Guyana Chronicle E-paper 5-31-2020

See Inside 31st May, 2020

, No.106015

‘WE NEED ANSWERS’ SEE PAGE 03

…Coalition ups pressure over electoral fraud claims

... GECOM cannot sail calmly to end of recount while concerns go unanswered PAGE

19

‘No total lockdown coming’

…but gov’t likely to extend curfew, other measures

PAGE

02

COVID-19 death toll rises to 12

-latest victim is second Palms resident to die from the disease PAGE

24

Sailor dies after falling into E'bo river

2

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, May 31, 2020

COVID-19 death toll rises to 12 -victim is second resident of the Palms to die from the disease

ANTOHER male resident of the Palms Geriatric Home has lost his life to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), making him the 12th person to lose their life to the disease, in Guyana.

The latest COVID-19 victim was 78-year-old John Damon, who died early Saturday, after a short bout with the disease. This was confirmed by the Ministry of Public Health in a press statement, on Saturday.

Damon became the second resident from the Palms to die, after contracting COVID-19. The first resident of the Palms to succumb due to COVID-19, was a 64-year-old male.

From the inception, the

World Health Organisation (WHO) had said that older persons, and those with underlying medical conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, and cancer, are more likely to

develop the serious forms of COVID-19.

Testimony of this was the death of not just the ‘Palms’ residents, but also Ms. Osa Collins, a 78-year-old resident of New Amsterdam; 77-year-old Colonel John Percy Leon Lewis; and 67-year-old Samuel Morris, who was diabetic.

Persons over the age of 65 years account for just about 6.4 per cent of the local population. And, with ‘The Palms’ being a facility which houses about 190 persons who form part of this section of the population, there is cause for concern, especially since the number of cases have increased.

Guyana Chronicle had reported recently that six elderly, female residents of the Palms Geriatric Home have tested positive for COVID-19, taking the number of confirmed cases at the facility to 12.

With elderly persons already being listed among the vulnerable population for COVID-19, the alarming increase in cases at the facility remains a concern for local authorities.

Director of Social Services, Wentworth Tanner, had said the additional six persons are stable, and are being monitored in a special isolation facility there.

“We have one isolation facility, which is the infirmary, but we are in the process of creating additional spaces for isolation… We had two wards under renovation, and so far, one is back in operation, but we are in the process of setting up another one to house additional persons,” Tanner said.

He said the goal is to have one ward to house all persons who test positive for COVID-19. But, as things stand now, he confirmed that other persons who were tested during the first round of

testing early this month are also in isolation and quarantine.

The containment measures are necessary, especially since it was established that there are asymptomatic persons who may not show symptoms of the disease, but could spread it to others, who, in some cases, might be more at risk for severe forms of the disease.

“As most people know,” Tanner said, “not everyone would show symptoms, so even screening can go so far and only so much they can achieve… That poses a challenge, but we are still screening persons who leave the facility and are returning.”

All visits to ‘The Palms’ have been suspended since March 30, and since then, persons, particularly staff of the facility, have been screened twice daily.

Tanner assured the Guyana Chronicle that the Ministry of Social Protection has been doing everything possible to reduce the spread of the disease at ‘The Palms’, and at other such facilities, to the extent that the ministry has also been partnering with local health authorities from the Ministry of Public Health.

When asked about plans that are being discussed, Tanner said the idea “on the table” is to conduct regular testing, and to test a wider section of the elderly population, especially those persons being housed at state-run homes.

“We will not just be testing the elderly persons, we will also be testing persons who are caring for those elderly persons, because we are faced with the situation where persons who work at those facilities do not live-in,” Tanner said.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, May 31, 2020

‘WE NEED ANSWERS’

3

…Coalition ups pressure over electoral fraud claims … GECOM cannot sail calmly to end of recount while concerns go unanswered

By Svetlana Marshall IN a stern statement on Saturday, the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) called on Guyanese to demand answers from the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) for the mountain of alleged cases of electoral fraud that have been unearthed during the ongoing National Recount of the ballots cast at the 2020 General and Regional Elections.

“We cannot sail calmly into the end of the recount while your concerns go unanswered, and a massive fraudulent operation was carried out on your electoral process; an operation which is systemic and pervasive,” APNU+AFC Campaign Manager, Joseph Harmon said as he called the Electorate to action.

While calling on Guyanese to demand answers from GECOM, Harmon pointed out that the ruling Coalition, in the last four days wrote a total of eleven letters to the Elections Commission on the irregularities that continue to surface, but has not gotten a response to date.

“You have a right to know what happened to your votes, and why persons who were not entitled to vote voted at your elections,” Harmon said. “You have a right to demand of your Elections Commission answers to questions raised by your political representative,” he

told the APNU+AFC’s support base.

Since the start of the recount on May 6, the APNU+AFC has been pointing to a number of alleged irregularities and anomalies, including cases of unscrupulous people voting for persons who are dead or were out of the jurisdiction on March 2, when General and Regional Elections were held here.

As the recount progressed, a range of other anomalies and discrepancies arose, including missing Official Lists of Electors (OLEs), Certificates of Employment, Oaths of Identity and Poll Books among other issues.

According to Harmon, in the past week, the magnitude of the irregularities has increased. In his address, he pointed to cases in which ballot boxes were discovered with the incorrect OLEs; ballots for one region were found to have been cast in another region; and the rejection of the Disciplined Services’ votes due to their being unstamped during the intermixing of the ballots on E-Day. MASSIVE VOTER-FRAUD “Over the period 26th to the 28th of May,” Harmon disclosed, “our agents have identified, and from GECOM’s own records confirmed, that there was massive voter-fraud in Districts 7 and 8. Our election agent

has written the Chairman of GECOM, calling for urgent

Zeroing in on Regions Seven and Eight, Harmon

APNU+AFC Campaign Manager, Joseph Harmon

investigation and response

by GECOM before the tabulated votes in the regions are announced.”

Over that period, the APNU+AFC reportedly identified 83 cases of irregularities. Based on the Coalition’s examination of the anomalies, it has concluded that Districts One (Barima-Waini), Seven (CuyuniMazaruni), Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) and Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) were specifically targeted for special operations by the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C).

pointed to a number of ballot boxes in which there were glaring irregularities.

“For example, in Ballot Box 7079,” he said, “352 ballots were issued one day, yet 377 were discovered in the box at the recount. In Ballot Box 7024, fifty (50) counterfoils were missing from the ballots issued. This means that fifty (50) ballots have been casted elsewhere. Similar occurrences were found in Ballot Box 7003, where the wrong list of electors was found in the box.”

Harmon further pointed out that “in Box 7060, the

list of electors ticked off for another station was found in this box,” while adding that there were seven (7) extra ballots cast in excess of the list and any other procedure which would allow it. The APNU+AFC, he said, has also taken note of what it describes as “the flagrant misuse” of Oaths of Identity, in which persons voted without any identification and without evidence of an oath of identity. According to Harmon, there were 326 such cases identified in 27 ballot boxes.

During the period May 26-28, the Coalition, while participating in the recounting of votes from District Eight, uncovered 83 cases in which persons without ID cards and oaths of identity were allowed to vote.

UNSTAMPED BALLOTS The alleged case of unstamped ballots cast by members of the Disciplined Services remain another outstanding issue that the Elections Commission must address, Harmon submitted.

Unstamped ballots are rejected, and are, therefore, not considered part of the valid votes that were cast.

That aside, Harmon said that the Coalition has thus far provided GECOM with a list of names with persons who are either dead or were out of the jurisdiction on Elections Day, but are marked off on the OLEs as having voted. “I can say to you that of the lists of

migrants we submitted to GECOM, 90% of those persons were confirmed by the Chief Immigration Officer as being out of the country on 2nd March 2020, and this information is with GECOM,” Harmon said, while adding that Death Certificates have also been provided.

Harmon, while iterating a position made known to the Elections Commission, said the APNU+AFC strongly believes that the irregularities unearthed to date are proof of electoral fraud and tampering of the ballot boxes, and as such, warrants an immediate investigation, as they impact the credibility of the electoral process.

EVIDENCE-BASED “My fellow Guyanese, as you can see, our intervention with GECOM has been based on evidence, and we require GECOM to act in a timely manner on these investigations, as the cumulative impact of these irregularities and fraud has a bearing on the validity of all votes. The qualitative figure so impacted is now in excess of 92,000,” Harmon said in his public address, while calling on GECOM to wake up.

“Get your act together!” he urged GECOM in his closing remarks. The duration of the recount has been extended until June 13.

75 active COVID-19 cases in Guyana GUYANA continues to record a consistent increase in the number of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases, with the latest statistics showing that the country recorded two new cases within the past 24 hours.

To date, the country has recorded 152 cases, but 67 persons have recovered and 12 persons have died.

There are, however, 75 active cases, of which 73 persons are in isolation and two persons are being treated in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

The new cases were found after health authorities tested 18 persons within the past 24 hours. To date, 1,604 persons have been tested, with 1,452 testing negative for the disease.

Health authorities continue to work towards strengthening the healthcare system to respond to COVID-19 on a long-term basis.

The potential and existing activi-

ties are part of the plan to have a comprehensive COVID-19 health network, whereby patients across the country’s 10 administrative regions will be able to access these services.

Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) remains the epicentre of the disease, and there are a number of communities outside of Georgetown which have recorded cases.

Among communities on the East Coast Demerara (ECD) where cases have been recorded are: Atlantic Gardens, Friendship, Golden Grove, Good Hope, Lusignan, Plaisance, and Strathspey. Among communities on the East Bank Demerara (EBD) where there were cases are: Diamond, Grove, Land of Canaan, Providence, and Timehri.

Health authorities are also placing emphasis on hinterland regions, especially now that three of the four hinterland regions have recorded cases of COVID-19. The need for surveillance in those regions is also

important because Guyana’s South American neighbour, Brazil, is now the epicentre for COVID-19 in the Region of the Americas.

In speaking about the situation in Regions One (Barima-Waini) and Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni)- two hinterland regions, Dr. Persaud said that Moruca, which is located in Region One, had its first case on May 21, 2020, but has since recorded nine cases to date, with one death. Region Seven also went from one case on May 10, 2020 to 15 cases, to date.

“As I highlighted, Region One has six per cent and Region seven has 10 per cent of positively confirmed cases…In the breakdown by age group and sex, the younger males, among the 25-29 age group are predominantly affected in Region One while in Region Seven, it is the 30-39 age group,” said Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr. Shamdeo Persaud, during a virtual COVID-19 update, on Friday.

The CMO said health authorities are aware that young men, in Region Seven, go into the mines in order to provide for themselves and families, but it does not mean that it should be done at the detriment of those persons around them.

He encouraged those persons to practise social distancing, wear a mask and participate in sanitising and hand-washing, regularly.

“To those who are going home, you must look to the family that you are going home to and all the people you interact with on the way.

Life is a treasure that we all need to appreciate, so don’t let us throw it away recklessly, let us collectively be considerate of each other.

“It is sad when you hear of the unnecessary pressures that persons who have recovered face; we stigmatize them; we shun them to the point of even scorning them and their loved ones. Imagine that the respect and honour that are due to a leader

in your community, who would have served wholeheartedly, are not given,” Dr. Persaud said.

He assured the nation that the public health ministry is not using these messages to bash men, but just using them as a means of sensitising and pleading with men to be more responsible and put the health of the nation, first.

COVID-19 remains a serious issue, not just here in Guyana, but globally as well. And, according to global statistics, there are over 5.7 million cases of COVID-19, with over 357,000 deaths. And with no approved treatment or cure, there is no assurance that persons will survive after contracting the disease.

In the absence of approved medications, governments and authorities across the world have employed a number of preventive measures to contain the spread of the disease.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, May 31, 2020

George Floyd death: Minnesota governor decries violent protests (BBC) Violent protests over the death of an unarmed African-American man at the hands of police officers in Minnesota "are no longer in any way" about his killing, the state's governor has said.

Tim Walz spoke after a night of unrest in several US cities over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

He said that as a result he was taking the unprecedented step of mobilising the state's entire National Guard.

There are also reports that military police units could deploy.

An ex-Minneapolis policeman has been charged with murder over the death of Mr Floyd, 46, in police custody on Monday.

Derek Chauvin, who is white, was shown in footage kneeling on Mr Floyd's neck for several minutes, even after he said he couldn't breathe. He and three other officers have since been sacked.

The video went viral online, reigniting US anger over police killings of black Americans, and reopening deep wounds over racial inequality across the nation.

On Friday night protesters clashed with police in cities including New York, Atlanta and Portland. In Washington DC, the White House was briefly locked down.

In Minnesota, "our great cities of Minneapolis and St.

A police car burns as protesters gather near the CNN offices in Atlanta, Georgia

Paul are under assault," Mr Walz said. "The situation in Minneapolis is now about attacking civil society, instilling fear and disrupting our great city."

He said violence on Friday night had made "a mockery of pretending this is about George Floyd's death, or inequities or historical traumas to our communities of colour".

He and other officials have suggested that many violent protesters came from outside the state Mr Chauvin, 44, is due to appear in court in Minneapolis for the first time on Monday.

President Donald Trump has described the incident as "a terrible, terrible thing" and said he had spoken with Mr Floyd's family, who he described as "terrific people".

On Saturday, Mr Trump praised the US Secret Service for securing the White House and blamed the violence on "organised groups".

WHAT'S THE LATEST ON THE PROTESTS? Minnesota remains the most volatile region, with curfews ordered for the Twin Cities of Minneapolis-Saint Paul from 20:00 to 06:00 on Friday and Saturday evening.

Protesters defied the cur-

few on Friday. Fires, many from burning cars, were visible in a number of areas with fire officials unable to reach some sites.

Television pictures also showed looting in Minneapolis, with police officers thin on the ground. Eventually about 500 National Guard troops moved in but Mr Walz said he was activating 1,000 more for Saturday night because of the "chaotic, dangerous and unprecedented" situation.

In Atlanta, Georgia, a state of emergency was declared for some areas to protect people and property.

Buildings were vandalised and a police vehicle was set alight as protesters gathered near the offices of news broadcaster CNN. Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms issued an impassioned plea, saying: "This is not a protest. This is not in the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr. You are disgracing our city. You are disgracing the life of George Floyd."

Rapper and activist Killer Mike also called for calm in Atlanta, despite saying he was also "mad as hell". "It is your duty not to burn your own house down for anger with an enemy," he said in an

emotional speech.

WHAT ARE THE LEGAL MOVES SO FAR? Mr Chauvin has been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter over his role in Mr Floyd's death.

Mr Floyd's family and their lawyer, Benjamin Crump, said that this was "welcome but overdue".

The family said they wanted a more serious, first-degree murder charge as well as the arrest of the three other officers involved.

Hennepin County Prosecutor Mike Freeman said he "anticipates charges" for the other officers but would not offer more details.

According to the criminal complaint, Mr Chauvin acted with "a depraved mind, without regard for human life".

Meanwhile, Mr Chauvin's wife has filed for divorce, her lawyers say.

HOW DID GEORGE FLOYD DIE? The full report by the county medical examiner has not been released, but the complaint states that the post-mortem examination did not find evidence of "traumatic asphyxia or

strangulation".

The medical examiner noted Mr Floyd had underlying heart conditions and the combination of these, "potential intoxicants in his system" and being restrained by the officers "likely contributed to his death".

The report says Mr Chauvin had his knee on Mr Floyd's neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds - almost three minutes of which was after Mr Floyd became non-responsive.

Nearly two minutes before he removed his knee the other officers checked Mr Floyd's right wrist for a pulse and were unable to find one. He was taken to the Hennepin County Medical Center in an ambulance and pronounced dead around an hour later.

The Minnesota police handbook states that officers trained on how to compress a detainee's neck without applying direct pressure to the airway can use a knee under its use-of-force policy. This is regarded as a non-deadlyforce option.

