ICTimes May08

TIMES

I ndo- Caribb ean Rita

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Vol 2. No 5 May 2008

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V.C.C. issues stamp to mark Centenary Year Huge celebration of 100 years of Indo-Caribbean Arrival in Canada on May 31

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f you want to get your hands on a unique, once in a lifetime commemorative stamp marking the 100th anniversary of IndoCaribbean Arrival in Canada, the place to be is the Vedic Cultural Centre on May 31. The VCC will be selling keepsake sheets of the stamps to those attending their major celebration of the Centenary in Canada and the 170th anniversary of the arrival of Indians in the West. The coming of the ships Hesperus and Whitby to Demerara on May 5, 1838 is the starting point for Indians in the West. It is also celebrated as South Asian Arrival Day in Canada, as part of South Asian Heritage Month each May. This year the VCC will be bringing out the best of the last ten years in it annual exhibition and cultural program. Plays, displays, dances and exhibits that were well received in the past will be shown again. Among the items sure to catch the eye are a display of several dozen photographs of the Indian indentured immigrants in the Caribbean in the nineteenth century, a display of Indo-Caribbean achievers in Canada

and the Caribbean that was first shown at the Museum of Hindu Civilization last year. The program will also recognize the earliest known pioneer settler from the Caribbean to Canada, Dr Kenneth Mahabir of Trinidad, who began the settlement in Canada when he arrived here in 1908 to study medicine. Guest speaker is Nalini Mohabir, the

Daughter of Professor Kenny the latest victim

Kidnappings on the rise again in TT

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our kidnappings in the last month have raised fears that the kidnapping epidemic is one the rise again. The last two kidnaps of businessman Amar Bachan and businesswomen Phillipa Talma were multimillion dollar high profile cases where the kidnappers successfully extracted large sums of money from relatives and escaped capture. After a quiet start to the year, kidnappers went on overdrive in April, starting with the April 14 kidnapping of Dr Murrie Mosodeen in front her Cocoyea apartment. She was robbed of her Toyota Corolla motorcar, valued at $150,000, and left tied up in an abandoned house in Penal Rock road. She untied herself and escaped. Then on April 22, Central businessman Amar Bachan was snatched outside a Chaguanas restaurant by bandits driving a BMW motor car. A five million dollar ransom was asked for Bachan, who owns a transport and equipment rental company. He was released after the payment of an unspecified ransom. On May 2 boutique owner Philippa Talma was snatched in Maraval and a mil-

lion dollar ransom demanded. Talma is the daughter of Professor Julien Kenny , retired lecturer from the University of the West Indies and well known environmentalist. Talma was released Philippa Talma nine days later after a ransom of f $53,000 was paid to the kidnappers. On May 14 , a 14 year old schoolgirl Amrika Ramdial, was snatched by two men outside Holy Faith Convent in Couva, and a $1m US ransom demanded. Other kidnaps this year include: La Horquetta businessman Dave Seebaran, taken from his home in early April,with $100,000 ransom demanded. He was released the next day. Shannon Bedasie, a 13 year old girl snatched from her Couva home on February 12 and released near the Queen’s Park Savannah, Port-of-Spain two days later. Zalina Mohammed, Central businesswoman, kidnapped in February, and released after part of $1m ransom paid. Investment, Retirement, Tax and Estate Planning Risk Management and Insurance RRSP, RRIF, LIRA, RESP, ETF STOCK, BOND, MUTUAL FUND, GIC Insurance: Life, Disability, Critical Illness, Travellers & Visitors

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Canadian researcher who went to India recently to help set up a system for IndoCaribbeans to trace their long lost relatives in India. Nalini is doing here research on the Resurgence, the last ship that returned Indian immigrants to India in the year 1955. Mr. Michael Chan, Ontario Minister of Immigration and Citizenship, is one of the guest speakers at the May 31 function.

Burning of Jagdeo effigy, but no riots, beatings, fires ..yet

PNCR begins street protests in Guyana

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he opposition PNCR has beguna series of street protests against rising prices, the suspension of the license of C.N. Sharma and other problems in the society. The actions have raised fears in the Indian population that they could lead to a repeat of the street riots, beatings, and burning of commercial buildings that have characterized many similar street protests in the past. For the moment the PNCR has been content to let marchers in its fairly small protests burn effigies of President Jagdeo, and call for the removal of the government. Security forces have been monitoring the protestests very carefully, looking for any sign of rowdy behaviour that were typical of the “slow fyah” and “mo fyah” campaigns of previous PNC protests that were openly aimed at bringing down the government. Overseas Guyanese in particular have been following the events cautiously and quietly urging the Jagdeo government to stand firm and put down any violence.

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This is definitely one to mark off on your calendar for South Asian Heritage Month. Several other functions marking the IndoCaribbean Centenary are also scheduled for the next few weeks. On May 25 the Fifty Plus and Seniors Association will be marking Indian Arrival Day at their meeting at the Birkdale Community Centre, 1299 Ellesmere Road, Scarborough from 1.30 p.m. On Sunday June 1 the Indo-Caribbean Times and indocaribbeanheritage.com web site are collecting and revealing IndoCaribbean arrival stories as they mark the Centenary at BJ’s Family Restaurant, 1747 Albopn Road, Etobicoke, from 4 pm. Several other Hindu temples, community groups, churches, and seniors groups in Ontario, Manitoba and as far as British Columbia are holding events to mark the IndoCaribbean Centenary. It’s a good time to remind ourselves that our community has a long history in this country, and is growing at a brisk pace as we move towards a second century in Canada our new home.

Daughter of the jahajis from Guadeloupe

This beautiful young girl at prayer reminds us that many jahajis went to Guadeloupe and have retained much of their Indian culture and heritage. Picture by J.S. Sahai.

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CANADA & COMMUNITY NEWS

TT seniors graduate from 1 year computer course with honours

Indo-Caribbean Times

Canada to apologise to Indo-Canadians for Komagata Maru tragedy of 1914

Finally, Canada will formally apologise to the Indians for the Komagata Maru tragedy of 1914 and acknowledge the hurt caused to the community. The Komagata Maru ship brought 376 Indians to Canada in 1914 in violation of the racist immigration laws of that time. But it was into allowed to anchor here and forcibly sent back to India after two months. On its return to India, many passengers were shot dead by British India police in Calcutta. Shirley Russell (centre) receives her certificate from Farouk Hydal (right) President of the Trinidad and Tobago 50 Plus & Seniors Association of Canada at a recent graduation ceremony, with enthusiastic support from Indra Mohammed (left) and Aliceson McLethcie (right). They were all part of the 30 strong seniors group from the association who graduated from the year long course at Seneca College, which was funded by New Horizons for Seniors. President Hydal and association founder Rasheed Sultan-Khan also took the program. There was tremendous support for the course, which brought many of the seniors into the computer world for the first time. They have begun to research health issues on the internet, use e-mail and common computer programs, catch up on the news from the Caribbean, and relate to their children and grandchildren. Some of the seniors reported that criticism from younger family members about their computer ignorance pushed them into taking the course. Several have acquired their own computers and are using them to reduce their previous isolation and connect with family and friends across the world.

Popular radio host and cultural entrepreneur Richard Aziz has stepped up into television broadcasting with a half hour program “Caribbean Showtime”, airing on cable every Saturday from 9.00 – 9.30 a.m., as well as on Bell Expressview 219 and Star Choice 346. Richard and his partner Prabha Jerrybandan have put together a package of news, interviews, entertainment and features with a strong Caribbean flavour aimed squarely at the huge Caribbean population in Canada. Indo-Caribbean and AfroCaribbean culture are major parts of the programming. Caribbean Showtime is designed to showcase an array of the diverse culture

Richard & Prabha launch Caribbean Showtime Television

emanating from the Caribbean, with particular attention to artistes of Caribbean origin working in Canada. It will include talent, entertainment, news and issues which are instrumental in fostering an awareness of Caribbean people and culture as well as a forum to represent the vibrant Caribbean community which is an integral part of Canadian life. Richard, who has roots in Trinidad, began his journey in Canadian media began almost ten years ago on Chin Radio AM 1540. The radio program Shabnam Radio has grown to include his own internet radio production shabnamradio.com, which broadcasts the radio program world wide via the internet.

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Komagata Maru, guarded by the warship Rainbow Cruiser and police boats, leaving Vancouver harbour.

Making this commitment to the IndoCanadian community at a gathering in Surrey, B.C., Jason Kenney, secretary of state for multiculturalism and Canadian identity, said the government would soon tender a formal apology on the issue in the nation's parliament. The government has already apologised to Chinese Canadians for the so-called head tax that was imposed on them (from 1890 to 1925) to deter their immigration to Canada. Kenney said the federal government would also make funds available to the Indian community for building a Komagata memorial. He also hinted that his government will work with provincial (state) governments to have a Komagata chapter in school textbooks. ”It is the biggest step for the Indian community in Canada. I never expected this to happen when I raised this issue first in 1997 and later introduced a petition in parliament in 2002,” said former MP Gurmant Grewal. Speaking at a local Ghadar Mela in August 2006, Prime Minister Stephen Harper promised to study the Komagata issue. ”Like any country, our country is not perfect. We haven't always lived up to our own high ideals. I (also) want you to know that the government of Canada acknowledges the Komagata Maru incident and we will soon undertake consultations with the IndoCanadian community on how best to recognise this sad moment in our history,” the prime minister had said.

MAY 2008

Page 3

Canadians giving great help to Guyana

Visiting Islamic scholar Shaikh Moeen ul Haq (above) has said that Caribbean people resident in Canada have been contributing hugely towards the charitable work of the Central Islamic Organization of Guyana (CIOG). Speaking recently at a fundraising dinner at the International Muslim Organization (IMO) in Rexdale, Haq said that since its formation in 1979 the CIOG had been helping thousands in Guyana, where last year its budget was $136 million Guyana dollars. Distributed $156,000 Canadian to 1,080 recipients, supported 120 masjids, given medical and dental assistance, helped flood victims and survivors of the recent massacres. The CIOG is running five schools, employing 21 teachers for Islamic education. Over 100 underpriveleged children are being helped through school by Canadian sponsors. Other Canadians have been sending barrels of clothing, utensils, spectacle frames and foodstuff that are dearly needed in Guyana. The local arrangements were made by Fazil Yusuff , Chair of CIOG Canadian Support Group and a number of other Muslim Leaders. To give support Call Fazil Yusuff at 416-917-4689; email: [email protected] .

Jamaica sends seafood packers to Canada

The seafood industry in Canada is opening its doors to female Jamaican workers, and already 19 workers have come to to start the process. Another 18 female workers are geting ready to head for New Brunswick to package seafood in Canada. The women, who range in age from 21 to 39. The workers will be employed at Cape Bald Packers Limited in the province of New Brunswick. They will be packaging seafood for domestic and export purposes.

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COMMENTARY

Indo-Caribbean Times is published monthly in Toronto by Indo-Caribbean Times Ltd. Editor/Publisher: Ram Jagessar

Editorial Committee: Reynold Ramdial, Gulcharan Mohabir, Lloyd Harradan, Sandy Kissoonsingh, Roop Misir, Deoraj Narine, Krishna Nankissoor, Rudy Lochan

Offi ficce: 17 Gaiety Drive, Toronto ON Canada M1H 1B9 Tel: 416-289-3898

E-Mail: [email protected]

Opinions given in this newspaper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Indo-Caribbean Times.

We welcome letters, e-mails and comments on matters relevant to Indo-Caribbeans in Canada and abroad, and also those at home in the Caribbean. All content must comply with the requirements of Canadian law.

A copy of this newspaper is posted on the internet in as a pdf file immediately after publication, and the entire contents can be read online by anyone with a computer and an internet connection. Past and current issues of the ICTimes can be found at http://www.esnips.com/web/Indo -CaribbeanTimes Readers are also invited to look at the website www.indocaribbeanheritage.com which contains abundant information on Indo-Caribbeans in Canada and our Caribbean heritage and history.

COMMENTARY Blog on African marginalization by T. King

"A ploy to stir up racial feelings." "Produce evidence, not arbitrary examples of marginalization. " "A case can be made for marginalization without the use of statistics." Those are just some of the headlines written by some letter writers on the subject of African Guyanese Marginalization. Everyone, including African Guyanese and their leaders know there is no such thing in Guyana as "African Guyanese Marginalization." Like I said before and will say it again. We will always hear the cries ofAfrican Guyanese Marginalization in Guyana. It will never stop as longas the President of Guyana is not an African Guyanese. His name is Bharrat Jagdeo and is of East In-

Indo-Caribbean Times

APRIL 2008

Page 4

My story of arrival in Canada -1989

From the editor’s desk

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he Indo-Caribbean Times and www.indocaribbeanheritage.com are collecting arrival stories of Indo-Caribbeans at our June 1 celebration of 100 Years of Indo-Caribbean Arrival in Ram Jagessar Canada from the year 1908.

There must be over 150,000 such stories among the 225,000 plus Indo-Caribbeans in Canada who have come here to live, and we want them as a collective picture of our people’s coming to this new land. This is mine. I always say my family made a 30-30 switch when we arrived in Canada in December 1989 with our shiny new visas and hopes of a new life. We had left Curepe in North Trinidad where the temperature was a steaming 30 degrees Celsius, and were headed for Sudbury in Northern Ontario where we discovered it was a frigid minus 30 at my sister’s home. No more extreme switch could be imagined. I had visited Canada before, once on a family vacation in 1985 and by myself in 1988 preparing for migration to Sudbury . But that was in summer when it was warm and bright, and the people so friendly. We had a good life in Trinidad , with good jobs, the house, the cars, savings in the bank, friends everywhere. But when we looked at the future for our two young sons the picture was not so promising. We had gotten tired of the racism and discrimination against Indians, tired of our position as second class citizens, tired of being ruled by incompetent and racist black people. So it was off to Canada , selling house, car, liquidating our assets and leaving behind hundreds of family and friends and a guaranteed future. My brother in law met us at Pearson Airport , and I laughed when he handed out the winter outfits. There was a thick pair of gloves like a wicketkeeper gloves, a coat like a small mattress, thick hat and scarf like a beach towel. He said we didn’t know how cold it was in Sudbury. On the way up Highway 400 we stopped at a McDonalds and saw our first snow coming down. My son Arvind was so excited he ran about in the parking lot catching snowflakes on his tongue and we laughed ourselves silly.

