Kaieteur News

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Sunday April 26, 2020

Kaieteur News

Kaieteur News Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: Sharmain Grainger Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210

EDITORIAL

After all of these birth pains After all the sounds and furies from this side and that, the endless squabbles and squalls of divided and raging supporters, the birth pains of our democracy and their lasting traumas had better mean something. If there is to be any healing and growing from the learning, then positive things are what must predominate. Through the still impenetrable thickets of anger and despair over no-confidence motion embittering postelections passions, the sweet taste of hard-earned success or agonizing loss, we cannot be the same, must not proceed in the same selfish and self-destructive paths. For this long and arduous process to mean anything, then Guyanese men and women first have to fix the bar high for themselves and then higher for their leaders. From the present, both the succeeding present and the beckoning future look most unpromising. The hope is that we would have learned something, a lot of things. The shaky belief is that we, as Guyanese, have to be different, will be different, and must be different, from the sheer force of the experiences encountered along the journey and which enlightened somewhat. Now the great, the greatest, challenge is to trust ourselves to partner to find a way forward. If it is the old Guyanese ways stuck to through of the same sordid political business as usual, of enriching self-help, of marginalizing and discriminating, then the struggles would represent so much energies and time wasted. If and when we were to do so, then we doom ourselves to the worst circle of Dante’s hell. For certainty, there are those many, who wait with drooling for the riches to be exploited rapaciously for personal benefit, who ready to lead the charge at plundering whatever comes, and it promises to be a lot; it does not matter which party triumphs, this is the reality that is promised. But after all of the agonies, all of the upheavals, surely there must be some lessons learned, some profound truths discovered? That is, after all the warring about a corrupted process, and the winning of the day (whoever does so), there should and must emerge the resolve to rise to the required level of transparent and accountable governance. Or else we are going nowhere. Perhaps, it is asking too much of us, but whatever comes must be of genuinely clean governance that scorns corruptions of any kind and corrupters of any stripe. This cannot be about railing stridently against electoral corruption, with a view to continuing all the individual, bureaucratic and political perversities that have reigned supreme on a national scale. Then, what would have been gained? What value the hard sacrifices made? What prospects for a nation and the pure democracy supposedly discovered, if there is only a continuation of the same plagues of before, but now only on a grander scale, because of the currently diminished wealth that gushes forth out of the ground? It is our view at this publication that for any progress to be made, then there must be another revolution in how we live going forward, by how we hold friend, comrade, ally, and neighbour to the fire and the light, and when found wanting to be rid of them most unceremoniously and with unerring finality. If this does not become the norm, and despite our sharp misgivings, then whatever was considered victory would be in vain, and a pyrrhic one for the peoples of this nation. Efforts could and should be made relative to identifying tirelessly and weeding out any budding elements and instances of corruption at the hands of the faithful. We challenge political leaders to be examples of real guardians of democracy when the spotlight has waned, when the foreigners return to their regular businesses, of which there are many and mostly away from Guyana. And this is the mandatory key that has to be addressed and reshaped: how we live next to each other, how we deal with and coexist peacefully and constructively alongside one another. That may be as challenging to ask a 300-lb wrestler to dance on one toe.

Not so subtle signals from the foreigners Dear Editor, As I read of different utterings at different times from the foreigners, my sense is that there is a continuing shift in the wind. It is steadily stronger in one direction only. I would advise all, especially Coalition leaders, to pay attention, to read carefully the messages being transmitted, within the limited confines of diplomatic speak. There should be no misunderstanding as to where all roads converge. The word from the Americans is consistent: transparent and credible, it must be. I regret the decision of GECOM to not agree to the former during Friday’s

deliberations for live streaming; it would have gone a long way to clear the air by shining some light. No matter how blurred, I would have found this acceptable, if not most conducive to the long sought-after credible process. To decide not to live stream is to lend more darkness to already existing darkness. That is not a good decision; I do not welcome it. Though I do not know in the least the now banished Returning Officer for Region 4, what he essayed left conscientious coalition voters appalled and sullied. I was and still am. There can be no repeat, in any fashion or to any degree, of the same.

For this is going to be the hardest of nuts to crack, one that cannot be shrunk from, one not subject to the usual superficialities and preening public pieties about one people (which we are not) or of one nation (which we have never really tried to be) or of one destiny (which is dual at best) and, after the ills and rages of 2019 and 2020, at its very worst shredded and scattered all over the 83,000 square miles that still outline our place on the globe. In view of all that happened on the public and private stages, it is going to be extremely difficult to hold things together. It may prove to be too formidable a task to make the vast bulk of citizens wake up and be miraculously reborn with a new outlook on what (maybe) just could work. But the difficulties could only be overcome, if we dare to be fearless and forceful enough to risk facing the daunting challenges that are so much a part of the barren Guyanese fabric, its

I say this despite swirling contentions and misgivings about like chicanery in several other regions, this time by opposition operators. The Americans have made crystal clear their position. I am confident that the resident ambassador’sHer Excellency, Ms. Sarah Ann Lynch-secure conversations and cables would buttress my thinking if they were to be made public today. So, too, would those of ranking embassy officials here, and those within the hierarchy of the State Department at Foggy Bottom. There is nothing remotely foggy about what has flowed, on more than a couple of

occasions, from the official responsible for matters in this hemisphere. Mr. Michael Kozak is a senior man, with much weight and a voice that carries far and high. That would be upward to Mr. Mike Pompeo, who has shared his own positions in the most unmistakable, but still careful diplomatic, terms employed between friendly nations. To take this to the highest rung up the American political ladder, I have to end up at the White House. The incumbent chief executive, in spite of some on and off lapses in concentration, believes that he has a working partner in Mr. Putin, that together they (Continued on page 5)

ruptured tapestry of races. Leaders cannot be so preoccupied with other priorities, or with remembering the wounds of this most bruising and piercing of contests, that they refuse to spend any capital, manifest any inclination toward what could be healing and contribute immensely to leading towards the reconciling so urgently needed. Though the chances of even meager progress are slim to nonexistent, leadership visions and personal political calculations must be recalibrated and dedicated to making the pains forgettable and bearable. Many worlds, bright and beautiful, have been promised in both spoken and written words. Soon will come the time to deliver on all of them; not merely the lavishly personally rewarding, as individually selected. But through all of those sworn to so fervently during the campaigns and ferocious clashes of competition, the smog of our smoldering political wars.

Sunday April 26, 2020

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I will apologise to the Coalition if… Dear Editor, My many years as a Bridge player has thought me to connect the dots and follow the line of logic. Every fibre in my being tells me that the stopping of the count on Tuesday, March 3 and these continuous stalls since then has only one direction- that the charade of establishing a recount at the Arthur Chung Center is another one. These are in the long line of complicity, between the Coalition, the public services, the GECOM Chair and team. This is done to delay the recounting of the votes long enough to swear President David Granger in on the false declaration. I base this on all the circumstances which have led up to this, and it is my belief that the appointment of the Director General, Joseph Harmon, in charge of the COVID -19 response is a foreshadow for a planned acceleration and declaration of COVID-19 cases, along with the Constitutional crisis which has another week expiration date. This goes hand-in-hand with the need for Parliament to reconvene to deal with emergency funding for “Governance”. This will be used as the excuses to make the swearing in materialize,

and at that time, it will be the continued claim that everything is being done under the “Constitution’’ and the discrepancies of the false and illegal declaration will be asked to be dealt with by the PPP/C by means of an Election Petition. Please believe me that there is no credible observer, both locally and internationally, who will buy this. If this does not happen, and the count is done and credible results declared, then I will publicly make my apologies to the Coalition. In fact, I would be the happiest of men to tell the world publicly how wrong I am. My friend, Imran Khan, the former public information officer, can refute me now and tell me I am wrong. I want the Coalition to consider the impact, which an illegal unrecognized Government will have on all Guyanese- not only the ones here but away. We started this year with bright sunlight engulfing the nation, the hopes and dreams for myself and many of my generation of finally seeing the long-awaited promise of our potential and planned development of our country, where the wealth accrued will be shared with all its citizens

and act as an enticement for the return of the over one million Guyanese and descendants overseas, many who have never even visited here. It would have happened with us making plans to share in this new bright future of ours, and for our beloved country’s turn to finally shine and change polarity, from one of the poorest, to a wealthy nation. For myself, I was willing to give it a few more years before my retirement. Like many Guyanese, I have worked my life to be able to retire and enjoy the fruits of my labour. All this now stands to disappear before our eyes. Instead of prosperity, we are now faced with an illegally, unrecognized caretaker Government. We will be ostracized by the international community; sanctions will be placed on us, and we will in one fell swoop return to the days of shortages and be in a worst position than our neighbours in Venezuela. Persons like myself, with capacity and something to offer to the development of this country, will vote once again with our feet, and we will restart a cycle that we should have left behind with the re-establishment of

democracy by the Carter Center in 1992. All the gains, and credibility, which we have earned in our young democracy will have gone, vanished overnight. I understand the concerns of the Coalition over the excesses of the last Government, and I feel the pain. I was with the Coalition on the long road and the flourishing functioning of our democracy to have them installed as Government. I have many who I called friends within the Cabinet. However, they will have a chance again in another five years, where I guarantee that there will be many talking points and with the right approach, they will have a chance again for a return to Government even with the possibility of Constitutional reforms. In the meanwhile, I urge the Coalition to allow the recount and validation of the results; for them to take their place whatever they be in Parliament; let their voices be heard there in a democratic manner and play by the rules provided under our Constitution. In closing, I plead with the Coalition to have empathy for all Guyanese, as this road which they have embarked on

...Not so subtle signals from the foreigners From page 4 can move things along. I say this because I am pondering how and where the thorny concerns resident in Venezuela would finalize. I make this reference, because no sitting Republican administration (along with a partnering and controlling senate) would want to attract the stigma of “losing” Venezuela; there is the fearsome specter of losing a lot of Latin America later. That is a mantle and monopoly of Democratic leaders, best left untouched. To shed some light on this, I mention President Ronald Reagan and his inner circle that stuck with Ferdinand Marcos (and his political operator of a spouse) to the bitter end, because the great fear was of communist

governance. This was counter to the positions and advisories coming from powerful men in state, the Manila Embassy, and American media. As I consider it, Guyana’s coalition government possesses few, if any, such allies at this time. Further, Guyana does not house military bases on its territory. Even further, the main opposition has been remarkably quiet about communist leanings and relationships for some time now. I acknowledge that it is a well-choreographed presentation, which may have been found endearing by Americans based here with official ties to Washington. All of this may be found highly persuasive by the

Americans as they probe for a satisfying way out of the sticky and tricky Guyanese mud and gutter. The coalition can deliver its own convincing dance card for this big local show, but on one condition only. It must first recognize that the world has changed, with more emphasis on human rights, democratic rights, and the right to govern from a process that gives grounds on which to stand and support. Those grounds must be clean and credible; they must be open and visible. They must be about substance and not the endlessly farcical formulations that trigger creeping impatience and foster increasing distrust. That is where many thinking and ethical

Guyanese stand. It is where I stand. For the last time: the recount process has to be transparent and credible. The foreigners are adamant. That writing is on the wall and noticeably clear. From the reports shared with me, I understand that a highly placed European Union official took it upon himself to get that identical message across (yet again) in recent radio program. The way I know it, the diplomatic community does not operate in isolation; there is a fraternity (maybe sorority) there. I think the message from the chorus was delivered. Do this thing right. There are not many more bites of the apple left. Move on. Get it over. GHK Lall

is fraught with danger and uncertainty. Believe me, no good can come of this. The people, who they are supposed to be representing will suffer the blunt of the actions which will be initiated with a false declaration. The dreams and

aspirations of all our people rest in their hands to do the right thing and there is the distinct possibility that their plans will be short lived and it will not end nicely. Heed the warnings, which are being sounded by the international community. Roy Beepat

Uncharted, not unchartered Dear Editor, The uncertainty that engulfed the country since the passage of the no confidence motion has since been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the post-election complications. Not surprisingly, in speaking about these uncertain times, many of us have aptly reached for the word “uncharted” in such word combinations as uncharted waters and uncharted territory. Unfortunately, on several occasions, we hear and read the word “unchartered”

instead. This is a mistake, one that appeared twice in a single local newspaper edition a few days ago. While uncharted means unknown, unchartered means unauthorized or unregulated. In all the cases in question, unknown (uncharted) is what was meant. The similarity in spelling makes the error understandable, but it should not be hard to avoid. And, yes, we all make spelling mistakes. Sherwood Lowe

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I run the risk of widespread disapproval Dear Editor, At last, I am free to offer some comments on the column by Freddie Kissoon, published in Kaieteur News on April 20, 2020. Again, I thank the columnist for noticing the sins of omission and commission by people like me who may be objects of curiosity to the general readership. Mr. Kissoon sometimes gives the false impression that I am the only person of my age group available for his examination. Of course, it is not so. I note in passing that Mr. Kissoon seldom mentions me, without reminding his readers of my age. For some reason, age is an important factor in his analysis and in the conclusions that he draws. As I understand it, his present article in which he mentions Edward Said and Jean Paul Sartre bears out this concern. I gather from Mr. Kissoon’s argument that he is very disturbed by the fact that in my letter, calling for a tribunal to document the recent cases of “humans being brutal to humans”, I did not also denounce electoral rigging. His argument impressed some readers who, in their comments on his column, repeated this rebuke. My simple answer is in a statement which I signed with Mr. Moses Bhagwan and which was published in some Guyanese media on or about March 9 and March 10. We said enough about electoral legality and

rectitude to satisfy any reasonable reader. For convenience, here is the passage to which I refer: “It is fortunate that the international observers are present. This makes it possible for them to evaluate any claims of evidence of illegality in the elections process and to bring these to light. Illegalities in elections must be condemned by umpires. “At the same time, we also condemn all attempts by participants who speak about the rule of law, while they engage in disruptive tactics to enforce their will. All these actions, as well as alleged misconduct by authorized officials, contribute to divisions and chaos in the society. In such a deeply divided nation, it remains possible for the leaders of the major parties to de-escalate the situation by finding a mutually agreeable solution. This can be done irrespective of the outcome in the courts, irrespective of the final declaration of results by GECOM, irrespective of local, regional and international observers finally signing off on a credible election result. If nothing else, the events of the past week have underlined forcefully that regardless of who wins under this current winner take all system, Guyana as a whole loses.” I think that the passage quoted above sets out our interests in valid elections. When contesting parties are present and are

articulate during the process and have access to judicial review and to invited observers, I, for one, consider it unhelpful to prattle about facts I do not have and about insights, notions, or even suspicions that I may have. I have always tried, in my political activity, to make only such allegations as are founded on evidence in my possession. Like most observers of the process in Guyana, I do have notions of possible wrongdoing, but the impressions I am getting are not founded on facts that pass my own tests. Two other considerations, apart from my suspected dotage, prevent me from rushing into print with any specific allegation. One is my distance from the scene with the fact that many people of the best intentions are close to the scene, better informed and more likely to have a picture of what is taking place. I must add, at this stage too, that although I have been active since 1973, along with others in efforts to secure general elections, I do not think that those who can engage an expensive lobbying group in the USA as their advocates will suffer, because I have not gone beyond restating general principles of fairness and legality. In fact, if I may go just one step further, I am inclined at the moment to the view that if I am to engage in fingerpointing, I will need to point more than one finger.

Not too late to decide on live streaming the recount Dear Editor, We, children of Guyana, many on this list who have voted for the first time, demand that our votes be tabulated and declared in a credible manner that reflects the will of the people. We are leaving this responsibility to fix this political mess in a timely manner, solely at the feet of Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh, the Chairperson of GECOM, because this is her job. We all are fully aware that all of the electoral districts were legitimately declared save and except for District No. 4. This district was not declared credibly because senior officials in GECOM abandoned the law and decided to do their own thing to ensure that the APNUAFC is artificially declared the overall winner of the 2020 elections.

But irrespective of the action of these operatives led by Clairmont Mingo, with active support from his seniors in the GECOM secretariat, the buck for this proverbial fraud stops with the Chairperson of GECOM. Under the law – Act No. 15 of 2000, the Election Laws (Amendment) Act 2000, the power to fix any difficulties that have arisen in the process is given to GECOM headed by the Chairperson. To date, the Chairperson of GECOM has failed to fix the difficulties that were created by these political operatives in the organization, despite that she had said, “She is doing all that she can” when the evidence reveals she is not. Madam Singh, as a former jurist on the Appeals Court, you are amply educated and informed of the laws to make an order. It is disturbing to us to

know that such a learned previous judge, will leave such a process to others. This is unfortunate. It will be eight Mondays soon (8 weeks) since we held elections yet week after week, Ms. Claudette Singh continues to not do her job. All she has done was sidestep the real issues and found secondary issues to populate her communications with the media. This has given energy to the school of thought that the Chairperson is not asserting herself in the process enough and this is contributing to the results not credibly being declared. Why does GECOM have to take more than a week to finalize a work plan and a legal order to be gazetted that will empower the recount process? GECOM’s personnel including the Chairperson are handsomely (Continued on page 7)

Apart from all of this, I cannot pretend to be unaffected by the statement of the current Chairperson of GECOM that she intended to deliver to the public a valid election, or words to that effect. I have often wondered from a distance whether and to what extent those who appealed to her public spiritedness to have a fully constituted Elections Commission have taken the necessary steps to support her stated aspirations. I now turn to my recommendation for the investigation and the documentation of the reported incidents of what I have called brutality. I am not apologetic about making this recommendation. One reason is that they have occurred previously in our political life and it will be foolish and cowardly to ignore them. What is most alarming to me is the fact that often they are not “centrally directed”, but worse, spring out of the gut feeling of thinly scattered

groups, gripped with a sense of desperation. Failure to record these incidents is proof of political blindness and callousness in all the political directorates concerned. I can only refer to my own praxis, whether I was acting alone or as part of a group. When the columnist, Mr. Kissoon himself, was assaulted somewhere outside of Nigel’s supermarket, I was one of those protesting and demanding investigation and punishment of the offender. My writings record many examples of my attitude to assaults on the person. For some readers, I will recall that in the song that became the WPA’s party song, I celebrated in permanent form one of the ballot box victims fatally shot by the military at the end of the polling in the 1973 General Elections. As an activist deeply concerned with the survival of Africa in the Western Hemisphere after enslavement, I have run the risk of widespread

disapproval from the African Guyanese community by challenging when necessary their iconic leaders. It was as a result of my efforts that the High Court of Guyana declared unlawful the practice of assigning registration and general elections to the portfolio of a party minister. If I now appear to Mr. Kissoon not to be babbling enough, there is nothing I can do about it. As I look back on it, I find one omission in my letter to the press, sent also to Kaieteur News on March 24, 2020, regarding the documentation of “humans brutalizing humans”. I should have listed, as a special case, the allegation that a young man was fatally shot by the police in the course of one of these incidents. The use of force by agencies of the State should always be subject to judicial review. I regret the delay in responding, due to certain disabilities. Eusi Kwayana

Trump on immigration, disinfectant and Guyanese Dear Editor, President Trump made two major announcements this past week: 1. A temporary suspension of immigration (residency) to the USA, and 2) Use of UV light and disinfectant kills the virus. The visa suspension affects immigration from all countries but does not end sponsorship. One has to be careful with use of disinfectant (bleach, in particular) as it can be dangerous to health. Anyone who works or studied in science labs, as I did some 40 years ago, would know that disinfectant (bleach) is used to kill virus and deadly bacteria on concrete counter surface after experiments with dead animals. On landed visas, although one expects it would be only for two months as he stated, it is not clear when the President would end the moratorium preventing issuance of immigrant visas. It could be extended beyond the November Presidential – it is a vote catcher for Trump playing well in his (red neck) base. If one already has an immigrant visa to enter the US, the visa would not be affected; he or she can enter the US. But those who were already interviewed, approved and just waiting for the visa stamp would be

impacted. There are some exemptions like children and spouse of a US citizen. (PS: Children born to an American citizen in Guyana or other country are automatically citizens of the US; no visa needed to immigrate to the US). Healthcare workers (nurses, doctors) seeking immigrant visas to US are not affected. All other (tourist, employment, exchange, professional) issued visas are not affected. But with embassies closed in most countries, it would be very difficult to get a visitor’s visa to the US. If one already has a green card and stuck in Guyana, he will not be prevented to enter the US. Sponsorship of immigrants will continue but the line for a visa will get longer. With regards to killing the virus or trying to keep it at bay, scientists do claim that ultraviolet light (UV) of the sun kills the Corona virus almost instantly. Sun is good for plants – necessary for photosynthesis as we learn in biology and chemistry courses. But too much sun can affect human skin especially of light complexioned people leading to cancer. If one already has the virus, being in the sun won’t kill it as the virus is in the throat or lung already (prescribed medicine, home-

made remedies, hot liquids are necessary). The virus should not have much impact on people living in Guyana and are in the sun. But it would not prevent people from being infected when in close gathering as the virus is spread from person to person (even when in sun) who are in close contact. Practice safe social distancing. Like the sun, disinfectants also kill the virus almost instantly. Bleach is perfect but try to avoid putting on skin. Those of us who worked in science labs would know that bleach vapour can be suffocating. Bleach burns or destroys good cells and beneficial bacteria. Please do not ingest or inject yourself with bleach (Chlorox or any other brand) thinking it would kill the virus; it would not work and in fact would put your health at risk. Bleach is only for outer cleaning (but not on the skin). President Trump was being ‘sarcastic’ when he suggested experiments on use of UV light and disinfectant inside the body to kill the virus. People are poking fun. Some of the people counting the ballots in Guyana have a different kind of virus; the bleach may help them to count correctly. Dr. Vishnu Bisram

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Recount laying groundwork for political impasse Dear Editor It’s now almost two months since the March 2, 2019 elections and Guyanese still do not know who won the contest. Even in countries with large populations, it does not take that long to determine the results of an election. What does it say to us that we still do not have a result after two months? For one-half of the electorate, it says that they have won, and the other side is stealing their victory via an elaborate rigging scheme at GECOM. The other half is saying they have already been lawfully declared the winner, but the formal declaration is being blocked by the losers who are using every trick in the book to carry out their scheme. In both instances, the two sides see what they look for. Both sides have enlisted recommendations from socalled independents and neutral observers. Since one side has been more successful in getting far more big names and powerful interests to bolster its case, it appears to the naked eye that their case has more merit than the other. They have also been able to locate their case in the context of a historical fear that at least one-half of the population responds to with deep emotions—rigged elections. What do I see in the long delay in arriving at a result? At best, I see a disputed election, that would not be solved at the ballot box.

