Bandits kill mother trying to save son
By Michel Outridge
A 55-YEAR-OLD seamstress was murdered by bandits when she went to her son’s rescue during a robbery at their humble Hadfield Street, Lodge, Georgetown, home Wednesday night.

Dead is Nanette Figueira of Lot 18 Hadfield Street.

Her son, 34-year-old Leon Figueira, a mechanic who returned three days ago from the interior, was the target of the robbery and was shot twice when the bandits attacked at about 21:10 h.

The wounded Figueira, from his hospital bed, yesterday told the Guyana Chronicle he was chatting with his mother who had minutes before returned from her hometown, Charity, on the Essequibo, when the bandits struck.

He said two men stormed into their home through an unlocked door and attacked them.

He is nursing bullet wounds in the right upper leg and left hand in the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) where he was yesterday listed in stable condition.

Figueira said the bandits immediately demanded money and after he hesitated to hand over the cash, he was gun-butted in the head and shot in the leg when he tried to escape.

“I told them that the money was in the bedroom to create a diversion to escape but they realised I was tricking them and shot me,” he said.

She was repeatedly beaten in the head and body and collapsed and died right before him, the son tearfully related.

“I watched helplessly as my mother was murdered by the bandit and I could not move because I was shot in the leg,” Figueira cried yesterday.

He said he remained sitting in a chair and handed over $200,000 he had in his pants pocket to the bandits who later shot him in the right hand.

The bandits also ransacked the house before they escaped.

Figueira told the Guyana Chronicle that the bandits fled with the cash soon after and he managed to crawl out to the verandah and alert neighbours who summoned the Police.

“Somebody who knew that I came from the bush (hinterland where he repairs engines for gold miners) with money came to rob me and killed my mother because I usually spent a long time away from home,” he said.

They said they heard several gunshots and the bandits fled in the waiting motor car soon after the robbery.

Another son, Trevor Figueira, told the Guyana Chronicle he was at work when he received a telephone call from a neighbour who informed him about his mother’s demise. He said he returned home early yesterday morning and saw a Rastafarian man on a scooter following him on the road near his house.

He said that at the time of the robbery his mom and brother were the only two at home since his daughter had gone to visit her mother on the West Coast Demerara.

Trevor said that about 04:20 h yesterday, he again saw the man on the scooter but he was not alone and he quickly walked away.

Police visited the house after the deadly attack and took the victims to the GPHC for medical attention. 

Nanette Figueira was pronounced dead on arrival, Police said.

Police reported that one bullet was found at the scene.

PPP/C predicts emphatic elections win
By Mark Ramotar
GENERAL Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Mr Donald Ramotar yesterday confidently declared that the governing party and its Civic component, (PPP/C), will score an even more emphatic win at next year’s general and regional elections.

“I have no doubt in my mind that not only will we win the next elections but that we will do it with a bigger majority this time,” he said at the party’s end-of-year press conference at its Freedom House headquarters in Georgetown.

“I think the (PPP/C) government has performed very well. We have delivered in education, health, water and in many, many other areas and I think this PPP/Civic Government is probably one of the most sensitive governments in the world,” he asserted.

“We respond to problems that people have and try our best, with the limited resources that we have, to solve people’s problems.”

He told reporters the party has paid, and continues to pay - a lot of attention to preparations for the elections slated for on or before the August 4, 2006 constitutional deadline. Ramotar said the PPP has observed, with satisfaction, that the continuous registration process by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is moving ahead.

He said the party’s Central Committee, at a meeting last Saturday, noted that the opposition has “not given up in their attempts to delay and slow down GECOM’s work by making all kinds of unreasonable demands”.

The meeting reiterated its position to work for elections within the constitutionally due period, Ramotar said.

“The Central Committee reviewed the party’s preparatory work to contest the elections which it hopes to win with an increased majority,” he told reporters.

The PPP General Secretary, however, expressed concern that the voter registration process did not start earlier than it actually did.

Ramotar also accused the main opposition People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) of having an “obstructionist” position aimed at preventing the holding of elections in 2006 and within the constitutionally due date.

He also reported that the PPP Central Committee during its meeting Saturday reviewed developments at both the international and local levels.

At the local level, he said the PPP Central Committee expressed serious concerns over the crime situation that is “seemingly centrally directed”. Particular attention, he said, was paid to the recent protest at Tain on the Corentyne Coast which was caused by the rise in crime in that area.

The meeting also welcomed the establishment of the National Law and Order Commission set up by the Minister of Home Affairs. Support was also expressed by the party for the efforts being made to improve the integrity and professionalism of the Police Force.

Much attention, Ramotar said, was paid to the issue of drainage and irrigation, especially in light of the anticipated heavy rainfall. The party, he said, recalled the enormous sufferings of Guyanese during the devastating floods earlier this year and “called on the relevant authorities to leave no stone unturned to prevent a recurrence”.

“The party, while acknowledging the need to intensify efforts in some areas, lauded the government for the tremendous progress made in particular in the provision of basic social services such as education, health, housing, water and electricity to name but a few.”

He said the party is proud of its achievements since it took office in October 1992, despite the several attempts by the opposition to frustrate the government’s development programme.

“The adverse impact of the floods on the economy, the high price of fuel on the world market and the continuing brain drain were seen as major impediments but these were somewhat counterbalanced by prudent economic management and a satisfactory rate of implementation of major capital projects, including the several road projects, the cricket stadium, the modernisation of the Skeldon sugar estate and investments in mining,” Ramotar declared.

The PPP Central Committee, he said, also expressed its satisfaction at the prudent management of the economy in the face of enormous challenges and resolved to strive tirelessly to ensure that the economic and social gains of the working people are preserved and further enhanced.

In this regard, the party noted with satisfaction the decision by the government to increase public sector wages and salaries by 7%, ensuring that the real income of the nation’s workers is being protected.

At the international level, he said the party noted with deep concern the decision by the European Union to reduce the price of sugar by 36% and the devastating effects this would have on sugar producing nations of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group, many of which, like Guyana, depend in large measure on sugar for their survival.

The paltry sum of 40M Euros promised to these countries as compensation is grossly inadequate to cushion the effects of the cut, especially when seen against the background of the huge compensation package of some 8B Euros allocated for European farmers, he said.

Ramotar called this a mockery of the commitment by the European nations to reduce poverty by half by the year 2015 under the Millennium Development Goals.

Also addressed at the meeting were developments in the Middle East, the most important being the withdrawal of Israeli forces and settlements from Gaza, Ramotar told reporters.

Among those at the news conference were Central Executive Members of the PPP, Mr Kellawan Lall and Mr Hydar Alli, and PPP Central Committee member, Mr Desmond Morian.

Lamaha Canal breach reported
-- Sophia residents opt for self-help
By Neil Marks
TOWN Clerk of the Georgetown City Council, Ms Beulah Williams yesterday afternoon said a reported breach in the Lamaha Canal was being investigated.

She did not have details on the extent of the breach on the waterway and how much of a flooding danger it posed to the city and its environs from heavy rains and said more should be known by today.

News of the breach came as parts of the Sophia settlement on the eastern fringes of the city remained under some flood water, forcing residents to jump into drains and trenches to clear these before more projected heavy rains.

And after almost a week, the Guyana Power and Light Company and the City Council were yet to get the Kitty Pump station working. The pump drains Kitty/Campbelville, Subryanville, Thomas Lands and other areas.

The government had allocated $3M to City Hall for repairs to the Kitty and Liliendaal pump stations. The Liliendaal station is fully operational and the government has pitched in an additional mobile pump to boost drainage after floods last week.

The Meteorological office has predicted the start of high intensity rains for this weekend and if the rainfall is more than the one-and-a-half inches that the drainage system is designed to take off in a 24-hour period, water will definitely be lodged on the land for some time before it is drained.

When the Guyana Chronicle visited at midday, some residents were in trenches trying to clear thick vegetation and allow water to flow into the secondary drainage system.

Residents could not remember the last time the City Council cleared the drains. However, after a visit by Prime Minister Samuel Hinds and acting Minister of Agriculture Satyadeow Sawh on Wednesday, the government sent in an excavator to help clear crucial canals, residents said.

An official from City Hall told the Guyana Chronicle the council was cleaning all the canals running south to north in Cummings Lodge, which adjoins Sophia.

Residents of Sophia were last week given a stark reminder of the January floods when they had to stack up furniture and salvage whatever they could when unprecedented rainfall flooded several costal regions.

Most of the drainage canals are clogged with vegetation and have evidently not been cleared for some time.

Minister within the Ministry of Local Government, Mr Clinton Collymore, this week said a considerable part of the $55M the government allocated to the City Council to prepare for the current rainy season remains unspent.

The council is in a race to clear trenches, drains and alleyways to flush water out of the city after rainfall last week swamped many city wards.

Reporting on a high level inter-agency meeting which took place Monday, Collymore said a “substantial” amount of the funds allocated to the city to expedite drainage works, including the construction of 100 culverts, ahead of the rains, remains with City Hall.

Teams with excavators and trucks are now moving around the city in a rush to clear the drains to ensure water from the coming rains is drained off quicker than last week.

