Guyana Chronicle E-Paper 26-10-2022

Electoral sub-divisions for three districts, timeline for continuous registration –– on the agenda as electoral reform consultations continue

By Shamar Meusa

THE Government of Guy ana, on Tuesday, continued its public consultations on the draft amendments to Guyana’s electoral laws.

Through this public con

sultation, several amend ments to the Representation of the People Act (RoPA) and the National Registration (Amendment) (NRA) Bill were highlighted.

Hosted at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre,

Agreement for stronger Global South relations signed

–– as CARICOM, African Export-Import Bank forge ties

PRESIDENT, Dr Irfaan Ali and Barbados’ Prime Min ister, Mia Mottley, on Tuesday witnessed the signing of an agreement for the establishment of a partnership between the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), Timehri.

The agreement was signed by Guyana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hugh Todd, and President of the bank, Professor Benedict Oramah.

The agreement aims to facilitate cooperation, support, and provide assistance for the promotion and financing of South-South trade between African countries and member states of the Caribbean Community.

Before the signing of the agreement, a Guyanese delegation led by President Ali and a Barbados dele gation led by Prime Minister Mottley met with a team from the bank.

the consultation on the draft electoral reform legislation was facilitated by the Minis try of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance.

Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira, during her opening

address stated that Tuesday’s engagement comes after two consultations were held in May of this year when the draft version of the RoPA was updated.

As such, she added that those present will see the

influence that some of the Non-Governmental Organ isations had during those consultations in May.

Subsequent to Tues day’s consultation, Teixeira said that the Ministry of Legal Affairs will examine

recommendations made to the electoral laws, noting that those will be discussed internally and, where re quired, amendments will be made.

Norton says rigged PNC/R elections ‘free and fair’

Opposition walks out of electoral reform consultation

S ee full S tory on

(From left) Senior Minister for finance, Dr Ashni Singh; President, Dr Irfaan Ali; President of the Afreximbank, Professor Benedict Oramah; and Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley stand as Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Hugh Todd signs the agreement (Office of the President photo)

Norton says rigged PNC/R elections ‘free and fair’

NOTWITHSTANDING claims by party member Annette Ferguson of glar ing “irregularities” at the People’s National Con gress Reform (PNC/R) October 2 Georgetown District Elections, Leader of the party, Aubrey Nor ton on Tuesday endorsed the polls as “free and fair”.

It came to light last week that Ferguson had written to the party’s Central Execu tive Committee (CEC) ex pressing concerns over sev eral suspicious occurrences during the polls, including the fact that the final ballot count of 213 votes exceeded the 211 votes that were cast.

However, when ques tioned about the situation during his weekly virtual press conference on Tuesday, Norton dismissed the irregu larities as being of no con

PNC/R Leader Aubrey Norton

cern and endorsed elections.

“I want to say this to you. The elections that were held there were free and fair.

There were some conten tion that when the numbers [votes] added up it [ballots] had exceeded [the votes] by two. Now in the particular

election the gap was more than 75 so I don’t know that materially could’ve affected the elections results,” Nor ton declared.

The Georgetown District is the PNC/R’s largest sup port base.

According to reports in the media, Ferguson lost the elections to Troy Garraway after receiving 87 votes to the 121 votes for Garraway. Five spoilt ballots were re corded, according to reports.

“Last weekend our party had the Region Four elec tions to elect the people who were elected by the delegates. What I will say is the people in our party decided who they wanted to elect. They elected Troy Garraway and they did not elect Annette Ferguson,” Norton said.

Aside from dismissing

the inconsistency in the bal lot numbers, Norton did not address any of the other discrepancies that Ferguson outlined in her letter.

Ferguson is said to have complained that prior to the Election Day, candidates did not receive important information regarding the number of delegates regis tered, the amount of ballots printed and how the actual voting would be done.

On the elections day, the irregularities report edly include unregistered persons voting while a number of registered per sons were prevented from voting, and ballots not being counted and verified in the presence of candi dates.

Ferguson implored her party to examine those “ir regularities” through a thor ough internal probe, and strive to develop a better internal system to manage future elections, since there was a “glaring absence” of checks and balances at the recent district polls.

“The time has come for the PNC/R to rise

PNC/R member Annette Ferguson

to the occasion of prac tising fairness, honesty and being democratic when it comes to its internal business or af fairs,” a report quoting the PNC/R executive member said.

However from Norton’s indications, Ferguson’s pleas fell on deaf ears.

Ferguson’s calls for the PNC/R to adopt those traits are not new, as the party has been accused on many occa sions of rigging the results of national elections, with

the latest being the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections.

Guyanese, after cast ing their votes on March 2, 2020, had to endure a five- month wait for the results of the General and Regional Elections, as they witnessed what was de scribed as the most trans parent attempt at election rigging on behalf of the APNU+AFC coalition.

Former District Four (Demerara-Mahaica) Re turning Officer, Clairmont Mingo; former PNC/R Chairperson, Volda Law rence; now APNU+AFC Chief Scrutineer, Carol Smith-Joseph and four oth ers are currently before the courts for elections-related offences.

Adamant that the ille galities during the recent elections must be exposed, President, Dr Irfaan Ali, has appointed veteran legal lu minaries to conduct a Com mission of Inquiry (CoI) into the events that followed the March 2 polls.

The CoI hearings will begin on November 3.

Charrandas Persaud

cleared of verbal abuse allegations

–– Foreign Affairs Ministry considers matter closed

THE Ministry of For eign Affairs and Inter national Co-operation has said that the ver bal abuse allegations that were levelled against Guyana’s High Commissioner to India, Charran das Persaud have not been substantiated.

A release from the ministry on Tuesday, confirmed knowledge of “material circulat ing on social media” following the August 1, 2021 incident at Per saud’s residence lo cated at Church Road, Vasant Kunj, India.

The ministry further said that the matter was brought to the attention of the Ministry of Ex ternal Affairs of India by Persaud and was “fully investigated” by the relevant authorities.

As a result, a for mal response to the High Commission dat ed September 3, 2022, indicated that “allega tions of sexual abusive words to complainant has [sic] not been sub stantiated.”

Therefore, the ministry “considers this matter closed,” the release added.

Guyana’s High Commissioner to India, Charrandas Persaud

Electoral sub-divisions for three districts, timeline for continuous registration

–– on the agenda as electoral reform consultations continue

By Shamar Meusa

THE Government of Guy ana, on Tuesday, continued its public consultations on the draft amendments to Guyana’s electoral laws.

Through this public con sultation, several amend ments to the Representation of the People Act (RoPA) and the National Registration (Amendment) (NRA) Bill were highlighted.

Hosted at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, the consultation on the draft electoral reform legislation was facilitated by the Minis try of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance.

Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira, during her opening address stated that Tuesday’s engagement comes after two consultations were held in May of this year when the draft version of the RoPA was updated.

As such, she added that those present will see the influence that some of the Non-Governmental Organ isations had during those consultations in May.

Subsequent to Tuesday’s consultation, Teixeira said that the Ministry of Legal Affairs will examine recom mendations made to the elec toral laws, noting that those will be discussed internally and, where required, amend ments will be made.

Meanwhile, Attorney General, Anil Nandlall S.C. noted that following the con sultation and hearing of the recommendations that may emanate, the government will move into the final crafting of the product that will eventu ally be taken to the National Assembly.

According to Nandlall, following the 2020 Gener al and Regional Elections, President, Dr Irfaan Ali ex amined the calls made by the international community and Guyanese to make a few pronouncements.

Among these pronounce ments was the commitment to electoral reforms.

“We are now here as part of that process. The electoral reforms, by the nature of the electoral process, will necessarily come in different incarnations. What we are dealing with here is the stat utory process,” Nandlall said.

He went on to say that the government has decided to engage in the broadest form of consultations in relation to the statutory reform. It was then he highlighted that they have already undergone one iteration of public con sultations.

On the current amend ments in the various drafts, Nandlall said that not a sin gle proposal on any of the amendments gives an elector

al advantage to any political party.

These reforms, he add ed, are good for the system, process, and country, and good for democracy.

ROPA

Among the amend ments highlighted under the Representation of the People Act (RoPA) was the dividing of Electoral Districts Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), Four (Demerara-Mahai ca), and Six (East Berbi ce-Corentyne) into sub-dis tricts for the purpose of the tabulation of votes.

Nandlall noted that ini tially, the first recommenda tion was to have just District Four divided into sub-dis tricts as this district was the subject of the issue high lighted during the previous election.

“The process drew its im petus from our 2020 experi ence and all of us in this room knew that the problem arose in the tabulation process of

Region Four. So, that was initially targeted,” he said.

However, when these proposals were made public, the criticisms came as it was highlighted that the electoral district is not the PPP/C’s constituency and not their stronghold. It was felt that this would cause interference.

As such, a recommenda tion during the first iteration of public consultations was made to include other regions and subject them to identical changes.

Nandlall noted that in order to demonstrate the government’ s commitment to a transparent and equitable process, they immediately complied and further added Regions Three and Six by us ing the rationale of the voting population.

According to the new section 6A of the RoPA, Dis trict No.3 or Region Three will be divided into three sub-districts while District Four will be divided into four sub-districts and District Six into three sub-districts.

The sub-districts, accord ing to the Attorney General, will have a Supernumerary Returning Officer presiding who will perform the duties of what used to be the func tions of the Returning Officer for the entire district.

He said, “All the ballots and Statements of Poll, the ballot boxes etc… shall go to a centre presided over by this officer. This officer now shall conduct the tabulation exercise that would have been ordinarily conducted by a returning officer, following the same prescriptions, the same guidelines...”

This means that instead of having one large tabulation exercise, there are now three

exercises for Districts Six and Three, and four exercises for District Four.

Additionally, the indi vidual tallies will be sent to the Returning Officer for the Region who does a cal culation, comes up with an aggregate and subsequently transmits same to the Chief Election Officer.

NRA

Meanwhile, as it relates to the National Registration (Amendment) Bill, some of the highlighted amend ments included the periodic removal of dead persons from the voter’s list along with fixed timings for con tinuous registration.

According to the amend ment in Section Six of this Act, the registration of all persons who are qualified to be electors and persons in Guyana of the age of 14 years and over will be done at of fices established by GECOM and will be done for a contin uous period.

The amendment said that every year the registration of persons who, on June 30 are qualified to be electors shall be continuous from January to May.

Additionally, every year registration of persons who on December 31 are qualified to be electors and all other persons of the age of 14 years and over shall be continuous from July to November.

Significantly, Nandlall added that the purpose of these amendments is to fix, by law, when the cycle of continuous registration is to be stopped for the purpose of claims and objections and when the cycle is to recom mence to register persons all year round.

“So, we will have a sys tem quite independent of elections that is running all year round to register citi zens of this country as they become qualified, based upon the qualifying date that is now fixed by law,” the Attor ney General said.

Giving a further explana tion of how this system will work, Nandlall said that if someone becomes 14 years of age by June 30, from January to June 30, those persons can go to any registration office and be registered.

The cycle will be paused for claims and objections which he said lasts one month. Once that cycle is completed and the data is sa nitised it then goes to become part of the National List of Registrants.

“So, once you become 14 years and over on December 31 you begin to register from August all the way to Decem ber, January it pauses again,” he added.

Meanwhile, in relation to the removal of dead persons from the list, new sections were added as part of the amendments.

This section will see the Registrar General, upon the request of the commission, send to the Commission er once every month a list of all persons 14 years and over whose deaths have been registered in the preceding month.

Further, it added that the registration of any person under this Act whose name is on the list of dead persons sent by the Registrar General to the commissioner shall be cancelled.

The commissioner will then prepare a list from this central register for every di vision comprising names of persons registered in the divi sion that is on the list of dead persons sent by the Registrar General, certify the list and have it forwarded to the regis tration officer of that division.

Subsequently, when due process is followed as pre scribed in the Act, once the commissioner is satisfied that the person is dead, the can cellation of their registration shall be directed.

Following these consul tations on the amendments on Tuesday, recommenda tions made will be consid ered by the relevant stake holders and, if necessary, further amendments will be made.

Minister of Legal Affairs and Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, S.C. (Delano Williams photo)

Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira (Delano Williams photo)

A section of the gathering at the National Stakeholder forum on Tuesday (Delano Williams photo)

Wall Street bankers in Riyadh renew warnings over world economy

Reuters) – TOP Wall Street bankers renewed their warnings about the world economy on Octo ber 25 amid geopolitical tensions and steep interest rate hikes to tackle de cades-high inflation.