WHAT HAPPENED IN THE ARREST? Officers suspected Mr Floyd had used a counterfeit $20 note and were attempting to put him in a police vehicle when he dropped to the ground, telling them he was claustrophobic.

According to police, he physically resisted officers and was handcuffed.

Video of the incident does not show how the confrontation started, but a white officer can be seen with his knee on Mr Floyd's neck, pinning him down.

Mr Floyd can be heard saying "please, I can't breathe" and "don't kill me".

A former local nightclub owner has said Mr Chauvin and Mr Floyd both worked as bouncers at her venue in south Minneapolis up until last year, though it is unclear if they knew one another.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, May 31, 2020

700 ballot boxes to be processed

…recount in 6 regions completed With all of the ballots recounted from six of the 10 Electoral Districts, there remain 700 Ballot Boxes to be processed by the Elections Secretariat.

On Saturday – Day 25 of the National Recount of the March 2 Votes – 84 ballot boxes were processed at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) bringing the total number of processed boxes to 1, 639.

According to the Guyana Elections Commission’s (GECOM’s) Public Relations Officer (PRO) Yolanda Ward, of the 84 boxes processed on Saturday, 25 were from Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), 27 were from Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), six from Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni), 11 from Region Nine (Upper Taku-

tu-Upper Essequibo) and 15 from Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).

Notably, the six ballot boxes from Region Eight were last of 55 that were to be processed. In addition to District Eight, all of the votes in Region One (Barima-Waini), Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), Region Three (Essequibo Islands – West Demerara), Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) and Region Seven (Cuyuni Mazaruni) have been recounted.

At the completion of each ballot box at the level of the workstations, a Statement of Recount (SOR) is generated, and according to Ward, 1,593 SORs for General Elections have been tabulated within the Tabulation Centre at ACCC while 1,597 SORs for

the Regional Elections have been tabulated.

REGION ONE Based on the votes recounted for Region One, the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) secured 3,909 votes in the General Elections while the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP) raked in 170, PPP/C 8002, People’s Republic Party 24 and the United Republican Party, six – a total number of 12,111 valid votes cast. According to statistics coming out of GECOM’s Tabulation Centre at the ACCC, there were 328 rejected ballots and 41 spoilt ballots.

In the Regional Elections, the APNU+AFC raked in 3,843 votes while LJP secured 144, the PPP/C, 7, 996

and the URP 77 votes. There were a total of 12, 060 valid votes cast by a total of 12, 440 persons who had presented themselves on March 2 to vote in Region One. REGION TWO Meanwhile in Region Two, the APNU+AFC secured 7,340 votes in the General Elections while the PPP/C raked in 18,785 votes.

A New and United Guyana (ANUG) received 85 votes while Change Guyana (CG) 151, LJP 121, PRP 57, The Citizenship Initiative (TCI) 18 and URP 64. In total, there were 26,621 valid votes cast.

For the Regional Elections, the APNU+AFC received 7,290 votes while its primary contender – the PPP/C – secured 18, 755.

The smaller parties, Change Guyana (CG) raked in 216 votes while LJP secured 135 and URP 95. There was a

total of 26,491 valid voters in the Regional Elections for Region Two. REGION FIVE In Region Five, there were a total of 33, 119 valid votes cast in the General Elections of which the APNU+AFC secured 14,502 based on the votes recounted and the PPP/C, 18,326. The remainder of the valid votes went to ANUG – 88, CG –100, PRP – 52, TCI – 22, TMN – 10 and URP – 19.

Based on the tabulated figures by GECOM, there were 256 rejected ballots and 61 spoilt ballots.

In the Regional Elections for that Electoral District, there were 33,004 valid votes cast of which the PPP/C secured the highest number with 18, 286 followed by the APNU+AFC with 14, 472.

The remainder of the valid votes went to CG – 127, PRP

5

– 59 and URP – 60. There were a total of 374 rejected ballots in the Regional Elections for Region Five.

REGION SEVEN In Cuyuni-Mazaruni District, the APNU+AFC secured the highest number of votes, securing some 4,813 votes while the PPP/C raked in 3,728 votes in the General Elections. ANUG secured 77 votes, while CG raked in 67, LJP – 884, and the URP – 23.

There were a total of 9,592 valid votes cast while 164 were rejected.

For the Regional Elections in Region Seven, the APNU+AFC secured 4,839 votes while the PPP/C received 3,703 votes followed

by LJP with 925 votes. URP secured some 62 votes.

There were a total of 9, 529 valid votes and 227 rejected ballots.

Dutch call for results in controversial Suriname elections of murder and wielding brute force to hold on to power, stated on Friday that he will order a recount of ballots if he

Desi Bouterse at a military parade following his inauguration as President of the Republic of Suriname, August 12, 2010 Pieter van MaeleWikimedia CommonsCC-BY

(NLTIMES) Dutch diplomats have been joined by their EU and British counterparts in calling on political parties in Suriname to respect the democratic process after the country's parliamentary elections were held on Monday.

In a joint statement with its allies, Dutch representatives in the country's capital of Paramaribo expressed hope that the results would

be released swiftly and peacefully after four days of tabulating votes.

The election represents a potential milestone for the embattled South American democracy, with its autocratic president Desi Bouterse seeking a third term in office against the possibility of going to prison if he loses the race. According to the preliminary results, the opposition party

led by Chan Santokhi appears positioned to seize an historic victory.

According to the Dutch embassy, all stages of the election process have been closely monitored, with representatives of the Organization of American States (OAS) expressing concern that the situation may take a turn for the worse.

President Bouterse, embroiled in allegations

loses the election. By the week's end, the president appeared to be trailing the opposition by a considerable margin, according to

reports by several media outlets in Suriname, the Caribbean, public broadcaster NOS and Deutsche Welle.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, May 31, 2020

Are the elections credible?

GECOM has announced that it intends to wrap up the ongoing recount sometime in mid-June. It is expected that once the recount is completed, the CEO would make a report to the full Commission, which would then make a final declaration. But until that time, GECOM would have to address its mind to the growing instances of fraud that are being uncovered by the APNU+AFC. There does not appear to be any consensus yet among the commissioners on how to treat with this critical issue. This is, of course, due to the fact that the PPP has not yet come to grips with what is daily unfolding at the Arthur Chung Conven-

tion Centre.

There can be no doubt that the central issue before GECOM is the credibility of the election. After all the manipulation and abuse that have been uncovered, can the elections be deemed to be free, fair, and credible?

Thanks to the recount, the public now knows that the manipulation of the system actually began with the bloated voters’ list. We now know why the PPP fought tooth and nail to maintain the list in its current state. Many learned legal scholars and practitioners are now saying that the court may have erred in its ruling that those who have migrated should not be removed from the list.

The end result is that we

went to the election with a list that facilitated massive fraud by the PPP. That Party’s explanation that the padded list was legal does not cut it; fraud is fraud, and hiding behind the court’s ruling on the matter is not a plausible excuse. GECOM itself has to bear in mind that it agreed to stop the houseto-house registration under pressure from the PPP. That was also an error that may have come back to haunt the process.

The PPP is trying its level best to bully GECOM into declaring them the winner, based on how they think the recount would end. But, as Commissioner Alexander has said over and over again, the principal purpose of the re-

count is to ascertain the credibility of the election; not the winner. Once that process is over, GECOM must make a determination, based on all the evidence before it. The quicker the PPP gets that into its head, the better it would be for all involved.

Of course, the question is if the elections were deemed

by GECOM to be less than credible, what should be done. This is a complex question, but one that GECOM must be very clear about before the process ends. Does it annul the election? The PPP is arguing that GECOM cannot make that pronouncement; that that is a matter for the court. We reject that reading out-of-hand. GECOM has been deemed by the court

to have the power to respond to and correct instances of irregularities. And surely if those irregularities turn out to be the rule rather than the exception, then it follows that GECOM can annul the entire election.

Then there is the case of the declarations that have already been made by the returning officers of the ten regions. Those declarations which were placed in abeyance, pending the recount are not dead. Those who have questioned the legality of the recount have contended that those declarations should be the basis of the official declaration of the winner. No doubt, the PPP would have none of that. So, it is incumbent upon GECOM to decide

what to do in that regard.

It is quite obvious then, that GECOM has its work cut out. Under normal circumstances, one would hope that good sense prevails. But that is a scarce commodity for some of the commissioners who place party loyalty over the Constitution and the institution they pledge to serve. The rest of the Commission should not allow themselves to be held hostage by the three party officials from Freedom House. Guyana has waited almost three months for the legitimate winner to be duly declared, and a president to be sworn in.

The deadly pandemic that young people can stop Dear Editor, IMAGINE a global epidemic that kills over 20 times as many people as COVID-19 has to date, every single year. Imagine its cause is not a virus but a consumer product sold legally around the world.

Imagine the product’s makers invest heavily to recruit new, mostly younger users to replace the millions of older consumers the product kills every year.

No need to imagine. Every year, tobacco products kill more than 8 million people, and cause the suffering and disability of many more.

As with COVID-19 and other diseases, scientists and public-health specialists try to prevent these deaths by doing research, in this case,

on the dangers of tobacco.

Thanks to their work, we know unequivocally that tobacco consumption increases the risk of heart and lung disease and cancer; indeed, 25% of all cancer deaths globally are linked to tobacco use. Exposure to second-hand smoke is linked to the loss of more than 1 million lives each year.

And there are many other ways that tobacco, whether through cigarettes, cigars or chewing tobacco, is bad for people’s health: It can cause mouth cancer, tooth loss, bad breath, gum disease, wrinkly skin, and immune system weakness.

The tobacco industry spends over $9 billion annually to persuade consumers, especially young people, to disregard those known dangers and to view tobacco

use as modern, sophisticated, grown-up, and cool. They do this through direct advertising wherever they can, though many countries now ban or restrict tobacco advertising, as well as through social media influencers and corporate sponsorship. They also use marketing techniques such as product placement in movies and other forms of entertainment, and by developing special-appeal niche products that purport to be “safer”, project a certain style, appeal to men, women or younger users, or a combination of the foregoing.

But what about electronic nicotine delivery systems and electronic non-nicotine delivery systems, known as e-cigarettes? These latest nicotine-delivery devices at first seemed to be in com-

petition with tobacco; but not for long. As millions of consumers have become addicted to nicotine by using these devices, big tobacco companies have bought up or invested in the leading e-cigarette companies. These, in turn, have used tactics similar to the tobacco industry’s to attract and addict young people. A key example: Before some countries banned the practice, e-cigarettes were being offered in more than 15,000 flavours, many of them clearly aimed at children and adolescents.

A growing body of research shows that e-cigarettes, just like tobacco products, are extremely addictive, and increase the risk of heart disease and lung disorders.

Research shows that children and adolescents who use

e-cigarettes at least double their chances of becoming cigarette smokers later in life. A recent Lancet study found that starting to smoke during childhood doubles the risk of dying before age 70. In a number of countries in the Americas, more than 1 in 5 kids have tried their first cigarette before age 10.

There is a good reason that tobacco and e-cigarette makers view young people as their most important customers; without them, these industries have no future.

That puts a lot of power into young people’s hands.

On this year’s World No Tobacco Day, May 31, the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) are calling on young people around the world to stand up

against the tobacco industry; to resist their advertising and marketing, expose their deceptive tactics, and keep them from recruiting new users to replace those their products kill. We also call on governments to protect youths from the industry’s misinformation by banning tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship.

The future belongs to today’s young people, so educate yourself, speak out, spread awareness. You are the generation that can stop this pandemic and create a tobacco-free world.

Regards, Jarbas Barbosa (Dr. Jarbas Barbosa is Assistant Director of the Pan American Health Organisation)

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, May 31, 2020

Guyana’s democracy is under serious threat Dear Editor, AT this point in our tapestried history, Guyana may be facing the single most serious threat to our democratic credentials in our history. While Guyana has been under oligarchic, dictatorial rule before now, most recently during the reign of the PPP regime which was unceremoniously voted out of office by a disgusted populace in 2015, it is becoming increasingly evident that the PPP, led by the same oligarchs and dictators, is doing everything possible to seize political power, and, possibly, establish an even more brutal dictatorship than existed

prior to 2015.

Of course, Guyanese would be aware that the PPP, since losing power, planned and plotted, schemed and conspired to remove the democratically-elected APNU+AFC administration.

The conspiracy was activated on December 21, 2018 when a no-confidence vote was placed on the table in Parliament.

After numerous, often frivolous and contradictory court cases, unjustified protests, and other PPP shenanigans, democracy remained the front-runner. As is often the case, good has, so far, triumphed over evil. The PPP’s anti-democratic nature is clear for all to see; their

evil plans, though, have, and continue to be defeated.

And now we have reached the point where a recount and forensic audit of the general and regional elections of March, 2, 2020 is being conducted by GECOM, and what is being revealed by the process is a multi-pronged, multi-faceted, systemic, centrally-directed, diabolical scheme by the PPP bosses to illegally acquire political power, not only as an end in itself, but also as a means of getting their hands on Guyana’s natural resources, and on taxpayers’ money.

With the recount at the halfway point at the time of the writing of this article, much has already been re-

PSC recommendation void of reason Dear Editor,

IT is very scary to hear the Private Sector Commission suggesting that returning Guyanese should be homequarantined. Apparently they are not quite au fait with Guyanese or their way of life. There isn’t a Guyanese who is staying home presently, even though the COVID-19 is increasing in Guyana. Many houses in Guyana are overcrowded, so which part exactly will these returning Guyanese be quarantined? We've already seen cases of families being infected in Guyana, and I am quite sure that even if they agree to certain rules, it’s because they are in a situation. I am quite sure they will go against their agreement; some have already done that. Now, for the PSC to be thinking of such nonsense to endanger us is outright ridiculous, and I would never agree to that.

Editor, it’s the first time I've heard of Guyanese garnering sympathies to return home, especially from the USA. Majority of them willingly left these shores, knowing of the existence of the pandemic, and many would not have returned if the circumstances were different.

The USA is one of the hardest hit with this pandemic, and because of that, they are attempting to run away from there now. Those in other countries might not have family or friends to brace them, thus they would find it hard, because I've heard of stories where many other countries are not so hospitable to Guyanese, and mind you, their lockdown is more serious than Guyana’s.

Every day, Guyanese are carelessly going about their daily lives without giving a second thought to the dangers they are putting themselves and other in. Around where I reside, every day you could see

parents taking their small children/babies for a stroll, going to shop, liming and even playing without proper protection. People are ganging up to discuss politics and this virus. Minibus operators are still forcing people to sit four and three in a seat, whilst the police are allowing them to pass without stopping them, because they are known to one another. If people follow the guidelines, I am quite sure Guyana would not be so severely hit, but, as I’ve mentioned before, Guyanese have a tendency to take things for granted.

This pandemic is spreading, and it is seeping into Guyana via various means, and I for one will never allow anyone in or out of Guyana, unless we have a better solution to combat this Coronavirus.

Regards, Sahadeo Bates

Time for shared governance Dear Editor,

WHETHER it is shared-governance, national-front government, government of national unity or inclusive government that is finally determined for future Guyana, the process to make that decision must be managed by the widest cross-section of Guyanese, with equal representation from all quarters.

The two major political parties, PPP and PNC, had plenty of chances, and frequently made promises, but both were short in bringing about the necessary constitutional changes. Guyanese cannot continue to rely on the political elites, and expect different results from them. Would they, the politicians, put the interest of all Guyana at the forefront, or would they continue to put party survival first?

