Guyana Times International

President relieves Health Minister of his duties

Health Minister, Dr Bheri Ramsaran has been relieved from his duties by President Donald Ramotar following the “distasteful” remarks he uttered against rights activist Sherlina Nageer last week.

There has been intense public pressure for Ramsaran to go and Ramotar last week had promised to act. In a statement issued by his office, the President said that current Public Service Minister, Dr Jennifer Westford will now take up the portfolio for the Health Ministry.

“His Excellency, President Donald Ramotar has named Dr Jennifer Westford to act as the Minister of Health. Minister Bheri Ramsaran has since been relieved of his ministerial duties following a meeting with the President,” the statement read. The President reiterated his outrage at the verbal out-

bursts and insults which were uttered by the Minister.

Candidates’ list

Meanwhile, when questioned on whether Dr Ramsaran’s name will be removed from the List of Candidates for the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), Government spokesman, Dr Roger Luncheon as well as Culture, Youth and Sport Minister, Dr Frank Anthony, said it could not be done at this point in time since the list would have already been submitted to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) and the time for changes has expired.

In his statement Friday afternoon, Ramotar strongly reprimanded Ramsaran following the revelation of statements he uttered during and following a public confrontation with Nageer in Berbice. “The statements and behaviour of the Minister do not reflect the high stan-

dards I have set for ministerial conduct nor the public’s expectations of an office holder. It is outright disrespectful and improper. I intend to have further discussions with the Minister on this matter,” President Ramotar said, according to the Government Information Agency (GINA).

Meanwhile, the women’s arm of the PPP, the Women’s Progressive Organisation (WPO) also condemned Ramsaran,

saying in a statement that it was “extremely disappointed” with the utterances of the Minister.

The WPO said its disappointment stemmed from the fact that Dr Ramsaran was a hardworking individual who was schooled in a political environment to respect women’s equality. “Dr Ramsaran is known for his support for women’s empowerment and has always been prepared to provide assistance to

women, especially those who are medically challenged. WPO is, therefore, dismayed that he allowed himself to react to provocation without giving considerations to his manner of speech; his reaction was unacceptable. We know that there are people who would stop at nothing to make others lose their cool in the performance of their duties, but the Minister, who is an intelligent person, should have recognised that and acted with restraint at all times.”

According to the WPO, Guyanese women are no longer submissive and, as such, will not allow themselves to be intimidated by statements that seek to denigrate them. “WPO fought for women’s rights and empowerment in Guyana, but is mindful that rights come with responsibilities as well. No one is forced to answer a question except in the court of law and one can always

choose to ignore provocation and remain silent or be non-committal.”

For their part, both the Women and Youth Groups of the People’s National Congress (PNC)-led A Partnership for National Unity/ Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition said they were outraged by the “cursing out of a young woman at the Whim Magistrate’s Court by Dr Bheri Ramsaran”. They said although there had been similar transgressions in the past, they cringed when they “listened to the recent threats” Ramsaran issued to the young woman. Among other things, he threatened to have “some of my (his) women” strip and beat her “just for the fun of it”. The groups said Ramsaran’s behaviour crossed every boundary of decency. “He has once again demonstrated the crassness and total disrespect for this nation’s women…”

East Ruimveldt residents hurl bottles at Dr Luncheon in bid to break up PPP/C meeting

Residents of Warlock, East Ruimveldt, Georgetown, broke out into a frenzy on Wednesday evening

when the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) took its campaign to the small community, breaking bottles and hurling threatening

remarks at the speakers. It was utter confusion in the neighbourhood, as Police officers tried to ward off residents who were quite vocal in their

displeasure at the Party taking its political campaign there.

Among the speakers at the meeting, which saw close to 400 persons

present scattered around the community’s playfield, were Head of the Presidential Secretariat and Cabinet Secretary, Dr Roger Luncheon and

former People’s National Congress (PNC) members Joseph Hamilton and Gillian Burton.

The crude remarks

continued on page 3

Commissioners say GECOM was informed about “stuffed ballot boxes” in 2011 elections

People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/ C)-nominated Commissioners of the Guyana Elections Commission have confirmed that they did file a complaint with the elections body about possible rigging at the 2011 General and Regional Elections.

The Commissioners’ comments come in the wake of statements made by GECOM’s Chairman, Dr Steve Surujbally dismissing allegations made by former President Bharrat Jagdeo at the PPP/C’s rally at Stewartville on Sunday that ballot boxes were “stuffed” during the November 28, 2011

elections, which saw the PPP/C losing its majority in the National Assembly.

“We, the undersigned Commissioners of the Guyana Elections Commission, note with concern and surprise, the position taken by Chairman Dr Steve Surujbally, that instances of unusually high voter turnout at polling stations were not previously brought to his attention. We wish to go on record as having presented such information several months ago to him and the Secretariat staff,” the Commissioners Mohamood Shaw and Athmaram Mangar wrote.

Jagdeo on Sunday delivered a stern warning to the international observers participating in this year’s General and Regional Elections, to pay keen attention to the events that will unfold on Election Day particularly at the various polling stations. He urged them to guard against the “usual sabotage” – which he said was a known ploy of the People’s National Congress (PNC).

“We know what happen in 2011. In some of the villages, where they threw out polling agents or where we didn’t have polling agents, the vote went up from an average of 74 per cent to 95 per cent. They stuffed the

GEcoM’s

boxes in those areas. We have to guard against that happening again.”

Jagdeo told the thousands of PPP/C support-

ers that they too needed to be “vigilant”, and be on the alert for such actions. “We have to guard against that happening again, in those villages where we did not have polling agents,” Jagdeo told the cheering crowd. “We know they often try to invade the polling stations in some areas in the afternoon. They will make an attempt to storm the polling stations as soon as it becomes dark to stir up confusion,” he warned.

He called on the international observers, among them former United States President Jimmy Carter and his team from the Carter Centre, to pay keen at-

tention to this. “The observers have to pay attention to that, because they will spare no means to try to have political power. They have tried it in the past through the rigging and they will do it again,” Jagdeo said.

However, Dr Surujbally, in a response in another section of the media, said “stuffed” ballot boxes were a figment of Jagdeo’s imagination. He said, “If it is true what he is reported to have said, then it’s a figment of his imagination. I have never heard of that, I have asked my staff and never heard of this accusation before,” Dr Surujbally was quoted as saying.

East Ruimveldt residents hurl bottles at...

filled with derision from both young children and adults did not, however, deter the PPP/C speakers of laying out the Party’s plans for the community and the country at large.

The brunt of the illtreatment was felt by the Cabinet Secretary, who during his speech had broken bottles hurled in his direction. Police had to contain the crowd which was raucous in

their screams of “we want Granger” and the constant waving of the APNU+AFC coalition flag.

But Dr Luncheon, while commending the residents for their camaraderie, reminded them that it was the PPP/C that brought change and development to Guyana.

“The People’s Progressive Party has served all the people of

Guyana, all over Guyana and we come to you tonight and we are saying the same thing to Guyanese everywhere. Give us the chance, allow us to serve and it will be for the betterment of Guyana,” Luncheon said to the jeering crowd.

Mandate

He said in all its 23 years in office, the Party has been renewing its mandate. He said Guyana

was a developing country and saw this level of development only under the PPP/C Administration.

Dr Luncheon noted that the proof was not only in Guyana, but has been sanctioned also by the international community.

“The world had made that comparison. They speak of what has happened since 1992… We would expect a renewal of our mandate to govern

this country of ours.”

In her speech, trade unionist Gillian Burton sought to establish Government’s commitment to women in Guyana, laying out the various programmes that have been provided for their socioeconomic development.

Burton said while the Party was not promising to present these things on a “platter”, it could

only say that it has the process for “you to help yourselves”.

According to Burton, Government has plans of assisting women, particularly single mothers with day-care facilities among other things. She noted that while there was no “picture-perfect government, the incumbent has been trying, and will continue to do its best for its people.

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EDITORIAL

Remembering the message

Former President Bharrat Jagdeo on Sunday told supporters of the PPP/C gathered at the party’s mammoth Stewartville rally that they must be vigilant and very observant on May 11 when thousands of Guyanese move to the polls to cast their ballots.

Jagdeo, speaking from various political platforms over the past month, has stressed the importance of PPP/C supporters not becoming complacent ahead of, and on elections day. He has been encouraging them to do all that is necessary to ensure that they vote, along with every eligible member of their families and communities.

He has also spent much time on the platform reminding citizens of the hardships endured by their foreparents in their seemingly never ending fight for freedom, equality and democracy.

He has called out PNC-led APNU+AFC Presidential Candidate David Granger and ex-PPP/C Executive Moses Nagamootoo to account for their track records, which he pointed out that this bares the true nature of both men, and the gist of their characters.

Jagdeo himself has had to respond to questions about some of the decisions he made while serving as Guyana’s President. On the campaign trail, he appears brutally frank about the realities in which Guyanese live now compared to the period of PNC rule.

He has highlighted weaknesses and inconsistencies in the policies articulated by what appears to be a desperate Opposition anxious to garner votes ahead of the elections.

In other words, Jagdeo has placed the Opposition on the back foot, forcing them to develop a new strategy of campaigning that focuses on policies, plans and issues, as well as their many missteps over the past three years, rather than attacking the personalities within the PPP/C’s leadership.

But his most important message is being decoded by thousands of Guyanese and while some may not have made up their minds to speak with their ballots in favour of the PPP/C, they have understood that the choices they make come May 11 will impact the future of this country for decades to come.

Jagdeo’s style and presentation has been so effective against an ailing Opposition and aging APNU+AFC Presidential and Prime Ministerial candidates that the messages they are repeating appear to be exposing their uncertainties about their own political future and career after the May 11 polls.

The other leaders in the Opposition know that it would be foolish to enter a debate with Jagdeo and win especially given the lack of progress and accomplishments made in the 10th Parliament which was deliberately frustrated by an opportunistic and selfish Opposition agenda, which stalled Guyana’s overall progress and development.

But Jagdeo has given President Ramotar’s bid to be reelected a massive boost energizing support at the grass roots levels of the PPP/C and causing a massive remigration of original PPP/C supporters back to their home.

In other words, Jagdeo and Ramotar together have weakened the AFC’s grip on thousands of PPP/C supporters who felt that the AFC represented change and hope, but are currently feeling betrayed because of its decision to coalesce with APNU.

Additionally, Elisabeth Harper has successfully avoided muddying her image by becoming engaged in the traditional nature of politics which has been crass, dominated by ‘cuss’ outs, personal attacks, below the belt punches and a culture of scandals egged on and manufactured by sections of the media.

Her deportment and commitment to a specific agenda has earned her the respect of many women and conservatives who do not believe that the country’s PM should be vile, bitter, revengeful and a political attack-dog.

The long and short of it, is that Jagdeo has been a very skillful messenger for the PPP/C and has spoken directly to the soft spots of its support base. He has connected in both an emotional and political way with supporters and the results of his hardcore campaigning and trust he has placed in Ramotar would be known on E-day.

Guyana has the capacity to become major player in educational tourism

The sod was on Monday turned for a new Texila American University (TAU) campus at Providence, East Bank Demerara which is expected to house some 1600 medical students as well as modern learning facilities.

The sod was turned by President Donald Ramotar, TAU Chief Executive Officer Saju Bhaskar and Housing and Water Minister Irfaan Ali for the construction of the modern facility. This was then followed by the unveiling of the site’s billboard which provides details on the design and facilities the campus will boast such as classrooms, laboratories, library, cafeteria, student lounges and students and staff housing.

Speaking to the invitees at the event, President Ramotar praised the investors for believing in Guyana and for embarking on a project of such magnitude. According to the President, the direct foreign investment was a testimony of the confidence investors reposed in the Guyanese economy.

He pointed out, however, that the most important factor for development in the country was its human capital.

To this end, Ramotar said that with the construction of the new campus, Guyana can soon become a leader in educational tourism, since high standards at the University will build the standard and quality of the country’s professionals, particularly those in the medical field.

Ambassadors for Guyana

“We will do all we can to

facilitate this rapid development, so that we can become known right across the world as a country that is strong in producing quality students… that will take our names aboard when they go back to their own homes or countries, or wherever else they might venture in life and they will remember Guyana and become our ambassadors as well,” the President said.

Meanwhile, Minister Ali in his remarks said Guyana now has the capacity of becoming a bigger player in educational tourism.

“In addition to Texila University, we have another university that is being built next to the International Convention Centre, we have the International Hospitality Centre that is coming, we have the international ICT park that is coming and we have also negotiated with three other universities in establishing their footprint here… and I believe strongly that educational tourism will play part in our tourism product. We will not

only become a player, but the biggest player in this region,” he said.

University CEO Saju Bhaskar, in brief remarks, expressed his thanks to the Government of Guyana for making the investment possible, pointing out that the University was a dream which was finally realised and will be here for a long time.

In addition to the University, the CEO said that his company planned to build a 1500-bed hospital which will be able to serve the needs of the Guyanese population.

TAU began its operations in Guyana four years ago with seven students, but has now managed to enrol over 450 students from 35 countries across the globe.

TAU offers full-time programmes for Bachelors in Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing (March and September), and other Allied Health Science programmes on a three-semester system with classes beginning in January, May and September respectively.

Parties sign election Code of Conduct

- urged to adhere to it

BY GOMATIE GANGADIN

The Political Parties Code of Conduct was signed by all eight parties contesting the General and Regional Elections on Wednesday afternoon at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) building on High Street, Kingston, Georgetown.

The signing of the Code of Conduct comes at a time when there are mounting concerns about both the language and some of the messages being sent by political leaders on the platforms as they contest ahead of the May 11 polls.

The signing also took place two weeks from polling day with some saying that it will have minimal impact on the state of affairs going forward.

The parties which signed onto the Code of Conduct were the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC), The United Force (TUF), the Healing the Nation Theocracy Party, the United Republican Party, the Independent Party, the National

Independent Party and the Organisation of the Victory of the People Party.

Delivering the key remarks was Chairman of the Commission, Dr Steve Surujbally who told the parties that the event was of historic proportion, while noting that the document would serve as a reinforcement of the desire of having political maturity.

“Today we have come together to create another red letter day. Notwithstanding the fact that we have carried out a similar exercise as a preparation for the 2011 General and Regional elections, we must recognise today also as an occasion of historic proportions; a day which will be long remembered by the political analysts of our country; a day which reflects the reinforcement of the desire to exhibit political maturity. This day begins the process in which political differences are consciously cast aside,” he told the parties.

Dr Surujbally told the representative that by placing their signatures on the document, they are in effect, placing the nation first, stating that

“you are demonstrating your willingness, your preparedness, your commitment to adhere to the rules of the Code of Conduct.”

According to Chairman, while the document might be a late in coming, given the fact that elections are mere days away, decency did not have an expiry date and the document served to ensure that that decency is maintained explicitly expressing that the document must be seen as the “holy grail of campaigning.” He said that the Political Parties’ Code of Conduct sig-

nalled the path to a free, fair and credible election.

Further, Surujbally told the leaders of the parties that the document was not born out of an illusion or by a flight by night process, but was rather, out of the need for such a document to monitor the campaigning activities of the parties and it was the “right and correct” thing to do. According to him, the signing to the document has now elevated all to a moral high ground, since the Code could not be faulted and it was not a punitive one. “It is very straight forward… peace

and order, compliance with electoral laws and respect for the parties and the electorate are of paramount importance… GECOM must not be placed in a position to manage elections in an environment of hostility and unnecessary vulgarity. We are here to heal,” he said.

Meanwhile, the British High Commissioner to Guyana, Greg Quinn; US Charge d’ Affaires to Guyana, Bryan Hunt and Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana, Dr Nicole Giles all praised the move

by the parties and by GECOM to have the official signing onto the Code of Conduct. They noted that they expect that the campaigns will now be more focused on issues and not on personalities in the Opposite camp.

“We expect all of the political parties to live up to the Code of Conduct which they have signed onto. We expect them to uphold those standards,” Hunt said.

The diplomatic community has been calling for the political parties to sign onto the code for weeks now.

PPP/C Manifesto shows continued commitment to move Guyana forward

Dear Editor, Now that the PPP/C has launched its Manifesto, it is clear that there is only one political choice heading into the May 11 General and Regional Elections, and by now the PNC-led APNU/AFC should realize that their chances of winning the elections and taking Guyana backwards are getting dimmer and dimmer as it gets closer to May 11.

The PPP/C Manifesto has shown that the Government is committed to moving Guyana forward in all aspects and to improve the lives of all Guyanese.

The signs are already forthcoming that the Valentine’s day marriage between APNU and AFC is heading for a bitter break up.

Moses Nagamootoo is expressing his intentions of stripping his man on top, David Granger, of some of his powers should the power hungry coalition win the elections.

Of course, at this crucial juncture of the APNU/AFC love affair, the man of the house Granger will agree to anything Moses Nagamootoo throws at him, but after May 11 when the marriage be-

comes sour and Granger does not honour the socalled Cummingsburg Accord, only then Nagamootoo will realize that his partner is unfaithful to their union.

Mr Granger is a diehard product of the PNC and cannot be trusted on any promise he makes.

It would be advisable that Moses Nagamootoo keep all the evidence of their Valentine’s Day marriage, including any gown worn that day, because I’m sure it will be needed after May 11 when their case will attract the attentions of the divorce court.

Suresh Silas

I support speaking out against abuse coming from a high level official

Dear Editor,

The Humanitarian Mission of the New Jersey Arya Samaj condemns the recent incident with the Minister of Health that took place at Whim Village recently.

I would like to support President Donald Ramotar, the many Ministers and the diplomatic community in speaking out against abuse coming from a Minister of Government and moreso a high ranking official.

Such acts must at all times be condemned and dealt with accordingly. The Government and many NGOs have implemented programmes on violence and abuse to help the citizens of Guyana.

I know that the woman may have been wrong

in what she did, but moreso as a Minister he should have known better and should never bring himself down to that level. I hope that the President and others in authority will put an end to this. Many have suffered from this kind of abuse and it went under the carpet for too long. An incident of this nature could have happened in Trinidad, the United States or elsewhere, but the government official would have been fired or asked to resign on the spot.

As members of our community it’s time we speak up against such distasteful acts. Many women have suffered in various kinds of abuse and I hope what happened here will bring an

end to verbal or any other kind of abuse coming from a high ranking official.

I hope President Ramotar will deal this and send a message that his Administration has no room and is zero-tolerant where abuse of its female citizens of Guyana is concerned.

We have gone a far way with education of our womenfolk in Guyana and standing up for their rights. We need to respect each other and work in harmony and love for a better Guyana.

Pandit Suresh Sugrim President Humanitarian

Mission

New Jersey Arya Samaj

The key to progress is to grow the economy, create wealth

Dear Editor,

The Manifesto of the PPP/C is now in the public domain. The other political parties are still to make their manifestos public even though we are just two weeks away from elections day.

It is interesting to see what the Opposition parties more particularly the APNU-AFC would come up with to match what is clearly a well articulated, coherent and forwardlooking Manifesto presented to the electorate by the incumbent PPP/C. It is without doubt a blue print for the continued development of Guyana with the overarching goal of modernising the economy and laying the foundations for sustained eco-

nomic growth and development.

The key to progress of any country is to grow the economy and create wealth. The continued and sustained growth of the economy will allow for more resources to be put in the social sectors such as education, health, housing and water which are key ingredients for a bright and secure future.

This Manifesto builds on the solid foundation already laid by the PPP/C administration and will allow for economic takeoff to much higher altitudes in the horizon of economic growth and development.

According to the Rostow theory of economic growth, as the founda-

APNU-AFC ‘leaked’ Manifesto lacks substance

Dear Editor, The APNU-AFC Manifesto demonstrates a lack of an integrated approach to Governance and economic stimulus. There are no significant infusions of new ideas that can stimulate further growth of our nation.

It seemed like someone developed a “laundry list” of items under key headings in order to present a plan for the 2015 election.

The PPP/C has revealed its Manifesto, which includes building on the foundation established in infrastructure

to include the paving of the road to Brazil and the completion of a deep water harbour, in addition to significant additional road corridors connecting the East Bank to the East Coast.

The APNU-AFC Manifesto states that they will alleviate poverty by rapid growth, but failed to list a single programme that can accomplish a measurable result.

Compare that to the new jobs that the PPP/C has outlined in its Version 2.0, such as the technology centres,

which have already seen thousands of real jobs created and an additional 5000 to be realized throughout all regions, to new jobs in the transport and maritime areas, such as the deep water harbour and additional areas in manufacturing of value-added products in the rice and sugar industries.

The APNU-AFC Manifesto seems to be written as a research paper, not as a plan to continue to develop our nation to the next level.

Dr Peter Ramsaroop

Heed the lessons of history so as not to repeat them

Dear Editor, History is a very important discipline and every major university in the world offers a degree in history. As a post graduate student of history, the subject of which I earned one of my doctorates, I learn that the past is a predictor of the present and the future.

The past is a continuum of the present and of the future. The past cannot be separated from the present. One studies the lessons and history of the past so as not to repeat errors, mistakes and atrocities. So why would anyone call on the Guyanese population, young people in particular, to forget the past?

And why do these politicians want us to forget some aspects of history? Some people have selective amnesia. What is there so terrible about our past that some (political) people want us to forget it? Why do they feel the past is irrelevant?

tions for development are laid and consolidated, it becomes easier for the economy to take off since the initial inertia of economic stagnation would be minimised.

The PPP/C has over the years managed to change the dynamics of the economy from one of stagnation and retrogression to a forward trajectory. The economy experienced positive growth rates for nine consecutive years despite a harsh international environment and a hostile political Opposition.

This is why it is so important to ensure that there is a continuation of the economic policies of the PPP/C administration.

Hydar Ally

David Granger is a historian, like myself, and he produced a journal. Does he believe that the past is unimportant? One can readily forgive those who were involved in past transgressions and who were involved in our ethnic or political persecution.

And yes there should

be forgiveness and perhaps closure on experiences of the past providing those who committed atrocities first expressed remorse and contrition for their wrongdoings. But it is impossible to erase terrible experiences, history, from our memory.

Forgive, but never forget so as not to repeat the horrific experiences of the past.

It is some mad people idiosyncrasy and misguided obsession to bury the past for a desired objective. Political power! Also, why the desperate efforts in fabricating the history of abuses during the ethnic dictatorship? History will not be rewritten in spite of revisionist efforts.

Would the Jews forget the holocaust? Would Africans forget slavery? Would Indians, Chinese and Portuguese forget indentureship? Would Amerindians forget their genocide from European introduced diseases and physical abuses? Will the Irish in America forget the history of their indentureship? Never, they always bring it up.

So why should Guyanese be called upon to forget their history? And if we are going to forget our history, why then even bother to write it or study it as a major discipline for a degree? I have spent considerable amount of my time and resources to write aspects of the history of Guyanese in America. Did I waste my time penning this history?

The transgressors of human rights should express remorse and contrition before there can be any forgiveness. The advocates of ignoring history need to go back to school to learn some of the critical lessons of history. They should read George Santayana’s work on the critical importance of history.

What a shame! Historians have penned our history based on facts and now there are those pseudo-intellectuals and political opportunists who want to demolish the history by calling on the youths to ignore history and to accept myth. Those who forget or refuse to heed the lessons of history are doomed to repeat it.

Would the Italians forget the history of their experiences of prejudice when they came to America? No, they always reminded the American nation of their bitter experiences at the hands of other ethnic groups who came before them.

Vishnu Bisram

What Dr Ramsaran did cannot be condoned

Dear Editor, When Sherlina Nageer approached Health Minister Dr Bheri Ramsaran at Whim, she was there asking questions about the healthcare system in Guyana. If she was so concerned about getting the Minister to answer her questions, she would

have asked a question and wait for an answer. What I saw on the video was a protester who was firing question after question and not giving the Minister an opportunity to respond.

This got Dr Ramsaran very irate, which elicited an unsavory reply. The funny thing about con-

stant badgering or pestering is that the person so affected can easily lose his or her cool. But it does not matter how serious the attack, what Dr Ramsaran did cannot be condoned and as such he must be chided him for his actions.

Neil Adams

Progress could be seen everywhere …Jagdeo tells Windsor Forest residents

With less than two weeks before the May 11 General and Regional Elections, the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) has upped its campaigning activities, this time taking its meeting to Windsor Forest, West Coast Demerara.

In his near-hour long address, former President Bharrat Jagdeo told residents that if they look around, they would see progress that was only possible under the PPP/C Administration. “Progress is everywhere,” he thundered while reflecting upon the many developmental projects that the incumbent Party has under-

taken during its time in office. He mentioned the recently commissioned state-of- the art synthetic track at Leonora, WCD, as well as the many housing schemes that Government built not only in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) but across the entire country. He noted that this housing drive has seen many Guyanese owning their own homes.

Jagdeo urged the West Demerara residents to further encourage the country’s development by voting the PPP/C back into office so that it could continue to work and develop Guyana into a developed country. “We don’t have to work to make it

like the US, we have to work to make it better than the US,” he stated. On this note, the former President admitted that the PPP/C was not perfect and recognised the need for improvements. He noted that Guyanese accepted the PPP/C as a family and family stick together. Track record

“We need to come out and listen to our people … We’re not perfect but we have a good track record to prove … We are a family … support the PPP and encourage your neighbours to vote… this is a family affair,” Jagdeo declared.

The former President went on to talk about the Opposition’s promises to foster development,

pointing out that it had no grounded vision. “Their manifesto says that they’ll improve the country within the first 100 years…their plans are for the far future,” Jagdeo highlighted. He further accused the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR)-led A Partnership for National Unity- Alliance For Change (APNU-AFC) of plagiarism, saying “75 per cent of their manifesto comes from documents that we (the PPP/C) have published. We have noted large excerpts of their manifesto to be direct copies of these documents,” he alleged.

Furthermore, Jagdeo remarked that there were Opposition ele-

ments who were inciting race hate and racism. He further stated that “Stabroek and Kaieteur News have become the open Opposition”, and seem to be on a mission to destroy the PPP/C’s reputation through false and malicious advertising.

According to Jagdeo,

these media houses no longer need ads from the Opposition alliance but generate their own, in attempts to disparage the ruling party.

Other speakers at the meeting included PPP/ C’s General Secretary Clement Rohee and Executive Member of Party, Irfaan Ali.

APNU/ AFC urges Albouystown residents to vote for change

With less than two weeks before the May 11 General and Regional Elections, A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) coalition continued with its countrywide campaigning activities.

On Tuesday, the Opposition alliance went into one of their strong-hold communities, Albouystown, where residents were told that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) had failed to address the unemployment woes the country is facing despite being in office for 23 consecutive years.

This was echoed by People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) Secretary of the Georgetown District, Shondel Hope. She told the hundred plus gathering on James Street, Albouystown, that the fate of a nation can be decided in one decision. Hope said to resounding applause from the gathering that it is time; time for equal opportunities, time for youth

development, time for security among other important issues.

However, during her address, Hope spoke extensively on the shortage of jobs which she said has left many young people frustrated and desperate. She added that this has also resulted into the spiralling of crime in the country.

According to the PNCR member, the Government ministries conducted short term training courses but fail to deal adequately with the issue of unemployment. Hope pointed out that the APNU/AFC intends to deal with the lack of job opportunities and poor education sector.

On this note, she referred to the millions of dollars that were spent to build the Marriott Hotel that could have otherwise been put into the education sector and the failing health sector. Hope mentioned too that Guyanese could not have gained employment from the project.

Furthermore, the PNCR member stated

that the Opposition alliance plans to prepare the country’s youths for long-term employment through vocational institutes that it intends to build in all 10 administrative regions.

