Guyana_Chronicle_Epaper_05_01_2020

HAPPY AY D R U LABO

FRIDAY 1st May, 2020

ESE

AN TO ALL GUY

No. 105986

Soldiers killed in explosion PAGE

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… two other ranks injured, GDF launches inquiry

COVID-19 curfew extends to June 13 PAGE

Elderly man passes away from COVID-19 02 PAGE

– death toll climbs to nine

Guyana rakes in US$ 12 4.9M in royalties from oil PAGE

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, May 1, 2020

Diabetic man passes away from COVID-19 -death toll climbs to nine THE Novel Coronavirus has claimed the life of 67-year-old Samuel Morris, making him the ninth person in Guyana to succumb to the deadly disease, COVID-19.

Minister of Public Health Volda Lawrence confirmed that Morris died around 20:20hrs, on Wednesday, while receiving treatment in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).

The Guyana Chronicle understands that Morris was hospitalised for several days before he lost the battle against the disease. Health authorities said his condition had worsened over time because he had other underlying ailments such as diabetes. The Guyana Chronicle had reported that the COVID-19 disease has proven to be a “real killer,�

Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence

especially in cases involving persons who have co-morbidities. This was according to doctors of the GPHC. At that time, Guyana had recorded six deaths due to the COVID-19 disease and while the loss of life is never pleasant, doctors had said most of the persons who died had co-morbidities.

In medicine, comorbidity is defined as the presence

of one or more additional conditions co-occurring with a primary condition; in the countable sense of the term, a comorbidity is each additional condition.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) had said that 81 per cent of persons who contract COVID-19, will have mild symptoms, while TURN TO PAGE

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, May 1, 2020

Three soldiers killed in Camp Stephenson explosion …two other ranks injured, GDF launches CoI

By Alva Solomon THE quietude of the communities near the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Base Camp Stephenson at Timehri was shattered on Thursday morning after a stack of pyrotechnics exploded, killing three soldiers and injuring two.

Dead is Lance Corporal Kevon Nicholson, 23, of Levi Dam, Angoy’s Avenue, New Amsterdam; Lance Corporal Tooney Peneux, 28, of Orealla Village, Corentyne River and Private Shaqueel Deheart, 20, of Paradise Village, West Coast Berbice.

Those injured are Sergeant Quincy Threlfall, 43, and Lance Corporal Paul Peters, 29.Threlfall is currently receiving medical care at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), while Lance Corporal Peters was treated at Base Camp Stephenson.

Reports are that around 0900hrs, the ranks were at the arms store when the explosion took place.

The GDF said in a statement that preliminary investigations revealed that the soldiers were involved in the preparation of Pyrotechnics for demolition when the incident occurred.

Commander-in-chief of the armed forces, President David Granger, GDF Chief-of-staff Brigadier Patrick West along with officers and other ranks of the force have extended condolences to the families and friends of the deceased.

The Head of State wished the injured ranks a speedy recovery and according to a

statement from the Ministry of the Presidency, a Board of Inquiry (BoI) into the cir-

A resident who lives in the compound close to Camp Stephenson said that she was

the area in the aftermath of the explosion. She said the movement of the vehicles seemed

was later seen hovering over the base as concerned ranks gathered to discuss the inci-

GDF Base Camp Stephenson at Timehri (Delano Williams photo)

Kevon Nicholson

Tooney Peneux

Shaqueel DeHeart

cumstances surrounding the incident has been launched by the GDF. When this newspaper visited the Timehri area on Thursday, the explosion was the central topic of conversation at most households.

taking a nap when she was awakened by a loud explosion. ”I heard this loud sound, I think this sound was heard as far as the airport terminal,” she said, noting that she saw vehicles speeding to and from

odd and about 10 minutes later, a GDF rank on a motorcycle related that an explosion had killed some of his colleagues.

Later, the sound of an ambulance was heard in the distance and a GDF helicopter

Leslie Francis related that he heard the explosion as he was making preparations to leave his home for an errand.

dent.

At the Timehri North area, Leslie Francis elaborated on

Diabetic man passes away from...

14 per cent will have severe symptoms and five per cent will need intensive care.

“Most of the people who passed, have [sic] co-morbidities…some had diabetes, hypertension, asthma and one of them even had severe pneumonia, which, without COVID, can also cause death…these, coupled with the complications related to COVID-19 can be

dangerous,” said Head of the Department of Internal Medicine at GPHC, Dr. Genellys Camps, during an exclusive interview with the Guyana Chronicle.

Among the persons who lost their lives to the deadly disease was local drag racer, Deryck Jaisingh, called ‘Mad Dog.’ It was reported that Jaisingh was also being treated for malaria and re-

ports are that he was diabetic. Guyana’s first COVID-19 victim, 52-year-old, Ratna Baboolall, was also hypertensive and a diabetic. Jermaine Ifill, an emergency medical technician (EMT), who had also succumbed to the dreaded COVID-19 was also being treated for pneumonia.

Two other persons who died from the disease were

OSA Collins, a 78-year-old resident of New Amsterdam; and 77-year-old, Colonel, John Percy Leon Lewis. And most recently, 45-year-old, Lennox Williams, who also had underlying conditions.

Considering the local situation, Minister Lawrence had said the ministry will continue to plead with all Guyanese to intensify efforts to stop the spread

of COVID-19 by practising social distancing, staying at home, wearing face masks and regularly and thoroughly washing hands. .The disease remains a serious concern and so far government has extended its emergency measures to combat the dreaded coronavirus with the implementation of a 12-hour curfew on citizens.

the loud “boom” he heard as he prepared to leave his home for the road. ”Everybody hear it, it wasn’t normal and I think they got to be more careful,” Francis said. A security guard who works in the area told the Guyana Chronicle that he was still shaken by the explosion. ”This thing was loud and a soldier who came out after the explosion told me that the heat had something to do with it,” the man said.

He said that the rank explained that the area where the pyrotechnics are stored isn’t ventilated properly and as such, the temperature could have played a role in the explosion.

On February 22, 2020, several GDF ranks were injured by an explosion while the ranks were offloading pyrotechnic devices for Guyana’s 50th Republic Anniversary fireworks display at the army’s coastguard base at Ruimveldt in the city.

Corporal Seon Ross subsequently died at the GPHC while being treated for injuries he sustained during the explosion. The GDF said that the time that “spontaneous combustion” occurred while the ranks were offloading the explosive material. On the morning of December,18 , 2000, several soldiers were injured after a series of explosions rocked the GDF Camp Groomes base off the Soesdyke/Linden Highway.

Following the inferno which levelled the base, three soldiers died. The ranks were guarding a munitions bond when it exploded.

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These emergency measures were made pursuant to the paragraphs (1) and (2) (b) of the Direction by the President, given under the Public Health Ordinance, Cap. 145, and published in the Gazette, Legal Supplement B, March 16, 2020, government said in a notice on Friday evening.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday May 1, 2020

Coronavirus: Eurozone economy shrinks at record rate

(BBC) The eurozone economy shrank at the sharpest pace on record in the first quarter as the Covid-19 pandemic forced countries into lockdown.

A first estimate of GDP between January and March showed a contraction of 3.8%, worse than during the financial crisis.

Separate figures revealed a steep fall in economic activity in France and Spain over the same period.

In Germany, unemployment has increased though it remains relatively low compared with other nations.

On Wednesday, the US revealed that its economy had suffered its most severe contraction for more than a decade, after GDP shrank at

an annual rate of 4.8% in the first quarter of the year.

However, this "annualised" rate implies that the US economy actually contracted by about 1.2% in the three-month period, a less severe contraction than in the eurozone.

On Thursday, figures from the US Department of Labor showed that 3.8 million more Americans filed claims for unemployment benefits last week. That is the lowest weekly rise for a month, but still very high, bringing jobs lost during the pandemic to about 30 million.

'Free-fall' Andrew Kenningham of Capital Economics called the European news a blizzard of depressing eco-

nomic data that "confirms that the eurozone economy was in free-fall".

In the case of France, the 5.8% decline in gross domestic product (GDP) was the largest the quarterly series has recorded since it began in 1949.

Two other large economies have published first estimates: Spain saw a contraction of 5.1% while Italy's economy shrank by 4.7%.

The figure for the eurozone as a whole was more moderate, but is still by any standards severe especially for a contraction over just three months.

So far most individual European countries have not published national estimates. That applies to the

largest of them, Germany.

But new figures for the German labour market are beginning to show the impact of the pandemic, with the number of people out of work rising by 373,000 in April.

However, the full impact is damped by the country's system of financial help to people put onto shorter working hours, known as Kurzarbeit.

Claus Vistesen of Pantheon Macroeconomics said the news on the Geman labour market was "bad, but it would have been disastrous without Kurzarbeit".

Growth warning European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde said

that a sharp downturn in eurozone economic activity in April "suggests that the impact [of the pandemic] is likely to be even more severe in the second quarter."

She warned that eurozone economic growth could fall between 5% and 12% this year, "depending crucially on the duration of the containment measures and the success of policies to mitigate the economic consequences for businesses and workers".

Ms Lagarde added that the ECB was fully prepared to increase emergency support measures to ease the burden of the pandemic, to "as much as necessary and for as long as needed".

Coronavirus: Russian PM Mishustin tests positive for virus

(BBC) Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has gone to hospital after he was diagnosed with coronavirus.

His positive test came on the same day that Russia recorded a record 7,099 cases, taking the total number of infections above 100,000.

Mr Mishustin was given the role of prime minister in January and has been actively involved in Russia's handling of the epidemic.

Russian TV showed him telling President Vladimir Putin of his diagnosis.

"I have just learned that the test on the coronavirus I took was positive," the

Friday, May 1, 2020–– 11:00hrs & 12:30hrs

prime minister said during the video call.

Mr Mishustin suggested that First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov should take his place and Mr Putin agreed. Mr Mishustin will now go into self-isolation.

"What's happening to you can happen to anyone, and I've always been saying this," Mr Putin told him.

"You are a very active person. I would like to thank you for the work that has been done so far."

Mikhail Mishustin is the first senior politician here to

fall sick with coronavirus.

He looked exhausted as he informed President Putin, via a video call, that he had tested positive and was handing over his responsibilities and heading into self-isolation.

Mr Putin said it only showed how the virus did not discriminate. He told the prime minister to give him a call when he got to hospital.

Mr Mishustin himself used the chance to urge all Russians to take coronavirus seriously, and to stay at home as an 11-day, extend-

ed May holiday begins.

Officials fear warmer weather will send families rushing to the countryside as usual. So Moscow is increasing the number of police patrols in the coming days, to ensure people stick to the strict lockdown.

Despite the sharp rise in cases, the Moscow-based coronavirus headquarters says 1,073 people in Russia have now died of coronavirus, a relatively low number for Russia's size.

Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov says Russia's reaction to the pandemic has enabled it to avoid an "Italian scenario".

But President Putin warned this week that Russia did not have enough protective equipment for

health workers and medics have complained in several regions of having insufficient protective suits.

Moscow's Mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, has meanwhile said he believes many of those living in the Russian capital do not realise how serious the situation is.

He said he had seen more people violating the restrictions, estimating his city was only a quarter of the way through the crisis.

"If we see things are getting better, then of course we will reduce the restrictions. But until that happens, you need to be courageous and patient.

It's very important for you and your health," he said.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday May 1, 2020

Oxford ranks T&T high on ability to end lockdown

(TRINIDAD GUARDIAN) T&T has been ranked second in the world in terms of its readiness to end stayat-home measures but the Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh is insisting our guards should not be let down.

The information was revealed in an April 23 University of Oxford study entitled “Lockdown rollback checklist: Do countries meet WHO recommendations for rolling back lockdown?”

According to the Lockdown Rollback Checklist portion of the report, T&T is currently sitting second only to Vietnam on readiness to readiness to reopen activity following shutdowns implemented to fight the virus’ spread.

The statistics in the study were based on six categories of measures governments need to have in place before rolling back ‘lockdown’ measures as outlined by the World Health Organisation (WHO). It used a colour code to measure the rating, with the brightest gold representing the least ready and the darkest blue indicating the readiest.

The categories were: • COVID-19 transmission is controlled to a level of sporadic cases and clusters of cases, all from known contacts or importations; at a minimum, new cases would be reduced to a level that the health system can manage based on healthcare capacity.

• Sufficient public health workforce and health system capacities are in place to enable the major shift from detecting and treating mainly

serious cases to detecting and isolating all cases, irrespective of severity and whether there is local transmission or an importation.

• Outbreak risks in high-vulnerability settings are minimised, which requires all major drivers or amplifiers of COVID-19 transmission to have been identified, with appropriate measures in place to maximise physical distancing and minimise the risk of new outbreaks.

• Preventive measures are established in workplaces.

• Manage the risk of exporting and importing cases from communities with high risks of transmission.

• Communities are fully engaged and understand that the transition away from large-scale movement restrictions and public health and social measures —from detecting and treating serious cases to detecting and isolating all cases—is a “new normal” in which prevention measures would be maintained and that all people have key roles in preventing a resurgence in case numbers.

The Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker (OxCGRT) notes that it currently provides information relevant to recommendations 2, 4 and 6.

“We combine this with epidemiological data from the European Centre for Disease Control on cases and deaths, provided by Our World in Data, which address recommendation 1.”

In terms of T&T, for the cases controlled and managing imported cases categories, it received the darkest blue colour. For community

understanding T&T was one tone short of the darkest blue coding and for testing, tracing and isolating it received a grey coding.

The OxCGRT said “because the data only measures four of six recommended actions, we should be cautious about inferring what countries are ready to rollback lockdown from this measure.

Indeed, the data provides a better indication of what countries are not ready.”

It said, therefore, that the checklist should be seen as a starting point for assessing a country’s preparedness for leaving lockdown measures.

“In particular, we note that the OxCGRT data measure countries’ stated policies, not how well they implement them,” it noted.

Asked about the study yesterday, Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh said, “The Oxford University report is a very good report, it paints us in an excellent light.”

He said it was “testimony to what we have been saying all along, that our response to COVID led by the Prime Minister was a robust one and we would only get this type of recognition outside of Trinidad and Tobago.”

However, Deyalsingh noted that citizens should not let the Oxford report “lull us into a false sense of security.”

Also commenting on the report was political analyst Dr Winford James, who was cautiously optimistic about making decisions solely based on the Oxford University statistics and report.

“If you ask me for one reason as to why we should

not reopen the country, I’d say that we don’t have the right level of comfort as to the situation because we have not done the kind of testing we should have done,” James said.

He said there is economic wreckage taking place on both islands due to COVID-19 and the Stay-atHome Regulations and while the economy could be reopened, it should not be if the hurdle of inadequate testing is not crossed.

James said he was still not confident at the amount of testing done so far, adding the medical personnel may not have a true picture of what is taking place in the country.

Economics lecturer at the University of the West Indies, Dr Marlene Attzs, also warned against taking action too quickly and from an economic standpoint.

“I think the issue of reopening should be based on the Ministry of Health and if they’re comfortable with the epidemiological/clinical data they have and that should inform reopening of the economy,” Attzs said.

“While the Oxford report puts T&T in a good position, I’m sure other factors will drive the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago’s decision on reopening. We also have to be mindful of the dynamics in other countries and factor whether persons from those countries might affect us when we reopen.”

But another economist, Dr Indera Sagewan, agreed it was time to reopen the economy but on a phased basis.

She said outside of the report, given the length of time of the Stay-at-Home measures thus far, number of cases

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and deaths and government’s good handling of the situation, the time had come to start easing restrictions. She also said the health system seems ready to handle a second wave of the virus should it occur.

Sagewan, however, cautioned that there are other critical variables, in particular, the preparedness of sectors like restaurants, that have to be reopened and need to be given priority. She said measures at business-places, such as mandatory use of PPE (personal protective equipment), thermal scanners and the heavier integration of technology should be explored.

Sagewan said this should be the priority of the economic review team set up by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, May 1, 2020

Labour and trade unionism

LABOUR Day finds the trade union in a state where it ought to be questioning its ability to achieve the goals it sets itself and asserting its role in the society. There is no denying the trade union, as an institution, is experiencing flux within and how other stakeholders view its role in society.

Agitation by unions within past years of being denied what they consider a fundamental right to represent their constituents and engage in collective bargaining are known. The presence of two federations, viewed by some as symptomatic of a divided trade union community and by others, a matter of the right to freedom of association, from a public perception has not been to the

unions’ advantage. While different reasons have been put forward for the so-called divided state, it cannot be ignored that even in such a state, there exist commonalities. Among these has been the respect for freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining.

A feature of evident weakness within the trade union, which prides itself on solidarity is the apparent reluctance by other trade unions and fellow trade unionists to speak out on issues that cut across trade union principles and common interesst. For this appearance of disjointedness or selfishness, the trade union leadership has to take responsibility. Where the trade union makes the case that the workers stand strong through it, and solidarity is a

key factor in this, the trade union community has none to hold to account for this other than itself. That having been said, where trade unions have achieved recognition in the workplace and employers are refusing to enter into collective bargaining with them, which is a violation of the Trade Union Recognition Act, should also be of concern.

