Kaieteur News

K

AIETEUR Guyana has a choice:

Democracy or the Abyss

Wednesday Edition July 22, 2020 - Vol. 15 No. 29

NEWS

Guyana’s largest selling daily & New York’s most popular weekly

Online: www.kaieteurnews.com p.13

Price $80

- OAS Secretary General

Online readership yesterday, 174,914

OAS Special Meeting on Guyana reveals...

21 countries call for declaration using recount results p.18

“

It is not too late for Guyana. We call upon the leaders to respect the results of the democratic election…

If stalemate continues, however, it will only be the Guyanese people who suffer. APNU+AFC and its leaders face a strong choice; does the party want Guyana to be a leader in the hemisphere and an example of democracy or does it want to be an international pariah?

- Bradley Freden, US representative to the OAS

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Basil Williams falsely Democracy delayed is states that CCJ democracy nullified recount figures denied p.12

- Sir Ronald Sanders

It would take a generation to repair the damage done to Guyana’s image p.3

- OAS Observer Chief

Bring curtains Man given royal Decomposed body - FITUG tells down on Coalition run around to found in well at elections circus recover bail money Puruni Landing p.

17

p.16

p.

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Coalition files appeal to overturn CJ’s ruling in elections case p.8

- First hearing set for 3:00pm today

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Kaieteur News

Wednesday July 22, 2020

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

Publisher: GLENN LALL TEL:624-6456 Editor: Sharmain Grainger Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210

EDITORIAL

Shared Governance

In the wake of the now internationally embarrassing tactics taken by the David Granger administration more than four months after it lost an election to the opposition by over 15,000 votes, various individuals and groups have surfaced with theories and propositions on shared governance.

There have been proposals of various dynamics with one interesting ‘communiqué’ suggesting that there be some system of rotating the President and Prime Ministerial positions. As well-meaning as the best of them might sound, these proposals tend to gloss over two very important things.

The very first one is a technical issue – the law. Any proposal for shared governance has to have a legal basis and the Constitution as it currently stands does not provide for any of the measures proposed. Any arrangement that seeks to replace the current zero-sum game that is not built upon actual Constitutional reform is one that cannot get off the ground – even the best configuration would be simply a house of feathers built upon drifting sand. It is the law that gives structure to government, not bullet points in a Power-point presentation. Wishful thinking does not automatically translate to the sanction of executive fiat – only laws, passed by a legitimately installed legislature, can do that, and a legitimate assembly is only installed, under very specific rules, according to votes gained in an election.

Which brings us to the next issue – respect for the law.

From its reaction to the No Confidence Vote, which was successfully passed on the basis of the basic constitutional provisions that allow such a vote and the consequences flowing therefrom, the Granger administration has shown an increasingly shameless disregard for the law. It has used litigation to carve out breathing room for unconstitutional actions, and continues to abuse the judicial process to artificially extend his occupation of the seat of executive power. This alone would be bad enough in itself – that it is being undertaken in the middle of a pandemic and subsequent economic downturn is a national lesson in the mindless banality of evil. If there is no respect for existing law, there will not be respect for any good-faith agreement that has no effective legal basis, even if such an agreement were possible.

What David Granger is currently engaged in is not simply antithetical to good governance in general, it is a non-starter for shared governance along the very lines he has previously proposed. Shared governance has to be premised, before anything else, on shared trust, the sort that cannot be afforded to any political leadership that is actively engaged in seeking to overturn the will of the people.

Of all the current proposals being put forward, curiously only after the Coalition decisively lost the election, there is no reference to a very specific document that was distributed a decade ago, one which promised, inter alia: “* Undertaking constitutional reform to remove the scope for abuses and excesses carried out with impunity by the Executive and by the President, in particular. Part of the solution lies in reform of the National Assembly to ensure checks on the majority in the Legislature and on the Executive so that the interests of the nation as a whole and the interests of substantial minorities are taken into account. * Ensuring that all citizens and residents are equal under the law and that the institutional requirements intended to facilitate the accountability of all arms of the State are effective. * Separating and protecting the Judiciary and Constitutional Offices from the Executive reforming and strengthening the Police Force.”

That document was the campaign manifesto for A Partnership for National Unity, headed by David Granger as Presidential Candidate, who trumpeted, if elected, the end to winner-take-all politics and “inviting all eligible and willing parties to participate in the Government on the basis of the seats they acquire.”

The time has come to bring the electoral impasse to an end DEAR EDITOR, As we stand face to face with the new reality of the world, COVID-19, world leaders are perplexed and baffled on the way forward as they watched helplessly at world economies reeling in some countries, almost to a complete halt.

The coronavirus recession is full of uncertainty and the unfolding recovery is slower than many economists and leaders expect and weaker than in the past.

During the great recession, there was a rapid rebound of the global value chain, which was a major driver of productivity and growth, but now, we can see broken supply relationships and a

major decline in the worlds trade volumes. So definitely, the recovery will be sluggish and the trend of the GDP growth may not return to the pre-pandemic trajectory.

Charles Michel, President of the European Union, describes the situation to the leaders as “Mission Impossible” as he along with Christine Lagarde, Chief of the European Union Central Bank, are trying to convince the 27 nations to accept the two trillion dollars stimulus package in an effort to prop up the respective economies.

Millions of businesses worldwide will not be able to open doors thus causing massive unemployment, starvation, hopelessness and

poverty of the likes never seen by the world before. Our country Guyana is no exception.

The time has dawned upon us for us to bring this electoral impasse to an end, so that together we can confront this pandemic with better planning and a systematic approach.

Guyana’s economy is very fragile and tremendous hardship will reach our people if this situation cannot be settled. We must take into consideration that the 2020 revenue shortfall is going to put policy makers in obvious difficulties in their future planning.

I humbly appeal to all concerned particularly

President Granger, whom as Opposition Leader and as President, I had some healthy conversation with, let wisdom prevail and be the statesman most of us see you as. Sanctions are an extremely serious issue and we should not take it lightly. It will bring untold hardship on the population.

It will create serious economic hardships, hyperinflation, collapse of Banks and other institutions, societies would be ravaged, everything you own becomes valueless. Time is no longer on our side Mr. President; serious decisions must be hastily made.

Yours truly, Nazar Mohamed

President Granger should accept the will of the people and concede DEAR EDITOR, I had, in a previous letter, posited the view that the APNU+AFC is doing a great disservice to its members and supporters by promoting a narrative that it has won the March 2, 2020 elections when the entire democratic world know otherwise.

The most recent ruling by the High Court has once

again re-confirmed whatever lingering doubts some people may have, including a significant number of APNU+AFC supporters, that the PPP/C has won the elections.

Understandably, the APNU+AFC supporters would prefer to see their party in the seat of government once again through democratic means. However, the

election results have determined otherwise. Many now are experiencing what sociologists refer to as ‘role conflict’, a state of not wanting to openly speak out against electoral malpractice, mainly out of political loyalty, but at the same time having to live with the guilt of an administration that is seeking to perpetuate its life in government

by undemocratic means.

I recall a statement made years ago by someone in the aftermath of a rigged election that ‘the shame is greater than the victory.’ I again urge that good sense prevail and that President Granger gracefully accept the will of the electorate and concede defeat.

Yours truly, Hydar Ally

For too long have we endured PNC bullyism DEAR EDITOR, Please allow me space in your paper to express my concern about March 2, 2020 election. For too long I have sat aside and not expressed my views.

Leading up to the Guyana election on March 2,2020, one would have seen blatant attempts to undermine democracy with the misunderstand-

ing what is majority of 65, the unilateral appointment of Patterson. However, putting all of that aside you would have seen the rebirth of the PNC. I was born in the year 1980, during the era of Burnham and growing up my Nanna was a strong PPP man; he would tell us stories of what he and my Nannie endured during the

Of course, both history and current events have proven that the David Granger as incumbent President in 2020 is a vastly different creature than the David Granger as would-be President in 2011. Someone once said that, “Power doesn’t always corrupt but it always reveals.” In this case, the powersharing progressive democrat of 2011 has been revealed to be, with his ascension to power, a power-hoarding regressive autocrat.

The talk of power sharing has to be taken out of the realm of convenient and comprised conjecture and into that of principle and practicality. The law allows for practical steps towards Constitutional Reform. After an Executive is sworn in and a Legislature seated on the basis of votes gained in the election, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Constitutional Reform – once chaired by Granger himself – needs to be activated. When this is done, the Constitutional Reform Consultative Commission Bill, crafted since 2017 by the Granger administration under pressure from the United Nations but then hidden away, needs to be reconsidered, tabled in Parliament, passed and then signed into law.

That legally established Commission would then be the lawful authority for canvassing the opinions of citizens on what the new contours of a viable system of more inclusive governance is going to look like. After this, a new Constitution is drafted and signed into law either via a two-thirds majority in Parliament or via a referendum. There is no other pathway

day of the PNC. My mother and father told us similar stores of the hardship meted out to them and I felt a little.

I can vividly recall my nanna telling me about when ballot boxes were being thrown into the Demerara River. These days are long gone but will never been forgotten. My nanna would tell

us stores of when Dr. Jagan would come to our home in Vreed-en-Hoop. At the time my mom was a little girl and she would put a mala around him and he would say to her, “The days that we are facing now will all come to an end”.

For me it took too long for it to end for I remember my nanna going to Parika market, (Continued on page 6)

at present.As for Executive power sharing in the short term, the current Constitution provides a pathway, one for which precedent has already been set. The Bharrat Jagdeo administrations of 2001 and 2006 did in part what candidate Granger in 2011 committed to do, in that he, Jagdeo, included TUF’s Manzoor Nadir, whose party had gained a single seat in both elections, into the Executive. There is certainly a sound argument to be made that, as a gesture of good will, effective President-Elect, Irfaan Ali, should commit to reaching across the aisle and include, as he is constitutionally allowed to do, credible persons from the Coalition and smaller parties into the Executive. This would go a significant distance towards easing the legitimate fears held by significant sections of the population, still offering their default support to the Granger administration’s desperate grasp on power, that the PPP is not going to return to its brutally hegemonic ways.

That said, no proposal for shared governance can or should come out of any process that is not based on the law.

Moreover, no proposal for shared governance must be premised on a lawfully elected executive using unlawful method to bully its way into either retaining or sharing power.

Those who are proposing the various configurations of shared governance therefore need to begin by insisting that David Granger concede defeat and allow the current constitutional processes that can eventually lead to shared governance to work.

Wednesday July 22, 2020

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Kaieteur News

All faiths provide ways of achieving harmony in the present political situation DEAR EDITOR, I am deeply saddened by the unfortunate decline in harmony, peace, and cohesion currently prevailing in our country.

My concern for peace can be assessed by examining the fact that all religions and their respective doctrines all commit to the cause of peace, love, harmony, and respect.

As I sit here to pen this missive, I am mind-boggled of the fact that religion has always been the first institution to instill such core values in us, but why is it that even with these sets of values, the concept of peace and harmony is so hard to attain? In Guyana alone, ninety-seven percent of the population is God-conscious.

Anyway, I say these words because it is my personal opinion that the APNU+AFC has lost the elec-

tions and they are holding on to power with a view to having a technicality to stay in power. But then, look at what all of this is doing to Guyana.

I wish to make it pellucid that in no way am I being biased against the APNU+AFC; I am just a firm believer in upholding the values that spell out what is fair and unfair or right and wrong.

I was taught to stand firm for justice without favoritism. As the Holy Quran states, “O ye who believe!

Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Almighty Allah, even if it is against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, and whether it be (against) rich or poor: for Almighty Allah can best protect both.

Follow not the lusts (of your hearts), lest ye swerve, and if ye distort (justice) or decline to do justice, verily Al-

lah is well-acquainted with all that ye do.” [Quran 4:135] In the infamous advice embodied in the Bhagavad Gita, we see Krishna counseling Prince Arjun that his dharma is to protect the people of his kingdom: “If you do not engage in this righteous battle then both your personal dharma and your honor will be destroyed,” (The Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 2:33.)

That being said, I wish to speak out, as I am known to do and state the fact that the APNU/AFCs unwillingness to cooperate, along with their disrespect of our Constitution has resulted in the fragmentation of our society, the harboring of distress, fear, frustration, and uncertainty to foster in the hearts and minds of our Guyanese citizens.

We, as a people, do not deserve these mental pressures. We, as a people, are in

DEAR EDITOR, Late last evening, while browsing through the news feed on my Facebook profile, I came across a sponsored post under the profile name of Moses Nagamootoo. I was intrigued and began to read.