Coming into Sudbury later that evening was like entering a new world. Snow was piled three feet or more in the yards, and the streets were empty. You wouldn’t know people lived there except for the lights in the windows and the smoke in the chimneys. The fresh snow in my sister’s yard was frozen stiff and it crunched like popcorn when you walked on it. That night I lit a deya as usual and put it under the pine tree, as there was no mango tree available. In half an hour the oil had frozen solid and the light went out. This was Canada in practice. The family soon discovered that we were like babies, “born again” in a new country. We knew nothing and nobody, and our previous experience was useless. I had to learn everything fresh, such as how to walk on snow and ice, how to dress (starting with thermal underwear , something totally new to us), how to talk, how to drive an automatic car after getting my driver’s permit again, where to find the grocery, doctor and barber, how and where to find a job. I still remember those stupid job applications I sent out in handwriting, “ I beg to submit my application for the position of …….” Nobody replied, and I found that all my Trinidad experience meant nothing. Canada was in a recession. Jobs were almost impossible to find in Sudbury even for those who lived there. Recent immigrants were at the bottom of the ladder. The first job I found two months later was a one day task of sweeping up gravel in front of the senior’s home. My wife could not find a job as a science teacher, not even in supply teaching, and her first job was in the kitchen of a Red Lobster restaurant. In the blink of a five hour plane flight and four hour drive we had become ignorant, helpless immigrants with no contacts, no influence, no idea what to do, and not a lot of money to do it with. There were just a couple dozen Indo-Caribbeans in Sudbury , one Hindu temple with mostly Hindus from India, and no West Indian grocery. It was very strange living in a place where you could go around the whole day and not see a single face that you knew. For a long time I didn’t look at people’s faces. What was the point when you didn’t recognize anybody? We stayed in Sudbury for six years, get-

African marginalization just nonsense

dian descent and he is the current elected President of Guyana for all Guyanese. It does not matter even if every other African Guyanese are employed. It does not matter evenif every other African Guyanese owned their own homes. It does not mattereven if every other African Guyanese are better off today than they were prior to 1992. As long as an African Guyanese is not the ruler of Guyana the drum beat will roll and we will never stop hearing the cries of African Marginalization. Under Burnham and Hoyte's illegal rule, African Guyanese and the majorityof Guyanese were worse off than they are today.Yet we never heard their cries of African Marginalization and or GuyaneseMarginalization. I bet you, let an African Guyanese especially from the PNC side rule Guyana again. There will be no more cries of African Guyanese Marginalization. So to all those who are crying African Marginalization. To those who are saying bring the proof and those who are saying there is

noAfrican Guyanese Marginalization, You now know why the cries of AfricanGuyanese will continue. Save your time and breath. Most Guyanese are too clever and too smart to figure this out and not letthem rape Guyana ever again. They will cry and protest the suspension of Sharma TV station, VAT, foodprices, gas, housing, water and electricity, pot holes in roads, rainfall in the guise of fighting for the people. Guyanese are too smart to see what they are really crying and fighting for.They are fighting to rule Guyana and Guyanese once again the way they did from 1964 to 1992.It is that simple. T. King

Papers leaked, CAPE exam cancelled

Disgraceful! That was how former education minister Clive Pantin described the leak in Caribbean Advanced Proficiency

ting occasional jobs but nothing like what we wanted, making a few friends and getting to know the city a little. But while we had come to Canada we did not feel we had “arrived”. We were still uneasy brown outsiders in a sea of contented white Sudburians. I decided to make a break with Sudbury and came down to Toronto to look for a job. Here I found myself again a stranger with few contacts and no knowledge of how things ran. Other than one friend from Trinidad and my wife’s relatives, it was almost like Sudbury again. But this time it was different. An Indo- Trinidadian woman helped me to get a good job as coordinator at the Council of Agencies Serving South Asians (CASSA), and one of the directors, Clive Ramdeen, was an Indo-Trinidadian too. Not long after Clive asked to use the board room for some Trinidadians to hold a meeting and of course I agreed, and decided to attend myself. I will never forget that day when seventeen Trinidadians trooped into our boardroom at CASSA. I had not seen so many Trinis in all the time I had been in Toronto . They had come to form an Indo-Trinidadian Canadian Association. Reynold Ramdial was elected the president and they made me the secretary although I was not even part of the original group. That was arrival in Canada for me. We started organizing the group and I met dozens and hundreds of other Indo-Trinidadians, and later Indo-Guyanese and others. I realized there were tens of thousands of Indo-Caribbeans very much like me in Toronto and Canada . My wife and children came down from Sudbury and we got the better jobs, bought the house and made Canada our home. My Indo-Caribbean Arrival in Canada was at that CASSA boardroom in 1996, when I made a real connection with people I could recognize and like. (If you have an arrival story you would like to share, send it over to us at [email protected], or mail to 17 Gaiety Drive, Toronto ON M1H 1B9 or bring it over to the June 1 celebration at BJ’s Family Restaurant, 1747 Albion Road, Toronto, from 4.00 pm. We will post it on the website, use in the ICTimes or at the function.) Examination (CAPE) papers and the subsequent cancellation of the examinations. The former NAR minister said: "The leak of the examination papers has put a blemish on our character as mature citizens. The world is looking at us and we have been placed at a low level because they would think that our society is corrupt." He said when he was Minister of Education, "we made sure of the strict confidentiality of these papers. Only the Permanent Secretary and I had copies to the keys where the papers were kept. We were extremely cautious about those papers for fear of leaks." Zena Ramatali, president of the National Parent Teachers Association, cried shame on those who leaked the papers and the parents who allegedly forked out $5,000 to buy the papers. She opposed calls by parents to ban the CAPE and return to the GCE examinations. "I cannot make such statements until we meet and discuss the issue at a general council meeting. But I feel that values and morals must be taught in schools to ensure our youths know about honesty.

Indo-Caribbean Times MAY 2008 Page 5 TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO NEWS Flour Mills tries Hard times has Caroni workers told: TT group wants a monument to chutney them eating “dog special sale of icon Sundar Popo

Plant land or lose it!

cheap food

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ormer workers of Caroni (1975) Limited who fail to cultivate the two-acre plots distributed by Government as part of their Voluntary Separation of Employment Programme (VSEP), will lose the land. Agriculture Minister Arnold Piggott said the leases were given with an understanding that agricultural production would begin within a specified time-frame and at all times, 75 per cent of the land must be used for agricultural purposes. "Failure to comply with these requirements can result in the land reverting to the State," he said. Leases for 7,800 two-acre parcels would be distributed within the next few weeks. He handed over 88 leases to begin the process of distributing legal paperwork on the promised land.

Gov't looks to Guyana for food

High food prices and shortages of basic foods such as rice and flour has sent the TT government looking to Guyana and other Suth and Central American neighbours for cheaper food supplies. Guyana is being actively targeted for food crops such as dried coconuts, peeled coconuts, eddoes, ginger, pineapples, green plantain, pumpkin, rice, rice bran, bora bean (bodi), limes and sweet potato. Government has also expressed interest in importing goods from El Salvador, Nicaragua, Panama, Guatemala and Honduras. This would be an extension of the existing Caricom-Costa Rica free trade agreement which is geared towards enhancing the importation of cheaper and high quality food products.

Ease in passport application crisis

There is no need to line up at dawn to apply for a passport any more, now that a passport appointment system has been started. With the new system applicants can call in and make an appointment, instead of lining up before 7 am when the offices open. Since the start, some 19,974 appointments are already scheduled for citizens seeking to apply for or renew their passports. Citizens of T&T can make appointments via telephone on 669-4677 to visit any of the passport office locations in Trinidad or Tobago.

The late Sundar Popo in his red convertible

A monument to Trinidad ’s pioneer chutney singer the late Sundar Popo may soon be going up next to this home, if the Sundar Popo Monument Committee finds enough support for the project. Gowtam Maharaj, chairman of the Sundar Popo Monument Comitteee, is calling for help in construction of a life-sized monument of the late chutney-soca artiste and national icon at the corner of Lalbeharry Trace and Papourie Road , Barrackpore (a stone's throw away from Sundar Popo's residence). Sculptor Prabhu Sawh, whose works include the renowned Siewdass Sadhu Statue at the Temple in Sea Car Park, Waterloo , has been contracted to start work on the Sundar Popo monument from this month. He will start work on Sundar Popo's monument from May 2008. The group is trying to get possession of a 50 square feet parcel of land, as well as funding of $145,000 TT to complete the project. Committee members include the Hindu Seva Sangh which built the Sewdass Sadhu Monument at Waterloo, the Meridesh Committee Chaguanas, Achievers' Women Group of Barrackpore, Barrackpore Hindu Sabha, a grouping of ten temples, and the Blue Birds Sports and Cultural Organization. Organizations and individuals in Trinidad and abroad who are interested in supporting the monument project and preserving the work of Sundar Popo can contact Gautam at 868-318-0596, Mrs. Keyso Popo at 868-654-0350 or mail the committee at 36 Ramsabad Trace, Penal.

Bullets

Oma Panday survives bypass surgery

Oma Panday, wife of former prime minister Basdeo Panday, has come through two hours of open heart surgery and is recovering well. Mrs Panday was out of the Intensive Care Unit within 24 hours of the operation, her husband said. Mr Panday confirmed the situation after his wife underwent surgery for blocked arteries at a north London hospital.

rice” in Trinidad

tung by complaints of rising food prices, government and the National Flour Mills have started special “cheap food” sales at the NFM's warehouse on Wrightson Road, Port of Spain. Consumers purchased specially discounted six-packs of milk, juice, corn flakes and even got sardines for as low as $3 per tin. The Valu Foods brand of assorted juices put buyers out of pocket by $20 for each four-pack of the one litre cartoons they purchased, while the Valu Foods Cereals were on sale at a discounted price of $48 for every four-pack of the 510g box that was bought. This means the buyer paid $12 for every box. One customer from Woodbrook said she was impressed with the prices. She said, "You know how long I haven't seen six tins of condensed milk for $30." She said she longed for the times, not too long ago, when $5 could get a mother a tin of milk to send "the children off to school". As part of their joint venture food import programme, Government and NFM have been aiming to bulk buy and re-sell cheaper food to citizens, despite the rising cost of food internationally. NFM is planning to set up more warehouse food sales in several areas of the country including South Trinidad and Carlsen Field. Last year the company imported and sold several types of meat at specially low prices. It explains that cheaper prices were possible since import deals entered into included the importation of bulk quantities of goods with smaller margin payments.

With an acute shortage of rice (both parboiled and white), several grocers have reported an increase in the sale of ‘‘dog-rice’’ (coarse rice). It’s believed people are eating the pet rice out of necessity. An ex-Caroni worker who bought several packet of the rice at a supermarket said he he had resorted to pet rice because he could not afford the regular rice since the shortage had sent rice prices to as much as $19 for a two kilo pack. Pet shops as well as supermarkets owners revealed yesterday that there had been a massive increase in the purchase of pet rice. At Mc Bean Feed Depot, Southern Main Road, Couva, an employee said a crocus bag of pet rice, weighing 100 pounds, sold at $307 and was sold out. A customer said if a person carefully picks through the rice, removing pebbles, grain sheaf and other trash, what remains could be considered edible rice. Pet rice consists of coarse rice grains split in two and which are discoloured because they are not polished like normal rice.

$40 lunches at UWI has students reeling

Students at the University of the West Indies at St Augustine are being hit hard by rising food prices, with many having to fork out an average of $40 for lunch each day on campus. Some of the 16,000 plus students bring their own lunches, but they are in the minority. Others who spend the entire day on campus have no option but to buy food, sometimes three times a day, said the Students Guild National Affairs committee chairperson Shinel Granger.

Indo-Caribbean Times & IndoCaribbeanHeritage.com Invite you to celebrate

100 years of Indo-Caribbean Arrival in Canada

Sunday June 1, from 4.00 p.m. BJ's Family Restaurant 1747 Albion Road, Toronto

(South side of Albion, at Highway 27)

It has been a full century since the young medical student Kenneth Mahabir from Trinidad and the Demerara (Guyana) immigrant M.N. Santoo came to Novia Scotia in 1908 to signal the presence of Indo-Caribbeans in Canada. Today Indo-Caribbeans number over 225,000 across Canada and are building a strong community in this new land. Join us in celebrating our history, our culture and heritage during South Asian Heritage Month 2008. Bring along your arrival story in Canada to share. Program includes: * Musical entertainment with Randy & Racquel Mahadeo * Indo-Caribbean experiences in Canada many years ago: Stories from Memory Lane of some of those who have helped preserve our culture in Canada. * Photographs and stories from the indocaribbeanheritage.com web site * Free Admission * Buffet dinner available $10

For info: Call 416-289-3898,416-540-0192, 905-796-1683 E-mail: [email protected], [email protected]

Security crisis in TT TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

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resident of the Downtown Owners and Merchants Association (Doma) Gregory Aboud says human safety in T&T has reached crisis proportion. Aboud said while we might or might not have a food shortage in T&T, we however, had a security crisis. “We have a crisis in effectiveness, implementation, acknowledgement and a very serious crisis reaching panic proportions now in human safety.” Aboud made the comment at a security and safety consultation at Crowne Plaza, Port-of-Spain. She said people were now looking up to the heavens as a result of the challenges T&T has been facing. The Doma head said the value of human life had reached the lowest and that in some societies animals and plants had a higher degree of safety than humans did in T&T. “No greater threat exists than the current monumental task facing us in security. I have great concerns about economic policy, planning and the need for agriculture...but we cannot get to one of those single issues if we can’t be guaranteed that when we leave for work in the morning we would be able to return at night.” Attorney General Bridgid AnnisetteGeorge said the private security industry was a million-dollar business with 50,000 employees—two thirds of whom worked for unregistered companies.

Khemraj dies saving his family

Princes Town burger joint owner Khemraj Chatoor paid the ultimate price when he tried to save his family from bandits who came to rob but stayed to kill.When masked men broke into his home and began firing chops wildly, Khemraj Chatoor used his body as a shield to protect his family. One Saturday night recently Khemraj and his wife Seeta closed the burger stall around 11.30 p.m. on Saturday and went to their home at Pancham Street, Borde Narve Village, near Princes Town. "We went to bed and around 3am I heard my husband saying to run. I grabbed the children and started running and screaming. My parents were in another room but they could not come out because a man was holding at gun by them. My husband wanted to save us from being killed and now he get killed. He was a loving man who cared for his family," she said. Seeta, and three children dashed through a window and hid in some bushes. Seeta said minutes after they escaped she heard her husband scream out for help. "He just bawl out one time and that was it. The men then run up the hill and we came out of the bushes. I saw my husband's feet when I looked through the door and I knew he was dead," she said. The couple's son, 15-year-old Rene, was chopped on his foot while running from the men. "I was running to go through the window and the men were chopping my father and I get hit with the cutlass on my foot," he said. Investigators said they believed the motive for the killing was robbery. But Chatoor said the men did not ask for anything. "I didn't hear anything. They just started chopping. And my husband started fighting back. I had money from sales on the table and we have other things in the house. But the men just wanted to kill. They disfigured my husband's face and almost severed his head. I could not recognise him," she said.

