–
Businesses willing but wary of hiring ex-convicts
Police promise to “weed out” ganja cultivations along Berbice River
Food and Drug Department raises alarm over fake BioOil on market
File on Lall “threat” to Sattaur still with Police
Guyana, Barbados to sign
exchange programme
The Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) has made significant strides in improving its Paediatric Oncology Department, since collaborating with the Women and Children’s Hospital in Buffalo, New York, USA.
Dr Sherelyn Stanton, Resident Paediatrician in
the Medicine Department at the GPHC, told Guyana Times that the collaboration aims to improve on the protocols and procedures within the department. The Paediatric Oncology Department has consequently undergone several strategic changes within the past year.
As a result, there have been improved treatments for cancer in children, which have greatly decreased the rate of them dying of the disease and have helped to foster quite normal lives for them as well.
The collaboration between the hospitals has been ongoing since early 2013, with Dr Lorna Fitzpatrick from the Women and Children’s Hospital visiting the local hospital to assist with the successful implementation of various protocols.
Dr Fitzpatrick said that children in Guyana are affected by the cancerous diseases leukaemia and lym-
phoma. However, they are readily cured with two-year bout of chemotherapy. The doctor explained that she has been facilitating the proper administering of these treatments.
Dr Fitzpatrick said children from all across Guyana are referred to the Georgetown Public Hospital, the country’s national hospi-
tal, for treatment, and it has been a joy working with the children as they have shown they are resilient.
The chemotherapy treatments at the hospital are free and the children have been able to continue their normal lives, without any prolonged side effects.
Dr Fitzpatrick will be reviewing the cases of the children who are currently undergoing chemotherapy treatments at the Georgetown Public Hospital during her stay in Guyana this week.
The Women and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo, according to its website, is a Kaleida health facility and teaching hospital for the University at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. It is the regional centre for comprehensive and state-of-the-art paediatric, neonatal, perinatal and obstetrical services in Western New York and beyond.
Johnny Welshman has once again expressed frustration with the slothfulness of the Guyana Police Force in its investigation into a rape allegation filed by him against Speaker of the National Assembly, Raphael Trotman two months ago.
Welshman had accused the Speaker who he fondly refers to as “Uncle Raphael” of sodomising him as a 12-year-old boy.
Since the allegations were made by the now 22-year-old Welshman back in September, Trotman has moved to the courts to attain a gag order and filed a $50 million lawsuit against his accuser
The young man, in a telephone interview with Guyana Times on Friday, said time and time again he has contacted the Guyana Police Force for an update, but to no avail.
This publication also made several attempts to contact Crime Chief Leslie Singh to get an update on the investigations, but James said he was unable to comment on the issue at the time.
Subsequent calls to his phone went unanswered.
Welshman had also indicated that he was no longer being represented by Attorney Peter Hugh. He indicated that he was awaiting the arrival of another Attorney from Trinidad and Tobago before he proceeds in a legal direction.
Welshman, on Wednesday, November 12 attempted to take his own
life in frustration over what he called the slothfulness and perceived wrongdoings in Guyana’s justice system.
The 22-year-old was reportedly taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital after reportedly consuming a large amount of chlorinebased liquid. He was treated and sent home. When contacted, Welshman confirmed that he did attempt to commit suicide.
On November 11, acting Chief Justice Ian Chang had ruled to uphold an injunction filed by Trotman that prevented Welshman from repeating his allegations of sexual abuse until the conclusion of the matter, much to the anger of the alleged victim.
“I can’t take it anymore: I wanted justice and I am the one that is constantly harassed on the road. Well, live with yourself at my death… I know I will be in hell ‘cause I committed suicide, but I rather die than to continue living in pain… Uncle Raphael, my father and Colin, I will never forgive you’,” Welshman posted on his Facebook page the day of his suicide attempt. After more than 30 minutes of deliberations, acting Justice Chang had upheld the injunction.
This was confirmed by the Attorney representing Trotman, Nigel Hughes, who told reporters outside the Chief Justice’s Chambers that “the injunction continues until there is a determination of the matter”.
The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on Sunday, November 23 from 05:30h-07:00h
The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on Sunday, November 23 from 16:50h-18:20h
Weather: The morning will see overcast conditions over coastal to inland areas. These conditions are expected to be accompanied by moderate to heavy showers and thundershowers. The afternoon will see a decrease in intensity and frequency in the showers, but the cloudy to overcast conditions are expected to continue. It is also expected that the precipitation will recommence during the early morning hours. The 24-hour accumulation is expected to be between 80 mm and 100 mm. Other areas can expect mostly cloudy conditions with light to moderate showers and possible thundershowers. Rainfall is likely to be between trace and 20 mm.
Temperatures are expected to range between 22 degrees Celsius and 29 degrees Celsius along the coast and between 20 degrees Celsius and 32 degrees Celsius in the hinterland.
Winds: Easterly at 6 to 12 metres per second.
High Tide: 16:57h reaching a maximum height of 2.82 metres.
Low Tide: Low Tide: 10:32h and 22:59h reaching minimum heights of 0.555 metre and 0.38 metre.
The above-normal high tide warning is in effect until Thursday, November 27. Residents of low-lying, riverine, and flood-prone areas are advised to take necessary precautions against possible flooding.
Acting Town Clerk Carol Sooba has slammed “deeply politically aligned” managers at City Council for not enforcing anti-litter laws to combat the indiscriminate disposal of refuse.
Speaking with Guyana Times on Saturday, Sooba said enforcement of the regulations is outside of her jurisdiction.
The acting Town Clerk’s response comes amid frustration of the slow drainage of water accumulated during recent heavy downpours.
“We are cleaning this canal now and you will see, in a short while it will be dirty again, they just keep dumping garbage.”
The Litter Regulations passed in November 2013, clearly states that persons found littering can be fined up to $100,000 or be imprisoned for up to three months.
“Any person/persons found guilty of depositing litter in a public place, depositing litter from a moving vehicle unto a public place; and to causing or permitting persons to commit offences one and two above, under the litter regulations shall be liable to a fine of between 50,000 to 100,000 dollars or three months imprisonment. The absence of a waste receptacle is not an excuse under the law,” regulations said.
Sooba explained that one of the main contributing factors to excessive litter around the city is street corner vending. She explained that she has tried to address this problem since she took office in 2012, but her efforts were short-lived.
She accused senior officials of City Hall of receiving financial gains for allowing illegal vending.
about anywhere. “If you go by Bourda and Stabroek market, you will see them. They sell right where they throw the garbage.”
Sooba said there are documents that will substantiate her claims of misconduct by some senior City Hall officials. However, efforts to speak with the officials pointed out by Sooba proved futile.
concrete structures, thus obstructing the smooth flow of water.
The Litter Regulations also states “Allowing litter to enter a public place from a vehicle whether it is a bus, car, truck or trailer is an offence and any person found responsible for such an act will be fined the sum of $50,000. If the person that committed the offence cannot be determined, then
This, she said was the reason for vendors being allowed to vend on the shoulders of the road.
It was explained by Sooba that these vendors left their garbage just
The acting Town Clerk is also appealing to business persons to desist from completely covering their drains with permanent
the driver of the vehicle will be held responsible. If it is a company or organisation committing such an offence, then it shall be fined $100,000”.
Editor: Tajeram Mohabir
Tel: 225-5128, 231-0397, 226-9921, 226-2102, 223-7230 or 223-7231. Fax: 225-5134
Mailing address: 238 Camp & Quamina Streets, Georgetown
Email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, sales@guyanatimesgy.com
In this seeming winter of his discontent, David Granger is causing intellectual whiplash in anyone trying to figure what is it he wants. Some may say that the question should more properly be phrased as, "What does A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) want?”
But that motley "coalition" is such a fiction that on the most cursory examination, it falls apart like a cheap suit.
Rupert Roopnarine and Desmond Trotman are supposed to represent the Working People's Alliance (WPA). That party, however, withered a decade ago and was kept alive only by coalescing with the Guyana Action Party (GAP) in 2001. By 2006, its lone representative had read the writing on the wall (“WPA is dead”) and jumped ship to the nascent home for ship jumpers - the Alliance For Change (AFC).
Roopnarine is basically fighting for political relevance and reduced to uttering strident inanities, such as his call to "boycott and burn" the Guyana Times.
Granger is reported to have summarily repudiated that call. That was the "death knell" (or "death rattle") of the WPA. RIP. There was no electoral support by 2011, and whatever intellectual prowess was assumed, was exposed as a barren wasteland since. The less one says about the GAP (whose leader went to Brazil never to return while his place-holder passed away), the National Front Alliance (NFA) of Keith Scot and others too anonymous to even stir a memory, the better.
Whatever is happening in APNU is triggered by its only viable component - the People's National Congress (PNC) and whatever is happening in the PNC, also emanates from Granger. Granger was selected by Corbin, but voluntarily or otherwise, the latter has become invisible.
Like Hoyte, into whose lap the PNC had also fallen, Granger has moved assiduously and insidiously to make himself the PNC leader uber alles, by surrounding himself with (to quote Hoyte) "creatures" of his making.
So we return to the question, "What does Granger want?" That will also be what APNU, along with its constituents, including the PNC, wants. Granger as an army man fancies himself as a "strategic thinker". He understood that the PNC was perceived as a pariah because of its violent and chequered past, especially by Indian-Guyanese.
He has worked to overcome this stigma by refusing to be goaded into protests that can degenerate into violence. The recent refusal of AFC leaders Ramjattan and Nagamootoo to share the stage with him at Square of the Revolution shows that he has a long way to go.
Even though the 2010 census' ethnic breakdown was not released, the trends would have ensured that the PNC's traditional constituency within the African and Mixed Guyanese populace now forms an absolute majority.
Granger has never been coy about protecting the interests of that constituency. He has worked to overcome the PNC's historically weak organisational inability to "bring out the votes" by organising a network of ex-disciplined forces members. The 2006 gains were solid and will be augmented in this go electoral around. As Granger noted, he does not need astronomical funding for this mobilisation.
Granger's stress on "shared governance" is tactical rather than strategic: He follows his mentor Burnham's dictum that the locus of power must be concentrated for its greatest effectiveness. Nothing in his army training would have suggested any other position. His insistence that his "coalition" with political paper pygmies achieves that end indicates his cynicism on "power sharing".
Granger had been pushing for Local Government Elections (LGE) because he wanted the opportunity to have his troops have a trial-run in mobilising at the grassroots and to identify new activists at that level. In what would be his last run, Granger believes that the PNC can win the upcoming elections, especially because of the projected demographic calculus. In the event he doesn't, expect him, like Hoyte, to protest the results. Granger wants power.
Dear Editor,
Delegates of Hindu organizations from Guyana and around the world gathered for an international conference in New Delhi on Friday and Saturday at the posh Ashoka Hotel in the heart of the diplomatic centre of the city.
Several other representatives from Guyana and the Hindu Guyanese Diaspora are also attending the conference that is being organized by the World Hindu Foundation; some of the Guyanese are presenting papers.
Several Trinidadians and Surinamese are also presenting papers at the conference.
The conference was declared opened by the Dalai Lama of Tibet and the heads of the parent Hindu organization in India, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, and the ruling Bharatya Janata Party (BJP).
The head of RSS Mohan Bhagwat told the delegates that the ideological inspiration of the ruling BJP in India inspired Hindus to be "strong and fearless so that anybody wishing ill for the world could not stop their work aimed at everybody's welfare”.
Sri Bhagwat-ji was speaking on the subject of “Right time for global Hindu re-emergence and collective efforts of Hindu society” at the World Hindu Conference.
Sri Bhagwat said Hindus should "rise in unison and show the world
leadership based on values".
He said: “This (rise of Hindus) would not be in reaction to anything or against anybody, but in keeping with Indian values which have been a teacher to the world”.
Bhagwat noted that the world had experimented with various models for over 2000 years and was looking upon Hindu values to show it the way. He called on Hindus “to start our walk in all areas of life including academia and media".
The Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama, a Buddhist, said Buddhism
and Hinduism were "spiritual brothers". He said the ancient Hindu values of non-violence and religious harmony can play a big role in spreading harmony in the world.
He said “ancient Indians were ‘modern Indians’ while today’s ‘modern India’ is too much westernised".
In Indian towns, Dalai Lama pointed out, “One can find temples everywhere but not centres of study and discussion”.
The Dalai Lama called on Indians to pay more attention to their ancient knowledge which they neglected while Buddhists have preserved it.
The head of the VHP Ashok Singhal, who visited Guyana some years ago, urged that the Government make Sanskrit compulsory in school. Sanskrit is the mother of all Indian languages and many European languages. It is also the language of computers.
Singhal said Sanskrit has been the language of India. “Everything was written in Sanskrit thousands of years ago. If you want to eliminate it, you want to eliminate this country," he told delegates.
The conference concludes on Sunday.
Sybmitted by Vishnu Bisram
Dear Editor,
When I was informed that the Guyana Teacherss Union (GTU) Track and Field Championships 2014 was billed for the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Ground (Ayangana), I was furious for many reasons.
One, being that it was too late and the rainy season was upon Guyana, and two, the event not having ac-
cess to the Guyana National Stadium for this year due to a cricket tournament. It is also sad in many ways not to have witnessed athletes from all ten Administrative Regions in Guyana compete in Track and Field at Guyana’s most prestigious sporting event (the Nationals) as in any other global location. On the brighter side of
the situation, I managed to attend and did photography coverage of the Swimming aspect/segment of Nationals 2014 at the Aquatic Centre, Turkeyen and it was a blast.
Perfect weather, well supported, highly competitive, fun, etc. Attach is an image of a kodak fun moment.
Yours faithfully, T Pemberton
Dear Editor, I read an article in another section of the media on November 18 under the headline, “National unity Gov’t would not include persons guilty of wrongdoing – Granger”.
Mr Granger, Leader of the Opposition, said in the article that “if he is elected the next President of Guyana he will not allow suspected criminals associated with the incumbent People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) to be part of his administration”.
Firstly, let me inform Granger that he is correct to have used the word “if”, since his People’s National Congress (PNC)/A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) party will receive a sound trashing at the next General and Regional Elections by the PPP/C led by President Donald Ramotar. This time by an overwhelming majority.
I only hope therefore that Granger did not get swell-headed at the PNC-Alliance For Change (AFC) coalition “rally” at the square of the revolution on November 14, and when faced with a massive
electoral defeat, he will resort to post elections disturbances just to cover his shame.
In the article, Granger had nothing complimentary to say about former President Bharrat Jagdeo and Minister of Finance Dr Ashni Singh, two prominent patriots who continue to make the Guyanese people proud as a result of their hard work.