Whereas it is being said that the trade unions are divided, it does not excuse non-compliance with the law by the employer. Under the International Labour Organisation,the trade union (workers’ representatives), employers (employers’ representatives) and government, are considered key to a tripartite relationship in building and maintaining cordial relations,

as established by its conventions, in pursuit of the growth and development of those involved and the society. It means therefore that the trade union will have to respect the role and function of government and employers in the society; the same can be said for the other two towards the trade union. Building positive relations accept the mutually of the other to exist and play a role. It also recognises and appreciates the rules that guide each in the conduct of their business are different.

Appreciation for this accepts that even in diversity there can be unity and development of all. Members of the trade unions rely on the organisation to pursue improvement of their working conditions and standard of living. This means that the role of the

trade union is much more than negotiating for increased wages and salaries and is that of being all encompassing. The concern about this being realised is that there exists a paucity of leaders articulating the trade union’s role and position on matters that are critical to workers’ well-being, in the workplace and wider society. And where such exists, it lends to the perception, real or perceived, that the trade union is either deprived of the quality of needed leadership or the few who articulate are considered stepping out of their boundaries.

Internally, it seems as though all may not be well within some unions. And though conflict is an aspect of human existence and relations, where conflict is seen

as being deliberately created as against organic, it can create speculation that in not necessarily in the interest of the affected union.

The trade union is an important institution in Guyana and where there exists any doubt about this, the Guyana Constitution confirms it. The trade union movement has a record of achievement spanning more than a century, with its impact felt in the Caribbean and farther afield.

At the same time it is up to the trade unions to seek to make its presence felt and secure its role in 21st century society.

Freddie has become a bitter man

Dear Editor

Former University of Guyana Lecturer Freddie Kissoon, has become a bitter man after the non-renewal of his contract by University of Guyana several years ago, and has been employed at Kaieteur News as a columnist, which seems to be the major accomplishment of his life; thinks that he can trick people into accepting his unverified opinions as truth.

Freddie Kissoon who has descended into a lunatic with a pen portrays himself as a social analyst and an expert in every field. Freddie Kissoon who is nothing but a social critic, like his counterpart- the Guyanese Critic continues to spew his ink daily in areas that are distant from reality. Freddie who once held placards and made some noise in Jagdeo's era and was doused with feces is now singing from the same song sheet as Jagdeo.

First, his analysis in the later

half of 2019 was that APNU would never form a coalition with AFC. Here Freddie was subliminally trying to cast doubt among APNU-AFC followers. He was never successful in his brainwashing mission since Guyanese, whether or not they hold University Degrees, are rich in common sense. Freddie went on to say that Ramjattan would never be the ANPU-AFC Prime Ministerial Candidate. Ofcourse this prediction was rubbished. Just a few weeks ago, Freddie claimed that there were cracks in the PNC and grave disagreements between Joe Harmon and Granger. This prediction again was rubbished. Mr. Editor, I have concluded that Freddie uses Kaieteur Newspapers as his platform to advance his PPPC-led, racially-biased and mischievous agenda; but a high school student could see that Freddie's pen lacks credibility, intellectual analysis and in most cases common sense.

Freddie wrote and said that he saw evidence that the PPP won

by over 20,000 votes, securing 34 seats, the coalition 29 and the smaller parties 2 seats. Yesterday, he said that the PPP won by over 17,000 votes. Would Freddie be willing to tell us when the 3,000 votes disappeared? Freddie's memory must be failing him. The only thing consistent with Freddie Kissoon's blog is Bharrat Jagdeo's claims. Freddie and Jagdeo have been singing from the same song sheet for a long while.

The public has not forgotten that Freddie and Bharrat Jagdeo had several court disputes. Some of these disputes just disappeared into thin air. We would like to know what was used to broker peace between Freddie and Jagdeo? It is public knowledge that during the PPPC era Freddie was doused with Feces by known PPPC operativesyet for some while now Freddie's message is identical to that of the PPPC. On different occasions, Jagdeo and his band of followers claimed that they had won by

over 20000 votes. On the night of elections, Jagdeo said they won by 18,000 votes. Three days later, he said they won by 15,000. One of their apologists said they won by 16,000 votes. If the PPP and their apologists like Freddie know that they won the elections, why have they failed to be consistent with their figures?

The only thing these individuals have been consistent with is to call for sanctions on Guyana which is nothing but a bluff. It was a sad day in Guyana when the intellectually deprived individuals who belonged to a country, called for sanctions on that country. This is a desperate and poor attempt by Jagdeo and his apologists to play psychological games.

However, to understand what is playing out here, one has to revisit McGuire’s inoculation theory. The theory explains how beliefs and attitudes can be protected in the “face of change”. The desperate and confused individuals and their

apologists like Freddie are now relentlessly attacking GECOM and its chairperson. The plan is simple: discredit or kill a recount even before it starts. Thus, when a recount is finally concluded and proves that the PPP lost the elections, free and fair, there will be an exit where Justice Singh will be the whipping bag.

Freddie says that the PNC has gone too far to backtrack.

I would similarly say that these naysayers have gone too far to safely backtrack. They have to save face. How? Discredit the chairperson Justice Singh.

Freddie says that a post-mortem cannot give a corpse back life.

I would say too that constantly attacking GECOM’s Chairperson Justice Retired Claudette Singh will not conjure up a victory for the PPP. Regards Brentnol Holder

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OP–ED

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, May 1, 2020

Heeding Prime Minister Mottley’s clarion call for a vulnerability index

By Jan Yves Remy, J. Jason Cotton and Alicia Nicholls Introduction

community to COVID-19 that prioritises the allocation of global resources to the most vulnerable.

ALL of Barbados sat glued to their television sets this Wednesday as CNN’s Christiane Amanpour interviewed Prime Minister the Honourable Mia Amor Mottley. And she did not disappoint; she used the world stage to make a clarion call for global leadership on the issue of vulnerability and revived the concept of a Vulnerability Index for validating small states’ claim for special treatment in international relations.

As the prime minister noted, vulnerability has been the subject of international trade literature for years, and the Commonwealth Secretariat has pioneered work on vulnerability. More recently, we at the University of the West Indies’ Shridath Ramphal Centre (SRC) in Barbados have teamed up with a Caribbean economist to develop a “Trade Vulnerability Index (TVI)” that aims to detect, measure and ultimately quantify the degree of trade vulnerability of countries.

As we argue below, the global health pandemic of COVID-19 gives credibility to – and ultimately validates – the relationship we have explored between vulnerability and trade using our TVI. It also justifies and directs a response by the international

THE SRC TRADE VULNERABILITY INDEX IN A NUTSHELL We first proposed the TVI as an objective basis for guiding country-eligibility for preferential treatment – Special and Differential Treatment (S&DT) – at the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

We wanted a framework that would steer the focus away from income-based criteria for assessing development – like GDP- or GNI-per capita - toward structural characteristics of an economy After careful review of the literature, we came up with indicative “proxy indicators” to measure the structural, environmental and institutional vulnerabilities of countries.

These indicators include: export concentration, concentration of export destination, trade openness, susceptibility to trade shocks, dependence on strategic imports such as food and fuel, reliance on external finance, market share of global trade, remoteness, limited economic diversification, small size, susceptibility to natural hazards and climate change, market inflexibility and weak political, social and environmental governance. Importantly, while the TVI contemplates that most countries which fall under the “vulnerable” category would be small economies, it is not

preclusive.

COVID-19 EXPOSES CARIBBEAN VULNERABILITY The Caribbean region comprises economies that are small, debt-ridden, export-dependent, disaster-prone, and reliant on external finance.

With these characteristics, it is little surprise that COVID-19 has further exposed the Caribbean’s vulnerability. Take, for example, the TVI proxies of export concentration and limited diversification. For the majority of islands, tourism is the main economic activity, representing approximately 45 per cent of GDP, contributing an average of 29,208 persons to employment (per island); and serving as a major source of foreign exchange with the main tourism source markets being the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada.

Tourism will experience a sharp economic decline due to closed borders, grounded flights, interrupted cruises, shut hotels and other accommodations, supply disruptions and social distancing and state-of-emergency measures (domestically and abroad).

Take another indicator: dependence on strategic imports. For many years, leaders of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) have lamented the Region’s increasing dependence on critical imports such as food, fuel, machinery and trans-

port and other manufactured goods. With COVID-19, this dependence has become debilitating, with the Region scrambling to ensure that its access to critical produce, health-related goods and equipment such as personal protective equipment, medical supplies and ventilators are secured.

The COVID-19 pandemic has also served as a stark reminder of our susceptibility to disasters and exogenous shocks. These islands are already feeling the adverse impacts of climate change, including more frequent droughts and increasingly ferocious weather systems.

With the hurricane season quickly approaching, concerns are heightening, but hopefully we will be spared another natural disaster onslaught this year.

THE LESSONS TO LEARN ABOUT VULNERABILITY COVID-19 has validated our belief that inherent characteristics of certain countries, such as those of the Caribbean, predispose them to less favourable outcomes in severe crises such as this one: high concentration of exports (and particularly tourism services); high dependence on other nations for their imports of food, fuel and medical equipment and services; a small proportion of global trade and as such, may not be prioritized, given scarcity of supply; deep fiscal

constraints and limited access to capital markets, which is often connected with weak governance and weak institutions; heavy reliance on external trade and foreign investment to overcome their inherent resource limitations; market rigidities which can restrict the economy’s ability to recover after being affected by the shock and have higher levels of poverty and inequality.

But beyond just inputs for our Index, COVID-19 allows us to reflect on the very concept of vulnerability, as a more human and lived experience. First, it shows that the potential causes of vulnerability are not static.

Health pandemics, like climate change, which now feature prominently in discussions, were hardly, if at all, on global radars 15-20 years ago. Secondly, the globalisation and interconnectedness of the world in economic, social and environmental dimensions demonstrates how – to varying degrees – we are all vulnerable to each other.

Thirdly, while we typically understand this vulnerable group to comprise women, children, the elderly, disabled, the poor, marginalised and displaced, we may now include as well those without health care or health insurance, and those facing job losses and economic hardship which could result in mortgage and rental arrears and evictions.

CONCLUSION In its recent Ministerial Statement, the G20 expressed “concern” about the impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable developing and least developed countries, and notably in Africa and small island states.

While a good start, as Honourable Mia Amor Mottley has intimated, “concern” is not enough. The world must realise that to claim vulnerability is not simply a plaintive cry of the weak, but an expression of a real condition. Our Trade Vulnerability Index can help provide a sound and evidential basis for decisions taken by international institutions to allocate limited resources to the most vulnerable.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Jan Yves Remy and Alicia Nicholls work at the Shridath Ramphal Centre for International Trade Law, Policy and Services, at the University of the West Indies’ Cave Hill Campus (Barbados). J. Jason Cotton is an Economist at the Caribbean Development Bank.

Stabroek News editorial manifests culture of subversive politics Dear Editor,

I RESPOND to Stabroek News editorial, dated April 27,2020.

This is a malicious, mischievous, and reckless editorial. At least in substance it is aiding and abetting an environment for lawlessness.

It seems too to be part of the new contrived PPP/C's narrative which is setting the stage for rejection of the recount

results, if not in their favour.

In high-stake elections, there will always be the potential for misfeasance and malfeasance.

What matters are the system and the checks and balances.

Were this editorial informed with good faith, it would have focused on the proposed mechanisms and sought to expose possible vulnerabilities.

But that's not the intent. The intent is to make the public space more fertile for doubts

and distrust. It's another brick in the process of undermining public institutions and the people who lead them.

And mind you, it is implicitly saying that CARICOM observers who are more likely to be blacks, cannot be trusted to oversee and deliver a credible result. That is the depth of prejudice and contempt that is inherent in that message. At core it is calculative mischief and contempt. It is

a manifestation of the culture of subversive politics. It follows therefore, that closer attention must be paid to the message and language trends or patterns of Stabroek News.

What and whose interest it is advancing and why? Why would Stabroek News be complicit in perpetuating doubts in the society, aiding and abetting contempt and distrust based on assumptions and prejudice, rather than facts? That kind of

editorial is what one would expect from a partisan paper, whose agenda would be to create doubts and conditions for rejecting an outcome, irrespective of how valid it is.

It is noticeable that although clear and credible measures for security, accountability, and transparency, are being put in place, the PPP/C and its cohorts are deliberately fomenting distrust. Why? It is basic that if the PPP/C's elec-

toral claims are legitimate, a forensic audit under the watchful eyes of the stakeholders would prove that. If the audit doesn't prove that what would be the new narrative, counted but cheated? Is the narrative of distrust aimed at supporting such a claim in case the audit disproves the aggressive accusations?

Regards Lin-Jay HarryVoglezon

8

He was a loving and caring son

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, May 1, 2020

…mother of GDF rank Shaqueel Deheart 25340 PRIVATE Shaqueel Deheart of Lot 9 Paradise Village West Coast Berbice (WCB) is the youngest of the three soldiers who died during an explosion at Camp Stephenson, Timehri, on Thursday, and his mother described him as a loving and caring son who will be greatly missed.

Deheart, 20, attended Bush Lot Secondary School in WCB before

joining the Army in 2018. He was one of five siblings. His mother Melissa Hutson said that she raised her five children as a single parent. Ms. Hutson told the Guyana Chronicle that Shaqueel joined the Army like many other youths in the area not because he wanted to, but partly because he wanted employment so he could provide economic support to her and his other younger siblings.

“He said that he had grown up and he wanted to work so he could help provide for myself and his brothers and sisters. He wanted to help our family situation where I was a single parent,” a tearful Hutson related. “He was proud of himself as a soldier,” she added.

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Melissa Hutson remembers her son as a loving and caring person

Soldier Shaqueel Deheart

I was delighted when an ordinary man NEW NORMAL? BETTER NORMAL! gave back the box of food to Mc Kintosh Dear Editor

Dear Editor, I NOTE with some surprise a lengthy letter by one, Mr. Christopher ‘Kit’ Nascimento last week, which assailed one of our few elders and respected smtatesman, Mr. Hamilton Green.

I am a regular reader of the Opinion and Letter Columns of the media and I checked that there were two direct references made to Mr. Nascimento by Mr. Green. The first was a letter last year referring to Portuguese Arrival Day in which Mr. Green mentioned Mr. Nascimento as one of the Portuguese who deserved to be honoured and the other referred to statements by Mr. Nascimento.

In that statement at an emergency press conference, Mr. Nascimento said and I quote “ “In all my considerable life and career, in and out of politics in this country, I have never seen such a bare-faced, ugly and deliberate attempt to rig an election.”

But yet in his response, he said ‘I have not said that.” The calypsonian Lord Nelson said “You hear lie, That is lie.” Later, Mr. Green’s letter noted “My friend Kit, has been in the political hustings for nearly as long as I have and should know that you don’t make statements of that kind without credible evidence.” Mr. Nascimento ought not be so ‘thin-skinned.’ The old people say’ nobody hears the first bell.’

Mr. Nascimento, as an observer on Election Day was quite out of order, without credible evidence, referring to the 2020 Elections has being rigged – this is strong language.

In his letter, Nascimento extols the many great things he did, including an unfortunate and inaccurate reference to Mr. Green’s first wife, the Late Shirley Field-Ridley.

As a youngster, I came to know both Messrs. Nascimento and Green. In Nascimento’s letter, he referred to the several assignments and tasks he carried out under the PNC Administration.

He wrote “ I was a good Guyanese Portuguese.”

Human history is filled with examples, where persons shift their loyalties, sometimes by the attraction of money. The best known, of course, Judas Iscariot, who was a disciple of Jesus of Nazareth, but shifted gear for whatever reason. Mr. Kit should put that Bible story in his pipe and smoke it.”

In other letters, I read by several citizens, one cannot help gaining the perception that we are facing, a form of racism by what one Leader referred to that group (the Putagee Mafia).

Gerry Gouveia making the Public Sector Commission, the mouthpiece of the PPP, then you have Tony Vieira, saying that the PPP supporters control the rice and sugar industries, dominate the commercial sector and is calling upon them to ‘down’ tools.

Bravo Tony Vieira.

During the war and during the crisis of the 60s, these same sentiments were expressed and attempts to ‘down’ tools were made. Those who Tony Vieira and his kith and kin seek to punish must remember the resilience of that group who survived the brutality of slavery, the discrimination by the plantocracy and certain Immigrants. That group, Dear Mr. Vieira, will not disappear that easily. Close your businesses (Private Sector Commission), stop growing rice and sugar.

