Guyana Chronicle E-paper 7-26-2020

26th July, 2020

' No.106072

‘Recount order deeply flawed’

…SC Jeremie tells Appellate Court results of elections must be declared using ROs’ declarations …GECOM Chair disagrees, pleads with Court not to aid and abet in electoral fraud …Appeal Court to hand down its decision on Thursday

Citizens sign petition for GECOM Chair to step down

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Eight new COVID-19 cases recorded in 24 hours 12 PAGE

Magistrate Alex Moore sues 13 DPP for $50M for defamation PAGE

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 26, 2020

AG maintains GECOM must act on advice of the CEO

ATTORNEY-General Basil Williams on Saturday maintained that the results of the 2020 General and Regional Elections can only be declared by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), on the sole advice of Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield.

The Chief Elections Officer, in his latest Elections Report, had advised the Elections Commission that the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) won the March 2, 2020 elections, based on the declarations made by the 10 Returning Officers in March, but that did not sit well with Chairman of the Elections Commission, Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh. The GECOM Chair has since set aside the March Declarations on July 13, and ordered the Chief Elections Officer to produce an Elections Report reflective of the data generated during the National Recount.

It was that decision of hers that sparked another

Attorney-General Basil Williams

round of judicial actions.

Having lost at the High Court, Tucville, Georgetown voter Misenga Jones turned to the Court of Appeal, in the hope of having the Recount Order, Order Number 60, invalidated.

When the case was called before Justices of Appeal Dawn Gregory and Rishi Persaud, and High Court Judge

Priya Beharry in the Court of Appeal on Saturday, the Attorney-General, the fourthnamed respondent in the matter, said that Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George-Wiltshire misinterpreted the provisions of Article 177 (2) (b) of the Constitution.

The Attorney-General told the Appellate Court that the Chief Justice erred in

law when she ruled that the Chief Elections Officer, in compiling the Elections Report, is subject to the control and direction of the Elections Commission.

In rejecting the ruling of the High Court that the Chief Elections Officer is not a constitutional officer, Williams asked the judges to have a closer look at Article 177 (2) (b).

That article states, “…

Where (b) there are two or more Presidential candidates, if more votes are cast in favour of the list in which a person is designated as Presidential candidate than in favour of any other list, that Presidential candidate shall be deemed to be elected as President, and shall be so declared by the Chairman of the Elections Commission, acting only in accordance with the advice of the Chief Election Officer, after such advice has been tendered to the Elections Commission at a duly summoned meeting.”

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 26, 2020

'Order No.60 deeply flawed' …SC Jeremie tells Appellate court results of elections must be declared using ROs’ declarations …GECOM Chair disagrees, pleads with Court not to aid and abet electoral fraud …Appeal Court to rule on Thursday

By Svetlana Marshall IN a legal battle of words that spanned more than five hours on Saturday, former Attorney General of Trinidad and Tobago, Senior Counsel John Jeremie, told the Court of Appeal that the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has no other choice than to declare the results of the General and Regional Elections based on the 10 Declarations made by the Returning Officers last March.

Any resort to Order No. 60 – the Recount Order – would be in breach of the Constitution and the Representation of the People Act, Jeremie argued. “Order No. 60 is deeply flawed; it is beyond redemption,” he told a panel of three judges led by Justice of Appeal Dawn Gregory in his virtual presentation on behalf of the appellant in the case – Misenga Jones v the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) and others. But Kim Kyte-Thomas – the Attorney representing the Chairman of the Elections Commission, Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh – told the Appellate Court that to invalidate Order No. 60, would be to aid and abet in electoral fraud.

The Appellate Court – comprising Justices of Appeal Dawn Gregory and Rishi Persaud, and High Court Judge, Priya Beharry – will hand down its decision on Thursday (July 30). The ultimate intention of the appeal is to overturn Chief Justice (ag), Roxane George-Wiltshire’s decision that the elections results must be declared using data from the National Recount, which was executed in May-June under Order No. 60. In her High Court’s decision, Justice George-Wiltshire indicated that the 10 Declarations were overtaken by events, in particular the National Recount and could not be resurrected at this stage of the electoral process.

ORDER No. 60 INVALID In his virtual appearance, Jeremie, who appeared in association with Attorneys-at-Law Roysdale Forde SC, Mayo Robertson and Rondelle Keller, told the Appellate Court that while the High Court correctly assumed jurisdiction to hear

Senior Counsel, John Jeremie

the Fixed Date Application (FDA) filed by Misenga Jones – a Tucville, Georgetown voter – it failed to determine the constitutionality of Section 22 of the Election Laws (Amendment) Act. It is Jones’ contention that Section 22 of the Elections Laws (Amendment) Act, which was heavily relied upon by the Elections Commission to bring Order No. 60 into effect, is unconstitutional. But the High Court did not rule in her favour. In fact, the Chief Justice, in handing down her decision on July 20, said the majority of issues raised in Jones’ application was res judicata including the issue regarding the constitutionality of Section 22 of the Election Laws (Amendment) Act, and any challenge to that section must be brought via an Elections Petition.

But the Trinidadian Senior Counsel told the Appellate Court that the High Court fell short in its decision, positing that the principles of res judicata cannot be applied to the case on the simple basis that the Recount Order was never challenged in the Courts.

In laying the foundation of his argument that Order NO. 60 was created using an unconstitutional legislation – Section 22 – Jeremie drew the Court’s attention to Article 8 of the Constitution, which states that the “Constitution is the supreme law of Guyana, and if any other law is inconsistent with it, the other law shall, to the extent of the inconsistency, be void.” Further, he referenced to Article 170 of the Constitution, which states that Laws must be passed by the National Assembly and assented to by the President.

Attorney-at-Law, Kim Kyte-Thomas

For those reasons, he told the Court that it is unconstitutional for Section 22 of the Election Laws (Amendment) Act to give GECOM law-making powers. As it is, Section 22 of the Election Laws (Amendment) Act, grants the Elections Commission the powers to amend the Electoral Laws to remove any difficulty that arises in connection with the application of the Representation of the People Act during an electoral process as deem necessary but Jeremie told the Appellate Court such could not be constitutional.

He argued that it not constitutionally permissible for the legislature to delegate its power to GECOM to amend legislation.

“Section 22 is wide, it is unfettered, it is unregulated,” he argued, noting that such unfettered powers cannot be given to the Elections Commission, especially when those powers could result in the repealing or altering of essential laws already enforced by Parliament.

GECOM he contended cannot override an Act or pass orders, such as Order No. 60, in direct disobedience of the mandate contained in the Legislation.

Turning his attention to the judgement of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) in the case Irfaan Ali and Bharrat Jagdeo v Eslyn David and others, Jeremie told the Judges that the apex court ruled that Order No. 60 can neither impact the interpretation of the Constitution nor create a new electoral regime; for such to occur, would be constitutionally unacceptable.

Jeremie submitted that in attempting to amend the Representation of the People Act

Senior Counsel, Douglas Mendes

using Order No.60, GECOM not only created a new electoral regime but encroached on the jurisdiction of the High Court, which, under Article 163 of the Constitution, has exclusive jurisdiction to adjudicate on the validity of an election, via an Elections Petition.

“What Section 22 did is to give birth to an Order which allows for the breaking of the seals of ballot boxes, the inspection and scrutiny of ballots, it allows for GECOM, if satisfied to set aside declarations, all of those are matters for the High Court under the Constitution and any such action taken by GECOM, is and must be unconstitutional,” Jeremie told the Appellate Court, while emphasizing that Order No. 60, having been brought into effect using unconstitutional means, is invalid.

On July 13, the Chair of the Elections Commission, using Order No. 60, purported to have set aside the 10 Declarations made by the Returning Officers pursuant to Representation of the People Act but the Trinidadian Senior Counsel reminded the Appellate Court that only via an Elections Petition can declarations be set aside. According to Article 163 of the Constitution and the National Assembly (Validity of Elections) Act, Elections Petition can only be filed in the High Court within 28 days of the declaration of the results of an election by the Elections Commission. No such declaration has been made to date.

Further, Robertson, who also appeared on behalf of the appellant, told the Appeal Court that the High Court, misinterpreted its ruling in the Ulita Moore Case, and in doing so, erred in law when it

ruled that the constitutionality of Section 22 of the Election Law (Amendment) Act could only be determined via an elections petition.

“While we have no quarrel with the view that constitutionality can be canvassed in an Elections Petition, the majority opinion in the Moore case does not suggest that the Petition Court is the only permissible venue for a challenge. With the greatest respect, we believe that the Chief Justice was taking impermissible liberty with the language of the Moore Appeal Court when she found that the decision in the Moore Appeal stands for proposition that the constitutionality of Section 22 only be challenged in an Elections Court,” he submitted. Robertson, like Jeremie, argued that Section 22 is unconstitutional, and Order No. 60 is invalid.

ELECTORAL FRAUD But Kyte-Thomas, in representing the Chair of the Elections Commission before the panel of judges, argued against the invalidation of Order No. 60 and by extension the National Recount.

In what could be described as a spirited presen-

tation, Kyte-Thomas told the Judges that the Appellant is asking “the Judicial System to aid and abet a specific illegality or a series of illegalities which occurred in this nation which led to the March 13 Declaration.”

“They are asking the Judicial System to set aside, remove the recount numbers, the recount results which, your Honours, have been hailed by our highest court as a transparent credible process,” the Legal Counsel added.

She told the Court that GECOM, in exercise of its powers under Article 162 of the Constitution, facilitated the National Recount in an effort to produce credible results having faced a series of illegalities. GECOM, Kyte-Thomas argued, cannot revert to the controversial March Declarations, and the Court ought not aid and bet in such illegality.

“Your Honours, I ask this Honourable Court not to be used as an instrument of fraud, because when one analyzes what they are asking you to do, that is exactly what the appellant is asking this Honourable Court to do,” she told the Judges.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 26, 2020

Regis Philbin, iconic US TV host, dies aged 88 (BBC) Veteran American broadcaster Regis Philbin has died at the age of 88, a family statement says.

The talk show host, actor and presenter started work in TV in the mid-50s, and became famous with the national talk show "Live! with Regis", first with Kathie Lee Gifford, then Kelly Ripa.

He announced in 2011 he was retiring from the weekday show, after he had hosted it for more than 25 years.

He also presented the US version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

A family statement to People magazine read: "For his warmth, his legendary sense of humour, and his singular ability to make every day into something worth talking about. We thank his fans and admirers for their

incredible support over his 60-year career and ask for privacy as we mourn his loss."

He died on Friday of natural causes, People said.

President Donald Trump tweeted his condolences, calling Philbin "one of the greats".

Regis Philbin was honoured multiple times in his career, taking home three Daytime Emmy awards, and a Lifetime Achievement.

He was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 2006 and received a Hollywood Walk of Fame star in 2003.

As he announced his retirement from Live! with Regis and Kelly, he said: "There is a time that everything must come to an end for certain people on camera - especially

Regis Philbin blows a kiss as he departs Live! with Regis and Kelly in 2011

certain old people."

The New York City-born Philbin also presented the US version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire and the first series of America's Got Talent.

A Guinness World Records entry says: "The most hours on US television is 16,746.50 hours by presenter Regis Philbin (USA) whose career spans 52 years as of 15

Saturday July 25, 2020 –– 22:00hrs to 4:00hrs

September 2011."

Talk show host Jimmy Kimmel tweeted: "Regis was a great broadcaster, a good friend and a tremendous amount of fun. He leaves behind a beautiful family and a TV legacy that will likely go unmatched."

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 26, 2020

'Order No.60 deeply...

For Kyte-Thomas, the Attorneys representing Jones have dressed up the application with a lot of legal language, a lot of legalese.

While Jeremie and others have argued that Section 22 of the Election Laws (Amendment) Act and Order No.60 are unconstitutional and in breach of Article 163 of the Constitution, Kyte-Thomas submitted that such arguments could only be determined in an Elections Petition.

Further, she submitted that there must be a clear distinction between what is an “Elections Dispute” and what are the roles and functions of the Elections Commission in the management of an election. In doing so, she sought to dismiss the contention by Jeremie and others that it was an elections dispute that led to the National Recount.

Referencing to the decision of the High Court in the case – Reaz Holladar v the Returning Officer and others – Kyte-Thomas said the Court, in assuming jurisdiction, said it was important to ensure that the statutory officers of the Commission comply with the electoral laws. The Legal Counsel said GECOM, in a similar manner, is ensuring conformity with the electoral laws of the country, inclusive of Order No. 60.

The GECOM Chair on July 9 had instructed the Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield, to compile an Elections Report using the Certificates of Recount generated during

the National Recount, but the Chief Elections Officer had reverted to the March Declarations on the basis that the recount had created a new electoral regime in breach of the Constitution and the Representation of the People Act. Justice Singh had ordered another Elections Report, in strict compliance with her instructions. To date, such a report has not been submitted.

“Your Honours that is not an elections dispute, that is simply an officer being insubordinate and executing what I term a clear dereliction of duties; that is not an elections dispute.

And the Court could find supervisory jurisdiction to deal with insubordination by the officers of the secretariat just as what happened in Holladar, it is similar,” Kyte-Thomas said.

As stated by the High Court, the Legal Counsel told the Judges that the Chief Elections Officer is not a constitutional officer but a statutory officer who is subject to direction and control of the Elections Commission. He, she submitted, must comply with the instructions of the Elections Commission and produce an Elections Report that reflects the data generated during the National Recount. “…He must act lawfully. He must act in conformity with the laws of this land, which right now your Honours, include Order No. 60,” she posited, while rejecting the notion that the CCJ had invalidated or set aside Order No. 60.

GECOM, she argued, must be

allowed to manage the electoral process in accordance with Article 162 of the Constitution, which empowers it to take actions deemed necessary to ensure impartiality, fairness and compliance with the Constitution or any Act of Parliament. She iterated that the appellant in asking the Court to set aside the recount and return to the “controversial declarations,” is equally asking the Judiciary to be an instrument of fraud.

“The Chief Elections Officer is a Statutory Officer and he is subject to the disciplinary control of the Commission, I wish your honours look at the clear provision that he cannot flout the law, his report must be in accordance with the law, and right now, Order No.60 forms part of the electoral laws of this country, so he must act in accordance with that,” she told the Appellate Court.

Kyte-Thomas also supported the view that the majority of issues raised in Jones’ application is res judicata, and for those reasons, she asked the court to swiftly dismiss the appeal.

“Guyana needs closure to the electoral process,” she posited.

Trinidad and Tobago’s Senior Counsel, Douglas Mendes, who appeared on behalf of added respondents Bharrat Jagdeo and Irfaan Ali of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), endorsed Kyte-Thomas’ arguments.

He submitted that GECOM, an independent constitutional authority, has

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supervisory powers over its employees including the Chief Elections Officer. While ruling out the contention that Section 18 of the Election Laws (Amendment) Act is in tension with the Constitution, in particular Article 177 (2) (b) of the Constitution, Mendes submitted that the CEO is subject to the direction and control of the Elections Commission.

