K
AIETEUR NEWS
Guyana’s largest selling daily & New York’s most popular weekly
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Sunday Edition
p. 3
May 17, 2020
arrests 9 Guyanese fishermen, seize boats
Online: www.kaieteurnews.com
National election - AG Williams, recount ‘illegal’Roysdale Forde p. 10
...party will accept results - Amna Ally PPP/C protestors lined off in front the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, South Road yesterday.
t s e t o r p ’ r e t n e C r e t d e ‘Car t s e r r a e n o s a d quelle
p. 46
GECOM Commissioners split on handling of recount observations p. 3
Alleged Woman’s Lawrence, Ally body found wife-killer signal rejection in abandoned nabbed at of additional p.7 mining pit; p.2 Parika 51p. - less than a month after recount stations camp ransacked escape from Lusignan Prison
Guyana should have say in all - TT expert, oil companies’ spending Anthony Paul
p. 9
Price $140
Online readership yesterday 146,896
Our oil has been hijacked
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ur responsibility is to share, with our readers, oil-related developments that impact on the country. To our chagrin, many of these reports have been negative and with far-reaching implications for our people. They suggest that Guyana negotiated an unacceptable arrangement. Last week, we carried two reports. The first report entitled, “Govt. has no say on Exxon’s budget for Guyana” (Wednesday, May 13), highlighted the one-sided, backward and revenuedepleting provisions has Guyana accepted. The oil agreement which was signed by Exxon was supposed to be a business partnership, albeit not one among equals. Exxon has the capital, the technology and the know-how. In such a scenario, it is the general partner and Guyana is the limited partner. But if the truth is to be told, Guyana has reduced itself to a sleeping partner, with little say, low presence, and limited influence. Exxon has essentially been given a license to spend as it pleases. Exxon also reduces Guyana to purely clerical roles: check invoices, run adding machine tape, clear for Exxon to pay and charge to Guyana. Exxon has total control, and Guyana none, as to how much money is spent, who is contracted, and for what. This situation can serve to significantly reduce our revenues and place us in the position of essentially paying Exxon to indebt us. The second reported headlined “Govt. ignores expert’s advice to complete oil policy before law review” (Friday, May 15), concerns our petroleum policy and the revision of our petroleum laws. Any owner of a valuable but historically problematic resource would wisely and practically outline, prioritize, and dictate a policy – including its vision, goals and objectives. This policy would represent the national blueprint, a holy writ, reflecting the minimum requirements for the sector. This policy would become the prerequisite and a guide for any review of the country’s petroleum laws. It would circumscribe the parameters of the law-revision process. Unfortunately, Guyana has not developed any such policy. This is tantamount to entering into a process blindfolded. It is akin to placing the cart before the horse. The deficiencies which this newspaper reports have highlighted are a foreboding of our oil future. We have been sold out even before we have bought-in.
Kaieteur News
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Sunday May 17, 2020
Miner surprised after Woman's body found in police arrest worker abandoned mining pit; for Berbice murder camp ransacked
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olice in Region 8, a c t i n g o n information yesterday, arrested a man wanted for the murder of a male resident of Angoy's Avenue, New Amsterdam, Berbice. In police custody is Donald Shariff called "Ducky", 29 of Lot 11 Patrick Dam, Angoy's Avenue, New Amsterdam. He was wanted for questioning in connection with the murder of Keron Nicholson which occurred on March 8th, 2020. According to the police, acting on information received, at about 12:30 hrs. yesterday, ranks ventured to Stone Creek Backdam, Mahdia, Region 8 and arrested Shariff. Region 8 Commander, Ramesh Ashram, told Kaieteur News that Shariff was found working in one of the mining camps located within the backdam. The man made no attempts to evade arrest and willingly cooperated with the ranks. According to Ashram, Shariff's boss had not the slightest idea that his worker
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Killed: Keron Nicholson was wanted for murder and was reportedly surprised after the arrest was made. He is presently in police custody at the Mahdia Police Station waiting to be escorted to Georgetown. Initial reports by this publication had detailed that Nicholson and Shariff were engaged in a heated argument at Angoy's Avenue when it turned physical. Shariff reportedly dealt Nicholson several blows and stabs about his body until he collapsed. Relatives, who were
Captured: Donald Shariff nearby, had rushed out to Nicholson's aid and immediately rushed him to the New Amsterdam Hospital where he was admitted in a critical condition. However, due to the extent of his injuries, he was transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he succumbed 10 days later. Shariff had managed to escape and had gone into hiding but police had issued a wanted bulletin for him shortly after.
olice are trying to ascertain whether they are dealing with a case of murder after the body of a woman was found in a water-filled mining pit at Karrau Backdam, Mazaruni, last Friday. The victim has been identified as Rosella Smith, a 28-year-old mother of three of Bamford Point, Bartica, Region Seven. Reports indicate that she may have been working as a cook with a mining camp. Another report suggested that she sold goods at a camp a short distance from where her corpse was found. According to report, a 23-year-old miner was heading to a worksite at around 12.30 hrs last Friday and had called out to Rosella Smith while passing her camp. He got no response and was continuing his journey when he spotted the woman's body floating in an abandoned mining pit. He immediately contacted the police and ranks from the Bartica Police Station came to the scene. Commander of Region 7, Senior Superintendent Linden Lord said that the body bore no marks of violence, but blood was oozing from the nostrils. Police who visited the area found the woman's camp ransacked. Investigators also learnt that a day prior to her demise, Smith was seen conversing with two men, known only as “Black Boy” and “Rocky.” Both men reportedly left the area before the body was found. “Black Boy,”
Dead: Rosella Smith who may be from the East Coast of Demerara, was allegedly seen leaving the “backdam” on the Friday morning with a bucket and a bag. Police have been unable to locate the individual. According to reports, Smith had visited her mother-in law's home at Bartica at around 18:30 hrs last Monday to see her children, aged nine, seven and five. She reportedly left $3,000 and a snack for the children. Last Friday, they received a call that Smith's body had been found. Police said that Smith's body is at the Lyken Funeral Home and a postmortem is to be performed on Monday.
Sunday May 17, 2020
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Kaieteur News
GECOM Commissioners Amna Ally unaware that split on handling of COVID-19 restrictions a factor in blocking Carter Centre recount observations
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[from left] Commissioners Sase Gunraj, Vincent Alexander, and Desmond Trotman By Kemol King
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he Guyana E l e c t i o n s Commission (GECOM) has not yet discussed and decided on how it will treat with the observations being made during the National Recount, particularly claims that there are anomalies that occurred on Election Day. Commissioners hold differing views on what should be done, and no meeting has been scheduled to determine the way forward, even as the Region One recount has come to a close. Commissioner Vincent Alexander had told reporters that the Commission would meet to address the observation statements for each region, as the recount for that region comes to a close. But Commissioner Sase Gunraj said yesterday that no such meeting has been scheduled or requested. In fact, Gunraj is opposed to any direct investigation of the observation statements, arguing that that is the domain of the court. He has registered disagreement with Alexander, and said that the order for the recount does not provide for GECOM to address the observations.
Wi t h n o w o r d o n GECOM's official position on the matter, Kaieteur News asked Commissioner Desmond Trotman last night what would be done with the Region One observation statements, given that its recount is over. He responded: “My understanding is that first there is going to be a summation of all of the anomalies that were put, and those that merit investigation will be looked at.” The Commissioner indicated that the merit of the claims will be determined on the basis of an examination of the arguments and proof put forward. But Gunraj said yesterday that thus far, no evidence has been forthcoming from the main party raising objections, APNU+AFC, despite Amna Ally and Volda Lawrence claiming that some evidence has already been tendered to GECOM. Gunraj stopped short of saying that the nature of such investigations would generally form part of an elections petition, stressing that he is not advocating for that. However, Trotman is of the view that the investigation would have to be done before any final declaration is made. Trotman said: “It has to
be done. It is part of the process. And if it is that you're talking about credibility, if you want to ascertain if the elections were credible, once you have information supported by proof that something went on that shouldn't have taken place, you have to look at it before [the declaration].” He said he believes that what would happen is that GECOM would put in place the machinery to ensure the investigation is executed. When pointed to the differing viewpoint, Trotman said he does not agree. Trotman acknowledged that the matter has not been discussed at the level of the Commission, but said that he will argue for the investigation process to take place before the count is concluded. While APNU+AFC is adamant that GECOM must investigate its claims, the People's Progressive Party (PPP) is of the view that the coalition is just using the investigation to delay the conclusion of the recount. Kian Jabour of A New and United Guyana (ANUG), one of the new parties, weighed in on the matter last night. He said that the recount is mainly a numerical recount, and that it should remain that way.
Suriname's Coast Guards arrests 9 Guyanese fishermen, seize boats
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urinamese authorities have reportedly arrested nine Guyanese fishermen who they said were in the waters of that neighbouring country illegally. According to a report of the Dagblad Suriname yesterday, the Coast Guard stopped two fishing boats at the mouth of the Saramacca River on Thursday, May 14.
A total of nine Guyanese fishermen were found to be illegally there in two boats. Both vessels had fish. The report said that the investigation shows that one of these boats was fishing illegally. The police in Suriname said they arrested all of the crew members and seized the boats. The boats were on their way to Boskamp to unload
the fish there. Guyana and Suriname have both close their borders on the Corentyne River as part of the measures to fight the COVID-19 measures. However, local fishermen and others, desperate for work, have been taking chances despite the presence of Coast Guards and other officials on both sides of the river.
espite a letter to the United S t a t e s Ambassador to Guyana, Sarah-Ann Lynch and five senators, which emphatically stated that the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the restrictions which followed played a factor in why the Carter Centre was not given the green light for their return, APNU+AFC's Amna Ally shares a different view. During a briefing with the press yesterday evening at the Arthur Chung International Convention Centre, the venue where the National Recount is being conducted, Ally was questioned about whether the National COVID-19 Task Force (NCTF) advised incumbent President David Granger not to approve the international observers' trip to Guyana. In response to this, Ally, the General Secretary of the People's National Congress Reform- the largest party in the Coalition, said: “You were told that that was the reason why the Carter Center was rejected? I hope that you know that with the COVID-19 pandemic that we have closed all of our borders and it is only essential services that enter or leave this country.” She went on to say: “Don't assume that it is a decision. That is a normal thing that the PPP/C does and I hope that it is not the PPP/C propaganda that you
are putting to us.” It was reported by Kaieteur News that the incumbent coalition has, for the third time, denied the approval for the return of the Carter Centre, which was accredited to observe the March 2nd General and Regional Elections. In two letters dated on May 15th and addressed to Sarah-Ann Lynch, the US Ambassador to Guyana and to five Senators of the United States, Dr. Karen Cummings, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, who wrote on behalf of President David Granger, explicitly stated that “…it may not be possible for the Carter Centre [sic] and the IRI Advisor to participate in the overseeing of the recount of the votes cast on the 2nd March General and Regional Elections which as you are aware had already commenced.” The Foreign Affairs Minister went on to justify why the Center's re-entry was not approved, making note of the travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 virus. She also stated that there is the three-member highlevel scrutinizing team which was nominated by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) currently monitoring the elections. She noted that: “The Caribbean Community sees itself as the most legitimate interlocutors in the Guyana situation.” This is effectively the
third time that the government has denied reentry to the Carter Centre. An initial application to the COVID-19 Task Force in late April was not responded to, prompting a May 4th appeal to the President from U S A m b a s s a d o r. T h e application was again rejected in a May 6 letter sent by Cummings on Granger's behalf. Joseph Harmon, the Chief Executive Officer of the NCTF, on May 9th, had told the press that the Carter Centre was free to re-apply to the government to fly to Guyana to observe the recount exercise. Notably, even as the COVID-19 airport lockdown has been cited as the reason for blocking the observers' re-entry, the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has granted a number of special authorised flights- six to eight flights of workers from the oil and gas industry over the past two weeks. Subsequent to hearing the latest developments, C a n a d i a n H i g h Commissioner to Guyana Lilian Chaterjee, tweeted late Friday night: “Guyana refused Carter Center with ties to Guyana since 1990s, to return although they will comply with same COVID19 requirements as the CARICOM team. GECOM invited the Carter to return. Why doesn't the government want them back?”
528 ballot boxes completed on Day 11
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n the 11th day of the National R e c o u n t exercise, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) managed to complete the recount of 49 ballot boxes, raising the total to 528 boxes the ballots casted in Regions 1 to 5. GECOM's Public Relations Officer (PRO), Yolanda Ward announced last evening that 11 ballot boxes were counted for Region 2; 14 for Region 3; 13 for Region 4, and 11 for Region 5. The recount for Region 5 (West Berbice) commenced three days ago at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre (ACCC), at Liliendaal on the East Coast of Demerara.
GECOM's PRO, Yolanda Ward With 14 days remaining in the recount and 1, 811 ballot boxes left to be completed, Chairman of GECOM, Justice (Ret'd) Claudette Singh is yet to receive word from the
National COVID-19 Task Force with regards to adding six new stations to the 10 already in place at the site of the National Recount. Commissioner Sase Gunraj told the media on Thursday that the daily commission meeting was unable to occur for this very reason. This delay, however, now puts the Commission in a difficult position, as according to Gunraj, they would need the report before moving ahead to implement the additional workstations with COVID-19 safety measures in mind. He reiterated his view that the progress of the recount is stymied by the Task Force.
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Sunday May 17, 2020
Kaieteur News
Kaieteur M@ilbox
KAIETEUR NEWS Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: SHARMAIN GRAINGER Tel: 225-8491, 225-8458, 225-8465 Fax: 225-8473 or 226-8210
Editorial
Unyielding Coalition calculation and position The Coalition has given every indication that it is ready to contest every centimeter of elections territory that it will not yield a single millimeter in this slow and tortured elections recount process that crawls forward on its belly. It has signaled in its words and postures, right from the inception, that it is committed to challenge every point, every development, all the way to the bitter end, if that end stage can ever be reached. We also have our own immovable position: it is that the increasingly precarious journey of this national recount must be allowed to continue its course all the way to its conclusion. Let the full story of Elections 2020 be revealed if only to illuminate in the entirety of its narrative. It must no longer be that of one political side only dominating with insistences about the truths of its positions, but of all the shadowy consequential bits and pieces that add up to deliver the brightest of clarities and no more unsolved mysteries. The president himself has said that the outcome will be respected. Win, lose, or draw, it is our expectation and that of all Guyana that this respect for the outcome will materialize and from every quarter. But, most distressingly, to get to any conclusive endpoint, we have first to deal with the cast-iron character that transfuses politics in Guyana today. There is no give, absolutely no retreat, by one side or the other in this groinpiercing brawl. First, it was the opposition with its sharp objections, which were listened to and given much followup support by many voices local and foreign. By that standard, the same is due to the coalition: it has a right to a complete presentation. Let the stories be told. It must present quickly and thoroughly its research ‘facts’, immigration records, exhibits, and other proofs, in support of its unalterable pronouncements that it has been the victim of skillful deceptions and massive cheating all along. The time for this kind of longstanding talking is over; it is time to deliver what is in hand for the closest scrutiny. The expectation is that whatever is shared must be sufficient and material enough to make a difference, one way or another, in what has played out and where things in the original count stand at present. It is our hope that what the coalition has in its grasp is neither so narrow nor so limited that it cannot be accepted as reliable or accurate or meaningful. It is appropriate at this point that we remind all readers that we, at this paper, have our individual political preferences. But we also have a professional obligation to be clinical and objective, through remaining above the fray in what is a tempting journalistic and environmental loser’s game. We so state because those who lose balance in this most ruthless of political and racial milieus run the risk-the very high risk-of being painted with the broadest of blistering brushes to picture raw partisanship, and all the naked prejudices that are automatically attached. Nonetheless, even as we emphasize this, there are some elements underlying the entire elections’ exercise-now tawdry beyond description and scarred beyond recognitionthat deeply trouble. From its initial confident and sustained position, the coalition, through its commissioners, its insiders, its strategists, all the way to its once well-regarded leader, appears to know something that no one else in this country, or in the closely watching contingent of observers, does not know. Indeed, the coalition has stepped forward to share that it knows a few things that were/are fundamentally flawed relative to Elections 2020. With this in mind, and with its latest positions and allegations functioning as supporting contexts, we ask again: what are those electorally and recount components that are still known only to itself? Where are the consequential details regarding immigration, deceased Continued on page 5
Send your letters to Kaieteur News 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown or email us kaieteurnews@yahoo.com
No good can come from blocking Carter Center observer team return DEAR EDITOR, The headlines were screaming on Saturday morning with the news that the Carter Center observer team was blocked from returning to Guyana. I think that it a wrong move, a dead wrong decision, and from which no good can come. Whatever the coalition’s reasoning I disagree with it. It is bad in appearance, bad in the audibles emanating, and just plain bad all around. It is the wrong move at the wrong time for the wrong reason and, this is paramount, against the wrong people. I would have thought that the coalition’s wise men had learned something from the mistakes of the PPP during the
latter part of its tenure. Its people crossed American wires and lines repeatedly, until there came that time when they crossed one wire and line too many. For those whose memories are a shade on the myopic side, I remind them of extraditions denied, games played to protect wanted men, and generally uncouth conduct, all the way to the plenipotentiary’s official residence. My caution to the coalition is to not play games with the Americans; do not mess with them; do not offend them. This is the kind of fire that I think that the coalition people are playing with to their detriment. These
people are not local adversaries danced around and mocked and usually dismissed as toothless. The Americans, though fading, are still a formidable force to reckon with, and that is even without resorting to tough stuff. As an exhibit, I point to that World Bank application that is in a holding pattern, as if a measly US $5 million means so much. Well, it does to us, and that is the point being recorded through the most unmistakable signal. Let me be clear: I have said repeatedly that Guyana’s troubles are local in origin and requires a local solution; and that the role of foreigners should be minimal. I have
also shared my thinking that the foreigners have overreached and overstepped, which I am sure did not win me any friends. But I have long lost interest in gaining new ones from any quarter. I am not backing away from any of those positions. Having said all of this, the reality is that they were invited, they are here but, now in midstream, the Carter Center mission is found to be personae non grata. This sounds more like Caligula than Cicero, the more I think of it. The coalition has said repeatedly that it has this thing in the bag and under Continued on page 5
Sunday May 17, 2020
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Kaieteur News
Kaieteur M@ilbox Kaieteur M@ilbox Granger’s reaction to possible sanctions is emboldened emulation of his predecessors DEAR EDITOR, In 2007, a much younger former U.S. President Jimmy Carter wrote “Beyond the White House,” about his post-presidency work with The Carter Center, an institution he and his wife help create in 1982. In an excerpt from his memoirs, Carter confessed that ”The most personal danger I have felt since leaving the White House was in Guyana in 1992. This small nation on the northern coast of South America was then and still is the most completely divided that I know. … The major political parties are largely separated
along these racial lines, as are many of the basic professions.” Carter played a critical role in that election, as he observed a democratically conducted free and fair election and oversaw a smooth transition to the newly elected government. One can argue that the regime that took over after 1992 may have squandered many missed opportunities to bridge the “racial lines” that Carter was concerned about. Be that as it may, the “danger” Carter referred to was created when a “mob” of angry protesters stormed the Elections Commission and threatened his physical safety
inside the building. Hamilton Green, who disagreed with President Hoyte’s decision to grant accredited observer status to the Carter Center because he considered them to be “a group with roots in the deep south of the United States”, was a central figure in the sentiment felt by the protesters. Carter ’s immediate recourse was to direct his secret service agents to call President Bush to instruct President Hoyte to make sure no harm came to the former President. The Wall Street Journal (Oct 16, 1992) reported that ”Carter helped
curb possible violence”. Had it not been for that call from President Carter to President Hoyte who then instructed the GDF to mobilize and supplement the police force, Guyana would have experienced the type of postelectoral violence witnessed in 1998 when mobs roamed the streets of Georgetown attacking perceived supporters of the PPP. Some PNC supporters, like Mr. Green, have never forgiven the Carter Center for “interfering” and “curtailing” the PNC’s 28 year rule. What has changed in 2020? The Carter Center, headed by Jimmy Carter’s
Unyielding Coalition calculation and... From page 4 voters, fake ID cards, and the rest that must be all brought as swiftly as possible before GECOM and thereafter into the public arena? Are they quantitatively and qualitatively significant enough to have a material impact on results, as claimed before by the supposedly winning group? We would like to know and the patient, longsuffering public is owed the courtesy of some enlightenment. Though the coalition may have be able to link alleged irregularities with actions of its chief political opponent, it certainly does lay the foundation to question the whole process starting with that bloated list, which laid the groundwork for many trickeries. We tender this because now is not the time to be coy or clever by withholding information or dissembling astutely. It is imperative that the coalition come forward and display all the cards in its possession. The coalition has to do more than hold back the tide of skepticism; whatever it does deliver must succeed in turning the narrative about its cheating on its head and essentially reverse what has prevailed since March 3rd. The chasm of disagreement is vast, which the following statements evidence. “I have never seen a more transparent attempt to alter the results of an election” was the position of the OAS Observer Mission Chief. And, from the coalition, which found that statement “wholly biased and partisan” (KN May 14). Which is which, or has more substance speaking to the real truth? It is but one indication of how far things
and parties are apart in this destructive recount process, the whole Elections of 2020 now, when all is studied and reviewed. Separately, the US Ambassador sees no “overstepping” on the part of the international community. Some troubled Guyanese see too much closeness and interference. Some opinion contributors call for honoring recount results, others say test for authenticity. Everyone believes that their positions are based on the fairest and wisest of evaluations, with the irresolution of a vast no man’s land standing as testimony of how far apart and irreconcilable the main parties are. It is our hope that, in the interests of clarity and bringing closure to Guyana’s now nightmarish elections, what the coalition has in its grasp is powerful evidence that solidifies the positions
on which it has long insisted. That is, it is the coalition group that is the one being victimized and cheated, and not the other way around. We would trust, also, that this latest development from the coalition about contamination is not built on bluff. Or that it is not part of a nefarious plan to delay and derail further elections disputed beyond intellectual imagination and any ethical boundaries. It would be an unpardonable waste of time and resources, both of which are in short supply. If so, then a great injustice would have been done, leaving us nationally poorer, and racially weaker. There should be no mistaking that we have gone out of our way to extend listening and receptivity to the most bandied about aspect of the sordidness of what has been wounding Guyanese elections. In spite
of our own impatience and distaste, we have refrained from pointing a single finger at anyone alleging that most unsettling and infuriating word in Guyana’s elections dictionary. That word is rigging. The coalition has long insisted on the cleanliness of its hands. We say show them and help the country move out of its comatose state, this deathlike trance. It is time to deliver on its assertions; or, failing that, to depart gracefully with as much dignity as can be mustered. For the last time: it is time to put on the table of consideration what could rise to the level of only one of three things: fact, or fiction, or fantasy. As a sign of our deepening pessimism, we think that we are whistling past the graveyard. Regardless, let this whole sorry business be allowed to shake out to its natural conclusion. Let it be over.
No good can come from blocking... From page 4 lock and key. It must live up to the sanctity of its words and postures and welcome one and all. As much as I have difficulty with the role that the Head of the OAS Mission has arrogated onto himself, that barn door was already open, and the welcoming mat well utilized. For those exercises in national selfflagellation, I anoint the patriotic (so-called) Guyanese, who do not have what it takes to fight their own battles; like some drugstore cowboys, they are all hat and no cows. But all of that is beating a dead horse late in the day. My position is that however this thing pans out, it is a bad time to manifest hostilities and accrue unnecessary enemies, who have what it takes to inflict substantial, if not mortal, damage to prospects, be they present or future. I think it is time that all Guyana face up to another truth that I have stated so many times before, that I should not be doing so again. It
is this: the Americans, one way or another, whether by the book or by covert means, have had substantial influence on every election in this country. Every single one of them, with this one being no different. In fact, I would argue that, in view of the multiplicity of interests with emphasis on one in particular, the Americans have even more of an interest in things Guyana, and they will have their say and have their way. That is, determine a winner. All the poor dumb suckers in Guyana’s la la land who rail and rant about democracy better get real and understand that they are mere pawns fulfilling roles. They have had their stage, but they are insignificant actors in this backwater Grecian tragedy. It is why I say for the last time to the coalition: do not push the Americans too far. The problem is that I believe that a Rubicon has been crossed, with no turning back now. Yours truly, GHK Lall
grandson, Jason Carter, was accredited to observe the March 2 elections, and is now seeking permission to re-enter Guyana to observe the recount. By all counts, they were denied permission to enter after 3 attempts. In two letters dated on May 15th and addressed to Sarah-Ann Lynch, the US Ambassador to Guyana and to five prominent Senators of the United States, Karen Cummings, the de facto Guyanese Minister of Foreign Affairs, who wrote on behalf President David Granger, explicitly stated that ”…it may not be possible for the Carter Centre [sic] and the IRI Advisor to participate in the overseeing of the recount of the votes cast on the 2nd March General and Regional Elections…” She cited concerns over the coronavirus pandemic, and re-affirmed Granger ’s confidence in the role of the Caricom observers. However, institutional memory has now kicked in. Caretaker David Granger, who was 47 years old when Carter observed the 1992 elections, and who encouraged President Hoyte to peacefully hand over power to the opposition, amid objections
from PNC hardliners, is making a calculated decision. That decision seems to be based upon the fact that the coalition is now altering its position, and strategy, from claiming victory in the March 2 elections, to a renewed position which seeks to identify electoral and voting irregularities with the hope of negating the elections and denying a win for the opposition. The coalition is more concerned about the US, deemed the “new colonizer”, and the threat of sanctions. Why, then, is the coalition willing to risk it all by challenging the US directly and not the other observers, while at the same renewing its lobbying efforts directed to the American President, Congress and the US Justice Department?. The answer may partly lie in the relations the caretaker Granger administration shares with Caricom. Mia Motley, the Barbadian Chairperson of Caricom has already taken a stand against US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo by accusing him of “dividing Caricom”. The caretaker Guyana government is hoping to Continued on page 6
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Sunday May 17, 2020
Kaieteur News
Kaieteur M@ilbox Kaieteur M@ilbox AN URGENT NEED EXISTS FOR COVID-19 CONTACT TRACING, MALARIA CO-TREATMENT DEAR EDITOR, We write to follow up on the letter about COVID-19 published in the press on Saturday 9th May. Our intention then was to provide an additional source of information for the public at large. We commented on COVID-19 at the Palms Geriatric Home and the need, if not urgency, for testing of those asymptomatic persons in the at-risk population. We also pointed out the urgent need to intensify contact tracing at the Palms and other institutions. This urgency is now immediate as we just learnt that there are 5 COVID-19 cases and one death at the Home. We should have trained persons to help the additional five cases recall with whom they have had close contact
for the past few weeks. The porters, nurses, maids, doctors, and nurses who dealt with those patients should be encouraged to stay at home and maintain their distance from others for 14 days. Visitors were not named in that group, as the assumption is that they were all truly banned as of April 2, last, and we hope that living in a society where most people know somebody, a ‘quick visit’ was very few and far between. The gatemen are not to be blamed but need to be educated, informed, and supported to understand their role, the risk to them, and the risk to which everyone else is placed. To assist in this endeavor, we suggest the use of former, now treated, psychiatric
patients as gatemen. No one is to be allowed, not even politicians, to enter the Home without a pass. At the same time, a list of names and addresses of all who enter the compound, will facilitate future (contact) tracing. All residents and staff should wear masks and the residents, some of whom may be in the early stages of dementia, informed of the need to maintain a six-foot distance from each other as well as the reasons why face cloths or masks are to be worn at all times. There is without doubt a pressing need to organize social partners to assist in preventing the spread of the virus. Our elderly population deserve better from us. Having dealt with the Palms Geriatric Home, we
Sitting of NGSA must be properly thought out DEAR EDITOR, I am hopeful that whatever the plans are in the pipeline for the sitting of the National Grade Six Assessment, they are rooted in safety and not following in CXC’s footsteps of what I consider a barefaced move. As a parent and a concerned Guyanese, I would like to share my views, with the hope that the Ministry of Education can see some good sense in my thoughts. First of all, the Ministry of Education must act on the advice of the National COVID-19 Task Force; hence
I am hoping that the Education representative on the Task Force truly understands the dynamics of education and the implication that premature reopening of schools and more so administration of the NGSA may have. Schools having been closed for more than two months, one may argue that the Grade Six pupils would have covered the curriculum by the time schools were shut. As a parent of a Grade Six child, I can tell the policy makers that the children are not ready for the examinations.