The government said the sum, based on a request from City Hall, was intended to be used as follows: $30M for the 100 drainage culverts, $10M to clear the outfalls, $5M for repairs to city kokers (sluices), $3M for minor repairs to the Kitty and Liliendaal pumps and $3.3M for workers’ tools and upgrading community playgrounds.

No Xmas chicken shortage
-- producers assure
By Chamanlall Naipaul
MAJOR local poultry producers are assuring that there will be no shortage of chicken for Christmas from delays in obtaining inputs to produce chicken feed.

At a press conference yesterday hosted by acting Agriculture Minister, Satyadeow Sawh, Chief Executive Officer of Guyana Stockfeeds Limited (GSL), Robert Badal explained that several factors which delayed obtaining inputs for feed production triggered a shortage. But he assured that by next week feed production would reach optimum levels with a large shipment of inputs expected here today.

Mr Badal explained that an explosion at the plant in Trinidad from where feed inputs such as soya and corn were bought affected supplies. The inputs then had to be acquired from Mississippi in the United States but hurricanes and severe climatic conditions there delayed shipping.

Badal said too that the significant growth in the number of chicken farms here had led to a greater demand for feed. In addition, lower rice production contributed to a greater dependency on imported inputs, he told reporters.

Nevertheless, he said poultry dealers should not panic as his company would be producing about 15,000 bags of feed by Monday with the usual quality and variety.

Production by the end of the week should reach about 20,000-25,000 bags, he projected.

This output level should see the supply of feed normalising and prevent the possibility of hoarding by distributors, Badal said.

He said his company has implemented a system under which each distributor is given only one supply of feed so that no one supplier could buy off all the stocks and then hoard and increase prices.

Representatives of Bounty Farms and DIDCO, among the major local poultry dealers, concurred that there is an adequate supply of chicken to meet the usual heavy demand for Christmas, adding that the feed problem has not affected their production.

Dr Patrick DeGroot of Bounty Farms said the company has upped its poultry meat price by about three per cent because of higher input costs and a whole processed chicken should be $225-$250 a pound on the retail market. He also assured that his company would be providing regular supplies of chicken for the festive season.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Mr Willet Hamilton, recalled that in December last year, the retail price of chicken was about $216 per pound, and said the current retail price is favourable considering the rise in fuel prices during this year.

However, Mr David Fernandes, also of Bounty Farms, explained that his company has now adopted the metric system in keeping with national policy and its tags at outlets will show a higher price because its weights are measured in kilogrammes.

He cautioned consumers not to think that prices have been increased (one kilogramme is equivalent to about 2.5 pounds).

Mr Tarachand Ramgulam of DIDCO also reported that his company has no difficulty in meeting consumer demands for poultry products. It had anticipated the increased demand during this time of the year and made the necessary preparations to cope, he said.

Mr Sawh said that in a market situation the government cannot intervene to regulate prices because these are determined by market forces and as usual at this time of the year demand for poultry meat increases.

However, he implored poultry producers to ensure that systems are in place to protect consumers from artificially inflated prices.

`Progress’ on CARICOM development fund
By Rickey Singh
BRIDGETOWN -- Secretary General of the Caribbean Community, Edwin Carrington, is "satisfied with progress made" at Tuesday's special meeting of CARICOM Heads of Government, including efforts to establish a Regional Development Fund (RDF).

Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle yesterday before participating in the Second CARICOM-Cuba Summit at the Barbados Hilton Hotel, Carrington said there was "a sense of urgency" to press ahead with the fund.

Noting that the RDF was "quite integral", especially for the disadvantaged economies of CARICOM in the functioning of the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME), Carrington said the community leaders would now await the outcome of a meeting next week in Jamaica of Finance Ministers.

That meeting, which is scheduled for Monday and to be hosted by Jamaica's Finance Minister Omar Davies, will come to grips with issues such as the size, funding and lending criteria for the RDF.

A number of CARICOM Heads of Government who are also Finance Ministers, plan to attend the meeting, among them Prime Minister Owen Arthur of Barbados, who has lead responsibility for CSME-readiness arrangements and Prime Minister Patrick Manning of Trinidad and Tobago.

Proposals for the initial size of the fund vary from US$50 million to US$120 million with suggestions for mobilising financial resources from CARICOM governments, the region's private sector and extra-regional donor agencies and institutions.

Following Monday's meeting of Finance Ministers, plans for  inauguration of the fund will be forwarded to Heads of Government in preparation for their first Inter-Sessional for 2006, scheduled to be held in Port-of-Spain on February 9-10.

That meeting of CARICOM Heads of Government will follow the operationalisation of the single market component of the CSME scheduled for January 1, 2006 with at least four countries on board -- Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago.

St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines are also hoping to be ready for the historic occasion.

Tuesday's special meeting of CARICOM leaders also approved participation by the community in a proposed fact-finding mission to Haiti by the African Union.

Originally intended to take place a week before Christmas, the AU-CARICOM, which is to assess Haiti's readiness with arrangements to ensure free and fair elections, will take place  next month, now that there has been a further postponement of the parliamentary and presidential polls that were scheduled for January 8 with a February 15 runoff.

Another schoolgirl killed in road accident
A SECOND schoolgirl was killed in a road accident Wednesday, following the death of another in similar circumstances on Monday.

Rataidai Damroo, 10, of Lot 12 Peter’s Hall, was hit by a motor car on the Public Road, also at East Bank Demera, about 17:30 h, Police said.

Reports said she ran from behind a mini-bus into the path of the other vehicle, PCC 9603 that was being driven by the owner.

Police said the driver of the ill-fated car, who is in Police custody, was speeding when the girl was struck and later pronounced dead on arrival at Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation.

The other victim, earlier this week, 14-year-old Trishanna Singh Debidyal was crushed dead by a truck on a Better Hope, East Coast Demerara pedestrian crossing.

The girl, who lived at Lot 121 Latchmi Street, Better Hope, was on her way home from school about 16:00 h at the time GJJ 3006 dragged her several feet to her death after overtaking another vehicle which had stopped to let her cross the road.

The driver in that fatal accident was still being held by Police yesterday.

GPL reports deadlock in pay talks
GUYANA Power and Light (GPL) Inc late yesterday reported that higher pay talks with the union NAACIE were deadlocked after its four per cent across the board hike for this year was rejected.

Officials of the NAACIE (National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees) were not immediately available for comment.

GPL, in a press release, said the increase offered is in addition to the three per cent hike paid to staff earlier this year and this would have resulted in a total pay increase of seven per cent for 2005.

It added that although management was disappointed that the offer was rejected and negotiations were declared deadlocked, it was heartened by NACCIE’s commitment to ensuring that there will be no further work stoppages.

Yesterday’s meeting which was chaired by Chief Labour Officer Mr Mohamed Akeel, followed another on Monday with President Bharrat Jagdeo, some GPL workers and the union General President, the company said.

The workers, it reported, had sought President Jagdeo’s intervention to prevent the wages dispute being referred to arbitration, as they had been advised in a letter from Akeel.

Following the union’s request to continue negotiations, management was persuaded to increase its last offer with the expectation of reaching an early agreement, the release added.

At the conclusion of yesterday’s meeting, Akeel reminded the parties that his letter had been withdrawn and he obtained the union’s commitment that there would be no further work stoppages, GPL said.

The union declared that within seven working days, its representatives would decide whether it would have the matter referred to arbitration in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement, the firm said.

Another gun robbery in Berbice
TWO bandits robbed a Berbice businessman and his wife of cash and jewels on Wednesday night after stealing two telephones from their house.

Police said Harrynarine Persaud and his spouse had just returned to their house, at Grant 1804 Crabwood Creek, Corentyne, when they were attacked about 21:30 h.

He had driven his vehicle into the yard and she was opening a door when one bandit chopped her with a cutlass and took the jewellery she was wearing, Police said.

The other robber held her husband at gunpoint and relieved him of $100,000 before both escaped.

The couple later discovered that a door to the building had been forced open and the place ransacked.

The telephones were missing but no suspects had been arrested up to press time, Police said.

Police report…
Women among six held after gun, marijuana finds
POLICE yesterday reported the arrest of six people, including two women, after they seized a gun, ammunition and cannabis (marijuana) during raids betweeen 10:30 h and 14:30 h on Tuesday.

The exercise targeted Albouystown, D’Urban Backlands, Leopold and Cross Streets, Alberttown and Queenstown, all in Georgetown.

Several houses were searched and the arrests included for unlicensed firearm and ammo, marijuana possession, robbery under arms, abduction and rape, Police said, adding that the weapon was a .38 ‘Rossi’ revolver, found with five matching bullets in a motor vehicle.

Investigations are continuing and charges will be laid shortly, the report said.

Ministry outraged at violence in schools
THE Education Ministry yesterday indicated it is taking serious note of the unacceptable level of violence and indiscipline in schools and promised to ensure that the laws and regulations are strictly applied and enforced.

In a statement it expressed “dismay, disgust, disappointment and outrage” at the regularity of such irresponsible behaviour in schools and said it is once again left to question the behaviour of the major stakeholders in the education system.

The ministry recalled that about a month ago, a report was submitted to the Education Department on a parent who entered a school in Region Seven (Cuyuni/Mazaruni) and slapped a teacher, because she claimed that her child received undeserved punishment.

