Guyana Chronicle E-paper 6-17-2020

WEDNESDAY 17th June, 2020

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GECOM rules No. 106032

…CEO must prepare report for declaration …Harmon says no gov’t should be sworn in with fraudulent votes … PPP/C lauds decision, urging speedy declaration of results

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Outrage over racist remarks ‘We’re not in of ‘Guyanese Critic’ 12 agreement’ PAGE

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… Gov’t-nominated commissioners disappointed with GECOM Chair’s ruling on declarations

12 new COVID-19 cases recorded 02 PAGE

A group of citizens protest social media commentator, ‘Guyanese Critic’, for racist comments he made about Afro-Guyanese

CARICOM … ERC launches probe team urges end as scores protest, to GECOM’s 11 condemn behaviour partisan structure PAGE

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, June 17, 2020

12 new COVID-19 cases recorded – mining communities on the radar

JUST when Guyana thought it was “out of the woods” in the fight against the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), things have taken a worrying turn with 12 cases being recorded within the past 24 hours.

Those cases were detected after health authorities tested 36 persons between Monday and Tuesday.

According to Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr. Shamdeo Persaud, some 1,995 persons have been tested so far, and the results of those tests have proven 1,822 persons negative and 171 positive.

Of the total number of persons tested positive, 99 have recovered, 12 have lost their lives, and 60 are still deemed active. According to Dr. Persaud, Region Two (Pomeroom-Supenaam) has recorded its first case of the disease since the virus first reared

its ugly head her back in March.

“We now have eight out of ten Regions reporting COVID-19 cases,” the CMO said, noting that persons must continue to utilise the available mobile units, the COVID-19 hotline, and the COVID-19 facilities.

Health authorities here continue to work towards strengthening the healthcare system to respond to COVID-19 on a long-term basis. The potential and existing activities are part of a 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) is still 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, while among those on the East Bank Demerara (EBD) are: Diamond, Grove, Land of Canaan, Providence, and Timehri.

Health authorities are also placing emphasis on the four hinterland regions, especially now that three of them have recorded cases of COVID-19.

EPICENTRE OF THE AMERICAS The need for surveillance in those regions is also important, because Guyana’s South American neighbour, Brazil, is now rated as the COVID-19 epicentre of the Americas.

“We continue to plead with the residents of Regions One, Six, Seven, Eight and Nine to remain on high alert, recognising that our neighbours, Brazil, Venezuela and Suriname, are reporting new cases,” said Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Karen Boyle in a recent report.

“Residents of Region Seven, with the new cases in Venezuela, and the upsurge in your region, your vulnerability is increased. We are calling on the Toshaos and other authorities to ensure that residents do not cross borders, and that persons from those other countries are not entering your commu-

nity. Community members must report any migrant entering your community, and anyone who has signs and symptoms and immediately bring this to the attention of the health authorities,” Dr. Boyle advised.

Dr. Persaud, in his report on Tuesday said the public health ministry will continue to monitor mining communities, and advise miners to follow the existing guidelines.

“Please remember that there is no cure, so the temptation to self-medicate if you have symptoms of COVID-19 is not recommended. We ask that you seek medical attention by contacting the nearest health facility so that they can bring services to you,” Dr. Persaud said, adding:

“The message is not only for the miners within the hinterland region, but for those who are at home on the coastland and have plans of returning. Please remember that you cannot provide for your family if you are sick.”

As is evident, COVID-19 remains a serious issue, not just here in Guyana, but globally as well; and, according to global statistics, there are 7.8 million cases of COVID-19, with over 431,000 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

Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Shamdeo Persaud number of preventive measures to contain the spread of the disease.

Lowenfield told to prepare report by 1pm Thursday CHAIRMAN of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Justice (rt’d) Claudette Singh has officially written Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield ordering him to prepare his elections report to the Commission by 13:00h Thursday.

According to the terse letter to Lowenfield, Justice Singh said the CEO has to submit the report using the results of the

national recount.

“Pursuant to Article 177 (2) (b) of the Constitution and Section 96 of the Representation of the People Act Chapter 1:03, you are hereby requested to prepare and submit your report by 13:00hrs on 18th June, 2020 using the results of the recount for consideration by the Commission,” Justice Singh told the CEO.

Suspect in murder of construction worker being sought A POST MORTEM done on the decomposed body of 46-year-old construction worker, Andy Williams, has confirmed that the man was murdered.

The body of Williams was found floating in a canal.

The examination, which was done by Government Pathologist, Dr. Nehal Singh, on Monday, confirmed that Williams died as a result of blunt force trauma to his head which resulted in a fractured skull. The man also had laceration to the face and right hand.

Based on the autopsy report, the police have launched an investigation and are currently on the hunt for the killer.

On June 8, 2020, Wil-

liams’ body was found floating in a canal at Meten-Meer-Zorg, West Coast Demerara, with a plastic bag over the head.

His body was identified at the Ezekiel Funeral Home by relatives, on Sunday, June 14, 2020.

The body was clad in a burgundy Jersey, blue track pants with white stripes to the side and a pair of black socks. Its height was about 5 feet 7 inches, weighing about 150 lbs. No tattoos or any distinguishing marks were observed.

According to the man’s relative, Williams left his home on June 6, 2020 for work, and was never seen again. However, as time passed his relatives became worried.

The family, after hear-

DEAD: Andy Williams ing that a body, matching Williams’ description, was found in a nearby canal, went to the police.

The family was then escorted to the funeral home where Williams’ body was positively identified.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, June 17, 2020

CEO to prepare report for declaration

GUYANA’s Chief Election Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield, has been ordered to prepare a report in keeping with Section 96 of the Representation of the Act, Chapter 1:03 – a move that effectively paves the way for the official declaration of the Election results by the Chair of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh.

The decision was arrived at on Tuesday, following submissions by the Government and Opposition-nominated Elections Commissioners on whether GECOM should nullify the elections due to the anomalies and cases of electoral fraud or use the data contained in the CEO’s National Recount Report to declare the results of the General and Regional Elections held last March.

It was after those deliberations that Justice Singh took a decision to have the CEO prepare a report to ascertain the results of the elections under Section 96 of the Representation of the People Act, Chapter

… Chief Elections Officer tells Commission that polls lack credibility 1:03 and in keeping with the Order that had triggered the National Recount of the ballots cast at the elections held on March 2.

While the CEO, in his Report on the National Recount, had indicated that the Elections were not credible due to 4,864 cases of voter impersonation and more than 2,000 anomalies, Justice Singh, according to GECOM’s PRO, asserted that the Commission does not have the powers of a Court of Law to examine and re-examine witnesses or to procure official documents to determine the truth of the allegations contained therein.

“The Chairperson posited that she is of the opinion that some of the allegations are of a serious nature and must be addressed. However, Article 163 (1) (b) of the Constitution confers on the High Court the exclusive jurisdiction to determine the validity of an election,” Ward said in a statement on Tuesday, mo-

ments after the decision was taken.

It was explained that while GECOM resorted to Article 162 (1) (b) of the Constitution as the legal cover to facilitate the National Recount in the interest of fairness and impartiality, it does not have jurisdiction to adjudicate on the legality of the elections. “In this regard, GECOM could not have thereby clothed itself with jurisdiction to establish itself as a Court of Law to determine credibility of an election when Article 163 (1) stipulates that the High Court shall have exclusive jurisdiction to determine the legality of an election,” Ward said.

According to her, Justice Singh was keen on noting that the Commission cannot arrogate onto itself a jurisdiction to annul an election since no specific power was conferred on it under Article 162 (1) (b).

“A perusal of Articles 162

and 163 of the Constitution shows that the Articles clearly and sharply separate the functions of GECOM and the High Court respectively in matters of electoral process,” the GECOM PRO said.

She said in delivering the landmark decision to the Commission, Justice Singh referenced Article 163(1)(b) then Article 71 (1)(b) of the 1996 Constitution which received judicial consideration in the case of Gladys Petrie v.

Attorney General (1968). In that case, she said, the court had to consider: “Whether there is some general illegality either affecting the whole election or whether there has been some specific illegality being either an act or an omission which affects the results of an election.”

Further, it was noted that Parliament has made provision for the determination of questioning the validity of elections by way of The National Assembly (Validity of

Elections) Act Chapter 1:04 of which the long title reads:“An Act to provide for the determination of questions relating to the validity of elections of members of the National Assembly under a system of Proportional Representation.” The marginal note to section 3(1) of the Act enacts “Method of questioning the validity of election.”

According to section 57(3) of the Interpretation and General Clauses Act, Chapter 2:01, the marginal note shall be construed and have effect as part of the Act. Section 3(1) of the Act provides, “Any question referred to Article 163(1) (a), (b) and (c) of the Constitution may, in respect of an election referred to in Article 60(2) of the Constitution and with a view of securing appropriate remedial orders, be referred to the court and shall thereupon be determined by it in accordance with this Act and every such reference shall

GECOM Chair, Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh be by petition (hereafter referred to as an election petition).”

In light of the foregoing and in keeping with Order No. 60 of 2020 and its addendum dated May 29, 2020, Justice Singh requested for the Chief Election Officer to prepare and submit to the Commission a report to ascertain the results of the elections under Section 96 of the Representation of the People Act, Chapter 1:03.

The CEO is expected to present the report to the Commission soon.

No gov’t should be sworn in with fraudulent votes –– Harmon says as PPP/C lauds GECOM’s decision, urging speedy declaration of results NO Government could be declared the winner of Guyana’s General and Regional Elections based on fraudulent votes, Campaign Manager of the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC), Joseph Harmon has said.

His comments were in direct response to a decision of the Chair of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh, to proceed with the declaration of the results based on the votes tabulated during the National Recount. Those votes have been marred by thousands of irregularities and cases of voter impersonation – dead and migrant voters – and while, the Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield, concluded that the Elections were far from

credible, Justice Singh said the hand of the Commission was ‘tied.’ According to her, while Article 162 allows for a National Recount, it does not provide for the Commission to examine and re-examine witnesses or procure official documents to determine the truth of the allegations.

Such is a matter for the High Court, she posited, while alluding to Article 163 of the Constitution.

Notwithstanding this explanation, which was made public by way of a statement issued by GECOM’s Public Relations Officer, Yolanda Ward, on behalf of the Chair, Harmon said the government was awaiting the written directive the Elections Chairman will give to Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield, as the national recount process moves to its fourth stage.

Harmon said the Coalition is waiting to see what will be contained in that letter especially since Section 96 of the Representation of the People Act requires that the CEO submits a report to the chair for her declaration of the “valid votes.”

“The CEO always has to act in accordance with the Constitution and the laws of this country and therefore cannot make a submission which is unlawful. So, he has to be aware of that when he sends to the Chairman what are considered valid votes cast at these elections,” Harmon posited. The CEO, in his report, had pointed to over 2,000 anomalies and approximately 4,800 cases of voter impersonation, which have in effect compromised well over 200,000 votes.

Only 40 percent of the total votes cast were reported to have been untainted.

“There was a process of a recount which lasted for 33 days and if we were to say that work is not to be considered, even though the gazetted order requires it to be so then we will have to see what the letter says,” Harmon said.

He added: “The CEO cannot declare anything other than valid votes and in his determination of valid votes, we will wait to see those reports of the CEO reflected in the way those votes are tallied.”

Harmon said that, so far, no winner or loser has been declared as the chairman has made a finding so far from the reports submitted by the CEO. “The final determination will be made when she puts in writing what is her meaning to the CEO and he responds in a way that the Guyanese people can understand.”

PPP/C rejoices

Over at Freedom House, there was much celebration, with the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) expressing extreme happiness at the decision of the GECOM Chair.

The use of the recount results, in keeping with Section 96 of the Representation of the Act, Chapter 1:03, it said, paves way for the official declaration of Election Results, and subsequently the swearing-in of the president. “The PPP/C wishes to commend the GECOM Chair, retired Justice Claudette Singh, for standing on the side of rule of law and upholding the Constitution of Guyana,” the Opposition party said.

According to PPP/C, the Commission’s decision is in line with earlier expressed views that GECOM is not a court of law; therefore it has no jurisdiction to hear allegations of ir-

APNU+AFC Campaign Manager Joseph Harmon regularities, which, could only be ventilated in the High Court by way of an Elections Petition.

“Commission agreed that GECOM has no jurisdiction to annul an election, since no such power was conferred onto it under Article 162 (1) (b) of the Constitution,” it said. Anticipating that the results will be declared based on all votes tabulated during the recount, the PPP/C congratulated Irfaan Ali, its President-Elect.

“The move towards a speedy transition to a democratically-elected government will allow our nation to focus on the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, unemployment and issues related to the economy, among others,” it said.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, June 17, 2020

Coronavirus: Dexamethasone proves first life-saving drug (BBC) A cheap and widely available drug can help save the lives of patients seriously ill with coronavirus.

The low-dose steroid treatment dexamethasone is a major breakthrough in the fight against the deadly virus, UK experts say.

The drug is part of the world’s biggest trial testing existing treatments to see if they also work for coronavirus.

It cut the risk of death by a third for patients on ventilators. For those on oxygen, it cut deaths by a fifth.

Had the drug had been used to treat patients in the UK from the start of the pandemic, up to 5,000 lives could have been saved, researchers say.

And it could be of huge benefit in poorer countries with high numbers of Covid-19 patients.

The UK government has 200,000 courses of the drug in its stockpile and says the NHS will make dexamethasone available to patients.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said there was a genuine case to celebrate “a remarkable British scientific achievement”, adding: “We have taken steps to ensure

we have enough supplies, even in the event of a second peak.”

Chief Medical Officer for England Prof Chris Whitty said it would save lives around the world.

About 19 out of 20 patients with coronavirus recover without being admitted to hospital.

Of those who are admitted, most also recover but some may need oxygen or mechanical ventilation.

And these are the highrisk patients dexamethasone appears to help.

The drug is already used to reduce inflammation in a range of other conditions, including arthritis, asthma and skin some conditions.

And it appears to help stop some of the damage that can happen when the body’s immune system goes into overdrive as it tries to fight off coronavirus.

This over-reaction, a cytokine storm, can be deadly.

In the trial, led by a team from Oxford University, about 2,000 hospital patients were given dexamethasone and compared with more than 4,000 who were not.

For patients on ventilators, it cut the risk of death

Wednesday, June 17, 02:00hrs - 03:30hrs & 13:30HRS - 15:00HRS

from 40% to 28%.

For patients needing oxygen, it cut the risk of death from 25% to 20%.

Chief investigator Prof Peter Horby said: “This is the only drug so far that has been shown to reduce mortality and it reduces it significantly.

It’s a major breakthrough.”

Lead researcher Prof Martin Landray said the find-

ings suggested one life could be saved for: “There is a clear, clear benefit,” he said.

“The treatment is up to 10 days of dexamethasone and it costs about £5 per patient.

