Guyana_Chronicle_Epaper_07_30_2020

THURSDAY 30th July, 2020

' No.106076

Criminal charges

filed against GECOM Chair

SEE PAGE 03

Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh

…for alleged malfeasance in public office …matter set for hearing next week

President, First Lady test negative for COVID-19 PAGE

14

Offshore project delays could erode billions 02 PAGE

…Wood Mackenzie report states

'High-Quality Reservoirs' found at Yellowtail-2 – Hess

PAGE

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Despite the restrictions due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, this young lady is determined to step out in a grand way for Emancipation Day as she gets her hair wrapped in African prints. Emancipation will be celebrated here on Saturday.

Government will be hosting a virtual celebration to commemorate the day (Delano Williams photo)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 30, 2020

Offshore project delays could erode billions …Wood Mackenzie report states

By Lisa Hamilton PROJECT delays offshore Guyana, in the Stabroek Block, could cost ExxonMobil and the Government of Guyana billions of dollars and push back the payout period by years.

However, this is dependent on the length of the delay as well as the average price of oil over the period. This information comes from Wood Mackenzie in its updated report on the ‘Guyana Fiscal Benchmarking Study’. The information was presented in a webinar, in collaboration with

OilNow, on Wednesday, by Director of Upstream Consulting, Juan Agudelo and Vice President of Upstream Consulting, Michael Steinhacker, both from Wood Mackenzie.

In June, the Guyana Chronicle had reported that due to the COVID-19 pandemic and pending governmental and regulatory approval, advancements on ExxonMobil’s third and fourth development projects have stalled. These include the Third Development, the Payara Development Project which has outstanding approval for its Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)

and Field Development Plan; and the Fourth, the Hammerhead Development Project, for which ExxonMobil has paused its provision of the required EIA. The report states that a three-year delay to first oil for Phase 3 to Phase 6 could decrease overall project value for the contractor by US$2.2B or 23.7 per cent. As a result, the payout period would be pushed from 11 to 13 years.

Meanwhile, a delay for the Phases for the same period of time could erode up to US$4.5B of the State’s share value. These figures are subject to oil prices being

Vice President of Upstream Consulting, Michael Steinhacker

steady at around US$40 per barrel (bbl). On the other hand, Wood Mackenzie estimates that a delay to Phase 3-6 for just one year, could cost the contractor US$900M and the State approximately US$1.6B, against the same average oil price of US$40bbl.

“The Stabroek consortium needs to get a permit approved by the government and that’s ongoing, as we understand it, for Phase 3. There’s a delay in getting the permit and the longer that goes on it has impact on both contractor and government revenue,” Steinhacker said.

Back in June, ExxonMobil’s Senior Director of Public and Government Affairs, Deedra Moe had explained: “The EIA and field development plan for Payara are awaiting government and regulatory

Director of Upstream Consulting, Juan Agudelo

approvals. We are working closely with the government to address all questions as we did for Liza Phase 1 and 2. Of course, some related 2020 activities are now being deferred, creating a potential impact to targeted startup timing. Given the COVID-19 social distancing protocols, we paused our Hammerhead Environmental Impact Assessment activities.

We are continuing to assess options for the fourth project on the Stabroek Block. The Hammerhead development is one of several opportunities that are being assessed.”

Meanwhile, the value of the Stabroek Block is also sensitive to Brent price fluctuations. If there is a future Brent price change from US$40 to US$50, the overall project value at the Stabroek Block would increase by 70 per cent while the State share would be

maintained at between 50 to 60 per cent.

“The payout period that is 11 years could be reduced to 10 years if higher prices are achieved,” Agudelo said. The Stabroek Block still has 75 per cent of its expected resource to be developed. Phase 1 and 2 of the Liza Field accounts for 25 per cent; Phase 3 of the Payara Field, the Pacora Field and the Liza Deep Field account for 16 per cent while the future Phases of 4-6 account for 59 per cent.

Apart from the concerns of delays, Steinhacker highlighted that, despite the COVID-19 challenges, he finds it impressive that ExxonMobil and its partners are still forging ahead with operations at the Stabroek Block to some extent. “As you see right now, COVID-19 has caused a drop in oil price so operators are not only shutting in oil, they are delaying exploration activities and also development activity. In the case of Liza, as we understand it, ExxonMobil is still looking to proceed with the project and that’s an anomaly, I would say. It just reflects how good the project is,” he said. Indeed, Guyana lifted its second million-barrel of crude in May 2020 and is expected to lift its third early next month.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 30, 2020

Criminal charges filed against GECOM Chair PRIVATE criminal charges have been filed against the Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh, for alleged malfeasance in public office.

The charges, filed by two citizens in the Georgetown Magisterial District on Wednesday, are all linked to the Chairperson’s handling of the 2020 Elections, inclusive of the highly controversial National Recount. Based on documents seen by the Guyana Chronicle, one of the two private criminal charges was filed by Onita Walcott of Victoria Village, East Coast Demerara. In detailing the particular of the offence, Walcott alleged that Justice Singh, while acting in her official capacity as Chairman of the Elections Commission, “acted maliciously and unlawfully” on July 11, 2020 when she refused to accept the Chief Elections Officer’s Elections Report on the General and Regional Elections held on March 2, contrary to Article 177 (2) (b) of the Constitution.

Walcott said based on the advice of the Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield, the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Presidential Candidate had obtained the most votes at the Elections. Based on public record, the Chair of the Elections Commission, upon receiving the Chief Elections Officer’s Report on, or about,

March 14, 2020, had placed it in abeyance along with the 10 Declarations made by the Returning Officers to facilitate a National Recount as a result of allegations of electoral fraud levelled by the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C).

Once the National Recount was completed, Lowenfield submitted a second Elections Report on June 23; however, in doing so, he had excluded approximately 115,000 votes alleged to have been compromised by irregularities and voter impersonation. His report, therefore, was based on the credible votes counted during the recount exercise. However, the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) invalidated that report, on the grounds that Lowenfield could not have unilaterally invalidated the votes.

Notably, in its judgment in the case Bharrat Jagdeo and Irfaan Ali v Eslyn David and others, CCJ ruled that the President and members of the National Assembly could only be elected based on information supplied by the Returning Officers.

Due to the fact that the Returning Officers had no role to play during the National Recount, Lowenfield, in submitting his third Elections Report on July 11, resorted to the declarations made by the 10 Returning Officers in March, but that report was also rejected by the GECOM Chair.

Justice Singh had insisted that the report be compiled

using data generated during the National Recount. The matter is now tied up in the Courts. However, Walcott

Ondaan, Justice Singh acted unlawfully, when she failed to heed the advice of the Chief Parliamentary Counsel,

Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh

believes that the GECOM Chair’s actions amount to “misfeasance in Public Office” contrary to the common law.

A similar charge was filed

by Keith Ondaan of Central Amelia’s Ward, Mackenzie, Linden. According to

Charles Fung-a-Fatt, S.C and GECOM’s Legal Advisor.

In his sworn statement, the Lindener alleged that between March 16, 2020 and May 18, 2020 the Chairman of GECOM acted recklessly and unlawfully when she disregarded the advice of the

Legal Officer of GECOM on the 16th March 2020, as well as the advice of the Chief Parliamentary Counsel Mr. Fung-a-Fatt S.C that a recount of the votes of the March 2 Regional and General Elections was unlawful and unconstitutional. It was said that Justice Singh knowingly gazetted a Recount Order in the Official Gazette on May, 4 nonetheless. The Order was amended on May, 29. The case is expected to be heard in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, August 5, 2020.

PETITION The private criminal charges against the Chair of the Elections Commission come days after a small group of Guyanese petitioned her to step down.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Four persons recover from COVID-19 -Country records two new cases

FOUR persons have evaded the damning effects of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) and were medically cleared by health authorities, on Wednesday.

Recovered cases refer to persons who were affected with the disease and who now have been cleared with two negative results 24 hours apart and with no signs and symptoms of the virus.

It was reported that persons who recover from COVID-19 are no longer infectious, meaning they cannot spread the disease, but they can, however, be re-infected.

Guyana, however, faces a

conflicting reality, as the rate of infection remains higher than the rate of recovery. The country has experienced a consistent rise in the number of cases over the past two months, and it was no different over the past 24 hours, as two new cases were recorded within that time.

Health authorities have so far tested 4,563 persons, with 4,165 being negative and 398 positive. Of the positive cases, 185 persons have recovered and 20 persons have lost their lives to the disease.

The remaining 193 active cases are being monitored by authorities.

Chief Medical Officer

(CMO), Dr. Shamdeo Persaud, in an update on Tuesday, had said persons need to take note of the existing situation, especially in the hinterland regions where cases continue to rise daily.

“Of the seven new cases today, six cases are coming from Arau in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), and one case from the city,” said Dr. Persaud during a virtual COVID-19 update on Tuesday.

The country, in the early days of the pandemic, had grown accustomed to Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) being the epicentre for the disease, but this has since

changed, and Regions Seven and Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) are now the “hotspots” for the disease.

“The majority are coming from Region Seven, and yesterday (Monday) all the new cases (19) were reported in Region Nine,” said the CMO. Region Nine shares a wide border with Brazil, where COVID-19 is rampant. Globally, Brazil ranks second for the most cases of COVID-19 after the United States of America, and has reported a total of 2, 455, 905 cases, with 88,017 deaths.

Dr. Persaud, however, sought to reassure persons that the Ministry of Public

Health is doing everything possible to keep Guyanese safe.

“Residents, the ministry continues to plead with you to adhere to the health guidelines, and to intensify your community action. Village councillors, gate keepers and prominent members of the communities, your role is to work collectively to ensure compliance with the regulations if you wish to keep down the transmission of the disease,” said the CMO. He advised against cross-border movement, and urged that residents report migrants who enter their communities.

Dr. Persaud further advised persons to stay at home and only leave if there is an urgent need, and to wear a mask in public. Persons were also encouraged to practise social distancing, avoid gatherings of more than 10 persons, and sanitise properly.

COVID-19 remains a serious issue not just here in Guyana, but globally as well, and according to global statistics, there are 16.3 million cases of COVID-19, with over 650,000 deaths.

And, with no approved treatment or cure, there is no assurance that persons will survive after contracting the disease.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 30, 2020

Stella Immanuel - the doctor behind unproven coronavirus cure claim (BBC) Stella Immanuel, a doctor at the centre of a controversy over unproven and potentially dangerous claims that an anti-malaria drug can treat Covid-19, is no stranger to conspiracy theories.

Facebook and Twitter have taken down the viral video in which she appears, saying it violates their policies about misinformation but not before it was retweeted by Donald Trump and one of his sons.

The US president defended himself, saying he found Dr Immanuel, who was born in Cameroon and is based in the Texan city of Houston, "very impressive".

"She said that she had tremendous success with hundreds of different patients, I thought her voice was an important voice but I know nothing about her," he said on Tuesday.

Dr Immanuel, who is also a Christian pastor, gave

a speech on the steps of the US Supreme Court in Washington, captured in a video first published by right-wing website Breitbart on Monday.

Along with other medics from a group called America's Frontline Doctors, she said that Americans were being denied a potential cure for Covid-19.

"Nobody needs to get sick. This virus has a cure - it is called hydroxychloroquine, I have treated over 350 patients and not had one death," said Dr Immanuel.

Despite some early studies raising hopes that the drug could be used to cure coronavirus, one subsequent larger scale trial has shown it is not effective as a treatment.

And Dr Anthony Fauci, a leading member of the White House coronavirus task force, has reiterated these views.

"We know that every single good study - and by good study I mean randomised control study in which the

data are firm and believable has shown that hydroxychloroquine is not effective in the treatment of Covid-19," he told the BBC on Wednesday.

But Dr Immanuel has insisted taking hydroxychloroquine is not harmful because it is widely taken in her home country of Cameroon, where malaria is endemic.

Witches and demons Born in 1965, Dr Immanuel graduated with a medical degree from the University of Calabar in neighbouring Nigeria - and has a valid doctor's licence, according to the website of the Texas Medical Board.

She is also a pastor and the founder of Fire Power Ministries in Houston, a platform she has used to promote other conspiracies about the medical profession.

Her sermons are available on a YouTube account set up in 2009.

Five years ago, she alleged that alien DNA was being used in medical treatments, and that scientists

were cooking up a vaccine to prevent people from being religious.

Some of her other claims include blaming medical conditions on witches and demons - a common enough belief among some evangelical Christians - though she says they have sex with people in a dream world.

"They turn into a woman and then they sleep with the man and collect his sperm… then they turn into the man and they sleep with a man and deposit the sperm and reproduce more of themselves," she said during a sermon in 2013.

Another issue that Dr Immanuel targets is gay marriage, saying it can result in adults marrying children, according to the Daily Beast.

She also offers a prayer to remove a generational curse, originally received from an ancestor, but transmitted through placenta, the news website's profile of her says.

'Jesus will shut Facebook' In her latest video posted

on Twitter on Tuesday, she asks patients she says she has cured of Covid-19 to come forward.

"If you don't speak up we are getting trashed," she says, encouraging them to use a hashtag when they post their video messages.

Her tweet has had more than 27,000 retweets.

After Facebook took down the America's Frontline Doctors' video on Tuesday, she declared that Jesus Christ would destroy the social media giant's servers if her videos were not restored to the platform.

Facebook has not reported an interruption on its services.

Who are America's Frontline Doctors?

It is a collection of physicians critical of the scientific consensus around the Covid-19 pandemic.

The event on Monday was backed by the Tea Party Patriots, a conservative organisation seeking to re-elect President Trump.

The doctors believe neither masks nor shutdowns are necessary to fight the spread of coronavirus.

The group's founder, Simone Gold, organised a letter to Mr Trump calling for an end to lockdown measures in May. Participants were encouraged to seek out interviews with social media influencers, as this was determined to be the best way to reach Americans.

Ralph Norman, a Republican member of the House of Representatives, was standing alongside the doctors when they delivered their news conference.

