Guyana Times - Friday, May 8, 2020

See Statements of Recount on pages 15-20 Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Issue No. 4279

FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2020

GECOM completes 65 of 2339 boxes at end of Day 2 guyanatimesgy.com

See story on page 3

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

80% COVID-19 deaths are P12 male – CMO …no new cases detected in 48 hours

Palms Geriatric Home staff P13 quarantined …as Guyana’s 10th COVID-19 fatality lived at facility

COVID-19 curfew measures

‘Influential’ persons P11 protecting defaulters …Police asked to relax rules – Deputy Commander

…as Commissioners order daily tabulation of SoRs

Recount will validate PPP’s SoPs – Jagdeo …slams APNU/AFC over “clumsy attempts” to derail process Page 7

PPP/C calls on Police to probe ‘recount mischief’

Pedal cyclist killed during collision with motorcycle P14

Businessman moves ahead with $200M P13 lawsuit against Harris, Guyana Chronicle

Page 9

…can incite problems, such actions have consequences – Dr Irfaan Ali …APNU/AFC’s “secret meeting” rumours dismissed by GECOM

OAS, USAID up pressure for credibility, transparency in recount Page 2

Hotel owners, Venezuelans among 22 P13 charged for breaking curfew

2 NEWS

FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

3 nabbed with illegal OAS, USAID up pressure for gun, ammo at Eccles credibility, transparency in recount …2 attempted to escape

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he international community continues to monitor developments in Guyana as the country enters into day three of the National Recount of the March 2 votes, emphasising the need for the process to be credible.

After weeks of preparation, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) finally commenced the recount process on Wednesday -more than a month after the decision was taken, and more than two months since Guyanese voted.

The process is being scrutinised by a high-level team from Caricom along with members of other observer missions, both local and foreign. Among foreign observers is the Organisation of American States (OAS), which has recruited local personnel since the current travel restrictions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic have prevented the observers who were here in March from returning.

In a social media post on Thursday, the OAS welcomed the initiation of the National Recount.

“Transparency & compliance with the law will be critical to ensure the credibility of the process & public trust in the results,” the international body, of which Guyana is a member, stated.

The tweet from the OAS added that its observers on the ground will monitor the process “through to its conclusion”.

This statement was retweet by both the Secretary at the OAS Secretariat for Strengthening Democracy, Francisco Guerrero Aguirre, and the Secretary-

OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro

General of the OAS, Luis Almagro.

SG Almagro added in his post on twitter that the National Recount in Guyana “is key to provide transparency and certainty to the electoral process and the people.”

He welcomed the beginning of the process, and called on all parties to continue supporting this task in favour of democracy in the country.

Only early this week, Guerrero had joined calls, both locally and internationally, for the caretaker Coalition to allow the United States’ Carter Center observers to return for the recount. The Center had disclosed that it was denied permission to fly to Guyana on an empty flight on Monday that came to Georgetown to repatriate US citizens stranded here.

The OAS-fielded Elections Observation Mission (EOM), which was led by former Prime Minister of Jamaica, Bruce

Golding, had cited a lack of transparency and credibility in the Region Four tabulation process back in March, and after the contentious declaration by embattled Returning Officer (RO) Clairmont Mingo on March 13, had withdrawn from Guyana.

Following last month’s announcement of a National Recount, the OAS SecretaryGeneral had said this was an “important step to grant legitimacy to Guyana’s Elections” In a subsequent missive, the OAS’ EOM had welcomed the move, and made several recommendations to ensure its transparency, including the removal of partisan officials from the process.

USAID

This sentiment was also expressed by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). In a tweet on Thursday, USAID Acting Administrator John Barsa said he was happy to see Guyana is undergoing a transparent recount of its national elections. “@USAID is looking forward to a swift, credible, and clear conclusion to the recount process so we can concentrate both on the threat posed by #COVID-19 and the development needs of Guyana,” Barsa stated in the social media post.

Only last week, USAID provided US$1.7 million (Gy$357 million) to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak in Guyana and the rest of the Caribbean.

The three men who were nabbed by Police

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hree men were nabbed with an unlicensed firearm and matching rounds of ammunition on Thursday at Eccles Industrial Site, East Bank Demerara (EBD).

Reports are that Police acting on intelligence gathered intercepted a vehicle at Eccles Industrial Site about 13:45h and conducted a search.

During the search, two of the suspects made a bold attempt to escape, but were promptly nabbed along with the driver of the car. An unlicensed pistol, along with two live rounds of ammunition, was found in possession of one of the men. The car was intercepted near two popular business places in Industrial Site prompting Police to believe that they may have thwarted a robbery. The vehicle was impounded and the suspects taken into custody. They are currently assisting with the investigation.

Just a few weeks ago, two men were detained by the Police in relation to the discovery of an unlicensed single-barrel shotgun and 15 live cartridges.

The gun that was found on Thursday

The men, Nicholas Boyce and Rockford Hinds, were riding a motorcycle along the Number 72 Village, Corentyne, Berbice road when Police stopped them. Police had observed the suspects acting suspiciously and approached them, but they escaped and, in the process, collided with another motorcycle.

A haversack that Police said was in the possession of the suspects was left behind and found to contain an unlicensed single-barrel shotgun and 15 live cartridges.

NEWS

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FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Friday, May 8 – 05:00h-06:30h and Saturday, May 9 – 05:30h-07:00h.

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High Tide: 17:23h reaching a maximum height of 2.77 metres.

Low Tide: 10:56h and 23:09h reaching minimum heights of 0.28 metre and 0.50 metre.

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GECOM completes 65 of 2339 boxes at end of Day 2 …as Commissioners order daily tabulation of SoRs

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he Guyana Elections C o m m i s s i o n (GECOM) began day two of the National Recount of the votes cast at the March 2, polls amidst confusion and uncertainty regarding whether the tabulation of the Statements of Recount (SoR) generated from each of the completed boxes had in fact commenced, or whether the previous day’s attempt was a dry run involving six of the already completed SoRs. As day one came to an end, the Commission began inputting information into a spreadsheet to then be tabulated; and Public Relations Officer (PRO) Yolanda Ward told media operatives that Wednesday’s activity was not in fact a real tabulation process, but was rather a dry run that had been requested by party agents.

However, during the course of the day, numerous tabulation agents for parties contesting the March 2 polls denied that the exercise was a dry run, and claimed that the tabulation had been instigated by the GECOM Tabulation Supervisor, contradicting Ward’s claims that the exercise was requested by party agents.

Peoples Progressive Party (PPP) Tabulation Agent Dr Frank Anthony told media operatives, “We are not aware of a dry run…

We consider the process of tabulation as what needs to be done, and our understanding was this would have been done on a continuous basis; because, as they (figures) are generated, they would be counted and tabulated.”

By the end of that day, the tabulation process was overturned and amended by the Commissioners in an order that is not expected to be published in the Official Gazette.

Guyana Times understands that, at the beginning of the second day, the Tabulation Staff had been instructed by Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield not to restart the process, since it was not in keeping with the original Order that had been Gazetted by the Commission for the recount.

That order stipulates that the tabulation would begin only after the SoRs had been completed and inputted into the spreadsheet for an entire electoral district/region.

At this point, according to the original order, the entries would then have to be verified by the supervisor before the tabulation begins.

This did not obtain on Wednesday.

Commission’s decision

A Commission meeting

PPP/C Tabulation Agent, Dr Frank Anthony

on Thursday subsequently overturned the diktat, with the Commissioners deciding to have the tabulation done each day, beginning at 17:00h and lasting for an hour and a half. This means that the tabulation exercise formally commenced only on Thursday.

It was reported that during the course of Thursday, the counting teams managed to complete 40 more boxes, bringing the total count to 65 out of 2,339 to be completed. During the course of Thursday, the tabulation exercise also saw vehement objections to the manner with which the SoRs would be treated.

Party representatives had, earlier in the day, told media operatives that GECOM was looking to take over the SoRs once completed, in order to add observations.

According to Dr Anthony, the tabulation agents were informed by the supervisor for the tabulation of the SoRs that, “They would want to alter the Statements of

Recount that have already been done…”

He was adamant that each party had received a copy of the SoR, and he said, “Our job in the Tabulation Centre is: when GECOM gets all the Statements of Recount into the room, we would now go through and count up those statements.”

According to Dr Anthony, what was being proposed was that “those which have already been completed, that they now want to add… take these statements that have already been completed, take it back to some place called the Secretariat; and in the Secretariat, some person is going to add comments onto these things.

And our position is: if you add comments on something that has already been

GECOM Public Relations Officer Yolanda Ward

authenticated and all of that, then these statements now would be erroneous; because we don’t have copies, and we don’t agree that you must now take it from the Tabulation Room and go and add comments.”

TURN TO PAGE 7

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guyanatimesgy.com

FRIDAY, MAY 8, 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

Saluting healthcare workers’ tremendous sacrifices

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onfirmed cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Guyana now stand at 93, and even as authorities grapple with under-reported cases here, the worldwide death toll and new cases are increasing daily, with over 2.5 million persons testing positive for the virus.

Health systems and health workers are being challenged to their maximum capacity, as no country was ever prepared to deal with a crisis of this proportion. In the middle of all of this are the healthcare workers — including doctors, nurses, medical assistants, lab technicians and others — who are making tremendous sacrifices every day; even risking their lives to win this battle.

Over the past months, we have seen reports from the international media about the selfless services these frontline workers are offering to save lives and contain the further spread of this deadly virus. In fact, there were reports of some of these frontline workers becoming depressed after being so overwhelmed by witnessing the suffering of persons firsthand, and with seeing the magnitude of the task ahead.

In Guyana, our healthcare workers are also faced with lifechanging decisions as they put their lives at risk to save those who contracted the disease. Our healthcare professionals are even being stigmatised and discriminated against by public transport operators and some business owners. This was obviously done out of fear, and by persons who felt they could have contracted the virus very easily, by having any contact with such persons. To some extent, this has been resolved, as transportation arrangements have been put in place for healthcare workers; but it is noteworthy, since persons continue to put their lives on the line while providing an invaluable and selfless service to the nation.

The challenges healthcare workers – especially 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, 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.

A new report, titled “The State of the World’s Nursing 2020”, which was published recently, provides an in-depth look into the nursing profession. Compiled by the World Health Organization (WHO) in partnership with the International Council of Nurses (ICN) and Nursing Now, the report produced findings which identify important gaps in the nursing workforce, and priority areas for investment in nursing education, jobs, and leadership, to strengthen nursing around the world.

The report reveals that today there are just under 28 million nurses worldwide. Between 2013 and 2018, nursing numbers had increased by 4.7 million. But this still leaves a global shortfall of 5.9 million – with the greatest gaps found in countries in Africa, South East Asia and the WHO Eastern Mediterranean region, as well as in some parts of Latin America.

To equip the world with the nursing workforce it needs, WHO and its partners have made a number of recommendations. They 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.

According to the WHO report, without nurses, midwives, and other healthcare workers, countries cannot win the battle against outbreaks.

