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ARCHIVES FOR AUGUST 29, 2009

World Bank expected to disburse payment for initiatives at Corriverton
By Tajeram Mohabir

The World Bank officials interact with Minister Persaud, at right. (Adrian Narine photo)

World Bank, Africa Region, Senior Environmental Specialist for Carbon and Environmental Finance, Ms. Noreen Beg, yesterday said following some final consultations, the bank is expected to disburse payments for small scale initiatives at Corriverton, Region Six (East Berbice/Corentyne) in October.

Beg made the disclosure in an interview with the Guyana Chronicle following a meeting with Agriculture Minister, Robert Persaud at his Ministry on Vlissengen Road.

She was accompanied by her World Bank colleagues, Natural Resource Economist, Ms. Adelaida Schwab; Carbon Credit Specialist, Mr. Manuel Luengo; and Lead Ecologist, Mr. George Ledee.

The World Bank team is here on an initial verification mission of the Skeldon Bagasse Co-generation Project under the Clean Development Mechanism, a Koyoto Protocol initiative.

Beg, declining to quote an amount, said the sum is enough to carry out some worthwhile activities.

Some of the undertakings, she said, are the training of persons in the community in different skills areas, the purchase of computers, sewing machines and books for the Corriverton Community Centre library, and generally enhancing the image of the facility to encourage children to get involved in sports.

It will also go towards payment for services chosen by the community, such as a public dispensary and garbage disposal.

“There should be enough money to do these things. It is not a massive sum, but it’s a tidy sum to do some nice things,” the Ms. Beg said.

The Skeldon Bagasse Co-generation Project is the first of its kind in Guyana and the Caribbean to be registered under the Clean Development Mechanism.

The team has already visited the new Skeldon Factory operation and made an assessment of the environmental, social and agricultural practices there.

“We looked at the operation of the factory and essentially all is going well; and we hope that by this time next year, the project would have undergone the first year of emission reduction generation to the national grid,” Beg pointed out.

Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud, at the meeting, said the grant will significantly benefit the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) and Corriverton residents.

He expressed confidence that the project, which dovetails with President Bharrat Jagdeo’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), can gain for Guyana significant incentives from the Clean Development Mechanism, anticipating inflows amounting to US$ 3 M.

The Skeldon Sugar Modernisation Project (SSMP) on May 4th, 2008, was registered with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Under that partnership, the project qualified to receive incentives from the Clean Development Mechanism of the Koyoto Protocol.

With the new bagasse co-generation plant being part of the SSMP, clean energy will be generated in keeping with Guyana’s obligation to the Koyoto Protocol, particularly article 12 of the agreement.

As a party to the Clean Development Mechanism, GuySuCo will be able to sell Certified Emission Reductions (CERs) that will result from energy generated from bagasse fuel.

The factory has already been producing electricity to the national grid and Persaud said that it will contribute as much as 15 megawatts of energy per week.

72-yr-old Parika taxi-driver murdered
By Vanessa Narine

DEAD: 72-year-old Mohammed Nazir Khan.

The body of 72-year-old Mohammed Nazir Khan, a driver with Rockers Taxi Service at Parika on the East Coast Essequibo, was discovered yesterday morning on Dentist Street, Stewartville, West Coast Demerara.

There were stab wounds to the upper chest and slashes on his ankles.

Khan’s body was found next to his nephew’s grey Carina car, which he operated as a taxi.

The driver’s seat was stained with blood.

The driver’s personal jewellery and cash were missing.

Khan, of 172 Parika Railway Line, reportedly left his home on Thursday and headed for the Rockers Taxi Service base, minutes away from his home.

According to a dispatcher there, Mr. Intakhab Surjballi, known as Anthony, two men who appeared to be in their mid-twenties and dressed casually, came to the base just before 23:00h that night and requested a taxi to transport them to Stewartville.

Khan, who was there at the time, was assigned the job and left, but never returned.

“After some time passed I tried calling him but he did not answer and I got his voice-mail,” the dispatcher said.

The 72-year-old worked with the service part time and has been there for approximately nine months.

Khan reportedly took up the part-time job to fill his free time as he was also a school bus driver for the Met-en-Meerzorg Islamic School.

He leaves to mourn his wife, Mrs. Sursattie Khan, with whom he has two sons, Mukesh and Sergeant Mohan Khan, who works as a presidential guard.

Khan was described as a friendly, peaceful, jovial person who adored children, which is why he accepted the job as a school bus driver.

“He never had a problem with anyone,” Khan’s distraught wife cried, “He never hurt anyone.”

As the Khan’s wife bemoaned the loss of her husband, onlookers at the scene of the crime denounced the act as inhumane.

“One old man they gone and kill, they aint got shame,” one woman, a Stewartville resident, said.

Concerned Guyanese protestors threatened by Congress Place clique
TWO groups of protesters yesterday clashed in front of the main opposition People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) headquarters, Congress Place, Sophia, Georgetown.

A peaceful group of persons calling themselves a “group of concerned Guyanese” carried cards saying that recent PNCR party elections were rigged.

Meanwhile, another more vocal group came out of Congress Place protesting against the ruling administration.

The Congress Place clique of about eight women verbally abused the concerned Guyanese and took away their placards. Some men coming from Congress Place joined the women and they all viciously threatened the concerned Guyanese who, at that stage, thought it wise to abandon the protest.

The exercise lasted for one and a half hours.

Understanding the LCDS
A GINA Feature
Part Two

Guyana has over 15 million hectares of pristine rainforests that can be committed to the climate change fight.

How can Guyana help fight climate change?
Trees and plants are critical factors in stabilizing climate. They help remove heat-trapping carbon dioxide gas from the air by storing it in their leaves, trunk and, roots and also in the soil.

However when trees and plants are destroyed, this stored carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere, where it contributes to global warming and climate change. In fact, deforestation and land use change contribute approximately 20 to 25 percent of the carbon emissions that cause climate change.

Every year, 20 million hectares of rainforest (an area the size of England, Wales and Scotland combined) are cut down, releasing millions of tons of carbon emissions into the atmosphere.

Guyana has over 15 million hectares of near pristine rainforests, which if left standing, can contribute significantly to removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it.

Dedicating Guyana’s forests to fighting climate change – what would it cost?

Guyana’s pristine forests are its most valuable asset. The majority of the 15 million hectares is suitable for timber extraction. Forest lands can also be used for post-harvest agriculture, and significant mineral deposits also exist below its surface.

The value that can be gained from this asset if it is exploited has been estimated at US$580M ($116B) per annum.

Guyana’s 2009 National Budget was $128.9B, therefore, exploiting Guyana’s forests can add significantly to the National Budget, which would benefit all Guyanese.

However, while exploiting its forests is the economically rational step for Guyana, it would have significant negative consequences for the world. The deforestation that would accompany this development path would reduce the critical environmental services that Guyana’s forests provide to the world – such as bio-diversity, water regulation and carbon sequestration. Do we destroy the forest to get development revenue? Do we preserve the forest and forego development?

It is to overcome this catch-22 situation that the Low-Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) was developed.

The LCDS

Guyana can raise funds for development by cutting down its forests but doing that would exacerbate climate change.

Government believes that Guyana can protect and maintain its forests in the effort to reduce global carbon emissions, and at the same time, attract resources for the country to grow and develop. In order to do this effectively in the long-term, Guyana needs a clear vision and a plan as to how to get there. This vision and plan is called the Low-Carbon Development Strategy that encapsulates three main components:

1. Investment in low carbon economic infrastructure – This will include the development of hydropower to reduce reliance on petroleum-based fuels, the upgrading of our sea defences to protect against current and future impacts of sea level rise, improved roads, drainage and irrigation to unused, non-forested lands such as the Canje River lands and the intermediate savannahs, and improved hi-tech telecommunication facilities to generate development of low-carbon businesses such as call centers.

2. Investment and employment in low carbon economic sectors – This will target investment in commercial production of fruits and vegetables, particularly in non-forested areas such as the intermediate savannahs; aquaculture and the export of fresh and frozen seafood; sustainable forestry utilizing the high internationally accepted standards of sustainable yield harvesting; and wood processing to produce high value products.