Goldman Sachs boss Da vid Solomon said economic conditions would “tighten meaningfully from here” and the U.S. Federal Reserve could hike rates beyond 4.54.75 per cent if it does not see real changes in behaviour.

“If they don’t see real changes – labour is still very, very tight – they’re obvious ly just playing with the de mand side by tightening. But if they don’t see real changes in behaviour, my guess is they’ll go further,” he said.

Speaking at Saudi Ara bia’ s flagship investment conference in Riyadh, he said it was difficult to get out of “embedded inflation” without an economic slowdown.

The process of unwind ing 40 years of “nationalised

fixed income markets” is “disruptive”, Solomon add ed.

JPMorgan Chase & Co’s Chief Executive Jamie Di mon, speaking on the same panel, said the geopolitical situation was more concern ing than a possible recession in the United States.

Dimon said the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and tensions between the United States and China were more worrisome than a potential U.S. recession.

Participants watch the opening ceremony of the Future Investment Initiative (FII) conference on a digital screen in the lobby of the Exhibition and Conference Centre at the Ritz Carlton Hotel, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on October 25, 2022 (REUTERS/Ahmed Yosri photo)

“There’s a lot of stuff on the horizon which is bad and could – not necessarily – but could put the U.S. in reces

sion,” he said.

But that’s not the most important thing for what we think about. We’ll man

age right through that. I would worry much more about the geopolitics in the world today.”

Violence soaring globally, says Chang

(Jamaica Observer) – MIN

ISTER of National Secu rity Dr Horace Chang is framing Jamaica’s crime problem in the context of soaring violence globally, influenced by the novel coronavirus pandemic.

“We have a chal lenge with crime, but vio lence throughout the globe is increasing in the postCOVID- 19 era. Some in ner-city areas in the United States are having the same level of violence we are hav ing in Jamaica, other Carib bean islands, coming out of the two years of lockdown. We [are] holding steady and focused as a country all be cause of the effective lead ership of your government led by Andrew Michael Hol ness,” Chang told the Jamai ca Labour Party’s (JLP) St Elizabeth parish conference at the St Elizabeth Technical High School in Santa Cruz on October 23.

Dr Chang, who is also the JLP’s general-secretary, said the Holness-led Admin istration is among the best in today’s democracy.

“We have problems. We are not claiming to be perfect in any way, but we will tell you we are the best. I am not telling you we are perfect. We are not perfect. We are human and we can make mistakes too, but we are the best available and not only the best in Jamai ca, but among the best around today in democracy,” he said.

Dr Chang said the gov ernment has set its target to ensure it remains in power.

“We [are] going to deal with crime, but crime is not only the product of being unemployed and a lot losing hope. We have to train our people to give them opportu nities. Jamaicans want oppor tunities,” he said.

“… We have set the tar get. Come November 20 this prime minister will indicate

to you the way forward and we can go out there with confidence and mobilise as a country to ensure that the Jamaica Labour Party will stay in Government to take this country on a permanent path of growth and improved quality of life for all our peo ple,” he said.

Dr Chang said that fight ing crime is difficult and requires strong policing.

“The crime is giving us a hard time, I accept that, but the two legs that we fight it on, we have to have good government and we have to ensure we pro vide opportunity for our people to ensure that the young people have an opportunity to develop productive lives, but crime today and violence requires strong policing,” he said.

He said the government will not interfere operation ally with the police.

“We [are] not using the police force as a political team, you and I know that;

St Thomas MP wants reckless drivers sent to dangerous driving school

WITH 368 people killed in motor vehicle crashes up to Tuesday, October 25, Member of Parliament for St Thomas Eastern, Dr Michelle Charles, is proposing that reckless drivers, in particular re peat offenders, who en danger the lives of other road users, be subjected to ongoing education before they are cleared to contin ue driving.

Her proposal is similar to what exists in the United States, where drivers found guilty of certain traffic infractions, must complete a specified number of hours of driver education.

Dr Charles made the call during her second contribu tion to the State of the Con stituency Debate in House of Representatives.

“We need to change the

way reckless drivers think in Jamaica and that can only be done through education,” said Charles, while acknowl edging that the majority of people who drive in Jamaica are safe drivers.

She is calling for an amendment to the Road Traf fic Act to include what she

calls a “mandatory JADD School [Jamaicans Against Dangerous Driving]”.

“These courses should include an accident pre vention course, a drug alcohol awareness course and a driver improve ment course as well,” said Charles.

we in politics long time. We know how it go, it used to be minister of national security almost a run the election for some party one time. Police was used as a tool of poli tics,” he said.

“You cannot get security that way. You cannot get peace that way. You cannot get peace without fear in law enforcement. You cannot get peace without justice. Op portunity for young people yes, but we cannot treat se curity as a partisan political matter,” he added.

He said the country has been faced with crime prob lems for the past two de

cades.

“This government took a position to invest in the security forces and to build a system that will guaran tee future good order in the

country, but it is going to take time. It is 20 years we have been having the kind of crime we [are] talking about today in Jamaica,” he said.

(Jamaica Observer) -

Jamaica’s Minister of National Security Dr Horace Chang

An accident scene (Jamaica Observer photo)

Light Always Prevails

GUYANESE recently celebrated Di wali, the Hindu Festival of Lights. It was indeed a display of our multicul turalism at its best as Guyanese by the thousands lined the route of the Diwali motorcade organised by the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha.

But beneath the festivities and daz zling lights resided a story of darkness and treachery as narrated in the scrip tures.

Diwali is about the return of Lord Rama after 14 years in exile and sym bolises the spiritual victory of light over darkness, good over evil and knowl edge over ignorance. The festival also coincides with harvest and New Year celebrations.

President, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali in extending Diwali greetings to the Guy anese people, stressed the importance of family and family values. This has particular relevance in the context of his

One Guyana vision which seeks to unite all Guyanese regardless of ethnicity and political affiliation under the One Guy ana umbrella.

Guyana is now at a stage in its devel opment when the collective energies of its entire citizenry is needed to catapult this nation of ours to greater heights. And, as noted by President Ali, the message of Diwali is about removing obstacles that obstruct the development of our communities, our homes, families and these are things that the rich tradi tion of leadership of the Dharmic Sabha has worked hard and fought for in this country.

It is important that we reflect on our past, even as we celebrate our future.

Older Guyanese can relate to a past when the political, cultural and moral fabric of our society was under stress due to the undemocratic and divisive tactics used by the then PNC regime to

divide the Guyanese people. Not even religion and religious organisations were spared the wrath of the Burnham regime and those that refused, as it were, to tow the political line were subjected to all manner of subterfuges to have them divided, if not destroyed.

It was in the above context that the formation of the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha has to be seen and ap preciated. It was to the credit of the late Pandit Reepu Daman Persaud and his dynamic leadership that the majority of Hindus are now part of the Guyana Hin du Dharmic Sabha, the largest Hindu organisation in Guyana which now has at its leadership Dr Vindhya Persaud, who is continuing along the steps of her late father. Indeed, the idea of the Diwali Motorcade was the brainchild of the late Pandit Persaud.

As the message of Diwali has re minded us all, darkness can never prevail

over light. Put in a different way, light always prevails over darkness. Guyana, with all its difficulties and challenges has triumphed. And as noted by President Ali, the last two years were particularly challenging due to a combination of floods, the COVID-19 pandemic and the effects of the war in Ukraine.

Despite the challenges, “we went through some of our greatest injustices, and I want to thank all of you, all Guya nese who stood up like a lamp with bril liance in ensuring that justice, [the] rule of law, and freedom, fundamental issues were protected with the way you stood up for justice. And I thank you on behalf of the people of Guyana,” the President said in his Diwali message.

These are not only comforting but reassuring words coming from the Guyanese leader whose passion and commitment to a harmonious and cohesive society seems boundless.

President Ali has taken Guyana to new heights

Dear Editor,

SINCE taking office in August 2020, President Ali and his administration have taken Guyana to new heights nev er reached before with his numerous visits to the 10 regions and to almost every village and district in the country to meet with the people.

In all his visits, he has not only out lined his development strategies for the country, but he has also taken the time to meet with the residents and address their problems, which have lifted the spirits of the citizens. Many felt that President Ali is genuine when he said that everyone has a meaningful and vital role to play in the development of the country and that no one will be left behind, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion or party affiliation. He has told the nation that the time has come for us not to see one another as Indo-Guy anese, Afro-Guyanese or Amerindian, but as Guyanese with one destiny and a country to build.

His recent announcement alongside the British High Commissioner to Guy

ana, that Guyanese will no longer need visas to travel to Britain, speaks volumes. It is my understanding that it was Pres ident Ali who initiated the negotiation with the British Government. It was the belief that as a former British colony, Guyanese should be allowed to travel to London without visas.

This has been the case of Canada, New Zealand and Australia--all former colonies of Great Britain--whose citizens were not required to obtain visas to travel to London. Guyana has joined the other CARICOM states of Antigua and Barbu da, Barbados, The Bahamas and Grenada, whose residents do not require visas to travel to Britain.

With oil revenue at over one billion dollars, President Ali has publicly stated that the money will be used wisely and prudently to benefit all Guyanese by modernising the infrastructure, investing in education, health care, security, the judiciary and social services, among oth ers. In addition, President Ali should be given credit for his vision to establish the 1000-men programme which will bring

together men from across the country to address the challenges faced by them, especially youths who make up more than 60 per cent of the country’s population. Headed by the President, the 1000-men programme will encourage adults and youths to turn away from crimes and violence and become responsible, good, decent and productive citizens and take their rightful place in society.

The 1000-men programme will ad dress domestic violence, hunger and poverty, education or the lack thereof and the indulgence and sale of illegal drugs. It is a positive approach to help men and youths accept their responsibilities and become leaders in society.

Many are of the opinion that the 1000men programme initiated by President Ali fits well with his “ One Guyana” initiative which is aimed at healing the racial divide, unite the races and for us as Guyanese to become “our brothers’ and sisters’ keeper.

The phrase is a reference to the bibli cal story of Cain and Abel from the book of Genesis. It is generally understood to

mean being responsible for the welfare of a brother or other sibling or, by extension, for other human beings in general.

The President has said many times that while each of us is responsible for our own actions, we are also responsible for the well-being of our neighbours. He enunciated that too frequently we focus on ourselves, while forgetting that God has created us to live together and that our own well-being is bound forever to the well-being of everyone. He knows that while everyone needs proper education, secure housing, adequate nutrition, and reliable healthcare, they are not luxuries.

They are what is due to those who have worked hard and to those who can not care for themselves.

President Ali’s “One Guyana” ini tiative is a bold plan that will inspire everyone to live in peace and harmony, support each other and be involved in the development and prosperity of the country.

Yours sincerely, Dr Asquith Rose

Will Rishi Sunak get support to turn around UK’s Economy?

Dear Editor,

A FEW years ago, it was unimaginable that a non-Anglo Saxon could become the PM (although Jewish Benjamin Disraeli served as PM during the 1870s for six years) of the UK.

This is not dissimilar in the thought that a multi-racial or Black person could become President of the USA. Barack Obama of an African Kenyan father and an Irish-Ameri can mother was elected President in 2008, serving the maximum two terms. And now, a British-born Indian, Rishi Sunak, whose Indian parents are from Africa, was selected by parliamentary colleagues to be the PM of the UK. Both countries were in dire financial straits when non-Whites sought office to rescue them. Obama’s eight-year tenure was not rated as a major success. Will Sunak be successful?

Obama faced a lot of economic challeng es and in uniting the Democratic Party and country when he ascended to office. And likewise, Sunak now faces a lot of economic and political issues, worse in the UK than Obama faced in the US in 2008, as well as uniting his Conservative Party and the UK. Will Sunak be undermined? Are political knives out to stab him in the back, ending his political career?

