Guyana Chronicle E-paper 05-06-2020

WEDNESDAY 6th May, 2020

No. 105991

‘All set for recount’ … GECOM says all systems in place for commencement of exercise … urges full cooperation from all parties involved 03 PAGE

Tight security during recount

Police ranks have been deployed to guard the containers with the ballot boxes and also maintain security during the national recount which opens today (Carl Croker photo)

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Tenth 02 COVID-19 death recorded President attends emergency 02 CARICOM meeting PAGE

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Lusignan prison 14 escapee recaptured PAGE

Recaptured : Anthony Padmore

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President: Arrival Day celebrates one of the most significant events in Guyana’s history Full text of President David Granger’s message on Arrival Day, observed as a national holiday annually on 5th May, celebrates one of the most significant events in Guyana’s history.

The nation’s multicultural diversity which was shaped by the ‘arrivals’ who came during the colonial era, is an asset that enriched our common experience.

The Indigenous peoples who occupied this land first were encountered by Europeans who arrived as explorers, traders, colonizers and rulers.

Africans arrived next, mostly involuntarily, were made to toil on the plantations of the Europeans.

Madeiran Portuguese, Chinese, Indians and other free West Africans and West Indians arrived after African Emancipation from enslavement.

Arrival Day celebrates the coming of these diverse peoples who, today, have moulded our multicultural society. Cultural diversity can create civil and communal conflict, the consequences of which have been calamitous elsewhere.

The forces of social cohesion in Guyana have been stronger than those of confrontation. Unity has prevailed over disunity. Harmony has prevailed over hostility. Our people, despite differences, continue to live together in pursuit of the common good. Respect for others – their racial origin, religious beliefs, region of residence, social status or political credenda – is the basis of a durable unity. Our common future lies in the recognition of the contribution which every citizen can make. Equality will overcome disunity. I urge everyone – the descendants of our Indigenous peoples and those who arrived afterwards –to continue to coexist in harmony in a cohesive state.

Happy Arrival Day to all Guyanese!

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, May 6, 2020

President attends emergency CARICOM meeting PRESIDENT David Granger on Tuesday attended the Tenth Special Emergency Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) via video conference, the Ministry of the Presidency said.

The Heads of Government of

CARICOM deliberated on the development of common regional policies and approaches related to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

A Common COVID-19 Public Health Policy, a Procurement Protocol for the Consolidated Purchase of Prioritised Medical Devices and Sup-

President David Granger

plies in the Context of COVID-19, a Regional Agri-Food Security Framework and a Common Protocol to Restart Intra-Regional Travel, both Air and Sea were among some of the other items listed on the agenda.

President Granger was accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Karen Cummings.

Tenth COVID-19 death recorded GUYANA has lost another precious life to the dreaded Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) disease, moving the total number of COVID-19 related deaths to 10.

Guyana Chronicle was reliably informed that the person was not a patient of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC)’s COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU), but had succumbed at another facility, on Tuesday.

This publication could not confirm the name, age or gender of the patient, as efforts of contact officials of the public health ministry proved futile, but the Guyana Chronicle was reliably informed that the person was only tested after succumbing. This means that the person was not among the 92 (now 93) confirmed cases, but had shown signs

or symptoms of the disease before dying.

The latest statistics from health authorities show that 680 persons have so far been tested for the disease, of which 587 were negative.

The Guyana Chronicle had reported that the COVID-19 disease has proven to be a “real killer,” especially in cases involving persons who have co-morbidities. This was according to doctors of the GPHC. At that time, Guyana had recorded six deaths due to the COVID-19 disease and while the loss of life is never pleasant, doctors had said most of the persons who died had co-morbidities. In medicine, comorbidity is defined as the presence of one or more additional conditions co-occurring with a primary condition; in the countable sense of the term, a comorbidity is each addi-

tional condition.

The WHO had said that 81 per cent of persons who contract COVID-19, will have mild symptoms, while 14 per cent will have severe symptoms and five per cent will need intensive care.

“Most of the people who passed, have [sic] co-morbidities…some had diabetes, hypertension, asthma and one of them even had severe pneumonia, which, without COVID, can also cause death…these, coupled with the complications related to COVID-19 can be dangerous,” said Head of the Department of Internal Medicine at GPHC, Dr. Genellys Camps, during an exclusive interview with the Guyana Chronicle.

Among the persons who lost their lives to the deadly disease was local drag racer, Deryck Jaisingh, called ‘Mad Dog.’ It was report-

ed that Jaisingh was also being treated for malaria and reports are that he was diabetic. Guyana’s first COVID-19 victim, 52-yearold, Ratna Baboolall, was also hypertensive and a diabetic. Jermaine Ifill, an emergency medical technician (EMT), who had also succumbed to the dreaded COVID-19 was also being treated for pneumonia.

Two other persons who died from the disease were OSA Collins, a 78-year-old resident of New Amsterdam; and 77-year-old, Colonel, John Percy Leon Lewis.

Forty-five-year-old, Lennox Williams, who also had underlying conditions, also died because of COVID-19.

And most recently, a diabetic patient, 67-year-old, Samuel Morris, also lost his life.

Considering the local situation, Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence, had said the ministry will continue to plead with all Guyanese to intensify efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19 by practising social distancing, staying at home, wearing face masks and regularly and thoroughly washing hands.

The disease remains a serious concern and so far government has extended its emergency measures to combat the dreaded coronavirus with the implementation of a 12-hour curfew on citizens.

These emergency measures were made pursuant to the paragraphs (1) and (2) (b) of the Direction by the President, given under the Public Health Ordinance, Cap. 145, and published in the Gazette, Legal Supplement B, March 16, 2020. These measures remain in effect until June 3, 2020.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, May 6, 2020

‘All set for recount’ … GECOM says all systems in place for commencement of exercise … urges full cooperation from all parties involved

By Svetlana Marshall

UNDER heavy police presence, the National Recount will commence today at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) under the supervision of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM)–a process intended to bring an end to the prolonged electoral impasse.

The journey to this point has been a long one. Public Relations Officer of GECOM, Yolanda Ward, is hopeful that – with all systems in place – the recount of votes cast at the March 2 General and Regional Elections will be smoothly executed.

“We have prepped our systems in such a way to be prepared for the smooth conduct of the exercise. We asked that we have the full cooperation of those involved in the process to ensure that this is done in an orderly and expeditious manner and that we have a smooth flow of the activity. And of course, at the end of the exercise that the results are accepted by all parties involved,” Ward told Guyana Chronicle in an interview on Tuesday.

She iterated that all systems would be in place for today’s recount. The final arrangements were being put in place on Tuesday evening. “As you are aware, we have moved all the containers for all of the regions to the Conference Centre today (Tuesday). All the other logistics and administrative arrangements have been put in place and we anticipate that everything will be completed for an early start,” she said.

Within a period of 25 days, GECOM is expected to process 2,339 ballot boxes containing more than 500,000 votes cast in both the General and Regional Elections in the country’s 10 Electoral Districts. Once the votes have been counted and the Statements of Return (SORs) tabulated for each Electoral District, the Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield, will then calculate the results based on the declarations and submit a report to the Chair of GECOM, Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh for deliberation at the level of the Elections Commission.

Importantly, the counting, tabulation process and the final declaration of the results will be observed by both Local and International Observers, including a team of scrutineers from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), and will be broadcast live.

Ahead of today’s recount, President David Granger reiterated his long-held position that he will accept the results of the General and

GECOM Chair was operating in. By the end of that day, international observers flagged the electoral process, with the majority of them contending that tabulation of the SOPs in Region 4 lacked transparency. It was that very day that the PPP/C, through a private citizen the late Reeaz Holladar, secured an injunction from the High Court blocking the declaration of the results of the elections on the grounds that Mingo did not comply with the Electoral Laws during the tabulation process. The next day, March 6, violent protests erupted within PPP/C stronghold areas.

On March 11, Chief Justice Roxane George-Wiltshire ruled that the declaration of the results for District Four was in breach of Section 84:1 of the Representation of the Peoples Act. Much to PPP/C’s satisfaction, the High Court found that for a large percentage of the SOPs was tabulated in the absence of those entitled to be there in accordance Flash back: GECOM Chair, Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh, leaving the High Court in March during one of the many court hearings (Adrian Narine Photo) Regional Elections when they are declared

by GECOM. “I have said, repeatedly, that I shall accept the declaration of the results by the Elections Commission, which will allow for a democratically-elected government to be sworn in to office,” the Head of State said in an address to the nation on Monday.

But how did Guyana arrive at this point?

It started with repeated disruptions during the tabulation of the Region 4 Statements of Poll (SOPs) by Returning Officer (CEO), Clairmont Mingo. In court documents filed in the High Court, Mingo noted that his attempt to execute his mandate was met with repeated objections and disruptions by the Opposition.

But notwithstanding loud screams of “No” in the Command Centre at High and Hadfield Streets, Mingo declared the results for Region 4 - the country’s largest electoral block – on Thursday, March 5, 2020. That declaration – the final of the 10 Electoral Districts – placed the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) in the lead – with thousands of votes ahead of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), the main opposition party. The centre immediately descended into chaos with representatives from the PPP/C and a number of small political parties clashing with the police in their attempt to break open the door of an office, the

The Arthur Chung Conference Centre – the site for the National Recount (Delano Williams photo)

challenged the legality of the recount. High Court Judge Franklin Holder had granted her a total of four injunctions, bringing the wheels of the electoral process to a halt once again.

During the course of that court matter, Jagdeo filed an application for Discovery of the SOPs but it was refused by Justice Holder on March 27. However, he had established that the Court had jurisdiction to hear the substantive matter brought by Moore.

But on March 31, the Full Court ruled that the Court had no jurisdiction to hear the case brought by Moore, on the grounds that the issues raised could only be dealt with by way of an Elections Petition. In arriving at the decision, the Full Court considered Articles 162 and 163 (1) of the Constitution, Sections 22 and 23 of the Elections Law (Amendment) Act of 2000, Section 140 of the Representation of the People Act and Section 3 of the National Assembly (Validity of Elections)

Containers containing the more than 2,000 ballot boxes being transported to the Arthur Chung Conference Centre under heightened police presence (Carl Croker Photo) with Section 86 of the Representation of the Peoples Act. But by March 13, the PPP/C moved to the High Court again, this time filing contempt proceedings against Mingo, the GECOM Chair and the Elections Commission. In hearing the contempt case, Chief Justice (ag) said the Returning Officer must produce the SOPs during the tabulation of votes for his electoral district. It was then the GECOM Chair gave a commitment to the High Court, that if after a request for a final count or recount, there were still disputes, she will facilitate a recount through the Commission. Mingo, according to the Chief Elections Officer, for a second time, tabulated the Region 4 SOPs in accordance with the Laws and Ruling of the Court on March 13, and declared the results. However, the results were not accepted by the PPP/C. On March 14, the contempt proceedings came up in the Court but was shelved after the Chairman of CARICOM, Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, announced that President Granger and the Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, had agreed to a National Recount under the supervision of a CARICOM high-level team.

An Aid Memoire was subsequently signed by the two leaders, and GECOM had agreed to a recount. The order was drafted. However,

by March 17, a private citizen, Ulita Moore,

Act. This decision, however, was appealed

by Moore, and, though the Appellate Court did not grant all the orders sought, it ruled, on April 5, that agreement that usurps the powers of GECOM to supervise elections in Guyana would be unconstitutional.

On April 3, two days before the ruling of the Appellate Court, the Elections Commission had taken a decision to proceed with the National Recount but under the supervision of GECOM, though it was agreed that CARICOM would be integrally involved.

In justifying its decision in an order published on Monday, GECOM explained that though the declarations of the results were made in accordance with Section 84 (1) of the Representation of the People Act, requests for recounts in a number of electoral districts were rejected, aborted, or held in abeyance. It noted, too, that a report detailing the results of the elections was submitted to the Chairman of the Elections Commission, but that, too, was held in abeyance, and aspects of the election process challenged in the Court.

In keeping with the general consensus among the political parties that a recount was necessary, the Elections Commission said it took the decision to facilitate the recount, in accordance with Article 162 of the Constitution, and Section 22 of the Elections Laws (Amendment) Act.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Coronavirus: Somalia probes Kenyan aid plane crash (BBC) Somalia is investigating how a private Kenyan plane with coronavirus medical supplies crashed near the city of Baidoa, killing all six on board.

Police say the African Express aircraft crashed in flames just before it was due to land in Bardale on Monday.

Officials say the crash’s cause is not clear but there has been speculation it might have been shot down.

Kenya’s foreign affairs ministry says its investigators have been invited to join the Somali inquiry.

