Guyana Chronicle E-paper 3-29-2020

29th March, 2020

' No.105954

Three new cases COVID-19....

…Guyana's confirmed -44 persons tested -Regions equipped to provide medical cases now move to 8 for the virus so far service for an additional 134 persons SEE STORY ON PAGE 17

‘Adhere to control measures’ PAGE

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…President urges public to heed COVID-19 warnings

‘Guyana a sovereign state’

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…gov’t tells US during engagement over elections

Nandlall’s driver found shot to death in apparent suicide …was used to file 16 application in elections matters

Curfew imposed on Region 10 SEE PAGE 15

…Police will enforce order

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Healthcare workers in Linden have been lauded for their efforts in ensuring the continued safety of Region 10 residents. The authorities in the region, from Saturday, imposed a curfew to help slow the spread of the Coronavirus. In this photo, posted on the Focus On RDC10 Facebook page, a team of nurses and healthcare professionals are all smiles

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, March 29, 2020

‘Adhere to control measures’ …President urges public to heed COVID-19 warnings

…says cavalier approach could impair government’s efforts in combating spread of disease A “cavalier approach” in the face of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic could ‘seriously’ impair government’s efforts to combat the virus, especially now that the cases have moved from five to eight persons.

Such an approach from the public could result in consequences which will be devastating for the entire population, said President David Granger in a message to the nation, on Saturday.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact globally. As of March 28, the number of confirmed cases in 201 countries and territories

stood at 621,636 with the number of deaths at 28,658.

According to President Granger, Guyana confirmed its first imported case of COVID-19 in Georgetown on Wednesday, March 11, 2020.

That patient, a 52-yearold Guyanese woman who had travelled from the United States of America to Guyana on March 5, 2020, was presented to the public health system on March 10.

She died at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation on March 11.

The total number of confirmed COVID- 19 cases in Guyana has since increased

to eight inclusive of one death.

“Guyanese, Guyana responded quickly to the pandemic. I appointed Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo Chairman of the National COVID-19 Task Force. The Task Force has drafted a National Strategic Master Plan that will guide our approach to combatting the Novel Coronavirus Disease,” said President Granger.

The President said the National Task Force will continue to monitor the situation in Guyana, including citizens’ conduct. Government is concerned that too many citizens and businesses

President David Granger

have been ignoring public advisories and warnings.

“Guyanese, I urge you to continue to support all medical professionals: doctors, nurses, and other caregivers.

I urge you also to practice social distancing in public places and to avoid crowds, ceremonies including funerals and large gatherings,”

said President Granger.

He also advised persons to remain calm and implement all guidelines relating to personal hygiene and infection prevention and control.

Based on consultations, President Granger had issued directions under the Public Health Ordinance (Cap.145) and international standard

to prevent and control the spread of this disease.

Speaking about those instructions, the President said: “I authorised the Minister of Public Health to take all measures considered necessary to restrain, segregate and isolate persons suffering from the disease and, or who may be likely to be suffering from the disease.”

He believes that the public ‘must’ adhere to infection prevention and control measures, as personal conduct is the single most important element in preventing the spread of this deadly disease.

Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence, had established the Health Emergency Operations Centre, which continues to roll out measures and systems to guard against the spread of the virus.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, March 29, 2020

‘Guyana a sovereign state’ …gov’t tells US during engagement over elections

AMID increasing threats by the US and other countries, the Guyana Government reminded all of its international partners and friends that this country remains a sovereign state governed by the rule of law.

Since the March 2 General and Regional Elections, the ABCE countries have alleged that the tabulation of votes in District Four was flawed, and that has threatened the integrity of the entire electoral process. The US Government, in particular, has repeatedly said that any government sworn in based on flawed elections results would not be legitimate, despite the fact that aspects of the process is under judicial review. That review would determine, whether a recount, at this stage would be legally possible.

On March 24, the ambassador, in a tweet, said, “the calls for a free, fair, credible election in Guyana grow louder. The United States stands with [the] foreign office in warning of serious consequences for any individuals who seek to benefit from electoral fraud and from illegitimate government.”

Notwithstanding the facts of the matter, Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs of the U.S. Department of State, Ambassador Michael Kozak, on Thursday, said

he had cause to summon Guyana’s Ambassador to the

dated to conduct and manage, free, fair, and transparent

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Karen Cummings

US, Dr. Riyad Insanally, to a meeting to reinforce the US’ position.

In a statement on Friday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the meeting took place at 16:30hrs at the request of Ambassador Kozak but reminded all and sundry that Guyana remains a sovereign state.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Karen Cummings, in that statement, said general and regional elections in Guyana were conducted on March 2 in accordance with the Constitution and electoral laws of the country, as she dispelled the notion that the elections were compromised.

“The electoral process is managed by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), an independent body, constitutionally man-

elections,” Dr. Cummings reminded the country’s international partners. She said while Guyana appreciates the role and work of all elections observation missions, it must be established that there was no interference in the electoral process on the part of government.

“The executive branch of government has never tried to influence, interfere with or instruct GECOM in any way,” the foreign affairs minister said.

She also drew the world’s attention to the fact that the electoral process is incomplete due to a number of legal proceedings filed in the court. However, in light of the concerns raised by sections of the international community and the opposition, President David Grang-

er invited the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to

Guyana Ambassador to US, Dr. Riyad Insanally

facilitate a National Recount, though the results thus far has placed his party in the lead, but that too has been temporarily blocked by the court.

“The executive branch attempted, sincerely and in good faith, to find a way forward by inviting the CARICOM team to conduct a recount. The Supreme Court has been approached and has intervened; its rulings, which are still being awaited, will be respected in accordance with the Constitution and Laws of Guyana,” Minister Cummings explained.

Contrary to reports, the foreign affairs minister made it clear that “there is no break down in the rule of law in Guyana” For the record, she re-

‘Adhere to control ...

“I thank the Ministry and the Centre for the work they have done to date in containing the spread of COVID -19. The Centre has been conducting screening, testing and quarantining and, when necessary, isolating those who have been suspected in having contracted the virus or those who may have come into contact with infected persons,” said President Granger.

The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has since waived the Value Added Tax (VAT) on medical supplies associated with

the testing, prevention and treatment of COVID-19.

There are also additional measures in place, which aim to limit social contact, and those include the closure of school until April 20; the postponement of the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA); and the closure of all University of Guyana (UG) campuses. Public servants have been placed on a rotational shift system of duty, in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Additionally, the operations of the Cheddi Jagan and the Eugene F. Correia

International airports were suspended for two weeks, and there has been a suspension on travel to countries which border Guyana.

According to President Granger, the Guyana Police Force has augmented its deployment to deter persons from using the ‘back-track’ route to enter and leave the East Berbice – Corentyne Region. Seaports have also been closed to international vessels except merchant ships from March 21, 2020.

The Minister of Public Health has kept the Cabinet and the public abreast on the

minded that the A Partnership for National Unity +

progress of the National Anti-Corona Virus Campaign and will continue to do so.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus.

WHO said most people infected with the COVID-19 virus will experience mild to moderate respiratory illness and recover without requiring special treatment.

Older persons and those with underlying medical problems like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease,

Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Government remains in place until the President is sworn in.

However, since the disruption of the electoral process, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) and its allies have been calling for the US, the United Kingdom, Canada and the European Union to impose sanctions on Guyana amid the allegations of electoral fraud, although, to date, those claims have been unfounded.

Last Thursday, APNU+AFC Executive Member and Director-General of the Ministry of the Presidency, Joseph Harmon said the position taken by the opposition is unpatriotic.

“I think that is very an-

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ti-national; very anti-national, and I don’t see any country in the world that actually would want to invite that level of sanction on its country, knowing fully well the developmental path on which we are on,” Harmon said during a press conference.

He said that throughout the electoral process, the APNU+AFC Government has respected the independence of the Guyana Elections Commission in fulfilling its mandate to conduct free, fair and credible elections in Guyana, as outlined in the Constitution.

“Throughout the electoral process,” Harmon said, “the Government of Guyana did not seek, in any way, to influence, interfere or instruct the Elections Commission in its work.”

Though GECOM has been temporarily barred from declaring the official results for the Elections, the total results declared by Returning Officers (ROs) for the 10 Electoral Districts show that the ‘Coalition’ government is in the lead by over 7,000 votes. While the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) won six Regions, and the APNU+AFC, four, the coalition’s ability to maintain its stronghold in the country’s largest voting district (Region Four) has placed it in the lead, GECOM’s records show.

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and cancer are more likely to develop serious illness.

WHO believes that the best way to prevent and slow down transmission is to be well informed about the COVID-19 virus, the disease it causes and how it spreads.

“Protect yourself and others from infection by washing your hands or using an alcohol based rub frequently and not touching your face. The COVID-19 virus spreads primarily through droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose when an infected person coughs or sneez-

es, so it’s important that you also practice respiratory etiquette (for example, by coughing into a flexed elbow),” WHO advised.

At this time, there are no specific vaccines or treatments for COVID-19.

However, there are many ongoing clinical trials evaluating potential treatments. WHO will continue to provide updated information as soon as clinical findings become available.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE March 29, 2020

Coronavirus cradle Wuhan partly reopens after lockdown (BBC) The city in China where the coronavirus pandemic began, Wuhan, has partially reopened after more than two months of isolation.

Crowds of passengers were pictured arriving at Wuhan train station on Saturday.

People are being allowed to enter but not leave, according to reports.

Wuhan, the capital of

Hubei province, saw more than 50,000 coronavirus cases. At least 3,000 people in Hubei died from the disease.

But numbers have fallen dramatically, according to China’s figures. The state on Saturday reported 54 new cases emerging the previous day - which it said were all imported.

As it battles to control cases coming from abroad,

China has announced a temporary ban on all foreign visitors, even if they have visas or residence permits. It is also limiting Chinese and foreign airlines to one flight per week, and flights must not be more than 75% full.

What signs are there of Wuhan reopening?

The virus is thought to have originated in a seafood market in Wuhan that “conducted illegal transactions of wild animals”.

The city’s 11 million residents have been shut off from the rest of the

Many of those arriving in Wuhan on Saturday pulled suitcases behind them as they returned to their families world since the middle of January, with roadblocks around the outskirts and drastic restrictions on daily life.

But roads reopened to incoming traffic late on

Friday, according to Reuters news agency.

And state media said the subway was open from Saturday and trains would be able to arrive at the city’s 17 railway stations.

Sunday, March 29, 08:00hrs - 09:30hrs

Nineteen-year-old student Guo Liangkai, who arrived back in the city after three months, told Reuters: “First of all, it makes me very happy to see my family.

“We wanted to hug but now is a special period so we can’t hug or make any actions like these.”

All arrivals in Wuhan have to show a green code on a mobile app to prove that they are healthy.

Officials say restrictions on people leaving the city will be lifted on 8 April, when domestic flights are also expected to restart.

The virus emerged in China in December and more than 3,300 people there have died from the infection - but both Italy and Spain now have higher death tolls.

It is now battling to control a wave of imported cases as infections soar abroad.

This so-called “second wave” of imported infections is also affecting countries like South Korea and Singapore, which had been successful in stopping the spread of disease in recent weeks.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE March 29, 2020

Coronavirus: Cruise ship in race to transfer passengers off Panama coast (BBC) A cruise ship carrying more than 1,800 people off Panama is in a race to transfer healthy passengers to another ship after four people died - and two others tested positive for coronavirus.

The owners of the Zaandam, Holland America, said that more than 130 people on board had reported suffering “flu-like symptoms” and respiratory issues.

Nobody has left the ship since it docked in Chile two weeks ago.

Holland America said it planned to transfer passengers to a sister ship.

The Zaandam and the Rotterdam are both off the western, Pacific coast of Panama.

The Zaandam is trying to sail to Florida. But the Panamanian authorities have said no vessel with confirmed coronavirus cases on board can pass through the Panama Canal.

“Today we announced a plan to transfer groups of healthy Zaandam guests to Rotterdam,” the Dutch-owned operator said in a statement on Facebook, adding that it would follow “strict protocols”.

It said that “four older guests” had died, but did not give further details about the causes of death.

“We received approval from Panamanian authorities to

Canadian passengers on the Zaandam, Chris and Anna Joiner, ask their government for help conduct ship-to-ship operations at anchor between the two vessels,” the statement reads.

The ships have already transferred medical supplies and staff.

“We continue to work with the Panamanian authorities on approval to transit the Panama Canal for sailing to Fort Lauderdale, Florida,” Holland America said.

It added that 53 guests and 85 crew members had reported influenza-like illness symptoms.

There are 1,243 guests and 586 crew on board the Zaandam, including four doctors and four nurses. On the Rotterdam there are two doctors and four nurses, the company said.

The Panama Maritime Authority later said that passengers who were not displaying coronavirus symptoms could be transferred to the Rotterdam.

“It has been concluded that it does not represent any risk to our population since it will be carried out more than eight miles from the mainland,” the authority said, adding that the bodies of the deceased would remain on the Zaandam.

The Zaandam was on a South America cruise that departed from Buenos Aires, Argentina, on 7 March.

On Friday, Panama reported that 14 people had so far died in the country after contracting Covid-19, with 786 confirmed cases of infection.

There are now more than 10,000 coronavirus cases in South America, AFP news agency reported.

T&T records 3rd COVID-19 death; positive cases now 76 (TRINIDAD GUARDIAN) Trinidad and Tobago has recorded its third COVID-19 death and a spike in cases between Friday and Saturday.

In its latest update, the Ministry of Health confirmed there had been a third death. However, it again did not divulge any details of the patient’s age, gender or when they died.

The number of cases also rose by 10, from 66 on Friday to 76 up to the time of the ministry’s release at 4.14 pm Saturday.

The number of samples submitted to the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) for testing stands at 500, according to the ministry.

So far, only one patient has been dis-

charged from hospital.

In its second daily update Saturday, the ministry advised that of the total number of positive cases, 49 came from the group of nationals who recently returned from a Caribbean cruise.

A breakdown of this revealed that 46 positive cases came from the group of 68 nationals who returned from the cruise together, whilst three positive cases from the group of nationals who returned from the same cruise, but separately from the other 68 nationals.

