Guyana Times -- Friday, July 31, 2020

Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Issue No. 4363

FRIDAY, JULY 31, 2020

US slaps visa restrictions on more senior Guyanese officials …vows to “act” until Granger’s coalition accepts recount results Page 3

Another unanimous dismissal

COA rejects APNU/AFC supporter’s appeal against validity of recount order Pages 7 & 17

…as GECOM sets meeting for Sunday

Appellate Judge, Justice Dawn Gregory

Appellate Judge, Justice Rishi Persaud

Confusion reigns as Appeal must not COA stays dismissal be abused of APNU/AFC to defer the will supporter’s appeal of the people – See story on page 8

…Jagdeo calls on GECOM OAS Secretary to act with urgency General See story on page 17

Justice must never be tied to political affiliation – Justice Sewnarine-Beharry Page 7

...cites former Chancellor in maiden COA ruling

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

"I will abide” by GECOM Chair’s declaration – Granger P15

Curfew extended to August 15

P13

…as 3 new COVID-19 cases recorded, 196 active

Granger claims ignorance of cost to convert hotel into COVID-19 P10 hospital …as flood-prone facility commissioned

5-year-old girl stabbed by mother’s friend who then committed P17 suicide Crowd gathers at Granger’s former home seeking COVID-19 relief

P14

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FRIDAY, JULY 31, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

NEWS

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FRIDAY, JULY 31, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Friday, July 31 – 02:30h-04:00h and 14:30h-16:00h and Saturday, August 1 – 03:00h-04:30h and 14:30h-16:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Friday, July 31 – 14:10h-15:40h and Saturday, August 1 – 15:00h-16:30h.

US slaps visa restrictions on more senior Guyanese officials …vows to “act” until Granger’s coalition accepts recount results

FERRY SCHEDULE

Parika and Supenaam departure times - 05:00h, 11:00h and 16:00h daily

WEATHER TODAY Expect sunshine during the day interrupted by thundery showers in the mid-morning and afternoon hours. Clear to partly cloudy skies are expected in the evening. Temperatures should range between 21 degrees Celsius and 31 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East North-Easterly to South SouthWesterly between 1.78 metres and 2.68 metres.

High Tide: 14:10h reaching a maximum height of 2.29 metres.

Low Tide: 07:38h and 19:58h reaching minimum heights of 0.80 metre and 0.94 metre.

COMMODITIES Indicators

US$

Change %

Crude Oil

$42.94/barrel

-1.89

Rough Rice

$208.17 /ton

+0.30

London Sugar

$368.20/ton

+0.88

Live Spot Gold

USD Per Ounce

Bid/Ask

$1971.10

$1972.10

Low/High

$1967.90

$1973.50

Change

+13.90

+0.71%

Acting Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Western Affairs of the US State Department, Michael Kozak

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he United States Government on Thursday announced more visa restrictions for senior Guyanese officials who are undermining democracy.

This was revealed by acting Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Western Affairs of the US State Department, Michael Kozak, during a teleconference.

“On July 15, the Secretary announced the imposition of visa restrictions on individuals responsible for, or complicit in undermining democracy in Guyana. Today, we are acting to prevent additional senior individuals from that country from entering the United States,” Kozak said.

He added that the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo was clear when he said that the Granger Administration and its allies continued to defy the will of the Guyanese people by refusing to accept the vote count.

“The count has been certified as valid by international observers OAS and Caricom, Guyana’s and the Caribbean’s highest courts.

The United States joins the rest of the Region refusing to go along with this farce.

We will continue to act until the Granger Administration accepts the will of Guyanese voters,” Kozak noted.

On July 15, Secretary Pompeo announced that visa restrictions have been imposed on top Guyana Government officials and all others who are involved in undermining Guyana’s democracy.

“Today (July 15) I am announcing visa restrictions on individuals responsible for, or complicit in the undermining of democracy in Guyana. The immediate family members of such persons may also be subject to restrictions,” Pompeo said during a State Department briefing.

“The Granger Government must respect the results of democratic elections and step aside,”

Pompeo further asserted.

In a subsequent tweet, Pompeo said the new visa restrictions imposed on persons involved in electoral fraud sent a clear message of the consequences of subverting democracy and the rule of law.

Meanwhile, two days later, US Ambassador to Guyana, Sarah-Ann Lynch during a virtual media engagement said that the visa restrictions took place immediately.

“People will be informed when they apply for a visa, or if they already have one and they plan to travel to the US. They will be informed that their visa has been revoked,” Lynch said. It was

to undermine democracy in Guyana. She noted that the US was among more than 130 nations under the umbrella of global organisations that are all calling for a swift end to the electoral process based on the recount results. Among those nations and organisations are the Commonwealth; the European Union (EU); the Organisation of American States (OAS) and the Caribbean Community (Caricom), and she said there were bilateral statements from most continents.

She outlined that the recount exercise was supervised by a Caricom observer team, along with local and international observers,

noted that the Consular Section at the US Embassy in Georgetown would inform those persons affected by the visa restrictions.

According to the US envoy, her country is not alone regarding the growing intolerance of the international community over attempts

who have all concluded that the process was transparent and the results deriving from that process must be the basis of a declaration of the winner.

As such, Ambassador Lynch noted that the events that unfolded in Guyana since polling day – March 2,

Caretaker President David Granger

2020 – were “highly disappointing”, and she stressed the need for the will of the Guyanese people to be re-

spected.

With Guyana and the US partnering in the areas of security, governance and prosperity, the diplomat stressed that if the country continued to subvert democracy and the rule of law, then it would pose implicit dangers to the hemisphere.

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FRIDAY, JULY 31, 2020

Views Editor: Tusika Martin News Hotline: 231-8063 Editorial: 231-0544, 223-7230, 223-7231, 225-7761 Marketing: 231-8064 Accounts: 225-6707 Mailing address: Queens Atlantic Investment Estate Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown Email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, marketing@guyanatimesgy.com

Selflessly making sacrifices

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oday is Eid-ul-Adah, a most auspicious day for Muslims across the world. It signifies the ultimate sacrifice the Prophet Ibrahim was willing to make in obedience to God, and embodies humility and generosity -- attributes that are vital to the upliftment of humanity.

Throughout civilisation, mankind has been making sacrifices for personal and societal advancement. Here, in Guyana, our history is inundated with stories about selfless sacrifices made by Guyanese foreparents as they laboured in search of betterment for the generation following them.

That cycle continues, and today none can dispute that parents want the best for their children; a desire they would pursue with unwavering commitment.

These are not mere words, but are inherent in parenthood, as exemplified by the untold and sometimes unrecognised sacrifices they make as that sense of responsibility through hard work remains.

It is not without its difficulties, more so for some than for others. However, on the average, many, locally and across the globe, have unfortunate commonalities which are driven by financial challenges. Despite this, parents and guardians remain steadfast to that responsibility of steering their children towards opportunities for societal upliftment.

This is more profound in the provision of education, and will continue to be something on which they will not compromise, while often masking their sacrifices and formidable challenges with a protective smile. That smile, which hides the pain over the years, becomes one of unbridled joy when success is finally achieved, and is evident every year when National Grade Six Assessment, CSEC and CAPE results are announced.

This year, as Guyana celebrates Eid-ul-Adah, our healthcare workers are also faced with lifechanging decisions as they put their lives at risk to save those who are battling COVID-19.

The challenges healthcare workers – especially doctors and nurses — face daily cannot be underestimated. For this reason, governments and other healthcare partners must continue to make the necessary investments in healthcare workers, to ensure that they have the skills and knowledge, and are well equipped with the resources they need to do their work in a comfortable and safe environment.

Historically as well as presently, doctors and nurses are at the forefront of fighting epidemics and pandemics that threaten health across the globe. As we have seen around the world, they are demonstrating their compassion, bravery and courage as they respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

To equip the world with the nursing workforce it needs, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and its partners have recommended that countries educate and train nurses in the scientific, technological and sociological skills they need to drive progress in primary health care; establish leadership positions, and support leadership development among young nurses; and ensure that nurses in primary health care teams work to their full potential, for example in preventing and managing noncommunicable diseases; and improve working conditions, including through safe staffing levels and fair salaries etc.

Today, locally and further afield, we see the importance of healthcare workers, and we must salute them for their tremendous sacrifices.

Today, as we celebrate Eid-ul-Adah with the Muslim community, a moment must be spent to reflect on those health care workers around the world who selflessly make sacrifices to help those infected and affected by COVID-19.

Eid Mubarak!

Kudos to GECOM as it stamps firm authority in grabbing control of its autonomy

Dear Editor, Eid Mubarak to all celebrating this auspicious day in the Muslim faith. There was trauma at the Court of Appeal drama, which could have caused some to fall in a coma, especially when the star of the show, Attorney Kim Kyte-Thomas, representing GECOM Madam Chair, Ms. Claudette Singh, stood up like a humongous mountain and rebuked, refuted, refused and dismissed the ambiguous question of requesting a stay.

Originally, the request was immediately denied, but afterwards, one day was reluctantly and hesitantly granted. Perhaps, what is a laughing matter is the question of a stay of what?

On a lighter note, did the court evade the answer and left all in the dark? Guyanese are proud with admiration for GECOM’s stand. But, yesterday, as was expected and of no surprise, all three Justices: Dawn Gregory, Priya Sewnarine-Beharry and Rishi Persaud, unanimously threw out the Misenga Jones appeal case against the decision of Chief Justice Roxanne George, making way for the recount votes to be used for the declaration of the result of the March 2nd General and Regional Elections.

Also, the judges ruled that the CEO, Lowenfield, must submit his Section 96 report based on the recount votes, being under the direction of GECOM. The way forward is daunted with dark clouds, without a transparent pathway, especially with a long holiday weekend; but stormy weather is in the forecast, literally and ironically.

Is the next stop the CCJ? Again, it’s anyone’s guess!

One cannot help but wonder if this is the beginning of the end of the 2020 General and Regional Elections, or whether this is merely the end of another beginning.

At this stage in Guyana, nothing should be taken for granted, or left to chance and allow complacency to step in. We have experienced the stubbornness of the Coalition Party to refuse to easily accept the rulings of any of

the courts; to disregard their decisions; to be complicit with their instructions; to be found wanting regarding the Constitution of the country; to flaunt the law of the land; to manipulate and override the standing orders of GECOM; to ignore COVID-19 regulations; to wilfully and maliciously interrupt completion of the election process; to wickedly litigate frivolous and vexatious court applications perpetually; to disrespect the will of the people, and to enforce their own laws based on their personal interpretations and interests.

They have proven not to be trustworthy. Their record speaks for itself, and this mantra is daily reinforced by their back-tracking trail, shifting of the goal posts, lies, deceitful nature, and tongue twisting practices.

This laboriously, longdrawn-out election process is a recent classic reflection to substantiate the above-mentioned statements. They are capable of taking the law into their own hands with the necessary help from the relevant supportive forces. They have scant respect, and total disregard, for dignity and honesty, and for the opinions of any opposing party, internal and external.

To supplement this iteration with the highest disrespect for GECOM, the Madam Chair, Guyana, and all Guyanese, the APNU/AFC Party have again jumped the gun and instituted court litigation against the Madam Chair of GECOM, the honourable Justice (Retired) Ms. Claudette Singh, filing private charges of misconduct in public office even before the COA had an opportunity to make a decision in the conclusion of the Misenga Jones preposterous appeal case.

This definitely is the work of the Devil, playing with fire and people’s lives, well-orchestrated and executed after being carefully and meticulously premeditated.

To complement the impertinent ructions of the APNU/ AFC Party, their hapless leader keeps harping on the GECOM declaration while cowering behind hidden and

unsaid words, and in another breath, fumbling with words, mumbling about his refusal to accept the Election Recount result. His comment on his obligation to observe a declaration unconditionally does not confirm his acceptance of the Madam Chair’s intended declaration.

CARICOM Chairman Dr. Ralph Gonsalves had genuine reasons to ask him to stand up and be a man. Mr. “G,” why don’t you be man enough to say what you mean and mean what you say? Don’t hide behind closed doors and utter useless threats, shooting hot air and being fearful of facing the public at large.

You, sir, your selective appearance, contradictory and abusive statements, and limited audience tells the rest of Guyana that you are not worthy of any type of leadership, and you should bring the curtain down. It is only a coward who lives to fear, not fight, another day. It is time you call it a day; save yourself further embarrassment; protect your name; listen, accept and implement your immediate family’s advice; reread the Holy Book, if you still believe in it or are not afraid to touch and open it; and then, do only the just and right thing now.

One of the best things that happened at the COA yesterday, which brought music to the ears of the people and more of a relief, was to listen to the words of Counsel Kim Kyte-Thomas. She expounded in no uncertain terms and words, stamping GECOM’s firm authority in grabbing control of its autonomy by vocally and thunderously declaring that the matter before the court is “frivolous and vexatious”, and added that it was untenable for GECOM to be detained from its work, and the work of GECOM must be completed.

Hats off to Counsel and Ms. Claudette Singh! By dismissing the case, there is nothing to stop GECOM from proceeding with a declaration, starting with summoning a meeting any time after 3pm today, giving that the one day “stay” would have commenced at 3pm yesterday and expires at 3pm

today. There should be no grace period for any written report, time to study the report, and time to prepare any report. APNU/AFC Party Commissioners and the CEO have used and abused the patience and tolerance, the excuses and uses and the empathy and sympathy of GECOM and its Madam Chair and her privileges, being protégés.

Playing time is over, and the current time is the essence for election solution. GECOM is an independent and constitutional body and the national and international community is aware that these private charges against the GECOM Madam Chair lack any degree of merit, are clueless and false, are raucous and malicious, are delaying tactics to stay in power, are interruptions to the elections process, are again fictitious and vexatious, are meant to aggravate the people of Guyana, and are planted to arouse retaliation.