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

Innovative: The young man turns his toy truck into a cart to carry groceries easily as he merrily rides along the Railway Embankment near the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, Greater Georgetown (Dexter Ceres Photo)

PNC/APNU/AFC are fighting for survival Dear Editor, To put it mildly, the Guyana Chronicle has gone to the dogs; there is not even the slightest attempt by the editor of this PNC/APNU mouthpiece to be impartial.

An editorial is an article that presents the newspaper’s opinion on an issue.

Editorials are meant to influence public opinion, promote critical thinking, and sometimes cause people to take action on an issue. The editor of a newspaper that wants to be taken seriously as a source of credible news must aspire to impartiality, open-mindedness, and intellectual honesty. The freedom of expression an editor enjoys requires a moral fibre and trustworthiness to uphold the truth, something sadly lacking by those who write the editorials of the Guyana Chronicle.

In 2019, the de facto Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo reconstituted a new Board of Directors of the Guyana National Newspapers Limited (GNNL) after the former General Manager, AFC’s Sherod Duncan, was fired for several breaches of financial regulations that cost the company millions of dollars, which were never recouped from Duncan. Nagamootoo, who turned a blind eye to Duncan’s theft, tried to reverse his firing. As a result, the former Chairperson of the Board, Geeta ChandanEdmond, along with three other board members, eventually resigned. (https://www.stabroeknews.com/2019/06/05/ news/guyana/chairperson-quits-chronicle-board-after-pm-directs-reversal-of-duncan-firing/) This resulted in the appointment of the current board of PNC/APNU+AFC lackeys, which includes

Ganesh Mahipaul, a PNC Information Officer of the Region Three RDC, who also has serious credibility issues.

While serving as President of the University of Guyana Students Society in 2013, he was accused of misappropriating $800,000 of the student body’s money, which he admitted borrowing to offset personal expenses (https:// www.guyanatimesinternational.com/i-am-no-thiefugss-president/).

With Ganesh Mahipaul now acting as General Manager at the Guyana Chronicle, he is using the Editorial Department to carry out the agenda of the PNC: to mislead the nation by accusing the PPP/C of rigging the 2020 elections. And it appears like the Chronicle’s Editor-in-Chief, Nigel Williams, is a willing participant, who must take full responsibility for the PNC/ APNU propaganda that is published in this rag on a daily basis with taxpayers’ money.

Dishonesty, lies and deception are now the hallmarks of the Guyana Chronicle.

So much so that even PNC/APNU candidate James Bond, on his Facebook page, recently stated, “I am not in agreement with the state media being used as a weapon!

Whether it’s the Chronicle or NCN, do not weaponize the state media. Feel free to do investigative journalism, feel free (to) dig deep into the recesses of corruption and the ills in society, but do not allow the state media to attack individuals for the sake of attacking individuals! We can do better, and we must do better!”

James Bond is smart enough to know his party was solidly defeated on

March 2nd, and may now be desperately trying to salvage what’s left of a once promising political career.

And so, I now come to the purpose of this letter, which is in response to an absurd editorial that appeared in Tuesday’s edition of the Guyana Chronicle under the caption, “Why the PPP is terrified of an audit”. Whoever the moron is that wrote this piece of garbage must have been living in the same cocoon as David Granger since the Government fell on December 21, 2018.

This diatribe was so badly written, and was so filled with venom, that it could not possibly have been written by a career journalist. It is very similar to the hate-filled propaganda often written by the AFC amateur letter-writer Abel Seetaram.

The editorial begins, “While it has always been obvious that the PPP does not want to have a thorough and comprehensive examination of the results of the March 2 General and Regional elections, it is now becoming increasingly evident that the PPP is utterly and desperately terrified of a full recount and forensic audit of the elections. It is possible to determine the reason that the PPP is terrified of a comprehensive audit if one examines the auditing process, and the fact that a full examination will definitely reveal skulduggery and fraud.”

It was GECOM Chairperson Claudette Singh who gave assurance to the Chief Justice that she would facilitate a recount of the votes. That means a recount of the votes cast, not a forensic audit of the elections.

Except for the APNU Commissioner Vincent Alexander, no one ever called

for a forensic audit, and no decision was ever made by GECOM to do an audit of the ballot boxes. It is not provided for in the law, and was merely a ploy by Alexander to further frustrate and delay the recount.

The editorial continues, “In other words, they (the PPP/C) just want the ballots to be counted, and nothing more. They do not want all the contents of the ballot boxes to be scrutinized because… the PPP heads know that such a review will reveal their dirty hands; an audit will disclose their dishonest ways, and their rigging of Guyana’s elections.

Further, the PPP heads are running around even faster, trying to prevent the use of the list of electors in the recount, because they know that, the voters’ list, when it is compared with the numbers of ballots in the ballot boxes, will clearly show that the PPP stuffed ballot boxes, when, in truth, no one voted.”

In fact, Section 89 (2) of the Representation of the People Act is very specific in how a recount is to be conducted by GECOM, what is relevant and what is not. It states: “The returning officer shall not open the sealed packets containing tendered ballot papers, marked copies of the official list of electors or part thereof, or counterfoils of used ballot papers.”

The violation of this section of the Representation of the People Act by GECOM is exactly what former Attorney General Anil Nandlall warned about, which is now responsible for the snail’s pace at which the recount procedure is now ongoing at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre. It is a total waste of time to drag out the process.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

guyanatimesgy.com

FRIDAY, MAY 8, 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

NOTHING GOES UNPAID: The people’s voice will be heard and obeyed Dear Editor, The tragedy has been committed: the country’s constituents are being taken for a malicious ride. The national and regional elections have been done two months ago and counting; it’s time the Judicial System should step up.

GECOM is not a law unto itself, it was appointed by the representatives of all the political parties; but it has failed miserably, and this is not the time for a delay in declaring the President. APNU/AFC has not won this election, and will have to accept its defeat.

Granger, Harmon, Klein, Lawrence, Jordan, Myers, Cummings, Williams Nagamootoo, Ramjattan, Alexander, Hinds, Patterson, Lowenfield, and the other perpetrators of this heinous crime, you are, and will be, accountable for the torture and rape of this nation.

When people work and pay their taxes, they are entitled to see the fruits of its worth.

We call on the senior citizens: unless you make your voices heard, that which you receive (and the increase

was due to the previous Government) will be stagnated and lost.

We call on middle class workers: the ability to own a home is not a luxury, but a progressive system that enables your sweat to reap the benefit.

We call on civil service workers: the working class are the wheels by which an economy moves forward; you keep the nation from avoiding hiccups.

We call on the Bar Association to be the voice of the people in speaking up.

Your integrity elevates the Rule of Law; without it, no state will survive.

We call on the Law Enforcement to be the strength for JUSTICE and HONOUR. You swore an oath to be fair and straightforward in all matters for the people, by the people, and of the people. It is such a powerful oath that the respect it commands has immense responsibility.

We call on the rich natives of this land: do not turn a blind eye because of your position. Wealth earned in an honest way has the bless-

ings of the land, and wealth gained through unscrupulous methods will carry the weight of its curse.

Nothing goes unpaid; and whether or not you believe in a God, the history of life has shown us that when sickness overcomes us, no amount of wealth can help. Let good conscience uphold good integrity.

We call on all the religious leaders to speak out and up.

This is the time you are needed more than ever to guide your choir, your congregation, your true faith in Justice; because all of this will be trampled by a few, and are you going to allow the future of the children of Guyana to be thrown away?

We call on all the international bodies: your presence has helped the world to see the horrible stink that’s been unfolding.

Solidarity forever! The people’s voice will be heard and obeyed. One People, One Nation, One Destiny. God Bless Guyana.

Respectfully, Mohamed Yousuff (Br Bob)

When will the lies stop?

Dear Editor, The lies must stop!

Representatives of TNM, LJP and TCI all took to Facebook to debunk lies being pushed by the de facto regime. When will they stop lying? When will the PNC (branded as APNU+AFC) show an ounce of honesty and integrity that they so vigorously campaigned for?

In a Facebook post on the President’s page, and on James Bond’s Facebook page, there is being peddled claims that two PPP agents claimed they were up to nefarious activities in the tabulation room.

Lenox Shuman of the LJP stated in a Facebook post, “… to besmirch the character of personnel who continue to

conduct themselves with integrity is not only irresponsible…breathes racial suspicion…There has been no attempt at the tabulation of SORs this AM…All parties that contested these elections have been represented in this room since it opened.”

While Rondha Lam stated via Facebook: “…I am in the tabulation room. There was no secret meeting nor cloak and dagger hastily arranged meetings. We all heard it repeat what he was asked and his answer. In fact, close to 20 people heard it…”

It is heartbreaking to see how disingenuous are the people who are claiming to have won. This behaviour reminds me of playing games with my siblings and then

behaving like a sore loser when I was a child, by crying out they cheated. Now in my early twenties, when I lose or when I’m wrong, I admit it; you learn from your failures, and accept constructive criticism to grow.

I can safely say the incumbent needs a moral compass, a lesson on ethics before they even consider running for office again, and a dictionary so they can understand what honesty and integrity mean.

Perhaps then they will comprehend there was no secret meeting in the tabulation room, so fiascos like this election season would not repeat itself.

Respectfully, Nutana Singh

PNC/APNU/AFC are...

All fair-minded Guyanese are aware that the People’s Progressive Party have been the vanguard of struggle for free and fair elections, often at great personal sacrifices. The editor of Guyana Chronicle has never had the courage, the independence or credibility to condemn the trampling of our Constitution by the Granger Administration since 2015 nor the unilateral appointment of retired Justice James Patterson by David Granger which signaled his intentions to rig the elections. The pages of the Guyana Chronicle have never criticized the APNU+AFC cabal for the wasteful spending of hundreds of millions in frivolous and shameless court actions to determine the majority of a 65-member Parliament in a deliberate attempt to reverse the outcome of the no-confidence motion.

But this is not surprising as

the editorials of the Guyana Chronicle have always been known to express the bias, hypocritical political dictates of the shameless Moses Nagamootoo.

It was not the PPP/C who refused to publish their copies of the Statements of Polls (SOPs) in their possession which would have ended this political quagmire a long time ago.

It was certainly not the PPP/C that collaborated with Clairmont Mingo, Keith Lowenfield and others at GECOM to steal an country before the eyes of the entire world. And do you recall whose signature appeared next to Mingo’s on the Region Four unverified declaration form to force the illegally swearing in of David Granger for a second term?

Oh yes, this document was signed by Volda Lawrence, the PNCR Chairperson her-

FROM PAGE 4

self, yet we’ve heard repeated claims by Granger that his government and ministers have never interfered with the work of GECOM. And of course, it was definitely not the PPP/C who shamelessly used the COVID-19 pandemic to prevent the Carter Center from returning to observe the recount.

The APNU+AFC have tried every dirty time-wasting trick to prevent this recount in order to protect their own self-interest. They have now rolled out the worst of the rigging cabal. Changing the narrative now to make David Granger look like an altar boy will fool no one. The inevitable has begun and the PNC/APNU+AFC lackeys are fighting for survival.

