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AIETEUR NEWS
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Four bodies
Thursday Edition April 30, 2020 - Vol. 13 No. 17
recovered after - five boat collision arrested
Online: www.kaieteurnews.com
Price $80
p. 3
Online readership yesterday 139,871
Claudette Singh reconsiders live
p. 12
stream of recount Romal Gardner was sentenced to holding this notice as punishment for breaching the curfew
(GECOM) Chair (ret'd) Justice Claudette Singh SC
Traffic light p. batteries 11 stolen again - Ministry seeks help to identify suspect caught on CCTV
Victim’s family in p. Pomeroon boat 8 mishap wants Coast Guard to compensate
t ’ n o d o h W ! l e e f s e o d r a e h p. 14
Private Sector urges p. Govt. to raise tax 15 threshold to $100,000 - remove mortgage, VAT on food items; defer utility bills payments; emergency funding for small businesses
VAT-free electricity for p. consumers until July 7
Nigeria gets US$3.4B in emergency funding for COVID-19 but its politicians had stolen trillions from the Treasury
Africa’s richest oil nation...
p. 2
Kaieteur News
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Thursday April 30, 2020
Africa's richest oil nation...
Nigeria gets US$3.4B in emergency funding for COVID-19 but its politicians had stolen trillions from the Treasury
A
fter much consideration, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved Nigeria's request for emergency financial assistance totalling US$3.4 billion. This would represent 100 percent of the quota it is able to request under the IMF's Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI) to meet the urgent balance of payment needs stemming from the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The IMF noted that the
near-term economic impact of COVID-19 is expected to be severe, while adding that already, high downside risks have increased. Even before the COVID19 outbreak, the Fund said that Nigeria's economy was facing headwinds from rising external vulnerabilities and falling per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) levels. The financial institution s a i d t h a t t h e pandemic—along with the sharp fall in oil prices—has m a g n i f i e d t h e
vulnerabilities, leading to a historic decline in growth and large financing needs. Kaieteur News understands that the financial support will help limit the decline in international reserves and provide financing to the budget for targeted and temporary spending increases aimed at containing and mitigating the economic impact of the pandemic and of the sharp fall in international oil prices. Following the Executive Board's discussion of Nigeria, Mr. Mitsuhiro Furusawa, Deputy Managing Director and Acting Chair, was keen to note that the COVID-19 outbreak is severely impacting economic activity in Nigeria. He said that these shocks have created large external and financing needs for 2020. The official said that additional declines in oil
prices and more protracted containment measures would seriously affect the real and financial sectors and strain the country's financing. The Deputy Managing Director said that the authorities' immediate actions to respond to the crisis are welcome while noting that the short-term focus on fiscal accommodation would allow for higher health spending and help alleviate the impact of the crisis on households and businesses. He said that steps taken toward a more unified and flexible exchange rate is also important while adding that the unification of the exchange rate should be expedited. “Once the COVID-19 crisis passes, the focus should remain on mediumterm macroeconomic stability, with revenue-based fiscal consolidation essential to keep Nigeria's debt sustainable and create fiscal space for priority spending,” the Deputy Director expressed. The official was also keen to note that the implementation of the
reform priorities under the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan, particularly on power and governance, remains crucial to boost growth over the medium term. Further to this, the Deputy Director noted that additional assistance from development partners will be required to support the government's efforts and close the large financing gap. In this regard, he stressed that the implementation of proper governance arrangements—including through the publication and independent audit of crisismitigating spending and procurement processes—is
crucial to ensure emergency funds are used for their intended purposes. GRIPPED BY CORRUPTION While Nigeria may be the largest oil producer of oil in Africa, industry experts have said that the wanton misuse of its resources is responsible for where it is today. According to the World Bank's 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, 57 million Nigerians lack safe water, over 130 million lack adequate sanitation, and the country has more than 10 million children out of school. Up to yesterday, it had over 1500 coronavirus cases with 44 deaths and over 250 recoveries.
Kaieteur News
Thursday April 30, 2020
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Four bodies recovered; after boat collision - five arrested
The arrow points to the boat that was captained by Marvin Kissoon
Dead: Julian McKenzie
Dead: Freeman Denhart
T
he bodies of four of the men who went missing during a boat collision in the Berbice River on April 27, 2020 were recovered and identified yesterday afternoon. This is according to the Commander-in-Charge of Region 6, Calvin Brutus. The bodies have been identified as Romario Denhart, 24 of 41 Stanleytown, New Amsterdam, Julian McKenzie, aged 50 of Sand Hills, Upper Berbice River, Freeman Denhart and Kidman Lindie. Police sources revealed that the bodies were found some 55 miles up the Berbice River not far from the location where the incident occurred (in the vicinity of Friendship Village). The bodies were brought to shore at the New Amsterdam Stelling in the presence of relatives who were too distraught to speak reporters who gathered there. A post mortem is expected to be done shortly. Reports suggest that Romario Denhart, Freeman Denhart, Julian McKenzie and Kidman Lindie were proceeding north along the Berbice River while another boat captained by Marvin Kissoon, 39, a Fisherman of Sheet Anchor Village, East Canje, Berbice, with four occupants in his boat, was heading in the opposite direction. Kissoon, who is presently in police custody with the four other men that were on
Persons gathered at the New Amsterdam Stelling to catch a glimpse of the bodies.
Dead: Freeman Denhart
his boat, told police that it was while they were travelling along the river that they noticed the other boat heading towards them. According to his account, he steered the boat in an eastward direction to avoid a collision. However, the other boat also
steered in the said direction causing the boats to collide and capsize forcing the occupants in the water. Kissoon stated that the incident took place just around 18:45 hrs on April 27 in the vicinity of Friendship Village up the Berbice River. He added that his men managed to reenter the boat and fled the scene after realising that the captain and the occupants of the other vessel did not surface from the water. Information provided to the police by Kissoon led investigators to Edinburgh Village, East Bank Berbice on Tuesday where three of the men, he was in the boat with, were arrested. The arrested men include a 20-yearold labourer of Maria Henrietta Village, Berbice River; a 51-year-old labourer of Adelphi Village, Corentyne, Berbice and a
23-year-old labourer of No.2 Village, East Canje. The men were found in possession of 32 taped parcels of suspected cannabis which when weighed amounted to 36.97 kilograms. The fourth person turned himself in to police yesterday morning. Meanwhile, sister of Lindie, Valerie Lindie told the media that she was informed by a cousin Tuesday night that the boat with her brother had “smashed into� another vessel up the Berbice River but that their bodies had not been located. She relayed that she last saw her brother two months ago. The Commander-in-Charge of Region 10, Hugh Winter, told this publication that while the incident occurred in his district, authorities in Region Six have been collaborating with his Region in the search and investigation.
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Thursday April 30, 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
Domestic violence - scourge upon scourge Concerns about incidents of domestic violence and child molestation are increasing. They are well-founded, since the circumstances are tailormade to make possible, on an even greater scale, the harrowing and the nationally embarrassing, at least in the too many publicized reports of violence against partners and predation aimed at children. Guyana is not alone in these plights, which add scourge upon scourge, as they transform constant anxieties into the reality of bodily or other batteries. It is a bad time, because the usual first calls for nearby help or to relational and official lines of defense are not there currently. They are there, but they, too, are stuck fast to the inside. Neighbours are limited by their own apprehensions and precautions that must be taken before the onslaughts of a raging virus that has effectively locked down entire nations. The soothing voices of rushing relations, who answer calls for temporary protecting interventions are not available and for the same reasons. In the same vein, there are no comforting shoulders, no welcoming homes with doors held open to run to for shelter (again momentary) from whatever comes from the madness of those who claim to love and cherish. It may be man or woman, and children, too. The women in our midst are the ones who live with the menaces, feel the brunt of the brutality, and carry the lifelong burden of the searing memories. In short, doors are shut, there is no place to which the fearful or wounded could go for solace, for the respite of protection, such as it is. We say this, because though the Guyana Police Force is willing, it is not as strong as it would like to be or should be. To begin with, it was too thin in frontline manpower departments and possessing very few reserves on which to call. Further, its ranks have to be on standby or otherwise deployed for the priorities related to those two viruses that have crippled this nation. They are this year’s election that does not have an end, and the coronavirus that does not have a cure. It is the proverbial horror of being caught between a rock and a hard place, which Guyanese citizens are forced to live with on a daily, if not hourly, basis. Alarms, false starts, and other trepidations have become the order of our times. Partners and children are at higher risk than normal. Compliments of layoffs and lockdowns, curfews and other conditions, made necessary by a virus without boundaries. Many are trapped inside their homes and for extended periods that, in some situations, could be unendingly and heavily fear-generating. There are reports of the stranded stocking up on alcoholic beverages, which in and of itself is a dangerous development, even for moderate and controlled imbibers, for control can slip away all too easily when liquor fuels passions and purges inhibitions. This is compounded by the belief that alcohol, the stronger the better, is a good antidote against this virus that hangs over the head of this nation. In Guyana, where there is justified national concern over heavy alcohol consumption and its heavier consequences, this is the equivalent of the constant pouring of an accelerant on unextinguished fires. That is, domestic fires that could get out of hand at a moment’s notice, and without any triggering mechanism necessary.Abusers with a lengthy history of poor anger management controls, some cultural and familial rearing, and their own perverted tendencies are trapped with nowhere to go. Money is scarce and frustrations are abundant, and this is all happening within four walls that might as well be dungeons. There is awareness that law enforcement ranks may not be able to respond as rapidly as circumstances warrant. Victims are left with prayer and the hope that comes from those. There are few protections: find inner calm amidst domestic storms, recognize sharp warning signs, move to diffuse rising tensions, reach for hotlines and other services, and give as much space, circumstances permitting. The irony is that these may be more enraging, with pent-up frustrations looking for easy outlets. Those are usually found in the home and the globally rampaging COVID-19 appears to be a major contributor.
33,000 masks for the recount is the APNU/AFC Coalition’s latest invention to hold onto power illegally DEAR EDITOR, The announcement Tuesday by GECOM PRO Ward that “At least 33,000 masks will be needed for the national recount of votes” left the majority of the Guyanese people in disbelief. On the 57th day, there is yet another subterfuge to delay the recount of the votes of March 2 General and Regional Elections - another indication that we are entangled in a web of deception, corruption and insanity! The source of this bizarre announcement emanated from the recommendations of a five-person medical team from the Ministry of Public Health who did a site visit to the Arthur Chung Convention Centre on April 20. The fact that it took 8 days for this information to become public is rather interesting, especially when there
is no indication that the Commission made such a decision. Of course this development is even more suspect when this information is released coincidentally after the announcement on the evening before that the CARICOM High Level team will be arriving on April 30. The report of the fivemember team to the Minister recommended that “disposable or surgical masks should be changed/disposed of every 30 to 60 minutes” which it claimed follows WHO guidelines. As a result, with the vote recount expected to take at least 25 days, GECOM Secretariat calculated that at minimum 33,000 masks would be needed if they are changed every hour or 66,000 if changed every half hour. The absurdity of this recommendation flies in the face
of the WHO guidelines “Advice on the use of masks in the context of COVID-19”, Interim Guidance, 6th April 2020 which advocates “Replace masks as soon as they become damp with a new clean, dry mask; Do not reuse single-use masks; Discard single-use masks after each use and dispose of them immediately upon removal.” Note, the WHO guideline has no requirement to change the mask every 30-60 minutes. How did these health wizards come up with such a crazy recommendation? Maybe the answer lies in a statement the Minister as Chairperson of the PNC made a year ago with regards to the qualification she was looking for in a doctor. Further this team even “advised against the use of tents for prolonged periods, that is, more than 2-3 hours
and likewise the housing of staff for more than 10-12 hours in a 24 hours cycle,” which was another laughable recommendation considering in many developed countries, tents are being used to house COVID-19 patients and those in quarantine, and, even here, tents are being used in front of many public buildings and hospitals to screen people entering. Not surprisingly GECOM, according to Ms. Ward, is supporting all the recommendations of this team, in sharp contrast to its unwillingness to obey the Chief Justice’s court orders of March 11 and 12 with regards to the way the verification and tabulation of Region 4 votes was to be executed. The fact that there is a global shortage of surgical and N95 masks, and, more (Continued on page 6)
Visionary and decisive leadership needed in this COVID-19 crisis… don’t look for it from APNU+AFC nor PPP/C DEAR EDITOR, De facto Minister of Health, Volda Lawrence, is worried because of the number of deaths in Guyana as a result of COVID-19. However, 99% of Guyana already expected this outcome, because for as long as we can remember, our public healthcare system has been a national disgrace. All of us have family and/ or friends that have gone into Georgetown Public Hospital with an ailment that was not fatal and yet they have lost their lives. Locally, that hospital is known as “a deathtrap”. We have watched as our presidents and ministers – from both APNU+AFC and PPP/C – have gone abroad for the very best medical treatment, leaving those Guyanese, with similar conditions, who depend on the public healthcare system, to simply die. This also does not surprise us, because for a long time, we have known just how shameless our political elites are. That is why the current election debacle, that has so shocked the region and the world, has not shocked many of us. Given the current state of affairs we find ourselves in, Organization for the Victory of the People (OVP) is calling on the Guyanese people to take matters into their own hands. COVID-19 is serious and we can and must act to
protect our families, communities and nation. We are still seeing people socializing up under each other in bars, queuing outside stores in close proximity to each other, refusing to wear masks, etc. We are not wearing masks and keeping a distance for ourselves only, but for the health of the entire nation, including our mothers, fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers. No matter your race/ ethnicity, or how many races/ ethnicities run through your veins, if you revisit your traditions, the teachings of your ancestors, you will find that the care and protection of elders is paramount and must be of concern to everyone. This is so in Indigenous, African and Indian cultures. A failed public health system, coupled with endemic poverty, leads to poor nutrition, which in turn leads to weakened immune systems. As a result of all this, many of our people suffer from preventable respiratory ailments, including TB. This means that our population, both young and old, are extremely vulnerable. Already, we have lost too many young lives to this virus. We the people must flatten this curve. If there is anyone in Guyana who still believes that APNU+AFC or PPP/C can deliver us from our current political, social, economic, moral and now health crisis, they are delusional.