This matter is of paramount importance, a country is being held to ransom, the people’s future is in jeopardy and held in limbo, people are suffering and starving, falling sick and dying, there is no work for the average Guyanese, crime is taking over as an alternative for survival, basic needs are denied, and the management of COVID-19 is without leadership.

Holiday has to take a back seat, and GECOM has to apply precedence with responsibility. Five months have elapsed and Guyana cannot apply any go-slow method in resolving its issues, and rules and regulations have to be circumvented with practicality and legality, not recklessly ignored or broken. All loopholes have to be plugged, and commonsense must prevail.

It is time for GECOM to unveil that light at the end of the tunnel. Guyana is ready, willing and able to recharge its battery as Guyanese stand awake, firm, united, peaceful, and energised with solar power from the potent sparks of GECOM.

Dear Editor, The court has ruled unanimously in correctly dismissing the appeal of the High Court ruling: that the recount can be used as the basis for the declaration.

The court unanimously ruled that challenges to the actions of GECOM can only be entertained in an election petition. The CCJ, and subsequently the High Court, had similarly ruled earlier this month.

With the appeal out of the way, nothing stops GECOM from going ahead after Emancipation Day and proceeding with the declaration.

In fact, the nation wants this matter to end quickly.

People are fed-up and angry that the declaration got tied up in court. This matter has been going on for too long.

Guyanese I conversed with in the diaspora and in Guyana say they are very frustrated over the lack of a declaration of the outcome of the elections. Interviewers I employed to query opinions of voters on the election impasse have also found a nation very frustrated. They praise the Chair’s patience and respect for the judicial process in not making a declaration while the matter was in court.

She has put up with the coalition’s shenanigans for too long. She has withstood attacks courageously. And that private criminal charge against her is an abuse of the court. It will not stand scrutiny. The Chair has done her job professionally.

With the CoA discharging the petition, the Chair now has an opportunity to address people’s frustrations by making the declaration. And Guyanese feel very confident she would proceed with a declaration notwithstanding the request for leave to appeal.

Once a declaration is made, those who feel aggrieved can

file an election petition to resolve any problems with the count and/or Recount.

Lawyers point out that the CoA did not prevent a declaration. The Appeal is dismissed. No orders were handed by the court. In addition, in the latest CCJ ruling, she was instructed to go ahead and make the declaration of the results using the Recount numbers.

The decision was definitive. That decision cannot be undone by the High Court or COA, or filing any case that would simply be considered as Res Adjudicata.

Respectfully, Jai Lall

Chair must proceed with declaration

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FRIDAY, JULY 31, 2020

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You can send your letters with pictures to: Guyana Times, Queens Atlantic Investment Estate Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown, Guyana or letters@guyanatimesgy.com

Hijacking democratic elections an embarrassment to Guyanese Dear Editor, Like so many Guyanese abroad, Guyanese residing in Winnipeg have observed from afar the continuing efforts by the ruling party, APNU/AFC, to deny our country folks the right to elect the winning party through the elections held on March 2nd.

Guyana will always be our emotional home; our small Winnipeg group continues to support schools and communities with books, first aid and sports supplies.

Ever since the NCM

was passed in Parliament in December 2018, we noted the commencement of APNU/AFC shenanigans.

Mischief.

There were deliberate delays in the appointment of the Chairman of the Elections Commission, due to the recalcitrant attitude of Mr. Granger. Indeed, the CCJ ruled that his initial appointment violated the Constitution of Guyana.

When the elections were eventually held on March 2nd 2020, they were deemed by international observers from OAS, Commonwealth,

EEC, CARICOM, Carter Center and accredited local observers to be free, fair and transparent. We noted with dismay, however, that in spite of the Statements of Poll revealing the PPP the winner, the APNU/AFC party still claims victory. The repeated calls then made for that party to provide its SOPs, as the PPP did in support of its claim, never materialised to this day, as far as we know.

Instead, what we and the world witnessed was the barefaced irregularities in the tabulation of Region

4 by RO Clairmont Mingo, to alter the results of the election.

We have since noted repeated attempts by Messrs.

Mingo and CEO Lowenfield to provide fraudulent reports to the Commission.

We also noted that the Caricom recount exposed the Mingo fraud and confirmed PPP the winner.

The hijacking of the democratic election process is a huge embarrassment to all Guyanese. No self-respecting person would walk the streets of Guyana without any clothes, for that indi-

Taxes increased by G$89B in 2019 Dear Editor, Taxes increased by G$ 89B in 2019, with Tax Exemptions at G$134.2B in 2018 and non-Compliance trending up.

The Guyana Revenue

General’s Report for 2016 and 2017. Further the 2017 unconditional tax exemptions reflected an increase

by G$6.5B since 2014.

At the same time, the non-compliance of self-em-

Authority (GRA) have increased all taxes collected by G$89B or 65% higher, from G$226B in 2019 to G$137B collected in 2014, as shown in the bar chart below. But, on the other hand , the net tax exemptions via remission of duties and taxes granted by the incumbent APNU/AFC Government showed an increase by G$71.5B, or 111% higher, from G$134.2B in 2018 to G$62.8B in 2014, based on publicly available data from the Auditor

ployed registrants who did not file their taxes has jumped from 73,989 persons in 2016 to 87,171 persons in 2017, representing an increase from 80% to 83% over the period. Similarly, the total number of companies not filing their returns have increased from 2,169 in 2015 to 2,677 in 2017, representing an increase by 26 % of corporate non tax compliance. Yet, the legal actions taken by the administration for failure to submit tax returns have only

jumped by 2 cases, from 7 cases in 2016 to 9 cases in 2017. This trend is clearly pointing to poor performances.

Another trend pointing to failure by this Administration is linked to the increases in tax revenues collected, when measured relative to Gross Domestic Products (GDP) in terms of heavy tax burden and curtailment of net disposable income to households in the economy. In this regard, according the

typical developing country like Guyana should be collecting 15 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in taxes. However, we have clearly seen progressive increases from 16.1% of GDP in taxes in 2014 to 20.9% in 2019 based on the preliminary 2019 GDP figures as shown in the line chart below. Thus indicating a heavier tax burden overall being placed on the relatively low numbers of legitimate taxpayers,

International Monetary Fund (IMF) organization, a

Sincerely, Samaroo Ramtahal

Chair must proceed with...

Any filing of a court matter to reverse the Recount Order or the CCJ ruling would fail. That filing would be considered as frivolous and vexatious. It would be an abuse of the judicial process.

In light of the above, the Chair can proceed to make the declaration. Since the GECOM CEO has refused to follow the directive of the Chair to report the final correct count, his action is insubordinate. That is legal ground for termination at any job, inclusive of being a Government-appointed officer. Lowenfield must be fired, and replaced by someone to make the declaration.

The unanimous ruling of the Court of Appeal is not surprising. The CoA has no jurisdiction on setting aside the Recount or on intervening with how GECOM handles the CEO. Any other ruling would have been another embarrassment, as the CCJ would have slapped it down.

But, as happened before, there is likely to be an appeal. As pointed out, there were some fourteen incarnations to stop or delay the declaration. An appeal would be another abuse of the process, and would only tie up the declaration. Two judges initially opposed a stay, and the lead judge granted a stay

FROM PAGE 4

of only one day of the declaration.

It is not clear whether Justice Rish Persaud agreed to a stay, but he disappointed some who thought he meekly caved in to a stay that had no standing. If he didn’t, he should have objected as Justice Priya SewnarineBeharry did on the record.

She gave a very strong judgment, backed by case studies. Kim Kyte-Thomas is also right to take a different position now on the declaration when another appeal is before the court.

People are in agreement with her that the work of GECOM cannot forever be

hindered by the court. The saga and circus must come to an end, or else we will be the laughing stock of the world.

There is no coercive order from the court. The stay of the judgment, with no order, ends at 2pm on Friday.

So the Chair can proceed expeditiously with the declaration, using someone other than the fraudster Lowenfield, who is facing criminal charges, to prepare the results. The Chair will see her likeability and favourability ratings climb astronomically.

Yours truly, Vishnu Bisram

vidual would feel it’s wrong and feel ashamed - the feeling of social shame for doing a public wrong. Yet, the saga continues.

We have noted with dismay the constant use, indeed abuse, of the courts to thwart the will of the electorate.

We are reassured, how-

ever, by efforts of both the local and international democratic forces, who have remained engaged since March 2nd, to support the will of the people of Guyana.

Sincerely, Beta Seewah For the Winnipeg Group

Guyana’s future resides in value-added agricultural sector Dear Editor, Guyana was set to become a major player in the oil sector in the Caribbean in 2020. Fact-check that promise by Team Granger, and today we find that the project just got delayed by 12-18 months because of two main reasons – the COVID-19 pathogen and the Granger epidemic post the no-confidence vote in December 2018.

Many may not know, but all of the oil revenue for 2020 has already been set aside to pay debts run up by Team Granger after the passage of the no-confidence motion. So, while Guyanese should not expect anything positive from these oil revenues before late 2021 or early 2022, this current period revealed two important facts: Guyana is a price-taker in the oil trade, and thus we should not use the oil funds to plan for our future, but use it to build a sovereign wealth fund that would be strategically tapped to act as a buttress to our national development strategy. The focus should be on projects essential to transform this economy, such as making Guyana energy-independent and the project to move the agriculture sector to a plantation scale and up the value chain.

Guyana’s future certainly resides in the value-added agricultural sector, at least for the next 10 years, until we can solve the weaknesses in our electricity sector, which would then serve as the stimulus to kick-start any serious attempt at manufacturing outside of agro-processing.

But before those big dreams can happen, there is the dreadful today.

Something has to be done, and fast, for the people at the bottom of the economic ladder today as a result of this COVID-19 pathogen

and this Granger-created economic epidemic. So, while the watchword today should be economic caution, if something is not done urgently to help the people at the bottom of the economic ladder over the next 4 months, we will have seismic deterioration in the capacity of our labour force.

The focus should be truncated into three periods the short term (0-4 months in this case), the medium-term (month 5 to the midterm of the first Irfaan Ali term), and the longterm.

The short-term must be very focused on gathering the opening balance sheet on the real assets left behind after this period of scorched earth tactics as practised by Team Granger in its attempt to destroy and deplete everything in its dying days. On top of that fact-finding mission, it is advisable that, simultaneously, a support programme be launched in order to catch all those who have just fallen into poverty and those already in poverty. The aim of such a social amelioration programme is to inject some economic energy into the lives of those at the bottom of the economic ladder by way of a food hamper programme and a very targeted cash disbursement programme.

Of course, in the first days of the new Government, the focus must also be on crafting an emergency budget to ensure that the baseline manifesto promises are programmed to meet the challenges of the day, including the COVID-19 fight back.

As we can already see, there are lots of work to be done.

Sincerely, Sasenarine Singh

SEE ADDITIONAL LETTERS ON PAGE 18

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FRIDAY, JULY 31, 2020

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Foundation

SUMMER OF LEARNING Why summers matter For many children, learning slows way down (or even stops) during the summer. Children — particularly those from disadvantaged families — lose skills learnt during the school year. Further, poorer families often miss out on the opportunities

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that wealthier families take for granted: camps, lots of books at home, regular visits to the library and museums, and trips that keep young minds engaged and build background knowledge.

And given the advent of COVID-19 and consequently the months of schooling and other opportunities for learning already lost,

Pottery Puzzle: Piecing it all together

rchaeologists uncover all kinds of artefacts among ancient ruins, like ornate jewellery, simple baskets, and stone tools.

One of the most common items found at archaeological sites is pottery, or objects made of clay. Looking at a single pot might tell you how old it was or how it was made. Looking at a group of pots might tell you how a society was organised.

In ancient times, pottery was used to make many everyday things, such as dishes, cooking pots, and jars for storing food. Pottery was also used to make precious items, from sacred statues to musical instruments, like flutes.

There’s another reason why pottery is a common discovery: it doesn’t disintegrate or decay as easily as things made of wood or cloth. Sometimes pottery is found in one piece, especially when it’s found in a burial or offering. Most of the time, pottery is found broken into many pieces.

It can be a big challenge putting all the pieces back together, especially when some pieces are missing.

learning loss this summer can be of monumental proportions.

Summer learning can help close the achievement gap that has been attributed, at least in part, to cumulative learning loss during the summer and that has been shown to be steeper for low-income students than for others.

Æsop’s Fables for Children

Turn it into ruins!

Imagine your community is abandoned over the centuries. Buildings collapse and many personal belongings are broken and buried. Your precious flowerpot is shattered and scattered among the ruins.

Smash the flowerpot using a hammer. If you need help, ask an adult to do it for you.

Archaeologists read the parts like pieces of a puzzle. They can tell which pieces go together by their shapes and colours.

Decorate, shatter, and piece together your own pottery artefact: a flowerpot. As you design your flowerpot, imagine archaeologists finding it. What would it tell them about you?

Supplies

• A ceramic flowerpot (made of clay or terracotta) • Paint or markers • Piece of paper and a pencil • Stencils of different designs • An old pillowcase • Rubber band • Hammer • Newspaper • Scotch tape

Piece it all together

Decorate your pot

Imagine you are an artist who designs and decorates pottery for people in your community.

Your next assignment is to decorate a flowerpot.

Before you begin, think about who will use your flowerpot: an important public figure? A local family? Will you use geometric designs, or symbols and images that reflect your community?

• Choose your design and sketch it out on a piece of paper. You can do this several times until you are happy with the way it looks.

• Make the design on your ceramic flowerpot using paint or markers. Wait for the paint to dry.

Now, imagine one thousand years have passed since you designed your flowerpot.

An archaeologist discovers the site where your community once stood. After months of digging, she unearths many pieces of pottery. If you were that archaeologist, could you put the pieces together?

