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Wednesday April 21 , 2021
High Court tosses Parliamentary Secretaries from National Assembly
EDUCATION MINISTRY LAUNCHES COVID-19 ACCELERATING FUNDING PROJECT
ARMED MEN WAYLAY DRIVER TRANSPORTING MONEY TO CITY BANK
Guyana Post Wednesday April 21, 2021
High Court tosses Parliamentary Secretaries from National Assembly
The appointment of Sarah Brown and Vikash Ramkissoon as Parliamentary Secretaries has been deemed unlawful by Chief Justice, Roxanne George. As such the two are expected to vacate the seats of the National Assembly.
Brown, Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs, and Ramkissoon, Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, were appointed Members of the National Assembly of the Twelfth Parliament of Guyana on September
15, 2020, by virtue of their position. This decision was challenged by Chief Whip of the National Assembly, Christopher Jones, and later defended by the Attorney General, Anil Nandlall. Jones insisted in this application that Brown
and Ramkissoon cannot be appointed as nonelected Members of Parliament since they were named on the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C)’s List of Candidates for March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections. He added that as
such they should be deemed not valid and are not validly appointed Parliamentary Secretaries according to Article 103 (3) of the Constitution which states: “Not more than four Ministers and two Parliamentary Secretaries shall be appointed by the President from among persons who are qualified to be elected as a member of the National Assembly.” and Article 186 (1) which states: “Parliamentary Secretaries may be appointed from among persons who are elected members of the National Assembly or are qualified to be elected as such members.” These sentiments were echoed by the Chief Justice, who also insisted that AG would have argued in a case in which the Judgement remains obvious in her ruling Chief Justice George
in her ruling said that this case clearly mirrors the ruling of Chief Justice Ian Chang ruling. That ruling was that former APNU+AFC Ministers Winston Felix and Keith Scott could not hold seats in the National Assembly since they were nonelected members. Mr. Chang declared that they were not lawful members of the National Assembly and issued an order that they be prevented from sitting in the Assembly unless their names were extracted from the coalition’s candidates’ list. The Chief Justice insisted that only by way of appointment by the President and not by virtue of being Ministries secretaries gives one direct access to become a Member of the National Assembly. The AG has so far signaled his intention to appeal the matter.
EDUCATION MINISTRY LAUNCHES COVID-19 ACCELERATING FUNDING PROJECT
As the Ministry of Education continues its efforts to cater for a student in the mist of the COVID-19 Pandemic, and beyond, The Ministry with funding from the United Nation Children Fund, Global Partnership for Development launched COVID-19 Accelerating Funding Project, today. The programme is said
to be facilitated by the United Base Consultant, Tablet Academy international and the program is expected to reach some 1000 grade seven students also. According to the Ministry, as soon as the programme progress, it is expected that those 60 teachers trained will be able to pass on the knowledge gain, as that
cycle is expected to happen, even past the COVID-19 Pandemic. Speaking at the launching of the programme, Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, explained that the programme was not expected to be launched now, but with the COVID-19 Pandemic, it had a shock on the Education system.
The decision to launch the programme as the dependency on technology has become ever more important. Ms. Manickchand that with the introduction of the platform given to teachers for online learning it was found that some Teachers and Students had some difficulties in learning. Another way had to be developed to ensure learning takes place, in a comfortable manner. “This helps to build more robust system, where we can incorporate technology in an aggressive way with what we know already works, to be able to be more effective in the classroom. “We believe that there is going to come a time when, and it not long off, when it is going to be unavailable to deliver certain topics without
the use of technology. So today I welcome this programme. It is one of many things we are doing introducing technology and other ways of distance education in our system so that we could meet the need that COVID has presented, which is for us to deliver education while our doors are closed.” The Minister said She also insisted that this forms part of the way in learning so far and to introduce new learning to fit the education demand. “I say with great confidence that this introduction of technology and other forms of distance learning will not stop when COVID is finished. “This is going to be fully incorporated into our education system here in Guyana so that we can be effective at every level– nursery, primary,
secondary and across the tertiary learning level.” The programme will be facilitated by UK-based learning company, Tablet Academy. It is expected to train some 60 teachers at the grade seven level, while those teachers are expected to have a class of over 1000 grade seven students through the use of Microsoft Office for Education 365 This, according to the Founder of the Company, Steve Molyneux, offers ways of learning to be introduced. This new way will be very relevant around the world and Guyana should not be left behind. The contracting of the company is set to have a price tag of approximately $174M. It’s being funded by the Global Partnership for Education through UNICEF.
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ARMED MEN WAYLAY DRIVER TRANSPORTING MONEY TO CITY BANK
Four armed bandits robbed a driver attached to Health International. Inc was robbed of $1.5m in cash and cheques in
broad daylight while heading to the bank. The victim has been identified as Derick Doodnauth. At the time
An investigation has he was carrying the company’s money to been launched. According to initial be deposited in a local bank just around 10:30 reports, Doodnauth and yesterday morning. an Accountant were
transferring cash and cheques to a local bank. They were motoring along Lyng and Princes Street, Charlestown,
when they were attacked by four armed bandits on motorcycles. While two of the bandits waited as the getaway riders, two armed with their guns opened the doors of the car and ordered the driver to lie on the floor. They searched the car and found the cash, along with the cheques and made a good escape. No shots were fired and no one was reportedly injured in the incident. Police are however reviewing every CCTV Footage in the area that will assist in finding the perpetrators.