Just to remind Granger that Mr Jagdeo continues to be nationally and internationally recognized, having formulated and launched Guyana’s Low-Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), which immensely boosted Guyana’s international profile as a developing country in the forefront in the fight against global climate change.
And as a result of Guyana’s LCDS in partnership with Norway, millions of US dollars are currently provided toward the implementations of LCDS projects for Guyana’s social and economic development.
Mr Jagdeo was appointed the Champion of the Earth by the United Nations and continues to
Dear Editor, Kindly allow me to respond to Brynmor Pollard’s letter. Would the Opposition “killing” of Bills in Parliament make it halal, which guides Mr Pollard’s “impartial” observations that the PPP/C Government’s proroguing of Parliament is an otherwise “sacrifice”, probably even harami by their actions?
Mr Pollard cannot be insincere about the alleged quashing of Bills before Parliament by the President’s proroguing of Parliament as advocated in his letter. He wrote:
“In these circumstanc -
es, I can only surmise that President Donald Ramotar was not properly advised when considering whether to issue the Proclamation (to prorogue Parliament). Surely, the Attorney General ought to have known of the consequences for these Bills, upon a prorogation.”
The learned Senior Counsel should also consider that the joint Opposition had pledged to move the No-Confidence Motion, constitutionally triggering national elections within three months.
Should Parliament be
reconvened, they have also pledged to again move the No-Confidence Motion. That is their right as, is the President’s.
In effect Mr Pollard seems to prefer the Bills’ killers to come from the Opposition, but in Parliament. Tradition?
Apparently the PPP/C Government as the usual target may have dodged the bullet and this is considered to be wrong.
Forever wrong for 1000 years? My respect for Mr Pollard is diminished somewhat, but not shattered in the least.
He can assure Guyanese that he has no
preference for one killer compared to another.
The Opposition’s “killing” does not make it ha -
receive international appointments based on his dynamic leadership on climate change. He has received four honorary doctorates from international universities. Is this the reason why the former President is not liked by Granger and his Opposition cabal?
The Minister of Finance continues to competently and successfully manage Guyana’s economy ensuring the continued good health of our national Treasury. Dr Singh was also constitutionally and judicially in order when he restored funds cut from the 2014 National Budget by the combined parliamentary Opposition from the Considated Fund.
And now the PNC/ APNU and AFC badly want to be the watchdogs of Guyana’s Treasury which had nothing left inside when the PPP/C took over from the illegal PNC regime in 1992.
Can Granger say in this regard who are the criminals?
Yours sincerely, Peter Persaud
both cannot be right
lal whatsoever, which compares any such “impartiality” to paint the Government’s sacrifice as
otherwise, even harami.
Sincerely, Sultan Mohamed
his semester we’ve been covering the nervous system. I’ve always been fascinated by the brain and all of its neuronal connections, so I was definitely looking forward to this section (and terrified because it’s an enormous amount of material to cover in a relatively short time).
Well, it did turn out to be an enormous amount of work, but thankfully, it turned out to be really interesting as well. I’m even more intrigued by the brain now than I was before.
For our anatomy lab sessions, they usually provide us with several brains to examine. And as I looked at all of these brains just resting on trays, being lifted up, flipped upside down, poked and prodded by curious med students, I started to think about how we were being kind of cavalier with the organ that once held someone’s memories
“Everything we do, every thought we've ever had, is produced by the human brain. But exactly how it operates remains one of the biggest unsolved mysteries, and it seems the more we probe its secrets, the more surprises we find.” - Neil deGrasse Tyson
and thought and emotionstheir whole life story, really.
Just looking at the brain, sitting on a tray, drenched in formaldehyde, it doesn’t look especially impressive. You see its general shape, all of its fissures and gyri, pick it up and it’s not even that heavy.
But then when you learn about the parts of the brain and about what each part does, it blows you away. You learn that this strip of brain in front of this central fissure - that deals with motor activity - and this part behind the fissure - that deals with sensory information. Each part of our brain is specialized to do a specific task.
All of it got me thinking about what makes us who we are. I started thinking about how our brain stores all of our memories and experiences, processes all of our emotions and controls how we act and behave - all of those things that make us who we are.
And I realized that I found a new way to procrastinate - by having an existentialist crisis. And I also realized that my brain is thinking about itself. And I started to worry whether our brains are
actually separate sentient beings that are tricking us into thinking that they’re a part of us.
I mean, all of our scientific discoveries have been by people using their BRAINS to think. And these brains could make us think whatever they want to think - they control EVERYTHING. I don’t think I’m making sense anymore.
I mean, my brain is the one coming up with these thoughts - it wouldn’t just give away its masterplan to me. But who is “me”? If I’m my brain, that mean my brain is talking to itself about itself? I think I’m having another existentialist crisis right now. I’m just going to stop this right now. Moving on, it really is very exciting learning about the nervous system. It’s pretty cool knowing what nerve controls my eyelids. And if I ever get stabbed in the back (literally) at least I’ll know what parts of my body will be affected depending on what level of my spinal cord gets injured.
I’d just like to point out that this does not mean that I ever want to get stabbed in the back- either figuratively of literally.
The Ebola outbreak is now “stable” in Guinea, where the latest crisis began, the World Health Organisation says.
There were still some flare-ups in the south-east, but things were improving in other prefectures, WHO Coordinator, Dr Guenael Rodier told the BBC.
More than 5400 people have died in the latest out-
break, with Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia the worst hit.
The outbreak can be ended by mid-2015 if the world speeds up its response, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has said.
But he warned that although the rate of new cases was slowing in parts of West Africa, the situation Mali –
However, Dr Rodier said that the situation in Guinea was now “relatively stable”.
“When you look in more detail, you see that it’s still quite active in the Guinea forest area [in] the south of the country,” Dr Rodier said.
However, he added that the situation was “actually improving in a number of prefectures, especially Conakry”, where there was a fairly good understanding of how the disease was spreading.
The WHO has faced criticism that it was too slow to respond during the start of the crisis.
However, Dr Rodier said it was the first time there had been such a serious outbreak in West Africa, adding: “Lessons have been learned.”
Guinea has not been as badly hit by Ebola as neighbouring Sierra Leone and Liberia.
Eight months since the outbreak was first declared, some still do not believe Ebola is a real disease, and health teams trying to trace
where six people have died and a seventh case has been reported – was now of deep concern.
And the head of the UN Ebola mission, Anthony Banbury, said the world was “far away” from beating the virus.
There have been more than 15,300 reported cases of Ebola since the outbreak began earlier this year, the WHO says.
More than 1200 people have died of Ebola in Guinea alone.
new potential cases are still being refused entry to some villages, says the BBC’s Tulip Mazumdar in the capital Conakry.
Ebola is spread only through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person showing symptoms, such as fever or vomiting.
People caring for the sick or handling the bodies of people infected Ebola are therefore especially vulnerable. (Excerpt from BBC News)
The record rainfall which occurred on Thursday resulted in large swathes of Georgetown, lower East Bank Demerara, West Bank Demerara, Essequibo Coast and villages in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) being flooded.
President Ramotar on Friday visited several communities and drainage infrastructure to personally assess not only the effects of the accumulated water, but also to check the stepped up
efforts to drain flooded areas. Areas visited included Paradise and Cane Grove.
The President noted that a lot of people have suffered due to the heavy rainfall, but said he was assured that Public Works officials and others responsible for drainage and irrigation are doing everything possible to alleviate the problems encountered.
“We will continue to follow it to see that we bring some ease to the situation as fast as possible.”
The Agriculture Ministry had said that rainfall today is likely to be worse.
Rainfall records for Friday measured 260.0mm at Railway line, Mahaicony, Region Five (MahaicaBerbice).
Despite a large amount of water receding after the record-breaking rainfall, the team of officials which comprised, Public Works Minister Robeson Benn, Head of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), Lionel
Wordsworth, and other officials and Engineers were busy ensuring that all pumps and drainage outfalls were working optimally to provide relief.
Based on an assessment done by Engineers following the heavy rainfall on November 20, the highest recorded in Georgetown was 186 millimeters, (7.25 inches) in a 24-hour period.
On Thursday, Minister Benn reminded that the drainage systems located on the coast are designed to
take off 1.5 inches of rainfall in any 24-hour period; hence, the reason for the significant flooding.
“We have five or six per cent more than the normal rainfall that can be handled through the drainage infrastructure on the coast… we are not the only affected country, you might know that there is this low pressure system also hanging over Trinidad which resulted in significant flooding in that country,” Minister Benn said.
Teams of Engineers and officials on Friday visited all kokers and sluices in Regions Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam, Three (Essequibo IslandWest Demerara) and Four (Demerara-Mahaica) to ensure they are functional. It was found that while most of the pumps and sluices are working, there is the issue of siltation in some areas.
Workers have begun cleaning garbage across City areas to ensure smooth drain off of water.
The Commonwealth Secretariat will partake in a seminar here to present new Civil Procedure Rules (CPR), which will help govern the conduct of all civil litigation in the country.
The forum will be held from November 26-28.
The new rules will simplify the litigation process and are a major step towards reducing the number of cases which go to court, as well as curbing long delays in the hearing of civil litigation cases.
A release said the seminar will target lawyers,
judges and court registry staff and be led by Justice Robin Mohammed of the High Court of Trinidad and Tobago, who drafted the new CPR, Practice Directions and Protocols.
Katalaina Sapolu, Director of Rule of Law at the Secretariat said: “The rule of law is at the heart of the new rules. The overriding objective of the rules is to enable the court to deal with cases justly. They will help fulfil the expectation of the Guyanese people that when they go to court, not only should they receive justice, but that they do so
expeditiously and in a cost effective manner.
“This is essential for economic development and will reassure investors and those undertaking business with Guyana.”
The Commonwealth Secretariat, through the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation (CFTC), has provided specific technical assistance since 2012 to develop the new rules. These replace the current rules, which date back to 1955.
Mark Guthrie, Legal Adviser at the Secretariat said: “The importance of
the new CPR cannot be understated. It constitutes a reform which was undertaken in 2000 in England and Wales and subsequently in other parts of the Commonwealth. In the Caribbean, Barbados,
Jamaica, the Eastern Caribbean jurisdictions and Trinidad and Tobago have introduced similar rules.”
The new CPR will promote the rule of law by providing for civil justice, which has a clear procedure and is expeditious. The rules also underline the connection between the rule of law and economic development and will establish a procedure which enables the court to deal with cases justly.
Businesses employ persons after checking their qualifications and their possible competence for the job but in reference to ex-convicts, the rules may not always be the same, even when they have been rehabilitated.
Private Sector Commission Chairman Ramesh Persaud said “rehabilitated convicts should be given consideration” for employment.
He noted that prison is in itself a rehabilitative process; however, once emphasis is truly put into the rehabilitation of prisoners, then businesses can meet such convicts halfway.
Persaud said convicts need a complete overhaul in their behaviours before employment to ensure safety at all levels.
Nevertheless, the seriousness of the act the exconvict was incarcerated for needs to be given thought too, Persaud said.
This, he indicated is necessary for the individual to be trusted. Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) Vice Chairman Dharamkumar Seeraj told Guyana Times that he believes everyone deserves a chance towards gainful employment. He said that being employed plays a role in
reintegrating convicted felons into society, noting that lack of employment can result in a setback in their reintegration process.
However, he believes that special effort should be given to reforming prisoners before they are released.
Such “targeted intervention” he said can be a great turning point for felons once they are released, not that these persons can become meaningful contributors to society.
Nature of crime committed
The GRDB Vice Chairman said he does not “pay much attention” to an employee’s past, but how competent he/ she may be for the job. He was unsure whether that the GRDB has ever employed anyone who may have been incarcerated.
Guyana Power and Light (GPL) Chief Executive Officer Bharrat Dindyal said he believes emphasis should be placed on the nature of the crime that the individual has committed.
He used an analogy of someone convicted of corruption applying for a post at a bank.
Dindyal said that the employer would and should be quite concerned about the individual’s past as that individual could be a serious threat to the company.
He said no business will truly assume that prison or a reform programme has completely changed the behaviour of an ex-convict, thus, there will always be uncertainties.
The Guyana Prison Service should of course train the individuals and such training should take into account the level of difficulty that ex-convicts will face when trying to get jobs as employers would be skeptical of hiring them.
However, Dindyal reiterated that if the crime has no connection whatsoever with the job that the ex-convict is applying for, then the person should be considered.
He explained that for GPL, Police clearance and other background information are necessary as it
helps the company to know the kind of employees it is hiring.
Captain Gerry Gouveia, Chairman of the Sentence Management Board that facilitates the reintegration of convicted felons into society, told Guyana Times that the rehabilitation programme at the Guyana Prison Service has been “making a tremendous difference” in the lives of ex-convicts and society as a whole.
He said that there is no reason that felons who have passed through the rehabilitated programme at the prison should not be given a job as they can definitely be trusted. He said not all prisoners have a success story but the Prison Service gives references to those who they believe are quite ready and capable of being successfully reintegrated into society.
Captain Gouveia said that he has personally hired a number of ex-convicts and find them “hardworking and intelligent”. He said that there are down moments with these individuals that make it difficult for them at times to maintain a good behaviour, but a commitment to the rehabilitation process and wanting to be part of mainstream society is extremely important.
Eight successful candidates from a batch of 36 students were sworn in as Land Surveyors at the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission’s (GLSC) Conference Room on Thursday.
Natural Resources and Environment Minister Robert Persaud delivering the keynote address at the graduation encouraged the new Land Surveyors to stay in Guyana and assist in the development of the nation.
“Nearly every aspect of national development… requires some levels of survey… what you’re being given
BDivision (Berbice) Commander, Assistant Commissioner Brian Joseph said strong focus will be placed in the next few months on “weeding out” ganja cultivations along the Berbice River.
Joseph said these exercises will be done in collaboration with the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and “will continue during the Christmas period”.
Speaking about the Division’s security plans for the festive season, he said that next month joint Police/ Army patrol will conducted in the Berbice River.
In the past, ranks from the Division have led operations to both communities and have destroyed several fields of the illegal plant.
are essential tools for nation building,” Minister Persaud told the new Surveyors.
The Surveyors were urged to give of their best since failure to embrace established standards in the profession can result in revocation of their licenses.
GLSC Surveys Division Manager Rene Duesbury wished the small graduating class well and gave an overview of the examinations.
He noted that while there was an increase in the number of persons who wrote the examinations, there was a decrease in overall performance.
He said a poor performance in Mathematics was again recorded.
Minister Persaud also noted that there is a considerably interest in the field even though most of the persons who sat the examinations were unsuccessful.
“Many of you here are young and you’re coming in at a time in which there are tremendous opportunities and I want you to make full use of those opportunities…”
Also delivering advice and congratulations to the students was Land Surveyor’s Association President Randolph Choo-Shee-Nam.