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vealed about how the criminal enterprise that the PPP has become had planned and connived to rig the elections, undermine Guyana’s democracy, and steal Guyana’s patrimony. It was found that dead people have voted for the PPP, and that people who were overseas on Election Day have voted for the PPP. In PPP strongholds, there were more votes for the PPP than there were actually people. Poll books have been found to be missing, documentary procedures were wantonly violated, and the list goes on. It may be fair to say at this point that the elections were absolutely not credible, and the process

is so flawed, that it was not even remotely democratic.

Surprisingly, there has been little, if any, condemnation of the PPP’s actions by the developed countries, which like to represent themselves as the bastions of democracy. That fact is particularly disappointing.

The question now arises: What is GECOM’s margin of error in elections? How much is too much; 10 dead people voting, 100 dead people, 1000? One may also ask when and how does GECOM intend to address the obvious fraud perpetrated by the PPP? Further, in what role, if any, does GECOM see itself as a protector of Guyana’s de-

mocracy?

One would remember the days when Guyanese were terrorised and killed by death squads on the land, and by pirates on the high seas. One recalls the abuse of women by ministers of government. Who could forget the assassinations, public threats, open corruption, and brazen muzzling of the press? We must never go back to those dark days; we must protect our democracy with all our might.

Regards, Mark DaCosta

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, May 31, 2020

Justice Claudette Singh-the most consequential judge in the history of Guyana’s elections Dear Editor: This is the legacy of Justice Claudette Singh SC CCH, the most consequential judge in the history of Guyana’s elections both at the judiciary and the administrative level of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

Justice Singh may not have been accorded the honour of being appointed Chief Justice of Guyana even though she was due, eminently qualified and experienced to so do. She was denied not because another was better than her. Rather, she was denied because in presiding over the first elections petition ever filed in the history of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, she embraced the full tenets of her profession allowing Lady Justice to rule with-

out fear or favour, breaking historical ground in our judicial system, to vitiate an election declaring Janet Jagan President in 1997.

Justice Singh in her January 2001 ruling has set judicial standards as to what free, fair and transparent elections are and should be.

In 2020 she is once again setting a record.

This time on credible elections, adjudicating the issue of arithmetic and corrupted processes. The end result will determine whether a corrupted process can yield credible results.

Justice Singh is once again breaking historical ground as the first female to hold the chairmanship of GECOM after being acceptable as “fit and proper” defined in accordance with the laws governing said appointment. In her chairmanship of GECOM, she is once again

setting precedents in facilitating the first national elections recount in the history of Guyana and therefore an administrative attempt to settle disputes outside of the framework of an elections petition.

Justice Singh has the unenviable title today of presiding over the first elections where international and domestic interference have seen massive efforts to destabilise every effort of GECOM to operate consistent with the Laws of Guyana; undermining the integrity of GECOM officials. Hers is also the distinct opportunity to expose the weaknesses and discrepancies of the entire process that requires urgent address for credibility of future elections and avoidance of interference.

The detractors of Claudette Singh are

many. These are the persons who were and are likely to still be aggrieved by her decision-making when not in their favour. She also falls victim to those who orchestrate, spearhead and support the misinformation campaign in our society. The extremist who believe that it must be either their way or no way. They believe they have the right to determine how society views reality and this should be done through their jaundiced lens. They know themselves and we know who they are. Though they pretend to care about democracy all we see is more effort to cover their skullduggery.

Regards Lincoln Lewis

Some politicians only want the Carter Center Time for to intervene when it suits their purpose shared ...

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The ethno makeup of Guyana, (Indo 40%, Afro 30%, Mixed 20% Amerindian 10%), is such that the fear of one race dominating the Government is no longer there. The fear which exists is that political elites are still around, and will maintain the system to meet their own needs. How many of the majority of party supporters can honestly admit that they benefitted fairly from their Party’s promises?

Guyanese’s current experience makes it compulsory for fundamental changes to be made to the Constitution and electoral process. Guided by the Preamble and Article 13 of the Constitution, a task force made up of the widest cross-section of Guyanese, including the donkey-cart owner, with equal voice, should be preferred to come up with the ‘fit and prappa’ changes to take multi-ethnic Guyana forward. Further, the modifications decided upon should not only apply to the three branches of Government, but should also have relevance to political parties and all other government institutions. The National Assembly must be tied to the time-frame set by the Task Force, and ensure that the changes are put into effect without delay.

Regards, Faiyaz Alli

Dear Editor,

WE respond to an inquiry as regards our position on the Carter Center’s exclusion from the recount process.

We had to take some time to respond, since the answer should be almost self-evident. We had to take the opportunity to examine the nature of these requests from the press, and at least the expectation from others for TIGI to comment on issues.

While it is reassuring to know that our opinions are sought, our mission also includes advocacy for change in laws, policies, and procedures that would eliminate corruption, regardless which party forms the government and practices it.

We had to ask ourselves why the press is eager to report what we say, and others what we do not say when we are silent, but take no action to follow up on exposures we make that have national implications. During 2019, TIGI made several exposures on the oil contract that should have made the press push for comments from others, like the Bar Association.

We are not aware that this has occurred.

TIGI brought to the awareness of the nation certain issues about the contract that did not require a lawyer to understand. The press should have pressed for answers from other organisations. For ex-

ample, the clear implication that was made was that the Procurement Commission (PC) did not know its job, insofar as their officials claimed that the Procurement Act did not include petroleum exploration services in its scope, making Guyana the first country in the world to exclude petroleum, the Mother of all Corruption from its scope.

Since those articles were published, coincidentally perhaps, SARA has claimed that two contracts signed since 2016 were in breach of the Act. Clearly the PC should be made to explain the consistency between the two; either the Procurement Act includes petroleum services in its scope or it does not. And the Bar Association should have been asked for comment.

The question as to whether the Carter Center should have been allowed to witness the recount process relates to a bigger problem: Constitutional breaches. We refer you to a report in the KN of March 13, 2019, the title of which says it all: “Our politicians only want to obey the law and the Constitution when it suits them”( https://www.kaieteurnewsonline. com/2019/03/13/our-politiciansonly-want-to-obey-the-law-andthe-constitution-when-it-suitsthem-sanjeev-datadin/) Ditto for the Carter Center.

They only want the Carter Center to visit, and in general, want

the attention of foreigners in our affairs when it suits them. As TIGI grappled with a position on the electoral developments since December 2018, we were astonished by what we found. We asked the simple question as to why our partner CARICOM countries did not have such problems with no-confidence motions. The answer was simple: Their Constitutions vested another functionary other than the head of government and head of the party in power, with the authority to put the head of government out of office. The Constitutions of our partners do not carry provisions that require the head of government to fire himself, as it were.

Clearly, whoever were the politicians and legal minds who put the revised draft of the Constitution together, they wanted the kind of arrangement that was going to await the day when the failure to separate the roles would explode in our faces as it has now. Will you ask the great constitutional minds, such as are still alive, why they allowed this?

Guyana’s Constitution (Article 38A) requires that such actors of civil society that have mobilised be supported by government.

Article 32 puts a duty upon every citizen to combat violations of the law, and protect public property. Surely the Bar Association should be expected to take the lead in such a duty when there is

a claim of breach of responsibility

by State actors that have obvious national consequences.

If you are the press, you should press them for answers to the questions we have raised rather than continually ask us to make comments, which might fill pages for a time, and then fade away.

Electoral impasses have been with us for decades. In fact, that is what brought the Carter Center here in the first place. Why you would feel that we would have any other answer than they should be allowed to extend their vigilance to this round of observation if they require it is a puzzle.

We end by pointing out that the failure of the Guyanese society to even appear to be following its own rules which it has set for itself trivialises our society before foreigners. If we cannot follow our own laws, how do we expect them to be inclined to follow them?

But worse, TIGI has shown where successive governments of Guyana have bent and broken our laws and Constitution to accommodate foreign multinationals. We see constitutional compliance as a continuum, a necessary habit; not a failure to be attended to only as it applies to electoral issues.

Regards, Frederick Collins

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, May 31, 2020

2020 POLLS –

PLOTTERS AND PLAYERS

AS I was expecting an easy win for the Coalition at the March 2, 2020 elections, I wrote in this column that the APNU+AFC was heading for the “Triple Crown.”

I had least expected an opposition plot to rig the polls, glaring evidence of which has not only surfaced at the recount of the ballots cast, but could taint the credibility of the elections on the ground of fraud.

Among the claims of fraud are (i) ballots cast for the dead and persons who have migrated; (ii) persons voting without proper identification; (iii) persons voting outside of their districts without employment documents; (iv) large numbers of improperly stamped ballots at locations where disciplined services members voted; (v) missing poll books; (vi) documents from one polling station being found in the ballot boxes of another, etc..

These particulars of fraud are sufficient to materially alter the credible outcome of polling, and to render the 2020 elections as being free but not fair.

The 2020 fiasco was long in planning. Most of the domestic plotters and players are well known. Still emerging is the full profile of the hidden foreign hands with strategic political connections. Their interference in the internal affairs of a small but sovereign state will be eventually exposed.

CAN’T BREATHE That interference was intended to suck the oxygen of democracy from Guyana, and also to stifle the free will of other peoples in the Caribbean. It has, or eventually will have, much the same effect on our Caribbean peoples as those in the United States of America who righteously feel, in the tragic re-enactment of the unjust fate of their martyr George Floyd, that they “can’t breathe.”

I write with outrage today, my lungs saturat-

ed in my own tears, over what was described as the savage lynching of another African-American literally choked by the neck until dead! Our fate in the Caribbean when foreign masters jackbooted in our lands, has been no different, and will be no different should they return this time around, by invitation.

The defeat of the PPP at the 2015 poll was a major setback for the corrupt and criminal enterprise that had thrived over many years on unjust enrichment. Initially, the PPP blamed its defeat on “elections-rigging,” and falsely conjured the image of the Granger presidency as being synonymous with elections-rigging. That drum was beaten by the PPP’s racist, right-wing falange even as the Coalition delivered in 2016 and, again, in 2018, free and fair local government elections that were denied for some 20 years previously.

FOREIGN CITIZENSHIP During November 2018, the PPP tabled a no-confidence motion against the Coalition at a time when the President was ill and was receiving medical attention overseas. The PPP succeeded in its enlistment of a Coalition MP with foreign citizenship to support the motion which he did, as he boasted, out of ethno-religious/racist convictions.

The legitimacy of the no-confidence vote was canvassed before all the layers of the Guyana judicial system during which process the Coalition had a diminished image as a caretaker government. In the intervening period there was a protracted search for a “fit and proper” person to become Chairman of the Elections Commission. The PPP suggested names of persons who could not be appointed, but who would enlist later in the so-called united opposition to the Coalition.

It must have been evident that the PPP, not hopeful of

a victory at the polls, was doing everything to frustrate compilation of a credible voters list that was based on new house-to-house registration.

It resorted to court challenges, one after the other, resulting in the register not being cleansed of the names of all persons who have died or who have migrated. The final list of electors was bloated, and had some 660,000 names in a population of 750,000.

That was a recipe for rigging, which the PPP exploited as the evidence is now showing.

SCRIPT FOR RIGGING The actual script for the rigging was a composite of what happened in the Guyana 1964 elections and more recent regime-change formats, such as that used in Bolivia. Several new parties surfaced, some with foreign citizens as leaders. These were not to gather votes but to add to opposition voices to isolate the government.

Some old reactionary operatives who had worked with foreign plotters in the 60s and in the70s were dusted off, and thrown into the choir. So too were a couple of disgruntled ex-army and police officers. Of course, to give the plan ideological image, PPP loyalists in the private sector were allowed to jump on the bandwagon.

The plotters and players seemed to have had the show on the road. They reported that everything went smoothly on E-Day. However, they miscalculated as declaration of the final results was marred by a toxic combination of opposition-led interruption of the vote-tabulation process and by street violence. Then, at the opposition’s behest, an Order was made by the Constitutional Court for a recount of the ballots cast on March 2.

The recount is being managed by the elections commission which is the sole agency that is authorised under the Constitution to conduct elections in Guyana. It had set itself an initial time frame of 25

days to complete the recount process. However, this time frame has now been extended and final results of the elections ought to be declared on or by June 16.

DEMOCRACY WORKS… It is said that democracy works slowly but surely,

as we have seen in Israel where, after three elections within a single year, no party has emerged as the winner.

Instead, the two major political parties have agreed to form a coalition government.

I cannot say if in Guyana this could be the preferred outcome. But it is still my undying hope that

the 2020 experience should send a clear message that neither foreign intervention nor ethnic contest for domination would be in Guyana’s national interest.

Knowing what we are, and who we are, we need governance in Guyana and in the Caribbean that should make us all breathe.

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Op-Ed

Beware the person who cries the loudest

By Adam Harris

I SPENT my childhood in some of the best communities. I lived at La Jalousie and Den Amstel, West Demerara, before I settled in the community of my birth, Beterverwagting, East Coast Demerara.

In each of these communities, I witnessed many things.

I remember returning from a shop in Beterverwagting when a man ran past me shouting “Thief.

Thief.” Behind him was a crowd shouting the same thing. It wasn’t until a member of the crowd told me that the man who ran past was the thief who was ensuring his escape.

The thief managed to escape because he first made noise. No one attempted to hold him.

I was on a radio programme with Enrico Woolford, Gordon Moseley and Mikhail Rodrigues, who most people know as Critic, when I recalled the fleeing thief. The topic on that programme was the election.

Critic introduced the word ‘rig.’ In his book, the coalition was attempting to rig the election.

I queried his conclusion. I contended that he was merely parroting something that one of the political parties, and some selected observers, were claiming. And this claim was endemic since every member of the political opposition kept repeating that the late Forbes Burnham had rigged elections on Guyana. That mantra never changed although Burnham has been dead for thirty-five years.

When Jimmy Carter came ahead of the 1992 elections, the cry was that the People’s National Congress was preparing to rig the elections.

So it was that counting at the place

of poll became a part of the elections process. Further, there was a new Guyana Elections Commission that was intended to be in place for elections that were held in 1992.

For all the talk of Burnham rigging elections in the past, I do not believe that Guyana should have been proud of those elections in 1992. They were rigged. Using a simple method, the controllers simply disenfranchised thousands of Government supporters. There was the official list of electors, copies of which were posted outside the polling stations.

A voter would check the list and would see his or her name. However, on entering the polling place, though, the voter would find that his or her name was not on the list in the presence of the presiding officer. In Georgetown, thousands were disenfranchised. The Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission was Rudy Collins. He had the full support of the United States Ambassador, the late George Fleming Jones, who was said to have been working closely with Jimmy Carter.

The fact that separate lists were printed could only be considered a sophisticated mode of rigging.

But rigging was not pronounced on. Guyana later heard that it had returned to democracy.

Every other election in the country was rigged but no one made that claim in the media. There were the phantom votes and multiple voting but no one checked the ballot boxes.

Those who made accusations of rigging were deemed sore losers. And so life continued in Guyana until March 2, 2020. In the wake of those elections, Mikhail Rodrigues and some others accused the coalition

Adam Harris

of rigging the polls. The recount resulted from those claims.

I remember Enrico, in the wake of the rigging accusation, saying that he who shouts about rigging the loudest may very well be the chief rigger. And the Political opposition was really screaming.

Some people crawled out of the woodwork to add their voices to the wail. They zeroed on what has become known as the Mingo count.

Some who were supposed to be neutral suddenly shed their neutrality and clamoured for the recount to be limited to Region Four.

One observer actually wrote a letter to the Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission to proclaim that there were no problems with the other regions. The recount has found otherwise.

When I was active in the church I learnt about the resurrection. The

priest always spoke of the grand awakening; when the dead would be caught up because the graves would open.

I didn’t understand. I simply pictured a host of decayed people rising from the bowels` of the earth.

And in my quiet moments, I pitied those who were cremated. There would be no rising up for them.

Unfortunate for people like me, no date was given for the dead vacating their graves. I did not know that this would happen on March 2, 2020.

