Poverty, Rising Cost of Living high on agenda of Special COTED 
(CARICOM Secretariat)    
In its quest to stem the rising cost of living in the Region, the Twenty-Fourth Special Meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) is expected to make a determination regarding the removal or reduction of the Common External Tariff (CET) on certain commodities. The COTED Meeting will be held in Nassau , The Bahamas on 5 March 2008.‘Poverty and the Rising Cost of living’ was one of the Agenda items of the Twelfth Special Meeting of Heads of State and Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in December 2007. It will also be an item on the agenda of the Nineteenth Inter-sessional Meeting of the Heads of State and Government taking place in Nassau on 7-8 March.

At the meeting in Georgetown on 7 December 2007 at the International Convention Centre, Liliendaal, Heads agreed that the Common External Tariff (CET) was the most appropriate instrument for an intervention at the Community level to address the issue of the rising cost of living. A Technical Team was subsequently established to review a set of commodities which have a significant weight in the Consumer Price Index, are not significantly produced or have a close substitute in the Region, and which attract a CET.

At the end of its Twenty-Fifth Meeting in Georgetown in January 2008, COTED requested Member States of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to submit national lists of items on which they would be prepared to reduce or remove the CET. The COTED took this decision after lengthy, intense but incomplete discussions in search of a single common list to fulfill the mandate of the Heads of Government.

In addition to Poverty and the Rising Cost of Living, the Special COTED will also consider the Report of the Meeting of the Reflections Group which was held in Jamaica 28-29 February 2008. The Reflections Group reviewed CARICOM’s experience and approach to external trade negotiations using the CARIFORUM-EC Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) case. The meeting will be presented with the Agreement following the completion of a review by legal minds.

An update on, and outlook for the multilateral trade negotiations under the World Trade Organisation (WTO) will be another key agenda item of the one-day meeting.

Miss St Joseph High School pageant contestants sashed
TEN students competing in the ‘Miss St Joseph High School’ pageant this year, were introduced at a sashing ceremony hosted at Kirkpatrick’s Catering Service, Jamoon Drive, Meadowbrook Gardens, yesterday.

President of the Guyana Chapter of the Old Students Association (OSA), Mr. Wasim Khan explained that the competition is staged every two years in two categories, junior and senior, with five delegates in each.

This March 15 contest, starting 20:00h, at the National Cultural Centre, also in Georgetown, will be in several sequences, including introduction, casual wear, a question and answer segment based on the contestant’s platform and talent, he informed.

However, the junior contestants will showcase cocktail wear and the senior, evening wear.

Khan maintained it is a not a beauty pageant, it is based on other virtues of the competitors and will be judged on display of talent, confidence, public speaking skill, intellect, posture, outfit and smile.

He said funds raised from the show usually go towards educational development at the school and those accumulated after previous pageants were used to fund programmes such as renovation of the technical drawing and information technology laboratories, for the benefit of students and teachers.

Khan said the shows are made possible through contribution from the United States (U.S.) and Canadian chapters of the OSA, too.

According to him, the pageants help the students build self-esteem, confidence and public speaking skills, as well. (Priya Nauth)

ACB warns television licensees about responsibilities
THE Advisory Committee on Broadcasting (ACB) is reminding television licensees of their sole responsibilities for compliance with the terms of their licences.

In a recent statement, the watchdog agency said, as a consequence, all television licensees bear responsibility for all programming, regardless of which individual, group or entity sponsors or presents the programme.

“Even though it is permissible and is a commercial practice to lease, provide or allow airtime, the licence is not transferable nor is the responsibility for the programming content and compliance with the terms of the licence,” the ACB warned.

It said: “After a considerable period of only occasional infractions in relation to compliance, a number of licensees have suddenly utilised the two major crimes in recent weeks as a justification for programming which is unprofessional and insensitive.”

“This is unacceptable,” the statement declared, informing that the ACB has written to licensees on this matter, individually, as is required, as part of due process to which they are entitled.

The ACB said it expects they will respond within the time stipulated.