• Take the larger pieces of the shattered flowerpot out of the pillowcase and spread them on a newspaper.

• Try to reassemble the flowerpot piece by piece. Tape both sides of the pieces together with Scotch tape.

(Adapted from the American Museum of Natural History Ology website via startwithabook.com)

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ome boys were playing one day at the edge of a pond in which lived a family of frogs. The boys amused themselves by throwing stones into the pond so as to make them skip on top of the water.

The stones were flying thick and fast and the boys were enjoying them-

selves very much; but the poor frogs in the pond were trembling with fear.

At last one of the frogs, the oldest and bravest, put his head out of the water, and said, "Oh, please, dear children, stop your cruel play! Though it may be fun for you, it means death to us!"

WORD SEARCH

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FRIDAY, JULY 31, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Another unanimous dismissal

COA rejects APNU/AFC supporter’s appeal against validity of recount order

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he Court of Appeal on Thursday unanimously dismissed the appeal filed by APNU/AFC supporter Misegna Jones, and upheld Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George’s recent ruling that the National Recount exercise is valid, and that the decision taken by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to use the Recount figures as the basis for a final declaration of the March 2 elections’ results must be adhered to.

In the ruling, handed down

by Appellate Justices Dawn Gregory and Rishi Persaud, along with High Court Justice Priya Sewnarine-Beharry, it was asserted that the proceedings filed by Jones is an abuse of the court system, since many of the issues raised were previously dealt with in other litigations filed regarding the protracted electoral process.

Justice SewnarineBeharry was the first to read her decision. In it, she contended that the issues raised in application filed by Jones, questioning the constitutionality of Section 22 of the Election Laws (Amendment) Act (which empowers GECOM to amended the legislation to resolve issues arising out of the electoral process), and the validity of Order 60 (also known as the Recount Order, which was established using Section 22 to conduct the Recount exercise) and the Recount results are res judicata.

These issues, she noted, were already adjudicated at Guyana’s apex court – the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) - which earlier this month had determined the validity of the Recount Order and the recount process to be within the constitutional powers of GECOM, as well as within the legislative framework of Guyana’s electoral system.

Justice SewnarineBeharry, who was appearing in her maiden appellate case, further noted that at no time did the CCJ determine that a final credible count could not be established pursuant to Order 60, neither did it set aside Order 60 as is being claimed by the appellant and the Attorney General.

“The constitutionality of Section 22 of ELA, the validity of Order 60 and the Recount results have already been traversed and addressed ad nauseam in both the Court of Appeal and the apex court, and found to properly belong to an elections petition after declaration is made. These issues cannot be relitigated,” she contended.

Further, Justice Sewnarine-Beharry pointed out that decisions in public interest litigations are recognised as creating a judgement in rem (a decision issued against a specific party, but applies generally to everyone) thus rendering the issues raised as res judicata. She cited a 2006 decision of the Supreme Court of India which had stated that the doctrine of res judicata is based on two grounds: firstly, that no one can be “twice vex on one and the same cause”; and second-

Appellate Justices Dawn Gregory and Rishi Persaud, along with High Court Justice Priya SewnarineBeharry, during the virtual court proceedings on Thursday

ly, that there ought to be an end to the same litigation.

According to Justice Sewnarine-Beharry, the Indian Court had found that, in a public interest litigation, the petitioner is not agitating his individual rights, but is representing the public at large, and therefore the judgement in such matters binds the public at large and bars any member of the public from coming forward and raising any connected issue, or an issue which had been raised or should have been raised on an earlier occasion during a public interest litigation.

“Attach whatever label you may, the Fixed Date Application before the learned Chief Justice obviously raised impressible, abusive and duplicative litigation of issues already canvassed before the courts in both Ulita Moore and Eslyn David, as noted in the judgement of the learned Chief Justice, and she was correct not to rehash those issues or to allow the court’s processes to be abused. This appeal and the fourth defendant’s (Attorney General’s) cross appeal are frivolous and vexatious and amount to a further abuse of the court’s process,” Justice Sewnarine-Beharry asserted in her decision on Thursday.

Elections petition

Having also being satisfied of the validity of the Recount process, and that the issues raised were res judicata, Justice Gregory ruled that the issues highlighted by the appellant must be brought via an elections petition to the High Court after a declaration is made.

Among these issues, she outlined, is the appellant’s claim that the declarations made by the 10 Returning Officers should be the basis for the Chief Elections Officer to compile his final elections report for submission to the Elections Commission, and, ultimately, the declaration of the elections results.

However, Justice Gregory posited that this is an issue that needs to be canvassed in an election petition.

This appellate judge further noted in her decision on Thursday that, at this stage in the electoral process, it is for GECOM to determine how it proceeds with the declaration, and only after that process is completed, can the Commission’s decision be challenged.

“Right now, it is within the domain of GECOM to decide what information it wishes to use to declare the results of the elections, and the court has no jurisdiction to set aside

its decision to reject the advice of the CEO… That is for the election jurisdiction [court],” Judge Gregory stated.

She further ruled that the High Court’s narrow supervisory jurisdiction at this stage of the process can be exercised to ensure that the electoral process is smoothly operated; and in this case, the court’s intervention is needed, given the impasse at the Elections Commission.

Despite having been directed by GECOM Chair, Retired Justice Claudette Singh, on several occasion to use the figures from the National Recount to prepare his final elections report, CEO Keith Lowenfield has consistently failed to comply with those instructions. Instead, he has submitted several reports using fraudulent figures, resulting in further delays of the declaration of the 2020 elections winner.

It is in light of this impasse between the CEO and the seven-member Elections Commission that Justice Gregory found that the Hight Court needed to exercise its limited jurisdiction to ensure the process moves forward.

“The intervention in this case is to advance the process and to provide clarity on the roles to be performed… by the CEO, the Chairperson, and the Commission, and to explain the lines of authority between the CEO and the Commission. I agree that there was jurisdiction to ensure the smooth operation of the election process in this case…and in my view, the [High] Court was entitled to make the orders it did…,” the appellate judge ruled.

CEO’s statutory office

Meanwhile, Justice Persaud, in his decision, pointed out that the electoral laws clearly state that the Chief Elections Officer holds a statutory office, and is therefore subjected to the disciplinary control, guidance and direction of the Commission.

According to that appellate judge, the Commission cannot be expected to accept any unlawful or illegitimate advice from the CEO. “Such a proposition is absurd, and is squarely rejected,” Justice Persaud posited.

In his last report to the Commission, on July 11, Lowenfield had used the discredited figures of embattled Region Four Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo, who was found during the recount process to have heavily inflated the votes from Guyana’s largest voting district in favour of the caretaker APNU/AFC Coalition.

This was despite the CCJ, in its July 8th ruling, stating that it is for GECOM to ensure that the CEO submits a report in accordance with the directives from the Chairperson to use the Recount results, which have overtaken the initial declarations made by the 10 ROs. The 33-day recount exercise shows that the PPP/C won the elections with 233,336 votes, while the APNU/AFC obtained 217,920 votes – a dif-

ference of 15,416 votes.

Justice Persaud, in Thursday’s decision, reinforced that the CEO is duty bound to prepare and present his elections report based on the Recount results, as instructed by the GECOM Chair.

The three judges unanimously dismissed the appeal in their respective decisions.

(G8)

Justice must never be tied to political affiliation – Justice Sewnarine-Beharry …cites former Chancellor in maiden COA ruling

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igh Court Justice Priya SewnarineBeharry adjudicated her maiden case in the Court of Appeal on Wednesday while drawing inspiration from former Chancellor of the Judiciary, Madam Desiree Bernard.

Justice SewnarineBeharry delivered her judgment in the Misenga Jones v GECOM et al appeal, in which she dismissed the application and upheld the July 20 ruling of acting Chief Justice Roxane George.

Jones had approached the High Court for judicial review, seeking to compel the Guyana Elections Commission to use the declarations of the 10 Returning Officers – inclusive of the fraudulent figures of embattled Returning Officer for District Four (Demerara– Mahaica) Clairmont Mingo.

That was ultimately dismissed by the CJ, causing Jones, through her attorneys, Trinidadian Senior Counsel John Jeremie, APNU/ AFC Candidate Roysdale Forde, Keith Scotland, Mayo Robertson and Rondelle Keller – to approach the Court of Appeal to have the ruling overturned, which was unsuccessful.

However, the recent series of legal proceedings regarding the protracted electoral process has resulted in many judicial officers coming under attack, mainly by supporters and members of the APNU/ AFC Coalition.

Justice SewnarineBeharry, after delivering her maiden appellate judgement, said: “It is a notorious fact that hostile and volatile conditions pervade the elections season in Guyana, more so when cases surrounding the elections are dealt with by the courts.”

The High Court judge found it apt to echo the words of Chancellor Bernard, who had said that justice should never be tied to political considerations.

Justice SewnarineBeharry read the following quote from Chancellor Bernard: “It is incumbent on me to stress that, at all times, respect for our courts and orders emanating therefrom must be maintained, whether rightly or wrongly made.

Judges strive to dispense justice under severe pressures and less-than-favourable con-

High Court Judge, Justice Priya Sewnarine-Beharry

ditions. Very often they make decisions which are not always popular. It is one of the occupational hazards, and we learn to live with it, provided always that we know that we have decided fairly and in accordance with the law.

“However, we hope -- and I trust that I speak for all members of the judiciary -that we do not have to carry the additional burden of political pressure from any other quarter. We are here to dispense justice fairly and to hold the scales evenly. To put it simply, if the law is on your side, regardless of the identity of the litigant, you will win.

If the law and judicial precedence is against you, will lose.

“Justice must never be tied to political considerations and affiliations if we, as a democratic nation, believe in the separation of powers; that is: the Executive, Legislative and the Judiciary. The independence of the judiciary must be maintained at all times.”

Justice Bernard had made this statement during her judgement in the 1996-98 Aubrey Norton case.

Recently, stakeholders, including the Guyana Bar Association, have had to come out against politically motivated attacks made on the Judiciary, attorneys-at-law, and persons in the lawful exercise of their profession and duties.

“Over the past four months, judges presiding over matters touching and concerning the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections have been subjected to distasteful unrelenting personal and other attacks, which not only bring them into odium, but also serve the undesired result of undermining public confidence in our judicial system.”

Recently, Justice

Sewnarine-Beharry became the target of racial attacks which began when it was announced that she was joining the appellate bench to preside over Jones’s appeal.

The Bar Association had cause to “condemn recent inflammatory, malicious and racially-charged statements made over the past two days through various forms of media, targeted again at the Court of Appeal in yet another pending election matter”.

The Guyana Bar has said it “denounces and objects to any member of the Judiciary being subjected to scurrilous, disrespectful, racial and indecent attacks, which do or have the tendency to scandalise or lower the authority of any court.”

Meanwhile, Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Retired Justice Claudette Singh, and her attorney in these litigations, Kim KyteThomas, were also faced with attacks.

The attacks against Justice Singh started since March, as the post-elections events unfolded.

In fact, back in April, she had reported to the Police Force a death threat made on her life, and subsequently told reporters there was a bounty on her head since Friday, April 17, 2020.

More recently, however, the attacks have escalated following her decision to discard the initial declarations of the 10 Returning Officers and use the figures emanating from the National Recount for the final declaration of the elections’ results.

A 27-year-old man, Ryan Williams of Silver City, Wismar, Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) has been charged under the Cybercrime Act and placed on $500,000 bail for threatening to kill the GECOM Chair in a Facebook post last week.

The post, which was made under a fake profile, was traced back to the person who made it.

Meanwhile, even more disturbing is a video on social media showing persons conducting a makeshift funeral with a doll which they claim represents the GECOM Chair.

These attacks have prompted United States Ambassador to Guyana, Sarah-Ann Lynch, to also condemn the acts against Justice Singh. (G2)

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Confusion reigns as COA stays dismissal of APNU/AFC supporter’s appeal

…Jagdeo calls on GECOM to act with urgency

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ome lawyers were left totally flabbergasted on Thursday when the Court of Appeal, in a 2-1 decision, agreed to grant a stay of its dismissal of the appeal brought by APNU/AFC’s Misenga Jones, challenging the Chief Justice’s ruling on the validity of the Elections Recount Order.

On Thursday, Appellate Justices Dawn Gregory and

and Timothy Jonas, representing The New Movement.

All the attorneys reminded the court that no orders were granted, and therefore there was nothing requiring a stay.

Nandlall posited that in the David matter, the Court had made orders, and it was the effect of those orders that was stayed. He noted that, in this case, the matter is dismissed and there is nothing that could

The work of GECOM must be completed, Your Honours. If we continue like this, when will we have election results, 2025? This is untenable…we are objecting to the application” - Kim Kyte-Thomas Rishi Persaud, in association with High Court Justice Priya Sewnarine-Beharry, unanimously dismissed the appeal that sought to overturn Chief Justice Roxane George’s decision in a case initially filed

by Jones, in which Jones had been seeking to compel the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to utilise the 10 declarations made by the Returning Officers as the basis for announcing the winner of the March 2 elections.

Following dismissal of the case, one of Jones’s lawyers, APNU/AFC Candidate Roysdale Forde, requested a stay of the court’s non-existent orders for three days. He submitted that the stay was to review the judgement of the court, as well as to consider the way forward and advise his client accordingly.

In arguing for granting of the stay, Forde furthered that while they are aware that the issue of the declaration of the elections result hinges on the proceedings, the court is inclined to grant them the stay since it did so in the Eslyn David et al matter.

In the David case, attorney Kashir Khan had made an application for a stay of three days following the 2-1 ruling that interpreted the constitutional phrase “more votes are cast” to mean “more valid votes are cast.” The difference in that case is that the court made orders, whereas, in Jones’s matter, it dismissed her appeal and ultimately upheld CJ George’s ruling that the issues were res judicata and the Recount results should form the only basis for the declaration of the March 2 General and Regional Elections’ results.