And just last week (on December 1), about 30 minutes after dismissal of school for the afternoon session, an adult entered a school’s premises while staff and students were still present, and took matters into her hands, it noted.

“The result – bloodshed, death, and a female school-aged student facing the courts and its consequential penalties,” the ministry lamented.

It referred to the Manual For the Maintenance of Order and Discipline in Schools which was widely distributed to all departments and schools across the country. This manual in a step by step manner outlines deviant behaviour and how each offence should be dealt with on every occasion, the ministry noted.

It reminded school administrators that this document must be used in and out of season and must be applied to the letter. “If learners and parents are constantly made aware of the penalties for specific offences committed, there is some guarantee that such deviant behaviour will be minimised”, the ministry argued.

Further, it reminded all ‘visitors’ to closely observe the following procedures if they intend to enter school premises:

* notify the Head-teacher, Principal, Administrator or person-in-charge about your intended visit to the school

* report to the guard, at the school premises

* ask to see the Head-teacher/Principal/Administrator or person-in-charge (do not barge into the classroom)

* state your business, and

* control your temper

The ministry is also advising that if a person is dissatisfied about the manner in which his/her matter is treated, that person should make a complaint to the Head of Education Department or any member of the Regional Administration or Regional Education Committee.

The ministry also underscored the critical importance of reminding parents/guardians that they must adopt a level of maturity commensurate with adulthood.

“Whenever our children make reports about others, it is often sensible to listen to the other sides of the story. The responsibility of parents is to foster self discipline in their children and to teach them to value property and human life (and) parents need to shoulder some of the burden in discipline and not leave it up to the teachers and the school system alone.”

While acknowledging that students have rights, the ministry stressed that they also have corresponding responsibilities. In this regard, it reminded that they heed the following principles:

* not to take harmful implements to school

* strive always to uphold peace

* respect adults and each other

* promptly report any serious incidents to the school administration or any member of staff

The ministry also took the opportunity to draw attention to the distasteful and disorderly behaviour of students in uniforms on the last day of school.

“Students are encouraged to disappoint the public this year and in the future, by conducting themselves in a decent and dignified manner. It is fitting for us to be reminded that the Christmas season is a time for peace, joy and goodwill, and this should be the spirit throughout the year,” it posited.

More motorcycles, plough to boost farming services
THE government, through the Regional Administration, has bought four more motorcycles and a row plough to boost services to the farming community in Region Two (Pomeroon/Supenaam).

A release said the purchase was under the Regional Capital Programme for and the motorcycles will be used by government officials to check on drainage and irrigation works while the plough is for the preparation of dams in rice growing areas.

All the expenditure is aimed at improving the infrastructure network for farmers.

Meanwhile rice planters are taking advantage of the rainy weather to sow some 32,500 acres.

But they are also constantly monitoring the level of water in their fields to prevent young plants from drowning.

Over the past days, rainfall has left flooding and many drainage and irrigation canals swollen.

However, the efficiency of the system is draining the excess water very quickly.

Government gives freak storm victim new house lot
THE government has allocated a house lot to Neil Dar Ragobeer, one of the squatters at Coconut Dam, Richmond, on Essequibo Coast, who were affected by the recent freak storm.

Ragobeer, who lost the entire roof of his home to heavy winds last week Friday morning, was given a plot in Charity New Housing Scheme after appealing to Chairman of Region Two, Mr Alli Baksh.

The beneficiary expressed his gratitude for the prompt response from the Housing Department, too.

Ragobeer has also contacted Food for the Poor representativein the Region, Mrs Jenny Rebeiro, for assistance to help him rebuild.

The single parent said he will erect a little shelter, as quickly as possible, at the Charity location, for the benefit of his children.

Region Two gets second ambulance
REGION Two (Pomeroon/Supenaam) has acquired a second ambulance to boost health services in the ‘Cinderalla County’.

The vehicle, purchased by the Regional Administration under the government capital programme at a cost of $3,580,000, is equipped with a siren, loud speaker system and beds.

It was officially handed over to Regional Executive Officer Sewahnand Meusai, on Thursday morning, by S. Jagmohan Hardware Supplies and Construction Services, the company that sold the equipment and furniture.

The brief ceremony took place in the Regional Democratic Council office compound at Anna Regina.

Meusai said the most recent acquisition will be based at Charity Hospital to transport very critically ill patients to Suddie Hospital, also on Essequibo Coast.

Ministry takes over Wakenaam road construction
THE Ministry of Transport and Hydraulics has undertaken to complete the new all-weather road under construction on the Essequibo River island of Wakenaam.

The project had been awarded to contractor Dawood Khan but he could not finish the job, said officials who set a Christmas deadline.

Several miles have already been paved since President Bharrat Jagdeo authorised the work during a visit there earlier this year.

When finished, the thoroughfare would relieve thankful residents who, over the years, have had to walk, ride and drive through potholes that transformed it into a muddy dam when it rains.

Declining graduates big worry for GTI
PRINCIPAL of the Government Technical Institute (GTI), Ms Shereza Khan has again lamented the declining number of qualified students graduating from the institution.

At its graduation ceremony on Tuesday in the GTI Woolford Avenue, Georgetown compound, she said a study of technical and vocational education there, by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), revealed that the entry requirements and pass rates are low, with the percentage of graduates usually below 50.

Khan disclosed that, of the 798 who wrote the final examinations, only 422, equivalent to 52.88 per cent, were successful, corresponding with the IDB finding.

She announced that the criteria for promotion among students entering the second year is being reviewed after it was discovered that, although there are certain criterion to be met before one is promoted, in more than 80 per cent of the cases pressure from parents and guardians spur the process.

Khan had previously expressed concern at the drop in graduate GTI students.

Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, who delivered the main address at the Tuesday ceremony, encouraged the graduands to give the best they can as the challenge is for their generation to build this country.

Mr Hinds reiterated it, adding that the challenge to develop the country is not to be Guyanese by default.

The Prime Minister said he is excited about the future here, noting that, in some ways, it is simpler than in countries like the United States.

Bisham Persaud, who secured a distinction in the Technical Certificate in Electrical Engineering, copped the award as ‘Overall Best Graduating Student’.

Of the 23 who took the Public Service Ministry sponsored Foundation Certificate in Accountancy course, Donnette Grimmond emerged the ‘Best Graduating Student’.

Other best students in different categories include Tariq Singh, Gopaul Hardyal, Michael Jacque, Charant Ghansham, Rawle Audian, Simon Methland, Taunila Griffith, Ottlie Campo, Max Baird, Peter Parks, Neranjan Singh, Bhisham, Curtis Young, Collis Conway, Steve Narine and Roopnarine Sukhan.

BWIA online competition winners fly free
FROM September to November 2005, BWIA offered customers using its new online booking engine the chance to win return tickets to any BWIA destination.

Carol and Kenny Best of Washington DC were the winners by random draw, after purchasing tickets to Trinidad online, the airline has announced in a press release.

The couple is looking forward to the free trip, but has not yet decided on a destination, it said.

According to Carol Best, “travelling on BWEE is like a good Trini lime (sic) in the air.  It's literally the next best thing to being home; and then you're there.”

BWIA is encouraging customers to visit its website www.bwee.com where travel arrangements can be tailored to their needs.

Time to tackle corruption head-on
-- U.N. Drugs and Crime Chief
`YOU can stop corruption’ is the theme for this year’s International Day against Corruption being observed today and United Nations Drugs and Crime Chief, Antonio Maria Costa, says it is time to tackle the scourge head-on.

In his message to mark the day, the Executive Director of the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said:

“In the past, the international community was focused on raising awareness about corruption as a global problem. Today, the scale of the threat it represents is no longer disputed.

Almost no one would argue that corruption is trivial. Corruption diverts development resources from the mouths of children into the pockets of the wealthy. Corruption facilitates terrorism. Organised crime could not exist without corruption, nor could human trafficking, that particularly vile form of modern slavery.

It is broadly recognised that corruption devours around 30% of the GDP of some countries.

This year we each need to recognise our responsibility to do something about corruption. It is no longer acceptable to stand passively by and assume someone else will do something. Or, even worse, to accept that it is somehow a natural part of one’s culture or society.

Today is the anniversary of the signing of the U.N. Convention against Corruption in Merida, Mexico in 2003. Just two years after this monumental event, we will be celebrating the entry into force of the convention.

From December 14 the world will have a powerful new tool to control corruption on a scale that has never existed before. As custodians of the convention, we at UNODC have a special responsibility to help ensure it is used to full effect.

But this tool needs hands to use it. We must urge our governments, the private sector, civil society and ordinary citizens to take advantage of this opportunity so that future generations will know that we took action. We did not stand passively by. We tackled corruption head-on.

The nations of the world have acted together to ensure that resources so desperately needed for schools, for health, for the welfare of citizens will be used for their intended purpose and not stolen by unscrupulous criminals.

Through this new convention, the international community is coming together to put an end to corruption.”

Nadir at Saudia Arabi summit 
TOURISM, Industry and Commerce Minister, Mr Manzoor Nadir represented President Bharrat Jagdeo at the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) summit which ended in Saudi Arabia yesterday.