Be assured we will survive on the produce of our backlands, fruits, vegetables, ground provisions, fishing and rearing of poultry and animals. The slave masters and their lineal descendants discovered, the group that the Gouveias, the Vieiras, the Nascimentos, and Brian Mc Kintosh, now seek to punish are strong and resilient.

I was delighted when an ordinary man who appeared to be Indo or mixed, gave back the box of food to Mc Kintosh, who clearly wanted to see this food handout as a PPP operation.

The expletive we heard from Mc Kintosh on Face Book is of course another sad moment to Guyana. As a youngster, I know of instances, where Mr. Green would take UHT Milk and other foodstuff to communities by helicopter. I’ve seen this man distribute sports equipment to groups of young men and women, members of the security forces, not once walking with camera crews, and seeking publicity unlike Mc Kintosh and his acolytes. In an earlier letter I read Mr. Green’s appeal to ‘mend and not rend’ and to avoid provocative language.

End of story.

Regards Eric Moseley

In these times of COVID-19, the big challenge for most of us is how to protect ourselves and our families from the virus and how to hold on to our jobs.

For policy-makers that translates into beating the pandemic without doing irreversible damage to the economy in the process.

With over 3 million cases and some 217,000 victims of the virus to date globally, and the expected loss of the equivalent of 305 million jobs worldwide by midyear, the stakes have never been higher.

Governments continue to “follow the science” in the search for the best solutions while foregoing the obvious benefits of much greater international cooperation in building the needed global response to the global challenge.

But with the war against COVID-19 still to be won, it has become commonplace that what awaits us after victory is a “new normal” in the way society is organized and the way we will work.

This is hardly reassuring. Because nobody seems able to say what the new normal will be. Because the message is that it will be dictated by the constraints imposed by the pandemic rather than our choices and preferences. And because we’ve heard it before. The mantra which provided the mood music of the crash of 2008-2009 was that once the vaccine to the virus of financial excess had been developed and applied, the global economy would be safer, fairer, more sustainable.

But that didn’t happen. The old normal was restored with a vengeance and those on the lower echelons of labour markets found themselves even further behind.

So 1 May, the international day of labour is the right occasion to look more closely at this new normal, and start on the task of making it a better normal, not so much for those who already have much, but for those who so obviously have too little.

This pandemic has laid bare in the cruellest way, the extraordinary precariousness and injustices of our world of work.

It is the decimation of livelihoods in the informal economy - where six out of ten workers make a living - which has ignited the warnings from our colleagues in the World Food Programme, of the coming pandemic of hunger. It is the gaping holes

in the social protection systems of even the richest countries, which have left millions in situations of deprivation. It is the failure to guarantee workplace safety that condemns nearly 3 million to die each year because of the work they do. And it is the unchecked dynamic of growing inequality which means that if, in medical terms, the virus does not discriminate between its victims in its social and economic impact, it discriminates brutally against the poorest and the powerless.

The only thing that should surprise us in all this is that we are surprised. Before the pandemic, the manifest deficits in decent work were mostly played out in individual episodes of quiet desperation.

It has taken the calamity of COVID-19 to aggregate them into the collective social cataclysm the world faces today. But we always knew: we simply chose not to care.

By and large, policy choices by commission or omission accentuated rather than alleviated the problem.

Fifty-two years ago, Martin Luther King, in a speech to striking sanitation workers on the eve of his assassination reminded the world that there is dignity in all labour. Today, the virus has similarly highlighted the always essential and sometimes heroic role of the working heroes of this pandemic. People who are usually invisible, unconsidered, undervalued, even ignored. Health and care workers, cleaners, supermarket cashiers, transport staff – too often numbered among the ranks of the working poor and the insecure.

Today the denial of dignity to these, and to millions of others, stand as a symbol of past policy failures and our future responsibilities. On May Day next year we trust that the pressing emergency of COVID-19 will be behind us. But we will have before us the task of building a future of work which tackles the injustices that the pandemic has highlighted, together with the permanent and no longer postponable challenges of climate, digital and demographic transition. This is what defines the better normal that has to be the lasting legacy of the global health emergency of 2020.

Regards Guy Ryder (Director-General, International Labour Organization)

9

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, May 1, 2020

Soldier's death opened up fresh wounds of pain -- says mother

By Jeune Bailey Vankeric THE death of Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Lance Corporal, Kevon Samuel Nicholson, 23, of Lot 11 Levi Dam, Angoys Avenue, an area on the eastern fringe of the New Amsterdam township, has left his parents in a state of shock.

His mother, Cheryl Nicholson, known as "Sister Donna", said she received the news that there was an incident at the Camp Stephenson where her youngest child was based. But the rumour was not confirmed until much later when a telephone call was received from a member of

the Guyana Defence Force, who also informed the family that a team would be visiting shortly.

Once confirmed, the news sent shock waves through the family, who are still trying overcome the death of another sibling.

It was almost four years ago when Kevon's sister, Lonette Prince nee Nicholson, an auxiliary staff attached to the National Psychiatric Hospital, succumbed at her workplace after receiving 11 stab wounds about her body, allegedly by the hands of her husband, Sheldon Prince, who has since been charged.

Kevon's death has opened

the wounds, which were never healed, his mother said.

"He came home and spent a week. He returned just Tuesday. I did not get to see him off, as I was sleeping. But, on Saturday, we went to the supermarket and we shopped. Everything I wanted, he bought... this is so hard... why Lord! Why" she cried.

"My son joined the Guyana Defence Force three years ago. It was just recently he was promoted... now this... life can be so unfair... so unfair," she said.

The deceased soldier leaves to mourn his parents, Micheal and Cheryl Nicholson and three siblings.

The quietude of the communities near the Guy-

ana Defence Force (GDF) Base Camp Stephenson at

Kevon Nicholson

Timehri was shattered on Thursday morning after a stack of pyrotechnics exploded, killing Nicholson and two soldiers. Two

Cheryl Nicholson known as "Sister Donna"

soldiers were also injured in the blast. An investigation

has been launched into the incident.

Confirmed COVID-19 cases move to 82

--two persons in ICU, 51 in isolation

Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence

GUYANA continues to record a consistent increase in the number of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases, with the latest statistics showing an addition of four over the past 24 hours, taking the total to 82.

The country also lost another precious life to the deadly disease, taking the COVID-19 death toll to nine.

This represents a death rate of a little more than 10 per cent, much higher than the average death rate of 2-4 per cent outlined by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Society has managed to remain calm during these trying times, but the seriousness

of the situation cannot be overlooked. And, according to Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence: “…I am, therefore, appealing to you to change your behaviour patterns and adhere to the guidelines provided to enable us to stop the upward trajectory, and help flatten the curve (spread of the disease). If not, we will have a situation beyond our control.”

Minister Lawrence, in a virtual update on Thursday, reminded Guyanese that central Georgetown continues to be the epicenter of the disease, with positive cases coming from Kitty, Sophia, Turkeyen, Liliendaal, Cum-

mings Lodge, Alberttown and Cummingsburg. Cases also came from Bourda, Lamaha Park, South Ruimveldt Gardens and Thirst Park.

In her update, the minister added new communities to this list, and those areas include Campbellville, East Ruimveldt, Guyhoc Park, Lodge, Albouystown and Laing Avenue, in West Ruimveldt.

“Fellow Guyanese, I hope you have noted the areas listed, and realise how close the Coronavirus disease is to you,” said Minister Lawrence.

Health authorities have so far tested 579 persons for COVID-19, with 497 of those persons testing negative for the disease, and the remainder testing positive. Of the confirmed cases, some 22 persons have recovered, but 51 remain in isolation, and 18 in quarantine. Additionally, two persons are being treated in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

“To date, the total number of patients seen in the COVID-19 ICU is 24, with seven deaths being registered within the ICU,” Minister Lawrence said.

He was a loving ...

The woman who is a Sweeper Cleaner at the Belladrum Secondary School said that she lives at

her parents’ home at Lot 9 Paradise, and, in recent weeks, she and Shaqueel had been discussing

Globally, there are over three million cases of COVID-19, with over 207,000 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 preventative measures to contain the spread of the disease.

In an effort to improve the response to the pandemic, the Public Health Ministry has launched its mobile unit at the East La Penitence Health Centre, as well as at the community COVID-19 facilities of Region#4 at Herstelling, on the East Bank Demerara, and at Paradise, on the East Coast Demerara.

Additionally, the government has extended its emergency measures to combat the dreaded disease, with the imposition of a 12-hour curfew on citizens. These emergency measures were taken pursuant to Paragraphs (1) and (2) (b) of the directive issued by the President, in accordance with the Public Health Ordinance, Cap. 145, and published in the Official

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8

plans to build their own home aback of her parents’ house. “He had this dream of helping me to

Gazette, Legal Supplement B, on March 16, 2020.

As the country wages war against the deadly disease, President David Granger is on record as saying that the efforts of the country’s frontline workers, in particular those within the medical field, should not go unnoticed.

“I ask you… to think tenderly of our public health professionals and service providers; that is to say, our doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists and all other supporting staff, medical and non-medical, who are providing the required care for those in distress,” President Granger said, adding: “Public health practitioners are on the frontline of protecting those stricken by the disease; they have been working tirelessly, through this very difficult situation, to provide quality healthcare to those who have been infected and afflicted.

Everyone in the public health system has played a vital part in the fight against this disease.”

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by the new-

build a home for us. His last few days with us were good,” Hutson said.

She said he spent the entire week home and left for work Tuesday afternoon of this

ly-discovered coronavirus.

The WHO said most people infected with the COVID-19 virus will experience mild to moderate respiratory illnesses and recover without requiring special treatment. Older persons and those with underlying medical problems such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, and cancer, are more likely to develop serious illness.

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

“Protect yourself and others from infection by washing your hands or using an alcohol-based rub frequently and not touching your face. The COVID-19 virus spreads primarily through droplets of saliva, or discharge from the nose when an infected person coughs or sneezes, so it’s important that you also practise respiratory etiquette (for example, by coughing into a flexed elbow),” the WHO has advised.

week. “He was a good loving and thoughtful son,” she said. A grieving neighbour said of the deceased lad: “He was so young: he didn’t even lose his mother’s features.”

10

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday May 1, 2020

Guyana against those who misrepresent the Constitution …GTUC’s Lewis urges in Labour Day address …says economic, political transformation key in Post-COVID-19 GUYANA is in the throes of what may be its worst combination of a global pandemic and political challenges ever, but the country must build on its experience to foster economic, political and social transformation post-COVID-19, General Secretary of the Guyana Trade Union Conference (GTUC), Lincoln Lewis said as he ushered in Labour Day. The Coronavirus (COVID-19) hit Guyana on March 11, 2020, at a time when it was desperately trying to manoeuver through uncharted waters after the electoral process encountered a number of stumbling blocks, which landed Elections Officials in Court. Since then, there have been 82 confirmed cases, inclusive of nine deaths, and in an attempt to flatten the curve, the Government of Guyana, as was done in other parts of world, implemented a menu of emergency measures, including the closure of non-essential businesses, and a 6pm-to- 6am curfew. Some industries have ground to a halt, and, undoubtedly, the impact would be felt on the country’s economy.

These challenges, Lewis said, come at a time when the country is on the verge of an economic turnaround, due to the budding Oil-and-Gas Industry.

They must be overcome, he said, and Guyana must learn from them.

HARNESS THE CHALLENGES “Post-coronavirus, we must harness these challenges to effectively function and compete in a global society. We must harness them to lift the standards of our working class, and we must be able to do this in a manner that does not discriminate, if we are to succeed as a nation. Cash transfers will definitely help in times like now, and postCOVID-19. Families need relief, and the most vulnerable amongst us are desperately in need,” the veteran trade unionist said in a statement on Thursday.

Lewis said there need not be further social decay amongst those whose livelihood is already at its weakest. It was at this juncture that Lewis, on behalf of the GTUC, called on the Government and the National COVID-19 Task Force (NCTF) to hasten its support to those most vulnerable.

Turning his attention to the country’s political status quo, the trade unionist said that undoubtedly, the 2020 Elections have demonstrated how ethnically divided the country is. “It is obvious what is being perpetrated clearly indicates there exists deep suspicion and intolerance between the two major races. Even as we acknowledge the apparent concerns and conflict between these two forces, the interest and well-being of all racial groups are of equal importance,” he said,

while warning that none will be spared the impact of such conflict, should the concerns of both sides not be addressed forthwith.

He warned, however, that the reduction of ethnic tensions and insecurities will simply not be achieved through the vague notion of a government of national unity, formed on the pretext of executive power-sharing, where the presidency is given to the party with the plurality of the vote, and the prime-minister to the party with the second highest.

POWER-SHARING CALLS “Such calls often represent nothing more than a desperate bid to limit executive power to whoever is in control of this branch of government; it is nothing more than a simplistic approach to addressing our political system of inclusion, mandated by the Guyana Constitution as per Article 13, but, sadly, not given the fullest effect by those who have power to so do through our legislative arm, even when they have control of parliament,” the GTUC General Secretary said.

It was noted that at the Regional and Local Government levels, there is devolution of political power manifest in the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C)’s current control of six Democratic Regions as opposed to the A Partner for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC)’s four.

The PPP/C also shares control

of Local Authorities, he further pointed out.

According to Lewis, it is time that Guyana stop the misrepresentation of its democracy and governance, and hold to account those who fail to utilise the Constitution to enact supportive laws to deepen institutions where these can be more manifest.

BEYOND LIP SERVICE “Both sides must move beyond lip service and work together regardless of the distribution of power to deepen our democracy. Government must not see itself as having all the power to do as it pleases without accountability and the Opposition must do its job not to create anarchy and bring turmoil to this country but to ensure that the people are better served by good programs and policies. We have a democratic system of our own created post Republican status in an era when politicians were more driven by service to the nation than service to self and a few corrupt friends,” he stated.

Guyanese, he underscored, must guard against those who constantly seek to misrepresent the Constitution in their quest to serve their own interest. “We must recognise the importance of guarding it by the very fact of how difficult the framers have made its change possible.

Already we see how the opportunity to corrupt is ever present in the minds of some politicians,

GTUC General Secretary, Lincoln Lewis

more so when they demonstrate no will, and fail to even attempt enacting the necessary legislation to give meaning to articles of the constitution,” he said.

As a leader of the working class, Lewis said it is their duty to demand what is constitutionally theirs.

BEWARE FALSE PROMISES Speaking directly to the working class, the trade unionists said don’t be fooled by false promises, as he challenged them to hold the country’s leaders accountable. “We must not be misled by loud voices, by titles, by media, by threats, nor by those who seek to make us impotent in our responses by shaming us with lies and misrepresentation of who we are based on our looks, political and other associations. We are seeing efforts at this right now in our society.

We do not want it! We cannot develop, nor live in peace as a nation under such conditions, and we open the doors for our country to be taken advantage of by predatory forces of all sorts, who seek to exploit our wealth and divide,” Lewis cautioned.

He urged workers to become knowledgeable of the socio-political situation, and critical of those who use wealth and influence to create an alternate reality. Workers of Guyana, he iterated, desire social, political and economic transformation, and should not settle for less.

“They want to see systems put in place now, that would provide the assurance needed,” Lewis said, while positing that the time is ripe for the country’s leaders to conceptualise and develop an indigenous programme, aimed at empowering every region and all their citizens.

The programme, he added, must see the establishment of laws to strengthen the regional system and re-investment in each region from the revenue garnered from the exploitation of the unique resources of each region. Revenue from oil and gas must be targeted to improve of service sectors such as healthcare, education, Internet, disaster preparedness, he added.

Last year March, GTUC submitted a 19-point proposal to President David Granger and Leader of the Opposition Bharrat Jagdeo, intended at realising a more inclusionary form of government which is critical to social cohesion, economic parity and national unity.

Five charged with trafficking ‘ganja’ --following Wednesday night’s deadly Berbice River mishap

Ramnarine Punwasie

Netram Punwasie

Kevin Archer

Carl Williams

FOLLOWING a mishap on the Berbice River late Wednesday night in which four persons lost their lives, five men were virtually hauled before the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s Court on Thursday for trafficking in narcotics.

Those charged are Kevin Archer,

20, of Maria Emrita Village, Berbice River; Ramnarine Punwasie, 23, of Palmyra Village, East Canje, Berbice; Carl Williams, 51, a fisherman of Adelphi Settlement, East Canje Berbice; Marvin Kissoon,39, a fisherman and boat operator of Sheet Anchor, East Canje, Berbice; and Nadram Punwasie, 38, a

carpenter/mason of Palmyra Village, East Canje, Berbice.

All five denied any wrongdoing during a Skype arraignment before Magistrate Peter Hugh, causing Police Prosecutor, Corporal Winston Poliah to object to pre-trial liberty, on the grounds that the accident is still being investigated.

According to Poliah, the older of the two Punwasies also has three robbery charges, as well as a trafficking-in-narcotics matter pending.