“We will invest in our youth and provide opportunities for them to develop this country,” she stated. Hope told the gathering that they should not vote for a party that is responsible for the employment crisis that the country is currently facing.

“In 1992, the PPP asked you for a chance but this historic coalition will not ask you for a chance; this is not a raffle! We are asking you to give us the privilege to serve you and develop the country,” she stated.

Meanwhile, AFC Executive Michael Carrington, called on the residents to play their part in getting the incumbent party out of Government. He urged them that in addition to going out and vote, they should also get their neighbours, friends and family to vote and do so for a government that

will bring about change, that is, the APNU/AFC alliance.

“If one party is doing nonsense, you change them… I will not take nonsense from any leader and you should not either,” he stated. Carrington pointed out that despite Guyana being filled with raw ma-

terials and minerals; it is still poor because the PPP/C Government lacks vision. He said that APNU/ AFC’s Presidential Candidate and Prime Ministerial Candidate David Granger and Moses Nagamootoo have joined forces because they have had

enough. Also speaking at the public meeting was Richard Van WestCharles, who is the son-in-law of late former President and PNC founder Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham. Van West-Charles encouraged the residents of Albouystown to “come out and vote”.

PPP/C has the country’s best interest at heart

– Urling tells Reg 3 rally

By Alexis Rodney

Newly-minted People’s Progressive Party/Civic Candidate

Clinton Urling has warned citizens not to gamble with their future by electing the People’s National Congress (PNC)-led A Partnership for National Unity/ Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition to run the affairs of this country.

He said that the PPP/C has transformed the Guyanese economy and was the only party with the right policies to take Guyana forward. The businessman and former Chairman of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) made the remarks when he mounted the PPP/C‘s platform at its Stewartville rally on Sunday afternoon.

“Make no mistakes, in our everyday lives, we

all have to make money before we can spend it. We have to make the right decisions today so that we can prosper tomorrow,” the German’s Restaurant owner said.

According to him, running a government is no different, noting that the right people have to be in place to deliver the right policies which will create opportunities that will make the lives of its citizens better.

He urged supporters not to gamble their economic future on any party that did not have the country’s best interest at heart. “The PPP/C Government has created the opportunities today so that our economy can prosper tomorrow and I have the firm conviction that we are the best party to guarantee your economic success and advancement five, ten, fifteen years from now.”

He said the Party did not only “talk suc-

cess on empty promises”, but has a 23-year record of success. “No one can question the economic credentials of our Minister of Finance, Dr Ashni Singh, and former President Bharrat Jagdeo who now heads the National Economic Council.”

Touching on the Party’s List of Candidates, Urling said it has a rich cadre of persons who were capable of contribut-

ing to the economic development of the country. Noting the likes of Dr Mahender Sharma, Badree Persaud, Dr Rajendra Singh, Peter Ramsaroop and himself, Urling said they all “know a thing or two about running a business and the economy, having served in the highest level of leadership in the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Private Sector Commission.

UN ranks TT as happiest Caribbean nation

PORT-OFSPAIN, TRINIDAD:

With its vibrant lifestyle, dynamic culture, booming business centre, strong government and, of course, largest Carnival celebration in the Caribbean, it is no surprise that the dual-island nation leads the way in happiness, according to the World Happiness Report from the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) released on April 23 which also stated that the

country ranked highest in happiness in the Caribbean and 41st in the world.

“Trinidad and Tobago’s flourishing culinary scene and year round festivals, combined with local steel pan and soca music and picturesque beaches, bring out the happiness in both locals and visitors alike. Whether sampling world-renowned street food on Ariapita Avenue, Port of Spain, wining to the music at cultural and food festivals, getting a taste of adven-

ture in the mountains of Trinidad or unwinding on Pigeon Point beach in Tobago, Trinbagonians have plenty of reasons to smile,” the Tourism Development Company (TDC) said in a statement following the release of the World Happiness Report.

“Additionally, with 15 public holidays last year, Trinidad and Tobago is among the top ten countries in the world for the number of public holidays.”

The World Happiness Report aims to help country leaders recog-

nise the importance of happiness and well-being for the success of the world and sustainable development, the TDC stated.

Researchers examined 11 areas essential to happiness and wellbeing, including health, education, local government, personal security, income and overall satisfaction with life.

Trinidad and Tobago was also the top-ranked Caribbean nation in the previous Happiness Report, published in 2013, the TDC said. (TT Express)

National Trust launches “New Amsterdam Heritage Trail”

The National Trust of Guyana on Monday launched the “New Amsterdam Heritage Trail”, a 45page booklet, which consists of descriptions of some 39 sites with accompanying images and guide map of New Amsterdam.

The aim of the publication is to serve as a guide for tourists, researchers, children and the general public about the history and development of the oldest town in Guyana and its various heritage sites, both past and present, that have formed its townscape.

The launching of the historic booklet was well-attended by a packed audience in the Boardroom of the Regional Democratic Council of Region Six.

National Trust Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Nirvana Persaud explained that the Trust was responsible for the preservation and promotion of heritage, particularly monuments; thus, the launch of the booklet coincided with its mandate of ensuring the documentation of the country’s vast heritage resources.

The origin of the publication goes back more than three years, and Persaud noted the publication also aimed to reawaken interest in safeguarding and promoting heritage sites. “The past sites we have highlighted should have aided in this regard as it is expected they will remind you of some of the sites that have been erased from the town, region and legacy, for example, the old New Amsterdam Hospital.”

Preserve legacy

While acknowledging that some structures have been replaced, Persaud stated, it was

disappointing that the wooden heritage structure was lost as a result of poor maintenance, inadequate plans to save the structure and the subsequent vandalism. She, however, urged that the concept of adaptive reuse seriously be taken into consideration ,embraced and put into practice so Guyana can breathe new life into current buildings thereby preserving them as part of our legacy and tangible heritage which we can proudly pass on to our future generations.

New Amsterdam Deputy Mayor Harold Dabydeen congratulated the National Trust for the completion of the publication and noted that it would be a great help to many and would be put to great use. Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne) Chairman David Armogan said the event was an important one reflecting our history and heritage.

“It’s a very exciting venture I am sure that the Ministry /National Trust will embark on many new booklets and other forms of preservation of history whether it’s in this form or picture so that we can have a good preservation of our historical sites, buildings, culture so that our future generation can look back and say we did not let them down, we preserve what rightfully belongs to us and can pass it on to them so that they can pass it on to future generations to come.”

Armogan also spoke of the importance of documenting and preserving history and made reference to the Berbice Cricket Board and the Berbice Chamber of Commerce, which have produced booklets about their respective agencies.

GCCI elects new Executive Management Committee

The Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) has elected a new executive management committee for the year 2015-16.

Following the election of the Council of the Chamber for the year 2015/2016 on April 23, the Council which consists of 21 members, held its first

Statutory Meeting on April 27 to elect the committee, which comprises a President, Senior VicePresident, Junior VicePresident, Treasurer and Secretary.

The new Executive Management Committee of the Chamber is as follows: President Lance Hinds, the BrainStreet Group;

Senior Vice-President Vishnu Doerga, Doerga Business Enterprise; Junior Vice- President Padmawattie Prashad, Ansa McAl Trading Limited (Guyana); Treasurer Shanti Persaud, Silvies Variety Store; and Secretary Nicholas Boyer, National Hardware (Guyana) Limited.

2 in custody for Port Mourant horse race meet stabbing

The Police in B (Berbice) Division have arrested two persons in connection with the stabbing incident at the Port Mourant Turf Club on Sunday evening. The incident occurred around 21:00h and has left two persons hospitalised. It is alleged that three persons were involved in the stabbing. However, the third person is still to be identified.

Twenty-two-year-old Yuvendra Jeetnarine, called “Chris”, and 20-year-old Trevor Butcher are both patients at the New Amsterdam Hospital recovering from stab wounds. Speaking

attention to him and whipped out a knife. “…. and fire a jook; one of my cousins was next to me, notice what was happening and jumped in, but I pushed him away and he fell so the guy he turn

with this newspaper, Butcher of Rose Hall Town, Corentyne, stated that he was at the Port Mourant Turf Club for the after-party following the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) horse race meet; and was standing next to Jeetnarine who was throwing bottles indiscriminately and was involved in a dispute with some men.

Butcher explained that he told Jeetnarine to go elsewhere and pelt his bottles; However Jeetnarine turned his

and bore me in my belly I run towards my uncles and they rushed me to the hospital”.

He was taken to the Port Mourant Hospital and then transferred to the New Amsterdam Hospital where doctors immediately performed emergency surgery.

Second assailant

Jeetnarine was also stabbed about 10 times to his body and suffered a punctured kidney. It is unclear who inflicted the stab wounds.

Jeetnarine’s uncle Shamie (only name giv-

Guyana/Venezuela border: UK urges new approach to settle controversy

Newly-appointed British High Commissioner to Guyana, Greg Quinn has said that the Good Offices Process must be abandoned and a new approach taken for the resolution of the Guyana-Venezuela border controversy.

This view was expressed on Friday during an interaction with media operatives at his home. Echoing sentiments which were earlier expressed by Foreign Affairs Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, the diplomat said that the Good Offices approach has not been as effective as it was intended to be.

The Good Offices approach was established by the United Nations as a mechanism to assist in resolving Venezuela’s longstanding claim to Essequibo.

In promising Guyana the support of his country, the diplomat said that Guyana should also explore the other options which were available within the UN system so that the matter can be settled once and for all, noting that if it was not settled at the earliest, Guyana stood to face

en) said he received a call about 23:00h informing him of the incident and he immediately rushed to the Port Mourant Hospital where he was told that his nephew was transferred to New Amsterdam; there, he learnt that his nephew was given a 50/50 chance of survival. “I got a call around eleven Sunday night saying that he in the hospital; we didn’t know that it was this serious: he had a surgery and had to get blood and when they give he the blood, he body refuse it so they had to take it off,” he related.

The uncle explained that he was at the races earlier and left after the two horses got injured, but before leaving, he sent “Christ” to look for his father but did not see either of them again, so he assumed they stayed back for the after-party. It is alleged the stabbing stemmed from an ongoing feud with Jeetnarine’s father and a poultry farmer of Bush Village, Corentyne. Butcher and Jeetnarine remain patients at the New Amsterdam Hospital in stable condition.

The Police are continuing their investigation.

more impacts.

“The Good Offices process is still to be abandoned; it hasn’t been abandoned as yet. The Foreign Minister here has said that after many years it has not done anything, and I think that’s a fair comment. There are other options in the UN system which we can consider as a way to finishing this once and forever, for all.

We wouldn’t be seeking to impose ourselves in what we think is the best way to go about this, but certainly if asked, the problem is what Guyana and Venezuela might ask for are two different things, but I think it is time for a new approach.

The fact that the maritime border has not been

delineated means that it would have possible impact on Guyana … but I think that there are standard, traditional ways of delineating maritime borders and I think … you can look at those with relation to the Guyana/ Venezuela issue,” the British High Commissioner said.

ExxonMobil

Speaking on the issue which had resurfaced when US-based multinational company ExxonMobil was given permission by the Guyana Government to embark on drilling activities, Quinn said that Venezuela’s opposition was unwarranted as the United Kingdom was of the belief that Guyana was within its rights in granting that permission.

Youths should be educated about their history - top US-based Guyanese scholar

BY MICHAEL YOUNGE

Renowned Guyanese Scholar,

US Attorney-atLaw and political activist Dr Dolly Hassan has slammed political leaders of Opposition APNU/ AFC who are seeking to trivialise the importance of Guyana’s political history and the impact it has on creating more informed, rounded and better educated youth voters.

Dr Hassan migrated to the United States of America in the late 1960’s and has studied as well as worked on several laudable projects and human rights initiatives which benefited political parties in Guyana in the early 1980’s.

She is also one of the outstanding academics, lecturers and Attorneysat-Law that have made an invaluable contribution to the body politic at home and abroad, the education sector and the overall wellbeing of poor and underprivileged citizens from various parts of the region and wider world.

Her comments come at a time when the PNC-led A Partnership

for National Unity and Alliance for Change (APNU/AFC) coalition have called on Guyanese to reject the ruling Party’s and several commentators and analysts’ views about the PNC’s past.

Both Presidential and Prime Ministerial candidates David Granger and Moses Nagamootoo have failed to respond effectively to the charges made by the ruling party about their track record, the illegalities committed under the PNC in the form of elections rigging, human rights violations, racial profiling and other forms of executive lawlessness and misdemeanour in public office.

This has forced the PPP/C’s Presidential Candidate Donald Ramotar, General Secretary Clement Rohee and former President Bharrat Jagdeo to call them out on a number of occasions while effectively urging Guyanese to reject the PNC/APNU/ AFC’s attempt to downplay the importance of educating youths about their socio-economic and political history ahead of the May 11 elections.

Dr Hassan, in a letter

to a section of the media, warned against adopting a culture that would see young people being encouraged to look past their pasts to the future without understanding the importance of events which took place that could shape their future views of what should constitute or not constitute development and progress as ideal phenomena in Guyana.

“The way the debate now goes is this: the election is about the future of the country and therefore it is only the dinosaurian relics in our society that dredge up the brutal history of the dictatorial People’s National Congress (PNC).

Thus, it is argued,

we should forget the past – not mention how the PNC behaved when in office – and let the young people vote in ignorance”, Dr Hassan said in her contribution to the local discussion on the way forward for the country in the lead up to the 2015 May 11 elections.

She argued that “some politicians, with glee, often boast that the young people do not even remember Walter Rodney or Forbes Burnham. That to me is a shameful loss. Youths ought to learn, not block their history”. Dr Hassan who studied at Howard University and George Washington University in the United States explained that advocating such a position is counterproductive and unhelpful in shaping critical thinking youths who could make informed decisions.

“I would argue instead the best voter is an informed voter. He or she should go to the polls informed about the past, informed about the policies and practices of all parties in and out of power, and then cast the ballot, one not based on race but on reason.

“It may well be that the young are more in-

clined to give the PNC a pass on its history of excesses. So be it then”, she posited. But Dr Hassan also admitted that there were a slew of atrocities committed by the PNC under the leadership of Forbes Burnham which she suggested still affects the thinking patterns of many and cannot be removed by simply telling them to forget their past.

She expressed some amount of shock at some of the individuals who wanted to cultivate a mass of uneducated voters. “Are we now wedded to the notion that an ignorant voter is the best voter? No, get the young people educated and trust them to make informed decisions. Where is our confidence in the young people?” she queried.

She frowned upon the manner in which some in the political landscape are attempting to bypass the importance of those who may have lived through those days and are now considered the elderly expressing resentment at the manner in which they are being described and viewed in political discourse.

“Recently in Guyanese voice and print media, I have no-

ticed a similar trend, a disturbing emphasis on the “young” as if to say that the old have morphed into disgusting gadflies. As I recall, Guyanese are taught to revere our elderly. We do not subscribe to senilicide and do not belong to the mythical Eskimo culture that dumps the elderly onto the devouring waves of Neptune”, she articulated.

But Dr Hassan reminiscing on her own experiences growing up in Guyana noted that she “watched my parents, shopkeepers, live a life of incremental misery, wondering what was next in the business chamber of horrors, as the heavy-fisted hand of the Burnham-led PNC regime squeezed them out of business.”

Explaining that her viewpoint has changed given the new set of leaders within the PNC, she said that it was necessary for a commitment to be given that such atrocities will not be repeated as a form of healing and reconciliation especially for the still very important elderly constituency.

“At the same time, though, don’t some of us with that memory wish

continued on page 14

Corentyne girl commits suicide

ACorentyne girl took her own life by hanging, in what family members are describing as a “gesture of love” for her grandmother who passed away 12 hours earlier.

Dead is 20-yearold Seetradavi Sumar, of Number 57 Village, Corentyne, Berbice, Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne). Reports are that her grandmother, Dilarie Sumar passed away in her sleep on the same bed with her granddaughter on Friday about 23:30h. The younger Sumar was found hanging from a rafter in a bedroom of the same house around noon the following day.

According to her uncle, Nutram Sumar, Seetradavi grew up with her grandmother who took care of her since she was a baby. He said the young lady was the first child for her mother and her grandmother took sole responsibility for her. The two had developed an unbreakable bond. When the younger Sumar was attending primary school, her mother migrated to the USA.

Reports are that when it was discovered that the grandmother had passed away, the granddaughter held on to her body claiming that she was not willing to live without her and will kill herself. She reportedly wept all night and the following morning family members left home to make preparations for the wake of the 70-year-old lady. The younger Sumar was left in the care of a neighbour.

Kowsilla Gagadar told this publication that on Saturday morning Seetradavi said on several occasions that she was going to take her own life, since she could not live without her ‘Mai’. She explained that all Seetradavi’s movements were being monitored. However, they were sitting outside when the phone rang and the young lady went inside to answer it as family members returned home. “So when she ran inside to answer the phone, I go to the car to help them with the things that they bring. The aunt asked me where she is and I said

that she gone inside to answer the phone.”

She recounted that the aunt ran inside and it was soon discovered that she had locked herself in a bedroom. When the door was broken open, she was seen hanging.

She was, however, not taken down until Police arrived. She was pronounced dead at the Skeldon Hospital. Family members describe Sumar as being an introvert saying that she spent most of her time indoors and refused to go out with her cousins or younger sisters. She reportedly spent a lot of time with her grandmother. According to her uncle, she did not take up offers by young men who said they were interested in marrying her. Arrangements were in place for the young lady to migrate to the USA soon.

He said she successfully completed secondary school but refused to seek employment. Meanwhile, the grandmother died four days before she would have left for the USA.

NCN rejects allegations of biased political coverage …says free air time is offered to all political parties

The stateowned National Communications Network Inc (NCN) has rejected allegations that it is providing biased coverage for the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), especially now during the height of the election campaigning season.

This statement comes in light of a protest in front of the state broadcaster’s Homestretch Avenue headquarters on Wednesday which saw several persons expressing their views concerning the provision of fair coverage to all political parties by NCN. A group known as the “Coalition

of the 1823 Monument” staged the small picketing exercise.

Leader of the group, Penda Guyan told this publication that she believed that NCN was being unfair in its coverage and, therefore, the electorate would not be equally knowledgeable of the policies of all the political parties and would eventually not be able to make an informed decision come May 11. “NCN is a state media and it was set up to be able to serve the entire nation and that is our social, cultural and political needs in a fair and equal manner. What we have noticed is that

the NCN has been carrying wholly and solely the PPP/C agenda. The people in the hinterland have been complaining that they cannot hear the other political parties on an equal basis … the APNU/AFC, which is the greatest force, needs to have equal air time as the PPP/C,” she contended.

NCN, over the years, has been accused of constantly promoting the Government and neglecting the parliamentary Opposition. However, this publication understands that the media outfit has been providing free coverage for all political parties contesting

the upcoming General and Regional Elections

on May 11.

In fact, it was noted that some of the parties are taking advantage of this offer and the station would air televised advertisements of any political parties that request their services. It was also noted that the Government will soon be issuing a statement concerning this new arrangement that was put in place to facilitate fair access to the state media

during this period.

Meanwhile, the protesters explained that they will be submitting a letter to NCN Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Molly Hassan expressing their dissatisfaction with the coverage being provided. They said she will be given 48 hours for a favourable reply, and failing that, they intended to continue and intensify the protest actions.

Squatters destroying warning signs at CJIA – Benn

Signs recently erected by the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) to discourage squatting on airport lands were destroyed two days after they were emplaced, Public Works Minister Robeson Benn has said.

In a statement, the Minister noted that this was an extremely worrying event occasioned by persons who were bent on renewed squatting in areas recently occupied by the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) for ammunition storage and by the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) for antenna arrays for flight communications.

“Squatters on airport lands are again warned to desist from this activity because of its implications for the Cheddi Jagan International Airport Expansion proj-

ect and the maintenance of law and order in the protection of the property rights.”

Earlier this month, Benn had said that he was extremely disturbed and disappointed by the barefaced actions of the squatters who continued to clear lands vested to the CJIA. He had said despite repeated warnings by the Police, squatters persisted in clearing and burning sections of lands to erect structures and farm. He stated that on Thursday, April 9, CJIA staff and Police stumbled upon this renewed activity in Timehri North, in the vicinity of the GDF Ammo Dump and the Non-Directional Beacon (NDB). The squatters were cautioned to discontinue their actions. Cannot condone

“The Ministry cannot condone squatting on lands allocated for the

expansion of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) – the country’s main port of entry for international travellers,” Benn stated.

According to him, ‘cease and desist’ signs will be erected in the area shortly. Also he threatened that law enforcement officers will arrest and charge anyone who breached the order.

“The Ministry and the Airport Authority, since 2008, have held meetings and engaged in one-on-

one conversations with squatters on relocation options, the airport expansion and health and safety risks of living in close proximity to the Airport.”

The Minister said efforts have been made to encourage squatters to apply to the Lands and Surveys Commission for suitable alternative lands; however, many still refuse to take up the offer. The airport expansion is crucial to Guyana’s development,

and the Ministry and CJIA remain committed to the project.

The Public Works Ministry “wonders what has stimulated the resumption of squatting on airport and public lands earmarked for a critical national development project. At the same time, helping squatters relocate to suitable areas to ensure their source of income/livelihood is sustained is also top on the Ministry’s list of priorities.”

Guyana facing “revolution”

…not just an election – Nagamootoo

Prime Ministerial Candidate of the People’s National Congress (PNC)-led A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance for change (APNU/AFC) coalition, Moses Nagamootoo told supporters on the East Coast Demerara Saturday evening that May 11 is a revolution, not just an election.

The comment about “revolution” was first made by Dr Rupert Roopnaraine when the coalition held its rally in Essequibo. Roopnaraine repeated the call at another rally at the neighbouring village of Plaisance. Delivering his address at the Golden Grove Community Centre Ground, Nagamootoo said the coalition was made up of a number of persons with different ways of thinking and different goals. However, he stated that they were united in one purpose and that was uniting Guyana. He told the people that it was a new era when “six political parties can come together and form a joint coalition and enter this election on a common platform with a joint manifesto and united leadership”.

The Prime Ministerial

Candidate stated that such a coalition has never been seen in Guyanese history. He said that it was evidence that the two parties APNU and AFC “have attained …political maturity,” as they are “the best of Guyana’s talent, the best of Guyana’s intellect (and) the best of Guyana’s integrity.”

Nagamootoo’s old comrades from the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) have been consistently claiming that Nagamootoo is bombastic and has a large ego.

He told the crowd it was necessary for them to come strong for this year’s elections as it is not just an election but “a revolution that has …brought together the hope, aspirations, dreams, sacrifices and the struggles from all of our ancestors since slavery through indentureship for the struggle for independence”. With this the Prime Ministerial Candidate stated that all must be conscious “of the great responsibility on our shoulders to change

the old, the corrupt, the bankrupt (and) the negative that have affected all our lives”.

Nagamootoo told the people that “we ourselves must lead by example; we must not have any part of violence”. He said that persons may want to “silence us”, “bribe us”, “come after us”, “drown us” but he urged supporters not to be provoked. He said that they have to be disciplined and show that “we deserve this revolution and we cannot afford to play into the game of those who want to attack us…”

This talk of “revolution” resonates very strongly on the East Coast of Demerara where the revolutionary tradition of 1823 has been nurtured recently with several well-publicised activities. The language that Nagamootoo deployed was coded with words like “attack”, “silenced us”, “drown us” and “provoked” which are all designed to stimulate very strong responses. Combined with the PNC-led APNU/AFC’s description of the voters’ list as “dirty”, analysts fear that the coalition’s supporters might be primed for action after the elections.

Mother of 3 on drug charge

A29-year-old mother of three was remanded to prison on Monday by Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry on a charge of trafficking in narcotics.

Lovern Banfield, a shopkeeper of 490 North East La Penitence, pleaded not guilty to the charge, which read that on April 24 at Lot 2, North Road, Bourda, she sold 0.2 grams of cocaine to a Police officer.

Police Prosecutor Bharat Mangru stated that on the day in question, ranks were conducting a sting exercise, during which two marked Gy$500 notes were used in the purchase of the illicit substance at Banfield’s shop. The transaction was intercepted by other ranks who apprehended the defendant and cautioned her.

The Prosecutor stated that when cautioned, the defendant claimed that the undercover officer could not have possibly bought the drug from her as only one of the marked notes was found in her possession while he had four bags of cocaine in his possession which he claimed he purchased from the woman. “Is five pieces I sell for

Gy$1000, not Gy$500,” she allegedly told the ranks.

The prosecution objected to bail, citing the seriousness and prevalence of the offence.

The defendant’s lawyer informed the court that the Police officer who claimed to have bought the substance from Banfield is known to her personally and on the day in question, he was nowhere around the said location. The defence stated that eyewitnesses were willing to testify to that, while adding that Banfield was meaningfully employed with no previous convictions or pending matters.

An application for reasonable bail was made; however, the Magistrate remanded the defendant to prison. The matter will return to court on May 7.

Rohee warns of attempts to interfere with democratic process …says

People’s Progressive Party (PPP)

General Secretary Clement Rohee told a mammoth gathering at Stewartville, West Coast Demerara on Sunday that all efforts will be employed to prevent any attempts to subvert or interfere with the democratic process.

This declaration comes less than two weeks before Guyanese go to the polls. “We want to warn them that any attempt to subvert the democratic process, any attempt to upset the polls on Polling Day, we will rebuff, we will upset

any attempt by them…,” Rohee warned. He noted that there was simply too much at stake to allow any lapses to occur on that day.

“Too many gains have been won and we do not want to lose those gains,” Rohee told the massive crowd of supporters as he indicated his worry that the People’s National Congress (PNC)-led A Partnership for National Unity/ Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition will once again try to interfere with free and fair elections.

These concerns come in light of the fact that

the PNC’s past is tainted with the constant rigging of elections. Leader of the coalition, David Granger had expressed his suspicions that the voters’ list was “dirty” on the grounds that it has increased by more than 100,000 when statistics show that the population in Guyana has been dropping over the years.

“Do not take things for granted. Do not be complacent. The List has suddenly gone up by 100,000 to 567,000. Keep your eyes open. We do not believe in that,” he had declared.

Bring it home

But PPP/Civic officials have warned that this allegation was merely an attempt to make an excuse for the alliance’s defeat in the event it lost the election.

“too much at stake”

Meanwhile, Rohee alerted the entire Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) to pour their “blood, sweat and tears” into bringing home another victory for the PPP/C.

“We have to work every single day to ensure that Donald Ramotar and Elisabeth Harper are elected to office… We are impressed by this fantastic and magnificent turnout, but you must go to every door, street, village and transfer this energy that will lead us to victory on May 11,” he encouraged.

Rohee told the sup-

porters that Guyana has returned to an era where the two powerful forces in the country were at war with each other, the PPP/C and the PNC, where there was a “fight between good and evil” and they have the power to ensure there was an astounding triumph of good over evil at the polls.

“We will fight this battle with the ballots in our hands…Every single ballot is a weapon in your hands to fight the PNC…We have the people and the people are our strength,” he charged.

20-year-old American gets 3 years for drug trafficking

An American citizen was sentenced to three years in prison on Monday by Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court for trafficking in narcotics.

Twenty-year-old Anthon Brumfield pleaded guilty with explanation to the charge which read that on April 24 at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) he attempted to traffic 2.568 kilograms of cocaine.

According to Police Prosecutor Bharat Mangru, the defendant is an American citizen who has been residing in Guyana for the past 11 years. It was explained that on the day in question he was an outgoing passenger on Dynamic Airways Flight 2D402 bound for the John F Kennedy (JFK) Airport, New York. It was further explained that the ranks from the Customs AntiNarcotics Unit (CANU) were monitoring the activities at the airport

when they observed the defendant acting in a suspicious manner, further

checks were made.

