Guyana_Chronicle_Epaper_08_28_2020

FRIDAY 28th August, 2020

' No.106105

GECOM IT technician

arrested – as probe into electoral fraud widens 03 -- Mingo seeks release from police custody PAGE

Dominguez, wife on $3.9 million bail each PAGE

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Accelerated Capital Firm Inc (ACFI) Financial Adviser, Yuri Garcia Dominguez, who is accused of operating a Ponzi Scheme, and his wife, Ateeka Ishmael, being escorted by police, as they leave the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court on Thursday (Clestine Juan Photo)

Greenidge, 15 former TT Energy Minister, on Local Content Panel PAGE

Twelfth Parliament to be convened Tuesday SEE STORY ON PAGE 02

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, August 28, 2020

Twelfth Parliament to be convened Tuesday -- President Ali issues proclamation

President, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali

PARLIAMENTARY Affairs and Governance Minister, Gail Teixeira, on Thursday, announced that President, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, in pursuance of the powers conferred upon him by Article 69 (1) of the Constitution of Guyana, has issued Proclamation Number 1 of 2020 declaring September 1, 2020 as the date for the sitting of the 12th Parliament.

President Ali, also in pursuance of Article 69 (1) of the Constitution, has designated the Arthur Chung Conference Centre at 5E Half Orchid Drive, Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown as the place where a session of the 12th Parliament shall be held at 10:00 hours.

The proclamation also states that this venue shall begin and remain as such until advice is received from the minister of health that the safety measures, including social distancing, with respect to the COVID-19 pandemic, is no longer necessary.

The minister of parliamentary affairs said once this is done, sittings will be held in the Parliament Chamber, Public Building, Brickdam, Georgetown.

By Proclamation dated December 27, 2019 issued under Article 70 (2) of the Constitution, the 11th Parliament of Guyana was dissolved on December 30, 2019.

EPA head proceeds on vacation leave ENVIRONMENTAL Protection Agency (EPA) Executive Director, Dr. Vincent Adams, was sent on immediate leave on Thursday, EPA sources have confirmed.

Reports indicate that a letter was issued informing him that he is to proceed on 126 days’ vacation leave.

Dr. Vincent Adams was appointed Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on October 1, 2018.

He possesses over 40 years of experience in both the public and private sectors in environmental, petroleum, and geological engineering,

EPA Director, Dr. Vincent Adams

and geohydrology, as well as executive leadership and management.

Dr. Adams is an executive member of the Alliance For Change (AFC).

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, August 28, 2020

GECOM IT technician arrested

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– as probe into electoral fraud widens

Flashback: GECOM IT technician, Enrique Livan being questioned by police

The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) IT Technician, Enrique Livan, who was fingered in allegations of fraud surrounding the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections, was arrested on Thursday. He is the fifth suspect in custody.

This was confirmed by Crime Chief, Senior Superintendent, Wendell Blanhum.

His arrest occurred days after the Police Force announced that it was launching a comprehensive investigation into reports of electoral fraud as advised by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

Controversial Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo

and three of his assistants were also recently arrested as investigations continue.

Livan is being represented by Attorney, Eusi Anderson, who is also representing three assistants of the District Four Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo.

On March 4, during the disrupted tabulations of the District Four count, Livan was questioned by the police after he was accused of abruptly halting the tabulations and secluded himself with a flash drive with GECOM’s information at the Ashmin’s Building, Party agents and other observers became suspicious when Livan, after complain-

ing of feeling tired and wanted to conclude the tabulation process, left the room with a flash drive and computer, both of which were being used during the tabulation process.

The following day, Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo made a fraudulent declaration which was eventually overturned by the courts.

Livan was later promoted by Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield, to perform the duties of a supervisor at one of the stations for District Four during the national vote recount despite protest by political parties.

Mingo seeks release from custody CONTROVERSIAL Region Four Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo, on Thursday, filed an application in the High Court seeking his release from police custody.

The writ of habeas corpus was filed by attorneys-at-law Roysdale Forde and Darren Wade on behalf of Mingo’s wife, Waveney and was served on Police Commissioner Nigel Hoppie.

According to the application, there is no basis in law or fact for Mingo to be detained in custody, pursuant to inquiries or investigation into the commission of any act of fraud or conspiracy so to do by him.

Additionally, it is also contending that the police breached Mingo’s fundamental right to his liberty, pursuant to Article 144 of the Constitution of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana.

The case comes up for hearing on Friday, August 28, 2020, at the High Court.

On Thursday, the Guyana Police Force issued a statement from the office of the Commissioner of Police refuting allegations made in the media by Mingo’s attorney Darren Wade, who claimed that his client’s constitutional rights were breached by the Police.

The Force is claiming that shortly after Mingo arrived at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Headquarters, Eve Leary, following his arrest on August 25, Wade turned up at

the location and demanded an immediate conference with his client.

The Police Rank on duty directed Wade to a designated area where access to his client would be granted after the rank had completed making the necessary entries in the Police records.

The force noted that Wade, instead of waiting in the area indicated and without any explanation left the CID Headquarters compound and met with several members of the media on the road way, where he spoke with them and during which he proceeded to make some false allegations.

However, Wade returned into the CID Headquarters where he met with his client Mr Mingo.

“GPF also wishes to state that it remains ready, able and willing to engage with members of the Legal Profession to ensure that their constitutional rights and those persons they represent are respected at all times and that there is due process” the statement read.

Additionally, the Police Force stated that it expects that attorneys-at-law conduct themselves in a professional manner and with a due sense of responsibility, in keeping with the ethical standard required of the Legal Profession.

However, the attorney did not conduct himself at that expected level of professionalism on the day in question.

Earlier in the week,

Mingo was arrested at his sister’s residence at Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara, in connection with alleged electoral fraud.

Mingo was arrested days after the Police Force announced that it was launching a comprehensive investigation into reports of electoral fraud, as advised by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and the Force’s Legal Adviser.

Court Marshalls have been looking for Mingo to serve him with a warrant for his arrest on criminal charges, which were filed by a private citizen but were unable to locate him for several weeks.

The charges were filed in March by Charles Ramson Jr against Mingo, and PNCR Chair, Volda Lawrence, in relation to the controversial results for District Four.

On Monday, Mingo was absent from a court appearance, while Volda Lawrence was placed on $100,000 bail after appearing before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan on private criminal charges, including conspiring to forge documents to show a win for APNU+AFC at the March 2, 2020 general and regional elections.

The charge against Lawrence states that she conspired with persons to forge 24 documents to show a fraudulent win.

Lawrence is also charged with ‘procuring’ Mingo to, on or about March 4, 2020, at Hadfield and High Streets,

Region Four Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo

Georgetown undertake this task.

She is also charged with uttering to the Chief Election Officer, Keith Lowenfield, a Form 24 Representation

of the People Act Regional Elections Return dated March 5, 2020, knowing same to be forged, with intent to defraud the people of the State of Guyana.

Attorney-at-law Darren Wade

Lawrence is expected to return to court on September 11. Mingo is also expected to attend court on the date that has been fixed.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, August 28, 2020

47 new COVID-19 cases in 24 hours

GUYANA continues to record a consistent rise in the number of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases with recent statistics showing that the country recorded 47 new cases within the past 24 hours.

Cases continue to rise with every passing day and while it might be alarming, authorities believe that those cases could have gone “under the radar” had it not been for an increase in the number of tests being done.

Health authorities have so far tested 7,654 persons, with 6,514 being negative and 1,140 positive. Of the positive cases, 616 persons have recovered and 32 persons have lost their lives. The remaining cases include 102

persons in institutional isolation, 380 in home isolation and 10 in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

The steady rise has caused panic in some cases but there are persons who remain nonchalant and unbothered by the spread. Authorities, however, continue to adjust control measures in order to mitigate the spread of the disease.

Deputy Chief Medical Officer (DCMO), Dr. Karen Gordon-Boyle, is of the opinion that some measure of control can be placed on the rapid spread of the virus through contact tracing.

Dr. Boyle, during an interview with the

Department of Public Information (DPI), explained that contact tracing is used by health departments to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.

She added that contact tracing involves identifying persons who would have come into contact with someone who tested positive for the virus.

But for the process to be successful, she said, persons who would have tested positive for the virus must be cooperative with health officials in detailing their movements, and who they would have been in contact with, prior to testing positive for COVID-19.

While a lot is expected of authorities,

there is also a role for other sections of society, and it is to this end that President Irfaan Ali recently met with a wide cross-section of stakeholders, including the private sector, small political parties and the media to garner views on how the government’s response to COVID-19 can be more effective.

The President pledged to continue engaging all stakeholders as his government moves towards formalising a concerted strategy to take the country forward.

The President also informed the meeting that sub-committees will be established to tackle pressing COVID-19 related issues head on.

Hurricane Laura’s winds batter Louisiana, killing four (BBC) At least four people have been killed by falling trees as Hurricane Laura battered the US state of Louisiana.

Winds of up to 150mph (240km/h) caused severe damage, with power cuts to more than half a million homes and a chemical fire from an industrial plant.

But the feared 20ft (6m) storm surge was avoided as the hurricane, the state’s biggest, tracked further east.

Laura has now been down-

graded to tropical storm status as it heads to the Arkansas border.

President Donald Trump was briefed at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) in Washington and said he would go to the area at the weekend.

He said he had been prepared to postpone his speech at the Republican National Convention later on Thursday to travel to the region but added: “We got a bit lucky. It was very big and very powerful but

it passed quickly.”

Laura and another storm, Marco, earlier swept across the Caribbean, killing 24 people.

What’s the latest from Louisiana?

Governor John Bel Edwards gave a press briefing on Thursday afternoon, confirming four deaths so far from the hurricane.

The victims, killed in separate incidents by trees fall-

ing on their homes, included a 14-year-old girl in the Leesville area.

Mr Edwards said that as rescue work continued. “I’m concerned we are going to find more fatalities. I hope and pray not.”

He said there was more structural damage from winds than anticipated, but the water damage was less than feared.

The tracking of the storm slightly further east meant it

More than half a million homes in Louisiana were reported to be without power

Friday, August 28, 01:00hrs - 02:30hrs

avoided creating a storm surge in the shipping channel, he said.

Power lines, roads and bridges were a big concern, he said, with many having to be repaired or checked.

A barge had collided with a bridge in the city of Lake Charles, quite close to where a suspected “chlorine chemical fire” at an industrial plant was being attended by emergency services.

Mr Edwards said people should stay off the roads where possible, as outer bands of the storm were still causing high water levels and winds.

Some 1,500 people, including National Guard troops, are being deployed in rescue and clean-up missions.

Vice-President Mike Pence, who joined Mr Trump at Fema, said: “While this was a major storm with devastating impact it was not as bad as it could have been.”

Where did Laura hit and what’s its path?

It was one of the strongest to ever hit the US Gulf Coast, striking at category four with winds of up to 150mph (240km/h).

It made landfall shortly after midnight local time (05:00 GMT) near the district of Cameron, in Louisiana. It tracked north, just east of the Texas-Louisiana border.

Laura will track north across Louisiana on Thursday afternoon, with its centre moving into Arkansas overnight.

The National Hurricane Center still warns of high water levels along some parts of the Gulf coast, and flooding rainfall and strong winds for northern Louisiana and south-eastern Arkansas.

More than 600,000 homes in Louisiana and 180,000 in Texas had lost power, accord-

ing to the US tracking site PowerOutage.

Lake Charles, a city of 78,000, and its surrounding areas were badly hit. Trees and electricity pylons have been ripped from the ground and vehicles overturned.

