Kaieteur News

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GECOM moves at NEWS sloth's pace while lives - GCCI hang in the balance President AIETEUR

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Sunday Edition April 19, 2020

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Halt US$20M World Bank loan to Guyana for oil sector - German NGO - says probe needed into contracts awarded to Exxon's affiliates Plans for COVID-19 Hospital...

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More than US$5M needed to retrofit Ocean View Hotel

Works are ongoing at the Ocean View International Hotel (Photo credit: Robin Singh)

...Purchasing arrangement still being worked out - Winston Jordan March 2 Elections recount...

Privately-owned "Bicycle bandits" PSC calls on Top Cop p. p.

Eureka Lab 8 beat and rob 46 to guarantee safety now testing elderly Berbice at Arthur Chung 10p.

- cart off jewellery for COVID-19 couple and other items Convention Centre

Former Presidential Advisor calls for targeted sanctions on 'those who want to steal the election' p.

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Kaieteur News

PAGE 02

Sunday April 19, 2020

Plans for COVID-19 Hospital...

More than US$5M needed to retrofit Ocean View Hotel ...Purchasing arrangement still being worked out - Winston Jordan

By Shikema Dey

I

t would cost the incumbent coalition in excess of US$5 million (G$1B) to “retrofit” or transform the old Ocean View International Hotel into a state of the art COVID19 facility, according to Finance Minister Winston Jordan.

But this sum does not include a possible purchase price.

The National COVID-19 Task Force selected the Ocean View Hotel as a facility for the incubation, isolation and quarantine of COVID-19 patients, taking into consideration the PA H O / W H O 2 0 , 0 0 0 projected cases by early May. Minister Jordan in an interview with the Department of Public Information (DPI) said “we had to open centers to receive these different cases, the biggest one being at the

Ocean View Hotel and Convention Centre and retrofitting that facility will cost us in excess of a billion dollars, just to retrofit it.”

“That is not including the purchase price,” he asserted.

According to Jordan too, “that's a different matter which we can't deal with right now.” Added to that, he mentioned that the cost will increase exponentially when the facility gets up and running.

Additionally, government will have to fork out billions more to renovate

Works are ongoing at the tel Ocean View International Ho ) gh Sin bin Ro : (Photo credit

Finance Minister Winston Jordan

the other earmarked facilities to house COVID19 patients. One such facility is the old Guyana Broadcasting Corporation building on High Street, Georgetown.

Jordan reported that the building will expend more funds due to its “terrible state.”

The Finance Minister explained that “more and more of our resources, slender as they are in the best of times and now will have to be reprioritized to fighting the disease frontally so our attention right now is turned to that.”

His comments emerged after many questions were raised as to why billions of dollars were being spent to transform an old, flood prone building as opposed to a

readily available facility.

The Health Ministry's P e r m a n e n t S e c r e t a r y, Colette Adams, had clarified that the owners of the hotel were the first to respond to the request and given the approaching timeline and gravity of the pandemic, works immediately commenced at the facility.

Still, a string of questions are still left unanswered.

There is still no clear indication on the arrangements that government has entered into with the owners of the Ocean View facility. Sources disclosed to Kaieteur News that no contract has been signed. However, works continue on the facility.

Further, no information has been publicized to indicate how the project was

awarded to contractors: International Import and Supplies and Ivor Allen Construction.

Kaieteur News understands that while the mentioned firms are the main contractors behind the renovation, there are other contractors working behind the scenes.

A burning question left unanswered is where government plans to source the billion dollars needed to fund the transformation of the Ocean View Hotel, and the other facilities.

The Head of the Task Force, Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo, had explained that he did not know where the funds are coming from but noted that they would be coming from “central government.”

Kaieteur News

Sunday April 19, 2020

PAGE 03

Halt US$20M World Bank loan to Guyana for oil sector - German NGO - says probe needed into contracts awarded to Exxon's affiliates

By Kiana Wilburg

A

German NonGovernmental Organization (NGO) called Urgewald is appealing to the hierarchy of the World Bank Group to halt further disbursements to Guyana through its US$20M Guyana Petroleum Resource Governance and Management Project.

The call for the World Bank to freeze the financial assistance is premised on the fact that two affiliates of ExxonMobil were able to grab up two contracts that deal with the policies and laws Guyana will use to regulate ExxonMobil and other oil companies.

Considering this, Urgewald said that the matter is one which has to be thoroughly investigated as it believes that the World

Exxon-affiliated Consultant, Dr. Michael Warner Bank's rules on conflict of interest are being violated.

The World Bank has a very detailed outlook on what constitutes conflict of interest. In fact, the bank believes that any situation

TT Local Content Expert and Energy Strategist, Anthony Paul where a person's independence, objectivity or impartiality are compromised, could be compromised, or may be seen by some as being compromised, denotes

conflict of interest and therefore disqualifies that person or company from being awarded a contract, unless of course, that situation is addressed to the satisfaction of the bank.

In the case of consultants, who are hired by a borrowing member of the Bank, the institution specifically states that “Consultants shall not be hired for any assignment that would be in conflict with their prior or current obligations to other clients, or that may place them in a position of being unable to carry out the assignment in the best interests of the Borrower.”

Be that as it may, the World Bank went ahead and gave its blessings for two contractors who had prior obligations to ExxonMobil to be awarded two major

projects.

Expounding on these two cases in a letter of appeal to the Directors of the World Bank Group, Urgewald recalled that it was in April 2019 that the financial institution gave the green light for Guyana to get US$20M to develop its capacity to manage the oil sector. Part of the Bank's financial assistance targeted the drafting of new policies and laws, including the Local Content Policy and Petroleum Taxation and

Fiscal Regulations.

In 2019 as well, the NGO reminded that the coalition administration had announced that an oil consultant, Mr. Michael Warner, was hired to finish the drafting of the new Local Content Policy which would apply to new oil projects' requirements surrounding the participation of Guyanese labour, services and goods. The organization noted that there was public criticism of the hiring of Mr. (continued on page 10)

Guyana records 7th COVID-19 death G

uyana has recorded its seventh COVID19 death. This was confirmed last night by Minister of Public Health, Ms. Volda Lawrence. Kaieteur News understands that the victim, a man, passed away in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation yesterday. More details will be provided in a subsequent report.

This death comes at a time when the Ministry has taken note that more men are being infected with the disease.

Calls are being made for persons, especially men, to adhere to measures such as social distancing and the wearing of mask in public places.

Earlier yesterday the Ministry announced that a total of 305 individuals have been tested for the novel coronavirus of which 242 came back negative. The Ministry had also revealed that there were 63 confirmed cases of the disease.

Five persons, it was revealed, had developed worsened conditions and were being treated the ICU at the relevant health institution.

There have however been nine patients who Ministry officials said have recovered.

According to its surveillance report yesterday, the confirmed cases have been spread across Regions One, Three, Four, Six and Seven. It was noted too that there are 48 individuals in the Ministry’s institutional isolation, while 14 are kept in a quarantine facility.

Globally, WHO has recorded 2,074,529 confirmed cases with 139,378 deaths. While in the Region of the Americas there are 743,607 confirmed cases with 33,028 deaths.

Calls to the local COVID19 hotline have amounted to 2,134. Director of the Food Policy Division at the Ministry of Public Health, Dinte Conway, said, “good nutrition keeps us healthy at any age and more importantly, during outbreaks and pandemics such as the novel coronavirus.”

Appearing on the Ministry of Public Health’s daily update, Conway noted, that “there are foods we consume daily with micronutrients such as essential vitamins and minerals that help to build our immune systems”.

These include foods rich in Vitamin A such as eggs, cheese, oily fish like sardines and mackerel, whole grains and beans, nuts and local

flour. Vitamin A maintains the structure of the cells in the skin, respiratory tract and gut, she said. Vitamins B6, B9 and B12, she added, contribute to the body’s first response mechanism once a pathogen (virus) has been detected. Common foods with vitamins B6, B9, B12 are nuts, green leafy vegetables (pakchoy and callaloo), any type of fruit, fish, chicken and meat, are also important to use, she added.

The Food Policy Director explained that other essential vitamins such as Vitamins C

and E “help protect cells from oxidative stress”.

Some common sources of these vitamins are lime, carrots, tomatoes, guava and cherry. It was noted that one cherry has enough vitamin C f o r a p e r s o n ’s d a i l y recommended intake without the need of any other supplement.

Foods rich in Vitamin D include eggs, fish and fortified milk, meaning Vitamin D has been added.

Vitamin D can also be sourced from the sun by just spending a few moments

outdoors.

Conway also outlined essential minerals and where they can be sourced. “We have the minerals, iron, zinc and selenium in Guyana. We can use legumes, whole grains, seafood, meat, chicken, nuts; all of these have essential minerals,” the noted.

Concerning the preparation of meals, she said, fresh spices can be used to reduce salt intake. “We don’t want to be consuming too much of salt, especially during this time, so we can

use a lot of ginger, garlic, fresh seasonings that are available on the market,” said Conway. She also reminded of correct portion sizes to ensure that “while we eat healthily, we maintain a balanced plate, contributing to an overall balanced diet.”

Citizens are also asked to always wear a face mask when leaving their homes and to practice social distancing in the workplace, public spaces, and while using public transportation to reduce the spread of the coronavirus disease.

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Sunday April 19, 2020

Kaieteur News

Kaieteur M@ilbox

KAIETEUR NEWS Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana.

Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: SHARMAIN GRAINGER Tel: 225-8491, 225-8458, 225-8465 Fax: 225-8473 or 226-8210

Editorial

The grim economics of the virus This is going to be one long, hard, harrowing grind of a time. The anxieties over eluding and surviving the coronavirus could soon be superseded by the dreadful economic realities that follow in its wake, and which are sure to bring shuddering from further deeper agonies.

Increasingly, the worst of times are envisioned and actually publicly forecasted.

We have lost the space to play and to watch others at play. And when the ability to work and live a dignified existence is taken away, there is not much that is left. For when there come those lingering gruelling times where there is failure of hope, there is dashing of dreams, then for many life loses not only its settling anchors, but its guiding lodestars.

All of this is what stares in the face, with the grimmest of countenances. When to relax lockdowns, how quickly, or carefully and wisely, to reopen the economy, in which direction and at what rate, with what unconquered optimism to face the future and its near and far horizons. These are the fundamental issues, the daunting questions, that stare down in the most frightening of unmoving specters, the most chilling of realities.

Enormous business haemorrhages, unimaginable job losses, incalculable social and psychic anguishes, all form inerasable characteristics of the alarm bells ringing incessantly and at the highest volumes. We are not of the shrinking variety, but we falter, and have to dig deep for the confidence-inducing faith that buoys and floats to what we believe are rescuing shores. It is that we will find a way, have to find our way out of the immense stockpiles of debris that litter already and which must be cleared first before we can progress a single centimetre next.

A reeling world brought to its knees already calculates what is required to rise from the prostrations to which it has been lowered, forced. Returning to the beginning for some kind of restarting is sure to be the shakiest of undertakings, the hardest of traumatic struggles disabled by limited breath and severely diminished financial strength. Calamity piles upon catastrophe. But continue we must, if only to go on to something.

And that is the tiny morsel of companionship that we at this paper offer our fellow citizens, brethren all, at this most challenging of times. On Thursday last, the leading medical institution in Guyana says it is “preparing for the worst.” It is not alarmist, nor the ungrounded worrying of pessimists, but the reality of a very real threat. Neither should the warning from the private sector that “International sanctions could lead to decay -the death of business in six months -Deodat Indar” (KN April 16).

On Wednesday April 15th, the business-oriented Wall Street Journal spoke to the sanctions imposed by the virus in an article titled, “Economics versus epidemiology: quantifying the tradeoff.” It was an impressive work that charted “the rising economic toll of pandemic-induced shutdowns” and calculated the costs against the benefits of social distancing mandates brought to bear by the unrelenting weight of the state.

As the Journal noted, the work of economists “suggests that the benefits exceed the costs” but there remains “uncertainty” over that conclusion on the plus side. And from the BBC’s online edition of April 16th came this unsparing punch to the solar plexus: “Coronavirus: world economy may face ‘double recession.’” The lead sentence is sure to bring shivers, even to those not familiar with the history of its now century-old rampage that battered the world economies of 1929 and in the long decade thereafter.

Rather ironically, the wreckage of Pearl Harbour lifted out of that gritty economic wilderness. That ominous first sentence reads: “The world economy already faces an economic downturn worse than the Great Depression.”

On the heels of that stark warning, the article went on to warn at a “possibly worse downturn” following and this is Continued on page 5

Send your letters to Kaieteur News 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown or email us kaieteurnews@yahoo.com

The suppression of GECOM’s public documents DEAR EDITOR, That the total recount of all the ballots as proposed by Mr. David Granger is a ploy to delay or to prevent the true results of the March 2nd elections from becoming known is clear to anyone with a modicum of intelligence.

The ludicrous proposal

by Mr. Lowenfield of 156 days for this exercise and the daily absurdities in defense of a prolonged counting period emanating from the APNUAFC Commissioners and the GECOM Chairperson all attest to this fact.

Be that as it may, there is, however, a more ominous aspect of this proposed national recount that bears some amount of scrutiny.

From 1992 onwards, Guyana adopted counting at the place of poll as a means of introducing some degree of transparency into its electoral process.

All elections since then have met at least the minimum

requirements for free and fair certification by the international election observer bodies.

The Statements of Poll duly witnessed and signed by all relevant parties contain the official record of the election result for each polling station and their use as the means of aggregating these results is fundamental to the execution of an election that is free, fair, transparent and credible.

Their use in the tabulation of the results for each electoral district is mandated by law in Article 84 of the Representation of the People Act. The compilation of this document is witnessed at each polling station by election officials as well as representatives from the various political parties contesting the election and other observers.

The Statements of Poll duly witnessed and signed

are submitted to the returning officer for each electoral district who compiles the overall result for the district using the figures contained in these documents.

Each party representative is provided with a copy of the Statement of poll and as such each party is in a position to make their own tabulations and to flag any discrepancies for remedial action.

Another copy is also submitted to the Chief Elections Officer.

On the basis of the figures obtained from the returning officers from the ten electoral districts GECOM can then make a final declaration as to the winner of the elections.

This entire process is straightforward and by virtue of its simplicity should, under normal circumstances, render the electoral process tamperproof after the close of polls.

These Statements of Poll

and indeed the entire electoral process are paid for by the Guyanese taxpayer so that GECOM can deliver to a fair and credible election result to the Guyanese people.

These Statements of Poll are not the property of any one official at GECOM, to be withheld at their whim and fancy because they do not like the results contained therein.

By virtue of the fact that the law requires a Statement of Poll to be posted outside each polling station, this document is in the public domain and by rights becomes the property of all the Guyanese people.

It is therefore a complete travesty of justice for officials of the GECOM to use the judicial system, at taxpayers’ expense, to defend their perceived legal right to suppress these documents.

Further, the facilitation of a national recount, at the Continued on page 5

Sunday April 19, 2020

PAGE 5

Kaieteur News

Kaieteur M@ilbox Kaieteur M@ilbox Claudette Singh’s role Wreaks of suspicion DEAR EDITOR, Here we go again. The proverbial ink has not dried on GECOM Chair, Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh’s pronouncement on Friday that not more than 10 workstations will be used in the national recount exercise and forces in the Opposition are once again crying foul.

It is clear by their words and actions that they will do anything to stymie the process of the recount of Regions 1-10 as agreed to by President David Granger and Bharrat Jagdeo in the presence of CARICOM SecretaryGeneral, Irwin LaRocque.

In the first instance, it was disappointing to read that CARICOM was the one that had to reject the proposed 20 workstations- which was proposed by the Opposition-nominated Commissioners- on the basis of COVID-19 concerns.

It is embarrassing to this nation and GECOM, that such considerations did not take priority in impacting the proposal/decision for said number of workstations to even be considered, recognising the health nightmare that could be created with hundreds of persons being together at this point in time.

Workers/citizens are every nation’s most vital resource and must be treated as such.

Though this recent delay and embarrassment may not matter to those bent on having their own way, by any means necessary, it must not escape attention that the initial CARCIOM High Level Team composed of five persons.

With the workstations now increase, in this suspicious political environment, GECOM may find it necessary to examine the necessity of having all the stations observed by CARICOM lest it creates fodder for forces to cry foul. Guyanese have had enough of this victim status and foul crying.

It appears as though the wheel that squeaks the loudest gets the most oil and those shouting the loudest are deemed right, never held to account even when wrong.

It is clear the antics of the Opposition commissioners and the campaign rhetoric, aided and supported by international agencies, some of whom appear to be not only acting as agent provocateurs but outside of their scope of mandate, are largely influencing decision-making in GECOM. Recently, the Organisation of American States (OAS) and Commonwealth Observer Missions have issued statements purporting to advise GECOM on who should be the personnel assigned to the recounting and what law ought to be applied in executing the

exercise.

Such behavior raises questions as to their real agenda? Do they have the interest of all Guyanese at heart or only a few? How dare they? How dare the OAS and Commonwealth?

Both missions are headed by former prime ministers of Barbados and Jamaica.

Both gentlemen could attest to their level of interference in the constitutional independent GECOM, and misapplication of the constitution and laws surrounding the procedures and practices guiding such an agency- they would not dare think, much less, treat with the Elections Commission in their respective countries.

Neither would they allow any observer mission, foreign or local, to so do. It is fair to expect Justice Singh would be guided by Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield’s technical competencies on the matter of recount even as she takes into consideration concerns of the representative commissioners…not the other way around.

This is due to the fact that GECOM, even though a constitutional office, is not independent of political consideration given its makeup. Whereas some seek to operate in the interest of the whole, others appear more overtly and aggressively driven by partisan interest.

Justice Singh must ensure the well-being of the whole, including GECOM, is not sacrificed at the altar of reckless partisanship.

The initial proposal of 156 days stemmed from Opposition Commissioner Robeson Benn’s proposal to have two paired commissioners at each workstation, which meant three workstations. Public outcries led to the CEO returning with a proposal of five counting tables.

Government-nominated Commissioner, Vincent Alexander’s proposed eight and the utilisation of three approaches (various hours of operation) for each ballot box.

Justice Singh, in her deliberative judgment, has since communicated GECOM will be using not more than 10 workstations.

It is important to this nation that GECOM arrive at a credible process and result taking all factors into consideration.

Justice Singh, who has served in the highest echelon of the Judiciary, is expected to let the law take precedence and not allow GECOM to be driven by persons whose remit is not to determine the application of Guyana’s laws or seek lawful and orderly resolution to the present impasse.

Lincoln Lewis

The grim economics of the...

From page 4 from no less an authority than the Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU). These people know what they are talking about: huge sovereign debt arising from stimulus aid extended by governments leading to weak national balance sheets. The thinking from many sources and at many levels is that any recovery from the pandemic is sure to be slow, painfully gradual.

As the world goes, in its supply chains, the strength of its demand, the pace and depth of any recovery, Guyana is sure to go as well.

In an increasingly interconnected world, we cannot escape unscathed, we will feel some considerable pain. And as much as we regret having to say so, it is almost guaranteed. The oil-on which we wasted so much passion and energy, its rich visions that fuelled so much quarrelling and fighting, and its politics that so grievously divided us - faces the most upheaving of volatile futures going forward.

The high widespread demand that pushed prices upward has all but collapsed.

Our hope and plea at this paper is for some

semblance of sanity to succeed in bringing us together, if only for us to consider other possibilities. This virus has opened our eyes, it should potentially devastate our purses, and lay bare our pantries and pots. Out of nothing, there has to come the resolve to lift this society out of its unforgiving camps, to claw for a way out of the depths that maroon us and magnify our woes.

The technology is against us, the virus is against us, the finances are against us. This is the absolute worst time for us to be pitted against one another. In a canvas of worstcase scenarios, there is none worse. As there is consideration of all of this, the interests and inclinations must come for us to link minds and hearts to lead the way to a different light.

Let there be the most serious of commitments to do so now. Then actually do so and deliver us from the trials that hover.

May we be sensible. May we be receptive and responsive to what is shared and strongly suggested on this Sunday.

DEAR EDITOR, Like most people who have been following the actions and inactions of GECOM and the Secretariat, I am deeply suspicious of their modus operandi.

There is overwhelming evidence that the Secretariat, at every level, is infested with APNU+AFC operatives.

Before Justice (Ret’d) James Patterson was evicted for illegally occupying the Chairmanship of GECOM, he fully implemented the structure to rig the election.

He faithfully carried out the job he was assigned to do.

He earned his title as the ignominious judge.

That left the Commissioners to faithfully carry out their statutory and fiduciary duty to deliver a fair and transparent election result expeditiously.

However, none of this is coming from the APNU+AFC Commissioners. They have installed every conceivable hurdle to obfuscate and stall the process.

It was hoped that

Claudette Singh, as the supposedly honest broker and tie breaker, would have acted and, be seen to act, impartially and with utmost urgency.

Her actions so far leave much doubt. It is either that she is a woeful incompetent administrator or her intentions are less than honourable.

How can anyone trust these people to carry out the recount of the ballots? The PPP/C publicly displayed the results borne out by the Statements of Poll. The APNU+AFC refuses to display the results of the SOPs in their possession because they will show that they lost the election.

The conspirators at GECOM and the Secretariat will not voluntarily recount the votes to prove PPP/C’s victory and APNU+AFC’s defeat.

I believe that they will use the count as an opportunity to broaden the scope of the fraud or conveniently orchestrate substantial

delays and irregularities to facilitate court challenges.

Claudette Singh refuses to pay heed to national and international calls for the removal of the corrupt personnel at GECOM Secretariat. She must know that there is strong and overwhelming evidence for Lowenfield, Myers and Mingo to have no further involvement in the election process.

Does Claudette Singh, as a retired judge, need to be reminded that every election officer swore an oath that they will faithfully perform their duties according to law, without partiality, fear, favour or affection?

Her continuing failure to diligently carry out her statutory and fiduciary duties is laced with suspicion of complicity.

Many are beginning to believe that she is part of the seamless integration of APNU+AFC, their three Commissioners and the GECOM Secretariat.

Tameshwar N. Lilmohan

The suppression of GECOM’s...

From page 4 taxpayers’ expense because of the actions of some corrupt and incompetent GECOM officials , to arrive at an election result already contained in the Statements of Poll and most of which already declared by GECOM, is a gross misuse of public funds given the amount of money already expended by GECOM on an election that was supposed to deliver a credible result.

This is especially so now that we are faced with possible devastation , economic and otherwise, of a magnitude yet unknown, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic Therefore, in the absence of any credible reason as to why the Region Four Statements of Poll can no longer be used, the

Chairperson of GECOM has a moral obligation to demand these documents from Mr. Keith Lowenfield and to use them as a basis for declaring the election result.

Dispensing with the use of the Statements of Poll in the electoral process is a retrograde step that sets a precedent for future elections, rendering the system of counting at the

place of poll redundant and will no doubt see the country reverting to a system of centralized counting of the ballots and another nail in the coffin of democracy.

Such shall be the legacy of Ms Claudette Singh whose pusillanimity in the execution of her duties as Chairperson of GECOM thus far leaves a lot to be desired.

Marcel Gaskin

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Sunday April 19, 2020

Kaieteur News

Kaieteur M@ilbox

Kaieteur M@ilbox

The int’l community is mediator, not arbitrator or juror DEAR EDITOR, Segments of the international community, once looked upon as rescuers, have lost some credibility. It took me a while to reach this point, as I had favored the community with possessing the standards, and the discipline that accompany such, to conduct itself appropriately.

I cannot continue to do so, since I recognize that it has overreached, prompting a rethinking of the limits of its role, as well as its objectivity.

I always thought that any international observer mission is, in sum and scale, limited to being just that, and no more. It is a very fine line, one which I detect that the community of watchers has breached by the continual expanding of its footprints on the ground, through an everincreasing shadow of its presence.

It has proceeded from observer to commentator and contributor, from passive observer to active participator.

This is neither its place nor role, as I see it and think it should be.

It has an obligation to call issues as it sees relative to the actual voting process, the

counting process, and the reporting process.

It recommends remedial steps, and goes its way, with the rest left to the host nation.

Jimmy Carter himself did this in Panama: he watched, he cajoled, he pushed. He warned that an unacceptable result would be so declared by him and his team.

I find that commendable.

Twist resistant arms behind the scenes, but do not make public speeches pronouncing one way or another, relative to who is gaming (rigging) the system. Not when we are reminded that elections in Guyana have no angels.

Repeat: none.

It is why I believe that the OAS has exceeded its role.

The OAS has done so by aggressively and provocatively seizing the disputed territory of active, hence suspected, participant.

When the OAS speaks of potentially barring certain Guyanese nationals from the recount process because of perceived bias, then it could be argued that it is comfortable wearing that mantle (biased conclusion), while dispensing with what is the more traditional and

restraining role of an observer.

Calls for barring open the door to all manner of conjecture as to its motives.

In Guyana, bias is now automatically attached, even where there may be none.

None is looked upon as neutral, even honest.

In the middle of the ferocious battling, the referees and mediators are calling for the disqualification of a competitor, or his corners.

That may work tidily in a boxing match, but not in an electoral contest with the wantonness and meanness seen here. It is not helpful and adds incendiary fuel to the fires. It is sabotaging to the believed noble work being done, undermining of Guyana’s current political calm. Observers must be wise. I would be remiss if I did not recognize and appreciate (again) the standard set by the Hon. Mia Mottley, a woman of rare texture.

She spoke up, stepped down, then moved out. To speak to credibility, the international community must itself be credible, as to objectives and related underpinnings. The greatest care must be manifested by

WHY DO WE HAVE TO ENDURE THIS?

DEAR EDITOR, Over the past five years in Guyana, I have witnessed many uncouth, deceitful and shameless actions by our politicians.

Specifically by those in the Government.

I can’t imagine that the people who occupy the highest office of Guyana would behave in such a ludicrous manner. They have total disregard for our parliament and for the wellbeing of Guyanese citizens.

Our ministers have conducted themselves unscrupulously in the eyes of the public and the world at large. Guess what? Our president, the man chosen to have the highest power over the citizens of this nation, has done nothing about it.

Further, over the said period, the ministers were doing their own thing with utmost disregard for the institutions they represent.

I’ve seen the breakdown of law and order with widespread misappropriation of taxpayers’ funds. For example, the Durban Park project, and the Sussex Street drug bond rental agreement which was later discontinued in 2018- or so we are told.

During this time, nepotism was also at its highest. Many Government contracts were given out solely to ministers’ spouses, family members and friends.

They totally violated the procurement laws and exercised no accountability and total disregard for the Office of the Auditor General.

I’ve witnessed their disrespect for the 2018 “No Confidence Motion” and the countless legal proceedings that followed. They’ve employed many delay strategies and tactics amidst outcries from the nation for free and fair elections.

Then came the pronouncement, when the Commander-in-Chief finally consented for elections to be held on March 2nd, 2020.

Guyanese citizenry, like myself, continued

to be appalled by the shameless actions of Mr. Keith Lowenfield and Mr. Clairmont Mingo.

While they may not be a part of any one particular political party, it is crystal clear to see where their allegiance lies.

At the GECOM media Centre and the office of the Returning Officer of Region 4 (Ashmin’s Trading Company), there was blatant rigging in front of the eyes of the whole wide world.

Showing no regard for the accredited international observers while challenging the intelligence of the diplomats of the major world powers, and more importantly, no respect for us, Guyanese. Even after countless statements and reprimands from many countries such as the United States of America, United Kingdom, Canada and France.

They’ve embarrassed Guyanese all across the world and continue to do so today. To make matters worse, there’s Dr. Karen Cummings attitude and rhetoric towards those very powerful people.

As if Guyana hadn’t gone through enough, Volda Lawrence and company continued their deplorable behaviour with a sense of false power. More so, GECOM’S Chairwoman, Madam Justice Claudette Singh, should be held responsible for all the unscrupulous actions by Lowenfield, Mingo and Roxanne Myers. The OAS has made it clear that all personnel should be removed from the recount process to facilitate a credible, free and fair elections.

Who would put an end to these shameless people?

Where is the Commander-in-Chief?

Where is the respect for the Laws of Guyana?

Why should the hardworking taxpayers have to endure this kind of conduct from public officials?

Mohamed Yousuff (Br. Bob)

the international observer missions to remain above the local frays, if only to maintain the aura of immaculate neutrality.

It must observe. Analyze and assess. Recommend and report. It should not provide running commentary; it must not be up to its elbows and eyeballs in the slickness of elections Guyana, for then its neutrality becomes strained.

I say this for a reason: if and when the observer community become so granularly enmeshed in Guyana’s elections, then it cannot help becoming part of the problem.

There is no way for it to escape being evaluated as defiled; this is the nature of the terrain. And if it is observed and concluded to be so inseparably part of the problem then it cannot be part of any solution.

The observers are guilty of being too involved, too poisoned by the toxic atmosphere to

stick to their knitting.

Instead of being conciliators, observers have transformed into arbitrators and jurors. That is not their place, their role. The interminable and raucous disputes of Elections 2020 have been embraced so closely by international observers that the recommended distance of arm’s length introspection, and its attendant benefits, has been diluted and now lost.

Separately, I think that it could now be safely said that, though it took a while for my fellow Americans to realize that they had overstepped, they did the right thing and sensibly put a sock in it (so to speak) with more subdued language; a cooler and more distant presence, it became.

I would argue that they were presented with a picture: the same people who had trampled upon democratic norms, who had rebuffed at every turn, who had even gone into official residence

and carried on (behave bad), could open the floodgates to competitors, which could lead to “losing Venezuela” and being forced to retreat to Fortress America from the rich hunting grounds of Latin America. American interest(s) is part of the scribble on the wall now becoming more visible, more audible. Let’s see how democracy and transparency will fare with those in mind. It would not be about who will bell the Guyanese cat, but how?

Having said all of the above, I want to see this thing done right, but it has to be done by us. I desire for it to be decided by us, and not by anyone else, especially outsiders. They can help, they can urge. But they must never appear to be taking sides. They must be just like the peacemaker in a vicious domestic dispute: never appear to take sides, for then they have no value.

GHK Lall

THE DOSSIER STORY DOES NOT ADD UP

DEAR EDITOR, Permit me the space to air my views on the recent jiggery pokery, yes, it is what it is. “Director-General of the Ministry of the Presidency, Joseph Harmon defended government’s hiring of the lobbying firm, on the grounds that the administration has a duty to defend the government and Guyana.”

This is a nightmare. This is a perfect example of the term “clutching at straws”.

Unfortunately, this is dejà-vu. If you’ve never read the declassified files on Guyana’s history, then this is the time to do so.

We have made a mistake, more so, I have made a mistake when I placed this current, de facto government into power in 2015. I greatly regret it and it’s a mistake I’ll never make again and I will make sure my future generations are well educated on the atrocities of this rotten cabal.

You have stooped so low within that hole you have dug for yourself. This nation just sees you as a bunch of tyrants, thugs, oppressors, incompetent, dictatorial misfits. There is scorn in this society and the parasites will suck this nation dry with no shame. You call yourselves leaders? You lack basic morals and ethical principles.

Every single sentence of that disgraceful, Machiavellian document is a spit in the face of this nation and her democracy.

Your chronological account of the election events

are erroneous and you were dotish enough to include images of Form 24 with Volda Lawrence’s signature twice on pages 95 and 127 respectively. It brainlessly states that Granger is a United State citizen on page 135.

The Dossier of Guyana Election 2020 has exposed your weakness. At least your forgotten PNCR leader, L.F.S Burnham was approached by the USA back in 1966-67.

Do you think they will bat an eye at you and your cabal after you have publically asked that leading nation to “stay out of our business, we can handle things ourselves”?

Who poses more of a geopolitical threat to this nation when such statements are blurted out of prominent PNCR loyalists?

I pray that this nation, her people and more so the USA can see through this attempt to further hold 700,000 persons at hostage. I am sure the right thing will be done.

President Granger issued a statement stating, in summary, that he was not

aware of the submission of the dossier.

It was not done on behalf of Guyana or a government (although the document said so) and that the country did not pay for it. I have this to say. Mr. President has basically withdrawn himself from the atrocities of his right hand man, Joseph Harmon. Is this genuine or is this his way of saving himself? I think that it’s a way to save himself.