Granger’s reaction... From page 5 capitalize on this country’s fraternal relationship with its Caribbean neighbors, first by hoping that the Caricom team takes seriously its objections to irregularities during the recount, while banking on the fact that Caricom may not support regime change, particularly under pressure from the Americans. Granger’s reaction to possible US-imposed personal and political sanctions is emboldened by his determination to follow in the footsteps of his mentor, Forbes Burnham. One of Prime Minister Burnham’s oratorical moments occurred in a speech he delivered at the Parade Ground. The quiet crowd of supporters raised their voices in thunderous excitement when Burnham recited a phrase from “Jumbie Jamboree”, a calypso song credited to Conrad Eugene Mauge: ”back to back, belly to belly, ah don’t give a damn, ah done dead ah-ready”. David Granger may have the same determination shown by Burnham, but he has killed any hope of national unity in this backwater country after March 2 (some may argue since 2015). The actions of Granger and his surrogates clearly demonstrate to the Guyanese people that he ”don’t give a damn” about preserving democratic values in a game of power politics where the opposition forces, on their own, may be impotent to force regime change. Yours truly, Baytoram Ramharack
In my opinion, they must go through at least a month of pupil teacher contact or reacclimatization before they are back in examination mode. The longer school stays closed, the farther these 10 and 11 year olds are away from examination readiness. Remember, as much as they would have been ‘home schooled’, three months or more of home schooling cannot get them ready to sit this very important examination. Parents are not the experts at formal academia. If another thought is that children would have been using the online resources available to them, then this is discriminations. What about the children in the Hinterland? Secondly, has the examination been reformatted, or will it be? CXC has revised theirs, with only Paper One being written. If the Ministry is thinking about announcing a date for NGSA within two months, say by July, then I’m hoping that the format of the examination has been revised. Children cannot simply write four papers of a full Paper One and Paper Two – this is not business as usual. Let me remind the Ministry of Education of what happened in 2016. Should you move prematurely, without giving it all possible thoughts, then we are staring down the barrel of the 2016 results gun, just four times over. Yours truly, Concerned Parent
need to turn to the interior of the country, where most of our Amerindian population reside, gold mining is lucrative, and malaria is ever present. As they say in Suriname, ‘looking for gold, finding malaria’. We may have to adapt that to ‘looking for gold, finding malaria and COVID-19’. On May 12, news outlets carried a story from Lethem, Region 9, where a dual Guyana-Brazil citizen was feeling unwell, had a test for both malaria and COVID-19 and was found to be positive for COVID-19. He escaped from the Lethem hospital and was subsequently reached at his home in Bom Fim, just across the border separating
Guyana and Brazil. Detection of COVID-19, can be done in two ways: first by detection of the virus itself using a technique referred to as reverse transcriptionpolymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and by the detection of antibodies to the virus in the blood. To detect the virus, a swab (an extended cotton bud), is used to retrieve a sample of mucus from the nose or throat of the suspected case, depending on the amount of virus present, the sample may or may not have the virus. The RT-PCR can detect exceedingly small amounts of virus in the body, even before symptoms appear. It is clear
therefore, that the PCR test can detect the virus, if only the sample is properly collected. That is the reason why the test should be undertaken by someone trained in laboratory practices. On the other hand, antibody tests are done on infected persons and can be detected in the persons’ blood. The antibodies become detectable about 7 days after being in contact with the virus and are detected as IgM (Immunoglobulin-M). After 14 days of initial contact with the virus, the body produces Immunoglobulin-G (IgG) Continued on page 7
I have some deep concerns about the COVID-19 curfew enforcement DEAR EDITOR, A video purportedly showing police entering a person’s home to arrest people having a get together prompted me to write this letter. There needs to be mass dissemination of information as to what is a curfew and the rules and the penalties regarding the current COVID-10 order. I am wondering also if arresting persons and taking them to the police station is the wisest decision as would this not expose them further to possible infection and also those at the police station? There is a need to ask the COVID-19 Task Force and the Chairman of GECOM for clarification on a few observations. In a previous letter I questioned the, what I consider, stupidity of wanting 33,000 masks and have the observers and personnel change masks every hour. I can only conclude given our history that someone may have gotten a drawback as I doubt there was any tendering or even three quotes. I hope I am wrong. I also want to touch on the issue of curfew and the use of the curfew to limit the hours of the recount. Curfew, and please correct me if I am wrong, prevents one from being on the road and in the streets without reasonable cause. I am assuming that if the people are in the compound or inside of the convention center they are not in breach of the curfew. So there was no valid reason to prevent them from going beyond 7.00PM. In any event, if being in the convention center after curfew commenced, the law would have been broken as 7:00PM would already be in breach, so why not a later hour. There was/is no impediment that would have stopped the Task Force from lengthening the hours and they could still do that. I also am notified that they stop counting sometimes by 5:00PM because they may not complete the next box by 7:00PM. I cannot understand why they cannot not go beyond the 7:00PM to complete the box if necessary. I really do not want to use disrespectful terms here. Officers, agents and observers would have been given IDs or letters that would have cleared them if they were stopped by the police. Personally, I consider the election recounting as an essential service or at least reasonable grounds for being on the road on their way home.
I cannot for the love of life understand that we allow people to be around when they usually are, ie during the day and then establish curfew during the night especially since most of the night life businesses are on shut down. I cannot understand how it is that we allow a number of plane flights bringing in Exxon workers from all parts of the world but COVID-19 is the excuse for not letting the observers from the Carter Center in. I get the distinct impression that, just like the crazy bigger half and the rounding up of the half man, the limitation was simply to extend the life of the present government. I am now convinced of this as the Chairwoman wrote to the Task Force requesting an increase of recount stations. Apparently days have passed and there is no response. I do not understand why the Chair has to request permission from the Task Force to have this increase. I am sure that GECOM officers and the agents and observers are intelligent enough to take the necessary precautions to keep themselves safe. She needs to go ahead and do what is necessary to fulfill the timeframe the Commission has set itself. She should at least recognize the conflict situation re the Task Force, as the heads have an interest and are contestant in the elections, and are part of the government which, from all indications, wants to extend its life having failed to have Mingo’s declaration accepted. Now if the police want, they can enter the Convention Center like they did the people’s home in Bartica and arrest everyone there. But this would not happen so what is the Chairman waiting for. They should go ahead and set up the other stations as I maintain running an elections is an essential service. I am wondering why the GECOM Chair did not make representation with regards permission for the Carter Center representatives to arrive in Guyana subject to the same conditions imposed on CARICOM reps. After all, GECOM is an independent commission and she should have condemned this refusal. We were reminded so often by the President that GEOCOM is independent and it is GECOM that invited the Carter observers who are still duly accredited. Yours truly, Rajendra Bisessar
Sunday May 17, 2020
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Kaieteur News
Lawrence, Ally signal rejection of additional recount stations Executives of the governing coalition, APNU+AFC, met with the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) and signaled the rejection by the National COVID-19 Task Force of a proposition by the commission to add six workstations for the National Recount. The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) is of the view that Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence, and Minister of Social Protection, Amna Ally, via statements made yesterday, have indirectly rejected the addition. This view was proffered by PPP/C executive, Anil Nandlall, at the media centre, Arthur Chung Convention Centre yesterday. During an engagement with the media, Lawrence, the Chair of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), the largest party in the Coalition, was asked about the Task Force’s report to GECOM on
From left: Coalition Executives and Ministers, Volda Lawrence and Amna Ally how safely GECOM could facilitate the additional workstations, if it should at all. In response, Lawrence said that the first consideration that must be had in making such a decision is the safety and security of each and every person at the
centre. She said that GECOM had asked the National COVID-19 Task Force for professional advice on the utilization of space in the centre and the number of persons who should be there at any given time because of the importance of safety and
Kaieteur M@ilbox An urgent need exists for... From page 6 which remains in the body and, (if COVID-19 behaves like most viruses), is expected to produce immunity to the disease for a long period afterwards. That is the logic behind asking people who have been exposed to the virus to remain isolated from other people for 14 days, ensuring no further transmission or development of symptoms of the disease. Conversely, there are some people who may have been exposed to exceedingly small amounts of the virus and can be asymptomatic. Hence the reason for isolation of those persons to reduce greater exposure to, and spread of, the virus. Hopefully, we can now understand why we have been asked to stay at home, to use a mask when venturing out and to stay at least 6 feet away from strangers. Results of the COVID-19 test could be available in as few as a day or two. Malaria can occur with many other infections,COVID-19 being one of them. A suspected or confirmed case of should also receive a malaria test in areas where malaria is endemic. The symptoms of COVID19 are varied and include fever, cough, shortness of Breath, difficulty breathing, chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, red-eye, diarrhoea, loss of taste or smell, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, confusion or inability to wake up easily, bluish lips or face due to reduced oxygen. Based on that list, those who
have had malaria would realize that the symptoms of COVID19 and malaria are remarkably similar. Symptoms of the two diseases are similar but can vary to a different degree; patients may have a headache, sweats, nausea, vomiting, body aches and general malaise. So, what, and how do we now deal with two similar diseases, COVID-19, caused by a virus, andMalaria, caused by a parasite principally in the interior of the country; and as reported of the case in Lethem, among those who travel to and from the interior and can spread COVID-19? We suggest, if not already in place, that a focal point for malaria be appointed on the National COVID-19 Task Force. That person could help ensure a rapid response to patients with malaria prevention and management in areas affected by malaria and possibly COVID-19. The presence of someone with knowledge of malaria would be to identify endemic areas and ensure access to management of those suspected with the disease at health facilities and communities. Additionally, to estimate the number of diagnostic facilities needed and the population to be served (with Rapid Diagnostic Tests in preference to microscopy for those suspected of malaria), and to identify the logistical needs to ensure coverage on a very timely basis. The result of the malaria test is available in less than an hour.
Clinicians and epidemiologists should work together to use their judgment to determine if a patient has signs and symptoms compatible with COVID-19 and whether that patient should be tested. Asymptomatic infections with COVID-19 have been reported and epidemiologic factors such as known exposure to an individual who has tested positive and occurrence of local community transmission can be used to provide guidelines for testing. We must ensure malaria testing in known malaria endemic areas as infections can result in death if tests and appropriate treatment are not readily available. The recommendation from WHO and CDC is that priority for a COVID-19 test be given to older adults and people of any age group who have serious underlying medical conditions, inter alia, persons on treatment for cancer; those with chronic lung conditions; severe asthma; diabetes, chronic kidney and liver disease etc. We should not forget monitoring of prisons and other shelters for persons with symptoms of the disease. Let us also not forget the extreme vulnerability of our (older) Amerindian population as we strive to contain and eliminate the spread of these two diseases. Sincerely, Keith H. Carter, MD Bhiro Harry, MD Pedro Pons, MD Raj. N. Mungol, MA
security, in light of the pandemic. Asked whether the coalition supports the addition of new work stations to speed up the recount, Lawrence said that it is not for any political party to say what it wants at this time. She said that that report has not been presented as yet, as far as she is aware, but assured that the Task Force will share that with GECOM. To be included in this report, as had been explained by Commissioner Vincent Alexander, is an assessment of the compliance of the current arrangements with health and safety guidelines. Notably, the Task Force had initially advised that 14 persons should be present at eight of the workstations, and less at the other two. It had also said in totality that a maximum of 132 persons would be in conformity with COVID-19 guidelines. However, reports has come from Commissioners
that GECOM had allowed up to 18 persons in certain work stations to facilitate all of the political agents who came. Alexander mentioned recently that he estimated there to be up to 400 persons usually present in the building for the recount, a sharp overstepping of the 132-person limit. Amna Ally, who was with Lawrence, said to reporters that the coalition delegation that met with GECOM from the party, yesterday indicated to the Commission that GECOM should stick to the order which had been gazetted for the recount. Ally is the General Secretary of the PNCR. One of the provisions in that order is for the use of 10 workstations. Nandlall is of the view that the party’s advocacy for GECOM to stick to the order is really its way of signaling that it will not accept the addition. He said that he expected
that the extra stations would have already been up and running by now, but that has unfortunately not materialised. “It is imperative that those additional stations are set up” so that the Commission can function with greater alacrity, Nandlall told reporters. He pointed out that GECOM will not meet its own deadline if it does not buck up. Both Commissioners Sase Gunraj and Desmond Trotman, who also addressed reporters yesterday, said that they had expected the Task Force to respond earlier. Gunraj even said that the Task Force’s team that visited the centre had actually communicated to GECOM that a response would be forthcoming in about 24 hours, which should have been on Friday. Lawrence did not give a timeline for the production of the report, but submitted that “Guyana is not safe right now, in this pandemic.”
Stranded doctor pleads for the return of Guyanese “stuck” in the US - Promises to stand all expenses including adherence to mandatory quarantine Bibi Hussain (centre) and family members stranded in Florida.
After learning of the recent Exxon chartered Flights, Resident in General Surgery at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC), Bibi Hussain, is now pleading with the National Covid-19 Task Force (NCTF) to allow stranded Guyanese to return. In an interview with Sunday Kaieteur, Dr. Hussain explained that she has already written a letter on May 11th addressed to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the task force, Joseph Harmon, explaining her situation and is still awaiting a response. Hussain said that she was moved to communicate with the CEO after she read in a recent News Room article in which the Director-General of the Civil Aviation Authority, Egbert Field, is quoted as saying that the task force is currently considering the initiative to grant stranded Guyanese a safe return. The article went on to state that in order for this to be possible, certain protocols must be set up. One such protocol is testing before given permission to enter. According to Hussain, she also included in her letter that testing can be arranged for Guyanese at their own cost to obtain such permission. After no response from Harmon, however and new information emerging from the media about oil workers
being allowed to enter the country by chartered flights, she has decided to make a public appeal. The doctor said that she, along with three other family members, arrived in Florida on the 13th of March for a family event and were scheduled to return on March 27. However, said Hussain, a notice was released on March 17 stating that Guyana will be closing its airports and borders to all international travelers including Guyanese citizens on March 18. She claimed that multiple attempts were made to secure flight bookings before March 18 but all were futile. As a result they were forced to wait until May 3 for restrictions to be lifted. Unfortunately these restrictions were extended until June 3. By this time their visas had already expired and their financial resources were running down. Without access to benefits and jobs like other American citizens, Hussain and her family are trying to make ends meet in a bid to survive. The young doctor and student said that they are many more stranded Guyanese forced to suffer like her and in some cases worse than her. Hussain said that she was not quite that vocal to plead with the Government before. Continued on page 9
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Kaieteur News
Sunday May 17, 2020
Sunday May 17, 2020
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Kaieteur News
Guyana should have say in all oil companies’ spending By Kiana Wilburg When the Stabroek Block deal was released in 2017, several international experts cringed upon noting the alarming loopholes the Coalition Government left unaddressed. Two years later, fresh eyes continue to find more areas of concern. Last week, Kaieteur News would have reported that international energy lawyer, J. Jay Park, alluded to the fact that Guyana is supposed to have a say in the approval of the budgets these oil companies draft. It is the same as if a mother drafts a shopping list on how her daughter is supposed to spend $60,000 on groceries for the home. Naturally, the mother is supposed to have some say over what her daughter would purchase for the home, which supermarket she would go to so they can get the most value, and how many of the items she should get. The mother is supposed to get a say- after all, she is paying for it. But this is not taking place in Guyana’s case. Park found that Guyana’s Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) with ExxonMobil gives the country no say over what the operator budgets to spend on the Stabroek Block.
Trinidadian oil expert, Anthony Paul This is in spite of the fact that Guyana will be footing the bill. The contract only gives the country the right to audit. One can also say that this is the same as the mother allowing her daughter to spend on whatever she wants, whether it is $60,000 or $1M and the daughter saying, “If you have a problem, you can check all my receipts. The cost for the items is on par with international prices.” The lawyer noted that the absence of legal approval for ExxonMobil’s budgets is actually an odd feature in the Guyana-ExxonMobil PSA, He is not the only one who shares this view. In agreement with him is Trinidadian expert, Anthony Paul.
During a recent appearance on Kaieteur Radio’s show, Guyana’s Oil and You, Paul categorically stated that Guyana should have the power to influence how the oil companies spend the money and not only the power to audit what is already expended. In fact, the petroleum consultant said that Guyana should be able to do this for all oil companies. He noted that several opportunities still exists for this to happen. “...Going forward, Guyana can say “We want to participate in every single contract”. This means that any investor coming in, Guyana will present an entity that it owns which would operate as a partner with that investor. The company representing Guyana’s interest would be part of the approval process for work plans and budgets.” The Trinidadian added: “It will also give Guyana the opportunity to influence many other things. Because the state company is involved, you will also have more information available to access which can be shared with the citizenry.” HOW BADLY DO YOU WANT IT? Paul said that the partnership arrangement he proposed is just one of the
Dem boys seh...
GECOM deh pun sheer count A teacher de having problem with one child. No matter how hard she try, he test scores always low. Sometimes he got 5/100 and one time 2/100. One day she tun to him and seh: “Sonny, ah wan give you a chance to pass. But yuh scores low. You need to get mo marks. So I gun allow you to write half the test and yuh can bring in somebody fuh write the other half fuh yuh. Who yuh want to write the other half?” Without hesitation, the child shouted: “Mingo!” Mingo was the man who count de District 4 votes. He count so good dat dem had to ask fuh re-count. Dem boys support de re-count. Dem seh it was the best way fuh please everybody. De re-count start and it showing that wha Mingo add was not a count but more of a C-
O-U-N-T without the O. Is sheer C#NT showing up in Mingo’s numbers. And it gat nuff a dem Coalition people talking a lot of C#NT. GECOM gat fuh sort out da C#NT during the re-count. But is nah only GECOM dem pun de count without de ‘O’. Exxon also gat we pun it. We and dem establish a partnership fuh oil. But dem draw up de contract that say we nah gat no say. All dem doing is sending we bills and mo bills so that all we can do is count and mo count. Is just like if Granger and Jagdeo set up a business. And Granger gat no say. Wah yuh think Jagdeo gan do to he? He gun deh jukin’ he. He gan juk de Soulja Bai in he eye; he gan juk in he side; and he gan juk he in he backside. Talk half and wait fuh the re-count dun!
Stranded doctor pleads for the return... From page 7 However, with special permission being granted to oil workers, she firmly believes that the same can be done for Guyanese citizens. “If protocol like testing before entry is required for a permission, we can do that spending our own money and we can also pay for our own flight”, said a frustrated Hussain. In fact, Hussain said that she had already made contact with the Guyana Consul based in Miami, Ramzan Ali on how testing can be arranged. She said that she was informed by Ali that it is possible for testing to be done by a reputable laboratory in Florida for a cost of US $80 per test. In addition, she said, the Consulate can also arrange an Eastern Airways flight to take Guyanese home. With
regards to a mandatory quarantine of 14 days upon entering the country, Hussain promised that the stranded Guyanese have committed to adhere to all protocols put forward by the NCTF. Contact was made by this publication to Consul Ali on Saturday to confirm Hussain’s claims. He told Kaieteur News that anyone can be tested in Florida and that indeed a flight can be arranged for Guyanese to return to Guyana. In fact, the consul said that he had requested permission on two occasions for citizens to be admitted home, channeled through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Ali also added that on one occasion he spoke directly to the Chairman of the NCTF, Moses Nagamootoo but has not gotten any positive response. ì
- TT expert, Anthony Paul many ways Guyana could have a say on budgets and work programmes. But the million dollar question remains: “How badly do your leaders want it?” Paul said whether Guyana decides to increase its authority over oil companies’ budgets is dependent on how the leadership of the country feels. He also noted that one of the challenges Guyana will face is the type of advice it will receive on these matters. Because of the lack of funding to get the required experts,
Paul noted that Guyana would be in receipt of advice from non-governmental organizations and development associations which focus on anti-corruption. The Trinidadian expert said while this is important, the focus of these organizations tends to be… “Let’s avoid opportunities for corruption” rather than “Let’s strengthen systems to prevent it.” “So in recent times, governments like Guyana have been advised to not have state companies for oil
because it is an avenue for corruption. That is true but countries which have done well in oil and gas, including Norway, have had state companies with an interest in every block. Why do they do that? Because they are not only able to oversee what is going to be spent and have a say, but they are also able to learn the business.” The Trinidadian noted that Guyana can improve its position significantly. He said, however, that it is only doable to the extent that the government has the ability of understanding what the country deserves and the confidence to ask for it.
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Sunday May 17, 2020
Kaieteur News
National election recount ‘illegal’ Attorney General, Basil Williams, has claimed that the national recount exercise currently ongoing at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre is in fact illegal, a position supported by his fellow party member, attorney-at-law Roysdale Forde, SC. “Our law did not cater for a national recount,” Williams told reporters yesterday at the recount media center, at Liliendaal, on the Railway Embankment. His position mirrors that of Guyana’s Chief Parliamentary Counsel, Charles Fung-a-Fat, who back in March, had advised the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) against drafting the recount order on the premise that it would be a breach of the Constitution of Guyana and the Representation of the People Act. Forde, also speaking at the Conference Centre yesterday, sided with Williams on the view that the recount is not legitimate. Both Williams’ and Forde’s position directly clash with the previous ruling from the Appeal Court and the provisions made by Guyana Elections Commission paving the way for the recount to commence, now in its 12th day. Williams reiterated that “no law” makes provisions for the recount and pointed out that a winner for the March 2, 2020 general and regional elections cannot be declared from the figures emerging from that process. He told the press that “GECOM had to erect, build in roads for the purposes of this national recount because none exists”. The Attorney-General noted that the Chief Elections Officer (CEO) of GECOM, Keith Lowenfield, has ten legal declarations in his possession. He argued that sole purpose of
– AG Williams, Forde
AG Basil Williams
PNCR’s General Secretary: Amna Ally
...party will accept results - Amna Ally the recount is to examine the events on polling day, not to determine a winner. “So far, it has shown clearly massive deficiencies on the part of the Opposition so much that one can conclude that they attempted to gerrymander the elections,” Williams said. He pointed out that the ten previous declarations, including the controversial Region Four declarations by Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo, are still “valid and subsisting”. Offering his opinion from a legal standpoint, Williams explained that Section
22 of the Election Laws Amendment Act enables GECOM to solve prospective problems in the conduct of the elections. He continued that results of the recount cannot automatically override the declarations currently being held in abeyance. “Only an elections petition can discredit those results.” But this view was not shared by Commissioner Vincent Alexander who had told reporters that the figures from the recount process “should automatically” be used to declare the winner of the elections. In fact, General Secretary of the People’s
APNU/AFC candidate: Roysdale Forde, SC National Congress Reform (PNCR), Amna Ally, shared similar sentiments. Hours after Basil Williams made his comments, Ally was asked whether the party would support the victors of the elections being chosen using the figures from the results. To this she stated: “Most certainly! Whoever the Commission declares, so be it, that’s the person or the party.” “Why would we object to it? We signed on, we wanted this,” Ally continued.
Family offers to pay for Komal Chand’s remains to return from Cuba In a few days’ time, it will be three months since an ailing Komal Chand, President of the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU), left the country for medical
attention in Cuba. Chand, 75, was accompanied by his wife, 64, on February 22nd. He died in Cuba on April 8th. With Guyana on a lockdown with its borders and
CXC says amicable resolution likely with Jamaica over exams The Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) on Friday, subsequent to the decision of the Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD) – Education of 8 May2020, convened the second in a series of bilateral discussions including COHSOD Education, CXC and Jamaica. “The meeting addressed the concerns raised by Jamaica in relation to the impact of COVID-19 on the administration of examinations. Specifically, concerns in respect of the logistical challenges faced by the country within the context of public health policy were discussed.” CXC said that the meeting made significant progress towards an amicable resolution to the challenges. “These deliberations will be concluded early next week, at which time the agreed position will be communicated.” With announcements that CSEC exams will be in July, Jamaica had raised objections, citing challenges from schools closure from COVID-19. CXC said it remains committed to ensuring that the regional examinations are accessible to all and for the mutual benefit of our students, parents, school administration and all other stakeholders.
airports closed, the family has been desperate to bring his body home. However, there has been no permission from the National COVID-19 Task Force to date. On Friday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it has met with Chand’s family on the matter. There were no immediate decisions taken- she promised to discuss with the Task Force and get back to the family. “Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Karen Cummings, recently met with Mr. Mavendra Chand, son of the late trade unionist Komal Chand. She conveyed a message of condolence and reassured the Chand family that the Government of Guyana was prepared to continue its support to the family,” the ministry said in a statement. The ministry acknowledged that Chand was pivotal in championing the rights of sugar workers. On Friday, his son, Mavendra, 34, who met with the minister, said that his family is naturally anxious to bring closure with the issue taking a toll on his mother who remains stuck in Cuba. He said that the family has not received any documentation from the Guyana Embassy in Cuba
- meets with Foreign Affairs Ministry
The late union leader, Komal Chand
Son: Mavendra Chand
Foreign Affairs Minister, Dr. Karen Cummings
who is in touch with the Cuban authorities. As head of one of the most powerful unions in Guyana, Chand was a parliamentarian for the People Progressive Party/Civic for almost three decades. The local health authorities have not been allowing any flights in to bring Guyanese who are stuck abroad. In fact, officials said that they remain fearful that the floodgates would be open at this time when the country remains on partial lockdown
and with limited space to quarantine persons. GAWU itself had been critical of the decision by Government not to allow the union leader’s remains to be brought home. The family together with the union and other colleagues of Mr Chand has been seeking to arrange for the transport of the body and his widow back to Guyana. The union had said that requests were made for Chand’s body and widow to be accommodated on a return flight chartered by the
Goverment to take hampers to Guyanese students in Havana : “Those requests were not approved as the Government said it could not afford such a request. The Government, astoundingly claimed it would have to seek to raise the required sum through donations from the society. It causes us to worry about how the ship of state is being steered. It seems to us, that cake shops are better managed.” The union said that it had written President David Granger for his intervention.
Sunday May 17, 2020
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Kaieteur News
Act now or face
catastrophe
Capturing the scenes
- REEL Guyana on sea level rise
By Kemol King
Y
ear after year, seasons come when Guyana experiences severe flooding along many coastal communities. Depending on the level of erosion in a certain area, the nature and strength of its sea defenses, the ground level in relation to the sea, and other factors, it may be much more predisposed to flooding than others. Coast Land, a minidocumentary on the natural phenomena of erosion and climate change, explores the causes of these things and their implications for the lives of those coastal communities. Shot and produced by REEL Guyana, its founder Alex Arjoon hopes to start a national conversation about the vulnerability of Guyana's low-lying coastal region, particularly among the younger generation. In the production, REEL Guyana talks about how “when we think about ecosystems, we imagine pristine places deep within the hinterland region far away from our urban cities”.
It is indeed common for people to think of nature as something separate from and untouched by civilization. But as Arjoon explains, there are ecosystems existing everywhere, including right along the coastline. In fact, our understanding of the dynamic ecosystems on the coastline and the cycles and what they have gone through over thousands of years, will be pivotal to the discourse on climate change. Arjoon explains that Guyana's coastline is part of the much bigger ecosystem of the continental coastline, from the mouth of the Amazon in Brazil to the Orinoco in Venezuela; and it faces this constant cycle of erosion and accretion. REEL Guyana says that the abundance or scarcity of mud deposits on the coast is “subject to an ebb and flow cycle lasting approximately 30 years.” Unfortunately, Guyana's natural sea defenses are placed at risk by the erosion of the coastline, and that could only redound to the detriment of these communities. A mangrove forest is an ecosystem in itself, Arjoon explains in the production.