Part of the roof of the Golden Nugget Casino flew off, a CNN-affiliated reporter witnessed, and an NWS radar installation was destroyed.

In Sparks, just to the north, Rev Karl Smith rode out the storm in his cellar. He told Reuters: “We just had trees thrown everywhere. It’s a big mess.”

Ahead of the hurricane’s arrival, more than 420,000 Texas residents were ordered to leave, while an additional 200,000 were told to evacuate Calcasieu Parish in south-western Louisiana.

The evacuations were complicated by the Covid-19 pandemic.

One person headed to a Texas shelter, Eric Daw, told Reuters: “They say we are all supposed to socially distance now. But how am I supposed to socially distance in a shelter?”

What other areas have suffered?

Haiti and the Dominican Republic were both earlier badly hit by storms Marco and Laura, with at least 24 fatalities and severe flooding. Thousands of homes were damaged and there were extensive power cuts.

Cuba suffered material damage but did not record any deaths.

In Jamaica, there were reports of landslides and flooded roads.

The US territory of Puerto Rico was also hit, with President Trump declaring a state of disaster last Saturday.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, August 28, 2020

T&T: Ministry of Health starts home quarantine for mild cases

COVID-19 patients get ready to leave the Racquet Centre in Tacarigua after being released from State quarantine last night.

(TRINIDAD GUARDIAN) Faced with a rising number of COVID-19 cases, the Ministry of Health has revised its approach to the care of COVID-positive patients.

So from today, instead of automatically hospitalising a patient who has received a positive COVID diagnosis, the ministry will allow them to stay in the comfort of their homes until they recover once their symptoms are mild.

This was revealed by Chief Medical Officer Dr Roshan Parasram at the ministry’s virtual press briefing yesterday.

His announcement came hours after the country was still reeling from the news that 132 more people had tested positive for the virus, bringing the number of active cases to 1,177.

By 6 pm yesterday, the COVID-count had increased by 27, bringing the number of active cases to 1,204, with 192 recoveries and 15 deaths.

The total number of overall cases since the virus hit the country is now 1,411.

Speaking during the press conference, Parasram said the ministry

had changed both its discharge and admissions criteria in an attempt to keep bed space at the two main treatment hospitals for the more critical patients.

Before yesterday, COVID-positive patients were required to get two consecutive negative test results before being discharged to their homes.

But now, Parasram said the ministry is adopting World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines which allow patients to be discharged without any diagnostic criteria.

“We are trying to ensure that the bed space in hospitals is reserved for moderately to severely ill people. If you spend ten days from the first onset of your symptoms, plus three days with no symptoms at all, we will discharge you to your home, give you a quarantine order to stay for a further seven days at your home without a diagnostic test being done and you can be assured after that period that you won’t be able to transmit the virus to anyone,” Parasram explained.

He said those who are in step-down facilities and exhibit no symptoms will also be allowed to return to their homes

over the next few days.

Principal Medical Officer in charge of the parallel healthcare system, Dr Maryam Richards said the number of patients at step-down facilities amount to about 400.

In fact, that process started last night when patients at the Tacarigua Racquet Centre stepdown facility were allowed to go home.

Parasram said while people will be allowed to quarantine and recover at home, the ministry will be closely monitoring them to ensure their conditions do not worsen.

“What is going to happen is that the CMOH officers will have a list of all the positive cases in the country, they will call those individuals twice a day, do interviews to determine what your signs and symptoms are like, if your symptoms have worsened or if they have remained the same,” Parasram said.

He said if the condition of any patient on home quarantine worsens, they will be picked up by an ambulance and taken to either the Couva Hospital or the Caura Hospitals.

Parasram said patients will also now need to quarantine for at least 20

days to ensure they do not infect others.

If you have to self-quarantine, you are advised to: - Stay at home, do not go to work or anywhere else.

- Do not allow anyone to visit your home, you can see your friends and family when you have recovered.

-Wash your hands before and after playing with your pets.

- If you can, use separate bathroom and toilet facilities from the rest of your family.

If you cannot, clean the facilities after using them.

- Stay in your room and away from the rest of your family.

-Wear a mask when interacting with your family.

-If you need supplies from the supermarket or pharmacy, try to have them delivered to your home instead of venturing out.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, August 28, 2020

(ag)

Restoring accountability and good governance IT is standard operating procedure for political appointees of an outgoing government to resign.

The expectation that political appointees of the former APNU+AFC administration would take such a principled course of action has not fructified.

PNC-led governments – pre-1992 and the recent Granger-led administration populated the public service landscape with many dysfunctional square pegs in sinecure positions and paying them hefty amounts, with even more being expended on wide-ranging, luxurious benefits.

SARA’s aging head, for instance, is being paid in excess of $4M per month, with presidential benefits – all at taxpayers’ expense.

In every ministry, subject ministers are discovering anomalies in administration procedures, especially in financial departments that are horrific revelations, explanatory as to why the nation’s coffers are empty and the country has once again become highly-indebted under another PNC-led administration; but none of the deadweight appointees seem prepared to take the ethical and honourable course of action and give up their gravy trains.

The fundamental prerequisite of good governance is accountability to the people, which was totally lacking in the coalition government.

As the days progress, profound insights are being parlayed to the general public by the authorities now in charge of the nation’s

business, that expose the economic, political and social morass which the people endured under five years of the PNC-led authoritarian regime.

The magnitude of the exploitation of the nation’s resources for the benefit of a few privileged elitists, even while people, including coalition supporters, were practically starving as a result of unemployment due to COVID-19 lockdown, and the downturn in the economy, consequenced by the coalition government’s profligacy, mismanagement and outright corruption, is assuming gargantuan proportions.

It was this realisation that, without an immediate transition of administration, the hemorrhaging of the nation’s resources would continue unabated, that catalyzed a national unity of purpose - to restore democratic norms in Guyana, which led to the eventual installation of the PPP/C in Government.

The new government’s abiding care for the downtrodden and exploited, manifested even while out of office, has elicited a hope in the nation that fortunes – individually and nationally, would change and soon poverty would be banished from the national landscape. In recognition of this faith, and the suffering Guyanese endured over the past five years under the coalition regime, the governing PPP/C partnership has embarked on a crusade to eliminate all wasteful spending, and restore accountability in the way taxpayers’ monies are being expended.

Ridding the nation of those holding sinecure positions is one way of ensuring that the peoples’ money is being used for their welfare and not continuing the trend of financial wastage and profligacy that hallmarked the coalition government’s administration. This is not witch-hunting, but restoring accountability to the socio-economic paradigm of the nation.

When the David Granger administration of 2015 assumed governance, a massive witch-hunt began, with hundreds of politically-influenced and driven dismissals of even technocrats who were assumed to be PPP/C supporters, with unwarranted firing of public service workers sweeping in every sector – every community, first being 2000 Amerindians from Hinterland communities.

These arbitrary dismissals of largely non-political persons who were replaced by mainly incompetent, inexperienced political appointees are being reversed, because a country cannot be governed without knowledgeable employees.

The Irfaan Ali administration recognises that the right of conscience and political choice is a fundamental one that should be respected, hence its assurance that public servants who were employed on merit are assured of job security.

But no new government should tolerate political appointees who were given million-dollar contracts, some just before a transition of power.

Rather than optimising the gains inherited from its predecessor, the Granger-led administration almost immediately instituted CoIs to investigate and prosecute former government ministers and administrators, some mere technocrats performing a job they were appointed to do.

Arrests followed, but a continuum of investigations could prove no wrongdoing of those arrested. Millions of tax dollars were wasted in these fruitless exercises which, in effect, were merely another way of providing ‘jobs for the boys’.

Former President and General Secretary of the PPP, now Vice-President described the exercises that saw former ministers of the PPP/C government, as well as CEOs of national institutions handcuffed like common criminals, as witch-hunts meant to deflect attention away from the coalition government’s maladministration, and simultaneously persecute their adversaries in the former PPP/C administrative construct.

The Irfaan Ali administration is intent on restoring accountability and good governance where the people in the nation benefit from their country’s resources.

So, for those persons who refuse to honourably resign from sinecure positions they have been enjoying at taxpayers’ expense, it is imperative that they are removed in accordance with constitutional prerequisites for the benefit of the nation.

GRDB explains its procurement process Dear Editor, THE Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) wishes to advise the public on its procurement process in reference to a letter printed in the Guyana Chronicle on August 25, 2020.

The GRDB’s process of procurement follows the government’s policy with respect to procurement. A request for services originates from one of our departments, an invitation to tender is advertised in the daily newspapers and the board’s

social media pages for a number of days.

If no bids are received by the deadline, the second method of restrictive tendering is used.

This involves contacting persons on record at GRDB who previously bid and have the relevant services which are required.

All bids received are opened in the presence of the respective bidders who chose to attend the opening and then evaluated by an evaluation committee.

One mandatory criteria for evaluation is the submission of both NIS and GRA

compliances. As such, any bidder that lacks these compliances are immediately disqualified. An evaluation report is then submitted to the procurement sub-committee.

This committee is comprised of members of the board and staff members, and is chaired by a member of the board of directors. Based on the recommendations of the report provided by the Evaluation Committee, the Procurement Sub-Committee then makes a decision on whether or not to approve these recommendations.

The paddy that is sold to millers by the

GRDB is paddy that could not be classified as seed paddy.

This is paddy that does not reach the necessary parameters to be termed as viable seed paddy; it is sold as regular paddy to be processed. Paddy that does not reach the quality to be termed as seed paddy was sold for $3100-$3200 per bag.

Yours sincerely, Nikosi Bruce Communication Officer

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, August 28, 2020

Abolish the death penalty Dear Editor,

increase in murders.

There is also a moral argument that NOW that the new government is in should be considered. If we conclude that place, with an efficient attorney-gener- taking another person’s life is wrong, then al, it is widely believed that the Consti- by extension we can say that the state tutional Reform Commission will begin taking lives of people cannot, therefore, to do real work. be right.

Those who have been clamouring for With the best will in the world, misConstitutional Reforms will get the op- takes would be made and innocent people portunity to put their proposals and have would be executed. This is not a seldom them seriously considered. So far, almost occurrence. We have seen the frequency all the calls for Constitutional Reforms with which innocent persons were executhave been woefully short of specifics. ed in various parts of the world. The US So, I am proposing a concrete issue which is a very open society, shows this that needs to be considered, that in relation with an alarming regularity. The situation to capital punishment. It is a contentious is pervasive enough for some politicians matter, the debate has raged here before. and political commentators to conclude It is not an issue restricted to Guyana but that there is more than an element of one that has been vigourously contested racism in this since the majority of those abroad. Therefore, much information and who have been innocently executed and statistics are available to help authorities incarcerated were African Americans and to come to some conclusion and provide other minorities, for example, Latinos. enough information for serious debates.

A lot of this is the result of poverty.

I believe that the time has come in Because the families of those accused of Guyana when capital punishment should murder are often unable to afford the best be abolished. lawyers and get the best representation, I appreciate the fact that for the fam- the accused are very often poorly repreilies of victims this is a sore issue. The sented in court. That leads to them being deep feelings are understandable when the found guilty, when in fact many were inhurt of loosing a loved one by such de- nocent. Even now many innocent people liberate actions of another person occurs. are in jail and on death row.

