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POMPEO PLUGS US PRIVATE SECTOR INVOLVEME NT IN GUYANA Pg3

MINISTRY TO ESTABLISH 6 NEW LEARNING CHANNELS Pg3

CHINESE EMBASSY ASKS POMPEO TO STOP SPREADING FAKE NEWS

Previous administration spent COVID death $1B on expired drugs Pg5 climbs to 64 —Dr Frank Anthony 1

Pg5

Pg8

Editorial

Foreign Minister Hugh Todd and United States Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo signing

Mike Pompeo is visiting The visit of United States Secretary of State, Michael ‘Mike’ Pompeo hit Guyana like a meteor.

It was sudden and earth shaking. The Secretary is third in line to the United States Presidency.

When he speaks he does so with the authority of the president.

No US President has ever visited Guyana although they have come as close by as Trinidad.

Readily coming to mind was the visit of Barack Obama in 2009.

One former president has visited in the person of Jimmy Carter. Congressmen have visited to the extent that Guyana created history when it became the first country in which a US Congressman, Leo Ryan, was killed.

Other Congressmen who came

represented the Black Caucus.

No vice president has ever visited Guyana so Pompeo will be he highest ranking United States official to land on these shores.

According to the United States embassy, such visits do not take place overnight.

Planning with the administration of the host

country and the United States embassy in that country begins months before the visit.

There are security concerns, the need to arrange for accommodation and of course, the venues where the meetings will take place.

Many Guyanese, including some Cabinet members were unaware of the visit. If he is to be believed, Prime Minister Mark Phillips, Attorney General Anil Nandlall, and Minister of Works Juan Edghill knew nothing of the visit.

To think that the government has been in office for just over a month and plans are in place for a visit by the Secretary of Stare speaks volumes. The Guyana Government was dictated to.

So much for the independence of the government and Guyana’s sovereignty.

We shift from Guyana to the United States. Elections in that country would be held on November 3.

For all it is worth the country’s most high

profile president and perhaps its most controversial is expected to be voted out of office.

The polls place his rival, former Vice President Joe Biden, ahead by double digits. There was a slight narrowing after the Republican National Convention but whatever gains there were have dissipated.

The United States has an interesting

history. Whenever it has problems it starts a war or it attacks some foreign country that it knows it could roll over. There was Grenada in 1983; the raid and arrest of Panama’s President Manuel Noriega in 1989; the attack on Iraq, once to liberate Kuwait and the other because Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, and even the war in Vietnam.

In each case the war effort benefitted the United States economy and the re-election of the President.

Reports of successes boosted the image of the president.

F a i l u r e often sank his chances as was the case of Jimmy Carter when he ordered a raid in Iran to free some hostages. That raid failed and Carter was ousted in the next elections after serving one term.

The Vietnam War, when the death toll of the Americans mounted, so too did pressure on the president.

That war spanned five presidents. It even caused one, Lyndon Johnson, not to seek re-election to the White House.

Now there is

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Venezuela, Guyana’s southern neighbour and once an oil-rich country. Its President, Nicolas Maduro, is not liked by the United States administration.

Instead, the United States is leading many countries in supporting the Opposition Leader Juan Guaido. The new Guyana Government is one of them.

From the time of its independence Guyana has always preached and practised the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of another country.

It became a member of the Non-aligned Movement— demonstrating that it was neither aligned to the East or the West (The United States of the Soviet Union) But within days of coming to office the Irfaan Ali government announced that it was anti-Maduro, something that shocked the entire country.

The visit by Pompeo is being seen in this light. He was the man when the Granger administration remained in office pending a declaration of the March 2 elections, who ordered visa revocations against people who supported Granger.

Granger had denied Pompeo’s approach to have the Voice of

Editor Adam Harris

America broadcast into Venezuela from Guyana shores.

Donald Trump seems destined to lose the elections unless something dramatic happens. The attack on Venezuela could be that dramatic thing. An attack on Venezuela would not be far-fetched. Such an attack could be staged from Guyana because of its border with Venezuela.

Trinidad is not being contemplated, neither is Suriname. Any such attack would leave a vulnerable Guyana to almost total destruction. I anticipate attacks on the power stations, on the sea defence and on other infrastructure.

There would be no power, no communication and of course, the kind of destruction that would make the internal violence that this country experienced, pale into insignificance.

Is the government contemplating committing this country without the support of the people?