Kissoon’s lawyer, Mursulene Bacchus, sought to have an early trial.

The matter has been adjourned to

Marvin Kissoon

May 7.

According to the Police, on Wednesday, April 28, at Edinburgh Village, East Bank Berbice, the men had in their possession 33 kilograms of cannabis sativa for the purpose of trafficking.

11

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, May 1, 2020

Gov’t signs order to acquire Ocean View Hotel -property to be transformed into National Sanatorium

GOVERNMENT has signed an order, which allows the state to acquire the property of the former Ocean View Hotel Ltd. The order, which was signed by Minister of State, Dawn Hastings-Williams and published in the Official Gazette, clears the way for government to acquire the property for the purpose of constructing a National Sanatorium.

A sanatorium is defined as a medical facility for longterm illnesses, most typically associated with the treatment of tuberculosis (TB) in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century, before the discovery of antibiotics.

In this case, the former Ocean View Hotel will be transformed into a sanatorium for the care and treatment of persons suffering the deadly Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) disease and other related illnesses. Guyana has so far recorded 82 cases of COVID-19, inclusive of nine deaths. And, as the cases continue to rise, government saw it fit to designate a special facility for the treatment and care of infected persons.

Progress is being made on this front, as Minister Hastings, through the Acquisition of Lands for Public Purposes (National Sanatorium) Order

2020, gave permission to the Commissioner of Lands and Surveys, together with his agents, servants or workmen to enter on the land for surveying or otherwise examining such land with a view to the acquisition of

Organization (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 method, had initially

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 recent News Room report.

And should this happen,

recommendation, Chairman of the National COVID-19 Task Force, Prime Minister Nagamootoo, had confirmed that the proposal was examined by the task force, and the Ocean View Hotel was identified as the building in

Work ongoing at the former Ocean View Hotel (Adrian Narine photo)

the whole or part thereof for public work.

Government will acquire both the building and the land it sits on, which measures some 5.738 acres.

The idea to establish a special COVID-19 facility was put to the government by the Pan American Health Organization/World Health

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 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

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. While the projected cases have since been revised downwards, the issue remains a serious concern for the nation.

Subsequent to PAHO’s

which the hospital will be housed.

“Work is ongoing to make this into a dedicated facility for incubation, isolation, quarantine or medical attention for persons who confirmed positive for the disease,” said Nagamootoo in a past report.

The Minister of Public

Health, Volda Lawrence had said that the Ocean View facility will have 300 beds for critical patients. Chief Executive Officer of the COVID-19 Task Force, Joseph Harmon was reported as saying that the facility will be set up for the long-term.

“Going forward, we may not have pandemics, we may have epidemics and so on but going forward, that is going to be a facility for this purpose,” said Harmon.

Stabroek News reported that following questions about the safety of the structure and its potential vulnerability to overtopping from the sea, Harmon stated that he believed that works are also ongoing in the sea defence area just beyond the structure.

According to report, he said he could not recall any recent overtopping of the defence that affected that structure. “I think that at the end of it, in a very short space of time, we will have an A-1 facility where we can be able to say to the world that this is what we are doing for Guyanese who are affected by this COVID virus,” Harmon said.

CARICOM high-level team arrives today

A high-level team of officials from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) will arrive today to scrutinise Guyana's much anticipated National Recount of the March 2 votes cast in the General and Regional Elections, Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Public Relations Officer Yolanda Ward has announced.

The three member delegation includes Senior Lecturer at the University of the West Indies, Cynthia Barrow-Giles; Commissioner of the Antigua and Barbuda Electoral Commission, John Jarvis; and Supervisor of St Vincent Electoral Commission; Sylvester King.

CARICOM Secretary-General, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque had written the Chairman of the National COVID-19 Task Force (NCTF), Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo seeking approval for a chartered plane to transport the high-level delegation in and out of Guyana. That approval was granted when the NCTF held its virtual weekly statutory meeting on Monday.

Ambassador LaRocque sought approval for the departure of a chartered flight from Guyana to collect the high-level officials, and for its return the very day. The CARICOM Secretary-General has also asked that a similar arrangement be put in place for the return of the officials upon the completion

of the exercise.

Permission to enter and depart Guyana is needed in light of Emergency Measures instituted by the Government to prevent the spread of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). The country’s international airports – Cheddi Jagan International Airport and the Eugene F. Correia International Airport – have been closed to regional and international travel since March 18, 2020.

Ambassador LaRocque, in his communication with Prime Minister Nagamootoo, also indicated that the high-level officials will undergo the World Health Organisation (WHO) approved polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for COVID-19 before arriving in Guyana. He noted that arrangements would be made for the officials to be tested in their respective country, however, he requested that the WHO approved PCR COVID-19 test also be administered to the team before they depart Guyana.

Last week, the NCTF granted approval for the CARICOM officials to undergo the PCR COVID-19 test as against the mandatory 14 days quarantine. Approval was granted based on the intervention of President David Granger. President Granger had insisted that “nothing should be done, or appears to be done, that could delay the start of the recount process.”

Now that an arrival date for the CARICOM officials have been announced, it is likely that the Elections Commission will announce a commencement date for the National Recount soon and gazette an order for the recount to take effect. Already an operational plan and a draft order for the National Recount to take place have been approved.

On Thursday, the GECOM Secretariat held a training session to bring its Electors Officers up to par with the Operational Plan, and procedures that will be implemented in keeping with the COVID-19 Emergency Measures.

A CARICOM high-level team is returning to Guyana after the initial team withdrew from the country due to a number of legal challenges that arose. n the instruction of the CARICOM Chairman, Barbados’ Prime Minister Mia Mottley, the high-level team had arrived in Guyana on March 15 to supervise a planned national recount, which had stemmed from an agreement between President David Granger and Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo.

However, on March 17, 2020, the high-level team withdrew from the process, after it was beset by several stumbling blocks. A private citizen, Ulita Moore, secured four injunctions from the High Court to block the recount, on the grounds that it

was unconstitutional.

Added to that, though President Granger and the Opposition Leader had signed an Aide Memoire agreeing to the recount, CARICOM had requested a legal cover, in the form of a gazzetted order. However, Guyana’s Chief Parliamentary Counsel, Charles Fung-a-Fat, advised against it. According to him, to do so would be to supersede electoral laws, and infringe on the rights of electors.

On April 3, however, GECOM took a decision to proceed with the National Recount after the Full Court had discharged the injunctions and dismissed the Fixed Date Application for Judicial Review filed by Moore on the basis that the challenge ought to have been filed by way of an Elections Petition.

Justice Singh said the decision was taken in accordance with Article 162 (1) (b) of the Constitution of Guyana, which mandates the Commission to “take such action as appear to it necessary or expedient to ensure impartiality, fairness and compliance with the provisions of the Constitution.”

But while the Court of Appeal ruled out the possibility of CARICOM supervising the recount, the Elections Commission thought it important to have CARICOM integrally involved to validate the process.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, May 1, 2020

Guyana rakes in US$4.9M in royalties from oil

By Lisa Hamilton GUYANA has received its first payment of oil and gas royalties from gross production to date at a total of US$4,909,505.30.

The royalties have been deposited in the Natural Resource Fund (NRF) account opened with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

In an invited interview with this newspaper on Thursday, Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan, confirmed that the payments are collectively for January, February and March. Though royalties are calculated on a monthly basis, Article 15.6 of the Petroleum Agreement specifies that the monies be transferred to the government quarterly, 30 days after the end of each calendar quarter.

This timeline was met on Thursday and, for the second quarter, Guyana can expect its second payment of royalties on July 30, 2020.

The US$4.9million received

by Guyana averages around GY$1,040,815,123.60 in consolidated total or approximately GY$346,938,000 a month.

Under the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) governing the Stabroek Block, Guyana will be receiving at a minimum two per cent royalty on all oil produced in the Block plus 12.5 per cent profit oil. As the capital and operating costs are liquidated, Guyana’s share of profit oil will increase.

Earlier estimations had pegged that the life of the Liza Phase One project would generate over $7B in royalty and profit oil revenues for Guyana.

Given the global economic crisis, Minister Jordan said that this estimation will be revised based on the crude market

price.

“As you well know, things are very fluid, things are

--- contracted to lift Guyana’s first three cargoes --- deposited US$54,927,994.80 into Guy-

have earned so far, as people can see, is going into the account and they can see the

can be used for that purpose,” he said. The Finance Minister had noted about a week ago

previous occasion, Director of the Department of Energy, Dr. Mark Bynoe was pleased to remind the public that Guyana will receive more benefits from its oil apart from the two per cent royalty. The Energy Di-

Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan(DPI photo)

Flashback- The fuel hose leads from the Liza Destiny to the Cap Philippe for the transfer of Guyana’s first million barrels of crude (MOTP photo)

changing all the time,” he said.

“Clearly, that figure, at today’s prices, will not suffice. We haven’t gone down the road yet where that is concerned.

Eventually, we’ll obviously have to do recalculations as soon as we can get a settled understanding of where these prices are going.”

Added to these royalties, on March 11, Shell Western Supply and Trading Limited

ana’s NRF account. Minister Jordan said that he is pleased that there can be no distrust about whether these finances are being managed well as the Ministry of Finance, and government by extension has remained transparent in its dealings.

He stated: “Everything has been to the book, by the book and transparent and accountable. All the monies that we

interest being earned.” He reminded that Guyana can begin to use these resources to address critical areas of need as soon as a new Parliament begins. Asked which area he believes would take first priority when the time comes, Jordan pointed to the ongoing health crisis.

“Some will obviously have to be used in the context of COVID. I think clearly some

that the government will turn its attention to stimulus packages for vulnerable Guyanese affected by COVID-19 after the country moves past hurdles such as the current electoral impasse. In the meantime, he said that the government is working to establish a database of all persons whose lives have been severely affected by the ongoing outbreak.

Meanwhile, speaking on a

rector said: “These one million barrels is part of our profit oil allocation. It does not include the two per cent royalty, which would be paid on gross productions. So, even though we are having a million barrels lift in this particular instance, we are also receiving two per cent on all oil that is being produced.

This gets us away from the perception that all Guyana is getting under the contract is two per cent royalty. I am happy to say that Guyana is entitled to approximately five million barrels of oil in 2020 alone, plus the two per cent royalty, plus withholding taxes, plus the direct and indirect benefits through employment creation and other revenue-generated income. So, this is not a contract that we should take lightly, it is not an occasion that we should take lightly.”

Moruca man dies in mining pit accident AN 18-year-old miner of Moruca, North West District, died on Tuesday, following a mining pit collapse at the Aritak Backdam, on the Essequibo River.

Reports are that Shaun Domingo of Santa Rosa, Moruca, North West District, was working in a pit when its walls caved in, pinning him down. His lifeless body

was later pulled out from the rubble by his colleagues.

The incident is being investigated by the authorities.

Shaun Domingo

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, May 1, 2020

PNCR sends out May Day greetings THE People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) has extended Labour Day greetings to all Guyanese workers as well as those across the Caribbean and the world at large.

“May Day, or as some may know it as Labour day, is usually the occasion when the workers of the world and the organisations which represent them take stock of their situations and conditions and resolve to take strong and determined actions to ensure that their gains are preserved, and that the fight continues for a better future.

“On this occasion, the PNCR recognises the critical role that trade unions have played in the political, economic and social development of the country and asserts that such a role can only continue if the trade union movement as a whole remains united and protect the interests of the workers of this country.

“The PNCR salutes the workers of this nation as we struggle to create a more cohesive and prosperous Guyana, where all can achieve the promised “good life.”

“Additionally, the PNCR family asserts that such a society can only come about if the trade union movement as a whole is united and protects the interests of the workers of its country.

The party also admonishes the trade union movement to recognise that the current era demands that trade unions must make necessary adjustments to cope with the existing and emerging challenges, so that they can survive and remain relevant,” the release concluded.

Working-class people hailed as ‘Nation’s Heroes’ -- President Granger in Labour Day address PRESIDENT David Granger has hailed the working people of Guyana as “the nation’s heroes”, more so at a time when the country is manoeuvring through a global crisis.

In a Labour Day message to the nation, the President stated that the working people of Guyana are conducting a courageous campaign against the deadly Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).

He said that many, now classified as ‘essential service providers’, have put their self-interests on hold to ensure the safety of all and the smooth flow of business.

Some of the category of workers he named were health care workers – including doctors, nurses, technicians and other medical professionals and the security forces.

The Head of State said that these and other individuals remain on the frontline to prevent the spread of the disease, to protect the population and to provide care and treatment to those who have been infected.

“Workers in essential and public services are continuing to provide critical support to the rest of the population while others are working from home or embracing measures to avoid or contain the spread of the virus,” the President said.

“Workers and servicemen are our heroes in this campaign. A grateful nation salutes the efforts of workers who are playing their part to keep our country safe. Your government is not unmindful of the difficulties caused by the social restrictions which have been enforced since the outbreak of

President David Granger and ministerial team visit labour unions on May 1, 2018

President David Granger makes a point to President of the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU), Mark Lyte (right) as other union representatives look on during the May 1, 2019 Labour Day

the disease in Guyana. The situation would have been worse without those measures which are necessary to protect us all.”

He assured all citizens that the government will continue to work assiduously to restore normalcy in administration, agriculture, business, construction, commerce, education, industry and the other productive sectors.

He said that the National COVID-19 Task Force (NCTF) in the Ministry of the Presidency and the Ministry of Public Health are strengthening their organisation and intensifying their operations to provide greater support to vulnerable groups.

“Workers and servicemen should be confident that, together, we can overcome the perils of this pandemic. We urge everyone to contribute to the effort so that the country could be restored to normalcy as soon as possible,” the President stated.

He added: “The nation pays tribute to the courageous workers who go forth every day to continue to produce goods and services and to protect our people. The nation extends its gratitude to all workers on the occasion of Labour Day.” In the past, President Granger has visited the headquarters of various labour unions, reaffirming his administration’s commitment to improving the quality of life for all workers regardless of the industry in which they are working, or which union is representing them.

COVID-19 emergency measurers extended to June

FOLLOWING a thorough assessment by the Public Health Ministry on Guyana’s prevailing health conditions, the emergency measures implemented to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic have been extended for another month.

The updated COVID-19 Emergency Measures No. 3, published in an Extraordinary Gazette, state that this takes effect from May 4 until June 3, 2020. The regulation requires citizens to remain indoors between 6:00pm and 6:00am. The Emergency

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

The COVID-19 emergency measures clearly state that anyone who fails to comply with these measures commits an offence under section 152 of the Public Health Ordinance and is liable on summary conviction to the

penalty provided under that section.

Guyana Chronicle reported, last week, that there would have been a likely extension of the measures.

Chairman of the National COVID-19 Taskforce (NCTF), Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, had stated that the NCTF is aware that the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that lifting lockdown restrictions too quickly could lead to negative consequences. “If something is working and working for the interest of

Guyana, then we will need to review its effectiveness and to make decisions as we go along. As of now, we cannot say that any measures have been relaxed,” he told reporters.

The curfew in place states that unless a citizen is conducting or visiting an essential service between the hours of 18:00 hours and 06:00 hours, he/she is to stay within the enclosure of his/ her home and yard. A number of social activities have also been prohibited.

The last time the emer-

gency measures in place were updated was on April 20, 2020, where the services of attorneys-at-law were deemed essential. The same was published in the gazette in the amended COVID-19 Emergency Measures.

The preamble to the list of measures have made it clear that it could be terminated, extended or amended by notice of the Minister of Public Health, after an assessment of the conditions. The Prime Minister stated that the NCTF has recognised that, in iso-

lated cases, the measures are not being adhered to.

“We are using the more popular measure which is persuasion. We have no coercive measures in place, not that we cannot have coercive measures in place but we can try as best as we could to use information via public media, via the regional authorities…to ensure that we don’t have crossing of the borders and we don’t have violations of the curfew in the curfew hours,” he stated.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, May 1, 2020

'Unite to beat the pandemic' ...PM Nagamootoo urges in May Day message

AS Guyana faces the dreadful effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo, in his Labour Day message, has urged the working people of Guyana unite to beat the pandemic.

The Prime Minister said that although this year's Labour Day celebrations have been cancelled and many work operations disrupted, workers still have a vital role to play in curbing the negative effects of the virus.

"Everywhere there have been cutbacks in hours of work, shut-down of factories, and closure of manufacturing, wholesale and retail trade. COVID-19 has grounded cruise ships and airlines, crippled hotels and restricted the entertainment and food services. This year, Labour Day celebrations have been cancelled, and a new shout for help, 'May

PPP salutes resoluteness of workers THE People’s Progressive Party in its Labour Day message saluted the resoluteness and of health workers and other essential service providers, who remain on the frontline during this period.

The PPP however said that much more needs to be done to protect health workers.

“The PPP calls on the APNU+AFC Coalition to recognise this and act forthwith,” the PPP said.