Sincerely, Harry Gill Former PPP/C Member of Parliament

Harassment of a diplomat Dear Editor, Over the past few days, I have witnessed, on social media, the vilest, wickedest, racist and ill-informed comments about the High Commissioner of Canada to Guyana.

This gracious lady was “picked upon” by apologists of those holding on to power illegally, despite all evidence that the elections, held over nine weeks ago (more than 67 days), were won by the PPP/C, although it cannot yet be so declared by the incompetents we have at GECOM. I strongly suspect there are a number of reasons for “choosing” to go after this particular diplomat, but I would refrain from publicly sharing these, at least for

this time, except to say that the remarks spoke volumes for themselves and about those making them.

The High Commissioner was accused of acts that have no basis in the truth.

However, what prompted me to write was the clearly antagonistic “interview” I saw last evening, which featured the extremely competent lady going through an inquisition by someone who obviously couldn’t hide his hidden agenda. Despite all his efforts, he failed miserably to get the High Commissioner to agree to his distortions.

The lady, in Guyanese parlance, “put him to his place”.

Not even the silly smirk on his face from time to time could hide his embarrassment at the answers he got.

I am not writing this to defend the Canadian High Commissioner, as she clearly and obviously proved her competence in defending herself, but to congratulate her for the courageous position she (like some other Heads of Missions and local and international observers) has taken in the interest of preserving democracy, so that the will of the Guyanese electorate can be respected.

I would hope that, in future, all members of the diplomatic missions in Guyana continue to enjoy that Guyanese hospitality for which we are known worldwide.

Respectfully, Harry N Nawbatt

Teach Guyana’s miscreants a lesson

Dear Editor, In addition to local action, there would be crushing backlashes from the foreign community for those involved in a fraudulent recount, and we pray that such does not occur. Fraudulent recount and undemocratic actions are against the culture and interests of the international community, and particularly the United States The Western World, and in particular the United States of America, have, from 1990, invested tens of millions of dollars in the restoration and maintenance of democracy in Guyana, and they have no intention of losing their investment by the re-emergence of fraudulent elections and dictatorship.

The United States had declared the Munroe

Doctrine in the 19th century, and in this century, they have established the Democratic Americas Doctrine, whereby all the countries of the Americas would be democracies, making the Americas an oasis of democracy in a confused world.

They have worked very hard for this, expending large resources, and today all the countries are democracies, or are nearly so. They re-established democracy in Guyana more than 20 years ago, and will therefore not allow any group or person to turn back the clock to dictatorship.

In their calm and polite efforts to keep Guyana on the democratic path by asking for the holding of free, fair and transparent elections, they have been subjected to the rudest, bold-

est-face insults and lies by the few bent on fraud.

They have shown extraordinary patience and restraint, which this group bent on fraud have mistaken for weakness. The time has now come for the greatest and most powerful country on Earth to teach these miscreants a lesson, and make them an example for others who may try to destroy democracy.

These fraudulent operators must know that, despite their braggadocio, they could never defeat the greatest nation on the planet, and they should seize the chance of escaping by abandoning their plans of corrupting and falsifying the recount.

Yours sincerely, Paul Validum Ramlochan

APNU/AFC now knows it has lost Dear Editor, It is Day Two of the recount, and the absurdity of the recount order is even more pronounced. It is obvious that a semi-audit is in process, in conjunction with a count.

For example, Station Two spent 13 minutes sorting out and counting blank tally sheets! Having worked as a polling agent numerous times, I can assure you my use or non-use of GECOM’s tally sheets makes not one iota of a difference to the counting and totals of ballots cast for respective parties; so what is at play here? Why is such an irrelevant/optional piece of paper given any attention?

It seems the APNU/AFC is in search of ‘discrepancies’ in a bid to discredit an election they claim to have won.

As Day One ended, APNU/AFC activists James Bond and Sherod Duncan took to social media platforms to claim that a ‘dead man’ had voted. They produced a death certificate and then made the stunning claim that they knew which party he had voted for, namely the PPPC. We know the dead cannot vote, but someone can impersonate another on the list of voters, dead or alive. We also know that the secrecy of

the ballot booth prevents anyone from knowing an elector’s choice; there is no serial number or other identifying numbers on a ballot of an elector, dead or alive.

Bond and Duncan are not for nothing known as leaders of the ‘blow-blow’ brigade.

Immediately after Mingo’s declaration, Bond and Duncan were vociferous in their calls to have Mr. Granger sworn in as President, and “let the blow-blow blow”. It cannot have escaped notice that these two men are now in the forefront of the campaign to delay and discredit the 2020 General and Regional Elections.

There are going to be all sorts of issues: more votes than names ticked off on a list by a Returning Officer is one that has been raised. Those of us who have worked in polling stations can tell you that, no matter how diligent you are, the pace and impatience of voters in the peak hours can lead to names not being ticked. Some ROs and polling agents work together to reconcile the lists during the slack time, some do not. It does not invalidate votes, or suggest electoral fraud.

There is no statutory requirement for the RO to tick

names off the list. The List is of eligible voters for a particular station, nothing more or less. The ticking of names is optional, to assist with a more efficient counting after the close of polls. If the RO and the Polling agents all agree that 123 people voted, they know what number must be reconciled in the total.

It is obvious that many who are commenting and speculating on the electoral process have never worked in a polling station on a polling day, and do not appreciate the professionalism on display by the GECOM staff. Mingo and Meyers are aberrations far removed from the norm.

APNU/AFC now know they have lost the election.

They have sent their top disruptors to the Counting Centre to cause as much delay as possible; to raise as many discrepancies, and to confuse simple issues with empty rhetoric. Day one brought Humpty Dumpty to mind; today (Thursday), APNU/AFC remind me of a silly rhyme: “Chitty-chitty bang-bang sitting on a fence, trying to make a dollar out of 65 cents”.

Respectfully, Robin Singh

6

FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2020

Page

Foundation

Guyana Times is pleased to publish the Education Ministry’s National Grade Six Assessment Past Papers. Below is the conclusion of Science Paper 1, 2009.

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

NATIONAL GRADE SIX ASSESSMENT

SCIENCE

TIME: 1 hour 10 minutes 1. WRITE YOUR CANDIDATE NUMBER ON THE ANSWER SHEET AND UNDERLINE THE SUBJECT.

3. If you are not sure of the answer to a question, then choose the one which you think is BEST. On your answer sheet, draw a heavy black line through the letter you have chosen.

2. This test contains 40 questions. You are required to answer ALL questions. Four responses are given for each question.

The responses are A, B, C and D. Only ONE response is correct.

4. BE SURE THAT THE QUESTION NUMBER IN THE BOOKLET IS THE SAME AS THE ONE YOU HAVE USED ON YOUR ANSWER SHEET. Here is an example done for you.

1. Carbon dioxide is a

CONTINUED FROM YESTERDAY Study the drawings of living things below, then answer question 31.

(A) mixture (B) liquid (C) gas (D) solid

ANSWER SHEET A B C D

A heavy black line has been drawn through the letter B on the answer sheet because Georgetown, the correct answer, is next to B. 5. If you make a mistake, erase the line cleanly, then draw a heavy black line through the letter next to the answer you have now

chosen.

6. REMEMBER, each answer MUST only be shown by a heavy black line on your Answer Sheet.

7. Remember only ONE answer must be provided for each question.

8. DO NOT TURN OVER THIS PAGE UNTIL YOU ARE TOLD TO DO SO.

32. The placenta after fertilization is labelled (C) iii (D) iv 33. Before AIDS develops the HIV must-enter the body. The HIV is carried in the semen. i Semen ii blood. iii faeces. iv saliva.

(A) 1, ii and iii (C) ii, iii and iv (B) i, ii and iv (D) 1, iii and iv

36. Which type of simple machine is, the ladder used as?

(A) Lever (B) Inclined-plane (C) Pulley (D) Wheel-and-axle

Study the table below then answer question 34.

31. Which are invertebrates?

(A) i and ii only (B) ii and iv only (C) iii, iv and vi only (D) ii, iv and v only The diagram below represents the female reproductive system. Study it, then answer question 32.

34. In which jar will the seeds germinate?

(A) (B) 2 (C) 3 (D) 4 .

35. Anithals and plants have features that equip them for finding food and avoiding predators in their particular habitats. This natural process is called (A) nutrition. (B) predation.

(C) adaptation. (D) respiration.

Study the picture belowing picture , then answer question 36.

Study the diagram below, then answer quegon 37.

37. The sun appears to move across the sky because (A) it is spinning.

(B) the earth is rotating.

(C) it moves from east to west.

(D) the earth moves from east to west

Study the apparatus below, then answer question 38.

38. Which statement best explains what will happen to the air in the bottle after 10 minutes?

(A) the air in the bottle in tiecome cool and draw air from the balloon.

(B) the balloon will decr in size due to loss of air from the bottle.

(C) the balloon will m and e air in the bottle will escape.

(D) the airintthe b• le will beco e hot, rise and fill the balloon.

39. The process of rocks breaking up into smaller pieces to form soil includes (i) heat from the sun causing rocks to expand during the day. (ii) rocks cooling down at nights and getting larger. (iii) rocks cracking and breaking up-over a period of time. (iv) rain and water falling on rocks causing some parts to wear away.

(A) i, ii and iii (B) I, ii and iv (C) ii, iii and iv (D) i, iii and iv

Study the circuit below, then answer question 40.

40. Bulb A will not light because (A) bulb B is getting all the current. (B) the circuit is parallel.

(C) there is only one battery. (D) the switch is opened.

END OF TEST

NEWS

7

FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Recount will validate PPP’s SoPs – Jagdeo …slams coalition over “clumsy attempts” to derail process ed down those SoPS, they lost the elections,” he maintained.

According to Jagdeo, the caretaker coalition is deliberately trying to derail and delay the recount so that it can hang onto power for a longer period. He added that it was trying to create confusion around the entire process, but its ploy was not unknown.

Jagdeo explained that the locks were rusted and seized up from the rains and all had to be broken, with permission from the political parties. He also pointed to the allegations of secret meetings between PPP agents and GECOM staff, which have since been disputed by GECOM’s Public Relations Officer Yolanda Ward and claims of dead

“So, you’re claiming that you won on the basis of dead people and those who migrated voting… Their strategists didn’t think that through to the end. They are very transparent now and I would say clumsy too, because if you’re arguing you won why would you go now and try to prove that the dead vote and people who migrated… So, there

to be addressed in an elections petition after there was a declaration of the elections results.

Nevertheless, Jagdeo further posited that his party would continue to expose the APNU/AFC’s plan to create doubt and confusion regarding the recount process.

He noted that the PPP along with the small political parties that contested the

“They have to create doubts about the elections so as to call for fresh elections; and that is their objective – to hang onto power for another year or so [and] try to drag this out… So, we know that their game plan is to try create doubts to have a new election, but we’re not interested in that at all,” he contended.