“So essentially it costs £35 to save a life.

“This is a drug that is globally available.”

When appropriate, hos-

pital patients should now be given it without delay, Prof Landray said.

But people should not go out and buy it to take at home.

Dexamethasone does not appear to help people with milder symptoms of coronavirus who do not need help with their breathing.

The Recovery Trial, running since March,

also looked at the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine, which has subsequently been ditched amid concerns it increases fatalities and heart problems.

The antiviral drug remdesivir, meanwhile, which appears to shorten recovery time for people with coronavirus, is already being made available on the NHS.

US police reform: Trump signs executive order on ‘best practice’ US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order introducing several police reforms while rejecting calls to defund or dismantle the police.

His order offers federal grants to improve police practices, including creating a database to trace abuses by officers.

The order comes amid anger over the killing of African Americans by police officers.

Several US cities have proposed more radical reforms.

Speaking at the White House on Tuesday, Mr Trump began by saying he had met a number of African American families who had lost loved ones, including the relatives of Antwon Rose, Botham Jean and Ahmaud Arbery - the black jogger killed in Georgia earlier this year.

No representatives of the families were present with Mr Trump, who spoke while flanked by law enforcement officers.

What did Trump say?

In his address, the pres-

ident again defended police while condemning looters and “anarchy”.

“We have to find common ground,” Mr Trump said. “But I strongly oppose the radical and dangerous efforts to defund, dismantle and dissolve our police departments.”

He added that “without police, there’s chaos”.

“Americans believe we must support the brave men and women in blue who police our streets and keep us safe,” Mr Trump said.

“Americans also believe we must improve accountability, increase transparency and invest more resources in police training, recruiting and community engagement.”

The latest drive for reform began after the death in police custody of George Floyd last month.

Mr Floyd died after a white police officer in Minneapolis knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes. The killing spurred global protests led by the Black Lives Matter movement.

There was fresh outrage

after the death of another black man, Rayshard Brooks, who was shot during an attempted arrest in Atlanta last Friday.

What does the Trump order include?

The Trump announcement comes as Democrats and Republicans in the US Congress are developing reforms of their own.

The president’s executive order aims to provide incentives for police departments to improve by tying some federal grants to “best practices”.

It will create a federal database of complaints against officers. It will also encourage the deployment of social workers alongside officers to deal with non-violent cases involving drug addiction and homelessness.

The White House has stressed the idea is to bring the police closer to communities.

The order will also prioritise federal grants to departments that obtain certifications of high standards regarding de-escalation training and use of force.

“As part of this new credentialing process, chokeholds will be banned except if an officer’s life is at risk,” Mr Trump said.

“Everybody said it’s time, we have to do it.”

The president said the gov-

ernment was looking into new “less lethal weapons to prevent deadly interactions”.

Mr Trump has described the Atlanta incident as “very disturbing”, and said his initiative was “about safety”.

The president has also condemned George Floyd’s death, but rejected suggestions of ingrained racism in police forces.

Critics say the measures fall short of the deep reform that many are seeking.

Following the announcement, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer called on lawmakers to pass bolder legislation.

“Unfortunately, this executive order will not deliver the comprehensive meaningful change and accountability in our nation’s police departments that Americans are demanding,” he said.

Top House Democrat Nancy Pelosi said the order “falls sadly and seriously short of what is required to combat the epidemic of racial injustice and police brutality that is murdering hundreds of Black Americans”.

“During this moment of national anguish, we must insist on bold change, not meekly surrender to the bare minimum,” she continued.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, June 17, 2020

‘We’re not in agreement’ … Gov’t commissioners disappointed with GECOM Chair’s ruling on declarations it based on all the votes tabulated during the National Recount, which shows the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) in the lead by 15,000 votes.

The report is expected to be prepared in accordance with Section 96 of the Representation of the People Act and Order 60 of 2020 and its addendum to allow for the official

Elections Commissioner Vincent Alexander (centre) responding to the press. He is flanked by his fellow Commissioners Charles Corbin (L) and Desmond Trotman (R).

THE landmark decision by the Chair of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh to have the Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield, prepare a report for the declaration of the results for the 2020 General and Regional Elections, using data from the National Recount, did not win the support of the government-nominated commissioners – Vincent Alexander, Charles Corbin and Desmond Trotman.

“I am not in agreement but that is the fact of the matter,” Alexander told reporters moments after exiting a meeting of the Elections Commission at GECOM’s Headquarters on High and Cowan Streets, Kingston, on Tuesday.

Hours ahead of the Chair’s decision, the government-nominated commissioners had made a case for the Elections Commission to nullify the General and Regional Elections held on March 2, 2020 on the grounds that the CEO, in his report on the National Recount, concluded that the elections were far from credible. The Secretariat, during the 33-day National Recount at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC), had unearthed thousands of anomalies and cases of voter imperson-

Elections Commissioner Sase Gunraj ation, which, in effect, have compromised more than 229,000 votes.

In delivering her ruling, the Elections Chair said that while the anomalies were grave, the Elections Commission did not have the jurisdiction to investigate the malpractices, anomalies and cases of voter impersonation. Pointing to Article 163 of the Constitution, Justice Singh told the Commissioners that the High Court had exclusive jurisdiction to adjudicate on such matters by way of an elections petition.

“What is significant is that the Chairman has acknowledged that the issues raised are significant but I think it was her disposition that rather than the Com-

mission pronounce on those issues, that those issues should form the basis for an election petition, rather than a Commission making a pronouncement on it,” Corbin said as he weighed in on the decision.

Due to the anomalies and cases of electoral fraud, the CEO, in his report, separated the votes that were compromised from those he deemed credible. Corbin reminded that the intention of the National Recount was to deliver credible elections to the people of Guyana in accordance with Article 162 of the Constitution.

“We have presented all of the arguments validly to indicate that [but] from the nature of the ruling, it did not come down to whether or not that was so, it appear to come down to who had the jurisdiction,” Corbin posited.

Even in wake of the Chair’s decision, Trotman maintained that the National Recount was not designed to generate numerical data but to ascertain the credibility of the elections. “For me that is important,” he said while expressing disappointment. “I am deeply disappointed by the decision,” he said.

Opposition-nominated Commissioners – Robeson Benn, Sase Gunraj and Bibi Shadick – had lobbied the Chair to have the results

of the elections declared based on the votes tabulated during the National Recount, and nothing else. This cause was led by Benn.

The CEO, in his final report to the Commission, will be expected to compile

declaration of the results of the 2020 General and Regional Elections.

Gunraj, in an interview with reporters, said it is his expectation that the CEO’s Report be delivered in short order.

Once the report is submitted, the declaration will be made at a time decided upon by the Chair of the Elections Commission.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, June 17, 2020

Forging a nation

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ATION-building is hard work, and relies on constant vigilance, sacrifice, self-critique and reverent commitment to the ideals that would promote, ensure and maintain a unified polity. It is work in constant process and progress. Our society was built and sustained for significant periods on the practice of divide-and-rule, where, with the exception of the Amerindian community, the others arrived from different parts of the world, but every group has brought to this nation’s landscape its unique culture, gave of their labour and expertise, and are deserving of being acknowledged.

The cultural and racial diversity that has shaped this national ethos has given us our unique characteristics as Guyanese, forged a nation, and developed nationhood and our sense of belonging. Grappling with these variants in the name of nation-building is an arduous task.

Nation-building requires vision, determination and steadfastness. Thus, it is understandable that societies such as our CARICOM counterparts and the USA consider it important to designate a date in their national calendar to commemorate the

efforts of their founding fathers and mothers, which presents opportunity for national reflection; to examine the contributions of these founding fathers and mothers, and to learn from and build on them.

The characteristics of nation-building, on which rests the foundation of welding a people together, and in our case six peoples, include the creation of structures and institutions such as a national motto, political system, laws, national anthem, national economy, national holidays, flag, folklore and language (in our instance, our unique accent, linguistic expression, and structures that have shaped the Creole and English languages).

Where our society has been formed out of slavery, indentureship and colonial experiences, and groups have dominated others, and felt or were conditioned to feel that they were better than others, it requires resoluteness to ensure and maintain nation-building.

Unfortunately, this has not been without challenges. It should be said that the achievement of Independence (1966) and republican status (1970) have not realised the obliteration of historical thinking and practice of division, and to this attention is turned.

After over 50 years of independence, Guyana is still considered a young nation on the world stage. However, in a fast-paced world, it stands to the nation’s benefit if youth is not used or construed as a clutch to engage in acts and actions that would give rise to any speculation that we started before we were ready. We are an independent nation. More importantly, we are a republic, which means that the destiny we are charting is solely in our hands to mould.

The struggles, sacrifices and investment of every group, without exception (race, political party, religion, et al), played a part in bringing us this far.

The unfortunate truth is that the contributions of groups are honoured, dismissed, or condemned and blown out of proportion, favourably or unfavourably, depending on who is speaking, and about whom. This aspect of our folklore may have been born out of the historical practice of divide-and-rule, which has sustained the myth of superiority and inferiority, and guided treatment of the other, both at the level of the enslavers and among the enslaved, indentured and colonised. Remnants of it still remain. In the political sphere, it is not unreasonable

to say that having observed the dynamics, this folklore has come to characterise interpretation, acceptance and/or rejection of the contributions of ‘our own’ or ‘the other’.

There is a tendency in political discourse to view persons solely through binary lens.

Persons are seen as either good or bad, and there is very little effort, if any, to engage in nuances in assessing someone’s or group’s contributions to nation-building.

It has become politically fashionable, nay, acceptable, to ignore any good, deny it, or bequeath it to another for those on the ‘other side’. Adversities are not seen as lessons to learn from and move on, or eras in our evolution considered to be deserving of contextualisation and explanation.

Rather, there is pre-occupation to view events through inflexible lens, and demand that others follow suit, unconcerned that such an outlook can be debilitating. Appreciatively, we are an expressive people, and we should be heard. The freedom to share ideas, information and knowledge is fundamental and important to human existence, growth and development, and this must be protected.

The Enmore Martyrs left an indelible mark on our country Dear Editor,

T

UESDAY morning (June 16, 2020), the GAWU joined several other fraternal organisations in a simple wreath laying activity at the gravesite of the Enmore Martyrs as we recognised the heroic sacrifice of Harry, Lallabajee, Pooran, Surujballi and Rambarran 72 years ago. The gunning down of the five young men and the maiming of several others represents one of the many sterling chapters of sugar workers struggle.

It is also a reminder of the harsh conditions the workers faced at the workplace; the atrocious living conditions they and their families were forced to endure, and the inequity perpetuated by the plantocracy.

The Enmore incident occurred against a backdrop of workers’ militancy which was erupting in several enterprises in that period.

A strike lasting sixty-four (64) days by bauxite workers at Mackenzie and Ituni in April, 1947 took place and which highlighted the racial discrimination and segregation perpetuated by

the owners and management of the Demerara Bauxite Company. In late February, 1948, the Transport Workers Union reacted to the arbitrary transfer of its leaders from Georgetown to different parts of Guyana with an effective strike. Not only were the transfers stayed, but Colonel Teare, who dictatorially ordered the transfers, was hurriedly recalled by the Colonial Office to London.

The decade between the mid-40’s and mid50’s was an eventful time in our past. Apart from the direct workers struggles, there were also significant political developments. An influencing factor at the time was the formation of the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) by Dr. Cheddi Jagan and others in 1946. The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) was founded out of this Committee on January 01, 1950. It was a new political party that differed immensely from the traditional political parties. Immediately, it began to champion the cause of universal adult suffrage and boldly challenged the arbitrary rule of the colonial masters and their local handmaidens. Dr. Jagan winning a seat

in the Legislative Council in 1947 gave him an opportunity to advocate for many pro-people and particularly pro-workers’ measures and thus he was able to lift people’s political awareness and class consciousness. It turned out that the death of the Enmore Five was an awakening call in many quarters and especially to workers in other sectors. Cde. Cheddi saw to that.

Cde. Janet Jagan, former President of Guyana, opined that the death of the five martyrs sent a “thunderbolt” through the society, invigorating the liberation struggle which followed.

The brutal repression of 1948, did not daunt the workers nor dampen their spirit.

Indeed, militancy in the industry grew and political awareness and activities expanded.

Sugar workers’ right to be represented by a union of their choice was won in 1976. Sugar workers, under the aegis of GAWU, have taken part, along with other working people, in the struggles for political independence, they championed the nationalisation of the sugar industry; they stood up and fought for the restoration of democratic elections. These

struggles took place side by side with other struggles to improve wages and working conditions throughout the industry and for other workers.

As we recall the heroism of the Martyrs, we cannot ignore our present-day situation.

Indeed, we see the nation at a critical crossroads as we recognise in our midst, those who are actively seeking to drag our nation back to a bygone era of dictatorship. While we see their fervent efforts, we see too the thousands of Guyanese who have stood up and are standing up to protect and uphold our democratic culture. Indeed, it tells us that the spirit of the Martyrs is alive and well as many, like them, are standing up to those who seek to oppress them and to take away their rights. At this time, the GAWU remains firm that the elections were credibly conducted and the legitimate government should take the reins of State.

Regards, GAWU

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, June 17, 2020

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The multiple contradictions observed in the CARICOM report are striking Dear Editor,

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CAREFUL examination of the “Report of the CARICOM observer team for the recount of the Guyana March 2, 2020 elections” has raised a number of important concerns about the structure, process, and the outcome of the analysis described in the 132-page document.

First, it is unclear whether the team’s categorical observation, that their report was based on “…an audit” and therefore “…was not in fact a recount” is consistent with what is described elsewhere in the document. For example, “Overall, while we acknowledge that they were some defects in the recount of the March 02, 2020 votes cast for the General and Regional Elections in Guyana, the Team did not witness anything that would render the recount … from reflecting the will of the voters. The actual count of the vote was indeed transparent” (p.2). There is a need to redefine what “transparent” means within the context of a report that was limited in its observation. Also, an assessment of the percentage of time that the word recount (approximately 92 per cent) was used relative to an audit (about eight per cent) lend to the conceptual confusion of the approach taken in this report.

Additionally, the observation that “GECOM’s elaborate and unnecessary checklist (see Appendix IV).

A checklist which was unnecessarily/excessively burdensome and which was suggestive of an audit rather than a recount” highlights the conceptual confusion about the approach the team adopted in their work. This issue, by itself, is not especially problematic, however, given that a recount is clearly a type of an audit, one wonders about the potential impact that an unclear framework might have had on the process and the outcome of this report.

Second, the constraints that the Team described in the document (see page five, para. one) included the num-

ber of Team members (n=3) which resulted in only 18.09 per cent or 423 work stations being observed in the process. This methodological approach or “The Recount Strategy” is fundamentally flawed but was nonetheless the framework that formed the basis for the conclusions reached by the CARICOM Team. The implications of this unscientific methodology are far reaching. The apriori assumptions about the adequacy of the selected size of the CARICOM Team are brought into question and should be considered when assessing the value that is placed on this limited and therefore incomplete report.