Baracara, a village along the Berbice River has been a community where marijuana is suspected to be cultivated on a commercial scale.
A large portion of the drugs cultivated is reportedly for the Surinamese market.
Police have not been able to arrest anyone connected with the trade in recent times. Sources close to the Police have indicated that those involved in the illegal cultivation have placed lookouts for law enforcement officials at various points
graduates, five in 2012 and three in 2011.
along the Berbice River and Canje Creek.
On most occasions, Police only find the fields cultivated and would destroy them.
On Thursday, Police in Berbice destroyed five fields of marijuana cultivation during an operation in the Canje Creek.
According to the Police, the five fields were about nine acres in size, with some 10,000 plants, ranging in height from one foot to eight feet.
The plants were destroyed along with four wooden camps.
Meanwhile, at Tacoba, an unoccupied house was searched during which an improvised shotgun and the barrel of a shotgun were found. No one was arrested.
...on the Army
Your humble Eyewitness had the issue of the role of the army in the politics of Guyana before. First of all, we have to go back to the formation of that army by Burnham back in 1965. You have to hand it to that disciple of Machiavelli...he knew what power was all about, how to get it (by any means necessary) and how to keep it (by hook - the CIA, or crook - rigging).
Just the year before, in the midst of the country-wide ethnic riots, the British Governor had formed a unit - the Special Services Unit (SSU) - to be the core of the new army after Independence. It was ethnically balanced between Indian and African recruits and headed by Sandhursttrained Major Sattaur. The Governor had refused Jagan's request to form just such an army in 1962.
Directly after being handed power - following the ouster of the PPP in 1964 - Burnham disbanded the SSU, brought in scads of soldiers from the Volunteer Force, sent fellas like Granger to England to become Officers. And then formed the GDF - in his image, so to speak.
Army officers, like Granger - had to swear personal loyalty to him and he once told them while he expected their unswerving loyalty, when it came to any succeeding Government, that was up to him.
And though the Army must be commended after the PNC was voted out in 1992, there have been no lack of provocateurs goading them to come out against this PPP/C Government. Hoyte talked about "kith and kin" - and all that means in the context of Guyana. Then before the last elections, Tacuma Ogunseye of ACDA and WPA (a member of the APNU) called on the Army not to come out against the uprising he called for if the APNU were to loose.
Good sense prevailed and even though goaded beyond reason when APNU marched with their former Head of the Army Collins and the Head of the Police Felix, the Disciplined Forces maintained their discipline and kept the peace. They obeyed the law of the land which had been crafted by all the representatives of Guyana - Government and Opposition.
The Disciplined Forces did so because the law was being broken - and even though the Opposition insisted that the electoral process was flawed, they had been through this too many times to fall for that trick.
Former Brigadier David Granger had to swallow hard and accept that even though he had some youthful PNC publicist simperingly refer to his as "Mr President," that was as close as he would get to the office he craves.
...of the army (Part II)
In the lead-up to Opposition gloating about "throwing the Government out on their ear" with the No-Confidence Vote, there started once again murmurs of the role of the Army. The Army was supposed to "protect" the Constitution by taking over the country if the Government didn't accept their ouster. The No-Confidence Vote - even if not explicitly spelt out, was "Constitutionally sanctioned", the Opposition declared.
This call on the Army intensified when the President prorogued Parliament. And now we have in out in the open in a letter that was published in the Kaieteur News. One Keith Branch, has followed the Opposition's incendiary rhetoric to its inescapable conclusion.
The Prorogation Proclamation, even though it is specifically spelled out in the Constitution as a power of the President, is suddenly "illegal".
And if the Opposition starts breaking the law, the Disciplined Forces, a la the "Ogunseye Doctrine", must look away. Some parts of the Constitution are less equal, obviously.
...on LEAD
After the back and forting between the US Embassy and the Government on the LEAD programme, the latter was accepted but there was a lull. Suddenly, the President has prorogued Parliament, the Opposition are up in arms and LEAD appears in Parika!!
Coincidence?? Serendipity??
$9.2B in contracts awarded
The Public Works Ministry on Saturday inked a US $46,789,000 contract with several contractors for varying aspects of a major road improvement project, paving the way for a colossal transformation of the West Coast Highway.
Stretching from Vreeden-Hoop to as far west as Hydronie (approximately 30.7km), the road network’s upgrade will cater for pavement rehabilitation, road widening, separation lanes for cyclists and pedestrians, installation of traffic signs, traffic lights and road markings, replacement of the Groenveldt Bridge, relocation of utilities and general repairs.
The money, which was approved in the 2014 Budget, is provided primarily through the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and the Government of Guyana.
The project not only deals with physical road works; in fact, the versatility of the contracts awarded allows for money to be spent on educating the general public on road safety awareness. The project consists of six components.
School Road Safety Awareness
This will be carried out by TRL Limited at a cost of £252,107. This component focuses primarily on road safety education in schools and will be implemented over a two-year period. It aims to raise awareness of road safety education, establish it in the school curriculum, and build teachers’ capacity in the subject among others.
Community, Driver Road Safety Education Programme
This is another key component, targeting minibus drivers in particular, and
the general public and seeks to deliver a driver’s education course and provide road safety education in the communities served by this road network.
This component will be carried out by GeoTech Vision Guyana Inc, at a cost of US$86,500 over two years, and aims to, among other things, revise the Guyana National Road Safety Council’s course to ensure consistency with best practices, and review the content of the Guyana Police Force’s new drivers’ education course and make recommendations for improvement.
Monitoring and Evaluation
Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) focuses on developing a comprehensive results-based M&E system for this project. This will facilitate the project’s system becoming transferrable to projects of similar nature to be undertaken. M&E Group is tasked with communicating informative and summative evaluations of this project to the Public Works Ministry under this component. The contract is valued US$75,875.
Road works supervision
In order to ensure work is being executed, Road Works Supervision is catered for. SRKN Engineering, in association with BBFL Caribbean Limited is tasked with managing the day to day operation of this component on behalf of the Public Works Ministry, and to ensure the tasks are executed in accordance with the contract specifications.
Road works
A 36-month long road works component will be carried out through a col-
laborative effort between Surrey Paving & Aggregate Company Limited, and BK International Inc. Surrey Paving & Aggregate Company Limited is a Jamaican company, and was only awarded the contract after immense scrutiny by the Public Works Ministry and the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB). The company also boasts an ISO 9000 certification for quality. Both parties expressed delight with the association.
Public Relations
There is as well a Public Relations aspect of this massive project; however, the contract for this has not yet been awarded.
Following the signing of the contracts at the Public Works Ministry, Kingston, Leslie Chang, Managing Director of Surrey Paving
By Jomo Paul
Professor and veteran nurse, Dr Mina Singh said Guyana’s public nursing schools lack a wide variety of resources to effectively carry out their remit and a higher level of service.
Dr Singh, who is attached to York University, Canada, is currently in Guyana as a part of Tutor Development Programme for public nursing schools.
She has been working with tutors from the Georgetown School, Linden School and the New Amsterdam schools of nursing over the past several months in an effort to boost the capacity of these individuals.
But during a recent interview with Guyana Times, Dr Singh pointed out several limitations that can be fixed through minimal Government intervention.
She explained that with respect to the laboratory facilities, there is need for an
updated lab, given that some of the equipment is outdated and limited. The doctor also noted that there is a need for textbooks for the tutors since the present ones are also outdated.
Dr Singh said there was also a severe lack of tutors.
She pointed out that in one of her trips to the Georgetown Nursing School; there was a class of some 39 students with one instructor.
This, she explained is a fatal flaw given that some of
the students will not be given due attention during the edification period, adding that it also represents a “safety hazard”.
During her stay in Guyana, Dr Singh will be completing a standardised edition of the curriculum which will aid the tutors in their training sessions.
She said at present; each tutor has his or her own lesson, noting that this has proven to be ill-effective.
noted that, “We are very pleased to have formed this joint venture with BK International and it’s an association we’re very optimistic about, and we hope to continue beyond this particular contract.”
Brian Tiwarie, Chief Executive Officer of BK International, echoed Chang’s, commitment to making this joint venture work. “We want to guarantee you that this joint venture will go through.”
Surrey Paving & Aggregate Company Limited brings to the table for Guyana international impetus and outlook, Projects Director, Michael Archer took time to point out.
“Guyana has an economy that, like Jamaica, is striving to extend and improve the development. We see a lot of opportunities
here, we bring a significant amount of experience and we are a Caribbean people, a Caribbean company, we have a regional outlook.”
Surrey Paving & Aggregate Company Limited has done similar projects in Trinidad, Antigua, St Kitts and St Vincent, and in all instances forged alliances with local contractors.
Road infrastructure improvement
Meanwhile, Public Works Minister Robeson Benn pointed out that this project is a major step forward with regards to the development of public infrastructure in Guyana. He noted that the constant improvement of the road infrastructure has been a primary focus of this Government.
“The Government of
Guyana, during the time of the PPP/C has been constantly working to improve our public road network and infrastructure.”
He urged that continued focus be kept on the prime objectives in terms of national development. Minister Benn also expressed his enthusiasm for the alliance between the two contracting companies.
“I think the partnership, the facilitation, the synergising of expertise is important for our region and important for Guyana.”
The development of all road infrastructures will assist in Guyana’s products and services becoming export-driven, he noted.
“We want to have an efficient system which delivers Guyana’s products, Guyana’s exports, Guyana’s economic activities, and these activities can only become more efficient if the transport infrastructure is constantly and continuously improved.”
The objective of this project is to increase efficiency and safety of road transportation along the West Coast Demerara. The Government of Guyana has been constantly working to improve the country’s public road network infrastructure, with the aim to bring it to a level to efficiently facilitate the development of the country.
It is in this line that roads were done in West Coast Berbice, East Berbice stretching to Moleson Creek, and current upgrade projects such as the East Bank Demerara FourLane Highway Expansion, and road fills in preparation for the upgrade of East Coast Demerara road.
The Government Analyst – Food and Drug Department (GA-FDD) is warning consumers against the purchase of counterfeit Bio-Oil on the local market available at considerably reduced prices from that of the original.
The GA-FDD in a release said the fake Bio-Oil was discovered after a complaint was filed by the authorised distributor of the authentic product – Massy Distribution.
Bio-Oil is a skincare oil that helps improve the appearance of scars, stretch marks and uneven skin tones. It is also effective for aging and dehydrated skin.
According to the Government agency, as part of investigations, raids were conducted in several downtown-Georgetown establishments where a large amount of the fake product was found.
“The department carried out inspections and enforcement exercises by visiting a number of retail
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premises in Georgetown. Approximately four cases x24 x60Ml/ two fl oz; four cases x 24 x 125ml/ four
al retail entities,” a release from the GA-FDD said.
It was noted that efforts are being made to locate
fl oz; and one case x24 x 200ml/ six fl oz of Bio-Oil were seized and removed from the premises of sever-
the source or sources of the counterfeit skincare product on the local market.
The release also pointed
to some discrepancies in the product that consumers can look for when purchasing Bio-Oil to ensure that what they are purchasing is in fact the authentic drug, and they are not being duped.
The original Bio-Oil is a thick liquid and has an orange colour.
The label of the product reads “Distributed by Nova Marketing Services Inc”.
However, with respect to the counterfeit Bio-Oil, “aging” is spelt “ageing” and it is also a thin liquid which can be noticed when the container is shaken.
It was also noted that the counterfeit product has a peach colour, among a few other minor discrepancies.
“The department will continue to work with the general public and stakeholders to ensure that our consumers are not exposed to this public health risk and are calling on consumers to be very cautious when purchasing items that are offered at a significantly reduced price,” the release concluded.
It is an offence not to provide a litter bin in public transportation according to the Litter Regulations. This carries a fine of $15,000. It is also an offence for anyone to transport any substance or material in a manner that makes it likely to blow or fall off the motor vehicle.
In light of recent rainfalls and flooding around the City, the sore issue of garbage pile-up once again came to the fore.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) earlier this week wrote to Cevons Waste Management, which has responsibility for garbage collection in the City, to address the issue.
The EPA warned the waste management company of possible fines or imprisonment due to contamination of the environment.
The agency said through its Litter Enforcement Unit, it has been monitoring the state of residential and public places along greater Georgetown, East Bank, East Coast and West Bank of Demerara.
Poor collection
The agency said it found that garbage is present on many locations which Cevons Waste Management is contracted to clean by the Mayor and City Council, respective Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) or Regional Democratic Councils (RDCs). It further said that garbage in the said areas are often not properly collected and adequately cleaned by the waste management company.
But Cevons Waste Management General Manager Morse Archer said “we do not have contracts with any NDCs”.
He further called on the EPA to be specific in identifying areas which the agency feels are not being properly cleaned.
Satiricus was glum. "That's right, chum," he thought. "I know a Second Coming coming. But how come they never told we about a Second Great Flood at Sunday School??" He coulda start building an Ark.
He'd seen the movie Noah earlier in the year. When the real flood coming you could just throw seeds on the ground and forests would spring up to give you wood there and then. To build the Ark.
Satiricus had lived through the Guyana great flood of 2005 and had come out an even more educated man that he'd been. Not that he'd been any brain-box before, but he'd learnt about "lepto". He'd never known about lepto before - even though he was told it wasn't a new disease like Ebola or any of that.
As he wondered as to why he didn't have any of those special seeds - or even the ones of Jack of his famous beanstalk - he realised that the water flooding the City wasn't spouting from holes in the ground, like in the movie with Russell Crowe. Drats!! It wasn't The Great Flood II. He worried if Lepto was around the corner.
Then he became angry at what had happened in the great City in which he lived. No! Satiricus wasn't going to blame Mayor HamTon Greed, like what a lot of people would do. How could you blame a guy who was old like Methuselah and was probably around when Noah built HIS Ark!
And plus THEY had foisted a woman to watch over the City. That was an affront (and aback) to a fella from a time when women was so much "meat" that could be disposed of like ashes.
Nah!! Satiricus knew that all of this flooding was because of Wit-Take-Her. Satiricus knew it was too good to be true when THEY gave Wit-Take-Her $500 million to "clean up" the City. Now Satiricus knew how devious THEY could be. THEY knew all along these monsoon rains were coming. Weren't THEY the ones always carrying on about climate change?? Weren't THEY the ones getting all that Data from THEIR new Meteorological Tower?? Did THEY think Satiricus was soooo dumb he wouldn't figure it out? "Ha!" snorted Satiricus in derision. What Wit-Take-Her WAS doing all the time, was to clean the drains during the day and using the muck to block the culverts at night!
