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AIETEUR Guyana records NEWS
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Friday Edition
11 new COVID-19 cases in 24 hours
May 29, 2020 -Vol. 22 No. 21
Online: www.kaieteurnews.com p. 11
- number moves to 150
Price $80
Online readership yesterday 143,027
National COVID-19 Suriname elections… Bouterse asks Task Force denies for recount as p.3
GECOM’s request for more recount workstations
Opposition claims fraud Two days left for recount and no decision on extension p. 13
p. 17
Coordinator of the Task Force’s Health Emergency Operations Centre, Dr. Colin James, signed the denial
Release of death certificate to Coalition...
Relatives demand p.17 explanation from GRO
One dead, two injured in p.8 Rupert Craig smash-up
No legal pathway for GECOM to annul elections Nandlallp. says ... 18
Shareholders say “dark money” can corrupt democratic institutions without full transparency p.3
- Call on ExxonMobil to provide more details on political, electoral contributions
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Friday May 29, 2020
Kaieteur News
Friday May 29, 2020
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Shareholders say “dark money” can corrupt democratic institutions without full transparency - Call on ExxonMobil to provide more details on political, electoral contributions By Kiana Wilburg In acknowledgement of the fact that oil money can corrupt democratic institutions, shareholders have challenged ExxonMobil’s hierarchy to make more detailed disclosures on the company’s political and electoral contributions. A proposal in this regard was proffered on We d n e s d a y d u r i n g ExxonMobil’s Annual Shareholders Meeting. Speaking on the proposal was Tim Brennan, Special Advisor on responsible investing at the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA). Brennan requested that the company report to shareholders on policies and procedures for making political contributions with corporate funds and on election related contributions and expenditures, including indirect funding of elections and trade associations. The Special Advisor said that one o f t h e U U A’s s e v e n principles calls for the upholding of the democratic process. In this regard, he said, “We are deeply
concerned that excessive spending and dark money in elections can corrupt democratic institutions and undermine public trust, especially if it comes without full transparency. Furthermore, we believe that transparency and accountability and corporate spending to influence elections are in the best interest of shareholders.”
election spending that goes beyond the minimum mandated by law. Brennan said that these payments are often referred to as “dark money” because the connection between the donor, that is, the company and the candidates is hidden from public view. In addition to this, Brennan said that the Zicklin Index report reveals that
Brennan also noted the fact that Exxon had argued that it is meeting the minimum legal standard which it believes is sufficient. In doing so, however, Brennan strongly contended that the company is setting a very low bar for itself. The shareholder stressed that disclosing direct and indirect election related spending, as this
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If Exxon has nothing to hide, transparent disclosures should show that its election spending is being done in the company’s and shareholders’ best interest and is aligned with company values and public positions. This would protect its reputation and shareholder value. Expounding further, the shareholder noted that the Center for Political Accountability Zicklin Index, benchmarks the political disclosure and accountability policies and practices of leading U.S. public companies. With a middling score of 61 out of 100 in 2019, he said that Exxon showed some improvement but still scored poorly on disclosure of
Exxon does not disclose entire categories of payments intended to influence elections, such as independent expenditures, indirect contributions through trade associations and payments to so called s o c i a l w e l f a r e organizations. The shareholder said that such admissions can make it appear that the company has something to hide.
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proposal requests, would bring the company in line with a growing number of leading companies, including peers such as ConocoPhillips, Able Energy and Apache Corporation. “If Exxon has nothing t o h i d e , t r a n s p a re n t disclosures should show that its election spending is being done in the c o m p a n y ’s a n d
Tim Brennan, Special Advisor on responsible investing at Unitarian Universalist Association
ExxonMobil’s CEO and Chairman, Darren Woods
shareholders’ best interest and is aligned with company values and public positions. This would protect its reputation and shareholder value,” Brennan stated. He then called for other shareholders to vote in favour of the proposal. I n r e s p o n s e , E x x o n M o b i l ’s C E O , Darren Woods, said that the board agrees that transparency and accountability are important components of the c o m p a n y ’s p o l i t i c a l spending. To date, he said that ExxonMobil has expanded the details of its oversight process as well as lobbying activity on its website. Woods said, too, that their site also discloses the
company’s political activity guidelines, as well as multiyear contributions to candidates and political organizations. “We fully comply with all disclosure requirements under Federal and state laws, which we believe are sufficient to ensure disclosures and transparency, and provide a consistent and equitable standard for all reporting entities,” the CEO stated. Woods concluded that the company’s political contributions are subject to strict internal review processes, including approval by the Chairman and an annual review by the Board. For these reasons, he said that the Board recommended a vote against the proposal.
National Task Force denies GECOM’s request for more recount stations
T
he National COVID-19 Task Force, through its Health Emergency Operations Centre (HEOC) arm, has written to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to indicate that the request for two additional recount work stations has been denied. This denial was registered to the Chair of GECOM, Justice Claudette Singh, in a letter from the HEOC Coordinator, Dr. Colin James. The Task Force is chaired by Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, while the Chief Executive Officer of the Secretariat is Joseph Harmon. Dr. James noted previous reports the Task Force supplied to GECOM on safe guidelines for operations at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC)
during the National Recount, as grounds for the refusal. The first was given to the GECOM on April 21, 2020 after the Task Force’s first examination of the Centre, as of GECOM’s initial request for 10 workstations. The second was given on May 15, 2020, after the second visit of the Task Force to the Centre, as of GECOM’s first request for six additional work stations. The Task Force had only approved two. The May 15 letter had stated “In the conclusion, the HEOC (Health Emergency Operations Center) is of the view that the previous guidelines are not being adhered to and that the ACCC is congested enough and therefore our final recommendation is that we do not envisage more than two additional workstations as this will increase the
National COVID Task Force Officials [from left] Chair, Moses Nagamootoo; HEOC Coordinator, Dr. Colin James; Secretariat CEO, Joseph Harmon probability of the spread of infection and is not in keeping with WHO/ PAHO and the HEOC established guidelines on containment and mitigation measures.” This time around, GECOM had hoped that the Task Force would reconsider its previous guidelines. But it didn’t. Attaching the reports to the letter, Dr. James stated that the Task Force cannot concede to the request,
which would not only increase the number of stations but the number of persons at the Centre during the Recount. “Conscious of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) nature and scope of activities, at this time, the National COVID-19 Taskforce HEOC deliberations have arrived at that conclusion that public safety and wellness remains
the primary focus to mitigate the negative impact and to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 Pandemic,” Dr. James stated. It was the People’s Progressive Party (PPP/C) that made a request to GECOM for the addition of more stations for the speedy conclusion of the recount, and the party lamented the sloth of the process, even up to yesterday at the recount media centre.
Due to the current pace of the recount, the 25-day timeline initially provided by the legal order will not be enough. PPP General Secretary Bharrat Jagdeo, Attorney-at-Law Christopher Ram and others have complained that the Task Force is compromised by political interests who would wish to derail the recount, as its leaders are political stakeholders in the elections process.
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Kaieteur News Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL Tel:624-6456 Editor: Sharmain Grainger Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210
EDITORIAL
Noose tightening around Guyanese working-class It is said that when it rains it pours, circumstances with which many fellow citizens in flood prone areas have long been familiar. As Guyanese brace themselves for more of the hammer blows that come, they seem to come all at once. It is of the noose tightening slowly but remorselessly on workers toiling on the lower rungs of this society. Some of those entities that can afford and manage have already taken actions that shield the all-important bottomline of the business world. In the blue-chip tier, furloughs and rotations are already in motion. The first are the supporting staffs: clerks and below, then a little higher up, with the aggregate being that soon many are gone: sent home with a pained smile, helpful words of encouragement and little else. Corporations that delight in reporting billiondollar earnings and enhanced shareholder value are suddenly so wretchedly impoverished that they cannot afford to keep workers on board in their time of great need and so part company with them. The big businesses have had to shed several thousand workers now out and without. Without the hope of any prospects, since there are no jobs on the outside, no income stream is flowing to the inside. Stranded workers are on their own, which increasingly is the cruelest contradiction of that ringing vow: we are in this together. If the bigger businesses held out for a while, the numerous smaller ones are left with no choice. They are first comprised of sole proprietors whose goods and services no longer have buying customers: they are neither buying nor calling nor needing, since they themselves do not have what has to be delivered to sellers. That is, no cash and ominously little else to fall back on in that niche of companies and customers. People are struggling, many are suffering. In this bleak environment, the call emerges for freezing activities in the mining sector, which impacts tens of thousands of smaller citizens. Chief Medical officer, Dr. Shamdeo Persaud, has warned of a likely “runaway situation” (KN May 28) and there is now talk of elections recount needing another two weeks, at least. Though the current restrictions are scheduled to end on June 3rd, it looks highly unlikely that any material easing will occur. With the bleakness of continued closed doors, there is scant turnover, with dwindling demand being the growing menace that is not going away anytime soon. When these numerous self-employed find themselves without customers and cash, then it is the deep freeze that chills at the starkness of the noose tightening with relentless pressure. The suffocation is palpable, the bodily constrictions on family grinding. They need help, but the stewards of the state are otherwise occupied with other priorities displacing the urgencies at the bottom. Hurting workers and their loved ones will have to wait, with the bad news is that it appears to be a long wait. It is a sizable non-working crowd in this grim condition. The small businesses - the not insignificant brigade of independent contractors, family entities, street side vendors - of several more thousands, perhaps tens of them, are facing frighteningly intensifying circumstances. We plead for a comprehensive programme of assistance in the local arena spearheaded by the state. Yet, even as we say so, we fully recognizing that the state is wounded and itself limping presently. Meanwhile, that long-reliable source of overseas-based helping hands is unable to connect currently. Those in Brooklyn, Queens, and Florida must help themselves first as they fight their own battles that limit their generosity of before. The willing hearts are there, but the hands are weak in the fulfilling of what is a suddenly unaffordable proposition. That hurts, since it was a most meaningful subsidy that went a long way to make ends meet, which is all we are discussing: the plight of the out of work, the out of pocket, and the out of resources to make the ends required from morning to night meet. There is a vacuum of nothingness in between those dispiriting daily intervals. The national priority is on the fight for power and ascension. The individual priority - a growing number of such persons - is how to fight through the unbearable challenges of another hard day.
A golden opportunity still exists for political leaders to bridge divide DEAR EDITOR, Unfortunately, since I last wrote, further controversies seem to have arisen regarding the electoral count. Time is now of the essence. There still remains a golden opportunity, perhaps the last opportunity, for our two great Statesmen, President Granger and Opposition Leader Jagdeo, to make a truly heroic, historic advance on a cancer that has plagued our homeland for many decades. Indeed, one might even say that we have lived with racial distrust and animosity for the past 182 years, ever since the British replaced African slavery by Indian indentureship. Let us now, at last, Gentlemen, have the courage to break out of this colonial straightjacket, to bequeath a more hopeful, cooperative, independent future to a new generation of Guyanese. It can only be a win-win outcome. After the past 70 years
of strife and stagnation we should surely now understand the vital importance of free and fair elections being complemented by constitutional reform for a more inclusive form of democracy and governance. Winner-Takes -All is simply not a long-term, sustainable, workable, fair system of governance for Guyana. President Carter who played a vital role in bringing about free and fair elections in Guyana was himself well aware of this, and did follow up on this concern in his subsequent work on Guyana, especially in later 1990s, up to about 2001. Unfortunately, it did not then bear fruit. Regrettably too, the opportunity was lost of putting the matter upfront, as a precursor to all the elections since 1992, and especially to the most recent elections in 2015 and 2020. As the recount proceeds,
it becomes increasingly urgent for the parties to commit themselves in advance to constitutional reform for inclusive governance, for example, in the form of an addendum, with time-bound targets, to accompany the announcement of the election results. Some such procedure might create a feeling of enhanced confidence in a future of real political participation by all. President Granger, with keen foresight, has opened the way for a new beginning, by committing his party unequivocally to an appropriate form of democratic, inclusive governance, declaring that, on his side, it’s the end of Winner-Takes -All politics. The modalities for such a form of governance can be complex, but there are numerous precedents around the world. We could benefit from international technical assis-
tance. One possibility might be the Carter Center who have been involved in our political affairs for more than thirty years. They were the only monitoring team that complemented the need to correct electoral flaws with the need for the parties to return to constitutional reform. The tasks of democratic reform will sooner than later also have to tackle other casualties of our dysfunctional system of governance over the past seven decades- the legal system, the electoral system, the parliamentary system, education, the human rights apparatus, among others. The sooner we get our house in order, the sooner we can begin the task of bringing Guyana into the community of modern, responsible, democratic nations. Yours truly, Havelock Brewster
THE COALITION IS TRYING TO FORCE AND ANNULMENT OF THE ELECTIONS
DEAR EDITOR, The Coalition has tried every possible trick in their Rigging Book and has attempted new ones as well. They tried their utmost to nullify the successful No Confidence Motion, they had problems with the official List of Electors which Granger claimed was bloated and which could have been revived using the claims and objections, they attempted to stall the impending elections by foisting the house-tohouse registration which the Court later aborted, they fiddled with the claims and objections period, they reduced polling places in the PPP strongholds to disenfranchise voters, they messed up the voters list with their ‘merging’ and the list appears to be endless. They openly flouted the Constitution and Courts’ rulings under the pretext that they respected these. One would have thought that the above scenario would change after the elections on March 2nd, but in fact it got far worse. After more Court action to get the recount off the ground resulting from Mingo’s willful and fraudulent manipulation of the Region 4 Statements of Poll, the Coalition is now hell bent on a course of action to abort the entire 2020 Elections which they now claimed lacked credibility. This is in direct contrast to what Granger and his cabal had claimed after March 2nd. What is amazing is that now that the recount has un-
earthed the massive fraud perpetrated by Mingo on behalf of the Coalition, they are now claiming that the dead voted, those migrated before the date of the election voted, etc. It must be recalled that Mingo submitted two declarations and Granger was supposed to be sworn in on a few occasions. Now we can expect Basil Williams to be preparing for another frivolous court action. However, Harmon’s comical and farcical statement beats all. Harmon’s claim that more than 86,000 voters who voted in the 2020 Elections ‘lacked credibility’ is by itself an incredulous statement which lacked credibility. The so-called evidences he put forward make him a mocking stock, which has now propelled him into the category of his associate, Williams. Williams had earlier claimed that the current recount is illegal despite being sanctioned by his Party and the Courts. It must be recalled that the Coalition had claimed based on Mingo’s fraudulent declaration that they had won the elections by a slim margin therefore if Harmon’s conclusion is correct then the Coalition should have lost the Elections by more than 86,000 votes. Therefore, it would seem that the ‘rigger’ rigged on behalf of the Coalition. However, in a feeble attempt to support the Coalition’s nonsensical claims of ‘electoral fraud’, one columnist claimed that there is flip side to the Carter Cen-
ter statement that, “Even if pre-election and election day processes go well, a flawed vote count or vote tabulation can fatally undermine the integrity and credibility of the electoral process and decrease public confidence and public acceptance of the results”. That flip side can read, ‘Even if election day processes and the vote count or tabulation go well, a flawed pre-elections process can fatally undermine the integrity and credibility and electoral process and decrease public confidence and public acceptance of the results’. The columnist should recall that the Coalition accepted the results of the 2018 Local Government Elections and the Official List of Electors which was used had a life until April 2019. The List had no problem then but the Coalition used the excuse of a ‘bloated list by about 200,000 names to embark on delaying the impending elections and remain illegally in office. They used GECOM’s illegal Chairman [Retired Justice James Patterson] and the Chief Elections Officer to foist the house-to-house registration on this nation when the List could have been revised by an extended claims and objections period. However, even though the HtH was finally aborted it had already captured in excess of 370,000 names and it was finally revealed that 37,300 were ‘new registrants’. Of these, 17,000 were already on the voters list and some even
voted in the past. The entire venture was indeed an effort to buy time and produced a lot of duplications. It must be recalled that the Coalition Commissioners of GECOM were against field verification of 20,556 names since they knew that the list was ‘not bloated’ as was claimed. Commissioner Alexander was also adamant that ‘duplications’ cannot result in fraud. Then there was the claims and objections period which saw the Coalition attempting to disenfranchise many legitimate voters in PPP support base but which was finally resolved. It must be recalled that at every turn it was the PPP/C which called for measures to ensure that List was credible and free from errors. It must also be recalled that the PPP/ C scrutineers were not part of the HtH registration process, only those of the APNU/AFC accompanied the GECOM staff. So how could the PPP/C have rigged the List? The columnist should also be aware that, ‘an objective effort’ was indeed ‘made to fix the problem before elections’ and furthermore, there is no evidence to support the ‘possibility of fraudulent use of the bloated list’, if indeed the list was bloated. On the contrary there is ample evidence to support the fact that the claims made by the Coalition that the ‘dead’ and ‘migrants’ voted are complete fabrications (Continued on page 5)
Friday May 29, 2020
The current slow place of the recount is not the fault of GECOM Chair DEAR EDITOR, I read Mr. Christopher Ram’s article condemning Justice Claudette Singh and the pace of the National Recount at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre. I would not want to accuse Mr. Ram of being a busy body, looking for another fight to pick that he knows he cannot win. Neither would I want to accuse him of acting like a sour grape because he was passed over for Justice Singh to be the constitutionally appointed Chair. Justice Singh is in charge of GECOM and will decide along with her fellow commissioners and Secretariat what is best to get this recount completed, with little risk to the health and safety of the people who are present. Mr. Ram and others may want her to have more stations to hasten the recount. She has to be careful any decision made to add these stations comes at minimum risk for contracting the deadly coronavirus. Without a doubt the very people who are calling for more stations, God forbid, should there be a COVID case they will be among the first to blame Justice Singh.
