Guyana Chronicle E-paper 7-5-2020

05th July, 2020

' No.106051

‘Reject PPP/C’s application’ SEE PAGE 03

– UK Professor says decision of the Court of Appeal is final

Queen’s Counsel, Dr. Richard Wilson

16 new cases of COVID-19 …gov’t to establish special unit to enforce measures SEE STORIES ON PAGES 04 & 19

Coalition releases 02 death certificates of persons listed as voted PAGE

Charges against CEO unfounded …AG Chambers says only High Court can enquire into conduct of GECOM

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 5, 2020

Coalition releases death certificates of persons listed as voted IN support of its contention that persons voted for the deceased during the General and Regional Elections, the A Partnership for Na-

tional Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) has made public several death certificates of persons who were marked off on the

Official List of Electors as having voted.

Death certificates were provided for Pearl Moore, Rahman Jakoon, Newton Pearson, Kenyon Thomas, Looknauth Persaud, Mohan Ramawad, Winston Martin, Simone Trotman, Ran-

ganaden Ramsammy, Bibi Khan, Chitnandani Ramdass, Haimwatee Parasram, Ewert Reynolds and Mulchan Sukhram.

Ramdass was among the first cases of voter impersonation that were detected during the 33-day national

recount at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC).

Though Ramdass died on June 6, 2015, her name was marked on the Official List of Electors as having voted in Electoral District 2 (Pomeroon-Supenaam).

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 5, 2020

‘Reject PPP/C’s application’

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– UK Professor says decision of the Court of Appeal is final

By Svetlana Marshall THE Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) ought to reject the People’s Progressive Party Civic’s (PPP/ C’s) appeal on the grounds that it has no jurisdiction, Queen’s Counsel, Dr. Richard Wilson said, while explaining that Article 177 (4) of the Constitution grants the Court of Appeal exclusive jurisdiction to interpret the Constitution with respect to the election of a President, and any decision made there under is final.

Dr. Wilson, a visiting Professor of Law at the Coventry University in United Kingdom, offered his legal opinion on the case – Irfaan Ali and Bharrat Jagdeo v.

Deslyn David and the Chief Elections Officer and others – in a document seen by the Guyana Chronicle.

Ali and Jagdeo, through their battery of lawyers led

by Trinidad’s Senior Counsel, Douglas Mendes, are asking the CCJ to set aside a decision of the Court of Appeal that the words “more votes are cast” in Article 177 (2) (b) should be interpreted to mean “more valid votes are asked.” But while the Court of Appeal relied on Article 177 (4) to rule in the case brought by David, Jagdeo and Ali, through their legal team, are contending that Court of Appeal did not make a decision under Article 177 (4) because it had no jurisdiction to do so.

But in the document seen by the Guyana Chronicle, Dr. Wilson contended that Ali and Jagdeo are wrong.

“As a matter of construction of the Constitution, the Court of Appeal plainly had original and exclusive jurisdiction to determine the meaning of the words “if more votes are cast” as provided in Article 177 (2) (b),” the professor said.

In justifying his position, the Queen’s Counsel drew distinction between Article 163 and Article 177

Court, would have exclusive jurisdiction on all such questions pursuant to Article 177 (4).”

Noting that the Constitution must be viewed as whole, the professor said that both Articles 163 and 177 are subject to the plain meaning rule of statutory interpretation. He iterated that under Article 177 (4), the Court of Appeal has exclusive jurisdiction to hear and determine questions pertaining to the validity of an election of a President in so far as that question depends on the interpretation of the Constitution and not the High Court.

He submitted that should the Court of Appeal’s juris-

Queen’s Counsel, Dr. Richard Wilson

(4), and in doing so, noted that the ‘plain meaning rule’ ought to be applied by a court construing legislative provisions where there is nothing to modify, alter or qualify those provisions. Notably, the Constitution under Article 163 gives the High Court exclusive jurisdiction to determine any question regarding the qualification for election as a member of the National Assembly and equally important, whether an election was lawfully conducted or its result affected by any unlawful act or omission. No mention, Dr. Wilson pointed out, was made on the election of a President. “…conspicuous by its absence in Article 163 is any mention of questions dealing with the interpretation of the Constitution relating to an election of [a] President.

Nor is there any provision that expressly grants the High Court jurisdiction in relation to the interpretation of the Constitution on any such question,” Dr. Wilson reasoned.

Unlike Article 163, the Law Professor said clear mention was made of the election of the President in

Article 177. In fact, there are four Articles in the Constitution – 91, 95 (3), 177 and 183 (3) (c), that touch on the issue of an election of a President, however, only Article 177 (4), provides for the determination of any question relating to the validity of an election of a President, in so far as that question depends upon an interpretation of the Constitution.

“The silence in Article 163 on determination of any question as to the validity of an election of a President in so far as that question depends on the interpretation of the Constitution; the express provision in Article 177 (4) mandating the exclusive jurisdiction of the Court of Appeal to hear and determine such questions; and the absence of any provision elsewhere in the Constitution that purports to deal with the interpretation of the Constitution in relation to the validity of an election of a President,” Dr. Wilson said cannot be ignored.

He added: “It is reasonable to conclude that the legislative intention must have been that the Court of Appeal, and not the High

diction be removed, there would be gaps in the Constitution. “Consequently, [a] for it to be held that the Court of Appeal had no jurisdiction to hear the originating application as to the interpretation of the words “of more votes are cast” in Article 177 (2) (b), where [b] it is clear that the High Court does not have such jurisdiction under Article 163, would [c] create a lacunae in the Constitution. That clearly, cannot have been the legislative intention,” Dr. Wilson reasoned.

He posited, in his opinion piece, that the court, in interpreting the legislation, is duty bound to give a legislation a meaning that

would render the legislation effective.

In offering his legal opinion, in the document, the Queen’s Counsel endorsed the arguments submitted by Trinidad and Tobago’s Senior Counsel Reginald Armour, who is representing the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Representative, Joseph Harmon.

Armour, last Wednesday, told the court that the supremacy of the Constitution must be respected even as he maintained that the decision of the Court of Appeal under Article 177 (4) is final, and therefore, cannot be appealed.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 5, 2020

16 new cases of COVID-19

GUYANA has recorded 16 new cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in just 24 hours, a worrying indication for this country as authorities continue to battle the dreaded disease.

According to statistics released by health authorities, those cases were found following 68 COVID-19 tests, which were conducted between Friday and Saturday.

Authorities have so far tested 2,779 persons, with 2,507 of those persons proving negative and 272 positive.

Of the positive cases, some 120 persons have recovered and 14 persons have died, but authorities are still monitoring 138 active cases. Three of the active cases are being treated in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU), while the remaining cases are in institutional isolation.

Considering the severity of COVID-19 and its effects,

persons need to be aware that the safety of every Guyanese is dependent on the compliance with control measures, which were implemented by local health authorities to contain the spread of the disease.

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

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

According to the existing statistics, Regions One (Barima-Waini), Four and Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) continue to have most of the cases.

Sunday July 5, 2020 –– 04:30hrs & 14:30

Deputy Chief Medical Officer (DCMO), Dr. Karen Boyle, in a past report, had said Regions One and Seven, in particular, have recorded a rapid increase in the number of cases being recorded.

Just Thursday, this newspaper reported that COVID-19 claimed the life of a miner from Bartica, Region Seven, Abdool Khan.

“Fellow Guyanese, the new COVID-19 death has occurred in Region Seven, in a family where the spouse and the children are now left without a father, the breadwinner, and the one on whom the family looked for comfort and protection.

“I am pleading with you, to stop and spare a thought not only for your safety, but that of your family, neighbours and residents in the communities,” said the DCMO. She advised persons to co-operate with the compliance division of the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Civil Defence Commission, the army and the police, who will be working collaboratively with the Ministry of Public Health to contain the spread of this deadly disease in hinterland communities.

“We are calling on all the residents to cooperate with the health officials as we work to contain the spread of the disease in your communities,” she advised.

Health authorities have found that a large number of positive cases, in these regions, have no signs and symptoms, so they are asymptomatic. These persons can transmit this disease and

the infected persons will not even know that they are sick because there is no sign.

Toshaos and village councillors, operations owners all have a role to play in this pandemic. Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr. Shamdeo Persaud, had called on them to impress upon villagers and workers the importance of what is being said. All of the evidence points to the fact that if the guidelines are followed, the disease will be contained.

Considering the situation, Dr. Persaud had said residents of the community need to “be

on guard” and take all necessary precautions in order to prevent further spread of the disease.

“We are urging you to support the health team in this area by coming forward for testing if you have been in contact with anyone who has tested positive; by staying home unless it is necessary for you to come out, and if you must come out, ensure that your noses and mouths are covered.”

We ask that there is no congregating of persons, and that all passenger vehicles adhere to the guidelines that were provided. “We wish to also remind you of the runaway situation in neighbouring Brazil that has climbed to the position of being the

second country in the world to have reported cases with an alarmingly high number of deaths registered,” said Dr. Persaud.

COVID-19 remains a serious issue not just here in Guyana, but globally as well, and, according to global statistics, there are 10.7 million cases of COVID-19, with over 517,000 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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Coalition releases death certificates ...

The 14 death certificates represent a percentage of the total number of deceased, whose names were crossed off as having voted on March 2, 2020, when the elections were held in the 10 electoral districts of the country. The Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield, in his report to the Chair of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh on June 13, had said that there were a total of 61 cases of voter impersonation involving dead people.

Based on the CEO’s report on the national recount, in Region One (Barima-Waini) there were 10 such cases, 12 in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), six in Regon Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), 16 in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), seven in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice), seven in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), two in Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) and one in Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo).

However, the number of “dead voters” is no match to the number of cases of voter impersonation involving Guyanese who are listed on the Official List of Electors but were out of the jurisdiction on Elections Day. Based on the CEO’s national recount report, which included Observation Reports for each of the 10 electoral districts, there were more than 4,800 cases of voter impersonation involving cases in which persons who were out of the jurisdiction were marked down as having voted.

One such person is Adler Bynoe of Werken-Rust, Georgetown.

Bynoe was listed among 172 persons whom the Commissioner of Police and Chief Immigration Officer Leslie James had initially confirmed were out of the jurisdiction on Elections Day, and according to the APNU+AFC were marked off on the OLE as having voted.

In a letter to the Chair of the Elections Commission on June 3, 2020, Bynoe confirmed that he had been out of the jurisdiction and therefore

could not have voted. “I can confirm that as a citizen of Guyana, GECOM duly registered me as an elector and my name appeared on GECOM’s Official List of Electors for the 2020 General and Regional Elections. Further, I can confirm that I am usually resident in Guyana, although I was out of the jurisdiction on Elections Day,” Bynoe wrote.

The CEO in his report had said that the total of 4,864 cases of voter impersonation (dead and migrant voters), which were unearthed

by APNU+AFC were confirmed by the Elections Secretariat based on official reports submitted by the Chief Immigration Officer Leslie James and the General Registrar’s Office.

Added to those 4,864 cases of voter impersonation, there were well over 2,000 irregularities that the CEO said compromised the integrity of the electoral process.

In each of the Observation Reports, Lowenfield established that due to the anomalies and instances of voter impersonation, the General and Regional Elections held on March 2 did not satisfy the criteria of impartiality, fairness and compliance with the Constitution and the Representation of the People Act. “Consequently, on the basis of the votes counted and the information furnished from the recount, it cannot be ascertained that the results in this district meet the standard of fair and credible elections,” the chief elections officer said in his Observation Report for District One (Barima-Waini) – a position he iterated for all of the other electoral districts.

According to the CEO’s report, there were 143 instances in which Certificates of Employment were missing, 1,278 missing Oaths of Identity and 150 cases in which extra ballots were found in ballot boxes, and other instances of missing poll books and proxies. Notably, in District Four (Demerara-Mahaica) 47 ballot boxes were void of the statutorily required documents.

These anomalies, the chief elections officer said, are breaches of polling procedures outlined in the Representa-

tion of the People Act and the official manual for presiding officers and other polling day officials. On June 23, 2020, the CEO, in accord with the decision of the Court of Appeal that the President of Guyana must be elected on the basis of valid votes, submitted an Elections Report which showed a victory for the APNU+AFC over the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C). He has since been accused of invalidating well over 115,000 votes.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 5, 2020

What now for CARICOM? THIS weekend the Caribbean community observes the 47th anniversary of the Treaty of Chaguaramas which established CARICOM. That treaty was signed at a pivotal period in the history of the Anglophone Caribbean. It came in the wake of the Black Power Movement which had raised the question of racial equality in our newly independent and soon-to-be-independent countries. It also came in the wake of the collapse of the Federation a decade before. The failure of the Federation was a severe blow to the aspirations of the integration movement, as it raised the question of whether our sub-region possessed the capacity to move beyond its insularity to embrace a Pan-Caribbean ethos in the post-colonial era.

By 1973 it had become pellucid that it was difficult for small post-plantation political economies to survive as stand-alone entities in a world that was hostile to smallness and self-determination. It was that realisation that pushed the then leaders to reach for a balance between their individual sovereignty and the imperatives of smallness.

Jamaica, whose referendum had set in train the break-up of the Federation, was now under new leadership and took its place as one of the original signatories of the treaty.

So here we are almost five decades since the birth of CARICOM. There is indeed much to celebrate. First, the community has survived the many challenges to integration. It survived the ideological turmoil of the 1970s and 1980s when the Caribbean was a site of Cold War contestation. The Grenada revolution of 1979-83 was a novelty in the sub-region; it tested CARICOM’s tolerance for ideological diversity. In the end the revolution imploded, and America invaded Grenada with the help of some leaders acting in their individual capacities. It took some time for the movement to regain its equilibrium, but in the final analysis it survived.

By the turn of the 1990s, the world had changed. There was a transition from Cold War to Globalisation which brought new challenges for small countries. The consolidation of global capital by the large countries meant that the

Caribbean had to bring its integration praxis in line with these developments. The consensus was that CARICOM had to pursue both a deepening and widening of the movement. This led to an acceptance of membership from beyond the Anglophone Caribbean. Hence, the membership of Suriname and Haiti.

This broadening of the membership was followed by two important institutional shifts that sought to deepen the movement.

First, there was the movement towards the creation of a single market and economy known as the CSME. The CSME led to freer movement of goods, services, and people. This was a massive breakthrough that went to the heart of the quest for a common market, which was the initial objective of CARICOM. Today citizens of the Region can move from country to country without visas and they can invest in any country across the Region.

As is the case with intra-regional changes in economics, there was need to regionalise other institutions. So, it was inevitable that a regional court came into play in

2004 when the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) was launched. This proved more challenging than the CSME as the vast majority of member states stayed out of the court, citing the fear that it would come under the political influence of political interests. After a decade and a half only Barbados, Belize, Dominica, and Guyana have joined.

Ironically, as the community observes its 47th anniversary, the fears of the majority of member states seem to have taken centre stage. Both the outgoing and incoming chairs of CARICOM have taken more than a fraternal interest in Guyana’s ongoing electoral impasse. Not since the Grenada saga in 1983 have regional leaders so inserted themselves in the internal affairs of a member state. This could have serious consequences for CARICOM going forward. As we write this editorial, the CCJ is being tested in a case on Guyana over which it has no jurisdiction.

At the heart of the case is where does regionalism end and sovereignty begin.

Already there are calls among Guyanese for the country to leave

CARICOM. Others are calling for CARICOM to expel Guyana if one of the electoral contestants is declared the winner. So, it is not a comfortable anniversary. The expectation that membership of the CCJ would increase may have been dealt a severe blow. And those who have advocated for a closer political alliance within the Region would be sorely disappointed at the handling of the Guyana situation. When one adds to that the fallout over what to do with the regional airline, LIAT, these are indeed anxious times for CARICOM. Not for the first time the integration movement is on trial.

How will it end? Only time will tell. But as we await the outcome, we can congratulate ourselves that we have survived. Integration of sovereign states is not an easy undertaking, even among those who calypsonian Black Stalin reminded in his epic “Caribbean Man came “from the same place/ that make the same trip/ on the same ship .”

It is crystal clear that the Court of Appeal has final jurisdiction in this matter

Dear Editor

"A lie doesn't become truth, wrong doing doesn't become right and evil doesn't become good just because it is accepted by a majority," Booker T Washington.