“In the meantime, it is deemed appropriate to point out this disturbing trend to all licensees and remind them of the terms of their licences listed in the attachment,” the statement concluded.

NCERD to broadcast school programmes from Mexico
THE Ministry of Education, in collaboration with its Mexican counterpart, will today install a satellite dish at the National Centre for Educational Research Development (NCERD), in Kingston, Georgetown, to facilitate access to several programmes from Mexico.

NCERD Curriculum Development Officer, Ms. Bibi Ali, told the Guyana Chronicle that the venture, called Education Using Satellite Television (EDUSAT), aims to improve literacy and numeracy locally, using state-of-the-art technology.

The installation should have been done yesterday but the process was stalled due to some technical problems.

Ali said the Organisation of American States (OAS) initiative targets primarily students of secondary schools in Mathematics, English, Spanish and the sciences.

According to her, the broadcast will be on 16 channels and covers areas ranging from the vocational and teacher training to university courses.

It will be coordinated by the Ministry of Education in Mexico and beamed to Latin American and some Caribbean countries. (Tajeram Mohabir).

Caring Salvation Army donates to Lusignan survivors
By Shirley Thomas
OFFICERS and other ranks of the Salvation Army yesterday paid a second visit to homes of the bereaved relatives of the 11 victims of the January 26 Lusignan massacre.

The team, of about ten, was headed by Major Marie Theodore, Divisional Head of Women’s Ministries and included Captains Matignol and Meirelle St. Lot as well as others from the Men’s Social Services Centre and the Women’s Home League.

They went to individual houses where they prayed with the survivors and listened to their outpourings while offering comfort and donating food supplies and more.

The first visit was on February 9, when they counselled and prayed with the families, among whom was wounded survivor Nadir Mohamed, 45, shot in both legs.

Mohamed’s 22-year-old son, Shazam was killed in the slaughter.

That February delegation was led by Divisional Commander, Major Sinous Theodore, Captain Meirelle St. Lot, wife of Captain Matignol St. Lot, who heads the Army’s Drug Rehabilitation Programme.

Since that call, three weeks ago, two more of the injured, 19-year-old Howard Thomas and his five-year-old brother, Roberto, have also been discharged from Georgetown Public Hospital where they both spent just over a month.

The brothers were at home when the group visited yesterday as their mother Gomattie Thomas, who has endured profound stress and many sleepless nights since the tragedy, sat outdoors in a hammock to get a whiff of fresh air.

Those who received the caring guests were:
* the Thomas clan, whose patriarch, Clarence Thomas and his two children,12-year-old Vanessa and Ron, 11, were gunned down;

* the Mohameds, whose 22-year-old son, Shazam was killed while his father, Nadir was wounded in both legs;

* the Harrilalls, family of Rajkumar Harrilall also called Bobby, the rest of whose household was wiped out with the killing of his wife, Mohandai and their two sons, Seegopaul and Seegobind;

* the Baksh family, whose head, Shalim Baksh, 52, was killed, in the presence of his wife, Doreen and 14-year-old daughter, Shazeeda;

* the Seecharrans, kin of Rooplal Seecharran, a 56-year-old sugar cane harvester who, with his wife, Dhanraji and their 11-year-old adopted daughter, Raywattie were killed.

The couple’s biological daughter, Noreen Seecharran also called Sunita received the gifts.

Residents want ‘grass field’ lit
SIX weeks after the bloody attack on five families at Track ‘A’ Lusignan, by marauding gunmen, killing eleven persons including five children and seriously wounding three others, the most feared area of that community at nights – the dark and dangerous ‘grass field’ remains a source of concern.

Following the attack, many families would literally abandon their homes at nights, seeking the comfort of the homes of friends and relatives. But the presence of a mobile lighting mechanism on loan to the community, and which served to illuminate the ‘pitch black’ field at nights, helped to restore a sense of security.

However, that facility was expected to be removed last evening, hence darkness and fear will likely envelop the areas once more, the residents lamented.

They are appealing to the authorities to come to their rescue and have permanent lights in the area.