Even in the face of any commitment, there are hundreds of Venezuelans now living in Guyana. Will they support Guyana?

However, by his visit many do not believe that Pompeo would leave emptyhanded.

POMPEO PLUGS US PRIVATE SECTOR INVOLVEMENT IN GUYANA

Guyana and the United States have signed an agreement designed to model the private sector. Called the Growth of the Americas Initiative, the agreement states that it will aid the development of a deep and liquid debt market for infrastructure investments to crowd in institutional investors and facilitate the financial, market, and regulatory framework through cooperation and assessments.

It further notes, “(Collaboration) on financial capacitybuilding and technical collaboration programs, including

programs to strengthen financing for infrastructure development. “(Promote) U.S. private sector awareness of strategic energy and other infrastructure projects in Guyana and exploring potential financial support from the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, the Export-Import Bank of the United States, and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency to facilitate private sector participation and investment in such projects.”

When he addressed the signing ceremony at State House,

United States Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo

yesterday, Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo said that Guyana is the second “Caribbean nation” to sign this agreement.

Guyana is not a Caribbean nation although culturally it may be rooted in the

Caribbean.

Pompeo said that the signing demonstrates that the United States wants to model the private sector as opposed to the state enterprises.

“It will bring both jobs, frankly, jobs to

America as well.”

He said that one question is about Guyana getting more direct foreign investment from the United States.

He said that there are no political strings attached to direct

foreign investment.

“We don’t operate the way other regimes do.

“They might show up with money and then demand political retribution or worse yet, engage in activity that is corrupt.”

Guyana enjoys a vibrant partnership with China. The comment about coming with money and demanding political retribution was directed at the Chinese. They are Guyana’s largest economic partner.

While there was no direct demand for Guyana to drop its cooperation with China the message was clear.

MINISTRY TO ESTABLISH 6 NEW LEARNING CHANNELS

Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand

Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, has said that six new learning channels will be established to allow students across Guyana

to access learning programmes virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic.

It will target students from Nursery Year One

through to Grade Eleven.

Around $200 million was allocated in the Emergency 2020 Budget for the expansion of the Guyana Learning

Channel. The Minister told the National Assembly on Friday that this was part of the Government’s vision to utilise technology to boost education delivery.

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“We can even start programmes from 10 to 3 … that is the vision of this government. That is putting your money where your mouth is because we want to serve the people,” said the Minister.

The Guyana Learning Channel has been operating on a timetable teaching schedule from 8 am to 6 pm. It provides at least two hours of programmes for the nursery to Grade 11 students.

The Learning Channel was started by the PPP/C government with the vision to provide education to all parts of the country and it currently forms part of the Educational Sector Strategy Plan (ESSP) to use technology to push distance education

countrywide.

The Minister also stated that the lack of support by the Opposition for the Budget was unreasonable.

“You are taking away from the children of this country, the ability to get the teaching that they desire and deserve.”

The Budget also allocated money to provide masks for teachers and students once schools can be reopened and to install sinks and water service in schools. $15 million has also been allocated for the establishment of an Education Radio Station which would reduce the Ministry’s dependence on local radio stations to provide educational material.

THE SPEAKER OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY NIXES QUESTIONS ON POMPEO’S VISIT

Speaker of the National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir.

News of the visit

by United States Secretary of State was broken by the media.

The government remained mum to the point that the Department of Public Information reported that there was no agenda for the visit.

The Parliamentary Opposition was not even contacted about the visit. In the wake of the secrecy and

the slight Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon sent some questions to Speaker of the National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir.

The first set of questions was reworked on the advice of the Speaker.

Yesterday, Harmon said that the Speaker refused to have the issue dealt with as urgent.

“The Speaker of the National Assembl y announced that he would not allow an oral question without notice. This question had to do with the visit to Guyana by United States Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo.”

Harmon explained that the questions were laid before the National Assembly two days earlier, on Monday. He said that the Speaker then requested some adjustments.

Harmon then proceeded to read the question to the media.

“Can this administration guarantee the

people of Guyana that our national interest would not be compromised?”

He said that the question was submitted Mr Christopher Jones Harmon said, yesterday, that the Speaker ruled that while he considered the question to be important. He did not consider it to be urgent. He proceeded to disallow the question.

“What can be more urgent than this?

We have a visit of the highest ranking member of the United States administration ever to visit Guyana.

“Today is (September 16).

Tomorrow is September 17. How much more urgent can this be?”

Harmon said that this is bad for the people of Guyana.