The president should know that the administration is compounding or adding to the dilemma we are in.

What do you have to say for yourself? Why isn’t there any press conference with you?

My Guyanese brothers and sisters, it’s about time we lead ourselves or have legitimacy. It’s about time we stand up.

My people are not about that life and my generation is here to make that difference we want to see. Let’s do right by our conscience and most importantly, let’s keep moving forward.

Dr. Josh Kanhai

Hold a press conference, Madam Chair DEAR EDITOR, We hereby petition you (Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh to hold a weekly press conference to inform the nation, in person, of how GECOM is progressing.

We know that the commissioners are political appointees, and that you are supposed to be independent. We would like your personal, frequent and direct report to the nation.

Your service is owed to the entire country. We look forward to hearing from you.

Dr. Yog Mahadeo

Sunday April 19, 2020

PAGE 7

Kaieteur News

Kaieteur M@ilbox

Kaieteur M@ilbox

GECOM Chair must address modalities DEAR EDITOR, I applaud your reporter, Kemol King’s headline news, KN April 18 for pointing out the ambiguity and lack of modalities on the recount announced by the Chair, Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh.

One must not be impatient. The Chair will do the right thing. I also refer to GHK Lall (Apr 18) that “there is neither honor nor dignity in being chair of Gecom”.

With a recount, Claudette Singh has made up for early stumble over the two fraudulent counts of Mingo and the muted declaration by Lowenfield.

Unanswered questions posed to Claudette Singh create uncertainties in the minds of the population and need to be urgently addressed to bolster confidence in the recount process.

Nevertheless, it must not go unnoticed that Madam Chair has honored her judicial commitment to a recount.

The Chair has won praise for agreeing to the recount as

signed between President Granger and Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo.

In so doing, she has shown her respect for law and order and support for democratic values.

The recount also answers calls of the international community, as well as domestic forces, to bring closure to the election impasse with a declaration of the real winner.

The announcement is applauded by the world but the modalities need to be addressed.

The Chair is on the right path and must be saluted for her action.

While the nation has been traumatized since March 2nd not knowing what to expect from GECOM, and the government’s response to the crisis and how to deal with the corona pandemic, the announcement of the Chair hopefully will bring closure to the election ordeal soon.

The Chair has a very heavy responsibility and decision she makes will be

condemned by half the population.

As GHK Lall writes, she is in a no-win situation. She has to please both sides.

She is doing her best in very trying circumstances.

Given the danger in dealing with some nefarious characters around her, some of who will spare no chance in pushing agenda, she is doing her best.

It is understandable that she has to be hesitant in making decisions when life and limb was played out over the last two months. She stood up to what was wrong.

It is noted that had it not been for her, the Mingo fraud would have been a done deal.

Had she not been strong enough, the swearing in of an illegal President would have been completed.

Claudette Singh has to work within limitation.

Activists and politicians need to understand this fact.

Claudette Singh took a middle course, a median path.

She must and will follow the law regardless of which

sides feel hurt.

Claudette Singh seems very ‘calculating’ and deliberative in her response to opposing demands. Some Guyanese I spoke with says she comes across as gentle, calm, and not arrogant.

She listens to the voices of the various sides in a very modest manner.

She is very studious of the three proposals on the recount.

She wisely has taken a middle path between two opposing sides that have their own agendas.

It should be noted that so far, the Chair has not violated any laws or engaged herself in rigging of the count.

And she does not arrogate onto herself powers even though she is given a lot of powers under the Constitution.

For example, she does not need to seek permission from the PM on COVID-19 restrictions.

She performs an essential service; she could have bypassed him and proceed to issue orders on social

distancing on the recount.

Out of respect, she consulted with the PM who heads the Task Force on COVID protocols.

Guyanese in the Diaspora and at home as well as the international community would like to see the process completed expeditiously and transparently.

Further delays would have been worrisome; we need to get the process going.

Guyanese and the world now look forward to a truly open and transparent recount — qualities that are necessary to remove doubts of which party won the elections.

I am confident that both President David Granger and Opposition Leader, BharratJagdeo, would accept the outcome of an untampered recount.

Then GECOM can proceed to validate the results and swear in the President so he can proceed to form the government.

Thank you, Madam Chair, for attempting to put an end to the impasse.

People feel they can trust her with the recount. Once it gets underway it will reduce uncertainty about the outcome.

But she needs to address the modalities of the recount and make an announcement on Monday – specific number of stations, start date, how it will be done, excluding controversial characters, streaming live, observers, etc.

It is high time that Claudette Singh comes out with the modalities.

She has the decisionmaking authority, and exercised it on Friday like an ‘Iron Lady’ to a divided commission.

Another communiqué must address the points raised by Kemol King that will remove any uncertainty on the recount. Once she put in place the modalities and recount gets under way, her approval rating will shoot up once.

More importantly, her action will further help to consolidate the foundation of our democracy.

Dr. Vishnu Bisram

DEAR EDITOR, The filing last week in the United States under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) by JJ&B. LLC clearly states they had been hired by the Government of Guyana.

The documents were signed by Joseph Harmon, Director-General of the Ministry of the Presidency.

On Friday, the Ministry of the Presidency issued a statement noting “much concerns” about what it says are erroneous statements in the media based on the JJ&B LLC’s FARA declarations.

The release stated quite clearly that President David Granger, who is still the legal Head-of-State, was not involved in any way with the hiring of the lobbying firm.

There are three possible reasons the media and consequently, the people of Guyana were misled.

One, Joseph Harmon did not sign those authorization papers and JJ&B LLC has made a false FARA declaration; this is not without precedent.

On January 17, 2019, the Department of Justice announced that it had reached a settlement with a law firm over the failure to properly register and report under FARA. The company which was not named was fined US$4.6M. Secondly, it could be Joseph Harmon did sign

those documents but did so in his capacity as a private citizen and misrepresented the capacity in which he was acting to JJ&B LLC. There is a third take.

Joseph Harmon did sign those documents in his capacity as Director-General of the Ministry of the Presidency without the authorization of his employer President Granger.

In all three possible scenarios, there is one common thread and person Granger will have to decide on how he treats with- Joe Harmon, his employee, a political appointee and who

is also General Secretary of the People’s National Congress.

In the meanwhile, I would like to express my resentment for the tone shown by the Ministry release which seeks to castigate media and others for a predicament caused entirely by its own DirectorGeneral.

May I suggest that President Granger borrow the dictionary he publicly gifted to the GPA head Nazima Ragubir and open it to ‘B’ and look up the word blame, and then H.E. can apply it appropriately.

Robin Singh

IT’S BACK TO 156 DAYS ONE, TWO OR THREE?

DEAR EDITOR, Like most Guyanese, here and in the Diaspora, and in fact others in the interested global community, we waited with bated breaths for the decision by the Chairperson of GECOM, Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh, regarding the “recount” of the votes for the March 2nd elections.

Alas, when her decision became public, depending on which side of the democratic divide one stood, there was shock and disappointment on one side and celebration on the other.

The first group was hoping that the urgency for the finalization of this matter would have been recognized by the Chairperson and her decision would have been based thereon.

However, that was not realized and the lady once again showed her true colors and shamelessly identified which camp she was comfortably “at home” with.

By referring to and by implication allowing Moses Nagamootoo to give his opinion as representing the COVID-19 task force, it is obvious to me as night follows day, that this is another well-thought out “plan” to further delay the duration of the recount.

I am willing to wager, at any odds, that Nagamootoo would respond that there should be three counting stations, which would bring us right back to the 156 as proposed by the now

discredited Chief Elections Officer.

This position is further confirmed by the chairperson not saying not less than 10 stations but instead saying, not more than 10, which leaves the door open to have any number from one to 10.

Why couldn’t she make a compromise between the PPP’s and the PNC’s proposals and arrive at around 15 stations?

Wouldn’t that have been a more reasonable decision, instead of agreeing almost entirely to the PNC’s proposals, quoting security concerns and all counting to be done in the building?

Why couldn’t other venues be considered? Isn’t Queen’s College capable of accommodating at least another 10 counting stations?

And all inside the building?

I can name other venues that could have been utilized, but what’s the use?

The geniuses in GECOM’s Secretariat, aided by four members of the Commission, know much better than anyone else. Only those blinded by greed and fear would not want to concede the inevitable that the coalition lost the elections, and intend to bully their way to remain in government.

Isn’t a final decision to depend on Nagamootoo’s response a conflict of interest?

Isn’t it obvious to all that he and his comrades want to cling on to power as long as the rope allows them?

Isn’t this coinciding with the propaganda blitz (to spread misinformation) being attempted with the hiring of a lobbying group in Washington? Interestingly, there is now a “bizarre twist” and now obviously confusion in the camp, as Harmon and Granger have issued contradictory positions on this controversial matter.

In the meantime, the CDC has suspended its distribution of relief to a few vulnerables in some communities.

My information is that the PPP/C has been continuously distributing essential food items in neglected areas, far much more than the government’s half-hearted efforts.

The true results of the elections must be declared immediately, so that the new government can address the COVID -19 pandemic, and the associated suffering of the people of Guyana, in a nondiscriminatory manner.

My opinion is that sanctions threatened must begin to be imposed, immediately, on individuals involved in attempting to deny the Guyanese people their right of a government of their choice.

Only then would those who continue to administer the affairs of this country, would recognize the seriousness of their undemocratic actions.

H. N. Nawbatt

GTT’s installation practices for tenants DEAR EDITOR, It is with great concern I highlight GTT’s installation practices. GTT has in the past and is currently installing internet services at the request of tenants without first obtaining the permission of the owner of the property.

I believe that this is an illegal practice since the installation of internet, telephone, electricity, water services, etc. should and must be approved by the property owner regardless if the service is being provided in the name of the tenant.

I am a landlord and have experienced in the past a tenant obtaining internet service without my permission and knowledge and when they moved out there was a large outstanding sum. I learnt of this illegal/unauthorized service after the new tenant approached GTT to obtain internet.

I was told by GTT that the amount outstanding had to be cleared regardless of it being in my name before they can process an application for the same address.

Of course, the old tenant refused to pay and the new tenant was anxious to obtain internet as such I the Owner had to pay the sum outstanding so that I would not lose the new tenant.

Marcus Perry

PAGE 8

Sunday April 19, 2020

Kaieteur News

Region 10 increases COVID -19 training for medical staff In a continued effort to ensure that medical personnel and the general public are aware of procedures relating to COVID -19, the Linden Hospital Complex held a oneday training session for medical personnel. The training was held at the Egbert Benjamin Conference Hall in Linden on Thursday.

Forty –five staffers of the St John’s Ambulance Brigade and Auxiliary staff of the hospital participated in the exercise.

The training focused on lifting the standard of operation taking into account the COVID-19 situation. The training was facilitated by Medical Superintendent (MS) at the Linden Hospital, Dr. Joseph London and Nurse Anaesthetist, Roncke Griffith.

Dr. London said that the training was pivotal as it helped to sensitize and educate participants in how they should be operating. He disclosed that for some time now, drivers and porters have not been following standard operating procedures, thus placing their lives and health at risk.

He said too that the activity will put to rest several myths about treating patients infected with COVID- 19.

“There are evidently several persons who are fearful and that fear has been affecting the operation. As such, we recognized that training will not only dismiss the fears and myths but at the same time

Several nurses, doctors and health care professionals listening attentively as DCMO, Dr. Karen Gordon Boyle, makes her presentation.

sensitize and educate them to feel more equipped and comfortable,” Dr. London said.

The MS said that Nurse Griffith’s role was geared towards highlighting the facts regarding COVID 19, and addressing concerns of participants in relation to the execution of their responsibilities.

“We saw the need to address these going forward.

We need to ensure that our auxiliary staff is equipped both physically and mentally to get the job done efficiently,” the MS said.

Meanwhile, another training session targeted

about 70 nurses, doctors and other healthcare professionals. That training was geared towards enhancing the usage of PPE and other equipment in the combat of COVID -19.

This session was facilitated by Deputy Chief Medical Officer (DCMO), Dr. Karen Gordon Boyle; Dr. Tracey Bovell, Emergency Medicine Specialist and Bonita Lowenfield-Mc Donald, Port Health Officer within the Ministry of Public Health.

Lowenfield-McDonald disclosed that the training was held in all 10 administrative regions.

She noted that based on a request from Public Health Minister, Volda Lawrence, they would be returning to some regions to do follow up training. She said the response from participants has been overwhelming.

“They were eager and determined to learn more despite the rumours about COVID- 19. We have found that the doctors, nurses and other hospital staff are determined to increase their knowledge about the disease, and are appreciative of training opportunities,” she

said.

The Ministry’s Port Officer said that like her, the other officers were impressed and satisfied with the response.

She noted that it was crucial for participants to practice washing their hands correctly, how to take samples from a patient and the procedures involved in the retrieving of samples.

Lowenfield-Mc Donald said too that hygiene is one of the most important factors in reducing risks of infection.

“We stressed that with regards to hand hygiene one must do it frequently as this is the only way that they are able to reduce the infection risk. Additionally, with cleaning and sanitizing we want to repeat that persons must clean first before sanitizing,” she urged.

Lowenfield-Mc Donald added, “What we have found is that most times people just sanitize and do not clean, and this will not work. We also wanted them to understand the six steps of proper hand washing.”

Privately-owned Eureka Lab now testing for COVID-19

Eureka Labs on Thomas Street is now offering testing for COVID-19.

The privately-owned Eureka Medical Laboratory is now offering testing for the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). The announcement by the Thomas Street, Georgetown lab would come as Guyana and the world battle the virus.

More than 60 persons have been tested positive by Government-managed facilities.

Since the pandemic broke, permission has not been granted to private hospitals or other facilities to conduct testing, until recently.

Government said it will be relaxing the restrictions after criticisms were leveled.

According to Eureka, persons will have to make an appointment over the telephone where information will be gathered. Persons are being asked to arrive on time to be tested and

will have to produce identification. “A nasopharyngeal swab will be taken,” it was noted.

Eureka said it will be sending the samples abroad for testing using PCR technology, which is said to be gold standard for COVID19 testing.

The privately-owned lab said it will issue results to patients within four to five days with delivery by email or pickup.

As of yesterday, there were still 63 persons positive for the virus with no new deaths in the week. Six persons have been confirmed dead as a result of COVID-19 locally.

Over 300 persons have been tested with about four dozen in isolation and 15 in quarantine.

Sunday April 19, 2020

PAGE 9

Kaieteur News

Former Presidential Advisor calls for targeted sanctions on ‘those who want to steal the election’ Former Advisor to the President on Petroleum, Dr. Jan Mangal, says that it is time for severe, targeted sanctions against officials at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) and in Government who are complicit in an attempt to steal Guyana’s 2020 elections.

“US sanctions on government officials and their key family/business associates is needed ASAP,” Dr. Mangal said. He added, “How else to put immediate and strong pressure on these officials who are actively trying to steal an election and ruin Guyana?”

Asked what the nature of those sanctions would be, Dr. Mangal responded with the following.

“This is for Guyanese to decide. We need a wide forum of Guyanese independents, [Non Governmental Organisations] NGOs, Civil Society, and respected commentators to get together to produce a document which calls for sanctions.”

He said that that collective would have to list the positions of officials who are to be sanctioned, suggesting that it start “all the way [at] the top” of Government and GECOM. “It should call for sanctions which target travel, assets, business interests, etc.”

Dr. Mangal stressed the importance of severity.

Otherwise, they would be ignored, he posited.

“Once this forum produces a document, then we can more effectively reach out to the international press to get visibility. The diaspora can also use this document to lobby their representatives in the US, Canada and UK.” Representatives of those

Former Presidential Advisor, Dr. Jan Mangal

GECOM Chair, Claudette Singh

major countries have already expressed concern about the integrity of Guyana’s elections. The US and the UK have said that there would be serious consequences if a government is installed on the basis of any flawed tabulation.

Kaieteur News had first contacted Dr. Mangal on Thursday before GECOM Chair, Justice Claudette Singh was slated to communicate certain decisions to the Commissioners on the national recount. Though it would have appeared at the time that GECOM would make swift progress from thereon, Dr. Mangal disagreed.

“GECOM is not making progress,” he said, “It is only buying time for those who want to steal the election. The government will drag this out as long as possible, and will be looking to steal the election at every opportunity.”

An email from the Chair was found to be underwhelming, as seven parties responded, calling for more to be done.

Dr. Mangal said he is convinced that GECOM is a tool of the government, who he is sure “is dishonest and has bad intentions.”

“We have ample evidence for this,” Dr. Mangal stated.

Allegations that there may be attempts to rig the elections began mid-March shortly after a contentious pair of declarations of the Region Four results by that district’s returning officer, Clairmont Mingo, was ruled as unlawful by Chief Justice Roxane George-Wiltshire. The Chief Justice had sent Mingo back to the table, after she found that he did not stick to the law on the procedure necessary for the count.

It did not help the situation when the second general and regional declarations for Region Four, made on March 13, also followed a tabulation marred by a lack of transparency and accusations of electoral fraud.

At least five of the contesting political parties had reported that Mingo produced inflated statements of poll, with numbers that were clearly

Dem boys seh...

One Mingo is enough Everybody facing hardship right now. It will become worse very soon.

It will reach a stage which mankind never experience before. Is not dem boys seh suh.

Is de Man above.

Already de whole world shut down. Some people asking questions like: Is this the end of de world?

Others asking where de Creator deh in all dis.

Dem boys want to make it very clear - He deh right where we left Him – on de outside of de world.

We took Him out of our schools- our schools shut down.

We took Him out de work place- our work places shut down.

We took Him out from our social life - our restaurants, clubs and sports arenas and de other liming spots now closed.

We took Him out of our guvment guvment all over de world confused and don’t know wha fuh do.

As fuh Guyana…well we don’t have a guvment. All we have is a pack of scamps like Mingo, #156 Lolofeel and Fraudette.

We put our trust in Granger and Jagdeobut dem failing us.

We put our trust in doctors- but dem failing us too We put our trust in lawyers and dem are a set of …

We put our trust in Fraudette and everything showing So where is de Creator in all of dis?

Let dem boys tell yall de Big Man is right where yall put him – outside of yall lives.

But, according to dem boys, He is still dere waiting to be invited back into everybody’s lives; back into our homes, schools, our workplaces, our social spaces, our hospital, our guvments and our world.

But Dem boys ain’t certain if he will welcome Mingo, #156 Lolofeel and Fraudette.

Talk half and pray dat de trio manage to get into de house of de Big Man above.

President and APNU+AFC Presidential Candidate, David Granger clumsily doctored.

Mingo’s first pair of declarations was at odds with his second pair. But the governing coalition did not appear to care for that and the other issues raised, which left many lingering questions about the credibility of the tabulations. Joseph Harmon, an APNU+AFC front bencher, had revealed that the party hoped its presidential candidate, David Granger, would be sworn in quickly.

That did not happen, as statements began to mount

from the international community, calling for a fair and credible conclusion to the electoral process.

A recount was contemplated by President David Granger and Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, but was frustrated by a slothful GECOM, then a Court challenge from an APNU+AFC candidate, Ulita Moore.

The President had said he was disappointed about the frustration of the recount, casting Moore as a private citizen and not an agent of the party. But a section of the public remained doubtful that Moore’s esteemed legal team was not supplied and/or funded by the party.

Now, almost three weeks have passed since the Full Court struck down those injunctions, paving way for the recount. GECOM Commissioners have been arguing back and forth about this and that. And the process has dragged out to Day 47 of the Election – yesterday – with no official elections results.

“Now it is over a month,” Dr. Mangal said, “If the government had any intent to honour the rights of the people of Guyana, they would

have solved this situation in the first week.”

The former Presidential advisor said that Guyanese should find this completely unacceptable, as the international community has.

“But Guyanese tolerated the former Burnham dictatorial regime for decades.

So Guyanese may be happy to spend the next couple decades under a dictatorship which forfeits all of the oil wealth whilst oppressing the people who speak out,” Dr. Mangal stated.

“Guyana could quickly become a poster child for a failed oil state; worse than Equatorial Guinea or Nigeria at their worst,” Dr. Mangal said.

As an anti-corruption advocate, Dr. Mangal has spoken out against corruption in both the PPP and APNU+AFC. He had said, in terms of managing the petroleum sector and the wealth that would come from it, that the PPP would be worse for the country altogether. But he has vehemently spoken out against the frustration of Guyana’s electoral process and attempts to hand a noncredible victory to the APNU+AFC.

PAGE 10

Sunday April 19, 2020

Kaieteur News

GECOM moves at sloth’s pace while lives hang in the balance – GCCI President

President of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), Nicholas DeygooBoyer, is of the considered view that that the survival of many lives in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic rests on the shoulders of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

The electoral body has, more than six weeks after general and regional elections, failed to produce official, credible results, and has therefore, frustrated the installation of a government with full powers. Meanwhile, Guyana battles a deadly virus that has already claimed six lives.

“The GCCI has undertaken independent modeling of the spread of the pandemic in Guyana. The Chamber’s model ascertains that there will be 19,500 cases by the end of the first week in May. This is in tandem with the projections by the PanAmerican Health Organisation (PAHO) which projects approximately 20,000 cases by May 5th, 2020.”

The Chamber’s projections had first been shared by its Executive Director, Richard Rambaran, detailing just how dire the situation could get if Guyana does not mount the correct response.

“As case numbers increase, the Government will have to issue mandatory stay

GCCI President, Nicholas Deygoo-Boyer

at home orders, which are far more restrictive, and which will shut down the economy which was already in a slowdown due to caution around the election.

Subsequently, there will be perhaps one of the largest increases in the number of persons who are laid off from their jobs in recent history; one only has to look at the devastation done to our Tourism and Hospitality industry and extrapolate from there.”

The Chamber President said that if there isn’t a proper comprehensive response in about 30 days, projections show it will be too late. At that point, he said, Guyana would just be putting band-aid on a crisis.

The Chamber stated that fiscal stimulus is necessary to offset the devastating economic and social impacts of such restrictive orders. For there to be sufficient fiscal stimulus, the Chamber stated that Guyana must have a fully functioning Finance Minister and Parliament convened, “not a Caretaker Finance Minister”.

“It is with this pandemic and its magnitude in mind that the Chamber notes the need for Guyana having to spend a massive amount on the healthcare sector including, but not limited to, more on wages, new facilities and equipment as well as more on consumables.”

The Government has already started the execution

March 2 Elections recount…

PSC calls on Top Cop to guarantee safety at Arthur Chung Convention Centre The Private Sector Commission has issued a call on the Commissioner of Police, Leslie James, to ensure the safety and security of those to be involved in the recount of ballots from the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections.

“The Commission calls upon the Commissioner of Police to ensure that every possible precaution is taken to guarantee the safety and security of the Arthur Chung Convention Centre,” the release said.

Below is the full statement.

The Private Sector Commission (PSC) notes the decision taken by GECOM to proceed with the recount of the ballots cast in the General and Regional Elections held on 2nd March 2020. The Commission commends the Chairperson, Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh, for having arrived at a decision to move forward on this matter.

The PSC, as Accredited Observers, remain committed

to our responsibility to observe the recount and that the recount is credibly conducted in accordance with the law reflecting the will of the people who cast their ballots in the elections.

It is now 47 days since General and Regional Elections took place without GECOM having declared a final result. It is imperative, therefore, for the country’s future, wellbeing and stability, that the recount is concluded without any further controversy and interruption

and that the newly elected government takes office without further delay.

The Private Sector Commission, therefore, calls upon the Commissioner of Police to ensure that every possible precaution is taken to guarantee the safety and security of the Arthur Chung Convention Centre, the persons of the stakeholders involved and the process being conducted against any possible attempt to disrupt the procedures being put in place for the recount.

of relief efforts, with the distribution of hampers families in several regions, and it is in continuous preparation of facilities to house COVID-19 patients.

Leader of the National COVID-19 Task Force, Moses Nagamootoo, has indicated that the Government is working on getting cash vouchers issued. All this, government is doing, not at full capacity.

But the government’s powers have been complicated by events of the past year and a half.

The passing of the December 21, 2018 noconfidence motion against the government has reduced its powers, and the President has acknowledged that his government must operate in

a limited capacity.

The Parliament of Guyana was also dissolved late last year to make way for elections.

But then, the President in March invoked a decades-old public health ordinance which grants the government sweeping powers, including the right to expend public funds as it deems necessary.

While under normal circumstances, Parliament would have to approve the issuance of large sums, the ordinance has removed the need for parliamentary approval.

This, the Chamber President said, puts the country in a situation where its citizens will not get the most value out of the expenditure of their money.

His view is that, as there is no parliamentary oversight for the government’s actions at this time, it is bound to make a series of unilateral decisions which will evade the constructive criticism and reformation the National Assembly is necessary to provide.

And in the case of a global pandemic, Deygoo-Boyer opines that the country deserves no less than to be able to expend the full gamut of its governing institutions, within the framework of credible democracy.

It is not just that Guyana will not have sufficient oversight over the use of its own funds. There is also the concern of Guyana possibly being prevented from Continued on page 49

Halt US$20M World Bank loan...

From page 3 Warner, as he is the same contractor who was hired and paid by ExxonMobil to run the oil giant's Local Content Centre for Development on South Road, Georgetown.

Using reports that would have been produced by Kaieteur News, the Human Rights Organization told the World Bank that the hiring of Warner was further criticized because he has no track record of independently producing a local content policy for any country.

With further reference to Kaieteur News' articles, Urgewald reported in its letter to the World Bank Directors that the revised Local Content Policy developed by Mr. Warner ignored key recommendations which were intended to improve transparency and give locals the upper hand in the industry.

Urgewald also told the directors that Warner injected into the final policy, a provision which allows for Local Content reports submitted to the government by foreign oil companies to remain confidential, while only a “summary” of those reports would be made public.

Urgewald in its letter said, “Stakeholders have criticized that such confidentiality would hinder the public's ability to hold the companies, regulators and government to account and would prevent them from being able to analyze either compliance with the law or the degree of local economic contributions.”

The NGO added, “The independent national newspaper, Kaieteur News, reports that the confidentiality provisions

were not included in the first two drafts of the policy that were done by Trinidadian Local Content Expert, Anthony Paul.

The confidentiality provisions were only added after the ExxonMobil-linked oil consultant, Mr. Warner, was hired to revise the new policy.”

When questioned about the procurement process surrounding the hiring of Mr. Warner, the NGO told Directors that the government responded that it used a limited competitive selection process to expedite the award of the contract consistent with the World Bank's Procurement Regulations. In addition, an evaluation report was completed and sent to the World Bank for its noobjection.

Urgewald further informed the World Bank Directors that Kaieteur News had since confirmed with the former Business Minister, Dominic Gaskin, that this contract was never advertised. In addition to the clear conflict of interest and resulting policy changes that undermine governance in favour of oil companies, Urgewald said that this contract that was awarded to Warner also raises the important question of why, if Guyana already had a local content expert drafting the new policy, did the World Bank Project fund another

contractor under a limited, non-transparent process.

Turning its attention to another questionable contract, Urgewald noted that the law firm Hunton Andrews Kurth was hired for US$1.2 million to draft new petroleum laws for Guyana, covering, inter alia, tax regime, production sharing contracts, and environmental regulations. Urgewald was keen to note, however, that this very law firm has been representing ExxonMobil for some 40 years.

On this premise, the NGO said the hiring of Hunton Andrews Kurth and Mr. Warner for the drafting of new laws involving oil development, clearly violates the Bank's Procurement Regulations as such, it believes that an investigation is warranted and that further funding under the Guyana project should be halted until the probe has been completed.

Urgewald is a non-profit environmental and human rights organization that is based in Sassenberg, a small town in western Germany. It also runs an office in Berlin.

For 25 years, Urgewald has been fighting against environmental destruction and for the rights of people harmed by corporate profit interests.

During these 25 years, Urgewald has evolved from a small group of people to a powerful organization.

Sunday April 19, 2020

Kaieteur News

PAGE 11

Kaieteur News

PAGE 12

Sunday April 19, 2020

Fuel spill at Karouni mine was contained before EPA's intervention - Troy Resources - Measures implemented to prevent reoccurrence

E

ven before the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) intervened by way of issuing a 48-hour “ s a f e t y p a u s e � , Tr o y Resources Guyana Inc. says all steps were taken to ensure the containment of a fuel spill that occurred at its fuel farm at the Karouni Mill Site on March 22, last at approximately 21:00 hrs.

In its recount of the incident, Troy noted that during the refueling of the power station gravity tank, there was a failure of the automated fueling system which should have shut off the pump once the tank was filled.

As a result, the power station gravity tank overflowed within the containment area where it is housed. However, at the time of the incident, Troy said that there was a breach of the containment outlet valve to the oil/separator which resulted in the spilled material flowing through the oil/water separator.

As a result of this, the spilled fuel flowed out of the oil/water separator at the

Truck transporting the contaminated soil

drainage point and into the environment. According to Troy, it is estimated that approximately 5,000 litres of fuel passed through the oil/separator.

After the clean-up of the area and oil/water separator, the Aussie firm said that approximately 1,000 litres of fuel was recovered while noting that there was no evidence of contamination to neither ground nor surface waters.

Following the incident, Troy said that the flow of fuel was stopped using the manual shut off value for the power station gravity tank and an electrician was summoned to fix the fault.

With regard to measures and procedures which were implemented to prevent future occurrences, Troy said that the outlet valve from the containment area to the oil/water separator was replaced and closed off.

An overflow return pipeline was installed from the power station gravity tank to the ground tank supply to the power station gravity tank and a refresher training for fuel farm

Excavator removing the contaminated soil

attendants was conducted.

Troy said that it also reviewed and revised its

Preventive Maintenance (PM) plan for the fuel farm and increased the frequency

to weekly and expanded the details of the PM. The company said, too, that it has taken steps to ensure daily monitoring is being conducted to detect any advancement of contamination while adding that none has occurred thus far.

Kaieteur News understands that the contaminated soil was removed using an excavator to dig the contaminated soil

Storage pit with contaminated soil

and transported to the remedial area via trucks.

Troy said that the excavated area was refilled with rocks to stabilize the area and prevent erosion in the future.

The company said also that the contaminated soil will remain in the lined pit and covered with plastic to protect the soil from weather and stabilized until a suitable method of long-term treatment/remediation is determined.

Kaieteur News

Aaliyah Webster

Sunday April 19, 2020

This week's beauty is the alluring and charismatic Aaliyah Webster. This 21-year-old belle enjoys modeling, doing photo shoots and singing. One of her favourite quotes says, “Respect yourself and others will respect you.�

PAGE 13

Kaieteur News

PAGE 14

Sunday April 19, 2020

Building technology to solve social issues...

Software developer and digital entrepreneur, Software developer, Samantha Sheoprashad

Samantha Sheoprashad

By Rehanna Ramsay

R

epresentation is critical in every sphere of society and in the field of Information Technology (IT); the need for the involvement of more women and girls is evident.

According to global statistics, women make up less than 40 percent of the people employed in the IT sector worldwide.

This week's Special Person is helping to defy the status quo in this regard. In fact, her work as a software developer and IT specialist is providing the Guyanese populace, as well as the world over, with essential services during the pandemic.

Through her company, Trifinity Solutions, Samantha Sheoprashad has been working assiduously to ensure her clients and their customers are provided with efficient service.

Sheoprashad said that given the fact that most people are quarantined at this time, online shopping, delivery services and other forms of web interactions have become vital.

She pointed out that the work of Trifinity Solutions is to help people save time and money, using features such as paperless transactions and automation to ensure customers can have access to these essential services 24/7.

Besides her professional efforts, the young entrepreneur is also using her

tech skills to share helpful information about the COVID-19 pandemic via social media.

“We already have two platforms developed through Facebook Messenger to give real-time data and advice from the WHO website. A virtual map which provides details of COVID-19 cases around the world,” Sheoprashad said.