I was appalled at the vitriolic, diatribe I was reading.

The deliberate misinformation, unashamedly, contained with the missive was shocking. However, in retrospect, I ought not to be for I have listened to campaign speeches prior to the 2015 elections from Mr. Nagamootoo and have witnessed his actions thereof, after assuming Office.

In his missive, the first few sentences painted a totally different reality from that which obtains in Guyana, as it relates to the 2nd March 2020 National and Regional elections.

It is no secret that the APNU+AFC Coalition lost those elections and have tried at every stage to thwart the will of the electorate. In the interest of time and becoming overly repetitive, I will omit the details of those actions.

However, the world over is aware of the constant attempts to commit electoral fraud by the Coalition.

Commendably, the world did not stay silent. On an almost daily basis, the US, Canada, UK, EU, Norway, Brazil, international and local organisations, such as The Carter Center, the Organisation of American States (OAS), the Common-

wealth, CARICOM, the Private Sector Commission (PSC) and many more have spoken out against the Coalition and their attempts to frustrate, stymie and thwart the will of the electorate.

In fact, after these statements and pleadings with the Coalition to allow the will of the electorate to prevail fell on deaf ears, the US State Department went a step further and imposed sanctions on the Granger administration and other actors in the ploy to derail Guyana from her democratic path. In an attempt to defend the sanctions and support the contentions of his political masters at Congress Place the headquarters of the leading political party within the APNU+AFC Coalition Mr. Nagamootoo quoted extensively from two members of the US Congress, namely, Congressman Hakeem Jeffries and Congresswoman Yvette Clarke. However, the contentions of the two members of Congress are hopelessly flawed. In fact, Mr. Nagamootoos very next paragraph provides the learned mind with the reasoning of why that is so.

Like other leaders of the APNU+AFC Coalition, Mr. Nagamootoo, parrots the argument of “sovereignty”.

Over the past 140 odd days since the 2nd March 2020 elections were held, any official from any foreign country, international observer mission to Guyana, Diplomat, and others who speak out against the Coalitions blatant at-

tempts to rig those elections were met with the argument that Guyana is a “sovereign nation” and “outsiders should keep out of our affairs”.

While states are still main actors in international relations and principles such as territorial integrity, and enjoy the right of non-intervention, rights over the sea and the skies, which are a few examples of this tenet, the rights to sovereign immunity have evolved, particularly within the last few decades. States are not absolutely immune, and their rights must be balanced with their duties or responsibilities. Simply put, governments are not allowed to get away with everything any longer, especially in relation to human rights. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 21 (3) states: “The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections…”

Therefore, in my view, to deny the will of the people and denying genuine elections, one is committing a human rights violation.

In the 21st century, surely the APNU+AFC Coalition did not think that the world would try a blind eye as they try to thwart the will of the electorate and steal an entire Government in an attempt to hold on to Executive power.

Yours truly, Roodi Balgobin

Sovereignty comes with the responsibility to respect democratic principles

dire need of healing, for peace, and for harmony. For how long would this farce prolong?

Our peoples are disjointed; mentally and physically beaten and broken by this “humanopolitico” virus that has been selfishly unleashed by those seeking aggrandizement and personal gratification.

And, to add salt to our wounds, the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic makes it all the more overbearing.

It is for these reasons that I wish to take this opportunity to call on the Leaders of our two leading political parties to accept the reality of the results of the election; come together, sit down and address one of the most critical concerns of our time: the urgent need to promote harmony, respect, and understanding among adherents of various political beliefs.

As the Holy Bible eloquently states, “Let us; therefore, make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.”

(Mathews 14:19). It is time to create a state of peace of mind, harmony, goodwill, and respect.

It is time for President Granger, acting; and our Opposition Leader and Civil Society to take the helm, to take charge, to do something, “make all efforts” to stop this charade because what is happening in our country has been going on for far too long.

This fear, anxiety, and hate nurturing in the hearts and minds of we, the citizens, need to come to an end!

My advice is this: for the longest while, I have been

advocating for inclusive political governance.

I have always believed that societies whose political parties are inclusive and participatory tend to be more productive and successful. I believe that the new Government when they take power should have an understanding, along with the opposition, that they should work together to create cohesion and love in society.

They should create a new constitution where we can have shared governance, where we can have something like a Congress or a Senate, whereby the other percentage of the population that comprises of the opposition, can have an authority and a say in the goings-on of the country.

In this way, they would not be stymied in representing their people by the powerful Government of Guyana which might win by one or two seats.

We need to move pass the practice of exclusion and where the winner takes all.

Societies with these processes of exclusion and “winner takes all” are more vulnerable to conflict and frailty. Inclusive democratic gover-

nance is important for the sustainability of conflict resolution and harmony.

It leads to resolving systemic inequities and other root causes of conflict.

It is my hope that the new government, when they take power, heed my message of how to win hearts and minds, and study the book I recommended to them by Dale Carnegie, “How to Win Friends and Influence People.”

I once encouraged them to do so, but it looked like none of them heeded; except for maybe President-Elect, Dr. Irfan Ali, who seemed to have already mastered this art of winning friends.

Political leaders, I am imploring you to give peace a chance!

It is the need of the hour!

We, the citizens of this country are exhausted, tired, broken; for how much longer do we need to sleep with opened eyes and broken hearts?

Let us all band together as One Human Family Under God to move Guyana forwards as One People, One Nation, with One Destiny.

Sincerely, Hajji Dr. Roshan Khan Snr.

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Kaieteur News

Wednesday July 22, 2020

The State of Guyana’s Economy is Likely Worse than we Feared DEAR EDITOR, The recently published Bank of Guyana Quarterly report corroborates what I have written in the past cautioning that the Granger administration policies were creating the environment for a disruptively painful, and avoidable economic recession. Indeed, what could have been avoided would now be made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Guyanese must not be hoodwinked into thinking that the dismal state of the economy is purely the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Guyanas economy had been in distress up to the end of the first quarter of 2020, the result of the poor economic management and policy failure of the administration.

I have written extensively on the policy decisions I believe were responsible for dragging the economy into decline.

Prominently among the illconceived schemes of the Granger Administration was the dismantling of GUSUCO and the downsizing of the sugar industry.

This ill-advised series of actions immediately created massive unemployment and a significant loss of export earnings and foreign currency.

Another of the Granger administration atrocities was the starving of the agriculture sector of essential funding.

Guyanas non-traditional agriculture sub-sector is predominantly small-scaled. Reduced fiscal outlays to the sub-sector therefore impact small farmers in the most direct of ways in addition to the local economy they reside in and serve. As if that were not enough, the totally unimagi-

native Granger administration sought to tax its way to prosperity by imposing burdensome taxes on households through the elimination of critical VAT exemptions and the exponential increases in service fees.

Who would doubt that the Granger administration in its short tenure, has distinguished itself as the most lawless and corrupt of administrations this country has seen. Sadly, taxpayers will not extract an iota of benefit, from the corrupt spending on shady projects undertaken by the Granger administration.

The economic consequences of these actions are not benign, they are real and painful and it is the taxpayers who will have to shoulder them.

The BOG report shows that Guyanas foreign asset holdings at the end of the first quarter to 2020 declined by another 5.6% or almost US$1M; it has declined by more than G$23 billion or more than 18%from the end of the first quarter of 2015.

What does this mean and why it is important? It means over the last five years, the government liquidated G$23 billion worth of foreign assets holdings .If the economy was as rock solid as Finance Minister Winston Jordan proclaimed in successive budget speeches, why sell foreign asset holdings? While there are few good reasons to sell foreign assets in times of a growing economy, when you consider the sale of these assets alongside the other policy decisions, such as those mentioned above, it is quite evident that the likely reason for doing so was to replace lost foreign currency

earnings in the foreign exchange market to keep the exchange rate stable.

In the first quarter of 2020, the total foreign exchange sales were greater than purchases, resulting in a net sale of US$49.5 million, notes the Central Bank.

This means financial institutions sold more of their foreign currency holdings to meet market demands. Other economic indicators also confirmed the underlying distress of the economy.

The reports show that over the 2015 to 2020 period, non-performing loans increased to 10.1 percent; this is likely to get worse as the real economy continues to downslide. Further, another G$12 billion has been added to the deficit in the public sector savings account bringing the total deficit at the end of the first quarter to roughly G$83 billion.

The overall balance of payment deficit worsened as a result of lower capital inflows. International reserves at the end of the first quarter were sufficient to cover only half of the three months of imports considered to be the adequate reserve level.

None of this is surprising.

Sugar exports which in 2014 earned foreign currency equivalent to over G$18 billion have gradually declined to less than G$6 billion in 2019 and well on its way to earning less in 2020. Rice exports which have been one of the main foreign currency earners over the last five years still earn less in a year than it did in 2014. In fact, from 2011 to 2014, both the quantity and value of rice exported grew uninterruptedly. The same is

true of timber exports. From 2011 to 2014, the value of timber exports grew uninterruptedly and peaked at G$11 billion but has gradually declined to less than G$7 billion in 2019 and is likely to continue down this path.

All of this had and continues to have a material impact on the country’s foreign currency market. Gold is an outlier in the export sector; its exports and earnings have exploded since 2015 and continues to grow. Gold production, however, is a high-risk activity and an unreliable and unstainable source of earnings. Except for the services sector, the agriculture, fishery, and forestry sector is the largest employer. Naturally, their declining performance has serious consequences for jobs, household incomes, livelihood, and poverty.

Despite good performance in the mining and quarrying sector, it is not a major employer and therefore cannot replace the jobs and income losses from the other sectors. The same is true for the oil sector; it is a highly machine-driven sector and would not be a major employer of labour or a source of household incomes. Currently, proceeds from this sector are not accessible for use in the economy owing to the absence of a legitimate government. And even with a legitimate government, the use of oil proceeds would be somewhat restrictive. In other words, the oil sector will not be the savior of the economy; it is not a substitute for good economic management and policies. It always was and remains a most potent sector for Guyana to build a strong

Why include references to anomalies if they are not to be dealt with by GECOM?

DEAR EDITOR, Much has been said about the Recount of the 2020 elections, and a lot of groups and individuals have given it credibility. However, more needs to be done to better assess and address the irregularities that surfaced during the recount process.

GECOM has a standard operating procedure (SOP) which deals with how the elections are conducted on polling day and naturally how supporting documentation is presented after the count at the close of polls. If those supporting documents are not in place, it naturally brings into disrepute the contents of ballot boxes, thereby leading

to questionable ballots.

A breach of these SOPs therefore requires those responsible for missing documentation, be investigated forthwith and if found guilty be dealt with in a condign manner. It is a criminal offence to tamper with the elections process.The Chief Elections Officer (CEO) in his June 13 Declaration of the Recount argued that identified anomalies and instances of voter impersonation do not appear to satisfy the criteria of impartiality, fairness, and compliance with provisions of the Constitution and the Representation of the People Act. “Consequently, on the basis of the votes counted and the

information furnished from the recount, it cannot be ascertained that the results… meet the standard of fair and credible elections,” he concluded.

While the GECOM Chair, on 18 June, acknowledged in a GECOM press statement that some of the allegations are of a serious nature and must be addressed, she however concluded that the Commission does not have the power to do the latter. It then begs the question why did the Chair of GECOM agree to include references to anomalies in the recount if they were not going to be dealt forthwith by GECOM?Those allegedly responsible for electoral fraud

cannot remain unscathed, especially now that Western Allies are talking about sanctions for electoral officials, they need to be correctly directed who undertook electoral fraud and who s visas should be targeted.

Finally, if the GECOM Chair, the CEO and subsequently the APNU+AFC Commissioners all agree that the electoral irregularities allegation is of a serious nature, then how come the Chair always seem to find ways to provide a result contrary to the belief of the majority of the Commission, which includes her?

Yours truly Krishna Persaud

and vibrant economy if properly managed.

You are probably wondering why until now I have not mentioned the real sector production figures; after all, the most common measure of economic performance is growth in the productive sectors.

We simply do not know the true state of the productive sectors because the actual data is not available.

Even the Bank of Guyana is not fully apprised of the true state of the productive sectors. The Bureau of Statistics which operates under the Ministry of Finance is by statute the designated body that is responsible for producing production data on the economy. In previous years, the Banks first quarter report would generally have numbers, even if preliminary, for the real sectors but this edition does not. This is likely due to staffing disruptions in the responsible entities over the last few months during which time the data would normally be compiled.