The Government Information Agency (GINA) said Nadir left here Tuesday for the special summit Saudi King Abdullah Aziz called on Wednesday and Thursday to mainly discuss challenges facing the world’s 1.2 billion Muslims.

Guyana has been a member of the OIC since 1998 and Nadir said the government has participated in the past in several other religious summits.

The OIC is an international organisation of 57 states which have decided to pool their resources together, combine their efforts, and speak with one voice to safeguard the interests and secure the progress and wellbeing of their peoples and of all Muslims in the world.

The primary goals of the OIC are to promote solidarity among all member states, to consolidate cooperation among member states in economic, social, cultural, scientific, and other fields of activity; to endeavour to eliminate racial segregation and discrimination and to oppose colonialism in all its forms.

Sugar still has key role in Guyana
-- acting Agriculture Minister
ACTING Agriculture Minister Satyadeow Sawh has stressed that sugar still has an important role in Guyana despite the serious impact of the European Union decision to cut its price for sugar imports by 36 per cent.

“We here in Guyana believe that there is still an important role for sugar not only for our national economy but also for the region and the world at large”, he told the Government Information Agency (GINA). “We believe there is a future for sugar in our country if we do the right restructuring now with the expansion of the acreage of sugar.”

The agency said he explained that the government, long before the cuts were announced, had a strategic plan for the industry to follow to realise its full potential and reinforce the critical role it plays as a foreign exchange earner and employer of thousands of Guyanese.

“We believe that if we restructure our industries, if we introduce science and technology, if we modernise and we retrain our workers, we can become efficient in terms of producing sugar and therefore, still be able to compete on the international market,” Mr Sawh said.

“Sugar is the single largest contributor to our national economy’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). It is an important player in the entire economic field and politically it is important”, he noted.

He said sugar has had an indelible role in the history of the country and has been the foundation upon which many rural communities have been built.

Commenting on the decision by the EU, despite numerous lobbying attempts by Guyana and other states of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group against the steep price cut, the Agriculture Minister said, “this will now put many countries whose economies depend on sugar in a very precarious situation.”

He referred to St Kitts and Nevis, which had announced its intention to shut down the sugar cane industry due to the reform.

President Bharrat Jagdeo at a recent press conference unequivocally said the government has no intention of closing the industry and was upbeat about its potential for diversification.

“You may think we’re crazy, but I see a future with us growing more sugar. In fact, there is a possibility if the discussions we are having now are successful, we could double our production of sugar,” he said.

Sawh told GINA, “I know there has been a lot of talk, some wicked propaganda being peddled by some for their own narrow self-interest that government is going to close sugar estates in Demerara.”

The modernisation of the Skeldon factory will see ethanol production, a cogeneration project that will produce about 30 megawatts of electricity generated from bagasse (waste from sugar).

Sawh said the possibility of linking the new factory to a refinery is also being looked at to also produce value-added products.

“These are some of the things we are looking at that will assist us in bringing down the cost of production to about US 9 cents per pound, which will allow us to compete on the international market,” he said.

“We believe that even though sugar will not be the same in terms of what it was for Guyana since our economic independence and before independence in the colonial time, it will be vastly redefined in a new relationship that will see a lot of value-added emphasis creating new opportunities for workers.”

Bird flu could cost U.S. economy $675 bln
WASHINGTON, (Reuters) - A human outbreak of bird flu in the United States could deal a $675 billion blow to the economy, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said yesterday, citing a new study by the Congressional Budget Office.

Frist said the study assumed a 2.5 per cent mortality rate, that 30 per cent of the population would be infected and that employees would miss three weeks of work.

"A nearly $700 billion hit to our economy -- almost half of which is brought on by fear and confusion -- gives us every reason to begin preparing a prescription and implementing a course of action today," Frist said in a statement.

The economic loss estimated by the study would amount to a five per cent reduction in gross domestic product, he said.

Frist released the statement at a National Press Club appearance to discuss the bird flu threat.

The H5N1 avian influenza virus is spreading steadily among poultry, pushing westward out of Asia into Europe.

Health officials fear it will mutate, become easily transmitted among humans and spread rapidly around the world, killing tens of millions of people.

The virus is known to have infected just 135 people since 2003 but has killed more than half of them.

President George W. Bush has asked Congress to allocate $7.1 billion to fund his administration's bird flu plan, but no measure has passed.

Corruption on increase worldwide
-- survey shows
By Andrew Gray
LONDON, (Reuters) - Corruption is on the increase in most countries and poor people are often the hardest hit, according to a global survey released today.

The poll, published on United Nations Anti-Corruption Day, found a majority of people in 48 out of 69 countries surveyed thought the problem had got worse over the past three years.

"Today's survey shows that people believe corruption is deeply embedded in their countries," said Huguette Labelle, chairwoman of anti-graft group Transparency International, which commissioned the Global Corruption Barometer research.

"When a poor young mother believes that her government places its own interests above her child's, or that securing services like that child's basic health requires a hand under the table, her hope for the future is dampened."

Overall, people rated political parties as the most corrupt institutions. But customs officials were seen as the most corrupt in many Central and Eastern European states while the police and legal systems often came top of the poll in Africa.

The survey also showed paying bribes was not confined to specific regions but was particularly prevalent in Central and Eastern Europe, Africa and Latin America.

More than 30 per cent of households in Cameroon, Paraguay, Cambodia and Mexico had paid a bribe in the past year.

Between 11 and 30 per cent of households had done the same in a further 22 countries, many of them developing nations but also including European states such as Greece and the Czech Republic.

People in Africa -- the poorest continent -- appeared to pay the highest proportion of their income in bribes, the campaigning group said.

Top of that list were Cameroon, Ghana and Nigeria, where households paid more than 20 per cent of national per capita income in bribes.

Transparency International, a non-governmental group based in Berlin with branches in more than 90 countries, said leaders could combat corruption if they made a determined effort.

A U.N. Convention against Corruption, signed by 137 nations, enters into force on Dec. 14 and the group said systems must be put in place to ensure governments stick to their commitments.

"Signing the document and taking part in the photo opportunity is not enough," said chief executive David Nussbaum.

Nearly 55,000 people in 69 countries were surveyed for the Corruption Barometer as part of a Gallup poll conducted between May and October 2005, the group said. It said the survey would be posted on its web site, www.transparency.org.

Law and Order Commission to meet monthly
HOME Affairs Minister Gail Teixeira has met members of the Law and Order Commission to discuss their terms of reference.

“We have also decided that the committee will meet each month to give a progress report and a budget to maintain such a committee was also discussed,” she told the Government Information Agency (GINA) after the meeting Wednesday.

She said a presentation was also made to the committee on the Justice Reform Strategy.

The commission is to make recommendations on crime fighting/prevention and submit reports to President Bharrat Jagdeo.

Guyana is the fifth country in the Caribbean to establish such a commission. Other countries with similar bodies are Trinidad and Tobago, St Lucia, Barbados and Jamaica.

GINA said the committee is expected to meet again next month when members will decide on priority areas.

The 26-member committee includes representatives of political parties, government ministries, the Disciplined Services, religious, business, labour, and security services organisations.

Press association observes 60th anniversary today
THE Guyana Press Association (GPA) is observing its 60th anniversary with an exhibition, `media presentations’ and a `Nostalgic Night’ today.

The exhibition is scheduled to begin at 09:30 h at 68 Hadfield Street, Werk-en-Rust, Georgetown and the `Nostalgic Night’ is to start at 19:30 h at the Sidewalk Café, Middle Street, also in the city, the association said.

The exhibition will feature archival and current material from media houses and fraternal organisations.

There will also be presentations from persons experienced in print, radio and television journalism, the release said.

The GPA was founded in 1945.

Advisory to Kabli moth victims
A TOP health official has advised the Essequibo Coast victims suffering the itch caused by ‘Kabli’ moths to use dim lights and close windows early at night to avoid attracting the creatures.

Issuing the advisory, Regional Health Officer in Region Two (Pomeroon/Supenaam), Dr Allison Brown said the moths are attracted to light.

Meantime, the official said persons itching and scratching should continue using the medication they received from doctors at Charity and Suddie Hospitals as well as at health centres.

Tackling the scourge of corruption
CORRUPTION is everywhere but is much more endemic in struggling developing countries like Guyana where the pain of public officers stealing from the always limited national purse is more acute on others than it could be in rich countries.

It has grown into such a dangerous monster that the United Nations has set aside a special day to focus attention on corruption, and the theme for the observance today is `You can stop corruption’.

Mr Antonio Maria Costa, Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in his message to mark the day, notes that in the past, the international community was focused on raising awareness about corruption as a global problem.

“Today, the scale of the threat it represents is no longer disputed. Almost no one would argue that corruption is trivial”, he says.

More than a mere annual one-day observance, however, the UN has succeeded in drawing up a blueprint to fight corruption around the world and according to Mr Costa, the landmark UN Convention against Corruption comes into force from December 14.

He believes that this will be a powerful new tool to “ensure that resources so desperately needed for schools, for health, for the welfare of citizens will be used for their intended purpose and not stolen by unscrupulous criminals.”