3. Investment in communities and human capital – This will ensure that the indigenous and other hinterland communities, as well as other citizens including the urban poor, will have expanded access to improved social services such as health, education/vocational training, low carbon electricity and clean water, and employment that does not threaten the sustainability of the forest resources.

Funding for the LCDS

Inside a hydro-power plant - one of the investment opportunities that would be pursued uder the LCDS.

The service that Guyana’s standing forests provide, while valuable, does not earn the country any revenue.

Guyana, along with other forest countries, is working within the United Nations Climate Change Convention to create a new global agreement to allow the sale of forest carbon credits.

The current climate change agreement which was signed in 1997, the Kyoto Protocol, does not offer any incentives for avoided deforestation and forest degradation. However, this Protocol ends in 2012 and a new agreement is expected in Copenhagen in December.

Under the Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) initiative, Guyana has been working assiduously to ensure that avoided deforestation is included in this new agreement, which will lead to the establishment of a forest carbon trading market from which the country can generate funds for leaving its forests standing.

However, this would not come into place until 2012 or after. Between now and 2012, Guyana and Norway are working to demonstrate how this strategy can work. This can serve as an example for other countries to follow.

When the forest carbon market is fully functional, it is expected that large companies would be injecting finances into the emissions trading schemes.

In the initial phase, it can be expected that financing would be bilateral and fund based, and in the full REDD phase, payments would be made through the forest carbon market.

Benefits for Guyanese

Guyana is working within the United National Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to develop a market from forest carbon credits.

The revenue that comes from carbon credits is expected to exceed what Guyana currently derives from logging and other extractive uses of the forest. Such increased revenue can be used for providing better hospitals and health care, schools, and education standards. Electricity from hydro-power (the Amaila Falls project) will be much cheaper to consumers, and will allow for more industries, jobs and an overall better quality of life for all.

The anticipated revenue will also allow Government to improve the sea defences and drainage and irrigation systems and build better roads to new areas of agriculture production such as the intermediate savannahs and the Rupununi area and will ensure greater food security.

The investment in agriculture will focus on the development of the fruits and vegetables sector, aquaculture, the export of fresh and frozen seafood, and other low-carbon agriculture alternatives.

Investment will also be made to upgrade Guyana’s information communication technology infrastructure to spawn industries in e-business, software development, call centre facilities and data management, which would provide high-paying jobs for thousands of young Guyanese. (GINA)

24-yr-old Charity resident hangs himself

Relatives of the dead man weep as his body lay on the floor.

The body of 24-year-old Roger Patrick of 167 Charity Housing Scheme was yesterday afternoon found hanging from the ceiling in the living room of his father’s house

The discovery was made by his father after he had returned home after transacting some business.

Reports reaching Guyana Chronicle states that Patrick left his home at around 6:00 h yesterday and was seen with his friends drinking at a popular bar at Charity.

He left his friends at around 15:15 hrs for his home.

The dead man, described by a cousin as a very easy-going and quiet individual, has left to mourn his father, two brothers and one sister.

The tragic incident has thrown the entire community of Charity in shock.

The body was taken to the Oscar Joseph District Hospital Mortuary, where a postmortem is expected to be performed. The Charity Police are investigating.

National Parks employee hangs himself

Kadarnauth Persaud.

A 46-year-old city resident ended his life yesterday morning by hanging himself.

Dead is Kadarnauth Persaud, of 9 Railway Street, Kitty, Georgetown. He was found hanging from the platform of his house by relatives.

They said he was depressed over the death of his mother who passed away in January last. He was employed at the National Parks Commission as a tractor operator.

Relatives are surprised at the suicide since he did not display any suicidal tendencies nor he did ever talk about taking his own life.

UNASUR pushes forward with continental integration
-as leaders express unease over Colombia-US military pact
By Odeen Ishmael
The inauguration of President Rafael Correa of Ecuador coincided with the holding of the third regular presidential summit of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) in Quito on August 10. In the days preceding this meeting, speculation was rife that the recent agreement by Colombia to allow the use of seven military bases by the US military would be a central issue. But though this matter was discussed, the final summit declaration made no mention of it since the Foreign Ministers at the preparatory meeting the day before did not reach agreement on a proposal by Venezuela and Bolivia to formally issue a condemnation of the plan.

During the discussions, Presidents Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil, Cristina Fernandez of Argentina, Evo Morales of Bolivia, Fernando Lugo of Paraguay, Rafael Correa of Ecuador and Hugo Chavez of Venezuela expressed unease over the Colombia-US plan, saying that would pose a serious threat to the region.

But President Alvaro Uribe of Colombia was not there to hear these collective concerns since he was noticeably absent from Quito. He was represented by his Deputy Foreign Minister who defended the bases saying they will not affect outside nations since they would be “completely under Colombian jurisdiction and sovereignty."

Eventually, the summit agreed to convene an extraordinary session in Argentina on August 28 to further examine the issue with Uribe. The Colombian president has insisted that his country needs US support to combat the drug lords and the left-wing FARC guerrillas, currently waging a long-running war against the government.

The Brazilian president has since called upon US President Barack Obama to meet with South American leaders to discuss the implications of the growing American military presence in Colombia.

Despite this crucial issue pervading the summit, intensive discussions on other relevant matters did occur, and by the end of the day, the 12 member countries firmly agreed to strengthen continental integration in a wide range of areas. This was reflected in the Declaration of Quito, which, inter alia, urges the organisation’s Energy Council to develop an energy strategy, an action plan and a project for energy integration.

In addition, the declaration instructed the continent’s finance ministers to complete research on the creation of a Bank of the South, a fund of common reserves, and the possible use of a system for regional payments.

Significantly, the leaders agreed to place a priority on public health over economic and commercial interests, considering medicine as a public good in cases such as pandemics. The South American Council for Health has already begun to take initiatives in fulfilling these goals.

The work of the South American Defence Council, another established agency of UNASUR, was also reviewed. This body has already started to map out policies for military cooperation, humanitarian action, peace-keeping operation, education and training. It may be possible in the future for this Council to expand its role by developing initiatives for the security of the immense biological, water and other natural resources of the huge Amazon region which encompasses seven South American countries.

Further, the summit established four new administrative councils:

* The South American Infrastructure and Planning Council, which replaces the Integration of Regional Infrastructure in South America (IIRSA), will complete the construction of infrastructure, transport and telecommunications networks, according to criteria of sustainable social and economic development and preserving the balance of ecosystems.

* The South American Counter-narcotics Council proposes to establish a coordination and follow-up process to address the drug problem, acknowledging the progress achieved by member countries, bilateral and multilateral commitments and the principle of shared responsibility.

* The South American Council on Education, Culture, Science, Technology and Innovation is a political authority to define, specify and promote policies and projects.

* The South American Council for Social Development has as its objectives the consolidation of means for social regional development; technical cooperation for the strengthening of systems of social protection and promotion; and the creation of a Social Development Fund.

In addition to these new councils, UNASUR, in its institutional consolidation process, will examine the advisability of establishing a council on human rights which will bring together existing regional resources in order to expand cooperation between member states on this crucial issue.

The leaders also reasserted UNASUR’s commitment to build a South American citizenship, by tackling the issue of migration on the basis of an integral and comprehensive approach and unrestricted respect for human rights of the migrants and their families.

With regards to climate change and environmental issues, the summit drew attention to Guyana ’s proposals for the “Creation of Incentives to Avoid Deforestation”, and its “Low-Carbon Development Strategy”, currently undergoing national and regional consultations. The summit also noted the Ecuadorian initiative, “Yasuni-ITT”, aiming to develop alternative sources of income earning, to reduce the unsustainable tapping of natural resources and to optimise conservation of biological diversity.

And in a separate statement, the leaders reiterated their support for the rights of Argentina in the sovereignty dispute over the Falkland Islands (Malvinas) and urged the British and Argentine governments to resume negotiations in order to find the best peaceful and definitive solution to the dispute.