A report is as good as the research design or in this instance, “The Recount Strategy” that it uses. Parenthetically, when was it known “… that it was virtually impossible…” for the team to adequately deploy across the work stations? More importantly, as is described later, are the decisions that were made in the face of the unfortunate reality of the limitations that confronted the Team not consequential?

The Team’s solution of this problem is at the heart of the challenges that are inherent in the findings posited in this report.

Third, the discussion about the selection of the specific work stations (n=423 or 18.09 per cent) does not point to an approach that can be trusted, at least in terms of the results of the analysis.

Was the choice of the work stations based on established principles of random selection? This document does not even attempt to deal with this well-known problem in making inferences from a sample (i.e., n=423) to the general population from which the sample was drawn. Additionally, if one grants the team a passing grade on the assumption “… that it was virtually impossible …” to actually observe 100 per cent of the available work stations, it is virtually irresponsible to eliminate from the report a description of steps that were taken to ensure that their work is representative of the Guyanese electorate. So, the

reader is left asking what if any of the basis principles of random sampling were considered or implemented in this design. If the criteria for any type of random sampling approach are not met, then the platform on which the results is built is fragile and potentially deadly to any attempt at a “free and fair election” process. Thus, in the face of the violation of well-established guidelines for analysis of data, the results cannot be trusted. The failure to describe the criteria used to select work stations within and across each region destroys any confidence that one could reasonably have in the process and the outcome of the work of the CARICOM Team.

Fourth, the percentage of the overall ballot boxes observed included the following: Region Four (37 per cent), Region Three (18 per cent), Region Six (14 per cent), Region Seven (26.82 per cent) and Region Nine (24.65 per cent).

These percentages show no consistent pattern that considered the relative number of ballot boxes by region. If a selection of stations were based on some statistical approach that accounted for the relative size of the region then one might have been more confident that the CARICOM sample could be trusted. The core issue across all the observations about the methodology and the results of the ‘recount’ is the flawed design of the work of the CARICOM Team. Moreover, the irony of this report is that the solution (i.e., The CARICOM Team) has created more problems than clear answers to the issues it sought to resolve. This, in the absence of systematic approach to a process that was intended to engender confidence in an election process, the electorate is left with a report that is conceptually flawed and statistically imprecise.

Finally, this is clearly a report that should be viewed more as an attempt to create a new methodology that blatantly disregards standard and best in class approaches

to ‘process audit’ and or an electoral recount. As a result, we have a report that excludes data from over 80 per cent of the possible work stations, thereby rendering conclusions from an ‘audit’ that is based on an unscientific selection of 18.09 per cent of the work stations useless at best. Overall, the multiple contradictions observed throughout the document is striking. In addition to those observed above, the essence of the inconsistent description on

page 24, paragraph one, is emblematic of similar contradictory statements in the document. That is, the team suggested that the GECOM staff “… for the most part” were “well trained in the basic procedural matters” while admitting that “… it was also evident that there were varying degrees of efficiency and effectiveness of the staff.” These evaluation concepts capture the ideas of ‘doing things right’ (efficiency) and ‘doing the right things’

(effectiveness). If in fact, ‘varying degrees of efficiency and effectiveness…’ were found in the staff that were observed, then it should follow that there were ‘varying degrees’ of the doing things right and of doing the right thing.

Clearly, there is a need to consider the impact of these and other identified “basket” of concerns on the outcome of the election.

Regards, Richard Van West-Charles

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, June 17, 2020

GECOM cannot farm out its responsibilities to CARICOM Dear editor,

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S a kid, I read the story of an elderly man, his son and a donkey. The story described the situation where the elderly man, his son and said donkey were happily sauntering along when they came upon some passersby. The passersby, on seeing the elderly man walking in the presence of a donkey, chastised the son and demanded of him that the worn joints of the father be assuaged by him being carried by the donkey. The compliant young man respectfully followed the advice of the intrusive passersby. So the three continued on their journey but not long after, they were visited by another intrusive passerby. They condemned the old man for having his son walking while he enjoyed the comfort of the donkey. It did not take much persuasion for the young man to find his way on the back of exhausted donkey. So the picture was one of both father and son being transported by the creaking back of the donkey. This did not miss the attention of another intrusive passerby. They condemned both the son and father for burdening, the by now languid donkey, with their weight. They demanded that they both now carry the donkey. To appease this group, the son and father bound the donkey’s four legs with rope, used a carrier stick to turn turtle the donkey then proceeded to carried it. The donkey, the smarter of the two fought valiantly to be freed. This it did as they crossed a bridge but unfortunately it landed in the river below, where it drowned.

The two compliant men, in the process, lost their donkey because they never followed their instincts; they allowed others to dictate to them what they should do.

This story came to mind as I observed our elections from afar. Our Constitution is crystal clear. GECOM declares the winner of the elections and the President is sworn in. The aggrieved party can seek redress in the courts if they so wish.

The declarations for the 10 regions were made on March 13.

The next step was for GECOM to make a general declaration followed by pronouncement of the winner and swearing in of Mr. Granger. Rather than following our constitution, we listened to intrusive passersby with their own agenda. We decided to go into the unknown of a recount, to appease the cries of sanctions and God knows what. Now the CEO has provided the report of the recount, as guided by the constitution. The CEO report is heavily weighted in evidence and numerical analysis. We also have the CARICOM report which is not constitutionally mandated for a declaration. The CARICOM report is essentially a skeletal report that is lacking in evidence and numbers. To just describe what they saw as “defects” without providing evidence that informed that conclusion is unbelievable. To state that the GECOM staff were not well trained, when GECOM itself stated that they were well trained, is shocking. They did not interview the staff, so how did they arrive at that conclusion? Have they examined the training manuals for the GECOM staff? Have they examined the training methodology? Further to argue that the GECOM staff could have been incompetent, without assessing their competence is beyond belief. What they did not say is what spoke volumes. They never addressed the issue of potential electoral fraud. How else could they explain such widespread irregularities and illegalities, which only occurred in PPP strongholds? Did GECOM only allocate poorly trained or incompetent staff in PPP strongholds? This is highly unlikely

and in my humble opinion points in the direction of an intentional manipulation of the electoral process by the PPP. Then CARICOM scrutinising team recommended an investigation for the GECOM staff. Which employer investigates an incompetent or poorly trained staff. The former is dismissed and the latter would have remedial classes.

Yet despite all these glaring inconsistencies among millions of others, the intruding passersby are once again instructing us to ignore the CEO report and focus on the CARICOM report to inform a declaration. What they fail to recognize, is that it was their actions that got us here in the first place. If we were permitted to follow our constitution, like what we did in 1997, then there would have been some stability and certainty. What they also failed to realise, is that our Constitution (177-2b) is explicit in stating that only the CEO, via his report, can advise the Chairwoman on declaration of a winner. The question is, will we now carry the weight of this donkey on our shoulders by disregarding our Constitution once again? If we do not stand up as a sovereign state then more intrusive passersby will come along and tell us what to do with our “donkey.” Further, less than two months ago, the appeal court was quite clear in the Ulita Moore case. “GECOM cannot farm out its responsibilities to CARICOM.” Clearly those with loud voices did not hear that. For if they did, they would have recognised that in the grand scheme of things, the CARICOM report is just a report.

Regards, Dr. Mark Devonish

CEO report only evidentiary basis for GECOM chair declaration Dear Editor,

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N the 2020 General and Regional Elections, judicial, political, regulatory mistakes of portentous historic ramifications have been made. Our deeply entrenched democratic sovereignty has been unwittingly subverted, impaired, diluted and watered down. And the constitutional imperative of presidency, only by VALID VOTES, seems poised to become presidency by fraud, aided and abetted by non-commonsensical, bizarre, blinkered view of observers. Hopefully, my perception is but an illusion, a mirage.

Editor, as a nationalist, patriot, intellectual, learned Guyanese, I refuse to be persuaded one jot or iota by the bizzare and asinine view of any observer that the bare numerical numbers of votes/ballots cast presumably on a one – living- present elector; one – vote basis, as per the recount are acceptable, when quite to the contrary first impressions have been found to be wrong, to be against the weight of the evidence, rebutted, as the constitutional principles of transparency, VERIFIABILITY, accountability, accuracy, credibility and efficiency screams at us, imploring us (Guyanese), that those bare numerical numbers are not acceptable, cannot be credible, must not be accepted. In the language very familiar to lawyers, judges (past and present) and perhaps intellectuals of other professions: RES IPSA LOQUITUR (i.e. the thing speaks for itself).

Andin this case, that thing, is the massive, pervasive irregularities and statutory illegalities.

The CEO (Keith Lowenfield) was not, is not, pretending to act on no evidence. The evidence is there for all (except those with some politically convenient blinkered vision) to see. None of the evidence adduced at the national recount is imagined, or hypothetical.

They are all real, relevant and admissible by the CEO in the discharge of his constitutional and statutory functions to prepare a report for the ADVICE of GECOM. The opposition had ample time to, if they could, proffer contradicting evidence. They have not dared to proffer any. All they have bombarded us with is empty rhetoric! GECOM, like, the CEO, can only act on evidence. The Chair has no source of relevant, admissible evidence on which to base her declaration other than that of the CEO’s, report. This limitation I submit, is manifestly and pellucidly clear from any sensible reading of article 177 (2) (b) of the Constitution read witch section 96 of RoPA (“valid votes”).

The National Recount Order (05/2020), no matter what it says, being no more than subsidiary legislation has to be read with such modifications, adaptations, qualifications and exceptions (as may be necessary) to bring it into conformity with section 96 of RoPA, and a fortori the Supreme law-the Constitution (article 8).

But contrary to the misplaced hysteria of the opposition, article 177 (2) (b) DOES NOT PROVIDE FOR A DEEMED PRESIDENT. A holistic reading of article 177 (2) (b) makes it clear that what must eventuate, is a president elected by the people. And a President elected in a democratic, sovereign state (articles one and nine from which article 177 (2) (b) takes its flavour, character and constitutional nuances) is, and must be, one elected on the bases of valid votes; and living - present - one-elector; one-vote. The word “deemed”, connotes nothing more, nothing less, than that no further or other evidence in proof of having been so democratically elected, is necessary, because of the evidential conclusivity prescribed by/in article 177 itself of the Chairman of GECOM’s instrument, that the named person was elected president. But, the point cannot be stressed

enough, that it is not for the Chairman, it is not for GECOM, to determine by reference to (valid) votes which list has won.

That determination is the clear, unambiguous constitutional responsibility and duty of the CEO. (Questions of the ouster of the Court’s jurisdiction in these election matters except as under article 177 (4) arises in terms of article 177 (6) but that is outside the scope of this letter). En passant, I mention that in view of the CEO’s position, rightly, I argue, of IN DETERMINATION of the results, nice, and novel, and difficult questions of interpretation (article 177 (4) has arisen. Our Constitution makes no express provision as to fresh elections. Does it, by necessary implication? What then are the constitutional options for the CEO in this state of indetermination? Does he in his advice to GECOM, maintain his position of indetermination? Does he proceed to tabulate the results based only on VALID VOTES, (as he has found them) in which event the Chair’s declaration under article 177 (2) (b) would have to be evidentially based on it? (This letter is inappropriate to offer a considered view on a matter of such outstanding and grave constitutional significance and importance).

But I could not end this letter without a quote from a passage in the Kenya election case of Raila Amolo Odinga et al v. Independent Boundaries Commission, Chairperson Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission et al (2017). In a four-two majority decision, the very learned CJ & P in delivering the majority judgement says at paragraph [378] thus “where do all these inexplicable irregularities that go to the very heart of electoral integrity leave this election. It is true that where the quantitative difference in numbers is negligible, the Court as we were urged, should not disturb an election. But what if the numbers are themselves NOT a product of the expression of

the free and sovereign will of the people, but of the many unanswered questions with which we are faced. In such a critical process as the election of the President, isn’t quality just as important as quantity. In the face of all these troubling questions, would this Court, even in the absence of a finding of violations of the Constitution, and the law, have confidence to lend legitimacy to this election. Would an election observer, having given a clean bill of health to this election on the basis of what he or she saw on the voting day, stand by his or her verdict when confronted with these imponderables.” (emphasis supplied).

The law can sometimes be an ass; but it cannot be so asinine as to suppose that the CEO was/is to give the Nelson’s eye to such massive, widespread, impactful irregularities and statutory illegalities and be guided only by numerical numbers of questionable legitimacy. This is much the same as Maraga, CJ&P meant and expressed it much more felicitously in the Kenyan case when making observations about “observers.”

I submit that legal principles are not the exclusive province of judges/courts only to apply, and cogitate upon. If the CEO was guided or influenced by the consideration in his report, he cannot be faulted. I end with this: Maraga, CJ&P, of the Supreme Court of Kenya might well, with equal facility of reasoning, have been writing about the Guyana GREs, 2020. The framers of the Constitution would have contemplated no less, and expected no less of the dutiful CEO. He has demonstrated courageous and exemplary loyalty or fidelity to the Constitution of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana. GECOM and its chairperson should do no less.

Regards, Maxwell. E. Edwards

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, June 17, 2020

Exxon reports reduced flaring, increased production EXXONMOBIL Guyana has noted that it is almost complete with the final commissioning of the gas handling system and other improvements have led to reduced flaring and increased production.

Public and Government Affairs Adviser at Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), Janelle Persaud, told the newspaper on Tuesday: “We continue to safely complete final commissioning of the gas handling system. We have two of the three gas handling systems online and are currently injecting or using 85 per cent of the produced gas from the reservoir. With gas reinjection online, we are able to ramp-up production and reduce flaring. Once the system is fully commissioned, we will be able to produce at full capacity.”

Last week, ExxonMobil’s Senior Director of Public and Government Affairs, Deedra Moe, had cleared up information on issues encountered with the compressor system during a performance test which initially led to additional flaring.

It caused concern amongst Guyanese who received the reports that ExxonMobil flared a significant amount of natural gas due to challenges during production startup. These challenges have since been alleviated with the option of gas re-injection.

Persaud stated: “Both the safety of the people working on the Liza Destiny and our efforts to minimise flaring are key priorities for ExxonMobil Guyana, and we will continue to work with the government of Guyana, including the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy, to operate safely and in accordance with our environmental impact assessment and permit.”

Back in 2019, ExxonMobil had explained to media operatives that for the first period after ‘first oil’ there would be initial start-up flaring – authorised by the EPA – which occurs during the commissioning and initial start-up phases of the FPSO when gas and liquids are introduced into new facilities and equipment.

This flaring, it said, would not continue as routine and will only take place again in the case of an emergency whereby flaring will be used to immediately de-pressure the facility as part of a shut-down process to reduce risk.