I have been warning and teaching for years that we must stop looking for a “Saviour” to deliver us from our present condition. The idea of a “Saviour” is a myth, a Hollywood phenomenon. It turns out that the age-old adage, that “we are our own liberators” has become a self-evident truth. Forbes Burnham knew this when he said: “The free man is he who frees himself…the slave looks to others to free him and still remains a slave. A country like Guyana cannot afford the parasite, the lazy, the inefficient, or the colonial, all of whom hopes that someone will free him.” As leader of OVP, I am urging my fellow citizens to wear a mask, to practice social distancing and to wash hands and sanitize your surroundings as much as possible. If OVP was the government, I can assure you that there would be no one in Guyana presently without access to masks, soap, disinfectant, food subsidies and financial assistance where necessary, because people need to stay at home wherever possible. Despite the fact that the government is failing to provide this most necessary assistance, we must work together with our families and communities to take care of each other as best as we can at this time. We don’t need to look far
to see how COVID-19 can be successfully managed. Just over in St. Lucia, they have achieved one of the highest recovery rates in the world, 100%, and some of these victims were elders. As part of their programme to combat COVID-19, government ministers have taken a 75% salary cut. Imagine that; while here in Guyana, our political elites are fighting each other for more than the obscene amount they already have, as the people are left to face this current peril as best as we can. Meanwhile, in the US, one of the wealthiest countries on earth, the death toll is the highest, with more than 50,000 losing their lives as a result of misdirection of resources, incredible mismanagement and gross inequality. It is crystal clear that the vital factor in whether a country is able to contain this virus, or be ravaged by it, is visionary and decisive leadership. Unfortunately, this is something that neither APNU+AFC nor PPP/C has been able to provide. There can be no doubt that it is time to think outside the box, which we have been imprisoned in, both locally and globally. As the Bible warns, “Let those who have eyes to see, see, and let those who have ears to hear, hear.” Gerald A. Perreira Organization for the Victory of the People (OVP)
Thursday April 30, 2020
Evidently, Mr. Ram seems disinclined to apply a universal yardstick in addressing the deliberations and antics in GECOM DEAR EDITOR, Reference is made to Christopher Ram’s letter, “This recount could be just another act in Claudette Singh’s circus” (Stabroek News 25th April 2020). The allegations made by Ram against GECOM Chair Justice Claudette Singh pertaining to the statutory timeframe to declare elections and the constitutional deadline to reconvene the National Assembly are deceptive. He is not only an attorney-at-law, but one au fait with what is happening in the environment and reading the newspapers which he seeks to exert his influence through. I take note that he could get away with this type of deception without an Editor’s note. On the matter of the declaration of the results within the statutory 15 days, it is a matter of public record Chief Election Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield on 7th March emailed the Chair and copied the commissioners, advising that he has “received declarations from Returning Officers for General and Regional Elections 2020 from Districts 1–10. In accordance with Cap 1:03 Section 99, [he has] prepared the final report for sub-
mission to the Commission. In this regard, a request is made for a meeting of the Commission at your earliest convenience.” The Opposition-nominated Commissioners said they would not attend that meeting because of matters before the court and such attendance would be “in contempt of court” Further, matters before the court which were brought by both sides pertaining to the electoral process were not dispatched with until 8th April. Had GECOM gone ahead and declared results it would have been a greater ruckus than occurred in society. On the matter of the constitutional deadline to reconvene the National Assembly, the Guyana Bar Association, which is Ram’s fraternity, sought to address this matter. It is unlikely in this time of heightened political awareness, he would be unaware. That statement dated 16th April stated, “Article 69 of the Constitution of Guyana mandates that, on dissolution, the next session of Parliament must commence no later than four (4) months from the end of the preceding session. The last session of Parliament was dissolved on December 30,
2019. The next session of Parliament must therefore begin no later than April 30, 2020.” Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Basil Williams in response to said statement noted, “…that though Article 69 of the Constitution provides that on dissolution the next session of Parliament must be convened no later than four months from the end of the preceding session, the Court of Appeal of Guyana in 2006 upheld the decision of the Chief Justice Carl Singh, that the four months’ timeline was directory and not mandatory.” Williams further noted, “This case Civil Appeal No.79 of 2006 was appealed by the Leadership of the AFC, challenging the PPP/C’s convening the new Parliament, not on the 2nd day of September 2006 (four months after dissolution) but on the 28th of September, 2006 almost five months later.” This letter titled “Court of Appeal upheld ruling that four-month period for new Parliament is directory” appeared in SN on 19th April. One would have thought this issue was settled. It is therefore of concern Ram’s attempts at broad swipe of the Chair, starting from a premise (Continued on page 6)
GECOM’s last chance to redeem fairly. itself from injustice Claudette Singh must DEAR EDITOR, Most of us already know that APNU has conducted gross corruption and electoral fraud as they simply are a rebranding of the PNC apparatus. The PNC rigged elections for twenty-eight years prior to 1992 and for those who did not witness that era, now have the unceremonious privilege to see the destruction of our country from 2015 to present. However, the purpose of GECOM, as prescribed in our constitution, is to protect our democracy from any political party that seeks to destroy it and deprive us from our democratic freedom. Sadly, since the passing of the NoConfidence Motion (NCM) to this present moment, GECOM has neglected its mandate and chosen to support an undemocratic government in its quest to impose its will on us. It should have been ninety days after the NCM was passed that elections should have been held, and it is only GECOM that kept Granger and his cabal in power from that time to now.
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Kaieteur News
It was not until March 2 that the world saw clearly, the cruel intentions of GECOM, as they openly attempted to rig the elections for APNU when that unconscionable Returning Officer went on to declare a fraudulent result in favour of APNU. GECOM then doubled down its efforts to protect its unjust position as they continuously attempted to put APNU back into power. GECOM has caused irreversible damage to Guyana, both socially and economically. The pain and anxiety due to losing our most important democratic right and the economic impact on families across the country are the results of cruel minds that deliberately inflicted pain on us all without regards for the rights of the people. Now GECOM has one last chance to redeem itself and restore our constitution to its rightful place. As the recount is about to start, we are however, fearful of the attempts already being put in place to sabotage the process. We must hold firm that all stakeholders will do their part to ensure the recount is done
know that the history books have already started writing her name in it and it is not a good start for her. She will be remembered for her actions in the last two months that destroyed our country, but she can also be remembered for making her wrongs right. Claudette Singh must understand that she is legally responsible for protecting the people’s rights and not the interest of APNU. Guyana has suffered too much already by the hands of a few. It is time that we get to move on and rebuild our country with the rightfully elected President, Dr. Irfaan Ali. Malcolm Watkins
Private schools are taking advantage DEAR EDITOR, The world is fighting a battle that seems to be getting the better of us with the COVID-19 pandemic, and while some countries are offering stimulus packages to its citizens, Guyana is not one of those countries. Many parents have suffered financially, whether through the loss of jobs, reduced working hours, and/or the closure of their business due to the pandemic. Recently, I saw a letter being shared on social media signed by the principal of a private school for tuition fees to be paid, the letter states that there is 20% reduction in the tuition fees, with teaching being done across two platforms - Zoom and Google classroom. Now I do understand that our children need to be edu-
cated during this time and I, like most parents, would welcome this initiative; however, there are a few questions and/ or concerns that I have. Given that school was closed one month early due to COVID19 and parents would have paid in advance for a full term, which should have ended in April for Easter, what happens to that money that was paid? The school is offering a 20% reduction in tuition fees, yet parents would be burdened with the addition of an increase in their electricity bill; would have to spend to have internet whether it be cellular, DSL/Blaze or from a third party ISP. Also, those that do not have access to a computer or tablet would have to spend money to buy one or the other. Not to mention that mortgages, rent and utilities still need to be paid, on top of groceries, which
seem to be increasing with each passing day. These are additional expenses on the parents, with only a 20% reduction in the tuition fees. The Ministry of Education has made online teaching available for government schools, so why should I not access this service, given the fact that I lost my job due to the COVID-19 pandemic, not to mention the hundreds of parents who have also lost their jobs or who have seen a reduction in their earnings due to this. And how effective is this teaching method, since it is something new to our students? I understand and empathize with all the teachers who have been affected by this, but this is not an isolated problem, and it affects each and every Guyanese. Concerned parent
For the sake of our country, I very much hope that I am wrong DEAR EDITOR, GECOM is about to conduct a recount of the General and Regional Elections held on 2nd March, 2020, which was forced upon our country by the Returning Officer for District 4, Mr. Clairmont Mingo, failing to complete a credible tabulation and verification from the Statements of Poll, as ordered by the Court, for District 4. The declarations made by Mr. Mingo and accepted by the Chief Elections Officer, Mr. Keith Lowenfield, were seen to be fraudulent and in defiance of the Order of the Court by all of the contesting parties (except APNU+AFC), by all of the Local Observers, by all of the International Observers and by all of the Heads of Missions from the UK, the USA, Canada and the EU, all of whom were present and witnessed the fraud, including me. The votes had already been counted and declared at the place of poll in every District and publicly posted. The Statements of Poll for every District, except District 4, had been tabulated and verified from the Statements of Poll in those Districts and publicly declared. Copies of the Statements of Poll of every District are in
the possession of the contesting parties and the Chief Elections Officer. The results of the elections are already known because the Statements of Poll for District 4 have been added up along with the results officially declared for Districts 1-3 and 510 by the contesting parties and the Observers who have possession of all of the Statements of Poll. All that was necessary to complete the elections was the intervention of the Chairman of GECOM to have the District 4 Statements of Poll credibly tabulated and verified against the Statements of Poll in the possession of the Chief Elections Officer. It is glaringly obvious that her refusal to intervene and then later refuse again to stop, not
one, but two fraudulent declarations by Mingo, has led the nation into a wholly unnecessary recount. We are now going into a recount in which a completely compromised GECOM officers are likely to be involved and using a format imposed by the Chairman using her casting vote which is a prescription for confusion. We face a recount, which provides the opportunity for both of the major contesting parties to cry foul at whatever result is produced. I, for one, will have very little faith in a recount, which should never have had to happen, being credibly concluded. For the sake of our country, I very much hope that I am wrong. Yours sincerely, Kit Nascimento
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THE TRUTH LIES IN OUR HISTORY DEAR EDITOR, Indira Gandhi said in one of her quotes, “History is the best teacher, who has the worst students”. In similar context, I would like to reflect on some past electoral feats of the PNC in order to present my case. Highlights of the PNC historical accounts on general elections in Guyana: 1) In 1964 the PNC (with 40% of votes) gained office as a result of a coalition with the UF (12% of votes) at the dictate of the British and American forces. Even though the PPP had the largest bloc of votes (46%) and should have been allowed to choose a coalition partner to form a government the western powers prevented such rightful undertaking. PNC never won the 1964 election. 2) The PNC rigged all general elections from 1968 to 1985 (i.e. 1968, 1973, 1980 and
Thursday April 30, 2020
Kaieteur News
1985) including the 1978 socalled referendum to stay in power until 1992. 3)The PNC lost 1992, 1997, 2001, 2006 and 2011 general elections including the 1994 Local Government Elections even with a total voting participation of 47.91% 4) In 2011 the PNC – APNU and AFC rise to combine parliamentary majority brought in chaos and insanity to the National Assembly with their new dispensation at the forefront. The PNC – APNU and AFC never won 2011 general elections but operated as if they did with their combined-parliamentary majority in the House. 5) In 2015 the PNC – APNU+AFC obtained government thru’ the auspices of GECOM with a mere 4506 votes or 0.3 % lacking a simple majority. The PNC – APNU+AFC so-called victory is just a mirage until the PPP
2015 Elections Petition case is settled in the court. As there is more than sufficient rejected ballots to be deemed valid in favour of the PPP, which would show that the PPP indeed and in fact won the 2015 general elections. 6) PNC – APNU+AFC lost both 2016 and 2018 Local Government Elections to the PPP. (Even with their gerrymandering of constituents as a means of rigging mechanism to give them an unfair advantage over the PPP) As matters stand; what can the PNC – APNU learn from the foregoing? A simple answer: The PNC never won an election in Guyana and will never win one under a free, fair and credible electoral process. And, of course, March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections is no exception to the PNC list of lost elections. Sincerely yours, Paul Ramrattan
33,000 masks for the recount... From page 4 especially here in Guyana, seems to have escaped this Ministry of Public Health team. The fact that the National COVID-19 Stakeholders Forum is on a daily basis being approached to provide these masks and gloves to health practitioners in every part of Guyana makes that recommendation even more ludicrous. The WHO guidelines are very careful to point out that the use of masks by the public should in no way lead to a mask shortage for health workers, which would place a nation’s health personnel at risk. That is why it recommends cloth masks for civilian gatherings, which are washable and re-usable, coupled with social distancing and hand and surface sanitizing. Surgical masks are therefore not needed for this recount. Maybe the health team is unaware that right here in Guyana, doctors spend an entire day in the same mask doing surgeries and seeing COVID-19 patients due to the lack of procurement of medical supplies by the Ministry since 2019, long before the world knew about COVID-19. This team blithely seems to be unaware of the shortage of PPEs for health staff right across the country, and, now is making a recommendation that would further reduce their access to masks and place them at greater risk than they are at the moment. In fact, the Ministry does not have 33,000 surgical masks available in the country and it would take weeks to source this overseas even if they were ordered weeks
ago. Of course, the genesis of all this is to create yet another impediment and further delays in holding the recount, to steal the will of the voters of March 2, 2020 and to extend the life of an already expired President and government. After 57 days since the March 2, 2020 elections, we are confronted with yet another unabashed travesty using the COVID-19 pandemic to violate the right of the Guyanese people to vote and choose their government based on transparent, fair and credible results. On April 24, 2020 the United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres publicly cautioned that “the crisis can provide a pretext to adopt repressive measures for purposes unrelated to the pandemic…This is unacceptable...Those wishing to roll back human rights protections to take advantage of the crisis should think twice; …Basic principles of legality and the rule of law must be observed. Yet practice in some countries raise concerns…” Guyana has joined the category of those countries, referred by the UN SG, that are circumventing the democratic will of the people by using the cover of the COVID-19 pandemic. I hope that the United Nations and the OAS InterAmerican Commission on Human Rights, the WHO and PAHO, have taken note of this latest development to undermine democracy and will stand up for the Guyanese people. Isn’t it ironic that on March 6, 2020, Homeland Se-