The debate has been increasingly dividing Americans along political lines, with proponents of hydroxychloroquine pointing to President Trump's support of it while accusing critics of covering up its potential effectiveness.

Rafale: India gets new jets amid border tension with China (BBC) India's air force has received five new Rafale fighter jets amid ongoing border tensions with

Thursday July 30, 2020 –– 01:30hrs & 13:30hrs

China.

The aircraft are part of India's deal with France in 2016 to buy 36 warplanes.

Delhi is hoping to modernise its dwindling Soviet-era air force fleet with the induction of Rafale multi-role jets.

But experts warn that these aircraft cannot be used right away in case of a conflict.

Air Marshal (retd) Pranab Kumar Barbora, who oversaw the induction of the Jaguar aircraft fleet, told the BBC that the arrival of the Rafale was a welcome move because "it will significantly enhance the air force's capability".

"But it will take a while before these aircraft are fully operational. You have to set up a logistics chain, train technical and ground staff in India," he said.

He added that it usually takes up to two years before a new squadron is fully functional. The Rafale squadron will be fully operational when it has at least 18 aircraft.

The delivery of the remaining Rafale aircraft is expected to be completed by next year.

The jets, manufactured

by French firm Dassault Aviation, took off from

France on Monday and landed in the UAE for an overnight stopover. The journey showcased the aircraft's endurance and mid-air fuelling capability.

The Rafale is a multirole aircraft, capable of carrying out long-range missions, including highly accurate sea and ground attacks.

India needs 42 squadrons in the scenario of a two-front war with China and Pakistan. But its squadron strength has been depleted to 31, largely because of ageing Russian aircraft.

The purchase of new fighter jets has been in the making for years. The Bharatiya Janata Party-led (BJP) government began the process in 2000, and its successor, a Congress party-led administration, continued it and issued tenders in 2008 to buy 126 jets.

Dassault was finalised as a supplier in 2012, and the state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) was selected as partner to produce 108 jets in India.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 30, 2020

PEP writes President requesting elections postponement (TRINIDAD GUARDIAN) The Progressive Empowerment Party (PEP) is continuing its calls to have the 2020 General Election postponed from its scheduled date of Monday 10th August 2020, arguing the current COVID-19 pandemic is serious threat to the national community.

In its latest move, the PEP has written to President Paula-Mae Weekes, asking her to use her office to postpone the election.

The key argument PEP is making is that the country is in serious danger of “a fullblown community spread epidemic”, exacerbated by the campaigning currently taking place which does appear to conform to the COVID-19 protocols.

PEP also says despite its best mitigation efforts, the EBC may not be able to help reduce the virus spread.

The full text of PEP’s correspondence to Her Excellency, follows…

Your Excellency, RE: REQUEST FOR THE POSTPONEMENT OF THE GENERAL ELECTIONS We refer to your Proclamation of Legal Notice 24 January 31st 2020.

Madame President, you will no doubt be aware of the deterioration in the Covid 19 spread that, while thought under control, appears to

Her Excellency Paula-Mae Weekes, President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.

be mushrooming into a full blown community spread epidemic.

The reason for this writing is out of concern that the General Election and everything leading up to it may have the effect of exacerbating the situation and promoting the spread of the virus to the detriment of the entire nation.

Campaigning itself is providing opportunities for transmission through multiples of contacts by thousands of people directly

involved in the campaign who can 'pick up' the virus on one location and deliver it to another, creating what the World Health Organisation refers to as pathways to infection that social distancing guidelines are designed to interrupt.

Then there is the issue of the actual polling day where a million registered voters are expected to congregate at polling stations for hours, use the same confined facilities to vote, culminating in the insertion of a finger into

the security ink that could now be transformed into a virtual soup of Covid19, creating the potential to infect everyone who uses it and everyone they subsequently come into contact with.

Madame President as you are no doubt aware, the guidelines are clear and written for a time such as this, and while the Elections & Boundaries Commission could be instructed to implement protocols to remedy this brewing catastrophe including the creation of sanitisation protocols for all polling stations where every surface is sanitised between each and every voter and the addition of the extra hours to the polling day that this will require, or the postponement of the election altogether for the full thirty days allowed or more for the interruption of the transmission of the virus, a far more important

issue than any other at this time.

The Representation of the People's Act Section 34 states and I include for your assistance: "34. (1) Where at any time between the issue of a writ under section 33(1) and the day appointed by the writ for the holding of a poll at any election the President is satisfied that it is expedient to do so by reason of — (a) the existence of a state of war affecting Trinidad and Tobago; (b) the declaration of a state of emergency in Trinidad and Tobago or any part thereof by any authority empowered to make such a declaration; (c) the occurrence of any earthquake, hurricane, flood, fire, outbreak of pestilence or outbreak of infectious disease or other calamity, whether similar to the fore-

going or not; the President may by Proclamation adjourn the holding of the poll to some other day specified in the Proclamation being not more than thirty days after the day specified in the writ."

Whether suppression of the virus will conform to the above mentioned thirty day delay or may require more time to be brought under control can be determined in consultation with the Chief Medical Officer.

Our overriding concern here needs to be decisions that do not inadvertently put lives at unnecessary risk creating a pathway for transmission through a general election.

A copy of this letter has also been sent to the Chief Elections Officer.

Tank you for your time and considerations.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 30, 2020

The attainment of freedom

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HERE is the religious refrain in the African community, that gained global attention during the 19501960s African-American Civil Rights Movement, with words to the effect “Free at last, free at last/ I thank God I’m free at last.” Religion has been a mainstay and important part of Africans’ lives, given that it offers hope, rallies the communities, and the proverbial guiding light out of the tunnel. Optimism has shaped and stayed the course, however bleak, in struggles against slavery, for civil, economic and political rights, overcoming challenges, and seeking attainment.

Chattel slavery, as declared by the United Nations, is the most inhumane act perpetrated in man’s history.

The quantifying of this inhumanity in real dollars will never be truly known, for truthfully there can be no monetary value put to human lives, the tens of millions who suffered and were deprived, lest it reduces and condemns the affected to property status, a status they bravely fought against. International apologies for this heinous crime

against humanity and efforts at creating some form of societal justice, through reparation programmes to address the created structures of economic disadvantages, though a step in the right direction, can never fully compensate. Locally, where the Government of Guyana has finally committed a Commission of Inquiry to address African/ancestral lands, with an aim of bringing about formal regularisation is a plus, more so that these lands were acquired through personal sweat and direct financial payments. The toppling of the system of slavery marked a progressive step in human development. And even as the quest for full freedom remains worthy of pursuit, the recognition that others did not have to live and suffer through identical circumstances and conditions, paying homage to those who fought against it brings out the humanity in all.

The acceptance of inequality anywhere, regardless of who suffered or are suffering, poses a threat to equality everywhere. When Guyanese, on Saturday, irrespective of race, marked the attainment of emancipation for the ancestors of our African brothers and

sisters, such also marked the nation’s collective attainment of recognising the equality of all. Guyana has the unpleasant distinction of being built on various systems of inequality and where, as a people, we stand in support of each other’s struggles and achievements bode well for our comity. Such camaraderie not only signalled to forces, internal and external, unwavering commitment to not return to bondage, but our capacity to unite in the face of adversity, historical or present. The various points of freedom attained in this country, be it a plantation society, colony or independent nation, should not be discounted or disregarded, but zealously protected and defended.

This 182nd Anniversary of Emancipation finds Guyanese moulder of their destiny, an achievement paved through long, bitter, tireless and rewarding struggles.

And though some have been gained and some not, in all instances they fortified the unrelenting spirit to succeed. The attainment of successes must not find among us contentment or resignation, for to be either risks the chance of complacency

This strike will come to an end when the law is exonerated Dear Editor

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HIS political imbroglio that we are in now is in essence a strike, it’s a strike against the conducting of the March 2020 elections. It’s a strike that is driven by the laws of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana in representation of the citizen voters. It is because of the unambiguous laws of this Republic why we are presently where we are now, which in actuality means the constitution is supreme.

Had it not been for the foot soldiers known as “guardians of the Constitution,” this strike (if there was one) would have been over a long time and injustice would have begun its reign. The President of this Republic, ad-nausea um has stated that he would

uphold the law. He always advocated his support for the constitution. He never stumbled in his replies to point out that our constitution is sacrosanct. During the early period after the elections the PPP used the laws of the constitution to their own discretion. Their first incision on the election came on 8th March, using the law the filed an injunction on stopping the “counting of the votes”. Saturday 14th March the law was again tested when the leader of the opposition got an application to block the “declaration of the 2020 elections,” and they have not let up since.

This strike long as it has been, has allowed us the open opportunity to see, hear and read all the comments both internal and external.

We have been able to see clearly the hysterical reactions to the lost of largess

and the promise of largess.

We are witnesses to men and women as they sink slowly desperately clinging to illegitimacy; while losing whatever little we had thought of them. Decaying before our very eyes. Unfortunate their influence on institutions that we had given absolute faith to. Institutions birthed out of that self-same constitution has shown us that they are only made of clay, brittle, cannot stand the test, easily compromised. In a paradoxical vein the Secretary of State of another country, who is a real big man, gave our President, the President of the Co-operative of Guyana his marching orders, (and it’s not like our man cannot march). Claiming that our President is undermining democracy. I know that this gentleman knows absolutely nothing about this country and he obviously

don’t give a damn either.

He have waved the word “sanctions” like the sword of Damocles, hanging there waiting; from the Secretary’s lips to God ears.

It would be foolhardy, bordering on contempt and also quite stupid to forget or ignore the history of this country. From the beginning in 1619 of barren land to 1838, where plantations flourished and a city, and streets were laid out. We are quite cognizant of the use of the laws during a particular period in this country, and we are saying those laws will never be used again against us.

When Injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty. This strike will come to an end when the law is EXONERATED. Regards Milton Bruce

and erosion of the gains made. A land of six peoples, where our ancestors toiled and aspired for its freedom, where they have left off, either through age, infirmity or death, their descendants must continue. The world today, though societies and people have made great strides, is not without complexities that pose challenges to preserving the freedoms gained and the quest for world-wide comity. Where there exist wars and other forms of inhumanity and deprivations, they threaten well-fought for and earned freedoms.

Free at last, free at last, to the religious or not, is not only a refrain applicable in moments of adversity, but is also fuel in pursuit of attainments. Accordingly, the lyrics in the ‘Song of the Republic,’ which pays homage to Guyana’s ultimate political freedom, must ensure “We’ll forge a nation’s mighty soul/Construct a nation’s frame;/ Freedom our everlasting goal,/ Courage and truth our aim,/Unyielding in our quest for peace/Like ancient heroes brave,/To strive and strive and never cease/With strength beyond the slave.

Arthur’s passing a great loss to Caribbean intellectual thought Dear Editor,

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HE passing of former Prime Minister of Barbados, Owen Arthur, is a great loss to Caribbean intellectual thought, practice and leadership. I co-authored with him in 1985 a UWI published book, entitled ‘Commercialization of Technology and Dependence in the Caribbean’, and witnessed at first hand his seamless transition from political-economy steeped academia to political activism and ultimate political power. His assumption of the position of Prime Minister in 1994 and assignment by his peers, until his demitting office in 2008, as “lead Head of Government” for furthering of the Caribbean Single Market and Economy process, resulted in very significant acceleration in regional economic integration.

This acceleration coincided with my stint as Economic Adviser to the then Secretary-General of CARICOM, with specific responsibility for deepening the Single Economy process, and I can therefore attest that Owen Arthur had a real understanding of the intricacies and requirements of true economic integration and it was a revelation to observe the drive and energy with which he sought to educate his colleagues on the issue at their various Heads of Government Conferences. When Professor Owen Arthur spoke, everyone listened. It is therefore not surprising that, with the ending of his three term leadership in 2008, the economic integration process began to lose momentum and to experience a virtual “pause”.

I wish to extend my sincere condolences to his wife Julie and the extended family; and to the Government and people of Barbados.

Owen Arthur joins a very select group in the pantheon of truly great West Indian leaders.

Regards Maurice Odle

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 30, 2020

MOUs useless without UNPAID taxes being paid to City Dear Editor,

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OT so long ago, energetic Mayor of Georgetown, His worship, Ubraj Narine voiced his concern about moneys being owed his municipality, and the need for those outstanding sums to be paid. It is a truth that predates his seating at the head of the horse shoe table, and which has been the pivotal cause of City Hall not being able to advance many of its plans for the betterment of the City, and the welfare of its citizens.

There have been many letters, and editorials published in your columns about this decided deliberate decision of many commerce and business concerns especially, and domestic/private residences not to pay their taxes. This neglect of the civic duty, can be traced back to the period, beginning with the PPP/C ascent to power, when business owners commenced this process of default, that begin to coincide with the deterioration of the City’s maintenance, particularly with regard its sanitation services which heralded the indiscriminate dumping of garbage, garbage piles and the city reserves in many places, taken over with thick vegetation.

Coupled this with a then political governance regime that displayed little or no interest in the general environment of its capital city, because the latter had never been, and still is not, a constituency of support for the then party in government, and one can understand some of the whys, of the criminal neglect

which had befallen a city, once described as the Garden City, perhaps the best at one time in the English – speaking Caribbean.

By the time of Mayor Narine’s arrival at City Hall, the City had already undergone a dramatic change, beginning with the new dispensation, which ushered in a groundswell of citizens practical support and involvement in the renewal of their city. With support from the coalition government, the City underwent a transformation which could not have failed to catch the eyes, of even those who had conspired to bring it to its hazardous state.

The Mayor has shown that he wants to continue the municipality’s programme of not only the continuation of the renewal process, but also its daily maintenance in which his council’s service is best able to deliver on a sustained basis. However, this is about a municipality which must have sufficient finance, to support such a process. Of course, the Mayor certainly knows this, which must have influenced his reason to engage in a mutual dialogue with the Private Sector, the largest defaulter of the billions owed to the Council.