Without the necessary data, the Bank is left with very little to make its assessment.

In the Overview of the Banks report, paragraph two states “Preliminary estimates suggest that the Guyanese economy recorded mixed output performance in the major sectors at end-March 2020 …”. In the footnote of that same page, it qualified “preliminary” stating that “There was not much production data available up to the time”.

It is unclear what “not much” means in this context. The remaining of the said paragraph states for example that output in the agriculture sector increased, gold output increased, bauxite output decreased, and the services and construction sector experienced mixed performance.

It is important for stakeholders to understand that these are merely assumptions, estimates, and projections based on “not much” data. And in a time of economic uncertainty where the

economy is already struggling with structural stresses, much can change in a short time. To be clear, the Bank states “It is assumed that the agriculture sector experienced increased production of rice and other crops …”, “…output of forestry and sugar most likely declined in the first quarter of 2020”, “...

In the mining and quarrying sector, output of gold is estimated to have expanded for the first quarter…”, “The services and construction sectors are projected to have registered mixed output performance…”, and “The manufacturing sector most likely recorded an expansion in output …”.

The fact remains we simply do not know with any degree of certainty the state of the real productive sectors.

The distressed state of the economy at the end of the first quarter of 2020 was the result of years of policy decisions, albeit poor ones, of a legitimate government, a sitting parliament, and multiple national budgets.

Imagine what the economic reality would be in subsequent quarters given that it has been more than a year since Guyana is without a parliament, without a legitimate government, without a national budget, and facing the worse public health pandemic in its entire history.

This is not to terrify anyone but to once again sound the alarm loud and clear that what lies ahead will be unlike any economic disaster we have seen. If this election crisis is not brought to finality, entire sectors of the economy will collapse, unemployment will set historical records, the pace at which livelihoods are already being destroyed will increase even more acutely and unfortunately, lives will be lost, abject poverty in its worse forms will rise sharply, and decades of progress will be wiped out in almost an instant.

Yours truly, Dhanraj Singh

For too long have we ...

From page 4 getting up at 4 am Sunday morning just to get a bus. He would go and pick up plantain, cassava and eddo or anything that was left by the vendors. My mom would put my big brother in line at the co-op just to get an ounce of butter, oil, soap, flour or whatever was available. Sometime you are there first but end up at the back of the line when the PNC people showed up. I heard many people speak about fetching water for miles; I had done it for years. We never had portable water until 1996. I was sixteen then. For too long we have endured bullyism from the PNC it has to end.

I am a Guyanese by birth and have friends of all races and have worked with all of them and never have I seen racism like what I have seen during election time in Guyana. We are on the verge of becoming the richest nation in the world. My people, put aside politics there is a better life for all of us. We have seen who can manage and who mismanage. At the end of the day, we will all become losers if we continue in the manner we do. One People, One nation, One Destiny.

Yours truly Anand Gangdeen

Wednesday July 22, 2020

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Kaieteur News

“Democracy delayed is democracy - Sir Ronald Sanders denied”

By Shikema Dey Sir Ronald Sanders shared the view that the incessant delays to the long awaited declaration of Guyana’s March 2, 2020 Elections sends a strong message that the democracy of the country is being denied and made it clear that “democracy delayed is democracy denied”.

Giving remarks yesterday as Antigua and Barbuda’s representative at the Organisation of American States (OAS) Special Permanent Council meeting on Guyana’s electoral situation, Sir Sanders said that the country’s democracy is not being served, nor is the people of Guyana’s right to democracy being upheld.

“Consistent with the Inter-American democratic charters, to which all of our countries are signatories, the peoples of the Americas have a right to democracy,” Sir Sanders stated, noting that each government has to promote and defend it.

Sadly, it was noted, this is not the case in Guyana.

It has been 142 days since Guyanese exercised their

democratic franchise on March 2, and the country is still without a declaration and duly elected government.

Sir Sanders pointed out that while Guyana has been unable to produce a timely declaration, four other Caribbean countries have managed to execute their elections and appoint head of states, including one of Guyana’s closest neighbour, Suriname.

It is because of that fact, he said, Guyana has earned its place in the Guinness Book of World Records.

“Being entitled to enter the Guinness Book of World Record is usually for a remarkably deserving event however, Guyana has now been inscribed into the pages of the Guinness Book of Records for the unworthy event of having achieved the longest delay in the world’s history between an election and the declaration of an election result,” Sir Sanders said.

He added that since March 2, Guyana has been subject to a number of unnecessary delays aimed at dragging out the process, which is “testing the patience of a

tolerant international community” and additionally “tempting protest and unrest”.

The Ambassador made mention of the intervention of CARICOM in the elections following the fraudulent declarations made by District Four Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo. That led to a National Recount of the votes and revealed that the Opposition People’s Progressive Party won the elections.

The loser, incumbent A Partnership For National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC), Sir Sanders said has refused to accept this fact and is “persistently delaying the acceptance of the results and frustrating the peaceful and democratic end to the process.”

The party brought allegations that irregularities marred the electoral process so any result emerging from that, cannot be credible or used for a declaration. Such matters, however, can be addressed via an elections petition after the results are declared and a President sworn into office – a fact known by the coalition.

“It is not as if an aggrieved party does not have the recourse to address ir-

regularities,” Sir Sanders noted.

Continuing, Ambassador Sanders stated that the party chooses to run to the courts every time a decision is not made in their favour. He pointed to the third round of litigations where the Chief Justice, Roxane GeorgeWiltshire, reiterated what was said before – the recount was lawful and a declaration must derive from those figures.

The APNU, however, filed another appeal seeking to overturn the CJ’s decision; a move Sir Sanders stressed would take Guyana’s electoral stalemate well over to September 1st, causing democracy to be delayed further.

He touched on the fact that the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has attempted to bring the process to finality however; their efforts are marred by the constant abuse of the courts by APNU. Their supporters, he said, are being encouraged to re-

Sir Ronald Sanders

gurgitate dead matters in the court “again and again” but if this was not so, GECOM would have been able to make a declaration months ago to return the country to some form of normalcy.

Ending his presentation, Sir Sanders commended the role of the OAS, in resolving the dispute and added that the only interest is in the preservation of democracy.

“Every member of state of the OAS,” he said “cares

about Guyana and its people.

None of us have taken a political side in this impasse…

It is democracy that is now threatened; with implications for the Caribbean region and our hemisphere and democracy we must defend and must ensure is delivered.”

Guyana’s situation, Sir Sanders added, should be kept under the Permanent Council’s review and return for action should the Secretary General see fit.

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Wednesday July 22, 2020

Kaieteur News

Coalition files appeal to overturn CJ’s -First hearing set ruling in elections case for 3:00pm today A

n appeal has been filed on behalf of A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) Coalition Agent, Misenga Jones, to overturn the ruling of the Acting Chief Justice (CJ) Roxane George-Wiltshire in the election declaration case.

The first hearing of the matter before the Appeal Court is expected at 3:00 pm today.

The appeal filed yesterday sets out several grounds in which the listed appellant (Jones) held that the CJ purportedly erred in making her determination on the recent case filed to block the declarations of the elections.

Noting that she is dissatisfied with the decision of the High Court, Jones has asked the Appeal Court to set aside the whole decision of the CJ on the grounds that the Judge inter alia erred in law when she held that the issue

of Constitutionality on Section 22 of the Elections Laws Amendment Act was res judicata.

The appeal document lists 20 grounds as the basis of which the appellant believes the CJ erred in law in making a determination of the case.

According to the Notice of Appeal, (NoA), the CJ erred in law when she held that the issues in the case were res judicata.

The document outlined further that the CJ erred in law when she misconstrued paragraphs 106 and 107 of the judgment of the majority of the Court of Appeal in the Ulita Grace Moore versus Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM); when she failed to consider that the Chairman of GECOM and or GECOM commissioners, had acted outside their constitutional and or statutory power.

Further, the NoA said that the CJ erred in law when she

failed to properly construe the terms and provision of Order 60 of 2020.

According to the document, the appellant also claimed that the Judge erred in law when she ruled that the validity of order 60 of 2020 was res judicata; when she failed to consider that GECOM had exceeded its constitutional and statutory power when it issued and established the elements, mechanism and parameters of order 60 of 2020 in such terms.

In the appeal, Jones also pointed to purported facts and evidence in the matter in which the CJ overlooked and, in her view, erred in law.

Among them, the appellant claimed is the undisputed affidavit evidence adduced by the applicant and admitted by the Chief Elections Officer (the third named respondent) that the returning officers did not participate in the recount process and undisputed evi-

dence adduced which established that the Chairman of GECOM and or commissioners, officers and agents of the commission had changed the validity of ballots or votes during the purported recount.

The document noted the CJ erred in law when she held the declarations of the returning officer made pursuant to section 84 of the Representation of the People Act had been overtaken by events, were no longer useful and could not be resurrected.

Additionally, the appeal outlined flaws in the CJ‘s judgment for failing to consider the affidavit evidence of Bharrat Jagdeo (the 7th respondent) which would have allowed her to see that Order 60 of 2020 has its genesis in an unconstitutional attempt to challenge the lawfulness in the conduct of an elections.

Further, the CJ’s judgment is being challenged on the grounds that she erred in law in her interpretation of Section 18 of the Elections Laws Amendment Act; section 96 of the Representation of the People Act; and Article 177 of the Constitution.

Last Wednesday, Jones moved to the High Court for several orders, among them a declaration to prevent the Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield from using the recount figures, which show a victory for the Opposition People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) over the incumbent APNU+AFC. Though, the APNU+AFC

APNU+AFC Counting Agent Misenga Jones

is not listed as a party in Jones’ application, this is the third court case filed on behalf of supporters of the government to prevent GECOM from making the declarations.

The two previous cases were filed on behalf of Ulita Moore and Eslyn David, both supporters of the current government. All three cases were represented by the same batch of lawyers.

And of note, was the most recent admission by Government spokesperson, Joseph Harmon that the Coalition will be appealing the CJ’s decision.

The APNU+AFC counting agent wanted the Court

to make a declaration that the CEO could instead use nothing but a report based on the March 13 district declarations as the basis on which a final election declaration would be made.

That report with the fraudulent March 13 declarations made by Region Four Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo, has been rejected by the GECOM Chair, retired Justice Claudette Singh.

However, in her ruling on Monday, the CJ determined the figures derived from the recount of the March 2, 2020 Regional and General Elections are valid and unless overturned by a Court in an election petition, it is the only data that could be used for the declaration.

Justice George-Wiltshire stated too that the previous 10 declarations cannot be “resurrected” at this time.

At several points in her ruling, the CJ stressed the issues outlined in the application breached the principles of res judicata which essentially meant that the issues outlined in the application were already considered and determined by a court of competent jurisdiction and therefore should not be further pursued by the parties in a similar course of litigation.

Justice George-Wiltshire specified that the issues of Jones’ application have already been dealt with by the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) and Court of Appeal (CoA) and as such could not be otherwise determined by the High Court.

The judge said that the High Court is also bound by the rulings of the CCJ and CoA—both competent Courts of higher jurisdictions.

Wednesday July 22, 2020

Kaieteur News

The law according to me

T

he government of Guyana continues to adopt a posture of being a sanctimonious victim. It continues to suggest that it has nothing to do with the obstruction, prevarication of the electoral process and the gerrymandering of the elections results.

Yesterday, Guyana told the Organization of American States that the Executive has not interfered, intervened or influenced the elections. It reiterated its holier-than-thou stance about the electoral process not yet being completed and that this process is outside of its control. It also repeated that the President has committed to accepting the declaration made by GECOM. On May 17th the President visited the Arthur Chung Convention Centre where the national vote recount was taking place. He told the media: “As President of Guyana and Leader of the Government, it is my policy that any declaration coming from the Chairman of GECOM will be accepted by the Government of Guyana. I speak for the Government of Guyana.”

The goalpost has now shifted. It is no longer about accepting any declaration but only a declaration in keeping with the laws of the country.

The government wants to be the sole arbiter of the law.

It acts as if it is a Court. It has set its own precedent when it comes to a determination of the law. In a case, filed by Marcel Gaskin in 2017, the Chief Justice had rejected the government’s position that it was mandatory for the person to be appointed to be the Chairperson of GECOM to be a judge, a former judge or someone qualified to be a judge.

A top government official, reacting to the judgment, had

stated that this was her (the Chief Justice’s) opinion and that he had his.

