Guyana Times - Saturday, April 25, 2020

EU, Rotary Club help Deaf Association, Society for P16 the Blind fight COVID-19

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

Issue No. 4266

THE BEACON OF TRUTH SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2020

GECOM, APNU/AFC destruction of democracy: Day 54

GECOM chooses openended “25-day recount” with no starting date See story on page 3 …denies live-streaming request …no Mingo, but other ‘compromised’ staff remain

“Country now sees where she stands” – Jagdeo on GECOM Chair’s rejection of Commissioners’ resolutions See story on page 7

Guyana’s COVID-19 death toll rises to 8 See story on page 2

…confirmed cases climb to 73

US Govt concerned over no start date for elections recount

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

Complaint lodged with US Justice P12 Department over APNU/AFC misleading dossier – Jagdeo Old disco P11 ravaged by fire at Ogle

PSC writes P11 GECOM Chair about concerns of electoral fraud

See story on page 9

…says continued delay further violates citizens’ rights

MotP's ex-army officers assume COVID-19 fight’s draconian powers See story on page 10

…as Granger upends control of task force …hands responsibilities to Harmon, lets Nagamootoo keep title

COVID-19 outbreak

Persons being screened before P15 entering Region 6

P15 Shortsightedness of APNU/AFC disadvantaging underprivileged children – PPP

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SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Guyana’s COVID-19 death toll rises to 8 …confirmed cases climb to 73

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uyana recorded another COVID-19 death after a 45-year-old man succumbed while receiving treatment in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

This increases the number of deaths to eight. Lennox Williams died at about 14:45h on Friday at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).

Caretaker Public Health Minister, Volda Lawrence on Friday afternoon confirmed that Williams was receiving treatment at GPHC. However, he suffered other complications.

Meanwhile, three new cases of the novel coronavirus have been confirmed, raising the figures to 73 as the country grapples to flatten the curve.

During the daily COVID-19 update, caretaker Public Health Minister, Volda Lawrence indicated that 410 persons have been tested. Five persons are in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), 17 in institutional quarantine and 54 in isolation, while 12 have recovered.

The Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit has reported for the period under review - March 16 - some 793 persons have been in home quarantine.

“To date, 596 persons have completed their 14 days quarantine and they were cleared by the Health Emergency Operations Centre and 197 persons continue to be monitored.”

Other measures

Lawrence indicated that other measures will be implemented shortly, after concerns about the worrying upward trends in Central and South America. On Monday the Ministry will launch mobile units at the East La Penitence Health Centre.

Over at Herstelling, East Bank

Demerara, and Paradise, East Coast Demerara, health facilities will begin to provide services from 09:00h to 15:00h. They are said to be partnering with private institutions to provide medical supplies for “sample collection for inpatients and outpatients who may present with signs or symptoms to their facilities”.

Across all administrative regions, both public and private nonhealth workers will also be screened. It was admitted that Guyana’s mortality rate is almost four times higher than that presented by the World Health Organisation.

“As these units are put in place, I urge you to make use of this opportunity; utilise our services and help us to flatten the curve and contain this disease. One infection and even one death is one too many because seven deaths out of 73 cases represent 9.6 per cent which is still much higher than the death rate of COVID-19 presented by WHO that stands at 2-4 per cent,” the caretaker Minister added.

It was indicated that ‘standalone’ facilities should be outfitted at this time for COVID-19 patients.

Presently, there are persons who tested positive for COVID-19 who might require other medical services. These include pregnant mothers; persons requiring emergency surgery; or those suffering from dialysis, malaria and other conditions.

Implications for diabetic patients

In fact, Guyana Diabetic Association President, Glenyss Beaton would have appeared on the live update, stating that there are concerns from patients about the risk factors after contracting COVID-19.

“As a diabetic, I am deeply concerned after learning that the coronavirus disease affects persons like myself and that we are at risk of developing the most complicated form of this disease and even dying. From my knowledge and personal experience, many diabetics have a weakened immune system which makes them prone to contracting many other diseases including COVID-19,” Beaton relayed.

Infections in diabetic patients can cause blood sugar to increase and remain at that level. In other cases, the blood sugar is reduced, resulting in a diabetic coma that can result in death.

The condition of persons suffering from kidney or nerve damage and cardiac problems can worsen after contracting the disease. For this, these persons are asked to stay at home and follow all hygiene recommendations.

Georgetown, Guyana’s capital, has been identified as the epicentre. According to the World Health Organisation, there are 2,544,792 confirmed cases worldwide with 175,694 deaths.

NEWS

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SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Saturday, April 25 – 05:30h – 07:00h and Sunday, April 26 – 05:30h – 07:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Saturday, April 25 – 05:10h – 06:40h and Sunday, April 26 – 05:40h – 07:10h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY Expect sunshine during the day. There will partly cloudy skies at night. Temperatures should range between 22 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East North-Easterly to North-Easterly between 1.78 metres and 4.02 metres.