Contrary to the arguments put

by Jeremie and Robertson, Mendes submitted to the Court that Section 22 is constitutional and Order No. 60 is valid, and on that basis, the Chief Elections Officer ought to compile the Elections Report using the data generated from the National Recount as instructed by the Elections Commission.

Similar arguments were put by Senior Counsel Hari Ramkarran and Attorneys-at-Law Timothy Jonas, Kamal Ramkarran, Sanjeev Datadin and Kashir Khan who appeared on behalf of a number of the country’s small political parties, including A New and United Guyana, The New Movement, Change Guyana, The Citizenship Initiative, The Liberty and Justice Party and the United Republican Party. In effect, all of them implored the Appellate Court to dismiss the appeal, and uphold the decision of the High Court that the results of the 2020 Elections must be declared using the data from the National Recount.

But Jeremie, in his rebuttal, told the Court that the Chief Elections Officer has already produced an Elec-

tions Report that is consistent with the Constitution and the Representation of the People Act, and it must be used to declare the results of the elections.

“To base any report on Order No.60 would be wholly inconsistent” with Article 177 (2) (b) of the Constitution and the Representation of the People Act, he submitted.

“Order No. 60 is deeply flawed, it is beyond redemption,” Jeremie added, while iterating that GECOM already has it in its possession an Elections Report that is compliant with the Constitution and Elections Laws, and therefore, should make haste and declare the results of the elections.

The Elections Commission, and its Chairman cannot ask the Chief Elections Officer to breach the electoral laws, Jeremie said, noting that they should desist from doing so.

“If there are any challenges to the CEO’s report and advice, and the results of which it relies, that could only be done as pointed out by the CCJ by way of an Elections Petition to the High Court pursuant to Article 163. It is the High Court that has exclusive jurisdiction to determine the question that the Chair of GECOM seeks to arrogate unto herself,” the Senior Counsel argued.

The Representation of the People Act and the Constitution must be respected, Jeremie emphasized, while iterating that the Elections Commission must heed the advice of the Chief Elections Officer.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 26, 2020

Time for Dialogue

This past week, the APNU+AFC announced that it was prepared to enter into dialogue with any of the opposition political parties.

This announcement described as an “olive branch” by this publication came against the background of concerns that the longer the impasse arising out of the March 2 elections continues, the more the stability of the country is potentially compromised. As the APNU+AFC statement sates: “The APNU+AFC Coalition, in the national interest, and with a view to maintaining stability and peace, remains open to dialogue with other political parties and stakeholders on the way forward for our country. The APNU+AFC Coalition is prepared to act responsibly to bring a resolution to

the ongoing political situation.”

Without even seeking clarification on exactly what aspect of the impasse the Coalition wishes to dialogue on, the PPP and the other parties promptly rejected the offer.

The PPP repeated its well-known bottom line—it will not talk to the Coalition until the PPP is declared the winner. A similar sentiment was echoed by the smaller parties.

This is indeed unfortunate that seemingly responsible parties are prepared to sacrifice the country’s stability for their narrow pursuit of partisan power. It is really a sad day that our country those has reached this plateau of naked political selfishness.

We do not use those words lightly. But we feel they are warranted. Its now almost five months

since the election. All parties are entitled to brandish their narratives.

However, there comes a time when the needs of the country must supersede the partisan impulses. That time is now. When the dust settles, it is the Guyanese people who will have to do the rebuilding of trust.

Be that as it may, this publication congratulates the Coalition for its political maturity. It is common knowledge that there have always been communal undertones and overtones in our elections. This point was recently brought to our attention by Elder Eusi Kwayana and is worth quoting here: “ I only wish to warn, as I have done since the 1960s, that what in many Caribbean countries is simply an election among citizens, in Guyana includes other complexities. Here in Guy-

ana, in the tissues of every general election are the fibers of communal struggle resulting from conscious designs of the colonial occupation.”

It is plain for all to see that the country is on the edge. On both sides of the political divide, the popular masses have remained committed to their respective parties. That is their right. But in the process, they are also expressing their fears. While the matter is wrapped up in the courts, the issue of the fears in the wider society is the responsibility of the political leaders. When in 1997 there was a similar post-election impasse, in the face of political instability the two parties quickly went to the table to negotiate a settlement of the issue.

The outcome was the Herdmonston Accord which ultimately led to an

Guyana’s betrayal is what is causing the damage, Ms. Teixeira Dear Editor

FOR Ms. Gail Teixeira to surmise that it will take several years to repair the damage that she claims has occurred from the current impasse, is as misleading as it is dedicated to paint a totally false picture of Guyana.

Firstly, her statement(s), always false and primed with lies in typical communist mode, suggests that Guyana is in a failed-state process, in which all its organs of state, especially law and order, can no longer deliver functions and services for the daily governance of the state and people.

It needs not be mentioned that this is far from the truth.

The fact, now exposed to the entire world, is that Teixeira’s political party, the opposition, has coalesced with various external forces, assisted by a high-priced public relations firm Mercury LL, in a plot of regime change, that seeks to not only remove the incumbent APNU+AFC from government, but also used the national elections in which it has committed widespread

fraud, in its efforts to return to government.

Editor, as is well known, this plot, well financed with funding from the friends and cronies of the political opposition, has as its undisputed background, the well-known plan of cornering the nation’s oil and gas resources, not only for the long-term interests of foreign concerns, but also for the benefits of the well-known domestic clique that have been beneficiaries of the spoils from the former political opposition party regime of governance. Further, the events that have been unfolding in Guyana, where for the first time, Guyana has found itself, the centre of international concern from some sudden/overnight concerned groups, personalities, tells its own unique story, especially to Guyanese. Its subterranean machinations, no doubt premised by the promise of stakes in our oil and gas resources, reminds one also of the Berlin Conference in 1884, when the nations of Europe had gathered in the German city to divide Africa among themselves.

One can, without any fear of

contradiction, conclude that it is a price, at the expense of a nation’s future well-being, which the political opposition has been prepared to barter, in exchange for returning to political power, mounting a massive, faked PR and dirty misinformation to besmirch the coalition government.

Of course, it has been using the March 02 electoral exercise, which it has rigged in massive proportions, and a national recount exercise, as a result of such, but which has unearthed in full glare the vile electoral fraud that has insulted the will of the people. Ms. Teixeira should explain to the forces contracted by her party, in its quest for regime change, why do they continue to run, yes, literally run from the detailed formula of the Gazetted Order No 60, which ordained that its process must result in identifying the valid votes after an exercise to determine credibility. Her party, no doubt has totally mislead all and sundry about the Gazetted Order No 60 and its mission, and has been dishonest in avoiding the latter, seeking to detach one aspect of the Order, from its main end product

of validity. It is this array of electoral dishonesty which the coalition government, by right, is challenging at court.

Further, it is its right to do so, in keeping with due process.

Therefore, Ms. Teixeira, it is your party, in its now exposed conspiracy against the Guyanese people, and supported by highly scandalous lies, which has been causing the damage you have been parroting in that sad mockery for a print medium, the GUYANA TIMES. The nation has been betrayed by your party.

And as a further reminder to this grand lady of PPP/C propaganda and dangerous lies – it has been the David Granger administration that has removed Guyana from the state of being a pariah; delisting Guyana from the money-laundering black list, in addition to placing a dent in human and narco-trafficking; just a few of the major repairs that have been done since May 2015.

Regards Aditya Panday

end to street protests. It also led to an audit of the elections and electoral reform.

This is the spirit that we feel is absolutely necessary in the current circumstances. The PPP’s refusal to come to the table may be influenced by its perceived support from the external forces. If this is true, then it is quite unfortunate. There is much at stake here—the very survival of the country. History will not be kind to those who by their acts of omission allow the situation to further deteriorate. The PPP still has a chance to redeem itself and do what is right for the country.

There is a golden opportunity to live up to our aspiration of One People, One Nation, One Destiny.

Kissoon in his malice towards Kwayana turns the man’s words of wisdom into a cuss-out Dear Editor I HAVE just read Freddie Kissoon’s column titled “ Eusi Kwayana: Long journey back into Sydney King.” When I read the headline I knew the column would have little or nothing to do with it. That is a Freddie Kissoon staple. If you write a daily column, as Freddie does, it is hard not to indulge in fiction, fantasy, character assassination, madness on paper, gossip, and malice. Those are also Kissoon’s staples.

Freddie quotes widely from a recent Kwayana letter to the media on the 2020 elections.

Kissoon in his malice towards Kwayana turns the man’s words

of wisdom into a cussout. And when the reader is waiting for him to quote Kwayana from the 1960s when he was Sydney King, it never came. They will never come because Freddie has no interest in them.

His interest is in using sensational headlines to assault the integrity of an African Guyanese, Guyanese Caribbean and Black treasure. Having said that, I hope Freddie proves me wrong and actually does his research.

I can help him. Thanks to a mutual colleague, I have access to a lot of Kwayana’s writings from the 1940s to the present.

Regards David Hinds

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 26, 2020

These calls are bad examples Dear Editor THE Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s (GCCI) recent call for the Guyana Elections Commission(GECOM) to declare the official results of the March 02, national and regional elections, without awaiting the hearing and result of the current judicial process about to engage the Guyana Court of Appeal, is another example of the frantic assault of regime change, co-conspired by both internal and external forces, against the coalition A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance For Change(APNU+AFC)

administration.

Editor, this is a continuing tragedy, which highlights trenchant disregard for the laws of Guyana, inclusive of the hallowed known due process being brutally trampled and torn up by the shameless political mercenaries, vile opportunists, and well-known political gangsters comprising the Nicholas Boyers et al, all part of the political opposition contrived conspiracy with its shameless anti-national perpetrators, brought into full culmination with the criminal springboard of the NCM. Leading into the national elections and the shocking abundance of fraud unearthed in opposition-con-

trolled areas, displays a flagrant disregard for all facets of social morality which every society must have as its beacon for law and order and social stability.

If those whose daily forte of continuing this illegal appeal, believe that it will give strength and fortification to their demands, unlawful, then they should understand that their lawless behaviour releases destructive demons which will return to haunt this nation. For when such calls, which clearly points to disregarding the nation’s constitutional laws, it sends a negative message to mainstream society that are interpreted further, and replicated

in so many other ways. Have we all forgotten about the descent into social behavioural anarchy, which bedevilled this nation with all the attendant ills of a bygone era and the damage which it still continue to cause this country, despite commendable efforts by the present administration to infuse a new understanding of morality, decency, and respect for our laws?

One must ponder, just how do these participants in what has now been established as an open assault on a duly elected government, using the fact of fatally flawed elections which have been proven fraudulent, to force regime change, believe such

acts will hold for the future of this nation?

This, in any lawful jurisdiction, is unquestionably unlawful and places such a plot in the category of coups, attempted coups, etcetera. Do these people, hellishly frantic, understand that such examples are dangerous for the understanding of the state and its democratic organs and their processes, as to how the state should evolve for democracy? And that it has the inevitable effect of cascading to all reaches of society, thereby distorting the understanding of the legitimate purpose of governance and the genuine

democratic process of transition? There is no question or doubt that such political gangsterism, will influence negatively the general social conduct of citizens. How then can they be blamed, when such is the milieu that is being proffered as regular, normal, and accepted by anti-nationalists who are in league with extra-sovereign forces to dismember their country – a fact that has now been exposed and known to all?

Regards Earl Hamilton

Charges against Lowenfield can happen to anyone Dear Editor THE three private criminal charges of alleged felony and misconduct brought against Keith Lowenfield, Chief Elections Officer (CEO), pertaining to the execution of his duties can tomorrow happen to any public servant. This includes the headmaster/mistress, general manager, supervisor, chief medical officer, et al. That person may be you, a family member, or someone you know. Public sector workers, in the performance of their duties, are guided by administrative guidelines and policies within the framework of the constitution and laws of Guyana that give meaning to their organisation’s

existence.

The CEO has been placed on $450,000.00 bail. This immediately brings into question the need for bail reform in our society. There is evidence in the public domain where elected officials/politicians were placed before the court on more egregious charges and were not given bail, but released on their own recognisance. Why such was not granted a worker, at the level of the CEO, this well-known figure? I hope Magistrate McGusty was not in any way intimidated

by Attorney-at-Law Glen Hanoman, whom is noted in this political atmosphere for threatening the livelihoods of workers (policewomen) who were merely doing their duties and not allowed him to

have his own way.

This case, whereas in this instance it directly impacts the CEO, affects all public servants. It sets a profoundly serious precedence and carries implications for any worker in the future, particularly those who hold public office. Anyone can decide, on any given day, to file a charge against a public servant in the execution of duties. It says that any public servant, in the discharge of official duties, could be denied workplace justice and be placed immediately in a court of law by any public citizen, whether or not they understand the issues at hand. This has dire consequences for employment in terms of attracting persons to the public service and creating an independent

Caring for boys Dear Editor, For too long, boys have been misunderstood and harmed mainly because our perception of our children - particularly boys influences the level of care and protection we provide to them. Gendered social norms are attitudes and behaviours that society deems acceptable based on one’s gender. For example, girls must love cooking

and boys should be able to fight. These social norms help to shape the way we view our children and this in some ways, has been to the detriment of both girls and boys. One key concern ChildLinK raises today is that boys require as much protection as girls to be safe from sexual violence and that parents remain the single most important line of defense for all children against all forms of

abuse including child sexual abuse.

The Childcare and Protection Agency (CPA) and non-governmental organizations (NGO) have been advocating for protecting boys from sexual violence and encouraging the public to report known cases of child sexual abuse. We have seen indications that the public is responding to the advocacy.

For example, when comparing the number of reported

and professional service.

This has consequences for continuity, setting a trend that could lead to purging of the public service, should there be a change in government at any time.

This case is an abuse of political privilege and an indication of what is to come.

Left unchecked, it will spiral across the public sector. In this same election period police officers in the discharge of their duties at the GECOM headquarters had their jobs threatened by Glen Hanoman, the same lawyer representing the complainants in the charges brought against the CEO. What we are witnessing here is public servants being threatened in the execution of their duties.

This is a display of tactics cases of boys who were sexually abused in 2015 and 2018 we find that in 2015 there were 108 such cases.

In 2018, there were 179 reported cases where a boy was sexually abused – an increase of 71 cases or 66 percent. Anecdotal evidence suggests that for every reported case, there may be two or more cases that go unreported. The data indicates that boys in the age range of 8 to 13 are most vulnerable with respect to reported cases. For example, in 2018, of the 179 reported cases of sexual abuse of boys, 71 of the 179 boys were in the age range of 8 to 13 years.

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of autocratic regimes with the potential for tyrannical vengeance.

The floodgate is now opened for others to carry the commissioners to court and the judges on any ‘frivolous’ charges of misconduct relating to their duties. We are heading into dangerous and murky waters. I am calling on society to mark Friday 24th July and take note,

because it will come back to haunt us. The deterioration and undermining of administrative principles and practices are a threat to industrial stability and livelihoods and the opportunity to perform duties without fear of political or other vindictiveness.

