Guyana Tmes International

No talks with U.S. under duress - Luncheon says of USAID project

The government of Guyana said that it will not enter into any negotiations with the U.S. government in relation to the rejected United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Leadership Enhancement and Democracy Project (LEAD) if attempts are made to continue the implementation of that initiative despite its strong objections.

Government’s chief spokesperson, Cabinet Secretary, Dr Roger Luncheon on Wednesday reiterated government’s stance on the project, while dismissing any expectation that the government was experiencing a change of heart towards the project.

He was at the time responding to questions posed by journalists at his weekly post-Cabinet press briefing.

No negotiation

“We ain’t negotiating under duress,” the Cabinet secretary insisted while disclosing that “we are not discussing a project and its implementation while it is being implemented”.

He announced that steps are already being taken to formally provide the U.S. government Guyana’s final position on the project after re-

ceiving a response to a list of inquires about the said project from Washington on Monday.

Dr Luncheon told journalists that the U.S.’s response to the concerns raised by the government merely invited the authorities here to engage its bilateral partners in the U.S. in discussions on the project and its design.

He reasoned that any such engagement must include the examinations of the con-

tentions of the government while declaring that despite the host of public exchanges between the two sides on the project, “its merits are of lesser significance” at this stage.

“What is of most significance is the fact that the government of Guyana, the sovereign authority, has declared what it has declared… it has decided what it has decided… and a foreign government has in essence said to the government of Guyana: we have no

respect for what you said and what you decided and what conclusions you came to… we are going ahead,” the Cabinet secretary said.

Asked more pointedly whether the response from Washington actually mirrors the public utterances of U.S. Ambassador D Brent Hardt on the project, Dr Luncheon said that it did not address his comments or the specifics raised by the Guyana government.

“They have not said that they have taken the Guyana government’s concerns into consideration and they either have taken a decision to abandon the project or nothing… they have not said anything,” he responded when questioned by Guyana Times International.

Asked what inference can be drawn from such a diplomatic response about whether the project is progressing, he stated, “Well… if they didn’t say so… is so.”

Sovereignty

However, Dr Luncheon maintained that government will have to discuss the response before it makes any other decisions that could see the relations between the two sides on this project further deteriorate, but it will not

surrender its sovereignty to any foreign power.

“We need to discuss this… most of my colleagues feel that this is not an insurmountable matter, problem to be resolved but there are principled ways to address the issue.”

The Cabinet secretary also admitted that government was not willing to let the fruitful relations with the U.S. worsen, explaining that it can “allow this one swallow to be made sour”.

He disclosed too that Georgetown’s response to the objectionable posture of the U.S. will be dispatched to Washington before the end of the week, noting that the “crafting” of the response has begun.

Dr Luncheon has been the lead spokesperson championing the government’s concerns and reservations about the project since it was presented to the Donald Ramotar administration.

Despite the position of government, the two rightwing political parties in the country, the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change (AFC) have signalled their full support for the USAID LEAD project.

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EDITORIAL

Worldwide, road accidents are a significant cause of death, injury and anguish, and Guyana is one such country where it is glaringly and unfortunately so very evident. It is always a deep tragedy when a productive, muchloved and respected citizen dies in the prime of his or her life.

The death of Chief Librarian Gillian Thompson is one such occasion – an occasion in which it has been alleged that dangerous driving played a significant role.

Dangerous driving has become a terrifying and all too common trend in Guyana, as both licensed and unlicensed drivers go out every day on our roads, seemingly with little to no regard for the responsibility they must bear once they get behind the wheels of a vehicle that could weigh upwards of around two tonnes.

Ending the road carnage Barbados to cut jobs to revive ailing economy

Impatient and uncivil to the point of being brutish, many of our current drivers should not be allowed to drive on our small and congested streets. But the reality is that such persons are allowed and do – some even if they aren’t allowed. How any logical, clear-thinking person can assume they know how to operate a two-tonne vehicle without prior training is, for the rational of society, quite unimaginable.

And that is only one violation of many that occur on a daily basis on Guyana’s roads. Clearly, Guyanese need a sterner education on the importance and significance of being in control of a vehicle that can so easily kill a, by comparison, frail fellow human being, when an irresponsible individual sits behind its wheels.

It has been said ad nauseam, but must be said again – part of the problem is that there is clearly a need for our licensing procedures to be reviewed and restructured, rather than produce the knee-jerk reaction of merely proposing stiffer penalties.

Punishment after the fact should work along with laws that prevent such crimes before they occur. With allegations of corruption always present, there is also the necessity for anticorruption policies so that persons found trying to bypass lawful licensing procedures should also receive stiffer penalties.

This may serve to assure the Guyanese public that our law enforcement officers have our safety at heart rather than their own economic gain.

As the new year begins with the heartbreak and tragedy of vehicular homicide in our midst, it should be a wake-up call for all concerned that current traffic and licensing policies are clearly not working and continue to be the cause of so much carnage on the roads.

Guyanese are obviously not paying attention to educational programmes or driving with consideration for their fellow Guyanese. According to news reports, last year’s road death figures were by November already well over 100. In a country of few roads and fewer people than many countries have in a town, such statistics are frightening.

Like the blight of garbage dumping, dangerous driving appears to be a national attitude that unfortunately paints Guyanese in not very bright colours, but rather in hues of incivility which, like a bad cough, is apparently not easy to get rid of.

All the laws in the world may not curb such coarse behaviours, and what may also be urgently needed is a steady education from nursery to tertiary, and perhaps even in the workplace, on the importance of responsibility to ourselves and our society when we choose to drive.

Anarchy, which can arguably describe the conditions on our roads today, is the antithesis of what should prevail in a civilised society. It also forms the basis for all societies to develop civilised mores and laws.

Therefore, we should see the human tragedy that our lawless traffic situation is producing on our roads and strive to find suitable solutions that will drastically reduce the cries of so many widows, widowers, and bereft parents, siblings and children that our out-of-control drivers are creating.

The Barbados government Monday urged citizens to “band together” as it seeks to implement a raft of policies, including job cuts and a reduction in expenditure in a bid to revive an ailing economy.

Finance and Economic Affairs Minister Chris Sinckler told a news conference that the adjustment process was never ever going to be easy and the Freundel Stuart government does not pretend that it was going to be a “painless process”.

But he promised Barbadians that “if we believe, we can turn the situation around – we will”, urging them to “work harder, smarter and together” in reviving the economy.

“Your government is committed to succeeding and turning around this economy, we will not be distracted. Let us band together as a strong and resilient people, working together to make our country better, taking the tough decisions that we have to but implementing the decisions that we know will bring years of lasting growth and development.”

Strict programme of attrition

Late last month, Sinckler announced the plan by the Freundel Stuart government to cut public service jobs in a bid to save Bds$143 million (one Bds dollar = US$0.50 cents). He said government would also institute a “strict programme of attrition” across the central public service, filling posts only where it is absolutely unavoidable, over the next five years, ending 2018-2019.

“This attrition is expected to reduce central government employment levels from approximately 16,970 to 14,612 jobs – a projected loss of 2358 posts; and savings of BDS$121

million. Over the current 19-month adjustment period, public sector employment will be reduced by an additional 501 jobs with a projected savings of Bds$26 million,” said Sinckler.

The National Union of Public Workers (NUPW), which represents the majority of the 28,000 public servants, has accused the government of already retrenching workers through technical manoeuvres. The government said it intends to trim the service by 3000 jobs starting from January 15.

Sinckler told reporters that the government had already undertaken a number of measures to increase revenue “and we are of the view that more taxation will not be part of the solution at this point in time”. Inescapable loss

“The analysis that we have undertaken makes it clear that government expenditure needs to be reduced by a further Bds$143 million at the minimum over the full finan-

cial year and meeting this target would mean an inevitable, unfortunate though it may be, an inescapable loss of jobs in the public sector”.

Meanwhile, the Barbados Labour Party’s parliamentary group is willing to take a 10 per cent pay cut but only if government stops its “partisan” projects, so said Opposition Leader Mia Mottley when she spoke at a news conference at her office in Parliament.

Pointing out that the parliamentary group had met on Friday and had discussed the matter, Mottley said: “Our pay cut for 14 members is miniscule in comparison to the $4.5 million that is being spent for catering for summer camps. The government must stop that and it must stop the $5 million in constituency councils and the David Thompson football tournament and if we can get those things then the opposition, like anybody else, is going to bear its share of the burden,” she said.

Tourism Authority predicts 15 per cent increase in tourist arrivals in 2014

Over the past 10 years, visitor arrivals have increased significantly to Guyana, and in 2013, it was one of three countries in the Caribbean to record double-digit growth, with an 11.7 per cent increase in arrivals.

According to the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) last year, there was an average of 2630 tourists per month. In August alone, Moleson Creek recorded 3581 arrivals and in September, 3602. More than 11,600 persons visited Lethem, Region Nine during the year.

The increase represents visitors from across the Caribbean region, especially from Suriname, Brazil, and Jamaica. This is as a result of several initiatives undertaken by the Tourism Ministry, along with the GTA. Some of these include familiarisation trips, the British Birdwatchers’ Fair in London, and trade shows in New York and Canada.

The inaugural trade shows in New York and Canada created firsthand opportunities to

showcase the country’s tourism potential and products on the international market.

The British Birdwatchers’ Fair has been significant in terms of disseminating information about Guyana as a tourist destination, taking into consideration that as a sport it was virtually unknown to many locals, when Guyana first participated in this event.

Many tourists who have had the privilege of experiencing Guyana have recommended the country as a tourist destination. Through this event, they have helped to create an excitement about Guyana and its rich, abundant diverse nature.

The familiarisation (FAM) trip is the most proactive, cost-effective means of promoting Destination Guyana. The Tourism Ministry is determined to market Destination Guyana, and, in 2014, it projects a 15 per cent increase in arrivals. Several FAM trips are scheduled to be conducted, and will result in more persons visiting Guyana.

Works on crumbling Mahaica sea defence 80 per cent complete – ministry

Work on the undermining sea defence is currently underway at Mosquito Hall/Lancaster, Mahaica and is 80 per cent complete.

Staff from the Public Works Ministry’s Force Account Unit are scheduled to seal the remaining section by this afternoon (Thursday).

The ministry in a release said the contractor –M&B Construction – hired to rehabilitate a section of the earthen embankment and slope has begun stockpiling materials [rocks and clay] to begin capping the undermined area. It is expected that within another two weeks, work in that area will be completed.

According to the ministry, as was reported previously, two major contracts involving the rehabilitation of concrete river defences at Mosquito Hall/ Lancaster were executed during the period 2011 to 2012. These works addressed problematic sections of sea defences which were undermined and frequently overtopped during spring tides.

The Force Account Unit team members sealing a section of the sea de-

fence with gabion rocks

In addition to concrete works, a total of 700 metres of eroded earthen embankment was rehabilitated and adjacent façade drains constructed for the storage and conveyance of overtopping discharge in order to reinforce the flood defence system.

Meanwhile, a team of officials from A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) led by shadow public works minister Joseph Harmon on Monday visited area.

The APNU team was there at the request of concerned residents, to in-

spect the crumbling sea defences in the area, the party said in a statement.

After viewing the gaping holes and the crumbling sea wall, Harmon said that what he had witnessed was the result of systemic neglect, and a lack of a structured national plan to deal with the nation’s sea and river defences.

Livelihood threatened

The Member of Parliament opined that because of this neglect, the lives of the residents of Mosquito Hall were now in jeopardy and residents,

most of whom are fisherfolk, are now threatened by the very sea from which they earn their living. Harmon said in his 2013 budget presentation, he had warned that the Gy$1.9 billion allocated for sea and river defences and the Gy$143.4 million to deal with critical works were not enough. Harmon was accompanied on his visit to the Mosquito Hall sea defences by APNU Region Four councillors Shondel Hope and Ramrattie Jagdeo, and Ronald Backer from the Office of the Opposition Leader.

Mom kills self after son ends life

- father, sister had also committed suicide

A32-year-old woman on Wednesday succumbed at the Skeldon Public Hospital after she ingested a poisonous substance last Saturday, allegedly in reaction to her son who also committed suicide a few weeks ago.

Dead is Nandranie Oudit of Number 68 Village, Corentyne, Berbice. According to the mother of the deceased Surujdai Singh, her daughter drank the poisonous substance because she could not cope with the loss of her 16-year-old son Arjune Oudit, a former third form student at Tagore Memorial High School who also died as a result of consuming gramaxone some five weeks ago.

Surujdai said her grandson was involved with a girl for sever -

al months; however, their relationship ended abruptly and he subsequently drank poison because he could not handle the break up.

According to reports, the family has a history of suicide. It was disclosed that the father and a sister of Oudit had also committed suicide but by hanging themselves.

“Why me gotta punish so, me husband dead and left me, me second daughter hang she self too and me work hard and mind me next two gal picknie and now me big data go kill she self,” Surujdai wept.

The woman said she is left with her youngest daughter who is so devastated by the loss of her eldest sister following that of her beloved nephew that the

continued on page 8

Yarde responds to critics

After two decades of failure in leading one of the largest trade union bodies in Guyana, longstanding Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) President Patrick Yarde said he is willing to step down if the union members feel so.

He said too that despite the lack of support for recent protest actions, the GPSU is still capable of shutting down the country, but that this is a last resort.

Frustrated over government’s yearly salary increases, several union members who spoke with this newspaper said that it was time for Yarde, who has been at the helm of the union since in the early 1990s,

to go.

“I am tired of it, they are not representing us, is sheer talks and no backing,” a nurse told Guyana Times International during one of the lackluster protests/marches the union held in the aftermath of the five per cent pay hike.

“I am tired too, I am very tired and disgusted… after sitting with the government and negotiating all these agreements, I am tired and angry,” Yarde said during an interview with Guyana Times International.

He said 2013 marked the 13th year since the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government commenced its yearly increase in wages and salaries for public servants. Following last year’s increase, the union called for a weeklong march through the streets of Georgetown, but this fizzled after the first day drew less than 100 marchers.

Questioned as to whether he has outlived his time at the GPSU and that it may be time for him to go, Yarde said

at one time opposing influences had forced him to step down, but some members loyal to him had reportedly stepped in to give support.

“I have returned the last few years unopposed, and we are a very democratic union,” he said. However, GTI was told that a few years ago, Yarde changed the rules regarding retirement at the union level, making him eligible to continue as president.

One person, Karen Van Sluytman had openly challenged Yarde back in 2005 for the presidency, but she subsequently withdrew her nomination for the post over alleged discrepancies.

Representation

Yarde told GTI that despite opposing forces, the union continues to represent the concerns of its more than 5000 members in the public sector. “This is the first year that absolutely no negotiations took place, but I am shocked that it occurred with Donald Ramotar as president, because he was a trade unionist, he should know about struggle,”

Yarde said. Asked to comment on his failure to mobilise marchers for the one-week protest in Georgetown, Yarde said the Guyana Police Force should be blamed. He explained that the union received clearance from the police to conduct the first march late. Nevertheless, he said the struggle is not over. “We will continue this industrial action, the matter is not over, it is not over, so if the government thinks it over, they are very mistaken, it is not over, we have started a process of consultation with our members and we will resume at an appropriate time, I am saying to you, this is not over,” he said. Shutdown

Despite a poor turnout December last, the GPSU president strongly believes that the union still has the ability to shutdown the country, but said this should be the last resort, noting that it depends on government’s willingness to uphold the law and act in accordance with agreements signed.

Sukhai refutes claims of Amerindians being silenced

Amerindian Affairs

Minister Pauline Sukhai has refuted claims that Amerindians are often being silenced especially when they meet each year at the National Toshaos Council (NTC) conference.

Sukhai said that village toshaos and other village leaders are usually given the chance to speak on various issues at forums organised by the ministry throughout the year. The minister stressed that reports that Amerindian village leaders are silenced, especially at the annual NTC meeting are not true. Sukhai explained that everyone is given an opportunity at the three full days of the meeting to raise various concerns

and these concerns are usually addressed by the Cabinet.

“For those who don’t want to speak, they are asked to submit everything in writing and we create a desk at these meetings and allow people who didn’t get to speak or wanted to add more to what they had already said to submit what they said… they bring it there and we account for each of them and that also included in our report,” Sukhai said.

The Amerindian affairs minister stated that leaders are usually given the opportunity to prepare for these conferences and provide a list of issues they hope to raise. She said, “There is just a few people… There is only one team or group of people who normally say that and they are the ones who take up most of the time, talking about lands and mining.”

Nonetheless, some Amerindians leaders believe that they are treated differently and dismissed because they do not support the ruling administration and some of its policies or notions on Amerindian development.

PM Hinds to respond to APNU's concerns about e-governance project

E-government Unit

Project Manager

Alexei Ramotar said the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) inquiry into the US$32 million project is “no big deal”.

The multimilliondollar project is being placed under the microscope by APNU Member of Parliament (MP) Joseph Harmon, who on Monday submitted two questions to the National Assembly for response by Prime Minister Samuel Hinds.

The e-governance project has suffered from extensive delays. Two years after its scheduled deadline, the project is now up for modification, the APNU parliamentarian said, as he expressed disappointment at the way it is being implemented.

“We in the National Assembly raised this question about the cable in parts of regions Seven and Eight where councillors indicated that the cable was running above ground, it was exposed

to the weather and the question of vandalism,” he said, claiming that the government did not show much concern.

This, he said, is a major concern, positing that there is clearly a case of incompetence.

“The fact the project manager is ought to be someone who understands these things, who can give a proper explanation, we want to know now what is the competence or the experience of the project manager

because it seems to me that there is a level of incompetence,” Harmon told GTI in a telephone interview.

He said too that the Donald Ramotar administration must come clean on the cost the delay has incurred and funds required for the modification.

The APNU member has also called on the prime minister to disclose details surrounding Ramotar in respect to his prior experience with fi-

bre-optic installations, designing and management. His salary and allowances are also coming into question.

But when contacted by GTI, Ramotar opined that Harmon’s concern is “no big deal”. He then pointed this newspaper in the direction of Prime Minister Samuel Hinds for a further response.

Cabinet Secretary, Dr Roger Luncheon had disclosed that the multimillion-dollar project which includes the laying of the fibre-optic cable from Guyana to Brazil will now be completed this year.

The project was slated for completion since 2012, but had encountered a series of problems. When comparing the work completed thus far, Dr Luncheon said installation of the Long Term Evolution (LTE) system from Moleson Creek, Corentyne to Charity, Essequibo Coast is progressing faster than the cable being installed between Lethem and Georgetown.

Gold declarations boom as miners burn

Faced with the fluctuating prices for gold on the world market, a number of miners have been forced out of the industry while some who have not paid their bills have seen the banks repossessing more than 100 excavators that they had taken loans to purchase.

Observers say that despite government’s lavish praises on the sector, not much has been done in terms of guiding some of the miners into reinvesting their earnings.

Speaking at a miners’ forum on Monday, Guyana Gold and Diamond Mining Association (GGDMA)

President Patrick Harding said the drop in gold prices from US$1800 to US$1200 was devastating to the industry.

He noted that with the little money miners have, they are using it to revive their operations, while some are struggling to meet their ex-

penses.

“Where are we going to find the money to start the year 2014? You know that our banks and financial institutions seldom assist us, they may assist you if you are willing to put up your house or other collateral,” he pointed out at the association’s first meeting for the year on Monday.

Harding explained that because of the serious challenges the industry is facing, they will have to implement ways of cutting costs. He stated that the recovery system which the sector uses, causes about 50 per cent of refined gold to be thrown away, and as such, they are looking at alternative recovery systems to reduce the use of mercury.

Burden

The GGDMA president stressed that the high costs of equipment and supplies are a burden on the miners. “The association has met before with some of the suppliers, and of course,

they are complaining their costs have remained high but if they want to do business with us, they have to try to reduce their prices, otherwise we will find additional suppliers,” Harding said.

He added that some miners are unable to pay for their equipment and so they are being repossessed by the financial institutions. “Some mining businesses have been closed and some miners

being put out of work. We are hoping that 2014, we will find some way around this,” he stated.

Guyana recorded the highest ever gold declaration of 458,105 ounces as at December 16, 2013, surpassing the previous highest level of 455,918 ounces in 2001; which included the declarations of both Omai and small scale operators.

Harding recommended that more lands be released by the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), noting that in 2013, four lotteries and four auctions were promised but only two lotteries were held.

President Donald Ramotar, who was present at the meeting, offered government’s assistance to those miners who have difficulties with obtaining loans from banks as he highlighted the need for hire purchase legislation regarding the repossession process.

Mom kills self after son ends ...

Tripping

Satiricus was waiting for his wife to return. Mrs Satiricus had gone berserk over the blackout. The power was still not back on after almost half a day. It was now Christmas Day. She hadn’t gone because all her meats in the freezer have all spoiled. Even the turkey ham. It was not that the low voltage just before the blackout had blown her microwave.

She’d lost it when her Christmas cakes “fell” in the oven when there was no electricity to switch back on the oven flame. Mrs Satiricus didn’t usually make too many waves…she was even more easygoing than Satiricus. But when you destroyed her Christmas cake, all bets were off.

Everybody in the family and then some (read neighbours) looked out for Mrs Satiricus’ Christmas cakes. How was she going to get through the rest of the year without any cakes to share around? What really bugged the poor woman, it was clear, was “The Promise”.

“Why the blasted arse the head power man had to promise we no blackout?” she shrieked at Satiricus.

from page 6

family had to take her to a doctor.

“She get blackout steady and she only crying and fall down, we gotta take she doctor,” the woman said.

Surujdai believes her family is affected by a suicide curse. She is also fearful for her remaining child.

“Me big daughter dead and left one pickney and she lil sister and when pickney fa bury mama, mama gotta bury dem pickney, it is hard for me to bear this pain of losing me family like this,” Surujdai tearfully stated.

Oudit leaves to mourn her husband Navin and a young daughter.

Meanwhile, according to reports, since the start of the year, several persons have succumbed to suicide while others have recovered from suicide attempts and some are in the process of recovery.

Only Wednesday, Guyana Times reported that a 19-year-old University of Guyana second year student died after drinking poison. Two other teenagers are listed as critical at the New Amsterdam Public Hospital, following separate suicide attempts.

“I doan know, dear,” said Satiricus in a placating voice. He knew you didn’t mess around when the wife had that gleam in her eye. “

“Look at how dem cake fall,” she moaned as she glared at the cakes. “Dem gone in like Gandhi belly!”