On the question of democracy in the hemisphere, the Quito Declaration condemned the June 28 coup in Honduras that removed President Manuel Zelaya from power. Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, who chaired the summit called for Zelaya's immediate and unconditional return to power and added: “There will not be recognition, by any means, of the rupture from the democratic institutional order. We will not recognise any election issuing from the de facto (Honduran) government.” This position was reiterated by Ecuador 's President Rafael Correa, UNASUR’s incoming pro-tempore chairman.

Currently, two necessary actions are required of the member states. First, it is necessary for all member states to ratify the constituent treaty of UNASUR, which will enable it to enter into force. Member states were originally given an April deadline for ratification of the treaty, but this is still pending. The second action is for the election of a suitable candidate, preferably by consensus, for the post of secretary-general.

President Correa, as the pro-tempore chairman over the next year, has already proposed the creation of an observation commission for the electoral process in the region. He will, therefore, face the challenge to implement this important initiative, and apply strategies to fix the existing administrative details to steer the continental body firmly on the path of further integration.

(The writer is Guyana’s ambassador to Venezuela and the views expressed are solely his.)

Cutting costs does not mean squeezing workers

It is indeed good news that the strike by sugar workers at Wales Estate has been amicably resolved and an escalation into a prolonged work stoppage averted because the sugar industry simply cannot afford such a situation as it is in the midst of reversing the trend of production as it grapples with its financial problem.

However, it would seem that some managers of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GUYSUCO) has interpreted the cost cutting measures instituted by the Corporation to mean squeezing workers and under paying them. Well if it is so, and one would hope not, then these managers need to be re-educated and reoriented because by no stretch of imagination cost cutting could mean paying workers unjust prices for the tasks they perform because if it were so then that would certainly invite chaos and seriously curtail production output because it is the workers who turn wheels of production and if their dissatisfaction will certainly have adverse effects on output.

Those who have knowledge of how the sugar industry operates would know that the day to day managers on the sugar estates have a minimum and maximum limit within which they are authorised to fix prices for tasks. Therefore, they have the ability to be flexible as the situation demands. This is only not applicable if the prices demanded by workers are beyond their authorised maximum limits in which case higher management will have to step in. So these day to day managers have a crucial and pivotal role in resolving price disputes but as mentioned above some of them seem to interpret cost cutting to mean paying unfair prices and squeezing the workers.

A few weeks ago this column had cautioned about the important role of managers in ensuring the smooth turning of the wheels of production.

Workers are reasonable people and would not want to curtail production without good reason because they are hurting themselves by depriving themselves of monetary gains but it is a sacrifice that they make to protect themselves in the long term.

Through a spirit of compromise the price dispute at Wales was successfully resolved and this is indeed a positive development. In fact, compromise should be the watchword and motto of management and workers in all disputes because it is the best way to avoid ugly situations developing which harms the workers, the industry and the national economy.

GAWU and the Corporation agreed that workers at the Wales Estate will receive $383 per bed for the clearance of obstacles (grass, bushes and vines) in the field.

However, there were two disturbing aspects pertaining to the strike-one involving accusations by GUYSUCO that the strike was illegal and the other pertaining to an allegation of arson in relation to the burning of 13 hectares of cane.

If the canes were indeed burnt by arsonists then that should be forthrightly condemned and investigated and the perpetrators dealt with by the full force of the law.

With respect to the accusation of the strike being illegal, President of GAWU, Komal Chand firmly rejected this contention picture of the industry countering that the strike was justifiable as the workers had been working under poor conditions.

He disclosed that he was informed by the estate management that 49 per cent of its cultivation is in a poor state, and that eight beds of cane can hardly fill a punt, when under normal circumstances, two beds could do this.

This, he said, is a loss to the Corporation. Apart from this, there are other instances where workers work under abnormal conditions.

The Wales Estate management, Chand warned, will have to improve their payment rates to workers in these areas as well, or there will be more strikes.

Deeming a strike illegal is a difficult call but it is strange that management should be squabbling over whether the strike was illegal rather than deal with whether the grievances were genuine and if so work diligently towards finding a solution.

This is precisely one of the problems in our society we spend too much time and energy behind the lesser important issues rather than focus on what is of primary importance, and in this instance it was ending the dispute amicably as quickly as possible.

One would now hope that for the remainder of the crop there will be minimal work stoppages and if and when they do occur they are expeditiously resolved because any other course would not be good for both the industry and the workers.

Clousseau
Thinking aloud, Clousseau feels it is necessary to state a reality that is too often overlooked or even truthfully recognised, and that is race in politics was never a consideration when the origin and formation of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) was founded, from the very inception being a working class political party in the then British Guiana.

It was a natural bonding of interests between the two major members of the population that clamoured for the need of what the PPP was offering; race was never a factor and thus Clousseau is impelled to emphasise this reality.

It was a fortitudinous meeting of the two personalities, Jagan and Burnham, both with the burning desire of removing the shackles of colonisation by the British that propelled them both as national figures.

The break-up and parting was the catalyst that fermented what we have since been experiencing in today’s politics – racism.

Having thought aloud, Clousseau will now make some remarks on the recently concluded PNCR congress. Apparent incomprehension must be the state of mind for all those who harboured thoughts that Robert Corbin can be removed without his willing consent, even more astounding was the belief that a Indian alternative could have replaced him. It is simply a case of not knowing the principal basis on which that party relies. Disregarding all the charges, true or false, about rigging, etc., Corbin merely had to alert his loyalists to carry the message that the party is not yet ready for a non-African as leader. The defeat of Murray should not have been surprising and Clousseau regards it as a truthful bitter lesson to all those misguided enough to believe that the PNC/R will sincerely embrace non-Africans; just ask Mervyn Williams.

Then there is also the reality of what is left after the leadership fight. There will be many, whose tenure will be under threat and possible end of the road in dabbling with politics, but for those hapless pseudo-politicians, Clousseau has no pity; they would have learnt a hard lesson at some considerable loss.

The Skeldon restructuring will unravel the mystery of sugar
IT’s an enigma to believe that something so sweet as sugar could engender such acrimony, poverty, and inhumanity in societies where sugar is the mainstay of the economy. The enigma has visited this land before.

Sugar calamities did not first show its face in the 1990s. This country has always had a history of sugar crises. The journey along the road of early cataclysm began circa 1795, when river soils became unproductive and 120 plantations along the Demerara River and 200 along the Essequibo River were abandoned.

Abolition of slavery in 1833 and the ending of the Apprenticeship period in 1838 created an artificial labour shortage on sugar plantations. The removal of Colonial Preference in 1846 induced competition with other colonies for sugar.

A grant of export bounties by European governments resulted in excessive productions of beet sugar in the 19th century, resulting in a limited colonial market for sugar.

The price of sugar declined in 1896, at half of what it was in 1881. A sugar crisis followed with further closure of many sugar estates and large mergers.

High World War I prices prompted sugar production in other countries and in conjunction with strong competition from beet sugar, sugar prices again fell in 1929. World War II created a shortage of fertilizers, machinery, labour, and shipping space.

Then, of course, there were the nationalizations in 1976. Odle argued that the move toward nationalization was a reaction to economic crises rather than a planned program of economic change.

But the more recent furore on sugar started when the European Commission announced on June 22, 2005, its intention to reform the Common Market Organization (CMO) for Sugar; the European Union (EU) definitively decided to initially reduce by 36% the price of sugar that African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) countries will receive.

Effectively, this decision brought to an end the era of preferential access to sugar from 20 ACP countries; the preferential access started life in 1975 whereby the access really was for agreed quantities of sugar at guaranteed prices, negotiated annually. The preferential quota had an equivalence of some 1.3 million tonnes per year.

With the end of preferential access, the EU also made available resources for adjustment and compensation from 2006 through 2013; and so the EU initially made an offer of 6 billion euros to its own producers; but agreed only on 6 million euros for all ACP countries for 2006.

The EU believes that EPA agreements will articulate the social, economic, and environmental conditions of ACP countries, perk up the existing trading arrangements, and fulfill the compatibility requirements of the WTO regulations.