She is condemned for everything even when she bends over backwards, entertains the views of all sides and tries to work with all. These detractors ignore the praises she gets for the good job she’s doing right now. Even the opposition praised GECOM for doing a good job. The so-called slow counting of the ballot boxes is not Justice Singh’s fault. It is the fault of those Presiding Officers, Deputy Returning Officers and Returning Officers who did not do a good job on Election Day, March 2nd. It is not Justice Singh’s fault that they did not put the pink slips in the box, mixed up the different party votes, didn’t count the votes accurately, they placed the ballot paper for one region in another region’s box. It is not Justice Singh’s fault the Polling Books (Vote bible) are missing in some boxes and those doing the recount cannot verify what happened that day. It is not Justice Singh’s fault the Official List of Electors are missing in some boxes, ballots papers are not stamped, Certificate of Employment gone to the Olym-
pics, people voting without identity, people living abroad on March 2nd voted, and even the dead woke up to vote. Those ballot boxes are in a mess! Mr. Ram would understand these anomalies will affect speed and timing to complete the count. I’m sure when GECOM said it could be done in 25 days they never thought counting agents would have experienced such chaos. If these problems were not there, surely the count would have been faster. Some will never be satisfied and find delight in making Justice Singh their target for the mess that happened during voting. I get the uneasy feeling this is deliberate. They don’t want a credible recount. They are uncomfortable what more may be exposed. Justice Singh promised President David Granger, PPP Leader Bharat Jagdeo, CARICOM, the Court, all Guyana and the world that GECOM will do a recount. She promised GECOM will deliver credible results. No body objected to her promise. What I don’t know is if we can have (Continued on page 6)
Locust plague in Asia and Africa provides opportunity for Guyanese agriculture DEAR EDITOR, There is currently a devastating locust plague which started in the Middle East that is moving across Eastern Africa and parts of Asia. For example, to date, Kenya, India and Pakistan have been impacted and crops have been wiped out. Many are expecting the impact of the plague to last several years due to the heavy egg-laying by the locusts. The plague also covers thousands of kilometers and in some instances has resulted in losses greater than £2 Billion for this season’s crop. The resulting and forecasted food shortage will have a tremendous impact on their food supply and the health of those in the affected areas. Many are also worried about extensive starvation given the extent of the negative impact of the locust plague on their country’s agriculture sector and the resulting increases in food prices. However, these unfortunate international circumstances do also present an opportunity for our rice farmers and our agriculture sector to be able to help our global brothers and sisters during these difficult times. By working closely with the United Nations and the affected country representatives in
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Guyana, a number of longterm supply contracts can be established. The current developing international food supply shortage will also provide an opportunity to quickly expand and grow our agriculture sector, and Guyana will be able to play its part as a responsible global citizen with our allies, while also reducing the level of unemployment and poverty within our Nation. A great opportunity for our laid off cane cutters to re-enter the workforce. Some may question why the need to send goods that far away while our neighbours in Venezuela are facing similar issues due to different underlying reasons. Hopefully the time will eventually come where we can be of aid to Venezuela, but we must first ensure that our border dispute is resolved in an amicable manner and no international embargoes are violated. Once this occurs an UN approved supply agreement could be established. In regards to the discussion concerning Asia and Africa, a large portion of our citizens have their origins in this part of world. The situation in which Indians and Africans find themselves is not one of choice as in the case of Venezuela which can comply with the UN’s demands and change its current economic
situation. On the other hand by helping our extended family in those regions of our origin during these difficult times should be a top priority given their inability to quickly change the developing food supply shortage and our strong historical & cultural connection. Any little we can do helps in this dire situation and when one helps one’s extended family it is as though one is also helping oneself. Best regards, Mr. Jamil Changlee
Anil Nandlall’s attitude is not helpful in forming a National Front Government DEAR EDITOR, These days, the appeal I made some time ago, and the position taken by the likes of Dr. David Hinds, that the time is ripe for some of our leaders to stop beating the war-drums and saber-rattling but rather sit down, talk, to find a modus vivendi to save our beloved Guyana. The idea for a review of our constitution should be predicated that in our volatile political environment, the outcome could be some form of a National Front Government with elements of strict rules, morality and above all, sanctions against anyone who violates agreed rules and conditions, etc. This of course, requires that all of our leaders, young and old, set aside pettiness, folly and personal interest. But when I hear statements from some of our leaders, I wonder if they are capable of making this quantum leap of change for a good Guyana. A few days ago, I read with consternation an argument advanced by no less a per-
son than a former AttorneyGeneral, Anil Nandlall. He asserts that acquisition and presentation of death certificates by the APNU+AFC group taking part in the recount process is illegal. Some members of the legal profession have disagreed with this learned gentleman and former Attorney General under the PPP administration. My approach is outside and beyond any legal niceties. Those involved in the recount, which is an effort to find the truth of March 2, 2020 General and Regional electoral process ought not to be frustrated by the threats of a legal recourse, obviously intended to hide the truth. Politicians everywhere, must seek information to support their cause and satisfy their concerns. They must be able to produce evidence to the appropriate authority (in this case, GECOM). How else any authority can find a solution and come to a conclusion if they are not allowed to receive all relevant evidence.
I would assume that anyone such as Mr. Nandlall, would be anxious to have all relevant information available to GECOM and even the public. Even if he is correct about the illegality of obtaining death certificates, he will be inconsistent in his talk about “Free and Fair Elections.” We must be surprised when the Opposition, seem so anxious to sweep important information under the carpet, we must ask why?Perhaps, he would like to lead us to the quip, credited to Mr. Bumble in Charles Dickens’ novel, Oliver Twist, when Mr. Bumble declared “The Law is an Ass.” We have already in Guyana seen how this statement is relevant. Let us await the results of GECOM’s recount, let us do nothing to impede its progress. Mr. Nandlall, obviously feels the way Mr. Bumble felt. In this case, in his own and parties’ narrow interest, let us ensure that the ‘Law is not made to be an Ass.’ Yours truly, Hamilton Green
The coalition is trying to force... From page 4 meant to annul the Elections. There are no ‘irregularities’ which are material enough to annul the Elections and that is the reason why the Carter Center is not wanted by the Coalition to observe the Recount process. The Coalition with the assistance of GECOM feels that they could force an annulment which may be supported by the CARICOM observers. Moreover, the List was kosher to the Coalition up to when Mingo made his fraudulent declaration. I am wondering why the columnist failed to bring this evidence in his analysis if indeed he is being objective. In addition, why
has he not called on GECOM to cast the fraudulent declarations aside rather than holding them in ‘abeyance’. In addition, it will be a miraculous act for the PPP/C to rig the List when GECOM is controlled by the Coalition. Did Lowenfield, Myers and Claudette Singh allow this to happen? It is a fact also that many who are employed by GECOM are supporters of the Coalition. Indeed the Carter Center cannot prevent elections from being ‘manipulated’ but they can report that the Recount process was credible and that
the ‘claims and objections’ now raised by the Coalition are frivolous and immaterial to the outcome. It must be recalled that they did report that Mingo’s declarations were illegal since it did not follow the legally prescribed tabulation process. In conclusion, no amount of whitewashing will erase that fact that the Coalition tried many blatant and shameful acts not only to illegally hold on to power but to barefacedly rig the 2020 Elections. Yours trult, Haseef Yusuf
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Government is not solely to blame for the downfall of Guysuco DEAR EDITOR, Since taking leadership of Guyana, this present administration has failed the sugar industry tremendously and during the period, they’ve closed estates and caused many to be unemployed. Failure to create jobs for the unemployed becomes another embarrassment to them. Regrettably, they’ve also neglected the functioning estates and these are slowly deteriorating. Despite what they are saying, they have no intention of doing anything proper to develop the sugar industry. Recently canes are being grinded at Uitvlugt Estate, and despite major mishaps during the previous crop, management failed to properly address the existing problems and instead of working at a normal pace, sugar is being produce at snail’s pace. Should they try to increase the speed of production, major damages would occur, thus they are being forced to operate the factory at the
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Kaieteur News
slowest pace possible. Since the crop started, almost every week, grinding of sugar canes is halted once or twice a week due to mechanical problems arising at the factory. As a result, the purity of the sugar canes is being lost, thus less sugar is being extracted from the canes. Added to that, the sugarcanes are not being cut in a timely manner and as expected, the crop took longer than as normally expected, which attracts additional expense. It finishes but not with expected results. Finally, in reference to Thursday’s article about the striking sugar workers at the Uitvlugt Estate, their reasons for striking are very communal if one listened to them carefully. The sugar workers know that they will get their money today (Friday). It was already announced during the week. Their working hours are reduced to 5 hrs and some salaries dropped. They go to work,
don’t have much work and some are sleeping, hiding and leaving the compound to drink alcohol – they wanted the full hours or salaries. They know the country in a crisis, but they want to suck the blood out. The estate provides transportation that drop workers on the public road where they live. As indicated in the article, factory workers have to wear safety helmets and boots. I’m of the opinion that they are lying on the police. Whilst many other regions have stricter rules that the police are enforcing, the Region Three police are hardly harassing people on the road, and should they see a worker from the estate, with safety helmet and boots, I am quite sure they would understand. In closing, I wouldn’t blame the downfall of Guysuco on Government alone; workers are easily responsible Yours truly, Sahadeo Bates
The current slow place of the recount... From page 5 credible results given the hurricane of problems in those boxes. With the COVID 19 constraints and mess the ballot boxes were left in, efficiency cannot be sacrificed to achieve credible results. Instead of condemning Justice Singh there should be support and the offer
of helpful advice to get through this turmoil and protect GECOM’s good name. She is during a Herculean task with quiet grace and dignity. I doubt many, including Mr. Ram, would want to be in her shoes now. Yours truly, B, Beniprashad Rayman
Coalition’s outlandish claims undermine trust in GECOM DEAR EDITOR, GECOM’s additions to the lawful processes stipulated for a recount as outlined in the Representation of the People’s Act are going to impact future elections severely. Had there been counting of ballots in a transparent manner and a credible system of verification and tabulation, not only would this election have been over but some confidence in future elections would have been preserved. As it is, Mr. Mingo’s fraud has been proven beyond reasonable doubt but damage to the system of checks and balances utilized by GECOM is almost beyond salvage. Let me explain: Each Polling station has its Official List of Electors (OLE) eligible to vote; copies are given to all GECOM polling day staff and any Party agents present. There is no legal requirement to tick names – it is an accounting aid. Some Presiding Officers do periodic audits with all present to keep track of numbers, and some do not. In future elections, a PO may tick all the names or none; would this be enough evidence to invalidate the ballots in the box? What happens in the future when boxes are opened for a recount and there are no OLEs in the box? What happens when Ram N Balram is ticked instead of Ram M Balram (migrated or deceased)? This is the nonsense we have allowed to creep in and contaminate the process. Mischief-makers can choose from a wide menu of actions to sabotage and even vitiate
an election with impunity. In writing of best practices for a lawful election before March 2nd, I glossed over polling day activities saying: “We will assume the following; % Police protection is afforded each polling station all day (This is mandatory). % Counting in the polling station is over. % The statement of poll has been filled out by the GECOM presiding officer and has been signed by all polling agents present.” I did so with the utmost confidence in the GECOM polling day procedures and staff. I stand by these assumptions and can point to statements of support from every contesting party and observer mission who all declared the polling day activity as credible and without fraud. The only fraud that occurred in Guyana’s General and Regional elections in 2020 is Mr. Mingo’s use of fictitious figures and his subsequent declaration of District 4 results based on those numbers. Given the ever-more outlandish claims of fraud emanating from APNU+AFC sources during the ongoing recount, the only system that would satisfy those ‘forces’ would be live-streamed HD video of all polling stations coupled with biometric scanners as used by international immigration agencies and a Certificate of Life issued on the spot by a medical professional before the elector can proceed into the polling station. Anything
less would certainly be open to question. Heaven forbid a single Certificate of Life goes missing at any station for that would mean fresh elections for sure. The absurdity is only matched by the impracticality. Editor, the more excursions GECOM takes off of the lawful path prescribed for a recount, the further we will move from the position of trust and faith in the existing GECOM polling day systems. It may be useful for GECOM to remember the words of Chief Justice Desiree Bernard who said “The role of the Elections Commission and its staff is to take such action as appears necessary to ensure impartiality, fairness, and compliance with the provisions of the Constitution and any other acts of Parliament…Confidence in the electoral process must be restored. This is absolutely essential if we, as a nation, are to forward and strive to heal the wounds that divide us. Let fairness pervade all of our actions at all times…No effort must be spared to assure everyone that the process is fair and impartial. Lingering doubts that hang like a sword of Damocles over the head of the Commission must be removed.” The allowance of the incorporation of audit-like activities in the ongoing recount is a perfect example of the said sword; it should be left in its sheath for everyone’s sake. There are reasons for laws governing recounts. Yours truly, Robin Singh
Friday May 29, 2020
COVID-19 testing site established at Port Mourant Hospital
The testing booth Persons living in Berbice, particularly on the Corentyne, will now have access to a COVID-19 testing site if they are experiencing symptoms or believe they may have been in contact with someone carrying the virus. The testing site is located at the Port Mourant Hospital and was expected to commence operation yesterday. The facility will operate between the hours of 09:00 and 15:00 hrs daily, this publication was told. According to Dr. Sonia Lord, the aim is to combat and contain the virus. She, moreover, made an earnest appeal for persons to utilize the testing facility. “If you think you are experiencing symptoms such as fever, cough, tiredness, etc., or
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Kaieteur News
have been in contact with anyone with the virus or even travelled to an area where it is rampant, you can come to the testing site,” a d v i s e d D r. L o r d . The doctor explained that when persons arrive at the facility screening will be done in two phases. The primary phase will include having the temperature of the individual taken after which questions will be asked by a nurse. If the individual meets the criteria then that person will go through the secondary screening phase. Once at the screening phase, a doctor will ask further questions, check vitals, counsel and determine if swabbing is necessary. Dr. Lord disclosed too that
when persons are tested, those tests will be sent to the National Reference Lab in Georgetown. It is expected that results will return within a 48-72 hours timeframe. Once a test is confirmed as positive contact tracing will be executed to ascertain who the individual was in contact with. The individual will also be placed into quarantine, D r. L o r d s a i d . It is expected that there will be five nurses and two doctors at the testing site at a n y o n e t i m e . Just recently a suspected COVID-19 case was picked up at the New Amsterdam Market. That individual, a woman, has since been tested and quarantined at a facility in Berbice.