Having solved the mystery. Satiricus would tell HamTon Greed how to get rid of the floods. And he didn't need an ARK. Satiricus was glum no more.
“Yes! We have contract for collection of household waste and if proper investigation was done, they would have identified a specific area. Tell us clearly, we are not the only company contracted to collect garbage.”
The EPA further said that waste dumps which Cevons is contracted to clean are often filled for extended periods of times, this the agency said is an indication of irregular garbage collection.
The agency also highlighted the remains of gar-
bage on road ways following garbage collection by Cevons. It warned the waste management company that it can be fined up to $500,000 if the poor work continues.
The EPA requested that the company cleans garbage dumps, public and residential areas and receptacles that it is contracted to clean.
“Receptacles must not be unclear for any period of time without giving notice to residents…,” EPA told Cevons.
The file on investigations into an allegation of threatening language against Kaieteur News Publisher Glenn Lall is still with the Guyana Police Force.
The file was sent back to the Police last week after the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) would have requested additional clarification on aspects of the report before acting on it and advising the Police whether to institute charges against Lall.
This is the third in a series of clarifications requested by the DPP over the past weeks as the office moves closer to giving its recommendations in the case.
On Thursday, A Division (Georgetown) Commander Clifton Hicken told Guyana Times that the matter has once again been clarified and sent to the Office of the
Crime Chief, Leslie James.
Subsequent attempts to inquire about the file from the Office of the Crime Chief proved futile.
Guyana Times understands that the file was sent to the Police on last Friday after spending close to two weeks at the Office of the DPP.
The file was initially sent to the Chambers of the DPP on October 14 and returned to Crime Chief Leslie James on October 15. The DPP returned the file to the Police requesting clarifications on various aspects of the allegations.
The Police then included the information requested by the DPP and returned the file on October 22.
Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) Commissioner General Khurshid Sattaur has accused Lall of issuing grave threats to him on the phone
Twenty-four-yearold Latoya Wilson of Citrus Grove, Port Kaituma, North West District, was granted $200,000 bail after being arraigned on an embezzlement offence on Friday afternoon at the Georgetown Magistrates’ District before Magistrate Ann McLennan.
It is alleged that between June 13 and November 17 at Port Kaituma, being a servant or clerk at Beacon Office, Wilson embezzled $1,082,000 in the name of Denton Clark, her employer.
She was not required to plead as the charge was deemed indictable.
Her attorney, Latchmi Rahaman made an application for bail for her client. Rahaman stated that her
client was a single mother with a seven-year-old child. She noted that the Beacon Office has more than one office clerk who normally controls the monies. Rahaman said her client denied embezzling the money and is on firm ground to attend her trial and clear her name, pointing out that her client was not a flight risk.
The Police Prosecutor had no objections to bail, but requested that it be of a substantial amount as he was told that Wilson was the only person that had “control” or custody of the monies.
Bail was granted with the condition that the defendant reports to the Port Kaituma Police Station. The matter stands adjourned until February 2.
Teen fined $15,000 for threatening
Seventeen-year-old Rupert Hayman, of Lot 64 Friendship, East Bank Demerara, was fined $15,000 after pleading guilty to a threatening behaviour charge on Friday morning when he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before Magistrate Ann McLennan.
Hayman made use of threatening behaviour to Virtual Complainant (VC) Phillip Waldron on November 12 at Front Road, West Ruimveldt, Georgetown.
Police Prosecutor Dinero Jones told the court that the VC and the defendant were known to each other, but were not friends. He noted that on the day in ques-
following the publication of a story in which he (Lall) was implicated in a scam to rob Government of import duty on two luxury SUVs.
“Glenn Lall, I recognised his voice, called me from an overseas number and threatened to expose me. Threatened to deal with me in a matter, as if I’m a thief and he’s going to do this thing because I am using my office to deal with the matters I normally deal with.
“He threatened to use his newspaper to expose me; I don’t know what wrong
I am doing. If I am trying to do the Government’s work… I don’t know why people should be upset, if they are doing wrong things, they should be subject to the laws as well,” the GRA Head explained.
The GRA Commissioner General had expressed fear of Lall, contending that he had killed a man before, referring to the murder of Kenny France some 20 years ago. It was reportedly the most egregious example of vigilante murder in
McDoom. It would seem that this killing, which somehow led to no sanctions against Lall, set in train a pattern of excesses by Lall that continue to this day with the latest charge of tax fraud.
On January 20, 1994, in Mc Doom, according to the Stabroek News, “Glenn Mohan Lall, the vigilante”, now the publisher of the Kaieteur News shot and killed France, 30. He was never arrested nor were any charges ever brought against him.
On that fateful Thursday, Lall and three friends were driving on the East Bank Public Road when he (Lall) “spotted” one Oclive Marshall in a yard.
Lall felt that Marshall was one of the individuals who had attempted a burglary at his home. He stopped his car and demanded that Marshall accompany him to the Police station – the nearest one was at Ruimveldt, five minutes away.
Fearing that he would be beaten by Lall and the other men, Marshall’s aunt, Pamela France, demanded that she be allowed to accompany him to the station.
By this time, a number of villagers had gathered and the aunt demanded Police identification, as Lall had claimed to be a Rural Constable, but Lall could not provide such identification.
At this point, Lall whipped out his .38 weapon and that demanded Marshall enter the vehicle. Lall also spoke rudely to the aunt who remonstrated with him and her husband, Kenny France, protested that he could not speak to his wife like that.
It was then that Lall shot France in the “chest” and the man fell down dead. Lall and his friends then drove off and he later claimed that the shooting was “an accident”.
Lall’s account was however bitterly disputed by the widow and the dozens of villagers on the scene. Stabroek News reported that the Police took a statement from Lall, but this was never released to the media.
The Police never released their findings and are yet to announce whether they will reopen any probe into the matter, given Lall’s continued alleged criminal activities.
tion, the VC went to the shop with another individual named Joshua, who called Hyman an informer and punched him to the mouth. Hayman retaliated by firing chops with a cutlass. A report was made to the Police which led to Hayman being arrested. Further investigations were carried out and Hayman was charged for the offence.
Hayman, who lives with his grandmother, said in his defence, “he (Joshua) run up to me fus wid ah ice picker, so I ran him back with a cutlass”.
He had no antecedents, the court was told. He was then fined, with an alternative sentence of three weeks’ imprisonment.
SunDAY, november 23, 2014 | guYAnAtimeSgY.com
An auto electrician has become the latest road fatality on Friday evening after he lost control of the car he was driving and collided with a parked car at Zeelugt, West Coast Demerara.
An occupant in the car is now a patient at the Georgetown Public Hospital.
Dead is Kevin Sackichan, 21, of Lot 214 Area G, De Willem Village, West Coast Demerara while Yudesh Bissoon is nursing broken ribs and a displaced right shoulder.
Sackichan reportedly died while receiving medical attention at the Georgetown Public Hospital about 23:00h on Saturday evening.
According to information received, the two young men were returning from Vreeden-Hope when he lost control of the vehicle after hitting a hitch in a road at Zeelugt.
He then collided with a parked car and subsequently slammed into fence, tearing it down. He finally broke several branches from a mango
tree before coming to halt.
The car, Guyana Times understands belonged to the young man’s sister who was asleep at the time he left with it.
He was not the holder of a driver’s license. At the scene, relatives of the dead man were removing the wrecked vehicle from the scene.
Sheik Saman, the owner of the parked car told this publication that he was in
the upper flat of his house when he heard a loud sound and immediately thought that it had to be an accident.
As he looked out, he saw the white car bearing registration number, PSS 4919 and called out to his sons who were at home to render assistance.
Lying face down
He said as they went down, they saw one of the young men lying on his face, and when they went around the other side of the wreckage, they saw another. Bissoon was reportedly flung out of the car after the collision.
Nevertheless, he said that by that time persons stopped and assisted in taking them to the Leonora Cottage Hospital. They were subsequently transferred by ambulance to the Georgetown Public Hospital. Saman noted that when he woke up on Saturday morning, he found out that one of them died.
The man stated that from all indications, the two young
men were speeding and were under the influence of alcohol. He said that the turn where the accident occurred has a little hump and that might have been a contributor for the accident.
At the home of the dead man, his mother told Guyana Times that her now dead son returned home from work, but on that evening she was too tired to sit with him as he ate his food. The distraught woman stated that she did some work in the house and was extremely exhausted so she decided to take an early night.
She said that her husband and other son were at home, along with a nephew, but none of them saw when he left the house with the car.
It was later in the night when the phone rang, she was aware that her son was not at home. She explained that she was asleep when the telephone rang and upon answering, she was told that her son was in an accident and he was taken to the
Georgetown Public Hospital.
“At that time, I told them I was going to the hospital but they told me that he was coming around… a while later, my daughter called and advised me that I should go to the hospital because Kevin was in a serious state,” the woman cried.
As she arrived at the medical facility, she was told that her son was not responding and the doctors were not sure that he could make it. Within a few minutes of her
arrival, she received the devastating news. The mother said her son was responsible and was not sure what prompted him to leave with his sister’s car.
The young man was an employee at Amrol Mechanic Shop at De Willem at the time of his demise. He leaves to mourn his parents and three siblings.
His body is at the Georgetown Hospital Mortuary and is awaiting a post- mortem examination.
An afternoon lime among friends turned tragic on Friday evening for Devon Howell, 20, of Lot 87 Da Silva Street, Kitty, Georgetown after he was accidently shot in the neck by a rank of the Guyana Defense Force (GDF).
The shooting reportedly occurred at the soldier’s apartment at Dandrade Street, Kitty. The bullet, according to reports struck the man in the neck and exited.
He is currently in an unconscious state in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH).
While reports remain sketch about the shooting, Guyana Times was made to understand that at least one person is in Police custody assisting with investigations.
At the home of injured man, his mother Alison Howell told Guyana Times that she was at work when she received a call about 18:10h informing her that the young man was shot. Without hesitation, she rushed to the medical institution where she saw her son in an unresponsive state. His heart rate, she added had started to decrease. He was taken into theatre where he underwent a successful surgery.
Devon was taken back
into the recovery room, but up to the time she left on Saturday afternoon, he was still not responding. The woman was later informed that they had removed him and he was in the ICU. His grandmother, she noted was at the hospital monitoring his condition. Nevertheless, the mother said that she was not properly briefed on the shooting incident, but recalled her son leaving home to lime with a few of his regular friends. She later leant that the GDF rank was cleaning his weapon when it accidentally went off.
“It was not like they had an argument and then the gun went off… it had to be that someone was either playing with the gun or something… I don’t buy in that the soldier was cleaning the weapon,” she stated. Her son, she added has a promising life ahead and she is hoping for the best. The woman noted that the Police have since visited the apartment, but no one was there. Meanwhile, hospital officials confirmed that the young man is slipping in and out of consciousness. He has lost quite a lot of blood and doctors are monitoring his condition, the official stated. Police are continuing their investigations.
On November 20, I had to go to Georgetown to take someone to the American Embassy and see some good people at Guyana Times. In Berbice it was raining, but there was no evidence of floods. In Georgetown, the streets were as rivers.
There was no place to have a simple breakfast, since all places were shut. Food for people like me is not really too important, although I was quite fond of eating good food in the restaurants of Paris. In Georgetown, we could not find a place with simple bake and salted fish.
I was a bit more con-
cerned about finding a book that seems not to be found in this country. The book is entitled, “Palace of the Peacock”, by Guyana’s finest writer, Sir Wilson Harris. Through the deluge, we drove to Austin’s Bookstore. The folks there were bailing water with buckets from the flooded store.
Large moraines of plastic bottle and bags and other garbage huddled to the will of the tides. Folk folded pants and trousers, thighhigh, and waded through to work and back from no work.
A radio announcer, strangely joyful, told us to be happy, even while he complained about his shirt being wet upon the shoulders. He told us about the closure of schools, but warned the kids that this was not a day off, that they should do their “reading” and “homework”. One supposes that this was the kind of upbeat expectation of radio announcers, but there was this thinness to it which made it
all suspect. Rather like the emptiness of, “Don’t worry! Be Happy!”
The amount of rainfall, we are told, was quite extraordinary in such a short time. There is no reason to disbelieve these statistics. The question is, however, why is there no preparedness for such floods when it happened before and when we know that the coastal regions of Guyana are below sea level?
It seems that the Private Sector commission is “confident [that] flood control mechanisms have been demised following deep flooding in the Capital, Georgetown and other regions following heavy rainfall last night and this morning”.
One would wish that the statement would have been much more simply put forward, but that may be too much to ask in this land of contorted, lashed up and hyperbolic language. Yet, if we dive beneath the murky
flood of words, we think them right!
No matter how efficient the drainage system, if that system is clogged by rubbish, it cannot function as it should. The Works Minister is a civil engineer, and that good man knows. Even laymen like us know. I noted with the half-seeing eyes of the layman that as the floods invaded the streets and businesses and homes, the Atlantic was at low tide. It would be logical to assume, thusly, that the runoff into the ocean would be rather easy (given pumps and such fabulous things which we did not invent). No such thing, dear citizens.
The intellectually curious would begin to wonder about geological substrata – silt, clay, sand, etc. The thinkers would begin to wonder about revetments and new kinds of structural adjustments in the way we build things, maybe. Maybe.
But thinking is not what we do in this nation. It takes
sunDAY, november 23, 2014 |
too much work. Reading and learning takes work. Facebook rubbish takes nothing except vulgar flatulence. Ah, but the self-admiration is deep, the sheer foolish vanity of it, and the dangerous arrogance of it all.
So here is a bit of work. Way back in the 1500s, this fellow wrote a piece on “Canalization.” He wrote: “Let sluices be constructed...so that in the summer when there is a shortage of water...the canal will not become dried up, and let this canal be 20 braccia wide at the bottom and and 30 at the surface....”
If we invert this, we can solve the floods in Georgetown. You can all read this if you want, if you are willing to do the dog work that has been done before. The chap that wrote this is Leonardo de Vinci. He worked through the mechanics, the mathematics, the geology, the geography, the time frames, and the economics.
He invented the first camera, first submarine, first “flying machine”, first anatomical chart (the found-
er of modern medicine), the first chart of the nervous system, mapped all arterial human and animal anatomical tributaries, exacted the currents of water, put together the ideas of weight and measurement, pre-empted Newton’s theory of gravity, pre-emptied Einstein’s law of relativity, and so on. And gosh! He painted the Mona Lisa and 11 other verifiable masterpieces. Of course, our fine researchers of Guyana would know all of this beyond the disgust of name-dropping. The University of Guyana (UG) is over-flooding too with scum.