THE most recent interview with the former attorney general Mr. Anil Nandlall with Travis Chase, where he did not appear to be intoxicated and sleepy as was the case with the CCJ's live Zoom meeting, blatantly attempted to hoodwink and

bamboozle the viewership whom he apparently believes are not of his ilk.

He posited that, " the law can only mean valid votes; the law can never contemplate a government being elected, or a President being elected by the utilisation of invalid votes.

“So if the law says a party that wins the most votes at an election shall form the next government, obviously my brother it can't mean more invalid votes, it must only mean more valid votes."

His utterances in this regard were to give the impression that the final tabulation of the national recount with showed the PPP/C with the majority of votes is a reflection of only valid votes.

This was absolutely not the case here, when the tabulation process was stopped because the votes (11600plus votes) in the 47 boxes that were discovered with no statutory documents to give legitimacy and validity to the ballots being tabulated in the final count, was a matter of concern for the coalition.

The commission, despite the coalition's objections, made a decision to incorporate those said invalid votes into the tabulation to complete the process, along with other questionable ballots.

It was upon the written instructions by the Chairman of GECOM to the Chief Elections Officer (CEO), the coalition not giving any explanation to its concerns to the questionable tabulation of those ballots, went to the correct court, the Court of Appeal, for an "interpretation" of what the constitution

meant, when it said "more votes."

In interpreting the constitution, the court agreed with the position articulated by the former attorney general that the framers of the constitution meant more valid votes as is captured in article 96 of the Representation of the People Act. The CEO having knowledge of the questionable tabulation and acting only in accordance with the constitution primarily, which explicitly states more valid votes as did the interpreta-

tion offered by the majority of judges on the Appeal Court, prepared his report accordingly.

The matter is now before the CCJ, that clearly has no jurisdiction in this matter for a determination according to Article 177 (4) which grants the Court of Appeal exclusive jurisdiction to interpret the constitution with respect to the determination of the validity of the election of a President, and indicates that such decision is final.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 5, 2020

It is crystal ...

Mr Editor, It is now more clear that ever that Guyana's elections have the attention of those with a personal and a collective interest, as well for many with curious interest in and out of the Region, to see how this process with known electoral fraud, that can only be corrected with the use of only valid votes, will play out.

It is quite obvious too that those said judges on the CCJ were as much engaged in the issues concerning our elections, long before and after the matter was put before them.

The decision to be made by those judges in this matter can be very simple as it should be, given the expressed constitutional provisions of our sovereign and independent constitution, which give exclusive jurisdiction on matters pertaining to the election of a President, to be dealt with by the country's indigenous court, the Court of Appeal and its decision is final.

Mr Editor, in Article XXV (5) of the agreement establishing the CCJ states: “Nothing in this Article shall apply to matters in relation to which the decision of the Court of Appeal of a Contracting Party is, at the time of the entry into force of the Agreement pursuant to the Constitution or any other law of that Party, declared to be final.”

It is crystal clear and pellucid as daylight, that the Court of Appeal has the final jurisdiction in this matter which is before the CCJ. On the other hand Mr. Editor, it can be "ground-breaking" if the CCJ breached its own act by over- reaching its jurisdiction to squat in areas of explicit and very translucent constitutional provisions of a sovereign state, that they are prohibited from venturing.

It did seem, that the very nature of questions posed by several of the judges, gave the impression that they were fishing in areas that they should not have concerned themselves with, when the matter before them was very specific and simple.

Their exercise in asking questions, some of which were in my respectful view unintelligent hypothetical questions, which provided a vague indication that they were looking for a loophole to force themselves in, to say they do have jurisdiction.

Mr Editor, permit me to reiterate, Guyana's constitution and the CCJ Act of 2004, enshrined in law, makes it clear that the Guyana Court of Appeal is the final court in matters to the "validity of the election of a President" and " Shall have exclusive jurisdiction" which "shall be final."

Mr Editor, if the CCJ intrudes and trespasses on our sovereignty of jurisdiction, it will have a diabolical conse-

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quence, not only for the respect and reputation of all those judges in this case, but on the very foundation of the Institution they represent.

The Caribbean Court of Justice as it stands, enjoys the minute confidence of only four out of the 15 member states of CARICOM. What is very interesting to note, is that the country that houses this court, Trinidad and Tobago, does not repose the confidence in it being its final court, even though it also has several of its citizens as judges.

One is bound to ask why?

Is it the fear of political interference from fellow sister states and those outside of the Region with the aim to influence regime change, outside the realm of the sovereignty of the state? Or is it because of the closeness of those in the Region, where everyone knows someone who can or may exert influence on those said decision-makers?

All sister states, including those involved, are watching and waiting to see what the court will do.

This case on trial is not only about Guyana, its people, its constitution and its sovereignty; it’s about the other sister states in CARICOM having confidence in the CCJ as their final court. It is about the respect of the court on sovereignty of states indigenous court's decisions, where finality is constitutionally made and is said to be final. It’s about restoring the mistrust imposed on CARICOM from statements of interference in matters of sovereign sister states by both the outgoing and incoming Chairs of CARICOM, whose country man is the President of the CCJ. What is also on trial is the judges’ respect, character, integrity and the potential longevity of the CCJ to stand out as a court that is truly independent and free from the shackles of the lingering spirit of imperialist and colonial influence of former colonisers and big corporations with deep pockets and influence. I am confident that this court will rise to the occasion and do what is right and just ; however, against the aforementioned, I am also equally aware that our former colonisers and their subjects are actively working on schemes to keep us in chains, along with the proponents who took this case to the CCJ, knowing fully of the finality of the ruling of the Court of Appeal. Guyana is not a colony of CARICOM, nor is it a subject of any imperialist/ capitalist interest. Guyana is for Guyanese and it is not for sale.

Regards PNCR Region #10 Chairman Jermaine Figueira

Justice Singh must put Guyana first Dear Editor.

IT seems that current wisdom dictates that if you see someone attempting to break into your home, you must wait and allow him or her to do so, then allow the thief to get away before you call the police. Do not call the police to report that you have evidence showing that someone tried or is trying to steal your money or other valuables from your home. Wait until you have lost your valuables before calling the cops.

If that sounds ridiculous, it’s because it is. But that is precisely what the PPP/C expects from APNU+AFC supporters. That is what two prime ministers want APNU+AFC supporters to do. And that is what the Private Sector Commission in Guyana wants APNU+AFC supporters to do.

They insist that APNU+AFC ignore the evidence of electoral fraud; allow GECOM Chairman Claudette Singh to let the PPP steal the elections; count all the doctored votes and swear in the doctor as President.

Then, APNU+AFC should file a petition to the High Court to complain that the elections were stolen. In their minds, that is how the process must work.

Indeed, there was a time not very long ago when Guyana operated under that principle of lawlessness.

As a reminder to some, during the last elections held under the PPP/C administration, Crum-Ewing was not permitted to exercise his lawful right to protest the then attorney general; he was killed. Shot in cold blood.

During that 2015 election campaign, Fazil Azeez, former radio announcer invited then Candidate David Granger to give a speech to Muslims at a mosque. The following day someone walked up to Azeez and shot him.

And some may recall the election petition case in 1997. The ‘newly

elected’ Janet Jagan proudly tore up a court order in front of television cameras. The High Court vitiated the results, but the election theft nonetheless succeeded. These are just a few reminders of the erosion of the rule of law taking place during the PPP/C administration, and likely to resume should that party snatch power again.

In their attempt to steal the 2020 elections using an improved 1997 playbook, the PPP/C demanded that the outdated, bloated electoral list be used. An unsuspecting GECOM chairman allowed herself to be manipulated into acquiescence. That list contains the names of tens of thousands who died or emigrated during the past 10 years. That list allowed massive rigging by a party that has not won a general election since 1997.

Although no one expected this to happen, someone or several persons impersonated thousands – not just a few, but thousands of those who were not here to vote because they are dead or had emigrated. Under normal circumstances, those fraudulent votes would not have been discovered, and the PPP/C’s theft would have succeeded. But as it turned out, President Granger and Bharrat Jagdeo agreed to a nationwide recount and audit of the election. That recount and audit allowed the boxes to be opened before the election results were declared. Many irregularities were then discovered and exposed; the PPP/C was caught attempting to steal the elections before that party could be declared the winner. Understandably, that made them and some special interest groups very unhappy to the point that they issued threats to those who attempted to uphold the law.

What must APNU+AFC supporters do? The PPP/C and the special-interest groups want them to

allow the theft to succeed and then afterwards, to file a petition at the High Court. GECOM Chairman Claudette Singh, presumably under tremendous duress, attempted to push for that approach. But a courageous APNU+AFC candidate is trying to foil the most audacious attempt to steal the elections. It seems clear that APNU+AFC supporters are not ready to abide by the PPP/C’s rules or to give in to foreign special interests. They do not believe that the crime must be allowed to succeed while they stand by and watch.

The Guyana Court of Appeal agreed that only the valid votes must be counted. Yet, foreign people are pressing for, some even demanding that the fraudulent votes be counted; claiming that they are calling for democracy to be preserved. I doubt that those who want dead people’s votes to be counted in Guyana would want the same brand of democracy for their respective country. In their minds, APNU+AFC supporters do not deserve fairness at the elections.

Meanwhile, the PPP/C asked the Caribbean Court of Justice to overturn the Guyana Court of Appeal decision as they continue to press for fraudulent votes to be counted. The CCJ will make its ruling, whether with bias or not, no one knows. Then, a final decision by GECOM is expected, and that decision will be based largely on whether retired Judge Claudette Singh believes that an exposed electoral crime should succeed. She will decide whether Guyana continues as a law-and-order nation, or whether we revert to the days when the clouds of death squads and “phantoms” terrorised the Guyanese people. Let us hope that she puts Guyana First.

Respectfully Max Mohamed

PRINCIPLE OR PERISH?

The CCJ future hangs in balance Dear Editor THE Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) is currently deliberating on the most important non-case that it has ever had to hear. The leaders of Guyana’s main opposition, the People’s Progressive Party, have brought an appeal to the CCJ seeking to have a Guyana Court of Appeal decision overturned.

The matter is straightforward and need not detain the CCJ for all of a week. It has no jurisdiction and ought to so rule. There are some disturbing signs arising out of the seven-hour-long hearing on Thursday, however. From the (i) composition of the bench hearing the case, (ii) the posture of the President and judges, (iii) the curious insistence on exploring irrelevant ‘hypothesis’ (which the judges themselves described as “absurd”), (iv) the emotive and preposterous pleadings of the

PPP’s attorneys urging the CCJ to “pronounce” on the election results (which it has no authority whatsoever to so do), it would appear as though the CCJ is attempting to manufacturer an artificial conundrum for itself, apparently designed to grandstand and, to rely on Caribbean colloquialism, ‘pampazette.’

The dilemma that the President of the CCJ Mr. Justice Adrian Saunders and his colleague judges appear to be engineering is one of jurisdiction, where it is settled and certain in law that it has none. Guyana’s constitution, and its CCJ Act of 2004, enshrined in law, make it clear that the Guyana Court of Appeal is the final court in matters related to “the validity of an election of a President” and “shall have exclusive jurisdiction” which “shall be final.”

In law, the word ‘shall’ is rarely used without purposeful intent.

Notwithstanding such a definitive

position, the PPP has nonetheless appealed to the CCJ. The CCJ on July 1 heard the appeal and is to rule, in the first instance, whether it has jurisdiction to pronounce on the appeal. It is the widespread view, including of the PPP’s own lead counsel in the case, that the CCJ lacks jurisdiction. Dr. Francis Alexis QC, the pre-eminent constitutional expert in the Caribbean, in an opinion, was absolute.

“The application for special leave to appeal to the CCJ should clearly be refused,” Dr. Alexis advised.

Beyond the actual case however, there is even more at stake.

The very existence and future of the CCJ hangs in the balance, and by extension, CARICOM and Caribbean unity are threatened. And this at the regrettable historic juncture of Britain’s bitter withdrawal from the TURN TO PAGE

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OP-ED

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 5, 2020

The CCJ, Guyana and CARICOM

By Lincoln Lewis THE Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) was established in 2005 as the judicial branch of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) with original and appellate jurisdictions. The former jurisdiction attends to matters pertaining to the Treaty of Chaguaramas (the establishment of CARICOM) and the latter as a member-state court of last resort for civil and criminal matters. The establishment of this Court augurs well for the peoples of the Region quest for self-determination.

In its 15th year, the Court records four member-states out of the 15 member-states and five associate member-states in the 20 countries grouping. The participating countries are Barbados, Be-

lize, Dominica, and Guyana, the first three extricating from the United Kingdom Privy Council as their court of last resort; Guyana having done so since 1970 when we became a Republic. Instructively, Trinidad and Tobago, where the Court is headquartered, is not a member.

Presently, all eyes are on the CCJ. In its hands it holds resolution to the election impasse and the sovereign right of Guyanese to elect their President. The President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana has dual functions.

The office holder is Head of State and Government, and our Constitution vests the power solely in the hands of Guyanese on matters pertaining to his/her election.

This is not by accident, given the responsibility of the office, and duty to the nation and citizenry.

PRINCIPLE OR ...

European Union, the US withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement and the World Health Organisation and the disintegration of LIAT. Insularity, bred by extremism and exploited by influential men of deficient judgment, is becoming a global disease which may well infect the Caribbean if the CCJ attempts to act beyond its remit.

At a time when the CCJ is actively seeking to bring more CARICOM countries into its fold, it must be cautious that it does not act in a reckless manner to estrange and disengage those which it now has within its realm. The CCJ came into existence in 2005 and to date, only four Caribbean territories have acceded to it being their final appellate court for civil and criminal matters - Barbados, Belize, Dominica and Guyana.

In each case, each country has reserved matters, such as the one now brought by the PPP before the CCJ, for their own local appellate court as the final arbiter.

Trinidad and Tobago, where the CCJ is located, still maintains the UK’s Privy Council as its final court of appeal. The vast majority of CARICOM countries do not recognise the CCJ as their final appellate jurisdiction. The CCJ, in form and function, is eager to bring more countries into its remit and the movement to accomplish this has made some progress.

What, in all likelihood, will obliterate that progress is if the CCJ delivers an extra-judicial ruling which ignores the constitution and laws of Guyana and the CCJ’s own founding principles and tres-

Our Constitution expressly states, “Sovereignty belongs to the people who exercise it through their representatives and the democratic organs established by or under this Constitution” (Article 9). And whereas the President is an elected representative, given the portfolios of the holder, special attention is given to qualification needed to hold this office, including approaching the court for clarity surrounding his/her election.

As per Article 177, which deals with the ‘Election of the President,’ it is the “Court of Appeal that shall have exclusive jurisdiction to hear and determine any question as to the validity of an election of a President in so far as that question depends on the qualification of any person for election

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passes in legal territory where it has no jurisdiction.

Such action, will, very likely, result in Caribbean countries eyeing deeper involvement with the CCJ, casting a cynical eye, recoiling and withdrawing any intention to come under the CCJ’s umbrella. It is not the future of the people of Guyana which is on trial at, or in the hands of the CCJ - that matter has already been constitutionally decided to finality in Guyana. It is in fact the future of the CCJ itself which is on trial and in the hands of President Saunders and the CCJ justices.

The sage counsel of Reginald Armour, who also appeared before them in the case ought to be heeded by the CCJ. Said the learned Queen’s Counsel, “[i]t is an opportunity for your Lordship (the CCJ) when you give judgment in this matter and you decline jurisdiction, that I exhort you to do, you may yet find an opportunity in your judgment to echo the wish of Justice (Winston) Anderson to ask your member sovereign states to amend the agreement to give you the jurisdiction which you now do not have.”

Over to President Saunders and his colleagues. We await their ruling to see whether they will act on principle and within the law or they go rogue and irreversibly lead the CCJ to perish.

The people of Guyana will survive this, the CCJ may not.

Regards Imran Khan

Lincoln Lewis

or the interpretation of this Constitution; and any decision of that Court under this paragraph shall be final.”