Remembering loved ones at Lusignan
By Shirley Thomas
THERE were mixed emotions yesterday at the home of the Seecharran family at Track ‘A’ Lusignan, East Coast Demerara when members of the Salvation Army visited the home to counsel and bring other forms of cheer to the bereaved relatives.

Three persons from the family were murdered in the January 26 bloodbath at Lusignan - Rooplal Seecharran, a 56-year-old sugar cane harvester; his wife, Dhanraji and their eleven-year-old adopted grand daughter, Raywattie, also called ‘Baby’.

When the Salvation Army visited yesterday, it was Rooplall’s 57th birth anniversary, and the couple’s daughter Noreen (also called Sunita) was huddled together with her son and younger nephews reflecting on his life.

Noreen, who told of what a great person her father was, reflected on the life he lived, adding: ȁThere was nobody like my father; I can’t find anyone to replace him.”

When asked by the Salvation Army three weeks ago what she would like them to help the family with, Noreen, shaking her head, almost tearfully answered: “I don’t know what to tell you, all I know is we want them back.” The couple had been married for 35 years.

Noreen, 23, recalled that during her father’s life, March 3rd was always a great day in the home. There were four siblings she remembered, and on that day, they would all come together at their parents’ home, cook lots to eat, and have ‘a nice little’ family get-together.

“But today he is not here, and it hurts so much,” she said, trying to hold back the tears. Many people have lost their parents and other family members, she reasoned, but what hurts most is the kind of death her parents had.

The Salvation Army helped make the family’s day bright by praying and singing a choice worship hymn with them, then handed over the hampers they had brought.

Spent warhead brings back the horror of January 26
By Shirley Thomas
TRY as the people of Lusignan may to get over the horrors of the bloody massacre of January 26 last, many things keep popping up to remind them.

And so the haunting memory of the attack by marauding gunmen, which claimed the lives of eleven persons and left three more seriously wounded, lives on.

One resident who lost three family members in the attack was on Sunday doing what he termed a ‘spring cleaning’ when he came upon - in the corner of a room - a warhead and other fragments of rounds discharged by the gunmen.

The man who claims he was waging a battle to come to terms with the loss of his family members, said he was devastated, and the discovery ‘threw him right back’ to January 26, the date he fears most on the calendar.

He said he tried to be strong, but admitted he saw the entire healing process on which he had already worked so hard for one month come crashing down.

It was at that stage that he needed all the counselling and moral support he could find, and surely help was on the way. Later in the afternoon, he received a telephone call informing him that a team of officers and other members of the Salvation Army would be visiting the bereaved families the following day.

They were visiting to continue their counselling, and distribute food supplies to the families.

On seeing them arrive yesterday morning, it was like he had found new hope, he disclosed.

They prayed with him, offered words of encouragement, guided him on ways of coping, and listened to his story of a wonderful life spent with his family, his pursuits towards making them more comfortable, and how eventually – all hopes were dashed.

Unfortunately, the young man was not at home when the officers paid their first visit three weeks ago, but on this occasion he gladly and gratefully made up for the time lost on the first occasion.

Offering their condolences, and sharing his grief, the Salvation Army officials assured him that God was able to see him through his difficult moments.

Arrangements are being made for the warhead found to be turned over to the police.

AK-47 Court Martial adjourned to Thursday
By Wendella Davidson
THE military court hearing the case involving the State versus Lieutenant Colonel (Lt Col ) Tony Ross, yesterday granted an amendment sought by the State to have the words ‘instructed WO2 Gordon’ deleted and replaced with ‘gave instructions’ in the second of four charges against the defendant.

As such the second charge will now read :

** gave instructions to have weapon numbers assigned to soldiers of Ord. Corps for the purpose of issuing the weapons to the soldiers.

As a result of the amendment, and so as to be fair and nor prejudiced to the accused, the Court yesterday granted an adjournment to Thursday to allow the Defence to exercise one of its options available, that is, the recall of previous witnesses for the State.

