K
After five years, Thursday Edition AIETEUR Granger returns to NEWS shared governance and constitutional reform rhetoric p. 7
May 28, 2020 - Vol. 13 No. 21
Online: www.kaieteurnews.com
Guyana’s largest selling daily & New York’s most popular weekly
Price $80
Online readership yesterday 161,876
Shareholders lambaste ExxonMobil for inadequate response to climate change p. 15
Burial Ground murder...
Thanks to ExxonMobil…
Guyana among world's top ten oil producing countries releasing toxic chemicals into the atmosphere
Second suspect charged as slain female guard laid to rest
An image showing what flaring looks like on an FPSO. Flaring involves the burning of gases which releases toxic chemicals into the atmosphere. It is harmful to the environment and public health.
p. 14
Stranded returning Guyanesep. must be 3
p. 3
quarantined - Have
- Int'l Law Firm
options of staying at State facilities or hotel
Three days left for recount and no decision on extension
Bartica prisoner isolated, others quarantined over suspected p.8 Covid-19 case
p. 7
- 46 percent of boxes still remain
Coalition does not intend to provide actual evidence to support majority - Expects GECOM to investigate of its fraud claims whether allegations are factual p. 8
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Kaieteur News
Thursday May 28, 2020
Kaieteur News
Thursday May 28, 2020
PAGE 03
Guyana among world's top ten oil producing countries releasing toxic chemicals into the atmosphere Thanks to ExxonMobil…
By Kiana Wilburg
E
ven though the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has given assurances that flaring at the Liza Phase One Project has ended, environmentalists here and abroad remain deeply concerned about the amount of gas burnt and the excuse provided by ExxonMobil to justify same. Kaieteur News reported last week that ExxonMobil flared nine billion cubic feet of gas due to issues with a gas compressor for the Liza Destiny oil vessel. Head of the EPA, Dr. Vincent Adams, had also said that based on ExxonMobil's permit, it is allowed to flare gas in the case of start-up or for emergencies. Dr. Adams was keen to note that there is no cap on how much the operator should flare during those instances hence there was no breach of the permit when it flared that significant amount of gas. While the EPA Head holds that view, the Center
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CIEL said that the carbon dioxide emissions from that flaring are approximately equivalent to the amount generated by Guyana's entire population over three months.
for International Environmental Law (CIEL) is convinced that Guyana's authorities are perhaps failing to understand the true magnitude of what took place. The not-for-profit law firm noted that flaring releases greenhouse gases and toxins which threaten the global climate, the local environment and public health. CIEL which was founded in 1989 also noted that the almost six-month duration of the flaring by ExxonMobil suggests more than a onetime, technical glitch. In fact, the law firm said that the estimated nine billion cubic feet of gas, which Exxon said it flared puts Guyana among the top 10 gas flaring countries in the world even though Guyana has only been producing oil for close
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to six months. CIEL said that the carbon dioxide emissions from that flaring are approximately equivalent to the amount generated by Guyana's entire population over three months. In a statement to the press, the Director of CIEL's Climate and Energy Programme, Nikki Reisch, said ExxonMobil had not taken adequate measures to prevent this harmful and unnecessary practice in the first place. The official said, “...Exxon claims the flaring was temporary and exceptional, due to failures of equipment designed to reinject the gas into the ground. If so, that bodes poorly for the company's capacity or willingness to mitigate other foreseeable environmental impacts, not
Stranded Guyanese returning home must be quarantined - Have
A
options of staying at State facilities or hotel
uthorities have toughened up conditions for Guyanese stranded abroad and who are intending to seek permission to return in a COVID-19 lockdown country. Yesterday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a released application form said that Guyanese must agree to be quarantined for two weeks even if they have taken a test, which says they are negative for COVID-19. The Ministry has designated Foreign Service Officers Johnson and Watson to handle the requests. The National COVID-19 Task Force (NCTF) says that applicants must answer questions, including when they left Guyana and the purpose; whether they have been tested and whether they would have come into contact with anyone who
was positive. The applicants would also have to answer whether they are displaying symptoms of fever, cough, sore throat, chills, headache, muscle ache, diarrhoea and fatigue. They would have to acknowledge and accept that they are required to undergo at least 14 days of quarantine even if they have been tested negative in a PCR test. The applicant must agree to fully cooperate with the facilitator, caretaker, health care professional or other Ministry of Public Health officials who are responsible for his/her well-being during quarantine. There will be no visitors but the quarantined persons can receive items from family or friends via the Civil Defence Commission. The Foreign Affairs Ministry also made it clear that quarantined persons will
have to agree to wear protective clothing if asked. Last week, the Task Force approved the return of 300 Guyanese stranded around the globe to return home. During a special meeting to consider the applications of various groups of Guyanese stranded overseas as a result of COVID-19 emergency measures, the Task Force said that within the controlled re-entry policy, it has approved the return of approximately 300 Guyanese nationals. It was disclosed that approved persons would have been registered with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs via the country's embassies, High Commissions and Honorary Consuls. The approval targets Guyanese nationals in Trinidad and Tobago, New York, New Jersey, Florida (continued on page 15)
to mention any potential disasters that could accompany deepwater operations.” CIEL's Senior Attorney, Erika Lennon is also concerned about the flaring in Guyana. In fact, Lennon is c o n v i n c e d t h a t ExxonMobil's whole plan to develop oil in Guyana
FLARING APPROVED According to the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) that the EPA approved for Liza Phase One, flaring is permissible at various intervals until 2040. In the document that Kaieteur News perused, ExxonMobil notes that
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Lennon is convinced that ExxonMobil's whole plan to develop oil in Guyana threatens to transform the country into a carbon bomb. “Wasteful and harmful gas flaring is just one more way that is happening, the Senior Attorney concluded.
”
threatens to transform the country into a carbon bomb. “Wasteful and harmful gas flaring is just one more way that is happening,” the Senior Attorney concluded.
flaring would actually be temporary and non-routine. In fact, its subsidiary, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) intends to re-inject
all operationally, produced gas under routine conditions, except that which will be utilised for FPSO operations (e.g., fuel gas). It was further noted that a flare system will be provided for the collection and safe disposition of produced hydrocarbon gases resulting from unplanned, non-routine relief and blowdown events. The EIA states that relief events occur to prevent overpressure scenarios in the process equipment. It further clarifies that blowdown events occur to depressure the facilities in a controlled manner as a result of emergency shutdown events. In addition, the EIA states that temporary, nonroutine flaring will occur during equipment maintenance, process upsets, and start-up.
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Thursday May 28, 2020
Kaieteur News
Kaieteur News Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: Sharmain Grainger Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210
EDITORIAL
Cooper vs. Cooper There it is in the full glow of the starkest of black and white tableaux, a collision of random circumstances with random passersby in the most routine of encounters. In many respects, in the black and white of it all, there is the pure and the profane, the beautiful and the brutalizing, and the piercing natures of reactions and overreactions, the worst of which were so avoidable. There are lessons for us Guyanese. It is the sad and savaging story, the sorry episode, now making the rounds in the flurries of news reports, analyses, and judgements. The taut details are these: A man and woman have a chance meeting in Central Park, New York. She has an unleashed dog in an area called the Ramble, the man has a camera. The man simply asks her to leash the dog, and from every indication, he was polite and nonthreatening, an exercise in exemplary calm and courtesy. His name is Christian Cooper, and by the rarest of coincidences, her surname is also Cooper, Amy Cooper. Matters went downhill in a hurry when the man repeatedly called out to the woman to leash the dog and restrain it from invading a protected area. It so happens that Mr. Cooper is an avid birdwatcher, a current member of the board of directors of the prestigious Audubon Society, and a Harvard Graduate to boot, from the class of 1984. He is a study in patience, and Ms. Amy Cooper, who is an investment banker at Franklin Templeton, a formidable entity in its own right, who should have known better, reacted in the worst way imaginable. Perhaps, her reaction is not so unimaginable, when the optics of the situation are contemplated. Mr. Cooper is African American. Ms. Cooper is Caucasian American. She calls the NYPD to report that she is being threatened by a black man, in empty Central Park of all places. Mr. Cooper is one lucky black man -he is unshackled and uninjured and untroubled, too. He is a better human being, as he has shown some dignity and class when placed in a bad position during the encounter, more of what could have been an ordeal, and what brings out the best in us, and the worst of us. The black Mr. Cooper does not like where the white Ms. Cooper is currently. She has since lost her job, she has lost more than reputation and pride; she did lose some sense of her humanity. And for that she is already paying the harshest of prices. In the usual passions and pungencies that flow from the energies of social media, the aftermath of this story about a man and a woman over a dog has taken on a frightening dimension. Now there are reports of Ms. Cooper being the subject of death threats. Among those rushing to defend her is Mr. Christian Cooper, the man with a polite plea, and a cellphone camera. Thank God for technology, thank God for restraint and that it is this kind of man, with this type of bearing and conduct. He does not agree with her firing, overreaction is what he sees. He sees more, such as the white Ms. Cooper must learn and grow and move up spiritually in a world that uses less of her standard and more of that of Mr. Cooper’s. We took it upon ourselves to share this story, because it could mean so much to us here in Guyana, where our confrontational and suspicious narratives need to be changed radically. It is where we need, and desperately, more of the calming and the soothing, even understanding, possibly forgiving (like Christian Cooper) and less of the wounding and the infuriating and deeply disturbing, as in the Ms. Coopers of Guyana’s world. Though the colours are different, we have them here in Guyana. We, too, must live with them, seek to manage them better, understand them better, and reach out to help them compassionately. It takes a lot of inner strength, the kind that Mr. Cooper manifested, to be patient, to pad the cheek in the face of insult and shame. He rose to the occasion. So, must we here. All of us.
Bartica another ticking time bomb DEAR EDITOR, If the caption, “Bartica buckles down as first COVID-19 case hits home” (KN May 25) is accurate, then that is encouraging news by virtue of one being such a tiny number. The problem is that it may not be so accurate, through either being unknowingly understated, or because it is so by purpose. Whichever way or one that it is, this is not comforting for residents of that community nor should it be well-received at the wider national level. By way of background, a short recitation is appropriate. There are some circumstances that are part of the norm in the Bartica community, which need to be placed on the table right upfront for full consideration, and for letting them lead to wherever is found reasonable, if not wise. First, Bartica is a township that serves as a kind of hub, crossroad, jumping off point, and intersection to multiple destinations. It is a place of people coming from the capital city for forward progress to the deep hinterlands and
vice versa; area residents are part of the crowd on the move to and from the more distant mining centres. The point is that there is significant human traffic. Second, Aranka is another ‘bright spot’ where many people congregate before going to Bartica or when coming from there. It is a way station that feeds into the Bartica community, and who knows to where else, where there is significant human contact, both domestic and foreign. Third, the Bartica community has experienced an uptick of dozens of business ladies (mainly from a foreign neighbour under siege) who are in the companionship trade. They are also peripatetic since that means lesser visibility and greater ease with which to conduct their unique operations. In aggregate, this is whole lot of people traffic with the one constant being the settled Bartica community. It is a vulnerable one. Because of the foregoing convergences, there is some skepticismmuch, in fact-that there is only one confirmed case of
the dreaded COVID-19 virus at this time. It simply conflicts sharply with commonsense. It is widely accepted that the foreign ladies have enjoyed much patronage, and whose customers have moved on to different points both inside and outside of the community in close proximity to many others. Some residents are concerned; in fact, they are fearful, since they are asking themselves two questions: What are they not being told? And, what is the real story of the numbers? They do not know what they do not know; there is the suspicion that there is withholding of information. But it is also alarming on another front, a wider one. That would be the national. It was because all roads tier up to the national that so much space was occupied to lay out the continual movement of citizens and others to, from, and through Bartica. In other words, Bartica could be a seedbed and catapult from which the coronavirus pandemic spreads with contagion effect in this country. The last thing that I
would want to be seen as is an alarmist. But, in the same vein, I have repeatedly articulated my doubts as to the accuracy of what is disseminated to the public, both in terms of numbers, as well as relative to the timing of such releases; and due to what I think happen to be the limited nature of our pandemic response (defense) capabilities. I would like to be wrong on this. I hope that I am wrong in every facet of my concerns. But I believe that many of the COVID-19 truths are still not being shared with Guyanese citizens. They want to know. I want to know. It is the least that we can expect, and that is rightfully due, from our leaders. I trust that the right things are being done. And if not, they will occur going forward with the swiftest of movements and the cleanest of intentions. Those would include putting the health, safety, and wellbeing of the nation before any and every other consideration. Those must be first, and that is non-negotiable. Sincerely, GHK Lall
Is an oil spill on the horizon? DEAR EDITOR, Exxon’s recent and ongoing operational issues that have resulted in gas flaring raise a number of alarms. We have recently heard from an industry expert and an international lawyer both of whom have astutely expressed their suggestions for a resolution to the current gas fiasco. The financial and environmental impacts are not only important, but also bring into question whether Exxon has the adequate process controls over their operations. For such a new operation to have these issues already may be a precursor to larger problems to come such as an oil spill. An audit and review of the current operations and operational issues should be completed. Pending corrective operational work orders and time to closure of these work orders should also be reviewed, with close attention being paid to their predictive and preventative maintenance programme. Hopefully, with the recent closure of many Oil Rigs due to profitability issues, has now freed up
resources to allow for the assignment of the best available resources, the proper upkeep and the servicing of the high risk operations being undertaken off of Guyana’s shoreline. The current market price for crude and the global economic environment has provided the best timing for shutting down offshore operations to properly resolve these issues while preventing the environmental damage. If under these circumstances, Exxon was not willing to make such a difficult but responsible decision then we can only expect that as the global economy rebounds and future operational issues arise that poor decisionmaking may continue where Guyana and the Guyanese people get the short end of the stick. The current oil lifts may barely cover operational costs leaving Guyana with low to zero net income from the sale. On the other hand, Exxon has storage access and have properly hedged oil prices, which will allow them to comparatively make a substantial profit for their shareholders. The EPA and
the Department of Energy must make a coordinated decision in the overall best interest of Guyana first and foremost. These decisions should be made in a timely and informative manner without allowing corporate interests to skew the decision-making process. Guyana should not continue to give up limited oil and gas resources in a
wasteful and irresponsible manner that does not add to our energy security, nor adds any financial benefit, while depleting from the health of our Homeland and standing as responsible global citizens. Best regards, Mr. Jamil Changlee Chairman The Cooperative Republicans of Guyana
Look past the sociology and examine the accomplishments DEAR EDITOR, I can vividly recall a 1986 Sociology lecture at the University of Guyana by Professor Ken Danns in which he said that no matter what party had persuaded him to cast his vote for them, once he got into the voting booth, the X would end up next to the Palm tree (Symbol of the PNC). In reading Dr. George K. Danns letter in support of a David Granger Presidency, I can see that sociology is still winning and 34 years and a Doctorate later my old professor is seemingly trapped in a prism of time. Dr. Danns influenced and
inspired myself and countless others during his time at UG, as I am sure he does wherever he teaches, I hope I can return the favour by asking him to look past the sociology and examine the accomplishments of Dr. Irfaan Ali to date and examine any of Ali’s campaign speeches to ascertain his vision for all Guyanese. It has been my experience that it is never too late to break free from the chains of sociology; Bob Marley’s Redemption Song is the perfect soundtrack for the journey. Respectfully, Robin Singh
Thursday May 28, 2020
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Kaieteur News
Concern for Guyana’s well-being Counting ballots in Guyana and DEAR EDITOR, Discrepancies and irregularities are certainties in elections everywhere, including Guyana but the sheer scope and regularity of the anomalies and illegalities recorded in the observation reports attached to the completed Statements of Recount (SORs) demonstrate unequivocally a pattern of widespread electoral malpractice with concomitant benefits and loss for the main political parties. The first indication of possible electoral fraud was contained in the declarations by the 10 District Returning Officers which detailed an explosion of voter turnout which grew by over 15% over 2015 – 415,970 (2015) / 479,510 (2020) – made possible by the bloated OLE of approx. 660,000 persons vigorously championed by the PPP/C and opposed by APNU+AFC. The regions with the largest increases in voter turnout were Regions No. 1 (33%) and No. 9 (28%), while Region No. 6 registered the smallest increase of only 4%. A voters’ list which includes a large number of deceased and migrated persons creates opportunities for their impersonation and for multiple voting, the evidence of which has been provided.