High Tide: 18:02h reaching a maximum height of 2.62 metres.

Low Tide: 11:37h and 23:48h reaching minimum heights of 0.46 metre and 0.65 metre.

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…denies live-streaming request …no Mingo, but other ‘compromised’ staff remain

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he Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) on Friday finalised its work programme containing the modalities for a recount of the March 2, General and Regional Elections; and has decided on a tentative 25-day duration for the activity, but is still to come up with a start date.

Commissioners, briefing media operatives who had been encamped all day outside of the Commission’s Headquarters in Kingston, Georgetown on Friday, noted that among the highlights of the day’s meeting was the agreement that the duration of the activity would be set at 25 days. This, however, is a tentative duration, and will be subject to revision by the Commission based on how the activity proceeds during the first week.

It was also divulged that GECOM Chairperson, retired Justice Claudette Singh, has ruled against ‘live- streaming’ of the activity, and has ruled out controversial Region Four Returning Officer (RO) Mortimer Mingo from being involved in the process.

Proposals refused

DAILY MILLIONS

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GECOM chooses open-ended “25day recount” with no starting date

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Updating media operatives following the conclusion of Friday’s meeting, Peoples Progressive Party (PPP) Commissioner Sase Gunraj lamented that the Commission did not opt to pursue more diligently a shorter duration period for the recount process.

He said the GECOM Chair had also thrown out a number of motions that he had tabled on behalf of the PPP Commissioners. Speaking to Justice (rtd) Singh’s refusal to entertain the additional proposals, Gunraj divulged that those had addressed a number of decisions that remained outstanding in order “to better enable the completion of this order.”

Those proposals were in regard to the exclusion of certain staff members from the process, live-streaming of the activity, a restriction of the activity to 14 days, and a formal setting aside of the controversial declarations that had already been made to the Commission.

It was subsequently decided that the Commission would aim to have the activity completed in 25 days, but with a caveat that the duration be extended at the discretion of GECOM.

Mingo out, others remain

Defending his 14-day proposal, Commissioner Gunraj reminded of his disagreement with GECOM having to be subjected to the restricted hours of work imposed by the National Coronavirus Task Force.

In regard to the use of controversial staff and their exclusion from the process, namely Region Four Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo and others, Gunraj noted that while the Chairperson essentially vot-

at GECOM Headquarters,” Gunraj explained.

The successful resolution, he said, dictates what happens after the Statements of Recount are transmitted to the tabulation centre, in that they must be displayed on a screen.

The same would apply for the inputting of the day.

Additionally, the motion speaks to the verification of those documents before forming the basis for the report of the CEO regarding the final results.

GECOM Commissioner Sase Gunraj speaking to the media on Friday

ed against his motion, she did indicate that the controversial RO would not be a part of the process.

Gunraj told reporters his motion had requested that the Commission resolve to exclude all Commission staff members who had been involved in activities that had resulted in controversy, allegations of fraud, and legal proceedings.

Gunraj said his motion had requested that those persons be removed from active participation in the recount process; but, he told reporters, in ruling on the proposed motion, the Chairperson said, “As far as I am concerned, the RO has no role; I do not have enough evidence against any of these, and the CEO (Chief Elections Officer) is entitled to staff; it (recount) would be done with transparency and under observation.”

Gunraj was adamant that this “is tantamount to voting against this motion as well.”

He did note, however, that the Chairperson, in her ruling, “extended that to mean that Mr. Mingo will not be there.”

That ruling, however, does not extend to any of the other staff members against whom the PPP Commissioners had raised objections.

Live stream

In regard to the activity being live-streamed to the public, lamenting that this had also been turned down, Gunraj disclosed that despite arguing for a lengthy time in defence of the proposal in a bid to arrive at some compromise, “there is no live-streaming of the process to be done.”

Reporters were told that concerns had been raised over the legality of the proposals, but according to Gunraj, while “there is a section of the law that says that the secrecy of the count must be maintained, the secrecy of the count has to do with polling stations.”

Reporters were told that the results of the activity could likely be broadcast at intervals, but Gunraj said he was unsure about the modality of this aspect. “The actual process will not be live streamed,” he declared.

Commissioner Gunraj did find favour with the Commission in relation to the PPP proposal in regard to making the tabulation process unambiguous.

“This motion became necessary because it directly touches on concerns, the skulduggery that Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo attempted at the Ashmin’s Building

Controversial declaration

Another of the motions by the PPP Commissioner that found favour with the Commission was in regard to re-inviting observers for the process.

On the matter of the controversial declaration made by Mingo, which currently forms part of the Commission’s records, Gunraj told media operatives that he submitted a motion addressing the issue. He said the specific declarations in question were those submitted by Mingo and used by Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield to prepare a purported final elections result.