Mrs Satiricus had been working away at her Christmas cakes since day clean. She didn’t go for any of the newfangled devices that were supposed to free housewives from the kitchen. She also didn’t make black cake. Her specialty was fruit cake and her reputation in this concoction was formidable. She got black cake from her mother.

It was sheer elbow grease that whipped all that sugar into the butter. And even more elbow grease to beat the eggs and then all the flour and fixings. Satiricus would’ve been surprised if each cake didn’t have her sweat in them.

“If I catch that power man, I gon shove all this stuff up his behind,” Mrs Satiricus swore. She was really tripping now. “If he didn’t promise we power, I woulda bake the blasted cake in we brick oven!”

“Now dear…Watch your tongue. Doan forget it’s Christmas,” Satiricus was trying valiantly to head off the storm, which, he knew was increasing in intensity. “At least now we know why we get blackout.”

“Why??” Mrs Satiricus screamed.

“He say the power was tripping,” answered Satiricus.

“Tripping?? Tripping???” screamed Mrs Satiricus as she scooped up a cake in each hand and ran towards the road. “Ah gon show him some real tripping!!!

Satiricus hoped the power man had his rear protected.

Hell hath no fury like a woman whose Christmas cakes were made to fall.

Satiricus wondered when his wife would get back home.

Bisram’s reduction of the PPP/C to an electoral machinery is flawed

Dear Editor,

In a letter published in a local newspaper on December 23, written by Vishnu Bisram, the writer raised certain issues which require a response.

In that letter, Bisram purports to polemise on the electoral chances of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) at the next elections and expresses the view that the PPP/C is labouring under some delusion about winning those elections.

He argues that among the bases for this delusion are that the PPP/C has neglected its constituency, many officials have erred, the PPP/C’s campaign style is lewd, and PPP/C officials are guilty of arrogance without any action taken against these officials by the party.

Bisram has demonstrated a genuine and deep-seated lack of understanding of the role, function and ideology of

the PPP/C. The PPP/C is, and from its inception, has always been a massbased political movement dedicated to be the vanguard of each and every struggle to remove the working people from the chains of exploitation and poverty.

The party has also always sought to forge racial unity among our people and to remove class domination and discrimination in any form or fashion in our country. To achieve these objectives, the PPP/C has used, and will continue to use, a scientific approach as an interpretive tool in its analysis.

From its tried and tested foundational principles, the PPP/C has never and shall never resile. In the pursuit of its objectives, the PPP/C sees executive government merely as a means towards an end and not the end itself.

It is our view that, while we are in govern-

ment, it makes it a little easier to achieve these ends. But whether in or out of government, those goals shall continue to be pursued. In this regard, we rely on our record over the last 60 years to vindicate us.

Therefore, Bisram’s reduction of the PPP/C to an electoral machinery, merely interested in the winning of elections, is a profound error, which forms the genesis of every erroneous assertion he makes and flawed conclusion he draws thereafter in his missive.

For example, he argues that the PPP/C will not attract multi-racial support even if it increases public servants’ salaries. As a working-class party that has struggled valiantly for over 60 years for a liveable wage for workers, the PPP/C will never utilise salary increases as a political token to workers anywhere.

We will always strive

The simple joys of softball cricket

Dear Editor,

The former Barbadian parliamentarian Hamilton Lashley recently declared that, as the foundation of all forms of cricket, there is urgent need for the re-emergence of softball cricket on the island. With that said, I personally believe that softball cricket should be promoted in Guyana.

Records show that people like Joel Garner, Malcolm Marshall, Carlisle Best, and many other top Bajan cricketers all played softball cricket quite frequently. Softball is a fun and safe game that can provide indulgence for all age groups. All that is needed is a bat and ball.

It has that element of fun when easy catches are dropped due to the rubbery nature of the ball and maybe this is a good way to help fielders prepare for actual hard ball cricket. In fact, I don’t ever recall anyone being seriously injured during a game of softball.

When it comes to hardball cricket, it is vital that our cricketers note that when it is not possible to play for whatever reason they still have the option of playing in a few softball games. It will help them to keep them fit and if they are well known in the sport, they will gradually draw the attentions of youths.

Many of our schools don’t have the facility and space to allow our young lads to indulge in a game of hardball cricket. This is a typical opportunity where softball cricket can be made use of. Quite often I’ve witnessed the enjoyment and enthusiasm that young lads have when

they play a good game of cricket. They become so absorbed in their game that there’s no chance of distracting.

We have so many vacant lots and under utilised community centres here in Guyana. It is time for little clubs to emerge and allow lads from nearby communities to indulge in a good game or two. The exercise will do all participants a lot of good and since players are dismissed by hitting out of the yard, then that element of self-discipline is the added benefit.

Only once have I ever heard of softball cricket coverage in Guyana and it was indeed refreshing. Additionally, coverage and attention should also be placed on street games, since it allows for a good game of fun, while also allowing our children to be profitably occupied.

Respectfully, Damien Jhaboor

to pay the highest wage possible, provided that the economy can sustain it and the treasury can afford it.

The notion peddled that the party does not understand the reality on the ground is one that is said of political parties everywhere. The fundamental truth is that political activism is always a work in progress. The PPP/C recognises this reality and, through its party machinery, is constantly engaged in such endeavours.

Admittedly, the same way that political gains are made while a party is in government because it is able to deliver goods and services, similarly, political losses are suffered when goods and services are not delivered or when officials, through no fault of their own, have to refuse demands, both reasonable and unreasonable, of political constituents because the treasury cannot afford it.

Arrogance and neglect are the resultant rebuke. These are realities

which all political parties in government must bear.

The criticism levelled in respect of the campaign style employed at the last elections is one that has validity. Both President Donald Ramotar and I have made statements recognising that mistakes were made in this regard. Public commitments have been made not to repeat these errors.

Bisram credits the People’s National Congress (PNC) in not deluding itself in thinking that it can win multiracial support. According to him, “It fished where there were schools of fish…. The PPP/C, on the other hand, fished where there were no fish, wasting bait and losing its cast-net.”

As is stated above, one of the goals of our party is to strive to bring racial and working class unity among our people. From the pursuit of this goal, we shall never depart.

Unlike the PNC, we will never engage in ethnic and racial campaigning. We will continue to persevere to unite our people. So to Bisram, we plead guilty and we say that we will continue to fish where you think there is no fish even if we have to waste more bait and lose more cast-nets.

As the oldest and largest political party in Guyana, we owe that to our country and our people. The luxury of an alternative is simply not available to us.

Unlike the PNC (A Partnership for National Unity [APNU]) and the Alliance For Change (AFC), we are not political fishermen. We are nationalist politicians championing the every cause of all of our people. Governmental power is simply a conduit through which we do this. It is not our ultimate destination.

Yours faithfully, Clement James Rohee

General Secretary, PPP/C

Two held for murder of Mahaicony cash crop farmer

Two men have been arrested and questioned for the murder of cash crop farmer Dearoop Sieuchand, 72, of Lot 8 Zeeland, Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara who was killed on Sunday morning during a robbery at his home.

The two men are at the Mahaicony Police Station and are being grilled, but have not confessed to the murder. As the police continue their investigation, they are also looking for a third suspect.

Ambika Sieuchand, the 70-year-old wife of the murdered man, remains a patient at the Georgetown Public Hospital with facial injuries that required several stitches. When Guyana Times International visited the woman on Monday, she was clearly under the impression that her husband had received injuries, was treated and sent home. Relatives there were careful how they spoke to her since any news of her husband’s death might result in her condition worsening.

In a soft voice, the widow explained that she was in the upper flat of the house when three men invaded the home, asking for money and jewellery. She said her husband fought with one of them while she was pulled down the stairs by the others. The bandits, she added, were wearing metal rings which they used to assault her.

Sitting on her hospital bed, the woman dis-

closed that she managed to see their faces as they were hitting her, but after receiving several punches to the face and body, she “went blank”.

Her husband’s young nephew, she explained, stays with them but she was not sure if anything had happened to him. From reports received, the lad reportedly hid from the bandits and after the ordeal, he contacted his relatives.

The body of Dearoop

Sieuchand was found in his house with at least 17 stab wounds, around 06:45h on Sunday.

The man’s wife had been taken to the Mahaicony Hospital, but was subsequently transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital where she was admitted.

According to information received, the couple’s house was ransacked but relatives on Monday could not say if anything was missing since they did not have the time to check. Sieuchand and his wife, along with his nephew, lived in the third house on the plot of land while the first and second are occupied by other relatives.

The perpetrators reportedly used a ladder to gain entry into the home through a window on the upper flat of the house.

Meanwhile, a postmortem examination was performed on the body of the farmer and the cause of death was given as multiple incised wounds compounded by blunt force trauma to the head.

Incoming Caricom Chairman promises to increase focus on climate change

Vincentian Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves said Monday that he would use his six-month term as chairman of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) to deal with the deleterious effects of climate change on the socio-economic future of the 15-member bloc.

St Vincent and the Grenadines, St Lucia, and Dominica are now emerging from the effects of a weather system that left a trail of death and destruction over the Christmas holidays.

Caribbean countries have also had to deal with the annual hurricane season and in many cases, like in Haiti, unseasonal rains that cause widespread devastation. “The big issue… is global warming, climate change. We are having systems affecting us outside of the normal rainy season and the normal hurricane season,” he said, making reference to the floods in April last year and the Christmas Eve rains that resulted in the deaths of nine people and hundreds of millions of dollars in damage.

“There are lots of monies which countries talk about for adaptation and mitigation to climate change. But I haven’t seen the money yet and we have to use our diplomacy as a region and we have to be aggressive with our climate change centre in Belize.

“In my term as chairman of Caricom, this is one of the issues which you will recall I said earlier on… I want dealt with during my term in a continued serious and structured way, (and it) has to deal with the deleterious effect of climate change and to get the requisite responses from the international community in relation to this matter.”

Gonsalves told a news conference that the region does not contribute “anything to these manmade weather systems, these problems with putting so much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. “We are… on the front line,” he said, adding that “this is an issue which is big”.

Gonsalves said that efforts were now underway to stage an international donors’ conference

to help the three affected islands recover and rebuild their battered infrastructure. He said he had already received a letter from Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer, who is also chairman of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), outlining plans for an international donors’ conference.

The St Vincent and the Grenadines prime minister told reporters that an insurance scheme organised through the World Bank, to which all the Caribbean countries con-

Trying to turn the tide

By Anu Dev

Afew months ago, I saw the documentary “Sicko”. It’s directed by Michael Moore and compared the American healthcare industry with that of other nations. The Americans are finally grappling with universal health insurance…now dubbed “Obamacare”.

Even though I was horrified by the revelation that insurance companies in the U.S. have warped the healthcare system to such an extent that it’s geared towards churning out billions of dollars in profits instead of providing healthcare, I was even more troubled by the section of the movie that detailed Hillary Clinton’s healthcare reform proposal of 1993. I was astounded that her opponents were willing to spend over US$100 million just to discredit her proposal. But most of all, I was disappointed in how even she could be paid off (US$854,462 the movie claims) to remain silent.

After I’ve completed my medical studies, I’ll be entering the ‘real world’. I’ll have to work within a system, and if that system is flawed or unfair, I’ll either have to accept things as they are, or make a move to bring about change. But it’s very difficult to be the lone voice speaking out. It engenders a feeling of powerlessness in not being able to change something that one knows can cause harm.

It shook me to the core to see how someone like Hillary Clinton, so passionate about something as vital to her as healthcare, could be so effectively muzzled and reduced to introducing her husband at ‘Easter Egg Rolls’. And the revelation that even she had a price that she could be bought off with left an even bitterer aftertaste.

tribute, does not go far enough. “To the extent that the monies you get from the Catastrophic Relief Insurance System is fairly minimal, but, of course, every little bit helps,” he said.

Gonsalves said he had already written to the leaders of several countries and was now waiting to see “what kind of grant assistance we can get, because we really need grants preferably. “The World Bank will give soft loan monies, the CDB (Caribbean Development Bank) will give soft loan monies, the European Union will give grants, Venezuela will give grants, (and) Taiwan will give grants.”

In his New Year’s message, President Donald Ramotar had alluded to what he described as the “very important… issue of climate change and the challenges it poses.” He noted that in recent weeks “we have witnessed extreme weather in Guyana and the wider Caribbean. This has resulted in millions of dollars in damage and loss of life. The scientific evidence is showing that for

The movie forced me to put myself into the shoes of the doctors, the insurance victims, the politicians and think about what I might have done had I been in their position. And then I started thinking about my future and what I could do to avoid being swept away by the money-making mentality that seems to have gripped medicine.

Looking around our amphitheatre, I realised that my fellow students were also deeply affected by the movie but in various different ways. Some seemed especially troubled by the stories of persons being turned away by insurance companies. The experience certainly made me do a lot of introspection and analyse why exactly I was so shaken by the silencing of Hillary in particular.

There’s always this unequal distribution of power working within a system and when those with entrenched interests and power don’t want to make changes, it’s difficult to turn the tide. In Hillary’s case, the powerful healthcare industry’s US$100 million fear mongering efforts to torpedo her proposal was unassailable.

I just hope that I can make the right decisions when confronted by tough choices. Something as rigorous as studying medicine changes you. I’ve already had to make adjustments. I hope that at the end of the process, I can still recognise myself and most of all that I can stand up for what I believe is right when it truly matters. I’ll have to set limits that I’ll never cross, based on my personal value-system.

It isn’t worth being rich if the price is a guilt-ridden conscience that keeps me awake at night. To play my part in effecting change in a mercenary system, I plan on volunteering my services to the poor and powerless during some of my free time and I can encourage my fellow physicians to do the same. While we mightn’t be able to accomplish a complete revolution in the system, we can do our little part at the individual level. Every little act adds up. Who knows? If there are enough of us taking innovative steps, we might just be able to reform our small part of the world.

Jhaat –o-care

Satiricus wasn’t as ebullient as he usually was about the New Year. He’d realised that a new year meant being one year older. And his body was beginning to tell him that “older” meant aches and pains. Satiricus wondered when some local politician would come up with a local version of Obamacare –taking care of all health worries.

He knew Guyana already had free health care. But he knew too, as Prezzie pointed out, government hospitals and clinics were terrible when it came to keeping records on drugs. They were always running out while other locations were overflowing.

And what did Prezzie suggest be done? That the government workers keep better records!!! Satiricus fell on the floor laughing when he heard that. Sure! When it snows in Georgetown.

So you could imagine Satiricus’ delight when he heard about the elegant solution offered by that great leader of the KFC – Rum Jhaat. In a revolutionary insight, Rum Jhaat said that the problem wasn’t record keeping and knowing what drugs were in stock. No Siree! The problem was buying too much drugs. If you didn’t buy so much at one time, then you wouldn’t need to keep records. Satiricus reeled in wonder at this incisive insight.

But how would the doctors get the drugs when the patients were dying on their beds and operating tables? Well this was solved by an even greater insight by Rum Jhaat: the “Just-in-Time” inventory system introduced by the Japanese to manufacturing in the 1970s. Just don’t have warehouses full of parts… order them so they arrive just in time when they’re needed. You save money and time – not to mention making record keeping obsolete!

And how would the drugs appear “just in time”? Well here again, Rum Jhaat had the solution which shows what a great leader he is. Go back to the days of the People’s National Congress (PNC) when drugs (and everything else, such as flour) had to be brought in by traders in suitcases! We don’t need big companies to bring in drugs – the small man (with a suitcase) could become a real drugs man.

And what about those drugs that needed to be refrigerated? Heck no problem, according to Rum Jhaat. Have you forgotten ice boxes and coolers? If we could trust them to keep our beer cool when we go to cricket why not our drugs when we are dying? Isn’t beer even more sensitive than drugs? And you ask how would the traders know when to fly in with the drugs with the patients on the operating table?

What a silly question, thought Satiricus since that was already covered by Jhaat-ocare. Every drug trader and doctor would have a satellite phone to be in direct contact. This was the age of instantaneous communication, no? And how would the drugs get here from foreign? “Jeez,” wondered Satiricus, “Does Rum Jhaat have to spell out everything?”

The drug traders would charter private Lear Jets to fly them in.

Duh!!!

Guyanese man gets 20 years for Ghanaian cocaine bust

An Accra High Court has sentenced a Ghanaian and a Guyanese to 15 and 20 years respectively in prison for unlawful possession and importation of cocaine into the country last year.

The two are among five persons who were arrested at the Takoradi Port on board a Guyanese ship containing 414 bales of cocaine. They pleaded guilty upon interrogation.

The captain of the ship, Miller Ronald O’Neil and the Ghanaian Seth Grant, were sentenced 20 and 15 years respectively on each count to run concurrently.

The substance was

tested positive in open court by the head of Drugs, Forensic and Cosmetic Department of the Ghana Statistical Service Martin Adarkwa Yiadom.

The court also ordered 30 pieces of 30 samples of the substance to be given to a team from the Drug Enforcement Administration for further test to ascertain the

GECOM to continue search for new chief elections officer

After several months of searching, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is yet to make a substantive decision on the appointment of a new chief elections officer.

GECOM Chairman, Dr Steve Surujbally told Guyana Times International on Tuesday that commissioners are expected to resume work on January 21, where they will discuss in more detail the appointment of a new chief elections officer.

Calvin Benn remains the acting chief elections officer until such time a decision is made to fill the

substantive position.

Dr Surujbally had said that the current team of GECOM officials is doing the job in the meantime. He said “people should not worry”, as the current team is competent to oversee the next elections, even the highly anticipated local government elections.

Calvin Benn and his assistant Keith Lowenfield are among 14 persons who applied to become GECOM’s chief elections officer. Both of them have served GECOM for a number of years in senior capacities.

The post of chief elections officer became va-

cant after GECOM declined to renew the contract of Gocool Boodoo after concerns were raised in the opposition camp about a computing mistake made in the allocation of seats in the 2011 elections.

The mistake had been rectified, and government had been staunch in its support of the then chief elections officer, arguing that he had done a stellar job through the years.

Boodoo’s late submission of notice of his intent to seek renewal of his contract also negatively affected his prospects

Dr Surujbally had told this newspaper pre-

purity, origin and agents involved. The Narcotic Control Board also valued the drugs at US$60 million dollars.

The court, presided over by Justice CJ Hoenyenugah, said it considered the street value of the cocaine, the reputation of the country and the volume of the substance before passing judgment. The state attorney prosecuting the case Samuel Asiamah Sampon also said it will be difficult for the ruling to be overturned, considering the fact that they were convicted upon their admission of guilt.

The court will on Friday start hearing the case of the other three involved.

viously that the entire team met and was looking to finalise the shortlist for the candidates, who have applied for the position.

He said based on the criteria prescribed in the job description for the post, the team has been able to point out certain critical areas to decide on successful applications.

Region Six Chairman condemns Kaieteur News

‘inaccurate and mischievous’ news report

AKaieteur News’ article published in its January 6 edition about inundation at Liverpool, Region Six, tells a totally different picture of the reality on the ground, Region Six Chairman David Armogan said.

The article, with accompanying pictures, shows parts of the Region Six community under heavy water. The article reports that this was due to that community’s pump being non-functional, and the sluice having the capacity to function only in periods of low tide.

However, Armogan in a telephone interview with the Government Information Agency

(GINA) reported that he and a team, inclusive of a Stabroek News reporter, Monday morning completed a visit to the area to get a first-

hand look at the situation, and found a different picture altogether.

“We have seen no water in any of the residential land. There is some amount of water in the savannah area, but that is normal in a rainfall season,” he said.

The team also spoke to some of the persons referred to in the Kaieteur News article including retired Headmaster O’Neil Leitch. “We went to visit his (Leitch) place and he is living on the edge of the savannah in a very low lying swampy area, but as of this morning the water had receded from his yard,” the regional chairman stated.

None of the resi-

dents, including Leitch, were able to point out to the team the location where the photograph of the inundation in the article was taken. The regional chairman said that it was obvious that the reporter had gone to some area outside of Liverpool and taken the photographs.

Mischievous

“This is a mischievous piece of journalism designed to make government and the region look bad, and this is the kind of disgusting news that seems to be emanating from the Kaieteur News from time to time, where half-truths and lies are pushed to the reading public. This is totally

unacceptable and I call on the editor of Kaieteur News to ensure his journalist in Berbice carry a true picture of what is the existing situation,” Armogan said.

With regard to the sluice and pump, Armogan explained that it was working, but was down for a few days to facilitate repairs. He said during the dry season, there is no need to operate the pump, as well as the sluice, but after the rains, the region immediately activated the sluice, so there was

some amount of relief to the residents after the Boxing Day rainfall.

Work

He said that the region started a few days ago to use the pump to assist when the sluice was closed, but after a few hours of work, it was realised that the engine would record a high temperature. He explained that upon inspection, it was found that the engine’s radiator was rusty and needed to be cleaned. That was done and it is now operable.

It got some people in life who never satisfy wid whah dem have. Dem always want whah other people got. Dem always want to be like other people. Dem always want to become whah other people become. And dem does even get vex when other people gettin ahead of dem.

It can be a good ting when people want to follow in de footsteps of good people in life. Old people does always tell young people that dem must strive to be like some body good in life. Long ago people used to call that person a idol.

It got plenty people in Guyana who got idols right hey in Guyana, but dem shame fuh seh so. When people want whah other people got and want to be like other people because dem spiteful, that is some ting called covetousness, and covetousness is a bad ting.

Somehow de Almighty one who people does pray to does have a way of blessin de good people like dem even more, which does mek de covetous people even more spiteful and jealous. That is a sign that no matter whah dem do, dem just can’t become like other people or achieve whah dem achieve.

When that happen, de covetous people does start a cuss out from leff to right and back to front. That is when dem does reveal how covetous dem really is. And de people who deh behind dem in de same boat. Dem kinda boat gotta hole in de middle and it sinkin slow.

One man want to be a prezzie, but he can’t mek it, and he can’t tek it that he can’t mek it. This is de same man who cussin out all de prezzies. But although he tryin to follow in dem footsteps, he not fit to tek off dem shoes, much less polish dem.

Ting-a-ling-a-ling…friend tell friend…mattie tell mattie! Certain people gon live dem life wantin some ting whah some body got or wantin to be like somebody. Old people got one name fuh people like dem…a Mook!