The 29-year-old is also an educator for the Guyanese Girls Code programme which, “is looking to expose

is a 'Special Person' software developer was recognized for her work to help disadvantaged communities in her capacity as President of Enterprise Youth Development Group, an initiative which provided clothes and food to lowincome families, while offering computer classes to underprivileged children, in addition to leading a successful suicide

“

And as a woman, who entered the Computer Science field, I had to remember that stress and challenges are inevitable. Just find opportunities to learn and grow from it all. Forge and develop your own destiny, no matter what the world says about you.

our girls to coding and using IT skills to solve social issues”.

She lists mental health advocacy as being among her parallel passions.

In fact, back in 2017, Sheoprashad received the Queen's Young Leaders Award for work as a humanitarian youth and mental health advocate.

Sheoprashad was among scores of young people who were selected from different Commonwealth territories to go to Buckingham Palace in London to be presented with insignia by Queen Elizabeth II, herself.

Back then, the budding

”

prevention project.

“I looked at it as an opportunity to fulfill my purpose as a humanitarian and youth leader; I saw it as a time to plant seeds for the future definition of leadership in my country; to lead through science, innovation, and entrepreneurship serving my beautiful country Guyana.”

It was indeed a surreal moment for Sheoprashad, who hails from a modest Enterprise, East Coast Demerara household, and whose earliest childhood memories were made of climbing trees, playing cricket and singing bhajans,

(Hindu religious songs) in the early morning.

She reminisced that, while growing up, time spent at the Mandir (Hindu Temple) was treasured. “So much so that I aimed to one day become a Hindu Priest.”

However, much like any other youngster her age, she enjoyed lots of outdoor activities -fishing with her siblings was among her favourite pastime.

“It was the life of a simple country girl growing up in a typically maledominated environment, she said.

Though they are simple, members of the Sheoprashad clan were taught the value of education early on.

“From nursery to secondary school, my parents heavily influenced the nurturing of my educational development. I remember being very engaged in our school's cultural activities, especially in dances and folk plays,” she said.

As such, the young Sheoprashad excelled at school, especially at science and art, which were among her favourite subjects as a pupil of Enterprise Primary School, and later, Annandale Secondary. She explained that both subjects fed her desire for experiment.

“I ended up choosing art, agricultural science, and then I made a switch to the computers.”

Throughout, she enjoyed working with computers despite the fact that it was a male-dominated field.

Receiving the Queen's Young Leader Award

Our 'Special Person' with a group after winning a pitch for innovative tech solutions for the Institute of Caribbean Studies (ICS)

“Many times, I was advised against it; that it a boy thing. But I chose it because I felt computer science was going to be the canvas upon which I could express my creativity. The education system to some level made me feel stifled, but computers fascinated me,” Sheoprashad added.

Since then, the young innovator has been dreaming of using technology as a tool for transforming Guyana and changing the world.

STAYING ALIVE It was while pursuing those very dreams that Sheoprashad learnt that safeguarding her mental health and staying alive were as important as fulfilling her goals.

“I fell sick. I was dealing with a lot and I fell into severe depression. I even became suicidal at one point.”

However, with the right type of counselling and therapy, Sheoprashad soon recovered. The experience sparked a newfound compassion for people dealing with mental health issues. She noted, “There is

just so much stigma, misunderstanding, and lack of compassion related to people dealing with mental health issues. I knew I had to do something about it as soon as I recovered.”

From that point, Sheoprashad's life has been devoted to creating awareness opportunities to help persons with mental health issues.

She even created the Stay Alive app, which combined psychology, linguistics and algorithms to decipher depressive statements online.

“I created several videos highlighting young people's views on mental health in Guyana, how to self-care and retain counselling services.

One of my most popular projects is Mental Health Matters, under which the Stay Alive app was used. “ The idea, Sheoprashad said, was to merge technology with strategies, and help people find solutions to social issues. In the same vein, she created Eco-naire (Digital Ecosystem) which focuses on youth unemployment, youth living in poverty, atrisk youth and issues facing young people in general.

“Its aim is to reduce p o v e r t y, i m p r o v e t h e mindsets, and teach young people to create their own job opportunities. These are things that keep me motivated, she added.

“And as a woman, who entered the Computer Science field, I had to remember that stress and challenges are inevitable.

Just find opportunities to learn and grow from it all.

Forge and develop your own destiny no matter what the world says about you.”

The University of Guyana graduate (continued on page 43)

Kaieteur News

Sunday April 19, 2020

PAGE 15

THE RECOUNT IS TURNING INTO A CIRCUS T

he Chairperson of Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is making the proposed recount into rocket science. Common sense is becoming more complicated than calculus. The recount process is being reduced to a public circus. But unfortunately, it is no laughing matter.

To say that the recent decision of the Chairperson was sketchy and ambiguous would be an understatement.

It is downright disingenuous.

What does “no more than 10 workstations� mean? It means no definitive decision has been taken. Less than ten could mean 9, it could mean 5, it could mean 3, it could mean 1, or it could mean none.

If the Chairperson could take a step backwards and see the nonsense she has been entertaining, she would better appreciate her responsibilities and what has to be done.

The problem which faces Guyana over the elections is partly her doing. Her Chairmanship of GECOM has been disastrous.

GECOM has been complicit in the rigging of the elections. It should have been automatic that those persons from within the Secretariat who were part of the rigging, should have been kept at arm's length

from the recount process.

They cannot be trusted. They are shamed and disgraced.

They have brought the Commission and the country into disrepute.

The Commissioners should never have had to formulate proposals for a recount. Nor should they have relied upon the Secretariat, given its track record, for making such proposals.

A professional and internationally-respected accounting firm should have been invited to develop recount plans and rules. The firm should have been tasked with developing these plans and rules with the aim of ensuring transparency and credible results. It is these plans and rules, developed by an independent entity, which should have been placed before the Commission.

Right now what is in front of the Chairperson are estimates and guesstimates as to how long it is going to take to count a ballot box.

And things will get more complicated, because the cart is being put before the horse.

H o w c a n t h e Commission decide on how long it would take to count a ballot box, when the rules for the recount, based on the Representation of the People Act, have not yet been settled? GECOM is doing

things back to front.

The recount is a job for professionals, not perceived partisans.

Professionals should undertake the planning and actual recount. It is no different from when someone is building a house.

The homeowner does not take up a sheet of paper and draw a plan.

He or she hires an architect or draughtsman to do this, and then takes the plan to a building contractor so that the costs of construction can be estimated and Bills of Quantities developed.

Why then should GECOM - which has demonstrated during this and previous election its ineptitude, inaptitude and incompetence - be tasked with developing a recount plan?

This should never have happened, considering that the Commission is divided politically and the Secretariat has been implicated in skullduggery.

High school students would do a better job than GECOM. If a professional accounting firm is hired to undertake the recount, the first thing it would do is take a sampling of the results declared by polling agents across the country.

It would then simulate ballot boxes with all the relevant documents which

have to be checked. Based on these simulations, it would do a dry-run of the counts of the various boxes and come up with an average time to count a ballot box. It would then be able to give the average time to recount a ballot box.

This is not rocket science. It is basic common sense. But that sort of planning is beyond GECOM at this time.

This is why it should have hired a professional accounting firm to also conduct the count. The Chairperson should have

done this. But she has not, and the result is that she is straining the patience of a nation which is battling a deadly pandemic which has gone out of control.

The Chairperson of GECOM is becoming exasperating. With each passing day she is demonstrating why she does not belong within GECOM. She knows that this is her last public tenured employment.

She knows that after the recount is finished, she will never again be allowed to have any role in any future election.

The least she can do is to ensure that in her last public act for GECOM, before she is sent into retirement, she delivers a transparent and credible recount.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper)

Kaieteur News

PAGE 16

Sunday April 19, 2020

Prepare for a long haul: The storm is not fully formed

By Sir Ronald Sanders

C

OVID-19 is destroying the prosperity that several Caribbean countries anticipated at the beginning of 2020.

The growth projections by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) for Antigua and Barbuda of 6.5%; Dominica 4.9%, Dominican Republic, 4.7%; Grenada 4%; and St Kitts-Nevis 3.5%, evaporated overnight as COVID-19 walloped the economies of these countries.

By the end of March 2020, it was clear that all these economies would shrink significantly by the end of the first quarter of the

year, and that the second and third quarters would be no better.

Guyana's economy was on track to grow by a phenomenal 85.6% largely because of production and sales of newly discovered oil and gas resources. That growth is also unlikely to happen now as oil prices plummet amid reduced demands in a world that was largely shut down for weeks in March and April in attempts to curb COVID19's spread.

The political situation in Guyana, where results of a March 2 general elections are still not final and verified as credible, and the contraction of the economy by the effects of COVID-19, make the huge, projected growth very unlikely.

The Bahamas was already forecast to have negative growth of 0.6%, and Barbados, climbing out of a period of prolonged economic decline, was projected to grow by 1.3%.

The blows delivered to these economies, from the sudden and complete closure of the tourism industry, have further set back their prospects.

A meeting of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) on April 16, rightly looked to the International Financial Institutions (IFIs), particularly the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group (WBG) to access “assistance to meet the financial challenges arising from the

crisis”.

In the harsh reality of significantly reduced revenues and increased emergency costs to prevent and contain the coronavirus, many of these countries will find it extremely difficult to pay pensions and wages of their public service establishments.

They all need both an injection of money to help them meet budgetary costs over the next nine months at least, and a suspension of debt service payments to other governments and private lenders from whom they have borrowed.

But it is clear that the countries that control the levers of the global economy, including the decision-making bodies of the IMF, the WBG, and the Paris Club, have no intention of allowing suspension of debt owed by middleincome and high-income Caribbean countries, even though, the criteria is a false measurement of development and financial capability.

G20 Finance Ministers – the representatives of the world's richest nations – meeting on April 15, issued a communiqué that was long on words, but short on commitment to deliver on the needs of any but lowincome countries.

It is almost as if countries are being punished for better policies and economic performance.

The COVID-19 pandemic has once again highlighted not only

inequality between nations but, more i m p o r t a n t l y, t h e damaging consequences of an unjust economic order.

While rich nations will suffer unemployment and economic decline, they have all the resources to recover from these circumstances.

Developing countries – particularly small developing states – don't.

Globally, there is now the prospect of a serious debt crisis, and the Caribbean is engulfed in it. If the problem is not addressed, there will be more than $100 billion in capital outflows from developing economies.

That figure, calculated by reputable organisations, is nearly five times the level from 2008 when a global recession was started by the failures of major US banks.

At the end of the disastrous effects of the pandemic – whatever unpredictable shape that takes – small developing countries, for the most part, will be left poorer, highlyindebted and with little fiscal space, after debt servicing, to return to their growth projections in January 2020.

COVID-19 has created a storm much worse than any brutal hurricane that the Caribbean has ever suffered.

The G20 leaders said that they will do “whatever it takes” to stop companies and households in their countries from taking a heavy loss of income. But despite declaring that “global action, solidarity, and international cooperation, are more than

Sir Ronald Sanders ever necessary”, they have given no such undertaking to the countries outside their own nations, except to lowincome countries, which, in the Caribbean is Haiti.

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) on March 30, called for a $2.5 trillion coronavirus package for developing countries.

UNCTAD argued that this figure matches the sum of 0.7% of their Gross Domestic Product that developed countries had pledged to deliver over the last ten years but didn't.

Only five of them – all in Europe – fulfilled their undertaking.

UNCTAD detailed the use of the funds in three ways: a $1 trillion liquidity injection - a kind of helicopter money drop for those being left behind; a debt jubilee for distressed economies, including an immediate debt standstill on sovereign debt payments; and a Marshall Plan for health recovery, largely in the form of grants.

While every developing country should agitate for acceptance of the UNCTAD proposal, it would meet strong resistance from the most powerful nations.

Already, the IMF's board of directors was restrained by (continued on page 44)

Sunday April 19, 2020

PAGE 17

Kaieteur News

---Hinds’ Sight by Dr. David Hinds---

Seven weeks in the distance: We allow madness to overpower our sanity Today, I stay away from analysis and history. I speak today in tongues as they say in the African Spiritualist tradition. I speak without a script in the tradition of my ancestors. I let my memory roll back to where it all began for me on the shores of Africa and through the sordid middle passage. Thence to a little, humble home among a village of humble people—still humble.

It was from there that I learned of there and about the world of which it was a part.

It was there that I saw and learned of possibilities for change in the journey to freedom.

It was there that I learned to be independent—never to be a yes-man. It was there I learned to hold tightly to my No in the face of cowardly pressure. The Black Stalin in one of his epic calypsos says, “Ah live in a yes-man society, where all the No-men become the enemy.”

I hold tightly to the enemy status. I never knew then that one day, I would get a chance to speak with a voice louder than mine. But here I am, not bound and gagged by the false hope of the now.

These past seven weeks I have seen my country teeter on the brink—the brink of a strange but familiar place.

And here I am trying to make sense of it.

Some days it seems surreal. Other days it is as plain as a bright sunny day with no frills and pretensions—we just “deh.”

I think of the Caribbean civilization of which Guyana is integral. In one of his poems of resistance, Martin Carter speaks about the days “in the distance” The seventh week has passed since Guyanese voted at the country’s latest election—seven weeks in the distance. There is no officially declared winner although some Guyanese, backed by half the electorate, have pronounced on the outcome.

For these Guyanese, there is no dispute over the election—one contestant has won. Let’s do the victory lap and get down to the business of governing. For the last seven weeks we have seen how fragile our national pact is; we have really been functioning as two separate countries What does this have to do with me? I have no pedigree.

I come from the nigger yard of yesterday, to again borrow from Martin Carter. But I have a voice—a voice born in the particular chaos of postplantationhood. So, I raise it in defiance of correctness and predictability. I stated my

position after the first week.

Where others saw “victory,” I saw trouble.

While others fixed their gaze on March 4, I looked beyond to March 6. What I saw on March 6 told me all I wanted to know about where we were headed. Where others saw an open and close election, I saw a disputed election with consequences far beyond the ballot box. Where others wanted to save “democracy”, I wanted to save Guyana— from itself.

From that point, my mind has been fixated on how we can avoid the trouble.

Yes, I dared to suggest that we forego the “victory and defeat” outcome and embrace a solution that allows the country to step back from the brink and soberly contemplate its future—with intentionality.

At one level, I think the country heard me. But at another level, they didn’t want to hear me, especially the side that has already declared victory. There is a vocal, political madness that has consumed half the electorate, and my sense is that while the other side is less vocal, the political insanity is simmering in the background—just out of reach of the other side.

In the beginning, those for whom I was fair-minded once I was critical of the Coalition now yelled for me

to speak up on the elections’ impasse. I took my time and when I spoke, they did not like what I said; I did not say what they wanted me to say. I did not repeat the narrative of either side. I did not speak of rigging and democracy. I did not declare a winner. I said No, I will not be drawn into the street fight. I choose not to live for today only, but for tomorrow and the next day and the next day.

I have no regrets. They can drown my voice with the sound of fury. They can extract words from my phrases and sentences and spin their web of doubt and hate. Yet I will not bow.

To quote Martin Carter again and again—”No I will not still my voice/I have too much to claim.” I never dance to anybody’s drumbeat if it’s one that shatters hope and celebrates hopelessness. I learned that on that former plantation. I go back to that space of truth that was humanized by the sacrifices and imaginations of those who looked further than the chains that bound them in captivity.

I stop with this. As we are tugged by the waters which flow from the breach of March 2, we have only ourselves to blame if and when we “meet we meter.” We have choices which saner instincts could embrace. But we allow madness to

overpower our sanity. And forward we go. We shall see.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper) More of Dr. Hinds’

writings and commentaries can be found on his YouTube Channel Hinds’ Sight: Dr. David Hinds’ GuyanaCaribbean Politics and on his website www.guyanacaribbeanpolitics. news. Send comments to dhinds6106@aol.com

Dr David Hinds

PAGE 18

Sunday April 19, 2020

Kaieteur News

The case of the missing drivers It was a sunny Friday in February 1998, a typical day for 22-year-old taxi driver Davo Narine. His parents asked him to pay an electricity bill and so he left his home at about 14:00 hours to go to a Main Street, Georgetown office.

He told his parents that he was going to make his taxi rounds after paying the bill.

But Narine, of 193 Thomas Street, Kitty, never

returned home.

When he did not show up, his worried family began to search for him but to no avail.

The following day, they informed the police and ranks joined the search.

After three days, Narine’s car was found aback of the South Dakota Circuit, Timehri, after the family received an anonymous call which informed them that it was there.

The car had been stripped of its wheels, music system and battery. Scouring the area, detectives found the wheels and other missing parts from the vehicle.

Suspecting that Narine had been kidnapped, detectives tapped the family’s phone in case the kidnappers called to demand a ransom.

Meanwhile, detectives, family members and friends continued to search for

Narine.

The ransom call never came and the police were left with no leads or evidence to arrest anyone. Refusing to give up hope, relatives kept up the search for months.

They were still searching for Narine when another taxi driver was reported missing.

BLOOD ON CAR SEATS Kissoon Persaud, 47, disappeared on August 23, 1998 after leaving his Hadfield Street home for the Demico car park where he operated his taxi. His crashed vehicle, with blood on one of the seats, was found at the junction of the Soesdyke-Linden Highway shortly after. A sawn-off shot gun was also found in the car.

An intense search involving police, concerned citizens, relatives and even tracker dogs was launched for the missing man. But Kissoon was not found.

Then in September, a woman informed police that a male relative of hers, who was also a taxi driver, had been missing since August 20, 1998.

She identified the missing man as 31-year-old Leroy Mentis, called ‘Tony’ or ‘Dougla.’

The woman urged detectives to seek assistance from the Guyana Defence Force to solve the mystery and find the other missing taxi drivers.

According to the woman, Mentis had left his home at around 09:30 hrs for his base at the Georgetown Hospital car park on Thomas Street and was not seen since.

It was reported that his car was found abandoned at the back of Friendship Village, East Bank Demerara with the license plates changed.

Relatives, friends and police searched for the missing taxi drivers day after day. Police began to wonder whether one gang was behind the disappearance of

all three drivers.

As investigations continued, police thought that they got a breakthrough in the case when, in mid-September 1998, a taxi driver came to them with a bizarre story.

The driver, 20-year-old Haimwant Ramkissoon alleged that he was driving near Linden when a man, who was in a police uniform complete with beret, stopped him and asked to see his documents.

Ramkissoon claimed that the ‘policeman’ ordered him out of the car and he then saw a woman and two men approaching.

The driver said that the ‘policeman’ then sprayed something in his eyes that made him drowsy.

Ramkissoon said that he was blindfolded and his hands were tied behind his back.

He said that his abductors pushed him in a vehicle and drove for about 15 minutes.

They then stopped the vehicle and robbed him of his valuables.

Shortly after, he said, he was ‘chucked’ up a flight of stairs at which time he heard a male voice pleading to go home.

According to Ramkissoon, someone broke a bottle and the voice stopped.

He said during the time he was held hostage he heard several voices arguing about cars and about what to do with him.

According to Ramkissoon, after three days, the kidnappers, who had kept him blindfolded, drove him to a deserted area and left him there.

When he thought it was safe, he took off his blindfold

and sought help.

Ramkissoon’s damaged car was found at the Ruimveldt Industrial Site.

His police report offered a glimmer of hope to the relatives of the missing taxi drivers.

Police conducted searches in the area where Ramkissoon claimed the kidnappers had left him, but found no clues.

By then, investigators had begun to question several suspects in the kidnapping.

Relatives of the three missing men were offered a bit more hope when a wanted man who was the prime suspect in the kidnappings was apprehended in Suriname.

The suspect was a young prisoner, who had escaped from the Camp Street Prison while serving a 12-year term for armed robbery and murder.

The fugitive, along with two women, was arrested in Suriname for crimes that were committed in the former Dutch colony.

SKELETON FOUND The two-month search for Kissoon Persaud ended tragically on October 1, 1998 when his skeleton was found in a sand-pit near the Soesdyke/Linden Highway.

The remains were found at around midday about 400 yards off the Soesdyke/ Linden Highway on the northern side, approximately one and a half miles from the Soesdyke junction.

Kissoon’s wife, Lilawatie, who had spent many agonising hours searching for her husband, identified the remains by a gold tooth on the left side of his jaw, a wrist watch which was found partially buried in the sand some distance from the skeleton, his belt and one of his shoes.

The woman had also recognised her husband’s shirt which was also nearby, although it was quite faded from exposure to the elements. An autopsy revealed that he had been shot.

Kissoon Persaud’s wife had said that the man who was arrested in Suriname confessed to shooting her husband.

Soon after, two men were charged with Kissoon Persaud’s murder.

Their Preliminary Inquiry (PI) commenced at the Providence Magistrate’s Court.

The matter was subsequently dismissed Continued on page 19

Sunday April 19, 2020

PAGE 19

Kaieteur News

==THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN==

Eusi Kwayana: Edward Said on Sartre Trying to understand the human mind is a Sisyphean task. The mind is basically fathomless. I still think that the book “Orientalism” by the phenomenally bright Palestinian philosopher, Edward Said, is the best I have read in understanding how the colonizer was successful in painting the colonized as culturally inferior, and getting the colonized to actually believe that false narrative, as well as getting the colonized to judge culture from through the eyes of the colonizer.

Strangely enough, for a man who so brilliantly exposed how colonialism implants its own aesthetic values on the non-white races of the world, Said himself used those very values he condemned in his philosophical works. Said in his essay for the London Review of Books (“My Encounter With Sartre,” volume 22, number 11, June 2000) wrote rudely of people’s physical appearance. He described of one of philosophy’s greatest thinkers (Jean Paul Sartre) as ugly and Sartre’s personal assistant as unattractive.

Said was deeply chagrined that Sartre had invited him to a scholarly workshop to discuss Egyptian president, Anwar Sadat’s recognition of Israel and what prospects for Middle East peace that initiative held and what Sartre turned out to be. Said wrote that he was ecstatic to have received an invitation from the great man himself. So even though the conference

was important to him, as a member of the Palestine National Council, he, Said was just enthralled at meting and talking to Sartre.

Said wrote that Sartre spoke not one word on the suffering of the Palestinians, and his aide did not include the subject as a topic on the meeting’s agenda. Said intoned that he could not believe this was the man who championed the cause of the Algerians, the Vietnamese, and the liberation of colonial people all over the world, and became an international hero for such causes. Then he observed; “I guess we need to understand why great old men are liable to succumb …to the grip of an unmodifiable political belief.”

This has been a long introduction to the comments that will follow on certain statements Eusi Kwayana made recently in the Stabroek News (Kwayana has a strange aversion to sending his letters to the Kaieteur News an issue I challenged him on, and will offer his reason in another column). When Said visited Sartre in France in 1979, Sartre was 73. Strange that you would find someone of the philosophical type like Said referring to a 73-year-old man as old.

Kwayana was 95 on April 4 this year. I will eschew Said’s use of the term old (which I find unacceptable) but feel inclined to ask this great Guyanese how he can reconcile his recent statements with the horrible series of depraved stratagems that are currently being used to rig the 2020

election in his country. That statement is in the form of a letter captioned; “There should be a tribunal into the several cases of brutality following the March 2 poll.”

The 2020 post-election violence took place on one day. In comparison with other episodes of post-election violence since and including 1992 (all of which were witnessed by this columnist), they were mild except for one life lost - a PPP supporter was shot by the police. The police accused him of trying to harm two ranks.

In that letter of March 26, Kwayana wrote; “The courts are occupied with what they consider and have judged to be petitions falling within their jurisdictions. And the litigants are entitled to have their days in court. All litigants have this right and in our own interest it is a right to be defended.”

To date, it has been six weeks since people’s right to cast their vote and have it counted in an open, free, fair and transparent manner has not been respected. Does Kwayana see the need for a tribunal to investigate this travesty?

In these six weeks, this country has seen repugnant, egregious, horrible perpetuations of election rigging that Eusi will be hard pressed to find parallels while he lived in Guyana. There are no attempts at cover-up.

There are no attempts at subtle tampering. There are no secret manouevres. But open, barefaced rigging that is taking place in full view of

The case of the missing drivers From page 18 because the prosecution did not have enough evidence to commit the men to the crime.

Meanwhile, police and relatives continued to search for the other missing taxi drivers.

Bones near the South Dakota Circuit In January 1999, some woodcutters were working in the forested area aback of the South Dakota Circuit when they came across some bones. They were not alarmed, but upon taking a closer look they realised that they were looking at the remains of a human. They quickly called the Timehri Police Station.

After months of hopeless searching, the Narines got a call from the police informing them of the discovery.

Narine’s father, Bob, went with the police to the scene where he identified the skeleton by some of the teeth.

He also identified a checkered shirt, a pair of jeans and a pair

of brown footwear near the remains. The father recalled that his son was wearing these same garments the day he disappeared.

Police confirmed that Narine had been shot once between the eyes, with the bullet exiting the back of his head.

The skeleton was found in the bushes about 200 feet from where Narine’s car was discovered.

“He had his ways…He used to do the taxi thing for fun,” Narine’s brother, Sham had recalled. “All de time we did searchin’, we never gave up hope that he was alive,” he added.

His brother believed that a particular gang was behind the kidnappings and killings.

He also reasoned that the people would kidnap the taxi drivers, kill them, and then use their cars to commit robberies.

According to Narine’s father, Bob, investigators went to Suriname to question the prime suspect, who

denied knowledge of the murders.

The suspect was eventually jailed for 30 years in Suriname over a shooting incident.

At the end of his sentence, he will be handed over to Guyanese police.

The question the Narines ask is: what was the motive for those brutal killings?

No one was ever charged with Davo Narine’s murder.

Meanwhile, the body of Leroy Mentis was never found.

If you have any information about these or any other unusual cases, please contact Kaieteur News by letter or telephone at our Lot 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown office. Our numbers are 22-58458, 2258465, 22-58473 and 2258491. You need not disclose your identity.

You can also contact Michael Jordan at his email a d d r e s s : kamarangnight@gmaill.com

the world.

What does Eusi have to say when an election commission, not just one of the contestants but the very election commission, is involved in the rigging? What does Eusi have to say when ballot boxes remain tamperfree because security cameras from nearby buildings are focused on them, but the

police want the cameras removed? How about a tribunal to investigate election rigging, Eusi?

Does Said have a point on the role of age on people’s thinking? I doubt it.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper)

Frederick Kissoon

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Sunday April 19, 2020

Kaieteur News

An interesting period is ahead While the nation waits for the recount process to begin, it is important to note the extent to which some of the so-called international

elections observers are biased, prejudiced and jaundiced in their opinions and interpretations of exactly what is transpiring in Guyana.

Take for example, former Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding who had headed the mission of the Organization of American

States (OAS), based in Washington.

In a very recent missive on Guyana’s elections, he had the personal and political audacity t o c a l l f o r t h e removal of persons from the process whom he thinks are biased and would do all in their power to compromise the recounting/audit process.

In doing so, he clearly, has his eyes on functionaries from the governing Coalition, whom he no doubt regards as a bunch of electoral thieves, as anti-democratic and hellbent on retaining power at all costs.

He never for one moment seemed to imply, as he should, that the biased, partial and openly jaundiced persons hovering around the process, trying to ensure that the recount is done in an atmosphere of confusion, would actually come from the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), its surrogates in the private sector and other affiliate groups.

Golding writes that Gecom and those in authority should ensure that ”those who have displayed partisan behaviour are excluded” from the process. What he does not know or seem to understand is that the Coalition, led by President David Granger, has basically taken a hands-off approach to the process so as to allow Gecom to do its work, undisturbed by politicos with agendas.

Had he been closely monitoring events in recent weeks, he would have noted that it is the PPP’s group of three commissioners who are the ones who are mortally afraid of an audit of what

exactly transpired on Monday March 2, 2020.

He attacked CEO Lowenfield’s PPP-inspired recommendation that the recount, as proposed by those very same PPP commissioners, would have taken 156 days, given the advice that they themselves had given to him.

When that was cast aside, the PPP came up with yet another bizarre and absurd plan for Gecom to have 20 workstations scattered all over the Conference Centre at Turkeyen.

Having 20 stations, some of them operating under tents on the lawns and on the hot concreted floo r s a t t h e Centre would be a recipe for disaster, and it is known that the Caricom monitoring group which has again been invited to be present, has expressed alarm at such a functionally idiotic work plan submitted by the PPP commissioners.

They are known to be reluctant to work in such an atmosphere and have told those concerned so, cognizant of the level of thuggery that the PPP, its surrogates and some international observers had displayed at the first attempt to declare a result.

Coalition Commissioner Mr. Vincent Alexander was correct in suggesting that the only thing that could result from 20 work stations in operation would be a mob situation similar to that that the PPP and its electoral observer friends staged at Ashmin’s building in the hours after polls had closed.

Twenty work stations, Mr. Alexander correctly argued,

would require the presence of hundreds of people in the compound, creating the kind of fertile ground and atmosphere for rigging and political trickery.

“This is a concern that I had raised on a number of occasions in making my own presentation because the calculations show if we are to have 20 workstations, we would have somewhere in the vicinity of 300 persons assembling, and it is my humble opinion that in the context of COVID-19, that you cannot have 300 people assembled in one place at this time,” Mr. Alexander told reporters.

“The contention, however, continues to be that in any of those circumstances of 20, the large number of persons in the compound, to me, would defeat the whole question of how we are trying to deal with COVID-19. That apart, I maintain the position that 20 stations in the compound lends to the mob situation that we were disposed to at the Ashmin’s building and we cannot repeat that, we have to learn from our experience.

Therefore, what we have to use is the building, where we can have greater control in terms of who attends what,” Alexander noted.”

There is little doubt that the PPP is not that happy with an audit of the voting as this could lay bare the extent of their shenanigans in many regions. Time will tell.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper)

Sunday April 19, 2020

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Kaieteur News

COVID-19, Technology and the Future of Work

By Elizabeth Morgan BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC Feature) – COVID-19 has brought me back to a subject, the future of work, which I wrote on in May and August 2019. With lockdowns across the world and social distancing, technology is playing a central role. We are participating in religious services and concerts online through live-streaming.

Pope Francis may have been speaking over the Easter holidays in a mostly empty St. Peter’s Basilica or St. Peter’s Square, but he was joined by thousands, if not millions, of persons through the internet and more traditional means such as television and radio.

In many ways, COVID-19 is accelerating the use of technology in our work and social activities.

In Geneva, Brussels, London, New York, Kingston, Georgetown and other cities across the world, many persons are now working from home using the internet and conducting local and international meetings through some form of teleconferencing.

Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and senior officials have increasingly resorted to more frequent use of teleconferencing.

We see services, such as medical consultations, physiotherapy sessions, and exercise classes, being provided through various internet applications. It seems that e-commerce has also increased significantly. Thus, COVID-19 is forcing many of us, including myself, to become much more familiar with technology and its various applications.

Working from home has

also raised again in Jamaica, and no doubt in other parts of the Caribbean, the question of flexible working hours.

Persons working from home, whether in the public or private sectors, are reported to be more productive and less stressed.

Of course, this requires further study.

In Jamaica, in 2014, the Employment (Flexible Work A r r a n g e m e n t ) (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act was adopted but is yet to be fully implemented. COVID19 is demonstrating that there could be merit in introducing some flexible working schedules where appropriate.

THE CHALLENGES IN THE CARIBBEAN While many developed countries have been using technology in the work place and have adopted flexible working hours, this is not the case in the Caribbean and other developing countries.

As usual, we are playing catch-up.

We have, however, improved over the last 12 years or so when Caribbean countries upgraded internet services and received teleconferencing equipment through a technical cooperation programme. The CARICOM Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) Special Session on Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) has, for many years, been looking at creating a Single ICT Space allowing for ICT harmonization and other legislative frame works in CARICOM. Increased use of ICT, it is said, would aid the realization of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Within the Caribbean, and especially in the public sector, it is necessary to ensure that institutions and employees have up-todate, well-maintained, equipment and are trained to use them. The service providers in the Caribbean also have to iron out all the kinks to provide a high quality service at a price which users can afford.

Let’s be honest, we are not actually receiving the best quality telephone and internet services from our principal providers. Security is an important issue as well and, of course, across the region cybersecurity policies and legislation have to be completed.