While people may poke faces at the Skeldon Modernization Plant, it is becoming something; and restructuring sugar now is on the move. Restructuring will reduce the cost of production of a pound of sugar, increasing the industry’s competitiveness. The Skeldon Sugar Estate also will house a power generation facility, a distillery, and a bagasse plant.

In 2008, it was recorded that sugar production plunged to 226,200 tons, the lowest since 1990. This modern sugar factory will produce high quality raw sugar tied to an increasingly attractive demand internationally. Bagasse will produce an average of 10 megawatts of electricity up to 77 gigawatt hours annually. Bagasse is expected to replace use of light and heavy fuel oil in diesel engine-driven generators powered by GPL.

CARICOM not long ago has been consuming 15% of Guyana’s sugar. But CARICOM’s demand is in excess of 300,000 tonnes per year. And CARICOM’s demand for refined sugar is in excess of 70,000 tonnes annually, and Trinidad & Tobago with the sole refinery plant in the Caribbean only has a capacity for 50,000 tonnes per year. The restructuring surely can envelop these prospects.

The history shows that the industry is extremely vulnerable to various economic crises and political actions, and without adequate economic security, the industry will not survive.

Whatever happens, Guyana’s road to restructuring will unravel the mystery of sugar. That enigma of bitter-sweet sugar has hurt and comforted many people and nations over the years. But nations in the periphery of the world system must know that all core countries (world’s most powerful economies) always act in their own interest first. And, perhaps, globalization is the core countries’ vehicle to sustain their dominance and limit development among the poor.
PREM MISIR

Cock-eyed politics can retard progress
THE government of Belize has moved with alacrity to re-nationalise its telecommunications sector to protect its national interests, according to Prime Minister Dean Barrow.

The amazing thing is that the government takeover of the Telemedia company was done in a matter of days with the Governor General signing the bill into law on Wednesday after it was presented in the parliament on Monday.

Mr. Barrow was blunt in addressing the issue. “The current owners of Telemedia, as they have repeatedly demonstrated, will stop at nothing to frustrate the business of governance in this country; and will act with every resource at their command to thwart the interest and legitimate aspirations of the Belizean people…the exigencies of the circumstances, the larger demands of Belize’s national interests, left us no choice”, he said.

The Guyana Government has not signalled any intention of taking over GT&T, although there are major parallels in the situation in the two countries – connivance between the owners of the two firms and political parties that were once in government and benefitted from cozy arrangements with the companies.

In Guyana, the main opposition People’s National Congress Reform, which had deals with the ATN parent company of GT&T when it was in power, is opposed to the government’s move to divest its minority shares in GT&T where its members on the board of directors have almost no say in the running of the company.

The Belize government has adopted a national position – acting in the interest of the public.

The Guyana Government wants to do the same but the PNCR and its cronies in the Alliance For Change are adopting a cock-eyed policy.
TROY TYRELL

Kennedy's anti-family politics was a constant source of scandal
CONTRARY to the praises of liberal pundits U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy will largely be remembered as a staunch promoter and defender of our present culture of death. The Catholic Massachusetts senator vigorously championed the nihilistic causes of abortion, embryonic stem cell research and same-sex marriage. NARAL Pro-Choice America awarded him a 100% pro-abortion voting record. He was also rated as voting 0% of the time on pro-life issues.

Kennedy's aggressive anti-life, anti-family politics was a constant source of scandal and embarrassment to the Catholic community.
PAUL KOKOSKI

Inaccurate Kaieteur News publications causing damage to company
THE following letter was written to the Kaieteur News in response to a publication made on Sunday and Monday 23rd and 24th August, 2009 edition, front page captioned “Bridge Cost taxpayers 26.3 million”.

This letter was written to that newspaper and was not published. On realising it was not published, the contractor (Mr. Roopan Ramotar) called Mr. Glen Lall to find out if it will be published, to which he responded in the negative.

As such for the public we feel this response is necessary and would appreciate publication.

We wish to inform that the captioned headline in the Kaieteur News Sunday and Monday 23rd and 24th August, 2009 edition, front page captioned “Bridge Cost taxpayers 26.3 million” is totally inaccurate. This 26.3 million mentioned is for the rehabilitation of all the bridges within the contract and for the construction of two new bridges.

It is felt that this is very irresponsible journalism since simple checks can be made with the Agriculture Sector Development Unit (ASDU), Ministry of Agriculture (client) or/and the SRKN engineering (supervisory consultant) before making such publications.

The bridge in the said photograph was not constructed by our company (Roopan Ramotar Investment) nor is it part of our contract and that there is no such cost for any single bridge within our contract.

We wish to have the article corrected/retracted and the caption placed in the same place/ position it was (front page) as that with the said article.

The continued inaccurate publications by Kaieteur News are causing damage to our company and I urge that they immediately desist from making such claims without first authenticating same.
ROVIN BHOOKMOHAN
Engineer

How come Trotman is providing tacit support to PNCR?
THE leader of the Alliance For Change (AFC), Raphael Trotman, was forced out of the PNCR a few years ago. This was the result of internal wrangling within the party’s leadership.

Following the 1997 General Elections, the PNC mounted massive protests through the streets of Georgetown to bring attention to what they perceived to be electoral discrepancies. These protests continued until elections in 2001. The setback this country suffered as a result is well documented.

A brief reminder will stir unpleasant memories of mayhem where people were beaten and robbed and businesses destroyed and looted. It was ugly. The populace was traumatised and the democracy which returned in 1992 was severely threatened by the irresponsible and unpatriotic actions of the PNC.

A CARICOM team of auditors audited the said elections and confirmed that it was free and fair. In an effort to appease the disgruntled PNC, the intervention of CARICOM led to another elections being held in 2001, just three years after. Our Constitution allows for elections every five years.

The PPP’s agreement for a truncated term in office, despite the findings of the audit, showed the magnanimity of that Party in the interest of prosperity and unification of country and people.

The results of the 1997 elections were never in doubt. Only the disoriented and politically ambitious section of the PNC felt otherwise. They maximised their skill of intimidation to drive fear into the hearts of peaceful and law abiding Guyanese.

Children, who are considered the leaders of tomorrow, were petrified to travel to attend school in Georgetown during that period. The PNC was relentless in their protest; protest aimed at undermining the government and to ascend to the seat of power through undemocratic means.

They showed no care and compassion for how their reckless actions were affecting the lives of their fellow countrymen and women. Their actions caused some countries to brand Guyana as being unstable and visitors were warned not to travel here.

The country was haemorrhaging much needed financial resources which become available as a result of tourism activities.

Foreign investors who were interested in investing in this young democracy were not too enthused to do so. Investments provide jobs; jobs that would have been available to the said PNC supporters.

The party was not even interested in the welfare of their own much less that of the nation. Yet the said party would criticise the government for not making more jobs available!

These protests mentioned were led by the then leader of the PNC, Desmond Hoyte, and his close cadres within.

One such militant cadre is the leader of the AFC, Raphael Trotman. The video and photographic archives of that period would bear this out. He was an integral part of these protests which affected the lives of thousands of innocent Guyanese.

I am sure that if Party loyalists who were involved and who may be willing to speak out will attest that he, Trotman, was probably an organiser and not just a participant.

One of the demands of the protesters including Raphael Trotman was transparency. This was in the context of their baseless accusations of electoral fraud. They demanded an audit. They were embarrassed at its findings.

Years after the death of Desmond Hoyte, Raphael Trotman having conveniently realised the trauma Guyanese experienced and endured during those seditious protests, urged the PNCR (which the PNC subsequently became) to apologise to the nation.

The party refused and Trotman was seen as an upstart. This triggered a process of his alienation and his eventual departure from the Party. His parting was far from amicable following his challenge to Robert Corbin for the leadership. He was thrashed in the Party’s internal elections and vociferously made accusations of massive electoral malpractices which led to his ouster.

He openly questioned the Party’s electoral machinery and accused members including the leader of skulduggery.