Times Notebook

It’s all about sovereignty

There is a dispute between the Guyana government and the U.S. Ambassador D Brent Hardt. The U.S. ambassador is out of line and disrespectful of Guyana’s sovereignty. There are political parties and commentators trying to hoodwink the Guyanese people by misrepresenting the dispute as one between Guyana and America. There is no dispute between the two countries.

Guyana and the U.S. have a strong, friendly and mutually beneficial relationship. It is a relationship that has been nurtured and which has blossomed throughout the last two decades under the current administration. Government values its partnership with the U.S. at both the national and global levels. America values its partnership with Guyana.

Relationship

The present disagreement will not change this reality. There are elements who would wish that the present spat with the U.S. ambassador erupts into a cold war between the two countries. There are those who wish that the dispute will escalate into some long term fracture in the friendly and cooperative relationship between Guyana and the U.S.

The dispute has noth-

ing to do with whether government likes all the components of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Leadership and Democracy (LEAD) project. Such projects always contain activities that one side or the other does not fully endorse, but they compromise.

But the U.S. ambassador flouted well-established protocols in how projects become reality at the national level. He followed a protocol that excluded the government. By the time the ambassador presented the project to government, it was already approved by U.S. authorities and contracts were already awarded.

Guyana is a sovereign nation and, while not as rich or as powerful as the U.S., it is no less a country than the U.S. When positions such as the secretary general of the United Nations (UN), the Organisation of the American States (OAS), or the World Trade Organisation (WTO) have to be appointed, both Guyana and the U.S. have a vote each.

Within borders, the U.S. government follows well-established, principled procedures which it expects Guyana and other countries will follow within the borders of the U.S.

It is not merely arrogance that the U.S. am-

bassador demonstrates when he ignores the position of the Guyana government, he demonstrates scant respect for the rules and the principles his own country demands and promotes. This is the crux of the dispute.

Guyana and the U.S. have worked together to promote democracy and development at the national level in Guyana. The two governments have worked together at the global level to promote cooperation, democracy and development within the UN, OAS, World Health Organisation (WHO), Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) and in other areas. The two countries have worked together in many initiatives globally.

Guyana usually sides with the U.S. as the U.S. proposes and promotes various candidates for regional and global positions. But there are times

when Guyana takes independent positions, such as on the embargo on Cuba.

Internal affairs

The peoples of the two countries are well aware that in the 1960s, the U.S. interfered in Guyana’s internal affairs and created regime change. The result of such external meddling in Guyana’s affairs was a dramatic decline in Guyana’s standard of living and development trajectory.

In the period between 1964 and 1992, Guyana was the only country in the Caribbean that showed negative growth. Every country in the Caribbean, excepting Guyana, experienced growth and increases in its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) during that period. Guyana’s disgrace was the result of American adventurism in the early 1960s.

Then, America had the support of the People’s National Congress (PNC) and the United Force (UF). Today, the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), which is the PNC, and the Alliance For Change (AFC) think they can use the U.S. ambassador’s arrogance to lead America onto the same path.

Dangerous game

The Guyanese people reject this dangerous game. But the U.S. government today is more sensitive to national as-

pirations and one which is more respectful of democratic rules.

The truth is that PNC/APNU and the AFC and their sycophants and the incumbent U.S. ambassador cannot escape the fact that the Guyana government is democratically elected under the Constitution and laws of Guyana.

Times Notebook urges that those who would risk Guyana being put on the path of under-development not be allowed to do so.

Times Notebook further contends that the Guyanese people and friends and partners will not be fooled that this is a dispute between the two countries. The relationship between Guyana and the U.S. remains solid.

Readers are invited to send their comments by email or Facebook to times.notebook@gmail. com.

Guyana gets first mobile container scanner

The Chinese donated mobile container scanner was on Monday commissioned during a ceremony at the National Park with traders being urged to ensure that they are well prepared for the scanning to minimise time and resources.

The US$4.3 million scanner was given by the government of China through a grant. The certificate of acceptance was signed in December. This is the third scanner the country has acquired; however, it is the first mobile one, which will be used to boost the export and import surveillance capacity while at the same time detect unauthorised items being smuggled through

the ports.

During the commissioning ceremony, a demonstration of its op-

eration was shown to the officials present. The scanner is self-operated and can scan a maxi-

mum of 20 containers in an hour. It was manufactured by Chinese company, NUCTECH, using

the trade laws, it should not be solely responsible for timely and efficient conduct of the process.

International compliance

This acquisition, he explained, brings Guyana into compliance with international standards and requirements used by major trading partners. The finance minister added that the initiative taken by the Chinese government is one of the most recent examples of the longstanding relationship between the two countries.

Chinese Ambassador to Guyana Zhang Limin said this equipment will go a long way in boosting the operations of the GRA. He pointed out that this initiative by the Chinese government is part of its effort to improve the economies of

the latest technology in x-ray imaging.

Speaking at the launch, Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh said that while he has no doubt the mobile scanner will be used by the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) to meet

On this note, the minister urged traders to play their part in ensuring that the process of scanning goes smoothly.

The equipment, Dr Singh noted, will boost revenue collection and mobilisation of GRA.

“This scanner and inspection system represents an extremely important addition to the hardware of our government and the officials of the GRA in ensuring compliance with our laws, but particularly our standard trade laws and protection of our revenue,” Singh noted.

developing countries and reflects their warm friendship.

Meanwhile, GRA Deputy Commissioner General Clement Sealey said the acquisition of this scanner will go towards developing GRA’s capacity in dealing with goods imported and exported and also to safeguard revenue collections. He said the scanner will allow for easy detection of unauthorised goods being traded and will greatly enhance the technological capacity of GRA.

Incoming Caricom...

our region, which is one of the most vulnerable, these weather events will become more frequent as the impacts of global climate change intensify.”

In this regard, Ramotar said he intends this year to work with other Caricom heads to ensure regional action on climate change is given top priority.

“Recognising our own vulnerabilities here in Guyana, efforts will in-

from page 10

tensify in 2014 to improve and expand infrastructure, in particular our sea and river defence and drainage and irrigation systems; enhance our forecasting capabilities and response mechanisms; and build climate resilience in the social and productive sectors of our economy. These will be done within the framework of our Low Carbon Development Strategy,” the president assured. (CMC)

BCCI honours longserving employees

The Berbice Bridge Company Inc (BBCI) has completed five years of continuous and reliable service to the people of Guyana, and in observance of the occasion, it has honoured several long-serving and outstanding employees.

The bridge in a release said the achievement is due to the commitment and dedication of its employees, coupled with timely maintenance of its assets to international standards, not forgetting the excellent customer service it provides.

On December 20, 2013, the company honoured its long-serving employees with plaques in appreciation for years of service. Among them were BBCI Chairman Keith Evelyn and BBCI Chief Executive Officer Omadat Samaroo.

Twelve other employees have completed five years of continuous employment.

In addition, the company has recognised Administrative Assistant Bibi F Alli for her outstanding dedication and contributions, such as, participating in all the company activities, always willing to work beyond the normal call of duty and being extremely focused and devoted to her job.

At the ceremony, Evelyn thanked the staff for their contributions over the years towards the BBCI and encouraged them to continue to strive for excellence.

The Berbice Bridge Company Inc (BBCI) not only plays the role of collecting tolls and facilitating vehicles crossing the Berbice River Bridge and vessels transiting through

the retractor opening and under the high span, but also discharges its corporate responsibilities and more importantly plays an integral part in the development of education and sports.

It has also supported national events and made donations to charitable and non-charitable organisations in proximity of the bridge or in Regions Five and Six. The company had also sponsored events in other counties and as far as the hinterland.

“On behalf of the board of directors, management and staff of BBCI, we would like to wish our employees, customers and the people of Guyana a productive 2014. It was a pleasure serving you in 2013 and we are looking forward for your business in 2014,” the release concluded.

Dramatic twist: Detective may have been shot by police

In a dramatic twist of events, police are now probing whether Detective Corporal Seburn Elias was killed by friendly fire or the bandit whom he had given chase behind.

Elias, 45, of 1347 Bareroot, East Coast Demerara was killed Monday evening while in pursuit of a prisoner who had disarmed one of his colleagues and fled from the Georgetown Public Hospital where he was taken for treatment.

Guyana Times International understands that there was an exchange of gunfire during the confrontation between the bandit and police ranks who gave chase in an alley at Third Street, Alberttown, Georgetown. Police only recovered two spent shells at the scene.

Investigation

Crime Chief Seelall Persaud told this publication on Tuesday that they are conducting a thorough investigation into the incident, noting that two guns were fired, thus making the case more complicated.

He added that the two spent shells were re-

covered at the scene. He said two rounds of ammunition were left inside the service weapon that is suspected to have been used by the suspect, who is still in custody, but will not be charged until a proper investigation is completed.

GTI was told that the suspect, Delon Abrams, 23, of South Ruimveldt, Georgetown reportedly showed remorse for his actions, claiming that he did not want to kill the police rank. He was be-

lieved to be hiding under a step during the exchange of gunfire. After the shooting, he reportedly surrendered and shouted, “I did not shoot him”.

GTI was told that Abrams had asked to use the washroom while at the hospital and was escorted by a policeman to the lavatory, but while there, a scuffle ensued, resulting in the bandit disarming the police rank before escaping.

During efforts to arrest the escaped prisoner, Detective Corporal Elias, who was unarmed at the time, was involved in a scuffle during which he was shot to his left side. He was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he succumbed while receiving medical treatment.

The suspect had been arrested by public-spirited persons and handed over to the police following an alleged break and enter and larceny committed on a home at Turkeyen.

Devastating news Elias’ widow, Alana, when contacted via telephone, told this publicontinued on page 20

Backer flown to U.S. for further treatment

Ailing A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) parliamentarian and Deputy Speaker Debra Backer was on Wednesday flown to the U.S. to undergo treatment.

Guyana Times International was told that Backer will undergo treatment at a hospital in Florida.

APNU leader David Granger had previously said that Backer’s condition was stable.

At that time, he did not divulge details about her illness, stating that he does not want to speculate on her medical condition.

He wished her a speedy recovery, noting that he hopes she gets well and can return upon the resumption of the National Assembly on January 16.

When questioned about whether the party will contemplate replacing her as was the case earlier this year with member Richard Allen, Granger said the two situations cannot be compared.

“Mr Allen fell during the budget debate and

there were some critical actions which had to be taken together with the Alliance For Change at that time and the budget scenario is quite different to what is taking place now. So situations are different and as I said you know Mrs Backer’s condition is stable and we don’t have any reason to speculate on her attendance,” he said.

Backer reportedly fell ill a few weeks ago and was initially being treated at a private city hospital. Efforts to contact her family have been unsuccessful thus far.

TT gov’t launches attack on criminals

- PM Kamla says no more excuses in war on crime

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has read the riot act to TT’s National Security Council (NSC), demanding that members step up to the plate in the fight against crime otherwise they will be held personally accountable for any failure to stem the tide. PersadBissessar also announced Tuesday that with immediate effect all leave for police officers has been put on indefinite hold.

“All hands would be on deck in the fight against crime. This means all officers from the top to the bottom,” Persad-Bissessar said after holding an emergency meeting with the council for close to three hours at the Diplomatic Centre, St Ann’s.

She admitted, however, that putting more police officers on the ground was not the answer. “Just putting more officers on the ground hasn’t worked. That is one aspect of it. It is also more use of all the resources and technology,” she said.

Describing the crime situation, particularly the spike in murders in the new year, as intolerable, Persad-Bissessar said: “Since the start of this new

tt’s Prime minister kamla Persad-Bissessar and other law enforcement officials observe screens streaming live camera footage from various areas in the East/West corridor at the national operations centre, knowsley Building, Queen’s Park West, Port-of-Spain. (FB photos)

year, one week ago, our nation has seen an unprecedented spike in violence and murders. This spike occurred despite increase in efforts in focusing resources, implementation, modified equipment, new technology and police visibility.” She said when she met with the council Tuesday she asked why that was happening and what could be done to stop it.

Not acceptable

Based on the information she received, PersadBissessar said: “I intend to take a much deeper interest and action required

to reverse this spike in my role as chairman of the NSC. At no time could crime be considered acceptable, and the recent spike in violent crime has made this situation completely intolerable. The government and people of TT are demanding action and results.”

“As prime minister and as chairman of the NSC, we will no longer tolerate excuses for failure by our protective and security services to keep our country safe. At today’s (Tuesday’s) meeting I was very clear to all heads…a murder is simply not a murder…vi-

olence is not simply violence,” Persad-Bissessar said.

“I have also made clear to each member of the NSC that they would be held personally accountable for any form of failure to keep the peace and protect our citizens. As the ones in charge of the respective arms of the protective security services, they must perform… no shades of grey, no excuses, no apologies.”

Rapid Response

Earlier Tuesday, Persad-Bissessar was on hand for the launch of the new Rapid Response Unit (RRU) and encouraged citizens to dial 999 or 991 to report any suspicious activities.

Acting Commissioner of Police Stephen Williams reported that there are 77 vehicles dedicated to the RRU, but 22 will be deployed initially as part of the pilot project in the Northern Division, North Eastern Division and the Western Division. He pointed out that the East West Corridor is the area of greatest need and there was already a regime in the Port-of-Spain Division. (Excerpted from TT Newsday and TT Guardian)

Cabinet approves Gy$170M for construction of One Mile Primary in Linden

Cabinet has given its no-objection to a contract of Gy$170.22 million to construct the One-Mile Primary, which was burnt down during the Linden unrest.

Residents had commenced an ambitious plan to reconstruct the school, but made little progress despite the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) offering 36 sacks of cement as a donation.

Region 10 Chairman Sharma Solomon had said that with government undertaking to rebuild the school, the rebuild committee will be seeking instead to upgrade school facilities.

A project to rebuild the school through selfhelp was launched in October 2012 and drew the attention of multiple donors across the country and the diaspora, who contributed monies and equipment towards its reconstruc-

tion in an effort to assist the 900 displaced students who were alternatively placed in various schools across Linden.

The focus, now, according to Solomon, is to achieve more modern facilities during and after the school’s reconstruction.

“I had a discussion with officials of the Ministry of Education

and I know that there is a Gy$50 million allocation that is in the budget for that school, so the discussion was to move as soon as possible to a tendering process or a process that will allow for the works to begin as soon as possible. So that is where the discussion with the ministry is right now.

“What the rebuild

from page 15

Dramatic twist: Detective may...

cation that she last saw him when he left home on Monday morning. She said that they spoke a few times during the day and she would normally contact him in the evening to find out his anticipated time of arrival at home.

The woman in tears explained that she attempted to make contact with him on Monday evening at about 19:00h, but the call went straight to voicemail.

ed to the Accident and Emergency Unit where I saw him wrapped to be taken away to the mortuary… they opened him which confirmed that my husband was no more,” she said. Inconsolable

project will do is move towards a new arrangement. What we’re going to do with that committee is have them focus more on other needs of the school, so it will move towards the establishment of a more modern computer lab and putting in other amenities in the school that makes it more modern and upgraded.

She tried again a little while later and this time, a male answered. “He told me that my husband was shot and that I must come down to the Georgetown Hospital… I asked him if it was serious and he said no… I took some time to reach the hospital, since where we are living it’s difficult to catch a bus so I ended up taking a taxi,” she explained.

On her way down to the hospital, the woman said she prayed, but upon arrival at the medical facility, she was greeted with the devastating news. “I composed myself and was escort-

She revealed that they had been married for the past eight years, with four children, ages 14, 12, nine and eight. The children, she noted, are inconsolable at their father’s death and cannot come to grips with the new reality. Elias joined the force about 25 years ago. His wife described him as an ardent worker who was dedicated to his job.

The grieving wife said after they married, her husband opened a small business for her so that she can be occupied while he was at work. “He was a loving husband and caring father who always wanted the best for his children… they are now left fatherless, but the Lord will provide,” she said. Elias, one of five children, will be laid to rest next week.

Deadline missed again for completion of Hope Canal

The Gy$3.6 billion East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC) Northern Relief Channel has missed the scheduled December 31 deadline, the major reason being that the contractor responsible for the eight-door sluice component has completed just about 50 per cent of the work.

Considering that the project is the first of its kind in Guyana, and will be a major engineering achievement for Guyanese engineers and workers, the Agriculture Ministry has extended the deadline of commissioning the project by two months, and is working with the contractor to have more than 90 per cent of the work completed and the project functional by February 14. At the beginning of

December, only 47 per cent of the sluice was completed. Minister Ramsammy, in a recent interview, said the ministry met with the contractor, Courtney Benn Contracting Services.

Following discussions, it was agreed that the outstanding work will be carried out in six phases to meet the 90 per cent mark.

Minister Ramsammy explained that there will still be work to be done after the sluice meets this 90 per cent completion point under the contract, but this will not impact the functioning of the canal.

He pointed out that the ministry planned the tranches of work going into February, bearing in mind rainy conditions in January.

continued on page 24

Joker of de year

Whenever one year come to a end, it does be a good ting fuh plenty people. De beginnin of de new year does also be a good time fuh plenty people. Dem does mek plenty resolutions and try to fuhget de wrong tings whah dem do in the old year. Some people does just play like dem fuhget whah dem do.

Some of dem does even go to church and promise God and de pastor. Others does promise dem wife or husband all de tings whah dem want to hear. No more cheatin and no more misbehavin fuh de new year is a big one. Boy friend does promise gyal friend too, or vice versa.

People does even plan to stop smokin, or stop drinking, or stop thiefin and so on. Then dem does start to party and fuhget every ting whah dem plan to do. And de new year does gone de same way all over again from de very first day.

Of course dem boys who does wear boy clothes to fool people does mek promises to dem boy friends. One of de promise is a lotta new tings to try wid new people in de new year. Another word fuh that is freshie.

Dem boys already recruit people from plenty media house and from in and out de House. Dem got people who call dem self financial analysts and people who call dem self lawyers. Some call dem selves both. One is a mayor-fuh-life. Although he is not a freshie any more, dem boys don’t discriminate wid age.

De main requirement is that yuh must know how to talk like a boy and look like a boy, although yuh is not a boy. De stumpy man wid de squeaky voice pun Voice of de People don pass de test and ready fuh samplin. Ting-a-ling-a-ling…friend tell friend…mattie tell mattie! People like de Mook does wait till de whole year done to talk piece of dem mind. Who woulda tink that de Mook wanna become a prezzie? That gotta be de joke(r) of de year!

Limacol CPL hailed as greatest investment in Caribbean’s tourism sector

The Limacol Caribbean Premier League (LCPL) has been touted as one of the greatest investments in the Caribbean in recent years. This is according to acting Tourism Minister Irfaan Ali.

“We believe that the LCPL is one of the greatest investments in the sporting tourism sector in the Caribbean,” Ali said, while addressing the opening ceremony of the Park Vue Hotel on Sunday.

According to the tourism minister, 2014 will be a “huge year” for Guyana, as he anticipates another massive LCPL tournament.

Forum

“Very shortly, there will be a forum that is designed to reduce the burden in persons travelling within the region to see the matches all across the Caribbean,” he said.

He added that Guyana will be pushing to stage more of the matches. During the LCPL, tourists from across the world will get

an opportunity to explore Guyana.

The Tourism Ministry has tagged 2014, the “Year of Exploration, the Year of Opportunities”.

“You are standing in a land that has been named one of the finest eco-tourism destinations in the world, you are standing in the bosom of nature, you are standing in the next big thing in the tourism sector for nature and adventure tourism,” said Ali.

Resounding success

The NEW GPC INC has been resoundingly praised for its role in the 2013 LCPL.

In December, the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) presented the company with the Business of the Year Award (large) for its investment in the LCPL T20 cricket tournament.

Queens Atlantic Investment Inc (QAII) was recognised for the acquisition of the franchise for the Guyana Amazon Warriors team, the successful hosting of the inaugural LCPL

T20 tournament, sponsorship of the league under the name Limacol CPL, and the introduction of Limacol as a global brand.

GCCI President Clinton Urling told Guyana Times International that QAII’s achievements have been “remarkable” by any measure or standard when one considers the local, regional and international impact of the investments made.

The Home Affairs Ministry recognising the spike in crime has intensified programmes within the security sector to arrest the situation.

These initiatives include the “I Paid a Bribe” and others that facilitate the use of online technology.

Home Affairs

Minister Clement Rohee at an end-of-year press conference on Friday acknowledged the importance of the Internet and computer security to the national security and the economic well-being of the country.

“Many of our citizens, businesses and government agencies are now connected to the Internet and are using information technology to provide goods and services, pursue educational opportunities, conduct business and maintain social contacts around the world,” he noted.

Security measures

As a result, the National Computer Incidents Response Team (NCIRT) was established and commenced operations last August. It is tasked with improving the cyber se-

curity preparedness and response of the government of Guyana through proactive security measures and information sharing mechanisms.

“Thus far, this unit has been provided with local and overseas training in the development of capabilities in cyber security incident handling,” the minister said, explaining that in 2014, NCIRT will be expanding its activities to provide a wider variety of services for government agencies, the business community and citizens at large.

Rohee went on to say that the online programmes have been created to improve service delivery to the public. The

Positive effect Urling disclosed that the chamber also recognised the positive effect the tournament had on boosting enthusiasm in the area of sport and generally creating upliftment for Guyanese and Caribbean Community (Caricom) citizens.

He said the tournament lived up to its expectations and filled the void created following the collapse of the Stanford T20 tournament.

“No other project, no other investment from any Guyanese firm could have topped that investment that was made by the NEW GPC in relation to sponsorship of the LCPL,” he said. “It was indeed the most enormous investment and far reaching.”

There was also massive commercial support for the tournament, which has never been seen for any sporting event in the region.

He said that the business community was proud of the fact that a local company had reached this level and was now solidifying its place as a major regional and international player.

Rohee says security sector utilizing modern technology in crime fight

Online Crime Reporting System (OCRS) allows citizens to report crime to the Guyana Police Force by using cellphones, computers and other Internet connected devices.

“Citizens who have witnessed a crime or have information on any crime, can use their cellphones, BlackBerry devices, tablets and computers to send images, sound recordings, videos, text messages, emails and even website URLs to the police,” the minister noted.

He explained that those desirous of remaining anonymous are able to do so.

The home affairs minister disclosed that since the launch of the system in 2012, it has seen moderate success with a total of 149 reports received in 2013. These reports were investigated and prosecutions were conducted where necessary.