Hundreds of dead people voted.

It had to be a bacchanal because people were suddenly reunited with their dead relatives. But they kept the reunion a secret. The recount exposed this secret.

Perhaps, the prophesy of the dead coming back to life, if only for a brief moment, prevented any claim of electoral rigging. From my vantage point, I wondered why Burnham and Janet Jagan did not come to the party. Papa Cheddi was cremated so he could not have had an awakening.

When the announcement was made that observations of electoral fraud would be made, some people in the opposition, especially the lawyers like Anil Nandlall and Sase Gunraj, remembered that such claims should be proceeded with through an elections petition.

Similarly, when the declaration was made on March 13, the objections should have been proceeded with by way of an elections petition. Instead, the vocal opposition decided to shun that option. That was why the recount came about.

So, some people want to apply the rules when it suits them and shun the very rules when they find

it convenient. In addition to the reawakening of the dead, there was magic, the likes of which would have made David Copperfield look like a novice. People voted from their homes overseas. One can understand a vote by proxy, but actually marking a ballot from overseas and placing that ballot in a box in Guyana was a feat par excellence.

The discovery of these strange happenings has not been seen as rigging. Instead, there have been debates about whether the Guyana Elections Commission has the power to investigate the strange happenings. People have threatened to go to court. There have even been attempts to dry up the source of death certificates. One Commissioner, Glenn Hanoman, wrote a letter to the Registrar General asking that the person withhold any further release.

This must be an attempt to cover up a crime.

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, in his usual brusque manner, promised to jail all those who provided information and documents that led to the conclusion of dead people voting and foreign-based Guyanese casting their ballot. I would have thought that he would have called for an investigation among his party ranks into the wrongdoing. Rather, he seems to be condoning it.

And to my surprise, the issue of the dead and foreign-based Guyanese is not as big as Clairmont Mingo’s declaration. It is not worthy of media coverage.

The bottom line is that there has been a steady mobilization of opposition, sometimes at great financial cost to the mobiliser, to the coalition government.

Mental health services in Guyana

IN many ways, the month of May has been a triumph for raising mental health awareness, especially within the context of the greatest global health pandemic to confront humanity, possibly since the bubonic plague. Despite the upheaval to our lives and the emergence of what is being termed ‘the new normal’, mental health awareness has certainly gained traction.

Over the course of the month, I have discussed global and local statistics on mental illnesses, and I have found that mental illness is much more prevalent in our society than we might have imagined. Not just on a global level but also here locally in Guyana. In countries such as the USA and UK, mental illness affects approximately 1 in 5 adults.

A startling statistic for something which is so often swept under the rug. Similarly, after discussions with local professionals here in Guyana, it would appear that we are indeed within that same estimation of 1 in 5 persons suffering from

some form of mental illness.

A basic perusal of the available data would indicate that depression and anxiety are two of the most common mental health conditions which affect most of us. Schizophrenia, which is much more severe but treatable, is also highly prevalent in our society.

Their prevalence, however, does not mean that sufferers are attempting to seek help in the numbers one would expect or hope to see.

Despite the availability of services and more qualified, trained mental health practitioners than at any time in our history, persons are still reluctant to seek help.

Stigma continues to be one of the main contributing factors for those who may suspect that they have an illness. Indeed, it may seem like an insurmountable task to create enough momentum and raise awareness so as to break down certain belief systems which are closely held by those who are unfamiliar with the true nature of mental illness. But, through open

and frank discussions with mental health professionals and the public at large, a shift in person’s beliefs and understanding of mental illness is occurring.

Young people in particular are starting to emerge to seek help for conditions like anxiety and depression, which unfortunately, are issues that they currently face.

However, more work needs to be done in order to normalize the existence of mental illness and to encourage those who are suffering in silence to seek help. We must all continue to make a consorted effort

to keep the conversation alive, informative and pragmatic.

Over the course of the years, the availability of services, professionals and facilities to address mental illness have increased to its highest levels to date. Despite the increase, we are still under equipped to adequately manage the number of cases we actually have in Guyana, if everyone affected were to seek help. Nonetheless, there are enough services available so the assumption that help is not available must be quashed.

Financing for mental health services is still quite fragmented and under-funded, however, the three main funding sources are the Ministry of Public Health, Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) and the Region Six Mental Health Programme. Mental health services are available at the GPHC where individuals are able to access a number of services including access to psychologists, psychiatrists and therapists who offer counselling for various con-

ditions. They also offer diagnostic and treatment services for persons who attend. For those suffering from more acute mental illnesses which might require a period of hospitalization, the psychiatry ward at GPHC has an inpatient service available along with all reasonable services to aid recovery and rehabilitation.

According to the Ministry of Public Health, there are a number of health centres where anyone who believes that they are suffering from a mental illness may attend to seek to help. If services are not available at these primary care centres, persons are usually referred to their nearest centre where they are able to get help or to GPHC. On the East Coast, there are services available at Grove Health Centre, Sophia Health Centre and Enmore Polyclinic. These clinics have access to psychotropic drugs and receive regular visits from a mental health specialist attached to the Ministry of Public Health.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, May 31, 2020

Electoral fraud, a bloated list and the birth of dictatorship WHAT is the connection between a bloated list, electoral fraud and the birth of a dictatorship?

This question is best answered with a clear explanation of the dangers of an inflated voter roll, how it invites and facilitates voter fraud and how this is tied to the beginning of dictatorship.

ELECTORAL FRAUD: PARTY AGENTS AND ELECTIONS OFFICIALS Those who talk up elections safeguards often passionately argue that it is virtually impossible for a person who is not on the electoral register to register a vote due to the aforementioned. If this were the case, the world would not have been so concerned about rigged elections. Researchers and writers such as Patrick Gathara (Financial Times) and Seema Shah (The Elephant) have expressed the complete loss of confidence in elections as a facilitator of the will of the people in modern democracies.

Also, the safeguards proponents point to the fact that party agents and elections officials are right there in the polling stations and all and sundry can see any attempts at fraud. This erroneous argumentation proceeds from the assumption that party agents and elections officials are immune and resistant to bribes in the context of the mother of elections in a small underdeveloped nation. With billions at stake and international and local business interests vying for control of the state apparatus in a nascent oil and gas econo-

my, is it magical thinking for elections officials and party polling agents to accept GY$300,000 to go take a few washroom breaks and blindly sign off on documents to allow elections skullduggery?.

In addition, most elections officials and party agents are temporary workers who are employed for short periods of time and some are usually in unsatisfactory paying jobs, their susceptibility to bribery is extremely high. Given Guyana’s terrain, this scenario is more likely in far-flung communities where there is entrenched domination by a political party and fewer eyes. It is naïve at best and fanatical at worst to passionately pontificate that fraudulent elections are not possible with modern electoral safeguards.

THE BLOATED LIST As you have may have gathered by now, Guyana possesses the dreaded bloated list which is a dangerous posture for a plural society that teems with the potential for ethnic anxieties. The evidence being unearthed in the National Recount thus far has demonstrated that despite passionate defenses of the numerous safeguards introduced by modern electoral reforms, the system can be breached. As long as this situation remains, electoral fraud will be with us. With that in mind, it is necessary to examine the extent of the fraud that was allegedly perpetrated on the nation on March 2nd, 2020. 83,000 votes are now the subject of an active investigation by the Guyana Elections Commission. It is being alleged that these

Mental health ...

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The Psychiatry Clinic at St Joseph Mercy Hospital has a limited outpatient service where persons are able to speak with a psychiatrist on Mondays to Thursdays between 1-3pm.

Outside of the public sector, there are a number of private clinics where persons are able to access mental heath services, diagnostics, treatment and psychotherapy.

Eureka Medical Centre is one such place where persons are able to attend for such services.

Additionally, there is the Wellness Center which takes a holistic approach to tacking mental illness. They offer counselling and therapy for conditions such as depression and anxiety, in person or online. They also offer a number of holistic treatments aimed at treating certain mental health conditions.

In conclusion, I would wholeheartedly encourage anyone suffering in silence to make contact with a professional and just explain to them what you are going through. If you have family members or friends who you suspect might be suffering from a mental illness, compassionately and empathetically encourage them to seek help. Support your loved ones and allow the professionals to do what they do best.

Mental illness does not have to be a life sentence, help is available.

votes were cast by dead voters and those who were not in the jurisdiction on the day of voting. This generically amounts or translates into 11 seats in the National Assembly and teems with a staggering amount of fake representation that has nothing to do with the will of the people expressed at the national elections.

When non-legal electors vote en masse, there is the cataclysmic, apocalyptic

and biblical betrayal of democracy and has the potential to produce concocted leadership that will invariably decay. In the process, this tutelage will not be accepted by the majority whose voices were silenced at the polls due to diabolical machinations.

BIRTH OF A DICTATORSHIP Against this backdrop, any actor filled with a thirst

for victory from a process without credibility would find themselves on the side of those who are comfortable with illegitimate government. This would place them in the corner of dictatorship and they would not enjoy the confidence of the populace. Consequentially, visceral opposition by those legitimate voters will manifest in every crevice of the society and the government from that corrupt process

will be backed into a corner.

This will invariably result in response methods that will be the birth of a full-fledged dictatorship.

It has become painfully clear if only by public perception, there should be no serious effort to insert a government based on numbers from this National Recount, the evidence puts us down a problematic path if this is done.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, May 31, 2020

Understanding Energy

Experts advise on attracting Investment despite gloomy oil market OIL drilling has slowed globally amid a prolonged oil price slump caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

While the Guyana Basin remains a bright spot for

exploration, governments cannot take for granted that drillers will come here at any cost. The region was a key topic at last week’s Institute of the Ameri-

cas La Jolla conference, a longstanding and highly respected meeting of academics who study the region and its energy development.

A panel on the Guyana Basin’s development included Kevin Ramnarine, former Minister of Energy for T&T; Thomas Singh, senior lecturer in the Department of Economics at the University of Guyana and Lisa Viscidi, director of energy, Climate Change & Extractive Industries at Inter-American Dialogue.

The panelists were generally of the view that Guyana’s oil development is in good shape despite the pandemic, but some took a more pessimistic view of the broader climate for energy development in Latin America and the Caribbean. All three panelists emphasized that countries need to be thinking extremely carefully about how to attract and retain investment during this difficult oil-price environment.

The panelists were also unanimous in their deep concern regarding the ongoing political risk in Guyana.

With the election still undecided and many important regulatory decisions postponed, it’s likely that there could be a major impact on investment in Guyana.

Panelists had high hopes in the long run that a new

auction round could be a profitable opportunity for the government given the exploration success of the Stabroek Block thus far.

But Viscidi and others noted that, at the moment, the political situation is likely too toxic. “Guyana’s offshore breakeven costs are competitive globally [but] the political risk is a real issue…

Companies are not going to bid on new blocks with this level of uncertainty,” she said.

She did note that Guyana has taken several positive steps to use the revenue it makes from oil prudently, specifically a sovereign wealth fund, rules on how the government can spend the money and the Green State Development Plan. She recommended that future efforts focus on building out more specifics such as funding allocation to regional governments, spending priorities for specific programmes and enhanced transparency and input processes for contracting projects. Viscidi also cautioned that many countries in the region may have to alter their approach in terms of attracting investment. “Some countries in the region have

to work on making their sectors more cost competitive by improving fiscal terms or improving infrastructure,” she said.

Ramnarine explained that Trinidad & Tobago could be one of those countries since exploration and new development have declined over time and reserves are dwindling as a result. “Survival will depend on changing fiscal regimes for upstream operations. The government must decide to take a smaller slice of the pie to survive long term, but that’s a very difficult thing for any government to do,” he said.

Trinidad & Tobago has long been hailed as a model in the region for managing oil and gas production and it has had substantial success in doing so.

But it’s also an illustrative case study of how a higher government take can be popular when oil prices are high only to end up stifling development when prices are low. That leads to trouble down the road when oil and gas reserves aren’t replaced by new exploration.

Investigation into ECD fatal accident on-going A post-mortem revealed that 20-year-old Sabita Sookhoo died as a result of a fractured skull, which she sustained during a vehicular accident at Lilliendal, East Coast Demerara (ECD) on Thursday, May 28.

On Thursday, May 28, 2020, there was an accident, involving a Route 44 minibus and a motor car, which claimed the life of Sookhoo, and left three other persons injured.

Dead is Sookhoo of Lusignan Pasture, ECD while her 44-year-old mother Anita Ramjit, suffered multiple injuries. Other persons who sustained injuries were Marlyn Wilson, 44, of Golden Grove, ECD who suffered from laceration to her head and Mohan Mangal, 45, of Non Pareil, ECD, who suffered from pains to his chest and neck.

The Guyana Chronicle had reported that, on Thurs-

Sabita Sookhoo

day, May 28, the three women were passengers in minibus BWW 6242, which was driven by Patrick Edward.

Mangal was the driver of a blue Toyota Rav4 motor car bearing registration PPP 2492, the other vehicle which was involved in the accident.

The minibus had a total of six passengers at the time.

The minibus driver told the police that he stopped to

pickup a passenger when the motorcar smashed into the side of the bus which caused it to topple.

However, the motor car driver told the police that the minibus served into his lane to pick up a passenger. He tried to ‘swerve away’ but hit the side of the bus.

The accident occurred around 09:30hours. The injured persons were rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation where Sookhoo was pronounced dead upon arrival.

The drivers of the minibus and motor car were arrested as investigation is ongoing.

At the accident scene, two men were nabbed by residents after they were caught stealing from the victims.

The accident also resulted in a massive traffic jam along the Rupert Craig Highway, ECD.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, May 31, 2020

Coalition agent discredits Region 3 votes

…alleges 24,095 votes affected by fraud UPON completion of the vote is invalid. Similarly, raising objections and the processing of Region Three unsigned oaths are invalid; likes, and of course we canballot boxes at the national hence, the votes belonging not just be doing it to merely recount, the coalition agent to persons who did not sign put it on paper. We have to who was assigned to that their oaths must also be in- be doing it for a reason and station, Ganesh Mahipaul, valid. It is the principle that that is to ensure that the word has said that voting in credible can be attached the region was far from to the results that will be credible. declared,” he posited.

Mahipaul based his Alluding further that position on the numerous the reason for the coaanomalies that were unlition’s persistence in earthed in several boxes raising these anomalies at the station. He told this in the national recount, publication that for the is not just because they Essequibo Islands-West believe they won the Demerara region, eight elections, but it also has certificates of employto do with ensuring that ment were missing; six going forward as a counpersons who were provtry, measures can be put en dead were registered in place to cap the unas voting; 472 migrants capped and to close the who were not in Guyana loopholes. So 2025 when on polling day had votthe country is expected ed; eight persons who to have another election, did not have ID cards it will run smoothly with had voted without oaths measures being put in of identity; 25 oaths of place to ensure there is identity were missing; APNU+AFC agent Ganesh Mahipaul not a repetition of the two ballots were untrickery. stamped and there were “The thing that the 11 missing poll books. matters.”