For some, the immediate response is to This leads me to the other general ‘do them back’. point that should be seriously considered A lot of people feel that a murderer has and lead us to abolish capital punishment. given up his/her own right to life when That is the social composition of those such a crime is committed. They feel that who have been executed. the death penalty would deter and reduce Almost 100 per cent came from the the incidence of murder. poor and the working poor. These are However, when looked at from a wider persons who face unbelievable difficult angle and from a less emotional circum- circumstances and challenges every day. stances, I think that one of the important These are persons who live almost litertasks we have, as a nation, is to further ally in a pressure cooker. Those circumhumanise our own society. While it is true stances are responsible for crimes and the that many factors need to come together to creation of criminals. accomplish that task, I am convinced that On the other hand, the perpetrators of removing the death penalty is an import- other types of crimes that continuously ant step on that road. kill people daily and silently, get away Furthermore, the evidence internation- with it scot free. ally has shown conclusively that capital These are the corrupt bureaucrats, or punishment does not slowdown nor stop some corrupt business people who make murders from occurring. This is an im- millions and billions of dollars by illegal portant fact that is often not given the means. Such actions help to perpetuate consideration it deserves, it is sometimes poverty, deprive children of proper food, even ignored. leads to malnutrition and retard intellecExtensive research has been done in tual development. many countries of the world, in Europe In almost all these cases these people and North America. Much work on the walk free. According to the Mighty Sparissue was also done by the UN as well. row, these criminals are ‘high in society’ All of those studies have concluded that and are the ‘good citizens’ of the world. the death penalty is not a deterrent for In this regard, another dangerous trend capital crimes. has arisen in politics generally. Many polIndeed, in many cases it has been ob- iticians like to create the impression that served that countries and states in Europe they are tough. We all see the American and the US where the death penalty was television and we see how Democrats abolished, the murder rate was lower than and Republicans are vying to create the those countries/states which retained it. impression of their ‘toughness’. Tough on This is no exception it is almost the norm. crime, tough on Russia, tough on China, At a minimum, abolition does not lead to tough on Cuba, tough on Iran, tough on

Venezuela, etc. the talk of being tough has become a big seller for many politicians.

This is not confined to the US. Globalisation is not just about economics, but also about ideas. Because the US has the biggest economy and an unbelievable powerful mass media, their ideas, good and bad, are widely disseminated through the world and have great influence.

Many of the political tactics used in the US are often adopted outside. So, we will hear the same talk of being tough repeated from the north to the south.

And using the death penalty is one of the easiest ways to project the image of ‘toughness’.

Therefore, to portray such an image some persons could face the gallows, some could be innocent. In my view, if one such person is wrongly murdered,

because that’s what it is, then we should stop this practice throughout the world.

One innocent person being sent to his/her death is far too much.

My own position should be clear by now. I stand for those forms of punishment that would discourage crimes and deter capital crimes in particular. However, we must be humane, we must demonstrate to our people humaneness. Setting the correct example is important in moulding a free and democratic country.

We must oppose the death penalty completely! This is for the sake of our nation as a whole.

Yours sincerely, Donald Ramotar Former President

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, August 28, 2020

Dominguez, wife on $3.9 million bail each ACCELERATED Capital Firm Inc (ACFI) Financial Adviser, Yuri Garcia Dominguez and Director, Ateeka Ishmael, were, on Thursday, August 27, 2020, taken before the court to answer 19 fraud-related charges Dominguez and Ishmael of Track ‘A’ Coldingen, East Coast Demerara appeared before Magistrate Marissa Mittelholzer, at the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court.

It is alleged that, between May and July 2020, the Cuban national and his wife, with intent to commit fraud, obtained a total sum of $24.7M from the 13 victims by false pretence.

The couple, was not required to plead to the charges and each was granted $3.9 million bail. The case was adjourned until September 18, 2020.

The couple also made a virtual appearance before Magistrate Alisha George

at the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court via Zoom.

A total of six similar charges were read against the duo which alleged that they obtained an excess of

2020.

The Couple was represented by attorneys-at-law Glen Hanoman and Dexter Todd.

Speaking with the media outside of court, Todd explained that the accusations laid against his client are private in nature which calls for proceedings in a civil court and not a criminal court.

“What the State has done is to impose itself as a third party to a private contract and it is forcibly allowing the course of a criminal nature to take shape, which ought not to be” Todd stressed.

The attorneys have also indicated that they will be moving to the High Court to seek bail for their clients.

Outside of the court, supporters and clients of the Accelerated Capital Firm Inc staged a protest against

that the company is yet to respond to the offer the government made last Tuesday, to facilitate the re-opening of a bank account for the company, so that it can remit monies to its clients.

Nandalall said he is not holding on to hope that the company will ever take up the offer since investigation continues to reveal that overseas companies being named by the couple as where their money is stored, continues to lead to dead ends.

owned by some other people in the United States, some trust company,” Nandalall related.

However, attorney for the company, Dexter Todd, said that his client does intend to utilise the AG’s offer to open a bank account, but is waiting to see how the situation develops.

“That is an offer, we will accept that offer and we are presently putting systems in place so that that can be facilitated, that is what we are

Attorney-at-law Dexter Todd

over $1M unlawfully, For those charges the couple was remanded to prison until September 21,

Accelerated Capital Firm Inc (ACFI) Financial Adviser, Yuri Garcia Dominguez

The protest outside of the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court

Dominguez and Ishmael being charged and also for them to be granted a licence to operate in Guyana.

Thus far a total of 57 persons have made reports at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), with claims amounting to over $31.5 million in investments in the company.

The duo was first held by police one week ago following an investigation into the company allegedly running a “Ponzi Scheme”.

A Ponzi Scheme is a form of fraud in which investors are made to believe in the success of a non-existent enterprise, and encouraged to invest because of the payment of quick returns.

However, the first investors are only being paid from money invested by successive investors.

However, the company vehemently denies the allegations and, in statements issued, affirmed that “the funds necessary to refund our clients are ready to be disbursed”.

News of the charges came, even as Attorney General, Anil Nandalall, said

“No, they have not responded and I suspect that they cannot respond. It is clear that the gentleman only wants to get out of custody.

All the promises that he has been making he has not been able to deliver them, none of them,” Nandalall said.

He added: “Of the places he has identified, as where the monies are, the monies are not there. The Financial Investigation Unit (FIU) just received a correspondence from Belize to say that the name of the company – “FK Choice – where he said he has the money in Belize, it is not registered in Belize; they have no evidence of it.”

Nandalall said that investigations by the police have also revealed a similar situation for a company that the couple said they have ties to in the USA. “The FIU has its own processes and is checking.

They have access to information and the companies where he is saying they have these monies they don’t have them. There’s a company he said in Nevada, he has no connection to the company, it’s an escrow account

doing at this point in time,” Todd said, The police have listed Dominguez, a naturalised Cuban national, and his wife as grave flight risks, given that they have no assets in the country. The pair is said to have been operating their investment company in Guyana for as far back as 2017; however, they have never been licensed to do so by the Guyana Securities Council (GSC) as is required.

According to reports, approximately 17,000 Guyanese are said to have collectively invested approximately US$20 million in the company. The company came to the limelight earlier this month, when several persons are said to have been making claims of not receiving their monies from the company.

ACFI has been attributing its failure to remit payments to clients as being due to its lack of a bank account, as several local commercial banks have closed accounts for Dominquez and Ishmael and their business over the past few months.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, August 28, 2020

Elections miscreants must be held accountable –– new GECOM commissioner

By Rabindra Rooplall ALL involved in the undermining and derailing of the March 2 general and regional elections will be held accountable, newly-appointed commissioner to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Manoj Narayan said.

Attorney-at-Law, Narayan, has replaced Robeson Horatio Brindley Benn, who resigned after his appointment as minister of home affairs.

After he was sworn in

by President Irfaan Ali at State House on Thursday, the lawyer stressed, “We can’t tell them go forward and rig no more, they must be held accountable.”

He said his appointment is not one in which there is a celebratory moment or occasion because of the state in which GECOM finds itself.

“As we would have all witnessed from the 2nd of March to the 2nd of August, 2020, we have witnessed a most heinous assault upon our electoral democracy in this country and therefore my work begins immediately, because we have to do a number of things at GECOM,” he said.

He continued: “The very

survival of our electoral democracy requires that we solve those problems. I think the first one is those who have undermined that electoral process must be held responsible; they all took oaths of offices under the Representation of the People’s Act and they blatantly and flagrantly breached that oath which they took.”

He said that such actions are not trivial or trifling and cannot be swept under a carpet. No one, he said, will be given a slap on the wrist or any form of forgiveness.

“We can’t tell them go forward and rig no more, they must be held accountable, and the second thing we need to do is to create and implement policies at the level of the commission to insulate the commission for these occurrences in the future,” he said.

Thirdly, the lawyer noted that the public trust and confidence in GECOM must be rebuilt locally and internationally.

He explained that the commission has wide powers under article 161 (a) of the Constitution – the commission is empowered to institute disciplinary proceedings against officers of GECOM. President Irfaan Ali said the appointment happened at a critical time when many

Newly-appointed GECOM Commissioner, Attorney-at-law Manoj Narayan, receives his instrument of appointment from President Irfaan Ali at State House (Delano Williams photo)

issues have to be dealt with that are of public and national interests.

The head of state said Narayan is a young lawyer who has already spent a lot of time on electoral matters.

“In my inauguration address, I spoke of the need to have a comprehensive understanding as to what took place over the last five months, especially after elections. I want to publicly acknowledge the great and extraordinary work that GECOM Chair, Claudette

Singh, did and continues to do… Madam chair has led by example, you have acted selflessly and Guyana, I hope at some point will reflect, and in the right manner celebrate the work you have done,” President Ali said.

He said with Narayan’s appointment, GECOM can now continue its work in relation to the recently concluded elections.

President Ali said that the electoral system must be strengthened since the people

of the country can express confidence in the decisions being made as Guyana needs strong democratic institutions that will always be respected.

In addition, Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall said the government is pleased about the appointments since there was a hiatus in the constitutional functions of those organisations.

“We are committed to constitutional governance and ensuring that the Government

operates in compliance with the Constitution and the rule of law. We had this vacancy at GECOM that we had to fill.

As you know, there are ongoing investigations at GECOM and to facilitate those investigations, it is imperative that GECOM is fully constituted so that decisions can be made reflective of the full Commission,” he said.

Also in attendance was GECOM Chair (rtd) Justice Claudette Singh.

Jobs of professional public servants are secure

PUBLIC servants who are professional in their duties, irrespective of the political season, have been assured that their jobs are secured.

This is according to former permanent secretary and Minister of Local Government and Regional Development Minister, Ganga Persaud, who was sworn in as a member of the Public Service Commission (PSC).

President Irfaan Ali on Thursday made the appointment at State House.

Persaud will serve as a member of the PSC for the next three years, and is replacing Geeta Chandan-Edmond, who resigned from the Commission earlier this year.

Persaud said he is joining a team that is already in place, and his commitment will be guided by his oath of office.

“I am known to be a

team player, but not necessarily a team follower, and I can assure you that the interest of every public servant within Guyana’s public service would be my focus. And I will do so, working with the team, in keeping with the public service rules, the public service commission and the Constitution of Guyana,” Persaud said.

He said that there are a number of issues to be addressed, some of which are in the public domain, and these issues will be dealt with according to guidelines, rules and procedures of the Public Service Commission.

As matters surface, he said the Commission, in its own deliberation, will seek to pronounce and address all issues.

“We have to continue to give that comfort to our public servants that you can

Mr. Ganga Persaud taking the oath of office on Thursday before President Irfaan Ali (Delano Williams photo)

work, irrespective of the political season. You can work as a professional, and your tenure will be assured

and secured,” Persaud said.

President Irfaan Ali said the appointment happened at a critical time, when

many issues have to be dealt with that are of public and national interests.

He said Persaud is no

Dominguez, wife on $3.9 million bail ...