Regards Lincoln Lewis

Op Ed

8

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 26, 2020

When the Magistrates’ Court becomes a political platform

By Adam Harris

FOR the second time in a year, I have seen moves to jail people for doing their work. And it is not as if the work for which the term of imprisonment is sought is limited to that person alone.

The first instance that I recall involved Finance Minister, Winston Jordan.

A foreign company moved to the courts against the government for monies owed. It secured judgement and moved to get its money.

It so happened that this foreign company was indebted to a number of state institutions.

As is their right, from the time the foreign company moved to the courts, they applied to the very courts to garnish the funds that may be payable to the foreign company.

The courts handed down its decision against the government. Suddenly, the Minister of Finance became the party responsible for paying the debt. He was then targeted. Lawyers attached to the Opposition People’s Progressive Party moved to the court seeking to have the Finance Minister jailed for contempt.

He had delayed paying the money to the foreign company because he had to satisfy himself that Guyana would get its money from the foreign company.

I don’t know whether he was too slow in making the payments, but I do know that the Guyana Revenue Authority got its share of the award.

The remainder of the money was paid to the foreign company long before a contempt motion was filed in the court and an order handed down to jail Minister Jordan for contempt.

President David Granger used his prerogative to waive the jail sentence against Jordan. The noise from the opposition was deafening; they so wanted to see a member of the coalition government end up in jail.

Even after the money was paid to the foreign company, which quietly collected but kept its mouth closed, the opposition elements kept insisting that Minister Jordan go to jail. They went back to court only to find out that the case had no merit since all accounts had been paid.

Put the shoe on the other foot. Anil Nandlall was dragged before the courts for stealing law volumes, property of the Attorney General Chambers. That case has been languishing for so long, even though there was nothing to prevent it being heard.

He was released on his own recognizance. That meant that he did not have to post monetary bail.

Then there is the Irfaan Ali matter. Ali has been

Adam Harris

slapped with nineteen fraud charges. He appeared in the magistrates’ court. From time to time he has been seeking postponements. The lawyers, for their part and with the support of the magistrates, succeeded in stalling any movement of the matter.

Ali, too, was released on his own recognizance.

Caring for ...

One of the gendered social norms that places boys at risk of sexual violence is our view of boys as ‘tough’ and ‘macho’ and more than capable of ‘defending’ themselves. When our boys are young, many are encouraged to ‘knock back’ if anyone ‘knocks’ them. If a boy cannot ‘defend’ himself or shows any signs of being vulnerable, he is stigmatized as being ‘girly’ and could be subject to ridicule and bullying even by members of his family. Boys are not seen as possessing ‘innocence’ in relation to girls and many parents/caregivers simply assume that no harm will come to their sons. As a result, parents/caregivers are generally more casual

in the protective measures they put in place for the boys which then leaves them vulnerable to all forms of abuse including sexual abuse. One case ChildLinK encountered was of a little boy who was daily left in the care of a ‘friend of the family’ by his parent. The parent assumed that because the ‘friend’ was a female, that her little boy was safe. However, one day, the parent caught the ‘family friend’ sexually abusing the boy. It is these assumptions which give no thought to the vulnerability of boys that puts them at risk.

Parents allow boys to have more freedom to move around the community because they fail to see their boys as vulnerable to child

Both Ali and Nandlall played the waiting game.

They knew that if they got a favourable elections result the charges would disappear.

So we now have Lawyer Glenn Hanoman rushing to prosecute Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield.

Two of his peers filed private criminal charges against

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sexual abuse. Parents are more likely to take precautionary measures in the places girls traverse in the community as opposed to boys.

In another case ChildLinK encountered, a boy was left in the care of an older sibling.

The older sibling gave little care to the whereabouts of the boy, who went to visit a relative in the community.

One of the relatives living in the home, forcibly raped the boy. When the actions of parents demonstrate that boys are not at risk to harm, older siblings are likely to treat their little brothers the same way leaving them vulnerable to potential abusers.

Perhaps one of the most critical reasons that boys are vulnerable to sexual abuse is

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because they are largely left out of the national conversation on child sexual abuse, which generally focuses on girls. In 2018, Family For Every Child, an international alliance of civil society organizations, produced a report addressing boys and sexual abuse captioned ‘Caring for Boys Affected by Sexual Violence’. The reported noted that there is a “…lack of public discourse and visibility around sexual violence affecting boys…”

Government and civil society must increase our efforts to sensitize parents of the vulnerability of boys while continuing to emphasize on the vulnerability of girls.

There are parents who view sexual violence committed

Lowenfield.

Even before the writ was served, Hanoman announced that he was looking to jail Lowenfield for life. When Lowenfield appeared in court on Friday, on the three private criminal charges, Magistrate Faith McGusty set bail at $150,000 per charge.

It was not a case of Lowenfield not being known and therefore could not have been sent on his own recognizance. Nandlall was released on his own recognizance and his was not a private criminal charge.

There has long been talk of the jurists favouring one political party or the other in spite of talk about the judiciary being independent. Indeed, people would have their own political persuasion. One should not deny an individual the right to exercise his political opinion. So, there is independence as far as action is concerned.

Of course, one would not expect to see a judge or a magistrate on a political platform or making political statements. But one would certainly be surprised when, by their actions, judges make decisions that appear to have a political bias. And this is nothing unusual.

The lawyers representing Lowenfield explained what transpired in the court and I was not shocked. For starters, Glenn Hanoman against a boy as something ‘shameful’ and as a result, they make a concerted effort to ‘cover up’ the matter and deny their child justice and healing rather than ‘bringing shame on the family’. This belief is an obstacle to reporting and many boys suffer prolonged sexual abuse and trauma as a result.

Parents and caregivers must recognize that the boy child needs the same amount of love, affection, affirmation, and attention as the girl child. Boys too need to be included in the conversations of how to be safeguarded from all forms of abuse including sexual abuse. Boys too need a good relationship with their parents and to have the confidence to TELL if they are being abused. As a society we must acknowledge that boys are made vulnerable to many societal

was not ready to proceed with his case although he had signalled weeks ago that he had charges lined up for Lowenfield.

In court, he proceeded to announce that he would be calling Senior Counsel Neil Boston as one of his witnesses. One would have expected that the prosecutor would have informed his witnesses.

And he did say that he had eight hundred witnesses.

Then something strange happened. Hanoman said that he was not opposed to bail, but then he told the court that he had a problem with Lowenfield having access to sensitive documents in the possession of the Guyana Elections Commission.

WHAT WAS THE RECOMMENDATION? He then proceeded to say that Lowenfield had property in every conceivable location in Guyana. What was the reason for that? Was Hanoman suggesting irregularity?

Both Attorney Nigel Hughes and Senior Counsel Boston described Hanoman’s address to Magistrate Faith McGusty as an address one would hear at Babu Jaan or at Lusignan at a PPP rally. Perhaps the rules of court have changed.

ills largely because of neglect. It still takes a village to raise a child - be it a girl or boy child. ChildLinK is working to create a Guyanese society where every child grows up in a loving, safe and secure family and community. The Recovery, Safeguarding and Reintegration initiative is supported by the Delegation of the European Union to Guyana and partners with the CPA and several agencies to strengthen family-based care of children.

Report child abuse by calling the CPA on 227-0979, the closest Police station or ChildLinK on 233-3500 or email: admin@childlinkgy. org.

Regards, Shaquita Thomas Communications Officer ChildLinK Inc

9

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 26, 2020

A cold, hard lesson in the narrow pursuit of interests THE people of Guyana are in their kitchens, living rooms and backyards scratching their heads and asking numerous questions related to our marathon elections imbroglio. Those questions include: how could foreign countries, organisations and power interests express concern about Mingo’s declaration and see nothing wrong with the wanton fraud unearthed in the national recount? How could the United States of America support a fraudulent process that would allow the ascension to power by a political party that has a clear track record of anti-US posturing and has recently exercised tutelage over a government that allowed criminal activities in every form to rise to a level where it represented a national security threat to the United States? How could decent-minded persons turn a Nelson’s eye to glaring cases of voter impersonation and still demand a government based on fraud? How could powerful nations who claim to passionately embrace democracy find themselves at the opposite end of arguments for credible elections?

The answer is not that complicated; it is the cold, hard pursuit of narrow self- interests.

GEOPOLITICAL INTERESTS Whenever any event occurs in the world that requires the involvement of big nations, the first question that is often asked by those in the seat of power is; what is in it for us and which side of the issue will best advance our interests? The answer to that question informs what policies shall govern their conduct on that issue. Hardly likely is there the consideration of high principles or morals; those things take a back seat and unforgiving geopolitical interests and economic muscles take precedence. Sadly, powerful interests are not too concerned if a village dies in the process; they are stone-cold focused on the benefits that may accrue when they come down on a particular side of an issue. These sentiments are not merely my indulgence, these assertions are influenced by the utterances of numerous statesmen, academics, theorists and more.

WHY WAS THIS CHOICE MADE? In consideration of what has been mentioned thus far, the obvious question is begged; why powerful nations choose to stand on the opposite side of the President and

by default on the side of voter impersonation? In the quest to answer this question, the Venezuela situation is perhaps inescapable. At this moment, the most important and burning issue for western countries in this region is Venezuela and the Maduro regime. Thus far, under the leadership of the President, Guyana has maintained its non-aligned foreign-policy posture vis-à-vis the Venezuela situation. Even though Guyana is part of the Lima Group that does not recognise the Maduro regime, it has maintained that it has not recognised Juan Guaido, the leader of the National Assembly who declared himself the interim President of Venezuela on January 23, 2019. It is well known that the Granger doctrine is mostly about being principally non-aligned while pursuing Guyana’s national interests. This posture does not bode well with transactional regimes.

There is the argument that says the western countries are simply concerned about allegations of fraudulent elections and are trying to prevent the rise of dictatorships that does not reflect the will of the people. Such argumentation runs into trouble when one is asked to explain their embrace of the national recount data which has demonstrated irrefutable fraud.

If you look at Guyana’s disputed elections through the prism of par for the geopolitical course, it is difficult if not impossible not to conclude that the pursuit of stonecold interests is at play.

ARE WE WITNESSING REGIME CHANGE? Many on the local scene with vast experience in diplomacy have remarked that they have never seen this level of breaking of diplomatic protocols and unapologetic showing of hands by the international community on any issue relating to Guyana. This has led to some applying deep and concentrated analysis and invariably, thoughts of regime change have been conjured.

While regime change is principally a military intervention to remove a sitting government, in the age of soft power this is sometimes executed through unconventional methods. However it manifests, it is the vein of the pursuit of interests and proceeds with its well-known consequences.

Sidney J. Harris cautioned a long time ago, ‘History repeats itself, but in such cunning disguise that we never detect the resemblance until the damage is done.’

His warning is quite applicable to the present Guyana electoral cir-

cumstance insofar as the geopolitics of this imbroglio is concerned. Even though we are not there yet, all the signposts of the attempt at the installation of an illegitimate satellite regime are with us. Admittedly, the evidence is never available on these matters in the present, one would have to wait for 20-30 years for the release of unclassified documents to prove these assertions beyond the shadow of a doubt, but when it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, guided by history, it is usually a duck.

The cold, hard pursuit of interests is never too concerned about compelling arguments and evidence submitted; once decisions are made to pursue geopolitical interests, they are pursued to the end. The only way to counter this surge is by conversely hunting your interests with more intense resolve and passion than your adversaries. It also must be noted that powerful nations have no permanent friends and are particularly in love with any side, some are just lucky to temporarily fall on the side of the interests.

Understanding Energy

Riding Oil Market’s Rollercoaster WORLD oil prices surged to four-month highs earlier this week on hopes that a COVID-19 vaccine was closer to reality. But as we have come to learn as we pay more attention to global oil markets now that Guyana is a key crude oil producer, it is hard to predict what will happen next.

Though the oil price seems to have bounced back from its below-zero plunge of just a few months ago, we cannot afford to be complacent that everything is rosy ahead. So many factors can contribute to the daily swings in commodity markets: the global economy, production policy of OPEC and other key oil producers, geopolitics, a COVID-19 resurgence or even the weather.

What is certain is that the publicly-traded oil companies will be turning in second-quarter financial results in coming days and the news

probably is not going to be good. And policymakers, especially those in oil producing countries like Guyana, should keep that in mind when making decisions that could impact the investment climate.

Respected news agency, Bloomberg, predicted that the April through June financial performances of the top five international oil companies (IOCs), including Stabroek block operator Exxon, will be the glummest since the early

2000s. “Worst-in-a-generation oil prices combined with OPEC production cuts, collapsing refining margins and millions of barrels of unsold crude mean no facet of Big Oil’s business has emerged unscathed,” Bloomberg noted.

In an era of uncertainty brought on by the global pandemic and exacerbated closer to home by the prolonged election drama, it is clearer than ever the importance of saving for a rainy day. And

projects that may have made financial sense a few years, or even months ago, are not as attractive now given low prices and sluggish demand from a global economy still reeling from the impact of stay-at-home orders.

Leading UK agency, Fitch Solutions, noted in a report a few days ago that the price collapse led to significant capital expenditure cuts among IOCs which could hamper exploration and development

projects globally. “(Since in Guyana and Suriname), the exploration programmes of a number of companies is at early stages or has not commenced yet, IOCs could postpone investments there, channeling spending on the low-cost, high reward operating assets to support revenue stream in times of lower oil prices,” it said.

Major oil companies are accustomed to risk and uncertainty and plan their in-

vestments for the long-term.

But there is a limit even for the largest of the majors, especially at such a turbulent time. Though Exxon has made it clear that it is pressing on with development and is seeking approval of the Payara project, its third major development offshore Guyana, the post-election uncertainty coupled with the challenges presented by the global pandemic are hardly reassuring.

And while oil prices are inching higher and hopefully the worst of 2020 is behind us, Guyana needs to get to work to put into place the kinds of policies – a Natural Resources Fund, economic diversification, transparency initiatives, development of key regulatory or legislative initiatives and project approvals – that will make us more resilient to weather future economic and commodity price cycle swings.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 26, 2020

DIALOGUE to THE WAY FORWARD

The APNU+AFC Coalition of Parties has stated that it remains “open to dialogue” on the way forward for Guyana.

The Coalition said it is doing so “in the national interest, and with a view to maintaining stability and peace”. It assured further that “the APNU+AFC Coalition is prepared to act responsibly to bring a resolution to the ongoing political situation”.

The on-going political situation of course is the prolonged delay in the declaration of results for the March 2 elections, including a 33-day recount process and attendant legal proceedings, that have combined to place Guyana in its deepest crisis ever.

For the see-far pundits reading the magical tea leaves, the Coalition’s statement is politically and strategically correct. It was both an invitation to the major opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) for talks and a curtain-raiser to what seems to be a positive signal for power-sharing.

RENEWAL PROJECT In my July 12 column I had said that dialogue on the way forward might sound like a worn-out cliché.

