Glen Lall met U.S Embassy Official at Celina's Atlantic Resort

Click the photo above to view an email correspondence between Kaieteur News publisher Glen Lall and a U.S Embassy official.

Glen Lall looking for sympathy after snitching on his drug buddies

Kaieteur News seeking sympathy

The recent behav­ior by the Kaieteur News, more specifically its pub­lisher Glen Lall and his edi­tor-in-chief, the former PNC New Nation/Chronicle Edi­tor Adam Harris, falls in just such a category.

For months on end, those behind the Kaieteur News were licking their lips awaiting the dooms day Wikileaks cables on their arch enemy, the govern­ment and more specifically President Bharrat Jagdeo. What they did not count on were the damaging rev­elations about the alleged ‘underworld’ links with the newspaper and its publisher and the admission by the US Embassy that the Kai­eteur News was more of a ‘sensationalist’ rather than substance.

It is too numerous to men­tion the number of times the Kaieteur News has splashed huge headlines across its front page, with only a few supporting reference lines of no substance, just to entice the public to purchase the paper. Some would say this amounts’ to a ‘con’ by the paper deliberately setting out to deceive the public. Then there is the grotesque images splashed across its pages.

Added to that is the penchant for the tabloid to engross itself in rumor mon­gering and using these as headline stories. Everyone has lost track of apologies and retractions by this vi­cious anti-government en­tity and the numerous libel cases filed against it.

So it was rather funny when Lall used his editor-in-chief to embark on a damage control campaign following the Wikileaks ex­posure and speculation of his alleged ‘underworld’ dealings and unexplained accumulation of wealth.

Kaieteur News began to preach journalism ethics to a fellow private newspaper and the state paper for pub­lishing unsubstantiated alle­gations as contained in the leaked US cables against its boss man and even more so by using sensationalist head­lines. As usual it descended to its gutter style buse-out of who is a homosexual and who does what with whom. One wonders where are the voices of organizations such as the Guyana Human Rights Association, SASOD and the other groups, who are usually keen on scream­ing publicly about people’s rights, when a national news­paper such as the Kaieteur News publicly engages in and encourages homopho­bia behavior in society?

Such crude behavior by Kaieteur News clearly illus­trates that the ones behind it were caught off guard by the harsh assessment towards them by the local US embas­sy. No doubt their impression prior to the Wikileaks revela­tion was that they were off the US radar and even more so, since the reports have revealed the alleged conver­sations the Kaieteur News publisher had with both US authorities and through in­termediaries, where he re­portedly accused some local businessmen of having links with drug dealers.

One businessman, Om­prakash Shivraj, who was identified by name in that ca­ble, has since come out with a public statement defending and disclosing the nature of financing he acquired from the local banks to establish the hotel at Providence, EBD and accused Lall of having a personal vendetta against him.

If the US embassy cable is true, then it would clearly illustrate that Glen Lall de­liberately lied and misled the US administration about a legitimate businessman.

One now has to wonder if there were other such indi­viduals he accused of being corrupt and what the nature of his allegations was. Sadly, were it not for the revelations in the cable, the business­man would not have had the opportunity to defend himself as he was not aware of what was being said about him by Lall to the diplomatic com­munity.

While the diplomat’s did not object to Lall’s machina­tions for obvious reasons, it is clear what were their thoughts of him as the very cable described him as hav­ing a sketchy past.

The narcissistic be­havior of the entity’s publish­er has no doubt taken a mas­sive hit by this allegation.
Following this, in a most amazing about turn, Kaieteur News, which has gone out of its way to use selective bits of Wikileaks cables to push its anti-government cam­paign, appealed to the public through an editorial to not be­lieve what was contained in the US cables about Lall.

Such is the brazen hypo­critical nature of this media entity.

However, it is clear their initial eagerness at the impending release of the Wikileaks cables has now been deflated and has turned into contortion, as it is a strong possibility that more such cables even more damning about those behind Kaieteur News may very well come to the fore.

This could have very well be the reason why the newspaper recently pub­lished a front page comment that it feared efforts will be made to prosecute those as­sociated with the entity and as usual trying to put itself as the victim.