The company, in its latest press statement recently, pleaded with the authorities to release Dominguez and Ishmael so that payments to client could resume, and for investiga-

tors to allow Dominguez to explain “how the company is structured”.

The company said that the funds are “successfully secured in three physical ‘Bitcoin’ wallets, inac-

cessible to outside interference and protected”, and is asking that the authorities “facilitate the opening of a bank account on behalf of ACFI in order to be able to transfer the funds

from our Bitcoin Wallets into the bank which will be used to repay ALL investors in Guyana”.

Nandlall said that the government’s main concern is that

stranger to the public service, since he formerly served as a minister and a permanent secretary.

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Guyanese who handed over their monies to the company get back their cash; and as such the government is willing to facilitate the bank account’s re-opening.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, August 28, 2020

ExxonMobil supports GMSA in promoting agro-processing sector ExxonMobil Guyana is stepping up its partnership with the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA) to support local manufacturing and the agro-processing sector.

Through a sponsorship of G$10 million, ExxonMobil Guyana is supporting GMSA’s programme to pilot a web platform to facilitate information sharing, connectivity and communication, linking products and service providers with potential clients nationally, regionally and

internationally.

The initiative is focused primarily to help Small and Micro Enterprises (SMEs) recover and grow during and post COVID-19. The pandemic has had a devastating effect on small businesses. A recent survey by the GMSA among its members revealed that 17 per cent of those polled have stopped operations, with SMEs being impacted the hardest.

“While there are initial efforts to reopen businesses and get the economy going again,

given the COVID pandemic, new and innovative ways of promoting and doing business will need to be adopted,” said GMSA Vice President, Ramsay Ali, noting that meetings, large gatherings and expos are unlikely to happen in the near term.

“Embracing technology is, therefore, critical going forward. The GMSA intends to pilot this initiative starting with the agro-processing sector and, with the lessons learned, expand to the forestry and wood products and

GTT pioneers e-billing platform in Guyana THE Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) has endorsed its e-billing platform as the safest and easiest way to receive billing details.

The e-billing platform is in keeping with the company’s thrust to be environmentally conscious while driving the frontiers of technology in Guyana, a release said.

The company introduced e-billing in 2014, and while this form of bill access has not replaced the paper-based billing system, the company continues to forge ahead in advocating for a complete transition to e-billing. As such, customers still have the option to receive paper bills delivered through the post’ However, CEO of GTT, Justin Nedd, has promoted the use of e-billing, citing it as fast, simple and reliable.

“E-billing isn’t the future, it is our present reality; it is here,” said Nedd.

“As the pioneers of e-billing in Guyana, we will continue to develop this option of bill access and eventually move for this service to be the only form of billing offered by the company to fulfil our mandate to contribute to the wellness and prosperity of Guyana through efficiencies - while also honouring the environment.”

GTT has made significant investments to develop the e-billing system to ensure customers are provided with an accurate representation of charges on time.

GTT CEO, Justin Nedd

“We are happy that we are able to give our customers options. Electronic billing is the future and we are proud to lead our customers there. The postal service has been a very good partner to GTT for three decades and we are keen to strengthen our relationship with GPOC to offer more than bill delivery,” said Nedd.

“Many companies in Guyana are now switching to an e-billing platform, and, as a country, we need to advance towards this. With our growing economy, we must advance aggressively as a country towards a digital state and not settle in the paper age,” Nedd added.

GTT promises to implement technologies to advance the customer’s experience in the coming months.

services sectors in subsequent phases. We see this not only as a COVID response, but also as an opportunity to embark on the use of ICT as part of Guyana’s strategic direction of moving to a green economy. We welcome the continued support by ExxonMobil, which have been a principal sponsor for GMSA’s UncappeD Initiative,” Ali said.

“This is a great opportunity for us to partner with the country and to help our SMEs in these unprecedent-

ed times.” said ExxonMobil Guyana President, Alistair Routledge, who added: “We are glad to be able to play a part in supporting the recovery of agro-processing and small businesses in Guyana affected by the pandemic.”

The GMSA and ExxonMobil Guyana previously teamed up to implement the successful UncappeD Initiative which increased awareness in the public domain and among key stakeholders of the wide range of quality agro products being produced in

Guyana and the entrepreneurs behind these products.

In addition to raising the profile of over 100 agro-processors and their products, UncappeD facilitated linking producers, suppliers and support service providers to enhance the development of synergies. It was accompanied by an active education, awareness and capacity building programme to enable small agro-processors to better manage and grow their businesses.

Pension payment day set for September 1

THE Ministry of Human Services and Social Security has advised that payment of old age pension will begin on Tuesday, September 1, 2020, at post offices countrywide.

In a statement released, the Ministry is cognisant that, in previous months, payment would commence approximately one week before the actual month’s disbursement. The early payment system was implemented to ensure that pension and National Insurance Scheme (NIS) disbursement schedule did not overlap, thus preventing overcrowding at

the post offices.

However, pension and NIS payments would not coincide for September month, but early pension payment would resume for October.

As customary, the alphabetical system, using surnames/last names, will be employed for senior citizens to receive their payment during the first five payment days of the month at Post Offices in Region 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 10.

The alphabetical system will only be used during the first five payment days. Senior citizens will be allowed to cash their coupons

on any day after the fifth payment day.

In keeping with the guidelines provided by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), post offices continue to enforce physical distancing among individuals accessing their services. This measure limits the number of individuals who can enter any post office at any given time. Persons visiting the offices are asked to wear protective masks and sanitise their hands before entry.

Senior citizens will be paid as follows Surnames/last names beginning with the letters A to D on Tuesday, September 1, 2020 Surnames/last names beginning with the letters E to K on Wednesday, September 2, 2020 Surnames/last names beginning with the letters L to P on Thursday, September 3, 2020 Surnames/last names beginning with the letters Q to T on Friday, September 4, 2020 Surnames/last names beginning with the letters U to Z on Monday, September 7, 2020, will be the fifth payment day.

Housing Ministry reviews questionable house-lot allocations THE Ministry of Housing and Water has commenced a review exercise for questionable allocations made, following complaints by allottees that they feel duped out of their hard-earned monies for lands they are still to identify.

The issue was brought to the attention of the subject Minister, Collin Croal, on Wednesday, as he

was conducting a series of community meetings in the West Berbice region.

According to the Housing Ministry in a press release, initial checks into recent allocations have revealed that the ownership of these lands by the agency remains in limbo.

“This is compounded by the

fact that these lands have no infrastructure in place and allottees cannot even identify their lots. Given the timeframe when these allocations were made, the assumption can be made that these allocations were a mere political gimmick,” the ministry noted.

The Housing Ministry noted that, until such time when the re-

view process is completed, in the best interest of citizens, a decision has been taken to simply put a hold on accepting payments for those allocations.

The ministry nonetheless said it remains committed to the delivery of serviced lots, with all basic infrastructure in place, inclusive of fair weather access road, water

distribution network, electrical network as well as drainage network.

“We therefore want to reassure all applicants that the status of their applications will in no way be affected and they will be processed in due time,” the ministry noted.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, August 28, 2020

PSA reviewal not Dominican Republic looks forward to deepening relations with Guyana renegotiation -- Exxon says sanctity of contract important to long-term investment

By Lisa Hamilton WHILE some experts have been pushing for government to renegotiate its Stabroek Block Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) with ExxonMobil and its partners, President of ExxonMobil Guyana, Alistair Routledge has stated that reviewal, not renegotiation is on the table for talks with the government.

In a meeting with the media on Wednesday, Routledge said that ExxonMobil does not believe that its contract with the Government of Guyana leans in the Company’s favour, and renegotiation of existing contracts can lead to future investment complications.

“We have had very little discussion with the government. What they have emphasised is that they will review the contracts, but they are not seeking to negotiate the contracts. And I think that’s really important for the country for the long-term, because, internationally, contract sanctity is very important to oil companies. If we enter into contracts in a country and those are changed down the road, then it’s very difficult for us to make commitments on projects that typically have 20-30-year investment life. So, how can we make those investments if we’re unsure whether the terms will change?” Routledge explained.

He said that it is important for persons to understand that sanctity of contract is important to long-term investment, and this goes for all investors; not just ExxonMobil.

Seeking to explain his point further, Routledge brought up the Payara Development Project, which is under review by a team of international experts, headed by Canadian Queen’s Counsel, Alison Redford. The project is expected to see the drilling of up to 45 development wells, but approval is first needed, at least by September, to prevent the delay of the project further by some 9-12 months.

Speaking to the fact that investment dollars will flow to where it is competitive, as

opposed to where long-term investment challenges exist, he said: “…the Guyana portfolio is one of the better opportunities for us at ExxonMobil, but it's not the only one. And, indeed, if we don't get the agreement as we're looking for in Payara, the investment money will go elsewhere in ExxonMobil’s portfolio.”

However, several media houses published Routledge’s statement as a threat to the

ExxonMobil Guyana President, Alistair Routledge

Government of Guyana to quicken its pace to complete the ongoing review.

OUT OF CONTEXT In a subsequent release, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL)’s Public and Government Affairs Adviser, Janelle Persaud said that some media reports took Routledge’s remarks out of context.

She clarified: “Routledge was referring to the impact further delays could have amidst the current weak oil market conditions due to the global pandemic that has tightened available funding for projects worldwide.”

The release stated further that ExxonMobil Guyana will continue to work closely with the Government to develop the country’s resources for the long-term benefit of the people of Guyana, and a timely approval of additional proposed projects, including Payara, will ensure that the local workforce and the utilisation of local suppliers will continue to grow.

A DIFFERENT VIEW Routledge disagrees with the sentiments of some that Guyana’s PSA with his company gives Guyana a bad deal.

“I don't believe that it is more in favour of ExxonMobil than it is for this country. I think our interests are aligned; if the contract was more challenging for us, then, to be honest, I don't think, in this environment, investment dollars would be coming to Guyana. It is a global business, and especially in these days, where commodity prices have fallen, the investment dollars will flow to where it is competitive,” he said, adding: “I just don't want this to be a sense that this is a contract that is so far different from everything else that we would potentially invest in.”

Under the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) governing the Stabroek Block, Guyana will be receiving, at a minimum, two per cent royalty on all oil produced in the Block, plus 12.5 per cent profit oil. As the capital and operating costs are liquidated, Guyana’s share of profit oil will increase, rising up to 52 per cent return on every barrel of oil sold.

When it comes to the review of the existing contract, the ExxonMobil Guyana President said that he can see this process bringing greater attention to the areas of Local Content and accountability.

He said: “First of all, the review informs, so everybody understands really what is in the contract, what are our roles and obligations, are we all living up to those. But also, it identifies what it is it that's not in the contract that we can work on together, and I think local content is one of those areas where, while we have made a lot of progress…there is still more that can be done. And part of me coming is [because] I have a lot of energy in this space to accelerate this.”

Guyana completed its Local Content policy in February 2020, but there is no Local Content legislation to effect mandatory local involvement.

Wanted man shot by police WANTED man, Dwayne Castello, called ‘Top Cat’, was shot by police at Warlock, East Ruimveldt, Georgetown, on Thursday night.

Police were on patrol in the area and saw Castello. The latter, upon seeing the patrol, opened fire in their direction. The ranks returned fire and Castello was hit below the knee.

An unlicensed 9mm pistol, with matching rounds, was reportedly retrieved from the scene. Castello is under guard at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC)

Wanted: Dwayne Castello

Dominican Republic President, Luis Abinader Corona

PRESIDENT, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali has received a congratulatory letter from President of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader Corona, who expressed his desire to deepen ties with Guyana.