As non-Whites in the US did in 2008 when Obama was elected, non-Whites in the UK and around the globe, Indians in particular, are very pleased and cheerful to have a person of colour as head of the British government. Indians in the diaspora are very proud of the achievement of an Indian rising to the highest political office based on dias pora reactions received from early Monday thru now and from published reports in the global press. This writer received dozens of messages praising the appointment from

Indian Trinis, Guyanese, and nationals from the UK and India. In addition, many who conversed on the phone and in person at Diwali celebrations expressed pride that someone from their ethnicity has risen to the highest elected position in Britain, not dissimilar to the election of Kamala Harris as Vice-President of the US; Kamala’s mother is a South Indian.

Kamala celebrated Diwali at her official VP residence. Sunak’s selection as PM on Monday was viewed and described as a Diwali gift for Hindus who celebrated Di wali on that day, October 24. Indians, South Asians, and non-Anglos in general welcome the breakthrough as they felt it would help them to seek the highest elective office in the UK that was heretofore restricted to only Anglo Saxons. When Obama was elected in 2008, Indians and other non-Whites hailed it as an opening for them to become President. Similarly, when Kamala was elected as VP in 2020, it was a breakthrough for a woman and a multi-racial person (mother Indian and father of Black and White ancestry) to rise to the second highest elective position in America. Ever since Sunak was chosen as leader of the party on Monday and sworn in on Tuesday as PM, Indians everywhere expressed pride in this achievement and development. This development dominated social media and world news.

In order for Sunak to be considered a role model and pave the way for other nonWhites to rise to the prime ministerial posi tion, he must succeed in turning around the British economy. It is a gargantuan task. Is he up to the task? He is a brilliant economist, financial manager, and political scientist. He saved the economy during the height of the COVID crisis. Many say he can do it again.

Several people asked a pertinent ques tion: will his two immediate predecessors

Liz Truss and Boris Johnson seek to un dermine his policies and conspire to topple him? Johnson made it known that he rejects Sunak. Johnson is planning a comeback. He tried to regain the prime ministerial (PM) position on Sunday but failed miserably by Monday to get the required 100 votes to put up his candidacy against Sunak. Johnson has made his anger against Sunak known, saying Sunak’s resignation as Chancellor of the Exchequer that occurred amidst grow ing scandals against Johnson, triggered a collapse of his government. Johnson was forced to resign as PM. Sunak was seen as the political assassin of Johnson. Johnson, who once described Sunak as a potential successor to him, blamed Sunak for his fall from the PM position. Johnson vowed never to support Sunak for PM, and endorsed Liz Truss as his successor. He entered the race Sunday to block Sunak from winning the leadership contest. Johnson mustered 62 MPs to back him as against 197 for Sunak and 27 for Penny Mordaunt. Another female MP of African ancestry also pulled out after not making a showing.

When Sunak lost the leadership race to Truss, he made it known that he would not serve in the Cabinet. Sunak said he had dif ferent economic and political philosophies from Truss and as such could not serve in the Cabinet. Truss’s economic policy roiled the economy, triggering opposition from colleagues.

Sunak entered into a race for leadership of the Conservatives after Truss resigned. The Conservative MPs in the UK Parlia ment on Monday chose Sunak as leader of their party, a title that comes with the PM position. Sunak, 42, becomes Britain’s first non-white prime minister. Both of his parents were born in East Africa. They were unwelcomed in Africa and migrated to

Britain where they started a pharmaceutical business that was very successful. Indians were expelled from Uganda and several oth er African countries even though they were born there. Sunak did extremely well in his education, attending the most prestigious public school and university (Oxford) in the UK. He also obtained a MBA at Stanford in the USA and ran big funds.

He was sworn in on Tuesday and was asked by King Charles to form a govern ment. It is ironic that Britain, which gov erned India for 200 years with an iron fist and impoverished India, will now have a PM of Indian descent, hoping he would rescue it from economic troubles. That individual is the descendant of Indians who went abroad as migrant labourers. Britain sent some two million Indians abroad, including to the Ca ribbean and Africa as indentured labourers or slaves. Several have risen to high positions and Sunak is among descendants of migrant labourers who has become PM.

It is noteworthy also that at independence in 1947, Winston Churchill said Indians were not capable of governing themselves.

The UK had four PM in four years. Are prejudicial Anglos up to the job? India has been doing quite well since the British left in 1947, moving from an impoverished nation with a very small economy to the fifth largest in the world, bettering England’s. India has had a stable government and a strong leader in Narendra Modi since 2014, who has han dled India’s economy well.

The UK has turned to an ethnic Indian to rescue her economy.

Will he get the support from col leagues?

Yours sincerely, Vishnu Bisram

President Ali is genuine in his efforts to build a better and united Guyana

Dear Editor,

I REFER to a letter in the Kaieteur News (October 12, 2022) headlined “The support for PPP is growing in Linden: I am concerned” written by Norman Browne, who describes himself as a “Social and Political Activist”, and who, in fact, lives in England, and who clearly supports the PNC. Browne’s letter, in fact, complains about what he perceives as the growing support of the PPP/C in Linden.

Browne correctly describes Linden as “our stronghold… from time imme morial”, meaning the PNC. The pop ulation of Linden is mainly Guyanese Africans who have traditionally voted

for the PNC, but Browne is concerned that Aubrey Shanghai Major, whom he describes as a PPP/C activist, may persuade them to support the PPP/C through his political activism. Browne goes on to warn that younger Guya nese, now exposed to social media and becoming more politically aware, may no longer be expected to vote on the basis of race. If Browne is right, and I believe that he is, nothing could be better for Guyana.

Our country has been plagued by the fact that since 1955, Forbes Burn ham and Cheddi Jagan who had jointly led the People’ s Progressive Party, commanding the support of the great majority of Guyanese of all races, went their separate ways, functionally

dividing the country’s politics between the Jagan-led PPP supported by Guya nese Indians and the Burnham-led PPP supported by Guyanese Africans.

This clearly manifested itself in the 1957 elections, with Jagan winning the elections with a majority Indian vote, though not a majority of the national vote. Sadly, for Guyana, after 56 years of Independence, this has not changed, though the demographic changes have resulted in a reliance on a majority of racial votes is no longer predictable.

At the conclusion of the Constitu tional Conference for Guyana’s In dependence, held at Lancaster House in London in October 1963, the then Secretary for State of the Colonies, Duncan Sandys had this to say:

“All that you have told me at this conference and all that I saw in my visit to your country last July have convinced me that there is one prob lem which transcends all others –namely the growth of racism. That is the curse of British Guiana today; the whole life of the country is poisoned and weakened by mutual suspicion and fear between the two predomi nant racial groups, the Indians and the Africans.”

Sandys went on to say and which every political leader since Indepen dence has privately recognised and used to serve their political purpose: “There is no deep-rooted or historical enmity between the races, nor is there any basic clash between them; nor is there any animosity between the reli gious groups – Christian, Hindu and Muslim. The root of the trouble lies almost entirely in the development of party politics along racial lines.”

At Independence, our nation’s moto became, “One People, One Nation, One Destiny”. We are not, however, one people, we are six peo ple, but we are one nation and we do share a common destiny. It is this fact that President Ali has recognised and has now committed his government to the development of “One Guyana”, embracing all of its people.

The mindset, however, of people like Browne, that because Linden is populated mainly by African Guya nese, it must remain a PNC strong hold, is the challenge that President Ali faces. Seven years ago, I addressed this issue in a letter to the Stabroek News when the Coalition government was then in office, and I said then: “Both of the two political parties in

government remain, no matter their campaign promises, trapped in ‘real politics’. It is the politics of having to recognise and reward your hardcore, hardworking supporters who have delivered the government to you. It is the politics of having to distribute the spoils of office. This is particularly so in a Coalition government forced to cater to the priorities of its separate party interest in order to survive. It is almost impossible to escape from this reality. The APNU+AFC coalition has not escaped it.”

The question is, now, has the PPP/C escaped it and, as I asked then, can we change all of this?

I believe we can, I believe we must, and I believe that Irfaan Ali is the first of our Presidents genuinely dedicated to do so. Norman Browne is percep tive enough to have recognised that younger Guyanese “may no longer be expected to vote on the basis of race” but wrongly warns against this. Inter estingly enough, the founder leader of the PNC, Forbes Burnham, on return ing to Guyana from the 1962 Consti tutional Conference had this to say:

“Unless and until the various races of this country co-operate on the basis of attachment to a common fatherland, this country will never, never prog ress… we can only go forward if we understand that we are Guianese first, Guianese second and Guianese third.”

Unfortunately, his successor today, Aubrey Norton, from his public pro nouncements to date, seems wedded to the language of confrontation and division rather than conciliation and unity. But this language has begun to fall on deaf ears.

I write now in my 90th year of life, having dedicated much of that life to serving my country. I am, of course, a Guyanese of Portuguese descent and not afflicted by the emotionalism of race to power as my brother and sister Guyanese of African and Indian de scent. But, nonetheless, I am as much a Guyanese, and Guyana is as much my country as any other Guyanese of any other race.

With the discovery of oil and the remarkable wealth it will bring to our people in the future, let us all grasp the fact that there is only one way to use it and, that is, for “One Guyana”.

Yours sincerely, Kit Nascimento

Does Guyana need a different formula to appoint the Chief Justice and the Chancellor of the Judiciary?

Dear Editor,

ATTORNEY-General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Hon. Anil Nandlall, SC, expresses his disenchantment over the country’s inability to confirm appoint ments to the positions of Chief Justice and Chancellor of the Judiciary of Guy ana.

He cited the examples of Justice Ian Chang who served as acting Chief Justice for 15 years (2000-2015) and Justice Carl Singh who acted as Chancellor of the Judi ciary for 12 years (2005- 2017). The current incumbents Madam Roxane George SC and Madam Yonette Cummings-Edward, SC are acting in the position of Chief Justice and Chancellor of the Judiciary respectively for five years. Mr. Nandlall states that the Guy ana Constitution (Article 127 (1)) requires the appointment to both positions to be made by the President with the agreement of the Leader of the Opposition. And this pro cess has not worked for the past 15 years. There has not been any agreement between the two leaders on these two appointments.

University of the West Indies Law Pro fessor Tracy Robinson, while advocating the need for ‘executive restraint’ in the se lection process of judges, also advises that Guyana should not wait until constitutional reform takes place to appoint permanently the Chief Justice and Chancellor of the Judiciary but should strive to make those appointments urgently. A related issue is tenure for judges.

The esteemed panelists believe that judges’ tenure of office should extend until they reach 70-75 years of age. However, granting tenure and expanding it to 75 years must be balanced with the need for account ability. How to achieve this balance is still problematic. One solution put forward by Mr. Nandlall is to expand the Guyana Court of Appeal (CoA) with a complement of five to nine judges, a position consistent with Article 124 of the Guyana Constitution.

On a constitutional question regarding the appointment of the Commissioner of Police on March 30, 2022, Mr. Nandlall told the panel of distinguished legal scholars that the Guyana High Court ruled that the appointment of Police Commissioner Mr. Clifton Hicken by the President was proper.

The constitutional requirement of ‘consul tation’ with the Leader of the Opposition did not happen as there was no Opposition Leader at the time to consult. Given the ur gency of the Commissioner’s appointment, the President had to act in his own delib erate judgment in the national interest and make the appointment. It was not a case of ‘necessity;’ there was no Opposition Leader to consult. The framers of the Constitution never intended to handicap the President in the exercise of his duty if there is no Oppo sition Leader.

Mr. Nandlall drew the attention of viewers that the Judiciary under the PNC (1968-1992) functioned as an arm of the party which entrenched party paramountcy into the political system in 1974, and which was integral to the Sophia Declaration.

The armed forces were required to swear allegiance to the PNC leader and not to the country. The classic constitutional doctrine of separation of powers never existed; the PNC party controlled the legislative body,

the Judiciary, as well as the commanding heights of the economy. One year prior to the Sophia Declaration (1973), the PNC government removed the Judicial Com mittee of the Privy Council as the Court of last resort and replaced it with the Guyana Court of Appeal (CoA) and justifying that action by contending the Privy Council was a relic of colonialism and a symbol of oppression. Ever since 1973, critics have viewed the CoA as compromised by polit ical alignment.

Mr. Nandlall says that the PPP gov ernment initiated about 200 constitutional amendments in 1999-2000 to curb, among other things, some of the powers of the ex ecutive and to transfer much of those pow ers to Parliament. One amendment allows for the President to appoint the Chief Justice and Chancellor of the Judiciary with the agreement of the Leader of the Opposition. Another major constitutional amendment was to make the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) Guyana’s Court of last resort.