What is even more alarming, in my view, is the widespread unavailability, or disappearance, of Poll Books which are used to record every instance of balloting that is considered beyond the ordinary or regular. Required entries in the Poll Book relate to, among other things, the following: 1. The verification of an elector’s identity; 2. Blind or incapacitated voters (whose ballot paper is marked by a friend or by the Presiding Officer); 3. Issuance of tendered ballot papers (shows the name of any elector who is issued a tendered ballot paper); 4. Ballot papers refused (name of elector and reason for refusal); and 5. Certificates of Employment (names of persons submitting Certificates of Employment) A situation in which over 33% of Poll Books were not produced for the ballot boxes examined so far cannot be explained, excused or defended as human error but is tantamount to corrupt awareness and coordinated intent to hinder the discovery of overwhelming electoral malpractice evidenced by the recording of votes for a
particular political party without the attendant documents, certificates and oath forms. In an electoral system, where the apportioning of seats can be determined by a few votes, by a few hundred votes or a few thousand votes, anomalies and irregularities counted in the hundreds and thousands have the obvious potential to determine the scale of electoral advantage and, if appropriately addressed, can result in a more substantial advantage for APNU+AFC which seems very likely. It is perhaps, not surprising therefore, that the several foreign missions, observers, political parties, civil society persons and organizations, and “guardians of democracy” of every persuasion who were exceedingly vocal and intemperate in demanding and threatening sanctions and imprisonment in the absence of clear evidence of widespread electoral wrongdoing have lost their indignant concern for Guyana’s well-being when confronted with such abundant and incontrovertible evidence of criminality, their sponsors and agents. Sincerely, Oscar Dolphin
Suriname DEAR EDITOR, The counting of ballots in Guyana and Suriname offer two contrasts. Neighbouring Suriname held elections on May 25 in partial lockdown. The country is as diverse as Guyana with many outlying areas with significant chunks of voters and two large parties as well as several minor parties all competing for seats. The electoral system is similar to Guyana’s – PR system. Yet within a few hours, the independent elections commission was able to count and tabulate the ballots. There are some issues with the recount, and there were irregularities with voting. Nevertheless, the original count was quick. The recount is taking some additional time; the opposition complains of opportunities for fraud by the incumbent. The commission seems prepared to announce official results within 48 hours. Guyana’s certification of the ballots and the recount is disgraceful and an embarrassment. The Suriname elections commission was very transparent in the count and recount before it was stopped. The counting was open to the
nation. It was streamed live and ballots flashed on a screen. There were no engineering of votes, no skullduggery, no transference of fraudulent numbers on spreadsheets. No bed sheets were used to project votes. Of course, there are no Mingos in the elections commission of Suriname. The commission officers did not get instructions to rig, or did not carry out any rigging if they received such directives. In Guyana, twelve weeks later and the nation is yet to know who officially won the elections. Unofficial count showed which party won. One party has refused to accept the unofficial results or allow the certification to be completed. The declared count was fraudulent. The recount is treated by some political actors as an audit which it is not. An audit, raising problem with the voting exercise and voters’ list, etc., is for the court via an election petition postdeclaration of results unless all parties agree to have an audit and the election commission so rules before the declaration. There is no such agreement. A recount is exactly what it is defined as – another count to ascertain or negate an original count. It
does not allow for entertainment of irregularities of the voting process. Regardless of the lack of credibility of the voting exercise, which must be a concern of all, these cannot interfere with the count or recount unless there were ballot stuffing. In Suriname, there was a Caricom (OAS and others) observer presence as there was in Guyana and is presently monitoring the recount. Caricom intends to be in Suriname throughout the completion of the official process, which should be completed within days. In Guyana, the Caricom team is praised for its work. People want the team to remain in place to see the recount process thru its completion. Caricom (OAS and others) must pressure GECOM and the two main parties to see the process through a quick completion. It may take an additional week beyond the 25 days. Caricom must have its team remain in the country till the last ballot is recounted and the right winner declared, never mind that it has taken more than three months to get a winner and more than a month to do the recount. Yours truly, Dr. Vishnu Bisram
Please note for future action Under what law was KN able to gain access to the Pink List of a Polling Station? DEAR EDITOR, Reference is made to Kaieteur News’ article “Coalition’s dead voter claim…Family says it never approved access to death certificate” (May 27, 2020). Undoubtedly, the article sought to present a picture that the alleged death certificate of Chitnandani Ramdass purportedly used by the APNU+AFC as evidence of the dead voting was unauthorised by the deceased family and the named person did not vote. For all intent and purpose, it could be accepted- 1) it is the truth; the named person is deceased and, 2) the family did not authorise the release of the certificate. Said article noted Ms. Amna Ally referred to the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, which allows “everyone” access to a death certificate and aided the public’s understanding by quoting the relevant provision. This was contrasted with a claim by Mr.
Anil Nandlall that such access is not permissible by an unauthorised person, and as per the family’s complaint, is a violation of the Access to Information Act. He quoted the provision to justify his argument. It would now become debate or fodder whether or not the Information Act has any bearing on the Births and Deaths Act in retrieving a certificate though such is permissible as per the quoted provision in the latter Act. The above aside, what is most disturbing in the article is how the newspaper was able to report that the “Official List of Electors (OLE) commonly known as the Pink List, showed, however, that the woman’s name was not ticked as voted…” The reporter, Ms. Shikema Dey, or Editor did not advise how this ‘knowledge’ was gained or the paper’s ability to access a document that would have been in the ballot box of that particular polling station where the allegation is made
of a dead person voting. How was access granted to the Pink List and by whom? While the newspaper quoted the Acts regarding access or alleged non-access to the death certificate it did not refer to any Act (law) and its concomitant provision that gives it such access to the Pink List. Editor, could this please be made known? The newspaper cannot afford to be silent on this when fingers are pointing to political parties tampering with and undermining the integrity of the ballot, vote and tally. There is information carried by the very media that many of these Pink Lists, which should have been in the ballot boxes are missing. That list marks off who voted. The absence of these has cast serious doubt on the credibility of the voting process and by extension the results. I doubt the paper would want to be perceived as aiding this. Those lists remain the guarded property
of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM). In the case of the specific list, it should have only been accessible to the election personnel of that particular polling station on Election Day and those in the recounting station of that specific box, not the public. The Pink List is a legal document of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM). How then was a newspaper allowed to have access to same if not given by GECOM voluntarily or mandated by Court Order? Some clarity would help here. Could Kaieteur News advise the public under what Act (Law), Order or consent was the newspaper able to gain access to the Pink List of that particular Polling Station or any such List for any other polling station? Minette A. Bacchus Editor’s note: While we are not obligated to share how this information was acquired, we assure you that no law was broken.
DEAR EDITOR, I was relieved when I read the letter in your letter column regarding the submission of overseas life certificate to NIS. The question is how authentic that statement is. Because it is only yesterday, I did a live chat through NIS website with an agent asking the very same
question as I am living in the US. Their answer was that NIS does not accept duplicate life certificate, only physical copies that are either mail or hand in. Now it’s a different way around; therefore this needs to be noted for future action. Regards, Albert Persaud
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Kick-down-the-door-doctors must be held accountable and rights of those quarantined/in isolation must be respected DEAR EDITOR, I write to urge the Medical Council to show leadership and hold the kick-down-thedoor-doctors involved in the incident at the Diamond COVID-19 Isolation Facility immediately accountable for their appalling actions. Never before would I have thought to put the words kick down the door and doctors in the same sentence, and in no other country of the world have I seen such atrocious and unprofessional behaviour. Yes, stress and tension are high at this time and many healthcare providers are working very hard, in often difficult circumstances. However, it is imperative that the rights of those in quarantine and isolation be remembered and respected at all times. These persons are not criminals and they do not deserve to be treated as such. Their concerns about potential reinfection by new arrivals to the facility are completely valid and the fact that this
was not recognized by the doctors who attempted to place a new arrival with a current resident brings into question the training and competence of the doctors. Obviously, these kick-downthe-door-doctors need retraining on basic infectious disease transmission processes, as well as in conflict resolution, anger management, courteous communication, and human rights. The seemingly vindictive response of withholding and serving spoilt food to the residents of the facility is also reprehensible and illustrates a system and persons who are extremely immature in their emotional development. That children, pregnant women, the elderly, and sick, stressed individuals were so penalized for expressing their concerns and trying to protect their health is disturbing and must not be repeated; those responsible must also be held accountable. Finally, the silence from
the Ministry of Public Health on this incident is also noteworthy- in the negative sense. Many Guyanese already have a great mistrust of public entities and personnel- as continues to be clearly demonstrated by the lack of responsiveness of the Guyanese populace to the public health admonitions to observe physical distancing and other measures to flatten the curve of coronavirus transmission. Quality leadership is essential at all timesespecially now, and silence on matters like this do nothing to help inspire confidence in the system. Speaking out against staff who disregard and abuse patient rights, holding them accountable, and training them to be and do better is sorely needed and would help greatly to demonstrate true commitment to protecting and providing quality healthcare to Guyanese. Respectfully, Sherlina Nageer
We need SME companies DEAR EDITOR, Kaieteur News Editorial “Resist, rethink and rebuild these deals with foreign exploiters” does highlight the problems Guyanese face when dealing with foreign companies. Foreign companies (be they Americans, Canadians, British, Russians, Indians, Chinese) come to Guyana to make a profit. The problem arises when Guyanese have little or nothing to show for
Thursday May 28, 2020
Kaieteur News
the resources shipped out. I am for foreign companies coming to Guyana as they do bring in investment and skills which Guyana is in dire need of. At the same time, we need to learn from India. The people of my ancestors (Indians) were exploited by foreign companies leading to domination by foreigners...namely The British. Yet, we need to be
cognizant of the fact that Guyanese are not into manufacturing in a big way so we would need foreign help to develop the sector. We simply do not have the knowhow to build cars, ships, airplanes, computers, cell phones, etc. We struggle with managing GPL and GWI to provide electricity and water for our people...it is not a money issue...it is a skills issue. We rely heavily upon politicians who do not have a clue about what it will take to develop Guyana. We do need foreign companies to teach us how to do things. At the same time, we do not want to be dominated by foreigners. The type of foreign investors, which we need in Guyana is not big foreign companies that are used to getting their own way in Third World Countries. We need SME companies (small to medium size enterprises) which will not be able to push around our politicians. At the same time, we need to reduce taxation (personal taxation and corporate taxation) so that Guyanese companies are more competitive. Yours faithfully, Sean Ori
Thank God for social media! DEAR EDITOR, Lately, I have observed a pattern that I detest greatly. People with titles such as Dr, LLB, etc representing for the Coalition and because of these titles, their messages are getting to reach their intended audience. Apparently, the editors only need to see one of these titles to publish an opinion or ranting of some individuals the intelligentsia get to speak to the people, content does not seem to matter. Can you imagine a carpenter or a taxi driver giving an opinion to burn the ballot boxes or declare the elections a draw and getting that opinion published in the mainstream papers? That would never happen. No offense to taxi drivers and carpenters, I don’t think they are that mentally deranged to conceive such. My attention was drawn to this one - “Guyana needs the leadership of David Granger at this point, not Irfaan Ali’s” by Dr. George K. Danns. Danns, sorry, Dr. Dans, for
some strange reason has started to think about who will lead Guyana after the results are declared. He knows it will be Granger if APNU/AFC wins but “If the PPP/C wins, it will be…I really cannot recall the name of the PPP/C Presidential Candidate. Can you?” So much for pretense from the doctor who had to Google to find the name of the PPP’s presidential candidate. The irony of it all, is that Dr. Danns knows who won the elections, else there would be no need for his pretense. In a show of biasness, Dr. Danns, rather than comparing the two presidential candidates on regularity of public appearance, sought to belittle Irfaan by saying Jagdeo is more in the public domain than Irfaan. Harmon appears more often than Granger too - just in case Danns didn’t know. Dr. Danns asked, “Who is Irfaan Ali? What is his vision for the country? What type of leader is he? Why should he be trusted to become