I say so because it does not take two months and more to solve a ballot-box problem. It says, then, to me that “there is more in the mortar than the pestle.” There is more than meets the naked political eye. There is a subtext that we are missing or avoiding—silencing. In playing up the “democratic” manifestation of the problem, we are in effect silencing the real political, historical, and sociological problem. Here is what I think is the problem. Guyana like most recent post-colonial societies is government centered. The government is by far the most powerful institution in the society. There is no independent and effective civil society space or private sector or military to compete with the civilian government. The government in Guyana has complete formal control of state institutions. It distributes resources political, economic, and cultural. It has monopoly of coercion. It is all-powerful. If you win an election in Guyana, you win total formal power and if you lose, you lose all formal power. It makes sense that in a bifurcated society like ours where ultimately, we vote ethnically with minor adjustments from time to time, there will be a big fight over who wins the government—who governs? And this is what we have been fighting over since March 2. Winning the government is not only a guarantee of power for your side, but a defence against the tyranny of the other side.

This is what the majoritarian, winner-take-all system has saddled us with since 1955. Winner takes-all in an ethnically divided society is problematic—it leads to trouble. In Guyana, we have had bitter experiences in that regard these last six to seven decades. The problem led to a civil war 1961-64. It led one side to suspend formal democracy for 28 years with far-reaching consequences. It led the other side to institute ethnic-domination and rule by political gangs as substitutes for state institutions with equally farreaching consequences. The promise of Coalition government between 2011 and 2020 was squandered first by the Ramotar government and later the Granger government. Neither government had the courage and foresight to move beyond the confines of the winner-take-all, majoritarian, ethnic domination framework and culture. So, we arrive at 2020 as an exposed and compromised nation—highly infected with ethnic supremacism. We went through the motions of an election— dancing and waving our flags, taunting one another, and fooling ourselves that we were honoring some democratic promise. As it turns out, we were laying the groundwork for the political impasse, which has dragged on for two months. Like Samuel Beckett portrayed in his famous play “Waiting for

Moses has disappointed me Dear Editor, It is sad to say that a man who I respected prior to him joining he APNU/AFC slate in 2011 is so engaged with others to see further rigging of the 2020 General and Regional elections. Moses Nagamatoo was an icon in the PPP during the years of struggles for free and fair elections in Guyana. This man was in the forefront against Burnham’s dictatorship during those bleak and dreadful years. I can recall Cheddi and Janet Jagan closeness with Moses in many demonstrations across this country. Moses was and is still an excellent speaker who captivates many of the younger supporters of the PPP. He was very inspiring and encouraged many of us to join the Progressive Youth Organisation (PYO). I am now 65 years of age and I remember being

involved in three decades of fight for democracy in Guyana. As a teenager, filled with youth and the passion for democracy and justice; I joined all the protests actions in Essequibo where I was residing. We were beaten, charged and abused by Burnham’s policemen and women. I can vividly recall Dr. Jagan sending Senior Counsel, Doodnauth Singh, to represent us at the Suddie Magistrate Court. It is still fresh in my mind the greeting that was given to Singh by Magistrate David Singh. Words that still resonate in my thoughts: “It is an honour to have a distinguished gentleman like you in my court today”. I cannot understand what could have caused Moses in his final years of his political career to be on the side of blatant riggers of elections. This is beyond the man I

knew, the man venerated and whom I struggled with. I can never forget those loyal servants who remain steadfast and struggled with Cheddi, those who went through bitter poverty, who eat cake, mauby, catfish curry and rice and who slept in prison cells for democracy in Guyana. I salute Harry Persaud Nokta, Reepu DamanPersaud, Sheik Feroze Mohamed, Donald Ramotar and all the others who refused to join those terrible people who brought hardship on the populace through incompetence and rigged elections. Moses has disappointed me by his actions to support that which he fought against. I sincerely hope that this onetime gentleman redeem himself by doing the right thing and stay far from that which he struggled against. Mohamed Yousuff (Br. Bob)

Godot,” we keep waiting for the ballot boxes to rescue us. In the interim like Beckett’s two principal characters, we encounter and discover things—terrible things, in our case. I am firm in this conviction—those ballot boxes will not deliver us from our ethno-political vice. They will not rescue us. A few weeks ago, I suggested the scrapping of the elections and the installation of an interim Government of national unity.

I was politically lynched by one side, which saw my suggestion as undemocratic and a cover for the other side. So, I keep my proposal on the table. Let it stay there in all its craziness. And let there be the recount; let it go forth. It is going forth and its now dawning on them that there is no magic in a recount in a situation that is more than what is in the boxes. The recount is not likely to lead to a gift for nether side. For what it’s worth, I am calling on the dogs on both

sides to tell your masters to start talking about a postrecount solution. For, when a winner is declared, a new chapter will begin. Prime Minister Keith Rowley says it will not be nice. I say it would be ugly. On a Globespan24-7 programme this past week, both Ravi Dev and I said we must be prepared to live with the consequences. Commonsense could soften the landing. David Hinds

Dr. Hinds and the cure for Burnham’s fever Dear Editor, Euphoria can best describe the excitement of Dr. David Hinds in the aftermath of the coming to power of the APNU + AFC regime in 2015. In the early days of the life of the regime, Dr. Hinds declared that, ‘Burnham people and Kwayana people are now one’. As the anti-corruption campaign of the Granger regime went into full swing, Dr. Hinds, whose mantra was “power sharing” for many years, openly declared that the enormity of the corruption was so disgusting, that it would be out of order to even make a suggestion of “power sharing”. To a large extent, it was the WPA personnel, headed by the venerable Dr. Clive Thomas, who uncovered the wholesale “sell-out” of the country, so much so, that not a square inch of land was left available to Guyanese. As the Granger regime began to consolidate its hold on power in unabashed Burnhamist style, the mild criticisms of the regime led to the expulsion of Dr. Hinds from the pages of the government-owned and controlled Guyana Chronicle. Dr. Hinds sought refuge at Kaieteur News. It is a remarkable phenomenon, after the outright seizure of the ballot boxes by the Granger regime, to hear Dr. Hinds in his enormously affective booming voice, declare that the ballot boxes should be destroyed without a result being declared, and “power sharing” should be implemented. We are now left to divine the thinking that could have brought Dr. Hinds to his knees despite his “cockiness”. In a TV discourse with Ravi Dev, Baytoram Ramharack, and others, the issue of racial balance in the armed forces came up. Dr. Hinds wanted a ‘horse trade’. Indians would be given the right to bear arms in exchange for equity in economic wealth of the country. What is of importance in this debate is the outright declaration by Dr. Hinds

that military might belongs to a particular race in Guyana. It is this unabashed declaration of “we gat de guns” that is the root of the evil of elections in Guyana. Dr. Hinds is claiming “bragging rights” on this matter. He claimed that Indians must accommodate the redistribution of “wealth” in Guyana in exchange for arms. Why is this debate unfolding at this particular juncture in our history? In a nutshell, Dr. Hinds has simplified the debate to its barebones, using “Occam’s razor to flesh out matters. The idea that Indians are a wealthy race was as mythic as El Dorado. Dev did refute this misconception. Dr. Hind did not raise any logistical concerns regarding the integration of Indians in the military. It was a done deal, but if, and only if they would surrender wealth to Blacks. That was the only stumbling block, or brick wall. In essence, Dr. Hinds has declared that election Guyana is a waste of time, energy, and resources. Just “bruk up the ballot boxes” and get down to the real issue of wealth sharing and power sharing. Is this what Dr. Hinds is really saying? Definitely not! We gat de guns, and you can’t do anything about dat.

So elections don’t prove a damn thing. What is lost in all of this is the massive corruption that was being engaged in by the APNU+AFC regime. The very people who were the moral crusaders against the PPP and its 23 years of corruption were, under cover of darkness, engaged in shady deals that would put the PPP/C in the camp of novices. They were planning “the heist of the century”. They have simply been caught in the act. Guyana is now in a unique position to raise the living standards of all Guyanese. To do so, there must be a sense of justice. The electoral struggle is what measures the temperature of the nation in the struggle for justice and must be respected for what it is. The nation cannot succumb to Burnham’s fever as Dr. Hinds is demanding. This sickness must be dealt with as a means of cleansing us. Whatever price is exacted, let us be the Petrie dish to the world where the virus of greed and corruption can exterminate the hosts of the disease, and not the disease itself. That is the choice we must make. Rohit Kanhai

Not too late to decide... From page 6 paid by us to conduct elections. This nation has not gotten value for money from them. The two main parties and GECOM have agreed upon a full recount of all votes cast in all 10 districts. Just get the job done, Madam Chairperson. To bring back the confidence of the people in the process, we demand that there be live streaming of the process on national TV. We say no to any attempt to thwart the will of the people by way of rigged elections. We say yes to democracy. Signed

Basil Bedessie, Juan Edghill (Jr), Kian Jabour, Sharon Kowlessar (Essequibo), Dr. Josh Kanhai, Lenox Shuman, Sasenarine Singh, Ivan Bentham, Mohamed Raffik (Berbice), Forbes Moore, Indrani Geeta Ramnarine, Stanley Paul, Netu Singh, Christopher Singh, Anita Defreitas, Vivian Fredericks, Sheldon Gomes, Asha D’olliveira, Kavita George, Gomati Kalicharran, Sherwyn Greaves, Vijatimatie Balak, Gladwin Abdulla and Vivika Niamatali

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Sunday April 26, 2020

Kaieteur News

Remittances to poor countries to see sharpest decline in recent history, this year - World Bank It is no secret that many poor, working-class families across Guyana largely find remittances from their friends and family members abroad helpful in shoring up their livelihoods, especially in times of economic hardship. But those poor families are going to feel the squeeze

this year, if the World Bank’s projections are any indication. The Bank has projected that there will be a sharp decline in remittances to countries all over the world, as nations struggle to cope with the compounding issues of COVID-19 and the oil price

collapse. The Bank recorded a total of US$554B in remittances going to low and middle income countries in 2019, and it sees that dropping by 19.7 percent this year to US$445B. With respect to the Latin America and Caribbean region, the Bank said that the

reduction will be 19.3 percent. “The ongoing economic recession caused by COVID19 is taking a severe toll on the ability to send money home and makes it all the more vital that we shorten the time to recovery for advanced economies,” said World Bank Group President, David

Malpass. Guyana’s development partners said in a report published days ago that the projected fall, set to be the sharpest in recent history, would be attributed primarily to the debilitating wages and employment statuses of migrant workers, as they are more at risk of these unfortunate circumstances during an economic crisis in a host country. Even more worrying is that the Bank said that the importance of remittances as a source of income will be more pronounced in this season, since foreign direct investment (FDI) to the same poor countries is expected to see a sharp tumble of more than 35 percent in 2020. It could also get more difficult and expensive for workers to send money back home, as the Bank said that remittance service providers face operational challenges such as closures of agents and offices, access to cash, foreign exchange and security, and compliance issues with AMLCFT regulations. The institution pointed out that remittances, found to

World Bank Group President, David Malpass alleviate poverty, improve nutritional outcomes and reduce child labour, are a crucial lifeline for poor countries. “This time, however, the pandemic has affected all countries, creating additional uncertainties,” the report stated.Due to this, the Bank’s Global Director of Social Protection and Jobs Global Practice, Michal Rutkowski, underscored the need for effective social protection systems to keep the livelihoods of the poor and vulnerable populace stable, in both developing and advanced economies.

Africa’s richest oil nations ... From page 3 friends and family of former President Jose Eduardo dos Santos while the rest of the nation remains desperately poor. The former President who served from 1979 to 2017 paved the way for his daughter, Isabel, to become Africa’s richest woman. She opened a shell company, and within a two-year span, the former President gave his daughter several contracts, four of which were worth over US $22 billion. As for his son, he was put in charge of Angola’s Sovereign Wealth Fund and allegedly transferred US$500 million from the fund to an account in Britain. As a result of the rape of the oil resources, Angola has had to turn to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a loan to restructure and diversify its economy. The Fund said that the US$3.7B loan will cover a period of three years and will not only be dedicated to the diversification of the economy but also to curb corruption. In Nigeria, Africa’s richest oil producer, the situation is no different. Perhaps, one might argue that it may be worse. According to the World Bank’ statistics, 80% of

Nigeria’s energy revenues only benefit one percent of the population. Corruption was cited as the main cause, with the net effect being widespread poverty. Oxfam America, a confederation of 19 independent charitable organizations, has also been alarmed at the scale of corruption in this African nation. In a special study it did on Nigeria, it was found that the combined wealth of Nigeria’s five richest men amounts to US$29.9 billion— more than enough to end extreme poverty at a national level. Further computations by Oxfam also showed that between 1960 and 2005, about US$20 trillion was stolen from the treasury by public office holders. This is larger than the GDP of the United States in 2012 (about US$18 trillion). As a result of the mistakes made with the oil and gas resources, Oxfam noted that 57 million Nigerians lack safe water, over 130 million lack adequate sanitation, and the country has more than 10 million children out of school. The country now waits with bated breath as the IMF considers its request for a US$3.4B bailout to survive the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sunday April 26, 2020

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Kaieteur News

Trans Guyana regularizes flights to Region 8 Taking note of the need for regular food and freight supplies to Region Eight, Trans Guyana Airways announced that it has commenced weekly flights to Mahdia, Chenapau, Kaieteur, Karisparu, Paramakatoi, Kurukubaru, Kato and Monkey Mountain, with the first flight departing Eugene F. Correia International Airport last Friday. In addition, it announced that the fare from Mahdia to Ogle (one way) will be $15,000. This, it said, is in response to calls for fair pricing. The shuttles out of

Mahdia, it said, can be booked for each Friday. The airline embarked on this initiative in response to the Aircraft Owners’ Association of Guyana’s (AOAG) request to address concerns brought forward by the Amerindian People’s Association (APA) in relation to Indigenous communities they assist. The government also reportedly raised concerns with the airline, about Region Eight’s access to food and freight supplies. The airline noted that it is taking all necessary precautions to ensure the safety of

A Trans Guyana plane landed at a Chenapau airstrip

passengers, in light of COVID-19, such as 100 percent temperate testing of all passengers and staff, sanitizing of aircraft before every flight, compulsory wearing of face masks and hand sanitizing before passengers and crew board the aircraft. It said that all cargo is sanitized as well. Interested parties can call the Trans Guyana Airways’ Commercial Dept. at 222-2525 or email commercial1@transguyana.net for further details on pricing, other destinations and availability.

Joseph Harmon no longer Director General - MoTP clarifies Joseph Harmon is no longer the Director General of the Ministry of the Presidency (MoTP). This is according to a MoTP statement issued yesterday. According to the statement, “The Ministry of the Presidency wishes to clarify that Mr. Joseph Harmon is no longer performing the functions of Director General of the Ministry of the Presidency.” It was announced Friday that President David Granger has appointed Harmon the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Task Force (NCTF). As CEO, the statement added, “Harmon under the general or specific directions of the Chairman of the NCTF is to establish a permanent National Task Force secretariat; assign permanent staff to manage the national campaign; create preventive measures against the disease to safeguard citizens’ health and collaborate with regional task forces and stakeholders to safeguard citizens’ health.”

Mother wants answers from Health Ministry over daughter’s COVID-19 test results - Family in quarantine for more than 40 days CEO of the COVID-19 Task Force, Joseph Harmon The CEO is, moreover, responsible, under the direction of the Chair, “for directing the NCTF operations and restarting interrupted activities; all important logistics measures necessary to prevent the disease from spreading further, directing rapid responses to unexpected and emergency incidents;

developing short-term plans for disease prevention and safety of the people and communicating directly with agencies, ministries, regional task force, agencies and stakeholders.” Added to Harmon’s responsibilities as CEO, is the disseminating of accurate information with regard to COVID-19 to the public.

Dem boys seh...

De ‘fuffuckle’ start before the recount Dem boys seh Fraudette sit down bad again. Dem boys see wah dem nah supposed to see. Fraudette name now gone done in record book. She run the wus election ever in history. She put Guyana in the Guinness Book of World Record fuh the longest time it tek fuh declare an election result. She mek Sir Donald Jackson and Sir Harold Bollers look like altar boys. Nuttin Fraudette do nah surprise dem boys. Dem boys know she wud ah vote down the live streaming of the recount. Why would anyone who say she went out she way to mek de recount happen not want to live stream it? Is sheer ‘confunction’ nonsense gon

pass also when dem start with dem simultaneous recount. Dem boys know dat behind every decision, there is a plan and dem boys seh it look like de plan is to use the ‘confunction’ to ‘fuffuckle’ the recount. Dem wondering weh Fraudette gon deh when deh ‘fuffuckle’ start. Dem nah wan Mingo but dem gah use he maths. One plus one is eleven. Dem boys know dat is no coincidence dat Soulja Bai put L’il Joe weh he put he and when he put he. As soon as things nah start going Soulja Bai way, L’il Joe gon lockdown the counting center by saying dat people catch the virus. Talk half and leh we hope dat Fraudette sit down properly this week.

The mother of an 11-yearold girl is desperately seeking answers from the Public Health Ministry over what she deems an irresponsible mix up of her daughter’s Coronavirus test results. The woman, Roshanie Singh Baboolall, daughter-inlaw of Guyana’s first COVID19 victim, Ratna Baboolall, took to Facebook to express her anger and frustration over the situation. Roshanie explained that since her mother-in-law died, the entire family was taken to a quarantine facility and subjected to COVID-19 tests on March 16. Since then, the family has remained quarantined. According to the woman, her 11-year-old daughter was subjected to five tests. On the first occa-

sion, she stated that the result was positive; the second test result was positive while the third came back negative. When contacted, the woman told Kaieteur News that her daughter was subjected to a fourth. According to her, the health workers returned to administer a fifth test after stating that they did not collect enough of sample on the last occasion to provide an accurate result. That test was done on Tuesday last and on Thursday evening, they returned with a positive result. Baboolall in a Facebook live stated that “…Tonight, they are coming to tell me that they made a mistake, that my daughter is positive…people, please tell me, isn’t this madness? She is inside of the

room with us and they say that how she is negative and then they coming and tell us that she is positive. What really are these people doing with our lives?” The sobbing woman relayed that the family continues to be quarantined at the facility for weeks on end with no indication as to when they will be allowed to go home. “Don’t we have a life? This is real madness; we need help. I need help; my daughter is just 11 years old and she has been in quarantine for 40 days and over! Is nah easy, it is not easy at all! I don’t care if I am discriminated, I don’t have this virus and she does not have this virus, but they are saying she has it…we need answers,” the woman passionately appealed.

Ministry reports one new case of COVID-19 The Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) last evening announced that there has been one new case of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). This has brought the number of confirmed cases to 74. Up to press time, the fatalities remained at eight. In its surveillance report to the nation, the Ministry disclosed that thus far 442 persons have been tested for COVID-19, of which 368 returned negative. Additionally, the number of persons in the Health Ministry’s institutional isolation and quarantine facilities are 54 and 23, respectively.

Meanwhile, five persons have developed worsened conditions and are now seeking further treatment in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU). A total of 12 persons have recovered. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are some 2.8 million cases globally, and the deaths have now exceeded 200,000. To restrict the flow of the disease it is stressed, among other things, for persons to practice social distancing, wear a facemask while in public, and embrace sneezing and coughing etiquettes.

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Sunday April 26, 2020

Kaieteur News

Several categories of vulnerable persons, farmers, business owners targeted for relief Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National COVID19 Task Force (NCTF) Permanent Secretariat, Joseph Harmon, yesterday said Gov-

ernment is focused on implementing a multi-faceted approach to bring relief to citizens in the wake of emergency measures put in place

to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic. In an invited comment during a tour of the National Gymnasium, which will now

Joseph Harmon and others during a site visit to the National Gymnasium yesterday. serve as a storage facility for the stockpiling of materials for the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), Harmon said the Government is looking to implement several measures, which will target the vulnerable sections of society, farmers, business owners and students. Harmon said the Government had classified the measures into short-term and long-term actions, a Ministry of the Presidency release said. In the short-term, he noted that those persons who are affected and deemed vulnerable will be looked after while in the medium term, the Government is looking to reboot some small businesses so that they can continue their production and manufacturing activities. ”So, the efforts in the first phase will be to deal with those immediate issues. We have worked over the last week in trying to determine that category of vulnerable persons. We have gotten to the point now where we are fairly comfortable with that

and it is not the traditional areas of vulnerabilities. There are persons who might not have been vulnerable before COVID-19 but because of the measures that we have introduced, it has caused them to be at home; they cannot work or feed their families so we have to consider that as a vulnerability,” he said. According to Harmon too, there are several things being done at the moment. “We are looking at the traditional vulnerabilities, age, disability, etcetera, but then we are looking at persons who have been affected in terms of their businesses.” In the first instance, Harmon said that the Ministry of Business will shortly commence the coordination of small businesses to determine how best the Government can lend assistance to ensure they thrive and recover during and after this period. ”That is the coordination of a small business plan. We are also looking at a plan from

Moses is very much in charge, says Joseph Harmon. the Ministry of Agriculture, which is called REAP [Regional Emergency Agricultural Project]. That has to do with reenergising small-scale agriculture and bringing people back to basics so they understand that after COVID, there is going to be a food crisis and we have to prepare our people (Continued on page 49)

Government said it has a better idea on which group of vulnerable citizens it intends to target first for relief.