If the interpretation of the Court is treated by such high officialdom as an opinion, it is not difficult to imagine the implications for compliance with such interpretations.

The government by its actions have only been interested in one outcome: the government’s position.

The government interprets court rulings to suit itself. The government, for example, had justified the unilateral appointment of Justice Patterson as Chairman of GECOM on the grounds that the High Court had ruled that the President had the discretion to act independently in appointing a Chairman. This, however, was not what the Court had ruled. It said that this could only happen if no list was submitted.

This is the shifty nature of the same Executive which is attempting to paint itself as bystander in the present imbroglio within GECOM. It is not. Even if it wishes to pretend that it has no hand in the legal actions which have been brought in the name of private citizens, it has not distanced itself from these actions. In fact, a close examination of the postures of the government would lead to the conclusion that it is very much behind these legal challenges which are frustrating the conclusion of the electoral process.

The Coalition which forms the ‘holding government’ has openly supported the challenge to GECOM declaring the results of the elections; it has sided with the Chief Elections Officer and his perverse declarations; it supports the contention that the recount should not be used as the basis of a declaration, even though its Presidential candidate has agreed

in writing, under an international agreement, to accept the results of the recount. It agreed to the recount but now wants to deem it invalid.

The government is no innocent bystander.

It is a key player in the actions which have led to the failure of GECOM to declare the results of the elections held more than four months ago.

Despite the complicity of the government in what is frustrating the democratic outcome of the elections, there continues to be pleas for an end to the prolonged electoral process and for the Coalition to concede.

Those making those appeals do not understand the nature of the government to whom their appeals are directed. You cannot ask those bent on demagoguery to be democratic.

Those who wish to see an end to the present impasse cannot achieve this by asking the very forces which are complicit in frustrating the electoral process to respect the rule of law.

The only laws which dictators respect are their own.

Those who are begging the government to concede should get off their knees.

They have a better chance of finding a virgin in a whorehouse than having the government step aside.

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

Dem boys seh ...

Lil Joe appealing somebody else case When dem boys de small and used to play ring-a-ring-a-roses, dem used to sing “ring-a-ring-a-roses, a pocket full of posies.

A-tishoo, a-tishoo, we all fall down.”

De HAP-New +HAY-Eff-See playing riga-ring-a-roses.

Dem playing merry-go-around with de court. De guh to de High Court. Den dem guh to de Court of Appeal. Den de matter end up at de CCJ. Dis is how dem gat de whole country going around in circles.

De Chief Just-ice throw-out de case wha dem file fuh stop de declaration of de results of de elections. Lil Joe jump up and seh how dem gun appeal.

But de last time dem boys check de Court papers, Lil Joe and de HAP-New+HAY-EffSee was not party to de court case. So how come dem appealing? Is all part of de merrygo-round.

While some people going around in circles, some people walking straight. And some turning right.

On Monday, a man wha like go west in he van, carry de boss man of de Waterfall paper to court. But like he didn’t know who was de boss man. Cause he come in de courtroom and sit down right next to de boss man.

He tek a side glance at de boss man den he put he head straight. Den he stare at de boss man but like he still nah recognize de boss man. He then took a third look and head straight through de door. When he come back in, he change he seat.

Yesterday, a man mek a right turn dat woulda mek de Rigadier proud. Dis man bin seh how de boss man nah like certain people wha Mr. Kay Bee does like.

When he tun up at de Waterfall paper yesterday, de security tell he dat he deh at de wrong place. He gat fuh use de gym of he friend, Mr. Kay Bee. De man mek a quick right turn and head in dat direction. Is suh when you like to bun de bridges wha you cross.Talk half and wait fuh see who gun turn left.

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Wednesday July 22, 2020

Kaieteur News

=== The Freddie Kissoon column ===

Dr. Mc Doom’s pair of red underwear has lost its brightness and shape Professor Omar Shahabudin McDoom, of Guyanese extraction, who teaches at the London School of Economics, tells us in his online profile that his scholarly interests are in ethnic conflicts and ethnic integrations with specialized areas of Asia and Africa.

There is nothing in his outline of his scholarly works that take in Guyana. Dr. Mc Doom recently did a two-part series in the Stabroek News in the section titled, “In the Diaspora” with the

sesquipedalian title; “A sweet tooth, some bad math, and a pair of red underwear: An explanation of persistent ethnic voting and two party dominance in Guyana.”

It appears that the column, “In the diaspora” is becoming haughty, arrogant and condescending. Two weeks ago, Dr. Alisa Trotz and Dr. Arif Bulkan did a joint piece on dominance of party politics and ethnic divisions in which absolutely nothing new was said that we who live in Guyana and study Guyana

did not know about. But when you are Guyanese and live outside and you are university educated you get that weird feeling that we, natives who live in the land don’t know anything so you can lecture to us.

Dr. Mc Doom is guilty of the most shameless sin in academia – writing without researching your topic. I will select two areas in which the lack of research is not only shocking and incredible but can damage the credibility of Dr. Mc Doom. I will quote him

to avoid charges of misunderstanding.

He observed; “The Alliance for Change managed 10.3% of the vote in 2011 with an explicitly multi-ethnic strategy, though it is not clear what portion of the Indian voter it won over.”

Dr. Mc Doom could not be writing on Guyana, maybe another country and he stitched in the name Guyana.

How could this gentleman not be familiar with three words that have dominated Guyana since the March 3 Mingo depravity – statements of poll (SOP)? For Dr. Mc Doom’s education, an SOP is a document that records the votes for all the contestants at a polling station. GECOM then publishes the SOPs on its website after every national election.

Available for Dr. Mc Doom to peruse are the SOPs for the 2011 elections. On these documents you can see clearly which party got which ethnic votes. The 10 percent of the national votes the Alliance For Change received came from Indian districts that showed disenchantment with the PPP. This was particular so in Berbice. If Dr. Mc Doom wants to know how Indian, African and the Amerindians voted in March this year, I suggest he look up the PPP’s SOPs which it has posted online.

Here is the most telling part in Dr. Mc Doom’s piece that I was lucky I wasn’t drinking hot coffee when I read it for fear of spilling the hot liquid on my crouch. He writes; “The Working People’s Alliance, while never electorally significant since the loss of its charismatic leader Rodney, stands as a symbol of a desire from below to transition Guyana from ethnic to class politics.”

I would ask readers to bear in mind, the use of the present tense, “stands.” I know the editor of the “In the Diaspora” page. Alissa Trotz is a WPA overseas executive member so I don’t know if she inserted those lines or if they belong to Dr. Mc Doom. I wish he would tell readers.

In which century is Dr. Mc Doom living? And how can he miss a basic research method in this day and age by not consulting the WPA Facebook page. When you go on it, it reads like a party of African politics. The current page has more than a dozen pictures of David Hinds spewing racist invectives in his embrace of the rigged March elections by his party, APNU. There is nothing multiracial about the WPA since it came to power in 2015. Since

Frederick Kissoon the March elections, David Hinds, Tacuma Ogunseye, Clive Thomas, Desmond Trotman, Eusi Kwayana, Tabitha Sarabo, Maurice Odle, among others, have become shameless defenders of the PNC’s deportment over the past four months.

From 2015, whatever elements have been left in the WPA, they have openly embraced the politics of African domination. There is no class analysis anymore in the politics of the remnants of the WPA. When Dr. Mc Doom writes that the WPA; “stands as a symbol of a desire from below to transition Guyana from ethnic to class politics,” I am wondering if he copied that from some old WPA booklet from 1979 and without thinking used it in his article.

Dr. Mc Doom, your slip is showing. Can I ask what underwear you wore when you wrote your opaqueness?

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

Wednesday July 22, 2020

Kaieteur News

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Wednesday July 22, 2020

Kaieteur News

Basil Williams falsely states CCJ nullified recount figures PPP/C’s Anil Nandlall

G

uyana’s Attorney General, Basil Wil liams, on Tuesday went before the Organisation of America States (OAS) Permanent Council and falsely claimed that the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) in its judgment on the Irfaan Ali vs Eslyn David et al litigation had nullified the legal order for the national recount.

By doing this, the AG contends that the CCJ’s ruling means that no declaration can be made by the Guyana Elec-

tions Commission (GECOM) using the figures from the recount despite the ruling from the Apex Court being quite the opposite.

Williams was at the time defending the actions of the incumbent A Partnership For National Unity +Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Coalition raised by members of the OAS Permanent Council during the special meeting convened to discuss Guyana’s four month long electoral process.

Foreign Affairs Minister, Karen Cummings

Attorney General Basil Williams

The AG in his presentation claimed “The CCJ never made a ruling that the results of the recount must be used

by GECOM in determining the results of the elections.”

Williams claimed that the CCJ “held” that the legal recount order was “subsidiary legislation”, “the lowest level of legislation in Guyana” and could not be used to interpret the Constitution of Guyana “which is supreme law.”

Further, the AG claimed that the Caribbean Court

stated that the Order No. 60 was in “tension with the Constitution” and therefore, “it must go and it was invalid.”

Williams continued with his false statement and told the Permanent Council that the CCJ said that the recount order could not “create a different electoral regime from the existing one” and therefore, they “nullified the order made by GECOM.” He also claimed that the CCJ stated that GECOM would have to resort to the “original electoral machinery.”

For this reason, he stated, the Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield, disregarded the figures of the recount and defaulted to the initial declarations that the GECOM Chair discarded.

“The CEO in fact,” he said “in applying the rules of the recount order, which was a two-prong process – the count and then the credibility test that had to be applied to the recount. That’s what caused the reduction in the votes, and which the CCJ set

aside. In setting aside that, the CCJ said this order cannot work. And you must go back to the original electoral machinery. And that’s why the CEO had to go back to the March 2 declarations.”

The ruling by Guyana’s Apex Court, however, was vastly different than the account given to the OAS by the AG. In fact, what the CCJ did was validate the recount order.

The CCJ ruled that “Unless and until an election court decides otherwise, the votes already counted by the recount process as valid votes are incapable of being declared invalid by any person or authority other than the High Court through an election petition.”

What the CCJ also did in their ruling was overturn the judgment passed by the Appellate Court deeming it invalid and of no effect. As a consequence, the 23 June report of the CEO that was based on this decision was similarly of no effect.

The AG’s comments were

also buttressed by the pronouncements of Foreign Minister, Dr. Karen Cummings, who asked the OAS Permanent Council to be “patient” and not seek to “influence unduly the constitutional processes which are ongoing.”

While she acknowledged that a declaration is long overdue, Dr. Cummings, in her address to the Council, claimed that the Coalition has not interfered in the electoral process which is solely managed

by GECOM. “There has been no breakdown of the rule of law,” the Foreign Minister stated, adding that the Executive Branch of Guyana “has never tried to influence or interfere with GECOM.” Her comments however, conflict with the three consecutive court actions brought by three APNU supporters seeking to derail the timely declaration of the results. Those also include the action filed only yesterday with the Court of Appeal, (Continued on page 14)

Wednesday July 22, 2020

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Kaieteur News

Guyana has a choice: Democracy or the Abyss?

By Kemol King The Secretary General of the Organisation of American States (OAS), Luis Almagro, gave a stern address to Guyana’s leaders at a meeting of the Permanent Council yesterday, noting that Guyana has a choice: Democracy or Abyss? The OAS has endorsed the results of the recount process, and has joined hands with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the rest of the international community in calling for the electoral process to be resolved swiftly and democratically.

If the situation goes any other way, Guyana has been warned that many consequences would await it.

The United States Canada and the United Kingdom have already announced consequences for persons who have acted to undermine Guyana’s democracy, or those who are purposefully complicit. Commentators have noted that Guyana’s neighbour, Venezuela’s experience, would be an instructive situation for Guyana’s leaders to study before they decide to continue taking this country down an undemocratic path. The Bolivarian Republic has faced international condemnation, as it

- OAS Secretary General continues to fall into the abyss Guyana is said to be standing on the precipice of.

Almagro had requested that the Chair convene a meeting of the Council, following repeated attempts by agents of the APNU+AFC coalition to frustrate a declaration of the results of the transparent national vote recount.

Present at the meeting of the Permanent Council were Guyana’s Attorney General Basil Williams and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Karen Cummings.

Those two officials represented the positions of the APNU+AFC Government in resisting the calls of the international community to allow a peaceful and orderly transition of power.

But Almagro pleaded with them, that it is time for leaders to work together to strengthen the unity of the country, and not allow it to be pulled apart. He said that such unity is an imperative social need.