However, this raised the eyebrows of at least one of the Judges, who questioned, through the Court’s President, Justice Gregory, whether Counsel was asking that the dismissal of the appeal be delayed.

No orders

This, however, did not sit well with several lawyers; namely, former Attorney General Anil Nandlall, who represented PPP/C General Secretary Bharrat Jagdeo and Presidential Candidate Irfaan Ali; Kim Kyte-Thomas, representing GECOM Chair, Retired Justice Claudette Singh; Sanjeev Datadin, representing Dr Vishnu Bandhu of the United Republican Party;

possibly be stayed.

He added that, by granting a stay, the court would effectively leave the appeal pending, since they would be putting a hold on their decision to dismiss the matter.

GECOM must proceed

Furthering on what was put forward by Nandlall, Attorney Kyte-Thomas categorically objected to the application for a stay to be granted. She told the court that the Elections Commission must be allowed to get on with its work, since it has been almost 5 months since Guyanese went to the polls.

“All that has happened is the dismissal of a frivolous and vexatious appeal, and that is our position. The work of GECOM must be completed, Your Honours. If we continue like this, when will we have election results, 2025? This is untenable…we are objecting to the application,” Kyte-Thomas said on behalf of the GECOM Chair.

No appeal as yet

Meanwhile, building on the arguments of both KyteThomas and Nandlall, Datadin argued that under Sections 6, 7 and 8 of the Caribbean Court of Justice Act, all appeals to that court require leave or special leave. He noted that there is no guarantee that will come to being, because there are no filings before that court at the time the application for stay was being made.

He reminded that, in the case of David, the CCJ was approached with an application for special leave and for mandatory orders compelling GECOM from going ahead with the declaration of the results. He noted that there is nothing that could justify the Court of Appeal granting such a stay when no coercive orders had been made.

Jurisdiction

Attorney Jonas noted that while he agrees with the arguments put forward by Datadin, the issue also raises the question of the Appeal Court’s decision.

“The concept of executing an order using the machinery of the court to enforce that order, there is no order made by this court or the court below which prompts any requirement for using the machinery of the court to execute. As Mr Datadin said, given that no ap-

Emancipation…

Y

Appellate Judge, Justice Dawn Gregory

Appellate Judge, Justice Rishi Persaud

peal is extant, and leave to appeal is required, there is, Your Honours having ruled, nothing jurisdictionally to permit any order. Even if there was a coercive order in existence, there is nothing jurisdictionally to permit a stay, because there is no leave granted yet for the appeal, and therefore there is no proceeding in being,” Jonas argued.

He furthered that the Court has no jurisdiction to grant a stay to a non-existent order, and reminded that two Justices – Sewnarine-Beharry and Persaud – had already ruled that Jones’s appeal is tantamount to an abuse of the court’s process.

At this point, Justice Gregory seemingly assumed authority and said that she is prepared to grant the stay, but for only 24 hours; the two other Justices denied the application. At that time, the issue was ruled upon and the application was dismissed.

However, what left the lawyers stunned was the decision to revert to arguments and revisit the decision.

Attorney Maxwell Edwards, who is co-counsel for the Attorney General, used technical issues as the reason to get the court to revisit its decision, since the decision was being delivered virtually.

He explained that he was cut off mid-way, and argued that the Appeal Court, in a previous case, under similar circumstances, dealt with the issue of a stay, and that the court is bound by its decisions as an intermediate court.

This caused Justice Gregory to revert and overturn the decision of the court and grant a 24-hour stay. But that did not come without tension, since Justice Sewnarine-Beharry held out that she would not be granting such a stay.

The reverting of the decision flabbergasted the attorneys, and when Trinidadian Senior Counsel Douglas Mendes, who represented Jagdeo and Ali, asked for clarification, Justice Gregory just proceeded to ignore him and offer no clarification.

fy this stay, and the court did not answer the question from Senior Counsel Mendes when he asked pointedly at the end what precisely are you staying, because there is no decision of the court,” Jagdeo said in a video statement.

He added that he was appalled at the meandering back and forth, as well as the changing of decisions to accommodate the APNU/AFC. “I was very appalled, looking at it and how a court can be so indecisive in a matter of such importance,” he said.

Shocked

Meanwhile, PPP/C General Secretary Bharrat Jagdeo explained that he watched in shock at the Court granted the stay to non-existing orders. He noted that the application was made on the pure fact of desperation on the part of Roysdale Forde, since he and that team are doing everything to further delay the declaration of the results. “…we were shocked to see how the court tolerated the nonsensical arguments that were proffered to justi-

GECOM needs to act

Jagdeo welcomed the decision to dismiss the appeal, and posited that based on the Court’s ruling, it is the Elections Commission that has the power in relation to the final declaration, and not Lowenfield. He noted that the power is now squarely back in the hands of GECOM, and that commission should act.

“Justice Singh is under no obligation to respect any stay when nobody is clear what the stay is about, given that the Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal of the riggers. I would urge the Commission and Justice Singh to act urgently.

The country has waited long time,” the former President said.

Jagdeo said that among the clear decisions enforced in the ruling is that the Commission has the sole authority to manage the electoral process. He noted that barring a few disagreements on the process, the Court made it clear that it does not have any jurisdiction to interfere with the work of the Commission. He reminded of the decision of the Court that Lowenfield is just an employee/ functionary of the commission, and must follow its directives.

Additionally, Jagdeo noted that all of the judges pointed to the decision of the CCJ, which said the National Recount stands, and that the order establishing the Recount (Order 60) could only be challenged through an elections petition.

He also reminded that the Court upheld the ruling of the Chief Justice: that GECOM cannot resurrect the March 13 declarations by the 10 Returning Officers, since the National Recount results have overtaken that process.

In relation to the recount process, Jagdeo reminded that Justice Gregory contended that Lownefield was in charge of the recount process which was carried out at one location, and hence there should be no difficulty for him to tabulate the recount figures and present same to the Commission for declaration. (G2)

…(partially) of the Judiciary esterday, a whole lotta people in Guyana breathed a deep sigh of relief when the Court of Appeal UNANIMOUSLY ruled to dismiss the appeal brought by the PNC’s proxy, Misenga Jones, to prevent the GECOM Chair from declaring the results of the March 2 elections.

The fear, of course, had been that the Court would knuckle under the bullyism of the PNC – as they’d done on a couple of occasions, notably on that “33 isn’t the majority of 65” case!! Well, this time they pulled themselves together and came out for the people – mostly!

And finally, we had the Court using the law to lay down the law to the PNC! All three judges used terms like “frivolous” and “vexatious” several times to refer to the PNC’s case – such as it was! The GECOM Chair was told, now for the umpteenth time, that the order for the recount is legal; the results of the recount are valid and legal; the CEO CANNOT take it upon himself to become judge and jury about the bona fides of the “irregularities” that were thrown like spanners into the recount by the PNC; and finally, that the CEO is a statutory creature, subject to the direction of the Commission!

The anger of the PNC was, of course, anticipated, and was palpably represented by one Maxwell Edwards - who appears to be Basil Williams’s attack hound. After the Judgement was handed down, he asked to make an intervention – to which Anil Nandlall asked snarkily, “Why Basil Williams didnt “ALLOW” you to speak before”!! Edwards snarled that “the machinery” – the Zoom facilities! – had prevented him from speaking, and demanded a three-day stay on the Judgement.

Nandlall then provoked him into a state of apoplexy – almost foaming at the mouth!! – when he asked the Court with elaborately raised eyebrows, “A stay on what? The dismissal of the appeal?? There’s nothing to STAY – as in putting on “hold”!!” At this point, Justice Gregory said she was of a mind to grant a one-day stay, but the two other Justices had decided otherwise. The PNC continued to bluster, and Gregory and Persaud caved in to the PNC’s bullyism and gave then a day; with Sewnarine-Beharry, to her eternal credit, the most junior member of the Appellate Bench, interjecting forcefully that she wanted it recorded that she disagreed!! Unfortunately, with no legal reason proffered, the PNC was given a day’s stay.

Now, some may say that, with today being a holiday, the point is moot. Well, not necessarily…the Court sadly showed that it was still amenable to PNC’s bullying.

But the Chair scheduled a meeting for Sunday at 10am!! Checkmate!!

Look out for fireworks this weekend!!

…and mobilisation Saturday is Emancipation Day, the day when our forebears had their chains finally thrown off, after hundreds of years of slavery. And which was followed by what one scholar called “A new form of slavery -- “Indentureship of mainly East Indians”. But, very sadly, rather than use the occasion for helping their African-Guyanese supporters destroy the more subtle chains of mental slavery, the PNC’s leading them down the road of doom.

Clearly, in his insistence to follow in the footsteps of his leader Forbes Burnham, David Granger’s prepared to do exactly what Walter Rodney had warned the AfricanGuyanese people against back in 1977. Burnham had brought the PPP activist Arnold Rampersaud – falsely accused of murder - from Berbice to Georgetown to be lynched. Rodney explained how Burnham was willing to destroy the proud legacy of African Guyanese’s fight for justice. Rampersaud was acquitted!!

This weekend, Granger and his minions will try to work up their supporters that “they wuz robbed”. Even though for five months every Court has ruled otherwise.

Reject the words of serpents! …and Guyanese Unity Emancipation should be commemorated by all Guyanese – for marking the end of the most brutal illustration of the aphorism, “Man to man, is a wolf.”

Let’s resolve to never oppress anyone because of their race.

Readers are invited to send their comments by email to eye@guyanatimesgy.com

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Granger claims ignorance of cost to convert hotel to COVID-19 hospital …as flood-prone facility commissioned

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he flood-prone Ocean View International Hotel, which was rehabilitated to serve as an Infectious Diseases Hospital, was commissioned on Thursday to facilitate the immediate need to treat COVID-19 patients.

However, costs attached to renovation and outfitting of the building remain unknown, even upon completion of the project.

This is according to caretaker President David Granger, who told the media at the commissioning ceremony that the expenditure was worked out between subject Public Health and Finance ministers.

“This used to be a hotel. The person who built the hotel was heavily indebted to the banks, and my understanding is that it is in receivership. In other terms, we don’t have a bottom line, and the Minister of Public Health and the Minister of Finance are quite aware of the level of expenditure, and Cabinet is convinced that the expenditure is justified,” the caretaker Head of State said when questioned about the costs

The Infectious Diseases facility

attached to the facility.

Initial numbers show that approximately $1B was spent to renovate the facility. Soon after the announcement was made, Auditor General Deodat Sharma had signalled an intention to conduct a special audit to determine whether Government had gone through appropriate channels to get the project on stream.

The Auditor General has said that, in light of the coronavirus pandemic and the exceptional political circumstances that obtain, separate accounts for expenditures incurred are expected to be kept.

He recalled previous instances wherein the Public Health Ministry had used the Ocean View International Hotel to store drugs, and irregularities were unearthed after audits.

Located at Liliendaal, on the East Coast of Demerara, the facility is expected to serve as the primary facility to treat COVID-19 patients and fill the existing health challenges. It would also be used in the later stages to handle other infectious diseases.

Too weak to handle COVID-19

At the commissioning ceremony on Thursday, caretaker Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence admitted that Guyana’s healthcare system was too weak to handle cases of the novel coronavirus, even though preparations had begun before the detection of Patient Zero on March 11.

“To contextualise Guyana’s predicament, we lack capacity for many upgrades, with only 27 hospitals (and) one national referral hospital – the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation – to cater for all services; and only one ICU (Intensive Care Unit)

available for patients requiring critical care,” Lawrence stated.

Guyana is witnessing a spike in cases of COVID-19, but the facility is still not ready to admit patients. This publication understands that the Public Health Ministry is now tasked with transferring the medical equipment from other smaller facilities which were created to treat positive cases.

Lawrence claimed that the hospital is the first of its kind in the Caribbean, but the state of Antigua and Barbuda already has an Infectious Diseases Hospital.

Quick spread

Sharing his remarks, PAHO Country Representative Dr William Adu-Krow said health systems have been significantly affected, even with a small number of cases recorded in some countries.

Dr Adu-Krow pointed out, “In today’s society, infectious diseases can spread quickly across the world, fuelled by the rapidity with which we travel within countries, across borders, and across continents. Historical accounts of pandemics and contemporary repulse of infectious diseases clearly illustrate that, in the past, many of the diseases have been met without warning, resulting in the world being unprepared to deal with the devastating effects.

“This experience in managing this pandemic has illustrated that the health system capacity can be severely stressed, given by relatively mild epidemic and pandemic scenarios.”

The new COVID facility is equipped with an isolation area, quarantine area, intensive care, surveillance department, and administrative offices. (G12)

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NEWS

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Curfew extended to August 15 …as 3 new COVID-19 cases recorded, 196 active

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ith three new cases of COVID-19 as of Thursday, Guyana’s overall total took another climb to 401 positive cases recorded.

This was announced by Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr Shamdeo Persaud during the daily update, where he noted that the country was still struggling with 196 active cases.

Within the course of 24 hours, health officials conducted 78 tests and of the three cases confirmed, two originated in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) and one in Region Four (DemeraraMahaica).

Since the first case was detected, a total of 5890 tests were done on 4641 persons.

Recent statistics show that COVID-19 deaths still stand at 20 and 185 persons have recovered.

One hundred and forty-three of the 196 active cases are in institutional isolation, 50 are in institutional quarantine and three are in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

With two national holidays – Eid-Ul-Adha and Emancipation Day – slated for this Friday and Saturday, the CMO urged citizens to exercise caution during their celebrations to ensure that they were not at risk. This means that all are asked to maintain social distancing, and no more than 10 individuals should congregate at once.