They will not accept this behavior.

“The question in our view was urgent enough and important enough for the Speaker to ask the Minister of Foreign Affairs to say to the House and to the Guyanese people, what is it you are talking about.”

He said that his party considers the Speaker’s decision to

disallow the question as reeking of bias and unfair.

“We are Members of Parliament. We have to deal with the Parliament. Outside of this, the political parties that make up the A Partnership for National Unity and the Alliance For Change may probably take another set of actions to get that determination.”

Mike Pompeo in expected today and some mystery still surrounds aspects of the discussion. The political opposition has not been invited to any meeting with Pompeo

Pompeo to discuss Venezuela during visit

Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo

A senior US State Department official has confirmed that the crisis in neighbouring Venezuela will form part of Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo’s discussions with President Irfaan Ali and Foreign Minister of Guyana, Hugh Todd.

The Secretary of

State will discuss the impact Venezuela’s situation has on the country. The Venezuelan crisis is considered the hemisphere’s largest refugee and humanitarian crisis.

During his visit the Secretary will also sign a Growth in the Americas

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

That MOU will permit Guyana to improve its investment enabling environment so that the country can benefit from transparent infrastructure investment that respects Guyana’s

sovereignty, Vice President, Dr. Bharat Jagdeo, assured the nation on Wednesday that the Government will represent Guyana’s interests during the meeting with the Secretary of State.

“We will defend Guyana’s interest and what is good for our people, Guyanese. That is what is foremost in the minds of this Administration.”

Guyana and the United States would also be activating a 19-year old Shiprider Agreement that would allow the two countries to interdict drug traffickers, the US State Department

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Vice President, Dr. Bharat Jagdeo

said. “Following the Secretary’s visit, a bilateral Shiprider Agreement will come into force, enabling joint maritime and airspace patrols to interdict narcotics.

“This joins recent donations of $200,000 in equipment and interceptor boat parts to strengthen Guyana’s ability to patrol its territorial waters.”

The Secretary

will also be meeting with the CARICOM Secretary-General Irwin LaRocque on Friday to discuss U.S.Caribbean issues.

Pompeo will arrive in Guyana on Thursday from Suriname and will leave on Friday for neighbouring Brazil.

It will be the first time that a US Secretary of State will be visiting since Guyana’s independence.

Chinese Embassy asks Pompeo to stop spreading fake news The Chinese embassy issued a statement opposing remarks made

by U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo during his visit on Friday.

The Secretary of State recommended that Guyana’s leaders choose American companies and warned of the risks of economic cooperation with China since Chinese investments would come with strings attached.

He made similar statements in his visit to Suriname saying that investments made by the Chinese Communist

Party eventually collapse due to political consequences.

The statement from the Chinese Embassy sought to reiterate the ‘objective fact’ that China develops relations with Caribbean countries, including Guyana, under the principles of mutual respect, equality, and mutually beneficial cooperation.

It also said that China attaches no political strings to pragmatic bilateral cooperation.

The statement noted that Taiwan was an

inalienable part of the People’s Republic of China and urged the US to comply with the basic rules of international relations, and stop the remarks which would bolster “Taiwan independence” separatists and undermine ChinaUS relations.

It continued on to point out that incidents like the Edward Snowden revelations and the PRISM program have proved that the US is a

The Chinese embassy

habitual stealer of secrets, And the US violated market principles and international rules and also negated the principles of market economy and fair

competition by abusing the concept of national security and its state power to oppress certain foreign companies.

The Embassy hopes that the Secretary of State

would stop spreading rumours and fake news about China and that all countries will work together to promote a fair and non-discriminatory business environment.

Previous administration spent $1B on expired drugs —Dr Frank Anthony

Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony

At the budget debate on Thursday, Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, said that the former APNU/AFC Administration had spent almost one billion dollars on expired medicines and supplies for the country’s health sector.

“Another travesty is that in the midst of shortages and stockouts, is that drugs that have been expired (are) sitting at the bond.

“Just an example; from January to August of this year, about 1,663,032 items, valued at $732 million, have expired.

Another $200 million is scheduled to expire by the end of December, which would mean that close to $1 Billion would’ve been wasted on expired medicines and supplies,” Minister Anthony said.

The Minister also noted that it would cost almost $3million for the

Materials Management Unit (MMU) to move it to a dumpsite.

Around 60% of the MMU inventory was filled with expired medicines and medical supplies or items deemed unfit for human use.