Guyana’s ultimate leader? The first three questions are paradoxical. Let me answer the last question for Dr. Danns in the simplest of terms. There is something called democracy by which the citizens of a country has a right, using their individual judgment, to elect a leader of their choice by popular vote - nothing else matters. It is on the principles of democracy laid out in our constitution that Irfaan was “trusted to become Guyana’s ultimate leader.” It is difficult for the common man, in local parlance, to “suck it up” to these intelligent pretenders in the mainstream papers, they rarely get the chance. Even the ones that would have you believe that they are not mouthpieces for political parties seem to be more willing to entertain the intelligentsia, to contaminate the ordinary man with their instigating diatribes. Thank God for social media! Yours respectfully, Rudolph Singh
We strongly urge our Canadian Government to stay the course DEAR EDITOR, The Canadian High Commission in Georgetown, Guyana is the primary channel for communications between the Government of Canada and a legitimate Government of Guyana. It supports many initiatives, business development, cultural exchanges, etc., and other areas of cooperation between the two countries. Most importantly though, is Canada’s principled involvement in ensuring that human rights practices adhere to international conventions and that democratic processes are held to the highest standards in Guyana. HE Lilian Chatterjee, the current High Commissioner for Canada, has been active in ensuring that Canada’s expectation of a free and democratic society is not threatened or lost. So, when HE Chatterjee joined with the other International Diplomats and accredited election observers to challenge irregularities of the March 2 election results, she was engaged in what was expected of her by Canada’s Government, the Foreign Ministry and the people of Canada. Every decent and democratic minded Guyanese at home and in the diaspora applauded her efforts. Soon after the attempted swearing in of an illegal Government via fraudulent
election results was thwarted, a petition, which apparently originated in Toronto and a letter out of London, Ontario, addressed to PM Trudeau appeared in the media. The petition and letter based on frivolous excuses, are asking for the recall of Lilian Chatterjee as Canada’s High Commissioner to Guyana. Consequently, a counter petition in support of HE Chatterjee and other diplomats who are championing democracy in Guyana, was initiated by an apolitical ad hoc group, that does not ask for or accept donations, ‘Democracy Watch 2020’ and uploaded on change.org (Supporting the Canadian High Commissioner and others championing democracy in Guyana) Current signatories stand at 3,189 and counting. Canada has long stood for democracy and freedom in Guyana. Canada has always been generous to Guyana and to Guyanese. We recall the mass exodus of Guyanese between the late 1970’s to the early 1990’s. It was Canada, which accepted thousands of people. Few today would believe that in 1984-85 refugee claimants from Guyana represented the greatest number in Canada. Continued support and confidence is required to be placed on our current top diplomat in Guyana as her
engagement is now at a critical stage. Canadians as well as Guyanese will not accept a return to those dark days. Very sluggish recounting of the ballots, deliberately perpetuated by agents of the caretaker Government, coupled with the everchanging directives and “the mid stream” bending of the rules from the questionable independent GECOM and together with the shutting out of internationally recognized accredited observers from the process, points to the conclusion by many that, “this will not end well”. The freedom of Guyanese is once again hanging in a dangerous balance. We strongly urge our Canadian Government to stay the course, lend our diplomat all the support she needs by strengthening her hand and to demand that local authorities in Guyana facilitate the completion of her work, without hindrance. We understand that all the ABCE diplomats in Guyana are currently subjected to constant abuses but that our diplomat seems to be the one most singled out. Respectfully, Democracy Watch 2020 H.Ragnauth N.Dhanai R.Persaud R.Singh S.Barnard S.Alexander N.Hanif
Kaieteur News
Thursday May 28, 2020
PAGE 07
After five years, Granger returns to shared governance, constitutional reform rhetoric
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or the second time in two weeks, incumbent President David Granger has returned, if tangentially, to the rhetoric on shared governance and constitutional reform, central pillars of his presidential campaigns of 2011 and 2015. In an exclusive interview on Monday with Enrico Woolford, Chairman of the Board of the Directors of state broadcaster, National Communications Network Television, the President lamented the state of politics in Guyana “The politics process is what it is,” Granger said “Maybe sometime in the future, there could be a reexamination of the process and maybe a modification of the process if it is found to be inadequate…I don't want to go too much into that, it is a subject for constitutional reform.” This reference to changing the political infrastructure of a country, which he has served as
Executive President for over the past five years follows his broaching the topic during a May 18 radio interview with Coalition supporter Mark Benschop. In that interview, Granger cited former Education Minister and WPA executive Dr. Roopnaraine pointing out that the winner-take-all system could not continue. “The formula, as has been laid out by my colleague Rupert Roopnaraine,” Granger told Benschop, “people who win 51 per cent of the vote must not behave as if they won 100 per cent of the vote and people who only got 49 per cent of the vote must not be treated as if they got no per cent of the votes and, I live by that. I would like to see an inclusionary form of government.” The two interviews would represent the first time Granger has significantly addressed the issue of power sharing, and constitutional reform towards that end, in the past five years. He has stayed
President David Granger away from the question of constitutional reform, leaving portfolio responsibility for it to Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo. During the 2020 election campaign, the only reference Granger had made towards the issue of constitutional reform was at D'Urban Park rally on January 4 when he promised the mammoth crowd of coalition supporters that in his second
Three days left for recount and no decision on extension - 46 percent of boxes still remain
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ith only three days left for the recount of the March 2 polls, and 46% of the 2,339 ballot boxes to be completed, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is yet to make a definitive decision on the extension of the 25-day timeline. Public Relations Officer (PRO) for the Commission, Yolanda Ward had stated that the Commission after having a gauge of the first week of the recount, would deliberate on whether the timeline would be extended. The recount deadline expires on Saturday and according to information received, GECOM Chair, Ret'd Justice Claudette Singh and the six nominated Commissioners are expected to meet today to discuss the revision of the timeline, 23 days into the process. Commissioner Sase Gunraj told this newspaper that the new date will also encompass the time for the declaration. The main
Opposition, People's Progressive Party (PPP) along with the political parties throughout the recount had raised several concerns about the pace and ability of the Commission to meet the 25-day timeline set for the recount ongoing at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre. Many of those parties had posed several recommendations, including the addition of new workstations to speed up the process. The Commission did, after a review by the Health Emergency Operations Centre (HEOC) team of the National COVID-19 Task Force, add two new workstations and those were allocated to Regions 6 and 7. Initially, six areas at the Conference Centre were identified as possible sites for new workstations but due to the breaches in the COVID-19 guidelines recommended by the HEOC, approval was only given for two bringing the total
workstations to 12. Meanwhile, on day 22, GECOM managed to complete 93 ballot boxes, the highest number since the recount commenced. This now raises the total number of recounted ballot boxes to 1,383, with some 956 remaining to be counted in the remaining days. Ward, informed the media last evening that 19 boxes were counted for Region Three (Essequibo Islands- West Demerara); 22 for Region Four (DemeraraMahaica); 19 for Region Six (East Berbice- Corentyne); nine for Region Seven (Cuyuni- Mazaruni); 11 for Region Eight (PotaroSiparuni); and 13 for Region Nine (Upper Takaku- Upper Essequibo). She added that of the number of Statements of Recount, 1,337 were tabulated for the General Election, while 1,336 for the Regional Election. The recount for Regions One, Two and Five have been completed.
term, he would change the Constitution to rid it of the “ambiguities” that saw his government falling in a no confidence motion of December 2018. “We are going to reform the constitution,” Granger said, “so that the nonsense they tried with us over the last twelve months does not happen again.” Outside of this, the issue of constitutional reform had received passing attention in his presidential addresses to the nation in the same period, with his 2020 New Year's message promise of “constitutional reform, pursued vigorously, with wider popular consultation, and with greater emphasis placed on broader political inclusion, protecting human rights and preventing constitutional gridlock” being whittled down to “constitutional reform, by safeguarding human rights, promoting inclusionary democracy and emphasising broader political consultation” in his Republic Anniversary address in February. The coalition's 'Decade of Development' plan was even scarcer in detail, with no mention of shared
governance, and just three lines on constitutional reform: “ * Continue the work of the Constitutional Reform Consultative Commission; ? * Continue the allocation of funding for country-wide, community consultations; and ? * Commit to contributing to a Constitution which reflects the will of the wider society, country-wide.” The difficulty with that plan however was that the Constitutional Reform Consultative Commission (CRCC) has never been established, so its work could not be continued because it had not in fact started. The CRCC which work was promised to “continue” in the 'Decade of Development' reached only as far as the drafting of the bill necessary to establish it as a legal mechanism. Bill No.9 of 2017 was intended, “to establish a Constitutional Reform Consultative Commission to assist the Parliamentary Standing C o m m i t t e e f o r Constitutional Reform in its work by conducting public consultations with and receiving submissions from
the people of Guyana for the Committee, to provide for its membership, its terms of reference and for other connected purposes.” The bill itself was the end result of an almost twoyear process that started with the establishment of a Steering Committee on Constitutional Reform (SCCR), headed by former AFC Executive, Nigel Hughes in late 2015, and commissioned by Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo. The report, handed over to Nagamootoo in April of 2016 was represented at the time as the first step in the fulfillment of the Coalition's campaign promise on constitutional reform. In its 2015 manifesto, the Coalition had made the clear commitment: “ A P N U + A F C recognizes that the Constitution, in its current form, does not serve the best interest of Guyana or its people. Within three months of taking up office, APNU+AFC will appoint a Commission to amend the Constitution with the full participation of the people. The new Constitution will (continued on page 16)
Kaieteur News
PAGE 08
Thursday May 28, 2020
Coalition does not intend to provide actual evidence to support majority of its fraud claims - Expects GECOM to investigate whether allegations are factual
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he APNU+AFC Coalition has no intention of proving a majority of its claims of elections irregularities, as it relates to people for which it claims votes were fraudulently cast while they were outside of the jurisdiction on Election Day. This particular grouping of 'foreign voters' accounts for 1,261 (or 65 percent) of the Coalition's 1,937 claims of irregularities. PNCR Executive, Aubrey Norton indicated that the party expects GECOM to investigate to determine whether the claims are factual. Norton's comments were made at the National Recount Media Centre yesterday. The party had previously said that it would provide evidence, even saying that it has already started providing evidence to GECOM. However, when asked yesterday what percentage of the evidence the Coalition has presented to GECOM to support any of their many claims of electoral fraud, Norton evaded the question. His response spoke to the presentation of death certificates: “Well, to provide the evidence, you would recognise, you have to get the death certificates. We have been doing that.” The claims of dead voters
amount to 40, as of the last table posted by APNU+AFC up to press time. This amounts to about two percent of all the party's claims of irregularities. But on the issue of proving votes were cast for persons who were out of the jurisdiction on Election Day, Norton said, “We are also working on the list of persons who were on Election Day outside the jurisdiction.” Norton was asked what evidence is being presented to prove these specific claims. He responded, “There are cases where our field workers went into the field and got names of people who migrated. As I understand it, we can, once we say these are the factors, we can write the Elections Commission CEO and ask them to use their authority to access the database to be able to confirm or deny.” At this point, a reporter noted that such a list would not actually be evidence but rather, a claim for GECOM to probe. But Norton did not agree, he said, “we are supplying what we call evidence. The only persons that can say it is evidence and not hearsay are those in charge of the [immigration] database.” Asked whether it is the Coalition's fieldwork that it considers evidence, he
responded, “evidence is fact.” Yet, he continued by saying that when the claims “arrive at GECOM”, it is “for GECOM to do the official thing and confirm or deny what we are saying”. His comments stand in contrast to the view of GECOM Chair, Justice Claudette Singh that “he who asserts, must prove”. Pointed to this statement, Norton said, “Well, we are proving by providing the information.” “If I go to a Court of law, and I say you slap me, and I say to the Court, that X person slap me, the Court then has to now verify whether that is fact or not. I'm saying, it is a similar process, we provide the information and GECOM is the legally constituted body that can relate to the state agencies and confirm what we are saying is fact.” Norton repeated his view, several times during the interview, that GECOM should take the claims being made and investigate on its own. But despite his view that it is for GECOM to probe the claims and to find the evidence, the Coalition has already published its own tabulation of all of its unsubstantiated claims, marketing them as “clear evidence of electoral fraud and rigging” – in Norton's own words.