While efforts have been made to grow and maintain the mangroves on Guyana's coastline, there is only so much that can hold when erosion takes its toll. “Over the years, we have seen a significant decrease in mangrove forests, leaving our coasts directly exposed to wave impact,” Arjoon explains as the camera pans over a mangrove forest. Then, in conjunction with erosion of the coast's mud deposits, there is the added issue of the constant and unprecedented melting of ice and snow in colder regions, caused by a frightening gradual rise in global temperatures. “This melted water is discharged into our oceans. Global sea levels are predicted to rise between one and four feet by the end of this century. And with every millimeter, Guyana's border wall approaches a point of irreversible collapse.” A scary prospect, but a sobering one, it is. What REEL Guyana is keen to point out is that public discourse about climate change tends to kick up at times when the floods are devastating our backyards. “What about when high tides aren't washing away our coastal plains?” Arjoon asks. That is why REEL Guyana has seen it necessary to use this documentary to advocate for a collaborative effort of civil society and
public institutions. Together, “we can combat the issue of rising sea levels and overtopping and become the guardians of our coastal communities,” he says. In the production, Arjoon talks to a gathering at Moray House Trust about the surreal feeling he got when he came face to face with the thunderous waves crashing against the Buxton foreshore. “You actually hear those waves crashing into the wall. It's a very surreal feeling of vulnerability which I think that a lot of people aren't very aware of.” Shell Beach Protected Area An area of particular significance that received focus in this documentary is the Shell Beach Protected Area in Region One. That area is 120km of beaches and mudflats which encompasses Guyana's largest and most intact mangrove forests. It is well known for the four species of endangered sea turtles that live there. “The area gets its name from the presence of a beach composed of fragmented shells. It is unique and is representative of Guyana's diverse ecosystems, containing both terrestrial and marine components,” Arjoon narrates. He explained that the area, sitting between one and 25 meters above sea level, has experienced dramatic
REEL Guyana's Alex Arjoon and Environmental Activist, Annette Arjoon changes. Unfortunately, its Protected Area status doesn't protect it from the natural elements, Arjoon said. The area has been victim to a regression of the coastline, with seawater seeping into parts of the community. To discuss this area in particular, REEL Guyana approached Environmental Activist, Annette ArjoonMartins. She once lived there, and explained that in 2012, the community started to observe “the waves getting stronger, the wind also getting stronger, and the waves becoming higher and higher where they were overtopping the beach and slowly but surely eroding the strands of coconut plants that
Rising sea levels can impact the coastland
were there.” The environmentalist describes how the sea slowly creeped up, stripping away the coconut trees on the beaches and approaching buildings. Some of the people living there, as the years went by, were forced to pick up and move. Arjoon-Martins said “In a sense, these would have been my earliest experience with what were in fact climate refugees.” Those families, who had lived there for decades, were uprooted by the elements, a fate that threatens many coastal communities today. REEL Guyana says it best. “It's easy to look at places like Shell Beach and (continued on page 45)
Kaieteur News
PAGE 12
Sunday May 17, 2020
Nurses Moseley, Krammer and Dhanpat are our 'Frontline Workers' of the Week
Among the males who have gravitated to the profession of nursing is Kenroy Anthony rom time immemorial, nurses have Moseley. He interestingly entered the world been recognised as integral part of on a day when women are celebrated, March any health care facility. Their 8, back in 1978 perhaps with the intent of nurturing ability is often the feature that breaking tradition. He is the second of three children born to separates them from the rest of the health care professionals who are no less important since his parents Keith and Ann Moseley. Indeed, he has turned out to be a force to it is usually a team effort that helps to make a patient whole again. To some, what nurses do be reckoned with in choosing to step up to the is a menial work, but after benefiting from the plate as a nurse. This gentleman, who hails from skills they wield, it would quickly become clear that these are no ordinary beings, Mackenzie, Linden in Region 10, trained to especially when those with added midwifery become a nurse at the Charles Rosa School of Nursing after he completed his schooling at skills are factored in. Nursing, back in the day too, was a Regma Primary and Mackenzie High, all feminine exclusive profession, but men, located in the mining town. Although he admitted he was coerced by increasingly over the years, have gravitated his mother and Mr. Hilary Christopher, to the gracious role as well. The outstanding contributions of them all, presently the Principal Tutor of the Charles during the past week, were aptly celebrated as Rosa School of Nursing, Nurse Moseley part of International Nurses Day (May 12) today fully embodies what a quality nurse should be. He shared recently “It's a profession that allows There are lessons learnt each time you to meet and care for people from every corner of this there's a disaster or an emergency or c o u n t r y. T h e r e ' s n o health crisis...right now one of the discrimination against one's lessons learnt, not just for Guyana ethnicity, religion or cultural background. but the world at large, is how prepared While demanding, we are when these things happen and and at times taxing, it is also very rewarding how to be better prepared in the future. and satisfying to provide the best care and this newspaper played a role in helping to you can to patients.” He has been a registered nurse for highlight a number of them. But many will agree that a single day to recognise the over 15 years now and revealed that importance of this arm of health care the profession is one that has evolved professionals is simply not enough, not considerably over the years allowing during this COVID-19 period, when their the opportunity “to expand on your already colossal role has considerably career path within the health sector by morphed, literally, into a life and death pursuing Medicine, your degree, your situation, for them too, and on a daily basis. masters or any other area within the This is owing to the fact that the coronavirus profession you so choose to pursue.” He disease has been characterized as a contagion is in fact currently pursuing a degree in that is easily transmittable; no one is immune. Emergency Nursing as he functions out Scientists are still trying to understand the intricacies of this disease that has hit the world hard. Nurses are often the ones to first attend to patients, to assess their conditions, before they gain the in attention of other levels of professionals. Nurses too are usually the ones who keep monitoring patients to provide updates of their condition and are therefore more hands-on when it comes to their care. Essentially, they are likely the first and last to deliver care to patients. Nursing, moreover, is a profession that demands that an individual, who chooses it, embodies a desire to care for another without prejudice, regardless of who they are. There have been many reports of some not fitting the bill over the years but those certainly would not qualify, or even bother to Nurse volunteer their services at a demanding and Veron non-prejudicial time as this. Krammer To be on the frontlines during COVID-19, requires nurses with hearts of gold whose disposition would allow them to fully embrace a stressful regimen but yet remain of the Georgetown Public Hospital composed enough to deliver quality care C o r p o r a t i o n ( G P H C ' ) s E m e rg e n c y always. Today, we highlight three of these Department. His advanced training was made professionals who have volunteered to possible through collaboration between the remain on the frontlines even in the face of University of Vanderbilt and the University one of the most daunting public health crises of Guyana. “While over the years it has been Guyana, and the world, have ever seen. challenging to grow financially in this profession, I know that in the near future NURSE KENROY MOSELEY
By Sharmain Grainger
F
“
nursing in Guyana will be more diverse than it is right now, and its standards will continue to improve significantly,” said Nurse Moseley. Currently he is part of the frontliner team in the GPHC Emergency Room Department, where, according to him, “we do screening on persons with COVID-like symptoms and treating same in an isolated area until the relevant testing can be done”. Given his years of experience as a registered nurse and years working in the Emergency Room too, he is especially suitable to aid the COVID-19 response. “By nature, I'm not judgmental and this translates in my caring well for patients coming to the ER during this time, while at the same time taking all the necessary precautions for COVID,” he shared. Additionally, working in the ER, especially at this time, requires patience and understanding, and Nurse Moseley believes that he is very capable of giving this to his patients. “At the same time the situation has not robbed me of my sense of humour which helps me, my colleagues and the patients we treat,” he intimated.
among his greatest achievements as a nurse is not only helping to save lives but helping to mentor student nurses whenever possible. Added to this, Nurse Moseley believes that “there are lessons learnt each time there's a disaster or an emergency or health crisis...right now one of the lessons learnt, not just for Guyana but the world at large, is how prepared we are when these things happen and how to be better prepared in the future.” NURSE VERONA KRAMMER
Nurse Taruni Dhanpat
”
Nurse Kenroy Moseley A typical shift could be eight hours by day and 12-hour nightly for Nurse Moseley. “You get in to work, take over the unit – patients, equipment and anything else that the previous shift deem as important for you to know; ensure that the department is properly sanitized, especially now with the COVID-19 pandemic, ensure there's adequate supplies to work with and start your patient interactions in the form of whatever care is needed and assisting your colleagues too when assistance is needed,” he explained. Some shifts are more difficult than others for this father of three, who currently calls a building in Industry, East Coast Demerara home. “It's tiring sometimes when I get home from work,” he said. His schedule weighs even more on his psyche since he is unable to spend much time these days with his wife and children by virtue of him being on the COVID-19 team at the GPHC. “I've been forced to leave my children with their mother to protect them given the nature of my work,” he said. Nevertheless, he continues to take pride in his profession, pointing out that
For 16 years now, Nurse Verona Krammer has dedicated her life to the field of nursing in Guyana without once considering the possibility of heading to perceived greener pastures. She premises her patriotism on the notion that “there is no place like home”. Over the years she'd offered her services in most departments of the GPHC which she believes has helped to increase her knowledge of patient care. As a member of the COVID-19 team too she serves as a screening nurse which means that she is tasked with screening visitors, as well as staffers, as they enter the hospital in order to determine whether they have symptoms synonymous with the disease. This is essential, she explained, so that persons can be swiftly directed for further management and care should they present with signs and symptoms of the disease. “I love what I do,” she said of her profession as she pointed out the importance of herself and colleagues at the various levels “working in unity” if they are to truly make a difference in the fight against COVID-19. She has had years of experience working as part of an efficient team in the quest to help preserve the lives of patients. For instance, she spoke of working at the hospital's Diabetic Foot Centre, which, she disclosed, is a clinic where patients with diabetic foot ulcers are cared for. “We check patients' vital signs, random blood sugar levels, and patient education on foot care and family involvement in care plan,” is a must, she shared. This level of health care is important, she explained, “because we work to prevent amputation”. Being a registered nurse for this former (continued on page 46)
Kaieteur News
Gabrielle Spencer
Sunday May 17, 2020
This week’s feature is the absolutely stunning Ms. Gabrielle Spencer. This 27-year-old beauty works at St Joseph Mercy Hospital. She has been a Registered Nurse since 2016. One of her favourite quotes says, “There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.”
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Kaieteur News
PAGE 14
Sunday May 17, 2020
Proactive and resourceful doctor,
Shodhan Persaud, By Malisa Playter Harry
L
ooking for an alternative form of medicine that works for everyone may be a gruelling task since many are not qualified to offer such a service. But in East Canje, Berbice lives a medical practitioner who is deemed an asset in this regard. He has rendered such service to many people, not only in the ancient county but there is talk about him helping many more in other parts of the country as well. Many have travelled long hours just to visit this doctor's clinic since he returned to Guyana after spending some time overseas. The forever smiling “chatter box” from the small village of Betsy Ground, East Canje, is said to be an alternative medicine extraordinaire. His name you asked? He is Dr. Shodhan Persaud called “Nick”. In fact there are reports that from the time of his birth on April 2nd, 1954 to this day, he has been impacting the lives of many. His witty persona has allowed him to be a “people person” and it would not be incorrect to say that his pleasant personality traits blends well with the profession he chose. Being able to stand in his presence would give just about anyone the impression that Dr. Persaud has had a trouble-free life. But he believes in making the most of everything and every situation hurled at him. NO BED OF ROSES Born to parents Punraji and Haran Persaud, he grew
is a “Special Person” up with thirteen siblings, four of whom have passed on. Those still alive are Hector, Charandass, Billy, Terry, Kalawattie, Shazia, Shereen, Emily and Nandranie. He was the seventh among the 14 and he recalled during a recent interview that their upbringing was no bed of roses. “My father and mother worked in the sugar and rice fields, and my mom,
School in 1960 and wrote the Common Entrance examination to gain a place at the Lower Corentyne Secondary School. There he wrote the GCE O' Levels and was among the top students with seven subjects. The school he attended topped the country the year (1972) he wrote his exam, he divulged. A c c o r d i n g t o D r. Persaud, he developed a love
“
We were self-taught because our parents did not know much you know, they were focused on working to ensure that we were taken care of but reading gives you all kinds of knowledge and so that is what myself and siblings did.
well, she never went to school after the age of 11, but they were both fluent in English and Hindi,” he shared. He recalled that it was while they worked to take care of him and siblings that “they read, yes, they read”. Reading, he said, helped to lay the foundation for the fountain of knowledge he developed over the years. “We were self-taught because our parents did not know much you know, they were focused on working to ensure that we were taken care of but reading gives you all kinds of knowledge and so that is what myself and siblings did,” he quipped. Dr. Persaud attended the Betsy Ground Primary
”
for art and drama during his school years and during that time too his love for reading increased. CLOSE CONNECTION Even though he and his siblings diligently fed their mental capacity with the fruit of knowledge, this did not stop them from sharpening their skills in the sugar and rice fields as well. Dr. Persaud shared how he and his siblings toiled alongside their parents in the fields, an activity he engaged in from the age of nine. The fields, to which he referred, were all owned by his parents, which they left to him and his siblings when they passed away.
A s a b o y h e remembered developing a close bond with one of his sisters, that sister - Savitri Persaud – like his parents, has since passed on to the great beyond. But according to Dr. Persaud, he has peace in his heart that she has gone to a better place. Memories of her he will forever cherish. Reflecting on his upbringing, he revealed that the older brothers of the Persaud clan were each given the responsibility to take care of a sister. Since Savitri was the fifth sister he had the responsibility of caring for her until she died. It was for that very reason that he was able to build a close connection with her. “She passed at the age of 52 but when she was alive, she was a professional singer and did a lot of charity work for over 300 temples in Canada where she lived after leaving Guyana. She made quite a few albums even one with the famous Devendra Pooran. She made me very proud,” said Dr. Persaud of his dearly departed sister. “When I hear her songs it gets me emotional; she took pride in music and she loved me like a father figure and I wanted to learn from her too,” he said as he shared a melodious song she'd sang. Tears welled in his eyes as he spoke of his sister. He disclosed that although her death was a major blow to him, he was able to muster-
Dr. Shodhan Persaud is a Special Person up enough courage to move on with his life and even made a name for himself. In moving on with his life, Dr. Persaud treasured the birth and development of his daughters - Lalita, Pratima and Ameeta. They all reside overseas. EVOLUTION As he reflected on his professional life, Dr. Persaud disclosed that it was quite a tough journey. In fact he revealed that it wasn't after dabbling in about 40 jobs that he was able to eventually find his professional way. After completing school, he began teaching at the Rose Hall Primary School. This was in 1972. He taught there for three years. He then ventured into studies at the University of Guyana in the field of public health but then decided to quit and went back to teaching. Teaching this time around was at the Gangaram Primary School
thence to the Canje Secondary School where he taught Art, English and Literature. In the year 1980 he migrated to Canada to study but two weeks later he was on his way to the United States of America instead. “I found out it was too difficult to study and maintain myself in Canada,” he divulged. In the US, Dr. Persaud said life was a bit easier and this allowed for him to remain there for 18 years during which time he had several jobs, including working at a machine shop. Added to this, he recalled, “I was selling greens on the roadside and selling fruits and vegetables at a farmers market. I did security work; I worked like a slave in factories. I stayed in America until 1998 then went back to Canada and went to school as a paralegal at the Centennial College and graduated in 2000,” he (continued on page 43)
Dr. Persaud with his three daughters
With his female staffers
Kaieteur News
Sunday May 17, 2020
PAGE 15
DISHONESTY IS NOT THE BEST POLICY
T
his whole system of government w i l l b e discredited unless there are free and fair elections. But the real danger is that without the acceptance of the will of the people, the population will be subject to the dictates of tyrants. Those who rig elections today are going to feel that they have license to do as they please and there is nothing you can do to stop it. Nothing. Guyanese have had a taste of what to expect. They have seen how the government invented its own interpretations of the Constitution first to override the requirement that the Chairperson of GECOM must come from a list supplied by the Leader of the Opposition and, later to claim that it had to have a say in the nomination of names for the position. The government used every delaying tactic available to nullify the passage of the noconfidence motion. It resorted to court challenges in order to avoid resigning within the three-month period specified by the Constitution. The Guyana Elections Commission has been compromised. The elections declarations in District 4 were tainted an the PNCR wanted to benefit from this. We have witnessed the machinations which have been on display to seek to have GECOM use the flawed declarations to decide the results. We have seen the shenanigans to try to frustrate the recount and turn it into a procedural audit of the elections. The PNCR does not have a democratic tradition. Never had. This is the moral dilemma which faces its supporters. They are being asked to participate in a process in which the will of the people is supposed to be accepted. But instead they are being treated to a display of the will of the party being more important than the wishes of the people.
The party is spending millions to retain a foreign firm to lobby for it in the USA. But little relief is coming the poor's way to help them put food on the table during the pandemic. The actions of the PNCR has generated moral confusion in the minds of the people. It will poison a generation of young people to believe that it is right to be dishonest and to cheat. This is the legacy which the PNCR is passing on to the young people of this country. The PNCR is setting the worst possible example. How can the public be asked to obey the laws and directives issued by government when they see the very government being complicit in electoral fraud? How can our children be asked not to cheat in examinations, when they see how easy it is for politicians to cheat and when they notice so many parents giving tacit support to this form of dishonesty? How can the public be asked to respect property when their most fundamental property – their vote – is being stolen in front of their faces? One of the observers from the Private Sector Commission noted that he had never witnessed a more brazen attempt at rigging an election than what he saw at the Ashmin Building. The former Prime Minister of Jamaica, Bruce Golding, said that what took place was the most transparent attempt he had ever seen to alter the results of an election. The Caricom Representative to the Organization of American States noted that if each of the political parties genuinely believe it has won, then they should have no fear of the current recount, and they should all support it. The present actions of the PNCR suggests that it is prepared to rule illegitimately. This is an ominous development because those who do not respect the ballots would not respect the rights of people. When dictatorship takes root, the rights of citizens will be threatened. Already
the press has been subject to harassment, threats and intimidation. There have been attempts to use state power to prevent persons from observing the recount. It will get worse if an illegitimate regime is installed. The police will do as they please, as they did during the era of dictatorship between 1968 and 1992. One of the reasons why
one organization had broken ties with the PNC, under Burnham, is because they were concerned about the molestation of women. This is not something that we would wish to return. There are many persons who had their properties compulsory acquired during the Burnham era. The compensation was grossly inadequate. We are not yet into a dictatorial mode and
already, the Berbice River Bridge has been compulsory acquired and steps are being taken to compulsory acquire the Ocean View International Hotel. There was an attempt to acquire a piece of land which was owned by a member of the PNCR. If dictatorship returns, then private property will be under greater threat. What is happening now
is therefore of importance to all Guyanese regardless of political affiliation. If the PNCR returns Guyana to dictatorship, God help this country! (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)
Kaieteur News
PAGE 16
Sunday May 17, 2020
Attacking Golding does not change demand for credible Guyana elections result By Sir Ronald Sanders
I
n the wake of a report to the Permanent Council of the Organisation of American States (OAS) on the Guyana general elections of March 2, the Head of the Electoral Mission (EOM), former Jamaica Prime Minister, Bruce Golding, has been accused of being “exceptionally partisan” and “hostile to the nation and people of Guyana”. S u r p r i s i n g l y, t h i s accusation has been made by Mr. Joseph Harmon, a senior official of the APNU-AFC
alliance and a senior member of the caretaker government in Guyana. I say “surprisingly” because Mr. Harmon should know that the Office of the President, of which he was – and is - an integral part, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, officially advised the OAS Secretariat that there was “no objection” to Mr. Golding leading the OAS EOM for the elections. This “no objection” came after Mr. Golding, in full disclosure and transparency, informed the OAS Secretariat, when approached to lead the team,
that he had been, at one time, a guest in the home of Opposition leader and former President of Guyana, Mr. Bharrat Jagdeo. So, this matter was openly disclosed, and the Guyana government registered that it had no objection. For general knowledge, it is worth recording that the OAS carries out an extensive search in its appointment of members of EOMs, particularly the persons to lead such missions. Mr. Golding was approached to lead the mission to Guyana based on his authority as a former CARICOM Head of
Government and his knowledge and experience of general elections in the Caribbean. Members of the team were 17 seasoned experts and observers of general elections from 13 countries. T h e r e f o r e , w h e n M r. Golding presented an “Update on the Electoral Process in Guyana” to the OAS Permanent Council on May 13, he did so with the full backing of the team that had spent 16 days, observing the run up to the elections, polling day on March 2 and the subsequent debacle that started on March 5 when,
unlike nine of the ten regions that had proceeded in accordance with electoral law, the final tabulation of Region 4 was questioned by all the Observer Missions – not only the OAS, but also the missions from the Carter Centre, the European Union, CARICOM and the Commonwealth. The latter mission was led by another former Prime Minster and senior Caribbean statesman, Owen Arthur of Barbados. Mr. Arthur was an eyewitness to the actual elections and its aftermath, and he and his team have meticulous records on which he will obviously draw when he makes his own public statement. He is not expected to be any less critical of events surrounding the tabulation of Region 4 than was Mr. Golding whose remarks at the OAS meeting that he “had never seen a more transparent effort to alter the result of an election”, and that “It takes an extraordinarily courageous mind to present fictitious numbers when such a sturdy paper trail exists”, are a serious condemnation of the officials of the Guyana Electoral Commission. It is significant that all the Observer missions, including the OAS, highly commended the “conduct of a credible process” on election day. The problem was not the voting; it was the tabulation of votes in Region
Sir Ronald Sanders 4 where the Statement of Poll by the Returning Officer varied greatly from the Statement of Poll which all the political parties had in their possession, since their agents were present for the counting of each vote. In this regard, the point made in a joint statement by the CARICOM Group, at the same OAS meeting at which Mr. Golding presented his update, is significant. “If each of the political parties genuinely believe it has won, then they should have no fear of the current recount, and they should all support it”. A credible and transparent recount of the votes over which representatives of CARICOM are scrutineers, and the peaceful acceptance of the result by all parties, are crucial to Guyana's future. If the recount is up ended under any pretext and the CARICOM scrutineers cannot pronounce it transparent and credible, the swearing-in of any government will be regarded as illegal with grave consequences particularly for persons involved. Guyana, itself, instead of proceeding on a path of progress will be mired in international odium, halting the economic growth and social improvement to which its people have been looking forward. The international (continued on page 44)
Sunday May 17, 2020
PAGE 17
Kaieteur News
---Hinds’ Sight by Dr. David Hinds---
Eusi Kwayana and the doctrine of “No Guilty Race” As Guyana navigates yet another ethno-political standoff, I have decided to reach into the not so distant past for one of the most profound political declarations of our country’s modern political history— Guyana: No Guilty Race. It was the title of a small book published by Eusi Kwayana in 1999 in the wake of the political impasse following the 1997 general elections. Not for the first time, Kwayana brought to bear his vast knowledge of Guyanese politics and his singular willingness to openly confront our ethnic problem. The book was a response to the documentation by some Indian Guyanese activists of the events of January 1998 that took on an ugly ethnic dimension. Today, for obvious reasons, I share with the public my review of the book. Eusi Kwayana’s “ Guyana: No Guilty Race” is one of the most profound statements on ethnicity and politics in contemporary Guyana. The title itself delivers a message that needs no interpretation. This book is timely as it comes at a juncture when ethnic defensiveness and tension in Guyana are at fever pitch. Given Kwayana’s undoubted moral standing, Guyana: No Guilty Race could well serve as a check on this development, at least at the intellectual level. Why do I specify the intellectual level? Precisely because the book is essentially a response, warning, and challenge to what Kwayana correctly perceives as an intellectual campaign to portray African Guyanese as the guilty race in Guyana’s historical racial standoff. The danger of this campaign is its potential on the one hand for easy translation by the “victims” from the intellectual to the practical, and on the other hand, for similar reaction from the other side. Kwayana also observes that since Guyana’s experience does not support the “guilty race” conclusion, the campaign can only be based on a bending of history in the most warped manner. He makes his point in what I consider to be the most telling statement in a book of telling statements: My challenge to writers of history, or of the story of the peoples is this. An African writer or Indian writer should not try to pretend that his or her race is always right and the others always wrong. This cry—”My race (Indian or African) is always right, my race suffered the most, my race is the most wronged in the country, all the violence done in history was against my race”—is a false alarm.