Indo-Caribbean Times

TT tops commonwealth in Privy Council appeals

Trinidad and Tobago sent 98 appeals to the London based Privy Council in the the last five years, more than any other Commonwealth country. The figures prompted Vice President of the Law Association, Hendrickson Seunath SC, to note that Trinidad and Tobago has become a “litigious society.” Second in the appeal list was Jamaica, which had 70, while Mauritius had 44. The latest statistics show that this country entered 27 appeals to the London-based Judicial Committee in the year 2007, representing 28 percent of all appeals entered from all of the countries under the jurisdiction of the court. The amount represents a spike in appeals entered, which numbered 19 for 2006, and just seven for 2005. Of the 2007 appeals, six were dismissed, five were allowed and 19 were left pending for 2008

Now it's (water truck) hijacking!

With cutlasses at their necks, truck drivers are being hijacked by desperate villagers to deliver water to certain parts of the country. The latest incident took place last Friday in Biche and Plum Mitan, on the outskirts of Rio Claro, when villagers desperate for water jumped up on the water truck and told the driver where to deliver water". With sharp cutlasses at his neck, he had no choice but to comply. A local county council official said "There are areas that (water) lines have been laid, but don't have a supply and there was never a supply in these lines." He added that 60 per cent of residents of the Rio Claro/Mayaro region did not have a pipeborne water supply and the other 40 per cent who had "yard taps do not receive a regular supply". He said: "People do not care about who is responsible, whether it's WASA, or burst mains, but they tell me, 'You are the chairman, you are the local representative. I want water. You want me to bring my children by you or what.' But they don't know that I myself don't have water."

Panday says murder conviction rate 1 in 1000

Opposition leader Basdeo Panday says the 76 per cent increase in homicides reported over the last weekend is the result of government's failure and refusal to address the problems plaguing the justice system. "Citizens continue to fall victims to crime and criminals because of the state of the justice system. Criminals know that the system has collapsed and that is why they continue to terrorize the population without fear. Criminals know that the police do not have vehicles and modern resources to catch them and that even if they are caught the system is so dysfunctional and inefficient that they will escape punishment. It is a statistical fact that of every 1,000 murders, 999 killers walk free. The conviction rate is one in every 1,000.

MAY 2008

Page 6

Two state witnesses killed in one week Ishmael Drayton was the second State Ramesh completes Iseven witness to be silenced in a week when bullets were pumped into his body march to bring on last Thursday at Seventh Avenue, Barataria. down government He was one of two men who were killed that night, taking the murder toll to 158. Last year's comparable murder toll stood at 91. Drayton was riding his bicycle along Seventh Avenue when a man ran up to him and shot him seven times. He was killed instantly. Police said Drayton was assisting the police with their investigation into the murders of two teenagers, Dexter Williams, 19, and Keston Andrews, 16, who were shot dead at Third Avenue, Barataria, in late April 2007. The day before, another State witness who refused to be part of a witness protection programme was killed and dumped at Carlsen Field, Chaguanas. Police said that Daniel Roberts was scheduled to testify in the Arima Magistrates' Court on Thursday against Chad Eastman, Chidi Simmons and Kirk Johnson. The men are charged with the murder of Anthony Figaro, who was killed on October 17, 2005. Roberts, of Bon Air, Arouca, was the State's star witness.

With the aid of a walking stick, Member of Parliament for Tabaquite Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj yesterday completed his three day march to bring down the government. Maharaj sprained his left ankle during the first day of his walk from Tabaquite to Port of Spain on last Saturday. But he insisted that the injury would not affect his mission in any way. "I suffered a torn ligament but I am determined to complete my walk. This would not affect me in any way," he said. He walked from Carry Junction, Tabaquite to Poonah Village, Williamsville on the first day, and ended his second day at Gasparillo Junction. Maharaj was flanked by Chaguanas West MP, Jack Warner, Caroni East MP, Tim Gopeesingh, and Opposition Senator, Wade Mark. Children bearing flags and placards which read "We want a safe place to play" and "Give us a play park" led the march. Following closely behind were hundreds of supporters who held up placards with "Food prices too high" and "Get rid of the PNM". At the start of the march Maharaj said the time had come to put pressure on the government so that Prime Minister Patrick Manning would pack up and leave office.

Killed for $500 Birth certificate wait is agony and beers

RIO Claro bar owner Kumar Simboonath had planned a massive chutney show last month at his businessplace the Triangle Too Amphitheatre and Sports Club, to celebrate his 51st birthday. Kumar never made it to 51, as he was killed by a single bullet to the head at his bar. His son Shiva, 21, said three men ran out of the bushes surrounding the building and shot his father once in his right temple. The bandits escaped with $500 and beers Shiva said he awoke to a loud explosion around 10.30 a.m. and found his father lying at the entrance of the bar, bleeding from his head. Villagers believed that the three bandits who had a gun and a cutlass hid in the nearby bushes to stake out Simboonath's movements. After killing the businessman, the men escaped on foot.

Cop accused of raping woman in Arouca station

A veteran police officer with 15 years experience has been accused of raping an American citizen in the Arouca police station when the woman went to inquire about her boyfriend. According to reports, the woman was inquiring about her boyfried who had been detained for assault of a relative. The officer took the woman upstairs the station, where he allegedly had sex with her. He was positively identified at an identification parade by the woman, a nursing assistant, and charged.

They have done something about the torturous process for getting passports in Trinidad, but the ordeal to get a birth certificate remains unchanged. Long queues outside of Registration House on South Quay, Port of Spain, from as early as 6 a.m. have become a regular sight, as people wait to be issued numbers to apply for the computer generated birth certificates. This system has led to the frustration of many citizens, who leave their homes in south and central Trinidad from as early as 4 and 5 a.m. to apply for the birth certificate, only to be told when they get to Registration House-that they are late, there are no more numbers and they need to return the following day. Foreign based Trinidadians who try to get their certificates during visits home have been specially angered by the system. Registrar General Karen Bridgewater explained they have been opening their doors at 6 a.m. to accommodate 300 applicants daily, the same number since the advent of computer generated birth certificates. "Besides the Port of Spain office, there is the San Fernando office, the mailing-in system and we have also started a new initiative called TT Connect. This is an initiative between the Ministry of Public Administration and the Registrar General's office and is a step toward decentralising the service." TT Connect, she said, allows persons to apply for the computer-generated certificates at the Nalis buildings in Princes Town and St James. But soon other areas, including Chaguanas will have the service, as we as several other places in the country.

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

Manning fires senior minister Keith Rowley

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olitical reaction is still continuing after Prime Minister Patrick Manning dismissed Diego Martin West MP Keith Rowley, one of his few senior front-line Ministers, as Trade and Industry Minister. Rowley has followed in the “footsteps” of his Trade predecessor Ken Valley, the former Diego Martin Central MP, who was axed for the November election. Valley later accused Manning of having “dictatorial tendencies.” After his dismissal Rowley said he felt he could not voice his views on certain undertakings of the Urban Development Company of T&T (Udecott). He was replaced after objecting to “certain things” Udecott was doing with project construction at the Princes Building grounds where the Performing Arts Building is being built. Opposition Chief Whip Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj says the UNC is standing firm on its position that a Commission of Enquiry is the only acceptable mechanism for investigating UDeCOTT. Government has proposed a Joint Select Committee of Parliament, comprising three government ministers, to investigate. But the opposition UNC has dismissed this as a "a political, partisan enquiry” and demanded a fair, independent and impartial Commission of Enquiry. Rowley is supporting the call for a Commission of Enquiry.

Indo-Caribbean Times

Can’t buy a TT Get ready for house even with eggs at $11.31 $120,000 salary a dozen

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monthly income of $10,000 to $12,000 ($120,000-$144,000 a year) is not enough to afford a home along the East-West Corridor. It was impossible on that income, real estate agent Kerwin Ramsumair said in a recent interview. "When couples come to me seeking homes along the East-West Corridor with that salary I refer them to the HDC (Staterun Housing Development Corporation) because they can't afford property outside of the HDC with that income." Ramsumair said the increase in real estate prices along the Corridor was influenced by several factors, including the limited availability of land in that area, but there were several other less obvious ones. "The migration of people from the West with higher incomes than those who live in the East and Central, to these areas allow them to be able to pay more for the property there. Although they may not have been able to afford the $2 million property in the West they are able to afford $1.2 million. " He gave the example of Arouca, once considered a rural area but now had an asking price of $50 a square foot for property. In upper middle class areas like Maracas Valley, property is being sold at about $60 to $70 a square foot. "In places like Valsayn, the land is now $200 per square foot and residential areas in the west like Westmoorings and Columbus Circle you can pay up to $500 a square foot," Ramsumair said.

Be prepared to pay $11.31 a dozen for jumbo table eggs and up to $9.81 for medium sized eggs in Trinidad. It’s the second egg price hike in two months, with an increase of 96 cents per dozen only last November. Egg producers have blamed the price rise on continuously increasing chicken feed prices in the last few months. Chicken meat has been stable at between $5.25 to $5.50 per pound since last December.

Australia to supply six Coast Guard ships

Australian company Austral Ships PTY has confirmed it has secured a contract to supply six all-aluminium vessels to the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard. The company announced on its website yesterday that it had secured a contract from the Government of Trinidad and Tobago to build six vessels to bolster the Coast Guard's patrol fleet in surveillance of local waters and the interception of illegal drugs. The boats, powered by two MTU 16V engines, will have a top speed of 40 knots, will be armed with three general purpose machine guns and a 20mm Cannon. The boats, which measure 30 metres in length, are to be manned by a 12-member crew. The boats are expected to be delivered by 2010, the company said.

MAY

2008

Page 7

Ban alcohol ads, says professor

The President of the Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) Trinidad & Tobago Deosaran Bisnath, right, presents Ajeet Praimsingh, with the GOPIO award for distinguished and meritorious service in culture, religion, business and social and community activism in T&T at the Indian Arrival seminar.

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niversity of the West Indies lecturer Dr Jerome Teelucksingh has called for a total ban on alcohol advertising saying alcohol abuse is destroying T&T. Speaking at Indian Arrival Day celebrations hosted by the Global Organisation for People of Indian Origin, Teelucksingh said that much of T&T’s road carnage is linked to alcohol consumption. He said that the T&T National Council on Alcohol found that 68 per cent of car crashes are because of alcohol use. He also called for more counsellors to be hired to treat people for alcoholism. “In our primary and secondary schools, some children bring alcohol in soft drink bottles. Often during lunchtime or after school some teachers might visit bars and rum shops. Every school should have a counsellor to help children and teachers who might be developing problems,” he urged.

GUYANA NEWS

Oil drilling not likely soon D

espite the euphoria prompted by a favourable tribunal ruling last year in the marine dispute with Suriname, it is unlikely that drilling for oil in Guyana’s waters will begin soon. And the ever-climbing prices for petroleum may not necessarily spell windfall for Guyana should CGX Energy Inc, Repsol YPF and Exxon among other projects find oil, since the cost of production has also risen considerably. The three companies, which have production sharing agreements that guarantee at least half of oil revenues goes to the Guyana government coffers, are still working out fine details in preparation for drilling. One oil company representative said that regardless what the United States Geological Survey (USGS) says, no one will know for sure whether there is oil until drilling starts. The USGS had in 2000 concluded that the Guyana-Suriname sedimentary basin contains 15 billion barrels of undiscovered oil.

Buddy’s hotel sold to Turkish group Princess

The landmark Buddy’s International Hotel has been sold to Turkish hotel group ‘Princess’, to the surprise of many Guyanese. It has been developed in time for World Cup Cricket last year at a total cost of US$12M, and was widely viewed as a sign of revived fortunes for the hotel industry. CEO of the hotel Omprakash ‘Buddy’ Shivraj did not comment when questioned by a local newspaper. The hotel was built with funding that included five mortgages from the Guyana Bank of Trade and Industry (GBTI) and the $165.7M advance on the sale of rooms to the Government of Guyana. The Ministry of Culture Youth and Sport has since paid over to the Ministry of Finance the sum of US$598,000 – approximately $119.6M – of the $165.7M that the government had advanced to the hotel. The remainder of the sum of $46.1M was said to have been recovered through room nights at the hotel.

Guyana’s first kidney transplant coming soon

Guyana hopes to do its first kidney transplant by June this year, says Minister of Health Dr. Leslie Ramsammy. The country recently saw open-heart surgery being done at home. The minister said that in the past many persons had to leave the country to access health services, often at great cost and inconvenience. Government aims to continue expanding the boundaries of its health services, so that Guyanese would have less reason to leave the country to protect their health.

It pays to advertise in the Indo-Caribbean Times

Indo-Caribbean Times

Flour prices to jump 25%

The price for flour is set to rise by 25% in light of the high price of wheat internationally, the National Milling Company (NAMILCO) says. In a press release, the flour company said that it has been forced to increase tariffs by approximately 25% to cushion the high prices paid for the last and next shipment of the wheat. The company asserted that since January last year to date, wheat prices have increased by over 120% but the price for flour charged by Namilco has increased by only 60%. “This has caused us to suffer losses as other factors constrained us from further increasing flour prices”, the company declared adding that other Caribbean countries increased prices at the beginning of April. According to the release, the company has heard that this year’s wheat crop in Canada and the US are good and this news would result in reduced wheat prices “but we would not benefit from this until September”. Meanwhile, the Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC) has begun selling packet flour under a government initiative to cushion the effects of rising food prices. In a press release GMC said flour will be made available daily at the Guyana Shop located at Robb and Alexander Streets at reduced prices. Also, mobile units will be visiting a number of locations to sell the commodity. On Thursday a mobile unit was stationed behind the Bourda Mall at Cummings Street from 2pm to 3.30pm. It later moved to D’Urban Street and Mandela Avenue from 4pm-6pm. The one kilogramme packet of Thunderbolt flour, usually sold at prices ranging from $195-$220, was sold for $150.

Fail lie detector test and lose job

Staff of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) who fail the polygraph test will have their services terminated says President Bharrat Jagdeo. Earlier last week Jagdeo revealed that the staff had undergone tests administered by a member of a US firm in a bid to ensure their integrity, which is critical to the country’s drug fight. He had said that there would be changes based on the results of the tests. At an informal briefing with reporters at State House on Saturday, Jagdeo again did not reveal the name of the US firm but said that details would be released this week. Commonly known as the lie detector test, polygraph testing utilizes an instrument which simultaneously records changes in physiological processes such as heartbeat, blood pressure, respiration and electrical resistance (galvanic skin response or GSR). There have been protests that lie detectors evidence is not admissible in court, and that dismissal based on the detectors was illegal. It is likely that the lie detectors will face court challenge by the trade union representing CANU. Lie detectors are widely used in the USA for screening purposes but because of the unreliability of evidence collected, they are not used in legal proceedings.