US-based businessman ready to take advantage of Public Private Partnership - says will spur Guyana’s economic development Guyanese-born US-based businessman Edmond Braithwaite believes that the public private partnership (PPP) is the model that will drive Guyana’s economic development. Braithwaite maintains that through this blueprint more will be achieved for Guyanese, hence his firm the Caribbean Marketing Enterprises Inc. (CMEI) is “pushing for a Pubic Private Partnership with the Government of Guyana” The CMEI executive is convinced that through such a partnership more can and will be achieved, to benefit Guyanese “in a significant way”. Braithwaite’s disclosure was contained in a release issued by the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL). The economic development model is a long-term contract between private entities and governments to provide public assets or services. Under the arrangement the private sector firm takes significant risks and management responsibilities to fulfill the contract while repayment, with profits, is
linked to performance, the World Bank said in an online explanation. Braithwaite and his company remain upbeat about business prospects in Guyana despite political hiccups following the local March 2, 2020 General and Regional polls here and growing global uncertainties in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The WHO announced pandemic has “slowed up a number of our plans” but the CMEI team remains interested and committed
Businessman Edmond Braithwaite (Newsamericas)
to doing business in Guyana, Braithwaite assured recently. “Many may have thought that with the current COVID-19 situation that we would have closed shop and put a hold on our plans for Guyana, but I can assure you that we haven’t. As a matter of fact, we have recognized several other new opportunities that we will seek to explore as we are more confident of the numerous opportunities that Guyana possesses,” the investor said. The CMEI President noted more companies want to do business in Guyana. “Guyana possesses unique and creative opportunities that many are seeking to exploit. Attention is on Guyana as it’s no secret that there are several persons who have long-term investment plans for Guyana and we are hoping that COVID-19 passes quickly so that we can get on the ball,” he said. “We are desperately waiting for the airspace to open so that we can be on the first flight to Guyana to take many of these plans further, so rest assured that this Coronavirus has not diminished our interest at all in this country. The level and quantum of investment that we will be doing for Guyana will certainly be a massive boost to the people of Guyana, he noted. These seem inevitable with the current visionary leadership displayed by the NICIL executives and their staff, Braithwaite said.
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Friday May 29, 2020
UG students to assist citizens Recount of Regions 3 and to complete COVID-19 7 ballot boxes completed public assistance application In an effort to improve access to services, the Ministry of Social Protection [MoSP] is collaborating with students of the University of Guyana (Masters in Social Work Class) to assist eligible persons to successfully complete the COVID-19 Public Assistance Form. According to the Ministry, the form, which was introduced online on May 20, 2020, helps to identify and provide much needed tangible support for vulnerable households affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. “The assigned personnel will fill the forms online on behalf of eligible applicants, who may have difficulties
because of varying reasons. These persons are required to call the numbers provided on the specified days and times only for assistance,” the Ministry announced Wednesday. Application Forms can be accessed on the Ministry’s website at https://mosp.gov.gy/ or https://government.gy/efor m/241. The public assistance initiative is being looked at closely as it entails assistance to potentially thousands of vulnerable persons hard-hit by COVID-19. The Civil Defence Commission had started distribution of hampers in the initial days of the
pandemic but it was halted after complaints about only select persons benefitting. Under the new criteria, only individuals/households currently benefiting from Public Assistance provided by the Social Protection Ministry and who have applied for such will be considered. Those who would have applied for Public Assistance and awaiting a response from the Ministry as well as those persons who suffered a loss of income due to COVID-19 are among those who will be considered for assistance. Households headed by senior citizens or persons with disabilities are also top of the list of priority persons.
On day 23 of the National Recount exercise, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) managed to complete the recount of an additional 90 ballot boxes, thereby completing the recount of Regions Three and Seven.This now increases the total number of recounted ballot boxes to 1,466, with 873 to be counted in the two remaining days. Notably, the elections commission intends to meet
today to extend the 25-day period which was initially allotted to complete the recount. G E C O M ’s P u b l i c Relations Officer (PRO), Yolanda Ward, informed the media last evening that the remaining eight boxes were counted for Region Three (Essequibo Islands- West Demerara); 21 for Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica); 24 for Region Six (East Berbice- Corentyne), the remaining four for Region
Seven (Cuyuni- Mazaruni); 14 for Region Eight (PotaroSiparuni); 11 for Region Nine (Upper Takaku- Upper Essequibo) and eight for R e g i o n Te n ( U p p e r Demerara- Berbice). She went on to state that of the total number of Statements of Recount 1,423 were tabulated for the General Election and 1,439 for the Regional Election. The recount for Regions One and Two have also been completed.
Table illustrating processed and outstanding ballot boxes
Schedule and contact information for COVID-19 Public Assistance Phone Numbers 615-9507 615-9495 615-9990 615-7839 Toll Free 665-2271 615-9507 615-9727 615-7829 264-2690 225-6202 227-4410 223-1747 ext. 2266/2267 232-0952 337-2667
Days Mon to Friday Mon to Friday Mon to Friday Mon to Friday Mon to Friday Mon to Friday Mon to Friday Mon to Friday Mon to Friday Mon to Friday Mon to Friday Mon to Friday Mon to Friday Mon to Friday
Time 12:00 noon to 5:00 pm 12:00 noon to 5:00 pm 12:00 noon to 5:00 pm 12:00 noon to 5:00 pm 12:00 noon to 5:00 pm 12:00 noon to 5:00 pm 12:00 noon to 5:00 pm 12:00 noon to 5:00 pm 8:30 am to 12:00 noon 8:30 am to 12:00 noon 8:30 am to 12:00 noon 8:30 am to 12:00 noon 8:30 am to 12:00 noon 8:30 am to 12:00 noon
One dead, two injured in Rupert Craig smash-up The blood stained section of the Rupert Craig highway where the accident occurred.
GECOM discovers another soaked ballot box The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) while in Day 23 of the National Recount ongoing at the Arthur Chung Conference Center found another ballot box in which the contents were soaked. Kaieteur News was informed that the ballot box number 8036 came from District Eight. Images of the soaked ballot box showed the contents soaked and moulded. According to information received, the Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield, examined the ballot box and informed the counting agents that the box cannot be checked. They were ordered to reseal the box and return it to the container.
The soaked ballot box from Region 8
Guyana Goldfields sees 23% decline in production for first quarter
A smash up along the Rupert Craig Highway, East Coast Demerara has left one dead and two others injured. The incident, which involved a Toyota Rav 4 and a Pit Bull minibus, occurred at around 09:00hrs yesterday. In a video seen by this publication, two women were seen lying in pools of blood after the collision as a crowd gathered to
render assistance. An ambulance arrived shortly after and removed the women. It was later revealed that one of the women, who was identified as 20-year-old Tabica Sukhoo, succumbed to her injuries while receiving treatment at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation. The other is said to be still hospitalised.
For the quarter ended March 31, 2020 Guyana Goldfields Inc. reported that gold production for the first quarter totalled 28,100 ounces as compared to 36,600 for the first quarter of 2019, representing a 23% decrease. These and other details were noted in its latest financial statements which were made public yesterday. Those documents showed that it had an accumulated deficit of US$414.5 million, positive working capital of US$32.3 million and cash outflow of US$5.6 million which was used in operating activities. Further to this, the company said it ended the quarter
with cash and cash equivalents of US$15.5 million, which is US$6.6 million lower than the US$22.1 million reported in the fourth quarter of 2019. The Canadian headquartered firm said too, that it generated a lower amount of cash from operations than in the same quarter of 2019 and in the fourth quarter of 2019. It said that this was due to lower gold sales, an increase in metals inventory due to delays in gold sales as a result of air travel cargo delays. These delays stemmed from Covid19 related travel restrictions and a concerted effort to reduce accounts payables, the company said.
Kaieteur News
Friday May 29, 2020
PAGE 09
You ain’t see nothing yet
G
reat danger lies ahead! The rigging of elections is the first stage in the transition towards dictatorship and authoritarianism. If you think the PPPC was bad, think again about what has happened over the past five years and how more worse the situation will get without any form of democratic restraints under an illegitimate APNU+AFC. Those who lived through the dark days of dictatorship would not wish those days to return ever again to this country. The period was marked by widespread corruption, secret deals, administrative indolence, abuse of power, human rights violations, economic decline and human and capital flight. Corruption was widespread. Since there was no way to hold the government accountable, public officials did what they
wanted, amassed great wealth and got away with dipping their fingers into the ‘cookie jar’. Corruption was endemic. There was no tendering for government projects. Contracts were simply dispensed at the whim of government officials, acting, no doubt, on higher instructions. In order to get things done, citizens learnt that they had to ‘grease’ the pockets of government officials. Bribery was the order of the day. If you wanted a passport, a birth certificate or some other government service, you either had to be prepared for an interminable wait or pay a bribe. If you wanted a passport, you had to line up for hours and then wait more than a month before you can get one. But there was a fellow – he must be dead by now – who was nicknamed after a famous Jamaican reggae singer. He could get the passport the
same day for a massive fee. Nothing moved bureaucrats better than a bribe. The police were among the biggest bribetakers. Ken Danns, in his book, “Domination and Power in Guyana” relates stories which he overheard about police officers demanding food items from members of the public. There was another way to get things done. It was to have connections with someone who knew someone who could get the service which you required. Guyanese liked to refer to this as having ‘lines’. If you had ‘lines’, you did not have to join any line. But you might have still had to pay a bribe in cash or kind. Secret deals were the order of the day. At one time, there was even an attempt to establish an off-shore tax haven company in Guyana. When it was discovered that one of the principals had a criminal record, the plan was
Dem boys seh...