Fresh on the minds of the PPP about per ceptions, if not realities, of political interfer ence, especially during the Burnham rule, in a determined effort to minimise biases, the PPP moved in 2005 under Bharrat Jagdeo’s Presidency to make CCJ, the Guyana’s court of last resort.

That move vindicated, for example, the PPP’s reservations as the CCJ’s rulings that overturned all the election-related CoA’s judgments, saved democracy in Guyana. Had it not been for that, democracy would have been crushed in Guyana (post March 2, 2020, election electoral heist attempts attest to this), with the country becoming a pariah state, and despite the prospects of oil wealth, the country would have plunged into economic and social turmoil

The Belize Judge Hon. Godfrey Smith, QC, said that he was satisfied with the selec tion process of judges there, indicating that the process was transparent, accountable and fair. He mentioned five cases that the Court ruled against the government as proof of his position. But it was pointed out that those judges were from other territories and therefore not influenced by local political situation to arrive at their rulings.

Mr. Douglas Mendez, SC, revealed that he was tapped as a judge in Belize; he did not apply for the position, which was nei ther advertised, and yet he was appointed a judge in Belize. The panel indicates that the selection process must include public advertisement, specify the selection criteria, and state the process of selection of judges.

The panelists agreed that “Time Man agement” of cases is important and that there should be training for judges. Profes sor Robinson said that she was not comfort able with the Chief Justice or the Chancellor sitting as a member of the Judicial Service Commission. That is potentially a con flict-of- interest situation. When asked if a judge who retires and still has judgments pending, whether he/she could return to decide on such matters, Mr. Nandlall cites a case history of Guyana and then said “no”.

However, the Barbados Senator Gregory Nicholls says that Barbados allows a retired judge to return to resolve those pending cases. Mr. Mendez, while recognising that civil society, including the Bar Associa tion should be represented in the Judicial

Service Commission (JSC), states that it is also equally important that a member of the Executive also sits on the JSC. His reasoning is that it is the Executive which is ultimately accountable for public funds and accountable to the public for the administra tion of justice. Mr. Mendez also states that for misconduct the sanction against judges is restricted only to removal from office; he suggests that other sanctions be applied such as suspension.

All institutions of the State, including the Judiciary, must be held accountable for the decisions they make.

The Judiciary is not impervious to criticism.

Yours sincerely, Dr Tara Singh

Diwali is about understanding, compassion and forgiveness

Dear Editor,

I WRITE with full recognition of the consternation expressed in a Letter to the Editor signed by Yog Mahadeo and others concerning the Diwali headline error in the Guyana Chronicle (October 24, 2022).

I also would like to recognise the “Cor rection and apology” offered by the Guyana Chronicle (October 25, 2022) and ask Dr Mahadeo “and others” to accept the apology offered by the newspaper. In fact, if I may, I call for understanding, compassion and forgiveness.

These are indeed equal qualities of Dharmic philosophy, and now is a propi tious moment for all to practise it.

Yours sincerely, Dr Randolph B. Persaud (Randy)

The stone Tory builders refused has become Britain’s head cornerstone!

Part 1: Trumped by Westminster, Truss Lost Trust …

By Earl Bousquet

THE long wait ended in relatively-short time, but the endless anxiety and uncertainty Britons lived with since Queen Elizabeth II’s death on September 8 only shifted to a new phase on Monday, when the United Kingdom (UK) got its third prime minister in six weeks.

The new UK PM, Rishi Sunak, has taken over with a long list of firsts: the youngest (at 42), the richest (with a vast personal wealth estimated at over US $750 million -- more than twice that of King Charles III) and also crowned the ‘First Person of Colour’ to take charge at Number 10 Downing Street.

Sunak is also the first UK PM of Asian descent (his origins tracing back to India’s Punjab region) and he’s understandably being heralded to the skies in India, where he’s already been coronated ‘Rishi Raj’ by sec tions of the nationalist media, even though his grandpar ents were East Africans of Indian descent.

PM Sunak’s parents, a doctor and pharmacist, mi

Chronicles of a Chronic Guyana Chronicler

By Earl Bousquet

grated to the UK and ran a successful family business to ensure their brightest son attended the best private schools in Britain, never mind the cost.

Sunak lived in the bright lights and fast lanes in California before his rise to the throne of UK politics, but it wasn’t easy.

Despite his immense wealth (a millionaire married to a billionaire Indian business heiress) his was a West minster version of the proverbial ‘Stone that the builder refused’.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson highly-trusted Sunak’s financial prowess and deliverability by appointing him

Chancellor (Minister for Finance) in February 2020 and he was widely acknowledged as having done well with a popular and effective ‘Furlough’ scheme to help citizens through the COVID pandemic.

But while the Chancellor’s political stock went up with Furlough, PM Johnson’s headed steadily down ward after it was revealed he’d hosted and/or attend ed ‘Lockdown Parties’ at Number 10 while the rest of the nation was forced to stay at home and away from restaurants, bars and pubs – or even funerals.

The stone Tory builders refused ...

And The Queen was mourning un der lockdown after attending her husband Prince Philip’s funeral sitting alone under COVID Social Distancing protocol restrictions.

It’s impossible to tell whether Su nak’s decision to resign as Chancellor had more to do with the earlier em barrassing exposure that his wife was not paying UK taxes on her external incomes under his watch, or had de cided back then to pull the plug on Johnson because he was lowering the ruling Conservative Party’s elections popularity stock.

Sunak’s resignation however ignited a series of events that eventu ally led to Johnson’s very-unwilling resignation -- and revealed the width of the deepening divisions that had split the ruling ‘Tory’ party into those ‘for’ and ‘against’ Johnson, ahead of a succession race sure to even further deepen the widening chasm of inter nal disunity.

Sunak threw his hat into the ring and in the race to succeed Johnson and ended-up facing Liz Truss, an unrepentant Johnson backer and for mer Foreign Secretary with 12 years

Cabinet experience.

Sunak had enough support in the Tory parliamentary party, but the vote also included balloting by Conservative Party members across Britain, most of who saw and treated the ex-Chancellor as a traitor who’d stabbed Johnson in the back and cre ated the crisis the party now faced.

Johnson had led the Tories into winning their record-setting parlia mentary majority in the 2019 elec tions, which they still enjoy, but party supporters decided it was time for Su nak’s stab-in-the-back and reversed his earlier majority among Tory MPs by voting instead for Truss, despite her finance and economic proposals being very unpopular with the voting public.

British households were preparing to pay an 80 per cent increase in en ergy bills as of October 1 and Truss had promised to help citizens pay, but she’s absolutely refused to increase taxes on earnings of multinational companies and the super-rich.

Enter PM Truss on September 6 to implement the costly Thatcher ite-type ‘Trussonomics’ policies

she’d campaigned on, appointing Kwasi Kwarteng, a Black Briton and personal friend, as the ‘First Chancel lor of the Exchequer of Colour.’

Kwarteng presented a 53-mil lion-Pound mini-budget on Septem ber 23 that was supposed to heal na tional economic wounds, but instead marked the beginning of his and PM Truss’ early end – and setting new records in UK history.

Kwarteng was fired one week later (October 14) after the markets revolted against the Truss Plan he’d presented, the Pound having de scended to its lowest-low against the US dollar (at US $1.14), forcing the Bank of England to purchase enough government bonds to help shore-up the drowning ‘quid’.

Devaluation of the Pound to its lowest level was a breaking-point for many Brits, leading to Truss’ exit through the revolving door at Number 10 six weeks after she entered, forced out by the overwhelming unpopular ity of her economic policy as imple mented by Kwarteng.

Truss lost her party’s trust and with public support dwindling, the

century-old ‘1922 Committee’ (that selects candidates for the party’s lead ership) called her in for her marching orders, forcing her resignation on October 20, as the shortest-serving UK PM since George Canning, who’d served 119 days in 1827 until he died of tuberculosis.

Enter Rishi Sunak, the stone the party’s builders had refused by rejec tion despite his stark and dire warn ings during the protracted leadership fight against Truss that borrowing to pay for growth was a sure recipe for national economic disaster – a warning repeated by the Internation al Monetary Fund (IMF), but which those out to punish him chose to ignore.

Suddenly, the Tory builders want ed the rejected stone, now belated ly admitting ‘Rishi was right, all along…’

They were now ready to not just accept Sunak as a stepping-stone to lead the party closer to its next general elections victory, but also to be the next builder of Britain’s economic revival at its worst time -- and the nation’s very future.

Opposition’s biometrics proposal a possible ruse to overturn elections

–– Vice-President Jagdeo says

THE Opposition, A Part nership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (AP NU+AFC)’s proposal to in stitute biometric systems at polling stations would not only hinder voters’ consti tutional right to vote, but it could also compromise the elections and possibly have it overturned in a court of law, Vice-President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo has said.

Biometrics are defined as unique physical charac teristics such as fingerprints and retina scans that could be used for automated rec ognition.

Dr. Jagdeo clarified that there are no requirements for biometric systems in the Constitution, and attempts in the past to mandate persons to utilise a specific form of identification to vote, com promised the elections and

had it overturned in the High Court.

“There is no such re quirement in the Constitu tion and that was tested in Esther Perreira (Esther Per reira v Chief Elections Of ficer et al – 1998) when we agreed with ANPU [PNC] and went to Parliament and say you could only vote with an ID card. The [then] PNC lost those elections and challenged the ID card use as being unconstitu tional,” the Vice-President said.

Justice Claudette Singh, who presided over the matter at that time, concluded that the right to vote is “rec ognised as a constitutionally protected right” and one can only lose that right in accor dance with the Constitution and by no other method.

Articles 59 and 159 of

Vice-President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo

the Constitution clearly es tablish the qualifications and disqualifications of electors.

Articles 59 and 159 of the Constitution prescribe that a person who is 18 years or older, who is a citizen of Guyana or a Commonwealth citizen, who is not a citizen of Guyana, resident in Guy ana and has been so resident

for a period of one year, immediately preceding the qualifying date, qualifies to be registered; and once reg istered has an unconditional right to vote.

Regarding the Opposi tion’s proposal, Dr. Jagdeo said: “They [Opposition] want a situation like that where you constrain [per

sons’] constitutional right to vote using biometrics and they could go to the court and get the elections over turned.”

The Vice-President af firmed that the government is not going to make decisions that would disenfranchise people, rather they would im plement systems that would enfranchise all eligible vot ers.

His guarantee comes at time when Guyanese are preparing to participate in the March 13, 2023, Local Gov ernment Elections (LGE).

President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, in a virtual message last Thursday, said: “March 13 is an important date… I call on all Guyanese to work in renewing efforts to building the local governance system, building and strengthening our communities, especially our townships. For long, we have seen what mismanage ment could do in townships, in some areas.

“This is a time for us to come together, work togeth er, strengthen our governance system and build a system that delivers to our people.”

The local government system, Dr. Ali said, is an essential part of the country’s governance framework, and the government had prom ised to spare no time in call ing elections once the Guy ana Elections Commission (GECOM) is ready.

And with a date being announced, the Head of State called on all stake holders, including political parties, to get ready since they have long notice to prepare themselves to be a part of this democratic process.

“With these elections we could bring together local leadership, women, young people… and that shows our seriousness to building and strengthening gover nance at every single level,” President Ali said.

Opposition walks out of electoral reform consultation

MEMBERS of the main opposition, A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC), on Tuesday, walked out of the con sultation on draft electoral reform legislation.

The Ministry of Parliamentary Af fairs and Governance, on Tuesday, host ed a National Stakeholder Forum for the consultations on the draft electoral reform legislation at the Arthur Chung

Conference Centre (ACCC), Liliendaal.

Making the main presentation on the draft amendments to the Representation of the People Act (RoPA) and the Na tional Registration (Amendment) Bill, was Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, S.C.

According to the set agenda for the programme, Nandlall was set to do an overview of the draft amendments to both bills. An open discussion would

then follow.

The Minister, during his remarks, acknowledged the presence of opposi tion members Roysdale Forde, S.C. and Khemraj Ramjattan who were seated with Tabitha Sarabo-Haley.

Just over an hour into the Minister’s presentation on the amendments, Ram jattan began his rumblings as it relates to the length of the detailed overview and seemed to request the commence ment of the open discussion.