The Secretary General noted that it has been over 140 days since the elections were held. OAS Observer Mission Chief, Bruce Golding, told the Permanent

OAS Secretary General, Luis Almagro Council that the Election Day process and the Recount process were smoothly executed and transparent. Starting from the interruption of the tabulation of the Region Four results by Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo, Almagro said that this was the first of a chain of actions intended to alter and hide the correct results, to confuse the citizens of Guyana and block the expression of the will of the people.

He said that the OAS mis-

sion had announced that it would retreat from Guyana on March 13, but pointed to the need to verify the results in a transparent manner. At this point, the Mingo had attempted to rig the election results twice.

Almagro said that the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) decided that a solution would be a national recount. “We have been witness to different attempts to block this recount process by judicial means,” Almagro said,

President David Granger as he noted that the execution of the national recount was delayed by litigation.

“Nevertheless, the blockades were not successful and the process was initiated…

But still, some looked for ways to disturb the recount process as was explained by the head of the OAS Observer Mission. They made unfounded accusations of all forms.” As the recount was completed, it was recognised by international observers as credible. CARICOM espe-

cially, which fielded a Scrutineer Team noted that the results are completely acceptable and should be used as the basis on which a declaration is made.

“But once again, Almagro said, “democracy in Guyana was suppressed and the declaration was blocked by another judicial review. This matter was brought to the highest court, the Caribbean Court of Justice which ruled the results must be prepared (Continued on page 14)

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Kaieteur News

Wednesday July 22, 2020

Guyana has a choice: Democracy or the...

From page 13 on the basis of the results generated from the national recount.”

In view of this situation he described as “grave”, the Secretary General reiterated the position of the OAS in previous public statements, the need for GECOM to exclude all the persons who are acting as obstacles to the resolution of the process and/ or those who are acting in an obviously partisan manner; a nod to Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield.

“This must come to an end. It is not serving or benefitting Guyana.

It is not serving the institutions. It is not serving democracy. It is not serving [President David] Granger. We plead respectfully to not have further use of the judicial system to delay a resolution.

The judicial system should not be used in this consistent form or context.”

He said it was stressed by all observers that it is the results of the recount which must be acted on, to allow the

formation of a new government. He explained that the people of Guyana exercised their democratic right, and that a peaceful and orderly transition is owed to them soon, especially in light of the global health crisis of COVID19. The proper management of the crisis, he explained, is inhibited by the current political impasse. Almagro said that this is the time for great leaders to present themselves to fix these problems.

(Translation by Shervin Belgrave)

Basil Williams falsely states CCJ...

From page 12 aimed at over-turning a ruling handed down by the Chief Justice (CJ) in the Misenga Jones application.

Moreover, Cummings reiterated the pronouncements of incumbent President David Granger, saying that he would “abide by any declaration made by GECOM in keeping with the laws of Guyana.”

In response to the comments made by the AG and Dr. Cummings, former Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, told

the OAS Permanent Council meeting that the two were continuing to “spin a narrative that defies reality.”

Addressing the misrepresentation of the CCJ ruling by the AG, Nandlall said, “The narrative that he is reciting is a narrative that is inconsistent with everything that every other person and every other organization has observed and spoke about and wrote about the Guyana elections.”

Nandlall stated what the

AG did was “misrepresent” the entire ruling of the CCJ, what happened at the recount and overall what happened at the March 2 Elections – something, he added, the Guyanese people and the region have been forced to deal with on a daily basis.

“We deal with misrepresentations, lies, and fabrications all because the repeated attempts to rig an election are being discovered, uncovered and made public,” Nandlall said.

Wednesday July 22, 2020

COVID-19 cases now at 339

The Ministry of Public Health yesterday revealed that July has so far seen a total of 30 recorded COVID-19 cases. Deputy Chief Medical Officer (DCMO), Dr. Karen Boyle, in the Ministry’s daily update pointed out that “July has been significant with Region One reporting five cases, Region Four four, Region Seven- 15 and Region Nine- six cases.”The Health official added that it is critical for the Ministry to continue to monitor the evolution of the incidence in all regions, especially in Region Nine which shares a border with Brazil and has seen a recent spike in the number of confirmed cases over the past two weeks. Brazil is now the epicenter for the virus in Latin America.

Meanwhile, Regions One and Seven remain the districts with the

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Kaieteur News

highest transfer rate for the infection. The DCMO further explained that the concentration of infection in Regions One and Seven is far higher than it is in Region Four. “Even though the numbers in Region Four are higher, you are on average 9.5 times more likely to be infected in Region One than in Region Four and you are 7 times more likely to get infected in Region Seven than in Region Four,” she said.To date, Guyana has had 339 positive cases, with 19 COVID related deaths. The number of active cases in Institutional Isolation is 157 and 19 persons are in institutional quarantine. Further, two persons are in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU). There have also been 163 recoveries.

GCCI calls on Granger to end electoral impasse

T

he Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Indus try (GGCI) yesterday implored upon de facto President David Granger to make use of his authority as head of the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) to bring an end to the more than four-month long electoral process.

In a letter, GCCI reminded the incumbent president that as the leader of APNU+AFC, he has the authority to ask for the withdrawal of the appeal filed in the case Misenga Jones vs Roxanne George on Monday.

Notably, the letter further requested that President Granger ask

the Attorney General to desist from supporting any appeal from the government side, adding that if by some miracle, Ms. Jones should succeed at the Court of Appeal it would be an embarrassment to the party’s candidates and lawyers and by extension the country as a whole.

The appeal, which was filed by Attorney-at-law, Mayo Robertson, on behalf of his client Misenga Jones, seeks to overturn the ruling handed down by the Chief Justice on Monday, which stated that the court had jurisdictions to hear the matter and as a consequence ruled that the national recount was valid and that the figures of the March 13th declaration by the Returning

Officer, Clairmont Mingo, was deemed invalid.

In addition, Jones is seeking to appeal several declarations including the order 60 of 2020 and any results obtained from it, invalid.

Moreover, the GCCI called upon President Granger to make the ultimate decision to concede his party’s defeat by acknowledging the P e o p l e ’s P r o g r e s s i v e P a r t y Civic’s victory as shown in the national recount and to ask his party representative, Ms. Jones, to not file an appeal on the Chief Justice’s decision. According to the GCCI, this is the only way to save face and allow a dignified outcome for all.

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Wednesday July 22, 2020

Kaieteur News

Ex-cop remanded after accused of accepting bribe to settle case Remanded: Ex-cop Richard Persaud

A

n ex-Police Con stable, Richard Persaud, who had been embroiled in a scandal with a Canje Superbet businessman and his wife, and who an arrest warrant issued for, yesterday appeared at the Albion Magistrate Court to answer the charge of corrupt transaction by an agent.

The charge was laid under 337 (2)(a) of the criminal law offences act Chapter 8:01.

He was not required to plea and was unrepresented in court when he appeared before Magistrate Renita Singh.

He was subsequently re-

manded to prison and will make his second court appearance on August 5, 2020.

An arrest warrant was issued for Persaud after he failed to show up to court in December 2019.

He is being accused by two former employees of a Superbet outlet in Reliance, East Canje, Berbice of accepting a bribe from them in the sum of $60,000 each to assist them in a matter at the court.

Persaud has since been evading the court but surprisingly made his appearance yesterday to answer to the charge.

It would take a generation to repair damage to Guyana’s ...

From page 3 the most striking issue, that the report included the “blatantly flawed” results for Region Four.

It is noted that all of the reports produced by Lowenfield, though yielding different results each time, all sought to hand victory to the APNU+AFC coalition, despite it being evident that the PPP/C has won.

GECOM Chair, retired Justice Claudette Singh summarily set aside the declarations of the Returning Officers.

However, a new challenge soon arose when a motion was filed in the High Court by an APNU+AFC agent, Misenga Jones, seeking to have the recount invalidated and fraudulent results from the Region Four declaration form part of the results in the final declaration. As the Chief Justice dismissed the application, the coalition indicated that it will appeal the matter, and has already filed the application.

“It is distinctly possible,” Golding said, “that this matter could again traverse all the

way to the CCJ.” He closed by stating that elections are held to determine the will of the people and that once those wishes are clearly stated, they must be upheld.

“The people of Guyana have been patient for much longer than reasonably expected, while they await the results of a process that was, by all accounts, well conducted on Election Day. They must wholeheartedly be commended for this. They deserve a peaceful transition of government based on the majority vote as reflected in the recount, and in support of democracy and the rule of law.”The OAS Permanent Council had convened the special meeting which was held yesterday, to address the Guyana situation, following a request for it by the Secretary General, Luis Almagro.

The Chair of the OAS Permanent Council and Permanent Representative of Honduras, Luis Fernando Cordero Montoya has adjourned the meeting to a later date.

Wednesday July 22, 2020

Twenty-one countries call ...

From page 18 perpetrators in weakening the country’s democracy. These actions were not taken lightly, Freden stated, but maintained that the measure was intended to send a clear message of the consequences of subverting democracy and the rule of law. “It is not too late for Guyana. We call upon the leaders to respect the results of the democratic election… If stalemate continues, however, it will only be the Guyanese people who suffer.

APNU+AFC and its leaders face a strong choice; does the party want Guyana to be a leader in the hemisphere and an example of democracy or does it want to be an international pariah?” Freden questioned with concern.

Meanwhile, Hugh Adsett representing Canada expressed his country’s regret in the extended delay in the declaration of election results in Guyana. Adsett stated that Canada firmly maintains that the rule of law and democratic processes must be respected and a declaration of results without any further delay.

“Canada” Adsett said, “supports calls made by CARICOM, the OAS, the Commonwealth and civil society organizations to announce the results based on the national recount, as validated by the OAS and CARICOM observer missions and upheld by the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) and then again by Guyana’s Chief Justice in dismissing the challenge in the recount results.”In concluding his presentation, the representative reminded that Canada will consider using all tools at its disposal to demand a swift and transparent conclusion process, and to hold accountable those who prevent it.

Representative of Bolivia, Jaime Alonzo Aparicio Otero, also expressed his disappointment in “very strong indications” that there are attempts to manipulate the electoral

process in Guyana, while also noting that it is very unfortunate that this is the second time that the Permanent Council has had to hear a matter relating to a threat in democracy. On October 20, Bolivia was in a similar position which resulted in the overthrowing of the former Bolivian government.

“With this being said,” Otero said, “we call on Guyana to cooperate with the OAS and CARICOM in having a peaceful and democratic transition of government although the process has already caused great damage to their international image.”

Furthermore, Carlos Alberto Játiva, Representative of Ecuador, noted that a recount was held and approved by international observers such as CARICOM, OAS, and the European Union, among others. It is against this background that the Ecuador representative pleaded with Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Karen Cummings, and other individuals of the government to allow a peaceful and democratic transition of the government.

Meanwhile, Representative of Brazil, Fernando Simas Magalhães, stated that his country cannot stand by in silence and watch democracy derided, while endorsing the findings of CARICOM and the OAS in their observer missions. Alongside this, the Brazilian representative shared that the country stands by its statement that a declaration must be made soon based on the official recount results.

Both Colombia and Chile shared similar sentiments.

Notably, these 21 countries are just a fraction of the countries, international bodies, observer missions and stakeholders of civil society who have called for a final declaration of the March 2 elections to be announced using the recount results.

Kaieteur News

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Wednesday July 22, 2020

Kaieteur News

Education Ministry gets donation of face shields from UNICEF

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As the Ministry of Education (MoE) commenced planning for the opening of schools yesterday, a welcomed donation was received from the United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Guyana.

The donation of some 1,944 face shields was handed over to the MoE’s Permanent Secretary, Mr. Alfred King.

The gesture forms part of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) project to which the Education Ministry is apart and in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The face shields are the first of an expressed plan for a total of 35,000 pieces, including masks and other protective gears, to be handed over to support measures to treat with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The handing over was done during a simple ceremony in the Ministry’s lot 26 Brickdam compound.

Proffering remarks, King said he sees the donation as another effort to support continued learning in a safe and secured environment as the ministry works out plans for the eventual opening of schools.

It has been more than four

months of operations in the COVID-19 environment and King expressed the Ministry’s gratitude for the support towards the safety of educators, students and other stakeholders.

Further, King, while iterating the proactive safety measures employed by the Ministry, noted that “We have to continue to be very careful to ensure a healthy and safe environment and these shields will assist greatly.”