This kind of history, so far as Guyana is concerned, can be seen as war propaganda. It has no basis in the facts of our experience and will condemn later generations to endless conflict. We can arrive at a conclusion of a guilty race, only by twisting facts, missing facts, and treating readers or listeners with disrespect. This does not mean that in every department of wrong the scores are equal. It means that there has been to date no ground at all for the idea of a guilty race of Guyanese (p.2). The first part of the book is a reaction to the Guyana Indian Foundation Trust (GIFT) report on the violent attacks on Indians in Georgetown on 12 January 1998. Kwayana welcomes the report for he himself is extraordinarily strong on documenting instances of political violence in Guyana. But he draws attention to the fact that it does not adequately capture the role of Africans in rescuing and protecting Indians on January 12, 1998. He provides some examples of his own and concludes, “I am proud of those Africans and others whose deeds are not known” (p.5). He condemned those who committed offences against Indian Guyanese. According to him they “could not be people who care about their own race, as they would like the public to believe. Whoever they are they care only about themselves”(p.5). After recounting an incident where an Indian fishermen saved the life of an African woman, he concluded “The Africans who beat up Indians, including Indian women, on 12 January 1998, just on the anniversary of this wonderful good works of the Indian fishermen, are not Africans I am proud of”(pp 56). The telling point being made here is that there are guilty Africans and caring Africans; a caring that extends to other ethnic groups. Does this amount to a guilty race? Kwayana thinks not. The issue of rape is also given some attention by the author. He observes that the GIFT report does not support the charge of rape initially leveled by Indian rights activist Ravi Dev. He notes that the report lists instances of “sexual assaults” resulting from men pushing “their hands into women’s bosoms in search of money” (p.9) but does not list instances of rape. Kwayana lauds the women for not lying and says there is a “vast moral difference between the motive of robbery and the motive of rape.” He then zeroes in on the motive of those who
charged rape, accusing them of playing to the stereotype by turning “rough and violent political thugs and robbers into lustful, mindless savages seeking to rape selected women”(p9). This section is important because it goes to the heart of the matter at hand. Kwayana not only refutes the premise of the GIFT/Ravi Dev case, but he also exposes the gaping holes in the evidence. The larger lesson here is that analysis of ethno-racial animosity must take into consideration the total picture. The next section of the book is devoted to a putting ethnic conflict in Guyana within its proper historical and political perspective. This is done through a thorough discussion of ethnic conflict from 1961 to the present in which Kwayana makes some interesting statements and observations. In the process he takes both Ravi Dev and Dr. Cheddi Jagan to task for attempting to rewrite
Guyana’s political history. He makes the case that the disturbance of the 1960s started in 1961 and not 1964 as many writers often claim. Drawing on evidence first documented in his 1962 publication, Next Witness, Kwayana observes that the 1961 election as the occasion for the initial conflict. He concludes that while Africans were the aggressors in 1962 and 1963, Indians were the aggressors in 1961 and 1964. The section is full of information that both scholars and non-scholars would find more than useful. Most of it would derail popularly held views. For example, the active role of Portuguese, or what the author calls “teams of motorcycled young men who were far from disabled” (p.36) in the urban riots of 1962-1963 or the fact that there were Indian strike breakers during the 1977 GAWU 135-day strike or that it was not only Indians who “undercut” Africans in the immediate post-
emancipation era, or that the PPP’s draft constitution for Independence “provided for one-party rule, with the opposition as a mere onlooker” (p. 26). Guyana: No Guilty Race is peppered by accounts of the author’s role in the ethnic politics of Guyana. He makes no apology for challenging the PPP race agenda in the 1960s, but “regrets the way I handled the race problems. For one thing when I lost confidence in the Indian leadership, I blamed the supporters for supporting injustice. on racial grounds” (p.26). Kwayana also makes a couple of startling revelations in the book; Mrs. Janet Jagan bursting into tears at Leonora in 1980, telling the audience to ask Kwayana what he did at Wismar in 1964, and an anonymous letter over the signature “coolie” ridiculing him as an example of “the perfect image of the black man’s backwardness”. This is a serious work that utilizes sociology, history,
Dr David Hinds and politics to make a profoundly important statement. It is a combination of political history lessons, insights into the behaviour of ethnic groups in conflict, defense of the multi-racial nature of the WPA, and some of Kwayana’s thoughts and reflections on his own political actions. Kwayana cannot be detached from the issue of ethnicity and race. As he himself observes, this is an area of Guyanese politics that he has long been concerned with. But the fact that he does not speak to the issue with a forked tongue makes his Continued on page 18
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Sunday May 17, 2020
Kaieteur News
Remembering the 1959 murder of a prison officer
By Michael Jordan Every man has nightmares, sometimes, but not like the ones that tormented Vernon Lambert. In those nightmares, a burly man would be locking off his throat; he would see his longdead friend George Cantzlaar,
and he would hear the men in the jailhouse baying for his blood. And the worst part was that the monsters in his dream were real. It was 1959, and 33-yearold Lambert had recently gained employment as a warder at the Georgetown
Prisons. In fact, he was still on probation; too ‘green’ to even wear his first uniform. On January 10, Lambert was sent to work in the ‘Brick prison’, the section holding prisoners in solitary confinement. He was partnered with George ‘Daddy’ Cantzlaar, a
strongly-built senior prison officer. The two officers were instructed to ‘exercise’ the seven prisoners in solitary. At around 2:00 p.m., Cantzlaar ordered Lambert to enter the exercise yard. The young officer felt a surge of apprehension at the thought of being in such close
proximity to the hardened criminals. Nevertheless, he obeyed. Prisoners in solitary were usually among the most violent of Camp Street’s inmates. Because of their temperament, prison officers were instructed to release one prisoner at a time into the exercise yard. But somehow, two convicts persuaded Cantzlaar that his work would be easier if he released them two at a time. Cantzlaar agreed. He should have known better. Green though he was, Lambert knew that prisoners were not to be trusted. Standing in the exercise yard, Lambert saw prisoners leave their cells, bathe, and return to confinement. Then, at around 3.00 p.m, he saw two convicts, Wilbert Henry and Dennis Semple, approaching him. As they came nearer, Semple dropped back. Henry, a strapping convict, walked past Lambert. Then all hell broke loose. An escape move was about to unfold. Lambert suddenly felt an arm around his neck. Someone was trying to choke the life out of him. It was Henry, the prisoner who had walked past him. As Lambert struggled with his attacker, Semple, the other convict, drew a baton and began to rain blows on the warder’s stomach. At first, Lambert, who had boxed and was physically fit, remained passive and endured the blows. But then the convict began to strike at his face. A blow caught Lambert on the mouth and he felt a tooth break. The convict raised the baton again, this time aiming for the warder’s eye. Lambert blocked,
catching the blow flush on his forearm. As he struggled with the prisoners, part of him wondered: Where is Cantzlaar? Why isn’t he helping me? Realising that Cantzlaar wasn’t coming, Lambert began to shout for help. His cries of ‘murder’ alerted Edwin France, a cadet officer. Seeing the commotion, France scaled a wall and entered the exercise yard. But Charles James, the convict who had masterminded the operation, kicked France’s whistle out of his mouth before the cadet officer could summon help. At that point, the inmate clubbed Lambert on the head. He collapsed. Groggy and bleeding, the young warder seemed to hear a voice saying: “You better get up, those boys will kill you…” Summoning reserves of strength, Lambert began to blow his whistle. In response, other officers began to blow theirs. The whistle blasts seemed to confuse one of the intended escapees, who was scaling the prison wall. He perched on the wall, as if uncertain of his next move. But then his cell cronies shouted to him “wuk bannas, wuk,” and he scrambled to the other side of the wall. But the alarm had summoned the Chief Prison Officer, Edgar Baird, who began to enquire about Cantzlaar’s whereabouts. Finally, he was told that the warder was in a cell. Still groggy from the attack, his shirt drenched in blood, Lambert followed the Chief Prison Officer to the cell. And there he saw his colleague George Cantzlaar, and now understood why Continued on page 23
Eusi Kwayana and the... From page 17 voice most compelling. In recommending this book as a monumental addition to the growing body of serious thought on race and politics in Guyana, I make bold to say that it represents the genesis of a framework for racial understanding and healing. It defends African Guyanese dignity without glorifying African-Guyanese indignity. And most importantly, it upholds African-Guyanese self-worth without diminishing or assassinating Indian Guyanese dignity. I end this review with Kwayana’s warning: “I know also that the present public image of violence is an African one. Few people regret more than I do the degeneration of sections of Africans in Guyana but, to say that it is natural or that it was always so, or that all are downhill must be due to ignorance or mischief. My present mission includes waging jihad against the doctrine, not the person, of anyone who claims that there is a guilty race in Guyana (p.37)”. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)
Sunday May 17, 2020
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Kaieteur News
==THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN==
I don’t have a Facebook account but this was sent to me
It has been pointed out to me by several persons over the past months that there is a Freddie Kissoon Facebook page, the contents of which they respond to. I don’t have such a Facebook account and I am not interested in such a thing. I request that the persons(s) responsible take it down. People who email me from the US, I suggest they inform the Facebook company on my behalf. From time to time, persons send me interesting statements that people carry on their Facebook pages some of which are unbecoming, given the education and status they possess. Yesterday, I received a part of a Facebook posting from one of Guyana’s prominent academics living right here in Guyana. Here is an extract: “I believe that the unanimity of views expressed by the international actors is not accidental or primarily due to principles but is due to the intense and sustained lobbying by Mercury (the American company) on behalf of the PPP. Mercury supplied the talking points and likely even crafted the messages put out.” This is the fourth narrative birthed by those who support the flawed 2020 election or deny that the APNU+AFC lost. Before we touch on the so-called superiority, magic, and wonder of Mercury. Let’s briefly describe the other three narratives. The first one is that election battles are a contest between the PNC and PPP and the 2020 contest is no different and there is always rigging in each election by these two parties. This is what the March battle
was about. David Hinds and Eusi Kwayana embrace this paradigm openly. David wrote: “Freddie and others have relied on PPP’s evidence.” Kwayana goes beyond David in this respect. He glaringly takes a side. The least said about Lincoln Lewis in this context the better. This second perspective reduces the 2020 poll to a fight between Indians and Africans for control of Guyana. This is an ugly, dangerous and destructive approach to people’s right to vote. In this framework, all Indians are painted with a broad brush. Indians who denounce rigged elections are described as people who do not want AfricanGuyanese to be in government. In a weird, twist of psychotic logic, defenders of the rigged elections are accusing Indians of racism in their denunciation of the tampering by GECOM and the APNU+AFC and in the same breath exonerate themselves from the very accusation of they being racist. In other words, Indians are racist for rejecting an APNU+AFC fraud but Africans are not racist when they support that fraud. No other example of this is more graphic than David. He wrote: “Freddie’s disenchantment and disappointment with the Coalition has taken him to a certain place. My disenchantment and disappointment with the same coalition has taken me to another place.” You don’t need a philosophy degree to tell you where he puts me and where he puts himself. But it is important to remind people that he was an election
candidate for one side in the party/race battle, while I was not. The third theory is that the white Western governments do not want the PNC in power, have violated Guyana’s sovereignty and have behaved like colonial masters not interested in anything but taking sides for their own self-interest. Just one remark on its asinine nature should suffice. Several Black American congressmen, two former Black Prime Ministers of CARICOM and the CARICOM observer mission itself have not accepted Lowenfield’s declaration. Now we have the fourth approach as adumbrated by the extract above from the Facebook page of this wellknown academic. There was an American consultancy firm, MERCURY employed by the PPP during the campaign. And the sound-bites of this company permeated the minds of the international observers. As a person who works in the media and meticulously monitored the campaign and had countless discussions with highly placed people in most of the opposition parties except the PPP and with AFC personnel during the campaign, no one ever mentioned the work of MERCURY or its power, magic and influence. It was after the rigging began and now it is clear that the APNU+AFC lost, the role of MERCURY is being discussed and we are hearing how mesmerizing MERCURY’s influence was that even the international observers were hypnotized. To conclude, all four of these
perspectives are insulting to decent humans in Guyana and in the international community who saw with their own eyes how sickening were the levels of rigging that went on. They are also repugnant in that they deny Guyanese the right to vote
and have that vote counted. We must assert that right with courage and emotions. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)
Frederick Kissoon
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Sunday May 17, 2020
Kaieteur News
The sooner the Coalition starts to reveal the extent of systematic cheating the better The sooner the Coalition decides to start letting the public know about the extent of systematic cheating by the opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) in the March 2 General and Regional elections would be the better, as the PPP has been on the rampage with its propaganda. Coalition representatives monitoring the recount and auditing process are coming across an increasing number of dead and or migrated people who miraculously were able to vote by remote from their overseas bases or were able to temporarily rise from their graves, entered the polling booths and voted PPP countrywide. So it was no surprise that the Coalition is planning to
ask GECOM about how it would handle the numerous instances of fake, fraudulent or irregular votes that happened to make their way into the ballot boxes, only in the PPP’s traditional strongholds. “We are going to ask GECOM how they intend to treat with all the issues we have brought up, all the issues that are recorded every single day- observation reports, statistical anomalies,” Patterson told reporters. The Coalition needs to begin taking the public into its confidence and to give a detailed summary of what has transpired so far. Senior executives like Patterson and Leonard Craig have both
given signals that the Coalition is headed in this direction as they need to counter the PPP’s relentless propaganda machine. They need to do so quickly. Craig noted that PPP agents, for very obvious transparency reasons, continue to resist efforts to properly scrutinize ballots retrieved from boxes and the subsequent examination of the steps that led to voting in a particular way, for a particular party, in particular strongholds. “Right now PPP/C agents are advocating for a reduction of scrutiny, right down to the authenticity of every ballot. The APNU+AFC is not in agreement with such a decision and we will
strenuously oppose that decision. We want full scrutiny of every single ballot, documents in every ballot box. PPP/C is even asking that some envelopes not be opened. We cannot afford to cut corners to save time. We are not opposing a more rapid count, but we cannot sacrifice thoroughness for speed. And if we want to have a result that is credible, let us take the time to go through every piece of document. People are saying we are making objections, the word objections is ill-placed. We are making observations. That is the reason for the observation reports, and we have the evidence to attest.” We are also hearing that the PPP is planning to
abandon the entire recounting and auditing exercise once the majority of boxes in Region Four are completed. We can all recall that the PPP’s commissioners, its surrogate organizations like the Private Sector Commission and others, had been fighting tooth and nail, advocating for a recount only of District Four. The plan was plain as a sunny day to see as it was preparing to walk away, declare victory and claim the right to form the next government. Its agents know what the party has done to rig these elections as it no longer has the numbers to dominate polls in Guyana anymore. While the Coalition will soon publish some of the
names of the dead and migrated voters who just happen to love the PPP and found a way to be in Guyana to vote, Patterson and Craig said GECOM would soon have to give guidance on the way forward. “Like we have always said that we will produce it. If you want immigration records then it will be produced. That is from research that we have done. We have agents in every village and in every town in Guyana. We do not capture all but we believe the ones that we investigated are true and correct. A lot of the people who live in communities have local knowledge of, you know, what is happening and Continued on page 21
Sunday May 17, 2020
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Kaieteur News
SHEA Charity on steadfast mission to save lives during pandemic By Rehanna Ramsay While the world is dealing with a once in a lifetime pandemic which has undoubtedly changed the way people go about their daily lives, Saving Hands Emergency Aid (SHEA), a US –based Charity Medical, remains on a steadfast mission to save lives. SHEA continues to lobby for support for its patients while simultaneously raising funds to equip frontline health workers with Personal Protective Equipment in their fight against COVID -19. In fact, the charity has donated over 300 face shields, in addition to three ply surgical and N95 masks to local health workers. Nevertheless, SHEA’s Director, Lori Narine, explained that the COVID -19 situation has affected their operation a great deal. “We have three cancer patients here currently and have to constantly be on alert in protecting them, since they are incredibly vulnerable to the virus. We have taken every precaution to keep them safe while they continue treatment. Additionally, we are unable to take on any new cases that require overseas transfer and treatment, because of the closures of airports and flight restrictions. Even if we are able to bring a patient for treatment, they would have to be in quarantine for three weeks before they can be seen at the hospitals,” said Narine. The Charity founder also provided an update on several of cases currently on their list. She noted that while public support is needed in the beginning stages of treatment for each case, continued support is absolutely crucial to the survival of these young patients.
specialized burn care hospital in the United States. The cost exceeded $50,000 USD, a grim undertaking for the organization. However, thanks to the incredibly generous earth angels, the charity managed to raise the funds needed. The little girl has since travelled to the US with her father, Kelon. Neleissa endured unimaginable, excruciating pain as a result of her injuries. The severity of her injuries was so extensive, that her left leg was amputated in an attempt to save her life. She is now well on her way to a full recovery despite having this devastating setback. She is now in therapy to learn how to walk and she is doing extremely well with her prosthesis. Her doctors are very optimistic that she will soon be able to not only walk, but sprint. A SHEA volunteer, Maryann Maraj, who is the lead on Neleissa’s case, is blown away by the warmth and dedication of Kelon. Neleissa is daddy’s little girl and she will be okay. Of course, SHEA will stand by her side for years to come as she continues to recover.
Medical Condition: Anorectal Malformation After many extensive surgeries over the past six months, Emmanuel was recently discharged from a hospital in Houston, Texas. He is spending the next few weeks at a housing facility, where he will rest and recover with periodic visits to the hospital for checkups. Once he is completely healed and can travel, he will return home to Guyana. In the meantime, SHEA
acknowledged Emmanuel’s mother, Nadia, who has been making a lot of sacrifices during the process. She truly is Emmanuel’s hero.
From page 20 basically, that is the foundation for determining some of these things,” said Craig. We have also seen numbers adjusted for various parties in the recount but as the exercise heads to places like Region Six and Nine where the PPP’s electoral and political skullduggery are well known, an even clear picture about the systematic rigging will emerge. As the counting and auditing continue, the seven commissioners will have a battle on their hands as to how to declare the 2020 General and Regional Elections as credible. All must remember that no one had disputed that polling day went largely smoothly. The main cry from the opposition, its friends in the west, the private sector and other groups is about the credibility of the elections and that alone. But based on what is emerging-the systematic padding of boxes with dead and migrated voters- would in fact present GECOM with a major headache to declare this year’s elections as a credible one.
Patient: Avisha Best Medical Condition: Leukemia (Cancer) Avisha captured the heart of SHEA’s founder when she visited the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation in November 2019. At the time of Lori’s visit, Avisha had been in the hospital for approximately two months with little hope of survival. SHEA accepted Avisha’s case and she was quickly transferred to the United States, where she began a rigorous treatment course. Since her treatment began she had several brushes with death, but her doctors were able to save her in every instance. She is now stable and continuing her chemo treatment, which is expected to last another two years. Avisha is blessed with an amazing mother, Nicola. Though Avisha’s journey is extremely difficult, Nicola never waivers in her commitment to her little daughter.
(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)
Patient: Chayanne Parboo Medical Condition: Leukemia ALL (Cancer)
Emmanuel Rampersaud
The sooner the Coalition...
This little cutie has overcome many struggles, but she is a fighter as she has proven from day one. Chayanne faces many of the same issues as Avisha, but thanks to her amazing medical team and her parents, she is winning each battle like a champ. She will continue treatment for the next two years. Patient: Allisha Rahim Medical Condition: Leukemia ALL (Cancer) Allisha has been in treatment for approximately two years. Though she is still under SHEA’s management, her mother has been her
steadfast supporter and has been more hands-on with her day to day treatment and care. Allisha recently had a scary setback with her health, but she is a warrior in her own right. Allisha is so full of life and is an inspiration to all who come into contact with her. Patient: Neleissa LaRose Medical Condition: Acute Burns Neleissa was severely burned across her entire body in an unfortunate accident at her home. Her chances of survival were very slim, since she needed to be medically airlifted out of Guyana to a
Patient: Shondell Williamson Medical Condition: Acute deep tissue burns caused by corrosive acid Shondell has an incredible journey. Her injuries were so severe that her entire facial features were melted off. Not only was she completely disfigured, but she was left blind in the process. This young mom of two young boys fought to stay alive and thanks to her team of doctors at Harvard Medical Center, she is now transformed in her appearance; she had reconstructive and vision restoration surgeries which restored most of her facial features and vision. She can now see her babies and live a more independent life. For more information on how to lend support to the SHEA and their cases visit savinghandsemergencyaid.org
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Sunday May 17, 2020
Kaieteur News
The link between democracy and development (A REVIEW OF DAVID GRANGER’S LOCAL DEMOCRACY AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT. STRONGER COMMUNITIES FOR A STRONGER COUNTRY.) Guyana’s President, David Granger, is reviving his country’s system of local democracy. He launched a ‘quiet revolution’ that is repositioning local democratic organs to better build economically robust regions for a strong country. David Granger’s book, Local democracy and regional development. Stronger communities for a stronger country, is rich resource which provides a valuable understanding of his vision for local democracy, local government and regional development. The book emphasizes local democracy’s essential role in ensuring a stronger country. It argues a convincing case for leveraging the latent potential of the local government system to drive national development. Guyana’s government operates at three levels – central, regional and local. President Granger argues that, if development is to permeate throughout the country, there must be cooperation between these three levels. He makes a cogent case for such cooperation and collaboration. The local government system of Guyana was never intended to be a mere appendage of Central Government. It comprises m u n i c i p a l i t i e s , neighbourhood democratic councils and village councils. The President, quite correctly, treats these as sub-divisions of the regional administration system. He calls for cooperation between central, regional and its sub-divisions to make local government
truly transformative. The Guyanese Head of State has begun to reshape the traditional relationship between these three tiers of government. His administration’s policies are replacing the disposition to dominate and subordinate with a willingness to cooperate and collaborate. The President has established a mechanism for promoting cooperation and collaboration. The mechanism, however, has been shunned by political Opposition which controls the majority of the country’s Regional Democratic Councils (RDCs) and Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) while other parties control the Central Government and, as a Coalition, held the majority in the National Assembly. It would have been expedient for the collaborative mechanism to be pursued more delicately in light of the high levels of political mistrust. The mistrust is not totally misplaced. The new forum – the National Conference of Local Democratic Organs –is by no means uncontroversial. Its name is almost identical to the National Congress of Local Democratic Organs which was established under the 1980 Constitution which [at Article 79] provided: There shall be a National Congress of Local Democratic Organs which shall have the responsibility for representing the interests of local government in Guyana and such other duties and functions as may be assigned to it by the Constitution and any other
law. The ‘Congress’ was criticized in the past as being an instrument to control local government organs and was repealed by the Constitution (Amendment)(No.3) Act of 2000.The establishment of this new organ, though intended to promote cooperation and collaboration but bearing an almost identical name, was bound to generate suspicion and mistrust. It was likely to be perceived, also, as an indirect means of reintroducing a repealed organ aimed at emasculating Opposition influence over local democratic organs. Nothing could be further from the truth. David Granger
has sounded, consistently, his unwavering support for greater autonomy of local democratic organs. He has said, repeatedly, that he is President of all of Guyana and is prepared to work with all Regions– whether controlled by the Government or Opposition. David Granger has an unassailable record on local democracy. He restored local elections, refreshingly, after the previous administration failed to conduct them for more than two decades. He had agitated for local government elections while he was Leader of the Opposition, indeed, including through picketing the Office of the President in December 2014. He promptly held local government elections within ten months after becoming President in May 2015. President Granger, addressing the National Assembly on 12th May 2016, pledged that Guyanese would never again be deprived of their Constitutional right to participate in local government elections. He honoured that pledge by holding local government elections again in 2018. Many who criticized his credentials as a democrat have paid only lip service to local democracy. The previous administration removed thirty-six freelyelected neighbourhood democratic councils and municipalities, arrogantly installing its own nominees as so-called ‘interim management committees’. They refused, adamantly, to hold local government
elections for more than two decades. David Granger inherited a local government system in 2015 which lost its autonomy completely and had become abjectly submissive and subservient to the Central Government. He has pursued policies which empowered local democratic organs and encouraged communitybased cooperation and decision-making, thereby weaning them off of excessive dependency on Central Government. The book reveals President Granger’s visionary outlook on local democracy. This, in his eyes, must be seen not only in terms of energizing popular political participation through voting at elections but, also, as facilitating citizen’s involvement in decisionmaking. Residents should see democracy as a catalyst for “…transforming their neighbourhoods, villages and communities into centres of human interaction.” The book provides insights into President Granger’s progressive people-centered, rather than impotent process-centered, approach to local government which existed prior to his assumption of the Presidency. Local government, for him must be: …aimed at satisfying the basic needs of [the] people particularly at the community level. It is concerned with ensuring safe, secure and economically sustainable communities. The book emphasises the
importance of local government as a national, rather than merely a coastal, undertaking. President Granger has pursued policies intended to extend and expand local government and reinforce regional administration in the hinterland. The President’s programme of regionalization has witnessed the establishment of capital towns in each of the four town-less hinterland Regions –Mabaruma, in the BarimaWaini; Bartica, in the CuyuniMazaruni; Mahdia, in the Potaro-Siparuni; and Lethem, in the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo –respectively. These capital towns are aimed at “…making each region resourceful, administratively, geographically and infrastructurally integrated, economically robust and demographically populous.” They are integral to strengthening regional development. The book, Local democracy and regional development. Stronger communities for a stronger country, makes a profound statement about the link between democracy and development. Development must involve and benefit every citizen. Local democracy is the key to ensuring that citizens have a role in making the decisions which affect them and can benefit from those decisions. The book outlines what has been done, thus far, and what still has to be done, to realize the vision of a strong country comprising of strong regions. Local democracy now rests on sturdy pillars. The steps taken by David Granger in entrenching local democracy over the past five years– and which are subject of this remarkable publication – have laid the foundation for a stronger and more democratic Guyana. This book represents the ideals of a visionary leader’s efforts at restoring local democracy and re-energizing regional development. Its value transcends Guyana’s territorial boundaries. It is primer for anyone who believes that democratic government should be devolved and that development should be decentralized to extend their benefits to everyone, everywhere. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)
Sunday May 17, 2020
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Kaieteur News
Coronavirus: How can we prevent a lockdown and sustain our economy? By Dr. Zulfikar Bux Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine The world is currently trying to cope with the devastation associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. There is the ongoing battle of balancing the economic fallout associated with lockdowns, versus the health risks and deaths associated with opening businesses and having freedom of movement. But why should we choose between one or the other? Isn’t there a way for us to have a compromise that takes the best of both sides and make it work? I’m optimistic that there may be ways in doing this and keep our country afloat until there is a more definite cure for this infection. While lockdowns can be necessary when the spread of the disease is burdening the capacity of a population to survive, permanent lockdowns are not feasible for obvious economical and health reasons. Thankfully in Guyana, we have not reached that state and may be able to prevent such by focusing on the options I will discuss today. However, we must firstly understand that life will not be the same as it was before. The faster we adapt and work together, the likelier we will be able to successfully maneuverer this pandemic. Today, I will share options that can possibly prevent a full scale lockdown, save lives and keep the economy afloat. EVERYONE WEARS A MASK Evidence is now showing the effectiveness of
controlling the spread of COVID-19 in countries that successfully implemented mask wearing campaigns for all. As shown in the picture, the countries that implemented mask wearing campaign, saw a steady drop in their infection rates while those that have not
From page 18 the veteran prison warder had not come to his rescue. Cantzlaar’s legs were bound with shoe laces and a piece of chain. A flour-sack towel was knotted around his throat. Bending to Cantzlaar, the Chief Prisoner Officer cut the gag. Lambert watched in horror as blood gushed from the dead man’s mouth. Lambert was sent to the infirmary. A head wound he sustained required ten stitches. While there, he heard the inmates shouting: “We want blood.” Concerned for his safety, the prison officials hustled Lambert through the prison’s back gate. He was taken to the Georgetown Hospital, where he collapsed again. When he recovered, he was in a ward surrounded by persons who were praying for his recovery. The Director of Prisons also visited him. He would later learn that convicts Charles James,
Wilbert Henry, Dennis Semple and Douglas Lewis, called ‘Sotie’, had scaled the prison wall facing D’Urban Street. James, Henry and Semple were recaptured shortly after, while Lewis was later found dead under mysterious circumstances in a house. It was later alleged that James and Lewis had killed Cantzlaar, with Henry and Semple acting in consort with them. Lambert was summoned as a witness in the trial of the three convicts. He was terrified at first. He’d overheard some of the Camp Street inmates mutter, “God, is only one man dead and is three prisoners got to hang?” Ironically, the notorious Edward Lashley, who had butchered a policeman in a James Street canal, agreed that the men should hang. Gradually, Lambert gained enough courage to testify against the accused. His testimony, and that of
Dr. Zulfikar Bux
implemented mask wearing campaign, continue to have active spread of the disease. Experts believe that for the mask wearing campaign to be successful, approximately 80% of the population has to wear mask when they are out and about. We are still a bit away from the 80% mark in
Guyana but if it can be achieved, we should see tremendous benefits. Researchers from the Yale University found that the benefits of each additional cloth mask worn by the public (In the US) are conservatively in the $3,000 - $6,000 (USD) range due to their impact in
Remembering the 1959 murder... other eyewitnesses, would lead to James, Henry and Semple being convicted on April 23, 1959. They were all hanged. But it wasn’t quite over for Vernon Lambert. He had to decide whether he should return to the job that had almost cost him his life. Memories of his escape and Cantzlaar’s death haunted him. Even some seasoned prison officers advised him to stay off the job. Instead, to the surprise of many of the inmates, he returned to face them. The ordeal toughened him. He stood firm against hostile prisoners and gained their respect. “Prisoners are not to be trusted,” he once told me. “You have to think ahead of them. In the old days they would have sharpened spoons. When you go to peep in their cells you put one hand in front of you. In that way you can grab the spoon
and prevent them from boring out your eye.” “I’ve seen one prisoner push a sharpened spoon up an officer’s nose because the officer told him not to carry the spoon into his cell. They also had sharpened wires, which they could push up under your ribs.” As for Cantzlaar, he had made the fatal error of thinking that he could trust the prisoners that he and the convicts on Camp Street were ‘alright’. (If you have information about any unusual or unsolved cases, please contact Kaieteur News by letter or telephone at our Lot 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown. Our numbers are 225-8458, 225-8465, 225-8473 or 225-8491. You need not disclose your identity. You can also contact Michael Jordan at his email address: kamarangnight@gmail.com.)
slowing the spread of the virus. I do believe that if we can all wear non-medical masks, we will be able to decrease the viral spread while being able to maintain sufficient movement to sustain businesses and our economy. CONSIDERATE MOVEMENTS, SOCIAL DISTANCING While we need to move around to conduct businesses and sustain our economy, we have to ensure this is tempered and we keep our social distance (3-6 feet) from each other as much as possible. We should be responsible in our public movements and be out enough to sustain our needs and nothing more. This will take a commitment from every citizen to ensure that we hold ourselves and each other accountable for our actions when we are in public. Those that are not adhering to social distancing guidelines and are callous with their movements, should not be encouraged and be reported when they remain defiant. We will of course need to keep our
masks on at all times when we are out. PRACTICE PROPER HYGIENE There should be a strong movement to ensure everyone practice proper hygiene. Strict compliance to handwashing or hand sanitizing at every business or public space should be a must. The practice of spitting in the public should be admonished by all. Persons with cough and cold or any symptom suggestive of the common cold, flu or COVID19 should avoid public movements and should see a doctor at designated public institutions immediately. EFFICIENTTESTINGAND CONTACT TRACING Extremely strong emphasis should be placed on ensuring that testing is done for as much of the population as possible. The more we test, the more we will be able have an idea of the spread of the disease and be able to focus on containing areas of spread. We cannot contain the disease if we do not know where it is and who has it. Because of our small population, we should be able to merge services of government agencies and form teams to trace contacts of infected patients and be able to mitigate spread. If we do decide to open our ports when we have domestic control of the disease, testing for disease clearance should be done on everyone entering the country before they are cleared for entry. While these are my personal suggestions and are by no means perfect, they have been done based on the best available evidence currently. As we learn more about the disease, more options may arise. In the meantime, we need to survive as a country. Countries with responsible citizens are doing better with this outbreak than those with less responsible ones. We need to unite as a country, act responsibly, and fight together instead of fighting with each other so that we can win the fight against COVID-19.
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SUNDAY MINGO’S TABULATION INFLATED IN FAVOUR OFAPNU+AFC – RECOUNT SHOWS A statement of recount (SOR) produced during the national recount of votes has revealed that the tabulation produced for one polling division by Region Four returning officer Clairmont Mingo was inflated in favour of the governing coalition, A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC). The SORs for ballot box No. 4058, a polling station at Supply Primary School, polling division 412131B (ii), counted Friday at Workstation 10 showed that, for the General Election, APNU+AFC secured 93 votes, while the PPP/C secured 91 votes, and for the Regional Election, APNU+AFC secured 94 votes, while the PPP/C secured 88. However, video evidence of Mingo’s Hadfield street tabulation shows a GECOM staffer reading very different figures, under his supervision. The clerk, after reading out the number of the ballot box #4058, read that APNU+AFC secured 163 votes, while the PPP secured 71 votes. While the video clip did not indicate whether the tabulation in question was for the Regional or General Election, the figures were clearly contradicted, those of the SOR in favour of the Coalition by either 70 votes for the General Elections or 69 if the tabulation referred to the Regional Elections. It should be noted that Mingo’s tabulation did not only produce a higher APNU+AFC vote but produced a lower PPP/C vote as well, either by 20 votes if the tabulation figures were general or 17 votes if they were regional. Kaieteur News spoke to commissioners outside of the Arthur Chung Conference Centre about this matter, following the conclusion of Day four of the National Recount Saturday May 9, 2020. Commissioner Sase Gunraj said, on this matter, that he can attest to the fact that Mingo’s tabulation produced inflated numbers. He said that, at the time, he was holding the statement of poll given to him as a Commissioner, while Mingo’s tabulation was being read. The Commissioner explained that when he heard the glaringly inflated figure, he spoke out about the matter in protest. He said that police officers were brought in to restrain the opposition about the inflated tabulation, but that he had continued to question the matter.