He was integrally involved in the formation of the Alliance For Change which campaigned on the Obama-like message of change and accountability.

The PNCR leadership is still being accused of electoral malpractices following its August 2009 Congress.

Leading members who walked along with Raphael in the protests mentioned, made the accusations.

They have condemned the undemocratic practices they claim to be rampant within the PNCR.

What is clear is that despite Corbin’s victory, many who do not see themselves as sourpusses are unconvinced that the elections were transparent. Raphael shared these same sentiments when he was booted.

Many delegates at the recent PNCR Congress made public claims of being disenfranchised; being unable to cast a ballot despite their eligibility. Many provided examples of what they described as fraudulent electoral practices.

These are hard-core members of the PNCR; hard-core members like Raphael once was. Today, Raphael is in collusion with the said PNCR, the Party he and former colleagues have accused of hijacked elections. Today Raphael and members of the PNCR are marching hand-in-hand protesting against the administration.

Given the AFC’s position when they launched a few years back and their continuous call for transparency and accountability in government how is it that its leader, Raphael Trotman, is providing tacit support to the PNCR?

Why is Raphael integrally associated with the PNCR which is being accused of a lack of transparency and unaccountability? Why is he condoning things the PNCR is being accused of; things he condemned the government for? The AFC membership must demand from their leader an explanation of his blatant hypocritical shift in condoning what the PNCR is being accused of.

Is Raphael’s position that of the AFC? If it is, then the Party itself has become hypocritical in its stance on accountability and transparency. If it’s not, then they must demand that he immediately desists from this alliance with the PNCR.

This alliance, if not sanctioned by the executives and members of the AFC, must be damaging to its credibility. Decency will demand that politicians, such as Raphael who insist on adherence to fundamental principles in a democratic society, cease their opportunistic escapades as in the case of the AFC leader. He must be made to answer why he is in bed with a Party which clearly is a far distant from democracy.

Guyanese must intensify their calls for Raphael to so explain. The AFC rank and file members must be shocked to see their leader in such an alliance.

They, who were so encouraged by the said party to vote for change as it was so coined it, must be ruing the moment they associated themselves with the AFC.

They must be vociferous in their condemnation of their leader’s hypocritical maneuvers. His current stance is clearly an act of hypocrisy.

If not challenged by the executives and members of the AFC, then the Party will further be classified as one that abounds with hypocrisy. Guyana is now a democracy.

The AFC has articulated that their members, which include some prominent professionals, are free to question its leadership.

This is the defining moment in putting to test this articulation. Let’s see how free the AFC membership really is in questioning and demanding an end to its leader’s hypocritical adventures. If they don’t, then it would be accurate to conclude that hypocrisy really does abound within the AFC.
AARON SMITH

Bisram responds to Mervin
I am responding to a letter written by Emile Mervin in KN (Aug 27) claiming that Vishnu Bisram has been retained by the PPP government to defend it. Let it be known that the government has not hired Vishnu Bisram for any tasks, least of all relating to the 2011 elections. On numerous occasions, I penned (most recently on Tuesday in GC and KN) letters indicating I have serious issues with the PPP administration. It appears that Mervin has now joined Freddie Kissoon makings claims, assertions and allegations without evidence and that are untruthful. Mervin and Freddie are hoping that if they pen lies about me, they will succeed in destroying my reputation as an independent pollster thereby putting me out of commission for 2011. These chaps are operating from a willful strategic plan that will fail because people are seeing through their scheme of operation.

Mervin writes: “… Persaud appears to be the latest addition (Prem Misir and Vishnu Bisram are already on board) to the growing list of writers retained by the Government to defend its indefensible image in the run up to the 2011 elections”.

Does he have any evidence that Bisram is retained by the government? This claim is a figment of Mervin’s vivid imagination.

I am not an operative for any entity. Mervin is an exceptional writer and some of his analyses are quite good. But he will destroy these credentials if he wants to be like Freddie making claims that are illogical, irrational and without merit. Unless Mervin has substantive evidence, he should not make false claims and illogical assertions and deductions.
VISHNU BISRAM

Government should join with Brazilian investors to encourage others
THE PSC should aggressively push government to pursue a proposal from Brazil to build and fund a seaport in Guyana along with paving a Linden to Lethem road. I believe that a port in Berbice River (left bank) may be a better choice as it may be deeper and have more space for supporting facilities. It should not be too difficult to connect this road ultimately to Linden. A parallel railroad may be possible in later years. Government must join with Brazil investors to encourage other foreign and local investments in the varied ventures needed to support this project. Gerry Gouveia must make this the PSC primary economic goal.
N. AUGUSTUS

GPF 55th athletics Championships Final Day…
Guyana/ HQ lift champion’s trophies unchallenged
By Storme Moore

Members of Team Guyana display their spoils for photographers after just being named Champions of this year’s games.

TEAM Guyana and Headquarters earned the top accolades at the 55th Guyana Police Force Athletics Championships as they completed their landslide victories during yesterday’s final round of events.

Team Guyana vehemently overpowered Barbados, 111 points, and Trinidad and Tobago, 88 points, with their final score of 415 points.

The race was a bit tighter in the divisional competition which saw Headquarters with their 425 points being closely followed by Division A scoring 313 points, Division B finished in third place with 252 points and Division C closed out the rankings in fourth with their 130 points.

The crowd that turned out was not disappointed as the sprints had the entire congregation of spectators in a state of uproar.

Roxanna Rigby continued her winning streak as she took the 100m Girls’ (youth club) race in 12.1s ahead of Oreneca Haynes who clocked 12.8s and Mawava Maison who placed third with 13.4s.

The Boys’ half of this event was highly competitive with the top three finishers clocking in the 11 seconds time bracket. Okeme Stewart took the top prize with his 11.0s and Curtis Baynes, 11.2s, and Keon Abel, 11.4s, filled out the rankings in second and third places respectively.

The 100m Men ‘A’ Class was won by Senior National Champion, Michael Saul, in 10.5s ousting Trinidad’s Shane Dyer who came in just behind him with his 10.6s mark on the clock.

Former National Junior Champion Keith Roberts also had his say as he completed the series with his 10.7s third place timing.

The ‘B’ Class Men’s 100m race was won by Kordell Mentore in 11.02s who beat Winston George, 11.1s, and Trevor Benn, 11.3s, for the top spot. Leota Bobb dominated the Women’s 100m finishing in 12.1s ahead of Natasha Alder who clocked 13.0s and Gaylene Doris who clocked 13.4s.

Michael Saul completed his sprint double as he later claimed the 200m Men ‘A’ Class with his time of 22.0s, Keith Roberts was once again following in his trail as he took second place with his timing of 22.7s Emanuel Millington was third with 23.5s.

One of the more outstanding performances of the day was when Trevor Scotland, with his time of 51.2s, equaled the standing record in the 400m Men ‘B’ Class. It was a hot contest with race favourite Mark Edwards who clocked 51.3s. Shane Dyer struck gold in the 400m Men ‘A’ Class when he claimed the event in 53.1s ahead of Abraham Millington, 54.2s and Larry Josiah, 57.7s.

After presenting Guyana with the Champion’s trophy Commissioner of Police Henry Greene in his remarks said that he is “happy to have brothers and sisters from overseas police forces participate and make the event more competitive.”

In concluding he bade congratulations to all the participating teams for their outstanding performances.

India shoot down Test championship proposal - WICB chief
By Ajay S Shankar
West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) president, Julian Hunte has said that the Indian cricket board (BCCI) shot down a proposal mooted by the International Cricket Council (ICC) to organise Test cricket around the four-year Test championship cycle.

Hunte's revelation - the first official disclosure by an ICC board member following reports that the Test championship plan had faded - came in his report at the annual general meeting of the WICB this month.

"Initially, the ICC attempted to change the structure of the FTP beginning from 2012 in which international cricket would have more content and would play more as a Super League with a 4-year structure resulting in a World Cricket Championship [but this] failed when the BCCI rejected that proposal," Hunte said.

"This meant a return to the old practice of full members agreeing to a schedule of tours, which in effect places the power in the hands of the four biggest commercially valued members."