The crew was made up of two Kenyan and four Somali nationals.

The Islamist militant

group al-Shabab has a presence in the area of Bardale, but the town and its airfield are held by Somali government soldiers and Ethiopian troops who are part of the African Union force in the country.

E t h i o p i a ’s d e f e n c e spokesperson has denied its forces had any involvement in the incident in Bardale, which is about 300km (180 miles) north-west of the capital, Mogadishu.

Abdirashid Abdullahi Mohamed, a former Somali defence minister, is quoted by the Reuters news agency as saying that he had spoken to a witness at the airfield who said the plane appeared to have been shot down.

Kenya’s foreign ministry has urged Kenyans and other humanitarian aircraft oper-

ating in the region to take precautions “in light of the unclear circumstances sur-

rounding the incident”.

“The aircraft was about to land at the Bardale airstrip

Planes have been transporting medical supplies to deal with coronavirus around Africa

when it crashed and burst into flames,” Abdulahi Isack, a police official, is quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.

It had flown from Mogadishu to Baidoa and then continued to Bardale town before crashing.

The Kenyan Civil Aviation Authority says it lost contact with the plane at around 16:20 local time (13:20 GMT) - but did not know the exact time of the crash.

African Express Airways has told the BBC it has sent a team from Mogadishu to Bardale to help of the local authorities assess the situation and do an initial report on the crash.

Coronavirus: France’s first known case ‘was in December’

(BBC) A patient treated in a hospital near Paris on 27 December for suspected pneumonia actually had the coronavirus, his doctor has said.

This means the virus may have arrived in Europe almost a month earlier than previously thought.

Dr Yves Cohen said a swab taken at the time was re-

cently tested, and came back positive for Covid-19.

The patient, who has since recovered, said he had no idea where he caught the virus as he had not travelled abroad.

Knowing who was the first case is key to understanding how the virus spread.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says it is possible more early cases will come to light, and spokesman Christian Lindmeier urged countries to check records for similar cases in order to gain a clearer picture of the outbreak.

The French health ministry told the BBC that the government was obtaining confirmation on the case and

A doctor suggests the virus arrived in France almost a month earlier than previously thought

that it would consider further investigations if they proved necessary.

France is not the only country where subsequent testing points to earlier cases.

Two weeks ago, a post-mortem examination carried out in California revealed that the first coronavirus-related death in the US was almost a month earlier than previously thought.

WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE NEW CASE?

Dr Cohen, head of emergency medicine at Avicenne and Jean-Verdier hospitals near Paris, said the patient was a 43-year-old man from Bobigny, north-east of Paris.

He told the BBC’s Newsday programme that the patient must have been infected between 14 and 22 December, as coronavirus symptoms take between five and 14 days to appear.

The patient, Amirouche Hammar was admitted to hospital on 27 December exhibiting a dry cough, a

fever and trouble breathing - symptoms which would later become known as main indications of coronavirus.

This was four days before the WHO’s China country office was informed of cases of pneumonia of unknown cause being detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan.

Mr Hammar told French broadcaster BFMTV that he had not left France before falling sick. Dr Cohen said while two of the patient’s children had also fallen ill, his wife had not shown any symptoms.

But Dr Cohen pointed out that the patient’s wife worked at a supermarket near Charles de Gaulle airport and could have come into contact with people who had recently arrived from China. The patient’s wife said that “often customers would come directly from the airport, still carrying their suitcases”. “ We ’ r e w o n d e r i n g whether she was asymptomatic,” Dr Cohen said.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Opposition Calls For BOJ To Ensure Banks Allow Cashing Of Cheques

Opposition Spokesperson on Finance, Mark Golding - (File photo)

(BBC) The Opposition says it has been receiving complaints that some commercial banks are refusing to cash cheques drawn on accounts held with those banks.

“Based on complaints received, the refusal to cash cheques is causing significant inconvenience for customers of those banks. It is also distressing for persons to whom customers draw cheques with the intention of the cheques being negotiated at the bank

Trade Ministry responds to Opposition Leader’s call to cut VAT and import duties

(TRINIDAD GUARDIAN) The Ministry of Trade and Industry says many of the recommendations made the Opposition Leader in her recent proposals to ease the economic strain on the population, already are in effect.

According to an official statement issued today by the Ministry, importers already enjoy zero duties, and consumers already are benefitting from zero-rated essential food items and reduced Value Added Tax (VAT).

The Ministry also notes that over 1,000 pharmaceutical products do not attract customs duties, following negotiations with CARICOM. The full text of the Statement from the Ministry, follows…

R E S P O N S E TO T H E LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION’S RECOMMENDATION FOR THE REMOVAL OF IMPORT DUTIES AND VALUE ADDED TAX (VAT) ON BASIC FOOD ITEMS The Minister of Trade and Industry has noted the recommendation made by the Leader of the Opposition for the removal of Import Duties and VAT on Basic Food Items as part of the Opposition’s Economic Manifesto Plan.

Over the period 20152020, the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) has successfully obtained CARICOM approval for the suspension of the Common External Tariff (CET) on a range of a basic food items including, milk, sugar, oil, cheese, corn beef, canned herrings, tuna, mackerel, sardines, pasta, infant formula and juices. This means that all importers already pay zero import duties for the imports of said items.

In addition, since 2016 the Government of Trinidad and Tobago undertook an aggressive rationalization of the Value Added Tax (VAT) regime in Trinidad and Tobago. As a consequence of this exercise, the rate of VAT on standard rated items was reduced from 15% to 12.5% in 2016 (Legal Notice No. 17 of 2016) bringing further relief to consumers by enhancing their purchasing power.

In addition, as a result of this exercise the vast majority of basic food and essential items remained zero-rated, meaning that no VAT is currently charged or payable on such items and hence are already VAT free which all consumers would be able to see on any supermarket bill.

According to Schedule 2 of the Value Added Tax Act, some of the basic food items that are currently zero-rated include rice (parboiled and brown), flour (all-purpose and wheat), pasta (uncooked or unstuffed), cheese (cheddar and rennet free) milk (including infant formula and substitutes, evaporated and powdered), bread (white and whole wheat), corned beef, sardines, smoked herring. The complete list of zero-rated items can be accessed on the Ministry of Finance’s website (www.finance.gov.tt).

Trinidad and Tobago has also recently obtained approval from the Secretary General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) for the suspension of the Common External Tariff (CET) on a specific list of Pharmaceuticals. The suspension which was implemented nationally via Legal Notices Nos 77 and 78 dated 22 April 2020, expires on 30 April 2021 will allow for citizens to access

affordable medication through reduced prices.

In addition, the suspension of the CET or customs duties on Pharmaceuticals covers over one thousand (1,000) products not produced regionally. The list of Pharmaceuticals which can be accessed on the Ministry of Trade and Industry’s website (www. tradeind.gov.tt), was developed through extensive consultations between the Ministries of Trade and Industry, Health, and Finance, along with the Customs and Excise Division and the private sector.

Members of the national community are advised that the cumulative costs of the above measures in terms of revenue forgone are in the hundreds of millions per annum, which is a significant concession at this time, given the fiscal constraints faced by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago since 2015.

The above proactive measures of the GORTT at this time has also directly contributed to Trinidad and Tobago experiencing the lowest rates of inflation since 2015. According to the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago, the rate of food inflation in 2019 stood at only 1% when compared with the average increase of 11% during the period 20102015.

The Ministry of Trade and Industry will continue to collaborate with other Ministries and the private sector to implement policies aimed at ensuring price stability, adequate and reliable supply of basic goods, preservation of the country’s economic stability and business continuity despite the challenges presented by COVID-19.

where the account is held,” said opposition spokesperson on finance Mark Golding.

Golding says while the opposition supports reasonable steps by banks to encourage customers to make greater use of electronic and online channels for payment transactions, this should not be done in an arbitrary or insensitive way.

“It is unfair and unwise,

and quite possibly a breach of the contract governing the bank account, for a bank to adopt a policy of refusing to allow the negotiation and encashment of a cheque drawn on a bank account in which there are cleared funds or an approved overdraft facility sufficient to cover the amount of the cheque,” said Golding.

“Cheques are negotiable

instruments under the Bills of Exchange Act, and banks should not be issuing cheque books to customers while at the same time precluding the use of those cheques in the customary, lawful manner,” he added.

The opposition is calling for the Bank of Jamaica to intervene to take steps to protect the interests of depositors.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Standing as one in the face of challenges

E

VERY man, woman and child who reside here, their forebears came from different parts of the world under different circumstances, and while they initially lived through diverse experiences, they have today come to call here home. Whereas it has been said our Amerindian (American Indians) brothers and sisters came to these shores through the Bering Straits during the Ice Age and settled here first, others came after.

According to the history earlier told, the Europeans came after and met the Amerindians who were the first people they saw outside of themselves.

This recount of history was later debunked by Guyanese-born and international acclaimed anthropologist, the late Professor Ivan Van Sertima. In his book “They came before Columbus,” The African presence in Ancient America,” he recounted and provided evidence of the African presence in the Caribbean before Columbus and having trade relations with Amerindians.

Thus, where an earlier understanding of history has been shifted given new revelations, what remains undisputed is the treatment meted out to both Africans and Amerindians. Amerindians were first enslaved by Europeans, but fought against the bestial system. Some were decimated by the diseases brought by Europeans and the

conditions under which they were forced to work; others fled the plantation and went inland. The Europeans thereafter turned their attention elsewhere for another source of labour which they thought was cheap in acquiring and more suitable for plantation conditions. That source was Africa, which saw the emergence of the slave trade and slavery that lasted for centuries.

This trade and source of labour, along with the millions of lives lost in and during the Transatlantic Slave Trade; and sub-human treatment meted out to the enslaved on the plantations, led the United Nations to define this period of the world’s history as the worst, and the slave trade as the most heinous crime against humanity. The resistance by the enslaved, including the dignity of suicide rather than living under the brutish system, rebellions and revolutions, along with support from humane Europeans, led to abolition of the slave trade earlier (1807), amelioration (1834) and emancipation (1st August, 1838) .

At the end of emancipation and where the society still maintained a plantation economy, labour was sourced under the system of indentureship. This system, though not as brutish as slavery in the sense of being chattel, propertied and unpaid, living and conditions of work for the indentured were nevertheless inhumane. The Europe-

an planter class under this system sourced labour from Africa, China, Portugal and India, the latter comprising the majority.

Indentureship entailed a system whereby labour was bound. This meant persons entered the system on contract for a fixed period. They were paid and at the end of the contract were allowed to return from whence they came. The return passage was shared in part by the indentured and the planter class, and the former had to first put up their share in order to receive the other part from the latter.

In a society where the freed, indentured and planter class co-mingled, there were conflicts. The first resulted from the determination of freed Africans to carve out a life independent of the plantation and efforts by the former enslavers to hinder this.

Then, with the arrival and presence of other groups, divide and rule became a matter of policy which created conflicts among the indentured and the freed. This however, did not prevent alliances between and among groups on matters based on solidarity and/ or the recognition that in unity success can be achieved.

And in this environment where indentureship was abolished and a colonised state existed, together the indigenous from the various racial groups fought for independence, which was achieved on 26th May,

1966 and republican status, which broke the final yoke of domination on 23rd February, 1970. In recognition of this storied aspect of our history when it became law to mark 5th May Arrival Day, a date that recognised the first arrival of East Indians as indentured servants, it set in train and created opportunities for collective recognition, understanding of our history, and acknowledgement of contributions made by all groups.

While it should never be forgotten how we arrived ,nor the circumstances and experiences of the past, where all have contributed to making this country what it is today serve as testimony to resilience, common bonds and the ability to overcome and succeed. Our entire culture i.e., lived social, political and economic experiences-reflect the fusion of diverse historical ways of life, including artefacts and preferences. In that today it can be proclaimed that we are One People (human beings), One Nation (Guyanese of a nation state called Guyana) and One Destiny (the commonality to continue striving for the development of self, collective and country) in testimony of the fact that ultimately while it matters from where we came, what will determine our success is our commitment to stand as one, even in the face of challenges.

Being overwhelmed during this time Dear Editor,

I

N my last letter I urged parents to think of the lockdown as a Master’s Programme in simply chilling. After my last letter, a friend extended thanks for the read, saying she was much less overwhelmed and it was at that moment I realised, that’s what we are all feeling now, admittedly or not: overwhelmed!

Life worldwide and moreso, in Guyana right now is so overwhelmingly uncertain... Emotionally we worry about family and friends getting Covid-19, going from cautious to nervous to panicked at rapid speed. The more you read … the harrowing photographs of Italian hospitals, America’s unpreparedness, what to do and not to do… possible treatments.,… Local journalists and Banks DIH employees sharing stories... amidst the usual elections ludicrousness going on for two months now…. Get on with it already!