This resulted in staff

being unable to do stocktaking and locating the needed medicines.

A survey was conducted at the MMU on August 5, 2020. It revealed that a total of 206 medical drugs and supplies were not purchased. These included drugs used

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for hypertension, heart problems, diabetes, tuberculosis, HIV, and malaria.

These drugs are normally provided at no cost to patients of public health centres and hospitals.

The Minister also

pointed out that there was a shortage of antibiotics.

The Ministry of Health now has a budget of $14.3B to ensure that an adequate stock of medicines and medical supplies is obtained.

Commentary

Internal strife making Guyana a continuing regional problem (The writer is Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the U.S. and the OAS. He is also a senior fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the University of London and at Massey College in the University of Toronto. The view expressed are entirely his own)

By Sir Ronald Sanders

In 1994, shortly after Antigua and Barbuda and Cuba established diplomatic relations, Fidel Castro and Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister, Lester Bird, had a memorable conversation in Havana.

The conversation is worth recalling in the context of the third announcement by a Government of Barbados that by November 2021, it intends that Barbados should be a Republic, shedding monarchical status and Queen Elizabeth II as Head of State.

The conversation between Lester and Fidel, at which I was present as a member of the Antigua and Barbuda delegation, started with the revolutionary Cuban leader asking Lester (now Sir Lester) what big plans he had in mind for Antigua and Barbuda. Lester told Fidel that he was contemplating moving to make Antigua and Barbuda a Republic, relinquishing the monarch as the country’s Head of State.

Fidel’s response stopped Sir Lester and the entire Antigua and Barbuda delegation in our tracks. “Why?” asked the legendary revolutionary. “Does she interfere with your government?”

Sir

Lester explained that she did not and that, in a real sense, while Antigua and Barbuda like many other Caribbean countries was one of the Queen’s realms, her role in the government of the country was performed by a local representative and, apart from assenting to legislation which could not be withheld, was only ceremonial, having no executive authority.

“In which case”, Fidel responded, “you might consider remaining as you are.

The Queen doesn’t interfere with your government and she provides to foreign investors and others a level of confidence in the constitutional arrangements of your state.”

The surprising conversation did not go much beyond that. It was staggering to the Antigua and Barbuda delegation, but it demonstrated the practical sense of Fidel Castro, which might account, in part, for the survival of Cuba despite the punishing embargo by the United States.

That 1994 conversation between Fidel and Sir Lester took place at least nine years before Owen Arthur, as Prime Minister of Barbados, first proposed Republican status for Barbados

in 2003; eighteen years before Jamaican Prime Minister, Portia Simpson suggested it in 2012; twenty-one years prior to Prime Minister Freundel Stuart echoed the proposition in 2015 for Barbados; twentytwo years before Andrew Holness as Prime Minister repeated it in 2016 for Jamaica; and twentysix years before the latest announcement by the Barbados government of Prime Minister Mia Mottley on September 15.

So far, none of the countries in which this proposal has been made, has gone through with it.

While the Throne Speech, in which the most recent Barbados announcement was made, referenced Barbados’ first Prime Minister, Errol Barrow, cautioning against “loitering on colonial premises”, there would be many who would draw a distinction between seeking independence from the colonial authority of the British (which was the context of Barrow’s remarks) and retaining Queen Elizabeth II as Head of State.

Both Owen Arthur and Freundel Stuart might have retreated from the idea not because they did not believe it to be right, but because within

the Barbados society, including the business community, a great value is placed on the Queen as a symbol, if nothing else, of stability and maybe even of unity above the fray of politics.

This is probably true, too, in the case of the Bahamas, Belize, Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda, and the five other independent countries of the Eastern Caribbean where the Queen is still head of state.

In the event, the present government of Barbados has the greatest chance of success in achieving the objective of becoming a Republic by next year. Unlike the remaining independent countries of the Caribbean of which the Queen is head of state, the Barbados constitution allows for this significant change in constitutional status by “votes of not less than two-thirds of all the members of the House”.

No referendum of the electorate is required.

Given that the present Mottley Government controls twenty-nine of the thirty seats in the House of Assembly, achieving the vote should be easy.

The one obstacle would be how intense, if at all, will be resistance by elements of the Barbados

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society and the business community against the idea, and how much it threatens to divide the country.

This was a matter that clearly influenced both Arthur and Stuart, during their premierships, not to press ahead with the idea.

Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Jamaica and the other six independent Caribbean countries require not only a two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives, but also a majority vote by the electorate in a referendum.

Winning referenda in the Caribbean has proven to be as difficult as pushing a boulder up a mountain. In 2009, a referendum in St Vincent and the Grenadines rejected the proposal to oust the monarchy and substitute it with a republic.

And, several referenda have failed in other Caribbean countries to alter the Constitution to allow the Privy Council to be replaced by the Caribbean Court of Justice, signifying a reluctance by the majority of the electorate for radical change.

While becoming a Republic is regarded by Caribbean intellectuals as

“rounding the circle of independence”, the argument is not as much about the head of state not being a white woman living in a distant former colonial power; it is more about confidence in good governance when institutions perceived as beneficial are changed.

That argument can only be won by political parties in every Caribbean country, demonstrating that they will maintain the rule of law, civil and political rights, and democratic principles, including non-discrimination, particularly in race and religion.

However much ruling political parties might wish to join the Barbados government in pursuing republican status, “the matter is really in the hands of the Caribbean people” as the Queen said in 2012 when Portia Simpson declared: “I love the Queen, she is a beautiful lady, and apart from being a beautiful lady she is a wise lady and a wonderful lady.

But I think time come”.

Not Wearing Face-masks Can Result In Fines, Prison Time

Minister of Health Dr Frank Anthony

Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, has said that persons found failing to wear facemasks in public are now liable to fines and can face time in prison.

In the COVID-19 measures published on August 14, it states that persons failing to follow the orders will be liable to

punishment.

According to Paragraph 17 of the order, any person who fails to comply with the order commits an offence under the Section 152 of the Public Health Ordinance and is liable on summary conviction to the penalty provided under that section.

Section 152 of Public Health Ordinance states that “any person who contravenes any of the provisions of the Ordinance made by the government, or who fails, neglects or refuses to execute any work or to do anything which he is required to do by virtue of any of the provisions of the ordinance shall be guilty of an offence and shall, unless some other penalty is provided therefore, (be) liable to a penalty with or without hard labour for any term exceeding two months.”

The Minister noted that it is not the

government’s wish for persons to be imprisoned for not wearing facemasks but he implores citizens to follow the guidelines that are put in place to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister, Anil Nandlall, addressed concerns over the Public Health Ordinance which was passed in 1934. He admitted that there is a need for penalties regarding violation of C o v i d - 1 9 guidelines but there have been discussions within the Ministry to deliver suitable punishments.

Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall

“The legislation is very, very old, a relic from colonial times and one that unfortunately was never updated.”

Nandlall said

that the Ministry of Health currently has a proposal for a new Public Health Bill which will be reviewed when Parliament resumes.

Govt. to begin use of antiviral drug on COVID-19 patients

Minister of Health, said on Friday that will begin using Remdesivir, Dr. Frank Anthony, medical professionals the antiviral drug, critical patients.

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The Minister said, “As we know, with the use of Remdesivir in the United States, one of the things that we have seen is it has been able to shorten the severity of the disease.

People who have benefitted from this treatment, many of them have been able to recover.

Hopefully, we can get the on same results here in

Guyana.”

Remdesivir is an antiviral drug which limits the replication of viruses.

A federal study has found that it can hasten the recovery in hospitalised COVID-19 patients.

A report based on data collected from 53 patients who received Remdesivir in the United States, from January 25, 2020, to March 7, 2020 showed clinical improvement in 36 (68%).

ExxonMobil Announces Redtail Discovery Offshore Guyana

ExxonMobil Oil Rig

ExxonMobil has made its 18th discovery offshore Guyana at the Redtail-1 well which will add to the previously announced estimated recoverable resource of more than 8 billion oilequivalent barrels on the Stabroek Block.

“Our Stabroek Block exploration programme continues to identify highquality reservoirs in

close proximity to previous discoveries, establishing efficient opportunities for new projects in Guyana,” said Mike Cousins, senior vice president of exploration and new ventures at ExxonMobil.

“Developing these projects remains an integral part of ExxonMobil and our co-venturers’ longterm growth plans and a source of significant

value for Guyana.”

R e d t a i l - 1 encountered approximately 232 feet (70 meters) of high-quality oil bearing sandstone and was drilled in 6,164 feet (1,878 meters) of water.

The well is located approximately 1.5 miles (2.5 kilometers) northwest of the Yellowtail discovery.

