Guyana_Chronicle_Epaper_07_23_2020

THURSDAY 23rd July, 2020

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APNU+AFC

No.106069

Guyana records 11 new 11 COVID-19 cases PAGE

open to dialogue SEE PAGE 03

…says it is time to end electoral impasse …but stresses that only “valid votes” should be used to declare results

GuySuCo targets 150,000 tonnes of sugar annually -as part of new 20202025 business plan 18 PAGE

Schools could re-open in September …but with a rotation system for learners

Come get your bora!!

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The Stabroek Market was abuzz with shoppers and vendors, on Wednesday, as businesses continue to re-open following the COVID-19 shutdown (Samuel Maughn photo)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 23, 2020

Was the recount legal? …lawyers to argue positions during appeal hearing Saturday ….AG to file cross appeal today

By Svetlana Marshall

ON Saturday, the Court of Appeal will hear a series of legal arguments on an appeal challenging the High Court’s decision that the results of the General and Regional Elections must be made based on the data generated during the national recount.

In upholding the Recount Order – Order No. 60, Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George-Wiltshire said the March declarations have been overshadowed by the national recount but Tucville, Georgetown voter, Misenga Jones, in her application to the Appellate Court, said the decisions were bad in law and ought to be set side.

The date for hearing was announced on Wednesday (July 22) by Justice of Appeal, Dawn Gregory when she took the bench alongside Justice of Appeal, Rishi Persaud and High Court Judge Priya Beharry for a Case Management Conference (CMC) in the Court of Appeal broadcast live on YouTube.

The appeal was filed by Misenga Jones against the Guyana Elections Commission; the Chairman of the

Senior Counsel Douglas Mendes

Guyana Elections Commission, Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh; the Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield; the Attorney General Basil Williams and others.

Ahead of announcing the deadlines for the written submissions, Justice Gregory indicated that the seventh and eighth named respondents – People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) General Secretary, Bharrat Jagdeo and Presidential Candidate, Irfaan Ali – had filed a cross appeal. They are being rep-

Attorney General Basil Williams

resented by Trinidad and Tobago’s Senior Counsel, Douglas Mendes, in association with Attorneys-at-Law, Anil Nandlall and Divendra Kissoon.

It was not long after that the Attorney General – the fourth named respondent – signalled his intention to file a Notice of Cross Appeal.

The Attorney General, who appeared in association with Attorney-at-Law, Maxwell Edwards, said he intends to challenge part of the decision of the High Court.

“We have several grounds on which we will appeal. We are challenging of course the decision in relation to Order No. 60 and all the matters that are said to be res judicata; the question of Section 18 [of the Elections Law (Amendment) Act] and Article 177; the constitutionality of those provisions,” the Attorney General explained. He has been given until 8:00hrs today (July 23) to file his cross appeal.

Based on the timetable set by the Appellate Court, the attorneys representing the appellant have up until 12:00hrs today (July 23) to make their written submissions while the respondents in the original appeal have until 3:00hrs on Friday (July 24) to submit

Attorney-at-Law Mayo Robertson

their written response.

“In the submissions of the respondents, we would expect submissions by the seventh and eighth respondents in relation to their cross appeal to be included,” Justice Gregory told the attorneys in the case.

The appellant was given until 12:00hrs on Friday (July 24) to reply to the written submissions made by the respondents, as well as submissions in relation to the cross appeal. The oral arguments will be heard virtually by the Appellate Court on Saturday (July 25) from 10:00hrs. At the conclusion of the hearing, the Appellate Court will announce the date for the ruling.

The appellant, Misenga Jones, is being represented

by Trinidad and Tobago Senior Counsel, John Jeremie, in association with Senior Counsel, Roysdale Forde and Attorneys-at-Law, Mayo Robertson and Rondelle Keller.

Jones, who filed her Notice of Appeal on Tuesday (July 21), has laid down 23 grounds on which the Chief Justice erred in her High Court judgment. On behalf of Jones, Robertson, in laying down the grounds for the appeal, told the Appellate Court that the Chief Justice erred in law when she ruled that the issue of the constitutionality of Section 22 of the Elections Laws (Amendment) Act was res judicata.

It was Section 22 of the Elections Laws (Amendment) Act that the Elections Commissioned used together with Article 162 of the Constitution to bring the Recount Order (Order No. 60) into effect. Jones together with the Chief Elections Officer and the Attorney General had argued that Section 22 was unconstitutional on the basis that it conferred law-making powers on GECOM - a non-legislative body - in contravention with Article 170 of the Constitution. It was also argued that the Recount Order led to the establishment of a new electoral regime in breach not only of the Constitution, but also the Representation of the People Act. TURN TO PAGE

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 23, 2020

APNU+AFC open to dialogue …says it is time to end electoral impasse …but stresses that only ‘valid votes’ should be used to declare results

By Svetlana Marshall EXTENDING an ‘olive branch’ to the opposition and stakeholders that are key to the electoral process, the ruling A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Coalition said it is open to dialogue on a possible solution that would bring an end to the protracted electoral process.

Though it has been close to five months since General and Regional Elections were held in Guyana, the official results have not been declared by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), due to a series of legal challengess filed at all three tiers of the country’s judicial system – the most recent challenging an Order (Order No. 60), which triggered a national recount.

On Wednesday, APNU+AFC Chief Spokesperson, Joseph Harmon, in a public address, said: “The APNU+AFC Coalition, in the national interest, and with a view to maintaining stability and peace, remains open to dialogue with other political parties and stakeholders on the way forward for our country. The APNU+AFC Coalition is prepared to act responsibly to bring a resolution to the ongoing political situation.”

Declarations made by the returning officers in the 10 electoral districts, as compiled by the Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield in his election reports, showed

a win for the APNU+AFC; however, when a national recount was conducted in accordance with Order No. 60, the figures showed a win for the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), but the process also unearthed massive irregularities and cases of voter impersonation. To date, there remains a ‘legal’ tug of war on whether the elections commission should rely on the March declarations or the data generated by the national recount to declare the results of the elections.

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

According to the National Assembly (Validity of Elections) Act, election petitions must be filed within 28 days of the declaration of the results of an election. But dissatisfied with the ruling, Jones, a Tucville Georgetown voter, has turned to the Court of Appeal for relief on the grounds that the recount created a new electoral regime in breach of the Constitution and Representation of

APNU+AFC Campaign Manager Joseph Harmon

the People Act, and cannot be used for a declaration of the results of the March 2 elections. She is adamant that the March declarations must be used.

In his address, Harmon admitted that repeated resort to the courts have prolonged the electoral process.

“Delays in the declaration of results were caused, in part, by several appeals which were made during this period – to the Supreme Court of Judicature, the Court of Appeal of Guyana and the Caribbean Court of Justice – to provide interpretations of electoral and other laws and to resolve problems arising from the elections,” the APNU+AFC Campaign Manager said, while noting that the people of Guyana are awaiting a “credible” declaration by the elections commission headed by Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh.

Noting that the coalition remains committed to a “lawful and credible declara-

tion of results based on valid votes,” Harmon said the APNU+AFC has taken note of the chief justice’s ruling.

“The APNU+AFC Coalition, as always, remains committed to the judicial process. That process is incomplete as it stands and the matter has been appealed in the Guyana Court of Appeal.

Such an appeal is lawful, proper and guaranteed under the Constitution of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, our supreme law,” he said, while iterating that the APNU+AFC will await the outcome of the appeal.

While the CCJ, in invalidating the second of three elections reports compiled by the chief elections officer, ruled that the irregularities and allegations of voter impersonation cannot be addressed at this stage of the electoral process, the APNU+AFC is resolute in its position that “fraudulent votes” cannot be factored in to represent the will of the

Was the recount ...

But Justice George-Wiltshire, while relying on the decision of the Court of Appeal in the Ulita Moore Case ruled that the legality of Section 22 is a matter to be frontally examined by the Court at a full hearing via an Election Petition upon the completion of the electoral process. Additionally, she ruled that the matter was res judicata but Robertson told the Appellate Court that the High Court’s decisions were bad in law on the grounds that the Chief Justice misconstrued its judgment in the Ulita Moore v the Guyana Elections Commission case.

Further, Jones wants the Appellate Court to rule that the Chief Justice’s decision that the Chairman of GECOM and or the commission did not act outside of their constitutional and statutory powers was also bad in law. Following the Caribbean Court of Justice’s (CCJ’s) decision in the Ali and Jagdeo Case, the Chairman of GECOM, on July 9, instructed the Chief Elections Officer to compile an Elections Report in accordance with Section 96 of the Representation of the People Act and Article 177 (2) (b) of the Constitution but with

the use of data generated during the national recount.

However, the CEO had expressed concerns that the national recount was not done in full compliance with the Representation of the People Act, which stipulates that the Elections Report must be compiled using information from the Returning Officers.

Lowenfield, in reverting to the March Declarations, had relied on paragraph 37 of the written judgment of the CCJ. That paragraph reads: “The Presidential Candidate on the list for which more votes have been cast than any other list is deemed to

electorate.

“Any attempt to include fraudulent votes in a ‘declaration’ will constitute a violation of the constitution and the fundamental principles of democracy. We maintain that the elections commission can only make a ‘declaration’ based on valid votes,” Harmon said.

He added: “The recount process which was conducted, painstakingly, for 33 days revealed massive irregularities and extensive fraud which cannot be foisted on the Guyanese people to contrive an outcome that betrays the will of the electorate.”

In an attempt to determine a final, credible count as dictated by Order No. 60, the chief elections officer had excluded some 115,000 from his June 23 elections report, in accordance with a decision of the Court of Appeal that a President could only be elected on the basis of “valid votes.” But the CCJ, in overturning the decision of the Court of Appeal, invalidated the report of the chief elections officer.

“By the unnecessary insertion, into Article 177 (2) (b), of the word “valid”, the Court of Appeal impliedly invited the CEO to engage, unilaterally, in a further and unlawful validation exercise trespassed on the exclusive jurisdiction of the High Court established by Article 163. It was inconsistent with the constitutional framework for the CEO or GECOM to disenfranchise tens of thousands of electors in a seemingly nontransparent

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be elected as President, and the Chairman of GECOM must so declare. Both the allocation of seats in the National Assembly and the identification of the successful Presidential Candidate are determined on the sole basis of votes counted and information furnished by the Returning Officers under the Representation of the People Act.” Jones together with the CEO and the Attorney General had brought attention to the fact that the Returning Officers had not participated in the May-June National Recount, and as such, they had

and arbitrary manner without the due processes established in Article 163 and the National Assembly (Validity of Elections) Act,” the CCJ President Justice Adrian Saunders ruled.

The CCJ’s decision had placed the electoral process back into the hands of the Elections Commission but another controversy erupted over the interpretation of the CCJ’s ruling and how it ought to be implemented.

While the High Court has said that the CCJ endorsed the national recount, others, including the chief elections officer and Attorney General Basil Williams have pointed out that in the ruling of the apex court, it was said the results of the elections could only be declared using information supplied to the elections commission by returning officers in accordance with the Representation of the People Act. The returning officers did not participate in the national recount.

This contention along with the constitutionality of the Recount Order and Section 22 of the Elections Law (Amendment) Act forms a major part of the Misenga Jones case that will be heard in the Court of Appeal on Saturday.

In the interim, the APNU+AFC is imploring all Guyanese to remain calm and peaceful as the country awaits a credible and legitimate outcome.

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argued that GECOM ought to declare the results of the elections based on the declarations made by the Returning Officers in the 10 Electoral District in accordance with the Representation of the People Act. But the Chief Justice said the interpretation of the CCJ’s judgment put forward by Jones, the CEO and the Attorney General was “hopelessly flawed.”

Notably, in this round of the legal proceedings the Chief Elections Officer will not be actively participating.

Through his attorney, Senior Counsel Neil Boston, Lowenfield informed the Appellate

Court that he will not actively participate in the case. The Chair of the Elections Commission is being represented

by Attorney-at-Law, Kim Kyte-Thomas.

The other respondents in the case are Shazam Ally of The Citizenship Initiative; Abedin Kindy Ali of Change Guyana, Dr. Mark France from A New and United Guyana; Leader of the Liberty and Justice Party Lenox Shuman; Daniel Josh Kanhai of The New Movement and Leader of the United Republican Party, Vishnu Bandhu.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 23, 2020

Sydney police 'asked woman to remove tampon' in strip-search (BBC) Police in Sydney asked a young woman to remove her tampon during a strip-search, a law enforcement review has found.

It was among instances of police misconduct uncovered in an investigation into five controversial strip-searches across Sydney last year.

Most took place at music festivals and left those searched feeling humiliated and degraded, the report said.

New South Wales Police said it would consider the findings of the report.

The Law Enforcement Conduct Commission report called on the police force to apologise to one of the young women involved, and noted in another case that an officer had been suspended from duty.

The cases were reviewed either after parents of the women complained or they received coverage in local media.

Questions over the legality of the searches - all targeting drugs - was a "recurring" issue, the report said.

It has added to public scrutiny of searching practices and calls for reforms.

WHAT DID THE INCIDENTS INVOLVE? In one instance in January 2019, police strip-searched two young women outside a Sydney casino - one was asked by an officer to remove her tampon.

A review of that incident "revealed a lack of clarity for [officers] regarding the lawfulness of such a request", the report said.

That prompted a review of other cases where complaints had been made and no drugs had been found.

In another case, a young performer at the Secret Garden festival was ordered to pull down her underwear and bend over before being spoken to unprofessionally and laughed at by male officers, the report said.

A woman strip-searched at another festival was made to squat and cough and wasn't given adequate privacy.

The review found that in many cases, police reported not knowing what they could do in a strip-search. It noted a new manual was introduced last August to instruct officers correctly.

Police conduct during strip searches at music festivals has come under scrutiny

But the examples raised questions over the legality of police conduct, pressure to conduct searches, and poor communication and record-keeping, the report added.

Are strip-searches legal?

Under Australian law, police can only carry out strip-searches if "the seriousness and urgency of the circumstances" means it is reasonable and necessary to

do so.

They must also conduct the least invasive search possible. It is illegal to search genital areas or any body cavities.

In the case of minors, a parent or guardian must be

present, unless an immediate search is necessary to protect the person or prevent the destruction of evidence.

But allegations of aggressive strip-search tactics by police have caused controversy.