Then there is the “I Paid a Bribe” website, which was implemented as an anti-corruption measure. Rohee stated that this initiative is designed to allow citizens to anonymously report on the website, on the na-

ture, pattern, types, location and frequency of corrupt actions.

Cases

The minister explained that since its launch in May 2013, there has been a total of 58 reports made against employees in nine government agencies. These reports were forwarded to the relevant agencies for them to conduct their own individual investigations and take appropriate action.

According to Rohee, the police force is now using the Integrated Crime Information System (ICIS) to gain access to large amounts of data from various locations, using the crime-mapping system.

“Crime maps can be used to integrate crime data with demographic and neighbourhood information, so that spatial patterns of crime can be unlocked and areas of concerns identified. Crime mapping will assist law enforcement in allocating their resources more efficiently and effectively; in other words, facilitate a move from reactive policing to proactive policing,” he stressed.

Guyana Marriott Hotel nearing completion

President Donald Ramotar on Saturday visited the Marriott Hotel construction site at Kingston, aback of the National Centre for Education Resource Development (NCERD), accompanied by Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh and other high-ranking officials, including head of the Privatisation Unit, Winston Brassington.

President Ramotar, who toured the building, including some model rooms, was impressed

with the pace and quality of construction on the project.

“It has really set another standard for construction in our country, and we are looking forward to an early opening as possible so that we can develop our tourist industry,” the head of state said.

The Marriott Hotel is on target for an August 2014 commissioning, and President Donald Ramotar said such infrastructure would go a very far way in advanc-

ing Guyana’s economic development, and improving the livelihood of Guyanese.

The Marriott will boast 197 rooms, a large ballroom, conference centre, casino, nightclub, restaurant, a concrete walkway and all other amenities of a worldclass hotel.

When completed, it will provide employment for close to 500 Guyanese.

The US$51 million project was launched in 2011.

APNU calls for revamping of GuySuCo Board

The A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) has once again called for the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) board to be revamped.

Opposition Leader David Granger told a press conference on Friday at the coalition’s Hadfield Street headquarters that the corporation has fallen on tough times due to poor management.

“I would have a board of people who know about sugar and who are committed to running an enterprise along economic lines, I wouldn’t have a pack of politicians there, a lot of political appointees,” he said. Nevertheless, he said GuySuCo should review its labour relations, pointing to the scores of industrial actions by workers over the past few years.

Last year, the Alliance For Change (AFC) also called for the firing of the GuySuCo board.

AFC leader Khemraj Ramjattan said the corporation has failed Guyana miserably and changes should be made from management downward.

“It is time to turn the board of GuySuCo on its head since they do not know what it takes to lead GuySuCo,” Ramjattan said. In the 2013 national budget, government gave the corporation Gy$1 billion to help in the implementation of its modernisation plan; however, the Skeldon Sugar Factory remains a major obstacle.

The life of the current board ended on December 31, 2013 and a new board is expected to be appointed this month.

Agriculture Minister, Dr Leslie Ramsammy, when asked about whether GuySuCo's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Paul Bhim will remain in his post, had said that decision has

Late Chief Librarian hailed as frontrunner in promoting literacy

Late Chief Liberian Gillian Thompson was remembered as a front runner in the promotion of literacy in Guyana as she was laid to rest on Saturday.

Her funeral service held at the Trinity Methodist Church was attended by hundreds.

The audience heard heart rendering tributes from Assistant Chief Education Officer Donna Chapman, literary enthusiast Petamber Persaud and well known journalist Francis Quamina Farrier.

Thomson, 44, was described as a warm and loving person whose joy and passion was to see children read, and to help them in their studies.

This, the speakers said, she did as though she was the mother of the children who visited the National Library.

Thompson of North Ruimveldt met her de-

mise in a gruesome manner on Christmas Eve Day after a car slammed into a bus belonging to National Library at the corners of North Road and Shiv Chanderpaul Drive, Georgetown.

Thompson, who was in the front passenger’s seat of the minibus suffered several serious injuries and died almost immediately.

The impact sent the woman flying through the windscreen of the minibus. She then got

stuck between the vehicle and the concrete bridge.

The driver of the car Odeda Underwood was subsequently charged for causing death by dangerous driving, among other charges.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has expressed grave concern at the number of accidents taking place around the country and has announced measures to curb reckless and drunk driving.

Woman loses leg in vicious attack by reputed husband

“not yet been determined.

He, however, assured that the new team being considered will help to move the industry forward and place the corporation in a better financial position.

Dr Ramsammy said the corporation is currently looking at a different business plan.

He said all of these issues are expected to be addressed this year, with the appointment of a new board.

Amid all of its production and financial woes, GuySuCo has been functioning under the guidance of a board of directors whose term expired in October – one that seems not to be capable of turning around the industry. The life of the board was extended to December 31, 2013.

Dey seh labour pains are the worst kinda pain but me don’t believe that. Me can bear the pain of making seven more children… but na the pain of getting my foot cut out again. Dis is the worst kind of pain,” Kamlawattie “Seema” Lionel said.

The 25-year-old woman’s foot was amputated last Sunday at the New Amsterdam Hospital following a vicious stabbing by her husband.

Lionel was attacked and stabbed by her husband after she refused to reconcile a relationship which she had ended with him.

The last injury, a stab went through her leg. “The knife went through and through meh foot… meh coulda feel it on the other side… was only the knife head you could have seen,” she said.

The housewife is now having difficulty coping with the reality that she has lost a leg. “I can’t accept it, I have one child and now I am a single parent. I am healthy and it is kinda shocking.”

Despite having her leg amputated, Lionel is thankful to the doctors at the New Amsterdam Hospital for their diligent work in saving her life.

The incident took place on December 22 at Port Mourant, Corentyne when she was

approached by her reputed husband after she had just stepped out of her mother’s yard to visit a relative.

According to Lionel, she was approached by Shamwar Approo. “He ask me, ‘Seema you na gone take meh back?’, ‘Seema you na like meh?’, ‘Seema why you left meh so long?’… you get other man?’”

Cruel

But she refused his invitation, something he did not take lightly.

The woman said she heard her reputed husband saying “well take this” and he reportedly started to stab her in her abdomen.

“He pulled out the knife and give me two jooks, on me belly… me didn’t see the knife,” Lionel alleged.

According to the mother of one, for years she had been living in an abusive relationship and had left home on several occasions, but in December, she felt that “enough was enough”.

She told Guyana

Times International that whenever she was abused by her husband, she would leave home for two to three days to stay with her mother. “I would go by my mother and stay there and he would come and hug meh and kiss meh and tell meh sorry,” she explained.

That was the cycle for the past seven years. “Sometimes, he would even cry and tell me sorry and I would go home back. This time I made up my mind though,” she said.

Approo was recently placed on a bond to keep the peace after the couple appeared at the Albion Magistrate’s Court. According to Lionel, since she had moved to her mother’s home, she received reports that her husband was lurking around; carrying a knife and a bottle suspected to contain a poisonous substance.

Police are searching for Approo who has not been seen since the incident.

Gov't blames ‘hostile opposition’ for Muri Brasil pullout

The decision by Muri

Brasil to pull out of its exploratory venture is the latest example of the harm being inflicted on Guyana’s developmental prospects by the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change (AFC) constant attack on investors in Guyana, Finance Minister, Dr Ashni said on Sunday.

Muri Brasil Ventures Inc, in a statement said that “although the process was legal and transparent, this decision is due to the misinformation, prejudice and hostility to this proposed survey by persons and agencies which are fostering an adverse investment climate in Guyana”.

Anti-development

According to Dr Singh, this pattern of “anti-development behaviour” by the joint opposition can be observed as they have repeatedly protested any project geared to-

wards the development of Guyana.

“The Amaila Falls Hydro Project, the Cheddi Jagan International Airport Expansion Project, the Specialty Hospital Project and the Marriott Hotel Project are all examples of the opposition creating havoc with its one-seat majority in the National Assembly, spreading misinformation and driving away investors,” he said.

He said the same anti-development attitude is seen even at the policy level in the chambers of the National Assembly.

“The Anti- Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism Amendment Bill and the currently debated Public Procurement Commission Bill saw objection from the opposition, though neither party can identify any real issue of contention with the respective bills,” said Dr Singh.

The minister said similar anti-development sentiments are reflected with the cutting of the 2012 and 2013 national budgets.

“It is important to note that every investor that has been chased out of Guyana represents hundreds of job opportunities for Guyanese that will not be realised.

Woman stabbed 18 times after telling partner ‘it’s over’

As investigations continue into the murder of Monica “Malika” Adams, 23, of 932 Second Street, Dazzle Housing Scheme, East Coast Demerara; investigators confirmed that the woman was stabbed at least 18 times.

The suspect, Paul Scotland, 27, of Mahaica, East Coast Demerara, is expected to be charged for the murder on Monday when he makes a court appearance at the Cove and John Magistrate’s Court.

He is in custody at the Cove and John Police Station. Scotland was described as an abuser and a very aggressive and jealous man.

Berserk

On Friday, about 19:00h, the man went berserk, stabbing the woman to her neck, arm, head, back and face. The incident occurred at the home of the victim’s mother in the presence of her two children, brother and a cousin.

One of the Adams siblings, Charles Elliot, 16, who received injuries after he rushed to the aid of his sister, was admitted a patient at the Georgetown Public Hospital.

On his hospital bed, the young man recalled watching television with his now dead sister, another brother, a cousin and the woman’s two

children when Scotland rushed into the house and attacked his sister.

He added that the front door was opened and the man took the opportunity to enter the house. He disclosed that his sister and Scotland had been separated for almost a year. Their union of five odd years has brought forth two children who stay with their mother.

He said that the furious man grabbed his sister by her hair and dragged her to the back of the yard where he stabbed her with a knife that he probably collected from the kitchen.

He said he attempted to ward off the man from his sister, but the man re-

taliated by chasing him with the knife.

The devastated young man went on to say that he managed to run into the house, but was again confronted by the man.

Escape

Due to the screaming of the children and the commotion, Scotland retreated and escaped from the scene.

Elliot then went to a neighbour’s house and called his elder brother. The neighbours, he said, came to their assistance and took them to the Georgetown Public Hospital where his sister was pronounced dead on arrival.

The brother related that his sister lived at Mahaica for a while before moving to Dazzle Housing Scheme where she spent some time with her reputed husband before they separated.

Their separation came as a result of the constant abuse that the woman reportedly had to endure on a daily basis.

After their separation, Scotland would try to contact the woman but she always ignored his calls or if she answered, she would tell him that it was over.

This, he did not take likely and threatened to kill her. She never took heed of his threats, claiming that she was safe with relatives.

and geophysical survey following the permission granted by the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) to do so.

The company in a release said the decision was made on December 30, 2013.

The Natural Resources and Environment Ministry had come in for heavy criticism for the deal which was not fully disclosed at a parliamentary committee meeting when the time was opportune.

Study

Permission was granted on November 7, 2012.

“The public should not take such coordinated sinister acts lightly as they are indicative of how little commitment the AFC and APNU have to the progress and development of Guyana,” he said.

Muri Brasil Ventures Inc on Saturday announced that it had made a decision to no longer pursue its geographical

The locally registered company had said it was never issued a prospecting licence or mining licence, but expressed the hope of acquiring the relevant documents to facilitate mining if the study proves to be feasible.

“These kinds of exploration activities cost millions of U.S. dollars which

can only be sourced as exploration investments from outside of Guyana.

“No such investments would be available if the investor is given no assurance that he will be granted prospecting licences. The investor takes a risk. If he or she is not assured of a potential return, investment capital will dry up and so will Guyana’s mining industry,” the company had said.

APNU Member of Parliament Joseph Harmon had called on Natural Resources and Environment Minister Robert Persaud to step down, contending that he had misled the National Assembly.

In response, Minister Persaud had produced an excerpt of the transcript from the sector committee meeting which was held in the Parliament building. The document was produced by the Parliament Office of Guyana.

Toronto-Guyanese mandir donates to hospital

The (Guyanese) Toronto-based Voice of Vedas (VoV) spiritual centre made a hefty donation of Cdn $5000 to the Humber River Hospital and also doled out smaller grants to other worthwhile charities as the spiritual organisation closed out the year on a high in its svea (charitable) activities.

The VoV is led by Guyanese Canadian, Dr Budhendranath Doobay, who has established renal clinics in Guyana to help poor victims of renal failure.

Dr Doobay, at a recent banquet in Toronto, expressed his appreci-

ation to members, volunteers, devotees and sponsors who have made significant contributions over the year to help the mandir achieve its ongoing objectives of service to all.

It was noted that the VoV is constructing a Hindu museum and has already established a senior citizens’ centre that caters to many Guyanese and other nationalities. Plans are also in place to expand Anand Bhavan, the seniors’ residence.

The VoV is also tied to a plan to erect a monument in honour of fallen Canadian soldiers on its property.

A fundraiser was recently held to assist the VoV with its planned programmes, particularly global medical outreach and the Canadian Museum of Hindu Civilisation in addition to the Humber River Hospital that performed special surgeries on several children flown from Guyana.

The VoV is applauded by the Guyana government and the public for its humanitarian activities.

The VoV commits to developing a stronger global care outreach programme in Guyana, including building additional Doobay renal centres.

Guyanese passengers impressed with TravelSpan service

Despite the recent snowstorm which shut down area airports and crippled air travel across the U.S., the eight-year-old Guyana travel agency, TravelSpan, successfully airlifted hundreds of passengers from New York’s John F Kennedy Airport to Guyana’s Cheddi Jagan Airport from December 14, ending the monopoly and high airfares of other carriers.

Using the 767-200 series aircraft operated by Dynamic Airways, TravelSpan was able to leave New York ahead of the storm on January 2, amid criticism from the hordes of expatriates who blasted management for not informing them ahead of time to catch the outbound flight which was rescheduled from 15:00h to midnight.

Stranded

Many travellers who had trekked from across Guyana to catch the return flight to New York, were turned away at the airport and told to return at 19:00h; leaving them stranded at the airport with no access to a phone to call relatives to pick them up. But they prevailed and were able to depart on time and arrive at JFK in record time, despite a stopover in Trinidad to pick up additional passengers.

Their plane was one of a few carriers cleared for touchdown in the snowcovered JFK runway.

Marketing and Public Relations Manager Vanita Jagnerain, who was on hand to deal with

travelers’ angst, vigorously defended the airline, saying it was beyond their control.

Jagnerain, who joined TravelSpan, Georgetown in 2009, said the airline, in business from 2006 to 2008 was on hiatus, waiting for the right time to return to the market, when there was a need for direct, round-trip flights to the Republic. Sold out

She noted that all flights during the festive season, were completely sold out, adding that it was “a testament to passengers’ confidence that the carrier is here to stay”.

With offices on Nostrand Avenue in Brooklyn and Richmond Hill, Queens, TravelSpan is positioned to airlift passengers twice weekly on Thursdays and Saturdays to Guyana, and Wednesdays and Saturdays to Trinidad,

throughout the year,” Jagnerain said.

The company, she added, “is a customerfriendly airline that has maintained strong relationships with customers and the Guyana government”.

That is the reason the airline was able to return to the market “without any hassle” to resume on-time competent service, she added, reiterating that “all airlines have travel-related issues”. She promises, however, that TravelSpan would “work hard” to make travelers’ experience with the airline “as pleasurable as possible”.

Passenger Deowadtie Tulsie from the Bronx, who sat in seat 5C on the inbound flight on December 23, described her first experience on TravelSpan as “a great one”, and plans to continue using the airline.

Natalie Bishop, a mem-

ber of a medical group said she was “pleased that the airline is back in service” and assures that her organisation would use the carrier to fly to Guyana.

Layover

However, Bibi Kamadulin of Queens, who was travelling with her ill mother, was not too happy about the layover in Trinidad.

“I was told that this would be a direct round-trip flight. I like a straight flight,” she complained. Jagnerain explained that the Trinidad stop was “a temporary measure” to accommodate passengers during the Christmas season.

Overall, the TravelSpan crew did an excellent job in ensuring that travelers were comfortable, and even provided warm, white towels to those in the front section of the plane before their meal. (Caribbean Life)

Trinidadian charged for cocaine trafficking

The Trinidadian national who was pulled off a flight on Monday after cocaine was discovered in his suitcases at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) on Tuesday was arraigned at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts for cocaine trafficking.

Edward Jones, a Trinidadian based in Canada, pleaded not guilty to the charge of possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking when he appeared before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry.

Police said Jones was taken off a Caribbean Airlines flight bound for Canada by ranks of the Police

Anti-Narcotics Branch after they found a suspicious substance in his luggage.

The man was reportedly on the aircraft when his baggage was scanned by members of the drug enforcement unit at the main port of entry. This, airport officials related, is a norm. It was during the scanning process that the il-

Man who killed teen lover apprehended

More than a week after brutally killing his teenage lover at Moraikobai Village, Mahaicony Creek, the alleged perpetrator was on Sunday afternoon arrested by public-spirited citizens and handed over to the police.

This is according to a police source who also confirmed that Chris (only name given), a tractor operator, was reportedly evading police ranks ever since he committed the act on Boxing Day.

The father of two allegedly shot 17-year-old Theiana Andrews of the Amerindian Settlement after she requested that he leave her home and never make contact with her again.

Andrews was shot once at close range to her left chest with a shotgun by the man who is originally from Corentyne, Berbice.

The man was apprehended in Mahaicony Creek, some 75 miles from the main road and was brought out of the community late Sunday evening.

He is expected to be charged with the capital offence of murder. The suspect first met the now dead teenager while working some distance from Moraikobai Village.

A post-mortem examination performed on the body of the teenager proved that she died as a result of shock and haemorrhage due to the gunshot wound.

Gun pellets

Guyana Times International under-

legal substance was detected. The man was taken off the flight and asked to identify his luggage. He was then taken to an isolated room where his suitcases were searched, and the 9.545 kilograms of cocaine were unearthed in the false bottoms.

He immediately denied having any knowledge of the substance and accused airport authorities in Trinidad, where he boarded the flight, of framing him. He was subsequently arrested and taken to police headquarters.

The defendant was remanded and the matter transferred to the Providence Magistrate’s Court for January 13.

Man urges magistrate to hurry up with sentencing

Aman who appeared to be of unsound mind appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Friday before Magistrate Faith McGusty charged with simple larceny.

Andrew Gonsalves stood next to the docks charged with stealing a BlackBerry Curve on December 31, 2013 at Wellington Street, Georgetown. The phone belonged to Darran Singh.

Gonsalves pleaded guilty to the charge and when asked for an explanation he told the court “wrong place, wrong time”.

The man became increasing impatient as the magistrate was deciding his sentence and urged the magistrate to dispatch a speedy sentence because he wants to “go down the steps”. The man was sentenced to 12 months in prison.

stands that close to 21 shotgun pellets were recovered from the teen’s body. It was reported that the teenager ended the relationship she once shared with the suspect, seven months ago after she found out that he was married and had children.

He refused to accept that the relationship was over and continued to make contact with the teen on several occasions, but she would most times ignore his calls. On the fateful night, it was reported that everybody was asleep when the man unexpectedly visited the teen’s home and asked her father to see her.

His wish was not granted and instead, he was asked to leave. The stubborn man was left standing nearby as the teen’s father went to purchase cigarettes.

Andrews’ father explained that after buying the cigarettes, he was heading home and suddenly heard a loud explosion emanating from the house and saw the frantic suspect with a gun in his hands.

The father attempted to retrieve the gun but he was threatened and out of concern, he ran into the house only to find his daughter lying on the floor in a pool of blood.

The injured teenager was picked up and rushed to the Mahaicony Cottage Hospital, but unfortunately, she succumbed on her journey to the medical facility.

Sloth

There were some suggestions that because of the sloth in work on the sluice that the ministry should have terminated the contract with Courtney Benn.

Minister Ramsammy noted that such a move would not be wise because it would have seen the extension of the work to the end of 2014.

He noted too that Courtney Benn Construction Services has been a stable contracting firm on the local scene for a long time and has done some excellent work.

The minister said he believes that the firm has the capacity to complete this project, and the ministry will work with it to realise this goal.

As it pertains to the other components of the project, the roadside bridge and the road lead-

ing to it have been completed, though the contractor is still on site doing “mopping up”, Minister Ramsammy said.

The canal itself is 95 per cent completed.

The shaping of the dam along the entire length of the canal is about 75 per cent completed, and, as indicated earlier by the minister, will be done after the entire project is completed, following the settling of the soil.

This shaping and reshaping of the dam is to be a continuous process that will be conducted over the next 12 to 24 months. The head regulator is at the point where the gates are being constructed to be fitted into the structure.

Outside of this, all that remains is the landscaping and shaping of the dam outside the head regulator.

Finance Minister says standard of living continues to improve in Guyana

he standard of liv-

Ting in Guyana continues to be improved significantly while the levels of poverty are on the decline as the country’s economy continues to register strong economic growth despite the challenges posed by an unstable political environment and other extraneous financial challenges.

This is the position of Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh, who explained that the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) administration is extremely proud of the gains made, but has certainly not lost sight of the “struggle” to continuously develop Guyana’s economy.

Dr Singh was speaking during an exclusive interview on Current Issues and Analysis aired on Television Guyana, Channel 28.

He said that all Guyanese must take credit for the performance of the economy over the last decade as they too played a part in ensuring that the levels of productivity remained high by keeping the wheels of industries

turning.

He said the economic accomplishments of Guyana cannot be easily downplayed, noting that by any measure they are “stellar” and “outstanding”.

Growth rate

Dr Singh maintained that the overall five per cent on average growth rate recorded over the last six years is inextricably linked to the development of households and individuals, explaining that the signs of personal development can be found in every nook and

cranny of Guyanese society.

“This achievement has been by no stretch of our imagination an accidental one,” he reported, while boasting that in 2013, the government continued to manage the economy prudently, rolling out responsible macro-economic policies and demonstrating mature fiscal management of resources.

Speaking ahead of the presentation of his third budget under the Donald Ramotar administration due later this

year, the finance minister said that inward foreign direct investment remained strong over the past year with the other coordinates of good economic performance sustaining the buoyancy.

Dr Singh said that loans to the private sector continued in 2013 with all of the other key macroeconomic fundamentals remaining on a favourable trajectory while further explaining that interest rates were on the decline as well as inflation.