But, he points out this tool needs hands to use it.

“We must urge our governments, the private sector, civil society and ordinary citizens to take advantage of this opportunity so that future generations will know that we took action. We did not stand passively by. We tackled corruption head on”, Mr Costa urges.

This is a call to arms that should be openly embraced by all those here who so often level accusations about corruption at so many levels in society but do little more than complain.

Corruption will not be wiped out by accusations and allegations and it will take determined and diligent action to gather evidence, track down and bring the transgressors to justice and set an example so that others will not want to go down the same path.

It is now up to those who care to heed the call of the UN Drugs and Crime Chief to employ the powerful new tool to take the fight to the corrupt.

As Mr Costa notes, “Corruption diverts development resources from the mouths of children into the pockets of the wealthy. Corruption facilitates terrorism. Organised crime could not exist without corruption, nor could human trafficking, that particularly vile form of modern slavery.”

A point he makes is so relevant to societies like Guyana – “It is no longer acceptable to stand passively by and assume someone else will do something. Or, even worse, to accept that it is somehow a natural part of one’s culture or society.”

Guyanese, for too long, have tended to be fatalistic about corruption, shrugging their shoulders and asking, “What can you do?”

Today offers an opportunity for all those who care to rededicate themselves to rooting out corruption wherever it exists and to send the firm message that it will not be tolerated.

Guyana is a member of the UN family of nations and the new convention opens up another avenue on the battlefront against corruption.

There is too much at stake for us to allow the sore to fester.

Yohance Douglas murder trial:
Judge to rule on defence no-case submissions today
JUSTICE Dawn Gregory-Barnes, presiding in the Yohance Douglas murder trial, is this afternoon to rule on no-case submissions by Senior Counsel Bernard De Santos on behalf of accused Police Constable Gerald Alonzo.

Among other things, Mr De Santos is asking the judge to free the accused at this stage, without sending the matter to the jury, on the grounds that the prosecution has not made out a prima facie case.

But State Prosecutor Donelle Harding disagreed with the submission saying, “This case cries out for the cogitation of the jury.”

The judge said she would deliver her ruling at 13:30 h. today.

Alonzo is accused of the murder of University of Guyana student Yohance Douglas, who was shot dead on March 1, 2003, when a silver-grey car in which he and four others were travelling, was intercepted by a police patrol.

He has pleaded not guilty and admitted in a statement to the police that he had shot at the wheels of the car to bring it to a halt after the driver refused to stop when ordered to do so.

Douglas, who was sitting in the car, was shot in the back.

The prosecutor yesterday recalled officer Grant of Timehri Base Patrol, to which the accused was attached.

Cross-examined by De Santos, the witness admitted that rifle No. 61681, which was assigned to the accused on March 1, 2003, was re-issued to Constable Lawrence on March 3, and he returned it on March 4, 2003. The rifle was examined on March 6, 2003, by the gun expert.

Following Grant’s testimony, the prosecutor closed her case and De Santos began his no-case submissions.

Husband charged in triangular affair murder case
THE man accused of the murder that climaxed a triangular love affair appeared before Acting Chief Magistrate Cecil Sullivan yesterday and was remanded to prison until January 18, 2006.

Quacy Jarvis, 26, of Lot 280 Savage Street, North East La Penitence, Georgetown, is charged with killing Gordon Timothy, 38.

The prisoner also faced another charge that said he attempted to kill his wife, Sandy Jarvis, who was reportedly at the centre of the triangle, on December 5, too.

She is still a patient at Georgetown Public Hospital, receiving treatment for her wound.

The woman and Timothy were in the bottom flat of the building from where East End Trucking and Taxi Service vehicles are dispatched when they were both allegedly attacked by her husband, Police said.

Defence Counsel Paul Fung-A-Fat told the court that the accused is a prominent member of the Guyana Defence Force musical band who was severely beaten when he tried to defend himself.

Second defendant in Timehri robbery case also remanded
POLICE have charged a second man in connection with the November 26 gunpoint robbery at Timehri, East Bank Demerara.

The co-defendant, Orin Johnson, 26, pleaded not guilty to crime when he appeared before Acting Chief Magistrate Cecil Sullivan yesterday.

Particulars of the offence said he and Sheldon Barnwell, who was previously charged, were armed when they robbed Shaleeza Iqbal of a camera, two bags, US$300, G$140,000, making a total loss of G$223,000.

Police said Johnson, Barnwell and a third man still at large broke through a glass door and attacked Iqbal in her home which they ransacked and fled with the booty.

Barnwell (no address given either), like Johnson, was refused bail and remanded to prison, as well, when he made his previous court appearance in front of Magistrate Bertlyn Reynolds and denied the charge, too.

They will be back in court on December 19.

Accused drug trafficker refused bail
THIRTY-TWO-YEAR-OLD Ogleton Smith (no address given) was refused bail by Acting Chief Magistrate Cecil Sullivan yesterday, on a drug trafficking charge.

Particulars of the offence said, on December 6, Smith had 467 grammes of cannabis (marijuana) for the purpose.

The defendant pleaded not guilty and was remanded to prison until he makes his next appearance on January 5, in another court to which the case has been transferred.

Police Inspector Lloyd Thomas, prosecuting, said a search of Smith’s home yielded the prohibited narcotic in his bedroom.

Baffling GPL position
SOMETIME ago, an individual was sent an electricity bill and the amount to be paid was about $17,000.

The next month this same individual got a bill for about $21,000. And the next month there was another bill for another large sum of money.

The three bills from Guyana Power and Light (GPL) totalled about $62,000. This person is working for a minimum salary.

Upon investigations by GPL it was discovered that the meter was faulty. So the person was told to have the house re-wired so that the meter could be replaced.

Now, this was no fault of the individual who told that the sum has to be paid in full or the electricity supply from the house would be disconnected.

Why is this so when it was no fault of the individual?

The person was told that the money would be credited on the bill when the new meter is installed so that the appropriate amount would be determined.

Why in the beginning didn't GPL examine the previous bills of this customer and determine what has to be paid? Why wasn't the bill estimated?

I think something needs to be done for this person and done soon.

For someone to pay $62,000 from a minimum salary and then provide all other household necessities is the highest level of stupidity.
CUSTOMER

This must become the norm
THE race is ongoing to prepare the country, especially along the coastland, to withstand the expected heavy rainfall.

A top-notch team headed by Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, acting Agriculture Minister ‘Sash’ Sawh, and others are paying close attention to all the works being done and which must be completed in time, and which must be kept up to date for the future.

It appears that what is being done at times of emergencies and in exceptional circumstances must become the norm and standard operational procedure to keep our drainage and irrigation infrastructure always at the highest standard and there can be no retrogressing.

One particular aspect of flood control, surprisingly, is how we dispose of our garbage and here again we must establish and keep this at a very high standard and this must become our normal standard.
WATCHER

Jaguar had to die
I TOTALLY disagree with the writer `WILDLIFE CONSCIOUS’ who said in his or her letter that the jaguar should not have been shot (Guyana Chronicle, December 7. 2005).

I watch the `Discovery Channel’ every day at home and one thing I learnt is that every animal is born with an instinct, especially those in the wild.

Lions, tigers, jaguars and other cat family animals are born to kill and they learn from their parents. A jaguar does not have to have any experience to kill at that age.

Anyway! What would you have done if you heard a noise outside, day or night and it was one of your three-year-old kids in the mouth of an inexperienced jaguar and you owned a licenced firearm?

As an animal conscious person, would you have said, "Oh nice jaguar" or kill it?

The jaguar had to die. Remember the dog died too.
COLLIE ALLEN

So sad
MAY I also add my dismay at the unnecessary killing of the jaguar (panthera onca).

People should be made aware that this endangered species poses very little danger to humans. And in fact the jaguar has been known to actually play with some Amazonian Indian children.

It is also a well known fact that only some 200 now exist in the whole of Argentina.

If Guyana indeed is serious about promoting tourism this animal must be shown to be protected.

It is so sad.
P. HARRISON

Hard to forget
PLEASE allow me some space in your letter columns to voice my opinion on shared governance and some of the current developments in Guyana.

I will start with a reminder to our political practitioners and observers that traumatic events and experiences are etched in our long term memory. It is a characteristic of all human beings whether we are black, brown, red or mixed. We have all had experiences in our lives that are unforgettable and Indo-Guyanese have had a lot of those in their relationship with the PNC.

Indo-Guyanese do not have to be reminded of the days when they were organising themselves to secure their villages against “Kick Down The Door Bandits”. They are still doing it today! The only difference is that in those days they were armed with sticks and cutlasses against guns. Today they have paid guards armed with guns.

Indian businessmen on Regent Street, Georgetown, do not have to be reminded that every time the PNC organises a demonstration they can expect their businesses to be destroyed. They will never forget the slogan “Moh Fiah, Slow Fiah (fire)” which was coined by the PNC.

Indo-Guyanese will not forget the date February 23, 2002, because it marked the beginning of the violence against innocent Guyanese which continues today. They will not forget the fact that they were the first targets of these well-organised criminals. Neither, will they forget the post elections violence of 1992, 1998 and 2001 which were related to PNC organised demonstrations. This is just a short list of what Indo-Guyanese associate with the PNC.