Gunraj said his motion called on the Commission to have the declarations set aside and rescinded. He reported that the Commission was divided in its vote on this matter, and required a deciding vote from the Chairperson. Gunraj said that in casting her vote on the matter, Justice Singh told Commissioners, “I will not be setting it aside until there is something to replace it. The recount will replace it.”

Other proposals shot down by the Chairperson included the submission of the CEO’s Statement of Poll for examination and the use of the Audit Office or a hired auditing firm to be a part of the process.

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guyanatimesgy.com

SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 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

World Immunisation Week during COVID-19 battle

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ountries must strengthen vaccination against seasonal influenza and measles in order to prevent respiratory illness and vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks during the COVID-19 pandemic, experts at the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) said on Friday.

This advice, coming days before World Immunisation Week – observed in the last week of April – aims to highlight the collective action needed to ensure that every person is protected from diseases that are preventable, once they are properly vaccinated.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), this year’s theme is “Love. Trust. Protect. #GetVax.” As the world prepares to observe Immunisation Week - April 25 to May 2 – scientists are struggling to create a vaccine to combat the deadly coronavirus (COVID-19), which has had a grappling effect on not only the world’s population, but has halted the world’s economy.

PAHO/WHO has said that, in 2003, more than 806 million people of all ages had been vaccinated against a wide range of dangerous diseases under the regional initiative promoted by PAHO. Immunization is the process by which a person is made immune or resistant to an infectious disease, typically by the administration of a vaccine. In essence, immunization is a proven tool for controlling and eliminating life-threatening infectious diseases. It is also one of the most successful and cost-effective health interventions, and prevents between two and three million deaths annually from diseases such as diphtheria, measles, pertussis, pneumonia, polio, rotavirus diarrhoea, rubella and tetanus.

During Vaccination Week, there are a number of activities usually planned in more than 180 countries across the world, including vaccination campaigns to raise awareness about the importance of being immunised.

This year, the WHO said, many countries have adapted creative solutions to continue vaccinating at-risk populations safely during the COVID-19 pandemic. Brazil, Guyana’s neighbour, has set up vaccination posts in schools that are empty due to COVID-19, and supermarkets and pharmacies.

In addition, they are offering drive-through vaccination and vaccination at home for people who are unable to leave their houses for health reasons.

Countries are also including messages related to COVID-19 prevention as part of their Vaccination Week campaigns, such as the importance of good hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette, and dispelling myths and misinformation about the disease.

In Guyana, like in many other countries, this special week provides an opportunity to remind families and communities in general how effective vaccines can be, and to encourage people to take action to ensure that more children -- and increasingly, people in other age groups -- are immunized against deadly and debilitating diseases. WHO had always maintained that there are, in the world, millions of unvaccinated or under-vaccinated children who have been put at serious risk of contracting these potentially fatal diseases. One out of 10 of these children has never received any vaccination, and most likely has never been seen by the health system.

The Global Vaccine Action Plan (GVAP) – endorsed by 194 Member States of the World Health Assembly in May 2012 – aims to prevent millions of deaths from vaccine-preventable diseases by this year, through universal access to immunization.

To achieve the kind of progress that is needed, the WHO has urged that governments invest more in immunization efforts, advocates must make vaccines a priority, and people must get themselves and their families vaccinated.

Guyana’s immunisation programme has been largely successful, and has resulted in the eradication of illnesses such as polio, yellow fever, and measles, among others diseases. We urge all stakeholders to utilize World Vaccination Week, which is dedicated to immunization, to spread the message of the need to be vaccinated; especially in Guyana’s remote areas, where health officials still seem to be facing some challenges.

This year, there is no doubt that social distancing will greatly impact this, but it must be remembered that vaccines save lives, and must be maintained even during the COVID-19 pandemic.

GECOM must put Guyana, Guyanese first Dear Editor, It was predictable that the General Elections in Guyana would bring accusations of rigging and manipulation of the results given the political and electoral history of our country.

Guyana’s General Election in December 1981 was ‘’rigged massively and flagrantly’’ in favour of the ruling People’s National Congress, this was reported by a team of international observers in 1981. Reports said the election, which the PNC party won by an overwhelming majority, was an example of President Forbes Burnham’s determination ‘’to cling to power at all costs”. History has a way of repeating itself - here we are in 2020, in the same place we were in 1981 where the PNC, only now called the APNU/AFC, did the exact same thing by rigging the March 2, General and Regional Elections in front the eyes of the international observers and the Guyanese people. My fellow citizens, it is time that we remove the blindfold and allow ourselves to clearly see that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic has won the 2020 General and Regional Elections based on the Statement of Polls (SoPs) submitted on social media across the world for all to see.