We can tell you from experience that reading is difficult, and that discriminate and wide reading is wrenching. Real writing and real international research is much more difficult. We will stay, therefore, with low ordinariness and post on Facebook. Instead, we do the deathly thing of finger-pointing. An old thug will blame a new President. Back and forth, and we all wade, thigh deep, in diseased waters. We replace thinking with fingerpointing.
On Friday evening, a Boeing 767 operated by Fly Jamaica landed at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), Timehri, East Bank Demerara as the airline continues its expansion in the local aviation sector.
Fly Jamaica Director Roxanne Reece at a press briefing at her office at the Ogle International Airport on Saturday, explained that the wide bodied aircraft can comfortably transport 246 passengers when compared to the 757 which has a capacity for 198. Both aircraft has 12 first class seats.
“With this new craft, it means there is an additional 246 seats available to the travelling public and with three flights a week, it ultimately means we brining in close to 750 passengers,” Reece noted.
However, this is one of the expansion plans for the airlines, but on Saturday, Reece hinted that there are other options that are being looked that will come on stream in the near future.
On this note, the Director disclosed that soon, Fly Jamaica will be operating out of Montego Bay, Jamaica and Barbados.
But with the Christmas Season already approaching, Reece noted that one of the advantages of using the 767 aircraft is that there is more space, and as such, the airline will be offering passengers allowance for a third bag with a minimal fee.
She assured passengers that the airline will try its best to provide the best service during the Christmas Season. In addition, the air-
line will soon commence its cargo service out of Guyana, Toronto, New York and Jamaica. This service, she noted will be handled locally by Amerijet. This new service will be able to sustain the airline other than ticketing sales.
With all the new services coming into being, she noted that Fly Jamaica is an airline that has been creating jobs not only for Guyanese but Jamaicans and even Americans and Canadians. More in particular, she noted that presently the airline has a staff complement of over 40 in Guyana
Fly Jamaica, Reece reiterated is the only privately-owned airline in the Caribbean, noting that both LIAT and Caribbean Airlines are owned by Governments. These two airlines, she added has been receiving subsidies for fuel,
but Fly Jamaica is not privileged to such, based on the fact that Jamaica has obligations to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
She, however, vented her concerns that the foreign companies are eligible for subsidies and still they do not create job opportunities in the various markets they ply. This is quite unlike Fly Jamaica.
Nevertheless, she said that the company will continue to make one stop in Kingston for a TSA test which is compulsory before heading to the John F Kennedy International Airport. In this case, passengers will have to disembark to facilitate the screening.
On the other hand, when travelling out of JFK, she noted that a stop is made in Kingston but passengers will not have to disembark.
With respect to the various markets, the official said thus far, it has proven that the Jamaica-New York market is stronger when compared to the TorontoJamaica market. This, she noted is a direct result of an
ineffective marketing strategy which she hopes will be corrected soon.
Meanwhile, Reece noted that security remains paramount at the company. As such, the airline has its own security team that
is being trained on a recurrence basis to detect endangered goods. With the new cargo service that is soon to be implemented, that airline will continue to keep its excellent track record, Reece said.
Public Works Minister Robeson Benn on Saturday disclosed that a “computerised fault” on the Berbice River Bridge had caused the massive backup in traffic on Friday evening.
The Minister told reporters that the fault occurred in one of the programmable logic controllers on the eastern unit, which allows the
bridge to close. That controller developed a defect; hence, the bridge could not have closed after opening for river traffic on Friday evening.
According to the Minister, Engineers are working to fix the problem and teams from the Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB) and the
Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) have been dispatched to assist.
Benn revealed that the DHB team arrived in Berbice around 20:30h on Friday and closed the other section of the bridge before removing the working controller from the western side, which took some time.
They then put it on the eastern side in order to close the bridge. However, the Minister explained that is only a temporary fix which was done around 22:00h, allowing for a free flow of the massive traffic that was built up on both sides of the Berbice River.
continued on page 16
“If it’s not standardised then Mary may teach it one way and Susan will teach it another way.”
All of these factors have contributed to the low pass rate at the public nursing schools over the years.
Health Minister, Dr Bheri Ramsaran had said that the failure of students at the New Amsterdam and Georgetown nursing schools at their final pro -
fessional nursing examinations can be traced to the change in the curriculum of the schools.
According to the Minister, the failure has nothing to do with students’ inability to cope with the work as is purported by some sections of the public.
In fact, the Minister posited that the students may not have been taught effectively, pointing out that the
tutors themselves are not too familiar with the new course of study, and may have been delivering the curriculum using old methods.
Dr Ramsaran said the Ministry is dissatisfied with the results, and is making every effort to prevent a recurrence. The new curriculum, he revealed, was recently crafted by a Pan American Health
Organisation (PAHO) Consultant.
It was against that backdrop that Singh was recruited to train some 20 nursing tutors. The main areas of focus in the programme include Philosophy of Teaching and Learning, Development of Teaching Guides and Measurement and Evaluation.
Dr Singh is a faculty member in the School of Nursing, York University and was the Coordinator of the Programme Evaluation Unit from 2011-2013, at the York Institute for Health Research.
She was nominated for the Dean’s Award of Excellence, Faculty of Health Research Award -Late career (2012). She received a National Nursing Education Scholar Award in November 2012 to promote research through inquiry, mentorship and dissemination. She also received the 2014 Accreditation Reviewer Excellence Award from the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing.
She has been a Programme Evaluator for over 14 years and has conducted several types of evaluations (input, process, outcome and impact) and has developed a methodological framework, which is being used internationally and nationally for evaluation. She has presented a multitude of workshops on programme evaluation: logic model, types of evaluations, mixed methods, photo voice, etc, and is well published. She teaches research methods to both undergraduate and graduate students.
Her Nursing expertise is in both mental health and public health and she is also a Psychotherapist.
Recently, President Donald Ramotar declared the prorogation of Parliament, expressing concern over the continued deadlock and grandstanding there, while also signaling his dissatisfaction that the people’s business was not been treated with the urgency it deserves.
He also successfully sent a bullet through the heart of the planned debate of a NoConfidence Motion, which would have caused the premature collapse of his Government. By choosing to exercise this constitutional right, President Ramotar not only outfoxed the boisterous Opposition parliamentary parties, but also demonstrated his willingness to make unpopular and tough decisions in the collective interest of his Government and the Guyanese people.
He made it clear that the prorogation period was intended to serve as time set aside to engage the two main Opposition parties in dialogue within the confines of an extraparliamentary arena, where a possible compromise could be reached and the collapse of Government avoided.
In response, the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change (AFC) have said that they are unwilling to have discussions with the President unless Parliament is recalled.
They have also accused the President of all sorts of unconstitutionalities and illegalities because of his decision, explaining further their disbelief that anything worthwhile will come out of those discussions.
The propagandists in these parties have also launched a People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) witch-hunt and elections campaign, where each day spurious allegations are being made against the Government.
Surprisingly, the AFC which once stood on a pedestal and looked down on the People’s National Congress (PNC)/ APNU grouping, saw it fit to announce that they were part of an interim anti-dictatorial rule campaign following the President’s decision.
That aside, the APNU coalition which was lambasting the Government for Local Government Elections, in no time, changed their plea. They now wanted an early General and Regional Elections.
The Opposition parties, it would appear, are now working on a united front to unseat the Government via the NoConfidence Motion. As a result of these developments, Guyana is tense with political instability.
Citizens are uneasy and they remain disappointed at the continued deterioration of cordial and meaningful relations between the Government and the Opposition parties. Irresponsible calls are being made by opportunistic politicians for the boycott of legitimate local businesses and sections of the free and independent media.
The Opposition parties now appear more hungry and anxious for Executive power than any other time in Guyana’s post-Independence history. As a result, covert and subtle attempts are being made to negotiate a coalition, while they continue to separately sink nails into development initiatives in the country, crippling any hope of a brighter future under the current PPP/C Administration.
They continue to strategise behind closed doors new scandals with their media aides and a weak shared governance arrangement to lock out the PPP/C.
The aim, in the end, is to become the next Government at all costs even if it means jeopardizing all the gains that have been made and orchestrating, as well as manufacturing, controversy.
Apparently, these Opposition parties have read the mood of the Guyanese people and are confident of victory at possible snap elections. But they are not good students of history and have not learnt enough lessons in mature politics to know that:
Guyanese experience mood swings in the lead up to and during elections; Their collective intelligence must never be underestimated; They are political beings and do not necessary vote according to issues but on the basis of race and a party; They are loyal and committed to their collective development and growth of their homeland and not political parties; They are unforgiving when they feel they are being put-upon or their lives unnecessarily disrupted; Pluralism reigns within the demographics of our country; and Youths do not live and act according to their past but rather on the basis of their present circumstances and their expected futures If the politicians are weak, Guyanese at any elections will bring an end to their puerile politics.
Al-Shabab fighters from Somalia hijacked a bus in Kenya’s north and killed 28 non-Muslims on board after they had been singled out from the rest of the passengers, Police officials said.
Two Police officers said that the bus travelling to the capital Nairobi with 60 passengers was hijacked 50 kilometres from the town of Mandera near Kenya’s border with Somalia.
The officers insisted on anonymity out of fear of reprisals because of an order from Kenya’s Police Chief that officers should not speak to the media.
Al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the dawn bus attack in a statement on Saturday, saying the attack was revenge for raids carried out by Kenyan security forces on mosques in the coastal city of Mombasa.
Kenyan Police said they found explosives and arrested more than 150 people in the mosque raids.
“The Mujahideen successfully carried out an operation near Mandera early this morning, which resulted in the perishing of 28 crusaders, as a revenge for the crimes committed by the Kenyan crusaders against our Muslim brethren in
Mombasa,” Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rage, a spokesman for the group, said in the statement.
The Interior Ministry confirmed Saturday’s attack, saying via its official Twitter handle: “Security agencies are in pursuit of the criminal gang. We’ll give a comprehensive update once preliminary reports are out.” (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)
Western sanctions against Russia over its role in Ukraine are aimed at forcing regime change in Moscow, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says.
Speaking to foreign policy advisers in Moscow, Lavrov referred to calls for sanctions “that will destroy the economy and cause public protests”.
On Thursday, President Vladimir Putin said Moscow must guard against a “colour revolution”. Russia denies arming Ukrainian rebels or sending Russian troops there.
Western sanctions were
first imposed when Russia annexed Ukraine’s region of Crimea in March following a controversial referendum.
Further measures have been added since, targeting senior Russian officials as well as defence firms, banks and the country’s oil industry.
On Thursday, referring to uprisings in former Soviet states including Ukraine and Georgia, Putin said the world could see “what tragic consequences the wave of the so-called colour revolutions has led to”.
Ukraine’s 2004 proWestern uprising be-
came known as the Orange Revolution, while Georgia’s Rose Revolution took place in 2003.
“We have to do all that is needed to ensure that similar things never happen in Russia,” Putin said.
Addressing the advisory Foreign and Defence Policy Council in Moscow on Saturday, his foreign minister said: “As for the concept behind to the use of coercive measures, the West is making clear it does not want to force Russia to change policy but wants to secure regime change.” (Excerpt from BBC News)
Nearly 800 people have been rescued from boats in distress in the Mediterranean Sea in the last 48 hours, Italian and Libyan officials said.
The Italian Coast Guard said on Saturday that it rescued at least 520 people from five boats in Libyan waters late on Thursday, in response to distress signals from the boats headed towards Sicily.
An additional 171 people
were also rescued during the overnight mission in the waters north of Tripoli.
The Italian navy’s response comes a day after Libya’s navy announced it rescued 105 migrants from a boat that broke down off the coast of Garabulli, 50km east of the capital. This brings the total number of reported rescues over the weekend to 796 people. There were no details on their nationalities.
“Big
Key sticking points remain as negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme enter their final stages in Vienna, Western negotiators have said.
Both Germany and the United States said the sides were working to close “big gaps” ahead of Monday’s deadline for a final deal.
US Secretary of State John Kerry was to hold fresh talks on Saturday with his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif.
Six world powers want Iran to curb its nuclear programme in return for the lifting of United Nations sanctions.
The US, the UK, France, Germany, Russia and China – the so-called P5+1 group –are seeking reassurance that Iran is not trying to build nuclear weapons.
Iran insists its nuclear programme is purely energyrelated.
On Saturday, Kerry said: “We’re working hard. We hope we’re making careful progress, but we have big gaps (...) which we’re working to close.”
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier called the negotiations so far “constructive”, but add-
ed: “That must not mask the fact that there is still a big gap between us in many aspects.”
One European source told the AFP news agency that it was now “physically impossible” to reach a full deal in the remaining timeframe. Another anonymous official told Reuters: “Our feeling is that [Iran’s negotiators] don’t have a lot of flexibility.” However, an Iranian source told the BBC that they remained confident a complete deal was still possible, suggesting the deadline could be extended by a couple of days. (Excerpt from BBC News)
Colombia’s FARC rebels will release five captives, including General Ruben Dario Alzate, this week, President Juan Manuel Santos has announced.
Santos said information about their release had been received, but he did not specify when it would happen.
Ruben Dario Alzate is the first Colombian general to be abducted in 50 years of civil conflict.
Peace talks between the two sides were suspended after the men were captured by the left-wing rebels last Sunday.
FARC negotiator Pablo Catatumbo had earlier called for a bilateral ceasefire.
President Santos had demanded the men’s release before peace talks could resume.
An estimated 220,000 people have died in five decades of armed conflict in Colombia.
Greek port authorities also said that they rescued 16 people when a boat carrying mostly Syrian refugees capsized off Mytilene.
In 2013, almost 8000 people arrived on European shores in the first six months, and 35,000 in the second half of the year. This year, at least 65,000 people took the risk in the first half of the year, and more than 150,000 people have landed since. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)
Cuban and Norwegian officials acting as mediators first announced a deal for their release on Thursday.
The rebels said they seized the men, because they were unhappy at the continuation of Colombian military activities during peace talks.
General Alzate was travelling along the Atrato River in the northern province of Choco by boat when he was captured along with two companions.
Two more soldiers were captured by FARC in Arauca a week earlier. (BBC News)
AChilean judge has sentenced two retired colonels to prison for the torture of incumbent President Michelle Bachelet’s father which indirectly led to his death during the early days of General Augusto Pinochet’s 19731990 dictatorship.
On Friday, Judge Mario Carroza sentenced Edgar Cevallos Jones to a two-year term and Ramon Caceres Jorquera to three years for committing the “crime of torture resulting in the death”
of Air Force General Alberto Bachelet Martinez.
Chile’s Government welcomed the ruling.
“This sentence, issued a few hours ago, is a step forward precisely to advance in the truth and justice Chile needs,” said government spokesman Alvaro Elizalde.