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Kaieteur News
COVID-19 & THE OIL INDUSTRY … GUYANALUCKYTO GET EARLY WAKEUP CALL – ENERGY STRATEGIST, ANTHONY PAUL The devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the oil industry can be seen as an early wakeup call for Guyana, the latest entrant to the global oil producers club, says Local Content expert and energy strategist, Anthony Paul. Expounding further during an interview on Kaieteur Radio’s programme, Guyana’s Oil and You, on Friday, Paul noted that in the oil and gas industry, there are peaks and troughs. This will always occur, said Paul. In fact, the energy strategist said that this is the fourth major price slump in the last 20 years of this century. “But Guyana is lucky to get this wake-up call so early in its oil production and revenue life. Production is still quite low so the full impact did not happen. But there is another important lesson I think Guyana has to learn from this,” the international advisor said. Turning to his home country, the twin-island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, he pointed out that several mistakes were made with the billions of dollars in oil revenue that came in. “The mistake made, as most producers do, is to move your budget to match your revenues and there is a big danger in doing that because we know that small countries with small public service and limited capacity have difficulty managing expenditure effectively. It therefore means that a lot of wastage ends up happening.” He added: “So Guyana has to be able to say, ‘Fine, this is what could end up happening to us so how do we properly prepare ourselves to spend this money? Do we target the top of the price cycle that we see coming? Do we go for the bottom of the price cycle and save everything above that or do we go somewhere in the middle?” With this in mind, Paul said it will speak volumes about how Guyana builds its strategy after being faced with this type of volatility. “The trick now is how well Guyana learns the lessons this brings. How Guyana behaves, knowing this, will determine how well Guyana does from oil and gas,” the official concluded on this front. MEDICAL COUNCIL WARNS DOCTORS… ACT PROFESSIONALLY AT THIS TIME OR LOSE YOUR LICENCES The Medical Council of
Guyana is warning doctors to act professionally during this testy political times or face the loss of their licences. The statement of the Council would come as a national recount of the March 2 ballots continue at the Arthur Chung International Convention Centre, Liliendaal. With restrictions of the COVID-19 under way, parties’ officials, observers and others at the Conference Centre are forced to undergo mandatory screening before being allowed into the centre. There had been fears that COVID-19 measures could be used to derail the recount. Chairman of the A New and United Guyana (ANUG), Timothy Jonas, has been asked to take a COVID-19 test after displaying what seemed to be symptoms by medical personnel stationed at the entry of the centre. Candidate for the incumbent APNU-AFC Coalition, Ganesh Mahipaul, reported that he had exited the centre and then refused entry after showing a high temperature. However, the Medical Council did not immediately refer to the recount process Saturday. It paid tribute to medical practitioners on their “stellar services rendered to the Guyanese people during this challenging Covid-19 pandemic”. The Council said that the provision of medical services during this difficult period has required tremendous sacrifice and courage and has exposed medical practitioners to severe personal risks. “Medical practitioners
have, nonetheless, eagerly embraced the challenges and represented the profession with distinction. The Council stands ready and able to lend assistance during this period and wishes to encourage practitioners to continue to serve our people diligently, competently and with the highest professional rectitude.” MONDAY T&T DROPPED OUT OF RECOUNT DUE TO ‘SERIOUS ACCUSATIONS AGAINST CARICOM’ Prime Minister of neighbouring Trinidad and Tobago, Dr. Keith Rowley has said that ‘serious accusations’ against the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) as the reason for his country’s Chief Elections Officer not joining the high- level team which is currently observing Guyana’s elections recount. He specifically stated that, “There were very serious accusations made against CARICOM and it was my view and the view of this Government that…that the Chief Election Officer of Trinidad and Tobago ought not to be in that situation at any time to be accused in that way – in a CARICOM country – so we did not send back our Election Officer there because we want to preserve our pristine position in these matters of the conduct of free and fair elections.” Nonetheless, the T&T Prime Minister remarked that Trinidad is “anxiously awaiting a positive conclusion to the elections in
Guyana. WEAK PUBLIC SERVICE SYSTEMS COULD LEAVE GUYANA’S OIL MONEY OPEN FOR ABUSE – ENERGY STRATEGIST, ANTHONY PAUL One of the knee-jerk reactions of many new oil producing countries like Guyana, is that governments tend to opt for raising the salaries of the public servants. But while there is a change in the salary being received, there is often none towards the attitudes, approaches, and procedures the said public servants use to protect the nation’s new found wealth. When this is carefully considered, Local Content Expert and Energy Strategist, Anthony Paul said that Guyana runs the risk of leaving its oil money open to abuse since the public servants who are supposed to be the vanguards of the national purse have not been strengthened. The Trinidadian offered this perspective during his recent appearance on Kaieteur Radio’s show, Guyana’s Oil and You. On that programme, Paul urged that Guyana would need to change the whole public service construct so that it can ensure the expenditure of its oil revenues are governed by transparency and accountability. The Energy Strategist said, “You need accountable officers, officers with the right quality and give them the right tools and procedures that allow them to do their jobs efficiently. You see, one of the drawbacks of having a
broken public service system is that the politicians are not being held accountable. So politicians for example, end up making decisions without the proper procedures. In my country this happens quite often…” Paul added, “I believe that responsible behaviour should be rewarded but there should also be sanctions if public servants aren’t doing their jobs properly. Look at what happens in China, when someone is not doing their work properly, they go to jail, the same happens in Singapore…” Since public servants are the vanguards of the public purse, the Energy Strategist said he would strongly recommend that Guyana puts measures in place to make its public service accountable while adding that there should be consequences for breaking rules. Also integral to the accountability process, is a strong civil society, Paul said. In this regard, the Energy Strategist said that citizens need to be educated on what to look for. He said they must be equipped with knowledge on how to challenge public servants, companies, the government and even Parliament. He said that this is where the important work of the media comes in. HESS CORP. EXPRESSES HOPE FOR TRANSPARENT ELECTION RESULTS IN WEEKSAHEAD The transparent and credible conclusion to the recount of the votes cast in (Continued on page 25)
Sunday May 17, 2020
From page 24 the 2020 General and Regional Elections is a hope that most international actors are clinging to. Even the top Executives at major exploration companies offshore Guyana are part of this collective. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for Hess Corporation, John Hess is one such person. The Hess CEO recently told industry leaders during his firm’s 2020 first quarter earnings call that Hess is expecting a transparent election result in the weeks ahead. The official noted that the United States and international observers have made statements encouraging the process to go to completion so that it would reflect the will of the Guyanese people. Upon noting this, Hess said, “When there is a new sitting government, a newly elected sitting government, we would assume the first, second and third priority for us, ExxonMobil and CNOOC, (the Stabroek Block partners) is to move the approval for the Payara development forward, working with the government.” The official added, “So that pretty much explains the six to 12-month delay on Payara (ExxonMobil’s third development on the Stabroek block). And then a combination of the COVIDinitiated delays in staffing the rigs has made us have a slowdown for a few months.” In this regard, the official disclosed that ExxonMobil, which is the operator of the block, has had to temporarily idle two rigs due to the effects of measures to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus. He noted however that they should be going back to a four-rig programme in June. By that time, he said that the first, second and third priority will be development wells, but then the operator is expected to start feathering in exploration wells and appraisal wells too. The Hess CEO said that the partners are experiencing a temporary interruption, but assured shareholders that it is not a major one. The CEO added, “…(Guyana) certainly still is our top investment priority and the top priority for Exxon…” TUESDAY OBSERVERS BLOCKED FROM RECEIVING STATEMENT OF RECOUNTAFTER FIRST WEEK The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has halted a practice it had taken up, to give Statements of Recount (SOR) to all local and
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international observers participating in the national recount at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre. Since the commencement of the recount process on May 6, all observers and party agents along with the CARICOM scrutinising team were handed signed copies of the SORs. However, GECOM backpedaled on this decision Monday, excluding observers from being given copies. When the question of the discontinuing of the practice was put to GECOM Commissioner Vincent Alexander during a briefing at the recount site Monay, he offered that it is not provided in the order for the recount for GECOM to give the documents to the observers. The order states that the result of the general and regional recount of each ballot box shall be recorded as provided for on a statement of recount upon the completion of the recount of each box. Further, the order outlines that the statements of recount shall be signed by the person conducting the recount and by the representative of each contesting party present, in the presence of the CARICOM Scrutinising Team, representatives of political parties that contested the said elections, International and Local Observers accredited by the Guyana Elections Commission, and advisors to the Guyana Elections Commission. Asked why it was being done in the first place, Alexander said that it was an error. He noted that while it was brought to the attention of the Commission, it was the Secretariat who advised that it be corrected. Alexander also pointed out that it is not the standard operating procedure for observers participating in Guyana’s elections or anywhere else, after he had been asked why GECOM would not let them have the statements anyway. The CARICOM team however, will continue to receive the statements, since
they are scrutineers, not observers. PRES. GRANGER GAVE ORDER TO BLOCK CARTER CENTER – FOREIGN MINISTRY LETTER Following a week of shifting narratives regarding responsibility for approval of the Carter Center observer team to monitor the elections recount process, there is now evidence that refusal of that approval came via the Office of the President. In a letter addressed to US Ambassador Sarah-Ann Lynch, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Karen Cummings writing on behalf of the President, explained that the decision to oppose the team’s reentry into Guyana is premised on Government’s measures to protect its citizens from the spread of the COVID -19 disease. The correspondence dated May 6, 2020 was a direct response to a May 4 letter written to the President by Ambassador Lynch appealing directly to Mr. Granger, after the national COVID- 19 Task Force failed to respond to a previous request. In the letter, Dr. Cummings explained that while the President agreed that a highlevel team from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) would function within the framework of the Constitution, and under the aegis of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), the request for reentry by the international observers does not hold the same weight. Rather, the Foreign Affairs Minister said that given the prevailing circumstances regarding the COVID-19 disease, Guyana‘s public health situation takes priority.She said, “The public health situation in Guyana has changed drastically since the Regional and General elections held on March 2, as you are aware. The Government published an extraordinary issue of the Official Gazette on 16th March and promulgated COVID -19
emergency measures on 3rd April which included the imposition of curfew and states inter alia.” FIVE YEARS LATER… GUYANAMOVES TO REVIEW OIL LAWS WITHOUT POLICY FOR GUIDANCE The Energy Department is in the process of fine-tuning a contract with Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP, an American law firm, to review Guyana’s law, but this is being done without a petroleum policy for guidance on what Guyana wants to achieve in its oil industry. During a recent webinar on Guyana’s petroleum regime, international lawyer, J. Jay Park QC, alluded to the importance of having a petroleum policy first, then moving to write or amend laws. Park said, “…How do we go about a process of regulatory reform? We know that we need to start, at least when I work on a petroleum law, I say to my client, ‘Please tell me what’s your policy? What is it you want to achieve?’ I can express that in the law. (But) we need to begin with Petroleum Policy.” Park. who has 35 years experience in the industry, said that there has been some rudimentary action in this
regard with Guyana. The Queen’s Counsel said however that it behooves the government to focus on what it wants to achieve, then it can amend the law, followed by writing more detailed regulations. Once that is done, Park said, then the country can move on to creating a better petroleum agreement and go about further awards on a more competitive basis. The Managing Partner at Park Energy Law said that the principles of such a policy will then be expressed in the laws, regulations and contracts; increase transparency and aid efficiency in petroleum activities and how they should be done; maximize local benefits; include provisions on protecting the environment; and ensure Guyana has a sustainable regime. Park believes these are key features that should be part of the policy, part of the law, and part of the regulations. Further to this, the international lawyer explained that these features are important and desirable in order to avoid the resource curse which is often called the paradox of plenty. This he said, is where many states have lots of oil resources but they fail to prosper. “It is ironic because you don’t expect a State with so much resource to end up with a negative economic result.” But there are a number of reasons why oil rich states land in this quandary. WEDNESDAY GOVT. HAS NO SAY ON EXXON’S BUDGET FOR GUYANA -THIS IS AN ODD FEATURE IN STABROEK BLOCK PSA – INT’L LAWYER When it comes to managing the oil industry the
State needs to have reasonable control over the amount, nature, and location of activities that take place. According to International Energy Lawyer, J. Jay Park QC, Guyana’s Petroleum Act and Regulations, and even the Stabroek Block Petroleum Agreement do a good job where this is concerned. During his recent analysis of the country’s petroleum regime, he noted that the government has to give its approval for the development of plans of oil companies, extensions for the relevant contractual awards, and even for farm-in arrangements. Park noted however that there is a bit of an oddity in the Stabroek Block agreement with ExxonMobil, in so far as there is no legal requirement for the approval for annual work programmes and budgets. Considering this flaw, Park said he would give Guyana a B grade for the level of control it has on activities within the industry while noting that it can be improved. Further to this, the International Lawyer was keen to note that one must bear in mind that Guyana is still an emerging producer; therefore, it is very common to find gaps in the petroleum regime. Park said that Guyana’s regime is still to address issues such as well abandonment, gas production, and the effective monetization of its resources while noting that initiatives are underway to do this. In this respect, he noted Guyana received a US$20M loan from the World Bank to improve its capacity to govern the oil industry. The loan agreement, which was signed in 2018, notes that the World Bank will provide support for Guyana to assess and conduct economic and fiscal (Continued on page 32)
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It is time Guyana exercise its right to restrict behaviour/ access of some observers
A
significant section of the Guyanese population feel aggrieved and many are not feeling welcoming to the Carter Centre given the perception of the unfairness of their actions during the time of the vote count and thereafter. This feeling occurs in a context where many hold the view that there is a tsunami of misrepresentation overclouding a truthful representation of events in Guyana. Today's article revisits concerns surrounding the Centre's actions and that of the international and domestic observers all speaking the same narrative. It is a narrative recognised to be emanating from one common source and being multiplied to create the effect of credible individual perspectives based on evidence that is irrefutable and which can withstand legal scrutiny. Guyana has formed election relationship with Carter Centre since 1992 and enjoyed support to strengthen its democracy and the conduct of elections. As far as one remembers these relations during the time of former President Jimmy Carter were of a different tone and nature. Though not perfect, there was a level of respect one expects of any foreign entity having peaceful bilateral relations with a sovereign nation. Noticeably, the calibre of relationship with the young Carter in 2020 has taken on a level of disrespect unsuited and worse than any previously experienced over the years. It must not be condoned by any Guyanese, all of whom are called upon to put Guyana first and take a collective stand against the crudity of the diplomacy which disrespects our independence and country. Recently this nation was again hit by a flurry of public lobbying from the diplomatic community surrounding the return of the Centre. This began as a tweet from Canadian High Commissioner Lilian Chaterjee on 2nd May stating, “…I hope Guyana will allow them to return to complete their task. @CarterCenter has earned the respect of Guyanese citizens & political parties for decade.” The same tone
was then observed in a tweet from USA Ambassador Sarah Ann Lynch. When the Government of Guyana advised last Friday, the Centre would not be allowed to come at this time given COVID-19 and reposing confidence in the CARICOM scrutineers, the High Commissioner tweeted, “…GECOM i n v i t e d @CarterGuyanaEOM to return. Why doesn't Govt want them back.” Seemingly gone are the days when premium is placed on quiet diplomacy. This has been replaced by a tweeting diplomacy of intolerance, public shaming, disrespect for the host, insensitivity for another's culture and values. Such comes across as seeking/stoking confrontation. Government in rejecting the Centre has demonstrated its right to have a resolution within the framework of the CARICOM community, which allows for: 1). The C o m m u n i t y ' s intervention/support as is ongoing right now; and 2) Legal resolution right up to the level of the Caribbean Court of Justice. There have however been instances where comments from the international community have conveyed impression that diplomacy be damned, judicial recourse is selective and some have no right to same. Further, we must follow their instructions even when unlawful. This is noted, particularly with the High Commissioner whose behaviour of interference dates back to the occasion of the no confidence motion of 2018. Not only could her tweets be considered undiplomatic but suggest a 'stoking of fire,' wrongfully representing the Laws of Guyana, and ignoring the fact that the Government and /or president has full authority to withdraw their invitation. It is not GECOM's role to determine who observes. By giving such impression it could be seen as instigating a conflict to serve a need that appears driven by partisan interests. In a recent interview with Enrico Woolford, the USA Ambassador said she is in good company with her “good diplomacy” and her right to speak out where she sees the need. She excused
her “good company” visiting the home and being entertained (wined and dined apparently) with a known opposition financier and alleged unsavoury character. Thus, some find comfort that the Government has finally decided to draw the
line. It was not done by a “feral blast” as delivered by former minister Priya Manickchand of the previous administration to a former U.S Ambassador at that embassy's function. Nor was it done in a public address made at a GDF
Officers Conference by former president Bharrat Jagdeo. The message was d e l i v e r e d v i a l e t t e r, implicitly communicating to the international community Guyana will no longer tolerate the so called “good diplomacy” that has no
respect for Guyanese, the Laws of Guyana, and government's embrace of a legitimate and peaceful recourse to resolve its elections dispute. International observers should also be made to (continued on page 30)
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g .. n i st es. e er tur t In rea C
Azure
Jay
(Cyanocorax caeruleus)
T
he azure jay (Cyanocorax caeruleus) (Brazilian Portuguese: Gralha-azul - blue jay) is a passeriform bird of the crow family, Corvidae. It is found in the Atlantic Forest, especially with Araucaria angustifolia, in south-eastern Brazil (São Paulo to Rio Grande do Sul), far eastern Paraguay and far northeastern Argentina. It is the state bird of Paraná. The azure jay has a total length of approximately 40
cm (16 in) and it weighs about 270 g (9.5 oz), and is the largest South American corvid. Its plumage is intensely blue with a contrasting black head and upper chest. Males and f e m a l e s a r e s i m i l a r, although the females typically are smaller. Its breeding season is from October to January. This bird is a social breeder. It lays two to four eggs and its nest is made of sticks. It is placed 10–20 m (33–66 ft) above the ground in an Araucaria tree.
It feeds extensively on the nut-like seeds of Araucaria angustifolia, but it is not strictly limited to this, since it also feeds on insects and fruit. As other corvids, azure jays are highly intelligent. Their communication is complex, consisting of at least 14 distinct vocalizations. They form groups of four to 15 individuals that are well organized in hierarchies. These groups remain stable for up to two generations. (Source: Wikipedia)
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K O O
B
Book: Thinking Boys Teachers understanding the problem-solving skills of adolescent schoolboysA Jamaican Study Author: Canute White Critic: Glenville Ashby, PhD
C
anute White presents a trove of educational information at a time when adolescent boys are struggling to meet academic challenges. Exhaustively researched, White responds to the daunting data on education success among students in the age group under study. He establishes the foundation and importance of metacognition (the heart of this treatise) and its positive correlation with academic proficiency. He clearly articulates “that adolescent boys who are not skilled in the use of metacognitive strategies would consistently earn low grade point averages.”
Sunday May 17, 2020
f o t i u s n Pur
e c n e l l e c x E
Metacognition is a concept requiring an understanding of [a] problem, planning a method to deal with [a] problem, carrying out the planned method and evaluating the outcome of the planned method. It is self-referential in nature, meaning that students adopting this approach regulate themselves and assume “more responsibility for their learning”. Such students, according to White, “are actively involved in reconstructing their existing knowledge with new knowledge.” While metacognition demonstrates critical thinking and schematization, its applicability is not without limitations. White notes that while many educators advocate this approach as “the only method available to assessing cognitive processes,” the question of self-reporting must be addressed. He contends that problems of self-reporting include the reporters changing their cognitive procedures... and giving answers that they perceive
I
the researcher wants to hear. White posits that strategies employed in the successful resolution of a problem are dependent on varying factors, and presents quantitative and qualitative findings to better understand the underlying causes of underachievement. He cites the work of Diane Charest (Reading at the Secondary Level: Concerted Action to Support Reading Research) in concluding that adolescent school boys “failed to m o n i t o r t h e i r comprehension of what they are reading (self-regulated strategy), set learning objectives (cognitive strategy), plan the steps in process (self-regulated strategy) and take notes in order to summarize the reading material or topic being taught (cognitive strategy).” White argues that educators can effectively address learning deficits by “asking questions about the content of the text and material taught, giving instructions, answering students' questions, reacting to students and commenting on their answers, having them read the material, using examples, asking students to give their opinions on concepts as well as teaching
points, [and] asking students to state the difficulties they encountered during classroom sessions.” N o t a b l y, W h i t e addresses the environment and its potentially disruptive impact on the learning process. Such a disadvantage, he argues, is mitigated by investigating the relationship between social factors and the effective use of metacognitive skills. He elaborates, “It is recommended that appropriate social and educational interventions be mobilized in order to address some of the social distractions that may be barriers to the academic achievement of boys who are otherwise equipped with the ability to plan, organize and monitor their own learning.” White ably adds to the plethora of material on education while underscoring the importance of rigorous testing. Short of proactive and adaptive educators, adolescent boys are faced with an existential crisis that impacts the wider society. White is expectant that his endeavour will ignite debate on how to optimize the potential of young students. This is only achievable, he concedes, with the integrative efforts of
policy makers and educators. 'Thinking Boys' is opportu n e, and offer s pedagogical solutions to problems plaguing existing models of learning. And throughout, the author makes his case: “Relative to their age factor, adolescent boys need to strive within the classrooms as they continue through the education process.” (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this
newspaper.) Thinking Boys Teachers understanding the problem-solving skills of adolescent schoolboys- A Jamaican Study F e e d b a c k : glenvilleashby@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter@glenvilleashby ISBN: 9781070792811 Copyright 2020 Available at Amazon E - m a i l : canyouthsbooks@gmail.co m Ratings: Essential
It is time Guyana exercise its right to restrict... From page 27 understand that the welcome they receive is no authority to abuse Guyana's hospitality. The international community should understand these basic expectations of impartiality are premised on the United Nations Code of Conduct for International Election Observers. Attention is being
drawn particularly to the Conduct that speaks to 'Maintain[ing] Strict Political Impartiality at All Times.' Said expressly states:"Observers must maintain strict political impartiality at all times, including leisure time in the host country. They must not express or exhibit any bias or preference in
relation to national authorities, political parties, candidates, ...or in relation to any contentious issues in the election process. Observers also must not conduct any activity that could be reasonably perceived as favouring or providing partisan gain for any political competitor in the host
country..." That aside, the USA is not without electoral and other controversies that continue to alarm the world. There is an abundance of electoral concerns, violations and unlawfulness in the DNA of this country dating back centuries and existing unto now in many practices. The hypocrisy of those who feign concern for democracy in other nations should cause us all to reflect on the practice of inviting those whose democratic outreaches serve no purpose in guiding that of their own nation. It is time they practice at home what they teach abroad and remember the world is watching their shortcomings and anti-democratic manouvers to disenfranchise large numbers of voters and communities. Guyana is doing no such thing and GECOM has demonstrated an extraordinary amount of tolerance, bending over backward to satisfy the
domestic and international community and to preserve the peace of our nation that some seem not to want. Noted also, the Organisation of American States (OAS) and the Private Sector Commission (PSC) both appear to be leading a biased charge. There appear to be serious infringement of the laws, rules and protocol surrounding those specifically identified, that is the OAS Bruce Golding and PSC Gerry Gouveia. The latter is particularly noted to be acting outside of his remit and performing more as an agent of the political party. His duplicity on social media vis-à-vis mainstream media is noted. In retrospect, whereas Guyana accepted the OAS's involvement, we could have refused Mr. Golding's participation on the ground of unsuitability and possible partisanship. His actions confirm that he lacks
professionalism, integrity and does not have the goodwill of all Guyanese at heart. The noticeable absence of an independent media monitoring unit has not helped Guyana. Many have taken advantage to spread malicious distortion, fuel flames of distrust, create ethnic tension and lack of trust in constitutional offices, particularly GECOM's effort to fix an electoral process evidently corrupted by many of their own operatives. It is time for Guyana to exercise some restriction on all observers. They should be reminded of their role. There should be no hesitation to restrict or withdrawn their status if necessary. Guyana has enough independent observers to lend credibility to its process. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)
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From page 32 modeling, allow the authorities to forecast oil and gas revenues, and also support Guyana in the areas of revenue administration and taxation. The agencies which stand to benefit from this support include the Department of Energy, the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission, the Ministry of Finance, the Guyana Revenue Authority and the Petroleum Commission once established. Already, several contracts have been awarded using part of the US$20M loan but local and international transparency advocates are contesting same since the successful awardees are Exxon-linked contractors. There are currently calls for the World Bank loan to be halted until a full scale investigation can clear up all perceptions of conflict of interest. US CONGRESSIONAL GROUP URGES RETURN OF CARTER CENTER Just one day after it was revealed that the President was directly responsible for blocking the re-entry of the Carter Center Observers into Guyana, a group of bipartisan US Congressional representatives have released a public statement lobbying for their return. In a joint statement shared via a twitter account, Reps. Albio Sires (D-NJ), Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY), Sanford Bishop (D-GA), Francis Rooney (R-FL), Jeff Duncan (R-SC), and Jennifer González-Colón (R-PR) said that while they appreciate the recount and the role of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in the process, they still want the Carter Center and International Republican Institute (IRI) back in Guyana. “We appreciate the vital role that the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has played in advancing democratic principles in Guyana. At the same time, we urge the Government of Guyana to allow the observation team from the Carter Center and technical advisory team from the International Republican Institute to return to the country to join CARICOM in observing the recount process. We remain dedicated to ensuring the Guyanese people are free to exercise their right to vote, their votes are accurately counted and that they are able to shape a democratic and prosperous future for their nation,” the group said
in its appeal. Former Attorney General of Guyana, Anil Nandlall, also added his voice to the issue. In a brief comment, Nandlall said too that the return of the Carter Center observer mission should be facilitated. “The election is still ongoing; these organizations were accredited to observe the elections to the very end. If there is a revocation of those facilities then it must be done in writing and published in the gazette.” GECOM IMPROVES MEDIA CENTRE TO SHELTER OPERATIVES FROM RAIN The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) improved the media centre Tuesday, at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, after it was revealed that media operatives were left out in the wind and rain. The GECOM Public Relations Officer Yolanda Ward had apologized for the condition that the media was left to advocate in, and had made efforts to secure further concessions. Workmen were seen placing a screen on the side of the media centre, from which the rain had beat in. The tents were also more sufficiently covered so that water could not seep in between them. In addition, a wooden podium was provided so that media operatives could place their microphones. Previously, media operatives had been huddled together to hold microphones toward the interviewer, and could not practice proper social distancing.
THURSDAY MINGOPRESENTED “FICTITIOUS”NUMBERSIN “TRANSPARENTATTEMPT TOALTER”ELECTION RESULTS – HEAD OF OAS OBSERVER MISSION “I have never seen a more transparent attempt to alter the results of an elections.” That was the scathing comment, which head of the observer mission of the Organisation of American States (OAS) Bruce Golding, made about the tabulation process executed by Region Four Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo during Guyana’s Elections. Golding, a former Jamaica Prime Minister, made the remarks during a YouTube live earlier Wednesday. Mingo’s tabulation has been marred by accusations of electoral fraud and is the principle reason for the National Recount of votes. Kaieteur News has verified that the tabulation was inflated in favour of APNU+AFC, in particular. (See here: https:// www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/ 2020/05/10/mingostabulation-inflated-in-favourof-coalition-recount-shows/) That was declared by Chief Justice Roxane GeorgeWiltshire as unlawful. In his YouTube comments, Golding provided further content, stemming from the mission’s experience of the tabulation for the Hadfield Street declaration of March 5, 2020, as well as the Kingston declaration of March 13, 2020. He noted the use of a spreadsheet at Hadfield Street, which contained
numbers that no one could account for, as the law requires that the entitled officials are to observe the transcription of the numbers from the statements of poll. Then, of the Kingston matter, Golding said the following. “In ballot box 4062, the statement of poll had indicated 182 votes for APNU and 43 for PPP/C the returning officer reported those results as 292 votes for APNU and 33 votes for PPP.” When that box was recounted, the numbers were 182 for APNU and 43 for PPP, the exact figures that appeared on the Statements of Poll. NOT OVERSTEPPING THE BOUNDARIES IN GUYANA… IT IS OUR JOB TO OBSERVE AND SPEAK UP…US AMBASSADOR The US has denied it is overstepping its boundaries in Guyana when it comes to sovereignty. Appearing as a guest on Elections/COVID-19 Watch, hosted by Senior Journalist, Leonard Gildarie on Kaieteur Radio’s 99.1/99.5 FM Wednesday, US Ambassador Sarah-Ann Lynch said that had she stayed silent this year and not spoken up, it would “have been the wrong thing to do”. “I think it is our job to observe and speak up.” In recent weeks, following the March 2 elections for which a national recount is underway, the foreign envoys, especially from the western countries, have come under fire for their statements. Ambassador Lynch was one of four foreign envoys who walked out of the Ashmin’s building where the
Region Four tabulation ran aground in March. They later, in a joint statement, warned that Guyana faced the risk of standing isolated if they used tabulations of the results that are not credible. Lynch said that they would speak up when they see things that may not be going as they should. “We will continue to do that…not stand idly by.” The ambassador also pointed out that there were instances of independent and joint statements issued by the US, Britain, Canada and European Union. Some issued after March 2 pointed out what a “terrific” day it was in terms of the casting of ballots. Throughout it all, there were consistencies in the statements being issued, she said. According to Lynch, there were other similar statements coming from the CARICOM, the Commonwealth, the Organisation of American States, the European Union and the Carter Center which all between them included over 130 countries. These are in addition to bilateral ones from France, Norway and India. “I think we are in good company…in that we are all very consistent.” POWERFUL PARTISAN US SENATORIAL GROUP ASKS PRESIDENT GRANGER TO ALLOW OBSERVERS BACK IN COUNTRY–APPEAL FOR FREE AND UNFETTERED ACCESS TO ALL ASPECTS OF RECOUNT A high-level bipartisan group of American senators has officially written President David Granger
urging that he accommodate more international observers into the country one week after he denied a similar request from the United States embassy here. The letter signed by Republican Senators Marco Rubio and Jim Risch, as well as Democratic Senators Bob Menendez, Ben Cardin, and Tim Kaine represents the most significant escalation in messaging from the American legislature since the March 2nd elections. “As friends of Guyana,” the group noted, “we are closely monitoring the recount and support that it be conducted in a free, fair, and transparent manner. A crucial part of this process is that credible international observers be allowed to return to Guyana and be given free and unfettered access to all aspects of the recount in order to confirm the integrity of the process.” The letter comes in the wake of President Granger’s refusal to allow the team back in, particularly in his March 6 response, through the Minister of Foreign Affairs Karen Cummings. That response was to a March 4 appeal made by American Ambassador, Sarah-Ann Lynch to let a Carter Center observer team and a technical support team from the International Republican Institute (IRI) back into the country to observe and assist in the recount process. DESPITE COVID-19 AIRPORTS LOCKDOWN, GOVERNMENT ALLOWING SEVERAL PASSENGER FLIGHTS IN Kaieteur News (Continued on page 33)
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From page 32 understands that notwithstanding the Granger administration having issued a gazetted order ending passenger flights into Guyana, there have been several flights ferrying dozens of persons into Guyana over the past two weeks, with more scheduled over the next few days. According to the government’s order: “The Cheddi Jagan International and Eugene F. Correia International Airports shall remain closed to all international flights except outgoing flights, cargo flights, medical evacuation flights, technical stops for fuel only and special authorized flights.” This has seen a cancellation of all commercial flights into Guyana, and limited special flights out arranged by diplomatic missions to get their citizens out of Guyana. A special dispensation seems to have been created for the petroleum sector however. This paper understands that at 3AM Wednesday, a Boeing 767-200ER owned by US charter service Omni Air arrived at Cheddi Jagan International Airport, direct from Houston, Texas, carrying roughly 70 oil sector workers. The plane departed around 5 PM Wednesday with about 120 workers. Between today and tomorrow, there is expected to be similar charter flights from both Houston and Heathrow. On April 29, a British Airways charter had brought in the first postlockdown batch of sector employees.