PNCR Executive, Aubrey Norton
Pointed to this contradiction, Norton responded “But the party cannot confirm. The party can get the facts, present it to GECOM and GECOM has to approach the appropriate Government structure to confirm.” Pointed again to the p u b l i c a t i o n o f unsubstantiated claims, Norton said, “We are publishing the information at our disposal.” One reporter said therefore, that what are being presented are allegations and not facts. Norton responded, “That is your opinion.” Norton then said that when it presents its list “in a document as fact, GECOM can now check it and decide if we misinform or we inform correctly.” He is confident that GECOM will determine the latter. APNU+AFC counting agent, Ganesh Mahipaul had, on May 19 last, admitted that the Coalition has been operating on unconfirmed reports, where these specific
claims of 'foreign voters' are concerned. Multiple appeals have been made by stakeholders, including the press, for the Coalition to release evidence. The party, not submitting actual evidence, has decided to consider a list as evidence. “I have backed up the allegations in my station with hearsay. I am not going to dispute hearsay,” Mahipaul had said. The Coalition's claims, especially where 'foreign voters' are concerned, have so far been baseless. The method of objection is also being criticised as a way of frustrating the process, by other parties. For instance, The Citizenship Initiative (TCI) Executive, Shaz Ally posted on Facebook yesterday that, of Box 6162, the Coalition agent called 100 serial numbers out as linked to persons who are allegedly dead or were allegedly out of the jurisdiction on Election Day. But when GECOM checked the Official List of
Electors, Ally said, only four of the serial numbers were ticked off to indicate that those persons had voted. He said no evidence was presented. GECOM had only recently passed down a decision that it would only note objections in the observation reports, if the names are ticked off to indicate the persons had voted. Before that, staffers were expected to note whatever objections were made by political agents. In addition, one attempt by this newspaper to independently verify the Coalition's claims of 'foreign voters' in ballot box 6007, found that a Berbice couple, who were at home on Election Day, were roped into the party's objections. In an interview with Kaieteur News, Shirley Nicholson had confirmed that she and her husband, Aubrey Nicholson were both in the country and voted early, spending the rest of the day with their grandchildren. Her husband had taken part in an interview with a Berbice television station, footage of which this paper has seen. Particular to the Coalition's claims of irregularities is that they were deliberately orchestrated by the PPP/C to rig the elections in its favour. But when the Coalition's Leonard Craig doubled down on the false 'foreign voters' claim about the Berbice couple, Kaieteur News was told by the Nicholsons that they both went to the polling place, Sisters Village Primary School, and voted for the Coalition.
Bartica prisoner isolated, others quarantined over suspected Covid-19 case
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even prisoners from the Bartica Police Station lock-ups have been placed in quarantine after it was suspected that one of them might have contracted Covid-19. A c c o r d i n g t o Commander of Region Seven, Linden Lord, the prisoner that is suspected to be infected was detained for simple larceny. However, it was revealed
that he had been in contact with an infected person at Puruni Landing, Mazaruni River, Region Seven. The prisoner was taken to the Bartica Regional Hospital where he was tested and isolated. The others were transported to a quarantine facility at the Bartica Community Centre. Commander Lord said they while the man's test results returned negative; he will remain in quarantine for
the mandatory fourteen days. A press statement yesterday by the Regional Democratic Council of Region Seven stated that there are seven individuals in Bartica who are on institutional quarantine. It was also noted that the seven did not exhibit any symptoms of the novel Coronavirus, but were quarantined out of an abundance of caution.
Kaieteur News
Thursday May 28, 2020
PAGE 09
The political opportunists are making a pitch for leadership
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henever a political party loses an election, there are always implications for the leaders of that party. The APNU and the AFC have lost not only the general and regional elections of 2020 but they have also been defeated in the two previous local government elections held in 2016 and 2018. The leaders of the PNCR and the AFC therefore recognize that having lost three successive elections, all to the PPPC, that there is
bound to be a political fallout. This is not unique to Guyana; it happens all around the world. When a party loses an election, much less three in a row, the supporters of that party demand changes to the leadership. The typical response to such demands is the creation of political distractions. This is what is taking place right now within the PNCR and the AFC. There are attempts to blame the PPPC for the Coalition's loss of power. In fact, the Coalition has
concocted a tale that the PPPC rigged the elections. This is the main distraction. Heightening an external threat is used to distract from an internal problem. By making the PPPC the villain, the APNU and AFC are hoping to smother internal dissent within their parties. A second tactic, which is used to suppress the demands for new leadership, is to put in place a succession plan. Desmond Hoyte lost three successive elections to the PPPC in 1992, 1997 and 2001. There were questions
Dem boys seh...
Bouters looking fuh a Mingo
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uriname had election dis week and de situation nah looking good fuh Bouters. Dem boys seh de only ting fuh save Bouters is fuh find a man wha gon mek magic. You know who de man is; all ah we know who de man is, but is whether Bouters can find de man. Dem boys nah hearing from Mingo since de big Bingo story at Ashmins. But a school-boy find he. De school-boy ring Mingo and ask: “You know Maths, right?” Mingo seh: “Yuh gon ask dah?” De school-boy seh: “If I tek a knife and cut a cake into 3 slices, each slice will be
0.33 of the main cake, right? Mingo reply: “Yes.” De school-boy then seh: “But hear dis… if I multiply 0.33 by 3, I gon only get 0.99. Wha happen to the 0.01?” Mingo seh: “It leff pon de knife.” Moon does run tell day ketch am. Some of dem leaders in Sudan and Papua New Guinea deh facing charge fuh embezzling de country money. Dem get charge with misappropriating billions. Dat is a big word for thiefing de state money. Dem get accuse of doing this after dem country find oil. We gat some right hay in Guyana who gon face de courts soon. Dem embezzle even
before a drop of oil pump. Dem slowing down de recount so dat dem can cover dem tracks. But dem boys want tell them wha miss dem nah gon pass dem. Dem boys know dat dem gat runnings all over de world. But dem gat difference in every country. In America, when a policemen stop you and you try fuh put yuh hands in yuh pocket, yuh gon get shoot. Yuh suppose to keep yuh hands wheh de police can see it. In Guyana, when a traffic policeman stop yuh, and yuh put yuh hands in yuh pocket, de policeman does smile. Talk half and wait fuh see who gon smile when de recount dun.
Fifty-one vendors fined for not wearing masks - M&CC
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ity vendors are discovering how much more costly it is to not wear a mask than to shell out a mere $300 for one. Fifty-one vendors were found operating without masks have been fined $5,000 each for ignoring the guidelines set by the Georgetown Municipality during the Covid-19 pandemic. According to a statement from the City Hall, these vendors were found operating at Albouystown, Stabroek, and Bourda markets. The Mayor and the City Councillors (M&CC) have implored all citizens to observe the COVID-19, precautionary guidelines set
out by the Ministry of Public Health. “We have to work together to beat COVID-19, the statement added. The M&CC had introduced measures to stop the spread of the disease. Among them, the Council had announced that it would be opening markets from 07:00h to 16:00 hrs. The M&CC noted that only one main gate will be opened at each market, adding that all stallholders/vendors and their staff are required to wear a facemask throughout the duration of their operations. Failing to comply with this directive, the Council said it will result in persons being charged a penalty fee of $5,000. Further, the M&CC said
that shoppers will not be allowed to enter municipal markets without masks. There will be no exemptions. Meanwhile, a limited number of shoppers will be allowed to enter each market at a given time. Also, social distancing of six feet must be adhered to with absolutely no crowding or large gathering at the stalls. In fact, stallholders are expected to regulate this activity and will be held accountable for any breaches. The M&CC added too that unauthorised vending is prohibited and anyone found selling at any place that is not approved by the Council will be subjected to the payment of a removal fee of $25,000.
raised about his leadership and some of the persons from the business class with whom he consorted. But he waited out these minirevolts. But he also did something else. He talked about putting in place a succession plan. And this appeased those who wanted to see him removed. But for Hoyte, it was just a political ploy which he engineered in response to the internal threats to his throne. There are leaders of both the AFC and the PNCR who want to continue on in the leadership of their political parties, despite the loss of three successive elections under that leadership. And so they are hoping that their present orchestrations would allow them to remain in the leadership. But some of them have not catered for COVID-19 and its impact on political activity. COVID-19 is not going to disappear completely. It is going to dissipate but not disappear. The virus will remain around and always be a threat. The groups which are most threatened by this virus are the elderly and those with underlying health conditions. This means that
sickness and age are now high-risk factors for the disease and as a consequence makes them now a political liability. Political activity cannot be effectively carried out through social distancing alone. You cannot run a country exclusively by social distancing. Politicians have to go out and meet their constituents; they have to meet people; they have rub shoulders with the masses. They have to move around and see conditions firsthand. This places politicians who are elderly and who have underlying conditions at a distinct disadvantage. COVID-19 has already begun to change our politics. Young people, fitter and stronger, will have to assume greater leadership, at least over the short-term. Many of the leaders of the APNU and the AFC are old and have underlying conditions. How will they cope with the demands of political work, especially in Opposition? There are persons who recognize what is likely to happen and they have begun to throw their hats in the ring for leadership of the PNCR and the AFC. Persons are coming out of the proverbial
woodwork and discreetly making their case for leadership. There are persons who played no role in the election campaign of the PNCR and the AFC; they were missing in action. But now that there is a possibility of them assuming leadership of either of the parties, they are making their pitch. And how will they do this? They will assume the posture of an opposition politician. They will attack the PPPC. They will claim that the leaders of the PPPC are unfit. They will become more militant than the existing leadership and sometimes more extremist. This is how they will hope to build popular support. Hoyte once warned against these political opportunists. He said they could not be saved from even their own ignorance. Look out for the new political opportunists who are aiming to fill the political vacuum emerging within the PNCR and the AFC. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)
Kaieteur News
PAGE 10
Thursday May 28, 2020
THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN
No one in this world should trust David Granger D
o the analysis for yourself, w ithout help from others, if you are neutral in the current political crisis but you are leaning toward accepting David Granger over the other election contestants. You owe it to yourself to do that. Here is an analysis with plausibility that shows Granger is not to be trusted. My arguments of Granger's deception are not new. Granger has the inclination of using his Burnhamite approach to power in his emanations. Should the population trust a president or prime minister who in the 21st
century held three press conferences in his five-year rule? What is the answer? I believe he lacks selfconfidence and is afraid that he will fall down with hard questions. Here is where Granger lacks any knowledge of Guyanese sociology. Almost eighty percent of our journalists are not university trained. Almost eighty percent do not engage in substantial investigative journalism. If Granger is fearful of facing hard questions from them, will he ever sit down with a sharp, independent intellectual and defend his politics? Granger's presidency is
replete with dangerous interpretations of politics, power and events. I have dealt with his proclivity to interpret constitutional decisions in frightening ways never before seen in any previous president in the CARICOM region. He went to extreme levels, which also involved comedy when he said a persuasive remark by the CCJ president meant that he could submit to himself a list of GECOM candidates, consult the Opposition Leader, then accept one from his own list. He went so far to summon a meeting with all diplomatic envoys to assert that illusion in his mind. Is
this the president a modern country deserves? O n e mo r e ex amp le before I discuss his current deceptive outlays. He had four ministers looking into the oil industry as it was being put on a sound footing. When the head of the department of energy was chosen, none of these ministers said they had an input into the selection of Dr. Mark Bynoe. It turned out that Dr. Bynoe was not trained in oil economics or petroleum engineering. There are many more instances of Granger's dangerous deportment that needs to be put under constant scrutiny. Here is the latest. In the same interview in which he is advocating inclusive governance, he again displayed his proclivity to put his ridiculous definitions on sensitive issues thereby exposing his autocratic personality. “My only desire is that the media should be truthful and explain to the Guyanese people what has occurred since the second of March and I believe if the media were truthful, if political parties were honest, we would be able to overcome some of the anxieties and
apprehension. There has been a lot of misinformation, there have been fake reports and this has caused the confusion.� Make no mistake; he is not alluding to the Chronicle. Make no mistake; he has the Kaieteur News and Stabroek News in mind. Make no mistake; he is not referring to the naked skullduggery of Mingo. Make no mistake, he has not included the blatant depravities his political party has introduced into electoral behaviour never before seen in this country. Make no mistake that if he should head the next government and accept inclusive governance, it will be on his understanding of what inclusive governance is and his meaning will differ from international examples and the fundamental pillars on which inclusive governance rests. Granger loved the ambience he was in when he made those remarks. It was an ambience in which he did not have to search for intellectual answers. Enrico Wolford put a self-serving, leading question to him and he ran with it the way a toddler goes after his first chocolate taste. This is the president who wants inclusive governance yet he makes unsavoury use of State resources to propagandize. So the question is; after inclusive governance in
Frederick Kissoon which he is president, will he allow the state media to employ independent journalists who will examine objectively the direction of the state and heap praise on non-PNC ministers who excel and report on mediocre PNC ministers who can hardly reason? Or will Guyana see President Granger did what he did to his coalition partner? He invoked the constitution for the AFC and asserted his constitutional right to name his own prime minister, choose his own ministers, and designate which portfolios which minister should have. I grew up in politics with people like Rupert Roopnarine, Clive Thomas, Eusi Kwayana, Moses Bhagwan, etc. They were all critical of Burnham, Jagan, Hoyte, etc. What do these gentlemen think of Granger? You never know in life. Maybe they think that in Granger, Nietzsche's Ăœbermensch has arrived. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)
Kaieteur News
Thursday May 28, 2020
Scotiabank to limit transactions for non-account holders
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anadian-owned Scotibank has announced the limiting of transactions for non-account holders as part of its measures to tackle COVID-19. According to the bank yesterday, it is continuing to take important steps to help customers and employees stay protected. “The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way business is conducted, and keeping our customers and employees safe remains our top priority. In line with this, practising physical distancing is critical, and to this end, limiting the number of persons in our banking halls at any given time is a necessary requirement.” The bank said that the new measures will come in effect June 8, 2020. At that time, the bank says, it will no longer facilitate transactions for non-Scotiabank customers on a permanent basis. The transactions would include cashing of cheques; exchange of cash and cash advances in branch - ATM access still available. There will also be limits on foreign
PAGE 11
Former Comptroller of Customs, Clarence Chue, dies
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currency transactions. “We encourage customers to take advantage of our digital and online platforms for processing payments which give them the ability to conduct their transactions at their convenience, 24/7. Personal banking customers are now able to conduct third party transfer of funds to other accounts within Scotiabank and at other banks via our online banking service –ScotiaOnline.” The bank said that 'Small
Business and Corporate, Commercial and Business Banking' clients have the “award-winning” C ash Management Services (CMS) platform available to them for processing payments. The bank said it has assigned dedicated workers to perform ongoing cleaning of its branches and ATM vestibules with the availability of hand sanitizers in customer areas. There is also the installation of markings to indicate physical distancing,
both inside and outside of the branches. “The installation of transparent panels at our Te l l e r a n d C u s t o m e r Representative counters to help provide a safe barrier while you are conducting your transactions. Customers are encouraged to visit our Website: www.gy.scotiabank.com for official COVID-19 updates, or reach out to us via 223-4357 (HELP). We will be pleased to help you navigate during this challenging period.”