Last year, a separate inquiry heard a 14-year-old boy was asked to hold his exposed genitals for police in one of at least 25 potentially illegal strip-searches at a music festival for under-18s.

An officer told that inquiry that strip-searches at festivals were necessary because of concerns over drug use, after several young people died from overdoses.

This prompted calls for alternative solutions such as pill-testing facilities at such events, and criticism of punitive police actions such as strip-searches.

Chinese consulate in Houston ordered to close by US

(BBC) The US has ordered China to close its consulate in Houston, Texas, by Friday - a move described as "political provocation" by Beijing.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the decision was taken because China was "stealing" intellectual property.

China's foreign ministry condemned the move on Twitter, saying its embassy in Washington had received death threats.

Earlier, unidentified individuals were filmed burning paper in bins in the Houston building's courtyard.

Tensions have been rising between the US and China for some time. President Donald Trump's administration has clashed repeatedly with Beijing over trade and the coronavirus pandemic, as well as China's imposition of a controversial new security law on Hong Kong.

Then on Tuesday, the US Department of Justice accused China of sponsoring hackers who had been targeting labs developing Covid-19 vaccines.

Two Chinese nationals, who allegedly spied on US research companies and got help from state agents for other thefts,

have been charged.

Why did the US say it was closing the consulate?

Mr Pompeo said the Chinese Communist Party was stealing "not just American intellectual property... but European intellectual property too... costing hundreds of thousands of jobs".

"We are setting out clear expectations for how the Chinese Communist Party is going to behave," he continued.

"And when they don't, we're going to take actions that protect the American people, protect our security, our national security, and also protect our economy and jobs."

The consulate is one of five in the US, not counting the embassy in Washington DC. It is unclear why this one was singled out.

In a separate statement, the State Department accused China of engaging "in massive illegal spying and influence operations", interfering in "domestic politics" as well as having "coerced our business leaders, threatened families of

Chinese Americans residing in China, and more".

How did China react to the order?

In a series of tweets, foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying described the reasons given by the US for closing the consulate as "unbelievably ridiculous".

She urged the US to reverse its "erroneous decision", or China would "react with firm countermeasures".

"While Chinese diplomats are promoting mutual understanding and friendship, the US embassy in China publicly attacks China's political system," she said.

"As a result of smears and hatred fanned up by the US government, the Chinese embassy has received bomb and death threats."

Chinese state media outlet the Global Times began running a poll on which US consulate to close in response. Beijing officials said the US has far more staff at its missions in China than vice versa.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 23, 2020

US offers $5m for capture of Venezuela chief justice Moreno

(BBC) The US is offering a reward of $5m (ยฃ3.9m) for information leading to the arrest or conviction of the chief justice of Venezuela, Maikel Moreno.

The US accuses Mr Moreno of participating in transnational organised crime, which he denies.

He is the latest senior official in the administration of President Nicolรกs Maduro for whom a multi-million dollar reward is being offered.

The US does not recognise the Maduro government as legitimate.

Who is Maikel Moreno?

The 54-year-old judge has been leading Venezuela's Supreme Court since February 2017.

The Supreme Court has played a key role in overruling or annulling laws passed by the National Assembly, the only institution which is not controlled by the Maduro government.

What does the US accuse him of?

The US State Department alleges that Mr Moreno has received bribes in exchange for telling judges to release defendants or dismissing cases altogether.

Earlier this year, he was charged with money laundering by a court in Florida.

Maikel Moreno has been leading Venezuela's Supreme Court since 2017

On Tuesday, the US Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program offered $5m for information leading to his arrest or conviction for allegedly "participating in transnational organised crime".

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the US government was sending a clear message.

How has Mr Moreno reacted?

Mr Moreno dismissed the allegations, saying it was "not the first time that the mouthpieces of the North American empire seek to attack me with their clumsy attacks, full of manipulations

and lies".

He added that "cowardly and unfounded accusations like these only strengthen my desire to keep working from the Supreme Court to guarantee access to justice and due process to all citizens of the land".

Human rights groups say the rights of Venezuelan citizens are routinely violated in the form of arbitrary detentions, torture at the hands of the security forces and extrajudicial killings.

A United Nations report published last week also said that victims of alleged human rights violations had difficulty obtaining justice in

Venezuelan courts.

The Maduro government dismissed the report as "bi-

ased".

What happens next?

Previous offers of rewards for top Venezuelan officials have so far had little effect. In March, the US accused President Maduro of "narco-terrorism" and said it would pay $15m for information leading to his arrest.

Mr Moreno, who as chief justice wields considerable power, is unlikely to face any problems within Venezuela, where the security forces continue to back the government of Mr Maduro.

However, he could face arrest if he travels abroad and he and his wife are now banned from entering the US. Despite their anti-American rhetoric, many Vene-

zuelan officials have in the past travelled to the US for holidays or shopping visits.

The US has been tightening its sanctions on the Venezuelan government for months, but Mr Maduro and his administration remain in power despite a rival claim to the presidency by Juan Guaidรณ.

Mr Guaidรณ, who leads the opposition-controlled National Assembly, declared himself interim president last year arguing that Mr Maduro's re-election had been fraudulent and therefore was null and void.

The opposition leader is recognised by the US, the UK and more than 50 other nations as the legitimate president of Venezuela.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 23, 2020

Fighting HIV/AIDS A RECENT report by UNAIDS shows that despite successes by individual countries, overall progress in the Caribbean to expand access to HIV services has slowed. Because of this, HIV targets set for 2020 will not be reached. The report, ‘Seizing the Moment,’ urges countries to act with greater resolve to reach those still left behind. Caribbean 2019 data showed that there were an estimated 330,000 people living with HIV in the Region at the end of 2019. Overall, Caribbean adult HIV prevalence was 1.1 per cent.

In 2019, 77 per cent of people living with HIV in the Caribbean knew their status. This compares to the worldwide average of 81 per cent. Eighty-one percent (81 per cent) of diagnosed Caribbean people were on treatment last year. Eighty per cent (80 per cent) of those on antiretroviral therapy were virally suppressed.

The global average was significantly higher at 88 per cent. Some countries have achieved elements of the 90–90–90 targets (90 per cent of people living with HIV aware of their HIV status; 90 per cent of diagnosed people on antiretroviral treatment and 90 per cent of those on treatment virally

suppressed).

Barbados has reached the target for testing, while Guyana has exceeded it with 94 per cent of people living with HIV diagnosed. Since the first case of HIV/AIDS was recorded decades ago, millions of persons around the globe have died annually from the various symptoms associated with that disease.

HIV/AIDS was, in its early stages, erroneously linked to homosexual behaviour because of its prevalence within the gay community, particularly amongst men who had sex with men. So widespread was this belief that at one point the disease was called the “gay cancer”, and also the “gay plague.” It has since been recognised that while homosexual couples and women are more at risk of contracting the disease, with more than half of the infected population being women, the disease is not particularly about who becomes infected. Despite public service messages, advertisements, and seminars hosted to educate persons on the dangers attached to having unprotected sex, there are still a substantial number of persons dying every year from AIDS-related complications. Millions of dollars are annually being spent to help sensitise the public on the disease

-- which was first diagnosed here in Guyana in the year 1987 -- not only because of its ability to rob otherwise healthy persons of their lives and knock decades off a country’s national development, but also for its ability to “widen the gulf between rich and poor nations, and push already stigmatised groups closer to the margins of society.”

A combination of factors, such as increased access to antiretroviral treatments; programmes focusing on youth development and reproductive health, and counseling, has since seen a constant decrease in the number of new cases each year. While Guyana and countries across the Caribbean still stand in second place under Sub-Saharan Africa -- where new HIV/AIDS cases average 5000 every year, accompanied by at least 200 deaths -- with new and more affordable treatment options now available, there has been a 70% reduction in AIDS-related deaths, compared to 15 years ago. Guyana also seems to be doing well in the fight against mother-to-child transmission of the disease, as a result of the Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) programme, and may soon be able to boast of the public health achievement of eliminating

mother-to-child transmission of HIV as Cuba did in June 2015.

For all the improvements over the years, however, doctors are now of the opinion that a newly formulated strategy needs to be put in place with the spread of the virus, as many persons across the country are taking comfort in its success rate of reduction and this has encouraged complacency, as many have stopped seeing the urgent need for protection, which has resulted in “a growing trend of new HIV cases.” There is an urgent need to sustain and intensify efforts in the fight against infection, so that its levels can be kept at a minimum, particularly amongst young people. Currently, statistics show that over 60 per cent of the new cases are isolated to young persons, showing the need for more education regarding the virus and its potential dangers amongst the young.

Education on prevention aside, more also needs to be done in helping to eliminate or diminish levels of stigma and discriminative attitudes held towards those with the disease. Stigma in Guyana and around the world is often so strong that those who are infected, or suspect that they are,

There is need for a transition in government Dear Editor The FITUG, like many Guyanese, paid close attention to the Organisation of American States (OAS) Permanent Council meeting on July 21, 2020 which addressed the prevailing situation in our country.

The convening of such an engagement is yet another telltale sign strong international concern about what is taking place in Guyana.

It also demonstrates the seriousness of the situation that is currently unfolding and which can have several consequences for Guyanese.

The OAS, in considering the Guyana situation, re-

ceived interventions from the de-facto Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Legal Affairs.

The contributions of both senior Government officials could only be described, in our view, only served to bring further embarrassment to our people. Both Ministers peddled, in our view, clearly false narratives, obviously, in an attempt to mislead the OAS. This, we contend, is tantamount to seeking to insult the intelligence of the hemispheric body.

We had to wonder whether the Government team believed sincerely that the OAS is unaware of what is really taking place in Guyana. We consider the OAS and, by ex-

tension, its members most informed about Guyana’s state of affairs. We do not believe for any moment that the OAS accepted the slanted opinions and cherry-picking of certain aspects of Court pronouncements by the Government.

The fact that the de-facto Administration thinks it can really hoodwink the OAS and, by extension, the world, is most humiliating.

Indeed, from the interventions of our hemispheric brothers and sisters, was a vivid demonstration that they were not sidetracked or sucked in by the propaganda of the Coalition regime. They were most forthright in their calls for

the APNU+AFC to accept the will of the people and to exit office. We share the view that prolongation of the process, which is quickly approaching five (5) months, must be brought to a swift and peaceful end.

There is need for a transition in Government, as the economy tethers and the lives of thousands of Guyanese hang in the balance.

The selfish ways of a greedy few should not be allowed to persist, but democracy must triumph.

Regards FITUG

are often hindered from seeking treatment or learning their status and being educated on preventive measures. This creates a barrier which could potentially become life-threatening and significantly decrease the mental health of the person. While there has been some progress over the years with the monitoring and reduction of stigma within the workplace, as guidelines have been put in place to help in that respect, the stigma within the wider society is still largely in place; and, for the most part, will largely remain that way over the next few years. Thankfully, the same report alluded to earlier discriminatory attitudes towards persons living with HIV have been consistently declining in Guyana, decreasing to as low as 29.4 per cent in 2014, after being as high as 86.4 percent in 2000.

Guyana is also among a number of countries that are close to achieving the 90-90-90 target for 2020, with 94 per cent of affected persons knowing their status, 73 per cent of those affected being on treatment and 87 per cent of those on treatment achieving viral suppression.

‘Lima Sands road requires budgetary allocation for construction’

Dear Editor

THE Ministry of Public Infrastructure (MoPI) has taken note of several publications in the newspapers recently with regards to the deplorable condition of the Lima Sands road in Region Two. The Ministry would like to state that the construction of this road is dependent on a new Budget.

Notably, MoPI, through its Special Projects Unit (SPU) Works Services Group, had constructed an asphalt road on the ap-

proach of the thoroughfare back in 2018 to the tune of approximately $100 million.

The project undertaken by us covered approximately 2km, whereby the village road stretches for about three miles. This means that attempting to construct this road will exceed the SPU’s yearly budgetary allocation for projects. As a consequence, the Regional engineer suggested that the project be tackled in phases to improve the condition of the road.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 23, 2020

Time for a moral and spiritual revival

Dear Editor,

DEMOCRACY is generally understood to be the embodiment of justice for all citizens, equal opportunity and a fair say through their representatives in the affairs of their daily lives.

In addition, as stated in the creed of a great nation, that we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. And that nation-states within the comity of nations deserve equal respect and regard irrespective of size and location.

Today, General Elections are considered the apex event in a democracy. But that, certainly important as it is, could not be the whole story. Unhappily for generations, and unto this day, the word democracy has been bandied about and used conveniently by powerful states whether it be in the east, west, north or south, Asia, Africa, the Americas and Europe.

In Guyana today, we hear the clarion call for our leader of the coalition to step aside in the name of democracy. This call has resonated from several quarters The time has come for Guyanese to be reminded that the use of the word democracy is no more than a convenient term really to satisfy the ambition and objectives of the powerful who wish to continue a certain dominance, which has characterized modern history since the fall of the Roman Empire.

For me, laws and constitutions in our democracy ought to be directly related to morality and the expected behavior by those who lead and those who are led. Many of these principles are set out in our Holy Books. The idea, in every case, being that we should enjoy a certain level of freedom constrained by a sense of responsibility and the pursuit for the well-being of all

and sundry accepting that we are all children of the one God. In our real world, however, we must neither be frightened nor fooled by those who now seek to lecture to us on democracy. We ought not to be lectured to by those whose motives are no more than to satisfy economic and strategic considerations.

The truth is, all powerful nations tend to behave and do things that do not really fit squarely into the mold what we understand to be democracy. I refer to two States, only because historically, they are the closest and best known to Guyanese. First, our erstwhile masters, the British, and second, the dominant state in this hemisphere, the USA. King George III of the United Kingdom ignored the concerns of the American colonies and sought to treat them as unequals, unilaterally imposing laws and sanctions, which the Americans felt were unjust. This of course led to the December 1763 Boston Tea Party.

After America declared its independence in 1776, the British still not accepting the principles of freedom and justice, continued the practice, by the British Royal Navy, the policy of impressment. This led to the 1810 Anglo-American war.

Forgetting the treatment by the British, the Americans, now becoming powerful, turned their attention to the Pacific. This allowed for the removal of Queen Liliuokalani, Monarch of Hawaii, and the dismemberment of centuries old Hawaii Monarchy.

The Queen only wanted to establish the independence and rights of her people.