The Ministry of Health again reminded the public that placing your hands on your face increases the risk of contracting the virus, as it can transfer from your hands

JPS Partner Korea East-West Buying COVID Rapid-Test Machine For Jamaica (JAMAICA GLEANER) Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) president and CEO Emanuel DaRosa has announced that the company will be donating $45 million to the national coronavirus fight.

In a digital briefing on Saturday morning, DaRosa said, of this amount, a significant portion will be used to buy equipment for the health services.

The JPS boss also announced that shareholders Korea East-West Power Company will be bringing to Jamaica, advanced testing equipment that will provide coronavirus results in a matter

of hours.

“This equipment has been ordered and it will arrive here in Jamaica within two weeks,” DaRosa said.

At present, it takes a minimum of one day for the government to test samples for the coronavirus.

Meanwhile, DaRosa said care packages and bill support will also be provided for elderly customers.

DaRosa has also committed to keeping the power running for Jamaica amid the COVID crisis.

So far, 30 people have tested positive for the virus with one death.

to your nose and mouth and then enter your body.

They are urging people to protect themselves by washing hands often with soap and water, or by using an alcohol-based sanitiser that contains at least 60 per cent alcohol, if soap and water are not available.

The public is also strongly advised to take the following personal hygiene measures to protect themselves and their loved ones from COVID-19: - Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze - Dispose of tissue immediately after using - Cough and sneeze into the crook of

your elbow if you do not have a tissue - Stay home if you are ill - Sanitize hard surfaces (e.g. table tops, handrails, doorknobs and trolleys) as often as possible - Avoid close contact with people who have flu-like symptoms - Practise social distancing - Maintain at least 2 metres (approximately 6 feet) distance between yourself and others, especially anyone who is coughing or showing signs of flu-like illness.

It is also advised that all public transportation vehicles should operate with windows open and limit their occupancy.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE March 29, 2020

Affirming Guyana’s sovereignty, self-respect and national dignity EVENTUALLY, it had to be said—we are a sovereign country.

We refer here to a statement from the government via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirming our country’s sovereignty and all that comes with it. The statement, of course, responds to the numerous declarations in relation to the March 2 elections that have come from our friends and partners in the international community. Even for a country as generous and tolerant as we are, it has to be said that some of those declarations could only be seen as “talking down” to our country. While some partisans may opportunistically turn a blind eye to them, that does not erase the feeling of disrespect that is collectively felt.

For most of the last four weeks, Guyanese have had to endure the embarrassment of having to read or listen to statement after statement from representatives of some of the ABCE countries that give the impression that we are still a colonial outpost.

Some of those statements may have done tremendous damage to our image as a democratic country governed by the rule of law.

We are quite aware that we live in a world

that is still interconnected and interdependent as it was during the era of colonialism.

We therefore reject the view that external forces should not have been invited to observe our recent elections. But unlike the colonial era, countries such as Guyana are now free and independent countries with the right to self-determination.

We are also very aware that despite the increase of independent countries, the disparity in power still exists and that this phenomenon greatly informs international relations. That powerful countries still act with impunity against less powerful countries is a given. But even in such circumstances there is the expectation that universal principles of fairness, respect and morality would temper the urge to over-reach. Countries such as Guyana which have endured the whip of bondage at the hands of those who manipulated the world in search of wealth and glory are invariably sensitive to the slightest scent of domination.

From the birth of our independent nation in the belly of the Cold War and in a world that was not made for us, we have

attempted to balance our sovereignty with a respect for those who once colonised us.

Our foreign policy has been partly driven by a humanism that is grounded in the biblical notion of forgiveness. To be human is to be forgiving and vice versa. It is the reason for our strong bonds of friendship with the USA and the countries of Europe.

We are obviously eternally grateful for the assistance that has flowed from those countries as we navigated the turbulent waters of post-colonialism. But we have always insisted that despite our economic poverty and underdevelopment, we are a country of self-respecting human beings. Centuries of bondage have not diminished our appetite for human dignity.

We pen the above sentiments not as mere statements of nationalist anti-imperialist feelings of a bygone era, but to speak up for our people at home and abroad. We continue to respectfully believe that the strident messages emanating from representatives of these countries, including the threat of sanctions, amount to a pre-judgement of the results of an election which in the final analysis can only be seen as an

attempt to influence the eventual outcome.

No self-respecting country, including the ones making the offending statements, would and should allow such intimate involvement in their internal process.

In the final analysis, Guyana is a sovereign country, which, in spite of our internal difficulties, is still a country of laws and the rule of law. This is clearly demonstrated by the manner in which the courts have conducted themselves as we sort out the impasse before us. It is therefore injurious to our national reputation when the rest of the world is being given the impression that there is a breakdown of the rule of law.

We, therefore, in love and camaraderie, appeal to our partners to tone town down the rhetoric and let us work through this latest challenge within the ambit of our sovereignty.

This quotation from the statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is worth repeating: “For the benefit of all international partners and friends, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to affirm that Guyana remains a sovereign state governed by the rule of law.”

Response to Charles Ramson Dear Editor, I REFER to a letter published in the Kaieteur News dated Friday, March 27, 2020, captioned “Ministers no longer hold their offices; no longer entitled to publicly funded salaries and benefits, and the use of State resourcesp” under the pen of Charles S. Ramson, Attorney at Law. The matter at caption, Ramson attributes to the provision of Article 104 which reads thus:- Articles 101 (1) and 103 (2) shall have effect in relation to any period between a dissolution of Parliament and the day on which the next election of members of the Assembly is held pursuant to the provisions of article 61, as if Parliament had not been dissolved.”

I disagree with the contention that those appointments have a life span that is limited to the period between a dissolution of Parliament and the day on which the next election of members of the National Assembly is held.

To so assert is to confuse these appointments with the tenure of ministers. Article 104 empowers the President to appoint a prime minister and vice-presidents and other ministers under articles 101 (1) and 103

(2), respectively during any period between the dissolution of Parliament and the day on which the next election of members of the Assembly. This article does not provide for the tenure of office of ministers, which is dealt with by Article 183 below and in this case Article 183 (3) (c) . Article 106 (7) provides that the ministers shall remain in office and shall resign after the President takes the oath of office following the elections and is in consonance with Article 183 (3) (c).

In fact, articles 108 and 183 speak to the tenure of ministers.

Article 108 provides :- “The office of a minister shall become vacant in the circumstances set out in article 183.”

Article 183 of the Constitution provides for the tenure of the ministers and sets out several circumstances under which a minister ceases to hold office. This article states that – “ (1) The office of a minister who was not an elected member of the Assembly at the time of his or her appointment and has not subsequently become such a member shall become vacant if the holder of the office – ceases to be a citizen of Guyana; or if he or she becomes disqualified for election as a member of the Assembly by

virtue of article 155 or of any law enacted in pursuance thereof.

(2) The office of any other minister shall become vacant if the holder of the office – ceases to be a member of the Assembly for any cause other than a dissolution of Parliament; is not a member of the Assembly when the Assembly first meets after a dissolution of Parliament; or is, by virtue of article 156 (2) or (3) required to cease to perform his or her functions as a member of the Assembly.

(3) The office of any minister shall become vacant – if he or she resigns it by writing under his or her hand addressed to the President; if the President so directs; or on the election of any person to the office of President pursuant to the provisions of article 177.”

This is the position whether the life of the government has been cut short by a no-confidence motion or not. It is noted that this article is not subject to any other article. Further, it is clear from article 183(2) (a) that a minister does not cease to be a minister when Parliament has been dissolved. Therefore, if a minister does not cease to be a minister in the circumstances outlined in articles 183(1),

(2), (3)(a) and (b), then the minister will continue to hold office until the election of any person to the office of President pursuant to the provisions of article 177 (article 183(3) (c). Article 177 deals with the election of a President.

The effect of article 183 (3) (c) is that the tenure of a minister is linked to the tenure of the President unless a minister ceases to be a minister pursuant to any of the other circumstances listed in article 183. The tenure of a President is stated in article 92 which states that“A person assuming the office of President in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution shall, unless his or her office sooner becomes vacant under article 178, continue in office until the person elected to the office of President at the next election held under article 91 assumes office.”

In conclusion, notwithstanding any protracted period or delay of the declaration of the election result, such will have no impact on the status of ministers in light of the exposition of the said provisions of the constitution.

Regards Attorney, Darren Wade

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE March 29, 2020

Why did Joe Singh on that fateful day unleash ‘the dogs of war’?

Dear Editor, THERE is an old saying that those who live in glass houses should not throw stones.

How I wish persons would pay heed to that old proverb. I am a retired warrant officer of the Guyana Defence Force. During a career that spanned more than three decades I served with both President Granger and Joe Singh.

I found Major-General Singh’s letter to be quite unfortunate and totally disrespectful to the current Commander in Chief and President David Granger.

Further, for the major-general to talk about the ‘dogs of war’ was really going a cliché too far. I think that sometimes we get caught up reading our own press clippings that we forget who we really are and this might have been the case with Major-General Joe Singh. The fact is that his career was not blemish-free and when he served as Chief of Staff, he was the one who unleashed the ‘dogs of war.’.Twenty years ago on February 8th 2000, I was a serving member of the GDF, Major-General Singh was the Chief of Staff of the GDF. On that day the Guyana Police Force had cornered Linden ‘Blackie’ London in the ‘Toucan Suites’ apartment hotel at Eccles on the East Bank of Demerara. A firefight ensued and the Guyana Police Force requested support from the Guyana Defence Force.

Elements of the Special Forces of the GDF were deployed in support of the GPF. That night, ranks from the 31SF Battalion arrived at the scene of the siege and we joined forces with the police ranks. Editor, in his letter to the Commander-in-Chief, the major-general dares to question the President’s judgement and motives and in a self -righteous manner

gives himself a God-like omnipotence. I would have preferred the humble approach or better yet a private phone call to the President who is his “squaddie.” The major-general may want to step back and take a long hard look in the mirror for there are questions surrounding the decision he made 20 years ago when he (not Granger) unleashed “the dogs of war”; questions that he has never answered.

I take you back to the siege at Eccles on the 8-9th February,2002 for it was the command decisions that were made on the night of February 8th and the morning of the February 9th 2000 that are troubling. On the night of the siege, the officer commanding the Infantry Support Company at Camp Stephenson was ordered to mobilise an 82 mm anti-tank gun crew and place it on standby to move to the scene of the siege at Eccles. At around 0200hrs on February 9th the 82mm anti- tank gun team was ordered to move to Eccles. In the GDF, the order to deploy such a high-powered battle field weapon in a populated area can only come from one person-the chief himself.

The officer commanding the team was met on arrival by none other than the Chief of Staff of the GDF Major-General Joe Singh.

The major-general’s words to that officer on that morning, February 9th 2000, was the order that let loose the real “dogs of war”; Singh said, “this has gone on long enough, lets finish it.” With those orders, the anti-tank gun team set -up and fired a total of four bombs into the building, a move that brought the siege to an end and facilitated the extra-judicial killing of Linden “Blackie” London on live TV. Yes, that was the unleashing of the real dogs of war and Joe Singh gave the order that saw the

GDF firing a battlefield weapon on civilians in an urban area. This was never done before and has never happened again. In his last High Court sitting before his retirement, Justice Jainarayan Singh called the actions of the Joint Services on the days in question (February 8 and 9, 2000) “improper and impatient.” Justice Singh said there were clear indications in the matter that serious damage was done to the property at Eccles, East Bank Demerara by the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and the Guyana Defence Force (GDF). According to him, the Joint Services were too hasty to unleash missiles and later explosives into the building. Yes, the judge found that the order

by Joe Singh to unleash those “dogs of war” were improper and hasty. What is even more troubling is that the major- general has never seen it fit to explain what was his role, if any, in the extra-judicial killing of Linden London.

It is clear that Captain Wycliffe McAllister had gone forward and secured London’s surrender. Under oath, testifying at the inquest into the death of Rhonda Forde who died from gunshot wounds at the same place as London, several witnesses testified that Linden London came out with his hands on his head- (The witness said he heard Captain Warde telling London: “I have you in my sight.”

I can kill you if I want” and, moments later, London ventured out of the building with his hands on his head but was greeted with a hail of gunshots while McAllister was shouting…don’t shoot; hold your fire, to prevent the shooting from different directions). Editor, Major-General Singh was the most senior military officer on site, his brave young Captain, McAllister, had gone forward quite heroically, under the most dangerous,

life-threatening of circumstances, negotiated and secured the surrender of “Blackie,” who by then was outwaited and outgunned. The question must be asked: who gave the order to fire? Why did the major-general risk the life of his brave young captain when a hail of bullets cut down the surrendering Linden London? Was this reckless endangerment, poor judgement or a preoccupation with excessive force? In military circles questions of tactical appreciation and judgement still linger to this day, for while the commissioner of police and the deputy chief of staff of the GDF stayed properly (as required) in the rear (in their headquarters), the chief of staff of the GDF and Chairman of the Joint Services Committee, Major-General Singh, inserted himself into the tactical line management of a firefight.

There were several on-site commanders and the scene of the siege was a dangerous environment and was no place for a major-general, much more the Chairman of the Joint Services Committee.

What was he doing there? Why did he order an anti-tank gun to be used in a builtup area where there were civilians? Why was he in such a hurry to, in his words, “finish it?” On the morning in question the major-general was there with his son (the son- a civilian- was armed with two weapons), what was the reason for father and son being out there? Did they have a vested interest in the final outcome? Why did Joe Singh on that fateful day unleash “the dogs of war”?

Regards Retired Warrant Officer

Bryan MacKintosh not a political prisoner Dear Editor, Dr Leslie Ramsammy is back at it again. For those who may have been residing over the past 30 years in some random cave in Afghanistan, Leslie Ramsammy was a former Minister of Health. Dr Ramsammy was the epitome of incompetence in that capacity, so much so that he was oblivious to the dramatic decline in the health service under his watch. But there is another side to Dr Ramsammy.

He was apparently close mates with Roger Khan. Don’t be misled by Roger’s surname. Roger was no peace- loving, Koran-hugging, Allah-praising Muslim.