I stand corrected that there was a Memorandum of Understanding, perhaps the end result of the encounters between the Mayor and the Private Sector. Though memory cannot now recall the details of this document, it is certain that the mountainous-owed debt would have been the crucial feature of this agreement.

Viewed objectively, it would seem that

the MOUs had been a strategy to control City Hall, with regards the burning issue of the untenable debt of billions owed. This is borne out by terse exchanges between the Chief Citizen and the PSC, concerning the outstanding debts. The fact that this public exchange occurred, was a recognition of the fact that the MOU was not working, particularly with regards the City’s coffers still being denied the huge sums owed, which continued to impact negatively on the City’s efforts at meeting its civic obligations.

And so, we must now come to this fact.

There is no municipality in any region, anywhere, that is owed such huge sums, which can be expected to deliver on its mandate of administrating in any proper and satisfying manner the civic affairs of its city/province etcetera. It amounts to an absurdity, and the greatest of obscenities, on which to place City Hall on such UNFAIR ground, and expect it to deliver. It is also a putrid hypocrisy, for those very errant citizens to be among the City’s most vocal critics when they are among its most prominent defaulters. The Parking Meter Protest, which was really an anti-government construct, is an abject example of the deception and dishonesty that surrounds this unconscionable collective.

At this time of writing, another MOU has been signed between the Mayor, his council and the Georgetown City Chamber Incorporated (GCCI). This is again testimony that the current Mayor is genuine about his council’s desire and plans for a much-improved

city, especially building on what had been started after May 2015. The array of matters, described as “thematic areas” encapsulated in its paragraphs refers to an array of issues that are pivotal to the daily progressive health of the city: general rates, public security, building codes, safety regulations for construction procedures, infrastructure development, environment(inclusive of garbage collection and public) among others.

These are indeed pivotal areas which speak to modernization of the City, and no doubt Mayor Narine sees this becoming a reality, in conjunction with the GCCI, since they have a role to play. However, there is a reality which the Mayor and council must face – that no amount of goodwill and patience; no amount of written intentions, without its practical reciprocity of the billions in outstanding taxes being paid, will suffice for the City’s urgent need for hard revenue, which must only come from those who are indebted to the City. He must not allow himself to be distracted in anyway, from the most serious challenge facing his council – the billions of unpaid taxes. He has a statutory duty, as well as a right to demand, without compromise, those sums owed; for it is time that those unconscionable citizens honour their civic obligation. THE CITY NEEDS ITS REVENUE. Regards Carla Mendonca

One man, one credible vote or nothing at all Dear Editor

less with results that were declared, cannot pass muster HEREAS in 1926 owing to the revelations in t r a d e u n i o n i s t the recount. Yet persons are Hubert Nathan- expecting us to sanction the iel Critchlow led the fight fraud in the count or the reof One Man One Vote in the count and the court has so 21st century given what is done resulting in an appeal happening today the fight is being heard now. for One Man One Credible Fraud is fraud! Shame Vote. As a trade unionist, I o n G E C O M a n d t h e zealously guard the legacy courts if these two bodies canof the vote we fought for. not find a just way to fix the From the inception of the problem but choose instead to count being challenged I add their own chaos. Shame stated the integrity of the on those officers of the judivote must be preserved. cial system who instead of Letters were written to upholding the integrity of the effect and a visit paid their profession for justice to on 31st May to the Arthur be served see justice as best Chung Conference Centre, served by making an unlawduring the National Recount ful act lawful, rewarding its exercise, where a statement perpetrators. We must not was read, restating that accept this! position. Today I repeat the If our courts cannot decall for the credibility of liver for Guyana, if GECOM the vote to be safeguarded. commissioners cannot come It must be One Man One together and agree on what is Credible Vote. right, the Chair upholds the People are taking Guya- highest principles of justice nese to make them fools. At by settling for nothing less, this point for us it must no the President must ensure by longer just be about an elec- pronouncement, if necessary, tion, about who wins and who that Guyana is not placed unloses. If as general principle der siege by local politicians, the court can intervene to business and other interests, straighten out the process then as well as by unscrupulous the court must do so to protect international community, all the integrity of the vote. If of whom seek nothing more the first instance of suspected than to ravage and exploit fraud in Region Four was not our resources for their own sanctioned there is no logical purpose. By virtue of his way the massive fraud found office as Head of State, he during the recount exercise shoulders the responsibility can be acceptable. to protect and preserve the None other than GECOM state, its laws, values and all Chair, Justice Claudette Singh the people. noted “grave irregularities” None must be party to inwere found in the recount judicious acts, compromising exercise. The fact of the mat- the credibility of the vote. In ter is the first count, though the words of U.S Civil Rights technically appearing flaw- icon Rev Martin Luther King

W

Jr, and in this period when we commemorate Emancipation and the valiant struggle of our ancestors, “The time is always right to do what is right.”

Workers across the length and breadth of this country, regardless of who they supported in this election, must not give assent to any effort that would tarnish what we fought for and must now safeguard.

In this period of our history, it is not only about ensuring the vote but also protecting the integrity of the vote. If we go ahead with this election we will be telling our children, the youth and future generations that there is good thiefing and bad thiefing- good rigging and bad rigging. This must not be the new standard, the new low we are prepared to stoop to be accepted by others or not have our visas revoked.

Given what we witnessed in those opened boxes we cannot truly say the people have decided who leads Guyana when we cannot confirm One Man One Credible Vote. It is time to restore law, order and decency to this society. I have fought for these values in our society for years, I have stood ground for everybody; Black, Indian and all other races, hinterland people, and coastland, regardless of who they be and wherever they are. Regardless of political persuasion.

TODAY, I say to you, M Y F E L L O W G U YA NESE, now is the time to let the powers that be know that our society will not be further corrupted by lies and kangaroo justice.

It is we the people who will

SUFFER MOST FROM this new low, this new lawlessness. Others will stay from

afar and condemn us as we destroy each other and this society.

Regards Lincoln Lewis

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 30, 2020

Venezuelans, other foreign nationals main victims of human trafficking in Guyana

SINCE 2018, Guyana has seen a drastic increase in the number of immigrants and non-nationals who are victims of trafficking in persons, and the situation has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic which hit Guyana since March.

This was at the heart of a virtual panel discussion held by the Ministry of Social Protection (MoSP) last Wednesday, as that agency continues is its week- long observance leading up to the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons (TIP), which will be celebrated on Friday, July 31.

This year in celebration of the day, the Counter-Trafficking in Persons (C-TIP) Unit, at the MoSP is placing emphasis on migrant TIP victims, observing the event under the theme, “Embracing Diversity, Reducing Vulnerabilities, Promoting Safe Migration”, given the growing situation of TIP among migrants.

In 2019, from 25 reports some 140 TIP victims were rescued, of which over 90 per cent were Venezuelans ; the number also included Haitians and Cubans, while a few were Guyanese. These latest figures are in stark contrast to figures from the 2014 – 2017 period, when foreign nationals accounted for only 45 per cent of the TIP cases. “That’s an astronomical increase,” expressed Daniel Griffith, Acting Coordinator of Ministerial Task Force on TIP. Griffith said it was around 2018 that cases started to drastically increase, being directly proportional to the in-

The presenters at Wednesday morning’s discussion on “COVID and Its Impact on TIP and the Migrant Population”

flux of foreign nationals that started to come to Guyana, particularly Venezuelans who have been fleeing their Spanish- speaking nation due to its ongoing economic crisis.

In 2018, they were 32 reported cases that yielded some 245 alleged victims, of which 162 were Venezuelans; 49 were Cubans; 10 were from The Dominican Republic; and just 21 were Guyanese. For this year, statistics for January to June shows that following 19 reports, the C-TIP has rescued some 43 TIP victims, while eight males and 35 females, all were foreign nationals.

Of those cases , 90 per cent were females below the age of 27 years .

“There’s a growing trend moving from predominantly Guyanese to foreign nation-

als, particularly Venezuelan nationals,” Griffith shared.

He added that: “Human trafficking continues to be one of the most hidden crimes in Guyana. Due to complexities in detection, despite stringent efforts it’s occurring and continues to go on.”

Griffith was among those who presented at last Wednesday’s discussion. The panel discussions centred on the topic of “COVID and Its Impact on TIP and the Migrant Population.” Other presenters on the panel included International Organization for Migration (IOM)representatives Montserrat Hernandez, and Oliver Profitt , as well as Technical Officer from the Department of Citizenship, Jermaine Grant. The discussion was hosted by the C-TIP Unit Coordinator, Tanisha

Williams – Corbin. Hernandez, Project Coordinator for the IOM (Guyana), said that the situation for the nationals have been exacerbated with the COVID-19 situation.

“Migrants had already some challenges and barriers to access services, lack of job opportunity and livelihood, we have seen the situation aggravated in the last couple months. Leaving them to resort to activities that put them at risk of human trafficking and gender-based violence,” she noted.

Hernandez further noted that illegal crossing of migrants puts them at even further risk of being exposed to TIP. Hernandez said getting the migrants themselves to refrain from illegal crossings is easier said than done, so to mitigate the situation, the

IOM tries to focus on educating migrants about their risks.

“We cannot control that person if they want to cross, but that puts them at greater risk of being smuggled and trafficked. For persons in desperate need of health and food, telling them not to cross is not enough, so it’s better to give them the information, so we just share with them the risks of crossing at illegal points of entry. For us the message is always we try to give them the information,” Hernandez explained.

She noted that the fact that nationals from many of these countries do not speak English has become another barrier that puts them at risk for trafficking, as well as leaving them in the dark about the COVID-19 situ-

ation and advisories. “It’s not just the risk of being smuggled, but also the risk of spreading the virus. That’s why it’s important that they know where the situation is and where they can approach if needed,” Hernandez said.

Hernandez noted that the IOM has been working along with the Ministry of Public Health, to help to translate documents into Spanish, Portuguese and Haitian Creole to help the situation. The IOM has also been assisting the most vulnerable of the migrants with shelter, food subsidies and supplies and hygienic and sanitising items. Profitt, the IOM National Coordinator in Guyana, also noted that the IOM Project provides the victims with psychosocial assistance such as small-business grants.

Grant said at the Department of Citizenship several policy changes have been made to facilitate easier entry into Guyana for Venezuelan migrants, as a hopeful deterrent to illegal crossings. Grant explained that once the Venezuelans enter the country legally, it is easier for them to access services such as health and benefit from humanitarian programmes put in place to help migrants.

A multi-agency coordinating committee comprising numerous governmental and non-governmental organisations, which meets regularly, was also set up to address the issue.

GuySuCo aims for 69,480 tonnes of sugar in ‘second crop’ -Produce to be shipped to the Caribbean, North America and Europe

THE Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) is aiming to produce 69,480 tonnes of sugar for the “second crop” period of 2020.

The corporation, despite its dire constraints and the existing economic conditions, had managed to produce 37,015 tonnes of sugar during the ‘first crop’ period for this year. Its ‘first crop’ production was equivalent to 79.6 per cent of its target, which was 46,476 tonnes of sugar.

GuySuCo will, however, be looking to improve on its “first crop” performance, when the “second crop” commences on August 7, 2020.

The corporation, in a press statement, said Albion/Port Mourant Estate will start “grinding cane” on July 31, 2020, while the factories at the Blairmont and Uitvlugt Estates will commence operations by August 4, 2020.

Operations at Albion and Blairmont will extend over a seventeen-week crop period while Uitvlugt is projected to extend for ten weeks.

During the coming season, the corporation will be shipping bulk sugar to markets in the Caribbean, North America and Europe, while both bulk and direct consumption sugars will be sold on the local market.

“When our customers buy our sugars, they contribute towards employment for 8,000 employees and their families or

approximately 40,000 persons (family members), sustaining over 200 businesses (including suppliers), supporting of over 6,000 pensioners; as well as, health care for employees, pensioners and residents in many communities,” said GuySuCo. Customers also contribute towards the corporation’s corporate social responsibility programme, in aspects of community development in Regions Three, Five and Six where the operational estates are located.

The corporation also provides training for residents in these communities, as well as emergency services, such as ambulance and fire tender services, and, very importantly, maintenance of the drainage and irrigation systems from Skeldon in East Berbice to Boerasirie on the West Coast of Demerara.

It was reported that the management of GuySuCo is also exploring innovative and creative ways to keep the employees motivated and engaged, despite the “disruptive” transition process which is now compounded by the challenges around the global COVID-19 pandemic.

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.

According to recent reports, 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.

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.

“We look forward to strengthening our partnerships with our stakeholders, as we transition into a resilient business,” said GuySuCo.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 30, 2020

Fish --but vendors taking a beating these days vow to do whatever necessary to make ends meet

VENDORS of fish and other aquatic foods are a key part of Guyana’s food system, and on any given day, but particularly on weekends, the fish markets and fish depots are abuzz as large numbers of persons usually flock those areas to purchase fresh fish.

However, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact it has had on the country’s economy, as well as the health measures that have been put in place to counter its spread, fish vendors for the last three months have suffered a grave loss of income, and are now adjusting to the new norm of life.

One such vendor is Rashon Felix, who has been plying his trade at the Stabroek Market for over six years, and he admitted that he has experienced some difficulties making a living with his fishing business amid the pandemic.

“Not too bad, but you know, it’s not too good either, but I still have to try with it because everybody gotta live,” he said when asked by the Guyana Chronicle on Tuesday how he’s been faring over the last few months.

Felix, who usually goes out to sea to snare catch his own catch, noted that for the last three months, business has been slow, and as such he has had to ‘hustle’ even hard-

9

Bertie Skeete preparing a ‘catfish’ to make a sale on Tuesday at the Stabroek Market

er to provide for himself and family amid the health crisis.

Bertie Skeete, who has been on the Stabroek Market for six years, stated that he, too, would go out to sea to catch his own fish, but due to personal reasons and the coronavirus pandemic, he has been unable to do so.