Alberto Bachelet, who was loyal to deposed President Salvador Allende, was incarcerated following the September 1973 coup and charged with treason.
He died of a heart at-
tack on March 12, 1974, at the age of 50 following a long session of interrogations, where he was again tortured by Caceres Jorquera and Cevallos Jones.
Pinochet died in 2006 at the age of 91 without facing a full trial for the crimes committed under his rule. Michelle Bachelet, who is serving her second term in office, was also tortured during the dictatorship before fleeing to East Germany with her mother, Angela Jeria. (Excerpt
In wake of threats over Petrotrin oil spill, security increased
Security at Petrotrin installations was beefed Friday night as the state-owned oil company raised its threat alert after a cryptic warning was issued in a video posted on Youtube from the group Anonymous T&T.
On Friday, the group, which has described itself as a “loosely associated international network of human/civil/animal activists,” issued the threat as it called on the company to come “clean” on the Marabella oil
spill and its impact on residents.
The video was highlighted on the CNC3 7 pm newscast Friday night. It was filmed as a news bulletin and featured an individual dressed in black and wearing a Guy Fawkes mask. In the video, the individual alleged Petrotrin was not being open with the nation on the impact the July oil spill, which saw 8000 barrels of oil leaking into the Guaracara River, is having on Marabella residents.
The video ended ominously with the individual stating: “We are anonymous. We are a legion. Consider this a warning. Expect us.” Friday night, Petrotrin President Khalid Hassanali told the T&T Guardian the threat was not being taken lightly. “All threats are taken seriously and will be reported to the Police.... I was not aware that anything like this was coming, I was taken by surprise...” (Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian)
SunDAY, november 23, 2014 | guYAnAtimeSgY.com
As Guyana and Barbados embark on a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will see the twinning of the two Caribbean countries as a joint tourism destination, countries in the region are being urged to emulate the move to promote the Caribbean as a vibrant tourist destination.
The terms of the MoU are currently being discussed and are expect to be signed sometime in December. This is according to acting Tourism Minister Irfaan Ali, who was at the time speaking at the 2014 Tourism Awards Ceremony on Friday evening at the Guyana International Conference Centre, Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown.
Barbados’ Tourism
Minister Richard Sealy was the guest speaker at the event.
The MoU will facilitate a joint marketing strategy
for the two countries as a single tourism destination. It is expected to bring benefits to the local tourism sector as well as tourism in Barbados.
“This is an excellent move of twinning Guyana and Barbados as a common destination in the region. You can have tourists who can get the best eco-tourism and still enjoy the sun and the sea in one package,” Minister Ali noted. He pointed out that this is the direction in which tourism is progressing and decisions such as these need to be taken in order to remain competitive and maintain a share in the tourism market.
The Minister remarked that every country in the region has something unique to offer and when they compete with the world, they should do so as a single destination.
“The region is competing with the world and for
“So right now it cannot open to river traffic, only vehicular traffic and they’re working to fix the fault, but it’s a computerised issue,” he stated.
Benn further stated that contact was made with the contracting firm that built the bridge for advice, and suppliers, to acquire the damaged part. This should be done within a matter of days, he noted. The Berbice River Bridge on Friday suffered a malfunction which resulted in the bridge’s retractor section being unable to close and scores of passengers ending up stranded on both sides of the river.
According to a release from the company late Friday evening, the Berbice River Bridge Retractor Span is experiencing “technical issues, which has resulted in
from page 14
an unexpected delay in the scheduled reopening of the bridge to vehicular traffic”.
Reports from persons on the scene on Friday indicate that the incident occurred around 16:00h when the bridge, the main traffic artery between the West and East Banks of Berbice facilitating the movement of thousands of commuters every day, was scheduled to be reopened to vehicular traffic.
The bridge, which was opened on December 23, 2008, consists of 39 pontoons from its base as well as 78 anchors. It is owned and managed by the Berbice Bridge Company Incorporated (BBCI) and following a concessionary period of 21 years, will be transferred to the Government of Guyana.
us to be successful; we have to pool our talents and resources together. We are too small in the region to
ever believe that we can compete out there,” he noted.
Collaboration
According to Ali, through the Caribbean Tourism Authority (CTO), the Caribbean can create better tourism packages because of the diverse products each country will bring to the table. He added that the future calls for collaboration, corporation and cohesion and that is where the region is heading.
Barbados’ Tourism Minister Richard Sealy, who is also the Chairman of the CTO, endorsed the sentiments expressed by Minister Ali.
Sealy pointed out that with increased annual tourism figures worldwide; this provides an abundance of opportunities to diversify the region’s tourism
products.
The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UN WTO) reported that in 2013, the Asian Pacific region record its strongest growth with six per cent increase in arrivals with the European and African region following with five per cent increase.
However, in this part of the world, North, South and Central Americas and the Caribbean, recorded a three per cent increase of arrivals. This, he stated, reflects the importance of collaborations among countries in the region to find solutions to sustain the sector.
“The region is facing serious competition. Every part of the planet is into tourism…. Everyone is into tourism… places you associate with civil war and strife is there wooing tour -
ism business and attracting investments,” he outlined.
On a lighter note, the Barbadian Minister highlighted that the UN WTO reported in 2014 that between January and August, international tourism arrivals was recorded at 781 million, 36 million more than the same period in 2013. However, the Americas are in the lead with an eight per cent growth during those first eight months of this year.
Additionally, he disclosed that the Caribbean saw a four per cent increase in arrivals between January and September this year. As it relates to Guyana, there is a very healthy increase of 7.4 per cent, which is more than the Caribbean growth rate.
Sealy lauded the efforts of the Government in promoting its tourism sector.
The body of 20-yearold Steve John of Port Kaituma, Region One (Barima-Waini) has been lying at the Suddie Mortuary, Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam) for almost two weeks without any family member coming to uplift him for burial.
Councillor of the Region Two, Regional Democratic Council (RDC) Shanta Springer said when such in-
cidents occur, the Regional Administration has to withstand additional cost for storage and even burial.
Springer said the mortuary is managed by the RDC.
The Councillor, who has responsibility for health and sanitation at the for the region, said the deceased man from Port Kaituma, North West District was referred to the Kumaka Hospital at Moruca, Region One,
then to the Charity Oscar Joseph District Hospital on November 4 . He was later transferred to the Suddie Public Hospital where he succumbed on November 6.
Springer said documentation revealed that the next of kin to the deceased man is an uncle known by the name “Rodrigues”, who never returned to the hospital to check on the patient.
There was no contact detail for Rodrigues.
The Councillor is calling on relatives of the deceased to come forward and uplift the body for burial. Only recently, the body of another Amerindian man of Moruca, Region One was left at the mortuary for more than six weeks and no one came forward to identify the body until the story was reported in the media.
Anil Basil was sentenced to a fine of $15,000 with an alternative of three weeks’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to a charge of break and enter and larceny. He appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before Magistrate Ann McLennan on Wednesday.
It was alleged that on November 14 at Meadow Bank, Greater Georgetown, he broke and entered the dwelling house of Jagdesh Pariag and stole the following items: a blow dryer valued $5000; a gold chain with
pendant worth $40,000; a pressing iron valued $5000; a pair of boots worth $2000; a cologne worth $8000; a detergent valued at $5000; a pair of shoes worth $4500; six soaps valued $1200; a toothpaste worth $2000 and $5000 in cash – a total value of $77,700.
Basil accepted that he committed the offence. He told the court that he had already given back half of the items and had made arrangements to work for Pariag to repay him. He then told the court that he was sorry and that it was his “first and last time” stealing.
The Tourism, Industry and Commerce Ministry in collaboration with the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) on Friday evening launched the Ambassador Programme at the 2014 Tourism Awards, where local pioneers in the sector were recognised for their outstanding contribution in promoting tourism in Guyana.
The Tourism Ambassador Programme will see popular Guyanese figures being recruited as Tourism Ambassadors for the country at international events. This comes as the Tourism Ministry is pushing “Destination Guyana” with the new concept “Guyana – South America Undiscovered”.
GTA Director Indranauth Haralsingh noted that Ambassadors and entrepreneurs are the bedrock of tourism in any country. He noted that the Ambassadors will join in promoting “Destination Guyana”.
“As Ambassadors, they will act as the faces and Brand Ambassadors of the sector, both at home and abroad. They will help
“They are all role models, leaders, they are all enthusiastic, popular, well networked, respect professionals in their own field; all with the ability to engage and motivate,” he stated.
The GTA Director further emphasised the need to mobilise all of Guyana to be good Ambassadors for “Guyana – South America Undiscovered”. On that note, he urged all to be better Ambassadors for their country, Guyana.
Power of personality
Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG) President Shaun McGrath said that the power of personality has proven to be most effective in any destination marketing strategy.
“Many countries have successful used their famous sons and daughters as tourism spokesman and Ambassadors with a mandate to promote the positives of their destination,” he said, highlighting cases such as Jamaica using athlete Usain Bolt; Australia using actor Paul “Crocodile Dundee” Hogan and South
lished tourist destinations are suffering as a result of the world financial crisis. This, he said shows the successes that the sector has
to promote ‘Destination Guyana’ and to help others to discover our very diverse, vibrant and exciting tourism product and destination,” he stated.
The GTA Director noted that these individuals will undergo training, adding that some of them have already done so. Additionally, they will have to attend tourism events and trade shows for and behalf of Guyana, where they will make presentations.
Haralsingh pointed out that Guyana will reap tremendous benefits from the goodwill, accomplishments and popularity of the Ambassadors, who have all pledged their commitment to give back to the country.
Korea using pop singer “Psy”.
“We are confident that the internationally recognised Guyanese personalities will take this new and important role to heart and know that they will produce significant results to the benefit of the country,” the THAG President said.
McGrath also underscoring the importance of every Guyanese being full-time Ambassadors for their country, noting that everyone has a role, whether directly or indirectly, to play in promoting the positives.
According to the THAG President, visitor arrivals have been increasing year after year in Guyana while many of the more estab-
been enjoying.
The first batch of Ambassadors identified are musician Dave Martins; cricket legends Clive Lloyd and Shivnarine Chandrapaul; motor racer Andrew King; body builder Hugh Ross; squash champion Nicolette Fernandez; and cricket broadcaster Joseph “Reds” Perreira.
In brief remarks, Martins underscored the need for a positive platform for the country against all the negatives.
“We need to have the platforms where people talk about the vibrancy of the people, the cuisines, the festivals, the fabulous interior. Those are the things that I believe these Ambassadors
will be stressing and talking about….I’ve been doing that since 1996 when I started Tradewinds,” the musician added.
Lloyd mentioned that there are many exciting products that Guyana has to offer.
“I think there is so much that we have to give foreigners and I’m glad that we
have so many of them here. I’m sure when they go into the interior; they will thoroughly enjoy what we have to offer because Guyana is still one of the most beautiful places in South America,” the cricket legend affirmed.
In the meanwhile, 18 outstanding individuals were awarded as the Tourism Ministry and the GTA recog-
nised those who contributed to tourism management, administration, marketing and development in Guyana. These activities come as the 20th Tourism Month is being observed under the theme “Tourism Entrepreneur and Ambassadors mobilise”.
The Guyana national hockey women celebrated their second victory of the competition at the expense of a distraught Jamaica when the two sides clashed on Friday in the placement match of the 2014 Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games in Vera Cruz, Mexico. In contrast to the first
Jamaica took control in the early minutes as the Guyanese seemed to be outgunned by their speed and athleticism. Jamaica played an attacking brand of hockey and set Guyana on their heels, creating a few early penalty corners and scoring opportunities. The Guyanese would finally find themselves midway through
treated to a well-balanced match with goal-scoring opportunities at both ends.
The second half saw Guyana strengthen their grip on the match as the Guyanese pushed the game into the Jamaican half as the sun began to take a heavy toll on the Reggae ladies. Guyana piled on the pressure in the closing min-
few days of competition, the sun came out with a vengeance and both sides would have to rely on their fitness and determination to manage the high-paced game.
the first half and settled into their usual short-passing game to tilt the possession in their favour. Despite there being no goals in the first half, spectators were
utes and seemed to be on the verge of a breakthrough, but the final horn would come moments too early leaving the score deadlocked at 0-0.
Of the five Guyanese se-
The Petra Organisation’s inaugural Girls’ Under-11 football competition for primary schools in Georgetown was severely affected by the inclement weather, which ravaged Guyana’s coastland over the past few days.
This competition was slated to continue on Saturday last at the Education Ministry ground on Carifesta Avenue with another six games. However, according to a release from the organising body, the Petra
Organisation, the games have been shifted to next Saturday, November 29, at the same venue, with the first game set to commence at 10:00 hours.
The opening match will bring together West Ruimveldt and East La Penitence, followed by North Georgetown against St Stephens at 10:45 hours.
Tucville and F.E. Pollard will swing into action at 11:30 hours, while Smith’s Memorial and Stella Maris will go headto-head at 12:15 hours.
The next match at 13:00
hours will feature South Ruimveldt and Enterprise, with the final game between St Pius and St Margaret’s set to kick off 45 minutes later.
The top eight schools will then move forward to the knockout stage, but the other four will also remain in the competition to vie for the remaining spots.
The tournament is a collaborative effort of the Petra Organisation, Ansa McAl Trading, the Education and Health Ministries and Health 2000 (Guyana) Inc.
lected to be part of the penalty shootout, Gabriella Xavier would step up first and easily score on Jamaican Captain and goalkeeper, Lorie-Ann McIntosh, with a drag to the left and reverse sweep. With sister Alysa Xavier stopping two Jamaican
shooters, Guyanese Captain Chantelle Wales stepped up to bury the Jamaicans with a diving finish to give Guyana the 4-2 victory. Apart from the match boosting Guyana into the playoff for fifth place versus Barbados, the victory was sweet redemption for Guyana who lost to
Jamaica in the CAC games four years ago.
Meanwhile, Cuba upstaged Trinidad by 4-2 in the first women’s semi-final, while surprise of the tournament, the Dominican Republic, secured their place in the final with a 2-0 victory over hosts Mexico.
Barcelona’s Lionel Messi became the Spanish league’s alltime top scorer with a hattrick against Sevilla.
Messi finally matched Telmo Zarra’s 251 goals with a fantastic free-kick, having failed to score in his last three La Liga matches.
Sevilla levelled through a Jordi Alba own goal, but Neymar made it 2-1.
Ivan Rakitic scored a header before Messi’s record breaker from a counter-attack and goal number 253 came after a one-two with Neymar.
The 27-year-old’s goal tally is all the more remarkable given his goals have come in only 250 starts for Barcelona.
Earlier in the month, Messi drew level with Raul’s all-time Champions League record of 71 goals after scoring twice in Barcelona’s 2-0 victory against Ajax.
