company is insisting that it has racked up accumulated losses of $1.5B up to the end of last year and could face insolvency unless it can restructure its financing. Speaking on the standoff, Friday, during Government’s weekly press briefings, Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, said that the decision to place the covered passenger speedboats was taken by the Cabinet of Ministers earlier this week. Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson, reportedly submitted a proposal for the passengers speedboats to the Cabinet. The water taxis will be used to transport mainly students and senior citizens. Government, based on assessments of how well the boats are working, will then decide on the next steps. The move by Government would signal clear intent that there is no backing down by the administration, with Harmon also admitting Friday that the agreement that BBCI has with the Government of Guyana is also being reviewed. The new Government, while on the campaign trail in the lead-up to the May 11 General and Regional Elections, which it won, had
JOINT SERVICES PATROL CAPTURES WOULD-BE EXECUTIONERS – LODGE GANG’ MEMBERS HELD Following a car chase and the exchange of gunfire, ranks from the Joint Special Operations Group (JSOG) Friday night apprehended three suspected gang members who were reportedly on their way to execute a woman because of a soured drug deal. A taxi driver is reportedly among the detained men, who a senior police official said, belong to a group known as “The Lodge Head gang.” The senior official said that the JSOG team came under fire during the operation. The drama reportedly began shortly before 17.00 hrs, when police officials received word that gunmen were planning to kill a female shopkeeper who resides in East La Penitence. Acting on information, a heavily armed JSOG team tracked down a taxi with three male occupants on Mandela Avenue, near West Ruimveldt. Police said that the occupants shot at the ranks, while trying to avoid capture. The ranks returned fire, and the chase eventually ended after the taxi crashed near Rasville. The suspects were all unarmed when arrested, but police said that the men were seen tossing objects out of the taxi just before the vehicle crashed. At press time, ranks were still scouring the scene. A Rasville resident recalled seeing three men lying on the ground, surrounded by police and army ranks. They were eventually taken to the Ruimveldt Police Outpost.
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BaiShanLin ordered to... (From page 15) Company, recognizing the concerns raised by the Government of Guyana and acting in good faith, is willing to purchase logs locally from stakeholders at an agreed price during the life of this agreement.” However, at least one major logging company has indicated that efforts to solicit BaiShanLin to purchase logs from its stockpile have not even been acknowledged. The agreement also went on to mandate that the Government of Guyana, in consideration of the agreement, would not “publish or re-open the issue concerning the sale of logs locally by the company”. In closing, the final term of the agreement stated, “Nothing in this contract shall be construed as preventing the parties from reentering into a fresh agreement, after the conclusion of this agreement, concerning the subject matter contained here.” BaiShanLin is already under the microscope after years of failing to produce any value added goods from its forestry operations. Its failure to implement wood
processing facilities has been criticized by the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) administration. The company was under investigation by the last Parliamentary Opposition for its logging and mining practices. Under the Bharrat Jagdeo and Donald Ramotar administrations, the company was granted billions of dollars in tax breaks and duty free concessions, and was allowed to import scores of trucks and other pieces of heavy equipment. Specifically, the tax breaks and duty free concessions were for them to use in their logging operations and eventually, for value added operations. Reportedly, they have also been granted concessions and license on fuel imports, giving them a clear edge in not only the logging and mining sectors, but the river transportation arena. BaiShanLin has reportedly been using its barge to fetch logs of private operators along the Berbice River. The previous PPP/C administrations, led by Jagdeo and Ramotar, have been consistently secretive
about the details of the investment agreement with BaiShanLin. In addition, the GFC has stolidly defended BaiShanLin’s operations, at one point stating that there were no violations. The details of the investment agreement between BaiShanLin and the Government of Guyana are yet to be revealed. The company has, however, been blamed for a major spike in wood exports in recent years. Last year, a flyover of the Berbice River area saw huge areas of cleared lands with piles of logs as far as the eye can see. Recently, Minister of Governance, Raphael Trotman revealed that Government has met with BaiShanLin and Indian company Vaitarna Holdings Private Incorporated. During the meeting, the companies had promised to get their wood processing facilities up and running within months. Trotman had noted that the companies will not escape sanctions should they fail to make good on their promise. He had indicated that their contracts would be reviewed if these further promises were reneged on.
Militant Pacific Islands... From page 24 sector and non-governmental organisations. Therein lies its power. The strong position jointly taken by governments, private sectors and civil society of all Pacific countries is an example to the Caribbean region. The governments of the 15 member countries of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) have also made a strong collective statement on climate change and have articulated a joint approach to the Paris meeting. But, unlike the Pacific, other Caribbean states, including the independent states of Cuba and the Dominican Republic and the many dependencies of France, the Netherlands, the United States and Britain, are not part of the single chorus of raised voices. Neither are the region's private sector and civil society. What made this coalition possible in the Pacific is the PIDF, established three years ago as an inclusionary body of governments, private sector and civil society. Each has equal status in the Forum whose concentration is the development challenges facing the region. Fijian Prime Minister Bainimarama, who played a pivotal role in the creation of the PIDF, said that the Pacific Islanders “wanted something more inclusive, a platform for our civil society organisations – the genuine voice of the grassroots in the
Pacific, and for the private sectors – the principal generators of the jobs on which our people's welfare depends”. At the PIDF meeting in the Fijian capital, the governments and other participants signed a Charter for the organisation giving it a legal personality and recognition as a representative diplomatic organ of Pacific countries. All of the governments made it clear that they do not regard the PIDF as an alternative or rival to the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) – a grouping of 14 Pacific islands with Australia and New Zealand. They see the PIDF's role as complimentary to the work of the PIF with the only difference being that it excludes Australia and New Zealand, the two most powerful members of the region. Representatives of several Pacific Island governments argue that the development concerns of the Pacific Islands ought to be considered in their own councils, particularly as sometimes those concerns put them at odds with their bigger neighbours. To the concurrence of his colleague leaders of the Pacific Island states, the Fijian Prime Minister told the gathering of more than 300 participants
that it is time for “those members of the PIF who are not small island developing states to step back from the table to allow us to determine our own agenda and chart our own course”. The Pacific small island states certainly set their own agenda on climate change in 'The Suva Declaration' which is the common position they will advance together in Paris. The fundamental policies, set out in the Declaration, are very similar to those adopted by CARICOM heads of government at their Summit last July. There is, therefore, ample room for the Pacific and Caribbean small island states to collaborate in Paris to stamp on the consciousness of the world that far greater than any other threat to mankind's survival is climate change. Small island states that are already its victims will not go down without a fight. (The writer is Antigua and Barbuda's Ambassador to the US and a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London and Massey College, University of Toronto) Responses and previous c o m m e n t a r i e s : www.sirronaldsanders.com
A mini health check is the first step to donating blood
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Scores disconnected in ‘D’ field Sophia - as GPL disconnection campaign builds steam A GPL employee with rolls of electric wire that were removed following Friday’s raid.
The Guyana Power and Light Inc, GPL is further warning persons to desist from stealing electricity as the company intensifies its operations to find, disconnect and prosecute persons. In August alone, more than 30 persons were arrested and charged, while already for September, four more have been added to the GPL’s list of persons headed to court for fraudulent diversion of electricity. On Friday, a raid conducted in ‘D’ Field and Cummings Park, Sophia unearthed scores of persons stealing electricity through innovative means. “The area is serviced with meters but some have opted to use bamboo poles and metal hooks to connect to the network to extract and redirect electricity to their homes, shops while others are saddled with the cost.” During the D Field exercise, naked live electric wires were found under the earth and across drains, while some residents invested in PVC pipes to ensure some amount of safety. However, these still prove dangerous to
A police rank enters a shack where electricity theft is suspected
life and limb and property. As word got around that the operation was ongoing, some residents hurriedly removed their connections while some vowed, “Poor people got to live.” The power company has observed that some people have taken on the job of being power supplier and are actually collecting monies from people to supply them with electricity in areas such as Friendship, Grant Sand Road Soesdyke and Kuru Kururu. In years gone by, a number of persons, especially children and animals have suffered to the point of death because of the selfish actions of others. The initial fine for fraudulent diversion (of electricity) is $50,000 and or one year imprisonment, while second offenders are fined $100,000 and two years imprisonment. “It’s not that GPL wants to target any one person but the reality is that it comes at a major cost. When people steal electricity, commercial loss is 17 percent, which amounts to millions. That
money can be used to service other communities,” said Sheldon Wickham, Acting Senior Investigator. He is calling on persons to do the right thing to save their lives, limbs and property. The exercise, which had experienced a lull during t h e N a t i o n a l E l e c t i o ns period has now been intensified and is continuous nationwide with persons being arrested on the spot by police. “There is no excuse for persons being found at any premises with any form of illegal connections or where any form of illegality exists,” Wickham said. He noted too, “Acquiring a meter is not as difficult as some imagine. Once your area is regularised and you have your document(s) to show ownership of the land, one can apply for a meter hassle free,” Wickham assures. One week ago, the campaign was carried out in the Vendors’ Arcade and more than 25 stalls representing a fraction of the number illegal connections in that location were disconnected.
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From page 13 wanted to confide in someone. Sealey removed his cap, placed it on the counter. “She coming hay long?” The barman frowned. “She start coming up hay around May…no...June. She come up hay, keeping to sheself, making styles on every man that rush she. And then, just like that, this baby-face boy come and the first night—-”He shook his head. “You know, I doan even think he paying?” And why did he feel that he had heard this same conversation recently? ”Maybe he know her before.” Sealey’s voice seemed to come from far away, and he wasn’t sure that he had actually spoken. “You mean they had something going before? Don’t think so. Hope he doan get too tied up with she. Between you and me, they got something strange about that girl…” Someone smashed a bottle in the street nearby. A woman cursed shrilly, adding some normality to the night. The sounds reminded Sealey that there was a saner world outside that he could return to anytime he chose to. He looked at the barman. The man’s bearded, shadowed face; his voice, which had dropped to a low, almost conspiratorial mumble, reminded him of his grandfather, telling jumbie stories on a moonlit back-step. “You know where she from?” The barman shook his head. “The people who might know ‘bout
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she is the boy…or that old woman she claim is she auntie.” “What woman?” The barman pulled at his beer. “A cripple-foot old lady she rent a room for near she own.” “Cripple…how?” But he already knew. It hadn’t been a crippled woman at Kamarang, but a crippled, broad-shouldered man who’d done the girl’s chores; a man with one of his feet turned backwards… “…that girl is a really strange one, now that you mention it,” the barman said. “I remember the morning when she first come up hay. She was more thin…skin more white. She looked around, smile, and give me four pennyweight and say “I want the room at the top.” I follow she upstairs, and again she smile, and look around the room, almost as if she been here before, which is impossible because—” He broke off suddenly and stiffened in his seat. His eyes shifted, and Sealey felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise as he smelt the familiar, musky perfume, and before he could help himself he’d turned, and there she was, within touching distance, face yellowshadowed in the lamplight. He watched, frozen in place, as she floated past him like he wasn’t there and stopped at the bar. A rustle of paper as she dipped into her handbag. “Cider,” she said in that quick, lilting speech, and it seemed to Sealey that the barman was
darting to the freezer before the girl had finished speaking. She took the bottle and her change, then moved to the table nearest to the punchbox; her black hair, her black dress, swallowed up in the semi-darkness. “…move like a cat,” the barman muttered. He glanced over at the girl. “What the hell she doing sitting in the dark?” He sucked his teeth, then moved to the freezer; returning with another beer. He drank, grumbling about the blackout and pretending to ignore the girl. Sealey wished he could see her face clearly. Was she watching him? Had she overheard their conversation? Had she been listening in the corridor? But so what if she had? What he should do is go over to her and demand the truth from her; shake it out of her if necessary— Something in the girl’s posture had changed. Without moving, the figure in the darkness seemed to have shifted forward. And it had to be his imagination, because there was no light in the corner, but for a second he’d seemed to see her eyes, and had seen that they were fixed on him. He shifted back against the steprail; and though he hadn’t seen it do so, it seemed to him that the figure in the chair had also shifted back into the shadows. He expelled a long breath. No sense going over now. She’d only deny, or cause a scene, which
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would make him do something stupid. He raised the bottle to his lips….empty. He put the bottle on the counter, told the barman he was leaving, then headed for the stairs. He cursed himself for chickening out, but yet he wondered again whether she’d overheard him and the barman. He was edgy, alert to every sound and shadow, and somehow he wasn’t surprised when, half-way down the stairs, he saw a tiny woman coming up. She came up the stairs quickly, silently, and he continued down the stairs, because, after all, she was just a flipping old woman. But yet he was thinking that there was something wrong about the way she moved, because she wasn’t limping at all. He did not want to look at her feet, but he looked, anyway, and he guessed that it was too dark, because why couldn’t he see them? Quarter-way up the stairs she stopped abruptly. She stared at Sealey; her face a white blob in the murky light. She made a strange, sniffing sound; loud in the silence and the darkness. After a moment she continued up the stairs, now gripping the rail to her right, and now she was limping, and now he could see the instep of her good leg. He shifted aside, praying that she wouldn’t brush him. She looked straight ahead, but she made the strange, sniffing sound again as she passed.