In his letter, the President

President, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali

extended felicitations to the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) and the nation for the peaceful transition “which consolidates the democratic system of your country”.

Further, President Abinader Corona said his government looks forward

to working with Guyana “in the common challenges that our Caribbean region currently faces. We look forward [to] strengthening ties of friendship and cooperation for the benefit of our nations”.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE , Friday, August 28, 2020

Technology to boost agri sector

GUYANA’s agriculture sector is expected to receive a major technological boost that will see farmers benefitting from better yields and more pest and disease resistant varieties of rice and other agricultural crops.

During a courtesy call on Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, China’s Ambassador to Guyana, Cui Jianchun, said that China is happy to collaborate and offer assistance to the agriculture sector.

“I went to Berbice to speak with the (rice) farmers. They told me that they need modern technology.

They would like to grow more rice but they need more modernise equipment and scientific technologies to do so. Over the past year, we’ve invited students to go to China and had Chinese experts come here. I don’t think that’s

enough because the people get trained but they don’t have the necessary technology or investment,” Ambassador Jianchun said.

Ambassador Jianchun also said he is willing to assist with rice research by assisting Guyana with having specialists from China’s Research Institute to come and work along with Guyana’s rice research scientists at Burma.

While addressing the issue of technology, Minister Mustapha informed the ambassador that his ministry is hoping to collaborate with China to assist farmers in adopting a more scientific role in their cultivation.

“Agriculture in Guyana has the potential to expand but we need our farmers to have a more science based approach.

Farmers are still working with

Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha during the meeting with Chinese ambassador, Cui Jianchun. Also photograph is the MoA Director-General, Madanlall Ramraj

the same systems used 20 years ago. Government wants to tap into your country’s resources and expertise to assist our farmers with taking agriculture in Guyana to the

next level. Investments in the sector are also important.

There is great potential for the skills acquired through the training to be fully utilised through improved technology

and investments,” Minister Mustapha said.

Minister Mustapha also stated that he plans to work closely with the Chinese Government to have more locally

produced commodities on the Chinese market. Ambassador Jianchun informed the Minister that Guyana is welcome to participate and showcase its products at the annual Shanghai International Expo.

The minister will soon submit a proposal for assistance in the rice sector that will include suggestions for a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to be signed for demonstration plot to be set up. This will facilitate collaborative research between the National Agriculture Research and Extension Institute (NAREI), The Guyana Rice Research Station at Burma and the Research Institute of China to test higher yielding varieties of rice in Guyana.

Also present at the meeting was MoA’s Director-General, Madanlall Ramraj.

Cubans fined for entering Guyana illegally FIVE Cubans, including a child, appeared before Magistrate Alex Moore at the Springlands Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, charged for entering Guyana illegally via Suriname/ Guyana backtrack route.

Those charged are Amoury Rondon Robaina, Yonisleydis Cedeno Blanco, Erneydys Rodriguez Gomez and Yuriesqui Pena Luis. It is alleged that on August 5, 2020, they entered Guyana via the sea and disembarked without the consent of an immigration officer.

While admitting to the charge, Magistrate Moore

explained they had two choices; either to pay a fine of $20,000 each or spend three weeks in prison.

With the assistance of an interpreter, the foreign nationals told the court they will pay the fine. As such, the magistrate ordered they be deported to their native land.

Even though the borders have been closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, foreign nationals have been finding various means and points of entry into the country. Within the last two months, approximately 30 Cubans entered the country illegally via the Corentyne River. Five of the 30 tested

The Cubans making their way into the Springlands Magistrate’s Court on Thursday

positive for COVID-19 and were placed into an isolation facility.

This is a major concern for Berbicians and the country at large since it poses a major health risk. To date, Berbice has recorded 14 positive cases with one death.

Several other Cubans remain in a quarantine facility. As recent as last weekend, another batch of 11 Cubans were intercepted at the Berbice River Bridge and in the vicinity of the Number 63 Beach.

The Guyana Chronicle understands persons would pay as much as US$500 per person to enter the country.

Exxon says ‘Hammerhead’ assessment good news EXXONMOBIL is still assessing its fourth development project, Hammerhead, after additional resources found in the area called for an improved strategy on how it should be maximised.

Guyana Chronicle requested an update on the development project at a media meeting on Wednesday where President of ExxonMobil Guyana, Alistair Routledge was present.

Routledge said that the while the provision of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the project has been paused, it was done on a positive note.

“It’s a good news story but we paused the Ham-

merhead on its own because we think it could be part of a wider development,” he said. Routledge explained that since the Hammerhead discovery and the commencement of its EIA, additional resources were discovered in the area at Snoek and Uaru.

He said: “In order to ensure that we have an optimal development, we’re now looking at those different resources and ensuring that we go about how can we make the best development. Is it two FPSOs that are in some way connected? Some of the Hammerhead resources are a little bit heavier oil so we’re [deciding on] how do we do that development and optimise the total value of that

and do it at the lowest cost.”

Exxon’s fourth development project was announced in March 2020 through an application of Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The project was expected to be undertaken with facilities for petroleum production expected to last at least 20 years. There were also plans for the installation of a Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) facility, as well as production operations, and decommissioning.

The Hammerhead discovery, announced in August 2018, encountered approximately 197 feet of high-qual-

ity, oil-bearing sandstone reservoir. International oiland- gas research firm, Wood Mackenzie, had suggested back in 2018 that ExxonMobil and Guyana had “hit jackpot” with the discovery.

In keeping with the Environmental Protection Act No. 11, 1996, an EIA for development must first be provided before any decision is made as the project could have significant impacts on the environment.

ExxonMobil’s fist two development projects are Liza Phase I and Liza Phase II already approved. Meanwhile, its third, the Payara Development Project, is awaiting approval.

The location of the Hammerhead discovery

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, August 28, 2020

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, August 28, 2020

Dr. Anthony elected CCM chair

HEALTH Minister, Dr. Frank Anthony, was elected chair of the Guyana Global Fund – Country Coordinating Mechanism (GF/CCM) and Simone Sills, a civil society representative vicechair when the board was reconvened on Wednesday.

Dr. Anthony brings with him a wealth of knowledge and experience, not only in the medical field but in the processes applied by the

Global Fund.

While addressing the new members of the board and personnel from the Ministry of Health via Zoom, the CCM chair expressed appreciation to those who nominated and officially elected him as chair of the CCM for the next two years, a release said.

The CCM chair emphasised that he looks forward to working with the board members and other partners in

strengthening efforts focused on TB, HIV and Malaria.

Dr. Anthony recognised past partnerships with civil society and further indicated that he looks forward to strengthening that relationship.

In her remarks, Sills thanked the civil society organisations (CSOs) for expressing their confidence in her. She underscored the role civil society organisations

play in the prevention of the diseases. Sills noted that the CSOs are the foot soldiers who ensure that programmes and services meet the most vulnerable.

The vice-chair welcomed this opportunity and indicated that her commitment to the board will not waiver. Sills has been working in the CSO arena for a number of years.

As the executive director of the National Coordinating

Simone Sills

Health Minister, Dr. Frank Anthony

Coalition (NCC), Sills has been working towards the improvement of services and capacity building of CSOs throughout Guyana. Under her leadership, the NCC has benefitted from grants from the USAID and Global Fund, among others.

The Country Coordinating Mechanism includes representatives of all sectors involved in the response to the diseases: academic institutions, civil society, faithbased organisations, government, multilateral or bilateral agencies, nongovernmental organisations, and people living with the diseases, the private sector and technical agencies.

Importantly, CCMs are national committees that submit funding applications to the Global Fund and oversee grants on behalf of their countries. They are a key element of the Global Fund partnership.

The Guyana CCM is

tasked with coordinating the development of the national request for funding; nominates the principal recipient; oversees the implementation of approved grants; approves any re-programming requests and ensures linkages and consistency among Global Fund grants and other national health and development programmes.

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria was created in 2002 to raise, manage and invest the world’s money to respond to three of the deadliest infectious diseases the world has ever known. The mission of the Global Fund is to invest the world’s money to defeat these three diseases. As an international organisation, the Global Fund mobilises and invests more than US$4 billion a year to support programmes run by local experts in more than 100 countries.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, August 28, 2020

Greenidge, former TT Energy Minister on local-content panel

PRESIDENT, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali on Thursday announced key appointments to Guyana’s Local Content Panel, which is expected to conduct expansive consultation and review, and devise recommendations that will inform the country’s Local Content Policy.

“I strongly believe that Guyanese must play an integral role and benefit from the fortunes of the sector,” President Ali said.

While the head of state acknowledged that there is

Shyam Nokta much to be done in terms of capacity building among local stakeholders, he believes that with the right mix, which includes technology transfer and partnership between experienced companies and the local private sector, a sustainable and lucrative pathway can be achieved for Guyanese within the Local content policy.

The appointees to the Local Content Panel are as follows: SHYAM NOKTA Nokta will serve as Chairman of the Advisory

Panel. He holds a Master’s of Science Degree in Environmental Assessment and Management from the University of Oxford–Brookes, and a Bachelor’s of Science in Environmental Studies from the University of Guyana.

He is the recipient of several awards and scholarships, including the Fulbright Scholarship to pursue Doctoral studies. Nokta has accumulated over 20 years’ experience, working in the areas of environmental assessment and management,

committees in the areas of tourism, conservation and climate change and ‘green’ growth.

Nokta has also held the position of President of the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA), and currently serves as the Chief Representative for the Caribbean for the Delhi-based Energy and Resources Institute (TERI).

and at British Gas, where he worked as the Lead Economist.

Ramnarine holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Chemistry, a Master’s of Science in Petroleum Engineering, and a Master’s Degree in Business (MBA).

Since leaving ministerial office, he has worked as an energy consultant, and as a lecturer at the Arthur Lok Jack Global School of Business. In 2014, he was named “Energy Executive of the Year” by the Petroleum Economist magazine.

Trinidad and Tobago Ministry of Energy; Petrotrin; Amoco; BP T&T; and BP plc in London.

He has also advised clients in East, West and Southern Africa; the Middle East; Central and Southeast Asia; Latin America and the Caribbean.

CARL B. GREENIDGE Greenidge is an economist who has served as Guyana’s finance min-

utive-level experience.

He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), and a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) who holds a Master’s Degree in Public Policy from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. Haynes is an Adjunct Professor in Finance and Accounting at the University of the District of Columbia, and a public lecturer in leadership and management.

He is also the founder and president of Haynes Incorporated, a Washington-based international accounting and manage-

Carl B. Greenidge

Kevin Ramnarine

Floyd Haynes

Dr. Anthony Paul

Carvil Duncan

conservation, tourism development, and climate change.

Nokta has also served as an adviser to the President, and as Head of the Office of Climate Change, where he co-ordinated Guyana’s response to climate change, the development and implementation of the Low-Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), and REDD+Partnership with the Kingdom of Norway. He was also involved in key conservation initiatives such as the establishing of Guyana’s National Protected Areas System, and has chaired several national boards and

ister from 1983-1992.

An international public servant, he has served in several top-level positions, including as secretary-general of the ACP Group of States, and in the 10th Parliament, he served as the Opposition spokesman on finance and international economic cooperation, and as foreign secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

FLOYD HAYNES Haynes is a Guyanese-born professional with over 30 years of exec-

ment consulting firm, and a member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.

DR. ANTHONY PAUL Dr. Paul is the Principal Consultant, Energy and Strategy, Association of Caribbean Energy Specialist Limited.