In 1895, Queen Liliuokalani, to win pardons for her supporters who had been jailed following the revolt, agreed to sign a formal abdication.

As Head of the Onipa’a –

(meaning immovable, steadfast movement), whose motto was Hawaii for Hawaiians, she fought bitterly against annexation of the islands by the US. But Hawaii was a next and is now just another State of the USA. Shortly after, President Theodore Roosevelt dispatched the Great White Fleet of sixteen warships and as many destroyers, it was not about democracy; it was to tell the rest of the world that they were now a naval power and that no one should (mess) around with them.

A transfusion of democracy. It was not about democracy, it was not about civil liberty, it is about economic and strategic concerns. For even while the literature of the period talked about democracy, enslavement about black Africans continue unabated.

Democracy? Absolute rubbish. It was about economics and power. Robert Blackburn, in his book-- The Overthrow of Colonial Slavery (17761848), reminded us that the slave trade brought “fabulous fortunes” to the Europeans and Americans. My friends, that is the real story, economics and strategic concerns. That the first eleven Presidents of the USA not only had no problem with slavery, but they themselves kept and owned slaves.

In fact, these early slave-owning Presidents were described as Democratic Republicans, and remember that it was in the 1960s that the Civil Rights Movement sought to translate this word “democracy” into something Afro-Americans could relate to and benefit from.

For that reason, one may ask what is the real reason for this unrelenting verbal assault on the Granger administration when the process of Elections 2020 is ongoing.

This process has been tedious and stressful to all of us, but speaking from my side of

‘Lima sands road requires budgetary ...

He, however, cautioned that due to the heavy cost attached to the construction of the road, a tendering process could mean that the project will take a lengthier time before it comes to fruition.

The Project engineer explained that the village road has no real structure and would have to be built entirely from scratch. Furthermore, he advised the Ministry not to carry out isolated repairs to the large potholes, as this would be a waste of resources due to the present state of the road being lined with damages. According to

him, the expenditure to fill the potholes can be instead used to construct a new road.

Against this backdrop, he recommended that remedial works be done by the local authorities.

He said he understands that the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) of Region Two had carried out some works in the village with crusher run overlay, also in 2018, which has now deteriorated due to the weather.

The Ministry takes this opportunity to correct reports which have been publicized in the past, maliciously stat-

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ing that the stretch of road constructed by the Ministry has become deteriorated. In fact, the section of asphalt road built by the Ministry of Public Infrastructure remains intact.

Kindly see images taken a few weeks ago of the road approach, constructed by the Ministry of Public Infrastructure below.

Best Regards, Ms. Krest Cummings Senior Public Relations Officer Ministry of Public Infrastructure

the divide, the effort, in spite of obvious mis-steps and strange judgements by certain folks within the judiciary, we continue the struggle to ensure that obvious fraud is not allowed to prevail.

What is the economic and strategic story?

What remains troubling is that all of our friends who are subtly and not so subtly seeking for the incumbent coalition to step aside have not analyzed the root cause of our elections and political impasse.

First, it began with a modern day Judas, and no matter what one may say about individual human rights, a person who turns against his own is a “Judas” and not unusual in human history.

Jesus of Nazareth had twelve disciples; one denied him, one doubted him and one betrayed him.

The second problem was a nonsensical argument, by a high judicial officer, that we could not remove names of persons from the voter’s list.

This meant we went into 2020 Elections with an inflated voters’ list.

This folly opened doors of opportunities for skullduggery and electoral fraud and one wonder why we are saddled with this false reasoning by those who occupy positions of trust in the judiciary.

Simple logics: if you can’t remove names from the list, the logic means keep on the list the dead and those not qualified to be on that list.

The time has come for Guyanese to rise above the present professionally guided and well-funded propaganda blitz.

We must accept that it is decency and morality that

has been placed on the executional scuffle. Guyanese must be patient and continue the struggle until the righteous are allowed to continue managing the affairs of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana.

Having said that, when the dust settle, as it must, I again make a case, as I did three decades ago, (a) for a moral and spiritual revival and (b) the working out of some form of a National Front Government. For, so long as this Nation remains divided we will be the victims of those whose interest has nothing to do with democracy nor decency but with their economic and strategic interest.

Regards Hamilton Green

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 23, 2020

CCJ reaffirms its independence

(L-R) Justice Jacob Wit, Justice Winston Anderson, Justice Maureen Rajnauth-Lee, President of the CCJ Justice Adrian Saunders, Justice Denys Barrow, Justice Andrew Burgess and Justice Peter Jamadar

THE Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), in a notification on Wednesday, reminded the public that it is independent and remains uninfluenced by political and external forces.

The court provided this assurance on its Facebook page where it pointed to matters relating to judgements

of the court, the selection of judges and the expectations of these judges.

“The court does not rely on governments for funding, so the court will never be compromised by financial pressure from any government,” the court stated. The CCJ is Guyana’s final appellate court to which the coun-

try acceded in 2005.

The court’s notice went on to inform the public that judgements in the court are made by a panel of at least three judges and, in other cases, panels of five to seven judges will determine a matter. In noting its independence, the court explained that judges of the CCJ are

selected by the 11-member Regional Juridical and Legal Services Commission (RJLSC).

It said that none of the members of the RJLSC are politicians and are citizens of countries across the Region.

“When appointing a person to the office of judge, the RJLSC must look for the

Reforming the Criminal Dear Editor THE call to understand the criminal is a compelling imperative that demands our most unwavering attention. We can no longer dismiss the criminal as a mere sporadic inconvenience, a simple social misfit for whom civil society has long prescribed penal sanctions.

No longer can mainstream, law-respecting citizens and their families see the criminal world as the ‘other side’, far beyond their own personal space, and posing no imminent threat to their lifestyle. Technology and the inexorable cross-currents of globalization have contracted the world, unceremoniously placing us in a common village, outside of the comfort of our former socially pristine vicinity, rendering us equally vulnerable to the criminal’s ruthless grasp. Why preoccupy ourselves with criminals after they have been caught and sent to prison? After all, when an offender is convicted and imprisoned, justice is done, the victim is avenged, and society’s laws are vindicated and upheld. It’s time to move on with our lives, right?

Wrong, for although we know why we sent the offender to prison, we are quite oblivious of the effect of the prison on him after he has been duly punished and has participated in every rehabilitation activity. Our dilemma is this: the criminal has been reviled, arrested, convicted, punished and misunderstood.

Unlike the convicted criminal, mainstream members of society might not be offenders of the law but they might have to blushingly accept that they are lawful offenders. We might even admit that if justice were not blind, it would decree that many of us exchange places with some of our

imprisoned youth. “Never in history has violence been initiated by the oppressed. How could they be the initiators if they themselves are the result of violence? There would be no oppressed had there been no prior situation of violence to establish their subjugation”. (Freire, 1970) Yet, some people become susceptible to criminal activities because of limited legitimate economic options and the sense of disappointment they experience in their daily lives, while others out- rightly reject the legitimacy of the law and its symbols of authority, and elect a lifestyle that seeks to fulfil their dreams, unmindful of legal restraints.

It is useful to recall that most of the people committing crimes are not caught; no wonder crime, at times, increases even with increased incarceration. Those offenders in prison represent only an index of the undetected criminals in society, while the ones outside continue to commit serious crimes. Could it be that the undetected criminals that roam the society have a greater and insidious role than those that are incarcerated?

Could it be that some of our highly respected citizens who have scrupulously ‘honored’ our laws are partly responsible for an increase in crime?

To use the cliché that “what is legal is not always right,” could our law-abiding citizens be one of the sources of our crime problem? Are governments wasting their resources by treating the wrong problem? Do our rehabilitation efforts need to be also directed on the outside in the larger community?

The journey we must take in understanding criminals will take us on an analytical tour of their past, and hopefully, into ours. Ironically, as we understand the criminal, we’ll understand ourselves better. Too

often we are left clueless as to what could have caused respectable family members and friends to suddenly turn to a life of crime. Why are there so many repeat offenders, even when prison conditions are harsh and released inmates swear never to return?

Why are so many of our youth, most of whom were nourished on healthy religious diets, become so socially malnourished and become vectors of the most infectious vices? Why do so many of our once innocent babies have ‘blood on their hands’? Even the most hardened criminal is sometimes amazed, even shocked, by his own heartless cruelty.

Yet, offenders do not go out of their way to be despised by society by being socially obnoxious. As responsible law-respecting individuals, it is part of our duty to unravel the mischievous mystique of the criminal if we are to be rewarded with the freedoms that we cherish.

Once we have justified our need to understand the criminal, we must avoid the emotional sensationalism that’s usually associated with this subject by ensuring that our research methods are systematic and rigorous, and that our findings are empirically valid. Understanding the criminal is not an ordinary assignment, because there are so many plausible theories competing for our attention, and there are so many blurred, unexplored concepts, but we cannot afford to get it wrong this time around because it is by understanding the criminal that we will enhance our chances of coexisting with him, of sharing his world for, as we now know, the criminal is here to stay.

Regards Adam McIntyre

following characteristics: high moral character; intellectual and analytical ability; sound judgement and an understanding of people and society. Judges are expected to demonstrate high moral character,” the notification stated.

It later added: “Judges of the CCJ have securi-

ty of tenure, so that they cannot be removed if they rule against a government.

However, they can be removed by the RJLSC, using a specific tribunal, for an inability to perform the functions of their office or for misbehaviour.”

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Are we witnessing an influence-fatigue campaign with the GECOM Chair?

Dear Editor I WOULD hope that this letter be read especially by the Women’s groups, and the content taken into consideration. I am not a Lawyer, but I do have some twenty-seven years in marketing through the field of advertising; enough to know that perception is not always fact, and that perception is also constructed. It’s propaganda, transference of guilt, manipulated distortion of truth etc. I am not a Lawyer, so I did read, with a clear mind, GECOM’s CEO Keith Lowenfield’s statement on Saturday, June 27, in the Guyana Chronicle, and saw no legal rebuttals to his statement. What I witnessed, however, was the GECOM Chair’s consistent directives to an independent subordinate to break the Law, once, twice and thrice.

I have some other expertise and experience that have alerted me to the fact that this lady has never been in the active field of psychological persecution and fatigue, ever.

This is new to her as those brave sisters alerted us to in the Sunday Chronicle May 2, 2020, of levels of persecution she was enduring from opposition sources. That the Honourable Judge has, as I have been told, have since changed her security from State personnel to that of a

private security, with links to her persecutors, is evident to a successful intrusion into her faculties; that places the balance of her faculties in a questionable realm. I know how it works, in the ‘Troubled Times’ because I was a face on TV, at protests and a constant letter writer against the murderous darkness that was imposed on my country.

I was subject to prank phone calls, the targeting of my teenage children, threats by unknown faces. I abandoned all social life that placed me anywhere but my home between 6-9 pm; it affects you permanently. The period identified as the killing space, I was lucky because I had friends on the other side who would whisper things to me. Not so with this Honourable Lady, thus, I conclude from my experience, that this Lady’s actions demonstrate a decline of capacity to act responsibly, thus serious interception is required publically, any attempt to discuss her condition with her will be declined. I have been managing an addict for some seven years now and what is wrong is never a negotiable acceptance and mental torture, because it impacts on self-esteem is not a victim’s first acceptance. It’s up to the initiative and courage of the Women.

Regards Barry Braithwaite

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 23, 2020

OAS member states urge end to elections stalemate OVER 10 Members States of the Organisation of American States (OAS) have called on Guyana to swiftly conclude its elec-

ernment and opposition.

DEMOCRACY DELAYED, DEMOCRACY DENIED Ambassador of Antigua

Ambassador of Antigua and Barbuda to the United States and the OAS, Sir Ronald Sanders

toral process which the countries agree has gone on for much longer than is acceptable.

The countries made presentations at a Special Meeting of the OAS Permanent Council on Tuesday specifically to discuss the state of the electoral process in Guyana. Their comments came subsequent to general remarks from the OAS and representatives of the gov-

and Barbuda to the OAS, Sir Ronald Sanders, in his presentation, noted that his country stands by the position of CARICOM that Guyana needs to conclude its elections process. “Four and a half long months have passed and still there is no election result. In the meantime, four other Caribbean countries have held elections and elected governments have assumed office peacefully,” he stated.

He added that Guyana has been “inscribed” in the Guinness Book of Records for the world’s longest elections though t h e n e w s p a p e r w a s u n-

NOT INTERFERENCE, PARTICIPATION Meanwhile, Permanent Representative of Colombia to the OAS, Alejandro Ordóñez said that the OAS

OAS Permanent Representative of Mexico, Elena Baños Rivas

able to find verification of this via the organisation’s website. Sanders, nonetheless, said that “democracy delayed is democracy denied” and urged political parties to seek legal recourse for their concerns after the elections has been declared. He recommended that the situation in Guyana be kept under the review of the council and that “action” be taken should the Secretary-General consider it necessary.

cannot be indifferent to Guyana’s electoral situation and, on behalf of Colombia, invited Guyana to base its actions on the Inter-American instruments on electoral matters.

He said: “The citizens have a basic right when they take part in elections which is to know the results in a transparent manner without delays.” Also delivering similar remarks on Guyana’s situation was Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Canada to the OAS, Hugh

Adsett. He said that Canada “strongly regrets” the extended delay in the declaration of the elections in Guyana and recommends that a declaration be made without further

of Civil Society that preceded it,” the representative said.

OAS Permanent Representative of Mexico, Elena Baños Rivas told the council that given the re-

Permanent Representative of Colombia to the OAS, Alejandro Ordóñez

delay. The OAS representative from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines spoke on behalf of CARICOM when she called on Guyana to adhere to the 1997 Charter of Civil Society which speaks to the existence of free elections and a fair electoral system.

“CARICOM’s role therefore is not interference in the domestic affairs of a foreign country, it is participation in community affairs which the essence of the revised CARICOM Treaty and the Charter

gional challenges due to COVID-19, it is important that Guyana conclude its elections while OAS Ambassador from Honduras, Luis Cordero joined in the previous statements making known his country’s concerns. Throughout the meeting, similar remarks came from OAS representative of Venezuela, Gustavo Tarre (appointed by Juan Guaido); the United States (U.S), Chile, Bolivia and Ecuador.