o r m e r Comptroller of C u s t o m s , Clarence Chue, who famously marched into Customs House and took back his job, has died. Chue, said to be about 70, died at a city hospital after being rushed there yesterday, a family member told Kaieteur News. Chue, head of the Customs, was sent home for allegations of corruption in the 90s. He took the matter to court and won his reinstatement in the late 90s. H o w e v e r, t h e administration then, under the People's Progressive Party/Civic, was reportedly uncomfortable with Chue. His reinstatement was delayed. With the backings of the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) Chue, with supporters, marched into Customs House, which was then housed on Main Street, and took his seat. It made the news in a big way back then. The Comptroller of Customs was
Dead: Clarence Chue a major, powerful position. His tenure was reportedly short-lived as his position was made redundant. That is because the Guyana Revenue Authority was established, bringing together Customs and a number of other government revenue services. Chue had, back in 1998, challenged the establishment of the GRA but this challenge was eventually (continued on page 15)
Kaieteur News
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Thursday May 28, 2020
Burst Nandy Park Sattaur made sterling contributions water pipe in tax administration - GRA The late Khurshid Sattaur
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The residents of Lindley Avenue, Nandy Park have had to put up with a burst water main for the past four days. Despite reports to the NDC office at Peter's Hall, no official has come to rectify the problem.
he country's premier tax collection agency has paid tribute to its former head, Khurshid Sattaur. According to the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), its management and staffers remain deeply saddened by the news of the passing of the former Commissioner-General on Tuesday. “The Revenue Authority uses this opportunity to express its condolences to the relatives, friends and colleagues of Mr. Sattaur, many of whom would have worked closely with him during his tenure in the then Inland Revenue Department where he joined the department in early 1984 as a Senior Inspector of Taxes after being successful at his ACCA studies in the United Kingdom, and the subsequent Guyana Revenue
The funeral at the MYO facility yesterday
Authority where he served in various senior positions, and his eventual promotion to Commissioner-General.” GRA said that Sattaur, a Chartered Accountant and Auditor, made a sterling
contribution to tax administration in Guyana, and to the process of reforming the semiautonomous organisation into a premier tax collection body. “Mr. Sattaur played an instrumental role in the GRA adopting the Total Revenue Integrated Processing System (TRIPS) Information Technology (IT) infrastructure, and was at the helm of the Authority when the Value Added Tax ( VAT ) r e g i m e w a s introduced to Guyana in 2007, and later in 2012 when its operations were
consolidated and its services moved to the new head office on Camp Street in 2012.” Sattaur served in his capacity as CommissionerGeneral of the GRA from 2003 to 2016. “He will be missed,” GRA said. Sattaur, 62, died at the St. Joseph Mercy Hospital on Tuesday. He has been ill for a while now. His funeral was held at the Muslim Youth Organisation facilities, Woolford Avenue. Paying their respects were Presidential Candidate of the People's Progressive Party/Civic, Irfaan Ali, among others.
Kaieteur News
Thursday May 28, 2020
NGO partners with World Literacy Foundation to provide literacy tablets to Sophia Primary students
K
upanda Sisters I n c . h a s partnered with Sun Books of the World Literacy Foundation to launch a pilot programme to provide literacy tablets to 20 students from Sophia Primary School. The World Literacy Foundation is a leading international literacy organisation working in the United Kingdom, United States, Australia, Latin America, and Africa to deliver literacy resources and skills. “Through the Sun Books initiative, Kupanda Sisters will be utilising literacy tablets to make a transformative change in offthe-grid communities with limited or no access to electricity, the internet or educational resources,” a release stated. “The relevant, local literacy content will be preloaded to the solarpowered tablet devices that are aligned to an existing
curriculum with the hope of increasing both teacher and student performance.” The tablets are equipped with more than 400 e-books in English and 50 e-books in local languages and activities for primary education learners. Over the next few weeks, instructional tablets will be provided to academic personnel for the purpose of training and on boarding. This collaborative initiative is the brainchild of Kupanda Sisters' Founder and CEO, Cindy Charles who has been working to provide needed literacy programming to students at the Sophia Primary School since May 2019. According to the release, the students were selected through various criteria and have been participating in weekly classes “to provide them quality literacy resources and skills that would equip and empower them to transform their reality, unleash their full potential and become
meaningful contributors to their communities and our world.” Charles, a Guyaneseborn, Parika, East Bank Essequibo native said: “I am just delighted to launch this pilot programme at Sophia Primary School in Guyana. We have a responsibility to ensure that a proper education is an intrinsic human right for every child in every village and we at Kupanda Sisters truly understand this responsibility.” A presentation of the tablets to the Sophia Primary School is currently being planned with Audrey Montrose-Sue, principal of the school who assured, that the initiative will bring about a massive change for the pupils. Kupanda Sisters is a nonprofit organisation that empowers women and children through personal development and literacy in underserved communities, “where there is strong belief in the inherent power of a
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Hydromet office warns of heavy rainfall, flash flooding over next few days
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Founder and CEO of Kupanda Sisters, Cindy Charles collaborative village to prevail against the condition of illiteracy, and deliver value to the many people wanting to transform their world through l i t e r a c y. ” ( F o r m o r e information, contact them on e m a i l a d d r e s s kupandasisters@gmail.com.)
flood warning had been issued for flood-prone areas over the next few days. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Hydro meteorological Service, rainfall accumulation is expected to range from 15.0 mm to 60.0 mm. Persons residing in flood-prone areas are advised to take precautions against possible flash floods while those residing in hilly areas should also be on the alert for possible landslides. For the months of May, June and July, the Hydromet Office forecasts that all regions will experience above normal rainfall with some extreme events during these months. Already the Civil Defence Commission has received complaints of
damage to properties in a few communities due to freak storms. Above normal high tide is expected during June 1 and June 8, 2020, with the highest tides expected to reach 3.13 meters on June 4, 2020, 3.16 meters on June 5, 2020, and 3.14 on June 6, 2020. The Civil Defence Commission is urging residents in communities that are prone to flooding to take all the necessary precautions. Further, kindly call the Civil Defence Commission, 24 hours National Emergency Monitoring System (NEMS) on 6231700, 600-7500, 226-1114 or message us through our Civil Defence Commission-CDC Facebook page to report flooding or landslides in your community.
Kaieteur News
PAGE 14
Thursday May 28, 2020
Burial Ground murder...
Scores who turned up to pay their respects
Second suspect charged as slain female guard laid to rest
P
olice have charged a second suspect for the murder of 68-year-old security guard Margaret Dawson. Twenty-two-year-old Jermaine DeJonge was remanded to prison yesterday following his appearance in the Georgetown Magistrates' Court. He is said to be the same individual that was shot in the leg after allegedly attacking ranks with a knife when they tried to arrest him. DeJonge was implicated in Dawson's murder by a 17year-old who claimed that he was present when DeJonge attacked and robbed Dawson in Le Repentir Cemetery. The teen has also been charged with Dawson's murder. The slain security guard was laid to rest yesterday.
Despite the Covid-19 restrictions, relatives, friends and colleagues turned up at the Sandy's Funeral Home to pay their respects to Mrs. Dawson. The United Builders Bridge Mission (UBBM), Professional Guard Service Guyana (PGS) and the Ministry of Social Protection assisted with the funeral arrangements. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of UBBM Bonita Montague said that the collaborative effort to support Dawson's was made not only because of the way her life was snuffed out, but also as a way of honouring the slain woman. Dawson's colleagues, many of them in tears, described her as a funny, hardworking and disciplined individual. Her children described her as individual
Dawson's beautifully dressed lying in the casket
who was full of energy and who never stopped working. “Despite trying to convince her that she was of
age and needed to relax, she would ignore us and say that idle minds are the devil's workshop”, said Wendy Thomas. Neighbours said that Dawson always treated
everyone with kindness. One woman even claimed that the suspects in Dawson's death can testify of her generosity. She said that her late beloved friend and neighbour would
often share baked treats with the same suspects. Dawson's grandchildren recited poems in her honour and described her as a “jovial and energetic granny”. Also present was the slain guard's elder sister, Carmen Dawson who is 72 years old. The elder Dawson suffered a heart attack when she learnt of the murder of her younger sibling. Thanks to doctors, she was able to attend the funeral. Margaret Dawson leaves to mourn 10 children and many grandchildren. Mrs. Dawson's battered body was found in Le Repentir Cemetery on May 18, 2020.
Uitvlugt factory employees protest working hours, outstanding leave
Workers gathered outside of the Uitvlugt Estate yesterday morning as they downed tools regarding hours of work and outstanding payment
T
he majority of workers from the Uitvlugt factory yesterday downed tools to express their dismay regarding their hours of work and certain outstanding payments to them. According to their representatives, the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU), at this time, with the first crop having ended a few weeks ago, the factory workers are currently engaged in out-ofcrop maintenance work. “At the commencement of the out-of-crop, the workers and the Union
reached an agreement with the management wherein the working hours during the period would be confined to outside of the national curfew hours. Initially, the estate had sought the workers be divided into two shifts. Through the proposed arrangement, workers on the second shift would have concluded their work during the curfew period.” GAWU said that at that time, the union drew to the estate's attention that during the cropping period, many workers had faced many difficulties with the law enforcement officers when
they returned home during the curfew period although they were deemed essential workers. “In view of what prevailed, it was agreed that workers would not be required to work during the curfew period. It was suggested, at that time, that appropriate representation be made to the authorities to ensure workers do not confront similar difficulties should the curfew period prevail when the second crop commences.” The union disclosed that notwithstanding the agreement reached, the (continued on page 16)
Kaieteur News
Thursday May 28, 2020
PAGE 15
Shareholders lambaste ExxonMobil for inadequate response to climate change E By Kiana Wilburg
xxonMobil's poor response to the risks of climate change was one of the top issues raised yesterday at its Annual Meeting of Shareholders. During the conference call, one of the shareholders actually deemed the company to be a slacker in this regard and moved a motion for the combined roles of Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer to be separated to ensure better action is taken in the future. Liz Gordon, Executive Director of Corporate Governance for the New York State Common Retirement Fund was the bold
shareholder who confronted the company with this proposal. Gordon contended that having the two roles separated is a fundamental principle of corporate governance. She explained that a Board is led by its Chair and is responsible for protecting shareholders' interests by providing oversight of management which is led by the CEO. She said there is an inherent conflict when a CEO is tasked with oversight of himself or herself. Furthermore, when the CEO and Chair positions are combined, Gordon said it results in excessive influence on the Board. The shareholder also expressed the belief that the combined
positions are what resulted in the company lagging behind its peers on financial performance, shareholder engagements and risk oversight, especially climate risks. In this regard, she said, “Exxon is a laggard in addressing climate risks. Our company has no enterprisewide targets for greenhouse gas emissions reduction from its own operations, does not even disclose the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the use of its products, much less articulate any ambition to reduce those emissions and (it) invests to grow its hydrocarbons production at a rate that is clearly inconsistent with the goals of
As Brazil becomes epicenter for COVID-19…
CMO lambastes Guyanese who brazenly continue to flout health guidelines
A
s B r a z i l becomes the epicenter for COVID-19 cases, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr. Shamdeo Persaud has expressed concern at what this poses for Guyana's Indigenous communities that are near this nation's southern neighbour. “Our regions did initiate very early a gamut of measures to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus disease, but you recognise that we have absolutely no control over the situation in our bordering country,” he said. But he also lambasted individuals who seem intent on carrying on with their laissez-faire lifestyles, seemingly unappreciative of the selfless efforts of frontline workers who are risking their lives. “Is this callous attitude going to persist until Guyana is swarmed with a high number of deaths?” “One death is already too many and we have eleven. Please note that our sister CARICOM countries have begun to see a decline in their numbers, yet we have an almost runaway situation – over the past four days, twelve new cases
“
Is this callous attitude going to persist until Guyana is swarmed with a high number of deaths?” One death is already too many and we have eleven. Please note that our sister CARICOM countries have begun to see a decline in their numbers, yet we have an almost runaway situation... - CMO Dr. Shamdeo Persaud
the Paris Agreement.” By contrast, Gordon said that peers such as British Petroleum and Shell have disclosed detailed plans for managing the low carbon transition that were developed in response to engagement with their investors. She said that these plans include setting greenhouse gas reduction targets for their products and committing to become net zero emissions businesses by 2050. Significantly, the shareholder said that the boards of these companies have an independent chair. The Executive Director of the New York State Common Retirement Fund said, “It is crystal clear to us that Exxon Mobil's inadequate response to climate change constitutes a broad failure of corporate
Dr. Shamdeo Persaud were confirmed.” He noted that, “efforts in limiting the spread of this disease are dependent on all of us, if we do not want to end up with an exponential rise in positive cases and deaths that will overwhelm our health system.”
technologies that close the gaps in the existing solution set. He did not disclose the details on this front. With respect to the issue of a combined Chairman and CEO position, Woods said that the board carefully considered this matter and currently believes that having the roles combined results in significant benefits. Further to this, he said that the company's governance is strengthened by the annual selection of a lead director who provides independent oversight and acts as a liaison with the Chairman. Importantly, he said that this person is selected by the independent directors. On this note, Woods recommended that shareholders vote against the proposal, and they did.