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document but it has not been released to the public for scrutiny. It should be noted that there are more than 40 references in Paul’s Rapid Analysis Report which highlight the importance of having a Petroleum Policy in place. Other international industry experts who have taken a keen interest in Guyana’s approach to industry reform have also zeroed in on the absence of a petroleum policy. One such person is Energy Lawyer, J. Jay Park. SOAKED BALLOT BOX STALLS COMPLETION OF REG. 1 RECOUNT - 54 BALLOT BOXES COUNTED ON DAY 9 FRIDAY GUYANAIGNORES EXPERT’S ADVICE TO COMPLETE OIL POLICY BEFORE LAW REVIEW Before building a house, it is elementary knowledge that one needs to have a plan which outlines the desired number of windows , toilets and bathrooms, whether there is going to be a large or small kitchen, marble floors, etc. Once there is a plan for the dream home, the potential homeowner will most likely go to the bank for a loan to cover expenses. With the money in hand, the contractor would be called in to get started. This is the normal sequence of events. No right
thinking person would take a loan from the bank, call in a contractor and not have a plan in place. But this is exactly what the Government of Guyana did. It took a US$20M loan from the World Bank and used a portion o f i t , US$1.2M to be exact, to hire an American law firm, Hunton, Andrews, Kurth LLP to review the nation’s laws. It contracted the law firm with no widely consulted policy in place which states what Guyana wants to achieve. What is also astonishing is that Guyana was advised since 2016 to ensure a policy is in place before moving to law reform. Taking the actions of the Government, specifically the Energy
Department into account, it appears that the advice that was paid for by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) was perhaps a waste of time. Back in 2016, the UNDP had hired Energy Strategist, Anthony Paul, to conduct an analysis of Guyana’s oil industry. His report showed all the dangerous loopholes Guyana needed to plug. The Energy Strategist noted that Guyana’s old laws required urgent review. But before doing so, he noted that a National Upstream Oil and Gas Policy must be put in place. Paul also noted that Guyana had a draft policy that was stuck in that stage since 2013. The Commonwealth Secretariat had done some work to upgrade the
The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has been stalled from completing the recount of the last of the 99 ballot boxes in Region/ District One, due to the soaked condition of the box, which was discovered on the first day of the National Recount. To alleviate this predicament, GECOM’s Public Relations Officer, Yolanda Ward, told media operatives that the Commission decided that the contents of the soaked ballot box will be placed in a secure location, which will be monitored by guards until those contents have dried. “Once those have somehow dried they will be examine and the Commission will decide on whether they are going to proceed with the
count for that box or if another measure will be needed in that regard,” Ward explained to the press. She continued “Now that Region One has been completed, with the exception of that box, the two workstations that were initially assigned for the counting of that District have been assigned to conduct the counting for Region Five.” She was keen to highlight that the Commission has been exploring possibilities regarding the time spent on a ballot box and how the time can be reduced. She stated that the body decided that the folio will be utilized by the Presiding Officer in the cases where the Official List of Electors (OLE) was absent. She related that, “Rather than there being a delay in the process, and to ensure that the process continues, the folio can be used since it contains the total number of voters, as compared to the OLE. As part of this process there is a ballot box checklist and they (the commission) were also exploring how to reduce the time spent on the checklist in examining some of those envelopes.” Against this backdrop she announced that envelopes labeled PE 6, PE 17 and PE 18 will not be checked. “Some of these items here really have no relevance to the count or to the process.” Furthermore, the elections commission, on Day Nine, managed to complete the recount of 54 ballot boxes in Region One. Ward announced that 15 ballot boxes were recounted for (Continued on page 34)
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From page 33 Region 1; 12 for Region 2; 17 for Region 3; 14 for Region 4 and seven for Region 7. These figures have raised the total number of completed boxes to 421, which represents a 17% of the 2,339 boxes that contained ballots cast in these elections. SATURDAY CARTER CENTER BLOCKED BY GOVT. FOR 3RD TIME The incumbent Government of Guyana has, for the third time, denied the approval for the return of the Carter Center, which was accredited to observe the March 2 General and Regional Elections. In two letters dated on May 15th and addressed to SarahAnn Lynch, the US Ambassador to Guyana and to five Senators of the United States, Karen Cummings, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, who wrote on behalf President David Granger, explicitly stated that “…it may not be possible for the Carter Centre [sic] and the IRI Advisor to participate in the overseeing of the recount of the voted cast on the 2nd March General and Regional Elections which as you are aware had already commenced.” The Foreign Affairs Minister went on to justify
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why the Center’s reentry was not approved, making note of the travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 virus. She also stated that there is the threemember high-level scrutinizing team which was nominated by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) currently monitoring the elections, noting that, “The Caribbean Community sees itself as the most legitimate interlocutors in the Guyana situation.” This is effectively the third time that the government has denied reentry to the Carter Center. An initial application to the COVID-19 Task Force in late April was
not responded to, prompting a May 4 appeal to the President from US Ambassador Sarah-Ann Lynch, which was rejected in a May 6 letter sent by Cummings on Granger’s behalf. CATHYHUGHES,AUBREY NORTON CONTRADICT PRESS. GRANGER ON CREDIBILITY OF ELECTIONS People’s National Congress executive Aubrey Norton and Alliance For Change executive Cathy Hughes both contradicted President David Granger on
the credibility of the March 2 elections during back to back interviews with reporters at National Recount Media Centre Friday. When it was pointed out that the numerous complaints being brought by the Coalition regarding what they claim to be irregularities in the voting contradicted repeated assertions by the President that the elections were free, fair and credible, Norton responded that, “He never said that ‘credible’. He said they were free, fair and orderly. Now they are two different things.” Norton then went on to deconstruct Granger’s words, arguing against saying the elections were free, fair or orderly, at all. “You can’t check credibility from what happened on Elections Day,” he said, “and it should be obvious to you that that is the case, because on Elections Day, you would see people, they go and vote, etc. and you see it is orderly. You might say it is fair but people in PPP strongholds told us that the PPP was intimidating them and putting pressure on them, and
that puts ‘free’ into question.” “And what is being revealed here is making fair questionable,” Norton added. In addition, he said that when an observer pronounces on the freeness, fairness and credibility of elections, they pronounce on an appearance, adding to a comment made by Leonard Craig that it was just a “general statement”. “Now when somebody pronounces on elections like observers do,” Norton said, “a lot of times, they pronounce from appearance rather than actuality because if you are an observer, you are moving from area to area. You wouldn’t know all the shenanigans on the ground.” For her part, Hughes said Friday that the parties noted issues since before Election Day when it was time to revise the Official List of Electors. Reporters have asked on several occasions why the issues weren’t raised before the recount. Hughes said that the “system that got us to where we are today did not allow for us to make an objection that we know is true”. UK FIRM GRABS MORE INTEREST IN CANJE BLOCK AS EXXON GEARS TO DRILL FIRST WELL In spite of the depressed environment, Westmount Energy Limited announced Friday that it has purchased 1.3m common shares in JHI Associates Inc. This will represent approximately 12.7 percent of Westmount’s enlarged issued share capital in the company. The transaction prices the New Ordinary Shares in Westmount at 14.745 pence per share. It should be noted that JHI is a private, Ontarioregistered company that was established in 2014. JHI’s
main asset is the Canje block offshore Guyana. This block is strategically located next to the Stabroek Block which has delivered 16 discoveries since 2015 with reported recoverable resources in excess of eight billion. ExxonMobil is the operator of both blocks. In 2016, Exxon had acquired in excess of 6100km2 of 3D seismic data on the Canje Block. Subsequent processing and interpretation of the dataset has been used to define a substantial prospect inventory on the block in which three prospects, Bulletwood, Jabillo and Sapote ,were named as high-grade potential targets for initial drilling. Kaieteur News also understands that as a result of a farm-out by Total in 2018, JHI is carried for the drilling of up to four wells and is funded for the drilling of additional wells. Subject to approvals from the government, drillship availability and disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is anticipated that the first well, Bulletwood-1, will be drilled before June month end with the possibility of an additional well by year-end. The Canje Block lies 180km offshore Guyana in deep to ultradeep water. According to JHI’s website, Canje’s environment of deposition is unique among offshore Guyana blocks in that it contains both continental slope and basin floor terrain. The company explained that the majority of the discoveries offshore Guyana to date have been made in the slope environment. Canje is expected to be the first block offshore to test prospects on the basin floor, which have the potential to contain larger accumulations of recoverable hydrocarbons.
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AUTISM AND FINDING HELP IN GUYANA Autism and autism spectrum disorder are both general terms for a group of complex brain development disorders. Autism includes a wide range, or what is commonly referred to as a spectrum of symptoms, skills, and levels of disability. Persons on the autism spectrum often have these characteristics: ongoing social problems that include difficulty communicating and interacting with others, repetitive behaviors as well as limited interests or activities, symptoms that typically are recognized in the first two years of life and symptoms that hurt the individual’s ability to function socially, at school or work, or other areas of life Some people are mildly impaired by their symptoms, while others are severely disabled. Treatments and services can improve a person’s symptoms and ability to function. There is no one cause of
autism just as there is no one type of autism. Over the last five years, scientists have identified a number of rare gene changes, or mutations, associated with autism. A small number of these are sufficient to cause autism. Most cases of autism, however, appear to be caused by a combination of autism risk genes and environmental factors influencing early brain development. In the presence of a genetic predisposition to autism, a number of nongenetic, or “environmental,” stresses appear to further increase a child’s risk. The clearest evidence of these autism risk factors involves events before and during birth. They include advanced parental age at time of conception (both mom and dad), maternal illness during pregnancy and certain difficulties during birth, particularly those involving periods of oxygen deprivation
to the baby’s brain. It is important to keep in mind that these factors, by themselves, do not cause autism. Rather, in combination with genetic risk factors, they appear to modestly increase risk. A growing body of research suggests that a woman can reduce her risk of having a child with autism by taking prenatal vitamins containing folic acid and/or eating a diet rich in folic acid (at least 600 mcg a day) during the months before and after conception. Increasingly, researchers are looking at the role of the immune system in autism. Furthermore, people with ASD may have other difficulties, such as being very sensitive to light, noise, clothing, or temperature. They may also experience sleep problems, digestion problems, and irritability. ASD is unique in that it is common for people with ASD
What Are the Benefits of Eating Salmon Fish?
According to the Monterey Bay Aquarium seafood watch, wild-caught Alaskan salmon is a sustainable food option, or a “best choice” for your health as well as the environment. Lower in saturated fat than beef, salmon is a heart-healthy fish. It is richer in omega-3 fats, a type of health-promoting unsaturated fat, than most other fish varieties. Like most animal foods, it is rich in protein as well as many vitamins and minerals essential for human health. Vitamin B Rich Salmon is rich in many B vitamins. According to the USDA National Nutrient Database, a cooked portion of wild Atlantic salmon provides 0.828 milligrams, or 48 percent of the recommended daily value, for vitamin B-2 and 17.13 milligrams of vitamin B3, or 84 percent of the DV. These vitamins are important for energy metabolism as well as proper nervous system function. The same amount of cooked Atlantic salmon provides 1.6 milligrams of vitamin B-6 and 5.18 milligrams of vitamin B-12, or 80 and 86 percent of the DV for each nutrient, respectively. Vitamin B-6 helps break down stored energy, in the form of glycogen in the liver and muscles, into glucose to keep blood sugar steady. In addition, vitamin B-6 is essential for protein metabolism and synthesizing neurotransmitters or brain chemicals, such as serotonin, which regulates bodily functions. Vitamin B-12 is important for energy metabolism, supporting proper function of the nervous system and forming new cells. Source of Minerals Most varieties of seafood are rich in minerals, particularly the trace mineral selenium, and salmon is no exception. A 6ounce cooked portion of wild Atlantic salmon provides nearly 80 micrograms, meeting over 100 percent of the DV of 70 micrograms. According to an article published in the “American Journal of Clinical Nutrition” in July 2004, a low intake of this mineral may contribute to reduced immune function, increased risk of developing cancer as well as
increased susceptibility to viral diseases. Salmon is a source of the major minerals phosphorus and potassium, meeting 42 and 44 percent of the DV for each in a 6-ounce cooked portion, respectively. Phosphorus is needed to build and maintain strong bones. It activates certain enzymes and is necessary to form DNA. Potassium is important for regulating heartbeat and maintaining healthy blood pressure. Source of Omega-3 Fatty Acids According to an article published in October 2006 in the “Journal of the American Medical Association,” consuming fish, especially fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, promotes optimal health of the cardiovascular system. Researchers reported that eating two 4-ounce portions of fatty fish weekly, or those rich in the marine omega-3 fatty acids known as eicosapentaenoic acid, or EPA, and docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA, such as salmon, reduces overall risk of dying by heart disease by a significant 36 percent as well as total mortality by 17 percent. A 6ounce portion of cooked salmon provides more than 3 grams of EPA plus DHA — and this amount has shown cardioprotective benefits. Omega-3 fatty acids may also help prevent high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, arthritis, systemic lupus, osteoporosis, depression, cognitive decline, brain disorders, skin disorders, asthma and breast, colon and prostate cancer, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. http://www.livestrong.com.
to have many strengths and abilities in addition to challenges. Strengths and abilities may include: · Having above-average intelligence – the CDC reports 46% of ASD children have above average intelligence · Being able to learn things in detail and remember information for long periods of time · Being strong visual and auditory learners · Excelling in math, science, music, or art. There exists only a few places in Guyana equipped to deal with ASD cases, one such resource is the Step by Step Foundation and school. It was founded in 2011 and has retained the service of a
behavioral analyst who consults, supervises and trains personnel that work with kids on the Autistic spectrum as well as other neurological disorders. They have a website and Facebook page (Website h t t p : / / stepbystepguyana.org/ . Facebook page – Step by Step Guyana) that give valuable information about the disorder and insights into the activities of the school and students there. The Step by Step Foundation relies heavily on sponsorship and fundraising activities to keep their programs and school going. They have acquired land upon which they intend to build a larger and more comprehensive school that
would be able to accommodate more children and better meet their needs. If you would like to make a donation to the foundation, their information is as follows: Name of Organization – The Step by Step Foundation Bank - Republic Bank Guyana, 38-40 Water Street, Georgetown, Guyana. Swiftcode for those residing abroad – RBGLGYGG Acct# 651 5761 Cheques payable to The Step by Step Foundation can be delivered to 4 Public Road Ogle, East Coast Demerara / 3 Bagotstown, East Coast Demerara Us Donors can make donations to ‘Step by Step Foundation’ - 6 Archdale Road, Roslindale, MA 02131
Negative Effects of Beer Beer is an alcoholic beverage believed by many to be the oldest fermented drink. It is made by blending cereal grains like barley or other starchy sources like millet or corn with water and then fermenting the mixture with the use of brewer’s yeast. The fluid is also infused with hops to give it its characteristic bitter taste. Modern brewing methods typically clarify the fluid with a variety of clarifying agents so as to produce a distinctly clean and bright color. Currently the most widely consumed alcoholic beverage around the world, beer has its ill effects on health and so avoidance of the drink may be prudent. Read further and discover more about the negative effects of beer and why the Superhuman Food Pyramid recommends you avoid this source of hydration to help in your quest to Become Superhuman. BEER RISKS: Alcohol consumption has long been linked to weight gain. Beer, in particular, takes most of the flak hence the term “beer belly” which refers to the infamous paunch often sported by regular consumers of the beverage. While intake may lead to weight gain in general, it is often associated with beer drinkers and the reason for this may be the drink’s popularity. After all, it is the third most widely consumed drink after water and tea. Alcohol intake, and beer consumption for that matter, bring about weight gain via a number of mechanisms. For one, a typical bottle of beer
has anywhere from 120 calories to 150 calories. Because it is relatively cheaper than its other alcohol counterparts like wine, it’s essentially easy to overdo consumption. For another, beer promotes appetite. And so all those helpings of greasy pizza, chips, and chicken wings one eats while downing beers all contribute to the caloric overload. Alcohol breakdown takes precedence over fat burning as well. This means frequent beer drinking coupled with heavy caloric intake from food can result in the fat to remain unmetabolized and therefore stored in the body as added mass. Beer is contraindicated in particular segments of the population as well. For instance, individuals who have chronic gastrointestinal disorders are advised against consumption of the beverage as it is associated with irritable bowel syndrome, abdominal pain and dyspepsia. Experts believe that alcohol use and anxiety disorder can both function as a trigger to the other and so those with conditions like depression or social anxiety disorder may do well to steer clear of beer. Nursing women are advised against intake, too, as alcohol is transferred to the milk and will then be consumed by the
infant. Disturbed sleep and impaired gross motor development are the known side effects of infant alcohol ingestion from breast milk. Alcohol consumption, and beer intake for that matter, have long been associated with accidental injuries as well. Alcohol ingestion has been found to attract mosquitoes and so beer drinkers have an increased risk for bites and subsequently exposure to mosquito-borne illnesses like encephalitis, malaria, and dengue fever. Undue consumption also results in a variety of liver diseases such as alcoholic hepatitis or inflammation, and cirrhosis or scarring of the liver tissues. In fact, alcohol intake is the single most significant contributory factor for the cases of liver diseases in the United States. Beer contains ethanol, too, which when metabolized by the liver produces acetaldehyde. A known carcinogen, acetaldehyde is associated with oral cancer, gastric cancer, and breast cancer. In the next post, I’ll tell you the negative effects of mixed drinks and why you should avoid them to help in your quest to Become Superhuman. http:// superhumancoach.com.
Sunday May 17, 2020
Enetworks to air The Last Dance tonight at 9PM
The Enetworks team which is authorized to broadcast shows from ESPN , will be bringing a memorable treat for Sport fanatics tonight on its E2 Channel as it gears to air the final episodes of The Last Dance (Episode 9 and 10) at 9PM. For those who are not familiar, The Last Dance takes a unique look into part of the life story of Basketball Superstar Michael Jordan. In the fall of 1997, Jordan and the Chicago Bulls allowed a film crew to follow them as they went for their sixth NBA title in eight seasons. That resulted in a stunning portrait of one of the sport’s most iconic athletes and
a celebrated team. “The Last Dance” follows the Bulls’ 199798 season from start to finish, while also covering the rest of the chapters in Jordan’s remarkable career. The 10-part docu-series follows the Jordan timeline from when he was an emerging star on his high school team to becoming a worldwide marketing force and cultural figure. The series takes its name from a phrase coined by then-Bulls coach Phil Jackson, who knew that the season would likely be the final run for the core members of that 1990s Bulls dynasty. Do Enjoy.
Home Entertainment
HOW TO MAKE A FROTHY ROSSI Nothing stirs the soul on a weekend with no work or boss in sight like your beverage of choice while catching up on your favourite shows. At Kaieteur Entertainment, we understand this concept oh so well hence we’re always looking for new recipes to add a bit of spice to your repertoire of delightful mixes. Our recommended drink for you this weekend is the Frothy Rossi , the base of which is the Carlo Rossi Sweet Red Wine. This sweet red wine is well balanced, light to mediumbodied and has flavors of bright red fruits. Distributed by Ansa McAL, it also features fresh floral notes with a nice crisp finish. This main ingredient for your weekend cocktail can be had directly from Ansa McAL for under $1600 or at popular supermarkets for approximately $2000. See below for more details on how to make this unique November treat. You can send your comments and
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photos on how it turned out to Kianawilburg@gmail.com. Do Enjoy! Frothy Rossi Recipe Ingredients 1/2 glass Carlo Rossi Sweet Red Wine
1/2 glass club soda 3 scoops vanilla ice cream Directions Add 3 scoops of ice cream to a glass. Fill half of the glass with club soda, the other half with wine, and stir. (Recipe by Carlo Stoba)
The Wine Review …
The Cavicchioli wine collection: A tribute to endless bliss and refinement When the elegant taste of wine and the effervescence of Champagne are married into an admirably painted bottle in Italy; the result is the classic Cavicchioli (kah-VEEkee-oh-lee) collection. This exclusive Italian brand emerged on the local market through the efforts of the multi-billion dollar conglomerate Ansa McAL. Since then, it has proven to be a true tribute to pleasure and refinement. Kaieteur Entertainment could not be more thankful for this blissful contribution to the sea of wines that exist in Guyana. Below are some interesting facts about this divine sparkling wine. Enjoy. INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THE CAVICCHIOLI 1928 PROSECCO TASTE /FLAVOUR Made from 100% Glera grapes, this wine offers a flambouyant taste. It
contains exuberant foam. It has a pleasing, gentle sweetness and finishes with a slightly sweet though dry edge. It has the perfect nectar quality to it. In short, it comes over as rich, smooth and bold. AROMA The Prosecco brings with it, gratifying hints of floral aromas along with an apricot tinge that closes off with a slight sugary note. SUITABILITY With the Prosecco being on the drier side, it makes it crisper and more foodfriendly. As such, it is a superb complement to a whole meal but it is particularly suitable for appetizers, delicate first courses and fish-based dishes. HISTORY The Cavicchioli family of Italy has been cultivating vines in the San Prospero province of Modena in the Sorbara DOC for over 100
years. The letters DOC or DOCG on an Italian wine label mean Denominazione di Origine Controllata, and Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita, the latter being superior to the former. They refer to government guarantees of the wines’ origins. In 1928, Umberto Cavicchioli began bottling the wine under his family name; today, it is Umberto’s two grandsons, brothers Sandro and Claudio, who are in charge. Claudio looks after the commercial side of the family business and Sandro is the winemaker. The family’s focus on vineyard ownership, low yields and DOC production has been instrumental in establishing Cavicchioli as one of a leader in high-quality Lambrusco and Sparkling wines. For more information about this incredible wine see the company’s homepage at http://www.cavicchioli.it/ing/ cantina.php.
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Kaieteur News
Bermuda set to move to new phase of easing restrictions
HAMILTON, Bermuda - CMC — Premier David Burt says Bermuda can expect to move to an enhanced phase two of the lifting of restrictions before next weekend in the face of the global coronavirus pandemic, which has killed nine people here. Burt told the daily media briefing on Friday night that a special sitting of the cabinet will be today to map out what will be included in the next stage. “When we announced our multiphase strategy, we laid out what each phase would look like,” he said. “For phase two, we stated that our intended expansion of services would include the reopening of retail
establishments with strict physicaldistancing and limited allowance of personal services, such as hairdressers and barbers, with strict restrictions governed by the Ministry of Health and personal protective equipment use to be required. “I can confirm that this list may be expanded and will, perhaps, contain some elements originally proposed for phase three,” said Burt, adding “what I have stated above, however, will be at a minimum of what Bermuda can expect to be the essential elements of phase two”. He said it is his intention that phase two will commence before next weekend,
but this will be confirmed by the cabinet on Sunday. Health Minister Kim Wilson said 244 test results had come back on Friday with one positive result taking the island’s total of confirmed COVID-19 cases to 123. Of those, 69 have recovered. Seven people are in hospital including two in critical care. Wilson said that 39 of the tests came in from abroad and 72 were on-island transmissions through a known contact. A total of seven people contracted the disease from an unidentified contact and a further five cases are under investigation.
Sunday May 17, 2020
50 NEW SAMPLES SENT FOR COVID-19 TESTING NEWSDAY - Fifty new samples have been sent for testing to the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and the UWI site for testing for covid19, according to the Ministry of Health’s update at 10 am. Up to 10 pm when the last update was sent, the total number of samples sent was 2,597. At 10 am yesterday the number rose to 2,647. The last positive case was recorded on April 26. To date, there is only one patient still in hospital with covid19. That patient is at the Caura Hospital and is said to be low risk and stable. The update also confirmed that the number of positive cases in TT remained at 116 and 107 patients have been discharged. The number of deaths related to the virus remains at eight.
Sunday May 17, 2020
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Kaieteur News
PM re-appoints suspended minister ST. JOHN’S, Antigua - CMC – Prime Minister Gaston Browne says he has asked Governor General Sir Rodney Williams to re-appoint Athill Dean Jonas to his Cabinet after a six-month suspension. In a brief statement, Browne said that the parliamentary representative St. George, will now assume the position of Minister for Social Transformation, and the Blue Economy. In January, Dean Jonas was relieved of his position as Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries after what was termed as a toxic environment between him and his ministry and farmers. Prime Minister Browne said then that the six-month suspension period was for reflection and contemplation as to how to achieve reconciliation. “For more than six months, I have tried to dissuade you
from taking decisions that are inimical to good governance, and to my government’s policy. “My attempts have been in vain. Your relationship with your staff in the ministry is toxic, and a continuous decline is evident from the reports that have reached me. The relationship with the farmers is also toxic and deteriorating further,” Browne wrote in a letter to Dean Jonas in January. But Jones in a radio interview after he was removed said that Prime Minister Browne may have taken his position based on flawed information. “Well I think the comment was…totally wrong,” Jonas said, adding that Browne had provided him with data “that clearly was wrong”. Dean Jonas is taking up the portfolio previously held by Samantha Marshall, who in January took over the
PM Gaston Browne (left) and Athill Dean Jonas Agriculture, Fisheries and Barbuda Affairs Ministry that had been Dean Jonas’s portfolio. Dean Jonas appointment as Minister of Social Transformation and the Blue Economy became effective on Friday.
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Sunday May 17, 2020
Sunday May 17, 2020
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Kaieteur News
T&T opens wider on Thursday - St. Lucia to open No Covid cases for 21 days borders from June 4 Trinidad Express - Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley announced yesterday a further ease up of the regulations related to the Covid-19 pandemic. The start of Phase 2 has been moved up from May 24. It will now end on Wednesday. Phase 2 now begins on Thursday. Phase 2 will allow for the reopening of the entire manufacturing sector. The construction sector will also be reopened across the board. Motor mechanics, tyre shops, and spare parts businesses will be opened up along with laundry and dry cleaning services. The quarrying business would be allowed to open. Vehicle dealerships will remain closed.
Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley As a result, more people are expected to be on the move in public and private transport. As a result, more maxi taxi and public transport will have
to continue its spacing and social distancing policy, and carry a 50 per cent load. The police will be asked that this be enforced, and there would be patrols involving police officers and the district medical officer. A fuel support grant of $2,000 will be made available to taxi and maxi operators to be able to conduct business and transport people. This would cost the State some $6 million, part of the estimated $6 billion that was expected to be spent the Covid response in Trinidad and Tobago. He advised that other members of the public, who have no reason to leave their homes to stay at home. “If you don’t have to go to work or just want to leave home to go somewhere please don’t,” he said. If there is a good result during Phase 2, then phase 3 will be moved up. He said the authorities would have loved to have allowed barbers, hair dressers to reopen and for domestic servants to return to work, this area posed the greatest threat. He said social services would be directed to be allowed priority for access to state financial support.
CASTRIES, St. Lucia CMC – The St. Lucia government yesterday said it would begin the gradual reopening of its borders on June 4, after indicating that the island had been able to curb the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) that had infected at least 18 persons here. Prime Minister Allen Chastanet told the nation that “as of June 4th 2020 we will begin to gradually open our borders to regional and international travel’ after health authorities had on Friday shared “our strategic plan to reopen our economy and country in phases, after weeks of a partial shutdown due to COVID-19”. Prime Minister Chastanet said that the five-phased strategic reopening focuses on health, safety and the general well-being of the public and has taken into account advice from public health experts and feedback from various stakeholders. The strategies also provided the requirements for businesses and organisations across each sector to operate based on national COVID-19 protocols. Chastanet said that he believes St. Lucia is in a “fairly
good position to do so” based on a number of reasons including the fact that all “18 of our confirmed cases of COVID-19 have successfully recovered. “We have made the required investment into our health infrastructure and system by opening the OKEU Hospital, commenced the conversion of Victoria Hospital into a dedicated Respiratory Hospital, established five Respiratory clinics across the island, “ he said. He said that the St. Lucia had also been able to secure additional assistance for the medical personnel here by welcoming over 100 Cuban nurses, doctors and technicians to assist us in the COVID-19 battle, as well as securing sufficient Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and supplies to protect “frontline COVID-19 soldiers, significantly improved our testing capacity combined with several other vital interventions. “Simply put, our health system is much better prepared than it was three months ago,” Chastanet said, adding that “I also believe that most St. Lucians are also now more familiar and
Prime Minister Allen Chastanet comfortable with the COVID19 protocols such as physical distancing, wearing a mask and are more aware of the best practices which will help keep themselves and their families safe”. He said as St. Lucia reopens its borders in the coming weeks, “we will be increasing the protocols for anyone who intends to visit our island. “This would include all travellers having to undergo a COVID-19 test before departing their country for St. Lucia, the use of respiratory masks, undergoing frequent temperature checks, minimal physical contact with other persons, consistent sanitation and other improved COVID-19 protocols at ports of entry, hotels, in taxis and all other establishments”.