He spearheaded a Rapid Analysis of the State of Readiness of Guyana’s Hydrocarbon Regulatory Framework study, facilitated by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 2016, and played a lead role in the formulation of Guyana’s draft Local Content Policy framework, which is currently under review.

He has worked with the

they will approach the development of the oil-andgas sector in a non-partisan manner.

The recent appointments are part of the Government’s drive to fulfil its Manifesto promises, as it relates to securing the benefits of oil and gas for all Guyanese.

The critical areas which are central to the overall strategy in the oil-and-gas sector are a framework for proper management of resources, transparency and accountability, and securing benefits for Guyanese.

KEVIN RAMNARINE Ramnarine served as the Minister of Energy of Trinidad and Tobago (2011 to 2015). During his tenure, he created a positive climate for investment, including the fiscal reforms which resulted in major investments in deep-water exploration.

Prior to being appointed Energy Minister, he held positions in the Energy Chamber of Trinidad and Tobago,

CARVIL DUNCAN Duncan is the former Chairman of the Public Service Commission (PSC).

The government has continuously assured that

UG to continue classes online for first semester THE University of Guyana will be continuing its classes online for the first semester of academic year 2020/2021, starting from October 5, 2020.

The university is happy that it managed to deliver upwards of 80 per cent of its courses online during the first safe mode period (March to July).

According to a release, though the university lost 473 of its 8,700 students during this period, every effort is being made during this New Year to better support the delivery and capacity of lecturers and to bring back those students who had to withdraw for various reasons.

These reasons included access to Internet, access to computers or suitable phones,

difficult personal circumstances, inability to adapt and power instability in some areas.

Over the next three years as UG develops its online and blended capacity, the university could spend around US$3 million to put protective measures in place and convert to a top-of-the-line blended mode.

While this process has been fast tracked to begin this year, it will be rolled out over a few years.

Internationally, during the COVID-19 pandemic, over 33 per cent of global universities have been unable to deliver and have been forced to close.

“It is projected that 50 per cent of universities which closed may close permanently.

It should be noted that UG never closed but

moved online almost immediately. For those universities that remained open scrambling to respond to the pandemic by getting online, attrition rates (withdrawals and dropouts) average from eight to 23 per cent globally.

Compared to this, UG’s rate was 5.5 per cent. While the university acknowledges, as most university’s worldwide have done, that the move online was far from perfect, the fact that the University of Guyana was able to move from 100 courses online in December 2019 to 900 by July 2020 and to deliver these successfully to over 8,000 students, including adapting assessments and university’s polices at the same time, was a test of resilience, determination, creativity and dedication of the staff and students at the

university,” the release said.

UG refused to give up in the face of grave adversity produced by two difficult coinciding situations in Guyana, but delivered in the best way it could, the release added.

Vice-Chancellor, Professor Paloma Mohamed–Martin has outlined and underscored the administrations gratitude to staff, students and collaborating partners and re-stated the university’s commitment to supporting educated and exemplary citizen students for Guyana.

The university, the release said, is doing everything reasonably possible in the present context to significantly improve its online systems in the coming semester.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, August 28, 2020

A different sound

Hip Hop with a Guyanese twist

IN the Caribbean when one thinks of music, their thoughts immediately defer to dancehall, soca or reggae, however in recent years the music industry in the region has been evolving making room for new and hip unique sounds.

One of those unique sounds and voices is 27-yearold Troy R.D Felix, better known as BeaRSawse who is known for his blending Hip-

Hop music with Guyanese creole (‘creolese’).

Felix, who hails from Stanleytown, New Amsterdam, like many music lovers, grew up around music and spent his days penning his lyrics on paper. “ I actually grew up around people who were into music. Four houses from where I live, there was a man named Andrew Macaulay with a sound system called

“BASELINE”. That sound system I would say, is responsible for me hearing rap music because my dad, he would only play reggae and dancehall music,” Felix said.

Taking inspiration from some of the greats who are prevalent in the genre, Felix noted that he would always try to recite the lyrics from some of his favourite songs which eventually saw him writing his own lyrics and creating his

‘BeaRSawse’ during a live performance before the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic

Troy R.D Felix, better known as ‘BeaRSawse’

own music and sound.

“I would hear artiste like Ludacris and DMX, Snoop Dogg etc. It wasn’t until I heard 50 Cent that I got interested. So I began writing his lyrics so I can recite them but in the midst of writing his lyrics I realised that I was writing lyrics that didn’t belong to his songs so I started writing my own music,” he said.

He noted that he kept his songs to himself for a while, but after a few years, he decided to share his talents with the rest of the world and would often part-take in small rap battles with his classmates and friends.

The young man noted that in 2012, he recorded

his first song in a professional studio, however, he noted that it was not his proudest work. Nevertheless, he kept making music and released his first mixtape in 2016 called “DTTS” - ‘Dont Take This Serious’.

However, Felix noted that it wasn’t until 2019 that he saw a drastic change in his music career after he blended comedy with his music. “It wasn’t until March last year I watch things change for me. Last year March I did ‘Thotiana remix (EAZY)’. That was me in my Guyanese accent just rapping a series of truths but I put it over in a funny way. The listeners can do

three things: they can either not like it, they can relate or they can laugh,” he said.

“That’s the song that really put me on the map as an artiste.”

Currently, Felix disclosed that he is working on a new extended play record (EP) which will see a somewhat different, softer side to his personality. “I think I want to call it ‘Heart on My Sleeve’, because I feel like I’m too real and I’m too raw.

I don’t speak much on my feelings but when I do I really don’t hide nothing,” he said.

Felix is excited to continue his journey while bringing a Guyanese mix to his music.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, August 28, 2020

Fashion guru,

Sonia Noel

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launches new show

Local fashion designer and author, Sonia Noel

W

ELL known, fashion designer and Guru Sonia Noel has launched her new television show, ‘Beyond the Runway’ which will be aired on the National Communications Network (NCN) and several other platforms.

Noel noted that in celebration of her birth anniversary which was on August 15 and the third anniversary of her newspaper column she decided to launch a new project that speaks to empowerment and will meet the eyes and ears of many during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

“They say only every 823 years we experience five weekends in a month so I am even more intentional about making it extra special,” she said.

The show she noted will feature interviews with people from around the world who are positively contributing to humanity.

Noel noted that the ‘Beyond the Runway’ show will feature 30 awe inspiring short stories that will stimulate one to go the extra mile.

She added that the television programme will also feature stories from her newspaper column which is also called Beyond the Runway.

“The Beyond the Runway column started in 2017 and has featured compelling and inspiring content that motivated many. I extracted some of the most intriguing, motivating and mind-blowing featured stories [from the Beyond the Runway column]. I am certain there is a story that will resonate with everyone regardless,” Noel said The first two guests on the show were Shelly A Muñoz who is an award-winning

educator from the United States with 20+ year knowledge of the classroom, staff development instructor, and university professor and Gabriel Funsho Babalola from Nigeria a graduate of mechanical engineering.

Shelly has authored several educational journals and has featured in the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) STEM Challenges and Academic Success.

Shelly is a STEM consultant, educational literacy consultant for Digi-Tells, and has appeared on numerous television shows and newscast ~ promoting literacy, science education, and STEM. Meanwhile, Babalola is also a life coach, an author, business development strategist and a serial entrepreneur.

His mission she said is helping people live and love their best life runs an online school namely “The well of wisdom Life School” where he helps students to live purposeful, fulfilling, happy and extraordinary life.

Noel disclosed that persons have benefited from a number of special gifts such as books, outfits, coaching calls and personal and professional development programmes.

Persons were also given special discounts on products and services.

“During the pandemic, I have become even more intentional to soar to greater heights and assist others to do the same. We have great plans for persons who tuned in to the launch,” Noel Said.

The show will air on Saturdays from 19:00hrs to 19: 30hrs on stream Yard, Facebook and Caribbean Power Jam weekly.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, August 28, 2020

Caribbean Style & Culture wraps up virtual showcase with House of Pearson, UTT Fashion Leader

O

VER the last three weeks, the Caribbean Style and Culture Awards and Fashion Showcase, which has awarded several designers, models and makeup artists from Guyana and other Caribbean countries over the years, has switched up its annual showcase to a virtual production.

The production has been aired every Friday since August 14 and has featured curated videos from several Caribbean designers. On August 14, the production showcased the work of Eliette LeSuperbe from Guadeloupe and designs from Trinidadian fashion lines, Thalassa Beachwear and The Cloth by Robert Young.

On August 21, viewers were treated to designs from Trefle Designs out of the British Virgin Islands, Christique Clothing from Trinidad and Tobago and Shakad Eco Lifestyle from Barbados. Tonight’s show will close with a presentation by Guyana’s own Quinton Pearson, of House of Pearson as well as a talk by the University of Trinidad and Tobago’s (UTT) Fashion Design Programme Leader, Sandra Carr who will be speaking on the effects of the Coronavirus on the Caribbean Fashion Industry.

This is the first time in its 11-year existence that the Caribbean Style and Culture Awards and Fashion Showcase has not hosted a physical event.

The Virtual Showcase was hosted by TV Personality Chardelle Moore, Fashion Coordinator for CSC, Chantney Renese and US-based stylist Tee Wright.

Viewers can tune in tonight at 20:00hrs on the Caribbean Style and Culture YouTube, Facebook and Instagram Page to watch the show.

GUYANA CHRONICLE , Friday, August 28, 2020

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GUYANA CHRONICLE , Friday, August 28, 2020

TKR continue CPL...

FROM BACKPAGE CPL 2020, Seifert diving to hold a steepling Shepherd top edge. Paul responded with a flat-bat six, but Bravo was as good as ever in the 20th, conceding just five and sending his team into the innings break strong favourites.

Amazon Warriors started well through Hemraj and captain Chris Green. But Lendl Simmons smashed Imran Tahir over midwicket for six, and Webster cut Hemraj for four then lofted a straight Hero Maximum. Green was forced to go to Naveen-ul-Haq, who spoiled an otherwise good over by gifting Simmons a four down the leg-side, and at 32/0 off five overs, the Knight Riders were comfortable.

Tahir did his best to change that. First a googly ripped past Simmons’ slog, next ball a big legbreak did the same to Munro, and though Darren Bravo denied Tahir the hat-trick the Knight Riders needed to reset.

Green and Paul were accurate, but Webster ended a run of 26 boundary-less balls by spanking a Hero Maximum. As a bonus he drove Shepherd for four, and at halfway the Knight Riders were well-set at 51/2.

Skipper Green ended Webster’s charge, with Hetmyer taking a smart low catch. Seifert was lucky not to be bowled at least once by Paul, but found a gap at square leg to close the 12th over with a four.

Naveen returned and went for just four, and with two overs of Tahir looming Green invited the Knight Riders to attack Shepherd.

Seifert and Bravo took the bait, and the over went for 13 to leave the Knight Riders needing 35 off 36 balls.

Green opted to only use one of Tahir’s overs, and it went for just two. A Paul over went boundary-less, and off Naveen Hetmyer very nearly outdid Webster’s earlier effort, leaping athletically to hold and release a Bravo loft before he hit the rope, but Green wasn’t quite close enough to take the release.

Bravo did however clear the ropes in that over as Naveen served him a juicy full toss, and Seifert went after the first ball of Tahir’s last over and hit it miles. With the pressure now off, the over went for 11, and Seifert sealed the win with two crunching fours.

He and Bravo had again finished what the bowlers had started, and the Knight Riders machine rolled on. It’s instructive, and worrying for the other five franchises, that once again Sunil Narine’s absence was hardly mentioned. (CPL)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE , Friday, August 28, 2020

Praim Persaud to be inducted into USA Cricket Hall of Fame

Praim Persaud AFTER serving the sport of cricket, both as a player and administrator for the past 45 years and still continuing to do so at various levels, Guyanese-born Praim Persaud is slated to be inducted into the

United States of America Cricket Hall of Fame when the 39th annual ceremony takes place on Saturday, October 3.