PPP does not want to accept These irregularities have Ever since these obser- is that we have members affected some 24,095 votes; vations were raised by the of the coalition that came as such, Mahipaul said that coalition, Mahipaul said, from the belly of them, so the region’s votes can in no opposition agents have been we know what their tricks way be deemed credible. making a lot of noise to say are. And those very people He went on to say, “We that the recount process is not would have not only told us, had cases where the counter- to raise these kinds of anom- but showed us how they used foils of used ballot papers had alies; and some agents have to do it. So we have found the same serial numbers writ- been deeming the coalition’s them out. They have rigged ten on them. What this means claims ‘ludicrous.’ several elections and it was is that one voter or person However, Mahipaul add- done so smartly you don’t was given more than one ed that the opposition will even realise. They take a little ballot papers to vote. I agree, never accept what is being here and take a little there as long as a voter spoils his done, for it is their own trick- and when it accumulates, it ballot he gets a new one, but ery that is being exposed. is a large number,” Mahipaul in these cases, the boxes had He said even though the disclosed. no spoils and no cancellation, PPP is contending that the He cleared up too, that so how can you justify the gazette recount Order does when it was previously said same serial number from the not cater for the review of by coalition officials that the OLE repeating itself on the evidence and these anomalies March 2 elections were free counterfoils multiple times? being raised, “the fact that the and fair, it was referring to This one is not just a discrep- constitutional agency that has the face value of the day’s ancy it is a fraud… We also the mandate to conduct free, occurrences. in District Three had cases of credible and transparent elec“It was outside on the missing Poll Books. The Poll tions has taken it upon itself book cover is what we just Book verifies the addition of to request of us to submit the saw, we just saw people gonames on the Official List of evidence to substantiate our ing to vote. We just saw an Electors. With the absence claim. It is an indication that activity where people go in to of the Poll Book, we do not they are willing to vet and vote and there was no hostilknow how many persons confirm what we are alleging. ity, no animosity, no fighting, were permitted to be added That is a step in the right di- no violence. It was a smooth to the list, we do not know rection because we are look- process. But we did not read how many persons voted via ing for credible, transparent too deep down into it there oaths and most importantly, and fair elections, which is and then. It is now that we what transpired at the poll what this whole process en- are actually doing this deep stations.” tails. And the national recount reading into the book we are When these instances process wasn’t birthed out recognising we cannot have a arose, Mahipaul said that the of thin air, it was birthed out list that is so bloated, which People’s Progressive Party/ of the fact that GECOM has we have said from the outset Civic’s (PPP/C’s) agent re- the authority vested in them as a coalition… The question corded his response as ‘hu- by the constitution to have a to which I need an answer is, man error.” national recount.” how can we categorise the To this end, Mahipaul Mahipaul said that the votes counted thus far as valsaid “I hope he knows that Order for the recount clearly id, when we cannot confirm it is humans that corrupt the indicates in the guidelines, the validity of the votes? Or system and not animals. The what was the modus operandi perhaps a more interesting stamping of ballot papers and it included the observa- question to ask is, why was must be done by the PO [pre- tion reports. the PPP/C not interested in a siding officer] and if ballot “It included picking up sanitised Official List of Elecpapers are not stamped, the these anomalies, it included tors” ? Mahipaul querried.

A s m o re b o x e s a re opened, more irregularities are being found and ex-

posed by the coalition. The party however maintains that it is the decision of

GECOM to determine what will be done at the end of this process.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, May 31, 2020

‘GECOM can probe irregularities’ –Political scientist says enough anomalies uncovered to warrant thorough investigations

By Svetlana Marshall THE irregularities uncovered thus far are enough to call into question the credibility of the Elections, Political Scientist, Dr David Hinds, said while indicating that the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), under the Constitution and Elections Law (Amendment) Act, has the authority to investigate the anomalies ahead of the declaration of the results of the General and Regional Elections.

While Article 162 empowers the Elections Commission to take necessary actions to ensure impartiality, fairness and compliance with the Constitution and the Electoral Laws, the Opposition, in referencing to Article 163, has maintained that only the High Court has jurisdiction to investigate cases of irregularities and or electoral fraud.

Since the commencement of the National Recount on May 6, the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) has alleged that there are over 2,000 anomalies that have affected more than 90,000 of the votes cast at the March 2 General and Regional Elections. On May 26, APNU+AFC contended that 1,261 persons voted in the place of migrants while 315 Certificates of Employment were missing in addition to 284 poll books. Added

to that, it alleged that 143 persons, who had no form of identification, voted without taking an Oath of Identity; while 40 persons voted in the place of dead persons. At the time, there were reportedly 40 unstamped ballots and seven missing Official List of Electors (OLEs). These numbers, the APNU+AFC said, have since increased.

ENOUGH IRREGULARITIES “I think the irregularities uncovered thus far are enough to call into question the credibility of the elections. You simply cannot have a credible outcome if the process is as compromised as we are finding out.

The numbers cannot be right if the process is wrong. It is as plain and clear as that,” the Political Scientist told Guyana Chronicle on Saturday.

According to him, the irregularities uncovered thus far warrant a thorough investigation by the Elections Commission, noting that they simply cannot be ignored.

“If it could, as the court has said, look into the complaints about the tabulation of Region 4 votes, then it can investigate and pronounce on other forms of inconsistencies,” Dr Hinds submitted. In part, it was claims of electoral fraud allegedly committed by the Region 4 Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo that led to the National Recount.

ANUG Executive Member, Kian Jabour

CREDIBILITY While dismissing claims that the recount is merely numerical, the Political Scientist said the primary purpose of the National Recount is to determine the credibility of the Elections, and as such, anomalies and discrepancies ought to be investigated.

“Was the electoral process a credible one? You can best determine that by a comprehensive look at how the electoral architecture was or was not manipulated by persons and forces entrusted with ensuring fairness,” he said while noting that the recount itself is a very expansive investigation.

“So, you do not go through a recount and then at the end of the process say it’s not my duty to pronounce on what I find—leave it to a petition. GECOM cannot do investigation for the court—

Political Scientist Dr David Hinds

its investigation is to satisfy its own needs,” Dr. Hinds further stated. He submitted that it is hypocritical to talk about democratic outcomes when the process is undemocratic.

While Elections Commissioner Vincent Alexander has said that GECOM, in initiating an investigation into the claims made by the APNU+AFC, sought immigration records from the Chief Immigration Officer, another Commissioner Sase Gunraj has said that no such investigation has commenced.

Gunraj, on Friday, iterated a long held position that it is outside of the jurisdiction of the Elections Commission to facilitate an investigation into the alleged cases of irregularities and electoral fraud.

On Saturday, while expressing concerns over the statements made by Alexander, A New and United Guyana (ANUG) Executive Member,

Kian Jabour, also contended that GECOM does not have the power to investigate the claims made by APNU+AFC. “ANUG goes further to point out that the conduct of a trial to receive evidence from external sources to ascertain the truth of the APNU claims that GECOM’s records of what transpired on Elections Day and who voted on that day is beyond the ambit of GECOM’s functions, even if the Secretariat had not unlawfully gone on its own frolic but was acting with GECOM’s instructions. Such instructions would be unlawful,” Jabour told the Chair of the Elections Commission, Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh in a letter dated Saturday, May 30, 2020.

However, should the Elections Commission proceed with the investigation, it would find itself in a difficult situation if that investigation confirms the claims of the APNU+AFC, Dr Hinds said.

“It cannot use the numbers from the recount to declare a winner. That would violate the recount order.

So, that is not an option for me,” the Political Scientist reasoned.

Were it up to him, the Elections would be vitiated if it was found that there was electoral fraud. “My own preference is to vitiate the elections. It would be a fair political outcome. Since it would in effect be a draw,

neither side could claim victory. This. I think would ease the simmering tensions in the society and allow the citizens some breathing space as the leaders contemplate the future,” he reasoned.

Dr Hinds added: “It could also allow the opportunity to repair the leaks and gaping holes in the electoral system from the voters list to the other anomalies uncovered by the recount. It could also create some space for the leaders to sit and talk about our larger problem and how to begin to reconcile our differences.

Such a process would be enhanced in an environment of joint governance, but that should not be a prerequisite.”

Dr Hinds said, however, that he would understand if GECOM refuses to vitiate the election. “It may be hesitant to enter unchartered waters.

The last and only instance a Guyanese general election was vitiated was the 1997 election and that was done by the court. In any case it came too late to have any political effect,” he posited.

According to him, if GECOM chooses not to vitiate the elections, then it would be left with no other choice than to use the declarations by the Returning Officers of the 10 Regions to declare a winner. “I admit it would not be a universally popular outcome but that is where the logic takes us,” Dr Hinds said.

Maritime Association distributes hampers to single mothers SINGLE mothers and elderly women, who are struggling because of the effects of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, have received support in the form of hampers from the Women in Maritime Association of the Caribbean- Guyana (WiMAC).

According to a statement from WiMAC, the COVID-19 pandemic’s disruptive impact on world business now and the future will negatively impact women.

A recent United Nations (UN) report cited 740 million women globally, work in the informal economy, and the global gender pay gap remains at 16 per cent and extend as high as 35 per cent in some countries.

In this regard, the WiMAC, in response to COVID – 19, and within its scope and resources, sponsored hampers for single women and older women, who are shut-ins. WiMAC, in recog-

nising the role of these women on the frontline, wanted to extend its gratitude to each one of those women.

The donation of hampers was executed on May 29, 2020 in the St. Stanislaus College compound. Director General of the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD), Claudette Rogers, said such initiatives are necessary for compassion and empathy to be demonstrated.

“The Women in Maritime Association of the Caribbean – Guyana, seek to use this incredible opportunity in this heightened period of insecurity and fear, to be a light in a moment of darkness, and to encourage women to put their faith in God. “We want to urge women to adhere to the guidelines and practices of the World Health Organization (WHO), Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), and the Ministry of Public Health, and also ensure

that everyone and their families stay safely at home,” said Rogers.

Rogers extended gratitude IDEA Designs, Paul Moore, Louise Williams, Junshazenya’s World of Fashion and Cerulean Inc. for their support towards the venture. Women are on the forefront of the global response to COVID-19. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO) statistics, 70 per cent of health workers are women, in approximately 100 countries.

The constraints of the lockdown due to the pandemic will mean that women also face additional challenges, especially in the least-developed countries.

The UN data reveal that domestic violence has increased by 25 per cent in some countries because of quarantine. The risk of domestic violence against women and children increased, while support services for victims decreased.

Book review:

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, May 31, 2020

A review of David Granger’s The Independence Movement: 1946-1966.

AVID Granger’s The Independence Movement: 1946-1966 reminds us that Guyana achieved independence only after protracted agitation and agony. The book compels the reader to look beyond the prominent personalities of the immediate pre-independence period of the 1960s and to acknowledge the contributions of the often unrecognised and unrewarded workers and their trade unions in earlier years.

The book is one of the few devoted exclusively to

Andra Thakur placed the microscope on independence in his dissertation on race and class; Ralph Premdas examined independence in the context of ethnic conflict and Harold Lutchman chronicled this process in his study of the country’s transition from colonialism to statehood.

David Granger’s The Independence Movement: 19461966 provides an expansive but enlightening overview of the antecedents of independence; the political context of the struggle; the central role of trade unions and the emergence of cut-throat communal

Guyana’s Independence Movement. Its publication enriches our understanding of Guyana’s complex and circuitous approach towards independence.

Several academics have analysed Guyana’s path to political independence. Most, however, have done so as part of wider socio-economic and political studies.

Clem Seecharan, for example, looked at independence as part of his study of the sugar industry;

conflict. It highlights, also, the performance of some of the principal political parties and players. The book is a valued source of information about a tumultuous period in the anti-colonial struggle.

The recording and reviewing of historical events are not without their biases. Attempts at a dispassionate examination of historical events often succumb to preconceived narratives.

David Granger wrote this book while he was the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly

and Leader of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), the party which led Guyana into independence.

He has managed, however, to suppress partisanship and the tendency to confirm or contradict the two principal

narratives of the Independence Movement.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, May 31, 2020

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, May 31, 2020

Book review:

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A review of David Granger’s The Independence Movement...

The first narrative highlights the role of the original People’s Progressive Party (PPP) and its forerunner the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) in galvanising the anti-colonial struggle. This narrative traces the roots of independence to the arrival in the colony of Dr. and Mrs. Cheddi Jagan. It projects Cheddi Jagan as the principal architect of Guyana’s independence and dubs him as the ‘father’ of the nation.

The second narrative portrays the achievement of republican status as being pre-eminent over independence. This perspective is viewed as an attempt to de-emphasise the role of the PPP in the attainment of independence and to give prominence to the republic celebrations.

These two narratives have influenced the dual emphases being placed on commemorating both independence and republic anniversaries.

The PNC administrations from 1970 to 1992 attached greater importance to republic anniversary observances than to independence. The PPP administrations from 1993 to 2014 attached greater significance to independence than to republic anniversaries.

The Independence Movement: 1946-1966 does not subscribe to either of these narratives. It is not written with an overbearing partisan political objective in mind. It attempts a dispassionate examination of a defining event in the country’s history. The book is assessed best to the extent to which it has been able to achieve an objective analysis of the Independence Movement. The book is divided, thematically and chronologically, into six sections: * Labour rebellion – identifies the labour unrest prevailing in the depressed conditions in the British West Indies between the two World Wars in the 1920s and 1930s as the primary antecedent of political independence; * Political empowerment – connects the energising of the anti-colonial struggle to the emergence and agitation of trade unions, political parties and ethnic associations; * Political violence – relates how civil violence within the colonial state galvanised opposition to colonial rule; * The Great Schism – discusses the impact of the split within the original PPP on the nationalist movement;

* Self-government – interprets the impact of the introduction of a new constitution in British Guiana in 1961 and the colony’s unsteady steps towards limited self-government; * State of emergency – analyses the circumstances which led to communal insecurity, political instability and the decline into emergency rule and deployment of British troops; * Common Ground – examines the efforts to ensure a political solution to the most pernicious political problems of the day; * Constitutional impasse – describes the differences which arose between the political parties over the electoral system and efforts to resolve these differences; * The Disturbances – explores the origins of the civil violence which erupted from the first

half of 1964; * The Advent of Independence – analyses the developments leading, eventually, to the inauguration of the independent state.

The Independence Movement, therefore, covers considerable historical ground.

It was researched deeply, as David Granger would. The text benefits from a wide variety of acknowledged sources and provides information on a panoply of political parties, trade unions and other social organisations and individuals who were part of the independence struggle.

As with all of David Granger’s books, it is succinct, simple and easy to read. The book is suited for all audiences, from primary school students to university professors. The book, however, will evoke criticisms arising from its uneven treatment and

omissions of events, issues and personalities. It provides only fleeting mention of the tragedy at Plantation Enmore when five sugar workers were killed on the 16th June 1948 by colonial police, an event which was viewed as adding combustion to the anti-colonial struggle. The perspective of the British Government’s notorious suspension of the Constitution in 1953 is highlighted without regard to the perspective of the elected ministers. An examination of the efforts of the United Kingdom and United States Governments in undermining the British Guiana Government in 1961 could have ensured greater balance in understanding the ‘Disturbances.’

These deficiencies, however, do not detract from the profound and subliminal argument which the book makes – Guyana was a fractured nation upon the attainment of independence.

The task of healing this fracture and achieving greater ethnic and political unity remains the principal challenge facing the country.

The book departs from conventional narratives by giving prominence to the role of workers in the Independence Movement. David Granger

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has demonstrated the critical role which workers played in the Independence Movement, particularly during the ‘Labour Rebellion’ in the West Indies in the 1920s and 1930s.

David Granger, since assuming the presidency, has restored the celebration of independence to its pre-eminent place in the country’s commemorative calendar. He was mindful to choose Independence Day, 26th May, for his ceremonial inauguration after having been sworn in as President 10 days earlier on 16th May 2015. He had the honour, also, of being President when Guyana celebrated its 50th independence anniversary in 2016, during which it hosted an emotive flag-raising ceremony which swelled national pride.

David Granger, far from de-emphasising tndependence celebrations, has re-invigorated its national importance, including through this delightful and informative publication. The book reaffirms his conviction and purpose in ensuring that the antecedents, causes and course of the Independence Movement will not become a footnote in his country’s history.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE May 31, 2020

Berbice cops destroy $300M in ganja for year so far ‘B’ Division, under the stewardship of Senior Superintendent of Police Calvin Brutus, has been taking the fight to the drug traffickers, by getting to their sources and destroying them through multiple exercises.