He is a convicted drug trafficker. He is a murderer. In sworn testimony in a U.S. court; he was implicated as head of the notorious phantom squad that murdered hundreds of innocent Guyanese. His defence attorney, in an attempt to have him acquitted, arranged to exterminate witnesses. In the court case Roger Khan was also linked with the terrorist group, FARC, where he was implicated in a large

drugs-for-arms barter. But what was most concerning about Roger Khan was the level of support he received from the PPP Government. He was caught in Guyana with sophisticated spyware equipment which is sold only to governments. He was rightfully arrested with said spyware equipment but then actors in the PPP government instructed that he and his spyware equipment be set free. Then at Roger Khan’s trial in America, bombshell testimony and evidence produced revealed that Dr Ramsammy signed for Roger Khan’s spyware equipment since as alluded to earlier, only governments can source them. Clearly, Dr Ramsammy was in bed with the murderous and drug-pushing Roger Khan. That did not surprise many, since Khan said as much in a newspaper advertisement. Essentially, he claimed that he worked with the PPP Government to “fight crime.” This was as a kind of quid pro quo arrangement. Khan “fought” crime by murdering hundreds of innocent men and in exchange the PPP Government provided him protection to conduct his drugs and

arms trade.

Now, it appears that Dr Ramsammy is back at it again. Clearly, the poor chap struggles to keep his nose clean. A few days ago, a gentleman who answers to the name Bryan MacKintosh posted a series of threatening posts and videos on facebook. I saw the videos and posts and wondered how this gentleman could be walking free. Clearly, the police had similar thoughts and arrested him Friday night. Dr Ramsammy, based on what I was told, claimed that the gentleman is a political prisoner. Clearly, Dr Ramsammy must be short of sleep for some unknown reason. I would want to believe that sleeping in the exclusive and tranquil area of “Pradoville” must be relaxing for him. Is he being bothered by pinworms that have him up all night scratching? Is he worried by the recent indictment of the Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro for narcotic-terrorism? Is benign prostate hypertrophy associated urinary frequency interrupted his night rest? Surely, there must be a reason for this doctor, of all small things crawling, to make such a

preposterous claim. As a result, I will put forward to you, the reader the evidence and you can make that determination whether Bryan is a political prisoner.

Amnesty International defines a political prisoner as someone imprisoned because they have opposed or criticised the government responsible for their imprisonment. Was Bryan opposing or criticising the government at anytime? I have no evidence to support that. What I do know is that he along with nearly 50 persons would have a 24-hour-a day-vigil for securely locked ballot boxes. That must be the height of stupidity when one considers that the coronavirus is roaming the streets and you are literally a cough away from a ventilator. So my point is, if the police arrested him for guarding ballot boxes then why did they not arrest others in the group? Surely, there must be much more to this story.

So what had Bryan done? First, he made a post on social media that he is wanted by the FBI but he needed to See page 8

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE March 29, 2020

We must establish a new system of governance, based on the authority of the people Dear Editor, IF the events that followed the March 2nd General and Regional Elections, coupled with the present COVID-19 outbreak, do not motivate us as Guyanese to pull together for what may be the very survival of our people and nation-state, then I think we can say that nothing will.

Real leaders, whose only aim is to further the interests of the people, will put aside their egos and narrow partisan interests at this crucial moment in our nation’s history. Real leaders will find inside themselves the political maturity and will to finally put Guyana first. If we could commit to this, then the final scene of the recent hideous and absurd spectacle that has now unfortunately been observed by the entire world, could afford us the opportunity to regain our dignity and credibility as a viable nation-state. A nation-state that is fit to take its rightful place as an influential member of CARICOM and the global community of nations.

After decades of independence and republican status, this most recent debacle has exposed what can only be described as the infantile behaviour of our leaders and our mal-development as a nation-state. Those who seek to lead Guyana must equip themselves. They must understand what U.S. sociologist and economic historian Immanuel Wallerstein refers to as ‘the modern world system,’ so that they are actually able to manage the affairs of our country in a way that ensures the well-being and survival of all Guyanese.

Political elites of both major parties in Guyana, and those worldwide, that are trapped in the crisis-ridden liberal-democratic arrangement and neo-liberal economics are responsible for bringing the world to its current tipping point. They have allowed the market to be the decisive factor in determining all aspects of human existence, and in so doing, have inarguably created a world where all balance and harmony with our natural environment has been destroyed. Our very foodchain is in the hands

of ruthless transnational corporations that produce food that is now more harmful than nutritious. Our healthcare is in the hands of Big Pharma, where the pursuit of profit rather than any concept of healing is the priority. We now live in a world where the accumulation of private wealth has become more important than any other single concern, including the primacy, dignity and even survival of the human person. We are living in the era of capitalism in its most avaricious and debauched form.

If there is anything positive that can be garnered from the COVID-19 outbreak, it will be its ability to make every thinking person worldwide finally come to the realisation that we, the people, the global mass of citizens, must be the conscious agents of change because our very survival now demands nothing less. Each of us must take urgent and decisive action. We must stop cruising malls, mindlessly engaging in crass consumerism and repel the insatiable desire that capitalism has deliberately created in us, causing us to want what we do not need.

We must stop filling our minds with the lies and trivia being deliberately pumped out to us every day by the global corporate media. We must stop being consumed en masse by a superficial engagement with social media that has created a voyeuristic and narcissistic culture, feeding off our craving for approval, status and the likes.

We must instead engage in courageous and meaningful conversations in order to arrive at the truth, thereby utilising social media as a tool for real change. In the words of the radical theologian Harvey Cox, we can no longer afford to “leave it to the snake.”

Democracy has always been a contested term and concept, despite the fact that West European hegemony has led many of us to believe that the West invented democracy, and that their form of democracy is the only form and therefore must be universally implemented. The COVID-19 crisis has also put this into perspective for many.

As the world watched Cuban doctors and nurses arrive to a standing ovation in Italy, I hope that every thinking person for a split

second thought, maybe I have been fed the wrong story on democracy. It is hard not to notice how fraudulent and flawed the Western concept of democracy is, as it became glaringly obvious that just maybe, if you are homeless or left to die without a hospital bed in New York, you are not in a democracy, no matter how many times they push the word and idea down our throats. Just maybe, what they like to call “the world’s largest democracy”, India, is not so democratic when, upon a national lockdown, thousands of homeless Indians may die of starvation before they contract the virus.

Here in Guyana, those who left us with the Western parliamentary system of so-called democracy knew only too well that it would not work, especially in such a racially polarised society. In fact, it was implemented as a means of control – to divide and rule in order to perpetuate dependency and neo-colonialism. However, this does not stop former colonisers from pretending that it should work, and when it fails, to deliver their usual condescending scolding, such as we have recently seen from the ABC/EU countries. Let us be clear: these countries have neither a moral nor historical right to lecture us on the virtues of democracy, human rights and justice. There are those of us who have been actively resisting Guyana’s recolonisation ever since Desmond Hoyte took office and started to unravel the gains we made towards true independence. We continued to resist throughout the rule of both the PPP/C and APNU+AFC, as they followed the same tragic path. Those who are only now shouting about “recolonisation” when the game they played so willingly for so long has backfired, should be ashamed.

Given the serious times we are now faced with, and believe me COVID-19 is only the beginning of what is to come, it is imperative that we in Guyana move beyond the existing arrangement that has us locked into a Western parliamentary system that has shown us time and time again that it does not and cannot work for us. We must

establish a new system of governance, based on the authority of the people. Governance that is inclusive and transparent.

Governance that will prioritise the needs of all Guyanese and can offer effective protection in these perilous times. Our very survival depends on this.

This new system of governance must be established by us Guyanese, without external interference. Who better than we to understand what is needed? In fact, a number of international publications have contacted me over the past few weeks for an article on what is happening in Guyana.

It is only when you attempt to explain the situation to a foreign audience that you fully comprehend the complexities and specificities of Guyana’s political architecture and circumstance. It would literally take a book and even then, unless one is Guyanese, an understanding of our circumstance may still elude the reader. Only we Guyanese can unravel and fix the mess we find ourselves in. This new form of governance must be shaped by our own historical specificities and peculiar circumstances.

This new system can only be generated by a demand from the people that the political forces, large and small, sit around a table and literally hammer out a framework for a government of national unity, where all the people feel truly represented and secure. Now is not the time to frame one party as having done wrong and the other one as having abided by the rules. Political maturity necessitates that both the PPP/C and APNU+AFC acknowledge their role and responsibility in bringing Guyana to this critical point.

Many years ago, Forbes Burnham pleaded for unity between the Africans and Indians in Guyana, famously declaring that we would either “live together or die together.” I doubt that he knew how prophetic those words would become.

Gerald A. Perreira Leader Organization for the Victory of the People (OVP)

Bryan MacKintosh not a political ...

From page 7

let the FBI know that he is worse than Osama Bin Laden. Surely, informing the Americans that you are worse than Bin Laden would not expedite your visa application.

After that post he was not arrested.

Since the Americans ignored him he thought that he needed to, in the first instance, make his name locally as a terrorist. He then released an Osama Bin Laden-type video promising a “bloodbath” in the streets of Georgetown. He then made threats to Attorney General

Basil Williams, Director-General of the Ministry of the Presidency, Joe Harmon, Attorney James Bond and a former genuine political prisoner Mark Benschop.

Dr Ramsammy is this what you consider as a political prisoner? Dr Ramsammy, under the PPP a young man was incarcerated for displaying the middle finger to President Bharrat Jagdeo’s entourage.

And Dr Ramsammy soon got company in the foolery. PPP propagandist,Don Singh was arguing via social media video, that Bryan MacKintosh is entitled to

free speech and should not have been arrested. What Don needs to understand is that free speech is not absolute. With free speech comes responsibility. It should not be abused. If Don feels that we should all be irresponsible with free speech, then I challenge him to grow his beard, board a plane and shout, “Allah Akbar, I have a bomb,” That may very well be the last words he would ever utter.

Now Dr. Leslie Ramsammy. This young man cannot stop placing his foot in

his mouth. Everything that he comments on seems to get him into difficulties. He cannot see further than party politics and in a desperation to score cheap political points he has once again earned a position in my dunce corner.

Why would he think that Bryan MacKintosh is a political prisoner?

Why even if he thinks so would he be foolish enough to make it public?

Regards Dr Mark Devonish

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE March 29, 2020

SOVEREIGNTY, NOT SUBVERSION EVENTS over the past 12 months have been swirling in my mind as I revisited the epic work of Dr Cheddi Jagan, The West on Trial, in which he recounted the sordid episodes of subversion in Guyana from what he graphically described as “Anglo-American imperialism.”

Literally, in 1964, I experienced the birth of my political voice with three words: “cheated not defeated.” From then, I shared the struggles and sacrifices of authentic nationalist-revolutionaries over an unbroken 28 years, for the restoration of genuine democracy.

I had coined in 1992 the slogan, “Dawn of a new era” to characterise the rebirth of our electoral democracy. I have participated since then in the governance system, and I am proud to know that Guyana has remained an open and free, multi-party, parliamentary democracy.

This second 28-year period since 1992 has been relatively stable, and was marked by electoral processes that have been largely credible POLITICAL DEFORMITIES When the APNU+AFC Coalition came to office in 2015, it sought to correct the political deformities of the recent past when the perception of Guyana was that of a narco-criminal state that was characterised by pervasive corruption and abuse of power.

The efforts at institutional changes to curb systemic corruption and para-state abuse were done in close collaboration with partners in the Western Democracies, notably the United States of America. In partnership with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Guyana waged an unrelenting war against illicit drugs and money laundering. It

smashed extra-judicial killings, curbed piracy and contained trafficking in persons.

Simultaneously, the new Coalition Government dropped all semblance of a state-controlled economy as had existed under the dominant PNC and PPP Marxist-Leninist regimes in post-independent Guyana.

It enriched our democratic governance structure with restoration of full respect for the doctrine of separation of powers, so that the branches of state – the Executive, Judiciary and Legislature - worked autonomously, yet, in comity.

MODEL DEMOCRACY The fundamental rights of all Guyanese, including those of our indigenous peoples, were protected and promoted.

There was full respect for media freedom and journalists were protected from harassment and persecution. Guyana has no political prisoners, no restrictions on movement by citizens; no curtailment of the right to association.

Ours was not an illegal or authoritarian state. Guyana under the six-party Coalition Government led by President David Granger, was a model democracy with an unprecedented inclusion of women in national life, and an incremental boost in the standards of living of all working people. I had once described the democratic openings here as “a silent revolution.”

So, political scientists would be baffled that Guyana has been targeted for “regime change” – the standard Western label for external subversion of unpopular, repressive and often mis-characterised terrorist states.

INTERNATIONAL INQUIRY I am hoping that when the time is right

liberal democrats everywhere would support an international inquiry into foreign interference in Guyana’s 2020 elections, and the attempt at regime change of a friendly government.

In 1995 while attending an IDB-World Bank environmental conference in Florida, I met Dean Rusk, a former American Secretary of State, who had reportedly played an infamous role in the earlier destabilisation of a legally elected government in the then British Guiana. Smiling as we shook hands, he appeared relieved that Cheddi Jagan was returned to office, and that the mischief of the past had been undone.

Today, I can hear again the chant, “cheated not defeated,” which is mis-directed not at the foreign electoral engineers and their local lackeys who attempted to dislodge a democratically elected government, but against the constitutional agencies that are standing firmly in defence of Guyana’s sovereignty.

It is interesting to note the number of times that the American Deputy Secretary of State has intervened to issue threats against Guyana, even as the United States is battling its own challenges in the fight against COVID-19, as all of our countries are doing at this time. The urgency of the Guyana mission appears to take precedence.

But, not a military or economic power, Guyana has responded with patriotism and dignity. Our Ministry of Foreign Affairs has insisted that Guyana is a sovereign state that upholds and respects the Rule of Law. Elections in Guyana are governed by the Constitution. The government does not run elections,

which is the remit of a constitutional body.

The final tabulation of results of the elections has been delayed not by government but by legal processes that are engaging the attention of the judiciary. This is how a democracy works, or ought to work.

But the impatience is giving way to threats of sanctions and an undeclared war of terror. The PPP, once the victim of foreign intervention, has become the Trojan Horse of erstwhile geo-strategic interests. Its pseudo leaders are gleefully inviting more foreign interference.