One wonders if Kaieteur News is so concerned that it may be prosecuted, what does it know that it has not told the public?

Ramjattan's candidacy causing the AFC to loose grounds gained in 2006.

-Less than 15 attend AFC public meeting in Georgetown

All the evidence seen so far indicates that Khemraj Ramjattan's candidacy is causing the Alliance For Change (AFC) to loose most(if not all) the ground it gained in 2006 when disenchanted PNC supporters voted overwhelmingly for that party. So far AFC public meetings in North and South Sophia, Kitty, Albouystown, several villages on the West Coast of Demerara and Berbice have received luke-warm responses. With a few of them having to be called off after no one turned up. This has been attributed by commentators to several factors which include Ramjattan's uninspiring candidacy, little or no political ground work done by that party to capitalize on the gains made in 06 and the PNC's latest attempt at baggage shedding through the creation of APNU. On Saturday the AFC held another public meeting in a South Georgetown ward and though the event featured several of the party's heavy weights, including its presidential candidate, it attracted less than 15 persons.

Largest private US oil company interested in Guyana

Vice-President of Anadarko Petroleum Corporation,
Ian Cooling, meets President Bharrat Jagdeo.
Also in picture is GGMC’s Petroleum Division Head, Newell Dennison

GUYANA’S rich, under-explored offshore area continues to attract the attention of major oil and gas companies hoping to pursue exploration.
Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, an independent oil and gas company in the United States, which is considered the world's largest independent oil and gas exploration and production company, is the latest to be brainstorming the prospects of a franchise operation in Guyana’s territory.
Head of the Petroleum Division of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), Newell Dennison, Thursday, accompanied officials of Anadarko to a meeting with President Bharrat Jagdeo at his State House residence.
Vice President, Business Development of Anadarko, Ian J. Cooling, who led the delegation, later told the Government Information Agency (GINA) that the company’s interest in Guyana stemmed from its research on the country’s offshore area.
“We like areas like what we are seeing, (and) the sort of potential we think is here. It’s (offshore area) pretty much under-explored right now,” Cooling said in an invited comment.
Anadarko is at present conducting a geological assessment of the region and given what has been observed thus far, Cooling said it fits the environment in which the company has always shown interest.
“We look for frontier areas, we look for deep waters… we think the Government of Guyana needs to bring some people in that are technically capable and financially capable to do some work. We’re hoping we’re going to be selected to do that,” Cooling said.
While their optimism is high, the company officials have acknowledged that they have a long way to go, beginning with years of preparatory work.
The Guyana offshore area is considered the second most attractive under-explored basin in the world, with a potential of 15.2 billion barrels of oil; and were a discovery to be made, targets would be estimated at 50 million barrels per year which would be equivalent to 140,000 barrels per day.
Last November, Tullow Oil, a London-based company, had announced to President Jagdeo its readiness to drill for oil by April this year in the Jaguar well, through a joint venture with REPSOL, a leading international oil exploration company out of Spain.
President Jagdeo is of the view that discovery of oil will lead to an explosion of immediate and auxiliary services to the oil and gas industry, but assured that Guyana’s path along a low-carbon course would not be compromised.
In April, Prime Energy LLC- Caribbean, a United States-based petroleum company, proposed to construct the first ever oil refinery in Guyana, which officials say will create employment opportunities for approximately 100 persons.
President of the company, Jerry Brooks, had explained that the interest to establish a refinery in Guyana was stimulated by the fact that several countries around the world are looking for 20,000 barrels a day refineries, given the high cost incurred to transport crude oil to the US for refining. (GINA)

US official found PNC's offer to help topple gov't seditious-Wikileaks Cable

Former Charge d’ Affaires at the US Embassy in Georgetown, Michael Thomas in a diplomatic cable released by whistle-blowing website Wikileaks spoke favourably about President Jagdeo's elevation of several army officers which later resulted in Commodore Gary Best's leadership of the army following the departure of Brigadier Edward Collins.
However he found the offer of its willingness to lend support to Guyanese desirous of toppling the PPP/C administration by the PNC as a response to the act to be seditious

Thomas wrote:

Amid the shake-up in the GDF top brass, the main

opposition party, the People's National Congress Reform

(PNCR), offerd to lend support to any Guyanese who seek to

topple President Jagdeo's administration. PNCR leader Rober

Corbin, speaking at a rally against the shake-up, said "I

want to sound a warning to that gentleman... He is touching

the wrong people... and now they are tinkering with the Army,

and I want to say to you, long time gone, short time left."