He continued down the stairs, feeling a tingling at the nape of his neck as if someone was watching him. He forced himself not to look back; hurrying down the stairs, hurrying away from the brothel, hurrying past two women sitting on a stack of lumber near the White Coconut Tree brothel in Lombard Street. It was while he was approaching Stabroek Market that he realised that he had forgotten his cap. He cursed softly. He’d had that cap for years. It was almost like a part of him now. He sighed. No sense turning back. Hopefully, the barman would see it. He could collect it when he returned. But even as he entered a taxi, he thought of his cap; feeling now a vague unease at the thought of leaving a part of himself in the brothel, with its two women who seemed to prefer shadows to light… (Michael Jordan can be reached at his email address mjdragon@hotmail.com)
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Dedicated educator and author, Geneva Thomas... From page 18 number of schools including her Alma Mater St Mary's Primary, Sacred Heart Primary, Craig Primary and Soesdyke Primary. She would teach at this level for more than two decades. It was at Soesdyke Primary, Thomas said that she gained the most experience and it was here, she said, that she faced the most challenges both personally and professionally. “On my first day there, I was exposed to doing administrative record. My head teacher at the time instructed me to write up the salary register. The staff had just received retroactive pay but the only previous experience I had with salary was signing for my salary, so you could imagine my predicament…” she mused. But that was her induction to being a school administrator. In less than a month, Ms Thomas was part of the administrative staff under a new head teacher. She noted that at time the school had just over 200 pu-
Second from left, Ms Thomas with staff and students of the Soesdyke Primary School. pils and the staff numbered at about 78. “I would always thank God for Mr. Bernard Jardine. My new head teacher at the time, he taught me what it was like to be a master as well as a servant in the Guyana Education System,” she asserted. She recalled that soon after that Mr. Jardine migrated
to Australia she was an Assistant Mistress trying to manage a school. BUILDING THE EDUCATIONALSYSTEM “Co- workers have been known to build or break the spirit of those with whom they work,” Ms Thomas underscored, adding that she has had experiences with both as-
pects while carrying out her duties. She however spoke glowingly of quite a few persons who supported her efforts as a young administrator and always gave her words of assurance. She reflected on the days, when she had to sacrifice bits of her vacation just to ensure that the administrative work was done in time for the new school term. “There are persons who helped me carry the load and never one day, did I get a negative reaction from them.” As with every organisation, Thomas said there was a period in which a number of persons left the job either for a promotion or to venture overseas. She opined that since 22 years of her teaching career was spent at Soesdyke Primary, many persons would expect that her fondest memories would be there. “This not so,” she exclaimed, adding that there was a period where “the staff migration,” left her with a total of 16 teachers to facilitate a school of over 300 students. “But I felt proud that the majority of teachers at the time had passed through my hand. I had taught them as a practicing teacher at St Mary's and Soesdyke Primaries and despite the fact that the school was severely understaffed, the teachers operated at their maximum performance.” Thomas however pointed to one particular instance where a teacher managed to break the spirit of her entire staff. She was appointed to a senior position at the Soesdkye Primary School because the school needed it at the time. She was a good teacher no doubt but the influence she had on the staff was the reason for the total downfall of Soesdkye Primary School. Thomas said that during this time, the school's standard was at its lowest.
“Records were not done, discipline was in disarray…Our cleaner was no longer being paid and I remember very often I had to take part of my salary to pay for services rendered, which I later claimed back from the Education Department.” Through it all, Thomas kept the faith and persevered. But it was her dedicated efforts that allowed for the school's standards to improve. This was reflected even by an improvement in the results the school obtained at the National Grade Six Assessment Examinations or what was then known as Common Entrance. During this period, Thomas was also pursuing a Bachelor's Degree of Education at the University of Guyana but she fell severely ill. She could no longer perform her duties and had to leave teaching for a brief stint. But according to her, she prayed for the day she could return to work to fulfill her duty as an educator. APPOINTMENT TO HEADMISTRESS As it is with every test, with faith and perseverance there is a time for testimony. The budding head teacher re-
covered from her “dark period”. She received her appointment as a graduate headmistress of the Soesdyke Primary school on September 1, 2004, a capacity she held, until her retirement in November 2007. “I thoroughly enjoyed my years in Guyana's Education System as acting, Senior or Headmistress,” Thomas quipped. She noted that of all the accomplishments in her career, she is most pleased that many of the pupils which she taught during the 34 years in the education system, have gone on to become teachers themselves. “If a survey should be conducted it would reveal that hundreds of them are currently serving as teachers in Guyana and further afield,” she said confidently. RETIREMENT These days, Thomas, who found delight in educating the nation's children, is aiming to author a few books but in the meantime has been busy indulging in poetry. She also spends a lot of time gardening. Thomas says that retirement has afforded her the freedom and opportunity to pursue other goals. She has since written her autobiography and composed a book of poems, which she hopes will soon be published. Being a teacher by heart, Thomas says that she hopes one day to return to the profession to share her wealth of knowledge and experience. In sharing details about her personal life, Thomas noted that although she never got around to getting married or having children of her own, she basks in the concept contributing to the development of others. “It is a blessing to be alive and well I thank God every day, that over the years I was able to have a positive influence on hundreds of lives both young and old,” she noted with a smile.
Ms. Thomas (at centre) is flanked by fellow teachers at a ceremony for educators recently.
Sunday September 06, 2015
Standards in Focus Consumers are subjected almost on a daily basis to unfair and deceptive business practices, substandard and dangerous products, inaccurate weights and measures, questionable food quality and a host of other challenges which result in their dissatisfaction. Many of these consumers are forced to seek redress by making complaints to the relevant regulatory agencies when businesses fail to address their concerns. In an effort to reduce consumer complaints, the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) under its Standards Compliance programme monitors 20 categories of products to ensure that they comply with their respective labeling and quality requirements. These products include: Domestic electrical appliances, Weighing and measuring devices, Textiles, Garments, Footwear, Safety matches, New and Used Tyres, Gas stoves, Fertilizers, Cigarettes, Safety helmets, PVC pipes, Furniture, Seat belts, Toys and Playthings, Soap powder, Christmas trees and decorative lighting outfits,
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The GNBS investigates consumer complaints Cellular phones, Electricity Meters and Water meters. The GNBS does not monitor foods, drugs or cosmetics. Despite the monitoring of products falling under its purview, the reality is that there continues to be instances where complaints are made to the Bureau regarding these products, particularly cellular phones, domestic electrical appliances, footwear and to a lesser extent, the other products. As a result, the Bureau has established a Complaints Division where consumers can seek redress with respect to any of the 20 products it monitors. Inspectors of the GNBS thoroughly investigate all complaints with the sole intention of amicably resolving them. In addition, because the GNBS is the agency mandated to ensure accurate weights and measure in Guyana, significant emphasis is paid to resolving complaints from consumers who have received short weight and measures due to unscrupulous business practices or defective weighing and measuring
devices. Further, the Bureau has over the years increased its points of contact with consumers by establishing sub-offices in other administrative regions. Currently, there are suboffices in New Amsterdam, Anna Regina, Lethem and Vreed-en-Hoop and persons living in areas surrounding these communities can make their complaints to inspectors stationed at these suboffices. The process of making a complaint to the GNBS is very simple. Consumers who have purchased any of the above products and have found same to be defective, damaged or not working when put into use and know that these defects or damage did not originate with them, can make their complaints to the GNBS. Before complaining to the Bureau, it is important that the opportunity must first be given to the supplier of the item to address the complaint. If the supplier fails to provide adequate redress, a consumer can call or visit the GNBS Head Office or any of its sub-offices to complete the prescribed complaint form. Some information
necessary for the completion of the form include: information about the complainant, the supplier and the product. A copy of the proof of purchase (receipt), and where necessary, a valid warranty document must be provided. The GNBS will investigate to determine whether the fault or defect of the item was caused by the complainant, the manufacturer or the supplier. In some cases, this may require expert testing and sampling of the defective products. Note that the GNBS utilizes the services of independent and qualified technicians to carry out various tests and examinations. Most of the complaints handled by the GNBS are resolved amicably. In some instances however, complaints have been forwarded to the Consumer Affairs Division of the Ministry of Tourism or the Competition and Consumer Affair Commission or consumers were advised to take legal action. The Complaints Division can be reached by calling the GNBS Hotline number- 219-0069.