“Messi is without doubt the best player I’ve seen as a player and a coach,” said Barca manager Luis Enrique after that feat. Against Sevilla he was
in irresistible form, equalling the record with a breathtaking free-kick around the wall and past goalkeeper Beto to give Barca a 1-0 lead. He struck again from close range in the 72nd minute and scored a third goal six minutes later with a powerful low drive from the edge of the penalty area. After scoring the goal that took him past Zarra’s total, Messi’s team-mates picked him up and threw him into the air several times while the crowd at the Nou Camp roared its approval.
The legendary Zarra scored 251 goals in a 15year stay at Athletic Bilbao in the 1940s and 50s. Messi, who joined Barca’s academy at the age of 13, has taken 10 seasons to overhaul Zarra - also setting a record for goals in a single campaign with 50 in 2011-12.
The Argentine became became the third-youngest player to play for Barcelona when he made his debut aged 17 years and 114 days in October 2004 and scored his first senior goal for the club against Albacete Balompie the following May. (BBC Sport)
Title holders India are not among the front-runners to win the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, feels former Black Caps captain Stephen Fleming.
Fleming’s logic for leaving out India from his list of Cup favourites is simple. They won the coveted trophy four years ago at home and this time it is advantage co-hosts - Australia and New Zealand.
“I will give you my top four teams. New Zealand and Australia because they play at home. South Africa are in good form, the fourth place is a bit difficult. It could be anyone - India, Pakistan, West Indies, Sri Lanka. So I am going to go with Australia, New Zealand and South Africa and fight for the fourth spot,” Fleming told PTI at a get together organised by appliance major Fisher & Paykel.
He went on to elaborate his point of view.
“I would just put it down to familiarity. Sri Lanka and India were the finalists last time. It was a very close contest. For the upcoming edition, there is quite a small difference among teams,” said the 41-yearold, who has been the coach of Chennai Super Kings for the last six editions.
India won the 2011 edition in familiar conditions but Down Under their pacers must perform well to make things easier for them.
Fleming feels a contain-
ment strategy won’t work in Australia and New Zealand, and bowlers, especially the faster ones, will have to provide regular breakthroughs.
“The rules have changed from back then, so that changes things a lot,” he said, referring to the current rule of only four fielders, outside the 30-yard circle.
“India’s fast bowlers are not that bad but the emphasis does need to be on taking wickets, through both pace and spin. It can’t be just about containment,” said Fleming.
Fleming is now an established coach and when
is not coaching Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, he utilises that time for his business interests that he shares with New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum. McCullum happens to be in the same IPL franchise.
Is juggling up roles difficult? “I do Chennai (Super Kings) for two to three months and the rest of the time I have my own, it is for business and family. It is a nice balance. In fact, that is why I have not taken up international coaching.
“There have been opportunities (international assignments) but right now I am just happy doing
Kumar Sangakkara’s Test future remains undecided after Sri Lanka’s selectors implored him to reconsider his decision to retire from all formats after the 2015 World Cup. Sangakkara told the selectors he would quit internationals in April at a meeting on Thursday morning but he is now rethinking that move upon request from the selectors, among others. He has repeatedly said he would not play ODIs beyond the World Cup, and that is unlikely to change.
Opposition to Sangakkara’s retirement has been founded on the argument that the team would be substantially better served if Sangakkara remained in the Test side until it was more settled. Sri Lanka have yet to play a Test since Mahela Jayawardene’s retirement and, if Sangakkara had also quit following the forthcoming New Zealand Tests as he had planned, both of the side’s leading batsmen would have become unavailable within the space of two
series.
The selectors have also viewed Sangakkara and Jayawardene as mentors for the young players within the side. With several toporder spots still contested in Tests, and the younger generation of batsmen yet to produce consistent runs at the top level, Sangakkara’s continued presence in the side was seen as vital to the team’s successful transition.
Captain Angelo Mathews is among those who would like him to continue in Tests, having also asked Jayawardene to play for another year.
Sangakkara had been considering retirement for some weeks before the meeting on Thursday. In his last Test match, against Pakistan in July, he had made the uncharacteristic gesture of waving his bat as he exited the field after his second-innings 59, sparking speculation about retirement.
He subsequently played down those rumours, but stopped short of suggesting he would play another Test in Sri Lanka. (Cricinfo)
Critically injured
Formula 1 legend
Michael Schumacher is communicating with his wife only by blinking, former racing driver Philippe Streiff has said.
“With his wife Corinna, he communicates with his eyes. He’s starting to show signs of consciousness,” Streiff himself wheelchair-bound after suffering a crash in 1989 in Brazil was quoted as saying by the Daily Mirror Wednesday.
“This is of course not the same disease as locked-in syndrome but the result is the same: You cannot move, cannot talk, you cannot do anything, he is enclosed in his body, but communicates by blinking his eyes.”
The seven-time champion is paralysed and in a
He was also busy with the promotion of the World Cup, which returns to Australia and New Zealand after more than two decades. Fleming is expecting a sizable Indian population to visit the countries during the tournament early next year.
“There is a lot of interest. People are really looking at their schedule for going to Australia and New Zealand. The interest is more the semi-finals. There is one visa which makes things a lot easier for the travellers,” concluded Fleming.
wheelchair following his skiing accident that has made him seriously disabled and unable to move or speak.
Schumacher, 45, was transferred to Lausanne Hospital, Switzerland, in June and is now being cared for at his home in
Chelsea opened up a seven-point lead at the Premier League summit as goals from Diego Costa and Eden Hazard secured a one-sided 2-0 win over 10-man West Brom.
Costa’s chest down and volley got the ball rolling for Jose Mourinho’s side.
Hazard was then gifted a cheap second after 25 minutes, firing home after West Brom switched off at a cor-
Bermudian Teresa Perozzi saw her hopes of capturing the vacant women’s IBA world middleweight title shattered as relentless Rhode Islander Kali Reis stopped her in the third round at the Fairmont Southampton resort on Friday night.
The 12-year age gap between the fighters proved significant as 40-year-old southpaw Perozzi, a mother of two, was pounded throughout the one-sided bout by the 28-year-old American.
Reis twice knocked down flat-footed Perozzi, catching her with a well-timed left hook in the first round before sending her sprawling to the canvas again in the second after a vicious right uppercut-left hook combination.
Reis, who weighed in four and three-quarter pounds lighter than her rival, continued to pepper Perozzi in the third round before American referee Steve Smoger stopped the fight, which had been scheduled for 10 rounds.
It was Perozzi’s first bout in more than 18 months, having taken a break from
ner.
Claudio Yacob’s two-footed lunge on Costa earned him a straight red card from Lee Mason, effectively ending the contest inside half an hour.
West Brom were spared further pain but it was nevertheless a chastening loss for the visitors, who were second best by a considerable margin in all areas. (BBC Sport)
boxing after giving birth to her second son, Gabriel, eight months ago.
Perozzi said afterwards her age played no part in her defeat, admitting that Reis was simply the better boxer on the night.
“I can’t explain it and I don’t know where I went wrong -- she was just the better fighter tonight. I don’t
think age had anything to do with it. I don’t think having a baby had anything to do with it.”
Perozzi, whose professional record now stands at nine wins, five defeats and three draws, said a rematch clause had been included in the contract, but it was too soon to make a decision on her next move.
Saeed Ajmal is pleased with the progress he has made with the remedial work on his bowling action, and has said he is targeting the 2015 World Cup for his international comeback.
Ajmal recently underwent unofficial tests on his bowling action at the ICCaccredited testing centre in Loughborough, where biomechanist Dr Mark King noted “substantial improvement” in his action, even though the straightening of his elbow still exceeded the permitted 15-degree mark.
“I’m very pleased with the assessment of Dr. King,” Ajmal said, in an interview with Pakpassion.net. “It was very heartening to hear what he had to say. I was expecting a reduction to about 30 degrees but to see that some deliveries are down to 20 degrees is fantastic and positive news for me.
“Also, what is really encouraging is that most of my deliveries are now within the 15 degree limit. The ICC’s rules of course stipulate that all deliveries have to be under 15 degrees and I’m very confident that I will achieve that target with the help of [former Pakistan offspinner] Saqlain Mushtaq and all the other individuals who are helping me and guiding me.”
Elbow extension
Ajmal said his elbow extension exceeded 15 degrees only for the doosra, and that all his other deliveries were now falling within the permitted limit. “I’m working hard on adjusting the doosra to ensure that it is also under 15 degrees and I’m confident that I will manage to do that.”
The ICC banned Ajmal from bowling in international cricket in September. He had been reported after the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle, and testing of his action in Brisbane revealed his average elbow extension to be more than twice the permissible limit. It was the second time Ajmal had been reported, but the first timein 2009 - he had successful-
Ajmal has said only his doosra now exceeds the 15-degree limit
ly cleared tests on his action. Ajmal said he was puzzled by the lack of consistency in the test results.
“The frustrating thing is that I was tested in 2009, tested again earlier this year and have had private tests on my bowling action recently. Every single one of those tests has produced different results,” he said. “There is just no consistency at all in these tests and the subsequent reports. If there was consistency then I would know where I stand. I work on rectifying one issue and then in the next report something different is pointed out to me.”
Too strict
Ajmal went on to say that the 15-degree limit was too strict on bowlers, particularly under the ICC’s new testing protocol.
“I think 99% of bowlers these days would fail the 15 degree test for at least one or more of their deliveries,” he said. “I also think that the technology being used in
match situations to assess bowling actions is too strict. I think they should use the normal television cameras to assess our bowling actions, but instead what is being used are cameras that can virtually see the blood running though our bodies.”
Ajmal was confident the doosra would survive as an off-spinner’s weapon, despite the ICC’s crackdown on illegal actions and the widespread belief that the delivery can’t be bowled legally.
“No I don’t believe that will be the case,” he said, when asked if the doosra would die out. “The doosra is an art and a weapon to use against batsmen. God willing when I am back playing international cricket, I will bowl the doosra with the same venom that I always have done. The doosra is part of my repertoire and a delivery that I intend to continue bowling in future.”
World Cup hopes
Ajmal said he wanted
to return to international cricket in time to play the 2015 World Cup, which begins in February.
“All this effort with Saqlain Mushtaq and the work at Lahore and Loughborough is with the World Cup in mind and I’m hopeful and confident that my bowling action will be cleared ahead of this showpiece event,” he said. “However, if I don’t make the World Cup then my prayers and well-wishes will be with my Pakistani team mates. If I’m not there in Australia and New Zealand my support will be with the Pakistan team and I’ll be cheering them on loudly.”
In similar vein, Ajmal said he was delighted with how well Pakistan have done without him in their Tests against Australia and New Zealand.
“It’s not easy to have to watch the matches on television and not to be out there with my team mates,” Ajmal said. “Having said that, I am absolutely delighted seeing Pakistan play so well. It’s been brilliant to watch Yasir Shah and Zulfiqar Babar come into the Pakistan team as my replacements and perform so well. I’m so happy for both of them and I hope they have long and successful careers for Pakistan.”
The PCB has extended Ajmal’s stay in England by a week to enable him to spend more time with Saqlain at his academy in Leicestershire. This time, Ajmal said, would be spent working on technical aspects of his action, “particularly the doosra”.
“I feel that with the implementation of these additional technical modifications all of my deliveries will be under the 15 degrees limit,” Ajmal said. “Next week, we intend to have another private test on my bowling action to ensure that all of my deliveries are below the 15 degrees limit. Following on from the private tests and most probably next month we’ll go for tests with the ICC and hopefully be cleared for a return to cricket.” (Cricinfo)
Lvan Gaal clinched his first away win as Manchester United manager as a battling display saw off Arsenal 2-1 and moved his side up to fourth in the Premier League. After long spells of dominance by the Gunners, Kieran Gibbs turned Antonio Valencia’s cross into his own net before Wayne Rooney sealed victory with his side’s first shot on target after 85 minutes.
Olivier Giroud came off the bench after three months out injured to pull a goal back for the hosts with
a fierce strike in stoppage time, but it came far too late to rescue a point.
While Van Gaal can finally celebrate a victory on the road as United boss at the seventh attempt, Arsenal’s defeat leaves them with 17 points from 12 games - their lowest total for 32 years - and a title bid in ruins.
They are already 15 points adrift of leaders Chelsea and this result was hard for their fans to fathom, given how well they started and how shaky the United defence had appeared. (BBC Sport)
RDaniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel have been excluded from qualifying at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix for driving illegal cars.
Governing body the FIA said the front wings on both cars were too flexible.
Ricciardo and Vettel, who qualified fifth and sixth respectively, can start from the back of the grid, although the team will have to strengthen the wings.
Red Bull are “disappointed” and believe “other teams are interpreting the rules in a similar fashion”.
But they said they accepted the decision of the stewards and would start today’s race from the back of the grid.
The race stewards made the decision to disqualify Red Bull after hearing an explanation from the team.
Teams can gain an aerodynamic advantage by having front wings that flex downwards at speed.
The rules on flexible bodywork have been toughened
Mervin Mathews (3-29) and Nelon Pascal (2-53) played the supporting role to Peters, who dominated with the ball after lunch.
When the Windward Islands Volcanoes resume today, night-watchman Peters and Andre Fletcher will lead the challenge for the visitors, after they ended the second day on two and nine respectively.
Off-spinner Deonarine had earlier made the breakthrough after the Volcanoes were off to a brisk start, trapping Devon Smith leg before for 29, an innings that included six fours. Deonarine’s Albion club mate, Permaul, then rocked the stumps of the other
in recent seasons after teams pursued it as a way to make cars as efficient as possible in a straight line but have as much downforce as possible in corners.
In previous years, Red Bull have been the leading exponent, but the rules have been tightened in recent years. Front wings are subjected to load tests under which they must flex only within certain parameters.
The FIA said the Red Bull “front wing flaps were designed to flex under aerodynamic load”.
The Red Bulls were said to be in breach of article 3.15 of the technical regulations. It says that any specific part of the car influencing its aerodynamic performance must comply with the rules relating to bodywork, must be rigidly secured to the entirely sprung part of the car (rigidly secured means not having any degree of freedom) and must remain immobile in relation to the sprung part of the car.
opener, Tyrone Theophile (21), to leave the match delicately poised heading into day three.
Meanwhile, in the other game at Warner Park, the Leeward Islands are leading Trinidad and Tobago Red Force by 89 runs. Leeward Islands 202 (Jeremiah Louis 34*, Austin Richards 34, Akeem Saunders 34, Devon Thomas 24, Yannick Leonard 21; Imran Khan 4-83, Rayad Emrit 2-15, Marlon Richards 2-36) and 17 without loss; T&T Red Force 130 (Yannick Cariah 43*, Rayad Emrit 33; Anthony Martin 2-17, Orlando Peters 2-17, Gavin Tonge 2-24, Jeremiah Louis 2-30).