It’s demanding, emotional and terribly overwhelming. For me and many others, managing the threat of the virus is adding

a new and significant dose of domestic and emotional stress to our lives. What makes this anxiety much worse is its disruption of our daily routines, combined with a deeper uncertainty as to how it will play out. How long will our children be out of school? How will we go to work, get jobs done and earn money to pay our several bills? Managing children and a house is work. The logistical anxieties are far more severe for parents who are also caring for an elderly parent.

At the centre of our anxiety sits all the unknowns, which are extremely difficult to reason through. For one, our understanding of the virus and how it functions is extremely limited, and there are new findings every day.

Parents, I realise that we need to try to take breaks from the news, and put our family’s risk in perspective. This will be hard in this digital age, but we need to try anyway.

It is important for us as parents to protect our mental health, because children can be traumatised by a parent’s anxiety. While our children may be feeling nervous to some degree, those whose schools are cancelled are moreso likely to be unsettled. Children

thrive on stability and routine and when those go awry, it is up to parents to model how to cope. To survive, we all need to both commit ourselves to some sense of order, and at the same time, yield to the chaos.

Parents, I urge you to do what you need to do to lower your stress levels.... maybe ease up on your television and video game policy. Create some structure that you can realistically commit to and on most days achieve, and importantly, make sure you are enjoying some parts of it. At our end, we are very lucky to have supplies, a garden and lots of activities and projects we kept meaning to tackle to keep us going. However, the things we miss most by far are people ?My son is still too young to understand what’s happening and his interactions with others are now limited to video chats. He however clearly misses the ‘normalcy’ and asks to play with his cousins and stay with his grandparents.

I leave you with a beautiful idea I read about, which in turn I hope readers can try in their respective homes. I will certainly start this from tomorrow. A mom was talking about coping mechanisms with her active

children and said: “Every time we wish we could do something, go somewhere, treat ourselves, see someone we love, visit a new place, invite people to visit us, we’re going to write it down on a post- it note and put it in a jar. When all this is over this will be our bucket list and we’ll work our way through the jar and be more grateful than ever for the little and lovely things in our lives. Until then, we’ll enjoy watching the jar fill up with magical things to look forward to.” So to everyone who’s really feeling overwhelmed at the moment, hang in there and stay strong.

Try the magic jar! It is all we really have right now ? hope that our loved ones will all be okay and that we will survive this and that one day soon we can see the people we love and do the things we love. That is what this is all about: documenting all of those precious things we take for granted and when we come to taking them back out of the jar, they will mean so much more to us.

Stay well and safe parents!

Sincerely, Mommy V

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, May 6, 2020

What new value can the Carter Centre Let every box, folder, envelope and canister be opened add to the process of recounting?

Dear Editor,

Dear Editor,

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O one can successfully deny the usefulness of the Carter Centre Observer Mission to Guyana since 1992, to reinforce the rule of law, strengthen civil society, and, of course, deepen democracy. Indeed, the model at the Guyana Election Commission (GECOM) was, in fact, influenced by that very mission (Carter- Price Formula, prior 1992). And I am sure that, Guyanese are very grateful for its assistance over the years, to advance our collective effort to build a democratic and sustainable society.

That notwithstanding, I am astonished at the extraordinary fuss being made by some to have the team from the centre that observed the 2020 elections, here, in Guyana, return to observe the recount exercise. The question that immediately comes to mind is, why not allow them to return to watch the recount? In my view, there is a more fundamental question: what can the Carter Centre do that the teams that are already on the ground, in Georgetown, cannot do? Put another way, what new value can the Carter Centre add to the process of recounting slated for Wednesday, May 6, 2020?

There is the general argument that more organisations and groups observing the recount the better; the more the merrier.

Then again, monitoring organisations do not all conform to a standardised set of rules when observing and monitoring electoral processes, in different countries. They are also influenced by numerous factors, including the importance of the state holding elections and the political agenda of their resident countries.

Therefore, they make different judgements and arrive at different conclusions about the results of the same elections. This flexibility, to see the same set of elections from different political lens, sometimes, facilitates contradictions which can be exploited by various groups with vested interests in the process, and even undermine the credibility of those election observer bodies; more is not necessarily merrier.

An equally important question is the one on public health.

Why should Guyana allow people in this frightening COVID-19 environment, which has already claimed nine lives, here, and hundreds of thousands across the world?

The CARICOM team present in Guyana to observe the recount had to follow the strict guidance of the National Task Force for COVID-19. Even the Guyana Elections Commission consulted with the task force and agreed to work with its guidance. And local observers must abide by its rules. The intention is to keep everyone safe and alive.

In an effort to protect their citizens, almost all nations of the world, including western liberal democracies, have implemented strong measures, including, closing or restricting use of their national borders. Can anyone tell those presidents, prime ministers or the health authorities of those countries to compromise the public health of their citizens by opening up their air spaces to let in certain individuals or teams of individuals to observe the recounting of election materials? No! Why then should Guyanese be treated with any less respect? I hate it when certain countries are openly disregarding our status as an independent nation; they are attempting to treat us more like a colony or annex of their nation.

Finally, I am beyond troubled when I think of the fact that on the one hand, we in Guyana are given monetary and other assistance by some countries to improve our democratic credentials. On the other, it does appear that these credentials are continuously weakened, in words and in deeds, by the very people who are giving us help; they are giving and taking at the same time. They are undermining our fragile democracy.

There are many Guyanese overseas who have made requests to return home, but they have been denied entry because of measures put in in place to combat COVID-19. Why then should the government relax its rules, to allow an observer team to travel to Guyana and witness the recounting of ballots and other related materials? We in Guyana, being part of the Caribbean Community family have high confidence and trust in the CARICOM team here. They along with local observers are more than capable of doing a good job. So what is the fuss with the Carter Centre?

Regards Royston King

A SALUTE TO INDIAN GUYANESE Dear Editor,

M

AY 5, 2020, marked the 182nd anniversary since the first group of Indian indentured labourers arrived in then British Guiana. This is one of the important dates in our country’s history, since it could be safely regarded as the period which added to the multi-ethnic culture of Guyana.

Indians arrived at a very important juncture in the history of our country. In less than three months after their arrival the complete abolition of slavery took place. That created what the colonial powers were expecting and, by bringing Indians to our shores, were preparing for a massive exodus of slaves from the sugarcane fields.

The conditions in which the Indians were placed were not much different from those of the Africans, who were held in bondage for centuries. They had to live in the same houses and toiled in the cane fields under the same conditions.

The Indian immigrants were brutally exploited. When the price of sugar went down on the world market, the planters compensated for their losses by lowering the wages of the Indian workers. Indeed, in this sense, Indian immigrants were cheaper for the planters than slavery. The planters did not have to find food nor clothing for them, while being in a position to cut their wages.

It is important to note that from the time that Indians arrived in British Guiana they became the most discriminated against in Guyanese society.

Many of the rights that were won by the freed slaves and their descendants and indeed the rest of the society did not apply to Indians. A good example of this was education.

Even though legislation was passed in1876 for the compulsory education of children, it did not apply to the Indian children. In fact, from the point of view of the planters, Indian children were a source of cheap labour as they had to go into the fields early to assist their parents whose wages were insufficient.

Even after indentureship was abolished, Indians were discouraged from moving into the urban areas so that they could remain a source of cheap labour for the plantations.

It was because they were so cruelly exploited that they played such a revolutionary role in Guyanese society. From very early on they sought to promote unity among the working people.

The shooting at Ruimveldt in 1924 was one case in point when they struck in solidarity with waterfront workers and marched to the city to show their solidarity while also pushing their own demands. It was the Indians who first raised the demand for universal adult suffrage as far back as the 1920s.

The continued discrimination and exploitation they faced and the position they held in the economy turned them into revolutionaries. They have, in the main, always supported progressive causes. They led the struggle for industrial democracy from the 1940s. The killing of the five at Enmore in 1948 could well be regarded as the beginning of the end of colonial domination.

Even in the 1960s, when colonialism and imperialism together with local reactionary forces launched a massive attack on the independence movement led by the PPP, the vast majority of Indian Guyanese did not waver in their determination to end colonialism.

Even though the combination of forces, internal and external, fought to halt independence and attacked PPP supporters, Black and Indian, but mainly Indians, they did not respond in kind.

Under strong patriotic leadership of the PPP Indians took only defensive actions. They recongnised that a large part of the working people was being misled and fought against their own best interests. The PPP supporters never stopped reaching out and working for national unity as the foundation of a strong and prosperous country.

The struggle is continuing today and prospects are improving in this regard.

Regards Donald Ramotar

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HE People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) is afraid of the recount (forensic audit) because it will uncover that electoral fraud was perpetrated on the Guyanese people in every election since 1992.

The PPP/ C are mortally afraid of the recount, scheduled to begin shortly. It was their hope that throughout the entire process, like spoilt children, they would be given their way; that they would get the Guyana Elections Commission to do just a recount of Region Four. The Guyana Elections Commission has tried their utmost, almost bending over backwards, to ensure that the PPP/C and observers are comfortable with the transparent way in which they have made decisions, obeyed all court orders and even made landmark decisions on their behalf and every step of the way the PPP/C has moved the goalpost. To their dismay, the commission voted to have a forensic audit of all election paraphernalia used on polling day.

As polls closed in 1997, the Guyanese electorate held a collective breath as they waited on the election results to be announced. Several days passed and the tally showed that Mrs. Janet Jagan, an American, was elected to be the next President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana. Court proceedings and even a writ (a form of written command in the name of a court or other legal authority to act, or abstain from acting, in a particular way) did not stop Mrs. Janet Jagan, from being sworn in as President, at a secret ceremony.

However, it was no other than Desmond Hoyte and the team of the People’s National Congress Reform, that unearthed alleged electoral fraud; upon evidence being submitted, an election petition was sought to prove that the discrepancies were enough to warrant a detailed review.

In a momentous decision, Justice Claudette Singh (yes, the current Chairman of GECOM), concluded that she had found that Parliament had acted illegally in passing the bill to make the use of identification cards mandatory for voting, in deliberate contravention of the Constitution of Guyana, something to which the People’s National Congress Reform had completely objected. The court found that over 30,000 eligible voters were disenfranchised, along with breaching several other statutes in the Constitution, the supreme law of the land; the judge therefore ruled the election null and void.

Her ruling also included that there were several pieces of evidence of electoral fraud, including the disappearance of ballot boxes, swapping of numbers to favour the PPP, and other blatant acts of collusion by officials, especially those in far-flung regions. This plunged the country into a constitutional crisis never before witnessed in our country’s history. The opposition’s reaction to the slothful manner in which the government dealt with the news was so impactful, that observers took note and initiated negotiations with both parties; the talks were successful and this was followed by the Herdmanston Accord. One of the initiatives of the Herdmanston Accord was an arrangement to reduce the term of the PPP/C-led government, which was never honoured.

During this gridlock of constitutional illegality, there were several Cabinet decisions, sizeable projects executed and many questionable national budgets passed; decisions that never came under review of any parliamentary committee or any statutory body; they were just passed off as necessities.

Going into the 2011 elections, they allegedly used money to infiltrate personnel in strategic positions: they infiltrated the system by the use of fake Statements of Poll, which had extensive variances in the number of ballots cast on some of the statements in GECOM’s possession, and had far surpassed the number of electors on the official list in the various divisions, but with the diligence of our commissioners, they were caught. This was blatant rigging; they were known for being quite clever, in creating a façade by accusing other parties of rigging, while they were the ones rigging.

With the PPP/C losing ground in their strongholds, they endeavoured to steal a seat from the Alliance For Change and give it to the People’s Progressive Party/Civic, allowing them the parliamentary majority, but the plot was uncovered by A Partnership for National Unity’s Commissioner of GECOM, Mr. Vincent Alexander, they were caught in the nick of time. They were angry that the Guyana Elections Commission was not to be controlled, as it was, previously; however, they still used some of the confirmed, fraudulent Statements of Poll in the tabulation of the final results and Donald Ramotar was adjudicated President of a minority government in Parliament.

The People’s Progressive Party/Civic were so diabolical in their planning and were extremely effective in tricking some of the smaller parties to have them, allegedly, commit massive electoral fraud on the voting populace. The one blemish in their immaculate plan, however, are the coalition- aligned commissioners of GECOM, who have stood resolutey in ensuring that the coalition’s supporters are not disenfranchised by the PPP/C. The recount (forensic audit) will clearly show the PPP/C’s plot to steal these elections; we must not forget, also, that the A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance For Change have already been twice declared the winner of the General and Regional Elections 2020. The recount will give the world evidence that every election since 1992 was marred by electoral fraud.