The flawed vote signalled, for many Guyanese, a return to the political malaise of the 1980s when the predecessor of Mr Granger’s PNC party ruled Guyana through a series of sham elections and with the support of the army. Thanks to the international observers and the Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, the APNU/AFC caretaker Administration got caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

Western embassies joined four international observer missions in accusing the GECOM electoral officials of subverting the vote count, they claim the results from Region No Four were tabulated in an opaque way and don’t match the numbers from the Polling Stations based on the SoPs. Democratic nations around the world and the people of Guyana cannot ignore this blatant and disrespectful disregard for the rule of law in Guyana.

GECOM and the APNU/ AFC caretaker Government must respect the will of the Guyanese people to choose their leader. It is clear to all that the APNU/AFC leaders are determined to cling to power at all cost and will do anything to delay and avoid a recount of the votes cast on March 02, 2020. The question is, what are their fears?

If the APNU/AFC feels that they have won the elections by an overwhelming majority, then let the recount begin immediately without any delays. It is clear also that GECOM is in collusion with elements of the PNCR to rig the election results. Over the past weeks, international observers and opposition parties have expressed their concern with such elements being involved in the recount process and called for to them to be removed. Let me remind every Guyanese citizen that we need to know the truth of the 2020 General Elections, hence a recount is needed and valuable, so let us openly embrace the recount of our votes for this is the only way we can move forward as a nation.

As responsible Guyanese, it is our duty to plea with GECOM to take appropriate steps to make sure that the recount is done. It’s over 53 days that the elections was done and a winner is yet to be announced. GECOM must step up to the plate and take control now and defuse the present unsure and volatile environment we are now experiencing in Guyana. GECOM being the independent constitutional body must have the recount done in a timely manner and stop using the coronavirus as another excuse to delay

the recount any further.

GECOM has no duty or obligation to seek guidance or clarity or permission from the COVID-19 TASK FOrce.

Guyanese, we must have a resolution to this election.

While the political uncertainty combined with the coronavirus threat is creating hardship for all, the failure to settle the election issues, compounded by the global coronavirus pandemic has impacted not only our lives but the global economy. Guyanese citizens, we must support a transparent process of verification of the votes cast in all regions that will establish mature governance of our country for the present and future generations. A PPP/C victory will rebound to a good business climate in the country which will secure a better livelihood which will be good for all Guyanese and Guyana.

All we are asking for is a government to respect our constitution and the will of all Guyanese citizens to choose a President of there choice. It is the duty of every Guyanese citizen who has our country at heart to stand up and speak out. Let your voices be heard.

Dear Editor, The Prime Minister’s most recent statement that the political situation in Guyana could stall international aid to the country unless the votes are recounted and a legitimate Government is sworn in, is clearly an acknowledgement that he is either confused or that he is no longer a rational and logical thinker. Based on his statement, it is clear that the Prime Minister is fully aware that Guyana will not receive the international aid it needs to tackle the COVID-19 outbreak in the country unless there is a legitimate Government. Yet he and some of his colleagues in the Government continue to place obstacles in the path of a transparent and speedy recount of the votes. Why? The Prime Minister seems to be speaking from both sides of his mouth, but he should understand that he cannot have it both ways. Either he sup-

ports the recounting of the votes and gets the aid the country needs or act silly and continue to stall the recount of the votes and do without the aid.

Furthermore, this is not the mindset of a rational or a right-thinking person, much less of a Prime Minister who is supposed to uphold the Constitution, promote democracy, encourage fair and free elections, transparent tabulation of the votes and above all else, respect the will of the people.

But not only did the powers that be disrespect the will of the people, but the Prime Minister has also insulted the high-level team from Caricom when he proclaimed that they will have to be quarantined for 14 days on arrival in Guyana. But with better hindsight, President Granger moved quickly to overrule his absurd decision. Mr Nagamootoo has also opined that a recount of

the votes is not essential and that the APNU/AFC had won the election. If he is so certain and pompous that the coalition has won the elections, then he should be happy and willingly advocate for a speedy recount rather than trying to stall it.

It is horrible, deceitful and hypocritical for him to claim that for two decades he has fought against Burnham rigging of the elections, yet he has accepted Mr Mingo’s spurious tabulation of Region Four votes. This is not the thinking of a rational, attentive and thoughtful person. Rather, it is someone who is in a state of confusion and denial and who has put their personal interest and political ambitions above everything else. It is very sad that the powers that be believe that they can ignore the will of the people, violate the Constitution, bully the people and remain in office as an illegitimate Government

for more than 51 days after the March 2, elections.

These are clear indications that the interests of the people and those of the country are placed on the backburner, which in essence is the hallmark of utter selfishness.

Mr Prime Minister, it seems that your credibility and that of your colleagues and the top brass of GECOM especially the Chairperson, the Chief and Deputy Chief Executive Officers is becoming questionable as each day passes. It is mindboggling, if not senseless, for the powers that be and some GECOM Commissioners to do everything in their powers to try to stall the recount. It is regrettable and downright shameful that after more than 60 years of independence, Guyanese are incapable of conducting fair, free and transparent elections.