The adjournment will allow the Defence time to peruse the testimonies of the previous State witnesses, in preparation for their further examination of the witnesses, in light of the amendment of the second charge.

LT Col Ross, the first high-ranking officer of the GDF who is being court-martialed in connection with the disappearance of 33 AK-47 rifles and five pistols from the Camp Ayanganna arms store in 2006, is in accordance with military law Section 209 (1) of the Defence Act 15:01, charged with three counts of “Conduct to the prejudice of good order and military discipline contrary to Section 75 of the Defence Act Chapter 15:01” and a lone count of “Neglect to the prejudice of good order and military discipline contrary to Section 75 of the Defence Act Chapter 15:01.”

Particulars of the allegations against the GDF officer are that on or about February 13, 2006, without proper authority he:

* * instructed Warrant Officer Class 2 (WO2) Gordon to establish an arms store for personnel of the Ordnance Corps, an instruction which he knew or was reasonably expected to know he had no authority to issue.

** gave instructions to have weapon numbers assigned to soldiers of Ord. Corps for the purpose of issuing the weapons to the soldiers.

** failed to ensure that the keys to the Keys Cabinet were booked in at Defence Headquarters Operations Room, a duty which he knew or was reasonably expected to know.

** at the Ord. Corps, during the period March 2005 to February 2006, failed to manage an effective Booking In/Out system for the Keys Ledger, a duty known to him or reasonably expected to be known by him.

Judge Advocate Oslen Small, in handing down his ruling on behalf of the Court, presided over by Colonel Julian Bruce Lovell, said he had taken into consideration a plethora of legal authorities laid over by both the State and the Defence.

There is, however, the over-riding factor that there is no limitation in the sense that the amendment can be made at anytime during the trial, provided that it can be done without unfairness to the accused.

Along with President and Judge Advocate, others comprising the court, being conducted in Base Camp Ayanganna are, Lieutenant Colonel (Lt Col) Patrick West, Lt Col. Trevor Blenman, Lt. Col. Brian Bristol (Base Commander, Camp Ayanganna) and Major Paul Arthur.

Presenting the State’s case is State Counsel Melissa Yearwood-Stewart, while the Attorneys for the defendant are Leslie Sobers and Gregory Gaskin, who both have military associations with the GDF.

Deportee stabbed to death by another deportee
POLICE are hunting a man who allegedly stabbed and killed a city resident during an argument yesterday.

A police press release said Sherwin Jansen, 27, of Second Street, Alberttown, Georgetown, was killed about 09:00 hrs at D’Urban Street, Lodge, another city ward.

The Police said Jansen, who is a deportee, was involved in an argument over a money transaction with a man who is also a deportee during which he was stabbed about his body.

He was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) by public spirited persons where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Police investigating fire at Ameila’s Ward
POLICE said yesterday that they have launched an investigation following a fire at South Ameila’s Ward, Linden.

Fire of an unknown origin completely destroyed the dwelling house of Allan Fraser, about 02:30h yesterday.

Gunmen snatch $9M from businessman in daring City robbery
A CITY businessman was yesterday allegedly robbed of $9M in cash by two gunmen on Church Street, Georgetown, also in the city, minutes after he had withdrawn the money from a bank.

Police said about 11:00 hrs, Omar Sheriff of Station Street, Kitty, had earlier withdrawn the money from various banks in the city and had gone to a business place in Church Street to do business.

As he exited his motor vehicle, he was held at gunpoint by the armed man who took away the bag with the cash and escaped on a waiting motor cycle, the police said in a statement.

Sheriff discharged several rounds from his licensed firearm at the fleeing bandits who managed to escape.

The Police said they are investigating. 

Clearing of backlands going well
-500 metres completed aback of Buxton/Friendship
THE Joint Services ‘Operation Restore Order’ is moving apace to rid the country of criminal elements.

The clearing of the backlands aback of villages on the lower East Coast of Demerara which is part of the operation is also moving swiftly.