Stranded Guyanese returning... From page 3 and other states in the United States of America also in other countries. Scores of Guyanese were left stranded as authorities in Guyana, back in March, gave mere hours' notice to close the borders and country's airports as part of the measures to fight COVID-19 measures. There have been increasing calls for Government to intervene to bring the persons back. However, there has been deep worry over the facilities and cost in Guyana. According to the Task Force last week, the approval for the return of the 300 persons is strictly subjected to a number of conditions. It was made clear that the approval is not applicable, at this time, to Guyanese nationals who are resident in other countries. The conditions will affect Guyanese nationals who are in possession of a valid Guyanese passport. The Task Force noted too that the Immigration Department of Guyana will also accept any passenger whose Guyanese passport expired within six months prior to arrival. However, returning persons will have to fulfill a number of health requirements. They will have to provide results of COVID-19 tests (PCR with results in English language) at least 48 hours prior to their arrival in Guyana. The Task Force said that the applicants or their employers will have to cover
”
Dr. Persaud said that with the positive cases at the Palms Geriatric Home, the Health Ministry is working closely with the authorities to ensure that the elderly are safe. “We are also working feverishly with all other facilities that house the elderly to contain the disease.” Meanwhile, yesterday's statistics indicated that COVID-19 deaths remain at eleven and the number of confirmed cases remains at 139. The number of persons tested is 1,500 with the number of negative cases being 1,361. Sixty-seven persons have recovered, sixty-one active cases are in institutional isolation, two patients are in the COVIDICU and eight persons in institutional quarantine.
governance, and a specific failure of independent directors to oversee management. We have no doubt that an independent chair would mean an ExxonMobil that is better equipped to address significant business risks, engage more effectively with its shareholders and post better financial performance.” Ta k i n g t h i s i n t o consideration, she urged her fellow Exxon shareholders to vote for the proposal to split the Chair and CEO posts. In response to her proposal, the current Chair and CEO of ExxonMobil, Darren Woods said that the company recognizes the importance of addressing the risk of climate change, and is focusing on developing
all costs for their return, with only entry by air allowed. “The NCTF re-iterates that no person who tests positive for COVID-19 will be permitted entry into Guyana and that all arriving passengers must undergo the PCR tests and submit the results (which must be in English) at least 48 hours prior to their arrival in Guyana.” Persons who qualify to return to Guyana under this approval are asked to make urgent contact with their nearest Guyanese diplomatic mission and complete the necessary paperwork and submit the relevant documents and information. It was also made clear that the Guyana's airspace remains closed and that the flight applications for each arriving flight related to this approval of the return of the approximately 300 stranded Guyanese must be submitted, by the airline or operator, to the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority for approval. NCTF said it
anticipates that these persons will return to Guyana over the course of the next two weeks. Earlier last week, several stranded Guyanese banded together to appeal to the Task Force to allow them to return. They had formed a group, collectively lobbying to the NCTF to get approval to be re-united with their families. Guyana has been approving special flights especially to residents from Trinidad, US, Canada and Britain for citizens who were stranded here. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Health has indicated that it is open to have persons exercise their options of being quarantined in a State facility or private one. Two hotels- Baracara Hotel and Brandsville Apartments have been named. The costs at the private facilities will be borne by the persons. There are costs of $8,000 per night at Baracara and $15,000 at Brandsville. Food is separate.
Former Comptroller of... From page 11 thrown out by the courts. The grouping of common functions of the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) and the Customs and Excise Department were, reportedly, expected to eliminate overlapping and result in savings to the Treasury. The reforms in the 90s had targeted especially
corruption and poor service at Customs. Chue's passing yesterday came a day after the passing of Khurshid Sattaur, former Commissioner-General of GRA. There were outpourings for Chue yesterday on social media with former colleagues remembering him for his knowledge of Customs laws.
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Thursday May 28, 2020
Kaieteur News
After five years, Granger returns to shared governance, constitutional reform rhetoric
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From page 7 put the necessary checks and balances in place to consolidate our ethos of liberal democracy. Freedom of speech, reduction of the power of the President and the Bill of Rights will be enshrined in the document.” The CRCC Bill, drafted a full year after the handing over of the SCCR report, was however sent to a parliamentary select committee in mid-2017 and therefore never passed, hence the Commission it was meant to establish never came into existence. The question of the level of commitment to constitutional reform by the two major political players has been a major one over the past two decades. As part of the limited constitutional reforms of 2001, a bipartisan parliamentary mechanism called the Standing Committee on Constitutional Reform was established under Article 119A of the Constitution. As early as 2004 however, former US President Jimmy C a r t e r, a f t e r a v i s i t t o Guyana in which he had engaged then President Bharrat Jagdeo and then Leader of the Opposition, the PNCR's Robert Corbin, released a report in which he recommended that the Standing Committee, “should be reactivated to implement proposals for substantive governance and election system reforms, drawing heavily on civilian participation.” No substantial activity however seems to have been recorded as coming out of the Standing Committee between 2001 and 2015, a period covering three parliaments. For the 11th Parliament (20152019), the committee com-
Senior Construction Supervisor, Junior Supervisor- Earthworks, Concrete works, Masons, Steel benders, Labourers, Guards with personal From page 14 firearm. Tel#613-9218/647- estate suddenly, began to de4427 mand that the workers be Cook/Baker for interior organised into one group, location, applicants must be though it was shelved followexperienced with verfiable ing the union's representation. references. Call: 618-2020 “Moreover, there was no advice about any successful representation to avoid the difficulties workers faced when returning home during the curfew hours. At the same time, the workers recognised that the requirement to have TAXI SERVICE them all working at once preGR TAXI SERVICE. CALL: vented adequate social dis219-5000; 227-1982 & 225- tancing.” 7878 (24HRS) The union also noted that during the cropping period, to TO LET maintain round the clock opSelf contain rooms for working erations, workers are stagcouple/single person $35,000 gered in three shifts. monthly. Light & Water, “Since 24-hour operations Lodge. Call #623-0076, 2 were no longer necessary, at months security this time, all the workers were
prised of Basil Williams (Chair), Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine, Raphael Trotman, Khemraj Ramjattan, and Nicolette Henry for the Coalition; and Priya Manickchand, Anil Nandlall, Dr. Frank Anthony, and Adrian Anamyah for the opposition. In the three years leading up to the No Confidence Vote of 2018, that committee met no more than five times. The United Nations Development Programme concluded in a 2018 report on the possibility of constitutional reform: “…the governing coalition and PPP/C may both go along with the constitutional reform process, but in the end fail to adopt the most needed amendments. As previously stated, both parties believe they stand to win the 2020 election. And both parties have historically enjoyed (i.e., failed to reform) the excessive executive powers under the 1980 Constitution…. The risk is that both parties might pay lip service to constitutional reform and adopt some amendments on the margins, but in the end, fail to pass any of the most needed amendments, thereby maintaining the status quo.” One constitutional expert, speaking to Kaieteur News on condition of anonymity, has posited that the current constitution provides opportunities for a good faith commitment on power sharing moving forward, with an elected President having the powers under Articles 101-103 of the Constitution to reach across the aisle for political appointments. “We have an example of it being done before,” the expert told Kaieteur News in an in-
vited comment yesterday, “after the 2001 elections, when a newly elected [President Bharrat] Jagdeo invited The United Force (TUF) presidential candidate, Manzoor Nadir, who had won a single seat in that year's elections, to occupy a ministerial post in the PPP government.” This newspaper independently confirmed that despite sitting in Parliament occupying the sole TUF seat from 2001 to 2006, Nadir served as Jagdeo's Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce. Nadir ran once more as TUF presidential candidate in 2006, winning one seat again and was returned as Minister of Labour in Jagdeo's final term in office, 2006 to 2011. The expert opined that both Presidents Granger and Donald Ramotar missed an opportunity to use the existing constitutional provisions to bridge the political divide, adding that it was not inconceivable under Article 101(1) of the Constitution to have a PPP president-elect appointing a Coalition Prime Minister and vice versa. In his interview with Woolford, Granger stated that
he had initially invited the PPP to shared governance talks in 2015 and would do so again in a second term. He recalled that the talks had fallen apart because of whom he had selected to represent him, but that he didn't want to get into rehashing the past. The PPP for its own part says that it has noted the new calls for shared governance and constitutional reform being made by the Coalition members and some prominent supporters, but claimed that those calls were only coming after the elections. Two weeks ago, when asked about the possibility of shared governance, the party's Presidential Candidate, Dr. Irfaan Ali had said that he was interested in more inclusive governance but would not commit to executive-level power sharing. His position, he said, was that focus should be on concluding the recount and declaring a winner, a stance his Prime Ministerial candidate, Mark Phillips echoed yesterday when addressing the media.
Miner beaten to death following row Police are trying to locate a prime suspect who allegedly beat a miner to death at around 18:30 hrs on Tuesday at Aranguy Backdam, Cuyuni River, Region Seven. Police said David James of Port Kaituma, Region One, North West District (NWD) was imbibing with another miner at their employer's mining camp when an argument ensued between them. The employee then left but returned shortly after with a friend, who confronted James again. This time however, the other friend punched James several times until he collapsed. The suspect and employee then fled the scene. Police found James dead in a hammock with multiple marks of violence. Police apprehended the employee while his accomplice is still on the run.
Uitvlugt factory employees protest...
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required to be present. In view of the large number of workers present, the union suggested two shifts of workers be organised during the initially agreed hours of work. This suggestion came against the background, that the estate has approved similar arrangements for its administrative staffers, undoubtedly, to protect their health and wellbeing.” GAWU said that the workers are also upset that their holiday-with-pay arrangement for those with 10 or more years of service has been delayed for two weeks now. “Sugar workers employed in the fields and the factories receive holiday-with-pay in lieu of annual leave. This arrangement is among the benefits set out in the extant Collective Labour Agreement be-
tween the union and the GuySuCo.” Regarding the payment, the union disclosed workers were told that the corporation hadn't the monies to offset the payment to the workers. “Many workers anxiously looked forward to receiving their entitlements and the delay for them has been upsetting. Following the workers protest, the union was informed by GuySuCo during the day that the workers would finally receive their outstanding monies on May 29, 2020. It appeared that hadn't the workers raised their voices in protest, they may have continued to see their payments withheld.” The GAWU said it is heartened that the workers can receive their outstanding
entitlements though it is saddened that they were forced to take protest actions to have their rights respected. “Disappointingly it has, in recent times, become the norm, rather than the exception, for workers to take protest actions in order for them to benefit from what they worked and earned. We, at this time too, look forward to better sense prevailing and sensible measures be employed to protect the health and wellbeing of workers and their families. Indeed, we all must play our role and appropriate work arrangements should be embraced at this time.” The sugar industry has contracted with price on the world market down and four sugar estates closed in the last five years because of poor performance.
Thursday May 28, 2020
Kaieteur News
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Kaieteur News
...Johnson is most successful regional First-Class Captain From page 22 the Basketball Court. But I would say cricket was big at St Roses.” Leon joined GCC early in 2000 on the advice of four of his school mates who were members. “I was in first form and used to play with the bigger boys. I wanted to join GYO because my close friend Tyrell Tull was the Keeper there. I actually practiced there a few times but the other guys persuaded me to join GCC and the rest is history since I played U-15 in the next two years.” “I always wanted to be a batsman…I actually wanted to be an all-rounder…. I bowled medium pace when I stared at GCC but I had an issue with my knee when I
Leon’s mom Inez is his biggest fan and will hope both of her son plays for the West Indies. was 13 and the doctor advised to stop bowling since I was putting too much pressure on it. I had it in a cast for four weeks so I took up leg-spin since I wanted to always be involved in game
somehow,” he informed. “Playing for Guyana in itself was one of the highlights of my Under-15 days. I scored my first century (119) against West Demerara at DCC. Guyana also toured England
Thursday May 28, 2020 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) The last months have been very challenging?and there's a very good chance that you're no longer up to meeting challenges. If you've been yearning to modify something in your daily life, do it now, Aries. TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) A change has occurred in our solar system, a shift that will probably be imperceptible but nonetheless profound. You have seven months to understand how this change will impact you. GEMINI (May 21–June 20) You mustn't expect any enormous changes today, Gemini. However, the process you began three or four years ago is accelerating slightly. CANCER (June 21–July 22) The day should be fairly positive, and you'll begin to feel the faintest hints of a major change beginning. This new phase will last seven months. As it progresses, you'll find greater freedom of expression. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) The solar system is shifting gears today, Leo, and it's liable to trigger a great transformation that will last seven months. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) It's an excellent forecast for you, Virgo! Although nothing specific might happen today, you'll discover a huge promise of freedom over the next seven months.
LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) To understand the major shift that's taking place, Libra, look at events from a lofty perspective. A slowacting liberation is gathering momentum. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) The gentle winds of change are blowing through your world at the moment, Scorpio. You have a feeling of newness and an open attitude toward what's happening out there. SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) The idea of a turning point in one's destiny often brings a cynical smile to some people's faces, but in your case, , it definitely has some meaning. CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) You may feel as if you've returned deeply changed from a long voyage. Of course, nobody's going anywhere these days, but you can still take inner journeys while sheltering in place, and change can be truly profound. AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) If you feel suffocated by a romantic relationship that lacks some spice or feels too traditional, then why not liberate yourself? PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) During the last few months, Pisces, it could be that you've met some people who have greatly influenced your attitude about marriage or partnership. They've been pushing you to get more freedom into your life.
in 2002. We were the first Guyanese U-15 team to tour England and that was also a highlight of my younger days. I first played for Demerara U-19 in 2003 and I honestly thought I should have made the Guyana U-19 that year but the selectors did not see it that way, I was very disappointed. I actually made the senior Guyana team a few months after that, before I had played for Guyana U-19. I thought I could have made the team, I had consistent performances. I made the U-19 team the next year,” Leon informed. There are three matches that stand out during his U19 days with his double century in 2005 against Barbados at the top. “The second would be when Tull got injured before the Bermuda game in Jamaica at Lucas in 2004. He was the only Keeper on tour so I kept and had five dismissals and made 80. And in the same tournament, against Barbados, Tull went off the field and I kept and caught Kevin Stout off Devendra Bishoo. I got 4-15 in the second innings. So I had a dismissal as Keeper, got four wickets as a bowler and made runs. So that game stands in my memory,” said the lefthanded batsman who bowls right arm leg-spin. “Brian Lara is my favourite player. He is a once in life time player with an appetite to score big runs and the way he scored them was dazzling and an inspiration not to only for me but for so many others in the world,” Leon stated. Away from the game, Leon enjoys spending time with his wife Carolyn (he got married in 2012) and his three kids Joshua, who is six and twins Oliver and Ava, who are almost three. “I also enjoy spending
time with my extended family and sometimes I go to the club and chat and play cards with the youngsters,” added Leon. His brother Antonio Fernandes lives in St Marten with his mom and has already played for Leewards U-15, West Indies U-16 and Leewards U-19. A level 2 Coach, Johnson said coaching is an option but he has not decided as yet what he will do post cricket. “Cricket opened up a lot of avenues for me and when I stop playing I will explore those options,” disclosed Leon. He said his mom has been his biggest supporter and when he made his century at DCC she was jumping with his brother who was then five months, in her arms. Leon added that all of his family members have supported him and thanked Les Romalo and Richard Jodah for their continued
support. “In my younger days GCC players Ramnaresh Sarwan, Reon King, Neil McGarell and the late Ivor Mendonca also encouraged me, along with my buddies Tull and Jason Benn,” said Leon who played for GCC, Blairmount, Aranguez and Central Sports in T&T and Sandwich Town CC in Kent England. “The Jaguars Franchise has ‘Zoom’ seasons Monday to Friday in the mornings and I have some equipment at home since I take fitness very seriously and train twice a day. I also use a ‘ball in socks’ to bat, while I bribe my sixyear-old son with toys and sweets to bowl me in the house which of course my wife does not approve of. So that is basically my days now with COVID-19 around,” Johnson, who scored 144 against Sri Lanka in an ‘A’ team series, concluded.
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Tyson Fury reveals he has been offered to fight Mike Tyson in an exhibition bout PA Media: Sport - WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury has claimed he was offered the chance to fight Mike Tyson in an exhibition bout. Fury was apparently named after the American great, who is rumoured to be considering a comeback aged 53 and 15 years since ending a glittering professional career that saw him win the world heavyweight title on two occasions. Speculation is persisting that Tyson could take on great rival Evander Holyfield, 57, for a third time, 23 years on since ‘Bite Fight’. Fury says he would welcome a meeting inside the ring with Tyson as he insists he would have no problems with either of the ageing superstars competing again. “I had a phone call saying ‘would you like to fight Mike Tyson in an exhibition fight?’ I said ‘hell yeah’, but I don’t think anything’s materialised out of it,” Fury said in an interview with BT Sport. “They’re both old now so they’re a bit long in the teeth but then who am I to say anything about what anyone’s capable of? “I wouldn’t try to kill
Mike Tyson could make a return to the boxing ring. (Bradley Collyer/PA) anybody’s dreams of doing anything they wa n t i f they’re both medically fit to fight then let them do what they’ve got to do. It’s their life, not mine.” F u r y w a s wary of speaking about his foes in the blue riband division because of the coronavirus pandemic. However, he outlined his intention to fulfil his contractual obligation to take on Deontay Wilder in their
trilogy fight once boxing gets given the green light to resume. Only if Fury gets past his American rival would he countenan c e d o m e s t i c showdowns against Anthony Joshua, holder of the other three major world belts, and Dillian Whyte, t h e W B C ’s m a n d a t o r y challenger. Fury said: “I’ve got a rematch clause with Deontay
Baffert horses in new doping case: reports AFP - Two horses trained by US racing legend Bob Baffert failed drug tests at a recent meeting in Arkansas, US media reports said yesterday. The two horses, including highly rated Kentucky Derby contender Charlatan, tested positive at the Oaklawn Park meeting on May 2. The meeting is a qualifying event for the 146th Kentucky Derby, which has been rescheduled for September 5 because of the coronavirus pandemic. If the tests are confirmed, it could deal a blow to two-time Triple Crown-winning trainer Baffert. Baffert faced scrutiny last year after it emerged that his 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify had failed a drugs test ahead of the Kentucky Derby. Justify escaped sanction
for that case after California authorities ruled that positive test could have been the result of contaminated food. In a statement released to US media, Baffert expressed dismay that the latest positive cases had been leaked into the public domain. “The rules of the Arkansas Racing Commission mandate confidentiality concerning any investigation into an alleged rule violation until there is a written decision of the Stewards,” Baffert said. “I am extremely disappointed that, in this instance, the Commission has not followed its own rules on confidentiality. “I am hoping for an expedited investigation and look forward to being able to speak soon about any written decision of the Stewards, if and when it becomes necessary and I’m allowed to under the Commission’s confidentiality rules.” The US racing calendar has been thrown into disarray
by the COVID-19 pandemic, with both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes at Pimlico racecourse shifted to September and October respectively. The Triple Crown season will instead start with the Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park in New York on June 20. Racing figures said the industry would aim to resolve the latest Baffert case ahead of Belmont, in order to avoid a repeat of 2018, where Justify galloped to the Triple Crown despite failing a drug test before the Kentucky Derby. “We will not have a situation like in California, where a horse ran in the Kentucky Derby after failing a drug test,” Oaklawn Park owner Louis Cella told The New York Times. “That was an embarrassment to the industry. We will push to have this cleared up by the Belmont Stakes.”
Tyson Fury, left, insists he will fight Deontay Wilder next. (Bradley Collyer/PA) Wilder, who apparently wants 10million (US dollars) to step aside, but I don’t think it’s true because I haven’t heard it from Deontay Wilder. “But the fact of the matter is I wouldn’t give him 10 quid, I’d rather punch his teeth in for a second time. “After I beat Deontay Wilder, I’m going to fight Joshua for all the belts. And after I beat Joshua then I’ll probably have a rematch with
him, give him another chance to get his belts back. “Then, and only then, may Dillian Whyte get a chance at fighting me. But there’s no fights happening, especially with me at the moment. There’s no point trying to call me out because it’s ridiculous.” Boxing will initially have to return behind closed doors, a prospect that would not satisfy Fury, who added:
“I don’t think any of the big fights can happen without a crowd. “If I was going to do a big fight in an empty hall or in someone’s front room, back garden or wherever, it wouldn’t feel like it was a real fight, it would feel like a training session. “I’m not sure how it would all pan out. I don’t think I could do it but never say never.”
Holyfield open to third Tyson fight for charity (Reuters) - Former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield has said he is open to facing onetime rival Mike Tyson in a trilogy fight for charity on the condition that Tyson asks for the bout to be set up. Tyson, 53, fought two epic bouts with Holyfield, 57, during their professional careers, including their controversial 1997 encounter in which Tyson bit off a chunk of Holyfield’s ear. ‘Iron Mike’ had released several training videos in recent weeks fuelling speculation he could be returning to the ring, while Holyfield announced his return for a charity bout on Instagram earlier this month. “If I ask him it’s almost like me being a bully saying I want to go against somebody I’ve beaten twice,” Holyfield told the BBC. “I don’t want pressure on me that ‘you just want to fight Mike because you know you can
WBA Heavyweight Champion Evander Holyfield (R) connects to the jaw of challenger Mike Tyson in the fight. beat him’. “If he hits me I’m going to hit back. I’m going to be 58, he’ll be 54, you talk about being in good health and doing things the proper way that respects it. I don’t have no problem with it.” Ty s o n , the first heavyweight to hold the WBA, WBC and IBF titles,
retired after a loss to Kevin McBride in 2005, while Holyfield called time on his career nine years later. If they do return, they will be following in the footsteps of Floyd Mayweather Jr and Manny Pacquiao in coming out of retirement for an exhibition fight.
Thursday May 28, 2020
2020 T20 World Cup prospects fade, as alternatives sought ESPNcricinfo - As the prospects of the men’s T20 World Cup proceeding on schedule in Australia this October recede by the day, the ICC board will consider alternative scenarios today. An official decision may not come after the board meeting - the ICC issued a statement to say that reports of a postponement were “inaccurate”— but according to one official familiar with the contingency planning, a tournament this year would be “too big a risk” in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. The official said the logistics of arranging a global tournament would be “impossible to manage,” and that the “safe option” would be to not have it this year. Alternative options as to when the tournament can take place were drawn up in a meeting of the Finance & Commercial Affairs (F&CA) Committee, an influential subcommittee within the ICC, on May 22. Although it is looking increasingly likely that international cricket will resume soon enough the challenges of bringing together 16 teams from across the world into one country and creating a bio-secure bubble for them is of a different scale altogether. The ICC has to take into account multiple travel restriction policies, different quarantine measures in different countries and the loss of revenue from a tournament played behind closed doors (not to mention the additional costs of playing matches in a bio-secure environment). It is possible that the ICC Board does not make the decision official tomorrow the ICC pointed to a “number of contingency plans” in its statement - and instead waits till its annual conference scheduled for mid-July. But one official said leaving the
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final decision late would hurt all stakeholders. “If there is uncertainty too close to the actual event itself then stakeholders like the broadcaster will not like it.” The four main scenarios for when the tournament can be postponed to in chronological sequence are: Scenario 1: FebruaryMarch 2021. Venue: Australia Moving the T20 World Cup to February-March next year. For that to happen though the ICC will have to reschedule the 2021 women’s ODI World Cup - currently scheduled between February 6 and March 7 in New Zealand - to start midJanuary. The proximity of the events shouldn’t be an issue, the ICC having held back-toback world events in 2017 with the men’s Champions Trophy and the women’s ODI World Cup in England. Another key advantage is that keeping it in Australia ensures a continuity to plans already in place. Questions: Will there be an appetite among the game’s commercial and broadcast stakeholders to have two men’s T20 World Cups in the same year (and three major ICC events overall) considering India are scheduled to host the 2021 men’s T20 World Cup in October-November? And don’t forget the year might include a de facto global event in the IPL as well. Also, will the pandemic have eased enough to make this viable? Scenario 2: OctoberNovember, 2021. Venue: Australia Postpone the event by a year without changing the venue. Australia can then play host to a big summer of cricket, which also involves the 2021 Ashes, scheduled from November through January 2022. Questions: India is
already down as the host for the 2021 edition of the men’s T20 World Cup (tax exemptions notwithstanding). This would mean India hosting the event in OctoberNovember 2022, but one senior BCCI official has indicated the board would not be in favour as the 2023 World Cup is also scheduled to be held in India in FebruaryMarch 2023: two global events would take a significant chunk out of the BCCI’s bilateral home season. It could also impact broadcast and commercial revenues to hold back-to-back global tournaments. Scenario 3: FebruaryMarch, 2022. Venue: Australia Australia host the tournament 14 months later subject to all other teams adjusting their international schedules. Questions: The predicament of two T20 World Cups within the space of five months remains, if India host the 2021 edition. Also would Australia want to play a global tournament on the back of five-Test Ashes which could leave some of their key players exhausted? Scenario 4: OctoberNovember, 2022. Venue: Australia Australia hosts the tournament two years down the line. The tournament still gets played in the Australian summer and by then crowds could be back and gate money and m e r c h a n d i s ing are key revenue streams for Australia. Questions: Again, would the ICC, as well as the broadcaster, want two world events in the space of five months (with the men’s ODI World Cup in early 2023)? That World Cup is, as of now, the only ICC event scheduled in 2023 so potentially that could be pushed to OctoberNovember later that year.
Uncertainty over next chairman as ICC... From page 23 chairman in 2016, has ruled out a third term in office. The game’s global governing body said no final decision had been taken regarding the election process but the subject would be discussed further today. There had been suggestions that Colin Graves, who recently stood down as chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board, would succeed Manohar unopposed until reports emerged that Ganguly, currently the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, was interested in the role. South African director of cricket Graeme Smith has backed fellow former Test captain Ganguly, saying: “It is time for someone close
to the modern game with leadership credentials to get into the position.” The ICC also said suggestions that the men’s Twenty20 World Cup in Australia, scheduled to start in October, had been postponed due to the coronavirus were “inaccurate”, although it said contingencies were being explored. A postponement could allow the already postponed Indian Premier League to go ahead in its place. Australia fast bowler Pat Cummins said: “If that opens up a window I think the IPL would be a great fit.” But the ICC said: “Reports of a postponement of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2020 are inaccurate and planning for the event continues.”