Sincerely, David Adams

Nagamootoo and the powers that be are shameless

Sincerely, Dr Asquith Rose

guyanatimesgy.com

SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2020

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Our own practising The baiting game totalitarianism

Dear Editor, Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong and Adolf Hitler unleashed widespread killings in their respective countries but were careful enough to never get their own hands dirty. They understood how important it was for the leader to maintain his persona to continue tricking and manipulating the masses. At home, Burnham also mastered this old totalitarian technique.

He portrayed himself as scholarly and considerate while behind the scene, he rigged elections with help from minions within the Election Commission. He also brutalised political opponents using thugs from House of Israel, the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Defence Force, choke and robbers, and “kick down the door bandits”. Burnham was so adept at conning people that some are still enthralled with him today.

Coming to the present, as the public observes the riggers deploying various stratagems to steal the elections, I saw that a lead-

ing commentator has fallen for this old totalitarian trick and is unwittingly pushing the narrative that Granger has lost control of his party and moreover, is angry with the faction being led

by Lawrence, Harmon and Trotman.

This is a mere subterfuge. Granger is the primary beneficiary behind this power grab and has the authority to concede defeat anytime. I, therefore, have no doubt that Granger himself is the intellectual author behind the JJ&B LLC submissions and for introducing into the minds of the public, the ruse about the split in APNU/AFC. These are intended to preserve his honest and decent image.

As a consequence of ABCEU criticisms against Mingo’s blatant attempts to rig, APNU/AFC was quick to rush to China and Russia to beg for support. This is one of the greatest ironies in modern times for while PPP/C is perhaps more capitalist than President Trump, it is still suspected as communist by the

West and APNU/AFC when the situation suits them.

The other irony is that like Burnham, who was helped by the Americans and later became a brutal dictator, Granger also received help from the Americans in 2015 and is heading down the same path.

We know here in Guyana that Granger is the very essence of double-speak as was so well described by Orwell.

He says one thing and does another. We saw this with his repeated violations of the Constitution. However, that stunt which he pulled on Mia Mottley and Caricom would have to go down as a classic.

We, therefore, have our own practicing totalitarian, who by no coincidence, is a student of history and a disciple of Burnham.

Fortunately, the world woke up just in time and is seeing him for what he really is, a master manipulator with a dictatorial calling.

Dear Editor, For 50 days and counting, Guyanese citizens at home and abroad have been enduring embarrassment, shame and disgrace resulting from the David Grangerled APNU/AFC political outfit by refusing to concede defeat at the March 2, 2020, national elections.

Nine (9) of the 10 electoral districts completed the vote count within 24 hours, following the close of poll, in a fair, credible and transparent manner in the presence of all accredited agencies and contesting political parties, all of whom accepted and agreed with the count/ tabulation of the votes as reflected in the circulated, officially signed Statements of Poll (SoPs). The exception was of District Four which included East Coast Demerara, Georgetown, and East Bank Demerara.

The unassailable lead of the PPP/C could not have been overtaken by a win of this District Four by the PNC and the ‘dead meat’ AFC, not to mention the oneman, paper party grouped as APNU, a fig leaf cover for PNC. After about half the ballot boxes of District Four were counted in an acceptable way, the process was disrupted by various questionable means, to allow those compromised staff of the GECOM Secretariat, and the Returning Officer for District Four, Clairmont Mingo, and Chief Election Officer Keith Lowenfield and other PNC operatives to

blatantly rig the elections, through various means, in the presence of all interested parties, and the international community.

Election rigging is part of the DNA of the PNC from 1968 to 1992 with Forbes Burnham, Hamilton Greene, Desmond Hoyte and Robert Corbin as the leading stars.

This has been the most outstanding legacy of the PNC, along with a tattered economy and much suffering of the working people, a legacy promised by David Granger to continue, and this is currently in the making.

Is this not true Granger boy, with all the clear shenanigans of the PNC, and the AFC former Ministers, Prime Minister, Vice Presidents, etc and thirdrate lawyers, all singing lustily for their mess of pottage? Is this not true Joseph Harmon, Basil Williams, Moses Nagamootoo, Khemraj Ramjattan, Raphael Trotman, and Cathy Hughes, and David Patterson? Are you not stealing an election and Government? What honesty, integrity and decency are in this barefaced and open determination to steal a Government and destroy democracy in this dear land of ours?

What are David Granger and his gang teaching our people, and what example are they setting for adults and children of the country?

Those politicians, who claim to be religious for cheap political photographs, kneeling in churches, should do so by confessing the sins of cheat-

ing and stealing elections, and destroying democracy.