This, the PPP General Secretary noted, is evident in the many shenanigans that the coalition has created since Wednesday’s start of the recount to disrupt the process beginning with the false claim that the PPP delayed the commencement because they could not find their keys to open the containers to access the ballot boxes.

and migrated people voting.

In fact, he noted that the APNU/AFC was just creating confusion among citizenry. He stated that the coalition was now claiming that the Voters’ List was bloated and that dead and people who migrated have voted, but at the same time was also claiming victory of the same elections.

is a full-fledged delay of the counting. They want to slow down the entire process by making these objections,” the Opposition Leader asserted.

The PPP General Secretary went on to note that even if the coalition did have evidence of this, there were provisions in the Constitution for such issues

March 2 elections were continuing to guard the containers with the ballot boxes that were moved from GECOM Headquarters in Kingston, Georgetown, to the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) at Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown, for the national recount, which is expected to last for a minimum of 25 days.

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

O

pposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo has stated that the ongoing national recount will validate the Statements of Poll (SoPs) published by the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) that project its victory at the March 2 General and Regional Elections.

During a virtual press conference on Thursday, Jagdeo did a comparison of the Statements of Recount (SoRs) that were generated from the first day of the recount of the few ballot boxes in the contentious District Four/Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) with the SoPs that the Party had published online, showing the similarity of figures from those six polling stations.

After the first day of the recount process, a total of 25 ballot boxes were completed from which 50 SoRs were produced – 25 General and 25 Regional. By the end of day two, an additional 40 ballot boxes were recounted.

According to Jagdeo, at the end of this process,

which is in its third day today, his Party’s claim of victory at the March 2 elections would be vindicated.

“As is being shown, a pattern has already start to emerge that in South Georgetown that the Statement of Recount is matching the Statement of Poll that the PPP uploaded – that APNU and GECOM (Guyana Elections Commission) refuse to make public… the results will be evident to everyone that what the PPP has put up as SoPs [is validated and]… we believe that they know that the PPP won the elections by about 17,000 votes,” he posited.

The Opposition Leader, who is also the General Secretary of the PPP, noted that the APNU/AFC coalition already knew that it lost the elections; hence, the reason it has not released its SoPs to prove its claims of victory.

“Let them release their own SoPs like we’ve done, but they will never do that because when they add-

GECOM completes 65...

The bottle neck, according to Dr Anthony, “is totally unnecessary”. It created a situation that eventually led to the Commissioners overturning the original order for the manner in which the tabulation would be done.

65 ballot boxes

Meanwhile, GECOM Public Relations Officer Yolanda Ward, in providing a report on the day’s activity, conceded that the tabulation exercise did commence on Wednesday afternoon, “albeit very late.”

She told media operatives that the Commission met during the course of the day and took the decision that the tabulation process would be done every day between 17:00h and 18:30hrs.

“It’s a simultaneous process: one screen that will project the Statements of Recount, and another screen where there is an Excel file where the numbers will be plugged into,” she clarified.

She explained that an Observation Report is gener-

ated for every work station, and that the Commission decided that those reports would be presented during the tabulation process.”

She posited that as the process continues today, “we hope that the staff have picked up a rhythm, and once the agents can once again come early and come on time, we will be able to go through the necessary security checks and ensure that they commence on time at the respective work stations.”

According to Ward, 40 boxes had been completed during the course of Thursday, 15 more than had been completed on the first day.

She said, “All in all, today we had a very smooth process at the various stations. We started about 08:15hrs at the stations this morning, so I guess the fact that we would have started early gives us that time where we could have picked up the speed in terms of the number of boxes completed.”

Asked to pronounce

FROM PAGE 3

on when the Commission would be in a position to say when it would revise its 25day timeframe, the PRO indicated that this would not be possible at this time, since the Commission is yet to come up with an average time to complete a box, given the different factors that could affect the time take.

She, however, told media operatives, “I cannot say that the process is being dragged out because of queries being made. We are at a recount exercise, and like anything else, people will have queries; and so it is important that whatever those queries are, they are adequately addressed.”

According to the GECOM PRO, “We want to ensure that every person and every agent in the room is satisfied with whatever decisions are taken at a respective workstation…It therefore means that if an issue needs to be ventilated to ensure that it comes to a conclusion that’s agreed on by all, it must be done.”

8 NEWS

FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

COVID-19 contact tracing

Providing accurate information will prevent spread – epidemiologist …as public scared of discrimination

M

any persons within the public domain might be hesitant to report cases where they might have come into contact with an individual who later tested positive for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Epidemiologist attached to the Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit, Dr Luella Sucre has stressed the importance of providing infor-

Dr Luella Sucre

mation to stop the spread.

Moreover, the data provided should be accurate to effectively trace other suspected cases.

“In order for us to do good contact tracing, that can only be done if the persons are open, honest about their movements, whereabouts and symptoms. The general public have the impression that they will be discriminated once they have COVID-19 or the actual pick-up process might be a very scary one so they’re usually hesitant to give us information. If they don’t give us the information that we need, we wouldn’t be able to prevent further spread of COVID-19,” Dr Sucre indicated during a discussion released by the Public Health Ministry.

Presently, the Ministry receives information about suspected cases through open forms of communication, such as its hotlines and mobile app which were specifically created for the COVID-19 response. Health facilities and regional administrations also provide information to the relevant surveillance teams.

The Epidemiology and Surveillance team at the Public Health Ministry is responsible for acting on the data provided.

“The information comes though mainly via calls and/or it could also be in the form of messages. From there, the Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit is responsible for the processing of that information. We can also receive information from health facilities in the regions. As long as the information filters and flows through to the surveillance unit and the surveillance unit is immediately notified, we are actively involved on a daily basis for the contact tracing of these persons,” the scientist shared.

She went on to say that for them to effectively carry out their functions and flatten the curve, persons need to come forward with information on possible suspected cases.

“It may be contact tracing of the cases themselves or persons that are suspected.

Information is also provided by the regions and the sentinel sites for effective prevention and control of COVID-19.

The Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit can only do effective contact tracing if information is provided, persons are honest about their whereabouts, persons they have been in contact with and the symptoms that they are experiencing at that time.”

The recount…

K

…plot unfolds eith Rowley didn’t have to be a soothsayer to predict this election “will not end well”. From the moment Mingo fiddled with those SoPs in front of the whole world (via smart phones) we all knew a tragedy was unfolding. And no matter how many twists and turns may ensue, tragedies have only one ending: a bad ending.

We just finished Day 2 of the third act (the first introduced the dramatic personae; the second unfolded at Ashmin’s) which is supposed to go on for 25 days or so.

Well, it’s a good thing they said, “or so”, cause the way the recounting is unfolding, looking at grass growing seems like an episode of “Fast and Furious”!! On Day 1, they managed to get through 25 boxes - which was a bit of a surprise, since, by midday, they’d just done 10. At lunch break, we were told they’d ploughed through 15!! At this rate, if they were to get through all the 2300 ballot boxes, at least the May-June rains will be over! You do have to look at the bright side of these electoral matters!

But, as your Eyewitness said yesterday, the recount’s just the backdrop to the main plot – which is to throw so many spanners into the works that the whole process will have to be abandoned. And the demand that we return to the Mingoed SoPs, which have been held in “abeyance” – the new local word for “limbo” – will then inevitably be placed on the GECOM agenda.

So what spanners were thrown yesterday? Early in the morning, a couple of PPP reps were chatting with an IT rep in the open amphitheatre in full view of more than a dozen persons, and immediately the PNC-PR machinery went into overdrive. It was a repeat of Ramjattan’s hysterical shrieks during the original count: “THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING!! THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING!!” The cry this time was “Secret meeting by PPP agents and GECOM IT staff exposed!! Plan to corrupt the recount!!”

This, of course, brought the count to a halt so GECOM could look into this “secret assignation” by these PPP agents – done in front of so many persons. After all the said persons had testified that they’d heard the PPP agents simply enquiring about the status of the SoPs’ count update, the GECOM PRO had to announce that the investigation showed it was all a storm in a teacup.

But it really wasn’t, was it?? This is a diabolical ploy by the PNC to plant seeds of doubts in their supporters’ minds. These supporters – who refuse to accept the blatant ploy of Mingo - are obviously primed to confirm their bias!! …denouement Seeing we know how the recount tragedy will end, maybe we should look at what the PNC will be hoping to come out of their machinations. To wit, that Granger will be sworn in as President, and the rest of the world and the PPP will go along with their scam. How realistic is that??

Let’s look at the rest of the world first. They’ve all gone on record to declare in the most unambiguous fashion that skulduggery was done to arrive at the Mingoed count.

Can they really back off from that?? Well, stranger things have happened in some jurisdictions – including right here with Burnham. But then the fiddlers had the finesse to at least create “reasonable doubt” in the minds of the observers.

Burnham must be whirling around in his mausoleum at Seven Ponds at how heavy-handed this present PNC lot are!

And the PPP? They just have to sit back for the inevitable sanctions.

“Secret meeting” in front of dozens of onlookers??

Sheesh!! They’re making even Ramjattan look good!! …tabulations Somebody at GECOM seems to believe that the word “tabulation” means “tribulation”!! After all the woes Mingo caused because he had to tabulate the SoPs collectively, you’d think GECOM would tabulate the SORs cumulatively.

But no…after protest, they’ll now do so daily!!

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

9 PPP/C calls on Police to probe ‘recount mischief’ NEWS

FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

…can incite problems; such actions have consequences – Dr Irfaan Ali …APNU/AFC’s “secret meeting” rumours dismissed by GECOM

T

he Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C), Dr Irfaan Ali, is calling on the Guyana Police Force (GPF) to look into instances of incitement being foisted on the public by members of the coalition: A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance for Change (APNU/AFC), which are meant to frustrate and protract the recount process.

Describing it as “mischief”, Dr Ali gave the overview on Thursday, when the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) wrapped up its second day of recounting the ballots cast during the March 2, General and Regional Elections. The recount of 65 of the 2,339 boxes has now been completed.

Dr Ali drew reference to widespread reports which have been circulating during the course of the day, about a ‘secret meeting’ between GECOM Information Technology (IT) staff and PPP officials, including Dr Frank Anthony.

He noted that he was pleased to see the Commission address the matter, but warned: “We have to guard against this type of mischief.

I think that the Police (Force) itself needs to look at issues like these, where you can incite problems in our society.”

According to Dr Ali, such actions “can rile people up…

PPP/C Presidential Candidate Dr Irfaan Ali

we have to be mature in our actions”; this as he reiterated that such actions have consequences.

APNU/AFC members James Bond and Christopher Jones, in addition to a social media page purportedly operated on behalf of David Granger and the coalition, had widely circulated the rumours.

Dr Anthony, who was named as one of the persons involved in the ‘secret meeting’, had earlier in the day denied the affair and told media operatives that he was making enquires in regard to the live streaming activity.

According to Dr Anthony, there were several persons in the room when he was mak-

ing his enquiry, and they were within earshot of what had transpired.

GECOM Public Relations Officer Yolanda Ward later told media operatives that the claim of a “secret meeting” between GECOM’s IT staff and PPP agents is being taken out of proportion.