E-commerce, which is among the issues proposed for consideration in the World Trade Organization (WTO), needs to be properly addressed across CARICOM. This is where business is being conducted especially among Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

The use of technology is also changing how diplomacy is being conducted moving from face-to face meetings and very formal diplomatic notes and saving-telegrams to teleconferencing, emails, twitter, instagram, whatsapp, etc. There will, however, always be a place for the person to person contact, but diplomacy is clearly in the digital age.

The flexible working arrangements also need to be seriously examined for implementation. From what I am hearing, in this COVID period, it is being shown to be workable.

So, whether we are prepared or not, the future of work is here, as COVID-19 is

propelling us into the digital age and into the reform of working procedures.

Prime Minister Mottley has said that this could be the region’s time. Indeed, it could be its time to implement the

many proposals which are outstanding including on agriculture and food security, trade in services and ICT. (Elizabeth Morgan is a specialist in International

Trade Policy and International Politics. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper)

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Sunday April 19, 2020

Kaieteur News

Laying the foundation for reshaping the face of Guyana’s justice system (A review of David Granger’s The magistracy and the community: Easier access to justice for everyone, everywhere) David Granger’s book – The magistracy and the community: Easier access to justice for everyone everywhere – explains the essential service which magistrates’ courts provide. It makes a compelling case for enhancing the connection between the country’s communities and citizens and the criminal justice system.

This connection is not always obvious to citizens who have cause to visit a magistrate’s court. This level of court is often a citizen’s first contact with his or her country’s justice system.

The experience could be intimidating and exasperating. Citizens may often have to make multiple visits to the court in order to secure justice. Attending court may incur expense and involve extensive travel over long distances.

Magistrates’ Courts are

tasked with criminal jurisdiction for minor and non-indictable serious offences and preliminary enquires of indictable offences.

They hear claims, also, to determine cases relating to possession and rental of premises, for the recovery of petty debts and the maintenance and support of children and women. The system could be overwhelmed by sloth and encumbered by a backlog of cases.

The Modernization of Justice Improvement Programme, unearthed serious deficiencies in the country’s magistracy in its 2006 review. It found that: Access to justice – understood as the ability of people to exercise their rights or resolve their disputes through the justice system, without distinction

based on ethnicity, race, gender, or socioeconomic condition– remains a challenge in Guyana.

Access to justice is a benchmark of democratic governance, a necessity for equality before the law and a foundational principle of human rights law. Countries seeking to enhance access to justice have been inclined to place greater emphasis on ensuring systems of legal aid and on instituting alternative dispute settlements.

David Granger has a more holistic understanding of the concept. The Guyanese President undertakes a dissection of the concept in this book. He argues, convincingly, that equality before the law can exist only where all citizens, regardless of place of residence, have access to the law, its benefits and its protection.

Access to justice for him

is not merely a legal concept but one which can enhance citizens’ rights, ensure their participation in society, assure them of justice and improve the country’s economic environment. He goes on to assert that the right of every person to be heard in a court of summary jurisdiction is a basic right.

The State, for him, has an obligation to facilitate access to justice, including ensuring that no citizen has to travel long distances in order to access legal services. Access to justice, from this perspective, is meaningful only to the extent that citizens can access the legal services of the courts, regardless of where they live.

Guyana’s geography, topography and demography, however, present special challenges for access to justice.

Hinterland communities are often remote and located far from the administrative centres which provide such legal services.

An entrepreneur interested in establishing a business in Lethem in the Rupununi Region, for example, has had to make a 500 kilometres journey overland, by road and then by river in order to have the business registered in Anna Regina or Suddie in the Pomeroon-Supenaam Region.

A person residing in Kwakwani in the Upper

Demerara-Berbice Region, similarly, would have had to travel more than 200 km to access certain legal services in New Amsterdam in the East Berbice-Corentyne.

Guyana’s judiciary is independent under the country’s Constitution. It initiated projects to expand the number of magisterial districts and courts, prior to David Granger’s assumption to the Presidency in 2015. The President committed his Government’s continued support for efforts to extend access to justice across the country.

President Granger was invited to address the opening of new court houses and the launching of new magisterial districts – at Diamond-Golden Grove, Lethem and Linden.

These events afforded him the opportunity to emphasise the importance of access to justice as a central pillar in his country’s justice administration policy.

The construction of new magistrates’ courts and the establishment of additional magisterial districts, however, have their limitations. It will not be practical to construct enough courts to ensure that citizens would not have to travel long distances.

Guyana is not alone in grappling with this problem.

The justice administration, like most sectors, is subject

to the iron law of scarce resources.

Technology is providing a solution. Many countries are offering online legal services and remote access to justice. Guyana’s provincial justice system, still characterized by face-to-face contact and the longhand recording of evidence, needs the injection of technology to make the system more efficient and accessible.

Technology has a pivotal role to play in promoting access to justice. The use of technology to promote access to justice is a surprising oversight of this book.

David Granger’s support for expanding access to justice represents a significant paradigm shift in the country’s legal system. It will guarantee greater respect for citizen’s rights but will make the magistracy less intimidating and impersonal for the average citizen.

The magistracy and the community: Easier access to justice for everyone, everywhere is a perceptive work which lays the foundation for reshaping the face of Guyana’s justice system.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper)

Sunday April 19, 2020

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Kaieteur News

Coronavirus: Adapt to the new reality, this virus is not going anywhere soon

By Dr Zulfikar Bux Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine As we are beginning to understand more about the coronavirus (COVID-19) infection, it is becoming very obvious that this virus will be with us longer than any other outbreak we would have witnessed in our lifetime.

So what does this mean?

How do we cope with this new reality?

Today I’ll give my thoughts on how we may have to co-exist with this virus in the near future.

HOW LONG WILL THE COVID-19 OUTBREAK LAST? The best current answer to this question depends on how long it takes to get a cure or a vaccine developed for this virus. Experts have not been able to find a treatment that can cure this viral infection. However, they are making steady progress on developing a vaccine against it. We need to develop immunity to this virus and there are two main ways of

Our system will get overwhelmed and there will be too many sick people if we choose to move freely and not take preventative measures. Too many lives will be lost and it will be very difficult for the country to effectively recover from such a devastation. We all need to take steps to avoid coming into contact with this virus until there is a cure or a vaccine. doing that.

We can either let loose, expose ourselves to the infection and hope that we survive and become immune, or we wait on a vaccine to be developed that makes us immune to the virus. While the first option may be the shorter route, it has the potential to kill many and overwhelm the system very fast. The safest but longer option, is to take preventative measures and wait until a vaccine is available.

experts project that this may take about a year to 18 months. Even if a vaccine is available within a year, it will take time to reach Guyana. A vaccine needs to go through many unavoidable steps to ensure it doesn’t cause harm when given. These steps cannot be skipped and will take about 10-12 months to be completed. After that, the vaccine will have to be mass produced to meet the needs of the world. By the time it reaches Guyana, it could be late 2021.

HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO HAVEA VACCINE?

SO WHAT CAN WE DO IN THE MEANTIME?

While there is a race to get a vaccine out for COVID-19,

If we take preventative measures and stay at home,

wear a mask if we need to go out for necessity, and we practice good hygiene, we may be able to prevent massive devastation in Guyana.

We can shape our destiny by avoiding the virus. As long as the virus persists somewhere, there’s a chance that one infected person will reignite fresh sparks in places that have already extinguished their fires.

Going head-on with it by allowing free movement of people is a recipe for disaster.

This virus loves when people interact with each other. It needs us to spread and we allow it to do that when we socialize or come close to each other.

SO WE PRACTICE SOCIAL DISTANCING FOR THE NEXT 18 MONTHS? While this is the ideal way to prevent spread, it may be unrealistic given our need to socialize and work to survive.

For now, we need to continue the measures that are in place.

It is highly unlikely that we may be able to return to normalcy in early May. There may be need for it to be extended for at least another month. If it works and the infection slows down, it may be enough for us to slowly ease the restrictions while we ramp up testing and mask wearing.

Dr. Zulfikar Bux The more we test, the more we know what’s going on with the virus, and we will be better equipped to make more informed decisions about restrictions. But as the status quo returns, so too will the virus.

We will all need to wear masks when we are out to minimize spread, and as soon as there is evidence of a surge in the infection, we will have to return to restriction mode.

We may have to continue this cycle until there is a cure or a vaccine available later next year.

We need to accept this new reality and adapt to it fast. The faster we react, the better it will be for us. We control our destiny, not the coronavirus. Let’s be responsible citizens and unite for the greater good of us all.

Let’s beat this virus; stay home, wear a mask and practice good hygiene!

PAGE 24

Sunday April 19, 2020

Kaieteur News

SUNDAY The home the couple shared.

DR. MANGAL SAYS… GRANGER’S INACTION TO REMEDYATTEMPTS TO RIG THE 2020 ELECTIONS IS TROUBLING -SAYS COUNTRY IS NOW ON THE BRINK OF DISASTER When he first started to critique the coalition administration, Petroleum Consultant and former Presidential Advisor, Dr. Jan Mangal, was often in high praise of the Head of State, David A. Granger. But since the elections took place on March 2 along with ensuing events, Dr. Mangal seems convinced that Granger has shown Guyanese a new side of him that has perhaps poisoned initial perceptions that he was a man who stood for transparency and accountability.

In an invited comment, Dr. Mangal said he always recognised the positive steps taken by Granger with respect to some oil and gas issues such as the release of the oil contracts and stopping the wastage of US$500 million of taxpayers’ money on an illconceived project in Berbice, etc. Dr. Mangal said that he still sees these as positives and felt Granger and this government had a unique opportunity to transform Guyana.

The international consultant said, however, that the actions of the government in the weeks after the election have shown him a different side of the President. Dr. Mangal was keen to note that the President is responsible for his government and the wellbeing of the nation. He said, “…So with this responsibility, why has the President not stepped in to stop the rigging of the election in the first week, or even the second week? I say rigging because I see the Guyana Elections Commission’s (GECOM) anomalous tabulation of the Region Four votes as rigging.

And I do not seem to be alone.” In this regard, he recalled that several independent parties and international observers from the Carter Center, CARICOM, and the Organization of American States, as well Ambassadors and High Commissioners from the US, UK and Canada, were disgusted by the blatant deviations of GECOM with respect to tabulating the Region Four votes.

Dr. Mangal said that indeed, the rigging of elections can make countries explode and burn, and it usually retards their growth for decades.

The

Suspected killer: Suraj Veersammy international consultant, moreover, questioned, “Why has President Granger not stepped in to bring Guyana back from the brink of disaster?” Further to this, the former Presidential Advisor stressed that this is not about legal games, constitutional hide and seek, and/or whether one can follow a rabbit hole to steal time, such as what took place with the legal challenges that followed the No-Confidence Motion.

MORE THAN 50 CREWMEN ON SBM VESSEL IN BRAZIL TEST POSITIVE FOR CORONAVIRUS – EXXONMOBIL ASSURES SCREENING MEASURES IN PLACE FOR GUYANA SBM Offshore, a Dutchbased company that provides Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels as well as mooring systems throughout the world, had reported last week that it was forced to remove some of its crewmen from a vessel in one of its operating territories as they exhibited symptoms related to the coronavirus. After several tests were carried out, it was confirmed that the crewmen were positive COVID-19 cases.

While SBM was tightlipped about how many men fell ill and where they operated, several international online media agencies were able to ascertain that more than 50 SBM workers tested positive for the virus.

Norwegian based news site, Upstream Online, for example, reported that at least 53 crew members on an SBM FPSO in Brazil are infected while 29 have been quarantined in a hotel.

One informed contractor source told Upstream that SBM plans to do a progressive shutdown of the unit followed by a complete sanitization operation.

Upon noting same,

Kaieteur News made contact with ExxonMobil’s Public Affairs Advisor, Janelle Persaud, regarding measures in place for Guyana and if screening was done for SBM officials who are also operating on the Liza Destiny, the country’s first FPSO that is producing and storing oil from the Liza Phase One Project in the Stabroek Block.

Persaud said, “We have had a process in place to screen workers before going offshore for several weeks now. The workers on our main vessels have been offshore for more than two weeks. We have measures in place to monitor all workers so everyone remains safe and healthy.”

Kaieteur News would have reported on Friday that the Dutch company, which is completing the construction of Guyana’s second oil storage vessel, the Liza Unity, has been forced to make several adjustments to its work plan in light of the effects of the novel coronavirus.

CABINET OF MINISTERS IS OPERATING – NAGAMOOTOO INSISTS …MINISTERS STOPPED OPERATING SINCE ELECTIONS DAY – ATTORNEY-AT-LAW DATADIN Despite the March 2, 2020 election, after which there should be no ministers operating until a new government is sworn, it appears that nothing has changed.

On Saturday, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo made it clear that his services have not been dispensed with and he was appointed as head of the National Task Force on COVID-19.

He is continued to be

referred to as the Prime Minister with Volda Lawrence also still holding on to her title of Minister of Public Health.

She has been holding regular press conferences to update the nation about the local COVID-19 situation.

But the issue of the Ministers still holding their positions has sparked legal questions by attorney-at-law Sanjeev Datadin.

Datadin, a candidate also for the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), made it clear that the there could have been no ministers after March 2.

The only man standing after elections day would have been President David Granger, who is holding on until the swearing in of a president, in keeping with the Constitution.

There have been questions by the Opposition and one viewer of a live press conference for COVID-19 Saturday asking pointedly if there was a Prime Minister.

According to Nagamootoo, he has been appointed by the Executive President of Guyana and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, David Granger.

Commander Appoints “He is the leader constitutionally of this country, and if he appoints me, he is the only one who could disappoint me. I am not aware that he has dispensed with the service of the Prime Minister of the Cooperative of Republic of Guyana.”

Nagamootoo said that he is not aware that Granger cannot appoint an executive for a period during a disaster or delegate responsibilities to someone who has served as a Prime Minister and who “is the Prime Minister and whose services has not been dispensed with”.

Nagamootoo said that it is in that capacity he serve- and not with any “pomposity” or “arrogance”.

“I am doing this because I am called up to discharge a patriotic duty, to help with the protection of the health of the people.”

MONDAY COVID-19 FALLOUT…IDB PREDICTS REGION WILL SUFFER ECONOMIC SHOCK OF HISTORIC PROPORTIONS – PROPOSES HELP TO VULNERABLE HOUSEHOLDS, INCENTIVES TO BUSINESSES In light of the sharp contraction that will result from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has proposed several economic policies which can be used by its borrowing members to cushion the effects.

The policies are outlined in its 2020 Latin American and Caribbean Macroeconomic Report which was coordinated by Victoria Nuguer, IDB’s Research Economist, and Andrew Powell, Principal Advisor in the IDB’s Research Department (RES).

The report which analyzes growth scenarios amid coronavirus pandemic, notes that Latin America and the Caribbean will see sharp growth reductions between -1.8 percent and -5.5 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2020.

The financial institution noted that the economic damage will carry into 2021 and 2022 unless governments implement well-focused programs to offset the impacts.

The report includes four external shock scenarios:

moderate, strong, severe and extreme. The severe scenario would imply a 12.2 percent loss of the region’s GDP over three years and the extreme scenario would mean a loss of 14.4 percent.

According to the IDB, the use of scenarios rather than a single growth number estimate is to help policymakers better grasp the profound uncertainties and unprecedented nature of the pandemic.

Currently, the financial institution said that the risks are skewed towards the lower end of the range.

In his invited comment, IDB Chief Economist, Eric Parrado said that the region will suffer an economic shock of historic proportions.

Parrado said that countries should be saving lives by ensuring social distancing and providing their health sectors with adequate resources. The Chief Economist also said that complementary and temporary economic interventions can support economies during the partial, organized shut-downs.

Parrado said: “We need to preserve the core of our economies to improve the chances of a quick rebound.

Providing relief to those more vulnerable households that have lost their sources of income, helping and giving incentives to firms to reduce liquidations and avoid separation from their employees, and extending liquidity to banks so they be part of the solution, can all work in that direction.”

BODY IN BARREL IDENTIFIEDAS VENEZUELAN WOMAN… LOVER NABBED NEAR CANJE BRIDGE DENIES KILLING HER The man who lived with the woman whose (Continued on page 25)

Sunday April 19, 2020

From page 24 decomposed and battered body was found stuffed in a blue barrel on Saturday, was Sunday morning captured by cops in the vicinity of the Canje Bridge, East Berbice.

Suraj Veersammy called Radesh, 30, a labourer, is presently in police custody but has since denied killing his partner.

There were reports that he had injuries to his body.

A senior police source disclosed that Veersammy is claiming that when he returned home from work a few days ago he could not find her.

It was on Saturday morning that a cane harvester, of Belvedere, awoke to an unbearable stench which led him to the discovery of a body tucked in a blue barrel that was in a trench located opposite his home.

While no one at that time

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Kaieteur News

could identify who the female was, villagers had suspected that it may have been a woman that recently moved in with her male partner, now identified as Veersammy.

They were living a street away from where the barrel was found.

Neighbours had recalled seeing a blue barrel in the yard of the property the couple lived in but that barrel nor the couple were seen in days.

Kaieteur News was told that the couple had frequent fights that turned physical.

Veersammy worked at a local poultry outlet and was last seen by one of the employers Saturday afternoon.

He reportedly showed up to uplift wages. According to one of the employers: “We sent him home Wednesday and Thursday he came back and told us that his wife dead

at the hospital and that he want borrow $5,000 and that he will take it out his pay and that his mother taking over the dead.”

The employer further disclosed”: “He came back Saturday around 1pm to collect the rest of his pay which was just $1,000. That was before the police came and let us know what happen.

He said he come collect his pay and that he gotta go 63 (beach) for the funeral and that the hearse left already.”

That information was given to the police, the employer said. Veersammy was not heard from or seen since.

QUESTIONS RAISED OVER OCEAN VIEW HOTELAS COVID-19 HOSPITAL There are growing questions now over the

decision by authorities to use the Ocean View International Hotel as a quarantine facility for COVID-19 patients.

On April 4th, head of the National COVID-19 Task Force, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo announced that Ocean View was among buildings to be used as facilities for the incubation, isolation and quarantine of persons infected with the novel Coronavirus (COVID19).

Taking into consideration that the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) projects that by early May, Guyana will be dealing with 20,000 cases of COVID-19, the Task Force acted on a suggestion for a specialty health facility.

Since this announcement, works have already commenced at the Ocean View Hotel located at

Liliendaal, located along the seawall, obliquely north-west of the MovieTowne mall.

From reports received, Government will need to expend a hefty sum to make the old hotel hospitable for COVID-19 patients since the facility has been closed for a while.

On social media, it was suggested that other private health facilities could have been approached with negotiations done in a hurry with even the recently upgraded doctors’ quarters used.

The Ministry of Public Health had made it clear that it was finding it hard to find suitable places to use in a hurry for quarantine and isolation areas for COVID-19.

However, one private citizen, Robbie Rambarran, who questioned the logics of the choice of Ocean View, asked about the arrangement between the owner and government, and for details of the financial arrangements including the expenditure of works being done, and about “the real owner of the said property and what is the cost of the rental?” During a press conference on COVID-19 on Saturday, Nagamootoo was asked whether the Task Force will be approaching Central Government for funding.

He did not know the immediately details of where the money is coming from and how much it will cost, but admitted that it is going to see a major allocation of funds from Central Government.

He said that the Cabinet Conference has been briefed on the arrangements but the matters would be engaging the subject ministers including the Ministry of Finance. Nagamootoo said: “I would not think of a situation where you are doing a major project and this has not been coordinated.”

TUESDAY ECONOMIC EFFECTS OF COVID-19…

GUYANACOULD LOSE US$1.4B IN OIL EXPORTS - IDB Earlier this year, the

coalition government was able to lock in a sale of one million barrels of Guyana’s oil at US$55 a barrel. That sale was executed with Shell Western Supply and Trading Limited (SWSTL) which is based in Barbados. But with four more sales to go, it is highly unlikely that the government will be able to rake in more profits, especially the kind that was projected before the market was plunged into economic turmoil because of the coronavirus.

As a result of the COVID19 pandemic, demand for oil has declined to unprecedented levels and the recently concluded oil price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia inflicted its fair share of damage as the latter flooded the market with its cheap oil. Considering this, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) anticipates that the government will experience a 40 to 60 percent decline in the estimated value of its oil exports.

The financial institution specifically said, “The government is expected to make four more sales in 2020, potentially at much lower prices. Under oil price scenarios varying between US$ 20/barrel and US$ 35/ barrel, the estimated value of oil exports (US$ 2.4billion ) could decline by 40% – 60%, leading to terms – of – trade effects affecting the GDP growth estimate.” Such a decline is equivalent to a loss of US$1.4B or $288B. To understand the significance of this loss, one only needs to remember that Guyana’s 2019 budget was US$1.5B. Further to this, the bank said that Guyana’s expected oil – related revenues, some US$230 million, could decline by 15 percent to 40 percent, which would be the main impact on Guyana from the oil price fall- out between Russia and Saudi.

On the other hand, the IDB said that some of these negative impacts could be offset by improvements in the price of gold, Guyana’s largest traditional export, (Continued on page 32)

Kaieteur News

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Sunday April 19, 2020

Tribute to the late reserve (GPM) Colonel,

(13 February 1943 - 7 April 2020)

John Percy Leon Lewis, MSM

By Colonel (Ret'd) Carl Morgan

I

t is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of my friend and former Deputy Commandant of The Guyana Peoples Militia (GPM), Colonel John Percy Lewis, MSM. John was a quiet and unassuming gentleman.

He was the longest serving reserve officer in Guyana with over 30 years of service.

John Lewis is the only r e s e r v e o ff i c e r t o become a full Colonel by moving up from a Reserve Subaltern in 1968. He was the o n l y reserve officer to b e awarded the Military Service M e d a l (MSM). His was not an honorary rank or honorary award. He was also awarded the Military Efficiency Medal when the reservists became eligible in 1986.

John Lewis attended St Stanislaus College where he was a keen sportsman representing the school at soccer, athletics and basketball. At Saints he acquired the nickname “Bugs�.

After graduating high school he studied at the University of the West Indies in Jamaica, where he qualified as a Civil Engineer earning a BSc. John returned to Guyana and joined the Demerara Bauxite C o mp an y ( D E M B A ) a s a n engineer. It was while there that he was encouraged by Major Arnold Godette to join G Company of 2 GDF. When the British Guiana Volunteer Force (BGVF) was disbanded in 1965, G Company at Linden was the only reserve unit to remain in existence. It became an independent reserve subunit under 2 GDF, which had been expanded into a regular battalion. Later it became 23 Air Defence Company in the GPM. John Lewis was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 1968 in G Company and was later promoted to Lieutenant.

John left the employment of DEMBA and moved to GRL/IDEAL Group of Companies.

There was no reserve unit in Georgetown, but he maintained a link with HQ 2 GDF. When Guyana became a Republic in 1970, John was instrumental in arranging to have the Coat of Arms of Guyana

When I was appointed Commandant GPM, there was a reorganisation of the reservists. The young and the fit were placed in the Mobile Reserve and divided into two rifle battalions, 21 and 22.

The Company at Linden was trained on Air Defence Weapons and designated 23 AD company.

The Rest Home receives a The donation from then GT&T CEO, Major General (Ret'd) Joseph G. Singh.

Colonel Lewis is on the right.

placed over the E11R emblem on the hand guard of the sword hilts.

He also had the swords re-nickel plated.

L a t e r, o v e r s e a s acquisitions of swords carried the proper Coat of Arms. John also arranged to nickel plate SLRs and other weapons for ceremonial use.

John then moved on to AINLIM where he was involved in the Tapir (locally

Tree Planting in Camp Seweyo. Lieutenant Colonel Lewis is third from the right.

man ufactur e d vehicle) project. Although no longer manufactured by AINLIM, these vehicles can still be seen operating on the Courantyne.

When the GPM was formed in 1976, John Lewis was already a Captain; he had attended Study Periods, etc. with the regulars. On formation of the GPM, he joined the growing list of citizens who enlisted. He attended weekend training camps at Seweyo, and together with Major Stuart Wishart, a former officer of the BGVF, took part in all the IRONWEED exercises at Tacama, commanding reservists. On Exercise GREENHEART in the Konawaruk area they were made battalion seconds in command to regular units.

the

Reg ional Reserve and the specialists, doctors, engineers, etc. were placed in the Specialist Corps to reinforce regular GDF specialist units.

John should have been part of this last group, but he insisted that, given his experience in the field, he wanted a rifle battalion. Major Lewis became CO 22nd Battalion.

Major John Lewis had the distinction of being selected as one of the Majors to carry, on a cushion, one of the late Preside n t Burnha m ' s decorati o n s during the march o f h i s

Veterans' Rest Home under Construction with representatives of the Royal Canadian Legion.

Colonel Lewis is on the left.

old e r reservists were placed in

funeral cortege through the streets of Georgetown.

At some stage the Force managed to arrange for John to attend a short course in the UK for British A recent Army Reserve photo of Officers Colonel Te r r i t o r i a l John A r m y Lewis Vo l u n t e e r Reserves (TAVR).

M a j o r Lewis became my advisor on civil engineering matters. He supervised the renovation and expansion of Camp Seweyo; including new buildings, the water and lighting systems, the rifle range and the two storied pavilion(including a gym equipped with improvised weights and other equipment) overlooking the sports field.

When we had to take part in the Joint Services Military Tattoo in 1976, John supervised the fabrication of a model helicopter, which was pulled on a cable between the stands. The model had fire crackers and smoke grenades attached, which were activated when 23 AD Company engaged it.

F o r t h e G P M ' s Te n t h Anniversary Torch Light Parade, John Lewis designed a torch made from bamboo with a rag soaking in kerosene in a hollow section. He had spares positioned at strategic points along the route to replace those that may go out - only a few did. GPM could not afford the battery-powered bulbs normally used by the GDF, thus the bamboo torches. No task was too difficult for Major Lewis. When Major Wishart, the other battalion commander, migrated to Jamaica, Major Lewis was made commander of the Mobile Reserve.

John was a fixture at weekend training and annual camps. He became a father figure t o t h e y o u n g reserve officers and was held in high regard b y t h e r e g u l a r officers who had contact with him. He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and when a regular officer, (continued on page 44)

Sunday April 19, 2020

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Kaieteur News

Death of a brother, a comrade and friend, Komal Chand

A

brave warrior of the trade union movement has fallen. Today I eulogise the memory of a brother, a comrade and friend, Komal Chand of the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers' Union (GAWU), as a champion among modern day trade unionists.

Whereas he was initially as s ociated w ith s ugar workers, he subsequently represented workers in the forestry and fishery sectors.

Chand was an indefatigable and memorable trade unionist whose service to this nation and its workers transcend over 45 years.

Three-quarters of this was in the sugar belt, where GAWU was one of two unions.

Komal left this earth holding the prestigious position of President-General of GAWU. A position that he earned through his activism over the years.

The trade union philosophy which informs the empowerment of

workers, and improvement of conditions of labour regardless of class, race or political persuasion is the fundamental factor which drives a true trade unionist.

Brother Chand may have associated predominantly for the most part of his career in the sugar belt and GAWU known for its affiliation as the labour arm of the People's Progressive Party (PPP).

He was among the few trade unionists who became an active politician serving in the highest decisionmaking forum of our land as a PPP Member of Parliament from 1992 unto the time of his death.

Komal also served as a Central Executive member of the PPP, having run for office and being elected on the floor. Such was his popularity and ability to climb both the labour and political ladders successfully. And though his political position may have at times impacted some of

his decisions, I am confident that he was in his heart a trade unionist first.

That being so, and guided by the trade union philosophy and fundamental principles of social justice, he would no doubt have been a better politician than many whom he served with and u n d e r. H e u n d e r s t o o d struggle. He understood people's needs, he understood the rank and file workers and the importance of trade unionism. He also equally understood the political power which GAWU offered the PPP. And the role that he had to play to reach the height he reached.

I would be a bold-faced pretender if I dared to declare that I believed and agreed with every action or position taken by him. I did not, but I hesitate not to say that I understood his predicament or limitations given the well-known political agenda that GAWU executed on behalf of the PPP.

In 1999 we parted ways when Komal led GAWU out of the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC).

This was after unarmed, peaceful workers of The Guyana Public Service Union were shot in front of the John Fernandes wharf, resulting in the GTUC issuing a strong condemnatory statement against the Janet Jagan government for breaking the sacred pledge that there would never be another incident of workers ever being shot down by the State as occurred with the sugar workers in the Enmore protest of 1948.

This was a blow to trade union unity that culminated in those unions now under another federation opportunistically using the name of FITUG, but totally unrelated. This separation under different umbrellas, however, did not stop our brotherhood. I have never failed one day to lend my support to sugar workers in any of their struggles for

betterment, irrespective of the regime in power.

My brother, though not as supportive of bauxite workers during the PPP stewardship, however demonstrated, joined in solidarity of bauxite workers to pressure the current regime in relation to the impasse between the Guyana Bauxite and General Workers' Union (GB&GWU) and the Bauxite Company of Guyana Inc. (BCGI).

I understand the pressures he faced. I forgive him. I know where his heart truly rests.

Komal Chand was someone I could often rely on. As a young trade unionist, I recall him coming to my rescue as I sought to represent a grievance matter of workers who were misled into believing that the GB&GWU had sold them out. This occurred during a strike of the original, non PPP-controlled Federation of Independent Trades Union (FITUG)-affiliated

unions in 1989 following a seven-week resistance strike to the Economic Recovery Program (ERP) then dubbed empty rice pot by then political Opposition WPA and the PPP. At a meeting with unions in solidarity in Georgetown, a decision was taken to end the strike due to the fact that the bauxite unions successfully negotiated with the management of GUYMINE, a package which included a percentage of bauxite assigned to purchase essential food items for workers employed in the bauxite industry.

On returning to Linden, however, to advise the bauxite workers of the breakthrough achieved on their behalf, workers were met by a hostile workforce identifying their leaders as sell-out. We subsequently learned at a meeting held at the church hall, they were deliberately misled by a prominent section of the (continued on page 29)

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Sunday April 19, 2020

Kaieteur News

Sunday April 19, 2020

g .. n i st es. e er tur t In rea C

PAGE 29

bat Bidentate yellow-eared

(Vampyressa bidens)

T

he bidentate yellow-eared bat ( Va m p y r e s s a bidens), is a bat species from South America. Formerly classified in the monotypic genus Vampyriscus, genetic analysis has shown that they instead belong within the same genus as other yelloweared bats.

Bidentate yellow-eared bats are a small species, measuring only five to six centimetres (2.0 to 2.4 in) in head-body length, and weighing about 12 grams (0.42 oz). Males are larger than females.

The fur is pale to dark brown over most of the body, becoming slightly paler on

the neck and shoulders, and fading to greyish on the underparts.

The face has two white stripes on each side, a broader one above the eyes, and a narrower, less distinct one, running along the cheek.

The borders and tragus of the ears, and also the margins of the nose-leaf, are bright yellow.

The bats have a short, broad, muzzle, with a prominent, spear-like, noseleaf.

The "bidentate" part of the name refers to the fact that there is normally only a single pair of incisors in the lower jaw, whereas all other

yellow-eared bats have two pairs. However, this is not true of all individuals, some of which do have two pairs of lower incisors like their relatives.

Bidentate yellow-eared bats are found through much of northern South America east of the Andes, including eastern Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, southern Venezuela, northern Bolivia and Brazil, and throughout the Guyanas.

They inhabit lowland e v e rg r e e n f o r e s t s a n d swampland between 200 and 1,000 m (660 and 3,280 ft) elevation.

Bidentate yellow-eared bats are herbivorous, feeding

on fruit such as figs. They are nocturnal, but fly more often at dusk than they do

before dawn, and spend the day roosting in trees.

Females give birth to a

single young in the rainy season. There are no recognised subspecies.

Death of a brother, a comrade and friend...

From page 27 religious community who was active politically as an anti-government force desirous of seeing the strike continue and be used as a political tool.

Despite the decision made in Georgetown to call of the strike, Union leaders faced a challenge to actually address this with the workers in the highly charged environment created by weeks of strike actions and fueled by misinformation, creating divisions. It took speeches from the late Brothers Gordon Todd, Leslie Melville, and finally Komal Chand, who was best received by the irate crowd filling the GB&GWU's auditorium, compound and

the street in Linden.