“The last two years

have not been without challenge, least of which is the political environment in the country,” the minister stated, while further opining that “this political reality has proven to be a test to our constitutional and legislative framework and a stern test to the work of the legislature and how this work affects the executive…. As a government, we have not been daunted by this reality since it exists.”

“We are unprepared to let it slow our intention to grow and devel-

op Guyana,” he insisted, noting that most, if not all, of the positions adopted by the opposition on economic matters have posed a threat to the transformation of the economy as they were “inimical to economic growth”.

The finance minister admitted that despite the politicking by the parliamentary opposition parties on clear-cut issues, there has been incremental improvements and in some cases, massive advancements in the lives of the ordinary citizens.

26 FEATURE

2013 was a challenging year for President Ramotar

The year just gone by was one of numerous challenges for President Donald Ramotar, particularly in the face of an uncompromising political opposition, but there were some accomplishments as well.

He scored big at the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) 30th congress, winning the majority 886 votes, topping the list of the Party’s Central Committee.

The year 2013 commenced with the headof-state making major announcements, chief among which was a fea-

sibility study for a new Demerara River crossing, in light of the heavy volume of traffic burdening

the age-old infrastructure.

The first LIAT aircraft touched down at the Ogle International Airport that was certified an international port of entry on March 26, and as part of the ceremonial commissioning, the headof-state accompanied a delegation on a flight to Mount Roraima and back in the executive Cessna Citation XLS+.

Ogle airport

The head-of-state was pleased with the transformation of Ogle Airport, but there was disappointment over Delta airlines pulling out from the Georgetown to Miami route on profitability grounds; a rationale the government found unsubstantiated.

The situation, coupled with the suspension of EZJet’s licence following criminal charges laid against its boss, and RedJet being forced to terminate services as a result of operating

nessed the signing of a US$10.7 million land titling initiative between the Guyana government and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for titling of 13 Amerindian communities and demarcation of 33 others.

The land titling process suffered a major setback when the political opposition cut funding from the country’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), Guyana REDD+ Investment Fund (GRIF) projects.

costs, prompted the government to seek alternatives, leading President Donald Ramotar to enter into talks with reputable airlines.

During that period, Caribbean Airlines was granted flag carrier status, allowing it to conduct direct flights between Georgetown and New York, and Georgetown and Toronto.

The government through the Housing and Water Ministry continued its aggressive housing programme with numerous One Stop Shop exercises across the country. The president dropped in on a few to congratulate successful applicants who were on the road to owning their own home.

On several of those occasions, President Ramotar spoke of his government’s philosophy of every Guyanese having equal opportunities and realising their dreams, one of which is home ownership.

Meanwhile, residents of White Water, a small Amerindian village in the North West District, Region One and Kwatamang in Region Nine were also proud owners of their new homes under the hinterland component of the housing programme, a Government Information Agency (GINA) release said.

Some were moved to tears when the president handed over the keys, recalling the conditions under which they were living prior to the project coming to fruition.

The high-level engagement between the government and the indigenous people continued in 2013 when the seventh annual National Toshaos Council (NTC) meeting got under way. Amerindians utilised the presidential grants for income generating projects and were told that more were to be available. In November, funds were released for payment.

Land demarcation

At the opening of the NTC, the president wit-

Karasabai welcomed the head of state when he visited on September 7 as the South Pakaraimas community marked its heritage village celebrations.

Engagements

with opposition

The political opposition continued with the same posture in 2013, slashing the country’s national budget and key priority projects, prompting reactions from all spheres in society.

The parliamentary saga continued with the opposition voting down the anti-money laundering legislation, making Guyana vulnerable to financial crimes. The president considered it the worst form of economic sabotage ever demonstrated.

Non-support

The president was most appalled by the nonsupport for the firearms amendment bill in the National Assembly on March 14 which sought to strengthen the laws regarding the trafficking in firearms, and trading or possession of the components of firearms

Non-support of the bill followed a string of attempts to discredit Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee, whom the political opposition had filed a no-confidence motion against, especially since the protest action in Linden over the restructuring of the electricity tariff resulted in three deaths.

The situation had prompted a halt in the proposed electricity tariff imposition and an agreement among the government, opposition and Region 10 administration for an independent commission of inquiry into the deaths.

A five-member panel of distinguished jurists from the Caribbean led the commission which after six months of hearings and examination concluded their findings.

Minister Rohee was cleared of any involvement and compensation was recommended for the victims’ families.

Guyana’s very best will take centre stage at the upcoming Barbados Music, Fashion And Film Awards to be held on January 11 and 12.

As part of an amazing Guyanese showcase at the event which will include designer Sonia Noel, who will receive a Regional Lifetime

Achievement award in Fashion, hit-making recording star Mystic of Brutal Group Inc, songstress Lisa Punch and the recent winner of the Gold Coast Records Inc Talent Search (held during Guyana Fashion Week) Travis Bowen will be featured.

A team of executives and producers from

Guyana will also be attending the event and will be among the event’s presenters.

The team was carefully selected by the event’s president and founder Ronnie Morris while on a recent trip to Guyana, as part of the team for

U.S.-based Caribbean newspaper names Sparrow, Rihanna, Tessane and Bolt among People-of the-Year

be the most dynamic and leading influential female entertainer throughout 2013,” it said.

The publication noted that Chin is a “reggae fusion recording artist, best known for winning Season 5 of the American singing competition, The Voice. In recognising Usain Bolt, the paper said his achievements in sprinting have “earned him the media nickname, Lightning Bolt.” (Caribbean News) in its January 3-9 edition, the paper said Sparrow, whose real name is Slinger Francisco, is “one of the greatest entertainers of all times. (TT Guardian file photo)

ACaribbean publication in New York, United States, has named several Caribbean personalities, including calypso legend, the Mighty Sparrow, pop-singing super star Rihanna, winner of The Voice reality show, Tessane Chin and the world’s fastest man Usain Bolt, among its ‘Caribbean People of the Year’.

The Brooklynbased weekly newspaper, ‘Caribbean People’, owned by Trinidadian businessman Howard Hughes, also named late South African President Nelson Mandela, U.S. civil rights activist the Rev Al Sharpton, Trinidadian soca artiste Bunji Garlin, sociologist David Muhammad, businessman Conrad Ifill and Howard University acting president Dr Wayne

Fredrick among the top 10 “Caribbean People of the Year”.

In its January 3-9 edition, the paper said Sparrow, whose real name is Slinger Francisco, is “one of the greatest entertainers of all times.

“Known as the ‘Calypso King of the World’, he is one of the best known and most successful calypsonians,” it said of Sparrow, who is convalescing in a rehabilitation centre in Queens, New York, after two weeks in a coma in a New York hospital.

‘Caribbean People’ said the Grammy Awardwinning Rihanna, whose full name is Robyn Rihanna Fenty, is “known for consistently reinventing her style and image, most notably since her third album, ‘Good Girl Gone Bad’.

“Rihanna continues to

Guyana Fashion Week of which he is a director.

The event serves as the expansion of the longrunning Barbados Music Awards, which has featured the likes of Cissy Houston, Regina Belle, Faith Evans, Rihanna, Beenie Man, Vivica Fox, Morris Chestnut and Deborah Cox among

many others, and is one of the most prestigious music award events in this hemisphere.

“I was treated like royalty in Guyana, and made the decision that the favour should be returned. There is a tremendous wealth of talent in Guyana, and it would be my honour to

expose that talent to not only Barbados, but also to the world,” Morris, who himself is one of the Caribbean’s most acclaimed music business executives said.

The event is slated to be held at the ultramodern Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre in Barbados.

32 travel & tourism

Surama village is a small Amerindian community of the Makushi people living in the north Rupununi, Region Nine.

The word Surama, originally “Shuramata”, means the place of spoiled Bar-B-Que (or where Bar-B-Que spoiled). The name was derived during a tribal conflict between the Makushi and Carib many years ago.

The village is situated in five square miles of savannah land, surrounded by forest, hills and mountains of the Pakariama mountain range. The life of the people is in the art and understanding of how to live with nature. It is a simple and basic way of life, living according to the laws of nature. Residents live off the knowledge of the land.

It was only in 1974 when R.F. Allicock and T.V. Allicock invited a group of friends from Kwatamang and Wowetta to join four families in Surama to organize a proper village system that would allow better management for the natural resources including the people.

The village started with 86 persons. This was the beginning of the present-day Surama.

For more information on Surama, visit www. suramaecolodge.com

The Shaping of guyaneSe LiTeraTure

Inspired By Guyanese

By PetamBer Persaud ‘De Tiga’ by Indrawati Flaks

With the continued attention on the cricket career of and recent upsurge of interest in Shivnarine Chanderpaul, breaking records and reaching new milestones, here is a tribute to ‘de tiga’.

This story was written by Indrawati Flaks and first published in The Guyana Annual 20072008 issue of the magazine. Flaks is a writer of short fiction and poetry for children.

The Guyana Annual, formerly published as the Chronicle Christmas Annual, was launched in December 1915.

“Is de Tiga! Watch ee coming out!” Boogsie screamed, pointing to the television screen, jumping up and down.

When someone is referred to as ‘Tiger’, I expect that individual to look a certain way. By this, I mean muscular, light on the feet and somewhat hostile in appearance. The person I observed, appeared to be more like a lamb, meek with absolutely no fight in his mien. This unassuming, bow-legged character, small in stature, walked towards the batting crease with the impression of waning energy. A close-up camera shot displayed a somewhat petrified look on the batsman face. Though not well defined in muscle tone, he was in fairly good shape. While on his way towards the crease, Tiger scanned the entire cricket ground very quickly.

Surely, I thought, he could not be the ‘Tiger’. It had to be someone else on whom the camera was not focused.

“Watch ee deh! Da is de man!’ still yelling, Boogsie started to dance, moving his wrist and wiggling his body, imitating an Indian classical dancer.

It was then I realised Boogsie was really referring to the same unassuming individual and I blurted out in a sarcastic manner, “Da ah de Tiga, pleeease, he look like ee need some tonic!”

I turned to Boogsie with a disparaging look on my face.

I should have kept my loose mouth shut because Boogsie stopped dancing immediately and glared at me. Eyes

blazing with anger, he said in that dreadful, quiet way, “Why yuh doan’t shut yuh mouth and leh me look at de game in peace!”

Calmly, I walked over to an armchair next to Boogsie and sat, trying to stay silent. This was cricket season and I knew Boogsie was on edge. His favourite team had not been doing well for some time and

sions, security threw him off the cricket ground for disorderly conduct. Boogsie, thus, resigned himself to watching the games on television. One of Boogsie’s friends, Birdman, enlightened me that Boogise managed to incite fights at the cricket ground owing to his excitable nature regarding the game. I gathered Boogsie was banned from the cricket

how managed to indulge in matches of our own, quarrelling and fighting over almost anything. We were actually separated for few weeks because of cricket. That was last cricket season. I got so fed up with Boogsie; he sat around the house all day, shouting, “Ketch de ball nah!, Four! , Six!, Dive!, Run, run, run!, Yuh gat ants in yuh pants, Move

Boogsie hoped the fellows would drag themselves out of the slump, but that hope was dashed. Nevertheless, as a loyal fan, Boogise cheered the team on and when the occasion arose, made the most convincing excuses for the team’s sparse success at matches.

Boogise was an ardent cricket fan. Fortunately, he was a farmer so could arrange his work schedule to accommodate viewing cricket on television. Going to live cricket was not on his agenda anymore. It so happened that on several occa-

facility indefinitely.

Fretting over my remark about ‘de Tiga’, Boogsie informed me, “If you only know how much presha dis man deh pan. Sometime he alone does gat fuh mek runs. Is like he cyant get good backup sometime.”

Boogsie’s concern for the Tiger was genuine and I felt sorry for both he and Tiger.

As for me being a cricket fan, well, I was not, until events changed my attitude towards the game. In fact, I used to despise cricket season. During that period, Boogsie paid no attention to me and we some-

I begged him to hold off.

For four years, Boogsie and I lived in marital bliss, except during cricket season. Throughout this time, Boogsie appeared to be under the influence of aliens; I had no way of getting through to him. Whenever I spoke with him, his reply would be inaudible and if the cricket game was not going in his favour. He would grunt, “Shut yuh mouth nah!”

If I thought leaving Boogsie during cricket season would teach him a lesson, I should have considered that brainwave very carefully and concluded that things would not go in my favour. In blissful ignorance, I relished in my thoughts that Boogsie would miss me desperately, telephone me to return home, confess that he could not live without me and was sorry. I waited and waited.

More than a week passed before I tucked my tail between my legs and called Boogsie. “Wha yuh duh Boogsie?” I asked.

“Eh, Eh, gal, me see like yuh gone fuh spen time with ma and pa. Ah when yuh guh come home?” Boogise asked. “Oh jeez!,” Boogsie interrupted with a shriek. “Ee out aready! Me guh call yuh back.” I could hear cricket commentary loud and clear in the background.

For a couple of days I waited on Boogsie to return the call but he never did, so, I took Boogsie’s ‘Ah when yuh guh come home’ as an invitation to return home.

crease, turned, looked left, then right. He bent over, as though he was prepared to bat, but then give an indication to the bowler he was not ready. It was then I realised Tiger was a left-hander. Tiger straightened up, took off his gloves and put them on again. The batsman proceeded to take off his helmet, bent forward to wipe his forehead on his sleeve; he returned the helmet to position. The helmet appeared to be too big for Tiger spent some time fidgeting, trying to position it. His leg pads also seemed to be awry as though the straps were loose around Tiger’s slender legs. Very quickly, Tiger surveyed the field. That was when I noticed the intense look in his eyes. He bent over again to take on the batting stance but straightened up quickly; he proceeded to fix his gloves. The cameraperson zoomed Tiger’s face close up to the screen and I could see Tiger’s dark, round eyes narrowed and focused.

After getting impatient with Tiger’s fidgeting, I jumped up, and yelled, “Wah wrong wid yuh, yuh friken fuh bat!” Boogsie swivelled towards me and give me such a look that I sat down and closed my mouth.

and get de ball!, You really shoulda rest dis season!”

Boogise ate his meals in front of the television. He did not even make the effort to take his dishes to the sink. So fed up I was that I moved in with my parents.

One can imagine the consternation on my parents’ behalf when I moved in with my more than an overnight bag. They were retired, enjoying a peaceful life after being rid of all of their offspring. So alarmed my dad became that he proposed to have a talk with Boogsie, but,

My parents were overjoyed at my decision. When I arrived home, Boogsie was sitting in front of the television, totally absorbed in the cricket game. Somehow he perceived someone entered and raised his head. With a look of surprise, he exclaimed, “Yuh come back aready? How ma and pa?”

Totally disenchanted with Boogise’s greeting, I was realised that it would be a waste of emotion to wallow in misery and be more beneficial for our relationship if I were to become a cricket fan.

Anyway, to get back to the batsman, this was the first opportunity I have had to experience the Tiger’s presence on the field. Impressed I was not. Tiger walked towards the batting

What good was Tiger’s determined look anyway? He will be hammered by the bowler who was half a foot taller and outweighed him by more than thirty pounds. Like me too, the bowler appeared to be getting impatient. I could almost see forbidden words forming on his lips. Fortunately the umpire was looking the other way, maybe he too was swearing for this batsman was very trying on the nerves.

After fixing his gloves, Tiger again took up the batting position, he hit the bottom of the bat a few times against the crease, digging into the crease. He turned around, walked over to the wicket, took off one of the bales and returned to the crease. The batsman took his bat and hammered the bale into the batting crease a few times. He then returned the bale to its rightful place. The umpire walked over to the wicket to ensure the bale was returned to its place.

(To be continued next week)

Guyanese couple return home to open multi-million dollar hotel

President Donald Ramotar and acting Tourism Minister Irfaan Ali on Sunday declared opened the Park Vue Hotel, a multimillion-dollar facility situated at Farm, East Bank Demerara.

Dignitaries including government ministers, Private Sector Commission (PSC)

Chairman Ronald Webster, Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG) President Kit Nascimento and Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) President Clinton Urling were given a tour of the 52-room hotel, which has a boutique, restaurant, lounge and bar.

Praise

However, before they toured the modern facility, government officials and representatives from the private sector praised the owners of the facil-

ity, Robin and Sharon Persaud during an official opening ceremony.

The Persauds have returned from abroad to invest in Guyana.

President Ramotar applauded the Persauds for believing in Guyana’s economy, noting that the construction of the hotel along the East Bank Demerara corridor will contribute significantly to the growth of tourism in the country.

According to him, the investment comes at an important time when the country’s tourism sector is on the move.

Great expectations

“Now is a good time to get into the sector, because we anticipate that there will be many more arrivals in Guyana. We are working on having more airplanes coming to Guyana, and therefore we expect the number of people visiting here will increase,” President Ramotar said as he spoke at the poolside.

Minister Ali said the government through his ministry will be working with the management of the hotel to establish a park to complement the facility.

“I stand here confident

of the fact you will be successful and that the tourism sector is going to be successful in Guyana and we are going to be a rival for many other countries in the Caribbean,” Ali said to resounding applause from the audi-

ence.

He said the government of Guyana will continue to create growth poles and expand business opportunities in Guyana beyond the capital city.

“A few years ago, one would have doubted that a group of investors would look at this area for a hotel, just like how one would have doubted that a group of investors would not look at this area for the largest call centre that will be built in all of the Caribbean and South America,” he said Positive partnership

He said all Guyanese have a choice to make positive decisions that would accelerate the country’s development.

The minister said too that it is not the Donald Ramotar administration’s desire to govern in a conflicting manner, but rather through collaboration.

“He has time and time again extended the olive branch, reaching out to every single stakeholder with the aim of developing Guyana… but we, as Guyanese, we must be positive, we must stand for the development of Guyana, the economic advancement of Guyana,” he said.

He added that Guyanese must come together to “build today for a stronger tomorrow”.

Meanwhile, Webster also used the opportunity to congratulate the Persauds on the “gigantic step” taken.

He encouraged them to place major emphasis on customer service and raising the bar of hospitality in the country.

“Leave an impression that will last,” he said as he spoke directly to the management and staff of the new hotel.

He also used the opportunity to express disappointment over the attacks on developmental projects in the country, but expressed hope that the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) Expansion Project will materialise, catering for the influx of visitors, family and friends anticipated to visit the country this year.

2925 child abuse cases reported in 2013

The Human Services and Social Security Ministry has reported that the Child Care and Protection Agency (CCPA) received 2925 cases of child abuse in 2013, all of which were investigated and addressed.

The ministry also

registered and licensed more than 200 day care facilities throughout the country, placing 207 children in foster homes, 212 in state residential care and 600 in privately run homes and orphanages.

Towards child protection, the Mahaica Children’s Home was

commissioned for girls who have been victims of sexual abuse and incest. The new building was formally opened in November, accommodating 80 children.

Agreement

In September, the ministry signed an agreement to collaborate

with Forward-Guyana and Child Link towards establishing the first one-stop centre for the victims of child sexual abuse.

In addition to protecting children across the country and to make them more aware of some of their fundamental rights, three updated booklets of the Child Friendly laws were printed for distribution.

These were the Adoption of Children Act (2009 & 2011), the Custody, Contact, Guardianship and

Maintenance Act 2011 and the Status of Children Act, Number 19 of 2009.

The CCPA continued to play its role in investigating child abuse cases reported throughout the country in 2013.

National Commission on the Family in a bid to develop strong families, also conducted 20 workshops in Regions Two, Three, Four, Five and Six, aimed at developing better parenting skills.

The ministry in 2013 continued its efforts to cater for sections of the

population who were affected adversely by poor socio-economic conditions and circumstances through the implementation of several programmes aimed at poverty alleviation.

The sum of Gy$9.18 billion was spent, bringing greater relief to the vulnerable and included interventions inclusive of a 25 per cent increase in pension, electricity tariff waiver of Gy$20,000 for pensioners, and the commissioning of a childfriendly home and anoth-

At a time when things are hard and persons are finding it difficult to make ends meet, a church in St Catherine, Jamaica, has started a sewing project to assist members of the community.

This is the reality of the Church of Christ in Succabba Pen, Old Harbour, where a number of lovely pieces were on display at their expo.

"We started to sew pillows, bags, cushions,

neck rolls, blankets, curtains and other items, now we have expanded to pillows, rugs, tablecloths, and other pieces,'' coordinator Hazel Kelly said. She explained that the project, which started last year, has grown and has taken on persons from the community in order to make them earn as well as to learn a skill.

The success of the project has resulted in the need for further training and strengthen-

ing of the marketing aspect of the business.

"Members from the United States will be coming to train about 20 persons to sew and knit items that can be sent abroad, and they will provide a market for us. This can help the church to better assist the community,'' Kelly said.

She said the aim is to expand the project so as to help more persons within the poor community in which it operates.

(Jamaica Gleaner)

2925 child abuse cases...

er for the homeless.

Effective from May 1, 2013, pensioners began enjoyed a monthly grant of Gy$12,500, an increase of 25 per cent while for the first time, pensioners who are on the Guyana and Power and Light (GPL) service benefited from an assistance of Gy$20,000 per annum towards their electricity charges.

A total of 8523 pensioners from Regions Two, Three, Four, Five, Six and Seven benefited from this initiative.

Pensioners also benefited from the distribution of free spectacles under government’s eye care assistance programme, the privilege to travel free on government’s ferries and exemption from paying water charges to Guyana Water Incorporated in 2013.

Over 20,000 pensioners were exempted from paying water bills, while others, who so require it, received a grant in the sum of Gy$10,000 as assistance for the acquisition of spectacles. This year promises to be better for senior citizens as the ministry will make provision for special training for health officials in caring for the elderly.

A great step was re-

alised in 2013 toward moving the less fortunate off the streets.

In October, the Hugo Chávez Centre for Rehabilitation and Reintegration located at Onverwagt was commissioned, and soon the ministry would begin looking at occupancy of the building.

Meanwhile, the Night Shelter in La Penitence continued to provide 200 homeless persons with a safe haven, meals and medical and rehabilitation services.

Programmes and policies to empower women, especially those who are single parents continued as hundreds more were trained under the Board of Industrial Training (BIT) for Single Parent and many more were empowered via the Women of Worth (WoW) programme

Thus far, 1326 women have received loans under the WoW programme, allowing them to establish small businesses.

Through BIT, 447 single parents were certified in 2013, empowering them and raising their living standards.