“You know, with the COVID-19 and the elections,” Skeete said, “some days everything run nice, and some days it’s dry. It’s not like before right now; it slow up.”

Nevertheless, the man noted that he’s now taken to purchasing fish from other

vendors and selling them back, just to make ends meet for him and his family.

Patrick told the Guyana Chronicle that he had not been on the market since March, and had only ventured out that day to try his luck in hopes of making a sale.

He stated that he’d closed shop after Guyana recorded its first coronavirus case back in March, and that he was even more reluctant to return to the market due to the current political impasse.

The man, who is famously known on the market for

having some of the best ‘cat fish’ in the business, said, “I stayed off the market because of the COVID-19, but surprisingly, today was a good day for me. Business today is as per normal, but because of the COVID-19 and elections, right now, people are not coming… But because a lot of foreigners come back, they coming to buy.”

Another vendor, Nazima Khan noted that the last three months have been brutal for her, but she has been making the best of the situation.

Khan, who has been working in the market for some 20 years, noted that the

Fish vendor, Rashon Felix cleaning his bestseller, the ever-popular Weakfish, commonly known here as ‘Banga Mary’

current pandemic has been her most difficult experience in her vending life, however, she placed her health first, and would only work once or twice a week.

“For the last three

months, everything was slow. Because of the COVID-19, people ain’t coming out and buy, so sometimes I would only come two times a week or one,” the woman said.

Audit commences into COVID-19 sanatorium …Auditor General says payment vouchers for expenditures submitted

THE Audit Office of Guyana has confirmed receiving payment vouchers for the new National Sanatorium which is being constructed at the site of the former Ocean View Hotel.

Even as Guyana continues to navigate through a period of uncertainty and instability caused by a protracted electoral process and the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Auditor General, Deodat Sharma, said accountability and transparency must be maintained. And, it is to this end that the Audit Office commenced an audit of expenditures and transactions made by the government during the past four months. The audit includes corroborating expenditures made for the construction of the National Sanatorium. Some of the necessary documents have since been submitted by the Ministry of Public Health to Sharma’s office.

“I am going through the documents and I do not think we have all…some of the payment

vouchers have been submitted and I am looking at them to see what we have and what we don’t,” said the auditor general, in an invited comment, on Tuesday.

Sharma said his office will continue to request all information from the Ministry of Public Health and other agencies, as the audit into the “COVID-19 expenditures” continues.

Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan, had said that more than $1B will be spent on rehabilitating the Ocean View facility and transforming it to a national sanatorium. With the country already recording over 390 cases of the disease to date, the completion of the facility will be timely and will aid in the incubation, treatment and containment of persons, who are infected with COVID-19.

Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr. Shamdeo Persaud, following a recent tour of the facility, had said he was pleased with the progress

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

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

The Ministry of Public Health, using the PAHO/WHO method, had initially projected 1,400 cases, but a recent study done by PAHO/ WHO found that with every case, another 2.5 persons will be affected within five days if there is no partial lockdown, and if persons do not exercise effective social distancing.

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

Room report.

And should this happen, Dr. Adu-Krow said, five per cent or 1000 of those infected would need intensive care, and Guyana simply does not have the capacity for this.

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

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

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

Even in the construction

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

“From what I’ve seen, progress of the work has been commendable because they completely transformed the facility to where it is now…the quality of work is good so far,” said the CMO. There were a few modifications along the way, but Dr. Persaud said he was content and is confident that the facility will deliver the intended services efficiently. The facility has an operating room, isolation rooms, laundry rooms, kitchen and other necessary elements.

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

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 30, 2020

David Hinds sees plot to effect regime change …calls on all parties to help save Guyana by entering into dialogue

WITH Guyana on the cusp of becoming a major oil producer at a time when Venezuela, its neighbour to the west, continues to experience a decade-long socio-economic and political crisis, it is important for some to effect regime change in Guyana, so as to have direct control over the country’s petroleum resources and effectively infiltrate the Spanish-speaking nation.

For Political Scientist Dr. David Hinds, the “plot” to remove the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) administration may have been hatched approximately two to three years following the discovery of oil in Guyana. In fact, Guyana’s first oil find was made in May, 2015 by U.S oil giant ExxonMobil, just days after the 2015 General and Regional Elections, in which the APNU+AFC had effectively brought the People’s Progressive Party/Civic’s (PPP/C’s) 23-year reign in office to an end.

To date, ExxonMobil has recorded a total of 16 oil discoveries offshore Guyana in the Stabroek Block. Based on those discoveries, there are approximately eight billion oil-equivalent barrels in the Stabroek Block.

Just five years into office, it would appear that forces locally and internationally want the APNU+AFC administration out of office at a time when Guyana is expected to experience unprecedented development. The relentless push to remove the APNU+AFC government, Dr. Hinds said, is not necessarily linked to any ills committed against society, since there are none or the “undermining of democracy,” but because with David Granger as President it may be difficult for major external players to have control over Guyana’s “black gold.”

Dr. Hinds, while pointing to the 1960s, said “geopolitics” is among factors linked to the highly controversial March 2020 elections here in Guyana.

“What is happening to Guyana is part of the Resource Curse. It is normal for small countries to become victims of their own success once their interests do not fit into the agenda of global powerhouses. Politics are [sic] usually used as the clearing house for larger economic and geopolitical interests,” Dr. Hinds told this newspaper.

He added: “No small country with the amount of oil that Guyana has will be left alone by the big countries. Big countries operate from a feeling that small countries like Guyana do not have the capacity to deal with that amount of wealth and that they the larger countries have that capacity. So, they are treating it not as Guyana’s potential wealth, they are treating it as their potential wealth, their source of accumulation of wealth and prosperity.”

According to him, that is the source of the uneven economic development visible in the world today. He noted that these major powerhouses think it is their interest to determine who governs Guyana. “They would want a party in government that they are better able to control, and this is the crux of the matter,” he posited.

In addition to oil, he posited that

Leader of the APNU+AFC and President of Guyana, David Granger

Political Scientist Dr. David Hinds

countries such as the U..S have a keen interest in in Guyana’s western neighbour Venezuela, which has been dubbed “a pariah state.”

“We are here again, where Guyana is now caught in the middle of geopolitics which include the larger countries, such as America, Canada and Britain and the rest of Europe. We are caught in between the western powers and Venezuela” the political scientist said.

He believes that in an effort to thwart the will of the Guyanese people, a plot was hatched to get the Bharrat Jagdeo-led PPP/C back in government.

“I am of the firm opinion that this plot has been going on for two-three years.

The coalition was busy governing [and] it seems not to have been aware that there was this plot to impose regime change.

The plot is to manipulate Guyana’s vulnerable electoral architecture to install one political force over the other,” Dr. Hinds said.

Just recently, in June, 2020, Brittany Kaiser – a Cambridge Analytica Whistleblower disclosed how Cambridge Analytica was contracted by the PPP/C in 2013 to control the course of elections in its favour.

Cambridge Analytica is a data-marketing firm that uses data to change audience behaviour. It has been exposed internationally for its practices of data harvesting from tens of millions of Facebook users — in some cases, private messages. The data is then used to identify target voter groups with designed, targeted messages to influence opinion.

The former Cambridge Analytica Programme Development Director said the then PPP/C President, Donald Ramotar, paid Analytica G$80M for its services for the manipulation of data.

According to Kaiser, Cambridge Analytica, on behalf of the PPP/C, executed a behavioural poll and a Target Audience Analysis (TAA), which in other words, is large-scale national research which includes qualitative and quantitative studies and surveys so as to understand as much as possible from the population – from their politics to their culture to their affiliations and decision-making patterns.

Kaiser said that the PPP/C used the information for its advertisement and communication strategies and had a satellite team both in-country and internationally from the London Headquarters.

“Not all countries actually allow political support from abroad or even

political support from foreigners, so it’s usually a satellite team that can be hidden in-country and is not obvious to the opposition that foreign assistance is active,” the whistleblower had explained during her appearance on The Red Line Podcast.

However, even with Cambridge Analytica’s assistance, the PPP/C lost the elections in 2015. But the party regrouped and months after moving a no-confidence motion against the Granger administration, it contracted Mercury Public Affairs — an American firm - in March 2019.

The firm was embroiled in the probe into alleged Russian interference in U.S. elections but was nonetheless hired by the PPP/C to help run its elections campaign. At the time, Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo, described the move to hire Mercury Public Affairs as “proactive.” Jagdeo, the head of the PPP/C, has acknowledged that the firm was contracted for G$34M to lobby U.S. support for his party.

It is believed that between Cambridge Analytica and Mercury Public Affairs, the PPP/C not only successfully acquired mass regional and international support, but also utilised the data garnered to facilitate voter impersonation.

While elections in Guyana were dubbed “free and fair” when thousands of Guyanese went to the polls on March 2, 2020, it quickly descended in chaos following allegations of fraud levelled against the Region Four Returning Office Clairmont Mingo. The electoral dispute, which sparked a series of court actions first initiated by the PPP/C, resulted in a national recount – the first of its kind in Guyana – following international pressure.

It has been alleged that Mingo had inflated the numbers in favour of the APNU+AFC, and while the national recount conducted in May-June showed a variation in the numbers declared by Mingo and those tabulated at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC), the recount also unearthed widespread irregularities, and thousands of cases of voter impersonation, particularly in PPP/C strongholds.

Notably, prior to the 2020 elections, APNU+AFC had lobbied the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to generate a new National Register of Registrant Database (NRRDB), on the grounds that it had an overwhelming

Leader of the PPP/C Bharrat Jagdeo

number of persons who have either died or had migrated, but the PPP/C had objected. It is from the NRRDB that the Official List of Electors is extracted and Guyana went into the Elections with a bloated list.

However, notwithstanding the fact that the recount exercise, which was observed by a high-level Caribbean Community (CARICOM) delegation, unearthed an overwhelming number of irregularities and cases of voter impersonation – some of the world’s major players – the U.S, Canada, United Kingdom, the European Union, the Organisation of American State (OAS), the Commonwealth, the Carter Centre and even CARICOM have come out in support of the PPP/C, saying that the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) should declare the results of the elections based on the recount.

“These are forces that have come together in a systematic manner. It is not every day that a mini-state like Guyana attracts the attention of all those international forces, all those international organisations-- that doesn’t happen by accident. So the fact that elections are taking this length of time to arrive at an outcome says that these are more than normal elections; it says that the plans to use the electoral process to install a winner has it a brick wall. Hence, the resort to other means such as sanctions” Dr. Hinds reasoned.

The resort to the court by a Tucville, Georgetown voter, Misenga Jones, challenging the legality and constitutionality of Order No. 60, which was used to facilitate the national recount, was met with sanctions being imposed on Guyana by the U.S. Earlier this month, the U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo announced that visa restrictions will be placed on individuals “responsible for or complicit in undermining democracy in Guyana.”

“Today I’m announcing visa restrictions on individuals responsible for or complicit in undermining democracy in Guyana. Immediate family members of such persons may also be subject to restrictions. The Granger government must respect the results of democratic elections and step aside,” the U.S. Secretary of State said on July 15.

His announcement, however, was made although the elections commission has not to date declared the results of the March 2 elections. Article 92 of the

U.S. Secretary of State, Michael Pompeo

Constitution of Guyana states that, “a person assuming the office of the President in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution shall, unless his office sooner becomes vacant under Article 178, continues in office until the person elected to the office of the President at the next election held under Article 91 assumes office.”

President Granger has long stated that he like the rest of Guyana, has little choice but to await a formal declaration of the results by the Chair of the Elections Commission. He has also pledged that his government will accept the results of the elections as declared, when declared.

For Dr. Hinds, the threat of sanction forms part of the plot. “Since when going to the court is tantamount to undermining democracy? Everyone knows that is not the issue at hand. Remember it was the PPP that first went to court. My sense is that the longer the standoff goes on, the more the plot is being revealed. We are already learning of approaches to the government to use Guyana to broadcast to Venezuela, and the longer it goes on, more and more the plot will come out.

So that is why they are trying very hard to get the coalition to say that they have lost,” the political scientist submitted.

He said it is instructive to note that the local and international forces in a relentless pursuit to remove a government that has an unblemished human rights record. “No political activist opposed to the government has been locked up, no political opponent has been assassinated; extra-judicial killings has [sic] been eliminated; Guyana has had an unblemished human rights record. So they are actually saying that the most democratic government in Guyana’s post-colonial history is “undemocratic,” he posited.

The political scientist warned that should there be a declaration of the elections result by GECOM, Guyana will suffer tremendously regardless of the party elected to office. The political parties, he posited, must put Guyana first. “I think that this thing it is becoming a stalemate, one side is depending on the court to make its case, the other side is depending on external forces to put it in power. I think in the end, Guyana will suffer. I am going to appeal to the two political leaders to say that there is a stalemate and let us come to a conclusion that includes the interest of all sides in this impasse,” he said.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 30, 2020

Popular North Rupununi restaurant closes after several staff members test positive for COVID-19 …sharp rise in cases worry residents at ‘Devil’s Hole’ in Region Seven A POPULAR restaurant in the Aranaputa Valley near Annai in the North Rupununi has closed its doors after several staff members of the business have tested positive for COVID-19 recently.

Reports are that the entity, which also houses a supermarket and fuel depot, was the subject of testing by medical teams in recent days after a staff member was tested for the virus early in July. The entity is a popular stop-off point for passenger and private vehicles traversing the roadway. This includes minibuses which ply the Georgetown/Lethem route.

Reports are that early in July following a positive case recorded there, a series of tests were carried out on staff members, and three persons tested positive for the virus, raising concerns of residents in the surrounding villages that community spread of the virus was likely.

The Guyana Chronicle was told by a resident who transacts business at the restaurant that last week the entire staff of the entity was tested but the results returned negative for all those who were tested. However, several new cases were recorded in the wider community at Aranaputa, an area which is popular for its peanuts and peanut butter.