Traffic ranks commence training in Licensing and Certifying

THIRTY-SIX traffic ranks drawn from the various Regional Police Divisions on Monday, commenced a one-week training programme in Licensing and Certifying.

Deputy Commissioner-Administration, Paul Williams, DSM, during his brief remarks at the commencement of the training programme on Monday The programme was conducted at the Police Officers’ Training Centre, Camp Road, EveLeary, in keeping with the COVID-19 guidelines and was coordinated by Traffic Chief, Senior Superintendent Linden Isles. The programme will see the ranks

focusing on topics such as: financial regulations; goods transportation licence; provision as to physical fitness and application for drivers’ licence; issuing of competence; workshop licence; road engineering; CCTV footage and registrations among others.

Declaring the course open and giving brief remarks, Deputy Commissioner-Administration, Paul Williams, DSM, urged the participants to set an example – “You cannot have your vehicles in the sta-

tion compound with tint and then asking persons to remove theirs, you must lead by example; he also implored the ranks to be good record keepers, accountable, responsible, not to be compromised, to execute their duties within the confines of the law and to have a vicarious appetite for reading.

Mr. Williams, who has a wealth of experience in the field of Licensing and Certifying, having served for 13 + years, reminded the ranks not to abuse their powers

9

when being challenged, but instead listen and use their knowledge gained to respond to challenges, and reiterated that there is nothing like knowledge.

In attendance were Force Training Officer, Superintendent Shivpersaud Bacchus; Deputy Traffic Chief, Deputy Superintendent, Joseph Jack; Traffic Education Officer, Assistant Superintendent, Raun Clarke, and Course Coordinator, Cadet Officer Stephen Harris.

A section of the ranks adhering to COVID-19 guidelines during the commencement of the training programme on Monday

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, June 17, 2020

‘Stop the interference’ … US congresswoman calls on international actors to stop interfering in GECOM process

UNITED States Congresswoman Yvette Clarke (D-NY), Co-chair of the Caribbean Cacus in the US House of Representatives, in blistering comments on Monday night, condemned foreign interference in Guyana’s elections process.

The Congresswoman said she has been monitoring what has been taking place in Guyana and is eager to get back to Washington to be fully briefed on what the State Department is actually doing in Guyana and is willing to take strong action if necessary.

Clarke, a 14-year incumbent of the US Congress, is the daughter of fiery Jamaican American former member of the New York City Council, Dr. Una Clarke. She lambasted the US government

… urges greater respect for Guyana’s sovereignty

United States Congresswoman Yvette Clarke for interfering in the elections. The Congresswoman said that the current United States Administration is being run by “pirates,” and

expressed concern about what the State Department and other foreign actors are doing in Guyana. She has threatened to ask for hearings and pass legislation to block such interference from taking place in other places.

The Brooklyn democrat said it is possible that she and her democratic colleagues will hold a press conference in Washington to address the unacceptable interference by foreign actors in Guyana’s elections.

Clark’s cutting comments were made in a television interview with the President of the Caribbean Guyana Institute for Democracy (CGID), Rickford Burke, host of the television talk show “Conversation With Rickford

Burke,” which was streamd live on Facebook Monday night. Her statements expanded on comments she made last week on Straight Up with Mark Benschop on 107.1 FM Radio in Guyana.

The Congresswoman’s stinging rebuke came amidst a flurry of activities from international actors, including the Organisation of American States (OAS) and the Commonwealth, which have been described as bullying the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to declare inaccurate, fraudulent elections results. Reports are that these international organisations are being heavily lobbied by Mercury Public Affairs, a Trump Campaign political consulting firm, on behalf of Guyana’s opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP), to undemocratically outs the incumbent APNU+AFC coalition government, led by President David Granger, a retired Army Brigadier.

A recount of votes cast in the controversial March 2, 2020 general elections show the PPP with a 15,000 vote lead over the ruling APNU+AFC coalition. However, the coalition has vehemently insisted that the PPP’s votes contain over 32,0000 fraudulent ballots.

The coalition had provided immigration records and death certificates to prove that PPP operatives allegedly manufactured phantom votes by impersonating dead people and persons who have migrated, but whose names remained on the voters list. The names were kept on the list through the legal instrumentality of the PPP. President Granger and several of his coalition top brass, including Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, have been demanding that GECOM removes the fraudulent ballots from the elections results.

GECOM’s task grew more complicated on Saturday when Guyana’s Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield, submitted his preliminary ballot recount report to GECOM Chairman, retired Justice of Appeal, Claudette Singh.

Lowenfield’s report confirmed Guyanese worst fears. It affirmed that the elections were manipulated and riddled with voter impersonation and fraud, which has affected the results. Lowenfield concluded that the “irregularities and

Commonwealth Secretary General, Patricia Scotland instances of voter impersonation identified do not appear to satisfy the criteria of impartiality, fairness, and compliance with provisions of the Constitution and the ROPA Cap1:03.

Consequently, on the basis of the votes counted and the information furnished from the recount, it cannot be ascertained that the results meet the standard of fair and credible elections.”

GECOM is deliberating on the report and has made no declaration. Although GECOM is still in the recount process, and facing a mountain of evidence of fraud, the OAS on Monday called for a transition of government. Commonwealth Secretary General, Baroness Patricia Scotland also called for the fraudulent results to be declared. Observers, however, say that Scotland has no credibility as she is currently embroiled in the institution’s biggest corruption scandal in history. The UK government has withdrawn funding for the Commonwealth as a result and has called for her resignation.

Congresswoman Clarke slammed the sustained interference in the elections and emphasised that Guyana must maintain its sovereignty. She said if GECOM is forced into a position by outside forces then Guyana would be moving away from governing itself, and foreign actors will then have the ability to govern Guyana.

She said that should never be the case as it is undemocratic. The Congresswoman said that in order for there to be free and fair election, where the people of Guyana choose their own leadership, the US cannot in anyway interfere in the GECOM process. She threatened to hold the US State Department accountable because she’s aware of what’s at stake in Guyana.

“We know what’s at stake in Guyana right now.

It’s not just the sovereignty, it’s the wealth. We have some corrupt, I called them pirates governing the United States right now. And I’m very concerned about undue influence of corporations and entities outside of Guyana determining the fate of the Guyanese people. That cannot happen. I would encourage everyone, Guyanese Americans, to let your voices be known, Clarke said.”

Clarke said she’s committed to ensuring that the racist tendency in the current US Administration is not embedded in its international relations. She said while the US projects itself as a beacon of democracy for the countries of the Caribbean Region, it has turned a blind eye to the region and has been racist in its foreign policy. The Congresswoman said that the Caribbean Diaspora in the United States is the most powerful force the nations have in the US. She stressed that while the US dictates policies around the world, the people dictate who the leadership is with their votes.

“If Guyanese Americans want to see the US out of the elections in Guyana they should be ringing the phones down at the State Department. Pompeo should know that you know what he’s up to,” she said, referring to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

She also urged Guyanese to write House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minor Leader, New York Senator, Chuck Schumer.

Asked by Burke how can the US government help the people of Guyana get justice for the hundreds of young black men that were killed by PPP death squads, in light of the world now demanding justice for black lives that have been killed by law enforcement and other state actors, the Congresswoman urged Guyanese nationals to form a movement and bring the evidence of atrocities to Washington. She said she and Members of Congress are willing to have hearings and take action to ensure justice is served.

Clarke, and Congress Members Albio Sires and Gregory Meeks visited Guyana in the run up to the elections on a fact-finding mission to ensure that the nation was adequately prepared for elections.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, June 17, 2020

CARICOM team urges end to GECOM’s partisan structure IN its report on the national recount, the CARICOM Scrutinising Team used the opportunity to urge that the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) immediately pursue reforms which will no longer make it “a creature of political parties”.

The CARICOM report, submitted on Monday, was highly critical of many of the actions of the commission which the team believes could have been avoided, had the electoral body been truly independent. “What is obvious is that the structural independence of GECOM from the machinery of government is not equated with its impartiality. Indeed, from its beginning, given the intrinsic political distrust and ethnic polarisation in the country, GECOM was never conceptualised as an institution which would exemplify autonomy from partisan political influences.

While this model of balanced partisan representation – not unique in the Commonwealth Caribbean – in which the two dominant parties have equal representation and input was born out of a particular historical conjecture, it has served its initial purpose,” the report stated.

A POLITICAL COMMISSION The current make-up of the commission where there is one Chairperson; three Commissioners nominated by the government and three by the opposition, was birthed out of the Carter Formula, which was later integrated into the Constitution.

In 2001, 2006, 2015 and

Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission, Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh, during her swearing-in as Chair back in 2019 at the Ministry of the Presidency. She is flanked by opposition-nominated Commissioners Robeson Benn, Bibi Shadick and Sase Gunraj to the left and government-nominated Commissioners Charles Corbin, Vincent Alexander and Desmond Trotman to her right 2020, the centre stated that, alised nature of politics in the than loyalty, or a partial par- from these elections to iniin the interest of future elec- country and the appointment tisan but politically broaden tiate an immediate political tions, Guyana should consid- process of commissioners. body in which the equal ma- audit as, in a very real sense, er reforms that would reduce Their subsequent behavior, jor political power balancing GECOM betrayed its obligathe politicised composition and their public posturing are is avoided. tions to behave impartially of GECOM and move toward functions of the ethnic-based It noted that the commis- and independently,” the rean Electoral Management politics in the country com- sion can, where it perceives port stated.

Body (EMB). bined with the zero-sum difficulties in carrying out During the process of the Making its own obser- politics of the intrinsically its mandate, pass any order recount, the CARICOM team vations during the recount, Westminster arrangements designed to facilitate its func- stated that while it observed the CARICOM Scrutinisng which are deeply embedded tioning, according to law. that the GECOM staff who Team said that to maintain in Guyana despite the more “Thus, the power to manned the vast majority the present form of GECOM significant post-independence amend all election law of workstations were wellwould be “a tragedy for the altercations to the inherited is lodged in the hands of trained on procedural matters, nation and the people of political model of govern- GECOM and is subject there were varying degrees of Guyana”. Their report stat- ment,” the report added. to negative resolution by efficiency and effectiveness ed: “The commissioners are It highlighted that, in parliament,” the report of the staff. It stated: “Some primarily, though not ex- such case, GECOM Chair pointed out. of these workers sometimes clusively, dominated by the Justice (Ret’d) Claudette appeared to be unfamiliar ethos of positing their re- Singh – who was appointed ROOM FOR with the process and this spective parties to political in 2019 --- came under much IMPROVEMENT may have contributed to the victory. We therefore urge pressure and manipulation in These were not the only timidity that we witnessed.” the immediate rethinking of having to “walk a very thin criticisms coming to the It therefore called for greater the structural organisation of line between the two political commission as the CAR- emphasis on voter education GECOM, particularly with camps”.

ICOM team also recom- and greater emphasis on the respect to the selection of the In the rethinking of the mended a political audit of training of Presiding Officers commissioners.” It said that structural organisation of the elections body’s com- and citizens on the handling while GECOM is described GECOM, particularly with mission and administrative of ballot papers. as an independent body, it is the selection of commission- arm analysing its successes, The CARICOM Team “undoubtedly a political com- ers, the team recommended failures and what led to also spoke to the absence of mission” which continues a model which emphasises them. statutory documents in 29 to contribute to high levels non-partisan and professional “It therefore behoves ballot boxes, which it said of internal discord. “This is body appointed on the basis whichever political party points to “need for a serious unsurprising giving the trib- of merit qualification rather which emerges victorious investigation by GECOM”.

Carter Center commends GECOM GDF bus involved in accident

THE Carter Center has commended the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) on its progress in the recount process and has welcomed the report of the CARICOM Team which stated that the flaws observed in the process were not enough to prevent a declaration.

In a release on Tuesday, the center stated: “Although the center is disappointed that it was not allowed to return to Guyana to directly observe the recount, it is encouraged by CARICOM’s largely positive report on the recount process.

The Carter Center has previously stated that while electoral preparations and voting and counting procedures met international standards, the March tabulation process for Region Four generated results that were deemed by the center and other international and domestic observers as not credible.”

Moving forward, the Carter Center has called on Guyanese to prioritise efforts to strengthen their democratic institutions and advance constitutional reforms to move beyond the “winnertakes-all system”.

THE Guyana Defence Force is investigating the circumstances surrounding an accident involving one of its buses, with registration DFB 1556, which occurred at De kendren on the West Coast of Demerara, on Monday morning.

The Guyana Chronicle understands that the accident occurred around 04:45 hours.

The driver of the bus,

The Guyana Defence Force bus

Corporal Joshmin Garnett, sustained minor injuries.

He was treated at the Leonora Hospital and then discharged.

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Changes to COVID-19 Emergency Measures to be announced today GUYANESE can expect that an announcement will be made today [Wednesday], on what changes will be made to the current COVID-19 emergency measures in place since April 2020.

This is according to the National COVID-19 Task Force (NCTF), established to curb the spread of the virus and other concerns related to the pandemic. The COVID-19 Emergency Measures (No.3) published in the Gazette April 29, 2020 was recently extended once again to June 17, 2020.

The country has consistently recorded ‘bittersweet’ developments over the past few days but positive indicators, though minute, have given Guyana hope that the fight against COVID-19 is bearing fruit.

As of June 15, the country recorded 159 positive cases; 99 recoveries and 12 deaths. The Emergency Measures in place state that unless a citizen is conducting or visiting an essential service between the hours of 06:00 hours and 18:00 hours, he/she is to stay within the enclosure of his/her home and yard. A number of social activities have also been prohibited.

The measures also speak sternly to specific working hours allotted to essential services, preferential treatment for healthcare workers, social and physical distancing protocols, religious worship and domestic and international travel.

Anyone who fails to comply with these measures commits an offence under Section 152 of the Public Health Ordinance and is liable on summary conviction to the penalty provided under that Section.

Meanwhile, the preamble to the list of measures have made it clear that it could be terminated, extended or amended by notice of the Minister of Public Health, after an assessment of the conditions.

Added to this, the NCTF reminded that repatriated Guyanese who return to Guyana will be required to self-quarantine for seven days upon their arrival in the country.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, June 17, 2020

Outrage over racist remarks of ‘Guyanese Critic’ … ERC launches probe as scores protest, condemn behaviour

By Tamica Garnett

PROTESTERS defied police, and tensions boiled over for some, as a small, but heated protest, ‘picked up steam’ on Tuesday morning, outside the South

decided to instead literally carry the fight to Critic’s doorstep.

Among those in attendance, in the gathering of mostly women, were former Minister of Youth Affairs within the Ministry

to "unfollow" and "mute" Critic, and the nation's motto of "One People, One Nation, One Destiny".