Some writers have argued that they have changed because they have spoken out against the crime situation. Indo-Guyanese do not accept that argument, since the PNC are yet to condemn their own lawless actions and don’t forget that “actions speak louder than words”. The PNC will be judged by their actions not their words.

The most important issue on the minds of Indo-Guyanese is their security -- their defence against banditry, hooliganism, and their right to walk the streets of Guyana unmolested while carrying out their daily duties.

They also have to start planning their defence against the forthcoming post election violence of 2006. The businesses in Regent Street will have to start thinking about how their property will look after the election, because they know that PNC civil engineers will redesign the architecture by using match sticks as the primary tool.

Any individual or political force seriously interested in national reconciliation must address this issue of security and the behaviour of the PNC.

Finally, I want to say to the new ungodly alliances that if you really want what’s best for Guyana, go seek the advice of the Afro and Indo Guyanese women of Red Thread who sit down together and discuss issues affecting them in their daily lives.

Let them teach you how to form alliances that can effectively deal with the issues facing the nation.
JAI PARASRAM

From GPL?
GUYANA Power and Light, Inc. (GPL) would like to inform residents of Berbice that we could no longer continue the uninterrupted power enjoyed over the past year and that now the annual ‘mess up’ will go through as normal.

We further inform the Berbicians that they will be enjoying frequent blackouts and brownouts. It is advisable at this time to stock up on kerosene, lamps, and generators, if you could afford it.

GPL is having a lot of problems at the Canefield and #53 Powerhouses but we are really not at liberty to inform Berbicians and the general public about our failing dinosaurs. We might be getting some new sets shortly but we prefer them to go to the Georgetown powerhouses, after all, they are in a power crunch at the moment with the fires they had the other day.

We at GPL feel it is our duty to make this holiday season for the ancient county miserable.

So, to all Berbicians, kindly anticipate spontaneous power failures at any time of the day. No area will be spared; country area and town area will suffer alike.

Make sure that you have sufficient supply of water, too. If you never had a barrel or reservoir, now is a good time to get one.

With GPL’s annual ‘mess up’ will come shortened supplies of water to some country areas. Stay indoors as crime rates will plummet (as if it isn’t already). Businesses must prepare to close up shop early during blackouts as well.

They can also prepare to lose thousands of dollars in sales.

We at GPL are very proud of the impact our annual ‘mess up’ will have on the lives of Berbicians. These generation shortfalls could not have come at a better time. To give a better service to Berbicians we at GPL will continue to publish full page ads in the papers of power saving tips and interruption schedules.

We just love performing maintenance to ‘modernise the networks’ (whatever that means). We have lost count at the maintenance we have performed throughout the year. Sadly, we are not getting anywhere.

Our transformers are still sparking, poles leaning and ready to fall at any moment (New St., Cumberland) and residents are still enjoying all-night power failures due to these occurrences. We couldn’t get any better than this.

If Berbicians require any further information on the annual ‘mess up’ and long power failures that will be forthcoming (are already in some areas) kindly call our numbers; they will definitely be busy all the time or ringing off the hook.
Sincerely, Management.
LEON JAMESON SUSERAN

GRFU pleased with Guyana’s creditable performance
By Isaiah Chappelle
WITHOUT four top players, Guyana beat the West Indies Development team and eventually placed fourth in the 19th Annual Carib Beer International Sevens rugby championships in Trinidad & Tobago, last weekend.

Reporting on the team’s performance at press conference, Wednesday, at Olympic House, Queenstown, Senior Vice-president of the Guyana Rugby Football Union (GRFU) Noel Adonis said the team was without former National captain Theodore Henry, Albert La Rose, Claudius Butts and Kevin McKenzie who all wore the West Indies Development team jersey.

“They performed creditably and in some instances, could be considered outstanding. None of the teams were pushovers.”

He reported that teams came from England, Scotland, USA, Canada, Martinique and Guadeloupe, among other Caribbean countries.

Adonis also commended coach Alton Agard who had his first outing at the head of a national team, having worked as assistant to coaches of the junior and senior teams.

Playing under the name ‘Guyana Jaguars’, the locals topped their group in the first round, shocking everyone with a 19-12 victory over the West Indies team, their only loss. The group also included Trinidad & Tobago’s Harvard and Northern and St Vincent & the Grenadines.

However, inexperience overcame the team and they “celebrated too lustily” that night, faltering against Bearskins of the United Kingdom, the following day, mainly because of the difference of stature.

“Some called our team the Under-16 team from Guyana.”

Jaguars suffered more setbacks, with captain Mateo Friendz dropped out with a knee injury and the team lost stability in the forward. This was noticeable when the team met the West Indies again in the semifinals and lost 27-0. The second day group included Bearskins who topped the group, Jaguars second, Rainbow of T&T third and Bermuda Irish fourth. The top two teams went on the semifinals. West Indies Development team beat Caribs 1 of T&T in the final, with Guyanese La Rose and Henry scoring crucial tries.

Adonis reported that the Jaguars held their opponents without points in four of the eight matches they played in the tournament.

“That reflects tenacity in defence.”

The senior vice-president said achievement showed that Guyana now has more than just a team, but about 25 players who could be interchanged and chosen as the need arose.

He reported that when the four players were drafted into the region’s team, youth players Christopher Singh, Satesh Samaroo and Ryan Hinckson were drafted in and got their first exposure in a senior sevens championship.

Coach Agard said the team performed at a “very high” level, having lost four of the country’s best players, yet ending in the semifinals.

“We have started to reap the fruits of the development programme. The average age of the players is 20 years. Of the 11 players, ten represented the country at the youth level. They played to the game plan on the first day.”

Agard said it rained on the second day and West Indies team used the conditions better.

“That’s when experience came to the fore.”

The coach said the performance augured well for Guyana’s rugby.

“We must stick with the development programme.”

Women cricketers leave today for WICB Under-23 tourney
By Ravendra Madholall
THE Guyana Women’s cricket team is scheduled to leave today for the twin-island Republic of Trinidad & Tobago where they will compete in the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Under-23 tournament which starts tomorrow.

The team, which will be led by Candacy Atkins consists of four new faces. They are all-rounder Victoria Bacchus, the lone Essequibian Kumarie Persaud, fourteen-year-old Jacquelyne Singh and Malteenoes’ all-rounder Indera Balkaran.

At a press conference yesterday held at the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) boardroom on Regent Street, the president of the Women’s Cricket Association (WCA), Emily Dodson, who will travel with the team as manager said that the team will be split in two to travel to their destination.

At 11:30 h, Dodson, along with eleven players will depart, while at 20:45 h the coach, Kenalyn Baker, and the three other women cricketers will be heading to Trinidad and Tobago.

According to Baker the team is very confident of winning the competition. “The players are well prepared and the girls have the eagerness to go out there and perform to the best of their ability,” the coach revealed to Chronicle Sport.

She also said despite the adverse weather conditions her team was able to get enough practice via indoor facility (National Gymnasium). The team also benefited from a turf session at the Police Sports Club ground on Tuesday.

Baker, who coached the senior team earlier this year in St Vincent and the Grenadines where Guyana placed third and the Under-23 team in 2003/2004, is not worried about the players’ fitness level.

“The fitness level is very good after Roderick Lovell put in some hard work with the girls when the team was preparing.”

Atkins, who has played for the West Indies, will have Indomatie Goordial who has also represented the West Indies as her deputy. They are the most experienced players and the bulk of the batting and bowling will depend on the two players, along with wicketkeeper/batter June Ogle.

In the tournament there are four teams participating: Jamaica, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago and St Vincent and Grenadines while Barbados’ involvement has not been confirmed according to the president.

The Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) has assisted in the funding of the team travelling to Trinidad, while a number of individuals and the players themselves have also contributed.

Vice-president of the association, Peter Ramsaroop, said that more interest should be placed on women’s cricket; and challenged the private sector and the government to do more for the sport.

Ramsaroop lamented the fact that some sports are heavily financed while others are not.

The team is due to return on December 19.

The full squad reads: Candacy Atkins (captain), Indomatie Goordial (vice-captain), June Ogle, Triholder Marshall, Zaheeda Samdally, Tremayne Smartt, Anabelle Lewis, Davanie Sewnarine, Victoria Bacchus, Joann Vansertima, Kumarie Persaud, Jacquelyne Singh, Indera Balkaran and Subrina Munroe. The manager is Emily Dodson while the coach is Kenalyn Baker.
The solitary standby player is Padmenie Mohamed.

GFF officials on overseas assignments
THE president and the general secretary of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) will be performing regional football duties in separate countries over the weekend.

A release from the GFF’s Public Relations Officer, Frederick Granger, stated that the head of the GFF, Colin Klass, was scheduled to leave the country, yesterday, for the Cayman Islands where he will conduct lectures at a Football Administration and Management Training Course geared for presidents and secretaries of selected member associations of CONCACAF.

The course which opens today will climax on December 16 and is the second stint for Klass since being appointed a FIFA Administration Instructor.

Meanwhile, the GFF’s General Secretary, George Rutherford is in Suriname where he will perform the duties of Match Commissioner for two CONCACAF Club Championship games.