Looking back at this bit of history, I can vividly recall Komal taking the microphone and saying to the workers “I am a PPP‌I will want to see this Government go and the PPP to take over, but this strike was never called for a removal of a Government, this strike was called to get a consequential adjustment to your benefits and the unions have done so, and it is time for implementation.â€?

Komal was able to use his cool, calm demeanour to reach out and calm bauxite workers. This was impressive. This was brother helping brother by standing in solidarity when the need was apparent. That moment

of showing brotherhood and support was a defining moment in our relationship for me. I learnt a valuable lesson that day as it relates to making collective decisions and having them implemented. And to my departed brother I say once again, thanks!

I also had opportunities to travel with Komal abroad on Trade Union activities.

We always bonded well. One memory comes readily to mind at a Caribbean Congress of Labour Conference in Barbados, where an apartment was made available to be occupied by Komal Chand, Nanda Gopaul, Christopher James and yours truly. I was the only proficient cook and

Komal quickly volunteered to be the under-chef helping to cut up the seasonings and so forth. I showed off my culinary skills and baked about six pounds of chicken, enough to satisfy everyone.

The meal was so good that somehow it was finished and when Christopher applied for his share he was met by bones. Komal and Gopaul were blaming each other over who ate out the chicken and left the bones.

Komal's defence was he was assigned the task to wash wares and cut up the seasoning, Christopher to clean up, Lincoln was to cook, and since the only person without an assignment was Gopaul, it had to be him, since he took

up the task of only eating.

There was a quick wit, a smart and humorous side of Komal that many may not know. I have seen his many sides and love him, nonetheless. He has left a legacy greater in stature, and sugar workers as well as the trade union movement will

miss this historical figure.

May his work provide inspiration, teaching and learning opportunities for our nation's workforce.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper)

Kaieteur News

PAGE 30

K O

BO

Book: Redlining a Holocaust, Memorials and the People of the AfroAtlantic: Woch Kase Woch Author: Dòwòti Désir Critic: Glenville Ashby. PhD 'Redlining a Holocaust' is a rigorously researched oeuvre that establishes Dòwòti Désir as one of the most important figures in contemporary African Thought.

'Redlining' is an imaginative and monumental undertaking, a literary, visual and oratorical journey (the author's words speak to us) that responds to the centuries-long genocide, impugnment and neglect of Africans (blacks) globally.

African historicity has

Sunday April 19, 2020

Curating the History of a People

been willfully undermined by spurious academia and wanton disinformation, Désir posits. Capturing the African experience demands more that accurate data collection. Geographic spaces freeze the Maafa (African Holocaust) in perpetuity. These spaces energetically hone in on the human senses on a psychic level, rendering the experience immutable and imprescriptible.

Spirited and rich with meaning, Désir is the consummate teacher, her savoir vivre unmistakable, her writing at times fittingly imbued with a kind of paroxysm that serves her well. She concedes that much: “Because I am a product of the Diaspora, and the Maafa is the foundation of my exploration, at times my fury, my writing is a

deeply personal matter.”

No one could previse the deracination of a people and the brutality that ensued.

Kantian and Hegelian philosophy was no more than a stalking-horse to justify the transatlantic slave trade. Further, there was hardly a push-back from the dominant religious establishment. It was an zeitgeist advanced without demur.

At the outset, Désir r e c o u n t s h e r Bildungsroman; and later, her intimately supernal journey into Haitian Vodou that shapes her interpretation of the African dynamic. Deft and detailed, she weaves mythology into African existentialism.

“African principles of community formation are related to how we work, struggle and build together in Vodou. It is related to familial structures as embodied in the Lwa, Kouzen Azaka (cousin Azaka) which underscores the merits of collective

living, and economic models, that encourage communal growth,” she writes.

“More importantly Vodou's creation myth tells us the sons of Mawu Lisa (the Almighty): Gu or Ogou and Dan (also Danballah, who is later joined with his female counterpart Ayida Hwedo) to hold and uplift our universe together. Ogou clears the land and makes it habitable for human beings.

That Dan's brother is the Lwa of justice is not an accident or coincidence.

Eco-theologies are connected to the ecologies of specific historical and geographic milieus.”

The shattering of this eco-theology was stark.

Désir expounds, “The total number of genocides committed in the 20th Century and the 21st Century (excluding democide) are not equal to the number of Africans killed during 4 centuries of slavery...An analogy that some may argue is temporally and ethically unfair, yet we have no way of comprehending what the depth and breadth of trauma on the global African person without making these comparisons.”

The call for reparations emerged out of this bitter reality, a subject that has perennially rankled detractors. On this matter, Désir avers, in the vein of other academicians that “monstrous misdeeds linger as what is morally inexpiable,” [and that] “reparations cannot be restricted to financial compensation; that there is a

uniqueness about genocide that tips the scale toward indelibility.”

Désir argues that “Imprescriptibility, the infallibility of time [is] a principle that is not simply a juridical issue but a moral, and mnemonic one as well.

She cites Martin Beck Matuštík who describes imprescriptibility in terms of the “unforgivable”, meaning, “the extended time limit exceeds only the passing away of finite time, [thereby] imbibing the sacred into international law.“ Désir adds, “Forgiveness of the unforgivable cannot be legislated, commanded, expected.” Thus, “the concerns of mnemonics, spatiality and the architectonics of spaces where histories are documented, nurtured, archived, and transmitted is critical not only in the context of the human mind, body and spirit, but these constructs must also be reflected in the built

environment.

Again, the issue of spatialization and the radial and multi-tiered reading of space, knowledge and memory are required to inform our humanity and to grasp how the Maafa dehumanized the African person” Of the searing implications of the African Holocaust, Désir notes, “Eco-theologies are connected to the ecologies of specific historical and geographic milieus. That land is a category of space upheld by the same spiritual force that equates it with agency is significant.

In the African world view, the sacred dynamics and interactions defining space include land (in part) because it supports, feeds and sustains community, it houses clean water, and hosts minerals and plants that enrich and heal community.

“More importantly our relationships to land are tied to the kinship structures of (continued on page 44)

Sunday April 19, 2020

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Sunday April 19, 2020

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From page 25 representing 56 percent of merchandise exports in 2018 based on Bank of Guyana statistics.

Similarly, the bank said that the oil import bill would also significantly decrease, representing approximately a fifth of expected oil exports in 2020. The bank was also keen to point out that key sectors of Guyana’s economy are susceptible to isolation and social distancing policies which the government has advised. In this regard, the bank said that Guyana’s wholesale and retail and transportation sectors make up approximately 11% and 13% of the economy, which are exposed to these risks. It said that the fall in the price of oil, along with the uncertainties related to the coronavirus could contribute to a reduction of the GDP. RYSTAD ENERGY SAYS… OFFSHORE DRILLERS TO LOSE OVER US$3B IN CONTRACT VALUE FROM 2020 TO 2021 The novel coronavirus as well as the recently concluded oil price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia have ravaged the global energy markets during the last two months. The effects were felt by many. But one of the most affected segments in the industry was offshore drilling says Rystad Energy. In its most recent impact analysis, Rystad Energy said that drillers will continue to feel more blows as it estimates that they will see up to 10% of their contract volumes cancelled in 2020 and 2021.

Rystad Energy said that this represents a combined loss of revenue totaling US$3 billion.

The estimated contract value in 2020–2021 is $30 billion in total; US$20 billion in 2020 and US$10 billion in 2021. So far, Rystad said that six rig years of contracts have been cancelled, translating to approximately US$400 million in contract value. Rystad said that these numbers will only increase as operators continue to slash capital expenditure budgets and delay projects.

Upon noting this finding, Rystad Energy’s Head of Offshore Rig Market Services, Oddmund Fore, said, “More than US$22 billion in contract value was wiped off the books as a result of contracts being cancelled between 2014 and 2017. Now, in the infancy of a new downturn, a market that was only beginning to return to a healthy level of contracting activity, contract volumes and day-rates has seen its hopes crushed.”

If anything was learned

from the previous financial crisis, Fore said it was that such struggles can be brutal and can last a long time. He added, “Alas, there are plenty of reasons to expect that the battle that lies ahead for drillers will be considerably tougher than the one fought to get through the previous down cycle.” The Rystad Official was also keen to note that even top drillers will be at risk of failing to meet debt payments and may need restructuring.

Of the 100 listed energy service companies analyzed

by Rystad Energy across the various service segments for this research, it was noted that more than two-thirds are unlikely to be able to meet their interest payment obligations on time this year.

According to Rystad’s analysis, many offshore drillers will be living on the edge in the coming months.

Furthermore, Rystad’s analysis also shows that offshore drillers and offshore vessel providers will generally be unable to pay their total outstanding debt of 2020 based on their cash flow from operating activities, unless they are able to make sufficient capital expenditure cuts. If this does not happen, Rystad said that these companies will have to turn to capital markets for refinancing.

ALLOWING MORE GUYANESE TO COME HOME COULD OVERWHELM HEALTHCARE SYSTEM – NAGAMOOTOO Leader of Guyana’s National COVID-19 Task Force Moses Nagamootoo said that the opening of Guyana’s airspace could see

as much as 5,000 Guyanese in the diaspora returning home, and that could overwhelm Guyana’s healthcare system.

Nagamootoo made this statement in the most recent edition of his Guyana Chronicle column, My Turn, following a Saturday press conference where he was questioned about government’s consideration of Guyanese who may be stranded overseas.

“Should the restriction be lifted, as is being advocated by some, Guyana could quickly have an inflow of between 2,000 and 5,000 persons. Possibly more,” Nagamootoo stated.

As a result of measures to curb the spread of the deadly virus, Guyana has closed its airspace, with the exception of certain special cases, until early May. While the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has granted special permission in the past for Guyanese abroad to return, Government is not willing to grant any more such concessions.

Nagamootoo said that “any relaxation of the strict containment measures could see a dramatic, over-night rise in both the infection rate and the number of deaths.”

This would be especially concerning, given that many Guyanese in the diaspora are residing in the US, the nation which is emerging as the new epicenter of the virus.

“Our first case was imported from Queens in the Big Apple, where already close to 40 Guyanese nationals have died. Among them are two well-known tycoons in the airline industry – Billy Braithwaite and Jim Bacchus,” Nagamootoo said.

He described the extent of the spread in the US in his

column: “In all, over 20,000 persons have died in the United States, out of which figure some 8,000 were from New York where a mass grave has been dug in the middle of Hartland Park. There, in makeshift boxes, would be buried the bodies of persons who have neither been identified nor claimed by their relatives.

In the United States, the confirmed cases have climbed close to 600,000 of which some 160,000 are from New York.”

WEDNESDAY CHINESE REFINERS GRAB UP GUYANA’S OIL FOR NEXT TO NOTHING – REPORT As a result of the novel coronavirus, all hopes of local authorities locking in approximately US$60 to US$40 a barrel for Guyana’s sweet, light crude have been dashed, leaving independent Chinese refiners with ample opportunity to grab up the new grade of oil for practically next to nothing.

In fact, Offshore Engineer Magazine, an international source of news and analysis, recently disclosed that Chinese refiners snapped up rare crude grades from the North Sea and Guyana at low prices. Both were sold at spot discounts of US$7.30 to $7.50 for July arrival.

Traders who spoke with the Offshore Engineer Magazine said, “These are absolute bargains and absolutely worth buy… It would be a pity not to pick up the cheap barrels.” It was also noted that independent refiners collectively account for a fifth of China’s crude imports and their purchases are restricted by quotas.

For China, Guyana’s

crude, which is a low-sulphur grade, is considered a good substitute to popular ones such as Russia’s ESPO crude and Brazil’s Lula crude, which were offered at comparatively higher spot differentials. (See link for more details: https:// w w w - o e d i g i t a l com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/ www.oedigital.com/amp/ news/477348-chineserefiners-buy-rare-north-seaguyana-crude-at-low-prices) Since the start of the year, S&P Global Inc. which provides financial information and analytics, said that oil prices plunged more than 50 percent. This was due to the coronavirus pandemic which greatly affected the demand for oil. The situation was also worsened when an oil price war ensued between Saudi Arabia and Russia, where the latter rejected a proposal for production cuts.

In retaliation, Saudi Arabia flooded the markets with its oil but at cheap prices, which further reduced the demand for crude sold by Russia to its key markets in Europe. By the time Russia buckled and agreed to Saudi’s proposal to cut production, the price of oil dropped below US$30 a barrel.

As a result of this, many oil companies and governments of producing countries have been plunged into a state of worry, as many projects that either started or were scheduled to start, had to be suspended, since they were only profitable at US$35 a barrel and upward.

MAN WHO CHOKES WIFEAND THREATENS TO PUSH HER HEAD INTO FIRE, STABBED TO DEATH 35-year-old miner of Big

Cannaballi, Barima, Waini River, North West District, was on Sunday stabbed to death, reportedly by his reputed wife, whom police said he choked and threatened to push her head into a fire.

The victim was identified as Clarence Williams also known as Clarence Millington.

The incident reportedly occurred at around 19:30 hrs on Sunday.

Kaieteur News was informed that Williams was under the influence of alcohol when he made the threats.

It was reported that prior to the stabbing, the victim dragged his 32-year-old reputed wife, out of church to prepare a meal for him. It was while preparing his meal that things turned sour.

According to a police report, the suspect was cleaning fish with a knife and Williams reportedly threatened to push her head into the fire.

An argument ensued between the two and Williams was said to have choked the woman.

The police report stated that the woman became “annoyed” that she was being choked and used the knife to stab Williams twice in the region of his groin. He was later found motionless in his bed.

The injured man was taken to the Kumaka District Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Sources close to the investigation revealed that the victim had three stab wounds to upper left leg, close to his groin.

The body is at the hospital’s mortuary awaiting a post mortem examination. A (Continued on page 33)

Sunday April 19, 2020

decision for the ballots in all ten regions to be recounted.”

Further, the OAS heavily criticized the proposal made by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM’)s Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield, where he estimated that the recount would last 156 days.

knife suspected to be the murder weapon was recovered from the crime scene. Police say the suspect was taken into custody and she is assisting with investigations.

A knife suspected to be the murder weapon was recovered from the crime scene. Police say the suspect was taken into custody and she is assisting with investigations.

COALITION GOVT. HIRES US PR FIRM TO “CHANGE NARRATIVE” ABOUT 2020 ELECTIONS

REGION TEN CONFIRMS SECOND COVID-19 CASE – FEMALE PATIENT, 29, TRANSFERRED TO DIAMOND DIAGNOSTIC CENTRE The Regional Health and Emergency Committee of Region Ten has confirmed that a second person from that region has been tested positive for COVID-19. The confirmation was given by Medical Superintendent (MS) of the Linden Hospital Complex, Dr Joseph London.

Dr. London disclosed that the 29-year-old woman is currently warded at Diamond Diagnostic Centre.

According to Dr. London, the woman had displayed mild symptoms of the disease.

She had complained of a sore throat, fever and cough at the initial stage of her examination.

The doctor said that the woman was treated and sent home where she was advised to isolate to protect herself and others.

However recognizing that the woman hails from the area that the first case was identified in Linden, Dr. London said a decision was taken by the hospital to conduct a COVID-19 test on her.

“The hospital took the samples off her on April 8 and we advised her that she should go in home isolation until the results came back.

When the results returned showing that she was positive, it was handed over to the Region and National Task Force, so that the required action could be taken,” the Linden Hospital MS said.

Dr London said that the woman was taken to hospital on Monday night.

“An ambulance from the hospital took the woman to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre, where she is currently admitted.”

He noted that the region continues to have an aggressive approach to the disease, stressing that all required protocols and actions are being taken as they seek to protect residents.

He also assured that the Regional Health Officer and his colleague at Wismar are

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continuing to meet frequently as they strategize and put the required systems in place to deal with the infectious disease.

“We are monitoring, we are evaluating, and we are keeping a close eye out as we recognize that we need to remain proactive so as to ensure that all remain safe within Region Ten,” the MS said, urging the public to remain vigilant.

“We are appealing to all, to remain at home, as it is the safest way to protect oneself, while we would like all to know that from a health position we are continuing to work to ensure that we safeguard the region as best as we can,” he assured.

THURSDAY INT’L SANCTIONS COULD LEAD TO ECONOMIC DECAY, DEATH OF BUSINESSES IN SIX MONTHS – DEODAT INDAR WARNS If the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) fails to ensure the results of the March 2 General and Regional Elections are credible then the sanctions that would follow from international counterparts would be devastating to Guyana’s economy. This is according to former head of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), Deodat Indar.

In his most recent analysis on this issue, Indar examined the economic implications that would ensue should Guyana find itself under undemocratic rule.

Indar noted that the sanctions would take a variety of forms.

Expounding in this regard, Indar said that sanctions could be placed on the President and his entire Cabinet, their families, and in some cases, close associates.

He said, too, that sanctions would befall the staff of the

Guyana Elections Commission, all political appointees and their families, members of the Guyana Police Force directly involved and complicit in enforcing the installation of an illegal government, members of the army who were involved, members of the Judiciary who were also complicit, and all other politically affiliated persons contributing to or enabling the establishment of an illegal government.

Along with the foregoing, Indar was keen to note that Guyana, under an illegal government, will become a pariah state, subject as a country to expulsion from the international and regional community.

Indar said that such exclusion would see Guyana being excluded from accessing finance from international funding agencies such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), the InterAmerican Development Bank (IADB) and other international banks.

The businessman continued, “Needless to say that this would drastically retard national development and severely damage the way of life of the Guyanese people.”

In addition to this, Indar said that sanctions would further manifest itself with global banks being issued instructions from the US Treasury Department’s enforcement arm, the Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC), to bar financial transactions from being routed through the USA. He said that other countries such as Canada, the United Kingdom, and the European Union member states would put similar arrangements in place to bar wire transfers from being routed through their registered banks and jurisdiction(s) which they

control.

OAS WANTS GECOM TO BAR “PARTISAN” OFFICIALS FROM RECOUNT – SAYS 156-DAY DURATION UNACCEPTABLE – US WANTS PROCESS COMPLETED ASAP The Organization of American States (OAS) Observer Mission has proposed the Guyana Elections Commission exclude “partisan” elements from the National Recount of Ballots from the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections.

Chief of the (OAS) Observation Mission, former Prime Minister of Jamaica, Bruce Golding, in a statement Wednesday conveyed his concerns that after more than six weeks, “an accurate and credible result” has not been determined to allow a duly elected government to assume office.

Golding relayed that this fact was “especially regrettable” in light of the COVID-19 pandemic “that requires every government to take decisive actions and to be able to command the confidence of its people in order to mobilize them in thwarting the spread of the virus.”

The Former Prime Minister opined that the current political crisis is not “intractable.”

“As the Mission had previously noted, the casting and counting of ballots on March 2 was conducted in a peaceful and transparent manner,” the statement highlighted.

What was needed was for the count from each polling station to be accurately tabulated and declared.

However, the OAS statement pointed out that “there is an abundance of evidence that this was not done in the case of Region 4 and this has led to the

The incumbent government, A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC), has contracted a US Lobbying Firm, JJ&B LLC with public funds in an attempt to defend its image to the international community.

The Coalition said that its reputation is being tarnished by the opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) through its public relations agent, Mercury Public Affairs.

The government has relentlessly insisted that condemnation from the international community of the controversial Region Four results tabulation has been orchestrated by the PPP and its public relations firm.

A series of documents were Wednesday seen online detailing the agreement between government and the firm entered into on March 31, 2020.

In one of the documents, filed under the US Foreign Agents Restriction Act, the Washington-based JJ&B LLC outlined that the firm will be “seeking to facilitate resolution of disputes regarding the recent presidential election in Guyana, and to improve relations between Guyana and the United States.”

The applicant was listed as Michael Granger, an US Investment Advisor.

Further, the document stated that, “in doing this, we will be contacting officials in the executive and legislative branches of the U.S. Government, as well as providing information to news media.”

The agreement outlined that the company was hired on a part-time basis and has been paid an initial retainer fee of US$40,000.

Additionally, government also submitted a 147 page Dossier “Guyana Elections 2020” to the firm which detailed its account of events that transpired from the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections onwards.

In that document, a selective chronology of events surrounding Guyana’s 2020 Elections was given and other forms of information the party

saw pertinent to be included.

Kaieteur News understands that the decision to hire the lobbying firm was reportedly taken after the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections fiasco which led to an intense call for international sanctions and the ex-communication of Guyana by the US, Britain, Canada, the Carter Centre, Organisation of American States and the Commonwealth.

The statements issued by the international community all urged the authorities to ensure that a government is not sworn into office on the basis of flawed results.

Director General of the Ministry of the Presidency, Retired Lt. Col. Joseph Harmon, defended the hire and relayed to this publication that “as a government, we have a duty to ensure our country is not portrayed as the PPP was trying to do.”

FRIDAY “CLEAR CONFLICT OF INTEREST” BY WORLD BANK IN RELATION TO CERTAIN EXXON-LINKED CONTRACTORS HERE, SAYS GERMAN HUMAN RIGHTSAGENCY – A VIOLATION OF THE BANK’S PROCUREMENT AND PUBLIC DISCLOSURE RULES – DIRECTORS’ IMMEDIATE INTERVENTION REQUIRED Urgewald, a German proenvironment organization, is calling for the immediate intervention of the World Bank’s Directors, as it relates to contracts the international institution is funding in Guyana. According to the non-governmental organization, some officials at the World Bank seem to be giving their blessings for certain ExxonMobil-linked contractors to grab up contracts that will determine what laws and policies would be used to regulate Guyana’s oil industry. Urgewald said that this is a clear conflict of interest, and therefore represents a violation of the Bank’s procurement and public disclosure rules.

In its letter to the World Bank’s directors, Urgewald said that at least two contractors cleared by the World Bank should have been disqualified due to conflict of interest.

Expounding further, the non-governmental organization reminded that the World Bank would have provided Guyana with (Continued on page 34)

PAGE 34

From page 34 US$20M to fund a Petroleum Resource and Management Project (P166730). Part of the Bank’s financial assistance targeted the drafting of new policies and laws, including the Local Content Policy and Petroleum Taxation and Fiscal Regulations. However, in a clear breach of legal and ethical standards, the NGO said that multiple contractors hired under the World Bank Project to draft these laws are linked to ExxonMobil, the developer of Guyana’s giant Stabroek offshore oil block.

In February 2019, the NGO reminded that the coalition administration had announced that an oil consultant, Mr. Michael Warner, was hired to finish the drafting of the new Local Content Policy which would apply to new oil projects’ requirements surrounding the participation of Guyanese labour, services and goods.

The organization noted that there was public criticism of the hiring of Mr. Warner, as he is the same contractor who was hired and paid by ExxonMobil to run the oil giant’s Local Content Centre for Development in Guyana.

Using reports that would have been produced by Kaieteur News, the Human Rights Organization told the World Bank that the hiring of Warner was further criticised because he has no track record of independently producing a local content policy for any country.

ITHACA MAN STABS WIFE TO DEATH, THEN TRIES TO KILL MOTHERIN-LAW, SELF The quiet village of

Sunday April 19, 2020

Kaieteur News

Ithaca, West Bank Berbice, was rocked Thursday by the brutal murder of a 23-year-old woman, reportedly at the hands the father of her two children. The man also injured the woman’s mother before attempting suicide.

The victim, an Ithaca resident, has been identified as Vanessa Benjamin, the mother of a four-year-old son and a one-year-old daughter.

She was employed as a cleaner at the recently opened Ithaca Day Care Centre.

The 24-year-old suspect resides in another village. He is said to have been unemployed for years, and would regularly abuse the young woman.

Reports are that the couple was involved in a heated argument when the man armed himself with a knife, and stabbed the woman multiple times. She was found lying in a trench next to her home. The enraged man also injured the woman’s mother, Debra Hannibal, stabbing her twice as she tried to intervene to assist her daughter.

The man then plunged the knife into the left side of his chest in an apparent attempt to commit suicide.

Benjamin was rushed to the Fort Wellington Public Hospital where she was pronounced dead on arrival.

Her mother and the suspect were transferred to the New Amsterdam Public Hospital.

Investigations are ongoing.

CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS LOOMS OVER NEW PARLIAMENT – BAR ASSOCIATION The pressure is continuing to mount on the

Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to hurry up and start a recount the ballots of the March 2nd General and Regional Elections.

Thursday, the Guyana Bar Association warned that the next session of Parliament is mandated to begin no later April 30, 2020, with the constitutional clock ticking.

It is likely that the recount and declarations would take more than two weeks, placing Guyana in yet more

uncharted waters.

According to the body, Article 69 of the Constitution of Guyana mandates that, on dissolution, the next session of Parliament must commence no later than four months from the end of the preceding session.

In fact, the Association says, the last session of Parliament was dissolved on December 30, 2019.

“The next session of Parliament must therefore

begin no later than April 30, 2020. It is in pursuance thereto, that the Bar Council of The Bar Association of Guyana calls on the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) inclusive of its Secretariat to do all acts and things necessary in the shortest possible time to ensure the accurate, credible and transparent declaration of the results of the General and Regional Elections held on March 2, 2020, so that the next session of Parliament can commence as constitutionally prescribed, that is, no later than April 30, 2020,” the entity explained in a statement.

The Bar Council made it clear that effect can only be given to the provisions of the Constitution for Parliament to be summoned by the constitutionally mandated timeline, if GECOM and its Secretariat act immediately in a manner e v i n c i n g t r a n s p a r e n c y, impartiality and fairness.

“Time is of the essence.

The Constitution of Guyana is the supreme law of Guyana to which all persons and bodies are subject. Timelines laid down by the Constitution are not merely matters of principle which one can simply choose to abide by or ignore. The failure to abide by the Constitution has farreaching consequences, both

nationally and internationally, inter alia for good governance and the rule of law.”

SATURDAY ELECTIONS 2020 – DAY 46…

GECOM CHAIR’S “DECISION” SAYS NOTHING – DECISION STILL TO BE MADE ON: • Precise number of counting stations to be used• Daily working hours for recount • Live-streaming of recount • Duration of recount • Start date for recount • Exclusion of controversial officials Saturday marked 18 days since the Full Court threw out the High Court injunctions blocking a national recount of the votes cast in last month’s elections. That means the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has had that number of days – to date – to plan and operationalise this recount.

Yet, it has failed to do so.

The Chair, Ret’d Justice Claudette Singh, was expected to communicate via email to Commissioners Friday, on day 46 of Elections 2020, putting a much needed end to weeks of argument at the level of the Commission over a multitude of issues.

The contents of the email correspondence she sent (Continued on page 35)

Sunday April 19, 2020

From page 34 out, forwarded to Kaieteur News by a Commissioner and regurgitated in a GECOM press release, did not even give clarity on the most pivotal argument the Commissioners have had in the past week, i.e., the number of counting stations.

Since April 8, Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield, presented a plan to the Commission for a recount to last 156 days. The Commissioners have, ever since, argued over whether it should be five, eight or 20 counting stations, after a public outcry communicated to GECOM that the three stations in Lowenfield’s initial proposal just couldn’t get the job done soon enough. The Commissioners could not find consensus.

The Chair said “that there should be no more than ten (10) workstations, subject to the availability of the requisite equipment and technology to display the ballots”.

The Chair also decided that each work station should tabulate its own results and that, for security reasons, all the workstations should be located inside the Arthur Chung Conference Centre Building.

All these decisions, Singh said, were made in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the requirements of social distancing.

Her email ended by saying that she has contacted Prime Minister and Chair of the National COVID-19 task force, Moses Nagamootoo, with some specific requests, and that he has since indicated that an urgent meeting of the task force would be convened to discuss same to provide a response shortly.

This is all that was said.

The Chair’s decision of “no more than ten (10) workstations” is ambiguous.

There is a general lack of clarity which was not lost on Opposition-nominated Commissioner Sase Gunraj.

He told Kaieteur News that the email was “scant on details and created more uncertainty”.

There were several other issues being discussed at the level of the Commission, and Gunraj has noted that decisions on those are outstanding.

These include, he said, the number of hours per day during which the recount will proceed, the live-streaming of the recount to ensure maximum transparency, and the extent of the process.

There was also no noted determination of the estimated duration of the recount, the most hotly

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discussed matter in the past week. Nor was there any word on when the public could expect the recount to begin.

Gunraj told Kaieteur News that, even as “the nation waited anxiously on the decision of the Chairman”, GECOM seems content to “drag this process and by extension, the anguish of the nation, beyond the extent of its patience”.

Calls to Governmentnominated Commissioners Vincent Alexander and Charles Corbin to solicit comments on the email correspondence were unsuccessful.

The People’s Progressive Party (PPP), a major stakeholder in the election, expressed in a statement its disappointment with the contents of the email sent out by the GECOM Chair.

“Unfortunately, the email addresses merely one of the many outstanding issues and even this singular issue [number of counting stations] is inadequately and incompetently addressed,” the party stated.

“This is absolutely unacceptable. This email has done nothing to advance the process and indeed, raises greater concerns for the future of the process.”

The PPP said that it will dispatch a letter to the Chair, detailing its concerns, and that a copy of same will be

published.

A joint statement was also issued by five political parties: A New and United Guyana (ANUG), Change Guyana (CG), Liberty and Justice Party (LJP), The New Movement (TNM) and the United Republican Party (URP).

I t n o t e d t h e C h a i r ’s statements and said that, instead of there being no more than ten, there should be “no less than 10” workstations.

Then, in the absence of information on the daily working hours of the recount – the parties suggested “two sessions of eight (8) hours each with one (1) break each for lunch and dinner”.

The parties also noted that the four-month Constitutional deadline for the convening of a new Parliament is set to pass on April 30 and urged GECOM to ensure the Constitution is not violated, in this regard.

“It cannot be consistent with good administration and the rule of law for more inordinate delay to continue to frustrate the desire of the Guyanese people for an early end to the elections process which started on March 2,” they stated.

“The results are now six weeks overdue and our partners in the international community, including the Commonwealth and the OAS have noted the delay and

urged a speedy resolution.”

Finally, the parties stated in light of developments during the tabulation of the Region Four results, that it is incumbent on GECOM to exclude the returning officer Clairmont Mingo and the staffers of the secretariat involved in the production of

the declarations.

This was also a key decision the Chair was expected to make, but was not communicated in her email.

Kaieteur News contacted GECOM’s Public Relations Officer, Yolanda Ward on Friday in an attempt to find answers to the many lingering

questions. Ward said, “Today’s decision was on one aspect of the plan. The Chairperson did not commit to a decision on the entire plan.”

She added that she will communicate any subsequent decisions on the plan to the public.

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Kaieteur News

Placing the Spotlight on Diabetic Eye Disease A vast majority of persons living in Guyana above the age of forty suffer from some form of elevated blood sugar or Diabetes Mellitus.

Additionally, a fraction of these have poor control over it, which leads to a number of issues, one being diseases affecting the eye and vision.

Diabetic eye disease is actually a group of conditions due to symptoms of diabetes.

These can take two major forms: 1. Diabetic retinopathywhich affects blood vessels in the retina (the light sensitive area that lines the back of the eye). It is the premier underlying cause of visual impairment and blindness in adults suffering from diabetes.

2. Diabetic macular edema or DME- this is a consequence of diabetic retinopathy, and is basically swelling in an area of the retina called the macula.

Diabetic eye disease also includes cataract and glaucoma.

What exactly causes diabetic retinopathy?

When blood sugar is chronically high from

diabetes mellitus, there is widespread damage to the tiny blood vessels in the body, including the retina, leading to what is known as diabetic retinopathy.

The retina works in the capacity to detect light and converting it to nervous impulses that are sent via the optic nerve to the brain.

Diabetic retinopathy can further lead to blood vessels in the retina to leak fluid or bleed after blood vessel destruction, thus enhancing the distortion of vision. When in the advanced stages, new abnormal blood vessels grow back and increase in number on the retina’s surface.