PNCR Chairman, Winston Murray, told the rally that the party

was willing to offer leadership to those Guyanese who might

want to "come out to the streets and demonstrate to the

government that they want them out." This "mass rally"

attracted only 300 participants, 200 of whom were delegates

to the conference of the Guyana Youth Socialist Movement.

Only one newspaper covered the potentially seditious remarks.

Freddie Shit-soon should wear a wig

T.KING: FREDDIE Kissoon said: “No leader behaves the way Bharrat Jagdeo does.
Awarded the title Champion of the Earth by the UN, Mr. Jagdeo invited a large gathering of citizens to the Convention Centre to offer a speech of acceptance.
All the diplomats were there. Then the President launched in a condemnation of some of his critics. No intellectual language was used; a cuss-down.”

Freddie let me show you how foolish and downright silly you really are. Do you want President Jagdeo to behave the way you want him to? To sit and write like you do; total crap about others on a daily basis without proof!
If you were to ask a majority of Guyanese they will tell you Freddie that you are one barefaced human being. You are not proud to be East Indian so you want President Jagdeo to dance to your loony tune and say as you say.
You want all East Indian Guyanese to be as ignorant as you are. Why do you not paint your face and wear a wig when you go on protests with your bosses like Benschop and Lewis?
President Jagdeo and East Indian Guyanese do not like seeing you looking like Indian when you are with your bosses on the street protesting.
Paint your face and wear a wig Freddie, and the President and all Guyanese will be proud of you and dance to your loony tunes.

ILL HEALTH FORCES THE AFC'S SHEILA HOLDER OUT OF ELECTIONS RACE

The AFC's Sheila Holder has confirmed that she will be withdrawing as the party's prime ministerial candidate at the upcoming elections due to her ill health. This announcement came after the state media reported in May of this year that doctors described her health condition as deteriorating. They also quoted a source close to the Party who said that Holder was advised to avoid rigorous workloads which could aggravate her condition. This report was however, denied by the party which accused the state media of 'outright dishonesty' and 'fabrications'.

Also in February this year, Holder had to be rushed to a city hospital after taking ill suddenly. Before that bout of illness, she had to undergo surgery for an unrelated health condition. The announcement of her withdrawal has created a vacuum within the party as there are many aspirants for the party's prime ministerial candidacy.

Guyana made good progress towards eradicating extreme poverty and hunger-MDG Report

MINISTER of Finance Dr. Ashni Singh today launched Guyana’s 2011 Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Progress Report, eleven years after the signing of the Millennium Declaration, under which the Goals were agreed to by the international community.

The report took stock of the country’s progress on development, with specific reference to the MDGs.In his presentation he said that Guyana has made very good progress towards eradicating extreme poverty and hunger. According to the Minister, the country has met the target of halving the proportion of people who suffer from hunger, and has improved its performance in reducing poverty and increasing employment. The proportion of the population living in extreme poverty has declined from 28.7% in 1993 to 18.6% in 2006. While the overall unemployment rate fell from 11.7% in 1992 to 10.7% in 2006 and the percentage of youths who constitute the employed labour force increased from 8.7% to 15.8% over the same period.

Bribes, free speech, anti-corruption court -AFC antics

On Wednesday August 10 2011 the Alliance For Change through its former Presidential Candidate Raphael Trotman, announced that his party will establish an anti-corruption court in Guyana were it elected to Government at the upcoming polls.

Even more hilarious than its Dick Morris poll prior to the 2006 elections, is their latest revelation of being in contact with foreign experts to establish such a court as they prepare to enter Government.

Surprisingly, this opposition politician who has been a career Attorney-At- Law was quoted by the media as saying he does not need to find proof of corruption to prosecute persons.

Everyone knows that the AFC’s mantra has been to criticize at every opportunity, but what is troubling is as we near the elections period, the promises of this party is getting more extravagant. It is clear that this political outfit has long ago divorced itself from reality in its desperate quest for political power in Guyana.