However, the minister continued his presentation and gave details on several

of the amendments. This seemed to up set the present opposition members as they then left their seats and exited the dome of the Arthur Chung Conference Centre.

Meanwhile, opposition nominat ed Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Commissioner who was present at the stakeholder forum, opt ed not to sit with the other GECOM commissioners but represented the International Decade for People of African Descent Assembly-Guyana (IDPADA-G).

Opposition Members of Parliament who were present just for the beginning of the stakeholder engagement

Rishi Sunak aims to bring factions together in cabinet reshuffle

(BBC) – RISHI Sunak has appointed his team of top ministers, on his first day as the UK’s Prime Minister.

In a key speech outside No. 10, he said he wanted to bring the country and party together, promising economic stability and confidence.

The cabinet reshuffle saw some predict able choices, and some that have surprised MPs.

“Unity, experience and continuity in some really key roles,” are the themes No. 10 say they wanted to convey.

So, what can we read into who is staying, who is going, and what it all means?

No 10’s message is echoed by the for mer director of communications for David Cameron, Sir Craig Oliver, who said: “Unity is the watchword of this reshuffle. It’s clear each part of the party will feel represented in some way.

“Mr Sunak’s also not exiled big beasts to the backbenches where they can cause trouble - like Truss did with Michael Gove.”

Another of the notable elements of this reshuffle is the stability in three of the top

jobs: Jeremy Hunt as Chancellor, James Cleverly as Foreign Secretary and Ben Wal lace as Defence Secretary.

This is likely intended to be a clear message that, particularly during the war in Ukraine and economic turmoil of the last few months, Sunak wants to reassure MPs he can offer stability.

Hunt ditched most of the tax cuts former PM Liz Truss brought in, reverting the eco nomic plan to one more closely resembling Sunak’s proposals during the summer lead ership contest.

He and Sunak have talked about the need for “difficult decisions”, something we are likely to hear more about on 31 October when they set out the government’s next budget.

As well as a signal of stability, keeping Boris Johnson ally, Wallace, as defence sec retary - and Cleverly as foreign secretary - is an olive branch to some of the senior MPs who did not back Sunak.

“This cabinet brings the talents of the par ty together”, said a No. 10 source, speaking about the conclusion of the reshuffle.

“It reflects a unified party and a cabinet with significant experience, ensuring that at this uncertain time there is continuity at the heart of the government.”

They said the hard work would begin now and the new cabinet would “deliver for the British people”.

A senior government source told the BBC Cleverly’s appointment would allow “stability at the Foreign Office” and means “continuity for the UK’s relationships around the world”.

Indeed, Cleverly’s social media feeds, as the reshuffle progressed, were full of pictures of him calling foreign government representatives.

This decision, though, shows Penny Mor daunt paid the price for not dropping out of the leadership race sooner.

It was widely reported she had been vying for the foreign secretary role. She remains as Leader of the House of Commons, the job that ensures government legislation gets through Parliament.

One potential clash coming down the line, however, is over defence spending.

Wallace has made it clear in the past he wants defence spending to rise to three per cent of national income by 2030. That’s not something the new chancellor has committed to as part of his plans to make efficiencies (read: cuts), in government.

WHO’S IN?

One of the most eye-catching appoint ments was the return of Suella Braverman as home secretary.

She resigned just days ago from the role after a security breach, when she sent a gov ernment document to someone not authorised to receive it.

She endorsed Sunak to be the new leader two days ago, a move seen as a massive boost for his campaign as it represented support from the right-wing of the party.

Some sources in government speculate that endorsement may well have been an ask for something in return. There was a hint of that in her article for the Daily Telegraph backing Sunak - where she said we will “only stop boats crossing the Channel” if the UK passes new laws to limit the impact of Mod ern Slavery laws, the Human Rights Act and

UK’s new Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak (GARETH FULLER photo)

the European Convention on Human Rights. Such a move would be controversial, and face legal and political challenges - especially in the House of Lords. But is her appointment a signal Sunak has agreed it is the way for ward? It looks likely.

Former No. 10 pollster James Johnson tweeted that the tougher approach on immi gration provides an opening for the Tories among swing voters in so-called Red Wall seats.

“Suella Braverman’s reappointment is the most eye-catching,” says Sir Craig.

“There’s a lot he is going to be doing that the right of the party will be uncomfortable with - for example around the budget and economy.

“So this [signal of a harder line on im migration] means he can point to something that really goes down well with the more tra ditional wings of MPs and party members.”

But her appointment may make it harder to make the argument, as Sunak did earlier, that this would be a government of “integri ty” - given her recent breach.

Sunak has also brought back some key supporters to senior roles - like Dominic Raab, Steve Barclay and Oliver Dowden. They were key figures in his campaign throughout the summer, rewarded for their loyalty with roles back in government.

Dowden’s return was welcomed by for mer cabinet minister Sir David Lidington, who said: “No-one in the current government has a sharper understanding of the machinery of government, and how to turn slogans and paper projects into practical outcomes.”

Simon Hart has also been brought in as chief whip, responsible for party discipline and MPs’ welfare. This role will be key, after months of internal infighting, to anticipate any potential rebellions or conflicts and keep Tory MPs toeing the party line.

He’s got cabinet experience as the former Welsh secretary, but also experience trying to bring different factions of the party together - something he did during the Brexit yearsand is close friends with former chief whip Gavin Williamson and leader of the influen tial 1922 backbench committee of MPs Sir Graham Brady.

Nadhim Zahawi, briefly chancellor over the summer, has received a slight demotion from Cabinet Office minister, to chair of the party - perhaps in response to his flip-flop ping support over the last few months.

He’ll still have a tough job ahead of local elections next year - and will partly be responsible for showing the party can turn its electoral fortunes around after a series of record-low opinion polls.

Pensioners urged to keep abreast of cash distribution dates

–– as cash grant distribution kicks off in Georgetown

HUMAN Services and So cial Security Minister, Dr Vindhya Persaud has en couraged pensioners across the country to stay abreast with news and social media, so that they can keep track of the dates and locations to uplift the $28,000 one-off cash grant for pensioners across Guyana.

She was speaking on the side-lines of one of the distri bution exercises at the Jagan Heritage Home on Tuesday.

The minister stated that in her interactions with pension

necessities.

During an interview with the Department of Public Information (DPI) Zahid Ra hat, a 71-year-old pensioner, expressed that the grant would go a long way.

“I’m very grateful for it because I suffer from arthritis pain. All over my body… in my knees, my joints. I’m not working now,” he said.

While he stated that he had previously received sti pends from relatives abroad, both of those persons had passed on, leaving him with

“I feel happy. I feel so thankful because we didn’t have to get it, but we get it, we are grateful, and we are hoping this can go a far way in [meeting] whatever needs have to be met…. So,

we do appreciate this ini tiative, and it is welcome,” she noted.

The $28,000 cash grant is an integral part of the PPP/C Government’s mandate to create an improved quality of

life for senior citizens.

The one-off grant, which will see some 65,000 Guya nese benefitting, will provide an additional $ 1.8 billion in disposable income to the nation’s pensioners. (DPI)

ers she received a number of suggestions for improving the delivery of service to senior citizens.

“What I have been doing on-site is interfacing with them, to look at how we can better serve, how we can have more efficiency, and how we can see what are some of the things they want to see happen, and I’ve gotten some very good suggestions which I will be putting into place,” the minister said.

These suggestions includ ed having pension forms for ease of pickup at post offices and other locations where the elderly frequent.

The minister also encour aged persons to employ the bank payment system to re ceive their pension payments. She also reminded persons to be considerate of the elderly.

“The elderly would have asked me for this, and I’m asking the wider public, wher ever you see elders and maybe they cannot walk, or they have some level of disability, serve them first,” the minister implored.

Pensioners in receipt of the cash grant lauded the initiative and expressed that the additional cash would assist them in purchasing

no source of income aside from his pension.

“So, I going and buy some milk and different things, thing to build up myself…. So, I am very grateful and thankful,” he said.

Another pensioner, Gloria Veronica La Rose, described the cash grant as ‘generous’, and thanked the government for the initiative.

“It will help immensely with everything. So, it’s a good gesture,” she stated.

Carol Richards, another pensioner, echoed similar sen timents and expressed her joy at receiving the cash grant.

Human Services and Social Security Minister, Dr Vindhya Persaud (DPI photo)

Pensioner, Gloria Veronica La Rose (DPI photo)

Pensioner, Zahid Rahat (DPI photo)

Pensioner, Carol Richards (DPI photo)

Bids opened for Hope and Justice Centre to be built at Vergenoegen

WITH funding from the Inter-American De velopment Bank (IDB) through the Support for the Criminal Justice System, a Hope and Jus tice Centre will be con structed at Vergenoe gen, Region Three (Es sequibo Islands-West Demerara).

On Tuesday, the Le gal Affairs Ministry is sued an invitation for bids for eligible and qualified contractors desirous of providing their service for construction of the facility.

The Hope and Jus tice Centre is expected to

provide a wide range of services to persons expe riencing violence, includ ing legal and medical aid, counselling, and support with law enforcement.

The centre will function under the purview of the Ministry of Human Ser vices and Social Security.

The construction peri od is a minimum of nine (9) months from the start date.

Bidding will be con ducted through the Na tional Competitive Bid ding (NCB) procedures specified in the IDB’s Policies for the Pro curement of Works and

Goods financed by the IDB.

It is open to all bid ders from eligible source countries as defined in the policies.

Interested bidders may obtain further information from the Procurement Officer – Support for the Criminal Justice Sys tem, at East Street, South Cummingsburg, George town from 09:00hrs to 15:00hrs from Monday to Friday.

Bids must be deliv ered to the tender box of the National Procure ment and Tender Admin istration Board (NPTAB)

at the Ministry of Fi nance, Main and Urqu hart Streets on or before 09:00hrs, Tuesday, De cember 13, 2022.

The Government of Guyana has received a

US$8 million loan from the IDB for the criminal justice system support programme which seeks to address, among other issues, overcrowding in prisons.

Presently, reducing pre-trial detentions and increasing the use of al ternative sentencing are some measures advocat ed for reducing prison overcrowding. (DPI)

Constitutional reform process to commence in early 2023

By Shamar Meusa

GUYANA’S constitu tional reform process is expected to commence early in 2023, as the government intends to fulfil its commitment to the continuous review and enhancement of the country’ s Constitution, according to Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira.

In her address to a na tional stakeholder forum on electoral reform, Minister Teixeira said that the pro cess that deals with elec toral laws are distinct from the constitutional reform process.

The bill on the compo sition of the commission on constitutional reform, which will comprise var ious political parties and civil society, is on the table for discussion at the level

of the National Assembly when it reconvenes.

Minister of Legal Af fairs and Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, S.C., during his presentation, said that the National Assembly has already committed to

the constitutional reform process.

He added that a consen sual bill to that effect was tabled following several discussions among mem bers of the standing com mittee on constitutional

reform.

“The vehicle will be a broad-based constitutional reform commission com prising of 50 per cent po litical directorate, coming from the political parties in the National Assembly and

50 per cent civil society or ganisations,” Nandlall said.

The Attorney General noted that the subject of the consensual bill has to do with how the commission will do its work.

This Constitutional

Reform Commission will conduct its work based on public engagements with citizens across the country.

Further, Nandlall said that the commission is an independent one which will regulate how it conducts its business; however, the policy directive that it will receive is to put the Consti tution under review.

Guyanese through these public engagements, will be able to consult, engage, discuss and offer recom mendations in relation to the Constitution.

The Peoples Progres sive Party Civic (PPP/C) Government in its 20202025 manifesto, had said that it is aware of the is sues around constitution al reform and believed that it must be a part of widespread consultation with the people of Guy ana before being acted upon.

Attorney General, Anil Nandlall S.C. (left) and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira (seated at right) (Delano Williams photo)

Chinese Modernisation: Goal for China, opportunities for the world

By GUO Haiyan, Chinese Ambassador to Guyana

MANY Guyanese friends might have learned from newspapers, television and the Internet that China just had a very important event, the 20th National Con gress of the Communist Party of China (the CPC), which has drawn an overarch ing plan for China’s future development. As the Chinese ambassador, I would like to do some brief introductions.