There continued to be a strong commitment towards the “stamping out” of domestic violence and violence against women

Scabies

By tisha Boston

Scabies is a parasitic skin disease that causes intense itching and a pimplelike skin rash. It affects both humans and animals, but for the purpose of this article, let us just consider human scabies. Human scabies is caused by the human itch mite, Sarcoptes scabiei var. hominis. The female scabies mites burrow into the upper layer of the skin to live and lay their eggs. The proteins and feces of these parasites are what cause the skin to become very sensitive, leading to constant itching and a skin rash. For adults, itching and rash are usually most common in areas such as between fingers, wrists, elbows, armpits, shoulder blades, nipples, waist, knees, penis, and buttocks. However, for infants and toddlers, additional areas such as the head, neck, palms and soles of the feet may also be affected.

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and children. Awareness

The 16-days of activism to heighten awareness on the scourge culminated on December 10 with more calls for community involvement to fight against the social ill.

The Men’s Affairs Bureau continued to work with the Education Ministry in its mandate to sensitise students in schools across the country. They were engaged in helping and encouraging men and boys to realise and fulfil their potential as fathers, husbands, brothers, partners and positive role models in communities.

To protect women and children from falling victim to Trafficking in Persons (TIP), the ministry in 2013 again collaborated with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and embarked on a series of awareness campaigns to vulnerable hinterland communities.

The sum of Gy$3.1 million was allocated by the ministry to support TIP victims. Eleven cases of trafficking in persons were reported and 38 focal points were based in the 10 administrative regions conducting sensitisation sessions on the issue.

In order for a person to be infected with scabies, one would have had to have direct and prolonged skin contact with an infected person. Persons at higher risk of exposure are household members and sexual partners. An infected person can spread scabies even before he or she begins to experience

legal corner

By RichaRd Kistnen, esq

With weekly and monthly news reports regularly indicating that the United States economy has seemingly rebounded and stabilized, one issue has been boiling but left unaddressed. That issue concerns student loan debt. Thousands of students each year, in an effort to pay for higher education, take on thousands and thousands of dollars of student loans. As the costs of higher education, both for public and private institutions, continues to rise dramatically, and employment opportunities continuing to remain stagnant, it appears that the student loan debt crisis could cause shockwaves greater than even the housing industry collapse.

To understand the student loan problem, I will first briefly address the housing crisis of the late 2000’s. Prior to the housing sector col-

any symptoms (i.e., itching and rash). Also, an individual who has contracted scabies for the first time may not experience any symptoms for up to two months, but an individual who has had scabies already may experience symptoms within one to four days after exposure.

A more severe form of scabies is called crusted or Norwegian scabies. The infested individual has thick crusts of skin that contain a large number (up to two million) of scabies mites and eggs. Those at higher risk of contracting this form of scabies include the elderly, disabled, debilitated, anyone whose immune system has been compro-

mised; and therefore, can no longer fight off diseases. People with crusted scabies are very contagious and can also transmit the disease indirectly by sharing items such as clothing, bedding, and furniture, anything that they have contaminated with mites that shed from their skin.

It is important to note that scabies disease has no specific targets; it affects all people, despite their race, gender or social class. Fortunately, this disease is treatable by following certain guidelines and using prescribed drugs that one can obtain from the pharmacy after consulting a doctor. (Source: stanford.edu)

The student loan debt crisis

lapse, lenders were issuing mortgages without engaging in much due diligence about the borrower. To offset the risk, many mortgages were issued with variable APRs and different amortization schemes. When the mortgages close, they generally were securitized then sold to investors in the secondary equities market. When homeowners who could not afford the mortgages began to fail to pay their mortgages en masse, that commenced the collapse of the housing market.

Student loans, much like mortgages, credit card debt and car loans, also get securitized. The big difference between student loans and these other kinds of debt - there is no collateral. With students increasingly taking on more and more debt to keep up with the costs of higher education, and job prospects not necessarily keeping up, more and

more students will leave school riddled with significant debt. If students default on these loans en masse, as did homeowners in the late 2000’s, it may jeopardize the economic health of the United States far greater than did the housing crisis.

There is some discussion, especially amongst bankruptcy attorneys, calling for legislatures to address the looming student loan debt crisis. Whether it is making student loans dischargeable in bankruptcy, creating a modification or forgiveness program, or capping academic institution tuition increases, something needs to be done. As we approach midterm elections, it should be interesting to see who is willing to step up and address this very pressing issue. If you would like to discuss bankruptcy or some other legal concern, please call the Law Office of Richard Kistnen, (718) 738-2324.

This week's Crossword

J kes

The donkey

One day a boy saw a farmer selling a donkey for $100.00. The boy told the farmer he would pay the money if the farmer could deliver it to his house. The farmer agreed to deliver the donkey the next day but when he arrived at the boy's house there was no donkey. He told the boy that the donkey died during the night. Saddened, the boy asked for his money back.

"I'm afraid I have already spent the money." the farmer said.

"Well, then just give me the donkey." said the boy.

"What are you going to do with a dead donkey?" asked the farmer.

The boy told the farmer he would think of something, so the farmer delivered the donkey the next day.

The next month the farmer saw the boy and asked him what he ever did with the donkey.

"I made $895.00 off of that thing." the boy said.

“How could you make that much money off of a dead donkey?" the farmer wanted to know.

The boy said, "I didn't tell anyone he was dead at first. I just put up signs around town that said I was going to raffle off a beautiful donkey for raffle tickets that cost $5.00 and I sold 200 tickets."

"Wait a minute", said the farmer, "you said you made $895.00 but if you sold 200 tickets at $5.00 each that's $1,000.00. After you subtract the $100.00 you paid me you should have made $900.00".

"You're right", said the boy, "But when the winner found out the donkey was dead he was a little upset so I gave him his money back."

Old MacDonald

This week's Puzzle

It’s the final round of the $64,000 question and only 3 remaining contestants are left: an Englishman, a Texan and an Arkansan.

The question is, finish the following song title and spell the answer.

"Old Macdonald had a ____".

The Englishman goes first and says "estate" "e-s-t-a-t-e".

The announcer says sorry wrong answer, but right spelling, meanwhile the Arkansan is going nuts he is so excited he cannot control himself.

The Texan goes next and answers “Ranch", "r-a-n-c-h".

The announcer says sorry wrong answer but right spelling, and the Arkansan is jumping up and down; he is so excited he almost screams.

The announcer turns to the Arkansan and says "for $64,000 what is the answer".

The Arkansan answers "Farm”, "e-i-e-i-o!"

Where's God?

A Sunday School teacher of preschoolers was concerned that his student might be a little confused about Jesus Christ because of the Christmas season emphasis on His birth. He wanted to make sure they understood that the birth of Jesus occurred for real.

He asked his class, "Where is Jesus today?"

Steven raised his hand and said, "He's in heaven."

Mary was called on and answered, "He's in my heart."

Little Johnny, waving his hand furiously, blurted out, "I know, I know! He's in our bathroom!!!"

The whole class got very quiet, looked at the teacher, and waited for a response. The teacher was completely at a loss for a few very long seconds. Finally, he gathered his wits and asked Little Johnny how he knew this.

Little Johnny said, "Well... every morning, my father gets up, bangs on the bathroom door, and yells, "Good Lord, are you still in there?!"

By Charles ramson Jr.

All parents really want to see their children fulfil their potential. Unfortunately, children are not born with an accompanying user manual or a “How to raise a successful/ productive child” handbook. I know my parents, along with many other parents, certainly wished there was one.

This article about parenting is written from a unique perspective that is, from my reflective, a perspective of what parenting techniques worked on me when I was growing up and some observations about the current state of general parenting practices.

We know enough about the way in which the world works today that education and information are more important than any other asset that one may possess. So with all the distractions and changes facing children today, it is not difficult to see why parents become so frustrated with their children.

Parents and “parents-in-waiting” know very well that the job of parenting is a full-time one. As a parent, you cannot call-in sick; you are on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year for the rest of your life. With our increasingly busy schedule, it now means that we have less time dedicated to the job of parenting. Moreover, children today have their IPods, computers, televisions, video games, and mobile phones etc which compete with a parent’s consequential influence. Some kids even have access to one of these items 24 hours a day while they see their parents for

just a couple of hours a day (if they are lucky).

I think that for far too long the rather damaging argument was allowed to gain currency that competition is unhealthy. I believe that parents should encourage their children to compete in every aspect of life. I am sure that all parents realise or would realise that the world functions as a result of competition and that human beings are inherently competitive individuals. Some children dislike running in a race or sitting exams not because they would not perform well but because they are afraid of losing.

My view is that parents should encourage their children to get involved in extra-curricular activities that have some element of regular competition in it. It will allow their child to embrace the act of competing even if only from a sub-conscious angle. Amongst other things, competition teaches children discipline: the discipline to manage their time effectively, the discipline not to succumb to the peer-pressures of smoking, consuming alcohol and drugs, and the discipline to work towards their goals.

Among other developments that I have noticed, the one that concerns me deeply is when I see parents rewarding lavishly average performances. I think it is a great idea to reward children but only reward them when they have had outstanding performances. The problem with rewarding average performances is that it imbues the child with the belief that they do not need to work hard in order to succeed. This is a problem because the system of the world functions in a very different way. The “working world” has a reward mechanism that encourages workers to work harder so it rewards the people that work the hardest and the people with the best performance indicators. I definitely understand a parent’s desire to give their children the best and wanting their children to have all the items, comforts and opportunities that they (the parent) never had. It is my view that the better way to do this is for parents to positively reinforce their child’s success by linking that success with a proportionate reward. That would encourage their children to work harder and to make themselves better.

While I think school is important, I also think it is important to have a balanced upbringing. I sometimes speak to employers who say, “You could send me the kids with the 14 CXC subjects but if they have no inter-personal skills then there is not much I could do with them”. My opinion is that parents should encourage children to focus on getting the basics at school right, that is, reading, writing (which includes grammar and spelling), speaking, comprehension, maths, science, and computer education while still encouraging their child to get involved in other

group/team activities. With that foundation built solidly, that child could branch off into any career direction that they are interested in while still being able to work with others.

I think too many of parents’ expectations are placed on their children at a young age. I always think it is good to push your children and encourage them to be better but do so without imposing your choice of career on the child. There is no career or profession that guarantees employment. There is no career or profession that guarantees a good income. In fact, I know many lawyers around the world who were “laid-off” on account of the global financial crisis and credit crunch.

Yes it is true that it would be great to have a doctor or lawyer or engineer in the family but you must allow your children the opportunity to choose. I know of artists, singers, sportsmen etc, who are multi-millionaires. By contrast, I know of doctors, lawyers, and engineers who have not seen their first million dollars and are unlikely to make that type of money because they do not enjoy their job or profession. By allowing your children to choose their own careers, you (the parent) have allowed your children to be happy with that career.

Finally, I think that parents should make it a point of duty to encourage their children. Make your children believe that they can do anything they want once they set their heart and mind to it. Criticism is important because it highlights your shortcomings, but criticism without encouragement can break your spirit. Today, children face a very different world with many different dangers and challenges. Teaching your children that “falling is a part of life and getting back up is a way of life”, will prepare your children to deal with all those dangers and challenges. Maybe children were not born with a user manual, but the love of a parent for their children could help them to fulfil their potential. (First published in Horizons 2012) Charles Ramson Jr. is an attorney and the son of former Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Justice Charles Ramson Snr, who was sworn in last year as the first Commissioner of Information

Guyana is blessed with an abundance of majestic coconut trees, and their coconuts’ uses are vast and varied over millennia; popularly known for their beautifying properties.

The oldest fossils known of the modern coconut date from what is known as the Eocene period of Earth’s history, which dates from around 37 to 55 million years ago, and were found in Australia and India.

The coconut tree is a member of the palm family, and the coconuts are commonly used in arts and crafts, foods, medicines, oils, condiments and for religious purposes.

Knowing the benefits of coconuts, U.S.-

based Guyanese D’Arcy George and her mother, a medical scientist, founded their business, Crazy4Coconut, in July 2013.

In an interview with Guyana Times Sunday Magazine, D’Arcy George revealed that the company initially focused on hair products, but this soon developed into a line of body products.

“Crazy4Coconut was born after searching for coconut oil that was indeed organic, without the high smell. Our coconut oil comes from organic coconut trees. We grow them ourselves. Crazy4Coconut’s origin can be found in our backyard in Guyana,” she explained.

The company also

started after much prodding from George’s friends. George wanted coconut oil for her hair but did not want the high coconut smell. She then asked her mother to make some for her. When George’s friends tried some they were amazed how beneficial the oil was for their hair and encouraged her to invest more into the business.

All the ingredients in George’s products are natural. She only uses essential oils and not fragrance oils. The reason is that essential oils are produced from flow-

sugar and leave hands, face and feet smooth and moisturized. It exfoliates, breaks down scar tissue beneath the skin and traps moisture in so skin stays hydrated all day,” she noted.

George also uses jasmine oil which is known for its sensual floral fragrance and is used on skin to help soothe and moisturize. According to George, jasmine oil along with coconut oil has proven to be very effective when it comes to hair growth. Along with adding volume and length it gives dry hair a radiant shine.

ers or plants while fragrance oils are manmade.

As for the recipes, George does in-depth research on the ingredients and the benefits for hair and body. She also consults with her mother.

“Then I whip my coconut oil and get to work. When I knew I wanted to start making sugar scrubs, I researched the best natural ingredient then clarified with my mother. Scrubs can be made with sugar, salt and Epsom salt, but sugar is the best because it is less abrasive and can be used both on the body and face,” she disclosed.

Crazy4Coconut also offers a line of scrubs made from sugars and butters, made in turn from coconut oil. One of George’s most popular products is the Coconut & Clove oil. It has a mixture of a light smell along with a hint of clove. It helps with hair growth and can also be used as a dandruff treatment.

“This clove oil is also antiseptic and a very strong antioxidant. Clove oil is one of the strongest natural antioxidants ever tested. It can increase blood circulation, which makes it one of the best supports for hair growth stimulation. The sugar scrubs are made with raw cane

“My main objective is to include coconut oil in all of my products as well as using all natural products. My mom and I currently sell the products online on our website and Facebook. My future plans for Crazy4Coconut is to have an internationally certified product as well as customers globally,” she outlined.

George also mentioned she is happy when she reads the overwhelming positive reviews of her products and this motivates her to keep on developing her business. She now has a long list of clientele who speak excitedly of the benefits enjoyed using Crazy4Coconut’s natural products. For more information visit Crazy4Coconut on Facebook or darcyrcg. wix.com/crazy4coconut

By Regina RodRigues

This is a tribute to my mother Martina Rodrigues- a notable individual in Santa Rosa who is remembered for her significant contribution to the academic development of her village

Born at Cabucalli, Santa Rosa in Moruca on Nov. 11, 1916 to Georgina and Emmanuel Ferreira, Martina Rodrigues was one of six children. She married Eleutherio Esteban Rodrigues at the age of 16 on July 24, 1932.

Martina was the mother of seven children but two died as infants. Of the remaining children, two live in

Guyana with their families and three migrated to Canada where they live with their families.

She is known fondly as Aunty Bissy– she told us once that as a child she was always doing something and was told she was like a busy bee and so got the name ‘Bissy’.

A major contribution by Martina to the life of the Amerindians of the Rupununi and Pakaraimas was the establishment and running of a network of primary schools. Teachers for these were largely re-

among the Wapishana of the Rupununi, while John Quigley worked with the Macushi of the central Rupununi and Wilson-Browne with the Patamona in the Pakaraimas. Martina was one of the teachers who left Moruca in 1952 to teach in the Rupununi.

During a tribute to her after her death, she was described, “A talented poetess, artist and seamstress who was best known for her contribution to the teaching profession. She worked among the Caribs at Red Hill, Barama in the

ported from Georgetown all the way to Achawib and up to this day the machine still exists in working order. It is kept by her eldest daughter, Elsa Barker, at her ranch in the Rupununi.

Martina moved away from her beloved Rupununi to be closer to her children- the younger 3 were teenagers by then. She taught at Dora on the Demerara River in the 1960s. She eventually retired in the mid 1960s and moved to Georgetown to really be close to her younger children who were schooling

cruited from the Arawak Amerindian community at Santa Rosa. Father Bernard MacKenna operating out of Sand Creek was the priest largely responsible for this work

late 1940s, at Achawib Village, Rupununi among the Wapisianas in the 1950s and finally to Dora on the Demerara in the 1960s. Old Santa Rosa folks will remember her witty, jovial and culturally centred letters she wrote in the Catholic Standard. They were likened to the contributions of the late Sister Theresa.”

The school at Achawib, where she was headmistress, is the village at the most southern tip of Guyana – the nearest village and airstrip was 14 miles away. Martina would venture once a month on her bicycle, accompanied by 1 or 2 schoolboys to lead the way, in order to post her letters and receive her mails, which included a much cherished Reader’s Digest.

She sewed her children’s clothing on her trusty Singer sewing machine. This model was purchased in 1953 and was very high end at the time as it had a foot pedal instead of one turned by hand. She proudly had her machine trans-

in the city at the time. In 1976, she migrated to Canada after the death of her husband Stephen, the year before. She lived in Canada quite independently in her own apartment until her death in 1992. She diligently sent off boxes and barrels to the family in Moruca, a tradition her children still upkeep, and she never forgot her roots as she always visited Santa Rosa where her mother and older sister still lived. She never forgot about the elderly and frequently gave away her clothing to someone who admired it or seemed to be in need. She loved going to Bingo where she lived in Canada and every evening she would dress and take the bus to Bingo–even in winter when we might have told her it was too cold and snowy, she just dressed in her warmest – including hat, gloves and boots- and off she went. She was indeed a strong and determined individual adored by all her family and friends. (Guyana Times Sunday Magazine)

Prolific writer Lal Balkaran publishes books on a variety of subjects

Inspired by his heritage, award winning Canada-based Guyanese author Lal Balkaran is penning numerous books aiming to showcase the talents and beauty of his homeland.

Balkaran was born at Plantation Versailles on the West Bank Demerara on July 4, 1953, grew up in Pouderoyen, and later moved to Goed Fortuin in 1970, all three areas in close proximity.

He attended the nearby Malgre Tout Government School (1960-1965) and the West Demerara Government Secondary School (1965-1970). After high school, he taught in the Rupununi for five years from 1970-75 among the Wapishanas, and travelled extensively throughout Guyana.

Additionally, he is self-taught and is a certified internal auditor, fellow certified general accountant, fellow chartered management accountant, and holds an MBA from Heriot-Watt University of Edinburgh, Scotland. He moved to Barbados in 1982 as

the accountant at CXC and then as a financial controller at the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation in 1984 before immigrating to Canada in 1987 where he worked as senior audit executive in a range of high-profile organizations.

Balkaran was granted two awards by the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) – Canada:

the 2010 Arthur J. Childs Distinguished Service in Canada Award for his IIA activities over the years including starting an IIA Guyana Chapter in 2000 and the 2012 Contribution to the Profession of Internal Auditing Award for his dedication and academic contribution to the internal auditing profession through the range of articles and books he has

Toronto, while seven are on his native Guyana.

His fascination with the savannah and jungle scenery of the area and everyday life of the people enabled him to live like them: hunting with bow and arrow; fishing with kunam and traps; drinking parakari (kari); listening to savannah and other tales of kanaima and the peaiaman; participating in their feasts; observing their taboos; eating farine, tasso and cassava bread, and sleeping in a hammock. This is his seventh book on his native Guyana. All are authoritative and timeless publications which have been well received.

written on the profession that have been published around the world.

Additionally, he is an internal auditor and a published author. He has written several books and dozens of articles on a wide range of subjects. Six books are on accounting and auditing, including the world’s first dictionary of auditing published by LexisNexis (Butterworths) in

The long-term friendship he developed and maintained with some of his colleagues in the Rupununi enabled him to direct them to take some of the scenes contained in this book. The author also travelled and explored other areas of the vast region, even accompanying the natives to ‘bleed’ balata at Apoteri in 1972. He also explored the jun-

gles from Awarewaunau to as far as the Kwitaro River and walked for miles throughout the savannah, sleeping at remote ranches, abandoned houses, and even crossing over to Brazil through the Takatu River. The writer’s life in Guyana’s interior was a defining moment and his travels throughout the hinterland in addition to his interests in the Amerindians throughout the Americas inspired him to compile the “Encyclopaedia of the Guyanese Amerindians”.

A creative collaboration

Model and designer Meleesa Payne’s and designer Jason Shurland’s collaboration to produce a line of stylish clothing for men and women at Guyana Fashion Weekend 2013 proved to be one of the most fashionable highlights at the gala event.

The collaborative effort produced a collection of chic ensemble perfect for any occasion- fashionable jackets, suits for men and women and dresses for every body type.

“One of my recent collections, Beach Rise, under my label Expressions, was showcased at GFW 2013. I love working with colours, colour blocking and mix-

matches. My swimsuits are comfortable and can fit any body type. I did some high waist cuts to include pregnant women and mothers, and I also have cuts to suit children. I am grateful to Ms Sonia Noel, GFW’s CEO, for allowing me the opportunity to showcase on the big stage twice now. I was also featured with Jason Shurland who is an amazing young man. He has a very creative mind, and together we designed jackets, dresses and pants for males and females. It was delightful experience,” Meleesa recalled in an interview with Guyana Times Sunday Magazine

For more information on the collection call 2263099.

EvElyn AdA luckhoo

In the matters of truth, law and jus-

tice, there is no difference between large and small problems, nor is there a difference between men and women, for the law does not discriminate between genders, and neither did Ena Luckhoo. She proved this by becoming the first female lawyer of Indian descent in Guyana.

Evelyn Ada Luckhoo, commonly referred to as Ena, was born in New Amsterdam, Berbice on August 17, 1923. She was the youngest of six children to father Edward Alfred Luckhoo, O.B.E. Solicitor and mother Evelyn Maude Luckhoo. Being the youngest in a large family with siblings, Irene, Edward, Lionel, and Lloyd made her completely spoilt, especially by her three older brothers, who were also very protective.

She was a student of Ursuline Convent and Berbice Girls’ High School in New Amsterdam until 1931, after which she attended Bishops’ High School, Georgetown, where she

completed her secondary education. She was not only successful, but passed with honours at both the Junior and Senior Cambridge Examinations.