During a scan of the man’s luggage, a bulky,

suspicious package was detected and a search was conducted.

The search resulted in the discovery of two photo albums which contained two pages with inconsistent width. An examination of the pages revealed that the substance was concealed within the pages. When cautioned it was revealed that the defendant admitted knowledge of the substance and told ranks that he was paid US$10,000 to traffic the drugs.

When asked to ex-

plain himself, the defendant told the Magistrate that he was experiencing difficulties in his financial life and as such, he sought to commit the offence as a means of betterment. “I just wanted to make life easier,” he told the Magistrate while explaining that his partner was three months pregnant with his child.

The young man, who had no previous convictions or trouble with the law was fined Gy$30,000 as well as sentenced to three years in prison.

All set! Joint Services ready to cast their ballots on Saturday

By Vahnu Manikchand

All systems are in place for members of the Disciplined Forces to cast their ballots on Saturday in this year’s General and Regional Elections – one week before the official day of the polls. Officials of the various agencies as well as the Guyana Elections Commission have assured that all systems are in order to facilitate the process.

Among the agencies that will be voting on Saturday are: the Guyana Defence Force (GDF); the Guyana Police Force (GPF); and the Guyana Prison Service (GPS). The Guyana Fire Service (GFS) does not vote on D-Day because the officers are usually from the areas that

they serve in, this is according to Chief Fire Officer Marlon Gentle. He explained that the Fire Service traditionally votes on Election Day along with the rest of the country. “Our ranks are from the areas where they are stationed and we don’t have any (staff) in interior locations so we vote on E-Day (Election Day) along with the rest of Guyana,” he told the Guyana Times International.

Satisfied

GDF Public Relations Officer Lorraine Forrester related to this newspaper that thus far they were satisfied with all the arrangements put in place. She disclosed that there were 23 polling stations: some were located on the various bases and others such

as the ones in outlying areas would be located in close proximity to the base. Asked whether arrangements were put in place by GECOM to ensure that GDF ranks did

not vote more than once, Forrester stated that the elections body will be taking off the names of the officers who have already voted from the national list of electors before the May 11 General and Regional Elections. Apart from this, she noted that the various political parties will have polling agents present at the various polling stations who will also ensure that these persons’ names are taken off the national list.

Across at the GPS, Director Welton Trotz also indicated to this newspaper that all systems have been put in place for ranks within his agency to cast their ballots. “On Saturday, we have arranged for the ranks to be given time off in batches to go

vote so they will come in early and then go vote,” Trotz explained. He further detailed that the polling stations would be located at the Prison Service’s Sports Club located at the various prisons across Guyana.

For its part, the GPF has also related that it was ready. Assistant Commissioner of Police, Balram Persaud, disclosed that the Force has been working along with GECOM to ensure that all arrangements were put in place in time for Saturday.

Meanwhile, efforts to contact GECOM Chairman, Dr Steve Surujbally for a com-

ment proved futile. However, in a brief comment to this newspaper, Deputy Chief Elections Officer Vishnu Persaud related that “everything is on stream” to ensure a smooth flow on D-Day. “All that are supposed to be legally in place are in place,” he stated. Previously, there have been several calls by the political parties, in particular the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), for the names of the Disciplined Forces to be taken off the list of national electors. However, Dr Surujbally had noted that there was no cause for alarm by the political parties.

Youths should be educated about...

that the PNC would articulate at least a promise not to repeat the mistakes of the past? No, this is not a call for apology. It is just a wish for a statement that expresses an understanding of the legitimate concerns of certain groups and a reassurance that they have nothing to fear as the PNC would not retrace its steps”, her letter states.

She reiterated her position that the elderly in Guyana still have memories, and these voters are indeed relevant. “They too are going to the polls. Talk to them with reverence and respect. Let us not practice senilicide.

Were we to discard the elderly, then Mr. Granger and Mr. Ramotar may as well take to their rocking chairs. Remember the response when Baby Alligator asked Mama Alligator, “Ma, how come your mouth’s is so long?”

Dr Hassan’s posture in the letter appears to suggest that she is well aware that she will face criticisms from those that reside in Guyana for her comments on the messages being transmitted to both young and old voters.

“The last time I made a call for the PNC to acknowledge its mistakes, many people, including pseudo-journalists, were hysterical, incapable of any intellectual debate.

They argued mainly by argumentum and hominem, saying, for example, that I live in the Berbice area in Richmond Hill, NY and that I am a Berbician –as if that alone relegates me into a pit of ignorance and irrelevance”.

In pre-empting these individuals, she in-

formed that even though she is not from Berbice and does not live in Richmond Hill, she would consider herself privileged to belong to those communities.

“I love all of Guyana and all its communities. In my job as immigration attorney, I proudly represent Guyanese of all races”, she asserted before explaining that those who would now be quick to castigate her should know that they are further alienating older voters…”

While teaching English at Howard University Dr Hassan started and ran the SOS Human Rights for Guyana out of her apartment back in the very early 80’s until 1992. She reportedly gave every Guyanese political party in opposition equal time including the Working People’s Alliance Party, DLM, Guyana Republican Party, Inc., and many individuals while they were opposing the PNC dictatorship a voice.

Her SOS Human Right as for Guyana became the most trusted source by many, including the Human Rights Internet org., for human rights abuse in Guyana.

Her work against the dictator was rewarded by Burnham placing her name on the infamous blacklist at the airport, so for many years she could not travel to her beloved Guyana. Currently, Dr. Dolly Hassan is the Supervising Attorney at the Liberty Center for Immigrants, Inc. in Queens, NY. Concurrently, she is also an Adjunct Professor at CUNY Law School. When she finds time she enjoys country music.

Berbice man burns house after beating pregnant wife

By Andrew CArmiChAel

Four persons are now homeless fol-

lowing a fire in a two-bedroom house at Golden Fleece, West Coast Berbice (WCB), Region Five (MahaicaBerbice) on Monday morning.

The fire is believed to have been an act of arson.

According to Sharron Bacchus, she and her two children aged five and seven are now forced to sleep at a relative after her husband (Hilton) set their house ablaze.

The 37-year-old woman explained that there was a misunderstanding the day before which sparked his anger. The pregnant woman said she received one of her many beatings on Sunday and made a report to the Weldaad Police Station and officers went in pursuit of the suspect. This, she said, was followed by another beating, but this time she was able to escape and run out of the yard and was rescued by a brother who was on the street at the time.

“Is too steady he beating me when he choke me and he finish and I spit, is sheer blood I spiting,” the woman related tear-

fully.

The fearful mother of five decided to spend the night at a nearby cousin with her two daughters, Jalissa and Jizell.

On Sunday morning, Bacchus went home, but did not venture into the house. She told this publication that her husband had been acting in a suspicious way on Sunday morning, and she sensed danger.

“When we went inside, I run in the house and grabbed a dress and run out back.” She explained that at the time, she did not have on proper clothing. She said as she was leaving, she noticed her husband taking his bicycle and the generator upstairs.

According to Bacchus, who has lost an eye from one of the beatings she received from her husband, as she was making her way back to the cousin’s house, she was alerted by a neighbour.

“A boy stop me and say, ‘Sharron, look yuh whole house in smoke’, and by the time I reach is fire. Ah couldn’t save anything. Nobody could go to save anything. The children left without anything.”

continued on page 18

Young mother blames West Dem Hospital nurses for stillborn

Teresa Lalltoo, 30, of Pouderoyen, West Coast Demerara, who gave birth to a stillborn baby in the wee hours of Monday, April 20, is blaming the healthcare system at the West Demerara Regional Hospital for her loss.

She said the facility has cost her not only her second child but also left her with a damaged uterus and pelvis. Lalltoo lashed out at what she called the neglectful behaviour and “don’t care attitude” of the nurses at the medical facility when she showed up on April 18 to deliver her baby. As she arrived at the medical facility, she was reportedly greeted by an uncouth nurse who asked “if you come to put up a show”.

Speaking from her home in pain, Lalltoo told this newspaper that after the nurse responded in that manner, she went back to join her colleagues who were chatting in another room but collected her clinic card before doing so. The nurse reportedly gave the clinic card to the supervisor who came to meet her some 30 minutes later. As she sat on the bench with her brother, the supervisor

called her to the labour room where she was examined. “She tell me that I was only 3cm and that I must go on the bed and lay on my side.”

She spent the whole of Saturday night on the bed until the next morning when her personal gynaecologist visited and conducted another examination – the situation was the same. He, nevertheless, instructed the nurses “not to do anything”. However, during Sunday morning, the nurses checked her pressure and about 13:30h, she was taken back into the labour room where the baby’s heart rate was also checked and turned out to be 190.

Complications

After some time, the

nurses did another examination and again, the situation remained the same; hence, they made a decision to “clip the water bag” and induce labour. This did not work, so they reportedly gave her two additional doses of the oxytocin drips after which the uterus expanded by 4cm but the baby’s heart rate dropped to 25.

They attempted to get the baby out, but during the process, a portion of the umbilical cord followed and ended up being lodged in the female reproductive organ. As a result, the doctors rushed into the room and attempted to place the cord back within the uterus, but were unsuccessful; instead Lalltoo’s

cervix and pelvic outlet were damaged. It was at this time that she was referred to the Georgetown Public Hospital about 17:00h on Sunday, April 19 where she did an ultrasound which proved that the baby was already dead. About 02:00h on Monday morning, she delivered the stillborn baby.

The angry mother told Guyana Times International that initially, she knew she had to get a caesarean section, but the nurses at the West Demerara Hospital insisted that it was a normal delivery. She also stated that while delivering her first baby, she did not feel any pain and the second was similar; hence, she could not tell when she started to have contractions but could only assume that the time was right.

Lalltoo is calling on the relevant authorities to address the issues at the West Demerara Regional Hospital, claiming that she would not like to see another mother suffered the way she did. She also called on the nurses who were responsible for the death of her child and caused injuries to her, to face the full brunt of the law.

PPP/C promises

Local Govt Elections by June 2016

The People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Administration will work towards ensuring that the long-awaited Local Government Elections (LGE) are held by June 2016 if re-elected.

This avowal is outlined in the Party’s Manifesto which was officially launched on Saturday at the Marriott Hotel. “Our plan will include ensuring that Local Government Elections are held by June 2016, once the required conditions stipulated by GECOM are met and approved by the National Assembly,” the text read.

Local Government polls have not been held since 1994, robbing citizens of their democratic right to elect the leaders for their Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) and town councils. In October last, Attorney General Anil Nandlall had addressed the issue, explaining why those important elections have not been held, casting the blame upon the main Opposition for

actively participating in the postponement of those elections.

Nandlall had chronicled a series of events in his attempt to explain how such an imperative event has been put off time and time again.

The Attorney General recalled that in 1997, the then Government of the day went to General Elections and since Local Government and General Elections could not have been facilitated in the same year, the decision was made to hold General Elections with the PPP/C Presidential Candidate being the late Janet Jagan. That election was followed by massive social unrest, riots, violence, street protests, and arson, which resulted in a team from Caricom intervening.

The team sat with the then People’s National Congress (PNC) which was led by Desmond Hoyte, and the Government where they brokered an arrangement that is now popularly referred to as the Herdmanston Accord.

Churches appeal for peace ahead of Guyana polls …urge leaders to shun violence, incitement

The Anglican Diocese and the Guyana Presbyterian Church have called on political parties to elevate their language at campaign meetings even as they appeal for peace ahead of the May 11 General and Regional Elections.

Elections in Guyana over the years have been marred by violence and already there have been incidents, which have caused concern. Marlon Laing, Bishop of the Anglican Church in Guyana, in a statement said for Christians, while the privilege of voting has been procured through the political and judicial processes, it was a gift from God. He said God created all human beings equal, irrespective of race, colour, creed, gender or ethnicity.

“Human beings have been created by God to enjoy freedom of movement, equal opportunity and the right to select persons to manage their national affairs free of fear, prejudice or intimidation. In a society which adheres to the democratic principle of governance, the exercising of such rights comes to a pivotal juncture on

Election Day.”

Bishop Laing said since the Parliament was prorogued, leading to its subsequent dissolution, many have attempted to draw the Diocese into the partisan political debate. “At the cost of being maligned, I have resisted their efforts. The Church has a higher role in matters of politics. Christians believe that engagement in politics is acceptable to God. The word ‘politics’ has as its root, the Latin word ‘polis’, which, in usage, refers to the ‘affairs of the city’. Each citizen and resident of Guyana, along with visitors and persons of goodwill, should be concerned about the well-being of this and every other city.”

The Bishop said for “us in Guyana, this city is our home. We should pray and work for its safety and development. We should strive for its perseverance against anarchy, and we must be undying in our efforts to see that its spiritual, moral, ethical and social traditions remain intact.”

He said the Diocese of Guyana was committed to this understand-

ing of political engagement, and through the ministry of our church, “we seek to shape and fashion the lives of our membership to be responsible, decent and exemplary citizens…”

Put Guyana first

The Bishop said following Election Day, once the results have been made official, whomever the majority of the duly registered voters repose their confidence in as the new government deserves the full support of us all. “In this way, we demonstrate that the welfare of Guyana and what is best for all Guyanese super-

sedes what may be the personal desires of each individual, as divergent as this may be.”

He also appealed to all candidates involved in the election process and their supporters to remember that after Election Day, “we all must live here, we all must unite to build Guyana, and we are all our brothers and sisters keepers. Please join me in creating a climate of hot campaign driven by the conviction that what is best for Guyana must be a top priority. Even if one group may be at war with the other party’s voice, they are at peace with each other.”

Adding their voice to the issue, the Guyana Presbyterian Church said it has organised a special event to issue a call for peace, tolerance and respect “during these challenging times where the nation is preparing for national and regional elections in two weeks.” According to the church, the event will be held on Wednesday from 17:30h to 18:30h at the Burns Memorial Presbyterian Church on Irving and Anira Streets, Queenstown, Georgetown.

Militarisation of APNU/AFC: PPP fears return of authoritarian PNC-type rule

The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) says it is alarmed at the growing body of former military and Police personnel who are taking up key and strategic positions in the hierarchy of the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU-AFC) coalition.

In a release, the Party stressed that this was a troubling development especially when seen against the background of the role of the military in the rigging of national and regional elections under the former PNC regime.

“It is quite apparent that the APNU-AFC under the leadership of David Granger has now become a political habitat for some of those who once served in military and paramilitary forces.

itarian rule?

The days when the military was used to hijack ballot boxes and perpetuate electoral fraud on the nation is still fresh in the minds of the Guyanese people.

“Granger, for his part, is doing everything possible to woo ex-military personnel by all manner of preposterous campaign promises such as a 20 per cent salary increase which is twice the amount promised to other categories of public servants, including teachers and nurses.

tribute the national pie in its favour?

“The question that should be asked is why is he singling out those in the armed forces for special treatment? Is it an indication that the military cabal in the APNU-AFC leadership is already calling the shots and signalling its intention to redis-

“The PPP calls on Granger to explain to the nation the precise role of these ex-military personnel in the run-up to, and on Polling Day, given their relative inexperience and lack of familiarity with our national politics.

“Is it an attempt by Granger to once again militarise the body politic as happened during the dark days of PNC author-

“Are we to expect a return to the days of PNC party paramountcy when the army and police were forced to pledge loyalty not to the nation but to the ruling PNC?

“Is our democracy under threat by a military and quasi-military cabal who seems more concerned with the return of a decadent and authoritarian order in which bullets and not ballots were used as the basis for gov-

Berbice man burns house after beating...

By the time the Guyana Fire Service arrived the house was razed. The fire was fuelled by the strong Atlantic breeze rushing in from the Ocean

about 200 metres away.

Several parts of the fence were also burnt.

According to Bacchus, when Police arrived, the suspect had already made his way

towards the seawall and escaped. “If the Police had come in time, they would have picked him up. But every time I make a report, they taking their own time and

come,” the woman related.

Bacchus has made several reports to the Weldaad Police Station of domestic violence. Back in 2013, Hilton Bacchus, also called “Passion”, was jailed for four months for assaulting his wife.

The woman said she lost all of the household items including two refrigerators and a gas stove. Jalissa and Jizell have not been able to attend school for the week, having lost all their belongings. The Guyana Fire Service has launched an investigation into the fire.

ernance?

“Guyanese want answers to these frightening developments which certainly do not bode well for the good of our dear land.

“Already there are strong indications that decision-making in the Opposition APNU-AFC has been hijacked by a small group of former military personnel which is already creating much unease in the AFC and the civilian component of the APNU.

“Granger owes this nation an apology for the role played by the army for the rigging of elections and the death of the two ballot box martyrs on the Corentyne whose only ‘crime’ was to defend their right to vote in free and fair elections. Granger was Head of the Army at that time.

“The PPP for its part wishes to reiterate its commitment towards the building of a strong, disciplined and professional armed forces where loyalty to country and not party will be the only reason for their being.

”The Party also pledges to make available the necessary resources to enhance the quality of life and well being of all those who serve in the disciplined forces.”

Ramjattan surfaces after being “sidelined” …attacks PPP/C’s Manifesto

Following weeks of being out of the public spotlight following the Whim Rally of the PNC-led APNU/AFC coalition, Leader of the Alliance For Change (AFC) Khemraj Ramjattan has come out with a statement criticising the PPP/C manifesto.

Following the merger of APNU and AFC, even though he had claimed this would result in the AFC becoming “dead meat”, Ramjattan had faded off the political scene. Though he had been seen at several of the coalition’s rallies he had not taken the stage and at times stood among the crowd.

There have been speculations that Ramjattan might have fallen out with the leaders of the campaignRaphael Trotman and Joseph Harmon who according to reports decide the speakers for the major rallies. One of his former executives, Francis Darcheville, had claimed that the two men were bitterly opposed to each other.

Since the coalition launched its campaign Ramjattan was seen at the Linden rally as well

as Whim, where he was photographed sleeping during David Granger’s speech.

He was reportedly dispatched later in the Orealla/ Siparuta area for a period to campaign, but even when he returned he was denied the stage. Ramjattan fears of becoming “dead meat” appears to have been assuaged by the 12 seats; two Vice presidents, the prime ministership and 40% of the Cabinet, offered by David Granger, leader of the PNC and APNU. Ramjattan quickly signed the Cummingsburg Accord, which solidified the agreement.

On Sunday he emerged from his hibernation, slamming the recently released PPP/C manifesto as a “compendium of emptiness.” It appears that this might be the role designated for Ramjattan in the campaign. “This is a hollow document, made up of empty promises, rhetoric and gimmickry,” said Ramjattan. He said too that “above all, the cheap talk about what they will do about corruption bares them naked. Their omission to actually do anything about the sell-

out of the people’s patrimony in our forest and mining sectors and the massive corruption in procurement of goods and services makes the manifesto bereft of any meaning and credibility,” Ramjattan asserted.

“The PPP has a record of outstanding failure. They have failed to deliver on reduced taxation, they have failed to hold Local Government Elections in 20 years, the fibre optic cable project has been a Gy$3.6B failure, they have failed to establish the Public Procurement Commission, they have failed the sugar industry, they have failed the rice industry,” Ramjattan explained.

PPP/C Response:

Attention-seeking

But the PPP/C described Ramjattan’s attack on their manifesto as a response designed to get some attention and does not reflect any careful thought.

“We advise him that much of his talk about emptiness and a manifesto full of promises that are not meant to be kept, fully and accurately describes the APNU/ AFC’s manifesto that was released and even-

tually withdrawn. The PPP/C has a manifesto we are proud of. We are not embarrassed that we have to claim someone leaked it.”

“We also remind Ramjattan that so far as specifics are concerned more than 75% was plagiarized from various PPP/C’s documents covering policies, strategic and business plans and implementation programmes. Ramjattan needs to be reminded that rice is a success story in our country. This industry was crippled under the PNC, their lead party. The PPP/C restored the rice industry. We brought it to

where each crop establishes new records and since 2012, each year we have established new export records.”

According to the PPP/C each market destination offers better prices than world market prices, noting that this crop is set to surpass 350,000 tons, the largest ever single crop production. It said too that the yield per acre is set to be about 5.8 tons, the highest national yield ever and, “thus, far we have exported more than 150,000 tons with contracts for immediate shipment of over 300,000 tons. At the present pace we will at-

tain export quantity of more than 600,000 this year, surpassing the target of 514,000 tons.”

The PPP/C said it acknowledges that farmers and millers face continuing challenges because of this success, noting that the number one challenge is the early payments made to farmers.

“Under the PPP/C government, we have enabled farmers to receive payments within the crop. This is a matter which we have addressed in our manifesto, not with promises but with specific proposals. The price stabilisation mechanism (to

Granger claims all elections since 1992 were rigged …fears raised of setting stage for post elections violence

BY MICHAEL YOUNGE

Presidential Candidate for the PNC-led A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance for Change coalition, David Granger says he “fears” that every election since 1992 were rigged in favour of the ruling Peoples Progressive Party Civic.

Granger expressed that stunning sentiment during an exclusive interview with the Guyana Times International at his party’s campaign office in Queenstown.

His comments were made on the heels of growing concerns by the ruling party that the heavy militarized opposition coalition group is setting up its supporters not to accept the results of this year’s elections if they are not in his party’s favour. Each time after the 1992 elections, a senior leader of the opposition used coded language to deny the veracity of the internationally observed, accepted and accredited results of elections in Guyana it resulted in post-elections violence.

The PNC was accused of inciting violence in the country by several stakeholders when it leaders

failed to accept fully the results of 1997, 2001 and 2006 elections. Following the 1997 elections, the PNC brought its supporters into the streets in protests, which escalated into citizens being beaten and buildings burnt into the ground. In 2001, the strategy of “mo fyaah” was ratcheted into “mo fyaah” that involved armed gangs taking on the state. In 2006, “mo fyaah” was building to its apogee of the Lusignan and Bartica massacres. In 2011, APNU led protesters that broke the law and forced the police to open fire with rubber bullets.

The Presidential Candidate’s comments are also being made at a time when the PPP/C has also heavily criticised Granger’s party, the Peoples National Congress (PNC) for its role in rigging countless elections and prolonging its life in Government from 1985 to 1992 until the return of democracy in that year.

He was at the time being questioned by this newspaper about some comments he made in his book, ‘New Road’, which justified the role played by the Guyana Defense Force in 1973 which

saw it removing ballot boxes from the place of poll and transporting it to their headquarters in Georgetown so that they could be counted. Credible observers, including the U.S. factbook on Guyana described the election that gave the PNC a two thirds majority, “severely rigged”.

Granger had claimed the soldiers performed “splendidly” when they shot and killed three men while they were trying to defend the ballot boxes which contained their votes.

But when asked to answer for his party’s track record as far rigging is concerned, Granger refused to speak directly to that concern and whether it justified the people’s behavior and the violence which occurred.

“Well I have fears that the election of 1992, 1997, 2001, 2006 were rigged”, he said when asked an indirect question about the 1973 elections and the fears of the people around that time that led to protest for their rights after previous election of 1968 were rigged.

Asked why he never said anything publicly raising an alarm within the public sphere before,

Granger responded, “I have said a lot”.

“…All of them were rigged. I said that Mr Gocool Boodoo deserved to be removed from the election commission. I said that he was a serial blunderer. He ran three elections and all were fraudulent”, Granger maintained during the elections.

Pressed harder for more clarity, the PNC-led APNU/AFC Presidential Candidate said there have been no elections in Guyana since his party demitted office that has been free from flaws or fair.

This is the first time Granger has made such

an accusation after coming to the helm of the PNC and APNU back in 2011.

Former President Bharrat Jagdeo had warned that the PNC/Rled coalition group was setting its supporters up for a major disappointment as it seemed to be deliberately telling them that the coalition was going to win the elections.

World Malaria Day 2015: Region on track to achieve malaria MDG

As the world celebrated World Malaria Day on Saturday under the theme “Invest in the Future. Defeat Malaria”, it was revealed that the Americas are on track to achieve a 75 per cent reduction in its incidence by year-end, as called for by the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 18 of the 21 malaria-endemic countries in the region.

In the Americas, deaths from malaria declined 78 per cent between 2000 and 2013, and the number of cases declined by 64 per cent.

Under this year’s theme, stakeholders are seeking to raise awareness of how increased measures for prevention and control have led to dramatic reductions in the burden of malaria in many places throughout the world, particularly in the Americas.

Malaria initiatives that have contributed to the achievement of the United Nations MDGs are eligible to compete in this year’s “Malaria Champions of the Americas” contest, which got under way on World Malaria Day. Nominations may be submitted until June 22.

Currently in its seventh year, the annual search for the “Malaria Champions of the Americas” aims to identify and honour innovative efforts that have demonstrated success in malaria prevention, control, elimination, or prevention of reintroduction, and that have significantly contributed to overcoming the challenges of malaria in communities, countries, or the Americas as a whole.

The awards are

sponsored by the Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO); the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health (MISPH); and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Centre for Communication Programmes (JHUCCP). The United Nations Foundation also joins this year’s search as partner and co-presenter.

Malaria on the decline

To mark the final year for the achievement of the MDGs, the 2015 Malaria Champions of the Americas will recognise malaria initiatives that have contributed to achievement of MDG targets, including those related to malaria as well as targets related to other MDGs (eradication of extreme poverty, promotion of gender equality and empowerment of women, reduction of child mortality, improvement of maternal health, development of a global partnership for development, etc). Nominations will be evaluated based on dem-

onstrated achievements in capacity building, innovation and equity, collaboration, and impact.

Winners of the 2015 Malaria Champion of the Americas award will receive:

* The opportunity to participate in three PAHO capacity-building trainings for malaria prevention, control and elimination

* US$2500 funding support for malaria-related capacity-building efforts (eg, staff training/education, research, project proposal development, or other activities that enhance skills and abilities to achieve goals and targets)

* A commemorative plaque

* The opportunity to be featured in various communication platforms of PAHO, UN Foundation, GWUMISPH, and JHU-CCP as a “best practice” story on malaria.

Full details and nomination forms can be downloaded at www. paho.org/malaria2015 Top winners will be recognised during the commemoration of Malaria Day in the Americas in November 2015.

Nagamootoo promises to further reduce presidential powers if coalition wins

By Devina Samaroo

Amid controversy surrounding the struggle for power within the People’s National Congress (PNC)-led A Partnership for National Unity/ Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition between its two major components, its Prime Ministerial Candidate, Moses Nagamootoo expressed his intention to fight for a further decrease in presidential powers, once the recently-formed alliance is elected as the next Government of Guyana.

This declaration was made during the coalition’s campaign rally at Vreed-en-Hoop, West Bank Demerara on Friday evening, just three weeks away from the General and Regional Elections. In 2000, all the parties in Parliament –the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C); PNC Reform; Working People’s Alliance (WPA), and The United Force (TUF) had unanimously made alterations to the Constitution that included a massive reduction in the powers of the President.

Nagamootoo told the crowd of several hundred supporters that the President held too much power.

“We need to have a constitutional change; part of the problem in Guyana is that too much power is concentrated on one person’s hand…!” he exclaimed. As part of the Cummingsburg Accord between the APNU and the AFC, Granger had already agreed to allocate some of his powers should he be elected President to Nagamootoo who would be his Prime Minister.

Nagamootoo has been constantly accused by many of being a “power drunk” individual who would do whatever it took to reign supreme.

These accusations, mostly made by offi-

cials from the ruling PPP/C, were justified by Nagamootoo’s track record of jumping ship when the road to the presidency was denied or became bumpy and long.