Four new cases were recorded there following testing by the regional health authorities last week , while two cases were recorded at nearby Annai and one was listed at Wowetta, a village located some two miles away.

But while the cases are alarming to some residents, the social impact of the pandemic has resulted in mixed reactions within the community.

A branch road at Aranaputa village, North Rupununi

On Wednesday, a relative of a mother of five who works at the restaurant and who is among the trio from the entity who tested positive, related that her sister had little options regarding the welfare of her children.

She said that her sister is a mother of a three-year-old and three other school-aged children. The woman’s eldest child, age 21, is not in the area and reports are that the woman became worried after she was informed by medical officials in the area that she would have to be placed in quarantine at Lethem, some three hours away by bus.

“She has nobody to take care of her young children, so she does not have any idea what to do with the children,” the woman’s sister noted. She said that her sister is not displaying any symptoms of the virus and according to her, her sibling has been using various local medicinal remedies even before she was tested.

“Even before the test, she was using bush medicines and so because they had a first case there and since then she using her own medicine,” the woman said. She said her sister remains at home with her children.

While there are various reports from residents regarding the tracing of the very first cases recorded at Aranaputa several weeks ago, prominent Annai resident, Mike Williams, told the Guyana Chronicle that the rise in cases may have stemmed from illegal crossings made by Brazilians.

He said that a number of Brazilians have been passing through the villages near Annai, even though lockdown measures are in effect. He noted that many of them have been using the illegal border crossings to enter the Rupununi and according to him, they would usually transit Aranaputa daily while they head to the two popular restaurants there to buy food.

“The Brazilians stop to buy food and who knows, handling

Intellectual authors of contractor killing being sought THE police are continuing their investigations into the execution-style killing of 49-year-old Krisoondatt Premsukh, a building contractor.

Premsukh was murdered at one of his construction sites in D’Urban Street on July 16, 2020, while in the company of two other individuals when a lone gunman on foot showed up and opened fire on him. Police sources close to the investigations have indicated that a businessman who was initially held for questioning in relation to the matter was released on substantial station bail and is required to report to the police station weekly until the investigations are complete.

That businessman, whom it is said operates a fishing estab-

lishment and hails from the East Coast of Demerara, had reportedly threatened to kill the same contractor earlier in 2020 after finding out that the man was having an affair with his wife.

On Father’s Day of this year, Premsukh survived an execution attempt on his life when he was shot twice. On Sunday, July 26, 2020, police detectives acting on information moved to a location in Tucville, Georgetown and arrested a 26-year-old young man in connection with the contractor’s murder. The Guyana Chronicle was told that the detectives, based on information acquired, learnt that the 26- year-old who goes by the alias ‘not nice’ and who resides in Kitty might have been

the trigger man on the day the contractor was executed.

When Krisoondatt Premsukh was shot earlier this month, eyewitnesses provided statements to the police that suggested, that the shooter was an identifiable male. It is unclear if at this point any identification parade was conducted of the suspect and if he was positively identified by any of those who provided the police with statements.

Video footage of the shooting showed that Krisoondatt Premsukh was standing to the entrance of the construction site speaking with a male and female when the gunman showed up and opened fire in his (Krisoondatt Premsukh) direction before fleeing.

money and so would be a way the COVID-19 can pass,” he said.

Williams said that residents are aware of the various health precautions which they should be adhering to and according to him many are trying their utmost to remain COVID-free.

To date, 41 positive coronavirus cases have been recorded in the Rupununi and while most have been seen as imported cases, residents are worried that community spread is taking place.

Meanwhile, at least one business person at another Hinterland location which is also a popular transit point for Brazilians and Venezuelans is worried about the recent spike in cases there.

Region Seven has seen a steep rise in positive COVID-19 cases and the Guyana Chronicle understands that at least 13 persons at an area called “Devil’s Hole”, a mining area in the region, have tested positive for the Coronavirus in recent days.

Earlier this week Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr Shamdeo Persaud reported that following tests conducted last weekend in Region Seven, a total of 15 cases were positive.

Then, six new cases were recorded at another Region Seven

location at the village of Arau, close to the Venezuelan border.

A resident who lives close to Devil’s Hole noted that the area is regarded as a major transshipment point for miners from various locations including Bartica as well as Brazilians and Venezuelans who sell fuel and other commodities there.

Of 13 persons who tested positive at Devil’s Hole, seven are Venezuelans who reside in the area. They also frequent the two countries almost on a daily business.

Reports are that Brazilian nationals would also frequent the area using routes across in Venezuela to travel to and from Brazil. To date, more than 81 positive cases of the coronavirus have been recorded in Region Seven.

On Tuesday, the CMO noted that the number of positive cases are rising sharply in the two Hinterland regions and he called for more community action to combat the spread of the dreaded disease.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 30, 2020

Drop the attitude and follow the rules!

--Traffic Chief calls on motorists to use roadways more responsibly

FOR a small country like Guyana, in terms of population density, what could cause it to have so many road fatalities by mid-year!

Eighty accidents and 84 deaths, 37 motorcycle-related! Wow! Traffic Chief, Superintendent Linden Isles thinks he has the answer.

Put simply, he told the Guyana Chronicle, “It’s an attitude thing! Drivers need to change their attitude, and they have to decide to follow the traffic regulations.”

As he went on to explain, “These accidents are caused by reckless and dangerous driving, and that recklessness comes with the attitude of the drivers towards using the roadways. Nobody thinks about care, caution, courtesy, consideration and commonsense anymore; persons just go out there, and they want to get from point ‘A’ to point

‘B’.”

What is even more worrying, he said, is that although there are established speed limits across the country, such as 50 km/h in the towns and along sections of the East Bank Demerara corridor, most persons refuse to adhere to them, which, in many instances, can cost them or other road users their lives.

Speaking specifically to a certain trend among motorcyclists, Superintendent Isles said that in addition to brazenly flouting the speed limits, they oftentimes flatly refuse to wear their safety helmets when riding their motorcycles, and are in the habit of weaving in and out of the traffic in a dangerous manner.

Not exactly about to throw up his hands in despair, but clearly at his wits end, he said: “We at the Guy-

ana Police Force have been doing lots of educational programmes, including Television and Radio, but persons need to have regards for their own lives and the lives of others. As I said, it is an attitude thing; the drivers need to change their attitude, and they have to decide to follow the traffic regulations.”

YEAR TO DATE Among recent motorcycle-related fatalities is the death late Sunday on Mandela Avenue, in the vicinity of the National Gymnasium, of 31-year-old Leon Wilkins of ‘B’ Field Sophia, after riding headlong into a pedalcyclist who was crossing the road at the time.

Reports are that shortly before 18:00 hrs, Wilkins, who was riding an ‘R6’ Yamaha motorcycle, stopped to buy gas at a retail outlet opposite the Rubis Gas Station

DEAD: Leon Wilkins

on Mandela Avenue. When he was done filling up his cycle, he reportedly hared off, headed in a northerly direction.

Eyewitnesses say that the motorcyclist was riding so fast that the bike ended up more than 100 meters away from the point of impact. The accident reportedly resulted in a significant build-up of traffic along Mandela Avenue, as the police valiantly tried to control the large press of people who’d converged on the scene, perhaps to see whether they knew who the victims were.

A similar incident was recorded on April 12, 2020 when 20-year-old Raphael Haly crashed the borrowed motorcycle he was riding into a utility pole on Second Avenue, Bartica, but died days later while receiving treatment at the Georgetown

DEAD: Dexter Cole

DEAD: Raphael Haly

Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).

According to reports, Haly, of Robb Street, Georgetown, was in Bartica for the day, and had borrowed a friend’s motorcycle to go and buy food.

From information received, like Wilkins, Haly was riding so fast that he lost control of the machine as he neared a speed hump, and rode pell-mell into a utility pool.

Battered and bruised from head to toe, and rendered unconscious, he was rushed to the Bartica Regional Hospital, but was so badly injured that he had to be transferred to the Georgetown Hospital where he

would eventually die.

Seems like Sunday, July 26, 2020 was not a good day at all to be out and about, as mere hours before Wilkins met his demise, 45-year-old Vickram Budhram of First Street, Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara, was struck down while waiting on a pedestrian crossing on the Mon Repos Public Road. That accident reportedly occurred around 14:00hrs, when the father of three was struck by a grey Toyota Premio bearing registration PPP 5422, the driver of which, eyewitnesses say, seemed to be in a mighty hurry to get wherever it was that he was going.

As at July 28, 2020, the number of road accidents stood at 80, with 84 fatalities, while for all of last year, the ratio was 98: 115, and the year before 79: 92.

CGID strips Gonsalves of Democracy Prize

THE board and general membership of the New York-based Caribbean Guyana Institute for Democracy ( CGID) unanimously passed a motion at their town hall public meeting on Monday, July 27, 2020, to revoke the Democracy Prize which was awarded to Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines, The CGID, which has a membership of 20,000, had awarded Dr Gonsalves the Prize in 2005. Over 100 supporters were present at Monday’s meeting.

The motion was moved by Mr. Jason Benjamin and was seconded by Dr. Michelle Luard. According to the motion, Gonsalves has violated the standards of democracy, as well as requirements of the Prize to which he was obligated.

The board mandated CGID President Rickford Burke to communicate its decision to Prime Minister Gonsalves and to request that the Prize be returned by the end of August. The announcement of the passage of the motion was met with sustained, thunderous applause.

This latest move by the New Yorkbased body also comes in the wake of Dr Gonsalves’ comments pertaining to Guyana’s electoral impasse.

On Wednesday, June 12, 2020, Dr Gonsalves was quoted as saying, “We expect the CARICOM observer mission to

deliver its report, and we expect that what is the recount would be honoured, and the Guyana Elections Commission will honour that recount and declare the winner in accordance with this recount. And anybody who then wants to challenge anything afterwards can go to court, but you have to declare the winner in accordance with the recount… I know a lot of opposition parties when they lose, or anybody who loses, they say, ‘Oh, so and so thief.’ It’s almost a boring repetition; we get the reports, follow the law and who wins, wins.”

PM Gonsalves was amongst CARICOM Heads, others being Prime Ministers Mia Mottley of Barbados; Roosevelt Skerrit of Dominica; Dr. Keith Rowley of Trinidad and Tobago; and Dr. Keith Mitchell of Grenada, who visited Guyana several days after the March 2, 2020 elections, with the aim of assisting in finding a resolution.

Guyana’s Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo and other APNU officials, including Campaign Manager for the A Partnership for National Unity+ Alliance For Change ( APNU+AFC) Joseph Harmon, have condemned Dr Gonsalves’ statement, saying that it is premature, untimely and highly prejudicial and could contribute to a charged situation in Guyana.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 30, 2020

CJIA celebrates Eddy Grant’s works Recording Studios. The sale and distribution of Eddy Grant-branded merchandise, including the four Guyana postage stamps issued in his honour, promotion of the “Ring-bang Phi-

Eddy Grant’s branded “WELCOME TO GUYANA “ sign at the CJIA

THE Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), On Wednesday announced its partnership with Eddy Grant, Ice Records and Ring-bang, in the unveiling of his branded “Welcome to Guyana” sign, which will serve as a centrepiece to remind the public of his contributions to this country’s culture.

The sign, which stands at 20 by 12 feet, is located at the arrival corridor of the airport. It is hoped that it will allow passengers an opportunity to interface with his outstanding image and world-beating music, while snapping as many pictures as they wish.

Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson, in his remarks said, “Guyana owes a debt of gratitude to Eddy Grant for his sterling contributions to this country.

He has also been instrumental in bringing much-needed international recognition to Guyana through his many achievements worldwide.

Therefore, it is without a doubt that I believe that he is worthy of our acclamations.”

The music icon however expressed his gratitude, by stating “I am extremely happy that I have received such recognition at this my country’s main port of entry.

It is indeed a thoughtful gesture and one that I of course applaud and will treasure.

Guyana has a special place in my heart, not because it is the country of my birth, but because, it has taught me some extremely valuable life lessons that have been instrumental to my success.

I am truly humbled.”

Grant, who was born in Plaisance, British Guiana, was a founding member of The Equals, the first of the United Kingdom's racially integrated pop groups whose recording of his song “Baby Come Back” was number one on almost every chart in the world and like all other Grant compositions have enjoyed continued popularity throughout many decades.

His subsequent solo career which would come to surpass that of his fellow musicians, includes a number of truly classic recordings, such as the platinum single "Electric Avenue."

He also pioneered the genre RINGBANG. Ringbang is a fusion of music genres with an associated philosophy and aesthetic (The Ring-bang Philosophy) based on love for one’s self first and respect for others. Grant, who rose to stardom in the1970s, has released 15 studio albums, 13 compilation albums and 19 singles. His album “Killer on the Rampage” peaked at Number 10 on the Billboard Chart. His Grammy-nominated single “Electric Avenue,” which has featured in many Hollywood movies, the BMW Super Bowl video presentation, received Multi-Platinum accreditations worldwide as did “I Don’t Wanna Dance” and Gimme Hope Jo’anna, which topped the charts in every country apart from the USA.

Eddy’s songs have been recorded by many internationally famous recording artists, some of them at his world-famous Blue Wave

losophy” and interactive social media engagements will also be featured, as part of efforts to highlight the life and extensive works of Eddy Grant.

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President, First Lady test negative for COVID-19

PRESIDENT David Granger and First Lady, Mrs. Sandra Granger have both tested negative for the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19).

The sample for the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test was taken by medical professionals on Monday.

Director of Communications of the Ministry of the Presidency, Ariana Gordon, when contacted on the results of the tests, said both the President and his wife tested negative for the disease.

President Granger, in an invited comment on Monday, had urged Guyanese to adhere to the various precautionary

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 30, 2020

measures promulgated since March 2020 to prevent the further spread of COVID-19. The President urged also that all persons who develop signs and symptoms of the disease to seek urgent medical attention. The Head of State reminded that COVID-19 is a global pandemic for which there is no cure. He said fighting the pandemic requires collective and continuous action by all.