This leads to scarring and cell loss and thus further vision loss. It goes through four stages: · Mild non-proliferative retinopathy- This occurs when small areas in the blood vessels in the retina begin to swell and may leak fluid into the retina. · Moderate nonproliferative retinopathy. As there is progression, there is also swelling and distortion of the blood vessels that bring nutrients to the cells of

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Host of the show, Dr. Vindya Persaud Considering the importance of bringing accurate and updated information to the public on the novel Coronavirus, the Enetworks team will be hosting discussions on E1 at 4: 15PM. Every week, the host of the programme, Dr. Vindya Persaud, will engage various guests on the subject while providing you with useful data. Be sure to tune in.

the retina. This loss in ability to transport blood causes a characteristic change in the appearance of the retina and can lead to DME. · Severe non-proliferative retinopathyThe progression leads to many more blood vessels being blocked, preventing blood from reaching certain areas of the retina. These specific areas compensate for this by secreting compounds known as growth factors that stimulate the retina to grow new blood vessels. · Proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR)- At this stage, the growth factors secreted by the retina triggers the growth and multiplication of new blood vessels, which grow along the inside surface of the retina and into the vitreous gel, which is the fluid that fills the eye and gives it its shape.

These new blood vessels are very fragile, and are more likely to break and bleed. Scar tissue that has developed can contract and cause retinal detachment. This leads to permanent vision loss.

What is Diabetic Macular Edema (DME)?

DME occurs when there is a build-up of fluid in a part of the retina known as the macula. What makes the macula so important is the fact that it is necessary for the sharp, straight-ahead vision that is used for reading, facial recognition and driving.

A little known fact is that DME is the most common cause of vision loss among people with diabetic retinopathy.

Also, approximately half of all people with diabetic retinopathy will develop DME. It also occurs at any

stage but is more prominent in the latter stages.

What are the risk factors? · Diagnosis of either type1 or 2 diabetes. · Diagnosis of diabetes at an earlier age · Females are at a higher risk than men · Age 40 and above · Obesity · Hypertension · Pregnancy What are the symptoms of diabetic retinopathy and DME? The early stages of diabetic retinopathy are usually asymptomatic, notwithstanding symptoms of diabetes and some small amount of blurred vision that occurs on and off and is often confused as being normal eye shifts.

The illness usually gets worse and is not noticed until vision is constantly affected.

Due to bleeding of the retinal vessels, persons may complain of seeing numerous floating spots in their visual fields. These may dissipate but if not treated there is always a recurrence, thus increasing the risk of blindness.

If DME simultaneously occurs, it can lead to blurred vision.

How are diabetic retinopathy and DME detected?

The diagnosis of these two diseases must actually be done using a comprehensive dilated eye exam that includes each of the following components: 1. Visual acuity testingWe all know this as the eye chart test that measures how well a person sees at different distances.

2. Tonometry- This test is

done to measure the pressure inside of the eye.

3. Pupil dilation- When a specific type of drop is placed on the eye’s surface, it causes the pupils to widen, thus allowing a doctor to look at the retina and the optic nerve.

4. Optical coherence tomography (OCT)- As complex as the name sounds, the technique used is very similar to ultrasound but uses light waves instead of sound to capture images of body tissue. OCT helps to provide detailed images of tissues that can be penetrated by light, such as the eye.

If there are suspicions of DME or severe diabetic retinopathy, a fluorescein angiogram may be done to ascertain the presence of damaged or leaky blood vessels.

How can people with diabetes protect their vision?

Prevention is always better than cure, especially when the damages are irreversible as in the case of vision loss due to diabetic retinopathy.

It is important to detect the disease early so as to treat it early and because the early stages are so asymptomatic, everyone with diabetes should be screened or get a comprehensive dilated eye exam at least once yearly.

Of course, people diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy will need eye exams more frequently. Also, pregnant women with diabetes should have a comprehensive dilated eye exam as soon as possible.

How is DME treated?

DME can be treated using several different therapies.

These could be used solely or in conjunction with each

other. · Anti-VEGF Injection Therapy- These Anti-VEGF drugs are injected into the vitreous gel to block a protein called vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which can stimulate abnormal blood vessels to grow and leak fluid.

Thus by blocking VEGF, the growth of abnormal vessels could be reversed. Some of these include Avastin, Lucentis, and Eylea · Focal/grid macular laser surgery- In this form of surgery, just a few to hundreds of small laser burns are made to leaking blood vessels in areas where there is edema near the center of the macula. These laser burns for DME help to slow the leakage of fluid, reducing swelling in the retina. It is a one session procedure but some persons may need more than one. · Corticosteroids- These common drugs can either be injected or implanted into the eyeand may be used in solitude or in conjunction with other drugs or laser surgery. The Ozurdex (dexamethasone) implant is done for short-term use, while the Iluvien (fluocinoloneacetonide) implant is longer lasting.

How is proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) treated?

Laser surgery is the mainstay of treatment and it has been very successful given the fact that it has vastly remained unchanged for many decades.

The treatment involves making about 1,000 to 2,000 tiny laser burns in areas of the retina away from the macula.

These are done in an attempt to cause abnormal blood vessels to shrink.

Sunday April 19, 2020

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Home Entertainment...

Enetworks to air Emma tonight at 8PM Three of the tastiest Bacardi cocktails The Enetworks team is at your service again with another delightfully entertaining movie selection for you and the family tonight starting at 8PM. The movie called Emma is a 2020 British comedydrama film directed

by Autumn de Wilde, from a screenplay

by Eleanor Catton and is based on Jane Austen’s 1815 novel of the same name.

Its story follows Emma Woodhouse, a young woman who interferes in the love lives of her friends. It stars Anya TaylorJoy, Johnny Flynn, Josh O’Connor, Callum Turner, Mia Goth, Miranda Hart, and Bill Nighy.

The movie was released in the United Kingdom on 14 February 2020, and in the United States on 21 February 2020. It received generally favourable reviews from critics, and has grossed $25 million worldwide. Do enjoy.

NEW SHOW ALERT !!!

DOOM PATROL is the ultimate series on fabulously freaky superheroes

More than a hundred years later, Bacardi which is distributed by Ansa McAL, occupies a leading position in the world among manufacturers and exporters of alcoholic beverages.

In fact, this rum continues to be used by the best mixologists around the world to create some of the tastiest cocktails you would ever savour. Here are just three of them you can make to entertain your friends this Sunday. Enjoy.

1. PINA COLADA Drink invented pirate Roberto Cofresi. B 1820 he treated his team this cocktail, raising her fighting spirit. But after the death of Roberto recipe was lost. Only 1954 Caribbean, the bartender Romona Marrero managed to find the right proportions. On experiments he spent more 30 days.

Pina ColadaStructure: Bacardi white - 50 ml; Black Bacardi - 15 ml; pineapple juice - 100 ml; coconut syrup - 50 ml; lime juice - 2 teaspoons; pineapple - 80 gram;

By now, you’ve probably exhausted all the bingeworthy options on Netflix and you’re probably hunting for new and exciting shows to enjoy.

Well guys, look no further because the Enetworks team is at it again with another great selection. Every Thursday at 10 PM, the Enetworks family will be airing Doom Patrol.

For those who may not be familiar with this series, it tells

the story of a team of traumatized and downtrodden superheroes, each of whom has suffered a horrible accident that gave them superhuman abilities but also left them scarred and disfigured.

The members of the team have found their purpose through The Chief and have come together to investigate some of the world’s weirdest phenomena.

After The Chief

mysteriously disappears, though, the reluctant heroes find themselves called to action by Cyborg, who comes to them with a mission that they cannot refuse.

Doom Patrol — part support group, part superhero team — is a band of super powered freaks fighting for a world that wants nothing to do with them. It’s a rich and entertaining series that marries fantasy and reality perfectly. Do enjoy.

ice - 160 gram.

Preparation: Mix in a blender Bacardi rum, syrup, pineapple and juice Lama.

Add ice, then whip. Pour into a cocktail glass and garnish with a slice of pineapple.

2. MOJITO According to one version «Mojito» translated from the African language as a “little witchcraft”. The recipe appeared in 1942 year at Havana Bar, belonging to the family Martinez. Institution still works.

MojitoStructure: Bacardi white - 100 ml; soda (Sprite) - 200 ml; sugar syrup - 30 ml; mint - 15 leaves; lime - 1 thing; ice cubes - 500 gram.

Preparation: put mint in a glass, add the juice of one lime and sugar syrup. Then put several circles of lime and fill the glass with ice up to the top. Pour the rum and soda, mix gently. Garnish with a sprig of mint.

3. CUBA LIBRE In the literal translation “free Cuba”. Name appeared

in 1900 year, when an employee of the US Army Capt. Russell drinking in a bar in Havana your favorite cocktail, consisting of rum, lime juice and cola. By chance, he learned, drink that has no name.

Russell proposed to call it “Cuba Libre” in honor of the island’s independence from Spain. Now, this refreshing drink on a daily basis by millions of people.

Cuba LibreStructure: Bacardi Gold rum - 50 ml; Cola - 150 ml; ice cubes - 200 gram; lime - 40 gram.

Preparation: fill a tall glass with ice cubes, squeeze the juice into a quarter of lime.

Add rum and Coke and mix the cocktail spoon. Garnish with a few slices of lime.

(Be sure to transform your home entertainment activities with Sangster’s Cream Liqueur . Ansa McAL is also offering free delivery between Mahaica and Eccles so be sure to place your order with them by sending a WhatsApp message to 608-ANSA or calling 220-8877. )

Sunday April 19, 2020

Cuba reports highest recovery of COVID-19 patients in one day HAVANA, Cuba - CMC – The Director of Epidemiology and Hygiene in Cuba, Dr. Francisco Duran, yesterday reported that 35 persons have been healed from COVID-19 – the highest number in one day.

Based on this, 227 people have been cured from the virus.

According to Duran, in the past 24 hours, only one death has been reported for a total tally of 32 since the beginning of the outbreak 38 days ago.

In his daily press briefing on the situation of Covid-19 in Cuba, Duran said there are currently 725 patients hospitalized with the viral infection, of these 710 are progressing favourably, with 10 critical and 5 in serious condition.

There are 2,866 people admitted under strict

PAGE 41

Kaieteur News

Dr. Francisco Duran

clinical-epidemiological quarantine, and of these, 1,968 are suspected of the disease and are continuously tested.

In the past 24 hours, Cuban institutions carried

out 1,895 tests and 63 new positive cases were detected, for a cumulative total of 986 since the outbreak began in early March, for an infection rate of 3.9 per cent.

No new COVID-19 cases reported yesterday morning NEWSDAY - The latest information released by the Ministry of Health at 10 am yesterday said the number of samples, positive cases, deaths and number of people discharged have remained the same.

The Ministry of Health stated a total of 1,320 samples have been submitted to the Caribbean Public Health Agency for testing and 114 people were confirmed with being infected with the virus.

The number of people who died from the virus remains at eight and a total of 21 people

have been discharged.

Those figures remain unchanged since the Ministry of Health update at 10 pm, on Friday night The ministry said on Friday night one additional patient was discharged – from Caura Hospital – bringing the number to 21.

The last time the ministry announced a new covid19-positive case was on Wednesday and the last report of a death due to the virus was on April 6.

UK flight to bring home…

Residents and test kits bought from Cayman Islands HAMILTON, Bermuda CMC – A second charter flight is scheduled to bring home Bermudians stranded in Britain next Friday along with a cargo including 35,000 coronavirus test kits the government has purchased from the Cayman Islands.

Premier David Burt who made the announcement said the test kits were among the 200,000 the Cayman Islands bought from South Korea.

A special flight was able to carry 165,000 of the kits directly to George Town while the other 35,000, which Bermuda has bought, went by separate carrier to London.

Burt told the government’s daily press briefing late Friday night the government of the Cayman Islands had bought a large quantity of the kits “in order to get to the front of the line”.

“The reason they are selling them is that there is more than they need.”

“We are going to take an allotment of those, and I am in conversations with the Premier of the Cayman Islands (Alden McLaughlin) because we want to make sure that as many of our CARICOM countries who may need additional tests, that are having difficulties placing small orders, can play a part in that.”

He was speaking after

Governor John Rankin said that the British Airways (BA) charter flight would take off from London’s Heathrow Airport on April 24.

He said the flight would provide an opportunity for people in Bermuda to fly to Britain on the return leg the next day. The cost either way will be £500 (approximately US$625).

An oversubscribed relief flight from Heathrow has already brought 129 residents back to the island.

The flight later continued to Cayman before returning to London via Nassau the following day.

Rankin said next Friday’s flight would also deliver protective equipment.

He added: “Let me join in thanking the vast majority of people on this island who understand the contingent need of the social-distancing and other shelter-in-place arrangements, which are still required at this time.

“They are a disruption to normal life. I know they’re not easy. But they help to keep us safe.”

Burt said the BA relief flight was arranged by Government House and the Cabinet Office with the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the government’s London office.

He added it would be

Premier David Burt restricted to people “ordinarily resident in Bermuda” — students or people stranded while travelling.

Burt said that anyone who returned to the island would now have to pay $100 a night for food and accommodation while quarantined at a government-appointed hotel.

The news came as Minister of Health Kim Wilson said no new COVID19 cases had emerged after the latest 20 test results came back negative.

The total number of cases remains at 83. Five people have died but 35 people have recovered.

Wilson said nine people were still in hospital.

CMO: Video on COVID-19 Venezuela slams US over ‘vulgar’ central bank funds seizure testing being made

NEWSDAY - The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and the Trinidad Public Health Lab are working together to produce a video to show the process of the sampling and testing process in detail for the covid19 virus.

Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Roshan Parasram yesterday said the video would be available in the next few days or within a week.

Parasram said 60 people remain in hospital at the Couva and Caura facilities.

Ten people at Caura are said to be in stable conditions and there is one person in the High Dependency Unit at Couva.

“In terms of TT’s testing capacity, we are putting things in place to begin testing in TT. That process is moving along swiftly with the training of people and is scheduled to be completed within a week.”

“We already have the kits

Chief Medical Officer Dr Roshan Parasram and equipment required and have begun the training of staff and we are in the process of having the validation exercise completed,” Parasram said.

There were no changes between Friday night and yesterday. The number of

samples submitted to CARPHA remained at 1,320 and 114 confirmed cases. The death toll also remained the same, at eight.

The number of people discharged remain at 21, with the latest patient being sent home on Friday.

Caracas - (AFP) Venezuela weekend hit out at the United States over the seizure of $342 million that its central bank had held in an account at Citibank.

In a Twitter post, Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza blasted the “vulgar dispossession” of the money “ordered” by the US — and pointed to “complicity” by the opposition-controlled National Assembly.

The US-based assets of Venezuela’s central bank are among those that have been frozen under tough sanctions put in place by the government of President Donald Trump.

This week, Venezuela’s legislature — led by USbacked Juan Guaido — authorized the transfer of the funds from a central bank account with Citibank to its account at the New York branch of the US Federal Reserve.

Neither the National Assembly nor the central bank divulged the amount transferred, but opposition lawmaker Angel Alvarado told AFP it amounted to $342 million.

Alvarado said the move aimed to “further protect these assets,” but the central bank called it illegal.

President Nicolas Maduro’s government does not recognize the National Assembly as the lawful legislature.

In January 2019, Guaido used his position as assembly speaker to declare himself acting president in a direct challenge to Maduro.

He has since been recognized by more than 50 countries, including his principal ally in Washington.

Washington has helped Guaido seize control of Venezuelan government assets held in the United States, including Citgo, the US-based subsidiary of state oil company PDVSA.

Kaieteur News

THE

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Sunday April 19, 2020

STORY WITHIN THE

A country struggles

By Leonard Gildarie

T

omorrow marks the seventh week since that March 2nd General and Regional Elections. We would be doing a disservice to this nation if we dare cast our eyes elsewhere to examine what else is going on, other than the elections fallout and COVID-19.

I am results-oriented. It makes no sense complaining if you can't be part of the solution.

For example, you have ministers or village representatives who refuse to listen. It is simple. You put them there in the first place.

Complain to the NDCs or RDCs. File a complaint to the party headquarters. Write a letter to the press or better yet, take to social media.

There are a growing number of ways where pressure is brought to bear. The name-and-shame approach has worked wonders. Ask a few politicians. It is never easy when you are under the spotlight.

WHEN AND HOW LONG? Let us talk about that announcement by the Chair of the Guyana Elections Commission, Justice (Ret'd) Claudette Singh on Friday about the recount. In essence, she says that the recount will see no more than 10 workstations at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre, Pattensen.

The counting stations, according to her, will be inside the building. She has asked the head of the COVID-19 Task Force, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, for guidance on the way forward, as there are strict guidelines when it comes to social/physical distancing. I may see her reasoning.

Twenty workstations are dangerous in light of COVID19. We may have persons coming in from overseas to observe. The issue may be one of control. The recount has to happen in an environment of control.

Don't forget that there were 2,339 polling stations across the country on March 2nd.

There were staffers there and party representatives. A recount of 400,000-plus votes from 2,339 polling stations at the Convention Centre is what GECOM is

being asked to oversee.

It obviously means less personnel. It means it cannot be finished in a night. Definitely not in a week. I am sure in the whole context of things, the pressure will be on the GECOM Secretariat, which has been mandated the task of logistics, to ensure that process is completed speedily.

The question on the minds of citizens and other stakeholders has obviously been: when and how long?

Justice Singh will have to see it as imperative, the need to lead from the front. A country that is waiting impatiently is suffering from its biggest c a t a s t r o p h e i n decades…COVID-19.

Elections 2020 has nothing on COVID-19. Yes, it is that big. Therefore, it is inconceivable that GECOM would not want to explain to the people of Guyana the constraints of its decisions. It will make the pain easier to bear. The Chair will do well to address the nation and let them know how she arrived at her decision. She says she has written the PM as head of the Task Force on COVID-19.

Is there a haste by the Task Force to hold such a meeting?

In the meantime, the hearts of Guyanese and by extension, the world, including investors, are continuing to palpitate painfully. We await to see how Justice Singh handles this latest twist in the tale of Elections 2020.

COVID-19 FIGHT AND UNCERTAINTIES Meanwhile, when it comes to COVID-19 fight, there are worries. We have the number of infections confirmed as in the 60s. We can pander to the six deaths and say that we are winning. However, the rising number of those tested positive will continue to raise alarm bells. How many more?

We have the Task Force saying that the plan to open the international airports at Timehri and Ogle in early May is not likely to come through.

There has to be an assessment. A decision will have to factor in whether the number of positives has risen further. It is uncertain when schools would reopen.

We have many categories of vulnerable now. We have

Leonard Gildarie persons who lost their jobs, as there is no business. We have persons who will only receive part of their salaries. We have vendors and others who would benefit from schools and other places of employment. All of that is gone.

We don't even have to talk about impact on public transportation. Many families own minibuses. Many single parents own taxis and hire cars. The work has been slashed drastically. I am not even talking about our seniors or single parents.

The reality is that the decision to cut gas prices will not have much impact, as there is not much travelling like before. I went to a gas station on Friday and took out $8,000. I was shocked when it was filled with only $5,000…there was about a quarter tank in there already.

It takes sometimes about $10,000 to fill the tank.

Guyanese stuck overseas will have to bear up, the Task Force said. It cannot risk bringing back persons and burdening the health care system with additional monitoring. In the meantime, there is despair. Food is running out. Cash is short for many families.

Economic activities are literally being butchered by about 80 percent, some analysts have estimated.

I understand the Coalition's predicament. It has little resources. The closing of the borders has not helped. We are saddled with the double whammy of elections and the virus. In modern times, the planners could not have catered for this extreme. Never in our wildest nightmare.

I have said it before and will repeat. Now is a perfect time for our leaders to show their true worth. The ability to rise above the fray. To prove to the world we have elected representatives and leaders who are conscientious. I like the word bipartisan. We are at the crossroads…truly. Stay strong, Guyana!

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper)

Kaieteur News

Sunday April 19, 2020

PAGE 43

Software developer and digital entrepreneur,

Samantha Sheoprashad From page 14 nonetheless continued on her career path which led to the University of Cambridge (London), the University of Massachusetts Lowell and the Institute of Commercial Management in the UK. In 2002, Samantha was recognized with a National Star Camper Award. She was also awarded youth worker for both 2013 and 2014.

In 2014, she was a creative employment business opportunity participant with CARICOM. She was a part of a team that made the highest profits in a 24-hour business exercise.

And in 2016, the young innovator got the chance to showcase her software building and IT skills during her first international participation at the Global Entrepreneur and Innovations programme in Boston at the University of Massachusetts, where her innovation for depression placed 3rd in a Pitch Competition.

“In my computer scientist Camp, I dedicated my master's funding to implement award-winning apps Stay Alive and Econaire which has leveraged local impact to force policymakers to rethink mental health and unemployment issues,” Sheoprashad said.

LEAD Sheoprashad reflected on her work over the past 17 years. “I have been working with the youth department to empower young people in Guyana, the Caribbean, North America, and the Commonwealth.”

She has also made contributions to the national youth policy consultation and several other projects, including those geared toward realising the Sustainable Development Goals in schools, and finding jobs for young people.

The Queen's Young

YOUTH AMBASSADOR AND FACEBOOK DEVELOPER CIRCLE Samantha following training sessions with students of University of Guyana's Tain Campus in Berbice

Leader 2017 wears several other similar titles. She is also a CARICOM Youth Ambassador, a Global Peace Ambassador and Facebook Developer Lead Guyana.

She spoke specifically about becoming a Developer Circle Lead for Facebook, a role she took up late last year.

“I became the Facebook Developer Circle Lead in Guyana, launching with 150 Guyanese in attendance. The initiative focuses on the importance of the tech ecosystem for sustainable development in Guyana.

This forum included

Iraqi-born Facebook Engineer, Murtadha Al-Tameemi, enjoys a light moment with Samantha and her team (at the back) following a seminar in Guyana, last February pertinent Stakeholders such as educators, students,

Samantha, the only female Facebook lead in the Caribbean, with her male counterparts during training in Puerto Rico

software developers, business owners, policymakers, government officials, etc., that are involved in the tech ecosystem.”

Through Facebook Developer Circle, Sheoprashad has been able to use their programmes and resources to train young Guyanese to become educated about the technologies available externally.

She recently returned from attending the Facebook F8 Summit and North America Developer Lead Summit, which focuses on providing developers and businesses with resources to bring the world closer together through innovation and creativity.

One of the highlights of her travel, Sheoprashad said, was meeting Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau.

“It was definitely a highlight for me. The experience has opened me up to a greater level and an understanding of how technology works, as well as helped me to sharpen my skills,” she reflected.

CO-FOUNDER As the co-founder of Trifinity Solutions - a digital m a r k e t i n g a g e n c y, Sheoprashad has been providing cutting edge technological solutions, digital branding and coaching for small businesses.

The company specializes in working along with startups and new/budding entrepreneurs to build grow and maintain their digital presence.

Their most recent project involved a partnership with small businesses to create a digital presence, and grow their online audiences and networks.

“At Trifinity Solutions, I am always focused on empowering entrepreneurs through the ecosystem. To enable this, there are

constant mentorship and training sessions. I am locked in with our team to continuously improve their projects or missions. Time for self and family is listed,” Sheoprashad said of balancing her daily activities.

Speaking of family, the young entrepreneur who currently lives with her mother, adores her niece Aliyah, two, and her nephew, Alvin, four.

“When I need a break or I need to unwind, I play video games or watch comedy or YouTube videos with them.

My niece, Aliyah looks like me when I was a baby, even down to marks, sleep traits and habits. And my nephew Alvin is so smart; his reasoning is way beyond his years. They keep me balanced.”

Sheoprashad said there was a time that she struggled with balance, but things have changed with greater experience. “I've grown to understand how successful people manage their time, to include time for myself and those around me.” For her accomplishments, Sheoprashad credits her teachers, friends, mentors, lecturers and religious leaders.

“They have all guided me down the path towards becoming the greatest version of myself.

While I don't think it's one specific person, I also give credit to my Hindu religion.

It played a very critical role in this, because as a child scanning the photos of the Bhagavad Gita, I saw a picture of saints and sages helping people.”

“I instantly gravitated to this. Even as a four-year-old, I thought of becoming like this when growing up. Well, I'm not a sage or saint, but I do practice some of their teachings, way of life and devotion. I think it is more of a science of living than a religion,” she added.

Kaieteur News

PAGE 44

Sunday April 19, 2020

Extension to Stay in U.S. during Coronavirus Pandemic

By Attorney Gail S. Seeram

D

uring this g l o b a l coronavirus pandemic, many tourists with B-1/B-2 visas are not able to leave the U.S. before their given departure time.

Many airports and ports of entries are closed and travelers cannot return home.

If you want to extend your stay in the United States, you must file a request with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on the

Form I-539, Application to E x t e n d / C h a n g e Nonimmigrant Status before your authorized stay expires.

If you remain in the United States longer than authorized, you may be barred from returning and/or you may be removed (deported) from the United States.

The date of departure should be written on the entry stamp in your passport or your digital I-94 can be accessed online at https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/I94/ and select Get Most Recent I-94.

We recommend that you

apply to extend your stay at least 45 days before your authorized stay expires and ask for at least six month extension.

You may apply to extend your stay if: * You were lawfully admitted into the United States with a nonimmigrant visa * Your nonimmigrant visa status remains valid * Yo u h a v e n o t committed any crimes that make you ineligible for a visa * You have not violated the conditions of your admission

* Your passport is valid and will remain valid for the duration of your stay You may not apply to extend your stay if you were admitted to the United States in the following categories: * Visa Waiver Program * Crew member (D nonimmigrant visa) * In transit through the United States (C nonimmigrant visa) * In transit through the United States without a visa (TWOV) * Fiancé of a U.S. citizen or dependent of a fiancé (K nonimmigrant

Curating the History of a People From page 30 family; to generating and sustaining intergenerational wealth, be it intellectual, spiritual, material or economic. All of these elements are memory shaping and responsible for the formation of our character...To fulfill the responsibilities of c o m m u n i t y, a n d t o understand the nature of the personal contract we have with Bondye (God) is a task acquired upon African naming ceremonies for children. It is knowledge held fast within family.

Collective and personal understanding is further underscored upon other rites of passage such as initiation into spiritual societies, civic organizations, and peer groups (ebges,) make clear the path of each individual, and social aggregate.”

Désir emphasizes that these spaces are more than historical footprints; they are sacrosanct; they are representations of collective experiences that are painful and equally liberating. These

spaces are so constructed that they accurately procure the black experience as they cement the psycho-spiritual and cultural DNA of a people. Spatiality cannot be overstated. It is the incubator of all reality.

Of the illustrations that cement her argument, Désir writes, “[They] are portals that reveal their own tales such as the doors, and entryway of a former bank that financed the slave ships disembarking from the largest slave trading port in Europe: Liverpool. Others like the “door(s) of no return” in Benin, Ghana, and Senegal tell other narratives.

One is symbolic and metaphysical, placed on the grated sand of a beach that harbors its own secrets is not only a “door of no return”, but also one of return.”

Resoundingly, every space is brought to life with photographs that stir our every sense. Désir's research traverses Africa and the Americas; some photographs celebratory and disencumbering, others

brutal and lugubrious.

Included are personages that shape history and scenes encapsulating the travails, horrors and triumphs of a people.

They include, Angola's Mwene Njinga Mbande, Belgium's King Leopoldo, King Gbéhanzin of Benin, the Haitian Monument, Cuffy 1763 Monument, Kongo Nkisi, the Bight of B e n i n , To u s s a i n t L'Ouverture, La Puerta de Misericordia, and other stirring illustrations.

I n h u m i l i t y, D é s i r express hope that her work bears fruit, writing, “If the texts and images gathered do not reveal the struggle for space and the battle for balance and parity of the global African person, then I have failed because in my own way, I aim to make evident the ques t for recognition, justice, and development both spatial and social, more comprehensive and real for those who think the past warrants dismissal.”

U n a m b i g u o u s l y,

'Redlining a Holocaust' has redefined the African struggle for meaning, serving as a pedagogical tool that echoes with existential truths. It is an epistemological document of infinite relevance, not unlike the very spaces it has so richly captured.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper) F e e d b a c k : glenvilleashby@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter@glenvilleashby Redlining a Holocaust, Memorials and The Peoples of the AfroAtlantic: Woch Kase Woch by Dòwòti Désir Copyright (c) 2020 Dòwòti Désir Publisher: Lulu Publishing Services, USA 246 pages, with 100+color images ISBN: 978-1-68471663-03 (sc) Available at Amazon/ For additional information: www.queenmotherd2h2.net Ratings: Essential

visa) * Informant (and accompanying family) on terrorism or organized crime (S nonimmigrant visa) Additional evidence will be required to prove the tourist is self-sufficient financially and will not rely on U.S. government benefits while in the U.S. during his/her extended stay.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper) Attorney Gail Seeram, LL.M., J.D., BBA call | text 407-292-7730

Gail S. Seeram whatsApp 407-353-1363 e m a i l : Gail@GailLaw.com l i v e c h a t : www.GailLaw.com Download FREE App: Gail Law Copyright © Law Offices of Gail S. Seeram, 2019. All Rights Reserved

Prepare for a long haul: The storm is not fully formed From page 16 the countries with largest voting rights from lending to Venezuela and Iran.

Further, the defunding of t h e Wo r l d H e a l t h Organisation (WHO) by the United States because of its perception that China influenced the organisation over the pandemic, indicate political considerations and not humanitarian or even financial ones.

What the response to the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated again is that the prevailing policies of the IMF and WBG are unhelpful to the majority of nations of the world, including the Caribbean, that are classified as middle or high income, disregarding the many other factors of their underdevelopment and vulnerabilities.

For instance, the IMF/Bank proposals did not address rescheduling or forgiveness of multilateral debt or debt owed to private banks.

Caribbean countries will

get loans from the IMF and WBG after going through many hoops, but the process will not be swift, and the conditions will be rough. In these circumstances, Caribbean governments, the private sector, political parties, and trade unions need to collaborate on the actions they can jointly take to weather the gathering storm that has not yet fully formed.

They also must prepare for a long haul.

(The writer is Ambassador of Antigua and Barbuda to the United States and the Organisation of American States.

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 views expressed are entirely his own, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper) Responses and previous c o m m e n t a r i e s : www.sirronaldsanders.com

John Percy Leon Lewis, MSM From page 26 Lieutenant Colonel WBC Joseph, who was my deputy, was re-assigned. I opted for a reserve officer, John Lewis, to replace him.

Bugs Lewis was not only an engineering adviser to the GPM, but also to the GDF. He supervised many projects including the Coast Guard HQ and other structures in Ayanganna, Timehri and in the interior, among others.

John was embodied from time to time for short periods and in his later years he was

designated Engineering Adviser to the Chief of Staff.

But John was the epitome of a reserve officer, most of whom had already qualified themselves in their chosen careers and joined the Reserve to serve the country and had some fun as “Weekend Warriors”.

They enjoyed being pushed to the limit. Few joined as a stepping stone to regular service. John had no interest in becoming a regular officer.

John was remembered by

all who had contact with him, regular and reserve, as a likeable, scholarly, humble, approachable distinguished officer and a gentleman.

He had a great sense of humour and an infectious laugh.

After leaving AINLIM, J o h n j o i n e d Te r r e n c e Fletcher and Associates and then SKRN Engineering.

His last project was Supervising Engineer on the Mandela Avenue/Sheriff Street Project.

John was also

engineering adviser to the MMC Group while I was the CEO. He worked on many interior projects with the Chairman of the group, Andrew Mekdeci.

He and I had some memorable days in the interior supervising road and bridge construction.

He also worked with me on the Veterans Rest Home and the Veterans Monument and Hall of Memories. John was also a member of the Guyana Association of Professional Engineers

(GAPE).

Bugs Lewis was a keen sportsman, playing basketball for Eagles and later devoting his energies to rugby, representing the Hornets RC, GDF and Guyana at home and overseas.

John captained the Guyana side to International Rugby Fives in Hong Kong and in the Caribbean. He was also a qualified official and administrator.

John lost his wife, Juliet, just 12 days before he passed

away; they would have celebrated 53 years of marriage in June 2020.To lose both parents in such a short space of time was a terrible blow to his children, Robert and Lisa.

The thoughts and prayers of the Morgan family go out to the relatives and friends of the Lewis family and the Military fraternity.

May the souls of John and Juliet, united in a better place, Rest in Eternal Peace.

Farewell my friend and colleague.