They have earlier contracted a controversial foreign U.S.-based company to set its agenda, and they have since joined the wolf-pack of anti-nationalist elements who want sanctions against Guyana.

PATRIOTIC DUTY All patriotic Guyanese are taking note of their threats to punish Guyana, to bargain away her sovereignty, to promote violence and destabilisation; and to wreck our democracy.

Our Guyanese people may, like a Shakespearean character in Twelfth Night, appear to be “a monument of patience smiling at grief,” but they are resolute in their patriotic duty to defend our nation’s sovereignty.

I again urge national dialogue towards inclusive governance.

This Trotskyite talk by the opposition of a permanent war “to the end” is a lot of hot air that would find the major opposition, as old people say, again losing guana and cutlass!

Understanding Energy

Oil price collapse may slow oil development, unlikely to halt it THE world is currently experiencing a huge oversupply of oil. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a staggering drop in demand as businesses around the world shut down.

Economic activity has slowed significantly as airlines ground flights and manufacturing grinds to a halt.

But COVID-19 is not the only pressure being exerted on oil prices. A vicious price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia, which started in early March, has oversaturated markets with even more cheap oil.

The resulting supply glut poses a major challenge for oil companies. Some companies, like Shell, have resorted to renting tankers to act as floating storage tanks for millions of barrels of oil for which they cannot find a buyer.

Guyana is somewhat insulated from the worst impacts of this price crash in a few ways. Reports indicate that the cost of production here is lower than in many other oil producing regions, which should keep production profitable. But if oil remains in the US $30 range, even the lowest cost production regions

will feel the pain in the near term.

We also have the benefit of having ExxonMobil, a supermajor, operating the Stabroek Block. Supermajors are the largest and most diversified private oil companies and the ones that have the resources to ride out the most severe downturns.

But we should not be complacent. The share prices of Exxon and Hess, its partner in the Stabroek block, show just how difficult this operating environment is. Both companies have seen their share prices fall by around 50 per cent since mid-January. Other large companies like Chevron and Shell have suffered almost identical hits to their share prices since the oil price slide began in January.

Some small companies have been even harder hit. The driller of the Maka Central well in Suriname, Apache Corp., has fallen from a high of more than US$32 in January to less than $6 per share last week.

Public responses by oil companies have been relatively encouraging for Guyana. Hess announced that its focus was on “preserving

cash and protecting our world class investment opportunity in Guyana.”

While these statements are reassuring, it’s important to consider the larger industry environment. Hess may be doubling down on Guyana, but ExxonMobil remains the operator and major player. As the operator, ExxonMobil does the actual exploration, production, contracting and development in the block. The other companies own an equity stake in the block but don’t actually extract the oil.

Ultimately, ExxonMobil’s choices about how to move forward in Guyana will be the deciding factor. If an operator leaves, that’s usually the end of a project no matter how committed the other partners are.

Thankfully, there’s no indication that Exxon is going anywhere. But they will almost certainly be looking hard at its exploration and development plans with prices this low. Elsewhere, oil and gas projects are already facing delays of a year or more elsewhere.

The political instability as a result of this year’s election has only increased the level of

concern among other governments and investors as the process drags on without a clear end in sight. The prospect of drastic measures like international sanctions is also unlikely to enhance Guyana’s investment environment.

But Guyana still has many options. A political solution could be reached within days. And if we can reach a resolution that’s accepted by both parties and the regional community, that would go a long way towards reassuring investors that Guyana’s future is stable and prosperous. To secure our future, we should keep looking for ways to secure and incentivise investments and development, especially at a time of volatile oil markets.

Guyana’s existing production-sharing agreement was able to attract major investors to a high-risk unproven region.

But what may have been attractive at oil prices prevalent a year ago, are not so attractive now. We must be mindful of the very different landscape when we talk about radically changing contract terms now.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE March 29, 2020

How disinformation and fake news almost disintegrated the Guyana society THE mother of all elections began with a clear strategy by one side of the political divide, misinformation and disinformation was weaponised to their maximum to capture the minds of the voters. As a consequence, numerous websites popped up very early in the game, WhatsApp became the vo-

cal point of target.

This should come as no surprise, in 2018 social media was used to influence elections in at least 18 countries, according to the democracy advocacy group, Freedom House. This state of affairs influenced this author to write the following on May 5, 2019 in the column,

‘BEWARE GUYANA: SOCIAL MEDIA THE POLITICAL DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD’: ‘I hope, for the sake of my country, the words contained in this article do not become prophetic. Guyana’s national and regional elections are no longer quiet events that occur every five

years in the near and far reaches of South America’s only English-speaking country. Ever since Exxon announced its first oil discovery in 2015, the game has changed in a cataclysmic way.’

Unfortunately, the portents of those warnings were manifested in the 2020 Guyana elections in a very dangerous way.

FAKE NEWS Early in the various campaigns, numerous websites popped up with fake news on Facebook, all generated by every political camp.

However, the musings of one website, ‘Guyana Uncut & Exposed’ which carried anti-APNU+AFC views, provided the best negative exemplar for the focus of this discussion. This site demonstrated the ferocious and vicious cutting edge of the subject at hand on social media and is worthy of closer examination.

This politically-oriented platform enjoyed the attraction of numerous followers. Baseless allegations against ministers of government were intensely and incessantly posted. On February 23 at 10:44hrs, this website posted the following statement with a picture of the President: ‘Remember your history and they won’t be able to steal the election this time!’ It sought to tear the scab off old historical wounds and hark back to a dark time in Guyana’s history in an attempt to raise old demons and invoke visceral destructive reactions. It also included the following insidious statement posted on February 23: ‘What role did Granger play in the seizure of ballot boxes and killing of the ballot box martyrs in 1973?’

This diabolic piece received 784 reactions, 566 comments and 156 shares. There was a setting of the stage for serious civil unrest. It must be noted, there is no way to trace the origins of these postings, it could be coming from a computer in another part of the world, no one can be held accountable. There were also messages such as; ‘President Granger supports LGBTQ rights’, ‘President Granger has been living in Miami’ and numerous stories that had no basis or factual standing.

Voters were subjected to a barrage of fables and myths. Sadly, some bought

into this deadly game, as expected. It has to be noted, the presidential candidate of the People’s Progressive Party was also subject to unsavory verbal attacks but those were mild in comparison to the abovementioned.

ON THE BRINK: THE ROMEL ROOPNARINE POST When the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) completed its tally of the votes from Region Four and there was a declaration of the results, all engineered hell broke loose.

The commission command centre was invaded and chaos ensued. Guyanese, who were sitting at home watching the results, saw the uncivil behavior and the unthinking were inspired. Ethnic tensions were raised to their highest since 1992. We were on the precipice of having a modern Rwanda 1994. The most deadly post which was swiftly deleted appeared on the page of Romel Roopnarine, it read: ‘Breaking: residents in Bath Settlement under attack from gangs’. It conjured images of an ethnic purge or a pogrom and sparked alarm among a certain section of the populace.

This could have easily turned into a nationwide full-blown ethnic conflict that could have disintegrated the Guyana society. For those who say this is a stretch, I hereby allude to the case of India. WhatsApp rumors led to 30 deaths in India

by February 2019, the country that has the largest market for Facebook and WhatsApp with 500 million users. Hindu extremist groups such as the Popular Front of India continue to demonstrate the menace of modern communication when the persons behind the keyboard have diabolical intentions.

It is not an exaggeration if that doomsday day post which stated, ‘Bath Settlement is under attack’ sparked national reactions, the entire Guyana society could have disintegrated.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, March 29, 2020

GECOM chair maintains recount can be done

CHAIRMAN of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh, through her legal counsel, Kim Kyte-Thomas, said with or without the Aide Memoire, the Elections Commission, under the Constitution, has the power to order a national recount of all the votes cast at the March 2 General and Regional Elections if it is found that the electoral process has been compromised.

In the case Ulita Moore v The Guyana Elections Commission, the Chairman of GECOM and others, Moore is contending that the Elections Commission cannot order a recount based on an Aide Memoire signed by President David Granger and the Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo. But Kyte-Thomas, in her submissions to the High Court on March 26, said GECOM can take whatever action it sees fit to ensure the electoral process is fair and impartial as provided for in Article 162 (1) (B) of the Constitution.

“Once there is evidence that the electoral process was compromised, then to ensure the impartiality, fairness and compliance with the provisions of the Constitution or of any Act of Parliament, the Commission is constitutionally mandated to intervene to ensure public confidence in the electoral process,” the Legal Counsel told the Court. She further submitted that pursuant to Section 22 of the Election Laws Amendment Act No 15 of 2005 and Article 162 of the Constitution, GECOM, with or without the Aide Memoire, has separate and independent powers to supervise the electoral process, and in doing so, it can order a recount.

“Any restrictive interpretation of Article 162 confining it only to when the officer is acting and not after, makes a mockery of the article and the spirit and intention of Parliament,” Kyte-Thomas said.

She noted that in the case Keshavan Madhava Menon v Bombay AIR 1951, Justice Das declared “a court of law has to gather the spirit of the constitution from the language of the constitution.”

The Legal Counsel argued that it was Parliament’s intention to vest GECOM with independent supervisory powers to ensure the fairness, transparency and impartiality of the electoral process. She further submitted that Section 140 of the Representation of the People Act provides the Elections Commission with additional protective shield to act independently in the execution of its mandate to provide credible elections.

In support of her arguments, Kyte-Thomas referenced the case of Joseph Hamilton v Guyana Elections Commission, Bharrat Jagdeo & AG (2001). In that case, the then Chief Justice, Desiree Bernard stated “... the role of the Elections Commission and its staff is to take such action as appears necessary to ensure impartiality, fairness and compliance with the provisions of the Constitution and any other acts of Parliament. In the present volatile situation, which pervades our country, [no] effort must be spared to assure everyone that the process [is] fair and impartial.

Lingering doubts that hang like a sword of Damocles over the head of the Commission must be removed. Confidence in the electoral process must be restored. This is absolutely essential if we, as a nation, are to forward and strive to heal the wounds that divide us. Let no was move fairness pervade all of our actions at all times [sic].”

Kyte-Thomas told the Court that the words of the then Chief Justice are fitting and appropriate for the controversies it currently faces.

She said the Order, which has been tendered as evidence, shows that the Elections Commission was in the process of exercising its constitutional supervisory functions when it was stopped by the court.

“The CARICOM Mission was simply the mechanism used to give effect to the recount,” the Legal Counsel submitted, while maintaining that GECOM must ensure the credibility of the electoral process. To do such, it must take necessary actions as it sees fit, she argued.

In the order, GECOM acknowledged that while the declaration of results have been made pursuant to Section 84 (1) of the Representation of the People Act, it has been marred by controversy and challenged in legal proceedings in the High Court. Given the circumstances, the Elections Commission was seeking recourse in Section 22 of the Election Laws (Amendment) Act, No 15 of 2000, to remove difficulties connected with the application of the Representation of the People Act in implementing decisions related to the conduct of the recount.

“The order prepared by GECOM itself provides the reason for the necessity of the intervention by the commission. It shows clearly that the CARICOM team was just the mechanism to assist in providing credible results to the nation,” Kyte-Thomas submitted to the Court.

Further to that, the Legal

Chair of GECOM, Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh

Counsel reminded the High

Legal Counsel Kim Kyte-Thomas

Court of the GECOM Chair’s

commitment to the Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George-Wiltshire on March 13, 2020, during the case Holladar and Returning Officer and others.

Justice Singh told the Chief Justice (ag) that “the tabulation process was in progress and that should there be discrepancies in the Statements of Poll as called by the Returning Officer and those held by political parties, then the discrepancy should be noted and at the end of the process if they could not be addressed, then

I will endeavour to facilitate a recount at the level of the Commission.”

Kyte-Thomas said added to that, the evidence shows on March 14, the Chair indicated that her commitment was then bolstered by the President and the Leader of the Opposition agreement to have a high-level CARICOM team oversee a national recount.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, March 29, 2020

Court refuses to stay rulings in election-related matters Court’s decision that it had jurisdiction to adjudicate over the case brought by Moore, even as he maintained that the application ought to have

…PPP files appeal

By Svetlana Marshall HIGH Court Judge, Franklin Holder, in refusing to stay the proceedings of the case brought by Ulita Moore to block a National Recount, took stock of the fact that weeks after the general and regional elections were conducted, the results have not been declared by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

On Friday, moments after Justice Holder established that the High Court has jurisdiction to hear the Fixed Date Application (FDA) filed

by Moore against GECOM, its Chair and Chief Elections Officer, Trinidad’s Senior Counsel, Douglas Mendes, who appeared via skype, asked the court to stay the proceedings to allow for the filing of an appeal.

Mendes is among a battery of lawyers representing Leader of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) List of Candidates, Bharrat Jagdeo – one of the added respondents in the case. In refusing to grant the stay, Justice Holder took note of the fact that elections were held on March 2, 2020, and

according to the Representation of the People Act, the commission ought to have declared the final results no later than 15 days after those elections were held.

However, the High Court Judge said he is cognisant that the setback in the declaration of the results is as a result of a number of legal proceedings filed in the court challenging various aspects of the electoral process. “In the interim, while there is a President, we have no parliament, the purpose of government is being stymied, to grant a stay at this point is to further protract the elections proceedings,” Justice Holder told the lawyers of both the applicant and the respondents in the case. However, he said his decision does not bar Jagdeo from filing an appeal. Added to that, he made it clear that his pronouncements do not address the validity of any count. Ahead of the court’s refusal to stay the proceedings, Trinidad’s Legal Counsel, Keith Scotland, and Grenadian Queen’s Counsel, Dr. Francis Alexis, – two of the lawyers representing Moore – objected to the proceedings being stayed. Both Dr. Alexis and Scotland appeared via

Senior Counsel Roysdale Forde

Senior Counsel Neil Boston

Justice Franklin Holder

Attorney-at-Law, Anil Nandlall

Grenadian Queen Counsel, Dr. Francis Alexis

skype. In asking the court not to stay the proceedings, the Grenadian Queen Counsel questioned what prejudice, if any, would result from the court’s refusal to grant the stay of proceedings.