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Clarion call made to support educational strides The business of education cannot be effectively done by officers and teachers within the education system alone. This notion was recently amplified by Chief Education Officer (CEO), Olato Sam, who related that “for us to attain our broad objectives, we need the support of all of the people of this nation; we need Guyana to really make education a national priority.” Alluding to the theme under which education month 2015 is currently being observed, ‘Quality educational leadership – improving schools from within’, Sam pointed to the fact that research has shown that there are key factors that collectively contribute to effective school environments. “On the one hand we need committed, educated teachers who are adequately trained and competent to deliver on a daily basis,” said Sam. He also pointed to the need for support from those within the immediate environment of educational institutions. Moreover, the CEO stressed the need for an enabling environment for the attainment of the education
Chief Education Officer, Olato Sam system’s objectives. And since it is said that strong leadership is mandatory in order for the desired results to be realized, Sam noted that the Ministry this month has deliberately decided to direct keen focus on the importance of leadership. According to him, in schools where there are managers who inspire and maintain a culture of excellence, you will find that those are the ones progressing. But even as the Ministry seeks to preach the importance of support and leadership, Sam underscored the need for even those (Continued on page 64)
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Kaieteur News
Sunday September 06, 2015
Take the Berbice Bridge from the greedy bastards and return it to its rightful owners, the people
By Ralph Seeram My taxi had just arrived at the Rosignol Stelling, or I should say at Rosignol, as we were nearly half a mile back of the line to cross the Rosignol/New Amsterdam ferry. It would have been no less than a six hour wait, to cross a one mile river, longer than it took me to travel from Florida to Guyana. My friend who was travelling with me saw how worried I was, and said don’t worry he will take care of things. He came back and told the driver to drive up to the gate, the attendant open the gate and I was first in line. My friend asked me for G$3000, which I presumed he paid to get me to the first of the line. Such were the days before the Berbice River Bridge. You either bribe your way to get a priority crossing, or wait hours. So it was with great enthusiasm Berbicians welcomed the news that the Berbice River will be bridged, and when it was completed, it was a complete relief and
less stress to passengers and drivers. It made access to Berbice a pleasant drive not to mention its economic benefits to the region. That was then, little did people know the exorbitant tolls that the greedy bastards that control the bridge would impose, little did we know of the crooked if not criminal deal that was made by the PPP government and cronies to deprive the people of what is rightfully theirs. Let me explain what I mean by depriving the Guyanese people of what is rightfully theirs. The Berbice River Bridge cost approximately G$9 Billion. You know how much the private investors put in; G$400Million. But you know that those who invested the $400M control the Bridge? They are the directors, they are calling the shots. Now who ever signed off on this deal on behalf of the Guyanese people needs to be imprisoned. There is a thing called FIDUCIARY RESPONSIBILITY, and that was not exercised and
deliberately I may add, to rob the taxpayers of what is rightfully theirs. I read a press release where the Directors of the Company in their call for increase tolls said they “have a fiduciary duty to act in the best interest of the Company”. Well, well since they are talking about acting in the best interest of the company, this new Coalition Government has a FIDUCIARY responsible to act in the best interest of the true owners of the bridge, the Guyanese people. Recently, the Government proposed to reduce toll by $300.00 for cars and 10% for other vehicles. The government would have subsidized the reduction. You would have thought that is an easy solution. Show us proof of how much you lost by reducing tolls and we will reimburse you. Oh no, it could not work that way. I can travel over 200 miles on the Florida Turnpike for about the same$2,200 they charge to cross that one mile bridge. First they want a 50% increase in toll, then want to extend their stranglehold on the bridge for another 19
years. This is not only eye pass, this is beyond r***s pass. First they cry out they are losing money; well pardon me, if you’re losing money and can’t pay your debt. Why do you want to hang on? Then they threatened bankruptcy; good, go ahead. Who do these crooks think they are bluffing? You are not making money, you can’t pay your debts, but you still want an extra 19 years to run the bridge. These people “tek” Guyanese for jackasses. A wise investor would be glad to get their money out of a bad investment, and lucky to get back all their investment. New GPC invests G$180M and gets a 23% return and he has two directors. The Guyanese people invested billions of dollars, have no directors and get no interest. Let’s look at some figures researched by Kaieteur News. Government made 90% of the investment, which includes $100M to compensate persons who had to move to make way for the bridge. Remember the Government contributed the land plus built the road
approaching both ends of the bridge. Now here is the obscene part of this deal. The private investors, which include Dr. Bobby Ramroop’s company invested only $400M of the nearly $9B cost of bridge, but (and believe me, you are going to read correctly) they CONTROL the Company. Original investors also included CLICO. There is a saga to that also. CLICO, which was headed by Geeta Singh-Knight was collapsing and the New Building Society was approached to buy their shares, we know three NBS managers, including Maurice Arjoon were fired because they did not go along with the idea. NBS subsequently bought CLICO shares, and that money was secretly paid out to certain people before CLICO collapsed. The same Geeta SinghKnight is on board of the Berbice River Bridge— the same Geeta Singh-Knight who thought she owned the Berbice River a while back when she wanted to charge vessels for passing under the bridge. You know of the problem why the bridge officials are
using delaying tactics. Well, now they have to provide figures of vehicles crossing to receive the refund. It means we will know the real figures and how much money is being raked in. So if we are to believe the directors of the bridge that they are losing money and they can’t pay their debt, well it would be in their interest to get back their investment (don’t forget that 23% return on investment has already returned their original investment), they should be glad to get back their money. The APNU/AFC government needs to make moves now to take back the people’s bridge, after all they invested 90% of the money. Yes, I know there will be cries of the PNC nationalizing again. This is not the 70’s and this will not be a government taking away someone’s property, it is the property of the people, they are only taking back the administration of the bridge and compensate those who feel they are about to lose money. In fact they should be happy to get back their investment. Could you imagine the greediness of these people, claiming they are losing money, but still want an extra 19 years to run it? Fortunately there is a new Sheriff in town. President David Granger needs to show who the boss is. Reduce the toll or we take control NOW, there are legal ways to do it. For those in the PPP, they had better keep their mouths shut when it happens. And as I said, this is not taking over private property, this is the property of the Guyanese people. Ralph Seeram can be reached at email; ralph365@hotmail.com
Sunday September 06, 2015
SERVICES PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. – CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 Visa Application: U.S.A, Canada & UK; Guyana Passport application. Graphics design, Advertisement. Tel: 626-7040; 265-4535. PARTY DECORATING: balloon creation, back drops etc. for weddings, birthdays, anniversary etc. Make your event extra special! Tel Maya: 642-6664 REPAIRS AT LOW COST: FRIDGES,AIR-CONDITIONERS, WASHINGMACHINES,TVS, MICROWAVES,FREEZERSCALL: 629-4946 OR 225-4822 REPAIRS & SPARE, FRIDGE, FREEZER, A/C, WASHERS, STOVES CONTACT NICK: 6831312, 627-3206 Floor sanding & Lacquering House plans, Estimate & painting, boat for Santa Mission - Call: 650-4362 Repairs at affordable prices: fridge, air conditioner, washing machines, dryers, TV, microwaves & freezerCall: 610-5846 or 661-8158 Eagle’s fridge re-gas @ 99100 New Market Street $8,000 & washing machine repairs. Phone: 697-2969, 223-5818 Licensed Custom Broker/tax consultant: tax compliance certificates, assistance with customs documentationsCall: 660-9478 Permanent & Visitors Visa Applications, Professional Immigration Consultant Room D5 Maraj Building. visadocumentsgy@yahoo.comCall : 225-6496, 662-6045 Welding & fabricating, grill & Boat work –Call: 666-2101 Construction and maintenance of Terrazzo – Call Bacchus: 642-2289 K. Lakeram, building contractor: carpentry, masonry, drawings of plans, general maintenance – Call:216-0671, 622-0267, 6928 4 6 4 / klakeram.construction@gmail. com LEARN TO DRIVE
Kaieteur News
WANTED Kitchen Assistant, apply at Shanta’s; lot 225 Camp & New Market Street. Domestic Worker: hardworking, single, dependable, trustworthy, resident In or around Georgetown –Call: 646-1758; 650-8632 (9:00am-7:00pm) 2yrs Experienced seamstress – knowledge: flat/ over lockers/ Serger machines, meeting of deadlines/target a must- Contact: 270-4852 6am6pm & 645-5533 6pm-? Male sales clerk to work at hardware store at Pouderoyen West Bank Demerara. Call: 264-2524 One single honest live in housekeeper or domestic help for long term. Preferably from country areas-Call: 6645725 Pump attendants and cashiers –Call: 670-6005, 6997782 or 627-2550 One live in maid must know to cook – Contact: 677-8484 Handy boys to work. Free live in accommodation and meals provide. Call: 628-1756; 2285655 Attractive live in waitressCall: 327-0252/674-4665 One cook to cook for family in the interior –Contact: 6778484. Straight stitch/Over edge machine operators. Call: 2222541 (8:00am-4:00pm MonFri) OFFICE CLERK FOR WHOLESALE FOOD COMPANY MUST KNOW C O M P U T E R S , A C C O U N T I N G, INVENTORY FROM 25YRS-35 –CALL: 2318344 OR 231-8529 Security to work at a mining firm must have military experienced –Contact: 2269768; 661-5307 Office clerk: senior/junior. With CXC Maths/English, Computer Knowledge is an asset. Call: 219-5354 Experienced Cook @ Hibiscus Restaurant –Call: 231- 5857 Hire Car Drivers and contract cars from ECD-Call: 220-1000 Professional & Industrial Welders for work in the Interior locations. Call: 6117223; 604-2207; 223-1443
Soman Son & Outar Driving School at Maraj Building- Tel: 644-5166; 622-2872; 615- Live in waitress Call: 2280964; 689-5997 5129 or 604-8277
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SALON
CAR RENTAL
VEHICLE FOR SALE
Make Up Courses with Mac, Bare Minerals, Black Opal and Sacha cosmetics. Call: 647-1773/660-5257
DOLLY’SCARRENTAL-CALL: 225-7126/226-3693 DOLLYSAUTORENTAL@ YA H O O . C O M / W W W. DOLLYSAUTORENTAL.COM
1 Mazda Axela, PTT series, low mileage, e x c e l l e n t condition -owner migrating Tel: 649-0956
FOR RENT PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620
PROGRESSIVE AUTO RENTAL: CARS & SUV FOR RENTAL- $4,000 & UP PER DAY- CALL: 643-5122, 2193900, EMAIL: PRO_AUTO RENTAL@YAHOO.COM Aidan’s Car & 4WD Vigo pick up, cheapest rate, low security- Call: 698-7807 Wing’s Car & 4WD Vigo pick up- Call: 690-6494
3 Bedroom bottom flat Section D, Non Nonpareil E.C.D - $50,000- Call: 642-3927 One 1 bedroom apartment, Grove New Scheme, EBD $36,000 per month –Call: 6421956 Business Spot located on Public Road en route to East Bank Public Road-Contact: 613-0448; 672-8625 Bottom Flat @ Lot 166 DaSilva Street Newtown, Georgetown. Preferably for Daycare centre or private dwelling-Call: 227-3578; 6232342 1 FURNISHED 2 BEDROOMSAPARTMENT WITH WI-FI, SHORT TERM /LONG TERM – CALL: 2227891; 609-9202 One top flat house to rent with two bedrooms –Call: 6671473 GT TOOL RENTALS: COMPACTOR; CHIPPING HAMMER RANSOM & FLOOR SANDER, JACK HAMMER, CONCRETE SAW & MORE- CALL: 6750767, 627-5098 Lower flat of house, house location E.C.D Tel: 220-3185, 616-8784 Newly renovated; spacious 2-bedrooms cottage with trestle, telephone @ “C” Field Public Road, Turkeyen, working couple. $45,000 negotiable- Call: 643-2955 Fully furnished Apartment, luxury 2 and 3 bedrooms selfcontained, long and short term- Contact:603-9671 Robb St. Building - $US2000 per month –Call: 227-2454 Vacation Rental: cool and comfortable fully-furnished 2 bedroom vacation apartment. Call: 678-6690; 687-3365 1-3 Bedrooms house @ Oleander Ave, Bel-Air Park, all modern conveniences, unfurnished -$1600US, monthly-Call:231-7839 working hours
WANTED For interior location:1 logging truck driver, 1 mechanic/ serviceman,1 block inspector/ scaler, 1 tree feller. Call: 683-2575 Barbers wanted for information contact Casey 6030775
Year 2003, Toyota Spacio, HC5070, first registration 29-012015. Price $1.6M negotiableContact:226-2558 or 29 Sandy Bobb Street Kitty . In Stock @ First Class Auto: 08 Premio, Allion, Runx, Axio, Bluebird, Sienta, Fielder, Rush –Tel: 609-8188, 638-3045 Toyota Rav4 2008 yr, dark blue PLL series, fully loaded, no accident excellent condition Tel: 652-2409 1 Toyota Landcrusier Prado, PMM Series – Call: 223-7500 (Monday – Friday) (8:154:15pm), Saturday 8:151:115pm) SALE! SALE! SALE! 2008 TOYOTA PREMIO-$3.3M, 2006 TOYOTA ALLION$2.3M, ALL VEHICLES FULLY LOADED & UNREGISTERED- CALL: 642-7295 2000 Freightliner hauler, C12 Engine –Tel: 609-7257; 689-9041 EP 82 Starlet, AC 4 Doors, working standard rims, lady driven – good condition $550,000 – serious inquiries only - Call: 662-5052 1 Model M Truck with winch, big tire- Call: 692-9577; 619-2406
VEHICLE FOR SALE We buy & sell vehicles for cash, also parts available & 30 seater buses; Extra Cab pickups; 2006 TacomaCall:680-3154