“The practice of social distancing must be prioritised and strictly adhered to; no more than 10 persons congregating with visible sixfeet demarcations and more importantly, alternative arrangements must be put in place regarding the distribution of meat to the needy,” he said.

Dr Persaud shared that Guyana could still make strides to flatten its curve, even as it continued to witness an upward trend of confirmed cases. For this to happen, Guyanese must be aware of the active hotspots – Regions Seven and Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) and also, to the fact that there are great risks in movement through the border.

“I am convinced that together we can flatten the curve with more effort from all of us; in the city, we need to make

Chief Medical Officer, Dr Shamdeo Persaud

a behavioural change and respect the health guidelines; in our hotspots – Regions Seven and Nine – which remain high-risk areas, you need to curtail your cross-border movement where exposure to the disease is uncontrollably high, and help to halt the imported cases; in our mining communities, the influx of migrants continues to contribute to the high incidence of positive cases through their constant movement in and out of the communities,” the CMO cautioned.

In neighbouring Brazil, on Thursday, some 23, 284 new cases and 614 deaths were recorded within the previous 24 hours.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the global statistics are 16,558,289 cases with 656,093 deaths; in the Region of the Americas, the total number of cases is now 8,840,524 with 342, 635 deaths.

Curfew extended

The National COVID-19 Task Force also made a decision to extend the ongoing curfew and guidelines enforced, given that it was about to end on July 31.

As such, the curfew from 20:00h to 06:00h (8pm to 6am) will continue until August 15, unless extended or amended by notice through the Public Health Minister after an assessment of the prevailing health conditions.

This is only applicable to Regions Five (MahaicaBerbice) and Six (East BerbiceCorentyne) on Saturdays and Sundays; while mining areas and coordinates listed in the gazetted document will follow

the 18:00h to 06:00h (6pm to 6am) curfew timings.

Persons are still not allowed to travel into or out of these areas without authorisation from the Ministry, and it was decided that “all mining operations shall cease” – amid several calls from organisations and concerned stakeholders about the serious implications and risks.

Further, the Cheddi Jagan and Eugene F Correia International Airports shall remain closed to all international flights except for outgoing, cargo, medevacs, and special authorised flights and technical stops for fuel only.

Meanwhile, places of religious worship are to be opened, but should not host more than 25 persons. All other conditions related to public service, transportation, dining among others remain the same as was previously outlined.

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Crowd gathers at Granger’s former home seeking COVID-19 relief

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n clear breach of the COVID-19 emergency guidelines, a large crowd of persons on Thursday morning gathered outside the former Thorne Drive, D’Urban Backlands home of caretaker President David Granger.

When Guyana Times arrived at the scene, no social distancing rules were observed and many persons were not wearing masks.

Large public gatherings are prohibited under the COVID-19 Emergency

A large gathering of persons outside caretaker President David Granger’s former Thorne Drive, D’Urban Backlands, Georgetown home

Measures instituted by the caretaker Administration.

Ranks of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) were on the scene, but they were unable to control the crowd.

This publication learnt that the crowd of persons assembled outside Granger’s former home amid rumours that they would have automatically benefited from monetary donations to help deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, this was not the case.

Three years ago, Granger had converted the house into to the Chetwynd Learning Centre, which bring together the Burnham Education Scholarship Trust (BEST); the Burnham Book Trust (BBT) and the Burnham Research Centre (BRC). It was recently announced that it would be use as the location where persons can go to fill out the necessary forms to apply for food hampers or vouchers under the Social Protection Ministry’s COVID-19 Response Initiative. (G11)

15 “I will abide” by GECOM Chair’s declaration – Granger NEWS

FRIDAY, JULY 31, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

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Caretaker President David Granger

aretaker President David Granger on Thursday said he is obliged to observe the declaration made by the Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

He shared this position on the sidelines of an event as he responded to questions from the media about GECOM Chair, Justice Claudette Singh, declaring the elections based on the Recount results.

Without evidence, his party is claiming that the Recount results are not credible. This is despite the fact that the Recount was supervised by Caricom and international observers, and has been accepted by the diplomatic community and the nine other parties which contested the polls.

“With respect, my statement on compliance with the declaration is not conditional. I didn’t say if the rain is falling or the sun is shining, you know; if it comes by day or by night. I am obliged to observe the declaration of the Chairman of the Elections Commission…I will abide by the declaration

…I will abide by the rulings of the court,” Granger told reporters.

While the APNU leader noted that he is obliged to accept the elections’ declaration, Granger’s coalition party has been mounting court challenges in a bid to block GECOM from making the declaration. Thus far, four have been filed – the last of which was dismissed by Guyana’s Appellate Court on Thursday.

His rationale behind this was, “People can rightfully challenge a ruling if they disagree with it.”

Flip-flopped

Granger had previously committed to accepting whatever results emanated from the National Recount exercise, but later flip-flopped on his promise. Instead, his party wants a declaration based on the original tabulation of votes, including the fraudulent figures produced by Clairmont Mingo, the Returning Officer of the largest electoral district, Region Four.

Mingo’s figures were heavily inflated in favour of the APNU/AFC coalition, as

observed by members of the international community.

In fact, it was Mingo’s production of concocted numbers that led to the undertaking of the National Recount exercise – which was agreed upon by caretaker President Granger and Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo. It was also conducted under the auspices of the Caribbean Community – which Granger had described as the most important interlocutor in the process.

Caricom, in its report on the Recount, deemed the results emanating from the process credible, and asserted that it should be the basis of the declaration of the winner of the March 2 polls.

Guyana’s highest court, the Caribbean Court of Justice, has also ruled that the Recount results must be used to declare the winner of the elections. The CCJ’s written judgment states: “Unless and until an election court decides otherwise, the votes already counted by the Recount process as valid votes are incapable of being declared invalid by any person or authority”.

No state of emergency

After the Recount exercise had concluded last month, Granger had hinted at the possibility of declaring a State of Emergency to allow him to govern, notwithstanding the election results from the just-concluded Recount.

However, when questioned about doing such now, he responded, “I have not contemplated, at this point in time, a necessity for a State of Emergency…I have insisted that once the Chairman of the Elections

GECOM Chair, Retired Justice Claudette Singh

Commission makes a declaration, I will comply with that declaration…I have insisted on credibility from the start, and that is nothing new; but I don’t see what that has to do with a State of

Emergency.”

Last month, the main Opposition People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) asserted in this regard, “President David Granger continues with

his delusional outbursts…

Granger speculated about calling a State of Emergency.

The Constitution confers no power on any President to invoke a State of Emergency after a General Elections and without a declaration of the results.”

The Recount numbers show that the PPP/C won the March 2 poll with 233,336 votes cast in its favour. The APNU/AFC secured 217,920 votes. For the new parties, the numbers are as follows: A New and United Guyana – 2313; Change Guyana – 1953; Liberty and Justice Party – 2657; People’s Republic Party – 889; The Citizen’s Initiative – 680; The New Movement – 244; and the United Republican Party – 360.

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FRIDAY, JULY 31, 2020

Pray for peaceful co-existence Eid-ul-Adha reminds of in Guyana, entire world - CIOG unbridled humility – PPP/C

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his day I have perfected your Deen for you, completed my favor upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your way of life." (Holy Quran Chapter 5 verse 3)” All gratitude is due to Allah (SWT), Lord of all creation, peace and blessings on the noble Prophet (SAW), his family and Companions.

I extend Eid Mubarak greetings on behalf of the Central Islamic Organization of Guyana to all and ask Allah (SWT), the Almighty, to accept our good deeds.

Eid-ul-Adha has arrived, it is a season of happiness, family bonding, and bridging the gap between the rich and the poor, nurturing mutual compassion, love, and support for the vulnerable; values that are important to Guyanese and the wider community. Eid is also an opportunity to demonstrate solidarity; especially since this year’s Eid-ul-Adha comes as the Muslim Ummah and the world suffers difficult times filled with crises and obstacles. Compassion and support are needed, for many of our brethren are experiencing uncertainty, fear, pain, and frustration. The Corona Virus Pandemic has virtually brought the world to a halt and stopped the journey to perform the Hajj for those residing outside of Saudi Arabia. This is a period of great test which requires reflection and meaningful action.

Eid-ul-Adha cannot be celebrated without remembering the patriarch, the friend of Allah (SWT), Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham), and peace be upon him. This festival commemorates the sacrifices made by Prophet Ibrahim and his family.

Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) is described as the forefather of all the prophets who came after him, including Moses, Jesus, and our Beloved Muhammad (SAW).

Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) is accorded the highest status in the Holy Quran and is described in (Chapter 16: verse 120), as an “Ummah," a nation.

Imagine one person referred to as an Ummah. This is partly because the amount of good, his exemplar sub-

mission to Allah (SWT), and sincerity in his worship, all embodied to the degree of an entire Ummah, a nation. He was given the title of Khaleel-lullah, or friend of Allah.

This is confirmed in the holy quran, “When his Lord said to him ‘submit’, he said ‘I have submitted [in Islam] to the Lord of the worlds.”

(Chapter 2: verse 131)” Eid ul-Adha starts with the glorification of Allah (SWT), and its pinnacle is total submission to the Creator. Our journey begins by understanding and moving through the levels of our soul. If one overcomes his lower desires, detaches from all material desires, and truly humbles before Allah (SWT), one will understand the essence behind this celebration and can derive the best out of this Eid. This was the example of our Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him).

Eid ul-Adha is the celebration of the reformation of the human condition from that of servitude to other men to that of devotion to the Creator of all living and non-living things. Do not fall into the trap of considering yourself better than others; Remember Allah (SWT) says, “Oh mankind, we created you from a single man and a single woman, and made you into nations and tribes so that you should get to know one another. The most honored of you are the ones who are most mindful of Him: God is all knowing, all aware.” (Holy Quran Chapter 49: verse 13).

Considering Eid as a unifying factor for all the Muslim Ummah, I humbly request you to join me in raising our hands in Dua. Supplicating to The Almighty for Blessings and

Protection of our Muslim brethren and all of humanity. Let us pray for peaceful co-existence in Guyana and the entire world. Change begins with the person in the mirror. Our actions must prove that we mean no ill to anyone and we are all part of one humanity. Each one of us has to be the change that we desire. Change yourself in order to set an example which encourages others to change. “Verily, Allah (SWT) will not change the condition of a people until they change themselves.

(Holy Quran - Chapter 13: verse 11) Further, Allah (SWT) reminds us in the Quran, “Indeed, the most worthy of Abraham among the people are those who followed him [in submission to Allah] and this Prophet, and those who believe [in his message].

And Allah is the (protector and helper) of the believers.”

(Holy Quran – Chapter 3: verse 68) Our Father, Prophet Ibrahim, peace be upon him, epitomized the verse of the Quran: Allah (Alone) is Sufficient for us, and He is the Best Disposer of affairs (for us).”

(Holy Quran Chapter 3: verse 173) May Allah (SWT) continue to bless you and your families and make us people who strive to bring benefit to others. Let us work on improving ourselves and those around us. Together we work to become agents of peace, instilling harmony among people regardless of ethnicity and creed. Let us be protectors of each other, ensuring we respect the rights of each other. May GOD bless our nation as we strive to build a better country. May Allah (SWT) show us the truth as truth and help us to follow it and show us evil as evil and enable us to avoid it. Let us be like the great Prophet, the Patriarch, our father, the Friend of GOD Ibrahim (Abraham), peace be upon him and his family.

Eid Mubarak!

Al- Hajj Shahabudeen Ahmad President CIOG

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he People’s Progressive Party (PPP) takes this opportunity to extend greetings and best wishes to the Muslim communities here in Guyana and in the Diaspora on the sacred occasion of Eid-ul-Adha.

Its observance comes during the annual Holy Pilgrimage to Mecca, The Hajj; a journey that embodies sacrifices in the quest to fulfill religious obligations.

Eid-ul-Adha reminds of unbridled humility and the willingness to selflessly make sacrifices in obedience of God. Its inspiring messages are pertinent to the spiritual advancement of all mankind which redounds in peace and togetherness. Its observance also continues to exemplify humane characteristics of generosity, morality and love for others, especially the less fortunate.

In a diverse society like Guyana where religious boundaries are often tran-

scended, these attributes have proven their value not only in catalyzing and strengthening bonds among our people but also in forging a better understanding and appreciation of our rich cultures and religious practices.

As our Muslim brothers and sisters celebrate in traditional ways, the occasion once again brings into focus the many sacrifices Guyanese have and continue to make for self-advancement and nation- building with the common objective of a better life and future for

all.

The PPP is mindful that, regrettably, due to Covid-19 protocols, related activities would be restricted. However, it’s optimistic that the significance of Eidul-Adha and its relevance in today’s world will not in any way be diminished.

The Party, therefore, urges that the messages and significance of this occasion be foremost in the minds of all so that hope will continue to flourish.

Once again, the PPP extends best wishes for the occasion. Eid Mubarak!

Eid-ul-Adha message a positive impact for all humanity – ERC

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he Ethnic Relations Commission, (ERC), reaffirms its embrace of another observance in our multi-religious society. As our Muslim brothers and sisters observe the sacred occasion of Eid-ulAdha, enshrined as a national holiday in Guyana, the ERC takes this opportunity to extend warmest greetings to them and to other Guyanese across our nation and those based overseas. We embrace all Guyanese with the salutation “Eid Mubarak”.

The message of Eid-ulAdha has a positive impact for all humanity as it underscores the qualities of humility, obedience to God and of the selfless sacrifice of Prophet Ibrahim. These are pertinent traits in the quest for the realization of peace, brotherhood and togetherness.

The ERC therefore urges all to reflect on the significance of this occasion and to work towards heed-

ing its universal message which is most beneficial to the advancement of all humanity.