In his Facebook post on Monday, Critic descended into stating that the people of African descent were afraid

Social media personality, Melissa Atwell (sitting, front) and other protesters defiantly sat on the ground to resist police orders to break up the protest (Tamica Garnett photo) Ruimveldt home of social media commentator, Guyanese Critic, real name Michael Rodrigues, who has come under severe ‘backlash’ for racist comments he made in a social media video on Monday.

Initially planned to go down outside the former Royal Castle building at the South Ruimveldt entrance at 09:00 hours, protesters were met with a pre-empted police presence at that location and

of the Presidency, Simona Broomes, local Gospel Singer, Kester D; social media personalities Melissa Atwell and Mondale Smith, and former Miss Guyana Universe, Melissa Payne.

Outside of critic’s home the protesters held placards reading things such as. "I am black and I can read", "Be the change you want to see, fight racism" and "Indian or black racists must go", while they chanted calls for persons

of reading and of gaining knowledge.

“If you want to cast demon out of people [of African descent] give them a book to read, show them the book.

When people [of African descent] see papers… they don’t want to be possessed by knowledge; it is confusing,” Critic said in the video.

Rodrigues is of African and Portuguese ethnicity.

Guyanese on social media were quick to denounce the

actions of Critic and reported the video and his page. An online petition to have his page de-activated was also created and garnered over 11,000 signatures.

The report was also made to the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) which had a meeting with Rodrigues at 12:00hrs on Tuesday at their Anira Street office.

As the Tuesday morning protest outside of Rodrigues home picked up, the police subsequently turned up at the location and ordered the protesters to disperse or face possible arrest for contravening COVID-19 social distancing restrictions.

"I am saying this cannot be done. No permission was granted for this so if you want to continue you have to abide by the public health ordinance. If they continue they will be arrested," informed one officer Mandranauth.

Atwell questioned the police’s reasoning behind not arresting Rodrigues for his racist comments, and defiantly sat in front of Rodrigues' driveway, while an impassioned Broomes railed that enough was enough and

Afro Guyanese could no longer take the racism.

“It is disrespectful to the highest. This is not a popularity contest. Black people matter, this is eye pass. It is something they are always doing wanting to disrespect us and then apologise,” Broomes argued.

The protesters were unanimous in their refusal to move, and said that all would remain six feet away from each other as the perturbed officer in charge called in for back up. Nonetheless, for the most part the situation remained without physical confrontation.

Things heated up again when Critic decided to come out and ‘face the music’.

Though saying that he was remorseful for what was said in the video, he would not share whether he saw the remarks as racist or not.

His defence was that persons misinterpreted the meaning.

“This whole situation was taken out of context.

It seemed racist because a snippet was taken out of context. I have done something and you people are standing outside of my

Michael Rodrigues, known as the Guyanese Critic, outside his South Ruimveldt home as persons protested racist remarks he made last Monday (Tamica Garnett photo) house. It was not intended to be racist. Racism has changed,” were some of what Rodrigues had to say about the matter.

Police presence at the home of the Guyanese Critic after protesters gathered to protest racist remarks the critic made last Monday (Tamica Garnett photo)

Teachers in hinterland, rural communities welcome reopening of schools

TEACHERS in the hinterland and rural communities have welcomed the reopening of schools to prepare pupils and students for the upcoming NGSA and CSEC Examinations respectively, citing that the Internet disparities in these areas have hindered learning and preparation tremendously.

“Meeting before the exams in a formal setting is good for the students, and I’m positive that they will be able to practise more, add to what they have already learnt, and seek answers to questions they may have not been able to answer during the three months they’ve been away from school,” one teacher in Aishalton, Region Nine (UpperTakutu-Upper Essequibo) said.

The lockdown measures enforced to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19 resulted in schools across Guyana being shut. Teaching during this period of lockdown has been fraught with unique challenges arising from the novel situation. In the hinterland communities, those unique challenges were exacerbated by the Internet and technology disparities in the region.

The Aishalton teacher explained that her

students do not all hail from the same community, but rather a collection of surrounding yet distant communities. While these communities have been outfitted with Wi-Fi through the government’s e-Governance platform, many of the students do not have ‘smart’ devices such as laptops or tablets of their own.

This teacher attempted to distribute booklets with practice questions for the CSEC examinations so that they could still have a way of revising while at home. However, since she did not have enough booklets for her 25 students, she allowed them to use the booklets, and when they were done, she lent these to another group of students.

She also created a WhatsApp group with those students who have cellphones to work on questions and revise. It is not unbelievable that the students did not reply with much alacrity, as related by Miss Sandy.

Adequate cleaning and sanitation were done in the school, according to Sandy, which was very assuring to her and the parents. And her 25 students were split into two classrooms,

effectively practising social distancing. Her only contention was that during the short lunch break they were given, and after school, the students hastened to ‘group up’ and ‘catch up’ on their time apart.

Over in Sandy Creek, also in Region Nine, another teacher, Mark (not real name) also related that there has been no teaching since the school closed in March. He explained that students who lived in the dormitory and teachers, returned to their respective communities then; these communities are about 16 to 45 miles away.

“I do feel that, on one hand, it is desirable for students to return to school mainly because these students have not had adequate tutoring due to the lack of e-learning technologies,” Mark said, also highlighting that there are few members in these hinterland communities who would be able to assist students to prepare for the CSEC examinations.

However, he did raise some concerns that effective sanitisation was not done at his school and many of the teachers were unaware of the new modus operandi they would have to adopt.

Mark also noted health concerns shared by other teachers for students are commuting from distant communities, the coronavirus, currently devastating neighbouring Brazil.

At Skeldon, in Berbice, teachers were not as enthusiastic about the reopening of schools.

One teacher, Sonita (not real name) indicated that she and some other teachers stayed away from school when it reopened on June 15, over health concerns.

This teacher, however, acknowledged that there are not sufficient technologies within the community and within other rural Berbice areas for students to learn remotely. She shared her belief that the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) should be more amenable, given that not all communities and students would be equipped for examinations at this time.

On the coastland, the turnout of students and teachers at both the primary and secondary levels has been encouraging, as many were receptive to the reopening of schools.

CSEC has been set for July 13 – August 4, 2020; CAPE for July 13 – July 31, 2020; and NGSA for July 1 and 2, 2020.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, June 17, 2020

PAHO director calls to contain spread of COVID-19 in vulnerable populations in border areas

THE Director of the Pan American Health Organisation, Dr. Carissa F. Etienne, yesterday, called countries to “work together to strengthen the health response within their territories and across frontiers,” in order to contain the spread of COVID-19 cases among migrant and vulnerable populations in border areas.

“Most border towns lack robust health infrastructure and service quality, and access are often low. Due to limited hospital facilities, they often rely on labs of limited capacity and small clinics that serve communities in vast catchment areas,” PAHO’s Director said. The increases of COVID-19 transmission in these areas “is cause for serious concern and immediate action.”

In the Americas, “We are fast approaching four million cases and the epidemic is still accelerating in the region,” she said, with almost 203,600 deaths reported from COVID-19. Currently, the United States accounts for 54 per cent of all cases in the Americas and Brazil has 23 per cent of all cases. “And we are not seeing transmission slowing down. That is the case in almost all countries in Latin America and a few in the Caribbean.” “While the majority of infections in the region are reported in big cities, where economic inequality and population density fuel transmission, our data show a concerning trend towards high transmission in border areas.” Etienne said in a media briefing today.

As an example, PAHO remains concerned about Haiti and the Dominican Republic, that share an active border and continue to report a rise in new cases. The PAHO Director referred to a spike in transmission in the north of Costa Rica, around the border with Nicaragua, as well as in French Guiana which borders Brazil, and an increase of cases in neighboring countries such as Suriname. In addition, there is ongoing transmission in the northern states of Brazil that border Guyana and Suriname; the Amazonian region where Venezuela, Brazil and Colombia intersect; and the borders between Peru, Brazil and Colombia.

Dr. Etienne said PAHO is supporting countries “to address the spread of COVID-19 in border areas, either by establishing a local presence, or by boosting the capacity of local health authorities.” She cited examples where PAHO enhanced local capacities in border areas with field offices in the Amazon, supported migrants on the Venezuela-Colombia border, and worked with UN partners in a triage centre on the Haiti-Dominican Republic border. Strengthening primary care services in border areas and sharing information across borders are important steps countries can take to improve the response to COVID-19, Etienne said. “Emergency facilities and surge personnel will be needed to back up local capacity during the pandemic” in border communities and among transient populations, and information on prevention must be shared in languages and formats that various cultures can understand, she added.

The PAHO Director called for partnership and cooperation to address the issue in the Region of the Americas and highlighted the need for “solidarity towards the communities most affected by the virus”.

“These are day laborers, migrants, and people who rely on the informal economy each and every day to survive.

They are among the most vulnerable to COVID-19, and the least likely to receive care. We have a responsibility not to leave them behind,” she said.

Stigma and discrimination toward migrants or day laborers most vulnerable to COVID-19 “have no place in our region. Not now, not ever, and especially not amid a pandemic.

I count on all Member States to uphold these values, so together, we can beat our common enemy,” COVID-19 the PAHO director said.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, June 17, 2020

Opinion: China’s economic figures inspire hope for global recovery BEIJING, June 16 (Xinhua) -- The newly released data from China’s National Bureau of Statistics has shown that the country’s economic recovery gained momentum in May as positive indicators keep growing.

At a time when the world has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, China’s steady economic resumption is injecting confidence and impetus into the gloomy global economy.

Data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed Monday that factory activities continued to pick up in May with the value-added industrial output, an important economic indicator, going up 4.4 percent year on year. Other key economic indicators also showed signs of a rebound on the back of supporting policies to coordinate growth and the control of the coronavirus disease.

These clear and positive signals have demonstrated that the impact of COVID-19 on China’s economy is only temporary, and China is capable of securing a stable, healthy and sustainable economic development. Just as Deutsche Bank’s Chief Economist Michael Spencer predicted, China’s economy could have a “very impressive” recovery and achieve growth.

First, China’s domestic consumption, the primary driving force of the Chinese economy, starts to grow. Official statistics show that China’s retail sales of consumer goods, a major indicator of consumption growth, declined 2.8 percent year on year in May, rebounding from a drop of 7.5 percent in April.

Despite a broader consumption downturn, online sales continued to be active as

People attend a theme tour activity at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (NECC) in Shanghai, east China, June 6, 2020. (Xinhua/Fang Zhe) consumers turned to online services when parts of the world, it will see an economic staying indoors, with an increase of 4.5 rebound in the second quarter, which will percent year on year in the first five months, buoy markets abroad. quickening by 2.8 percentage points from Second, new forms of economic activthe first four months, the data showed. ities have injected vitality into the market.

“The Chinese consumer is back, and we From online classrooms and online medical are well on a way to a pretty broad consum- care to working from home and selling er recovery,” a Fortune magazine report in goods through live broadcast, digital econMay quoted Andy Rothman, an investment omy has well integrated with traditional analyst at the mutual fund company Mat- industries in the Chinese market with the thews Asia, as saying. help of 5G networking technology, big data Jeffrey Sachs, a renowned economics centers and artificial intelligence. professor at Columbia University and a Digital transformation and the develsenior United Nations advisor, told Xinhua opment of high-tech industries will surely in a recent written interview that as China bring China more sustainable, higher-qualis coming out of lockdown ahead of other ity economic growth.

Third, effective monetary and fiscal policies have helped strengthen the resilience of the Chinese economy.

In past months, local governments and various departments have issued nearly 100 policies and measures in a bid to ease the difficulties of enterprises, increase credit support, facilitate circulation of supply chains, and back work and production resumption, which provided strong support for revitalizing economy.

Fourth, despite the impact of COVID-19, China is still making rapid and steady progress in further opening up.

So far this year, China’s Foreign Investment Law has been put in place and implemented in an earnest way. South China’s Hainan Free Trade Port has inked 35 key investment projects, including eight foreign-funded ones. On Monday, the 127th China Import and Export Fair, popularly known as Canton Fair, kicked off online in south China’s Guangdong Province.

These major moves have demonstrated that the Chinese market continues to open up with larger potentials and more advantages for investments on the basis of a fair and open business, which is conducive to reviving the world economy.

At present, as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global economy continues to unfold, China’s economic recovery still faces risks and challenges.

Yet with macro-economic resilience, comprehensive competitiveness, market advantages and domestic demand potentials, China’s economic development will remain sound and stable in the long run, which will also help boost global growth amid COVID-19 uncertainties.

Commentary: China-Africa anti-epidemic efforts pave way for better world BEIJING, June 16 (Xinhua) -- Against the backdrop of the novel coronavirus still raging in many parts of the world, China and Africa will hold an extraordinary summit on Wednesday on enhancing anti-COVID-19 solidarity and further promoting ties.

It is the latest episode of the two sides’ painstaking yet effective efforts in containing the epidemic, and a reflection of their traditional friendship, mutual political trust and a brotherly bond that has stood the test of time, providing important inspiration for the global fight against the virus.

At the height of China’s battle with COVID-19, African countries extended precious support to China, with over 50 African leaders expressing solidarity and support in phone calls with Chinese leaders or public statements.

In return, when the virus was ravaging Africa, China was doing its utmost to provide its African brothers with various forms of support and assistance. From offering urgently needed supplies and sending medical teams, to holding virtual exchanges with

medical experts and conducting training sessions for health personnel in Africa, China’s endeavors helped the continent effectively and properly respond to the pandemic.

China’s cooperative mindset and aforementioned approach were highly appreciated by African countries. African Union (AU) Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat expressed thanks for China’s emergency assistance and described the two sides as “friends and, more importantly, comrades-in-arms.”

Gao Fei, a professor at China Foreign Affairs University, said China always reciprocates acts of friendship and kindness from others, and when its friends and brothers are in distress, it never sits by and does nothing.

A case in point is China’s assistance to Africa during the Ebola epidemic. As some countries evacuated their personnel from the affected areas, China rushed to Africa’s aid despite risks of infection, sending in medical teams and fighting alongside the African people until victory was declared.

The joint campaigns between China and Africa on public health security issues also

marked a vivid illustration of the concept of a community with a shared future for humanity that demonstrates China’s sense of global responsibility.

Ruan Zongze, executive vice president at the China Institute of International Studies, said both China and Africa believe no country can beat off the deadly disease alone in this highly connected world. “We need to help those in need to overcome their difficulties and speed up efforts to build a global community of health for all,” he said.

China-Africa anti-pandemic cooperation is a reflection of China’s firm stance on promoting international cooperation against the global crisis. China delivered batches of medical supplies and sent medical experts to African countries, and Chinese medical teams in Africa have been actively helping local people guard against COVID-19.

China held nearly 400 training programs for tens of thousands of African medical workers, and has also been taking care of Africans in China, treating them like its family members. Among more than 3,000 African students in Wuhan and in Hubei Province,

only one person got infected and was soon cured, while others have all been safe and sound.