Toyota Hilux extra cab 2003 yr gasoline GTT series, fully loaded, excellent condition Tel: 652-2409
Nissan Bluebird PEE Series, very good condition, asking $900,000 –Call: 267-2999, 6192141
Unregistered Toyota IST – Fully Loaded -$1.9M –Call: 657-1796 Kaw a s a k i N i n ja 650R, excellent condition, lime green $650,000 asking price Tel: 655-2561 1-192 Carina, Alarm, A/C, Music Deck, working condition, PLL/HC series now $700,000 cash & go! Owner migrating. Call: 687-3241
1 Ford 2005 F350 Pickup, extended cab, 4X4 Diesel, 35 inch tyre auto, 1 Chevy Van 2007 –Call: 610-5370
One Leyland Daf LF with 6 ton Hiab 2002 GTT series (New) price $5 million Call: 622-6746
Toyota 212 Carina - $650,000 –Call: 696-2251; 693-1474
One Fuso canter truck with 3 ton crane GTT series, price $4 Million Call: 622-6746
AT192, 212, Allion, unregistered Premio, Hilux Surf, BNN, RZ & Pit-bull, 7 seater super custom. Cash / terms- Call:680-3154
Toyota X Runner, GTT series- $3.5 million neg. Call 227-2454 Caldina wagon recently refurbished no reasonable offer refused. Call: 623-7207 TOUR Trip to Suriname 20th -24th November 2015 -$38,000; Brazil 25th -30th, 2015- $46,000Call: 660-0312, 695-4506 FOR SALE/RENT One two storey house constructed by Windsor Estates Tel: 618-4080
Star Cars Auto Sale: Just Arrived: Rush, Allion, Pitbul, Bluebird, Alteeza, Benz, 06 Premio. Tel: 679-3140, 2683509 Star Cars Auto Sale: 04 Premio, Allion,06 Runx, 03 Runx, Axela, New Raum, IST, Vitz. Tel: 679-3140, 268-3509 Venus Auto Sale: September Specials: 2004 Premio $2.350M, Pre-Order specials on IST -$1.9M –Call: 624-5617 1 RZ minibus BJJ series – Call: 678-5887 or 677-3177
LAND FOR SALE Land for sale at Farm E.B.D – Tel: 219-5526 Professional Realty: we buy/ sell/rent/value your real estate –Call:694-3875; 6490353; 654-6198 We buy & sell land: Farm, Herstelling, Eccles, Grove, Parfaite Harmonie, Stewartville, Uitvlugt, Zeelugt, from $1.2M- Call: 611-7223, 604-2207 Land @ Parfaite Harmonie & Tuschen -$1.5M, $1.3M – Call: 604-6724 Friendship house lot for saleCall: 617-0465, 223-0733 Parfaite Harmonie 80X45 $1,250,000. Call: 683-0009 Parfaite Harmonie -$1.2M & $1.5M; Corner Lot, main road, Parfaite Harmonie $2.8M. Call: 611-7223; 6042207; 223-1443 Lot 12 Mon Repos E.C.D Tel: 220-7330, 203-850-5235
EDUCATION I.A.E currently registering students for full time secondary school, lessons & evening CXC classes for adults- Call: 683-5742 Princeton College Forms 1-5 (5000) CXC adult classes $1,500 a subject, Phonics/ Grade 2,4,6,9 lessons Call: 231-1209, 690-5008,657-7398 International Language Institute Classes for adults & Children, Spanish, English as Second Language, Portuguese, Dutch –Call: 2233556 CXC Lessons: Mathematics & English- Small Class Size, Teacher: Student Ratio 1:15, day and night classes, adults and youths –Call: 690-9378 Need help with your child’s education: English, other subjects? Call private teacher: 696-7467 Lessons: Maths, English, Accounts, Physics, Social Studies and office Administration, Location: Campbellville –Contact: 6106087 Makeup Classes @ La Vie Est Belle. Come register and be apart, its life changing! Call: 682-9699; 218-2092 Affordable Reading, Spelling, Phonics Classes etc for children of all agesCall: 675-4379 Continued on page 64
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Kaieteur News
Sunday September 06, 2015
Stigma, taboo on suicide doing more... From page 63
FOR SALE LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICK SILVER) 99.99995% PURITY$19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-227-4754. One 318 BMW never registered for $ 3M down payment $500,000 contact # 650-0402 or 616-0429 Land at Schoonord (Next To Demerara Harbour Bridge), 45' X 100' $ 6 M, 60' X 100' $ 7.5M- Contact 650-0402 / 260-4988 Reusable ¼ & 3/8 inches marine steel plate – Contact: 688-7256 1 Complete six inch dredge inclusive of pick up and ATV- price 6,000,000Contact: 660-0422 52ft complete cabin cruiser. In excellent condition- Tel: 592-654-2817, 592-622-2958. 2 Canters going cheap, owner migrating –Call: 6281756, 228-5655 Automatic Gate opener, garage door opener, chainsaw 51 HP, Dell Projector, Toyota Fielder, year 2003 –Call: 644-4582, 662-8665 50LBS BAGS DOG FOOD, W/SALE & RETAIL- CALL: 222-7891; 609-9202 One 928F Caterpillar Wheel Loader $8M contact # 6500402/ 260-4988. Noah for sale 42 Zone –Call: 604-6146 Back to School Sale: Dell/HP laptop & desktop computers complete, from $55,000, free games and educational software @ Future – Call: 231-2206 German shepherd and pit bull (mix) puppies -$40,000 each –Tel: 269-0711 or 6217842 TO LET Three bedrooms house at Dennis Street Sophia $85,000 - Call: 621-7366 Four storey business place located on Robb Street, next to Bourda Market-Call: 6237731; 629-0636 Apartment in Eccles, rooms in Albertown –Call: 225-3234 Kitty 2 Self Contained Bedrooms apartment, cable TV, Internet, parking security cameras-$100,000 monthly –Call: 645-0247 Business apartment for rent at 7 Durban Street Lodge $20,000 per month –Call: 6905796
PROPERTY FOR SALE Property for sale, Grove $20M / Rent: $50,000 per month. Tel: 625-5461. Republic Park Phase 1- $48M, Prashad Nagar -$49M, 4 bedrooms -Call:609-2302, 645-2580, 609-6516, Property for sale, business place at Kuru kururu, New Town on High Way- Call: 261-6282 or 676-4787 Pearl: Well built 1,995 SF concrete building on 58X165 lot, formerly used at meeting halls-$13.5M-Tel: 649-1670 Flat house 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, double garage, 2160 sq ft on 0.2 acres land in Parfaite Harmony Tel: 652-2409 Business place @ Anna Catherina, Road side. Call: 661-9880 Transported concrete, Block “8” Mon Repos E.C.D, top flat 2 bedrooms, bottom flat 2 bedrooms- $18M. Call: 6251514 office hours 231-7255 Property for sale, East La Penetance Arapaima Street $17M negotiable –Call: 6484420, 662-6173 Property for sale: House, Campbellville, Georgetown. Call: 223-0733 or 617-0465 Property for sale: House, Craig, East Bank Demerara. Call: 223-0733 or 617-0465 Are you interested in selling your home? Call T &T Realty: 660-9478; 672-0865 North Ruimveldt- 2 Storey Wo o d e n a n d C o n c r e t e house –price $9M-Call: 653-8082 Property for sale: Land, North Klien, Pouderoyen West Bank Demerara. Call: 223-0733 or 617-04 Grove/Diamond E.B.D, next to brand new, 5 minutes from P/Road, fully air condition/ well security. Call: 216-1285; 617-9982 VACANCY Work from home; earn $5,000$20,000 daily Call MondayFriday 9am-5pm #233-6517, 6 3 8 - 0 5 9 5 www.jobfairworldwide.com Office clerk, porters, apply at Survival Wholesale Depot, Lot 10 Vlissengen Road Vacancies exist for cashiers/ supermarket, helper. Apply in person with written application at Nirva Supermarket –Call: 227-5771 Babysitter/housekeeper live in Trinidad with family, hiring on excellent recommendations onlyCall:868-688-5908
(From page 14) alarmingly high rates of suicide in the area. Ahamad said that coming out of these visits were a lot of issues plaguing the residents, particularly the youths. She said those youths who were out of school expressed that they had nothing to do in those areas for recreation or even work. “They have a TV but not with much access, there’s no internet, no recreational activity so a lot of them are depressed. Some might go to work with their fathers in the field but that’s it,” Ahamad said. She further said that a common trend was noticed; many of the young persons who attended did not speak in front of their parents. According to Ahamad, she did follow-ups with at least 12 persons from the consultations and, out of that those who sought help, all of them had been under the age of 25. Many of these persons, she said, had been afraid to speak about the issue in front of their parents. Others who were older and were independent still did not feel comfortable about addressing the issue in front of others.
“Many of them took our contact number and spoke with us after and some of these young people had children or were even married,” she said. She went on, “The thing about it though is that people have a tendency that they don’t want to discuss mental health issues openly. There’s a stigma so not everyone is prepared to do that [speak openly].” She said that during the private chats the youths were much more open and spoke about their issues with depression and their experiences with suicide attempts. She stressed that in modern day Guyana the archaic stigma surrounding suicide and mental health issues is still prevalent. “I know for a fact some people who have a relative that committed suicide yet are tight-lipped on the issue,” she said. She further said that the key to eradicating this stigma is awareness. She emphasised that the stigma and taboo originate from Guyana’s reserved culture and can be linked back to family life. “There are so many reasons why people don’t
want to talk about suicide but it boils down to the type of home the individual grows up in. If the parents or other relatives are shut out to talk about it, a young person is going to be the same way,” she said. She added that while some may seek a confidante outside of their families, the stigma is deterring many others from doing the same. However, while there are persons out there who are willing to provide professional help, both Ahamad and Selina emphasised that these persons must be adequately trained. Ahamad said that the shortage of skilled professionals under the current system of care was a serious deterrent to suicide prevention efforts. Currently, there are only five psychologists in the government healthcare system while there are woefully inadequate social workers and counsellors. “We just don’t have enough qualified persons in the mental health field; that’s something severely lacking in Guyana,” she emphasised. Furthermore, Ahamad stated that even when the qualified persons are
available, the cost of seeing them is difficult for many Guyanese to afford. She said too that these trained professionals are often based in Georgetown. For Selina, this high price is one she must pay for the sake of her health. She said that with help from a trained professional she was able to open up and cope somewhat. “It’s good to talk to someone about your feelings. When you speak to someone without fear of being judged, the truth just comes out and there’s no fear or holding back,” she said. However, she said, this openness is difficult for her with persons who are clearly not adequately trained. “I would have met social workers or government counsellors who talk your business with other people,” Selina said. She added, “They’re poorly trained and some people are just not cut out for counselling. They can actually make you more depressed and suicidal.” She stressed that these people need a higher level of professionalism. “It’s a life they’re playing with; suicide is no joking matter and we need to take it very seriously in Guyana.”
Clarion call made to support educational... (From page 61) outside of the system, who have some sphere of influence, to ensure that they too strive to embrace the objectives of the education system in recognition of the fact that “we have a mission much too great to fail.” He asserted that the work of the education sector is of critical importance to the nation and its people, thus, it must be thoroughly supported. In stressing the sector’s crucial contribution to development, he shared his LEGAL We provide Professional & Industrial welders for mining operations, excavators, bulldozer & more. Call:6117223; 604-2207; 223-1443
conviction that there is ample evidence in the education system that some things are already working. As such, Sam made reference to the accomplishments of Guyanese students who have excelled even on a regional scale. “Once we enter into a field within this Region, we will dominate,” he insisted. But in order to add to the gains achieved, the CEO sounded a clarion call to the nation to begin the work necessary to have teachers reclaim their appropriate place in society. According to him, for too long teachers and teaching have been undermined and undervalued in many communities. “If we are to actually progress as a nation and fulfill our developmental
objectives, our teachers need to be the ones who will lead that effort.” “Our communities need to support our teachers, and we as a nation need to valorize teaching to ensure that they internalize the deep sense of responsibility as duty bearers and that they ensure on a daily basis that they execute their functions with the full knowledge that they are supported by this entire nation,” said Sam. And it is the CEO’s belief that “we have a wonderful foundation to build on, where teachers, despite the challenges they face on a daily basis, have consistently contributed and have helped us to move the education
agenda forward.” Even as support is directed to teachers, Sam highlighted the need for a deep sense of concern to be simultaneously directed to the nation’s children. According to him, “too often we are fed the bad news but there are scores of young people in society who on a daily basis do amazing things but never end up on the front pages of our newspapers and it is high time that we turn things around a bit…” He also stressed the need for youths to respect themselves and others as part of a collaborative effort to move forward in the quest to shaping and moulding the nation.
US urges patience... (From page 11) safeguards…having that process independently audited by the Auditor General or the Ombudsman or someone else would begin to address some of that.” Hunt was clear that Guyana has a corruption issue. “I think we need to be honest about the fact that Guyana has a corruption problem. I think a lot of energy was spent trying to dodge that fact for a long time.” Hunt was critical about past attacks on watchdog bodies like Transparency International whose reports have confirmed perception of corruption in the country. “I think fighting back against Transparency International about statistics and what methodology is a lot of wasted energy. I think most Guyanese would agree that there is a corruption problem in the country. Certainly, the business community has been very clear that there is a transparency and corruption problem in the country, so it needs to be dealt with. I think trying to cover it up and saying nothing –‘Oh, it is not as people think it is’- is not helpful. It is better to look at it that we have an issue and deal with it.”