Sunday April 26, 2020

Kaieteur News

PAGE 17

Our ‘Frontline Worker of the Week’ is Nurse Esofa Piggott By Sharmain Grainger The world is currently faced with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), a pandemic of unprecedented proportions. To contain the disease and halt its spread, many countries have employed drastic measures ranging from closing their air spaces to prohibiting non-essential work. The outcome: many economies have started to crumble. On the frontline battling this dreaded plague are our healthcare workers who, in some cases, are under-appreciated for the daring role they play. Daring because they willingly risk their lives, daily, armed with merely Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) – not weapons like guns and war tanks – but usually gloves, masks and gowns to protect them from infection. Heroes they are, legends even, for they too could have been in lockdown mode, like many are today, in an attempt to safeguard themselves, and oh yes, their families too. In essence, they are people just like me and you, except they are the ones who help those infected get better as far as possible. Millions have been reported infected and thousands are dead across the world; here in Guyana there are just over seventy confirmed cases and eight deaths at the time of writing this piece. But when one compares the numbers that are dead, even here in Guyana, with those who sought healthcare and recovered, there is a clear indication that those within the healthcare system are doing something right. Healthcare workers at various levels, and their support staff, have been doing their part, and it is to highlight the outstanding role they play that we here at Kaieteur News have decided to introduce a ‘Frontline Worker of the Week’ feature. This week, our Frontline Worker is Nurse Esofa Piggott, who is part of a team at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) dedicated to the fight against the novel coronavirus. He wears several hats as a health professional – Registered Nurse, Registered Midwife, Emergency Medical Responder, Spirometric Technician and Asthma Educator. As a member of the team, which many within the system have dubbed “The Suicide Squad”, Piggott has the distinction of being the Head Nurse in the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU). What is interesting to

note though, those, like Nurse Piggott, making up the COVID-19 team, volunteered to offer their services, a choice that has seen them pretty much giving up their family lives. Nurse Piggott, for instance, has a wife, Cystral Renita Jacobus-Piggott, and two young children – sixyear-old Esofa Jamal Emmanuel Piggott Junior and four-month-old Christiano Ezekiel Piggott – whom he rarely spends time with these days, for their safety. To date, no member of the COVID-19 team has been infected and Nurse Piggott is hopeful that their status will remain that way. But it has been, especially hard for those with close-knit families like Nurse Piggott’s. “I can’t spend time with my family like before; I can’t even hug my kids and wife,” he confided. This he recognizes is all in the quest to achieve a greater good – a safer Guyana. AHEALTH PROFESSIONAL IS BORN Born on April 11, 1990, to parents Marcia PiggottDrayton and David O’Neil, at the very hospital he currently works, Nurse Piggott spent the first four years of his life living in Georgetown. He was later relocated to Zorg on the Essequibo Coast, like several of his siblings, to be raised by his maternal grandmother, Megan Gloria Piggott, a head teacher at the Fisher Nursery School back in the day. His grandmother, Nurse Piggott recalled, wanted to raise her grandchildren so that she could school them properly. “To her that foundation was necessary,” Nurse Piggott said of his grandmother, as he recalled that his aunt, Marcelle PiggottWaterman, also helped to raise him. After attending Fisher Nursery School, Nurse Piggott said he was a student of Fisher Primary School and then Suddie Primary, where he wrote the secondary school entrance examination that allowed him to secure a place at The Bishops’ High School. Circumstances prevented him from attending that city school, and so instead he completed his secondary education at Anna Regina Multilateral School. As a young boy he hadn’t a clue what profession he wanted to venture into, but for some strange reason he always had a desire to help people. “I just knew that whatever I ended up doing, it was going to be helping people. I did think about becoming a lawyer at one time; I did think of becoming a doctor at one time too,” Nurse Piggott recounted.

Head Nurse of the COVID-19 ICU, Esofa Piggott But according to him, “The doctor thought only came up because my late uncle, Mark Piggott, after I finished high school at 16plus with eight subjects and was home for a whole year, called me up and was willing to guide me along the medicine path.” This, however, did not pan out, since the young version of Nurse Piggott wasn’t too keen on taking the available option of travelling to Cuba to study. Intrigued he was, however, with things health. This caused him to take note of his maternal aunt, Michelle Piggott, who started her profession in the healthcare system as a Nursing Assistant. “The little that I know, she became a very good nurse, but later I found out, she was actually an excellent nurse,” Nurse Piggott shared. He was also inspired by his uncle’s wife who worked as a senior supervisor at the Suddie Hospital. Before long, he was on his way to undertake the professional nursing programme at the Georgetown School of Nursing. After completing the tedious programme, he was stationed at the Accident and Emergency Unit of the GPHC, and almost a decade has elapsed since venturing into the field of nursing – a profession which truly helps him to fulfill his passion for helping others. PUSHED TO THE LIMIT He didn’t mind being stationed, and even begged to remain, at the most popular hospital in the country since, according to Nurse Piggott, he has an affinity to be “pushed to the limit”, a fate that many health professionals at the GPHC understand all too well, by virtue of the consistently vast patient-load there. “The challenge when I started would have been like caring for 40 to 60 patients on one unit. For me that is the

A family man ready to give up everything to serve his nation kind of challenge I like…I like that has been found to cause a situation that looks impos- respiratory complications. sible, literally, but you can However, Nurse Piggott find a solution or get a posi- noted that being prepared to tive outcome in the end,” said be on a team to help combat Nurse Piggott. this disease requires more But what has made Nurse than just training. “To me you Piggott even more prepared have to be selfto be a part of the COVID-19 motivated…and we were selfteam is the fact that back in motivated long before the 2013, he was selected to be a disease reached Guyana. We part of a new department of had many meetings in prepathe hospital – The Spirometry, ration where we discussed Asthma and COPD Lab – our response if the disease which aims to effectively treat did come here,” said Nurse patients with respiratory con- Piggott. ditions. COVID-19 is a disease In becoming self-moti-

vated, he admitted, “before I decided to be a part of the team, I did take time to think about it, and I decided this is what I wanted to do…some may think of me as a fool for being such a risk-taker, because I am recently married with two kids, one very young.” While for Nurse Piggott it was a choice to get onboard, he noted that “if this pandemic really gets out of hand here, like it has in some countries, all hands will have to be on deck whether you are prepared or not.” Both Nurse Piggott and his wife are nurses, so it wasn’t too hard to get her to understand why making the choice to be a part of the COVID-19 team at the GPHC was important. “Dealing with this has been about 10 percent easier, because my wife is a registered nurse as well. She is in the system and she has an understanding of the position (Head Nurse) that I hold, and why I am needed at this time.” DEALING WITH DISRIMINATION But with the arrival of COVID-19, the nursing profession, which was long recognized as a noble one, has since been abased to the point of discrimination by an ignorant few. “I think this is happening (Continued on page 26)

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Sunday April 26, 2020

Kaieteur News

Prison officer down! - The burly convict had Lambert by the throat, choking the life out of him. But where was Cantzlear? Lambert thought. Why isn’t he coming to my rescue? By Michael Jordan

E

very man has night mares, sometimes, but not like the ones that tormented Vernon Lambert. In those nightmares, a burly man would be locking off his throat; he would see his long-dead friend George

Cantzlear, and he would hear the men in the jailhouse baying for his blood. And the worst part was that the monsters in his dream were real. It was 1959, and 33-yearold Lambert had recently gained employment as a warder at the Georgetown

Prisons. In fact, he was still on probation; too ‘green’ to even wear his first uniform. On January 10, Lambert was sent to work in the ‘Brick prison’, the section holding prisoners in solitary confinement. He was partnered with George ‘Daddy’ Cantzlear, a

strongly-built senior prison officer. The two officers were instructed to ‘exercise’ the seven prisoners in solitary. At around 2:00 p.m., Cantzlear ordered Lambert to enter the exercise yard. The young officer felt a surge of apprehension at the thought of being in such close proximity to the hardened criminals. Nevertheless, he obeyed. Prisoners in solitary were usually among the most violent of Camp Street’s inmates. Because of their temperament, prison officers were instructed to release one prisoner at a time into the exercise yard. But somehow, two convicts persuaded Cantzlear that his work would be easier if he released them two at a time. Cantzlear agreed. He should have known better. Green though he was, Lambert knew that prisoners were not to be trusted. Standing in the exercise yard, Lambert saw prisoners leave their cells, bathe, and return to confinement. Then, at around 3.00 p.m., he saw two convicts, Wilbert Henry and Dennis Semple, approaching him. As they came nearer, Semple dropped back. Henry, a strapping convict, walked past Lambert. Then all hell broke loose. An escape move was about to unfold. Lambert suddenly felt an arm around his neck. Someone was trying to choke the life out of him. It was Henry, the prisoner who had walked past him. As Lambert struggled with his attacker, Semple, the other convict, drew a baton and began to rain blows on the warder’s stomach. At first, Lambert, who had boxed and was physically fit, remained passive and endured the blows. But then the convict began to strike at his face. A blow caught Lambert on the mouth and he felt a tooth break. The convict raised the baton again, this time aiming for the warder’s eye. Lambert blocked, catching the blow flush on his forearm. As he struggled with the prisoners, part of him wondered: Where is Cantzlear? Why isn’t he helping me? Realising that Cantzlear wasn’t coming, Lambert began to shout for help. His cries of ‘murder’ alerted Edwin France, a cadet officer. Seeing the commotion, France scaled a wall and entered the exercise yard. But Charles James, the convict who had masterminded the operation, kicked France’s whistle out of his mouth before the cadet officer could summon help. At

that point, the inmate clubbed Lambert on the head. He collapsed. Groggy and bleeding, the young warder seemed to hear a voice saying: “You better get up, those boys will kill you…” Summoning reserves of strength, Lambert began to blow his whistle. In response, other officers began to blow theirs. The whistle blasts seemed to confuse one of the intended escapees, who was scaling the prison wall. He perched on the wall, as if uncertain of his next move. But then his cell cronies shouted to him “wuk bannas, wuk,” and he scrambled to the other side of the wall. But the alarm had summoned the Chief Prison Officer, Edgar Baird, who began to enquire about Cantzlear’s whereabouts. Finally, he was told that the warder was in a cell. Still groggy from the attack, his shirt drenched in blood, Lambert followed the Chief Prison Officer to the cell. And there he saw his colleague George Cantzlear, and now understood why the veteran prison warder had not come to his rescue. Cantzlear ’s legs were bound with shoe laces and a piece of chain. A flour-sack towel was knotted around his throat. Bending to Cantzlear, the Chief Prisoner Officer cut the gag. Lambert watched in horror as blood gushed from the dead man’s mouth. Lambert was sent to the infirmary. A head wound he sustained required ten stitches. While there, he heard the inmates shouting: “We want blood.” Concerned for his safety, the prison officials hustled Lambert through the prison’s back gate. He was taken to the Georgetown Hospital, where he collapsed again. When he recovered, he was in a ward surrounded by persons who were praying for his recovery. The Director of Prisons also visited him. He would later learn that convicts Charles James, Wilbert Henry, Dennis Semple and Douglas Lewis called ‘Sotie’, had scaled the prison wall facing D’Urban Street. James, Henry and Semple were recaptured shortly after, while Lewis was later found dead under mysterious circumstances in a house. It was later alleged that James and Lewis had killed Cantzlear, with Henry and Semple acting in consort with

them. Lambert was summoned as a witness in the trial of the three convicts. He was terrified at first. He’d overheard some of the Camp Street inmates mutter, “God, is only one man dead and is three prisoners got to hang?” Ironically, the notorious Edward Lashley, who had butchered a policeman in a James Street canal, agreed that the men should hang. Gradually, Lambert gained enough courage to testify against the accused. His testimony, and that of other eyewitnesses, would lead to James, Henry and Semple being convicted on April 23, 1959. They were all hanged. But it wasn’t quite over for Vernon Lambert. He had to decide whether he should return to the job that had almost cost him his life. Memories of his escape and Cantzlear’s death haunted him. Even some seasoned prison officers advised him to stay off the job. Instead, to the surprise of many of the inmates, he returned to face them. The ordeal toughened him. He stood firm against hostile prisoners and gained their respect. “Prisoners are not to be trusted,” he once told me. “You have to think ahead of them. In the old days they would have sharpened spoons. When you go to peep in their cells you put one hand in front of you. In that way you can grab the spoon and prevent them from boring out your eye.” “I’ve seen one prisoner push a sharpened spoon up an officer’s nose because the officer told him not to carry the spoon into his cell. They also had sharpened wires, which they could push up under your ribs.” As for Cantzlear, he had made the fatal error of thinking that he could trust the prisoners; that he and the convicts on Camp Street were “alright.” If you have information about any unusual or unsolved cases, please contact Kaieteur News by letter or telephone at our Lot 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown. Our numbers are 22-58458, 22-58465, 22-58473 or 2258491. You need not disclose your identity. You can also contact Michael Jordan at his email a d d r e s s : kamarangnight@gmail.com.

Sunday April 26, 2020

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Kaieteur News

==THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN==

Holed up with my wife: Does music have ethnicity? I have been married for 41 years now and I don’t think I have ever spent one full week with my wife, being together for the entire week, either in our home or on holiday or in whatever circumstances . There was one exception and it cannot be a pure exception. When the American invasion of Grenada came in October 1983, we did not go out for more than a week, but I was not alone with her. Donald, Walter Rodney’s brother, was our guest at the time, so he spent the entire curfew period with us. For the first time in 41 years of marriage, a week has passed (in fact more than two weeks now) and I have been in the house all the time with my wife. I guess all the world knows the saying – what does not happen in years happens in a minute. So here I am spending time with my better half, in shape and form that I have never done before. It may come as a huge surprise to people that I am married to a woman who never liked politics, does not like politics, never dabbled in politics, and cares not about the world of politics. She has a Canadian university degree in chemical engineering, and has spent all her life immersed

in science topics and everything else except politics. I couldn’t believe that Bharrat Jagdeo and the PPP lunatics could be so vindictive when they victimized her out of her job as an investment officer at GO-Invest. Equally, I couldn’t believe the clowns that we elected in 2015 never asked her if she would like to resume her position at GO-Invest. Maybe both Jagdeo and Granger may one day apologize to her. As for me not returning to teach at UG after 2015, I love journalism, so I was happy to stay at Kaieteur News. No one can accuse me of favouring the PPP over APNU+AFC. I did not vote for either. I gave my ballot to Lenox Shuman. I don’t support PPP or APNU+AFC running Guyana all by themselves. They should not be allowed to. Back to my wife. It has been quality time spent the past two weeks holed up in my home in Turkeyen, overlooking the mighty Atlantic Ocean. We have our lunch looking at the ocean and gazing at the CARICOM Secretariat and MovieTowne complex, which is very close to our home. I always wanted to live by

the Atlantic Ocean, because it reminds me of my father. He worked as the groundsman at Saint Stanislaus ground. At that time, there was no National Park and no Carifesta Avenue. I left primary school countless days and would be with him. While he worked, in the unbearable sun, I roamed the entire Camp Street seawall from Kingston to what is now named Clive Lloyd Drive. I learnt much more about my wife’s relatives during these past three weeks than in 41 years. She has her roots in Wakenaam, and she told me about relatives I didn’t know about. Locked down with her, with no end in sight, I am looking forward to more days and weeks. I am dedicating a song to my wife sung by a singer I loved when I was growing up in Wortmanville, and composed by an artist I think is a genius. I grew up on D’Urban Street, Wortmanville (was born at the junction of Hardina and Hadfield Streets) with the music of ska; rocksteady; reggae; Trinidad calypso; rhythm and blues, American soul; and similar genres. But from small days, I liked soft rock, Tom Jones and Engelbert Humperdinck, and

orchestral strings; what my friends on D’Urban Street would call, “white people music”. Is there such a thing as Black people music and White people music? I don’t believe so. Here are the words of “I’m A Better Man” sung by Humperdinck, composed by Burt Bacharach. If I could catch a star before it touched the ground I’d place it in a box, tie ribbons all around And then I’d offer it to you A token of my love and deep devotion The world’s a better place With you to turn to

I’m a better man For having loved you And now, at last, I face the future unafraid With you here by my side, how fast the shadows fade And there is hope inside my heart ‘Cause I have something wonderful to live for The world’s a better place With you to turn to I’m a better man For having loved you And as I am today That’s how I’ll always stay A better man for having loved you

Frederick Kissoon A better man for having loved you (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 26, 2020

Kaieteur News

The PPP is really not comfortable with a recount, but the GECOM Chair has so decided

By the time our weekly column is published, it would have been 54 days since Guyanese voted in the 2020 General and Regional Elections. Efforts have been made

during that time by GECOM to put a framework in place to enable a recount of all the votes cast by electors in all of the 10 administrative regions in the Country, but it is becoming pellucid that the

PPP is not comfortable with a recount and audit, and is doing everything in its power to subvert such a process. Take for example, last Thursday’s meeting of the Commission. As we all know,

Attorney and PPP Commissioner Sase Gunraj usually sprints off to the media scrum to tell the PPP’s side of the day’s events, usually giving a one-sided version of events. This time, it was the biggest, brightest and most knowledgeable of them all who stepped up and explained in clear and precise terms that it is the PPP - mainly Commissioners Robeson Benn and Gunraj - who are guilty of all the time wasting, stalling the recount and trying to reverse decisions previously made and agreed to, at previous meetings. Vincent Alexander openly accused the other side of time wasting and even subterfuge in getting the recount and audit of all votes cast started. “There are commissioners who continue to return to issues that should have been settled ad nauseam. I wouldn’t be surprised if tomorrow more time is spent on the work plan. Because, having dotted the I’s and crossed the T’s, people now want to see the black and white, which is an attempt to undo decisions that have already been made. We went through the exercise at the convention centre about the allocation of space. We have been written

to by the relevant authorities and there is still one commissioner who wants us to listen to him, saying that he has individual advice that overrides the advice of the persons who are duly authorised to give advice,” said Alexander. He also pointed to other time wasting and delaying tactics. Alexander said one PPP commissioner spent time reading out the names of persons, including Gecom staff, who he feels should not be allowed to participate in the audit process, even though there are no credible allegations of wrongdoing against them. The PPP appears hell bent on getting its way, even trying to once again suggest that Region Four should be counted first - so they could abandon the remainder of the process if the numbers are in their favour. GECOM Chair Claudette Singh has decided that all of the electoral districts will be recounted, the first four regions simultaneously, and this of course is regardless of what the PPP wants. The issue of the draft order for the recount had come up for discussion at Thursday’s meeting and should have been finalized

right there and then, but because most of the Commission’s energy was spent dealing with the efforts by Benn, Shadick and Gunraj to subvert the process, this key document was not dealt with until the very end, when all in the room were exhausted, burnt out and ready to beat the dusk to dawn curfew. To further ram home the PPP’s sinister plan to avoid a comprehensive audit on events of March 2, 2020 Commissioner’s Gunraj draft, said Alexander, had included a proposal for Region Four to be among those counted first before moving on to the others. Such would give the PPP a chance to walk away from the process, declaring themselves winners as they have already told the world. The Coalition stands firm in its call for all the ballots to be recounted and audited as this is the best method of determining a credible winner, even as there is no doubt in our minds that the PPP will remain on the opposition benches for the next five years. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper)

Sunday April 26, 2020

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Kaieteur News

“We must leverage the ‘Commonwealth Advantage’ to counter the economic fallout of COVID-19 By Patricia Scotland LONDON, (CMC Feature) - The world is bracing for a massive hit to the global economy in the wake of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Experts have warned of a US$1-2 trillion shortfall in global income this year, while world trade could contract by between 13 and 32 per cent. As countries take drastic measures to fight the spread of the disease, we are seeing borders and businesses closed, domestic and international travel scaled back, and a totally transformed way of life due to social distancing. Currently, 2.6 billion people across the world are affected by their workplace closing. The result is a sweeping drop in economic activity, a much less active workforce, on top of growing global insecurity for the future. Without ample government bailouts, poor developing countries and small states remain the most vulnerable in the face of the pandemic. However, history has shown that with the right policies and support measures in place, the Commonwealth as a whole will eventually be able to overcome the eco-

nomic fallout – though extremely bleak times lie ahead. In particular, gradually reviving trade flows amongst 54 member countries – worth more than an estimated US$700 billion in 2019 – can play a fundamental role in boosting economic recovery, while harnessing the benefits of Commonwealth ties. Given the unprecedented nature of current pandemic, I am cautious in comparing economic-induced and biological-induced crises. However, the 2008-2009 global financial crisis can offer some insights about the Commonwealth’s possible performance. Over the years following the global financial crisis, the Commonwealth’s overall exports of both goods and services grew at a faster rate than the world average. From 2010 to 2018, the Commonwealth’s exports in goods, which make up 70 per cent of its trade, grew by around 8 per cent, compared to only 5.5 per cent for the world. In fact, during the global trade slowdown of 2012 to 2016, the Commonwealth’s services exports were especially resilient, expanding by

7 per cent, on average – more than twice the growth rate for the rest of the world. Rapid population and per capita income growth (especially in Asia) are part of the driving forces behind the Commonwealth’s buoyancy. With 2.4 billion people, 60 per cent of whom are under the age of 30, these drivers are unlikely to slow anytime soon – with or without coronavirus. Moreover, Commonwealth countries share historical ties, familiar legal and administrative systems, a common language of opera-

tion (English) and large dynamic diasporas, which help make trade and investment more convenient and efficient. While not a formal trading bloc, this ‘Commonwealth Advantage’ enables member states to trade up to 20 per cent more with each other than with non-members, at a 21 per cent lower cost, on average. Our research also shows that these countries invest up to 27 per cent more within the Commonwealth than outside of it – almost tripling investment levels five years ago, which stood at 10

per cent. The potential benefits have not been lost on countries, even as we prepare to face a severe slowdown of the global economy brought on by COVID-19. The slowing of the Chinese economy (a major trading partner), the decline in tourism and travel, as well as plunging oil prices, will certainly cause economic strain to members. However, investment flows to sectors such as e-commerce, digital technologies, cybersecurity, healthcare and biotechnologies could shore up, as business migrates online, and countries race to find a vaccine and other medical treatments. Strengthening the connectivity among our countries is therefore critical, so that trade flows remain resilient during times of crisis. Digital connectivity will be

especially key, as the need to interact virtually now will transform the way people trade and do business. It is already a major area of focus for the Commonwealth, under its flagship Connectivity Agenda. While being extremely watchful of the pandemic’s economic impacts, I am cautiously hopeful about the potential for intra-Commonwealth trade to act as a lifeline during the darkest of times. By leveraging the Commonwealth Advantage and robust policy responses, countries can bolster vital trade and investment flows, to eventually emerge at the end of the tunnel. (Patricia Scotland is the Commonwealth SecretaryGeneral. 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 26, 2020

Kaieteur News

Establishing a framework for fashioning a state’s foreign policy (A Review of David Granger’s ‘The national interest. The international relations of a small state’) David Granger, Guyana’s President, is a passionate advocate of Caribbean regional integration and Continental peace and security. He also has emerged as one of the world’s foremost spokespersons for small states, highlighting not only their challenges but, also, their invaluable contribution to solutions to global challenges. President Granger’s book – The national interest. The international relations of a small state – confirms his international reputation as a statesman to whom the world should pay greater attention. The book offers visionary insights on issues such as environmental responsibility, regional integration, international peace, defence diplo-

macy and, most of all, the security of small states. This book is a rich source of Guyana’s foreign policy. It defines the country’s foreign policy objectives concisely and precisely. The book is a product of a meticulous research and scrupulous analysis of his country’s interests in the international community. The concept of the national interest has been used and abused as the pretext for aggression by states against others. There have been invasions, incursions, insurrections and other forms of intrusion in the pursuit of the aggressors’ national interest. The resort to such claims, notwithstanding, the promotion of the national interest remains an essential instrument of the foreign policy of small states. which lack the economic, military and political influence of larger states.