An old Chinese saying goes that when brothers are of the same mind, they have the power to cut through metal. China and Africa, as good brothers sharing weal and woe together, have fought shoulder to shoulder on many international fronts and made their friendship a model for international relations and South-South cooperation.

From supporting each other’s fight for national independence and liberation to seeking common development hand in hand, China and Africa have garnered fruitful results in enhancing their national economies, improving people’s livelihood and boosting the voice of developing countries in the global arena.

It is believed that the upcoming extraordinary summit will provide China and Africa a new chance to enhance mutual trust and solidarity, advance multilateral cooperation, mitigate the impact of COVID-19 and achieve better development for all.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, June 17, 2020

Guyana will attract more investment if border controversy is settled THE Guyana/Venezuela border controversy needs to be resolved soonest so that Guyana can further exploit the resources of its maritime space and landmass, which are being claimed by Venezuela.

This was the view shared by three panelists- former United States Ambassador to Guyana, Perry Holloway; Chairman of the West Indies Rum and Spirits Producers Association (WIRSPA), Komal Samaroo and Chairman of the Guyana Private Sector Commission (PSC), Capt. Gerry Gouveia, who joined Guyana’s Foreign Secretary, Carl Greenidge, last Saturday at a virtual Town Hall Meeting put on by the Guyanese American Chamber of Commerce (GACC) in conjunction with South Florida Caribbean News (SFLCN). The meeting was moderated by GACC’s President, Wesley Kirton.

Ambassador Holloway emphasised the importance of both countries respecting the boundaries as demarcated on the basis of the 1899 Arbitral Award until and unless otherwise adjusted “by a competent court and in keeping with international law. But he stressed

the importance of the resolution of the controversy so that Guyana can attract increased investment in the area.

“Investors both foreign and local need security of their investments. I am not saying that companies have not invested in the area being claimed, but much more investments would be made if this controversy is resolved. No company has yet invested in the oil blocks located in the maritime space claimed by Venezuela,” Holloway said.

WIRSPA’s Chairman, Komal Samaroo, said the vast resources located in the claimed area which “must be fully exploited to realise the expectations of the Guyanese people”. Pointing to the fertile agriculture land, mineral, timber, oil and gas and other resources in the area, Samaroo said that full exploitation and development of the area has been restrictive due to Venezuela’s claim.

He said the financial resources to be derived from the oil and gas sector are critical to the further development of the various other sectors so as to add value to primary products, install upgraded infrastructure and revamp the nation’s education system. PSC Chairman, Gouveia,

emphasised the importance of safety and security in border communities in order for business activities to be conducted without fear of criminal activity. While noting that Guyanese and Venezuelans enjoy good “people-to-people” relations, there is always fear when the border controversy flares up.

With the development of the oil and gas industry, Gouveia said that the country is likely to be targeted by international criminals, drug traffickers and even terrorists. This, he said, makes security, a really critical issue which would be best addressed if the border controversy is resolved and there is hemispheric collaboration in protecting against international crime.

The Guyana/Venezuela border controversy has been referred to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) by Guyana through the United Nations Secretary General. The ICJ will meet on June 30

to determine whether it falls within its jurisdiction to hear the case. Venezuela is contending that the ICJ does not have such authority.

“The issue in the first instance concerns the standing of a treaty and the obligations of the signatories under international law. Both states voluntarily entered into the Geneva Agreement and both agreed to the role of the United Nations Secretary-General in the event of a disagreement over the resolution of the problem,” said Guyana’s Foreign Secretary, Carl Greenidge.

Signed in 1966, the Agreement to Resolve the Controversy over the Frontier between Venezuela and British Guiana, commonly called the Geneva Agreement, detailed steps for resolution of the border controversy to settle Venezuela’s contention that the Arbitral Award of 1899 is invalid.

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Apology and retraction PUBLIC APOLOGY AND RETRACTION OF COLUMN ENTITLED “Op Ed – A PPP Financier Hosted the Diplomatic Mission on Election Day” On Sunday, 3 May, 2020, Guyana Chronicle published the captioned column written by Adam Harris which, among other things, expressed that Mr. Tamesh Jagmohan was ‘a PPP financier’, a ‘drug dealer’, ‘blacklisted’ by the US Embassy, and connected him to making payments in gold or cash to Charrandass Persaud or Mercury LLC, respectively, at the behest

of the PPP. This column did not meet the Guyana Chronicle’s editorial standards, and we are unable to substantiate the allegations made therein.

We therefore retract the column and withdraw all allegations against Mr. Tamesh Jagmohan, and links to the column have been disabled and deleted.

Guyana Chronicle deeply regrets and apologises to Mr. Tamesh Jagmohan for any public or private embarrassment or humiliation the publication of this column may have caused.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, June 17, 2020

Millions may slide into extreme poverty in Caribbean due to COVID-19

AS a result of the crisis prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the population living in extreme poverty in Latin America and the Caribbean could reach 83.4 million people in 2020, which would entail a significant rise in hunger levels due to the difficulties these people will face in accessing food, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and

the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) indicated on Tuesday.

These organizations presented a joint report entitled Preventing the COVID-19 crisis from becoming a food crisis: Urgent measures against hunger in Latin America and the Caribbean, in which they propose urgent steps to tackle the increased hunger resulting from the pandemic in the region’s countries.

According to the report, after seven years of slow growth, Latin America and the Caribbean could experience the biggest drop in regional GDP in a century (-5.3%), which will push 16 million more people into conditions of extreme poverty in 2020 versus the previous year, to total 83.4 million people in all. The impact on hunger will also be very significant, taking into account that in 2016-2018 there were already 53.7 million people experiencing severe food insecurity in Latin America.

The effects of the crisis can already be seen in food systems: workers’ vulnerability has grown and domestic food prices are rising more than the price of other products in the basic basket, according to the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Due to increased unemployment and declining income, millions of people are not able to buy enough food, and many others are being forced to opt for cheaper food that has less nutritional value.

Anti-hunger grant for the vulnerable population and credit for producers “The major task we have ahead of us is to keep the health crisis from turning into a food crisis. That is why we are proposing complementing the Emergency Basic Income (EBI) with the provision of an Anti-Hunger Grant (AHG),” stated Alicia Bárcena, ECLAC’s Executive Secretary. “In Latin America, we may have a historic setback in the fight against hunger. In a matter of months, we may lose what we have achieved in fifteen years. Millions of people may end up going hungry.

That is the gravity of the current problem,” FAO’s Regional Representative, Julio Berdegué, explained.

According to the report, the Anti-Hunger Grant could take the form of cash transfers, food baskets or vouchers to the entire population living in extreme poverty for a sixmonth period, equivalent to 70% of the regional extreme poverty line ($47 dollars based on the 2010 dollar).

Its cost would amount to 0.06% of regional GDP if it were provided exclusively to

the population aged 65 and older that lives in extreme poverty, or to 0.45% of GDP if coverage were given to the entire population facing extreme poverty. ECLAC and FAO recommend the latter option, which would have an estimated cost of $23.5 billion dollars. For producers in the food system, they propose an increase of at least 20% in the average credit portfolio from the last three years, which would add up to around $5.5 billion dollars, for loans under favorable conditions that would be financed by a special line from multilateral and development banks. In addition, for the family farm units that lag the furthest behind, a basic investment kit ($250 dollars) could be provided on a regional scale at a cost of $1.7 billion dollars.

The joint report calls for international cooperation to support countries in greater situations of vulnerability.

TEN MEASURES TO PREVENT A FOOD CRISIS The agencies propose the anti-hunger grant as part of a set of measures aimed at ensuring that all households can access sufficient, nutritious food; food system companies and stakeholders can carry out their work; and countries can have enough food to guarantee supply at reasonable prices.

The other measures forming part of this tenpoint list are: Reinforce school-based food programs to ensure that children and adolescents get fed; Support civil society organizations’ food assistance initiatives; Financial support (credit and production subsidies) for agricultural companies, oriented mainly towards family agriculture; Adjust sanitary and health protocols for food production and transportation and in wholesale and retail markets; Expand and ensure the functioning of programs to support production for one’s own consumption; Ensure funding, technical assistance, and access to inputs and labor for artisanal farmers and fishermen and women; Establish streamlined mechanisms for consultation and public-private coordination among all the stakeholders in the food system; Prevent wholesale and retail markets and agro-industries from closing or reducing their operations and maintain the policies that have kept global food trade open, in particular avoiding protectionist measures that would increase food prices.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, June 17, 2020

ILO: Livelihoods of more than 55 million domestic workers at risk due to COVID-19 GENEVA (ILO News) – Nearly three-quarters of domestic workers around the world – more than 55 million people – are at significant risk of losing their jobs and income due to lockdown and lack of effective social security coverage, according to new estimates by the International Labour Organization (ILO).

The vast majority – 37 million – of these domestic workers are women. An assessment made at the beginning of June shows that the most affected region was Southeast Asia and the Pacific, with 76 per cent of domestic workers at risk, followed by the Americas (74 per cent) Africa (72 per cent) and Europe (45 per cent).

While domestic workers in both formal and informal employment have been affected, those in informal employment accounted for 76 per cent of those at risk of losing their jobs or working hours. In countries with strict levels of lockdown, domestic workers, whether formally or informally employed, have been unable to go to work. But while some of those formally employed still had access to unemployment insurance, for domestic workers in informal employment staying home has meant losing their livelihoods with no safety net to fall back on, making it difficult for them to put food on the table.

The pandemic has exacerbated pre-existing issues.

Only 10 per cent of domestic workers have access to social security, meaning no paid sick leave, guaranteed access to health care, employment injury benefits or unemployment insurance. Many domestic workers earn as little as 25 per cent of average wages, leaving them without savings in case of a financial emergency.

“The COVID-19 crisis has exposed the particular vulnerability of informal domestic workers, emphasizing the urgent need to ensure they are effectively included in labour and social protection” said Claire Hobden, ILO Technical Officer, Vulnerable Workers.

“This disproportionately affects women who make up the vast majority of domestic workers worldwide.”

In some regions domestic workers are predominantly migrants who rely on their pay to support their families in their countries of origin. Non-payment of wages and the closure of remittance services has left the families of migrant domestic workers at risk of poverty and hunger. Live-in domestic workers have mostly continued to work, in confinement with their employers. However, reports suggest they have worked longer hours due to school closures and are carrying out more demanding cleaning tasks.

In other cases employers have stopped paying their live-in domestic workers, due to their own financial circumstances or a belief that domestic workers do not need their salaries since they cannot go out. In some countries, where migrant domestic workers are required to live with their employers, some have been found on the streets after their employers dismissed them for fear of catching the virus. This puts them at risk of trafficking. The ILO is working with domestic workers’ organizations and employers’ organizations to ensure the health and livelihoods of domestic workers.

It is undertaking rapid assessments of the level and nature of the risks facing them, so that governments can devise policies that guarantee at least basic social security coverage, including access to essential health care and basic income security.

Twenty-nine countries have ratified ILO Convention 189 on decent work for domestic workers, which was adopted nine years ago by the International Labour Conference. Many more have taken concrete measures to extend labour and social protection coverage to domestic workers. The ILO has supported roughly sixty countries to close gaps in coverage. While these measures have increased the number of domestic workers in formal employment, the overall rate of informality remains high.

The ILO has called for efforts to formalise domestic work to be urgently accelerated in order to protect domestic workers from future shocks.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, June 17, 2020

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, June 17, 2020

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Cricket Australia admits T20 World Cup plans ‘unrealistic’

STAGING the Twenty20 World Cup in Australia this year is “unrealistic” in the midst of a global coronavirus pandemic, Cricket Australia (CA) chairman Earl Eddings admitted yesterday.

The tournament is scheduled to take place from October 18 to November 15, and officials have previously said they are planning for it to proceed on those dates.

But with many global borders still shut due to virus-related travel restrictions, Eddings conceded that was looking increasingly unlikely.

“While it hasn’t been formally called off this year, or postponed, trying to get 16 countries into Australia in the current world, where most countries are still going through COVID spiking, I think it’s unrealistic, or it’s going to be very, very difficult,” he told reporters.

Eddings said CA had put forward a number of options to the International Cricket Council (ICC).

“The ICC (members) are having meetings as we speak, it’s a bit of a movable feast at the moment,” he said.

T20 World Cup chief executive Nick Hockley, who yesterday took over as interim CA chief, said he expected the ICC to make a decision about the tournament’s future next month.

“We’ve got a fantastic local organising committee who are busy preparing for every eventuality and the decision that will come,” he said.

Australia has so far enjoyed success containing the virus, allowing it to ease restrictions, including letting crowds of up to 10 000 into sports stadiums from next month.

But strict international border restrictions remain in place and there are also limits on domestic movement be-

tween states, creating an added headache for an event where forty-five matches are split between seven cities.

Eddings said India’s Test tour in December-January appeared set to go ahead, with the tourists willing to undergo quarantine to enter Australia.

“We’ve had a lot of very positive chats with India, they’re very keen to tour,” he said.

“Now it’s a matter of how we get over the hurdles with COVID-19 for them to come into the country.”

However, the T20 World Cup, involving 15 visiting teams and support staff, presents a far greater logistical challenge.

The most likely scenario appears to be rescheduling the tournament until next year, but it will depend on the status of the pandemic and finding a spot in cricket’s crowded calendar.

Postponing the World Cup could have a knock-on effect for the Indian Premier League (IPL), which was supposed to begin in March but has been repeatedly pushed back.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is desperate to salvage the world’s richest T20 tournament, even if that means taking it overseas or playing in empty stands.

While the BCCI has earmarked a September-October window for the event, delaying the T20 World Cup would open up an attractive slot.

The ICC last week said the situation regarding the T20 World Cup and coronavirus was rapidly evolving but insisted “planning for delivery of the events in the scheduled window is ongoing”.

“The health and well-being of everyone involved is our priority and other considerations fall out from that,” ICC chief executive Manu Sawhney said.

Top Brazilian clubs defy order to resume playing as epidemic rages (REUTERS) - Two of Brazil’s top soccer clubs, Botafogo and Fluminense, said yesterday they would defy an order from their federation to resume playing competitively this week, as the country’s daily coronavirus death toll hovers around 1 000.

The Rio de Janeiro state football federation proposed that the state championship, one of several state-wide tournaments that take place in Brazil before the national leagues begin in the second half of the year, restart on June 18, pending state government approval.

Botafogo president Nelson Mufarrej called the ruling “disconnected from reality”, and both clubs said they planned legal action on health and safety grounds to avoid having to resume playing so soon.

“Unfortunately, the majority of clubs understand that this is the time to play games again, in spite of the chaotic scenes we’re living through right now,” Mufarrej said in a statement. “We’re against it.”

Brazil’s documented deaths from the pandemic stand at just below 44 000, more than any country in the world except the United States, and that toll has been rising by around 1 000 per day for the past week.

City rival Fluminense’s chairman Mario Bittencourt said his players, inactive since action was halted in mid-March, were also not ready to play competitively again.