Major Gary Beaton, Commanding Officer for Engineers Battalion who is in charge of the clearing exercise, disclosed that the Joint Services cleared 500 metres aback of Buxton/Friendship.

In terms of Buxton we are in between Brushe Dam and Friendship middle-walk. We have completed five hundred metres of clearing, going south…We are concentrating on that area first and then we will move on to the other villages,” Major Beaton said.

The Major who said that works on the other 500 metres south is ongoing, emphasised that the clearing includes everything other than permanent crops.

On February 4 after a decision by the Office of the President, the Joint Services commenced an operation to clear the backlands on the lower East Coast of Demerara. This area which has dense vegetation , has been used by criminals as hideouts to evade police pursuit. 

Major Beaton said when work is completed in Buxton/Friendship, they will be moving on to the other areas.

The operation entails the removal of all vegetation in the identified areas aback of the villages on the East Coast which will provide a clear line-of-vision for villagers and the Security Forces.

The relevant State and Government agencies have been engaging concerned land owners and others with the backlands to provide compensation as the operation progresses.

Some farmers of Buxton have already received compensation for their crops that were damaged as a result of the clearing.

Since Operation Restore Order was launched, two gunmen were killed in a shoot-out with the Joint Services at the back-dam of the community of Buxton.

Several items including an AK 47 rifle, four magazines and five- 9 mm ammunition among other items were recovered in the area. (GINA)

CARICOM institutions pivotal to regional development
- says Deputy Secretary General
CARICOM Deputy Secretary General Ms. Lolita Applewhaite has reiterated the critical role of CARICOM institutions in the development of the Community through functional cooperation.

Addressing the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) Ministerial Strategic Briefing Seminar, held last week in Bermuda, Applewhaite underscored the importance of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in functional cooperation, noting that the telecommunications sector had emerged as a dominant force in driving development and would assist in providing the Community’s human resources with the necessary tools to build and sustain their society, according to a Caribbean Net News report.

Treating with the topic: Functional Integration: A Caribbean Imperative for Development, the CARICOM Deputy Secretary General noted that since broadcast information culture was one of the modalities of functional cooperation “it is the telecommunications sector which can and must play a determining role in the success of functional co-operation as a means of ensuring not only sustainable development of our Region but fulfilling the goal of “A Community for All.”

Reminding the CTU of its mandate as established in 1989 by the Conference of Heads of Government, the Deputy Secretary General challenged the CTU to ensure that it completed its work in pivotal areas that were outstanding on its agenda:

“The harmonisation of the telecommunications policy framework in member countries; the need for comprehensive direction with regard to spectrum use and management; and the need for sustained Caribbean input in major international telecommunications issues are areas which stand out on CTU’s agenda.”

However, the Deputy Secretary General emphasized that the resolution of those issues required a high level of functional cooperation in the telecommunications sector.

The ultimate goal of regional development through functional cooperation, according to Ambassador Applewhaite, was ensuring that the benefits of the Community were equitably distributed among its members, therefore, “functional co-operation in the telecommunications sector is a must and would contribute enormously to enhancing the level of integration and development in the Region.”

“For how else are we going to share policies and programmes, disseminate information, develop our human resources regionally and monitor and evaluate the progress of our integration movement but through the platform of telecommunications and ICT?” the Deputy Secretary General asserted.

She further charged the CTU that their role as members of the Caribbean Community was therefore “important and pivotal. The Region will rely on your counsel and advice as it seeks the timely implementation of the CSME and of the information Society.”

Scottish teacher killed while rock-climbing in Guyana’s interior
A SCOTTISH teenager, who came here as a volunteer teacher, was killed after she fell while rock climbing in an area in the interior, Police said yesterday.

Dead is Pamela McCarroll, 18.

Police said the young lady went rock- climbing about 14:00 h Sunday with a friend at Tutuwau Falls, South Central Rupununi when she fell.

Her body was flown to the Lyken Funeral Parlour about 16:00 h in a body bag yesterday awaiting a post mortem examination tomorrow.

She was subsequently pronounced dead by medical personnel from the Lethem Regional Hospital.