To achieve a particular goal, it would take commitment, hard work and sacrifice. As we work together as a nation to achieve the goal of national harmony and good relations, it will necessitate all to recommit to this effort for the good of our nation so that our motto of “One People, One Nation, One Destiny” can be truly observed.

The commitment to the cause, as exemplified by Prophet Ibrahim, signified through the observance of Eid-ul-Adha, remains a beacon of inspiration, to guide and motivate each and every one of us in this crucial endeavour of building and promoting national harmony. The lesson of sacrifice and toil as exemplified above is one which must inspire us all as Guyanese.

Eid Mubarak from the ERC.

Expressions of generosity strengthen chords of cohesion – Granger

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id-ul-Adha – the feast of the sacrifice – is a scared festival that commemorates the Prophet Ibrahim’s unshakeable faith and unwavering obedience to Allah’s command to sacrifice his beloved son Ishmael.

Eid-ul-Adha is observed throughout our country with

the offering of prayers and the distribution of food, usually the meat of a sacrificial lamb, and alms to the less fortune in society. These expressions of generosity to the poor and needy strengthen the chords of cohesion among people in our country.

They demonstrate our com-

mon humanity and concern for others. They are a manifestation of our collective endeavour to build a more equitable society where everyone will be treated with dignity and respect.

Guyanese, today, are becoming a more caring, considerate and compassionate

people. We are working towards living in an inclusive society in which everyone, regardless of race, religion or region of residence will be respected and no one will feel excluded or marginalised.

I pray that the outpouring of charity and concern for others, which is charac-

teristic of Eid-ul-Adha, will promote greater harmony in our beloved country! I wish all Guyanese, but especially our Islamic community, a peaceful and joyous Eid-ulAdha.

Eid Mubarak!

NEWS

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FRIDAY, JULY 31, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

GECOM to meet on Sunday Appeal must not be abused to defer the will of the people – OAS Secretary General

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he Guyana Elections C o m m i s s i o n (GECOM) has decided to meet at 10:00h on Sunday to discuss the elections declaration following the unanimous decision handed down by the Court of Appeal.

The Appeal Court on Thursday unanimously dismissed the challenge filed by A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) supporter Misenga Jones, who was seeking to overturn a ruling of the Chief Justice (ag), Roxane George, who had determined, among other things, that the recount results must be used as the basis of the declaration of the winner of the March 2 polls.

Following the ruling, which has paved the way for the Elections Commission to continue with its work, People’s Progressive Party (PPP) General Secretary Bharrat Jagdeo urged GECOM to urgently meet and make a declaration of the elections held more than four months ago.

GECOM has been unable to make a declaration, because Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield has refused to submit his final elections report using the recount results as instructed

by GECOM Chair, Retired Justice Claudette Singh.

But the Court has upheld the judgement that the CEO was not a lone ranger and was obligated to fol-

Ex-GDF Captain admits to killing mother of 3

Guilty: Orwain Sandy and Reona Payne in happier times

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ormer Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Captain Orwain Sandy has admitted to shooting his girlfriend to death on March 31, 2018 at First Street, Alexander Village, Georgetown.

The 38-year-old man, who appeared before Justice Sandil Kissoon via Zoom for the capital offence of murder, admitted that he shot Reona Payne 14 times with his service revolver.

Sandy, who was represented by Ravindra Mohabir, opted to plead to the lesser count of manslaughter. He is expected to be sentenced on August 4.

On the day in question, Sandy and Payne, a mother of three, were in a motor car proceeding along First Street, Alexander Village when an argument ensued after the then GDF Captain

accused her of being unfaithful.

Reports are that he stopped the car and as the woman exited, he shot her 14 times.

After the incident, Sandy – who was a Special Assistant to the Chief-ofStaff – turned himself in at the Ruimveldt Police Station.

He was subsequently charged for the offence, but was granted an application to be mentally evaluated after his attorney told the court that the examination was critical to his client’s well-being, since he had been consulting with a psychiatrist for two years prior to the fatal shooting.

Sandy and Payne had been living together for about five years at his Providence, East Bank Demerara (EBD) home.

low the instructions of the Commission.

The Court also upheld the ruling of Justice George that GECOM could not resurrect the March 13 declarations by the 10 Returning Officers (ROs), since the national recount results have overtaken that process.

The recount results show that the PPP/Civic has won the elections with 233,336 votes.

ecretary General of the Organisation of American States (OAS), Luis Almagro, has reiterated the call for the Guyana Elections Commission to declare the results of the March 02 General and Regional Elections using the figures of the National Recount, while adding that the process of appeal should not be abused.

“The right of appeal is a privilege that should not be abused, especially in deferring the will of the people. Guyana has spoken.

GECOM must declare results based on the recount,” Almagro said in a tweet on Thursday night.

The General Secretary’s tweet came following the unanimous verdict of the Court of Appeal in the case

5-year-old girl stabbed by mother’s friend who then committed suicide

Secretary General of the OAS, Luis Almagro

of Misenga Jones v GECOM et al.

Last Tuesday, the OAS Permanent Council met to discuss the election situation in Guyana, and Almagro, making it pellucid that democracy must be upheld in Guyana, had urged that the Judiciary stop be-

of a few who were bent on A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) holding on to power, Guyana has failed the litmus test of democracy.

Golding, in his statement to the Permanent Council, described the political situation as a handful of people refusing to respect the will of the people, which shows that the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has been elected as the new Government.

Golding, the former Prime Minister of Jamaica, made it clear that the people of Guyana are not to be blamed. In fact, he commended the people of Guyana for their patience over the past four months.

Antigua and Barbuda’s Representative to the OAS, Sir Ronald Sanders, said that democracy in Guyana is being delayed by a cabal

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five-year-old girl was rendered critical after she was stabbed multiple times about her tiny body by her mother’s friend – who later committed suicide.

Little Mureena Brock, of La Bonne Intention (LBI), East Coast Demerara (ECD), was on Friday last stabbed to the back, shoulder and stomach by her mother’s 40-year-old friend, Veronica Elliot, who resided at Atlantic Gardens, ECD. The child’s mother, Bibi Mohamed, explained that on the day in question, she was at her friend’s home, sitting in the yard, when Elliot began to close the grille door with a padlock.

“She [Elliot] close the grille door with a padlock and was in the house walking up and down. But nobody didn’t really take this for nothing,” the mother related.

But shortly after, one of her sons started to scream and upon checking, she heard her daughter screaming.

She was unable to see what was happening to the child, since all the doors and windows were locked.

A relative managed to break a window to get the girl to safety.

“I told my baby, ‘walk and come to mommy’, and she come and we took her from the window,” the mother explained. The little girl was rushed to the hospital; she is said to be recovering.

After committing the act, Elliot reportedly ended her life.

Guyana Times reached out to one of the sons of the now dead woman, Ryan

Mureena Brock

Jaisingh, who relayed what he heard transpired.

“My sister told me that my mom stabbed a child up.

She said that she saw her locking the grill door, and then she had the knife in her hand, and then she started harming herself. She said that our mom drank poison,” Jaisingh explained.

Mohamed and Elliot were friends for some 23 years. Mohamed is still in shock over the incident.

“I don’t know if she is suffering from a mental health issue, but I never see her in that state,” she related.

Meanwhile, Regional Police Commander, Assistant Police Commissioner (DemeraraMahaica) Royston AndriesJunor, confirmed that Elliot was suffering from a mental health issue. He explained that the investigations were ongoing, and upon completion, a file would be sent to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

He pointed out that not much would come out of the matter, given that the suspect is dead.

ing the refuge of those who want to do nothing more than delay the declaration of results of the General and Regional Elections.

“The current situation serves no purpose in Guyana. We call to stop using the Judiciary branch to avoid bringing a solution to the country. It’s time to make decisions and protect democracy and the will of the people expressed in the elections,” Almagro had said.

He had noted that there should be an acceptance of the results to facilitate a peaceful transition of Government.

Meanwhile, Head of the Organisation of American States (OAS) election mission to Guyana, Bruce Golding, had testified before the OAS Permanent Council that because of the actions

who desperately hold on to power, through the courts if necessary. In his presentation, Sanders highlighted the fact that APNU/AFC’s associates continue to drag out the election process by continuously returning to the court.

The Guyana-born Sanders pointed to acting Chief Justice Roxane George’s comments made last Monday, in which, after throwing out another APNU/AFC supporter’s case, she urged lawyers to stop wasting the court’s time on issues that are res judicata; that is, already adjudicated by the court.

A 33-day National Recount had shown that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) won the March 2 elections with 233,336 votes, while the APNU/AFC coalition garnered 217,920. (G2)

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guyanatimesgy.com

FRIDAY, JULY 31, 2020

You can send your letters with pictures to: Guyana Times, Queens Atlantic Investment Estate Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown, Guyana or letters@guyanatimesgy.com

Is Moses “jus trying a ting” with dialogue?

Dear Editor, This is a response to Moses Nagamootoo’s July 26 column, titled “Dialogue on the Way Forward”.

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, you will recall that your namesake Moses, a prophet and lawgiver of the Christian, Islamic, Jewish and Baha’i religions, and who was an adopted member of the Pharaoh family, abandoned his privileged status and asked Egyptian Pharaoh Haran to let the Israelites go.

Most Guyanese want the small group of APNU and AFC “Pharaohs” to “let the nation go” by accepting the Recount results of the 2020 election and by bringing an end to this unprecedented ‘stupidness’.

To deflect from their management failure of the APNU and AFC political campaign, the CoManagers (Joe Harmon and Rafael Trotman) are blaming everyone, and they are trying to foster self-pity and fears of exclusion and marginalisation among APNU and AFC supporters.

The overwhelming majority of the 217,920 APNU and AFC voters (47.34% of all votes) know that the “Pharaohs” will obtain the support of a few “big-eye greedy” and “fast hand” business associates from all ethnic communities, to get around the sanctions for the benefit of themselves and their families.

In contrast, most Guyanese know what is coming under the dictatorship: shortages of medicines and foods, no jobs in Guyana and the Caribbean,

and many months without salaries. Robberies will increase, and there will be more corruption in all “shapes, sizes, genders, ethnicities and classes”.

Reliving the Burnham years, nearly all Guyanese will become “small comrades”. Of course, there will also be a few “medium comrades”, but, most importantly, there will be a very small elite of “big comrades”, composed of persons from all ethnic communities.

The late Octavia Butler, the successful AfricanAmerican science fiction novelist, said it very well when she stated that “to be led by a tyrant is to sell yourself and those you love into slavery”.

APNU and AFC supporters are asking how come the “Pharaohs” do not realise that “when yuh start riding ah tiger, yuh can’t get off”.

In today’s world, they will not be able to get away with their misdeeds. However, unfortunately, nearly all Guyanese will be victims, until the dictatorship is defeated.

Moses, based on your column calling for dialogue, should we assume that you and some other “bigbig” people in the APNU and AFC have the authority and influence to propose dialogue among all political parties?

If one does not have the authority and influence to call for dialogue, then follow the wise advice of our Guyanese ancestors: “If yuh nah got wing, nah guh a bird sport”, which means that when persons do not

have the authority and influence to organise something, then they should not try to impress. Or is it that you are trying to influence and change the minds of APNU and AFC supporters? If that is so, you should be like the Prophet Moses, who led with wisdom, courage and respect for the law.

But Guyanese know, without using magical tea leaves, that “yuh can’t suck cane and blow a whistle” at the same time; that is, you cannot impose a “dressed up” dictatorship and simultaneously disguise it with a call for dialogue.

Some people think that your call for dialogue is “a ting” to escape the revocation of visas and the imposition of sanctions. Moses, you know better than many others that Cheddi Jagan always believed that any kind of shared government

had to be based on the right of every Guyanese adult to express their political preference in regular, free, fair and transparent elections.

The AFC won significant and growing support in the 2006, 2011 and 2015 elections from Guyanese in all ethnic communities.

After 2015, something went wrong, but it is not too late to return to those pre-2015 days.

All Guyanese want an end to the “worries” and the “punishing”. Whether they are from the African, Indian, Mixed, Amerindian, Portuguese, Chinese and European communities, no Guyanese person wants Guyana to wander in the wilderness for 40 years.

If Guyana is to move forward, it is mandatory that there must be dialogue for inclusive governance to overcome the political stale-

mate of one-seat majorities and one-percent margins of victory in the 2011, 2015 and 2020 elections, the inter-ethnic rivalry between the African and Indian communities, and the unfair ethnic and class competition.

All APNU and AFC leaders and supporters must be assured that these are new times in Guyana. The Guyanese people and the international community will welcome you, and not allow any side or any political party to dominate or exclude any individual or ethnic community.

Former CARICOM Chairwoman Mia Mottley recently noted, “There must be space for all, regardless of who wins and who loses”. It is clear that, after the new PPP/C government is installed, the OAS, the EU, the Commonwealth

and Caricom will want to encourage, support and assist in the establishment of new, inclusive governance mechanisms.

Most APNU and AFC leaders and supporters want to work for the fulfilment of their dream of justice, freedom and dignity for every single Guyanese.

You will be respected and warmly welcomed under a broad pro-democracy tent.

In the end, the way forward for the Guyanese nation must be based on resolving issues. Reflecting on what happened before with you and others, we believe that, in this unprecedented crisis, the overwhelming majority of PPP/C members and supporters believe that issues are always more important than personalities.

Sincerely, Geoffrey Da Silva

Jordan’s position on sugar highly flawed Dear Editor, De facto Finance Minister Winston Jordan, in an epistle which appeared in the July 29 edition of the Stabroek News, sought to assuage concerns about the economy and obviously defend his stewardship as minister. In his missive, Mr Jordan covered several matters, among which was the Coalition’s handling of the sugar industry. It is on this area we wish to offer a frank response.

In speaking to sugar, the Minister pours scorn on those who have been critical of the Government’s policy.