“The pandemic persists,” Bittencourt said. “The dates set for our games (22nd and 24th) are unacceptable from the point of view of the health of our players and we won’t be taking the field, and we will look to take action in the sporting court to do what is right.”

Botafogo and Fluminense have been asked to play in the first round of rescheduled games.

All four of the state’s top teams, which also include Flamengo and Vasco da Gama, are down to play a game between June 18 and 22.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, June 17, 2020

Roberts resigns, Hockley steps up as CA chief executive CRICKET Australia (CA) has parted ways with chief executive officer Kevin Roberts, the governing body confirmed yesterday.

CA chairman Earl Eddings broke the news to staff via live stream yesterday morning, saying the board needed fresh leadership to move on from the disruption that engulfed the organisation in the past few months.

Nick Hockley, CEO of T20 World Cup local organising committee, will take over the reins at Cricket Australia on an interim basis, effective immediately after Roberts tendered his resignation.

Hockley oversaw the successful women’s T20 World Cup in February and March that culminated with Australia’s win in front of 86 174 fans at the MCG on March 8, shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic brought world cricket to a halt.

The men’s T20 World Cup tournament – scheduled for October and November this year – remains in doubt given biosecurity and border issues caused by the pandemic. The tournament is expected to have its fate determined at the International Cricket Council’s July board meeting, with one option to postpone the tournament for 12 months.

That outcome would allow Hockley to focus his attention on CA in the short term while a search for a permanent replacement for Roberts was conducted.

The English-born Hockley was previously CA’s head of commercial

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projects between 2015 and 2017 before taking on the T20 World Cup role. He previously worked on the 2015 men’s ODI World Cup in Australia and spent six years with the London Olympics organising committee before that.

Eddings said an “operational reset” for the governing body would still take

Kevin Roberts had succeeded James Sutherland in 2018

place this week, as planned.

Staff are expected to learn of budget cuts and redundancies today.

“Cricket, like all national sports, has been going through a period of significant change and – in recent months we have had the added uncertainty delivered by COVID-19,” Eddings said in a statement.

“The entire cricket community has been affected and difficult decisions have been – and will continue to be necessary – to ensure that cricket at every level is in the best shape it can be now and in the future.

“It is essential that CA continues to provide strong leadership and works con-

Wednesday, June 17, 2020

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structively with everyone who has an interest in the future of the game – the players, all employees, the state associations, commercial partners and supporters.”

Roberts, who had been appointed on a three-year term to replace James Sutherland in October 2018, leaves his post after just 20 months at the helm.

TODAY’S QUIZ:

What is the highest individual ODI score made by a Pakistani player against the WI to date?

What is the highest score made by a WI player in an ODI against Pakistan to date?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

Cricket in Australia had been riding high after the successful women’s T20 World Cup final but found itself swiftly hit by the COVID-19 pandemic soon after when the first of three ODIs against New Zealand was played without crowds at the SCG. Two further games were cancelled, as were a T20 tour of New Zealand and a women’s tour of South Africa, while CA moved to cancel the remainder of the Sheffield Shield season, installing the outright ladder leaders NSW as champions.

But off the field, the complicated financial situation caused by the virus proved difficult to navigate.

After early indications that CA was well-placed to weather the COVID-19 storm due to the timing of the pandemic’s arrival at the backend of the cricket season, financial modelling provided a grim outlook as it also coincided with an imminent low point in the game’s four-year revenue cycle.

CA’s reserves dwindled by some $20 million in a matter of weeks due to fluctuations in the global financial market – although conditions have since improved and no losses were incurred as the assets were not realised – as well as contributions to the

costs associated with supporting the men’s T20 World Cup. The vast majority of CA staff were stood down in late April until June 30 – saving the organisation some $3M – while executives took a 20 per cent pay cut.

Roberts told staff CA had three goals in that timeframe: to secure a line of credit with a bank, a reduction of funding

lodged a formal dispute with Cricket Australia over the financial forecasting head office had provided to the players’ union, citing the financial details provided “do not appear to be reasonable or consistent with an obligation of good faith”.

Under that modelling, CA predicted that revenue would fall by 48 per cent for

Cricket Australia’s interim CEO Nick Hockley (AAP)

to the states and territories, and to finalise negotiations with the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) over changes to player payments.

All three areas remain a work in progress.

At the same time, CA would look to reduce 25 per cent from its cost base for the 2020-21 financial year, Roberts publicly declaring that “no area of the organisation will be untouched” as the administration braced itself for a season of limited crowds, expensive biosecurity measures and the possibility of a reduction in broadcast revenue.

Eddings confirmed that “operational reset” would continue as planned to “reinvigorate cricket in a changed operating environment”. The implications of that cost-cutting will be delivered to staff today.

The state and territory associations have already shed some 150 jobs from various areas, with community cricket heavily affected, but no agreement has been reached with NSW and Queensland who refused to agree to the reduction. Western Australia had agreed to accept the cuts on the condition that every other state and territory did likewise.

The ACA last week

2020-21. The parties now have 28 days to resolve the dispute before it heads to an independent arbitrator.

Amid this financial uncertainty, CA pushed ahead with an announcement of a full men’s and women’s international summer schedule including a Top End ODI series against Zimbabwe in August, an inaugural Test against Afghanistan at Perth Stadium and a marquee fourmatch Border-Gavaskar Test series against India.

That schedule announcement was not without controversy with the Western Australia Cricket Association labelling being overlooked for an India Test as “a kick in the guts”.

Roberts rose to the role of CEO in October 2018 when he succeeded James Sutherland after nearly 18 years in the role.

Roberts played 23 firstclass games and 18 domestic one-day matches for NSW as a batter between 1994 and 1998, then held senior management roles within global sportswear brands including adidas and 2XU, and served on the CA board between 2012 and 2015 before taking a staff role as CA’s executive general manager of strategy and people.

He played a key role in

leading CA’s negotiations in the fractious 2017 dispute with the ACA over player payments, and in 2018 was installed as CA’s inaugural Chief Operating Officer.

Roberts was appointed as Sutherland’s successor by then-CA chairman David Peever, who resigned weeks later after losing the support of the state associations following the release of a report

by Simon Longstaff’s The Ethics Centre into the culture of CA. Roberts had overseen a revival of the Australian men’s team’s reputation under head coach Justin Langer and captain Tim Paine in the wake of the Longstaff review and fall-out from the ball-tampering scandal in March 2018.

On-field success came, too, notably with a successful defence of the Ashes in England last winter and an unbeaten home summer that saw the team rise to the No.1 spot in the ICC’s rankings for Test and T20 cricket. They are currently fifth in ODI cricket three years out from the next World Cup. Under Roberts’ tenure, CA had also made strides in gender equality with the move of the Rebel WBBL to a stand-alone competition, as well as committing to pay parity for the T20 World Cup, with CA topping up the ICC’s US$1M prize for the victorious Australian women’s team to the tune of US$600 000.

Roberts said: “It’s been a privilege to lead and serve the sport I love as CEO of Cricket Australia. Our team of staff and players are outstanding people who contribute so much to the game and I’m proud of what we’ve achieved together.

“I’d like to thank the army of volunteers in communities across the country who are the lifeblood of our sport, enabling kids to experience the game and to dream about emulating their heroes in our national teams. As a lifelong and passionate member of the cricket community, I look forward to seeing the game thrive into the future.”

(Cricket.com.au)

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, June 17, 2020

BCCI planning to start IPL 2020 from September 26

Mumbai Indians are the defending IPL champions

THE fate of the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has been hanging by the thread since the outbreak of the coronavirus this year.

It was supposed to take place from March 29 to May 24 only to be suspended until further notice due to the nationwide lockdown. Ever since then, BCCI has adopted a wait and watch policy and working behind the scenes to make the tournament happen somehow this year.

It has now been reported that the board is considering to stage the IPL 2020 from September 26 this year. Recently, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly had cleared that they were open to stage the cash-rich league behind closed doors due to the pandemic.

Moreover, Cricket Australia (CA), yesterday, cleared that the T20 World Cup happening this year looks unrealistic.

“It (IPL) will be between September-end and November-start, more specifically it could be from September 26 to November 8.

These dates are subject to the expected postponement/cancellation of the Twenty20 World Cup in Australia,” a report in Mumbai Mirror read.

With the start of the IPL likely to be in September, most of

the matches will be played in South India as monsoon won’t be severe in that part. Accordingly, Chennai and Bangalore seem to be the venues to host the tournament.

It is understood that Mumbai was BCCI‘s first preference earlier but the ever-rising COVID-19 cases in the city has made things tough for the organisers.

However, if the situation improves, the second half of the T20 league can be moved to India’s financial capital. There are also chances of the matches being played at KPL and TNPL venues.

“Mumbai was to be BCCI’s first choice given the infrastructure, four international stadiums, hotels in close proximity and connectivity.

But the proliferating number of COVID cases is discouraging the IPL managers.

“Should it be Karnataka or Tamil Nadu (another state where COVID cases are many), the IPL could be staged at the TNPL or KPL venues,” the report further read.

The IPL teams haven’t been officially informed about the plans yet but informal discussions are taking place as of now.

(CricTracker)

FIFA calls for ‘mutual respect and common sense’ in response to Trump tweets FIFA called for “tolerance, mutual respect and common sense” in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump’s criticism of U.S. Soccer’s decision to retract the policy that would require players to stand for the National Anthem.

U.S. Soccer confirmed over the weekend that the federation would be getting rid of the policy, which had been in place since Megan Rapinoe’s decision to support Colin Kaepernick’s protests of kneeling during the National Anthem to combat police brutality and racism.

Trump, a highly-publicised critic of both Kaepernick and Rapinoe, said that he “won’t be watching”, adding that he also would avoid the NFL should players choose to kneel.

The President’s tweets came in response to a bill proposed by senator Matt Gaetz, who called for national team players to be forced to stand; while adding: “I’d rather the U.S. not have a

soccer team than have a soccer team that won’t stand for the National Anthem.”

sponded to Trump’s criticisms, calling for “common sense” to be used.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino (left) and U.S. President Donald Trump

As a result, U.S. Soccer became the latest organisation to emerge as a factor in the nationwide debate over the form of protest, which has been reignited amid ongoing demonstrations following the death of George Floyd.

On Monday, FIFA re-

“FIFA strongly advocates for tolerance, mutual respect and common sense when such important matters are debated,” read a FIFA statement to The Associated Press when asked about Trump’s comments.

“FIFA has a zero-tolerance approach to incidents of all

21

forms of discrimination in football, as outlined in the FIFA Statutes. We must all say no to racism and no to violence.”

FIFA president Gianni Infantino had previously praised several Bundesliga stars, including U.S. men’s national team and Schalke midfielder Weston McKennie, for their displays and solidarity during the first round of matches after protests began.

Responding to Trump’s tweet, FIFA stated that Infantino’s “position on the player’s rights to express themselves against racism, discrimination and violence was clearly stated two weeks ago and it has not changed.”

Infantino had previously introduced Trump at a dinner at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland this past January and has also met with Trump as part of the U.S., Mexico and Canada’s successful bid for the 2026 World Cup.

Man City to wear new jersey for Arsenal game to promote COVID-19 relief fund

(REUTERS) - Manchester City will wear special shirts to promote the launch of a COVID-19 relief fund set up by parent company City Football Group (CFG) when they resume their Premier League season against Arsenal today.

City’s shirt will have a ‘Cityzens Giving for Recovery’ campaign logo instead of their usual partners Etihad Airways, who have donated the branding space to kick-start the initiative set up to help communities get back on their feet.

CFG, which also owns eight other football clubs around the world, has donated almost 1 million pounds ($1.3 million) to the global COVID-19 emergency response.

The group hopes to match that figure through its new initiative, in which it will raise funds through its clubs, staff, players, coaches and fans along with its commercial partners, and then match those contributions pound for pound, it said.

The campaign will focus on providing support to nine recovery-linked projects near to each of its clubs.

“Front line workers around the world have heroically responded to the immediate threat of COVID-19,” Ferran Soriano, chief executive of CFG, said in a statement.

Brilliant Battaash wins as Royal Ascot begins behind closed doors BATTAASH battered his rivals with a brilliant burst of speed to triumph as Royal Ascot began behind closed doors.

The 5-6 favourite, part of a treble for jockey Jim Crowley, cruised to victory in the King’s Stand Stakes after finishing runner-up in 2018 and 2019.

It was a one-two for trainer Charlie Hills with stablemate Equilateral second. Liberty Beach finished third.

Circus Maximus, under Ryan Moore, won the Queen Anne Stakes in a photo finish from Frankie Dettori aboard Terebellum.

But the rider was smiling behind his face mask, and after Battaash took the Group One sprint, he followed up with victory on Nazeef to complete a 118-1 treble.

Ascot, which normally welcomes a total of 280 000 spectators to the five-day meeting, limited numbers to jockeys, trainers, officials and a small number of media representatives.

It made for a surreal atmosphere and even the usually exuberant Dettori admitted it took some getting used to.

“For the first race it was hard to pick myself up. I’m

Battaash was part of an opening day treble for jockey Jim Crowley

Dettori had reason to celebrate later with victory on Frankly Darling in the Ribblesdale Stakes, while 18-1 chance Pyledriver landed the King Edward VII Stakes.

The meeting is taking place without spectators and with strict safety protocols because of the coronavirus pandemic, while the Queen is missing the fixture for the first time in her 68-year reign.

So it was to an eerie silence that Crowley won the opening Buckingham Palace Handicap on Motakhayyel for trainer Richard Hannon.

usually signing autographs with people slapping you on the back and shouting my name. Today I had to have two or three espressos just to get me going for the first race,” he said.

“In the second I had a good battle with Ryan (Moore), so I was well warmed up and it’s nice to get one on the board, particularly for my boss John Gosden, who is an amazing trainer.

“The racing is magnificent. Of course we miss the crowd, but we’re providing a good show for the people at home.”

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, June 17, 2020

United TTFA loses confidence in Wallace … seeks meeting Saturday

MEMBERS of the United T&T Football Association group are seeking to hold a virtual general meeting of the T&T Football Association (TTFA) this weekend to discuss what it calls the overstepping of authority and unacceptable behaviour by ousted TTFA president William Wallace.

In a release yesterday, the group, which includes former TTFA first vice-president Clynt Taylor, second vice-president Susan Joseph-Warrick, third vice-president Joseph Sam Phillip, Anthony Harford and Keith Look Loy, said the situation arose after regional sports broadcaster Sportsmax revealed information concerning three crucial contracts which Williams allegedly signed off on without the apparent final approval of the TTFA board.

The contracts were listed as those for sports brand company Avec, national senior men’s coach Terry Fenwick and TTFA secretary Ramesh Ramdhan.