They are obliged to rely, increasingly, on diplomacy as the main means to pursue their foreign policy objectives. The national interest provides the relevant framework for small states to articulate and promulgate, precisely, these objectives. The national interest represents the objectives, principles and policies which states pursue in their international relations in order to achieve their national goals. These goals may change over time with the advent of new governments but there remains, often, a kernel of immutable principles and unalterable long-term strategic interests at the heart of any state’s foreign policy. Fashioning a country’s foreign policy involves determining and defining the national interest. Sources of a country’s foreign policy are to be found in the addresses

and statements delivered at international meetings and conferences by its Head of Government. Such presentations contain the objectives, principles and policies which constitute a state’s foreign policy. The book consists of a series of ten addresses which the President of Guyana delivered to various international meetings and conferences – in Britain, Brazil, Chile, Ethiopia, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago and the United States of America. The first address was to the Heads of Government Conference of the Caribbean Community in which President Granger proposes a return to the original vision of the founding fathers of the Community. He emphasises the need for strengthening functional cooperation, one of the original pillars of the Community. The second address was delivered at the William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies in Washington D.C. In that address, President Granger pointed to natural disasters as an emerging security threat to the small states of the Caribbean. He called for security cooperation, between the United States and the Caribbean, to encompass environmental security. The President was invited to address the Andres Bello Diplomatic Academy during a state visit to the Republic of Chile in 2016. His presentation emphasized the importance of preserving the continent of South America as a zone of peace. He iterated this call when he examined the security challenges of small states, during his address to the 50th anniversary of the Institute of International Relations of the

University of the West Indies. Continental security cooperation was the subject of a special address which President David Granger delivered at the Paula Nogueira Batista Auditorium, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Brasilia, Brazil, on 2017.12.21. He identified defence cooperation as a key element in ensuring regional peace and security. President Granger has emerged as one of the world’s leading spokesmen for small states in the field of the protection of the earth’s environment. His intervention at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Conference in London in 2018 reminded the Conference of the Langkawi Declaration, issued 30 years earlier, in which the Commonwealth sounded an early warning to the world of the impending dangers of climate change. During his address to the Third International Conference on Financing for Development, Addis Ababa, in 2015, President Granger issued a stern rebuke to those who threatened the use of force against other states, pointing out how such actions undermine security which is integral to development. The link to the challenges to the territorial integrity of Guyana could not be missed when he observed: Security and stability are indispensable to sustainable development and the pursuit of prosperity. We resent, reject and resist the threat or use of force or any unilateral coercive attempt by one state against another in order to frustrate the legitimate aspirations of our people to enjoy a good life. The addresses in this book highlight Guyana’s key strategic foreign policy objec-

tives – territorial integrity, defence cooperation, Caribbean integration, Continental recognition as a zone of peace and protection of the earth’s environment. These are the elements of the national interest which Guyana projects through its foreign policy. The most significant value of the book, however, is the framework it establishes for fashioning a state’s foreign policy. Addressing his country’s diplomats during its Heads of Mission Conference in 2017, President Granger argued that the national interest should be considered at three levels – the citizen, the country and the Caribbean Community. The national interest is pursued when diplomats represent and protect the country’s citizens wherever they are, pursue the state’s broad economic and political interests and promote regional cooperation and integration. David Granger makes a signal contribution to international relations theory with this typology. David Singer’s theory of the ‘levels of analysis’ allows for an examination of the factors influencing international behaviour. David Granger’s theory of the ‘levels of the national interest’ offers a typology for defining and articulating a state’s foreign policy objectives. This book is of supreme value to policymakers, statesmen, students of international relations, and to those interested in having a deeper understanding of Guyana’s foreign policy. It is worthy of a place in any library or university. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper)

Sunday April 26, 2020

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Kaieteur News

Coronavirus: “Everyone wears a mask” is gaining momentum, now let’s do it correctly By Dr. Zulfikar Bux Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine

I

t’s now close to a month since the “ev eryone wears a mask” campaign was started in Guyana. It has caught on, and many have gotten onboard with it. It’s heartening to see organizations distributing masks free of cost to help as many as possible. Worldwide, many countries are making it mandatory for their citizens to cover their face when they are in the public. The evidence is growing for the effectiveness of this simple intervention against the COVID-19 spread. I have noticed many Guyanese using the mask when they are in public. I have also noticed too many persons moving around and quite a few of them are not wearing their mask properly. If we do not wear our mask properly, it may unsettle the plan to minimize the spread of the coronavirus. Today I will discuss some important concepts when wearing a mask. I CAN MOVE ABOUT FREELY ONCE I HAVE A MASK ON This is not true. Many have a false sense of security that they are invincible once they have their mask on. Wearing a mask helps to mini-

mize the spread of the coronavirus, it is not foolproof and you can still catch the virus if you are not careful. You still need to practice proper hygiene, which includes keeping your hands clean at all times. If you really want to stay safe, then stay at home. If you have to go out, then wearing a mask is the next best option. ITS OKAY TO PULL MY MASK DOWN FROM TIME TO TIME There is a trend where persons hang their masks on their forehead or chin when they are not in crowds. This is a bad practice. When you move your mask around your face, you risk spreading germs near your eyes, nose and mouth. When you are out, its best that you cover your nose and mouth all the time with your mask. Pulling it up and down will only increase your risk of getting an infection. Avoid touching your face at all cost. If you have to touch your face or mask, wash or sanitize your hands thoroughly first. Do not touch the outer part of your mask as there may be virus on it. Adjust it using the elastic earpiece attached to your ears. WHEN CHOOSINGA MASK, STYLE IS MOST IMPORTANT While being in style and having fancy-looking mask is

important for some, it should not be the main factor when choosing a mask. What is important, is to ensure your mask is made of 100% cotton or has a filter and it can sufficiently cover your nose and mouth. Having a mask that can be washed and reused is your best bet. USING SURGICAL MASKS IN PUBLIC IS BEST There is a shortage of surgical and N95 masks worldwide. If you are not trained and accustomed to wearing these masks, it will be difficult to wear them all the time in the public domain. Leave those masks for the healthcare providers who are trained to use them and have gotten accustomed to using them. Unlike cloth masks, it’s very difficult to reuse surgical and N95 masks. Once you spray or wash them, they lose their integrity and your chance of getting protection decreases. Its best that you use a reusable cloth mask made of 100% cotton. ONCE I WEAR A MASK, IT DOESN’T MATTER IF OTHERSAREN’T This is not true. You need to encourage and educate others about wearing a mask. You are still at risk if those around you in the public are not wearing a mask. Encourage and educate them of the need to wear a

mask. While it is uncomfortable to wear a mask, it will be more uncomfortable if you get infected with the coronavirus. If you can’t stand wearing a mask, then do not go out in the public. Find someone who is more responsible and can tolerate wearing mask to go out. When you start feeling

uncomfortable with your mask on, think of it as a sign that you may need to go home, instead of taking it off. The COVID-19 infection has changed all of our lives, mostly for the worse. We need to adapt to life with this virus until a vaccine/ cure can be found. Staying at home, practicing good hygiene, and wear-

Dr. Zulfikar Bux ing a mask if we need to go out, is the best way for us all to survive this pandemic.

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Sunday April 26, 2020

Kaieteur News

SUNDAY HALT US$20M WORLD BANK LOAN TO GUYANA FOR OIL SECTOR – GERMAN NGO – SAYS PROBE NEEDED INTO CONTRACTS AWARDED TO EXXON’S AFFILIATES A German Non-Governmental 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 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 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. 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. 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 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.” PLANS FOR COVID-19 HOSPITAL… MORE THAN US$5M NEEDED TO RETROFIT OCEAN VIEW HOTEL …PURCHASING ARRANGEMENT STILL BEING WORKED OUT – WINSTON JORDAN It 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 COVID-19 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 COVID19 patients, taking into consideration the PAHO/WHO 20,000 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 the other earmarked facilities to house COVID-19 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 Permanent Secretary, 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. MONDAY CONTRACTS GRANTED TO EXXON’S ASSOCIATES: WORLD BANK ALSO BREACHED ITS PUBLIC DISCLOSURE RULES – GERMAN NGO With the blessings of the World Bank, two ExxonMobil affiliates were able to benefit from major contracts that will shape the policies and laws which Guyana’s regulators will use to keep oil in check. But since taking note of same, Urgewald, a German based NonGovernmental Organization (NGO), has written to the Directors of the World Bank Group calling for an immediate investigation as it believes the institution’s conflict of interest laws are being violated. In addition to this, Urgewald said that the World Bank’s

procurement rules in relation to public disclosure are being trampled upon. On this front, Urgewald recalled that it was in April 2019 that the financial institution gave the greenlight for Guyana to get a US$20M loan 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 2020 Local Content Policy and the revision of all Petroleum Taxation and Fiscal Regulations. In this regard, the NGO noted that the coalition administration had announced that an oil consultant, Mr. Michael Warner, was hired with no-objection from the World Bank 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. Urgewald also noted that the World Bank approved the hiring of the law firm, Hunton Andrews Kurth, for US$1.2 million to draft new petroleum laws for Guyana even though this very law firm has been representing ExxonMobil for some 40 years. In both cases, Urgewald said it appears that the Bank’s Procurement Regulations which requires public disclosure of all rejected bidders and proposals have not been followed. Indeed, neither the World Bank nor the Energy Department has declared locally, at any point, who were the rejected bidders or proposals at the time when the winners were announced. Further to this, Urgewald said that these contracts were subject to the Bank’s prior review. As such, the Regulations require that the “Bank will arrange the publication on its external website of a conforming copy of the signed contract.” TUESDAY GUYANAWOULD BE LUCKY IF IT GETSANYTHINGAROUND US$60M FOR NEXT THREE OIL LIFTS – FINANCE MINISTER As a result of the novel coronavirus, oil prices have been collapsing at an alarming rate. In fact, the price of oil has been below (Continued on page 25)

Sunday April 26, 2020

From page 24 US$20 for the past few days. When one considers this predicament, Finance Minister Winston Jordan said he does not anticipate Guyana getting anything close to US$30M for the next one million barrels of oil it will lift from the Liza Phase One Project in the Stabroek Block. This would be significantly lower than the first sale Guyana made in midFebruary. In that sale that was executed with Shell Western Supply and Trading Limited (SWSTL) which is based in Barbados, the local authorities were able to lock in US$55M. Guyana has four million barrels of oil left to collect for 2020. The second lift of one million barrels is due next month. According to the Minister, Guyana would be lucky if it gets anything around US$20M for that sale. During an interview with the Department of Public Information, the economist said, “…In all, it is five shipments but the last one, the payment for it would not come in until the next year.” Focusing his attention on the three sales for which payment would be received this year, the Finance Minister said Guyana is looking at raking in approximately US$60M. When added to the first sale, this brings the total to US$115M. The Minister said that if the government was able to access half of that for the COVID-19 fight, it would certainly go a far way in assisting small businesses in particular and the vulnerable in society, such as those who lost income as a result of the lockdown. He was keen to note that while those funds would have helped greatly at a time when the nation’s resources are “slender”, the “political pandemic” that is in play restricts access to the oil revenue that is safely tucked away in the Natural Resource Fund. In the meantime, the

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Minister said that requests have been made for funding from several international financial agencies. He said, however, that access to that kind of international assistance is still not automatic or disbursed immediately, as there are several hoops to jump through. As a result of this, Jordan said that the government would have to be dependent a lot on the generation of domestic resources and how efficiently those can be used. Like Minister Jordan, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has said that it is highly unlikely that the government will be able to rake in huge oil-related profits, especially the kind that was projected before the market was plunged into economic turmoil by the coronavirus. Considering current market conditions, the bank anticipates that the government will experience a 40 to 60 percent decline in the estimated value of its oil exports. In one of its most recent reports, 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 $280B. To understand the significance of this loss, one only needs to remember that Guyana’s 2019 budget was US$1.5B. MANHUNT LAUNCHED AS FOUR INMATES ESCAPE FROM LUSIGNAN PRISON A manhunt has been launched to locate four inmates who jumped the eastern fence of the Lusignan

Prison and escaped early Monday morning. According to prison officials, the men escaped around 03:46 hrs during very heavy rainfall. At roll-call, around 06:15hrs, the men were discovered missing since they didn’t answer to their names. Two of the escapees are murder accused, one is being held for the possession of narcotics and the other for robbery and robbery under arms. When contacted, Director of Prisons Gladwin Samuels confirmed that Anthony Padmore, Kenraul Perez, Sasnarine Bisnauth, and Ganesh Dhanraj, all escaped from the Holding Bay at Lusignan Prison. Padmore, 26, of Ogle Street, Beterverwagting, East Coast Demerara, was serving a three-year sentence for trafficking narcotics. According to a release from the prison service, Padmore was admitted to the prison on February 28, 2020, and his next of kin is his mother, Juliet Cameron of Juicetown, Berbice. Perez, 26, of Mabaruma, North West District, was on remand for murder, he was admitted to the prison on January 24, 2020. His father Kendall Perez, of Timehri, is listed as his next of kin. Bisnauth, 24, of 22 Tuschen Housing Scheme, West Coast Demerara, is charged for two counts of robbery and armed robbery. His next of kin was listed as his mother Bibi Inshanal, of 9 Anna Catherina, West Coast Demerara. He was admitted to the prison on January 6, 2020. And Dhanraj, 32, of Facade, Parika, West Coast Demerara, was on remand for murder. He was admitted to the prison on April 4, 2017, his next of kin was listed as his mother Pearl Perrier, of Parika, West Coast Demerara. Prison officials say that the relevant CCTV footage has been examined, and the Guyana Police Force was

alerted. All the ranks that were on duty at the time when the prisoners escaped have been interviewed and are said to be cooperating. “So far, no rank has been found culpable. Every effort is being made to effect the recapture of the four escapees,” prison authorities say. BEST FRIENDS PERISH IN BAGOTSTOWN ACCIDENT Two young men tragically lost their lives after the car in which they were travelling, crashed into a median, a concrete fence and a utility pole on the Bagotstown Public Road, East Bank Demerara. Recognised by villagers as two best friends, the victims were identified as 19year-old Courtney Marcus and 20-year-old Ronaldo Simmons, both of Peters Hall, East Bank Demerara. The accident occurred around 21:15 hrs on Sunday. At the time of the accident the car was being driven by 29-year-old Steven Roberts. According to police reports, the car bearing registration number PVV 7570 was proceeding south along the eastern drive lane of the Bagotstown Public Road at a fast rate when the right side front of the vehicle collided with the concrete median on the road. As a result of the impact, Roberts lost control and careened into a concrete fence on the eastern side of the road and then slammed into a utility pole. The fence that the men slammed into has seen its fair share of collisions, with this being the eighth time it was struck by a speeding vehicle. Owner of the home, Fizal Razack, is at his wits’ end, as to why this has been the case. He called on drivers to take heed when traversing the roadways. Razack told Kaieteur

News that he was not sleeping when the accident occurred. He said that he was up watching television when he heard a loud impact. Upon checking, he saw his fence damaged once again and carnage beside it. According to Razack, every time his fence is badly damaged or destroyed, he attempts to reinforce it, hoping that it would withstand impact, but this has been to no avail. WEDNESDAY INVESTIGATEALL WORLD BANK-FUNDED PROJECTS – INT’LLAWYER, MELINDA JANKI International Lawyer, Melinda Janki, has called on the President of the World Bank, Mr. David Malpass, to immediately investigate all contracts that fall under the US$20M Guyana Petroleum Resource Governance and Management Project. Her appeal to the World Bank President is premised on the fact that at least two ExxonMobil linked consultants were able to grab projects that will determine what laws and policies Guyana will use to regulate ExxonMobil and other major oil and gas companies. Expounding on one of these two cases, Janki noted that ExxonMobil, with the blessings of certain World

Bank officials , have hired a law firm, Hunton Andrews Kurth, to draft legislation and policies for Guyana’s petroleum sector. This very company, however, has been representing ExxonMobil for 40 years. As such, Janki believes that this matter represents a clear conflict of interest as well as a violation of the bank’s procurement rules. In her letter, which was endorsed by other local transparency advocates, the lawyer said, “We therefore request that you immediately order a full independent investigation of the Guyana Project and the issues raised in this letter; halt the Guyana Project including stopping all disbursements and work; and inform the unconstitutional de facto administration in Guyana that the Guyana Project has been halted.” The lawyer further noted that Guyana held elections on March 2, 2020 and since then, the results have not been declared. Janki also noted that in her opinion, Guyana has no legitimate government while alluding to the many delay tactics that have been employed by certain forces to keep the APNU+AFC party in power. On such grounds, she asked that the World Bank does not permit the unconstitutional APNU/ AFC administration to (Continued on page 32)

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Our ‘Frontline Worker... From page 17 because of a lack of education; I think that is really the sore point in this thing,” said Nurse Piggott, as he shared a few instances where nurses have been prevented from entering some establishments or even public transportation, since some are fearful they are infected merely because they are health professionals. “Some people see our nurses and immediately start telling others ‘that one got coronavirus’ just because they are working at the hospital. The curfew has even affected how some staff at the hospital get to work as well…because some people need public transportation to get to work,” Nurse Piggott noted. Some measures have since been put in place to address the latter development. “Sometimes we feel like some people are spitting in our faces just because we are trying to do our civil duty,” said Nurse Piggott, as he spoke of services available to help those who are most affected to cope. “We have access to psychological care, or we try to just speak to someone. For me, just having someone listen helps me to relax and press on. Another initiative we have started is group sessions with staff, at least once a week, so we can discuss what affects us,” he revealed. Dealing with issues health professionals face in wake of COVID-19 is important, since, according to Nurse Piggott, “we know that we cannot discriminate when we are dealing with patients. Even if some of the perpetrators come to us seeking medical attention, we have to render the best care possible, regardless of who comes to us for healthcare.” Although it isn’t always an easy task, health workers, and support staff as well, are constantly reminded that in caring for others “we have to put our pride aside…this job ain’t got nothing to do with malice, if you have malice you shouldn’t be in this profession, it is as simple as that, because anything you are doing should be for the love of it; don’t do it for money, because that money thing don’t always work out”.

Nurse Piggott sometimes sheds his scrubs for designer wear. But what keeps professionals like Nurse Piggott motivated, is the fact that health workers keep turning up for work every day committed to doing their part to fight one of the most dreaded pandemics of all time. “I really expected the absenteeism rate to be up by more than 40 percent but shockingly, persons are working more now, than they would have worked without COVID-19…it’s ridiculous,” said Nurse Piggott amid a chuckle. His request to the masses, which is echoed by his colleagues, is to “appreciate the role they play by doing your part to help flatten the infection curve sooner rather than later”. Some have already been doing their part, even quietly supporting health workers with items to ensure they can take care of themselves, and Nurse Piggott noted “we are very appreciative and will continue to do our best to help save lives.”