MAY 2008 Page 8 Can’t pay $50 m garbage bill

Team to probe Georgetown is Basmattie’s again death at hospital broke City Hall is in the throes of yet another

A committee has been set up to investigate the death of 28-year-old Basmattie Balkarran, who died at the Georgetown Public Hospital two Saturdays ago after allegedly being left there for hours without receiving any medical attention. A press release from the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) said that it views with “deep concern”, the article headlined ‘Patient dies at Georgetown Hospital after left unattended for hours’, in the Sunday Stabroek. The article had reported on the death of Balkarran, who had been deemed an emergency case and rushed to the GPHC from the Leonora Cottage Hospital earlier in the day but passed away after she allegedly did not receive medical attention from the staff on duty. “The GPHC is fully committed to finding out exactly what happened when the patient was brought to the Accident and Emergency Unit and has set up a committee comprising the Sister in charge of the Accident and Emergency unit and the Assistant Director of Nursing, among others to fully investigate the matter”, the release asserted. Relatives had said that Balkarran had been rushed to Georgetown and arrived at the GPHC at 10 am, but had not been attended to until they started complaining and pleading with the nurses to take her into the emergency room some time after 4 pm. The woman died around 6 pm the same day. When contacted for comment on the incident on Saturday, GPHC CEO Michael Khan said he visited the emergency room that afternoon and heard the complaints by the woman’s relatives and had instructed a nurse to take the woman into the emergency room. However, Khan said, by the time the doctor went to look at the patient he found her gasping and she subsequently died.

crisis. It has racked up a $50 million solid waste management bill, which it is unable to honour and has asked that citizens store garbage in bags sprinkled liberally with strong disinfectant. Expressing no surprise that the financial crisis has occurred, Georgetown Mayor Hamilton Green said at a recent press conference that the fact was that the city had inadequate revenue to provide its compulsory services. The two major private contractors responsible for garbage disposal in the city – Cevons Waste Management Incorporated and Puran Brothers Disposal Services – have again refused to continue their duties until the municipality has paid them monies owed. According to the Solid Waste Department, for the first three months of this year, the municipality has a bill amounting to $50 million for solid waste management. At its press conference, the council advised citizens to store their garbage in large garbage bags and sprinkle them liberally with a strong solution of disinfectant. Those persons so inclined, it said, can take their garbage to Le Repentir disposal site between 7 am and 4 pm. The mayor said sanitation releases would be issued to the public shortly in order to avoid a health crisis, which is possible in situations as these. The mayor said that the council is in constant dialogue with the contractors and has found them to be “reasonable and understanding,” and he is sure that a reasonable compromise will be made in the near future. In the meantime, Green called on businesses to put a halt to paying “junkies” to get rid of their garbage.

Police: We are not afraid of bandits! GUYANA NEWS

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he Guyana Police Force (GPF) says it is not afraid of the bandits and has intensified its operations with a number of intelligence-based raids. A release from the force said these were conducted in Georgetown and on the East Bank and East Coast Demerara along with patrols, roadblocks and searches. Stating that the force supports the view expressed by Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee that the lawmen must be aggressive and carry the fight to those involved in terrorism and banditry, the GPF in a statement, asserted that “the police are not afraid of the bandits and are going after them relentlessly, using the intelligence and other resources available. How-ever, at the same time we must apply common sense.” The police have been criticized for erecting barricades outside several of their installations including Police Headquarters, Eve Leary. The statement said that the measures taken are not intended to be defensive but are part of a strategy in support of their law enforcement posture. “Barriers are in place to reduce the possibility of certain strategic locations being targeted and to provide a degree of comfort and security for our ranks. The measures being used are temporary and have been used as requisite from time to time”, the statement said. "

Kidnapped businessman found dead

The head of missing businessman Farouk Kalamadeen has been found in a trench just a short distance away from his Jiffy Lubes store in Light Street, Georgetown. His headless body had been found in Cowan Street, Kingston three days before. Kalamadeen disappeared on April 2, while he was engaged in his usual morning jogging exercise on the Houston Public Road. He had obviously been kept alive for several weeks following his abduction. The kidnapping of Kalamadeen and the discovery of his body generated a lot of interest both locally and in the Guyana diaspora, causing many to wonder if kidnapping was beginning to resume in Guyana.

Pirates strike again in Berbice

The much fearer water pirates have struck again in Berbice, with three gunmen ravaging two separate fishing boats. The first attack occurred just about 300 yards Whim foreshore, when a white vessel pulled up alongside the boat operated by 21-year-old Vishwanauth Singh of Port Mourant Compound, and his crew members, 32-year-old Deonarine Boodhoo and 33-year-old Seenarine Boodhoo, both of Friendship, Corentyne, and Suraj Persaud, 16, of Race Course Dam, Port Mourant. Three masked armed men made off with 120 pounds of fish glue, one and a half drums of gasoline, a battery, a cellular telephone . The same day another crew was attacked by the same gang at Eversham. Captain, Michael Sookram, 42, of Fyrish Village, and his crew: Terry Henry, 20, and Roopnarine Harrinarine, 30, both of Kilcoy; 28-

Indo-Caribbean Times

year-old Parishwar Seepersaud, and Jeffrey Keith, 37, both of Fyrish Village, were returning from from a Suriname trip, when the gunmen robbed them of 220 pounds of fish glue, a 48hpYamaha outboard engine, one drum of gasoline and a mobile phone.

Bandits use smoke to trick Corentyne family

Armed bandits used a fake fire in the living room to get a Number 79 Village, Corriverton family to come out of their locked bedrooms, only to be terrorised and robbed. The three bandits broke into the home but could get no further than the living room, as the bedroom area was sealed off. They tried setting a floor mat and curtains alight, and this brought out owner Vernon Vishnu to investigate. Vishnu and his wife Shanta were beaten and a gun was pointed to the head of their 15 year old son to force them to give up cash and jewelry. In the ordeal, which lasted one hour, the bandits also fired a shot in the two children’s bedroom and bound everyone with tape before escaping with the valuables and important documents including passports.

Chaos reported at gold mines

Conditions of lawlessness and chaos are reportedly prevailing at a section of the former Omai Gold Mines Ltd (OMGL) mining site in the Essequibo river where ‘raiders’ have commandeered an area and are pursuing illegal gold mining activities with the knowledge of the authorities. More than a dozen private large scale mining enterprises currently operating at the site are dumping around fifteen times more than the allowable limit of toxic tailings from their operations into the Essequibo. The raiders, having occupied the mining site illegally are even now seeking to prevent other gold mining outfits from joining them in their illegal and environmentally hostile pursuits. The Executive Secretary of the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) Edward Shields said that while mining officers from the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) are “monitoring” the activities of the miners occupying the area they appear powerless to do anything to curb their worst excesses. It is believed that some of the rogue miners have further expanded their illegal activity to other Omai property on the opposite bank of the Essequibo River and that the GGMC had been forced to intervene some time ago to forestall attempts by these miners to build a dam in an effort to divert the river. According to Shields the GGDMA “cannot support a gold-mining activity that was unlawful, environmentally unfriendly and dangerous to human health. He confirmed that in view of the congested nature of the mining area and the absence of some basic infrastructure including toilet facilities the risk of disease in the area was high. Hig prices for gold on the world market have caused a kind of gold rush in traditional mining areas of Guyana, with the authorities struggling to keep pace.

A new daily newspaper for Guyana is coming

Staff are being being interviewed and hired for a new daily newspaper that’s coming very soon. It’s part of the US$30 million investment being undertaken by Queens Atlantic Invest-ment Inc (QAII), Industrial Site Ruim-veldt, where Sanata Textiles used to be. Chairman and Managing Director of New GPC Inc, Dr Ranjisinghi Ramroop, of which QAII is the parent company, has disclosed that while there is no date for the launch, staff are being hired, including graphic artists, press persons and others needed for the venture. Editorial staff – both local and overseas — have been interviewed, and the board is looking at the format and content of the new paper. Dr Ramroop said the publication should be somewhat different from the current newspapers being printed in Guyana and declared that the quality will be very high. He would not give the name of the paper. QAII has imported a state-of-the-art offset press with web attachments and it is capable of printing all books, brochures, magazines, news-letters and newspapers. The complex will also have a flexographic printing press for the printing of any kind of label for food, in any material, and it's expected to manufacture packages for food and beverages. This will bring Guyana up to threer daily newspapers, including the Stabroek News, and the Guyana Chronicle..

Some conditions apply

MAY

2008

Page 9

Where’s the $100 m given to PNCR?

The PNCR has rejected charges by the government that it could not account for $100M intended to pay its scrutineers. In a press release, the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported that Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr Roger Luncheon was concerned that the $100 million, which it said the PNCR received as a result of the Guyana Elections Commission (Gecom) registration exercise to pay scrutineers had not been accounted for. According to GINA, Luncheon also said that there was information available to government that the opposition scrutineers were being used to agitate against the government to protest. Further to this, Luncheon at a post-cabinet media briefing yesterday accused Gecom of “apparently” devolving its responsibility for accounting for public funds to the PNCR. He noted that it was the Ministry of Finance that made money available to the scrutineers. Luncheon told reporters that the administration would investigate the purported misuse of funds by the PNCR. Opposition Leader Robert Corbin dismissed the allegations as as government’s intention to divert attention from the real issues which relate to the rising cost of living in the country. Corbin said he knew nothing of the government’s claim, adding that the matter might be one for Gecom.

4 cylinder vehicles

BUSINESS

Canada’s housing boom is over, but no bust expected

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anada's real estate market is cooling down slowly to a more balanced market, but we are not likely to see a housing collapse like that still taking place in the U.S. following the subprime mortgage crisis. That's the view of Scotiabank economist Adrienne Warren. "We have been anticipating lower sales this year and more modest price increases," said Warren, senior economist at Scotia Economics, after the bank forecast overall sales 15 per cent below last year's record levels, with home prices increasing on average about five per cent. "We're finally seeing that slowdown actually appear in the housing data - housing starts, home sales and price increases." The Canadian Real Estate Association has released a survey showing that during April new listings rose by more than sales activity, meaning that more houses were put on the market than those being sold. It became more of a buyer's market than in any other month in the past nine years Calgary and Edmonton are clearly buyers' markets, but other cities throughout Canada are not there yet. It's moving away from annual increases of 10 percent in housing to more like five percent. But for now most of Canada is still a seller's market. Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. forecast that new home construction in Canada will slow to 214,650 units this year, from last year's 228,343, with seven out of 10 provinces registering declines. As well, the national housing agency says the number of existing homes sold is expected to fall by 8.5 per cent. The downward trend will continue in 2009, CMHC said, with housing starts dipping to 199,900 and existing home sales crumbling another 2.3 per cent to 465,000 units. CMHC chief economist Bob Dugan says "cracks are appearing on the new home front as well," as demand for new residential building permits has fallen sharply and price increases are moderating. But nobody is predicting a U.S.-style meltdown. Warren said,"First, home prices in Canada are not substantially overvalued," she pointed out. "Second, there is still little evidence of widespread speculative home buying that often accompanies the late stages of a housing boom." The CMHC forecast sees average home prices rising 5.1 per cent this year and 3.3 per cent in 2009, after average annual increases of about 10 per cent from 2002 to 2007. CMHC says prices of existing houses will rise this year by 9.3 per cent in B.C., 3.6 per cent in Alberta, 26.1 per cent in Saskatchewan, 13.5 per cent in Manitoba, 3.5 per cent in Ontario, 4.7 per cent in Quebec, four per cent in New Brunswick, five per cent in Nova Scotia, three per cent in Prince Edward Island and 10.5 per cent in

Indo-Caribbean Times IMMIGRATION FORUM

Newfoundland and Labrador. On the interest rate front, Warren said, "we do expect that the Bank of Canada is probably going to lower interest rates a little bit more over the next couple of months." That should also help support the housing market

Semi going for $249,000

All is not lost in the housing market, says realtor Mani Singh. There are still some reasonable deals, like this semi going for less than $250,000 right now, and lots of condominiums under $150,000. .

How low can interest rates go?

Consumers are starting to see savings on loans after bold moves by the Bank of Canada to stimulate a flagging economy.Loan charges that vary with changes in the prime lending rate, such as mortgages and personal lines of credit with variable rates, have started to fall and are down about 1.5 percentage points from last summer. How low can they go?Economists at TD Bank Financial Group are predicting the steepest cuts: half a percentage point in June and another half in July, with no increases until late next year. A further reduction to a mere 2 per cent would leave the bank's key rate little higher than the recent average annual increases in consumer prices. But, in contrast to the United States, our strong dollar has helped contain the inflation pressures. If TD economists are correct, and if banks continued to match the central bank's reductions, the prime business lending rate would fall from 4.75 per cent to 3.75 per cent by summer. That would be the cheapest prime rate since 2004 and 2002, following the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. ING had been charging 4.65 per cent for a five-year variable rate mortgage, or 0.6 of a percentage point less than other banks' prime lending rates. A half-point reduction would take ING's variable mortgage rate to 4.15 per cent, the lowest in four years.

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Fewer Caribbean nationals will be admitted to Canada T

By Balwant Persaud

he Canadian Government has budgeted to admit 215,475 new immigrants in the Skilled Workers category for the year 2008. This figure is for the whole world. The budgeted figure for the Port of Spain’s embassy which controls Guyana, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname, St. Lucia and many of the small islands immigration to Canada is 900 to 1,030 skilled workers, which in local parlance is “self sponsorship”. There is no term as “self sponsorship” in Canadian Immigration Law, as that term is only known to be used in the Caribbean. The 900 to 1,030 skilled workers to be admitted as Permanent Residents in 2008 for the Port of Spain’s embassy includes Trinidad, Guyana, Barbados, Suriname and almost all the small islands. That means fewer Caribbean nationals will be admitted as immigrants under the skilled workers category in 2008. The wait time for new immigrants has also increased by more than 50%. Caribbean nationals will now have to wait three to four years for their applications to be completed. Jim Karygiannis, Liberal MP for Scarborough-Agincourt , said that the “wait time” vary depending on where the immigrant is coming from, which is where he claims the discrimination lies. “Why are we not looking at people as people? The wait times should be the same, no matter where you are applying from, “ Karygiannis posits. This is bad news for skilled Caribbean people especially those from Trinidad and Guyana who wish to migrate to Canada

under the skilled workers class. These two countries along with Jamaica produced the most immigrants to Canada under the skilled workers class. Already the Port of Spain’s office is beginning to discriminate against skilled workers applicants just to maintain the quota allotted to it. I know of many cases where Guyanese nationals are not given any points for English although their mother tongue is English. They are being told by the Immigration office in Trinidad to write the IELTS English test. Now this IELTS English Test was included in the Immigration Regulations for persons whose mother tongue was not English or English was their second language. Now the Minister of Immigration, Diane Finley is being given wide powers where she can say who must enter Canada and who must not based on their skills and the demand for those skills. She can direct immigration officers to return applications to those who she thinks that their skills are not needed in Canada. The government of Canada is using the large backlogs of applications to discriminate against future skilled workers applications. Too much power in the hands of one person is wrong in a democracy

Since the government and businesses are saying that there is a labour shortage and small population growth, it is simple, just increase the quota of immigrants per annum. At the moment the quota for new immigrants is about 250,000 per annum.or her. Balwant Persaud is a Certified Immigration Consultant and a Member of The Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants. For answers to your problems on this forum, send all enquiries to: [email protected] or call at 416-431-8845 and in Guyana: 225-1540

This prize winning photo by Hindustan Times journalist Himanchu Vyas is of a Jodhpur mother feeding an abandoned fawn along with her baby.