Under the extant Article, on the 22nd June, the Court of Appeal, by majority decision, ruled on the issue of valid votes to elect the

President. This ruling has been challenged and is now before the CCJ seeking leave to hear the case.

The argument made to approach the CCJ as an “appeal of right” enshrined in our Caribbean Court of Justice Act Cap 3:07, Section 6 (c) ‘Jurisdiction of the Court’ allows that “An appeal shall lie to the Court from decisions of the Court of Appeal as of right-- in any civil or criminal proceedings which involve a question as to the interpretation of the Constitution.”

Whereas the right to appeal in a court of law is universal and must be respected, such right is authourised by the prescribed law.

Article 9 of the Constitution assures that “This Constitution is the supreme law of Guyana and, if any other law is inconsistent with it,

that other law shall, to the extent of the inconsistency, be void.”

A lot was said at the CCJ sitting last Wednesday to determine whether the Court can hear the matter. We were subjected to listening to issues that had no bearing on the Court’s instruction, yet these were facilitated and entertained by the Judges.

This is not a matter only of interest to Guyanese but to other participating member-states and peoples of the Region. In a region, even as we pursue self-determination and any step in this direction ought to be welcomed, we are also dealing with selfdoubt and suspicion as to our ability to set aside partisanship, familial association, etc, and dispassionately dispense with justice.

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Tribute to a legend – Sir Everton Weekes

By Cosmo Hamilton

If you are a West Indies cricket fan of the post second world war and into the modern era you would have been familiar with the exploits of the so called 3 W’s that was to form the most iconic troika in the game. Born within 17 months of each other from August of 1924 to January of 1926, and within a radius of two miles of each other on the island of Barbados, Sir Frank Maglinne Worrell, Sir Everton DeCourcy Weekes, and Sir Clyde Leopold Walcott dominated West Indies cricket and left an indelible impression on the game internationally.

Prolific batsmen, each with a delightfully distinctive style of strokeplay – Worrell with scintillating, incisive grace, Walcott with a sort of burly tower of power, and Weekes with nimble, hard-hitting panache.

In March 1967 Sir Frank Worrell, first Black West Indies captain having played 51 Tests, scoring 3860 runs at an average of 49.48, died at age 42. Sir Clyde Walcott, first Black captain of Guyana in 1955, tallied 3798 runs in 44 Tests at a healthy average of 56.68 including 15 centuries, and passed on August 26, 2006. And on July 2, 2020 at the age of 95, it was the end of play for Sir Everton Weekes, first Black captain of his native Barbados who in 48 Tests amassed 4455 runs at an average of 58.61 with 15 centuries.

Of the 3 W’s, Weekes was perhaps the most entertaining batsman, prolific in Tests and First Class matches. On the West Indies historic tour of England, Weekes compiled one of the best ever stretches of high-scoring innings including 304 not out against Cambridge University at the well-known featherbed pitch at Fenners. As the story goes, Weekes woke up that morning and was heard to have said ‘Today is a good day for a hundred, I think I’ll make a double.’ He proceeded to score a hundred before lunch, a hundred after lunch, and a hundred after tea.

Weekes followed that in midJune with 279 in 235 minutes versus Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge, after which England batsman George Gunn said, ‘I have seen them all since Victor Trumper and including Bradman; I have never seen a more brilliant array of strokes nor heard the ball so sweetly struck.’ Sir Everton followed those innings with 246 not out versus Hampshire, and 200 not out against Leicestershire, hitting the fastest century of the season in 65 minutes.

But Sir Everton’s most noteworthy achievement would have been his world record 5 Test centuries in consecutive innings, barely missing a sixth when he was controversially run out at 90 in the 4th Test at Madras in 1949. Those centuries included 141 versus England in Jamaica in 1948, followed by 128 in Delhi,

194 in Bombay, and 162 and 101 in Calcutta.

My pleasant encounter with Weekes, one of the greatest batsmen to have ever played the game, would have been back in October 2006 when I was persuaded by former West Indies off-spinner Lance Gibbs, to arrange a memorial service for the late Sir Clyde Walcott in New York. Although Sir Everton was invited to attend the event as a special guest, he never sought any special arrangement. Apart from his complementary Caribbean Airlines ticket, the great West Indian eschewed any special protocol or liaison for his participation at the memorial service in Brooklyn, where he addressed the congregation and received a Proclamation from the Brooklyn Borough President on behalf of the Walcott family.

Evidently it was the typical simplicity that characterized Sir Everton’s later life in Barbados in the modest neighborhood of Oistins, in Christ Church where he resided. He reportedly swam often in the nearby Caribbean sea. Those of us ardent followers of Windies cricket on television will miss seeing Sir Everton in his familiar seat at the Sir Garfield Sobers pavilion at his beloved Kensington Oval. Rest in eternal peace Sir Everton Weekes. And thanks for the memories.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 5, 2020

GUYANA’S SOVEREIGNTY ON TRIAL FINANCE Minister Winston Jordan has reported that for 2019 the Guyana economy performed “creditably and remained stable.” The economy grew by 5.4 per cent. Gross international reserves rose to US$575.6 million, from US$528.4 million, in 2018.

“Guyana remains among the very few countries that are expected to grow appreciably in 2020,” the minister asserted, as he outlined current challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, its negative impact on the oil industry, the on-going electoral crisis and consequently, the absence of a 2020 national budget.

This positive rating, including a World Bank projection of a 54% economic growth in 2020, debunks the PPP’s wicked and evil propaganda that “the country is bankrupt; the treasury is empty,” which it churned out from its lie factory shortly after polling on March 2.

DIRTY DATA The seditious attack on the country appears to be the left-over from the putrid propaganda poison and the dirty digital data used during the election campaign to undermine confidence not only in the government, but to sow disillusionment among our people.

I know for sure that the

PPP’s rump in Robb Street was too unimaginative and clumsy to come up all by itself with such an act. It copied it from old and dusty destabilisation manuals, some dating back many decades.

In 1953, when the British invaded the colony, they failed to find any “reds under the bed.” They then quickly gave as another reason for invasion the blatantly false claim that the Jagan-led government had looted the treasury.

Fast forward the tape to 2020, and it is clear as a mirror under the sun that the copycat PPP took wholesale from their foreign propaganda handlers the “treasury-is-empty” yarn from that colonial era, having been exposed for its nasty attempt at rigging the March 2 elections by means of an invasion of polling places with an army of the dreaded dead and “phantom” migrant voters. That disgraceful act also exposed the downfall of the PPP as captured in a different context by the Nigerian novelist, Chinua Achebe, in “Things Fall Apart.”

ELECTORAL FRAUD As I had done in the past when elections were “crooked as barbed wire,” I have compiled a new synopsis of electoral fraud, now involving the PPP, based on the tabulation and observations

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The CCJ, ...

There is real concern that our courts could be used, and have been used, to make political, not legal decisions; that judges could arrogate to themselves the authority of legislatures (making laws) rather than be interpreters of the law (judiciary). The CCJ is vested with the authority to make legal not political decisions. It must insulate itself from the noise of local and external forces who desire to carry the Court in any direction outside of its scope, mandate, and the issue before it.

The CCJ must leave the politicking for the politicians and those with vested self-interest. This case is not only of import to Guyana but the entire region where many have not signed on, some have voted not to, and others remain skeptical. It will be the litmus test for those who stand on the sidelines. Whatever decision the Court arrives at if there is any inference such is not premised on law, the CCJ will not be deemed credible in the eyes of the people. This would be a blow to the entire Caribbean integration movement and the peoples’ quest for self-determination, judicial and political.

by the elections commission.

These include: - ballots cast in the names of persons who are dead or had migrated; - ballots cast by persons without proper identification; - ballots cast exceeding the number of persons on the Official List of Electors; - ballots for one electoral district cast in another; - ballots cast by persons outside of their districts without proper documents; - ballots and counterfoils carrying the same numbers; - ballot boxes from one polling station containing documents of another; - ballot boxes without statutory polling documents; - ballots issued to ranks in the army and police force improperly stamped; and - poll books which are missing.

While the fraud was being unmasked, a different type of digital warfare was unleashed on the Guyanese people. Terrifying clips emerged on social media of Parliament Buildings on fire, and faked racist footage was posted of a screaming and hostile crowd marching down from Buxton in the direction of named communities to drive division among our Guyanese brothers and sisters.

The dirty digital warfare bears the footprints of foreign hired guns, some

of whom have turned into whistleblowers and are now stepping forward to expose both the masterminds and the methods of the multi-million-dollar corruption campaign. It is my strong conviction that many collaborators would eventually be held accountable for their crimes against the Guyanese people.

NEGATIVE HEADLINES In this crazy conspiracy to grab power, the PPP has tried to weaponise Facebook, sections of the local media and even the courts in what for it is a desperate all-or-nothing war. The focus now is on negative headlines of almost terrorist threats against top elections officials, of sanctions and imprisonment in a cowardly attempt to break their will and to compromise them.

But there is a strong pushback, as the Guyanese people are not without a righteous cause, the outcome of which could severely impact our Caribbean family of nations.

The fight-back is against the spurious opposition appeal to the Caribbean Court

of Justice (CCJ) for it to override the jurisdiction of Guyana’s Court of Appeal on the interpretation by the latter of the Guyana Constitution, to the effect that votes cast in an election of a president mean “valid votes” and nothing else.

It was strongly contended that the CCJ cannot oust the power of the Guyana Court of Appeal to make a final decision on a limited or narrow set of issues.

AUTHORITATIVE STATEMENTS Reference was made during the preliminary hearing to authoritative statements by Mr. Justice Winston Anderson, a member of the CCJ’s panel of judges, but who is not on the Bench in the current matter. His Honour said inter alia: “If issues cannot be appealed to the CCJ, the CCJ cannot consider them, and if the CCJ cannot consider them, then they cannot be included in the building blocks of the court’s jurisdiction. It is that simple…But there is very little, if anything, that the CCJ can do to change this situation…”

Assuming and accepting that “this situation” of the jurisdiction of the Caribbean Court of Justice emerged from a treaty styled “Agreement Establishing the Caribbean Court of Justice,” Senior Counsel Mr. Reginald Armour submitted that “treaties are entered into as a matter of the sovereignty of nations.”

It appears to me that at stake is the supremacy of the Guyana Constitution and the inviolability of Guyana’s sovereignty. Beyond this I cannot comment on the matter before the CCJ. But as a Caribbean political activist I have lived with a turbulence in my heart over what history has taught us about solidarity and the sanctity of sovereignty. That history showed that in 1953 a couple of prominent voices echoed support for the suspension of the constitution of British Guiana; and 30 years later, in 1983, similar voices applauded the foreign invasion of the tiny, sovereign state of Grenada.

Now, it seems, that Guyana’s sovereignty is on trial.

‘Not our statement’ …four WGEC commissioners disassociate themselves from statement on Mottley

FOUR commissioners of the Women and Gender Equality Commission have distanced themselves from a statement purportedly issued by that body condemning attacks on former chairman of Caricom, Prime Minister Mia Mottley.

“We wish to refer to an article published in the June 29, 2020 issue of the Stabroek News under the captioned “Women and Gender Equality Commission condemns attacks against Mottley” We wish to let it be known that the WGEC comprise Commissioners representing various organisations within Guyana and the issuance of this statement was definitely not a Commission’s decision since

we were not consulted at any time,” the commissioners Karen VanSluytman-Corbin, Guyana Trade Union Congress/WAC; Nicole Cole, Culture/Ethnic; Ernestine Barker-Logan, Regional Women’s Affairs Committee; and Debra Henry of Professional Women, said in a terse statement.

The statement said” “For many Guyanese and Caribbean women and men – Mia Mottley is an exemplary Caribbean leader.

She is deserving of our respect.”

It added that it was at the invitation of both President David Granger and opposition leader Bharrat Jagdeo that CARICOM, led by Mottley in her capacity as its Chairperson, offered its assis-

tance in the form of an Independent High-Level Team to observe the Recount process. The agreement between the two political leaders was cemented in an Aide Memoire. Both the president and opposition leader agreed to abide by credible and transparent results of the Recount process.”

“Whether one agrees or disagrees with the CARICOM Observer Report on the Guyana Elections and the Recount process, there is no need whatsoever for the insults being levelled against Mia Mottley, who is standing by the Report,” the commission noted. Mottley had come under fire for alleged prejudicial statements about

Guyana’s elections and also had attacked the Chief Elections Officer for his report that tallied valid votes. “We can agree or disagree with the Elections results in Guyana which are always contentious – the 2020 Elections are particularly so.

However, the leaders of both major parties agreed to have CARICOM here to do a specific job, which they did,” the commission said. “Let us be civil to each other in Guyana – even in contentious times and let us be civil to our Caribbean Community leaders and peoples even in times of contention between us.”

OP-ED

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 5, 2020

The CCJ can only rule that it has no jurisdiction

…but PPP lawyers want court to break the law

By Adam Harris ON Wednesday the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) is expected to hand down its ruling on whether it has jurisdiction in the action brought by Irfaan Ali and Bharrat Jagdeo.

The two are challenging the ruling handed down by the Guyana Court of Appeal in the action brought by Eslyn David.

Ms David moved to the court to seek a declaration on what is a valid vote. The court ruled by a majority that the words “All votes cast” mean “all valid votes cast.”

Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield tabulated his final report to the Guyana Elections Commission, using the ruling of the Court of Appeal.

No sooner had he done this than Irfaan Ali and Bharrat Jagdeo moved to the Caribbean Court of Justice to nullify Mr. Lowenfield’s report.

They went further. They got a lawyer to file private criminal charges against Mr Lowenfield for malfeasance in public office. They contended that Mr Lowenfield’s report was fraudulently concocted.

This reported filing got wide publicity, which the PPP wanted. Up to Friday one newspaper aligned to the PPP reported that Mr. Lowenfield was heading to court for 09:00hrs.

I understand that they went to court without even serving the writ on Lowenfield; it had to be a publicity stunt. They know where Lowenfield lives; they know that he would be at the Guyana Elections Commission, but they could not find him.

Meanwhile, the Caribbean Court of Justice met on June 30, last, to decide whether it had jurisdiction.

That meeting which lasted some seven hours made me think about a man coming to buy my cow. He then set about asking me about my wife and my son.

If I expected to hear arguments about jurisdiction I was mistaken. I heard the court actually debate the motion by Jagdeo and Ali. It went further: there was a plaintive plea by Senior Counsel Ralph Hari Ramkarran.

Senior Counsel Ralph Ramkarran, in summing up his submission, made a bizarre appeal when he exhorted the CCJ judges to “take this material before you and PRONOUNCE on the elections results and bring this matter to a close once and for all.”

He asked the CCJ to order Lowenfield to withdraw his report. I am unaware of the power of the CCJ to accede to that request by Ramkarran.

This is outrageous and shocking from a senior counsel. However, it illus-

trates the desperation of the PPP’s case. The CCJ is not GECOM. The CCJ cannot PRONOUNCE and declare a winner of Guyana’s elections.

There is a clear matter of jurisdiction that is before the CCJ which is what it has to rule on, not PRONOUNCE on the Guyana elections as Ramkarran is urging them to do.

The PPP’s case before the CCJ is weak in law, relies on emotion, irrelevant hypothesis and seeks to inject a moral imperative.

The CCJ is not empowered or authorised to consider any of these and MUST strictly consider only the law and confine itself to the law.

Another PPP attorney (and we need to deliberately bundle all the PPP and small parties into one by referring to them as ‘PPP attorneys’) made a vulgar and brazen appeal to the CCJ, pressing the court to act outside its remit and outside the laws of Guyana.

He said, “This court (the CCJ) cannot simply say we are minded to deal with the legal issues. I ask this court to take a more broad purposive approach to its deliberations.”

This is absurd and ludicrous. A lawyer is asking the court, which must uphold the law, to act outside the law.

This is not a legal argument, this is wild, reckless, ‘rum shop’ gyaff.

Adam Harris

Queen’s Counsel Reginald Armour, John Jeremie and Justin Simon along with Attorney General Basil Williams presented cogent, compelling arguments for the Coalition team.

They cited case law from various jurisdictions, a previous ruling of the CCJ and the view of a sitting CCJ Judge, Justice Winston Anderson.