curity News Wire, reported that “Results from the official certification of 80 percent of the Statements of Poll already tallied, and counts of the official Statements of Poll published, but not yet officially tallied from the balance, show a 5 percent victory by the PPP. That translates into 34 seats for the PPP, 30 seats for the APNU, and one seat for a minor party, in Guyana’s National Assembly. Under the country’s constitution, the largest party automatically elects the President, who will be the PPP’s designate, Dr. Irfaan Ali. However, APNU refuses to concede and the APNUcontrolled Elections Commission refuses to complete the official tally of the results from the remaining 20 percent of the country’s 2,300 polling sites – each of which counted and reported the actual votes four days ago. Instead, the APNU government is engaging in increasingly desperate attempts to void the election, and change the already-reported results.” Since that report nothing has changed, the Granger-led APNU/AFC Coalition facilitated by GECOM continues to hold onto power with their fingernails. The 33,000 masks is the latest invention to hold on illegally. But we shall endure and however long it takes, and, despite how many new impediments they invent, this too will pass. The PPPC will be the new government, Irfaan Ali will be the President of Guyana. Sincerely Gail Teixeira
Evidently, Mr. Ram seems... From page 5 already litigated in and settled by the Court. Having read all the issues raised by Chris, one thought in pursuit of understanding and attempting a critique, truth would have been factored in. What is however noticed that there exists a deliberate omission that the initial 156 days arrived at by the CEO came as a result of a proposal put forward by Opposition-nominated Commissioner Robeson Benn, and accepted by the Commission, that each work station must have two paired commissioners- i.e. one representing the Government and one the Opposition. This
meant three workstations, which influenced the determination of the days. After outcries by the Opposition to the proposed 156 days, fellow Oppositionnominated Commissioner Sase Gunraj said, “The CEO’s suggestion for three tables was informed by his understanding [of Benn’s recommendation] that each table should be manned by two paired commissioners (Guyana Chronicle 10th April - Lowenfield to revise recounting plan…PPP-aligned commissioners counter with 10-day proposal). He further added, “That provided a major restriction, and with the removal of that restriction, I believe that the
number of tables can be expanded very easily.” It is instructive that not once did Ram seek to hold the Opposition-nominated Commissioners accountable for any of the delay and deliberation on GECOM working out modalities of a recount. Evidently, he seems disinclined to apply a universal yardstick in addressing the deliberations and antics in GECOM and more inclined on sustaining a narrative of guilt and innocence not on truth but bias. I refrain from addressing the other allegations in his letter for they are overtaken by GECOM’s subsequent deliberations. Lincoln Lewis
Kaieteur News
Thursday April 30, 2020
PAGE 07
Farmers benefit from lands given by NICIL S
everal farmers who received lands which were once part of the Wales Sugar Estate from the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) have been seeing the benefits of being issued the land last year. According to a release from NICIL, some of the farmers who are into cash crop and cattle farming have been using their skills to help weather the economic setbacks of the COVID-19 pandemic. The farmers are said to have praised the land distribution by NICIL as good move since in the time of such setbacks, farming has been helping them provide food for their families and communities. Dhanpaul Samaroo who had worked with the now closed sugar estate confessed that he was disappointed when he lost h i s j o b . H o w e v e r, i n hindsight, the farmer says he is better off than he was when the estate was functioning. “The great thing is that I got into farming and maximized the opportunity that was presented to me. When the President said that land was being offered, I
Mahadeo Deokarran decided that with my love for agriculture and the fact that I have family to take care of, I was going to apply for some of the land. Today, whi l e m a n y persons have lost their jobs and many more are uncertain as to what will happen, I am benefiting in a major way from this very land as I am feeding my family and my community,” Samaroo said. The former employee said that while there are evident challenges with the current COVID-19 disease, he, like so many other persons, is seeking to adjust to it. He noted that farming, and more so agriculture, is the only avenue that will help Guyana to get out of the
Dhanpaul Samaroo
current economic bind. “The challenges and difficulties will be significant as we are beginning to see it but what we know is that agriculture is the best way to go,” Samaroo reiterated. Another farmer, Mahadeo Deokarran, has been mobilizing villagers and others to aggressively pursue agriculture for several years. He confessed that he has been seeking to access the lands since from 2012. He said that back then, the challenges were severe, but the farmers persevered and continued farming despite encountering several difficulties. He said that while he does not consider
VAT-free electricity for consumers until July
A
mong the series of COVID-19 relief measures granted by the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), there is a three-month waiver of Value Added Tax (VAT) on electricity. To the benefit of all customers of state-owned Guyana Power and Light Incorporated (GPL), the VAT exemption that has been implemented will be effective from April to June and May to July for pre-paid
and post-paid consumers, respectively. Manager of GRA's Public Relation Unit, Melissa Baird, noted that pre-paid customers were able to access the tax break a month earlier than post-paid consumers because their consumption of electricity is immediate. Baird noted too that due to the urgency needed to grant the tax break, post-paid customers were unable to enjoy the tax exemption on
their April bill. Therefore, these consumers will enjoy the break until July, the same 3month tax break as pre-paid customers. VAT is usually applied to electricity consumption of $10,000 or more. With more citizens at home in light of the gazetted emergency measures, the tax exemption was instituted to cushion the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. (DPI)
himself a politician, owing to his strong Christian views and beliefs, he is glad that Government offered the land to farmers. This, he stressed
is an indication the land was distributed at the right time. “Today, farming has helped many people feed not only themselves and families but communities,” he said. Deokarran noted that farming initiatives will assist greatly in advancing and promoting food security. He believes that many will capitalize on the opportunities that are available through agriculture. According to Deokarran, progress has already been made in strengthening food security. He added that while several sectors will take much longer than others to get back “rolling,” food
production and its benefits are already on stream. Deokarran declared that with the current COVID 19 pandemic ruining a number of Caribbean countries' revenues, Guyana can take pride that its opportunities are numerous and should be ex p lo ited f o r r ev en u e generation. “There are e v i d e n t challenges but with the increased number of persons getting involved into agricultural activities our food security remains steadfast and solid. NICIL played a pivotal role when it sought to utilize some of the former sugar lands for agricultural purposes,” he said.
Three-year-old found dead in Berbice home
T
he police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of Tiaan Ramballee, age 3, of Lot 26 Grant 1651 Crabwood Creek, Corentyne, Berbice. The incident allegedly occurred around 07:00 hrs on Tuesday at the said address. A c c o r d i n g t o information, the toddler lived with his parents, Tamanie Lackraj called "Roshnie", a 21-year-old housewife, and Charran Ramballee, 23, a labourer, in the lower flat of a two storey wooden and concrete building. Information revealed that
the mother was outside of the house doing her regular chores, while the child was inside looking through a window which had iron grills that are approximately six inches apart. Prior to his death, the child was reportedly standing on a rice bag while he pushed his head through a space on one of the windows between two bars in order to talk with some children next door. According to Lackraj, after not hearing her son's voice for a while, she decided to go inside to check on him. There she found him unconscious with his head
stuck between two of the iron bars and he was hanging by his neck. She also noticed that the rice bag he was standing on was lying on the ground under him. She raised an alarm and immediately removed him from between the bars and rushed him to the Skeldon Public Hospital. There he was examined by a doctor and pronounced dead on arrival. The body is presently at the Skeldon Public Hospital Mortuary awaiting a Post Mortem. Lackraj was taken into custody but later released. Investigations are ongoing.
Kaieteur News
PAGE 08
Thursday April 30, 2020
Victim's family in Pomeroon boat mishap wants Coast Guard to compensate
I
t has now been more than a week since 32year-old Ryan
Khayum lost his life, Coast Guard vessel slammed the rear end of his boat in the
Pomeroon River. While the Coast Guard remains in police custody, relatives of
the now dead farmer are seeking compensation from the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) in a number of areas. The dead farmer's mother, Debby Khayum, told Kaieteur News that her family is requesting compensation for Khayum's funeral, the damaged boat and damaged outboard engine. On April 20, 2020, the GDF vessel collided with the rear end of Khayum's vessel. The incident occurred sometime around 09:00 pm as the farmer was returning home from Charity with his wife and two cousins [and not two uncles as initial reports had stated]. Khayum met his watery demise just moments after sustaining multiple slashes about his body, while his
Dead: Ryan Khayum
wife and cousins were rushed to the Oscar Joseph Hospital, Charity where they were treated and later
discharged. According to family members, five ranks of the (continued on page 10)
The damaged boat
Charter flight from Guyana for stranded British nationals
A
Government chartered flight to take home around 100 Britons stranded in Guyana has been announced with booking open from yesterday. The flight will depart from the Cheddi Jagan International Airport for London Gatwick on May 7. The flight will come via Buenos Aires, with around 200 British nationals already on board, returning from Argentina. British travellers in Guyana should visit FCO Travel Advice page for further information on how to register. Priority is initially being given to vulnerable passengers - those over 70 and others who have medical requirements. Once this flight is
completed, the number of British travellers who have returned from South America on Government charter flights will be over 3,000. Minister for the Caribbean, Baroness Sugg said, “This is our latest flight from South America and the Caribbean, with around 300 more British travellers being able to get back to the UK to be with their families. Our staff will continue to support those Britons who remain in Guyana and Argentina throughout this crisis.” Greg Quinn, High Commissioner to Guyana, said, “Providing support to British travellers who are in Guyana and want to return home is our number one priority. I encourage all those with an interest to register now, as it is unlikely that
there will be any further charter flights. I'd also like to thank the Guyanese authorities and Air Europa for helping to make this happen.” The UK Government is working with the airline industry and host governments across the world to bring back British travellers to the UK as part of the plan announced by the Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab (30 March) - with up to £75 million available for special charter flights to priority countries, focused on helping the most vulnerable travellers. The charter flights are for UK travellers who normally reside in the UK and their direct dependents. A number of seats will be reserved for those deemed vulnerable. (www.gov.uk/government)
Kaieteur News
Thursday April 30, 2020
PAGE 09
Poor communication has resulted in rank speculation T
he West Indies Cricket Board of C o n t r o l (WICBC) took a decision to drop Roy Fredericks from the West Indies squad for the 1979 Cricket World Cup in England. Fredericks had turned out for the West Indies since 1968. He played in 59 test matches as a pugnacious left-handed batsman. He had played in the inaugural tournament four years earlier which he helped the West Indies to win. After that tournament, he was still scoring runs for the West Indies but age was catching up with him. By the time the 1979 World Cup came around, he was 37. The WICBC decided to invest in younger talent even though Fredericks was believed to still have a few more years of cricket in him. The WICBC opted to leave out Fredericks of the team for the 1979 World Cup. They issued a statement thanking him for his services to West Indies cricket. They handled the situation delicately, at a time when communication was not like it is today. Not many other players have been that fortunate to be thanked for their services.
When Alvin Kallicharran was dropped from the West Indies team, he was extremely peeved. He left for apartheid South Africa because of that decision. For a long time, he had been the only cricketer playing international cricket who had never been dropped. Alvin had had three bad Test series prior to being dropped. He lost form in 1980 and averaged below 30 in 13 tests he played that year. But what hurt him the most was that he felt that the captain, who had a role in picking the team, should have told him that he was dropped. The captain, however, could not have done that without breaching confidentiality rules. Poor communication therefore has led to players who were dropped lashing out at others. And we are seeing that again with the decision of the Jamaica Tallawahs not to retain Chris Gayle in its Caribbean Premier League franchise. Poor communication has led to rank conjecture. He is speculating as to why he is not being retained. Conspiracy theories are been peddled without a shred of
supporting evidence. Gayle is no doubt upset and has accused Ramnaresh Sarwan, the former West Indies middle order batsman, of being instrumental in the Tallawah's decision to let him go. But he has produced no credible evidence, only saying that Sarwan is close to the owner of the Tallawahs. He also indicated that the former Guyanese and West Indian batsman had been interested in becoming the Head Coach of the Tallawahs. If Gayle's belief is factual, how does he explain that Sarwan did not pouch the Head Coach position, given his assumed closeness to the Tallawah's owner. Unless there is evidence to the contrary, it appears as if Sarwan is being made a scapegoat. Chris Gayle's record is simply phenomenal. He has played more than 100 test matches and scored 7,214 runs at an average of 42.2 but only fifteen centuries. He has 10,480 runs in One Day Internationals at an average of 37.8. He is considered one of the great T20 batsmen of all time but his average is only 32.5. But in the Indian Premier League
Dem boys seh...
If de price rite, yuh gon get pun de site
I
f yuh nah gat de bread, yuh dead. Dem boys talk de story. Dem want a piece of land to set up ah factory. Dem boys hear that CUMINVEST gat land at a new industrial site. Dem boys apply. Dem boys get mo push around dan ah door. Suddenly suh, a letter cum. It seh dem boys awarded a spot. Dem boys happy because dem boys know dem gon be able to create wuk fuh nuff people. But when dem boys tun up and see the spot, dem boys wan cry. CUMINVEST give dem
boys a lil lil job wha even donkey, dawg and cow refuse to s$%t on. Dem boys look around and dem boys ain't see not one building dat gone up yet on de estate. Dem ask de CUMINVEST bossman...de Ver-Way man about all dem empty spots. De Ver-Way man swear all dem land dun give out. Nuttin ain't leff fuh dem boys. Dem boys asks fuh see de development plan. Dem tell dem boys dat is confidential. But day ah run till moon catch um. Dem boys get hold of de plan.
It show who get wha, who pay wha, who nah pay and who still gat to pay. Dem boys find out that nuff spot set aside fuh dem Chinese investors. Dem boys seh dah nah fair because dem know nuff people who want spots. Dem boys hear dat if yuh ain't gat de bread, yuh might as well be dead. But if the price is right, den yuh get pun the site. Dem boys seh dem Chinee investor gat nuff bread and dem like share out dem bread. Talk half and wait fuh see who gon get de bread!