Kaieteur News

Sunday April 26, 2020

U.S. Suspends Entry of Certain Individuals for 60 Days By Attorney Gail S. Seeram

O

n April 22, 2020, President Trump s i g n e d a proclamation suspending entry of immigrants who present risk to the U.S. labor market during the economic recovery following the COVID-19 outbreak. This proclamation is viewed by many as a political maneuver by Trump to appeal to his anti-immigrant followers and is redundant, since most visa issuances are already stalled due to no interviews in U.S. offices and Embassies through June 2020. The proclamation will be valid from April 23, 2020 until June 23, 2020. The proclamation became effective on Thursday, April 23, 2020 at 11:59 PM (ET), and applies to any individual seeking to enter the U.S. as an immigrant (or lawful permanent resident/green card holder) who: * Is outside the United States on the effective date of the proclamation; * Does not have a valid immigrant visa on the effective date; and The temporary suspension of entry into the U.S. DOES NOT APPLY to: 1. Lawful permanent residents (LPR) 2. Spouses and children under 21 of US Citizens immigrating to the US through US Embassy/ US Consulate process 3.All Foreign Nationals in the US applying for Permanent Residency through Adjustment of Status applications with USCIS 4.All non-immigrant applicants applying through US Embassy/ US Consulate processing for temporary visas such as E-2, H1B, H2B, E-3, L-1, O, P, F-1, B-1 and B-2 visitors visas etc. 5.All EB-5 investors applying for Conditional Permanent Residency through the US Embassy/ US Consulate. 6.Does not apply to Foreign Nationals who already have an immigrant visa in their passport and are outside the US. 7. Individuals, and their spouses or children, seeking to enter the U.S. on an immigrant visa as a

Gail S. Seeram physician, nurse, or other healthcare professional; to perform medical research or other research intended to combat the spread of COVID-19; or to perform work essential to combating, recovering from, or otherwise alleviating the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak, (as determined by the Secretaries of State and Department of Homeland Security (DHS), or their respective designees) 8.Individuals who would further important U.S. law enforcement objectives (as determined by the Secretaries of DHS and State b a s e d o n t h e recommendation of the Attorney General (AG), or their respective designees) 9.Members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their spouses and children 10. Individuals and their spouses or children eligible for Special Immigrant Visas as an Afghan or Iraqi translator/interpreter or U.S. Government Employee (SI or SQ classification) 11.Individuals whose entry would be in the national interest (as determined by the Secretaries of State and DHS, or their respective designees). (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 whatsApp 407-3531 3 6 3 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 Š Law Offices of Gail S. Seeram, 2020. All Rights Reserved.

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From page 25 present itself as the legitimate government of Guyana during the World Bank Spring Meetings or at any other time. “END THE KABUKI DANCE WITH MAXIMUM SPEED!” – NIGEL HINDS TO CLAUDETTE SINGH Chairman of Change Guyana, Nigel Hinds, has issued a call for the Chair of the Gu y a n a E l e c t i o n s Commission (GECOM), Ret’d Claudette Singh, to bring a speedy end to the political “kabuki dance” stating that she holds the legal power to bring to an end the tabulations of Guyana’s March 2, 2020 election. In a statement issued Tuesday, Hinds stated that Justice Singh has not utilized or sought to utilize the Region 4 Statements of Polls to complete the adding and tabulation for Region Four nor has she instructed that the fraudulent Region Four results be removed from the GECOM website. “One assumes that thoughts and feelings must torture the Chairperson on a daily basis, through her conscience! Yet, even now, the GECOM Chairperson can clear her conscience and use her constitutional power to quickly end this kabuki dance,” Hinds said. Below is Hinds’ statement in its entirety. The legal power to bring a speedy end to the t a b u l a t i o n o f G u y a n a ’s March 2, 2020 election, resides solely with the Chairperson of GECOM. This has been the reality since March 4, 2020. Justice Singh has not utilized or sought to utilize the Region Four Statements of Polls to complete the adding and tabulation for Region Four. Justice Singh has not instructed that the fraudulent Region Four results be removed from the Guyana Elections Commission’s website. One assumes that thoughts and feelings must torture the Chairperson on a daily basis, through her conscience! Yet, even now, the GECOM Chairperson can clear her conscience and use her constitutional power to quickly end this kabuki dance. The loud and senseless screaming of Commissioner Vincent Alexander must be ignored. The shameful and disgraceful echoing of Alexander by the other two Commissioners representing PNC-APNU, namely Trotman

and Corbin, must also be disregarded. BAUXITE SHIPPING COMPANY CALLS IT A DAY Since 2005, Oldendorff Carriers Guyana Inc. (OCGI) has been performing a barging and transshipment operation for bauxite exports on the Berbice River. However, the decade and a half service is ending. The Germanheadquartered company has announced the wrapping up of operations. “Unfortunately, OCGI’s customer in Guyana has decided to suspend and mothball its operation in Guyana and thus not to extend the operational contract with OCGI. Consequently, OCGI is forced to wind down operations in Guyana. OCGI currently employs 132 Guyanese in the Berbice region,” a statement said Tuesday. OCGI said that on Monday, it delivered the Letters of Notice to the office of the Chief Labour Officer, Charles Ogle, and to the workers’ union. “The company will work closely with the Chief Labour Officer to ensure that the wind-down is done in accordance with Guyanese law. The company will also work together with the Ministry of Social Protection and the Department of Labour to ensure that all employees receive their due compensation under Guyanese law.” According to the company, wherever possible, OCGI will work with its employees, the government and other stakeholders to redeploy the workers affected by the wind-down.

“It is with the deepest regret that OCGI must close its operations in Guyana. Over the past 15 years, OCGI has developed a very dedicated and loyal workforce who have performed very well, often under difficult conditions.” OCGI said it is very proud of what it has achieved together with its employees in Guyana. OCGI has developed wonderful working relationships with the people of Guyana, particularly in New Amsterdam and up the Berbice River, and the company is truly sad to leave this beautiful country. THURSDAY WE CANNOT BLINDLY ASSUME WORLD BANK HAS OUR INTERESTS OVER EXXONMOBIL’S – WE MUST DO OUR OWN VETTING – DR. JAN MANGAL Even though the World Bank was gracious enough to provide Guyana with a US$20M loan to develop its capacity for the oil sector, it is by no means, any reason for one to “blindly assume” that this financial institution places the interests of the nation over the companies that would be competing for contracts funded via the loan. Making this statement recently was Petroleum Consultant and former Presidential Advisor, Dr. Jan Mangal. His comments were premised on several articles Kaieteur News published in the past few days on the violation of the World Bank’s rules on procurement and conflict of interest. In this regard, it was reported that German Human Rights Organization,

Urgewald, wrote to the Directors of the World Bank and appealed for an immediate investigation to be done, since two ExxonMobil affiliates won contracts that would allow them to shape crucial policies and laws which would be used to regulate ExxonMobil and other oil companies. Upon taking note of this, Dr. Mangal in an invited comment said, “I agree with the concern raised in the articles…We cannot blindly assume the World Bank has our interests over those of ExxonMobil, or vice versa. We have to do the vetting and procurement audits ourselves. We have to be cautious of any firm with ties to oil companies. We cannot rule them out, but we have to be extra vigilant.” Further to this, Dr. Mangal said that the fiasco with UK Consultant, Dr. Michael Warner, who was hired to finish Guyana’s 2020 Local Content Policy, is enough proof that Guyana needs to be cautious. Kaieteur News would have reported on numerous occasions that Warner 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 for several months. Yet, he was given the goahead over Trinidadian Local Content Expert and Energy Strategist, Anthony Paul. In the first two drafts, Paul had prepared on the policy, he ensured there were several provisions in place to give Guyanese the upper hand in the industry. Those provisions were subsequently removed when Warner took over. Commenting on this

situation, Dr. Mangal said, “Mr Paul is a Local Content Expert, but Mr Warner was hired instead, and we know the policy produced by Mr Warner was widely criticized by Guyanese.” He further stated that this leaves one to question whether Paul was replaced by Mr Warner because he was too proGuyana. IMPORTAPPLICATIONS INCREASE… FOOD AND DRUG DEPT. CLAMPS DOWN ON COVID-19 TESTING KITS, REAGENTS The authorities are getting tough on importation of supplies to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. In recent days there has been a marked increase in applications for testing strips, among other things. According to the head of the Government AnalystFood and Drug Department (GA-FDD), Dr. Marlan Cole, there are strict requirements for the import of medical devices, particularly in vitro diagnostic (IVDs) test kits and laboratory reagents. “These requirements are in accordance with the laws of Guyana Food and Drug Act Chapter 34:03 Part VI Section 32(2), the Food and Drug Regulations- Part VII Section 115(c) and those articulated in the GA-FDD Application Form for a Permit to Import Medical Devices,” the regulator said Wednesday. The department said that the importers and distributors are mandated to do a number of things before devices and kits are released for sale or use in the health-care delivery system: “Importers/Distributors must be registered with the

GA-FDD as an importer and obtain a permit to import medical devices (IVDs- Kits and laboratory reagents).” An import license and Customs entry must be submitted to the department for approval and release. According to the regulator, importers and distributors must demonstrate that medical devices are manufactured according to the International Standard Organization (ISO) 13485:2016 Standard. “Importers/Distributors must demonstrate to the department by way of a free sale certificate (FSC) that the medical device (in vitro diagnostic test kits and laboratory reagent) is freely sold and used in the country of origin.” According to GA-FDD, the importer and distributor must also demonstrate to the department that the company or individual is in possession of a manufacturer ’s or distributor’s authorization (Continued on page 33)

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From page 32 from the manufacturer or a distributor. Meanwhile, the department is warning that it has observed an increase in applicants and requests for the importation of medical devices (IVDs test kits and laboratory reagents) in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. FRIDAY GUYANA’S OILWILL MAKE IT ONE OF THE BIGGEST GREENHOUSE GAS EMITTERS OFALL TIME – GERMAN NGO Along with the title of being the only country in the Latin America and Caribbean Region to see positive growth for 2020 thanks to the emerging oil sector, this industry is also poised to make Guyana one of the biggest greenhouse gas emitters of all time. This was recently noted by German Non Governme n t a l Organization (NGO), Urgewald. In one of its briefs on Guyana, the Human Rights Organization said that the oil field off the coast of Guyana is one of the largest crude discoveries of recent years. It noted that over 12 billion barrels of oil and 32 trillion cubic feet of natural gas could potentially be drilled by oil companies. If all were

exploited and burnt, the NGO calculated that the resulting emission could get close to 860 million tons of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) from oil and 1.7 billion tons of CO2 from natural gas. Even if only half of the fossil reserves in the Stabroek block were burnt, the NGO said that the resulting emission would most likely still surpass one billion tons of CO2. Urgewald said that this scale of drilling would transform Guyana from a carbon sink with negative CO2-emissions – thanks to its dense rainforests – to a country with the highest per capita emissions in the world. On top of the detrimental effect on the global climate, the NGO noted that a potential oil accident would cause

severe damage to the entire Caribbean and its precious ecosystems. In this regard, it said that a major spill would also seriously damage the Caribbean ecotourism sector, which is worth US$16 billion annually and creates 650,000 jobs. It was keen to remind that Exxon itself was responsible for one of the biggest oil spills in history – the Exxon Valdez in which 11 million gallons of crude oil devastated the pristine Alaskan coast in 1989. But what alarms the NGO as well, is the role of the World Bank in helping Guyana increase its carbon footprint. The NGO noted that the financial institution is one of the major sponsors in Guyana’s oil industry while adding that it provided over US$50 million in public assistance.

“POLITICAL SITUATION” COULD STALL INT’LAID TO GUYANA – MOSES NAGAMOOTOO Prime Minister and Head of the National COVID-19 Task Force, Moses Nagamootoo, is of the view that Guyana may not be able to source as much international funding as it needs to aid the fight against COVID-19 outbreak. This is due to the incompletion of the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections process. It has been more than 50 days since Guyanese went to the polls to cast their vote for the elections and

a legitimate government is yet to be sworn into office. That step is left stalled due to the controversy over the declaration of results for Region Four. Weeks later, Guyana began battling with the novel Coronavirus since the first confirmed case emerged in early March. Since that instance, the Government has applied for aid from several international lending institutions; most notably, a US$5M loan from the World Bank to which Guyana has not received any response. To t h i s , t h e P r i m e Minister, during a virtual media conference, pointed out that Guyana’s current “political situation” may be putting a block on receiving the funds. Responding to questions on whether Guyana has received any word on funding, the head of the Task Force relayed that a few requests are still being processed. Nagamootoo further stated “I believe that also, because of the political situation, in Guyana while we are in transition to a government that emerged after March 2, 2020, that we cannot say for sure whether some of these international, multilateral lending agencies are going to be dealing with Guyana’s applications any time soon.” He opined that “they probably would want to sit it out and wait until the President is sworn in.” Nagamootoo noted too that the government will now redirect funds from other projects to aid in the COVID19 fight. “We have an ongoing relationship with the InterAmerican Development Bank with regards to several projects that would be reconfigured to COVID related projects…I’m told that

this would be just under US$80M.” SATURDAY RECOUNT TO TAKE 25 DAYS, MINGO IS OUT, NO LIVE STREAMING, CURRENT DECLARATION STANDS UNTIL REPLACED – PROCESS TO BEGIN AS SOON AS CARICOM TEAMAVAILABLE – GECOM CHAIR The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has finally completed its work plan and finalized the constitution of the order for the national recount. What is left now is for GECOM Chair, Justice (ret’d) Claudette Singh SC to communicate the Commission’s decisions to CARICOM Secretary General, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, for him to in turn make deliberations on the arrival of the CARICOM high level delegation. Commissioner Vincent Alexander said that the Chair is very anxious to get the recount over with. He was asked whether the legality of the recount can be challenged in the future, and he saw the need to stress that the recount will be supervised by GECOM, not CARICOM. Alexander explained that the CARICOM terms of reference speak to them providing scrutiny of the process and submitting a report at the end. Asked whether GECOM would go forward with the recount if the team cannot be here, Alexander said GECOM would have to “go ahead”, but that that is not something that GECOM anticipates. He said that, if the team is not able to make it here, “the idea” would be for them to get high level officials who are already in Guyana to scrutinize the recount. GECOM has maintained (Continued on page 34)

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From page 33 that CARICOM will be there to validate the recount, not to supervise. Alexander also said that anything can be challenged in a Court, but that the Commission is “of the mind” that Article 162 of the Constitution and section 22 of the Elections Amendment Act provide GECOM with the authority to execute the recount. Alexander told reporters that the process will start with a checklist, to mark off all of the contents of each ballot box. He said that the count would then be done like it is done at a polling station, at the close of poll. Alexander explained that there will be three documents to be submitted at the level of the particular district/region, for each ballot box. These are the statement of recount, the checklist, and a form to note any anomalies identified during the routine checks of

Sunday April 26, 2020

Kaieteur News

each ballot box. Alexander said that if there are any issues arising during the process, there is an established hierarchy to handle those, starting with supervisor, to CEO, to the Commission. He said that if it gets to the Commission, in some matters, the Commission will have to treat those matters with urgency, instead of waiting for the end of the process. Commissioner Sase Gunraj was not in agreement with the Chair’s decision to ground the procedure in aspects of the Representation of the People Act which speak to the procedures to be undertaken at the close of poll. Gunraj is of the view that the procedure should be grounded in sections of the Act which speak directly to a resolution for a recount. He listed sections 84(6-11), 87, 89(1) and 90. In his view, the Chair’s decision injects unnecessary

steps into the process. He also expressed the position that a court would be likely to consider these distinctions in an elections petition. Gunraj was skeptical about another decision. “The Chair, today, decided that the recount will start the count of the first four regions simultaneously, she decided that region one will have two workstations, region two will have two workstations, region three will have three workstations, and that region four will have three workstations”. Gunraj does not agree with this decision. He said he thinks it would be an untidy situation which will lend itself to confusion. RECOUNT TO TAKE 25 DAYS, SUBJECT TO REVIEW Commissioners said that the Chair said the recount would take 25 days, but that she said it would be subject to review, pending the

outcome of the first day. Gunraj said he posed that the recount should take 14 days, arguing that 25 days would be an unreasonable duration to make the public wait. Asked how he arrived at that figure, Gunraj explained that the recount could take way less than 25 days to be completed if GECOM adjusts some of the parameters, such as the number of hours working per day. This specific matter was already decided on by GECOM, that the recount would go on for 10 hours a day. But Gunraj attempted to reinvigorate the matter, arguing that he is impatient and wants to see the recount done with swiftly. CHAIR SAYS NO LIVESTREAMING His proposal to stream the recount live on television and social media was rejected by the Chair. Commissioner Alexander

cited section 90 of the Representation of the People Act, which speaks to the secrecy of the count, as grounds to refuse the live stream. That section states that “Every person attending at the count of votes shall maintain and not communicate any information obtained at the count as to the list of candidates for which any vote has been given.” Gunraj reported that the Chair had objections to having the officials involved in the recount being videostreamed to the public, but Gunraj said that GECOM should have nothing to hide. Though the Chair rejected the live stream, she decided that there will be periodic broadcasts of the progress of the recount. MINGO IS OUT Gunraj moved a motion to have all of the staff involved in the activities leading to the

controversial region four counts, which drew legal proceedings and allegations of fraud, be removed from active participation in the process, including controversial region four returning officer, Clairmont Mingo. The Chair reportedly did not accede to this, and said that the Chief Elections Officer has the entitlement to appoint staff. She said, according to Gunraj, that the recount will be transparent as it will be done under observation. Gunraj said that her position was tantamount to voting against the motion. However, the Chair said it would be best for Mingo to be excluded from the count. C U R R E N T DECLARATIONS STAND UNTIL THEY ARE REPLACED There has been a push to set aside the current declarations held b y G E C O M . H o w e v e r, t h e Chair refused to do so, on the grounds that there is nothing to replace them. She reportedly posited that the declarations will be nullified when the recount provides new declarations.

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Maleficent: Mistress of Evil is E-Networks reduces fees for imaginative and packed with enthralling DreamTV Wireless service to creatures and fun performances support customers during Covid-19 E-Networks Inc. – Guyana’s leading TV service provider - today announced that it will be reducing pricing for its wireless TV and internet services to support its customers during the Covid-19 pandemic. The company stated that from May 1, 2020, the monthly fees for its DreamTV Wireless service – its most popular TV service – will be reduced by 10%. For its wireless internet customers, whom the company has been serving for over 10 years, E-Networks will not only be lowering pricing but will also be increasing its speeds by 20 times. This move comes after an upgrade earlier this year to the company’s OnFiber residential packages, which were increased from 3Mbps to 250 Mbps for the same price. The company shared that during these unprecedented times, in which more persons have to work and study from home, it recognises the importance of delivering adequate internet and content on a reliable network to keep persons connected, informed and entertained. E-Networks also emphasised its prioritisation of the health and safety of its staff and customers, while meeting its service commitments. This includes ensuring adherence to safety measures in accordance with the health authorities’ recommendations, and the provision of the requisite personal pro-

T

tective gear for all staff. E-Networks, in expressing its commitment to its customers, also highlighted the various options available to keep customers online, such as telephone and WhatsApp support; online account management through its E-Care app (available on Google Play Store and iOS App Store); and bill payment through online banking with Scotiabank, Demerara Bank, Republic Bank, and Citizens Bank. For more information, customers can contact E-Networks via telephone: 231-3890, email: csr@ewirelessgy.com or any of its social media pages @enetworksgy.