In a past report, President Granger had said, is a “pernicious” killer which has launched a vicious attack on mankind globally, regardless of race, region, religion, or economic status and Guyana has not been spared.

GWI urges customers to take advantage of E-billing amid COVID-19

~Revenue Manager says E-billing can reduce hassle and make payments easier REVENUE Manager of the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) Miss.

Tomesia Dundas is urging all Guyanese across the country to make use of the company’s updated technology to monitor meters and make payments on time.

The appeal was made when Dundas appeared on the MAAD 97.5 afternoon radio programme last week.

She stated that amid the COVID-19 pandemic and keeping up with the ever-revolving world of technology, GWI has been working to have the majority of its services available to customers via the internet, “As you know, the world is moving towards having paperless transactions; we have been working to have some of our services available online, one of that is the e-billing.”

Dundas added that one of the greatest advantages of the electronic billing service is that not only is it environmentally friendly, but it also

spares customers the time and hassle of having to stand in a line to pay their bills.

“So some of the advantage [sic] our customers would have by subscribing to receive their bills electronically, is that it is hassle-free; you can be on vacation and it’s one click away. Let’s say we ran our billing batch tonight, the customer will receive that email the next day,” she said.

She noted that the technology also spares customers postal and delivery delays, as well as mix-ups with addresses, as often customers would miss their bill payments due to bills being delivered at the wrong address.

Aside from the E-billing service, customers can also send their meter readings to the company via their WhatsApp numbers to assist in accurate readings.

Dundas stated that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the company had suspended meter readings for the

SEE PAGE 15

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 30, 2020

Pregnant mother and child robbed at gunpoint

A MOTHER and child from Eccles on the East bank of Demerara, were, on Wednesday morning, robbed by armed bandits.

The incident reportedly occurred around 09:00 hours, just outside the Eccles Nursery school

compound.

According to information reaching the Guyana Chronicle, Elanna Garraway and her daughter were on their way to complete the child’s registration at the Nursery school, when they were ‘cornered’ by

Elanna Garraway at the scene where the incident occured

two unmasked men on a motorcycle, held at gunpoint and robbed of an undisclosed amount of money, along with a cell phone and documents.

A distressed Garraway recalled that, after the incident occurred, she was shaken up but residents of the aforementioned area came to her aid. She said

that the residents stated that a similar incident occurred, just a few days prior, where a young couple were held, robbed and beaten by thieves, along the same trail.

However, a report was made at the diamond police station and the matter is currently under investigation.

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GWI urges customers to take advantage of ...

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14

months of April and May, which saw customers receiving estimated bills.

However, while meter readings have recommenced, field workers (meter readers) from time to time are faced with challenges and are unable to do their jobs in an effective manner; this is where she said the WhatsApp messaging will be helpful.

“Customers also have the option of taking a photo of their meter reading and sending it to the company via WhatsApp or the GWI App,” she said.

Dundas stressed that it is extremely important for customers to have their meters read to have an accurate figure or estimate on their monthly bill. Explaining how estimating works, she disclosed that the calculation process is not done manually, but electronically, which sees reversals and adjustments being made to the estimated levels of consumption.

“Basically it is a standard consumption amount for residential and non-residen-

tial, for residential customers that amount is 20 cubic metres and for non-residential its 30 cubic metres.

We weren’t reading meters for April and May due to COVID-19, so customers would have received the estimated bills for the two months, so what the system would do on the last reading is reverse those two estimated bills dating back from your last actual reading, dating [back] to the one we took recently,” she explained.

Additionally, Dundas stated that if customers are unable to visit GWI’s offices to make payments, they have the option of using payment agencies such as Mobile Money Guyana (MMG), Sure Pay, Western Union etc. that allows the company to receive payments withing a day or two.

To WhatsApp your meter readings send your information to the numbers 6232995 or 6201667 or visit GWI’s website to sign up for Electronic billing at https://gwiguyana.gy//

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 30, 2020

Best way to eradicate racism is through education …says ERC Commissioner Witter

GUYANA is known all around the world as the land of many waters, but it is also the land of many faces, as its population is made up of six ethnic groups: Amerindians, Europeans, Africans, East Indians, Portuguese and Chinese.

However, the country, like many others, is still battling the scourge of racism.

During a virtual programme held by the International Decade for People of African Descent Assembly-Guyana (IDPADAG), Ethnic Relations Commissioner, Norris Witter, stated that the best and most effective way Guyana can eradicate racism is through education. “The best positive way in eliminating, in a permanent way, racial discrimination is through a process of education…no one is born a racist, you're taught to be a racist, therefore, if we can unteach racism, racial prejudice and racial discrimination, then that will be a permanent solution to the situation,” Witter said.

Acknowledging that such is easier said than done, he noted that, “While it may be possible through education and moral persuasion to change the heart of persons who currently may embrace racial prejudice and discrimination, it is not likely that you will be able to convert everyone.”

Therefore, he added that it is important to have, in some instances, laws and regulations to restrain those persons who are not perceptible. Witter noted that such can be executed through the investigative and media monitoring arm of the ERC. “Through an investigative arm of the subcommittee, those two bodies take on the responsibility of receiving complaints, processing those complaints and, depending on the outcome of those complaints, apply the necessary sanctions,” he said.

How the ERC works Witter disclosed that when a complaint is sent to the commission, it goes to the media monitoring committee and the transgressor is invited and given a hearing.

At the end of that hearing, if he or she is found culpable, depending on the gravity of the situation, legal penalties can be applied.

He added that apart from the ERC being nested with the task of investigating, it also has a prosecutorial role to inquire into complaints sent to it whether by individuals or organisations; as such, Witter stated, “If a complaint is found to be in violation of the people representation act or the racial hostility act, then the commission can agree to pursue private criminal action against those persons.”

Ethnic Relations Commissioner, Norris Witter

We don’t have a wide range of power Witter stated that many are of the belief that the ERC has the power to subpoena a man and lay charges upon him. However, he explained that such is not the case and prosecution should only be considered as a last result.

“Our foremost task is not to immediately move to the process of prosecution without exploring all the avenues that may be best suited given the circumstance; prosecution must be a last resort, there is a perception that the ERC has wide-ranging powers,” he said.

The commissioner added that the body does not have the power to subpoena persons who would have violated the law or made statements that are inflammatory, nevertheless, what they can do is invite transgressors to attend a hearing and merely hope that they respond.

Breaking new grounds Nevertheless, he noted that the commission is seriously considering its option to prosecute. “We are looking at the possibility of prosecution, but we don’t have a precedent to go by, so we will be breaking new grounds.”

However, when addressing the issue of prosecution, Witter articulated that one must take into consideration the fact that the current commission has only been in office for two and a half years, while the commission itself has been in existence for over 18 years.

The previous commissions, he added, never prosecuted anyone , but due to the current situation and a plethora of statements that can do deplorable damage to social cohesion and the country’s state, the commission will be working on the way forward to prosecute transgressors.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 30, 2020

Tourists still prefer the Caribbean – Experts say tourism levels depend on Region’s health management

SHOULD the Caribbean continue its above-average management of the spread of COVID-19, it is highly likely that when compared to other densely populated areas where cases of the virus have spiked, tourists from key areas such as the United Kingdom (UK), will continue to choose the Region as their vacation destination.

This was relayed by health and tourism experts at the second Caribbean Economic Forum hosted by the Central Bank of Barbados on ‘Reviving Caribbean Tourism’ on Tuesday.

Giving the perspective on how the Caribbean has performed to date with regard to mitigating COVID-19, was Chair of the University of the West Indies COVID-19 Task Force, Professor Clive Landis.

EXCEPTIONAL HEALTH MANAGEMENT He said that the Caribbean, though made up of mostly developing countries, has done remarkably well in its management of COVID-19.

He noted that the Region accounts for roughly 80,000 cases of which 65,000 are within The Dominican Republic and 1,500 deaths.

Landis explained that his means that, apart from The Dominican Republic, the rest of the Caribbean has only about 15,000 cases and 500 deaths.

This, he said, was made possible through quick and consistent action and collaboration amongst countries within the Region, even though they don’t all speak the same first-languages.

“This level of containment is really exceptional,” he said. “It was basically achieved by doing the basics well. Our testing was really excellent, right from the get go…a dozen or more islands were trained by the Pan American Health Organisation, they had the gold standard PCR test; the quality of the tests has been good as well as the speed of the results.”

Landis noted that for most Caribbean countries, results are generated within 24 hours, which allows for contact-tracing much earlier.

He added: “We’ve been able to do testing, contact-tracing, isolation and quarantine and we’ve been doing that well and we also locked down early…this was the underpinning of how the Caribbean has achieved this

containment and it means that we can reopen our economies from a position that it is safe to do so, providing we take all the necessary precautions.”

He said that the Caribbean is still classified as a lowrisk Region when it comes to the presence of the virus, which means that it should not be fearful of opening its ports at the right time to other low-risk areas. However, Landis noted that the challenge comes with accepting persons from high-risk locations such as the United States (U.S.) or Brazil.

TOURISTS STILL INTERESTED However, with key areas such as the U.S. and United Kingdom (UK) being the hub from which tourists arrive to the Caribbean, Director for Corporate and Government Relations at the Caribbean Council in the UK, Sue Springer, said that blocking out these countries completely will prove challenging to tourism in the Region.

Springer said that the UK accounts for around 60 per cent of the visitor arrivals in the Eastern Caribbean. However, though major airlines are not on scheduled trips to and from the Region, limited flights are expected to increase in the coming weeks.

“Despite all these challenges, the Brits love their vacations and it will be one of the very last things they will give up and, luckily, the Caribbean has an amazing reputation in the UK. And, due to the fact that the islands have managed to control the pandemic and put into effect strict protocols, the fear of travel to the Region is very much minimised,” she said.

The director revealed that a recent study conducted in June by Source News UK found that 57 per cent of readers planned to go on holiday and one in three were already looking at options. Meanwhile, 53 per cent of readers also stated that they’ve already put aside money for their vacations as a priority.

Springer added that Caribbean tour operators are also encouraging their clients to re-book vacations instead of cancelling. She reported: “They’ve done generally very well and what we’re seeing is a strong booking pattern for 2021, albeit at a slower pace. Some people are looking to book for the last quarter of 2020 and the early quarter of 2021, holding strain to see what

is happening before making their final decisions, but they haven’t cancelled.”

The director has observed that, in general, tourists are looking for flexibility in their cancellation policies; for if the situation changes; the ability to trust that hotels will get pre-payment by tour operators in case anything changes; a clear airline-cancellation policy; sturdy health safety protocols; and affordable prices and accommodation facilities which allow them to self-isolate in their private space or have large, open spaces.

Back on June 17, President of the Tourism and Hospitality Association Guyana (THAG), Mitra Ramkumar had told the newspaper that Guyana’s tourism sector has been analysing each development and is seeking out ways to adapt to the circumstances and the new form that tourism will take on.

Ramkumar believes that with Guyana’s main focus on eco-tourism, it will not be difficult for the country to manage physical distancing at many destinations, as opposed to other countries accustomed to large and congesting crowds.

He also noted that local stakeholders have a plan in the works for wide-scale collaboration in the establishment of COVID-19 kits and business Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), which would enable most, if not all tourism businesses in Guyana to operate at the same level of efficiency.

He said that this unison is key as tourists are not likely to determine whether they should visit a country based on the standards of just one business, but tourism businesses in the collective.

On the other hand, one of the major fears of tourists, Springers said, is the inability to get tested within 72 hours of travel, which is now a requirement for travel to most Caribbean countries.

There are also concerns that the usual activities will not be held and restaurants may be closed.

However, she assured: “Moving forward, I think that the Caribbean, we can say, is very much an aspirational destination and because of what has been done so far, I think, moving forward, we will see the Caribbean [be a destination where] people can get there and feel confident.”

Chair of the University of the West Indies COVID-19 Task Force, Professor Clive Landis

Director for Corporate and Government Relations at the Caribbean Council in the UK, Sue Springer

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 30, 2020

‘High-Quality Reservoirs’ Found at Yellowtail-2 – Hess

HESS Corporation, partner of ExxonMobil in the Stabroek Block, has announced finds of “high quality reservoirs” at Yellowtail-2, further cementing confidence in the “world class quality” of the Guyana basin.

In its 2020 Second Quarter Operational Report on Wednesday, the Company revealed that though COVID-19 related travel restrictions temporarily idled two drillships, both drillships resumed drilling operations by the end of the second quarter.

As a result, the Stena Carron rig recently completed appraisal drilling at Yellowtail-2, located 1 mile southeast of Yellowtail-1.

Appraisal drilling is drilling done when oil or gas has been discovered, to assess how much there is, how big the field is, the possible rate of production, and the properties of the oil or gas.

“The well identified two additional high-quality reservoirs, one adjacent to, and the other below the Yellowtail Field, further demonstrating the world class quality of this basin. This

additional resource is currently being evaluated and will help form the basis for a potential future development,” the report stated. The Yellowtail discovery was announced in April 2019, it is ExxonMobil’s 13th oil discovery in the Stabroek Block.

Meanwhile, Hess also announced that the Noble Don Taylor commenced drilling of the Redtail exploration well, which is 1.25 miles northwest of Yellowtail-1, in July. The other two drillships, the Noble Bob Douglas and the Noble

Tom Madden, are drilling and completing Liza Phase 1 and Phase 2 development wells. In keeping with previous reports from ExxonMobil, the report noted that the Corporation’s net production from the Liza Field, which commenced in December 2019, averaged 22,000 barrels of oil per day (bopd) in the second quarter of 2020.

It was also indicated that the operator, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), is currently commissioning water injection equipment and bringing natural gas injection fully online that should enable the Liza Destiny Floating Production, Offloading, And Storage vessel (FPSO) to reach its capacity of 120,000

gross bopd in August.