This is most unfortunate,

as the realities of that policy are there to be seen. This was warned by the GAWU, and several others who presumably are labelled by Mr Jordan as the “…long list of detractors…”.

The Minister has said that, “…in 2014, the Wales, Skeldon and Enmore estates operated at losses in excess of $1.5 billion.” Using the Minister’s figures, what has been the loss to the economy by the closure of those three (3) estates? Those estates cumulatively employed more than 5,000 workers, who would have paid taxes – income and value added; their consumption activ-

ities would have supported hundreds of small and medium-sized businesses; their contributions to the NIS would have enhanced the Scheme; similarly their payments of rates and taxes to their NDCs would benefit the community. Apart from that, those estates maintained the drainage and irrigation system, provided primary health care to workers, their families and pensioners, and operated community centres which benefited all.

So, now what do we have? We have lost those taxes; the NIS has announced that is has found itself in troubled waters; businesses in those areas have slowed to a crawl or folded altogether, and life has become miserable overall. It is instructive to point out that Government was required to allocate in excess of $1.5B to the NDIA to maintain the drainage and irrigation system in the closed estate areas.

But let’s go beyond that.

Those estates produced sugar and molasses, which brought in large quantities of foreign exchange. When they were fully operable, hundreds of millions of US dollars flowed to the national coffers. Now they are mere shadows of what they once were. And, worse yet, that ‘hole’ which was created is yet to be filled. No wonder the foreign and gold reserves had to be liquidated.

The Minister trumpets the $30B bond for the industry. With flowery language, the Minister waxes lyrically about GuySuCo becoming “…a model to be emulated, producing about 150,000 tonnes of sugar in the medium term.” But

only if all that glitters were gold. The sad fact is that the Government, in the form of NICIL, has largely withheld financial support from GuySuCo, with no project earmarked to improve the industry’s well-being yet breaking ground. So, the Minister can blow his trumpet until he gets blue in the face, the fact is that, if his Administration were really concerned, as he says, we would have seen positive moves.

In a seemingly denigrating manner, Mr Jordan speaks about his Government’s support for the sugar industry, which is aggregated to $38 billion. This figure has to be contrasted with the $1.2 trillion the Minister and his Government spent up to the 2019 Budget. So, to talk about 3 per cent of the total spending benefitting more than a 100,000 Guyanese is something the Minister should not lament.

However, the fact that he has taken such a tone seems, in our view, to indicate there is more in the mortar than the pestle can pound.

At the end of his missive, the Minister urges that “… evidence-based analysis…” be undertaken before arriving at conclusions. We share the Minister’s view, but are simultaneously disturbed that his Government hadn’t taken such an approach in regard to its disastrous sugar policy, which has harmed the lives and welfare of thousands of Guyanese, and which still can put in harm’s way thousands more.

Yours faithfully, Seepaul Narine General Secretary GAWU

guyanatimesgy.com

FRIDAY, JULY 31, 2020

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Around the World

OILNEWS OIL NEWS Pandemic devastates oil demand

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oyal Dutch Shell PLC swung to a heavy loss in the second quarter and warned that the outlook for oil-and-gas demand continued to be uncertain, illustrating the scale of damage COVID-19 is wreaking on the industry, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The pandemic has decimated demand for oil, hitting prices hard. When around two-thirds of the world’s population was in lockdown in early April, global oil demand fell by a third, according to the International Energy Agency.

Oil Price reported on its website that sluggish oil demand recovery with resurging coronavirus cases in many parts of the US and the world and the return of previously-withheld production from OPEC+ and North America have combined to flip the oil futures curve again to a sign of a new glut looming this year.

According to Reuters estimates, the Brent Crude futures for September 2020 have been trading lower than the futures contracts further out in time over the past week, which means the market is now back into contango –the state in which prices for delivery at later dates are higher than front-month prices.

During the peak lockdown period, when every major economy except China was under lockdown in late March and early April, the oil market was in a state of super contango.

(Excerpt from Wall Street Journal and Oil Price)

Trump floats election delay, lawmakers in both parties reject idea

P

resident Donald Trump on Thursday raised the idea of delaying the Nov. 3 U.S. elections, an idea immediately rejected by both Democrats and his fellow Republicans in Congress - the sole branch of government with the authority to make such a change. Critics and even Trump’s allies dismissed the notion as an unserious attempt to distract from devastating economic news, but some legal experts warned that his repeated attacks could undermine his supporters’ faith in the election process.

Trump’s statement on Twitter comes as the United States is enduring a multipronged, once-in-a-generation crisis: a coronavirus pandemic that has claimed more than 150,000 lives, a crippling recession sparked by the outbreak, and nationwide protests against police violence and racism. On Thursday morning, the government reported the worst U.S. economic contraction since the Great Depression: 32.9% in the second quarter.

Trump, who opinion polls show trailing Democratic challenger and former Vice President Joe Biden, said he would not trust the results of

safely vote???”

At a White House news conference later in the day, Trump did not repeat his call for an election delay but said he was worried about fraud and a long wait for results from counting mail ballots.

“Do I want to see a date change? No. But I don’t want to see a crooked election,” he told reporters.

The United States has held elections for more than 200 years, including during the Civil War, the Great Depression and two world wars. Article II of the U.S. Constitution gives Congress

the power to set the timing of elections, and the 20th Amendment ends a president and vice president’s term in office on the Jan. 20 following a general election.

Multiple congressional Republicans - including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and top House of Representatives Republican Kevin McCarthy - rejected the idea.

“Never in the history of the federal elections have we ever not held an election and we should go forward with our election,” said McCarthy.

Democratic U.S. Representative Zoe Lofgren, who chairs the House committee overseeing election security, also rejected any delay.

“Under no circumstances will we consider doing so to accommodate the President’s inept and haphazard response to the coronavirus pandemic, or give credence to the lies and misinformation he spreads,” Lofgren said in an email to Reuters.

Trump wrote on Twitter later on Thursday that Americans needed to know the election results on the night of the voting, not days or months later. Mailin ballots can sometimes take longer to count. (Reuters)

daily count jumped as high as 37 over the past week.

Cuba is one of a handful of Latin American countries that have managed to contain the new coronavirus, which continues to devastate regional powers like Brazil and Mexico.

The country’s free community-based health system has been credited, along with measures such as strict isolation of the sick and their contacts, with allowing it to keep the number of cases under 2600 with 87 deaths – and no new deaths in the last 18 days.

Over the past six weeks, authorities have loosened lockdown restrictions, allow-

ing restaurants, bars, hotels, and beaches and pools to reopen and public transport to restart, albeit at reduced capacity and with strict hygiene measures.

But Duran suggested many Cubans had become lax with social distancing rules and other recommendations, lulled into a false sense of safety by the idea the Communist island was virtually coronavirus-free.

Some Caribbean island nations like Jamaica and the Bahamas have had to backtrack on re-openings slightly after a new spike in cases, and have introduced stricter entry requirements. (Excerpt from Reuters)

President Donald Trump has repeatedly without proof said mailin voting will allow fraud in the election [Alex Brandon/AP Photo]

an election that included widespread mail voting - a measure that many observers see as critical given the coronavirus pandemic. Without evidence, he claimed that ramped up mail voting would be rife with fraud, but praised absentee voting, which is also done by mail. “With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA,” Trump wrote on Twitter.

“Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and

Coronavirus: US economy sees sharpest contraction in decades As Cubans let guard down, coronavirus rebounds

T

he US economy shrank at a 32.9 per cent annual rate between April and June as the country grappled with lockdowns and spending cutbacks during the pandemic.

It was the deepest decline since the Government began keeping records in 1947, and three times more severe than the prior record of 10 per cent set in 1958.

Reduced spending on services such as healthcare drove the fall.

Economists have said they expected to see the sharpest drop in the second quarter, with recovery thereafter.

But as virus cases in the US surge and some areas re-impose restrictions on activity, the rebound is showing signs of stalling.

More than 1.4 million people filed new claims for unemployment last week, up slightly from the prior week for the second week in a row. Other data points to spending cuts and falls in confidence in July.

Jerome Powell, the head of America’s central bank, on Wednesday warned of renewed slowdown, describing the downturn as the “most severe in our lifetimes”.

He urged further Government spending to help American households and businesses weather the crisis.

That call was echoed by other business leaders on Thursday as the figures brought into focus the scale of the economic crisis facing the country. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Colombian lawmakers propose allowing some pension withdrawals amid coronavirus

C

olombian lawmakers have proposed a bill to Congress which would allow jobless people to withdraw up to 10 per cent of their pension savings from private funds amid an economic crisis provoked by the coronavirus pandemic.

Colombia’s economy has been battered by the twin crisis of low oil prices and the coronavirus and unemployment has soared amid a months-long quarantine.

Private pension funds in the Andean country controlled some 273 trillion pesos, about US$73 billion, at the close of June.

“The project seeks partial withdrawal in the face of the COVID-19 crisis, it will apply only and exclusively for some 8.6 million contributors who are inactive in private pension funds, who are generally people who are unemployed or work independently,” Harry Gonzalez, a Liberal congressman from southern Caqueta province, told Reuters via telephone.

Gonzalez said a majority of lawmakers from his party support the bill, which will need to be debated four times in the chamber.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

J

ust 10 days ago, Cuba registered zero new coronavirus cases for the first time since the start of its outbreak, burnishing its reputation for a textbook handling of disasters like hurricanes and now the fearsome pandemic.

On Thursday though, top epidemiologist Francisco Duran berated Cubans in his daily briefing for letting their guard down too quickly, resulting in several new focal points of local transmission.

“People are holding different types of gatherings without taking into account distancing and often without even using a face mask,” the usually mild-mannered

Top epidemiologist Francisco Duran

Duran said, visibly irritated.

He reported nine new cases over the last day, after the

Tropical Storm Isaias causes floods, slides; likely to become hurricane

T

he National Hurricane Centre said Thursday that Tropical Storm Isaias, which is battering the Dominican Republic on a forecasted track toward the US East Coast, will likely become a hurricane today. The storm

has already unleashed small landslides and caused widespread flooding and power outages in Puerto Rico, which is still recovering from previous hurricanes and earthquakes.

The storm’s maximum sus-

tained winds of 60 mph also toppled trees and some telephone and electrical cables across the island.

Especially hard hit was Puerto Rico’s southern region, which is still being shaken by daily tremors. Santos Seda,

mayor of the southwest town of Guánica, told The Associated Press that he has received reports of downed trees and inundated neighbourhoods where earthquake-damaged homes still stand. (Excerpt from CBS News)

EU sanctions Russian intelligence, North Korean, Chinese firms over alleged cyberattacks

T

he European Union imposed on Thursday travel and financial sanctions on a department of Russia’s military intelligence service and on firms from North Korea and China over their suspected participation in major cyberattacks across the world.

In its first-ever sanctions related to cybercrime, the EU targeted the department for special technologies of the Russian military intelligence service, known as Main

Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, it said in a statement.

The bloc accused the Russian service of having carried out two cyberattacks in June 2017, which hit several companies in Europe resulting in large financial losses.

The service is also accused of two cyberattacks against Ukraine’s power grid in 2015 and 2016.

North Korean company Chosun Expo

was also sanctioned on suspicion of having supported the Lazarus Group, which is deemed responsible for a series of major attacks worldwide.

The EU sanctions also hit Chinese firm Haitai Technology Development, which is accused of having supported cyberattacks – known as Operation Cloud Hopper – aimed at stealing commercially sensitive data from multinationals across the world.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

20

FRIDAY, JULY 31, 2020

guyanatimesgy.com

ARCHIE

Honesty matters. Don’t avoid issues that need adA profession(March 21- dressing. al change will turn out to April 19) be beneficial. Protect your home, family and health.

Use intelligence to make the best choices.

Getting along with the TAURUS people you live or work with (April 20will win you the support you May 20) need to reach your goal. Don’t waste time on conditional offers; focus on what’s tangible.

ARIES

DILBERT

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

CANCER (June 21July 22)

PEANUTS

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

CALVIN AND HOBBES

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

SUDOKU

Joint ventures will not be in your best interest.

Verify any information that comes your way to avoid making a mistake. Curtail excessive behavior or overspending. Depend on trusted resources, not outsiders.

Offer answers, solutions and positive alternatives. Your approach will determine how much you get in return. Know your boundaries, and you’ll reach your goal. Take care of unfinished business before starting something new.

Let your conscience be your guide. Do something that will have an impact. Making someone smile will be rewarding and will push you in a new direction. Romance is featured.

Make changes instead of letting situations fester.

A great idea will lead to offers and suggestions that will help you move forward.

Speak your mind and follow your heart.

Let experience be your teacher. Expand your interests instead of procrastinating. Deal with matters intelligently. Let go of the past and embrace the future.

Romance is featured.

Prepare for the changes you want to make. Be innovative and incorporate new technology into your plans.

Don’t trust anyone else to be as thorough as you.

Anger is a waste of SAGITTARIUS time, and being evasive will (Nov. 23cause problems. Honesty Dec. 21) and integrity will bring what’s troubling you to the surface and push you to improve your life.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

SOLUTION FOR LAST PUBLISHED PUZZLE AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 19)

PISCES (Feb. 20March 20)

Take control and bring about positive change.

Address a problem and listen to what others have to contribute. If you work in unison with others, excellent opportunities will develop.

A passionate approach will make a difference. Let experience guide you, and you will find new ways to excel. Celebrate your achievements with a loved one.

Personal growth and enlightenment are featured.

Being consistent, delivering what you promised and doing more and talking less will help you gain momentum and deter unwanted interference. Take time to relax at the end of the day.

FRIDAY, JULY 31, 2020

England v West Indies Test Series review — Part 1

Memorable series for cricket, not so for West Indies batsmen

By Brandon Corlette

N

o fans, no sight-seeing; for the players, it was all cricket, living in a bio-sceure environment. This series will always have a place in our hearts. It marked the return of international cricket during the deadly COVID-19 pandemic, and both teams showed solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.