Even though she was brought up in a prominent legal family, the decision to become a lawyer was not made directly after High School but after deliberating for a few years. Only after witnessing many battles and listening to daily discussions of legal points amongst her brothers, which she found very interesting, did she decide to take up law as her profession. She was articled to Lloyd Luckhoo; she served in his Chambers for four and half years. After this period she was eligible to sit the Law Society Examination, and qualified as a Solicitor in 1949. Thereafter, she joined the Firm of Luckhoo and Luckhoo, Legal Practitioners. At the firm her practice was limited as she did not want to appear in the Magistrate’s Court and thoroughly enjoyed being instructing Solicitor in Criminal cases, pre-

A law pioneer

paring pleadings, Conveyance, Divorce and Matrimonial matters.

In 1956, she experienced what few persons experience in a lifetime, love at first sight, when she met Dr. Peter Byrne, a Veterinary Surgeon from Ireland. Her feelings of love were reciprocated and they married in 1957. Her marriage brought more happiness to her life as she had her two children, Adrian and Denise, to complete her family.

However, being wife

and mother did not keep her out of the professional field. She continued to practice law, performed the duties as Mayoress of Georgetown having been designated to do so during her brother Lionel’s term of office as Mayor in 1955–1956 and 1960–1961 and she also had the privilege of being Honorary Consul for Sweden.

Throughout her career, and working at the firm of Luckhoo and Luckhoo, she achieved significantly. However, she recalls that one of

her most memorable moments as a lawyer was the case in which Noor Mohammed was charged with murder. She and her brother represented him. He was convicted of the crime, but they were granted leave to go to the Privy Council where their Appeal was successful. At the prison when she told Noor Mohammed he was a free man he fell on his knees and said, “Thank you God, thank you Sir, thank you Missus – I will never do it again!” She continued to

practise until 1975, but at this time, her husband Peter was desirous of returning to his homeland and so, they decided to take up residence in Dublin, Ireland.

Her love and husband, Peter, died in 1990 and after much deliberation she decided to return to the warmth of the Caribbean and to Trinidad, since her sister and son reside there. There she leads a hectic life as Vice-President of the Mayfair Ladies Bridge Club and former Director of Harbour View Ltd – a block of apartments where she now resides. She attends the races at Arima Race Course, Trinidad, regularly and is always excited when the horses, in which she has a share, win. At 89 years old, she is still going strong, pursuing many activities and still makes time for her children, 5 grandchildren and 1 great grand.

For more information on women who have significantly contributed to Guyana visit www.horizonsguyana.com (First published in Horizons 2012)

Preserving our heritage through pictures

The Queenstown ward of Georgetown was named in honour of Queen Victoria, after it was purchased in 1887 by the town council from a planter named Quintin Hogg, to protect the city from unsanitary pig pens and prevent the erection of poorly constructed buildings by the proprietor.

In the jubilee year of Queen Victoria, it was proposed by the town council that the streets be named after the queen’s children. However, this decision was not favourably received by the inhabitants of the ward.

Laluni and Anira Streets were named after tributaries of the Lama, a tributary of the Mahaica River. Peter Rose Street bears the name of a former member of the Court of Policy. Forshaw Street was named after former city mayor George Anderson Forshaw. Almond Street was named after an almond tree and Crown Street was named in honour of the crown. (Source: National Trust website)

arts & Culture

An advocate of natural beauty, Aiesha Scotland

Iher art brushes to create beautiful pieces of

n an interview with Guyana Times Sunday Magazine, artist Aiesha Scotland recalled how she developed an interest in art: “after watching the drama crime series NCIS and CSI where a victim would describe their perpetrator to a sketch artist who would visually represent the person. I just knew it something I wanted to do.”

Aiesha also remembered watching her cousin draw and liking what she saw. However, for a long time, the artist disclosed, she had the misconception that art was only about drawing; but it was cleared up when she attended the Burrowes School of Art. There she was exposed to other art forms, which built her appreciation for all aspects of visual art such as textile, painting, ceramics, leather and sculpture.

“I was not always drawing, and only started when I was in form four. Unfortunately, I did not write Visual Art at CSEC. At the time my parents felt doing a foreign language was best. But upon graduating from secondary school, I enrolled at the Burrowes School of Art – and I have no regrets,” the artist declared.

Through her art, Aiesha aims to highlight pertinent societal issues she experiences every day. Moreover, via art, she expresses her personal feelings, struggles or challenges. Lately, Aiesha found inspiration from being natural and things in nature. The artist revealed that she recently made the decision to go back to her natural beauty, from which she finds much inspiration. She also enjoys drawing portraits and realistic pieces.

Presently, Aiesha, also a textile artist and a ceramist, works as a Visual Art teacher at Christ Church Secondary and is happy that she can earn a living teaching her skills to the

younger generation.

In 2011, she joined the Guyana Women Artist Association (GWAA) which gives her the opportunity to showcase her work at various exhibitions. Being a member of this group, the artist pointed out, motivates her to keep developing herself as an artist and produce quality work.

Aiesha is proud that her art was featured at the GBTI Corporate Branch, at the residence of the American ambassador to Guyana, exhibited at GWAA’s 25th annual exhibition of at Castellani House and presently at Castellani House’s ninth national drawing competition.

“There is a need for more local support of artists. Artists also need more job opportunities available to them after they would have completed their studies. Presently, the only jobs that are available are teaching and graphic designing. I have heard of things like textile mills where textile artists could really flourish. We need that in Guyana. Also the general mindset of

A man of many... from page 43

He has also done documentaries “A photo journal of the Guyanese Amerindians”, “Guyana: A Photographic Journey across All Four Geographic Regions”, and “Stamps of British Guiana and Guyana”. Currently, he is working on a fourth edition of his book “Bibliography of Guyana and Guyanese Writers” due to be out in

mid-2014. Of note, Balkaran has been donating books on a variety of subjects including business, accounting, finance, auditing, and anthropology in addition to computer equipment and a miscellany of items to the various missions in the interior, the National Library and the UG Library over the years,

people needs to change. It’s really sad to hear people say being an artist is a waste of time,” Aiesha expressed.

Her encouragement to youths who aim to become artists is to attend Burrowes School of Art where they will have firsthand exposure to various art forms and gain a deeper appreciation for art.

“Without artists there could be no monuments or preservation of our heritage. Artists make a huge contribution to the society and I am happy I am among the few who can educate the younger generation about it. I hope to further my studies in art and one day to teach at a tertiary institution and to also continue exhibiting my work,” she outlined.

The public can view and purchase Aiesha’s most recent work at the ongoing Ninth National Drawing Competition

and in July 2013 when he was in Guyana conducting a 2-day workshop in HR Auditing under the auspices of IIA-Guyana.

Balkaran’s interests are many and can be viewed from his website at www.lalbalkaran. com. He can be contacted at lalbalkaran@rogers.com (Guyana Times Sunday Magazine)

exhibition at Castellani House, Vlissengen Road. Gallery hours are 10:00 hours to 17:00 hours Monday to Friday and 14:00 hours to 18:00 hours on Saturday; the gallery is closed on Sundays and holidays. The exhibition continues until January 18. Admission is free.

‘Money cannot buy me’ - Aamir Khan

One

and says he "cannot compromise" with his emotions as "money cannot buy me".

"Till today, I have not worked for money and that is one of my biggest strengths," Aamir, who is currently on a roller-coaster thanks to the success of his latest release ‘Dhoom 3’, told IANS in an interview.

He has experimented with films, roles and genres galore in his over 25year movie career. From loverboy to teacher to villager and now a villain, he has done it all, but it's vital for Aamir to connect emotionally with a project before he gives it a thumbs-up.

"It's not that I don't need money. All of us need money and, according to me, I earn the least amount of money. I earn the least compared to others and yet I am very happy because I do what my heart says,” the actor stated.(TOI)

Actress Priyanka Chopra says she can romance anybody in her films, so why just talk about megastar Shah Rukh Khan.

Priyanka has delivered two hit films ‘Don’ and ‘Don 2’ with SRK.

When asked if she and Shah Rukh would make better co-hosts as far as romance and comedy on the stage is concerned, Priyanka said, "I can romance anybody, why just him...That is my job."

The actress will be hosting the 59th edition of Filmfare awards with Ranbir Kapoor and is nervous about it.

"This is for the first time that I will be co-hosting the awards, I am very nervous. It's scary and exciting... But if you don't do tough things in life then there is no fun," Priyanka said. (TOI)

Suniel Shetty sets up an icu for dad at home

Afrom a paralytic stroke.

Suniel said, "He suffered a stroke in the first week of November. His left side got paralysed. He was in the hospital for the longest time. But he got jittery and wanted to come home. So we have this in-house ICU setup."

About his condition, Suniel added, "He can't walk, but he is stable now. He is 86 going on 60. He'll be fine. The doctors are saying it's a slow process and it will take a while for his left side to start functioning. I am fortunate enough to have a friend, who is a good physiotherapist. Dad is under his care." (TOI)

John Abraham’s brother, not Sussanne to remodel Hrithik’s new home

Hrithik Roshan's eighth floor apartment in El Palazzo, the building where he currently resides, is under renovation. His parents—Rakesh and Pinky Roshan—occupy the 9th floor of the same building, and they have a common entertainment area on the 10th floor, plus a gymnasium on the terrace.

While his floor is being remodelled, the superstar has reportedly rented a place in Prime Beach, the building where Akshay Kumar occupies apartments on the ground, first, second and fourth floors. Hrithik denies moving out of his parents' home. Apparently, the move is a temporary one.

A source said, "Hrithik will move into Akshay's building after a month. His new apartment is being done by Alan Abraham, John Abraham's brother and not by his estranged wife

Sussanne, who is also an interior designer. She has done up several celebrity homes, including his current El

Hrithik is supposedly allergic to dust and while his home is getting readied, he will stay in Prime Beach. (TOI)

After John Abraham's New Year wedding to girlfriend Priya Runchal, his ex-flame Bipasha Basu too has decided to tie the knot this year with steady date Harman Baweja. Sources close to the couple however told Indian media that the actress’ decision was made before John announced his marriage on Twitter.

Nevertheless, Bipasha and Harman will make their plans official only after his film ‘Dhishkiyaon’, produced by Shilpa Shetty and her husband Raj Kundra, hits theatres. The film is slated to release in August.

Bipasha's parents, HK and Mamta Basu, had their first formal meeting with Harman's parents, producer Harry Baweja and wife Pammi, at the Bawejas' residence in Lokhandwala Complex.

‘Easier

A close friend of the actress said, “After that meeting, their respective parents have met quite a few times.”

Added the friend, “Bipasha and Harman are really serious about each other. I am sure that they want to tie the knot this year.”

The two were first spotted together when the actress arrived at Jackyy Bhagnani's birthday party in Harman's car in December 2012.

While the tongues were still wagging, the two were again spotted at a North Goa resort, ushering in Bipasha's birthday at a pool party. They soon started stepping out together in public and it was clear that this relationship was for keeps when the 33-year-old actor flew to London in October 2013, to keep Bipasha company while she was shooting for Sajid Khan's ‘Humshakals’. (TOI)

to handle triplets than stars’

- Farah Khan

She managed the rare feat of bringing a caravan of 31 cinestars together for a song in ‘Om Shanti Om’ in 2007. Now for her new film ‘Happy New Year’, Farah Khan has been busy handling a cast of six, including toprated actors like Shah Rukh Khan, Abhishek Bachchan and Deepika Padukone, and the multi-faceted filmmaker says her triplets are easier to handle.

‘Happy New Year’,

slated to create Diwali 'dhoom' and 'dhamaal' in October, also stars Boman Irani, Sonu Sood and Vivaan Shah.

How does she manage to handle such a cast?

"Let me tell you, it's much easier to handle triplets and less tiring too," the effervescent Farah, a mother to two daughters and a son, told IANS over phone from Mumbai.

But she was quick to add: "It's six people here (in ‘Happy New Year’)

and the onus is on me to make sure that each one gets their due presence. Each person is important in the script--it's not that only Shah Rukh is important. Each one has a character and a proper role to play and I have to make sure that each character stands out."

What makes Farah happiest about being on the set of ‘Happy New Year’ is the oneness of her eclectic cast.

“I always feel your movie will be as strong as your weakest link. So if I ignore somebody, that's not going to be good for the movie. Even Shah Rukh knows that and he always keeps telling me to concentrate on Vivaan or make sure Sonu's character is coming out well because each character is important," she said of the musical heist, which will have strong elements of a formulaic heist movie and dollops of dance and music. (TOI)

Salman Khan urges fans to admire him from far

Superstar Salman Khan has urged his fans to admire him from a distance.

Salman recently visited Nagpur for the promotions of his upcoming film ‘Jai Ho’ when fans went crazy and chased him, leading to chaos. "I request and advice all my fans to admire me from far because I can't see kids and everyone getting pushed and hurt. If all this keeps happening, I think I should stop visiting cities. I respect and appreciate their love and warmth," Salman told reporters.

common man's fight against corruption. (TOI)

Paris Hilton has home nightclub

Paris Hilton, the hotel heiress designed her Beverly Hills home herself, transforming it from a house with ''plain white walls, no mouldings and wooden floors'' to her dream abode which is kitted out with spacious rooms, walk in wardrobes and

a private party area.

She told the latest UK issue of OK magazine: ''I have five bedrooms. My own bedroom is my favourite. I love my closets. I also love my private nightclub because I have lots of parties in it.''

Paris---who has three siblings, brothers Barron Hilton and Conrad Hilton and sister Nicky Hilton---likes nothing more than inviting friends over to ''hang out'' at her home and uses her club to let people party in private.

She said: ''I love it because it's a lot of fun and it's a place for all my friends to hang out. I had a party here a couple of weeks ago for my brother's birthday.''

Although the blonde beauty may be the perfect party host she has to wrap up her bashes before 2am because the security guards at the gated community are ''very strict'' and won't tolerate noise at unsociable hours. (TOI)

Tori Spelling terrified of divorce

Actress Tori Spelling is reportedly not filing for divorce from husband-actor Dean Mcdermott

Actor Robert De Niro says he doesn't mind being cast in older roles now that he is in his 70s.

The veteran star has accepted that he'll never play the romantic lead in a movie ever again and he is happy to provide comic relief as a grandfather figure instead, reports contactmusic. com.

"That's just life. We can't play certain parts any more. We're playing the father or the grandfather or the greatgrandfather and that can be written in a funny way, so it's fine. But you're not carrying the movie as the young romantic lead - those days are gone," he said.

"I'm hoping that if things work out with digital technology, they can finally make us look younger and I can go on for another 40 years," he added.

as she is terrified of being single.

The 40-year-old has decided not to react to the recent allegations that her husband cheated on her during a trip to Toronto in December.

"Tori is terrified of a divorce. She still wants to believe that Dean didn't cheat on her, but it's becoming impossible for her to live in denial anymore, but that doesn't mean she'll leave him," showbizspy.com quoted a source as saying.

"She can't stand to look at him, but she's terrified of a divorce. The idea of a custody battle literally makes her sick to her stomach, and she's terrified of being single. Dean is her prince charming, or he was. Her world is shattered right now, it’s so sad," the source added. (TOI)

Freeman, Michael Douglas and Kevin Kline in new comedy ‘Last Vegas’, which chronicles the ageing friends' trip to the U.S. gambling city for a stag party. (TOI)

Margot Robbie slapped DiCaprio for real while filming 'Wolf of Wall

Margot Robbie has revealed that she accidentally slapped her 'The Wolf of Wall Street' co-star Leonardo DiCaprio more violently than she intended while shooting a scene.

The 23-year-old actress told GQ magazine that she got a little lost in the moment and slapped DiCaprio's face and said 'F**k you!,' Contactmusic

Vin Diesel is still mourning the loss of Paul Walker.

‘The Fast and the Furious’ star has admitted he is struggling to cope with the ''painful void'' since his ''brother'' died alongside his friend, Roger Rodas, when their car crashed and burst into flames in Santa Clarita, California on November 30.

The 46-year-old actor posted a picture of himself laughing with his late co-star while on a press tour for their latest film from the franchise on Facebook recently, with the caption: ''There was always moments of childlike laughter...We had accomplished so much by 2013... P.s. The complexities of Brotherhood, and the painful void... of it's absence.''

Vin revealed late last month that ‘Fast & Furious 7’, which he began filming alongside Paul in September, will be released on April 10, 2015, even though they were on a break from

Patrick Swayze's widow reveals joy about getting married again

Late actor Patrick Swayze's widow Lisa Niemi has shared her joy about getting married again.

Nemi, who was married to the ‘Dirty Dancing’ star for 34 years, has gotten engaged to jeweller Albert DePrisco, four years after her former husband's death from pancreatic cancer, the Daily Express reported.

Nemi, who met DePrisco through common friends, said that he is a wonderful man and she said yes at once.

She added that she is really grateful for the type of connection she had with Swayze, and that a part of her believes that she will see him again, but she also knows that she needs to go on until then.

‘I

Sandra Bullock has joked about sharing "George Clooney's custody" with Julia Roberts at the opening of the Palm Springs International Film Festival.

The ‘Proposal’ star said that Roberts and her are in a dispute over Clooney, and have talked about sharing the custody and added that they are fine with it, Sky News reported.

Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks were among the actors who cracked jokes at the coveted event. (TOI)

prefer natural look’ - Kate Winslet

Actress Kate Winslet feels that she would rather go bare-faced than going too over the top with her make-up.

The 38-year-old actress says she prefers a natural look as her children, who are her fashion critics, don't want her to overdo her make-up, reported Contactmusic.

Street'

reported.

The former ‘Pan Am’ star said that there was a stunned silence on the set and then all of them burst out laughing, but she feared that DiCaprio would sue her for it.

Robbie added that she apologised profusely, but DiCaprio was impressed with her courage and asked her to hit him again. (TOI)

"I don't like wearing too much. I prefer a fresh look instead of heavy, smoking eyes. My children are great critics. They'll say, 'Why have you got all that stuff around your eyes?' and then I know it's not a good look," Winslet said.

Winslet has a 13-year-old daughter Mia, 10-year-old son Joe, and fourweek-old son Bear.

The ‘Titanic’ star says her daughter is always asking to borrow her beauty products, but she only allows her to

wear a few items on special occasions.

"I lend my daughter my beauty products, but only as a treat. If she's going to a party, I'll let her borrow mascara or moisturiser. She's only 13 and I always remind her how lucky she is to be using mummy's things," Winslet added. (TOI)

Gordon confident ahead of World Cup Qualifiers

Guyanese fastbowler Jeremy Gordon has uttered deep confidence of performing well again for Canada at the 2014 International Cricket Council (ICC) 50-over World Cup Qualifiers tournament.

He made this declaration on Friday when the Canadian team departed at the Pearson International Airport in Toronto destined to host nation New Zealand.

The Guyanese cricketer is looking to replicate his form from the recently concluded ICC T20 World Cup Qualifiers in Dubai where he was outstanding, snaring 11 wickets during the championship. Canada was eliminated though having triumphed in only two of their seven matches.

“Yes, I [am] very confident of doing well for Canada again this time in the 50-over version; I was disappointed that we didn’t qualify for the T20 but we just have to put that aside and focus now on this tournament,” the 26-year-old right-arm bowler declared.

Canada will be among several other associate teams vying for

qualification and to be part of the global event in early 2015 billed to be played in Australia and New Zealand. They have been placed in Group A which includes Scotland, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Hong Kong and Nepal.

The action bowls off on January 13 with the North American boys confronting their newest rivals UAE. “Obviously, it is a different format of the game and new ven-

ues but I think we as a team [are] better prepared for this tournament and ready to make an impression; Canada has done well over the years in this version and would want to keep up the good work,” Gordon, a former West Indies Under-19 reserved player, also related.

Qualification

Notably, Canada had participated in the last three World Cup tournaments, ranging back

and the guys have also shown lots of enthusiasm and commitment in preparations for this major assignment.

On the last tour, Gordon, who plays for Brampton Master Tranzac Sports Club in the Toronto and District Cricket Association Elite League, attributed his personal success to great determination and commitment.

He made his debut for Canada 2011 in the West Indies Cricket Board Regional T20 tournament while several months after he toured with the Canadian side in Scotland for his first four-day and one-day appearances.

from 2011, 2007, 2003 while their inaugural featuring was in 1979 when former Windward Islands player Brian Mauricette captained the side.

According to Gordon, the team is anxious to play in this form but they will not take any team for granted. He believes the side carries a good all-round strength

“I just wanted to do well for Canada; it was a great honour to represent your country despite ending on the losing side but we have high hopes now to go back to the World Cup; in Dubai, I worked very hard and was very determined to take wickets on a regular basis, so I am looking to continue in New Zealand,” Gordon stated.

Earlier last year at home in Canada, Gordon was also successful picking up two eightwicket hauls against the Netherlands and UAE in the four-day Intercontinental Cup while he counting on his experience and exposure for Guyana at the highest level.

Meanwhile, the team will be led by veteran all-rounder Jimmy Hansran, who has taken over the captaincy from Ashish Bagai who made a sudden retirement just after the selection of the touring party. Andy Pick is the new coach having replaced former West Indies batsman Gus Logie who was part of the losing contingent in Dubai.

Hansra via a press release also commented on the side’s preparation camp and declared they worked on specific scenarios for this trip in New Zealand. He is also cognisant of the opportunity that lays ahead with only two spots available for the 2015 mega event. Ireland and Afghanistan have already qualified as the other two associate teams. (windiescricket)

Caribbean Olympians enter NJCAA T&F Coaches Association Hall of Fame

Caribbean

Olympians

Alleyne Francique and Melanie Walker are among five new members inducted into the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Track and Field Hall of Fame.

The decision was taken at the United States Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Convention in Orlando, Florida, last month.

Francique, a former two-time World Indoor 400-metre champion of Grenada, was the NJCAA national champion in the 400m, 600m and 4x400m relay for Essex County College in 2000. He then held the

NCAA Indoor 400m record for two years while attending Louisiana State University (LSU).

He also won the NCAA Outdoor 400m in 2002 before going on to win World Indoor titles in 2004 and 2006 in Budapest, Hungary and Moscow, Russia, respectively.

The Grenadian also competed in two Olympic Games, finishing fourth in Athens in 2004 and won a silver medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia.

Francique, who is an assistant coach at Texas A&M University, has won seven national titles since he began coaching in 2008, including three straight

double NCAA Track & Field Titles.

Walker, who earned NJCAA All-American honours 10 times, was the Olympic 400m hurdles record holder in Beijing in 2008. She has also won gold at the 2009 World Championships.