Under the leadership of the CPC, in 2021, the Chinese people completed the historical task of eradicating absolute pov erty and building a moderately prosperous society in all aspects. Starting from the 20th National Congress, the central task of the CPC is to lead the Chinese people of all ethnic groups in a concerted effort to build China into a great modern socialist country in all respects and to advance the rejuve nation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernisation.

As President Xi jinping, also Gener al-Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, pointed out, “there is no fixed model when it comes to the path of modernisation, the one that suits you well will serve you well. Every country’s efforts to independently explore a path to modernisation that suits its own national realities should be respected.”

The Chinese Modernisation path, which aims to achieve China’s better development and promote the overall progress of human society, has a rich connotation.

Chinese Modernisation upholds the unity between CPC leadership, the running of the country by the people, and law-based governance. The CPC has always represent ed the fundamental interests of all Chinese people and is the strong leadership core for the cause of socialism with Chinese charac teristics. According to a Harvard University tracking poll for 13 consecutive years, Chi nese people’s support for the CPC and the Chinese government has remained above 90 per cent, ranking first in the world.

The CPC and the Chinese people have always cherished democracy and the rule of law, which are crucial to the successful gov ernance of a country as big as China. China will continue to develop Whole -Process People’s Democracy and guarantee Chi nese people’s ability to practice democratic elections, consultations, decision-making, management, and oversight in accordance with the law. China will continue to exercise law-based governance on all fronts, and take integrated steps to build a country, govern ment, and society based on the rule of law. We will make all-around efforts to ensure sound legislation, strict law enforcement, impartial administration of justice, and so ciety-wide observance of the law and that

all work of the state is carried out under the rule of law.

Chinese Modernisation emphasises on High-Quality Development. China’s econ omy has been transitioning from a phase of rapid growth to one of high-quality de velopment. In the past, we mainly assessed China’s economy by the growth rate of gross product. Now we attach importance to both appropriate expanding in quantity and effective upgrading in quality, emphasising that economic development should apply the New Development Philosophy of inno vative, coordinated, green, open and shared development.

China will further expand domestic de mand, deepen supply-side structural reform, and continue to meet the more personalised, diversified and upgraded needs of the peo ple. China will continue to focus on the real economy, implement the innovation-driven development strategy and move faster to boost China’s strength in manufacturing, product quality, aerospace, transportation, cyberspace, and digital development. Chi na will accelerate efforts to foster a new pattern of development that is focused on the domestic economy and features positive interplay between domestic and internation al economic flows, promote high-standard opening up, make the industrial and supply chains more resilient and secure, and en deavour to preserve the diversity and stabil ity of the international economic landscape and economic and trade relations.

Chinese Modernisation is the moderni sation of a huge population. China has be come the world’s second largest economy, the largest industrial country, the largest trader of goods in the world with the largest foreign exchange reserve. But China has a population of 1.4 billion, which means that any index in large amount, if divided by 1.4 billion, becomes a rather small number. For example, the GDP per capita of China is just over 12,000USD, ranking 60 plus in the world. It also means that the Chinese government, which upholds a people-cen tred development thinking, carries a great er responsibility to ensure food security, pandemic prevention and control, social employment and livelihood-protection.

At the same time, a huge population also brings abundant talent resources, vast mar ket space and strong economic resilience. To date, there are less than 30 countries in the world which have become modernised, with a total population of no more than one billion. China’s modernisation means that a population that exceeds in size the com bined total of all the developed countries, will step into modernisation, which would be a miracle in human history.

Chinese Modernisation is the moderni sation of common prosperity for all. Recent

ly, Guyana’s former President, Mr. Donald Ramotar said in an interview that China has made tremendous achievement in removing absolute poverty, and the CPC’s next step is to tackle the question of relative poverty, which would be more difficult. To solve rel ative poverty is, in other words, to achieve common prosperity. For a long time, the excessive gap between the rich and the poor has been a notable factor hindering the development of many countries, and how to narrow the gap is a worldwide problem.

China has made some progress in this regard. In the past decade, the urban-rural ratio of disposable income per capita has dropped from 2.88:1 to 2.5:1, and the eastwest ratio of regional GDP per capita has dropped from 1.87 to 1.68. We will endeav our to bring prosperity to all, and prevent polarisation.

Chinese modernisation is the mod ernisation of coordinated material and cultural-ethical advancement. History and reality show that material abundance does not necessarily bring cultural-ethical enrichment, but may lead to materialistic expansion, confusion of faith, moral de cline and spiritual emptiness. Just as inner strength is indispensable for individuals, it is also essential for nations. China must forge a strong spiritual strength to solve the various problems on its own development path and to meet global challenges together with other countries.

We will promote traditional Chinese culture, extensively apply the core socialist values, continue the civic morality improve ment campaign, and actively exchange with and learn from other civilisations around the world, so that people can enjoy a good life both in material and cultural-ethical spheres, so as to achieve people’s well-rounded devel opment. Since I arrived in Guyana last year, I have often been cordially invited to partici pate in various cultural events, such as the Di wali celebrations last week, and I am deeply impressed by the diversity and inclusiveness of Guyanese culture. The Government and people of Guyana are not only keen on ad vancing the development agenda, but also on promoting conscience and unity through various events, which coincides with us.

Chinese Modernisation is the moderni sation of harmony between humanity and nature. We resolutely abandon the mod ernisation model that overlooks nature and devastates it. In the past decade, we have protected nature and the environment as we have protected our own eyes, and contribut ed a quarter of the world’s new forest area. China’s green development has taken solid steps, with a cumulative reduction of 26.4 per cent in energy consumption per unit of GDP and an increase in the proportion of clean-energy consumption to 25.5 per cent,

Chinese Ambassador to Guyana, GUO Haiyan

making China’s skies bluer, mountains greener and waters clearer.

We will continue to maintain harmo ny between humanity and nature when planning our development, accelerate the transition to a model of green development, intensify pollution prevention and control, work actively and prudently toward the goals of reaching peak carbon emissions and carbon neutrality, and play an active role in global governance against climate change.

Chinese Modernisation is the moderni sation of peaceful development. In pursuing modernisation, some countries took the path of war, colonisation, and plunder. That bru tal and blood-stained path of enrichment at the expense of others caused great suffering for the people of developing countries, in cluding China. China will never seek hege mony or engage in expansionism.

China has always been committed to upholding world peace and promoting common development, and it is dedicated to implementing the Global Development Initiative and Global Security Initiative, promoting a community with a shared future for mankind.

China is committed to broadening the convergence of interests with other coun tries, deepening and expanding global partnerships based on equality, openness, and cooperation. Guided by the principles of sincerity, real results, affinity, and good faith and with a commitment to the greater good and shared interests, China endeavours to strengthen solidarity and cooperation with other developing countries and safe guard the common interests of the devel oping world.

China is committed to its fundamental national policy of opening to the outside world and pursues a mutually beneficial strategy of opening up. It strives to create new opportunities for the world with its own development.

Chinese Modernisation displays a multi-dimensional path of modernisation for late-developing countries and offers a new possibility to explore a better social system.

The Chinese people are ready to join hands with the rest of the world to create a brighter future for humankind!

‘Satan’ freed of beauty queen’s murder

ALVIN Reid, called ‘Sa tan’, who was on trial for the 2016 murder of 14-yearold Malika Hamilton, was, on Tuesday, found not

guilty of the crime by a 12-member jury.

Reid, formerly of Nimrod Street, Ann’s Grove, East Coast Demerara (ECD) ap

peared before Justice Simone Morris-Ramlall at the Demer ara High Court.

He had pleaded not guilty to the indictment which read

that, between August 8 and August 9, 2016, he murdered Hamilton.

The 12-member jury, af ter deliberating for two hours

on Tuesday afternoon, found Reid not guilty of the capital offence.

He was represented by at torneys-at-law Konyo Sandi

were on record for the State.

The ‘Miss African Cala bash 2014’ beauty queen had left her home at Two Friends Village, Ann’s Grove, ECD, but never returned.

According to reports, the deceased and the accused were known to each other and on August 8, 2016, they went to swim at Hope Canal. The teenager was never seen alive again. Her body was discovered the following day in the canal.

Government Pathologist, Dr Nehaul Singh, conducted an autopsy on the teen’s body and concluded that she had been brutally blud geoned to her head, strangled and dumped in the canal while still alive.

Police later went searching for Reid and found him hiding in a barrel at a relative’s house. He was subsequently charged and remanded

In 2018, Reid was dis charged from the offence by Magistrate Peter Hugh due to insufficient evidence. Police, however, filed new evidence for the case and Reid was recharged.

Magistrate Hugh based on the new evidence that was submitted, committed Reid to stand trial for murder.

In 2019, Reid was “ac cidentally” released from prison while on remand. After eluding the police for three years, he was ar rested last month in Ann’s Grove.

ford and Iyanna Butts, while prosecutors Gajraj, Muntaz Ali and Taneisha Saygon

Alvin Reid called ‘Satan’

DEAD: Malika Hamilton

Funds secured for gender planning, policy development in education sector

GUYANA has been granted the Sys tem Capacity Grant from the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) to strengthen gender-responsive plan ning and policy development for sys tem-wide impact, a statement from the education ministry said on Tuesday.

“UNESCO [United Nations Educa tional, Scientific and Cultural Organiza tion] was identified as the Grant Agent, with the UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP) identified as the institution which will collaborate with the Ministry of Education to provide extensive technical expertise in education planning and management,” the MoE said.

The ministry said the priority is to strengthen instructional leadership at dis trict and school levels, and to promote eq uitable learning by strengthening cultur ally responsive and effective instructional leadership and improved accountability.

This subject, it was noted, supports that ministry’s Sector Plan 2021-2025, which focuses on eliminating illiteracy, enhancing tolerance and modernizing education.

Beginning yesterday, senior officers of the ministry were involved in an inception workshop which concludes tomorrow.

During brief remarks at the open ing event hosted in the Barimi and Socobi conference room at the Guy ana Marriott Hotel, MoE’s Chief Planning Officer Nicola Johnson said the process started in February 2022 when a new GPE strategic Operating model for system transformation was presented.

“The new model is intended to enable

encouraged the officers present to criti cally review the existing gaps and find solutions.

The ongoing process will enable the ministry to move on to the second critical step which is to prioritise and align, through developing the partnership compact that should be completed by February 2023.

The partnership compact will guide

the ministry in its alignment of partners and resources behind the key priorities and reforms.

The workshop was facilitated by Programme Manager from UNES CO-IIEP (Paris Office) Candy Lugaz, and Regional Focal Point for the proj ect and Technical Cooperation Coor dinator from UNESCO-IIEP (Buenos Aires Office) Henry Armas Alvarado.

governments and their partners to lay a pathway to focus on a critical reform with the potential to catalyst system change.

“Countries are expected to conduct a screening and a holistic review of the sec tor called the Enabling Factor Analysis.

“This review enables countries to look critically at the four (4) areas, data & evi dence, gender-responsive sector planning, policy & monitoring, sector coordination, & volume, equity and efficiency of do mestic public financing for education, which are the foundations of an effective education system,” Johnson said.

“Through today’s workshop objec tives, we hope that you will work with us so that we can look at the evidence and find ways to address the gaps identified in the EFA and its in-depth analysis and agree and validate the findings,” she not ed further.

The ministry’s chief planning officer

(From left) UNESCO-IIEP (Buenos Aires Office) Henry Armas Alvarado, MoE’s Chief Planning Officer Nicola Johnson, and Program Manager from UNESCO-IIEP (Paris Office) Candy Lugaz (Ministry of Education photo)

MoE senior officers engaged during the inception workshop aimed at strength ening the education system (Ministry of Education photo)

Man found guilty of raping nine-year-old girl thrice

MARIO Heywood was, on Tuesday, found guilty of three counts of rape committed on a nineyear-old girl and will know his fate on Novem ber 22, 2022.

Heywood, 39, of East Ruimveldt, was on trial before Justice Sandil Kis soon at the Sexual Offenc es Court of the Demerara High Court for the rape of a child under 16 years,

which occurred on three occasions between Octo ber and November, 2018.

After deliberating for two hours, a 12-mem ber jury found Heywood guilty of all three counts.

The State was repre sented by prosecutors Cic ela Corbin, Caressa Hen ry and Marisa Edwards, while Damien DaSilva was on record for Hey wood

According to reports, it is alleged that, during the period mentioned in the charge, the child was left in the care of Heywood. It is alleged

that Heywood raped her while her mother was out.