“Absolutely no prejudice what so ever can be done to the client of Mr. Mendes by the refusal of a stay,” Dr. Alexis said, as he urged the court to continue the case as normal. He posited that if the case is to be protracted there will be greater uncertainty.

Outside the court, Anil Nandlall, one of the attorneys representing Jagdeo, indicated that his client will appeal the High

been brought by way of an election petition.

“What Ulita Moore is questioning, is decisions of the commission and that is what the law says should only be challenged by way of an elections petition. The judge didn’t accept our arguments and ruled that he had jurisdiction to hear the substantive matter,” Nandlall told reporters. Moore’s case is expected to come up again on Monday, March 30 at 13:00hrs, however, Nandlall, late Friday afternoon, filed an appeal on the grounds that the High Court Judge erred when he ruled that the court has jurisdiction to hear the case. “An appeal against Justice Franklin Holder’s ruling in the Ulita Moore case that the High Court has jurisdiction to hear and determine those proceedings, along with an application for a stay of those proceedings while the appeal is being heard, has already been filed, and is fixed for hearing at 11:00hrs on Monday, March 30, 2020,” Nandlall said on Friday evening. The appeal would first have to be heard before a full court. That decision would more than likely be appealed at the level of the Court of Appeal before a final decision is sought from the Caribbean Court of Justice.

Senior Counsel, Roysdale Forde, one of the attorneys representing Moore, told reporters that he was satisfied with the ruling of the High Court on all grounds. He too supports Justice Holder’s decision to proceed with the substantive case, noting that electoral process has been protracted for far too long.

A stay of the proceedings, he said, would result in further delays. “It is obvious, it would only serve to delay the process unnecessarily but they are entitled to do that. I believe that in view of what the law is, that the full court would deal with that expeditiously,” Forde posited.

Senior Counsel Neil Boston – the attorney representing the Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield – was in high praises of the decisions handed down by Justice Holder.

He said actions of GECOM, in this instance, are subjected to judicial review based on the allegation that it has acted outside of its constitutional powers. Like the High Court Judge, Boston referenced to Article 161 (B) of the Constitution, which protects the Elections Commission from political interference. That Article states: “It is hereby declared that the role of political parties and their nominees in the conduct of elections by the elections commission shall be limited to their participation in determining policy, monitoring the electoral process and the conduct of the election, but does not include active management of the electoral process.”

In her application, Moore is seeking to permanently block GECOM from facilitating a national recount of all the votes cast at the March 2 General and Regional Elections, based on an agreement by President David Granger and Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo. That agreement also intends to have a high-level Caribbean Community (CARICOM) team supervise the recount. “The politicians have no right to interfere in the supervision or the running of elections in Guyana.

So that agreement between President Granger and Mr. Jagdeo is ultra vires Article 161 (1) (B); that is a breach.

They can’t breach a constitutional provision,” Boston told reporters. In this case, the Chairman of GECOM, Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh, is being represented

by Attorney-at-Law, Kim Kyte-Thomas, while Attorney-at-Law Timothy Jonas is representing A New and United Guyana (ANUG); the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP); and The New Movement (TNM) – all added respondents in the matter.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, March 29, 2020

Region Two speed boat operators guarding against COVID-19

By Indrawattie Natram PASSENGERS utilising the speed boat services from Region Two, Supenaam to Parika and vice versa, can feel safe and comfortable while travelling since the Parika/Supenaam Speedboat Association has taken the necessary precautionary measures against the pandemic spread of the coronavirus/COVID 19.

This was according to the chairman of the association, Otis Roberts. Roberts said that the safety of passengers is important, and as such, members wrote MARAD to have a reduction in the number of passengers for the seat.

He said only three passengers are allowed to a seat in the vessels. The fare remains at $1300 but passengers could voluntarily contribute an additional $200 as a good gesture in the fight against the coronavirus.

Roberts said the entire Supenaam Waterfront and rails were fumigated with the necessary disinfectants.

Life jackets are also sanitised regularly.

He said the monitor or the head in charge of the days' operation usually has sanitising products at his desk. Passenger entering the vessels can utilise same.

"Safety of passengers is important, each operator has

The monitor and a boat operator with productsÂ

A boat operator using a hand sanitizer before starting his journeyÂ

A boat operator taking measures

to ensure his boat is properly cleaned and sanitise before he begins his journey," Roberts said.

The chairman is therefore calling on passengers to have confidence in the system and the association and to feel safe when choosing the service.

Boat safe to use in Region Two

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, March 29, 2020

Book reviews:

A review of David Granger’s: The police and the public, public security and public trust

DAVID Granger’s book, The police and the public: public security and public trust, displays a deep discernment of the daunting challenges facing public security and the appropriate measures that are needed to restore public trust and integrity within the Guyana Police Force.

President David Granger is ideally suited to the task of piloting reform of the

Police Force. He brings not only his executive authority to the process but, also, his professional experience and academic research of this subject, including having served as a member of the Disciplined Services Commission and as National Security Adviser.

He is fully au fait with the numerous recommendations which were made by commissions of inquiry and

reports of consultancies, but which were not implemented before he assumed the Presidency in 2015.

The security sector reform tableau was tailor-made for David Granger’s talents.

He wasted little time in getting into stride. The annual series of Police Officers’ Conferences provided the President with a platform to promulgate his security-sector policies. This book con-

sists of the texts of addresses which he delivered to the five annual police officers’ conferences from 2016 to 2020.

The contents constitute a solid body of policies aimed at reversing the loss of public trust in the country’s law-enforcement agencies.

The Police Force, prior to David Granger’s assumption of the presidency, attracted public censure over its perceived pervasive lack of

professionalism. Some of its members had been accused of complicity in extra-judicial acts, including killings.

Serious crime was at a worrying level in the country.

It came as no surprise, therefore, that in his inaugural address as President to the 2016 Police Officers’ Conference, David Granger chose to emphasize the importance of public trust in the work of the Police Force through its cooperation with communities.

The President’s address signalled the importance which his government attached to improving relations between the force and the public. This was a carefully scripted and delicately presented address.

The President, advisedly, was measured in his support for certain forms of community policing, no doubt being aware of the types of vigilante justice which can often be exercised by rogue community policing groups which were not properly trained, supervised or monitored by the force. His primary focus in the address was on the need to improve relations between the police and communities so as to restore public trust in the force, a condition which is seen as necessary for effective law enforcement and crime-fighting.

The President returned to Police Headquarters one year later, in 2017, with a sharper message to accelerate security-sector reform. He belaboured the previous attempts at police reform to forewarn against the dangers of non-implementation of rec-

ommendations for change.

The President avoided saying how his reforms would avoid a similar fate. It was a telling omission, considering the traditional resistance to change within the force. He is, clearly, a dogged and determined leader who is undeterred by resistance to his policies.

The Annual Police Officer’s Conference of February 2018 saw the President in a no- nonsense mood. In one o his more piercing presentations, he made it clear that corruption would not be condoned; he insisted that ethical conduct could not be expected from unethical officers. Lawlessness, he cautioned, has no place in a lawful force. It was the harshest reprimand which the force has ever faced.

It revealed the President’s steely determination to rid the force of corruption and to win public trust.

One means available for ensuring police probity is through the use of constitutional mechanisms which safeguard the force’s independence and promote trustworthiness. The Police Complaints Authority – an oversight body which investigates allegations of police malpractices – is one such mechanism. The Police Service Commission – which insulates the police from political interference – is another. It also helps to boost the force’s morale by ensuring appointments and promotions that are meritorious and disciplinary actions and dismissals that are deserved.

TURN TO PAGE

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE March 29, 2020

Curfew imposed on Region 10 … police will enforce order

THE Mayor and Town Council of Linden along with the Regional Democratic Council Region Ten at a meeting on Saturday with several stakeholders has instituted a curfew to aid in the battle against COVID-19.

At the almost three-hour long meeting, the parties deliberated on how residents and several others have been responding to the impending danger that the virus poses to them. According to a press release from the M&TC, Mayor Waneka Arrindell said that she is very disappointed and somewhat alarmed by the behaviour of several residents who are operating as though the COVID19 will not affect the region. The meeting was held at the RDC Boardroom.

“I am appalled to see how several businesses are open late at nights with large crowds of people mingling as though everything is ok. We as a municipality along with the various stakeholders have to put systems in place so that people would recognize that it cannot be business or our lives as usual because serious measures must be taken so as to ensure the safety of others,” she said.

The Mayor told stakeholders that she is seeking their support and endorsement

of putting strict measures in place with the meeting agreeing that a curfew should be implemented as soon as possible.

“As such, the Mayor said that aided with her municipality powers she is implementing with the support of the various stakeholders a curfew, which will see all businesses closing at 6pm with Supermarkets and Pharmacies closing at 7 pm. It was revealed that only essential workers which are healthcare professionals among others will be permitted on the road,” the release said.

According to the release, the mayor disclosed that anyone found after 8pm on the road will be picked up by the police and will be subjected to search. She noted further that should persons resist the new order the police will take all required actions.

Commander of Region Ten, Hugh Winter declared that his ranks are here to serve the people of Region Ten, stressing that his ranks will be duly informed of the Municipality and RDC’s decision. He declared that he expects residents to adhere to the rules and regulations that will be monitoring the operation and movement of individuals within the region.

“I am certain that some persons would

give resistance as its understandable that people are not keen in conditioning themselves to restricted movements, but this is important as it means that we are seeking to collaborate to ensure that residents are safe,” he declared.

It was revealed that vehicles moving through Region Ten will also be restricted as the mayor and those in attendance declared that immediate and strict measures must be taken if residents will remain safe.

Mayor Arrindell along with Colonel Eon Murray, Regional Chairman Renis Morian, Regional Vice Chairman Elroy Adoplh, Deputy Mayor Wanewright Bethune, Police Commander Winter, Regional Executive Officer Orrin Gordon, Deputy Regional Executive Officer Maylene Stephen among others stakeholders addressed the residents via television and radio explaining the decision and other measures that have been put in place to address the current situation.

DREO Stephen stressed that the measures being implemented will aid in saving lives, declaring that she expected residents and visitors to the region to consider the urgency of the situation, thus adhering to the new guidelines.

“These measures will certainly help in saving lives and ensuring that we remain safe in these very difficult times and I trust

that all will support these new measures,” she said.

Meanwhile, REO Gordon appealed for strict measures to be put in place to monitor the implemented guidelines. He related that some days ago he witnessed several residents at one of the region’s popular beaches operating as if nothing wasn’t wrong.

“I am shocked to see how some residents have responded as they continue to operate as if everything is ok and we must ensure that we have a very strict monitoring system, to prevent any loopholes.

Persons will seek to exploit loopholes. I am urging those people who will be monitoring to recognize that even to those passing through our region must be monitored and will have to adhere to our set out guidelines,’ he urged.

Mayor Arrindell promised to take his recommendations and that of the Regional Chairman, whose background is in disaster risk management. The meeting also saw the establishment of a Regional Heath Emergency Committee with several agencies and departments forming part of the committee.

This, the DREO said will be geared to providing daily reports to the Ministry of Committee, while they would be meeting as a team every 48 hours.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, March 29, 2020

Nandlall’s driver found shot to death in apparent suicide

…was used to file application in elections matters REAZ Holladar, the applicant for the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) in an ongoing elections court case, has taken his own life.

According to reports from the Guyana Police Force, 28-year-old Holladar of lot A-B Delhi and Omai Streets, Prashad Nagar, reportedly shot himself in the head with a handgun in the presence of his spouse and a security guard, around 4:30hrs at his home, on Saturday.

The victim, who is said to be a licensed firearm holder, reportedly arrived home about an hour before the incident. Police said the body is at Lyken's Funeral Home awaiting an autopsy, while investigations are ongoing.

Guyana Chronicle visited the area and spoke with Holladar’s neighbours, who said they heard loud arguments coming from the apartment where the victim and his family lived. Persons said the arguments lasted for a while before a gun was fired.

Some neighbours said they were skeptical about looking out to see what had happened, but later found out that Holladar had purportedly taken his life.

Persons said the victim has been living in the apartment complex for a while and is not known to be a troublemaker. “It is with profound sadness that I confirmed that Reaaz Holladar, my driver for several years, died this morning at or about 4:00 am. From all indications, he committed suicide.

He was a loyal and dedicated employee. He has left to mourn a wife and two sons.

Reaz Holladar

With his family, I mourn his loss,” said PPP/C executive, Attorney Anil Nandlall, in a post on his Facebook page.

Recently, Holladar, through his attorney Nandlall, was denied an application to join the ongoing elections case calling for the discharge of an injunction blocking the recount of the ballots cast at the March 2, 2020 elections.

Holladar had also featured in an earlier application before Chief Justice, Roxane George-Wiltshire, which sought to block the declaration of the Region Four results. He was represented by a battery of lawyers, including the high-priced senior counsel of Trinidad and Tobago, Douglas Mendez. Nandlall, through Holladar, had obtained an injunction barring the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM from declaring an overall winner following the declaration of unverified results from Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica)’s Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo.

An Apology to Mr. Wesley Kirton The Guyana National Newspapers Limited (GNNL) wishes to offer an unequivocal apology to Mr. Wesley Kirton for the publication of a letter to the editor from a Concerned Citizen in last week’s Sunday Chronicle. The Chronicle acknowledges that the letter contained several inaccuracies and accusations and did not provide any satisfactory proof of the accusations, thereby bringing into question the character, ethics and professionalism of Mr. Kirton.

The Guyana Chronicle regrets this unusual lapse and remains committed to providing accurate news to all Guyana. We thank Mr. Kirton for his understanding in this matter and regret any embarrassment he may have suffered as a result of the letter.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, March 29, 2020

Three new COVID-19 cases …Guyana’s confirmed cases now moved to 8 -44 persons tested for the virus so far -regions equipped to provide medical service for an additional 134 persons

By Navendra Seoraj THE number of confirmed cases of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Guyana has increased from five to eight, with the number of deaths remaining at one.

This was confirmed by Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence, who noted in an address on the ministry’s Facebook page on Saturday, that the total number of persons who have been tested has increased from 39 to 44, while the number of persons in institutional quarantine has risen to 31.

According to the minister, six persons are now in institutional isolation and the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) continues to offer psychosocial support for those in need of these services.