Kaieteur News
THE
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Sunday May 17, 2020
STORY WITHIN THE
The people of Guyana are peasants By Leonard Gildarie
C
hin-up. Buckle up. The COVID19 ride is far from over. In fact, while there will be staunch disagreements, it is my conclusions that between COVID-19 and Elections 2020, the latter is worse. There will be strong arguments, of course, on both sides. If a democratically elected government is in place it would help dig us out from the hole we are in and maybe access international funding to alleviate the physical and other pains that have arrived. COVID-19, some would argue, would be worse because of the economic and health implications. One only has to check the world stats and examine New York's to understand the devastation in these modern times that the virus has sown. In my lifetime, the world has not endured something like this. The word endure may not even be applicable. Families have been ripped apart with mothers and fathers dying and funerals held at a location where few can pay their last respects. Governments have been laid bare by a pandemic which have exposed our frailties. If nothing else has opened our eyes to the beauty of life, Coronavirus has done it. The simple things like freedom of movement, a movie at the mall, or just window-shopping, have been suspended. Market shopping was a joyful lure. While it is still happening, there is a hurried movement with suspicious eyes and ears at alert for those wearing masks or coughing. The operations of the police, courts and closures of businesses have left the people reeling. Simple things like going to school or paying bills have suddenly become major. Let us examine. For years now, the banks have been pushing for more online transactions and other standing orders arrangements that would reduce traffic in their locations. The GTT has even introduced MMG with bills
payment operations like We s t e r n U n i o n a n d MoneyGram assisting in a big way. The problem is that the banks and authorities have not been aggressive enough. There are thousands of Guyanese…and especially senior citizens…are naturally suspicious. They prefer to join long lines instead of a debit card. It could also speak to how thousands of persons are living from pay cheque to pay cheque. The post offices should have been insisting that it is no longer keeping large quantity of cash. Pensioners should not be lining up for hours every month. The hard fact is that our senior citizens are barely scraping by, living day to day and the banks and other financial institutions have not been paying mind. It is costly to open accounts and conduct numerous reports in keeping with new antimoney laundering laws. It is a fact that bankers have been eyeing the customers who have more money and can pay the necessary fees that are required for the upkeep of their operations. The fact that Guyanese have not largely warmed up to the use of plastic (debit and credit cards) has largely to do with people not wanting to change. Today, we are paying the price. Payments to Courts and the utilities have been proving a major hurdle. It defies the purpose of closing the borders and airports and introducing a curfew when we have our people sitting in a packed minibus without masks and in lines and in contravention to the requirements of just half of the vehicle occupied. The other big problem we are facing is the difficulties faced by the police and authorities when it comes to manning the borders. It is an age old problem. COVID-19 has exposed our weaknesses. Persons are crossing at whim along the Brazil border, sometimes walking across in shallow waters that separate the two countries. So we have shut the front
Leonard Gildarie door with the back door and whole side wall not there. There is a story coming out now. Iwokrama has insisted that persons travelling on the Linden/Lethem roadway that passes through its forests must wear masks. The reason that reportedly sparked this was news that a villager in Region 9 tested positive for COVID-19. His family is positive too. He went to several villages. The authorities are deeply worried as it could effectively push those figures up from the 116 positive cases we had recorded from Friday. We are scrambling in different directions with the National COVID-19 Task Force not engaging the media for more than three weeks now. The Civil Defence Commission has gone quiet too. The people are in need of l e a d e r s h i p . We w a n t guidance. We want to have a 'gestimate' about what and how long we should be prepared for. In the meantime, our politicians have been saying precious little to reassure our people at this time. As of yesterday, it was Day 11 for the recount. I am yet to hear from the leaders encouraging our people to take heart. We look to Trinidad and Tobago and hear Keith Rowley and others engaging their people. We read of meaningful conversation of opening up certain services. It is what good leaders do. It is important to keep the citizenry engaged. But no…our people are mere peasants who are h o p e f u l l y, e x p e c t a n t l y awaiting our lordships to talk to us. I am deeply ashamed at the lack of vision and uncaring attitude…on both sides of the divide. Carry on bravely…let us not hear the cries of our people. It is how responsible leaders operate. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)
Sunday May 17, 2020
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Kaieteur News
Proactive and resourceful doctor,
Shodhan Persaud...
In the company of his brothers The sign positioned outside his place of business From page 14 revealed. After this he was able to practice family and civil law on his own for about two years but then he made a decision to change careers. This, he said, was “because I didn't like doing that (law) so then I went and got my teaching certificate in George Brown College.” Wi t h h i s t e a c h i n g qualifications in hand he was ready to teach English as a second language. However, as fate would have it by the time he was ready to seek employment there was a massive cutback in funding at the institution. “I started to do odd jobs in Canada, I worked at a Bank as a clerk, painted pipes, worked in the fuel farm and factories, etc.,” he related. Among the many jobs he secured over the years was o n e a s a d r i v e r. H e remembered driving an “old guy” called Jaswant Mindra. That “old guy”, Dr. Persaud recalled, is the main reason he got into natural medicine “because he was a natural medicine doctor himself”. That fire was fuelled, he recalled, when he developed arthritis and the “old guy” shared some natural medicine remedies as a cure. “There wasn't really a cure, and so I started studying Homeopathy (alternative medicine). I did online courses and I went to several private colleges in Toronto at the age of 55. I also studied Acupuncture and Traditional
Chinese Medicine and completed studies and got my Doctorate in 2012,” Dr. Persaud disclosed. After successfully attaining his doctorate, he started to practice natural medicine in Canada until 2018 when he decided it was time to return to his homeland. He returned with the intention of opening a clinic in order to offer the
skills he was able to acquire. Dr. Persaud said he was even more motivated to return and open his clinic here after he heard that a popular natural medicine doctor in Berbice was no longer providing that service. “I grabbed the opportunity…it's only been two years but it has been successful so far. I have two television shows a week, two hours a week, and every show at the end of it I end up
telling the people that if you have money, I can do it and if you don't, I will still treat them. I have a lot of cases; I find genuine persons come here; people are very honest. I feel as though my approach allows me to be successful,” said Dr. Persaud. According to him too, “I train my staff to be like me, but I am very grateful for them; they are wonderful.” He currently has within his employ nine young ladies who are gaining a decent
The Persaud clan
living. These staffers, he admitted are an exceptional support system to the services he provides daily. Returning to practice in Guyana, Dr. Persaud was quite an easy decision given his love for his homeland. He is heartened by the fact that he is able to help make a difference in the lives of many. “All my life I wanted to help people but now I am living that dream,” he confided. He considers what he
does as extremely important especially for those who can't necessarily afford expensive treatments for their illnesses. Dr. Persaud, in speaking of the joy he gets from “helping the people of Guyana,” said that he would encourage anyone desirous of walking in his shoe to give it a try. “Just go for it and never look back,” is the counsel offered by Dr. Persaud who is today bestowed with the title of our 'Special Person' of the week.
Kaieteur News
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Sunday May 17, 2020
Immigration watching you on Facebook and Social Media… By Attorney Gail S. Seeram
W
hen using social media on your phone, there is reason to worry that the U.S. government is watching you and even tracking your l o c a t i o n . T h e Tr u m p administration is now using Cell Phone Location Data for Immigration Enforcement since it bought access to commercial
database that maps movements of millions of cellphones in America. I advise clients to turn off their Location setting. In addition, when completing any visa application, the U.S. Department of State is now asking for social media information like Facebook. Likewise, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services also engage in social media screening.
The internet provides a platform where people can easily connect and through social media tools like Facebook, people tend to accumulate a large group of friends (some known and some unknown). In turn, social media has provided the Department of Homeland Security with a tool for them to “observe the daily life of beneficiaries and petitioners who are suspected of fraudulent activities”.
What types of fraud are we talking about? (1) marriages that are not based on love but rather a business arrangement to help the beneficiary get legal status in the U.S.; (2) immigrant that was deported and returned to the U.S. without permission or proper entry; and (3) investigations into misrepresentations made to an officer during questioning to gain an immigration benefit. Fraud can be detected in various stages of
the immigration process – submission of petitions, preinterview, post-interview, admission at the U.S. port of entry, deferred inspection, and removal/deportation proceedings. The following are common I-130 family based petition fraud indicators: (1) short time between entry and marriage: (2) unusual marriage history; (3) children born during marriage to other parent; (4) unusual number of children and large discrepancy in age; (5) unusual dates on submitted documents; (6) divorce/new marriage dates close; (7) large age discrepancy between spouses; (8) unusual cultural d i ff e r e n c e s ; ( 9 ) s a m e e m p l o y e r o f petitioner/beneficiary; and (10) unusual associations between family members. Based on various fraud indicators, an officer may investigate petitioner and beneficiary on various social media sites to verify the relationship and/or statements made during the
Gail S. Seeram interview process. When affected by social media problems in screening when attempting to immigrate into the country, the individual may need the support of an immigration lawyer to overcome these hurdles. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper) For more information, contact Gail Law Firm: E m a i l : Gail@GailLaw.com Phone: 1-877-GAILLAW or 407-292-7730 www.MyOrlandoImmig rationLawyer.com FREE in-office consultation – FREE Live Chat. Copyright © Law Offices of Gail S. Seeram, 2016. All Rights Reserved.
Attacking Golding does not change demand... From page 16 community is giving CARICOM an opportunity to help Guyana out of this morass. In its joint statement at the OAS meeting, CARICOM stated it has “no interest in which political party wins the election; CARICOM's interest is that, at the end of the recounting process, democracy must be the winner”. The global community has taken CARICOM at its word, as expressed at the OAS meeting that “If democracy fails in any CARICOM country, it fails in the larger Community. As an institution, CARICOM cannot allow this to happen in any member state”. S i g n i f i c a n t l y, O A S Secretary-General Luis Almagro declared that the OAS is content “at this stage” to support CARICOM's efforts. C A R I C O M ' s engagement, by the invitation of Guyana's President and Opposition leader with the agreement of GECOM, is to scrutinize the recount of the votes “in an effort to see a transparent and credible result, and a legitimate government
elected at its end”. It is in the interest of all the political parties and other actors in Guyana to help themselves by ensuring that CARICOM carries out its task successfully. For, if CARICOM is seen to fail, then others will take its place. As the US Ambassador in Guyana recently had to point out, not that the US wishes it, but there could be “serious consequences if the democratic process, the rule of law, and the principles of democracy are not followed in Guyana”. The US is not likely to be alone in actions that would have to be taken by regional and international governments. (The writer is Ambassador of Antigua and Barbuda to the United States and the Organisation of American States. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the University of London and at Massey College in the University of To r o n t o . The views expressed are entirely his own) Responses and previous c o m m e n t a r i e s : www.sirronaldsanders.com
Sunday May 17, 2020
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Kaieteur News
Coronavirus spoil-sport to birthday celebrations of Buxton woman, 108 A
ll decked out in one of her favourite outfit, Evadney Eldeca Talbot of Buxton, East Coast Demerara, eagerly posed for a photo in celebration of her 108th birthday. With her voice fill with excitement, Talbot happily told Kaieteur News that she had celebrated her birthday
on Mother's Day- May 10, 2020. But this year's celebration was quite different and a little less funfilled. This media house had featured Miss Talbot as being surrounded by wellwishers, friends, family members and even neighbours in previous
celebrations. The centenarian had expected the same this year but the Coronavirus pandemic has proved to be an unwelcomed spoilt sport. Nevertheless, she is still grateful that God has granted her life to see another milestone and the opportunity to be surrounded by her cherished
Now 108 and still going: Evadney Eldeca Talbot
grandchildren. Talbot, still young at heart, said that this “spoilt sport” has prevented her from going outdoors to do the thing she loves mostgardening. Sometimes, she feels, it is quite boring but she has resorted to occupy her time with other indoor activities. Miss Talbot said that
Act now or face catastrophe From page 11 imagine a different ocean compared to the calm and placid sea right here at our doorsteps. However, we cannot afford to be complacent about overtopping any longer. Our richest agricultural lands and main urban centres are virtually unprotected from the inevitable. And when we mix rising sea levels with periodic erosion, the scale of disaster is hard to imagine.” Mahaicony Foreshore The intrusion of sea water into large swathes of East Coastlands does not paint a good picture for farmers. Their agricultural crops have gotten destroyed due to the presence of salt in the soil. Arjoon explains that the salt causes moisture to be drawn down from the plants, shrivelling up and destroying them. This has caused the farmers to lose significant value and suffer setbacks from their hard work. Millions of taxpayer dollars of infrastructure would be needed to build and fortify the sea defenses in areas like Dantzig. “Their giant, mechanical arms moving with precision, excavators are the first on the scene,” Arjoon explains in the film, as the camera pans over the drones hard at work. “They rearrange tons of earth and rip-rap in order to reinforce the crumbling sea defenses.” But he then explains that, as the tide is still rising, it becomes apparent that the construction of those defenses last year would soon become apparent. More work became necessary, as the spring tide approached. The workers operating machinery in the film to bring materials onshore were shown to be working under very serious conditions as, while they worked, the waves grow higher and higher. They work quickly to get the materials from a barge used to
transport the materials, before the tide catches them. Arjoon interviews a series of people who have b e e n a ff e c t e d b y t h e overtopping. In the production, one woman says “And I just deh lookin' at this water all the time. Ah seh 'Father God, only you we could call on now',” as she hopes the flooding doesn't kill all of her livestock. Then, a man, a farmer, says “Me lost about 10 acre rice and everything duck up with water. So ah don't got nothing.” “We can't stay here,” another woman is heard saying. With many farmers losing acres upon acres of land, and many livestock, their families are not just crippled, but the food security of the many communities they provide for are crippled as well. REEL Guyana said that the breach in the Mahaicony area has not yet been rectified and the foreshore continues to erode. “It is hard not to be moved by the stories of Guyanese who've lost everything to climate change in recent times. And my experience filming the vulnerability of our coastland has left me looking for answers.” So he reached out to a renowned Geochemist and Paleoclimatologist, Andrea Dutton. In the film, she said that people who hear about the erosion of the coast and learn what it can do to their livelihoods may still be reluctant to pick up and move, or take some other action to take care of themselves. “But that's unreasonable because we know the coastline's gonna change and it will retreat overtime… So, if we can reach an acceptance of that information, we can think about how we want that to play out,” Dutton tells Arjoon.
In a recent interview on Kaieteur Radio's Room 592 with Yog Mahadeo and Leonard Gildarie, Arjoon discussed some of what inspired his love for the environment and to produce this documentary. “From the inception, when I started doing this work, my mom, she used to force me to go on these trips. Every time there's an overtopping, she's like 'Let's go on this. Let's go get this overtopping. We gotta get this for our archives'.” Though Arjoon saw the trips as more of a chore, the gravity of the issue set in, eventually. “ Yo u r e a l l y g e t a different perspective when you're there at the front of the overtopping, on the front lines… There was this one time where we went and there was like a super blue blood moon, and the overtopping was t r e m e n d o u s . We w e r e filming in the back of a pickup and the waves just crashed over. It nearly flooded the whole back near the pick-up, and nearly knocked us out. I lost all my equipment. It was like a tragic day, but as discouraging as it could have been, it just started to continue documenting that.” The moment he decided to work on Coast Land was during an overtopping at Dantzig, Mahaicony last year. He said that, in the moment, he had thought “Wow, like, this is the perfect climax to what I've been doing for the past four years. And if we can tell such a powerful story that Guyanese essentially need to know. This is climate change at its best, or worse. And it's something we don't think about at all in the grander scheme of things. It's definitely something that should be part of the national discussion.” The stunning content delivered in this documentary has a powerful
message. Dutton gives Guyana a simple choice – “Do we want to sit here and wait until the catastrophic things happen? Or do we want to make a choice about managing that retreat in some action?” Arjoon ends the documentary with an urgent calling: “Working together, we still have the power to live in harmony with our beautiful coastal ecosystems, but not, if we fail to act. To keep our heads above the waves, the conversation must start now.”
despite the fact that the elderlies are the most vulnerable to the virus, she is not afraid and puts her trust in God. She was born in the year 1912 to the late Louisa Hammer and Johnathan Watson. She grew to become a reputable seamstress, versed in making dresses, crocheting and embroidery. She later decided to settle
down and marry the late Kingsel Talbot. Their union together produced five children. However, life has not been that smooth for Talbot after she was forced to witness the funeral of her husband and two of her children. She has seen the birth of 16 grandchildren, 40 greatgrands and another six greatgreat grands.
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Sunday May 17, 2020
'Carter Centre' protest crushed as one arrested
A
n early morning protest that was staged yesterday by members of the People's Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) saw one being arrested. PPP/C supporters turned up with placards in front of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs demanding that members of the Carter Centre be allowed to reenter the country to observe the ongoing National Recount process. This comes after Government, for the third time, turned down a request for the return of the members of the Carter Centre. Protestors chanted and called for the Ministry and those in the COVID-19 Task Force to grant the GECOM accredited observers permission to come back to scrutinize the recount process. However, their chants and ranting were short-lived after police ranks closed in and told them to leave. An inspector was seen asking them what they were doing. He then followed
up his question by telling them that they need to leave and return to their homes. Protestors refused to adhere and asked the reasons why. The officer explained that they were in breach of the Gazetted COVID-19 lock down measures. He said that crowds were prohibited. However, the protestors said they were and were standing six feet apart and therefore complying. One vocal demonstrator was arrested and the rest of the supporters dispersed from the South Road location. Later, in a Facebook post, former Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, said that two protestors were arrested. Also condemning the police actions was General Secretary of the PPP/C, Bharrat Jagdeo. He said, in a press conference yesterday afternoon, that he sees nothing illegal done by protestors.
MYO distributes 500 food hampers
PPP/C protestors lined off in front of the Ministry Foreign Affairs, South Road yesterday.
The hampers that will be distributed across Guyana
T
he Muslim Youth Organization (MYO) of Guyana, of Woolford Avenue, Thomas Lands, has embarked in distributing 500 food hampers to the less fortunate in Guyana. The initiative came from the need to help ease the economic hardships faced by the COVID19 pandemic that has plagued the world.
MYO said that the hampers will be distributed across Guyana in communities i n c l u d i n g Wa l e s , C a n a l Number 1 and 2, La Parfaite Harmonie, Windsor Forest, Leguan, Rose Hall, Port Mourant, Canje, Timehri, Kuru Kururu, Peter's Hall and Georgetown. “Our aim is to provide food hampers to as many as possible as a means of assisting them in
providing meals to their families, more so in this Holy Month of Ramadan, where Muslims are commanded to give Zakaat (Charity) to the poor and needy as long as they have the required amount of Nisaab.” Zakat (Charity) in Islam is a means of purification of the wealth acquired and not a means of diminishing the wealth, MYO explained.
Nurses Moseley, Krammer and Dhanpat are... From page 12 Kamarang, Upper Mazaruni resident is especially easy since she'd long recognized just how much “life is precious”. But it was her parents Darriel and Evelyn Krammer, both teachers, who'd steered her to the nursing profession, she confided. The elder of two girls born to her parent's on September 3, 1982, Nurse Krammer, now a resident of the West Bank Demerara Parfait Harmonie community, revealed “I'd initially wanted to become a journalist”. She attended the Kamarang Nursery and Primary Schools and completed her secondary education at Tutorial High. But after being swayed from her first love, mostly by her mother, Nurse Krammer said that she applied and was accepted to train to become a nurse at the Georgetown School of Nursing, a
profession that became a part of her existence in the year 2004. Although her profession is very important and she will also do her best to help save lives, this mother of two boys, 11 and five, stressed that having a family has helped her to appreciate even more the importance of what she does. She sees being able “to see someone you care for being restored to health” as one of her greatest achievement as well as her ability to provide health promotion, counselling and education to those she serves. NURSE TARUNI DHANPAT Nurse Taruni Dhanpat, though barely a fledgling nurse, has been striving to give of her best to the profession as well despite the prevailing COVID-19 risks. Currently a registered nurse caring for patients on
the Male Surgical TwoCOVID-19 ward at the GPHC, she believes that she is especially suited for this role since she loves helping others, a trait her parents, Bishan Dhanpat and Gaymattie Sukho-Stevens taught her well. “Knowing that you can impact the lives of so many different people for the better during their stay in hospital,” is what helps Nurse Dhanpat remain committed to the nursing profession. Born on December 16, 1997, she remembers growing up in No.2 Village, East Canje, Berbice. The second of four sisters, she remembered the family moving to a few residences over the years owing to her father's Senior Assistant Field Manager position at a Guyana Sugar Corporation Estate. Although she describes her parents as “very protective”, she noted that they were nonetheless
supportive when she decided to follow her dream to become a nurse. This former student of both the Berbice High and West Demerara Secondary Schools confided recently, “To be honest in my childhood days I always admired nurses all decked out in their white uniforms…it represented purity to me, and the thought of saving lives or impacting someone's life by caring for them, I saw as a blessing.” Recognising, from a tender age that nursing was a noble profession, Nurse Dhanpat said “it was one of the reasons why I chose to be a registered nurse. This career path was my first choice.” She started her training for this forte at the New Amsterdam School of Nursing in September of 2015 but later transferred to Georgetown School of Nursing in 2016. She is a registered nurse
for one year, five months now. Speaking of her work in this capacity, she explained that “from time to time, you would be in-charge of the ward, setting allocations so your fellow colleagues can carry out their specific tasks before the shift is up.” “As the Nurse-In-charge, apart from doing report, you can multi-task… sharing S TAT ( i m m e d i a t e ) medications, being on rounds, and ordering for drugs,” she explained. Usually, too, before her shift ends and she heads to her Cummings Lodge, East Coast Demerara home, she is also tasked with ensuring that “patients' vital signs are checked and nurses notes are completed, medications and fluids are administered as prescribed by doctors and that patients are fed and tidied.” Stressing the importance of the role she plays, she intimated “people's lives are
in your hands everyday you go to work and as a nurse you have to do everything in your power to help preserve those lives.” This has never been more crucial, especially since it is important for her to simultaneously safeguard herself from an especially fierce infection the likes of COVID-19. But she is not daunted. Rather she believes she is capable and passionate enough to remain on the frontline since she embraces the conviction that “life is too short and tomorrow is not promised” and therefore “there is no time like the present to do what must be done” to stop COVID-19 in its tracks. For serving our nation well with unadulterated enthusiasm, today we at Kaieteur News say hats off to all frontline workers, especially Nurses Kenroy Moseley, Veron Krammer and Taruni Dhanpat.
Sunday May 17, 2020
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COVID-19 PANDEMIC FIGHT…
Rupununi communities up pressure to close mining in Region 9 The South Rupununi District Council (SRDC), the representative institution of the 21 communities, has expressed deep concerns over what it says is undermining of its Village Councils’ efforts to keep the deadly COVID-19 out. The threats are coming especially from the “continuous influx of miners into our villages en route to the Wakadanao and Marudi gold mines and also business people from Georgetown. “We find this to be disrespectful and a violation of our right to safeguard the well-being and health of our people. We are very concerned that persons coming in can bring undetected cases of the Coronavirus into the mining areas which can then spread into our villages,” a statement from the council said yesterday. There has been deep worry over the open borders with Brazil in Region 9 with questions raised recently about the authority of the Village Coucils. Region 9 recently recorded its first COVID-19 case.
- 15 illegal crossings blocked
Several Rupununi communities have called again for the halting of mining in Region 9, amid growing COVID-19 fears. “The confirmation of the first case of COVID-19 in Lethem, Region 9 on May 11 underscores the urgency and necessity of the measures our villages have put in place. The affected individual is known to have travelled across our territory (Wapichan wiizi), to and from the Marudi mines, making stops within several villages along the way.” According to the Region 9 council, this case reveals how easy it is for the
Coronavirus to enter its communities and why it has sent an urgent request on April 14 and 21 for the Government to halt mining in the South Rupununi. “Our request was finally acknowledged recently after we presented a copy of it to the Honourable Minister of Health, Volda Lawrence, when she visited Aishalton Village on May 8. The case also highlights the question of why Guyana has designated mining as an
“essential service” and put the lives of miners and the communities living near mining areas at risk.” The SRDC said that together with its village councils, it has been working hard to protect citizens during the global public health crisis. Among a few areas is by ensuring its people have updated accurate information regarding the pandemic; blocking 15 illegal border crossings and monitoring checkpoints and gates into
STANDARDS IN FOCUS
WORLD METROLOGY DAY 2020 The Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) on Wednesday, May 20, 2020, will join other National Measurement Institutes globally to commemorate World Metrology Day. The theme for this year’s observances is ‘Measurements for Global Trade’. According to the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) located in France, this theme creates awareness of the important role measurement plays in facilitating fair global trade, ensuring products meet standards and regulations, and satisfying customer quality expectations. More widely, Metrology, the science of measurement, plays a central role in scientific discovery and innovation, industrial manufacturing, and international trade, in improving the quality of life and in protecting the global environment. Measurements are involved in most trade transactions and to ensure fairness to all parties, they must be able to be considered as “acceptable.” The weight of goods must be determined accurately to ensure fair financial transactions. For oil-producing countries like Guyana, enormous amounts of money are involved in transactions based on measurement by volume. Measurement errors of a fraction of a percent could lead to a huge difference in the amounts invoiced. Hence, without the capability to perform accurate measurements, trading parties (buyers or sellers) would be disadvantaged. In such scenarios, the state may also lose sizable tax revenues. Today, technical regulations and
standards are adopted and legislated by governments to protect both producers and consumers at national and international levels. However, if no sound measurement system is in place, these regulations and standards may become technical barriers to trade (TBT) which may lead to increased costs, inhibit the free flow of goods, or require repeated testing. Even in the non-regulated areas of trade, the need for compatibility of components and systems requires consistency and uniformity in the way we measure. Components are frequently manufactured in one country and then assembled with parts or systems manufactured in another country. Also, there is a growing trend to partially manufacture a component in one country, and complete its manufacture in another. Of course, all of this is only possible if a uniform global system of measurement is in place. Moreover, a sound measurement system is an essential element in achieving globally accepted calibration and testing results. Essential factors for such a system are traceability to the International System of Units, regulated measurements and measuring instruments (legal metrology), and confidence in testing and measurement results via certification, standardization, accreditation, and calibration (industrial metrology). Due to the critical role of measurements in compliance and conformity assessment, the International Committee for Weights and Measures (CIPM) has created a Mutual Recognition Arrangement (CIPM-MRA) and the International Organization of
Legal Metrology (OIML) has created the OIML Certification System (OIMLCS) within which international consistency of measurement and testing can be demonstrated. This satisfies the aim of “measured once, accepted everywhere” on which trade regulators can rely on for accurate measurements made within the established framework. At the national level, the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS), as the National Measurement Institute and custodian of the National Standards, provides critical calibration services to the industry. Also, the GNBS coordinates and spearheads the National Legal Metrology Programme, which ensures that weighing and measuring devices used in trade are accurate and reliable. So far for this year, Inspectors of the GNBS and Weights and Measures Officers from the various administrative regions have managed to verify a significant majority of the devices used in trade. World Metrology Day is an annual celebration of the signature of the Metre Convention on May 20, 1875 by representatives of seventeen nations. The Convention sets the framework for global collaboration in the science of measurement and its industrial, commercial, and societal applications. The original aim of the Metre Convention - the world-wide uniformity of measurement - remains as important today as it was in 1875. For further information, please contact the GNBS on Tel: 219- 0069 or visit our website: www.gnbsgy.org or like us on Facebook: gnbsgy
Wapichan territory. “We find the suggestions by the Region 9 REO that we ‘misunderstand’ our role to be offensive and misguided. The fundamental duty of governments is to safeguard and protect its people, and we have taken to up our responsibilities with the heavy burden of knowledge of the devastating impacts of past pandemics on indigenous populations. Miners, on more than one occasion, have misrepresented information to authorities in order to gain passage through the gates.” According to the council, in one instance, police came till from Lethem to insist that gate persons at Shulinab open the gate for a particular miner who has had a history of
exploiting Amerindians. The SRDC said it has complained to GGMC about him on numerous occasions. “We therefore again repeat our urgent request for support in this cause by the Government and relevant agencies protect our people and to minimize the infiltration and spread of COVID-19 into Wapichan communities. In particular, we demand that mining be halted for the duration of the public health crisis and that our authority to monitor entry and access into our territory be respected.” The council said that it remains vigilant and hopeful in overcoming the dreadful pandemic and stand in solidarity with all who are affected.
Cane harvester injured after lorry topples on muddy dam A cane harvester is counting his lucky stars to be alive after the estate lorry he was in with six others toppled on the muddy Tain dam, on the Corentyne, East Berbice. Injured is Muktar Ali, 49 of Lot 15 Section C, Adelphi Village. He is currently at home with injuries to his head, shoulders and back. According to a relative, Ali was in an estate lorry with six others heading out from the Tain backlands where they had burnt some cane fields when the wheels of the lorry skidded on the muddy dam and toppled. Ali fell unconscious during the incident while the others sustained minor hits to their bodies. He was rushed shortly after to the Port Mourant Hospital and admitted. The incident occurred Tuesday night. Ali was released yesterday.
The toppled lorry
The injured Muktar Ali The relatives of Ali opined that if the driver of the lorry was not driving at a fast speed he may have been able to control the lorry and prevent the incident. Estate officials from Albion have been in contact with the relatives.
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Kaieteur News
CONSUMER CONCERNS
DDL sets example of Corporate Social Responsibility By Pat Dial
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When it was known that the legendary Dr. Yesu Persaud would be retiring as Chairman of Demerara Distillers Ltd (DDL), the business community and the shareholders of DDL were worried as to who would succeed Dr. Persaud. It was only when Dr. Persaud himself emphatically announced that his deputy, Komal Ram Samaroo, would be succeeding him that a buoyant spirit of hope and optimism again suffused the company. And when it was known at the Annual General Meeting after Mr Komal Samaroo’s first year as Chairman that DDL had made its highest annual profits so far, everyone knew that Dr. Persaud had chosen a worthy successor. Mr Samaroo’s management of his company has been eminently successful and this is seen in the growth and profitability of the company even in trying times. Two important aspects of DDL and Mr Samaroo’s activities are, however, never given the same notice as profitability. Firstly, the seriousness with which DDL and Mr Samaroo take their Corporate Social Responsibility and secondly, their commitment to upholding the historic role rum has played in Caribbean History and upholding the fact of rum being the wine of the Caribbean just as whiskey
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Responsibility has been even more clearly seen during the present COVID-19 pandemic. As soon as the pandemic struck, DDL recognized the need for sanitizers and its laboratories produced Environ, an effective alchohol-based sanitizer. They established a production line for Environ and Guyana, unlike several other countries, became selfsufficient in sanitizers in a timely manner. As Chief Executive Officer of DDL, Mr Samaroo donated 12,000 litres of Environ sanitizer to various institutions around Guyana including the senior citizens homes, orphanages, night shelters and prisons. In addition, approximately 260
Palms resident admitted to ICU with COVID-19 complications
An elderly resident of the Palms was recently evacuated and taken to GPHC’s ICU as a result of COVID -19.