Surely this is a very dangerous trend as based on these larger than life promises of the AFC; one year in Government would see Guyana being transformed into the land of milk and honey with the problems of the world all around us having absolutely no effect on our nation. Such is the magnitude of the deceptive nature of the individuals in this party.

Now if such a court were to be established, there is a strong likelihood that some of the first individuals to be put on trial may be the party executives themselves.
One local businessman openly came out recently and accused a senior member of the AFC Mr Sasenarine Singh of accepting bribes, and disclosed the nature of their illegal arrangement. The businessman even threatened to make public other related information of which he said he had proof.
But this was quickly stopped when the AFC executive moved to the high court to obtain an injunction barring the businessman from making any further disclosures. So much for the AFC’s stance regarding free-speech, access to information and corruption.

How can we also forget the damning allegations made by one Prakash Persaud against both the AFC’s current Presidential Candidate Khemraj Ramjattan, and his predecessor Raphael Trotman, in an open letter to the High Court pleading for justice in which, he alleges incidences of perjury, fraud and/or embezzlement and unbecoming conduct regarding their involvement in a land dispute.

What lends credence to the allegations is that both the businessman who admitted that he is a PNC supporter, and at one time part of its elections slate and Mr. Persaud, who admitted that the Trotman’s and Ramjattan were close family friends of his, is the bold decision to make such details public.

But it does not end there as only recently PPP Presidential Candidate Mr. Donald Ramotar had cause to disclose that one of the first disagreements the party had with Ramjattan, which eventually led to him leaving the party, was at a meeting himself and Mrs. Janet Jagan had with him, regarding the nature of people he was representing, many of whom were smugglers or suspected smugglers.

According to Ramotar, even the then Head of CUSTOMS Mr. Lambert Marks had complained bitterly to the PPP about the types of cases Ramjattan was taking in his representation of smugglers, something which he thought was not proper. Ramjattan is reported to have indicated that he is a lawyer and he can defend whomever he likes.
Then there is also the allegation of a certain AFC MP involved in a duty free concession scam, and how could one forget accusations leveled against Trotman, Ramjattan and Holder by no other than a fellow senior executive member of the AFC at the time, Mrs. Gaumattie Singh, in September 2006.

Singh had accused the AFC of playing musical chairs with the parliamentary seats it won following the party’s decision to appoint Chantelle Smith as a MP, after it reneged on a promise before the elections that she would be appointed to such a position.

Gaumattie had also disclosed Trotman’s response to her via an email to justify the move in which he stated it was solely ‘to guarantee income for Smith and it was necessary to provide such a benefit for her at the time”. Kickbacks for friends and supporters of the party using taxpayer’s money in the National Assembly. Singh was also quoted in the media as saying that “the reason given by Trotman for Smith’s selection for parliament is one that did not auger well for the country as persons should be chosen as MPs to serve the interest of the nation and not to have a self-serving interest” as in the case of the AFC.

What proves equally self-serving is the party’s position on the Amaila Falls Hydro project, which once again illustrates that the party has specific messages for different audiences.
When Trotman announced plans for the establishment of an ‘Anti-Corruption court’ and indicated that opposition politicians do not need to find proof of corruption, he listed the Amailia Falls project as a case in point.

Here it is Trotman is making such a damning allegation against this project when a senior executive member of his very own party is a business partner in the project with responsibility for public relations.

Even more so, the party was questioned a few weeks ago by the media as to the nature of such a relationship especially since it was making such allegations against the project when no other than the party’s Presidential Candidate Khemraj Ramjattan indicated that he would not deny Hughes a chance to earn income through her association with the project.

So here it is one of the party’s Executive Members has been publicly defending the legitimacy of the project and the contractor involved, and on the other hand when it’s convenient the very same party is insinuating that there is some illegitimacy involved in its smear campaign against the Government.

Such is the two faced nature of the AFC and all Guyanese must be on their guard to expose and dismiss these individuals when they come around with their specific messages for specific communities which only serves to create division within our society for their self serving agenda.

Cabinet Secretary dismisses Wikileaks cables as hearsay and unsubstantiated opinion.