Sparkling Wine of the Week: The Cavicchioli 1928 Rosé

This bright and pale pink candy” coloured Rosé features white evanescent foam, fine and lingering perlage when poured and tasted. The wine has a fresh, fruity aroma, and a slightly spicy aromatic taste with red fruit notes and a lingering aftertaste. Cavicchioli 1928 Rosé is excellent as an aperitif with sweet and sour pairings. You can also pair it with risotto, tortellini, seafood dishes, and fresh fruits. It can be had at Ansa McAL’s Twee Gourmet Shoppe at the Giftland Mall. Do enjoy and remember to drink responsibly.

he first Maleficent movie wrapped up the revisionist history of one of Disney’s biggest villains, turning Maleficent (Angelina Jolie) into a tragic figure and true love’s kiss into an expression of maternal love. Disney’s sequel, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, gets around the problem that there’s no real story by shedding almost every connection to the original Sleeping Beauty, crossing high fantasy with hijinks-filled romantic comedy, and adding in just a sprinkle of self-insert wish fulfillment. Last we saw, the fairy and human kingdoms were peacefully united by Aurora (Elle Fanning), whose lineage from a fairy (god-)mother, Maleficent and a now-deceased human father (Sharlto Copley) bridged the gap. Mistress of Evil, directed by Joachim Rønning (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest), adds another human kingdom to make peace with for the sake of a teensy more geopolitical conflict. When Prince Phillip (Harris Dickinson), a pair of cheekbones granted human life, proposes to Aurora, Maleficent is invited to dinner to meet his parents, King John (Robert Lindsay) and Queen Ingrith (Michelle Pfeiffer). Showing off some of the clearest villain signalling since Michael Keaton in Dumbo — long pauses have never been so sinister — Ingrith gets the fairy queen so riled up that dinner turns into yet another tale of Maleficent’s balefulness. John falls ill and the kingdom immediately takes up arms. The movie’s rom-comisms soon fall away to make room for more typical fantasy epic hijinks, albeit with the kind of clunky political signalling familiar to anyone who endured Bright. Ingrith wants

to wipe out the fairies — who, in one of the film’s better visual tricks, “die” by reverting into the inanimate objects that inspired them — and the attempted genocide is a little more frightening than you’d expect from Disney fare. Watching a room full of creatures struggle as they’re bombarded with poison powder feels more akin to a war movie than it probably should. Good intentions (or maybe just ambition) don’t smooth over the way that the remnants of the dark fae — Maleficent’s kin, played by Chiwetel Ejiofor and Ed Skrein with horns and wings — are coded to symbolize all people of color and similarly marginalized groups. Aurora, Phillip, Ingrith and other “humans” in the film are otherwise Eurocentric, leaning into a colonialist and imperialist narrative that is maybe a little too easily tied up by the end of the film. There’s even a character who briefly touches upon the sometimes-difficult nature of regime collaborators. It’s heavy material for a children’s fantasy film to tackle, which makes it unsurprisingly that it doesn’t really manage to do it well. The political themes are pointed but unwieldy, unlike the rom-com elements of the

Ansa McAL now doing deliveries of all your favourite drinks to your doorstep In light of the numerous COVID-19 measures that have left many Guyanese confined to their home, it is not always convenient to get your favourite drinks for your home entertainment needs. But there’s no reason to worry guys as Ansa McAL Trading Limited (AMTL) is offering free delivery of your favourite beers, spirits, wines and drinks right to your doorstep. The delivery parameters

are from AMTL BV Office to Mahaica and AMTL to Eccles. For information on prices and to place orders you can send a WhatsApp message to 608-ANSA (2672) or call on 220-8877.

film, which are superbly done fluff. Jolie cuts a striking figure as Maleficent, and dispenses the character’s sly bon mots with a campy, cartoonish glee that fits perfectly with her 2D origins. Simply put, she’s funny, practicing her “hello” by watching her reflection in a pond so she doesn’t end up scaring Phillip’s parents, or needling her right-hand man, the raven-turned-human Diaval (Sam Riley). Pfeiffer doesn’t have any comic material to work with, but commits fully to villainy, serving as a perfect foil to Jolie; her performance is sharp where Jolie’s is smooth, devoting the dangerous energy she had as Catwoman to making declarations of war. There’s something delightful about watching the two of them, world-weary women who have lived long enough not to trust blindly in other people, try to deal with the naïveté of their respective children, rolling their eyes when they once again suggest true love as a panacea. (Based on the title, it should come as no surprise that Phillip and Aurora are zeroes.) The separate parts of Maleficent: Mistress of Evil don’t quite gel together, with the back half departing from cheerful Disney territory to the fan vision of a Maleficent devotee’s DeviantArt page. So many fairy variants (fae from tropical regions have macaw wings, which, fine), so many shots of Maleficent that could serve as Evanescence album covers. The film is still, however, leaps and bounds more imaginative than most other recent live-action Disney fare, packed with strange creatures and fun performances that at least distract from (if not alleviate) the film’s clumsy attempts at political allegory. (https://www.polygon.com/ 2019/10/15/20915522/maleficent-2-mistress-of-evil-review-angelina-jolie-michellepfeiffer)

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CONFRONTING THE ISSUE OF BREAST CANCER When most people hear the big ‘C’ word, cancer, a particular kind of fear takes over. And sometimes, this is because most of don’t know much about this disease. When it comes to breast cancer, there’s the risk of losing one or both breasts, which in terms of aesthetics, most women abhor. There’s even the chance of death if not detected early and the cancer is allowed to spread. In Guyana, among the cancers, breast cancer tops the chart accounting for 17% of all cancers and 25% of all cancers affecting women. Now what exactly is Breast Cancer? Most know of breast cancer but how much do they actually know about it? Breast cancer like most other cancers is a disease characterized by the uncontrolled division of abnormal cells but within the tissues of the breasts. In normal body tissues, there is a balance in cell division and multiplication, in relation to natural cell death. This ensures that old worn out cells are gotten rid of and replaced by new, better func-

tioning ones. In breast cancer as well as other cancers, this programmed cell death, as it is called when the cells dies, does not occur, due to the abnormality of the cells themselves. As such there is continuous replication of the cells and growth of the cancer tissue over time. Because of this constant growth, the cancer cells can spread locally, as in surrounding structures and tissues, or can even invade the blood stream or lymphatic system and spread through these means, termed hematogenous and lymphatic spread, respectively. Therefore, it is possible for those persons with end stage breast cancer to have cancers at other parts of the body, quite distant from the breasts. What should you look for? Self-examination plays a great role in the early detection of breast cancer. Hence, on any visit to the doctor’s office, all women are encouraged to examine their breasts at least everytime they get the chance especially after the end of the previous menstrual

period; when the breasts are less likely to be swollen and tender. Though there have been debates over how helpful this

nation is an atypical lump, which feels different from the surrounding tissue. However, not every lump is a cause of worry since most women

red scaly patch of skin as well as either a bloody or semiclear discharge from the nipples. For those in whom the

is in diagnosis, it has proved very helpful to many who were able to detect small changes occurring before they were definitively diagnosed with the disease. With that in mind, it should be noted that earlier diagnoses leads to a better prognoses. The first sign that most women notice on self-exami-

have or will have lumps or lumpy areas in their breast at some point of their life. Persons might even notice early subtle changes in the skin such as dimpling or what appears to be an orange peel texture of the breast skin (called peutd’orange sign). Other signs that are common are the emergence of a

disease has progressed and there is distant spread of the cancer, there may be symptoms of bone pain, swollen and painful lymph nodes, difficulty breathing and jaundice. Causes and Risk factors There has been ongoing research but none has been definitive in proving what exactly causes breast cancer. However, the disease has been linked to and shows a positive correlation with a number of factors, the most obvious being of the female gender. Though the cancer can also affect men, females are by far the most affected. It has been shown that persons who engage in smoking and the consumption of alcohol are at a higher risk of getting the disease than those who don’t. Further, the risk of getting breast cancer increases if one is suffering from obesity or there is a lack of physical exercise. Women who are also on hormone replacement therapy or who have undergone radiotherapy are at a higher risk as well. Another factor would seem to be the fact that having children at a later age or not at all puts one at risk for getting this cancer.

How Coca-Cola affects your body when you drink it Sugary drinks are considered a major contributor to health conditions such as obesity, type 2 diabetes and tooth decay. But have you ever wondered exactly what these beverages do to your body after consumption? One researcher has created an infographic that explains what happens to the body within an hour of drinking a can of Coca-Cola. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), around half of the US population drink sugary beverages on any given day, with consumption of these drinks highest among teenagers and young adults. There are approximately 10 teaspoons of added sugar in a single can of cola. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommend consuming no more than 6 teaspoons of added sugar daily, meaning drinking just one serving of cola a day could take us well above these guidelines. As such, it is no surprise that sugary drink consumption is associated with an array of health conditions. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, people who drink 1-2 cans of sugary beverages daily are 26% more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, and last month, Medical News Today reported on a study claiming 184,000 glo-

bal deaths each year are down to sugary drink consumption. Now, an infographic created by British pharmacist Niraj Naik - based on research by health writer Wade Meredith - shows the damage a 330 ml can of Coca-Cola can do to the body within 1 hour of consumption. According to Naik, the intense sweetness of CocaCola as a result of its high sugar content should make us vomit as soon as it enters the body. However, the phosphoric acid in the beverage dulls the sweetness, enabling us to keep the drink down. Blood sugar levels increase dramatically within 20 minutes of drinking the Cola, explains Naik, causing a burst of insulin. The liver then turns the high amounts of sugar circulating our body into fat. Within 40 minutes, the body has absorbed all of the caffeine from the Cola, causing a dilation of pupils and an increase inblood pressure. By

this point, the adenosine receptors in the brain have been blocked, preventing fatigue. Five minutes later, production of dopamine has increased - a neurotransmitter that helps control the pleasure and reward centers of the brain. According to the infographic, the way CocaCola stimulates these centers is comparable to the effects of heroin, making us want another can. An hour after drinking the beverage, a sugar crash will begin, causing irritability and drowsiness. In addition, the water from the Cola will have been cleared from the body via urination, along with nutrients that are important for our health. According to Naik, the infographic is not only applicable to Coca-Cola, but to all caffeinated fizzy drinks. “Coke is not just high in high fructose corn syrup, but it is also packed with refined salts and caffeine,” writes

Naik on his blogThe Renegade Pharmacist. “Regular consumption of these ingredients in the high quantities you find in Coke and other processed foods and drinks, can lead to higher blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and obesity.” “However a small amount now and then won’t do any major harm,” he adds. “The key is moderation.” In a press statement, a spokesperson for Coca-Cola says the beverage is “perfectly safe to drink and can be enjoyed as part of a balanced diet and lifestyle.” Our Knowledge Center article - “How much sugar is in your food?” - looks at the sugar content of some of the most popular foods and drinks. In August, another infographic went viral, revealing how energy drinks affect the body within 24 hours of drinking them. http:// www.medicalnewstoday.com.

Early onset of menstruation, old age and a family history of breast cancer are among other risk factors; as well as a genetic predisposition in about 5-10% of cases who would seem to have inherited genes called the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes among others. How is it diagnosed? Breast cancer can be detected early if one is keen on self-examination whenever the chance presents itself. However in a clinical setting, diagnosis of breast cancer can be achieved via imaging techniques such as mammography, ultrasonography or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). These all determine whether a biopsy is warranted or not. If needed, tissue samples can be taken from the breast to be analyzed. These can be incisional, where just a small sample of the abnormal tissue is taken and investigated or excisional, where the entire mass of abnormal tissue is removed. Sometimes a lump might actually be a cyst, in which case fluid is taken from the lump and microscopically analyzed. This is called fine needle aspiration. Prevention and treatment In the case of breast cancer, prevention is indeed better than cure. Simply by achieving and maintaining a healthy body weight, regular exercise, minimizing drinking and smoking as well as consumption of foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids can all help to reduce the risk of getting breast cancer. In the case where the disease has already progressed, treatment depends on the stage, with simple excisional surgery or lumpectomy for the simple lumps to more severe cases where either one or both of the breasts have to be removed along with affected surrounding tissue. These are all complemented by a regimen of chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy.

A timely and informative... From page 30 stability. Equally revolting is state secrecy and masking the truth in the face of danger. Countries engaging in bioengineering research must exercise vigilance and be as transparent and forthcoming as possible. Such guidelines, many argue, would have prevented the global catastrophe we face today.(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not nec-

essarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper) Pandemic and World Economy - Learn About the Novel Viral Outbreak, How to Survive it, and its effects on Global Economy F e e d b a c k : glenvilleashby@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter@glenvilleashby (C) Copyright 2020 Steven Haynes ISBN: 9798630052872 Available at Amazon Ratings: Recommended

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The Fairy Tulips having been there the night before. On the following night she was again wakened by sweet singing and babies laughing. She rose and stole softly through her garden. The moon was shining brightly on the tulip bed, and the flowers were swaying to and fro. The old woman looked closely and she saw, standing by each tulip, a little Fairy mother who was crooning and rocking the flower like a cradle, while in each tulip cup lay a little Fairy baby laughing and playing. The good old woman stole quietly back to her house, and from that time on she never picked a tulip, nor did she allow her neighbors to touch the flowers. The tulips grew daily brighter in color and larger in size, and they gave out a delicious perfume like that of roses. They began, too, to bloom all the year round. And every night the little Fairy mothers caressed their babies and rocked them to sleep in the flower cups. An English Folk-tale Once upon a time there was a good old woman who lived in a little house. She had in her garden a bed of beautiful striped tulips. One night she was wakened by the sounds of sweet singing and of babies laughing. She looked out at the window. The sounds seemed to come from the tulip bed, but she could see nothing. The next morning, she walked among her flowers, but there were no signs of any one

The day came when the good old woman died, and the tulip bed was torn up by folks who did not know about the Fairies, and parsley was planted there instead of the flowers. But the parsley withered, and so did all the other plants in the garden, and from that time nothing would grow there.

Sunday April 26, 2020

Junior page DIY RUSTIC TWIG FRAME JESSICA BEGUM | AUGUST 30, 2017 Things You’ll Need ·Wooden craft frame ·Pruning shears ·Brown acrylic paint ·Foam brush ·Hot glue gun and hot glue stick (or white craft glue) ·40 to 50 small twigs (1/16 to 1/4 inch in diameter) ·Decorative faux moss and flowers Tip: Don’t be afraid to use twigs from your own backyard. Real twigs give the frame a more natural look than the treated twigs you’ll find at the craft store. Collect dead twigs, instead of green ones, which will shrink upon drying. Look for insects and signs of decay before bringing them in the house. Rinse and dry them before using. Step 1: Paint the Frame backing. Paint one coat Paint the frame and of brown acrylic paint allow it to dry. (Image: on the frame with the J e s s i c a foam brush. Begum)Remove the Allow it to dry for one frame from its glass and hour.

Step 2: Trim the Twigs to Fit the Frame Trim the twigs to the length and width of the frame. (Image: Jessica Begum ) While the paint is drying, trim the twigs with pruning

But the good old woman’s grave grew beautiful, for the Fairies sang above it, and kept it green - while on the grave and all around it Step 3: Glue the Largest there sprang up tulips, daffodils, and violets, Tw i g s t o t h e F r a m e and other lovely flowers of spring. Glue larger twigs on the frame. (Image: Jessica B e g u m ) When the paint is dry, take a few of the larger twigs

and set them on the length a n d w i d t h o f the frame. Look for the spots where they touch the frame, and apply a small dab of hot glue to secure. Step 4: Add and Secure More Twigs Keep adding twigs and secure with glue. (Image: Jessica Begum ) Add twigs, little by little, overlapping them at the corners. Secure the twigs

Step 5: Tuck Small Twigs Under Larger Ones Stop when all of the holes are filled. (Image: Jessica Begum )As the frame develops, you'll need to tuck smaller twigs under

W FUN

IT

ET O P H

RY

The best feeling I get I feel so nice when I eat Ice cream, cookies and fruit cake, Chocolate, candy and other sweets, As well as burgers, pizza and milk-shake. I also get very happy When I celebrate my birthday Go to the park, seawall and creek, And enjoy Christmas and other holidays. But the thing that makes me feel the best, And makes me proud indeed, Is when I try to help someone, Or give them something they need. I start by doing more work at home, Then try to make my family feel good; Next I am kinder to all my friends, And help my neighbours in any way I could.

by Uncle Roy

shears about 1/4 inch longer than the length and width of the frame. Separate the trimmed twigs into two piles, one for width and one for length. Heat your glue gun.

with a small dab of hot glue wherever they touch; sometimes it will be the actual frame, and other times it will be to another stick. Add the twigs evenly to the four sides as you work.

larger ones. Again, use just enough glue to secure. The smaller twigs don't need to be glued if they fit snugly. When you can't find an opening for another twig, the frame is done.

Step 6: Add Decorative Moss and Flowers Moss and flowers give the frame a spring look. (Image: Jessica Begum )

To embellish, use decorative moss and silk flowers. Secure them to the frame with hot glue.

STAR BATTLE Each puzzle is divided into 8 different regions. Each region, row and column contains a single star. The stars may not be adjacent to each other (not even diagonally).

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TEEN TIME Develop Healthy Relationships at home

W

e continue with this allimportant message about maintaining your family relationships, now that most of us have to stay at home in the current health crisis. Here are some other pointers towards achieving this, and at least using this opportunity to improve in some aspect of your life by the time the present pandemic comes to a halt. Please take care to note each one and make a special effort to work together towards its development: 1. Join together to keep

the home clean and comfortable. This joint effort can do wonders to keep you connected and moving in one direction. 2. Have fun together. So many times we see members of a family engaged in separate activities to enjoy themselves. When we play, sing, and laugh together, we create a bond between us that can overcome all the differences that we have which tend to keep us apart. 3. Develop a strategy to spend some time together to plan for what you intend to do in the future, both on the short-term and the long-

term. This can be useful to air our differences in a peaceful manner, as long as everyone is committed to look at themselves and accept suggestions on how they can improve in some way. These sessions should be led by someone who is respected by all others. They may include money matters and how each must act to get the most out of the family budget. 4. Take this opportunity to support one another in exercises to achieve body fitness. Working out can be enjoyable and therefore more beneficial when we do

so together, giving us the opportunity to suggest to others what will work to improve them physically. 5. Use the happy memories of the past to build relationships. Recalling these together can do so much to remind us of our special relationship as a family. One way of doing this is by looking through the albums of photos of past family activities and talking together about these.Being sincere in wanting to maintain your relationships will work to use your available time together to make the best of your family.

Reverse word search puzzles

Reverse word search puzzles are a bit more challenging than a normal word search. In these, you’re given a largely empty grid layout, with a small number of circled-grid squares already filled in. Each of these circled letters is the first letter of one or more of the words on the given word list. Your task is to fill in the grid completely using only the given words. No word will repeat itself, though remember, any starting letter may be used by more than one word at the same time! Words can be positioned the same as in a regular word search – horizontally, vertically or diagonally, reading frontwards or backwards.

Love by Kendacia Harwood Love is something, if you give it away, You will end up with more than before; It is just like a magic penny, Hold it tight and you have no more. It never hurts to send forth love, For we have so much to spare; God gave us some extra helpings, So that we will have much to share. It never hurts to find someone, Who lives with pain and sorrow, And bring that someone hope and faith, Enough to face tomorrow. It never hurts to pray for those Who cannot find their way; If we were lost and lonely too, We’d want someone to pray

The time we have to spend with our families gives us the unique opportunity to work at bringing us closer together.

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK

Solutions to last week’s

Goo

dluck

!

Number Grid

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Sunday April 26, 2020

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Sunday April 26, 2020

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STANDARDS IN FOCUS

GNBS - Satisfying the Calibration Needs of Industries The Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) continues to offer calibration services to meet the demands of industry, especially as companies are becoming more interested in the use of traceable and accurate measurements. The first quarter of 2020 saw a wide range of measuring instruments submitted for regular comparisons with traceable standards in the areas of Mass, Dimension, Volume, Pressure and Temperature. The GNBS calibrates instruments that include balances, masses, measuring cylinders, liquid-in-glass thermometers, gauge blocks, pressure gauges and measuring tapes. Calibration is known to be a complex scientific process, which allows traceability in measurements. It compares the accuracy of instruments or equipment with a known and proven measurement standard.In industry operations, calibration is very important; and consistently knowing the accuracy of measuring instruments gives companies the confidence

that they are putting the right amounts of ingredients in their products. This maintains consistency in product quality. The use of calibrated instruments also ensures that key parameters such as temperature conditions are maintained to preserve raw materials. Meanwhile, inaccurate pressure gauges can result in major unwanted incidents such as explosions, which can be dangerous to life and limbs and can cause major spillage of products and damage to equipment. Companies, which are certified to international standards such as the ISO 9001 Quality Management System Standard, are required to have their measurement instruments calibrated. Increasing numbers of these companies are submitting their instruments to our Industrial Metrology and Testing Department for calibration at costs competitive to overseas calibration providers. Additionally, the GNBS continues to note the importance of accurate measurement in temperature when tackling the current COVID19 outbreak, especially by

healthcare professionals as well as those checking the body temperature of their employees and customers. As such, during this time, the Bureau is providing free calibration services for Clinical Thermometers (infrared, digital and liquid-in-glass). Healthcare facilities, companies and individuals desirous of calibrating such thermometers with ranges between thirty-five (35) degrees Celsius and forty (40) degrees Celsius can email the Industrial Metrology and Testing Services Department at labservices@gnbsgy.org or WhatsApp (592) 692-GNBS (4627). Special arrangements are in place to have these thermometers calibrated. Please note that the GNBS offices are currently closed for the remainder of April 2020 to those stakeholders desirous of standards and other services. However, information can be shared via our WhatsApp contact or email: info@gnbsgy.org. (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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CONSUMER CONCERNS

THE CARIBBEAN COURT OF JUSTICE

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PAT DIAL Over the last year, and especially since the passing of the no-confidence motion in Parliament in 2019, the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) has been featuring in the news. Many people who talk glibly about the CCJ however have little or no knowledge of what it is or even where it is. The interest in the Court, generated by the recent political cases brought before it, provides an opportunity for informing the public about the Court. Before we touch on the activities of the Court, it is useful to explain what the Court is: In colonial times, the final Court of Appeal for the West Indies and other parts of the British Empire was the Privy Council in England. In its appellate jurisdiction, it dealt with both criminal and civil matters and its decisions were highly regarded and generally became precedents. When the West Indian colonies were granted their Independence by Britain, it was expected that they would establish their own Appellate Jurisdiction; in the mean time, they were permitted to continue to use the Privy Council as their final Court of Appeal. The Privy Council itself had preferred that these former colonies use their own Appellate Jurisdiction and had made this known. In 2002, 12 CARICOM states, including Guyana, as part of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, signed the agreement setting up the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ). A few states signed with some reservations but Prime Minister Basdeo Panday signed without any provisos on behalf of Trinidad and Tobago. It was agreed that the Court should be established in PortVEHICLE FOR SALE 1 Suzuki Escudo.Excellent condition, Low Mileage (50,000Km).$3.4M Neg.Call #649-0956. 2018 Toyota Prado, Black,fully l o a d e d , L e a t h e r seats,gas,excellent condition.Contact 662-3725.