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is the wine of Scotland or champagne that of France. Mr Samaroo’s commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility was seen, for example, when he committed $4billion to the development of Guyanese agriculture, especially fruitfarming, with TOPCO, a DDL subsidiary, providing a guaranteed market for all produce. He did this despite the fact that the Ministry of Education had shortly before removed the contract from TOPCO for supplying the School Feeding Programe with juices and then giving it to a Surinamese-based company. DDL’s commitment to Corporate Social
five-gallon containers of Environ were donated to the Health Emergency Operation Centres and to public agencies such a health centres, hospitals, post offices and police stations. DDL also supplied each of its thousand-plus employees with a quota of Environ. DDL’s meeting the country’s need for sanitizers in such a timely manner has shown the value of national alchohol security and also from the standpoint that alcohol forms the bases of many medicines such as cough syrups and tonics. When Mr Samaroo was elected Chairman of the West Indies Rum and Spirits Producers Association (WIRSPA), some two years ago, in his inaugural address, he enjoined drinking in Continued on page 51
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An elderly male resident of the Palms is now a patient of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) for respiratory complications he developed as a result of COVID-19. A staffer attached to the retirement home told Kaieteur News that the elderly man was among the batch of residents who recently tested positive for the virus. “The ambulance came and took him away after he developed serious problems breathing.” The staffer noted that at present, “the Palms has a separate dorm in which the other COVID -19 cases are being accommodated.” “Those residents have been isolated in a separate ward from the rest of persons living here. Most of them are in stable condition and they
have a special set of staff that looks after them. There are also doctors who conduct regular checks with them.” The staffer told this newspaper that caregivers attached to the elderly home are taking special precaution with the residents. “We are concerned not only for the residents but for our own safety and so we have been trying our best to be extra careful so that the virus doesn’t spread. At first, we had concerns over the lack of adequate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to work but that problem has been rectified after we protested the Ministry started to provide the gloves and masks.” However, the staffer said that there is still reluctance from the dorm maids who are responsible for cleaning the areas.
“For some reason the maids have stopped cleaning some of the wards. I believe that they are scared to clean and I am not sure if they have adequate PPE s but I hope whatever it is can be rectified soon.” Last week, Ministry of Social Protection, the agency under which the Palms falls announced that they have been working diligently in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health in implementing protocols to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 virus within the care home. The statement confirmed, that despite the efforts of the Ministry, between May 1 and May 14, 2020, five residents –four males and one female and one patient care assistant have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus at the Palms Continued on page 51
Sunday May 17, 2020
ALLEGED WIFE-KILLER NABBED AT PARIKA - less than a month after escape from Lusignan Holding Centre
CAPTURED: Ganesh Dhanraj
He was accused of murdering Dhanwantie Ram, his reputed wife.
Police have recaptured alleged wife killer Ganesh Dhanraj, who had escaped with other inmates on April 20 last from the Lusignan Holding Centre. Ranks, acting on information, went to the Parika Bus Park at around 14.10 hrs yesterday and found the fugitive sitting in a car. “He was questioned and then taken to the Parika Police Station and further questioned and positively identified as the escapee,” a release stated. “Prison authorities, on receipt of the notification, went to the Parika Police Station where his identity was further confirmed. He was then transported to prison.”
“The GPS commends the police for their swift action, and members of the public for feeling safe and confident to provide the information to the police.” Dhanraj is alleged to have murdered his reputed wife, Dhanwantie Ram on April 5, 2020, It is alleged that Ram, a 29-old housewife, was on her way to the Parika Police Station to make a police report against her reputed husband when he dragged her into their home and strangled her during an argument. Dhanraj was among four inmates who had escaped from the Lusignan Prison last month by scaling the eastern fence during heavy rainfall.
DDL sets example of Corporate Social... From page 50 moderation or not at all if there is any indication that a drinker could become addictive. Some colleagues at the time quipped that Komal, a major producer and seller of rum, was outdoing the churches, mosques and temples in their own preserves! It was in that same spirit of Corporate Social Responsibility which Mr Samaroo had shown in Guyana that became manifested by rum producers throughout the region who have manufactured 500,000 litres of alchoholbased sanitizers and cleaners for donations and distribution. This initiative by Caribbean Rum producers in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic has made Trinidad, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Barbados and Suriname and all the smaller islands self-sufficient in sanitizers and have put the rum and alcohol producers in the forefront of the fight against the pandemic. Caribbean governments had long taken the rum and alcohol industry for granted and never clearly understood the necessity of having national alcohol/rum security. Mr Samaroo, in his address to the American Chamber of Commerce reminded of
this truth: “If ever,” said Mr Samaroo, “there was a need to make a case for the rum industry, COVID-19 has done that, because within days of the outbreak of COVID, rum producers across the Caribbean re-oriented their production to produce high-strength alcohol to be used as sanitizers in an effort to meet an urgent need that arose in society”. The rum industry has been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic since it has a symbiotic relationship to the hospitality Industry which has now greatly contracted and liquor shops, bars, restaurants and hotels have all been largely “shut down” worldwide. When normalcy returns to Caribbean economic life, it is expected that Governments will facilitate the massive investments required to rehabilitate the industry and at the same time to make grants in developing brands, an investment by government which will bring in more taxes and foreign exchange. Mr Samaroo’s words encapsulates this concept: ...”This is a major challenge, because our Industry has been historically one of supplying bulk, and it is only in the last 15 to 20 years that we’ve been pioneering brands, moving higher up the value chain”.
Palms resident admitted to ICU with... From page 50 Elderly Care Facility. “Regrettably, one male resident has died. The Ministry hereby extends condolences to his relatives and friends,” the statement added. At the interim, the Social Protection Ministry has taken a certain course of action to manage and mitigate the possible threat of an outbreak at the Palms. As a result of the new precautionary measures, the facility has banned all visitors entering the compound. According to the release “All staffers at the institution have been equipped with protective equipment to perform their duties.”
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“Those residents who have tested positive for the virus have been separated from other residents and are being cared for in a separate area of the home. The ward, which housed the positive cases, and associated areas are sanitized twice daily. Contact between residents on a ward has been limited as much as possible through the restriction of movement on the ward and increasing bed spacing as much as possible,” the statement outlined. Further, the Ministry added that all residents on affected wards are tested and a stringent screening routine for staff upon entering the facility has been implemented.
Miner surprised after police arrest worker for Berbice murder Police in Region 8, acting on information yesterday, arrested a man wanted for the murder of a male resident of Angoy’s Avenue, New Amsterdam, Berbice. In police custody is Donald Shariff called “Ducky”, 29 of Lot 11 Patrick Dam, Angoy’s Avenue, New Amsterdam. He was wanted for questioning in connection with the murder of Keron Nicholson which occurred on March 8th, 2020. According to the police, acting on information received, at about 12:30 hrs yesterday, ranks ventured to Stone Creek Backdam, Mahdia, Region 8 and arrested Shariff. Region 8 Commander, Ramesh Ashram, told Kaieteur News that Shariff was found working in one of the mining camps located within the backdam. The man made no attempts to evade arrest and willingly cooperated with the ranks. According to Ashram, Shariff’s boss had not the slightest idea that his worker was wanted for murder and was reportedly surprised after
KILLED: Keron Nicholson
CAPTURED: Donald Shariff
the arrest was made. He is presently in police custody at the Mahdia Police Station waiting to be escorted to Georgetown. Initial reports by this publication had detailed that Nicholson and Shariff were engaged in a heated argument at Angoy’s Avenue when it turned physical. Shariff reportedly dealt Nicholson several blows and stabs about his body until he collapsed. Relatives, who were
nearby, had rushed out to Nicholson’s aid and immediately rushed him to the New Amsterdam Hospital where he was admitted in a critical condition. However, due to the extent of his injuries, he was transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he succumbed 10 days later. Shariff had managed to escape and had gone into hiding but police had issued a wanted bulletin for him shortly after.
One new COVID-19 CASE RECORDED — total confirmed cases stand at 117
The number of confirmed novel coronavirus (COVID19) cases now stands at 117 with the one new case recorded as at yesterday. The Ministry of Public Health has disclosed that of these 117 cases, Guyana has recorded 10 deaths and 43 recoveries. From March 11 to present 1,089 persons have been tested with 972 of those tested returning negative results. There are now 64 active cases in isolation at various
facilities across Guyana. Five others are being monitored in institutional quarantine. Two persons remain housed in the COVID-19 ICU at GPHC. Seven of Guyana’s 10 administrative regions now have positive Coronavirus cases with Central Georgetown continuing to be the epi-centre of the virus. The Public Health Ministry is reminding that there are necessary steps that must be adhered to by everyone.
These include staying at home and only going out for essential services; maintaining physical distancing in public spaces; washing/sanitising hands before eating, touching your face and before engaging in activities with others and reaching out for medical attention when unwell or coming into contact with a positive case. Globally, the WHO has reported there are 4,434,653 confirmed cases with 302,169 deaths. (DPI)
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Pilot in fatal Kobe crash had no alcohol or drugs in system
A mural of late NBA great Kobe Bryant is pictured during the public memorial for him, his daughter Gianna Bryant and seven others killed in a helicopter crash, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, U.S., February 24, 2020. (REUTERS/Kyle Grillot)
The pilot of the helicopter that crashed with Kobe Bryant and seven others aboard didn’t have alcohol or drugs in his system, according to multiple media reports on Friday. The autopsy on 50-yearold deceased pilot Ara Zobayan came back clean. “Toxicological testing did not detect the presence of alcohol or drugs of abuse. Substances tested for include: benzodiazepines, cocaine, fentanyl, heroin, marijuana, opioids, phencyclidine, and amphetamines,” the report stated, according to TMZ. The Los Angeles
Sunday May 10, 2020 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) There are moments when your powers of clear thinking reveal your tremendous amount of maturity. You aren't usually a dreamer, so don't worry about being led into ambiguous situations.
LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) You can interpret the day ahead as an open-ended question about you, Libra. You may have noticed certain physical or psychological aspects of yourself that make you uncomfortable.
TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) You may have felt somewhat frustrated in your initiatives over the past few days. Either outside obstacles (such as events related to the pandemic) or inner restraints (such as your own apathy) presented a clear challenge.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Sometimes people might reproach you for being less than tactful in relationships, Scorpio. However, today's planetary energies are sure to help you be more sensitive toward others.
GEMINI (May 21–June 20) It will be a stimulating day, Gemini! You'll feel great and have no trouble channeling all your energy into your activities. But don't be surprised if you encounter some resistance. CANCER (June 21–July 22) Be careful not to lose your temper today, Cancer. You're chomping at the bit these days. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Today time will stop and might even seem to go backward, Leo. Use this pause to reflect on your motivations. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Overall, the climate is tense online and at home, Virgo. You'll sense restlessness and a longing for change, but you'll also feel a reluctance to make any real moves in that direction. Given that the world is on pause right now, your options are limited.
SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) You have an unusual gift for making a situation seem less dramatic, Sagittarius. Today, you'll witness crises of all kinds, whether global or personal. CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) Dare to express your ideas without fear of ridicule. This is what the planetary configuration has to say to you today. And this is exactly what you need to hear, because fear of ridicule is generally your Achilles heel. AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) If you've always felt the desire to write, now is the time to take the plunge. You certainly don't lack t h e i m a g i n a t i o n ! Yo u r problem may be that you have difficulty taking your prose seriously. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) You might have some strong hesitations during the day, Pisces. You may have to cover up the truth, or maybe say it out loud. .
County Medical ExaminerCoroner’s office released the autopsies of all nine victims who died in the Jan. 26 crash in Calabasas, Calif. The cause of death is listed as blunt force trauma for all nine, and the manner of death is listed as accidental for each victim. The morning crash into a hillside occurred in heavy fog and cloud cover with the helicopter traveling 184 mph. An investigation showed the helicopter plunged several hundred feet before impact. The report indicated dismembered body parts were part of the wreckage scene. Bryant had injuries to nearly his entire body. “These injuries are rapidly if not instantly fatal,” a medical examiner wrote of Bryant. Vanessa Bryant, Kobe’s widow, previously filed a wrongful suit against Island Express Helicopters, which operated Zobayan’s helicopter. Her 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, also died in the crash. Kobe Bryant’s autopsy revealed the 41-year-old had Ritalin in his system. The drug typically treats attention deficit hyperactivity and narcolepsy. Also dying in the crash were two youth basketball teammates of Gianna Bryant: 14-year-old Alyssa Altobelli and 13-year-old Payton Chester. Others who perished were Alyssa Altobelli’s parents — Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli (age 56) and his wife Keri Altobelli (46) — and Payton Chester ’s mother, Sarah Chester (45). Assistant basketball coach Christina Mauser (38) also perished. Christopher Chester, whose wife and daughter died, filed suit against the helicopter company and Zobayan’s estate earlier this week. Bryant won five NBA championships for the Los Angeles during 20 NBA seasons. He was the NBA’s Most Valuable Player in 200708, a 15-time All-NBA selection, an 18-time All-Star and 12-time All-Defensive team selection. He twice was named MVP of the NBA Finals and was the All-Star Game MVP four times. (Field Level Media)
Quinton Dunbar’s... From page 52 five witnesses. Dunbar, a fiveyear NFL veteran, was traded from the Washington Redskins to the Seattle Seahawks this offseason. Miramar police issued an arrest warrant for Dunbar and New York Giants cornerback Deandre Baker on Thursday, while tagging their respective teams in a tweet announcing the warrants. Both are facing four counts of armed robbery with a firearm from an alleged incident that took place on May 13. Baker also faces four charges of aggravated assault with a firearm. Police stick to their guns A police spokeswoman responded to Grieco’s claims on Friday, claiming that Miramar PD has sworn statements from the alleged victims pointing to Dunbar. “We have taped statements, sworn statements from each of the victims that were interviewed separately (four victims, one witness),” Tania Rues wrote in a statement provided to the New York Daily News. “The affidavit speaks for itself. “If the victims have a different story to tell, they have not come to the Miramar police department and given any revised or different
statements.” Details of alleged card game gone wrong According to the arrest warrant for Baker, witnesses saw Baker pull a gun out at a party and instruct Dunbar and another suspect to collect valuables from other partygoers. The incident allegedly occurred at a card table that Baker flipped over. One witness told police that Dunbar and Baker had lost around $70,000 gambling at a different party two days prior. The suspects are accused of stealing valuables, including an $18,000 Rolex and a $25,000 Hublot in addition to $7,000 in cash before fleeing separately in a Lamborghini, a Mercedes and a BMW. Both the Giants and Seahawks acknowledged on Thursday that they are aware of the situation while declining further comment. Grieco’s statements did not address Baker’s alleged involvement. Dunbar is coming off a career season in Washington that saw him tally four interceptions, eight passes defended and 37 tackles over 11 starts. Baker was a firstround draft pick by the Giants in 2019 and started 15 games during his rookie season.
Sunday May 17, 2020
PAGE 55
Kaieteur News
“No CBC Championships in 2020” – Patrick Haynes By Calvin Chapman The Honourary Secretary of the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF); Patrick Haynes who is also a member of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA)3x3 council, during an interview with Kaieteur Sport yesterday, has declared that the 2020 Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) championships is off the books following the release of FIBA’s revised 2020-21 calendar earlier in the week. The Guyana’s senior national men’s basketball team that won their first CBC championship in June 2018 in Paramaribo, Suriname, was set to defend their title this year with a promising side, which had whitewashed a visiting Grenada national team at home last December. Following the early stages of the coronavirus outbreak in the region, Jamaica had come forward as a potential host for the regional basketball showpiece but any hope of competitive basketball in the Caribbean for 2020 has been quashed.
However, in 2021, Guyana will play in the FIBA Americup 2023 qualifying tournament although no CBC tournament (which serves as the qualifying event for the FIBAAmericup qualfiers) will be competed in 2020. FIBA will use the current rankings to decide the CBC representatives which puts current champions Guyana along with Antigua and Barbuda (2018 runners-up) into the Americup qualifiers. The men from the land of many waters finished third during their first and last Americup qualifiers in February 2019 in Colombia, a performance that their coach Junior Hercules had noted his players should be proud of after citing the different challenges. Going forward, the history making coach explained that, the safety of players and everyone involved in tournaments should be first priority. He further noted that the sport may never be the same following COVID-19 but it is important that we keep moving forward and approach our reality with a bit of optimism.
There will be no CBC championships in 2020.
Haynes also shared that the Centro-basket youth tournaments will also see regional teams involved in
competitive basketball in 2021. But, Guyana’s under-17 boys’ eighth place showing in the previous tourney in 2017
that bounced off in the Dominican Republic, has given the Golden Arrowhead no chance of being represented in
the 2021 event since the CBC representatives will be selected by FIBA based on current rankings.
PAGE 56
Sunday May 17, 2020
Kaieteur News
Bartica M&TC Sports Wall of Fame
Forward thinking leadership of Mayor Marshall commended by GFF’s Forde By Franklin Wilson One of Margret Cousins’ famous quotes says, “Appreciation can make a day, even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary.” Well, the Bartica Mayor and Town Council under the Mayorship of Gifford Marshall have been trying their utmost in the four years that they have taken on status as a Town to develop and change the lives of all Barticians in every sphere. One such area, sports, has been receiving the necessary recognition and push it deserves for after all, sports is one of the significant pillars that develops any nation, this is plain for all to see. The M&TC of Bartica just recently recognized ten (10) of its sports heroes for their sacrifices and positive contributions which have seen them excelling in their respective fields at the local, national and international levels. What makes the ‘Wall of Fame’ which has been erected at the Bartica Community Centre even more meaningful is the fact that these sports heroes are still alive and while the coronavirus pandemic has put paid to any celebratory event which would have seen many of the honorees attending, they have all sure felt the love, respect and recognition afforded them by the Bartica M&TC. President of the Guyana Football Federation, Wayne Forde, who is also a Bartician,
was approached to offer comments on the gesture of the Bartica M&TC to recognise their local sports personalities, quite a few making their names playing the world’s most beautiful game. Forde was quick to note that, “The rapid progress Bartica has made as a Town, is evident of the forward thinking leadership style of Mayor Marshall and I would like to commend him and his Council for giving sports the recognition it deserves.” Forde posited that in Guyana, the life of a dedicated athlete, official and administrator is essentially a life of sacrifice. “These people are driven mostly by the purest form of love and passion for their respective sport, and while we admire and celebrate the expression of their God given talent on the field and expect them to proudly bear the burdens and duties of a role model - quite often even those closest to them are not fully aware of the enormous personal sacrifices they have made to participate, succeed and serve their communities through Sports. I therefore believe that for most of them, this simple act of recognition and gratitude by the Bartica Mayor and Town Council, must surely be one of the finest moments in their careers. Mayor Marshall and his Council were excited from the start of the project to publicly say thanks to these positive role models for their sterling contributions which have and
Flashback! The top six senior riders pose with Mayor Marshall (right), Deputy Mayor Aretha Embleton, Director of Sport Chris Jones (2nd left) and former GCF President Horace Burrowes (left) after receiving their prizes from the inaugural Bartica Cycling Challenge held in March 2019. will continue to motivate the citizens of the community.” Forde also noted that football has always been an integral part of community life in Bartica and over the years, many National players, excellent Referees and Administrators have been produced and have gone on to serve at the highest level of the game at the regional and international levels. “This is remarkable when you consider the population size and the limitation of good quality facilities. This I believe can be credited to the high level of participation in the Sport and perhaps there are more young people playing football on average as compared to other parts of the country.
Every living second of play, officiating, administrating etc. contributes positive energy to the beating heart of Guyana’s Football – they have all done well and I am very humbled by the i r service. The s olid partnership that now exist between the Bartica Football Association and the Mayor and Town Council must be carefully harnessed to mobilize greater stakeholder participation in football, in order to perpetuate the tradition of football excellence within the community. The conspicuous location of the Wall of Fame in the compound of the ever expanding Bartica Sports ground which has a newly re-
laid field for cricket and football, brand new stands, volleyball and basketball courts will remind every person (young and old) who traverse the facility of their heroes and also motivate the younger generation to greatness.” Both Mayor Marshall and President Forde agreed that the future is bright for the youths of Bartica and they would continue to collaborate to ensure that they achieve their dreams and goals as this Gail Devers quote reminds, “Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe.”
The persons recently recognised by the Bartica M&TC are: Christopher George (Former National Footballer) Ivor Mendonca (Former National & West Indies Cricketer) Calmeth Younge (Former National Footballer & Coach) Neil Hernandez (Former National Footballer) Mark Smith (Former National Footballer) Diane Ferreira James (Former National Footballer, Cricketer & FIFA Referee) Basil Singh (Former National Cricket Umpire) Brian Tracey (Former National Footballer) Terrence Archer (Former National Football Captain) Vibert De Fretias (Former National Footballer).
Giants CB Baker turns himself in to face Florida charges
Deandre Baker (Georgia) on the red carpet prior to the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft in Downtown Nashville. (Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports/File Photo)
New York Giants cornerback DeAndre Baker turned himself in to police in Florida yesterday morning to face four counts of armed robbery with a firearm and four counts of aggravated assault. “Reports are correct that Deandre turned himself in this morning,” his attorney, Bradford Cohen, posted to Instagram. “I am a believer in the system and that if everything works the matter will be appropriately resolved.” Arrest warrants were issued Thursday for Baker, 22, and Quinton Dunbar, a cornerback for the Seattle Seahawks. Dunbar, 27, faces four counts of armed robbery with a firearm. Attorneys for both men
on Friday said that witnesses signed affidavits maintaining that the two NFL players took no part in an alleged armed robbery on Wednesday night in Miramar, Fla. Cohen said Saturday that police had treated Baker fairly but that there was more to the story than authorities had been told. “Both my client and I have felt @miramarpd and the Detective working the case, were accommodating and went out of their way to assure Mr Bakers privacy during this hard time,” Cohen’s statement further read. “That is not just lip service, it is fact, and we appreciate it. This is my 23rd year in practice defending those who I feel are wrongly charged or wrongly treated. That doesn’t mean that all
police officers are bad or all are good. We all have jobs to do and I believe we all do them to the best of our ability. Police reports are just that, reports of what was told to them or said to them. Court is what we use to then examine those reports, investigate those claims and allow the Defendant an opportunity to confront the evidence. Don’t rush to judgment.” It was unclear yesterday whether Dunbar also had surrendered. Baker was drafted by the Giants in the first round (30th overall) out of Georgia in 2019. He had 61 tackles, two tackles for loss and eight pass defenses in 16 games (15 starts) as a rookie. (Field Level Media)
Kaieteur News
Sunday May 17, 2020
PAGE 57
Dortmund explode back into action as Bundesliga restarts with no fans Reuters) - Borussia Dortmund provided much-needed fireworks with a 4-0 demolition of bitter rivals Schalke 04 yesterday after the German league restarted in front of empty stands after a suspension of over two months due to the COVID19 pandemic. The Bundesliga is the first major soccer league to return to action since the virus earlier this year shut down sports, and its return in a country that still has hundreds of positive virus cases a day is being closely watched by other leagues. With a strict health protocol governing the fragile restart, which includes no fans, face masks for everyone but the players, no handshakes and no group celebrations, it was up to title hopefuls Dortmund, who face leaders Bayern Munich in 10 days’ time, to find a spark badly missing in the eerily empty ground. The Ruhr valley club, in second place, scored the first goal of the matchday after nearly half an hour when teenager Erling Haaland connected with a Thorgan
(
Hazard cutback. The exciting 19-year-old N o r w a y s t r i k e r, w h o knocked in his 13th goal in 12 appearances for Dortmund in all competitions, picked up exactly where he left off in March. He has already gone to the top of the transfer wish list of every major European club and, with an expected audience of a billion for the Bundesliga this weekend, his immediate return to scoring will have only enhanced his already stellar reputation. Portuguese midfielder Raphael Guerreiro added two more goals and Belgium international Hazard also got on the scoresheet as Dortmund climbed to 54 points, one behind defending champions Bayern, who are in action at Union Berlin on Sunday. When Schalke brought on Timo Becker to replace Jonjoe Kenny in the 87th minute at the 80,000capacity Signal Iduna Park it was the first time in Bundesliga history a team had made five substitutions after FIFA announced the
temporary rule change. MUTED CELEBRATIONS Goal celebrations around the Bundesliga yesterday were limited to smiles, thumbs-up and the occasional fist or elbow bump as mask-wearing substitutes, dispersed in the stands to keep them apart, applauded from the sidelines. The league’s strict health and safety rules had already claimed their first victims, with Augsburg coach Heiko Herrlich and Union’s Urs Fischer having been banned from the bench after they left the seven-day pre-match mandatory squad isolation. W h i l e D o r t m u n d ’s comfortable victory cranked up the pressure on leaders Bayern, third-placed RB Leipzig suffered a major setback in their title challenge when they were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Freiburg. Leipzig, who used airplane stairs in the stadium to keep their substitutes in the stands and at a safe distance from the bench, are now on 51 points, four behind Bayern who visit
Dortmund players celebrate after the match, as play resumes behind closed doors following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). (Martin Meissner/Pool via REUTERS) lowly Union Berlin on Sunday. Hertha Berlin coach Bruno Labbadia enjoyed a winning debut as his side enjoyed a 3-0 victory at Hoffenheim that moved them further away from the relegation zone and into 11th place. VfL Wolfsburg reignited their hopes of Europa League football next season with a 2-1 win at Augsburg courtesy of Daniel Ginczek’s stoppage-time winner that
moved them up to sixth on 39. Fans across the country followed police orders to stay away from the stadiums, including at the Ruhr derby, as the league tries to finish the season for contractual reasons by June 30. With a poll for German state broadcaster ARD showing 56% of Germans consider the restart at this stage to be wrong, the league will aim to complete the last eight Bundesliga matchdays
with as few problems and controversies as possible. In results from Saturday’s matches: B Dortmund 4 – Schalke 0 Augsburg 1 – Wolfsburg 2 Düsseldorf 0 – Paderborn 0 RB Leipzig 1 – Freiburg 1 Hoffenheim 0 - Hertha Berlin 3 Frankfurt 1 - B Mgladbach 3
Veronica Cecil named BCB’s Ramphal Mother of the Year 2020
T
hirty-seven yearold Mrs. Veronica C e c i l o f Hampshire Village on Saturday last was pleasantly surprised when a delegation from the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) turned up at her residence to honour her as the BCB / Brian Ramphal Mother of the Year for 2020. The delegation was headed by President Hilbert Foster and Public Relations Officer, Simon Naidu who handed over a collection of gifts to Mrs. Cecil along with a trophy and medal. Naidu informed that Mrs. Cecil was a dedicated parent of four children, two of whom are very active in playing the game at the junior level. Leon Cecil is a promising Under-17 allrounder who bowls offspin and is a solid middle order batsman, while Damien Cecil is a very capable wicketkeeper/batsman. Both Cecil’s play for the vibrant Albion Community Centre Cricket Club and represented Berbice in this year ’s Guyana Cricket Board Junior Inter County tournament. Leon played at
the U17 level and took 6 for 17 in one game, while Damien played two crucial innings at the U15 level which enabled Berbice to clinch championship honours. President Hilbert Foster noted that the BCB fully understands the importance of parents in the development of Berbice cricket as it is in the home that the virtue of discipline is first developed. Discipline, he stated is the root of success and parents are the best role model that a child can have. The BCB President also noted that in Berbice, most mothers are housewives and as such the parent is responsible for the upbringing of their children. Foster praised Mrs. Cecil for the role she is playing in the lives of her two sons whom he described as disciplined, committed and passionate players. The BCB is currently undertaking a series of activities off the field during the coronavirus crisis, including providing food hampers to less fortunate families, donating scorebooks to clubs, handing
BCB Public Relations Officer Simon Naidu (2nd left) after handing over the Brian Ramphal Mother of the year Award to Mrs. Veronica Cecil in the presence as her two sons.
out cleaning detergents to public institutions and obtaining important items
for its daily operations. Mrs. Cecil expressed gratitude to the BCB for
honouring her and expressed her satisfaction at the current state of the game in Berbice.
She pledged to continue playing a major role in her children’s cricketing careers.
rt Spo
Guyana senior men’s team before playing their historic CBC C/ship final against Antigua & Barbuda in Suriname, 2018.
“No CBC Championships in 2020”Wayne Forde GFF President
Patrick Haynes
Dortmund explode back into action as Bundesliga restarts with no fans
Bartica M&TC Sports Wall of Fame
Forward thinking leadership of Mayor Marshall commended by GFF’s Forde
Schalke’s Daniel Caligiuri has his free kick blocked by Borussia Dortmund players as play resumes behind closed doors following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). (Martin Meissner/Pool via REUTERS) Printed and published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd., 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown. Tel: 225-8458, 225-8465, 225-8491 or Fax: 225-8473/226-8210.