Nagamootoo had quit the PPP/C after he was not chosen as the Presidential Candidate of the Party. He then joined with the AFC and now he has joined the APNU but could not secure the Presidential candidacy and settled for the PM spot.

As per the Cummingsburg Accord between the two parties, the Prime Minister will be bestowed with the power to chair the Cabinet and matters supporting the domestic affairs of the nation.

Currently, the Constitution states that only the President must chair the Cabinet; however, Granger insists that, once elected, he will ensure the law is changed so that Nagamootoo can have the powers to do so.

Additionally, the Prime Minister will be tasked to make recommendations for the ministerial appointments and providing the organisational structure of the ministries for the approval of the President. It appears that Nagamootoo might be hedging his options in case Granger does not follow through with his promises as is widely seen by many supporters of the AFC.

Meanwhile, at the rally, Nagamootoo appeared to be losing attention as the crowd waited impatiently for Granger to come to the forefront.

Nonetheless, the party’s Prime Ministerial Candidate persisted in the face of murmurs and went on to speak about ending corruption in Guyana.

“We are the corruption capital of the world…We have to stop the corruption,” he declared.

He said the APNU/ AFC plans to end corrup-

tervals. This requirement is presently in place, but the Opposition MPs have not been complying with the law.

Nagamootoo envisions such a commission to be a separate entity where committee members will be responsible for monitoring most of the public officials’ private lives.

AFC’s shadow government officials “clean as whistle”.

Nagamootoo also spoke about the establishment of a code of conduct where Ministers will be sanctioned for certain behaviours. Granger enters Meanwhile, implored by the impatient crowd, Opposition Leader David Granger, during his brief time at the podi-

tion include the establishment of an Integrity Commission where all Government Ministers and officials will be required to declare their assets at prescribed in-

“It is time…We must know how much they have when they come in and we must know how much they got when they go out…we have to monitor them and we need an independent body to do so. We need to see how many cars they have, how many houses they have…they must declare everything,” Nagamootoo announced, signalling his intention to make all the APNU/

Man charged for execution of Patricia Sanasie

Almost four months after Patricia Sanasie, wife of popular businessman Ram Sanasie, was gunned down in front of her Atlantic Gardens, East Coast Demerara home, a Georgetown man was arraigned for her murder on Monday.

Sanasie, 45, was shot five times by a lone gunman after returning from church as she was about to drive into her yard. She was in the company of her eldest daughter who only last week positively identified her mother’s killer. On the night of January 12, the now dead woman arrived at her Lot 129 Atlantic Gardens home and exited the car to open the gate so that her daughter could drive into the yard. It was while doing so, the lone gunman confronted her and pumped at least four bullets into her body. She reportedly fell to the ground and was quickly picked up and rushed to

the Georgetown Public Hospital where she was pronounced dead.

The alleged perpetrator, Richard Stanton, 39, of Lot 53 Princes Street, Georgetown, was not required to plead to the indictable charge, which stated that on January 12 at Atlantic Gardens, he murdered the businesswoman. He was remanded to prison by Chief Magistrate Priya SewnarineBeharry when he made his appearance at the

Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

Stanton was previously arrested as he matched the description given to the Police by the main eyewitness, who was hospitalised as a result of shock and was hence unable to attend the identification parade. She had suffered a major breakdown and remained in hospital.

She finally recovered and informed Police that she was ready to be part of the ID parade. A few seconds into the process, she positively identified Stanton as the shooter. Initially, there were allegations that Sanasie’s husband had contracted someone to kill her, since, on the night of the shooting, the gunman was clear on his target. The couple had been together for the past 28 years and had three daughters.

The businessman, when contacted, said that he did not know

Poly clinic with x-ray laboratory for Supenaam

By IndrawattIe natram

Prime Ministerial Candidate for the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP\C) Elisabeth

Harper has outlined that should the PPP\C Government be elected with a majority come May 11, then a poly clinic with x-ray laboratory complimented with a dental and eye care services will be established in Supenaam in Region Two.

Harper was at the time speaking at PPP\C Anna Regina Damon Square on April 18. During her address to a gigantic crowd, she singled out that there will be a significant health care delivery in the area pointing out that the services will be strengthened.

During her address, the Prime Ministerial Candidate said that residents living in far-fetch areas will enjoy the ben-

efit of home base care. She added that doctors will be visiting patients, especially in the remote areas along the coast.

Harper said that a healthier nation means that persons will have a longer life expectancy and pledged the Government’s support in making that possible.

During her time on the Essequibo Coast she also took the opportunity to visit the Suddie Public Hospital where she met with medical professionals, and also spoke to a few patients. Harper also met with

doctors from Cuba who are based at the private facility.

Harper, who recently resigned as Director General of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, said in an effort to continue progress, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic is committed to ensuring that there is job creation, economic intervention, enhanced agricultural processing, enhanced Tourism and Hospitality, fight against Domestic Violence and better life for elders and differently able as well as broader protection.

anything about his wife’s killing. He stressed that he had been in the US since early December and knew nothing of the shooting.

In February 2014, the businessman was shot three times about his body while outside his business place on Fourth and Light

Streets, Alberttown, Georgetown. He had claimed that his wife and her younger brother were behind the failed attempt on his life, but this was denied by the two siblings.

Sanasie said that he and his wife had been separated since the shooting and he had

ceased all contact with her. He said he left his wife alone, so that she could figure out what she had to and find her way back to him.

This was all rubbished by the dead woman’s brother, Vishnu Persaud, who met with media personnel a few days later and released a recording of purportedly an ex-Police officer, who claimed that he was contracted by a close family member to kill the now dead woman, warning his sister.

The male on the other end of the line claimed that he made the decision to alert her as a way of getting back at the family member over a soured business deal. During the phone conversation, she asked the alleged hit man to meet with her. During the meeting, he was arrested by the Police, held for 72 hours, but released because of the lack of evidence.

New action plan for biodiversity conservation completed

The recently developed National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP), which outlines Government’s vision for continuous conservation of national biodiversity and Guyana’s Fifth National Report to the United National Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD) has been approved by Cabinet.

The NBSAP, which covers the period 20122020, has nine strategic objectives which are in line with those of the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment.

Several priority areas for action during the outlined period include the expansion of protected areas; rehabilitation and restoration of mangrove belts and degraded mined out areas, development of the European Union Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) timber legality assurance system; restructuring and reorienting the zoological park’s representatives of ecosystems with a view of increasing and expanding awareness of biodiversity; and review the existing legislation and outcomes of Environmental Impact Assessments and their roles in protecting biodiversity.

The Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment Robert Persaud, via a statement, noted that

Guyana has made significant strides towards managing its biological wealth for conservation and sustainable use.

He pointed out that the NBSAP and the report to the UNCBD is another signal of the Government’s commitment to continue in its bid to conserve the country’s national biodiversity.

The NBSAP clearly outlines the vision, roles, duties and obligations of the state and its citizens to protect, conserve, use sustainably and share equitably the benefits arising from biodiversity.

The document intends to provide the guidance and support actions for biodiversity, and sets out the national priorities and the strategic objectives to be achieved.

It also allows for partners at all levels to better identify how they

can contribute and support Guyana in meeting its national biodiversity vision whilst at the same time, meeting its obligations to the UNCBD. Meanwhile, Guyana’s Fifth National Report to the UNCBD covers the period 2011-2014 and describes actions taken by Guyana to conserve and sustainably manage its diversity.

It also outlines how these actions are contributing to the achievement of the UNCBD strategic goals and the Aichi Biodiversity Targets of the updated Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020. Consequently, it also covers developments which have occurred since the submission of the last national report (Fourth National Report) to the UNCBD. Both documents benefited from extensive stakeholders’ consultations and feedback.

Fight them with your ballots, Jagdeo tells PPP/C’s Success rally

BY MICHAEL YOUNGE

Former President and People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Executive, Bharrat Jagdeo on Wednesday evening urged over 3000 Guyanese present at the Party’s meeting at Success, East Coast Demerara to fight the Opposition coalition with their ballots as he warned them against complacency ahead of the May 11 General and Regional Elections this year.

Jagdeo, in his 45-minute presentation, told Guyanese, who were paying rapt attention, that they have to join the struggle and fight to protect their freedom and the notions of democracy and development, if they wanted a more secure and prosperous future.

He reminded them of the struggles of their foreparents and the elders in their community for freedom from the dark rule of the People’s National Congress and the injustices of the State then, telling Guyanese that it was the PPP/C that brought change and caused the complete democratization of the state to take

place following the 1992 elections.

“One generation paid the price for freedom in the past. Are you willing to pay the price to maintain that freedom?” he asked an emotionally charged crowd which responded with a resounding “yes”.

He warned that the same persons who were successful for many years in rigging elections, terrorising innocent Guyanese and implementing bad socioeconomic policies were thirsty to rule Guyana again.

But he urged that

“this generation of young and old men, particularly the young men, must rise to the challenge to maintain freedom” by playing their role and ensuring that they take a stance against all forms of intimidation that could see a low turnout of PPP/C supporters at the May 11 polls.

Jagdeo urged the residents of Success to turn out in their numbers early to cast their ballots, explaining that they must ensure that they motivate their peers to also do the same and to observe the process.

“All of you have to

help…we have to put people on our backs…if you have a vehicle you have to help…you have to go to your neighbour’s house and go to the neighbouring communities…,” he said, as he underscored the importance of securing a landslide victory.

He also cautioned his Party supporters against celebrating a victory ahead of the election as there was still over two weeks left for more work to be done to encourage others to vote solidly for the PPP/C on Election Day.

Jagdeo also encour-

aged Success residents to make checks on other communities to ensure that there was no tampering with votes as he expressed the view that the level of desperation was increasing in the Opposition coalition’s camp.

Intimidation, violence

The former President also informed the crowd of the worrying patterns of behaviour which have been exhibited by supporters of the People’s National Congress Reform-led A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance for Change coalition in the lead-up to elections.

He said that the coalition was guilty of harassing business people for funding for its elections campaign and threatening them with boycott if they did not erect signs and flags which depict full support for a Granger presidency and Nagamootoo prime ministership.

He reminded those present about the boycott calls made by APNU and PNC Executive Lurlene Nestor in 2011; the wanton destruction of the PPP/C campaign billboards, signs and posters; and the stoning of party members at

Sophia and Linden.

“This PNC has not changed. They believe in intimidation. They believe in bullyism…” he warned as he again put supporters on notice that the Opposition planned to create hysteria in the country, while using the Voters’ List and Official List of Electors.

“It is an ominous sign, a dangerous sign about the future because if they ever get their hands on power again, we will never have a return to democratic rule again,” Jagdeo said the public meeting.

Taking a jab at Granger, Jagdeo asked Guyanese to again examine his record and to look past the vast public relations and imaging campaign that is being done by the Opposition to paint him as clean and new, reminding them about the Opposition Leader’s stint in the Army and the missing guns, his belief in the PNC and militarisation of the Opposition.

“If the victory is narrow, they will use that narrow victory to create violence because this is what they know,” he said, stating that “the victory must be so over-

153 house lots distributed to Region 2 residents

By IndrawattIe natram

Over 153 persons living within the confines of Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam) are now proud recipients of house lots, courtesy of the Ministry of Housing and Water through the Government of Guyana.

The Housing Ministry allocated 153 house lots at Onderneeming on Wednesday as part of its second phase of the hallmark housing initiative under the theme “Live the Guyanese dream –home ownership made easier”.

This was the eighth distribution and Onestop-shop initiative hosted in Region Two.

Chief Executive Officer of the Housing Ministry, Myrna Pitt, said that home ownership is one of the most important decisions one can make in their lifetime.

“The Housing Sector continues to grow and more than 3500 lots are

already allocated within nine areas in Region Two,” Pitt noted. She further stated that the Ministry of Housing is considering applications for the 2014-2015 period.

Speaking to the gathering of recipients, Junior Agriculture Minister Alli Baksh, said that many persons on the Essequibo Coast are living a better life under the rule of the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C).

“House lots in Region Two are no problem. The Housing Ministry has a vision, and that vision is to ensure that persons own their own lots as well as live a better life,” Baksh said.

Access loans

“This is not the end; this is a continuous process of development. You can elevate yourself. Now that the banks have come on board, the process is much easier” Baksh noted.

Meanwhile, Region Two Chairman, Parmanand Persaud, attested that the

Government is making a valuable contribution in improving the lives of Guyanese. Persaud said that it is the intention of the Government to improve housing in Essequibo by giving more people house lots as well as further developing the 13 odd housing schemes.

“The intention of the Government is to expand in the Housing Sector and give people more lots to construct their own homes,” Persaud noted.

Persaud stated that, at no time, did the Government sell house lots to anyone and dismissed the Opposition’s claims. He asserted that individuals are getting lots at a subsided cost because the Government has to spend large sums of money to develop the housing areas in terms of drainage, roads, portable water, electricity and surveying. He used the opportunity to commend the Housing Ministry for holding the One-stopshop.

Driver dies after car slams into parked truck

AWest Coast Berbice (WCB) man died after motor car PSS 854, which he was driving ran under a parked lorry at Bush Lot Village, WCB, Region Five (MahaicaBerbice) Tuesday morning. It is believed that the driver, Regan Simpson, also called “Kester Reddock”, may have fallen asleep at the wheel. The car came to a standstill after it hit the lorry which was parked on the other side of the road. There were no skid marks leading up to the point of impact, leading many to believe that Simpson did not realise that he had crossed the road and was heading into a parked vehicle.

The accident is said to have occurred about 04:30h. There were no eyewitnesses. However, this publication understands that Simpson was returning from

Georgetown to his Lot 165 B Main Street, Hopetown, WCB residence when the accident occurred. According to the dead man’s cousin, Alistair Roberts, Simpson left home about 02:00h to take two men to the Linden Car Park in Georgetown. He explained that the men had earlier gone to his home seeking a taxi to take them to the city, but he was asleep. Simpson lived two houses away and was subsequently approached.

Roberts said he was informed about the accident about 04:45h and got to the scene about two minutes later.

“When I got there, to my mind, he had already passed away, because he was not moving.” He said there were about six persons, along with Police officers, on the scene and the lorry had already been moved a few feet forward to allow easy ac-

Ramjattan surfaces after...

be implemented) is designed to ensure that prices are stable and that payments are made on time.”

The PPP/C said in the APNU/AFC manifesto, the proposals made demonstrate their lack of knowledge and how bereft they are of ideas to develop the industry.

Regarding the sugar industry, the PPP/C again stressed that it was on its death bed when the PPP/C took it over in 1992. “It is the PPP/C that brought sugar back to life in Guyana. Except for one year, we have surpassed the 200,000 tons production every year. Under the PNC, we almost dropped to less than 100,000 tons. Most times, throughout the 1980s, Guyana’s

production fell far below 200,000 tons. Yet the PPP/C brought sugar back from the death bed to a robust industry. We have confronted major challenges such as climate change and the EU’s arbitrary ending of the sugar protocol. We have had to overcome the unconscionable reduction of 36% in the price for sugar. But the industry has survived and last year again increased its production.”

The PPP/C in 2015, it will again meet its target and has set out clearly plans to attain 400,000 tons of sugar and to diversify GuySuCo’s product line by 2020.

“For this reason we have outlined a minimum of Gy$20B for the sugar industry. These

are not empty promises. We have outlined clearly our plans for GUYSUCO. We note that they continue their ambiguous position on sugar. They continue to insist that the sugar industry must be closed. The truth is that the APNU-AFC have blown hot and cold on rice and sugar, playing politics, instead of giving genuine support so that these two major industries can continue to grow and serve our people and our country. The Alliance’s manifesto has plagiarized extensively from various PPP/C programs. The truth is that the PPP/C has brought progress to Guyana with programmes like the ones contained in our manifesto,” the ruling party said.

Nagamootoo promises...

um, begged the crowd of supporters to vote for the APNU/AFC coalition.

“I beg you Region Three, do not give the PPP back 66 per cent,” he pleaded.

Dead: regan Simpson, also called “Kester reddock

cess to get the injured man out of the car.

“We take him out and carried him to the Fort Wellington Hospital … He had some bruises on his face; I can’t say his neck break, but he had some bruises on his stomach and his hand was swollen, I can’t say if it was broken,” Roberts related.

Simpson who lived alone operated a daily passenger service between Mahaicony and Rosignol. He leaves to mourn his three-monthold daughter.

He urged them to mobilise and organise forces within their communities and come out on May 11 to vote the coalition into power.

“In 2011, allyuh give PPP/C 66 per cent of the votes and yuh give APNU and AFC 33 per cent of the votes…don’t do it again,” Granger

urged.

The Presidential Candidate did not touch bases on policies during his speech.

But, just as he was about to take his leave, Granger quickly tried to convince his supporters that the PPP/C Government did nothing for the region in all its 22 years in power.

Granger failed to acknowledge the development of roads, housing schemes, the provision of electricity and water supply, the rehabilita-

tion of schools, among other initiatives that bettered the lives of residents during the PPP/C rule.

Instead, he attempted to convince the residents by telling them that the PPP Administration does not care about their well-being.

On that note, Granger quickly added that his administration, if elected as the next Government of Guyana, will bring “good roads, good schools and a morgue” to the West Bank of Demerara.

Fight them with your ballots, Jagdeo tells PPP/C’s...

whelming that they will have to shut up and take it”.

PPP/C is the change

The former President criticised those Guyanese who were being fooled into believing that Granger, Nagamootoo and Khemraj Ramjattan represent change and will deliver all things under the sun and imaginable to them after the May 11 polls should the coalition win.

He pointed to the comprehensive work done by successive PPP/C Administrations to move Guyana from a

position of bankruptcy to a buoyant economy with massive development and positive change taking place in the education, health, security, public works, human services and Information Communication Technology (ICT) sectors.

“We have been the change in Guyana and….yet they don’t see progress,” Jagdeo said, as he also paid rapt attention in his speech to personal development of Guyanese under the governance of the PPP/C.

The PPP/C Executive said that “intellectual-

ly”, the PPP/C’s policies and programmes can compete with those presented by the Opposition coalition but reasoned that it would appear that the coalition’s present-day disposition is worrying. Jagdeo said that the coalition was not interested in building this but in “eating up” all of the resources and savings in the State coffers. He confessed his belief that Ramjattan and Nagamootoo were “naïve”, because they were being “outmanoeuvred in every way” by the PNC and Granger.

Massive plans, policies to move Guyana forward

BY DEVINA SAMAROO

In the presence of Executive Members of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), members of the diplomatic corps, businessmen and other prominent stakeholders, the ruling Administration launched its long-awaited manifesto in grand style at the Marriott Hotel on Saturday.

PPP/C Presidential Candidate Donald Ramotar unleashed his excitement as he spoke about the policies within the Party’s manifesto which he assured will propel Guyana into a modernised economy with promises of economic development, wealth generation and more progress within the nation.

“This manifesto represents what we stand for and what we commit to doing and achieving for you, the Guyanese people…this manifesto is based on moving Guyana towards a vision that we have developed in concord to the Guyanese people…ours is a vision of Guyana as a growing economy creating jobs, income and wealth for our people, it is a Guyana endowed with worldclass infrastructure that

supports our industries and businesses and from which revenues are derived to guarantee our people world-class education, superior health care, reliable and affordable electricity, water, housing and other social services,” Ramotar guaranteed.

The Head of State assured that the PPP/C’s manifesto outlines the policies, the rationality behind the plans, the vision and the step-bystep process of how the Administration intends to achieve those plans within the next few years.

In painting the picture of the broader strategic focus of the docu-

ment, Ramotar said the plans aim to promote job creation, income and wealth generation through economic policies geared upon boosting the manufacturing and tourism sectors, assurance of better security, good governance, and the provision and convenient access of facilities and social services to all Guyanese.

Ramotar explained that those promises can only be realised through the pursuit of a number of transformative projects which the PPP/C Administration intends to embark upon as soon as it regains the authority to take Guyana forward.

Rice farmers receiving payments from Golden Fleece Investment

Scores of rice farmers from Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam) who sold their harvest on March 7, 2015 received their payments from Golden Fleece Rice Investment owned by Nazeemul Hakh.

The mill commenced payment early Thursday morning and scores of rice farmers were seen in lines in front of the mill.

While some farmers were happy, others were turned back.

One farmer who travelled from New Road had to return home. She was told that the mill was only paying farmers who sold their paddy on March 7. The female farmer had sold her paddy in April to the miller.

Meanwhile, rice farmers are presently preparing their fields. Farmers are busy ploughing their lands in preparation for the autumn crop. Currently, some 38,000 acres are under rice cultivation. According to information reaching this newspaper, the Drainage and Irrigation Department of the Region will release water based on a schedule.

The rice industry has progressed under the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government with more varieties becoming available as well as the Venezuelan market being opened. Production has increased to more than 1.5

million bags per crop. The autumn crop is expected to be harvested August/September.

Former President Bharrat Jagdeo, during a farmers meeting in Region Two recently, said that the rice industry has progressed under the PPP/C and the Government is doing everything to find new markets. Jagdeo said due to the increase in production, more markets are being sought.

He also noted that the Government of Guyana in the past assisted millers with advances in an effort to make timely payments. Fertilisers were also brought in at a cheaper cost to farmers so as to cut their production cost.

Those projects include the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project, the Cheddi Jagan International Airport Expansion Project, the Road to Brazil, the Bridge across the Corentyne River connecting Guyana to Suriname, the Deep Water Harbour in Berbice and the new bridge over the Demerara River.

Also, within the next five years, Vision 2.0 sets out to ensure every child has a secondary education, that the University of Guyana is transformed into a world-class institution, and that the narrow gaps that currently exist in the education sector become nonexistent.

Directing his focus to the health sector, Ramotar pledged to complete the Specialty Hospital, establish a 100-bed ward at the Regional Hospital on the East Bank of Demerara, construct a new hospital in Port Kaituma and complete the expansion of the maternity wing at the Georgetown Public Hospital.

As it relates to housing, the PPP/C leader disclosed plans to develop a new urban community on the SoesdykeLinden Highway and create 5000 additional turnkey homes for lowand middle-income earners.

Ramotar also pledged to ensure increased emphasis is placed on fighting crime and reducing lawlessness in the country. He said in order to achieve this, the PPP/C Government intends to invest heavily in the sector by providing greater resources where needed, strengthening laws for better enforcement, improving the judiciary system and employing technology into the system to enhance the quality of the work.

Meanwhile, Prime Ministerial Candidate Elisabeth Harper, during ceremony, also disclosed excerpts of policies under the various sections within the manifesto.

Foremost, she underscored the progress the PPP/C Administration has made within the past years of governance and reassured all that the executive body will work diligently to ensure it continues to build on that growth by improving existing policies and introducing new programmes that will enhance the lives of all Guyanese, particularly the vulnerable groups like women, children, single parents, the elderly and indigenous people.

Mexican Ambassador accredited

New Mexican Ambassador to Guyana Ivan Robero Sierra Medel on Monday presented his Letters of Credence to President Donald Ramotar at the Office of the President.

Welcoming the new Ambassador, the President noted that Guyana and Mexico have enjoyed a productive partnership over the years, both bilaterally and in terms of the framework of the Caricom-Mexico cooperation programme.

The establishment of the Mexican Embassy in Georgetown, President Ramotar said, has served to strengthen that partnership.

“We are encouraged

by the continued participation of the Mexican Private Sector in business ventures in Guyana which is testimony of the confidence of investors in our economy. I have no doubt that during your tenure you would be able to witness firsthand the investor-friendly climate which exists in Guyana and encourage more persons to explore possibilities here,” he was quoted as saying by the Government Information Agency (GINA). He noted that the technical assistance provided by Mexico in the area of training was complementary to Government’s agenda to develop highly skilled human capital and workforce, and

expressed hope that the countries’ bilateral cooperation would be expanded. Mexico provides Guyanese with scholarships in many areas, including health and engineering, and at present is working with the agriculture sector to explore greater use of coconuts. It is also contributing to a fund that assists Caricom countries during disasters.

Hailing Guyana as a friend of Mexico, the new Ambassador said the political dialogue between the two countries was reinforced by President Ramotar’s 2014 visit to Mexico during the third Mexico-Caricom Summit. “Guyana’s leadership in Caricom should pave the way for a successful fourth MexicoCaricom Summit,” as the earlier commitments are bearing fruits.

Noting that Mexicans are investing in Guyana, particularly in the call centre and hospitality industries, the Ambassador noted that GuyExpo should attract more Mexican entrepreneurs. He urged Guyana to participate in the World Economic Forum for Latin America, which will be hosted in Mexico.

Massive plans, policies to move Guyana...

On the topic of education, Harper said the PPP/C will ensure universal secondary and nursery education is achieved, more trained teachers are deployed, the early childhood education programme is realised, children with special educational needs are addressed, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) facilities are available in all classrooms and the quality of teaching at the University of Guyana is improved.

With the belief that education is the key pillar of a successful nation, Harper said the PPP/C will seek to provide University-level education on the Essequibo Coast through the provision of extra bureau classes with the vision of establishing a University Campus there.

Additionally, she revealed that the Party aimed to expand on the University’s online services so that persons in far-reaching areas can also attain a university education.

For those who are not academically capable, Harper promised to provide better opportunities in technical and vocational studies.

She also noted plans to establish centres of excellence throughout Guyana in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, Arts and modern languages.

Harper expanded more on the vision for the education sector by telling the audience of plans to enhance the school guidance and counsellor programmes in school, the implementation of Health and Family Life Education programme in secondary schools to educate young individuals against teenage pregnancy, implement special programmes to cater for school dropouts and develop second-chance programmes for teenage mothers.

She added that the PPP/C intends to implement a programme to promote responsible fatherhood among young males.

As it relates to children, Harper said the PPP/C Administration will ensure special accommodation is provided for them and better childcare facilitates and services are available.

She also noted that there will be better coordination between childcare agencies and the Police Force and Director

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of Public Prosecutions to ensure child-abuse related cases are treated with priority.

Plans to enact the juvenile justice bill and have the Family Court operational are also laid down in the manifesto.

In addition, she assured better foster care and adoption services will be provided.

Harper also said the PPP/C will roll out plans for the protection and preservation of the Amerindian languages and art forms within the various indigenous groups in the country.

And lastly, in reiterating her role in championing the cause for all women in Guyana, Harper pledged to ensure that her Party upholds the rights of women, strengthen the legislation to ensure better justice is provided for women, and expand the micro financing programmes that will benefit all women who seek to become independent entrepreneurs.

She also promised to work with the community and collaborate with various organisations to educate against domestic violence with the aim of putting an end to this scourge in society, once and for all.

Ramsaroop says Nagamootoo will be left out in the cold

By Devina Samaroo

Former Alliance For Change (AFC) Executive and current candidate for the ruling People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C), Dr Peter Ramsaroop says that Moses Nagamootoo, who is vying to be Guyana’s next Prime Minister on an APNU/AFC ticket will be left out in the cold when the coalition loses.

Dr Ramsaroop reasoned that the coalition’s Presidential Candidate, Retired Brigadier David Granger will never abandon his “chain of command” for the sake of his running mate Moses Nagamootoo.

Ramsaroop was at the time speaking during a recent televised broadcast in Berbice.

He said Granger is known to surround himself with military comrades and will not allow anyone to breach that “close knitted” circle regardless of what is laid out in the Cummingsburg Accord.

As per the Cummingsburg Accord, the agreement signed between the two political forces, Nagamootoo was guaranteed the powers of the President of Guyana to direct and control the Government and Cabinet.

Being a former military officer himself,

URP

Ramsaroop believes that Granger will not give up his authority as it is the belief of the military that there is only “one boss”.