Kaieteur News

Sunday April 19, 2020

Diabetic Association to host another distribution exercise next Sunday

Some of the items to be distributed.

A

s Guyana, much like the rest of the world, continues to feel the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), a number of measures have been employed at various levels of society to help persons to cope, especially those with underlying conditions. Health officials have found that persons with underlying medical conditions are among the most vulnerable for COVID19 complications.

The Guyana Diabetic Association has been doing its part to lend support to diabetic patients. In this regard the organisation earlier this month distributed a quantity of strips and insulin.

But even more support will be forthcoming from the Association come next Sunday (April 26, 2020).

This is according to the Association's President, Ms. Glynis Alonzo-Beaton. She said that between the hours of 9am and 12 noon there will be a distribution of medications

including for flu, pain, fever, etc., in addition to strips, insulin, needles and other items for diabetics. The medications were donated to the Association compliments of Timothy Alonzo of the USA, who has been offering such assistance on an annual basis.

Members of the Association, Alonzo-Beaton said, are asked to take note of this activity which will be venued at the VNK Logistics Inc, formerly Clean Car Complex (drive through car wash), opposite the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Registration of new members will also be facilitated on the same day.

At the venue, it is expected that about two doctors and a pharmacist will be on site, and according to Alonzo-Beaton, persons desirous of accessing the medications can offer a small financial contribution or donation to the Association to help offset shipping and handling costs.

PAGE 45

Kaieteur News

PAGE 46

Sunday April 19, 2020

"Bicycle bandits" beat and rob elderly Berbice couple - cart off jewellery, other items

By Malisa Playter-Harry

A

n elderly couple was on Friday subjected to an armed robbery that left one of them nursing a battered face which required stitches.

Injured is 61-year-old Somwattie Rajgopaul called "Soma". She sustained a broken nose with two stitches, injuries to both her eyes, marks to her neck from being choked and has pains to the right side of her torso from being stomped on repeatedly.

Reports are that just around 3:45 am Friday, while the woman and her husband, Samuel Rajgopaul, were asleep in separate rooms of their home, bandits were able to enter.

The woman said that she was aroused by shouts from her husband that thieves were in the home and for her to lock her bedroom door.

However when she called out back to her husband, she soon after began hearing someone “banging down� her bedroom door which she was able to lock.

The door was eventually forced open and several armed men barged in and demanded jewellery and cash.

According to reports, the woman told the intruders that she didn't have what they wanted which prompted

one of the bandits to place her on the ground after which he stomped on her face repeatedly. The others, this publication understands, started to ransack the bedroom and other parts of the house. After searching and taking a number of items, the bandits escaped.

The matter was reported to the police and when this publication arrived on the scene, the woman and her husband were relating the traumatic incident to investigators.

At that point they still appeared to be in shock over the events that took place at their home. The injured "Soma" told Kaieteur News that was the first time she and her husband had such an experience. She admitted too that they are still scared that the men may strike again if the authorities do not act swiftly in apprehending them.

According to the worried woman, she decided to sleep in another room Friday night and had gotten up around 1:30 am to use the washroom. She said she then retired back to bed but was awoken by the sounds of her husband a few hours later yelling "me na get money and gold". She stated that she thought he was just having a bad dream so she called out to him. He in response

The injured Somwattie Rajgopaul called "Soma" shouted "thief, thief, lock yuh door". Soma said she became scared and immediately got up and locked her door but within seconds she heard a loud banging on the door.

"I was bracing from inside but dem break in the door and three ah dem come in and dem get me pon the ground, then dem ask me fuh gold and money and me tell dem me na get and the me raise up and grab one of dem mask wa he had on to take it off but he get more mad on me and he throw me down back pon the ground and start choke me and stomp up me face and head with he foot. Dem was

fighting me to kill me like, you see when me turn if you see blood wa run down my face," she related.

During the brutal attack, there were other men armed with cutlasses ransacking the bedroom and other parts of the house, the woman said.

The men reportedly found a box containing jewellery which they escaped with.

"When dem gone my husband run to me to see if me okay and then dem neighbours run over," she said. According to the woman too, she was taken to the Port Mourant Hospital where she received approximately seven stitches to her face along with other treatment before she was sent home.

This publication understands that a quantity of jewellery valued at $500,000, including one gold chain marked Soma and a quantity of Brazilian jewellery were taken from the couple's home. Also an iPhone 6, and one Blu cell phone valued at $4,000 were taken. "Soma" said the men also took a bottle of hand sanitizer, a pack of cigarette and a radio.

The bedroom door which was damaged by the intruders

The bandits reportedly entered through this window They were reportedly dressed in dark coloured clothing and masks. One was said to be armed with a gun while the others had cutlasses. The men, it is believed, entered through a side window after they removed the inner grill work.

Based on information provided to this publication by neighbours, who claimed they were awake and alert during the robbery, the men escaped on bicycles.

Police have since

questioned persons in the area about the incident and subsequently, acting on information, went to Budhoo Street where a quantity of Brazilian jewellery was found.

Meanwhile, it is understood that armed men on bicycles also attempted to break into the home of another Alness resident that same night but were unsuccessful. They were reportedly caught on surveillance camera.

The couple's home at Alness, Berbice

Sunday April 19, 2020

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Kaieteur News

CONSUMER CONCERNS

Georgetown could once again be the Garden City

By Pat Dial Guyana was known internationally for a few things - St George’s Cathedral, the highest wooden building in the world; the country which produced the rarest postage stamp in the world; Demerara rums and sugar being of unequalled quality; and Georgetown celebrated as being the Garden City of the Caribbean.

Other Caribbean countries looked with envy at Guyana’s Garden City but could never emulate it and this gave a feeling of pride in Guyanese that they had something which was unique

in the world. Accordingly, when Georgetown was metamorphosed from the Garden City to the garbage city, the psyche of Guyanese people became pained. This sad transformation to the garbage city began in the 1960’s when there was widespread racio-political rioting in the City, the grant of Independence and the subsequent democratization of the Georgetown Town Council.

The pre-Independence Town Council was elected on a restricted franchise and citizens of the highest social status, education and wealth were attracted to serve on the Council. Such citizens

considered it infra dignitatem for them to receive a stipend or pay for serving. It was such citizens who brought expert management, financial controls and technical modernity to the Council and created the Garden City. With the post-Independence democratization of the Town Council, councillors of largely working class backgrounds came to be elected as councilors and these did not have the high management skills, knowledge of financial controls and personal contacts in the business and professional communities who could proffer assistance. Gone were the days when there were

councillors like LFS Burnham, Sir Lionel Luckhoo, the DeFreitas and Gonsalves families or R. B. Gajraj. At the same time the change was occurring in the Council, a parallel change occurred in the quality of City Council workers and Town Clerks like E. A. Adams and Elmo Mayers or City Treasurers like Ramalho were replaced by less able personnel.

Inevitably, therefore, the city began on a downward spiral of decline with the drainage collapsing, the roads broken up, garbage collection becoming sporadic, weeding of the parapets ceasing, water shortages with a nonfunctional sewage system,

Important measures to help you cope with COVID-19

By Hoyida Marks Anxiety is usually, a normal, healthy human emotion. Too much of it though can torpedo a person’s typical mental state setting off significant stress.

The current COVID-19 pandemic has unleashed a surprising level of stress in a variety of ways among a significant number of persons causing public health officials to scratch their heads.

We humans have innate mechanisms to help us combat stress and we do so holistically with our natural physiological and psychological weapons to safeguard survival. Those who struggle, fail or refuse to activate their defensive artilleries such as feelings, thoughts and protective behaviours, will experience heightened levels of anxiety sometimes hamstringing their inability to function adequately.

Since late December 2019, words such as self-isolation, quarantine and physical and social distancing forced their way into our everyday vocabulary. Their popularity in the local vernacular must not mask however the attendant complexity public health decision-making face daily to activate these nationally for their anxious citizens who are now in a relatively permanent state of worry.

There are several practical ways which, if followed, can help maintain our equilibrium when it comes to managing the level of daily stress in this COVID-19 pandemic.

We must ENJOY RELAXATION. Our bodies are in a state of reduced physical and mental arousals and become less tense when

we relax. Relaxation helps reverse some stress responses.

Then, we must also stay active adding exercises to our daily routine. Exercise is cathartic as it helps reduce stress created by tension which builds up in the mind.

Exercise also helps build physical and mental energy and allows us to express emotions confidently.

Physical exertion also stimulates the secretion of endorphins which helps enhance our mental wellbeing.

and other creative activities are other ways we can express emotions, release endorphins to mitigate stress.

It is also advisable to pursue journaling as another good coping strategy. This helps people to reflect on experiences and release pent up emotions through writing.

The catharsis of journal writing often provides insights into the likely cause(s) of stress and ways to modify it.

Very importantly, maintaining healthy relationships. Humans need

In the current COVID-19 pandemic it is very easy to overlook the ‘good medicine’ prescribed by the wise, ancient King, Solomon, who reminded us that “laughter is good medicine”, so embrace humour. Good jokes are found in books, movies, comedies, music, all of which are available on the ubiquitous social media especially YOUTUBE. Laughter helps release endorphins and therefore tends to relieve feelings of stress. Positive recorded music or playing musical instruments are also therapeutic and can reduce feelings of stress because sound soothes and relaxes the mind when its vibrations harmonise with the body’s frequencies. Activities such as visual and culinary arts, household management, ceramic or pottery making,

love and a sense of belonging which is the third level of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. To live happily, it is essential to receive and give affection. The outbreak of COVID-19 reminds us starkly of the need and benefits of remaining interconnected with all persons in the centre of our lives. It also reminds that those we think are at the periphery of our existence are also important and must not be ignored.

Utilise technologies which help keep us connected even virtually. This is good for our lives and our mental health.

Do not ignore social support systems readily available. For persons who are low on food supplies or need someone to talk with about their anxiety or stress levels, identifying and contacting people, groups and

organisations which can offer the badly-needed support to meet our needs can help reduce stress and worry during this time.

Anxiety can be lowered too if we comply with precautions outlined by the Ministry and public health authorities. Obedience puts one at less risk of stress since it becomes comforting to know that one is playing one’s part in protecting one’s self and loved ones during the extant coronavirus pandemic.

‘Infodemic’ is a virulent virus threatening to derail the work of public health specialists with its toxic brew of myths, misinformation, disinformation, innuendos and outright lies. Therefore, ensure that you gather relevant information from correct sources such as the World Health Organisation (WHO), the US-based Centre for Disease Control (CDC), the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and the local Ministry of Public Health. Gathering information from these, in combination with other reputable medical and professional experts, can reduce our vulnerability to panic, worry, stress and anxiety.

Our mental health is equally as important as our physical health.

So participating in physical and intellectual activities can be a fillip for our psychological and social well-being as these tend to provide some muchneeded alternatives to wallowing in states of mental or emotional strain and pain leading to anticipation of illdefined misfortune and anxiety.

(Ms. Hoyida Marks is a Social Worker within the Health Sciences Unit of the Ministry of Public Health)

malaria and other such diseases resurging in the city, downtown streets crowded with vendors, the markets deteriorating into slums, the cemeteries becoming forests, the aesthetics of the city including its trees and canals completely neglected and the City Treasurer’s office failing to collect even a fraction of the hundreds of millions owed. The garbage city had arrived.

Until about the end of the 1950’s, the Garden City existed in all its glory. The city’s drains were regularly cleaned and the wide drainage alleys, especially in Albouystown and Charlestown, were regularly flushed out by the “fire brigade”. The city never flooded except in the rare circumstances excessive and continuous rainfall over several days, the roads were well maintained, the markets were kept clean and safe from petty thieves, and it was a pleasure to shop in them. The downtown streets and pavements were kept free of vendors and one could walk the streets without being harassed. The Le Repentir Cemetery was planted with flowers along the parapets and the trees and palms along the roads were trimmed and kept in symmetry and it was in effect a park. The City did its own garbage collection and this was done with much efficiency. The canals were kept clean and were dredged before they became clogged and the trees along the streets were well kept and the flowering ones such as the flamboyant in Camp Street provided a remarkable spectacle when in bloom.

It was a delight to walk or cycle in the City and until the end of the 1950’s most of the population did walk or cycle since there were comparatively few cars. Since the houses were all wooden and mostly below three storeys in height, there was a free flow of fresh air everywhere in the city which made it pleasantly cool. The trees in the city were scientifically as well as horticulturally planted. For instance upper Brickdam had cannon ball trees or Hadfield Street had an avenue of mora trees and Main Street had its majestic samaans. The trees all bore plaques on their trunks telling what were their botanical and common names. Householders tended

to compete with each other with their front gardens which had flowers such as roses, oleanders, buttercups, sun flowers, ferns and runners such as blue bells, steponotis and coralitas.

Most properties had one or two fruit trees in their backyards which provided food for birds and birds of every hue could be seen and birdsong could be heard at all times.

Georgetown could begin the process of rejuvenating itself and recapturing some of its pristine glory by creating a 5-year Plan with the inputs of citizens and professional expertise. The elements of that Plan would include collection of the hundreds of millions of dollars owed to the City; materializing the offer made by foreign donors for the rehabilitation of the unique City Hall building; working out a system of parking and traffic control; engaging a horticulturist to provide guidance on the planting of trees, type of trees and so on; have a permanent crew who would ensure that road shoulders are in place and small repairs are done to the streets before they further deteriorate; the ornamental bridges in the City such as those on the Avenue of the Republic should be repaired and strengthened; and property owners should be encouraged to plant fruit trees in their yards. The markets should be cleaned, reorganized and made safe from petty thieves and burglars so that stallholders as well as shoppers could be comfortable. The Le Repentir Cemetery should be cleaned, properly drained, its roads to be planted with flowers along the parapets and appropriate trees replanted along the roadsides and the security be strengthened at all times of the day so as to eliminate robberies. These and other programmes could be included in the 5-year Plan.

Most of these programmes could be embarked upon even before the Plan is formally adumbrated. In a few years, Georgetown could again win the accolade of being the Garden City.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)

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Sunday April 19, 2020

Kaieteur News

Rusal workers struggle as COVID-19, labour woes bite deep

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Scores of Rusal workers are continuing to struggle with no idea where their next pay day is coming from.

Their last salary was in February when the stateowned National Industrial and Commercial Investments Inc. (NICIL), which owns 10 percent of the Bauxite Company of Guyana Inc., stepped in and paid their salaries.

This would have been after the bauxite company sent home over 300-plus workers after tensions rose.

They have not been paid for March and it is more than half way in April now.

“We are appealing for attention to us,” says Ephraim Velloza, a union leader of the workers.

He is one who defied Rusal/BCGI by refusing to move out of the Region 10 mining site area.

In fact, since January, the workers have blocked the Upper Berbice River, in the Kwakwani area, in an attempt to force the bauxite company to respect their demands for better pay and conditions.

“We are allowing river traffic, but nothing from Rusal to pass,” Velloza told Kaieteur News.

He spoke last week as a guest on Kaieteur Radio.

Thanking the different ministries, the official said that food supplies for workers, who are camped out guarding the river, are running out. It is a desperate

The blocked Berbice River, in the Kwakwani area. situation now.

“We are depending on nearby residents who are with us. We are asking for intervention from the relevant authorities.”

In late February, General Secretary of the Guyana Bauxite and General Workers Union (GBGWU), Lincoln Lewis, disclosed that workers started collecting their February salary with money also remitted to the bank accounts of a number of them.

“We had submitted to the government a menu of measures that can help alleviate the hardships of workers of Rusal. We told them that NICIL as part owner has to play a bigger role. The approval was granted by the Ministry of Finance and the workers have been paid.”

Government, the union and Russian-controlled company, have been locked in a battle after the company started sending home

workers in January, claiming it has run out of fuel, as its duty free concessions and approvals have expired.

It started sending home workers…in all 326.

The workers, for the second time in as many years, blocked the Berbice River, even defying police ranks, effectively stopping vessels, including bauxite-laden ones from leaving. Vessels with logs were allowed through.

Workers have been camping out at the riverfront area, not from mine sites, guarding the barriers across the river.

The government has said it has written the Attorney G e n e r a l ’s Chambers asking for legal advice on the sacking of the workers.

Rusal, one of the biggest bauxite companies in the world, has been on a collision course with government and the union since 2009, after it fired almost 60 workers for

taking protest action for better conditions.

Since then, BCGI/Rusal has refused to meet the Labour Department, and even derecognized the union.

It was last year that 90 workers were sacked which sparked a one-month standoff, including the blockage of the Berbice River.

The government had to step in to broker a deal for workers to return to their jobs and negotiations to begin for salary increases.

Rusal has come under fire for not declaring profits since it came here in the mid-2000s, but yet was taking out boatloads of bauxite monthly.

It has benefitted, reportedly, from almost US$100M in duty free fuel as well as on tax breaks on equipment and vehicles.

Compounding the situation now would be the measures taken by Government in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Citizenship Initiative calls for “clear-cut plan of action” for national recount The Citizenship Initiative has issued a call for the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to issue a “clear-cut plan of action” for the recount of votes from the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections.

Below is the full statement from the party’s leader, Rondha-Ann Lam. Over the past month, The Citizenship Initiative has refrained from statements in the political arena and focused instead on getting help to the Guyanese most affected by this pandemic. We believe that food, protective gear and economic assistance should be priorities in the time of a pandemic and we have acted accordingly.

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and disgust over the behaviour of GECOM in general and specifically with regard to the most recent development in the recount saga.

It is unacceptable that after a relatively smooth process covering nine of the ten administrative regions, the Guyana Elections Commission has not operated in ‘significant compliance’ with its Constitutional mandate to deliver fair, transparent, credible elections in the tabulation of Region Four nor in any of the remedial processes engaged in the wake of Clairmont Mingo’s incompetence.

The Guyanese people have been treated to postponement of meetings to read judgments that were extremely c l e a r, adjournment of meetings to consider basic documents, the full use of a four-day weekend, and time taken for the creation and adjustment of a recount plan that should have been in place a month ago when the recount was first initiated and

Leader of The Citizenship Initiative, Rhonda-Ann Lam a site visit to the same venue that was originally selected for the recount.

This, all from a Commission that has a statutory responsibility to deliver a final result before the Constitutional deadline of April 30. No concern seems to be given as well to the fact that a pandemic is growing in this country, one that not only threatens any recount effort but one that needs a

legitimate government, credibly elected, in place to deal with it.

Chair Justice Claudette Singh’s most recent ‘intervention’, one that we had hoped would have provided a definitive way forward, has turned out to be in keeping with the Commission’s behaviour as a whole.

Whereas what was needed was a clear-cut plan of action with a definitive administrative strategy, a timeframe for action and assignment of personnel, the public was given a vague document that could be so widely interpreted as to allow a process even longer than the ludicrous 156-day plan originally submitted.

We are therefore calling for the presentation to the citizens of Guyana, an explicit commitment to a clear plan with set timeframe for a recount, starting no later than Monday 20th April and being completed before or not significantly after the constitutional deadline for a parliament to be in place.

Sunday April 19, 2020

Govt. prepared to examine capping fares for travelling public

– Finance Minister “We are prepared to examine any feasible proposal that would cap the fare and all other benefits accrue to the travelling public,” so says Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan.

The Finance Minister made this comment in the wake of reports that many transportation providers have increased and sometimes doubled their prices despite a reduction in fuel prices and the removal of Value Added Tax (VAT) on local airfares.

According to several reports, many Indigenous and hinterland residents are faced with rising transport costs from the usual suppliers.

“Air Services Limited, which operates three weekly

flights to Paramakatoi, Region Eight, have increased their prices. For freight, the price has moved from $130 to $290/ pound and return airfare from $33,000 per person to $68,000,” one report in a daily newspaper stated.

Finance Minister Winston Jordan noted recently that despite the several measures implemented, many have not seen it fit to pass on savings to consumers.

He stated that the government is prepared to sit down with stakeholders and work with them, as far as feasible during this time to bring relief to citizens.

In a recent interview with DPI, the minister reminded of measures implemented by the government to ease the

Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan financial burden, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These included removal of Value Added Tax (VAT) on local airfares, electricity and reduced fuel prices.(DPI)

GECOM moves at sloth’s pace...

From page 10 receiving aid from certain development partners.

At this point, Guyana does not know whether the World Bank has refused to grant Guyana the US$5M it requested to mount a response to COVID-19.

But its largest shareholder, the US, has warned of serious consequences if credible elections results are not produced. And the World Bank has produced a map showing the locations of 82 projects for which it has committed US$7B in 71 countries. Guyana has been identified as one of the least prepared in the hemisphere to tackle the virus, by the

International Monetary Fund.

Yet, it is not among the 71 countries the World Bank has committed aid to.

Deygoo-Boyer said it is clear that Guyana is being pushed to the back of the line.

“We cannot, as a country, insult the International Community on Social Media and then turn around and ask for their funds and think it will be handed to us ahead of other countries in need. The unique feature of this crisis is that the world is experiencing it simultaneously so there is a long line for international aid, we do not need to take actions to cause us to be placed at the back of the line,” the GCCI stated.

“If this Election crisis is prolonged, and a fully functioning government is not put in place, then many Guyanese will die from lack of adequate healthcare to treat the virus, and thousands more will suffer from the economic impact. This can include starvation, especially in the city where people are less likely to grow their own food.”

It is against this backdrop and the health of Guyana’s oil economy that the GCCI calls for a recount plan that needs 30 days or less to be executed, and a government in place with the full confidence of the people for the impact of the pandemic to be lessened and the loss of life reduced.

Spain to extend coronavirus lockdown through May 9: PM MADRID, Spain - (AFP) — Spain, one of the countries hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic, is to extend its nationwide lockdown until May 9, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced yesterday.

Restrictions on movements would be loosened slightly however to allow children time outside from April 27, he added.

Spain, which has been under lockdown since March 14, has recorded 20,043 deaths from the virus, according to the latest official figures.

“We have done the hardest part through responsibility and social discipline... we are putting the most extreme moments behind us,” Sanchez said.

He nonetheless

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A healthcare worker takes samples from a driver at a drive-through testing point for the COVID-19 disease at the University Hospital in Burgos, yesterday. (Photo: AFP) insisted that Spaniards should not put at risk the fragile and insufficient gains made so far with

hasty decisions. The end to the confinement would be “prudent and progressive”, he said.

Canada, U.S. extend border restrictions 30 days to control coronavirus spread WINNIPEG, Manitoba (Reuters) - Canada and the United States have agreed to extend border restrictions for another 30 days to help control the spread of coronavirus, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said yesterday.

Washington and Ottawa agreed last month to clamp down on non-essential travel while allowing trade to continue across their long shared frontier during the coronavirus outbreak.

The restrictions were due to expire next week. Trudeau said the agreement is unchanged, and he expected shipments of medical supplies such as masks to continue to cross the border.

President Donald Trump issued a memorandum this month that directed federal agencies to keep highly sought-after medical supplies in the United States. U.S. manufacturing company 3M Co reached a deal with the Trump administration, however, allowing it to continue to export masks to Canada and Latin America.

Canada’s death toll from COVID-19, the respiratory disease associated with the new coronavirus, rose 8% to 1,346 deaths, a government

website said. Reported cases climbed 6% to 32,412.

Quebec is the epicenter of Canada’s outbreak, with seniors in care homes accounting for most of the province’s 805 deaths.

Canada was sending the army into the province starting Saturday to help alleviate staffing shortages in Quebec’s care facilities for seniors.

Ontario, the most populous province, surpassed 10,000 cases and reached 514 deaths, secondhighest in Canada.

Some western provinces, by contrast, have seen daily tallies of new cases level off.

British Columbia and Saskatchewan have said they are starting to plan for loosening restrictions.

Alberta, the country’s main producer of oil and cattle, has seen daily cases increase in the past week as it boosted testing. An outbreak of 358 cases linked to a Cargill Ltd [CARGIL.UL] [CARG.UL] beef plant in High River, Alberta, has also swelled numbers, it said on Friday.

Trudeau said Canada would support aboriginal businesses with C$306 million in interest-free loans and nonrepayable contributions.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau In total, Ottawa has unveiled C$115 billion ($82.15 billion) in direct spending to help companies and individuals deal with shutdowns.

Highlighting the economy’s vulnerability, Ottawa yesterday said it would scrutinize foreign investments more closely, especially those by stateowned enterprises into companies that supply critical goods. Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains said Canada wants to avert opportunistic investors taking advantage of weak company valuations, due to the pandemic.

Trump: Some states to begin lifting coronavirus restrictions in coming days WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said yesterday that Texas and Vermont will allow certain businesses to reopen tomorrow while still observing coronavirusrelated precautions and Montana will begin lifting restrictions on Friday.

“We continue to see a number of positive signs that the virus has passed its peak,” Trump told reporters at a daily briefing.

Some state governors have warned that they will not act prematurely to reopen their economies until there is more testing for the virus, however. Business leaders have also told Trump the country needs to have widespread testing in place

President Donald Trump before their companies can return to normal operations.

Yesterday, Trump said

“our testing is getting better and better,” but offered no concrete evidence.

He said both Republican and Democratic governors “have announced concrete steps to begin a safe and gradual phased opening.”

Texas and Vermont “will allow certain business to open tomorrow while still requiring appropriate social distancing precautions,” he said.

Several dozen protesters gathered in the Texas capital of Austin yesterday, chanting “USA! USA!” and “Let us work!” Yesterday morning, Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York, epicenter of the U.S. epidemic, said his coronavirus-battered state may finally be past the worst of the health crisis there.

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Kaieteur News

Mercedes F1 boss Wolff takes NBA: Players to receive a stake in Aston Martin 25% less pay from May 15

LONDON (Reuters) Mercedes Formula One boss Toto Wolff has taken a stake in British sportscar maker Aston Martin, whose executive chairman Lawrence Stroll runs the Racing Point F1 team, according to company filings.

A Mercedes F1 spokesman said Wolff ’s move was purely an investment on the Austrian’s part and would be diluted by a rights issue on Monday from 4.77% to less than 1%.

“Fully diluted following the pending rights issue, this investment will represent a 0.95% stake in the company,” he added.

“It is a financial investment and Toto’s partnership and executive role with Mercedes are unaffected by the transaction.”

Swiss billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli has also bought a 3.38% stake which will be similarly diluted.

Wolff previously had a 16% shareholding in former champions Williams but sold that after he joined the Mercedes team, where he serves as principal and owns 30%.

Canadian billionaire Stroll, whose son Lance drives for

Mercedes Formula One boss Toto Wolff.

(Formula One F1 Russian Grand Prix) Racing Point alongside Mexican Sergio Perez, is close to Wolff. The Silverstonebased team — to be renamed Aston Martin next year — use Mercedes engines and gearboxes.

Mercedes-Benz’s parent Daimler also has a small stake in Aston Martin.

“It’s clear that Aston are now Mercedes’ B team,” the Daily Mail quoted one Formula One insider as saying.

Wolff’s future at

Mercedes has been the subject of some media speculation, with the 48-yearold linked variously to senior management roles with Liberty Media-owned Formula One and at Aston Martin.

His Aston Martin shares were bought from Yew Tree Overseas Limited, a vehicle controlled by Stroll who acquired a roughly 25% percent holding in Aston Martin with a consortium of investors.

Mercedes have won the past six Formula One drivers’ and constructors’ titles but have six times world champion Lewis Hamilton out of contract at the end of the 2020 season, which has yet to start due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hamilton, who has also been linked to Ferrari, had told reporters before the global crisis changed the sporting and financial landscape that his decision would depend on Wolff’s plans.

The Briton is now expected to stay at Mercedes, with a radical overhaul of Formula One’s sporting and technical regulations postponed to 2022.

Silver: NBA has no timetable to restart The NBA isn’t close to making any decisions on a potential restart, and it isn’t setting any deadlines, commissioner Adam Silver said Friday.

The league has been shut down since Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19 on March 11.

Silver addressed the league’s state amid the coronavirus pandemic in a Friday conference call with media members, but he offered no firm answers regarding the future.

“Based on the reports that we got from varied outside officials, current public health officials ... we are not in a position to make any decisions, and it’s unclear when we will be,” he said.

Regarding what could prompt a decision on a potential resumption of NBA action, Silver said, “I think we’re looking for the number of new infections to come down. We’re looking for the availability of testing on a large scale.

We’re looking at the path that we’re on for potentially a vaccine. We’re looking at antivirals.

“On top of that, we’re paying close attention to what the (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) is telling us on a federal level and what these various state rules are that are in place.

“There’s a lot of data that all has to be melded together to help make these decisions, but that’s part of the uncertainty. I think we’re not even at the point where we can say, ‘If only A, B, and C were met, then there’s a clear path.’ I think there’s still too much uncertainty

at this point to say precisely how we move forward.”

Silver confirmed recent media reports that the NBA has considered the possibility of teams being quarantined and playing games in empty arenas.

“We are looking at all those things right now,” he said. “I’d say that in terms of bubblelike concepts, many of them have been proposed to us and we’ve only listened. We are not seriously engaged yet in that type of environment because I can’t answer what precisely would we need to see in order to feel that that environment provided the needed health and safety for our players and everyone involved.

“I know it’s frustrating — it is for me and everyone involved that I am not in position to be able to answer the question. ... There is still enormous uncertainty around the virus as well.”

Silver also said the league could consider adjusting its regular-season or playoff format depending on when play can resume.

“The direction that the league office has received from our teams is, again, all rules are off at this point given the situation we find ourselves in, that the country is in,” Silver said. “If there is an opportunity to resume play, even if it looks different than what we’ve done historically, we should be modeling it.”

Silver quoted Disney executive chairman Bob Iger, who recently spoke to the NBA’s owners, as saying, “From his standpoint, it’s about the data and not the date.”

(Field Level Media)

A man walks past an NBA logo at an NBA exhibition in Beijing, China October 8, 2019. (REUTERS/Jason Lee) (Reuters) - The NBA has reached an agreement with the National Basketball Players Association to withhold 25% of each player’s salary from May 15 due to the shutdown of the sport because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The deal would provide a gradual reduction in player salaries in case a “force majeure” event, such as the pandemic, wipes out the rest of the regular season.

The money will be placed in escrow and paid back to players if all of the remaining

regular season games are played, ESPN reported.

If only part of the season can be played, the amount paid out would be on a pro rata basis based on the number of games completed.

The salary reductions will continue through the first two months of the 2020-21 NBA season, ESPN said.

The NBA has not held a game since March 11 and it is unclear when it might return to action.

PSG star Mbappe warned too much ‘Neymarizing’ could adversely affect his career Goal.com - Kylian Mbappe’s relationship with Neymar at Paris SaintGermain could end up having a detrimental effect on his career, according to Emmanuel Petit. Mbappe has enjoyed a meteoric rise to prominence since bursting onto the scene as a teenager with Monaco in 2016.

The Frenchman helped the club win their first Ligue 1 crown in 17 years and also played a key role in their run to the Champions League semi-finals, before completing a loan move to PSG in the summer of 2017.

The mercurial forward’s switch to Parc des Princes was made permanent a year later in a deal reportedly worth €180 million (£156m/$196m), and he has since taken his game to the next level.

Mbappe has already won five major trophies during his time at PSG, scoring 49 goals in 72 appearances across all competitions.

An incredible 30 of those efforts have come this season, with Thomas Tuchel’s men currently on a path towards a clean sweep of domestic and European honours.

Petit has credited Mbappe for showing “great maturity” over the last couple of years while improving his all-round game, but would like

PSG star Mbappe warned that too much ‘Neymarizing’ could adversely affect his career. to see his compatriot distance himself from Neymar, who he sees as a negative influence behind the scenes. The exFrance international also warned Mbappe against putting undue pressure on himself to win the Ballon d’Or, describing his attempts to “force things” on the pitch as a source of irritation.

“Mbappe has progressed in three years. He arrived in football with incredible potential, an unpolished diamond,” Petit told RMC Sport’s Team Duga podcast.

“He had an exorbitant transfer fee to live up to at a club populated by stars. He had to take it all on and off the pitch. In his stats, he also

progressed. He has shown great maturity in many areas.

“Despite everything, he tends to annoy me more and more ... he forces things too much ... he tries to force it and makes the wrong decision. He is annoying even to his own team-mates.