Family seeking answers following death of Cuyuni miner ---says ‘dredge owner’ not forthcoming with information AFTER more than two weeks since a 55-year-old miner, Louis Armstrong was reported to have died in a “mining accident,” his relatives believe there is more to the “story,” and are seeking assistance and answers from the relevant authorities, since the owner of the dredge has not been forthcoming with information.

Stabroek News had reported that Armstrong died after a mining pit caved in at Black Water Backdam,

Cuyuni River, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), on July 6, 2020.

He was said to be working at a 6-inch-dredge operation when a portion of the “pit facing” caved in on him, pinning him underneath.

“We received a call the day after his death indicating that my uncle was in an accident…the mine collapsed and he died…we decided to retain the number and ask that we be updated with more information as the details come in. He (the dredge

Louis Armstrong

Sydney Armstrong, nephew of Louis Armstrong

owner) promised to call back in a day. We waited, no call,” said Armstrong’s

CCJ reaffirms its ...

Guyana accounted for 54 per cent of all cases heard by the CCJ during August 1, 2018 and July 31, 2019. The most recent matters dealt with by the court in relation to Guyana include the Bharrat Jagdeo and Irfaan Ali v Eslyn David et al case; the Christopher Ram v The Attorney General et al case; Bharrat Jagdeo v. The At-

torney General et al case and the Charrandass Persaud v Compton Herbert Reid et al case.

The CCJ was established in 2001 to replace the London-based Privy Council as the Region’s final court. That year, the agreement establishing the CCJ was signed while the inauguration of the court was held in 2005.

Although most of the 15-member Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries are signatories to its original jurisdiction, only Barbados, Belize, Dominica and Guyana have signed on to the appellate jurisdiction of the court.

For over a decade the court has struggled to gain membership on its appel-

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nephew, Sydney Armstrong, during an interview with this publication.

Sydney, who is also Head of the Department of Economics at the University of Guyana, said his family decided to reach out to the dredge owner again, but to no avail. A call was, however, returned to the family, but the dredge owner was “aggressive” and showed no remorse or sympathy for the family’s loss.

“He called back and offered us $20,000 to pay for funeral arrangements, but this not about the money…a family lost their loved one

and he is only one who could provide information as to what happened…someone needs to give us closure as to what happened,” said a distraught Sydney.

The economist said because of the reluctance of the dredge owner to divulge information, his family knows very little about the incident, and has turned to the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) and the Guyana Police Force (GPF) for assistance in ascertaining what exactly took place.

nada, by way of referendum, voted against switching to the CCJ as the countries’ final appellate court. In Jamaica, the Andrew Holness government committed in 2019 to the holding of referenda to decide on making the CCJ its apex court, but this has yet to materialise. However, while in opposition, his party rejected the CCJ as the final

appellate jurisdiction for Jamaica.

Some feel that the association of the judges with Caribbean countries could lead to social and political biases, along with other concerns. However, the court maintains that its independence is intact from political and external influences.

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late branch. Back in 2018, CCJ President Justice Adrian Saunders said that he was “disappointed with the reluctance of the Government of Trinidad and Tobago to have the institution as its final court of appeal,” as the twinislandrepublic is the home of the court.

In 2018, the peoples of Antigua & Barbuda and Gre-

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 23, 2020

Lima Sands road requires budgetary allocation for construction –– MoPI THE Ministry of Public Infrastructure (MoPI) has informed the public that construction works onthe Lima Sands road, currently in a deplorable state, depend on a new budget.

The country has not had a 2020 budget due to the passage of the December 2018 no-confidence motion and the subsequent elections yet to be concluded.

The Guyana Chronicle recently reported that residents of the Lima Sands community in Region Two

(Pomeroon-Supenaam), were calling for help to fix their roads which have been eroding and washing away daily.

In response, the MoPI stated in a release on Wednesday: “The ministry would like to state that the construction of this road is dependent on a new budget.

Notably, MoPI through its Special Projects Unit (SPU), Works Services Group had constructed an asphalt road on the approach of the thoroughfare back in 2018 to the tune of approximately $100

million. The project undertaken by us covered approximately 2km, whereby the village road stretches for about three miles. This means that attempting to construct this road will exceed the SPU’s yearly budgetary allocation for projects. As a consequence, the regional engineer suggested that the project be tackled in phases to improve the condition of the road. He however cautioned that due to the heavy cost attached to the construction of the road, a tendering process could

Two held as police seize guns, drugs at Moco Moco

mean that the project will take a lengthier time before it comes to fruition.”

The project engineer explained that the village road has no real structure and would have to be built entirely from scratch. Furthermore, he advised the ministry not to carry out isolated repairs to the large potholes, as this would be a waste of resources due to the present state of the road being lined with damage.

According to the project engineer, expenditure to fill

vealed forty-one cannabis plants measuring between one foot two inches to five feet three inches in height.

The plants were photographed and destroyed by fire. The suspects are in custody pending charges.

and was therefore granted $200,000 bail on each charge. He was granted bail on the condition that he reports to the Suddie Police Station every Monday at 9:00 hours.

The charge stated that Davis set fire to the Government army building at Maria’s Lodge on July 14 and also on the Criminal

The CID building in Anna Regina that was burnt. The window panes were allegedly removed

Family seeking answers following death ...

Sydney has asked the relevant authorities to investigate whether the dredge owner was legally permitted to engage in mining and whether safety procedures were followed.

Many persons have suffered the same fate as Armstrong, but Sydney believes proper investigations and enforcement of regulations could curtail the incidence of mining accidents.

“I would like to call on the relevant authorities to monitor what happens in mining areas and ensure that owners adhere to the important health and safety guidelines,” said the economist, adding that it is important for persons to be able to ply their trade in a safe environment.

In 2018, the Ministry of Natural Resources launched an enforcement operation

with the intent of curbing the practice of illegal mining, addressing mines safety, and improve mining practices overall.

Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman, had ordered the operation since illegal and unsafe mining practices have continued to result in fatal accidents in the mining areas of Guyana.

It was reported by Mines Manager (ag), Krishna Ram-

road constructed by its contractors has not deteriorated.

“The ministry takes this opportunity to correct reports which have been publicised in the past, maliciously stating that the stretch of road constructed by the ministry has become deteriorated. In fact, the section of asphalt road built by the Ministry of Public Infrastructure remains intact,” it stated.

Excavator operator charged with setting fire to government property in Essequibo TWENTY-four-year-old Keyon Davis, of Hibernia Village on the Essequibo Coast, was, on Wednesday morning, slapped with two counts of setting fire to public buildings in Region Two. He made his first appearance before Magistrate Esther Sam at the Suddie Magistrate’s Court.

He was not required to plead to the indictable charge

RANKS of the Guyana Police Force early Wednesday morning conducted an intelligence - led operation in the village of Moco Moco, Central Rupununi which resulted in the seizure of drugs and guns.

In a release, police said a 23-year-old farmer was found with 314 grammes of suspected cannabis in his house. The suspect then took the police to his farm where a field with thirty cannabis plants measuring between five feet five inches to seven feet in height, was found.

There at the farm, a 59-year-old farmer was arrested at his camp with three unlicensed shotguns.

A search of his farm re-

the potholes can be instead used to construct a new road.

Against this backdrop, he recommended that remedial works be done by the local authorities.

He said that he understands that the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) of Region Two had carried out some works in the village with crusher-run overlay, also in 2018; this has now deteriorated because of the inclement weather.

Added to this, the MoPI also made it clear that the

dass, that Mahdia has had the majority of mining accidents for 2018, seeing a reported 14 deaths from January 23 to October 1.

The ministry said it understands that compliance and enforcement operations are not well received by persons who do not meet the standards given to operate.

It was reported that the lives of mine workers are of great value to Minister

Investigation Department Office (CID), located at the Anna Regina Police Station. The fire burnt several sections of the building.

Davis was arrested on July 15, when he denied the allegations. The case will be called again on August 5 at the Suddie Magistrate’s Court.

The section of the GDF building that was burnt at Maria’s Lodge

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Trotman, and it is hoped that mine operators value them the same. More so, it was the minister’s hope that miners value the villages and communities adjoining where they perform mining activities. Unfortunately, this is not entirely so, and enforcement of compliance becomes necessary.

The GGMC and the Corps of Wardens were tasked with executing the

9

enforcement operation and were expected to follow the procedures outlined for execution. The GGMC was further expected to work with those not in compliance, to ensure they can return to work as soon as reasonably possible; provided that there is an expressed agreement to comply with the law and/ or be registered.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 23, 2020

11

Guyana records 11 new COVID-19 cases GUYANA continues to record a consistent rise in the number of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) cases, with the latest statistics showing that the country recorded 11 new cases within the past 24 hours.

Health authorities have tested 3,919 persons, with 3,569 being negative and 350 testing positive for COVID-19. Of the positive cases, 165 persons have recovered and 19 persons have lost their lives, but authorities are still monitoring 166 active cases and, three of those persons are being treated in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

Region Four, which has a population of 313,429 persons, has recorded 120 cases to date, but recent statistics have shown that Regions One, with a population of 26,941, and Seven, with 20,289 persons, are accumulating most of the new cases.

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

The reason for the high likelihood of infection in those regions is the fact that the concentration of infections by population, is far higher than in Region Four.

So, while government has relaxed some of the control measures, Dr. Boyle said restrictions, such as the initial curfew of 18:00hrs to 6:00hrs, still apply to Regions One and Seven.

In addition to those regions, the DCMO said Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Es-

sequibo) is also “under the radar,” as cases have been rising consistently there, over the past two weeks.

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

She reminded persons that a collective effort is needed in order for Guyana not to be outwitted by the highly-infectious coronavirus disease.

In an effort to encourage persons, she said: “Together we can stop the spread; not some of us but all of us provided we observe the physical distancing and hygiene protocols.

“I am sure that all of us wish to have

our loved ones repatriated, we all want to enjoy some level of normalcy, and we wish above all to ease the burden on all our frontline workers who are selflessly battling COVID-19; they too are deserving of respite from the fight. This can only happen if we all give our full support.”

COVID-19 remains a serious issue not just here in Guyana, but globally as well, and according to global statistics, there are 14.5 million cases of COVID-19, with over 607,000 deaths. And, with no approved treatment or cure, there is no assurance that persons will survive after contracting the disease. In the absence of approved medications, governments and authorities across the world have employed a number of preventive measures to contain the spread of the disease.

Can CARICOM/Canada Trade and Investment flows be revitalised?

By Elizabeth Morgan KINGSTON, Jamaica, Jul 22, CMC -Canada, although having a longstanding relationship with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and its member states, being in the hemisphere and the Commonwealth and the third major trading partner, does not usually generate much attention and scrutiny in the region.

The planned visit

by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in February, as Canada campaigned for a seat on the United Nations (UN) Security Council, sparked region wide media interest.

This visit was postponed.

Canada was unsuccessful in its bid for a non-permanent seat on the Security Council.

Canada is a development partner whose support within the region is focused on disaster preparedness, climate change, women’s empowerment, security, integration, the energy sector and current COVID-19 response, among other things. Canada is also known annually for its Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program and Temporary Workers Programs, which see people from the Caribbean, primarily Jamaica, employed in Canada. Of course, Canada is a primary destination for immigrants from CARICOM countries.

Having looked at CARICOM’s trading relationship with the USA, Africa, Europe and Latin America, I thought that this week, I would focus on Canada. I referred to the history of the CARICOM/Canada trading relationship in my article of May 28, 2019 titled “CARICOM/Canada: Know your Friends” and examined the diaspora relationship in my article of June 19, 2019 titled ”A United Caribbean Diaspora?”. From the latter, you may recall that there are approximately 800,000 persons of Caribbean origin residing

in Canada with the majority, over 300, 000, from Jamaica.

CANADA’S TRADE POLICY: Canada, the world’s second largest country in land

mass, presents a smaller market of nearly 38 million people and has a gross domestic product (GDP) of US$1.74 trillion. In 2019, Canada remained in the world’s top ten (10) economies. The Canadian economy is driven by international trade which is 66% of its GDP and accounts for 2.4% of global trade in goods and services. Under the administration of Prime Minister Trudeau, Canada’s trade policy is based on its commitment to multilateralism, supporting reform of the World Trade Organization (WTO); implementing its trade diversification strategy aimed at increasing exports by 50 % by 2025; and ensuring that the benefits of trade are inclusive of all segments of society through public consultations and provisions that protect and strengthen labour and the environment, advance gender equality and women’s empowerment, consider the interest of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), and indigenous peoples.

Canada’s principal trading partners are the USA and Mexico, hence it has focused on the revision of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) which has now become the

US, Mexico and Canada Agreement (USMCA). Following disputes with the USA, which insisted on the renegotiation of NAFTA and applied tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum

exports, Canada emphasized its diversification strategy to accelerate trade negotiations with other countries, e.g. India, and promote already existing free trade agreements (FTAs), including those with the European Union and the Asia Pacific region.

Trade/Investments with CARICOM CARICOM countries have been trading with Canada under the non-reciprocal Canada/CARICOM Trade Agreement (CARIBCAN) since 1986. This, because of its unilateral nature, requires a Most Favoured Nation (MFN) waiver at the WTO. From 2009-2015, CARICOM and Canada were negotiating an FTA which was suspended by Canada. The MFN waiver for CARIBCAN was renewed at the WTO up to 2023. The volume of merchandise trade between CARICOM countries and Canada is actually quite low. CARICOM has a surplus with Canada, exporting in 2019, an estimated US$944.61 million and importing US$768.31 million.

Trade in services is shown in Canadian statistics as concentrated on travel, commercial services, transportation and government

services. In travel and leisure (tourism), Canada is a principal source market for the Caribbean. The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) informs that, in 2019, an estimated 886,300 Canadians came to CARICOM countries with the majority, 395,561, visiting Jamaica.

In financial services, Canadian banks dominated in Caribbean commerce since 1864 beginning with the Royal Bank of Canada followed by the Bank of Nova Scotia. At the beginning of 2020, Canadian banks (Scotia, Royal Bank of Canada, and Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce) had restructured or withdrawn from several CARICOM countries. Scotia Bank remains in Jamaica, Barbados, and Guyana, just. On investments,

Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago have investment treaties with Canada. From available information, Canada’s level of investments into the CARICOM region since 2015, also seems very low. Between 2015-2018, Canada’s investments in the Caribbean, including Cuba and the Dominican Republic, were valued at US$864 million. Canadian investments into Jamaica between 2015-2019 were valued at US$410.1 million.