(IPL), he averages 41.1 per innings which is far superior to that of Virat Kholi. Age catches up with all of us. Chris Gayle is going to be 41 later this year. At his age, he has to expect that the teams and franchises with which he is associated are going to be looking to a future without him. In 2018, he found himself not being selected during the first day of the IPL auction. It was only at a last hour on the final day of the auction that he was snapped up by one of the teams. He has rewarded that team with a good performance in the IPL last year. His experience in that auction shows that teams which he previously played for are looking to the future. The West Indies Cricket
Team will also have to look to the future. They will have to make a decision as to whether they will go with him to the World Cup, slated for this year. In the meantime, the Jamaica Tallawahs have made their choice. They have opted not to retain him after a disappointing 2019 tournament in which he underperformed. Last season, he scored only 243 runs in the CPL in 10 matches. Jamaica lost 8 of those 10 matches and finished at the bottom of the heap. It was to be expected that, with such poor performance, changes would be inevitable in the Tallawah's make-up. The management has issued a statement saying that the
non-retention of Gayle was both a business and a cricketing decision. They have said that they will not say anything more on the matter. Cricket is big business. The CPL is big business and even the best will have to expect to be chopped and changed in the interest of the franchise to which they belong. But, at least, as a business one should expect the franchises to do much better in communicating their decisions, as the WICBC was forty years ago with Roy Fredericks. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)
Kaieteur News
PAGE 10
Thursday April 30, 2020
THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN
Reason why the Russian stratagem was used D
id the Guyanese people ever stopped to think why on March 5 the AFC held a press conference and tried clownishly to fool the world about attempted Russian influence in the 2020 Guyana elections? I am referring to the particular date of March 5. Why March 5? It may be a spent force, long gone from the political horizon, but the AFC moved faster than its partner, the PNC to do damage control
after Mingo's descent into barefacedness. The PNC and AFC lost the battle to invent a plausible defense of the election rigging for one fundamental reason – Mingo's barefacedness was witnessed by all the international observers and emissaries of the western embassies, and the officials from the Commonwealth, OAS and CARICOM. At that stage, March 4, the game was over. I believe there are literally hundreds of ways to rig an election and
create confusion in the minds of onlookers around the world. Since the Cold War started after 1945, there have been rigged elections in countless countries. I grew up with Eric Williams in Trinidad tampering with national elections. No other country has endured a series of fraudulent polls as Guyana under presidents Forbes Burnham and Desmond Hoyte. In all cases, the fraud was there but it was not as silly and stupidly done as
what Mingo did on March 4. In a previous column, I argued that the commonsensical thing to do when tampering with both the voting and counting processes in a national contest is to create space for doubt and thus you create controversy that lingers. Some people would say it was rigged. Some would say they need proof. Some would say there is too much grey area to arrive at a result. This did not happen on March 4. The fatal mistake
the “coup plotters” made is that they failed to move before March 4. They chose not to create doubt before March 4. They chose not to create controversy before March 4. That was the time the rigging would have generated confusion. What t h e A P N U + A F C conspirators did was to rely on incompetent analysts who told them that Region 4 results catapulted the APNU+AFC to victory. To repeat what appeared in previous columns of mine this was because the APNU+AFC did not have all the statements of poll for Region 4 but was insistent that it won. It was when the lead for the PPP for the nine regions was made known the APNU+AFC mandarins panicked. The expectations they had for Region 4 were dashed. The APNU+AFC did not get the votes they had hoped for. First example: the turn out in a massive PNC stronghold like Plaisance was only 51 percent. In a previous article captioned, “Contact Ron Cheong for data on how the 2020 election was rigged of Saturday, April 25, 2020, Cheong showed how the expected votes for the APNU+AFC was not to be. On March 4, when Mingo did his ugly thing, the game was over. The fraud could not be obfuscated. The APNU+AFC had virtually no subtle strategy for secret, continuous tampering. Any act of fraud could only be done by open dishonest actions. From March 4 to the final agreement on the recount, fraud has to be used and fraud will be used in the re-count. But it is rigging
Frederick Kissoon that cannot be hidden. So finally, I come to the AFC's invention of a Russian plot. Why did the AFC do it? Because it was the only game left. The intention of the AFC was not to recite victory as a church sermon but to turn the election into a geopolitical incident. If you can get the Americans, and the western countries to see a Russian conspiracy to tilt the result in the PPP's favour then the 2020 election in Guyana will not be about who win or lose but Russia versus the US. The intention then was to get the West to change its tune and quietly accept the Mingo insanity because geopolitics was now involved. It did not work for the AFC. Since March 5 when the AFC held it press conference and told the world that the Russians were trying to manipulate the 2020 election in Guyana, the AFC has gone completely silent about its Russian thing. Why? They did not have proof to show the West. The police and airport officials had no evidence that the western embassies could have gathered. The “coup plotters” came tumbling down ignominiously from their tanks. The Russian story died a natural death. But it was resurrected by M i c h a e l G r a n g e r. A n analysis of that other circus is forthcoming. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)
Victim's family in Pomeroon boat mishap wants Coast ... From page 8 GDF visited their home the day following Khayum's funeral offering compensation. Mrs. Khayum claims that to date, there has been no compensation from the GDF despite repeated requests. She went on to say, “five GDF men who claimed that he was the head of the Pomeroon base, they come the day after the funeral and claim that they gonna cover all the expense, but to date no
compensation… he [Khayum] was the sole bread winner and the boat and the engine he use to rent. Right now the boat destroyed and that worth two million, the engine is about 800,000… the funeral and additional expenses were about $2 million.” Kaieteur News understands that Khayum had entered the farming business just a few months after quitting work in the mining sector.
Kaieteur News
Thursday April 30, 2020
PAGE 11
Traffic light batteries stolen again - Ministry seeks help to identify suspect caught on CCTV
One of the vandalized traffic lights
T
he Public Infrastructure Ministry has once again reported that traffic lights across the capital city are being vandalized and their batteries stolen by unknown perpetrators. This time, batteries were removed from cabinets for the traffic signal systems installed at the following intersections: Sheriff Street and Garnett Street; Camp
Street and Lamaha Avenue; Conversation Tree and Railway Embankment and UG Road and Rupert Craig Highway. Close Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras managed to catch one alleged suspect in the act and the Ministry is calling on the general public to help identify the vandal. Further, the Public
The Public Infrastructure Ministry is seeking the public's help to identify the alleged suspect Infrastructure Ministry sought to remind the public and the unscrupulous persons purchasing the batteries that once found guilty of theft and vandalism by the Rule of Law for destroying Government's property, they shall be prosecuted accordingly. These acts of vandalism resulted in the downing of traffic lights all across the capital that can
lead to serious consequences for road users. Back in September 2019, the Ministry reported that over $2M in traffic light batteries were stolen while the cabinets were vandalized. Not only did the vandals remove the main battery, they also carted off with the back-ups resulting in non-functioning traffic lights. The Ministry in its statement
urged persons to refrain from “vandalizing and stealing much needed public infrastructure.” “The general public is kindly asked to contact the nearest police station, the Ministry's Public Relations Department on 227-0799 or via the Ministry of Public Infrastructure Facebook page to report any acts of this nature,” the Ministry said.
Kaieteur News
PAGE 12
Thursday April 30, 2020
Claudette Singh reconsiders live stream of recount G
uyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Chair (ret'd) Justice Claudette Singh SC is now reconsidering a live stream of the national recount, following a proposal by the Private Sector Commission (PSC). Commissioners spoke to reporters following a statutory meeting yesterday about this development. Commissioner Vincent Alexander told reporters that a proposal was brought to the electoral body in correspondence from the Private Sector Commission (PSC) and what is “ostensibly” Channel 28. The Chair had decided against a live stream of the count, last Friday, but allowed the matter to be reopened. Commissioner Sase Gunraj said, having her own concerns and “preferences” about the stream, that she committed to considering the technical aspects of it and determining which aspects she would be comfortable with implementing. Alexander sought to note that the proposed streaming from the letter GECOM received from the PSC was specific in that it was
suggested for the observers who may not be able to be physically present, and given that only one local and one international observer will be allowed to be at each of the 10 counting stations. Alexander said that one Commissioner sought to reopen the question of public streaming but it appears that he is not inclined to support that. The Governmentnominated Commissioner said that it was suggested that a certain media outfit stream the recount live, but that some Commissioners would not be inclined to support that proposal since they held the view that the outfit showed bias in its reporting. Chair of the PSC, Gerry Gouveia, had told Kaieteur News in interviews that it is the online publication, Newsroom that should be allowed to stream the count live as it has the capability to do so. Gunraj told reporters that the Commission is set to meet with election stakeholders, to share with them the work plan that GECOM has constructed, as well as the order. NO COMMUNICATION FROM CARICOM YET While the public is aware
of approval being granted to CARICOM by the National COVID-19 Task Force for the high level delegation to come to Guyana, Commissioners said yesterday that GECOM had received no direct communication notifying it of the development, and that they learnt of the development from the press. Gunraj told reporters that the Chair said she expected to receive information from CARICOM yesterday. But there was no indication from GECOM up to press time, that CARICOM had responded. Hence, GECOM is not yet in a position to set a date for the recount or gazette the order, as those matters depend on the arrival of the CARICOM team. The Task Force gave approval for the team to arrive today, but CARICOM has given no indication that the team would arrive today, Kaieteur News was also lately informed by GECOM Public Relations Officer, Yolanda Ward, that the Organisation of American States (OAS) has already indicated that it will be sending a team to observe
(GECOM) Chair (ret'd) Justice Claudette Singh SC
Commissioner Vincent Alexander suggestion of 25 days, subject to review in the first week of the recount.
Commissioner Sase Gunraj the recount. DAILY RECOUNT HOURS EXTENDED GECOM had previously decided that the recount would go for 10 hours of each day, from 8:00 hrs to 18:00 hrs. With the blessing of the Task Force, that period has now been extended by one hour, from 8:00 hrs to 19:00 hrs. This now gives GECOM additional time, and leeway to complete the recount in a shorter period. But no revised duration has been given. GECOM is still working with the Chair's
SECRETARIAT IN PREPARATION MODE Commissioners indicated that GECOM has been on the ground at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre since yesterday doing preparatory work; including having briefings with the GECOM officials who are meant to staff the count. Alexander said he thinks that the Secretariat is well on its way to being prepared. Though there appear to be doubts in some sections of society about GECOM's preparedness, Alexander said the matter of unpreparedness was not considered at the level of the Commission. There had been some amount of public
discourse about whether GECOM would have the requisite supplies for the recount. This stemmed from a guideline in the recommendations made by the Public Health team that persons at the recount would have to change their masks every 30-60 minutes. This means that if the centre were at full capacity, a 25-day recount would require 33,000 masks. While this is a high number, it is not likely that the centre will be at full capacity. Additionally, Ward told Kaieteur News that GECOM is prepared to provide all the supplies needed to ensure the recount r u n s s m o o t h l y, e v e n incorporating the recommendations of the Public Health team. Commissioners are expected to be at the Convention Centre today to watch over the preparatory work of the Secretariat.
Kaieteur News
Thursday April 30, 2020
PAGE 13
North and South Georgetown named COVID-19 hotspots, as cases move to 78
A
s of yesterday, the Ministry of Public (MOPH) recorded an additional three cases of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), taking the number of cases to 78 in Guyana. Up to press time, the fatalities remained eight. During her update to the n a t i o n y e s t e r d a y, t h e Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence, was keen to highlight that Central Georgetown continues to be the epicenter with the hotspots identified in North of Georgetown, but specifically Kitty, Sophia, Tu r k e y e n , L i l i e n d a a l , Cummings Lodge, Alberttown and Cummingsburg. Additionally, Bourda, Lamaha Park, South Ruimveldt and Thirst Park, have been labelled as hotspots in south of Georgetown. “Fellow Guyanese, you would note from the areas listed that the Coronavirus disease is in several of the
densely populated areas in our city. We need to stop and take stock of this situation; you must adhere to the guidelines provided or we will be in a situation that we cannot control. Many of you have read the article of the Spanish Flu and how Guyana suffered during that period, and certainly, we do not want a repeat of this,� the Health Minister stressed. The number of persons recovered thus far has increased to 18. Furthermore, 519 persons have been tested, of whom 441 returned as negative tests. Three persons have developed worsened conditions and are seeking further treatment in the COVID-19 Intension Care Unit (ICU), while 18 are h o u s ed in th e H ealth Ministry's institutional quarantine and 52 in isolation. Meanwhile, according to t h e Wo r l d H e a l t h Organization (WHO), there are 3,018,952 confirmed cases with 207, 973 deaths.
With regards to the Region of the Americas, there are 1,213,088 confirmed cases with 129,311 deaths. With the aim of continuing the conversation of the impact of COVID-19 on the most vulnerable populations, the Director of the Mental Health Unit (MHU), Dr. Util RichmondThomas, yesterday shared tips for coping during the pandemic. They are listed below: 1. First and foremost, ensure that you are talking to someone you trust about your problems, your thoughts and your feelings. Even if that person cannot solve the problem, just talking sometimes is enough. A problem shared is a problem halved. When we talk about a problem, our brain releases chemicals which ease the symptoms of stress. Vice versa, we must be ready to listen to others so that they too can have the same benefits. Listen without being judgmental or forcing persons to talk.
Two remanded for Mahaica fisherman's death
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ne week after 40year-old Zahir Ali of Mosquito Hall, Unity, Mahaica, East Coast Demerara, was knifed to death in his neighbour's yard, a juvenile and another man have been remanded to prison for his murder. The defendants, Abdool Sherwin Jones, called 'Shavo,' 41, and the minor made their appearance in the Sparendaam Magistrate's Court before Magistrate Alisha George when the indictable charge was read to them. They were not required to plead to the charge which stated that on April 22, 2020, at Mosquito Hall, Unity, Mahaica, East Coast Demerara, they murdered Ali. The police are awaiting legal advice on a third suspect who is in custody. Kaieteur News had also previously reported that, prior to the incident, Ali was in the house, which he shared with his wife and four children when he heard what sounded like repeated banging on his roof. Upon investigating, he found that it was some neighbours who were throwing stones. Ali then reportedly
Magistrate George remanded Jones to prison and the minor to the juvenile detention centre, the matter was adjourned to May 22, 2020.