Heywood reported ly threatened to kill the child’s mother if she con

fided in her relatives.

However, the victim’s mother became aware of what had happened and reported the matter to the police.

Adidas ends Ye deal over hate speech, costing rapper his billionaire status

(Reuters) - ADIDAS AG (ADSGn.DE) ter minated its partnership with rapper and fashion designer Ye on October 25 after he made a series of antisemitic remarks, a move that knocked the musician off the Forbes list of the world’s billionaires.

Adidas put the tie-up, which has pro duced several hot-selling Yeezy branded sneakers, under review this month.

“Adidas does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech,” the Ger man company said on October 25.

“Ye’s recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful and dangerous, and they violate the company’s values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness,” it said.

Forbes magazine said the end of the deal meant Ye’s net worth shrank to $400 million. The magazine had valued his share of the Adidas partnership at $1.5 billion.

The remainder of Ye’s wealth comes from real estate, cash, his music catalogue and a 5 per cent stake in ex-wife Kim Kar dashian’s shapewear firm, Skims, Forbes said.

Representatives for Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

For Adidas, ending the partnership and the production of Yeezy branded products, as

In now-deleted Instagram posts earlier this year, the multiple Grammy award-win ning artist accused Adidas and U.S. apparel retailer Gap Inc (GPS.N) of failing to build contractually promised permanent stores for products from his Yeezy fashion line.

He also accused Adidas of stealing his designs for its own products.

On October 25, Gap, which had ended its partnership with Ye in September, said it was taking immediate steps to remove Yeezy Gap products from its stores and that it had shut down YeezyGap.com.

“Antisemitism, racism and hate in any form are inexcusable and not tolerated in accordance with our values,” Gap said in a statement.

European fashion house Balenciaga has also cut ties with Ye, according to media reports.

“The saga of Ye ... underlines the impor tance of vetting celebrities thoroughly and avoiding those who are overly controversial or unstable,” said Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData.

Adidas poached Ye from rival Nike Inc (NKE.N) in 2013 and agreed to a new long-term partnership in 2016 in what the company then called “the most significant partnership created between a non-athlete and a sports brand.”

well as stopping all payments to Ye and his companies, will have a “short-term negative impact” of up to 250 million euros ($248.90 million) on net income this year, the com pany said.

Ye has courted controversy in recent months by publicly ending major corporate tie-ups and making outbursts on social media against other celebrities. His Twitter and Instagram accounts were restricted, with the social media platforms removing some of his online posts that users condemned as antisemitic.

The tie-up helped the German brand close the gap with Nike in the U.S. market.

Yeezy sneakers, which cost between $200 and $700, generate about 1.5 billion eu ros ($1.47 billion) in annual sales for Adidas, making up a little over 7 per cent of its total revenue, according to estimates from Telsey Advisory Group.

Shares in Adidas, which cut its full-year forecast last week, closed down 3.2 per cent.

The group said it would provide more information as part of its upcoming Q3 earnings announcement on November 9.

Marion Heywood

Singer Kanye West (front row, centre) walks past models after presenting his Fall/Winter 2015 partnership line with Adidas at New York Fashion Week on February 12, 2015 (REUTERS/Lucas Jackson/File Photo)

American Racing Tips

Keenland Race 1 My Good Fortune Race 2 Lily’s Creed Race 3 Awesome Ally Vee

Race 4 Uptown Hustler Race 5 Epimythium Race 6 Bombdiggity Race 7 Brazillionsire

South Africa Racing Tips

Greyville

08:20 hrs Russian Doll

08:55 hrs Son Of Raj

09:30 hrs Master Of Defence

10:05 hrs Twice Golden 10:40 hrs Priceless Ruler

English Racing Tips

Chepstow

08:25 hrs Une De La Seniere

09:00 hrs Hullnback

09:35 hrs Beau Balko

10:10 hrs Mascar

10:45 hrs Sonigino

11:20 hrs Truckin Away

11:55 hrs Easkey Lad

12:30 hrs Lime Avenue

Nottingham 08:35 hrs Metabolt

09:10 hrs Fast Response

09:45 hrs Little Muddy

10:20 hrs High Opinion

10:55 hrs Alpine Stroll

11:30 hrs Artistic Choice 12:05 hrs Parikarma

Kempton

11:50 hrs Starshiba

12:20 hrs Elegant Charm

12:55 hrs Glam Puss

13:30 hrs Lelabad

14:00 hrs Covert Mission

14:30 hrs Kiightswood

15:00 hrs Typewritten

15:30 hrs Blazon Five

Irish Racing Tips

Curragh

08:40 hrs Tea Olive

09:15 hrs Mary SALOME

09:50 HRS Choclat Blu

10:25 hrs Chatterbox

11:00 hrs Unanswered

11:35 hrs Wrist Art

12:10 hrs Global Equity

Bounty Supermarkets National Indoor Hockey Championships

THE annual National In door Hockey Champion ships will return to the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall with a new face of Bounty Supermarkets this year. The supermarket chain has been a keen supporter of the development of young people and the community and has extended its efforts into hockey for the first time as an extension of these efforts.

The competition com menced yesterday at 17:00hrs and features four divisions - Men’s First Di

vision, Men’s Second Divi sion, Ladies and Veterans (Over-35).

In the competitive men’s division, the PEPSI Hikers, the most successful team in this division, will look to avenge their upset during the recent Lucozade Indoor Championships. The ex perienced national captain Robert France leads this line-up with the support of top calibre midfielder Jamarj Assanah, who has been one of the country’s top players over the past five years.

Old Fort bring to the

tournament their tremendous pace and skill and a youthful enthusiasm primarily from their strong junior contin gent, who have stepped up to the senior ranks.

Old Fort recently won the Sunshine Snacks Under-20 indoor championships and the core of the team will now be joined by veterans Chris Low and Aderemi Simon to strengthen them for senior competition.

GCC’s all-round stal wart, Kareem McKenzie, and the skilful Sargeant brothers, Marc and Meshach, form the

core of their team while the Garnett clan, along with the skilful midfielder Shakeem Fausette, round out the table for Saints.

The ladies’ competition finds a dominant GBTI GCC Tigers as comfortable fa vourites having not lost in this competition since 2018. Captain Gabriella Xavier and Makeda Harding will have good support from Madison Fernandes, Sarah Klautky and Kirsten Gomes for the Tigers powerful line-up who will be a well-balanced and difficult team to beat.

Simmons apologises for West Indies exit

CMC – West Indies head coach Phil Simmons apol ogised for the side’s disap pointing performance that resulted in their shock exit from the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia but said his decision to resign was not a knee-jerk reac tion to that situation.

Cricket West Indies (CWI) announced Simmons’ resignation in a statement on Monday evening, saying that his last assignment would be the upcoming two-Test series against Australia from No vember 30 to December 12.

“From a personal per spective, this is not a kneejerk reaction, but a move I have been considering for some time and now is the time to make public that I will step down as West Indies Head Coach at the end of the Test series against Australia,” Simmons said.

“It is earlier than hoped for, but I will now focus my energies in Australia on continuing to build on the excellent progress the Test team has made. Of course… we will also carry out the necessary review into our World Cup campaign.”

West Indies’ nine-wicket defeat to Ireland last Friday saw them eliminated from the main draw of the tournament.

Simmons, who was at the helm in 2016 when West Indies won their second ICC Men’s T20 World Cup title,

said the regional side’s per formances this time around were just not good enough.

“I acknowledge that it’s not just the team that is hurt ing but the proud nations we represent as well. It’s disap pointing and heart-wrenching but we just didn’t turn up. We weren’t good enough and we now have to watch a tournament play out without our involvement. It’s unfath omable, and for that, I deeply apologise to our fans and followers,” the former West Indies allrounder said.

Of his time as head coach, Simmons said he had enjoyed “aspects of the unique challenge” and the

unwavering support of his management team.

“There remain some ex ceptional individuals within CWI who I firmly believe will continue to work in the best interests of West Indies cricket,” he said.

CWI President Ricky Skerritt thanked Simmons for his hard work and dedication to West Indies cricket, most recently in his role as head coach.

“Phil is a proud West In dian with high ideals and has never lacked motivation in guiding our younger players on and off the field of play. He brought valuable experi ence and stability at a very

important period of transfor mation, including the most challenging environment of the COVID-19 pandemic. We wish him all the best in his future endeavours,” he said.

Simmons was appointed West Indies coach after the 2015 World Cup but was suspended for a period and then fired despite leading the Caribbean side to the 2016 T20 title when they defeated England at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, India. He was reappointed in October 2019.

There had been calls for him to resign following the West Indies’ dismal per formances in several series.

The Woodpecker Hikers, having been the last team to defeat the Tigers, will cer tainly be looking to repeat this feat and have been im proving the quality of their game in recent times. Maria Munroe and Marisha Fer nandes form the cornerstone of this challenge.

Saints boast the presence of recent junior MVP Claysa Bobb along with the feisty Tekeisha Deleon. This group brings to the game a struc tured approach - instilled by national coach Robert Fer nandes - that always makes

them a threat.

Old Fort’s Julia Gouveia and Carolyne Deane lead the reds while the second GCC line-up, the GCC Spice, may exhibit the strongest attack of all teams through the duo of Abosaide Cadogan and Sonia Jardine.

The competition will also feature a men’s second divi sion and a veterans’ division featuring players over the age of 35.

The competition runs all week with the finals set for Sunday evening, Octo ber 30, from 16:00hrs.

Guyana Cricket Board distances itself from Big Man Cricket

THE Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) has asserted that it is in no way connect ed to the Big Man Cricket (BMC) being organised by a private group.

Under the Guyana Crick et Administration Act, 2014, the GCB is the sole govern ing authority for leather ball (hard ball) cricket in at all levels throughout the length and breadth of Guyana. Any cricket organised and played outside of the GCB’s cricket structure is deemed disap proved cricket. Also, there is no BMC within the structure of West Indies cricket.

The GCB mandate is the development of cricket from a very early stage right up to providing players for the

various regional teams. The GCB has received queries from some potential sponsors and some cricket administra tors in relation to BMC.

The GCB, through this medium, wishes to express categorically that it has no connection with BMC and would like the public to be guided accordingly. (Press release)

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER

(Wednesday October 26, 2022)

COMPLIMENTS OF CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD 83 Garnett Street, Campbellville, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158)

Answers to yesterday’s quiz: (1) Dirk Nanes-14 wickets (AUST)

(2) Dirk Nanes-4/18 (AUST vs BANG, Bridgetown)

Today’s Quiz:

(1) Which wicketkeeper effected most dismissals in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2010?

(2) What was the highest partnership in the 2010 tournament for any wicket?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

West Indies head coach Phil Simmons

Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ East Coast fixtures released

WITH the commencement of the Guinness 'Greatest of the Streets' East Coast Demerara championship scheduled for Friday at the Haslington tarmac, the official tournament fixtures and bracket have been released.

This was disclosed by an official release from the event coordinators.

According to the release, "In an effort to ensure trans parency and accountability, two tenets, which have been the bedrock for the competi tion, the official fixtures and tournament bracket, have been finalised. The fans and more importantly, the teams and players, will know their respective path from the inception in pursuit of the coveted title."

The release further said, "Everything is set for a glorious night of football, and an overall wonderful tournament, following a two-year absence owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. The East Coast Demerara zone, which will stage its 8th edition, has always been one of the most supported

and fan-friendly legs of the Guinness 'Greatest of the Streets' platform, and we expect that trend to continue for the foreseeable future."

The 16 teams that will feature in the tournament are: defending champions and two-time winners Mel anie-B, Liliendaal Hus tlers, Belfield Warriors, Paradise-A, BV-A, Victo ria Church Yard, Buxton Diamond, Uprising, Victo ria Eagles, Portmore, Old School, Non Pareil, Team Cruel, Vryheid’s Lust, Bareroot and Haslington.

The main draw of the tournament will kick-off on October 28 at the Hasling ton Tarmac with the roundof-16 stage. The tournament will last three nights, and will be played using an elimination process.

The other playing dates are October 29 which will feature the quarter-final round of matches, and No vember 5 which is sched uled to host the semi-final and final respectively.

Meanwhile, the losing teams at the round-of-16 section will compete in the

Plate Championship.