“For Nagamootoo to believe that even though the Constitution does not allow him to run the Cabinet as outlined in the Cummingsburg Accord, that Granger would allow him to direct the Government, he is day dreaming. We are taught in the military to delegate responsibilities but never authority,” Ramsaroop explained.

In fact, Ramsaroop predicts that the Courts and the Constitution will not recognise the Cummingsburg Accord over the Law and therefore, there will be “no room” for Nagamootoo” if the coalition wins.

Recently, Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh and the PPP/C General Secretary, Clement Rohee had also warned the general populace of what they described as

the “hypocritical” nature of the members of the Opposition.

Rohee said Nagamootoo was not satisfied with just a prime ministerial post, and he will do whatever it takes to be crowned President of Guyana. “He didn’t succeed in the PPP/C for the President…but now he gone with the PNC, he gone with the APNU and he still harbouring illusions to be the President…,” Rohee stated, noting that Granger and Nagamootoo will be at constant war over power distribution within the “united” party.

“If at any time, Granger is to become the President of this country, he better don’t leave Guyana, because anytime Granger leave Guyana, it means Nagamootoo will take over and then we will see more trouble in the camp,” Rohee predicted.

In reiterating this message across the country, the Finance Minister told thousands of Berbice supporters the People’s National Congress (PNC)-led alliance cannot be trusted, as the sole purpose of the coalition is to merely get the PNC back into power.

He went on to convince the crowd that Granger has plans to knock Nagamootoo out of the spotlight at the very first chance he gets.

CIOG fundraising dinner in Canada set for May 2

The Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana (CIOG) will be hosting its Annual Fundraising Dinner in Canada, on May 2.

The event is being organised by the CIOG’s Canadian Support Group and will be held at the Islamic Institute of Toronto (IIT), 1630 Neilson Road, Scarborough, Canada, commencing at 16:00h.

At the fundraising dinner, the keynote speaker will be Shaikh Abdool Hamid, while the fundraising event will be led by Dr Abdullah Hakim Quick. The event will be chaired by the Imam of The Taric Mosque, Shaikh Imran Ali. CIOG is using this forum to inform the Guyanese diaspora, as well as others, in the North American country of the various actions undertaken by the religious organisation to help the poor and needy, and to seek contributions so that it can continue serving the less fortunate people of Guyana.

“Your contributions can continue to make a significant difference in the lives of others via a number of existing programmes. For example, to ensure that the knowledge of Islam is circulated, our teachers working in several regions must be paid to travel and conduct Madrasah classes. To provide for the

vulnerable, our Orphan Sponsorship Programme meets the nutritional, educational and medical needs of children for just (CAN) $30 a month per child,” CIOG stated in a release.

The Organisation further detailed that in order to strengthen bonds in the community; its social services also include assisting poor Muslim families with the burials of their loved ones. Additionally, in an effort to bring happiness to the children of Guyana, the CIOG treats some 375 orphans currently registered in its programmes to a delicious meal, games, rides and presents every year at an Annual Fun Day.

CIOG advises that Zakaat can also be donated at the Fund Raising Dinner and will be used only for the purpose of which Zakaat can be used. Moreover, all donors will receive a tax deductible receipt from the International

Development Relief Foundation (IDRF) for their donations made. For further information on the Fund Raising Dinner, dinner tickets or the donation process, kindly contact Br. Liaquat or Sister Janet at 416-400-1786.

“This is an event that should not be missed, as it is a time when we in Canada can lend a helping hand to the executives of the CIOG in Guyana; to show them how much we appreciate the great effort they are making to help the people of Guyana. May Allah reward you greatly for giving your love, time and support to those in need,” the CIOG said. Tickets for the event costs CAN$15 and are available at the door as well as at Centres/ Masjids in the GTA. Persons are asked to come and enjoy a sumptuous meal while reuniting with family and friends for a worthy cause.

tells small group of supporters “PPP/C and APNU/AFC are evil”

By anDrew CarmiChael

The United Republican Party (URP) on Friday afternoon hosted its first public meeting in New Amsterdam, Berbice telling the three people who showed up that all the leaders in the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) and the People’s National Congress (PNC)-led A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance for Change coalition are all “evil” and “atheists”. The URP is the first small party to hold a public meeting in Berbice ahead of the May 11, 2015 elections and as the meeting went on at Main and Pitt Streets, many passersby were surprised that the Party’s leaders were delivering passionate presentations but were being completely ignored by scores as they blithely continued their daily business activities.

URP Leader and Presidential Candidate Vishnu Bandhu and Prime Ministerial

Candidate Brandon Jones both spoke of the Party’s plans if it is to win the upcoming poll.

Bandhu was very critical of the two major political groups campaigning for the elections, saying that they did not have God within them.

“Their leaders are evil. The URP is a reformed party, all of our leaders believe strongly in God. Every election the electorate goes and vote for a set of godless people who do not believe

in God. This Government is an atheist, the APNU Government, all of them are atheists, they don’t believe in God. The URP has been reborn under spiritually. We strongly believe in God and say that He is the primary source of all true knowledge,” the Presidential Candidate said.

He argued that Guyana needed a change but not an exchange saying that Guyana had 28 years of the PNC and 23 years of the PPP/C.

Bandhu told the three persons present that the AFC lied when its leaders had claimed that they will never coalesce with another party.

“Birds of a feather flock together. This is the first time in the history of Guyana that one party is carrying the fight against all the other parties.”

He noted that both religion and politics go hand in hand and called on voters not to cast a ballot for either of the two major political parties.

“If you call yourself godly and you vote for these two major political parties, you are cheating yourself because they all have the same mentality; they came from the same school. If you vote for these political parties, you are going straight to hell.”

Speaking of the Party’s plans for Guyana should it win on May 11, Bandhu said investors will want to come back to Guyana. He said

the vision of the URP is for a modern and safe Guyana. “We are not promising you anything.

We are telling you we do not know everything, but with you and us we will be able to know everything. We are not telling you that we are going to give you this and give you that, we are telling you that together we will work so you could achieve whatever you want in life.”

While criticis-

ing the Gy$3 million Presidential Pension, Bandhu said if he becomes President he will not want a salary because he has enough money.

He, however, stated that the Party did not have money to transport persons to the meetings like some others.

The Party Leader invited persons to read his manifesto and soon after the meetings, copies were given to passersby.

Gokarn ramdhani

Promoting the sport of badminton in Guyana

Gokarn Ramdhani is a notable figure in the local sports sector, workingpersistentlyto develop badminton in Guyana, the Caribbean and Central America,enthusiastically working with youths to build their confidence.

Ramdhani started to play badminton while attending the Ilorin Grammar School in Kwara State, Nigeria in the late 70s and continued playing at the Queens College from 1980 to 1984.

At the time he joined the Yonex Badminton Club, which was a junior club formed and operated by the late Philip Small, a past student of Queens College where the club was situated.

Ramdhani was crowned Junior Champion for Guyana in 1983 and represented Guyana at the Curacao Easter International Tournament in 1985/1986 where he earned abronze medal.

During his senior years on the national team, Ramdhani was the National Doubles Champion for more than tenyears and runner-up in singles on many occasions. He also attended the Caribbean championships during the years and the Canadian open.

His best achieve-

ment was at the Curacao International Championships where he was crowned Doubles Champion in 1997.

The badminton champion also served as secretary of the Guyana Badminton Association in the late 80s; was president for many years, and continues to do so to date.

Additionally, he is the president of the Yonex Badminton Club, a position he held since 1986, and is responsible for coaching the players, most of whom made the national team to represent Guyana at international tournaments.

Ramdhani went on to coach the national team, which has,over the years, won many titles at the Pan American Championships, the Caribbean Championships, the South American Championships, the Trinidad Clubs Championships, and the Suriname Easter International Championships.

He runs and coaches the Marian Academy Badminton Club voluntarily once a week, which he calls his “pet project”, because it is there he finds his potential players for the future.

Ramdhani also voluntarily taught and marked the books of the 1A Queens

College Composition Class 2010, where the students did badminton as their topic for a term.

He produced the National Junior Sportswoman for the year 2002 and the Runner-up Junior Sportswoman for the year 2003 for badminton.

Notably, Ramdhani furthered his studies to become a qualified and professional badminton coach by attending the Hungarian University of Physical Education in 1999;holds a Level One Badminton World Diploma in Colorado Springs 2003; a Level Two and Three World Badminton Diploma in Lima Peru 2005 and 2006; and studied the modern day coaching methods in Changsha China in 2011.

He also served as ChefDe-Mission at the South American Games 2010 in Medellin Colombia, Commonwealth Youth Games 2011in Isle of Man and in the South American Games 2014 in Santiago Chile.

Currently, Ramdhani serves on the boards of the Guyana Badminton Association (president), Yonex Badminton Club (president), Caribbean Regional Badminton Federation (secretary general), Central America & Caribbean Badminton Associations (secretary general), Pan American Badminton Federation (council member), and on Guyana Olympic Association (council member).

In an interview with Guyana Times Sunday Magazine, Ramdhani revealed that he “saw badminton being played and thought it was the right game” for him.

“Then by playing, it made me aware of myself that I can do a sport that can make me an allrounded person. I developed the sport by getting players motivated by monthly tournaments, and kept the club running all year round and carried

teams to international championships on a regular basis to keep them in training,” the badminton coach explained.

Ramdhani added that his love for the sport stems from the fact that it keeps players fit and is fun for all. He also stated that when players excel in the game, especially winning tournaments, it is one of the best feelings experienced.

“If you want to be successful in badminton then you need to be disciplined, never give up and work harder. In order for badminton to be even more developed, the schools

have to carry on the programmes we introduced, more halls are needed and more sponsors have to get on-board. Most of all, lessons after classes have to be done in such a way to leave some time for sports,” Ramdhani declared.

Ramdhani’s two children, Narayan Ramdhani and Priyanna Ramdhani, have closely followed his example. They are local, regional and international champions, and are known as disciplined and dedicated individuals. Their zeal for badminton is seen in their attitude to help their father continue to develop

the sport.

“I encouraged my kids to play badminton in order to continue the legacy in the sport and to get badminton to a higher level internationally. They also help to motivate youths like themselves,” Ramdhani pointed out.

Recently, Ramdhani received an award from the Guyana Olympic Association for his contribution to the development of badminton.

For more information on badminton and how children can benefit from the sport, visit Yonex Badminton Club (Guyana) on Facebook.

Part III: Establishing the Church in the interior

For some indigenous Guyanese, their Catholic faith had begun from their contactwith Venezuelan and BrazilianCatholics, even before the official arrival of Jesuitpriests in Georgetown.

In the north-west of what was then British Guiana, 18th century Spanish Franciscans had begun ministering indigenous groups in territories around

the Venezuela-Guyana border, while other groups had contact with Catholic Brazilians who traded with them for cattle in the south west of Guyana.

After the Venezuelan Bolivar revolution destroyed their Catholic mission, the indigenous tribes fled to Moruca in North West British Guiana for refuge, and set up their community.

When an 1830 let-

ter to Bishop Hynes expressed concern for the Catholic Indians there and invited the bishop to visit the region, Hynes arrived on a three- day visit that paved the way for missions to develop other indigenous communities in the northwest.

The Santa Rosa Mission at Moruca was the principal mission established which was followed by another mis-

sion at Morawhanna.

In 1909, Catholic priest Fr Cuthbert CaryElwes SJ, arrived further inland with plans to minister to the southern interior communities and, at Zariwa on the right bank of the Takatu River just above the Moku-Moku River, a base was established that became known as St Ignatius Mission.

On January22, 1931, Fr William Banham went on an expedition to choose a site for a central house among the Patamona people of the Pakaraimas. However, it wasn’t until 1957 that a church and presbytery at Kurukabaru was es-

tablished.

Meanwhile, the church in New Amsterdam served as a base for work throughout Berbice, while centres at Abram’s Zuil and Henrietta served a similar purpose in Essequibo.

According to the Jesuit Mission in Guyana,the Jesuits presently workin the interior out of three centres: Aishalton, deep in south Rupununi,St Ignatius in Central Rupununi, and Kurukabaru in the Pakaraimas. A fourth centre at Karasabai in the foothills of the Pakaraimas is planned.

In Berbice, the Church ministers to parishes in Springlands and Port Mourant,and has responsibility for some of

the smaller agricultural communities scattered down along the coast, such as that at Black Bush Polder.

Once a month, at least one of the Jesuits makes the two-hour boat journey down the Corentyne River to Siparuta, an isolated Arawak Amerindian community.

The Catholic Church continues to work on the coastlands and interior of Guyana, bringing the word of God to more persons, establishing places of worship and providing not only spiritual guidance but also social and humanitarian services such as educational and charitable programmes to the less fortunate in the country.

Nature as a muse

“Art is the most intense mode of individualism that the world has known,” said Irish writer and poet Oscar Wilde.

Artists around the world use art as a medium to not only create something admirable but to express their deepest emotions. This is how effervescent Guyanese artist Sheliza Rampersaud also views art.

“Art allows me to express myself. I don't think there was any real inspiration,because initially art was just a hobby. I then grew and learnt more about it - the different forms and aspects. Eventually, it became more than just a hobby, it became a passion,” the artist explained in an interview with Guyana Times Sunday Magazine

She recalled attending an art exhibition at Castellani House where she saw a variety of paintings from famous Guyanese artists. She pointed out the paintings that captured her attention were by notable Guyanese artist Ron Savory, his “Creek” series.

“I remember looking at those paintings and thinking someday I wanted to paint like that. Savory’s

work truly inspired me.”

Rampersaud attended Montrose Primary where she developed a love for art. There she was taught to “draw and colour”, but art was only a hobby.

“After I graduated from primary school, I attended Tutorial High School where I was introduced to a more advanced level of art. It was there that art became more than just a hobby. I knew that art was something I wanted to pursue. In Fourth Form, I chose to go in the art stream where visual art became one of the main subjects that was taught. I did painting, a bit of textile and craft and experimented with other aspects of art. Consequently, from then on, art became a part of me. My art teacher, Miss Suton, told us (fellow artist Tammy Walker and I) that we could further our study in art. After I graduated from Tutorial in 2011, I decided to do just that and, in that same year, I enrolled at the BurrowesSchool of Arts as a major in painting and minor in ceramic,” she reminisced.

The young artist revealed that she enjoys painting landscapes and sceneries. She has experi-

mented with other areas of art, such as abstract,still life, portraits, among others, but found herself feeling “free and comfortable” with capturing the beauty of various landscapes.

“Nature became a centre piece for me.I found the beauty of nature and admire the role it plays in our life and the environment. It became more of an escape for me, thus I incorporated it in my paintings and also my ceramics pieces,” Rampersaud noted.

Although very young in her art career, Rampersaud is determined to prove her talents to the world. Last year, she was part of a local art exhibitionat the National Cultural Centre, along with other students from Burrowes.

“For me, personally, art gives me the freedom of expressing myself and finding out new things. I hope I can keep furthering my studies in art, but as for now I have not decided completely about what the next step is,” Rampersaud disclosed.

The artist identified “Hidden” as one of her favourite pieces she has done thus far. “It is my favourite piece because it was the first introspective piece that I have done and it was challenging when I first started painting it. As a matter of fact, this piece was always a challenge for me; it meant that I had to express my emotions on canvas and it had to be able to tell a story. As a student in Burrowes, I wasnot always prepared to share my emotions with everyone. However, my painting tutor, Ms Nikki B Williams, encouraged me to do that. It was also the first complete figure painting that I did, so that also made it challenging, but I did it. After a while I decided to go back to that painting and I made some changes to it, which varied from the original piece. Some people may think this painting is just a girl sitting by a window with chains on her body, but to me it holds a deeper meaning.”

For more information on the artist’s work, call 692-7858.

The bridge that currently crosses the Canje River (known too as Canje Creek), a tributary of the Berbice River, is reported to be the third such structure known to have been built, and serves asa vital connection along the Corentyne Road.

The original structure was built in 1830, a year before the colonies of Berbice, Demerara and Essequibo were united under British rule. A wooden construction, it was built by slaves who, it is said, were given their freedom three years before emancipation. They were also given land in New Amsterdam.

Then, in the mid1890s, an iron and concrete structure, designed in 1891 by English civil engineer Joseph Westwood, was built to replace the wooden

bridge. The 336 feet long new bridge allowed for a roadway width for traffic of 17 feet.

Considered a marvel of engineering at the time, it was the largest bridge in the colony then. The bridge was designed to swing open to allow seagoing vessels through.

The swing span from the centreturned on a single pivot that could be operated by just one person. It would then swing back into its original position to allow traffic to cross once again.

The structure took four years to build and was said to be commissioned in 1898.

However, by the early 1970s, the bridge was considered antiquated and inadequate for the traffic of the time.

According to a 1972 recommendation to construct a new bridge over

the Canje River, which was presented by the US Department of State Agency for International Development, among other things, the swing bridge had become “drastically inconsistent with the high standard 50 miles per-hour design speed of the Corentyne Road on both sides of the bridge.”

While the recommendation advised of a new swing bridge to be built, this did not happen. Instead the current fixed Canje River bridge, some 0.38 kilometres (approx. 1,250 feet) long and 33 feet wide, was built with a 45 feet high crossover.

The swing bridge was decommissioned in 1975/76 while the current Canje Bridge is said to have become operational in 1978, after an 18-month construction period.

Elections in the air

By Anu Dev

“Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn’t mean politics won’t take an interest in you.” – Pericles, Greek statesman and General (495-529 BC).

Even though over here in Trinidad I’m grappling with finals (and wondering, “Why do we have so many muscles, bones and joints? And why do I need to learn everything about all of them??”), news of our elections keeps wafting over.

Exams or not, I still aimlessly scroll through my Facebook newsfeed (some might call that procrastination, I call it ‘taking time to keep up with the rest of the world’) and I’ve been noticing an ever-increasing number of posts regarding our upcoming elections. And from what I can gather, things are really heating up.

Fingers crossed, this year might be the first election I get to have my finger stained. I’m done with exams on May 7, and hopefully I get done with packing and all those things by May 11.

From my now-going-on-two-years sojourn in Carnival Land, I’ve felt a little better that we’re not the only country where one’s ethnicity/race has such a dominant effect in politics.

You read about these matters and patterns in books – look what’s happening in Iraq – but it really hits home when you experience it “in the flesh”, so to speak. Trinidad has pretty much the same ethnic breakdown as we do –“Indians” and “Africans/Mixed” almost balanced – and with the notable exception of the “French Creole” substituting for our Amerindian 10 per cent.

As a Guyanese, and as a stranger in a strange land, with the chance allusions to politics in “ole talk” and the even more occasional perusal of the local papers, you begin to get a feel for the lay of the land.

The fact that Trinidad will also have elections this year has quickened the discourse. But what have I learnt from my Trini experience? Firstly that by and large they also vote along ethnic lines. By and large.

Unlike us, however, they do seem to have a larger set of folks who may vote along issues outside their ethnic camps – and this adds some fluidity to their voting. They’ve changed Governments several times since the 1980s.

It would appear that unlike what has happened over in Guyana, while there is a recognition that the claims of both big ethnic blocs are to be taken with a grain of salt (or more!), the preferences on who to vote for still appear to be sorting themselves along the old ethnic lines.

While I studied West Indian history, my writing piece was the introduction of new labour into the West Indies – especially Guyana and Trinidad – after the abolition of slavery. The freed Africans and the Portuguese, Indians and Chinese, were moved by the British like chess pieces on a board that they always controlled for their benefit.

And because it was the bargaining power of the Africans that were being undermined by the newcomers, it is not surprising that there was scant interest that the latter were “objects” in all of this, not “subjects”. The British “divide and rule” tactic worked to a “T” – for them.

But today we are masters of our own fate and captains of our destiny, as they say, and we should be moving on beyond the old divisions. But from the little I know divisions and identities are very heavily influenced by pressures and oppression as much as internal belief systems.

The cliché, if I remember correctly, was that “we are constituted as much as we are constitutive”. (Whew!!) At a minimum, I think, our Governments ought to focus on removing social, cultural and economic disparities among our peoples that can be explained and resented by: “it’s because of my race”. I’ll be looking at the parties’ manifestoes from this perspective.

Very sadly though, I don’t think this kind of closeted thinking will disappear overnight. Some folks say that increased standards of living will solve matters. But Trinidad is so much richer than us and yet is so heavily influenced by ethnicity in voting.

But their big block of “swing votes” does suggest that progress is possible. Let’s work on it as we go into the final lap of the elections.

Can we discuss the issues, please?

Basdeo Mangru, Ph.D., Colonial Emigration from the Bengal Presidency, London, Hansib Publications Ltd., 2014, pp.137, ISBN 978-1-906190-88-0

Reviewed by Prof. Frank Birbalsingh

Colonial Emigration from the Bengal Presidency examines basic issues in the recruitment of indentured Indians from the Bengal Presidency for work overseas, from about the 1830s to 1917. As described by the editor of the volume, Professor Basdeo Mangru, Colonial Emigration is an: “abridged version of the exhaustive 1883 unpublished report of George Abraham Grierson,” (p.11) an Indian Government civil servant, who was commissioned by the Government of Bengal, to study issues surrounding the export of Indian labour overseas from the Bengal Presidency. The term “Bengal Presidency” was current between 1690 and 1919 and, despite numerous border adjustments and territorial changes, included much of a vast area of Northern India, from which Indians were recruited for work, in British colonies, in the Caribbean (together with French Caribbean colonies, and St. Croix and Surinam), South Africa, Mauritius and Fiji.

Grierson, an Irishman who joined the Indian Civil Service in 1871, was transferred to Bengal in 1873, and published books about India, notably his Linguistic Survey of India, in eleven volumes. Professor Mangru tells us that Grierson was asked to report on recruitment practices in Bihar and Chota Nagpur, two areas that yielded the most colonial recruits from the Bengal Presidency. As Grierson himself admits, Colonial Emigration is based on a previous report by a former British official, Major Pitcher, in whose view, overseas indenture was a safety-valve that relieved population pressure in India: “The more safety-valves there are for a pentup population in time of famine, the greater chance there will be of saving life.” (p.49)

Grierson regarded it as part of his official duty to promote emigration from India: “it is Government’s imperative duty to actively encourage emigration by any legitimate means in its power, and to let it be known far and wide, that the Emigration Department is a Government one..” (p.50) The “main facts,” (about emigration) according to Grierson, are: “ that a coolie goes out for five years; that if he stays for ten, he gets a free passage home; that he is well treated; his caste is respected, and comes home rich. The climate of the colonies is delightful, work is plentiful and highly paid.” (p.50) This leaves no doubt of the advocacy role played by British officials in Indian emigration.

Grierson notices, for example, that: “a returned emigrant is the best advertisement possible of a colony.”(p.83) He also suggests: “Colonies should send back to their native districts successful coolies to act as recruiters, and to return after, say, a year with their recruits.” (p.79) An urgent need for more female emigrants, anoth-

er topic previously considered by Major Pitcher, is considered more complicated because of Indian custom and family structure: “not only is there a prejudice against families emigrating, but the custom of the country is against it.” (p.77) It is more usual: “for an emigrant to come home with money and return to the colony with his female relatives.” (p.78) Today, in the twenty-first century, it seems strange for British officials to devote such energy and time to serve the British empire by searching for solutions to Indian problems. In this case, Grierson and his colleagues recommend strong inducements to encourage emigration of Indian families - men with their wives, daughters and other female relatives. Relying on views of a Deputy Magistrate, Mr. Hand, Grierson recommends that emigrants should be promised lands to settle on, wherever possible in the colonies, after their contracts expire. Mr. Hand is convinced that Indians would readily accept: “the chance of bettering their condition in a new country, rather than eking out a miserable existence in a country like Bihar.” (p.79) What is strange about these British officials in India, during the Victorian period, is their seemingly detached yet dedicated sense of stewardship, toward a global cause greater than themselves, never mind the Indians.

Contemporary readers may question the value of resurrecting a report, written more than one hundred and thirty years ago, largely to promote a long defunct system of recruiting Indian workers. For all its imperial trappings, however, Grierson’s report is carefully researched, precise in every detail and comprehensive in scope. Through clearly numbered sections of one or more paragraphs each, he surveys his topic with surprisingly earnest thoroughness. His Chapter Seven, for instance, “Does the Present System of Registration admit

of any Reform and, if so, what system can be Proposed?” addresses a vexed question of difficulties faced by present-day Indian-Caribbeans, attempting to trace records of their ancestors, who were subject to the ramshackle administrative system of Indian, indentured labour, when they were ferried across oceans to foreign lands, for seven decades or more.

Grierson agrees that: “A coolie communicates with his relations at home by means of letter and by means of remittances. His relations communicate with him by letter.”p.59 But: “the present system of registration is just about as bad as it can be,” (p.59) because of total break down. However, according to Grierson, if an authorised system of registration was followed, and a letter was sent to “Ram Lal, The Bruce 220/1881, British Guiana,” it would be received by Ram Lal, who travelled to British Guiana, in 1881, when his number on the ship ‘The Bruce’ was 220. Similarly, Grierson identifies other weaknesses, and suggests remedies that make his report still relevant.

In his Preface to Colonial Emigration, Professor Mangru explains how he was able to rescue and publicise yet another “invaluable primary source” of West Indian history that is: “mandatory reading for any meaningful study of Indian diasporic history.” Not only does Grierson expose weaknesses or suggest remedies in the Indian, indenture system, he also corrects mistakes such as the belief that mainly lower caste Indians were indentured: “two-thirds of the Hindus recruited belong to castes of higher and medium social position. Only onethird can be considered of a decidedly low social position.” (p.84) This only confirms that, by any measure, Colonial Emigration remains a valuable historical critique of Indian indenture.

Susan Moore: Committed to service in Jamaica

KINGSTON, JAMAICA: She’s fondly called 'principal' or 'teacher', for never passing up an opportunity to share information which helps people grow holistically. In addition, she's honest,

open, friendly, down-toearth, frank, and she will tell you that what you see is what you get as she doesn't wear masks.

Born and raised on Whitehall Avenue, St Andrew, Susan Moore, 41, grew up in a humble

environment where she faced great challenges. But the perseverance of her parents charted her resilience through life.

From her family's determination and perseverance to break the cycle of poverty, Moore

developed an undying love for people and service, which she honed as a teen at The Queen's School.

"While in high school I was introduced to the Red Cross and we had a very wonderful patron who was also the school nurse. We learnt how to assist the less fortunate, we were taught first aid and they also wore a very smart uniform, which attracted me more to them," Moore said. "Having seen how involved they were in the life of the school I decided to see how they operated. I was very quiet and saw it as an opportunity to meet more people and learn a skill."

And so, with this opportunity Moore joined the Red Cross, began working alongside the school nurse, and found a passion for health care.

This passion grew deeper after Hurricane Gilbert devastated the island in 1988 and Moore

and other youth members of the Red Cross were dispatched into communities to share messages sent to Jamaica from people overseas whose families were displaced.

As a result, she grew with the Red Cross and although she's no longer the national youth chairman, she currently sits on the national executive.

When Moore graduated from high school she was still on a searching mission and worked as a ward clerk at the University Hospital of the West Indies where she became more exposed to health care and eventually became a dental nurse.

This desire to further help people led Moore in 2006 to pursue a master's in public health with specialisation in health promotion from the University of the West Indies, a choice she doesn't regret as it led

her to Food For the Poor (FFP) Jamaica in 2008.

Now the director of recipient services at FFP, Moore manages additional units such as social outreach and infrastructure development, among other services available to those who receive aid from the institution.

With such a desire to help people, it is no surprise that her hobbies, apart from selecting and collecting music from different cultures, are meeting, talking and working with people.