The need comes after ExxonMobil encountered issues with its gas compressor after it increased production in midMay. Key specialist technicians were required to repair the units but, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, repairs were initially delayed.

Senior Director of Public and Government Affairs at ExxonMobil Guyana, Deedra Moe, told this newspaper earlier this month that since making some initial repairs, 85 per cent of the produced gas from the reservoir is now being injected and production has been ramped up.

Hess stated, too, that Phase 2 of the Liza Field development, which will utilize the Liza Unity

FPSO with an expected capacity of 220,000 gross bopd, remains on target to achieve first oil in early 2022.

As previously announced, some activities for a third development, Payara, with expected production capacity of 220,000 gross bopd, have been deferred pending government approval of the project, creating a potential delay in production startup of six to twelve months. EEPGL, a subsidiary of ExxonMobil, holds a 45 per cent interest in the Stabroek Block, while Hess Guyana Exploration Ltd, holds another 30 per cent interest, and CNOOC Nexen Petroleum Guyana Limited, the remaining 25 per cent.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 30, 2020

70 businesses benefit from relief grant

By Navendra Seoraj

IN a time of distress and instability, the Small Business Bureau (SBB) has stepped up and provided financial support to 70 small businesses.

Guyana’s economy, like many others, has been suffering because of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and while some sectors have managed to stay afloat, small and medium size enterprises, which form part of the commercial sector, have been struggling to “break even.”

As part of an effort to help those businesses “keep their heads above water,” the SBB has so far disbursed relief grants totaling $10.5M. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SBB, Dr. Lowell Porter, told this publication that the bureau has been disbursing funds to its clients, once a certain criterian is fulfilled.

In addition to those business which have already benefitted, the bureau will be providing support to an additional 24 clients in the new week.

Dr. Porter said over 200 applications have already been examined, but 49 per cent of those applicants are not clients of the bureau.

“We have been encouraging them to join and, so far, 63 have done so and seven of them have received funding,” said the CEO.

The bureau has received and processed applications from businesses within every administrative region, except Regions One (Barima-Waini) and Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo).

When asked how long the bureau will be able to sustain the project, Dr. Porter said the initiative will continue once funds are available.

Guyana Chronicle had reported that the aim of the bureau’s initiative was created to strengthen and sustain small businesses, through provision of relief grants to sustain business operations and retain employees, along with training and development support to establish and market businesses through online platforms, diversify businesses and forge supply partnerships.

Though the bureau has approximately 10,000 businesses on its database, by law, the bureau can only work with those businesses that have been compliant.

Only 400 of the registered businesses have been compliant.

“There are a lot of expectations on what the SBB can provide to these businesses that are not true.

The SBB doesn’t lend any money; we’re not a lending agency, there’s nobody repaying us for anything,” said Dr. Porter in a previous report.

He suggested that small businesses band together

Former B’dos PM was inspiration, left incredible legacy-- Guyana Youth Movement

THE Youth Movement of Guyana has expressed sincerest condolences on the passing of former Barbados Prime Minister Owen Arthur.

In a release, the group stated that they witnessed this remarkable statesman stand up at the first attempts to undermining local democracy. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this difficult time.” The

group also noted that he was an inspiration and has left an incredible legacy and expressed sincerest condolences to his family, friends, the people of Barbados, the Caribbean Community and the wider world.

The late Prime Minister Arthur had served as Barbados’s fifth Prime Minister for three consecutive terms, from 1994 to 2008.

and assess ways in which they could even help each other out.

“I advise that they start working together. For example, if you own a restaurant, arrange with a delivery service. I believe there are opportunities, but we need to talk to the clients first and see what is going on, and we just started that process,” Dr. Porter said.

The bureau is also helping clients with the setting up of online platforms and, according to Dr. Porter: “They have to maintain an interface with their clientele. If the business can be done online, they can

utilise an online portal. If they do not have one, we are reviewing how to help them have an online presence,” Porter said.

In a past interview with the Department of Public Information, Minister of Business, Haimraj Rajkumar, had said that a new agency has been set up to organise assistance for small businesses and farmers.

The Coordinating Agency for Small Enterprises (CASE) was established under the leadership of President David Granger, and is aimed at supporting farmers and

small business owners and employees.

“CASE is comprised of agencies from the Ministry of Business and the Ministry of Agriculture and part of its responsibility is to develop measures to alleviate poverty, create employment, stimulate domestic production and consumption of locally produced goods,” Minister Rajkumar explained.

He noted that the coalition government is encouraging citizens to buy more locally-produced products to support small businesses and to stimulate Guyana’s economy.

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Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Small Business Bureau, Dr. Lowell Porter

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CRICKET QUIZ CORNER Thursday July 30, 2020 COMPLIMENTS OF XTRA ENERGY DRINK – STABROEK BAZAAR (Tel: 683-9500) & CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD – 83 Garnett street, Campbellville, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158) ANSWERS TO YESTERDAY’S QUIZ: (1) 22 Tests; 1342 runs (2) Karl Nunes (vs ENG, Lord’s, 1928) TODAY’S QUIZ: (1) Who scored double centuries in the WI/ENG Oval Test in 1976?

(2) Who is the last WI bowler to take a Test match hattrick?

ANSWERS IN TOMORROW’S ISSUE

Roach rises one as holder slips in ICC test rankings (CMC) – Kemar Roach’s four-wicket first-innings haul in the Old Trafford third Test has seen him gain one place in the latest International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Test bowling rankings.

The 32-year-old seamer, the leader of the West

Indies attack, now lies 15th and is one of three maroon cap players in the top 20.

Roach finished with four for 72 in England’s total of 369 all out, in the process becoming the ninth West Indies bowler and the first in 26 years to reach 200 wickets in Tests.

The Barbadian finished the three-Test series with eight wickets as West Indies lost the final Test by 269 runs to concede the series 2-1.

Captain Jason Holder, meanwhile, dropped two places to fifth after picking up just two wickets in the final Test while speedster Shannon Gabriel remained unmoved at 19th after claiming just two.

Off-spinner Roston Chase, the only other West Indies bowler in the top 50, remained 31st. He claimed 10 wickets in the series.

In the batting rankings, elegant stroke-maker Shai Hope rose two places to 68th, following scores of 17 and 31 in the final Test.

It was the only bright spark of the tour for the 26-year-old, who struggled with 105 runs overall at an average of 17.

Holder remained the highest-ranked West Indies batsman at 41st with wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich (48th) and opener Kraigg Brathwaite (50th) completing the top 50.

Australia’s Steve Smith has continued his reign at the top of the batting rankings while fellow countryman Pat Cummins still dominates the bowling rankings.

There was no change in the all-rounders rankings with Holder lying second behind topranked Ben Stokes of England.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 30, 2020

Holder cites mental fatigue as cause for series loss (CMC) – Captain Jason Holder has pointed to mental fatigue arising from the COVID-19 bio-secure environment as one of the reasons behind West Indies’ weak finish to the three-Test series against England.

The Caribbean side started the series strongly with a four-wicket win in Southampton earlier this month but then faded badly, losing the second Test at Old Trafford here by 113 runs and the final contest also in England’s northwest by 269 runs on the final day here Tuesday.

All three matches were played back-toback and behind closed doors, with the players embedded in hotels based at the venues and barred from contact from the public since their arrival in the first week of June in order to mitigate against the threat of the global pandemic.

“It’s been challenging. I think mentally some of the guys are a bit worn out as well,” Holder said following his side’s defeat which saw them surrender the Wisden Trophy they won last year in the Caribbean.

“We’ve been here four weeks prior to the first Test. We had a change in environment which we really enjoyed at Southampton but then to come back here to Manchester to see the same people, same place, same rooms was a bit difficult.

“It could be this way for a little while so we’ve just got to find ways to make it work.

Hopefully things can ease up throughout the world and probably guys can get out of the hotel a little bit more, but more or less it has been mentally challenging for sure.”

He continued, “We’ve been kept indoors for the last two months, the guys haven’t seen a bit of real life for a bit. Outside of that it’s tough to constantly get up, open your curtains and see the cricket ground.

“So it has been challenging mentally and a lot of our guys have felt it and coming closer to (leaving for) home, it probably gets a little more difficult but more or less I think the guys have done outstandingly well in terms of keeping their focus.

“The last Test match obviously we were probably outplayed but I think in the Test

series we’ve had a lot of positives, whether it be wickets, runs and generally as a group we’ve shown signs of improvement as well.”

West Indies came under criticism for their lack of squad rotation which saw the same XI feature in the first and second Tests, with a single change made for the final Test.

In contrast, England rung the changes throughout the series to facilitate players’ workloads but Holder said it was important West Indies tried to field their best team at all times.

“We won the first Test match and trying to clinch the series, you put out your best team every time,” he pointed out.

“Yes, we’re still considering workloads after having not played cricket for a while and it’s just one of those decisions where you’re trying to back your best team to do the job for us.”

West Indies’ suspect batting was under the

microscope prior to the start of the series and it proved to be their downfall in the second and third Tests.

They managed totals of 287 and 198 in the second Test while failing to dismiss England in either innings, and could only muster 197 and 129 in the final Test in a mediocre showing.

And Holder, who also struggled with the bat to slip out of top position in the all-rounders rankings, urged his batsmen to focus on converting fifties into centuries in the future.

“When we look at the actual cricket itself, definitely we need our batters to score a bit more runs,” said Holder.

“And it’s mainly just to convert most of the starts they’ve been getting and it has been the case where they’ve been getting starts but not converting them. I can’t ask the bowlers to do much more than they’ve done for us so far.”

Joshua ready to fight anywhere, anytime

Eddie Hearn in front of the boxing ring he has constructed in his back garden - complete with canopy and spotlights

(BBC) - WORLD heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua will fight “anywhere, anytime”, says his promoter Eddie Hearn.

The British boxer, 30, has not fought since he regained his WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles from Andy Ruiz Jr last December due to COVID-19.

Hearn has erected a ring in the grounds of his Essex estate in a bid to resurrect the sport for an event dubbed ‘Fight Camp’.

“Joshua would fight here (at Hearn’s home), no problem,” Hearn said.

“If we were faced with the option of having no fans for an Anthony Joshua fight, we would still look to go ahead. He’s spent a lot of time training out here in this garden so he would have no problem fighting here himself.

“He was here a couple of weeks ago. He loves to fight, to box and it’s not just about fighting in a huge arena - Wembley Stadium, Madison Square Garden - it’s about boxing.

“We want him to be in front of crowds.

But for his career, for his development, he needs to fight this year.”

Joshua, who has also reached an agreement for two fights with fellow Briton

Tyson Fury, was originally scheduled to fight Kubrat Pulev in June, but the bout was postponed because of the coronavirus.

“Of course fighters want to earn as much money as possible but they also need to develop as fighters and I think the Kubrat Pulev fight is a good, solid, tough fight for him and I am almost certain you will see that fight this year.

“He wants to improve as a fighter and he will do it anywhere, anytime.”

‘Fight Camp’ opens with Sam Eggington defending his IBF international super-welterweight title against Ted Cheeseman on Saturday, with more events on August 7 and 14, while James Tennyson will box Gavin Gwynne for the vacant British title.

Former WBC interim heavyweight champion Dillian Whyte fights Russian Alexander Povetkin on August 22, with undisputed lightweight champion Katie Taylor up against Delfine Persoon in a rematch on the same bill.

“I wanted to bring boxing back with a bang - we’re a major sport and we had to make a big impression,” said Hearn.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 30, 2020

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Bates considering amputation for longer international career (BBC) - Great Britain wheelchair basketball player George Bates says he may have to consider having his leg amputated to continue his international career.

The 26-year-old has been told that his particular disability makes him ineligible to play the sport.

Bates was injured playing football aged 11 and has complex regional pain syndrome - a condition that causes persistent severe pain.

“I have been deemed to be the ‘wrong kind’ of disabled,” he said.

Bates made his senior de-

code.

The IPC warned that failure by the IWBF to act could result in the sport being removed from future Paralympics, including next year’s rescheduled Tokyo Games.

International players are classified between 1.0 (most impaired) and 4.5 (least impaired), and the IPC required all 4.0 and 4.5 players to go through reclassification before Tokyo.

Leicester player Bates was originally classified as a 4.5 player.

“This condition has left me in constant pain for the past 15 years, as well as with

reduced limb movement and muscle deterioration,” he posted on social media.

“I will live with this for the rest of my life.”

Bates said he chose not to have an amputation as a teenager, hoping for an improvement in his condition, but that has never happened.

Athletes who have a lower limb amputation are among those eligible to compete.

“Due to the decision of the IPC, I may now be forced to revisit this heart-breaking option,” he said. “It will be a big thing for me to consider.”

The Briton said he was considering appealing against

the decision.

“It is ironic that the IPC - which attempts to base its brand around equality and inclusivity - is deliberately discriminating against athletes who don’t meet its narrow-minded view of what it actually means to be disabled,” he added.

In response, the IPC said in a statement that it had sympathy with Bates’ situation but added its classification code states that complex regional pain syndrome is a health condition that does not lead to an eligible impairment to participate in Paralympic sport.

overturn deficit to beat Swansea

BRENTFORD MOVE CLOSER TO DEFINING PROMOTION Brentford had propelled themselves into contention for automatic promotion following a seven-match winning run after lockdown, but missed out on a place in the top two after defeats in

their final two games of the season.

They were the top scorers in the Championship this season and were back to their attacking best during a stirring first hour, before Brewster’s goal tested their defensive resolve in the closing stages.

(BBC) - Brentford overturned a first-leg deficit to beat Swansea City 3-2 on aggregate and book their spot in the Championship play-off final at Wembley.

Ollie Watkins’ composed finish in the 11th minute levelled the semi-final on aggregate, and a header from Emiliano Marcondes put the Bees ahead in the tie four minutes later.

but in 2017 after a successful junior career and has gone on to win European and world gold with the GB team.