Anthony has since clarified that he was merely making a few inquiries about the audio feed, and he said there were other persons in the room as well.

Ward, in fact, told media operatives that the incident occurred in the tabulation centre dome at the ACCC, an open room that is accessible to all party agents.

She reasoned, “I cannot understand how a space that is accessible to all party agents now becomes a private space…My understanding is that two of the IT staff were setting up their work area and they were approached by two party agents, and it was from there that the whole thing spin out of proportion as being termed a secret meeting.”

Nevertheless, the GECOM PRO noted that the seven-member Elections Commission is expected to further discuss the matter during a meeting that is currently ongoing.

Reckless propaganda

Claims

about

a

“se-

cret meeting” were also debunked by the Presidential Candidates of the Liberty and Justice Party and The Citizenship Initiative. LJP Leader Lenox Shuman, in a social media post, said, “This is not only irresponsible; it is also very dangerous.” He added that it is “reckless propaganda”.

Shuman subsequently told media operatives, “We have seen a lot of propaganda emanating from partisan sources, and we are happy to know that the PRO of the Guyana Elections Commission has dealt with those (emanations) very very decisively.”

Shuman did lament that to “see this propaganda also making its way to Mr Granger’s Facebook page speaks volumes to the motives behind such commentary”.

TCI party Leader and Presidential Candidate Rhonda Ann Lam also stated in a social media post: “I am in the tabulation room.

There was no secret meeting nor cloak and dagger hastily arranged meetings. We all heard the IT Head repeat what he was asked and his answer. In fact, close to 20 people heard it. This is irresponsible posting to incite a party base and malign people’s character.

It can also put GECOM staff at risk.”

Dr Ali also lamented that despite GECOM committing

Security checks at the entrance of the ACCC on Thursday morning

to have ‘frivolous’ issues being raised over and over by coalition agents being addressed, this was not to be.

“We were assured that the list of issues raised on the first day would have been compiled with a response from GECOM itself, so that those issues, if they were to recur today, would have been dealt with based on that listing… we have not received that listing (from GECOM) as yet,” he stressed.

Dr Ali reported that throughout yesterday’s recount activity at the ACCC, the same situation obtained, leading to continual delays in the recount process.

Early close-off

Dr Ali lamented that the coalition agents in the process were again allowed to close off the recounting ac-

tivity early. According to Dr Ali, coalition agents at two of the ten counting stations decided, shortly after 17:00h, that they would not be opening any more ballot boxes to be counted, since, based on the trend, they would not be able to complete the box before the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) lockdown.

He told members of the media encamped outside the venue that the GECOM supervisors advised that the process would continue, but the agents refused to turn over the keys to the containers in their possession in order to allow the process to continue.

The politician posited that the actions on the part of the coalition agents were in fact meant to frustrate the system through their continued objections in order to “stretch the recount out.”

10 NEWS

FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Caretaker Minister meets with ABCE diplomats to discuss recount

Caretaker Foreign Affairs Minister, Dr Karen Cummings meeting with American Ambassador Sarah-Ann Lynch, British High Commissioner Greg Quinn, Canadian High Commissioner Lilian Chatterjee, and European Union Ambassador Fernando Ponz Cantó

C

aretaker Foreign Affairs Minister, Dr Karen Cummings on Thursday met with the American, British, Canadian and European Union Ambassadors to discuss the ongoing recount of the ballots cast in the March 2 General and Regional Elections.

According to a statement from the Foreign Affairs Ministry, American Ambassador SarahAnn Lynch, British High Commissioner Greg Quinn, Canadian High Commissioner Lilian Chatterjee, and European Union Ambassador Fernando Ponz Cantó all agreed on the importance of the ongoing national recount.

The release stated that Dr Cummings conveyed that the “Government valued their participation, which as international observers could provide an effective means to verify the genuineness and transparency of the electoral process.”

Additionally, Dr Cummings was quoted as saying, “Undoubtedly, we are all

pleased that this process is now on its way and will expeditiously and in a transparent manner produce credible and final results of our elections”.

It was the same caretaker Minister Cummings, who held a highly improper meeting with international observers at the Command Centre of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) at High and Hadfield Streets, Georgetown, where she threatened to revoke their accreditation.

On March 5, Dr Cummings told the international observers that she was instructed to withdraw their accreditation, but she was not in agreement that it should be done; she did not reveal who gave her those instructions and why. This act of possible intimidation came after chaos erupted at the Command Centre following the blatant attempt to manipulate the results for Electoral District Four (DemeraraMahaica) by Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo.

However, her comments were quickly countered by ob-

servers in the room, who argued that her remarks were considered a form of intimidation.

“It comes across as intimidation that you are trying to intimidate the observers when you speak about taking away accreditation,” one of the observers is heard saying.

Head of the Commonwealth

Observer Mission in Guyana, former Barbados Prime Minister Owen Arthur intervened and confronted the caretaker Minister informing her that she disrespected the Commonwealth. He volunteered to return his accreditation and pointedly told her that he would report the matter to the Commonwealth

Secretary General.

At this point, Cummings did not even attempt to be diplomatic when she just took a phone call while the observers were speaking and left the room. The caretaker Minister and the A Partnership for National Unity/ Alliance For Change (APNU/ AFC) came in for heavy criticism for her action.

Senior citizens still congregating for pension

I

t has been almost two months since lockdown measures designed to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus were announced, but senior citizens are still forced to congregate in large crowds to collect their pensions.

This section of the population has been listed as vulnerable for contraction of COVID-19, and there have recently been many calls for a systematic and effective way to be implemented for these persons to uplift their monies without being exposed to any risks.

However, over the past week, senior citizens have been flocking post offices to get their pensions – standing in line from inside the building, through the gates and even onto the streets -- braving the morning sun to stand in line with little or no social distancing being practised.

The Guyana Post Office Corporation had announced that it was working to implement standardised measures across its offices in the 10 administrative regions to stop the spread of the deadly virus. This included payment of pensions in an alphabetical system and the enforcement of three- foot distances between persons accessing services. Persons would also be asked to sanitise their hands upon entry at post offices, and those who are coughing or have a cold would be provided with a face mask.

However, this latter measure is yet to be implemented, as the elderly were seen without face masks, interacting with each

A large group of persons gathered at the Vreed-en-Hoop Post Office to wait in line for pension payments

other while waiting in line.

One pensioner, Ramrajie (only name), who collects her pension at the Vreed-enHoop Post Office, told this publication that she needed the money to conduct a few transactions, thus there was no choice for her but to wait in line. She said she lives alone, so she could not authorise anyone to collect the money on her behalf.

In mid-April, People’s Progressive Party Presidential Candidate Dr Irfaan Ali had said it was necessary for systems to be implemented to cater for the elderly.

In an interview with this publication, Ali had suggested, as one measure, that the elderly receive advance payments for at least two months, thus eliminating the need for them to even have to leave their homes.

“Pensioners form part of the most vul-

nerable group. What we’ve seen is no adjustment in the administrative mechanism,” the presidential candidate had explained.

Back in March, the Guyana Post Office Corporation (GPOC) had urged senior citizens to refrain from visiting post offices during the first two days of the month unless under absolutely necessary circumstances, since vouchers can be cashed throughout the month.

This advisory had been in response to thousands of senior citizens who usually congregate at the various post offices to access their pension payments every first and second day of each new month.

The situation described above was the same that had obtained during the month of April.

NEWS

11

FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

COVID-19 curfew measures

‘Influential’ persons protecting defaulters …Police asked to relax rules – Deputy Commander

T

he Guyana Police Force (GPF) has been experiencing difficulties in implementing the outlined curfew measures in Region 10 (Upper

out chain of command and like I would tell them that they would have to contact my bosses, as this is not my call. Frankly, when I see influential persons calling and/

“I am not the police officer who will allow these aberrations to dictate how I do my work, as in the Police Force we have a set-out chain of command and like I would tell them that they would have to contact my bosses, as this is not my call.

Frankly, when I see influential persons calling and/or seeking to use whatever powers they are perceived to possess and the defaulters showing not one ounce of remorse, then it is only fair that all others in similar situation should be let go. It is simply not fair” – Deputy Commander Demerara-Berbice), after they are asked by ‘influential’ persons to relax the rules for some defaulters.

This was the view expressed by Deputy Regional Police Commander, Wayne Dehearte, who is frustrated by these events. The regional administration would have highlighted the current situation via a statement, in which these sentiments were shared by the senior cop.

“The curfew measures being executed in Linden is compounded when influential persons in the society intervene on behalf of defaulters,” Dehearte indicated.

As part of the national curfew, non-essential workers are only to be seen in the public domain from 06:00h to 18:00h.

The Deputy Commander related that these influential persons would expect that the Police would bend the rules to favour these defaulters. According to him, they have been approached by several persons to carry out these instructions.

Dehearte said that he firmly believed in fairness and furthermore, there should not be any preferential treatment for anyone irrespective of who they are.

Pull quote: “I am not the police officer who will allow these aberrations to dictate how I do my work, as in the Police Force we have a set-

or seeking to use whatever powers they are perceived to possess and the defaulters showing not one ounce of remorse, then it is only fair that all others in similar situation should be let go. It is simply not fair,” the Deputy Commander said.

In one of the incidents, he recalled that someone was having an outdoor occasion in breach of the curfew laws, and he was asked to exercise preferential treatment by allowing them to continue.

However, the person was arrested and taken to the Police Station. When the defaulter arrived at the Police Station, numerous calls flowed from prominent persons, asking for the person to be released.

“Can you imagine these persons who should be intelligent, prominent individuals agreeing that this person should be released when they are aware that the law was broken. This is ridiculous and these very persons are the ones who will tell us as Policemen and women that we are not doing our jobs or that we should lock this or that person up when they are the ones who are preventing us from doing our jobs. They are the real culprits,” he said.

The Deputy Commander said that the public would only recognise the effects of their actions when a Police

Officer dies from COVID-19, causing others to display reluctance in performing their duties.

“Despite all the talking and the fact that we continue to see nurses and doctors as frontline workers, the Police are on the frontline, because when they go out to disperse a crowd, arrest someone or even investigate a matter, they are putting their loved ones at risk, because we don’t know who have the virus or not and

the day a policeman or woman dies and the others begin to be reluctant to perform their duties, then these very influential persons in society would recognise how they would have created a disaster that they can’t address,” he said.

Dehearte said persons who were failing to adhere to guidelines have proven that they have no consideration for healthcare workers and law enforcement.

For this reason, he believes

that stricter measures must be imposed to make a statement that this was a serious issue.

“I was out in the public and what many people don’t understand … we, as Policemen and women, have families too to go home to, so when they act irresponsibly they are not only endangering our lives, they are also endangering the lives of our children and families too,” he declared.

Deputy Regional Police Commander, Wayne Dehearte

12 NEWS

FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

80% of COVID-19 deaths are male – CMO …no new cases detected in 48 hours

Chief Medical Officer, Dr Shamdeo Persaud

G

uyana’s COVID-19 cases have not increased in two days, but there are alarming statistics for the number of male deaths recorded.