Let every box, folder, envelope and canister be opened and every piece of election paraphernalia be scrutinised for possible evidence of tampering and blatant rigging; let the chips fall where they may.

Moving Forward Together!

Regards, Douglas Charles Gittens

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, May 6, 2020

‘Being a midwife is very rewarding’ –– practising midwives say it brings joy to guide mothers to bring life into the world ONE cannot disagree that midwives play an integral role in society, since they are the ones who introduce women to the healthcare system, and ensure that women and their babies receive a continuum of skilled care during pregnancy, childbirth, and in the important days and weeks after birth.

Recognising the vast role they play, the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) has set aside May 5 as International Day of Midwife, a day that has been acknowledged since 1992.

At present, the world is going through a global pandemic, and through it all, midwives still perform their duties.

Guyana would usually celebrate the day with a countrywide walk, a presentation, and treats for the nurses, but in the face of COVID-19, the nurses will have a much more subtle recognition this year, without attenuating the significance.

The Guyana Chronicle took the time to visit the Maternity Department at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC), and engage with midwives about both the challenges and joys that come with the job.

Sister Nalini Persaud-Duncan said that the strength of GPHC’s Maternity Department lies in it 50 midwives, in that they are

there will be challenging situations, but one thing we have is teamwork. Even though our training prepares us for all possible outcomes, the team support at GPHC is great, and makes our service easier,” Knox said.

And in the event that the job gets overwhelming, they have psychologists on board to provide service to staff.

responsible for delivering over 6000 babies every year.

She said that though training as well as the job is very intense, it can be very rewarding.

Walking the Guyana Chronicle through the process of becoming a midwife, Nurse Nikita Wickham-Abel explained that there is a Post-basic Midwife training for one year for those who are already nurses, and have medical experience, and there is one for those who didn’t have any training before, which lasts for about 18 months.

She said that this intense training programme compris-

Midwives of the GPHC Maternity Department es of a lot of theory as well to just being a registered as practical work within the nurse,” she said, adding: wards and within commu“Midwifery is a whole difnities, and one has to do a ferent dimension, and it is no number of deliveries under longer an individual patient: supervision. it’s the mother, infant, as well After training, you’re as the family. So, it encomevaluated and tested, and passes a lot, and it takes you upon passing the course, in a different level. The trainone becomes a midwife. ing is very intense, but it can be very rewarding, when you FOR THE can be there as this midwife, LOVE OF IT guiding mothers to bring life Persaud-Duncan said into the world.” she and most of her colNurse Karen Knox, who leagues gravitated to the has been in the nursing proprofession because of the fession for 26 years, echoed love of it, and their wanting similar sentiments as Perto reach the next level. saud-Duncan, saying that “Midwifery is a whole it comes with its own chaldifferent section as compared

lenges, not only because it is a lot of work, but also every mother you engage with, experiences pain differently, and responds to that pain differently.

And while their training helps prepare them for a variety of encounters, the joy comes from hearing mothers they may have cared for say “Thank You”, whenever their paths happen to cross on the streets.

In addition to their preparedness, Knox said their team spirit is a strong motivation in helping them pull through each day.

“Like every other thing,

WELL-PREPARED In relation to COVID-19 and their preparedness, Persaud-Duncan said that GPHC is well on board, especially with the maternity department.

“We are prepared if we have a suspected case or confirmed case of COVID-19.

We have an area set up for this purpose, and no mother would be denied our service,” she said.

In fact, Wickham-Abel said that it is no pressure to them, and no difficulty adjusting, since their Department has been practising the very safety measures that have been implemented long before the virus reared its ugly head here in Guyana.

The only thing added to what they do, she said, is having to put face masks on the mothers, and thus far, they haven’t been getting any resistance in that regard.

GTT retail stores reopen today AFTER closing their doors for nearly a month, in support of the global call for physical distancing in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) said on Monday that its retail stores will be reopened for business, effective today.

The company said in a press release that the stores at reference are those located at 55 Brickdam; Fogarty’s; Beterverwagting, on the East Coast Demerara; New Amsterdam, in Berbice; Linden; and on the Essequibo Coast, and that they will be open from 08:00 to 15:30hrs, Monday to Friday.

They’ve also put systems in place to dedicate 08:00 to 09:00hrs to serving senior citizens and those category of workers deemed ‘essential’.

Quoting their Chief Executive Officer, Justin Nedd, GTT said that the temporary closure was to put measures in place to ensure the health and safety of both its customers as well as members of staff.

“Our decision to close was in the best interest of the health and well-being of our staff and customers,” Nedd said, adding: “During closure, we took the time to consider and implement recommended safety measures, and to procure the necessary

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for our team.”

In closing, he said: “These are challenging times, and we are adjusting to the changing circumstances around us. I’d like to publicly thank the GTT team for agreeing to return to the stores to serve our customers who would prefer in-person transactions. However, e-commerce is the new normal, and the way of the future.”

The company is pleading with its customers to follow the guidelines it has implemented for preventing the spread of COVID-19, inclusive of the wearing of face masks; the washing or sanitising of hands; standing on markers 4-6 feet apart; submitting to regular temperature checks; as well as understanding that only a limited number of persons (inclusive of staff) will be permitted to be inside the store at any given time.

Noting that the guidelines also apply to members of staff serving customers, as well as the security guards, GTT said they will all be wearing their face masks and other protective gear.

It closed by encourages customers to continue using its MMG app to pay all of their bills, in the interest of convenience and safety.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, May 6, 2020

COVID-19 cases climb to 93 … three persons remain in ICU, 56 in isolation

GUYANA has recorded one new case of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) disease in the past 24 hours, taking the number of confirmed cases to 93.

According to the latest statistics from the Ministry of Public Health, health authorities have so far tested 680 persons, of which 587 were negative.

The increasing number of cases has caused concern across Guyana, especially with the number of deaths also moving from nine to 10, in the past 24 hours. This represents a death rate of over 10 per cent, higher than the World Health Organisation (WHO)’s average of two to four per cent.

In addition, three persons are fighting for their lives in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU), while 56

persons remain in isolation and six in quarantine. Of the confirmed cases, 27 persons have so far recovered. \“On day nine, with six confirmed cases, we began implementing measures with the closure of all international airports. On day 24, when another 33 cases were confirmed, the Ministry of Public Health instituted the curfew, the rotation policy, the stay at home and work from home policies, as well as the closing of several businesses.

“We are now at day 50 and we are right where we began with another 43 cases, a 110 per cent increase in less than one month,” said Minister of Public Health Volda Lawrence in a past report.

The minister reiterated this harsh reality during her update, on Monday, noting that healthcare workers con-

tinue to work selflessly in order to protect everyone, but some persons continue to behave selfishly and with total disregard for their own safety and life.

In expressing her dissatisfaction, Minister Lawrence said: “With regard to the social distancing guidelines, you have interpreted them to suit your own agenda. Not only are you continuing to congregate in large numbers, but you are also out there way past the curfew time and with no face mask for your protection and those around you.”

She said this behaviour is “unfair” to persons who are following the guidelines in place. From the inception, persons were all told that they can stop COVID-19 from spreading by simply staying home and following all the precautionary guidelines -

this advice is still in effect.

“You know all these guidelines, so please adhere to them so that we can get on with our lives and our livelihood,” said Minister Lawrence.

Globally, there are over 3.4 million cases of COVID-19, with over 239,000 deaths. And with no approved treatment or cure, there is no assurance that persons will survive after contracting the disease. In the absence of approved medications, governments and authorities across the world have employed a number of preventative measures to contain the spread of the disease.

In an effort to improve the response to the pandemic, the Public Health Ministry has launched its mobile unit at the East La Penitence Health Centre, as well as at

the community COVID-19 facilities of Region Four at Herstelling, on the East Bank Demerara, and at Paradise, on the East Coast Demerara.

Additionally, the government has extended its emergency measures to combat the dreaded disease, with the imposition of a 12-hour curfew on citizens. These emergency measures were taken pursuant to Paragraphs (1) and (2) (b) of the directive issued by the President, in accordance with the Public Health Ordinance, Cap. 145, and published in the Official Gazette, Legal Supplement B, on March 16, 2020. These measures have been extended to June 3, 2020.

As the country wages war against the deadly disease, President David Granger is on record as saying that the efforts of the country’s

frontline workers, in particular those within the medical field, should not go unnoticed.

“I ask you… to think tenderly of our public health professionals and service providers; that is to say, our doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists and all other supporting staff, medical and non-medical, who are providing the required care for those in distress,” President Granger said, adding: “Public health practitioners are on the frontline of protecting those stricken by the disease; they have been working tirelessly, through this very difficult situation, to provide quality healthcare to those who have been infected and afflicted.

Everyone in the public health system has played a vital part in the fight against this disease.”

‘Let us make it happen’ –– the rallying call as Guyana joins in celebrating International Day of the Midwife

By Alisa Lashley COVID-19 or not, members of the Midwives Association of Guyana (MAG) joined their thousands of colleagues the world over in celebrating International Day of the Midwife.

And the rallying call here in our neck of the woods this year, amidst the ravages and despair wrought by this latest pandemic called the Novel Coronavirus, or COVID-19 as it is known, was: “Let us put our best efforts together and make it happen!”

The “it” at reference is that they all, meaning everyone in the healthcare business, rally to the one cause: To provide the support needed for midwives to practise their calling to the best of their ability.

The call was made by President of the Midwives Association of Guyana, Maria Francois, who, in her address to her colleagues to mark the occasion said: “Let us continue to make a contribution to the fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Goals!

Let’s pool together all our strengths, so that as a people and a country, we can curb ALL preventable deaths in Guyana, and

ensure that mothers and their babies live to enjoy a fulfilled, happy life!”

ORIGINS According to the International Federation of Midwives (IFM), “a midwife is a responsible and accountable professional who works in partnership with women to give the necessary support, care and advice during pregnancy, labour, and the post-partum period.

Since 1992, May 5 has been set aside to render global recognition to midwives around the world, through the celebration of their constant hard work and successes over the years.

This year’s celebration was held under the theme, ‘Midwives with women: Celebrate, demonstrate, mobilise, unite; our time is now’.

Giving a background as to how the organisation got started here, Francois said: “With support from the United Nations Population Fund, the Association was formed in 2010 to ensure that international commitments in relation to midwifery were realised, particularly since the empowering of midwives was considered, and still is the key to help in stopping

preventable maternal and newborn deaths.

“Like so many other countries in the world, The Midwives Association of Guyana can boast that it is among the first set of countries registered with the International Confederation of Midwives.”

She said that to date, midwifery support groups and regional focal points have been established in all 10 of Guyana’s administrative regions, starting under the leadership of Ms. Gillian Butts-Garnett and ably supported by Ms. Mandy La Fleur of the Ministry of Public Health.

MAG IN ACTION The Association continues to capitalise on the opportunities provided every year through the observance of the International Day of the Midwives, Francois said, by publicly demonstrating their commitment to supporting midwifery care and services, and helping policymakers focus on the need to support midwives in their quest to provide quality care and services.

She also said that because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the social distancing

that is in effect, they have not been able to hold public meetings as regularly as they would have liked to, if at all.

Noting that the year 2020 holds special significance in the lives of nurses and midwives, in light of the invaluable service they provide, Francois said: “As we unite with other health professionals in the fight against COVID-19, we must recognise the important role that we have to play. In the midst of this global pandemic, midwives have risen to this extraordinary challenge to support one another in the fight to protect mothers and babies. While the times are tough, we need to be reminded of the overwhelming solidarity that has emerged from the maternity units around Guyana.

The consistent members of staff are pulling all efforts to provide excellent care. I encourage all our midwives to continue social distancing, to use our Personal Protective Equipment, and to adhere to good hygienic practices.

DEBT OF GRATITUDE To better put into perspective the many things for which we here in Guyana owe a debt of grati-

tude to our cadre of dutiful midwives, Minister of Public Health, Ms. Volda Lawrence, in her address to mark the occasion, came up with a list of things we usually take for granted, such as: i: The safe delivery of a life into this world, which takes a lot of skill and dedication; ii: their bravery in traversing the Pomeroon and Essequibo Rivers, and even the Kwakwani and Bartica rough roads in the wee hours of the morning, and sometimes late at nights to get their patients to higher levels of care; iii: their care in emergency settings, and important role in Guyana in helping us to achieve our Sustainable Development Goals, especially Goal 3, and Universal Health Coverage; iv: their dedication to ensuring that every child is protected against vaccine-preventable diseases such as polio, measles, and whooping cough; and v: their role in helping our young girls to achieve their full potential by ensuring they have the necessary services so they can be protected against the HPV

and return to school to fulfill their dreams.