She added: "Seeing someone who received a benefit multiply that benefit is fulfilling. Knowing children are going to school because of support they received and that their grades have improved makes you sleep well."

Her journey of service has also taken her to many places including Sweden, Italy and Mexico, be it for Red Cross or FFP at an international level to share the work that's taking place.

For her achievements, she credits the support of her family, mentors and friends.

While she's also a strong believer in being the change you want to see, she's also big on giving thanks, no matter the depth of the challenges faced. (Jamaica Observer)

Jamaica to establish bilateral agreements on agriculture with Cuba

KINGSTON, JAMAICA:

The Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS) will on Tuesday meet with the National Association of Small Farmers of Cuba (ANAP) to establish bilateral agreements that, they hope, will be beneficial to both national farmers' organisations.

According to a release from the JAS a short while ago, the ANAP provides training, agricultural extension and other services to its members.

The JAS said the farmers federation often negotiates with the Cuban Government on prices of agricultural

production, credits, and other farmers' interests and it hopes to study this relationship.

"Agreements are expected to introduce new benefits and programmes for members of the JAS," the release quoted President Senator Norman Grant.

"The JAS hopes that the visit will open additional avenues for the Jamaican agricultural industry to grow and deepen the relationship between the country's agricultural sector and explore more opportunities for export [of] our locally grown produce to the Cuban market," Grant added. (Jamaica Observer)

Wolf…

…in sheep’s clothing

If old Shakespeare’s to be believed, “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet” but it seems that Granger would have us believe the PNC by any other name wouldn’t be as treacherous.

But this subterfuge didn’t begin with Granger. Hoyte, however, was a bit more coy with his “PNCR” and the Freudian “PNC-R1G”. Granger decided to go the whole hog by bringing in a few “paper parties” and baptising the PNC as APNU!

But now that he’s taken to quoting Obama, he should know the great man’s take on such cons: “You can put lipstick on a pig – but it’s still a pig!” The whole point of the renaming of the PNC, of course, is part of the frantic effort to “rebrand” the party in such a way that folks wouldn’t associate its past atrocities with the present incarnation.

Another tact by Granger towards the same end was to have his newfound soul mates Nagamootoo and Ramjattan plead with Guyanese that they have to “forget the past”. As with all good PR feints they don’t spell out exactly which parts of the “past” they want folks to “forget”. Cause you’re not supposed to repeat that which you want to bury. In this instance the PNC’s atrocities from the 60s to the 80s.

Ramjattan and Nagamootoo have their own reasons for wanting that particular slice of history to be forgotten: they’d spent decades stridently lambasting the PNC for “rigging” “assassinations” and other thuggish behaviour. Wouldn’t do much for any shred of credibility still remaining, would it?

Hypocritical opportunists!

But recently, new columnist (and old letter writer) Rakesh Rampertab’s brought out a concrete instance of the duplicity of Granger on this matter of the PNC name: Granger doesn’t want folks to forget ALL of the PNC’s past – just the sordid sections.

In a grandiloquent and otiose echo of his hero Burnham’s “Declaration of Sophia”, Granger came up with his own “Declaration of Vreed-en-Hoop” in which he exhorted the faithful to remember the “many accomplishments of the PNC in Government”.

So the “good” must be remembered but the “bad” forgotten?? Even when the “bad” such as rigging elections is practiced by the leader of the PNC Granger against his own people? Ask Aubrey Norton!

But even more chillingly, Granger declared explicitly: “The experiences of our history…have refined and revived our Party’s ideology.” And that’s precisely the point being made by those who point out you just can “forget history”.

Here, Granger’s assuring us that those “experiences of PNC’s history” – including rigging, murders, arson, assassinations, etc have “refined… PNC’s ideology”.

…in wolf’s clothing

Say what you want about Nagamootoo and Ramjattan, they’ve never hidden their ambitions. That they just couldn’t because of “over vaulting” is neither here nor there. These fellas lust for power and make no bones about it.

It was so when they were in the PPP/C and Jagdeo eclipsed their presidential ambitions. It was was so when they pushed out Trotman from the AFC. And it was so when they abandoned their “dead meat” fears and bargained their assumed “11 pert cent” for the Presidential spot with APNU.

We all knew they didn’t get it – but Granger would have to be deaf, dumb, blind and dumb (like in daft!) to think they’ve given up on being President. Like Burnham who lost out to Jagan in 1955…Ramjattan and Nagamoottoo are just biding their time. And plotting and scheming.

When the split finally happened in 1957, Burnham revealed he’d been lining up allies like Latchmansingh as far back as 1952.

Nagamootoo and Ramjattan have a mean and hungry look!! Beware May 11!!

…as mosquito

There’s a new species of mosquito in Guyana. If bitten, it introduces a disease that makes you become a wastrel, avoid responsibilities and spew filth all the time.

Guyana goes to elections in a few days from now. This will be another election in which people will have a genuine choice, a genuine choice because since 1992, every election has been free and fair.

Unlike elections before 1992 when people’s votes did not matter because the ruling dictatorship led by the PNC rigged the elections, people know that their votes will count in the 2015 elections. In making their choice, people should consider the records of the political parties, the character and integrity of their leaders and their development plans of our country.

APNU+AFC has demanded that people forget the past. But this is one of the most critical parameters for people to consider in making their decision. While people could accept that persons can change and learn from their past, consideration of one’s record will allow us to decide whether we can trust them.

We were flabbergasted and totally perplexed when we heard David Granger urging people to forget the past. Granger himself is a very integral part of the past he wants us to forget. He knows that murder was committed to silence political opponents.

But the most demeaning of all these sins is that Granger lists himself as a historian. A historian allows us to remember and learn from the past. But this historian would rather the Guyanese people forget the past.

Some of Granger’s partners, like Moses Nagamootoo, were eyewitnesses and victims of that sordid past that they too demand we forget.

Khemraj Ramjattan’s father was a headmaster at Tagore Secondary School, a stone’s throw away from where two young men were shot and left to bleed to death. All they wanted was for their X on the ballot paper to be counted.

Granger tells the nation that the young men were gangsters, deserving of what they got from a “professional” Army. Nagamootoo and Ramjattan stay silent even though they were eye witnesses to some of that sordid past.

This brings us to the second criterion – character and integrity. Granger is right when he said that the Head of the List of Candidates had to be a man of character and integrity. The Guyanese

History is important, so too are plans for development

people must demand no less.

When a man who was very much part of the ugly power that destroyed Guyana, that left heinous scars on our psyche and a legacy of poverty, hunger, imprisonment and murder today tells us that he and his party have nothing to apologize for, that they did nothing wrong, that those are things they are proud of, what kind of character and integrity does such a man possess?

No wonder then that Nagamootoo, Ramjattan, Hughes, Patterson and others would not trust Granger to be the Head of the List.

When an eyewitness like Nagamootoo who not only saw, but experienced and wrote of these matters today deny that such things happen, we are forced to ask what kind of character does this man possess? No wonder too that Granger does not trust Nagamootoo to be the Head of the List.

Neither of them trusts Rupert Roopnarine either. Rupert was the soul brother of Walter Rodney and he knows who murdered Walter. Today he sits with them, even though they

refuse to even acknowledge and say they are sorry. No wonder then that Rupert could not qualify for that position!

These same people who had a chance in Parliament to allow Guyana to have hydroelectricity and to prevent Guyana from being blacklisted because we could not enact the AML/CFT Bill which we agreed to at the UN voted more than once against these things in Parliament within the last two years.

Now they say they will do these things as priorities in their Government should the people elect them! When they had the chance to do good for Guyana, they rejected Guyana, they thumb their noses on our people. How can anyone trust them?

The political parties, at least the main ones, have now revealed their plans for the future. In the case of APNU+AFC, their manifesto reveals some startling and frightening things. For one, they predict they will lead Guyana to an annual growth rate of seven per cent, something no Latin American and Caribbean country has been able to do.

But they admit they do not yet have a plan and they will develop one within 100 days of being in Government. Their manifesto plagiarizes large sections of the PPP/C’s strategies and plans. For example, their sugar plan is taken from the GuySuCo Business Plan; the Region Six (East Berbice/Corentyne) and 10 (Upper DemeraraBerbice) Plans are taken from the PPP/C’s Land Use Policy.

People must not be afraid to make sensible judgments. Record (history), character and integrity and plans for the future are the fundamental criteria for judging the people who want to serve us. For those who demand of us to restrict our decision-making process to only some of these fundamental criteria, we must say to them that we are a free people and we will utilize the full arsenal of facts before us to make the judgment we must make for the future of our country. Readers are invited to send their comments by email or Facebook to times.notebook@gmail. com.

This week's Crossword

The Stockholm Syndrome…

…and Vanessa

As regular readers would know, this Eyewitness has a soft spot for Vanessa Kissoon. “That girl got spunk!!” just about summarizes his sentiments on her. Such women were in the forefront of all the “uprisings” in Georgetown in past centuries – whether it was the “cent bread” riots or the “or Angel Gabriel Riots”. Even though they might’ve been called “centipedes” they stood up for “their own”.

But it’s a bit pathetic – and chilling – to witness how she’s not only been muzzled – but has been conditioned, almost zombie like, to spout nonsense on women – fed to her by Granger and troops.

Just check out the letter she just wrote on the Ramsaran-Nageer fiasco: “These women need to walk away from a party that sees them as vessels to carry out thuggery.”

Now don’t get this Eyewitness wrong. As he’s already said, Ramsaran should’ve resigned immediately after he threatened the female activist – and when he didn’t, should’ve been dropped.

Even “provocation” as a limited defense to bring down murder to manslaughter has been abandoned in enlightened jurisdictions. Adults just have to control their anger. But Vanessa Kissoon wasn’t just THREATENED by big (male) ones in her party – Oscar Clark, the General Secretary, actually twisted her arm and pulled out the keys to the PNC’s Linden office from her.

That’s not just possible assault (did Nageer feel in imminent danger of physical harm?) but ADTUAL battery in which she WAS physically harmed. Shouldn’t she’ve filed charges on Clark as she urges Nageer to do on Ramsarran?

This

week's Puzzle

Then, of course, there was the banishment to the back bench wasteland of Parliament by Granger. Did he ever even explain why? Like she said of Nageer, her “only threat was exercising her constitutional right to free speech in conducting her civic duty”. In her case, as Minnette Bacchus elaborated, of representing her constituency.

Did Granger even offer her a “half-hearted excuse” by lying about the reason why she was not placed on the Candidates’ List? It appears that Kissoon’s suffering from “Stockholm Syndrome” where she’s been held hostage and brainwashed. Ignoring her own abuse by Granger and other PNC men cannot only be because she’s “muzzled by the hand that feeds her”.

She should take her own advice: “Abuse of women will only stop when we together get men to understand that it is not a do what you want with me or do what you feel with me and you can get away with it. We are known to have mouth and we must speak! Let our men hear from us that enough is enough.”

Tell that to Granger and Oscar Clark. Go girl!! Free Vanessa!

…and Ramjattan

This Eyewitness has wondered aloud before as to the whereabouts of Khemraj Ramjattan. Remember him? The once and future leader of the AFC? The man who feared he’d be “dead meat” if his outfit ever hitched up with the PNC-led APNU?

One day the fella is in the news and in everything like “pot salt” and the next day (the day after Nagamootoo’s whimsical wedding to Granger at Whim, to be exact) he dropped off the grid!

Well, after some serious investigative work your Eyewitness was able to run Ramjattan to the ground. He’s being held in one of those back rooms at Congress Place in Sophia.

Seems he couldn’t deal with being relegated as a non-entity after the wedding – and started to protest and mouth off. Much like Vanessa Kissoon after her back-bench banishment.

He’s being brainwashed into the Stockholm Syndrome. Expect him to emerge soon and start singing hallelujahs to Granger and Nagamootoo. It’s a shad, shad shituation!!

Cecile Nobrega campaigned for the recognition of a woman’s contribution to family and society

Cecile Nobrega was a teacher who spearheaded a 15-year campaign for England’s first public monument to black women. Nobrega, who died at age 94, was the driving force behind the first statue of a black woman to go on permanent display in England.

Cecile Elise Doreen Burgan was born in Guyana (then a British colony) on 1 June 1919 to Canon William Burgan and his wife Imelda; in 1949, the Canon would become the first black man to preach at Westminster Abbey.

At Bishops High School, in Guyana, Nobrega showed herself a gifted child — she had composed classical music and written poetry from an early age, and later produced a choral work called Twilight which was performed by national choirs in Guyana and Cuba.

In Guyana, she started two schools — a kindergarten and a vocational school for teenage girls. She also wrote plays, one of which, Stabroek Fantasy (also known as Carib Gold), was particularly successful.

In 1969, however,

she found herself professionally at odds with the Guyana government and immigrated to Britain, where she retrained as a specialist teacher, working in Hertfordshire and Brent. She was active in the National Union of Teachers and in the Adult Literacy Programme, and campaigned for children with severe learning difficulties.

Her work with the International Alliance of Women (IAW) and the Commonwealth Countries League gave her the opportunity to travel, and it was at IAW conferences in New York, Kenya, Greece, Japan and India that she began to shape the idea for her sculpture, The Bronze Woman.

The Bronze Woman — a 10ft-tall monument to motherhood-showing a black woman holding aloft her baby — was unveiled in October 2008 in Stockwell Memorial Gardens, south London. The original artist was to have been Ian Walters, creator of the statue of Nelson Mandela in London’s Parliament Square, but he died after completing only the clay maquette. The proj-

ect was taken on and completed by Aleix Barbat, then still a student at the Heatherley School of Fine Art in Chelsea.

Nobrega — a Guyanaborn teacher, poet and playwright — had campaigned for “The Bronze Woman Project” since 1994. Although she did not describe herself as a feminist, she felt that women — particularly women from the underdeveloped world and those descended from the victims of the transatlantic slave trade — received insufficient recognition for their contribution to the family and to society in

general.

She launched the project as a charitable organisation and set about raising the money needed, subsequently enlisting the help of an organisation called Olmec, originally set up as a charitable subsidiary of a south London housing association.

The unveiling of the statue, on October 8, 2008, came shortly after the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the Slave Trade, and the 60th anniversary of the arrival at Tilbury of the first

Caribbean immigrants in the steamship Empire Windrush

A resident of Lambeth, south London, for her last 22 years, Nobrega slowed down towards the end of her life, giving up driving, her computer, and playing the piano; but she remained active in her local pensioners’ group and in tai chi classes.

Her husband of 52 years, Romeo Nobrega, an accountant, died in 1994. Cecile Nobrega died Nov 19, 2013. They are survived by their two sons and one daughter.

KINGSTON, JAMAICA:

United Statesbased, Jamaican singer Da Professor is tackling domestic abuse in his latest single ‘I Love Myself’.

The track, released on February 14, is produced by Spiky Music Group.

Da Professor explained the inspiration for the single.

"There is an ugly cycle of abuse where these young men are increasingly becoming the perpetrators of domestic violence. We have to stop the abuse. It is a crisis of self-worth," said the former lead singer of the Inner Circle.

He said while it is commonly publicised that women and children are victims of abuse, men are also abused, especially verbally and emotionally.

‘I Love Myself’ is also the anthem for Stop the Abuse Foundation, LLC.

Founded by Da Professor and NFL player Terry Kirby, the foundation aims to put a stop to domestic violence through music and education.

"The foundation's

Da Professor

mission is to raise the public's awareness of the 'well-hidden-in-theshadows' truth about the existence and instances about domestic violence.

We recently visited two high schools in the US to spread the message to let teens know they can become free of their abusive or violent situation. I am seeking partners in Jamaica to do the same," he said.

Born in Kingston on February 18, 1988, Da

Professor (Julio Todd) grew up in the tough inner-city community of Waterhouse in St Andrew. He attended Oberlin High School in rural St Andrew.

He migrated to the States in 2005 and attended Thomas Edison High in New York.

He is known for songs including ‘Peace and Unity’, ‘I Know Why’ and ‘Touch You’, featuring Ken Boothe. (Jamaica Observer)

Star of the week

Nalicia Ramdyal was born in Guyana, but ventured to the United States at age five. She is a fulltime college student who is extremely ambitious about her education and the goals she has set for her future. Aside from her studies, she enjoys kickboxing and working out. Nalicia also competes for pageants and is a freelance model, aiming to become a professional model. She currently holds the Miss Woodhaven title, the community that she is more than honoured to represent in the US. Other than modelling and pageantry, the beauty enjoys devoting her time being involved in community and volunteer work. Being the determined young woman that she is, she never gives up on her goals. Nalicia was a state finalist for the Miss New York USA 2014 pageant and represented Guyana for the Miss Caribbean Queen Pageant, in which she placed first runner-up. Nalicia invests her time and effort into helping others as much as she can. She is a women’s rights advocate and one of her main platforms is shedding light on domestic violence. She has collaborated with numerous organisations to spread awareness on domestic violence and is always looking for avenues to help the cause. Nalicia is currently vying for the Miss Global International Guyana crown and will use the platform she is given in this pageant to promote her fight against domestic violence. To learn more about the pageant, visit Miss Global International Guyana on Facebook.

Jamaican schools to take on Shakespearean roles

KINGSTON, JAMAICA: Seventeen Jamaican high schools have taken up the challenge to participate in the inaugural Shakespeare Schools' Championship. However, only one school will be able to take their production on tour of the United Kingdom in 2016 - the 400th anniversary of the death of the English literary giant.

As part of the tour, the winning school will have the opportunity to perform their play in London, Birmingham and Manchester. They will also showcase their talent at Stratford-upon-Avon - Shakespeare's birthplace as well the famous Globe theatre in London. The Jamaican school will also participate in the International Shakespeare Festival with students from around the world. This is the first time Jamaica will participate in the festival which started in 1992.

Speaking at the launch of the championship at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel

in St Andrew on Wednesday, conceptualiser Dr Tony Sewell said one of the major challenges thrown out to the schools is to give the plays, which have been condensed into 30 minutes, a Jamaican context while maintaining the Elizabethan style of dialogue in which it was originally set by Shakespeare.

"There is a lot of mix up in Shakespeare and this is very Jamaican. Hamlet, for example, explored a man haunted by the ghost of his absent father. Many Jamaicans can relate to this and we can see how relevant this is," Sewell Noted.

A system of eliminations will see the school competing in the semi-finals from July 1-4 with top six advancing to the finals in September. In Jamaica they will be adjudicated by a panel headed by actress and broadcaster Fae Ellington and completed by Eugene Williams of the School of Drama, and actors Paul Issa and Alwyn Scott. (Jamaica Observer)

Guyana’s Zoological Park was opened in 1952 and has been, since that time, one of the premiere entertainment facilities for families in Georgetown.

The Park affords locals and tourists alike the chance to experience Guyana’s diverse animal collection in a safe and accessible environment.

Occupying approximately four acres of land, the zoo currently serves as an animal sanctuary, catering to unwanted, injured and abandoned animals that may be unable to survive on their own in the wild.

Visitors may also benefit from its educational and recreational facilities, which strive to enhance knowledge of and appreciation for wildlife in Guyana.

Much of the zoo’s infrastructure was designed in the 1950s and has not been updated since, though current international standards for minimum enclosure sizes have since been revised.

As such, a full-scalemaster plan was designed for rehabilitation of the current zoo.

The new vision for the zoo would feature the four major eco-systems in Guyana – coastal wetlands, savannah, mountain highlands and lowland rainforests. Animal

life native to these ecosystems would then be featured in each walkthrough exhibit.

Visitors will experience a trek from the coast to the highlands, progressing along a main visitors’ pathway with short loop trails into habitats.

Several activities have already been completed or initiated in the next steps towards making this plan a reality.

Teaching care and consideration for animals with its many rescued animals.

In fact, one of the first large infrastructural projects to come on stream as part of this “master plan” was the Petting Zoo.

This facility is the first of its kind in Guyana, and features rehabilitated rescued animals such as ponies, donkeys, sheep, goats, ducks, guinea pigs, chickens and rabbits.

Many of these animals were rescued from cruel circumstances some time ago. However, with committed care from the enthusiastic staff of the Guyana Zoo, these animals are now healthy and happy.

Visitors can interact, pet and feed these animals in a safe environment. Volunteers are on hand to educate visitors about the importance of

being kind and showing love and care to animals, as well as answer questions visitors may have about the animals or zoo.

Redesigning the zoo

Although the zoo has an important contemporary role in Guyana, as mentioned earlier, it retains much of its original design and infrastructure. As a result, the zoo’s 45 species of animals are housed in enclosures that are not in line with current best practices and understanding in zoo husbandry, and are becoming increasingly difficult and expensive to maintain.

Recognizing the need for urgent action, the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment (MNRE)

and the Protected Areas Commission (PAC) have recently launched a project to rehabilitate and modernize the Guyana Zoo.

The first major achievement in this process was the development of a zoning plan for the Guyana Zoo, in collaboration with PJA Architects and Landscape Architects (PJA), a Seattle-based firm that specializes in zoo design.

The ministry is now working with PJA to develop a full-scale master plan and concept designs for the rehabilitation of the zoo.

The vision of the modernized zoo is to connect Guyanese and visitors to the country with the rich natural world that exists just beyond the limits of Guyana’s urban landscape.

This vision would be achieved by providing an educational and engaging experience through exposure to live animal and plant species, by creating connections between people and animals, and by educational programs and interpretive graphics that inform visitors of the biodiversity and uniqueness of Guyana and its protected areas.

Protected Areas Commission

Established in 2012 under the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment, the Protected Areas Commission currently manages both hinterland-protected areas (Shell Beach, Kanuku Mountains, Kaieteur National Park) as well as urban parks (Zoo, National Park, Botanical Gardens, Joe Vieira Park).

In an effort to rehabilitate and maintain the three urban green spaces in Georgetown (the zoo, Botanical Gardens and National Park), the PAC launched the Three Parks Initiative. This initiative serves primarily as an enhancement and improvement mechanism for these urban parks.

The work of the PAC is funded in large part by the Government of Guyana, with maintained strong linkages with development partners such as WWF, CI-Guyana, Frankfurt Zoological Society, GT&T, German government, and the Government of Argentina.

However, the PAC is hoping to attract more partnerships with corporate Guyana to complete several improvement projects within the urban parks including the zoo.

At present, animals housed in the zoo are donated, rescued or left injured or abandoned at the zoo. Sadly, many of these animals were previous ‘exotic’ pets that became too large or unmanageable for their caretakers and were dropped off at the zoo.

Many of the animals were also rescued from cruel circumstances, leaving them both physically and psychologically

scarred. Both of these injuries take many hours of dedicated care and treatment to successfully rehabilitate the animal into a group dynamic.

PAC has two trained animal health technicians as well as zookeepers, and a superb management staff that make the welfare of their charges a daily priority. It takes a special kind of dedication and passion for animals to work at the zoo.

The costs of caring for all the animals in the zoo significantly outweigh the revenue earned. This cost significantly increases when animals are in need of emergency medical care or round the clock observation and care.

While we are striving on a daily basis to continuously improve the enclosures and operations of the zoo, as with all things, there is always room to do more.

(From text by Annalise Bayney, MSc, Protected Areas Officer)

Plans for innovative housing programme to expand in Guyana

With more than 112,000 houselots distributed, the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic Government plans to build on its successful housing programme across the country. It will further advance the gains in the housing sector and sub-sector for the 2015 – 2020 period through implementation of a National Housing Policy that promotes sustainable housing development.

With a renewed mandate to govern, the PPPC government aims to create new settlement areas while accelerating the granting of certificates of ‘Title to

Land’ to address excess demand for housing.

The outfitting new and existing schemes outside of the urban centers, with modern social infrastructure to hasten the achievement of the national priorities in keeping with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), will be undertaken. Implementing community development plans in existing communities that would contribute to environmental sustainability will continue.

The construction of Turn Key (1000 homes) for persons of low affordability and persons with special needs

to improve accessing housing along with expanding the “Young Professional Scheme” to encourage skilled Guyanese to remain and invest at home will continue.

Development of the successful Re-migrant scheme to attract the ‘Brain Bank’ in the Diaspora will be accelerated. Upgrading roads, water distribution and drainage and electricity networks in all existing housing areas, which are already underway, will continue.

Regularisation of squatter settlements and the upgrade of infrastructure in those

settlements will be completed, to ensure residents have a better quality of life.

Expanding partnerships with the private, financial and commercial sub-sectors to stabilise the housing market, and improve efficiency of the housing delivery process through institutional strengthening, will also persist.

The establishment of a “Revolving Fund” to allow low-income groups to access concessional funds more readily and expanding housing in the hinterland is also planned.

The PPP/C Government’s housing initiative has been deemed a success, with many persons being able to own their homes at an earlier age. (GINA)

Royal Dutch Shell firmly commits to continued investment in TT

PORT-OFSPAIN, TRINIDAD:

Royal Dutch Shell last Wednesday gave a firm commitment to continued investment in the local energy sector, and a stronger, reinforced partnership with Trinidad and Tobago.

Shell’s chief executive officer (CEO), Ben van Beurden, gave this assurance last Wednesday

during a meeting with Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar at the Diplomatic Centre, La Fantasie, St Ann’s.

Royal Dutch Shell agreed to buy BG Group Plc for TT$70 billion (47 billion pounds) in cash and shares, the oil and gas industry’s biggest deal in at least a decade.

Van Beurden said the transaction was a very important one for

the company, one which made a lot of sense as both parties had portfolios that were complementary in liquefied natural gas (LPG).

“What we assured the Prime Minister about, was that TT will be our core focus area for the combined company going forward. We very much look forward to deepen and grow our position in this country (Trinidad)

for a number of reasons. It is because of the fundamentals, of course, of the geology, but also the fundamentals of the investment climate which we see as very consistent, very strong,” he said.

TT was van Beurden’s first stop on a world tour

to meet with key governments, which he said signified the importance of the position of Trinidad.

The CEO said Shell took into account the strong portfolio BG had around the world, adding that capabilities Shell brought in deep water

and the development of LNG were very strong.

“I would like to believe that we are offering a stronger reinforced partnership that is very much to be here for many more years to come, to extend our position, and to unlock some of the difficulties,” he said.

The delegation from Shell Group of Companies included Shell Trinidad Limited Country Chairman, Luis Prado, Shell Executive Vice President, Government Relations, John Crocker, and Shell Trinidad Government Relations and Communications Advisor, Mark Regis. Energy Minister Kevin Ramnarine, Finance Minister Larry Howai, and Trade and Industry Minister Vasant Bharath were also present. (TT Newsday)

An unexplored region for adventurers

Books on Books

By PetamBer Persaud

Since the first appearance of the book in whatever form and under whatever name, there was no turning back on literacy, language and literature. The book was created to accurately store and transmit information in order to encourage debate, encourage dialogue, remove ignorance, improve knowledge, to entertain, and to inspire with the purpose of mirroring society and to act as a barometer to society, among other things.

Since then every aspect of the book took hold of the human imagination with such a passion since that now we have ebooks.

Since the advent of the book, there were numerous modifications to almost every aspect of the book, in keeping with fluctuating supply and demand. Changes were made to instruments of writing, methods and styles of printing, translation, copyright, critical reviews, marketing and distribution, among others. The story of the many manifestations of the book is a fascinating journey. All begging the question what is the future of books.

Along with the proliferation of books, there has been, and continues to be, scholarships on various aspects of the book, bringing to bear various schools of thought. However, the scholarship on Guyanese books is still in its infancy.

For World Book Day 2015, (celebrated Apr 23) it would be useful to remind ourselves of some of these landmarks.