De Bingo virus crass de barda De wuss has come to pass. De rigging virus start to spread. Dat is wha CARICOM and de OAS and de Commonwealth trying fuh avoid. Dem want prevent de Bingo virus from spreading to odda parts of de region. De CARICOM and OAS bin afraid dat odda country in de Caribbean would copycat de rigging wha tek place at Ashmin Building and all de problem dat it cause and still causing. Dem did frighten de Guyana-bred virus would contaminate de rest of de
Caribbean. Dem CARICOM leaders come hay because dem nah want de Bingo virus fuh spread to dem country. Dem nah want rigging. Dem hoping to quarantine de Bingo virus hay. Dem get Jagdeo and Soulja Bai fuh agree fuh a recount of de votes. But dem had to wait more dan one month fuh de recount fuh get going because of court cases and de turtle-pace of GEECUM. Dat too set a bad example.
De BINGO virus now crass de barda. It gone over to Suriname. Dem had dem elections Monday and de opposition way ahead right how in de count. Dem so far ahead, dem can’t lose. But de ruling party now calling fuh recount just like how Soulja Bai call fuh recount. Is copycat tekkin place. Now it looks like Soulja Bai gun get company when de sanctions start. Talk half and leh we hope dat Suriname nah send fuh Mingo fuh oversee de recount.
shelved. Another time, there was a plan to import toxic waste in Guyana from California. When that too was exposed, the plan was hastily set aside. All these happened because the government knew that it did not have to win the approval of the people. It could do as it pleased since its vote rigging would ensure that it was returned to power. This lack of political accountability is one of the gravest dangers of dictatorship. Dictatorship results in abuse of power. In Guyana, the police would go to the markets and seize bread. They wouldn’t file any charges. They just confiscated the bread. Having a tin of sardines, then restricted, and passing through the airport could land you in serious trouble. The police and customs were laws unto themselves. If you were caught with contraband they could seize not only the contraband but the vehicle in which you were transporting it, without any charge or trial. The government was paramount. Judges and
magistrates came under tremendous political pressure to give judgments which were favourable to the State and the government. Sexual harassment was widespread in the public service. One of the reasons why African Society for Cultural Relations with Independent Africa (ASCRIA) broke with Burnham was because the sexual molestation of African women. This was brought out during testimony in the Rodney Commission of Inquiry. Just after he came into office, Desmond Hoyte established a Commission to inquire into conduct in public office. The Commission found pervasive exploitation use of public office for sexual gratification. Dictatorship exacerbated economic mismanagement. The economy went into r e v e r s e g e a r. F o r e i g n exchange dried up leading to more import restrictions and the development of a larger underground economy. A huge foreign debt was accumulated. Production fell. All of this economic
mismanagement occurred because of the lack of political accountability. Guyana lost a lot more though. It lost its best minds. Pull factors would always ensure there is migration. The country lost more than its fair share of educated persons because of the state of the economy and the level of crime and fear in the society. And with that braindrain was also capital flight. People took their savings, sold their properties and found a way to get the money out of Guyana. Those who therefore feel that it is going to be fine to have a dictatorship should think again. If they think that things are bad enough now, they should wait and see what will happen if dictatorship returns. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)
Kaieteur News
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Friday May 29, 2020
THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN
Humans are unpredictable except Claudette Singh It takes deep layers of suspicious quality in the character of a human to defend Claudette Singh. But Singh’s deportment over the past two months has been an invaluable lesson to the young generation of Guyana. I f i t w e r e n ’t f o r t h e marauding conduct of Singh, this country would never have seen the true mental structure of some Guyanese that the society has come to know and respect. I will always remain aware of Eusi Kwayana’s contribution to our country’s
history but I can and will never see his explanations of events during the past 80 years in Guyana in the same way after his most regrettable defence of Singh. I will go back to his books and iconoclastically reassess them. Some women gave an interview in the Chronicle (see my column of Sunday, May 10, 2020 titled; “After this, we will never see some Guyanese the same way again”) in which words of obnoxiousness came out of their mouths defending this
lady. One of the dimensions of their output was insulting to civilization. They said Singh is a woman and they resent the criticism of her because she is a woman. Out of fear of libel, I would like to tell these women that a human is essentially unfit for society if they refuse to see the flaws in others and are willing to defend those flaws. What is strange is that feminist women in Guyana have remained silent on what these three women told the Chronicle. I guess if a woman uses the N word or the C word in Guyana, we must not chastise them because after all, she is a woman. When you think you have seen all the aberrations and asininities of humans, you have to come to Guyana to see how inexhaustible the list is. What has Singh done to this nation? Well a short, simple letter in the newspapers recently tells the tragic story of Singh and the sad reality of a dystopian country named Guyana. After a silence of two months, Singh wrote to the newspapers to inform the
nation that PPP GECOM commissioner, Sase Gunraj, does not speak for her and he misquoted her. After two months of shocking reticence, she made a public appearance to wax lyrical on such inconsequentiality. One wonders if Singh is capable of separating frivolities from exigencies. This is the same lady whose peculiar behaviour one evening at the GECOM command centre in the Ashmin Building sent shock waves through Guyana and must have alarmed not only the region but the world. In the midst of barefaced rigging of the election that night, in the presence of two past CARICOM Prime Ministers, the observer team from CARICOM, international observer teams and international diplomats from the EU, Canada and the US, Singh was locked in a room for hours. Panic spread. The ambience became a scene from an Agatha Christie movie. Voices turned into a tsunami of guesses. Was she a prisoner of the riggers? Was she hiding to obfuscate her immense partialities?
Was she killed? Did she faint? Was she on her smart phone talking to Mingo? Hours after, a smiling Singh, with an infinitesimal smirk of cynicism on her visage, emerged from her comfortable “prison” and emulated the gait of Peter Sellers in his Pink Panther movie series. Singh has never explained what happened in that room. But here is what Guyanese were told afterwards. On the Kaieteur Radio, Adam Harris told me and Leonard Gildarie that while in her locked room, she sent for him and Glenn Lall. They went down to see her but the police refused to open the door even though they told him she summoned them. It was a pantomime. She had no intention of seeing the two powerful media personalities. It was one of her games. The play has gone on. Singh moves from one part of the stage to another and will be there until the denouement. When she draws the curtain to end the histrionics, she will be as predictable as she always was since she became the
Frederick Kissoon lady that could not see the boat Mingo was sailing in and the direction he was going although the entire nation saw Mingo rowing his boat What form will the denouement take? With Singh that is easy to know. She is a predicable lady. Her three peculiar colleagues in GECOM, including the manager of the WPA head office (really ironic, Walter Rodney is turning in his grave), Desmond Trotman, will ask for a declaration of a nullification of the election. Singh with her Peter Sellers smile will agree. You wanna bet? Don’t bet. You will lose. Singh is very predictable. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)
Kaieteur News
Friday May 29, 2020
PAGE 11
Guyana records 11 new COVID-19 cases in 24 hours -number moves to 150
C
hief Medical Officer (CMO), D r. S h a m d e o Persaud, in an update on Guyana’s efforts to contain COVID-19 noted that as of yesterday there were 11 new cases. The new cases have taken the COVID -19
number from 139- 150 in 24 hours. According to the CMO, the number of COVID -19 deaths remain at 11. In addition, he said that 67 persons have recovered while there are 72 active cases in institutional
isolation, two in the COVID19 ICU and 11 in institutional quarantine. He said that to date, the total number of persons tested is 1, 559 with the total number of negative cases being 1,409. During the live streamed
Aunty Albertha celebrates 100th milestone today Albertha Hicks, nee Burrows, better known to many as ‘Aunty Albertha’ is celebrating her 100th birthday today. She will observe the remarkable milestone with a small group of close family members at her Campbellville, Georgetown home. Like her, the occasion is set to be classy and sophisticated. Yeolena Callender spoke fondly of h e r grandmother—describing her as a proper “English woman”. “It’s just something about the way she carries herself—- her mannerisms that is much like the English. I mean, she did spend the better part of her life in England, she must have adopted those mannerisms,” Callender disclosed. On May 29, 1920, Aunty Albertha was born in Parika to parents, Charlie Burrows, a captain in the American Navy, and mother, Caroline Anderson-Burrows, a home maker. Aunty Albertha is the second to last of five children (three girls and two boys). She and her siblings were raised in Charlotte Street and Kitty where she lived until she was married in 1948 to the love of her life, Milton Hicks. Mr. Hicks also served in the US Navy. The couple migrated to the United Kingdom in 1950, and lived in London for the majority of her life. She returned home to Guyana permanently in 2012, and has been residing in Campbellville ever since. Aunty Alberta is blessed to see six living generations; she has one daughter, two grandchildren, two great grandchildren, two great, great grandchildren and one great, great, great, grandchild. She fondly recalls her life in London which always puts a smile on her face. She worked with the UK
Government as an administrator responsible for coordinating housing and providing shelter for the homeless and people in hostels. As a result of her work affiliations she was well known in London, and was even invited to a Queen Elizabeth birthday c e l e b r a t i o n . She was, and still is, a social butterfly and absolutely loves cooking and entertaining. Even as she celebrates her 100th birthday, she is fiercely
who revealed too that she has a heart for charity and has made many charitable contributions to both UK and Guyana. She presently serves as a key and active member in the Carib Kids Guyana foundation. Those who know Aunty Albertha usually envy her sharp memory; she can recall the tiniest of details even from her childhood, said Callender. The centenarian remains in good health, despite being an amputee. She lost one of
Albertha Hicks, a remarkable centenarian
independent and takes pride in catering to her every need. She still enjoys preparing all her meals, shopping, gardening and taking care of herself and her beautiful home, Callender shared. I n h e r d a y, A u n t y Albertha was an ardent traveller and enjoyed visits to many exotic countries. ”Thank almighty God for the wonderful life he has given me,” is a constant phrase of hers. She is God-fearing and reads her bible every morning, praying numerous times daily. She is also a constant sounding board for guidance and advice for her grands, added Callender
her legs to Diabetes. Nevertheless, she has a fighting spirit, and does not allow her prosthetic leg to slow her stroll. “Her advice to us”, Callender said, is “to live a decent and honest life, and love people just as you love yourself.” She will undoubtedly be spending today expressing gratitude to the multitude of family members and good friends who have shown her love and kindness all the years. Aunty Albertha is indeed a remarkable centenarian and we here at Kaieteur News wish her continued health and strength.
update, the CMO appealed to residents of Region One, and particularly miners, to take extra care and adhere to the guidelines for mining in order to protect their families and friends. “Please report if you have information of nonnationals entering your region, especially now that the border is closed. The non-official crossings are adding to the burden of surveillance. We continue to plead with residents to call the hotline if you present any signs or symptoms consistent with the coronavirus disease,” the CMO said. According to the Public Health official, there have been reports of acts of discrimination in some of the sub districts. “We ask in this crisis, that instead of shunning your fellow citizens that you use this opportunity to come together as one and be tolerant. Residents of the Communities in Region One, the worst scenario will be your refusal to cooperate
with the medical authorities and the guidelines. This fight is for everyone and so I ask you to act responsibly; if a death occurs, then you should support the bereaved family, if someone recovers, you should reach out and give your total support,” he added. Meanwhile, the CMO encouraged citizens to make full use of the mobile testing sites “As you know, in order to effectively uncover those who would have come into contact with a confirmed case, the Ministry of Public Health has initiated two permanent sites in Region Four, Region Six; the site is up and running at Port Mourant and in Region 10, the Upper Demerara Hospital (Wismar Hospital) is ready. So, we encourage you to utilize this service that is available in your region; please don’t let it go to waste,” Persaud urged. He emphasized that though the sample collection process may be
Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Shamdeo Persaud uncomfortable the process is necessary. “I understand that this process is somewhat uncomfortable, however we beg you to cooperate despite the discomfort. You will appreciate that if the process is not performed accurately, and the sample is insufficient, we can have the wrong results. So, we ask all of you to give the testing team your full cooperation,” added Dr. Persaud.
Kaieteur News
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Friday May 29, 2020
Police disperse protesting Uitvlugt Estate workers - union says trend emerging Protest actions by workers of the Uitvlugt Estate sugar factory, West Demerara, continued yesterday morning but it was ordered halted by the police. According to the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU), the workers were adhering to the request that appropriate measures be embraced to promote social distancing while ensuring their hoursof-work remained outside the national curfew period. “The workers who continued their legitimate and peaceful protest actions
were today confronted by a contingent of police officers who instructed them to end their activity. We find this development to be most disturbing as it seems attempts are being made to trample on the rights of the workers.” Authorities, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, have banned public gatherings and ordered social distancing be maintained. According to the union, while it is unsure of how the police arrived at the scene, the workers were most upset
Workers of Uitvlugt sugar estate who were protesting yesterday were ordered to disperse by police, GAWU reported. that their peaceful activity was abruptly and forcibly terminated. “In recent times, we have seen an enhanced police presence at protest activities involving sugar workers and we cannot ignore that a certain trend is emerging. We
certainly hope that security services are (not) being utilized to minimize workers’ voices as they seek to have their rights and gains respected.” The police presence, the union said, followed a meeting between the union locally and the Uitvlugt estate management earlier in the day. “At the engagement, the GuySuCo remained adamant that the workers affected be organized in two shifts though the second shift would conclude into the curfew period. It appeared that the workers and union’s concerns regarding the difficulties the workers faced on their return home during the curfew period have been ignored or does
not attract the corporation’s concern.” GAWU said that quite rationally it was felt that the workers concerns would have been taken into account. “Moreover, bearing in mind that other sections of the workforce are already enjoying similar work arrangements, the workers affected would also be treated equitably as they merely seek to protect themselves and families from the dreaded COVID-19 virus. It sadly seems this is not to be the case.” GAWU said that it is calling for better sense to prevail and for an amicable and workable arrangement to be arrived at. ”We believe that sober and
sincere consideration of the workers views should be pursued and recognition paid to the harm they can well face at this time. Our surmounting of this difficult period can only come through our collective actions to take protective and preventative actions to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus and it is against such a background the workers call should be respected.” The remaining three sugar estates of the countryUitlugt, Blairmont and Albion- have been struggling, as sugar price remain low and the aging infrastructure, lack of finance and poor agriculture continue to besiege the industry.
Kaieteur News
Friday May 29, 2020
PAGE 13
Suriname election…
Bouterse asks for recount as Opposition claims fraud Opposition politicians – Ronnie Brunswijk, Chandrikapersad Santokhi, Gregory Russia and Salam Somohardjo – at the news conference (Photo courtesy de Ware Tijd newspaper)
Voting on Monday, in Suriname.