The Party said it noted the address by President David Granger on Thursday where he said: “Workers in essential and public services are continuing to provide critical support to the rest of the population.”

The party said that this and other lofty comments about the contributions of the frontline workers “ring hollow” in the face of the failure of the APNU+AFC Coalition to support the workers.

Further, the party said that this year’s observance of Labour Day is taking place in challenging political environment.

Day! May Day!' is coming from workers around the world," he said.

"Today, more than any time before, the slogan 'workers of the world unite' has assumed a new meaning, which is for survival against the onslaught of the pandemic and for protection of livelihood in the face of an inexorable melt-down of the world's economy."

He described the threat as the single greatest facing the nation. However, he stated that workers countrywide must help to beat the pandemic as there is much that citizens have worked for that is worth defending, with discipline and optimism.

The PM expressed his solidarity with dedicated medical and healthcare providers, members of the disciplined, sanitary, port health services, and all other frontline workers.

He assured them, stating "I want you to know that our government and our entire grateful nation appreciate your sacrifices and dedication as we together battle the dreaded COVID-19 pandemic."

Though the pandemic has rendered hundreds of millions jobless and the Caribbean has experienced a great blow with the impact on tourism, Guyana is hopeful that, as a country, it will contain the spread of the virus.

Nagamootoo said that this can be done through responsible conduct, by promoting the various health safety measures in place and by observing proper personal hygiene.

He also expressed that since taking office, the government has worked to meet the needs of workers and hopes that during this time of global troubles, persons

will reflect on the past and future journey of workers in Guyana.

"Over the years our working people have seen important social gains. Though there were some setbacks, those in the public services received increased salaries, tax concessions and other incentives. They have had a glimpse of the good life under our Coalition Government, and were poised to benefit from our new petroleum industry," he stated.

"Though the organised labour movement is unable this year to stage the traditional Labour Day parades, it is still a time for quiet reflection on the long journey of workers for industrial democracy, and for celebration of the many gains of the Guyanese working class."

Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo

FITUG: May Day 2020 sees working class as robust force for change THE Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG) and its affiliates, the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU), the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE), the Guyana Labour Union (GLU) and the Clerical and Commercial Workers Union (CCWU) join in extending fraternal greetings to the nation and especially the workers of Guyana on this occasion of May Day 2020.

We, at this time too, send our best wishes to the workers and their organisations across the world as we extend our wishes and solidarity to those who are engaged in the varied struggles to protect their way of life, to bring about betterment, and to safeguard their national interests.

We celebrate May Day 2020 also with some sense of sadness as we remember our dear comrade and outstanding leader Komal Chand, who passed on a few weeks ago. Brother Komal who, at the time of his passing, was the first vice-president of the federation, was indeed a committed comrade. During his lifetime he tirelessly advocated on behalf of the working class, not only in Guyana, but across the world as a member of the Presidential Council of the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU). He was one of the f,ederation’s foremost speakers on May Day and was always willing when called upon. His addresses, we recall, were incisive and inspiring and for him it was a source of pride and for us all his

addresses were enlightening, as much as they were stimulating. Indeed, on this May Day, he is deeply missed as we recall fondly the times we spent with him. As we mourn the loss of this outstanding workers’ leader, we go forward stronger on the path he paved and the contributions he made.

May Day 2020 sees the working-class as a robust force for change.

Workers have realized several admirable gains but we see too active efforts to rollback those achievements while the State agencies charged with protecting workers have become toothless poodles. It is in this context that we observe May Day 2020 under the theme “Safeguarding our gains, health, democracy and livelihoods in deeply challenging times”.

May Day 2020 comes sixty (60) days since we held national and regional elections in our country.

Many are appalled that the official declaration of the winner remains outstanding, though the victor is already known to many but denied by a few. This situation comes as we see clear attempts to thwart the will of the Guyanese people by a few and their willing handmaidens. Indeed, the functioning and impartiality of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is highly questionable.

The actions of a small cabal threaten the majority of Guyanese and could well serve to reverse the many advancements our nation and people have recorded. Harking back to the days of dictatorship is not in the interest of the workers who stand to be pauperised as was the case in the 1970s and 80s, when dictator-

ship practically ruined Guyana. The federation stands with the forces of democracy as it anxiously awaits - commencement of the CARICOMscrutinised recount of the ballots cast.

We are hopeful that process will be fair and transparent, though we know that sinister groupings will not easily surrender. We, however, remain convinced and confident that democracy will prevail and the peoples will win out.

The political crisis comes as millions of people globally have been victims of the COVID-19 virus. Since the pandemic arrived in Guyana, the federation has been at the forefront calling on the now de-facto administration to embrace policies and programmes to minimise the disruption to our people’s lives.

Indeed, thousands of Guyanese are facing perilous times and yet the political bosses have chosen to play petty politics rather than alleviating the real and substantial woes of too many Guyanese. It seems greater concern is being exercised regarding the appointments of CEO and officers of the national taskforce and could well indicate there is much more in the mortar than the pestle can pound.

We also face economic stagnation and downturn as we see several economic sectors in rough waters. The rosy economic statistics being touted are hardly meaningful, if having any meaning whatsoever. We expressed before our dismay regarding the economic management of our nation.

Today, many sectors of the economy find themselves in difficult circumstances and thousands have been

affected and thousands more stand to be affected. The government’s magic bullet – oil – has also found itself in hard times and the glitter that it held out has all but evaporated. At the same time, our national reserves have all but been depleted. It brings inexplicably into question what were our economic administrators really doing as our safety net is now removed. The landing could be hard though with out-of-the-box thinking we could avoid some of the consequences.

While hopeful, we will not hold our breath, recognising that those who have put us in this predicament could hardly take us out.

While disheartened about the prevailing situation, we have seen our people coming to the assistance of each other in these times. The Guyanese spirit of generosity has shone through these dark and difficult times.

The FITUG lauds the efforts of the many individuals and organisations who have sought to lend assistance at this time.

As we observe May Day 2020, we urge, let our voices be heard and heard loudly. We have a country to build and a struggle to win.

We stand to lose though we have much to gain. Let us remember as workers we have only our chains to lose. Let us continue to hold high our banners of struggle and solidarity; let us continue to wage our justifiable struggles, and let us remain united in the face of those who seek to weaken our all-round thrust for betterment and improvement.

Let us all go forward together!

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, May 1, 2020

Guyana to benefit from CARICOM COVID-19 Agri-Food Action Plan GUYANA is set to be one of the immediate beneficiaries of the CARICOM COVID-19 Agri-Food Action Plan.

The document outlines CARICOM’s immediate focus which is towards certain at- risk communities.

“Of particular interest to the community must be hinterland populations in Guyana, Suriname and many other urban dwellers across the Region that have already experienced food shortages,” a release said.

The document was ap-

proved following a series of virtual meetings attended by Minister of Agriculture Noel Holder. The objective of these meetings was to provide a space for concerted dialogue among the various agriculture ministers across the Region.

It was during the first meeting that the Chairman, Saboto Caesar, Minister of Agriculture of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, indicated to those present that CARICOM had mandated the development of a food-security plan

for the Region.

The action plan is critical in addressing the surplus of agricultural supplies in several member states due to the collapse of tourism within the Region, coupled with shrinkage of the food-service sector.

It also helps in addressing the impact on the agrifood sector caused by the restrictions of the movement of producers who commute with their goods for trading (inter-island trading).

The action plan was ap-

proved in principle during the last CARICOM-sponsored virtual meeting (COTED) of Ministers of Agriculture of the Caribbean Community held on Friday, April 24, 2020.

In addition to approval of the plan, the ministers further directed the CARICOM Secretariat to fast track decisions already taken as ‘heads’ and COTED, germane to Regional Food and Nutrition Security; directed the CARICOM

Secretariat to deepen its engagement with the private sector in pursuit of securing greater participation and investments in the agri-food systems; committed themselves, and to encouraging regional development partners to provide greater technical and financial support to CARICOM institutions, and member states in the implementation of the Regional Food and Nutrition Security Action Plan.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, May 1, 2020

Jagdeo denies having COVID-19 …urges persons to stop trivialising the matter Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo has denied speculations that he is infected with COVID-19.

In a Thursday press conference, he also denied that there were medical workers coming to his home; that he underwent gastric bypass surgery in New York and that he had lost weight in relation to any of these situations.

He said that this goes too for People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Presidential Candidate, Irfaan Ali; PPP/C Prime Ministerial Candidate, Mark Phillips and PPP/C Executive Secretary, Zulfikar Mustapha whom

COVID-19 rumors had also being spread about.

“It’s all false,” he said. “It would have been laughable had there not been a tragic side to it.”

Rumors about the Opposition Leader’s health have been circulating on social media for some time after persons observed that he had cut down on the frequency of his live addresses and often coughed or appeared tired during the ones he held.

However, Jagdeo said that he believes that the stories are intended to weaken confidence in his party

but all he has received thus far is an outpouring of support. “I thank them because thousands of people, literally, have reached out, who believe the propaganda, to find out if I’m okay and I have to say to them ‘I’m okay’.

I wouldn’t have dealt with it otherwise, but it’s all a rumor,” he said.

The Opposition Leader said that a stigma should not be placed to the virus as anyone can catch it and he hopes that persons will stop trivialising the matter.

Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo

Want

POLICE, on Thursday, arrest Lennox Estwick who is want in connection with the murd of gold miner, Deon Stoll, call 'Mow', who was, in 2019, gunn down during an attempted ro bery in front of El Dorado Tra ing, a gold-mining business on D Silva Street, Kitty, Georgetown Ranks, acting on intelligen gathered, swooped down on a hou at Lover's Lane, South Ameli Ward, Linden on Thursday at abo

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, May 1, 2020

ted man Estwick apprehended

ted ted der led ned obadDa n. nce use ia's out

00:45 hours and arrested Estwick, whom a wanted bulletin was issued for in 2019.

The suspect's 21-year-old male sibling was also arrested in the house.

An unlicensed pistol, four live ammunition and 10 grams of suspected cannabis were found in their possession.

Investigation is still ongoing.

On October 29,2019, Shane 'Demon' Morgan called 'Dellon',

Roberto Sankar, Wayne St Hill, Steve Rollox, were charged for killing Stoll on October 14, 2019, at Da Silva Street, Newtown, Kitty during the course of a robbery.

Meanwhile, Odessa St Hill called "Baby", Dr. Alonzo Dos Santos, Duncan Vanveild called "Blackbody", and Keith Mc Kenzie were charged for receiving and comforting Morgan, between October 14 and 22, after he committed the murder.

Stoll of Essequibo Coast, Region Two and Barima Avenue, Bel Air, Georgetown, died following a shootout with the bandits. It is believed that the bandits had been tracking Stoll for a while and believed he had cash and raw gold when he was cornered. They did not cater for him fighting back.

Police made several inroads into the matter days after the movie-style robbery which was captured by closed circuit television (CCTV)

cameras.

According to information provided, the St. Hills and Dellon Morgan are cousins. However, during the course of the botched robbery committed on Stoll, Morgan was shot.

Sankar was seen on CCTV footage in the vicinity trailing Stoll's car and was acting in a suspicious manner. He was also charged, years ago, for robbery, but the charge was dismissed due to the victim's

absence from court.

It is alleged that Rollox was the getaway driver, while Morgan and Wayne St. Hill were the shooters.

Odessa St. Hill took Dr. Dos Santos to Vanveild's home where Morgan was hiding out from the police. It is alleged that the doctor treated Morgan's gunshot wound.

McKenzie was the driver of the motor car which Morgan was intercepted in at a roadblock on October 22, 2019.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, May 1, 2020

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, May 1, 2020

Caribbean economy to shrink 6.2 per cent --- IMF considers tourism, remittance loss and coming hurricane season

THE International Monetary Fund (IMF) has projected that the Caribbean economy will shrink by 6.2 per cent in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Many countries in the Region since March 2020 have closed their ports and borders as the only means to prevent further importation of the virus which has already infected over 11,000 in the Caribbean and killed over 470.

The Region is highly dependent on tourism and with the collective ban on international travel, the hospitality and tourism sector has taken a steep plunge. Most hotels

are empty and those still operating are doing so with skeleton staffs, at a loss of profits and with just a few guests.

In a blog posted on its site on Wednesday, the IMF said that this would be the deepest recession for the Caribbean in more than half a century.

The IMF noted that the global cruise line and air travel industries have come to a halt with major cruise companies cancelling sailings through June and most airlines reducing or suspending service to the Region.

Meanwhile, key tourism source markets for the Region in North America and Europe are “crippled by the

pandemic” “This, together with tight border controls and travel restrictions, has led to massive hotel booking cancellations and temporary resort closures, putting numerous people in the service sector out of work,” the IMF stated. “There is also a risk that the ‘fear factor’ associated with the virus could have a long-lasting impact on tourism in the Region, even after the pandemic recedes.”

However, this is not all, as the IMF took into consideration the economic fallout beyond tourism. It noted that the “steep drop in commodity prices” is affecting commodity exporters such as Guyana,

Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago through a loss in exports and fiscal revenues.

Meanwhile, energy companies may be forced to cut back production plans in anticipation of weaker energy demand resulting from a contraction in global manufacturing activity.

“For oil-importing countries in the Region, lower oil prices will provide a buffer to the shock,” the IMF blog stated.

Added to this, with the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada in deep recession, remittance flows to the Region are expected to fall sharply. Remittances average about seven per cent of the Region’s output and exceed 15 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Haiti and Jamaica.

The World Bank too has projected a sharp decline in remittances for 2020 at about 20 per cent largely due to a fall in the wages and employment of migrant workers.

This will be coupled with supply-chain disruptions which could affect capital projects; loss of investor confidence which could put

further pressure on the fiscal accounts and high fiscal costs associated with managing local outbreaks which can potentially worsen the pandemic’s financial impact.

As if the grim effects of COVID-19 are not already tenfold, the Caribbean, in just a few weeks, will have to juggle the pandemic crisis with the impending hurricane season.

“The upcoming hurricane season poses additional risks to these already budget-strapped economies. To sustain the economy during the crisis and contribute to a faster recovery, countries will need to allocate resources to vulnerable groups affected by the pandemic,” the blog stated.

The IMF indicated that while the Caribbean has shown foresight in pursuing containment and mitigation measures and adopting contingency and preparedness plans, most countries will have limited spending room to cushion the economic impact of the pandemic.

Most Caribbean countries have already announced fiscal packages to increase

spending in key areas and some central banks and regulators are supporting economic activity, but further fiscal, monetary and credit-easing measures will likely be needed.

The IMF said that it is actively engaging Caribbean countries to offer policy advice and assistance, especially to those with pressing financing needs to cope with the pandemic.

It has already deployed financial resources to Haiti, Dominica, Grenada, and St. Lucia, while emergency assistance for three additional Caribbean countries, including Jamaica, will be considered by the IMF’s Executive Board in the coming weeks.

Barbados has also requested an augmentation of its existing Extended Fund Facility and altogether, up to US$2.5 billion could be made available immediately to the Region.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, May 1, 2020

Economist calls for economic stimulus amid crisis …says political cooperation key in staving off impacts of COVID-19 on local economy

By Navendra Seoraj INCREASED unemployment, decreased commerce and stymied economic activities are among some of the spill-off effects of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which could further devastate the local economy, if there is no political cooperation.

The ability of the local economy to fend-off the “shocks” caused by the pandemic, hinges on cooperation between the political opposition and government, something which will take extra commitment, since the country is faced with an incomplete electoral process.

Coming off of a good run in 2019, with recorded economic growth of 4.7 per cent, Guyana’s continued progression and transformation were inevitably halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has so far infected about 78 persons and killed nine locally.

The necessary restrictions in place to curtail the spread of the disease, as seen in countries across the world, has “slowed down” the economy because businesses either reduced their productive hours or are closed indefinitely, and the public sector has also scaled down its operations for the time being.

Unlike other countries, Guyana is also faced with the effects of an incomplete electoral process which has been ongoing since the close of polls at 18:00hrs, on March 2, 2020.

And, with the process still ongoing, there remains some level of uncertainty which has contributed to the further stagnation of the local economy, an economy which is anticipating massive transformation because of its new-found oil wealth.

Despite the differences, which may prevail at this time, Head of the Department of Economics at the University of Guyana, Sydney Armstrong, believes that politicians need to work together in order to cushion the impact of COVID-19 on the economy.

“The long-term impact of COVID-19 on our economy will be determined by the way our political leaders handle the crisis. It is time our leaders put the people over politics and unite to battle this virus,” said Armstrong in an invited comment.

He fears that if this does not happen, the destruction from the “COVID-19 tsunami” will be so catastrophic that it will take a long time to recover because there will be both social and economic implications.

In further expressing his belief, Armstrong said: “It is time we put people over politics….the problem here is that we have the elections issue being given more attention than COVID-19…this is time for government and opposition to galvanize support to address COVID-19, but the sad reality in our country is that politics trumps everything.”