The evidence of the resolve for continued engagement for National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) and the ongoing Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) was also noted.

Speaking of the blended approach of all stakeholders that has taken effect, King commended educators for using their own resources to plan and prepare for the major examinations.

UNICEF Resident Representative, Ms. Sylvie Fouet, noted the impact the COVID19 pandemic has had on the education sector. It is for this reason, according to Ms Fouet, that her organization

saw the need to assist with the shields.

She said that the provision of the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is a critical element for the return to a safe and protected environment for students when schools eventually open.

Additionally, Fouet said that the work the MoE has undertaken so far is commendable. She committed to working ‘side by side’ with the Education Ministry to make the opening of schools safe and a top priority.

UNICEF has been a developmental partner with the Ministry for many years and proposes to continue in the same vein, assured the Resident Representative.

Also in attendance was the MoE’s Chief Planning Officer (CPO), Ms. Nicola Johnson; Director of the National Centre for Educational Research Development (NCERD), Ms. Jennifer Cumberbatch; Project Coordinator Ms. Quenita Walrond-Lewis; Technical Officer to the PS, Ms. Karen Burchsmith; UNICEF Deputy Resident Representative, Mr. Irfan Aktar, and UNICEF’s Mr. Robbie Rambarran.

Britain nears abandoning Brexit trade deal hope: The Telegraph (Reuters) - Britain and the European Union will fail to sign a post-Brexit trade deal, with only a few days left before Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s July deadline, The Telegraph reported.

The UK government’s assumption is that there will not be a deal, though it remains possible that a “basic” agreement could be reached if the EU gives ground in the autumn, the newspaper said, citing government sources.The government expects it will trade with Europe on World Trade Organisation terms when the transition period ends, the report added.Britain left the EU on Jan. 31 and its relationship with the bloc is now governed by a transition arrangement that keeps previous rules in place while the two sides negotiate new terms.Negotiators remain deadlocked on fishing rights, the deal’s governance, the European Court of Justice’s role and so-called level playing field guarantees, the newspaper

Prime Minister Boris Johnson reported.Britain is pursuing trade deals with other countries and setting up its own sanctions regime, and has previously insisted it should not have to sign up to the bloc’s standards.A spokesman for Johnson said on Monday Britain will continue to engage constructively with EU in talks on a future relationship, but that London is not willing to give up its rights as an independent state.

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Decision in sport’s best interest, says ICC, as hosts agree DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, CMC – International Cricket Council chief executive, Manu Sawhney, said the decision to postpone the men’s Twenty20 World Cup had been made in the interest of public health, following intense deliberations among stakeholders.

The tournament, where West Indies were expected to defend the title they won four years ago in India, was scheduled to be staged in Australia from October 18 to November 15 but the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic ended any hope of successfully staging the event.

Globally, the pandemic has resulted in 14.7 million infections and 611 000 deaths, triggering widespread lockdowns, halting travel and

forcing a cessation of nearly all sport.

“We have undertaken a comprehensive and complex contingency planning exercise and through this process, our number one priority has been to protect the health and safety of everyone involved in the sport,” said Sawhney.

“The decision to postpone the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup was taken after careful consideration of all of the options available to us and gives us the best possible opportunity of delivering two safe and successful T20 World Cups for fans around the world.

“Our Members now have the clarity they need around event windows to enable them to reschedule lost bilateral and domestic cricket.

Moving the Men’s Cricket World Cup to a later window is a critical element of this and gives us a better chance of maintaining the integrity of the qualification process.

“This additional time will be used to reschedule games that might be lost because of the pandemic ensuring qualification can be decided on the field of play.”

He added: “Throughout this process we have worked closely with our key stakeholders including governments, Members, broadcasters, partners and medical experts to enable us to reach a collective decision for the good of the game and our fans. I would like to thank everyone involved for their commitment to a safe return to cricket.”

Wednesday July 22, 2020 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) You might surprise a few people with your words and actions, which could seem out of character for you, Aries. Don't be surprised if you don't think or act like your normal self.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) You could feel like a giant wrecking ball that's anxious to break down existing structures.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Keep pen and paper close by, Gemini, and have the number of the patent office on hand. You're apt to come up with some original ideas that could be revolutionary.

CANCER (June 21–July 22) You may have endless ideas streaming through your head but little patience to see any of them through to the end, Cancer. Perhaps you're so busy jumping from one thought to the next that you don't take any of them far enough to know whether or not they're worth pursuing.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) It's OK to change your opinion, Leo. You may pride yourself on being the solid one who always has an answer or knows exactly where to go.

VIRGO(Aug.23–Sept.22) You may feel a strong need to express your individuality, Virgo. You don't want to blend into the herd, unseen as you walk down the street.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Going with the flow may not necessarily appeal to you today, Libra. This is one time when you may want to be the fish swimming upstream while the school heads downstream.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) There are a few emotional surprises coming your way, Scorpio. You might act a certain way under normal circumstances, but today you're apt to take a completely different route.

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) You're apt to need emotional freedom, Sagittarius. Perhaps you sense that you're being coerced or manipulated into feeling a certain way and feel trapped in the situation.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) Take inventory of your habits and behaviors, Capricorn.

Look to certain patterns and note the ones that do and don't work for you.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) You may feel smothered by certain individuals and loved ones who hang on you like barnacles on a rock, Aquarius.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) You may end up scaring people with your dramatic, emotional outbursts, Pisces.

Your behavior is likely to be erratic. The smallest things could set you off on a crazy tirade. The root of these issues probably has to do with a need to be loved, and you feel like others don't give you the attention you think you deserve.

West Indies are defending T20 World Cup champions.

The ICC said the tournament would now be played between October and Novem-

ber next year, with another edition slated for the same period in 2022

Australia has been under lockdown since March but has experienced a surge in cases in recent weeks following breaches in quarantine protocols.

The country has recorded over 12 000 cases and 126 deaths.

Cricket Australia’s interim chief executive, Nick Hockley, said they understood the rationale for the postponement.

“We accept the ICC’s decision to postpone the T20 World Cup in Australia. It was a decision made with the safety and wellbeing of fans, players, officials and staff in mind,” said Hockley, also the chief executive of the ICC T20 World Cup 2020.

“We are confident that with this decision, we will give ourselves the best chance to safely welcome fans into the outstanding venues across the country to enjoy watching the world’s best men’s cricketers compete in this major global event in either 2021 or 2022.”

Meanwhile, the ICC also said plans for next February’s Women’s 50-over World Cup was proceeding as normal but noted it could “continue to evaluate the situation” as it relates to COVID-19.

Competitive international cricket was halted last March because of the pandemic and the ongoing three-Test series between England and West Indies is the first tournament to be played since then.

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Tennis: Citi Open in Washington cancelled due to coronavirus disruption

A person wearing gloves holds a tennis ball during the match between Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff and Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut. (REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke) (Reuters) - The Citi Open in Washington, which was scheduled to restart the men’s ATP Tour after the COVID-19 shutdown, has been cancelled for 2020, organisers announced yesterday.

The tournament was set to begin on Aug. 14 and serve as a build-up for the U.S. Open but the organisers said concerns about travel restrictions and recent trends in the coronavirus outbreak had led to the decision to scrap the event.“After months of tireless work by our team and close collaboration with our many stakeholders, we are heartbroken to announce that we must unfortunately postpone the 52nd Citi Open until the summer of 2021,” tournament chairman Mark Ein said in a statement.“... There are

Wednesday July 22, 2020

Kaieteur News

too many unresolved external issues, including various international travel restrictions as well as troubling health and safety trends, that have forced us to make this decision now in fairness to our players, suppliers and partners, so that they can have certainty around their planning.”The tournament’s cancellation raises doubts about this year’s U.S. Open, which is scheduled to be played without fans in attendance from Aug. 31 to Sept.

13.However, the United States Tennis Association (USTA) said preparations remain on track to stage the Western & Southern Open and the Grand Slam at Flushing Meadows, which are scheduled to take place backto-back in New York, begin-

ning on Aug. 20.

“The USTA will create a safe and controlled environment for players and everyone else involved in both tournaments that mitigates health risks,” the USTA said.

“We constantly base our decisions regarding hosting these tournaments on our three guiding principles that include safe and healthy of all involved, whether hosting these events are in the best interest in the sport of tennis and whether this decision is financially viable.“We are confident we remain in-line with all three guiding principles.”Tennis, apart from some exhibition events, ground to a halt in midMarch, with Wimbledon being cancelled and the French Open being moved to September.The men’s claycourt swing is scheduled to begin on Sept. 8 in Kitzbuhel, Austria, overlapping with the second week of the U.S. Open.

Players will then be able to get more time on clay at the Madrid and Italian Opens before the French Open, which begins on Sept. 27.

The WTA Tour will resume with the women’s event staged in Palermo, Italy from Aug. 3.The ATP said a further update on the revised 2020 calendar will be released in the next fortnight, including the final phase of the season through to the ATP Finals in November.

Norman sets world-leading 9.86sec for 100m in Texas DALLAS, United States (AFP) — US 400m sprinter Michael Norman clocked a world-leading 9.86 seconds for the 100 metres at a meeting in Texas Monday, World Athletics said.

The 22-year-old from California blasted to victory in Fort Worth in what was his first 100m race since 2016.

“After four long years I finally got to run the 100m,” Norman said in a post on Twitter after the race.

Track and field’s governing body World Athletics later described Norman’s wind-legal time as a world-leading mark.

The previous fastest 100m time in 2020, which has seen the season decimated by the coronavirus, was a 9.91sec clocked by South Africa’s Akani Simbine in Pretoria in March.

Monday’s time makes Norman only the second man in history to run under 10sec

Michael Norman

for the 100m, under 20sec for the 200m, and under 44sec for the 400m.

The only other sprinter to duck under all three benchmarks is South Africa’s Olympic 400m champion Wayde van Niekerk.

Norman’s 100m time Monday follows a disappointing end to his 2019 season, when an unspecified injury saw him fail to reach the final of the 400m at the World Championships in Doha, an event he had been tipped to win.

Ben Stokes becomes top Test allrounder, gets to career-best No. 3 among batsmen ESPNcricinfo - Ben Stokes has replaced Jason Holder as the No. 1 Test allrounder following a match-defining performance in the second Test against West Indies at Old Trafford. Stokes, who slammed a patient 176 in the first innings and followed that up with a rapid 57-ball 78 not out in the second, also went up to a career-best third spot in the rankings for batsmen, only behind Steven Smith and

Virat Kohli, joint with Marnus Labuschagne on 827 ranking points.

Stokes trailed Holder in the allrounders’ list by 54 points before the second Test, but ended it 38 points in front, after also claiming three wickets as England won by 113 runs to level the series. In the process, Stokes ended Holder’s stay at the top after 18 months, and became the first from England to head the rankings since Andrew Flintoff in May 2006.

Stokes’ tally of 497 points was also the highest by a Test allrounder since Jacques Kallis got to 517 in April 2008.

In other gains for England, opener Dom Sibley jumped 29 places to a career-

high No. 35 after a solid 120 in the first innings, while Stuart Broad returned to the top ten among bowlers after picking up three wickets in each innings, pushing James Anderson, who missed the game, down to No. 11.

For West Indies, Shamarh Brooks’ twin half-centuries took him to his career-best of No. 45 in the batsmen’s list, while allrounder Roston Chase gained two places to sit on 31st in the bowlers’ charts.As far as the World Test Championship is concerned, the win took England to the third position on the points table, the 40 points putting them in front of New Zealand and only behind India and Australia.

Wednesday July 22, 2020

IPL 2020 to be held in the UAE ESPNcricinfo - The 2020 edition of the IPL will be played in the UAE, Brijesh Patel, the IPL Governing Council chairman, confirmed to ESPNcricinfo yesterday.

Patel said that a formal announcement on the matter would be made when the body meets next.

Patel did not confirm the dates for the tournament, but as reported recently, the BCCI has penciled in the window between September 26 and November 7 for the IPL, which comprises 60 matches. Patel said that the BCCI had been waiting for the ICC to formally postpone the men’s T20 World Cup this year, which has happened now, and freed up a window for the tournament.

“We were waiting for the ICC to officially announce [the postponement],” Patel said. “We have applied [for permission] with the Indian government.

Should get it.”

Patel said Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah would be the three main venues. Asked about whether the tournament would be played behind closed doors, Patel said that “depends on the UAE government”.