Derek Chauvin found guilty of murder in the death of George Floyd
Former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin was convicted Tuesday on all counts against him in the killing of George Floyd, nearly one year after kneeling on Floyd’s neck in an incident that sparked global protests against police brutality. After less than 24 hours of deliberations, the jury returned guilty verdicts against Chauvin, finding him guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the death of Floyd on May 25, 2020. Under Minnesota law, Chauvin can appeal his conviction after the court enters the judgment and he receives his sentence. Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill said sentencing will take place in eight weeks. Chauvin’s bail was revoked and he info@guyanapostonline.com
was remanded to custody. Chauvin was accused of murdering Floyd by keeping his knee on Floyd’s neck — depriving Floyd of oxygen — during an arrest. Over the course of the 14-day trial, jurors heard from more than 40 witnesses from both the state and Chauvin’s defense team and viewed video footage from the incident, including that filmed by police body cameras. Prosecutors argued throughout the trial that Chauvin kept his knee on Floyd’s neck despite Floyd’s cries for help and acted against Minneapolis Police Department policies when he restrained Floyd — an assertion that was supported by several high-ranking police officials who testified that Chauvin’s conduct was unnecessary and excessive.
“On May 25, 2020, Derek Chauvin put his knees upon [Floyd’s] neck and back, grinding and crushing him until the very breath, the very life, was squeezed out of him,” prosecuting attorney Jerry Blackwell told jurors on the first day of the trial. “You will learn what happened in that nine minutes and 29 seconds, the most important numbers you will hear at this trial.” Medical experts testified for the state that Floyd died from a lack of oxygen in his body, with one expert saying his breathing was restricted so severely that it was almost as if his lung were removed. Jurors also heard emotional testimony from the bystanders who witnessed Floyd’s death outside the Cup Foods convenience store and from people who knew Floyd, including his girlfriend, Courteney Batay Ross, and his brother, Philonise Floyd. Defense attorney Eric Nelson argued that Floyd died from multiple causes, not solely from Chauvin’s actions. Floyd had underlying heart disease and hypertension, Nelson said, and also had fentanyl
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and methamphetamine in his system, according to the autopsy from the Hennepin County medical examiner’s office. One medical expert for the defense said he wouldn’t classify Floyd’s death as a homicide, opting to instead deem it “undetermined,” due to the contributing factors in Floyd’s death. Nelson also argued that Floyd was combative and resistant when police tried to apprehend him. Video shows that Floyd refused to get into the back of the police vehicle before officers pinned him to the ground. Besides Floyd’s resistance, Nelson said, there was an angry crowd of bystanders that was growing more hostile during the incident. “So what does Chauvin see?” Nelson said, attempting to put jurors in his client’s shoes. “He sees Officer [J. Alexander] Kueng and Officer [Thomas] Lane struggling with Mr. Floyd, attempting to put him into the car. A reasonable police officer is observing this with his eyes and his ears and assessing what he sees pursuant to policy. And what he sees at
a minimum is active resistance. Mr. Floyd’s not just simply getting in the backseat of the car.” With everyone from Floyd’s family to the White House watching, Chauvin’s trial had high stakes for the country, due to the immense impact last year of Floyd’s death. During the trial, police departments prepared for potential unrest after the verdict, some of which has already occurred in the wake of other, recent killings at the hands of police. It remains to be seen if the verdict will lead to more demonstrations. The jury’s verdict might not be the end of the Chauvin case. Nelson raised multiple objections before and throughout the trial that could form the basis of a strong appeal, according to David Schultz, a visiting professor at the University of Minnesota Law School and professor at Hamline University. “I am convinced that if there’s a guilty verdict, the defense has laid the groundwork for an appeal on the argument of saying that it was impossible to get a fair
trial in this atmosphere,” Schultz told Yahoo News before the verdict. “Even before jury selection starts, you’ve got the request for a change of venue,” he continued. “You’ve got the intensity of the coverage. You’ve got the concerns [that], perhaps that if a jury acquits, are there going to be riots? Then we throw in the Minneapolis settlement with the Floyd family. The [Daunte Wright] shooting, Rep. Maxine Waters’s comments.” Waters, D-Calif., attended a Black Lives Matter rally in Brooklyn Center, Minn., this past weekend and said that activists should “get more confrontational” if Chauvin is not convicted of murder, Yahoo News’ Marquise Francis reported. “I hope we get a verdict that says guilty, guilty, guilty,” Waters said Saturday in response to a reporter’s question. “And if we don’t, we cannot go away. We’ve got to stay on the street. We get more active, we’ve got to get more confrontational. We’ve got to make sure that they know that we mean business.” (Yahoo News)
Guyana records two more COVID-19 deaths
The Ministry of Health (MOH) recorded two more COVID-19 deaths on Monday. This takes the total number of deaths
from the pandemic to 273. The latest fatalities are two men, a 60-year-old from Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne)
and a 56-year- old man from Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice). They both died while receiving care at our medical facility.
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