Over 170 persons are currently being monitored for COVID-19 and this includes persons under institutional quarantine, home quarantine and institutional isolation.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact globally. As of March 28, the number of confirmed cases in 201 countries and territories stood at 621,636, with the number of deaths at 28,658.

In the Region of the Americas, the total number of confirmed cases has increased from 81,139 to 100,314, with the number of deaths moving ‘alarmingly’ from 1,176 to 1,485 in 51 of the 55 countries.

Guyana confirmed its first imported case of COVID-19 in Georgetown on Wednes-

day, March 11, 2020.

That patient, a 52-yearold Guyanese woman who had travelled from the United States of America to Guyana on March 5, 2020, presented to the public health system on March 10. She died at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation on March 11.

Since then, the MoPH and other stakeholders have employed a number of measures which are aimed at containing the spread of COVID-19.

With regard to the ministry’s capacity to respond, in addition to the four existing facilities which are ready to provide services for 350 persons, Minister Lawrence said all regions now have capacity, centrally, to cater for an additional 134 persons.

Infection control measures are also being instituted and monitoring is ongoing at the prisons and at homes of the elderly.

“In my report yesterday (Friday), I mentioned PAHO’s donation of test kits to the Ministry. I wish to express the MoPH’s gratitude to our PAHO partner for this donation and to highlight the overwhelming support that we have received during our preparatory planning and implementation of our National Response Plan since our first confirmed COVID-19 case was reported,” said Minister Lawrence.

She also spoke of receiving ventilators, from the ministry’s suppliers, to cater for MoPH’s level three.

In explaining what is meant by ‘level three’, the minister said: “Let me clarify

for you, fellow Guyanese, that I am not referring to health facilities, but to the

Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence

levels of illness which are categorised as mild, requiring no hospitalisation; moderate, requiring hospitalisation and severe, where more specialised care is a necessity.”

MEASURES IN RUPUNUNI In reflecting on her clarification of the situation of the Brazilian who tested positive for COVID-19 and is in quarantine in Brazil, Minister Lawrence spoke about activities being done in Region Nine (Upper Takatu - Upper Essequibo), to fight the coronavirus disease.

Officials of MoPH have visited several of the non-conventional ports of entry into Guyana. These visits revealed that the Brazilian army is present at several of the popular crossings and Guyanese police are at several. The task force continues to work with the police, army and immigration to assist with the monitoring of these crossings.

Village Leaders have

Suspect in murder of Bartica school teacher hospitalised under police guard THE prime suspect in the murder of 37-year-old Bartica school teacher, Natoya Speede, has been admitted to the hospital in the Region Seven town under police guard.

Reports are that the man, who has been identified as Orrin King, was found with self-inflicted wounds.

Around 20:00hrs on Friday night, the suspect took

the woman and her two children to a desolate area along a trail leading to the Bartica airstrip.

On the way, the two were embroiled in an argument and the assailant attacked the woman with an axe. The woman’s two children fled the scene.

Police investigations into the incident are ongoing.

taken the initiative to institute check points in two of the districts including Sand

Natoya Speede

Creek and Aishalton, to monitor entry.

There have been three sensitisation sessions involving several stakeholders; a regional task force has been established; sensitisation sessions continue with the business places, banks and other stakeholders; and there have been visits to public places to ensure that they are implementing measures, taking precautions, and following the infection control protocols.

Additionally, public places in the area have been sanitised; the minister has

visited villages, using the PA system to promote precautionary measures, sharing of flyers with COVID- 19 information; and Radio Lethem is continuously hosting programmes on COVID- 19.

The Lethem Hospital has an isolation room with four beds and the necessary protective and sanitisation supplies. The hospital has implemented sanitisation practices for all staff and patients entering the facility.

Minister Lawrence further said supplies (protective and sanitisation) have been sent to the main health centres and hospitals in the districts.

The minister reminded persons that social distancing, cough etiquette and hand washing can take Guyana a far way in this fight against COVID-19.

According to the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV).

The coronavirus outbreak reportedly originated in Wuhan, China, and has since spread to many other countries, including some in the Americas. Common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, coughs, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties.

In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death. Persons who suspect that they may have the virus are advised not to visit a healthcare facility, but instead call on several provided hotlines where it can be arranged for a health team to visit.

Minister Lawrence noted that additional hotline numbers have been added, and staff has been increased to facilitate efficiency. The numbers are 226-7480; 2297490; 231-1166; 227-4986; 624-6674; 624-2819; 6249355.

And, as of Friday, calls to the COVID-19 hotline moved from 773 calls to 856; these calls were received from nine of the 10 administrative regions.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, March 29, 2020

Govt will abide by court rulings on election matters -- attorney general

By Shaquille Bourne ATTORNEY General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams, has maintained that the government will respect the rule of law in the ongoing court matters relating to the March 2, 2020, General and Regional Elections.

Commenting on the matters before the Supreme Court of Judicature, Williams said “we have to abide by the outcome of those court matters.”

According to the attorney general, the respect for the decisions of the courts remains the longstanding position of President David

Granger.

“President Granger has said that he will be bound by the Constitution, by the directions of GECOM concerning the conduct of elections and the rules of the court,” AG Williams stated.

Currently, there are three main elections-related cases before the Supreme Court in which Justice Franklin Holder presides.

Concerning the injunction application brought by private citizen, Ulita Grace Moore, to prevent GECOM from conducting a national recount of votes, Justice Holder, on Friday, ruled the Supreme Court has jurisdiction to hear the case.

ject to judicial review.

On the matter related to whether the Supreme Court had jurisdiction to order GECOM to submit Statement of Polls (SoPs) to the opposition the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Justice Holder ruled that jurisdiction was not established.

“Those issues [deriving from the vaAttorney General, Basil Williams lidity of SoPs] are not for this judge.

Those issues are for The attorney general an election petition,” maintained the position of AG Williams posited. Artithe court on the aforemen- cle 163 of the Constitution tioned case does not come addresses the grounds on as a surprise, since GECOM which an elections petition is a constitutional body that can be brought to the court executes public duties, and he clarified. therefore its actions are subThe judge’s ruling has

since been appealed by the leader of the opposition in the full court, which Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George-Wiltshire, along with another judge, are set to hear the matter on Monday, March 30, 2020.

Also continuing on March 30 is the case brought by the opposition leader that challenges the declaration of results made by Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo.

GECOM’s attorney, Neil Boston SC. contended this matter can only be addressed through an elections petition as well.

AG Williams further noted that there is the case brought by Reaz Holladar against GECOM, which outlines the applicant’s expectation for GECOM’s Chair to ensure there is a recount for

votes cast in the elections.

It is the attorney general’s view that the way forward on this matter is unknown since the applicant is now deceased and the case was related to his ‘personal expectation’, something the AG said cannot be argued on his behalf by someone else.

President Granger, on March 15, had petitioned CARICOM’s Chairman, Mia Mottley, to supervise a national recount of votes cast on March 2, to quell any doubts from local and foreign observers concerning the validity of the results of the elections.

Moore’s application before the courts has since blocked GECOM from going ahead with the recount.

(DPI)

Essequibo Make-up artist speaks out against racism MAKE-UP artists in Region Two,on Friday, took a storm on social media when they posted their art skills speaking against racism. The artists used their make-up skills painting different skin colour sending various messages to the Guyanese population on the fight of racism and living in unity.

One of the make-up artists, Tremacie Nauth, said racism causes harm to those who are on the receiving end. She said it hurts in-

dividuals, communities, and society at large.

Nauth said racism is a sore social issue in Guyana, and as such, the artist decided to stand together.

"We decided to stand as a culturally diverse sisterhood and use our creativity in makeup to send a clear message, aiding to motivate as well as empower our young Guyanese," Nauth said.

Nauth said as makeup artists, they remain

neutral because they work with clients from all ethnicities and there is no place for racism. She said the Essequibo Make-Up Artists, therefore, refuse to have the younger generation think it is okay to discriminate because of the colour of one’s skin or even the texture of their hair.

The Essequibo Makeup Artist is a support group formed primarily for skilled and artistic women in Essequibo. The women realised that they are talented and deserve much more recognition than they received. Currently, 10 make-up artists in Region Two are part of the group.

Artists fighting racism with their make-up skills

19

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, March 29, 2020

Samples of COVID-19 suspect in Region Six being tested REGION Six Director of Health Services, Jevaughn Stephens, has confirmed that samples from a remigrant nurse, suspected to have the coronavirus, have been sent for testing.

According to voice note, the remigrant nurse lived in Brooklyn, New York, but would revisit her homeland every six months. It was while she was here, that a sibling died in the US,

prompting her to attend the funeral.

However, after returning home, she became ill, and a relative, who was caring for her, was not satisfied after observing that her health was failing.

Two days ago, she called the hotline numbers of the Ministry of Public Health but the call rang out. As a result, contact was made with the New Amsterdam Hospital.

FROM PAGE

14

A review of David Granger’s: ...

These two constitutional agencies – which protect the force’s professional independence and which allow for officers and constables to be investigated for malpractices – were the focus of the President’s address to the Annual Officers’ Conference 2019.

The President highlighted the complementary roles played by the independent Police Service Commission and the Police Complaints Authority.

The President’s emphasis on constitutional safeguards was timely and relevant, especially given the force’s susceptibility to political influence.

Constitutional agencies, such as those mentioned by the President, however, though necessary, have not been sufficient to immunize the Police Force fully from extraneous influences; questions as to the efficacy of these constitutional agencies remain.

Security sector reform results, inevitably, in organisational changes. The President’s address to the Annual Officers’ Conference 2020 laid out the organisational changes that were necessary to ensure the force’s ability to protect everyone in every region of the country. The address detailed the practical aspects of police reform.

The police and the public: Public security and public trust, therefore, can be read as a systematic approach to police reform.

The President begins by establishing the foundational principles – public confidence, integrity and constitutional safeguards

– which should guide systemic reform. He then emphasises the force’s mission in providing service and protection to everyone, regardless of where they live, and sets out a series of organisational changes necessary to give effect to this goal.

The book constitutes a commendable contribution to security sector policy-making. It provides a suite of solid policies aimed at winning public trust and transforming the much maligned force into a modern, professional law-enforcement institution that is capable of fulfilling its mission of service and protection.

The President’s intentions are well-meaning, his policies are sound and his plans for security sector reform, though still a work in progress, are headed in the right direction. He, more than most others, however, would be aware that the success of security reform hinges on the force’s receptiveness to change. He has kick-started such change.

The book, The police and the public: public security and public trust, is about policy; practice and performance are different matters. The President, if given the chance, is expected to see this project to a conclusion, one which will require him to overcome any residual resistance to change within the force. If there is anyone with the will to achieve this, it is David Granger.

Thereafter, the ambulance and health workers, dressed in protective gear, visited the location.

“I got scared. It is then this thing hit home. I was saying look how these people dress up with face mask, gloves. They protect all over... I did not realise it

was a suspected case they came and collect. You know what is scary; she belongs to one of the biggest denomination. A cousin, who stays with her, goes to another large congregation and yet another cousin goes to another congregation. These are three big denomina-

tions in New Amsterdam.

The fact that they may have come into contact with members are scary. Then a young boy that would be with her, his mother has a hair salon in the market, then the suspect mother lives in Tucber, then there are the folks in the scheme,

also her driver who lived in Town Council Scheme... so we are in a mess. They may have to lock down the entire block as another occupant of the house is a fireman.

We are in a mess, pray for us. God alone knows," one observer said.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE March 29, 2020

From back page

‘Gentle Giant’ Wendell Manifold dies ...

Blackpool FC and Santos FC. His versatility was, in fact, the reliability for the team because when a goal was needed he would calculatedly leave the defence to join the attack and either scored or assisted.

He was rock solid in defence and in my estimation the best sweeper back Guyana has produced. Besides being an extremely talented player, he was

Brent Babb

and sweeper. I would always know when he played the ball back to me without being called out. What stands out in my memory of ‘Dragga’ as captain and senior player to the team is his advice along with instructions to younger players on all aspects of the game which enabled us all to improve and develop to the next level. He definitely moulded us, before he migrated to the U.S., into becoming the top football team in the country.

His vast knowledge of the game at such an early age was phenomenal. He earned the respect on the pitch everywhere he played and no doubt Guyana has lost a great son of the soil.

He will be missed.

Brenthley Babb, former Pele and Santos FC midfielder: He was one of Guyana’s greatest-ever footballing talent, a defensive icon and leader.

Wendell mastered every aspect of the defensive game and was

Berth Smith

Patrick ‘labba’ Barton

Clyde `Farmer’ Browne

Wendell `Figaro’ Sandiford

an extreme human being off the field of play, a very nice person.

He truly loved the game and still played in the Masters Over50s with command and respect.

Wendell ‘Figaro’ Sandiford, former Pele, GFC and (Youth and Senior) National Goalkeeper: Wendell was my first captain at Pele FC and it was a pleasure playing with him as my fullback cause he was like a wall in defence. We communicated well and had a fantastic understanding as goalkeeper

an imposing and tenacious player with supreme confidence and at times demonstrated the skill and fluidity of a central midfielder.

He was the most resolute tackler on any field, but always a gentleman off the field. Always he was encouraging and respectful to his teammates and opponents, even the least talented. Although he never represented Guyana at the senior level he was being compared, as a teenager, with the likes of the legendary Earl O’Neal, who at that time was Guyana’s top cen-

tral defender. I must admit he was the most difficult defender to dribble and was enormously influential to me in my football.

He will never be forgotten.

Clyde ‘Farmer’ Browne former Santos and national defender: Wendell was the personification and face of Pele FC when it was formed. I was the coach in charge of the defensive section of the team and had the pleasure and honour to coach him. As the captain of the team he was an astute defender and is the reason why Pele FC became so successful.

We were roommates at Clemson and became even greater friends mainly because of his jovial character. I always felt assured that he had my back both on and off the pitch. I have no doubt that myself and all of his former teammates will surely miss ‘The Captain’, but we all will forever cherish the great memories that he has left us.

situations and how to counter.