Justice Anderson, according to Queen’s Counsel Armour, said that “if issues cannot be appealed to the CCJ, the CCJ cannot consider them.

“If the CCJ cannot consider them, then they cannot be included in the building blocks of the Court’s jurisprudence. It is that simple…”

QC Jeremie pointed out to the CCJ that the PPP was asking it “to defy the expressed terms of the Guyanese laws and the CCJ agree-

ment” and to act beyond and outside of its remit which the CCJ clearly cannot do.

Queen’s Counsel Simon also submitted to the CCJ, citing the Laws of Guyana and the CCJ Act, that there can be no question that the Guyana Court of Appeal is the final court of jurisdiction and that there can be no appeal to the CCJ as the CCJ lacks jurisdiction.

Attorney General Williams submitted to the court the widespread fraud which was uncovered in the recount process.

The fraud included voter impersonation (dead people voting, migrated people voting), missing poll books, missing polling documents, unstamped ballots, more votes than electors, missing oaths of identity and other irregularities.

This case is plain and simple about Guyana’s sovereignty and Guyana’s right to settle its affairs in Guyana.

The Caribbean Court of Justice does not have jurisdiction over this matter.

The Guyana Court of Appeal is the final court of jurisdiction on this matter and it has already delivered a ruling.

We await the CCJ’s ruling. The CCJ can only rule that it has no jurisdiction.

The GECOM Chair has to make the declaration. The CEO has already submitted his report based on the recount and the GECOM Chair must make the declaration based on the CEO’s report, nothing else.

But strange things happened during the last hearing on Wednesday.

The CCJ went beyond its stated mandate to determine jurisdiction. It entertained the actual appeal by the PPP. That was deliberate and prejudicial to the Coalition.

The CCJ constantly interrupted and disrupted the flow of the attorneys for the Coalition, but spared the attorneys for the PPP. That was deliberate and prejudicial to the Coalition.

If the CCJ overrides and/ or breaches or amends the Guyana Constitution to exercise jurisdiction, it will be the death of the CCJ. Members who are sceptical in joining will be more sceptical and possibly never join.

The CCJ is aware that the Privy Council, its predecessor in Apex Court, over time, refrained from hearing election appeals.

It is also aware that one of its own judges, Justice Anderson, stated that when Barbados, Guyana and Belize delinked from the Privy Council and joined the CCJ, that system of the Privy Council refraining from elections petitions was also transferred to the CCJ. Yet, the CCJ went beyond the jurisdiction point and heard matters relating to the unappealable appeal.

Mass testing for Aranka, Moruca …communities to be on lockdown from Monday

MEDICAL teams will be in Aranka and surrounding mining areas in Region Seven, as well as Moruca in Region One, in coming days to tackle the sudden spike of COVID-19 cases in these areas. The teams will leave on Sunday, July 5, As this is taking place, a mandatory lockdown will be imposed on both areas. This will allow the health team to conduct mass screening and testing of individuals living and working in these areas.

Agencies collaborating with the Public Health Ministry to ensure this process is conducted effectively include the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples' Affairs, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and the Guyana Defence

Force (GDF), Regional Democratic Councils and Health Emergency Committees of Regions One and Seven, among others.

While under lockdown, no one will be allowed in or out of these areas for one month, commencing July 6 to August 3, 2020. The Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence has noted that the medical teams of doctors, nurses, sanitisation staff and surveillance teams will all be doing their part to identify and isolate positive cases while quarantining contacts and monitoring their conditions.

"The incubation period for this virus can range from 14 days to 31 days; so we will do mass testing. We will be able to identify those persons who are sharing the disease because our rate of

transmission is for every one person who gets the disease, they infect three persons.

Therefore, the mass testing can pull in those people who are 'shedding' and they don't even know it," Minister Lawrence told DPI. Shedding is the term used for persons who are unaware of their positive status and are infecting others who they come into contact with. It noted that populations in these areas are small and are often on the move hence the need for a lockdown.

The lockdown or, as the Health Minister terms it, a 'cease order' will stop mining operation especially in Aranka. It will also put a halt to border crossings which are frequent in this area.

Minister Lawrence noted that the concern is not only directed at the border

Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence

crossings between Guyana and Venezuela but also local border crossings between Regions One and Seven. The constant movement of people contributes to the spread of the virus and needs to stop forthwith, she emphasised.

"We are locking down

for a month and there will be a cessation of business in there, which is largely to stop the mining…. There is a lot of employment of migrants in these areas, in forestry, in mining and they are coming and going; that is why we are moving to close down the mines.”

Additionally, while a large number of positive cases have not manifested respiratory symptoms such as a cough, difficulty breathing or other flu-like symptoms, persons have experienced other signs which continuous research indicates is due to COVID-19.

"People may think they ate something bad and have diarrhoea or a constant headache, but they might be infected,” Minister Lawrence said.

As a result of these symptoms, persons in these areas have tended to self-medicate, unaware that they might have been exposed to COVID-19

and have become a carrier of the virus. “This is why we are carrying out extensive research, because we noticed people are reacting differently to the disease. We are looking at all factors,” the Health Minister added. She also pointed to the fact that many coastlanders work in the mining areas and in the absence of a lockdown and mass testing measures, the risk of more persons being infected on the coast is inevitable.

"The objective is to stem the spread of the disease in there and stop it from coming out, going beyond that cluster area.

As it is right now, it is a community cluster.” Minister Lawrence emphasised that the Health Ministry is taking all necessary steps to save lives and called on business in those areas to support the effort to stop the spread of the virus.

(DPI)

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 5, 2020

Despite the noise, Government is in excellent conformity with civic principles of the global community DESPITE the engineered noise and overwhelming propaganda aimed at portraying the Government of Guyana as some pariah that is opposed to the values of the global community, a cursory glance at the issue would reveal that Guyana’s current State apparatus is in full conformity with the civic values of the international community. In the context of the current electoral imbroglio, there is certainly enough evidence to merit the argument that the government has a relatively impenetrable case that can withstand the scrutiny of the principles of the organisations and treaties to which they are obligated. For this reason, it is folly to demand that the international community desist from issuing opinions on our current elections impasse; we should welcome the chance to argue an excellent case.

CARICOM Amid a virtual coup d’etat via electoral fraud, the Government of Guyana continues to fulfill its obligations entrusted by the letter and spirit of the Caribbean community of which it is a founding member. By respecting the independence of the elections commission, by not inter-

fering with the work of the independent judiciary and by advocating for credible valid votes and standing at the opposite side of electoral fraud, the Government of Guyana has done nothing remotely close to shirking the obligations conferred by the CARICOM Civil Society Charter. The charter was designed to promote and hold Caribbean countries to civil behaviour consistent with the principles of the rule of law and democracy. By its posture throughout this election cycle, it is reasonable to opine that the executive arm of the government is in good stead. It is worthy to note that the Charter states: “When the Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community affixed their signatures to the Resolution adopting the Charter of Civil Society on Wednesday, February 19, 1997 in St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda, in so doing they undertook to pay due regard to its principles, thus giving effect to one of the strongest recommendations of the West Indian Commission (WIC) as contained in its report, ‘Time for Action’.”

The West Indian Commission emphasized, “We attach much importance to this proposal for a Charter of Civil Society. CARICOM

needs normative moorings; we have found widespread yearning for giving the Community a qualitative character values beyond the routine of integration arrangements themselves can be judged and to which they can be made to conform. The Charter can become the soul of the Community, which needs a soul if it is to command the loyalty of the people of CARICOM.” It is apparent to me, insofar as the soul of the community comprises of values and principles that do not provide any succor for cheating and dishonesty without accountability, it is reasonable to conclude that CARICOM should be on the side of the Government of Guyana in the current electoral dispute.

If the Caribbean Examination Council conducts an audit of a CSEC exam, and widespread fraud is unearthed, the letter and the spirit of the CARICOM Charter would necessitate a forfeiture of that exam, or the separating of the credible valid exams from the ones tainted by fraud.

The ‘normative moorings’ advanced by the West Indian Commission were never intended to encourage the lack of accountability. If a review of Caribbean regional cricket competition reveals ball-tampering, missed noballs and numerous illegal-

ities, the match officials are obligated to make the call and hold cheaters accountable.

You cannot allow the perpetrators to win, and suggest that the losers take the issue to the Court of Arbitration.

Such posturing is justifiable only in a normal election process that did not have a National Recount where fraud was pellucid. If this approach is allowed, it will represent a dangerous precedent that could rock the foundation of Caribbean values and principles, from the smallest village to the State apparatus.

THE OAS The Organisation of American States (OAS) Charter on Democracy states, “The peoples of the Americas have a right to democracy, and their governments have an obligation to promote and defend it.” At the heart of democracy are one man/woman and one credible legal vote. By being a party to the Eslyn David v Chief Elections Officer case, the Gvernment of Guyana, through its Minister of Legal Affairs, argued that the Commission must produce credible results. It appears to me that this is precisely what the Organisation of American States, under its charter on democracy, demanded of every nation that signed on to that agreement; an expectation. In

my humble opinion, if subject to deliberation, it is difficult to see a significant number of the 35 nations that make up this organisation finding fault with the approach of the Government of Guyana in this particular circumstance.

To reiterate and further elucidate the general thrust of the argumentation contained therein, it is worth the time to briefly highlight the cases of those countries that have run afoul of the principles of this organisation. Countries such as Cuba, Honduras and Venezuela that have been suspended or declared persona non grata by the OAS, were given this treatment due to extreme human rights violations, coups d’etat and wanton electoral fraud. The Government of Guyana can be considered stately altar boys in comparison to these cases. Therefore, it is near impossible to see a resolution being mounted to take action against a government that is passionately promoting democracy while respecting the rights of its citizens.

THE COMMONWEALTH Chapter 1 of the Commonwealth (Latimer House) Principles (2003) states: “Each Commonwealth country’s Parliaments, Executives, and Judiciaries are the guarantors

in their respective spheres of the rule of law, the promotion and protection of fundamental human rights and adherence to good governance.” While this 54-member body might be somewhat perplexed by the Guyana electoral situation because they are unaccustomed to a National Recount, and are distinctly familiar with only the elections petition culture, once they scrutinise the primary sources and sort the facts, it is easy to see that the principles being advocated by the Government of Guyana are consistent with the moorings of this eminent grouping. One might ask, what are those principles? They are undergirded by the need for accountability. If there is a review of a fair contest, in any sphere of commonwealth life and there is the discovery of fraud, the perpetrators must be held accountable immediately. You cannot allow the wretched victor by scam to hold the trophy, and instruct the other competitor to seek redress in the courts.

With an excellent human rights record, protecting the right of citizens to petition the government, and being the advocates for democratic principles, the Government of Guyana is in excellent conformity with the civic principles of the global community.

Understanding Energy

Guyana poised to help close oil, gas gender gap “IT is man’s world!” sang James Brown and the Famous Flames, underlining the global reality of social, economic and political inequalities between men and women. When it comes to sheer numbers, it appears the oil and gas industry is also tilted toward men.

According to the World Petroleum Council, women represent only a fifth of the sector’s workforce and mostly in business and commercial roles, with limited presence in technical posts. There has always been an arbitrariness in assigning gender traits to jobs, often rooted in stereotypes of perceived masculine and feminine traits. But that is a discussion for later. What is clear today is that this is not a war won overnight.

Experts believe that gender diversity and balance in the oil and gas sector is attainable. And why wouldn’t

this be the goal; after all, there are so many benefits that could be derived from a diversified workforce. From all indications, Guyana seems well on its way to making a positive contribution in this regard. OilNOW reported a week ago that there were nearly 400 Guyanese women supporting ExxonMobil’s operations here. This is commendable, especially since Guyana only began producing oil less than a year ago.

It is heartening to see young women like Deepa Ramkellewan taking up a role on a drillship more than 100 miles offshore. According to ExxonMobil’s Public and Government Affairs Adviser, Janelle Persaud, another prominent Guyanese woman in industry, women are finding work in a variety of roles in oil and gas - from business services, procurement and health, safety and the envi-

ronment and also in technical fields as Deepa.

tiny, the vessel that plays an integral role in bringing Guy-

And more are on the way.

There are two Guyanese women who are expected to return home soon to work with Exxon as operations and maintenance technicians after receiving training in Canada.

Trainee Kathy James said she was thrilled to be part of this group of technicians who will soon work on the Liza Des-

ana’s first oil to market. Like James, Alexandria Williams is breaking glass ceilings in her role as a mechanical technician at Schlumberger.

Guyanese geoscientist, Ashlika Persaud, is doing our country proud in Houston, Texas where she is an integral part of a team examining seismic data and advising the

company where to drill. In fact, Ashlika had the honor of choosing the name “Tilapia” for an oil discovery Exxon made in February 2019 offshore Guyana.

Providing clear career paths for women is a definitive act to balance the scales of economic inequality. In a small developing country like Guyana, it will take a multi-pronged approach. It is important that we broaden our economic base beyond oil and gas. Fortunately, Exxon seems to understand this and includes women’s economic empowerment as one of its focus areas in its corporate social responsibility programme. Here in Guyana, Exxon has worked with women-led organisations to execute projects geared at empowering women in various communities. Of particular note is a project that upgrades a factory in

Region 1 to produce coco sticks, cassava bread and process other items grown in the region. Aside from empowering women and, by extension, an entire community, this project can contribute to an overall national plan of economic diversity.

To be sure, Guyana and the world has a long way to go to attain gender equality, but conscious efforts by governments, NGOs and private companies will certainly advance plans.

Decisive measures taken to employ more women, support projects geared at empowering women and working with female owned service providers is an important step in the right direction. Because, as James Brown contended later in that famous ditty – this may be a “man’s world” but it means “nothing without a woman or a girl”.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 5, 2020

Charges against CEO unfounded …AG Chambers says only High Court can enquire into conduct of GECOM …calls on DPP to prevent abuse of court by quashing charges

The private criminal charges purportedly filed in the Magistrate’s Court against Keith Lowenfield are unfounded and unsupported in law as questions into whether he has performed his functions validly is prohibited by the Constitution and the Representation of the People Act. This is the position of the Chambers of the Attorney General, headed by Basil Williams SC. The chambers said: “any enquiry that the law allows must come by way of an election petition to the High Court pursuant to article 163 of the Constitution and the National Assembly (Validity) of Elections Act, Cap. 1:04,” the Chambers said.

Magistrate Faith McGusty, at the Georgetown Magistrates Court, on Friday morning issued a summons for Lowenfield to attend court and answer to the three charges filed against him for alleged fraud and misconduct, based on his Elections Report submitted on June 23.

Initially, two private charges were filed by General Secretary of The New Movement (TNM) Daniel Josh Kanhai and People Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) member Desmond Morian. But on Friday, another private charge against Lowenfield was filed

by Morian.

According to the AG chambers Section 3 of the National Assembly (Validity) of the Elections Act, Cap. 1:04 provides that- (1) Any question referred to in article 163(1) (a), (b) and (c) of the Constitution may, in respect of an election…be referred to the Court and shall thereupon be determined by it in

accordance with this Act. (2) Every such reference shall be by a petition…presented to the Court in accordance with

the Elections Commission) in the preceding paragraph that expression does not include the Elections Commission,”

Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield

this Act. The chamber pointed out that Article 226 (6) of the Constitution states that a court shall not enquire into whether a Commission or a member of a Commission has validly performed a function. However, article 226 (7) by its proviso states that the Elections Commission is not included under article 226(6). Article 7 states- (7) In this article, except as otherwise provided or required by the context, the expression‚ “Commission” means the Elections Commission, the Judicial Service Commission, the Public Service Commission, the Teaching Service Commission, or the Police Service Commission: “Provided that (without prejudice to the power of Parliament to make provision in relation to the functions of

the chambers stated.

It added that Article 226 (7) by its proviso excluded the Elections Commission from article 226 (6) because of the exclusive jurisdiction given to the High Court under article 163 to inter alia determine the lawful conduct of an election and membership of the national assembly. Section 140(1) of the Representation of the People Act, Cap 1:03 states that the Court can enquire into whether any function of the Elections Commission or a member of the Commission has performed validly or at all. However, this enquiry of the Court is limited to questions on the membership of the National Assembly and elections pursuant to article 163 and any law made under article 163. Section 140(1) of the RPA states-

Except to the extent that jurisdiction in that behalf has been conferred, and the exercise thereof is required,

prosequi for this outrageous prosecution,” the chambers stated.