Sunday September 06, 2015
Kaieteur News
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Kaieteur News
Sunday September 06, 2015
ONE YEAR LATER…
POLICE YET TO APPREHEND CRANE HOUSEWIFE KILLER More than a year has passed and the police are yet to make an arrest for the murder of 30-year-old Candy Rawlins, whose nude body with a stab wound to the neck, was found in her Crane, West Coast Demerara (WCD) home. Her husband, Vidol Anthony Rawlins, who confessed to the murder in a letter he left near her body, disappeared hours after the police had found her corpse. Kaieteur News was told that the police had searched a number of homes, including that of his relatives after persons called and provided details but they failed to locate him. Detectives, who are investigating this case, are calling on members of the public to contact the nearest police station if they have any information on the
WANTED: Vidol Anthony Rawlins
DEAD: Candy Rawlins
whereabouts of Rawlins. A relative of the dead woman, Dale LaRose, had said that they had received information that one of the man’s siblings was hiding him. The relative explained that the individual went to the vacant house which the couple once shared and removed Rawlins’ clothes and working tools. There are also reports that persons saw the alleged killer
leaving his sibling’s home on numerous occasions. “After he killed my cousin, then we hear that he killed he ex-wife and went in jail for seven years before,” La Rose said. He also expressed dissatisfaction with the way the police are investigating this case. “First of all, after this man killed her, he called a taxi. The police could have gotten a print out of the phone bill and
called back the taxi and let the driver direct them to where he drop off Rawlins,” the relative suggested. According to a police source close to the investigation, Rawlin’s 11year-old daughter informed them that she was in her room when she heard her stepfather demanding sex from her mother. She said that she “did not take the noise too serious” because constant quarrelling was a norm in the home. “She said she went back to sleep. The next day when she awoke the stepfather taped her mouth and tied her up in a chair,” a police source explained. He added that the 11-yearold girl claimed that she managed to untie herself after some time and she ran to her mother’s room. “When she see her mother, she start scream and she run and call out for the neighbours who then informed us,” the police source said. The search is still on for the construction worker.
Corruption benefits the rich and powerful at the expense of the poor. Say no to it
Sunday September 06, 2015
Kaieteur News
Brazil’s prosecutor seeks to probe into Rousseff’s campaign funds Reuters - Brazil’s chief prosecutor requested the Supreme Court authorization to probe President Dilma Rousseff’s 2010 and 2014 campaign financing, newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo reported yesterday citing unnamed sources. The probe would also include former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s 2006 campaign financing. The prosecutor’ office declined to comment on the report. According to Estado, the request by prosecutor general Rodrigo Janot was based on the plea bargain testimony from Ricardo Pessoa, head of UTC Engenharia. Pessoa is one of the many executives investigated in the corruption scandal at staterun oil firm Petroleo B r a s i l e i r o S A , B r a z i l ’s largest ever. Pessoa said Rousseff’s a n d L u l a ’s c a m p a i g n s
Dilma Rousseff received illegal donations originating from the scheme, which involved kickbacks allegedly paid by construction companies to politicians and former executives at Petrobras, as the oil company is commonly known. Rousseff and her Wo r k e r s ’ P a r t y h a v e repeatedly denied any wrongdoings.
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Kerry tells Lavrov of U.S. concern over Russian moves in Syria Reuters - Secretary of State John Kerry expressed U.S. concern over reports of Russia’s enhanced military build-up in Syria in a telephone call yesterday with his Russian counterpart, the State Department said. “The secretary made clear that if such reports were accurate, these actions could further escalate the conflict, lead to greater loss of innocent life, increase refugee flows and risk confrontation with the anti-ISIL coalition operating in Syria,” the department said, using an acronym for Islamic State. It said Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov agreed that discussions on the Syrian conflict would continue this month in New York, where the U.N. General Assembly meets. Media reports on Friday quoted U.S. officials as describing an increase in Russian military activity in Syria, expanding Moscow’s support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad amid the grinding civil war.
Quoting unidentified Obama administration officials, the New York Times reported Russia has dispatched a military advance team to Syria and has sent prefabricated housing units for hundreds of people to a Syrian airfield and delivered a portable air traffic control station there. Some U.S. officials said the temporary housing suggested Russia could deploy up to 1,000 advisers or other military personnel to the airfield that serves Latakia, Syria’s principal port city that is near the Assad family’s ancestral home, the Times reported. It said officials see no indications Russia intends to deploy significant ground forces, but may be preparing the airfield as a base for transporting military supplies or a launching pad for air strikes supporting Assad. The Los Angeles Times reported U.S. intelligence has gathered evidence of possible military housing from satellite reconnaissance photos. A 2011 uprising
John Kerry
Sergei Lavrov
against four decades of Assad family rule turned into a full-blown civil war. Lavrov said last month the United States should cooperate with Assad, a longtime Moscow ally, to fight Islamic State forces who have seized parts of northern and eastern Syria. The United States and Russia have been at loggerheads over Syria. Russia has backed Assad. The United States
advocates a political transition to end his rule. A U.S. security source told Reuters there are signs of a Russian move to intervene beyond the robust support of the last few years but did not elaborate. The source said the United States will be watching to see whether any increased Russian might in Syria will be used to push back Islamic State or to bolster Assad.
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China backs Putin’s idea of developing Russia’s Far East Reuters - Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang said yesterday that Russia’s push to revamp its run-down Far East region coincided with Beijing’s strategy, backing President Vladimir Putin’s drive for new sources of growth. At the Eastern Economic Forum in the Pacific Port of Vladivostok on Friday, Putin promised favourable business conditions and state support to Asian and domestic investors willing to come to Russia’s most remote land. “The Far East development strategy coincides with China’s strategy of north-east rebirth,” Wang said. “(The) Russia-Chinese partnership will definitely bring generous fruits.” But for Putin’s campaign to attract Asian funds to Russia, timing may be his worst enemy: the slowdown in the Chinese economy poses risks. Putin’s turn to Asia comes at a time when relations with the West have hit their lowest since the Cold War, following Moscow’s involvement in the
Ukraine conflict. Russia needs money badly - sanctions and falling oil prices have hit the economy hard, with gross domestic product expected to fall 3.3 percent this year after growing 0.6 percent in 2014. China’s growth, meanwhile, is slowing and its stock market falling, forcing Beijing into rate cuts and a yuan devaluation to buttress the economy. Ian Ivory, a partner at Golstblat BLP, said the Chinese slowdown will hardest affect emerging markets which are providers of raw materials. “Russia is another classic example that will feel the pain, and China will be a further negative drag on the Russian economy,” Ivory said in emailed comments. Andrey Kuzyayev, a former head of overseas operations at Lukoil, Russia’s No.2 oil producer, played down the worries, saying the development of the Far East was not a temporary whim, but a long-term goal for the country. “We need to make up time we have lost,” he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (not in picture) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, Thursday. REUTERS/PARKER SONG/POOL
“Cycles in any economy are the norm, not deviation. There will be a slowdown but obviously there will be acceleration later.” Chinese government’s growth target is 7 percent this year, down from 7.4 percent in 2014 and the slowest in a
quarter of a century. Wang’s address to the forum yesterday was short and he left immediately afterwards, in the middle of the session, followed by Chinese officials, including Wang Yilin, chairman of the board at China National
Petroleum Corporation. “This was unexpected b u t t h i s w a s o k a y, w e managed,” said Boris Ti t o v, c h a i r m a n o f t h e Russian part of the ChinaRussia Friendship Committee for Peace and Development.
“The first session was delayed and they (the Chinese delegation) had already a briefing scheduled.” A CNPC official, who was accompanying Yilin but declined to give his name, said only: “The schedule has changed.”
Sunday September 06, 2015
Kaieteur News
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Venezuela lends US$5 million to St Kitts-Nevis BASSETERRE, St Kitts — The government of St Kitts and Nevis weekend signed a loan agreement for US$5 million with the government of Venezuela through the state-owned oil company, Petróleos de Venezuela SA (PDVSA), which is intended to help entrepreneurs to set up small to medium size enterprises (SMEs) within the federation. The signing ceremony took place at the Development Bank of St Kitts and Nevis (DBSKN) with prime minister of St Kitts and Nevis, Dr Timothy Harris; general manager of PDVSA, Maria Colmenares; charge d’affaires
in the Venezuelan embassy, Monica Liendo Lopez; Ian “Patches” Liburd, Minister of public infrastructure, posts, urban development and transport; general manager of the DBSKN, Lenworth Harris; and two witnesses to the signing. The US$5 million will be placed in a special fund for what is dubbed as the “Fresh Start Project” to be administered by the DBSKN and would be ready to be accessed by borrowers as early as next week. Some of the SMEs that the fund will target include rural community shops, supermarkets, bars and
restaurants, fishermen, taxi operators, commuter buses, equipment for those involved in masonry and carpentry, trucking and earth moving equipment, videography and photography, barber shops and salons. According to Lenworth Harris, the maximum loan per person shall not be more than US$100,000 at an interest rate that should not exceed five percent. Harris also outlined that repayment of the loan will be based on the nature of the business that is being funded and where the repayment can start almost immediately on a reducing balance basis
Majority of UK voters favour leaving EU, migration fears weigh – poll Reuters - A majority of Britons now favour leaving the European Union amid concerns over immigration, an opinion poll showed yesterday, signalling a shift in views ahead of a referendum on Britain’s membership of the bloc. The survey, by polling firm Survation for the Mail on Sunday newspaper, found 51 percent of respondents wanted to leave the EU and 49 percent wanted to remain, excluding undecided voters. While the results are within the poll’s margin of error and represent a statistical tie, the previous comparable poll, carried out in late June and early July, had found support for staying in the EU at 54 percent while 45 percent wanted the
David Cameron country out of the 28-nation bloc. Prime Minister David Cameron has promised to renegotiate Britain’s EU ties ahead of the referendum
which is due to take place before 2017. But the anti-EU UK Independence Party says the government cannot address the freedom of workers from within the EU to come to Britain under one of the bloc’s core principles. Survation said the Mail on Sunday poll was the first time it had found a lead for the “out” campaign since November 2014. The polling firm also said a “significant minority” of voters who favour remaining in the EU would consider changing their minds should Europe’s migration crisis worsen. The latest online poll was conducted on Sept. 3 and 4 and heard the opinions of 1,004 adults, a smaller sample size than the previous poll.
Greek polls show Syriza’s lead over conservatives shrinking Reuters - Former Greek premier Alexis Tsipras’s Syriza party is narrowly ahead of its main conservative rival, the New Democracy party, but its lead is shrinking, according to two opinion polls published yesterday. Syriza is on course to win 26.5 percent of votes in a snap election on Sept. 20, slightly ahead of New Democracy on 25.9 percent, a poll by Kapa Research showed. But its lead shrunk to 0.6 percentage points from 3.1 in a previous poll by the same pollster in late August, as New Democracy closed the gap. A separate poll by Marc showed Syriza on 24.4 percent, and New Democracy on 24 percent. Tsipras had called the election to win a fresh mandate for a tough bailout programme agreed with the
Alexis Tsipras country’s creditors. But having started out as the frontrunner, Syriza’s lead has crumbled in recent days, making the election unexpectedly close. Two other polls published last week showed New Democracy beating
Syriza for the first time. About a third of the respondents yesterday’s Marc poll would prefer a national unity coalition government taking over after the election, but Tsipras has so far ruled out doing any such deal with New Democracy. Tsipras had been a popular leader as he defied the creditors over imposing austerity measures, but he later capitulated to their demands as the economy came close to collapse. His popularity has fallen sharply since, and some recent polls show him to be less popular than the head of New Democracy Evangelos Meimarakis. For the two polls published yesterday, undecided voters made up 11.6 percent to 14.1 percent of the vote respectively.
whether with monthly or weekly installments as appropriate. Lenworth Harris also gave the guarantee that regular quarterly reports and annual audits of the programme will be done and the reports given to the government and PDVSA. Prime Minister Harris, along with Minister Liburd respectively, hailed the signing of the loan agreement as “another signal moment for us in St Kitts and Nevis that shows in a very effective way how the Team Unity Administration has been leveraging its foreign policy in ways that redound to the benefit of the ordinary citizens of St Kitts and Nevis” and “another commitment of Team Unity in terms of giving everybody a fresh start”. “When we think of the PetroCaribe agreement, most people just think of oil, supplying fuel for our generation plant, but it’s much more than oil, it’s about our social, cultural and of course economic development,” Liburd said, stressing that “this is only the start of many more things to come under PetroCaribe”. Echoing the views of Liburd, PDVSA manager Maria Colmenares said the agreement “goes beyond the trade of oil” to “the development of the people, culture and any other thing”.