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MAY

2008

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MAY 2008

Indo-Caribbean Times

Manshad still going strong

Martiniquan Indian dancer Consuelo Marlin strikes a classical pose in a recent performance.

Veteran cultural writer and artiste Manshad Mohammed shows he still has something in the takj as he belts out a song at the birthday celebration for Ram Maiahaj.

Sada roti and baigan chokha on their mind

There’s not much doubt what these men have on their minds. It’s sada roti and baigan chokha, being offered at the 170 annivesary Indian Arrival celebrations at Guyana National Stadium earlier this month.

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Young Arjun turns one year

Young Arjun (right) tries his best to blow out his candle, with assistance from mother Della, sister Alyssa and dad Pt. Sham Rampersad, at a Hindu puja held in Brampton to celebrate his first birthday.

Tenny marks birthday 54 with Ramayan Yagna

For his 54th birthday Hindu activist Clinton “Tenny” Ramkissoon and wife Chandra wanted nothing better than a Ramayana Yagna as in the old days, conducted by Ramnanan Gopeesingh (extreme left). In the picture Tenny (centre) and Chandra make their offerings before the sacred fire and the Holy Ramayana. Later this year Tenny will be again co-hosting a Ganga Puja in the Mississauga area. .

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Ram celebrates his 75th with tassa and dancing

Ram Maharaj reached the milestone 75 years recently and celebrated it with music, dancing, massive amounts of food and dancing. Wife Ruby is seen (centre in pink), dancing the night away with friends to sweet sounds from Sylvan Bharath Tass a Group

Indo-Caribbeans at Hamilton South Asian Heritage Month celebration

Indo-Caribbeans from the Canadian Indo-Caribbean Association (CICA, the Gita in Every Home project and elsewhere in the GTA were most present when the Indo-Canadian Networking Council of Hamilton and Surroundings held their Gala Dinner and Concert of Indian Music & Dance in celebration of South Asian Heritage Month on May 3 at the Hamilton Convention Centre. In the picture above, holding Bhagavad Gitas in hand, are from left, Jane Narine, Basdeo Maulkhan, Mobeen Husain, Ram Sahadeo, James, and Indra Parma. Gitas were donated by Ganesh Parma. The Networking Council is composed of several South Asian community, cultural and religions groups.

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COMMUNITY NEWS

VEDIC CULTURAL CENTRE celebrates 170 Years of Indo-Caribbean Arrival in the West and 100 Years of IndoCaribbean Arrival in Canada at their 10th annual South Asian Heritage Month program on Saturday May 31 starting at 5 p.m. It features an exhibition focusing on the 100th anniversary of the arrival of IndoCaribbeans in Canada. and a cultural/stage program celebrating the Indo-Caribbean culture and heriage. Admission is free. Venus is the Vedic Cultural Centre at #4345 * 14th Avenue. Markham, (at Kennedy Road, Markham). For info contact Dave at 416-663-4037 or 905-475-5778. THE NORTH AMERICAN MUSLIM FOUNDATION holds it annual walkathon raising money for global children May 17, at Scarborough Civic Centre from 9.00 am and ends at 4140 Finch Ave E, Scarborough, at 12 noon. Each participant is required to raise a minimum of $20.00, and proceeds go towards sponsoring orphans in many poor countries. For info contact Habeeb Alli at416-823-1738 Email: hab2u@hotmail. Com or see the website www.namf.ca.

NAPARIMA ALUMNI ASSOCIATION OF CANADA celebrates its 30th anniversary with a Dinner and Dance at the Holiday Inn Select, Brampton on May 24. Tickets at $60 for members and $65 for non members are available from Merle at 905844-1254 or Norma at 416-283-0675. A special hotel room rate of $95 is available for persons attending the function. The Association holds its Annual General Meeting on Saturday May 31, at 1.30 pm at the Montessori Teacher Training Centre, 1050 McNicoll Avenue, Scarborough.

Indo-Caribbean Times

Canada celebrates the Centenary of IndoCaribbean Arrival in Canadan at theird their monthly meeting at Birkdale Community Center on Sunday 25 May at 1.30 pm.Guest speaker is Ram Jagessar, editor of the IndoCaribbean Times. For more information please call 416-281-5264.

INDO CARIBBEAN TIMES and W W W. I N D O C A R I B B E A N H E R ITAGE.COM invite you to celebrate 100 Arrival in years of Indo-Caribbean Canada on Sunday June 1, from starting at 4.00 p.m., at BJ's Family Restaurant, 1747 Albion Road, Toronto (South side of Albion, at Highway 27). Bring along your arrival story to share.

Program includes musical entertainment with Randy & Racquel Mahadeo, IndoCaribbean experiences in Canada many years ago ( Stories from Memory Lane of some of those who have helped preserve our culture in Canada), phhotographs and stories from the indocaribbeanheritage.com web site. Admission is free and a buffet dinner is available at $10. For info: Call 416289-3898,416-540-0192, 905-796-1683 or E-mail: [email protected], [email protected].

THE TARIC ISLAMIC CENTRE in its continued effort of putting on various events for the Muslim community, is seeking volunteers who can assist with various projects and events. If you are interested in volunteering some of your time in the path of Islam, please reply to this email with the following infomation: Name: City you Live: Telephone Number: Cell Number: and reply to [email protected].

MAY

2008

Page 15

Rukminee makes wedding song CD

Cultural activist, author and singer Rukminee Beepath recently presented her latest work, Vivaaha Geet to the National Library in Chaguanas recently. Due to the numerous requests from secondary school students and UWI, Beepath has been distributing her book to schools and libraries across the country.The book contains 108 traditional Hindu wedding songs and the corresponding meanings. “The Hindu wedding contains the most fascinating rituals. It calls on the presence of the various devis and devtas (gods and goddesses) associated with Hinduism to give blessings to the couple who is prepared to take this step in life,” Beepath explained. She said the belief is that couples were connected in another life. As a result, when they join union in this life they call on the gods to remove all their bad karmas and bless them with prosperity. Beepath’s daughter, Reshma Beepath Umrau, who is also active in the cultural field, explained that the rituals associated with a Hindu wedding takes three days to complete. “There is a song for every step taken by the bride and by the groom in their respective homes,” she said. On the third day the couple comes together at the bride’s home to complete the ceremonies, then return to the home of the groom to start their new life. The book, which is available at local bookstores is also available in the United States and the United Kingdom. Beepath has also released a compilation of the wedding songs in a CD by the same name. This compilation contains 20 songs which are sung as part of the Hindu wedding ceremony. “Young Hindu boys and girls may be intrigued by the amount of rites and rituals associated with the Hindu wedding. To a non-Hindu it would appear to be still more

complex. However, customs and traditions are a beautiful aspect of life which has been handed down to us from generation to generation,” she said. “It is essential therefore that Hindus embrace, accept and understand the relevance and significance of these customs, traditions, rites, and rituals, that are prevalent in the Hindu wedding.” Beepath is the eldest of six children of the popular Holass family of Chatham in Cedros and has been singing since childhood. To complete the book and CD, she spent long hours with her parents, Samdaye and Harry Holass, writing songs in Hindi with the appropriate English translation. “After providing me with the songs for this book, my father had one final request — that I revive this tradition by teaching it to others,” she explained. The publication of Vivaaha Geet was a step in fulfilling the promise made to her father. She is extremely happy she was able to record the songs. “The younger people can now get the book and follow along on the CD to learn these very important songs.” Beepath admits that the tradition of singing songs to accompany the various rituals in a Hindu wedding is dying. She said Hindus now prefer to play a song from India instead of singing the appropriate song. “Now I begin to wonder how many traditions are being lost through neglect?” she asks. The CD contains such songs as ‘Shraddha se Karte Naman’, ‘Kaykaray Duwaaray’, ‘Dheeray Dheeray’, ‘Tiki Leho Tiki Leho’, ‘ and ‘Maito Dharti puje Aili’ and is available in music shops

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MAY 2008

Page 16

“Khuda Kay Liye” a must see film Non-Indian Consuelo Marlin is him to take up arms and join the jihad. a Martinique Indian dance star Unlike his brother, Mansoor (Shaan) reENTERTAINMENT

iye Khuda Ka L Inaccurate interpretation of religious books like the Quran, the trauma of liberal Muslims in Pakistan and Muslim-bashing post 9/11 forced Pakistani director Shoaib Mansoor to take the bold step to make "Khuda Kay Liye", which in many ways is an eye opener. Centred around Islam, the film from Pakistan has struck an instant chord with audiences worldwide because it touches upon issues that have given rise to biases against Muslims, thanks to Islamic fundamentalists. "Khuda Kay Liye" also focuses on what being a modern Muslim really means in Pakistan. While it is a tad lengthy, it works all the way thanks to Mansoor's narrative skills. And the movie drives home the point it wants to make without being overtly melodramatic. "Khuda Kay Liye" is the first Pakistani film to have a commercial release in India in more than four decades. It was released in Pakistan, the US, Britain and UAE last year. The narrative revolves around a well-educated and affluent Pakistani family, whose members are based in three continents, and through them, the director connects incidents that take place in different places. Mansoor (Shaan) and Sarmad (Fawad Afzal Khan) are brothers, both in love with music. They lead an ideal life with their parents in Pakistan. But Sarmad is influenced by a fundamentalist group lead by Mullah Tahiri (Rasheed Naaz). With his conformist views, he brainwashes the young singer and forces

fuses to be taken in by the cleric's ideas and moves to the US to pursue his music career, little knowing that he would become a victim of racial abuse there. On the other hand, their cousin Maryam, (Imaan Ali) who lives with her father in Britain, becomes the victim of her father's conservatism and orthodox nature. She is tricked into marrying Sarmad, who locks her up in an unknown place near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. The film's climax sees an argument between Maulana Wali (Naseeruddin Shah) and Mullah Tahiri. Through Naseer's character, the director has tried to show how fundamentalists misinterpret the Quran and corrupt the mind of the youngsters, forcing them to turn against women and music, art and culture. Focusing on the dilemma of young, liberal Muslims, who don't have any connection to terrorism, the film shows how the lives of these youngsters were turned upside down when terrorists struck the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York on Sep 11, 2001. It highlights how almost all Muslims were treated as terror suspects post the attack. Mansoor's narrative is supported by strong performances by the entire cast. Rasheed Naaz's piercing eyes send a chill down your spine, while Shaan, who represents liberal modern Muslims, wows audiences with his emoting and brings tears to the eyes when he is being tortured in prison. Naseer's stupendous performance enhances the film storyline. Mansoor has an innate understanding of music, which is reflected well in "Khuda Kay Liye". The film is a must watch. Khuda Kay Liye ( translation: In the name of God, or : For God's Sake) has won many awards, including the Award for Best Picture at 31st Cairo International Film Festival, and became the highest grossing film of Pakistan of all time. Iman Ali makes her cinematic debut with this film, playing an Anglo Pakistani.

“Untouchables” clean up at Mastana show

The Untouchables Tassa Group, winners of Children of Mastana 2008 competition.

Four talented friends from Princes Town, calling themselves the Untouchables Tassa Group, lived up to their name when they played their way to the $25,000 first prize in the finals of the Children of Mastana 2008 competition in Trinidad.. The winning group—comprising Amrit Roopnarine, 12, Matthew Ramkissoon, eight, and brothers Amar and Akash Sookdeo, aged eight and seven respectively, performed renditions of cikora, chutney hand, dingolay, and calypso. The contest, which offered more than $100,000 in prizes, was held before a large crowd at the Gulf City Shopping Complex in La Romaine.

Second place honours and $15,000 went to ten-year-old Ashley Reyan Subah whose performance of a classical song from the movie Umraw Jaan impressed both judges and patrons. The energetic dance moves of Sitara Baal was enough to earn her the third place prize of $12,000. Others in winner’s row were, 3rd: Sitara Baal, 4th: Reena Raykumar, 5th: Shabir and Shabira Mohammed, 6th: The Young Achievers Dance Group, 7th: Vishala Dowtal, 8th: Sharad Raghunath, 9th: Cristal Ruben, 10th: Sudesh Rampersad, 11th: Rohan Ramdeo, 12th: Brandon Hosein, 13th: Shivani Bachan

I

n March 2008, Consuelo Marlin was busy supporting L'Union des Femmes Martiniquaises, a feminist association providing support to the distressed on Martinique island, the French West Indies. Gracing the Municipal Theatre of Fortde-France with two consecutive evening performances on the theme In every woman dwells the Goddess, Consuelo offered the moneys collected to support UFM's social work. The daughter of Monsieur Luc Marlin, a famous Martinican painter, and Madame Michelle Mondesir, a Culture officer at SERMAC, Fort-de-France, Consuelo

Pan blooms in U.S. colleges

Columbia University and New York University have had significant programs and/or courses that have featured the steel orchestra and steelpan instrument as integral components within musical development and the performing arts. The all-steelpan music show “Cool Steel” (usually heard on Fridays on www.PanOnTheNet.com) is a monster hit with the Caribbean college/university community worldwide. Major educational institutions in almost every state in America has had or has scheduled a major steelband musical forum, concert or function for 2008. Massive cutting–edge steel orchestras of 100 to 125 players can be found in the urban setting of Brooklyn in the summer months, attracting large audiences to their performances. Even Hollywood has tapped into the growing popularity of the steelpan instrument. Last summer hip–hop superstar WyClef Jean produced a video shoot that included New York’s Pantonic Steel Orchestra.

started learning various forms of Classical Indian dance under the guidance of pioneer teacher Madame Suzy Manyri and Pondicherry dancer extraordinaire Sri Raghunath Manet. Then she left for England to study Bharat Natyam for three and a half years under her Master Sri Prakash Yadagudde, at the renowned Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in London, where she performed her Arangetram in 2002. Later on, in 2004 Consuelo went to Chennai, India for six months to get further training under famous dance guru and choreographer Smt.Chitra Visweswaran. Consuelo, who has been requested to perform at many an official event on her island and abroad, has now gained full-fledged recognition on her island as a French West Indian Bharat Natyam specialist. She is currently running Apsara, her own Yoga, Dance and Culture Institute, in Fortde-France. Consuelo Marlin is also an active certified Hatha Yoga teacher. Interestingly, she is not of indian descent. After her secondary studies, her now proud parents had to accept her aspiration to become a professional Indian Dance étoile. Consuelo Marlin has been instrumental in bringing the culture of India to the Martinican people who greatly appreciate her talent.