Dead: Zahir Ali confronted the neighbours and a heated argument ensued. It was reportedly during the argument that the neighbours pulled Ali into their yard and brutalized him. He was reportedly chopped and beaten which caused him to sustain injuries to his left side chest and abdomen. About 10 minutes after the assault, Ali was seen running out of the neighbours' yard covered in blood. He was rushed to the Mahaicony Cottage Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
2. Ensure that you know what help is available in your local community, and in the country at large, so that you can solve your problems or overcome challenges. Some of the help available may include: the religious groups, non-governmental organizations, the healthcare facilities where healthcare workers are found, ministries and other government departments, clubs, etc. Your problems are going to feel much more manageable, and you will feel much more hopeful and confident about getting through this pandemic if you are well informed of available supports. 3. Everyone has strengths but sometimes we become so used to them that we tend to view them as ordinary and unremarkable. Look for them, that ability to overcome, the ability to endure, the ability to see beyond the moment. Look deep inside and recognize those strengths, skills and achievements and use them to get through this period. 4. In your day to day routine do not fill your time with unrealistic tasks that you may not be able to accomplish instead, prioritize focus on those that can be easily completed so as to reduce the size of the to do list. This will reduce stress and increase our sense of achievement. Giving you the opportunity and drive to
focus on the larger tasks. 5. Set aside time for yourself every day when you neglect your personal time everything else suffers. So, find the time to look after you. Include restarting old hobbies such as reading, cooking, sewing, playing a musical instrument, knitting, board games, art, decorating, gardening, keeping pets, listening to music, among other things. 6. Stay connected with family, friends, workmates and whatever clubs, organizations or social groups you may belong to. Fulfillment of basic social needs such as love, b e l o n g i n g a n d connectedness, brings a feeling of security and contentment which is very important in preventing depression. 7. Exercise, sleep and eat healthy every day. These are powerful stress busters and natural anti-depressants. 8. If you are taking medications for any preexisting conditions, remember to take them every day as prescribed by your
healthcare provider. 9. Do not use alcohol and other substances of abuse such as marijuana and cocaine to deal with stressful situations. This only adds to the problems by worsening behaviour and adding to issues of misuse and can also affect your immune system making it easier for you to become infected with the coronavirus. 10. Manage the time spent looking or listening to media that can be upsetting and increase your feeling of hopelessness and panic. Instead, seek information from the Ministry of Public Health and PAHO website and Facebook page which are credible sources. Consume only enough information to keep yourself and others safe. 11 . S t a y p o s i t i v e . Journaling twice per week about things we are grateful for has been shown to have powerful positive effects on emotional wellbeing. 12. And of course, when in doubt, seek help from the Mental Health Unit or any other healthcare worker.
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Stabroek Block Oil Companies donate $60M to combat COVID-19 - Funds donated may be S recoverable as expenses
tabroek Block cov e n t u r e r s ExxonMobil, Hess and CNOOC-Nexen have donated a combined GY $60 million to the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), Salvation Army and Rotary Guyana, with the aim of combating the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Guyana and supporting COVID-19 relief programmes. According to a statement to the press yesterday, from the CDC, Salvation Army and Rotary, the oil majors are providing these funds as part of the programme established collaboratively with the Department of Energy (DOE) to support social projects. The Stabroek Block companies were assisted by the Department
in identifying programmes that were in greatest need of COVID-19 funding and could reach as many people as possible throughout the country. The CDC received $40 million to support the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) for additional quarantine facilities, food, sanitation items and equipment, including personal protective equipment for staff at the quarantine facilities. Director General of the CDC, Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig, said the funds will also be utilized to
supplement the humanitarian efforts designed to bring hampers of relief supplies to the people most vulnerable to COVID19. Hampers will include food, cleaning and sanitation supplies, cloth masks and educational material on protecting against COVID19, which will be distributed to senior citizens, children's homes and the economically disadvantaged. “We continue to develop the most effective mechanism to ensure that the vulnerable population receives the most appropriate relief since the
Georgetown Chamber re-elects National Hardware owner as President
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he Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) has re-elected National Hardware owner, Nicholas Deygoo-Boyer, as its President for the year 2020-2021. The election, held during the Chamber's 130th Annual General Meeting, was done virtually to observe social distancing. The Chamber elected a 21-member Council, in full, and held its first statutory meeting shortly after. That council elected its new Executive management committee, comprising Boyer; Senior Vice President, Timothy Tucker; Junior Vice President, Anije Lambert; Treasurer, Kester Hutson; Secretary, Shaleeza Shaw; and Immediate Past President, Deodat Indar. The President has vowed sustained and strengthened advocacy on a series of pressing matters, including the COVID-19 epidemic. “The GCCI remains steadfast in its lobbying and advocacy work, especially under the threat of COVID-19 which has seen the caretaker Government implement “Stay at Home” orders to preserve the lives of Guyanese citizens,” the Chamber said in a statement. “While the GCCI believes that such an order should remain in effect, we call for metrics to be used and a plan to be put in place
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Assistant Governor Renata Chuck-A-Sang. According to the release, Director of the Department of Energy Dr. Mark Bynoe related that, “In these challenging times the Department of Energy, Ministry of the Presidency is pleased to be associated with this national effort to bring some level of relief to our vulnerable communities and those on the frontline in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic in conformity with the ideals of shared sacrifices.” The release also carried the views of the oil company executives on the donations. “It is important that we support each other during these unprecedented times,” ExxonMobil Guyana President Rod Henson said. “We support first responders who are working hard to help Guyana confront this pandemic as well as those who need additional assistance.” Hess Vice President of Exploration and CNOOC
International Executive Vice President Liu Yongjie shared similar sentiments. Notably, ExxonMobil and its partners, as well as all of the oil companies operating in Guyana, can recover any of the money spent on donations, sponsorships and other contributions to various local organisations. According to the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) for the Stabroek Block, that Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Tr o t m a n , s i g n e d w i t h ExxonMobil, on government's behalf, the company's subsidiary, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), was granted the privilege of recovering funds that it has channeled into corporate donations. Last year, ExxonMobil had committed that it would not seek to recover monies it had then so far spent on donations but it is unclear whether a similar position will be taken in this case.
Prime suspect in Linden execution-style killing found with grenade, bulletproof vest National Hardware owner, Nicholas Deygoo-Boyer to allow non-essential businesses to understand when they will be allowed to reopen and whether they will reopen understandably with conditions that encapsulate hours of operations, sanitizing, screening measures and social distancing practices. This type of planning and decision making allows businesses to reduce the anxiety of their workers and manage the expectations of customers so that social distancing can be effective,” the statement said.
Who don't hear does feel! omal Gardner of East Bank Demerara (EBD) was yesterday sentenced by the Diamond/ Grove Magistrate Court to stand one hour in the sun displaying a curfew notice after it was discovered that he breached the COVID-19 curfew. Gardner was charged with the breach of restriction to home, in contravention of
levels of impact vary and can have short-, medium- and long-term effects,” Lt. Col. Craig remarked. The Salvation Army received $10 million to support hamper distribution in the regions, in coordination with the CDC, as well as for hot meals for the homeless in Region 4. “The Salvation Army is working hard to be there for vulnerable people at this time and we are pleased that this contribution will help us to carry out this mission,” Divisional Commander of the Salvation Army, Major Matignol Saint-Lot said. Rotary Guyana also received $10 million to be used for medical supplies including procurement of N95 masks, oxygen tanks and personal protective equipment for hospitals and clinics throughout Guyana. “This complements our Community COVID-19 Initiative which was launched a few weeks ago to provide protection for our brave frontline workers and supplies for those who are infected by this virus,” said
No.1 Restriction of the COVID-19 Emergency Measures #53/2020, contrary to Section 21 (2) of the Public Health Ordinance, Chapter 145. “The defendant was sentenced to an hour of "standing and displaying the curfew notice" as punishment for the breach,” the Guyana Police Force said in a statement.
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fter days of searching, police officers were able to capture 21-yearold Coby George of 67F Wismar Housing Scheme. He was wanted in connection with the execution style killing of Glenroy Chapman which took place in Linden about three weeks ago. Kaieteur News understands that after the suspect was caught last Monday, investigators from the Criminal Investigation Department were given the permission to search the home of the suspect. It was during that search that a grenade, bulletproof vest, Guyana Defence Force uniform, a haversack, 10 small bottles of vaccines, and a black facemask were found hidden in a pen guarded by a pitbull dog.
Glenroy Chapman Chapman, 44, was shot multiple times about his upper body, as he sat on a bench with a friend in front of his yard, at approximately 18:30 hrs on Monday. According to reports, Chapman was in the
company of a friend when he was shot dead by a man wearing a mask. The suspect, who was dressed in a white t-shirt, approached the two men from an easterly direction and using a handgun, discharged several rounds in Chapman's direction, striking him a number of times. The shooting occurred on the April 13, 2020. Police reportedly retrieved five 9 mm spent shells and one warhead from the crime scene. Chapman, who sold clothing in the Mackenzie Market, leaves to mourn his reputed wife, Jennifer Rowe, and their eight children. According to sources, two other persons were also arrested as police continue their investigations. (Anastacya Peters)
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he Private Sector Commission (PSC) which comprises a number of the biggest businesses in the country, has proposed a number of economic measures to cushion the impact of COVID19. In a letter released yesterday, addressed to Moses Nagamootoo, Chairman of the National Task Force – COVID-19, PSC recommended that the country take steps to immediately raise the threshold to accommodate no taxation for employees in vulnerable sectors that were sent off the job from $65,000 to $100,000 and the removal of mortgage interests and payments for the period. According to the letter from PSC’s Chairman, Captain Gerry Gouveia, authorities should also move right away to reduce the spread at commercial banks- that is the difference between the
lending rate and the savings rate of interest. There should be a removal of the Value Added Tax (VAT) from all food items, detergents and all household, medical and other cleansers and essential services including data. Government should also take steps to temporarily remove the requirement to pay Income and Corporation Taxes up front. With regards to small businesses, there should be an emergency funding to reduce the impact. PSC also would have taken note of the growing calls by hard hit households to have a relief on their electricity bills. It recommended an extension of the time to pay utility bills and hire purchase debts. There should also a reduction of the Excise Taxes on fuel. PSC also recommended that there be a 100% deduction of taxes for items given to the national effort; a
rescheduling of loans and mortgages and a relaxing of overdraft facilities and of regulations to classify loan as non-performing. Other measures include the removal taxes on personal protection equipment (masks, gowns, gloves etc.; the approval for hospitals to bring in ventilators without taxes and allowing labs to bring in test kits and PCR machines without taxes. The Ministry of Finance, PSC said, should also consider offering the Guyana Bankers Association (GBA) a tax rebate in part of full for interest lost as a result of the banks lowering their interest rates. There should also be a
Captain Gerry Gouveia
reduction in fuel prices by removing the tax component so that the public transportation can benefit also with a corresponding reduction on fares and utility companies should defer payments and/or reduce by 5 0 % . With regards to taxes, the PSC urged that measures be put into place by the Guyana Revenue Authority for the filing of Income and Corporation Taxes until September 30, 2020, provided that the current COVID-19 situation is brought under control by then. There should also be incentives for the promotion of the use of technology and tax measures to lower material cost for sanitization and food.
18 units collected in Kwakwani Blood Drive The Kwakwani Hospital in collaboration with the National Blood Transfusion Services (NBTS) recently held a blood drive in the Region 10 community. According to Dr. Pedro Lewis, Director of the NBTS, the drive received more blood than anticipated. “We had set a target of 15 units because short notice was given to the community, but we received 18 units.” He added that he is very happy that the community
supported the drive and the national call for blood, since the blood bank is in dire need. “At the beginning of the year, the blood bank was doing well but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the bank is tremendously in need of donations,” he said. Moreover, Dr. Lewis stated that a blood drive would be held in Kwakwani quarterly. He also urged the residents of the Region to continue donating to allow the Kwakwani Hospital to have enough blood stored to be able to perform surgeries, implants, etc, without burdening Linden or the Georgetown Public Hospital due to a shortage of blood. Dr. Lewis also noted that he is extremely proud that the Blood Bank’s two affiliates in the Region were able to conduct such an effective drive, since it is also their first time organizing such. Meanwhile, Dr. Gregory Harris, Medical Director of the Kwakwani Hospital related to Kaieteur News that, “on behalf of the Kwakwani Hospital, we would like to say thank you to the blood donors and to the NBTS, we would be looking forward to your continued support. It was a tremendous pleasure to work along with the NBTS staff, Ms. Jordan and Ms. Miller; they have done an outstanding job”.
A good Samaritan, Jocelyn Morian, donating during the blood drive (saved as BD) Dr. Harris further stated that on the team’s next visit, “we would be implementing a mobile unit to far-flung areas within the community and I would like to encourage other neighbouring communities to come on board and be able to
save many lives as we can.” The units of blood collected have been transported to Georgetown for screening and testing at the National Public Health Reference Laboratory (NPHFL).
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Private Covid-19 Testing to ease burden off Public Healthcare System - DCMO National Public Health Reference Laboratory (NPHFL)
The Ministry of Public Health recently gave the green light to a few private medical facilities to offer Covid-19 testing using the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technology. This is according to Deputy Chief Medical Officer (DCMO), Dr. Karen Gordon-Campbell will relieve the burden on the public healthcare system. Privately-owned Eureka Medical Laboratory has recently begun offering private Covid-19 testing, while another private medical facility is expected to begin soon. The first batch of results from Eureka was handed over to the Ministry of Public Health on Monday, with one confirmed one positive case; however, it is not being considered a separate new case since the individual had also subsequently tested positive at a public health facility and the case was already recorded. Dr. Gordon-Campbell told Kaieteur News that the fact that this lab is offering the test “of the same quality (PCR) is a relief to the public
health system.” She noted that this coupled with the Ministry’s mobile units will ease the burden off of the country’s sole national referral hospital, the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) and also the individuals who wish to be tested since they would not have to wait long periods to be screened and tested. She added that it is also more convenient for individuals who don’t want to use the public healthcare system for testing. It gives them an option to have their tests done privately. The DCMO further stated that all results are sent to the Ministry so the records can be updated and the necessary actions and treatments can be administered. Further, Andrew Boyle, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) told this publication that Eureka Lab is expected to begin testing in Guyana for the virus by mid June. He explained that the company has already sourced the necessary machines and is now awaiting the testing kits so it can begin its
operations. Currently, samples taken at the lab are being shipped out of Guyana by courier and takes approximately 4-5 days for the results to be given to the patients. However, with the test being conducted locally, results will be made available within 24 hours. The National Public Health Reference Laboratory that does all COVID-19 testing is currently the only Level 5 (highest level) facility, capable of performing public health testing in Guyana. To this end, it is often taxed with the diagnosis and monitoring/management of the Human Immune Deficiency Virus (HIV) population in Guyana, especially for early HIV infant diagnosis in babies who are born to HIV-positive mothers. The lab also screens all blood donated to the National Blood Transfusion Service, and offers testing for tuberculosis (TB) culture and drug sensitivity testing for TB patients, to see whether they have developed resistance to anti-TB medications.