The group said according to the information disclosed, all three contracts were allegedly modified before being signed by Wallace and the parties involved without following the process of informing and getting final approval from the board. In fact, the group claims most of the information, in particular, some of the details of Fenwick’s contract only came to light via the Sportsmax broadcasts.

The group said this behaviour was totally unacceptable and it was this type

of activity by the previous regime which led the TTFA members to vote out David John-Williams and replace him with Wallace before FIFA stepped in to appoint a Normalisation Committee to revamp local football.

The group said it was still in favour of going ahead with the lawsuit against FIFA’s decision to bring in the Normalisation Committee but no longer held confidence in Williams.

did the TTFA Board approve, said contract, which varied significantly from what it had in fact approved. Last night, (Monday June 15), Sportsmax raised the issue of Ramesh Ramdhan’s contract as TTFA General Secretary - specifically the fact that it was two years in duration, while the TTFA Board had approved a one-year appointment.

“We were unaware of this and immediately contacted Ra-

Ousted TTFA president William Wallace

As such, the group said it was calling a meeting on Saturday (June 20) to discuss the issue and how they would go forward.

FULL STATEMENT: In recent days regional broadcaster Sportsmax raised the issue of Terry Fenwick’s contract as TTFA’s senior men’s national team coach specifically, the content, duration and TTFA Board approval of said contract.

“We have stated for the public record that we were not aware of the content of, nor

mesh Ramdhan via Whatsapp text to enquire about the veracity of Sportsmax’s claim.

Ramdhan confirmed that he does, indeed, hold a twoyear agreement signed by president William Wallace. We are confronted by the fact of TTFA president Wallace’s signature of three contracts which the TTFA Board did not approve: 1) Avec uniforms, for which the Board criticised him but accepted his apology and assurance that such action would not be repeated. The contract was presented to the Board after the fact; 2) Terry Fen-

wick’s; 3) Ramesh Ramdhan’s.

This pattern of behaviour is unacceptable. It is unilateral.

It exceeds the constitutional limits to the president’s authority. It is deceptive and deeply disappointing. And it replicates the performance of former president David John-Williams. As members of United TTFA, we brought John-Williams’ reign to an end in the last TTFA election on the promise of democracy, transparency and accountability.

“We stand by the principles of national sovereignty and the right of TTFA’s membership to elect and remove officers, which is the premise of United TTFA’s High Court action. But we also believe Wallace no longer holds the moral high ground. We are determined to continue the case because we reject FIFA’s belief that it could remove a democratically elected administration.

That said, we have determined to immediately call a virtual General Meeting of TTFA’s membership (via zoom), on Saturday June 20 at 14.00hrs. The purpose of this meeting will be to allow the members the opportunity to speak on all of the above, as well as the overall tenure of the Wallace administration.

C l y n t Ta y l o r, 1 s t v i c e - p re s i d e n t ; S u s a n J o s e p h - Wa r r i c k , 2 n d vice-president; Joseph Sam Phillip, 3rd vice-president; Anthony Harford and Keith Look Loy. (Extracted from Trinidad Guardian)

Test discard Hope returns to champions Pride … Ashmead Nedd heading to Leewards Hurricanes

ST JOHN’S, Antigua (CMC) – Discarded West Indies batsman Kyle Hope will attempt to rekindle a career in shambles by returning to newly crowned domestic first class champions Barbados Pride for the upcoming professional season.

The 31-year-old, who has spent the last several seasons at Trinidad and Tobago Red Force, rejoins his native franchise after being picked up in the first round of Monday’s players draft staged by Cricket West Indies via Zoom.

Hope, an elegant righthander, emerged as one of the region’s most promising batsmen when he gathered 553 runs for Red Force in the 2015-16 season then followed up with 649 runs at an average of nearly 50 the next season, to force his way into the West Indies side.

But he failed miserably with 41 runs from six innings in three Tests on the 2017 tour of England and following low scores in the two-Test tour of Zimbabwe, he was axed from the squad.

Hope, the older brother

Kyle Hope

of Test and one-day star Shai Hope, has struggled since then and last season featured in just three matches for Red Force, scoring 170 runs at an average of 42.

Overall, Hope averages 29 from 50 first class matches.

While he returns home, veteran Barbadian all-rounder Kevin Stoute will head to Windward Islands Volcanoes as a first round pick.

Stoute, 34, has played 76 first class matches for Pride, scoring nearly 3 000 runs and taking 154 wickets with his medium pace.

Meanwhile, Guyanese left-arm spinner Ashmead Nedd, a member of reigning Super50 Cup champions, West Indies Emerging Players, will feature for Leeward Islands Hurricanes after also being secured as a first round pick.

Nedd snared 11 wickets in the tournament last year and also represented West Indies Under-19s at the Youth World Cup in South Africa earlier this year.

Bayern clinch Bundesliga title with 1-0 win at Werder Bremen

Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski celebrates scoring their first goal with Jerome Boateng, following the resumption of play behind closed doors after the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) (Martin Meissner/Pool via REUTERS)

BERLIN, Germany (Reuters) - Bayern Munich won their 30th German league title by beating Werder Bremen 1-0 away with a Robert Lewandowski strike yesterday to open up an unassailable lead at the top of the Bundesliga table.

The Bavarians moved 10 points clear of second-placed Borussia Dortmund, who have three games left to play, and secured an eighth consecutive league crown.

In a rollercoaster season that saw coach Niko Kovac fired in November with Bayern off the top spots and Hansi Flick taking over, Bayern turned it around after the winter break, are unbeaten since and won their last 11 straight league matches.

They remained unruffled by the two-month break due to the novel coronavirus pandemic and beat Dortmund last month to overcome the last major obstacle en route to a 29th Bundesliga crown since the introduction of the top division in 1963.

Werder, desperate to avoid their second relegation after 1980, were bold and matched the Bavarians in the first half for speed and possession.

They also had the better chances until Bayern winger Kingsley Coman’s glancing header in the 24th.

The Bavarians gradually gained ground and broke the deadlock with defender Jerome Boateng’s superb pass for Lewandowski, who turned in the box and grabbed his 31st goal of the campaign just before halftime.

The Polish forward, who scored on his return from suspension for Bayern, is chasing the 40-goal record for one season set

by Gerd Mueller in 1972 and had a string of good chances after the break to add to his tally.

But it was keeper Manuel Neuer who proved key for Bayern after they were left with 10 men for the final 10 minutes following the dismissal of Alphonso Davies, making a sensational one-handed save to ensure yet another league title.

The 12 players selected in the two rounds will complement the six franchises which had each retained 13 players prior to the draft.

Following is the full list of players selected during Mon-

Ashmead Nedd

day’s draft: ROUND 1 Leewards Hurricanes – Ashmead Nedd Windward Volcanoes – Kevin Stoute Jamaica Scorpions – Odean Smith Guyana Jaguars – Ramaal Lewis TT Red Force – Bryan Charles Barbados Pride – Kyle Hope ROUND 2 Leewards Hurricanes – Tyrone Williams Jr Windwards Volcanoes – Larry Edwards Guyana Jaguars – Tevin Imlach Jamaica Scorpions – Alwyn Williams TT Red Force – Isaiah Rajah Barbados Pride – Shamar Springer

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, June 17, 2020

23

Windies to stand with BLM in fight for racial justice

MANCHESTER, England (CMC) – Captain Jason Holder said West Indies were committed to the global fight for racial justice, and will stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement in the upcoming series against England.

The Caribbean side arrived here last Tuesday for their three-Test series tour which will be played against the backdrop of fervent protests across the world, in the wake of the killing of an unarmed black man George Floyd by a white police officer in Minneapolis, United States.

Protests engulfed London and several other cities here last weekend while West Indies remained in quarantine at Old Trafford.

“I must highlight that we Cricket West Indies (CWI) is firmly behind the movement of Black Lives Matter,” Holder told Good Morning Britain hosted by Piers Morgan and Suzanna Reid here Monday.

“There’s obviously a lot going around the world now with the protests and the whole movement as such and definitely the West Indies team will show their solidarity with the movement.

think come July 8 and the first Test match we will show our support around the world towards our solidarity with the movement.”

Global sporting icons such as Formula One driver

the Black Lives Matter movement, during the current protests.

The English Premier League announced recently players would wear ‘Black Lives Matter’ printed on the

COVID-19 pandemic.

Holder, 28, who has led West Indies in 32 of his 40 Tests, said he believed the current environment provided the ideal climate for changes to take place in

West Indies captain Jason Holder (right) chats via Zoom with Good Morning Britain hosts Piers Morgan (left) and Suzanna Reid

“We as a team have had a few discussions around it and as to what exactly we’re going to do, and I

Lewis Hamilton and heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua have already thrown their weight behind

back of their shirts for the first 12 matches of the season which resumes next weekend following a break due to the

race relations but stressed that unity was critical in the process.

“I think the most effec-

tive response is always unity. I’ve been following it quite closely and I’ve seen many opinions from people around the world and I think it is a perfect opportunity to inflict change,” said Holder, the Test cricket’s leading all-rounder.

“The only solution is to unify so we need to unite and come together as one. There needs to be equality and Black people must feel as though they have a presence in this world.

“I think at present it can be argued that Black people don’t feel as if we have a presence in the world and it’s a perfect opportunity for people to rise and for people to educate themselves on racism and try their best to eradicate racism and come together.”

The Windies tour is also going ahead against the backdrop of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic which has already resulted in 297 000 infections and over 41 000 deaths.

Estwick warns Windies to prepare to ‘fight and scrap’ MANCHESTER, England, (CMC) – Assistant coach Roddy Estwick said Monday West Indies had put last year’s Wisden Trophy triumph behind them and were cognisant of the new challenges which lay before them when they faced England in next month’s threeTest series.

The Caribbean side thrashed England on home soil to claim their first series win in a decade but Estwick said with England in home conditions, and with the tour overshadowed by COVID-19 playing protocols, West Indies were facing a “very difficult series”.

Stressing the need for thorough preparation and discipline, Estwick said West Indies had to be prepared to “fight and scrap”, if they were to successfully defend the Wisden.

“It (last year’s series win) should give us some confidence but remember we won the Wisden Trophy back in the West Indies,”

Estwick cautioned.

“We’re in England now where England are very, very strong and where they very seldom lose Test series, so we’ve got to be up and running, we’ve got to be well prepared – that’s the key thing.

“We can’t become complacent thinking we’ve won the series in the West Indies.

It’s a new series, it’s completely different now, it’s being played behind closed doors, there are no spectators so there are a lot of changes since we last played in the Caribbean so we’ve got to be ready.”

He continued: “We’ve got to make sure that our preparation is spot on, our discipline is spot on and we cannot underestimate the English. They’ll be hardworking, we’ve got to be disciplined.

“They’re under a new coach, they’ve come off a good series win in South Africa so they will be ready and we’ve got to be ready to match them stride for stride and be prepared to fight and scrap because this is going to

be a very, very difficult series and we know that and we’ve got to be well prepared.

“The key thing is how well we prepare and then trust the process, and go and execute properly.”

West Indies will be also fighting the weight of history, having not won a series in England in 32 years. In their last series here three years ago, they produced a remarkable win at Leeds to level the three-match rubber but then lost heavily at Lord’s.

Estwick, who was part of the coaching unit for the 2017 series here, said the Headingley victory had proven West Indies had the ability to compete with the best Test sides.

“If you remember we got beaten badly at Edgbaston and we regrouped and had a famous win at Headingley,” the Barbadian recalled.

“What that tells us is that we can compete and if you look over the two series. For me, you would say the series is three-all right now – England won two Test matches

over here in 2017 and we won one; we won two in the Caribbean and they won one so the series for us is all square.

“We need now to win this series just to get ahead because we won on home soil, they won on home soil so it’s all up for grabs so we’ve got to make sure we find that extra motivation and if we find that extra motivation, then we can spring a surprise.”

West Indies arrived here last Tuesday for the historic tour which will take place in a bio-secure environment amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

They are currently training while under quarantine at Old Trafford here and will remain isolated from the public for the duration of the seven-week tour, which will see Tests at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton and at the storied venue here.

Estwick said the most important part of the preparation now was practice matches, especially with players coming out of lock-

West Indies assistant coach, Roddy Estwick

down situations in the Caribbean and unable to get match practice under their belts.

“I don’t think motivation is a problem. I think once we can get them up to speed, that’s going to be the most difficult thing,” he pointed out.

“Obviously they were in lockdown for two months but we (Barbadian contingent) were fortunate enough in the last two weeks in Barbados before we came over, we were able to get some work done.

“The weather has been kind to us here since we arrived in England so we’ve had five days of practice so we’re getting there – we’re not fully there.

“We had a meeting last night to discuss how people are feeling in their body and how ready they think they are. Most people think they are about 80 per cent at the moment so we just need to keep building up and the key thing for us is to arrive in the first Test fully ready.”

He added: “We’ve got three practice matches and once people can get some more miles in their legs because as you know match practice is very, very important. You can prepare all you want in the nets but you need to go in and try and get some match readiness so once we can get match hardened then we should be fine.”

Australia played New Zealand behind closed doors in Sydney in March (AFP photo/Saeed Khan)

PAGE 19

NACAC rejects any form of Racism

WORLD Athletics’ confedera- in the world of sport. tion - North American, Central The ‘positive values atAmerican and Caribbean Ath- tendant’ to sport allowed it to letics Association (NACAC) be one of the fastest growing has issued a statement totally industries in the world today. condemning Racism.

The blight of racism and its In an official release by consequences deny our very NACAC, Bahamian-born pres- humanity and must be, veheident Mike Sands expressed his mently, rejected in all its forms, fight to eliminate racism. wherever it threatens to rear its “Over the past few weeks ugly head. the spectre of systemic racism NACAC is insistent that has been at the forefront of there is no place for racism in international news. Because of our sport of athletics and will the resurgence of racism at the commit to the promotion of global level in the the lofty values that recent past, many have allowed us to International, Rerise to and maingional and local tain our position sporting organat the very pinisations and nacle of globathletes have al sport. been forced “ A s to speak we conout betinue to cause of lead the their unworld derstandin the ing of the f i g h t mounting against evidence of drugs in its invasion sport, too, we in the world of strive to play NACAC president sport. leading roles Mike Sanda N A C A C in the eradicafinds it absolutely tion of racism in necessary to add its sport, fully cognivoice to the chorus that contin- zant that by doing so we are ues to grow, declaring its total participating in a greater war, rejection of any form of racism that of eradicating the scourge in society, generally, but more so of racism from global society”.

Top Brazilian clubs defy order to resume playing as epidemic rages PAGE 19

File Photo - Carioca Championship - Botafogo - Nilton Santos Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - Botafogo’s Keisuke Honda with teammates wearing masks before the match v Bangu is played behind closed doors on March 15, 2020, as the number of coronavirus cases grow around the world (REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes)

PAGE 22

Test discard Hope returns to champions Pride

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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2020