STAY THE COURSE In closing, besides calling on fellow midwives as well as nurses to continue practicing social distancing, using their Personal Protective Equipment, and adhering to good hygienic practices, Francois, quoting an excerpt from the World Bank’s 2011 State of the World’s Midwifery Report, said: “The returns on investment on midwives is a ‘best buy’; midwives are a ‘best buy’ for maternal and newborn survival, and is a ‘best buy’ in primary healthcare, yielding a 16fold return on investment, when taking into account the cost for their education, and comparing this with the cost of C-sections that can be avoided.”

She also used the occasion to extend her gratitude to the Minister of Public Health and her team; the Regional Health Administrators and managers; hospital administrators; as well as the UNFPA, PAHO and the Executive members of the Midwives Association of Guyana for their commitment to ensuring that their goals are achieved.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, May 6, 2020

‘Keeping tourism alive’ – GTA director outlines plans for sector

–– optimistic Guyana’s industry will bounce back

IN taking up the mantle, the newly-appointed Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority, Carla James, has commenced strategic planning for the recovery of the country’s tourism industry.

During a meeting, via zoom, the director stated that the authority will be looking keenly at the local domestic market, since it is believed

Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority, Carla James that the market will recover first.

“We know that the local domestic market will recover first, so that is the first area we are looking to focus on... how do we move forward with opening that market as safely as we can,” James told reporters.

Additionally, she noted that GTA will be hosting meetings to engage stakeholders to address the concerns and needs of customers.

James further noted that the GTA will be hosting its first ‘Keeping tourism alive in the current crisis’ symposium in the coming week, to engage the regional committees of all ten administrative regions, to preserve and

maintain tourism.

In addition, James noted that she is looking forward to taking the country’s tourism industry to an even higher state with the knowledge she had gained from the previous director, Mr. Mullis. As such, one of her goals is to make indigenous communities more inclusive in tourism activities.

“We need to expand a little beyond indigenous communities to involve coastal communities…we have already started working on that; we are looking at experiential travel along the Essequibo coast and river, so that is something that we will continue to build on,” she stated James further revealed that she is also hoping to make the country’s cuisine more inclusive in the tourism industry, as she believes that such will see the country rising in the agro-tourism sector.

“I think Guyana has excellent food; you go into the market, organic etc. but I do not think that we have maximized the potential to showcase that from a country’s standpoint … there is so much more that we can do, with farm to table experiences. Argo-tourism …it’s an untapped area that we can certainly develop,” James explained.

Nevertheless, James added that, despite the current health crisis, the authority will make the best of its resources to keep engaging all stakeholders to keep tourism alive in Guyana.

A silver lining Additionally, the President of the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG), Mitra Ramkumar, noted that the COVID-19 virus has placed tourism, not only in Guyana, but worldwide, on a halt.

Nevertheless, Mr. Ramkumar is optimistic that the industry

President of the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG), Mitra Ramkumar will bounce back.

Prior to the virus, he noted that Guyana was well on its way to seeing the largest number of tourists it has ever had, and raking in more money than before.

For 2019, Guyana was recognized as the ‘Number one Eco-Tourism destination’ in the world, the ‘Best in Destination Stewardship’, and a ‘Top Ten Sustainable Destination’ in the world.

“Guyana’s tourism industry has been rapidly growing over the years,” Ramkumar said, while adding that “there was a huge demand expected for this year but all of that now comes to a grinding halt.”

In the meantime, he added that time will heal all wounds, and the tourism industry, like many others, will eventually recover.

“We just need to wait this thing out, we need to get past this dark cloud; once we do, then there will be a silver lining.”

Police will provide security during vote recount THE Guyana Police Force (GPF) has reminded that keeping with its mandate of maintaining safety and security, it will provide all security arrangements during the recount of the ballots for the March 2, General and Regional Elections.

A release from the Force said ranks will be providing security escorts during this period. The ballots will be counted today at Arthur Chung Convention Centre, Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara and a traffic advisory in effect in relation to the closure of roads around the convention centre.

In this regard, the following traffic arrangements will be put in place from 06:00hrs on Tues-

day, May 5, 2020 until further notice Police headquarters noted that the Railway Embankment between UG Road and Conversation Tree, Bel Air will be closed to vehicular traffic.

Persons proceeding to CARICOM Secretariat and persons residing to the east of the convention centre will be given access to enter the embankment from UG Road, while persons residing to the west will be given access from Bel Air. The compound of the aquatic centre will be used to facilitate parking for the observers, agents and other officials.

The Guyana Police Force apologised for any inconvenience that may be caused.

11

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Don’t rush to relax COVID-19 measures … PAHO director calls on countries to analyse trends of the pandemic before relaxing social distancing measures

THE Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Carissa F. Etienne, asked countries to analyze specific trends in the COVID-19 pandemic according to their unique contexts, and warned that reducing social distancing measures “too soon could accelerate the spread of the virus and open the door for a dramatic upsurge or for spread to adjacent areas.”

In a briefing with journalists, Dr. Etienne also expressed her particular concern for Haiti in the context of the pandemic, and warned of the dangers of a large-scale outbreak in that country, which, added to the difficult situation Haiti is going through, could trigger a humanitarian crisis. “A much broader coalition to address a potential health crisis in this country is needed,” said Dr.

Etienne.

Since the first case of COVID-19 was reported in the Americas more than three months ago, the virus has spread to all countries in the Region, causing more than 1.4 million cases and more than 86,000 deaths, through May 4.

REGIONAL PANORAMA Dr. Etienne pointed out that in many areas of the Region the number of cases is doubling every few days, as is the case in the United States, Canada, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Chile and Mexico.

“This is a concerning indicator that tells us that transmission is still very high in those countries, and they should implement the full range of public health measures available – exten-

sive testing, contact tracing, isolating cases and, of course, social distancing,” she stressed.

The Director of PAHO noted that in North America it is important to maintain special measures to protect the most vulnerable groups, particularly in places where the virus has not yet impacted. In Central America, it is imperative to increase testing capacity, while in South America there is growing concern about more cases being reported in smaller towns with limited hospital capacity. On the other hand, in the Caribbean, most countries are at the early stages of their outbreaks, but they have implemented very strict public health measures that are having a positive impact in slowing the spread without their borders. “Not all communities are affected in

the same way, health capacity is also very diverse. Based on evidence and WHO and PAHO’s guidance, each country must adjust its approach to what is happening at the district, city or State level,” she said.

Dr. Etienne stressed that any decision should be based on data. “Analyze the rate of new cases and deaths, evaluate the capacity of beds in hospitals and determine what it tells you about the spread of the virus,” she urged.

“The social and economic pressure we are seeing now will be greater if we fail to contain the virus, remove control measures prematurely and overwhelm our health systems capacity,” she said.

HAITI – A MAJOR CONCERN FOR PAHO “We are especially wor-

ried about Haiti and I wish to sound the alarm of an impending humanitarian crisis,” said PAHO’s Director, who described the situation as “a perfect storm approaching.”

Although the country has reported only 100 cases, there are already 17,000 Haitians who have returned from the Dominican Republic, where there is community transmission, and this number is expected to reach 55,000 in two weeks.

Dr. Etienne highlighted the limited capacity of the Haitian health system.

“There are few beds for treating COVID-19, insufficient numbers of health professionals and insufficient personal protective equipment,” she said. “The security of the COVID-19 designated hospitals and the safety of community

health workers is of great concern,” she added. The PAHO Director noted that most Haitians do not have access to clean water and sanitation, and “many live in overcrowded households where quarantine and isolation are challenging.” In addition, “there is a real risk that growing good insecurity will result in famine. Civil unrest, a difficult political situation and precarious security may further complicate the situation,” she said.

PAHO is urgently working with Haitian health authorities and other partners to strengthen preparations, including organization of health services, laboratory tests, and the availability of personal protective equipment, as well as training health workers to care for patients with COVID-19.

GFC says loggers’ associations failed to make the ‘cut’ … hence their applications for additional forest concessions denied THE Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) has refuted statements by a group of persons who protested in front of the Kwakwani Logging Station on Monday, alleging that the commission had treated them unfairly with regard to the awarding of forest concessions.

In a response to the protest action, the GFC in a press statement, on Tuesday, stated that unconfirmed reports have identified the protestors as representatives from Aroaima Forest & Agriculture Producers Association (AFAPA) and Upper Berbice Forest & Agricultural Producers Association (UBFAPA).

“It was suggested by the named Associations that the GFC treated them unfairly by not awarding named forest concessions to them. This is furthest from the truth…

Firstly, Section 6 (4 & 5) of the Forest Act 2009, mandates the GFC to carefully evaluate the technical and financial qualifications, as well as the compliance history of every applicant; to satisfy itself that the said applicant (a) intends in good faith to fulfill the forest concession agreement and (b) has the

competence and resources to carry out the type of operations specified in that agreement,” the Commission said.

It noted that in addition to the foregoing, Regulation 8(2) of the Forest Regulations 2018 stipulates that no forest concession agreement may be granted unless all outstanding fees have been paid or assured to the GFC. “Regrettably, some associations have been unable to meet the statutory qualifications set out above,” the statement said.

The GFC said that it advertised a detailed list of criteria for consideration highlighting for example, that all outstanding sums due and owing to the GFC must be cleared prior to or at the date of the application(s) in order for the said application(s) to be considered.

“Notwithstanding indebtedness of the named associations, the GFC did not weigh these debts heavily against them, since they were both signatories to Memorandums of Understanding with the GFC for the said sums. However, the GFC could not look past the numerous breaches of the Forest Act over the lifetime of the concessions, neither could it ignore the fact that UBA-

FAPA controlled eighteen (18) concessions including three large concessions. The GFC was of the opinion that UBAFPA needed to strengthen their management capacities to properly manage the concessions already awarded to them, before they could be favourably considered for additional concessions,” the GFC stated.

To this end, the GFC and the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) Secretariat have been working collectively to strengthen the human capacities within these bodies. In fact, a number of workshops were hosted by the FCPF and the named associations along with several others were in attendance, the GFC said.

The statement said that as regards AFAPA, this association failed to submit any supporting documents (with its application) to satisfy the GFC of its competency and or adequacy of resources to carry out another forest operation.

“Therefore, and in light of the foregoing, the GFC was of the opinion that at the time of application, neither of the named associations satisfied the GFC of their respective qualifications (financial and otherwise) to

carry out an additional forest operation in good faith,” the GFC said.

The statement noted that the forest resources of Guyana are an important component of the nation’s patrimony which must be used for the benefit of all citizens. “These forests pro-

vide many goods and services especially for Indigenous and forest-dependent communities which include not only timber, but plants for medicinal purposes, food for wildlife that inhabit the forest and fresh water for all,” it said.

“The GFC will continue

to engage and work with all associations to strengthen their respective capacities so that they can both manage concessions already in hand, as well as any they may qualify for in the near future,” the statement concluded.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, May 6, 2020

‘Embracing the Rupununi life’ –– Grimmond family starts anew after hurricane in Bahamas

By Lisa Hamilton

THE Grimmond family, a Guyanese couple and their three children who returned from one of the hurricane-ravaged islands of The Bahamas last year, is fully embracing their new life in the Rupununi savannah.

Since returning, rebuilding their lives has not been easy, but Orin and Sholme Grimmond are making the best of their situation, even when faced with the newest crisis --- the COVID-19 pandemic.

The family of five now lives in Central Lethem with

family. We were in the ceiling and the water was rising; it was terrifying because there was no way to escape this water. What we did was we kicked the door out and there was still no help; still no way I could save my family.

The only thing I can say --- and I can’t exclude God out of it --- is that it was a miracle that happened that day.”

A FRESH START At the moment, Orin is not working due to the COVID-19 lockdown. In pre-pandemic months, he earned a living through providing lessons to chil-

any animals,” he said. “She enjoys nature, the mountain views, the rivers and so on.”

He is thankful that since the spread of COVID-19, there hasn’t been an outbreak in the Region and his family has displayed no symptoms of the virus.

He is also thankful for the welcoming response received from Lethem residents when his family arrived, and the turnout to his lessons.

“The community has been very, very supportive.

Many of them want the extra lessons,” Orin said.

He told the newspaper that he wants to venture out into teaching reading as he The Grimmond family on the Kurupukari crossing – a privately-operated pontoon service on the Essequibo River along the Linden/Lethem trail

Seraphine (centre) has already made many friends at school Orin’s parents. While he hails from Region Nine, his wife is from Berbice, but they both agreed that Lethem is the best option for their family and haven’t regretted it since.