It is understood that the franchises are yet to be formally informed about the tournament being shifted out of India.

In April, the BCCI had postponed the IPL indefinitely because of the Covid19 pandemic. Although the BCCI had intended to host the IPL in India, the pandemic’s spread has over the last few months has made that unfeasible.

With officially more than a million Covid-19 infections confirmed, India ranks third on the list of active cases worldwide.

When the plan was to host the tournament in India, the BCCI wanted to conduct it behind closed doors in lim-

ited venues and had singled out Mumbai as the hub, but India’s commercial capital has a huge number of Covid-19 infections, putting paid to those thoughts.

This would be the second time for the IPL in the UAE, after the first 20 matches of the tournament were staged in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah in 2014 because of the general elections in India.

The franchises are likely to set up their bases a month in advance if and when the

Simmons “concerned”

by Hope’s poor form West Indies batsman Shai Hope.

MANCHESTER, England, CMC – Out-of-form Shai Hope could be a doubt for the decisive third Test starting Friday, after head coach Phil Simmons admitted Monday he was “concerned” by the right-hander’s run of low scores.

The 26-year-old has been given an extended run in the Test side despite averaging a paltry 19 over the last two years, and boasting a mediocre overall Test average of 26.

In contrast, Hope averages 52 in One-Day Internationals and an amazing 61 with eight centuries inside the last two years.

“I am concerned. [He’s] gone four innings without a

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score and [it’s] in contrast to how he’s played over the last five, six months in the other format,” Simmons told reporters following West Indies’ 113-run defeat in the second Test here.

“I am concerned about his form and we’ll be sitting down and chatting about that over the next couple days.”

Hope was the hero on West Indies’ last tour of England three years ago, stroking superb hundreds in each inning of the second Test at Leeds to propel his side to a series-levelling five-wicket win in the three-Test series.

Since that series, however, he has managed just three fifties in 35 innings, his highest score being an unbeaten 90 against Zimbabwe in October, 2017.

In the current series, Hope has scraped 57 runs from four innings. His failures were even more glaring in the

second Test with the Windies needing major batting efforts to save the game, scoring just 25 and seven.

He, along with opener John Campbell, are the only specialist batsmen without a half-century for the series, with the Jamaican left-hander gathering 52 runs from his four innings.And Simmons said a decision would have to be made on both players ahead of the all-important third Test.

“It is something that we have to discuss over the next couple days and make a decision on which direction we go there,” Simmons noted.

“They haven’t fired so we’ve got to take that into consideration over the next couple of days.”

West Indies travelled with a 15-man squad along with 11 reserves for the “bio-secure” series played amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and Simmons said thought would be given to drafting in players from those reserves.

“We have to consider that (calling up reserve players) and include that in our deliberations over the next couple days. Some people haven’t fired.”West Indies won the first Test at Southampton by four wickets.

A part of the 2014 IPL was played in the UAE because of the general elections in India. (BCCI)

green light is given - for training and also to abide by any quarantine measures imposed by the UAE government.

It is understood that the main reason for marking November 7 as the date for the IPL final was to ensure In-

dian players get enough time to travel to Australia for the four-match Test series, set to begin in December.

Merlene Ottey loses 150m world record to 2016 sprint hurdles champion Brianna McNeal SportsMax - Merlene Ottey’s long-standing record over 150m was broken by American Brianna Rollins-McNeal on Monday at the AP Ranch High-Performance Invitational in Fort Worth, Texas.

Rollins, 28, the 2016 Olympics 100m hurdles champion, clocked a smart 16.41 to win the event by more than half-a-second over fellow hurdler and 100m hurdles world record holder Kendra Harrison, who completed the run in 16.92. 400m hurdles world record holder

Dalilah Mohammad was third in 17.07.

The mark shaved 0.08 seconds off the 16.49 set by Merlene Ottey in Trapani, Italy on September 27, 1989. The then 29-year-old Jamaican ran the record into a headwind of 1.5 m/s.At the meet where many of the athletes competed in multiple events, McNeal the 2013 World Champion, also won the 60m dash in 7.39 over Shacarri Richardson (7.41), fifth in the 100m in 12.32 and was third in the 250m dash in 33.49.

Australia to ensure India have ‘best’ training facilities in quarantine MELBOURNE (Reuters) - India will have to abide by Australia’s 14-day quarantine requirement ahead of the test series starting in December but arrangements will be made to ensure their players can prepare as well as possible, Cricket Australia (CA) said yesterday.The Indian board’s (BCCI) chief Sourav Ganguly told local media earlier this month he hoped Virat Kohli’s side could have their quarantine “reduced a bit” before the first test in Brisbane from Dec. 3.

Australia requires international arrivals to isolate in quarantine hotels due to the COVID-19 pandemic, though some have been allowed to pass the period at home due to health reasons.CA interim Chief Executive Nick Hockley suggested there was little prospect of India’s players having a shorter quarantine.

“It’s widely known and unlikely international travel restriction will have lifted by the time India are due to come into the country,” he told reporters on a video call.

“I think the two-week quarantine is pretty well defined. What we’re working on is making sure that within that quarantine environment, the players have got the absolutely the best training facilities so that their preparation for the matches is as optimal as it can possibly be.”Hockley said Australia was closely watching the West Indies tour of England, which has gone off largely without a hitch apart from fast bowler Joffra Archer breach of the team’s biosecurity protocols.

The Adelaide Oval, which has an attached hotel, has been seen as a potential venue for India to train safely while in quarantine.

“Whether it’s a hotel on-site or hotels in close proximity to venues, it’s about certainly creating that environment where we’re minimising the risk of infections,” said Hockley.“Creating a biosecure environment is the absolute priority because there’s just a huge amount at stake if we’re not able to do that.”

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Wednesday July 22, 2020

Kaieteur News

Why stereotypes over natural hair keep our girls out of the pool Alia Atkinson 3

SportsMax - Alia Atkinson is one of Jamaica’s most celebrated athletes.

She is the first black woman to hold a world record and she has been dominant for many years on the World Cup swimming circuit.

But there aren’t droves of young black girls following in her footsteps and if you can believe it, their hair is one of the reasons for that.

Alice Dearing, one of Great Britain’s top female marathon swimmers said: “I vividly remember a black girl saying at training that the reason black girls don’t swim is because of their hair.”

Hair is extremely important to young black girls.

Unfortunately, the chlorine in pools can damage hair. Especially hair that is thicker.

“Afro hair is naturally drier than other hair because it has fewer cell layers, which means it doesn’t retain as much moisture,” says Shirley McDonald, a consultant trichologist at The Institute of Trichologists in London.

“Sodium hypochlorite can cause excess dryness leading to damage if the hair is not washed and conditioned after swimming - and so afro hair is likely to suffer

more quickly because of its structure.”

Black Kids Swim is a nonprofit organisation advocating for diversity in competitive swimming. Its website has a section dedicated mainly to hair care.

In one article, the team asked swim mom of two, Karen Norman, “Do you have any hair advice for other swim moms? What hair routine do your girls use?”

Norman said using a leave-in conditioner is best for retaining moisture.

“My daughters swim three to six times per week. We wash their hair with shampoo and always use both a conditioner and a leave-in conditioner. The leave-in conditioner is key. We’ve tried just about every product on the market!

We tend to favour products with shea butter. Now, we are using ‘It’s Yours Hair Co.’ and ‘Mixed Chicks’. My oldest daughter typically wears her hair in a ponytail and our youngest daughter tries a variety of styles including individual braids, cornrows and twists.”

Average size swim caps also make swimming with natural hair more complicated.

This is why the English and Ghanaian swimmer is working with @soulcapofficial to shine a light on how hair can affect confidence and why something as simple as a larger swim cap can make all the difference since it will fit thicker hair more easily.

Still, there is deeper insecurity to recognise when advocating for the breaking down of barriers that prevent black girls from getting in the water.

Many in the natural hair community still struggle to accept the god-given texture of black hair.

We don’t use a relaxer anymore, we ‘transitioned’ for six months or so, mustered up enough courage to do a ‘big chop’. Yet, after all that, products like gels and custards are used to alter our tightly coiled pattern to mimic a looser and smoother one.

An Internet-based survey with 529 participants (which included the Caribbean) showed 63.5% of respondents manipulated their natural hair to create curl or wave definition when going out in public.

Products that are often used usually deter black women from going into water

out of fear that their hair will revert to its natural state.

Black women are constantly self-consciousness and thus, no water.

Some black women even avoid workouts because ‘sweat ruins hair’, the weather forecast is checked before planning anything, swimming is a no go because our hair will shrink; our time outside is limited.

Of course, this spills over into day-to-day situations and we look uncertain, less confident, uncomfortable and awkward.

Chenzira’s film ‘Hair piece: A film for nappy-headed people (1985)’ explains why we alter our hair texture.

There are many stereotypes attached to tightly coiled natural hair with attendant descriptions like wild,

Danielle Collins dismissed from World TeamTennis tournament for breaking coronavirus protocol

Time away from mom hardest part of quarantine, says James

Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) reacts after a play during the second quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center.

(Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports) (Reuters) - Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James said the hardest part about quarantining during the COVID-19 pandemic was the time he was forced to spend away from his mother.

The NBA was suspended in March in response to the novel coronavirus outbreak and three-times NBA champion James quarantined in Los Angeles, California, while his mother, Gloria, remained in

Akron, Ohio.

“The only thing that I missed during the quarantine period was my mother,” James said. “It was the first time I went that long in my life without seeing my mom.

“I hadn’t seen my mom since All-Star weekend then I saw her two weeks, three weeks before we had to report to our respective cities.

That was extreme for me.”

“Coming from a single parent household, being an only child... for me to be away from her that long (was difficult). My mom, she kept me sane, because she said in due time we’ll join back again.”

The NBA will resume on July 30 at Disney World without spectators.

Twenty-two of its 30 teams will play eight seeding games to determine a full 16-team playoff field that will follow the traditional post-season format with four best-ofseven series.

James’ Lakers, who lead the Western Conference with a 49-14 record, face the Los Angeles Clippers on their return to action.

freaky and ugly. This encouraged some of us to disassociate ourselves from our natural hair.

But natural hair care should go further than just using products to manipulate hair texture out of insecurity.

It should be about making sure our hair is healthy. That way, entering pools and learning how to swim can seem more appealing.

Danielle Collins will play no further part in the World TeamTennis season. (REUTERS) American tennis player Danielle Collins was dismissed from the World TeamTennis event in the US after she defied coronavirus protocols.

The WTT tournament is being hosted across three weeks at the Greenbrier resort in West Virginia, and is one of the only sports events in the US currently allowing fans to attend. Collins, the 2019 Australian Open finalist, had been competing for her team Orlando Storm, but on

Tuesday, tournament organisers confirmed she had been asked to leave due to travelling outside of the tournament bubble — and even leaving the state.

“We have dismissed Danielle Collins... for the remainder of the 2020 World TeamTennis season after breaking our Covid-19 protocols and leaving The Greenbrier Resort and the state of West Virginia,” WTT chief executive Carlos Silva said in a statement. “The protocols

have been put in place and communicated numerous times to protect the health and safety of our players, coaches and staff which are of utmost importance to WTT.” The news comes a month after Collins criticised Novak Djokovic, the men’s world No 1, for saying it would be “impossible” to play this year’s US Open under safety protocols proposed by organisers.

“It’s easy when someone’s made $150 million throughout their career to try and tell people what to do with their money, and then turn down playing in the US Open,” Collins, 26, posted on Instagram.

“For those of us (most tennis players) who don’t travel with an entourage, we actually need to start working again. It would be nice to have the best player in the world supporting this opportunity and not spoiling it for the players and the fans!”

Former grand slam champions Venus Williams, Sloane Stephens and Kim Clijsters are among the line-up at the mixed-gender team event.

The 2,500-seater stadium is also playing host to 500 fans at a time, unlike current plans for the US Open, which is set to begin next month without spectators. (The Telegraph via Yahoo News)

Wednesday July 22, 2020

PAGE 31

Kaieteur News

Simmons puts West Indies batsmen on notice after England defeat

MANCHESTER, United Kingdom (AFP) — West Indies coach Phil Simmons bemoaned his batsmen’s failure to convert promising starts into major scores during the 113-run defeat by England in the second Test at Old Trafford Monday, as he warned of possible top-order changes for the series finale.

Whereas England built a first-innings total of 469-9 declared on the back of hundreds from Ben Stokes and Dom Sibley, no West Indies batsman has yet made a century in a three-match campaign now all square at 1-1.