However it is intended as a road-map that seldomly works well or smoothly, but it is always useful if only to momentarily steer antagonists away from the dangerous precipice.

Since then I have seen the emergence of the little-known “The Guyana Renewal Project” group which is calling for a period of inclusionary democracy. In a Communique, the Project stated: “There are deep concerns and fears about the ethnic polarization and unseemly racism that haunts the land. Guyanese citizens at home and abroad want a homegrown solution. They recognize that now is the time for dialogue.” (July 19, 2020) The Project Group, which bundles Guyanese intellectuals here and abroad, has made specific proposals for its inclusive governance idea. These include rotation of the posts of the presidency and prime minister (as in Israel and Afghanistan), and equitably shared Cabinet portfolios between the two major parties or blocs.

Commenting on the situation a former Ambassador and Jagan confidante, Geoffrey Da Silva, observed:

“With the political stalemate, the reality of the conundrum of inter-ethnic rivalry between the African and Indian communities, and unfair ethnic and class competition, most Guyanese realise that, based on their previous experiences, the solution is not an elective despotism (a winner-take-all government), nor a dictatorship. Either situation would definitely widen ethnic and class disparities with grave consequences.”

(Stabroek News, July 19, 2020).

He noted the fragility of a victory for either of the two major parties that is based on a one-seat majority with just over a percentage point lead. He predicted that even “a PPP/C Government cannot be successful if it monopolises governance…”

DISTRESS SIGNAL For Guyanese citizens, not versed in nuances of political opportunism or skullduggery, the call for dialogue at this time is an SOS distress signal. They see the Guyana ship of state in danger, and they want all hand on deck to literally save their souls, as they battle the COVID pandemic and try to cut corners for survival.

For the PPP to come at the table would require a tough decision by visionary leaders. They could use history as a guide, and avoid impetuous responses.

On August 12, 1977 then President Forbes Burnham rejected an offer made by Opposition Leader Cheddi Jagan for the PNC and the PPP to form a “National Front Government”. Sadly, to this day, over forty years later, Guyana is still bleeding from her wounds due to ethno-political division and the animosity between these two major parties. This time around the shoe is on the other foot, and it is the Government that holds out the olive branch to the Opposition! If history were to repeat itself, yesterday’s farce could be today’s tragedy.

POLITICAL DIVISION That failure of political leaders to heal “the incompatibility and animosity that characterize their relationship” was noted by former American President Jimmy Carter after his visit during August, 2004.

Recalling the post-1992 promise of healing the political division and ethnic polarization, President Carter expressed dismay at what he described as 50

years of fierce rivalry: “Instead of achieving this crucial goal of inclusive and shared governance, the Guyanese government remains divided with a winner-takeall concept that continues to polarize many aspects of the nation’s life”.

(August 14, 2004) I have met President Carter on three separate occasions, and with his Center routinely. At the top of their concerns were proper continuous voter registration, campaign financing laws, constitutional reform and a technical/non-political elections commission instead of the current partisan set-up.

Guyana rejected good advice at its peril. The failure to effect meaningful constitutional and electoral reforms has resulted in an unholy trinity of a bloated voters list, use of dirty money and influence-peddling, and an almost paralysed elections commission. These have combined to degrade into a vulgar sideshow of fraud, what otherwise should be free and credible elections.

ETHNIC RIVALRY Much of this is due to ethnic rivalry, which was highlighted by Jason Calder in his article, “Ethnic Conflict threatens democracy in Guyana” (March 26, 2020).

Calder, who founded the NGO, “Saferworld”, knows the local turf having observed several elections in Guyana with the Carter Center, including the 2020 elections, over a sustained 25-year-period.

Calder described as a “toxic system” the winner-take-all constitutional formula that pits the Indo and Afro Guyanese communities against each other in every election. He dug deep into our past when, he said, the CIA manipulated Guyana’s ethnic rivalries for Cold War ends.

He said that the ethnic violence unleashed during that era still scars the country today, saying: “Every nation struggles with its demons, but the US government bears unique responsibility for some of Guyana’s.”

Jason Calder concluded that the winner-take-all system is not right for Guyana, and that the call by Guyanese elder statesmen for constitutional reform of the winner-take-all system “must finally be put on the national agenda and treated seriously”, in order “to break the endless cycle of division and recriminations”.

It is in this fresh context that we should see the critical importance of dialogue. The alternative would be a vicious circle of conflict, confrontation and non-cooperation.

AG maintains GECOM must act ...

The Attorney-General submitted that Article 177 (2) (b) is “unambiguous”, and has three mandatory requirements, namely: The Presidential Candidate with the most votes be deemed to be elected; the Chairman of GECOM shall declare the Presidential Candidate to be elected President, and thirdly, the declaration is based on the advice of the Chief Elections Officer.

“Nothing in Article 177 (2) (b) speaks to the Chief Elections Officer being directed by the Chairman or the Commission in tendering his advice, or the Chairman making a declaration based on anything other than the advice of the CEO,” the Attorney-General argued.

In support of his position, he drew reference to

the book, ‘Understanding Statutes’ and the case of Vandertoll v Kentucky. He submitted that like “shall”, the words “acting only in accordance” must be given their plain meaning in order to arrive at the true intent of the legislature.

“The role of the CEO, under the Constitution,” he submitted, “must be seen as separate from his day-to-day administrative functions, where he is under the direction of the Commission.”

“The promulgation of this specific advisory role to the level of the Constitution must not be viewed as ordinary, and taken lightly, as elections are to be seen as being free of interference, even the interference of the Commission which is made up of political Commission-

ers. Accordingly, the words ‘acting only in accordance with the advice of the Chief Elections Officer’ are deliberate and clear and has to be given its true meaning,” the Attorney-General argued.

To bolster his argument, he also alluded to the Law Society of Botswana and another v the President and others (2017), where the principle was supported.

A MERE FORMALITY Further, he submitted that the Chairman’s position is merely formal, and simply to follow the advice given and act on it.

The Attorney-General warned that there is a “danger” of reading words into the Constitution, as he shut down the contention by the

High Court that Article 177 (2) (b) allows for anyone within GECOM to advice the Elections Commission.

The Court, he posited, must frown on such insertion in the Constitution.

Arguing that the Elections Commission does not have a discretion, the Attorney-General said Article 177 (2) (b), in unambiguous language, clearly stated that GECOM must act only on the advice of the Chief Elections Officer. “…There is no other option,” he posited.

Alluding to the decision of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) in the case, Irfaan Ali and Bharrat Jagdeo v Eslyn David and Others, the Attorney- General said the apex court, at paragraph 43 of its judgment, said: “Article 177 (2) (b) always said

what it meant, and meant what it said.”

Against that background, he said from all indications, the Chairman of the Elections Commission, by declining to declare the results of the elections based on the Chief Elections Officer’s advice, has failed to execute her constitutional mandate.

Such, he posited, is an abdication of her constitutional duty.

In instructing the Chief Elections Officer to compile the Elections Report using data from the National Recount, Justice Singh had relied on Section 18 of the Election Laws (Amendment) Act, but the Attorney-General submitted to the Court that Section 18 is inherently flawed. He reminded that the Constitution is supreme, and

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cannot be overshadowed by an Act of Parliament.

It is contention that the 10 Declarations can only be set aside by an Elections Court, and any attempt by GECOM to invalidate them, would be illegal. “Whether Mr. Lowenfield’s Report is contrary to Law or lack in legitimacy or [is] unconstitutional, [that] cannot be determined by the GECOM; that will have to go to an elections petition court. That is a clear fact in relation to this matter,” the Attorney-General argued. The Attorney-General appeared in association with Attorney Maxwell Edwards. The Appeal Court will hand down its decision in the case on Thursday, July 30.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 26, 2020

50 memorable years as a lawyer

A CAREER as an attorney/ lawyer is one of the most sought-after, as it offers certain rewards and personal gratification.

The profession is embraced by men and women of all ages and colour and it is quite admirable to see the camaraderie and mutual level of respect that is maintained for each other whenever a case is completed, even though they at times work as adversaries.

Much of the landscape of the profession has changed in a positive way with the advent of technology, as legal research that previously took days to be accomplished is now available within hours.

Recently appointed Senior

His father worked as a marine engineer with the Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD), but was subsequently enlisted as a serviceman during World War 11. Moore said that after his father left Guyana in 1939, he was never seen again; hence his mother was left to bring up her two boys single-handedly. But despite the circumstances, Moore said his mother never one day shirked her responsibility and endured, so that both of her sons were given a sound education. She made education a priority for us, he added, Moore also credited relatives on both sides of the divide, who lived in close proximity to each other, for his for-

Acting as the President of the Court of Appeal of Botswana, Senior Counsel Moore, seated centre, with other judges of the court.

Counsel (SC) Stanley Alfred Moore, a veteran in the profession, is one of those who have toiled through these days.

On Thursday, July 23, 2020, he marked his 50th year as a member of the legal fraternity, having begun his career on July 23, 1970.

Senior Counsel Moore during an interview with this publication, said he always had a penchant for the profession and recalled that he began undertaking studies on his own. Subsequently, he had the benefit of the late Frederick Rudolph Wills and Robert Rex Mc Kay as his tutors. McKay, he added, remains a life-long friend and mentor, to this day..

Moore has over the 50 years of years of service provided legal services for people from several parts of Guyana, in the Caribbean and farther afield, such as Botswana and Swaziland on the African continent. Today, he continues private practice from the Chambers of Rex Mc Kay and Moore, located on Croal Street in the city.

Born on July 1, 1935 to Olive Isabella Walcott-Moore, a seamstress and native of neighbouring Suriname and Llewelyn Cornette-Moore, who hails from New Amsterdam, the Senior Counsel recalled his parents bringing him and his brother, Carlyle, to live in the city at Kitty, when was about two years six months old.

mative education which began at St James-the-Less Anglican and in 1947 he was awarded a Government Country Scholarship, that saw him attending Tutorial High School.

In 1953 he secured a job as a pupil-teacher at his alma mater but left after spending one year to work as a customs and excise officer. He recalled having applied for a job in the civil service in 1952, but noted that obtaining such a `prestigious’ job was quite competitive, explaining the reason why he called two years later, even though he possessed the required qualifications.

At customs, Moore said he was assigned duties at the Boat House, housed at the now defunct Georgetown Ferry Stelling and functioned as a water guard officer. It entailed him going mid-stream to board ocean-going vessels and issuing the legal authority for the ships to enter then British Guiana’s waters. During his tenure at customs, Moore also worked at various transit sheds.

However, in 1960 he left customs and began working with the Booker Group of Companies as a commercial cadet management trainee. The following year he was appointed as administrative assistant to the chairman and when he quit in 1964, he had held the position of acting company secretary.

According to Moore, the four-year stint only opened his appetite further to pursue that life-long dream of his of becoming a lawyer. In addition,

and crew were all welcoming.

The captain’s wife gave me some tablets that gave me almost immediate relief,” he recalled.

Senior Counsel Moore in ceremonial wear as a Judge of the Supreme Court of The Bahamas

Procession of the Court of Appeal Judges in Botswana on the occasion of the official opening of the new judicial complex

he said his interest peaked further during the famous `Hilton Dhoney’ murder case. “I used to pay keen interest during the trial that saw lawyers, Messrs Joseph Haynes, Rex Mc Kay and Fitzclarence, coming out as heroes,” he recalled.

By then, Moore had successfully written and obtained the LLB degree, set by a London-based university. Armed now with the tools to be a lawyer or an advocate, he said he began making arrangements to further his studies overseas.

As a result of the amicable separation he had with Bookers, Moore said he was allowed to travel to London aboard Bookers’ newest ship, the “Booker Vanguard, arriving in Liverpool 11 days later.

“I would say it [was] quite a pleasant journey; even though I became sea- sick for most of the way, the captain

At Liverpool, Moore said he boarded a train at Lime Street that took him along a journey to Euston, where he was met by a party of Guyanese friends, among them Lawrence Mann and Mr Abrams, both of whom offered him brief accommodation.

He subsequently secured a bed-sitter (a room in a house), enrolled at the Lincoln Inn and began studying earnestly for the English Bar examination.

To assist with his expenses, even though he got some funds from his homeland, Moore said he secured a job with the London City Council, which enabled him to receive a 100 per cent mortgage and was able to purchase his own home. Moore got married in 1960 and the union spawned two children.

By 1970, he completed his final bar exams and acquired

a Commonwealth scholarship to read for a Master’s Degree (LLM) at the University College of London.

He was also admitted to the Bar in Grenada in 1971 and in Antigua in 1989.

In 1981, Moore was appointed to serve as Minister of Home Affairs by then President L.F.S. Burnham, an appointment he relinquished after serving for one year..

During Moore’s eminent career, which included acting as Governor, Attorney General, Member of Parliament and Member of the Executive Council in the British Overseas Territory of Montserrat between 1990 and 1992; Justice of Appeal, Final Court,

Institute, he has also served on several Commissions of Inquiry, Tribunals held in either Florida, The Bahamas, Bermuda, Grenada or Montserrat.

Here in Guyana, Moore served as the lone Commissioner and Chairman of various Commissions of Enquiry held between 1970 and 1990.

Moore has authored several publications, titled `Offshore banking, Friend or Foe, Commonwealth Secretariat’; and `The Right to a fair Trial and Access to Justice in the Commonwealth Caribbean- Interrights’. Another `A Manual for Police Prosecutors in the Commonwealth Caribbean he helped to co-author.

Moore, who was ap-

Senior Counsel Stanley Moore accepting a plaque from Court of Appeal Judge Paul Webster, at a function celebrating 50 years of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC)

Republic of Botswana 2004 -2012 and the Kingdom of Swaziland 2010 to 2014; senior Justice Northern Region, Supreme Court of the Bahamas, Northern Division 2001 – December 2002; Senior Resident Justice, Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC), British Virgin Islands .1996 -2000; Resident Judge, Grenada 1992-1996; Acting Magistrate, Guyana 1972 and High Court Judge, Guyana, in 1979.

He also served as a member on the Judicial and Legal Services Commission of the ECSC from 1999 to 2000, as well as on the Rules and Revision Committee of the ECSC during the said period.

Moore has also served in other capacities as an Honorary Master of the Bench at Lincoln’s Inn, London; Associate Member of the American Bar Association; and has had extensive practice in Constitutional, Civil, Commercial and Criminal law in Grenada, Montserrat and Guyana during the period 1970 to 1992.

Between the years 1972 and 2006, he was engaged in lecturing at the University of Guyana and as a visiting Professor at Florida State University, and participated in Lecture Tours to the Republic of South Africa in 2004. In addition to being a Fellow of the Commonwealth Judicial

pointed a Senior Counsel by President David Granger on January 1, 2020, has overtime been awarded several plaques in recognition of his achievements. While studying in London, he was in 1967 adjudged the first winner of the prestigious Eric Crowther Shield, and that same year was voted Student Advocate of the Year at Lincoln’s Inn. Senior Counsel Moore noted that over the last century he has taken note of “a welcome transition of the use of digital science in the operation of the courts,” and opined that it must continue.