Hunte does not mention who those four are, but it is common knowledge that the boards of India, England, Australia and South Africa enjoy a dominating presence in the ICC boardroom. India earns a bulk of its revenue from TV rights and hence is not keen on a championship model that would lead to the setting up of a common broadcast cash pot.

It has, consequently, successfully pushed for the existing model, where members arrive at bilateral agreements with the danger of those at the bottom of the table being marginalised.

The post-2012 FTP is currently being finalised by the ICC, and Hunte said that the WICB "will seek to ensure that it is not disadvantaged" in the new schedule.

Hunte also claimed, in a section of the report that deals with IPL, that some ICC full members remain suspicious of the motives of private promoters in the game, and concluded by saying that world cricket is at the crossroads and much depends on decisions that will be taken by the ICC.

Hunte's report deals extensively with the WICB's dispute with its players that forced West Indies to name a second-string squad for the series against Bangladesh and the forthcoming Champions Trophy. But those comments are on expected and previously stated lines and Hunte blames the players for choosing not to represent the team and showing the "highest form of disregard and disdain for West Indies cricket". What is surprising, though, is that the document, which is essentially a report on West Indies cricket, contains significant comments on the FTP and IPL.

He lists a set of concerns related to the rise of Twenty20 cricket while also admitting that players have "embraced" the BCCI's IPL with its auctions and high-profile owners.

"The emergence of private promoters in cricket has been much debated and some Full Member countries retain their inherent suspicion of the real objectives of such promoters.

The ICC has drawn the line in relation to other leagues such the as ICL, which are not recognised by their home boards. Conversely, decision-making at the ICC affecting the IPL is often seemingly under the influence of some Full Members.

The WICB remains convinced that Full Members should in some way benefit financially from the IPL and expect to see a general tightening up with respect to the issuance of Non-Objection Certificates. With many challenges to be faced and overcome, the future of world cricket is now at the crossroads and much depends on the decisions which will have to be taken by ICC in the near future."

Hunte's concerns about the IPL are not surprising given that one of the roadblocks in the dispute between the West Indies board and players is the question of participation in the IPL.

Many of the West Indies players, including Chris Gayle, had wanted to be part of this year's IPL but were forced to fly to England midway to take part in a Test series that they claimed was arranged without obtaining prior consent from their association.

The IPL - which comes under the BCCI - has since clarified that players who have retired and even those not on central contracts with their national boards need to get a two-year NOC from their boards to be eligible for the IPL.

The Champions League Twenty20, of which the BCCI is a founding partner, has also invited Trinidad and Tobago, the West Indies' domestic toppers in the format, to participate in the tournament starting October 8 with total prize money of $6 million and a guaranteed fee of $500,000, apart from an unspecified payment for the respective national boards. (Cricinfo)

Bolt wins with late surge, Isinbayeva breaks world record
… Bekele triumphant in 5,000 metres
By Brian Homewood
ZURICH, (Reuters) - Olympic and world champion Usain Bolt won the 100 metres with a late surge at the Weltklasse Golden League meeting yesterday while Russian Yelena Isinbayeva broke her own world record in the women's pole vault.

Bolt, who was paraded around the Letzigrund stadium in a rickshaw before the meeting, was slow out of the blocks and trailed fellow Jamaican Asafa Powell with about 20 metres left.

But the irrepressible Bolt, who last week smashed the world record in astonishing style with a time of 9.58 seconds at the world championships in Berlin, found an extra burst of speed to win in 9.81.

Isinbayeva atoned for her Berlin flop by clearing 5.06 metres to beat her previous record set at last year's Beijing Olympics by one centimetre.

Ethiopia's Kenenisa Bekele, world and Olympic champion at 5,000 and 10,000 metres, comfortably won over the shorter distance in 12 minutes 52.32.

Bolt, the world and Olympic champion over 100 and 200 metres and world record holder in both sprints, finished the evening by producing an electrifying last leg as Jamaica won the 4x100 relay to beat the U.S. by three hundredths of a second.

"I would say this was a shaky race," Bolt said after the 100. "My body was sitting at the start, I was a little bit tired through the race.

"At the end, I needed to pick up my speed as my body did not respond well to the race."

Powell, third at the worlds, said: "This race gives me a lot of assurance that I can win races. I just need to work on the last part of the race.

"Now I know that I can beat Usain when everything works fine for me."

USEFUL EXPERIENCE
Isinbayeva, winner of the previous two world championship and Olympic Games titles, was still smarting from her failure in Berlin where she failed to clear the bar and left the field in tears.

Entering Friday's contest at 4.71 metres, Isinbayeva easily got over at her first attempt and also had no trouble with her next vault at 4.81.

The 27-year-old won the competition when Poland's world champion Anna Rogowska failed at 4.86, then sent the stadium into uproar by clearing 5.06, again at the first attempt, to break the outdoor record for the 15th time.

"In Berlin, I only had three jumps, so I felt fresh tonight. This is unbelievable, crazy," she said.

"I realised afterwards that it's important to win the contest first and then think about the world record. In that way, it (Berlin) was really useful for me."

Several athletes celebrated their wins at the world championships in style.

Lashawn Merritt, also the Olympic champion, won the 400 metres in 44.21, once again pushing his rival and fellow American Jeremy Wariner into second place.

The pair came into the back straight neck and neck but Merritt powered away to notch another win.

Sanya Richards won the women's 400 in a season's best 48.94 seconds, six hundredths better than her winning time in Berlin, ahead of fellow American Allyson Felix in second place.

Blanka Vlasic of Croatia won the women's high jump with 2.01 metres, three centimetres short of her winning leap in Berlin.

Kenya's Ezekiel Kemboi won the men's 3,000 steeplechase in 8:04.44, where Olympic champion and compatriot Brimin Kipruto finished back in eighth place.

Another world champion, Ryan Brathwaite of Barbados, finished third in the 110 metres hurdles.

Jamaica's Dwight Thomas won in 13.16, ducking over the line to pip Terrence Trammell of the U.S. by a hundredth of a second.

GCA/Cellink Plus First Division
Today’s semi-finalists express confidence
By Calvin Roberts
MALTEENOES Sports Club (MSC) and Everest Cricket Club grounds will be a buzz of activity today, when the Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA)/Cellink Plus sponsored two- day first division cricket competition semi- finals bowls off, with all four competitors expressing confidence ahead of today’s encounters.

At Thomas Lands, joint defending champions Guyana National Industrial Corporation (GNIC) and the home team MSC will do battle while at Camp Road, the Queenstown based Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) and home team Everest will face each other.

The MSC/GNIC clash should be one of interest, as both teams would be looking to outplay each other in the hope of proving who is the worthy champion and if the words of former Guyana and West Indies off- spinner cum WICB chairman of selectors Clyde Butts can be taken into context, a heated battle can be anticipated.

“It will be a good game, as we have always got a competitive one when we face them. Malteenoes has a good crop of young players, but the game is played on the field, therefore the team that plays the better cricket over the two days, will be the victorious one, with spin playing a major role in this fixture.”

While Butts was not mindful of placing a figure he would be looking to reduce his opponents under 200 if they chose to bowl first, he did say a small total will be the key whilst emphasising on a total above 300 if asked to take first strike, as first innings is the key in games such as these.

GNIC will be relying on the services of national Under-17 players in skipper and wicketkeeper/batsman Dexter Solomon and the belligerent Quincy Ovid-Richardson, Ranole Bourne, who is coming off of a five wicket haul in the last round against DCC, the veterans David Dick and Shawn De Souza as well as the father and son combination of Clyde and Collis Butts.

Skipper of MSC and former national and West Indies Under-19 captain and vice captain respectively Steven Jacobs told Chronicle Sport that his side will not be fazed by anything their opponents throw at them, as they have been a consistent unit throughout the competition.

“This is cricket and there is no room for complacency in a match of this nature, hence we will not be taking them (GNIC) lightly. We know what they will be throwing at us and we are prepared for it, but at the end of the day, it is the team that plays the better cricket and also shows that they want it, will come out on top.”