God is not mocked; we all will face the judgement seat of Almighty God who requires righteous social and political justice without any political and racial discrimination.

Sincerely, Ravi Ram

APNU/AFC made Guyana into a laughing stock

With thanks, Joshua Singh

Dear Editor, Vincent Alexander in his capacity as Vice Chairman of the PNC, in an interview with Stabroek News, August 14, 2002, made it clear that it was necessary to attack Indians; “Whilst I do not look forward to paying a high price, the fact is in the long term these things add up to the general good of the society...

What I find is that even though these instances may be painful and costly, the accumulation of all these interactions and conflicts may result in a state of affairs, which is far better than that which existed before.”

It would seem Alexander is using his role as a Commissioner of GECOM to hurl Guyanese into racial conflict in furtherance of his philosophy.

The constant feigned ignorance and delay tactics being engaged by Alexander and his fellow APNU Commissioners is slowly driving Guyana to the brink of economic and human disaster. Alexander is acting on instructions of Joe Harmon and his group, it is unclear if David Granger is involved or this is ‘dossier-gate 2.0’.

Advantage is being taken of a weak GECOM Chair, who is yet to grasp the magnitude of her power and responsibility; Justice Claudette Singh is being undermined by her friendship with Amna Ally, who is making it known that she ‘controls’ the Chair. All of this while we are entering a dangerous phase in the health sector.

The COVID-19 pan-

demic is upon us fully now - with more testing comes more proof of positives that many are infected and that asymptomatic virus-carriers walk amongst us. The Government is deep in debt due to the profligate spending and reliance on utopian fantasies of ‘oil money’ by David Granger in the stead of sound economic policy.

The realisation that the world’s financial institutions will not assist with the massive aid required to get Guyanese through this period is now sinking in at the top level. Moses Nagamootoo finally spoke to the issue and said as much today.

Alexander may still be flush with cash from his United Nations International Decade of People of African Descent– Guyana efforts which were given over $160 million, but Alexander and others should be informed as to the “high price” he would be asked to pay personally for any part they play that results in loss of life. GECOM already has the blood of one man on their hands by my reckoning.

The people of Guyana have (so far) demonstrated great maturity in not running riot in the face of the brazen subversion of their franchise. Anil Nandlall cautioned recently “that the patience of a majority of Guyanese is wearing very thin. PPP supporters, in particular, are very fed-up and frustrated. They know that they have won the elections.

They are seeing every day, to their infuriation, one

clumsy attempt after another, to steal their votes. We may not be able to contain them much longer.” Vincent Alexander and others such as Bro Joshua Emanuel are of the opinion that “our people control the security sectors and the bureaucracy. In addition, our people control the capital city, the seat of economic and political power. Our party has the capacity to bring down PPP Government anytime as we did so many times” (Kaieteur News 23.4.20). It would seem the lessons of 2002 were not learned by Vincent and company.

During the period when murderous gangs destabilised the nation, the police and army acted professionally, they did not follow the urgings of madmen who wanted them to join the criminals.

Fast forward to 2020 and the eyes of the world are on these forces, the Commissioner of Police and the Army Chief of Staff are both aware of personal consequences should they participate or accept as legal orders to repress, oppress, imprison, torture or murder peaceful Guyanese. Our citizens are also aware of their rights as guaranteed under the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights and this is not 1973.

Guyanese will not be divided by race or politics to the point of armed conflict.

We will not be fodder for Alexander’s cannon and fall foul of his racist baiting.

ter. They had no idea that shared governance was even an option, I plead that they are not hoodwinked by the people who are supposed to be representing their interests.

Additionally, to accept shared governance now would also be an abominable misuse of resources. Millions of dollars were spent in the lead-up and implementation of this grand election.

I do not believe that these millions were taken out of the pockets of those who are currently petitioning for the scrapping of the election results and creation of an interim Government. On the topic of interim Government, how is this shared Government to be effected?

Who is to delegate Ministries and positions?

How are these to be delegated? I sincerely hope that the persons petitioning for shared governance do not intend to do this by using the results of the election. If they did indeed care about the

results of the election, they would not have suggested this alternative which will effectively render the votes of the people moot.

Lastly, the convenience of this process is far too blatant for one to possibly believe that it is with benevolent intentions. Why is shared governance only discussed when there is a major dispute as to the victor of the election? I am not a soothsayer and I do not claim to be, but I strongly believe that if there was no controversy over the election results, the idea of shared governance would remain at the back of people’s minds instead of in the spotlight as it is currently.

As I mentioned previously, the concept of shared governance is not a bad one, but in this particular instance, it only serves the purpose of being a scapegoat tactic. The people have spoken and must be heard. Not in the medium decided upon by those with questionable intentions, but rather in the medium the

people intended when they voted.

Respectfully, Robin Singh

Malicious attempt to further complicate already volatile circumstances

Dear Editor, In recent weeks, there has been a great deal of thought, emphasis and consideration placed on the concept of shared governance.