Head of the Department of Economics at the University of Guyana, Sydney Armstrong

The greatest resource of any nation is its people, therefore, political leaders need to do everything possible to protect and keep people safe because each and every life matters, said the economist.

There have so far been separate efforts to this end, with the opposition, through a multi-stakeholder forum, distributing face masks and food hampers to vulnerable communities across the country. And, the government, as expected, also doing everything possible to protect Guyanese from the COVID-19 disease.

So far, government has estab-

lished a National COVID-19 Task Force to monitor the effects of the pandemic and craft policies, which will curtail the spread of the disease and ensure that citizens are well-protected and sustained.

Part of these efforts include government’s extension of its emergency measures to combat the dreaded disease, with the imposition of a 12-hour curfew on citizens. These emergency measures were taken pursuant to Paragraphs (1) and (2) (b) of the directive issued by the President, in accordance with the Public Health Ordinance, Cap. 145, and published in the Official Gazette Legal Supplement B, on March 16, 2020.

While the necessary measures have resulted in an economic slowdown, government had rolled out a social relief programme to avoid hunger and suffering, in the absence of vibrant commerce and employment.

Armstrong believes that these efforts could be bolstered through the provision of an economic stimulus-meaning economic relief, especially to the poor and vulnerableand the allocation of more resources to first-responders.

Additionally, considering the reduced circulation of money and increased unemployment, Armstrong said government should consider waiving utility bills to some extent.

“Electricity for every household should be free for the first $10,000

of the bill...rent should be halted, especially in hard-hit areas,” said the economist.

While most of these measures can be influenced and executed by political leaders, Armstrong said private enterprises also have a role to play in the fight against this pandemic. He said the private sector must avoid price gouging and instead look to assist in any way possible.

Armstrong advised government to provide incentives to companies, which assist in these difficult times.

These companies, he said, should expect a significant reduction in their tax rate.

“The war against this virus won’t be easy, but to beat this virus our approach must be comprehensive and there must be all hands on deck. This mean that corporate social responsibility must be encouraged,” said the economist.

Individuals also have a role to play in this fight, and this role was stressed by Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence, who had said: “We need to stop and take stock of this situation; you must adhere to the guidelines provided or we will be in a situation that we cannot control (repeat). Many of you have read the article of the Spanish Flu and how Guyana suffered during that period. And certainly, we do not want a repeat of this.”

PSC wants PPP-aligned TVG to stream recount

THE Private Sector Commission (PSC), in a letter to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), has proposed that the National Recount be streamed to those observers who will not be present during the tabulation process, due to restrictions instituted to suppress the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).

In its proposal, the PSC has indicated that Opposition-affiliated Channel 28 (TVG) is willing to stream the recount at no cost to the Elections Commission. The proposal was among issues that were discussed when the Elections Commission met on Wednesday to further deliberate on the National Recount, a decision on which is still pending.

In total, five international observer groups have been accredited for the March 2 General and Regional Elections: The Carter Center, the European Union (EU), the Organisation of American States (OAS), the Caribbean Community

(CARICOM), and the Commonwealth; and 13 local organisations, including the PSC, the US Embas-

venue of the recount, the Elections Commission took the decision that there be no more than one local,

The Commission noted, however, that the local and international observers can put a rotation system

sy, the Canadian High Commission, and the British High Commission. However, due to the need to maintain physical distancing at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre,

and one international observer assigned to a workstation at any given time.

in place.

In an interview with reporters outside of GECOM’s Headquarters, Opposition-nominated Commissioner Sase Gunraj, whose Mo-

ROTATION SYSTEM

tion to have the National Recount live-streamed was rejected, said the PSC, in making its proposal, noted that Channel 28 has the technology to do live-streaming, and is willing to provide its service at no cost to the Elections Commission.

However, Government-nominated Commissioner Vincent Alexander, in a separate interview, made it clear that the PSC did not propose that the recount be livestreamed to the public.

“What they were proposing,” he explained, “is that we stream to those observers who will not be able to be in attendance, because we would have restricted the number of observers to one foreign and one local to every station.”

Iterating that the Private Sector Commission was very specific in its request, Alexander said it was an Opposition-nominated Commissioner who inserted the word, “live”, into the discussion.

TURN TO PAGE

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, May 1, 2020

GECOM staff get training for national recount AHEAD of the highly-anticipated national recount, the Guyana Elections Officer (GECOM) conducted a training session with more than 80 of its employees, detailing the procedures that would be employed once the recount commences.

The exercise was conducted on Thursday at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) where the votes cast at the March 2 General and Regional Elections will be recounted under the watch of a high-level Caribbean Community (CARICOM) team. Chair of GECOM, Justice (Ret'd) Claudette Singh; and the Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield were among the officials who were present.

On the margins of the training session, GECOM's Public Relations Officer (PRO), Yolanda Ward, told reporters that the approved operational plan for the national recount was explained in detail to the elections officers.

According to that plan, there will be 10 workstations operating for a period of 11 hours - from 08:00hrs to 19:00hrs on a daily basis.

Eight of the 10 workstations will have no more than 14 persons assigned inclusive of four GECOM personnel, while the other two workstations will have no more than 10 persons. Each workstation will have a supervisor.

"The process this morning is basically to go through the methodology that has been developed for the recount, to apprise the staff of

the procedures that it entails and actually to give them a walk through as to the respective stations that they will be at," Ward explained.

Importantly, she said, the recount, which for a large part entails tabulation of the votes for both the regional and general elections, will be executed in accordance with the Constitution and the election laws of the country.

According to the plan, the votes cast in District Four will be tabulated simulta-

ner similar to the process employed at polling stations at the close of poll. The votes cast in favour of each List of Representatives will be recorded on Statements of Recount as against a Statements of Poll.

During the tabulation of the votes, each ballot will be projected for scrutiny by those who are entitled to be there such as party agents and observers. GECOM, Ward said, has already sourced high definition cameras and

as [and other equipment] will be there to ensure that all the participants in the room will be able to see and will be able to scrutinise the ballots," the PRO explained.

Additionally, the elections officers were briefed on the precautionary measures that would be enforced throughout the recount, which is expected to span for a period of 25 days. Those measures are reportedly in accordance with guidelines provided by the NationGECOM Public Relations Officer, Yolanda Ward

On Thursday, more than 80 elections officers from across the country gathered at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, where they were trained in accordance with the Operational Plan for the National Recount. In this photo, GECOM Chair, Justice (Ret'd) Claudette Singh could be seen addressing the GECOM staff

neously with other districts.

Of the 10 work stations, three will be assigned to District Four - the country's largest electoral region. At each workstation, the process would be initiated with a checklist to ascertain the contents of a ballot box.

Once that is done, the ballots would be counted in a man-

all other equipment necessary to ensure that the ballots and Statements of Recount (SORs) are projected as clearly as possible.

"There is a process in terms of ballots being projected and shown to those persons who will be present at the count for the respective stations...and so those camer-

al COVID-19 Task Force (NCTF). Included in those guidelines is a recommendation that persons involved in the recount at the Conference Centre should have their masks changed every 30-60 minutes, however, Ward said while she is unaware as to whether that particular guideline will be implement-

ed as stated, she is positive that at all times masks will be worn by those involved in the recount.

The other recommendations include the need to sanitise frequently and for all involved to remain hydrated.

"Rooms must have a table at the entrance and exit with disposable face masks, hand sanitisers with minimum 70% alcohol, disposable gloves, disposal hand tissue, for example, Bounty tissue, foot pressed type-rubbish bins with garbage bags to avoid touching," the Task Force said in its report to the elections commission.

That aside, the GECOM Secretariat, Ward noted, is training an excess number of elections officers, some of whom include returning officers, to ensure that at all times, staff are available to execute the mandate of GECOM. "We intend, in keeping with the COVID-19 guidelines, not to have the staff work every day but on a rotational basis and also to have

PSC wants PPP-aligned TVG to ....

LIVE VS PUBLIC STREAMING “The proposition that came to us is not one for public streaming; it is one for streaming for observers, though there is a Commissioner who interpreted it to mean public streaming, and sought to open the question of public streaming,” Alexander said.

According to him, during the discussion on the proposal, two primary concerns were raised, namely, the lack of control over streaming, and the reported bias on the part of Channel 28.

“One concern is, while they are saying they want to stream to these observers, obviously that will be offsite, and GECOM would have,

in so far, no control of the attendees, and therefore we have no guarantee that, given the manner of the behaviour at Ashmins [building], that such a forum would not be opened to everyone,” Alexander explained.

Section 90 of the Representation of the People Act prohibits live-streaming or public disclosure of the tabulation of votes, and, as such, it is important for the process not to be exposed to the public. Section 90 of the Representation of the People Act states: “Every person attending at the counting of votes shall maintain, and shall not communicate any information obtained at the recount, as to the list of Candidates

for which any vote has been given.”

Secondly, Alexander said some Commissioners objected to Channel 28 facilitating the streaming of the recount, based on their assessment of the television station’s track record. “There were some Commissioners who were of the view that that news outfit, in its reporting, has been biased, and, therefore, we were not inclined to give that kind of opportunity to a news outfit which has been pre, prior and post-election biased,” the Commissioner said.

CHAIR WILL DECIDE Both Alexander and Gunraj indicated that GECOM Chairman, Justice (Ret’d)

Claudette Singh will decide whether to accept or reject the proposal, based on the discussion of the Commission, and the Electoral Laws of the country.

Last Friday, in rejecting a Mmotion by Gunraj to have the recount live-streamed from start to finish, the GECOM Chair referenced Section 90 of the Representation of the People Act. That Act, the GECOM Chair emphasized, speaks to the secrecy of the tabulation process. “Because of the secrecy, they cannot show the ballot; but what they can do, they can show the results after it would have been tabulated. I have no problem with that,” Justice Singh had explained in an interview with

staff on standby to ensure that we don't have any slippage or pause in the process to ensure that the recount is done in an expeditious manner," Ward said.

In keeping with the COVID-19 guidelines, the elections officers involved in the recount process will work every other day. Even as the training was in session, tents were seen being erected on the lawns of the conference centre. On Wednesday, Stain Masters Guyana had commenced the process of cleaning the facility. The building is expected to be fully sanitised before the recount starts.

While the GECOM Secretariat is preparing for the national recount, a date has not been set, however, the elections commission has assured that the recount will commence shortly. It is awaiting an arrival date for the CARICOM high-level team. The CARICOM officials are expected to validate the electoral process.

FROM PAGE

the Guyana Chronicle.

Apart from the proposal made by the PSC, Commissioner Alexander said that during Wednesday’s meeting, the Commission spent a considerable amount of time discussing issues that have already been decided upon. He posited that there is an Opposition-nominated Commissioner who is bent on revisiting issues already addressed. Though the Elections Commission has long decided on the methodology for the recount, and the number of persons that will be assigned to each of the 10 workstations, Alexander said the issues were again raised, in addition to that of “live- streaming”.

“We don’t have the

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understanding of how a Commission works; if a Commission makes a decision, notwithstanding your dissenting views, it’s a Commission decision, and a Commission cannot ad nauseam be reopening, reopening, and reopening its decisions. But that’s the mode of operation we are faced with, where people who are democrats; who talk about democracy, and who see this entire exercise as related to democracy, not understanding the democracy of the Commission where decisions are made, and you get on with the business,” Alexander said.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday May 1, 2020

CARICOM Chair represents region’s plight ... PM Mottley hits home importance of global leadership

CARICOM Chair and Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, has been thoroughly praised for her representation of the Region on CNN, on Wednesday, when she pointed out that the Caribbean is uniquely challenged by COVID-19 and it is only through collective world effort can positive change occur.

“I can pretty much speak on behalf of all of us that this has been the most destabilizing event for our countries probably since World War II,” she told wellknown CNN journalist, Christiane Amanpour.

She noted that while the Caribbean Region is not unique with regards to being impacted by the pandemic; along with the crisis, the Region must grapple with a number of pre-existing risk factors. Mottley first listed the fact that the Caribbean is a highly indebted region because it is the most travel-dependent and trade-dependent region in the world.

A STRING OF CHALLENGES According to the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the average gross public debt of Caribbean countries

was 71.8 per cent at the end of 2018, a year-on-year drop of 2.6 percentage points.

At the national level, Barbados still had the highest public debt, the equivalent of some 4.7 per cent of its GDP as of March 2019, followed by Jamaica, which had a public debt of 93.8 per cent of GDP, even though the latter has reduced its debt by almost nine percentage points of GDP since the close of 2018.

Mottley said that the Caribbean Region will have to pay USD$8.8 billion in debt between 2020 and 2021. This debt was racked up over time as almost half of the Caribbean’s GDP and jobs comes indirectly and directly from tourism. Added to this, the CARICOM chair said that the region is on the cusp of a climate crisis being now only four weeks away from the hurricane season.

Hurricanes in the Region are the most frequent of natural disasters and will likely to bring its fair share of challenges. It is predicted that this year will witness above-average events with 16 named storms of which 7 will be hurricanes and 3 to 4 being major ones. Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne, had told the World Bank and In-

CARICOM Chair and Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, as guest on CNN with host, Christiane Amanpour

ternational Monetary Fund (IMF) earlier in the month that, with the region’s already precarious state, the effects of a hurricane would be beyond catastrophic.

Just last year, Hurricane Dorian ravaged The Bahamas, claiming the lives of 65 persons and being deemed the strongest hurricane on record to affect the island. Mottley stated: “What is little spoken about is that the climate crisis has also resulted in droughts and sargassum seaweed which has meant a number of our hotel establishments and restau-

rants were already suffering before this pandemic.”

Though Guyana is not known for its beaches, just this month its Kingston shoreline was laden with foul smelling sargassum that has washed up and subsequently rotted away.

GLOBAL LEADERSHIP NEEDED The CARICOM Chair said that it is now more than ever that global leadership is needed.

“If there’s one thing I’d like to see coming out of this is a global leadership initiative. 75 years ago

‘I can still hear his last words of ‘okay dad, take care’

…says father of army Lance Corporal killed in explosion

By Wendella Davidson THE late Lance/Corporal, Tooney O’Sulvan Harry Peneux, 28, one of the three Guyana Defence Force (GDF) soldiers who died following an explosion on Thursday at Base Camp Stephenson, Timehri, had dreams of one day emulating the achievements of a close family-friend who is an officer in the army.

The explosion, which occurred around 09:00 hrs, also claimed the lives of L/Cpls Kevon Nicholson, 23, and Private Shaqueel De Heart. Sergeant Quincy Threlfall, 43, of Hopetown, West Coast Berbice and Lance Corporal Paul Peters, 29, all hailing from villages in Berbice, were injured during the incident.

Peneux hailed from the Amerindian community of Orealla, Corentyne River and is the “baby” of five children born to Laddy Peneux, 67, and his wife `Alice, 66.

His surviving siblings are Judette, who resides in Paris, France; Burly of French Guiana; Rixon of East Bank Demerara and Turan, who lives in Orealla.

According to the father, he is still trying to grapple with the death of his son whom he described as “very willing, agile and respectful”, knowing that he was not sick. “I spoke with him up to yesterday (Wednesday); he sent some money home for his mother and I had to go to Corriverton to collect it, and he called to find out if I did. Is like I can still hear his last words of ‘okay dad, take care’, before he hung up,” the father recalled.

The father said his only daughter told him that her brother had called her just hours before the explosion and the conversation was normal as he enquired about her well-being, how is she coping with COVID-19 and when she planned to

come home. The late Peneux, prior to becoming a soldier, attended the Orealla Primary School, Tagore Secondary and Upper Corentyne Training Centre, where he graduated as an agricultural mechanic.

The parents, Laddy and Alice, of the late soldier

He subsequently migrated to Suriname where he spent about three years, the father added.

In an evidently emotional tone, the elder Peneux remembered that when his son enlisted in the GDF on March 3, 2015, it was his second attempt at becoming a soldier, having missed out at his first try because he did not possess some key documents. “Last year when he was promoted to

Lance Corporal, he was so happy and then is when he told me that he will work hard to become an officer, like (the family friend).

Also speaking lovingly of his brother, whom he last saw on Wednesday morning, was Rixon. According to him, Tooney, who would usually stay at his home whenever he is off duty, had told him that his boss had called for him to go into work. “My brother and I were very close, he was my `backbrace’, he worked with me in the goldfields before he joined the army.

He was everything you could expect of a brother, he was never selfish, he looked out for everyone and he took care of his mother.”

“It was just the other day he sent money for her. On Tuesday, we were all together-- he, the family friend, who is in the GDF and I. I am really going to miss him,“ he concluded.

the United Nations was formed on October 24; we used the opportunity of post World War II to create a number of vital institutions to be able to bring countries together, to protect the most vulnerable and the weakest among us. We also used it to create the Bretton Woods Institutions which we’re relying on but we need to repurpose these organisations and, in having a global leadership initiative, make sure that we are really reacting to what is real,” she said.