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of-Spain, capital of Trinidad and Tobago. To avoid any political influence being exerted on the Court, it was decided that the Court would not be financed by the national exchequers but rather by a loan of US$100,000,000 (one hundred million) to be serviced by the signatories. The Court has been meeting its expenses by draw downs from this loan and up to last year, it was still in a strong financial position with ninety-six hundred millions remaining. The Court has two jurisdictions - its Original Jurisdiction and an Appellate Jurisdiction. In its Original Jurisdiction, it is an International Court with exclusive jurisdiction to interpret and apply the rules set out in the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas and to decide on disputes arising under it. In its Appellate Jurisdiction, it is the final Court of Appeal for criminal and civil matters for those CARICOM states which have amended their Constitutions to enable the CCJ to perform that role. At the moment, five states have acceded to the Appellate Jurisdiction - Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Suriname and Guyana. It is expected that in due course, the other states will accede to the Court’s Appellate Jurisdiction since by signing and ratifying the Agreement, they have indicated their commitment to making the CCJ their final Court of Appeal. Though CARICOM’s two most populous states, Jamaica and

Trinidad and Tobago, have not as yet acceded to the Appellate Jurisdiction, the majority opinion in both states is for moving away from the Privy Council and using the CCJ. The main reason why some persons wish to cling to the Privy Council is that they believe the CCJ may be subject to local political and other influences and as such, some decisions may show bias. Many argue, on the other hand, that the Privy Council is the last vestige of colonialism and full Independence would come only when a state moves away from it. And there are other more practical reasons: It is far more expensive to go to the Privy Council than to the CCJ; keeping the Privy Council and not using the CCJ denies poorer folks appellate justice since they would be unable to meet the costs of going to the Privy Council; the judges of the Privy Council have little idea of the nuances of Caribbean Jurisprudence or Caribbean Society and may sometimes co-opt a Caribbean judge or decline to adjudicate a Caribbean case. The CCJ consists of seven judges and at present, five are Caribbean and two are foreign-born. Since its establishment, the Court has been able to attract judges of the highest calibre and the recruitment process is a very exacting one with a panel from various parts of the Caribbean. In its short existence, the Court has won for itself much respect from

legal circles and from the ordinary Caribbean citizen. Guyana has been using the Court more than any other state in a number of different types of matters. The Court has adjudicated in a number of important land matters, giving valuable precedents. Of more recent years, it has considered a number of political and constitutional cases which have been amply reported in the media. It has also protected the rights of ordinary Caribbean citizens against the state as in the Myrie case against Barbados and the TCL case against Guyana. Probably, one of the most interesting appeals heard by the Court was that brought by four transgender persons who were convicted of crossdressing, an offence for which the Guyana Courts from the late 19th century had convicted as of course. Many thought that these crossdressers had little chance of their appeal being upheld. In allowing the appeal, the Court declared that the impugned section violated the appellants’ right to equality, non-discrimination and freedom of expression and that Section 15 3(1) (xlvii) was unconstitutionally vague and offended the Rule of Law. This decision has moved the Law affecting the LGBT community further than Parliament has so far done. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)

Duo granted $200,000 bail for robbing, assaulting Liverpool man Two men were on Friday hauled before the Whim Magistrate’s Court where the joint charge of robbery with violence was read to them, via Skype, by Magistrate Renita Singh.Rawle Park, 49, a cane harvester of Lancaster Village, Corentyne, Berbice and Balram Sukhraj, 37, a Fisherman of Lot 11 Lancaster Village, Corentyne both appeared in court and after the charge was read. They were granted bail to the tune of $100,000 each. The joint charge read that Park and Sukhraj committed the act of robbery with violence on Rabindra Hansraj of Liverpool Village. The case was postponed to June 4, 2020. Hansraj was reportedly beaten during the attack that occurred Monday night around 21:30 hrs. According to reports, Hansraj was walking home in the vicinity of Whim on the northern side of the public road when he felt someone grabbed him from

Rawle Park

Balram Sukhraj

behind and began to choke him. He told police that he was forced flat on the ground and two other male persons appeared and began to deal him several blows about his head and body with a wood and cutlass. The men then proceeded to rob him of what he had on his person. The men then made good their escape and left him injured on the roadway.

Hansraj subsequently made his way to the Whim Police Station located nearby and a report was filed. He was then escorted to the Port Mourant Public Hospital to seek medical attention. Among the items the man was reportedly robbed of are one iPhone 6 Plus valued at $80,000, one gold chain valued at $30,000 and $25,000 in cash.

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---Hinds’ Sight by Dr. David Hinds---

Our Leaders must begin to talk now When historians look back at the aftermath of the March 2, 2020 elections, they would ask some very searching questions. One such question would be this— where was the leadership? In times of crisis, a country looks to its leaders for reassurance. Regardless of which side of the political divide one happens to be on, at the end of the day ordinary, regular citizens want to be assured that life would resume and perhaps better would come. Our two major leaders are not giving hope to the nation. They seem preoccupied with their short-term battles at the expense of the longterm political health of the nation. After almost two months, Guyanese want answers. Why is this thing not ending? When will there be a winner? Unfortunately, our politicians are unable to provide plausible answers to these questions. Some would claim that they do have answers. Others would argue that their answers are not really answers. Early in this process, I spotted where this thing was headed, and I told some close friends that this would be a prolonged process. I arrived at that conclusion based on

my study of elections in ethnically divided societies. But more importantly, I have paid keen attention to recent Guyanese political history, both as a student and as an activist. As I observe the back and forth between the two sides and the public discourse it spawns, I cannot help but be disappointed. The whole thing is reduced to a simple question—who wins and who loses? No matter how and what else we discuss that question is inescapable. It is the central question. Yet, the length of time it takes to arrive at the conclusion suggests that there is need for a radical intervention by the leaders even as they await the results of the recount. Mr. Granger and Mr. Jagdeo need to start talking about Guyana’s future—at least the immediate future. Maybe because we have been able in the past to dodge the inevitable, the leaders are somewhat flippant about the effect the last eight weeks have had on the society and beyond. Studies have shown that the scars of these moments of crisis tend to persist beyond the moment. One would think that the so-called Civil Society organizations

would be the ones to facilitate the conversations I reference. But Civil Society has for all intents and purposes been consumed by what has transpired since March 2. For the last two Wednesdays, Ravi Dev and I have been trying to talk with and to each other about our moment, its origins and meaning—and what to do. Under the auspices of an online TV outfit there is a series called “A house Divided.” The sponsors think that the image and substance of Ravi Dev and David Hinds talking about what is playing out before our very eyes could give some hope that we can still survive as a joint nation with a common purpose. I accepted, knowing full well that the majority Indian Guyanese audience is in no mood to listen to an African Guyanese who refuses to say the elections are being rigged and that the PPP has won. But I insist that we need to keep the lines of communication open. We have to try to get our people to see the big picture, that we are not historical enemies. I am not a fan of having dialogue for the sake of talking. In situations of crisis, dialogue must take place with the expectation of

Several categories of vulnerable ... From page 10 from now. So, during this phase, we will be looking at how best we can help small farmers in so far as giving them seeds, equipment and agricultural extension services so that they can go back to the land. While we are assisting with hampers, we want to wean people off of that,” he said. Thirdly, Harmon noted that the Ministry of Education, in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Telecommunications and other agencies, is working to ensure that students can continue their education while the public schools remain closed. He noted that the Government is cognizant of the fact that not every student has access to internet and is therefore working on practicable solutions. ”Then, as you know, some people are working from home and they are still being paid, so

the Ministry of Public Service is looking to see how best we can optimise that to ensure the Government is still efficiently managed,” he added. The CEO also made it clear that contrary to some reports, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo remains the Chairman of the NCTF and the Secretariat must report to him. ”All we are doing in this Secretariat is being done under the general and specific guidance of the Prime Minister who is the Chairman of the Task Force. We report to him and then he reports to the Council of Ministers. We are going to do whatever is in the best interest of the people of Guyana to make sure they are safe and prepared for during this virus and after. This is about strengthening and operationalising the Task Force,” he said.

Couples should adopt coping mechanisms ... From page 45 you can’t go to the gym, you can still designate the same time to do some workouts at home or even purchase some dumbbells or something and exercise at home,” Dr. Bassier said. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), there are a number of ways persons can cope with staying at home and avoiding the additional tension. Among these are: finding ways to relax and do healthy activities that you enjoy; anyone can feel stress and anxiety; setting goals and plan a daily routine; plan when to wake up, what to eat and when to sleep; taking breaks from checking the latest news

on coronavirus (COVID-19). Also it is recommended that “if you’re going through a difficult time, or if you’re concerned about someone, contact a counsellor, a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) or any entity that can assist.” Below are the contact information for several local organisations that provide free counseling and/or support for Domestic Violence. - Critical Response Guyana (CRG) provides Virtual Counseling via calls, SMS and WhatsApp on telephone numbers: 626-4035, 684-0925, 683-5913, 663-5414, 664-9152 or 609-3808. - Young Pioneers (YP) provides family support and

advice on accessing help and shelter through all virtual means. They can be contacted on telephone number 669-2619 or via Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ youngpioneers.gy/ - Help and Shelter provides counseling, public education and advocacy and shelter for abused women and children. They can be contacted on telephone numbers 225-4731, 227-8353 or at https://www.hands.org.gy/ - Men’s Health Unit Ministry of Public Health - 2267400 - Ministry of Public Health’s Mental Health Unit 226 1407 Facebook https:// w w w. f a c e b o o k . c o m / MentalHealthUnit.MoPH/

solutions. It is my firm view that whatever the eventual outcome of this election, there is need for a political solution that puts an end to these disputed elections. In the final analysis, we can overcome our troubles if we pull back from the edge and stop talking past one another. It is time we speak to one another. (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’ Guyana-Caribbean Politics and on his w e b s i t e www.guyanacaribbeanpolitics.news.

Dr David Hinds Send comments dhinds6106@aol.com

to

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PPP, APNU+AFC accuse each other of... From page 12 the number of stations that should be used by GECOM and the number of hours in day for which GECOM should work. He has done this, despite the Chair already deciding on 10 workstations and 10 hours a day of work. The PPP, clearly incensed by accusations it is trying to frustrate the process, responded yesterday. It refuted the accusation stating that, “the world knows who is trying to frustrate the recount”. The party has accused Granger of spearheading attempts to rig the election, which the party believes is evidenced by the controversy that surrounded the declarations made by Region Four returning officer, Clairmont Mingo, and the subsequent court challenge of the recount by an APNU+AFC candidate. The party said that two APNU+AFC candidates, Ulita Moore and Roysdale Forde, were involved in attempts to block the CARICOM supervised recount. Granger has distanced himself from the court matter, insisting that the application for the interim injunction was done by a private citizen. Even before that, the PPP noted, there were other at-

tempts to block the recount, including the abrupt fumigation of the Arthur Chung Conference Centre. At one point, armed military officers had even entered the compound and ordered all of the persons in the compound to leave. The PPP also noted the plan, which was proposed by GECOM Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield, for a recount which would have lasted 156 days. The party claims this plan was supported by Alexander. It was a Commissioner nominated by the PPP, Robeson Benn, who was actually the one primarily responsible for the outrage over the 156-day plan. Alexander told reporters that it was Benn who insisted to Lowenfield that two Commissioners would be present at each workstation for the GECOM supervised recount. There are only six Commissioners. Hence, it was only logical for Lowenfield to assume only three workstations in the plan, despite Opposition Commissioners advocating for more. That requirement was later lifted, and Lowenfield was later allowed to adjust the plan, though he had only added two more workstations. The PPP also noted the request by Chair of the

COVID-19 Task Force, Moses Nagamootoo, to have the CARICOM high level team quarantined for 14 days, as one reason they believe APNU+AFC is trying to frustrate the recount. This requirement was later lifted by the President, who insisted that nothing should be done to delay the recount. The Opposition party also scoffed at what it said are attempts to remove safeguards from the recount process, including the proposal for independent auditors to be involved in the recount and the proposal for livestreaming of the recount. These proposals were rejected by the Chair of GECOM. It contended that if Granger is genuine about wanting an expeditious and transparent recount, that he should agree to the PPP’s proposal to the recount done in 10 days in the presence of auditors and observers, and for the recount to be live streamed. The PPP stated that it released its copies of the Region Four statements of poll, which it said show that it won the election. It said that if APNU+AFC is sure it has won the election, then it should release to the public the statements of poll in its possession.

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Tokyo delay may harm Asher-Smith’s chances, says former Olympian

Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith poses with her gold medal after winning the 200m at the 2019 world championships. (AFP/File/Mustafa Abumunes)

AFP - Dina Asher-Smith’s chances of Olympic glory could be hampered by a year’s delay to the Games, according to Iwan Thomas. Reigning 200 metres world champion Asher-Smith was one of Britain’s best prospects for gold in Japan this year. But the 2020 Tokyo Games have been pushed back until July next year because of the coronavirus outbreak and British 400 metres recordholder Thomas believes an extra 12 months’ preparation time could count against Asher-Smith. “For some it’ll be a good

Sunday April 26, 2020 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) A friend from far away could contact you by phone, email, or even in person, Aries. This person might bring great news that suddenly turns your life in a new direction. TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) You might try to learn a new computer program today, Taurus. You could find it a little confusing at first, but as you continue to learn, you will find that it makes things easier for you. GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Today you may stumble into an unexpected new friendship, Gemini. This could come as the result of a social event or an introduction by a close friend. CANCER (June 21–July 22) A group meeting of some sort, perhaps job related, could take place in your home today, Cancer. Whatever business the group has planned should be taken care of quickly LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) A phone call from a close friend or love partner could bring a thrilling surprise your way today, Leo. An event has occurred that you either gave up on long ago or never dreamed of. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) If you own property, you might discover that its value has increased far beyond anything you dreamed of, Virgo. This might involve real estate, but it could also involve other resources like stocks, bonds, or family heirlooms.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) A surprising phone call or email could come your way today from a friend you haven't heard from in a long time. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Today you may discover that you have a previously untapped talent for the occult sciences. This might involve astrology, numerology, alchemy, or using oracles. A class or workshop could be involved. SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) There's someone you've wanted to meet for a long time, Sagittarius, and today you might have the opportunity to introduce yourself. CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) Do you feel helpless in the face of problems with technology? If so, you might surprise yourself today. Some software that you use a lot could go haywire AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) If you've been thinking about studying astrology, numerology, or other occult sciences, Aquarius, this is the day to start. There may be a school or teacher that you've been considering. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) A woman you meet at work might point you in a new direction, Pisces. You should investigate all possible options. This could be a new intellectual interest, a technological skill, or possibly a new and more lucrative source of income. It may involve an unusual field, but don't worry about that.

thing,” said Thomas, a member of the British men’s team that won 4x400m silver at the 1996 Atlanta Games. “I felt for Dina AsherSmith who is mentally and physically at the top of her game. “She might still improve but being the current world champion you are there to be shot at and people fear her a little bit. “They would have gone

Polish league sets May 29... From page 20 passing the preparation period the league could start on 29 May.” He added that European soccer body UEFA had recommended that the season finish by July 20. The statement also laid out a plan for the resumption of activities which it said had been approved by the government. It said that players and coaching staff at each club had already started a 14-day period of isolation and daily reporting aimed at detecting possible symptoms. It said that teams could start training on May 4, in small groups, and full team training would begin after one week. On May 27-28, there would be testing of players, coaching staff and referees with matches to start on May 29. “Each stage in the plan depends on the epidemic situation in the country and the recommendations of the Ministry of Sport and the Ministry of Health,” it added. There are 11 rounds of matches still to play. Legia Warsaw lead the table with 51 points from 26 games, eight clear of Piast Gliwice.

in fearing her but one year on you could say she was on the crest of a wave, what a shame she’s been paused. “But for others it’s a godsend to have another winter’s training behind them. It’s the same for everyone, advantage and disadvantage.” Thomas was set to run the London Marathon for Group B Strep Support today after his son Teddy suffered from the potentially fatal condition when he was born. But with the virus delaying the race until

October, he is now taking part in the 2.6 charity challenge that is being staged today instead. “The London Marathon raised £66.5 million ($82.2 million, 76 million euros) last year and that’s money charities rely on,” he said. “This particular charity is so close to my heart, that is what will get me through the marathon when it really starts to hurt. “I’ll be forever in the NHS’s (National Health Service’s) debt for saving Teddy.”

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Polish league sets May 29 as date for re-start WARSAW (Reuters) Poland’s professional football league said it intends to restart matches on May 29 and complete the season by July 19 after Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki gave the go ahead yesterday for games to be played without spectators. In doing so, Poland became one of the first European countries to give a date for the resumption of the season which has been on hold because of the COVID-

19 outbreak. Top-flight teams in Germany and Austria have already begun training for a potential re-start but say a starting date still depends on approval from their respective governments. Poland, which has reported 11,067 cases and 499 deaths, started relaxing some curbs earlier in April. It has reopened forests and parks and eased rules on the number of customers in shops and on Saturday also

announced the opening of outdoor sports areas. “This is excellent news,” said Marcin Animucki, president of the league which is known as the Ekstraklasa. “The government’s consent to resume training gives us a chance to implement the plan we have been working on for the last four weeks. “If there are no unexpected problems, and the health situation in the country allows it, after (Continued on page 19)

General view inside the Silesian Stadium, Chorzow, Poland before the UEFA Nations League match Poland v Portugal. (REUTERS/ Radoslaw Jozwiak/File Photo)

...Club life in the 1980s & 90s had a unifying Culture From page 55 far back,” added Stuart. “For me, such a demand to narrow focus came out more at the international level, and where I stayed positive and performed better,” the Guyanese quickie continued. Stuart informed that his most cherished performance was his 5-44 against Kenya in an ODI and spoke about the different between club cricket in the 90s and now. “I will say that the difference lies in the existing norms, cooperation and competition opportunities. The latter of which, provided exposure to play various teams on different pitches. Using Malteenoes as my main point of reference, I would say that there was a club structure governed by norms that were required adherence. The club provided a friendly but disciplined environment, where for Malteenoes, cricketing and other sport related skills were learnt. There was hockey, table tennis, at times badminton. During the raining season there was physical fitness sessions on the upper flat, generally conducted by executive member Edward Richmond or club captain Neil Barry,” Stuart explained. Stuart said noticeably, the structural programme stimulated interest, motivation, cooperation and competition. It was competitive since there were a number of senior and junior players vying for limited places on teams. “In fact, during the 1990 season, I recalled being the seventh U-19 fast bowler to play for Malteenoes that season. The match would have been a final against Albion at DCC. I got the selection nudge from U-19 Captain Sean Devers ahead of left-arm spinner Bevan Butts. The exposure was good and helped to stimulate the interest needed to pursue greater heights,” disclosed Stuart. According Stuart, Club life then had a unifying cul-

Colin Stuart in action. ture, where the seniors took shared responsibility in carrying out club duties, including the training activities of the club, which was not always facilitated by an official coach. “However, during my early club life Rex Collymore was our Coach. The environment was uniquely designed that without being read the rules, you knew it, or you quickly learn it. From rules related to entering the club, to appropriate cricket clothing, to the required laps for warm up, to the number of pushups for a dropped catch, and depending on your age, to the departure for home, all involved supported the cooperative commitment. Such cooperation went onto the cricketing field with senior players mentoring juniors at varying levels - from practice sessions, to intermediate and first division matches,” continued Stuart. “What was striking was that senior experienced players placed heavy emphasis on analyzing match situations and opponents. This analyti-

cal approach seems to be replaced by a more robotic approach. For example, planning to bowl to an off side field with bowler aiming to deliver on three quarter length, on off stump or a foot outside of off stump, as against seeking to exploit a weakness, for example by analyzing to see whether it worth setting the field to dismiss the batsmen by a Yorker or bouncer,” added Stuart who was invited to do a Coaching course in 2003 by Clyde Butts, the CDO of the GCB. “I was fortunate, to be a part of a club of talented fast bowlers, where all willingly gave guidance. Barrington Browne, Colwyn Cort, Edward Barker, Nigel Harding, Thompson, Ronald Holder and Soloman. Garfield Charles was always enthusiastic to add value. I was privileged to get some guidance from Charlie, through to training at GCC. I am an honorary member of the GCC, having also enjoyed the privilege of touring Trinidad with them. This was worthwhile exposure for me, since it built on the supportive com-

petition match opportunities we received from playing at different venues in Demerara, and where there were National competition, across the country,” Stuart noted. Stuart said he supports the CWI development programmes, though I believe that it could be refined or derefined over time. Significant efforts have been placed on coaching education which is satisfactorily ever evolving. Of great importance is the professional structure of our regional teams for which CWI and the territorial boards must be commended. It provides regional players with an opportunity to focus solely on developing their art, while being paid decent wages; does not demand that they must play for West Indies to earn favorably. This creates a good foundation to strengthen our regional tournament. However, our players have an obligation to demonstrate that CWI’s investment is worth it – by continuing to make use of the privilege afforded them. It should be remembered that there was a debate in the public, surrounding “Performance then paid - for instance, favorable salaries or pay then get a good product.” CWI has done the latter, and without question we have seen the growth of our national team – the Guyana Jaguars - this is resounding! The evidence speak for itself, the CWI annual contract assignment for regional players, coupled with the GCB’s Academy investment has facilitated a professional training structure that has allowed us –the Guyana Jaguars to be successful and in so doing consistently field replacements who are high performers,” noted the Jaguars’ Manager. “However, this speaks to a formal structure and while this is good and should continue to blossom, it is our informal structure that needs resuscitating. That is, the resurgence of mentorship roles

played in the past by former players as volunteers, at the club, County, National and Regional level. I see it as an invaluable asset that should not be overlooked. It provides for the transfer of knowledge through our West Indian legends and other outstanding players. This knowledge transfer does not have to be through formal coaching, but from either their active involvement in cricket training or presence at training sessions and games. The legends and outstanding players have a valuable asset of “know how” tips which can be passed to today’s players through their observations. Here, there is no need for these experienced players to be placed in a class room setting to recap all salient points at one time, but instead to be given an opportunity to provide purposeful advice and feedback to players. For me, our history indicates this occurred during our winning era. I myself have benefitted from senior experienced players being involved at different levels of cricket development and administration. Some players transferred knowledge through matches, some at practice sessions and definitely in the club house there is the occasional cricket tip from admirable former players. Apart from the transfer of knowledge, our history also informs of our apparent core values during our winning era – an unwavering commitment, pride and a never say die attitude, at least that is what I saw. So I would say that while modern structures of IPL, CPL, our own regional set up promotes unity and oneness, which must be applauded, (and here I speak for myself), “when one gets on the park for West Indies versus an opponent, our history must inform – motivate us. For if the West Indian legends of yesterday didn’t dig deep, we may not have been

seen as the people we are today – our identity would have been different. So the process, the structured training programmes are good but the core values boost the system. I see these values as an unwavering commitment, pride and never die attitudes, which surmount the structured process by intrinsically motivating players. The GBC official spoke on how has the Corona Virus affected the GCB’s Programmes. “The GCB suspended all cricket programmes following CWI decision to do likewise for an unspecified period. With the government implementing COVID 19 guidelines to stem the spread of the virus, we at the cricket board have a responsibility to support the government’s initiative for the betterment of all. This is being done with the readiness to return to the usual structural programmes when such permission is given by the relevant authorities. In the meanwhile, most of the cricket development work would center around retrospective review and planning which seeks to integrate acceptable growth processes and procedures. I will encourage the players to stay mentally focus, and be ready to resume structured training when the pandemic subsides and for the Jaguars Franchise and Academy players, continue to be guided by coaching staff, including the virtual fitness activities conducted by the Jaguars’ Physiotherapist/ Strength and Conditioner Neil Barry,” Stuart informed. “Follow the advice given by the Ministry of Public Health, and take ever care to prevent yourself and others from becoming infected with the virus. Let us build our immune systems beforehand and remember it’s not only about us, but that it is also about the health of others who are more susceptible to the virus,” Stuart concluded.