Attorney General, Basil Williams

by the Constitution or any law made under article 163 thereof (which provides for the determination by the Supreme Court of Judicature of questions as to membership of the National Assembly and elections thereto) and save as hereinbefore provided to the contrary, no question whether any function of the Elections Commission or of any of its members has been performed validly or at all shall be enquired into in any court.

“Based on the foregoing, the actions of Mr. Lowenfield cannot be enquired into by the Magistrates Court as Article 163 has given the High Court the exclusive jurisdiction to deal with these matters. Accordingly, the Director of Public Prosecutions should intervene and prevent an abuse of the court by entering a nolle

SUMMONED On Friday, all parties involved were present in court, except Lowenfield. This was due to the fact that Lowenfield was never served in person with any of the charges or necessary documents. The charges were first sworn to in court by the informants in the case of Kanhai and Morian.

The Magistrate then issued a summons for Lowenfield and adjourned the case until July 24. Speaking outside of the court, Hanoman explained that one of the charges against Lowenfield attracts a penalty of life imprisonment, since it is also an indictable charge.

He also claimed that more charges are expected to be laid against other key personnel at GECOM. On June 30, the first set of charges was filed

by Kanhai and Morian.

Kanhai is alleging that Lowenfield, between March 5 and June 23, 2020, at Georgetown, in the Georgetown Magisterial District, County of Demerara, State of Guyana conspired with person(s) unknown to commit the common law offence of fraud, to wit, by representing to the Guyana Elections Commission, that tables attached to his Election Report dated June 23, 2020 accurately reflected the true results of the said election, in order to materially alter the results of the said election with intent to defraud, knowing the said tabulation to be false.

Morian is also alleging that Lowenfield, between March 5, 2020 and June 29, 2020, while performing his duty as the Chief Elections Officer of GECOM, without lawful excuse or justification, willfully misconducted himself at Georgetown, a county of Demerara, State of Guyana, a place within the Georgetown Magisterial District by ascertaining results of the 2nd March, 2020, General and Regional Elections for Guyana, knowing the said results to be false, the said willfull misconduct amounting to a breach of the public’s trust in the Office of the Chief Elections Officer of the Guyana Elections Commission.

The second charge which was filed by Morian on Friday against Lowenfield claiming that he allegedly conspired with Region Four District Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo to alter results that had been declared in March for that district.

Old-Age pension available from July 7, NIS announces —Mon. 6 July is a public holiday THE National Insurance Scheme (NIS) has announced that due to the National Holiday on Monday, July 6, 2020, the payment of Old Age Pensions will commence on Tuesday, July 7, 2020, at

post offices countrywide.

In a press release issued on Saturday, the NIS disclosed that recently-implemented alphabetised system by the Guyana Post Office Corporation will be in effect. Seniors will be paid as

follows: · Tuesday, July 7, 2020 - Pensioners with last names beginning with A - D · Wednesday, July 8, 2020 - Pensioners with last names beginning with E - J · Thursday, July 9,

2020 - Pensioners with last names beginning with K - R · Friday, July 10, 2020 - Pensioners with last names beginning with S - Z The NIS is also reminding pensioners to visit their Head Office at Brickdam, only if they are uplifting books between 7 am and 3 pm. Additionally, their cashiers at the Brickdam

Office will be open and encashing vouchers during the pension week from 7 am to 2 pm. Those seniors who already have their pension books and are only encashing vouchers are asked to visit the Camp Street office or the NIS office nearest to them between the hours of 8 am -2 pm. Pensioners are also re-

minded that books can be uplifted at their local offices. The Management of the NIS is asking that persons utilise the handwashing htations and sanitising dispensers upon entering and leaving the compound and adhere to seating arrangements. They are also required to wear a mask when visiting the office.

B

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 5, 2020

ook review:

A Review of David Granger’s Five-thousand Day war: the struggle for Haiti’s Independence, 1798-1804. ISBN 976-8178-12 DAVID Granger’s Five-Thousand Day War: The Struggle for Haiti’s Independence, 1798-1804, recounts and deconstructs the Haitian Revolution.

The book is a tale of the struggle for political supremacy by different strata – caste and colour – and different slave-owning states including England, France and Spain which occurred over a long, bloody period within the French colony of Saint Domingue on the island of Hispaniola.

Haiti celebrated its 200th Independence anniversary in 2004. The United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) proclaimed 2004 as the ‘International Year to Commemorate the Struggle against Slavery and its Abolition.’ It did this to commemorate the bicentenary of the Haitian Revolution of 1804 which it said symbolised “the triumph of the principles of liberty, equality, dignity and the rights of the individual, and that it marked the history of the liberation of the peoples and the emergence of the States of the Americas and the Caribbean.”

David Granger’s Five-Thousand Day War: The Struggle for Haiti’s Independence, 1798-1804, first published in 2004, also marks the bicentenary of the Haitian Revolution, the first successful revolt by enslaved Africans. It is the third book of a trilogy of the African experience in the New World, written by the author, the others being Crime against humanity: the trans-Atlantic trade in captive Africans and Crime without punishment: the Caribbean case for reparative justice.

The Haitian Revolution was a watershed in human history. It created the first Black Republic and was the largest and most successful slave revolt in the western world. The revolution’s sig-

nificance has been celebrated

by Abahlali baseMjondolo, a South African grassroots organisation, as one of the three great revolutions of the 18th century, but the only one which forced the unconditional application of the inalienable rights of all human beings.

It was celebrated, also, by David Geggus, a professor of Caribbean history, as an event of global significance partly because it took place in a country which was then considered the apogee of European colonisation;

by Robert Falton, a professor of government and foreign affairs at the University of Virginia, as representing a serious rupture of the then supremacist order and which fired egalitarian hopes of “ abolishing race as a marker of oppression”; and by Jérôme Duval, author, as a “unique case in the history of a revolt of slaves that gave birth to a State.”

David Granger’s Five-Thousand Day War: The Struggle for Haiti’s Independence, 1798-1804, is an absorbing account of the Haitian Revolution. Granger unravels the complex caste, class, demographic, economic, geographic, strategic, ideological and political factors which converged and exploded into a sequence of revolts. Granger enriches our understanding of the revolution in a way which few others have been able to do. Some writers have presented the Haitian Revolution as a single event, but Granger treats it as a series of 10 revolts, characterising the revolution as: … a series of revolts occurring one after the other, the consequence of the one being the cause of the next. It constituted an almost continuous pattern of

insurrection, invasion and warfare which, taken as a whole, lasted over 14 years,

sions and conflicts which eventually provided the combustion for revolts.

or over 5,000 days of ceaseless conflict.

The book is divided into five sections; * Roots of the Revolution examines the factors which influenced and shaped the revolution. It deconstructs the colony’s social stratification and identifies its principal division into three main groups, each with its own sub-divisions. These collectively became sources of ten-

* Roads to Revolution traces the external influences on the revolution, showing how the ideals of the Enlightenment and the ideas of the Abolition Movement in Europe impacted the revolution; * Revolutions in the Revolutions provides an account of how the revolution unfolded, sequentially, as a series of successive revolts rather than a singular

uprising; * Triumph of the Revolution relates the revolts from the outbreak of the Civil War, to the repelling of external European armies and the launch of the final War of Independence; and * Consequences of the Revolution assesses the significance of revolution, highlighting Haiti’s place in revolutionary history; its impact on human enslavement, nationalism and the emergence of a despotic political culture; the new state’s ostracisation by American and the European powers and the revolution’s influence on the Independence struggles in the Caribbean.

Granger mines an extensive range of books and articles, including publications by Patrick Bryan, Crouse Nellis, Mitchell Bennett Garrett, David Patrick Geggus, Elsa Goveia, Richard Hart, Christopher Hibbert and the indefatigable C.L.R James, in researching this complex revolution.

The book’s most insightful aspect is its dissection of Haiti’s social stratification and how this engendered animosities, tensions and divisions which congealed into revolts and eventual War of Independence. This sociological aspect is often underemphasised in texts and discourses on the Haitian Revolution.

The reprinting of this book at this time will lend itself to a better appreciation of the roots of Haiti’s contemporary challenges which have been exacerbated by chronic economic crises, unstable politics and recurring natural hazards.

The revolution inflicted a huge human death toll and extensive economic damage.

It left the country’s economy in tatters and a loss of its comparative advantage in

sugar production; it triggered the migration of the planter class and wiped out half of the population. Ethnic conflict erupted and resulted in a bitter harvest of famine, starvation and social dislocation.

These disastrous effects of the revolutionary struggles and post-revolutionary outcomes have taken the gloss off of one of history’s most heroic uprisings.

Independence for Haiti had a bitter after-taste. While claiming independence from France, successive Haitian governments lived in perpetual fear of foreign invasion.

So great was the trepidation, that France was able to extract compensation for losses suffered by owners of plantations dispossessed and dislocated by the revolution.

Jérôme Duval in a column entitled “Haiti: from Slavery to Debt,” observed that Haiti, in exchange for recognition from France, was forced to pay a 150 million gold francs as compensation for the loss of ownership of coffee and sugar plantations. Describing this as a ‘ransom’, Duval notes that Haiti was forced into the agreement by the threat of gunboats anchored in the bay of Port-au-Prince. The country has never recovered fully, economically, from having to pay this debt.

These direct consequences of the revolution were strangely overlooked by the author. It however is germane to better understanding the problems which have bedevilled Haiti more than 200 years after its revolution.

David Granger’s Five-Thousand Day War: The Struggle for Haiti’s Independence, 1798-1804 should be mandatory reading for those interested in understanding the pearls and perils of Haiti’s violent revolution. There is always a price to be paid for political violence and, often, this price becomes a prison for future generations.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 5, 2020

Court issues summons for Lowenfield

MAGISTRATE Faith McGusty, who sits at the Georgetown Magistrates Court, on Friday morning issued a summons for Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield to attend court and answer to the three charges filed against him for alleged fraud and misconduct, based on his Elections Report submitted on June 23.

Initially, two private charges were filed by General Secretary of The New Movement (TNM) Daniel Josh Kanhai and People Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) member Desmond Morian. But on Friday, another private charge against Lowenfield was filed

by Morian. On Friday, all parties involved were present in court, except Lowenfield. This was due to the fact that Lowenfield was never served in person with any of the charges or necessary documents.

Attorney-at-law Glen Hanoman, who will be prosecuting the case, indicated that he had tried several times to serve the necessary documents on Lowenfield at his Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) office and also at

his private residence.

These attempts, he stressed, were futile, since the security personnel attached to Lowenfield and GECOM did not cooperate in allowing the summonses to be served.

Hanoman then asked the magistrate for a summons to be issued for Lowenfield to attend court and plea to the charges.

The charges were first sworn to in court by the informants in the case of Kanhai and Morian. The Magistrate then issued a summons for Lowenfield and adjourned the case until July 24. Speaking outside of the court, Hanoman explained that one of the charges against Lowenfield attracts a penalty of life imprisonment, since it is also an indictable charge.

He also claimed that more charges are expected to be laid against other key personnel at GECOM. On June 30, the first set of charges was filed by Kanhai and Morian.

Kanhai is alleging that Lowenfield, between March 5 and June 23, 2020, at Georgetown, in the Georgetown Magisterial District, County of Demerara, State of Guyana conspired with person(s) un-

known to commit the common law offence of fraud, to wit, by representing to the Guyana

of GECOM, without lawful excuse or justification, willfully misconducted himself

Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield

Elections Commission, that tables attached to his Election Report dated June 23, 2020 accurately reflected the true results of the said election, in order to materially alter the results of the said election with intent to defraud, knowing the said tabulation to be false.

Morian is also alleging that Lowenfield, between March 5, 2020 and June 29, 2020, while performing his duty as the Chief Elections Officer

at Georgetown, a county of Demerara, State of Guyana, a place within the Georgetown Magisterial District by ascertaining results of the 2nd March, 2020, General and Regional Elections for Guyana, knowing the said results to be false, the said willfull misconduct amounting to a breach of the public’s trust in the Office of the Chief Elections Officer of the Guyana Elections Commission.

The second charge which was filed by Morian on Friday against Lowenfield claiming that he allegedly conspired with Region Four District Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo to alter results that had been declared in March for that district.

On Tuesday, June 23,2020, Lowenfield, while utilising valid votes as ordered by the Court of Appeal, had submitted his Election Report, which reflected a total of 344,508 valid votes being cast at the March 2 General and Regional Elections. The Report came months after delays brought about by several court cases and a National Recount.

Lowenfield in his report, noted that in coming to the numbers he took guidance of the ruling of the Court of Appeal in the “Eslyn David v Chief Elections Officer”, whereby it was ordered that the words “more votes are cast” be interpreted to mean “more valid votes are cast” in relation to the General and Regional Elections. According to the CEO’s Report, of the 344, 508 valid votes the APNU+AFC secured 171,825 valid votes, while the People’s Progressive

Party/Civic (PPP/C) raked in 166, 343 valid votes.

This was in contrast to the National Recount Report Lowenfield had submitted to the Elections Commission on June 13, whereby the Statements of Recount (SORs), showed that the PPP/C secured 233,336 votes, while APNU+AFC raked in 217,920 votes. However, in the Elections Report the CEO was keen on pointing out to the Elections Commission that thousands of votes were compromised as a result of widespread irregularities, and alleged cases of electoral fraud. The declarations of the elections have since been stayed by the Caribbean Court of Justice pending its decision on July 8 ,2020 , on the ground whether or not the Court of Appeal had jurisdiction to interpret Article 177 (2) (b) of the Constitution to mean “more valid votes are cast”.

The appeal was filed by People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) General Secretary, Bharrat Jagdeo and its Presidential Candidate, Irfaan Ali.

COVID-19 sanatorium to be ready by July 13 -work on facility 95% completed THE new Infectious Diseases Hospital/Novel Coronavirus (COVD-19) hospital will be completed by July 13, 2020, said officials of the National COVID-19 Task Force

persons, who are infected with COVID-19.

Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr. Shamdeo Persaud, following a tour of the facility, last Monday, said he

method, had initially projected 1,400 cases, but a recent study done by PAHO/WHO found that with every case, another 2.5 persons will be affected within five days if there is no

A front view of the new facility

(NCTF).

The NCTF, which has oversight for the construction of the facility, said the hospital is 95 per cent completed and will soon be utilised to aid in the fight against COVID-19 and other infectious diseases, which may arise in the future.

With the country already recording over 270 cases of the disease to date, the completion of the facility will be timely and will aid in the incubation, treatment and containment of

was pleased with the progress he has seen so far, and anticipates the facility’s completion “very soon.”

The idea to establish a special COVID-19 facility was put to government by the Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO) after a new study found that Guyana could have as many as 20,000 COVID-19 cases in a month.

The Ministry of Public Health, using the PAHO/WHO

Work on the new COVID-19 hospital moving apace

partial lockdown, and if persons do not exercise effective social distancing.

“That 2.5, if I infect you, you infect 2.5 others and they infect another 2.5. Within a month we will get over 20,000; it’s a simple model but it makes a lot of sense,” said PAHO/WHO Resident Representative, Dr. William Adu-Krow, in a previous News Room report.

And should this happen, Dr. Adu-Krow said, five per

cent or 1000 of those infected would need intensive care, and Guyana simply does not have the capacity for this.

“With this new facility, we are looking to have centralised care…for now, the services offered will be based on the coronavirus, but as we get over the pandemic and move into other phases, we will probably modify the facility so we can handle any infectious disease that may arise.

“But, right now the plan is

to handle three categories of persons: those who are infected and are suffering from signs and symptoms of the disease; those who are infected but remain asymptomatic; and those in quarantine, awaiting results,” said Dr. Persaud.

The facility will be up-tostandard with international regulations and criteria, especially standards regarding the control of infectious diseases.

Even in the construction phase, Dr. Persaud said per-

sons have been working according to prescribed international guidelines and standards, all of which are aimed at protecting persons who utilise the facility.