Wheelchair basketball’s governing body, the IWBF,

was told earlier this year by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) that it needed to change its classification regulations in order to comply with the IPC’s classification

George Bates was part of the GB team that won gold at the 2018 World Championships in Germany

into the second leg of their semi-final tie today (19:45 BST).

EARLY BEES BLITZ TURNS TIE AROUND Andre Ayew had given Swansea a 1-0 lead at the end of Sunday’s first leg, and Brentford head coach Thomas Frank promised his side would attack from the off in a bid to reach the final.

into the match, but his side fell further behind within a minute of the restart when Frenchman Mbeumo notched his first goal in eight games with a clinical volley.

Wing-back Connor Roberts cut in from the right and saw his left-footed effort tipped over

by Raya as the visitors sought a way back into the match.

Brewster rarely had a sight at goal but calmly lobbed Raya

Victory for Brentford in their final game at Griffin Park, their home since 1904, put the Bees within one win of a Premier League place

Bryan Mbeumo volleyed in a cross from Rico Henry in the first minute of the second half to make it 3-0 on the night and give Brentford a two-goal cushion.

Rhian Brewster dragged Swansea back into the contest with 12 minutes remaining, capitalising on a poor clearance from Pontus Jansson and chipping home goalkeeper David Raya, but the visitors were unable to find a second goal which would have forced extra-time.

Victory meant the Bees signed off at Griffin Park, their home of 116 years, in style before their move to a new stadium this summer.

The west Londoners, who are looking to end their 73year exile from the top flight, will face either Cardiff City or neighbours Fulham at Wembley on Tuesday, August 4.

Fulham will take a 2-0 lead

Marcondes tested visiting goalkeeper Erwin Mulder in the fourth minute with a swerving shot from outside the box, and the Bees went ahead following a swift counter-attack from a Swansea corner.

A defence-splitting pass from Mathias Jensen put Watkins through on goal, and the forward made no mistake to net his 26th goal of the season.

The hosts swiftly doubled their lead when Said Benrahma picked out an unmarked Marcondes in the box to guide in a header from 12 yards.

Bees keeper David Raya preserved his side’s advantage with a low save from Conor Gallagher’s side-footed effort and Benrahma almost made it 3-0 on the night with a shot which hit the inside of the post.

Swansea boss Steve Cooper made a double change at the break in a bid to get back

from just outside the box after centre-back Jansson made a mess of an attempted backheel. It was the striker’s 11th goal since moving to Swansea on loan from Liverpool in January.

Swansea continued to press forward and six minutes of stoppage time brought further drama as Brewster tested Raya from 25 yards, while Roberts and Bees boss Frank were both booked after a clash on the touchline.

Benrahma almost finished the match off with a flourish but saw a curling effort go narrowly over the bar.

Swansea were among the early pace-setters this season, but fell out of the play-off places in January and only just clawed their way back into the top six on a remarkable final day of the regular campaign.

Despite their play-off exit,

Cooper, who led England to the Under-17 World Cup in 2017, will have positive experiences to build on following his first year of senior club management.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 30, 2020

England name unchanged Milan interested in 14 man squad permanent Sanchez deal

England came from behind to beat West Indies 2-1 in their first series of the summer

Alexis Sanchez has scored four times in 28 matches in all competitions during his loan spell with Inter Milan

(BBC) - Inter Milan want to sign Manchester United forward Alexis Sanchez on a permanent deal.

The Chile striker, 31, has impressed during his loan spell in Italy and scored his third goal in eight games during Saturday’s 3-0 win at Genoa.

Sanchez was involved again on Tuesday night as Inter maintained their push to finish second in Serie A with a 2-0 win over Napoli.

Inter have not finished in Serie A’s top three since 2011.

The player’s United contract – thought to be around £400 000 a week – is beyond Inter’s reach but Old Trafford boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer does not want to keep the former Barcelona

forward for next season.

United have been paying a sizeable portion of Sanchez’s wages since he moved to Italy last summer and the former Arsenal man’s contract is not due to expire until 2022.

Any deal would almost certainly require some kind of pay off from United and a willingness by Sanchez to take a wage cut.

There is uncertainty over how long the player will be permitted to be involved in Inter’s Europa League campaign.

The BBC understands Sanchez will be available for the last-16 tie with Getafe on August 5 but with United also still in the competition, the existing deal would see the player then return to Old Trafford.

(BBC) - England have named an unchanged 14man squad for the first of their three Tests against Pakistan, which begins on Wednesday, August 5 at Old Trafford.

It comprises the side who beat West Indies in the final Test at the same venue on Monday - plus Zak Crawley, Sam Curran and Mark Wood.

Batsman Crawley was omitted for that game as England selected an extra seamer with Ben Stokes unable to bowl.

The series will again be played in a secure ‘bio-bub-

Akmal three-year ban halved (BBC) - Umar Akmal’s three-year ban has been reduced by one-and-a-half years by an independent adjudicator, retired Supreme Court judge, Faqir Mohammad Khokhar.

The batsman attended the hearing in person in Lahore, and with the reduced ban, he will remain suspended effectively from February 2020 until August 2021.

Akmal said he might appeal again to try and get it “reduced further.”

Akmal had been banned from all representative cricket in April this year after he failed to report details of corrupt approaches made to him ahead of this year’s PSL. He did accept then that the incidents which formed the basis of the two charges pressed against him by the PCB had taken place, but pointed out that the circumstances were such that they did not merit reporting to the board.

Each charge carried a three-year ban which was running concurrently.

In May, Akmal filed an official appeal against the ban, challenging the length of the sanction and hoping to get it reduced.

His appeal was based on the narrative that players who had fallen foul in a similar manner to Akmal previously were handed far lighter sanctions, with Mohammad Irfan banned in 2017 for six months, and Mohammad Nawaz given a two-month ban.

But it had emerged that he had been handed the stiffer-than-expected penalty for failing to show sufficient remorse.

“I am thankful to the judge for listening to my lawyers properly,” Akmal said after the hearing. “I will decide about the remaining sentence and try to get it reduced further. For now I am not satisfied and will consult my lawyers and family how to take this ahead.

“There are many players before me who made mistakes and just look at what they got and what I got. So all I say right now is thank you very much.”

The judge Justice (ret’d) Fazal-e-Miran Chauhan had observed that Akmal had failed to give any plausible explanation for not reporting the matter to the PCB’s vigilance and

Umar Akmal arrives for the hearing on his ban (Associated Press)

Akmal initially did not contest the PCB charges, forgoing the right to plea his innocence.

The case was directed to the chairman of the PCB’s independent disciplinary panel who, after hearing both the PCB and Akmal handed down the three-year ban.

anti-corruption departments and was in breach of Article 2.4.4, and was deemed to have engaged in corrupt conduct under the anti-corruption code of the PCB. Akmal had attended that hearing without a lawyer, presenting his case himself.

Should he wish to appeal

against the reduced ban, Akmal’s recourse would have to be the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland.

After Akmal had been banned for three years in April, the PCB counsel had said he was satisfied with the verdict, indicating the penalties for breaching the anti-corruption code needed to be made stiffer.

“This three-year ban on the basis of non-reporting is considered appropriate,” he had said. “The PCB was asking for a stiffer sentence. It’s high time that duration of the ban should be increased because it’s very clear that players are not learning the lessons as much as they should.

So as far as the legal side is concerned, I am very satisfied that the duration of the ban is reasonable, justified and proportionate.” There has been no comment yet from the PCB on today’s ruling.

ble’ without spectators.

Having been kept inside the ‘bubble’ for the duration of the West Indies series, which the hosts won 2-1, the England players were permitted a few days at home with their families but must return on Sunday, and will continue to have regular COVID-19 testing.

Four reserves - James Bracey, Ben Foakes, Jack Leach and Dan Lawrence - will also report to the Manchester venue.

National selector Ed Smith said: “After three Tests in quick succession against West Indies, we now turn to an equally condensed Test series against Pakistan, with 15 days of Test cricket scheduled in a three-week period.

“County cricket now restarts on Saturday August 1.

We want to have sufficient reserves inside the Test match ‘bubble’, but we may also want to give opportunities, where possible, for the reserves to play county cricket.

“As we seek the best balance, England may make changes to the reserves during the series against Pakistan.”

England squad for first Test: Joe Root (Yorkshire, capt.), James Anderson (Lancashire), Jofra Archer (Sussex), Dominic Bess (Somerset), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Rory Burns (Surrey), Jos Buttler (Lancashire, wkp.), Zak Crawley (Kent), Sam Curran (Surrey), Ollie Pope (Surrey), Dom Sibley (Warwickshire), Ben Stokes (Durham), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire), Mark Wood (Durham).

Reserves: James Bracey (Gloucestershire), Ben Foakes (Surrey, wkp.), Dan Lawrence (Essex), Jack Leach (Somerset).

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 30, 2020

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World Test Championship Former fast-bowler gives Windies fail grade proceeding as planned (ESPNCRICINFO) - The fate of the T20 World Cup out of the way, the ICC’s attention now turns to the World Test Championship (WTC) and in particular, the six-Test series postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Progress will not be quick, cautioned the ICC, but for now, matters are proceeding as planned.

The very first WTC was due to be completed by the end of March 2021, each of the nine sides having played six series home and away over a two-year period.

The top two sides would then play a final, planned for next summer in the UK. But that schedule has been thrown into disarray because of the impact of the pandemic, and only now are members working out ways with the ICC to reschedule their commitments.

A Test series between Bangladesh and Australia is among six that got postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic (IDI via Getty Images)

Priority at the moment is on the six series already postponed: Sri Lanka vs England, one Test between Pakistan and Bangladesh, Bangladesh vs Australia, West Indies vs South Africa, Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh and Bangladesh vs New Zealand.

“We’re in discussions with the members now with rescheduling of the series that have been postponed to date,” Geoff Allardice, the ICC’s general manager cricket operations, said.

“With the English summer looking like getting both the Test series through, the next ones I know there’s been some talk in the media about West Indies v South Africa looking to find a suitable time. But outside that series, the next scheduled ones are in late November in New Zealand. So, the focus will come back on the

six postponed series and when they might be able to be replayed.

“With some of them, discussions are underway but we’re in the process of getting updates from all member countries as to what they’re looking at. At the moment, everything is proceeding as planned. The series on in England right now are part of the WTC and all of the series that have been identified will be part of the Championships. It’s about getting a feel for whether they can all be completed within the competition window ending in March next year.”

But given the fluid nature of the impacts of the pandemic with some countries still to reach a peak and others experiencing, or on the verge of, an expected second wave - decisions won’t be taken quickly. Unlike with the T20 World Cup, which was eventually postponed earlier this month, there isn’t a pressing need for a cut-off date by which decisions need to be taken.

“In the last few months, we’ve learned that things change quite quickly,” Allardice said. “One week you think that you’re not going to play for a while and then things begin to open up at a government level and then all of a sudden, things look possible.

“A lot of the series we are talking about, if we are saying November-December, January-February, they are six to eight months away and it’s still hard to predict where things will be in some countries that far out. We haven’t got a firm drop-dead date in mind.

“We are going to get a feel in the next month or two from member countries about when they’ll be able to resume and what their upcoming seasons look like, including the matches and series they need to reschedule that have been postponed.”

The next cycle of international cricket could also see efforts made to include an international T20 league in the calendar. The idea was discussed during the planning stages for this cycle but the constraints of the existing FTP meant it went no further.

“It was something that was discussed at length and continues to be talked about in terms of how do you achieve it practically,” Allardice said. “What is the right number of teams, the format of the competition? Sometimes you couple ODIs series with Test series, so how do you do something different without making the league the same number of teams against the same opponents but in T20Is as well?

“Ideally you’d like to incorporate more teams in a Twenty20 structure. Given the constraints of the FTP we were looking at a few years ago, it was a bridge too far then but that doesn’t mean it won’t be on the things we’re trying to achieve in the next calendar.”

(SPORTSMAX) - Former Barbadian-born England fast bowler Gladstone Small has stamped a failing grade on the performance of West Indies batsmen, against England, and expressed dismay at their inability to make tactical adjustments.

The West Indies looked up to the task of being competitive after securing a convincing four-wicket win over England in the first Test. The introduction of England pace bowler Stuart Broad, who was omitted for the first Test, however, drastically changed the equation. In the fourth evening of the second Test, with the West Indies enjoying some level of comfort, Broad took the new ball and claimed 3 for 14 in a devastating nine-over spell.

He dominated the rest of the series, going on to claim 10 wickets in the third and final Test, for 16 overall, en route to man-of-the-series honours.

While Small was quick to acclaim Broad’s indisputable ability and the rest of the England bowling line-up for that matter, he insisted it was inexcusable that the West Indies batsmen made no adjustments in facing the bowler.

“If it was a school report after the series, the bowlers tried brilliantly, you would probably mark them with a B-. They were big-hearted and kept going but (playing) three Test matches in three weeks is unrelenting,” Small told the Mason and Guest radio programme.

“The batsmen, I can only see them getting an F. Perhaps, I’m being generous,” he added.

“They faced good bowling, credit where credit is due. England bowlers, obviously the records are there to show, Anderson, Broad …Woakes and obviously Jofra Archer; those English bowlers are brilliant in English conditions. With the new ball in hand, they are very tough.

“The one thing you cannot do is play those guys on the back foot, you can’t. Broad and Anderson are fine bowlers but they’re not going to knock you over or intimidate you with pace. You have to get on the front foot to nullify their movement. To see your best batsman, well your most experienced batsman in the line-up, Kraigg Brathwaite, how many times he did get out on the backfoot, that for me is pure nonsense.

Big failure!”

Kemar Roach celebrates reaching his 200th wicket in Tests on the second day of the Old Trafford third Test

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Roach rises one as holder slips in ICC test rankings PAGE 24

Holder cites mental fatigue as cause for series loss Captain Jason Holder (left) conducts a media interview at Old Trafford using social distancing

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World Test Championship proceeding as planned

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THURSDAY, JULY 30, 2020