While the idea of shared governance is innovative and could possibly put an end to various disputes faced by our small nation; the execution and timing of this push can only be seen as a malicious attempt to further complicate the already volatile circumstances we face right now.

I ask, what of the people who left their homes on election day to make their voices heard and to choose their Government? These people have experienced life under both of the political parties who have ruled over the last 28 and were prepared to select who would lead them during the next 5. Are there opinions to be ignored? To accept any other result than has been chosen by them is tantamount to telling them that their voices do not mat-

Yours sincerely, Oliver Thomas

6

SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2020

Page

Foundation

Guyana Times is pleased to publish the Education Ministry’s National Grade Six Assessment Past Papers. This is the second part of Science Paper 1, 2012.

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

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

SCIENCE

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.

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. letter next to the answer you have now Carbon dioxide is a chosen.

ANSWER SHEET (A) mixture (B) liquid A B C D 6. REMEMBER, each answer MUST only be shown (C) gas (D) solid by a heavy black line on your Answer Sheet.

A heavy black line has been drawn through the letter B on the answer sheet because 7. Remember only ONE answer must be provided Georgetown, the correct answer, is next to B. for each question.

5. If you make a mistake, erase the line cleanly, then draw a heavy black line through the

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

12. Which substance is insoluble in tap water?

(A) Kool Aid (B) Brown Sugar (C) Wheat Flour (D) Table Salt

21. The lever above is a second class lever because the (A) load is in the middle. (B) fulcrum is in the middle.

(C) handle is the effort. (D) effort is in the middle.

13. All of the following have scaly coverings except (A) horse (B) alligator.

(C) trout.

(D) snake.

22. Which statement about the moon is true?

(A) It reflects light. (B) It is an artificial satellite.

(C) It is 93 million miles away. (D) It is a star in the solar system.

14. Which of the following produces young ones that are born alive?

(A) Frog (B) Whale (C) Kiskadee (D) Lizard 15. Heat can be transferred in all of the following ways except by (A) radiation.

(B) vaporization.

(C) conduction. (D) convection.

19. Which drawing above is not adapted for easy movement in water?

(A) I (B) II (C) III (D) iv 20. Complete the food chain by selecting the most suitable animal.

16. Flowers with brightly coloured petals and abundant nectar are most likely pollinated by (A) wind.

(B) water.

(C) insects.

(D) cows.

17. Ferns produce spores which enable them to (A) breathe .

(B) feed.

(C) move.

(D) reproduce.

18. Which of the following is not harmful to the environment?

(A) Covering bins (B) Dumping garbage (C) Littering (D) Throwing rubbish in the river Study the drawings below then, answer question 19.

23. Which of the following has electrical energy that is converted to heat energy?

(A) Spinning Windmill (B) Pressing Iron (C) Food Processer (D) Ceiling Fan 24. Nerves take messages from all parts of the body to the (i) brain (ii) heart (iii spinal cord (A) (i) only (B) (ii) only (C) (i) and (ii) only (D) (i) and (iii) only 25. Which of the following are weather conditions?

(A) Sunshine and rainfall (B) Hurricane and earthquake (C) Rainfall and hurricane (D) Earthquake and storm

(A) rabbit (C) small bird

(B) caterpillar (D) honey bee

Study the diagram below then, answer question 21.

26. Which of the processes does not occur in the natural recycling of water?

(A) Evaporation (B) Precipitation (C) Condensation (D) Radiation 27. The instruments that will be used by the weatherman are (A) ammeter and thermometer. (B) barometer and ane

mometer.

(C) rain guage and ammeter. (D) compass and wind vane.

Study the picture below, then answer question 28.

Filter paper

28. The substance that is being collected in the beaker under the funnel is called the (A) filtrate. (B) distillate.

(C) residue.

(D) solute.

29. The mixture that is best separated by sedimentation is (A) solution.

(B) emulsion.

(C) colloid.

(D) suspension.

30. A mixture of salt and water forms a solution. The salt is therefore (A) soluble. (B) insoluble.

(B) immiscible. (D) saturated.

NEWS

7

SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

“Country now sees where she stands” – Jagdeo on GECOM Chair’s rejection of Commissioners’ resolutions G Motion Number

Synopsis

Chairperson vote

NO (Although SOPs were made public in relation to the 2011 and 2105 elections upon the request of then Opposition Leader, David Granger)

1

a) The originals of all Statements of Poll for District 4 received by the Chief Election Officer be provided by the said Chief Election Officer to Commissioners for examination; b) Copies of the all of the Statements of Poll for District 4 received by the Chief Election Officer be provided to Commissioners of the Guyana Elections Commission by the said Chief Election Officer.