In addition to the Redtail-1 discovery,

drilling at Yellowtail-2 encountered 69 feet (21 meters) of net pay in newly identified, high quality oil bearing reservoirs among the original Yellowtail-1 discovery intervals.

This resource is currently being evaluated for development in conjunction with nearby discoveries.

Approximately 80 Guyanese employees, contractors and subcontractors took part in Redtail activities offshore, and more than 2,000 Guyanese and 600 local suppliers are supporting E x x o n M o b i l ’s activities in country.

Guyanese staff have completed more

NEWS

Tel: 592-623-9971 or 641-2501

Liza Unity FPSO. A third production vessel for the Payara development, with production capacity of 220,000 barrels a day, is on hold pending government approval.

The Stabroek Block is 6.6 million acres (26,800 square kilometers).

ExxonMobil affiliate, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited, is operator and holds 45 percent interest in the Stabroek Block.. Hess Guyana Exploration Ltd. holds 30 percent interest and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited, a whollyowned subsidiary of CNOOC Limited, holds 25 percent interest

COVID death climbs to 64

BREAKING

Come REPORT with ADAM

than 350,000 hours of training in Guyana, Brazil, Canada, Singapore and the United States.

ExxonMobil made the first commercial discovery in Guyana in 2015 and started production in December 2019 from the Liza Destiny floating production and offloading vessel (FPSO), which can produce up to 120,000 barrels per day.

ExxonMobil continues to advance the Liza Phase 2 project, which is expected to startup in 2022 and produce up to 220,000 barrels per day.

Construction activities are underway in Singapore on the

The Ministry of Health recorded 75 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, September 18. Four cases were recorded in Region One, nine in Region Three, 41 in Region Four, one in Region Five, nine in Region Seven, nine in Region Nine, and one in Region Ten. There have also been two more deaths taking the number to 64.

Region Four has

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the highest number of recorded cases at 849 followed by Regions Nine with 338 and Region One with 297 cases.

The total number of recorded cases is now at 2,102.

On Friday a 71-year-old man from Region One and a 63-year-old man from Region Four became the latest fatalities. The deaths of an 83-yearold woman and a 52-year-old man,

both from Region Four, were recorded on Thursday.

As of Friday, 11,771 persons have been tested for the virus. 1,314 have recovered leaving the number of active cases at 724.

The Ministry continues to advise all persons to follow the COVID-19 Emergency Measures which will remain in effect until September 30, 2020.

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Letters

What was democracy yesterday may not be so today Dear Editor, the essence of democracy, the hallmark of decency, the question of justice and fair play are elements that should identify a truly free and fair media in what we know to be an authentic democracy.

The earlier frontpage article in the Chronicle noted ‘ A champion of Democracy arrives.’

It is, of course, the right of everyone to designate who is a champion of what, and there is no need to comment further.

However, my concern is a consistent propaganda policy by sections of our media to denigrate the APNU/ AFC Coalition, saying it sought to derail democracy.

I have noted before that the coalition political directorate simply followed

rules of legal and constitutional opportunities available to every citizen.

If the coalition truly wanted to “derail” democracy, there is no way that President Ali could have been sworn in as President on August 2, 2020.

Whatever may be the real story, a large number of citizens truly believe the advent of the dead and others not qualified, voting on Election Day, still question the authenticity and validity of the declared results and the question yet to be answered is what is a valid vote?

That is a matter that will hopefully soon be dealt with by our judiciary.

I recall after President Ali was sworn in, I offered my congratulations and best wishes for him

and his colleagues, hoping that the fine words used at his inauguration will soon be made into a reality.

The headlines story of the Chronicle was well written and mostly factual.

It was tarnished by what appears to be an obsession to use every opportunity to tarnish the image of the coalition partners.

I say to the author of the article, congratulations on your research. Why did you, as we say, have to ‘go overboard’ with your lofty headline?

One must perforce, have due respect and regard for the Secretary of State of the most powerful nation on earth today, but the Chronicle, which we know speaks for the PPP administration, seems to have forgotten the

‘Feral Blast’, given by PPP top activist, Priya Manickchand, when at an official function at the US Ambassador’s residence, she delivered what Guyana regarded as a fine busing, accusing the United States of being complicit with the then APNU/AFC grouping, But I suppose in life, there is nothing constant and as a young political activist in the 50s and 60s, I quickly learnt that what was democracy yesterday, may not be democracy today.

All of Guyana, and I must emphasize, all political groupings, must be wary when we deliver encomiums lavishly.