Orin and Sholme were previously teachers in The Bahamas and returned on September 15, 2019, after seven years, with the help of the government and the private sector.

They returned with their children, then seven-yearold Seraphine, two-year-old Angeline and two-month-old Kemuel.

Telling of his experience in the hurricane, upon arrival at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Orin said: “The experience was horrifying; it was traumatizing to begin with. As husband and father, I looked at my family and there was nothing that I could have done to save my

dren from the town, bringing his expertise in Technical Drawing.

Orin has not yet returned to the public teaching system as his application sent in January has not yet received a response. Meanwhile, Sholme has decided that she will remain at home to take care of their two youngest.

“Right now, we’re still struggling to get back life as per normal. It’s a little difficult because we have two small kids, a baby and a toddler,” Orin said.

Even so, he said that their eldest, Seraphine, is attending primary school and has been enjoying her new experience in the grand savannah.

“It’s a vast difference and she’s really enjoying it because many of the things right now she’s really seeing them for the first time. Back that way there aren’t really

has realised that literacy is still lacking in the Region to some extent.

BRACE FOR THIS CRISIS He said that the COVID-19 pandemic has not been easy with the halt in work but he hopes that Guyanese can all understand that the only way to get through the pandemic is if everyone adheres to the emergency measures in place.

In his experience with crises, he said that it is best to stock up on the supplies you can and wait for any crisis to pass.

“Coming from one disaster and in to another, we felt like it was happening all over again. When the alert is given that a natural disaster is heading your way you need to prepare; you need to

Little Seraphine and Angeline Grimmond adhere. You need to stock up preparing all over again for a goods for at least one to three hurricane but just in a differmonths because you don’t ent way. It [coronavirus] is know the extent of the dam- disastrous and its deadly; we age that this natural disaster can’t see it but it does have an can cause,” he said. effect on our body and I think “Coming into this other it could even be worse if we crisis, I felt like we were do not heed the warnings

given by public ministries.”

He urged fellow Guyanese to remember that their actions or inaction in this case can affect others, inclusive of some of the most vulnerable such as children.

Orin also reminded them to put God first in all their doings. He and his immediate family are Seventh-Day Adventists (SDAs) and he is also now serving as the leader for the Men’s Ministry Department at the SDA church.

Though his parents are not Adventists, he says that he keeps devotion every morning and helps them to understand the word of God. The Grimmonds have no plans to return to The Bahamas currently, and hope to make positive contributions in their new town.

“At the moment, our plan is to live here in the Rupununi for a couple of years, establish ourselves again. We wouldn’t live in Georgetown, we’ve decided that we’re going to be right here in the Rupununi. We have no plans to return to The Bahamas to work but maybe we might visit there because we have friends there,” he said.

“We look forward to working and serving this community to the best that we can in whatever way that we can.”

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Lawsuits demanding China’s compensation for coronavirus damages totally absurd, experts say BEIJING, May 4 (Xinhua) -- Some foreign officials’ efforts to sue China for causing global damages in the COVID-19 pandemic are totally absurd and aim to cover up their own missteps, experts and observers have said.

Those calling for China to “be held responsible” include attorney generals of the U.S. states of Missouri and Mississippi, who in April filed lawsuits against China and demanded compensation from it for the global losses caused by COVID-19.

Greg Cusack, a former member of the Iowa House of Representatives, told Xinhua that the U.S. politicians’ actions are “a smokescreen designed ... to keep the American people in a fog, to distort the truth, and to always deny accountability or responsibility for themselves.”

“What they ... are desperately trying to do is to cover up their own incompetence and failure to act in time,” Cusack said, adding that the White House “clearly dropped the ball for two long months -- January and February -- before anything was said or put into motion.”

The United States, now the epicenter of the pandemic worldwide, has confirmed over 1 million COVID-19 cases in just some 100 days after it reported its first case on Jan. 21.

Takakage Fujita, director general of a Japanese civil group dedicated to upholding and developing the Murayama Statement, said it is the negligence of Washington that has made both the U.S. caseload and death toll of COVID-19 the highest in the world.

Buck-passing is a trick frequently used by some U.S. politicians, he said, adding that shifting the blame to China and others serves their own interest to score points in this year’s presidential election.

The political analyst spoke highly of China’s strong leadership and effective prevention and control measures taken in the fight against the virus, saying China has also offered anti-epidemic experience and medical supplies to other countries combating the virus, which is of great significance.

Zheng Yongnian, a professor with the East Asian Institute at the National University of Singapore, said the virus knows no borders, and there are many viruses in countries such as the United States and African nations, which is not the “original sin” of these countries, Zheng said.

The allegation that China should compensate is extremely absurd, he said, noting that the politicians attempt to muddy the waters in order to seek benefits, deflect blame or destroy China’s relations with some countries,

due to their assumption that China wants to challenge their geopolitical influence at the regional level.

“The virus is a common enemy to all mankind and may strike anytime, anywhere.

Like other countries, China is also a victim, not a perpetrator, even less an accomplice of COVID-19,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a press briefing on April 20.

Foreign Policy magazine writer Keith Johnson said in an article last month that the problem is a “Pandora’s box.” If any U.S. court can hold China accountable for its alleged misdeeds over the coronavirus, “it’s open season around the world for any number of lawsuits over harmful U.S. actions.”

Kishore Mahbubani, a fellow at the Asia Research Institute of the National University of Singapore, in a recent interview with Australian think-tank ADC Forum, pointed to the 2008-2009 financial crisis.

The crisis began with investment bank Lehman Brothers’ collapse in New York, and caused tremendous damage to economies around the world, but nobody suggested that other countries should get compensation from the United States, he said.

“What we should learn from this is that, instead of being punitive to the countries

Greg Cusack, former member of the Iowa House of Representatives that suffered it first, we should immediately help the countries that get affected first.

Because if we don’t help them, we will get affected,” he said.

COVID-19 leak from Wuhan lab ‘highly unlikely,’ says U.S. researcher WASHINGTON, May 5 (Xinhua) -- A U.S. researcher who had worked with a Wuhan virology lab told U.S. media in a recent interview that the start of the COVID-19 pandemic is “highly unlikely a lab accident.”

“We worked together to develop very stringent safety protocols, and it’s highly unlikely this was a lab accident,” said Jonna Mazet, an epidemiologist at the University of California, Davis, who has worked with and trained researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV).

In an article published on Sunday by Business Insider, a leading news website in the United States, Mazet gave four reasons against the ungrounded assertion.

The first reason, she argued, is that “the lab’s samples don’t match the new coronavirus.”

Mazet has worked with Shi Zhengli, a virologist at the WIT, through PREDICT, a pandemic early-warning program started by the U.S. Agency for International Development.

“I’ve spoken to her recently,” Mazet said of Shi. “She is absolutely positive that she had never identified this virus prior to the outbreak happening.”

Secondly, the WIV implements rigorous safety protocols that are “above

reproach.”

“In the field, they (researchers) wear extreme personal protective equipment, including multiple layers of gloves, eye protection, full body suits and masks,” said Mazet.

After a series of disinfection procedures, researchers only use the deactivated, non-infectious samples, and the containers with viable virus are locked down in a special area, she added.

“Rather than a leak,” Mazet said of the third reason, “the novel coronavirus is more likely the latest disease to have jumped from an animal to humans.”

Mazet mentioned that the 2003 SARS outbreak, Ebola and the H1N1 “swine flu” pandemic are all caused by viruses originated in other species, which are known as zoonotic diseases.

Genetic research has all but confirmed that the virus causing COVID-19 originated in nature, she said, noting that a study published in February found that it shares 96 percent of its genetic code with coronaviruses circulating in bat populations.

As for the fourth reason, Mazed noted that everyday people are more likely to get infected than researchers who wear protection, which indicates that a leak from a lab is implausible.

Tourists, hunters and other people who rely on animals in some capacity for food or trade wander into wild habitats less protected and are therefore exposed to the live viruses circulating in the animals.

The frequency of cross-species infections “will increase as humans encroach further into wild habitats that house disease-carrying species we haven’t interacted with before,” added Mazet.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Unusually active hurricane season approaching

“SEVERAL major forecasting centres are now predicting that this year’s hurricane season, which stretches from June 1 to November 30, will be more active than usual,” the Boston Magazine reported on Monday, catching the attention of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA).

While Guyana is not directly affected by hurricanes, the common natural disaster could spell added crisis for its Caribbean neighbours currently battling the COVID-19 pandemic.

Outgoing Head of CDEMA, Ronald Jackson, has stated that Caribbean islands are dealing with debt-to-GDP ratios, fiscal environments, social challenges and more, and the current hurricane season will pose the “perfect storm” for grave disaster.

He said that warehousing supplies and shelter facilities are already being used to fight COVID-19, and close in the distance is a predicted unprecedented hurricane season.

“With many of the traditional sources that we’ve depended on themselves being hit very hard by the COVID-19 crisis, what resourc-

es will be available from those traditional support systems to help countries with the post-impact response and recovery?” Jackson questioned.

According to the Boston Magazine, latest predictions coming from Pennsylvania State University’s Earth System Science Center have led scientists to call for 20 named storms in the Atlantic this year.

For the last 30 years, there have been an average of 12 storms which earned names for having wind speeds reaching 39 miles per hour.

“If 20 named storms do occur this year, 2020 would become the second most active season on record, in terms of the number of storms,” the Magazine stated.

Meanwhile, models from Colorado State University, AccuWeather, the Weather Channel and the University of Arizona are also projecting above-average numbers of storms. Their predictions range from 14 to 19, inclusive of hurricanes that are Category 3 or stronger.

Both Chair of CARICOM, Prime Minister

of Barbados, Mia Mottley, and Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne, have made statements that the region, already in a precarious state, is on the cusp of a climate crisis.

Browne requested financial backing of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) while Mottley has lobbied for collective efforts and for international insti-

tutions to recognise the unique challenges of the Caribbean.

The storms and hurricanes for the 2020 season, which ends on November 30, are named Arthur, Bertha, Christobal, Dolly, Edouard, Fay, Gonzalo, Hanna, Isaias, Josephine, Kyle, Laura, Marco, Nana, Omar, Paulette, René, Sally, Teddy, Vicky and Wilfred.

Lusignan prison escapee recaptured

ANTHONY Padmore, one of three prisoners who escaped from the Lusignan Prison recently, has been recaptured by the police.

Reports are that Padmore was found in a house in the company of a woman.

Police moved to the scene

and immediately arrested him. The 26-year-old has been serving a 3-year prison term for trafficking in narcotics.

He, along with three others, Kenraul Perez, 26, of Mabaruma, North West District, Ganesh Dhanraj, 32, of

Parika Facade, East Bank Essequibo (EBE) and Sasenarine Bisnauth of Tuschen, EBE , escaped from the holding bay of the Lusignan prison on April 20, 2020.

Bisnauth was recently recaptured by the authorities.

Recaptured : Anthony Padmore

Kenraul Perez and Ganesh Dhanraj are on the run

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Linden’s Orrin Gordon urges persons to give out of love and not ‘for attention’

HEAD of the Region Ten Regional Health Emergency Committee (RHEC), Orrin Gordon, says persons who need to get mileage from the committee’s endorsement of their charitable work “can obtain that on their own and would not need the committee’s endorsement.”

Speaking in an RHEC press release, on Tuesday, Gordon said that he recognized persons who contribute to the aiding of persons in need, noting that it is a noble feat.

“I applaud the initiatives of many to assist those in need, as I have no problem with people seeking to assist their fellow Lindeners and want their pound of acclamation. However, it is not the normal way for a national outfit going about doing its national duties. Of course you will see the efforts made by the national organization to ensure that people are aware of what it is doing for its citizens,” Gordon said.

“I am making it clear, as

the Mayor reminded me that, when she approached some businesses, they said that they wanted to have their own publicity as they wanted their own recognition. This committee cannot and will not be a part of something like that,” he argued.

Gordon questioned persons’ agenda in these uncertain times, noting that it is evident several persons are experiencing grave economic challenges. He urged persons to give with a heart of love, affection, concern and care, rather than using people’s situation to extract personal attention.

“We should not be a part of anything that brings personal glory to ourselves because this is a national response to a particular situation affecting our country.

Therefore, it is expected that each of us will play our part in ensuring that we can address it. Once we seek personal credit and attention because we give out something to someone then this RHEC

No unauthorised flights to Guyana

–– GCAA addresses rumour

THE Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has condemned false rumours, circulated on social media, about an unauthorized landing in Guyana, on May 4, 2020, during the COVID-19 lockdown.

“Director-General of the GCAA, Lt. Col. (Ret’d) Egbert Field, A.A. wishes to dismiss such rumours as false.