S
uriname election appears to be headed for trouble with the incumbent President, Desi Bouterse, asking for a recount after initial results indicated a massive loss for his party. The Opposition is now claiming fraud. Officials reported that the majority of polling stations have been counted but not finalized with the Opposition in control. Even if Bouterse request for a recount is granted, the odds appear insurmountable that he will retain the presidency. The CARICOM and Organisation of American States (OAS), which have sent observer teams to that neighbouring country, have extended their stay. OAS in a preliminary statement said that it has held 44 meetings with tight measures in place to protect its observers. The Mission, which is led by the Chief of Staff of the OAS General Secretariat, Gonzalo Koncke, comprises 13 experts from eight countries – three of whom provided their support remotely. In all, the Mission visited 96 polling stations in 53 polling centers on Monday. Members reported that the polling stations they observed generally opened on time and that all poll workers and materials were present to allow a proper conduct of the poll. Reports were received that incorrect ballots had been delivered and utilised in six polling stations. In its report, the OAS recommended creating an independent electoral body that is responsible for the organization of the elections, including the appointment of poll workers. The body also recommended a review of the seat formula and reforms to allow for stricter monitoring of
campaign financing. Guyana would be watching the elections in Suriname closely as almost three months since its general and regional elections on March 2nd it is still to name a new president. There is a recount ongoing of the ballots for the entire country which so far suggests the main Opposition in G u y a n a - t h e P e o p l e ’s Progressive Party/Civic - is set to return to power after being booted in 2015. Meanwhile, with regards to the Suriname’s election, the CMC reported that Opposition parties yesterday warned of possible fraud in Monday’s general election and the Independent Electoral Office (OKB) is threatening to publish the original official reports of all polling stations. The OKB has also been critical of the observer mission from the Organisation of American States that had expressed concern at a meeting between its president, Jennifer van Dijk-Silos and President Bouterse on the day of the election. Box Removed? Chairman of the Algemene
B e v r i j d i n g s - e n Ontwikkelingspartij (ABOP), Ronnie Brunswijk said an attempt had been made to remove boxes with official reports from various polling stations of the Paramaribo constituency from the Anthony Nesty Stadium where they were placed. Brunswijk, who was among the leaders of four opposition political parties that held a news conference, told reporters that when he arrived at the stadium two vehicles were outside with persons who were not official electoral officials, waiting to take the documents away. Brunswijk said he spoke with Mike Nerkust, chairman of the main polling station in Paramaribo, who was present at the scene and that alert representatives of the various political parties who were present at the stadium where the counting was taking place, raised an alarm. Many persons were reported to have filmed the incident on mobile phones. The ABOP chairman said that Nerkust was not forthright in his explanation and was insisting that there was (Continued on page 18)
The Anthony Nesty Stadium in Paramaribo where the ballot boxes are being kept.
Kaieteur News
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Friday May 29, 2020
PAHO/WHO, MoPH to host concert in support of The virtual concert is slated for this Sunday frontline health workers The Pan American Health Organization and the World Health Organization, (PAHO/WHO ) is teaming up with the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) to sponsor a virtual concert in honour of health workers on the frontline during the COVID-19 pandemic. The concert titled “Standing Together For One Guyana” will be live streamed via Facebook and Voice of Guyana (Radio) and is expected to be rebroadcast on the National Communications Network (NCN) television on Sunday (May 31). The concert will feature a number of locally and regionally acclaimed Guyanese artistes including: Charmaine Blackman, Timeka Marshall, Terry Gajraj and Poonam Singh. A c c o r d i n g t o PAHO/WHO representative to Guyana, Dr. William Adu-
PAHO/WHO Rep. to Guyana, Dr. William Adu Krow
Krow, the concert is part of a collective effort to help health workers cope with the psychological impact of working through a global pandemic. “This concert is for healthcare workers on the frontline and their families; for those persons who support health workers; those persons, who lost family members to the disease, those who survived
the disease, those battling it right now and everyone affected by it in some way or another. [But] especially for the nurses and doctors, who have been on the frontline putting themselves at risks to keep others safe…We just hope to help lift their spirits during a troubling time.” Dr. Adu Krow said. PAHO/WHO has been collaborating with the
Ministry of Public Health on a number of initiatives aimed at addressing COVID-19. Among them are efforts to provide the country with the tools necessary for adequate COVID-19 testing. PAHO/WHO has already provided Guyana with thousands of testing kits and
is slated to supply an additional 20,000 kits. In an invited comment on the issue of testing, Dr. AduKrow told Kaieteur News that Guyana’s pace of testing for the disease is ample at this time. He said there is no need for rapid testing for COVID -
19 in Guyana. “The diagnosis of a test done via the laboratory will take “a day or two” to produce results but is more accurate. It is better to have the laboratory test done than the rapids which result in false negatives and lead to misdiagnosis,” he explained.
Kaieteur News
Friday May 29, 2020
PAGE 15
Institute to conduct employee financial education training amid COVID-19
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i t h unprecedente d layoffs, salary cuts and closed businesses due to COVID19, Outliers Zone is offering financial literacy capacity building to enable effective budgeting and planning. In a statement the local financial training institute noted that this initiative is targeting persons who are, or have been, experiencing some sort of economic repercussion from the pandemic, especially since the mental impact of reduced income is far reaching for employees, employers and their families. Due to COVID-19, Employee Financial Education Training has become an essential service to aid staff in creating a financial plan to address their reduced or ceased income. There are massive benefits companies can derive from providing an Employee financial training during this time, Outliers Zone noted in its statement. “They (companies) will be helping their employees cope with the economic fallout of COVID-19 by providing integral information that will aid in creating smart choices for the remainder of this crisis. If employees understand basic sound financial principles, they can make better financial choices and recover faster.” More importantly, it was outlined that when employees are less financially stressed, they are likely to be physically and mentally healthier, more productive, more loyal, and less likely to steal from their employers to make ends meet or contemplate suicide. “Now more than ever, is the time for every employer to consider providing financial education training for the good of both employees and the overall company,” the statement added. These sessions are intended to be done virtually and will be facilitated by the Outliers Zone’s team. Outliers Zone conducted an informal study with 200 employees and employers from within the public and private sectors, from small to medium businesses and governmental agencies in Region Four, during the period April-May 2020 on the pandemic’s impact of employees and employers. This informal study revealed the devastating impact of the
pandemic and personal finances. Ninety-one percent of a total of 200 stated that the pandemic is causing them financial issues. The areas found to be causing the most stress are: not having an emergency savings to fall back on (85 percent); inability to pay utilities (65 percent); inability to pay rent/mortgage (55 percent); inability to pay car loans and hire purchase payments (51 percent); no family financial plan to overcome this crisis (85 percent) and fear of losing job with no alternative (70 percent). “Such financial issues impact everyone: Those with household incomes of less than $100,000 per month and those with household incomes over $300,000 per month are equally concerned (85 percent) about their financial situation. The study also shows that 75 percent of Guyanese say they’re ‘very/somewhat worried’ about what their financial situation will be 12 months from now. While 15 percent are ‘very/somewhat optimistic’,” the statement added. Outliers Zone’s study found both good and bad news when talking to employees and employers about how they are managing their personal finances during the crisis. On the good news side, Guyanese are cutting expenses (50 percent) and starting to save (30 per cent). The bad news is 96 percent
Outliers Zone facilitated a financial literacy training session for Parliament office staffers last year. wish they had a financial plan, a budget, multiple streams of income and an emergency savings prior to the pandemic. The financial education sessions are therefore designed to help employees in the following five areas: budget creation, building/rebuilding savings, managing debt, exploring alternative legal sources of income during this time and understanding how to work with lenders and others to obtain hardship adjustment. In the budget creation area, Outliers Zone explained that this caters even to employees who have been faithful budgeters who may find that their budgets no longer work. Moreover, a strong employee financial education programme can help them create a working budget that takes into account current financial i s s u e s . Ta k i n g i n t o consideration the
build/rebuild savings, Outlier Zone revealed that an informal study done showed that nearly 85 percent of Guyanese do not even have three months of income saved, which obviously is a big issue when a financial crisis hits. Learning how to build or rebuild savings is therefore crucial to being prepared for an emergency, while also reducing financial stress. Managing debt is important too since for many employees, the pandemic will leave them unable to meet monthly installments. Determining the best way to pay off this debt will be key to overcoming the financial stress caused by COVID-19, Outliers Zone has proposed. It is clear too that exploring alternative legal sources of income during this time is a requirement for some. The institute has noted the pressures of providing
for families can cause employees to consider d i ff e r e n t m e a n s e v e n through their company to make ends meet. However, helping them create a plan will help to alleviate the panic many are experiencing and understanding how to work with lenders and others to obtain hardship adjustment is needed. Having the right understanding about financial contracts will give employees the confidence to create different payment options for such things as mortgages and other bills, it has deduced. Outliers Zone is a virtual personal financial training
institute dedicated to helping companies provide financial education training to train their employees to break free from the pay cheque-to-pay cheque cycle; reduce the risk of company fraud, salary advances and increase employee productivity. This company has worked with over 15 companies and helped over 1,800 households understand finances and lead more peaceful financial lives. For more information on how to register for June month sessions persons can contact Outliers Zone on 617-0173, or email outliers zone@gmail.com or visit their Facebook page Outliers
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Friday May 29, 2020
Kaieteur News
Kitchen garden initiative being pushed in Region 10 amid COVID-19
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A kitchen garden initiative is being pushed by Region 10 officials even as the country battles the novel coronavirus disease, COVID19. In fact, according to reports, coming out of the Region, the Regional Health and Emergency Committee (RHEC) has stressed the importance of residents embracing the venture with urgency. Regional Agricultural Officer, Deryck Collins, has, moreover, appealed for persons to maximize the opportunities that this can provide during COVID-19. Collins pointed out that in conducting some surveys and examinations he recognized that some persons were of the view that a kitchen garden requires large land space. In dispelling this notion he said that pots, pans, buckets and even bowls can be used to plant several vegetables. In a demonstration recently hosted at the Region 10 Regional Democratic Council, Collins disclosed that whatever space is available, once organized, can be used to plant. “We must understand that planting, especially in these times, is important as it helps us to return to those days when almost every household had a kitchen garden. We must desist from this concept that farming is not a good thing…planting should be a passion for every Guyanese. It is important to know that a lot of what they are eating would have come from their own yard space. It helps in creating food security and ensures that what you are consuming is of quality,” said Collins. Collins said that he, together with the Regional
REO Orrin Gordon examines a nursery as Regional Agricultural Officer, Deryck Collins, looks on. Executive Officer (REO), Orrin Gordon, and Regional Chairman (RC), Renis Morian, have been at pains over the years trying to convince persons that farming is the way to go and have appealed on numerous occasions for persons to maximize opportunities that it presents. He said that while earlier appeals fell on deaf ears, a number of persons are now beginning to recognize that they may need to turn to kitchen gardens. “This pandemic has brought a positive spinoff in the sense that more persons are eager and determined to start their kitchen gardens as they recognize that accessing fruits and vegetables can be challenging at times. Therefore, we are happy thus far with the increased interest being shown and stand ready to lend whatever support that we can to ensure that more persons would start their
kitchen gardens,” he reiterated. REO Gordon in stressing the importance of farming said that with more persons getting into farming, whether on small or large scale, will help to enhance food security. He said that the Region is prepared to offer some seedlings, noting that there are adequate lands that residents can utilize in this regard. “There are still a large amount of produce coming into the region and while at the moment we do not grow enough to adequately sustain our residents, I am still of the view that if more persons get into farming through their kitchen garden and farming whatever lands they have, we would no longer require people coming in to sell us food. We can do it on our own, but we must be determined and disciplined,” the REO
underscored at a recent RHEC meeting. Meanwhile, Regional Chairman Morian said that the notion that farming is for some persons is one that must be expelled from people’s mind. According to Morian, he too is engaged in planting vegetables and fruits, adding that he dedicates a few hours each day to this. “I still crave everyday going home where I would spend some time in my kitchen garden because the joy comes when I can pick what I would have planted to have it placed in my kitchen. We must understand that this situation that we are faced with provides an opportunity for us all to exploit it by planting, and I hope that the appeal of the Agricultural Officer and the REO would be heeded by persons as we move forward,” he said.
GTT Camp and Robb Streets store for June 1 re-opening After re-opening several of its retail locations to facilitate bill payments and access to services, the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) will be re-opening its Camp and Robb Streets retail location on June 1, 2020, to better serve its customers. The re-opening of this location will pattern itself after the social distancing guidelines implemented at the other GTT stores. This is according to GTT in a statement issued yesterday to the media. Customers entering the store, the statement said, will be asked to abide by the special arrangements which include standing on the markers 4-6 feet apart. Only
10 persons, staff included, would be permitted within the store at any given time. “I want to applaud our customers for so far adhering to these guidelines. This is a challenging period for us all, but we are in this together and the safety of both staff and customers is important to us as we continue to provide service,” said PR Manager at GTT, Jasmin Harris. “Our Camp and Robb location will be opened from 8AM to 3:30PM – Monday to Friday only – and priority will be given to seniors and essential workers between 8:00 AM to 9:00 AM,” she added. Harris reminded customers of the different payment options available to
GTT’s Jasmin Harris GTT customers, which include Mobile Money Guyana (MMG) and My GTT platforms as alternative means to pay their GTT bills online and in keeping with the immediate need for physical distancing where possible. In May, after weeks of
closing its retail locations nationwide, GTT re-opened its 55 Brickdam, Fogarty’s, Beterverwagting (BV), New Amsterdam, Linden, and Essequibo locations to facilitate direct interaction to meet the needs of their customers.