Guyana bans reggae singer Bounty Killa

The Guyana government has banned Jamaican reggae singers, Bounty Killa and Movada from entering the country, forcing cancellation of planned concerts. Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee said that Bounty Killa, whose real name is Rodney Price, is known for his lyrics glorifying guns and bashing gays while Movado is a security risk.Bounty Killa, last performance in April ago ended in controversy with a faulty music system and sporadic gunfire.

It pays to advertise in the Indo-Caribbean Times

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RELIGION

Group aims to put a Gita in each home

Indo-Caribbean Times

NAVA-DURGA

I nterview by Indo Caribbean Times newspaper with Ramnarine Sahadeo, (RS) a Guyanese of Hindu parentage and a lawyer in Ontario since 1980. The object of this novel project is to see A BHAGAVAD GITA FOR EACH HOME Q.What is the immediate objective?

RS. To distribute a simple English pocket sized version of the gita so that this universal knowledge can be made available to all, particularly the young who have not yet been introduced to the philosophy. Q. Why do you think this is a necessary or useful exercise at this time?

RS .The Bhagwad Gita is our inheritance and our contribution to world philosophy. It is our duty to learn about it and share it with the rest of mankind. We cannot be proud that so few have so little knowledge of principles thought to be over 5000 years old, and which have been the guiding light for so many international personalities like Mahatma Gandhi, Henry David Thoreau, Emerson, and Swami Vivekananda.

Q.We learnt from our ancestors who could not read nor write and who inhabited places like Guyana and Trinidad since May 5, 1838 why can’t we continue to teach our children in the same manner?

RS We now live in very fast technological societies all over the world and many of our professionals, community and political leaders still have little or no knowledge of the wisdom of the gita. Even in our native countries the villages and plantations are no longer the moral training grounds they used to be. In addition we have lost the generation who taught and lived by example therefore we must make a concerted effort to teach this knowledge about the universal text that enabled our fore parents to survive and flourish despite deplorable conditions of living. Q. We know in the past that you were involved with initiatives in asking Guyanese to Adopt their schools and offer assistance to the educational system there, how did you get involved in Gita knowledge?

RS. A few years ago my good friend Swami Aksharananda sought financial assistance in constructing a Secondary Hindu School in Guyana, (Saraswati Vidya Niketan) and this necessitated my travels throughout Guyana with him. This experience opened my eyes to the fact that Hindus know very little about their own religion and their energies over the years seemed to have been usurped by other activities inconsistent with their own interests. There was little or no leadership and very little teaching about one of the greatest and earliest philosophies on earth. This must have contributed to the moral decay, general illiteracy, alcohol and spousal abuse, and even the spread of aids virus prevalent among Hindus. I learnt about the International Gita Society and I communicated with Dr. Prasad and he asked me to assist in distribution of the gita he authored. I added a preface of two pages asking for community involvement and we are now trying to get distribu-

tion centers globally. A few friends agreed that this was necessary so we have joined forces and hope that many mandirs, businesses, professionals, social groups and individuals will participate in this endeavour.

Q.What suggestions you have for those who would like to participate in the project?

RS. We ask Hindus in particular to examine their lifestyles and pledge that their homes will have as many gitas as we have shoes or clothing. This may be a good starting point. We must recognize that knowledge is superior to materialism and follow Arjuna’s choice to have the wisdom of Lord Krishna on the battlefield of daily life. The numerous temples that have been constructed, and the public celebrations of our religious festivals have attracted a lot of attention and our friends and neighbors would like to know more about values. We can help them understand our basis of our heritage by DONATING THE GITA TO EVERY GUEST OR NEIGHBOUR. Those who join in celebrating our birthdays, anniversaries, and weddings should likewise be rewarded. There is no better gift for your child, grandchild no matter how young they are. Sign or put your thumbprint on a Gita and leave it for them as part of their inheritance. It will serve them better than the material possessions we care for daily. Wakes and Funerals, which are often attended by people of every race, religion or nationality, is an ideal time for friends or relatives of the deceased to give something to those who come to sympathize and pay their respects. The inside front page of the Gitas is intentionally left blank so that they can even be endorsed to commemorate a special event.Some have inserted photos of loved ones. Every mandir can have someone pay for and distribute the book every time there is a religious service. In fact we have to start the practice of taking our Gita to the temple and read it every week. The officiating priest should not be the only one with a book.

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OFFERINGS TO MOTHER DURGA

Q. Where do you get supplies?

RS Books are ordered by paying the International Gita Society. Printing is done in Bangalore, India and Hindu Seva Sangh and its President Omesh Sharma have picked up shipping costs thus far. I think that there are many who would share and participate in the vision so we have set up a system whereby the books can be available in bulk for any person or organization anywhere in North America and the Caribbean.

MAY 2008

: These Hindu women gather at the foot of the mud volcano at Cedros Trinidad, as they make offerings to Ma Durga, the Hindu deity said to reside in the earth.

Ramdath and Roopdai complete 68 years of Hindu marriage

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f bells could chime 68 times for any occasion they would ring to mark the 68th wedding anniversary of Ramdath Ramlal, 82, and his wife Roopdai, 81, of Winston Campbell Street in Fyzabad. The couple got married on May 4, 1940, according to Hindu rites, and Roopdai said that like many Hindu brides, she never met the man she would marry until her wedding. “In those days it was a night wedding. I was 15 and Ramdath was 17 years old. When we married I went to my mother-inlaw’ s house and it was there that I met Ramdath for the first time,” Roopdai said as she spoke of life with Ramlal in the modest Fyzabad home they shared for 67 years. Roopdai said that her husband’s parents, Ramlal and Sumaria Mahato, were from India. Roopdai said she never objected to the marriage between herself and Ramlal. “We both trusted our own parents that whomsoever they chose would be a good person, and here I am, still married to Ramlal 68 years later,” Roopdai said quietly. Ramlal was a bit shy at first and stayed downstairs for half an hour before Roopdai called him to take pictures with her, and Roopdai explained that her husband had a problem with his throat so he could not speak clearly. Nevertheless, Ramlal eventually came and sat beside Roopdai in the family living room filled with pictures and momentos that marked a life of service to each other. Roopdai said the key to having a long marriage is to never leave your husband’s house because of a little argument. “If we had a quarrel, I would never run away and go home to my parents. Even if Ramlal told me something I did not like I would not answer back. The longest time I BHAGVAD GITA FOR EACH HOME Bulk distribution centres.

The Gita can be available in bulk at the following contacts: Donations are expected to fund further copies; any individual or organization wishing to assist in this project can contact us.

CANADA Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton Ramnarine Sahadeo 905 671 9233 e-mail [email protected], Omesh Sharma [email protected], Chandan Persaud at 416-754-2382, Gulcharan at 416 481-5777 [email protected], Ram Jagessar at 416 289 9088 or [email protected]

ever spent away from Ramlal was when I got pregnant. After I delivered our first child Vishnu, he told me to stay at my parents for three months until I could cope,” Roopdai said. Ramlal worked at Premiere Consolidated Oilfield (PCO) as a pump repairer, while Roopdai settled herself as a homemaker who never worked outside her home. The couple eventually had five children, four boys and one girl. Three of the Ramlal males, Vishu, Vinod and Vijaye attended Naparima Boys’ College and one son, Vickram, attended Fyzabad Intermediate. Their daughter, Latchmie, is a mother and wife like Roopdai. At present most of the Ramlal children are approaching retirement, but they all held positions in the oil industry or the Government service.

Roopdai still cooks for her 11 grandchildren and three great grandchildren who grew up with her. Roopdai said seven grandchildren have completed tertiary education while three are still pursuing degrees. One granddaughter, Stacy Ramlal, won a President’s Medal for teacher training in 2005.

Roopdai also said that religious beliefs have changed over the years for her family, although she and Ramlal still practise Hinduism.

“My children and grandchildren are all Presbyterians and I have no problem with that,” said Roopdai. She reminisces that Trinidad has been good to them and none of their children have said they wanted to migrate.

RICHMOND HILL Omo Persaud at [email protected] 905-886-1724 Winnipeg: Ajodhya Mahadeo 204-661-6643

British Columbia Chameli Seegobin 604-945-9510, e-mail address [email protected], and Naraine Mohabir at 604-274-8938

GUYANA: Saraswati Vidya Niketan ph. 2760013/14

WORLD NEWS

Davan Maharaj Bombs kill 60 in named editor of L.A. Times One placed in Hindu temple

Jaipur, India

A series of bomb blasts have ripped through crowded market areas in the Indian city of Jaipur Tuesday evening, killing up to 60 people and injuring dozens more. Breaking months of calm, the seven bombs went off in close succession on near a Hindu temple and a crowded bazaar inside the walled enclave of the historic pink city of Jaipur.. Authorities described it as a terror attack. The police said that the bombs all went off within a radius of 50 feet and that they may have been planted in the wheels of bicycles, the mangled remains of which were found near many of the blast sites. One blast was set off near the temple, dedicated to the Hindu monkey god, Hanuman, which is especially crowded on Tuesday evenings, and six more went off within minutes of each other in the crowded warrens of shops and monuments nearby, including the popular 18th-century tourist site, Hawa Mahal, and the Johri Bazaar, lined with jewelers. Panic set in immediately, officials said. Nobody has claimed responsibility for the attack, which is typical of terror attacks in India carried out by Muslim extremists seeking independence for Kashmir.

Over 150,000 dead, 6 million made homeless in the last two weeks

. At least 150,000 people have been killed and over 6 million made homeless in the first half of this month, making May the deadliest month of the year for weather related disasters so far. During May 2-3 the monster cyclone Nargis devastated Burma, now called Myanmar, killing 78,000 immediately, and leaving 2.5 million without shelter, food, medicine and clean drinking water. Over 50,000 people are missing and the final death toll is expected to be over 100,000. Aid has been slow to reach most of the affected Burmans because of interference by the military government. In China the confirmed death toll from the May 12 quake rose to 34,073 this week. Another 9,500 remained buried in Sichuan province where the quake was strongest and more than 29,000 were missing. Officials have said they expect final death toll to exceed 50,000, with more than 245,000 reported as injured, and 4.5 million left homeless. Quake-related losses to companies totaled $9.5 billion US.

Another Canadian killed in Mexico

Another Canadian vacationing in Mexico vacationing CABO SAN LUCAS, Mexico – Mexican police say they are protecting the Another Canadian vacationing in Mexico has been killed. Last Thursday 29-yearold Bouabal Bounthavorn was shot dead after opening the door of his room at the Hotel Riu in Mexico's Cabo San Lucas beach resort. His girlfriend was wounded in the ankle and treated at a local hospital. Several deaths and injuries involving Canadian tourists in Mexico recently have caused worries for the many Canadians who flock to Mexico for winter getaways..

The Los Angeles Times has promoted Trinidadian Davan Maharaj to the post of managing editor of the internationally prestigious newspaper. Maharaj, business editor since February 2007, assumes oversight of the Foreign, National, Metro, Sports and Business departments. He will be responsible for shaping coverage, deploying people and overseeing personnel decisions with guidance from Editor Russ Stanton and Executive Editor John Arthur. Maharaj, 45, has worked as a reporter for The Times in Orange County, Los Angeles and East Africa. His six-part series "Living on Pennies," in collaboration with Times photographer Francine Orr, won the 2005 Ernie Pyle Award for Human Interest Writing and inspired readers to donate tens of thousands of dollars to aid agencies working in Africa. Another Maharaj story, an investigative report about a Leisure World attorney who inherited millions of dollars in stock, land and other "gifts" from his clients, led to changes in California probate law. Maharaj has been an assistant foreign editor and, in Business, served as a deputy editor before assuming leadership of the department last year. During Maharaj's tenure, the Business section revamped its coverage to give greater emphasis to consumer issues. It also redesigned its Sunday section to focus on personal finances. A native of Trinidad, Maharaj holds a political science degree from the University of Tennessee and a master's degree in law from Yale University.

Milk shortageJamaica to import cows

Up to five years ago, some 5,000 litres of fresh milk was being dumped daily. Today there is a shortage of the calcium-rich liquid and now the Ministry of Agriculture is proposing to import cows in a bid to avert a nutritional crisis. This is among several proposals contained in a draft document for submission to Cabinet. The draft comes amid a noticeable absence of milk from supermarket shelves across the island. There have also been reports of a shortage of milk powder in the country. Local production of fresh milk has been on the decline since the early 1990s. Some 14 million litres of fresh milk were produced last year, significantly less than the 140 million litres consumed annually.

Indo-Caribbean Times

MAY 2008

Page 18

New solar cell Crop insurance coming for will deliver Jamaican farmers cheap power

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xperts from the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank have started talks with the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF) and Government on providing insurance for the agricultural sector in Jamaica. Insurance has become important to the agricultural sector because of the increased risk for natural disasters as a result of increased global temperatures. Global climate change will affect rainfall, temperature and water availability for agriculture in vulnerable areas, scientists say, and in areas like Jamaica, both weather extremes are already being felt. The sector took a battering last year from hurricane Dean as well as in 2005 and 2004 from hurricanes Dennis, Emily and Ivan, with loss to the industry reaching several billion dollars. Recently, excessive dry conditions have become more frequent. The latest day spell started late January and has already caused several million dollars in damage to crop and livestock in the last three months. St Elizabeth - the country's bread basket - and northern parishes - St Ann and St Mary - were the worst hit.

800 Indian Christians go back to Hinduism

As many as 800 Christians, mostly farm labourers, returned to their original roots i.e. Hinduism, at a ceremony organised by Hindu Makkal Katchi (HMK) at Sangitha Sabha, Tirunelveli, in Tamil Nadu recently. According to reports, the dalit Christians were facing discrimination at the hands of upper class Christians in their respective parishes. HMK leader Shri Arjun Sampath said around 800 members from 185 families, 500 men, 220 women and 80 children, returned home. These Christians, a mix of Protestants and Roman Catholics were originally Hindus and their forefathers had converted to Christianity five generations back.