There is Canadian interest in Guyana’s oil industry and there was interest in developing the cannabis industry in Jamaica.

Outside of bilateral consultations, there is still currently no formal mechanism through which CARICOM and Canada

can engage on trade and investment issues. The Canada/CARICOM Joint Trade and Economic Committee (JTEC), linked to the 1979 Canada/CARICOM Trade and Economic Cooperation Agreement, has been dormant since 2002. I am proposing that the UWI and Brock University’s Canada/Caribbean Institute and others, including UWI’s Sir Shridath Ramphal Centre and the Canadian Council for the Americas, convene a virtual discussion on the realities of CARICOM/Canada Trade and Investments in this time of COVID-19. Is it desirable and feasible to expand trade and investments between Canada and CARICOM Member States?

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98 more Guyanese return home

The most recent group of repatriated Guyanese on Wednesday breathed a sigh of relief after they touched down at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport. Many of them have been separated from their loved ones due to the coronavirus pandemic and are now happy to be back home.

Today’s Caribbean Airlines repatriation flight from Trinidad saw the return of 98 Guyanese after approval was granted by the National COVID-19 Task Force (NCTF).

A visibly happy Penny-Ann John told the Department of Public Information, “it feels great to be back” after being stranded in Trinidad since March.

Johnson disclosed that she was scheduled to return home the day after the National COVID-19 Task Force announced the closure of Guyana’s borders.

Meanwhile, Dr. William Wilson, a lecturer at the University of the West Indies’ Trinidad campus stated while the twin island’s COVID-19 curve

has flattened, it was frustrating to be away from his family in Guyana. “I almost missed this flight.

I wanted to be home badly because I wanted to be with my family during this pandemic so I’m happy to be back.”

Cradling her baby, Sherise Dowding told DPI she was happy to be back home as she was scheduled to return to work since June. Yvonne Cesar expressed her happiness to be back home after being stuck in Trinidad since March. She said it was stressful being away from her family for so long.

“When the plane touched down, I felt like I was in heaven because I am back home and can be with my family again.”

Over the past few weeks, the NCTF has approved several international and regional flights which saw hundreds of Guyanese stranded in North America and the Caribbean returning home. (DPI)

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 23, 2020

Passengers being sanitised upon arriving at CJIA

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 23, 2020

Schools could re-open in September

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…but with a rotation system for learners

By Tamica Garnett PUBLIC schools could possibly re-open from September, utilizing an alternating system that would rotate students of the varying levels to avoid overcrowding in the schools, and though teachers have concerns about how the logistics will be worked out, many believe that re-opening is needed as students are suffering.

According to reports from a source, the Ministry of Education’s (MoE’s) officials have begun meeting with some headteachers and teachers to get their opinion on the practicality of the proposed rotating arrangement aimed at having a lower number of learners at a school at any one time.

Notwithstanding Guyana’s growing COVID-19 situation, several teachers are voicing that they are ready to go back to school, given the lengthy period the schools have been closed.

“I am happy for the return because some students, for whatever reasons, have not done any work since March,” shared one teacher, who teaches at a primary school in the city.

The teachers have asked that their identities not be revealed. “I think the reopening is a move in the right direction, based on the information I’ve received it’s shift system starting with Grades 5 and 10, and gradually incorporating the others grades,” the teacher explained.

Last Monday, during the daily national COVID-19 update, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Karen Boyle, cautioned that schools should begin brainstorming comprehensive plans to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus in schools “scheduled to reopen for the new academic year”.

In Guyana, public schools’ academic year begins in September. Boyle suggested the identifying of focal points and the formulation of a joint committee between parents and teachers to work out the best possible situation to ensure the students’ safety as they return to school. “If you introduce the system by levels at the schools the children will get accustomed to it. It’s about phasing in the protocol. It’s a lot of logistical work, but once you have a structure that is followed stringently and the supervisors on the ground, we don’t have a problem,” noted one head teacher of a Secondary school in the city.

As the Ministry goes about crafting their plans, teachers are hopeful that they will directly be engaged and recommended that the Min-

Students will get their temperature tested, and their hands sanitised as a precautionary measure, similar to when schools partially re-opened last June for NGSA

Several new handwashing areas were erected at all schools across the country when schools partially re-opened last June

istry does not simply implement a one size fits all plan all across the country.

“Different Regions will have different challenges, so I hope that they can assess each Region individually and talk with the teachers,” commented a Grade Six teacher from the Pomeroon-Supenaam Region.

The teacher said that consideration will have to be given to having the students still cover the work they would’ve missed during the period at home.

“They might have to adjust the curriculum, and have a plan in place to do a lot of re-teaching. I have a lot of children I am working with but they are a fraction of my students. What will happen to the children that didn’t have access to internet and so on?” the teacher noted.

According to a source, the new school system would build on what was already implemented by the schools during the partial re-opening of schools for primary school pupils to write the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) and for secondary school students to write their CSEC and CAPE examinations.

“During this CSEC period the MOE ensured everything was in place for proper sanitation and safety, so if this continues it would be good, since it will not be the entire school population at one time.

My only concern is public transportation,” commented one teacher, who teaches at a secondary school in the City.

The teacher suggested that the Ministry implements a transportation system for the students that would enable

them to avoid having the students utilising public transportation. A teacher from a nursery school on East Bank Demerara, though while supporting a plan to see schools re-open, noted that she does not believe that the plan should extend to the nursery schools, where it would be difficult for the younger children to understand and follow guidelines.

In nursery school, children enter the system once they are at least three years 9 months.

“I don’t know, how that would work in nursery schools.

The primary and secondary school children would have more understanding, so I think it should be for them but not for nursery. It’s actually like babies you’re dealing with,” the teacher conveyed. Teachers have also voiced concerns about how the plan would work for interior regions such as Barima-Waini and Cuyuni Mazaruni, which have become hotspots for the infectious virus.

Schools in Guyana have been closed since March 16, following the country’s first COVID-19 case being recorded on March 11, and teachers are worried of how the long gap will affect the students and the entire education system going forward.

“Education is key in any society. If you keep pushing it back you would be pushing the whole nation backward.

We will have more work to do with them if you keep pushing it back,” the City Secondary school headteacher noted.

In some instances teachers have been utilising social me-

dia and other technological means to communicate and work with their students.

However that was done via an informal system, and was not an across-theboard implementation at all schools, and even those areas where it was implemented teachers do not believe it did justice in replacing in-class sessions.

“Working with an online platform is difficult. We were taught it is better for students to see, and for teachers to be in front of them. So they need to re-open school,” noted another school teacher, who teaches at an East Coast Demerara secondary school. The teacher opines that normal life could only be put on hold for so long, before we perhaps have to start considering a society with COVID-19 as our new normal.

“Even if COVID-19 dies down it’s not going anywhere, we have to readjust ourselves and it doesn’t make sense that we delay the school system. We have to accept normal as it is and let our students’ academic endeavours go forward,” the teacher asserted. “Teachers may complain about COVID-19 and risks of going back to school but when

is pay-day we are among the many that stand in the long lines collecting our money; so if we can risk ourselves to receive our salaries, why not brave it to help out our students,” she added.

The effect of the teaching gap on the students was noticed by some teachers when they observed just how affected some of the students were when they came back out during the partial

re-opening that started in June. “It was evident when the fifth formers came back that even though we were doing work with them online, when they came back you found a lot of basic stuff they forgot, so then what must be happening with the other students and the rest of the student population,” the Headteacher of the City secondary school said.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 23, 2020

Return to mother nature during COVID-19 with Adventure Tours Linden ―local tour guides urge youths to put down their phones and embrace nature

DURING the coronavirus COVID-19 epidemic, the mandatory stay-at-home rule saw many persons confined to their homes spending most of their days glued to their television and cellphone screens, which in the long run is not healthy for one’s physical or mental health.

Bearing this in mind, the founders of Adventure Tours based in Linden, the Kady and Devan Sears cousins, decided to launch Adventure Tours in Linden.

In an interview with Ms. Kady Sears, she noted that during the pandemic many young people are caught up with their social media platforms and there is no better time than now for persons to reconnect with nature and their roots.

“Young people have this way of always being on their phones and on [social media]; a lot of persons now have the time to reconnect with nature, so while they are home now and they are tired of their TVs, tired of their phones and tired of Tik Tok, a lot of persons [have been] messaging saying that they want to come on a tour,” Sears related.

She added that Adventure Tours have been operating during the COVID-19 epidemic under strict guidelines,

putting safety first, “During this time we obviously need to be very, very safe because we don’t want the virus to spread and Linden does not have any active cases, so we take every necessary precautions [sic] possible beforehand: we advise customers to wear face masks and [to] practise social distances and we are only accepting groups of six or nothing more than 10 persons during the pandemic.”

However, during the hike, persons can take off their masks since they will be in a big open space, but persons must at all times practise social distancing.

Sears told this publication that the idea was birthed when herself and cousin decided to take a hike around Linden in November of last year. The 21-year-old noted that she felt as though her hometown has so much to offer and she wanted to share that with all Guyanese;

hence the idea of hosting tours was created.

“Linden is very, very beautiful; we have beautiful hills, lakes, nice mountains and rocks and I feel like Linden needs to be on the map for its beauty… at first it wasn’t meant to be a business,” she said.

The young woman added that she also wanted to boost tourism in Linden beyond it just being known as the mining town, “I really wanted to boost

tourism in Linden, because I think that Linden needs that recognition, Linden is beautiful and all over Guyana should know how beautiful it is.”

“We want to do boat rides, so we would start from the same place we are doing the kayaking...we would also like to do camping out, so we are

Kady Sears and her cousin Devan Sears, founders of Adventure Tours

Scenes from a recent tour led by Kady and Devan Sears

GBTI to host two-week virtual summer camp IN view of the COVID-19 restrictions, the Guyana Bank for Trade & Industry Limited (GBTI) will be hosting its Early Savers Summer Camp online.

The bank stated in a release that, this year, the programme will be held in collaboration with Leadership League’s “Kids in Business.” It will run from August 10 for two weeks.

The Summer Camp is open to children eight to 15 years old who currently have Early Saver’s Accounts at GBTI and participation will be on a first-come basis for 15 Early Savers Club members.

The bank noted: “However, we also aim to share this opportunity with five non-Account Holders who have an interest in developing their business- leadership skills.

GBTI realises that parents nationwide are balancing work and hold the primary responsibility of ensuring that their children are both educated, entertained and engaged during these times. This is notwithstanding the need to keep children at home and safe from the coronavirus, which essentially means that physical summer camps are not an option. It therefore goes without saying that parents nationwide could benefit from some assistance in the area of education and entertainment for their children this summer.”

According to Leadership League founder, Ashmin John, the Leadership League was developed to “stimulate, sustain and support the entrepreneurial spirit in youths and young adults.”

Thus far, the Kids in Business programme has reached over 40 students. It helps children to develop an improved work ethic, a greater appreciation for money, and an increase in their creative- thinking skills, people skills and goal-setting skills.

The tour to date has managed to capture the eyes of a few investors, whom Sears related would often call for a tour of the town to see all of its glory and shine.

The packages that are currently being offered at Adventure Tours are hiking and kayaking; however, in the next few years Sears is hoping to expand the tours and add even more exciting destinations and activities.

trying to get some tents; we want persons to camp out in Nottinghamshire because that is a beautiful space there and it has streams running,” she said.

The trail of the tour starts from Nottinghamshire leading all the way to Richmond Hill and ends at Kara Kara Creek.

For those who are interested or wish to have more information about Adventure Tours, contact Ms. Sears on 643-9063.

GPSU maintains elections were ‘seriously compromised’

THE Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) has restated its position that there were proven irregularities observed during the national recount and that the report of the CARICOM Scrutinising Team was a “disappointment.”

It reiterated these sentiments in a release on Wednesday, when it said that its previous remarks on the subject were misrepresented by the Stabroek News on July 20, 2020.

The GPSU took offence that the newspaper stated that the union was alone in its position on the national recount. However, the release corrected the newspaper that similar views were expressed by other prominent Guyanese.

It maintained that the GPSU is a democratic organisation and would not mimic the sentiments of other observers of the national recount, but will state clearly its own.

“The union’s functions are always professional and at no time does it see the need to ‘parrot’ or ‘piggy back’ on what is said by others.

It may at times draw similar conclusions, but its independence is assured,” the release stated. “…each party agent signed the observation report for each box as the boxes were examined, so, to say that there were no irregularities is like being the proverbial ostrich – burying your heads in the sand. Putting it bluntly, it is blatant dishonesty. Especially after the Chairperson of GECOM wrote the chief immigration officer and the registrar general, who confirmed that the names of the persons submitted were either out of the country on the date of the election on March 02, 2020, or were deceased.”

The GPSU said that the Stabroek News should not have interjected its position into the union’s previous statements as such actions could only have negative effects. It maintained that the irregularities highlighted during the national recount were televised to the nation and were also featured in the chief elections officer’s (CEOs) report.

What the union didn’t take lightly was CARICOM’s report which it believes is not a complete reflection of what was uncovered during the recount.

The union stated: “The GPSU is of the view that based on the absence of major statutory documentation and the fact that there were proven irregularities, the elections were seriously compromised. The report of the CARICOM team was a disappointment, because any student of statistics would know that where there is an occurrence of irregularity, a representative sample ought to be examined before any conclusion is drawn, but if not the weight or effect of the missing documents on the population should be used to determine credibility. The report was however concluded without serious consideration to either of these necessary aspects, except to flippantly trivialise the importance of the missing documentation in relation to the outcome.”

It also pointed out that the recount exercise exposed a series of irregularities, many of which flowed from a flawed Official List of Electors which consisted of approximately 650,000 electors based on a population of approximately 750,000.

The GPSU called on the press to be professional, responsible and impartial in its reporting and when dealing with matters of such national importance.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 23, 2020

PAHO to work with COICA indigenous organisation to fight the COVID-19 pandemic in the Amazon basin THE Pan American Health Organization and the Coordinator of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon River Basin (COICA) have agreed to work together to step up the fight against COVID-19 in indigenous areas of the Amazon.

In a recent joint statement, COICA and PAHO ask countries to “strengthen health care services in the Amazon through the provision of human resources, supplies and medical devices, including tests, as well as through treatments and vaccines when they are available.