This was certainly a memorable series for cricket, but most of the West Indies players, especially those in the 15-man squad, would reflect on this series as a disappointment.

In the first Test match, Jason Holder and Shannon Gabriel scripted a remarkable win for the West Indies, but for the remaining two matches, there seemingly was no oil for the rust on some of the players.

Scoring a century was foreign language to the West Indies batsmen. Across six innings, Jermaine Blackwood was the lone man from the Caribbean to surpass 200 runs, but he still failed to make that important conversion to three figures.

In this series review for the West Indies batsmen, the performances of the batting group are assessed.

Jermaine Blackwood

Blackwood came into the series with runs under his belt, after showing his class at the Regional 4-Day tournament, where he scored the most runs.

He also had a good record against England, and to an extent, he maintained that record, but fell short of that century he was looking for.

In a series in which West Indies deserve little credit for being defeated 2-1, Blackwood had the highest grade of 6/10. He finished with 211 runs at an average of 35.16, with two half-centuries, including a match-winning 95.

There was a surrounding noise that Blackwood had changed his approach to a more cautious one, but he has shown, with some of the dismissals, that he still has that aggressive approach in his batting; but

he is improving.

Shamarh Brooks

For most of the series, Brooks looked a composed and organised Test batsman, but he was also infected with the "not converting starts" sickness.

Brooks has gained a 5/10 grade in this review, after he scored 195 runs at 32.50, which included two half-centuries. Brooks looked a confident frontfoot player, but his two dismissals: when he was caught behind via an inside-edge, suggested some flaws in his batting.

Kraigg Brathwaite

Brathwaite entered this series under fire, since his form was patchy at the Test level. To an extent, he fought hard early in the series and scored some half-centuries, but his performances in the end were simply poor.

He is the number one opener in the Caribbean in terms of experience at the Test level and composure, but his overall record speaks otherwise.

In this s e r i e s , Brathwaite scored 176 runs at an average of 29.33. In this series review, he has been given a grade of 4/10.

Roston Chase

Chase won the West Indies’ Player of the Series award after he took 10 wickets in the series and scored 157 runs. As a batsman, Chase would have wanted more runs; his grade is 4/10 in the batting department, while his bowling grade sits at 6/10.

Chase took a five-wicket haul in England, which does not happen every day; and he chipped in with wickets throughout the series, having the upper hand on Rory Burns, his buddy.

In the batting area, Chase

averaged a poor 26.16 and scored one half-century.

He looked solid at times, but that was not enough.

Shai Hope

Hope was hopeless in the series. After six innings, Hope had scored only 105 runs at a poor average of 17.50, which is simply unacceptable from a player of such class.

The right-hander showed that Test cricket is of the highest level, and the other formats are each at a different level. Hope has been poor throughout his Test career since his magic at Headingly in 2017.

That is history, and he needs to

sweet shots in some of the innings, but his strength of survival was lacking at the highest level. Campbell’s back and across movement was not there, and his struggles handed him a grade of 1/10.

Shane Dowrich

After the first Test match, Shane Dowrich felt he had slain all the demons from his previous tour to England in 2017. But for the remaining two matches, the short-ball tactic worked against Dowrich, and it perhaps affected his batting and keeping for those remaining matches.

Dowrich scored 126 runs in six innings, at an average of 21, which included one half-century. For Dowrich, his performances early in the series handed him the grade of 4/10.

In the second part of the Test series review, the bowlers will be examined, and some

of the other options in the reserves would be examined.

Premier League Football…

p r o g ress in his Test career. As one of the highest-ranked ODI batsmen, Hope will have to examine his batting in the longer format. Perhaps he would want to play more firstclass cricket and make adjustments in his batting.

A grade of 2/10 does not adequately capture how poor Hope's series was.

John Campbell

His technique looked out-of-sorts, and he lacked the composure of an opening batsman. After six innings, John Campbell could produce only 84 runs, at an average of 16.80.

Does this signal the end of Campbell's career in Test cricket?

Campbell played some

Bournemouth accepts Man City’s £40M bid for defender Nathan Ake

R

elegated club Bournemouth have accepted a £40 million bid from Manchester City for defender Nathan Ake. It is understood there is an additional £1 million in add-ons as part of the deal.

Netherlands international Ake, 25, joined Bournemouth in 2017 for a club record fee, and has made 121 appearances for the Cherries.

Manchester City Manager Pep Guardiola has been targeting at least one centre-back to bolster his squad next season, and Ake has been a target for a while.

Bournemouth were relegated from the Premier League after finishing 18th, while Manchester City finished runnersup.

It is understood that Ake would leave Bournemouth this summer, whether Eddie Howe's men stayed in the top flight or not. However, their relegation was the trigger for City to open talks.

Ake, who played 29 of Bournemouth's 38 games in the Premier League this season, has been capped 13 times by his country, and has previously played club football for Chelsea, Watford and Reading.

Last year, Bournemouth sold defender Tyrone Mings to Aston Villa for £20m, which is currently the highest fee received for a player by the Cherries. (BBC Sport)

21

22

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

FRIDAY, JULY 31, 2020

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"CPL season will be tough since players lack match practice" — Shepherd

By Brandon Corlette

I

n the 2019 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL), Romario Shepherd finished sixth on the list of leading wicket-takers, with 13 scalps in only his second outing in the ‘biggest party in NOTICE sport’.

He graduated to a higher level, and Renewal of Licence - Ruiwen Huang.

Lot 194 Parika E.B.E. Applying for made his debut for the West Indies in renewal of Licence for: Sue Money, One Day Internationals (ODI) and T20 Lender and Pawn Shop. Located at Internationals, after recording some address mentioned above. strong performances at the Regional level.

With Guyana-based players set to TAXI SERVICES depart these shores on Monday, August GR TAXI, 24 HOURS. PHONE: 225- 3, to engage in CPL duty in the twin-island 7878, 219-5000, 227-2100.

Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, where the entire CPL will be played across two SERVICE Shalom Enterprise - 2 Coral Street, venues, Shepherd has predicted it would Stabroek. You could also obtain an be a tough season ahead, since most International Driving Permit covering players lack match practice.

131 Countries. Call: 227-7560/619It will be a different atmosphere for 0106/659-3381. Follow us on Shepherd and other cricketers playing Facebook. cricket in a bio-secure environment.

SPIRITUALITY "Being in a pandemic for the first time, Solutions to All problems such as – I am a bit nervous and tentative going into Domestic, Job, Relationships such as the tournament. (For) a big tournament :- Marriage , Love Relations. Removal like this, you need match practice, and of blockages and Bad Luck. Call this season will be one of the toughest for Appointment – 592 696 8222.

Address: Georgetown or Vreed-en- seasons, not just for me, but for everyone playing in the tournament,” Shepherd has Hoop. said.

URGENTLY NEEDED “Just the guys coming back from Anyone who calls up any devine force England would have been active, but for and manifest full. Please contact the players in the Caribbean, it would #695-3292 be really tough. (There has been) no VACANCY match practice, and you have to click Bond Clerk/Supervisor - Basic from the beginning," Shepherd disclosed C.X.C- 1 Year work experience, in an exclusive interview with this daily Mima Décor, 8 Sheriff Street. 2270176/86, mimadecor12@gmail. com

Romario Shepherd has moved on to represent the West Indies team after a strong 2019 CPL performance

publication.

As CPL 2020 looms, Shepherd has his eyes set on the prize: performing at his optimum best, and helping the consistent Guyana Amazon Warriors team to a maiden title.

Shepherd, who has been on lockdown like many other cricketers because of the COVID-19 pandemic, has been putting in the proverbial ‘hard yards’ at his home in the town of New Amsterdam, Berbice.

Shepherd says he is again happy to represent his home franchise.

"I am really looking forward to performing and helping us win the tournament this time. It's long overdue, so this year is our year. Everything is different,

FIFA under corruption probe…

FIFA President Gianni Infantino facing legal proceedings — over secret meeting with Swiss Attorney General

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223-7230-1 (Ext 55)

NOW!

IFA President G i a n n i Infantino is facing legal proceedings over an alleged secret meeting the head of world football's governing body held with the Swiss Attorney General Michael Lauber.

Lauber last week offered to resign after a court said he covered up the meeting and lied to supervisors during an investigation by his office into corruption surrounding FIFA. Both men have denied any wrongdoing.

FIFA said Infantino and the governing body would "co-operate fully with this investigation". In a statement released through FIFA, Infantino said: "As President of FIFA, it has been my aim from day one, and it remains my aim, to as-

sist the authorities with investigating past wrongdoings at FIFA. FIFA officials have met with prosecutors in other jurisdictions across the world for exactly these purposes."

FIFA also highlighted a comment Infantino made in June, when he said: "To meet with the Attorney General of Switzerland is perfectly legitimate and it's perfectly legal. It's no violation of anything."

Lauber's office said he officially tendered his resignation on Tuesday, with his last day of active duty set for 31 August. It comes after Special Prosecutor Stefan Keller was appointed in June to review criminal complaints against the two men and others. He found indications of criminal conduct related to their meetings, the authority overseeing the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) said.

"This concerns abuse of public office, breach of official secrecy, assisting offenders, and incitement to these acts," the watchdog overseeing the OAG said in a statement. The OAG said it had taken note of the development, adding Lauber would make statements to parliamentary committees if necessary.

The watchdog said Keller had now opened proceedings against both Infantino and a regional public prosecutor who was involved in the meetings, and was seeking parliamentary approval to have Lauber's immunity from prosecution waived.

FIFA is based in the Swiss city of Zurich. (BBC Sport)

so the results will be different this year," Shepherd explained.

In past CPL seasons, Guyana Amazon Warriors’ home-based support had played an important role in the team’s success, but with no home games slated for play at the Guyana National Stadium at Providence, it will be a different ball game.

Shepherd added that this season would be difficult, since the team is accustomed to the presence of a lot of fans on the ground.

Speaking on the composition of the team, Shepherd noted that it is good group of guys, and they are certainly strong on paper.

"As we all know, cricket don't play on paper, so we need to go out there and stick the performances in like last year, and go

that one extra step forward in winning the final," Shepherd posited.

The lad from New Amsterdam Berbice, who represents Tucber Park in local cricket, finished as the leading fastbowler for the Amazon Warriors in the 2019 CPL with his 13 victims.

Shepherd was tied with offspinner Chris Green (13 wickets), and only veteran leg-spinner Imran Tahir (16) had more wickets in the Warriors’ camp.

This time around, the humble Shepherd is looking to finish as the number one bowler. "Number one is always on anybody’s agenda, so I am not just me looking to finish first, but I know the work that I have to put in, so I am working hard to finish first."

Shepherd said.

Shepherd played five ODIs and two T20s for the West Indies. He disclosed that this tournament is of great importance to him. The consistent performer noted that, coming just before the T20 World Cup next year, the CPL is a big moment for him, so he is aiming to stake his claim by registering strong performances therein, although the CPL is filled with talented Caribbean players.

His message to the fans: "Continue to be patient with us, support us online, we will be watching your comments, obviously not every comment we would reply to, but just stay supporting us in every way that you can."

NBA: Players protest racial injustice as league returns to action

Members of the New Orleans Pelicans and Utah Jazz kneel together around the Black Lives Matter logo on the court during the national anthem before the start of their NBA basketball game

P

layers from the Utah Jazz and New Orleans Pelicans bowed their heads and knelt during the playing of the US national anthem while wearing Black Lives Matter T-shirts as the NBA returned for the first time since the coronavirus halted play in March.

Coaches and officials joined the players in taking a knee to protest against racial injustice and police brutality at the first NBA game in 140 days.

Black Lives Matter was also written on the court at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in the Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando,

where the NBA plans to finish its season with 22 teams inside a bio-secure bubble.

The Jazz are in fourth place in the Western Conference while the 10th-placed Pelicans are hoping to make a playoff push.

The top two teams in the Western Conference, the Lakers and Clippers, were to face off in an all-Los Angeles battle later on Thursday.

Athletes from around the world have united in solidarity behind anti-racism protests sparked by the death in May of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis.

(Reuters)

FRIDAY, JULY 31, 2020

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

23

GMR&SC mourns passing of photographer "Mikey Spice" T

Michael Samuels

he Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club (GMR&SC) on Thursday morning extended condolences to everyone close to motor-racing photographer Michael Samuels, aka Mikey Spice, who was gunned down in in homeland Jamaica on Wednesday night.

According to reports, Samuels was confronted in his flower garden by a lone gunman, and was shot on multiple occasions in the upper body. He was pronounced dead on arrival at

the Spanish Town Hospital.

GMR&SC Statement

The motor racing world awoke on Thursday morning to the shocking news that motorsport photographer Michael Samuels, aka Mikey Spice, lost his life in very tragic circumstances last evening outside his home in Jamaica.

There really can be no words to describe how great a person Mikey had always been. Mikey brought us as close to the racing action as we could have gotten, but the greatness in Mikey lay in his personality. He was always a friendly and jolly person who would move mountains to ensure those around him were happy.

Many of us formed a very close bond with Mikey over the years, and he will be missed dearly.

The GMR&SC would like to extend condolences to the friends and family of Mikey, and ask you to be strong in this time, as Mikey would not have wanted to see you sad. Rest in peace, Mikey.

FRIDAY, JULY 31, 2020

Sport is no longer our game, it’s our business

guyanatimesgy.com

Pg 22

Shepherd celebrates on of his 13 wickets in CPL

"CPL season will be tough since players lack match practice" — Shepherd England v West Indies Test Series review — Part 1

GMR&SC Memorable series for cricket, not so for mourns West Indies batsmen Pg 21

passing of photographer “Mikey Spice” Pg 23

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