He was a defender and student of the game of the highest order. Off the field he was nothing short of a ‘Gentle Giant’ who was a very loving and caring person towards his friends and family. His conversations on life’s experiences were always a pleasure to engage him on. I am sure we all who had the honour to know him will surely miss him.

Patrick ‘Labba’ Barton former Pele FC captain and youth and senior national player: “Wendell was a fullback who had tremendous attacking abilities whenever he chose to or saw the need to join the attacking flow. He was incredibly fit and had a great awareness without leaving too large a gap between him and the rest of the team which allowed him to quickly recover in the event of a counterattack by opponents.

His main strength was his decision-making ability and he

foundation and set the bar. We will all be indebted to him for the success Pele FC enjoyed and surely he will be most remembered and missed.

James ‘Berbice’ Paul, former Arsenal, Santos and National (youth and senior) player: With the passing of Wendell Manifold, Guyana has lost a gentle giant. That ‘gentle’, however, only applied to his cool demeanour off the field since on the pitch he was as cagey and resilient a baller as any.

A tall, skilled and tenacious defender, Wendell commanded the centre-back position like a general. I had the honour of playing against him in his twilight years and though he had passed his prime he won most of the many battles we were engaged in at the notorious ‘Dust Bowl’ at Caton Park in Brooklyn.

As a young footballer from Berbice I distinctly remember seeing his name and photos

James Paul

‘Dragga’ Manifold in his early days in Guyana Gordon Alphonso, former national youth player and teammate at Clemson: “I had the privilege and honour of playing soccer with Wendell at the club, National U-17 level and at Clemson University. He was a very skilled player who played in defence with an icy coolness, fierceness and intensity. I always knew that with Wendell in defence our team always generated the feeling that we could not lose.

He was not only combative but was a very good reader of the game and always aware of

was always calm and composed under pressure and never panicked.

He understood his teammates and was gifted with sound technical skills that allowed him to dominate any player within the 18-yards box which was his domain. I was fortunate to play with Wendell for both Pele FC and Blackpool FC in NY. Taking over the captaincy from Wendell when he departed for Clemson was a pair of huge shoes to fill but he had laid the

Gordon Alphonso featured prominently in the newspapers and have also heard many stories of his outstanding contribution to the success of perennial league champion, Pele FC. He will certainly be missed.

Wendell Peter Manifold will be buried this coming Wednesday in New York, but due to COVID-19 only immediate family will attend. A Memorial Service will be held at a later date for friends and well-wishers.

Rise In Power Dragga/ Ganghi Boor!

24

SUNDAY CHRONICLE March 29, 2020

When Watto, Wahab waged World Cup war IT spanned just three-andhalf overs at its zenith, but Wahab Riaz’s fire-breathing battle with Shane Watson amidst a gripping quarter-final at Adelaide Oval remains, for many, the defining contest of the 2015 World Cup. Largely unheard of in Australia before the tournament began, left-armer Wahab regularly clocked speeds of around 150kph as Pakistan tried desperately to defend a sub-par total of 213 and then Watson hung tough after his team lost early wickets to teeter at 3-59.

Wahab had accounted for two of those prized scalps – opener David Warner who sliced a catch to third man and skipper Michael Clarke

after fending a fizzing bouncer to short mid-wicket – but the fuse for the fight with Watson had effectively been lit hours earlier.

That was when Wahab was using his not-insubstantial batting skills – he had posted an unbeaten half-century against Zimbabwe earlier in the tournament – to help rescue Pakistan from their dire position of 6-158 in the sudden-death final.

Having played and missed at a couple searing, swinging deliveries from fellow left-armer Mitchell Starc, Wahab was offered some advice from his Australia rival who told the Pakistan number eight “it’s the little white thing – try and hit it”.

As he ruminated over that

Mitch Starc lit the fuse for the ensuing showdown.

(Getty)

bit of chirp, Wahab was approached by Watson who had been watching his opponent’s battle to make contact from his fielding position at slip and asked, “Are you holding a bat?”` It was sufficient to get thethen 29-year-old’s hackles up, and Watson was duly reminded of his own hubris from the moment he scratched his guard on the hard and true Adelaide pitch.

“When he came in to bat, I settled the score with him,” Wahab later recalled.

“When I was batting Watson just came up to me and said ‘are you holding a bat?’ and that was going through my mind.

“I let him know that even he had a bat, but he couldn’t touch the ball.

“I know that … he’s not good on the short ball, so it was a plan that we discussed in the team meeting.”

Wahab’s first ball to the Australia veteran was a snorter that flashed past the grille of Watson’s protective helmet, and saw the fired-up fast bowler follow-through to finish alongside the batter from where he theatrically applauded.

The next one was fuller and Watson wisely allowed it to pass by, but it yielded another round of mocking claps from Wahab who, by this time, had the 30 000-plus crowd roaring as the game hung in the balance.

It wasn’t only the paying spectators and television viewers around the world who found themselves absorbed in the uncompromising contest.

Watching from the

comparative safety of the non-striker’s end, having already helped himself to a run-a-ball 24, was Australia’s most influential and in-form batter, Steve Smith.

“I was actually loving it, up at the other end,” Smith told cricket.com.au this week.

“I don’t think I ever really faced two balls in a row against him (Wahab), I just kept hitting it off my hip and getting one, or finding a way to get a single and get down to the other end.

“He bowled very quick, with some short stuff, and he was fired up.

“I remember thinking ‘jeez how good is this?’ and Watto’s like ‘yeah no worries, you keep getting down the other end’.”

While Smith also received his share of chin music from Wahab, the focus of the frenetic spell was Watson who found more than half the 21 deliveries flung at him to be short-pitched with a large proportion of those zeroing in on his head and shoulders.

But it was the eleventh of them which should have decided the skirmish, and quite feasibly the match.

With Australia 3-83, Watson (on four) parried a defensive pull shot high into the air and directly into the hands of Rahat Ali at deep backward-square who briefly held Pakistan’s 2015 World Cup fate in his grasp, before it spilled out and bobbled across the Adelaide outfield.

“A bit of luck went my way to get through that spell,” Watson later conceded.

“He was bowling good pace, but also the (left-arm) angle ... it was hard to be able to try and get my head out of the way.

“It kept following me.

“We knew he was a danger man, he had his tail up and he bowled some nasty balls on the money … a lot of them.”

It was as much the unnerving line of attack that Wahab was able to find from over the wicket at the Riverbank End as it was the pace and hostility of his spell that saw it enter World Cup folklore.

Clarke had witnessed similar firepower unleashed barely a year earlier when Mitchell Johnson scythed through England in the second Ashes Test of what would eventually yield a 5-0 whitewash, and he saw similarities with Wahab on that early autumn evening.

“That’s as good as I’ve faced in one-day cricket for a long time,” Clarke said at game’s end, after Watson had carried Australia to victory with an unbeaten 64 that included the winning runs. “(It) probably gave us a good look at what it would have been like to face Mitchell Johnson throughout the Ashes.

Australia all-rounder Shane Watson with bat reflects on a classic showdown with Pakistan paceman Wahab Riaz during the 2015 World Cup. “Left-arm is always extra tough for a right-handed batsman because the angle of the ball is at your body the whole time, and he (Wahab) didn’t bowl too many bouncers that weren’t on the money.”

As it transpired, the dropped catch not only effectively emboldened Watson, but also diminished Wahab.

Having pushed himself to the limit to get through Australia’s number five and into the home team’s lower-middle order, he continued for a further two overs but his pace began to flag and his accuracy suffered as fatigue set in.

A final indignity came with Australia 4-154 and requiring less than three per over for victory when Wahab returned for his second spell and forced Glenn Maxwell to miscue a ramp shot only for another chance to be squandered by Sohail Khan at third-man.

From there, Watson and Maxwell thrashed the remaining 62 runs from less than six overs to carry their team into a semi-final against India and, three days after that, the final that brought an emphatic seven-wicket win over New Zealand.

“It was an unbelievable spell of fast bowling,” James Faulkner, man-of-the-match in the showpiece final at the MCG, said of Wahab’s spell this week.

“He should have had Watto with the dropped catch at fine leg, and it could have gone either way at the end of the game because it was so close in that period.

“That was a bit of a ‘get out of jail’ game for us.

“And a bit of a shake-up that we needed, to be tested like that before the next two games.”

In the aftermath of that quarter-final, Wahab was fined 50 per cent of his match fee for his overt aggression towards Watson, while the Australian had his pay packed lightened by

15 per cent for responding to his opponent’s taunts.

The ICC’s ruling led former West Indies great Brian Lara to offer to pay both men’s penalties for what he considered to be over-zealous policing of the sort of on-field confrontation that fans craved.

“We need this in a sport that people are running away from, especially 50-over cricket,” Lara said. “I loved the exchange.

“It was above board as far as I’m concerned, and I can’t wait to meet him – I want to meet with this Riaz guy. I’ll pay the fine.”

Watson and Wahab have since revisited their rivalry numerous times, most recently in a Pakistan Super League match between the Australian’s Quetta Gladiators and his foe’s Peshawar Zalmi at Rawalpindi earlier this month.

And for all the verbal jousting and pantomime histrionics squeezed into their on-field feud, the pair exchanged back slaps and handshakes after an epic game that paved Australia’s way to a World Cup as well as ensuring Wahab Riaz became a known figure throughout the cricket world.

“That was one of the best spells I have ever bowled,” Wahab reflected.

“After he (Watson) had won the game for Australia, we hugged and congratulated each other.

“I said to him at that point of time ‘you took the game away from us’.

“There is no doubt that the way he played – most of the time he was under pressure – but he held his nerve and took the Australian team to the semi-final.

“He is one of the players I really admire and like.”

(Cricket.com,au)

25

SUNDAY CHRONICLE March 29, 2020

Olympic qualification process and late season being studied - Coe (REUTERS) - World Athletics is working to restart a shuttered athletics season and studying any changes that may be needed in the qualifying process for the resched-

uled Tokyo Olympics, president Seb Coe said on Friday.

The governing body is hoping to offer a series of meetings that may begin in August and run to October

so athletes can get back in to competition as quickly as possible when it is safe to do so due to the coronavirus pandemic, Coe said in a letter addressed to the athletics community.

UEFA president admits that current season may not be completed ROME, Italy (Reuters) - The head of European soccer’s governing body said that the current season could be “lost” if it is unable to re-start by the end of June, although he did not rule out extending it into the next season.

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin told the Italian newspaper La Repubblica that there were a number of options for concluding the season, which has been brought to a halt around Europe by the coronavirus pandemic.

“There is a plan A, B and C. The three options are: to start again in midMay, in June or at the end of June; if we don’t succeed, the season will probably be lost,” he said.

However, he then added: “There is also the possibility of starting again at the beginning of the next, starting

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin during a press conference. (REUTERS/Yves Herman) the following one later. We will see the best solution for leagues and clubs.”

Ceferin has said that finishing domestic leagues was the priority, even if it meant playing behind closed doors.

“It’s hard for me to imagine all the matches behind closed doors, but

we still don’t know whether we’ll resume, with or without spectators.

“If there was no alternative, it would be better to finish the championships anyway,” he said.

“But I can say that I don’t think about the finals of the European club competitions behind closed doors.”

Ceferin said that the decision to postpone Euro 2020 until next year “has shown that every emergency is our emergency and every club is our club.”

He said that a videoconference with representatives of clubs, leagues and players was “a fantastic demonstration of unity and solidarity.”

He was also talking to FIFA and its president Gianni Infantino despite recent differences.

“It is important to forget personal interests and disagreements,” he said.

F1 could race into January if necessary, says Binotto

By Alan Baldwin LONDON (Reuters) - Formula One could shorten grand prix weekends and race into January if that helps salvage a season ravaged by the corona-

Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto REUTERS/ Anton Vaganov virus, according to Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto.

The opening race in Australia on March 15 was cancelled and the showcase Monaco Grand Prix in May has also been scrapped, the first time since 1954 that it has not featured on the championship calendar.

A further six rounds have

been postponed, and more look likely to follow with countries in lockdown, but Formula One bosses have said they hope to get back on track some time in the European summer with a reduced season of 15 to 18 races.

Binotto told Sky Sports Italia that the teams had given the Formula One powers-that-be complete freedom to do what was necessary to have a championship.

“We are in constant dialogue,” he said. “I have felt, along with the other team principals, that these are decisive moments.

“We’ve decided to give complete freedom to (Formula One chairman Chase) Carey and the FIA to put together as soon as possible a timetable for us to get racing again, we are willing on our side.

“We’re assessing various ideas; races closer together, maybe doing two or three races in January, considering also the option of cancelling (Friday) practice.”

Formula One needs a minimum of eight races for a valid championship and the 2020 sea-

son is currently due to end in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 29.

The sport normally has a break until launches and pre-season testing in February but, with cars now remaining the same in 2021 with major rule changes deferred a year to save money, there would be little need for that anyway.

“If this allows us to guarantee a more complete 2020 world championship, with the following season not starting until March, there is great availability for that,” said Binotto.

The 2020 championship was originally meant to have a record 22 races, with Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton hoping to equal Michael Schumacher’s record seven titles and surpass the Ferrari great’s unprecedented 91 wins.

Hamilton so far has 84 wins.

The Briton could be kept waiting on both accounts if the sport is unable to put together enough races.

Former commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone told Reuters on Friday that he would be very surprised if the sport managed to put together even a reduced season of 15-18 races.

World Athletics president Seb Coe “We don’t yet know the date for the Games next year,” Coe said, “but once they (the International Olympic Committee and the Japanese government) have made it, we will look at what, if any, impact that decision has on our World Athletics

Championships Oregon 21.”

Many expect the championships in Eugene, Oregon, to be moved to 2022.

Athletics’ global governing body also hopes to provide an answer as soon as possible to any changes to the Tokyo Olympics qualifying process, Coe said.

World Athletics began reviewing its Olympic qualification process after the IOC and sports federations agreed that all athletes currently qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Games will remain qualified for next year’s event.

“In athletics the primary qualification avenue is by meeting the entry standards set out in March 2019,” Coe added.

“Once those places are allocated, the remaining athletes are drawn from the world

ranking list. As of today, all athletes who have met the entry standards for their event will remain qualified for the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021. This is approximately 50% of the places.”

A major review is also underway of the global calendar of events, not just for the next two years which will see some major disruptions, but for the long term.