The statement places emphasis on those populations living in voluntary isolation.

COICA includes indigenous organizations from the Peruvian jungle, eastern Bolivia, the Ecuadorian Amazon, the Colombian Amazon, and the Brazilian Amazon.

“The daily increase in cases and deaths due to COVID-19 has dealt a severe blow to indigenous peoples and nationalities of the Amazon, whose communities are in a critical situation,” highlights the statement signed by both organizations. The statement also warns that “the eventual entry of the virus into isolated territories will expose these populations to a serious risk of extinction.”

PAHO and COICA also warned that the high rates of diabetes, hypertension and other chronic diseases in these communities “increases the risk of contracting severe cases of COVID-19.”

Chronic child malnutrition, high maternal mortality rates, malaria and dengue in indigenous communities, also “adds to the emergency caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Both organizations called on governments to coordinate with indigenous organizations in the Amazon to urgently implement response plans and protocols for the

COVID-19 pandemic that are “appropriate to the various geographical and cultural contexts and that include the participation of the communities themselves.” This will reduce the impact of the disease on the lives of people and their communities.

PAHO and COICA also urge countries to coordinate the responses of indigenous organizations and the governments of Amazon countries to ensure “a joint response that is adapted to the social and cultural reality, and specific needs of these areas,” particularly border areas. They also highlight the need to strengthen a social protection network for the indigenous peoples and nationalities of the Amazon so that actions to prevent and reduce the speed of transmission will be effective. The Organizations also indicated that strengthening programs that address public health issues, including chronic child malnutrition, maternal mortality, malaria, dengue, tuberculosis, and HIV, among others, is vital.

Indigenous health is a priority for PAHO, which provides technical cooperation to these populations through a variety of projects.

However, “the historical difficulty accessing health care for Amazonian populations, combined with the current health emergency, require a concerted, coordinated response between States, indigenous organizations, United Nations agencies and other international cooperation partners.”

COICA and PAHO are planning a regional forum with other agencies and international organizations working in the area “to give visibility to the reality of indigenous peoples and nationalities of the Amazon”.

This forum will also facilitate coordinated actions in this Region.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 23, 2020

Sophia family homeless after early-morning blaze

The devastated couple Iyanna Thompson and her fiancé Seafred

A FAMILY of four is now homeless after their ‘A’ Field Sophia home was completely gutted in an early-morning fire. the Guyana Chronicle spoke to the visibly devastated couple Iyanna Thompson and her fiancé Seafred McPherson, who stated that they have lost all of their belongings in the fire. Thompson who was at home with her children at the time of the fire, stated that while cooking she left her children in the home while the stove was on to go and purchase chicken. She stated that while at the shop that is in proximity to her home, she was alerted by her children that the house was on fire.

The Charred remains of the house

“I had a pot on the stove and I come out to buy chicken and them children was left home, and they came outside and they called and said fire, and when I run in the fire was too big, I aint geh fuh save anything. I couldn’t get in to save anything, I does trouble with asthma so I had to run out back cause the smoke was too much, and my friend ended up holding me from going in cause I was still going to try again,” Thompson explained through tears.

Shortly after noticing the , neighbours contacted the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) who responded but were unable to save the structure form complete destruction.

Thomas’ s fiancé told the Guyana chronicle that he was at work when the fire started and made his way home only to find the structure completely destroyed. The couple confirmed that both of their children remain unharmed, but added that they had no chance to save any of their belongings.

Meanwhile, the cause of the fire is still unconfirmed as the GFS continues its investigation.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 23, 2020

Hamper initiative benefits hard-hit resort staff and others

A TIMELY hamper distribution initiative, the brainchild of Ms. Zena Bone, Proprietor of Adel’s Resort of Akawini, Lower Pomeroon, which saw her recently linking with the Tourism & Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG), Food for the Poor and Mattai’s Supermarket, brought smiles to the faces of 25 families in the area.

The families were affected by the impact of COVID-19 pandemic, through the loss of jobs due to the closure of resorts or lodges. The main breadwinner of a home and others were laid off, and, in other cases, families who depended on the earning from selling produce from their farms for sustenance have been unable to do so, or have had to be selling their produce at a loss.

The hampers, valued at some $5,000 each, contained 18 items including flour, sugar, rice, milk, soap, soap powder, margarine, toothbrush, toilet paper, toothpaste and matches.

Bone, currently ‘locked in’ in Washington due to the coronavirus and cannot wait to return home, told the Guyana Chronicle that, because of the years she spent in the Lower Pomeroon area, she was concerned of the impact the pandemic was having on families.

She said, like other businesses, she too has had to lay off staff and it worried her as to how they were able to sustain their families. That led to the birth of the initiative.

“Through friends in the diaspora with whom I sold the idea, I was able to raise US$500 to purchase foodstuff worth $4,000 each for 25 families. Mattai’s did the packaging of the individual

The happy faces of some family members who received hampers distributed at the resort’s boat landing

bags and offered to include a further $1,000 worth of items, bringing the value to about $5,000,” she added.

The items were then transported via cargo boat to Charity from where they were uplifted and taken to Adel’s Resort where the distribution was facilitated.

Bone is urging other sponsors to come on board, as she

is hoping to have the distribution done on a fortnightly basis.

“I received tangible support from members of the diaspora and am urging like-minded individuals to be part of the initiative and help to put a smile on the faces of some families. I contacted my people and asked for a list of the affected families

in the Lower Pomeroon, who were directly affected through the closure of various resorts and lodges. When I saw the pictures and videos of the happy faces during the distribution it made my day”, she remarked.

Commenting on Bone’s ideas to cushion the impact on families by handing out hampers, THAG’s President

Mitra Ramkumar, said that, through the relationship, his organisation has with tourism-related businesses, he has an understanding of the impact COVID-19 has had on some families. He, too, is urging more persons to support the initiative.

“These hampers will go a far way to help the staff who were laid off and their

families, and I thank the current sponsors and would like to encourage others to come onboard,” he added.

Meanwhile, commenting on the recent decision to allow a 75 per cent passenger capacity in minibuses, cars and other forms of transportation, under Phase Three of the government’s fourphased re-opening of the country, Ramkumar says he welcomes it.

According to him, while he understands the financial impact the reduction of the passenger load per transportation has had, and continues to have on the operators of such businesses, the restrictions are, however, necessary and in the best interest of all citizens. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, he reminded, has brought several countries to their knees and is responsible for millions of deaths worldwide.

With the news that Regions One and Seven have been identified as the epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic here in Guyana, Ramkumar reiterated an appeal for operators of the various transports to adhere to the protocols put in place to help flatten the curve.

“From all indications, the coronavirus will be here for a while, so we need to all get a grip of ourselves and learn how to live and survive alongside this virus due to the fluctuating threat of COVID-19 locally and abroad,” he stressed.

Ramkumar, meanwhile, says he is anxiously looking forward to additional good news that will benefit those in the tourism sector, as the country desperately seeks to return to normalcy and flatten the COVID-19 curve.

ECLAC urges equality for faster, better recovery from COVID-19

“THERE is no trade-off between equality and economic efficiency. They are mutually reinforcing and interacting with each other,” Alicia Bárcena, Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), stated today during a high-level event organised by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA).

The senior UN official exchanged views with prominent international experts, such as Columbia University Professor and Nobel Prize winner in Economics, Joseph Stiglitz; two other professors from the same university, Jeffrey Sachs and José Antonio Ocampo; former President of Chile, Ricardo Lagos; and other renowned panelists, during the launch of a new publication by the United Nations High-level

Advisory Board (HLAB) on Economic and Social Affairs.

At the event entitled Recover Better: Economic and Social Challenges and Opportunities, Alicia Bárcena pointed to equality as a key instrument in the recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Recovering better in Latin America and the Caribbean means recovering with equality, but equality considered as an objective of economic development,” she stressed. “The impact of equality should be seen in productivity, growth and economic diversification by means of an expansion of human capabilities.”

In her remarks, Bárcena indicated that equality is also necessary for formulating policies since it constitutes a pillar for institution building. “The pandemic has shown us that in our region,

we face the urgency of implementing structural change and catching up technologically. It has also shown very clearly that State intervention is crucial for social protection and inclusion, because the market is not going to help us equalise society,” she stated.

ECLAC’s Executive Secretary recalled that, as the United Nations Secretary-General (António Guterres) said recently in his speech on Nelson Mandela International Day, we need a new political and social compact that may be carried out on a national, regional and international level.

Furthermore, she indicated that the pandemic has also exposed the vulnerabilities of the globalisation model and the fragmentation of production value chains. “We were coming from a world that was already more unequal, with multilater-

alism weakened by geopolitical rivalry, which was compounded by climate change and a fossil fuel-based economy. Also, in Latin America and the Caribbean we are coming from a society that has less trust in its governments, which has affected the legitimacy of democracy,” she sustained.

In her presentation, Bárcena recalled that the region’s experience in the decade of the 2000s was positive in terms of poverty reduction: nearly 60 million people were able to get out of poverty. “But now due to the pandemic crisis, we are on the other side,” she said, explaining that calculations show 45 million people will end up living in poverty again, amid an extremely pronounced economic downturn.

Alicia Bárcena insisted that what is currently needed is to move towards a structural change

to diversify and increase the technological intensity of the Latin American productive structure, along with more multilateral cooperation, since the greatest risk the region runs is going back to a reprimarisation of its economies, fossil fuel use and extractive industries.

“Industrial policies are essential for selecting some sectors.

This pandemic offers us opportunities to overcome old patterns of specialisation and move towards an energy transition, for example, which in turn could have an impact on import substitution,” Bárcena said.

To achieve greater equality, universal social protection is needed, ECLAC’s Executive Secretary continued. “That is a key point,” she stressed, and she pointed to the example of some countries in the region – such as Costa Rica, Uruguay and Cuba –

that have managed to implement more inclusive health systems.

In addition, Alicia Bárcena emphasised the importance of having more progressive and universal taxation and income redistribution systems. “In sum, we need a stronger role for the State to achieve fiscal reform.

This is a region (Latin America and the Caribbean) that is not taxing enough; we have a 22 per cent average tax burden, which is very low compared to OECD countries. The rich should pay more,” she said.

In this sphere, she stressed the need to have expansive fiscal policies and to fight tax evasion. “And above all, we need more regional integration. That is essential. The post-pandemic world is going to be a world of regions and blocs. That is why we must move together in our region,” she concluded.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 23, 2020

Police tight-lipped on attack on Suriname Embassy FOLLOWING reports of a possible arson attack on the Suriname Embassy in Queenstown, Regional Commander Phillip Azore refused to say if police are investigating any such possible incident, and would only say that he knows of an incident that took place a few doors down.

According to reports, Molotov cocktails are said to have been hurled at the Embassy’s Anira Street building at approximately 01:30hrs on Wednesday morning, and an investigation has been launched.

Azore however, last Wednesday, said he knew of no report on the incident, which took place at the Anira and New Garden Street location.

“I won’t be able to say about that, I don’t know about that. All I know is I got a report about a dwelling house a little over the embassy, no issue at the embassy. I have no report with the issue at the embassy. I don’t have any reports on the embassy. I don’t have a

report at the embassy, I’m answering your question,” was all that Azore would offer on the matter.

According to reports, the investigating ranks may have inadvertently been unaware that the building housed the embassy and instead described the building as a dwelling house, when the report was lodged.

However, Fire Chief Marlon Gentle confirmed that the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) responded to a situation at the embassy early on Wednesday morning.

According to reports, the attack failed to cause any severe damage to the property. However, according to reports in another sections of the media, this is the second time that such an incident has occurred, as last Saturday, Molotov cocktails were also thrown at the embassy.

That incident as well was also unsuccessful in causing any substantial damage.

The Guyana Chronicle was unable to make contact with a representative from the embassy.

The Suriname Embassy in Guyana

GuySuCo aims to produce over 150,000 tonnes of sugar annually ―as part of new 2020-2025 business plan

―mulls sugar tourism, export of electrical energy THE ailing sugar industry, managed by the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), is looking to “bounce back” by increasing its annual output and diversifying its core business beyond the cultivation and production of raw sugar.

In recent times, GuySuCo has failed to make positive strides because of high production costs and the loss of lucrative markets, but the corporation believes that it could “rise from the ashes” with its new “I believe in GuySuCo” initiative.

The initiative, as described by GuySuCo, is an internal stakeholder mobilisaton campaign and a new business plan, which will guide the company for the next five years.

The initiative is aimed at creating a revitalised sugar industry, with production surpassing 150,000 tonnes of sugar annually; competitive products; and a productive and highly-motivated team. Over the past four years the corporation has been working with a target of 147,000 tonnes of sugar annually.

It is expected that if given the required support and necessary financing, the corporation will return to a position of sustained growth and prosperity.

In a letter to President Granger on May 15, close to a month ago, Chairman of GuySuCo’s Board of Directors, John Dow, had said the sugar corporation was in a “dire financial crisis” with billions in debt, and insufficient finances to execute critical factory maintenance.

“Despite improvements in the produc-

tivity of cane, GuySuCo’s sugar production for the last two crops has fallen short of expectations and the current COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the problems experienced in meeting the first crop 2020 production targets…As result, the cash generated from operations cannot meet the ‘outgoings’ particularly when external funding has been difficult to obtain,” Dow said as he painted a vivid picture of the financial challenges facing the sugar industry.

The corporation through its new initiative hopes to change the gloomy image of the industry by modernising its agriculture and factory operations, as well as diversifying its core business beyond the cultivation and production of raw sugar.

Emphasis will be on increasing the production of direct consumption sugars and producing white sugars for industrial use. Other new business lines include the generation and export (locally) of electrical energy and service industries, such as ‘sugar’ tourism.

Therefore, as the corporation transitions, it is imperative that the employees and other internal and external stakeholders be integrated into this process, said GuySuCo. Through the campaign, GuySuCo will mobilise employees and other stakeholders around the new strategic direction of the corporation in order for there to be “oneness of vision” and for a more synergistic approach, over the next five years.

This campaign builds on earlier campaigns, such as ‘Putting GuySuCo First”

and the ‘One GuySuCo’ which were conducted from 2016 onwards.