Barbados to celebrate Indian centenary in 09

Next year 2009 Barbados will celebrate the centenary of the arrival of East Indians to this Island. No indentured Indians came here only traders pawn boilers professionals artisans and domestics. The island boasts of having three muslim mosques and two hindu temples

Barrie teen clocks 239 km, loses license, car

A Barrie-area teenager’s has had his license suspended and his car seized for a week after OPP traffic police clocked him driving 239 kilometres per hour in an 80kilometre zone. He was running 159 kilometres an hour over the limit on Highway 26 north of Barrie. Cops who pulled his car over found he had a Lincoln LLS, which can be equipped with a V6 or V8 engine and can reach up to 225 kilometres per hour. The 17-year-old from Springwater township is charged with street racing, careless driving and failure to surrender his license. Four other young people under 18 were in the car when it was stopped.

An American technology company from Silicon Valley in California has developed a new solar energy cell that can deliver solar power at the same price as conventional electricity plants. SUNRGI's "concentrated photovoltaic" system relies on lenses to magnify sunlight 2,000 times, letting it produce as much electricity as standard panels with a far smaller system. Executives of the year-old company say they'll start producing solar panels by mid2009 that will generate electricity for about 7 cents a kilowatt hour, including installation. That's roughly the price of cheap coalfired electricity. "We're bringing the cost of solar electricity down to be competitive with" fossil fuels, says Bob Block, a cofounder of SUNRGI. The company plans to start selling the cells to power utilities and large industrial and commercial customers at first, and then to homes within three years. At present solar power is hampered by costs of 20 cents to 30 cents a kilowatt hour, and solar makes up less than 1% of U.S. power generation. The best that other solar technology companies can promise is 10 to 18 cents a kilowatt hour by 2010. SUNRGI panels magnify sunlight about four times better than other makers, and have a highly efficient semiconductor that converts 37% of the sunlight to electricity, more than double the industry average. They are small enough to be made at existing electronics or PC factories, avoiding the need to build new plants.

British PM mauled in local elections

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown admitted that it had been a "disappointing" night for Labour after the party suffered its worst election results for four decades in what was his first proper electoral test as Prime Minister. In local government elections around England and Wales, Labour’s projected national vote share was put at just 24 per cent, trailing 20 points behind David Cameron’s Conservatives on 44 per cent, and even behind the Liberal Democrats on 25 per cent. The margin was similar to the drubbing received by John Major in council elections in 1995, two years before he was ejected from Downing Street by Tony Blair. Latest analysis suggests that the Tories would enjoy a landslide Commons majority of between 138 and 164 seats if the results were repeated in a general election. Brown enjoyed a brief spell of popularity when he replaced the flambuoyant Tony Blair, but this has declined sharply in recent times. Blair won three straight elections in his time as prime minister.

South Asian Heritage Month: INDIANS IN THE CARIBBEAN

Indo-Caribbean Times

The Indo-Caribbean Connection (The Untold Story)

M

By Roop Misir, PhD

ay every year is South Asian Heritage Month. This name is given to the month-long celebrations in Ontario and parts of Canada. Asian Heritage Month is also celebrated in the month of May. Events acknowledge and celebrate the long and rich history plus the ongoing contributions to our country of South Asian Canadians and other Asian Canadians. History of South Asian Heritage Month

This event became Law by the Ontario Provincial Parliament on December 14 2001, with the passage of Bill 98. The government of Ontario thereby proclaimed May as South Asian Heritage Month and declared May 5 to be South Asian Arrival Day; this date is the earliest recorded date of the arrival of Indians in the western hemisphere; in this case, Guyana, South America. In May 2002, the Government of Canada also officially recognized May as Asian Heritage Month. Early South Asians in Canada

Over a century ago, South Asians began arriving and settling in Canada. The first to arrive were soldiers from the Indian Army. In 1897, they passed through this country on their way back home from London, England after attending the Diamond Jubilee of the reign of Queen Victoria. Some of these soldiers later returned to live in Canada permanently. The first known South Asian from the Caribbean was Dr Kenneth Mahabir who arrived in Halifax in 1908. He studied Medicine and then stayed on upon completion of his studies. Passenger manifests in Halifax also show that a young man named M.N. Santoo from the colony of Demerara (now Guyana) arrived in 1908 on the SS Dahomey, on his way to Montreal as an immigrant. Records also showed that between 1909 and 1943 only 878 South Asians were allowed into Canada. However, it wasn’t some years later that amendment to Canadian immigration law paved the way for the influx of non-traditional European immigrants. Today, South Asians comprise Canada's largest visible minority group, with a population of nearly 1.3 million. They make up over 7 per cent of Ontario's population. Indo-Caribbean Origins of Celebrations

Indo-Caribbean people are descendants of the Indian pioneers who first arrived in

the West—in Guyana in 1838, and in Trinidad in 1845, and who had made a second migration to Canada in large numbers since the 1960s. Although the year 2008 marks eighth year of official celebrations of South Asian Heritage Month, IndoCaribbean peoples started to observe this event long before. In 1986, a Toronto-based group Ontario Society for Services to Indo-Caribbean Canadians (OSSICC) was formed. Its focus was primarily to celebrate in 1988 the upcoming 150th anniversary of the arrival of Indians to Guyana. This organization continued to celebrate Indo-Caribbean Heritage Day until 2000, with interest and support coming mainly from members of the IndoCaribbean community. Indian Arrival Day Celebrations

In April 1997 the Indo Trinidad Canadian Association (ITCA) was formed, and immediately began observing Indian Arrival Day. In that year too community activist Asha Maharaj organized a display of Indian artifacts. The Trinidad and Tobago Association of Ottawa held a celebration. As well, the Caribbean East Indian Cultural Organization headed by radio host Richard Aziz organized an Indian Arrival event in Toronto. Indian Arrival and Heritage Day

By 1998, ITCA celebrated the event as Indian Arrival and Heritage Day, and held a huge show/display/dance at the Etobicoke Olympium. By then it realized that Indo Caribbean people were only about 10 per cent of the "Indian" population in metroToronto. Therefore ITCA was determined that the celebrations not be considered an exclusive Indo-Caribbean event, but rather one for all people with roots in the Indian subcontinent. Other Groups on Board

The next year, ITCA (and OSSICC) started celebrating May as Indian Arrival and Heritage Month. In 2000, the Guyana East Indian Association of Canada (GEIAC) and the Canadian Indo-Caribbean Association (CICA) of Hamilton formed an expanded umbrella group called the Council for Indian Arrival and Heritage Month (CIAHM). On the Council’s letterhead were these prophetic words: "Commemorating the 162nd anniversary of the arrival in the Americas of the people and heritage of the Indian subcontinent". Thereafter, people from the various groups became collectively satisfied to be called South Asians. The view was that this connotation would include Indians, Pakistanis, Sri Lankans and others who can trace their origins in the Indian subcontinent. By then, the Council was marking the arrival of Indians in the West—1838 (Guyana), and 1897 as the year the first Indians (from the Punjab) began arriving in Canada. By then, the number of events for Indian Arrival and Heritage Month had gone up to 11; however, CIAHM had support from 25 South Asian cultural and social groups. And for the first time, many actually held events to observe South Asian Heritage Month.

Initial Problems

But even though CIAHM tried to attract the support of the other groups, it didn’t always get a positive response. In the Caribbean the word Indian includes everybody who came from what was then united, pre-partition India. However, in Canada the use of the term “Indian” was different. It refers to people who had come from an independent, modern India, or perhaps First Nations “native Indians”. Some Punjabi Sikhs did not related well to India because of their political differences in India. Pakistanis did not respond to Indian Arrival and Heritage Month or to Indian Arrival events. Sri Lankans considered themselves Indians and ignored Indian Arrival and Heritage Month. Similar problems arose amongst people from Bangladesh and Nepal. Thus, Indian Arrival celebration was still to gain popular appeal. MPP Raminder Gill Piloted Bill 98

When CIAHM launched the Indian Arrival and Heritage Month at the Scarborough Civic Centre in 2001, the keynote speaker was Mr. Raminder Gill, then a South Asian Member of the Ontario Parliament. He said he would introduce a private members bill in the legislature to legitimize the event, and he did so later that same year. Gill was able to obtain multi-party support for Bill 98. However, the legislature would not accept Indian Arrival and Heritage Month because it would cause confusion with the Indian Act and other laws relating to native Indians. Therefore, the name was changed to South Asian Heritage Month, and the bill received unanimous support and was signed into law in December 2001. South Asian Month Gains Acceptance

Since then, South Asian Heritage Month has grown dramatically. Dozens of celebrations take place each year, including events at the Ontario Parliament, the Gerard Street bazaar, numerous religious and community groups and the media. It has been embraced enthusiastically by the Sri Lankans, Pakistanis, and dozens of subgroups within the South Asian community. In recent times, celebrations are held throughout Ontario and other provinces and territories in Canada. Various cultural groups now hold various events, e.g., South Asian Music is featured at the Small World Music Festival, Toronto, Canada. (http://chordvine.com/dispatches/south-asian-music-heritage-monthat-the-small-world-festival/. For the first time ever, Toronto’s Canadian South Asian Music Festival expands to Montreal and Vancouver and other parts of the country. And the activities attract prominent corporate sponsors like RBC and TELUS (www.desifest.ca). Metro School Boards (Peel, Toronto) have various programs to promote cultural diversity. Enriching Canadian Culture

There is no denying of the importance of South Asians in the evolution of Canadian culture. Like other groups, Asians are defined by culture, traditions, their dedication to hard work and innovation. In Canada,

MAY

2008

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they have managed to retain their distinctive and elaborate cultures, and aspects of religions, languages and heritage, while still enjoying success in almost every career path and profession, be it politics, law, medicine, or the media. Culture Promotes Mutual Respect

The continent of Asia is home to most of the world’s population. It is also the home of the world’s longest surviving ancient civilizations, the origin of major religions, the development of important linguistic groups, and the cradle of creativity and scientific thinking. Long considered the playground of adventurers and plunderers, Asian countries have only recently been able to assert their sovereignty and gain world respect. Today emerging giants like India and China are taking their rightful place on the world stage. Canada’s recognition of Asian heritage Month and South Asian Heritage Month though small are significant steps in the ongoing process of humanity to achieve harmony, mutual respect and peaceful coexistence. So come and let’s all celebrate. Whether we go to see a South Asian movie, shopping at a Bazaar, attending one of the many free concerts and street parties, or just enjoying sumptuous and spicy delicacies at a nearby restaurant, there’s no shortage of events to take in. Thanks to Mr. Raminder Gill.

Thanks to those Indo-Caribbean and other South Asian cultural pioneer with the vision for the future. The cultural and economic contributions of South Asian Canadians are slowly being appreciated. Let’s join in the fun, enjoy and celebrate Happy Asian Heritage Month to all!

[Dr. Roop Misir is an Indo-Guyanese Canadian Teacher with the Toronto District School Board. He was a member of the Committee of Indo-Caribbean cultural pioneers (headed by Ramdath Jagessar) who lobbied for legislation to designate May every year as South Asian Heritage Month, and May 5th as South Asian Arrival Day. An important reference: is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Asian_ Heritage_Month]

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36,000 Guyanese living Case against the Brampton “terrorists” in Ciudad Guayana Indentured village G slowly melting away brought to life at Indo-Caribbean Times

O

By Thomas Walkom

nce labelled Canada's first homegrown, Islamist terror plot, the case of the so-called Toronto 18 is quietly melting away. With the recents decision to stay charges against four more of those that it had once labelled dangerous terrorists, the federal government is now admitting that it never had a serious case against almost half of the men and youths charged two years ago. So far, the Crown has stayed charges against seven of the 18 Toronto-area Muslim males. While technically, that means it could re-lay charges within a year, legal experts call such a move unlikely. This does not necessarily mean the Crown's case is entirely bogus. The government argues that some of the remaining 11 were involved in a scheme to obtain explosive material, while others participated in a terror training camp. Because of a judicial publication ban, whatever evidence – if any – that the government has produced in court to bolster these allegations cannot be reported. But what is becoming clear from material that can be revealed is that the alleged plot was never quite as advertised. Back in June 2006, the overriding sentiment in government and media was that a dangerous attack had been narrowly avoided. The allegations – that Canadian Muslim extremists were planning to behead Prime Minister Stephen Harper, seize MPs and blow up the CBC – seemed unbelievable. But in a post-9/11 world, the unbelievable had, for many, a ring of truth. "We are a target because of who we are and how we live, our society, our diversity and our values – values such as freedom, democracy and the rule of law," Harper said. Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day hinted darkly of more arrests to come. The media asked how homegrown terrorism

could happen here, a not illegitimate question, but one that implicitly assumed the 18 were guilty. Coming at a time when Parliament was reviewing the 2002 anti-terror law, the arrests bolstered the arguments of those who wanted the more draconian aspects of that legislation kept in place. The arrests also stoked fears that Islamist radicals were motivating impressionable Muslim youths. In some press accounts, the eldest person arrested, a Mississauga bus driver named Qayyum Abdul Jamal, then 43, was painted as the Islamic firebrand behind the youthful plotters. This view was reinforced when then Liberal MP Wajid Khan (he's now a Conservative) told reporters that he had once heard Jamal at a mosque badmouthing Canada's troops in Afghanistan. Ironically, Jamal was one of the four who had his charges stayed yesterday. He may indeed be a critic of Canadian foreign policy. But it seems that he is not a terrorist ideologue. Other elements of the government's case did not stand up well under scrutiny. The alleged terror training camp turned out to be a hapless adventure in the rain, one where participants spent much of their time in a local doughnut shop and where the ammunition for target practice was apparently provided by one of two paid RCMP informers. As for the alleged plot to behead Harper, it was apparently derailed because the plotters didn't know how to get to Parliament Hill. Nor, it seems (according to material released by the Crown), were they exactly sure who the Prime Minister was. Still, we are sure to learn more about the case against the rapidly shrinking Toronto 18 when the actual trials begin – if, by then, the Crown still has anyone left it wants to try.

uyana's Ambassador to Venezuela Dr. Odeen Ishmael and a five-member team from the Embassy has been meeting with hundreds of Guyanese nationals residing in the Venezuelan industrial city of Ciudad Guayana, located at the junction of the Orinoco and the Caroni Rivers, 600 miles south-east of Caracas. Most of the Guyanese who migrated to Venezuela reside in various parts of this sprawling industrial city. At four different centres in the city's large municipalities of San Felix and Puerto Ordaz, the Ambassador and his team in the two-day period concentrated their efforts on assisting more than 200 Guyanese in renewing their passports and another 200 to apply for new and first-time passports. Many of the Guyanese in this city are illegal residents and a sizeable proportion of them do not even possess Guyanese passports or even copies of their birth certificates which form the essential requirement for them to apply for passports. A great proportion of them are also without Guyanese identification documents, even though have been living in Venezuela for as long as twenty years. As a result, they cannot apply for Venezuelan residency which many of their compatriots with the relevant documents have already acquired. According to the city authorities of Ciudad Guayana, more than 36,000 Guyanese reside there, with the largest concentration in the municipality of San Felix. While some have found employment in the city's iron, steel and aluminium industries, most of the "illegals" are employed as labourers, domestics and ice-cream vendors. However, some others are self-employed mainly in the transportation business and in operating small farms, groceries and small stores. At a lengthy meeting in April with the mayor of the city, Mr. Clemente Scotto, Ambassador Ishmael discussed the problems of the Guyanese nationals and sought the city government's assistance in helping to more rapidly incorporate the Guyanese community into the general Venezuelan society.