General Manager of PDVSA, Maria Colmenares (left) and Prime Minister Dr Timothy Harris Prime Minister Harris gave an assurance that “the fund will not be contaminated by the preference of the government”. Harris mentioned that the first initiative with the government and people of Venezuela through the PDVSA arrangement was a grant of EC$16 million “to satisfy the felt needs of former sugar workers who felt shortchanged when in 2005 the industry was closed”. “This, like the 16 million EC dollars for the former sugar workers, is targeting those who need the support most, and this particular arrangement which we call the Fresh Start Project is intended to give a fresh start to young and not so young entrepreneurs, those who otherwise are finding it
difficult to be able to access financing from the commercial financial institutions… it is intended to help the ordinary citizens — poor, independent-minded, ambitious — who want to make a fresh start on their own, who want to be able to create their own jobs, who want to be able to determine their rate of inflows if given a try at business venture and this is what it is intended to do,” Harris said. Prime Minister Harris said that in part the agreement signed between his government and PDVSA reads: “To remove the equity hurdle requirement where it represents a barrier to the target group starting or rebuilding of a small to medium size business venture”. (Caribbean News)
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OWTU launches anti-UNC Bring the sex trafficking evidence, campaign in Pointe-a-Pierre says Barbados attorney general Trinidad Guardian - The Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union (OWTU) has launched a campaign in the Pointe-aPierre constituency to discourage residents from voting for the UNC’s candidate David Lee. Armed with flyers and a public announcement system, president general Ancel Roget and union executives took to the streets to spread their message Friday. Roget, who spoke with journalists at St Margaret’s Junction, Claxton Bay, said the purpose of the campaign was to remind constituents of the neglect they had faced under the People’s Partnership MP Errol Mc Leod, a former president general of the OWTU. “We intend to go as far as time will permit us to go throughout the PP constituency to remind the members of these communities the type of representation they got from the UNC,” Roget said. “The type of representation they got from an MP who came to them on the last occasion and I’m
Ancel Roget certain that they would remember five years ago Errol Mc Leod coming to them asking them for their vote and they didn’t see him after that.” Roget said Mc Leod turned his back on residents and Lee would do the same. “So all of the problems they experienced, Mc Leod would have turned their backs on them. Today you have a similar situation where you have an outsider, someone who does not live in the constituency, but coming again for their vote and
support to be their MP.” Roget said the OWTU wanted residents to search their consciences before casting their votes. “We want to remind them of all of these issues that at the end of the day will affect their level of governance and we want to ask them to search their conscience and not vote for the UNC, vote out Kamla and vote out any representative that comes representing the UNC.” Roget said he had information that contracts were being drawn up and signed in Petrotrin before the general election tomorrow. “We have the facts where Petrotrin today has been raped and plundered through corruption. As we speak right now they are hurriedly signing up contracts that will guarantee them money in their pockets for the next five years,” said Roget. “On the eve of a general election you have a stateowned company signing up contracts, awarding contracts, putting money in the pockets of their friends guaranteeing a better quality of life for them.”
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (BGIS) — Attorney General Adriel Brathwaite wants “some evidence” to back up the claims of sex trafficking and forced labour taking place in Barbados. He said based on the US Department’s 2015 Trafficking in Persons Report listing, “a lot of our cultural practices and norms have been misinterpreted”. The minister made these comments last week at the conclusion of a two-day workshop on a draft five-year strategic action plan to counter human trafficking on the island. He was referring to aspects of the report that cite Barbados as a destination for men, women and children who are subjected to sex trafficking and forced labour. Brathwaite disclosed that he would soon be leading a national task force that will conduct an in the field probe
Adriel Brathwaite of the matter. The attorney general, who is also minister of home affairs, pointed out that there was a need for officers from the Royal Barbados Police Force and Immigration Department to be more proactive. He explained this was
necessary “so that, when we hear stories in the communities and when we go in the international community, we can say with certainty that this is not what actually happens in Barbados… rather here is what happens based on our own analysis, but moreover based on the fact that we have gone out into the community ourselves and we have a good sense of what is happening.” Brathwaite also said that everything must be done to ensure that the State Department removes Barbados from Tier Two in the trafficking of persons ranking this year, to Tier One next year. “Once we have that done and once we have the legislation in place, then I think our report next year shall look completely different… but notwithstanding, I think we have done well,” he said.
Venezuelan defector reveals secret meetings between Maduro and Hezbollah MIAMI, USA — One of Venezuela’s senior government officials, who fled to the United States, essentially defecting from the Bolivarian Republic, some time ago confirmed that, eight years ago, his country’s current president, Nicolas Maduro, held a covert meeting in Damascus with the secretary-general of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah. For some reason, this information was not disclosed in most major media, perhaps because, if the American public was made aware of it, they might not look upon Venezuela, then a major supplier of oil, as favourably as the US State Department wanted them to, and oil prices could rise, without Venezuela as a source of oil for America’s automobiles and trucks. The purpose of that secret meeting was to firm up the cooperative agreements
Nicolas Maduro between the Chavez regime and Hezbollah, specifically how Venezuela would assist Hezbollah in its profitable drug trafficking operations, crucial to its terrorist financing objectives, and how the proceeds of crime would be funneled via an air bridge into Panama and on into that country’s amoral
New system that could be next storm develops in the Atlantic FLORIDA, United States – Fred remains a tropical storm which forecasters say will be downgraded to a remnant this weekend, but it could get new life in the Atlantic a few days from now. According to the National Hurricane Centre (NHC), there is a slight possibility that once Tropical Storm Fred weakens, what’s left of it could regenerate by early next week, bringing the system back to tropical depression status. However, Fred would remain over open water and pose no threat to land. (Caribbean 360)
banking structure. Apparently, Maduro is not only no friend of the United States, he works with its enemies. Since then, Hezbollah has enjoyed the lucrative profits that the drug trade offers and, more importantly, has moved those profits through Panama with impunity, as Western intelligence agencies are obviously content to merely monitor Hezbollah in Latin America rather than attack and destroy it. The net result is that money flows to Beirut through Panama City unimpeded. The situation in Panama has changed to some degree, with the new reformist government of President Varela. The question is: will it finally get around to cleaning up Panama’s out-of-control money laundering banks, some of which are controlled by ownership of Middle Eastern ethnic heritage and who will, it is said, do anything for a dollar. Will Panama throw Hezbollah out of its banks? Perhaps it can start by closing up its offices and front companies, and continue the job by shutting down the Venezuelan bulk cash smuggling air bridge into Panama’s Albrook Marcos A Gelabart International Airport, and by finally closing the three banks notorious for accepting US dollars from Venezuelan “businessman.”
Sunday September 06, 2015
Kaieteur News
Federer cruises at US Open, Bouchard suffers head injury New York (AFP) - Roger Federer defeated Philipp Kohlschreiber for the 10th time to reach the US Open last 16 yesterday as Canadian golden girl Eugenie Bouchard suffered a potentially tournament-ending head injury. Five-time champion and world number two Federer claimed a 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 victory over his 29th-ranked German opponent. The 34-yearold Swiss star, hoping to become the oldest champion since Ken Rosewall in 1970, will next face US 13th seed John Isner, who progressed after Czech opponent Jiri Vesely retired with a neck injury after dropping the first two sets. Bouchard, meanwhile, was facing a battle to make her scheduled last-16 clash with Italy’s Roberto Vinci today after injuring her head in a fall in the women’s locker room on Friday. The 21-year-old Canadian star withdrew from the women’s and mixed doubles tournament on medical advice. Federer also avoided falling out of the tournament as long-time rival Rafael Nadal had done on Friday night in the Spaniard’s earliest exit in New York in 10 years. Bemmelmans secured a place in his first third
round at a major when American opponent Jack Sock retired through heat exhaustion on Thursday. Czech sixth seed Tomas Berdych, a semifinalist in 2012, reached the last 16 for a fourth successive year by beating Spain’s Guillermo García-Lopez 6-7 (2/7), 7-6 (9/7), 6-3, 6-3. He next plays 12th seed Richard Gasquet, one of four Frenchmen in the last 16, who defeated Australia’s Bernard Tomic 6-4, 6-3, 6-1. In the women’s event, two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova, the Czech fifth seed, eased past Anna Karolína Schmiedlova of Slovakia 6-2, 6-1. She next faces British qualifier Johanna Konta, the world number 97 who beat German 18th seed Andrea Petkovic 7-6 (7/2), 6-3. Konta will be playing in her first Grand Slam fourth round. Sydney-born Konta joined Laura Robson from 2012 as the only British women in the fourth round on the New York hardcourts since Jo Durie in 1991. No British woman has reached the US Open final since Virginia Wade defeated Billie Jean King in the 1968 final. Also advancing was Australia’s 22ndseeded Samantha Stosur, who ousted Italian 16th seed Sara Errani 7-5, 2-6, 6-1.
Sunday September 06, 2015 ARIES (MAR. 21APRIL 20) You can make financial deals that will bring you extra cash. Property investments will payoff. TAURUS (APR. 21MAY 21) You are best to put your efforts into redecorating or inviting friends over. Keep on your toes when dealing with others. GEMINI (MAY 22JUNE 21) You will have an inaccurate assessment of your status in society. Compromise may be necessary. Hassles with in-laws could put a damper on your day. CANCER (JUNE 22JULY 22) Move into a leadership position if you are determined to do so. Ferret out information that will hold them responsible. LEO (JULY 23-AUG 22) Don't let your personal problems interfere with your professional responsibilities. Take special care in any home improvement project you work on today, you'll be glad you did. VIRGO (AUG. 23 SEPT. 23) Electrical problems may be an issue. Time to deal with institutional environments, government agencies, and matters of a private nature today. Be sure to organize events that will keep the children busy.
LIBRA (SEPT. 24 -OCT. 23) Be extra careful with your valuables; loss and theft are evident today. Opportunities to expand your circle of friends will result in possible new romantic encounters. SCORPIO (OCT. 24 NOV. 22) Look into intellectual and physical games that will test your abilities. Do not let others exhaust you financially. You have a lot to offer. SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 23 -DEC. 21) If you take on too much, you will find yourself in martyrdom. Stress coupled with diet will add to stomach problems. CAPRICORN (DEC 22.- JAN. 20) Ask family members for help and you will be able to complete the projects more quickly. Catch up on overdue phone calls and correspondence. Things are looking up. AQUARIUS (JAN. 21 FEB. 19) Problems with large corporations or institutions are apparent. Be sure to take care of any minor ailments. PISCES (FEB. 20-MAR. 20) Someone may not be thinking of your best interests. Problems with in-laws or relatives may be more damaging than you realize. This could be a serious relationship.
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GFF Stag Beer Elite Leauge launched... From page 75 while at the same time underlining the value of the Government’s involvement in the process. He referred to the league as the defining moment and the litmus test for football in Guyana, adding that it is important that it is sustained. “All the stakeholders are watching and it is imperative that the League is sustained,” Urling mentioned. Bolton gave an overview of the manner in which the League will be run; informing that such an event has been a long time coming. “It is not the cheese (money) that counts, the national league will allow for a better national team and a better youth system,” Bolton emphasised. The teams that will be participating include Alpha United, Buxton FC, Pele, Slingerz FC, Fruta Conquerors, Monnedderlust FC, Georgetown Football Club and the Guyana Defence Force. The teams will play home and away matches over two rounds in what Bolton described as the most lucrative tournament to date. Yusuf in her remarks spoke of the benefits of the League which according to her is supposed to augment the country’s standing in the sport. She said it was the thought of such that prompted her Company’s involvement in the first place, while also mentioning that it is new ground for football locally and hopefully it can take football to the next level. Yusuf said they are looking forward to an exciting League. Cummings in his response said Courts was
President’s Cup Horse Race Meet... From page 74 event which was held in honour of President David Granger. The Club also expressed gratitude to the Government of Guyana for their commitment to the sport as well as their sponsors; Banks DIH, Powerline Automotive Products, Bonny’s Meat Centre, Tony’s Auto Sales and Spares, Potaro Mining Company, Choke Service Station, I and R Trucking Service, Ray Auto Sales and Spares, Steve Jewelry, RPH Agri & Mining Spares, Horse Owner Nankoo Shariff, Jumbo Jet Auto Sales, Francis Chichester and Ramesh Sunich of Trophy Stall who donated the first place trophy for the feature event.
pleased to be associated with the League and thanked the GFF for staging such a League in Guyana. He spoke of his Company’s long association with the sport, pointing to the Pee Wee Competition as tes-
timony to their support for the sport which starts at the junior level. He urged the fans to come out and support the venture of the GFF which kicks off on September 18 and is expected to run until May, 2016.