Unlike last year, when the police did not manage to make a dent in the operations of the traffickers, due to the difficulty of accessing the marijuana farms along the Berbice River and Canje Creek, this year saw them stepping up their game, and running several sting operations, making full use of the drones and other aspects of modern technology now at their disposal.

Their efforts for this year so far has seen over 30 fields, the equivalent of close to 80 acres of cannabis sativa, popularly called marijuana, with a street value of over G$300M, being burnt to the ground by ranks within ‘D’ Division.

Several firearms and

out that they ratted them out to the police.

He is, however, urging persons to come directly to him, and is giving his assurance that the information they volunteer will be kept strictly confidential.

‘ZERO-TOLERANCE POLICY’ “We have a zero-tolerance policy on drugs and illegal activities that put the lives of others at risk, and we need the help from the community in identifying these individuals, so we can make our society a better place,” Commander Brutus said.

Apart from the numerous Commander of ‘B’ Divifields of marijuana that have sion, Senior Superintenbeen destroyed, the police dent Calvin Brutus have been nabbing traffickers constantly at the imprompAmong those that have tu roadblocks set up at the been arrested for the year so Berbice Bridge, and seized far are several females and two motorcars found to be males, and a Police Corporal involved in the trafficking who is currently under close of the illicit substance, and arrest. Several former policeplaced the traffickers them- men and their spouses have selves before the courts. also been hauled before the courts for ‘ganja’ trafficking.

“If you have someone in the Division, especially in a supervisory capacity, that is involved in the drug trade, it compromises your efforts in the Division, and paints a negative picture of the entire Force,” Commander Brutus added.

He noted that despite the success they have had for the One of the many firearms year thus far, they will not that were seized by ‘D’ be letting up on their efforts, Division Police during the and will continue to take the course of this year fight to the traffickers.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, May 28, the Police, acting on rounds of ammunition, as well as boats, engines and other key equipment to the trade were also seized during the operations, while several persons were charged and placed before the courts.

Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle recently, Commander Brutus related that while they have arrested 17 persons and placed them before the courts, many times residents in the riverine communities are shielding the traffickers, for fear of Marijuana plants that were burnt by the Police on retribution should it be found farms on the Berbice River

Boats seized by ‘D’ Division Police during their drug eradication exercise

information they’d received, swooped down on a farmer at DeVeldt, on the Berbice River in search of arms and ammunition; and while the suspect was not at home, a sibling who was led the ranks to an unlicenced pistol.

The said day, a few villages away at Bartica Village, also on the Berbice River, the Police conducted a search at a house where 20 kilograms of what looked like ‘cannabis’ packaged in 23 parcels, as well as 20lbs of the dried See page 19

SUNDAY CHRONICLE May 31, 2020

‘No total lockdown coming’ … but gov’t likely to extend curfew, other measures

While the National COVID-19 Task Force (NCTF) is considering an extension of current emergency measures in force across the country beyond the 3rd of June 2020, it will not be complete lockdown, head of the body, Chief Executive of the NCTF, Joseph Harmon noted on Saturday.

Harmon noted in a statement that rumours of a move to implement a complete lockdown is causing panic buying and confusion in the country. “We call on the general public to observe the guidelines for social-distancing, washing of hands, wearing of mask and the definition of essential services as is contained in the gazetted order covering these measures,” he said on Saturday.

The NCTF was set up in March to coordinate government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and has been coordinating the response of the authorities to the pandemic. Already Guyana has recorded some 152 positive case of the Coronavirus and in recent weeks , there has been a spike in cases with the Moruca sub-region in the North West District recording 8 cases within a 10 day span. Thus far, 12 persons have died from COVID-19 complications and recent statistics pointed to a high incidence of cases among young males. More than 60% of the cases have been recorded in Region Four.

On Thursday, President David Granger told a United Nations forum that small states such as Guyana require extraordinary financial support to aid their COVID-19 fight. The President told the forum that Guyana, one of the smallest states in South America, is bordered by countries with a high level of COVID-19. He said migrants from these countries seek refuge to enter Guyana’s territory and enter areas which necessitates delivery of effective health services over long distances and to remote settlements. “These factors impact the state’s ability from disease and to earn revenue to protect its people,” the President said, noting that Guyana’s chal-

lenges are compounded by its COVID-19 fight. President Granger noted that small states need sturdy and structured systems to save lives and support livelihoods.

Resident Representative of the Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO), Dr. William Adu-Krow has warned that there could be a massive spike in cases, if the measures are lifted arbitrarily.

President Granger has already said the measures will remain until the pandemic is under control, but in highlighting the specific detriments, which could stem from an arbitrary “reopening,” Dr. Adu-Krow said cases could spike to over 10,000, by July 15, 2020.

“If we lift everything, meaning the lifting the curfew, reopening schools, recreational facilities and so on, on June 3, we are likely by July 15 to see 10,777 cases,” said the local PAHO/WHO representative, in response to a question asked by the Guyana Chronicle, on Friday.

Following a thorough assessment by the Public Health Ministry on Guyana’s prevailing health conditions, the emergency measures implemented to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic were extended for another month, in May. The updated COVID-19 Emergency Measures, Number Three, published in an Extraordinary Gazette, stated that the extension took effect from May 4 until June 3, 2020. The regulation requires citizens to remain indoors between 18:00 hours and 06:00 hours.

The emergency measures also speak sternly to, among other things, the restriction on visits, specific working hours allotted to essential services, preferential treatment for healthcare workers, social distancing and physical distancing protocols, religious worship and domestic travel.

“As it pertains to the measures, we have made suggestions to the government…we have to be careful with lifting these measures… when we (PAHO) did an assessment on the whole Latin American and Caribbean

Berbice cops destroy $300M ...

From page 18 variety of the substance, with an estimated street value of $1.6M, along with an unlicenced shotgun and documents purporting to belong to the occupant were discovered.

The Police are currently seeking the whereabouts of the owner of the house at Bartica Village.

region, we found that the measures here are 74 per cent on target, but the problem we have is the enforcement,” Dr. Adu-Krow lamented.

Despite the existing measures and prevailing situation caused by the pandemic,

persons have been acting callously, by congregating and not practising social distancing.

In expressing his dissatisfaction with the behaviour of some Guyanese, Dr. AduKrow said: “We cannot do

that, nobody can go out unless it is for an essential purpose or if it is an essential group…that is not happening, people are still doing what they want.”

The PAHO/WHO representative believes that the measures in place are adequate and once enforced, they can take Guyana a long way in the fight against COVID-19.

While he is not against a possible lifting of the measures, Dr. Adu-Krow said if it was up to him, he would extend the measures for two

19

weeks, then look at a “phased reopening” of the country.

A phased reopening of the country would reduce the projected cases tremendously, but an arbitrary reopening could lead right back to a lockdown, in the long run.

“We do not want a situation whereby measures are lifted then we see cases starting to climb again, resulting in another lockdown…when we have a phased approach it will be something we can all live with,” said the PAHO/ WHO representative.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, May 31, 2020

Giftland admits still to settle debt …but criticses City Hall as being disingenuous IN a recent press conference the Mayor of Georgetown Ubraj Narine disclosed that the Giftland Mall owes the City Council over $103M in rates and taxes, and that the owner of the mega complex, Roy Beepat, is reluctant to honour this debt.

On Saturday, Beepat responded to Narine’s claims, saying that they are ‘disingenuous.’ In fact, he is of the view that Narine’s claim is

inherently political.

Beepat said in his response that Giftland has made every effort to be compliant with its taxes and have been actively pursuing City Hall for the last five years, in an effort to have this amicably settled. He said that several letters have been sent, but there was no response on the discussions held.

“We have been led down the garden path by Royston King who had negotiated a

settlement, but in three years despite our many attempts to have this drawn into a binding, written contract, this was never done by the city side; the mayor has conveniently neglected to point this out. We sat with the mayor this year in our offices and made agreements to have this resolved after weeks of prompting.

To our surprise we eventually received a written correspondence not in line with our discussions. Against the

agreement made to keep this year’s current taxes paid were applied against the illegally imposed interest figures,” Beepat contends.

However, at his press conference the mayor did point out the unsuccessful engagements with the former Town Clerk Royston King. In fact, he said that they did agree to honour the settlement and waive the interest from when King had engaged Beepat, but they

would like him to start paying the correct interest as of 2020. Narine said that Beepat responded in contradiction to that agreement and doesn’t want to honour any interest whatsoever.

Beepat claims that the mayor intends to solicit interest at 21 per cent which he believes is unlawful, and is a penalty in the figure of approximately $43 Million.

“Despite being told that the mall had paid close to $500 million on public works which included the public access road to the mall and the

Demerara Estate, street-lighting, bus shed and public transportation , walkways and irrigation. This mayor was also told that up to the time of writing, the mall had not received the benefit of one day of service from the City services; we have installed our own sewerage treatment plant, we clean the roads and public areas, we have laid in our own piping for water supplies, and many other duties which taxes are paid for, but which has been borne by us.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, May 31, 2020

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, May 31, 2020

Chinese Embassy donates 30,000 face masks THE People’s Government of Fuzhou, China, through the Chinese Embassy, donated 30,000 face masks to the Mayor and Councillors of the City of Georgetown, on Friday, in the wake of the coronavirus (COVID19) pandemic.

The Mayor, Pandit Ubraj Narine, expressed sincere gratitude, as the masks will be used by the essential

workers of City Hall. He said some of the sections targeted for the distribution are the City’s Engineers, Solid Waste, and Public Health Departments.

In attendance at the short handing over were: Deputy Chief of Missions and Political Counsellor, Chen Xilai, who handed over the masks to His Worship the Mayor of Georgetown, Pandit Ubraj

Narine; Town Clerk (ag), Sherry Jerrick and Deputy Mayor, Alfred Mentore.

Georgetown and Fuzhou City share a twinning relationship since 2006. Fuzhou City, located in the lower reaches of the Min River, is the capital city of the Fujian Province. Fuzhou is the metropolis of the Fujian Province.

Deputy Chief of Missions and Political Counsellor, Chen Xilai, handing over the face masks to Mayor of Georgetown, Ubraj Narine, in the presence of Town Clerk (ag), Sherry Jerrick and Deputy Mayor Alfred Mentore.

Giftland admits still to...

I repeat, the city has not provided not one day of service whatsoever, has no consideration for the hundreds of millions which has been spent on their behalf ; they have refused to provide even basic garbage collection for taxes which they are demanding. Additionally,

they want to charge interest at 21 per cent for bills which were sent retrospectively before any agreement was in place , and for the years that we were trying to achieve a settlement and figure to pay they want to apply interest, although the delay was due to their lack

of commitment for negotiating a settlement,” Beepat articulated.

In concluding, he said that the mayor has taken a position of attack that is not in keeping with the groundwork which has been set and for which payments have already started to be

made in good faith to keep negotiations going.

“And unless there is reasonableness, then this will be settled in our law courts. We the people, should speak out against this victimisation of myself and the Giftland Mall which provides income to

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thousands and their families, a safe haven for visitors and residents alike.

We need to point out the obvious, the mayor is supposed to be a principled, religious, decent, and honest person, he is a pandit. I am kindly requesting that he remembers these prin-

ciples and behave within these moral responsibilities for which he is bound.

It is the Giftland Group’s wish that one day we reach the political maturity to be able to disagree amicably, without resort to character assassination,” Beepat said.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, May 31, 2020

GuySuCo slams GAWU for calling out workers on strike …says approach to resolving issues putting 8000 workers livelihood at risk

THE Guyana Sugar Corporation Inc. (GuySuCo) says it is appalled that even during a global crisis with the COVID-19 pandemic, at a time when the survival of many businesses and the livelihoods of millions of employees around the world are threatened, that the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) would condone its sugar workers engaging in unnecessary industrial action without following the established industrial procedure.

The factory employees at the Uitvlugt Estate have left their jobs, to take strike action, without adhering to the terms of the ‘Collective Labour Agreement’ between the GAWU and GuySuCo, the sugar corporation said in a release Friday. It said as of to date, the Corporation has made 34,624 tonnes of sugar from its estimated 46,476 tonnes. Uitvlugt Estate has completed grinding and is into the critical maintenance period process that GuySuCo’s management has the responsibility to organise efficiently. The management and staff at Albion and Blairmont Estates are still in operation, to harvest as much of the crop, as is possible, based on the weather conditions.

According to GuySuCo, production at these estates was interrupted by three weeks of Industrial action during the peak harvesting period when the weather was much more conducive. Management has made a business decision to continue grinding at the abovementioned two factories, beyond the previously set date for the end of the First Crop, for as long as

Protesting sugar workers of Uitvlugt Estate

the weather permits, in an attempt to satisfy customers’ demands and to reduce the still extensive areas of cane that have, unfortunately, remained unharvested on these estates, at a cost of much- needed revenue to the Industry.

“It is absolutely necessary, particular during the COVID-19 pandemic, that GuySuCo operates its business with much prudence and that stability is maintained. The management of GuySuCo is cognisant of the fact that it has 7,000 to 8,000 employees and their families, 6,000 pensioners, over 200 businesses, and Unions with their own employees; all of whom are dependent either directly or indirectly on the viability

[of] its business. Additionally, the Corporation maintains the drainage and irrigation system between Skeldon in Berbice to the Boerasirie Canal or the West Bank of Demerara. Farmers and residents in communities are dependent on the efficient functioning of GuySuCo, in order to prevent agricultural crops and communities in Regions 3, 4, 5 and 6, from flooding.”

The Corporation said too that it is concerned that the current action of GAWU to condone the employees at Uitvlugt Estate to maintain unwarranted strike action, could threaten its ability to fulfil all of the responsibilities above and jeopardise the readiness of the factory for resuming operations in the

2020 Second Crop.

“Specifically, with reference to the claims by GAWU relative to employees in the factory at the Uitvlugt Estate, on the point that employees are not being provided with transportation after the 18:00hrs curfew time, is inaccurate, since the factory employees are currently working on a shift from 07:00 – 16:00 hours which ends before the 18:00hrs curfew. However, one of the reasons for the strike action is that the employees are demanding to work for two five-hour shifts: from 07:00hrs to 12:00hrs and 12:00hrs to 17:00hrs, and still be paid for eight hours. It is disturbing that the Union would condone this unreasonable and unpro-

McAlmont of Lot 4/20 Wapping Lane, New Amsterdam, Berbice.

The Guyana Chronicle understands that the incident occurred on Saturday morning around 02:30hrs.

McAlmont is employed

by Toolsie Persaud Company as a sailor on a tug and barge. According to reports, on the day in question the barge arrived at the Toolsie Persaud Quarry at St Mary’s Wharf. Latchman Ramnarace, another sailor reported-

ly told the police that he was on the right side of the barge pulling the bow rope when he saw McAlmont running at the right side of the barge and fell into the river. As a result, Ramnarace said that he jumped overboard in an

ductive position.”

“This the management cannot agree to, on two points: One the employees cannot work five hours and be paid for eight hours; and two, during this out-of-crop period, the Uitvlugt Estate has an enormous amount of maintenance to complete.

During the First Crop, the factory encountered 356 stoppages which resulted in a loss of 415.68 hours of downtime, during the 10.13 weeks of grinding. The Corporation finds it disturbing that the Union, as a partner, does not place the same level of importance that its management has placed on conducting a thorough maintenance on the factory, so that the Second Crop will be more productive.”

GuySuCo said relative to preventative measures on COVID-19 in the factory at Uitvlugt Estate, as well as the other two estates, Albion and Blairmont, GuySuCo has developed a ‘COVID-19 Policy’, which addresses training, quarantine and working from home.

A COVID-19 Task Force was established to design, implement and monitor the policy.