Foster earns USTFCCCA all-American honours By Calvin Chapman Guyana’s middle-distance ace, Andrea Foster, who is a student-athlete at the Clemson University in South Carolina, USA, continues to excel and fly the Golden Arrowhead high and she was recognised recently for her stellar performances on the track. The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) named Foster among six members of the Tigers’ Track & Field programme to receive All-American honors following their qualification for the NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships this past March. The other five individuals include Devon Brooks, LaFranz Campbell, Marcus Parker, Laurie Barton and Rebekah Smith. The former Running Braves athlete is set to graduate later in the year with a BSc in Health Sciences but during an interview with Kaieteur Sport, she explained that although she is focused on her short term goals, there is no limitation on what she has set herself to achieve. Foster shared that when she first left the shores of the ‘land of many waters’ she was well advised by many, including her coach Julian Edmonds, to make the best of her opportunity and she was determined to not follow in the
Guyana’s Andrea Foster has received all-American honours from the USTFCCCA. footsteps of some who would’ve tainted the name of Guyanese student-athletes but to be a great example for others to follow and break the cycle of disappointment. “I know our country have the talent and I wanted to pave the way for others. It really warms my heart to see my fellow Guyanese excelling and I hope that myself and the others we have over here doing well now, including Joanna (Archer), Chantoba, Lloyd (McCurdy), Arinze and others, can inspire athletes back home to continue working hard,” the Beterverwagting native shared. She further shared that, “I try to stay connected with athletes at home and I always
advise them to draw a goal, set a timeline then go after it. As a student-athlete, it is important to note that schoolwork is important. Even though you may excel on the track, it’s equally important to keep your grades up.” Foster revealed that she was confident to making the 2020 Tokyo Games and vowed to continue working hard to realise her dream of not only participating at the Olympics but to be competitive, in her pet event of course, the 800m. She is targeting the national 800m record that stands at 2m 02s (indoors) and Foster is knocking at the door with a recently registered personal best of 2m 04s (indoors).
Ambris extends form with England tour on horizon KINGSTOWN, St Vincent, CMC – Sunil Ambris continued to warm-up nicely for the proposed England tour with another handsome knock as his Salt Pond Breakers won their fifth match on the trot in the Vincy Premier League here Tuesday. Already with a decent run of scores under his belt in the novel T10 tournament, the 27year-old carved out an unbeaten 39 off 22 balls to help Breakers overhaul their target of 74 and beat Dark View Explorers by eight wickets. Playing at the Arnos Vale Complex, Explorers were held to 73 for three from their 10 overs, with opener Shamon Cooper topscoring with 32 off 26 deliveries. In reply, Breakers were in trouble at 18 for two in the fourth over but Ambris, who opened the innings, belted three fours and a six in an unbroken 59-run third wicket stand with Urnel Thomas who slammed a 16-ball 26 not out. Ambris now has 189 runs at an average of 94 to top the aggregates of the inaugural tournament. He was recently named in a provisional 30-man squad to prepare for the pending three-Test series against England, tentatively scheduled for July. While the series is yet to be confirmed, Cricket West Indies and the England and Wales Cricket Board are expected to conclude
Sunil Ambris. negotiations later this week. Ambris has endured a rocky start to his Test career and played the last of his six Tests nearly two years ago. He has excelled in the one-day format, however, where he averages nearly 45 from 13 matches. In the other matches played Tuesday at the same venue, Alex Samuel struck 55 in a losing effort as Grenadine Divers went down to La Soufriere Hikers by 10 runs while West Indies white-ball seamer Kesrick Williams grabbed two wickets to help fire Botanical Gardens Rangers to a six-run win over Fort Charlotte Strikers.
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Johnson is most successful regional First-Class Captain - Says managerial, analytical & listening skills key to Captaincy By Sean Devers Guyana and West Indies cricketer Leon Johnson hails from the Amerindian Village of Aratac in Santa Mission, a community located up the Kamuni Creek, a tributary of the Demerara River. Leon’s cousin Delon Fernandes, who played for Guyana U-17s in T&T in 2008, is the only other person from Santa Mission to represent Guyana in Cricket. Located 25 miles from Georgetown, the village is only accessible by boat. Leon has represented West Indies, Guyana, Guyana Amazon Warriors, Guyana Board President’s XI, Sagicor High Performance Centre, West Indies A and West Indies Under-19s. Born on August 8, 1987, Leon spent the better part of his first five years in the ‘Mission’ and attended Santa Mission Nursery school for a year before moving to Georgetown. The son of Keith Johnson and Inez Fernandes, Leon attended Starters Nursery School for a year and St Margaret’s Primary in the City before going to St Rose High School. The 32-year-old currently holds the record for being the only Guyanese to score a double century in a Regional U-19 tournament which came in 2005 against Barbados in St Vincent. Dave Joseph from the Leewards scored the first double against Guyana at the Eve Leary ground in Guyana in last round in 1989. Leon also holds the record for most successful Captain in Regional FirstClass cricket, leading Guyana
Manager & Asst Coach Julian Moore with skipper Leon Johnson and Head Coach Crandon at Providence. Leon & his wife with eldest son who now 6-years-old. to five consecutive titles from 2015-2019, breaking Tamar Lambert’s four in a row for Jamaica from 2009-2012. In 2017 when Guyana won its third title, Leon became Guyana’s most victorious First-Class Skipper surpassing West Indies’ most successful Captain Clive Lloyd and Roger Harper who have led Guyana to two FirstClass championships each. Leon first played for Guyana U-15s in 2002, his Demerara U-19 debut was in 2003 and First Class debut at 16 against the Leewards at Enmore on January 30, 2004 before making his Guyana U19 debut later that year. The Guyana U-19 skipper led the West Indies in the
Leon Johnson made 144 against Sri Lanka in the A team Test in St Kitts.
2006 U-19 World cup before taking over from Shiv Chanderpaul as Guyana First Class Captain against CCC in 2014. In the 2007 Carib Beer season Leon scored 427 runs at 42.70 and 12 days after turning 21 he made his ODI debut against Bermuda on August 20, 2008 at King City in Canada where he made a fifty in his second match. After being selected in the squad twice against New Zealand, Leon finally made his debut when West Indies played its 500thTest against Bangladesh on September 13, 2014 in St Lucia when he became the 300th West Indian to play Test cricket. However, he has not played Test cricket since making 1 & 12 against Pakistan as an opener in Sharjah in November 2016.This season, Barbados broke Guyana’s title winning streak although Johnson made 460 runs including an unbeaten 189 against the Windwards in Dominica in addition to two half-centuries at an average of 41.81. “The first team I ever captained was St Roses in 2002 when we won most of our games and reached the zone final and the Captaincy role was quite enjoyable. There are a lot of qualities that a good Captain should possess. A few that stands for me are management skills, obviously there is more than one role for a captain, not just setting fields and things like that you have to be able to manage those various roles efficiently. A good Captain should listen, you obviously get
advice in Sports from different factions and you should be able to listen and not think that your way is always right. Listen to advice and be able to break down what you think is right at that time. You must be able to analyse situations not only on the field but off the field sitting inside and think fast. Management skills, Analytical skills and the ability to listen to others are three key attributes that make a good Captain. I also believe that a Captain should also be someone with experience. If you have that experience on the field, then you will be well equipped to do all those things and make it much easier because of your experience of playing over a length of time,” Leon Johnson said. Johnson said the biggest challenge as a Captain is dealing with losses and failure. “If you are consistently losing as a team, that’s a big challenge for a Captain to come up with new ideas and strategies of moving forward but it’s a good challenge to try and pick yourself up and move forward. But that’s one of the hardest things to do. You have to keep your players motivated and that’s off the field as well. If the players give 100 percent on the field and know they give their best and results don’t go your way, you could deal with that, it’s just about keeping them motivated and keep wanting to play and remind them why they do it and why they love the game so much,” said Leon who has a hundred and 13 half-centuries in 75 List ‘A’ games. “The first time I got a call
to play for the West Indies was for the series in 2008 when we toured New Zealand. I did not play any of the two Test matches. I got recalled again in 2014, again against New Zealand in the Caribbean. I did not play again and a couple of months later I got called up when Chris Gayle got injured so I knew that I would have to open the batting. It was a good feeling although I had to wait a while and carry the drinks but I was very happy to make my debut. I knew that the 500th Test match was very historic. Being the 300th player at that time did not really bear any significance to me…yes being the 300th player is great but the most important number to me was one. To be able to walk out onto that ground to play my first Test was much more significant to me,” explained Leon, who has six tons and 39 fifties from 117 First-Class matches. Johnson was looking well set for a debut century when he was given LBW on 66 and did not take the referral. “With that referral! To be honest, as a batsman you sometimes feel that you are out when the ball hits your pad……that you are in trouble, and the Umpire was quick to make his decision and I felt I was out. I went to the non-striker who was Kirk Edwards and he said that was at wide angle and could not see. He said ‘if I am not sure and you are not sure take the review’ but the time had passed by three seconds. It was very disappointing walk to the change room. I looked at the replay …….and even the replay looked out. But then hawk-eye showed the ball would have missed
the leg-stump and up to today it is a ‘what could have been’ moment for me,” added Leon who has played six ODIs and 14 T20 matches. “I was not disappointed that I was asked to open but disappointed that I did not make enough runs opening the batting. But I was disappointed that I was never given the chance to bat in the middle after my short comings as an opener,” said Leon, who has two fifties from nine Tests and Averages 25.8. “There is a big gap between First-Class Cricket and Test Cricket not only in the West Indies but world over, it’s a step up for everybody who transitions from first Class to International cricket. Our players have a very good skill sets and work ethics but at the international level your mind-set is very important, so I think it’s having that mind-set to go along with the skill factor and work ethic that makes good international teams. The more players you have with that mental fortitude, the better you are as a team.” Leon said that growing up, life was simple and lots of fun. “I spent most of my days outdoors playing and every holiday I would go back to Aratac and spend the days swimming and playing bumper ball cricket. I had several slinging-shots and would shoot birds and lizards… …. I won’t say I regret it… but being mature now when I look back I won’t say I was happy to do that, but it was fun back then.” “I played mostly cricket at St Roses High and a bit of basketball. We did not have much space so we played on (Continued on page 19)
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Ex-Pele FC players in the Diaspora brings relief to past and present players locally
Items being put together for the Pele FC hampers funded by Past Players in the Diaspora.
By Franklin Wilson The ongoing battle with the global Covid-19 Pandemic continues to have devastating effects on the well-being of many from a spiritual, physical and social standpoint. As we follow the news worldwide of the depredation that the coronavirus has brought we are made more and more aware of the suffering millions of people have to endure in order to survive the impact of the virus. Guyanese are not
Pele FC Exco Member Alex ‘Lovie’ Bess (right) hands over one of the hampers to a former player Anthony Williams in the presence of Club President, Dirk Exeter. insulated from this deadly disease but many can be thankful that relatives and even friends have been chipping in to alleviate some of the burdens brought on by the pandemic, especially from a social perspective. It is from this point of view that many former Pele Football Club players living in the Diaspora pooled their resources to bring cheer and relief to one-hundred (100) of their counterparts here, past and present. Current Pele Football Club (PFC) President Dirk Exeter and other executive members spearheaded the distribution drive and handed over the food hampers on Independence Day at Durban Park, following the strict guidelines of social distancing. The hampers which contained twenty (20) items,
including a face mask, brought broad smiles to the faces of the recipients, Exeter disclosed whilst heaping praises on the past players in the Diaspora for their largesse. “We at the Pele FC in Guyana are very appreciative of this humanitarian gesture from the past players in the Diaspora who would have built the foundation for the club which we now enjoy. It is no doubt that may persons are feeling the effects of the lockdown and the fact that monies are not as free flowing as when the situation is normal. So that this wonderful initiative which is so timely has brought tremendous relief to so many families and their dependants at this critical time; all the Pele players on our register, juniors, seniors and master
as well as two of the Pele Alumni Scholarship students received the one hundred hampers.” Exeter further noted that most of the recipients who came were floored by the amount of items that made up the hamper and had to summon taxis to get back home. He shared that many of the junior players had to call their parents to come for them as they could not carry the hampers on their own. “As fast as they came we first presented them with their face masks and handed them their hampers right away so as to ensure that we did not have a large gathering at any one time. All the recipients expressed gratitude to the players in the Diaspora for the tangible love they have showcased once again. This effort from them would long be remembered.”
Uncertainty over next chairman as ICC denies T20 World Cup is postponed
A
More hampers being distributed.
FP - Shashank Manohar is prepared to stay on as International Cricket Council chairman to oversee a “smooth transition” following reports that former India captain Sourav Ganguly is considering standing, the ICC said yesterday. Indian administrator Manohar, who became the ICC’s first independent (Continued on page 21)
International Cricket Council chairman Shashank Manohar. (AFP/File/Ishara S. Kodikara)
2020 T20 World Cup prospects fade, as alternatives sought
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The chance of a men’s T20 World Cup happening in 2020 is as good as gone. (ICC/Getty Images)
Foster earns USTFCCCA all-American honours
Andrea Foster (316) leads the pack in one of her many cross county races for Clemson University Tigers. 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.