He spoke too about an improvement in gender balance in that several more females are now practising as attorneys and sitting as judicial officers, than previously. Also, there has been a pleasant presence of attractive flowers and greenery in the compound of the High Court.

He, however, is of the view that more resources should be made available to the judiciary for the enhancement of library and other facilities, for the furthering of higher education and the training of judicial officers.

Additionally, Senior Counsel Moore advocates that more judicial officers be appointed to help cope with the volume of matters now being filed in the courts.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 26, 2020

Eight new cases added to the tally --as COVID-19 lays siege to Guyana

GUYANA has recorded eight new cases of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) within the past 24 hours.

Health authorities have so far tested 4,188 persons for COVID-19, with 3,827 being negative and 360 testing positive. Of the positive cases, 180 persons have recovered, and 20 have died, but there are 160 active cases, and those are being monitored by the authorities. Four of those active cases are being treated in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

Considering the existing situation and the consistent rise in cases, Deputy Chief Medical Officer (DCMO), Dr. Karen Boyle, in an update on Friday, said that one needs to remain responsible and vigilant, especially now that persons are back on the

job and students will soon be returning to school. She said parents and teachers should take joint responsibility for the policing of students during school hours to ensure adherence to guidelines. With public sector employees “back on the job”, the DCMO said employers need to create measures and systems to ensure that employees remain safe while at work.

“Employers should rearrange office space to facilitate six-foot distancing; reduce in-person meetings to barest essentials (technology such as Zoom can be used to conduct meetings),” Dr. Boyle said, adding: “Discourage employee congregation at (water dispensers, coffee station, dining room and rest rooms) lunch period/breaks should be staggered and staff where

possible can be encouraged to have lunch at their desks.”

Employees also have a role to play, and this includes using private transportation whenever possible. She believes employers could also aid in this area by facilitating the transportation of employees to and from work, in order to reduce the probability of exposure when using public transportation. According to Dr. Boyle, “All entrances to public and private workplaces should have screening and hygiene blocks. Screening will entail taking temperatures with the laser thermometer; hygiene blocks should comprise sinks with running water and liquid soap or hand sanitising stations.

“Workplaces must decide on their policies regarding persons with elevated

temperatures…referral for further investigation or returning home and seeking further medical advice.” While most of the commercial and public sector operations are conducted in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), other regions like Regions One (Barima-Waini) and Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) need to be cautious as well.

“Even though the numbers in Region Four are higher, you are on average 9.5 times more likely to be infected in Region One than in Region Four, and you are seven times more likely to get infected in Region Seven than in Region Four,” said Dr. Boyle during a virtual COVID-19 update on Tuesday.

The reason for the high likelihood of infection in those regions is the fact that

the concentration of infections by population is far higher than in Region Four. So, while the government has relaxed some of the control measures, Dr. Boyle said restrictions such as the initial curfew of 18:00hrs to 6:00hrs still apply to Regions One and Seven.

In addition to those regions, the DCMO said Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) is also “under the radar”, as cases have been rising consistently there over the past two weeks.

Considering the prevalence of the disease, Dr. Boyle, in advising persons, said: “I plead with you not to tire of wearing your mask, washing your hands and staying six feet apart. These simple activities are the key to protecting ourselves and others.” She reminded per-

sons that a collective effort is needed in order for Guyana not to be overwhelmed by the highly-infectious coronavirus disease.

COVID-19 remains a serious issue not just here in Guyana, but globally as well, and according to global statistics, there are 15.2 million cases of COVID-19, with over 628,000 deaths.

And, with no approved treatment or cure, there is no assurance that persons will survive after contracting the disease. In the absence of approved medications, governments and authorities across the world have employed a number of preventive measures to contain the spread of the disease.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 26, 2020

Magistrate Alex Moore sues DPP for defamation MAGISTRATE Alex Herbert Moore has filed a $50M defamation damage claim from Director of Public Prosecutions, Shalimar Ali Hack, as a result of a letter captioned: ‘Re: Conduct of Magistrate Alex Moore in the charge of the Police vs Marcus Bisram for the offence of murder, Contrary to Common Law’.

Moore is represented by Attorneys at law, Arudranauth Gossai and Mayo Robertson.

The letter, penned on December 5, 2019, arose after Moore, on December 2, 2019, was the sitting magistrate at the Whim Court. The substantive magistrate, Renita Singh, had been on leave.

In the writ, the claimant

noted that the letter was falsely and maliciously written, and summarizes that the DPP, based on a Memorandum outlined by Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions, Stacy Goodings, was of the view that Magistrate Moore has a personal interest in the matter.

By that publication, the defendant meant, and was understood to mean that the claimant was unfit to be a Magistrate, and that he was taking the side of the defence in a murder charge brought by the prosecution against Marcus Bisram.

The document was sent to the Acting Chancellor of the Judiciary, Ms Yonette Cummings Edwards, and Acting Chief Justice, Rox-

Senior Magistrate, Alex Moore

Director of Public Prosecutions, Shalimar Ali Hack, SC

anne George, and, in his claim, Moore noted that by reason of the matters, he has

been greatly injured in his character, credibility and reputation, and has been held up to public ridicule and has

suffered mental anguish, distress and depression.

It is suggested that the letter contained malice, as prior to the claimant taking duties in Berbice, the defendant made false statements of, and concerning the claimant, when he was sitting at Sparendaam Court, stating he was dispensing his own brand of justice and doing things that he has no authority to do.

Further, the Commissioner of Police was requested to send all files from the claimant's court to her.

In addition, the DPP is said to have wrongly accused the claimant of dismissing cases even though the majority of witnesses were present, and also accusing the claimant of abusing his powers by

instituting fines instead of imprisonment, and causing him to appear before the Judicial Service Commission on allegations of wrongfully dismissing a case in which a particular lawyer was appearing for the defence.

The forty-two-year-old Senior Magistrate was assigned to the Georgetown, East Demerara, Berbice and Corentyne Magisterial districts and had been admitted to practice in Trinidad and Tobago, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada and The British Virgin Islands, where he practiced his profession before becoming a magistrate.

One hospitalised after boat collision at Charity

A TWENTY-four-year-old labourer of Grant, Anna Regina, Lower Pomeroom River, in Region Two, is currently in police custody assisting with investigations following a boat collision in the area. The incident reportedly occurred on July 24 around 21:00 hours in the vicinity of Grant, Anna Regina.

Raul De Costa, who was injured during the collision, was, up to Saturday, listed as critical in the Suddie Public Hospital where he was nursing head injuries.

According to information, Raul Cameron, who is currently in police custody, left home with his boat to visit his cousin who is

living on the opposite side of the river. According to a release, Raul Cameron told police he had a torchlight in his hand which was providing light for him during his journey. He also said that when he was almost all the way across the river, about 60 feet away from Orwin Brant's landing, he collided with another boat, hitting the starboard side rear which is the driver’ side of the boat.

The said boat was heading down the river on the left bank allegedly without a light. Raul Cameron then turned his boat around to render assistance and saw Raul De Costa lying in the

The area where the incident occurred

boat where he received injuries to his head. Another person who was in the De

Costa boat was unhurt.

Raul Cameron also told police that after he hit the boat, his boat started to take in water. As such, he borrowed his uncle Calvin Cameron’s boat and rushed Raul De Costa to the Charity Hospital with the assistance of his cousin, Orwin Brant, and the other occupant. Raul De Costa was admitted to the Charity Hospital and later transferred to the Suddie Hospital. Police are continuing their investigations.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 26, 2020

From student nurse to Doctor of Public Health ... the Kay Delight Kyte- Shako story

By Jeune Bailey Van Keric "I HAVE reached a peak in my career. Nursing has been the foundation, which has caused me to be catapulted in life. ...I cannot be fooled about anything in healthcare. I did not spring up,” recalled recently graduated Doctor of Public Health, Dr. Kay Kyte Shako, who started her medical career as a professional student nurse in 1984 , at the New Amsterdam School of Nursing, and, is the current Director of Regional and Clinical Health Services.

As a holder of a Doctorate in Public Health, Dr. Kyte-Shako is now prepared for a career in advancing public health practice, leadership, research, administration or teaching.

But, her accomplishment was not 'smooth sailing’ as there were many challenges, the major of which hinged on finances, which at times forced her to reduce courses of study.

"There came a time, when I had to stop and revaluate. Thereafter, I restarted because of the passion I had for public health. I had to understand that sacrifice was important. I had to deny myself so as to pursue those programmes,” she said.

During the four-year programme at Walden University, the Director was exposed to varying areas of study, inclusive of critically evaluating the interdisciplinary role of stakeholders in the application and evaluation of population - based public health strategies, application of research methods in the investigations of public health problems, apply systems, thinking skills and strategies for promotion of public health policy and advocacy, and an application of evidence based research and practices to promote positive social change.

In an effort to promote positive social change, Dr. Kyte-Shako, has initiated the 'social services ministry' at the Mount Sinai Assembly of God Church in West Canje, where her husband Clarence Shako, is the pastor.

This 'new' ministry is aimed to seek and help persons in need within the church and the community.

"Some aspects of people’s lives are not seen. We can pray, but, we need to meet persons’ needs. Some persons are suffering psy-

chologically. Others are depressed. Some people are

Dr. Kay Kyte-Shako is the third daughter of Ralph and Mary Kyte of Amsville Housing Scheme, New Amsterdam, Berbice

vulnerable and voiceless. I want to help them. I want to have youths empowered, so they can reach their potential."

Describing herself as a purpose filled, self-motivated, self-propelled individual whose purpose is to empower, Dr. Kyte-Shako believes it is for that reason, God has widened her scope and vision, so she can help the vulnerable.

"I want to link persons with different individuals in society that will also help them to realise their potential."

"For me, doing those things will help me to achieve my true purpose in life. That is the direction I want my life to go now. I have reached the peak in life, and I want to help those who cannot help themselves,” she said.

With respect to Public Health, the Director noted that while much focus is on curative medicine, it is her opinion that there is the need for preventative medicine and life style changes through regular interactions with the public.

That aside, Dr. Kyte-Shako, recognising the input of her family, referred to the famous quote by Sis Isaac Newton, “If I have seen any further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”

"I could not have made it by myself. It was the constant help of a praying mom Mary Kyte and husband, Pastor

Clarence Shako. My mother is a prayer warrior and a motivational force. She is always positive. My mom kept my children, Ahaiziah and Anasticia during the early years of my medical journey.

My sisters. Attorneys at law Kim Kyte -Thomas and Kavern Kyte-Williams, along with Karen and Kendra, were very supportive along the journey, which was a rough road, with sleepless nights."

Despite the challenges, Dr. Kyte-Shako believes that her achievement is as result of a dream as a little girl, who set high academic bars for herself.

After completing her secondary school years at Tutorial Academy and New Amsterdam Multilateral, she joined the New Amsterdam School of Nursing as a professional student nurse, and in 1987 became a State Registered Nurse.

The following year, she did an outstation stint at the West Demerara Hospital and upon returning to the Ancient County in 1989, commenced and completed the midwifery programme.

In 1993, she completed a one-year stint at the Skeldon Hospital and thereafter returned to the regional health institution in New Amsterdam.

During the years 1996 to 1999, Kyte-Shako, became a part-time lecturer at the New Amsterdam School of Nursing, during which time she obtained a certificate in the Health Science Manager's Programme at the University of Guyana.

At the completion of this programme, Kyte-Shako graduated with a distinction and earned two awards from the Guyana Nurses Association, and the Ministry of Health respectively.

Not being satisfied with her achievements, the mother of two commenced her study in medicine in October 1999, and thereafter obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Medicine and Surgery, before being appointed a Government Medical Officer, specialising in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) medicine. After years of public and private practice, she completed her Masters in Healthcare Administration at the University of Maryland in 2013, before commencing the Doctor of Public Health Programme in 2015.

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Book review:

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 26, 2020

A review of David Granger’s and Barrington Braithwaite’s The Era of Enslavement The Era of Enslavement, 1638-1838 by David Granger and Barrington Braithwaite, is an illustrated story which is aimed at giving children a graphic account of the history of African enslavement in Guyana.

The book, first published in 2008 by Free Press, is an important contribution to the transmission of African-Guyanese history.

Every ethnic group has a responsibility to pass on its history, however traumatic, to succeeding generations. Africans have had a proud tradition of transmitting their history by oral, visual and written means. Earlier works on African enslavement were written, invariably, from the perspective of the oppressors. This book follows the tradition of the descendants of Africans who, since 1838, have been

providing a more authentic account of African enslavement.

African enslavement cannot be unwritten or undone. It can be pushed into the recesses of history through de-emphasis and selective amnesia, however. This can produce a sterile story which distorts and revises the record of African enslavement. Future generations are entitled to an accurate account of their ancestral history.

They should be spared the threat posed by historical amnesia or revisionism.

African enslavement is a central feature of Guyana’s history. Africans and their descendants were enslaved for more than 200 years, beginning during the Dutch occupation and ending under British regime. Africans were transported forcibly from their homeland and brought to the Colony, under inhu-

man conditions. They were auctioned upon arrival and consigned as chattel to toil on the Colony’s cotton, coffee and sugar plantations.

Their exertions on the plantations created the wealth which was expropriated to enrich the economies of Europe and America. The world is now coming to comprehend the fact that the wealth of Western Europe and North America was built on the proceeds of the greatest crime against humanity – human enslavement. The descendants of enslaved Africans are a free people today but they still bear the onerous burden of the legacy of more than two centuries of human enslavement.

Schools have a pivotal role in transmitting such knowledge. The primary schools’ curricula incorporate basic accounts of the

arrivals of various peoples and elements of the cultures but such history does not engage in much detail about African enslavement or Chinese, Indian or Portuguese indentured labour. The Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination provides for a much better understanding of human enslavement in the Caribbean.

The Era of Enslavement fills a gap in disseminating knowledge of African enslavement in Guyana, therefore. That experience shares many commonalties with Caribbean slavery but also has its own distinct features of which every local student should be knowledgeable.

David Granger is a fit person to perform this task.

His efforts in researching, preserving, propagating and transmitting history are well known. He is the

author of numerous scholarly publications – including Crime against humanity: The Trans-Atlantic Trade in Captive Africans; Crime without Punishment: the Caribbean case for

reparative justice; and, The Emancipation Movement: The pursuit of dignity and liberty – which examine the African experience in Guyana.

TURN TO PAGE

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 26, 2020

Body of the late Komal Chand comes home

THE body of late trade unionist Komal Chand arrived last evening at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport on a Caribbean Airlines flight from Cuba.

Mr. Chand died in April while receiving treatment for pneumonia in Havana, Cuba. He was accompanied by his wife.

In May, the National COVID-19 Task Force (NCTF) granted approval for the body of the late trade unionist to return to Guyana from Cuba.

Chand joined the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union (GAWU) in 1975 as the union’s organising secretary and later served as the organisation’s President up to the time of his passing.