The Corporation has also ordered 14,000 face masks for its employees. Temperature Guns are being used at the main entrances and other areas on all locations. Several wash basins were constructed on all locations and soap, hand-washing liquid, as well as hand sanitizers are provided. Daily education and awareness sessions are also held, with various categories of staff.

On the point of proper social distancing in the Uitvlugt Estate factory, employees in the factory are rarely required to work less than 5 feet apart under the current circumstances.

GuySuCo is considered an essential service, under Manufacturing, hence the Corporation has communicated to the Guyana Police Force that several categories of its employees are required to work beyond the 18:00hrs curfew period, and relevant employees have been issued with forms of identification, to this effect.

Sailor dies after falling into E'bo river

THE police are currently investigating an accident at the Toolsie Persaud Quarry, St Mary’s Wharf, Essequibo River, resulted in the death of a 38-year-old sailor.

Dead is Damion

effort to rescue McAlmont but his effort proved futile.

McAlmont’s floating body was subsequently found around 06:00hrs next to the barge.

The body was retrieved and examined but no

marks of violence were seen. The body was then escorted to the Bartica Regional Hospital where McAlmont was pronounced dead on arrival by a doctor. An investigation is in progress.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, May 31, 2020

GWI to drill additional wells in 2020

--Fyrish, Port Kaituma among areas to benefit THE Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) says it is seeking to establish additional wells in several communities across Guyana, as it accelerates efforts to ensure that every Guyanese has access to water.

According to the water

utility company’s Managing Director, Dr. Richard VanWest Charles, this year GWI, with support from the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA), will be adding two wells at Farm on the East Bank of Demerara.

During his discussion on

Radio 104. 1 Guyana Lite FM on Friday, the Managing Director added that with the new drilling rig recently commissioned, and as soon as the required pipes can be transported from neighbouring Brazil, another well will be drilled at Fyrish on the

Corentyne.

Additionally, persons residing in the community of Port Kaituma in the Barima-Waini Region, will benefit from the establishment of a rig, as GWI continues to expand its services.

“We are moving apace

and working to ensure all of our citizens would indeed have access not only from a COVID standpoint but from a sustainable livelihood perspective,” Dr. Charles stated.

To date, some 48 wells were successfully drilled under the Coalition Administration. Pointing to the benefits, Dr. Charles relayed that if these proj-

ects were not accomplished, today, Guyana would have been in a difficult state, since water is needed excessively for the washing of hands, due to COVID-19.

“This is good foresight brought together by the administration as we move forward,” the Managing Director opined. (DPI)

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE May 31, 2020

GFF eager to get back ...

From back page over these few months - and that reason is to minimise the loss of human life to COVID-19,” Forde said in a statement yesterday.

Forde, who is serving his second and final term at the helm of the world’s most-played sport in Guyana, noted that he’s “always mindful of the signals I send out to the fraternity during these difficult time.

Yes, football is important but not as important as the precious gift of life.”

“As it relates to our football resumption plans, we have been creating a playbook with different scenarios for the restart of organised football nationally,” the GFF boss noted.

According to Forde, developing a National Senior Men’s tournament that can be completed in 2020, playing the GFF Super-16 Cup as well as seeing an Intra-Association women’s tournament will be part of the agenda.

The GFF also plans to have short, compact Intra-Association, U-15, U-17 & U-20 Boys, either at the Association level or as part of the Inter-academy competition programme.

Affixing dates to the plan is the biggest challenge for the GFF, taking into account the unpredictable shifting in the cases of COVID-19, as Forde related that they’re “essentially making educated guesses as to when the return to some semblance of normal life will occur.”

Meanwhile, general secretary of the federation, Ian Alves, said plans are at an infancy stage; they will be tailored to suit the situation that currently exists and updated along the way.

Competitive football in Guyana is currently at a halt, with all on-field action suspended until further notice.

Ever since the known cases of the coronavirus emerged in Guyana, the federation has been proactive in taking measures to guard against the spread, the foremost decision being the reduction of operations at the Secretariat to a minimal.

Forde said that while the fraternity is disappointed that no football is being played; stakeholders understand the need to exercise caution and adhere to the stipulated guidelines issued by health authorities.

Any decision on when it is safe for football to resume would be done in consultation with the relevant stakeholders.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE May 31, 2020

Virat Kohli: MS Dhoni played a big role in my becoming captain VIRAT Kohli has credited MS Dhoni with playing a significant role in anointing him as his successor as India captain.

Kohli took over as the full-time Test captain when Dhoni retired from the format midway India’s tour of Australia in 2014-15, and later became captain across formats when Dhoni quit his limited-overs post in early 2017.

Kohli said the process was a gradual one of “earning trust” over several years.

“I was always inclined towards taking responsibility,” Kohli said of his early days in the India dressing room, during an Instagram chat with team-mate R Ashwin.

“After that it was all about just wanting to play, wanting to be in the XI regularly. I didn’t play all the games, but I wanted to be discussed, that ‘whether this guy is good enough to play or not’. That is a transition that slowly happens.

“Then with your interest in the game you start talking to the captain regularly. I was always in MS’s ear, standing next to him, saying: ‘We can do this, we can do that.’ He would deny a lot of things but he would discuss a lot of things as well. I think he got a lot of confidence that I can do this after him.

“A large portion of me becoming captain was also to do with him observing me for a long period of time. It can’t just happen that he goes and the selectors say, ‘Okay you become captain.

“Obviously the guy who is there takes responsibility and says, ‘Okay I think this is the next guy. I will tell you how it is going.’ And then slowly that transition is formed. He played a big role in that, and that trust you have to build over six-seven years.

It doesn’t happen overnight, it’s a process.”

Kohli was first appointed vice-captain for the 2012 Asia Cup, which followed

The relationship between Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni solidified over time India’s tour of Australia for a his maiden Test century in Test series and a tri-series in the fourth match at Adelaide, 2011-12. becoming the only India batsIn a tour that otherwise man to reach three figures in went poorly for India, who that series. were blanked 4-0 in the Tests In the ODIs, he made his and failed to reach the tri-se- then highest score in the forries final, Kohli emerged mat, smashing 133* off just with distinction. He scored 86 balls as India chased down

Youth Challengers win Independence dominoes competition

Tarick Seemangal (left) receives the winners’ trophy while top scorer Brian Roach is in the background.

IN celebration of Guyana’s 54th Independence Anniversary, Youth Challengers, Hard Target and The Rock participated in a three-way dominoes competition on Tuesday, May 26, in Richmond on the Essequibo Coast.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the players ensured that strict measures were adhered to including the wearing of masks.

Play began at 13:30hrs and it was The Rock who took the lead in the first two rounds with Gavin Ragnauth scoring maximum in two consecutive sittings.

Youth Challengers rebounded nicely with Brian Roach scoring maximums as well in

two sittings. The Rock went scoreless in one round that saw Hard Target gain momentum through consistent scoring from Elroy Stephney.

The final round, however, became a two-way race between The Rock and Youth Challengers who eventually prevailed, gaining 42 games and being declared the winners.

The Rock notched up 40 games while Hard Target ended on 38 games. Brian Roach with 17 games was the top scorer while Gavin Ragnauth 16 and Elroy Stephney 14 were the other principal scorers.

Trophies were presented to the winners and top-scorer.

a target of 321 in 36.4 overs to keep their hopes of making the final alive.

Kohli said that tour helped him become aware of his game and hone it significantly. “I remember that whole season,” he said. “It was from that Test hundred in Adelaide to continuously stringing scores. That was a phase of six to eight months where I really realised a lot about my own game and came into my own as far as my skills were concerned.

“I was very competitive but I wasn’t very sure or in control of what I wanted to do before. When you come in new, you’re still figuring out how to go about it. At the international stage you want to be feared, you want to be respected. You don’t want to walk in and hear, ‘He’s one of the youngsters, we’ll just knock him over.’ We all play for that. That was a phase where I started to realise this.”

In the Asia Cup that fol-

Olympic champion Rudisha out for 16 weeks NAIROBI, Kenya (AFP) - Twotime Olympic and world 800m record holder David Rudisha will be sidelined for 16 weeks after fracturing his left ankle.

The 31-year-old Rudisha twisted his left ankle at his rural home in Kilgoris, western Kenya, on May 19 and his doctor said closer examination revealed the fracture.

“We were able to perform the operation today and the athlete will spend the night for further observations tomorrow,” Victor

lowed, Kohli made 183 in another tall chase, against Pakistan. He revealed that during this knock, he had negated the threat posed by Saeed Ajmal by treating the off-spinner as if he were a leg-spinner.

“I told myself I’m going to start playing him like a leg-spinner,” Kohli said.

“Because his doosra was quite difficult to face and his off-spinner was not that lethal. So I said I’m going to try and hit him over cover consistently, and it just paid off. As soon as I negated his doosra, the potency of his threat became lesser and lesser.

“In that game I scored most of my runs against him through the off-side (29 off 10 balls on the off-side and 7 off 7 on the leg- side). My only aim was I’m going to make him unsettled with his doosra.

He should fear bowling the doosra to me then I’m on top of my game.” (ESPN Cricinfo)

Olympic and world record holder for the 800m, David Rudisha

Bargoria, an orthopaedic surgeon, told AFP, adding it would be 16 weeks before he will be able to start training again.

Rudisha, who won the 2012 London Olympics in a world record time of 1:40.91 minutes, was on track for a comeback after a recurrent knee injury prevented him from competing in the Doha World Championships last September.

Rudisha missed out a full year between 2013 and 2014 as a result of the leg injury.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE May 31, 2020

Five-star Bayern thrash Fortuna 5-0 to close in on league title Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany - 0 Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski celebrates scoring their fourth goal, as play resumes behind closed doors following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Christof Stache/ Pool via REUTERS

MUNICH, Germany (Reuters) - Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski ended a personal jinx when he opened his account against Fortuna Duesseldorf by scoring twice in a 5-0 win on Saturday as the holders moved closer to a record-extending 30th Bundesliga title.

The thumping victory left leaders Bayern, who are chasing an eighth successive league title, top of the standings on 67 points from 29 games, 10 ahead of closest rivals Borussia Dortmund who visit bottom team Paderborn on Sunday.

Lewandowski snapped his goal drought versus 16th-placed Fortuna when he scored for the first time against them to give Bayern a 3-0 lead in the first half after a Mathias Joergensen own goal and Benjamin Pavard

header opened the floodgates.

It also meant the Pole had netted against every current Bundesliga team, having failed to score in five league meetings versus Fortuna either with Bayern or his previous club Dortmund.

The prolific striker’s brace took his season’s tally in all competitions to 43 goals and equalled his personal best, which was set in the 2016/17 campaign.

France defender Pavard took centre stage when his scuffed shot led to Joergensen’s own goal after 15 minutes before he made it 2-0 just before the half-hour with a header which keeper Florian Kastenmeier got a hand to but could not keep it out.

It was Lewandowski’s turn to shine as he capped a flowing move with a clinical finish

CA explains why Perth to miss India Test THE absence of a Gabba Test for India’s tour of Australia two years ago is behind Cricket Australia’s decision to overlook Perth for a marquee Test against Virat Kohli’s side this summer.

But Brisbane and Perth may not miss out again if plans come off for all future Test campaigns between the two nations to be extended to five Tests.

On Thursday, WA cricket officials said missing out on hosting a Border-Gavaskar Test this season is “a kick in the guts” for fans in Perth, who will welcome Afghanistan this summer for a one-off Test instead of a high-profile match involving India.

While both cities host an Ashes Test every four years because series against England comprise five matches, the four-Test campaigns against India mean one of Perth and Brisbane has traditionally missed out.

And after Brisbane was overlooked for India’s tour two years ago, CA CEO Kevin Roberts said scheduling a game at the Gabba this season evens the ledger over the course of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) eight-year cycle from 2015 to 2023.

“If Perth received the India Test (this year) it would mean that Perth would have hosted two England Tests and two India Tests over the eight-year cycle for a total of four ... whereas Brisbane would have only hosted two,” Roberts said.

“So that would have created an imbalance over the cycle of the Future Tours Programme.

“And in the national interest and ensuring we take high-profile Test matches to cricket fans in Queensland, it was a more well-balanced solution. Assuming, of course, that we could get full crowds in play, that’s when this schedule was determined.

“The more balanced solution was to play the India Test in Brisbane, meaning over the eight-year cycle it would see Perth hosting three Tests against India and England, and Brisbane also hosting

Australia have a formidable record at the Gabba. (Getty Images) three Tests against India and England.” cricket-friendly from the start ... and at Brisbane was preferred over Perth the time Cricket Australia (CA) gave a for India’s 2014-15 tour, when Western guarantee to the government that they Australia missed out on a Test alto- would absolutely be utilising that stadigether. um to the fullest.”

On Thursday, WACA CEO ChrisAustralia’s imposing Test record tina Matthews said her organisation in Brisbane makes the Gabba a favouhad been told in 2014 that Perth rite among the players, and it boasts was overlooked because their main the longest active unbeaten streak Test venue at the time – the WACA in Test cricket at a single venue that ground – “wasn’t good enough”. stretches back 31 matches to 1988.

Having since moved to the brandThe Gabba is currently undergoing new Perth Stadium, Matthews said she a $35M facelift to upgrade public, corhad hoped the switch would mean the porate and media facilities. city would get a marquee Test every Roberts added that both Austrayear. lia and India hope to extend future “The last time (in 2014) we were Border-Gavaskar campaigns to five told it was because our venue wasn’t Tests each, which should mean both good enough and if we supported a Brisbane and Perth get a Test when new stadium, this would never happen India tour. again,” she said. “And here we are But the CEO was quick to add that again. adding an extra Test would be com“All the metrics associated with plicated given the already cramped cricket over the last two years see international schedule, which is likely us surpass Brisbane in every area; to become even more congested due to whether that’s crowds, broadcast rat- the rescheduling of matches that have ings, even better rainfall at that time been cancelled during the COVID-19 of year, more corporate seats - just so pandemic. many indicators - and a brand-new “It’s fair to say that both nations stadium. share the desire to move to five Test “The biggest issue for us is the (WA) series in the future, but we need to government invested hundreds of thou- navigate that with respect to everysands of dollars to make Perth Stadium thing else in the calendar,” he said.

from the heart of the penalty area in the 43rd after a flowing move through the middle.

The goal-hungry hitman made it 4-0 five minutes after the break with another predatory finish, steering the ball in at the near post with a superb back-heel from Serge Gnabry’s low cross.

Alphonso Davies completed the rout two minutes later after weaving his way past three defenders and firing a low shot past Kastenmaier, who had pulled off several fine saves in the final 30 minutes to deny Bayern an even bigger victory.

The result left Fortuna in 16th place — the relegation playoff spot — with 27 points, one point behind Mainz 05 and two above Werder Bremen who have a game in hand.

Stephney still rates Rayon Thomas as one of Guyana’s finest fast-bowling prospect FORMER Essequibo senior inter-county captain and CWI Level 2 coach Elroy Stephney recently reminisced on the quality of former West Indies ‘B’ Team fast bowler Rayon St Aubyn Thomas, who also represented Guyana at both the junior and senior levels.

In an exclusive interview, Stephney noted that he captained Thomas during the inter-county era and described him as one of the finest he had witnessed as a young fast bowler.

“He was very athletic, he had a smooth and rhythmic run-up and he was extremely strong in body” was Stephney’s description of the former cricketer.

“I played with and against Rayon and he was one of the most difficult bowler to face since he was menacingly quick and for the most part hit the right areas that caused batsmen to be concerned.

“I remember that devastating spell of a 7-wicket haul against Berbice at the Albion Community Centre ground in 2003 in an inter-county contest and it was quite an amazing exhibition of fast bowling from the youngster at the time.

In fact, I think his figures still remain as the best by an Essequibian in inter-county cricket.