Mottely said that such repurposing is necessary as the Caribbe-

an countries are told that they can access grant funding if they have historic per capita incomes that are below certain levels which is currently futile to the Region. She said that such a one-size-fits-all criteria does not benefit the Region and this argument has been put forward for over 30 years.

She stated that a plan that protects not just the strongest among us but also the most vulnerable must be crafted. For her own country and hopefully for others, the Barbadian PM has called for the establishment of a Vulnerability Index to assess how exposed a country is to future economic public health risks and natural disaster clauses in sovereign debt contracts.

As the first female Prime Minister of Barbados, she said that there is no special difference about female save for the fact that they care. "Simply that we care. We care and we have to care because in the same way that we want people to take care of the most vulnerable in the household, we want it in the country and I'm asking you to help us do it internationally.

That’s why we need a global leadership initative,” she said.

Bisnauth, Lusignan prison escapee, recaptured THE police on Wednesday arrested one of the four prisoners who escaped from the holding bay at the Lusignan Prison over a week ago.

The prisoner, Sasenarine Bisnauth, was arrested around 2l:30hrs in the cane field aback Beterverwagting Sideline Dam, East Coast Demerara. Bisnauth, of Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo, was armed with a cutlass.

The police are still on the hunt for Anthony Padmore, Kenraul Perez, and Ganesh Dhanraj.

The four men escaped from the facility on Monday, April 20, around 03:46 hrs, during heavy rainfall.

However, the discovery was made by prison officials during roll call at 06:15hrs, when the four prisoners did not answer to their names.

The relevant CCTV footage was examined and the Guyana Police Force (GPF) was alerted.

The prisoners escaped by jumping the eastern fence. The rank who were on duty at the material time have been interviewed and are cooperating fully. So far, no prison rank has been found culpable.

Padmore, 26, is serving a three-year sentence for trafficking in cannabis. He is from Ogle Street, Beterverwagting, East Coast Demerara.

His next of kin is listed as his mother who lives at Juicetown, Berbice.

Kenraul Perez, 26, of Mabaruma, North West District, a murder accused, is also among the escapees. His next of kin is listed as his father who lives at Timehri, East Bank Demerara.

Bisnauth, 24, has been charged with two counts of robbery and armed robbery. His next of kin is listed as his mother, who lives at Anna Catherina, West Coast Demerara.

Dhanraj, 32, of Façade, Parika, East Bank Essequibo,, was also charged with murder. His next of kin is his mother, who resides at Parika.

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Borrowing not an option

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday May 1, 2020

…ECLAC says Caribbean countries must get access to concessional funding, debt relief urgently

PRIME MINISTERS, Premiers, Finance Ministers, Financial Secretaries, and other high-level government representatives from 15 Caribbean countries, on Tuesday, held a virtual meeting with ECLAC, heads of Caribbean regional organisations and representatives of other UN agencies in the subregion, to discuss the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their economies, already besieged by both climatic and economic shocks, including heavy indebtedness and high exposure to natural disasters.

The video-conference was presided over by Alicia Bárcena, Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), who connected with Heads of State and senior financial decision-makers from ECLAC’s Member Countries and Associate Members in the Caribbean area: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sint Maarten, Trinidad and Tobago and United States Virgin Islands. The meeting was also attended by United Nations’ resident coordinators in the subregion, representatives from other UN System entities such including the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) as well as regional inter-governmental organizations including the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the CARICOM Development Fund (CDF), the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility Segregated Portfolio Company (CCRIF SPC) and the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB).

Alicia Bárcena was accompanied by the Director of ECLAC’s Subregional Headquarters for the Caribbean in Port of Spain (Trinidad and Tobago), Diane Quarless, who moderated the dialogue, and other ECLAC experts from that office, including the Director of the Economic Development Division, Daniel Titelman, from the Commission’s Headquarters in Santiago, Chile.

At the event, Alicia Bárcena stressed that Caribbean countries must increase their fiscal space and need more favorable financing conditions, notwithstanding their income per capita income levels, in order to face the pandemic’s effects. “Considered as middle or high income countries, Caribbean countries face a lack of access to liquidity on concessional terms”, Bárcena pointed out. “This is why policy proposals to support economic recovery with a people-centered approach are urgently needed”, she added.

Among the Prime Ministers and Premiers attending were the Honourable Gaston Browne, Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and Corporate Governance of Antigua and Barbuda; the Honourable Roosevelt Skerrit, Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Economic Affairs, Investment, Planning, Resilience, Sustainable Development, Telecommunications and Broadcasting of Dominica; the Honourable K. Peter Turnquest, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of the Bahamas; the Honourable Andrew A. Fahie, Premier and Minister of Finance of the British Virgin Islands; and the Honourable Easton Taylor Farrell, Premier and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Finance, Economic Development, Trade, Tourism and Culture of Montserrat.

All of them expressed concern at the highly vulnerable economic situation that the countries of the subregion were currently facing and urged ECLAC’s support of their advocacy in engagement with the international community for better access to grants and concessional financing, given their inability to service debt payments in the current circumstances. In the words of Prime Minister Gaston Browne, “the economic burden for our countries has been unsustainable because of the high levels of debt.

We don’t have the capacity for printing money and our policy instruments are very limited.

What is required at this point is some level of support from international financial institutions, such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. ECLAC can help us advocate and raise its voice for us”, he declared.

Describing innovative ways by which concessional financial assistance might be extended

Alicia B·rcena, Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC

to Caribbean economies, he proposed that consideration be given to having credit extended to countries which have already invested in green technology.

This he suggested could be applied through debt relief. He informed the meeting that Antigua and Barbuda was already exploring this option.

The Honourable Camillo Gonsalves, Minister of Finance, Economic Planning, Sustainable Development and Information Technology of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, identified the IMF Rapid Credit Facility (RCF) as an important mechanism which typically offered timely liquidity support free of conditionalities.

He urged ECLAC’s support in promoting new financing instruments for the Small Vulnerable Economies of the Caribbean, and in advocating that valuable financial instruments such as the RCF remain available and unchanged during these challenging times. He also suggested that other innovative instruments such as that offering debt forgiveness to countries impacted by the EBOLA epidemic in Africa be considered in these similar circumstances created by COVID-19.

Minister Gonsalves also intimated that urgent practical interventions are needed to deal with liquidity challenges, before they become issues of solvency. A strategic plan of support for the countries of the Caribbean in the short-term is therefore urgently needed.

Alicia Bárcena reassured the subregion that this dialogue’s results and key messages would be delivered to the United Nations Secre-

tary-General, António Guterres, to be considered in his platform of advocacy on behalf of small island, middle income countries in his engagement with the international financial community for support.

In her welcome remarks to the Caribbean authorities, Bárcena emphasized that “we find ourselves in very challenging times. There can be no doubt that COVID-19 will have a profound and lasting impact on the welfare of our countries and our region for the next several months. We are putting the Caribbean first in everything we do”, she declared. “It is commendable that every government has been putting the health and wellbeing of their populations first, and so I am happy to see the progress that has been made in controlling the spread of infection across the Caribbean. However, this effort has come at a very high cost, particularly in your subregion, which already suffers a high level of vulnerability to both climatic and economic shocks, and with many of your economies already shouldering debt that is still very heavy, even with progress made to reduce external debt levels in recent years”, she added.

In her presentation, Bárcena further noted that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Caribbean countries has translated into both domestic and external challenges, the most significant of which include revenue and income losses, a drop in investment, rising unemployment, increased indigence and poverty, the failure of small and medium-sized businesses,

and challenges to the financial system.

The external challenges include the near total shutdown of air and cruise travel, dealing an immense blow to the tourism sector; stress in related supply chains (agriculture, construction, hotels, restaurants); a sharp contraction in larger economies, a downturn in commodities’ prices, the contraction of foreign direct investment (FDI) flows and remittances; disruption in transportation and global supply chains; risk aversion for external investors and financial turbulence, and restrictions on foreign exchange availability.

Growth projections She recalled that, according to ECLAC’s latest projections, GDP growth in the Caribbean is expected to drop in 2020 by -2.5%, with a downward bias. She also noted that Caribbean countries are spending between 1% and 4% of GDP to tackle the COVID-19 crisis, with limited fiscal packages focused on social security programmes, on loan deferrals and liquidity support for SMEs for increased health care spending on the testing and treatment of critical COVID-19 cases, and for enhanced public health surveillance.

She noted that the high debt levels and interest payments limit public expenditure. She also highlighted the fact that “Caribbean economies have the highest debt ratios in the world, averaging 68.5% of GDP in 2019. Reductions in production and income along with increases in borrowing will further raise debt burdens. Debt is rooted in external shocks, compounded by the impact of natural disasters and inherent social and economic structural weaknesses”, Bárcena explained.

Given the nature of the assistance offered to the Caribbean by international financial institutions and development agencies for facing the pandemic in the short term, increased public debt is inevitable. Moreover, the recovery path of Caribbean countries will be more difficult than those of other economies given the characteristics of their productive structure and in light of the ever-present threat posed by the upcoming hurricane season, the Executive Secretary of ECLAC stressed.

Alicia Bárcena also emphasised that the crisis induced

by COVID-19 underscores the importance of ECLAC’s proposal for building resilience and reducing debt. ECLAC’s proposal links building resilience to debt reduction and recommends the creation of the Caribbean Resilience Fund (CRF), with a view to the creation of a globally coordinated debt deleveraging mechanism with a climate component to address the global debt overhang problem: standstills and debt moratorium.

“It is urgent that there be effective coordination and interaction between multilateral institutions, donor countries, and small States debtor countries. Member States will require flexible support from multilateral institutions, including lines of emergency financing”, she insisted.

Debt relief ECLAC’s Executive Secretary stressed that relief for debt service payments can be extremely useful to supporting financing needs. “The ECLAC’s resilience fund proposal has the potential to offer much needed long-term relief particularly to middle income countries. Acceleration of the debt swap initiative and establishment of the ECLAC Climate Resilience Fund are needed, given the impact of the pandemic and the potential for an active hurricane season in 2020”, she said.

“We have heard from all of you that you need immediate action”, Bárcena told the Prime Ministers, Premiers and Finance Ministers in her closing remarks.

“Borrowing is not the answer to confront this crisis.

Caribbean countries need grant support fast. There is need for urgent intervention to ensure liquidity”, she said.

“Let me say that we are very much on board. We are part of this. A game plan for the short term is needed and we have to work on this, together with CARICOM, ACS and OECS. We will continue to advocate for this debt relief, for grants, for concessional funding for the Caribbean countries. And we will make sure that we can all address these issues with one voice, expressed clearly and openly. We heard you loud and clear. We will make sure that the Secretary-General of the UN (António Guterres) and his team receive this information with a view to their supporting us at the international level”, Bárcena concluded.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday May 1, 2020

COVID-19 not stopping Cara Quiz Night

- Participants now meeting online to play THE Cara Quiz Night, which features a mid-week get-together with a few drinks and laughs, along with the knowledge that participants are helping local charities, is now in its 16th year. And although unable to physically meet in the wake of the threat of the Coronavirus, the group is determined to keep its activities going by holding its event online.

The group has donated funds to almost 30 local charities since the first quiz night was held on September 15, 2004. It was initially started as a commercial venture to promote the new bar, Bistro 176 at the then Cara Suites, but the focus was later shifted entirely to making donations to various charitable organisations.

The plan was for the quiz to last six weeks, but it proved to be popular from the first night and rapidly gained a regular set of players. As a result, it was retained as a Wednesday night weekly attraction.

For the first two years, there was no entry fee to play, and over the years, the format of the quiz changed from straight questions and

answer rounds to include picture handout rounds and a music round.

At the start of 2006, a decision was made to charge an entry fee of $500 per player, with 50 percent of the money raised on a night being for a monthly nominated charity and the other 50 percent as a prize for the winning team. From the start, the winning teams donated their winnings to the charity, and after a short period, it was decided that all the entry fees would be for charity.

The first donation of $30,000 was given to Lifeline Counselling and the total raised in the first year was $1,455,060. Bistro 176 was the home of the Cara Quiz till June 2013 when Cara Hotels gave up the management of the hotel.

Before temporarily moving online, the quiz was being held at the Altitude Bar and was moved to Tuesday nights. Initially, all the quizzes were set and hosted by Shaun McGrath. When he wanted to go on vacation in 2006 for the months of July and August, players wanted the quiz to be continued. A group of players volunteered to host it in his

absence, and the concept of the guest quizmaster began. That system continued till 2016.

For the last three years, Shaun hosts only one quiz per month, with all others hosted by a regular player.

As of the end of February 2020, more than $26.5 million was raised for local charities since 2006. “Quiz Night is busier than ever and this year, we are on schedule to have a record year and should raise about $2.8 million. For the last four weeks, we have taken the quiz online every Wednesday night with teams playing via Zoom,” said McGrath.

McGrath feels that the quiz has been successful because it has become a self-sustaining community that covers all ages, social classes, and ethnicities. Traditional academic topics

like science and literature are used, along with topics like fashion, movies, and entertainment.

“We have players who have been with the quiz since the very beginning. Over the last few years, we have made extensive use of social media, and this has attracted a new and more youthful set off players,” he said.

While there were periods where it seems quiz night was fading, with only one or two teams to play, the team managed to come up with new ideas to create interest in it once again. “Having a solid group of supporters and involving them in the decision-making process is also critical. Above all, accountability is vital, especially if you are collecting money for charitable purposes,” McGrath said.

Participants of Cara Night Quiz have continued playing online

The Cara Night Quiz has players who have been with the game since its beginning

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday May 1, 2020

Mark Batson releases Pandemic song

Guyanese reggae artiste, Mark Batson

In light of the novel Coronavirus attacking the entire world, musicians, artistes and other creatives have been playing their part in keeping the world sensitised as well as entertained during this pandemic.

While some have been making music about the virus to make people laugh and lighten their spirit through what is happening, others have taken the standpoint as a call for action.

Just a few days ago, Guyanese reggae artiste, Mark Batson released a song titled 'Pandemic', which speaks directly to the destruction being caused by the virus.

On a simple deep-rooted reggae track created at Paradigm Studio, the artiste laid down his crafty lyrics calling for people to join together and do what is necessary to, in his words, "kill Rona".

Batson said that as a musician, he be-

lieves he has a part to play in this pandemic, and that is to continue doing what he loves (making music), but tailored to what is relevant at the moment.

He said at this time, people are distressed and music helps provide some sort of comfort, so more music to listen is definitely what people need to keep them calm.

But in the same breath, it is important to ensure that people are sensitised and fully aware about what we are facing, and know how important it is for them to follow the public health ordinance.

Due to the aforementioned, Batson saw it fit to create a song specifically for the pandemic and the sensitisation of our people.

More music is expected to be released from the artiste, as he says this downtime is giving more breathing space for creativity to flow.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, May 1, 2020

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, May 1, 2020

‘Sars’ hits back!

Guyanese ‘categorically denies’ Gayle comments

CMC – RAMARESH Sarwan has slammed as “scandalous allegations” claims by Chris Gayle that he played a key role in the Twenty20 superstar’s abrupt recent departure from Caribbean Premier League franchise Jamaica Tallawahs.

In a statement Thursday, the former West Indies captain Sarwan “categorically denied” he was involved in any decision making to end Gayle’s tenure at the Kingston-based Tallawahs in preparation for the upcoming season set to bowl off in August.

“I categorically deny any involvement in the decision or the decision-making process, which led to Gayle’s non-selection to represent the Jamaica Tallawahs in the 2020 Caribbean Premier League (CPL) tournament,” said Sarwan, who served as a member of Tallawahs’ management team last season.

“In fact, the management of the franchise itself has issued a public statement that, ‘the truth is that this decision was made collectively by the ownership and management team which did not include Mr. Ramnaresh Sarwan and based purely on business and cricketing reasoning’.”

He added: “Let me make it abundantly clear, I have played with Gayle from the inception of my international career and I have always respected him as an extraordinary talent, a colleague and most importantly, a close friend.

“Hence, my utter shock by these scandalous allegations. He was welcomed in and is loved by, my immediate family and has hurt them terribly.

“Fans will recall, that when Ian Chappell called for Gayle to be banned from international cricket because of remarks he made to a female journalist, I issued a public

call for fans to rally around Gayle. I stood up for him on every such occasion.”

In an emotionally-charged three-part video late Monday, Gayle launched a scathing attack on Sarwan, labelling him a “snake” and blaming him for his exit from the Tallawahs.

Gayle, himself a former West Indies captain, accused Sarwan of vindictiveness.

After returning to Tallwahs last year following two seasons with St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, Gayle said he told then assistant coach Sarwan he was not experienced enough to be head coach.

The 40-year-old Gayle claimed Sarwan was upset by the assessment, but the Guyanese again denied this was true.