Described as an individual who was committed to his work, Chand dedicated his career to fighting for the protection and rights of workers in the sugar, rice and numerous other industries in Guyana.

The body of the late Komal Chand being offloaded FROM PAGE

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A review of David Granger’s and ...

The Era of Enslavement, 1638-1838 traces the origins of slavery and accounts for its slow development during the first 150 years of Dutch rule. The book highlights the regimen of arduous work, backed by punishment for even the most minor of indiscretions and infractions to which the enslaved were subjected and details their dreadful living conditions, including their diet and housing. It concludes by examining the process leading to Emancipation in 1838.

The book, while written as an illustrated text for children, is better suited for secondary school students. It provides a general overview of the African enslavement in the Colony.

The Era of Enslavement, 1638-1838, is a collaborative effort between David Granger and Barrington Braithwaite, the latter providing the illustrations. With more than 30 years of producing drawings, illustrations, sketches and cartoons, most of which address African-Guyanese themes, Braithwaite has a fine eye for historical authenticity. His drawings depict accurately the items and objects in their historical context, down to the minutest details. Braithwaite’s drawings are the product of scrupulous research.

Braithwaite is underrated as an artist and his work has not received the recognition which it deserves. Braithwaite recalled that, after a bout of early criticism from his peers, he bought some books on anatomy and started to study the human body. The influence is evident in his art which emphasizes torso, limbs and muscles. His illustrations in the book are cluttered with human imagery which detract from the purpose of storytelling and are better suited to canvas and paint rather than paper and ink. This in no way diminishes Braithwaite’s ability.

David Granger has written extensively on African-Guyanese history. With this book, he has made another invaluable deposit in the bank of knowledge of African enslavement and, consequently, to the preservation and propagation of African-Guyanese history.

David Granger, as President, has emphasized the link between education and culture. Addressing the General Assembly of the International Year of People of African Descent- Guyana, he argued that, in its wider cultural context, education extends beyond the classroom noting that education: “…involves peoples’ histories, race, religion and economic political and social relations. Culture, in turn, can impact on the values of education and the way it is organised and taught…

Education prepares people for social integration and cannot be divorced from its cultural context and content. It has to be responsive to that context and to the challenges which it presents.”

The Era of Enslavement, 1638-1838 represents a model for teaching African-Guyanese history in the country’s school system. Educators should not shy away from the responsibility to transmit cultural knowledge, even if it involves experiences as abhorrent and gruesome as African enslavement.

The Era of Enslavement 1638-1838 should be listed among the recommended texts for secondary school students. They will benefit from the knowledge, penmanship and artistry of two of the foremost proponents of African-Guyanese history – David Granger and Barrington Braithwaite.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 26, 2020

Beat the COVID-19 blues!

--watch your inner creativity unfold as you ‘sip and paint’ from the comfort of your home on Emancipation Day choosing.

Croal, the eldest of five children, grew up in Half Mile, Linden, with parents who instilled in them good morals and values.

“I always saw them both sharing the role of breadwinners as entrepreneurs,” she said, adding: “I feel blessed and lucky to have that. My parents, however, always reminded me and my siblings about the fundamentals of having a quality education,

Taneila Croal, centre with two of her customers during a recent ‘sip and paint’ event before COVID-19 struck

WITH many now at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, remaining calm and keeping active can be a challenge. But young Taneila Croal, a teacher and entrepreneur knows just how to help one surmount that particular hurdle, and will be doing so virtually on Emancipation Day. As she wrote by way of extending an invitation, “On August 1, 2020, I will be hosting my 2nd ‘Sip and Paint’ event, my last event being back in March. I know persons are stuck at home with COVID-19 blues, and need something to put them in high spirits, so I thought: ‘Why not take a Sip and Paint activity to them, so they can enjoy from the comfort of their homes.’”

The event will be held virtually via the popular Zoom app, and as Taneila noted, all paint materials, such as canvas, paint, paint-brushes, apron etc., and a bottle of wine will be delivered to those who wish to be in on it.

“At our session,” she explained, “step-by-step in-

structions by a professional artist will be provided, so you can create your very own masterpiece. The 'Sip and Paint' concept consists of group painting lessons, accompanied by wine or other beverages.”

Croal said that during the course of the event, she will be introducing a new business venture. “I will be launching my wine and painting party studio called, 'Brush N Pour', on the day of the event,” she said. 'Brush N Pour' is a unique business that seeks to provide fine art services to Guyanese.”

The 27-year-old told this publication that the basic concept of ‘Brush N Pour’ is to add something different to the Guyanese culture.

She also noted that following the launch of her newest business venture, she will be offering special promotions throughout the year to correspond with special holidays and events.

‘Brush and Pour’ services will include the provision of art materials, and a complimentary bottle of wine of the customer’s

Scenes from Croal’s first ‘sip and paint’ event

and they worked hard so we could achieve such. I am a teacher by profession; a profession that I enjoy dearly.”

Besides teaching, Croal has always had a knack for cosmetology, starting out in the hair care and styling business ever since she was in high school.

Today she is the owner of her own salon, among several other businesses.

“The world of cosmetology has always caught my

attention,” she said, “and so in my early teen years, I developed a habit of braiding my own hair. I would later braid other people's hair for a small fee. Today I am a professional hairstylist, and I own my own salon.”

Croal’s entrepreneurial journey is not yet over, as she revealed that she will soon be launching a lingerie collection called, ‘Adore Me Bae’.

“I plan to provide lin-

gerie of different styles, from comfy, sexy sleepwear, to erotic lingerie pieces,” she said. “Persons from all across the country can look forward to this upcoming collection release,” she added.

Those wishing to be a part of her entrepreneurial journey and event can contact her via the company’s Facebook page: @Brush N Pour, or call the number provided on the page.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 26, 2020

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 26, 2020

Guyanese Outreach launches ‘Food Basket’ Project

- will continue for 24 weeks

THE Guyanese Outreach, a nonprofit charitable organisation, on Tuesday held its second Food Basket’ Project distribution which is aimed at providing hampers to vulnerable families in Number 71 and other surrounding villages, in East Berbice-Corentyne.

During the exercise, 66 families in need were given chicken and grocery items.

The distribution will continue every Tuesday for the next six months.

According to the 88-yearold founder of the organisation, Ruth Singh, after she became aware of many struggles faced by families after their breadwinners lost their jobs due to COVID-19 and other factors, she sought donations and tried to provide a family in need a hamper consisting of a balanced diet.

“There are many families and single parents that are facing a very hard time

and when I heard of this it grieves my heart. I am from Guyana and I know my people and their culture and recognise the struggles, I was greatly saddened and

to assist,” Singh, an overseas-based Guyanese, explained.

She said she has reached out to many Guyanese in the dias-

Some of the packages that were handed out to vulnerable residents of the Upper-Corentyne District

A recipient (left) collects a hamper from a Guyanese Outreach representative

wanted to help so I sought donations from my fellow Guyanese who were willing

pora and is optimistic she can continue beyond the six months timeline as more

funds become available.

Singh, who resides in the United States, is originally from the Upper-Corentyne community and has been doing philanthropic works through the Guyanese Outreach Organisation for the residents since 1995.

The organisation focuses mainly on educational pro-

grammes for both children and adults. However given the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on fishing and agriculture sectors in the Upper Corentyne area, a decision was taken for the organisation to shift their focus to help the residents by providing basic food items.

Singh is appealing to the

business community and the diaspora to get on board so that together the residents would not have to worry where their next meal will come from.

Persons desirous of assisting can reach out to the organisation via their website http://www.guyaneseoutreach.org/

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 26, 2020

India joins calls for ‘early’ conclusion to Guyana’s elections India has added its voice to the numerous calls for an “early” conclusion to the local electoral process.

GUYANESE went to the polls over four months ago, on March 2, but they are yet to receive the results of the General and Regional Elections. “India has been closely following developments of the General and Regional Elections held on March 2, 2020. It has been more than four months since the elections in Guyana and the results are still awaited,” said India’s spokesperson, on Saturday.

As a time-tested friend of Guyana, India said it looks forward to the early conclusion of the electoral process in the interest of democracy in Guyana. India further hopes that the outcome of the election is respected by all parties. Recently, in a show of good faith, the incumbent A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Coalition extended an “olive branch” to all parties, which contested the elections.

The coalition said it is open to dialogue on a possible solution that would

bring an end to the protracted electoral process. The official results have not been declared by the GECOM, due to a series of legal challenges filed at all three tiers of the country’s judicial system – the most recent challenging an Order (Order No. 60), which triggered a national recount.

APNU+AFC Chief Spokesperson, Joseph Harmon, in a public address, said: “The APNU+AFC Coalition, in the national interest, and with a view to maintaining stability and peace, remains open to dialogue

with other political parties and stakeholders on the way forward for our country. The APNU+AFC Coalition is prepared to act responsibly to bring a resolution to the ongoing political situation.”

Declarations made by the returning officers in the ten electoral districts, as compiled by the Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield in his election reports, showed a win for the APNU+AFC; however, when a national recount was conducted in accordance with Order No. 60, the figures showed a win for the People’s Progressive

Party/Civic (PPP/C), but the process also unearthed massive irregularities and cases of voter impersonation.

To date, there remains a ‘legal’ tug of war on whether the elections commission should rely on the March declarations or the data generated by the national recount to declare the results of the elections.

On Monday (July 20), the High Court, in the Misenga Jones Case, upheld the national recount and simultaneously set aside the March declarations. The Chief Justice (ag), Roxane George-Wiltshire, relying on the judgement of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), ruled that issues regarding irregularities during the electoral process must come via an elections petition in accordance with Article 163 of the Constitution, which gives the High Court exclusive jurisdiction to adjudicate over such matters.

According to the National Assembly (Validity of Elections) Act, election petitions must be filed with-

in 28 days of the declaration of the results of an election. But dissatisfied with the ruling, Jones, a Tucville, Georgetown voter, has turned to the Court of Appeal for relief on the grounds that the recount created a new electoral regime in breach of the Constitution and Representation of the People Act, and cannot be used for a declaration of the results of the March 2 elections. She is adamant that the March declarations must be used.

A number of countries and international blocs had, however, called on political stakeholders to respect the recent ruling of the CCJ and to conclude the elections “without further delay”. The nation, however, awaits the ruling of the Appellate Court, which is set for Thursday.

Taxi driver dies in Montrose accident

The car Tevor Mangal was driving when he met his demise

A TAXI driver attached to Scorpio Taxi Service died on Saturday afternoon following a collision at Montrose, East Coast Demerara (ECD).

Dead is Trevor Mangal called 'Whistle' of Crown Dam, Industry, ECD. Reports are that the man was racing along the roadway in his motorcar bearing registration PXX2522, when he collided with two other vehicles. He died on the spot.

Persons at the scene reported that Mangal’s speed was of such that the airbags inflated instantaneously on impact.

His friends at the taxi service expressed shock at

his demise. When contacted, the man’s relatives offered not to comment on the family’s loss.

In a separate incident on Saturday, two men on a motorcycle who were said to be racing away from a police patrol in the vicinity of Lime and Hadfield Street, crashed into a vehicle and sustained various injuries.

One of the men sustained a broken arm. They have been identified as Akeem Sandy and 'Sheldon'. The men were taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) for medical attention.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 26, 2020

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 26, 2020

Mayor halts demolition of Kingston building over millions owed city MAYOR of Georgetown Ubraj Narine on Saturday made his way to a building at 1-2 Cowan Street, Kingston, to stop work that was being done on a building within the property. The mayor told the Guyana Chronicle that work was stopped because of outstanding monies amounting to over seven hundred million dollars which is owed the city by the Livestock Development Company (LIDCO)

The Guyana Chronicle spoke with Vickram Ouditt, who stated that since receiving orders to halt its demolition, no work has been done on the building. He added that the only work that he has approved and gone ahead with is the removal of waste materials from the premises. Ouditt further stated that the sole reason for the halting of construction has been the council’s call for his building plan.

“The mayor and his offi-

cers have requested that we stop construction which we have [done] and what we are doing is cleaning out garbage; that’s what we were doing today when the mayor came.

The reason they said we must stop construction is we need a plan for all works including internal works. I told them in that case they need to charge the whole of Georgetown, but still we halted and haven’t done any additional work to the building since,” Ouditt

explained.

Mayor Narine, who was at the site, completely refuted the claims being made by Ouditt, calling him “dishonest and a liar.” He stated that while he was at the slough this morning he witnessed demolition being done on the building while he was passing. Mayor Narine stated that demolition of the buildingb had somewhat progressed since the city engineer had contacted Mr. Ouditt for a halt some three weeks ago.

The mayor stated, “I

The partly demolished building at 1-2 Cowan Street, Kingston

have no problem with Mr Vickram Ouditt nor LIDCO, or how they intend to remodel their building, I am just fighting for the right

A shot of the interior of the partly demolished building

amount of taxes that they owe us at the Mayor and City Council.” Further, the mayor stated that there were several engagements with Mr Ouditt and the M&CC over an arrangement for the payment of the rates and taxes that are owed to the city, but that no agreement has been settled on. Mayor Narine explained that once an arrangement is made to get that money paid out and Mr. Ouditt complies with the by-laws of the city and presents his building plans to the city engineer, he will be able to continue his demolition without any interference from the Mayor and City Councillors of Georgetown.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE July 26, 2020

Citizens sign petition for GECOM Chair to step down A SMALL group of Guyanese is petitioning the Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh, to resign.

In a letter addressed to Justice Singh, the small group of signatories said that, while President David Granger had placed confidence in the GECOM Chair, they are currently dissatisfied with a number of decisions taken under her watch.

Chief among the concerns is a decision taken by Justice Singh to terminate the House-to-House Registration process in 2019, shortly after she was appointed to serve. The petitioners stated that the challenges currently faced, are, in part, linked to GECOM’s failure to cleanse the National Register of Registrants Database (NRRDB), and, by extension, the List of Electors.

According to them, the flawed and bloated List of Electors is at the heart of the fraud that was uncovered during the National Recount.

Further, the petitioners, in the letter, expressed grave disappointment at Justice Singh’s refusal to declare the results of the March 2 General and Regional Elections in accordance with the Elections Report submitted by the Chief Elections Officer, as required and prescribed by the Constitution of Guyana.

The National Recount, conducted in May-June, had unearthed, according to the Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield, well over 6,000 irregularities and cases of voter impersonation but the Chairman of the Elections Commission had said there was little that GECOM could do. She has repeatedly instructed the Chief Elections Officer to compile an Elections Report based on the National Recount, inclusive of the votes compromised by clear electoral fraud.

The petitioners said they have taken note of Justice Singh’s “refusal to vitiate the tainted elections of March 2, 2020,” and the unilateral inclusion of the results of approximately 49 ballot boxes from the East Coast of Demerara which were revealed during the Recount Process to have been affected by widespread fraud.

They have also accused the GECOM Chair of constantly changing the parameters of the recount process and procedures to suit the demands of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C); unilateral inclusion of fraudulent votes during the recount process; and the unilateral setting aside of the lawful declarations made by the 10 Returning Officers.