Forgetting this fact, that when the interest of powerful nations collides with those of small nation-states, the latter never ends up

with glory and honour.

It is unnecessary to remind readers that a few centuries ago, that “manifest destiny” led to genocidal wars against the Native American peoples.

There was Mexico, Vietnam, and of course the ‘Cold War’, which for forty years saw the super-powers in an ideological war, while the smaller nations looked on helplessly.

We must remember this old African proverb “when elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers.”

Make no mistake, we are like the green grass – no pun intended.

In the United States, ask the AfroAmericans and liberal White-Americans, Martin Luther King (Jnr), Rosa Parks, and the likes of George Floyd if the US has fulfilled the real

objectives based on the statement that all men are created equal.

Equality is the lynchpin of democracy.

Let me make it clear, I am among the Guyanese, who admire the courage and progress of the American people, and as such, welcome the Secretary of State, hoping that the message he would leave with this Administration is the old wisdom that we can only succeed if we are united, and any message which stokes the flames of division, disunity, or forms of apartheid must be rejected and considered unhelpful.

Let us use this visit to see efforts on all sides for a united, peaceful, and torturefree Guyana, Hamilton Green

Email or text your letters to us we would be happy to published them adameharris@yahoo.com lendellnurse6995@gmail.com 10

HOROSCOPE

Aries (March 21-April 19)

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

It’s Saturday and you’re in work mode because the bottom line is you want to get better organized in every aspect of your life. You want to work smarter so that you can make every action count. More bang for your buck! (Check Moon Alert.)looks beautiful, better than it did before it was messed up. Something good can indeed come out of chaos.

Although you’re keen to talk to others, you also want to keep a low profile. Ideally, you need to use this time to plan ahead for your new year (birthday to birthday).

What goals do you have in mind? (When you have goals, it makes decision making easier in the future.)

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

Enjoy this time of increased popularity because your interaction with others will benefit you. This is a good time to share your hopes and dreams for the future with someone to get their feedback. This is always helpful. Meanwhile, work seems to go slow. Keep on truckin’.

You are pleasure loving sign. Right now, vacations, parties, socializing and fun escapes appeal. Some of you are also involved in the arts. Many of you are more focused on children. Enjoy these good times and be aware of the Moon Alert today.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

Home and family continue to be your focus. If you can relax at home today – do it. Relations with siblings and daily contacts are warm and friendly.

Meanwhile, if you’re shopping, be aware of the restrictions of the Moon Alert today.

Right now, the Sun is still at the top of your chart casting you in a flattering spotlight, which means this is a good time for you! Bosses, parents, teachers and VIPs admire you. (You don’t have to do anything special.) “Make hay while the Sun shines!”

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22)

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

This is a busy time with short trips, increased reading, writing and studying plus errands and appointments. Many of you can see that your effort is paying off because increased wealth is coming your way. Don’t get distracted by what is not important.

Your daily routine has changed, which is why many aspects of your life have widened or expanded to include new faces, new ideas and new environments.

Who knew? Grab every opportunity to travel or to learn new things.

This is the perfect time to think how you can best use your resources. Basically, money is energy to make things happen.

If you know what your values truly are, then you know what you want to make happen. (Check Moon Alert.)

It’s appropriate to focus on shared property, inheritances, insurance issues and the wealth of your partner. These are areas that need your attention because they have to be defined or redefined. You need to know what others expect of you and what you expect of them.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

Of course, with the Sun opposite your sign, not only do you need more rest but you are more focused on partners and close friends. The benefit of this is that you have more objectivity, which means you can see your style of relating to others.

This is helpful!

The Sun is still in your sign, which means it’s your turn to recharge your batteries for the rest of year. You attract people to you as well as favourable situations. Use this to your advantage because it happens for only four weeks each year.

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Fry Bread

Amerindian Recipe

INGREDIENTS • vegetable oil (for frying) • 2 1⁄2 cups flour • 1⁄2 teaspoon salt • 1 teaspoon baking powder • 1⁄4 teaspoon sugar • 1 teaspoon oil • 1 cup warm milk DIRECTIONS • Heat oil in skillet until hot, but not smoking, over med-high heat.

• In a large bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients to make dough.

• Shape into round disks.

• Fry shaped dough in hot oil until brown and crispy.

• Serve hot.

Traditionally you would eat this with stew.

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SPOT The difference They are 5 differences

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