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Sunday September 06, 2015
“St. Philip - Heading the possible restart of a new and successful era for West Indies teams!” By Colin E. H. Croft The full reign of West Indies Head Coach Philip Verant Simmons starts in real earnest next month with West Indies tour to Sri Lanka, followed later by another to still wounded Australia which had been so dumfounded and discombobulated by England recently. Recently, Sri Lanka has held its own well against India, another of the “Big Three.” Australia, with retirements and refurbishments after embarrassments in England, will want to show that its last English tour was just a sour blip. The big WI question would be to ascertain if the WI Head Coach position is indeed the poisoned chalice as has been suggested by many in the past, some even lamenting that “WI cricketers are un-coachable.” That simply cannot be true! WI’s team to Sri Lanka has been named, the most obvious change and massive surprise being that recent Captain Denesh Ramdin has been demoted to being just player, wicket-keeper and tourist, while Jason Holder, justly, with visages of WI’s future, has been elevated to Test captain. Veteran batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul has also justly been omitted, as has, somewhat unluckily, leftarm spinner Veerasammy Permaul. Their Guyanese counterpart, right-arm legspinner Davendra Bishoo got the nod. Newcomer, Barbados’ Jomel Warrican, is preferred to Permaul to provide contrasting left-arm orthodoxy, these selections being gambles worth taking right now. As head of WI dressing rooms for the first time, Simmons would have recently seen how his charges performed while playing England to a 1-1 Test series tie and a 2-0 drubbing by Australia. He must know by now how he plans to bring out his players’ best endeavors. Simmons must also acknowledge that his job will not be easy and that all
hopeful WI supporters at home or in the diaspora would be viewing, reviewing, questioning his every move, selection, injection and overall man and match management skills. But “Simmo” is nobody’s fool. He is definitely, maybe uniquely, in the right place at the right time, with his vast playing experiences for WI and other entities including Trinidad & Tobago and Leicestershire in UK, and his highly successful coaching stints in Zimbabwe and especially Ireland. As regards the latter, he might even be considered “St. Philip”! Phil’s biggest obstacle would not be his actual input, but as to whether his charges would be able to fully comprehend his stated objectives, thus bringing their determination and abilities on-line to be fully tested, assimilated and actioned by his directives. That will not be easy! The jury is still out as to if last Head Coach Ottis Gibson’s abilities allowed for his players to be the best that they could have been. Sometimes joints and patches just do not match! Since returning to the English fold as bowling coach, a position he had held previously with spectacular successes, Gibson’s more recent disciples, including very experienced bowlers Stuart Broad and James Anderson, who bowled out of their skins against Australia, have shone as never before to help beat the Aussies. Gibson must be doing something right there! Before Simmons, Gibson was only the most recent of a long line of coaches who seemed incapable of ensuring that WI not only played well but won consistently, even dominate. Since 1995, when WI lost its Test crown to Australia, WI has had many illustrious, supposedly competent personnel in that head coach position. Clive Lloyd, (Sir) Vivian Richards, Roger Harper, Gus Logie, Bennet King and John Dyson are just a few of many.
East and West Berbice U-19 teams to play football match today In an effort to see more football played in the Ancient County, some former players from the East and West of Berbice have organised an Under-19 match that will see teams from these areas matching skills today at Burnham Park from 15:00hrs. The encounter is set to renew rivalry between the teams from the East and West. Coordinator is Neil ‘Grizzly’Humphrey.
Colin E. H. Croft Yet, if anything, WI’s fall has been transformed from being just gradual to being precipitous, almost vertically downwards. Something has to change! One must believe and expect that anyone who plays for WI teams wants to do well, if only for personal aggrandizement. Therefore, it could have been that, overall, WI players could not comprehend Gibson’s methods or execute his wishes, or both, as their collective results left very much to be desired, Gibson being considered a dismal failure overall. Simmons has several younger, budding players, others experienced but not as influential with bat or ball to date as has been expected, and some older heads too to manage. That mix, combined with correct amounts of confidence, determination, guile, planning and execution, while maximizing abilities, could create continuous winners for a region starved of success, many having forgotten how it feels to rule the roost of any form of international cricket. Team veterans Jerome Taylor, Kemar Roach, Marlon Samuels, Davendra Bishoo, Denesh Ramdin and Darren Bravo must provide much needed leadership and universal stability. Young, exciting, astute new captain Jason Holder, Jermaine Blackwood, Kraigg Brathwaite and Shannon Gabriel have abilities to perform well beyond the call of duty, even if their experiences are still somewhat limited. Shai Hope, Shane Dowrich, Carlos Brathwaite, Rajindra Chandrika and newcomer Jomel Warrican must not only learn and absorb as much as they could, but also understand that they have responsibilities of carrying the future of WI cricket on their young, inexperienced shoulders. But still the catalyst for whatever success WI may hope for in Sri Lanka, before that later tour of Australia, must be Head Coach Phil Simmons, whose ambitions must now be enhanced. Enjoy!
Sunday September 06, 2015
Kaieteur News
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Hamilton storms to 11th pole in 12 races
Hadi’s 2-day first DIVISION CRICKET
Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton saw off a strong Ferrari challenge at the Italian team’s home Grand Prix to seal his seventh pole position in a row and 11th in 12 races yesterday. The Mercedes driver, whose team mate and title rival Nico Rosberg will start fourth after engine problems forced him to revert to using one without the latest updates, now has 49 career poles. The pole, in bright sunshine, was the Briton’s fourth at Monza and 23rd in succession for Mercedes, one short of the record set by the Williams team in 1992-93. Kimi Raikkonen joined him on the front row with Ferrari team mate Sebastian Vettel qualifying third. “These guys did a great job, they are very close,” said Hamilton, who leads Rosberg by 28 points in the championship, of his Ferrari rivals after taking pole with a lap of one minute 23.397 seconds and two tenths
A useful all-round performance from left-arm spinner Raj Nanan put GCC in a strong position to beat GDF outright at Bourda on the opening day of the final game of the Hadi’s GCA first division two-day competition. GCC must win today to overtake leaders DCC and lift the trophy. Nanan snatched 4-37 to help dismiss the Soldiers for 89 after the entire first session was washed out. Only Nail Smith (33 not out) and Randy Lindore (24) who posted 46 for the seventh wicket put up a fight as five ducks were registered in the GDF innings. West Indies ‘A’ team pacer Ronsford Beaton (2-21) removed both openers to leave the score on 17-2 before
faster than Raikkonen. “My Spa lap was better,” he added, referring to his Belgian pole of two weeks earlier. Vettel, who could become the first driver since Stirling Moss in the 1950s to win at Monza with three different teams, hoped Ferrari would have a chance today but made clear Hamilton was the overwhelming favorite. “I think it’s a fantastic result, second and third and very close to Lewis,” said the German, racing for the first time in Italy in Ferrari red. “Sorry Lewis, but I wouldn’t mind if you are not on the podium,” he grinned. “You can be, but if we are both ahead of you that would obviously be a dream come true. “I think dreaming is allowed but you have to be realistic. It’s going to be a tough race tomorrow (today) and these guys (Mercedes) have some serious pace.” Raikkonen, the 2007 champion for Ferrari, said it was nice to be back on the
Lewis Hamilton front row in front of the tifosi after a long absence. “We expected a strong weekend, knew this place is not our strongest probably but in the end the car turned out to be pretty good in qualifying conditions,” said the Finn. “It’s nice to be here, a home race for us. This was our best qualifying performance this year as a team so we will try and give another good go tomorrow and get a good result for ourselves and our fans.” (Reuters)
MIGRANT CRISIS: IOC announces £1.3m refugee fund The International Olympic Committee has announced a £1.3m emergency fund will be made available to national Olympic committees in order to help refugees. “We have all been touched by the terrible news and the heartbreaking stories in the past few days,” said IOC President Thomas Bach. “We made a decision that we needed to make this fund available immediately.” On Thursday, German football club Bayern Munich announced they would set up a ‘training camp’ to help refugees. National Olympic committees will be asked to submit programmes to benefit from the fund, which is made up of £650,000 from the IOC and £650,000 from the Olympic Solidarity Commission. British sport has also reacted to the crisis, with supporters’ groups for Aston Villa and Swindon Town among those who have said they will hold up ‘Refugees Welcome’ banners at their next home matches.
Scottish champions Celtic have also offered their support. A share of proceeds from events surrounding the upcoming 30th anniversary of former Manager Jock Stein’s death will be donated to the refugees’ cause. What do athletes think? Great Britain 400m runner Martyn Rooney: “The Premier League clubs should definitely help. If they can spend so much money on transfers then they should be able to give money to this cause. “[Great Britain team-mate] Rabah Yousif is from the Sudan. He fled and came to the UK. He said the UK saved his life. So we all have a duty to help our fellow man”. England cricketer Anya Shrubsole: “Sport has a responsibility to lead the way and take responsibility for encouraging people to help.” England hockey player Kate RichardsonWalsh: “Large corporations and organisations should help if they have the resources. Sport should do what it can. It’s the responsibility of everyone to help if they can.” (BBCsport)
pacer Joshua Wade (2-17) got rid of Jomal Lafleur (8) and Marcus Watkins (0) who scored a second division century last weekend, as the Army slipped to 35-4. Nanan captured two wickets in his first over as GDF slumped to 38-6 and although Lindore and Smith offered some resistance Nanan and Anthony Adams (2-14) wrapped up the GDF innings which included four Berbicians. GCC began shakily when Robin Bacchus (8) was bowled by Smith and Adams (9) fell to Romaine Shepherd. National Skipper Vishal Singh (19) and Jeetendra Sookdeo (24) took the score to 60 before Singh departed off Lindore. LaFleur dismissed
Raj Nanan Renaldo Mohamed (0), Sookdeo and Devon Lord (0) as GCC slipped from 60-2 to 70-6 but after Wade (14) was run out at 106-7, Nanan who reached his highest division one score, aided by five fours and six guided GCC to 131-7 with a first innings lead of 41 runs. Lafleur has so far picked up 3-21. (Sean Devers)
Australia beat England as Ben Stokes is out obstructing the field England slipped 2-0 behind in the one-day international series as Australia won at Lord’s in a game overshadowed by an obstructing the field dismissal. Midway through England’s reply, Ben Stokes was given out after the ball hit his hand as he took evasive action. Steve Smith struck 70 and Mitchell Marsh 64 from 31 balls as Australia made 309-7 from their 49 overs. Skipper Eoin Morgan fired four sixes in a defiant 85 but England were all out for 245 to lose by 64 runs. It was only the sixth dismissal for obstructing the field in the 3,861-match history of one-day internationals and the first for an England player. The third of the five matches takes place at Old Trafford on Tuesday. In the 26th over, Stokes pushed a defensive shot back at bowler Mitchell Starc, who hurled the ball back at the batsman as he saw him leave
Controversy abounded at Lord’s as Ben Stokes was given out obstructing the field ©Getty Images his crease and sensed the chance of a run-out. Stokes turned away as the throw arrowed towards both him and the stumps and dived back in an attempt to regain his ground, but the ball hit his outstretched hand. On-field umpires Kumar Dharmasena and Tim Robinson consulted third
umpire Joel Wilson who applied law 33.1, deeming that Stokes had “wilfully” obstructed the field. Australia 309-7 (49 overs): Smith 70, M Marsh 64, Stokes 3-60. England 245 (42.3 overs): Morgan 85, Cummins 4-56. Australia won by 64 runs; lead series 2-0. (BBCsport)
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Kaieteur News
Sunday September 06, 2015
WCQ RECAP: THIRD ROUND, FIRST LEG Miami - On a day of two upsets and a close call, World Cup Qualifying in
CONCACAF resumed on Friday with six third-round, first-leg games. The biggest
surprise of the day was 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup runner-up Jamaica falling 3-2
at home to Nicaragua, while Canada improved to a perfect 3-0-0 with a 3-0 win over visiting Belize. CONCACAF.com recaps all the action: THIRD ROUND, FIRST LEG (all games played September 4, 2015) Arnos Playing Field – Kingstown, St. Vincent & the Grenadines (A: 4,100) - St. Vincent & the GrenadinesAruba 2:0 (0:0) After a pair of secondround draws with Guyana, St. Vincent & Grenadines defeated visiting Aruba 2-0 for its first win of 2018 World Cup Qualifying. Tevin Slater (50’) put the host ahead five minutes into the second half with his teambest fourth goal of the competition. With a minute left in normal time, Oalex Anderson (89’) converted a penalty to seal the result. Second leg: September 8 (Complejo Guillermo Prospero Trinidad – Oranjestad, Aruba). Grenada National Stadium – St. George’s, Grenada (A: 5, 100) Grenada-Haiti 1:3 (1:2) Haiti opened its 2018 World Cup Qualifying campaign much in the same impressive way it performed at July’s CONCACAF Gold Cup, posting a 3-1 win over host Grenada. Les Grenadiers led 2-1 at halftime thanks to goals by Jean-Eudes Maurice (27’) and Mechak Jerome (39’), while Duckens Nazon (55’) – who scored twice in the Gold Cup – completed the scoreline 10 minutes into the second half.