Col. Field said that such reports could create mischief, panic and confusion during a time when our nation is battling a pandemic of unprecedented proportions. The Director-General wishes to assure the citizens of Guyana that the Authority has in place strict protocols for aircraft arriving from other States, recognizing the extent of the coronavirus pandemic in other parts of the world, especially North America,” the GCAA stated in a release on Tuesday.

The Authority urged members of the public to be vigilant, responsible and to fact check all information with the relevant authorities, before publishing same.

The Government recently announced the extension of COVID-19 emergency measures and airports will remain closed to international passenger flights until June 3rd, except by special authorization.

The ban gives exception to outgoing flights; cargo flights; medivac flights; technical stops by airplanes for fuel and specially authorised flights, still with the approval of local authorities.

cannot be party to glorifying the benevolent; I am sure the recipients and beneficiaries will do so adequately,” he declared.

“I read on the internet that several of our fellows in North America even with their predicament, still reached out and assisted brothers and sisters in Linden. The names were put out on the internet. Many I understand did not want pub-

licity but others wanted, so all the donors were noted publicly. The RHEC thanks the donors for their generous giving, even as the moneys were given to a business group to provide hampers. Persons were calling us asking about the hampers,” he said.

The RHEC head stressed accountability, asking individuals and organizations to be responsible and accountable

for donations received, as he understands not all donors want to pass through the established committee.

He said BOSAI provided a few tons of basic food items for the RHEC and he expects that a wide cross-section as possible will benefit from this contribution.

He urged the President of the Linden Chamber of Commerce, Victor Fernandes, and

head of the business committee of the RHEC, to address all such situations involving the Linden business community and affiliates.

“The RHEC will not be giving any recognition. We are happy that more persons are giving but for them to say that it’s part of the RHEC, then that is where I have some problems,” Gordon said.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, May 6, 2020

NA mayor alarmed by crowd of pensioners NEW Amsterdam Mayor, Winifred Haywood, was alarmed after she noticed a crowd of Old Age and National Insurance Scheme pensioners at the New Amsterdam Post Office on Monday.

“We want to ensure that when COVID-19 is over, you must be alive. And I must be alive. I do not like that you are not adhering to the social distance guidelines. You will get your money, but, I do not want you to get it with COVID-19.... COVID 19 is

faceless and because of that you must keep your distance.

The life is yours. You have to care your life,” the mayor said as she addressed scores of elderly men and women While it was observed that personnel within the post office were enforcing the mandated three feet distance, outside, within the building’s compound, persons were seated closely.

“Is all about faith! You have no faith Comrade Mayor!” shouted an unmasked young woman from among

the crowd.

“The mayor is advising correctly,” rebutted another, who added: “If you do not hear, you all will feel” Meanwhile, in a press release, dated April 22, the Guyana Post Office Corporation said that, in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Protection, it continues to implement systems that seek to protect senior citizens and contain the spread of COVID-19, by preventing mass gathering and practising social distancing.

Old Age and National Insurance Scheme pensioners disregard social distancing guidelines at the New Amsterdam Post Office on Monday afternoon As a result, pensioners were asked to visit their respective post offices on specific dates, based on an alphabetical order.

On Monday, pensioners bearing surnames / last

names beginning with the letters K to O were facilitated to receive their pension, but, being the first Monday of the month, there was a clash with the National Insurance Scheme pensioners.

And the transactions lasted beyond closing time, forcing senior citizens to be outdoor for a longer period

than expected.

Although, there are other options such as encashing their vouchers at banks, Sheik Mohamed said he prefers the post office as it offers multiple services, including the payment of his utility bill and despite the large gathering, he would remain there.

Political impasse has slowed approval of Payara Development GUYANA’s elections impasse has slowed the possible approval of the Payara Field Development Project (FDP) but the Department of Energy (DE) is using the time to ensure that needed FDP corrections are made.

On Friday, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Exxon Mobil Corporation, Darren Woods told investors on the company’s Q1 earnings call: “Unfortunately, the ongoing

Location of the Payara Project Development Area within the Stabroek Block elections process and uncertainty around the next administration have slowed Government approvals of the Payara Development Plan.”

In a meeting with the media on Monday, DE Director, Dr. Mark Bynoe, said that the political situation has indeed caused some amount of delay but the DE is using the down time to allow Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Ltd. (EEPGL) to See page 17

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Political impasse has slowed approval ...

From page 16 correct preliminary issues arising in its FDP. “Approving or discussing Field Development Plans do require the signature of the Minister.

I could not expose my Minister, at this point in time, to a process that is incomplete. However, what I have said and what I am doing is that we are providing EEPGL with line of sight in terms of what are some of the issues emerging, because most issues will need to be addressed before one can discuss an approval or what we will do concerning the FDP process,” Dr. Bynoe said.

It is the hope that by the time Guyana resolves its electoral impasse, the process can move full speed ahead towards completion.

EEPGL, a subsidiary of ExxonMobil, is the operator of Stabroek Block and holds 45% interest. Meanwhile, the Payara Development project, located in the eastern half of the Stabroek Block, will see the drilling of up to 45 development wells which could take up to five years, with initial production previously set for early 2023.

Back in September 2019, EEPGL also submitted its Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) on the Payara Development Project to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The project marks EEPGL’s third field development in the Stabroek block and targets 180,000 to 220,000 barrels of oil per day, with anticipation to produce approximately 5,700,000 to 6,600,000 barrels of crude oil per month.

A third Floating Production, Storage, and Offloading (FPSO) vessel will be used during production which would be named ‘Prosperity’.

At the end of 2019, a four-month contract for consultancy services to support the oil and gas Project Development Evaluation for the Payara Field was awarded to United Kingdom (UK) based company, Bayphase Geologists, Engineers and Investment Analysts Limited (Bayphase Ltd.) It covers areas such as an in-depth review of the Payara field development plan, environmental impact assessment and supporting documents.

Dr. Bynoe said that the review of the Payara FDP is fairly advanced, and, given the arising issues, the DE continues to engage with the operator in a collaborative manner before finalization of the comments to be shared.

The DE Head did not state what the issues are, indicating that they are still being addressed, and, once completed, the DE will disclose the changes made.

“It’s not fair for me to start discussing these in the public arena, because they are now being handed to the operator for them to address,” he said, adding: “It is not unusual, it happened with Liza 1, it happened with Liza 2, where the consortium was forced to do an addendum to the submitted FDP and we are going the same route as we speak.”

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Exit of Gayle and Russell will have repercussions on Tallawahs CMC – TWO former national cricketers have warned that the exit of T20 stars Chris Gayle and Andre Russell from the Jamaica Tallawahs will have repercussions for the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) franchise team.

Wayne Lewis believes it would be a big blow for the outfit if Russell follows through on his decision to make 2020 his last year playing for Tallawahs, and therefore urged the franchise to try to make things right with him; while Nehemiah Perry says Gayle’s abrupt departure is not good for either the team or the sport.

Gayle, the world’s greatest T20 batsman with 13 000 runs and 22 hundreds, signed with St. Lucia Zouks last month after not being retained by Tallawahs, despite having another two years left in

his contract.

Last Tuesday, a day after Gayle published a series of YouTube videos accusing assistant coach Ramnaresh Sarwan of conspiring with franchise’s management to get him off the team – a claim denied by both parties – Russell announced on Instagram Live that he would play out the last year of his contract but would not be returning because he was “not comfortable”.

Tallawahs signed Russell in 2018 after he returned from a one-year ban for a doping violation.

Lewis told the Jamaica Gleaner if Tallawahs lose the 32-year-old, it will impact the franchise’s ability to attract crowds, which will affect the bottom line.

“He’s a crowd puller for the Tallawahs. When he plays at home, a lot more persons will come and watch him play. From an economic standpoint, it’s going to be a big blow for them. Can they get a player of his calibre to replace him? I doubt that very much,” he said.

“If he is going somewhere else, then we are going to be robbed of that and [because of] the revenue situation with the Tallawahs, they must be mindful about that and, therefore, they need to work things out with him. It’s not good for the Tallawahs, it’s not good for the Jamaican people.”

Russell had said in his

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Instagram Live that he did not feel respected at Tallawahs, which he described as “the weirdest franchise that I have ever played in”. He also accused the leadership of poor communication.

“I think another franchise that has been coming last and fifth and fourth in CPL will appreciate me more,” he had said.

Lewis has suggested that Tallawahs try to repair its relationship with Russell to keep him playing for his home franchise.

“I hope that they work it out so they can keep him and that we continue to enjoy and watch him play while he is performing at a high level, taking brilliant catches, running out people, hitting sixes. He is a winner.

He is the number one T20 player in the world, and he is playing at home, and Jamaicans love to watch him play. We want to see him at least five times in the CPL every year,” he said.

Russell had also suggested he was not happy with the treatment meted out to Gayle, who turns 41 in September. The big hitter played his first four CPL seasons with Tallawahs and then turned out for the St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots in 2017 and 2018 seasons. He returned to Tallawahs in 2019 on a three-year contract, but the team ended the tournament bottom of the table,

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winning just two of 10 matches.

Speaking with the Gleaner, Perry said it would be very difficult to get a replacement for Gayle, and the focus now should be on getting the team “motivated, spirited, and ready to go”.

“What you want is 11 players, or 13 men who are going to die for each other out there,” he told the newspaper, adding that the public fallouts would not augur well for either the team or the sport.

“It doesn’t bode well for youngsters and people who are aspiring to play cricket to come into an environment like that. I think we need to be a little bit more responsible. We need to be a little bit more practical in what we do and what we say because a lot of people out there look up to people like those – the Sarwans, the Gayles, and the Russells. They have them as their mentors, and to hear all of this is not good for cricket.”

In addition to Gayle’s exit and Russell planned departure, Tallawahs head coach Donovan Miller and manager Andrew Richardson have left the team.

It is not certain whether there will be a CPL tournament this year, given the COVID-19 pandemic that has stalled sporting events across the globe, but franchises have been putting together their teams.

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

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Answers in tomorrow’s issue

21

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, May 6, 2020

TTFA staff pleads with President to end court battle over accounts CMC – STAFF of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) who have not received salaries since February, are pleading with deposed president William Wallace to end his battle for control of the organisation’s bank accounts, which they say is standing in the way of them being paid.

In a letter written to Wallace, in which they pointed out they have not been paid for March or April, they urged the embattled football boss to look at the “human side” of their plight.

“There now exists an urgent and stressful situation that has been thrust upon the staff due to the nonpayment of salaries for a second consecutive month,” they wrote.

Wallace is battling a normalization committee set up by football’s world governing body FIFA to run the affairs of the beleaguered TTFA, for control of the association’s bank accounts at First Citizens Bank here.

The association is threatening legal action if it is not granted access to the accounts. However, the bank has refused both the TTFA and the normalization committee led by local businessman Robert Hadad, saying that only a ruling by the court or other resolution would alter its position.

In their May 2 letter, the TTFA’s employees who were last paid from borrowed monies at the end of the February, lamented being caught in the middle of that battle.

They noted that it was the beginning of a third month that administrative staff had not received salaries, and some technical staff members had not been paid for as long as six months.

“If control of the TTFA accounts is taken before the courts to be settled, staff members will have to endure extreme hardship because of

the extended time we will have to go without a means to be paid. `Members of staff have already begun to get calls from creditors,” the unsigned letter stated, noting that some members of staff are their households’ sole breadwinners.

The workers, who were sent home since March 15 when the TTFA closed its office because of the COVID-19 pandemic, added that full-time staff are currently employed and do not qualify for any of the government assistance programmes. Additionally, they said, members of staff have also been refused assistance through the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) because of nonpayment of statutory deductions.

“Please note that this is not an attempt for us to make any sort of political statement or take sides in the ongoing dispute between yourself and the normalization committee; however, the situation as it is now affects us greatly and directly, and we have never been granted the privilege of being solicited for an opinion,” the correspondence to Wallace stated.

“We would highlight that there are two separate dimensions to this scenario that one must take into consideration. They are the human side and the professional side.”

However, Wallace told the Trinidad Guardian his position remained unchanged.

“Our position is what it was when we took action. It hasn’t changed,” he said.

Back on April 17, TTFA lawyer Matthew Gayle wrote to First Citizens Bank warning of court action if the bank attempted “to change the signatories on the account … without the express approval of Mr William Wallace (former TTFA president) and/or the duly

elected executives”.

The battle for control of the accounts comes amid the TTFA’s challenge at

the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) in Switzerland, to FIFA’s decision to appoint the normaliza-

tion committee that has been mandated to create a debt repayment plan for the association, review its

statutes and ensure their adherence to FIFA regulations, and oversee new elections.