He further stated, “We will be looking for maximum batting points if asked to take first strike and with our batting line up which consists of a bunch of guys, some of whom are averaging over 50 in this tournament that should be achieved easily. Our bowling has been coming on leaps and bounds throughout the tournament also, thus restricting them to a manageable total should not be a difficult task for us.”

The home team will be calling on the services of Jacobs and national opener Shemroy Barrington, who recently returned from Canada, Danny Narayan who scored a double ton in the last round of the GCA/Raymond Panday/Cummings Electrical second division competition, Dion Ferrier, Orin Forde and Safraz Hussain.

When you add national Under-19 fast bowler Seon Daniels along with the competition’s leading wicket taker Damian Van Tull to the fray, MSC definitely have their work cut out for them in this match, where the winner whether on first innings points or outright, will guarantee themselves a place in the finals.

At Camp Road, the home team was cognisant of the fact that their opponents will be looking to pull out all stops in getting to the finals hence they have selected a squad balanced with youth and experience for this encounter.

National limited overs opener Rajendra Chandrika is back brimming with confidence and rearing to go, especially with the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Inter-county tournament just around the corner and with support from former national Under-19 players in Christopher Patadin and Troy Gonsalves, DCC can certainly expect a run for their money.

Former Guyana and West Indies Under-15 leg spinner Amir Khan, Ryan Rajmangal, Joseph Perry, Chanderpaul Hemraj, skipper Abhilash Dookie and the veteran Surendra Heeralall will be lending support to Chandrika and company.

In an invited comment, Dookie said that his side will be throwing all they have in their armory at their opponents with a spin based attack.

“National Under-19 fast bowler Leon Scott will be missing in action as he has not returned from overseas for this one, but when we make it into the final, rest assured he will be at the spearhead of our attack.”

“Having said that, the new ball will be taken care of by Patadin and myself, whilst Khan, Gonsalves, Hemraj, Heeralall and Javed Rasheed are expected to do the bulk of the bowling for us, as we seek to limit them to a score in the vicinity of 150 to 160 if asked to bowl first, whilst we will be looking to get over 300, as our aim is to bat once” said Dookie.

“We have left no stone unturned in our attempt to reach this far in the competition and it is with this in mind, that we will be entering the match with a batting lineup, looking to get over 350 if asked to bat first” said Dennis Squires.

He further stated, “We have an equally balanced team with a few all rounders who are capable of holding their own with the bat also and we are looking to come away with the championship but we can only do so if we play the right brand of cricket, which is positive cricket from ball one.”

They will be looking to the likes of Christopher Barnwell, Andrew Lyght Jnr, Darwin Christian, West Indies Under-19 selectee Trevon Griffith, Totaram Bishun, Deonauth Baksh, Trevon Garraway, Kevin George, Royston Alkins and Squires to take them past their opponents.

Action on both days commences at 09:30h., with Colin Alfred and Hortence Isaacs being the men in the middle at MSC while two of the country’s young umpires in Shannon Crawford and Nigel Duguid will direct the show at Everest.

Sri Lanka build big lead to seize control of second Test
COLOMBO, (Reuters) - Sri Lanka seized control of the second Test against New Zealand yesterday as they reached stumps on 157 for two with a lead of 339 runs.

Spinners Rangana Herath and Muttiah Muralitharan combined to take six wickets in dismissing New Zealand for 234 on the third morning, putting the hosts on course for a series sweep.

Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara gave his team another solid platform with an unbeaten 64 from 90 balls, a fluent innings that included seven fours and a six.

The left-hander shared an unbroken partnership of 68 with Mahela Jayawardene, who scored 23 not out, before rain curtailed the day's play 12 overs early.

Tillakaratne Dilshan was the first casualty of the second innings, caught for 33 off spinner Jeetan Patel.

Just before tea, opener Tharanga Paranavitana (34) was adjudged to have gloved an attempted sweep off Daniel Vettori and was given out caught behind.

New Zealand, trailing 0-1 in the two-game series, resumed on 159 for five before losing their remaining batsmen for 51 runs as Sri Lanka forged a formidable 182-run lead.

Off- spinner Muralitharan claimed 3-71 from 25.4 overs and left-armer Herath took 3-70 from 34 overs.

Sri Lanka reached the lunch interval on two without loss in their second innings with both Dilshan and Tharanga Paranavitana on one not out.

Ross Taylor was New Zealand's top scorer with a three-hour 81 from 155 balls with 10 boundaries.

Brendon McCullum (18) was the first to fall in the morning as he edged Muralitharan to Mahela Jayawardene at slip, the former captain's 150th catch in test cricket.

Herath then claimed the key scalp of Taylor, the right-hander edging behind.

New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori rallied the visitors briefly with 23, helping his team to avoid the follow on, before Chamara Kapugedera held on to a juggling catch at short leg off part-time spinner Dilshan.

Herath and Muralitharan quickly mopped up the tail, with Jacob Oram out for 24 and Iain O'Brien lbw for four.

SRI LANKA first innings:
416 (T. Samaraweera 143, M. Jayawardene 92, K. Sangakkara 50)

New Zealand first innings (overnight 159-5)

T. McIntosh lbw Prasad 5

M. Guptill c Muralitharan b Thushara 35

D. Flynn c P Jayawardene b Thushara 13

R. Taylor c P Jayawardene b Herath 81

J. Ryder c Paranavitana b Herath 23

J. Patel c M Jayawardene b Muralitharan 1

B. McCullum c M Jayawardene b Muralitharan 18

J. Oram c Kapugedera b Herath 24

D. Vettori c Kapugedera b Dilshan 23

I. O'Brien lbw b Muralitharan 4

C. Martin not out 0 Extras: (lb-3, w-2, nb-2) 7

Total: (all out; 77.4 overs) 234

Fall of wickets: 1-14 2-49 3-63 4-148 5-149 6-183 7-183 8-226 9-234

Bowling: Dilshan 3-0-12-1, Thushara 9-2-37-2 (nb-2, w-1), Prasad 6-0-41-1 (w-1), R.Herath 34-11-70-3, Muralitharan 25.4-2-71-3

SRI LANKA second innings:

T. Dilshan c Guptill b Patel 33

T. Paranavitana c McCullum b Vettori 34

K. Sangakkara not out 64

M. Jayawardene not out 23

Extras: (w-1, nb-2) 3 Total: (two wickets; 45.2 overs) 157

Fall of wickets: 1-56 2-89

Bowling (to date): Vettori 14-2-36-1, O'Brien 8-1-41-0 (nb-2, w-1), Martin 5-0-13-0, Patel 18.2-2-67-1 .

Federer wants sixth U.S. slam to thank fans
By Larry Fine
NEW YORK, (Reuters) - Roger Federer would like to repay New York fans for their support by treating them to a sixth successive U.S. Open tennis triumph at the year's last grand slam beginning on Monday.

Federer is one step away from matching the feat accomplished by Bill Tilden, who won six U.S. national titles in a row from 1920 before the championships were open to professionals.

"The fans really turned it around for me, and that's why this year I'm so excited going back there," Federer, 28, told reporters after winning the Cincinnati Masters this month.

"I hope I can again show them what I can do on a tennis court."

Federer came to New York at a low point last year, losing a spectacular Wimbledon final to Rafael Nadal, losing his number one ranking to the Spaniard and then losing in his bid for Olympic singles gold in Beijing.

The Swiss rode a rousing wave of fan support to clinch his fifth Open at Flushing Meadows, however, and this year won his first French Open to complete a career grand slam.

He then went on to reclaim the Wimbledon title in July for a record 15th grand slam crown to surpass American great Pete Sampras.

"They were great," Federer said of his New York reception. "Like all the cab drivers and everybody was stopping to wish me luck.

"It was something that I've never really experienced before in New York. I think that really helped turn it around for me."

NEXT STEP
Federer's primary challengers have their own cause for optimism at the Open.

World number two Andy Murray of Britain, runner-up to Federer last year after advancing to his first grand slam final, believes he is ready to take the next step.