During ‘the daily update’ on Thursday, Chief Medical Officer Dr Shamdeo Persaud

stressed that 80 per cent of the 10 recorded deaths were males.

He also said that of all the positive cases, children account for 5.4 per cent, adults account for 82 per cent, and the elderly account for 12.6 per cent.

Although 52 per cent of the confirmed cases were male, males account for 80 per cent of COVID-19 deaths locally.

As at Thursday’s update, Dr Persaud said, the country’s total confirmed cases of the COVID-19 stood at 93, the same figure as at the previous days of Tuesday and Wednesday.

An additional 22 tests were done, bringing the total number of persons tested to 736, of which 643 returned negative.

The number of persons who have recovered from the disease has increased from 27 to 34. Three persons are still receiving treatment

Dead: Deryck Jaisingh

Dead: Jermaine Ifill

Dead: Sydney Trellis

in the COVID-19 ICU, while six are in institutional quarantine and 49 are in isolation.

“To date, the total number of patients seen in the COVID-19 ICU is 26, with 7 deaths being registered within the ICU. The total number of patients who were transferred from ICU is 13, with the total number of patients who recovered and were discharged from ICU being 3,” the CMO shared.

Dr Persaud had on Wednesday expressed concern that many men are disregarding guidelines in regard to health practices that would protect them from the coronavirus, and on Thursday he reiterated

this message amid the increased deaths in the male population.

“The message I wish to reinforce is to remind you that, as breadwinners of the family, you put yourself at unnecessary risk and jeopardise the life and livelihood of your families by not complying with the recommended measures,” he bemoaned.

The Public Health Ministry, he noted, continues to appeal to the general public to come forward or call the hotline if they are experiencing signs and symptoms associated with COVID-19. They can also access services from the mobile units which have been strategically placed in Georgetown and on the East Coast and East Bank of Demerara.

“Testing is critical if we are to uncover the asymptomatic cases and to provide them with the necessary screening, and assist in reducing the number of illnesses and deaths due to the severe form of the disease,” Dr Persaud expressed.

While the global fatali-

ty rate of the World Health Organisation (WHO) stands at 4 per cent, Guyana’s fatality rate is a whopping 10.8 per cent. Dr Persaud indicated that this is relative to the fact that many persons are asymptomatic, meaning: they show no symptoms, but are carrying the virus.

He highlighted: “This simply means that we must detect those in our communities (who are) showing no symptoms but require medical intervention. From information provided, globally, many healthy younger persons infected with COVID-19 do not display the usual symptoms. These persons can continue to transmit the virus to other vulnerable persons in our society by not practising control measures such as hand hygiene, physical distancing, and the using of masks.”

He said that globally, there are three million, five hundred and eightyeight thousand, seven hundred and seventy-three (3,588,773) confirmed cases, with two hundred and forty-seven thousand, five hun-

Dead: Colonel John Percy Lewis

dred and three (247,503) deaths.

In the region of the Americas alone, there are one million, five hundred and seven thousand, one hundred and forty-eight (1,507,148) confirmed cases, with eighty-one thousand and seventy (81,070) deaths.

The latter is an increase of 1,480 deaths in 24 hours.

Dr Persaud pointed out that Guyana stands at great threat because of being situated next to Brazil, where the pandemic is spiralling out of control. As such, persons in Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) are asked to exercise additional caution against contracting the disease.

“Brazil has 107,780 cases, with 7,321 deaths. For Guyana, this simply means that our bordering regions with Brazil are at additional risk of contracting the coronavirus disease; and so all residents, especially (those) of Region Nine, are asked to be extremely vigilant and comply with all control measures,” Dr Persaud declared.

NEWS

13

FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2020| GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Hotel owners, Venezuelans among 22 charged for breaking curfew form persons about the regulations governing adherence to the curfew and social distancing, and have been visiting congested areas like commercial banks and utility companies to advise persons about the need to maintain the physical distance stipulated.

Corriverton Mayor Winston Roberts, in an invited comment, said persons who operate beauty salons have not been adhering

By Andrew Carmichael

A

s curfew measures remain in place for the next month, Police in Berbice have brought some 22 persons before the court for breaking the curfew, and among those charged are the owners of the Mahogany Hotel in Corriverton, Region Six (East Berbice - Corentyne) and seven Venezuelan nationals.

Owners of the Mahogany Hotel, Sherwin Paterson and Carlos Angel, appeared at the Springlands Magistrate’s Court on Thursday to answer the charge of breach of restriction on social activity.

Charged with the same offence were Venezuelan nationals Buonetina Hanrigues Nellivi; Teleedo Mandoza Maria DeJesus, and Zorrill Yanklidy Caroline, all of the Mahogany Hotel.

Also charged with the same offence were Nikol Rodrigues of 50 Public Road, Number 78 Village; Mopta Guzman Poola Yanireth, Moita Guzman Fabiola Yanireth, and Brehopat Revhow Joshua of Little Africa in Corriverton.

Mopta, Moita and Brehopat were additionally charged with breach of restriction to

home.

Besides those named above, Vikash Singh of Mahogany; Mario Dave of 50 Public Road, Number 78 Village; Bertly Small of Rahaman’s Park, Corriverton; Oncil Lewis of Line Path, Skeldon; Tameshwar Basdeo of Number 64 Village; Lennox Ronaldeo of Number 79 Village; Calvin Douglas of Number 54 Village; Arjan Jagdeo of Corriverton; Savitri Maniran of Crabwood Creek; Ramnarine Simmonds of Number 69 Village, and Kevin Rambarran and Richard Jeffrey, both of Number 78 Village, where also charged for breaching curfew measures.

The Police Prosecutor, Inspector Orin Joseph, told the court that the plaintiffs were all at a party held at the Mahogany Hotel on Tuesday evening.

They were each placed on $10,000 bail, and will make their next court appearance on Thursday, May 14.

Police at Springlands have been collaborating with the Community Policing Group (CPG) and the Corriverton Municipality to enforce the curfew measures. They have been using mobile loudspeakers to in-

force the law and charge violators.

“Some people in Berbice -especially on the Corentyne -- are going about their business as normal; a few ‘rum shops’ and ‘barbershops’ are still operating. The Police can only do so much, but proprietors and individuals must be health conscious and not put other people’s lives at risk,” he said.

He added that some persons seem not to understand the seriousness of COVID-19.

“I also want to high-

to the measures outlined by the NCTF. However, he noted that while hotels are considered essential businesses, many of those have been violating the curfew measures.

“One evening, I passed and saw a crowd in front of Reno Hotel and Mahogany Hotel, and I went and informed the Police. The proprietors were called in, and the Police spoke with them.

Shortly after, the crowd was dispersed,” Mayor Roberts said.

He noted that some roadside food vendors had also not been adhering to the guidelines.

Meanwhile, Prime Ministerial Regional Representative Gobin Harbhajan, weighing in on the issue, has said he supports the efforts by the Police in the Region to en-

Businessman moves ahead with $200M lawsuit against Harris, Guyana Chronicle

L

ess than a week after prominent businessman Tamesh Jagmohan of El Dorado Mining threatened to sue the Guyana Chronicle and one of its columnists, Adam Harris for publishing what he described as an erroneous accusation against himself, he is moving ahead with a $200 million lawsuit.

In a column titled “PPP financier hosted the diplomatic mission on Election Day”, published on May 3, Harris made several allegations about the businessman.

Attorney-at-Law Glenn Hanoman, who is representing the businessman, has since dispatched a letter to Harris and the Guyana Chronicle, refuting the claims.

According to Jagmohan, Harris’ column is a “manifes-

Columnist Adam Harris

to of mistruths” and publishing it caused immense damage to his reputation and distress to him and his family. Jagmohan alleged that Harris, a veteran media professional, made no attempt to fact check his claims and that the column “falls far be-

low the standards of an experienced columnist in a newspaper owned and funded by the State.”

As such, Jagmohan demanded that the offending column be immediately retracted from the newspaper’s website as well as online archive. In addition, he demanded that any links or posts to the column be deleted from the newspaper’s social media pages.

However, Guyana Times understands that the businessman and Harris had a confrontation at the CID Headquarters, Eve Leary, Georgetown on Tuesday where Harris retracted the allegations contained in the column and apologised.

Nevertheless, despite him apologising, the article was not retracted and as such, the businessman is pursuing legal action.

light that, over the past few months, many Guyanese have died abroad (New York) and their families in Guyana are doing services for the deceased, and these pandits and priests are performing these services, which will see large gatherings,” Harbhajan noted.

Those religious leaders, he posited, need to use their influence to educate persons, rather than try to make money in a way that is against the COVID- 19 guidelines.

Palms Geriatric Home staff quarantined

…as Guyana’s 10th COVID-19 fatality lived at facility

T

he World Health Organisation (WHO) says that persons with pre-existing conditions and the elderly are more at risk when it comes to contracting the novel coronavirus and thus far, five of Guyana’s 10 COVID-19 fatalities fall in the elderly category.

The latest COVID-19 death in Guyana is Bhaneshwar Ramdial.

However, the elderly Ramdial may have unknowingly put numerous other seniors at risk, since he was a resident at the Palms Geriatric Home.

The elderly man was admitted to the Georgetown Public Hospital on May 1 after he was suspected of having the virus. It was reported that he presented with all of the symptoms and because of his age and other factors, those symptoms became severe. He would die just a few hours after he was admitted a patient at the hospital, A test conducted posthumously revealed that the

elderly Ramdial was positive for coronavirus disease (COVID-19). However, the Public Health Ministry did not make the death public until May 5 – four days after.

The man’s death has raised many questions given that the Home caters for a number of senior residents, all of whom have some form of pre-existing conditions namely diabetes, cholesterol and hypertension among others. There are currently 194 residents in the Palms.

Staff, residents in quarantine

It is believed that some of the residents and staff members may have contracted the disease. This has caused the administrators of the Palms Geriatric Home to place a number of staff and residents under quarantine.

The Home also improved its sanitisation protocols.

While Guyana’s COVID-19 cases have not increased in two days, Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr

Shamdeo Persaud stated that there were alarming statistics, particularly in the number of male deaths recorded.

Ten persons have since lost their lives to COVID-19.

The first virus-related death was confirmed after 52-yearold Ratna Baboolall of Good Hope, East Coast Demerara (ECD) died on March 11.

The woman travelled from New York, where it is believed that she contracted the virus, to Guyana.

After posthumous tests confirmed that Baboolall was carrying the virus, other family members were quarantined and tested, adding to the country’s positive statistics.

Also among the dead are 38-year-old Jermaine Ifill, 78-year-old Osa Collins, 59-year-old Shadrach Stoll, 38-year-old Deryck Jaisingh, 45-year-old Lennox Williams, 49-yearold visually-impaired Sydney Trellis and 77-yearold Colonel John Percy Leon Lewis.

14 NEWS Pedal cyclist killed during UK gifts €5M to Caribbean for collision with motorcycle COVID-19 assistance T A FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

44-year-old pedal cyclist is now dead after he collided with a motorcycle along the Soesdyke Public Road, East Bank Demerara (EBD) on Tuesday.