“From what I’ve seen, progress of the work has been commendable because they completely transformed the facility to where it is now…the quality of work is good so far,” said the CMO. TURN TO PAGE

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 5, 2020

Over 1,300 Guyanese repatriated since June

-hundreds more to return home in a matter of days OVER 1,300 Guyanese have returned home as part of government’s repatriation exercise, which is geared at ensuring that Guyanese, who are stranded abroad due to the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, return home.

Guyana had closed its international airports to prevent imported cases of COVID-19, but mounting requests from Guyanese, who were stranded abroad, prompted government to make an exception for persons to return home.

The repatriation exercise officially commenced on June 6, 2020, when some 129 Guyanese returned home from Miami. Since then, persons have returned from St. Maarten, Aruba, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, and New York.

Persons, however, had to observe strict guidelines before and after returning to Guyana, said Chairman of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority, Lieutenant Colonel (Ret’d) Larry London during a virtual press briefing, on Saturday.

“The National COVID-19 Task Force (NCTF) has sent out specific guidelines for repatriated persons…they must have successfully completed the PCR test, with result showing negative… persons being brought back must have gone through the process where doctors from the Ministry of Public Health are satisfied with the documents which were presented,” said London.

He said persons are aware that, upon their return to

Guyana, they have to be quarantined for seven days either at their residence or in an institution identified by the Ministry of Public Health.

At the beginning of the repatriation exercise, health authorities had reported that there were issues regarding the failure of repatriated Guyanese to provide accurate information or co-operate with health officials. But, London assured that this issue has been dealt with and the exercise will continue.

Speaking about the continuation of the exercise, he said over 100 Guyanese will be returning home from Toronto, Canada on July 9, 2020 and persons will be returning to Canada, on the same day.

Additionally, Guyanese citizens in Miami and New York will return on July 14 and 15, respectively. There will also be more flights from Trinidad and Tobago, and Barbados.

London, however, advised that persons need to be weary of which commercial carrier they are purchasing tickets from because special permission was granted for WestJet and Eastern Airlines to bring home repatriating Guyanese from Toronto and the United States of America, respectively.

There were reports that persons have purchased tickets from American Airlines and JetBlue, but London said permission has not been granted to those carriers.

“If you purchased tickets from any other airline you should ask for your money FROM PAGE

COVID-19 sanatorium ...

There were a few modifications along the way, but Dr. Persaud said he was content and is confident that the facility will deliver the intended services efficiently. The facility has an operating room, isolation rooms, laundry rooms, kitchen and other necessary elements.

The CMO hinted that the well-equipped facility is here to stay, even after COVID-19 would have faded. And, it will be modified as time goes by, to cater for other infectious diseases.

14

There will always be a role for the facility because the environment is suited to treat infectious diseases. “The systems here will ensure that the air in this facility is always clean…so I could see a broader role for it with other infection control programmes,” said Dr. Persaud, adding that it is likely that specialist doctors and nurses will be stationed at the facility, as authorities aim to make it a “centre of excellence.”

back… If you are invited to buy tickets on any carrier I want you to know that they are not coming because they have not been approved to come,” he advised.

In response to questions about whether the international airports will be reopened soon, London said the GCAA decided to postpone its phased re-opening

of those facilities because of the spike in cases in North America and other countries.

The NCTF had announced a six-phase re-opening of Guyana commencing with Phase 1 starting June 18 and lasting until July 2. London said phase one has been extended until further notice.

Chairman of Guyana Civil Aviation Authority, Lieutenant Colonel (Ret’d) Larry London

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 5, 2020

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 5, 2020

‘Bringing relief to citizens’ …government rolls out COVID-19 Public Assistance Programme

THE first outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) disease was reported in China on November 17, 2019. Six months later, the world is grappling with a pandemic as new cases continue to be reported daily around the world. As of July 2, 2020, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said more 10,357, 662 people have been infected with the COVID-19 disease and 508,0555 persons have died, even as the virus continues to affect millions of people and has shut down almost every economy.

Guyana has not been spared. The first case was recorded on March 11, 2020 and to date, there are 250 recorded cases, 14 deaths and 120 active cases. Two persons are battling for their lives in the Georgetown Public Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

The effect on businesses, particularly small and medium-sized operations and those in the construction, restaurant and tourism sectors, have been tremendous. Many persons have lost their jobs or have seen a severe reduction in their incomes over the past few months.

In an effort to mitigate the hardship on these individuals, the Government of Guyana, through collaboration with the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), the Ministry of Social Protection, Ministry of Communities, National COVID-19 Task Force Secretariat, the National Data Management Authority (NDMA), the Ministry of Finance and the Guyana Post Office Corporation (GPOC), has rolled out the COVID-19 Public Assistance Programme.

The COVID-19 Public Assistance Programme targets households in which one or more persons suffered a loss of income due to COVID-19, single parent households and households that are managed by elderly persons or persons living with disabilities.

It does not replace the Ministry of Social Protection’s monthly Public Assistance Programme, which offers support to single parents and persons in difficult

circumstances.

The programme is twofold. Eligible persons living on the coastland will receive vouchers via the Post Office’s Registered mail system and would be required to sign upon receipt of it. These vouchers can be taken to several supermarkets across the country and will provide recipients with

Several citizens have already benefitted from the programme

the Ministry of Communities or the Ministry of Social Protection on toll free numbers to have the application form completed by an Officer.

On Mondays to Fridays, 08:00 hours to 12:00 hours, calls can be placed to 264 2690|225 6202| 227 4410| 232 0952| 337 2667.

On Mondays to Fridays,

VOUCHERS HOW TO EN-CASH A VOUCHER? Following the phase one application and verification exercise by the Ministry of Communities, 1700 persons were deemed eligible and have received their vouchers across Regions Two, Four, Five, Six and 10. These

shared similar sentiments, lauding the government for

Government continues to assist the most vulnerable during this pandemic

The items covered by the voucher, it includes dry ration, vegetables, fruits, eggs, fish and poultry

fresh foods, dry ration and sanitation items up to a cost of approximately $32,000.

Eligible hinterland residents will receive packed hampers that cater to their Indigenous diets.

Do you qualify for the COVID-19 Public Assistance Programme then?

Individuals who fit any of the criteria listed above are eligible to apply. Persons can download and fill out the application form listed on the Ministry of Social Protection’s website at https:// mosp.gov.gy/ or https:// government.gy/eform/241.

Once you have entered all the necessary data, you simply submit the form along with a contact number for further communication.

Persons who do not have internet access can contact

the recipient will be issued with a package containing the items covered by the

12:00 hours to 17:00 hours, calls can be placed to 615 0507| 615 9495| 615 9990| 615 7839|665 2271| 615 9727| 615 7829.

The programme also caters for persons who may wish to call and register on weekends.

On Saturdays and Sundays between 09:00 hours and 17:00 hours, calls can be made to 615 9730| 615 9704| 615 9825| 615 9729| 615 9518| 615 8474| 616 2576.

Following the submission of an application, shortlisted applicants will be contacted for verification purposes by the Ministry of Social Protection or the Ministry of Communities before support is released.

Only eligible applicants will receive the assistance.

persons were required to follow a process in order to en-cash the vouchers at various supermarkets across the country. The vouchers are accompanied by a flyer, which provides the list of supermarkets and their contact numbers.

Recipients are required to select a supermarket from the list and call ahead 24 hours before they intend to uplift the items covered by the voucher. Recipients must provide their name and identification (ID) card number. The following day, recipients are required to visit that supermarket with the voucher and their ID Card.

These must be presented to the supermarket representative for the information to be verified. Once verification has been completed,

A beneficiary and her child with the items covered by the COVID-19 Public Assistance Voucher

voucher. This package includes dry ration, vegetables, fruits, eggs, fish and poultry.

Recipients must observe the Ministry of Public Health’s COVID-19 protocols including the wearing of a mask, sanitation of hands and physical distancing. The voucher is not transferable and cannot be redeemed for cash.

GREAT INITIATIVE To date, many recipients have lauded the programme and government for providing this form of support. “I think it’s a very good gesture that they’re doing this,” one recipient said, while another noted that the “contribution is a very good effort which will be able to help persons along the way”.

Another beneficiary

the initiative. “It is very helpful to the nation,” she said, at this challenging time. “This is a very good initiative especially during these circumstances as it will help persons to take care of their families,” a recipient from the Tuschen New Scheme said.

The Government of Guyana is assiduously working through its agencies and ministries to ensure that vulnerable persons are reached and given the necessary support during this difficult time. Persons are encouraged to apply as long as they fit the criteria laid out.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 5, 2020

Finance Ministry raps KN for ‘gross lie’ THE Ministry of Finance has crticised a Kaieteur News report, which it said is grossly inaccurate regarding this country’s external debts.

In a statement Friday evening, the ministry said it read with alarm the KN’s article ‘Winston Jordan leaves Guyana in US1.3B debt for 2019,’ July 3rd, 2020. According to the ministry, not only is the strident headline a gross lie, but the rest of the article struggled to maintain the lie.

Below is the full statement by the ministry 1. US$1.3 billion represents an accumulation of debt over a number of years, and not an amount incurred

in a single calendar year as the headline implies.

2. The external public debt at the end of December 2019 amounted to US$1.31 billion, a marginal 5.8 per cent increase from the March 2015 balance of US$1.23 billion.

3. This increase is partly attributable to disbursements from loans signed before May 2015 under the previous administration, and inherited by the current one.

4. Notably, at May 31, 2015, shortly after the change of government, the undisbursed balance on loans contracted under the previous administration amounted to US$138.6 million. Since then, subsequent disburse-

ments to facilitate the execution of development projects have contributed significantly to the 5.8 per cent growth in external public debt, over the period spanning 2015 to 2019.

5. Furthermore, the evolution of external public debt should be viewed in the context of Guyana's wider macroeconomic performance, in order to more accurately gauge our debt sustainability position. In this context, it is instructive to note that, while external debt has increased, the external debt-to-GDP ratio declined over the period 2015 to 2019, with the ratio for 2015 representing the peak of the 5-year series presented (See Table 1 Below).

Finance Minister, Winston Jordan

This indicates a strengthened debt sustainability position

over the last 5 years. Additionally, while the steep decline of the debt-to-GDP ratio from 2018 to 2019 was in part attributable to a GDP rebasing exercise by the Bureau of Statistics, it should be noted that external public debt also declined by 1.3 per cent, from US$1.32 billion at the end of 2018, to US$1.31 billion at the end of 2019.

In conclusion, the statistical evidence suggests that Guyana’s external debt was managed in a prudent and sustainable manner during the last half-decade. This claim is buttressed by the International Monetary Fund’s Debt Sustainability Analysis Report for 2018, which classified Guyana as having a sustainable debt, while being

at moderate risk of debt distress. Given our favourable macroeconomic outlook, the strong current debt sustainability position is expected to improve further over the medium to long term, assuming a continuation of the ensuing prudent debt management practices and policies.

We would like to encourage editors and reporters to seek us out when writing on technical issues such as this, so that we can help you better understand the subject. This way, your readers can be assured that the information that they are provided with is accurate and credible.

Abused woman arrested for murder to get bail ….to get assistance to reopen her business THANKS to the efforts of the You Are Not Alone (YANA) Foundation, and Women and Gender Equality Commissioner, Vanda Radzik, $500,000 was raised to provide bail money for abused mother of three, Melissa Playter, who was charged with murder for killing her abuser back in 2018.

Total donations surpassed the target by over $200, 000 and the additional money will be used to help Playter to reopen her business, at her home, so that she can start making a livelihood to take care of her children.

Playter’s application for bail is expected to be heard next week, to clear the way for her to continue her life as she awaits her trial.

Playter has been on remand since December 2018, when she was charged with the murder of 38-year- old Victor Roberts-- her abuser and father of her youngest child. The alleged incident took place on December 2; at the time, Roberts was abusing Playter with a cutlass when he was stabbed with a knife.

The knife from the stabbing was bought by Roberts just the week before, when he told Playter he was going to use it to kill her.

Playter had appeared unrepresented in December 2018, when she was originally charged with murder; however, her lawyer, Sanjeev Datadin, was able to bring the

A scar on Playter’s cheek that she had received after one physical encounter with her reputed husband, Victor Roberts

charge down to manslaughter earlier this year, which enabled Playter to be eligible for bail, which was set at $500, 000.

Playter was not required to plead to the capital offence; and broke down in tears during her arraignment and began crying even louder when she heard that the she was being remanded to prison.

President of YANA, Melissa Atwell, said it was shortly after Playter’s story appeared in the news that persons contacted her to reach out and seek help for Playter.

Being a survivor of an abusive relationship, Atwell said the situation resonated with

her and she immediately went about trying to seek donations to source a lawyer to represent Playter.

She reached out to Datadin, who regularly represents the Foundation. Atwell said when she conveyed to Datadin the difficulties the organisation was having with gathering funds, he agreed to take on the case pro-bono.

“It was sad that she had no legal representation and she was charged with murder just like that. I don’t know if I hadn’t step in at the time what would have happened to her.

She felt as though she had nobody. We managed to raise the 40,000; he said don’t worry about he, [he] would do it pro bono,” Atwell shared.

Atwell noted that Playter’s case is just another example of how enough is not being done to assist abused women in Guyana, notwithstanding the issue being a very prevalent one.

“I definitely think that it was unfair to her given the circumstances how it happened, because the neighbours were there and everybody would’ve come forward and said what he was doing. That particular day he was choking her and going in and out of the house beating her. When they first arrested her, they had to put her on suicide watch because of how she was behaving. Her daughter at the time was just a couple months old,” Atwell shared.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 5, 2020

Special unit to enforce COVID-19 measures

…gov’t concerned about some citizens’ reckless behaviour THE callous behaviour of some sections of the local population has contributed significantly to the consistent rise in the number of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) cases, but local authorities are creating a special emergency unit to enforce the control measures and curtail the spread of the disease.

Guyana has already recorded some 272 cases of COVID-19 and 14 deaths, and authorities believe this is primarily because sections of the population continue to flout the existing measures, which include a national curfew.

As a result, the National COVID-19 Task Force (NCTF) has instructed the Ministry of Public Security to create a “Mobile Emergency Response and Enforcement Unit,” said Director of Operations of the COVID-19 Task Force Secretariat, Mark Archer, during a virtual press briefing on Saturday. He said the unit will comprise officers of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and persons from the Ministry of Public Health.

“We cannot depend on the normal beat cop…that is why the task force instructed that the special emergency enforcement team be set up to deal with the problem,”

Director of Operations of the COVID-19 Task Force Secretariat, Mark Archer

said Archer.

Authorities believe that the unit will be timely because persons are taking the disease for granted and are not obeying the official advisories.

This is evidenced by pictures showing persons congregating at the seawall for a “weekend lime.”

“The special unit will not just enforce the advisories, but also go into the new COVID-19 hotspots and arrest the situation…we are hoping that they will bring an end to some of the lawlessness that is going on in mining camps, areas in the hinterland and even areas along the coast,” said Archer.

Earlier this month the national task force had permitted 90 minutes of exercise from Monday to Friday only, in parks, on roads, at the seawall, on beaches and at rivers and creeks as the country slightly relaxed its COVID-19 emergency measures.

Nevertheless, the majority of all the other measures remain and have been extended to July 2, 2020. However, Guyanese across the country are still flouting the national COVID-19 restrictions on social gatherings, along with the rule that persons must wear face masks if they have a need to leave their homes.

Despite a rise in the number of cases across the country, hundreds of Guyanese last Sunday gathered at the Kitty seawall, before and after the 6pm nationwide curfew kicked in. Several videos and photographs viewed by this publication showed that those who gathered at the infamous chill spot were not wearing face masks or practising any other precautionary measures against COVID-19.

Recently, the Ministry of Education re-opened schools for the pupils and students who were scheduled to write the National Grade Six Assessment and the Caribbean Secondary Education Certif-

Family of dead nurse seeks answers IT has been one year since 26-year-old Schenise Apple, a young nurse, was found hanging in her room at the nurse’s hostel, in Mahdia, Region Eight, and her family is demanding answers surrounding her death.

On July 2, 2019, Apple, of Block 22, Linden, was found hanging from the rafters of her bedroom at the hostel. According to the results of the post-mortem, Apple died due to asphyxiation.

However, relatives and friends of the dead woman are not convinced that she committed suicide as claimed by local authorities.