“In view of the aforementioned actions, along with your clearly partisan and biased approach to executing your function as Chair of GECOM, we regret to advise you that we have lost confidence in your chairmanship.

No Guyanese can, any longer, repose in you, any level of confidence that you will serve as GECOM Chair fairly and impartially. Your actions have been biased, prejudiced and partisan,” they said in the letter.

The petitioners added: “we request, nay plead, that you now do the honourable thing and resign and release the people of Guyana from a prejudiced and biased Chairman of GECOM. We are unprepared to allow you to continue serving as GECOM Chairman and offer you an opportunity to depart peacefully.

Should you resist, we will pursue every lawful means of effecting your removal.”

When contacted by the Guyana Chronicle, GECOM’s Public Relations Officer, Yolanda Ward was unable to confirm if the Petition was served on the Chair.

It, however, was signed by a number of persons.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 26, 2020

Guyanese appointed LIAT administrator GUYANESE-born Cleveland Seaforth, Chairman of BDO Antigua and Barbuda has been appointed by the Courts of Antigua as administrator for the cash-strapped LIAT Airlines.

The decisive legal step was taken on Friday July 24, 2020 by the administration of Antigua Prime Minister, Gaston Brown, as it seeks to reorganise the embattled airline. As a result of Seaforth’s appointment, Julie-Reifer Jones, who functioned as LIAT’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is no longer in charge. The appointment also places a stay on all proceedings against LIAT, including a shareholders agreement to liquidate the airline, as well as a scheduled July 31, meeting of creditors.

According to a Caribbean News Service report, the Antigua government successfully petitioned the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court to appoint an administrator, who will be key in the restricting aspect of the airline.

Senior Counsel Anthony Astaphan, who presented the Antiguan Government’s petition, was quoted as saying “the petition was to begin the process of reorganisation by the appointment of an administrator and a stay on all proceeding on LIAT civil, liquidation, proceeding by the shareholders, creditors- which would give the administrator, who was also appointed by the court (the power) to take a deep look at LIAT and to make a recommendation one way or the other.

“The next step would be the administrator assuming control and management of the assets of LIAT and to begin the exercise imposed on him by the legislation of amendments that were made recently.

“It is a very, very important step because it gives the Prime Minister the opportunity to be able to work with the administrator, and for the administrator to take a look at everything and to be able to come to the conclusion whether LIAT 1974 Ltd, of one sort or the other, would be able to be reorganised and to be back in the sky,” Astaphan added.

LIAT counsel, Stacy Roach, did not object to the petition for the appointment of an administrator, the report stated.

Earlier this month, the Antiguan Prime Minister had, in an open letter, stated, “if the majority shareholding group, which includes, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Barbados and Dominica, is allowed to opportunistically collapse this regional institution and form a new entity without honouring the institutions’ liability to creditors; this will be a form of State banditry.”

Creditors including the staff of LIAT, for decades, provided service and credit to LIAT as an insolvent institution, knowing that they had the backing of the shareholding states. For these states to walk away from their liabilities, is morally reprehensible and perhaps illegal. If shareholders wanted to limit their liability, they should have ceased trading years ago, knowing that the institution was insolvent. From my limited professional studies, I was taught that directors who knowingly operate an insolvent company is liable for wrongful and possibly fraudulent trading. The members of the shareholding board of LIAT participated as directors over the years and presided over most of major decisions of LIAT, including the ill-fated re-fleeting.”

The liquidation of LIAT without settling liabilities should be resisted by creditors and other stakeholders, even as he had hinted about the possibility of legal action and issued a call of the minority shareholders and creditors to call for a reorganisation plan. He said that Antigua and Barbuda stood ready to invest USD$40-$54M in the reorganised LIAT and that there are other governments and private interest that are willing to invest.

Following a meeting of the shareholders on July 20, it was announced that Barbados and St. Vincent & the Grenadines governments had agreed to sell their shares in LIAT, to accommodate a new re-organisational plan outlined

by Antigua & Barbuda.

Also, that an agreement had been reached to sell three of the aircrafts that had been acquired with funds provided by the Barbados-based Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 26, 2020

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE July 26, 2020

St-Germain striker Mbappe has ‘serious ankle sprain’ after French Cup win PARIS, France - St-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe suffered a “serious right ankle sprain” in his side’s French Cup final victory over Saint-Etienne on Friday.

Mbappe, 21, left the pitch in tears

after being fouled by Saint-Etienne defender Loic Perrin in the first half.

PSG say the injury will be re-evaluated in 72 hours by a doctor.

They face Lyon in the French League Cup final on July 31 and then

Kylian Mbappe was forced off just 26 minutes into the French Cup final on Friday.

Italian side Atalanta in the Champions

League quarter-finals on August 12.

Should PSG progress, the Champions League semi-finals will take place on August 18-19, before the final on August 23.

A PSG statement said Mbappe has a “serious right ankle sprain to the external lateral compartment”, adding that the injury will be assessed again “with clinical and ankle imaging analysis”.

The France international, who has scored 29 goals in 33 appearances for the club this season, later returned to the dugout on crutches after Perrin’s foul, which led to a melee on the pitch.

It was the first match in France since the league was ended in April, with PSG awarded the title.

Broad inspires with bat and ball ...

From back page

over midwicket and drove Gabriel intently for four, but Broad took a particular liking to Holder’s bowling, picking off three fours from one over and two consecutive fours off his next.

Broad also brought up his half-century with a blazing stroke over backward square off Holder.

It was Roston Chase who got rid of him, Broad sending a low full toss straight to Jermaine Blackwood at deep midwicket, but not before he had put on a very handy 62 from 45 balls.

It was Broad’s 13th Test half-century but his first since 2017.

In keeping with the nostalgic theme, old heads Anderson and Broad opened the bowling for England.

Broad, 34, may object to being put in the same age category, having recently stated his intention to emulate Anderson, who turns 38 this month, and keep taking wickets well into his late 30s.

Broad started well, enticing an edge from Kraigg Brathwaite that went to Joe Root at slip with his fourth ball, the 10th of the innings.

Anderson then watched as Ben Stokes produced a rare fumble to put down John Campbell at second slip. The outside edge reached him at a decent height but Stokes went low and dropped it as the under-pressure opener, on 10, survived.

It was a while before England made another break-

through, but they did it in style with Archer setting Campbell up with a series of full-length balls before unleashing an unplayable short one at his ribs, the ball flying off the bat handle and looping to Rory Burns at gully.

Campbell was gone for 32.

Anderson got his rewards with an excellent delivery that straightened late to have the struggling Shai Hope caught behind just before tea,

and he removed the in-form Shamarh Brooks three balls after the resumption, this time finding the inside edge to give Buttler another catch.

Broad had Chase out lbw to match Anderson’s figures of 2 for 17 and when Woakes flattened Jermaine Blackwood’s middle stump, West Indies were left needing a big partnership from captain Holder and Shane Dowrich.

SCOREBOARD ENGLAND 1st innings (overnight 258 for four) R. Burns c Cornwall b Chase 57 D. Sibley lbw b Roach 0 J. Root run-out 17 B. Stokes b Roach 20 O. Pope b Gabriel 91 J. Buttler c Holder b Gabriel 67 C. Woakes b Roach 1 D. Bess not out 18 J. Archer c Holder b Roach 3 S. Broad c Blackwood b Chase 62 J. Anderson c Cornwall b Holder 11 Extras: (b-12, lb-4, nb-6) 22 Total: (all out, 111.5 overs) 369 Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-47, 3-92, 4-122, 5-262, 6-267, 7-272, 8-280, 9-356.

Bowling: Roach 25.4-4-72-4, Gabriel 23.2-5-77-2 (nb-5), Holder 24.5-5-83-1 (nb-1), Cornwall 27-5-85-0, Chase 11-3-36-2.

WEST INDIES 1st innings K. Brathwaite c Root b Broad 1 J. Campbell c Burns b Archer 32 S. Hope c wkp. Buttler b Anderson 17 S. Brooks c wkp. Buttler b Anderson 4 R. Chase lbw b Broad 9 J. Blackwood b Woakes 26 J. Holder not out 24 S. Dowrich not out 10 Extras: (b-4, lb-5, w-5) 14 Total: (6 wkts, 47.1 overs) 137 Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-44, 3-58, 4-59, 5-73, 6-110.

Bowling: Anderson 11-4-17-2, Broad 10-3-17-2, Archer 13.1-1-55-1 (w-5), Woakes 13-1-39-1.

Position: West Indies trail England by 232 runs with four first-innings wickets remaining.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE July 26, 2020

Enable wins record third King George title at Ascot

ENABLE has completed a record third King George triumph at Ascot.

The mare - ridden

by Frankie Dettori and trained by John Gosden - finished five-and-a-half lengths in front of Sovereign with the only other runner, Japan, a further 11 lengths back.

William Buick on Sovereign set the pace but sixyear-old Enable, the King George’s oldest winner since Swain in 1998, reeled in the

early leader.

“She trained beautifully for this race and is back in top order,” Gosden said.

“We are thrilled with her and I was expecting to see that.”

Japan, with Ryan Moore on board, had stalked Enable for the majority of the race but could not sustain the pace in the wet conditions and finished well back.

An emotional Dettori, who timed his attack perfect-

ly to overhaul a tiring Sovereign in the home straight, said: “She’s so consistent.

She made it look so easy.

“She’s six, she’s not a spring chicken, so to put on a performance like that is great.

“I love her, she’s touched my heart.”

It is a record-equalling seventh King George win for 49-year-old Dettori - 25 years after his first - in what was the event’s smallest field since it was first staged

in 1951.

Enable’s bid to make history was made easier the day before the race when trainer Aidan O’Brien withdrew Anthony Van Dyck and opted to run Japan and Sovereign against the favourite.

Enable, who has now won 11 Group One level races, is the 11-4 favourite to make further history with a third win in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp in October.

(BBC Sport)

Enable previously won the King George in 2017 and 2019.

Pope is England’s best young player since Joe Root - Michael Vaughan

By Stephan Shemilt FORMER England captain Michael Vaughan says Ollie Pope is England’s best young player since the emergence of current skipper Joe Root.

Pope, 22, stroked an elegant 91 not out on the first day of the third Test against West Indies to help the hosts to 258-4.

“He’s a wonderful player,” Vaughan told Test Match Special.

“I don’t see a great deal going wrong with his game. It can pretty much cover all conditions.”

Surrey’s Pope made his England debut as a 20-year-old against India in 2018, but was left out after playing only two matches.

He returned for the tours over the past winter and made his maiden century against South Africa in January, along with three other half-centuries.

Root was 21 when he made his Test debut in India in 2012. The deciding Test against West Indies is his 94th, during which time he has accumulated 7 661 runs.

“Ollie Pope is the best young player I’ve seen in the England team since Joe Root,” added Vaughan, who himself made 5 719 runs in 82 Tests.

“When he came on the scene a few years ago you could tell he probably wasn’t ready in his mind.

“His game was possibly ready, but

he wasn’t ready to cope with the big surroundings of Test match cricket and the spotlight that you’re under.”

Pope’s classy innings at Emirates Old Trafford helped England from 122-4, a potentially perilous position.

He added an unbroken 136 with Jos Buttler, who is unbeaten on 56, to leave the hosts with a superb opportunity to win the series.

When told about Vaughan’s praise, Pope said: “It’s a massive compliment, especially from an ex-captain and one of the greats.

“I take it as a massive positive, rather than seeing it as added pressure. It’s a nice thing to have said about you and hopefully I can fill those shoes.”

With the three-match series poised at 1-1, England need to win in Manchester to regain the Wisden Trophy, which they surrendered to the West Indies in the Caribbean at the beginning of 2019.

Victory for West Indies would mean their first series success in this country since 1988, while England are also trying to protect a six-year unbeaten home record.

The outcome could be affected by the weather, with rain forecast at various points across the rest of the match.

“Hopefully it doesn’t affect it too much,” said Pope. “If we can bat big then the dream scenario would be to get them in, make them follow-on and go again.”

CSA unveils plans to tackle racism in the sport CRICKET South Africa (CSA) has made public its plans to tackle alleged racism in cricket in the country, its Transformation Committee announcing a sustainable response strategy project called Cricket for Social Justice and Nation Building (SJN).

“The national outcry by cricket fans, the greater South African public and broad stakeholder groups could not be ignored,” CSA said in a statement while talking about the project.

The Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement became a part of cricket after Darren Sammy spoke of a “degrading” nickname he had been given in the Sunrisers Hyderabad dressing room, and then moved up a notch when Lungi Ngidi, in response to a question in a press interaction, called for the cricket community in South Africa

to “make a stand”.

Soon after this, 36 prominent South African players and coaches of colour expressed their support for Ngidi, followed by the likes of Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis speaking out. It all culminated in South Africa’s elite cricketers - as well as support staffers, CSA officials, and members of the commentary team - taking a knee at Centurion’s SuperSport Park ahead of the 3TC match last Saturday.

CSA will set up a Transformation Ombudsman responsible for managing complaints while also ensuring that players and fans unite.

CSA aims to appoint the ombudsman by August, with Dr Eugenia Kula-Ameyaw, the independent director and transformation chair, tasked with ensuring that the process flows smoothly.

Andile Phehlukwayo and Lungi Ngidi take a knee before the start of the 3TC match. (AFP via Getty Images) “Transformation needs to happen in our lifetime and as the Board we need to fully deliver on that mandate. Having heard what our ex-players shared, my focus as the Transformation Chair was to come up with a solution, hence the Cricket SJN concept,” Kula-Ameyaw said.

“I am grateful that the Board supports this initiative.

The office of the Transformation Ombudsman is a solid brick that we can use as a foundation to deal with racism and discrimination in cricket.”

“We are sorry that our cricket players had to endure the emotional hardships that they did; subjugated by their peers along racial lines under our new

democracy that enjoined us to embrace reconciliation and inclusivity,” CSA Board chair Chris Nenzani said. “SJN is the first-ofits-kind project meant to rid cricket of apartheid racial discrimination. This is the very important project that all stakeholders must make sure it succeeds for the future sustainability of cricket.

“The fortunes of cricket, its players, stakeholders, and fans are not going to be held to ransom by the wayward few who definitely have no place within our ranks,” he added. “We are determined to pull out all stops to ensure that healing takes place for those who have been wronged, and that perpetrators are exposed, sanctioned, and isolated.”

The SJN also aims to form a Restoration Fund in order to deal with the opportunity cost due to

discrimination as well as “promote and intensify” the diversity, belonging and inclusivity programme implementation.

Dr Jacques Faul, CSA’s acting chief executive, said, “It has been a very challenging time for Cricket South Africa, and we have to acknowledge that what we have heard was not easy to digest.

However, I am also encouraged by our plan to address this. We will need the buy-in from all our stakeholders to ensure a racism-free future at Cricket South Africa.