GTT makes SIM card application, replacement available online GTT customers can now apply for new SIM cards or replacements via the company’s online platform and have it delivered to their home or office through Hero Cart or OneCart delivery. This is according to the phone company in a release issued yesterday. It noted that this recent move comes as part of the company’s effort to meet customers’ needs while at the same time, observing the national physical distancing policy to flatten the COVID-19 curve. According to GTT’s PR Manager, Jasmin Harris, the SIM card application/replacement process is easy but requires the Identification (ID) and proof of address details. She explained that while the SIM card is free, customers need to top up $1000 to activate the SIM and pay for the delivery cost with the respective mobile delivery agents. Harris also noted that the online application process is encouraged to promote social distancing, however the option to secure a new SIM card is available in-store within the Bounty Supermarket. “The SIM card is made available at this location for a cost of $2000 – customers will get back $1000 in top-up. Usual
GTT PR Manager, Jasmin Harris proof of address and ID is required,” she stated. Persons interested in applying for/replacing GTT SIMs can do so at www.gtt.co.gy/ webform/application-mobile-service .
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Russell to quit Tallawahs at the end of CPL season Sports Max - The 2020 season of the CPL will be the last for Andre Russell with the Jamaica Tallawahs. On the eve of his 32nd birthday, Russell, perhaps the most dangerous player in T20 cricket globally, in a rambling speech on Instagram Live on Tuesday night, accused the team’s ownership of poor communication and continued disrespect that helped create the impression that he was part of a conspiracy to get rid of Chris Gayle. “I have another year’s contract with the Tallawahs and I am going to play and try and win because that is all I play for, but this will be my last because I have been getting mixed up with all these (expletive) that is happening,” he said, “and I can’t be playing cricket and I am not comfortable.
“And I think another franchise that has been coming last and fifth and fourth in CPL will appreciate me more. I am not getting it here.” Russell revealed that he only heard about Chris Gayle’s departure from the team when the Universe Boss sent him a copy of a report in the Jamaica Gleaner that suggested that Gayle was not going to be retained by the two-time CPL champions and that there were going to changes to the coaching staff. Rovman Powell was to be made captain. That information, when combined with recent statements from Marlon Samuels suggesting that Russell must have known about Gayle’s departure and Chris Gayle’s subsequent comments, gives the impression that he knew what was going on behind the
scenes at the Tallawahs when nothing could be further from the truth. He said in 2019, he was not involved in anything with regards to the Tallawahs whom he said treated him like a player who was making his debut and whose opinion is not valued. This is despite his decision to play for much less money because he wanted to play before his home fans. “I have accepted a pay cut just to play in front of my home crowd, my family and my friends,” he said. This year, nothing has changed, Russell said. “They communicated with my agent. My agent agreed. I agreed with my agent, ‘okay, let we sign’. The only time the CEO (Jeff Miller) or the only time the Jamaica Tallawahs contacted me was
Thursday April 30, 2020 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) You seem to want to become old and wise before your time, Aries. Today's aspects will take you by the hand and lead you back into the heat of the action, experiencing life in all its intensity. TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) There is some probability that you'll want to escape from reality today, Taurus. You aren't anxious to face a situation that demands that you commit yourself. GEMINI (May 21–June 20) You face a day of some conflict, Gemini. Nevertheless, the discord will prove quite useful. This is probably one of the best opportunities in recent weeks to become aware of some family matters. CANCER (June 21–July 22) If you admit you've made a mistake, people are more likely to forgive you. You have a confrontational day ahead, Cancer. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) You may have been wishing for some recognition and appreciation lately. The day ahead will show you which path will be the most productive. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) - If you happen to be training for a new trade, learning a new technique, or perhaps you're being evaluated after an internship period, you can expect these pursuits to conclude on a high note.
LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Although you might find the day ahead somewhat stressful, it's a key day in your professional evolution. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Today the celestial energy will be trying to teach you something, Scorpio, specifically, how to share with others. But first, you must get to a place where you truly want to share something of yourself. SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Today's energy will be making you think only about your relationships, Sagittarius. It isn't easy to have relationships with others, as you may have noticed. CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) Some of your demons may come back to haunt you today, Capricorn. You could find yourself battling some of those same old doubts and insecurities that you thought you'd left behind. AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) It might seem like you no longer completely believe in what you're doing, Aquarius, perhaps because you've been going a little too quickly in your quest to get what you need. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Today's planetary energies will be very demanding, Pisces. As you agonize over whether or not you're up to “standard," the planets, in a very cheeky way, respond that you are not! That's because you're moving too quickly.
to ask me how soon will I sign,” he revealed. “The deadline is that time and can you sign please.” Russell said when he asked who the team planned on retaining he did not get answers. “Who you guys planning on buying, I don’t get no answers on that. So I just leave it,” he said. He said he read the newspaper report before he called Gayle and it made him nervous when it said that Floyd Reifer was going to be the head coach. Reifer had messaged him, he said, indicating that he might be the head coach for the Tallawahs and mentioned plans they have for the upcoming season. However, Reifer suddenly ceased all communication and Miller still was not communicating with him.During that time, Russell said, rumours began to circulate that Gayle was leaving for the Zouks. He said his respect for Gayle made him fearful to even approach the ‘Universe Boss’ about whether the rumours were true. So when Gayle messaged him with the newspaper article asking if he knew anything about it, he was stunned.“I called Chris instantly and I addressed the situation. I said to Chris that the only thing I heard was that Floyd Reifer was potentially going to be the coach.” However, Russell believes that the fact that Rovman Powell and Reifer are friends and the perception that he knew what was going on behind the scenes, it creates the impression that he was part of a conspiracy to get rid of Gayle. “Up till now I know nothing that was going on but now it looks like me, Rovman and Floyd Reifer plan up and a get of Chris. Why would I
get rid of Chris? Chris has a three-year contract, you’re not supposed to breach your contract,” he said. “I had to address the situation because things don’t look good right now.”However, this was something Russell said that was a feature of the ownership from the start. He said when he signed to the Tallawahs in 2018, he had just returned from a oneyear ban. The ban was for whereabouts violations after he had missed three doping tests within a calendar year, which under the WADA Code is equal to a doping violation. He was made captain but, according to Russell, “the way they go about things kinda allowed me to dress back a bit”.He said when he was made captain he gave the owners a list of the players that he wanted them to sign for the team. “Overseas players, local players, players from inside the Caribbean. It wasn’t about friends. It wasn’t about Jamaicans,” he said. “I am a guy that plays to win and I have won 13 championships, maybe the only player that has done that, so I don’t play to lose.” He said he tried to reach out to the owners on the day of the draft and got no reply.
However, when the draft was completed they reached out and asked him if he was happy with the team they selected.He said it took him a while to reply because he was disappointed that they did not communicate with him when he reached out to them. However, his agent urged him to reach out to them and indicate that he still wanted to be captain and that he was happy with the draft. He concedes that they did pick a good team but it lost in the playoffs to St Kitts and Nevis.However, Russell believes the owners of the Tallawahs need to change if they are to remain viable. “We have to do things better for the future,” Russell said, who seemed genuinely disappointed and upset about what transpired between Gayle and Jamaica Tallawahs. “To deal with Chris Gayle the way that they have dealt with the situation is nothing to do with cricket. It’s more personal. “This is going to be an awkward dressing room. It’s going to be an awkward CPL but no one will actually see that when I step out to bat or to bowl while I am on the field because I play to win.”
Most Americans to avoid... From page 19 people, shifted its April dates to October in the hope the worst of the coronavirus pandemic would be over by then.Enthusiasm for amusement and theme parks was even bleaker. Fifty-nine percent of respondents said they should not reopen until a vaccine is available. Only 20% said they would visit a theme park when they reopen. Universal Studios has extended its closures in California and Florida until at least
May 31, while Disneyland and Walt Disney World are closed indefinitely. Disney Executive Chairman Bob Iger said earlier in April that temperature checks for visitors were one of the measures under consideration for any eventual reopening.Broadway theaters were forced to shut down in mid-March and extended the closure to June 7, with several producers saying their plays would not return at all. The Reuters/Ipsos poll surveyed 4,429 American adults from April 15 to 21, asking about their previous attendance at sports events and live concerts and their interest in attending if they reopened before a coronavirus vaccine is available. The poll questions noted a vaccine might not be available for more than a year.
Jameis Winston: Quarterback ... From page 21 became the first player in league history to throw for at least 30 touchdowns and 30 interceptions.“It’s a compliment to Jameis Winston to understand where he’s at in this world and sign a one-year deal here and learn behind Drew,” Saints assistant general manager Jeff Ireland told ESPN.
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Most Americans to avoid sports, other live events before coronavirus vaccine: Reuters/Ipsos Fewer than half of Americans plan to go to sports events, concerts, movies and amusement parks when they reopen to the public until there is a proven coronavirus vaccine, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released Tuesday. That includes those who have attended such events in the past, an ominous sign for the sports and entertainment industries hoping to return to the spotlight after being shut down by the pandemic. Only about four in 10 who follow sports avidly and go to arts and entertainment venues and amusement parks said they would do so again if they reopened before a vaccine was available, the poll found.Another four in 10 said they were willing to wait, even if it takes more than a year to develop a vaccine. The rest said they either “don’t know” what to do or may never attend those events again. “Just because people say we can go back, until people feel fully safe ... they aren’t going to go back,” said Victor Matheson, a specialist in sports economics at the College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts. “We go to games for en-
tertainment and you’re not going to be very entertained if you’re not worrying about who the next player to bat is and instead worrying about that person who just coughed two rows down.” The United States leads the world with almost 1 million coronavirus infections and more than 56,000 deaths as of late Monday. While as many as 100 potential vaccines are in development around the world, scientists are projecting that bringing one to market could take 18 months. SPORTS SIDELINED Only 17% of American adults said they would attend professional sporting events when they reopen to the public, while 26% said they would rather wait until there is a vaccine.Among those who have attended a professional sporting event in the past year, 42% said they would return whenever it reopens to the public and 39% said they would rather wait for a vaccine, even if that means waiting more than a year. Cincinnati resident Angie Hopkins, who has gone to pro games in the past, said she would not attend them again before there is a vaccine, out of concern for her health and
that of her son.“The risk of being with all those people, crammed in together, I think that would be unsettling,” she said. “I have fibromyalgia, which could make me at risk for more serious complications. And my son has asthma, so I wouldn’t want to expose him either.”About 59% of sports fans agreed that before a vaccine is available, professional sports leagues that have seen their seasons upended - like Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League should hold games with no inperson fans, while 33% disagreed. That could spell trouble for tennis’ U.S. Open, which is scheduled to kick off in hard-hit New York City on Aug. 24. Organizers have said it was highly unlikely that they would hold the largest and loudest Grand Slam tournament without fans. It is also unclear whether the NFL will delay the scheduled Sept. 10 start of its 101st season. Commissioner Roger Goodell said last week he believed the season could begin on time, but did not specify whether the league would consider doing so without fans.
TROUBLE FOR TINSELTOWN? The poll showed that only 27% of those questioned would go to a movie theater, concert or live theater performance when venues reopen, underscoring the hurdles faced by the entertainment industry as it tries to get back on its feet.Thirty-two percent said they would wait for a vaccine before going back to the movies, theater or concerts.In all, 55% of Americans said those events should not resume before a vaccine is available.Movie buff and music fan Ana Morales of Bristow, Virginia, said she did not plan to visit a theater where she has a membership or attend a summer country music series until there is a vaccine.“It would be a bit reckless for us to go,” she said, adding that she would be afraid of spreading the disease to her in-laws, who are over 60 years old.She said that even if theaters implemented social-distancing rules, she would worry that shared surfaces like seats had not been
Participants take part in a parkrun event at Bushy Park in London August 2, 2014. (REUTERS/Neil Hall) join in near their homes, could then provide professional contests with information to help organisers scale back up to events drawing athletes from all over the world. “If you look at something like road running, if we go back to Parkruns, you could start those because they don’t involve a lot of travel around the country,” he said. “Involve local communities, you can manage how it’s done and in doing that you can learn how marshalling can help with social distancing in a run.“That helps you work out ‘how can I do a city
marathon?’, and ultimately ‘how can I get the London Marathon and Boston Marathon back up again?’.”The World Players Association, an association representing some 85,000 athletes around the world through more than 100 player associations in over 60 countries, said on Tuesday professional athletes should not be rushed back to action.The coronavirus has infected more than 3.11 million people globally, causing more than 216,600 deaths, prompting a shutdown of business, education and world sport.
cleaned thoroughly.Hollywood has been tentatively hoping movie theaters could reopen partially by late July and recoup some losses from the normally lucrative summer season. While dozens of summer movie releases have already been moved to the autumn or into 2021, Walt Disney Co’s “Mulan” and Warner Bros.
“Wonder Woman 1984” are scheduled for release in July and August respectively. Most musicians, including Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift and the Rolling Stones have canceled or postponed their 2020 tour dates. The annual Coachella music festival in Southern California, which usually draws about 90,000 (Continued on page 18)
Tour de France may have to limit spectators at start - ministry Team INEOS rider Egan Bernal of Colombia, wearing the overall leader’s yellow jersey, in action in front of the Arc de Triomphe. (REUTERS /Gonzalo Fuentes /File Photo)
Sports must first resume safely at lower levels, WHO expert says (Reuters) - It will be easier to bring back community level sport such as Parkruns as the coronavirus lockdowns are eased than bigger events due to the risk of travel from larger gatherings, a member of a World Health Organization expert group said.However, the lessons learned on marshalling and enforcing social distancing at such local races or a small-scale soccer match could help with the management of elite gatherings such as major marathons when they are possible, Brian McCloskey said.“The bigger the competition the more complicated mitigating actions will have to be and therefore the less likely it is that they can be done safely,” McCloskey, a member of the World Health Organization Novel Coronavirus-19 Mass Gatherings Expert Group, told the BBC.“So an event that involves lots of travel across the country or between countries ... (it is) much more complicated to see how that happens. A local event, community football, running ... much easier to see how that happens.”McCloskey said community events, in which a limited number of people
The Village Theatre marquee announcing cancellation of March performances due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, photographed at the Francis J. Gaudette Theatre in Issaquah, Washington, U.S. March 17, 2020. Picture taken March 17, 2020. (REUTERS/Lindsey Wasson)
PARIS (Reuters) - The Tour de France may have to limit spectators during the first days of the race in order to comply with a ban on major events gathering more than 5,000 people before September, the French sports ministry said.Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said yesterday that major sporting and cultural events bringing together more than 5,000 participants could not be held before September as he announced plans for a gradual end of a nationwide coronavirus lockdown from May 11.Philippe did not specifically mention the Tour de France, which has been postponed to Aug. 29-Sept. 20
from its original June 27 start date.“It is too early to say (how this will impact the Tour) but for now this does not imply a postponement nor a cancellation, but it does not rule out arrangements notably in terms of number of spectators,” a sports ministry spokeswoman said. The Tour is the biggest event on road cycling’s calendar and the sport’s most lucrative race by far. It was originally scheduled to take place from June 27-July 19. That was knocked off course by the COVID-19 pandemic, which as of Monday had killed 23,293 people in France.The coronavirus outbreak prompted French Presi-
dent Emmanuel Macron to impose a strict lockdown that includes a ban on any mass gatherings.Earlier this month, the International Cycling Union (UCI) pushed the Tour back by two months. With the ban on mass spectator events now due to run until September, Tour organisers could have to hold the first three days of the race with restrictions in place on the number of fans attending. That would be unfamiliar for an event which prides itself on its unrestricted access for spectators, and where thousands of flag-waving fans, some of them in fancy dress, routinely line the route of Tour stages.