Unlike previous ceremonies, this year’s induction will be done via Zoom on Maq TV due to the Covid-19 pandemic which has plagued most countries since March.

Persaud, is credited to have contributed to the growth, development and visibility of cricket in two Canadian provinces - Montreal Quebec, for almost 10 years and Ontario, mainly in the Brampton, Mississauga, Toronto, Etobicoke and other cities and districts for the last 35 plus years and counting.

The ebullient and hard-working Persaud has recently been appointed as a Special Advisor on Cricket to the Mayor of Brampton Patrick Brown and have successfully forged a very rewarding partnership with city council and all respective stakeholders of

planning, development, infrastructure and funding, as well as parks and maintenance - all of whom are now committed to working with on the current and future growth of cricket in the City.

According to Persaud he also worked with previous mayors and city representatives to build the Brampton-Etobicoke & District Cricket League (BEDC) from 18 teams to a massive 157 teams, by far the largest in Canada. The cricket facilities have also saw an increase from three privately owned entities to 17 and counting.

Currently the Vice-president of Cricket Ontario after serving previously as President, Persaud pointed out that he intends to continue his voluntary services to the sport at both the League and Cricket Ontario at the Provincial Level.

His aim is to ensure that cricket is finally recognised by all governments, municipalities and city administration as one of the main stream sports that deserves both the respect and due attention as other mainline Canadian recognized sports.

Persaud also wants all levels of government begin to account for cricket in its Annual Fiscal Budget at both its administrative and operational levels to factor in financial allocations for the type of facilities to develop cricketers who can compete on the same level as others in other developing associates countries who have grown in both stature and quality due to their improved infrastructure.

Persaud intends to focus his energies in building an Ontario administration that is functional under and ‘open’ governance philosophy and is inclusive to all who are willing to volunteer

their services under the guidelines of transparency, cooperation and for the benefit of all and not be driven by self-interest and self-motivation.

The Cricket Hall of Fame was founded in 1981 to honour those who have made outstanding performances in the sport, to help foster the game’s growth and development in the USA,and also those who have made recognizable contributions in their communities.

Among past inductees were former West Indies president Dave Cameron, current West Indies Cricket Director Jimmy Adams, Sir Clive Lloyd, Sir Garfield Sobers, Sir Wesley Hall, Sir Vivian Richards, Joel Garner, Alvin Kallicharran, Sir Gordon Greenidge, the late Basil Butcher, Courtney Walsh, Joseph Solomon, Colin Croft, Jeffrey Dujon, the late Tony Becca, umpire Stephen Bucknor and Lance Gibbs.

Bryan brothers announce retirement days ahead of U.S. Open NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bob and Mike Bryan, the most successful men’s doubles team in the history of tennis, are bringing the curtain down on their 22-year professional careers days ahead of the U.S. Open tennisS, the site of their major debut in 1995, the ATP said on Thursday.

The Bryans, 42, captured a professional era record 119 titles together, including 16 Grand Slams, 39 ATP Masters 1000s and the ATP Finals title four times.

“We feel it’s the right time to walk away,” said Mike. “We’ve given over 20 years to the Tour, and we are now looking forward to the next chapter of our lives.

“We feel blessed to have been able to play the game of doubles for so long. We are grateful to have had the opportunities in the beginning of the year to play and say our goodbyes to the fans.”

The Californian pair were the top-ranked doubles team in the world for 438 weeks and became the first team to clinch a Career

Golden Masters in 2014 with their Shanghai triumph which meant they had won all nine ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments.

They also won Olympic gold at London 2012 and were part of the U.S. Davis Cup-winning team in 2007.

“We’re most proud of the way we devoted ourselves completely to the game,” said Bob. “Our loyalty toward each other never wavered and we are leaving professional tennis with zero regrets.

“We’ll miss the competition and camaraderie

Bob and Mike Bryan. The Californian pair won have won a record 119 titles to.gether, including 16 Grand Slams.

amongst the players. We’ll also miss the excitement of gearing up for a big match and playing for the roar of the fans.”

Mike claimed two more Grand Slam titles with Jack Sock in 2018 after his brother was sidelined with a hip injury.

The Bryans will exit on a winning note, having lifted the Delray Beach Open title in February before the season was halted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

They finish their careers with a 1,108-359 team record.

Mohammed opts out of strong Windies side for England series

ST JOHN’S, Antigua, (CMC) – Vice-captain Anisa Mohammed has opted out of an otherwise full strength 18-member squad announced Wednesday for the bio-secure five-match Twenty20 International tour of England starting next month.

Regular captain Stafanie Taylor will lead the side which includes the likes of Hayley Matthews, Deandra Dottin and Shemaine Campbelle, and will fly out of the Caribbean by private charter on Sunday after being tested for COVID-19.

A Cricket West Indies (CWI) statement said Mohammed, an off-spinner who has played 100 matches in both limited overs formats, had “declined the invitation to travel to England.”

“All players were given the option to decline selection for any COVID-19 related concern. CWI fully respects her decision to choose to do so,” CWI said.

The tour marks the first international women’s series since the COVID-19 pandemic forced the halt of all cricket globally last March, and follows on the heels of the West Indies men’s three-Test rubber in England last month.

Like that series, the women’s one will be played against the backdrop of the pandemic, which has been particularly devastating in the United Kingdom with 329 000 confirmed cases and already over 41 000 deaths.

CWI’s director of cricket, Jimmy Adams, said the tour represented a great opportunity for the regional

side, especially following a long period of inactivity.

“CWI is pleased to be restarting its international women’s program with a tour to England, where the standard of women’s cricket has grown tremendously” Adams said.

“We thank the ECB for their invitation and the added opportunity to travel with a larger squad affords us the chance to introduce a few younger players to this level of the game, and fast track their development.

“With so much uncertainty surrounding cricket scheduling currently, this is a timely opportunity for our women to resume competitive cricket at the highest level.”

The squad includes two uncapped players in Kaysia Schultz, a 23-year-old left-arm spinner

who bats right-handed, along with 21-year-old Guyanese counterpart Cherry-Ann Fraser who was part of the squad for this year’s T20 World Cup in Australia but failed to play a game.

Chief selector Ann Browne-John said the expanded squad allowed for greater development of players.

“The larger 18-member squad also gives an opportunity to have young developing players involved, like the two players from Guyana – left-arm bowler Kaysia Shultz and all-rounder Shabika Gajnabi,” said Browne-John.

“It also gives the opportunity to the young Trinidadian off spinner Karishma Ramharack to get some international experience.”

Gajnabi has played 10 matches since making her debut last year while Ramharack has featured in eight, following her debut also last year.

West Indies Women will be placed in a bio-secure bubble on arrival and will play all five matches at the Incora County Ground in Derby from September 21-30.

SQUAD – Stafanie Taylor, Afy Fletcher, Hayley Matthews, Aaliyah Alleyne, Cherry Ann Fraser, Natasha Mclean, Shemaine Campbelle, Shabika Gajnabi, Chedean Nation, Britney Cooper, Sheneta Grimmond, Karishma Ramharack, Shamilia Connell, Chinelle Henry, Kaysia Schultz, Deandra Dottin, Lee Ann Kirby, Shakera Selman.

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Dwayne Bravo becomes first bowler to scalp 500 wickets in T20 cricket

By sourav chowdhury

New Delhi: West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo on Wednesday grew to become the first bowler to attain the mark of 500 wickets in T20 cricket. The pacer achieved the feat in the continuing Caribbean Premier League (CPL) match between Trinbago Knight Riders and St Lucia Zouks.

While representing Trinbago Knight Riders, Bravo scalped the wicket of Rahkeem Cornwall (18) to register his 500th wicket in the shortest format of the sport.

Bravo achieved the feat of 500th wicket in his 459th match in the shortest format. The pacer has taken his wickets at a median of 24.62 and an financial system price of 8.2 In his T20 profession, Bravo has represented West Indies, Chennai Super Kings, Chittagong Kings, Comilla Victorians, Dhaka Dynamites, Dolphins, Essex, Gujarat Lions, Kent, Lahore Qalandars, Melbourne Renegades, Melbourne Stars, Middlesex, Mumbai Indians, Paarl Rocks, Quetta Gladiators, Surrey, Sydney Sixers, Trinbago Knight Riders, Trinidad & Tobago, Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel, and Victoria.

Sri Lanka’s Lasith Malinga is the second-highest wicket-taker in T20 cricket as he has 389 scalps to his title from 339 matches.

Sunil Narine (383), Imran Tahir (374), and Sohail Tanvir (356) are the remaining three bowlers who’ve taken essentially the most wickets in the shortest format.

After his stint with Trinbago Knight Riders in CPL, Bravo could be seen in motion for Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

The 2020 version of the IPL can be performed from September 19-November 10 in the UAE throughout three venues –Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. (ANI)

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (FRIDAY AUGUST 28, 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)Dinesh Ramdin-21 matches (2) 23 sixes Today’s Quiz: (1)What is the highest number of runs scored by a

player in a single CPL season to date?

(2)How many matches were scheduled to be

played in the very first CPL season?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

GUYANA CHRONICLE , Friday, August 28, 2020

Australia’s Finch says Test career probably finished (REUTERS) - Australia’s Aaron Finch says he has little chance of returning to the test arena due to the emergence of a crop of talented youngsters and with three limited-overs World Cups over the next three years leaving him little time to stake a claim.

Finch, Australia’s limited-overs skipper, made his Test debut in 2018 against Pakistan in Dubai as fellow opener David Warner served a one-year suspension for his role in the Cape Town ball-tampering scandal.

The hard-hitting batsman played the last of his five Tests in the Boxing Day contest against India that year before being dropped and has since played only five first-class matches.

“In terms of red-ball cricket, I don’t think it’s realistic to play test cricket again,” Finch was

Aaron Finch made his Test debut in 2018 against Pakistan in Dubai. quoted as saying by Cricket be really limited; and also the Australia’s website here young batters coming through, “Just based on two things: there are some seriously good the amount of opportunity to players in Australia, especially play four-day cricket and force top-order batters. a claim, I think, is going to “The talent depth is really,

really strong at the moment so I don’t think that’s an opportunity to be honest,” said the 33-year-old.

Finch has already flagged the 2023 ODI World Cup in India as his career swan song but will need to focus on backto-back Twenty20 World Cups in the next two years before that.

Finch is in England leading a 21-man touring party for next month’s limited overs series which includes three Twenty20 Internationals and three one-dayers.

“It’s always a place I’ve loved batting, right from when I first came over as a club player up in York,” said the former Surrey and Yorkshire player.

“I think having played over here for six county seasons in T20 and a bit of fourday cricket helps.”

Mayers defies Tallawahs spinners to inspire Tridents win

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, (CMC) – Kyle Mayers defied the magic of Mujeeb-ur-Rahman and Sandeep Lamichhane with a sensational half-century to propel Barbados Tridents to a 36-run victory over struggling Jamaica Tallawahs and reignite the reigning champions’ ailing title defence.

With Tridents under a vicious spin assault from the unrelenting duo, the left-handed Mayers counter-attacked brilliantly with a career-best 85 off 59 deliveries, which steered the innings to a competitive 148 for seven off 20 overs.

Mujeeb, the 19-year-old off-spinner from Afghanistan, finished with three for 14 from his four overs while Lamichhane, a 20-year-old leg-spinner from Nepal, claimed two for 16 from his full quota.