"I believe that if I play well, I can obviously win the tournament," said Murray, who has won five tournaments this year including four on hard courts.

The Scotsman's win this month in Montreal leapfrogged him into the number two ranking above Rafael Nadal, who lost rankings points while sidelined with tendinitis in both knees.

Australian Open winner Nadal, working his way back to form, needs an Open title to complete his career slam.

Last year he advanced to the semi-finals, where he lost to Murray. Encouraged by his recovery from injury, the Spaniard told reporters he had a chance to win in Flushing Meadows, drawing admiration from Murray.

"Rafa, he's hungry," Murray said. "His tennis might not be as good as at the start of this year. But I think he's going to be very hungry having missed the big tournament in Wimbledon and he'll want to come back strong here."

But Murray cautioned that the Open's hard courts could slow Nadal down. "These are the toughest courts to come back on. They are so hard and sticky. It really does hurt the joints."

Andy Roddick, whose 27 singles titles includes the 2003 U.S. Open championship, has adopted a new fitness regime working with Larry Stefanki, his fourth coach since 2003.

The American hopes to build on his gallant effort at Wimbledon where he fell to Federer, 16-14, in the fifth set.

U.S. Davis Cup coach Patrick McEnroe said he thought fifth-ranked Roddick could use that as a springboard.

"I believe it's motivated him," McEnroe said about the Davis Cup stalwart. "I believe Andy believes he can do it. What he did at Wimbledon showed that he's actually improved as a player and matured as a person."

Serbian world number four Novak Djokovic also looms as a major threat on the hard courts and has struck a rich vein of form in recent weeks.

The 2008 Australian Open champion hammered Rafael Nadal in straight sets in their semi-final at Cincinnati, before being outplayed by Federer in the final on Sunday.

"Unfortunately I was born in the wrong era," lamented the 22-year-old, who has been beaten in four other finals this year, including two to Nadal and one to Murray.

Another challenger is Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro, who came of age at this level during the French Open, stretching Federer to five sets in the semi-finals.

The towering 20-year-old beat Roddick in the Washington final before falling just short against Murray in Montreal and is now eager to secure his place among the elite.

Late goals spoil Jabloteh’s hopes
SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras, (CMC) – San Juan Jabloteh conceded two goals in the space of four minutes at the end to crash to a 3-1 loss and squander a share of the points in their CONCACAF Champions League clash with Marathon on Wednesday night.

The match seemed headed for a 1-1 stalemate after Mario Berrios had put the local club ahead in the ninth minute and Noel Williams equalized for the Trinidadian Pro League outfit a minute before half-time.

But with four minutes left in the match, Mauricio Sabillon broke the deadlock and Walter Martinez then put the seal on the match with his stoppage time strike.

The loss was the second straight for Jabloteh while the Hondurans picked up their second victory on the trot.

Playing in the Group B fixture at the Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano, Marathon went ahead early when Jerry Palacios played a deft backheel into the area and Berrios, with the aid of a deflection, beat goalkeeper Cleon John with his resulting shot.

Jabloteh almost drew even in the 15th minute when Dennis Lawrence released Marvin Oliver but he bungled the finish with only custodian Juan Obelar to beat.

Both goalkeepers were then kept active as both teams played open, attacking football without getting on the scoresheet, and the game seemed destined to head to the break at 1-0 when the Trinidadians struck.

They were awarded a penalty after Marathon defender Erick Norales was called for a handball in the area and Williams stepped up to send Obelar the wrong way and restore parity.

After the break, both teams frustratingly chased the elusive winner without any success. Marathon squandered a superb opportunity to retake the lead when they were awarded a penalty in the 80th minute but John made a save to keep the Trinidadians in the game.

It all fell apart moments later, however, as Sabillon volleyed in Martinez’ cross from the left side before the provider turned scorer in stoppage time, to dash Jabloteh’s hopes.

Jabloteh now face a tough fixture when they clash with American Major League Soccer side DC United on September 15.

Kirsten warns of India threat at Champions Trophy
CHENNAI, India, (Reuters) - India will recover quickly from their early exit at the Twenty20 World Cup and are certain to mount a serious challenge at the Champions Trophy in South Africa next month, coach Gary Kirsten said.

India have recalled Rahul Dravid to the one-day team for the first time in almost two years to bolster their batting on pacy South African pitches at the Sept. 22-Oct. 5 Champions Trophy.

A young Indian batting unit struggled against short-pitched bowling in the Twenty20 World Cup in England in June.

"We have had a good run right from the tour of Australia and there is great team spirit, though the World Twenty20 was a setback," the former South Africa opener told reporters after the national team's training camp in Bangalore on Thursday.

"We are very positive and all of us want to move on," Kirsten said.

India, who will also participate in a tri-series in Sri Lanka that featuring New Zealand from Sept. 8-14, have not lost a one-day series in the past year following a surprise tri-series victory in Australia last February.

"We take pride in our consistency over a long period. It is a quality team and the players are mentally fresh and look good physically too," Kirsten said.

"It is good to have Rahul Dravid back in the team. He adds massive value to the team," Kirsten said of the former captain, who is only the second Indian after Sachin Tendulkar to score over 10,000 runs in both test and one-day forms.

Tendulkar has also returned after opting out of the one-day series in the West Indies, which the tourists won 2-1 last month, but explosive opener Virender Sehwag will miss both tournaments after undergoing shoulder surgery.

Ishant Sharma will spearhead the five-man pace attack in the absence of experienced left-armer Zaheer Khan, who has been ruled out of action until the end of the year after undergoing surgery on an injured shoulder.

Serena out to prove she is world's best
By Larry Fine
NEW YORK, (Reuters) - Serena Williams is baffled that she is not world number one and a third grand slam success of the year at the U.S. Open, which starts on Monday, will underline her claim to be the top women's player.

Holder Williams is the world number two and second seed at Flushing Meadows behind Russian Dinara Safina but is aching to once again assert herself in the spotlight of Arthur Ashe Stadium court at the National Tennis Center.

The 11 grand slam singles titles won by Serena, including this year's Australian and Wimbledon crowns, compared to none for Safina, make the 27-year-old American number one in the minds of most fans and many players.

Flushing Meadows rivals also include her sister and seven times major winner Venus, the third seed, Olympic champion Elena Dementieva, 2008 runner-up Jelena Jankovic of Serbia and former winners Maria Sharapova and Kim Clijsters.

Serena can seem lost at regular tour stops -- she failed to win once this year in 11 non-slam events and fell in the first round three times -- but her competitive fire burns bright at the majors.

"I'd win zero tournaments in order to win the Open again," she said about a hardcourt season that saw her lose her third matches at Stanford and Cincinnati before falling in the Toronto semi-finals to eventual winner Dementieva.

Serena cannot reclaim the number one spot even if she lifts the trophy in New York and Safina suffers a first-round exit.

However, the American can take another step up the career ladder since her next major crown will tie her with Billie Jean King for sixth place among women's grand slam singles winners.

Safina does not apologise for her status, achieved through consistent excellence through the rigours of a long season.

This year the 23-year-old has won three titles, was runner-up at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, and was a semi-finalist at Roland Garros.

She believes her breakthrough is only a matter of time.

"I didn't do the ranking system," said Safina. "It's the result of how you play the whole year, not just the four slams."

Yet Jankovic, who also reached number one last year despite lacking a slam win, cited another Safina shortcoming.

"To be number one, you should be complete and if you are number one you have to be beating the Williams sisters."

Safina is a combined 2-9 against the Williams duo.

Young players that could be poised to advance deep into the tournament include Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, Sabine Lisicki of Germany and Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland.

Special attention will be paid to Sharapova, the 2006 champion from Russia who has returned this season after a nine-month absence following surgery on her right shoulder, and to Belgian Clijsters, the 2005 winner.

Despite a diminished serve Sharapova reached the Toronto final before bowing to compatriot Dementieva 6-4 6-3.

The 26-year-old Clijsters, less than a month into her comeback after two years off and the birth of her first child, has beaten four top-20 players including French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova in her first two events back.