The matches which would involve Jamaica’s Harbour View and Robin Hood of Suriname are set for today and Sunday after the Jamaican side agreed for the two games to be contested in Paramaribo.

T&T contingent prepare for World Cup draw
LEIPZIG, Germany, (CMC) - The Trinidad & Tobago contingent for the 2006 World Cup draw arrived on Wednesday, led by T&T Football Association president Oliver Camps and general secretary Richard Groden.

They joined TTFF special adviser and FIFA vice-president Jack Warner who had arrived earlier in the week for several FIFA meetings.

The T&T contingent included team manager Bruce Aanansen; assistant manager George Joseph; cultural liaison officer Terry Joseph, along with Tracy Davidson of the Tourism Development Company.

Leo Beenhakker, the Dutch coach who carried the T&T team to the World Cup finals after taking over midway during the qualifying final round, was expected to arrive yesterday with several other coaches.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter was also due to arrive yesterday.

"So far everything has indicated that this is World Cup level," Camps told TTFF media.

"I think while we are here representing the country, everyone must be proud of the fact that we are on display worldwide and I have every bit of confidence that we will take all the benefits from something like this."

The Soca Warriors, as the T&T national team is affectionately known, have caught the attention of the football world after beating Bahrain in a home-and-away play off to qualify for the football showpiece.

They have been placed in Pot 4 with Iran, Japan, Korea Republic, Saudi Arabia, Costa Rica and the USA ahead of the draw.

Rain forces postponement of Barbados, T&T clash
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, (CMC) - Inclement weather has forced the postponement of the third round Carib Beer Series game between Barbados and Trinidad & Tobago, scheduled to start today at the Carlton Sports Club.

Derek Nicholas, the West Indies Cricket Board's operations officer, told CMC Sports, yesterday, the heavy rains experienced throughout the island on Wednesday were expected to continue and a decision had been taken to abandon the fixture rather than lose large amounts of playing time over the next four days.

In addition, Nicholas said the WICB had been told by officials at the Carlton Club that the rain that caused flooding in some parts of the island had also hampered preparations for the December 9-12 game.

"We were convinced there was not going to be enough cricket played over the four days because of the threat of more rain," Nicholas explained.

"The long range weather forecast was for more rain so the decision was taken to send the teams home instead of have them sitting around in hotel rooms watching the rain fall."

A trough system in the area resulted in thunderstorms and gusty winds across the island for most of the day on Wednesday and a flood watch was enforced until 08:00 h yesterday.

He added: "The folks at Carlton said it had hampered their preparation. It would not have allowed them to bring their preparation to completion."

Trinidad & Tobago, already in the island for the game, will return home and will now meet Barbados February 3-6.

The postponement comes after the game between Guyana and the Windward Islands, also scheduled for this weekend, was rescheduled because of bad weather.

It now means no Carib Beer Series matches will be played until the competition resumes on January 6 after the Christmas holidays.

Taekwondo athletes win four trophies in Suriname
THE Guyana Taekwondo Association athletes, comprising of one junior and six seniors and accompanied by coach Roy Bacchus won four trophies late last month in Paramaribo, Suriname, while taking part in a championship held in celebration of the 25th anniversary of Yellow Birds Taekwondo School, in conjunction with the 30th Independence Anniversary of the Dutch country.

The championships which attracted athletes from the host country, Curacao and Guyana, saw the latter winning their trophies in full contact combat fighting, two third places in the 50-56 kg weight class and two third places in the 56-62 class.

In the 50-56 weight class the successful Guyanese were Farhaad Bacchus and Jagmohan Bassoo, while in the higher division Alim Azimullah and Jaichand Lachman collected third place trophies.

Also taking part in the competition were Orlando Van Rossum, Kevin Harryram, and Hewley Clarke.

According to a release from the association, their senior athletes both from the city and Linden have intensified their training as they look to participate in a training camp in Curacao from March 8 to 12, 2006.

This exposure hopefully can be used as a stepping-stone towards participation in the World Championships in Vietnam from July 26 to 30 next year, the release stated.

Revised Carib Beer Series fixtures
ST JOHN'S, Antigua, (CMC) - The two matches in the Carib Beer Series postponed from this weekend have been rescheduled for the first week in February next year, the West Indies Cricket Board announced yesterday.

The fixtures - Barbados against Trinidad & Tobago and Guyana versus the Windward Islands - will now be played February 3-6 at the Carlton Sports Club and the Tanteen Recreation Ground respectively.

Both matches were postponed after inclement weather affected preparation at the match venues.

The competition will now break for the Christmas period before resuming on January 6.

Following is the revised itinerary:

Jan. 6-9 Windward Islands v Barbados – Tanteen; T&T v Jamaica - Wilson Road.

Jan. 13-16 Leeward Islands v Guyana - St Maarten; Barbados v Jamaica - 3Ws Oval

Jan. 20-23 Windward Islands v Leeward Islands - Beausejour Cricket Ground; T&T v Guyana - Guaracara Park.

Jan. 27-30 Leeward Islands v Barbados - St Thomas; T&T v Windward Islands - Shaw Park; Jamaica v Guyana - Chedwin Park.

Feb. 3-6 Barbados v T&T - Carlton Sports Club; Windward Islands v Guyana – Tanteen.

Feb. 10-13 SEMI-FINALS - Venue undecided.

Feb. 17-21 FINALS - Venue undecided.

England's tour itinerary of India settled
LAHORE, India (Reuters) - The England Cricket Board (ECB) announced yesterday the revised itinerary for their tour of India which starts February 13.

England now play their three Tests in Nagpur, Mohali and Mumbai, all three major Test centres. The one-day internationals will be in Delhi, Faridabad, Goa, Cochin, Guwahati, Jamshedpur and Indore.

ECB director of cricket operations, John Carr, said the amended schedule allowed England to play in more temperate climates during the early part of the tour and offered a greater rest period between the end of the tour and the start of the home Test series with Sri Lanka in May.

England begin their one-day series against Pakistan in Lahore tomorrow.

England itinerary for India tour:

Feb. 13-Arrival in Mumbai

Feb. 18-20: Three-day practice at CCI Mumbai

Feb. 23-25: Three-day first class v President eleven at Baroda

March 1-5: First Test in Nagpur

Mar 9-13: Second Test in Mohali

Mar 18-22: Third Test in Mumbai

Mar 25: First one-day tour match at Jaipur

Mar 28: First ODI at Delhi

Mar 31: Second ODI at Faridabad

April 3: Third ODI at Goa

Apr 6: Fourth ODI at Cochin

Apr 9: Fifth ODI at Guwahati

Apr 12: Sixth ODI at Jamshedpur

Apr 15: Seventh ODI Indore

EU and UEFA launch inquiry into European soccer
By Darren Ennis
LEIPZIG, Germany (Reuters) - A study into how football is run in Europe is to be organised by European soccer's governing body UEFA and the European Commission, Richard Caborn, the British sports minister said yesterday.

Caborn told a news conference his initiative had the support of FIFA president Sepp Blatter and Lennart Johansson, the president of UEFA.

"We had a historic meeting today," Blatter said at the joint news conference.

"We must maintain the autonomy of sport, and the inquiry will also provide a better definition of the specificity of sport in general and of football in particular under the Nice declaration of December 1999."

That declaration was designed to define the status of sport in the EU.

The British minister, whose country currently holds the rotating Presidency of the EU, said he hoped to deliver "concrete proposals" to the Council of Ministers in June of next year.

"Both the Austrian and Finnish Presidencies are on board and the European Parliament has been kept in the loop," Caborn said.

"The input from the European Commission and Commissioner Jan Figel was most significant," Caborn added.

He confirmed that the inquiry will focus on the regulation of agents, club financing, fit and proper persons tests, homegrown players and the continued investment into grassroots football and stadia.

The inquiry will be led by UEFA, who will also provide the majority of the finance, while the Commission will provide the necessary political support and extra money if necessary, Caborn explained.

Blatter had said on Wednesday FIFA would not take part in the meeting because representatives of national leagues would be present.

He explained yesterday that there had been initial "misunderstandings" which had been resolved.

UEFA CEO, Lars-Christer Olsen confirmed that the leagues "would be included in the review".

Olsen added that he expected to see results within the agreed timetable.

"We will have specific proposals and objectives within the agreed timetable with concrete activities," Olsen said.

"We intend to finish what we start and start the implementation.”

United's Lisbon exit leaves axe hovering over Ferguson
By Trevor Huggins
LISBON, Portugal (Reuters) - Manchester United's exit from European football is a savage blow that will be felt keenly in the club's boardroom and may end manager Alex Ferguson's 19 years in charge.

Wednesday's 2-1 defeat by Benfica deprived United of even a consolation place in the UEFA Cup, let alone the money-spinning Champions League knockout stages.

United's first failure to reach that stage in 10 years could not have come at a worse time for their new owners.

Seven months ago U.S. tycoon Malcolm Glazer borrowed heavily to pay 790 million pounds ($1.37 billion) for the most famous club in Britain, and prize money and television revenue from a lengthy European campaign is needed to pay the interest.