22

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Seales looking TKR announce local forward to learning player retentions from Veterans

THE Trinbago Knight Riders have announced the Caribbean players they will be retaining for the 2020 Hero Caribbean Premier League.

International retentions and signings will be announced at a later date.

This year teams can retain as many players from their 2019 squads as they wish.

They could also transfer players to other teams and sign emerging players.

The Knight Riders have chosen to retain or sign 10 Caribbean players ahead of the CPL draft.

They are Dwayne Bravo (Trinidad & Tobago), Kieron Pollard (Trinidad & Tobago), Sunil Narine (Trinidad & Tobago), Darren Bravo (Trinidad & Tobago) ,Lendl Simmons (Trinidad & Tobago), Khary Pierre (Trinidad & Tobago), Jayden Seales (Trinidad & Tobago, emerging player), Amir

Jangoo (Trinidad & Tobago emerging player), Tion Webster (Trinidad & Tobago) and Akeal Hosein (Trinidad & Tobago) Making the announcement, Venky Mysore, Director of TKR said: “Over the last 5 years, TKR has built the franchise by consciously bringing back players from Trinidad & Tobago and also developing local talent.

We are delighted that all ten of our Caribbean players in the TKR squad for 2020 are from Trinidad & Tobago.”

The CPL is scheduled to take place between 19 August and 26 September but the tournament organisers are currently watching the current situation with COVID-19 closely and are liaising with medical advisors and governments.

A decision on whether the tournament can proceed as planned, or at a different time, will be made as soon as possible.

West Indies umpires ‘heavily impacted’ by COVID19 CMC – A top West Indies Cricket Umpires Association official says regional umpires have also been heavily impacted by the cessation of cricket, stemming from the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Vivian Johnson, who serves as secretary of WICUA, pointed out that with cricket at every level brought to a halt, the situation with umpires was “heartbreaking” as it had resulted in “dislocation” among the umpiring community.

“Where this pandemic is actually concerned, it is a little heartbreaking to know that the cricket is sidelined,” Johnson told DBS Radio here.

“And it’s not only the West Indies, it’s all over the world. We know we have a tour to England and therefore we’re not even sure that’s going to go on.

“In Australia, their borders are closed. Just like countries in the Caribbean, their borders are closed to anyone coming in.”

He continued: “Local cricket [in the Caribbean] territories, there is no cricket so that impacts the umpiring aspect of the game and umpires are likely to get involved and are involved on a weekly basis [usually] because cricket generally in most countries of the Carib-

bean is all year round.

“So this is something that has caused a lot of dislocation as we speak.”

The fallout for regional umpires would have been especially felt after Cricket West Indies was forced last month to postpone a suite of tournaments.

five One-Day Internationals later this month while South Africa A were expected to follow in June for five one-dayers and three fourday “Tests” but both are now likely to be called off.

Deprived of opportunities to officiate, Johnson said that some umpires

Johnson.

“I would hope that having spoken with a lot of the other territories that they would be embarking on training programmes to make sure their umpires are up to speed and are learning in the classroom, the fundamentals of umpiring and

Regional umpires have been impacted by the cessation of cricket

Apart from aborting the last two rounds of the 10-round domestic first class championship, CWI postponed the Women’s Super50 Cup and inaugural Under-19 Championship, while completely scrapping the Under-15 Boys Championship.

South Africa Women were scheduled to arrive for

– particularly in Jamaica – were using the time to conduct small group seminars, to ensure that officials remained savvy on the laws and rudiments of the game.

“It’s not only on the field of play that we train umpires for because a lot of the things about umpiring is judgement, management of the game and so on,” said

having discussions amongst each other.

“Not only in small settings but using the technology – Zoom, Skype, and so on. So if everyone is not engaging that and over time, [they need to start] because we don’t know how long his pandemic will last, so we have to get umpires active in this regard.”

CMC – WEST Indies emerging player Jayden Seales is looking forward to learning from cricket veterans and fellow Trinidadians in the

COVID-19.

“I wasn’t expecting a CPL selection this early, but I am very pleased. I’m currently training at home; doing as much fitness and strength work as I can. I am looking forward to the CPL, to get back to proper training and playing, with the main aim being to break into the Trinidad [and Tobago] senior team in the near future,” he said in a recent interview on Windies Cricket InsJayden Seales is the only new tagram Live.

A stellar perforCaribbean player signed to Trinbago Knight Riders for the mance at the Un2020 Caribbean Premier League der-19 World Cup 2020 Caribbean Premier held in South Africa earlier League (CPL), once the this year earned Seales the COVID-19 pandemic ICC’s nod for Team of the does not prevent his de- Tournament, although the but in the franchise tour- West Indies squad missed nament. out on the chance to comSeales was Tuesday pete in the World Cup named by Trinbago Knight final.

Riders (TKR) as one of 10 The 18-year-old Caribbean players selected thrilled fans around the for the 2020 season. He world as he attained was the only new regional speeds of over 90 mph signee but another emerg- on numerous occasions ing player, Amir Jangoo throughout the competiwho joined the squad last tion. He went on to amass year, was among the nine a total of 10 wickets at retained. an average of 18.3 in the B a c k i n M a r c h , six matches West Indies the budding star made played. the list of West Indies He has joined Jangoo, Emerging Players draft- Kieron Pollard, Dwayne ed into this year’s CPL Bravo, Darren Bravo, which is scheduled to Sunil Narine, Lendl Simtake place August 19 – mons, Khary Pierre, Tion September 26 unless the Webster and Akeal Hosein global pandemic forces in the TKR squad. a postponement or canWicketkeeper/batscellation. man Denesh Ramdin has Like other regional not been retained. cricketers, Seales is curTKR said in its staterently off the field and ment Tuesday that instaying safe at home here, ternational retentions following established pro- and signings will be antocols in the fight against nounced at a later date.

23

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, May 6, 2020

F1 Bosses make final budget proposal Old adversaries: Ferrari want the budget cap to stay where it is, McLaren want it to go down

(BBC) - FORMULA 1 bosses have made a final offer to teams of a sliding scale budget cap reducing from $145m to $130m over the next three years.

The proposal is part of changes aimed at addressing the financial impact of the coronavirus in a letter to teams from F1 managing director Ross Brawn.

F1 has proposed a cap of $145m (£116m) in 2021, reducing to $140m in 2022 and $135m for the period 2023-25.

Teams will spend the coming days assessing the ideas before a vote.

The proposals - which also include a sliding scale of allowance for aerodynamic research according to a team’s success, and compensation for the manufacturer teams recognising the value of research and development of parts sold to customers - are billed as a final submission after weeks of negotiations ended in impasse last month.

A final decision on whether there will need to be a meeting of team bosses with FIA president Jean Todt, F1 chairman Chase Carey and Brawn, or simply a vote on the proposals, will be made once F1 has had feedback from the teams.

What are the details?

The letter to team bosses lists a series of means by which F1 will cut costs in as fair a way as possible in the coming seasons.

A budget cap of $175m is already in the rules for 2021 but the coronavirus crisis will lead to a significant drop in income for F1, so bosses feel further changes need to be made.

In addition to reducing the level of the budget cap, two key proposals are those governing aerodynamic research and the “notional value” of customer parts.

One is aimed at levelling the field and the other at reflecting the value of the research and development resources invested by the big teams in parts they sell to others.

On aerodynamic research, there will be a defined benchmark amount of permitted wind-tunnel time and computing data, and a sliding scale of allowance of that data depending on a team’s finishing position in the previous championship.

The top three teams in a given year will be permitted only 70% of the total allowance, the team who finished fourth 80%, then 5% increments until the ninth and 10th-placed teams are allowed 105% and 110% of the total.

In short, that means the team who finished

Tennis world commits over $6 million for COVID-19 player relief program

(REUTERS) - TENNIS’S governing bodies and the organisers of the four Grand Slams said on Tuesday they will raise over $6 million (4.8 million pounds) to help players affected by the sport’s current shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The player relief program will target about 800 singles and doubles players collectively on the men’s and women’s tours, who are in need of financial support.

“The creation of the player relief program is a positive demonstration of the sport’s ability to come together during this time of crisis,” the governing bodies of world tennis, including the ATP and WTA, along with the International Tennis Federation, said in a joint statement.

“We will continue to collaborate and monitor the support required across tennis with the aim of ensuring the long-term health of the sport in the midst of this unprecedented challenge to our way of life, and our thoughts remain with all those affected at this time.”

The men’s ATP Tour and the WTA, which runs the women’s circuit, will administer the financial distributions of the program and all contributions will be split equally between men and women.

Eligibility for the program will take into account a player’s ranking as well as previous prize money earnings according to criteria agreed by all stakeholders.

While the fund from the seven stakeholders makes up the backbone of the program, funds raised through initiatives such as auctions and player donations are welcomed.

The professional tennis season was halted in early March due to the coronavirus pandemic until at least July 13, which makes it difficult for those in the lower echelons of the sport, who depend solely on tournament winnings, to earn a living.

last will be allowed 40% more aerodynamic research the following year than the top three.

The “notional value” rule defines a valuation for parts typically bought by customer teams from manufacturers, such as gearboxes, suspension and so on.

Once a team has bought those parts, their defined value is taken off their total budget cap figure.

Will the teams agree?

Ferrari has been leading opposition to reducing the budget cap below $150m, saying it causes problems for them in terms of the large numbers of redundancies it would require.

The Italian team declined to comment but is understood to be assessing the potential impact of the changes as outlined in the letter.

But the FIA has recently made a rule change that effectively makes Ferrari’s approval unnecessary.

Last month, its World Council approved a move to overturn the requirement for unanimous approval of competitors to amend rules at late notice.

A so-called “safeguard clause” has been added to the International Sporting Code so that only a majority is required.

The FIA said the change was needed “in view of the unparalleled Covid-19 crisis”.

That means that as long as five teams agree to the proposals, any objections will not necessarily stop them being adopted.

Is anything else in the letter?

The letter also confirms a number of other rules that have been widely discussed in public and agreed already.

These include the delay in the introduction of the wide-ranging 2021 technical regulations until 2022; the requirement for teams to race their 2020 cars in 2021 as well and the possibility that the format of some race weekends will change to facilitate cramming in as many races as possible once the championship gets under way this season - for example by compressing the on-track action into two day.

It also includes the budget cap will reduce or increase by $1m for each race that is removed or added to the calendar. So, next year for example, it will be $145m if there are 21 races, but $144m if there are 20 and $146m if there are 22 and a cap on engine development costs, which Mercedes is pushing for, is to be discussed at a later date.

Restarting sport in Britain would “lift the spirits of the nation

(BBC) - RESTARTING sport in Britain would “lift the spirits of the nation” amid the coronavirus crisis, foreign secretary Dominic Raab said on Tuesday.

Speaking at Downing Street’s daily briefing he said the government “has had constructive meetings with sports bodies”.

He said talks had focused on athletes resuming training when safe to do so.

And he added that the culture secretary was looking at plans to hold sports behind closed doors.

“I think it would lift spirits of the nation,” Raab said.

“People would like to see us get back to work and children can go to school safely but also pastimes like sport.”

Discussions about the Premier League’s return are continuing but there had been no official comment from the government.

The Premier League is hopeful of restarting in the week beginning 8 June with matches behind closed doors.

Plans for games at neutral venues have been suggested in a bid to get the season finished.

“I can tell you that the culture secretary has been working on a plan to get sport played behind closed doors when we move to the second phase so that is something we are looking at,” Raab said.

But certainly that is something under active consideration.”

Speaking to Radio 4’s Today programme earlier on Tuesday, health secretary Matt Hancock said he was “open” to the idea of the Premier League

different things that could be reopened,” he added.

Former health secretary Jeremy Hunt also told the Today programme football should resume.

“It can, and it should.

Leicester beat Aston Villa in the last match in the Premier League before lockdown

“Of course, the key point though - we can only do it when the medical advice and scientific advice is that it can be done safely and sustainably.

returning if there was enough testing being done.

“But we’ve got to make decisions about what the relative priorities are of all the

And it is our national sport.

And when people are stuck at home, this is the kind of thing that would lift people’s morale and its spirit.”

Dwayne (left) and Darren Bravo are among two of the 10 local players retained by the Trinbago Knight Riders (Photo by Ashley Allen - CPL T20/Getty Images)

TKR announce local player retentions

PAGE 22

Exit of Gayle and Russell will have repercussions on Tallawahs

TTFA staff pleads with President to end court battle over accounts

PAGE 21

PAGE 20

Former TTF president William Wallace

T20 stars Chris Gayle (left) and Andre Russell

PAGE 23

F1 Bosses make final budget proposal

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 6, 2020