Friday May 29, 2020
Release of death certificate to Coalition…
Relatives demand explanation from GRO The relatives of Chitnandani Ramdass, the Region Two woman who died on June 6, 2015 that the APNU+AFC claimed voted at the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections has written to the Registrar General, Louis Crawford, demanding an explanation for the unauthorized release of her death certificate in the media. Through his Attorney, Glenn Hanoman, the dead woman’s son, Puran Manbode, has written to the Registrar General of the General Registrar Office (GRO) to provide copies of the application form requesting the death certificate; information on the identity of the person/ s who requested the death certificate and copies of the payment of the $300 fee for the document. The claim was made by APNU+AFC counting agent, Ganesh Mahipaul, in a Guyana Chronicle article complete with an image of a copy of the woman’s death certificate as ‘evidence’ of her voting at the March 2 polls. The Coalition alleged that serial number 257 (Ramdass) was ticked off on the list indicating that the person voted although he/she was deceased. This publication understands that there is no evidence to support the claims that someone voted for the woman. The letter, seen by this publication, states that even after the allegation was proven to be untrue, “it has not stopped political agents of the APNU+AFC from distributing his mother’s certificate to the media.” Coalition Executive, Amna Ally had told the media that a death certificate could be easily accessed at the GRO’s office after paying a fee of $300. It was pointed out that to access someone’s personal records would be indi-
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Kaieteur News
Original copy of Chitnandani Ramdass’ death certificate rect conflict with law however, the Coalition cited the Registration of Births and Deaths Act which says “Everyone shall be entitled, on payment of the fees prescribed by the Minister by order, to search the indices between the hours of ten o’ clock in the morning and four o’clock in the afternoon of every day except on public holidays and Saturdays, and to have extracted therefrom a sealed certificate of birth in Form 4 or a sealed certificate of death in Form 5, as the case may be.” Hanoman in his letter, however, cited the Section 33 (3) of the Access to Information Act 2011 of Guyana which says “A document referred to in subsection (1) shall not be released without the notarized consent of the person who is the subject of the information in the document. Pursuant to subsection (6), in the case of a deceased person, only his next of kin
can give consent to access.” That very argument was made by former Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, who stated that for the party to be in possession of “countless” death certificates to be used as evidence would be in direct conflict with the law. In an interview with this publication, grand-daughter of the late Ramdass [name withheld] stated that she did not issue permission to the party to obtain a copy of the death certificate at no time. Family members had even published the woman’s original death certificate on a social media platform. The copy that was published by the party was obtained on January 30, 2020 while the original death certificate was issued to the family on September 6, 2017. Notably, it did not bare the identification number for the dead woman while the original contained the same.
Two days left for recount and no decision on extension With merely two days left for the National Recount at the Arthur Chung Conference Center (ACCC), the Commissioners of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), despite meeting for hours on Thursday have made no headway on a decision for the extension of the 25-day timeline for the process. The Commission was expected to make a definitive decision at their meeting yesterday but, according to Commissioner Vincent Alexander, “for all intents and purposes” GECOM is looking at June 13 as the end date for the recount exercise.” “You never know things could change but that is where we are at,” he told reporters outside of the ACCC. The politically nominated Commissioners, according to Alexander, are currently “stuck” on key issues emerging out of the recount process.Alexander stated that while the order speaks to a revision of the timeline at the end of the first week, others are attempting to “prescribe new dates” into the order that were not previously provided for. “So the order says we will have an exercise, a recount that will take 25 days and that within a week’s time, we will have a review and, like I said, it is an ongoing review but there are attempts now to specify a date of declaration and things like that,” Commis-
Commissioner Vincent Alexander
sioner Alexander explained. He pointed out that the main contention being made is for an extension date that will not provide time for the consideration of the Observation Reports (ORs). Throughout the recount process, GECOM had accumulated a heap of ORs, most emanating from the APNU+AFC Coalition. These contain allegations of foreign voters, dead voters, missing polls books and unstamped ballots. Alexander stressed that GECOM cannot determine the credibility of the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections without reviewing the documents and maintained that sufficient time is
needed for the examination of the ORs. “We are going to have in addition to the 10 tabulations, which have to be brought together into one tabulation, 10 observation reports and those have got to be discussed and it takes time. If you see what we have been coming up with in terms of volume, it will take time and what people are attempting to get us to do is to write into the order a conclusion date that will obviously interfere with a thorough and conclusive discussion of what is in the observation reports.” The Commission is scheduled to meet again today at 10:30am.
Speed boat mishap
Relief For Heavily Indebted Countries Like Jamaica Needed Now, Urges UN Head The Gleaner - Unless the world is unified in its outlook, the COVID-19 pandemic will cause unimaginable suffering across the world, Antonio Guterres, United Nations Secretary General has warned. He was addressing a highlevel virtual meeting of world leaders, co-convened with Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.Holness described the pandemic as a “wake-up call for the international community to reinvigorate a comprehensive system of global economic governance, one that can cope with global dis-
ruptions while promoting inclusive development.” He remarked that without such strategic response amid declining economic growth and increasing uncertainty, the social and economic fallout could persist. Holness further said that access to liquidity support for developing countries that can least withstand shocks to their respective economies is key.“But the bigger challenge for the international financial system is to channel public private credit flows into productive, inclusive developmental capital formation,” said Holness.Guterres stated
that the pandemic has demonstrated the fragility of the globe.“Despite all the technological and scientific advances of recent decades, we are in an unprecedented human crisis because of a microscopic virus,” he said. Solidarity He highlighted the importance of solidarity at this time as the world confronts the potential ravages of the global economic system and its impact on respective countries.Guterres said that some 60 million more people could fall into extreme poverty and that there could be a loss (Continued on page 18)
Several persons reportedly escaped with minor injuries yesterday after a speed boat in which they were travelling crashed into a river bank at Tamaki, Mazaruni River, Region Seven. More details of the incident will be provided in a later edition.
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Friday May 29, 2020
Kaieteur News
Nandlall says ... No
legal pathway for GECOM to annul elections
People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Executive, Anil Nandlall, last evening said that there is no legal pathway for the annulment of the March 2, General and Regional Elections by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), before a declaration is made. In fact, Nandlall, who is an attorneyat-law, stated that only the High Court holds the power to exercise such. During an engagement with the press outside of the Arthur Chung Conference Center (ACCC), he specifically stated that, “An election can only be annulled by the Court. GECOM is the institution holding the elections; GECOM can’t convert itself into a judge and jury and judge itself. You have a problem with how GECOM acted, you have to go to the Court and the Court annuls it. There is no provision in the law at all for GECOM to deal with disputes,” Nandlall said to the press last evening.
General Secretary of the PPP/C, Bharrat Jagdeo, had initially opined that the governing coalition is attempting to get GECOM to annul the March 2 Elections, as the Coalition had begun to raise many objections during the Recount. Why would APNU+AFC want the elections annulled? Jagdeo believes it is because the coalition knows it lost the elections, and that it does not want the actual results to be considered and accepted by GECOM as official. It maybe puzzling to some that APNU+AFC would want to have the elections annulled, since the party has maintained that it won the elections. But Jagdeo maintained that the Coalition lost the Elections, and that Region Four Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo, was part of a Coalition-sponsored attempt to rig the elections to make APNU+AFC the victor. Nandlall said that
PPP/C Executive, Anil Nandlall Mingo’s manipulation of those results is the only fraud that occurred. This manipulation was verified by Kaieteur News and illustrated to have occurred for 24 boxes thus far. Notably, the Coalition has thus far been making unsubstantiated claims of rigging by the PPP/C. But Commissioner Vincent Alexander had said that if the claims of fraud are proven and the proven claims are so many, that they over-
Government- nominated commissioner, Vincent Alexander
take the margin of victory, then GECOM would have to consider this in its decisionmaking. GECOM writes Immigration over Coalition’s claims of ‘foreign voters’ Meanwhile, Chair of the GECOM, Justice (ret’d) Claudette Singh has written to the Chief Immigration Officer, seeking to verify the allegations of foreign voters, as being put forward by the
Bouterse asks for recount as Opposition claims fraud From page 13 nothing wrong and that no boxes had been taken. But Brunswijk told reporters that he insisted on checking a certain area in the stadium in the presence of a senior police officer where they found open ballot boxes with official reports. Brunswijk said he then demanded that the boxes be put back in the hall, where they were sealed with adhesive tape. Leader of the Progressive Reform Party (VHP), the largest party in the opposition, Chandrikapersad (Chan) Santokhi, a former justice minister, as well as the leader of the National Party of Suriname (NPS), Gregory Russia and the Pertjajah Luhur (PL) leader, Paul Somohardjo, have all called for the OBK to ensure that supervisors were stationed at the stadium. Santokhi, whose VHP party has won 21 of the 51 seats in the elections on Monday, according to the preliminary results released so far, said “it is the people’s voices that are being stolen now”. A former Justice Minister, he said the opposition parties no longer have confidence in Nerkust as chairman of the main polling station in Paramaribo. Meanwhile, Van Dijk-Silos said she is prepared to publish the original official reports of all polling stations even as the Ministry of the Interior (BIZA) yesterday said it is still awaiting the official reports from 64 polling stations
in the capital, Paramaribo, “Once the Ministry of the Interior has received the information from the main polling station, it will be processed on the special website for the informal results,” the Ministry said in a statement. Media reports said that the counting has not yet resumed. But the OBK official said by failing to immediately announce the voting result, the polling stations as well as BIZA have violated the law. She said all that needs to be done is to check and process the official reports and then arrive at the official determination of the election results by the Central Electoral Committee after the OKB has given its approval. “BIZA has nothing to do and should not wait for processed figures. That is purely a matter for the main polling station waiting for processed figures,” she said, adding “the raw material – and those are the official reports – has to go straight to the media, which gives the community a preliminary result, which cannot change much in the official determination. “For me, this is the biggest blunder of the ministry that considers the figures as his property. The raw figures are from the public, political parties and other stakeholders such as OKB. “I have photographed all the raw material and we are sorting it by constituency and by resorts, in case the results of the main polling stations are still in doubt. It is repre-
hensible that two days after the election the preliminary results per polling station are not yet known,” she said adding that the Ministry should have made the necessary requirements to ensure that the counting of the ballots are completed. Van Dijk-Silos said she cannot accept that the Ministry has indicated that its processing team needed rest. “As an organization, you should know that you have to work shifts in elections. The announcement reflects the ministry’s incompetence in this area and it now wants to make things right. It remains incomprehensible to me that the ministry does not immediately get the results of the polling stations, has given up to the media. “ OAS Criticised The OKB chairman has also criticised the observer team from the OAS over its comments regarding a meeting she had on Monday with President Bouterse, and several other people. During the meeting, the OKB chairman, informed Bouterse and the other representatives of political parties of the decision by the independent body to extend voting by two hours. She said she did not want Bouterse to be informed of the decision through the media and that the OAS Observer Team had described the deliberations as “worrisome”, given that Bouterse was a candidate in the election. Bouterse’s ruling National
Democratic Party (NDP) which had won 27 seats in 2015 election to form the government, has so far won 15 seats this time around according to the preliminary results. “Such an interaction may suggest that his special access to information and decision-making process gives him an unfair and differentiated advantage over other candidates,” she wrote in her preliminary election report. “I do not agree with the OAS and I seriously blame them. The Electoral Act states that the OKB reports to the President. Who else should I contact or who should I inform?” she said, adding “”they (OAS) come to observe, have had all the laws beforehand and have not studied the laws, otherwise they would know that the OKB chairman reports to the President. It is in the law.” Van Dijk-Silos said the OAS Mission is allowed to have its private opinion, making mention of past examples when she reported to then President Ronald Venetiaan. “He was a candidate at the time, too. Then it wasn’t a problem. They shouldn’t be falsely accusing or insinuating influence. I can’t be influenced. It’s also an insult to me. I’m not an ox on a leash of people,” Van Dijk-Silos said, adding that she has since informed the OAS delegation of her displeasure. She said the Ministry of the Interior has also been informed.
APNU+AFC. This is according to Commissioner Vincent Alexander during an engagement, too, with the press last evening outside of the national recount Centre at Liliendaal. Nandlall, speaking on behalf of the PPP/C, has expressed disagreement with GECOM taking this line of action, or any other which would seek to determine whether fraud occurred on Election Day. The lawyer pointed to the Constitution of Guyana, specifically Article 163, which explicitly stipulates that “… the High Court shall have exclusive jurisdiction to determine any question… either generally or in any particular place, an election has been lawfully conducted or the result thereof has been, or may have been, affected by any unlawful act of omission.” On Sunday last, Nandlall had stated that “The Chairperson, by inviting evidence, is not only lending credence to those allegations, but the Chairperson is now expanding the scope of this recounting exercise far outside its parameters and that is wrong; it is unlawful,” Nandlall expressed. He went on to say that if GECOM goes out of the scope of that recount then the com-
mission would be exceeding its jurisdiction, and encroaching on that of the Court. Following the commencement of the national recount exercise, which was initiated some 24 days ago, the APNU+AFC coalition claims to have knowledge of thousands of dead and foreign Guyanese who voted for the March 2, General and Regional Elections. Kaieteur News had recently reported that the coalition has no intention of proving a majority of its claims of election irregularities, specifically with those voters who were out of the jurisdiction on E-Day. Executive of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), Aubrey Norton, had indicated that the party expects GECOM to investigate to determine whether the claims are factual, hence GECOM’s decision to write to the immigration chief. According to Alexander, the Chief Immigration Officer has the obligation to provide the information that is requested by Justice (ret’d) Singh. GECOM not in breach of constitution - Commissioner Furthermore, questions were raised with Alexander regarding whether GECOM may be in breach of its powers by probing the election regularities, as posited by Nandlall. “That is not the considered opinion of GECOM,” Alexander said in response, while noting that, “GECOM is operating under this considered opinion, and those who may have a different opinion have an equal right to have that opinion determined in the right place.” Alexander is of the firm view that GECOM is not in breach of the Constitution with regards to its powers.