“Rayon showed promise as an Under-15 player and I remember him hitting my bat extremely hard even

at such a tender age,” said Stephney, who added that he was therefore not surprised that Thomas seamlessly climbed the ladder as a professional player. “I had tremendous respect for Rayon who was very focussed on his goals at the time despite his challenges of growing up without his parents”.

Stephney recalled that it was the late Courtney Gonsalves as coach who groomed Thomas into becoming the fine talent that he was and nurtured his gradual elevation.

“I faced numerous fast bowlers in my time, but Rayon stood out since I would honestly concur that he was naturally gifted and he exerted less energy, yet the ball was always in your face” reminisced Stephney who would later name the fearsome fast bowler in Essequibo’s all-time best XI. Thomas, born on October 22, 1981 hailed from Suddie on the Essequibo Coast and, represented Imam Bacchus Sports Club of Affiance. He later migrated to Georgetown where he represented the famous Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) and Aranquez Sports Club of Trinidad and Tobago.

While Rayon Thomas did not represent the West Indies senior team, Stephney opined that it was unfortunate that he didn’t get such a break since he had all the qualities as an emerging fast bowler with age on his side.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE May 31, 2020

Competitive sport in England gets green light for Monday restart

By Martyn Herman LONDON, England (Reuters) - After a near threemonth shutdown, all competitive sport in England can resume from tomorrow behind closed doors provided strict conditions are met, the government said yesterday.

The first major live event is expected to be the 2000 Guineas Stakes horse race at Newmarket on June 6. Prior to that the Jockey Club Racecourses plans to hold its first behind-closed-doors fixture at Kempton Park on Tuesday of this week.

No competitive elite-level sport has taken place in Britain since March when the country went into lockdown in response to the coronavirus pandemic that has now killed more than 38 000 people in the UK. A document published yesterday by the Department

for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), outlined a lengthy list of criteria that must be met to allow elite athletes and professional sportsmen to resume.

“The wait is over. Live British sport will shortly be back on in safe and carefully controlled environments,” Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said in a statement.

“This guidance provides the safe framework for sports to resume competitions behind closed doors.

It is now up to individual sports to confirm they can meet these protocols and decide when it’s right for them to restart.”

Dowden confirmed that preparations were being finalised for the Premier League and English Football League to return to action in June. Premier League shareholders this week agreed a return to contact training with a provisional restart date of

Britain’s Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden chairs the daily coronavirus disease news conference at 10 Downing Street in London, Britain May 20, 2020.

(Andrew Parsons/10 Downing Street/Handout via REUTERS) June 17, provided all safety welcomes the government’s requirements are in place. announcement today,” a “The Premier League statement from the Premier

‘God of cricket’ Tendulkar looms over India prodigy Shaw

India’s Prithvi Shaw celebrates after scoring a century during the first Test cricket match against the West Indies at the Saurashtra Cricket Association stadium in Rajkot in this October 4, 2018 file photo. (AFP) NEW DELHI, India (AFP) - Comparisons to India’s “god of cricket” Sachin Tendulkar have not always helped Prithvi Shaw as he seeks to put a doping ban and injury worries behind him and cement his place in the national side.

Shaw, now 20, was instantly linked with Tendulkar when he matched

the feat of the “Little Master” by scoring centuries for Mumbai on his debuts in the domestic Ranchi and Duleep tournaments in 2017.

He then led India to victory at the Under-19 World Cup, and burst into the Test team in 2018 with a match-winning 134 against West Indies – becoming the youngest

Indian to score a century on debut at 18 years 10 months 25 days.

But since then, the boyish batsman has followed a rocky path.

An ankle injury ruled him out of India’s historic first Test series triumph in Australia last year, and he was then slapped with a backdated eight-month ban for taking a prohibit-

ed anti-asthma drug.

“He is a special talent and I am a little disappointed with the way things have taken its course, after his ankle injury and then his ban for using the banned substance,” former Test opener Wasim Jaffer told AFP. “Seeing all this troubles me, because he is very, very talented. But, he needs to be disciplined if he wants to achieve great things.

“He is living in that Indian circle, where he has got role models like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan who are so disciplined.”

SCHOOLBOY SENSATION Jaffer, who played 31 Tests for India, added: “There is much competition and he missed so many Tests and internationals and does not need to do that because this is his time to fulfil his potential.”

Shaw, who has played four Tests and three OneDay Internationals (ODIs), made headlines around the world as a 14-year-old when he smashed a record 546 off 330 balls in a 2013 school competition.

League said. “We have provisionally planned to restart the Premier League on June 17, but there is still much work to be done to ensure the safety of all involved.”

A “significant proportion” of the remaining 92 Premier League matches will be broadcast on freeto-air platforms.

While the Premier League is on track to resume in just over two weeks’ time, others are in different positions.

Domestic cricket is suspended until August 1, while the Wimbledon tennis championships has been cancelled for the first time since World War II. Premiership rugby hopes to have clubs back in training from June 8.

The government’s latest plan for the resumption of elite level sport follows its ‘stage two’ guidance published on May 25 which allowed elite athletes to

resume group training under carefully controlled conditions.

“This is a significant moment for British sport. By working with clinicians every step of the way, we are creating the safest possible environments for everyone involved,” Dowden said of the step-by-step guidelines.

Measures include players travelling alone to venues, being screened for coronavirus symptoms before entering, and maintaining social distancing where possible.

Dressing-room usage must be minimised, only essential physiotherapy allowed and recovery sessions held outside.

High-contact areas of venues will require regular disinfecting, while catering must be limited. It will now be the responsibility of individual leagues and competitions to decide when they can resume.

That record evoked memories of Tendulkar’s 326 not out in his 664-run partnership with Vinod Kambli in the same tournament - the Harris Shield - in 1988. Comparisons have been made ever since.

Shaw has admitted there is a downside to being constantly likened to Tendulkar, a hero among cricket fans and who holds the record for runs in Tests and OneDay Internationals.

“There is pressure when people compare me to him but I take it as a challenge.

I try to play like him. He is the god of cricket,” Shaw told an online discussion with the Delhi Capitals, his Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise.

Jaffer said Shaw has to be mentally equipped to deal with the pressures, like any international star.

“Whenever you perform at the top level the media and the people hype you so much, but it is an individual’s responsibility to learn,” said Jaffer.

“Virat keeps himself grounded. Every rising batsman in Mumbai circles is right away compared to Tendulkar. Everything boils

down to performance.”

Shaw, who was only eight when he first met Tendulkar, said he regards the batting legend as a mentor and sometimes speaks to him about the mental challenges of the game.

“Now also whenever I go for practice, if Sachin Sir is there to watch me he will talk, not much technically but mentally more,” Shaw said during a live chat on Instagram.

Veteran commentator Charu Sharma believes Shaw has lived up to the intense hype.

“Because when you play school cricket or local league cricket, the leap from there to international cricket is a ‘Grand Canyon’. He has taken that leap and has landed on the right side because of all the early work he did,” Sharma told AFP. “Prithvi, like Rohit Sharma and Tendulkar, can adjust very well despite his aggressive stance, and can assess the ball quicker than many other cricketers.

He added: “If he keeps himself physically well, mentally he is a very strong kid, he will be able to play for India for a very long time”.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE May 31, 2020

FIFA serves notice it will defend itself against TTFA in local court PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) — FIFA has signalled it will defend itself against a legal challenge filed by the former execu-

tive of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) by filing an entry of appearance in the High Court here on Tuesday.

Football’s world governing body has retained the Port of Spain law firm of Dr Claude Denbow SC. The entry of appearance was

Jean-Bart declares innocence after suspension over sexual abuse claims ZURICH, Switzerland (CMC) - Suspended president of the Haitian Football Federation (FHF) Yves Jean-Bart said Wednesday that he expects to be exonerated and reinstated at the end of ongoing sexual abuse investigations that triggered FIFA to provisionally ban him from the sport.

Announcing the decision, which took immediate effect on Monday, football’s world governing body said JeanBart, also known as ‘Dadou’, would not be allowed to take part in any national or international football-related activities for 90 days.

It is alleged that within the last five years, Haiti’s 73-year-old football boss coerced several underage females at the country’s national training centre in Croix-des-Bouquets into having sex.

Jean-Bart, who is under investigation by the juvenile protection brigade of the Haitian judicial police, has denied the allegations.

His spokesperson issued a statement on Wednesday describing the allegations as baseless and politically motivated.

“While Jean-Bart continues to unequivocally deny the baseless allegations against him, he will comply with FIFA’s provisional suspension - which is a standard practice of the ethics committee - and expects full exoneration and reinstatement once the investigation concludes,” it said.

“Fully transparent from the start, the federation and its president were actually the first to issue requests for inquiries by the Haitian judicial system, as well as the respected human rights group Réseau National de Défense des Droits Humains, in order to prove that the despicable, politically motivated allegations against him have no truth.”

The statement added that the FHF had even previously asked FIFA to send experts from the FIFA Guardians/ Child Safeguarding Programme to verify the conditions at the national youth training facility and to do its own investigations.

Meanwhile, Jean-Bart, who has served as FHF president for two decades and was elected to a sixth term in February, has filed

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Suspended president of the Haitian Football Federation (FHF) Yves Jean-Bart a public defamation lawsuit against a blogger who published anonymous accusations against him.

filed by instructing attorney Donna Denbow, with Jerome Rajcoomar listed as junior counsel.

Ousted TTFA President William Wallace and his team, represented by Dr Emir Crowne and Matthew Gayle, are challenging Fifa’s decision to remove them and appoint a normalisation committee to run the association’s affairs.

The Wallace-led executive had initially taken their case to the Switzerland-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), but withdrew the matter earlier this month saying they were not likely to be get a fair hearing, given some of the decisions CAS had taken in the early stages of the case.

With FIFA having filed an appearance to claim, it has 28 days from the May 19 date when it was served with notice of the TTFA’s claim to file a defence.

The local football association is seeking the court’s intervention by way of a dec-

laration that Fifa’s removal of the TTFA executive, which was elected to office on November 24, 2019, is null, void and of no legal and/or binding effect; a permanent injunction preventing FIFA from interfering in, and/or seeking to override the fair and transparent democratic processes of the TTFA and/ or from attempting removing the duly elected executive from office; and a permanent injunction preventing FIFA and/or its agents and/or assigns and/or servants from interfering in the day-to-day management of the TTFA, including the association’s bank accounts and real property.

FIFA said it removed the executive because of mounting and potentially crippling debt, insisting that the local body faced “a very real risk of insolvency and illiquidity” and urgent action was required.

The TTFA stands to be suspended as a result

Ousted TTFA president William Wallace of taking Fifa to the local courts, as Article 64 of the Fifa statutes prohibits member associations from taking internal disputes, or disputes affecting Leagues, members of leagues, clubs, members of clubs, players, officials and other association officials to ordinary courts of law.

CWI cuts salaries by 50 per cent ST JOHN’S, Antigua – Cricket West Indies has slashed staff and player incomes in half, in an attempt to remain viable amidst mounting financial troubles due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Describing the move as a “temporary measure”, the board said in a statement tonight that it “deeply regretted” having to make the cuts but was left with little choice “in the face of debilitating economic challenges which have resulted from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic”.

The measures, adopted following “close consultation with all stakeholders”, will also extend to the funding for territorial boards, terri-

torial board franchises along with the players association, WIPA. Retainers and allowances for directors and executive management are also being slashed by half.

CWI approved the measures during a board of directors meeting held by teleconference on Thursday, acting on recommendations put forward by its Financial Strategy Advisory Committee established last month and chaired by Jamaica Cricket Association president, Wilford “Billy” Heaven.

The board said it did not envisage the measures lasting beyond “three to six months”.

CWI president Ricky

Usain Bolt (right) and Carl Lewis aren’t exactly close friends

IT’S been almost 12 years since Carl Lewis publicly questioned the legitimacy of Usain Bolt’s record-setting performances at the Beijing Olympics in a sport “that has the reputation it has right now”.

It’s been almost eight years since Bolt said of Lewis, “Nobody really remembers who he is.”

It’s been six years since Lewis reportedly said, “He needs to back up now and maybe respect me a little bit more.”

More recently, Lewis tweeted on May 4, “It’s time we have an honest conversation about the future of our sport. The present financial model is unsustainable.

Skerritt said the current environment had required a “huge sacrifice” from the entire West Indies cricket fraternity.

“Cricket is the beating heart of our region for many individuals, communities, and economies,” said Skerritt, who recently likened CWI’s finances to a patient in intensive care.

“This pandemic is hurting every West Indian and this decision to cut staff and player incomes has been a very difficult one to make; one that will impact so many members of the cricketing family around the Caribbean.

“This business continuity plan unfortunately re-

quires all stakeholders to make a huge sacrifice, but I am confident that it won’t be long before CWI will be in a position to ensure that the sport we love can restart and be enjoyed once again by the thousands of cricket fans across the region and diaspora.”

CWI’s finances had been ailing for a while, a situation repeatedly highlighted

by Skerritt since coming to office last year April. The board’s international broadcasting deal, a major source of its revenue, expired last December and a new one is yet to be negotiated.

With the outbreak of COVID-19 forcing a halt to cricket globally, CWI

Usain Bolt on Carl Lewis tweet: I will never complain about everything The global pandemic has changed the future of sport forever. We need to discuss the federations and the number of athletes competing.” The tweet was followed by a link to a Financial Times article on the financial impact of a delayed Tokyo Olympics on World Athletics.

In a Gazzetta dello Sport interview published Friday, Bolt was asked to comment on the first sentence of Lewis’ tweet, noting Lewis has often questioned aspects of today’s track and field.

Bolt, in response, said that in retirement he will never become one who complains about everything and makes comparisons with the past, according to a Google Translated

version of the Q&A. All sports must evolve with the changing times.

Bolt has expressed opinions on sprinting since his 2017 retirement notably, on the dearth of young, male Jamaican prospects.

“I’ve walked away from the sport, and no one is there to pick it up, pick up the pieces, keep the level,” Bolt said last summer. “It’s embarrassing for the country. Every time I see people, they say come back. We need you. But you have so much talent in Jamaica.”

“I don’t think it is going to get any better because I think these youngsters are a little bit spoiled,” Bolt added then, according to Reuters.

(NBC Sports)

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CWI president Ricky Skerritt face the prospect of having to postpone home tours by South Africa and New Zealand, both of which were expected to be a boost to the organisation’s finances.

Having kept staff, players, coaches and other officials on full pay since the start of the pandemic, chief executive Johnny Grave said the “temporary reduction” in pay was a means of helping to navigate the current crisis.

“The effects of this pandemic have been distressing for everyone – the worst crisis of our lifetime – and at present, we cannot be certain when the situation will be rectified,” Grave pointed out.

“We recognize that this will cause financial pain for

all our staff, players, coaches and umpires across the Caribbean, but having kept everyone on full-pay since the outbreak in March we have no choice but to take decisive action from next month onwards.

“CWI’s greatest asset is our people and players and everyone sharing equally in the temporary reduction, we believe is the best way for us to ensure we get through this crisis and protect our organisation and all the jobs in the system.

“We will be reviewing the situation regularly with the hope that we can return to normal operations at the earliest opportunity.”

(CMC)

GFF eager to get back into action - Forde

... Federation to set up Working Group to initiate smooth post-COVID-19 transition WAYNE Forde, president of Guyana Football Federation (GFF), said his executive committee is eager to see the sport return to the playing field.

With the aim of having a seamless transition postCOVID-19, GFF is putting together a Working Group to formulate plans for the eventual return of on-field action.

“We are all very eager to get back to the playing of football but it is absolutely important that we focus on the real reason the entire world has paused See page 27

GFF president Wayne Forde

Competitive sport in England gets green light for Monday restart see story on page 30

SUNDAY, MAY 31, 2020