Tournament Fixtures Main Draw

Round of 16 - October 28

(1) Melanie-B vs Port more (2) Paradise-A vs Victoria Eagles

(3) Church Yard vs Team Cruel

(4) Liliendaal Hustlers vs Haslington (5) Belfield vs Vryheid’s Lust

(6) Uprising vs Old School (7) BV-A vs Bareroot (8) Buxton Diamond vs Non Pareil

Round of 16 Schedule

Belfield vs Vryheid’s Lust - 19:00hrs

Buxton Diamond vs Non Pareil - 19:30hrs

BV-A vs Bareroot20:00hrs

Church Yard vs Team Cruel - 20:30hrs

Paradise-A vs Victoria Eagles - 21:00hrs

Liliendaal Hustlers vs Haslington - 21:30hrs Melanie-B vs Portmore22:00hrs

Uprising vs Old School22:30hrs

Stoinis leads Australia to win

(ICC) - The fastest half-century by an Aus tralian in T20I cricket from Marcus Stoinis saw Australia across the line against Sri Lanka, and nobody in the ground was more relieved than the guy at the other end.

“Ronnie (coach Andrew McDonald) said if I feel comfortable then have a go at the spinners,” Stoinis said as he collected his ICC Player-of-the-Match award. And he certainly did have a go at the spinners.

The all-rounder struck six maximums in his unbeat en 59* from just 18 balls, and he reached his half-cen tury in just 17 of those deliv eries, one better than Glenn Maxwell’s previous Aussie record for the fastest 50.

Only four players from Test-playing nations have scored quicker T20I fiftiesEngland's Moeen Ali, West Indies' Shai Hope, New Zealand's Colin Munro and India's Yuvraj Singh.

And such a display of power-hitting also places Stoinis joint-second on the all-time list for fastest fif ties at a Men's T20 World Cup. The Australian is tied with Netherlands' Stephan Myburgh, who hit his 17ball effort against Ireland in 2014.

India's Yuvraj still holds the record for the fastest T20 World Cup fifty and fast est-ever T20 fifty, bringing up his milestone off just 12 deliveries against England in 2007.at Fifties at a Men's T20 World Cup.

Stoinis hit three consec

CWI not ruling out ‘split coach’ possibility

(CMC) – Cricket West Indies (CWI) is not ruling out the possibility of hav ing separate coaches for the white-ball and red-ball teams when they replace Phil Simmons who has re signed as head coach.

CWI chief executive of ficer, Johnny Grave, said administrators had to explore all available options as they seek to find the best way forward for the men’s senior teams.

“We’ve seen other teams split the coaching role be tween the white-ball (ODI and T20) teams and the red-

ball (Test) teams and I think that we have to look at all options and make the best possible decisions,” he said on SportsMax Zone late Monday.

Grave was speaking on the heels of CWI’s an nouncement that following West Indies’ crash out of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, Simmons had resigned as head coach but would stay on until after the November 30 to December 12 Test se ries against Australia.

The regional men were eliminated from the main draw of the tournament last

Friday when they fell to a nine-wicket defeat to Ire land in Hobart. They had also suffered a 42-run loss to Scotland last Monday, before rebounding to beat Zimbabwe by 31 runs two days later.

CWI has promised a full review of the side’s World Cup campaign, which Grave said Simmons would still be involved in.

Asked whether any thought had been given to Simmons’ replacement, Grave said CWI would be “sensible and strategic in our review and approach and try

and keep, difficult as it is, the emotions out of it”.

“Everyone is hurting from the bitter disappoint ment of those two defeats in Hobart. I think that we will conduct a review of that World Cup as everyone would expect us to.

The Australia Test series finishes on December 12 and our next assignment is a Test series that begins February 4. We’ve got to use that time to properly plan and strate gise the way forward. We’ve got to look at all the options that are available to us as we plot a course for that

utive boundaries off Wanin du Hasaranga’s 15th over, taking 18 of the 19 runs to come from those six deliv eries.

And he followed it up with 19 of the 20 runs to come from the 16th and Maheesh Theekshana’s offspin, with Stoinis’ third six of the over taking him to his 50 in style.

“Once I got in, the plan was to keep going,” Stoinis added. “Honestly I was a bit nervous today, playing at home with a lot of family in. We wrapped this game up and we look forward to play ing the English at MCG.”

With Stoinis in this sort of form, Glenn Maxwell hitting 23 from 12 and nei ther Tim David or Mat thew Wade even used in the chase, middle-order power is not an issue for the tour nament hosts as they chase a place in the semi-finals. But the same cannot be said of all of the top-order.

“Oh my god,” screamed Aaron Finch into the night sky in Perth as he plinked yet another miscue into the infield for a single, a shot that was accompanied by

men’s senior side in terms of how we take it forward,” he added.

The cricket administra tor declined to say whether Simmons would have been asked to step aside if he had not resigned.

“I don’t know what the outcome would have been of the review or what decisions would have been made,” Grave said.

However, he noted that Simmons’ contract was due to come to an end in March and “he always knew that it was going to be dependent on results.. We’re in the results business”, the CWI CEO said.

In the CWI statement officially announcing his res

groans of sympathy and frustration from the crowd.

The Australian opener was still out in the middle to hit the winning runs in the chase of 158-3, but it had been a tough evening for the skipper, who finished on 31* from 42 deliveries.

Finch hit just a single boundary in his innings and not for the lack of trying, almost swinging himself off his feet on numerous occasions but rarely making decent contact.

“My innings was un usual, it was poor, I just couldn’t hit the ball,” Finch acknowledged after the match. "We knew the first four or five overs with the ball (were key), especial ly with Kumara nipping it around.

"It was seaming a long way there - so if we could get through that none or one down then it was going to be really important to set up the back end of the innings.

“It would have been nice if I could have kicked on and made that chase a bit easier.”

The Australian captain’s strike rate of 73.80 put a little pressure on his middle order, especially after both David Warner (11 from 10) and Mitchell Marsh (18 from 17) had also failed to light the touchpaper.

But discussions over Finch’s position at the top of the order will wait for another day after Maxwell and Stoinis turned on the style to make up for lost time and chase down the target with ease.

ignation, Simmons said the decision was “a move I have been considering for some time” and not a knee-jerk reaction to the disappointing World Cup performance.

The 59-year-old former West Indies all-rounder was at the helm in 2016 when the Caribbean men won their second World Cup title, de feating England at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

Earlier this year, he guided the team’s fortunes in their hard-fought 1-0 Test series win over En gland on home soil to cap ture the Richards-Botham Trophy, followed in June by a Test series victory against Bangladesh in their last outing.

Marcus Stoinis

Seventeen-year-old Jadon Campbell is most recent beneficiary

GUYOIL/Tradewind Tanker U18 Football League …

Cummings Lodge, Dolphin register wins on day six

CUMMINGS Lodge Sec ondary opened day six of the GUYOIL/Tradewind Tanker U18 Football League with a 5-0 drub bing of Friendship Sec ondary on Monday after noon.

A brace form Fabi an Figueira (13th, 33rd) led the effort by the East Coast-based side with as sistance from Antwan Sam uels (17th), Nicholas Watts (40th) and an own goal.

Dolphin registered a 5-1

scoreline over West Ruim veldt in game two of the day through Nicholas Tappin (6th), Jequan Cole (8th), Reaquan Corbin (30th), Jamal Williams (46th) and Gerry Burnette (60th), while Elijah Marcus (20th) was on target for West Ruimveldt.

Game three was an easy battle as Christianburg Wis mar Secondary defeated President’s College 3-0.

Krishtian Lewis (34th), Keloin Hintzen (45th) and Kemani Field (48th) com

bined for the Linden-based side.

Golden Grove, through Kelon Croal (28th), Kelvin Richardson (34th) and Em manuel Lewis (60th) were the main reasons why Gold en Grove overcame North Ruimveldt 3-1.

Hansjie Camacho (19th) scored the consolation goal

The tournament is or ganised by the Petra Or ganisation with support from the Ministry of Ed ucation.

Henrietta needle Queenstown, Dartmouth trounce Tapakuma

YOUNG Jadon Campbell is the latest junior crick eter in Guyana to benefit from Project Cricket Gear for young and promising cricketers in Guyana.

Jadon, a product of the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC), represented Guyana at Under-15 and Under-17 levels.

The compact righthander, who also keeps wicket was the recipient of one cricket bat.

“I want to be the best of myself and keep improving on my game,” stated Jadon.

In response, Anil Be harry, Special Technocrat with responsibility for Gov ernance, Marketing and Fi nance at Guyana Cricket

Board (GCB), said, that the initiative is more than happy to assist young and talented cricketers with the hope that the fortune of West Indies can turn around quickly.

The total cricket-related items collected so far in clude $270 000 in cash, two trophies, 12 cricket boots, 19 pairs of batting pads, 25 bats, 15 pairs of batting gloves, 19 thigh pads, one pair of wicket-keeping pads, two arm guards, six cricket bags and three helmets. In addition to the above, $600 000 worth in gear was do nated by Sheik Mohamed, former National wicketkeep er/batter.

To date, 41 young play ers from all three counties

of Guyana have already benefited from three junior gear bags, two trophies, two arm guards, 16 bats, one box, three helmets, 12 pairs of cricket shoes, 10 pairs of batting pads, one bat rub ber and 12 pairs of batting gloves.

In addition, two clubs in the Pomeroon area ben efited from two used bats.

Pomeroon, Leguan and Wakenaam Cricket Com mittees and Cotton Tree Die Hard also received one box of red cricket balls each while RHCCCC re ceived two, 15 white crick et shirts, one pair of junior batting pads, one pair of wicket-keeping gloves and a set of stumps and bails.

ANOTHER flawless dis play from Henrietta saw them claim a hard-earned 1-0 win over Queenstown to end their first-round campaign in the Essequ ibo Pomeroon Football Association (EPFA) leg of the GFF/NAMILCO Thunderbolt Flour Power, Under-17 Intra Association League last Sunday after noon unbeaten, at the Anna Regina Community Centre ground.

The other match on the day produced a comfortable 4-0 victory for Dartmouth Determinators over Tapa kuma FC which also closed the first-round campaign for

Dartmouth on a high, their third win in four matches.

The Henrietta vs Queen stown clash produced a hum dinger of a battle between the two sides, much to the enjoyment of their respec tive fan base. Neither of the two teams allowed the other to get the better of them as the goalkeepers kept a clean sheet for the most part.

It was two minutes be fore the final whistle in the 70-minute dual that the re lentless efforts of Henrietta paid off when they were awarded a penalty because of an infringement in the area.

Erron Caesar was given the responsibility to take the

kick from the penalty mark in a very tense atmosphere and he made no mistake, burying the shot to seal the win for his team whilst keep ing their unbeaten record intact. The defeat for Queen stown was their second in three outings so far.

In the day’s other clash, it was smooth sailing for Dartmouth Determina tors, who, on the back of a first-half hat-trick from Sachel Marks, trounced Tapakuma, 4-0. Marks was on target in the 12th, 33rd, and 35th minutes with the other goal scored by Mar tin Garraway in the 27th minute.

Project Cricket Gear for young, promising cricketers …

Jadon Campbell (left) and Anil Beharry

GFF/NAMILCO Thunderbolt Flour Power U17 League – Essequibo/Pomeroon FA …

Erron CaesarHenrietta United FC

Sachel Marks (left) and Martin Garraway of Dartmouth Determinators FC

Bounty Supermarkets National Indoor Hockey Championships

CWI not ruling out ‘split coach’ possibility

FUTSAL action in the MVP Sports Futsal tournament continues this evening at the National Gymnasium.

In the opening game, at 20:30hrs, Vengy FC will play Campbellville while Future Stars and Mocha clash at 22:00hrs.

Goal Is Money play Tiger Bay at

22:45hrs with Back Circle taking on Sophia at 23:30hrs, Sparta Boss take the field for their game against BV at 00:15hr while Bent Street and Stabroek Ballers close off the action.

The tournament is being organised by the PETRA Organisation with

Action in the MVP Sports Futsal resumes this evening

support from the Ministry of Culture Youth and Sport, Magnum Tonic Wine.

Fans are reminded to keep their ticket stubs as, on match nights, there will be a drawing for a gift certificate from title sponsor MVP Sports.

Julia Gouveia of Old Fort has been in great form

CWI CEO Johnny Grave