MAY 2008

Page 20

Arrival celebrations

On the first weekend in May the the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha (GHDS) kicked off its two-day 170th Indian Arrival anniversary celebration with a swirl of creativity, bringing to life an indentureship-period village A food booth that was operated by the Better Hope Mandir. This particular one was creatively designed and specialized in dhal, rice and coconut choka among many other Indian dishes. The National Stadium featured a number of imitation “logies” [small rectangular houses made of clay and branches] complete with kitchen, prayer room and sleeping quarters. The kitchens were equipped with “firesides” made of clay and an array of traditional Indian cookware and eating utensils. The Dharmic Naujawan displayed beautiful painted clay pots against the background of a colourful painting. “That is what your grandmother used to cook on,” a number of parents were heard telling their children. The sights brought back many memories for older IndoGuyanese and captured the interest of the younger ones who were eager to see and absorb the rich culture surrounding them. A meal of pigeon peas and rice being prepared as it was done in the early 19th century by Indian indentured immigrants. Two models of the Whitby – which brought some of the first immigrants - were on display and those present were given an opportunity to showcase their talents on stage. A number of booths belonging to various businesses were scattered throughout the compound. Various Indian dishes, clothes, jewellery and crafts were on sale. This collection of classical Indian musical instruments was displayed by the Dharmic Naujawan. A number of performances were also staged by various Indian artistes and dance groups, among them were Krishna Mandata, Mohan Nandu and Suchitra Rampersaud.

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Guyana celebrates 170th Indian Arrival Day INDIAN ARRIVAL DAY

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EELINGS of nostalgia swelled at the National Stadium last week with the opening of a two-day event that aptly portrays ‘lang-time’ days of East Indian immigrants and their descendants. Ladies were dressed in the traditional rumal (headwear); food was cooked from the ‘fireside’ with a ‘pukney’ handy to keep the fire going; the kitchen was of ‘saphie’ hanging and enamel cups and plates; a panchay at (village court) was in session; tassa drums blared as m a n y danced the ‘nagara’; and ‘loud’ sevencurry was in abundance. The event, organised by t h e Guyana H i n d u Dharmic Sabha, continued for two days. This day event also celebrates the contributions of the Indian immigrants and their descendants’ efforts which spanned many facets of Guyana’s development, despite their numerous struggles. For over three quarters of a century (1838-1917), Indian indentured labourers were imported from the sub-continent of India to the West Indian colonies, ostensibly to fill the void created as a result of the mass exodus of ex-slaves from plantation labour following the abolition of the despicable system of slavery, and moreso, the premature termination of the apprenticeship scheme in 1838. THE DESCENDANTS

Their descendants today comprise over 50 per cent of Guyana’s population of over 750,000. Overall, where the English speaking Caribbean is concerned, substantial numbers of indentured Indians were imported. Based on statistical evidence, Guyana was the recipient of 239,909 East Indian immigrants until the termination of the system in 1917; Trinidad 143,939; Jamaica 36,412; Grenada 3,033; St. Vincent 2,472; St. Lucia 4,354; and St. Kitts 337. In addition, the non-English speaking Caribbean imported Indian indentured labourers during this period. Of the French colonies (now French Overseas Departments) Martinique received 25,509; Guadelope 45,844 and French Guiana 19,276. Neighbouring Suriname, while under Dutch rule, imported a total of 35,501 immigrants. Following the abolition of slavery in 1834 and the termination of the apprenticeship system in 1838, a state of fear, uncertainty and gloom was uppermost in the minds of the then British Guianese planters. They were very conscious that a grave labour shortage on the estates would certainly mean economic disaster to themselves and the sugar industry in general. The mass exodus of ex-slaves from the plantations during this crucial period of ‘crisis and change’ merely served to confirm planters’ fear and uneasiness. This movement was not entirely surprising as several decades of slavery had resulted in the plantation being seen as the symbol of dehumanisation, degradation and demoralisation, and the victims, quite naturally

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wanted to rid themselves of white planter class, social, cultural and political domination, and to assert their economic independence. With great enthusiasm and in the face of tremendous odds, they started the village movement and peasantry. The importation of indentured labourers from the Indian sub-continent was part of the continuing search for a reliable labour force to meet the needs of the powerful plantocracy. In the case of Guyana, East Indian immigration had its origin in the ‘Gladstone Experiment’. John Gladstone, father o f British statesm a n William Gladstone, was the owner of the West Demerara plantations, Vreed-en-Hoop and Vreed-en-Stein, at this juncture of the country’s history. INDO-GUYANESE CONTRIBUTION

East Indian indentured labourers and their descendants toiled, and continue to toil, unceasingly to ensure the survival of the sugar industry in the 19th , 20th and 21st Centuries. The vast majority of the workforce in the sugar industry are IndoGuyanese, and sugar remains one of the most important foreign exchange earners in the country in the face of grave global challenges. Guyanese of Indian origin are largely responsible for the prominence of Guyana’s rice industry. The Indian indentured labourers in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries began to cultivate rice on a large scale and this was linked to the almost exclusive Indian village settlements which emerged at the time. They are integrally involved in cattle rearing, the selling of milk, and cash crop farming. Ever since the 1880s, Indian immigrants have displayed a high occupational profile in a number of off-plantation economic activities including cab-drivers, barbers, tailors, carpenters, boat-builders, charcoal makers, sieve-makers, goldsmiths, porters, small scale manufacturers and fishermen. Today, Guyanese of Indian origin are found in every sphere of activity including business, the professional class, politics, religion and trade unions. East Indian immigrants and their descendants have ensured there is a rich cultural heritage in this multi-cultural and pluralistic society of ours. Indian customs, values and traditions have survived over the years. They brought with them their main religions, Hinduism and Islam. CUSTOMS

Approximately 83 per cent of the immigrants were Hindus, while another 14 per cent were Muslims. The remaining three per cent were Christians. Mosques and temples began to dot our coastal landscape from the late 19th Century. Related to this were the introduction of languages -- Hindi and Arabic and several other Indian di

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Guyanese national holidays, a testimony to their significance. Hindus and Muslims regularly perform their religious or thanksgiving IInside a typical mandir of the time, set up at the National Stadium c e r e monies. Evidence of this development alects. The Ramayan, the Bhagwat Gita and the among Hindus is reflected in the numerous Holy Quran are prized holy books in many Jhandi and other flags and Murtis which are proudly displayed in devotees’ yards and households today. homes respectively. A significant contribution is in the area of East Indian immigrants and their descendress. Traditional Indian wear such as the dants were able to survive largely due to shalwar, sari, kurta and dhoti are popular their resilience, perseverance, custom, tratoday. Some of these have taken on nationdition and commitment to family which inalistic flavour. The Indian ritual marriage variably promotes thrift, industry and form and the extended family system have self-esteem. They continue to make valucontinued over time with very few changes. Indian music, songs, films dance and other able contributions to the overall progress art forms have taken root in Guyanese so- and development of Guyana. Their strong cultural ties are undoubtedly a motivating ciety. Indian foods like roti, puri, curry, dhal, factor, as they march forward into this new pholouri, bara, keer and vegetable dishes millennium of ours with a great sense of are regularly consumed by every ethnic purpose and maturity. After all, Guyana relentlessly seeks to group in society. have greater economic benefits, socio-poIndian festivals are widely celebrated too. litical stability and national cohesiveness at These include the colourful Phagwah, this juncture of its history. All its people are Deepavali (festival of lights), Ramnoumi, faced with this ongoing struggle in the face Shiv-Ratri, Youman Nabi, Eid-ul-Fitr. Four of harsh global realities. of these are today celebrated as truly

SPORTS

Bridge champ Casareno Sarwan takes the helm vs Australia Sharma wants Cheerleaders too spicy for wins Ontario Indian Premier League Recreational action in Toronto Chess again T CRICKETCricket:

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amnaresh Sarwan will step in for the injured Chris Gayle and lead West Indies in the first Test against Australia at Sabina Park on Thursday. Gayle has succumbed to the groin injury that kept him out of the Indian Premier League and the home team's leadership will revolve around Sarwan and Dwayne Bravo, the new deputy. Sarwan guided the team in two Tests in England last year and will face a tough assignment against the world champions. The opener Sewnarine Chattergoon, who made his debut against Sri Lanka in April, has been ruled out with a shoulder problem, leaving a spot for Brenton Parchment. Parchment is currently captaining a Jamaica XI in the tour game against the Australians and scored 25 on the opening day. Ryan Hinds and Runako Morton were included in the outfit, which is also without Marlon Samuels after he was found guilty of dealing with a bookmaker. The squad was named following a pre-series camp in Antigua. West Indies squad Brenton Parchment, Runako Morton, Ryan Hinds, Ramnaresh Sarwan (capt), Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Devon Smith, Dwayne Bravo, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Jerome Taylor, Daren Powell, Darren Sammy, Sulieman Benn, Amit Jaggernauth, Fidel Edwards.

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American style cheerleaders have proved to be a little too much for some Indians at the Indian Premier League. Young ladies waving pom poms and flashing lots of skin are..just not cricket. One Indian cricket team has withdrawn cheerleaders from matches while others are being told to cover up, after protests that their dances and skimpy outfits were offensive to conservative Indians. Cheerleaders, many imported from abroad, were hired to liven up India's new $900 million domestic cricket league in which eight teams play a shortened version of the traditional game. But while drum players, blaring music and the presence of Bollywood stars cheering among spectators may have livened up stadiums, cheerleaders may be one spectacle too far. The sight of many foreign women and Indians dancing in high boots and skimpy shorts sparked anger from both Hindu nationalists, who opposed their open sexuality, and some leftist parties who said it crudely copied Western culture. "The manner in which semi-clad girls keep shaking their limbs is in bad taste," Uddhav Thackeray, head of the hardline Hindu nationalist Shiv Sena party was quoted as saying. Police near Mumbai, where the Mumbai Indians play, were looking out for “ indecency both in the cheerleaders' dress and dance routine” recently. But the cheerleaders dropped the exposed cleavages, midriffs and thighs in favour of skintight lycra. But well-known cheerleaders from the Washington Redskins are still performing for the Bangalore Royal Challengers, and have not toned down their performances.

CHESS, DRAUGHT AND DOMINO TOURNAMENTS

Players of all skill levels (beginners to advanced) are invited to participate. Tournaments held every month during the winter.

See schedule at www.horizoncricketclub.com or phone 905-794-5423. Also, adult and kids CHESS LESSONS (beginners to advance). Learn to play the world’s best board game. Registration information at www.horizoncricketclub.com

he 2008 Ontario Recreational Chess Championship was held in Brampton on May 03, 2008. Eighteen top chess players competed in the Chess Master Section for the prestigious title of 2008 Ontario Recreational Chess Champion. The winners for all of the previous tournaments (Harold Chan, Devon Thomas and Erwin Casareno) participated in this event. Erwin Casareno, winner of the last tournament, was presented with congratulatory letters from the Prime Minister and from a local MP recognizing his outstanding achievements in chess. It was excitement all the way to the finish. At the end, Erwin Casareno emerged the winner (once again). The tournament was organized by Horizon Cricket Club and directed by Fred Lall. All results are posted at www.horizoncricketclub.com Special thanks go to Erwin Casareno who assisted with the pairing. He introduced a unique pairing board system that expedited the process. The tournament (five 30-minute rounds, plus a break, plus the playoffs) was completed in approximately 4 hours. The next tournament (The 2008 World Recreational Chess Championship) is scheduled for December 06, 2008. All chess players are invited to compete for the grand title of 2008 World Recreational Chess Champion. Registration information will be posted at www.horizoncricketclub.com

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Top rated Toronto bridge player Tulsiram Sharma, (second from right in picture above) was was part of the successful Guyana Bridge Team that won the Inter Guianas Bridge Tournament recently. Tulsie, who lives in North York and conducts sessions for seniors at the Jane and Finch corridor, wants to bring more Caribbean people to the world of high quality bridge. He is ready to open a bridge clinic for interested parties. He was one of the five member team which won the 35th annual Inter-Guiana team tournament held from March 22-25 in Guyana. It was only the third victory by a Guyana Bridge team in the 35-year history of the competition. The Guyana team got past French Guiana and Suriname 18-12 and 20-10 respectively in the final matches. The five players of the Guyana team were Beepat, Ashraf Ali, Ramdat ‘Jackie Rampersaud, Tulsie Sharma and Andrew Kartick “I hope that this recent victory in this competition between the three nations will serve to revitalize the game locally so that we may be able to see a formation of a few clubs as well the organizing of local tournaments,” said Guyana Sports Minister Dr. Frank Anthony.

West Indies will put up a fight vs Australia

Omar Khan, West Indies' manager, with coach John Dyson Omar Khan, West Indies' manager, is con- before claiming the three-match ODI series fident that his team will stand up to be 2-0, with one match being abandoned due counted when they take on the visiting Aus- to rain. tralians in the first of three Tests starting on An 18-man West Indies squad is currently May 22 in Kingston. engaged in a six-day training camp which "What I have noticed about the players is began on May 12. "The players have been that they are maturing and this gives me put under intense training," Khan said. confidence going into such a tough series," "They have done a lot of physicals and are Khan said. "We are cognisant of the fact now moving on to some nets work." that we are coming up against the world "They understand that they need to be at champions, Australia. We know our posi- their very best to compete against Australia tion in the rankings and theirs, and the play- and have accepted that," he said. "The guys ers know what is expected of them." have also been very interactive in the teamWest Indies go into the series on the back building sessions, and this is good for us. of an impressive performance against Sri What we are trying to achieve is a strong, Lanka - they drew the two-Test series 1-1 united bunch and we are well on our way to

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