Only opener Kraigg Brathwaite among the tourists’ top three has so far passed 28 in either of the first two Tests, with both John Campbell and Shai Hope struggling.

“They haven’t fired, so we’ve got to take that into consideration over the next couple of days,” said Simmons, with the third Test set to start at Old Trafford on Friday.West Indies batsmen Darren Bravo and Shimron Hetmyer both declined invitations to tour England for a series taking place against the backdrop of the global coronavirus pandemic.

But reserve wicketkeeper Joshua da Silva, who made an

unbeaten century in the second intra-squad warm-up match, could now come into consideration, with back-up opener Shayne Moseley another option for the tourists.

Although they hold the Wisden Trophy following a 21 success over Joe Root’s men in the Caribbean last year, you have to go back to 1988 for the last time the West Indies won a Test series in England.

Much of the focus heading into this tour was on the talented Hope, whose two career Test hundreds both came during the West Indies’ shock win over England at Headingley, Root’s Yorkshire home ground, three years ago.

The 26-year-old averages an impressive 52.20 in oneday internationals but that figure plummets to 26.35 in Tests.“Yes, I am concerned,” said former West Indies batsman Simmons when asked about Hope’s recent form.

“He’s gone four innings without a score (in this series) — in contrast to how we played over the last five or six months in the other formats, I am concerned now about his form.”

Another frustration for Simmons during the second Test was that while Brathwaite (75), Roston Chase (51),

West Indies Head Coach Phil Simmons (centre) talks to his players ahead of the warm-up before the start of play on the fourth day of the second Test cricket match against England at Old Trafford in Manchester, north-west England, on Sunday. (Photo: AFP) Jermaine Blackwood (55) and Shamarh Brooks (68 and 62) all passed fifty, none of them got to three figures.

“We’ve had five or six fifties and no one has converted to a hundred,” said Simmons.

“It’s something that we’ve been talking about a lot,

and no one has taken up that opportunity in this game yet again, so it is disappointing.

“I think it’s critical that our batsmen carry on and make big hundreds. Our batsmen need to make hundreds because our bowlers have been doing their jobs,” he added.

West Indies, however, were looking like they might yet escape with a draw until they were rocked in their first innings by Stuart Broad’s three-wicket burst with the new ball.“For me, we lost control of the game in five or six overs with the new ball yes-

terday (Sunday) evening in a place where we were in a good position to bat through the day and then some of today and close out the game,” said Simmons.

“But the spell from Broad is where I think we lost the game.”

Watford relegation fears mount after thrashing by Man City

LONDON (Reuters) - When you are mired in a Premier League relegation battle the last team you want to face is Manchester City, especially if you are Watford whose worst fears were realised in a 4-0 thrashing at Vicarage Road yesterday that left them on the brink.

Inspired Raheem Sterling struck twice before halftime while Phil Foden and Aymeric Laporte scored after the break as City racked up a 13th straight win over Watford in all competitions.

The previous two meetings between City and Watford had resulted in an 8-0 home league win for Pep Guardiola’s side in September and a 6-0 victory in last year’s FA Cup final.Watford’s only consolation was that it could have been even worse yesterday. With one game left they remain three points above Bournemouth and Aston Villa, who were playing Arsenal later, but their goal difference advantage has been wiped out.

Watford’s trip to Arsenal on Sunday will be a nail-biter.

Hayden Mullins, in temporary charge following the surprise sacking of manager Nigel Pearson on Sunday, watched powerless from the touchline as City went through their routines.

Watford did have an early chance when Will Hughes slashed a shot miles wide, but it was mainly one-way traffic.

Sterling opened the scoring after 30 minutes with a stunner. Controlling Kyle Walker’s driven pass instantly he looked up and smashed a right-foot effort past Ben Foster.

He doubled City’s lead when he fooled Hughes into a trip and although Foster saved his spot kick, the rebound fell kindly to the England striker who touched the ball home for his 19th league goal of the season.

Foster performed heroics to deny Sterling and Kevin de Bruyne after the break and made another save from Sterling only for the ball to fall to Foden who tapped it home.When Laporte headed in a free kick Watford were reeling but they managed to avoid any further punishment and had a stroke of luck when Gabriel Jesus’s late header was ruled out for offside.

Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling celebrates scoring Defeat left the 17th-placed Hornets on 34 points with second-bottom their first goal, as play resumes behind closed doors side Bournemouth, who could have been relegated had Watford avoided defeat, on 31. Villa in 18th also have 31 points ahead of their late match at following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). (Pool via REUTERS/Adrian Dennis) home to Arsenal.All three sides have an identical goal difference but Watford have scored fewer than Villa and Bournemouth.

PAGE 32

Wednesday July 22, 2020

Kaieteur News

Marquez undergoes successful surgery on broken arm after Jerez MotoGP crash Marquez undergoes successful surgery on broken arm.

Autosport - Reigning MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez has undergone a successful operation on the right arm he broke in a violent Spanish Grand Prix crash on Sunday.

The Honda rider was recovering from an earlier off at Jerez when he was flung from his machine at the Turn 3 lefthander on lap 22, with Marquez landing hard in the gravel and the bike clattering into him.

He was fitted with a neck brace and taken to the circuit’s medical centre, where the Spaniard was diagnosed with a fracture to his right humerus bone.

He flew to Barcelona to have surgery yesterday, which Autosport can reveal was a success.

In the operation, carried out by Dr. Xavier Mir’s team, the doctors were able to confirm that the radial nerve did not suffer any damage as a result of the impact with the motorcycle that broke his arm.

Doctors at Dexeus Hospital, where the operation was performed, fixed the complete fracture with a titanium plate and several screws.

Although it is still too early to know exactly the recovery time Marquez will require, Dr. Mir made it clear on Monday that if the nerve was not affected as it has been, the first objective of the Honda racer was to return to action at the Czech Grand Prix at the start of August.

Marquez will miss this week’s Andalusian Grand Prix at Jerez, with Autosport re-

vealing on Monday that Honda will not replace the stricken world champion.

That leaves his rookie brother Alex Marquez as the sole Repsol Honda representative on the grid.

LCR Honda’s Cal Crutchlow was also set for surgery yesterday to have a wrist fracture fixed.

Crutchlow crashed during Sunday’s warm-up session at Jerez and had to miss the race owing to a minor concussion, though it was later revealed that he had also damaged his wrist.He flew to Barcelona on Monday to have his operation at the same Dexeus Hospital where Marquez was treated.

Honda is expected to reveal more details of Marquez’s surgery imminently.

Jofra Archer returns second negative coronavirus test BBC Sport - England’s Jofra Archer has returned a second negative coronavirus test and will be available for selection for the final Test against West Indies.

The fast bowler missed the second Test and was later fined after breaching bio-secure protocols while travelling between venues.

Archer, 2 5 , w e n t through a five-day period of isolation and will now rejoin his team-mates before Friday’s match.

England levelled the three-match series with a 113-run win on Monday.

Archer visited his home in Hove on Monday during his journey from Southampton, where the first Test was held, to Manches- Jofra Archer was allowed to do some solitary fitness ter. work during the second Test. (Getty Images) He was allowed to leave trolled solitary fitness work Emirates Old Trafford, where his room for carefully con- during the second Test at the final Test will also be held.

F1 champion Hamilton accuses Andretti of “ignorance” over racism comments Autosport - Mercedes Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton has accused Mario Andretti of “ignorance” over his comments about racism in motor racing.

Andretti told Chilean newspaper El Mercurio last week that he did not like politics and sport getting mixed up in the way that they have in recent months.

He said he also not happy with the way that Hamilton had become a “militant” for the way in which he had called out F1 drivers, teams and the sport’s bosses to do more to stamp out racism.

Posting on Instagram, Hamilton made clear that he was not impressed with Andretti’s stance.

“This is disappointing but unfortunately a reality that

some of the older generation who still have a voice today cannot get out of their own way and acknowledge there is a problem,” he wrote.

“Again, this is plain ignorance but that will not stop me from continuing to push for change.

“It is never too late to learn and I hope that this man who I’ve always had respect for can take the time to educate himself.”

Andretti believed that the racism debate in motor racing has become bigger than it needed to be, as he referenced Hamilton’s action and the scenario surrounding NASCAR’s Bubba Wallace, when there was an investigation after what appeared to have been a noose was found in his garage.

Lewis Hamilton has accused Mario Andretti (left) of “ignorance” over his comments about racism in motor racing.

In the end, it was discovered that it was simply a rope pull for a garage door.

Hamilton has been one of motorsport’s most vocal on the subject of racial injustice, and set up the Lewis Hamilton Commission to try and improve diversity within F1.

F1 has joined the fight against racial injustice and is moving to boost diversity in the series with the We Race As One initiative.

Mercedes changed its livery from silver to black, with End Racism slogans on its W11, for 2020 to draw further attention to the fight against racial injustice.

Drivers have also been taking a knee prior to the start of each race, though Hamilton believes the push to end racism has “gone off the agenda” after the last two prerace displays have been rushed.

Kaieteur News

Wednesday July 22, 2020

AAG and Athletes optimistic about Senior Track & Field C/Ships next month

PAGE 33

Aurora Knight Riders CC makes donation to ailing mothers Nurse Aneesa Mohamed of Aurora village presents the hamper to the mother on behalf of the club.

AAG and athletes support senior Championships next month.

T

he National COVID-19 Task Force on Friday last implemented Phase Three of Guyana’s reopening process that will run until July 31.

Among the new measures to take effect is a change in the existing curfew time from 6pm to 6am to 8pm to 6am while Food services and restaurants are permitted to be open for delivery, drive-thru, curbside pick-up and take away service from 6am to midnight daily.

This news has been met with much fanfare by many, including the sports fraternity. More precisely, Track and Field athletes are eager to get back into competition and the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) has remained optimistic since the lockdown began in March this year.

In June, the AAG’s head; Aubrey Hutson, using World Athletics reworked calendar, had proposed that Guyana’s Senior Track and Field Championship be held either in the second or third week of August and the recent announcement by the COVID-19 task force has been well received.

Hutson had explained to the media that he was staying positive and was ensuring that the AAG could’ve put all measures in place for the hosting of the Senior

Championships in August during the lockdown and he is expecting a confirmation by the Ministry of Health during this week.

However, once all goes as planned, phase four of the reopening process will be implemented on July 31st by the COVID-19 task force and that will include reopening of bars, relaxed restrictions on social gatherings and group exercise/recreation with physical distancing.

National 100m men’s champion, Emanuel Archibald, supports the hosting of the National Championships in August and he opined that since Track and Field is not a contact sport, it shouldn’t be too complicated running off the event.

Many countries are returning to sport including nations in the region.

Natrena Hooper; former

Aubrey Hutson head of the AAG, Natrena Hooper in action.

High jump champion, who is a student-athlete based in Jamaica posited that, “(In Jamaica) they are only allowing coaches and athletes that are competing at the track. We are required to wear our masks and to maintain social distancing, even when running, 4 persons is the max for a heat.”

Having read a post on social media (facebook) of a mother, who was appealing for assistance at the Suddie Public Hospital, members, of Essequibo’s Aurora Knight Riders Cricket Club, thought it best to give a helping hand. Members of the club, on Monday last, donated a hamper which included food items and ladies garments to the mother at a simple ceremony held at the hospital.

According to the post, the mother has been hospitalised for close to two years suffering from a severe illness. The club

would have made similar contributions to other members in society, but the plight of this mother has literally ‘bled the hearts’ of many. Additionally, a monetary donation was made to another mother who is in desperate need of a life saving surgery. The club is calling on other organisations and the business community to play their part, since according to the club, mother is close to the name for God on the lips and in the hearts of children.The club has expressed gratitude to Anwar Buksh and family, Awaaz Ali and family and Timure Gafoor and family.

Ben Stokes becomes top Test allrounder, gets to career-best No. 3 among batsmen

Simmons puts West Indies batsmen on notice after England defeat p.

29

Jermaine Blackwood and Phil Simmons have a chat on the sidelines, Old Trafford, July 14, 2020 Š Getty Images

Ben Stokes reserve-sweeps to bring up his hundred.

(Getty Images)

Jofra Archer returns second negative coronavirus test

t r o Sp

Merlene Ottey loses 150m world record to 2016 sprint hurdles champion Brianna McNeal Merlene Ottey

American Brianna Rollins-McNeal (Cameron Spencer Getty Images)

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