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German, Dutch and Finnish FIFA says 2006 World Cup MotoGP races canceled fraud trial expiry “worrying” for Swiss justice system
Monster Energy Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi in action during the Valencia Grand Prix race. (REUTERS/Heino Kalis) LONDON (Reuters) MotoGP’s German, Dutch and Finnish rounds in June and July have all been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the sport’s governing body and promoter announced yesterday. The German Grand Prix had been scheduled for June 21, followed by the Dutch TT at Assen on June 28 with Finland’s new KymiRing making its debut on July 12.
The Dutch race was the only venue to have featured on the world championship calendar in every year since it started in 1949. “It is with great sadness that we announce the cancellation of these three important Grands Prix on the MotoGP calendar,” said Carmelo Ezpeleta, chief executive of promoters Dorna, in a statement. Ezpeleta had said last
week that he was optimistic of racing from July. MotoGP’s season has yet to start, with the first 11 races affected by the virus, and organisers have yet to publish a fully revised calendar. Races in Spain, France and Italy have been postponed and are looking uncertain. The next race on the original calendar is the Czech Grand Prix in Brno on Aug. 9.
ZURICH (Reuters) World soccer body FIFA said the expiry without a verdict of a fraud trial in Switzerland over a payment linked to the 2006 World Cup was worrying for the sport and the Swiss justice system. The five-year statute of limitations in the case against former German Football Association (DFB) leaders Theo Zwanziger, Wolfgang Niersbach and Horst Schmidt and former Swiss FIFA official Urs Linsi expired on Monday before the Federal Criminal Court could rule.. They were accused of misleading the DFB about a 10 million Swiss franc ($10.3 million) payment. The transfer of the funds triggered several investigations and Niersbach resigned as DFB president over allegations it was slush money to buy votes for Germany’s bid for the tournament, which it ended up hosting. The four have denied wrongdoing. Swiss Attorney General Michael Lauber faces calls to resign over the collapse of the case, which critics contend he handled inappropriately. “The fact that the case has now ended without a result of any kind is very worrying, not only for football but also for the administration of justice in Switzerland,” FIFA said in a statement late on Tuesday. It said it hoped the truth
Wolfgang Niersbach (L), designated president of the German soccer association (DFB) embraces DFB president Theo Zwanziger as they arrive for a general meeting in Frankfurt March 2, 2012. (REUTERS/Alex Domanski/File Photo) about the payment would eventually emerge, “and that those having committed wrongful acts will be duly sanctioned, if not in Switzerland, then maybe somewhere else.” The court suspended the trial last month, citing government instructions for people older than 65 to avoid public contact following the coronavirus outbreak. But the attorney general’s investigation has long been beset by problems, including when Lauber was barred from participating in investigations of corruption in soccer. A Swiss court ruled closeddoor, largely undocumented meetings he held with FIFA head Gianni Infantino had
raised the appearance of bias. Swiss broadcaster SRF reported on Tuesday that a member of parliament’s court commission is drawing up a request to seek Lauber’s removal, a formal process that would take weeks. Lauber’s office said it was not aware of any formal effort to oust him. “As has been the case, the attorney general stands ready to answer questions from the responsible committees,” it said in a statement.FIFA added that, as far as it was concerned, “this case is certainly not over, as we cannot and will not accept that a 10 million franc payment is made from FIFA accounts without a proper reason”.
Postponing Games will cost IOC ‘several Federer without doubt the best of all hundred million dollars’, says Bach AFP - The postponement to 2021 of the Olympic Games in Tokyo because of the coronavirus pandemic will cost the International Olympic Committee (IOC) “several hundred million dollars”, its president Thomas Bach said yesterday. “We already know that we have to shoulder several hundred million US dollars of postponement costs,” the German wrote in a letter to the Olympic movement, warning that, while the IOC would honour its financial obligations to Tokyo, it would probably have to make cuts. “We also need to look into and review all the services that we provide for these postponed Games,” he said. “The IOC will continue to be responsible for its share of the operational burden and its share of the costs for these postponed Games.” The IOC, which has ap-
proximately $1 billion (926 million euros) in reserves, took the historic decision to postpone the Games, scheduled to open on July 24, until July 23 to August 8, 2021. If the coronavirus pandemic is not brought under control within a year, the Games cannot be postponed again and will be cancelled, the head of the organising committee (COJO) Yoshiro Mori warned on Tuesday. A task force, which brings together the IOC and various partners, including COJO, “has established the priorities and management strategies to make these postponed Olympic Games feasible and successful”, Bach said. These include creating “a safe environment with regard to health for all participants”. “At this moment, nobody knows what the realities of the post-coronavirus world will look like,” he said. “What is clear, however, is that prob-
ably none of us will be able to sustain every single initiative or event that we were planning before this crisis hit.” He added that the IOC should also view the crisis as an opportunity. “We can fairly assume that, in the post-coronavirus society, public health will play a much more important role. Sport and physical activity make a great contribution to health,” he wrote. Bach also said the Olympic movement should consider its relationship with esports in light of social distancing. “Whilst maintaining our principles by respecting the red line, with regard to the Olympic values, we encourage all our stakeholders even more urgently to ‘consider how to govern electronic and virtual forms of their sport and explore opportunities with game publishers’,” he said.
time, says Agassi Omnisport - Roger Federer stands above any tennis player in history, according to fellow former world number one Andre Agassi. Federer beat Agassi in four sets in the final of the 2005 US Open – the sixth grand slam of a career tally that now stands at 20. Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have closed the gap on the Swiss great, with 19 and 17 to their respective names.Tennis’ ongoing hiatus amid the coronavirus pandemic could compromise the prospects of Federer, now 38, adding to his overall haul, having last tasted slam glory at the 2018 Australian Open. Six years ago, Agassi declared Nadal to be the best of all time but, in an interview with Bild, he reverted to the position he held after being bested by Federer at Flushing Meadows. “Federer, without doubt,”
Federer (left) without doubt the best of all time, says Agassi. he said. “Nobody stood out from their opponents on the court as much as he did. “I don’t think [I would have had a chance against him at my best]. I played against him in the final of the 2005 US Open. I won a set – more was not possible.”Nowadays, Agassi admits he struggles to take a set off his wife and fel-
low tennis great Steffi Graf. “She always wins,” he added. “She has this healthy ambition. “It’s also easier for Steffi to stay in shape than for me. She gets up in the morning, does sports and doesn’t even have to think about it. “Everything looks so easy with her.”
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Beckenbauer corruption trial ends Dubai becomes latest overseas without verdict venue to offer ECB its facilities
The trial of German World Cup winner Franz Beckenbauer has ended without a verdict. (AFP/File / Sascha Schuermann) AFP - German football great Franz Beckenbauer’s trial on corruption charges linked to the 2006 World Cup has ended without a verdict after previously being put on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic. The five-year-long trial, held in Switzerland, of 74-year-old Beckenbauer and three other men was suspended because of the health crisis and the statute of limitations has now expired. Beckenbauer, who headed the organising committee for the 2006 World Cup, had denied the allegations. FIFA said on Tuesday it was disappointed
that the trial would not proceed. “FIFA is deeply disappointed that the trial related to the FIFA World Cup Germany 2006 will not take place because it has now become time barred,” world football’s governing body said in a statement. “The fact that the case has now ended without a result of any kind is very worrying, not only for football but also for the administration of justice in Switzerland.” FIFA said it hoped the “truth” around the payment of 10 million Swiss francs at the centre of the accusations would come to light one day.“For FIFA this case is certainly not over as we cannot and will not accept that a CHF 10 million payment is made from FIFA accounts without a proper reason.” Beckenbauer was a World Cup winner as a player in 1974 and coach when West Germany won in 1990.In Switzerland, criminal proceedings concerning a fraud allegation must take place within 15 years. Because Beckenbauer’s case dates back to an incident in 2005, courts no longer have jurisdiction over the case.Beckenbauer was accused of making payments to former FIFA executive Mohamed bin Hammam in 2005. Beckenbauer has denied he paid money to anyone “to buy votes” to help Germany win the right to host the 2006 finals. Germany beat the pre-vote favourites South Africa 12-11 in the ballot.
Griffith throws his hat in for Green Machine call-up
Griffith during a warm up before a goodwill match against the visiting French Guiana side in 2019. By Calvin Chapman ormer national youth rugby player, Ronaldo Griffith, is on a mission to make it into the lineup of the Green Machine; the 592’s senior men’s rugby team. The 21-year-old winger has now been converted to a flanker and he is confident in not only getting a debut call up to the senior
F
side but also optimistic in the direction the sport will be heading in the years to come. Griffith, who made his under-19 debut against home side French Guiana in 2017 where he played two games, explained that the new executive of the Guyana Rugby Football Union (GRFU) gives him hope of brighter days to come. “The union before wasn’t working as effectively as possible even though there may have been a lack of commitment and support from both parties. However, I’m sure the sport will take a turn for the better locally since the current President, Ryan Dey, an active player, will know much of the needs of the athletes and he will try his best to address those issues after being on the outside looking in for many years,” Griffith posited. The Police Falcons rugby club player shared that, “As a player, I’m looking to build on the existing experience and knowledge that I have and from the players around me. Guyana was the most feared rugby outfit not so long ago and I’m very confident that we can get back there and I want to play a role in getting us there.” “I’m fully aware that it requires a lot of hard work and talent to wear the national colours and I am putting in the hard work so when or if the opportunity arises, I will able to showcase my talent,” Griffith explained. The marketing consultant noted that he has been working extensively on his fitness and reaction during this quarantine period, while dedicating some time studying the game and the different rules. The former Queen’s College student expressed heartfelt thanks to Coach Laurence Adonis who got him involved with the sport through the school’s Physical Education (P.E.) programme. He highlighted that rugby actually helped him manage the pressure of the C.S.E.C. examinations better because he was under a lot of stress during that period but the exercise did wonders for him.
England’s most recent game in Dubai was in 2015. (Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
ESPNcricinfo - Dubai has emerged as the latest overseas venue that could host games to help salvage some cricket in the English season. Last week, ESPNcricinfo revealed that Abu Dhabi Cricket (ADC) was set to offer its facilities to the ECB for use between October and January, with all professional cricket in England and Wales suspended until July 1 at the earliest. Tom Harrison, the ECB’s chief executive, said on Friday that there had been “offers from multiple boards… as far away as New Zealand and Australia”. And Dubai has now thrown its hat into the ring to host games, as Salman Hanif, the head of cricket at Dubai Sports City (DSC), suggested he would “definitely be keen” to host whatever fixtures were on the table, whether internationals or county games. Restrictions have started to lift in the UAE following a strict curfew, and it would seem that the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic has been avoided there with 89 deaths reported to date. Malls have begun to re-open across the country, while the conditions of the lockdown have been loosened. “If anything comes up -
any bilateral series, or tournament - that has to be rescheduled, UAE would definitely be keen to host any of them,” Hanif told the National. “It is still too early to plan, but if there is anything such as that being considered by the ECB, we would be more than happy to host them. “We have hosted them in the past, and we would certainly offer the best of support, facilities and everything again. Outside of full member countries, UAE has the best cricket facilities, infrastructure, management support, and support for cricket organisations. We have proved that in the past. If anything comes up, I think UAE would be considered at the forefront.” There are three grounds at Dubai Sports City: the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, where England have played 12 times against Pakistan across all three formats, and two pitches at the ICC Academy which have regularly hosted pre-season county fixtures.The ECB has repeatedly stated its intention to stage cricket in England and Wales this summer, with internationals and the T20 Blast prioritised as the most lucrative forms of the game.
Harrison said last week that the ECB was “starting to get comfortable with the idea there won’t be crowds this summer”, suggesting that revenue from ticket sales would not be a major consideration. Richard Thompson, Surrey’s chairman, said last week that staging games overseas “has to be considered” but raised the “significant cost” of flying whole squads abroad as a drawback. “Broadcasters are crucial to this,” he said. “No governing body wants to breach an agreement with the broadcasters, so as long as it can deliver the product, it doesn’t matter where it delivers it from.” It appears that offers to play games overseas remain at a very early stage. Last week, David White, the chief executive of New Zealand Cricket, told the Mail on Sunday: “ We really feel for the ECB right now, given the disruption to their season, and are wanting to help in any way we can. “I’m in constant contact with Tom [Harrison] and have communicated that offer to him, should it become possible at our end. We’re part of a global cricket family, and we need to support each other.”