The decision comes as athletics’ Diamond League series announced on Friday it has cancelled its meetings through June but hopes to have a late season.

“The priority for all of us right now is to contain the pandemic, stay healthy and stay home,” Coe said, “but where we can, continue to drive our sport forward.

“The world will not be the same after this pandemic.”

26

Ramdhani named Kings University 2020 MVP for 2nd successive year GUYANESE Badminton champ Narayan Ramdhani surged to his second Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award for his adopted college, Kings University of Edmonton, Canada.

This is the second consecutive year that the badminton ace has managed to cop the college’s major award for top performer during the September 2019-April 2020 semester season.

“Our award recipient once again has gone above and beyond to make his teammates, coaches and Kings University very proud. Whether it was late night fitness sessions or extra

Guyanese/international badminton champion Narayan Ramdhani off-campus training, he took no shortcuts. He also places a great deal of pressure on himself to be the very best”, was part of the official statement from Narayan’s college.

The release continued to recognise the Guyanese athlete for his attitude on and off the court. “His back-to-back nationals’ appearance is a first for the Kings Badminton and we know he strides to extend that streak. His hunger to succeed on and off court is evident during practices as he is always asking for more drills. His teammates and coaches know what he is capable of and we are excited to watch his continual growth”, ended the release.

Narayan continues to endure a sterling year as he ended in the top three at the ACAC (Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference) Tournament, bagging a silver medal before winning the All-Conference Award.

Ramdhani was also in the Top-4 at the CCAA (Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association) National Championships, which adds to his current CCAA National Ranking of 4 which complements his status as Guyana’s reigning National No. 1-ranked player.

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Sunday March 29, 2020)

COMPLIMENTS OF XTRA ENERGY DRINK – STABROEK BAZAAR (Tel-683-9500) & CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD- 83 Garnett Street, Campbellville, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158)

Answers to yesterday’s quiz:

(1) Wes Hall (vs PAK, Lahore, 1958-59) (2) Fred Spofforth (vs ENG, Melbourne, 1878-79)

Today’s Quiz:

(1) Which Australian wicketkeeper has effected most dismissals against the WI in Tests to date?

(2) Which WI wicketkeeper has effected most dismissals against Australia in Tests to date?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

SUNDAY CHRONICLE March 29, 2020

‘Challenge’ to decide who covers cost of postponing Games - Mori (REUTERS) - Tokyo 2020 Olympics organising committee president Yoshiro Mori has told international federations that deciding who foots the bill for postponing the Games to 2021 will be a “major challenge”, Olympic news website insidethegames here reported yesterday.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Japanese organisers this week postponed the July 24-August 9 event due to the coronavirus pandemic - the first such delay in the modern Games’ 124-year history.

Japan invested $12 billion in the run-up to the Games and IOC president Thomas Bach had warned that the price tag will rise further.

“The extra cost that will arise from this postponement is inev-

Tokyo 2020 Olympics organising committee president Yoshiro Mori

itable,” Mori wrote in a letter addressed to the 33 international federations of sports that make up the Tokyo Games programme.

“Deciding who will bear these costs and how it will be done will be a major challenge.”

Mori also issued a rallying cry to deliver the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 next year and show that humans had “triumphed over the coronavirus”.

The Tokyo 2020 organising committee launched a taskforce to resolve issues linked to the postponement, such as reviewing dates for the Games and securing venues.

The Olympics is one of many major sporting events which have been postponed, suspended or cancelled due to the coronavirus.

Coach Shastri welcomes break in season for India’s players

MUMBAI, India (Reuters) - The pause in cricket due to the coronavirus pandemic will allow India’s jaded players to recharge their batteries, according to head coach Ravi Shastri.

The flu-like virus has halted sporting events across the globe as countries have gone into lockdown to contain the spread, with more than 550 000 people infected globally and nearly 25 000 dead, according to a Reuters tally.

“It cannot be a bad thing. Because towards the end of the New Zealand tour, you could see some cracks coming up when it came to mental fatigue, physical fitness and injuries,” Shastri told a Sky Sports cricket podcast.

“The amount of cricket we have played over the last 10 months was beginning to take its toll. Guys like me, and some other guys from the support staff left India on May 23 for the

India coach Ravi Shastri World Cup in England. Since then we have been at home for 10 or 11 days.”

India called off a home one-day international series against South Africa after the first match, while the cricket board (BCCI) has also postponed the start of this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 tournament until April 15.

The country is currently in a 21-day

lockdown until April 14 and the fate of the popular IPL is unclear.

Many national team players, including India captain Virat Kohli, have taken to social media to spread awareness about the virus and the importance of staying at home.

“There are certain players, who played all three formats of the game,” Shastri, a former India all-rounder, added.

“You can imagine the toll it has taken on them, especially being on the field, adjusting from T20s to Test match cricket and all the travel that goes with that because we travelled quite a lot.

“After England we went to the West Indies, then played South Africa here (in India). We had a season of two and a half months here and then again off to New Zealand. So it has been tough but a welcome rest for players.”

Cook against shortened County Championship season FORMER England captain Alastair Cook says he would prefer this year’s County Championship be scrapped than play a dramatically shortened campaign.

Professional cricket in England is on hold until at least May 28 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Cook says he would instead rather have “one or two full tournaments” which could leave the 35-year-old Essex opener without any cricket in 2020.

“In this year the bigger picture is the most important thing,” said Cook.

“If we do play any sort of cricket, which hopefully we will, what I hope is that they don’t try to have a six-game

County Championship or something like that.

“I would rather have one or two full tournaments because it is so much more rewarding to win it.

“If there is not time for a meaningful County Championship - say three or four games - there is probably not much sense us having it.”

Surrey director of cricket Alec Stewart has previously suggested that The Hundred and T20 Blast could be the only domestic cricket competitions played this summer.

England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive Tom Harrison has also said the “most financially important

forms of the game” will take priority.

That would potentially leave England’s all-time record Test run-scorer unemployed this season, having not played any Twenty20 cricket in 2019 and without a team in the inaugural Hundred tournament.

Cook says the uncertainty means he, along with “everyone else”, has to just “sit and wait”.

“We are just waiting to see when we are allowed back in the county ground, when we are able to meet up again and hit balls as a group,” he told BBC Radio 5 Live.

“Up until that time we just have to wait.” (BBC Sport)

27

SUNDAY CHRONICLE March 29, 2020

Bravo hails ‘superstar’ Andre Russell as the best T20 player PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) – Former West Indies captain Dwayne Bravo has likened all-rounder Andre Russell to Brian Lara and Chris Gayle, and described him as the best player in T20 cricket.

Bravo, who has captained the West Indies in all formats, spoke highly of the Jamaican on the I955 FM’s ISports radio show here.

Russell, widely regarded as one of the most powerful strikers of the ball in limited-overs cricket, was a key figure in the Caribbean side’s sweep of the two-match T20 series against Sri Lanka earlier this month.

In the first match at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium he put 35 runs on the board, before hitting an explosive 40 not out to help West Indies to a seven-wicket win in the second match at the same venue.

“He’s the best in the world and we’re happy to have him in our team,” said Bravo.

“It’s the same thing I used to say about Chris Gayle – we are happy to have someone like Gayle representing us; we don’t have to come up and bowl against him in an international match. I think it’s the same with Andre Russell. Andre Russell now is our Chris Gayle, is our Brian Lara in the T20 format.

All-rounder Andre Russell is one of the most sought-after cricketers in T20 cricket He is a superstar, he’s the best player and we are happy.”

The 32-year-old Russell is one of the most sought-after players in T20 cricket.

He has the highest scoring rate in the format, at 10.92 runs per over.

Bravo, who was a member of the winning squad for the Sri Lanka series, was also impressed by some of the other players. He said it felt good to be part of a team with so much

young talent, even if it meant he had to be far down the batting lineup.

“I was down to bat at number nine and I said to the guys ‘this is the first time I’ve ever been in a T20 team and I’m down to bat at number nine’,” the 36-year-old Trinidadian recalled.

“And putting all egos aside, I’m happy with that because at the end of the day, I accept the fact guys like Rovman Powell and Fabian Allen and (Shimron) Hetmyer and these guys have the talent and the ability to hit the ball. I’m just happy to be like that father figure, mentor, and guide, to allow these young ones to go out there and showcase their talent to the world and keep guiding them.”

The right-handed batsman and rightarm medium-fast bowler said the T20 squad had gone into the Sri Lanka series with a mission, which he believes they accomplished.

“Prior to that, we weren’t really consistent as a team over the years in T20 cricket. With the 3-nil loss in the ODI series (against Sri Lanka in February), the T20 guys had a chat among ourselves along with the management staff and we made a pledge that … we want to start back winning series, we said we want

Dwayne Bravo is impressed by Andre Russell to start back being the most dominant team in the T20 format,” he recalled.

“We have produced some of the best players in the world singlehandedly and when we are together in the same team we have to stamp our authority … and just get back the cricketing world to respect West Indies cricket again and especially West Indies T20 team…. And that’s what we did.”

‘Gentle Giant’ Wendell Manifold dies in New York ... Teammates remember stalwart defender

By Ras Wadada THE Pele FC continues to mourn the recent loss of the club’s first captain Wendell Manifold, who passed away due to cardiac arrest at the Brooklyn Downstate Hospital last Wednesday.

Sunrise:23-051954 – Sunset 25-03-2020.

The 65-year-old former student of Charlestown Secondary School had to be rushed to the Medical Centre via EMS after he took ill at home last Monday.

The former national Under-18 captain who left Guyana in 1974 on a football scholarship to Clemson University in South Carolina, USA at the age of 20 is considered by his

Wendell ‘Dragga’ Manifold in his latter days in New York peers and many others, who were privileged to see the big 6-footer commanding and leading on a pitch, as the best defender ever to don the senior national colours.

Chronicle Sport caught up with several players who played with ‘Dragga’ or ‘Ganghi Boor’ as he was affectionately known, and all expressed glowing tributes.

Bert Smith, Administrator/Coach NY Santos: Dragga is the premier centre-back that I have seen coming out of Guyana, and probably the best ever. In New York he was always outstanding when he played for See page 27

CWI vice-president gives administration passing grade BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) – Cricket West Indies (CWI) vice-president Dr Kishore Shallow has given the organisation’s administration a passing grade for its first year in office, pointing to improvements in just about all areas of the 10-point plan which the Ricky Skerritt-led team had used as a platform for election.

Among the biggest achievements, Dr Shallow said, have been an improvement in team selection which has boosted players’ confidence in getting a fair chance to represent West Indies, and a better relationship with CWI stakeholders.

Last March, the Skerritt-Shallow team defeated incumbent Dave Cameron and his running mate Emmanuel Nathan to take over the CWI leadership.

They had presented a ‘Cricket First Plan’ to revitalise West Indies cricket, that promised: the creation of a cricket-centric organisational culture; optimum use of technology for greater effectiveness; increased investment in grassroots cricket; enhancement of the franchise system; modernisation of coaching education; increased exposure for Under-23 and Under-19 players; re-evaluation of system of team selection; repair of stakeholder relations; decentralisation of High Performance system; and utilisation of regional technical expertise.

Speaking on the Mason & Guest radio show here on Tuesday night, Dr Shallow said the administration had made some progress in those areas.

“We have touched on just about all of these points,” he said. “In West Indies cricket, over the years, we have had quite a few hurdles that we have to jump over and bearing all that in mind, I think we have done a fairly good job for the last 12 months.”

Among the areas he gave his team

CWI president Rickey Skerritt (left) and vice-president Dr Kishore Shallow were elected last year March kudos for was revamping the selection commitment to improving the game. process.

Addressing the modernisation of the “This is one of the successes,” he said. coaching system, he pointed out that CWI had “We have seen players have increased confi- hired a specialist in development coaching, dence in our system again and players believe Australian Chris Brabazon, as its first-ever that they are now selected more on merit and coach education manager. The former Westare putting up their hands, as Jermaine Black- ern Australian Cricket Association coach dewood, as Hayden Walsh, and other players velopment manager signed a three-year deal have done.” and began work last December.

Dr Shallow also saw the CWI’s utilisation “He has been making some progress so of regional experts as an accomplishment. far,” Dr Shallow said.

Seven months after the new administraThe CWC vice-president also pointed to tion took office, Phil Simmons, who had been improved relationships with players, regional sacked by the Cameron-led CWI, was brought governments and the media, saying, “all of back as West Indies head coach. our stakeholders are equally important to us”.

That, said Dr Shallow, plus the inSpeaking specifically about the promise clusion of other former cricketers Floyd to create a cricket-centric organisational Reifer, Kenny Benjamin, Gus Logie and culture, he said CWI has been able to fulfil Courtney Walsh in the coaching staff, and its promise to move players “to the top of the involvement of Joel Garner, Brian Lara the priority ladder”. and Ramnaresh Sarwan in West Indies He said while the four-year cricket calcamps last year demonstrated the CWI’s endar would be affected by the coronavirus

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(COVID-19) pandemic that has forced cancellations and postponements in the sport, CWI now “has a guide to work with”.

Dr Shallow also pointed to CWI’s increased use of technology: “We have been using Zoom and the Internet generally, to facilitate meetings and reduce our expenses, being more cost effective. We have a selection analyst being more analytical,” he reported.

As for increased investment in grassroots, he said that was a work in progress.

“We have started the dialogue with the governments across the region and what we are saying is ‘let us hold hands in improving cricket, in developing grassroots cricket’ and we expect them to invest as Cricket West Indies intend to do, but we have to do this together.

And, quite frankly, they’ve been quite receptive to the idea. We have had a few discussions with Prime Ministers across the region and we intend to have a meeting with the other Prime Ministers at some point over the next two months,” he said.

Addressing the enhancement of the franchise system, the vice-president said one of the achievements has been getting players at that level to realise that they are professionals as well as to understand what is expected of them as far as fitness was concerned.

“We have seen an improved fitness. They have been responding positively to the call of fitness,” Dr Shallow said.

The number two at CWI said the organisation was fully committed to doing what it was voted in to do.

“We continue to address all the items on our 10-point plan and we are using this as a guide to ensure that we keep performing,” he said.

SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2020