In reply, Tallawahs never looked the part and crumbled for 112 for nine off 20 overs, with only Nkrumah Bonner with 31 and Jermaine Blackwood, 28, showing any enterprise albeit briefly.

Kiwi left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner spearheaded the Tridents attack with a miserly four-over spell which yielded two for 10 after he was handed the new ball, while left-arm seamer Raymon Reif-

Left-hander Kyle Mayers slammed a career-best 85.

er (2-13) and fast-bowling captain Jason Holder (2-18) gave adequate support.

The die was cast once Tallawahs slumped to 27 for four at the end of the seventh over and with superstar Andre Russell sitting out the contest, they were without any firepower at the back end of the run chase.

For Tridents, the victory broke a three-game losing skid and lifted them to third place in the six-team standings with four points from two wins.

Tallawahs, meanwhile, remained on four points but slipped to fifth, with just two wins in five outings.

Sent in at Queen’s Park Oval, Tridents tumbled to 20 for two in the fourth over, after Mujeeb knocked over both openers Shai Hope (8)

and Johnson Charles (3) in successive overs.

The right-handed Hope, still searching for form, missed a reverse sweep and was adjudged lbw while Charles played down the wrong line and edged to captain Rovman Powell at first slip.

Mayers then led an incredible counter-attack, slamming three fours and eight sixes as he dominated a 63-run, third wicket stand with Holder (15).

Exuding both elegance and power, Mayers smashed a four and two sixes from the eighth over sent down

by Powell which leaked 17 runs before reaching his maiden T20 half-century in the 12th over.

Holder fell in the 11th over as Tridents lost four wickets for seven runs in the

space of 17 balls in the middle overs but Mayers survived the mesmerising onslaught from Mujeeb and Lamichhane to launch yet another counter-attack, this time in a 50-run, seventh wicket partnership with Santner (20 not out).

Dropped behind on 54 in the 15th over off Mujeeb, Mayers made the Tallawahs pay dearly, belting 29 runs off the 18th over – including four sixes and a four – bowled by seamer Carlos Brathwaite.

Tridents then struck early in the run chase, Santner bowling Glenn Phillips with the fifth ball of the innings without a run on the board and Holder removing the outof-form Chadwick Walton (10) to a catch behind in the next over.

Powell (4) and Asif Ali (2) followed in quick succession and Tallawahs were crawling at 36 without further loss at the half-way stage of the innings.

Bonner, who faced 28 balls and struck three fours and a six, and Blackwood, who counted a four and two sixes in a run-a-ball knock, tried to revive the run chase in a 39-run, fifth wicket stand.But once Blackwood miscued a heave at Santner and holed out on the edge of the circle, the innings plunged into further decline.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE , Friday, August 28, 2020

Nabi’s career-best five for 15 keeps Pogba left out of Zouks on course for semi-final spot France squad after

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, (CMC) – Mohammad Nabi sparkled with a maiden five-wicket haul as St Lucia Zouks took a giant step towards the semi-finals of the Caribbean Premier League with a comfortable six-wicket victory over St Kitts and Nevis Patriots here Thursday.

Choosing to bowl first at Queen’s Park Oval, Zouks limited Patriots to 110 for nine off their 20 overs, with off-spinner Nabi claiming a career-best five for 15 from his allotted four overs.

Australian Ben Dunk topscored with a sluggish 33 and Alzarri Joseph chipped in with a swift 21 not out towards the end but Patriots never recovered after being reduced to 11 for four in the third over.

Afghan left-hander Najibullah Zadran then top-scored with 33 from 24 balls while Test batsman Roston Chase stroked an unbeaten run-a-ball 27 as Zouks eased to their target with over five overs to spare.

They lost a cluster of wickets

Mohammad Nabi celebrates his five-wicket haul (Getty Images) at the top of the order to be 52 for three in the seventh over but Najibullah and Chased combined in a 47-run fourth wicket stand to put Zouks on the brink of victory.

Zouks are second on eight points following their fourth win in six outings while Patriots remain rooted to the bottom of the six-team table with two points

from their five matches.

Zouks were given a dream start when Nabi wiped out the top order in a clinical spell, claiming the first four wickets to fall.

He got Chris Lynn to chip the third ball of the game back for a return catch without a run scored before removing Nick Kelly two balls later to a catch at slip also

without scoring.

In his next over, the third of the innings, Nabi induced Denesh Ramdin (9) to hole out to deep square and then claimed the precious wicket of Evin Lewis (1) off the very next delivery, top-edging a sweep to Chase at short backward square.

Dunk tried to dig Patriots out of their hole, striking two sixes in a 37-ball knock as he added 27 for the fifth wicket with Jahmar Hamilton (9) and 24 for the fifth with Sohail Tanvir (12).

His demise in the 14th over, caught in the deep off-spinner Rahkeem Cornwall was a huge blow to Patriots’ hopes and not even Joseph with a couple of sixes at the end could get them score up to a competitive one.

Cornwall then gave Zouks a whirlwind start, blasting two fours and three sixes in an 11-ball 26 before a sharp shower drove players from the field.

On their return, Mark Deyal (0) and Andre Fletcher (16) perished cheaply but Najibullah and Chase came together to see off the timid Patriots challenge.

testing positive for COVID-19

PARIS (Reuters) - France midfielder Paul Pogba has been left out of their squad for next month’s Nations League matches after testing positive for COVID-19, manager Didier Deschamps said on Thursday.

Rennes midfielder Eduardo Camavinga was called up as a late replacement for Manchester United’s Pogba.

“I had to make a last-minute change to this list because Paul Pogba was planned to be in this list,” Deschamps told reporters.

“But unfortunately for him, he took a test (for COVID-19) yesterday which turned out to be positive today, so at the last minute he was replaced by

Eduardo Camavinga.”

France are set to visit Sweden on Sept. 5 and host Croatia three days later.

France squad Goalkeepers: Hugo Lloris, Mike Maignan, Steve Mandanda Defenders: Lucas Digne, Leo Dubois, Lucas Hernandez, Presnel Kimpembe, Clement Lenglet, Ferland Mendy, Dayot Upamecano, Raphael Varane Midfielders: Eduardo Camavinga, N’Golo Kante, Steven Nzonzi, Adrien Rabiot, Moussa Sissoko Forwards: Houssem Aouar, Wissam Ben Yedder, Olivier Giroud, Antoine Griezmann, Jonathan Ikone, Anthony Martial, Kylian Mbappe

TKR continue CPL dominance with seven- wicket win over Amazon Warriors

Trinbago Knight Riders celebrate another Amazon Warriors dismissal. (CPL0

THE Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) continued their dominance of Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2020, bowling and fielding superbly to blow away the Guyana Amazon Warriors top order and completing what could have been a tricky chase on a slow pitch with time to spare.

Sikandar Raza opened the bowling and turned his first ball sharply but his sixth went straight on to bowl Brandon King, and Khary Pierre deceived Chandrapaul Hemraj and Nicholas Pooran to leave the Amazon Warriors 12/3. Pollard sensed blood, putting himself under the helmet practically on the batter’s toes.

(Scores: Trinbago Knight Riders 115/3 (Seifert 39*, Webster 27, DM Bravo 26*, Simmons 19; Tahir 2/25, Green 1/15) beat Guyana Amazon Warriors 112/7 (Paul 28*, Taylor 26, Hetmyer 26; Pierre 3/18, Pollard 1/15, DJ Bravo 1/23, Raza 1/30) by 7 wickets Ross Taylor was positive, pulling Raza hard for four. Pollard almost pulled off a blinder at silly-point, just failing to hold as Taylor lunged forward off Pierre. But Taylor found Raza easier, cutting for four, slog-sweeping in trademark fashion for six, and paddle-sweeping for another four to take the Amazon Warriors to 39/3 off the Powerplay.

Fawad Ahmed troubled Hetmyer with his googly, but unlike many others Hetmyer was able to find singles. Pollard brought himself on, but even someone with his experience couldn’t have expected what happened next.

Taylor took only a few strides before turning around, but keeper Tim Seifert was

By Abhishek Takle

Formula One F1 - Belgian Grand Prix - SpaFrancorchamps, Spa, Belgium - August 27, 2020 Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton in the paddock ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix REUTERS/Francois Lenoir

F1 champion Hamilton says he will not boycott Belgian GP

(REUTERS) - Six-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton said on Thursday he would not boycott Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix after a wave of player protests in the United States against the police shooting of a Black Man forced the postponement of sporting events.

The NBA’s Wisconsin-based Milwaukee Bucks started the boycotts when they refused to take the court for their playoff game on Wednesday while other teams followed suit in an unprecedented show of athlete solidarity.

The protests spilled over into Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, the Women’s NBA and tennis as Japan’s twice Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka pulled out of a tournament after reaching the semi-finals.

In the police shooting that sparked the latest wave of outrage, Jacob Blake was shot in the back at close range by a white officer in an incident captured on video.

“Firstly, I think it’s incredible what many out there in the States are doing within their sports all the way down to the people that are hosting, commentators for example,” Briton Hamilton, Formula

out of the blocks like a sprinter, got to the ball while taking off one glove, and in mid-air threw down one stump with Taylor still scrambling. It was a spectacular piece of work, and left the Amazon Warriors 44/4 after 8 overs.

Fawad and Pollard hustled towards the drinks break. Seifert dropped Sherfane Rutherford on 1, but with the Amazon Warriors 51/4 at halfway Pollard was the happier captain.

Fawad used the googly well to keep the 11th over quiet, and in the 12th on came yesterday’s history-maker, DJ Bravo, who also only went for singles When Pierre returned, Rutherford launched into a slog-sweep, but then came more fielding magic. Tion Webster took the catch as it came over his shoulder, released the ball millimetres from the rope, and stopped his momentum in time to run back into the field of play and re-catch the ball. It was a masterpiece.

Colin Munro dropped a sitter to gift Hetmyer a Hero Maximum and deny Pierre a fourth wicket. But the reprieve didn’t last long - Hetmyer smashed DJ Bravo straight to cover to leave the Amazon Warriors 77/6 off 16. The lower order energised the innings Keemo Paul punished Fawad for overpitching by launching him over the sightscreen, and Romario Shepherd sent a Bravo length ball out of the ground.

A back spasm had forced Ali Khan out of the game early, but Pollard filled in well at the death to pick up his first wicket of Hero

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One’s first and only Black driver, told reporters via video conference on Thursday.

“But that is in America and I don’t know really if me doing it here will particularly have any effect.

“We’re in Belgium, we’re not in the United States.”

Hamilton, who is on course to equal German great Michael Schumacher’s record haul of seven titles this season, has been a vocal supporter of the campaign to end racism that has swept global sport since George Floyd died on May 25 after a Minneapolis policeman knelt on his neck.

Hamilton, together with some of the other drivers, has taken a knee, has ‘Black Lives Matter’ written on his race helmet and has launched a commission to push diversity in motorsport.

“I do stand unified with them, trying to do what I can over here,” he said referring to athletes boycotting events in the U.S. “I don’t really know how, not doing the race... (it) will still go on. But... I will still speak to Formula One to see what else we can do to continue to raise awareness and continue to help push (for racial justice).”

Nabi’s career-best five for 15 keeps Zouks on course for semi-final spot Printed and Published by Guyana National Newspapers Limi ted, Lama Avenue, Bel Air Park, Georgetown. Telephone 2 2 6- 3243-9 (General); Editorial: 2 2 7- 5204, 2 2 7- 5216. Fax:2 2 7- 5208

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FRIDAY,AUGUST 28, 2020