Employees, as well as other internal stakeholders, have gone through a ‘harsh’ reorganisation process over the past three years, thus, the aim of this campaign, is essentially to mobilise the internal public – managers and general staff of the corporation around the new strategic focus - vision, mission, values and programmes, reignite the transition process, in addition to the ‘New GuySuCo’ concept. Also, very importantly, to secure commitments for the new strategic direction from individuals, departments and states.

Stakeholders to participate in the campaign include: members of GuySuCo’s Board of Directors, managers, general staff and union representatives.

The expected outcomes for the campaign are a mobilised workforce around the new strategic plan, greater ownership within the corporation for the new strategic programme, motivated employees contributing towards the goals and objectives of the corporation; and an analysis and greater understanding of what is working and what is not working during the transition process.

In referring to the current condition of the sugar corporation, President David Granger had said, “it is very unfortunate we are in this position. Throughout the tenure, we have been engaged in trying to resolve the issue of the industry.”

The incumbent A Partnership for National Unit and Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) coalition had initiated

the resuscitation of the sugar industry with the presentation of a “White Paper” to Parliament.

Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder had unveiled Government’s White Paper on the Future of the Sugar Industry at the commencement of the 64th Sitting of the National Assembly. He had said the plan, dubbed ‘State Paper on the Future of the Sugar Industry’, will focus on the poorly-performing estates and have them shift from sugar to diversification.

To this end, government had retained three sugar estates and three sugar factories. Those estates are Blairmont on the West Bank Berbice, Albion-Rose Hall in East Berbice and the Uitvlugt-Wales estate in West Demerara.

Those estates produce approximately 147,000 tonnes of sugar annually, to satisfy the demand in the local markets (25,000 tonnes pa), CARICOM and regional (50,000 – 60,000 tonnes pa), USA (12,500 tonnes pa) and the World Market (50,000 tonnes).

In executing its plan to resuscitate the industry, President Granger said government had to make “hard decisions,” which included the retrenching of workers. But, despite the scaling down of the industry and provision and future provision of government bailouts, the President said there is no guarantee that the corporation could produce sugar at world market prices and function economically.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 23, 2020

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Guyana could expect thundershowers Tiger Rentals Guyana Inc as tropical storm Gonzalo bears down appoints Guyanese as new country manager

THE National Hurricane Centre has informed territories in the Northern Atlantic and Caribbean Basin of the formation of the seventh tropical system of the 2020 Northern Atlantic and Caribbean Hurricane season.

(TS) around 09:00hrs on July 22, 2020.

In a release, the Hydrometeorological Service here said that the National Hurricane Centre informs that at 11:00hrs 22 July, 2020, the centre of tropical storm Gonzalo was located at 9.9 ºN

towards the west at a speed of 6 m/s. Meteorological models are indicating that the centre of this tropical system may be to the north of Guyana in the Atlantic Ocean as a hurricane between 20:00hrs, July 24 and 08:00hrs, July25.

What can Guyana ex-

This system was first reported as a tropical depression at 17:00hrs on July 21, 2020, but was subsequently upgraded to a tropical storm

43.6 º W, which is about one thousand six hundred fifty Kilometres (1650 Km) to the east-north-east of Georgetown. The system is moving

pect?

Unless this system changes its trajectory and begins to travel towards the southwest of its current position,

or it increases to in excess of four hundred Kilometres (400 Km), which is very improbable, TS Gonzalo is not expected to directly impact Guyana. Nevertheless, this system may create favourable conditions over northern Guyana that may result in thundershowers. The extent of these thundershowers and the location (s) of impact are not exactly known at this time, but as soon as a determination can be made the Hydrometeorological Service shall communicate the necessary warnings to the citizens of Guyana.

The Hydrometeorological Service said it will continue to monitor the situation and will provide updates as the need arises. Citizens are encouraged to subscribe, using the instructions provided in the link below to receive severe-weather warnings from the Hydrometeorological Service on their mobile devices.

TIGER Rentals Guyana Inc on Tuesday announced the appointment of Shane Singh as its new country manager, in keeping with their stated commitment to providing opportunities to Guyanese.

“Mr. Singh’s appointment will play a critical role in supporting Tiger Rentals’ continued growth, strategy and delivery of quality service in Guyana’s market.

His responsibilities in this new role will require him to oversee all aspects of Tiger Rentals’ strategy and execution, with the goal of increasing its market position and improving customers experience,” said the company in a press release. .it noted that Singh’s accomplishment and growth with the company are an example of what is achievable with hard work and dedication. “He is recognised by his customers as a reliable and service-focused representative of our product and services,” the release said.

Mr. Singh joined Tiger Rentals in 2018 as an operations coordinator and was soon promoted to operations manager. With a background in public and private sector business development, his strengths include strong communication, organiational and negotiation skills. He also brings a wealth of knowledge and industry expertise to his new role as country manager, the release stated.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 23, 2020

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 23, 2020

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 23, 2020

Commonwealth to unveil four-dimensional policy to sustain sport

A FOUR-dimensional strategy will be unveiled at a major ministerial forum tomorrow to help governments sustain the sport sector ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Commonwealth Secretariat’s ‘Data, Digital, Diversify and anti-Discrimination’ strategy will help the sector adapt to the new normal and continue contributing to health and wellbeing, community spirit and economic growth.

The sport industry is expected to experience a recession several times worse than the average sector of any economy, according to a new Commonwealth supported study. Thousands of jobs, livelihoods and social benefits could be at risk.

The ‘data’ pillar provides critical research on COVID-19’s impact on the sport sector to help countries monitor and better target responses.

The ‘digital’ pillar offers a repository of COVID-19adapted virtual solutions, including training courses and knowledge products, which are reproducible and accessible to all member countries.

The ‘diversify’ pillar contains policy guidelines to modify modes of delivery to get more people active safely and spread investment and resources to grow domestic sport markets.

The final pillar includes a call to action to intensify the fight against racism and discrimination in and through sport in the Commonwealth.

Supported by the four pillars, the strategy will help governments design, modify and implement resilient sport policies and programmes to tackle the pandemic’s impact on the sector.

Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland said: “It is clear the sport and physical activity sector demands consideration in the ongoing response to the current pan-

demic and the preparation for any future outbreaks.

“It is important then for member countries to take advantage of our suite of new resources, cleverly designed to help them respond to the new COVID reality and create pandemic-resilient sectors and populations.”

The Commonwealth Ministerial Forum on Sport and COVID-19 takes place virtually today, which will be attended by ministers, senior officials and representatives of sport bodies and regional organisations.

The virtual forum will hear from member countries on how they are responding to and planning to recover from the COVID-19 shocks in the sport sector and ensure the Secretariat’s work is finely tuned to their existing and emerging needs.

Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Sports, Culture and Heritage, Amina Mohamed, will chair the virtual forum.

She said: “Today, we find ourselves in an unprecedented global health crisis, which has touched almost every corner of the world and our lives, including our mobility.

“I am hoping that through this forum, we can leverage the Commonwealth cooperation and partnership to collectively overcome the challenges posed by the pandemic in the sport sector and beyond.

“Responding to new challenges requires coming up with fresh solutions on the back to existing approaches so this gathering is an important opportunity for Commonwealth countries to share their experiences on what has and what has not worked in tackling COVID-19 disruptions.”

NOTE: Any media (print and broadcast) who would like to interview the Secretary-General via telephone or Skype is requested to enquire in writing to s.abbasi@commonwealth.int

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 23, 2020

Liverpool are champions!

(BBC) - Liverpool celebrated receiving the title trophy for the first time in 30 years in style as the new Premier League champions overcame Chelsea in a thriller at Anfield.

Jordan Henderson - currently out injured - received the trophy from Liverpool legend Sir Kenny Dalglish on a special podium built on the Kop after Jurgen Klopp’s side made it three full unbeaten Premier League seasons at Anfield.

Chelsea, who now need a point from their final game at home to Wolves on Sunday to confirm a place in the top four - and next season’s Champions League - started well.

But Liverpool moved through the gears after Naby Keita broke deadlock with a rising 25-yard drive, and they added further goals before the break through Trent Alexander-Arnold’s fine free-kick and Gini Wijnaldum’s close-range strike.

Olivier Giroud scrambled in for Chelsea on the stroke of halftime but their hopes of a comeback appeared to be snuffed out 10 minutes after the break, when Roberto Firmino headed in his first Premier League home goal of the season from Alexander-Arnold’s cross.

Chelsea substitute Christian Pulisic then had a dramatic impact as he sparked a Chelsea fightback, creating a goal for Tammy Abra-

ham and then scoring another himself on the turn as this entertaining game took an unexpected turn.

To the thunderous sound of fireworks being let off outside Anfield by celebrating fans, the champions pressed forward again and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain slammed home the fifth from Andy Robertson’s cross with six minutes left.

And then it was time for the ceremony Liverpool have waited three decades to enjoy - albeit conducted in the somewhat surreal surroundings of a virtually empty stadium.

LIVERPOOL IRRESISTIBLE

Jordan Henderson of Liverpool lifts The Premier League trophy following the match v Chelsea FC at Anfield yesterday in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images) TO THE END Liverpool may have secured the title with seven games to go and Chelsea - but there is a relentless quality about the drive and motivation of Jurgen Klopp’s team.

They showed that against opponents who still needed that crucial point to assure a place in next season’s Champions League.

Chelsea were the better team early on but Liverpool produced on those spells after the midway point in the first half in which they are simply irresistible.

Liverpool scored three goals and even when Chelsea threatened an unlikely resurgence, they rose to the challenge again to confirm

the win through substitute Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Mohamed Salah could have pushed his claims for the Golden Boot but missed several chances while Keita distinguished himself with a superb strike and excellent performance.

Once again, Liverpool refused to finish second best in a show of character and quality.

It was a fitting way for Liverpool to round off another unbeaten league season at Anfield and the perfect set-up for those title presentation celebrations.

CHELSEA PAY FOR DEFENSIVE LAPSES Chelsea are left needing that

final point at home to Wolves to earn a top-four place as reward for a season of development under manager Frank Lampard.

Here, there were many fine elements to their performance but frailty at the back is never going to escape punishment against a side of Liverpool’s potency.

There was huge cause for optimism with the explosive contribution of Pulisic, who unnerved Liverpool’s defence with his pace and threat.

Wolves represent dangerous opponents in the season’s finale and Lampard will be warning his players that they cannot display the same flaws as they did here.

Bangladesh could tour Sri Lanka if talks progress

(ESPNCRICINFO) - Bangladesh men’s pending three-Test series against hosts Sri Lanka could be rescheduled to October, if talks between BCB and SLC come to fruition.

The tour, Bangladesh’s first three-match red-ball series in six years and part of the World Test Championship, was originally scheduled for July-August but had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

ESPNcricinfo understands that with the 2020 men’s T20 World Cup deferred by a year, both boards are keen on having the Test series squeezed into the earliest possible window. In addition, the BCB is also contemplating sending its High Performance team to Sri Lanka for a longer period as the group has not assembled for training in the last four months.

BCB CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury said that the ICC’s announcement of the three World Cups in the next three years has provided the window for Bangladesh to tweak their

international calendar and slot in all previously postponed series in the coming months. The tour to Sri Lanka is first on that list.

“The ICC’s announcement of the three major tournaments has provided what window we can work with, as now that we know that the tournament dates are fixed, we can work around with our schedule,” Chowdhury told ESPNcricinfo.

“Both boards are positive about the Test series going ahead later this year. We are in talks with SLC. Sri Lanka is in a better condition (in terms of COVID-19 caseload) than any of the other sub-continent countries at the moment, and since the situation is not favourable here, we are keener on the away matches.”

“We are first trying to figure out how we can start the training camp in Dhaka. We were supposed to start in March or April, and then tour Sri Lanka in July,” Rahman said. “But I think once we have the

home training sorted, we will discuss the Sri Lanka tour, where we can stay a bit longer to have more training days.”

Chowdhury also said that the board has its eyes on rescheduling the Ireland tour, as well as hosting Australia and New Zealand as soon as the pandemic situation improves in Bangladesh. “We will be in talks with Cricket Ireland as well, though the weather in Ireland is going to be a factor. We will also discuss in due time, when Australia and New Zealand can tour Bangladesh,” he said.

He was also fairly positive about restarting the Dhaka Premier League (DPL), which was postponed after just one round of matches in March.

“Our domestic cricket is also our priority. We are discussing with DPL clubs and Bangladesh Premier League franchises but we have to consider many factors including hotels and logistics before reaching a decision,” he said.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 23, 2020

Ferrari restructure amid performance loss

(BBC) - Ferrari have restructured their technical department in the wake of a disappointing performance at the start of the 2020 season.

Head of aerodynamics Enrico Cardile will lead a newly created performance development department.

And there is a more prominent role for Rory Byrne, who was chief designer when the team dominated the early 2000s.

The idea is to “speed up the design and development on the car-performance front,” team boss Mattia Binotto said.

The moves come after Ferrari started this season with a car more than a second a lap slower than that of the world champions and pace-setters Mercedes, and are recognition that the team’s design structure was flawed.

The idea is to create a more vertical organisation and clearly assign responsibility.

Ferrari said in a statement they were “instituting a chain of command that is more focussed and simplified and provides the heads of each department the necessary powers to achieve their objectives”.

Rory Byrne (far right) first became Ferrari’s chief designer in 1996.

United need a single point

(BBC) - Manchester United need a point from their final game to clinch a Champions League place after coming from behind to draw against West Ham, who confirmed their Premier League survival.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side moved third, a point ahead of Leicester, whom they face at the King Power Stadium on Sunday.

But victory for Brendan Rodgers’ team will deny the Red Devils a spot in Europe’s elite club competition next season - unless fourth-placed Chelsea lose both their remaining games.

Meanwhile, the point for David Moyes’ side guarantees Premier League football next season as they now lie four points clear of the relegation zone.

Michail Antonio put the Hammers ahead in first-half stoppage time with his eighth goal in six games after Paul Pogba gave away a penalty when he raised his hands to block a Declan Rice free-kick.

Eighteen-year-old Mason Greenwood levelled with his 17th goal of a stellar first season as a

senior player.

Both sides had chances to win it with under-pressure David de Gea producing a fingertip save to repel a deflected Jarrod Bowen effort and substitute Odion Ighalo turned a near-post effort wide at the other end.

United already knew their efforts to secure a top-four berth would go down to the last day at Leicester.