“In 2019, I was appointed head coach. I reached out to Chris and discussed with him the selection of a team.

I did so out of respect for him,” Sarwan explained.

“In my conversation with Gayle about the team, he informed me that Donovan Miller, a Jamaican and a very close friend of Chris, should be appointed head coach as he would better understand the culture of the Jamaican players.

“I conveyed Gayle’s view to the CEO, informing the CEO that I would be happy to step aside for Miller’s appointment, given that Chris feels strongly about his appointment. My priority was what would be in the best interest of the team.

“Gayle is fully aware of the background, yet he accuses me of fighting to be head coach.”

Further, Sarwan also dismissed as “a total fabrication” the Jamaican’s bizarre charge that 24 years ago he was responsible for him being sent home from a West Indies Under-19s tour in Barbados, because he (Gayle) stayed up late watching television.

“No competent management would remove him from a series, a player of Chris’s caliber on such a trivial allegation,” Sarwan said.

Further labelling Gayle’s accusations as “rantings”, Sarwan contended the incident had “done immeasurable damage to the ‘gentleman’s game’ of cricket, in particular, West Indian cricket, and set a bad example for younger players.

“It is my sincere hope that Gayle’s damnation has not caused irreparable damage to the unity and brotherhood which cricket has forged across the West Indies,” Sarwan stressed.

“My deep concern, is that young and upcoming players who regard Gayle as a role model, may think that this is an acceptable way of addressing problems which may befall them in their careers.”

Gayle is the greatest ever T20 batsman with 13 000 runs and 22 hundreds, and is set to turn out for St Lucia Zouks in the CPL.

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Friday May 01, 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) Shaun Pollock-5/54 (Johannesburg, 1998/99) (2) Curtly Ambrose-6/34 (Barbados, 1992)

Today’s Quiz:

(1) What is the highest individual Test score made by a SA player against the WI to date?

(2) What is the highest score made by a WI player in a Test against South Africa to date?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

29

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, May 1, 2020

Manchester City players scared of returning action amid covid pandemic (BBC) - PLAYERS are “scared” about the prospect of returning to action amid the coronavirus pandemic, says Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero.

The Premier League is hoping to resume the season on 8 June, which would require players to be be back in full training by 18 May. Top-flight clubs will meet on Friday to discuss options for the restart.

“The majority of players are scared because they have children and families,” said 31-year-old Aguero.

Speaking to Argentine TV station El Chiringuito, the Argentina international Aguero added: “I’m scared, but I’m with my girlfriend here and I’m not going to be in contact with other people. I’m locked in my house and the only person I could infect is my girlfriend.

“They’re saying that there are people that have it and don’t have any symptoms but still infect you. That’s why I am here at home. Maybe I have the illness and I don’t even know.”

The Premier League has been suspended since 13 March because of coronavirus but all clubs remain committed to playing this season’s 92 remaining fixtures.

All games are expected to be held behind closed doors and the league is considering making some available on free-to-air TV. Aguero said he and his team-mates, will be “quite nervous and extra careful” when they return to work.

“When one person is ill we will think ‘oh what’s happening here?’” he added.

“I hope a vaccine will be found soon so that this all ends.”

If training is resumed before social distancing rules are relaxed, BBC Sport understands players will be tested for coronavirus twice a week and would be screened for symptoms every day.

All tests would be carried out by health professionals at a drive-through NHS testing facility that each club would have access to.

Training grounds will be optimised for social distancing and high hygiene

levels. In addition: Players must arrive at training grounds in kit and wear masks at all times.

They must not shower or eat on the premises. If clubs want to provide players with food, it must be delivered as a takeaway to players’ cars.

Only essential medical treatment would be allowed, with all medical staff in full PPE. All meetings and reviews must take place virtually and off-site.

‘FARCICAL’ FACE MASK PROPOSALS Brighton striker Glenn Murray says some proposed protocols around the Premier League’s return to action, such as wearing face masks, are “farcical”.

“Face masks is going to be off-putting; it is not going to be natural. People will be ripping them off in games,” the 36-year-old said. “It is quite farcical.

“I understand why people are desperate to get football on. It has to be done in a sensible way and in the right time and in

a way that is going to keep everyone safe.

“There will be ambulances at training and games. Is it fair to take those from the NHS? I don’t know.

“It is not just two squads, there is a lot more involved and it puts more people at risk.”

Arsenal, Brighton and West Ham have opened their training grounds to players for individual work.

“I understand the public is desperate to get football back,” said Murray. “But it is us that are going to be going out there and competing against other teams.

“We are not talking about guys in one community. We are talking about guys from all over the world who could be possibly carrying the disease. There are so many caveats.

“Everyone is in different situations. I have children at home. I wouldn’t want to jeopardise them. Some footballers have newly born children who might be more susceptible to getting the disease.

“Some are living with elderly parents. It is a really difficult situation to agree on.”

PSG awarded Ligue 1 title after season called off (BBC) - PARIS St-Germain have been awarded the Ligue 1 title after it was announced the season would not resume because of the coronavirus pandemic.

PSG were 12 points clear at the top of the table, with a game in hand, when French football was suspended indefinitely on 13 March.

Earlier this week the French government cancelled the 2019-20 sporting season.

The club said they wished to dedicate the title “to healthcare staff and all the everyday heroes on the front line”.

PSG chairman and CEO Nasser Al-Khelaifi added that French essential workers’ “commitment and self-sacrifice over many weeks have earned our deepest admiration”.

He continued: “We understand, respect and support the decisions taken by the French Government to end the championship. Health, as the government has always said, must be everyone’s priority.

“In these difficult times, I hope that this trophy will

PSG have now won three consecutive Ligue 1 titles bring a little happiness and been crowned Ligue 2 chamNow set to miss out on a hope to all our supporters, pions on the same principle. place in Europe next season, and I am grateful to them They were just one point Lyon say they also “reserve for their unwavering sup- above Lens when the season the right to claim damages”, port which helps drive Par- was suspended and both which the club say amount is St-Germain forward.” teams will be promoted. to “several tens of millions Before the government’s Amiens and Toulouse of euros”. intervention, French foot- will be relegated from Li“There might be appeals ball’s governing body had gue 1. but our decisions are solbeen hoping to resume the Lyon - who were fifth a id,” said Didier Quillot, the season on 17 June. week before the last match chief executive of the French PSG have been awarded day, but finished seventh League (LFP). the title on a points-per-game - said they might appeal Quillot added the LFP basis, while Lorient have against the verdict. had until 25 May to tell Uefa

which clubs will be qualified for European competitions.

That is the same day by which European leagues have to tell European football’s governing body whether they want to complete or cancel their seasons.

The Dutch top flight was abandoned on Friday with no promotion or relegation and no champions, while on Monday Belgian clubs postponed a vote on confirming the cancellation of their top flight until next week.

Analysis - BBC World Service reporter John Bennett The French football authorities had three main options when it came to deciding the final league positions.

They did not go for freezing the table after 27 games or freezing the table when everyone had played each other once, and instead they chose the points per game system.

The big losers from that decision are Lyon, who were in the Europa League places after match day 27, but under these rules finish in seventh place.

It means their only hope of getting into Eu-

rope next season is either winning the League Cup final, which could still be played later in the year but will probably be cancelled, or winning the Champions League, which is unlikely even if Uefa manage to somehow complete the matches.

Meanwhile, PSG’s dominance made the decision to crown champions a lot easier in France than it was in the Netherlands, where Ajax and AZ Alkmaar were level on points at the top and the KNVB decided there would be no title winners.

So a reason to celebrate for PSG but of course their main aim this season was to win the Champions League and remember, as unlikely as it would seem, they are still hoping they can complete that mission, saying that they would be prepared to play their matches abroad in August if it is not possible to play in France.

French clubs now have to count the cost of losing crucial TV revenue in this shortened season and there will be some difficult decisions to be made for many of them.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, May 1, 2020

Matthews denies fitness cost Dujon describes Gayle saga as ‘sad’ Windies women the world cup CMC – WEST Indies opener Hayley Matthews has dismissed the suggestion that a lack of fitness was responsible for the squad’s unimpressive performance in this year’s T20 World Cup. As far as she is concerned, it was simply a matter of the team not executing when they went up against their opponents.

West Indies Women won just one of their four group matches – beating minnows Thailand in their opener before losing to Pakistan, England and South Africa – to finish third in the preliminaries of the tournament and miss out on the semi-finals for the first time in six appearances.

“I don’t think it’s a lack of fitness. I just think it was a lack of us performing on the day and being able to execute with the skills that we know that we have,” Matthews said on the Mason and Guest radio programme here Tuesday night.

“We were in camp for the last probably two years, so it definitely doesn’t have to do with the work that we’ve been putting in of late.

Whenever you go to a big

Hayley Matthews (Photo by Harry Trump-ICC/ICC via Getty Images) tournament like that you’re competing against seven or eight other teams who also want to do well and it just comes down to who plays the best cricket on the day and unfortunately when we got to our point where we needed to play good cricket we just weren’t able to do it.”

West Indies Women won their first T20 World Cup title in 2016, but failed in their title defence in 2018 when they struck out at the semi-final stage.

The 22-year-old acknowledged that the competition was getting tougher, with women’s cricket growing

“tremendously” over the last few years.

“It is our job and it’s on us now to be able to keep up with that and be able to keep moving forward, and it’s just a case of us being able to do the work to get into that position; using our facilities best to understand what is happening in the game right now and keeping up with that level of cricket,” she said.

“The women’s game is growing very fast – a lot faster than the men’s game, obviously, because it has a lot more room to grow – and we just need to be able to keep up with that at this time.”

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic that has prevented on-field play in the region and across the world, personal fitness will be a priority for West Indies Women, lead selector Ann Browne-John said last week. She said each member of the squad was issued with fitness plans, allowing them to remain in shape in preparation for the resumption of international cricket.

Matthews said she was following the programme provided by her trainer, using resources at home to stay fit.

WADA hands over findings on Russian athletes (REUTERS) - THE World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said on Thursday its investigation into 298 Russian athletes targeted in a doping probe has been completed and the findings passed onto international federations for further action.

Code named “Operation LIMS”, the probe conducted by WADA’s Intelligence and Investigations committee examined institutionalised doping in Russia using data mined from the Moscow laboratory at the heart of the scandal.

The investigation, which took a year to complete, was complicated because Russian officials at first refused WADA investigators access to material in the Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) and were later found guilty of tampering with that data.

As a result of the tampering, Russia was declared non-compliant late last year and handed a four-year ban.

Russia is in the process of appealing against the ban on its athletes competing at major international sporting events under their flag as punishment for that alteration of laboratory data.

Of the 298 cases handed over 153 were unaffected by the alleged manipulation, WADA said.

Designated President of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Witold Banka looks on during a conference of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in Katowice, Poland on November 06, 2019. - Banka, 35, is set to be rubber-stamped on November 07, 2019 as successor to current president Craig Reedie having received the endorsement of the WADA executive committee and foundation board.

(Photo by Irek DOROZANSKI / AFP) (Photo by IREK DOROZANSKI/AFP via Getty Image

Investigation packages of all 298 cases have now been turned over to 28 Anti-Doping Organisations (ADOs), including 27 International Federations (IFs) and one major event organisation who have to decide in each case whether to bring it forward.

WADA said it will discuss the facts with each ADO and will review the decisions rendered by the ADOs and appeal, if appropriate, to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

“This has been the most complex enquiry in anti-doping history and WADA’s investigations team has been doing an outstanding job,” WADA president Witold Banka said in a statement.

“It has been a huge undertaking, involving thousands of samples, 24 terabytes of data, hundreds of athletes across 28 organisations, and it is delivering real results.

“The Russian doping crisis has dominated WADA’s time and resources over the past five years and the Agency’s investigations team has been on the frontline,” Banka added.

“This is not the end of the road.

There is still more reanalysis of the samples retrieved from the former Moscow Laboratory that is ongoing.”

CMC – RETIRED West Indies wicketkeeper Jeffrey Dujon has described as “sad” the bitterness with which batting star Chris Gayle is coming to the end of his career.

His assessment came on the heels of Gayle posting videos on his YouTube channel, in which he launched a stinging verbal attack on former West Indies teammate and current assistant coach of the Jamaica Tallawahs, Ramnaresh Sarwan, and accused him of playing a major part in the franchise not retaining him for the 2020 Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

The 40-year-old Gayle, who was signed by the St. Lucia Zouks after being released by his home franchise, used terms such as “snake” and “vindictive” to describe Sarwan.

“It’s not nice when people are at the end of their careers and there is that much bitterness,” Dujon said on the Mason and Guest radio programme here Tuesday night.

“It’s sad when someone, people who have been out- Retired West Indies wicketstanding in one keeper Jeffrey Dujon way or another, end their careers on a sour note like that, but that’s the world today. People have the social media, they have the platforms to speak their minds and people seem to be more inclined to do so these days.”

The 63-year-old commentator stressed, however, that disputes such as these were nothing new, but were now amplified because of the social media age.

“This is not the first time that something like this has happened, this goes way back….

But in those days, people didn’t have the media like they have now to voice their opinions, and back in those days I suppose we were a different generation anyway,” he said, stressing that it “it goes without saying” that he would not have approached the situation in the way his fellow Jamaican had.

Dujon advocated engaging in more dialogue to resolve problems, but conceded that the airing of dirty laundry in public is a “symptom of the world we live in today”.

“In the sense that, to a large extent, we have lost the art of conversation. It’s more texting and tweeting and all this sort of thing and they just don’t see the need to sit down and talk to each other,” the former wicketkeeper/batsman said.

Gayle had been particularly harsh in his public criticism of Sarwan, saying that he wanted nothing more to do with him.

The T20 specialist had also hit out at the Tallawahs management, saying that they had been “playing games” with him, instead of being up front about dropping him from the squad.

But the franchise management and ownership issued a statement Wednesday insisting that the decision to part ways with Gayle was only about “business and cricketing reasoning” and Sarwan was not involved.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, May 1, 2020

31

‘Sars’ hits back!

See story on page 28

Guyanese ‘categorically denies’ Gayle comments

Ramnaresh Sarwan.

(Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

Safety the critical issue in rescheduling England series, says Holder CMC – WEST Indies captain Jason Holder believes safety should be the main mitigating factor in whether the three-Test tour of England goes ahead later this year.

The Caribbean side were scheduled to tour England in June but both Cricket West Indies and the England and Wales Cricket Board agreed last week to postpone the series, with the hope of staging it in the July to September window.

But with the novel

coronavirus pandemic still ravishing the United Kingdom, Holder said it was important authorities monitored the situation carefully before going giving the green light to the series.

“We’re still sitting back and waiting. I just think it’s a situation where we’re all monitoring the situation over in England, particularly in Europe as well,” Holder told CNC3 TV here.

“I’ve seen a few things in other sports where they’ve pushed the schedules back and not

having fans … but it’s a waiting game. We can only sit tight and hope and pray we resume some type of normalcy in the not too distant future.

“This thing has been really, really serious as we all know and has claimed quite a few lives throughout the world and that’s the last thing any of us would really want. I think we’ve got to play the safety card first before we can even think about resuming our normal lives.”

The UK has been particularly hard hit by

West Indies captain Jason Holder celebrates reaching his 100 during Day Three of the First Test match between England and West Indies at Kensington Oval on January 25, 2019 in Bridgetown, Barbados.

(Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images) COVID-19, resulting in 171 000 infections and 26 000 deaths.

As a result, all major sporting events have been halted, with the ECB further delaying the start of its domestic itinerary until July 1.

Ambitious plans have been proposed in order to have the series against West Indies staged in July, including playing behind closed doors and enforcing strict quarantine and social distancing protocols.

Holder, who has led West Indies in the longest

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format for the last five years, conceded that while playing behind closed doors was not “ideal”, players would be amenable to the idea if there were no options available.

“It would be something really difficult,” the 28-year-old Barbadian pointed out.

“To play at the highest level to empty stands to me is not ideal but if circumstances do dictate that has to be the case, well I just think we’ve got to get on with it.

“It’s a bigger picture

of cricket actually being played – there are a number of events going on, the bilateral and also the Test championship – so it’s just a matter for us to get on with it and accept it for what it is if it comes to that.”

The global pandemic has also led to a cessation of cricket in the Caribbean with CWI forced to abort its domestic first class championship after eight of the scheduled 10 rounds, and also postpone other tournaments.

West Indies are also scheduled to host New Zealand and South Africa between July and August but both tours are now also in doubt.

Holder said the important thing for players during the downtime was to remain safe and make good use of the time.

“It is something that none of us are accustomed to and it has been difficult, it’s presented its challenges,” said the number one Test all-rounder in the world.

“For me, it’s just the fact that I’ve not been confined to one space for so long ever in my life. But it is what it is.

We’ve got to play the waiting game and make sure we’re all safe and can pass this time.”

FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2020