Guyana Jaguars 1st Innings (overnight 168-3)
R Chandrika b Pascal 5
A Fudadin lbw b Matthews 34
*L Johnson c (sub) Lesporis
b Peters 19
N Deonarine lbw b Pascal 139
S Chanderpaul lbw b Peters 62
R Reifer c and b Matthew 2
C Barnwell not out 18
+A Bramble lbw b Matthew 0
V Permaul c wkpr James
b Peters 1
D Bishoo c Theophile b Peters 0
R Beaton lbw b Peters 1
Extras: (b-2, nb-8) 10
TOTAL (all out, 129.1 overs) 291
Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-39, 3-110, 4-263, 5-270, 6-276,
7-277, 8-277, 9-277, 10-291
Bowling: Matthews 22-8-293, Pascal 17-4-53-2 (nb-5), Peters 21.1-10-36-5, Bobb 30-2-74-0, Sebastien 32-675-0 (nb-2), Fletcher 1-06-0, Theophile 6-2-18-0 Windward Islands Volcanoes 1st Innings
D Smith lbw b Deonarine 29 T Theophile b Permaul 21 A Fletcher not out 9 K Peters not out 2 Extras (nb-2) 2 TOTAL (2 wkts, 32 overs) 63 Fall of wickets: 1-33, 2-60 Bowling: Beaton 3-1-16-0, Reifer 3-1-12-0,
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Jamaica and West Indies middle-order batsman, Jermaine Blackwood, along with his management company, Gillings Global Sports Management (GGSM), have agreed to a two-year cricket-gear contract with Sanspariels Greenlands (SG) Private Limited of India.
Blackwood, who is managed by GGSM, is one of the region’s young talents from whom much is expected, said he was very pleased with the deal arranged by his management company.
High Admiration
He further stated that he is very comfortable with the
products and has very high admiration for the quality of the equipment from SG, which he has already started to use in his training sessions.
“I feel like they were designed for me” he said, while displaying some of the equipment during the contract-signing session with the GGSM local director.
“Our sports management company, GGSM, is quite excited about the partnership we were able to secure for Jermaine, as we believe there is a unique synergy between our player and SG of India,” the Florida-based CEO, Brad-Oneal Gillings,
said.
He went on to mention that the company is currently working on signing other young and upcoming talents, which span the sporting spectrum to also include track and field, football and basketball, with the hope of securing a similar partnership for them.
Blackwood broke into the West Indies Test squad in June 2014, during the home series against New Zealand, after a successful first-class season as the leading runscorer in the 2013-14 season of Regional Four-Day competition with 611 runs. (windiescricket)
Nbeat
Hamilton to pole position at the title-deciding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Rosberg was 0.386 seconds faster than his Mercedes team-mate as Hamilton managed to secure second place despite an error-strewn session.
Hamilton is 17 points ahead of Rosberg and needs only to finish second to the German in the race to secure the title.
Hamilton faces an evening of decisions about how to approach the race after missing out on pole.
He was fastest in the second knock-out part of qualifying as Rosberg managed only fourth place after making his own mistakes.
But, when it mattered in the top 10 shoot-out, it was Rosberg who got the job done and Hamilton who made crucial errors.
Rosberg set the benchmark with a lap of one
minute, 40.697 seconds as Hamilton looked on course to at least match him before running wide at the penultimate corner and locking a wheel into the final bend to end up 0.324 seconds adrift. On their final runs, Rosberg set the target even higher, with a lap of 1:40.480. Hamilton could manage only 1:40.866 after what Mercedes boss Toto Wolff described as another “messy lap”. (BBC Sport)
By TreisTon Joseph
It was definitely disheartening that rain forced the abandonment of the National School’s
stocky Tevin Garraway.
Garraway broke Julian Edmonds’ 22-year-old record with the new mark at 10.5s. This leaves one to wonder what would have been the
Championships that was being held at the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) ground, Base Camp Ayanganna.
North Georgetown were crowned swimming champs, while Tevin Garraway showcased exquisite 100 metres running to break a 22-yearold record and it left one to wonder what could have been if the event had run its course.
With that being said, let’s take a look at some of the scenarios that were in play to shape the 2014 edition of Nationals into an interesting event.
Tevin Garraway vs Kevin Abbensetts
If you were not in the bleachers at the GDF ground, you missed a brilliant display of 100-metre power running from the short and
outcome had Garraway been a part of the Boy’s Under-20 200 metres final. Could he have broken that record as well? Much more interesting could have Kevin Abbensetts recovered to challenge Garraway in a much more competitive manner in the 200 metres?
Abbensetts is also the current holder of the Boy’s Under-20 200 metres record. It would have definitely been a match-up to watch, especially with the way Garraway dominated the 100 metres.
The rebound of Jason Yaw
Not known for his 100 metres prowess, Jason Yaw slipped in the final of the Boy’s Under-18 100 metres and was unable to recover in order to win the event he was highly favoured for, de-
spite not being a 100 metres specialist.
It is without doubt that Yaw is Guyana’s most talented young athlete… it would have been interesting to see how Yaw reacted to the loss in the 200 and 400 metres, events that he is more familiar with.
To see the 17-year-old deal with the frustration of losing at Guyana’s highest level and rebounding to dominate or not rebound at all would have been an intriguing story line.
Onasha Rogers vs Avon Samuels…a budding rivalry
A budding rivalry started on Wednesday evening when
Not a ball was bowled for the second straight day in the second round match between Barbados Pride and the Jamaica Franchise in the WICB Professional Cricket League Regional Fourday tournament, due to torrential rain on Saturday in Barbados.
The rain was too much for the gutters of the main pavillion at the Windward Sports Club
The convergence of two weather systems over the island continued to bring heavy rainfall and soaked the Windward Sports Club ground, where the match is being played.
The two teams arrived at the Windward Sports Club, which is located in the rural neighbourhood of Lucas Street in the south-
eastern parish of St. Philip, ahead of the rescheduled start, but several parts of the ground were under water with no significant improvement in the weather over the last 24 hours.
Umpires Gregory Brathwaite and Joel Wilson informed the two captains – Kraigg Brathwaite (Pride) and
Tamar Lambert (Jamaica Franchise) – around 10:00 hours that play for the day was abandoned, due to the wet conditions.
The umpires have also advised the two teams that play is again rescheduled to start at 09:30 hours today- weather and ground conditions permitting. (windiescricket)
Linden’s Onasha Rogers pulled away in the final metres of the Girl’s Under-16 100 metres to defeat North Georgetown’s Avon Samuels.
Rogers, a more naturally gifted 100 metres athlete, was jubilant after the event, while Samuels was seen obviously disappointed.
Samuels is more known for her 400 and 200 metres running and has represented Guyana in the final of the Girl’s Under-17 200 at the Carifta games before.
However, Rogers seemed in form and the two could have put on a classic show in the Girl’s 200 metres that might have captivated the event.
The Jevina Sampson Show
Jevina Sampson of North Georgetown dominated the Girl’s Under-18 100 metres and with her biggest competition now training to be a teacher in Tirana Mitchell, Sampson was clearly the favourite to walk away with a sprint triple.
Could any of the athletes have stepped up and challenged the short-legged sprinter? We will never know.
Cassey George’s world
With limitless potential, Linden’s Cassey George is a gem and that was clear when she easily ran away with the
mind as he showcased great ability to win the Boy’s Under-18 800 metres over Johnson, who broke two records last year in the Boy’s
Girl’s Under-16 800 metres.
It is clear that she was simply unbeatable, but how fast could she have gone in her other events? How much more impressive the 15-yearold might have been is mind teasing to imagine.
Swamp of middle distance talent
Shaquelle Smartt (Linden), Rondell Austin (West Demerara) in the Under-20 category, Quincy Blair (East Bank), Jamal Johnson (Linden) in the Under-18 category, Samuel Linch (East Georgetown), Jeremy Garrett (North Georgetown), Nigel Gonsalves (Linden) in the Under-16 actegory and last, but definitely not least Region Nine’s (Rupununi) Mary Leandiw are full of promise in the middle distance events (800, 1500m).
The males displayed great 800 metres running on Wednesday afternoon, showcasing tactics, strength and even speed.
Blair readily comes to
Under-16 category.
The idea of those guys meeting again in the 1500 metres, which calls for more tactic as well as strength, would have been indeed a great display.
A new overall champion or not North Georgetown started great by winning the swimming championship, and with the athletics, teachers and cycling championships still to be decided, it would have been the most intriguing story line of the event. With West Demerara and Upper Demerara/Kwakwani (Linden) looking strong on the track, the championships were now heating up before the rain came and out the small flame that was begging to burn in the race to the championships. In the end, all we could imagine is what could have been, but in reality rain ended what was shaping up to be a highly competitive Nationals 2014.
The Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) will hold a one day retreat at the Splashmin’s Resort today, the first in many years.
Under the theme, “Athletics- The way forward”, Council Members, Coaches and Officials will have a number of ‘BreakOut’ sessions to come up with the best ways possible to move the sport forward in Guyana.
Among the topics to be discussed are: How to have a positive impact on how to produce world class athletes, funding for events and the current level of national athletes.
The retreat will begin at 08:00 hours, with the registration of participants. This will be followed by opening remarks from the Chairman of the session and President of the AAG, Aubrey Hutson.
The third edition of the Phillip George Legacy (PGL) Memorial tournament has been rescheduled to today at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH) due to the inclement weather.
The tournament, which has been playing on the
outdoor Burnham Hard Court, had to be switched to the Sports Hall due to flooding at the outdoor facility.
Three games will be played today at the Mecca of basketball in Guyana, starting from 16:30 hours with Rockers going up against the Nets. Ravens will play the GT Masters at 20:30 hours, while the Sonics and Royals will do battle in the main game of the evening. The tournament will continue for its duration at the Sports Hall with the final on December 20.
Heavy rainfall in the city has forced organisers of the Georgetown leg of the Guinness Greatest in the Streets football competition to shift the second round of matches to this evening.
Initially, the second round of matches was slated to be played on Thursday last in Albouystown, but never came off due to the venue being under water, following heavy overnight and early morning rainfall.
The games were subsequently rescheduled to Friday evening at the same venue. However, that didn’t come off either owing to the unplayable state of the facility.
It has left the organisers with no choice, but to shift the matches to this evening at the Demerara Park, just opposite Banks DIH Limited, with action set to kick off at 19:00 hours.
The action will start with Globe Yard against Adelaide Street, followed by Sophia North against Festival City Warriors, Stevedore Housing Scheme A versus Leopold Street and Hope Street- Tiger Bay against Durban Street.
Following a break, the action will resume with Queen Street- Tiger Bay playing West Back Road, West Front Road against Cross Street, Broad Street Bullies versus River View and Albouystown B against Sophia South.
The Georgetown leg of the competition is the first in a series of Inter-zone tournaments that will be held to determine the top teams to contest the national playoff next year.
As has been the case over the years, the winner of the national playoff will represent Guyana at the Guinness Caribbean Street Challenge.
Barbadian Patrick Husbands continued to carry the Woodbine jockeys’ championship down to the wire, by riding a double on Friday’s nine-race card.
The 41-year-old, chasing his seventh title but first in five years, found the winners’ enclosure with 2-1 chance Maritime Pulpit in race three before returning with hot favourite Bear’s Taurus in race seven over seven furlongs.
More importantly for Husbands, championship leader Luis Contreras managed only a single win on the day’s card, and saw his lead at the top reduced to two. He has 158 wins, with Husbands on 156.
Brazilian Eurico Rosa da Silva, the 2010 champion, lies third with 132 wins.
Husbands opened his account with a front-running effort aboard the three-yearold bay gelding Maritime Pulpit, beating the threeyear-olds and upward by
2-1/2 lengths going a mile and sixteenth.
The pair set a reserved pace to ease through the first quarter in 24.71 seconds and the half-mile in 49.28, but was only a length clear of the field. Husbands roused Maritime Pulpit on the far turn and the gelding responded well in the stretch to pull away from his challengers.
In race seven, Husbands produced one of his now trademark late runs with Bear’s Taurus, as they beat the three-year-olds and upward by half-length. Husbands was last through the half-mile arrived at in 45.58 seconds with Hesa Big Dude and Drenched dueling for the lead.
However, Husbands conjured up a fabulous ride, navigating traffic in the stretch before getting to the front and taking the fiveyear-old bay gelding to the finish under a hands-ride.
The Woodbine season ends December 7.
Narsingh Deonarine stroked his second hundred in as many innings, but Kenroy Peters led a spirited Windward Islands Volcanoes’ fightback on day two of the second round game of the West Indies Cricket Board’s Professional Cricket League (PCL) Regional Four-day tournament.
After Deonarine notched up his 11th First-Class ton, leftarm seamer Peters ripped through Guyana Jaguars’ lower-order, finishing with 5-36, as the hosts were dismissed for 291 after resuming on 168-3. At stumps, the Windward Islands Volcanoes were 63-2, trailing by 228 runs heading into today’s third day at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence.
The day started with Deonarine on 79 and fellow lefthander Shivnarine Chanderpaul on 26 and Guyana Jaguars eyeing a huge first innings total. It seemed to be going according to plan for the Jaguars, as the pair consolidated the hosts’ position by extending their partnership to the lunch interval, which was taken at 243-3.
By this time, Deonarine had already brought up his hundred, taking 210 balls and 257 minutes to get to the land
mark. At lunch, Deonarine was on 123 and Chanderpaul rock solid on 48.
Chanderpaul brought up his fifty minutes after the resumption, but lost Deonarine shortly after, leg before to Nelon Pascal for a brilliant 139 (293 balls, 369 minutes, 15x4s) at 263-4, ending a partnership of 153 for the fourth wicket.
Peters then removed Chanderpaul for an obdurate 62 to initiate a dramatic collapse, as the Guyana Jaguars lost their last seven wickets for a mere 28 runs.
Raymond Reifer, Anthony Bramble, Veerasammy Permaul, Devendra Bishoo and Ronsford Beaton all fell for single figure scores, while Christopher Barnwell remained unbeaten on 12.
By TreisTon Joseph
t was definitely disheartening that rain forced the abandonment of the National School’s Championships that was being held at the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) ground, Base Camp Ayanganna. North Georgetown were crowned swimming champs, while Tevin Garraway showcased exquisite 100 metres running to break a 22-year-old record and it left one to wonder what could have been if the event had run its course.
With that being said, let’s take a look at some of the scenarios that were in play to shape the 2014 edition of Nationals into an interesting event.