McCarroll was attached to the St. Ignatius Secondary School near the Guyana-Brazil border community of Lethem.

She came to Guyana as a volunteer under Project Trust, an education charity which started work some 40 years ago.

McCarrol was one of over 5,500 volunteers overseas under Project Trust.

The Trust sends out about two hundred volunteers to twenty-five countries annually and is widely respected as one of the most experienced and professional gap year organizations in Britain.

CHEDDI JAGAN - THE LIBERATOR
By Hydar Ally
December 18, 2007, marks sixty years since the entry of Dr. Cheddi Jagan to Parliament. Dr. Jagan, at age 29, took the Oath as a Member of Parliament on December 18, 1947, after successfully winning the Central Demerara constituency. He remained active in the political arena until his death in March 1997 which in effect meant that he served the people of Guyana for some five decades at a leadership level.

No other Guyanese can boast of such a record of service. The People’s Progressive Party which he founded in January 1, 1950, and led until his death, has been marking his death and birth anniversaries in a variety of ways including an annual commemoration service at Babu John, Port Mourant, where his body was cremated.

Late last year, in honour of the 60th anniversary since his entry into Parliament, the Party submitted a Motion to have the National Assembly give due recognition to the work of the former President and longest serving Member of Parliament. The motion was unanimously passed with glowing tributes from speakers from both sides of the House.

The Motion allows for a special collection of Dr. Jagan’s speeches to be displayed in the Library of Parliament. The Motion also allowed for speeches of the former President to be published as a collection for reference to the younger and future generations. This can only redound to the good of parliament and the parliamentary process, given Dr. Jagan’s vast experience as a parliamentarian. Dr. Jagan was also a prolific writer which would be an asset to young people who aspire to a political career.

Dr. Jagan’s entry into the Legislative Council began a long and illustrious career as a dedicated Parliamentarian extending for forty-five years until 1992, when he became ineligible to remain seated on being elected the Executive President of Guyana.

As pointed out in the Motion, “Dr. Jagan brought a new dimension and style of parliamentarism to the Legislature; and in doing so, created his trade mark as a political leader, trade unionist, a Premier, a Leader of the Opposition and subsequently, as President of the Nation.

The motion added: “His career as a Parliamentarian spanning over four and a half decades was marked by his persistent and unrelenting struggle for the working people of the then British Guiana, for universal adult suffrage, for independence from British colonial rule, for fair and equitable trade relations, for the end to colonial and imperialist rule globally and in the post independence period, for the return of democracy and free and fair elections.”

His life-long desire for a just and equitable society found expression in his call for a New Global Human Order which was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly shortly after his passing.

As pointed out by Prime Minister Samuel Hinds in a recent letter to the press, the motion was passed unanimously with tributes from both the ruling party and the opposition parties. This historic moment unfortunately did not get the prominence of the media as it ought to, but its significance cannot be overemphasised. It speaks to the maturity of our politicians when it comes to recognition of contribution made by a great Guyanese leader.

The whole of Guyana owes Dr. Jagan a debt of gratitude for the years of solid and dedicated service to the people of Guyana. Indeed, Dr. Jagan has left an indelible imprint on the political landscape of this country. In tribute to his struggle for a free and democratic Guyana, Dr. Jagan was conferred with the ‘Order of Liberation’, a fitting tribute to a great son of the soil. At a simple ceremony at State House last November, the widow of Dr. Jagan, Mrs. Janet Jagan, herself a political icon in Guyana’s politics, received the posthumous award from President Bharrat Jagdeo.

Both President Jagdeo and Mrs. Jagan recalled the enormous contribution made by Dr. Jagan in the liberation of Guyana, first against colonial bondage, and subsequent to Guyana’s attainment of political independence for democracy which was subverted by the PNC after it was catapulted into power by Anglo-American vested interests. Dr. Jagan's ideas continue to inspire people here and abroad who yearn for a better life, free from bondage and want. His ideas are as relevant today as they ever were, a testimony to his visionary mind and intellectual prowess