Dead is David Grant Stuart of Ice House Road, Timehri, EBD. According to reports, around 16:00h, the motorcycle, CK 2411, ridden by a 20-year-old man, was proceeding south along the eastern side of the Soesdyke Public Road, while Stuart was proceeding north along the western side of the road.

Reports are the pedal cyclist then diverged east to cross the road, which resulted in the front of the motorbike colliding with the pedal cycle.

David Grant Stuart

Owing to the impact caused by the accident, both the pedal cyclist and the mo-

torcyclist fell onto the roadway.

Police stated that the biker picked up Stuart and transported him to the Diamond hospital. He was later transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital owing to the seriousness of his injuries. However, a short while after his admittance, the 44-year-old man died. His body has since been transferred to the Lyken Funeral Home.

A breathalyser test was conducted on the motorcyclist, but no trace of alcohol was detected. It was noted that he did not have a licence to operate the motorcycle, so he is in Police custody and assisting with investigations.

he United Kingdom has made a contribution of five million Euros to help contain the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the Caribbean.

In a statement on Thursday, it was stated that three million of the funding would be channelled through the Pan-American Health Organisation (PAHO) for the provision of essential medical supplies and management support to help public health systems around the Region combat the virus. The other €2 million will be used to scale up assistance for the most vulnerable households, and to help counter domestic violence against women and children.

UK Minister for the

UK Minister for the Caribbean, Baroness Elizabeth Sugg

Caribbean Baroness Elizabeth Sugg stated that this donation was a testimony to the country’s commit-

Sophia Holding Centre escape

17-year-old murder accused still on the run

…as 5 more teens recaptured

P

olice have managed to recapture 11 of the 12 teens who escaped from the Juvenile Holding Centre at Sophia, Greater Georgetown on Tuesday.

Five of the 11 were recaptured on Wednesday while the other six were recaptured on Thursday by Police.

The remaining teen – a 17-year-old who is on a murder charge – is still on the run. His last known address is Leopold and Cross Streets, Werk-en-Rust, Georgetown.

Guyana Times understands that the escape occurred at approximately 23:30h on May 5.

Reports are the teens, who were housed in cell two and who have matters ranging from armed robbery to rape and murder, broke out of their cells and attacked the security personnel who were guarding the entrance of the building. Two unarmed Policemen were injured during the escape.

The teens relieved them of the keys to some of the other cells after which the juveniles sprinted from the facility.

An alarm was raised and a search was conducted in nearby communities, where five of the teens were recaptured and taken back to the facility.

Juvenile Holding Centre at Sophia, Greater Georgetown

Meanwhile, security has been reinforced at the Holding Centre, and a full investigation has been launched.

In recent times, several teens escaped from the Sophia Holding Centre, but

were recaptured.

Juveniles between the ages of 14 and 17 are held at the facility once they are charged with a criminal offence. After they have reached the age of 18, they are transferred to the for-

mal prison system.

The Juvenile Holding Centre at Sophia was commissioned in 2011 as a detention facility for juveniles, separate from the adult prisons.

ment to supporting countries throughout the Caribbean region. She also recognised that there were many vulnerable healthcare systems, which would be targeted.

“We all face unprecedented challenges with COVID-19, and UK assistance is supporting vulnerable health systems in the Caribbean and across the world – to save lives, protect vital services and reduce the risk of future waves of infection globally. In addition to our multimillion funding to UN agencies and the WHO that benefits the Caribbean, this direct regional support will help Caribbean countries to cope with the coronavirus crisis, mitigate the wider social and economic impacts and protect the most vulnerable,” she shared.

As part of its wider response to COVID-19 in the Region, the UK is also reallocating these resources from its £400 million development programme to support countries that are facing high risks. It has supported the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) Regional Response Mechanism (RRM), which includes COVID-19 modelling and surveillance products.

Pledges were made that the UK Government would continue to work with existing partners that were wellplaced to coordinate the regional and international response to the disease and help reduce the negative impacts on economies and people.

So far, they have supported eight Caribbean territories namely Jamaica, Guyana, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, St Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda; and St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Other notable efforts in their books are the international efforts being generated to develop a coronavirus vaccine. Some £250 million of UK aid has been provided to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) to rapidly develop a coronavirus vaccine, the biggest donation of any country.

Another £200 million was allocated to help global organisations and charities tackle coronavirus in vulnerable countries. This includes £130 million for UN appeals, including £65 million for the World Health Organisation (WHO); £50 million for International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement appeals; and £20 million for international NonGovernmental Organisations (NGOs), including UK charities, to tackle the virus.

Meanwhile, another £150 million has been contributed to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Catastrophe Containment Relief Trust (CCRT) to help developing countries meet their debt repayments so that they can focus their available resources on tackling coronavirus.

ELECTIONS 2020 RECOUNT

STATEMENTS OF RECOUNT

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STATEMENTS OF RECOUNT

ELECTIONS 2020 RECOUNT

STATEMENTS OF RECOUNT

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18 ELECTIONS 2020 RECOUNT FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

STATEMENTS OF RECOUNT

ELECTIONS 2020 RECOUNT

STATEMENTS OF RECOUNT

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20 NEWS

FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

ELECTIONS 2020 STATEMENTS OF RECOUNT

APNU trying to undermine recount – Nandlall T

he coalition A Partnership for National Unity/ Alliance For Change (APNU/ AFC) is trying to undermine the ongoing national recount as part of a strategy to ensure that it does not have to accept the results of the recount, which have thus far proven the accuracy of the Statements of Poll (SoPs) that were in the possession of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP).

This is according to former Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall.

Speaking to the media on Thursday morning, Nandlall pointed to several incidents since the Wednesday start of the activity which have led to the conclusion that the APNU/AFC is attempting to derail the recount.

“You would have seen from yesterday (Wednesday), and the people of Guyana would have been able to assess that APNU/AFC along with their

[GECOM Commissioners] have constructed a common narrative and that narrative is to identify and magnify flaws in the recount process,” Nandlall stated.

He went further to remind that it was the coalition that has been deeply opposed to a recount from inception, noting, “You know of their multiple attempts to delay and thwart the process. You know of their attempt in the court to prohibit the process from taking place. When all of that have failed, you see them now as we predicted in the recount process trying to find avenues and ways of derailing and undermining the integrity of the process.

“Yesterday (Wednesday), you would have heard from Mr [Vincent] Alexander identifying some 20, [David] Patterson identifying another 15 to 20 flaws. We identified flaws as well, but we are working assiduously as I explained yesterday to get GECOM to rectify and ad-

Former Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall speaking to the media

dress those flaws successfully, but not them. They are doing everything to undermine the process and why would you want to undermine a process when you think you have won the election?” he stressed.

According to Nandlall, given that the APNU/AFC

continues to express confidence in its victory at the March 2 polls, he “thought that they would have encouraged the process to conclude so that they can be confirmed as the winner”.

“Yet they are magnifying, they are talking about dead voters, they are talking about people who have migrated and all sorts of flaws that they are identifying in the election,” Nandlall argued.

He posited that if a party is confident of an electoral win, it would seek to protect the integrity of the election not denounce the integrity of it, as is being attempted. “So, these people are apparently undermining their own election that they claim that they have won. The point that I am making is that they are so incompetent that they cannot even get a proper narrative going to PR the position that they want to!” he added.

He also made reference to what he dubbed a foolish and idiotic story concocted by the APNU/AFC about the PPP having a secret meeting with the GECOM technical personnel in the tabulation centre. He pointed out that agents from other parties, including the Citizenship Initiative’s Rhonda Lam and others, have denounced these accusations that were made by David Patterson and Daniel Seeram of the APNU/AFC. “…that is what they will continuously do, and I want to inform you and alert the population to that,” Nandlall declared.

GECOM Public Relations Officer (PRO) Yolanda Ward has also denounced these claims, saying that there was no secret meeting and the entire incident was blown out of proportion. The PRO had pointed out that the incident had occurred in a very public dome, which was accessible by anyone in the building, and what is being peddled as a “secret meeting” was in fact an occurrence where the GECOM personnel was setting up the room and the PPP agents sought to ask them some questions.

According to Nandlall, these narratives about the PPP are being brewed, “so that in the end they [APNU/ AFC] will be able to amass enough of what they are deeming as irregularities and flaws so that they not have to accept the results of the process.” “The Statements of Polls that are in the possession of the PPP are being proven to be accurate now they can’t allow that to happen so they will continue to attempt to derail the process,” Nandlall warned.

guyanatimesgy.com

FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2020

21

Around the World

OILNEWS Oil prices finish lower as worries about demand resurface

C

rude oil futures gave up earlier gains on Thursday, with downbeat comments from Federal Reserve officials on economic activity and some doubts over producer compliance with the output-cut agreement of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, collectively known as OPEC+, prompting prices to settle lower.

Prices had spent much of the session trading higher, buoyed by Saudi Arabia’s decision to lift prices to help stabilise values, while data showed China’s appetite for the commodity picked up in April compared with prior months.

“Oil is still nervous about the conjured pace of demand,” said Phil Flynn, senior market analyst at The Price Futures Group.

Three Federal Reserve district bank presidents said Thursday that they don’t expect a quick rebound in economic activity even as states ease COVID-19 lockdown measures. “I think...for the country the short-term outlook is really bleak,” Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari said.

Also “some reports that smaller OPEC countries, like Kazakhstan, may struggle to cut output raised some fears” over compliance levels with the output-cut agreement between OPEC+, Flynn told MarketWatch.

West Texas Intermediate crude for June delivery fell 44 cents, or 1.8 per cent, to US$23.55 a barrel after trading as high as US$26.74. It settled 2.3 per cent lower on Wednesday to snap a five-session streak of gains.

Global benchmark July Brent lost 26 cents, or 0.9 per cent, at US$29.46 a barrel on ICE Futures Europe, following a four per cent decline in the prior session. (Excerpt from oilprice. com)

Jamaica: 10 more test positive for COVID-19, total now 488

T

he Ministry of Health and Wellness is reporting that 10 more people have tested positive for the COVID-19. This bring the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 488.

The Ministry said a total of 421 samples were tested in the last 24 hours at the National Influenza Centre and the National Public

Health Laboratory. It noted that 99 of the samples were repeat tests for persons of interest and patients in quarantine and isolation, while 322 were new samples.

Among the 10 new cases, eight were female and two were male while their ages range from four years to 39 years. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

7 arrested for illegal quarrying and breach of COVID-19 regulations in T&T

S

even persons have been arrested in connection with illegal quarrying activities and breaching the COVID-19 regulations.Official Police reports state that they were held during an anti-crime exercise conducted earlier this week in the Cumuto district by officers of the Northern Division’s Major Operations Team.

According to Police reports, the officers proceeded to an area of land where they observed a group of men operating two exca-

vators, a front loader, and trucks.The operators were asked to show documentation granting them permission to operate during the COVID-19 Regulations.