Jameis Winston: Quarterback signs for New Orleans Saints Jameis Winston threw 19,737 yards, produced 121 touchdowns and 88 interceptions in 72 games with the Bucs. (Getty Images)
BBC Sport - Quarterback Jameis Winston - who was replaced by Tom Brady at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers - has signed a one-year contract with the New Orleans Saints. The 26-year-old will be competing with Taysom Hill, who signed a $21m (£16.87m) deal on Sunday, to be secondchoice quarterback behind Drew Brees.American Winston led the NFL with 5,109 passing yards in 2019.He also (Continued on page 18)
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Corruptor involved in Shakib Al Hasan case banned for two years ESPNcricinfo - Deepak Agarwal, the corruptor involved in Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan getting banned last year for failing to report approaches, has now himself received a two-year ban form the ICC’s anti-corruption unit for breaching its code.Agarwal, an Indian businessman, will not be allowed to be involved in any form of cricket worldwide both domestic as well as international - until April 27, 2022, of which the last six months are suspended.The ICC said in a media release that Agarwal had accepted the solitary charge framed by the anti-corruption unit for “obstructing or delaying” an investigation including “concealing, tampering with or destroying any documentation or other information that may be relevant to that investigation and/or that may be evidence of or may lead to the discovery of evidence of corrupt conduct” under the ACU code.Incidentally Agarwal, who is understood to be 34 years old and lives in Indian capital Delhi, had been on the ACU list of corruptors for some time, and was charged as a “participant” under its code. That was because in November 2018 Agarwal became one of the owners at the Sindhis franchise in the T10 Cricket League. Three days after he joined T10 League as an owner, the ACU sat down Agarwal on
November 26 to investigate an alleged approach he had made to another “participant” in the past. That approach was not related to the T10 League. At this meeting, the ICC said Agarwal “surrendered” his mobile phone by “consent”. A month later, between December 22-25, 2018, the ACU found Agarwal was “engaged” in WhatsApp conversations with an unnamed person the ICC has called Mr X, who was facing several allegations the ACU was investigating. It is understood that Agarwal had used Mr X to get access to people including players to corrupt them and get information from them. On this occasion the ICC said both Agarwal and Mr X had been “in conversation” for “over the course of the previous year. “These WhatsApp conversations between Mr X and Mr Agarwal related to what Mr Agarwal had told the ACU in his interviews,” the ICC said. “In these conversations Mr Agarwal effectively instructed Mr X as to what to say to the ACU over certain matters to ensure that they both told the same story (a story which on occasions was not true) and consequently misled or obstructed the ACU’s investigation. “Mr X also sought clarification from Mr Agarwal over the interview process and what Mr Agarwal had told the
ACU on certain matters. In effect, Mr Agarwal and Mr X contrived together to mislead the ACU investigation and not to tell the truth in their answers. 7.” The ICC also said that Mr X was “instructed” by Agarwal to delete all the messages they had exchanged and his number during the course of the investigation. “In other words, Mr Agarwal instructed Mr X to conceal and/or destroy information which might be relevant to the ACU’s investigations. Mr Agarwal also instructed Mr X to lie to the ACU about when he had last spoken to Mr Agarwal, as they had had conversations during a time where Mr Agarwal had explicitly been told by the ACU not to engage with Mr X.” The ICC said that Agarwal “effectively admitted” to the breach during the investigations, saying both him and Mr X had “connived to mislead and/or obstruct” the ACU investigation. On December 22, 2019 the ICC formally charged Agarwal, who accepted that charge in writing on April 27. The ICC said that although under the code Agarwal could have been charged for the maximum penalty of up to 5 years, it had taken into account some mitigating factors. These included Agarwal “promptly” agreeing to the charge and importantly agreeing to “substantial assis-
Decision to let Gayle go was strictly business - Jamaica Tallawahs Sports Max - The Jamaica Tallawahs have claimed that the decision to not retain Chris Gayle for the 2020 CPL season was strictly business. The Jamaica-based Hero CPL franchise yesterday refuted claims made by Chris Gayle on Monday that politics and Ramnaresh Sarwan were behind their decision to let Gayle leave for the St Lucia Zouks for the coming season. Gayle, in a series of videos posted on Youtube on Monday, suggested that Sarwan, his former West Indies teammate, turned management against him. He said when he refused to back Sarwan’s bid to become team manager, Sarwan sought payback. Gayle called Sarwan a snake and said he was worse than the Coronavirus. Gayle also said he believes that accepting an invitation from Guyana’s Minister of State Joe Harmon in 2018, also played a part in the decision
to let him go. However, in a statement released early yesterday, the Tallawahs said Gayle’s comments were far off base and that they are only focussed on rebuilding a team that disappointed during the 2019 season. “The ownership and management of the Jamaica Tallawahs was disappointed to see the comments made by Mr Christopher Gayle about his departure from the Tallawahs, as we would much rather have had these discussions in private,” the statement said, explaining that Sarwan did not play a role in any decision affecting the self-styled ‘Universe Boss’. “Mr Gayle gave several reasons for the decision that was made not to retain him in the Tallawahs. However, the truth is that this decision was made collectively by the ownership and management team, which did not include Mr
Ramnaresh Sarwan, and based purely on business and cricketing reasoning.” The Tallawahs also dismissed Gayle’s claim about him being targeted because of perceived political connections. “Further, the ownership and management of the Tallawahs have no political affiliation with any political organization in any country of the Caribbean,” the statement said. “The Tallawahs had a very disappointing season in CPL 2019, where the team finished last in the tournament. The ownership and management team has exercised its rights in the selection of players for CPL 2020 for the betterment of the team. “The ownership and management of the Tallawahs will not be making any further comment on this matter as we are focusing on building the team for the future.”
tance” he would provide to the ACU with its various other investigations. “There were a number of examples of Mr Agarwal obstructing and delaying our investigations and it was not just a one off occurrence,” Alex Marshall, ICC’s general manager, integrity, said in the release. “However, he made a prompt admission of his breach of the ICC Anti-Corruption Code and continues to provide substantial assistance to the ACU in relation to several investigations involving other participants. This cooperation is reflected in his sanction.”
Shakib Al Hasan is serving a ban for failing to report Deepak Agarwal’s approaches. (Getty Images)
Japan’s Abe says cannot hold Olympics unless pandemic contained TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said yesterday that the Tokyo Olympics could not take place next year unless the coronavirus pandemic is contained, as the city’s governor called for an extension of the nationwide state of emergency. The International Olympic Committee and the Japanese government last month postponed the Games until July 2021 because of the coronavirus crisis. With the epidemic’s worldwide infection rate climbing and experts suggesting a vaccine is a long way off, doubts have been raised about the chances of holding the huge event next year. “We’ve been saying the Olympic and Paralympic Games must be held in a complete form, in that athletes and spectators can all participate safely. It would be impossible to hold the Games in such a complete form unless the coronavirus pandemic is contained,” Abe said in response to an opposition lawmaker. Abe’s summary of the situation was later underlined by IOC President Thomas Bach. “The IOC fully agrees with the position of Prime Minister Abe,” Bach said in response to a question from Reuters. “From the very beginning of this crisis, we established the principle that the Olympic and Paralympic Games can only be organised in a safe environment for everyone involved. This principle has driven all our decisions so far, and we remain committed to it in the future.” Abe has staked part of his legacy as Japan’s longest-
Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe gestures as he speaks during a news conference at the prime minister’s official residence in Tokyo, Japan April 17, 2020. (Kiyoshi Ota/Pool via REUTERS) serving premier on holding the Games and was hoping for a boom in tourism and consumer spending. Japan has gathered some $3 billion in domestic sponsorship, an Olympic record, and spent close to $13 billion on preparations. The prime minister said on Wednesday that the Olympics “must be held in a way that shows the world has won its battle against the coronavirus pandemic,” and cautioned that Japan should “brace for a protracted battle”. Tokyo confirmed 47 new infections yesterday. The national tally stands at 13,895 infections, including 413 deaths, national broadcaster NHK said. The Nikkei business daily reported last night that the government was planning to extend the nationwide emergency by about one month and that it would make a final decision after hearing from experts at a meeting on Fri-
day. While Japan’s tally is still low compared with other nations, critics say the country is not doing enough testing to reveal the scope of a problem that has put huge strains on some of its hospitals. Reflecting that view, Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike told reporters that the situation in the capital remained difficult and called on Abe’s cabinet to extend the nationwide emergency, which is due to end on May 6. Abe’s comments echoed statements made by other senior Japanese officials this week.Tokyo 2020 president Yoshiro Mori told Nikkan Sports on Tuesday that the Games would be “scrapped” if they could not take place in 2021.The head of the Japan Medical Association (JMA), Yoshitake Yokokura, told a news briefing on Tuesday that “unless an effective vaccine is developed, I expect hosting the Olympics will be difficult”.
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Thursday April 30, 2020
Chanderpaul quits as Skipper, Lara retires after 17 years in Test Cricket
What cricket means to West Indians By Sean Devers fter another series defeat in New Zealand and the loss of form, Shiv Chanderpaul quit as West Indies skipper on April 11th 2006. “I would like to take this opportunity to tender my resignation as captain with immediate effect. This would give me an opportunity to focus on my batting and other areas of my cricket….where I would be able to make a more significant contribution to the team by being more focused on my batting. I have served my time as the captain and would like to pass the mantle on to another person. I would fully support my replacement, and work towards the good of the team. I would like to thank all who worked with me during my tenure as captain and I am looking forward to continuing my hard work for West Indies cricket,” the 31year-old Guyanese said in his resignation letter to the WICB. Chanderpaul had lost 10 of his 14 Tests as West Indies Captain as his charges just managed one victory during his tenure. Lara is back as captain …for 3rd time The 2006 home series against India saw Lara; now 37, take over the captaincy for the third time in his illustrious career. Lara took over for the one-day series against the weak Zimbabwe side and the much tougher Indians and almost immediately the Caribbean team showed signs of
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Vice-Captain Sarwan was dropped for the 2nd Test against Pakistan by Lara sparking speculations of a rift in the squad. rejuvenation. They won all of the five ODIs against Zimbabwe and then beat India 4-1 in the one-day series; Lara’s leadership proved inspirational and the team looked united and committed to the cause of reviving West Indies cricket. India had only beaten the West Indies once in a series in the Caribbean and that was 35 years before. Without an injured Sachin Tendulkar and the West Indies showing renewed spirit, their fans were very optimistic as they hunted their first series win since beating Bangladesh in 2004. Lara was now in the twilight of his career and seemed fully matured and determined to be remembered as not only a sublime batsman who will rank among the greats of all time, but more importantly a great leader who helped West Indies cricket move forward.
Brian Lara returned as Captain for the third time.
He seemed no longer preoccupied with individual batting records and genuinely wanted to help the younger players in the team and see West Indies improve. Lara said prior to the start of the test series that he was not interested in records on a ground where he had twice scored world record scores of 375 and 400 adding that the team wanted to see more wins instead of more records. The fielding in the oneday series was brilliant and the body language of the players on and off the field was superb. So good was Lara’s captaincy that even two of his most vocal critics (Viv Richards and Richie Richardson) stated publicly that Lara was doing a wonderful job. Expectations were high as the four-test series got under way in Antigua and a very good first day in which Lara held three catches to become the first West Indian to hold 150 test catches, confirmed that although there was still a long way to go, the home team was steadily improving in all departments of the game. A brilliant second innings double century by Wasim Jaffer ‘took the game way’ from the West Indies as the pitch improved as the match progressed; leaving West Indies to get 392 to win from eight overs and the entire the final day. The match went down to the wire after Lara fell for duck and Sarwan failed to reach double figures. West Indies drew the match in mounting pressure as Collymore survived the last of the mandatory overs with the last pair (actually three) at the wicket. Edwards, who survived 37 balls for his important unbeaten one, had Ganga with him as his runner. Only rain which washed out the entire fourth day and a brilliant 32nd test century from Lara in the second innings saved the West Indies from an innings defeat in the second test in St Lucia. Lara publicly called for faster pitches and another genuine fast bowler in either Jermaine Lawson or Tino Best for the historic third test, the first to be hosted in St Kitts. The selectors instead picked spinner Dave
Shiv Chanderpaul quit as Captain after losing 10 of his 14 matches as Skipper Mohamed and chairman, Joey Carew explained that his panel was afraid that Lawson would be ‘called for throwing’ if he was selected. The start of the St. Kitts test was put in jeopardy just days before its scheduled commencement when WIPA issued a press statement claiming that the players were playing without contracts and would take industrial action if the issue was not addressed by the WICB before the start of the third test. WICB President Trinidadian Ken Gordon was at the time in Germany watching Trinidad and Tobago play in the FIFA World Cup. The matter was subsequently resolved and the impressive Warner Park Stadium had its debut test. Centuries from Ganga and Sarwan and an unbeaten 97 from Chanderpaul were the highlights of another drawn test but skipper Lara said after the game he believed his team had shown signs of improvement. “We might not have performed at a 100 percent as we would have liked to but I am definitely seeing an improvement in the performances. The fact of the matter is we are still in a series against India who is highly ranked than us, with one test to go,” Lara added. The West Indies lost the final test in Jamaica and India had won their first series in the Caribbean since 1971. West Indies continued to play well in the one-day version of the game and
reached the final of the Trination series in Malaysia; losing to Australia. They again reached the final of the ICC Champions Trophy in India; again losing to world champions Australia in the final. Playing their first test series in Pakistan since their 3-nil drubbing in the threetest series in 1997, West Indies lost the first test despite a brilliant second innings century from Lara who scored his 34th test ton in the second test when he made a double century to help earn a draw for his team. Chanderpaul’s 100th test appearance in the 2nd test was overshadowed by the dropping of Vice-Captain Sarwan sparking speculation that there was a rift between the skipper and his deputy which transcended beyond the boundary. Mohamed Yusuff mauled the West Indies bowlers throughout the series to continue his magnificent form in 2006. Just missing double centuries in the first two tests, the ‘bearded assassin’ scored his third ton of the series in the first innings of the third test and overhauled the 47 required in the second innings to break Richard’s 30-year-old record for most runs (1,710 runs from 11 matches) in a calendar year. Yusuff, who broke the record in his 11th test of the year, celebrated with a second innings hundred and the West Indies soon slipped to a 2-0 defeat in the series by losing the final test. A genius quits after 17 yrs Lara’s retires after
CWC2007 The unexpected retirement from Test cricket by Lara during West Indies’ penultimate match in the 2007 Cricket World Cup in Barbados sparked wild speculation and his farewell International match against England was watched by a capacity ground at the Kensington Oval. His controversial run out; batting with Marlon Samuels, was a sad way to end an illustrious International career which lasted 17 years and entertained million of fans. Reportedly not recommended as captain by the selectors for the 2007 tour to England, Lara, who announced that he was retiring from ODIs after the CWC, called it a day during West Indies’ CWC game against Bangladesh after saying only a few weeks earlier that he wanted to continue at the Test level until he was 40. Lara’s Test career began in Pakistan in 1990 and lasted for 17 years. During an interview at Lords during the 2007 tour to England by the West Indies, Lara, in London to open a cricket museum honoring him, lamented that the lack of support he got from the WICB and insularity among the West Indian fans, affected his role as West Indies captain.
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