Relief For Heavily Indebted... From page 17 upward of $8.5 trillion in global output, the largest decline since the Great Depression of the 1930s. “A key aspect of solidarity is financial support. I welcome the swift actions that have already been taken by the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank Group, the regional development banks and other international financial institutions and the G20. But many developing countries lack the means to fight the pandemic, and to invest in recovery,” he said. Guterres stated that the rush to safety has triggered a drainage of capital from some key emerging economies and
that other countries have seen their fiscal space reduced by the virtual standstill of economic activity. “This is where the health crisis meets the economic crisis, in a dangerous nexus that could prolong and deepen both,” he said.“I recently had the opportunity to visit several Caribbean and Pacific islands – middle-income countries that have made steady economic progress, despite being on the frontlines of the climate crisis. Thanks to early and decisive action, they have largely been spared the health impact of COVID-19. But many are heavily indebted, and their economies are now in free fall,” he added.
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Boxing & MMA to return to Las Vegas
Tyson Fury’s win over Deontay Wilder in February was one of the last big nights’ of boxing before Las Vegas shut down
Friday May 29, 2020 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) This is a good day for getting out of the trenches and into the air for a fresh, new perspective on a situation, Aries. Don't dwell on things beneath or behind you. Keep looking up. TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) Don't twiddle your thumbs today waiting for someone else to make the first move. The burning restlessness inside you is a clear sign that things have to happen. GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Keep yourself open to all the possibilities that the day brings, Gemini. You'll be surprised at the incredible opportunities that come your way when you stop judging people and their actions. CANCER (June 21–July 22) Make sure there's an equal amount of give and take in your day. Sometimes when you love someone, you just want to keep giving and giving to demonstrate your incredible love. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) You may be at a point where you just want to stop and rest, Leo. This is the time to do so. You deserve a break, so take this day and enjoy yourself. The more of yourself that you share with others, the more respect you'll gain from them. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Don't let things bother you, Virgo. Have confidence that you're on the right track. Your strong will and erratic habits will prove quite effective on a day like today, when things are floundering and indecision abounds.
LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Frolic in a wide-open field today. Pick some wildflowers and put them in a vase on your kitchen table. If you can't leave the house or go beyond the back yard, do something equivalent to frolicking and picking. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Tap into the electrifying energy of a day that encourages safe, appropriate social interactions and activities, Scorpio. You'll find plenty of oxygen to keep your internal fire raging. SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Social contact may be limited to Zoom conversations and waving to masked strangers on the street, but the factors of risk and reward are still in play. CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) Take off to the stars today, and keep your mind and heart open to all that's possible when you have faith in yourself and the work you do. Mastery of a skill comes when you have the guts to always take it to the next level. AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) The masculine and feminine sides of your personality should be working together well today, Aquarius. The key is to keep the energy moving. Try not to stagnate on any one issue. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) There is power in your words today, Pisces, along with a great deal of emotional self-confidence. Things may be moving rapidly, but you have the strength and swiftness of mind to keep up.
BBCsport - Boxing and mixed martial arts events will return to Las Vegas from this weekend after the Nevada state authorities lifted a combat sports ban. All events will take place behind closed doors as part of measures to combat the spread of coronavirus. The first MMA event is tomorrow’s UFC card at the Apex, headlined by Tyron Woodley and Gilbert Burns’ welterweight match. The first boxing event is expected to be a Top Rank promotion on 9 June. Combat sports had been suspended in the state since 14 March. UFC has already returned to action after an enforced hiatus with three behindclosed-doors events in Jacksonville, Florida. All fights will feature protocols to limit the risk of coronavirus spreading. In the United Kingdom, proposed measures before a planned July return to action have included trainers in fighters’ corner wearing protective masks and no ring announcers.
IOC says record high... positions are held by women, up from 45.4% in 2019. “Since 2013, as a result of Olympic Agenda 2020, female participation in the IOC commissions has more than doubled (coming from 20% in 2013),” a statement said. Eleven of the IOC’s commissions now have female chairs with Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul, IOC member in Thailand, heading up the Culture and Olympic Heritage Commission and China’s former Olympic speed skating champion Zhang Hong chairing the newlyformed IOC Coordination Commission for the 4th Winter Youth Olympic Games Gangwon 2024. “Advancing women in leadership roles in sport is truly a team effort, and I want to thank all those who have contributed to this for their continued support, commitment and inspiration,” IOC President Thomas Bach said in a statement. “There is always more that can be done, and we can make progress only if we work on this together.”
Boston Marathon cancelled because of COVID-19 Reuters - The Boston Marathon, originally scheduled to be held in April and then postponed until September because of the COVID-19 pandemic, has now been cancelled for the first time in its history, organisers said yesterday. The race, held annually since 1897, is the world’s most prestigious marathon and generally draws over 30,000 runners from all over the world. “Our top priority continues to be safeguarding the health of the community, as well as our staff, participants, volunteers, spectators, and supporters,” Tom Grilk, chief executive of the Boston Athletics Association, which manages the Boston Marathon, said in a news release. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said on Twitter the race, whose field attracts decorated professionals and Olympians to amateur runners, was not feasible this year. “While our goal and our hope is to make progress
in containing the virus and recovering our economy, this kind of event would not be responsible or realistic on September 14 or any time this year,” said Walsh. The 26.2-mile race (42km), which extends from the suburb of Hopkinton to downtown Boston, is the first of the six World Marathon Majors to be cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak, which brought live sports to a standstill in mid-March. The Tokyo Marathon went ahead on March 1 with elite runners only, London was postponed to Oct. 4 from April 26 and Berlin organisers said the race will not got ahead in September but did not specify if it would be postponed or cancelled altogether. The Chicago Marathon and New York City Marathon have not announced any changes to hold their events in October and November, respectively. The 2021 Boston Marathon is scheduled for April 19.
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World Rugby approves law trials to reduce coronavirus risk BBCsport - Drastically reducing the number of scrums during a game, removing the choke tackle, limiting numbers in the maul and speeding up rucks are among 10 optional law trials approved by World Rugby to help reduce the risk of coronavirus transmission in the sport. A number of hygiene procedures for training and matches have also been formally recommended by rugby union’s world governing body. Implementation of the measures will be at the discretion of individual unions based on the prevalence of the virus in their territory and specific government advice. “We have extensively evaluated the perceived risk areas within the game,” said World Rugby boss Sir Bill Beaumont. The law trials were drawn up after an analysis of 60 matches by the governing body’s Law Review Group, which comprises coaches, players, match officials, medics and law specialists. H o w e v e r, t h e g r o u p decided against compulsory global application of the trials given the variation of coronavirus across n a t i o n s . Wo r l d R u g b y expect the trials to apply
more to the community game than the elite end, where testing is likely to be more widespread, although the introduction of an “orange card” is specific to the professional game. Among the law trials: Removing scrum resets. Taking away the option of a scrum for a penalty, a freekick, or when an attacker is held-up in-goal. Reinforcing high tackle guidelines to reduce face-to-face contact and the introduction of an “orange card” for potential red-card offences. The player is removed with the offence checked by the Television Match Official. If deemed a red card offence, the player doesn’t return. If not, they return after 15 minutes. Removing the choke tackle, with referees calling a “tackle” rather than a “maul”. Awarding a free-kick rather than a scrum for when a team fails to “use it” at a scrum, ruck, or maul. Speeding up rucks by cutting the “use it” time from 5 seconds to 3 seconds. Restricting the number of players who can join a maul and the time spent in the maul. With tight-five forwards considered most at risk of transmission, World Rugby estimate that the changes could reduce scrum contact
The law trials are optional given the variation of coronavirus across nations. exposure by more than 30%, reduce contact exposure at the ruck by around 25%, and reduce maul contact exposure by at least 50%. Hygiene measures being recommended include hand and face sanitisation before and after a match, and ball washing before, during and after games. Where possible, players will be asked to change their kit at half-time, and have been advised to refrain from team huddles and close-contact celebration, as well as spitting and nose
clearance. In training, scrum practice should be against a machine rather than another set of forwards, and hightransmission risk training, such as scrummaging and mauling, should be avoided within 48 hours of a match.
The Rugby Football Union says it “recognises the work World Rugby has done”, but will be issuing its own advice to clubs in due course. “The RFU has its own review under way looking at the options for return to
training and return to play rugby for clubs in England,” said an RFU spokesperson. “When government advice on social distancing measures are lifted, specific RFU guidance will be announced and provided to clubs.”
BBC to show live matches when season resumes in June
Serie A to resume on June 20 following Italian government approval, confirms Sports Minister Vincenzo Spadafora Mailonline - Italy’s Serie A will restart on June 20 after a three-month suspension due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Sports Minister Vincenzo Spadafora confirmed yesterday. Serie A was put on hold on March 9 as part of a nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Clubs in were allowed to return to team training earlier this month - but matches remained some way off following a government decree banning sporting events until June 15. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte signed off a motion on Sunday banning ‘any event and sporting competition of any order and discipline’ until June 14. Spadafora gave the league the all-clear to resume in three weeks time yesterday, although it will have to wait a week longer than it had initially hoped. He added that there was a possibility the resumption of the league, which was suspended on March 9, could be preceded by Italian Cup matches one week earlier. Spadafora made the announcement after a conference call with representatives from the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), the players’ association and the Serie A league. ‘Italy is starting up again and it’s only right that football can also get going,’ he told reporters, adding that the government had approved health measures suggested by the FIGC plus a backup plan in case the league had to be stopped again. ‘In the light of this we can say that the championship can start again on June 20,’ he
The last Premier League game before lockdown was Leicester’s 4-0 win over Aston Villa on 9 March.
Vincenzo Spadafora confirmed the news after a conference call with the authorities. (SIPA USA/PA images) said. ‘There’s then the possibility that the Italian Cup semifinals and final can be played on June 13 and 17.’ If the curve changes and the league has to be stopped again, the Italian football federation has assured me that there exists a plan B - playoffs - and also a plan C leaving the standings as they are. There are 12 rounds remaining in Serie A, plus four matches that were postponed from the 25th round. Juventus, bidding for a recordextending ninth successive Serie A title, has a one-point advantage over Lazio. Third-place Inter Milan are nine points behind Juventus but have played a match less.
Four Premier League games will be broadcast, free to air, live on BBC Sport when the season resumes. It is the first time since the Premier League’s inception in 1992 that games will have been shown live by the BBC. Yesterday it was announced that the league is set to restart on 17 June, subject to government approval. “This opportunity creates an historic moment for the BBC and our audiences,” director of BBC Sport, Barbara Slater said. “At a time when sports fans across the country are in need of a lift, this is very welcome news.” As well as the four live games there will be additional Match of the Day highlight programmes. Every one of the remaining 92 Premier League games will be broadcast live across Sky Sports, BT Sport, BBC Sport or Amazon Prime. Sky Sports will make 25 of the remaining top-flight matches free to air, including the
Barbara Slater, Director, BBC Sport Merseyside Derby on the first weekend of the 19-21 June. The last time a live, top-flight league football match was broadcast on the BBC was during the 1987-88 season.
Friday May 29, 2020
Dressed for French Open, Kvitova wins all-Czech crown on return to action
Czech Republic’s Petra Kvitova poses with Czech Republic’s Karolina Muchova after winning their final match. REUTERS/David W Cerny Prague (Reuters) - World number 12 Petra Kvitova returned to court dressed for the French Open but was happy to triumph in the women’s draw at an all-Czech tournament yesterday as the sports world starts to slowly return from the novel coronavirus shutdown. The Prague tournament played among the top Czech men’s and women’s players but without fans and with ball boys and girls wearing gloves and face masks - was one of the first after professional tennis was suspended in early March as the world went into lockdown to contain the spread of the virus. More tournaments are planned elsewhere, while some exhibition events
without fans have already been played in countries such as Germany and the United States. With the French Open originally set to take place this week, Kvitova wore the clothing collection she had ready for the season’s second Grand Slam. “If there will be the French Open, then Nike has something else for me,” Kvitova, twice Wimbledon champion, said. “I played better every day, so that is very positive,” she added on her return to action. The Prague event was missing world number three Karolina Pliskova and last year’s French Open finalist Marketa Vondrousova. That left Kvitova to take on Karolina Muchova, ranked
26th in the world, in the final where they tapped rackets instead of hands when the match ended. Kvitova did not drop a set in the three-round tournament, beating Muchova 6-3 6-3 in a raindelayed match at a tennis club in the Czech capital. Kvitova last played at the Qatar Open in February where she lost in the final to Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka. Going into this week she had said finding rhythm and playing without fans would be the hardest part about returning. In the men’s draw, 20-year-old Michael Vrbensky beat Zdenek Kolar 6-4 6-7(5) 10-8. The 405th ranked Vrbensky had beaten top seed Jiri Vesely, ranked 65th, in the first round.