The first major book on Guyanese booksis“Bibliography of Literature from Guyana” by Robert E. McDowell, published by Sable Publishing Corp. Arlington, 1975. This book is only 117 pages but extremely rich in information on Guyanese writing to the time of publication. The minute detailed entries have not since being replicated in a single volume. Of

course, there are many other smaller and larger offerings on Guyanese books but none matching the magnitude of that pioneering book on Guyanese books.

The next major book on Guyanese books is “The Making of Guyanese Literature” by A. J. Seymour, published in 1978. This compilation was done by a man who was intimately involved in the life and literature of Guyana. Seymour, a Guyanese, was writing our story, telling our story in literature.

To have two such books appearing so close to each other in a short span of time signals that there was something good to research and report on – Guyanese literature was given an identity, it was now a force to reckon with; Guyanese litera

ture was on the move. However, we had to wait until the new millennium for the next major books on Guyanese books. Those two books are “Bibliography of Guyana and Guyanese Writers” by Lal Balkaran, which is into its fourth edition, and “An Introduction to Guyanese Literature” by Petamber Persaud, which is into its third printing.

Balkaran’s book contains almost 1,800 titles and more than 1,000 writers. This “guide of books on Guyana by Guyanese and non-Guyanese writers and on other subjects by Guyanese writers” contains an alphabetical listing of writers, an index by book title and classification by category.

Persaud’s book is an up-to-date guide featuring significant literary landmarks from the 16th

century to the new millennium. It is divided into three sections dealing with oral literature, a chronological outline of the written word and a collection of essays, articles, transcripts of interviews, and book reviews…[it]is an attempt at bringing to the fore little known facts about lesser known aspects of our literature. The big books, the big authors and the big success stories in Guyanese Literature are also featured.

Apart from those single volumes on the subject, there are other similar books referring to Guyanese books; these include,

“They Came in Ships” complied by Ian McDonald, Lloyd Searwar, Joel Benjamin and Laxhmie Kallicharan

“Anancy and the Great House: Ways of Reading West Indian Fiction” by Joyce Jonas

“West Indian Literature” edited by Bruce King

“A Reader’s Guide to West Indian and Black British Literature” by David Dabydeen and Nana Wilson-Tagoe

“The West Indian Novel” by Michael Gilkes

“Passion and Exile: Essays in Caribbean Literature” by Frank Birbalsingh

It would be remiss of me not to mention some of magazines and journals that speak to the subject like The Guyana Annual bookshelf section, Kyk-over-al and the Arts Journal.

Mention must be made of all the newspapers that from time to time make available space for new books and emerging writers. In addition,of vital importance to this issue is the National Bibliography produced annually by the National Library.

The above is just a peek at we have to offer as a Guyanese literature…Happy World Book Day, every day. Responses to this author telephone (592) 2260065 or email: oraltradition2002@yahoo.com

President lays out PPP/C’s plans to Berbicians

With general and regional elections mere days away, the incumbent President and PPP/C Presidential Candidate Donald Ramotar continues to meet with citizens as he outlines his party’s plan if it is returned to government.

The President met with residents of Mibicuri, Black Bush Polder and Adelphi, Canje where he was greeted by large crowds of residents.

Given the fact that Region Six is one of the largest contributors to the rice and sugar industries, the president spoke directly of his government’s plans for these two key areas.

In laying out his strategies for the agriculture sector, the President said plans are afoot to establish

a vibrant manufacturing and agro-processing sector as his administration seeks to diversify the non-traditional sector.

A new and emerging sector, the President said, will seek to create a better standard of living for citizens while simultaneously creating highly skilled jobs, and job training for many.

“We have to also modernise our traditional sector, every single day we agonise in government how we can make people’s lives better.”

However, with specific reference to the rice industry, President Ramotar spoke of his government’s continued investments in drainage and irrigation for farms lands which are critical for better production.

“We have to create the conditions so that

you can produce more, and you have been producing more.”

Speaking of a period of time when Guyana was importing rice for local use, the President stated that the industry has come a far way, as its yearly yield currently stands at over 600,000 tonnes.

He however, noted that his government’s plans for the industry are for it to surpass the current yield by exploring more varieties, and high yielding ones.

President Ramotar added that, at every opportunity, which presents itself the government has been looking for new and larger markets for rice.

“We are now looking at more Central American countries and even in Africa we are looking to sell our rice so that we can have a

TT to prepare for modern mobile workforce

PORT-OF-SPAIN, TRINIDAD:

Businesses have been told to accept the reality of the new mobile worker who now exists because of how technology has changed the traditional workplace.

Richard Shepherd, assistant vice president, Financial Services, at Guardian Holdings Limited (GHL), described that evolving worker to a group of business professionals last Wednesday at a Microsoft Transform, Lead, Grow 2015 Forum at the Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business, Mount Hope.

“The modern worker is the mobile worker,” he said. “That person is evolving and becoming more ubiquitous in our work environment. It is not just the executives or the agents, it is also the back office workers who want to go home at nights.

“At Guardian Life, we have been doing things to overcome the challenges of the demands of this new mobile worker. We have about 2,500 employees and 40 per cent of those are mobile so that is a fairly large number of mobile workers. We also have small satellite offices we have to manage from time to time,” he said.

Shepherd said mobile workers have different needs to traditional workers which must be met to achieve workplace productivity.

He said GHL was using software like Microsoft’s Office 365 to enhance productivity,

making it easily accessible to their mobile workforce.

“We piloted it about two years ago with about 300 people. We had a big mobile force out there that had access to it. Now we are moving the rest of the organisation to this programme. The benefit is that we have been able to launch a workflow quickly.”

He also said GHL has embraced the changes taking place in the workplace and urged other companies to do the same.

“This will enable the modern and mobile workers to work more efficiently. Boxing in employees will simply make them more unproductive,” he said.

The Microsoft forum, which was held in TT for the first time last Wednesday, focused on how businesses can harness technology to deliver fluid customer experiences, optimise networking, improve decision-making, increase

higher quality of life for our people.”

He added that, his government also believes that for the industry to further expand, value added products must be pursued.

Acknowledging the fact that cheaper and more reliable energy is a major hindrance for the manufacturing sector, the President said it is for this reason other companies should follow

suit by using the gasifier. Already he pointed out that Ramlakhan and Sons Rice Mill on the Essequibo Coast has utilised the initiative and already the gasifer is cutting cost at that rice factory. It can produce electricity that can be sold to the national grid, he said.

responsiveness and reduce cost, while ensuring sensitive data is protected. (TT Guardian)

Noting too that he is aware of the issues of fluctuating paddy prices, the Head of State said, “In our manifesto we are promising that we will set up price support mechanisms to try to deal with the some of the variations of price to ensure that our farmers’ standards of living continue to grow.”

Similar plans, the president said, are on stream for the sugar industry, which he acknowledged, has been experiencing some difficult times.

Single father of 3 to have both legs amputated

On Monday March 30, 2015, Dennis Bahadur, single father of 3 beautiful girls aged 16, 13 & 11 was involved in a very serious car crash.

His vehicle hit a tree and became engulfed in flames. With the assistance of two bystanders, Dennis was removed from the vehicle, taken to hospital and put into induced coma due to bleeding and swelling of the brain.

He has since been taken out of induced coma but is still heavily medicated due to pain and inju-

ries. Unfortunately, due to the severity of the burns to his legs, he had to have both feet amputated below the knee.

He is still unaware of his current circumstances.

His daughters are very strong and supportive of their Dad but are young and hurting. They are fortunate to be under the care of close friends.

As time moves forward, there will be many challenges and needs to accommodate and assist with the situation that he and

his family will face in the future preparing their home and vehicle with the necessary changes to support him.

If ever there was a moment to realize the tenets of Brotherly love & relief for a father it's now.

Share this story and send it to your friends and brethren.

To donate any amount no matter how little to Dennis and his girls please go to http://gofundme.com/hope4dennis or contact Darren Dunlop at hopefordennis@gmail.com

TT musician awarded Guggenheim Fellowship

PORT-OF-SPAIN, TRINIDAD:

Since 1925 the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation has annually offered Fellowships to artists, scholars and scientists in all fields. This year, after considering the recommendations of panels and juries, the Board of Trustees has granted 175 Fellowships from over 3,100 applications.

Guggenheim Fellows are appointed on the basis of impressive achievement in their past and exceptional promise for future accomplishment.

A release from the Foundation has announced that one of this year’s Music Composition recipients is Trinidadian Etienne Charles.

Born in Trinidad in 1983, Etienne Charles defies easy musical categorisation and is one of the youngest Guggenheim Fellows in 2015. He has been hailed by New York Times as “an auteur” and by Jazz Times as “A daring improviser who delivers with heart wrenching lyricism.”

According to Downbeat Magazine “Charles delivers his ebullient improvisations with the elegance of a world-class ballet dancer.” Charles has received critical acclaim for his exciting performances, thrilling compositions and knack for connecting with audiences worldwide.

In 2012 Charles was written into the US Congressional Record for his musical contributions to TT and the World. In 2013 he was awarded the Caribbean Heritage Trailblazer Award, by the Institute of Caribbean Studies, Washington, DC.

In 2006 he won the National Trumpet Competition Jazz Division in Fairfax, VA and now joins the ranks of fellow TT artists including Marlon Griffith (2010), Peter Minshall (1982), Earl Lovelace (1980) and Geoffrey Holder (1957) in receipt of the Guggenheim Fellowship.

“I am deeply grateful, humbled and honoured to be selected as a 2015 Guggenheim

Etienne charles has received critical acclaim for his exciting performances, thrilling compositions and knack for connecting with audiences worldwide

Fellow. It is inspiring to be a new member of this elite group of artists and scholars,” states Charles. “This fellowship will enable me to further my research and create a large compositional work depicting the original rituals and traditional characters of Carnival in TT.”

Previously he released Kaiso (2011), Folklore (2009) and Culture Shock (2006).

On November 29, Charles will present music from Creole Christmas at a concert at Queen’s Hall, PoS.

Charles is a highly regarded educator and currently serves as assistant professor of Jazz Studies at Michigan State University. He holds a Master’s degree from the Juilliard School and a Bachelor’s degree from Florida State University.

This year’s other fellowship recipients are Darcy James Argue, Matthew Barnson, Richard Carrick, Chihchun Chisun Lee, Steve Lehman, George E Lewis, Andreia Pinto-Correia, Sean Shepherd, Rand Steiger, and Amy Williams. Previous award winners in the Music Composition category include George Antheil, Aaron Copland, Alex Mincek, Billy Childs and Vivian Fung.

• For further information visit etiennecharles.com. (TT Guardian)

50 Cent mulls Jamaica investment

KINGSTON, JAMAICA:

American rapper and actor 50 Cent was in Jamaica on a "working visit" last weekend.

According to sources close to the rapper, 50 Cent (whose given name is Curtis Jackson III) was exploring investment opportunities in the island. They, however, declined to give any details.

"He did meet with some local officials and had discussions on investment opportunities in the Montego Bay resort area," said the source, who spoke to the Jamaican media on the condition of anonymity.

50 Cent is said to have

close Jamaican family connections, through his stepfather with whom he grew up in Queens, New York.

The rapper has a big following in Jamaica. He performed at Heineken Heatwave Concert at Constant Spring Golf Club in St Andrew, in 2003.

In 2003, the 39-yearold got his break when he released Get Rich or Die Tryin' in a joint venture with Shady Records (Eminem), Aftermath Entertainment (Dr Dre) and Interscope Records. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 872,000 copies in its first four days. Billboard named it the

12th Best Album of the Decade. He appeared in the semi-auto-biographical film Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2005), as well as Iraq war film 'Home of the Brave' (2006) and 'Righteous Kill' (2008). He has also been involved in several private commercial investments, in areas such as enhanced water drinks (Formula 50), platinum mining in South Africa, American stock and real estate markets and boxing promotion. He was rated the fifth richest figure in American hip hop in 2014, with an estimated net value of US$140 million. (Jamaica Observer)

A splash of fashion to brighten

Walking on the longest fashion runway in the entire world—in Tobago.

PORT-OF-SPAIN, TRINIDAD: On Friday, May 15, you can do just that, on a whopping 2.5-mile fashion runway made entirely of denim, extending from Rituals in Crown Point all the way to Pigeon Point Heritage Park. An adjudicator from the Guinness World Book of records will be on site to keep a keen eye on the proceedings, which will be a TT$500-a-head fund-raising event called Beautiful People Break Records.

This river of denim in Tobago is all part of Tobago Fashion Weekend, now rebranded as TT Fashion Week (2TFW), to be held from May 8-17, with the highlight events on May 16 and 17 at the Pavilion in Pigeon Point Heritage Park, Tobago.

The event is now spreading its wings for a whole week instead of just a few days, with

events both in Trinidad and in Tobago. Billed as a week of fashion, business and entertainment, 2TFW this year celebrates denim with its theme of Saga Pinto in Dungarees, and includes workshops, industry talk sessions, fashion on the beach and an online contest where people are invited to upload a photo of their own decorated, reinterpreted denim outfits; the winner will receive US$1,500 and a trip to attend 2TFW 2015.

The TT media caught up with Ashley Christmas, producer of the event since 2011, at the La Cantina gourmet Italian pizzeria on Victoria Avenue, Portof-Spain last Friday, to hear more about the event, the TT fashion scene, and Christmas himself.

“Technology is breaking geographical barriers,” said Christmas, who is director and founder of

the organisation called Designer United Stores (DUS) which manages all the 2TFW events and shows.

He was making the point that even small islands can make fashion statements now that the online world (plus smartphones) has radically democratised marketing, and now that methods of producing fashion don’t necessarily have to rely on large, labour-intensive traditional methods of textile design.

Christmas is proud of the event’s development. In this, its fifth year, 2TFW will add new segments to the program including retail, distribution and online commerce opportunities for designers, training for models and education through workshops and school tours. There will be fashion from 25 designers, with 70 per cent of designers coming from the Caribbean and

30 per cent from foreign countries, including diaspora designers.

Christmas cautions against any fashion designer becoming a “oneman show” and says it’s important for the fashion sector to share information for growth.

“I like bringing people together... The downstream industries that spin off from the fashion industry are so many. I’ve met graphic designers, metal fabricators, electricians, people in the electronics industry, sound, lights. You need all that to make it work. There are people into textiles, fabric dying; fashion is such a wide field... But we focus too much just on who is the high-fashion brand.

He himself said he defines fashion not necessarily as high or low-end segments, but as aiming at the middle ground, especially in terms of the price point. And he free-

UWI lecturer: TT needs

330,000

PORT-OF-SPAIN,

TRINIDAD: Trinidad and Tobago needs 330,000 more workers to achieve economic growth, and may have to increase the retirement age and import foreign workers to satisfy the shortage which is crippling the business sector, and holding back economic growth.

Dr Roger Hosein, senior lecturer in economics at the St Augustine campus of the University of the West Indies (UWI), shared this view on Wednesday.

He said the authorities may have to consider a temporary managed migration scheme to facilitate the entry of foreign workers.

Hosein said Trinidad's labour shortage has become an obstacle to growth, and Trinidad and Tobago will need to find an additional 330,000 workers if it wants to double its per capita Gross Domestic Product by 2013.

“It means that we now need to acutely look at our labour market because it is now becoming an obstacle to growth, and we need to incentivise the labour market, we probably need to change the retirement age upwards, we may probably need to bring in some foreign workers and if we are bringing in foreign workers under a temporary managed migration scheme, where would we get these foreign workers from?”

He suggested that if the Government agreed on the need to import workers they should come from neighbour-

more workers

ing Caricom countries rather than from China or The Phillipines, as some have advised. He said that another option was to reduce the amount of labour put into community and social services “so that more of this labour gets employed in long term sustainable employment.”

Hosein made the comments on Wednesday at a oneday seminar “Understanding the Trinidad and Tobago Macroeconomy, organised for journalists by the Trade and Economic Development Unit of The UWI’s Economics Department. It was held at the Scarlet Ibis Room of the Hilton Trinidad and Conference

ly admits he loves denim, which is a fashion sector worth billions.

His business background is evident from the questions he asks:

“What good is a fashion facade, if no business comes out of it? We need to know how to do several things at the same time, and do these to a consistent, professional standard: design, produce, showcase and retail. We

also need to put our money where our mouth is.”

That last point relates to having a consistent State-sponsored fixed budget to develop the fashion sector in Trinidad, for a specific initial incubation period, something Christmas feels is necessary. Meanwhile, get set for the colourful fashion splash of 2TFW in May. (TT

Cable operators in Jamaica ordered to cease transmission of 19 channels

Centre, St Ann’s.

Hosein, co-ordinator of the unit, said the workshop was aimed at sensitising journalists to the key economic and social implications of the state of the macroeconomy and the pending long term trends if the realities remain unchecked.

While the government has been touting an unemployment rate of three percent, Hosein said it was not enough to just look at national figures but the authorities need to look at “the geography of unemployment” which he said would reveal that unemployment is only a problem in certain areas such as Point Fortin and Nariva-Mayaro where the unemployment rate is significantly above the national average.

He said government needed to pay urgent policy attention to Tobago which he said remains stagnant. Hosein said as a mature tourism destination Tobago is too dependent on standardised tourism which is vulnerable to fluctuations in income in the developed world. He said the Tobago economy took a very big hit with the recent decline in economic activity in the European Union.

Hosein said, “Tobago is a mature tourism destination and it probably needs to urgently look into niche tourism, probably medical tourism or medical education tourism as a means of creating good growth prospects for the economy as we move forward.” (TT Newsday)

KINGSTON, JAMAICA:

Subscriber television (cable) operators are to cease transmission of 19 unlicensed channels in their packages by May 31 this year, or face sanctions.

The directive was issued by the Broadcasting Commission of Jamaica (BCJ) on Friday, at a press conference at its headquarters.

It represents the first phase of enforcement measures being undertaken by the Commission in relation to copyright regulations.

The channels to be affected include nine from the Encore suite of channels, five from the Showtime group of channels, four from the Starz group, as well as the channel known as the ‘Movie Channel Extra’.

Chairman of the BCJ, Professor Hopeton Dunn, said this action has become necessary as the distribution of unlicensed channels by local cable companies “has been elevated to a contentious international trade issue.”

He noted that cable television operators in Jamaica are required to comply with local and international copyright laws and regulations, but have in fact, been operating in breach of these requirements for many years, particularly in relation to the channels and programmes they sell to subscribers.

This, he said, is in spite of many measures that have been taken by the Commission to secure compliance.

Dunn pointed out that with approximately 98 unauthorised channels being transmitted, additional enforcement measures are required for the orderly, phased elimination of unlicensed cable channel operations in Jamaica.

In this initial phase of the compliance regime, the chairman advised that cable operators have been directed to remove the 19 channels and to provide their subscribers with notice of discontinuation and an explanation of the reasons for doing so.

“Cable operators must also make whatever arrangements become necessary, based on the terms of contracts with subscribers, including refunds and channel substitution, where applicable and appropriate,” he said.

The full list of channels to be discontinued in Jamaica are: Encore Black; Encore Family; Encore Love; Encore Suspense; Encore WAM; Encore Classic; . Encore Drama; Encore Mystery; Encore Movie Plex; Showtime East; Showtime West; Showtime TOO; Showtime 2; Showtime Showcase; Starz Comedy; Starz West; Starz Kids and Family; Starz Multiplex; and The Movie Channel Xtra. (JIS)

TT PM taking her time on election

date: Last man to do that lost

PORT-OFSPAIN, TRINIDAD:

Supporters who were eager to hear an election date at the United National Congress’ 26th Anniversary Celebration in Couva on Sunday left disappointed after Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar revealed she had no intention of calling an early election. Addressing thousands of flag waving supporters at Rienzi Complex, Persad-Bissessar said she will not follow her predecessor, Patrick Manning, by calling elections before time.

“Today, speculation is all over that I am going to announce the election date today. But listen carefully, the last time a man tried that he lost the election when he called it before time. “I say my track record speaks for itself. We have held every single election within time, according to the laws of TT,” she shouted while trumpets blasted and horns blared.

“No one will jumbie me to call an election before it is due. They could jump high, they could jump low, no election date will be announced

before it is due. They could bark and shout, we will call it when it is due,” she said.

Persad Bissessar also took Rowley to task, saying he was using Parliamentary privilege to bring members of Government into disrepute. But saying that Government planned to move a motion of censure against Rowley in Parliament, PersadBissessar said this will be one of the ways of ensuring that people’s characters are protected.

Referring to the E-mailgate scandal, Persad-Bissessar also

Dr Tim wants more TT students playing sports

PORT-OF-SPAIN, TRINIDAD: Education

Minister Dr Tim Gopeesingh has said only “a few thousand” students actively play sports in schools across Trinidad, adding that this figure was still too low.

He urged more students to get involved in various sporting programmes.

The minister also thanked teachers who he said had been given yeoman service to various sporting initiatives.

“Our teachers in the primary schools are now

trained to some extent to help the students in physical education. We have had significant reforms in our primary school curriculum,”

Gopeesingh said.

He was speaking at the handing-over ceremony of physical education and sporting equipment by the Government of the People’s Republic of China at the Russell Latapy Secondary School, Cipriani Street, Morvant, on Monday.

Saying sports was instrumental he said the Chinese Government had handed over a range of sporting gear, includ-

ing badminton, football and volleyball equipment which would be distributed among the primary and secondary schools.

The minister said the equipment would be distributed to the schools depending on the numbers of students and the size of the schools.

“Some would also be donated to the Ministries of Community Development for and Tertiary Education,” Gopeesingh added.

He said it was the brainchild of Prime Minister Kamla PersadBissessar to have badminton and table tennis sets in school, given the fact that such equipment needed little space.

In the secondary schools, he said, physical education was an important part of the physical education component.

“Physical education was compulsory from Forms One to Three. In 2009 1,013 wrote the exam with an 88 per cent pass rate.

“Last year we have increase the amount of students doing physical education from 1,013 to 1,552 in Form Five with a 95 per cent pass rate,” Gopeesingh said. (TT Guardian)

complex, couva called on the police to clear the air and announce publicly whether the series of e-mails read in Parliament by Rowley in May 2013 were true.

The e-mails implicated Persad-Bissessar, former attorney general Anand Ramlogan and Local Government Minister Suruj Rambachan in conspiracies against the Director of Public Prosecutions and a reporter, as well as allegations of the payment of monies in exchange for freedom of former financiers.

However, PersadBissessar said there is proof the e-mails were

fabricated and she called on the police to take action against Rowley for misleading Trinidad.

“I have legally all the Google records pursuant to a court order in the case filed by the Integrity Commission and all the e-mails for the month of September which Rowley sent out were fake.

Predicting that Rowley will pay the price for his mischief, she said as TT goes into elections the truth should be made known. “Should the conclusion of the report indicate that the contents of the e-mail were fake and criminal proceedings un-

dertaken, the Opposition leader must immediately resign from his seat,” she said.

During the celebrations, several UNC founders, including Basdeo Panday, John Humphrey, Dr Allan Mc Kenzie, Trevor Sudama, Lloyd Williams and Rampersad Parasram, were lauded. Panday failed to show up as he indicated before, but his proteges said his contribution to the UNC will always be remembered. Supporters were also treated to music from Raymond Ramnarine & Dil-E-Nadan. (TT Guardian)

‘American Hustle’ actress Amy Adams is reportedly set to tie the knot with her longtime fiance Darren Le Gallo this weekend in LA.

The 40-year-old fivetime Academy Award nominee is planning a hush-hush ceremony with Le Gallo at a private location in the LA area, reported the New York Post.

The ‘Big Eyes’ star Adams has been with actor and artist Le Gallo, 40, for 14 years. They became engaged in 2008 and have a daughter, Aviana, who will be five next month.

“Amy and Darren are getting married this weekend in Los Angeles in a ceremony that will

be intimate and very genuine. The guest list is being kept very small and she has kept the location very much under wraps,” a source said.

“Amy and Darren had always planned on getting married, but her career has been on such an amazing trajectory, it has been hard for her

to take the time out. But now she has deliberately taken some time off work to be with her family and finally get married,” the source said.

Adams and Le Gallo, who live in Beverly Hills, met in an acting class after she starred in 2002’s ‘Catch Me If You Can’.

(Indian Express)

Crazy to worry about postbaby weight: Drew Barrymore

Actress Drew Barrymore, who gave birth to her second child last year, says she does not get affected by “ridiculous” pressures of getting back to her pre-baby weight.

“I think it’s crazy to worry about that. It takes nine months to build, it takes nine months to unbuild, at best,” Barrymore, 40, said.

“We just have to take pressures off. They’re so silly and ridiculous. It took a year and I’m not even there, but it’s fine. I’m so okay with that,” she said.

(Indian Express)

“Avengers” star Robert Downey Jr does not regret walking out of an interview, recently, where he was asked about his “dark” period.

During a promotional interview for his latest “Avengers: Age of Ultron” with British journalist Krishnan Guru-Murthy, the actor was seen getting increasingly uncomfortable as he was asked about his relationship with his father, jail time and past drug addiction.

When Guru-Murthy brought up a quote from a 2008 New York Times interview, a confused Downey Jr said, “I’m sorry, I, I really don’t — what are we doing?” Soon after that the actor walked out saying, “Bye”.

weirdo shit,” Downey said, while slamming Guru-Murthy.

Motherhood is like living with a drug addict: Blake Lively

Actress Blake Lively thinks having a baby is "like living with a drug addict".

The 27-year-old beauty, who married actor Ryan Reynolds in 2012 and gave birth to their first child James in December 2014, said living with a newborn child has posed some unusual challenges, reported Contactmusic.

"Having a baby is just living in the constant unexpected. You never know when you're gonna get crapped on or when you're gonna get a big smile or when that smile immediately turns into hysterics. It might be like living with a drug addict," she said.

"You have a baby and you think, 'I can't imagine ever not having a baby', because they grow up so quickly. I'd be an 80-year-old woman with a baby if I could," she added. (TOI)

Chris Evans is big fan of romance

Actor Chris Evans, who would be seen Justin Reardon's upcoming romantic comedy ‘Playing It Cool’ with Michelle Monaghan, says that he is a big fan of romance.

"I've always been a big fan of romance and I think this story kind of captures the idea of meeting somebody in an unexpected night, unfolding in a really pure manner. We have two characters that are damaged and each one of them was in need of an understanding of what love actually meant," Evans said in a statement.

Widely known as Captain America, in ‘Playing It Cool’, Evans will be seen essaying a writer, who loves to write about action and is forced to pen down a new romantic comedy novel. He struggles for it being a non-believer in love until he falls for Monaghan.

The movie is set to release in Indian theatres on May 8. (TOI)

Sandra Bullock wants 5-yr-old son to find her stardom 'inconsequential'

Sandra Bullock has revealed that she hides her stardom from her five-year-old

'TReflecting on his decision, the 50-year-old actor says he should have left the conversation before he did, said The Hollywood Reporter.

“I just wish I’d left sooner” and explained why that is likely what he will do if he finds himself in a similar situation in the future.

“I’m one of those guys where I’m always kind of assuming the social decorum is in play and that we’re promoting a superhero movie, a lot of kids are going to see it. This has nothing to do with your creepy, dark agenda that I’m feeling like all of a sudden ashamed and obligated to accommodate your

“I’m a 50-year-old guy… and I’m completely unevolved when it comes to simple boundaries. (I thought,) ‘You know what? You’re weirding me out,” he said.

Downey does not think he should have to endure such probing questions when he’s promoting a movie, and going forward, he says, he will probably extricate himself from a similar situation before it leads to a physical altercation.

“The assumption is that there’s a button that because you’ve sat down there, you’re going to be scrutinised like a kiddie fiddler who’s running for mayor,” the actor said. (Indian Express)

son and wants his son to find her fame "inconsequential".