“We commit that never again shall we be found wanting and will consolidate our efforts to assure an inclusive cricket environment, free of any discrimination, racism or any other ill that negate the gains of the democracy that we fought so hard for.” (ESPN Cricinfo)

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Bacup to honour West Indies cricket legend Sir Everton Weekes A “LASTING memorial” to a West Indies legend is to be created in the town where he played league cricket.

Test batsman Sir Everton Weekes, who died on July 1, played for Bacup in Lancashire between 1949 and 1958.

A motion to create a tribute to the cricketer was passed by Rossendale Council on July 15.

Councillor Peter Steen, who proposed the motion, said he would like to see the town’s new market square named after Sir Everton.

The batsman was known as one of the ‘Three Ws’ alongside fellow West Indies greats Sir Clyde Walcott and Sir Frank Worrell.

At international level, Sir Everton scored 4 235 runs in 46 Tests, averaging 58.01 and scoring 14 centuries and 19 half-centuries.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said he was devastating in the Lancashire leagues, scoring 25 centuries and passing 1 000 runs in each season.

His total of 1 518 runs in a seaSir Everton Weekes played son, scored in 1951, for Bacup between 1949 remains a Bacup and 1958.

Cricket Club (BCC) record.

Mr Steen’s motion proposed naming a proposed new market square after the cricketer “in recognition of the services... to BCC and pioneering work in race relations”.

However, an amended motion passed with a commitment to simply create “a lasting memorial to Sir Everton in Bacup town centre”, in case the square scheme fails to go ahead.

The councillor said he was “a little disappointed the original motion did not go through, but I’m happy that the council is committed to a proper memorial to Sir Everton in Bacup”.

“He was a great cricketer, a great man and a great ambassador for race relations and the town,” he said.

“He took a bit of Bacup back to the Caribbean and brought a touch of the Caribbean to Bacup.”

BCC chairman Neal Wilkinson said his members would be “absolutely delighted if this came to pass”.

“Sir Everton’s name is very much etched not only into the history of Bacup Cricket Club, but into the town itself,” he added.

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Sunday July 26, 2020) COMPLIMENTS OF XTRA ENERGY DRINK - STABROEK BAZAAR (Tel: 683-9500) & CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD-83 Garnett Street, Campbellville, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158)

Answers to yesterday’s quiz:

(1) Shannon Gabriel (WI) (2) Rohan Kanhai & Clive Lloyd

Today’s Quiz:

(1) How many runs Shiv Chanderpaul made in his first Test match?

(2) Against which two teams Alvin Kallicharran captained the WI in Tests?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

SUNDAY CHRONICLE July 26, 2020

‘All lives matter’, say brothers-in-arms Richards and Botham

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) - Almost half-a-century on from when cricket legends Ian Botham and Viv Richards made their county debut for Somerset their bond is as strong as ever, they explained in media interviews Friday.

England all-rounder Botham, 64, earned the respect and eternal friendship of 68-year-old West Indies batsman Richards for never turning his back on him even when the Englishman received hate mail during the halcyon days at the county.

Their bond has been recognised with the announcement that future Test series between England and the West Indies will be called the Richards-Botham Trophy.

Between them they made a combined 223 Test appearances, totalled 13 740 runs and 415 wickets.

The third and final Test of the present series - which is tied 1-1 - got under way Friday at Old Trafford.

“What I can say to Ian? I can thank him so much

Ian Botham and Viv Richards of Somerset in 1986.

(Photo: Patrick Eagar/Popperfoto courtesy of CWI) for being in my corner,” Richards told Sky Sports.

“We just represented what I think people should be representing: that we’re all human beings, and that’s the most important thing.”

Botham and Richards in their prime were targeted

by South Africa to persuade them to go on rebel tours during the time when sporting links were cut due to the apartheid regime.

Both declined but other England stars like Mike

Gatting, John Emburey and Graham Gooch did go whilst the West Indies also toured there.

“The thing that finally finished me with all that was when they turned round to Viv and said: ‘We’ll make you an honorary white man.’

I said: ‘Hang on, where’s this going?’” Botham told the Daily Mail in a joint interview.

“He’s black and he’s proud and magnificent and a great guy.

“He doesn’t want to be an honorary white man any more than I want to be an honorary black man.”

Richards agreed with Botham over his statement that all lives matter.

The pair stressed that it was not a rejection of the Black Lives Matter movement which was born out of the death of unarmed African American man George Floyd in Minneapolis at the hands of police officers in May. “I most certainly agree with Ian when he says all lives matter,” said Richards.

“It’s been highlighted now because of the events we’ve seen played out in America - this hate towards our colour.

“If we have respect for one another, these things wouldn’t come into the equation.

“Look at COVID. We are not in control. This warfare is hitting everyone - not just black or white, but every race and every country on earth.

We should all just sit back and reflect on where we’d like to be.”

IPL cricket to start September 19 in UAE, says chairman NEW DELHI, India (AFP) - The star-studded Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket will start on September 19 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), its chairman told AFP yesterday, adding that players may need to undergo quarantine.

Although India’s cricket authorities are still awaiting Government approval, Brijesh Patel said the world’s richest cricket tournament will be played for 51 days with the final on November 8.

Under current UAE coronavirus rules, all travellers must self-isolate for two weeks after arriving.

“Whatever are the UAE rules for tourists will be followed by everyone,” Patel told AFP. “The IPL will take place between September 19 and November 8.

This is confirmed and the rest we will decide in the (IPL) governing council meeting next week.”

Top stars, ranging from England’s Ben Stokes to

Mumbai Indians claimed the 2019 IPL Trophy Australians Steve Smith and David Warner, have been lined up by the eight IPL teams on lucrative contracts. Any quarantine period could clash with domestic seasons.

Patel said the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will prepare operating procedures to combat the virus’ threat during the tournament.

“It is going to be a

full-fledged 51-day IPL. We are in touch with the ECB - Emirates Cricket Board - and we will get clearance from the Indian Government soon,” he said.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE July 26, 2020

Jaguars virtual training keeping players fit during quarantine

By Clifton Ross LOCKDOWN has kept things quiet since March with cricketers being forced inside as a result of COVID-19, but the Guyana Jaguars’ daily training sessions have been a key part of keeping the 5-time Regional 4-Day champs fit during quarantine as they eagerly await their return to live sports.

The ‘double-edged sword’ immediately presented itself soon after the outbreak, leaving athletes in a tough position as it relates to how best to maintain their fitness and actual work while keeping their money-making bodies fit for a return.

Since things went left, Cricket Guyana Inc. (CGI) immediately introduced its virtual training arena. Players were then afforded a new avenue to stay in touch without breaking the social distancing rules and were also given a unique opportunity to still train and interact cricket-wise with teammates and coaches on a daily basis.

The daily sessions which included team physio Neil Barry Jr, who is currently on duty with the West Indies Test side in England, along with players and other members of the franchise’s coaching team, have been a crucial part of the former champs’ efforts to monitor players’ fitness, while keeping them match-ready and healthy.

The Guyana Jaguars will be missing their time spent together but have been making the most of their virtual training.

Chronicle Sport caught up with a number of players in the Guyana Jaguars unit over the last 5 months, and interviews revealed one major thing in common, which was that the cricketers seemingly found the virtual training classes to be a crucial part of their makeshift means to keeping fit these days.

Feedback from players like captain Leon Johnson, seniors Chris Barnwell, Anthony Bramble, even youngsters in pacer Niall Smith, all-rounder Kevin Sinclair, batsman Akshaya Persaud and others told a story of dedication and eagerness to stay in playing shape together while keeping the team’s unity intact.

Although sessions are being done on Zoom, the real-time interaction among the players and coaches further helps to maintain the team’s overall performance

level. Teammates are still able to chat and workout but from their personal spaces.

The Jags players as well as the academy players can now conduct their meetings or even train in the same family-like environment, similar to how things were months ago.

The virtual training meetings have now transformed physical gathering into a safer, still effective means of monitoring players’ fitness and dedication to their training during this forced downtime.

A plus for the coaches is that the sessions also provide a first-hand view of how players are coming along with regard to working on specific techniques or correcting errors they might have been tasked with perfecting.

The players have also relished this new means of training on a daily basis, as a number of them have admitted that the programme has been a key part of their own personal daily attempts to keep themselves in peak playing shape.

With isolated training being the new norm for athletes, those who have been used to conducting their own training regimes outside of the team, further believed that the daily sessions is a great way to keep those who may not be as motivated to self-training; to keep themselves in shape regardless.

When things return fully to normalcy, it will be interesting to see if the virtual training classroom is abolished or further embraced and becomes a future mainstay for the franchise’s training manual.

Wavell Hinds is new president of Kensington Cricket Club FORMER West Indies cricketer Wavell Hinds is the new president of the Kensington Cricket Club.

Hinds was the sole nominee for the post and was unanimously approved as the club’s new leader.

He was elected after former president Whycliffe ‘Dave’ Cameron did not seek re-election.

The 141-year-old club held its annual general meeting and election exercise at the clubhouse last Thursday.

Hinds, in his brief remarks following his elevation, urged the members of the club to “protect the assets of the newly upgraded facility”. He also wanted the club to “continue with its development programmes from Under-15 all the way to senior”.

He added that the club must maintain its core values of integrity, respect and richness in spirit, talent and love.

Hinds, with the support

Former Jamaica and West Indies batsman Wavell Hinds of the membership gathered, appointed Cameron president emeritus, which allows him to be a part of the new executive.

Cameron served in the role of president since 2001 and has been a member of the club for just about four decades. In his remarks, he thanked the community, membership and the partners of the club for their support. He had succeeded the late Vincent Wong and Noel Silvera. (Extracted from Jamaica Observer)

Broad inspires with bat and ball to leave England in control

‘Stuart Broad claimed the first wicket of West Indies’ innings (Getty Images)

… West Indies 137 for 6 - still 33 short of avoiding the follow-on A THROW-back performance with the bat and a more modern turn with the ball from Stuart Broad had England in control of their destiny after the second day of the deciding Test against West Indies.

James Anderson weighed in heavily as part of an enviable England seam attack in favourable conditions at Emirates Old Trafford to leave West Indies 137 for 6 - still 33 short of avoiding the follow-on - when bad light stopped play.

England’s position was not nearly as

promising after a mini-collapse sent them from 258 for 4 at the start of play to 280 for 8 inside the first hour.

The scene was set for Ollie Pope, resuming on 91 not out, to reach his second Test century and Jos Buttler, unbeaten on 56, to convert a confidence-boosting knock into a statement-making big score.

But neither the protagonists from the previous day featured nor the rain that was expected to wipe out all of yesterday’s play but which didn’t make an entrance at all.

Guyanese boxers happy to be back home

COLIN Lewis, Desmond Amsterdam, Dennis Thomas and Keevin Allicock, four of Guyana’s national boxers are now back home after being stranded for months in Cuba due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The four men who are Olympic Boxing hopefuls were sent to Cuba in January 2020 to undergo training for the qualifiers which were scheduled to take place in Argentina in April.

The boxers were scheduled to return home on March 22 but were unable to do so as Guyana’s National COVID-19 Task Force (NCTF) closed the country’s borders and airspace to control the spread of the coronavirus.

Speaking to the Department of Information (DPI), Director of Sport, Christopher Jones explained when the country implemented lockdown measures the National Sports Commission took the responsibility of the boxers to ensure that their accommodation and other needs were taken care of.

“This also would not have been possible without the support of Halim Majeed and the Guyana Embassy in Cuba,” he noted. Jones disclosed that they facilitated in transporting the young men to Havana, Cuba from where

they were being housed initially.

“Throughout the Caribbean, the Government has been making efforts to repatriate Guyanese from the different states and with some collaborative effort from Caribbean Airlines Limited, we were able to bring home Guyanese from Jamaica, Barbados and Cuba,” Jones stated.

The visibly happy quartet told DPI that while the experience was a trying one, they did their best to maintain a positive outlook and commended the NCTF, the National Sports Commission and the Guyana Olympic Association for their efforts to bring them home.

Desmond Amsterdam said while the experience was “quite challenging” he made the best of it as the pandemic was unprecedented. “Things weren’t perfect but I tried to cope with it and I am happy and relieved to be back home.”

Keevin Allicock echoed similar comments noting it was “tough to be away from family for so long” but I learned a lot from the experience.

The boxers were among 101 persons who returned home after being stranded in Cuba, Jamaica and Barbados due to the ongoing pandemic. (DPI)

GBA president Steve Ninvalle (2nd left) and the boxers after their return from Cuba Fridaynight. (From left) Dennis Thomas, Colin Lewis, Keevin Allicock, Desmond Amsterdam and Terrence Poole.

Shannon Gabriel ignited West Indies’ charge with the second new ball - which was only 3.4 overs old before bad light had stopped play the previous evening - when he had Pope out without adding to his overnight score in an eventful spell.

Gabriel twice over-stepped while hitting Buttler on the pad, with replays also suggesting he’d found an inside edge both times. He then had Pope put down at slip by Rahkeem Cornwall, who had taken a blinder there the previous day and whose slips fielding is highly rated. On this occasion, Cornwall got both hands to an outside edge from Pope at waist height but shelled it to hand the batsman a life.

With the first ball of his next over, however, Gabriel got his man when Pope aimed to whip a straight ball into the leg side, but it whizzed past his bat and crashed into middle and off.

Kemar Roach then claimed his 200th

Test wicket when he had Chris Woakes out, chopping on. Having waited the best part of 11 months and 521 deliveries before breaking his wicket drought in last week’s second Test, Roach became the ninth West Indies player to reach the milestone.

Gabriel had Buttler out for 67 to a sharp, low catch by Jason Holder at second slip, then and Roach and Holder combined to dismiss Jofra Archer, Holder taking another good slips catch.

That brought Broad to the crease and it was the Broad of old, the one known for his batting ability and regarded as a genuine allround talent before he was struck by a Varun Aaron bouncer on this ground in 2014.

On this occasion, he raced to fifty off just 33 balls - equal third-fastest by an England batsman.

He sent a thunderous six off Roach high See page 28

Pacer Kemar Roach with ball in hand celebrate with his teammates after clipping his 200th Test wicket. (CWI photo)

Roach celebrates his 200th Test wicket for West Indies FAST bowler Kemar Roach joined the top echelons of West Indies bowling when he took his 200th Test wicket yesterday morning. The 32-year-old reached the landmark when he forced Chris Woakes to drag on a delivery from outside off stump.

Roach ended the innings with four wickets as England were bowled out for 369 on the second day of the third Test at Emirates Old Trafford.

To celebrate the wicket Roach raised

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the ball in his right hand and then raise his left hand with a clenched fist.

Roach made his Test debut back in 2009 against Bangladesh at Arnos Vale in St Vincent and his first wicket was left-hander Shakib al-Hasan.

His 100th wicket was B.J Watling of New Zealand in the second innings of the third Test at Kensington Oval in June, 2014.

Roach joins the elite list of West Indies bowling and is now ninth on the all-time list. (CWI) SUNDAY, JULY 26, 2020