“Difficult to stay motivated” - Hockey Coach Fernandes The Guyana Hockey Board (GHB) Men’s Senior Coach, Robert Fernandes, has shared with Kaieteur Sport that the South American Championships which was scheduled for next month in Lima, Peru, has been indefinitely postponed and it is very demotivating for players that a new date for the event has not been announced. The tournament, which would have seen participation by both the GHB’s Senior Men’s and Women’s teams was one of two tournaments that the national teams were scheduled to play in Peru this year; the other being the Pan Am Challenge Cup which was the first to be postponed by the Pan American Hockey
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Federation (PAHF) and relevant stakeholders early last month, following the rapid spread of the coronavirus. Fernandes explained that he has been doing some fitness work with his lads along with a power point presentation every Friday; all keeping in line with the regulations and guidelines governing social distancing but that is not enough to keep the players focused. He further explained, “It’s not an issue of not being able to be out in the field playing but the issue is based on the fact that they don’t know when they will be able to contest in these international tournaments that they have been working very hard to prepare for.” Coach Fernandes acknowledged that the PAHF
and the relevant stakeholders would be monitoring the situation before making a final decision but it is not motivating for the players, something that probably not only for hockey players but many athletes from different disciplines are experiencing. The Level III certified instructor revealed that like many who would have suffered the financial pressure from the pandemic, players are not particularly immune in Guyana and some of them are in survival mode currently. Coach Fernandes posited that right now he is looking to keep his troops interested and occupied with a 30-day skill challenge that is seeing favourable responses from the guys. (Calvin Chapman)
Team Ingebrigtsen takes on Team Cheruiyot in Oslo’s Impossible Games World Athletics - While the Covid-19 outbreak has prevented Wanda Diamond League meetings from going ahead in their usual fashion, the Oslo Bislett Games has created a unique clash between Team Ingebrigtsen and Team Cheruiyot as part of the ‘Impossible Games’ on 11 June. Racing over 2000m, the Ingebrigtsen brothers – Henrik, Filip and Jakob – will run at the Bislett Stadium, while world 1500m champion Timothy Cheruiyot and 2017 world champion Elijah Manangoi will form part of ‘Team Cheruyitot’ and will run in Nairobi. The race will be shown on international TV as a split screen competition and is named ‘The Maurie Plant Memorial’ in honour of the Australian athletics agent who passed away in January. “This will be the first virtual race at such a level in the history of athletics,” said meeting director Steinar Hoen. “Maurie loved middledistance running and he loved Bislett,” added Hoen. “But he also loved nontraditional arrangements of events. In his earlier years, serving the athletics family, he was the mastermind behind countless matches between countries around the world. Our idea is to honor him with such an event which is completely in line with everything he loved.” Both teams will start with five runners and will have to
Timothy Cheruiyot wins the 1500m at the Diamond League meeting in Monaco (Philippe Fitte) © Copyright finish with three. The winner of the match will be the team with the best overall time for three runners. Individual times will count as well, and the Ingebrigtsen brothers will have one eye on the European record of 4:51.39 held by Steve Cram, who will be commentating on the race. “Athletics Kenya is fully supportive of this creative idea from the Oslo DL,” added Athletics Kenya President Jackson Tuwei. “Serious racing within a safe environment while also entertainment for avid athletics fans the world over is to be welcomed. Our
planning has begun, and we thank Oslo for involving us.” Several other big names were announced at today’s press conference. In the pole vault, Mondo Duplantis will take on his predecessor as world record-holder Renaud Lavillenie. World champion Daniel Stahl will compete in the discus, while two-time world 400m hurdles champion Karsten Warholm will attempt to break the world best in the 300m hurdles. The women’s 300m hurdles will be a threeway clash between European champion Lea Sprunger, Olympic silver medallist Sara Slott Petersen and Norwegian record-holder Amalie Iuel.
African running stars to take part in virtual marathon BBCsport - Athletics superstars Eliud Kipchoge, Kenenisa Bekele, Joshua Cheptegei and Geoffrey Kamworor are to take part in a worldwide virtual team relay marathon next month. The marathon, which will take place between 6 and 7 June, is open to all athletics fans worldwide. An initiative of the NN Running team, MA RA TH ON is a virtual team relay marathon race where people around the world can form a team of four to cover the marathon distance. Each individual runner covers 10.5k so the team completes a full marathon together, alone. This allows participants to safely run solo in their own locations while running in a team via the virtual standings.
“I can say that myself and my teammates are really looking forward to join the relay in this wonderful initiative,” said Kipchoge, the world marathon record holder. “It has been an unusual time whereby all runners had to readjust their plans after having prepared well towards their own goals for this past
spring season. “We all look forward to a positive future and I believe that this a great first step in that direction. Marathon is a sport whereby elite athletes and fun runners are actually all racing in the same race. It’s what makes our sport unique and I find the essence of this to be beautiful.”
IOC says record high female representation on commissions London (Reuters) - The International Olympic Committee (IOC) says women now account for almost half of the membership of its various
commissions, an all-time high in the organisation’s drive for gender equality. Across the 30 IOC commissions, 47.7% of the (Continued on page 19)
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CA hopeful of Windies tour amidst Hall delays Bryant’s enshrinement COVID-19 threat ceremony due to COVID-19 Melbourne, Australia, CMC – Cricket Australia have pencilled West Indies into its summer programme and says they are confident they can pull off the itinerary amidst the threat posed by the COVID-19 global pandemic. In the itinerary released Thursday, Cricket Australia have scheduled the Windies for three Twenty20 Internationals from October 4-9, with India to follow immediately afterwards in another three-match series. The games represent part of Australia’s preparation for the T20 World Cup set to bowl off here from October 18 to November 15 but which remains under a cloud due to the coronavirus outbreak. Cricket Australia chief executive, Kevin Roberts, said the governing body had been encouraged by the way authorities here had managed the pandemic. “While acknowledging the difficulty in navigating a global pandemic, we are nonetheless encouraged by the progress Australia is making in combatting the coronavirus and the positive impact that is having on our ability to host an exciting summer of cricket in 2020-21,” Roberts said. “We know that circumstances or events beyond our control could mean that the final
schedule potentially may look different to the one released today, but we’ll be doing everything we can to get as much international cricket in as possible this summer. We will communicate any changes to the schedule if or when they are required.” No cricket has been staged globally in nearly three months after governments across the world scrambled to lock down their respective borders, to mitigate against the spread of the virus. Australia was among the first countries to initiate lockdowns back in March and Prime Minister Scott Morrison said this week the borders were unlikely to reopen “anytime soon”. The country has recorded 7 155 infections and 103 deaths. Roberts said Cricket Australia’s summer programme, which also includes a one-day series against Zimbabwe in August and a women’s one-day and T20 series against neighbouring New Zealand in September/ October, would only go ahead once the environment remained safe. “We are engaged in ongoing discussions with federal and state governments, our venues and the touring nations to continually understand and monitor the situation in front of us, which is evolving every day,” he explained. “We’ll continue to act in accordance with public health advice and government protocols to ensure the safety of the public, players and support staff.”
FIFA serves notice it will defend itself against TTFA in local court Port of Spain, Trinidad, CMC – FIFA has signaled it will defend itself against a legal challenge filed by the former executive of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA), by filing an entry of appearance in the High Court here on Tuesday. Football’s world governing body has retained the Port of Spain law firm of Dr Claude Denbow SC. The entry of appearance was filed by instructing attorney Donna Denbow, with Jerome Rajcoomar listed as junior counsel. Ousted TTFA president William Wallace and his team, represented by Dr Emir Crowne and Matthew Gayle, are challenging FIFA’s decision to remove them and appoint a normalisation committee to run the association’s affairs. The Wallace-led executive had initially taken their case to the Switzerlandbased Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) but withdrew the matter earlier this month saying they were not likely to be get a fair hearing, given some of the decisions CAS had taken in the early stages of the case. With FIFA having filed an appearance to claim, it has 28 days from the May 19 date when it was served with notice of the TTFA’s claim, to file a defence. The local football association is seeking the court’s intervention by way of a declaration that FIFA’s removal of the TTFA
FILE PHOTO: A mural of late NBA great Kobe Bryant is pictured during the public memorial for him at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, U.S., February 24, 2020. REUTERS/Kyle Grillot/File Photo Reuters - The Basketball Hall of Fame’s enshrinement ceremony for the Class of 2020, a group that includes the late Kobe Bryant, has been delayed until 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to ESPN. The enshrinement ceremony for the ninemember group, which also includes Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett, was scheduled for Aug. 29 in Springfield, Massachusetts. “We’re definitely canceling,” Jerry Colangelo, chairman of the Naismith Memorial Basketball
Hall of Fame, was quoted as saying in the ESPN report. “It’s going to have to be the first quarter of next year. We’ll meet in a couple of weeks and look at the options of how and when and where.” The Hall of Fame did not immediately respond when asked by Reuters via email on Thursday (yesterday) to confirm the report. According to ESPN, Colangelo also said there will be separate ceremonies for the Class of 2020 and the Class of 2021, even though both events will be held in the
calendar year 2021. “We won’t be combining them,” he told ESPN. “The Class of 2020 is a very special class and deserves its own celebration.” Bryant, one of the most dominant players in NBA history, was killed with his daughter and seven others in a January helicopter crash. Fourth all-time in NBA scoring, Bryant played for the Los Angeles Lakers during an illustrious 20-year career highlighted by five NBA championships, two NBA Finals MVPs and one league MVP.
Cavendish’s Tour chances hit by season suspension, says Ellingworth William Wallace executive, which was elected to office on November 24, 2019, is null, void and of no legal and/or binding effect; a permanent injunction preventing FIFA from interfering in, and/or seeking to override the fair and transparent democratic processes of the TTFA and/ or from attempting removing the duly elected executive from office; and a permanent injunction preventing FIFA and/or its agents and/or assigns and/or servants from interfering in the day-to-day management of the TTFA, including the association’s bank accounts and real property. FIFA said it removed the executive because of mounting and potentially crippling debt, insisting that the local body faced “a very real risk of insolvency and illiquidity” and urgent action was required. The TTFA stands to be suspended as a result of taking FIFA to the local courts, as Article 64 of the
Dr Claude Denbow SC
Dr Emir Crowne FIFA statutes prohibits member associations from taking internal disputes, or disputes affecting Leagues, members of Leagues, clubs, members of clubs, players, officials and other Association Officials to ordinary courts of law. It provides for disputes to be taken for arbitration before CAS or to an independent and duly constituted arbitration tribunal recognised under the rules of the Association or Confederation.
Reuters Mark Cavendish’s chances of being selected to race at this year’s Tour de France have been hit by the COVID-19 pandemic as he has not had time to prove his form and fitness, Bahrain-McLaren general manager Rod Ellingworth said. Cavendish, who has won 30 Tour de France stages, has struggled with injuries the last couple of years and missed the 2019 Tour after being left out of the Dimension Data squad. With the cycling season on hold due to the coronavirus outbreak, Cavendish, who joined Bahrain-McLaren on a one-year deal last October, has been denied the opportunities to prove his form and fitness. “He doesn’t have automatic selection and he doesn’t want it,” Ellingworth, who previously worked with Cavendish at British Cycling, told British media. “We made an agreement that if he was winning races that would be enough to go to the Tour. Unfortunately that changes, and with so little racing beforehand it cuts his chances of being able to
FILE PHOTO: Cycling - Dimension Data rider Mark Cavendish of Britain. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe prove he’s back at a decent level.” Ellingworth said his team would be targeting the yellow jersey once the Tour begins but that would not prevent Cavendish, who is chasing Belgian Eddy Merckx’s record of 34 stage wins, from staking his claim for a spot on the team. “Technically he’s one of the best sprinters in the world,
and if he’s got the form he’s proved many times he can do it with or without a lead-out train,” Ellingworth added. “Mark brings a lot of value to the team, just in terms of his mindset and his goalsetting.” The Tour de France had been scheduled to start on June 27 but was pushed back to Aug. 29 due to the outbreak.
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Concacaf E-Learning Academy, an Lusignan Golf Club gives opportunity to continue developing Hampers to Caddies the game Jason Roberts
Miami, Florida – While the COVID-19 crisis has halted football on the field, Concacaf has been able to effectively pivot to provide a new E-Learning Academy, which was launched on April 15 and is already in use by all 41 Member Associations. “With the global pandemic that we have, it is an unfortunate situation for us, so it was important to try to engage with all of these coaching educators, all of the technical staff, which under the auspices of the Member Associations, are the technical directors who build the technical football programs of each of our federations,” said Concacaf Director of Development Jason Roberts in an exclusive interview with Concacaf.com. “We have used the online platform to engage them and show them how to use the online platforms. We’ve seen some countries build their own platforms and engage and inspire others in their region. We took this opportunity to work with them, to work on best practices and provide education around developing a team, developing a playing philosophy, leadership style and collaborating with a group. We have seen over 70 technical leaders from all over the Concacaf region participating,” said Roberts. If Roberts had any worry that the use of technology might have proved burdensome for some of the end users, that was quickly put to rest by the response by the associations. “The reality of our region means the logistics and the traveling and the scaling of our coaching education is a challenge. What we’ve also found with the technical platform is the comments people made were: ‘Are we ready to engage with our technical leadership using technology?’ And what we found out in these last couple of months is that they are absolutely ready, inspired, motivated and understand technology and are able to engage with us in this way. “This has provided us with some real opportunity around how we scale, how we get access to more coaches around the region, how we provide best practices. We see
Some of the items that were distributed to the families The COVID 19 has affected the operations of many industries and organisations financially all over the world and the Lusignan Golf Club (LGC) is no different. The club has been closed since the lockdown thereby affecting the livelihood of the Caddies who depended on the little income to support themselves and their families. Knowing the challenging situation the Caddies are faced with, some of the members have come to their rescue by providing
that some of the technical directors who have learned how to use online resources have gained access to some of the presentations and knowledge around some of the key pillars of development that we have discussed, whether that be coaching education, technical development, developing a youth team with a culture or playing style. We have used the online platform to reach out to their coaches and technical leaders, whether they are onisland or in the region or outside the region and start to have those discussions using the online platforms. It is extremely exciting,” said Roberts. Roberts adds that this ELearning Academy will also have a very positive impact on Concacaf’s NextPlay and Concacaf W initiatives. “We’ve been extremely excited about what we’ve been able to do with NextPlay and with the Concacaf W platform, where we have been reaching out to the coaches who were part of our Women’s Under-20 c o m p e t i t i o n . We ’ v e reviewed the tournament, we’ve looked at trends, we’ve looked at the development of the women’s game, how the learnings from that event can help us build more insight from those coaches who have been part of the competition but also share best practices and knowledge with those who have participated in the development the women’s game across the region,” said Roberts. The advent of Concacaf ’s E-Learning
Academy has coincided with the recent launch of the Concacaf Center of Refereeing Excellence, which was spearheaded by Concacaf Director of Refereeing Brian Hall. The synergy between Concacaf’s Development and Refereeing departments on the construction of their respective online platforms has exemplified the collaboration spirit that abounds within Concacaf. “I think as an organization we’ve been very strategic in what we’ve done. We have a chance to do something unique in this space of online education. I also think other people, stakeholders and such, people’s attitudes about being online has changed. People recognize that there is potentially a shift in the way that we engage with each other. I think it will become a new normal in the working environment and we aim to be as ahead as much as possible in those advancements,” concluded Roberts.
monetary and other donations towards hampers. A total of 30 Caddies and ten (10) less fortunate families within the Lusignan area benefitted from the hampers over the weekend. They expressed gratitude for the gift and thanked the members for their generosity. The Management Committee of LGC is expressing thanks to their members who contributed towards the hampers with special mention to Hilbert Shields and Pandit Haresh who initiated the process.
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