York City’s Anthony Straker (33’ pen) converted a penalty kick for Grenada’s only goal. Second leg: September 8 (Stade Sylvio Cator – Port-auPrince, Haiti). Stadion Ergilio Hato – Willemstad, Curacao Curacao-El Salvador 0:1 (01) Alexander Larin (12’) chipped a superb through ball by Jose Peña over goalkeeper Eloy Room to give visiting El Salvador a 1-0 win over Curacao. The host was shutout at home for the second straight time in the competition, while the Central Americans won in Jorge Rodriguez’s debut as head coach. Second leg: September 8 (Estadio Cuscatlan – San Salvador, El Salvador). BMO Field – Toronto, Canada (A: 10, 412) - CanadaBelize 3:0 (1:0) Tosaint Ricketts (25’, 65’) struck for a brace in his second straight World Cup qualifier as Canada earned a 3-0 win over visiting Belize. The 28-year-old scored in each half to give the host a 20 lead, while Atiba Hutchinson (90’) completed the scoreline in the last minute of normal for his sixth career international goal. The Canadians went scoreless in three 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup games, but it has already netted nine times in three qualifiers, all wins by shutout. Second leg: September 8 (FFB Stadium – Belmopan, Belize). Sir Vivian Richards Stadium – North Sound (A: 7,005), Antigua & Barbuda -
Antigua & BarbudaGuatemala 1:0 (0:0). Guatemala’s offensive struggles continued as it fell 1-0 at Antigua & Barbuda. Myles Weston (74’ pen) converted a second-half penalty kick for the only goal. Wilson Lalin was whistled for a handball in the box after Joshua Parker ’s fine individual effort. The Central American side, which scored only once in three 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup games, was shutout for the second time in three 2018 World Cup Qualifying games. Second leg: September 8 (Estadio Mateo Flores – Guatemala City, Guatemala). National Stadium – Kingston, Jamaica (A: 18,300) JamaicaNicaragua 2:3 (0:2). CONCACAF Gold Cup runner-up Jamaica was dealt a blow in its first 2018 World Cup qualifier, falling 3-2 at home to Nicaragua. Goals by Manuel Rosas (4’ pen), Carlos Chavarria (7’) and Luis Galeano (47’) gave the visitor a surprise 3-0 lead. The Reggae Boyz staged a furious rally that saw Darren Mattocks (69’) and Adrian Mariappa (78’) find the back net, but it wasn’t enough as Pinolero goalkeeper Justo Llorente produced a string of tremendous saves to preserve the victory. The impressive Chavarria, 21, extended his scoring streak in qualifiers to three games. Second leg: September 8 (Estadio Nacional – Managua, Nicaragua). (CONCACAF)
Players from Nicaragua celebrate after scoring against host Jamaica in a World Cup qualifier on September 4, 2015, in Kingston.
President’s Cup Horse Race Meet deemed a huge success - RSTC The Rising Sun Turf Club (RSTC) has announced that its recently held President’s Cup Horse Race Meet was a huge success with all nine races carded ran without any major incidents, delay or interference. Track Principal, Fazal Habibulla, stated that he was satisfied with the conduct of the fans. “In planning the President’s Cup, I was aware of the complaints that stemmed from
the last meeting at Port Mourant so we did our best to prevent a recurrence.” Habibulla said the new security fencing and the upgraded facilities in the grandstands allowed turfites to enjoy the event without much hiccups. The RSTC would like to thank the Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, for attending the (Continued on page 65)
Sunday September 06, 2015
Kaieteur News
GFF Stag Beer Elite Leauge launched at 704 Sports Bar By Rawle Welch In attendance were members of the most important stakeholders related to the staging of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Stag Beer Elite League which was launched last evening, at the 704 Sports Bar on Albert and Lamaha Streets. Members of the audience included Chairman of the Normalisation Committee Clinton Urling, GFF General Secretary Richard Groden, Technical Director Claude Bolton, Ansa McAl’s PRO Dharshanie Yusuf, Courts PRO Pernell Cummings, representatives of the eight selected clubs and general members of the football fraternity. Chairman Urling, who gave the feature remarks, first extended thanks to the major stakeholders, the
clubs for accepting the invitation to be part of the inaugural Elite League, before offering similar sentiments to the major sponsor Ansa McAl through its Stag Beer brand for being one of the biggest sponsors of the GFF programnmes including the League. Urling also recognised the involvement of Courts (Guyana Inc.) and ENetworks, two entities that has come on board through the infusion of substantial sponsorship to ensure that the League is a success. In relation to the discussions that were held with the respective entities, Urling disclosed that the Courts engagement was an easy trade off, informing that the Company had requested that the GFF get involved in social activities which they did. That he said they had
V&V Variety Store commits to Wiltshire/ Hunte Dominoes
Anand Bharat (right) presents the trophy to Mark Wiltshire in the presence of David Hunte.
V
and V Variety Store of lot 6 Unity Street, La Grange, West Bank Demerara yesterday confirmed their support for the Mark Wiltshire / David Hunte four-game two-in-one-out dominoes competition which will be played today. At a simple ceremony held at their location, the first place trophy was presented to organsier Mark Wiltshire. The competition will be contested at Hunte’s (Day Day) residence Middle Street, Pouderoyen and action gets underway at 14:00hrs with 18 teams battling for supremacy. Apart from the trophy, the winning team will also receive $120,000, runner up $40,000 and a trophy sponsored by Hunte. Third place will pocket $15,000. In an invited comment, Anand Bharat of V and V Variety Store said they are happy to be associated with the competition and it’s a pleasant way of giving back to the society. Organiser Wiltshire thanked the entity for their support.
engaged in much to the appreciation of the sponsor, while E-Networks involvement is crucial to the development of the sport. According to the NC Chairman, “E-Networks might eventually play a seminal role in helping to develop the sport through the televising of the matches on
its channels,” Urling stated. He added that television and media must get on board to make the League a success. However, Urling was quick to note the importance and significance of the world governing body (FIFA’s) role in helping to develop football in Guyana, (Continued on page 71)
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Kaieteur News
Sunday September 06, 2015
Benn, Adams helps Police to victory; Chanderpaul spurs Everest to win GCA’s Carib Beer T20... By Sean Devers On a soggy DCC ground and a track with some moisture 19-year-old lefth a n d e r Ta i g n a r i n e Chanderpaul hit an unbeaten 48 to lead Everest to a 10-run win over the University of Guyana (UG) on the Duckworth/ Lewis rule yesterday in a Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA) /
Carib Beer T20 First division match that was reduced to a 10-over battle due to a mid-morning downpour. In the other match at the same venue, an attractive 59 from opener Troy Benn and 4-27 from Ricardo Adams spearheaded Police to sixrun victory over GNIC. After a 65-minute stoppage due to rain with Everest on 29-2
from 6.4 overs the game was reduced and Everest scored 42 runs in their last four overs, as Chanderpaul tore into the bowlers with disdain, making 30 of those runs. The West Indies Under19 batsman reached the boundary six times and cleared it three times, twice off consecutive balls from Pavindralall Persaud.
Micheal Shalim (2-6 from 3 overs) reduced Everest to 18-2 by getting rid of Askay Persaud (0) and Guyana U19 Captain Travis Persaud (5); no one else got into double figures as Everest reached 70-5 when their overs expired. UG, set a revised target of 81 in 10 overs got a firm 45-run foundation from openers Darnel Douglas (23)
and Leon Williams (31) but they could only reach 75-6. In the afternoon game, Benn’s 59, Shaid Gittens (20), and an unfinished stand from Stephen Harris (15) and Leron Premo (15) took Police to 147-5 off 20. Pacer Rawle Merrell (2-4 from 4 overs) had a miserly spell for GNIC who could only muster 142-6 despite 38 from West Indies batsman
Assad Fudadin, 30 from Jason George and 19 from Persaud. Fudadin and Persaud shared in a 51 run partnership but once Adams removed Fudadin and Ryan Shun (0) in successive deliveries to leave the score on 82-5 and the wicketkeeper dropped Merrell of his hat-trick ball it was all over bar the shouting. Ricardo Adams, who returned to take 4-27, smashes Assad Fudadin behind point for four.
Taignarine Chanderpaul hammers a boundary during his entertaining unbeaten 48 yesterday.
Troy Benn scored 59 for Police against GNIC yesterday.
Sunday September 06, 2015
Kaieteur News
Page 77
GT Beer / Petra Organisation Futsal Competition...
Explosive quarter-finals on tonight; fans support could be crucial By Rawle Welch Judging from the commendable turnout at the penultimate and final rounds of the round-robin phase, it is clear that fans from the respective communities have signal their intent to rally around their individual teams and this plan is what is causing all the excitement in the inaugural GT Beer / Petra Organisation Futsal Competition. Play in the quarter-final stage resumes today at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall with four games that promises to be actionpacked from kick off right until the final encounter. In the first game which commences at 19:00hrs, Sophia and Bent Street square off, before West Front Road and neighbours West Back Road clash in what has been described as a war for bragging rights and title as to which team is the Best in the West. Pre-tournament favourites Sparta Boss then collides with Kitty Weavers, Festival City vs. Albouystown bring the curtains down in the last quarter-final matchup. The Sophia versus Bent Street affair is too close to call since both teams have looked in scorching form throughout the tournament, enjoying some comfortable wins against teams that are usually strong in this format. Sophia in their previous encounter against Broad Street showed no mercy, registering an emphatic win with the experienced duo of Sheik Kamal and Shemroy Arthur leading them to victory supported by the likes of Joshua Kamal and Dwayne Lowe. Once again they could be the main threat to deny Bent Street from marching on. Bent Street has been equally impressive in their march to this stage of the competition and once again players the caliber of O’Kenie Fraser, Colin Nelson, Steffon Ramsay, Daniel Wilson and Sheldon Profitt will be called upon to construct the plan to initiate a win. Perhaps, the most anticipated matchup of the night is the one between neighbours West Front Road
and West Back Road. This undoubtedly is a grudge match and one that both teams are not taking lightly, especially since the former have always been seen as the better of the two. West Front Road’s lineup is littered with quite a few stars in the futsal format and when you add their undeniable success then right away you see why the odds are stacked against West Back Road. The individual skill of players such as Randolph Wagner, Michael Oie, Hubert and Michael Pedro is not easy to contend with or contain so it would be interesting to see what strategy West Back Road employs to keep them in check. On the other hand, West Back Road has repeatedly displayed the fortitude of being a tough team to beat and one that should not be t a k e n l i g h t l y. P h i l l i p Rowley, Odel Young, Jamal Haynes, Eron Hayde and Jason Tyrell should play leading roles in their quest for a place in the semi finals and there is no dispute in the quality of their play. What more could be said of Sparta Boss that has been among the most consistent teams in this format, acquiring success in every dimension of the sport. Despite losing two of their main players in Devon Millington and Gregory Richardson who’re both reported to be overseas, those that remain have shown what a potent force they are and how deep they go. Denis Edwards has been the leader of the pack, while the supporting cast that comprises Sheldon Shepherd, Deon Alfred and Travis Grant has offered both offensive and defensive presence throughout. However, Kitty Weavers are no pushovers either and s h o u l d n o t b e underestimated, especially with the likes of the elusive Nigel Denny, Sherwin Vincent, Travis Martin and Jermaine Willis in their lineup. The Festival City versus Albouystown closer resembles a prize fight with a winner proving difficult to choose. Festival City has been
amongst the most explosive teams in the tournament with Solomon Austin, Dwayne Lawrence and Eon Alleyne repeatedly exhibiting irrefutable evidence of their immense shooting power and accuracy. This three-man wrecking crew could be enough to
secure victory. Albouystown on the other hand is also a strong unit with Devon Dooker, Marlon Nedd, the unstoppable Roy Cassou and Denvor Dennis forming the bulk of their attack. It should be a close and exciting affair and one for the fans.
Sheik Kamal in control for Sophia in an earlier match of this inaugural competition.
t r o Sp
GFF Stag Beer Elite Leauge launched at 704 Sports Bar
Members of the eight elite clubs with representatives of the sponsors and GFF NC.
Dharshanie Yusuf, PRO Ansa McAl Claude Bolton - GFF Technical Director during his presentation
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