Walker was also a sixtime Big 12 Conference Champion while helping the University of Texas win the 2005 outdoor and 2006 indoor NCAA team championships. She was recently inducted into the University of Texas Women's Athletics Hall of Honour.

Also inducted into the Hall of Fame were Kenyan middle- and long-distance runner Sally Kipyego and coaches Clint Ramsey and Ralph Neighbours.

"Our Coaches Association is proud to honour the men and women, who by their deeds as coaches and student-athletes have made our sport so great," said Michael Smart, NJCAA Track & Field Coaches Association president.

"The accomplishments of these five men and women have shown how vital NJCAA track & field is to the track & field collegiate and international community."

The members will be inducted at a ceremony in New York in March. (Jamaica Observer)

Endurance meet on this Sunday at South Dakota

The Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club (GMR&SC) will kickstart its 2014 calendar of events on Sunday with an Endurance meet at the South Dakota Circuit, starting at noon.

The pair of Brian Ten-Pow and Shawn Seejattan, who have dominated the Endurance races in recent times are expected to be challenged by Syed Hassan and Afraz

Ally, Shiraz and Shahab Roshandin, while the Ali brothers, Mark Vieira, Aaron Bethune, Anand Ramchand, Kevin Jeffrey, Andrew King and Adrian Fernandes are all experienced and formidable drivers.

As of Tuesday, Full Works, Buy Me Auto Sales and E Racing had all confirmed their participation for this weekend’s activity and have promised to put on a show for the fans at

Johnson’s XI win first warm-up match

South Dakota.

Endurance racing has been gaining popularity in Guyana with an increase in teams and crowd support over the years.

To date, Banks DIH Limited, Ready Mix Cement, Medi Care, Secure Innovations and Concepts, B.M. Soat, Ray’s Auto Sales and A&R Giwanram Printery Inc. have thrown their support behind Sunday’s race.

‘I am not a cheat'

Jamaican sprinter says she researched a new supplement for 14 hours before consuming it

Adefiant Sherone Simpson maintained that she was not a cheat during her three-and-a-half hour testimony Tuesday at the start of the twoday hearing into her doping violation before an independent disciplinary panel at the Jamaica Conference Centre, downtown Kingston.

During her testimony, Simpson declared that she did everything possible, including researching on the Internet for about 14 hours, to ensure that a new supplement that was introduced to her by physical trainer Chris Xuereb did not contain any banned substances. However, according to Lackston Robinson, the attorney representing the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission, the 2008 100-metre silver medallist did not go far enough.

‘Significantly negligent’

He is contending that Simpson was "significantly negligent" so she would not be able to rely on (World Anti-Doping Agency) rules 10.4 or 10.5.2 for the mitigation of sanctions. He also contended that Simpson could not also rely on rule 10.5.3, which allows for mitigation of sanctions where it is established that substantial assistance was given to authorities investigating the case.

Rule 10.4 speaks to

the elimination or reduction of a period of ineligibility and depends on whether an athlete or another person can establish when and how a specified substance entered his or her body or came into their possession and that the substance was not intended to enhance the athlete's performance. Rule 10.5.2 says an athlete's sanction can be reduced if it can be established that the athlete bears no significant fault or negligence, while 10.5.3 allows for the athlete to get a reduced sanction if the athlete renders significant assistance in establishing or discovering anti-doping violations.

Simpson is being represented by attorneys Kwame Brown and Danielle Chai, who are being instructed by the law firm Samuda & Johnson.

She was among

five Jamaican athletes who tested positive for banned substances during the National Championships held in June 2013 as Jamaica selected its team to the 14th IAAF World Athletic Championships in Moscow in August.

Cross examination

Under direct examination from Brown, Simpson said Xuereb arrived in Jamaica from Canada on June 6, 2013 with supplements for her. Among them were Combat Protein, Endura, Fish Oil, Cue 10, Epiphany D1 and vitamin D. She said she was familiar with most of them except for Epiphany D1, a supplement that claims to support short and long-term memory, increased attention span, boosts confidence and improves concentration and focus. It was revealed in

Ex-West Indies ODI

batsman

Leon Johnson stroked a solid half-century to lead his teamJohnson’s XI- to a comfortable six-wicket victory over Barnwell’s XI in the first warm-up game for the senior national cricketers who are preparing to compete in the West Indies Cricket Board’s NAGICO Super50 tournament, starting January 30 in Trinidad and Tobago.

Playing at the Everest Cricket Club ground on Tuesday, Barnwell’s XI, led by West Indies T20 all-rounder Christopher Barnwell, posted 1498 from the allotted 45 overs.

The right-handed Barnwell led the way with 54, an innings that spanned 64 balls and included four fours and three sixes. All-rounder Zaheer Mohamed (16) and left-handed middle-order batsmen Vishal Singh (13) and Chanderpaul Hemraj (12) were the other players into double-figures as off-spinner Royston

Crandon claimed 3-28 from nine overs.

Andre Stoll, Rajiv Ivan and Shaquille Williams bagged a wicket each for Johnson’s XI, who replied with 150-4 from 37 overs. The lefthanded Johnson anchored the chase, hitting an unbeaten 58 that included three fours and a solitary six.

Crandon returned to crown a fine all-round performance, scoring 25, while Test batsman Assad Fudadin contributed 24 and Ivan ended on 14 not out. Bowling for Barnwell’s XI, Hemraj picked up 2-28, while Keon Joseph had 1-30.

The players will be in action again on Friday when the second warmup match will be contested at the same venue.

The matches are being used to give the 26man squad much needed turf practice as the selectors seek to derive the best possible 14 to represent Guyana at the January 30- February 17 tournament.

The Guyanese will

be hunting their 10th regional 50-over title, having last won in 2005 when a Sewnarine Chattergoon century guided them to victory over Barbados in near darkness in the KFC Cup final at the GCC ground, Bourda. Prior to that, Guyana won the title in 1980, 1983, 1985, 1993, 1995, 1998, 2001, 2003.

The 26 players still in contention for a place in the final 14 are: Leon Johnson, Devendra Bishoo, Veersammy Permaul, Anthony Bramble, Robin Bacchus, Assad Fudadin, Zaheer Mohamed, Royston Crandon, Christopher Barnwell, Ronsford Beaton, Chanderpaul Hemraj, Vishal Singh, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Tagnarine Chanderpaul, Rajiv Ivan, Amir Khan, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shaquille Williams, Narsingh Deonarine, Trevon Griffith, Keon Joseph, Raun Johnson, Jason Sinclair, Paul Wintz, Rajendra Chandrika and Sewnarine Chattergoon.

Jamaican Chad Wright qualifies for Commonwealth Games

It’s mission accomplished for Jamaican Chad Wright as he threw 61.54m to win the men's discus open at the Pure Water/ Jamaica College Track and Field Invitational Meet Saturday, and in the process easily surpassed the qualifying standard of 50.00m for July's Commonwealth Games in Scotland.

Wright, who will be 23 years old on March 15, smashed the previous record of 58.26m held by former Calabar High teammate Travis Smikle since 2012 with his first throw of the year.

"One of my main achievements that I wanted to do today was qualify for the Commonwealth Games and just compete and see where I am for the start of the season," Wright told Jamaican media after collecting his medal.

He continued:

"Knowing that I won't compete until the end of March outdoor, so this was a good opportunity to get in the throw and see where I am."

Wright, in his final year at the University of Nebraska, where he is majoring in mathematics, said he will be in Jamaica until school reopens in a few weeks' time.

"I am here up until next week, so I will just keep training until I have to go back to school. School is going pretty well. I am just getting

chad wright. (Jamaica Gleaner file photo)

ready to finish my senior year at college. This will be a massive year for me," he noted.

Wright has a personal best of 63.74m for the discus in gaining second spot at the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championship in 2013.

In 2012, he created history by becoming the first Jamaican to win the discus event at the NCAA meet, throwing 62.79m for the gold medal.

His personal best of 63.74 secured AllAmerica honours and put him at second all-time at Nebraska. It made him the Big Ten's all-time leader in the discus.

Wright has also been doing well in the shot put with a personal best of 18.86m done while finishing fifth at the NCAA Championship last year. (Jamaica Observer)

West Indies women to hold training camp in New Zealand

The West Indies women’s team will have a full camp in New Zealand ahead of their eight-match series next month. The World Cup runners-up will arrive in New Zealand on Monday, February 10 for a one-week camp as they prepare to face the White Ferns in three One-Day Internationals and five T20 Internationals.

The series will form part of the preparations for the ICC Women’s World T20 in Bangladesh in March and April.

“It is great for us that we will have this camp in New Zealand before we play the matches there,” said long-standing captain and wicket-keeper Merissa Aguilleira.

“This will be the first time for most of the players playing in New

Guyanese Morgan, Johnson, D’Andrade start year on solid note

Guyanese Kelvin Johnson and Alika Morgan topped the field in the Bigi Broki Waka 10k road race on Sunday in Suriname to start the year on a solid note.

The overseas-based Johnson was in top form as his off season training showed signs of an improved athlete. He registered a time of 33 minutes, 43 seconds to top his countryman, who is also based overseas, Lionel D’Andrade, who finished second in 36 minutes, 24 seconds.

Chomeynie Pinas of Suriname finished third in the event in 37 minutes, 15 seconds.

The event, which was run across a bridge built in the form of a hill spanning approximately two miles, was a tough challenge for the Guyanese contingent as D’Andrade explained to Guyanese media via telephone.

“It was a tough bridge but I’m pleased with my

Gordon,

Wperformance; I would also like to thank my sponsors Builders Lumber Yard,” D’Andrade said. Morgan, on the other hand, was her usual dominant self topping the female category with

Borel

take

orld 400m hurdles champion Jehue Gordon was named the Top Male Athlete of the Year for 2013 by Trinidad and Tobago’s National Association of Athletic Administrations (NAAA) at the Association’s Annual Awards Ceremony at the Capital Plaza Ballroom, Port-ofSpain on Saturday.

Zealand and we don’t know a lot about the foreign conditions, so it will be very useful to get there early and get acclimatised.”

This is the second time the West Indies Women will face New Zealand Women in a short period. Last October, the Windies came from behind to win the ODI series 2-1 at Sabina Park in Jamaica.

“We played well in both ODIs and T20s last year and we want to take that good work into 2014, said Aguilleira.

“This will be the start of a really big year for us and this will be a major tour. We have the ICC World T20 in Bangladesh and we want to win that, so the time in New Zealand will be a crucial step towards that goal.” (TT Guardian)

Gordon was the overwhelming favourite to cop the award after his golden run in the one lap event at the 14th IAAF World Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Moscow, Russia, on August 15 2012.

The 22-year-old won in a national record and world leading time of 47.69. His victory was the second ever by a local athlete at the global meeting following Ato Boldon’s triumph in the men’s 200m at the 1997 World Champs in Athens, Greece. The UWI St Augustine student was also named the Top Male Track Athlete and was honoured for his record run of 47.69 seconds (29th on the alltime list). Gordon also recorded two victories on the prestigious Diamond league circuit. The NAAA honour is the latest for Gordon over the last week after he took home the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee’s Male Sports Personality of the Year Honour

a time of 41 minutes, 47 seconds, ahead of Llsida Toemere (44 minutes, 31 seconds) and Caroline Marlet (44 minutes, 39 seconds).

“The race was a good race especially being my

first race of the year…it was a bridge race a mile up and a mile down, going and coming so I’m satisfied with my performance because it’s early in the year yet and I would like to thank GT&T who continue to assist,” Morgan told Guyanese media.

Meanwhile, all three of the athletes are expected to head to Trinidad for that island’s half-marathon later this month.

top NAAA awards in TT

little elijah John receives the award for under-9 athlete of the year by the national association of athletic administration (naaas). Here John receives his award from tdc director naidu Powdhar at the naaas awards ceremony on Saturday at the capital Plaza Ballroom, Port-of-Spain. (TT Newsday photo)

and Male Athlete, Consistent Performer and Breakthrough Performance of the Year at the Spirit of Sports Awards (SOSA).

Shot putter Borel took Female Athlete of the Year following her successful defence of her Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Senior Championships in Morelia, Mexico with a distance of 17.56m and also competed at the World Championships.

Borel also collected the Top Female Field Athlete of the Year.

CAC Senior men’s triple jump bronze medallist Christopher Hercules took the Top Male Field Athlete Trophy.

Double Carifta champion Mark London was named the top Male Junior athlete with Dominique Williams taking the female equivalent. London sped to victory in the boys under 20.800m (1:51.34)

and 1500m (4:01.07) at the Carifta Games in the Bahamas and ran unbeaten among the juniors on the local scene. The Zenith athlete also notched wins at the Hampton Games, taking the men’s 800m/1500m double, the TnT Twilight and Alvin Daniel Games. Williams missed on medalling at the Carifta Games finishing fourth in the girls under 20 800m and fifth 400m at the Carifta Games. However, the Neon Trackers sprinter improved her times with victories in the 400m at the TnT Twilight Games. The San Juan Secondary graduate was a member of TT’s women’s 4x400m team which debuted at the World Championships. London and Williams were also voted the Top Junior Track Athletes of the Year.

Carifta boys under 20 shot put champion Hezekiel Romeo was named the Top Junior Male Field Athlete. Romeo took the gold in the Bahamas with an effort of 18.66m. The Rebirth thrower also established a new national junior mark with the men’s implement (7.26kg) of 17.32m. Shaunna Downey (Burnley) took the Junior Female Field title with her Carifta bronze medal throw in the girls under 20 discus. (TT Newsday)

Guyanese cricketers dominated 2013 season in Canada

By RavendRa Madholall

It is safe to say that Guyanese cricketers find Canada a perfect destination to play the game on an annual basis. Their dominance again in 2013 has demonstrated their commitment and willingness to be part of the action in North America.

When the last season concluded, many of them left with some handsome performances and have already expressed profound aspiration to return in 2014, thanks to an invitation from Toronto and District Cricket Association (T&DCA).

Over 20 Guyanese cricketers travelled up to participate in the 2013 season and proved their capabilities with attractive scores and bowling figures.

Former West Indies one-day player Royston Crandon, who has been a steady player over the

past four years, showed his class for Vikings Cricket Club in the Major League. He also emerged as a leading player in the Scarborough Cricket Association competition, representing the championship team, Hawaii Artic Cricket Club.

Ryan Ramdass, a determined opener, would have also attired in the prestigious maroon colours and has come to North America to play in the Elite competition. His stint with Islanders Cricket Club in last year’s tournament was reasonably successful. He featured in Brampton/Etobicoke League in which he registered a double-century at his time off from the big league.

First appearance

Guyana’s opening batsman Rajendra Chandrika made his first appearance in Canada last year, wearing the Vikings’ colours. He said he was over-

‘I am not a...

pre-hearing discussions that samples of the supplement were sent by her attorneys to a lab for testing. One batch of Epiphany D1 tested was found to contain

whelmed to be in Toronto plying his trade and was very grateful for the opportunity to showcase his talent and more importantly play in a competitive manner.

Former Guyana Under-19 captain

Eugene LaFluer was also a debutant and his contributions for Victoria Park Cricket Club in both Elite and Premier Divisions were absolutely remarkable. He stated that he was anxious

Oxilofrine, while the other did not.

Simpson said she went to Google and typed in 'WADA prohibited list 2013'.

"I looked at all the

substances on the list," she said. She then checked the ingredients on the Epiphany label for unfamiliar compounds. She saw nothing on the bottle that appeared on the WADA 2013 list.

She told Brown that

to play for Guyana at the senior level and that was one of his primary reasons for being in Canada.

The solid left-handed batsman scored over 300 runs in both competitions, while he took over 20 wickets with his left-arm spin. His fellow Berbician and another ex-youth player, Dominic Rikhi certainly enjoyed his second stint, having scored a century (176*) for Victoria Park.

Guyanese presence

she Googled all substances she was unfamiliar with. "There was nothing that rang any alarm bells."

Under cross-examination, things became a bit testy between the Olympian and Robinson,

At the moment, in excess of 50 Guyanese cricketers are involved in the annual T&DCA Elite and Premier Divisions, while several players have featured in the first and second division tournaments.

Travis Blyden and Elton Baker had done exceedingly well for Civics Cricket Club scoring a substantial amount of runs while they took wickets and led their team to the next divisions for the 2014 season.

Just before his departure to Guyana, the right-hander batsman and leg-spinner Blyden related that he was delighted to be back in Canada and playing professional cricket. He also mentioned that playing with the likes of former West Indies batsman Keith Semple was a great honour.

Fast bowler Trevon Garraway was outstanding in the Scarborough League bowling with

who tried to establish that Simpson was negligent. He asked if as an elite athlete she was aware that manufacturers do not always include all the ingredients on the labels of supplements.

speed and accuracy in the final for Haiwaii. So devastating was Garraway that he took four wickets for just six runs to help skittle out the opposition for an embarrassing 25.

Some of the other Guyanese who plied their in Canada last year were Gavin Singh, Wasim Haslim, Ejaz Mohamed, Ricardo Jadunauth, Anthony D’Andrade, Harrinarine Chattergoon, Krishna Deosaran, Herman Latcha, brothers Ian and Roy Gonsalves and Trevor Henry. Some of the Guyanese who are living and playing in Canada are Zaheer Haniff, Eon Katchay, Raakesh Goberdhan, Ian Baldeo, Hemnarine Chattergoon, Kenneth Wong, Arjune Nandu, Sunil Dhaniram, Azib Ally Haniff, Glen Robinson, Jeremy Gordon, Damodar Daesrath, Mark Montfort, and Farouk Hussain among others.

She said she was not aware. Pressing further, he asked Simpson if she was aware that supplements could be contaminated.

"I would not know that they may be contaminated," she responded. (Jamaica Gleaner)

GDF trainers begin work with national cricketers

With the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) NAGICO Super50 tournament set to bowl off month-end, the national cricket squad currently encamped ahead of participation in that competition has commenced a rigorous training regime under the guidance of two fitness experts from the Guyana Defence Force (GDF).

The 26-member squad was involved in a high-tempo mid-afternoon session on Wednesday, which was conducted by certified fitness trainers Patrick King and Carl Stephenson of the GDF.

When Guyana Times International Sport visited the Everest ground on Wednesday, King and Stephenson were observed leading the players through several drills, including intense runs and tedious free-arm exercises and stretches.

Paying rapt attention to the work of King and Stephenson and the players’ response to the training were head coach Esaun Crandon, coach Julian Moore and Chairman of the Senior Selection Panel of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB), Rayon Griffith. Also present to observe the

cricketers in action were GCB Secretary and WICB Director Anand Sanasie and Director of Sport Neil Kumar.

Sanasie said the GCB is investing in quality preparation and it would be up to the squad selected and the management team to deliver positive results. He further stated that the feedback from the coaching staff so far has been good and it is expected that the team should perform well during the January 30- February 17 competition in Trinidad and Tobago.

A release from the GCB earlier this week when the two

trainers were appointed to work with the national team stated, “It is expected that all national players achieve a certain level of fitness and the addition of these two specialists will contribute significantly to the players attaining and maintaining that required standard.”

In addition to the training, which will continue today (Thursday) at the same venue, the players are scheduled to be involved in six practice matches, two of which will be day/night encounters at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence.

The first warm-up game

was played on Tuesday at the Everest ground, while the second match will take place on Friday at the same venue.

When the action bowls off month-end, the Guyanese will be aiming for a 10th regional 50-over title, the last of which was achieved in 2005 when they defeated Barbados in near darkness in the final of the KFC Cup at the GCC ground, Bourda.

Prior to that, Guyana reigned supreme in 1980, 1983, 1985, 1993, 1995, 1998, 2001 and 2003.

The first phase of preparation commenced in December with 37 players, but it has been narrowed down to 26 for the second stage, which started on January 3 and will run until January 25.

The 26 still in contention for a place in the final 14, which should be announced soon, are: Leon Johnson, Devendra Bishoo, Veersammy Permaul, Anthony Bramble, Robin Bacchus, Assad Fudadin, Zaheer Mohamed, Royston Crandon, Christopher Barnwell, Ronsford Beaton, Chanderpaul Hemraj, Vishal Singh, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Tagnarine Chanderpaul, Rajiv Ivan, Amir Khan, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shaquille Williams, Narsingh Deonarine, Trevon Griffith, Keon Joseph, Raun Johnson, Jason Sinclair, Paul Wintz, Rajendra Chandrika and Sewnarine Chattergoon.

GDF trainers begin work with national cricketers

James, Ageday enjoying scholarship experience in U.S.

Guyana’s top prospects in Stephan James and Chavez Ageday, who received a two-year scholarship to the ASA College in New York, U. S. A. spoke with Guyana Times International Sport recently about their experience thus far.

James and Ageday are not the only two athletes in receipt of the scholarship as three-time Carifta gold medalist Jevina Straker and Inter Guiana Games (IGG) gold medallist Alita Moore were also awarded the scholarship and are at the college with their male counterparts.

However, this publication understands that while the semester has not begun, the athletes are trying to cope with their new surroundings, environment and training.

“Well we haven’t start-

ed school as yet; our semester is starting in February and the coldness, I’m not fitting too good with that, it’s hard,” James told this publication during the exclusive interview.

Ageday, on the other hand, was a bit more positive about the weather, noting that he is getting somewhat acclimatised to the cold.

“Everything is going good but this weather is crazy. I am

getting accustomed to it as the days go by,” Ageday stated.

Looking at their training, both males were optimistic of their time thus far in the foreign nation as they try to familiarise themselves with the style of training.

“Training wasn’t coming good at first, breathing was hard, but it’s good now; only thing is the indoor running and the turns and stuff like that is hard because it’s a 200 metres track and the bank track is more hard,” James mentioned.

Ageday in his comments about training noted that he is experiencing a new learning curve. “Well training is going okay, I learnt some new stuff but it’s going great, it’s just a bit different.”

Meanwhile, the athletes are required to train no less

than six days a week, but they are enjoying it so far.

“They are treating us good and everything but in terms of competition it’s just higher and the athletes here are better so it’s good,” Ageday noted.

Further, James also noted that they were settling in comfortably at the college, while noting the competitive atmosphere. “Yes, they are doing good with us but the competition here is very stiff so you just have to train hard and I’m getting accustomed to that,” James explained.

It has been just over a month since the athletes departed the shores of Guyana and both James and Ageday noted that they are looking forward to making their country proud on the track while making the best of their academia opportunities.