Sunday April 26, 2020

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Kaieteur News

Rookie Champ Caesar Ferrari say they remain missing the track committed to F1 after quit reports

Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel in action during Canadian Grand Prix qualifying. (REUTERS/ Carlo Allegri/File Photo) LONDON (Reuters) Ferrari have said they remain committed to Formula One after reports on Thursday that the sport’s oldest and most successful team could walk away if a proposed budget cap for 2021 was set too low. Britain’s Guardian newspaper suggested Ferrari were prepared to quit in a headline, later replaced, over an interview with team boss Mattia Binotto. A Ferrari spokeswoman said Binotto had not mentioned the team leaving Formula One. “On the contrary, he said that we would not want to be put in a position of having to look at further options,

besides continuing racing in F1, for deploying our racing DNA,” she added. Binotto had told the Guardian that a drastic budget cut, called for by some teams as they face the fallout of the COVID-19 crisis, put at risk hundreds of jobs at their Maranello factory. “The $145 million level is already a new and demanding request compared to what was set out last June,” he said. “It cannot be attained without further significant sacrifices, especially in terms of our human resources.” Formula One is due to introduce a budget cap of $175 million in 2021 but teams are discussing reducing that.

The Italian said the teams had different characteristics, some privately run while others were part of major manufacturers operating in different countries and under different legislation. “Therefore it is not simple and straightforward to make structural changes simply by cutting costs in a linear fashion,” he added. “We are well aware that F1 and indeed the whole world right now is going through a particularly difficult time because of the Covid-19 pandemic. “However, this is not the time to react in a hurry as there’s a risk of making decisions on the back of this emergency without clearly

evaluating all the consequences.” Red Bull boss Christian Horner, whose team were dominant before Mercedes won the last six championships, is also opposed to a budget cap below $145 million. Mercedes are supportive of further cuts. Formula One has already delayed until 2022 the implementation of major technical rule changes planned for 2021, with teams using the same cars next year as this. The season has yet to start with nine races called off, including the showcase Monaco Grand Prix in May which has been cancelled.

Single winner puts Joseph in tie for lead at Gulfstream HALLANDALE BEACH, Florida, CMC – Talented Barbadian trainer Saffie Joseph Jr continued his battle for the lead at Gulfstream Park, notching a single winner on Thursday to be tied at the top of the standings in the early stages of the summer meet. The 33-year-old scored in the US$17,000 race one over a mile and sixteenth, his 4-5 entrant Calentita beating the three-year-old and upward maiden fillies and mares by 1¼ lengths in a time of one minute, 45.15 seconds. Joseph is currently tied for six wins with Todd Pletcher, with Mark Casse, Antonio Sano and Michael

Maker all one back on five wins. Going off as the near favourite in the opening race on the 10-race card, the fouryear-old brown filly Calentita raced off the pace in fifth under Edgard Zayas, as 13-1 choice Pasatime posted easy fractions of 25.53 seconds for the quarter and 49.88 for the half. Fifty-seven to one longshot Syllabus chased from second while Amber Princess challenged from third and Princesa Crystal kept tabs on the field from fourth. Zayaz moved Calentita into contention at the halfway stage and as Pasatime and Syllabus faded, took over the lead heading into the

Barbadian trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. stretch. Joe Bravo brought Laska with a flying late run but Calentita held well at the wire.

The campaign at the southeastern Florida oval runs from April 2 to September 27.

By Calvin Chapman Reigning rookie bikes’ champion in the Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club (GMR&SC) championship; Dowayne Caesar, during an exclusive interview with Kaieteur Sport, has expressed his great yearning to return to the South Dakota race track at Timehri to continue doing what he love; racing and winning. The C&F Meat Center, Windjammer Hotel and Mannol oil sponsored twowheel daredevil mentioned that it is real tough living an indoor life while, “Some people are still going outside unnecessarily and not cooperating with authorities in the fight against this disease but I have always said that the only cure for stupidity is death.” The champion iterated that the coronavirus pandemic has no positives and the sport will be affected in various ways, “In racing, the body runs on muscle memory and with the amount of downtime so far and with what is expected, we will not be getting to practice anytime soon so I think it will almost like starting over at the track.” Caesar added that, “Delayed shipment of

supplies for upgrades and repairs to our machines is another issue.This period calls for absolute discipline for us to pull through, it’s really hard but we have to try our best because no one is perfect.” The racer shared that he expects this November race meet to be the biggest meet we have seen in years if the region overcomes the disease by then. Looking further into the future, the rookie posited that he would love to move up the A class but right now the, “Economics of the sport is not is in my favour but I’m not ruling myself out.” Caesar highlighted that motor racing is recreational for him and taking to the track is helps combats street racing which has taken the lives of many, “Living on the edge is not something sustainable, your luck is bound to run out and I’m strongly against it.” The last race meet held by the GMR&SC was the National Race of Champions (NROC) round one in February last where Caesar picked up one win and a second place finish. However, following the pandemic, the July race meet cancellation is expected to be confirmed by the club shortly.

London Marathon may now be for elite only AFP - This year ’s delayed London Marathon may now be restricted to elite runners only, race organiser Hugh Brasher has said. However, he added this was just one of “ten scenarios” currently being considered by his team. The 2020 edition of the race through the British capital was meant to take place today but has been postponed until October 4 because of the coronavirus outbreak. But with no certainty as to when British government lockdown restrictions banning mass gatherings will be lifted, a race that featured nearly 43,000 runners last year may now follow the lead of last month’s Tokyo Marathon, which went ahead with elite runners only.

Distance greats Eliud Kipchoge and Kenenisa Bekele are m e a n t t o compete in the elite men’s race at this year’s London Marathon and Brasher told the BBC: “We hope we can welcome them back in October but at this stage we just don’t know what is going to happen. “We have to look at it in totality, with three quarters of a million spectators, the medical side, the charities. “We are looking at probably 10 scenarios, and they are changing all the time.” The Berlin Marathon, along with London one of the sport’s six ‘majors’ will not go ahead as planned on September 27 after Germany extended a ban on largescale gatherings until October 24.

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Cricket given leading role in British sport re-opening plans, say ECB MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) - English cricket’s governing body said it has been given the leading role for all sport in the country, including soccer, in examining how to create ‘bio-secure’ venues as leagues look for ways to restart their competitions without fans. Tom Harrison, chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), said his organisation has been asked by the British government’s Department of Culture, Media and Sports (DCMS), to look into how all sports might be able to resume in secure environments once COVID-19 restrictions are eased. “The ECB has been asked to lead by DCMS across football, horse racing, tennis and rugby,” Harrison said in comments reported by the website Cricinfo. “There has been a lot of communication between sports, particularly around health, as we are trying to guarantee safety. “I had a conference call with the head of the FA (Football Association) and the RFU (Rugby Football Union) about a range of topics: working together; how we share information about playing behind closed doors. I’m speaking to the Premier League later. We’re facing very similar challenges

and taking decisions as a sector,” he said. The DCMS declined to comment on Harrison’s statement but it has been liaising with a number of sports bodies including the ECB on how things might work should the green light be given by the medical experts for sport to resume safely. The ECB has suspended the professional game in the country until July 1, but England are due to face Pakistan in a three test series from July 30. Harrison said that any attempt to play international cricket without fans would lead to a rethink on venues, with those best suited to a secure environment coming to the fore. “What we have to be really careful with here is to understand that right now testing elite athletes or people in sport just cannot be a priority in the context of the national health crisis and the issues frontline workers and vulnerable people are facing,” Harrison said. “Government tells us when the time is right. It’s not yet, clearly. We’re not lobbying the government; we’re working with them.” Yesterday, the Football League (EFL) which organises the three divisions below the Premier League, highlighted testing of players

General view during the match Ashes 2019 - Second Test - England v Australia Lord’s Cricket Ground, London. (Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs/File Photo) and others involved in games as the key issue. “Clearly, before any return to football can take place, suitable testing arrangements for participants must be in place and this is core to our current planning, as is ensuring there is absolutely no negative impact on the country’s front-line workers, the Emergency services, League and Club staff members,” the league said in a statement. “The EFL’s medical advisor is working with a select group of medical professionals and sports scientists to ensure their collective expertise is utilised to address these issues. This group will consider the latest

Windies to face strict protocols if England tour goes ahead LONDON, England (CMC)—If West Indies’ three-Test tour of England is to go ahead later this year in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, players could face two weeks or more of strict quarantine in the build-up to the series. Though no firm decision has been made regarding the series, one proposal could see players from both teams and officials undergoing a minimum two-week quarantine prior, along with being subjected to regular testing. On arrival in the United Kingdom, West Indies players would have to enter quarantine at a hotel close to the ground, before travelling to the venue. In addition, games would be staged at “bio-secure” venues like Manchester, Southampton and Headingley which boast hotels on location, and also played behind closed doors in July, with the original June itinerary all but ruled out. “The key is to have a twoweek period that offers a

completely closed system where the virus can’t get in before you can clear someone to enter the virus-free zone,” Zach Binney, an epidemiologist from Emory University told the Telegraph here. The United Kingdom has been particularly hard hit by the COVID-19 virus, recording 138,000 cases and nearly 19,000 deaths. Last month, the England and Wales Cricket Board suspended all professional cricket until May 28. Health professionals here believe the UK has reached its peak of infections, but testing remains far behind their European neighbours and Professor Rowland Kao, an epidemiologist and data scientist at the University of Edinburgh, says this could have an impact on preparations for the series. Binney said family of the host team could remain with them, but would also have to opt for quarantine. He also stressed players would not be able to return home between matches to visit

family. Players would also have to be quarantined for another two weeks following the series to mitigate against risk of transmission.. Kao said while the plan was a feasible one, there were still associated risks. “There isn’t any reason it couldn’t work but there would be a fair bit of risk,” he pointed out. Binney agreed the plan could work but warned it was contingent on the level of infections in the UK in coming months. “The organisers sound like they’re thinking of a lot of the right things—doing this without fans, isolating players and support staff at a single site,” he said. The tour was originally carded to run from June 4-29, with matches scheduled for the Oval in London, Edgbaston in Birmingham and historic Lord’s. Discussions are continuing between the ECB and Cricket West Indies on whether the tour will be played.

medical information and evidence from both in the UK and abroad, particularly around the viability and accessibility of the various

COVID-19 tests that are currently available”. The EFL said it “welcomes the current steps being taken by the UK

Government to establish a group of governing bodies to look at the complex set of challenges facing the wider sporting industry.”

Rossi expects to decide future before season starts (Reuters) - Italian MotoGP great Valentino Rossi says he wants to continue racing next year, when he will be 42, but will likely have to commit before he can see how competitive he is this season. A string of MotoGP races have been postponed until the end of June at the earliest due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with more likely to follow due to bans on large gatherings and sporting events. Rossi will leave the main Yamaha team at the end of 2020 but has a seat at the satellite Petronas Yamaha outfit if he wants it in a straight swap with 21-yearold French rider Fabio Quartararo. “I think that I will have to decide before racing because in the most optimistic situation we can race in the second half of the season, so around August or September

we hope, if everything is good,” Rossi said in a Yamaha Q&A on YouTube. “But I have to make my decision before. I want to continue but I have to do this decision without making any races. “It is not the best way to stop because the situation is maybe we also don’t race in 2020. It is more fair to make another championship and maybe stop at the end of the next. I hope to continue in 2021,” he added. Rossi is a motorcycling phenomenon, a nine times world champion across all categories with seven titles in the top class. He is the only rider to have competed in more than 400 grands prix and also boasts the longest winning career, spanning more than 20 years between victories, with 89 wins in the top category. The Italian said in January he needed some

answers from the opening races before committing to another campaign in 2021. Isolating at home in eastern Italy, he said the pandemic had put him in a difficult situation. “Like I said, my first option is to try to continue because I have enough motivation and I want to continue. “But it is very important to understand the level of competitivity, especially in the second part of last year we suffered very much, and too many times I was too slow and I have to fight not for the first five positions. “So in my mind I have another year with the factory team and I need time to decide. I need five, six races to understand with the new chief mechanic, and with some modifying in the team I can be stronger.”

Arsenal players allowed back to training ground AFP - Arsenal’s squad will be allowed back to their training ground from next week, although the club stressed they would still have to maintain British government guidelines designed to combat the spread of the coronavirus. The Premier League side’s players will have access to training pitches but on a strict rotational basis that will see them uphold social distancing measures. “Players will be permitted access to our London Colney training grounds next week,” said a club spokesperson. “Access will be limited, carefully managed and social distancing will be

maintained at all times. “All Colney buildings remain closed. Players will travel alone, do their individual workout and return home.” This week saw Arsenal become the first Premier League club to agree a coronavirus pay cut with their players as manager Mikel Arteta and his stars slashed their wages by 12.5 percent. There are reports Arsenal, whose yearly wage bill is around £230 million ($286 million), will give players their money back in the event that they bridge an eight-point gap and qualify for the Champions League when football restarts. Football is currently suspended indefinitely in England, with the UK under lockdown.

Kaieteur News

Sunday April 26, 2020

PAGE 55

Club life in the 1980s & 90s had a unifying Culture - Ex Windies pacer Colin Stuart

By Sean Devers Of the five Guyanese fast bowlers who played for the West Indies between 1994 to present, Colin Ellsworth Laurie Stuart was arguable the quickest of the lot. The 46-year-old former Malteenoes, Guyana and We s t I n d i e s U - 1 9 s , Demerara, West Indies ‘A’ and West Indies pacer, is Match Referee, a level 3 C o a c h a n d Te r r i t o r i a l Development Officer at the Guyana Cricket Board. Stuart made his Test debut on December 26, 2000 against Australia and took 20 wickets at an average of 31.39 before playing the final of his six Tests on November 21, 2001 against Sri Lanka. Stuart played the first of his ODIs on January 17, 2001 against Australia, took eight wickets, while in 52 First-Class matches he captured 144 wickets at an average of 30.09. Stuart also has 23 scalps from 20 List ‘A’ cricket. Stuart is infamous for being a part in the only instance in Test cricket when three bowlers were used in one over. In the second Test against Sri Lanka in 2001in Sri Lanka, Mervyn Dillon contracted abdominal pains after bowling two balls of the over. Stuart replaced him, only to be banned from bowling for the remainder of Sri Lanka’s innings, after delivering a couple of ‘Beamers’ in his first three balls. Chris Gayle then bowled the final three deliveries of the over.

Stuart was born on September 28, 1973 to the l a t e S e n i o r S u p e r i n t e n d e n t / Tr a ff i c Chief, Carl Stuart Senior and Head Teacher at Trinity Methodist School Gwendoline ‘Stella’ Stuart nee Younge. Stuart lived in lodge for the first months of his life before moving to Section “K” Campbellville, where he has lived for the majority of life and is one of eight siblings which includes five sisters and two brothers. He attended St. Gabriel’s Primary and later North Georgetown Secondary School which produced First-Class players Andy Jackman, the late Neezam Hafiz and Paul Persaud. Stuart said he got interested in Cricket due to his love of the game, “My first interest came, when I saw my big brother, Carl jr. playing cricket in our back yard with his friends, so I went down to join the fun. Even up to today, I play small segments of cricket matches in my mind. I just kept playing from the yard, to the neighborhood field in which the Campbellville Lion’s Club is now located.” Stuart played at Primary school yard (missing a day or two at school) before attending a GDF summer camp at the age of 11, when he was invited by Milton Pydanna’s nephews, who attended his Primary school. “There I was pulled from the smaller group and put to bowl to the bigger boys. The love for playing cricket continued and at North

Georgetown, those who loved the game found each other. We played in the school yard and arranged school matches, including against St. Joseph which on at least one occasion had the promising Reon King in their side. As the love for the game became overbearing, a few of us from North and St. Joseph joined Malteenoes. However, Malteenoes had decided to build up their ground and practice was halted,” Stuart remembered. Stuart said Nigel Harding informed him on his selection to MSC’s U16s. At the time, the ground was still undergoing upgrade works and that was his first match. “Nigel was from my neighborhood, but I first met him at Malteenoes and prior to his visit to invite me to play this match, I had admired his bowling, so without hesitation I informed my mom and was ready to go. I remembered we traveled to Canal in West Demerara and the match that was both humorous and disappointing. During the match, one of our opponents borrowed a jockstrap and placed it outside of his pants. That was funny. Someone had an upset stomach, and without knowledge of the location of the latrine, decided to excuse himself to search for a ball in the bushes. Troy Gobin made 76 and took Malteenoes to the brink of victory but given out near the end of the match, caught on the boundary. The Umpire went to the

Stuart (right) and GCB’s Secretary Anand Sanasie at a tournament launch. spot where the fielder claimed to have taken the catch. We were disappointed, since we felt that the catch was taken beyond the boundary. The Umpire who travelled with us, on our return home remarked something to the extent of “You really think I will signal six at a ground that is behind God’s back.” So that was humorous, since the ground was located down a long country road,” said Stuart. Stuart made the Guyana U-19 in 1992 against Trinidad at Bourda. “I remember Coach William Jeffrey indicating to me that it can be the beginning of a great career or it could be the starting of the end.” Stuart informed that there were a few memorable occasions playing for Guyana but singled out the First Class match against Trinidad at Enmore. “Captain Carl Hooper called on me during the first innings to bowl to tail-ender Dinanath Ramnarine. I chose to go round the wicket to the left handed batsman, and delivered a No ball, but otherwise terrific delivery….just slightly more full than three quarter length,

a ball that seem to move into the batsman and on hitting the pitch, straighten up to hit off stump. The very next delivery, I delivered an identical ball, only this time it was a legal delivery,” explained Stuart. Stuart said it was a cherished achievement and an amusing one. Even more so was the fact Hooper called on him to repeat the feat to Ramnarine in the second innings. He got the same result with an identical delivery. “That ball ushered in our victory as streams of spectators flooded the ground to congratulate us,” said Stuart. When asked how big a difference was First-Class to Test cricket, Stuart said his response may not be as straightforward as one would anticipate, since for him the difference is dependent on the standard of First-Class at that time. “I was privileged to begin playing first class cricket in 1995/96, when a number of outstanding West Indian and regional players were still playing. They were students of the game and as such were able to give technical and mental support to younger players. I say this, to give an idea as to the

Stuart as Match Referee Windies v Bangladesh U-19.

Colin Stuart celebrates a wicket with his team mates.

caliber and experience of players in the West Indies regional tournament at the time,” said Stuart. Promising performances during 1996 afforded Stuart the opportunity to play for the President’s XIagainst New Zealand in St. Vincent. Stuart continued to show promise and was selected to the West Indies squad to play Sri Lanka, who won the 1996 World Cup, in a one off ODI in Trinidad. “While I did not play that match, at this stage with such a regional exposure, I did not envisage the step up to international cricket to be straightforward. However, the period 1997-99 saw the absence of a number of experienced players from regional cricket due to retirement and other reasons and Stuart made his Test debut for the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne. “I had a conscious awareness that this was a different level of the game. There was less margin for error and a high demand for mental focus - a need to know what is required of the team and myself…. focusing on the game ball by ball and staying in the present…. Not thinking too far ahead nor to (Continued on page 20)

The London marathon has been postponed until October 4 due to the coronavirus crisis. (AFP / Ben Stansall)

London Marathon may now be for elite only

rt o p S Dowayne Caesar continued his dominance among the rookies with a win in the B class open. (file photo)

Rookie Champ Caesar missing the track

Arsenal players allowed back to training ground

Training days - Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta’s players will be allowed back to the club’s London Colney training ground. (AFP/File/Tolga Akmen)

Rossi expects to decide future before season starts

Monster Energy Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi in action during the Valencia Grand Prix race. (REUTERS/Heino Kalis/File Photo)

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