Her family, friends and colleagues believe that she was

murdered.

According to Apple’s father, Dexton Copeland, the family is still in 'limbo' concerning the matter.

In an open letter, Copeland said that measures have to be put in place to ensure that the suffering experienced by his daughter is never again inflicted on other healthcare workers.

The woman’s relative is calling for justice and closure which can only be done when a proper investigation is carried out.

According to one of Apple's relatives, the Ministry of Public Health had promised to launch an inquest into the young nurse’s death, which,

Abused woman ...

Earlier this year, Datadin was able to get Playter’s charge reduced to manslaughter, which enabled her to post bail; Atwell said she then tried to gather

donations to raise the bail money. Atwell had raised approximately $200,000 when Radzik stepped in and was able to gather the donations through her own

a year later, has not commenced.

“We are heartbroken and angry on how the case is being investigated" the relative said.

According to Apple's relative, the injuries that were on her body do not point to suicide.

The family is alleging that the young nurse was raped and her death was staged to look like she committed suicide.

The family is also claiming that, a few weeks before Apple was killed, she was assaulted by a man whom they now believe might have had something to do with her death.

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charitable foundation, Advanzer.

Radzik was also able organise counselling for Playter once she is out.

icate (CSEC) in July. One of the primary concerns of parents and teachers following the ministry’s decision was that children would disregard the COVID-19 measures; as such, strict instructions were given to the teachers, students and parents that, after class sessions are dismissed, students and pupils must return to their respective homes.

Additionally, minibuses are

Guyana’s primary mode of public transportation, and, as such, the government has mandated that minibus operators carry half the number of passengers that they usually would, as a means to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.

However, while there are a few minibus operators who are adhering to the rule, there are still a few who continue to have a nonchalant approach to combatting the virus. In several videos and photos

published on social media websites, minibus operators were seen still overloading the buses and carrying three to four passengers in a seat, while they were advised to carry just two passengers per seat as a means of maintaining the 3ft social-distancing rule to slow the spread of the virus. Authorities have been pleading with persons to adhere to the control measures, so that the situation could be arrested before it escalates.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 5, 2020

Navigant Builders Inc. never terminated contract with NICIL -Company still has outstanding sums which should be paid, says NICIL

THE National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) has confirmed that Navigant Builders Inc., the parent company of Windsor Estates, never terminated its contract concerning its purchase of lands at Ogle.

“At no time did Windsor write NICIL to terminate its contract or indicate that it no longer wished to proceed with the transaction, instead, simply stating that financing was delayed due to the current elections situation,” said NICIL, in a press statement, on Friday.

NICIL’s clarification of the issue followed a press release issued by Navigant Builders Inc. concerning its purchase of lands at Ogle.

Windsor Estates, through its principal, Danny Sawh, engaged in negotiations with NICIL concerning the purchase of lands at Ogle from 2019 through to late February, 2020.

After the submission of detailed development plans, these discussions culminated in the execution of an agreement of sale for 30 acres of land at Ogle on February 21, 2020, accompanied by a twenty per cent down payment in the amount of G$180,000,000.

Windsor also participated in a sod-turning ceremony on February 27, 2020, when a presentation was made by Windsor employee, Mark Thomas.

According to NICIL, despite Windsor’s contractual obligations, it appears that on March 6, 2020, Windsor issued a press release stating that it postponed its plans for the development at Ogle. But, NICIL said this postponement had nothing to do with Windsor’s contractual obligations because Windsor’s contract specifically allowed it the latitude to delay its development plans by up to nine months.

On March 13, 2020, Windsor, in furtherance of its agreement with NICIL, paid NICIL by Scotia Bank cheque number 005868, surveyor fees for the land purchased. As part of Windsor’s agreement, the balance due on the contract is payable upon the production of a signed vesting Order, which, by the contract was represented by NICIL to be produced within three months of the date of execution of the Agreement.

At no time has Windsor ever written to NICIL to terminate its contractual obligations with NICIL, so Windsor’s public statements about the delay in development has nothing to do with its contract with NICIL. On June 19, 2020, one week after the vesting order

was signed in accordance with NICIL’s contractual obligations, in response to NICIL’s notification of the vesting, along with a request for payment of the balance owed, Mr. Sawh wrote NICIL asking that the transaction be held off until the current elections impasse is resolved, due to financing constraints, this request for an extension of time clearly being applicable to remaining balance owed.

“NICIL at all times has complied with its contractual obligations with Windsor Estates, and finds it unfortunate that despite Windsor Estates’ vigorous negotiations to contract with NICIL through to February 26, 2020, and multiple payments made beyond that date, including after the elections, is now making statements which do not accurately reflect NICIL’s records,” said the company.

Windsor currently owes NICIL substantial sums as a result of NICIL’s performance with the terms of the parties’ contract. NICIL expects Windsor to do the honourable thing and fully comply with its contractual obligations in the manner agreed by all parties, and suggests that Windsor engage NICIL directly instead of attempting to litigate in the press.

Just recently, it was reported that all transactions made by NICIL regarding land, were ‘above board’ and strictly business, said Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company, Colvin Heath-London.

Heath-London’s defence of the company’s transactions comes days after NICIL rejected claims that Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan, signed off on documents for the transferal of land.

The accusations against the minister were being circulated on Facebook and was titled, “APNU+AFC engaged in large-scale corruption … as Winston Jordan signed off on the transferal of land …”

“Remember, NICIL is an independent company and the minister does not get involved in our affairs…the sale of land has a due process and people who meet the criteria are selected.

“NICIL land sales are not regular land sale, these are commercial land sales; so, for instance, if you tell me you want land to put four apartments and it will be put up by a particular date, then there is a penalty clause if that date is not met,” said Heath-London.

He assured that the sale of land is not political, but rather a commercial transaction which is above board.

The company has so far sold land to business people alone.

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Special prosecutor to examine Serpentine stuns allegations against FIFA boss, favourites to win Epson Derby Swiss Attorney General

B y B re n n a H u g h e s Neghaiwi, Michael Shields

ZURICH, Switzerland (Reuters) - Switzerland named a special prosecutor to review criminal complaints against FIFA chief Gianni Infantino and Attorney General Michael Lauber after the men held undocumented meetings while Lauber’s office was investigating suspected graft surrounding the global soccer body.

Lauber last month became the subject of an impeachment process relating to his handling of the soccer inquiry.

The watchdog overseeing Swiss federal prosecutors Lauber’s office - placed him under investigation last year after he held three closeddoor meetings with FIFA president Infantino regarding the status of the corruption inquiry.

Lauber and Infantino both previously denied any wrongdoing.

On Friday, the watchdog announced that lawmakers

conducting the impeachment process had asked it to review Infantino’s conduct too in the investigation after three criminal complaints were filed against both men and other unnamed persons with prosecutors in the capital Bern.

the appointment and was cooperating fully. Previous complaints against Infantino had been dismissed by various authorities, it said.

“There was a mountain of questions,” Infantino said in a statement provided by FIFA,

President Gianni Infantino speaks at the UEFA Congress in Amsterdam, Netherlands, March 3, 2020. (REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo)

Stefan Keller, a presiding judge at a Swiss cantonal court, had been appointed as “extraordinary prosecutor” on June 29 to review the complaints and determine whether criminal charges should be brought against Lauber.

FIFA said it welcomed

referring to the investigations in which world soccer was involved at the time of the meetings.

“So it’s legitimate to offer to contribute to the Swiss Attorney General about the clarification of these events, hoping

that those who have done criminal acts and damaged FIFA will be held to account for that,” he said.

Lauber ’s office said it had taken note of the special prosecutor’s appointment, declining further comment.

A Swiss court last year ordered Lauber to recuse himself from world soccer investigations, ruling that his meetings with Infantino raised the appearance of bias. Other federal prosecutors are now running the investigations.

The investigations against Swiss-based FIFA involve allegations of breach of trust, fraud, embezzlement and money-laundering. Lauber’s office is conducting around 25 criminal investigations alongside 15 foreign law enforcement agencies.

A fourth criminal complaint has been filed, the watchdog said. No details of the complaints have been released.

England pick spinner Dom Bess in first Test 13-man squad ENGLAND have named Dom Bess as their spinner in a 13-man squad for the first Test against West Indies, which begins on Wednesday.

Off-spinner Bess is chosen ahead of Jack Leach and Moeen Ali who is not among the list of nine reserves.

Rory Burns, Dom Sibley, Zak Crawley and Joe Denly will be the top four in the absence of Joe Root, who misses out for the birth of his second child.

Stokes will become England’s 81st Test skipper and the first all-rounder to take charge since Andrew Flintoff.

One of his first decisions will be the make-up of the pace bowling attack, with the coronavirus lockdown that has prevented England from playing Test cricket since January resulting in a fully fit complement of fast bowlers.

Pace bowlers James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood and Chris Woakes will vie for what are likely to be three places in the team.

Sam Curran, who may also have been in contention before

falling ill during a practice match this week, is among the reserves.

He is joined on the backup list by fellow seamers Craig Overton, Ollie Robinson, Olly Stone and Saqib Mahmood, and left-arm spinner Leach.

into the reckoning.

Worcestershire all-rounder Moeen had made himself available for Test cricket after taking a self-imposed break that began after being dropped during last summer’s Ashes series against Australia.

Off-spinner Dom Bess has taken 11 wickets in four Tests at an average of 29.72

Ben Foakes is the reserve wicketkeeper, while uncapped pair Dan Lawrence and James Bracey provide batting cover, meaning there is no place for Jonny Bairstow.

Bairstow, like Moeen, could not do enough in the practice match to force his way

That left Leach as England’s first-choice spinner, but when he fell ill during the winter Somerset team-mate Bess impressed in the series win in South Africa.

The three-Test series with West Indies will be played behind closed doors and in

… Aidan O’Brien most successful trainer in history of the famous flat race LONDON, England (Reuters) - Serpentine produced an electrifying display of front-running to claim a shock win at the Epsom Derby yesterday as Aidan O’Brien became the most successful trainer in the history of the famous flat race.

The 25-1 shot opened up a huge lead on the field and they could not respond as Serpentine, ridden by Emmet McNamara, never looked like being caught.

There were no spectators to witness it, however, with the re-scheduled race being run behind closed doors because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Had there been, they might have been stunned into silence as Serpentine only won his first race a week ago.

for the first time in their history as a result of the pandemic which shutdown horse racing from March to June.

The 241st running of the derby, the most prestigious flat race in the sport, will always be remembered for the eerie atmosphere that replaced the usual carnival which attracts 100 000 punters to the course and thousands more to the surrounding Downs.

Rather than the usual wall of sound at the finish line, McNamara sped to victory in silence. “I couldn’t hear anything, all I could hear was the horse breathing,” he said. “I couldn’t really look, but I knew I was clear.”

It was the first winning

Pre-race favourites English King and Kameko were run out of contention with Khalifa Sat (50-1) finishing second and Amhran Na Bhfiann (66-1) third in one of the most surprising results in the race’s recent history.

“I think I got a bit of a freebie really,” McNamara said. “It is surreal really I can’t believe it. I just have a huge amount of gratitude for Aidan O’Brien.”

It completed a memorable day for O’Brien who earlier celebrated victory in the Oaks when Love came home first.

The Oaks and Derby were run on the same day

ride for McNamara since October.

“I was saving myself,” he joked.

It continued an incredible few weeks for O’Brien since the resumption of racing as Love also won the 1,000 Guineas.

Due to strict health protocols which meant only a limited amount of people were allowed at the course, O’Brien watched the action remotely on TV. “He has great pedigree, we always felt that he was going to stay very well,” he said. “It was an incredible ride by Emmet.”

a bio-secure environment in Southampton and Manchester.

ANALYSIS Cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew: This is a bigger squad than England take on winter tours, but such is the uncertainty over illness despite being locked in a bio-bubble that nine players will remain locked on site as reserves.

It is interesting to see who hasn’t made it - Moeen and Bairstow - while Bess is rewarded for his performances in South Africa.

Denly and Crawley will be in a play-off to survive when captain Root returns.

ENGLAND squad: Ben Stokes (capt.), James Anderson, Jofra Archer, Dominic Bess, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler (wkp.), Zak Crawley, Joe Denly, Ollie Pope, Dom Sibley, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.

R E S E RV E S : J a m e s Bracey, Sam Curran, Ben Foakes (wkp.), Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Saqib Mahmood, Craig Overton, Ollie Robinson, Olly Stone.

(BBC Sport)

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UK PM Johnson summons ‘third umpire’ as he lifts virus cricket ban LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said yesterday he had called in the “third umpire” as he announced that recreational cricket would be allowed to resume on the weekend of July 11-12.

In a radio interview earlier Friday, Johnson angered thousands of club cricketers by saying the amateur game was still not safe to play amid the coronavirus pandemic because of issues surrounding communal teas and dressing rooms.

But even though tea which can also feature a variety of sandwiches and cakes is part of the fabric of cricket at all levels, many players might have been willing to

forgo the meal break in return for playing their beloved sport once again.

Johnson had already provoked a furious response from the likes of former England captain Michael Vaughan by saying last month a cricket ball was a “vector of disease” despite recreational tennis and golf having already resumed amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

But Johnson, at a Downing Street briefing on Friday that took place several hours after his radio interview, used cricket terminology to signal that the club and youth game was on its way back.

Johnson explained the change in his position by saying he’d called in “the third

Kenyan athlete faces jail for forging medical documents

Kenyan marathon runner Florence Jepkosgei Chepsoi

Nairobi, Kenya (AFP) — Kenyan marathon runner Florence Jepkosgei Chepsoi is facing a jail term for presenting false medical documents to support her case against doping, the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) said on Thursday.

The 36-year-old Chepsoi, who was banned for two years in 2017 for using performance-boosting drug Prednisolone, appeared in an Eldoret court on Thursday charged with the offence.

Her case will be heard on August 13, and if found guilty, Chepsoi will become the first Kenyan athlete to be jailed under ADAK’s doping jurisdiction.

ADAK’s Investigations and Intelligence Gathering Unit said Chepsoi had provided medical documents from Eldoret’s Uasin Gishu Hospital to support her defence case when she appeared before the Kenyan Sports Disputes Tribunal in her doping case in October 2017.

“Uasin Gishu Hospital confirmed those medical documents had been forged and that the athlete had not been treated or seen at the said hospital,” ADAK said.

Kenya’s 2016 Olympic women’s marathon champion Jemima Sumgong was given an additional four-year ban by World Athletics in January 2019 after she was found to have falsified medical documents in an attempt to tamper with a positive test for erythropoietin (EPO).

Sumgong, the first Kenyan woman to win an Olympic marathon in Rio, was initially banned for four years

by ADAK in October 2017 after testing positive for the blood-booster in an out-of-competition test five months after winning Olympic gold.

This handout image released by 10 Downing Street shows Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaking during a remote press conference to update the nation on the novel coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic in central London, Friday (Photo: AFP)

umpire”, who in professional cricket can overturn decisions made by either of the two onfield match officials.

“Having been stumped on the radio this morning on that point on science again to be asked about earlier, which was the exact vector of the disease, I sought scientific advice and medical opinions,” said Johnson.

“The ‘third umpire’ has been invoked, and what I can say is that we do want to work as fast as possible to get cricket back, and we will be publishing guidelines in the next few days so that cricket can resume in time for next weekend,” he added.

The England and Wales Cricket Board, who have

long insisted the amateur game could restart, with lockdown restrictions on pubs and restaurants set to be lifted this weekend, welcomed the government’s change of heart.

“We are delighted that the UK Government have given their permission for recreational cricket to return from next weekend,” the ECB said in a statement.

“We will shortly be publishing our approved guidelines to help clubs and players prepare for cricket’s return.”

International cricket is set to resume for the first time since lockdown on Wednesday, with the opening day of the first Test between England and the West Indies at Southampton.

Two overseas players allowed in County Championship & One-Day Cup from 2021 TWO overseas players will be allowed in County Championship and One-Day Cup teams during the 2021 season.

The change by the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) comes following the decision to terminate Kolpak registrations at the end of this year.

First-class counties are permitted to field two overseas players in the T20 Blast, but have been restricted to one in other competitions since 2007.