It was subsequently discovered by the Inspector of State Lands that the area being excavated was State land and no permission had been given by any agency for quarrying to take place.

Forestry officials also indicated that no permission had been granted to destroy trees on the land. (Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian)

Grim economic data reveals virus devastation

A

new raft of bleak economic data laid bare the crippling worldwide impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Thursday, as hard-hit Europe moved to further ease lockdown measures in a bid to get people back to work.

The United States said another 3.2 million people filed unemployment claims last week, while Germany and France reported major slumps in industrial production and Britain said its economic output would plummet by 14 per cent this year.

Governments around the world are under immense

pressure to ease the economic pain caused by measures to stop the virus, which has claimed more than 266,000 lives, infected 3.8 million and left half of humanity under some form of lockdown.

Many European nations are now cautiously easing restrictions in the hopes of stabilising their reeling economies, with some shops and schools re-opening, Italy

June 1.

US President Donald Trump is also pushing for lockdown measures to be lifted, as he tries to steady the world's largest economy before voters head to the polls in November.

"This country can't stay closed and locked down for years," he said Thursday at a meeting with Texas Governor Greg Abbott,

A man walks past a store going out of business in Brooklyn, New York -- the news for the US economy is dire, with another 3.2 million Americans filing unemployment claims

allowing Catholics to attend masses from mid-May and Norway to open up pubs on

whose state was one of the first to lift stay-at-home rules.

But experts have warned that social distancing will remain necessary until a vaccine is developed – and Governments are keen to avoid a devastating second wave of infections.

The British government was on Thursday reviewing lockdown measures, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson expected to offer a roadmap on easing restrictions on Sunday.

Johnson – who himself was hospitalised for the virus – said Thursday: "We will proceed with maximum caution". (Excerpt from AFP)

At least 13 dead after Visakhapatnam gas leak incident

A

t least 13 people have been killed by a massive gas leak at a chemical plant in southern India, with 800 others taken to hospital.

The leak from the LG Polymers plant in the city of Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh state came as people slept.

Doctors say patients have been complaining of a burning sensation in the

eyes and difficulties breathing.

Areas around the plant have been evacuated. The leak may have been due to negligence, officials say.

Reports suggest initial attempts to control the gas leak were unsuccessful, but the company and state officials say the situation is now under control.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi called an emergency

disaster meeting.

The leak took place at around 03:00 local time (21:30 GMT Wednesday) as the plant was being reopened for the first time since March 24, when India went into lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus.

"All those who have been hospitalised are currently stable," BK Naik, a local health official, told Reuters news agency. Doctors say 86

patients are being treated on ventilators, but many injured have been discharged.

Legal action is being taken against the company, says state Industries Minister Goutam Reddy. Earlier, he told BBC Telugu that it looked as though proper procedures and guidelines were not followed when the South Korean-owned plant was being re-opened. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Venezuela Opposition negotiated Maduro overthrow plan with security firm – report

M

embers of Venezuela’s Opposition in October negotiated a US$213 million deal with a small Florida security company to invade the country and overthrow President Nicolás Maduro, according to a document published by the Washington Post on Thursday.

Venezuelan authorities this week arrested more than a dozen people, including Americans who work for the company Silvercorp USA, as part of a bungled incursion that has served as a public relations victory for Maduro’s struggling Government.

The two captured Americans appeared on state television in Venezuela on Wednesday and Thursday, saying that they had been

tasked by Silvercorp with taking control of the airport in Caracas in order to fly out Maduro. Both will be tried in Venezuela’s civilian courts, Maduro said.

The document deals a blow to the credibility of Opposition Leader Juan Guaidó, who has vehemently denied any links to Silvercorp or involvement in the attempt to remove Maduro by force.

Guaidó, the President of the Opposition-held National Assembly, argues that Maduro is usurping power after rigging a 2018 election and is recognised by dozens of countries as Venezuela’s rightful leader.

The Washington Post said the general services agreement, signed by Guaidó, had been provided

by Silvercorp CEO Jordan

Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro

Goudreau, who has publicly described leading the operation. It said the detailed attachment had been provided

by Venezuelan Opposition officials. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Jamaica, other Caribbean Ex-Trump adviser Finance Ministers respond Michael Flynn charges of lying to FBI dropped to new EU blacklisting

J

amaica is among three Caribbean Community (Caricom) countries that were on Thursday named in a new European Commission list of highrisk Third World Countries with strategic deficiencies in their regime regarding anti-money laundering and countering terrorist financing.

Finance Minister, Dr Nigel Clarke, said the island ended up on the list because the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) focused on countries where the economy's size is above a certain threshold – having US$5 billion of financial assets us-

ing a monetary measure known as M2.

Clarke noted that in 2019, FATF changed this measure to what is known as M3, which is a broader measure of the economy.

He explained that this means for the first time, Jamaica exceeded the US$5 billion threshold, which meant Jamaica would be included in the list of countries that FATF would focus on and monitor, a process he described as 'greylisting'.

The Bahamas and Barbados were also on the blacklist. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

T

he US Department of Justice is moving to drop the criminal charges against former national security adviser Michael Flynn.

Flynn was among the former aides to President Donald Trump convicted during the special counsel's investigation into Russian election interference.

He had plead-

ed guilty in 2017 to lying to the FBI about contacts with Russia's Ambassador to the US. Flynn had been seeking to withdraw his guilty plea.

The Justice Department's decision also follows criticism of the case

by President Trump and his supporters.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

22

FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2020

guyanatimesgy.com

ARCHIE

ARIES

(March 21April 19)

TAURUS (April 20May 20)

DILBERT

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

CANCER (June 21July 22)

PEANUTS

CALVIN AND HOBBES

A financial deal or gain looks promising. Confidently follow through with your plans. Property investments will result in personal and economic benefits. Romance and a celebration are encouraged.

Do what you do best and keep moving forward. An unexpected change will lead to satisfaction and the lifestyle you desire. Discipline and hard work will pay off.

You'll gain insight into how best to deal with the people you encounter if you are observant. Taking action and doing what's right will result in respect and assistance.

If you reach out to someone you haven't heard from in a long time, it will bring back fond memories and entice you to pick up where you left off.

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Stop worrying about what others are doing and start focusing on what you want to achieve. Make discipline, reliability and standing up for yourself priorities. Romance is favored.

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

Think before you act.

Give your or someone else's emotions a chance to wane.

Take part in physical activities or join groups that will appreciate what you have to offer.

LIBRA

Stick to what's important to you. A budget that encourages you to economize will also ease stress. A shift at home will bring you closer to a loved one. Romance is favored.

(Sept. 23Oct. 23)

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

SUDOKU

Look at your options and consider whom you would like to work alongside. A partnership structured to give both parties the opportunity to do what each does best without interference will lead to success.

Pour your energy into SAGITTARIUS something that will challenge (Nov. 23you physically, build strength Dec. 21) and satisfy your adventurous needs. Don't trust someone who is asking for too much.

Learn to say no.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

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

PISCES (Feb. 20March 20)

Discuss your intentions with people who count.

Getting approval and support to proceed will make your plans less stressful, more accessible and enjoyable to pursue.

Do your own thing. Don't feel the need to appease someone looking for free assistance.

Put your time and energy into what will bring you the highest returns. Romance is favored.

Get together with people who share your sentiments.

Your ideas and plans will make a difference. An innovative approach will result in an exciting partnership.

FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2020

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

23

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The Tridents have chosen to retain or sign nine Caribbean players ahead of the CPL draft including the exciting all-rounder Nyeem Young as one of their emerging players.

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Patriots.

The CPL is scheduled to take place between 19 August and 26 September, but the tournament organisers are currently watching the current situation with COVID-19 closely and are liaising with medical advisors and governments. A decision on whether the tournament can proceed as planned, or at a different time, will be made as soon as possible. (CPL)

T

223-7230-1 (Ext 55)

NOW!

223-7230-1 (Ext 55)

he Guyana Football Federation’s annual Ordinary Congress, which is constitutionally due on or before May 31 every year, has been postponed due to the damning presence of the Corona Virus pandemic.

It is only logical that the social distancing requirements to combat the disease would stall any such gatherings and this was communicated to the Regional Member Associations on May 5 by GFF’s General Secretary Ian Alves.

In the correspondence, Alves informed the membership that “alternative options / dates will be determined / guided by the dictates of the Government of Guyana (GoG) and the Ministry of Public Heath, and will be shared to all of the Members of Congress in due time.”

The Congress is the highest GFF Secretary General Ian Alves decision-making body of the GFF and it’s where all members regularly convene. Congress can be Ordinary or ExtraOrdinary.

In last year’s ordinary congress which convened on May 25, the GFF came to two significant resolutions.

The first resolution, which was unanimously passed, amended Article 10 (b) of the Constitution that had stipulated “the eight Elite Clubs” would form part of the GFF’s membership and replaced it instead with “the Elite Clubs.”This resolution was aimed at curing the defect that occurs whenever a club is relegated and replaced by another one.The second resolution was passed by majority after the presentation of the findings of a GFF-appointed inquiry into the long-festering issues surrounding the sale of hosting rights in the October 12, 2012 Guyana versus Mexico World Cup Qualification match.Other issues addressed in that resolution were the absence of evidence to indicate the reason for sale of hosting rights, and that the decision to play the game in the USA was the collective will of the GFF.

Keemo Paul displays one of the many hampers

F

ast bowling sensation Keemo Paul, a valued member of both the Guyana Amazon Warriors and the West Indies team, recently returned to his place of birth, Saxakalli, on a mission to provide basic food and cleaning supplies to assist villagers held hostage by the novel coronavirus.Residents of the community of Saxakalli, located on the left bank of the Essequibo River some 25 miles from Parika, have taken it upon themselves to reduce travel to a minimum in an effort to safeguard themselves from the novel coronavirus, commonly called COVID-19. With boat service operation and fishing being key parts of their livelihood, both of which are now significantly reduced, accessing basic amenities was becoming difficult for them. The 22-year-old Keemo Paul has taken it upon himself to supply the community with face masks, sanitising products, and numerous items of food. It is understood that the village currently has just over 60 residents, many of whom are elderly persons.Allan Wilson, one of the residents who received a care hamper, has said he is overjoyed to receive the hamper because it would help him and family tremendously.“I don’t work the boat as much as before, so this will help us a lot. Most of our food comes from the land where we plant, but these supplies are stuff we would have to travel to Parika to get; and not going there will keep me safer,” Wilson said.

According to Paul, “Saxakalli is my home. I am not here currently, but I know that being in lockdown will be hard even for communities like these, that live off the land. From time to time, we would have to travel to do business for other food supplies, and I felt (that) if I can give persons those needs, they will stay home more.”The all-rounder, who would have been in India playing in the Indian Premier League had it not been for the pandemic, added, “Prevention is better than a cure, and I just want to see my family and close friends remain safe.”Keemo, further, asked for persons to act smart, follow the guidelines of the health authorities, and stay at home, unless they find it absolutely necessary to leave home.

FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2020

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

guyanatimesgy.com

A village fights the novel coronavirus…

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