However, the point means that, after being in fifth since February, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have moved back into the top four for the first time since September 14.

GREENWOOD THE UNITED STAR Although Solskjaer said during United’s pre-season tour of Australia he rated Greenwood as the best finisher at the club, it was not until December that he gave the Yorkshireman his first Premier League start of the season.

Twenty-two games on, it is hard to imagine the line-up for an important game being picked without him.

His latest clinical effort was his 10th in the league this term.

Michael Owen’s astonishing effort in 1997-98, when he scored 18, is the only time a teenager has done better since the Premier League was formed in 1992.

The intricate close passing with Martial which created the shooting opportunity underlined that Greenwood is much more than a goalscorer. It felt like he was taking responsibility when other, more experienced team-mates had not.

Owen went to a World Cup after his stellar season. Greenwood has more time and, although he will still be a teenage when the European Championships begin next summer, on this evidence it would be no surprise to see him included in Gareth Southgate’s squad.

The goal was vital for United, who have failed to win successive home games for the first time in nearly six months, but have the advantage at just the right time as Solskjaer looks to return the club back to something like their former selves.

World Rugby recommends Six Nations dates

(BBC) - The men’s and women’s Six Nations could be completed this year after World Rugby recommended a new temporary international window.

It would be between October 24 and December 5 for northern hemisphere sides.

In the southern hemisphere, it has been recommended that the 2020 Rugby Championship be played in a single country from November 7 to December 12.

The dates will have to be approved by the World Rugby Council next week.

The World Rugby Council meetings have been held virtually since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

On the Six Nations window, a World Rugby statement read that it would “accommodate the postponed men’s and women’s Six Nations matches at the end of October, a rest weekend on November 7 and a programme of international matches involving the Six Nations and invited teams hosted in Europe from November 14 through to December 5”.

If approved, each individual union will announce their international fixtures with their respective international competition owners.

Wales will have to host their home fixtures away

England lead the men’s and women’s 2020 Six Nations tournaments. from the Principality Stadium after chief executive Martyn Phillips confirmed there will be no more international matches at the ground this year because it is being used as a temporary hospital during the coronavirus pandemic.

There are still four men’s Six Nations matches to be completed and six in the women’s competition.

Ferrari had previously been operating a flatter management structure with shared responsibility, but have abandoned this idea to ensure specific people are clearly in charge of each area.

Ferrari believe their team have now shifted to a more similar structure to those employed at Mercedes and Red Bull.

Under Binotto, the key fig-

ures alongside Cardile are power-unit boss Enrico Gualteri, sporting director Laurent Mekies and chassis engineering boss Simone Resta.

The return of Byrne to a more prominent role is especially notable.

The 76-year-old South African, regarded as one of the great designers of the last 30 years, had

moved into a more background role since being brought out of semi-retirement to help Ferrari with the design of their car when Formula 1 last brought in a major regulation change in 2017.

Byrne will now focus mainly on the design of the 2022 car, when F1 is introducing arguably the biggest regulation change for decades, with an entirely new aerodynamic approach aimed at making the cars able to race more closely together.

Binotto said: “We have started to lay the foundations of a process which should lead to a new and enduring winning cycle.

“It will take some time and we will suffer setbacks like the one we are experiencing right now in terms of results and performance.

“However, we must react to the shortcomings with strength and determination to get back to being at the very top of this sport as soon as possible.”

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 23, 2020

Estwick offers advice to former student Archer (ESPNCRICINFO) - Roddy Estwick, the West Indies assistant coach who mentored Jofra Archer as a young cricketer in Barbados, has encouraged the player to “lie low, focus on the game and on people you can trust”, after hearing of the racial abuse he suffered on social media while isolating in the team hotel during the second Test.

Archer was fined £15 000 and required to stay in his room at Emirates Old Trafford for the full five-day duration of last week’s Test, after breaching the bio-secure team “bubble” for an unauthorised home visit after the first Test in Southampton.

And while Archer’s decision to turn his back on West Indies and qualify instead for England was spurred, in part,

by Estwick’s decision to leave him out of West Indies’ squad for the Under-19 World Cup in 2014, the pair have retained a strong relationship in the years since, and his support was in evidence during a difficult week

in Archer’s career.

“Jofra will be fine,” said Estwick. “I’ve been in constant contact with him. I wasn’t prepared to leave him out there on a limb and I’ve been in constant dialogue, talking to him and trying to reassure him that we all make mistakes and you learn from them and move on.”

Writing in his column in the Daily Mail, Archer described a career in sport as “fickle”, adding that he had “decided that enough is enough” after encountering racist abuse on his Instagram account, which has almost 300 000 followers.

His predicament attracted sympathy from James Anderson, who admitted that he had not seen much of his team-mate in recent days given his isolation, but backed him to be mentally ready for an England recall, should the selectors turn to him for the series decider in Manchester that begins tomorrow.

“He’ll want to play in this game, I’m sure, with it being such a crucial game, the series

Jofra Archer was back in England training yesterday, England training, Emirates Old Trafford. resting on it,” he said. “Obviously, he spoke about his frame of mind and that’s something that over the next few days he is going to sit down with the captain and coach, and figure out if he’s in the right place to play.”

“It can be difficult for guys coming into the international set-up, because the scrutiny is very different,” said Anderson,

who made his own England debut in 2002. “You do feel more under the spotlight.

“I was fortunate when I came into the England team,” he added. “There was no social media back then, so the ways that people can get their opinions out there is quite difficult.

“So it’s about finding methods as a player to deal with that, and I think using the team

around him as well - whether that’s family, friends, management and obviously the players and coaches. It is important that everyone does that, not just Jofra.”

For all that this has been, a socially-distanced series, the two camps have lived in close proximity for the past weeks, and have shared statements of solidarity with regard to anti-racism, with both teams kneeling in support of the Black Lives Matter movement prior to each Test.

Estwick confirmed that he would continue to lend an ear to Archer for the duration of the campaign, and while he maintained that his recall would be a matter for England’s selectors, he backed the player to rise above his recent difficulties and get back to performing on the pitch.

“I spoke to him yesterday, and he’ll be in a good space,” he said. “The support has got to be there for him. He’s a young man and I will continue to support

him, there’s no doubt about that.

He knows that if he needs a chat he can ring me any time and I’ll support him.

“I think that once you do well, there’s always pressure wherever you come from,” he added. “Test match cricket is a pressure game and you’re a role model to a lot of people.

He knows what he’s done. He’ll learn from it, and he will understand that he will get criticism.

“It’s obviously disappointing to hear a player being racially abused but it does happen,” he added. “I’ve seen him come out and say he’s got to try and stay off social media a bit and that’s a start - I think if you’re off social media, they can’t racially abuse you from there.

“He’s got to lie low for a while. He knows what’s coming, so he’s just got to lie low, focus on his game, focus on getting back on the park, and focus on the people that you can trust and the people that are there for you, and try to block out the rest.”

FIBA gives ‘green light’ for return to basketball games FOLLOWING the report of the last meeting of the FIBA Medical Advisory Group (MAG), basketball’s global governing body has decided to lift the suspension that has been in place on all FIBA competitions since March 13.

The restart of FIBA competitions will be based on the adjusted calendar, confirmed by the FIBA Executive Committee in April and

the calendars for continental sub-continental youth and club competitions approved accordingly by the Zone Boards, after consultation with the FIBA MAG. The FIBA’s MAG has identified a number of best practices of professional leagues that have restarted their competitions recently and collected many health protocols.

In order to help National

Federations and Leagues with the planning for the return of their competitions in the next months, in addition to the Guidelines for the Return to Basketball published on May 26, FIBA will make available the collected national restart protocols to its members and will continue to provide advice through the FIBA Medical Commission.

Compliance with the ap-

plicable decisions of public authorities alongside FIBA’s rules and guidelines is of paramount importance for the health and safety of our players, coaches, officials and fans.

FIBA will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation on a daily basis and communicate further updates regularly in regard to FIBA Competitions.

Keevin Allicock, Abiola Jackman to be awarded by AIBA

… Blake, Pool, Assanah also to be recognised KEEVIN Allicock and Abiola Jackman were named by the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) among five boxers and officials, who will be awarded by International Boxing Association (AIBA) for their achievement and performances in amateur boxing.

The Steve Ninvalle-led GBA said AIBA had asked all of its affiliated federations to nominate individuals to be awarded as part of the International body’s observance of International Boxing Day. After consultation with GBA’s Coaches and Referee and Judges Commission, Allicock, former Junior Commonwealth silver medallist and reigning Caribbean bantamweight champion, along with Jackman, the current female Caribbean Champion, was selected.

While Allicock will be recognised as

the country’s best Elite boxer and Jackman the best Youth female fighter, Mark Crawford will be awarded for being the best Youth male boxer.

The Best Coach award will go to Sebert Blake; Best Official is Terrence Poole and Lawrence Assanah, a Sergeant in the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) who recently picked up his AIBA One Star badge, will be recognised for his excellence in the ring as a referee.

AIBA designated July 22 to be celebrated every year and encourages the global Boxing Family, fans, partners and stakeholders to join in celebrating.

Leading up to the July 22 event this year, AIBA took the initiative to inspire the global boxing community, through sharing the greatest boxing stories and organising quizzes to challenge all boxing fans and supporters.

Abiola Jackman

Keevin Allicock

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 23, 2020

Estwick wants batsmen to convert … lauds Gabriel for performances scores into big hundreds after returning from injury

By Clifton Ross

WEST Indies assistant coach Roddy Estwick is not worried about his batsmen’s form, but needs them to convert their starts, as the tourists seek history heading into the third and final Test.

Estwick, during yesterday’s official press conference via social media, said he wasn’t at

all worried that none of his batsmen had reached triple figures. Rather, the ex-Barbados pacer was more concerned about his batsmen capitalising on the hard work to get to 50, only to be dismissed before reaching their intimate goal.

“We are not concerned in terms of the form, what we are concerned about is that people have gotten starts and not gone on to

get big hundreds. Stokes got a big hundred and that made a difference in the last game; so we hope players can get going and get partnerships because that is also key; but we are not concerned about form,” said Estwick.

One thing that has held-up on tour is the Windies fast-bowlers’ ability to make inroads since landing in the UK. Estwick, a former speed-

FIBA’s Foundation launches new ‘Basketball for Good’ platform FIBA’s Foundation, the International Basketball Foundation (IBF), yesterday launched its new ‘Basketball for Good’ digital platform (http://www.fiba.basketball/foundation).

The Foundation, according to a FIBA release, will use the power of basketball to initiate positive social change globally, contributing to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Following their recent inclusion in the United Nations Sports for Climate Action Framework, FIBA said, “This is another aspect where FIBA is aligning with the International Olympic Committee’s Olympic Agenda 2020 that endorses sustainability goals.”

Integrated into the FIBA basketball website, the platform will showcase the diverse Basketball For Good projects the Foundation runs globally.

As part of the new platform, IBF is also launching a “propose a project” form, enabling people to submit projects which GABF general secretary Patrick Haynes require assistance and which align with the

IBF’s vision and mission around ‘Basketball our new platform as it will not only be a great way for us to display the impact that For Good’..

The IBF started developing its Basketball our projects have, but it will also allow us For Good programmes in 2016 and now runs to showcase all the good that our basketball 15 projects in 64 countries, reaching 28 000 family creates throughout the world.”

Patrick Haynes, the Guyana Amateur youths globally.

Basketball Federation (GABF) General SecThe Foundation aims to grow the scale retary and FIBA 3x3 Commission Member, and impact of its Basketball For Good prois featured on the impact of the Foundation’s gramme and this new digital platform will Antilles 3x3 project in the Caribbean region, also become a central hub for the wider saying, “Sport has the power to unite out Basketball For Good community, including communities - both the International BasketFIBA’s stakeholders such as national federa- ball Foundation and the Caribbean Basketball tions, leagues, clubs, NGOs and individuals Confederation are dedicated and committed that share the same vision of using basket- to developing and promoting the game of basketball, to bring people together, to unite ball’s power to initiate positive change.

Through the Basketball For Good plat- our communities, and to make basketball the form, individuals can make donations, offer most popular sport in our communities.”

The IBF’s new digital presence and soequipment or services to support the projects, or find out about volunteering opportunities. cial media platforms will be promoted on IBF president Horacio Muratore in a FIBA’s social media channels via Facebook statement said: “We are very happy to launch and Instagram.

ster in his own right, credits pack leader Shannon Gabriel for his immense heart and dedication shown during his comeback from injury.

“He (Gabriel) was injured before lockdown in the region but he was able to put in training and as soon as I saw the 2k run in England, I knew he was fit. The key thing is rest for him because he’s important to us.

“He’s an experienced Test player now and we want to make sure he’s fit. It’s a short turnaround between the Tests so the key thing is rest, recover and to make sure he gets his treatment to ensure he’s on the park Friday,”

stated the coach.

While John Campbell and Shai Hope could face the axe after failing with the bat in both matches, Estwick said it was not for him to say if the Windies will make drastic changes to their XI for the all-important encounter.

One thing he did mention was how impressed he was by the reserved bunch of players, who continue to ask questions and work on their games while on tour.

“Most of the boys have done well, I think the seamers bowled decent with good lines and pace. We have good backups; guys like Sha-

nye Moseley and Joshua DaSilva impressed me in the nets”. Estwick ended.

Lastly, the 59-yearold credited the hosts for their spirited comeback in the last match. He further noted that while he’s unsure of the playing XI, whoever plays tomorrow will need to be fit mentally and physically heading into the historic decider.

“One thing I have to do is to give England credit, because it’s hindsight. What we have to do is make sure when this Test comes around we’re ready and whoever we put on the park needs to be ready physically and mentally,” he ended.

Liverpool are champions!

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24

Liverpool players celebrate with The Premier League trophy following the match v Chelsea at Anfield yesterday in Liverpool, England.

Football Stadiums around Europe remain empty due to the coronavirus pandemic as Government social-distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in all fixtures being played behind closed doors.

(Photo by Paul Ellis/Pool via Getty Images)

Estwick wants batsmen to convert scores into big hundreds

West Indies assistant coach Roddy Estwick

See story on page 27

… lauds Gabriel for performances after returning from injury

Commonwealth to unveil fourdimensional policy to sustain sport

PAGE 26

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THURSDAY,JULY 23, 2020