The 2020 county season is scheduled to get under way on August 1.

Many counties have cancelled deals for overseas players this season because of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

The ECB’s Performance

Cricket Committee (PCC) made the recommendation to double the allowance to the ECB board, which has approved the changes.

opportunity for nine England-qualified players in each county team,” PCC chair Andrew Strauss said.

“There are clearly long-established benefits for our domestic players to compete against and learn from the best players from across the world, in addition to providing high-quality domestic cricket for county members and fans to enjoy.

“An increase in unqualified cricketers allows firstclass counties to maintain that standard while also enabling them to plan and prepare for next summer.”

South African Kyle Abbott

AN END TO KOLPAK CONTRACTS Kolpak deals have been used in English cricket since 2004, mainly for players from South Africa.

“There is an important balance to be struck to ensure the need for good foreign players in county cricket and providing

However, they will not be allowed in the county game following Brexit, in line with the deal the United Kingdom secured with the European Union (EU).

Kolpak contracts are named after Slovak handball player Marius Kolpak, who won a landmark case at the European Court of Justice in 2003.

They allow sportsmen from countries with associate trade agreements with the EU, such as South Africa, Zimbabwe and Caribbean nations, to be afforded the same right to free movement as EU citizens.

Kolpak players are not classed as overseas players by the ECB under the terms of their contracts, but they become ineligible to represent their country at international level. (BBC Spprt)

CARICOM mourns loss of cricket icon THE Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has expressed sadness with the passing of the great and legendary West Indian cricketer Sir Everton Weekes.

CARICOM Secretary-General Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, in a Message of Condolence to Prime Minister Mia Mottley of Barbados, described Barbadian Sir Everton as a

true icon and example of excellence.

Here is the Secretary-General’s message: The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) notes with sadness the passing of the great and legendary West Indian cricketer, Sir Everton DeCourcy Weekes.

Sir Everton’s contribution to the game, the

Region and his native Barbados spanned as player, coach, administrator and commentator. His exploits, along with those of his late compatriots Sir Frank Worrell and Sir Clyde Walcott, earned them the unforgettable acronym of the 3Ws. He was a key member of the famous West Indies Team that was the first to defeat England in a Test Series in England.

His record of five consecutive Test centuries remains unbroken.

Sir Everton will be well remembered, apart from his cricketing skills, for his grace, humility and wit.

The Community extends its condolences to his relatives, and the Government and people of Barbados. A true icon and example of excellence has been lost to the Region.

26

SUNDAY CHRONICLE July 5, 2020

Australian cricket pay dispute averted as compromise found

By Daniel Brettig AN ugly pay dispute between Cricket Australia (CA) and the players’ union appears to have been averted, after the two parties agreed to defer revenue calculations until there is a clearer picture of the COVID-19 toll on the forthcoming season.

CA had previously sought a significant reduction in the amount of money to be distributed into the player payment pool, negotiated with the Australian Cricketers Association (ACA) as a fixed percentage of revenue under the MoU signed in 2017.

While this would not affect retainers and match fees for the looming season, the amounts passed onto the players as part of the “adjustment ledger” distributed annually to account for revenue above CA’s 2017 projections stood to be drastically reduced.

Anger at this move, combined with a similar dispute between CA and the state associations, had paralysed the game for

more than three months up to the exit of the chief executive Kevin Roberts.

ued at around A$300 million.

The compromise, with the ACA agreeing to drop

together.

“Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers’ As-

Chairman of ACA Greg Dyer (left) and CEO Alistair Nicholson (Getty Images)

As recently as early June, Roberts and CA had claimed that projected revenue for the forthcoming summer would be almost halved by the impact of the pandemic, even though it had announced a full international schedule including an India tour val-

a formal notice of dispute that could have seen the players and the governing body go to court, means the revenue forecast calculation will not be made until the financial tale of the 2020-21 season is more readily able to be pieced

sociation have today agreed a way forward on Australian Cricket’s response to COVID-19,” a CA spokesman said. “The parties have agreed to postpone the Australian Cricket Revenue projection until such time they are better able to assess the

Inquest opens into death of Aintree Racecourse chairman Rose Paterson AN inquest has been opened into the death of Aintree chairman Rose Paterson, who died aged 63 last week near her Shropshire home.

The hearing was told her body was found in a search of woodland after her husband, the Conservative MP Owen Paterson, had called police.

He contacted officers on the evening of June

23 after she had not been seen since about 22:00hrs BST the previous day.

Police say there are no suspicious circumstances regarding the death.

In a statement on June 24, Owen Paterson said the loss of his wife had come as a “terrible shock” to the family. A cause of death has not been given.

“Rose and I were mar-

ried for 40 happy years.

She was a wonderful, caring wife, mother and grandmother,” he said.

ards at the Jockey Club, which owns Aintree Racecourse, home of the Grand National, and oth-

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Sunday, July 05, 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) 11 (2) 15 TODAY’S QUIZ: (1) When and where did the WI & SA contest an ODI game for the first time?

(2) When did the WI defeat the SA in an ODI match for the first time?

ANSWERS IN TOMORROW’S ISSUE

Rose Paterson was appointed as Aintree chairman in 2014

The couple married in 1980 and had two sons and a daughter.

A minute’s silence has been held at race meetings in her memory and that of Grand National-winning jockey Liam Treadwell, whose death was announced on June 24.

Rose Paterson, the daughter of the fourth Viscount Ridley, was on the main board of stew-

er leading tracks including Cheltenham.

She was appointed chairman of Aintree in 2014, having been a racecourse committee director there since 2005.

Her husband is MP for North Shropshire and a former Northern Ireland secretary. The inquest was opened and adjourned until September 22. (BBC Sport)

financial impact of the pandemic and calculate a clear projection for the year ahead.

“With today’s agreement, the ACA has agreed to withdraw its notice of dispute lodged last month with CA. We would like to thank the ACA for the constructive manner in which they have engaged in discussions in what has been a challenging time for the game.”

CA’s chairman Earl Eddings has been closely involved in board to board discussions with his ACA opposite number Greg Dyer, while the interim chief executive Nick Hockley had also entered talks with the ACA CEO Alistair Nicholson in recent days.

“Today’s agreement is a significant step forward in cricket’s response to the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic and should provide our stakeholders with renewed clarity and confidence about the summer ahead,” the spokesman said.

“Calculating revenue projections 12 months ahead during a once-in-a-

century pandemic has not been without its challenges, but we believe we have arrived at a position that provides all parties with greater certainty about how to navigate the next year.

“The ACR will be reassessed in due course, providing time to better assess the financial impact of the pandemic and calculate a clear projection for the year ahead.”

Nicholson welcomed the resolution: “This ‘reset’ is both welcome and sensible. CA is free to reforecast again at various times over the next financial year, should there be a material revenue event affecting cricket.”

CA remains in discussions with the state associations about their annual distributions, with reductions most vigorously opposed by New South Wales and Queensland. In the meantime, more than 150 state staff and 40 CA staff have been made redundant from their roles.

(ESPN Cricinfo)

Windies in high spirits for opening Test- Lewis SOUTHAMPTON, England, (CMC )– Team manager Rawl Lewis believes West Indies are mentally and physically prepared for the challenging three-Test series against England bowling off here Wednesday.

The Caribbean side arrived here Friday on the south coast following nearly a month’s training at Old Trafford in Manchester, and will put the finishing touches on their preparation over the next few days.

“The camp aspect of the tour went really well,” Lewis said.

“The boys are in good spirits, we have no injuries to report so we’re quite keen to get the ball rolling because we had quite an intense preparation period at Old Trafford in Manchester where everyone gave 100 per cent.

“The accommodation is attached to the stadium so you actually get up every day and there are gym facilities, indoor nets, outdoor nets, middle practice. “[We had] the entire field and hotel to ourselves so we developed a family, a unity within the group and I would tell from the bus ride to Southampton that everyone is in high spirits.”

The three Tests will mark cricket’s first-ever “bio-secure” series, played without fans at the Ageas Bowl and Old Trafford, with strict social distancing and sanitisation protocols enforced due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Following the outbreak earlier this year, cricket across the globe ceased in March, and the

upcoming series will be the first taste of action in international competitive cricket since.

With West Indies isolated from the public to mitigate against the threat of the virus, Lewis said the first stage of the tour had been rolled out flawlessly.

“We are very happy and excited to be the first team to actually play a Test series behind closed doors [during COVID-19],” he said.

“All the preparation and planning that went into this series has been well executed so far. We are quite comfortable here.”

West Indies are the current holders of the Wisden Trophy following their convincing 2-1 victory in the three-Test series in the Caribbean last year.

However, they have not captured a series on English soil in 32 years and have won just one Test in 16 outings here over the last 16 years.

Lewis, who played five Tests and 28 One-Day Internationals between 1997 and 2009, urged the Caribbean fans to give their unwavering support to the team.

“We had our first team meeting on arrival in Southampton and I could tell that both support staff and players are ready,” he said.

“We’re asking the people of the Caribbean to rally around us and hopefully we can defend our trophy and put a smile on the faces of the people of the Caribbean.”

The first Test bowls off at 11 am (6 am Eastern Caribbean time).

SUNDAY CHRONICLE July 5, 2020

27

No support from TTCB boss for Cameron’s ICC bid Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board President Azim Bassarath (Photo: Observer File)

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) — Another Cricket West Indies (CWI) director has made it clear he will not support former president Dave Cameron in his bid to become the next chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC), and he does not expect the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) that he leads will either.

In fact, Azim Bassarath has suggested that Cameron’s bid is laughable.

“I don’t know how to react to this but the fact that Mr Cameron is seeking nom-

ination for ICC chairman. I don’t think anybody in the Caribbean will take that serious,” he said on Isports on i95.5FM here.

His comment came in response to a question from host Andre Baptiste, who said others in the studio were laughing at the idea of Cameron seeking to lead cricket’s world governing body.

“I am also laughing,” Bassarath said as he expressed surprise at the efforts of the former CWI boss who found himself at the centre of controversy at several points during his two terms at the helm of the cricketing organisation.

Cameron confirmed a week ago, on Nationwide Sports radio in his native Jamaica, that he would be asking for CWI’s nomination, as he seeks the support of at least two full members of the ICC in his bid to succeed Shashank Manohar.

Speaking on the same

radio show on Monday, CWI vice-president Dr Kishore Shallow made it clear that Cameron would not be getting his support.

But two days later, on the Mason and Guest sports talk show, Barbados Cricket Association [BCA] president Conde Riley urged CWI to support Cameron’s effort, saying that the governing body of cricket in the region needed to support its own.

Bassarath said he was not surprised that Riley, a longtime supporter of Cameron who lost the presidency of what was then the West Indies Cricket Board to Ricky Skerrit in the March 2019 elections, would be batting for the Jamaican in this matter.

“Maybe he will ask Cricket West Indies to support Mr Cameron but I have my views also — that I will not support it — and I don’t think the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board

will support Mr Cameron, even in his nomination in moving forward,” the TTCB president said.

Bassarath also suggested that Riley, whom he referred to as his friend and a man who was passionate about cricket, was still stuck in the past and “has not as yet gotten over the fact that Dave Cameron is not president of Cricket West Indies anymore”.

That comment was in relation to Riley’s call for West Indies Coach Phil Simmons to be sacked for leaving isolation at Old Trafford in Manchester, where the regional squad is preparing for their three-Test series against England, to attend his fatherin-law’s funeral last Friday.

The BCA boss had written a letter to board members, quoted by ESPN Cricinfo, in which he called for the Trinidadian’s “immediate removal as head coach”.

Skerrit has since defended Simmons, who had received permission to leave the biosecure environment, saying that he still has the full backing of CWI, “no matter what has been said”. The CWI president also contended that the matter of coach Simmons’ exiting and returning to Old Trafford “should never have been controversial in any way”.

Bassarath said Riley’s letter was “a bit harsh”.

“I think he should have waited until he received more information before he sent the letter…I don’t think that Conde would have done a letter like that calling for the firing of Phil Simmons had he known the medical team had given him the necessary approval to attend the funeral,” he said.

He added that Riley had to realise that “the election is over and we must work together as a team for the benefit of West Indies

cricket”.

“I hope that Conde is going to realise that the bickering and the fighting among directors will cease and let us move on with the cricket.

The cricket is more important than any one of us and we have to do whatever has to be done for the benefit of the young men and women in the Caribbean who are involved and who are playing cricket professionally, and try to take the cricket across the Caribbean on an upward mobility,” he added.

However, Bassarath said Riley’s misstep was not enough for him to step down, adding that the Barbadian cricket administrator still had a lot to offer cricket in his country and in the region.

“I will maybe have a word with him for us to get together, let us work towards the cricket and focus on the cricket alone and leave the politics out at this stage,” he said.

ICC has ‘no reason to doubt The UWI offers condolences on the passing of Sir Everton integrity’ of Sri Lanka v India final

Former Sri Lanka batsman Mahela Jayawardene was among those players questioned by police

THE International Cricket Council (ICC) says it has “no reason to doubt the integrity” of the men’s 2011 World Cup final after claims of match-fixing.

There have been allegations Sri Lanka allowed India to win, but police in Sri Lanka have dropped their investigation.

Former captain Kumar Sangakkara and ex-batter Mahela Jayawardene were among those questioned by police.

“We have not been presented with any evidence that supports the claims made,” an ICC statement read.

Hosts India beat Sri Lanka by six wickets to win the trophy in 2011.

The allegations were made by Mahindananda Aluthgamage, who was Sri Lanka’s sports minister at the time.

“We have not been presented with any evidence which would merit launching an investigation,” the statement added.

“We take all allegations of this nature extremely seriously and should we receive any evidence to corroborate the claims, we will review our current position.”

(BBC Sport)

THE University of the West Indies ( The UWI) community is saddened by news of the passing of its honorary graduate, the great sporting icon of Barbados, the West Indies and the world, Dr Sir Everton Weekes.

The UWI extends condolences to his family, friends and the cricketing community that loved and admired a genius and gentleman, who, during his 10 years of Test cricket [1948-1958], was often officially recognised on the basis of his performance as the best batsman in the world.

The university community celebrates his contribution to West Indian nation-building at a critical moment in the decolonisation project of the region. The 1950s was a watershed in the struggle for regional democracy and political independence and with Sir Everton then ranked the best batsman in the world, certainly provided a sense of standards, personal leadership, and global respect for our region.

Sir Everton, together with the other ‘Ws’— Sir Frank Worrell and Sir Clyde Walcott — constituted the world’s best batting combination, a West Indian fortress that gave the

Marking the 20th year of its tradition of The UWI Vice-Chancellor’s XI Cricket Match, The University of the West Indies honoured Sir Everton Weekes as a West Indian “Immortal” at The UWI Cave Hill Campus’ 3Ws Oval in Barbados in February 2019. Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, in recognising Sir Everton among the first to be honoured as Vice-Chancellor’s XI Immortals, noted, “Legends evolve into Immortals.”

team a shot at the global top spot in the clash with Australia in 1951.

The UWI honoured Sir Everton with the 2003 conferment of an honorary doctorate, and in the naming of the beautiful cricket ground at its Cave Hill campus, the ‘3Ws Oval’. He delighted in visiting the venue to watch the game, while serving as Patron of the Campus’ cricket team. The university extends condolences to his loved ones, and looks forward to welcoming him home. (Reprinted from Jamaica Observer)

Serpentine ridden by Emmet McNamara wins the Investec Derby, as racing resumed behind closed doors after the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) (Bill Selwyn/Pool via REUTERS)

PAGE 24

… Aidan O’Brien most successful trainer in history of the famous flat race

Windies in high spirits for opening Test- Lewis PAGE 26

West Indies celebrate a wicket during an ‘inter-squad’ tour game at Old Trafford

PAGE 25

CARICOM mourns loss of cricket icon Sir Everton Weekes will be well remembered for his grace, humility and wit

No support from TTCB boss for Cameron’s ICC bid Printed and Published by Guyana National Newspapers Limi ted, Lama Avenue, Bel Air Park, Georgetown. Telephone 2 2 6- 3243-9 (General); Editorial: 2 2 7- 5204, 2 2 7- 5216. Fax:2 2 7- 5208

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SUNDAY, JULY 5, 2020