“We forget that he is young. He has already proven great things, but we always ask for more. What he does is incredible, he has a bright future ahead of him.

But putting pressure on himself because he wants to win a Ballon d’Or is annoying.

“He has to be careful with his behaviour. Too much ‘Neymar-izing’ could turn against him.”

Sunday April 19, 2020

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Kaieteur News

Louisville adjusts to new date and season for Kentucky Derby LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Postponing the Kentucky Derby was jarring enough for a city that draws much of its identity from hosting horse racing’s marquee event.

Canceling it, well, that’s unthinkable in the Bluegrass State.

The move of the Triple Crown’s first leg to Labor Day weekend due to the coronavirus pandemic will mark the first time the Derby won’t run in Louisville on the first Saturday in May since 1945.

“This is what makes Louisville great, obviously, and Kentucky great,” said Andy Treinen, president and

CEO of the downtown Frazier History Museum. “The race is important and all eyes in the world are on Louisville at that time.

“That doesn’t mean they won’t work in the summer. I hope that they do. If we survive this period because of COVID-19 coronavirus and I think we will, what does that look like in the summer?

Because the summer’s already heavily scheduled around here.”

The Associated Press is looking at the impact of the cancellation or postponement of some iconic sporting events due to the coronavirus pandemic is having on cities

and communities. Churchill Downs never considered canceling the 146th Derby.

Louisville Tourism estimates the economic impact of Kentucky Derby season on the region at more than $400 million, a figure that includes the Kentucky Oaks race for fillies run the day before the Derby.

Instead of canceling the race, it was postponed; the race was moved from May 2 to Sept. 5. Whether the $400 million estimate holds up this fall remains to be seen with the Derby running on a holiday weekend that also kicks off the college football season.

Sunday April 19, 2020 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Be careful of people who talk a great deal and promise the world but have a difficult time delivering the goods, Aries.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) Your positive strength is especially noticeable today.

You may find that you're radiating gloriously to the people around you, Taurus.

This is due to your polite, gentle, and peaceful nature.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Gemini, instead of digging deep into the barrel looking only for the misshapen, bruised, and rotten apples, concentrate on bringing up the shiny, bright red ones.

CANCER (June 21–July 22) Today there are many areas in which you can shine.

You need only be yourself to win over the hearts of others. There is a graciousness to your manner that draws people close to you.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) If you're feeling needy today, you might consider seeking counsel from others, Leo. Close partners might make light of the situation, so if you're looking for deep metaphysical advice, you might want to look elsewhere.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Get out in the fresh air today in whatever way suits your fancy. It's important to exercise your body with some brisk physical activity, or at least refresh your spirit with a ride in a convertible.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Making decisions today is apt to be nearly impossible for you, Libra. That's why you should leave them up to someone else. Walk with your partner so you don't have to really think about where you're going.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) This is going to be one of those days when you get annoyed if someone takes too long to make up his or her mind about something.

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Use the power of words as an artistic medium to express yourself, Sagittarius. You have a magic way with words that often goes unrecognized.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) Whatever you're working on at this time can be expanded tremendously with the help of a partner, especially a creative project.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) Take advantage of the lighthearted, flighty feeling of the day instead of getting annoyed by it, Aquarius.

You can't hide in your bedroom forever. Well, you could, but you'd end up wasting away and no one would even notice.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) The more you talk to people, the more successful you'll be, Pisces. Everyone is a valuable resource, so tap in to this boundless well. Your agility with words and facts is impressive, so use it to your advantage.

Another consideration is how the region’s mindset shifts from the Derby being a rite of spring to closing out the summer.

But fans, patrons and business owners have time to adjust as Louisville breaths a sign of relief - for now.

“This is a far better scenario than canceling, so we hope the race in September will help mitigate that economic impact over the next few months,” said Sarah Davasher-Wisdom, president and CEO of Greater Louisville Inc., the Metro Chamber of Commerce.

“You ask anybody here in Louisville, most people are not concerned about the difference between May and September. They were concerned that it would be canceled, and the fact that it wasn’t is a big relief.”

While the Kentucky Derby remains on the sports docket, its new calendar date might confuse fans accustomed to women in big, colorful hats and men in bright seersucker suits. Spectators sip mint juleps featuring Kentucky’s trademark bourbon, and cigar smoke wafts through the air.

Louisville prides itself on those Derby scenes.

The hope is that they continue in September, ideally with the Derby kicking off a rescheduled Triple Crown if the Preakness and Belmont Stakes also move to fall.

For businesses that generate much of their revenue from the Derby, the postponement has created an immediate challenge of filling the calendar with work and clients. That has become difficult with many restaurants and retail outlets in the Bluegrass State closing because of the pandemic.

A delayed Derby has forced milliner and Louisville native Kenzie Kapp to temporarily stop creating those women’s hats synonymous with race season. She has been left scrambling to find ideas befitting a signature event that’s a little too early for earthy tones.

“When I think of Labor Day, I think of it as summer and it’s usually the hottest time and sticky,” said Kapp, who has owned the Mill by Kenzie since 2008. “Doing the Derby in May, you have your spring, bright colors. I don’t really think that palette’s going to apply unless you have specific people that come in and want really fall colors.

“I’m not going to go browns, oranges and yellows if it’s a hundred degrees out.”

Cigar maker Jason

Mike Smith rides Justify to victory during the 144th running of the Kentucky Derby horse race at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, File) Shepherd also hoped the Derby would again spike business after the winter doldrums. The two-week period that begins with the Thunder Over Louisville air show helps generate about 25% of the income for his store located a few miles from Churchill Downs.

J. Shepherd Cigars had eight parties planned for Derby week, and the owner isn’t sure if those clients will return four months later.

“With the weather changing and being able to be outside, I will start booking events again,” Shepherd said. “Especially after being quarantined, people are itching to get out and do something. I’ll focus on doing my oldest events since we lost this huge event.

“It’s all up in the air. ... But we’re going to try to keep

moving and pushing forward like we always do.”

The bourbon industry is also having to adjust.

Distillery tours are on hold because of coronavirus precautions, but activity figures to quickly ramp up if and when restrictions are lifted, including Derby preparations since it’s hard to imagine one without the other in this region.

“We’ll just shift to the new timing,” Heaven Hill Brands president Lauren Cherry said.

Meanwhile, Louisville is remaining optimistic about the delay.

“September is a wonderful time to be in Kentucky,” Davasher-Wisdom said. “The weather is great, it’s bourbon month and there are also several live music festivals, so this may work out.”

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Sunday April 19, 2020

Kaieteur News

With tires and rice bags, Cuba’s athletes invent home workouts HAVANA (Reuters) - A triathlete swims in a tiny above-ground pool on her rooftop, her waist attached to the wall with resistance bands, while a baseball player bats into a car tire and a boxer throws his punches into a bag of rice hanging from a mango tree.

In cash-strapped Cuba, famed for its resourcefulness as well as its sporting prowess, professional athletes are inventing ways to work out and practice despite the closure of common training grounds due to the coronavirus pandemic.

With most on state salaries of less than $40 per month, they cannot afford professional equipment at home. Nor would that be easy to acquire in a country subject to a U.S. trade embargo where the state has a monopoly on imports.

“I’ve had to invent,” said triathlete Leslie Amat, 27, sweating profusely after a full workout on her Havana home’s rooftop that is lined with potted plants.

In one corner is the 3meter long above-ground pool that her trainer’s 9-year old daughter lent her when authorities closed down the Olympic-sized pools she usually trains in last month as the virus started to spread in

the Caribbean country.

Using bands attached to the wall, she swims in it every day for thirty minutes. Then she runs on the spot using the same method, before hopping onto her road bike made stationary with a stand that is her one piece of professional equipment.

Amat also created a separate contraption, a wooden board tilted at a 45 degree angle on tubes, to allow her to build up strength in the upper body. She leans against it and pulls herself up and down with straps.

A video of her improvised workouts, accompanied by the hashtag #quedateencasa (stay at home), went viral on social media this week.

Baseball player Santiago Torres meanwhile has taken to hitting a car tire with a bat to keep up his strength now that he cannot use the automated pitching machines at the training facility of his team, Santiago de Cuba.

“I’ve been keeping active at home, doing defense exercises with rubber balls, and also swinging the bat,” he said in a state television report. For such athletes, suspending training until Cuba ends its lockdown is out of the question.

“My dream is to get the Tokyo Olympic Games,” said

Elite Cuban triathlete Leslie Amat receives instructions from her coach during a training session on the roof of her home amid concerns about the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Havana, Cuba, April 17, 2020. (REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini) Amat of the games that were postponed from this July/ August to next year due to the pandemic. To qualify for the Cuban team, she still needs to score well in a few

Keyshawn Davis, U.S.’ top amateur boxer, chooses Olympics over turning pro early NBC Sports - Keyshawn Davis, the U.S’ top amateur male boxer, said he declined offers to turn professional until after a potential Tokyo Olympics appearance.

“Looking at the bigger picture, I felt it was a better decision for me,” said Davis, a world silver medalist in the lightweight division. “I get a chance to develop myself even more, gaining a bigger platform going into the Olympics.

I’ll be just that bigger of a fighter. Coming out [going pro in 2021], I should be a bigger star than I was going to be [in 2020].”

Davis said he had multiple “lucrative offers” to give up his Olympic dream after announcing last month he was considering turning pro

Keyshawn Davis rather than wait another year for the Tokyo Olympics. The Games will now be in 2021.

Davis is not yet qualified for the Olympics, but is favored to earn a spot once qualifying is rescheduled.

“The Olympics is most definitely huge, I’m not going to lie,” Davis, a 21-year-old from Norfolk, Va., said in March. “My whole life, you can basically say I’ve been training for the Olympics.

Because all my life I’ve been amateur and fighting amateur.

The biggest pedestal [in amateur boxing] is the Olympics.”

Davis said in March that he was 70 percent sure he would turn pro. Later, he preferred not to put a percentage on his decision.

Ultimately, the fact that professional boxing was also halted by the coronavirus impacted his choice.

Davis is the middle brother in a set of fighters (older Kelvin and younger Keon). His silver at worlds matched the best Olympic or world finish for a U.S. male boxer since 2007. Andre Ward was the last U.S. man to win an Olympic boxing title in 2004.

While boxing opened a qualification path for professionals in the last Olympic cycle, the world’s top fighters didn’t cross over.

One of Davis’ role models is 2016 Olympic bantamweight silver medalist Shakur Stevenson.

They’ve known each other since their early teens.

Stevenson brought Davis to the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs as a sparring partner before the Rio Games.

races.

Meanwhile, this Sunday she is one of the star participants in a “race at home” created by the organizers of the Varadero half

marathon. Participants are being asked to run one to three kilometers at home, whether around their garden or on the spot, and to post photos and videos on its

Facebook page.

“In these difficult times we need to be very creative,” said Amat, “always remember this will pass and continue with our personal goals.”

Drogba joins effort to distribute aid to poor in Ivory Coast AFP - Former Ivorian striker Didier Drogba and one of the country’s biggest music groups Magic System distributed aid on Friday to 200 families in a poor area of Abidjan as part of the effort to fight the coronavirus crisis.

Drogba joined Salif Traore, known as A’Salfo, the Magic System frontman, for the second phase of the “caravan of solidarity against covid-19”, financed by their respective foundations, the European Union and a real estate company.

“This is the time to show solidarity and compassion, to help the poorest in the population,” said Drogba, invoking his “civic responsibility”.

“Not everyone can afford to stay confined for several weeks. The daily life of a young African is not the same as that of a young Frenchman,” said the former Marseille and

Chelsea striker and captain of the Ivorian national team.

A total of 1,000 families in 11 areas of the Ivorian economic capital will receive soap, sanitising gel, rice, cooking oil and sugar over 11 days, said the organisers.

“Sharing values are important for artists.

Culture can be at the service of society,” said A’Salfo.

On Sunday, Drogba offered his foundation’s hospital to the Ivorian state as a testing centre.

Organisers said that during its first phase from April 2-9, the caravan distributed aid worth 150 million CFA francs (about 230,000 euros) to 5,000 families.

Ivory Coast has 688 cases of coronavirus, including six deaths, according to the latest official report on Thursday.

Didier Drogba speaks to media as he helps distribution of food and sanitary products in Abidjan. (AFP /Issouf Sanogo)

Sunday April 19, 2020

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Kaieteur News

What now for cricket in 2020?

AFP - Cricket has seen international series postponed, the Indian Premier League put on hold and the T20 World Cup in Australia thrown into doubt by the coronavirus pandemic.

Here, AFP Sport takes a look at what could happen next for cricket in 2020: Will Windies be able to defend title?

— The West Indies have been one of the weakest of the Test nations in the last 10 years, with troubles behind the scenes and rows over players’ pay often proving costly for a talented side on the pitch.

But they have still produced two memorable World T20 triumphs, in 2012 and 2016, but now may have to wait to defend their crown in Australia.

Universe Boss: Gayle was hoping to play at the T20 World Cup this year, but the tournament may have to be postponed until 2021. (AFP/File/Dibyangshu Sarkar) The 2020 T20 World Cup is due to get underway in October, but the International Cricket Council (ICC) admitted on Friday that it was

“exploring all options”, despite playing down reports that it could be pushed back until 2021.

A postponement would

Britton looking for Gold at athletes Caribbean C/ships to- Urges practice social distancing

Shemar Britton

By Calvin Chapman Caribbean under-21 silver and senior bronze medalist, Shemar Britton, during a recent interview with Kaieteur Sport, has decreed that his next goal will be to serve up the gold medal at the regional championships.

The 21-year-old studentathlete is a first year law student at the University of the West Indies (UWI) St. Augustine campus in Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) but he is at home currently, doing his classes online during this coronavirus pandemic lockdown.

This racket wielder is arguably one Guyana’s brightest table tennis prodigies and after impressive performances when the Caribbean Table Tennis Championships was held here in Guyana last year,

the young man believes that it is now time he goes all the way in the battle of the best of the best in the region.

Besides his exploits in the Caribbean Championships last year, Britton had a successful run in the Twin Island Republic’s Super Singles Invitational tournament December, last. It was Britton’s first win in that competition that saw some top players not only from T&T but also from the region participating and he believed it was the precursor of an amazing 2020 season.

Britton losing to Christopher Franklin in Guyana’s Senior Championship in February was an indication of the fierce rivalry among the members of the national men’s team who were bound for Cuba for the regional championships that

would’ve concluded on Monday last had it not been for the deadly coronavirus, which is said to have started from the Chinese Wuhan Province, and making its way to the Caribbean.

In addition, the Guyanese were also set to participate in the Olympic Qualifiers in Argentina later this month which has also been postponed along with the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

Britton detailed that an extra year of preparation will augur well for his development before going to the Olympic qualifiers, but contended that he needs to stay put and will not go outdoors until the pandemic is brought under control. He posited that, “I am a young player with still much more to learn and I am committed to learning. I would love to get out and do some work on my game but I am staying put.

Many persons are still going out unnecessarily although health officials have warned against it. We need to team up against this virus and stamp it out.”

“Right now my advice to all athletes is to not only maintain your diet but modify it as well since you won’t be as active as before. Everyone is talking about exercising in the confines of your home but there is only so much you can do.

So, it’s important to watch what you put into your body. The last thing you want to do is come out of the lockdown fat.

A record-breaking crowd watched Australia beat India to win the Women’s T20 World Cup. (AFP/File/William West) be a blow to some of the game’s ageing stars, including the 40-year-old Chris Gayle, who was hoping to bow out of the international arena in style by leading the Windies to another global title.

However, Gayle has mooted the possibility of playing for another five years.

“Forty-five is a good number. Let’s talk at 45,” the big-hitting opener told cricbizz.com earlier this year.

“I think that’s a good number and my first number. I just think I am on the slow side a bit.”

Could loss of franchise cricket prove costly?

— The world’s richest tournament, the Indian Premier League, has been indefinitely suspended, while the inaugural edition of The Hundred in England and Wales is appearing increasingly unlikely to go ahead as planned.

Many international players make the majority of their salaries in franchise

limited-overs cricket, while the IPL draws massive crowds and is estimated to generate more than $11 billion a year for the Indian economy.

Australian fast bowler Pat Cummins was the most expensive overseas player bought at the 2020 season auction, with the Kolkata Knight Riders snapping him up for $2.17 million.

The IPL was originally scheduled to start on March 29, was delayed until April 15, and has now been postponed indefinitely after the Indian government extended the country’s lockdown until at least May 3.

A cancellation, or even delay of The Hundred would be a huge blow to English cricket, which was hoping to capitalise on last year’s World Cup triumph by continuing to attract new fans to the sport.

The tournament is still slated to start as planned on July 17, but other sporting events in the UK in July, including tennis Grand Slam event Wimbledon and golf’s

British Open, have been scrapped.

Can women’s cricket continue upward trend?

— This year has already been an excellent one for women’s cricket, with a record-breaking crowd of over 86,000 watching Australia beat India to win the T20 World Cup at the Melbourne Cricket Ground last month.

But it faces a battle in order to continue to thrive after the coronavirus lockdown, with players paid far less than their male counterparts.

Teenager Shafali Verma was the find of the T20 World Cup for India, but India’s women’s captain Mithali Raj thinks the lockdown could make it harder for youngsters to break through.

“It’s true that if these matches were to go ahead, a few more gems like Shafali Verma would have been unearthed,” the Indian batting great told The Times of India.

Mumbai Indians won the IPL title last season. (AFP/File/Punit Paranjpe)

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Sunday April 19, 2020

Kaieteur News

‘As kids we had a passion for cricket & listened to the older players” - Says Ex Windies pacer Barrington Browne

By Sean Devers When fast bowler Barrington St Aubyn Browne made his ODI debut for the West Indies against India in five-match series at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, India on October 20, 1994 he was already 27 and that would be his only International series.

Back then it was much harder to get into a West team and although the West Indies unbeaten Test series streak of 17 years would come to an end the next year when Australia defeated the home team in a Test series for the time since 1978, Regional cricket was still fairly strong.

The 52-year-old Browne, speaking from his home in England where he is on a lock down due the COVID-19 virus explained how he grew up in Herstelling, East Bank and how he worked hard on his bowling as a kid and had the passion for the game, something not so common with young cricketers these days.

Browne, who played for East Bank, Malteenoes, Demerara, Guyana, West Indies Under-23s, West Indies Board President’s XI,West Indies, Marylebone Cricket Club and Cheshire, would end the series with two wickets in four matches as India won the series 4-1.

On his ODI debut, Browne had 0-27 from 10 overs as West Indies, led by Carl Hooper’s 70 made 192 and India were 135-4 off 33.1 overs and won by 8 runs on a revised target, while in his last ODI in Jaipur the Guyanese took 2-50 from 10 overs including the wicket of Sachin Tendulkar, who became Browne first ODI victim. The Indian made 105 to lead India to a 5-run win although Hooper scored 84 and took 1-35 from 10 overs to take the man of the match award.

The Indian side included Skipper Mohammed Azharuddin, Tendulkar, Jadeja, Vinod Kambli and Navjot Sidhu, while the West Indies had Lara, Hooper, Phil

Simmons, Stuart Williams, Keith Arthurton, Jimmy Adams, Shiv Chanderpaul, while Walsh was the spearhead of a fast bowling attack which included rookie pacers Browne, Cameron Cuffy and Anderson Cummings.

Browne made his First Class debut for Demerara in 1987 just after returning from his third and final year at under-19 level in Jamaica where he was one of seven Malteenoes players in the Guyana team. The Final of the four-day Inter-County tournament had First-Class status until 1990.

The pacer, known for bowling long spells in his heydays, played the first of his 36 First-Class games for Guyana in a National career which spanned from 1988 to 1997 and produced 111 wickets, with five, five-wicket hauls including a best of 651.

In the 1993 Red Stripe Cup, Barrington had the most wickets in the tournament (26) and topped the bowling averages before he captured 24 more the next year, while he had 19 scalps in 1995 and 15 in 1996. From 1993 to 1996 Barrington captured 74 wickets with two-five wicket hauls in 1993 including his best of 6-51. He snared 5-27 in 1994, 6-81 in 1995 and 5-48 in 1996.

However, in his last two seasons for Guyana, he played just a single match in each season. While he was a genuine tail ender, his highest Inter-county score is 22 not out, while his highest for Guyana is 29 batting as night watchman when he and his brother Robin played together in the same game. In 1988, playing for the West Indies under-23 side, he made 19 against a Pakistan attack that included Abdur Kadir.

In his 43 First Class game he captured 117 wickets, while he had 29 scalps from 33 Limited over games.

His list ‘A’ career lasted from 1988 to May 5, 2004 when he played his last game in England for Cheshire v

Malteenoes were the 1992 Five-O first Division Champions. (Barrington Browne is standing 3rd from Left).

Hampshire at Alderley Edge.

Hampshire was led by Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne.

Browne, who played a single First-Class game in England in 1996 for Marylebone Cricket Club and participated in his final Regional 50 game in 1995 when Hooper and Lara shared the Title after the Guyana versus Trinidad & Tobago was washed out twice.

Born September 16, 1967 Browne, the eldest of three brothers who played cricket (Robin played two First-Class and six List A in 1996) and (Rawle, a bit unlucky never to have played for Demerara despite good performances with both bat and gloves for Police), started cricket at a very early age.

“I have vivid memories of playing cricket under my grandmother’s house. I had to be around six or seven. I might have played for Farm, the village after Herstelling. If I did play it wouldn’t have been a lot of games. I started playing for Providence Cricket Club. I was playing under-16 cricket when I was 12. I found it easy because at the time I was playing second division cricket for Providence CC,” said Barrington.

Barrington informed that he was playing U-19 cricket when he was still 12 and made his Case Cup debut as a 13year-old. “We played against Mackenzie Sports Club and West Demerara against Monty Lynch and the Seeram brothers. In the East Bank team, we had Sydney Matthews, Cuthbert Innis, Garfield Hodge and few

others I can’t remember,” said Barrington.

In those days, Case Cup was the First Division threeday tournament and standard was very high since East Bank, East Coast and West Demerara were First division sides which played in the Demerara Cricket Board competitions, along with McKenzie Sports Club and the City sides GCC, DCC, Everest, Police, GDF and Malteenoes. GNIC and GYO were later included.

“The thing is at that age I could bowl straight, I was consistent and I could seam and swing the ball. Those were fun years, because some of us that came through the youth system came together and formed a cricket club for a year or two. Looking back, my father did all my coaching as a kid and when you play with the older guys in the second and first division you get a lot of advice and you learn so much. Remember you had to go to practice three times a week so you get a lot of feedback,” disclosed Barrington.

That does not happen now since most of the older players are overseas or no longer involved in club life in Guyana and that is a reason the local club system is weak.

If you want to play International cricket, you must be able to listen to advice and you have to be prepared to do some work on your own also.

“As kids we had a pitch in the backyard. We had a roller, stumps and nets. Only heavy rain could stop play because we had covers too. I can remember began playing

about 9:00am. We had about an hour to an hour and half for lunch and then we would play into the night. We turned the lights at the back and played until about 8:00pm.

Yes, we had white balls back then, we painted them. They stay white longer than those you buy in the shop.

Thing is, my father would be there all day playing cricket with us. Bowling seam-up, off spin, leg-break googly and I think he tried his hand at left arm orthodox. The thing is, he wasn’t crappy at it. He was good enough to give me and Robin decent practice. The long hours of practice got me there quicker. We also had all the kids coming in to play. So growing up we were always playing cricket,” explained Barrington.

“Claude St. John set up his cricket coaching clinic which started at Providence CC ground, which is now a football training facility. What a waste! It shows the lack of foresight in Guyana. Then Sterling Products Limited built a ground behind the factory and a very good ground it was too. It was good to do fielding practice on and we enjoyed the free ice cream they provided. That’s where I started before Malteenoes,” Barrington said.

None of the two governments have allowed and Clubs on the East Bank to use the Providence Stadium since it was built for the 2007 World Cup. “I started playing cricket at the Regional U-19 level in 1985. I was 16 and played with Carl Hooper, played against Jimmy Adams and Kenny Benjamin. It was the year we

won the tournament with some fantastic cricket from Carl and everyone else,” continued Barrington.

The 1985 Northern Telecom Regional Youth Championship was played in Guyana and Hooper was superlative. He scored 404 runs at an average of 80.80 and took 33 wickets at an average of 11.15, with an innings best of 7 wickets for 47 runs. Guyana won all its matches and the tournament in 1985.

The 1985 team read: Latchman Bhansingh (captain), Carl Hooper, Peter Persaud, Richard Jodha, Bhagwan Komalram, Stanley Chinsammy, Inlall Baichu, Neil Barry, Vidyanand Ramsaroop, Gavin Smith, Colwyn Cort, Barrington Browne, Ramphal Bactowar and Garry Nascimento – Manager.

Only Hooper and Browne from that team went on to play International Cricket, while the pacer also played at the U-19 level in 1986 in Trinidad and 1987 in Jamaica with Trinidad becoming the first team to win back-to-back three day titles by winning in 1986 and ’87.

In the 1991 Bristol Cup semi-final at Albion when Malteenoes became the first City team to beat Port Mourant in Berbice in a thrilling last over finish when Barrington bowled the last man everyone in the City team were in tears. Browne, Colwyn Cort and this writer had three wickets each.

Browne continued to play for Malteenoes before leaving to live in England in the late 1990s.

Kaieteur News

Sunday April 19, 2020

PAGE 57

Athletes banned until 2020 can compete at Olympics: Athletics Integrity head (Reuters) - The postponement of the Tokyo Olympics will allow athletes banned until 2020 to qualify for the Games next year as doping bans are based on time periods and not events, Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) head Brett Clothier told Reuters.

Last month, the International Olympic Committee and the Japanese government agreed to postpone the Tokyo Games, due to start in July, to 2021 because of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic that has killed over 150,000 people worldwide.

Wo r l d A n t i - D o p i n g Agency (WADA) bans are designed to prevent athletes from competing during an Olympic cycle and Clothier said stopping athletes whose bans expire this year from competing in 2021 would lead to legal complications.

“The standard penalty under the WADA code for

doping is a four-year ban,” Clothier said. “And that’s been designed that way to tie in with the Olympic cycle.

“But in this case, of course, it’s an anomaly that the Olympics have moved so some athletes will benefit from that.

“It’s an unfortunate situation but one that is very clear under the legal framework so the ban is based on time and not tied to particular events.”

The anomaly could prove to be a double-edged s w o r d , h o w e v e r, w i t h Clothier saying athletes caught after August this year would be banned for two Olympic Games — in Tokyo and Paris — since they fall within the four-year sanction range.

But with social distancing protocols and lockdowns in place in several countries, Clothier said the biggest impact the pandemic has had on anti-

doping agencies is the lack of regular testing.

“The restrictions on movement that are happening in many countries are having a severe disruption to testing processes around the world,” he said. “We do testing for over a 100 countries round the world and there are different restrictions in each c o u n t r y. . . a n d t h o s e restrictions are changing day-to-day, week-to-week.

“So our normal testing operations are disrupted. We are still conducting testing where we can but there is a severe disruption, no question.”

The United States AntiDoping Agency (USADA) said a new self-administered doping test, where athletes are monitored live by a doping control officer, could help protect clean athletes, as the agency tries to ensure no one gets a “free pass” from reduced testing during the

A passerby wearing a protective face mask following an outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) walks past a screen displaying logos of Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo, Japan March 19, 2020. (REUTERS/Issei Kato) pandemic.

Clothier said that though current testing limitations give dopers an opportunity to cheat, agencies should be proactive in identifying athletes prone to cheating while also cracking down on the root causes of doping.

“One thing that needs to be understood though is testing for us isn’t just a

numbers game,” he added.

“We use intelligence and investigation methodologies to make sure we are testing the right athletes we need to at the right time.

“While our testing activities are reduced at the moment, we are focusing on our priority and high-risk athletes and making sure we can test them as much as

possible within the limitations we have.

“We’re hoping that we’ll see change around the antidoping world... where more organizations invest in intelligence capabilities so that they can address the root causes of doping and the people behind doping rather than just using the tests as a facade or a numbers game.”

‘Big Three’ discussing ways to help Broncos’ Miller lower-level players, says Djokovic on testing positive: (Reuters) ovak Djokovic has been in touch with fellow ATP Player Council members Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal to discuss ways to assist lower-ranked players facing financial struggles amid the novel coronavirus outbreak, the world number one said yesterday.

A n s w e r i n g a f a n ’s question during his Instagram live chat with Stan Wawrinka, Player Council chief Djokovic said steps would be taken to ensure that only those players who are most deserving will benefit from any relief plans.

“I spoke to Roger and Rafa a few days ago and we had a conversation about the near future of tennis. How we can contribute to help lower ranked guys who are obviously struggling the most, Djokovic said.

“A majority of players ranked between 250 to 700 or 1,000 don’t have federation support or sponsors and are independent and left alone.”

The tennis season was suspended in early March due to the pandemic, leaving players in the lower tiers who depend solely on

‘I was shocked’

N

D

Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland (L) hugs Novak Djokovic of Serbia after winning the French Open men’s final in Paris, France, June 7, 2015. (REUTERS/Jean-Paul Pelissier/File Photo) tournament winnings without the chance to earn a living.

The plight of players ranked outside the top 100 in singles has prompted the game’s stakeholders — the ATP, WTA, ITF and the organisers of the four Grand Slams — to devise plans to provide some assistance.

“Players hopefully will (also) contribute collectively to the relief fund that the ATP (and others) will distribute using models and criteria,” Djokovic added.

“You want to avoid giving money to player who fits into this category (low ranking) but does not need the money compared to someone else... hopefully between $3-4.5 million will be distributed to lowerranked players.”

Djokovic, a 17-times Grand Slam champion, said other short-term solutions could include diverting bonus money meant for top players from season-ending events like the ATP Finals into the relief fund.

“If we don’t have any events (in 2020), maybe next year’s Australian Open prize money can be contributed to the fund,” the Serb added.

“I’m glad the tennis ecosystem is coming together.

Everyone realises the base of tennis. These guys ranked 250 onwards are the ones making the future of tennis.

“We have to show them they’re not forgotten. We also have to send a message to young players that they can live out of tennis when there’s a financial crisis.”

enver Broncos linebacker Von Miller admitted he was stunned to learn that he tested positive for the coronavirus, especially since he maintains he was strict in his adherence to social distancing.

“I was shocked,” Miller said Friday morning on NBC’s “Today” show. “I’ve been here in Denver for about four weeks now. I’ve probably left the house four times. With all those four times, I never got out of the car.”

Miller, who has asthma, said he had a simple cough that worsened over time. He elected to get tested for the illness on Tuesday after his condition wasn’t improving despite using his nebulizer (breathing device).

The eight-time Pro Bowl selection and Super Bowl 50 MVP told ESPN’s “NFL Live” later on Friday that anyone is susceptible to the coronavirus.

“What keeps me at peace is knowing I did everything I was supposed to do,” Miller said. “I was here at home.

I’ve been here at home for about a month now, and I’ve probably left the house a

total of four times. And when I left, I didn’t get out of the car or anything like that.

“I didn’t have any contact. I was just riding with my brother up the street to get some food. I literally took it serious, I wasn’t out and about. It hit me right here in my house.”

Miller is the second known NFL player to test positive for COVID-19. Los Angeles Rams center Brian Allen told Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer on Wednesday that he was recovering from the virus.

ESPN reported Wednesday that one member of the Los Angeles Chargers organization tested positive and two others had shown symptoms.

New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton previously revealed he tested positive and has since recovered.

Miller, 31, had eight sacks and 20 quarterback hits in 15 games last season, missing a game for the first time since 2013. The threetime All-Pro has 106 sacks and 216 QB hits in 135 games across nine seasons with the Broncos.

(Field Level Media)

Britton looking for Gold at Caribbean C/ships

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- Urges athletes to practice social distancing

Shemar Britton (left) serves during his semifinal win against Tyrese Knight of Barbados.

Elite Cuban triathlete Leslie Amat trains on the roof of her home amid concerns about the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Havana, Cuba, April 17, 2020.

(REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini)

With tires and rice bags, Cuba’s athletes invent home workouts P. 20

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