Once the money-making leviathan of English football on and off the pitch, United have also lost their principal sponsor Vodafone and talismanic captain Roy Keane in a matter of weeks.

Vodafone's deal is being cut short at the end of this season and United, who did not win a trophy last season, will now have to go touting for a replacement without their usual calling card boasting of European football.

Ferguson helped turn United into the richest and one of the most successful clubs in world football, amassing 22 trophies since coming south from Scotland in 1986.

He turns 64 at the end of the month and even though United are second in the Premier League, the odds are against Ferguson being around to celebrate 20 years at Old Trafford.

Now on a rolling one-year contract from June, Ferguson knows his fate lies with the Glazer family whose gaze is firmly fixed on future profit margins rather than past successes.

PAST ACHIEVEMENTS
Those successes, topped by their Champions League trophy in 1999's Treble year, were built on a core of players Ferguson had coached from young teenagers into outstanding pros.

Ferguson profited from a golden generation comprising David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and the Neville brothers, Gary and Phil, but half of them have now left and the remainder - Giggs, Scholes and Gary Neville - are in the latter stages of their careers.

Though Glazer's advisers will have detailed United's promising financial position, they may not have realised that, in footballing terms, United are in a period of transition.

Ferguson's new generation, led by England striker Wayne Rooney and Portugal winger Cristiano Ronaldo, is certainly exciting.

But Ferguson has singularly failed to find a powerhouse leader in the mould of former England captain Bryan Robson and Keane to inspire and provide real authority in midfield.

A lack of experience showed at times against Benfica despite Ferguson taking what he admitted was a risk in playing Neville and Giggs so soon after they returned from lengthy layoffs.

As for the European campaign, it had been compromised by their home form - winning only one of their three games - and two red cards in draws with Villarreal and Lille.

Although they possess one of Europe's greatest goalscorers, Ruud van Nistelrooy, and one of the world's finest talents, Rooney, United have been crippled by a lack of goals in key games.

They are now 10 points behind champions Chelsea in the league and the FA Cup, which starts for United in January, now provides their best hope of a major trophy.

Whether the Glazer family is satisfied with this rather bleak scenario remains to be seen.

New World Cup award for best young player
By Kevin Fylan
LEIPZIG, Germany, (Reuters) - A new award for the best young player of the tournament will be launched at next year's World Cup soccer finals in Germany, FIFA announced yesterday.

Fan votes will be collected after the semi-finals and the top three will be joined by three more chosen by FIFA's Technical Study Group (TSG) to create a shortlist of six players.

The winner will be chosen by the TSG, which is made up of coaches and analysts.

Players aged 21 and under will be eligible for the Best Young Player award, which is being inaugurated by FIFA sponsor Gillette.

Lionel Messi, who led Argentina to the World Youth Championship this year, and England's Wayne Rooney, who had a spectacular Euro 2004, were born before the cut-off date of January 1, 1985 and were tipped by FIFA as likely contenders.

Lothar Matthaeus, who helped Germany win the European Championship at the age of 19 in 1980 and who made his World Cup debut two years later is the patron of the award.

He also mentioned Germany's Lukas Podolski and Bastian Schweinsteiger as possible winners.

"They attracted a lot of attention at the Confederations Cup," he said. "But there is a long list of candidates. Let's start the games before we talk about who could win it."

The World Cup finals, which will begin on June 9 in Munich, will offer a number of other individual awards to players, including the Golden Shoe for the tournament's top scorer, the Golden Ball for the best player and the Yashin Award, named in honour of the late Russian goalkeeper Lev Yashin, for best keeper.

The draw for the finals takes place in Leipzig today.

World Cup security concerns focus on English, Dutch fans
By Kevin Fylan
LEIPZIG, Germany, (Reuters) - World Cup organisers said Wednesday they will focus security concerns on matches involving England and the Netherlands as soon as today's draw has determined where they will play.

Hooliganism is a big concern for the 2006 finals in Germany. At the last major tournament to be held in Germany, the 1988 European Championship, there were serious problems involving Dutch, English and German fans.

Tournament rules for the 2006 finals in Germany prevent switching any matches from the venues assigned at today’s draw in Leipzig. That could see group games involving England and the Netherlands being held at some of the smaller venues, increasing the chances of ticketless fans turning up and providing a greater security risk.

Hosts Germany and champions Brazil, by contrast, have already been allocated slots to ensure their group matches are played only in the larger stadiums of Berlin, Munich and Dortmund.

"There will be a seminar to provide team delegates with the information they need to allay any concerns," World Cup organising committee vice-president Horst R. Schmidt told a news conference yesterday.

"Once we know where England and the Netherlands matches will be, we will come up with concrete plans on security."

Hooliganism was also a major problem the last time the World Cup was held in Europe, in France in 1998. A French policeman was beaten almost to death by German hooligans and English fans rioted in Marseille.

The finals begin on June 9 in Munich, when Germany will play an opponent to be decided in tomorrow’s draw. The final is at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin on July 9.

INCREASE ALLOCATIONS
Schmidt said everything possible would be done to give national associations more than the minimum ticket allocation of eight percent for each match.

"We're promising to make more available if we can," he said.

More tickets could become available for one team if their opponents do not take up their full allocation, or if sponsor, partner or hospitality tickets are returned.

The final public sales window, which opens on December 12, will put around 250 000 tickets up for grabs, Schmidt said. The final figure will be decided by January 31.

Schmidt said there were no plans to abandon the plan to print the holder's name on all tickets, questioned on Monday by FIFA president Sepp Blatter who suggested the German organisers were complicating the scheme by trying to be too perfect.

"It's a huge task but we want to meet our own aims," he said. "We agreed this with the security experts and we will go through with it, even if it is labour intensive."

Organising committee president Franz Beckenbauer rejected criticism of Germany's stadiums after the recent structural problems experienced at the Kaiserslautern, Nuremberg and Frankfurt grounds.

"This is trivial," Beckenbauer said. "It's being played up because people are getting very excited.

Beckenbauer, who won the World Cup as captain with West Germany in 1974 and as coach in 1990, tipped champions Brazil as clear favourites to defend their title.

"My top favourite is Brazil," he said. "They played very well in the Confederations Cup recently and if they confirm that performance they will be very, very difficult to beat.

"Of the rest, we have the traditional favourites of Germany, England, Italy and Argentina.”

Nostalgic Kumble aims to reach 100 Tests in style
By N.Ananthanarayanan
NEW DELHI, India (Reuters) - India leg-spinner Anil Kumble wants to make his approaching 100th Test memorable by playing a lead role to help clinch a series victory over Sri Lanka.

Kumble, 35, will return to Delhi for the second Test starting tomorrow. He will become the fifth Indian to reach 100 Tests in the third and final game in Ahmedabad.

The Karnataka bowler captured all 10 second innings wickets to help clinch a series-levelling victory over Pakistan at Delhi's Ferozeshah Kotla ground in 1999.

England spinner Jim Laker is the only other bowler in Test history to achieve the feat.

"Even then I had no expectations I would take 10 wickets," Kumble joked to reporters yesterday. "I hope the team does well and I play a good part in it."

The Kotla pitch was relaid a few months ago and is predicted to assist seamers. The rain-hit first Test was drawn.

"It is always nice to know you have done well on this ground," he said. "If there is a bit of bounce it is good for the spinner as well."

Kumble, with 468 scalps, lies fifth among the highest Test wicket-takers, only behind Shane Warne (Australia), Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka), Glenn McGrath (Australia) and Courtney Walsh (West Indies).

ELITE GROUP
He will join the elite group of Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar and Dilip Vengsarkar, the other Indians to play 100 Tests.

"That is a great feeling," he said. "Looking back to when I first started in 1990, going into England as a 19-year-old, I never thought I will get this far.

Although Kumble does not bowl big leg breaks, he foxes batsmen with subtle variation, particularly on slow home pitches to remain a match-winner for over a decade.

"Playing 100 Tests gives you a lot of motivation," he said. "It makes you feel you have sustained the kind of performance required to be at the international level over a period of time."

Kumble said he was not concerned that the media spotlight remained on whether Sachin Tendulkar would get his world record 35th Test hundred in the series than his milestone.

"I have no qualms about not being considered a high-profile player," he said. "The team definitely knows what I'm capable of.

"I've got the respect from the team and from the opposition," he said. "At the end of the day that is what matters.”

Sehwag’s illness setback for India
INDIA vice-captain Virender Sehwag could miss the second Test against Sri Lanka in Delhi tomorrow after being taken to hospital because of illness.

Batsman Sehwag is suffering from a throat infection and fever, according to news reports in India.

"He is feeling better now medication has started. He will take 48 hours to recover from the fever," a hospital spokesman was quoted as saying.

If Sehwag is ruled out, India would have a problem at the top of the order.

He has scored 3 300 runs at an average of 55 in 38 matches and has not missed a Test since the 2002 home series against Zimbabwe.

VVS Laxman has opened in Tests but has not done the job for five years and although Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar have plenty of experience going in first in one-day cricket, it is unlikely either of them would be asked to move up and partner Gautam Gambhir.

Yuvraj Singh is another candidate, although he only managed scores of eight and seven not out when he played against Australia at Madras (Chennai) in October last year. (BBC Sport)