The 'Gravity' star as-

he Help' star Viola Davis is all set to star in an HBO biopic of Harriet Tubman, who helped hundreds of slaves to escape to freedom via the Underground Railroad.

The untitled movie is based on the book "Bound for the Promised Land: Harriet Tubman: Portrait of an American Hero" by Kate Clifford Larson, reported Variety.

Davis is executive producing with her partner and husband, Julius Tennon and others.

The movie is in the early development stage and has not been given the go-ahead for production. But it's eyed for filming during Davis' break from ‘How to Get Away With Murder’ next year, Tubman who escaped from slavery in Maryland in 1849 organized a net-

serted that she will skip the channel if she sees herself on television as her son Louis still doesn't know she is famous, the Mirror reported.

The 50-year-old actress said that her son thought that she was an astronaut for a while after he saw few glimpses of Bullock in hit movie 'Gravity'.

Bullock jokingly added that she wants Louis to be embarrassed by her like all other parents. (TOI)

work of safe houses to help her relatives. She eventually helped hundreds of slaves to secure their freedom and became the most famous "conductor" on the network.(TOI)

I’m both Hindu and Muslim, says Salman Khan in court

Bollywood actor Salman Khan, who appeared before a Jodhpur court Wednesday afternoon, came up with a dramatic response when the judge asked him his caste.

First Salman Khan, looking baffled, responded saying, ‘Indian’, but when asked yet again, he maintained, he was Hindu and Muslim.

While taking down his personal details, chief judicial magistrate

Anupama Bijlani, asked Salman his name, father’s name, occupation and other details to fill in a legal form.

When the judge asked him his caste, the actor first said, ‘Indian’, look-

ing perplexed. Someone from the court even prompted him to say ‘Muslim’ but Salman ignored it and said, “I am Hindu and Muslim. My father (Salim Khan) is a Muslim while my mother (Susheela Charak) is a Hindu.”

Salman Khan was in court to plead ‘not guilty’ in the arms act case related to the alleged poaching of a black buck. The next hearing in the case is slated for May 4.

The actor is accused of poaching three chinkaras and a black buck near Jodhpur in September and early October 1998 during the shooting of a film ‘Hum Saath Saath Hain’. The forest department had then registered a case under the Arms Act with the local police alleging that the licenses of the weapons used by him had expired and thereby making the use illegal. Salman Khan has argued in court that he had applied for a renewal of licence for the weapons soon after it expired and hence was not using them illegally. (Indian Express)

The actress steps into a throng of 5000 people to can a scene for her comeback film. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was spotted shooting for Sanjay Gupta's upcoming thriller, ‘Jazbaa’, by Mirror lensman Raju Shelar at the Asiatic Society Library in Fort on Sunday.

In the sequence, the actress is seen hurriedly getting out of a car to make a frantic phone call. Adding to the emotions was the growing heat and the gathered swarm of onlookers. A

crowd of over 5000 stargazers converged to watch Aishwarya in action. And the melee, paired with the blazing sun, made filming an ordeal. "We've been shooting 12 hours at a stretch all week long but it was only indoors. This was the first scene in her comeback film that was shot at a public place and the humidity was unbearable," revealed a source from the location.

Aishwarya's day had begun at 7:30 am with a sequence shot under the Marine Drive flyover.They finally

wrapped up at the library around 4:00 pm.

The director posted a picture of his footprint embossed into the road: "The tar road melts under our feet....Imagine the heat we are shooting in!" Initially, the crew was to shoot with Ash on Marine Drive on April 13. But due to ongoing Indian Premier League, the Mumbai Police advised them against an outdoor shoot at a time when cricket frenzy was at its peak. "We beefed up security and the area was locked down but still the crowds went crazy. I can understand why the cops denied us permission when Mumbai Indians took on the Kings XI Punjab at the Wankhade Stadium," adds the source.

The director and his leading lady will unveil the poster of the film at the Cannes Film Festival when Aishwarya makes an annual appearance on the French Riviera. "We're on a one month break now," exults the source. (TOI)

Kunal Deshmukh returns safe from quake-hit Nepal

Bollywood director Kunal Deshmukh, who was stuck in Kathmandu after the devastating earthquake hit the Himalayan nation, was back in Mumbai safe and sound on Tuesday morning.

The 33-year-old director's friend and former Balaji Telefilms CEO Tanuj Garg told IANS In a text message: "He (Deshmukh) has returned to Mumbai this morning (Tuesday) and exhausted. Resting."

On Tuesday, filmmk-

er Mahesh Bhatt took to micro-blogging website to share one of the message of the 'Jannat' director.

"Reverence for life that is what I feel having survived the earth-

Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma campaign for donations for Nepal

Bollywood celebrities Karan Johar, Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma and Preity Zinta are fronting a campaign, launched on Wednesday by media and entertainment conglomerate Star India in association with NGO CARE India, to collect donations for quake-hit Nepal.

They are driving a nationwide public service campaign ‘Ek Padosi hi Padosi ke Kaam Aata Hai’ (only a neighbour helps another neighbour) to mobilise relief for the victims of the natural disaster that struck Nepal and parts of northern India, claiming more

Aquake.Phantom tremors now paralyse me. Kunal Deshmukh," he wrote. A 7.9-magnitude earthquake shook Nepal on Saturday and has left at least 4,347 people dead. (TOI)

than 8,000 lives.

A host of Star network’s icons will also appeal to Indians for donations, which will be channelled directly to CARE India. Viewers will have an option to donate online, or through cheques or demand drafts. The campaign will work along the lines of Operation Maitri initiated by the Indian government.

“A tragedy has struck our neighbouring country resulting in a devastating loss of lives, infrastructure and resources. We believe it is our responsibility to leverage the power of television as a force for good to help

ctress Zarine Khan, who will soon be seen in the third film of the erotic thriller franchise “Hate Story”, says she has no inhibitions about either intimacy or exposing on screen.

“You guys just tell me a film that does not have any intimate scene and is not glamorous? I don’t know why this film is being tagged as ‘having a lot of exposure’,” the actress said here on being asked if she is ready to expose in the new film of the franchise.

“Honestly speaking, if I see any of the films being made today, there is an exposure quotient. Anyways, this is something that I will be doing for the first time. As of now, we are working on the story and the character,” she added.

“Hate Story 3″ will reportedly see actors Sharman Joshi and Daisy Shah along with Zarine, and the film is likely to be at par with the previous two films in bold and erotic content.

The “Veer” actress says enacting

mobilise relief and provide immediate life-saving assistance to those affected,” Uday Shankar, CEO Star India, said in a statement.

The NGO is said to be assessing the situation on the ground in all the affected areas of Nepal, and moving relief material where it is needed most. CARE has begun distribution in some of the areas and hopes to reach out to more than 50,000 people in the coming days.

“We would appeal to all Indians for funds to ramp up the emergency response and provide immediate life saving assistance to those affected. We are thankful to Star India for helping us raise funds for Nepal where millions are awaiting humanitarian relief. The country is running out of food, water and shelter and the onus is now on us to help them,” said Nachiket Mor, board chairperson, CARE India. (Indian Express)

such scenes is part of an actor’s life.

“There is no point of being ready or not for the exposing scenes, because we are actors. It would be cliche if I say so, but if a character demands such stuff, then as actors we are supposed to give our best.

“I haven’t done this before. This will be the first time for me, so I myself don’t know how it is going to be,” she added. (Indian Express)

Akshay Kumar promotes 'Gabbar Is Back' through a street play

Weilding his PWD (power wala danda) and vowing to eradicate corruption in the system, Akshay Kumar aka Gabbar resorted to out of the box methods to promote his action thriller, ‘Gabbar Is Back’. The Bollywood superstar played Gabbar in a street play based on corruption at a college in Gurgaon. The play ended with a message to wage a war against the bad reit-

erating to students that 'change begins with you'.

Addressing the college crowd that had gathered there, Akshay, along with

and direc-

managed a good response to his

and even

voices in

asking for an

Venue agreement signed for CPL games in Guyana

The organisers of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) have scheduled four matches for the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, in this year’s CPL, and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport and the CPL organisers last Friday signed an agreement for the use of the venue.

The document highlights two important additions to the long-term development of the stadium and those are the installation of permanent replay screens and Internet access, which will be available throughout the venue via Wi-Fi.

viewed by an estimated 60 million people in 65 countries. This allows for tremendous exposure of Guyana’s potential, hospitality, assets and economic possibilities.

Minister Anthony recalled the large turnout by Guyanese at last year’s matches and in this regard he added that a similar turnout was anticipated this year.

He also emphasised that the Ministry would be partnering with the CPL organisers to host another captains’ seminar for young cricketers.

Barnwell, and Denesh Ramdin will be engaged in the seminar.

The agreement document was signed by the Permanent Secretary of the Sport Ministry, Alfred King and Team Operations Manager of the Guyana Amazon Warriors, Omar Khan, in the presence of Stadium Manager Anthony Xavier and Dr Anthony. Khan noted that the CPL organisers were pleased that Guyana would be hosting the four scheduled matches. He also recalled the support from Guyanese which saw the National Stadium being filled to capacity on each match date.

Guyanese can expect to see intense T20 matches between the Guyana Amazon Warriors and Jamaica Tallawahs on July 15; Guyana

Aside from those, works and inspections have already commenced for the matches, which are scheduled for July 15-21. There are just a few minor tasks to be completed to make the stadium ready for the games.

Amazon Warriors and St Lucia Zouks on July 17; Guyana Amazon Warriors and Barbados Tridents on July 18 and Guyana Amazon Warriors and Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel on

July 21.

Culture, Youth and Sport Minister, Dr Frank Anthony emphasised that these matches were important for Guyana as they would be broadcast by ESPN and would be

The seminar that was held in 2014 was well received by the cricketers who attended as they were able to interact with a few members of the Guyana Amazon Warriors team.

This year, cricketers, including Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Brad Hodge, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Christopher

The 2015 CPL will officially start on June 20 in Barbados where the Guyana Amazon Warriors will be challenging the Barbados Tridents in the opening match.

Jamaican schools dominate final day of Penn Ralays

PHILADELPHIA, UNITED STATES —

Jamaica's high school boys jumpers swept all three events on

Saturday's final day of the 121st Penn Relays Carnival at a sun-bathed Franklin Field. After two days of cold and overcast conditions,

it was a welcome relief for the 48,920 spectators who packed into the ancient stadium for a threeday total of 110,587 -- the eighth best three-day to-

tal in the meet's history.

Odaine Lewis won Cornwall College's first ever-event at the meet when he took the triple jump. Jamaica College's Clayton Brown, who won the triple jump last year, took the high jump this time around, while Calabar High's Jullanie Walker won the long jump.

It was the first time since 2013 that Jamaican jumpers won all three events after Kingston College's Clive Pullen claimed the triple jump event, Sadiki Eddie of Kingston College won the long jump and Wolmer's Boys' Christoff Bryan was first in the high jump.

Saturday, Walker led a Jamaican sweep of the top three in the long jump, leaping to a windaided (2.8m/s) 7.45 me-

tres on his second attempt, to tie for the ninth best ever at the meet. He passed on all his attempts in the final round.

Walker told reporters afterwards that he was proud of his feat.

"I feel extremely proud of myself. My personal best is 7.50 so coming out here to jump 7.45 it's a great feeling," he said.

His teammate Travis Riley was second with 7.34m (1.3m/s) and Cornwall College's Alrick Ottey came third with 7.16m (1.0m/s), while fouling his last three jumps.

Lewis' winning jump came on his final attempt, passing Jamaica College's Obrien Wasome (15.28m) for his first victory over the ISSA Boys Champs winner this season.

Jamaican jumpers filled the first five slots as Lewis had just two jumps over 15.00m after struggling early. On his third attempt, a long jumper from the adjoining pit walked across his path. His protest was upheld and he was allowed to jump again.

Campion's Jordan Scott was third with 15.19m, followed by Javier Lowe of Calabar (15.13m) and Kingston College's Errol Ennis (14.60m).

Having conquered the triple jump last year, Brown made a successful switch to the high jump, clearing 2.09 metres to beat St Jago High's Lushane Wilson (2.06m). Another St Jago jumper, Douglas Romario, was sixth with 2.03m. (Jamaica Observer)

Sports Journalist Calvin Roberts passes on at age 43

- will be missed from the sporting fraternity

By RavendRa Madholall

TORONTO, CANADA: Sports Journalist Calvin Roberts has passed away at the Davis Memorial Hospital in Georgetown on Tuesday evening after a lengthy Kidney failure leaving two sons to mourn.

Roberts, who represented Guyana Media team over the past five years, was employed at the Guyana National Newspaper

Limited (GNNL) as a Senior Reporter and an Assistant Editor.

He previously worked for Stabroek News another Media outlet in Georgetown, Guyana.

The versatile allrounder was diagnosed in early January at the aforementioned hospital by Doctor Clem McEwan and required Dialysis treatment for a minimum three times per a week.

Both his kidneys had stopped functioning and

TT’s women pair look for Olympic qualifiers form

PORT-OFSPAIN, TRINIDAD:

TT’s women pair Apphia Glasgow and La Teisha Joseph, competing in Cayman Islands for the first time, will do so, with their main aim of preparing for next weekend’s CAZOVA Women’s first round 2016 Rio Olympic Qualifiers to be staged at Ochio Rios Bay Beach, Jamiaca, April 30 to May 5. The two earned TT’s lone spot to compete in Cayman by winning the the fivestage TTVF qualifiers ahead of Ayana Dyette and Nancy Joseph while Elki Phillip and Shenelle Gordon were third.

Last season, the women’s crown went to USA’s Tealle Hunkus and Kimberly McGivenDicello who defeated a resilient Canadian pair of Melissa Humana and Taylor Pischke in three sets, 21-23, 21-10, 15-9. But both teams are not

was rushed to receive medical attention but succumbed during an emergency operation.

He was known for his fast bowling and decent left-handed ability having proved it on many occasions on the field while playing for Ace Warriors, a seconddivision team that featured regularly in the Georgetown Cricket Association limited-over competition.

He was also a youth member of Malteenoes

Sports Club, an established Sports Club in Georgetown.

Meanwhile, veteran Sports Journalist and Guyana Chronicle’s Correspondent in Toronto, Fredrick Halley spoke highly of Roberts’ kindness and his efforts to writing on Sports.

“It is with great sadness and regret learning of the death of fellow sports journalist Calvin Roberts,” Halley related. He continued: “Although we never worked to-

gether at the Guyana Chronicle, I subsequently met him on each of my visit home and he was

always a fun-loving person who took his job very seriously and will surely be missed.”

TT’s Ahye flies in windy 200

PORT-OF-SPAIN, TRINIDAD:

Michelle-Lee Ahye blazed the track in a windaided 22.01 seconds for a huge victory in the Bobcat Classic women’s 200 metres, in Texas, USA, on Saturday.

The clocking is the fastest time in the world this year and the fastest ever recorded by a female athlete from Trinidad and Tobago. However, it will not be recognised as a national record since the following wind was 2.9 metres per second—above the 2.0 legal limit.

Allison Peter finished a distant second, the United States Virgin Islands athlete getting to the line in 23.28.

Another TT sprinter, Reyare Thomas was second in section two and fourth overall in 23.47 seconds.

in the Cayman Islands this year paving the way for Cuba’s Lianma Flores and Leila Martinez and USA’s Traci Weamer and Kendra Vanzwieten. Last year, Flores and Martinez won the gold medal in Varadero, Cuba, a silver medal in TT and the bronze in Antigua They also captured the title at the CAC Games in Veracruz. Weamer and Vanzwieten last year won a silver medal in Antigua Guatemala. Vanzwieten also won silver and bronze medals with Allison Daley in Manzanillo, Mexico and North Bay, Canada, respectively.

The countries represented in the competition are Barbados, Belize, Canada, Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico, TT and USA. (TT Guardian)

Janeil Bellille struck gold in the women’s 400m, the TT athlete completing her lap of the track in 52.95 seconds. Jessica James clocked 55.44 to secure ninth spot overall.

Texas State University student, Aaron George produced a wind-assisted 7.40 metres effort for fourth spot in the men’s

long jump. His best legal leap in the competition was 7.38m.

Domonique Williams topped the women’s 400m field, at the Western Texas A&M University Open Twilight meet. The South Plains College student clocked 53.08 seconds. Another TT athlete, Western Texas College’s

Marissa Gale finished second in 54.97. New Mexico Junior College athlete, Kayelle Clarke was fourth overall in 56.47.

John Mark Constantine bagged men’s 100m bronze, the Western Texas College sprinter getting home in 10.52 seconds.

Jereem Richards was fourth overall in the men’s 400m in 47.85 seconds. And his South Plains teammate, Aaliyah Telesford clocked 12.04 for fifth spot overall in the women’s 100m.

At the Brigham Young University (BYU) Robison Invitational, in Utah, Marsha Mark-Baird won the women’s long jump with a 5.90m leap. She was third in the 100m hurdles in 14.52 seconds, and fifth in the javelin with a 41.10m throw. (TT Express)

BCCI bans Narine from bowling off-breaks

Sunil Narine has been banned from bowling his off-breaks in any match organised by the BCCI, including in the IPL. He may, however, continue to bowl his other deliveries – the knuckle ball and the quicker straight ball. If he uses the offbreak again in the ongoing IPL, he will be suspended from bowling in BCCI-organised matches.

Narine had been reported again for a suspect action following Kolkata Knight Riders’ game against Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 22 in Visakhapatnam.

He then went to the ICCaccredited Sri Ramachandra Arthroscopy and Sports Sciences Centre in Chennai for a biomechanical analysis of his bowling action. The BCCI suspect bowling action committee reviewed the evidence of the match footage and the analysis, and concluded that Narine’s action for his off-break was illegal.

Since being reported, Narine missed Knight Riders’ match against Chennai Super Kings on Tuesday as the franchise had decided to not risk playing the offspinner.

Narine had been reported twice during the Champions League T20 last year and was subsequently banned from bowling in the final of the tournament. He skipped West Indies’ tour of India and later withdrew from their World Cup squad, choosing to focus on remodelling his action.

He underwent testing at the University of Loughborough and was cleared but the BCCI asked

him to undergo another round of tests at the Sri Ramachandra University. He was then cleared by the BCCI suspect action committee and played five games for Knight Riders this season before being reported again.

He will now have to undergo corrective work on his action again after which he can request for another assessment by the BCCI committee. (ESPN Cricinfo)

Marriott rolls out red carpet for Limacol CPL – hotel giant becomes partner with “Biggest Party in Sport”

The Limacol

Caribbean Premier League (CPL) is proud to confirm a partnership with Marriott Hotels, which will see the global giant become the leading Hotel Partner of the CPL.

The deal will see the leading resort brand play host to CPL teams and their staff throughout the tournament, in St Kitts and Nevis and Guyana, the CPL said Friday in a release. The Marriott Courtyard in Barbados will look after all the TV and support staff, while travelling fans in Trinidad and Tobago will be offered fantastic discounted rates during finals week.

Hotels will ensure that our teams will enjoy excellent hospitality during the tournament, and local economies will continue to thrive in each country that we visit.”

The Marriott brand is a global leader in the hospitality industry, with over 4100 hotels in over 79 countries and across 19 brands, offering a service with exceptional

The news is testament to the continued growth of the CPL, dubbed the “Biggest Party in Sport”, which continues to go from strength to strength in its third year.

standards. Marriott offers over 26 hotels across the Caribbean in destinations like Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, and St Kitts and Nevis, and Aruba.

Limacol CPL Chief Operating Officer Pete

Mayweather aims money taunt at Pacquiao ahead of Las Vegas bout

By Ben Dirs BBC sport in Las Vegas

Floyd Mayweather taunted Manny Pacquiao ahead of their eagerly-anticipated super-fight on Saturday, telling him he should be earning more money. The fight is the richest in history, with the fighters sharing around £150M, although the exact figure is unknown.

However, the purse split is 6040 in Mayweather’s favour and the American legend said his Filipino rival had not been looked after properly.

“If he’d have worked with us, he’d have made $100M (£65M),” said Mayweather.

Financially, he hasn’t been treated right for this fight. And (this fight) is all about the money.

“Saturday is just work, I’ll just do what I do. But I’ll make upwards of $200M for this fight, which is $50M apiece for my kids. So it was a smart move.”

Five-weight world champion Mayweather, nicknamed ‘Money’, came face-to-face with six-weight world champion Pacquaio for the first time at a Miami Heat basketball game in January.

The 38-year-old American said he instigated the initial meeting in Pacquiao’s Miami hotel suite –which Mayweather said was not up

to his exacting standards.

Mayweather, who is unbeaten in 47 professional fights, explained: “I went over to Manny and said: ‘I don’t know what (Pacquiao’s promoter) Bob Arum is saying to you, but it’s not true.

“When Manny Pacquiao said he had signed paperwork to fight me, he must have been signing half of his money away. He hadn’t signed to fight me.

“I told him that if we agree to drugs testing and we’re on a level playing field, we can make the fight happen. The fight came about because of me.

“But why did they have him staying in that type of hotel? It wasn’t right.”

Mayweather also reiterated his intention to retire after one more fight in September, even though two more victories would leave him equal with heavyweight legend Rocky Marciano’s 49-fight unbeaten record.

“People ask me about Rocky Marciano’s record but it’s time for me to walk away. And I won’t miss boxing,” said Mayweather.

“The money is more important than any unbeaten record – my daughters can’t eat no ‘zero’.

“Getting to 50 fights unbeaten might be special for you, but for me it’s not.” (BBC Sport)

Russell noted, “It’s a sign of the wide-reaching appeal of the CPL that such an internationally-renowned brand has recognised the value of partnering with us. We’re confident that this relationship with Marriott

Marriott International (Caribbean) Area Vice President Andrew Houghton said, “We know how important the CPL is not just for the millions of global fans, but for the Caribbean countries, from both a social and economic viewpoint. With our expertise aligned to our values, it made perfect sense to associate ourselves with the number one sporting event in the Caribbean, where we can give the teams and our guests the services they require and help showcase the beauty of this amazing part of the world.”

Anticipation for the 2015 Limacol CPL is ramping up, with the tournament schedule revealed last week, and fans snapping up tickets, which went on-sale online last weekend. Global superstars including Kevin Pietersen, Jacques Kallis and Shahid Afridi will join the Caribbean’s finest cricketers, like Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard and Sunil Narine, and exciting up-and-coming local talent in the almost eight-week long tournament. Last year’s tournament attracted a global audience in excess of 65 million and this year is set to be even better, as fans across the world continue to be drawn to the high-quality action on the pitch and the unique party atmosphere off it.

TT whip Mexico to win NACRA final

PORT-OF-SPAIN, TRINIDAD: Trinidad and Tobago are Rugby champions of North America and the Caribbean, having beaten Mexico, the Northern NACRA champions 30-16 in an entertaining final on the St Mary’s College Ground, St Clair on Saturday afternoon.

In a contest that was surprisingly less difficult than their narrow win over Guyana in the Southern Final a fortnight ago, the national team put on a much-improved display, outplaying their Central American opponents for long periods, to the joy of a few hundred supporters clad in red, white and black.

TT’s ball-handling and passing were remarkably improved, and it showed from the outset. After taking the attack to the Mexicans, the hosts went ahead in the 9th minute with a try by Samuel Roberts. However, the visitors fought well and kept the game close in the opening half hour, thanks to a pair of penalties converted by Miguel Carner. The first brought the score back to 5-3; later, in the 26th, Andrew Taylor kicked home a TT penalty for an 8-3 lead, only for Carner to score his second spot kick just two minutes later.

Under sustained pressure, the Mexicans seemed to become unnerved, and Marcus Flegmann was suspended from play following an incident inside a ruck near the Mexico try line. TT took full advantage of the advantage in numbers as skipper Adam Frederick scored a push-

over try in the 31st and Taylor converted. When TT scored their second penalty of the half two minutes later, they had an 18-6 lead. The pressure continued and the hosts were awarded a penalty try on the stroke of half- time, giving them a comfortable 23-6 lead at the interval.

Mexico tightened up their defence in the second period and Flegmann scored their first try of the game, bringing the visitors back in the contest at 23-11. Then, midway through the half, Simon Pierre got Mexico’s second try to reduce it to a seven-point game. However, TT head coach Larry Mendez then made some changes in personnel, and the hosts began to pose questions to the Mexican defence once more. Even so, no one could have better scripted the decisive moment of the match.

As TT executed a series of passes, Agboola Silverthorn collected the ball just inside the Mexican half and swerved his way past challenger after challenger in a dizzying run that ended when he put the ball on the turf, inside the Mexican try line. Taylor made good the conversion to make it 30-16, and that was the score when Cayman Islands referee Dave Sherwin blew the final whistle.

President Anthony Carmona presented the trophy to skipper Adam Frederick, sparking celebrations among the national players and the Rugby fraternity. It is the third time Trinidad and Tobago have been crowned NACRA champions, having won the title in 2001 and 2008. (TT Newsday)

Edwards replaces injured Bird in Hampshire

HAMPSHIRE, EnglandWest Indies

pacer Fidel Edwards will join English county side Hampshire earlier than planned after the withdrawal of Australian strike bowler Jackson Bird. Edwards was set to link up with the club in late July but will now be available for selection for Hampshire’s Twenty20 friendly against Dorset this Monday.

The Barbadian pacer, who last played for West Indies in 2012, is replacing Jackson whose shoulder injury is worse than expected. Reports say Bird is on his way home from England after being forced to pull out of his contract with Hampshire because of a bulging disc in his neck.

The 33-year-old Edwards, who played in 55 Tests and 70 limited-overs internation -

als for the Windies, will be available in all formats.

In one of his finest international performances he took 6-92 in the May 2012 Test against England at Lord’s.

In March this year, Edwards blew away the Nottinghamshire top and middle order to finish with figures of 8-40 during a friendly for the Combined Campuses and Colleges. (CMC)

Simmons pushing for mindset change after ‘reckless’ batting

BRIDGETOWN,

Barbados

–

New head coach of the West Indies cricket team Phil Simmons says he was startled by his side’s batting display against England on the morning of the final day of the second Test match in Grenada. Resuming the final day on 202 for two – a lead of 37 runs overall –West Indies lost their last eight wickets for 105 runs, to be all out for 307, 35 minutes after lunch.

West Indies surrendered a strong position which allowed England to win the Test by nine wickets and lead the series one-nil.

“You hear people talk about how bad this is, or how bad that is. But when you’re in the camp, it’s not all as bad as people say,” said Simmons.

“But there has been nothing as startling as the way we batted on the last morning in Grenada. There is learning to be done.”

The regional side lost six wickets for 84 runs in the first session on the final day as James Anderson tore through the middle order with the new ball.

Simmons, a former West Indies all-rounder,

described the batting as ‘reckless’, and said the match was lost because of ‘negligence’.

“We had two hours of negligence on the last day in Grenada and we lost the game,” Simmons told ESPNcricinfo.

“It was a reckless period. It just needed a couple of guys to bat for another half-hour or so and we would have saved the game”.

The new Windies head coach says he was encouraged by some aspects of his side during the first two Test matches but has appealed for more consistency.

He is advocating for a change in the mindset of the players which he said should be informed

by the state of the game.

“I’d like to see us play two or three sessions consistently. We’ve played well in one, been bad in the next, and then come back in the one after that. But we’ve not played consistently well for three sessions,” Simmons explained.

“We just need our young players to understand that how they play must be determined by what the team needs and what the scoreboard reads.

So they have to learn here that, if the score is 40 for 4, you might have to bat for two sessions and come back the next day to get your big score. The mindset has to change”. (CMC)