2

That the entire recount exercise be observed by the Audit Office of Guyana or a duly accredited Audit Firm contracted by the Guyana Elections Commission, specifically for this process.

NO

3

That the entire recount exercise be live streamed on traditional and/or social media

NO

4

That the time for the conduct of the entire NO- 25 DAYS TO BE recount exercise be limited to fourteen (14) REVIEWED WHEN NECESSARY days. (with this length of time, along with the process being left open ended are significant factors to discourage the CARICOM Team and international observers to return to observe the process)

5

That all members of staff of the Guyana Elections Commission who were involved in the activities which resulted in controversy, allegations of fraud and legal proceedings in the High Court after Elections Day 2020, be removed from active participation in the recount process.

6

That the recount be conducted in strict THE DECISION IS IN THE accordance with Sections 84(6) to (11), 87, PLAN 89(1) and 90 of the Representation of the (An examination of the People Act, Chapter 1:03 of the Laws of plan reveals that the process Guyana. outlined is radically different from the procedure set out in the Representation of the Peoples Act and is therefore not in accordance with the law)

7

The tabulation of the Statements of Recount generated after the recount of each ballot box will be done at a central tabulation centre in the presence of the High-Level CARICOM Team, other International and Local Observer teams accredited

by Guyana Elections Commission, representatives of political parties that contested the said elections, advisors to the Guyana Elections Commission, and such other persons authorized by the Guyana Elections Commission as follows: The Statement of Recount shall be projected on a screen to be viewed by all persons present; The information from Statement of Recount shall be input into a spreadsheet which process shall be viewed simultaneously by all persons present; In the event of a pause in the inputting process, a report on Statements of Recount input at that time will be made provided to representatives of contesting political parties by the staff responsible for the tabulation; Upon completion of an entire district, the representatives of contesting political parties shall be given an opportunity to verify the accuracy of the entire tabulation and thereafter, sign off on same if he/she wishes to do so.

NO ROLE FOR THE ROs – ALL OTHER MEMBERS OF STAFF REMAIN (This means that persons who were tainted in the previous exercise shall remain)

YES YES

NO

YES

8

That the recount commences with Districts NO 1 & 4 simultaneously and continues with the (this means that the Region remaining districts only after the completion which is the singular cause of the said Districts 1 & 4. for the recount, will not be completed, perhaps, until the end of the exercise)

9

That the Guyana Elections Commission immediately invites to observe the recount process each of the International and Local Observer team accredited to observe the 2nd March 2020 elections.

10

that the declaration of the election results of Electoral District number four (4) by Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo, made on the 13th day of March 2020, and the consequential Report prepared and submitted to the Commission by the Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield, pursuant to the provisions of Section 96 of the Representation of the People Act, Cap 1:03, be set aside, revoked, annulled and rescinded by the Guyana Elections Commission.

YES

ALL REPORTS REMAIN IN ABEYANCE PENDING ENDING OF RECOUNT PROCESS (This presents an incentive for the rigging cabal to undermine, frustrate, if not derail the recount, completely)

eneral Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Bharrat Jagdeo, believes that the decisions taken on Friday by the Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission, (retd) Justice Claudette Singh -- to throw out several resolutions tabled by the Opposition Comissioners to ensure transparency -- have revealed where she stands regarding the national recount.

The PPP had presented 10 resolutions to the seven-member Elections Commission, and according to Jagdeo, those were aimed at ensuring transparency and credibility of the pending recount process.

He explained during a virtual press briefing on Friday that the PPP could not allow continued delay of the national recount of the March 2 votes, and in order to have a swift conclusion, had tabled 10 resolutions to take the process forward.

“So we decided [on Thursday] that we will have to trigger a decision by the Chair one way or the other, so that the country sees where she stands; because she writes one thing and people generally believe that she wants the matter to be addressed expeditiously and transparently, but in her deliberations at GECOM, she either doesn’t take a position or often sides with APNU in slowing down the process, frustrating movement forward,

or taking decisions that are inimical, harmful to an expeditious or transparent recount,” the GS contended.

Among the 10 resolutions tabled by the PPP are one for the release of Statements of Poll (SOPs) from Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), where fraudulent declarations were made by embattled Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo. The party also suggested that the Audit Office of Guyana or a private auditing firm be allowed to monitor the recount, and that the process be live-streamed for edification of the public and international observers. Also, the party had requested that GECOM set aside the fraudulent declarations made by Mingo, and the report subsequently prepared

by Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield and submitted to the Commission, among others.

Jagdeo, who is also the Opposition Leader, pointed out that these proposed resolutions would not have only paved the way for the recount to move forward, but were also designed to ensure transparency of the process.

However, the GECOM Chair voted against them.

Vote against

“The most crucial aspects designed to ensure transparency of the recount, the Chair voted against those. So, she voted against livestreaming. Somewhere,

I heard somebody said she said, ‘Statutorily, it’s against the process.’ How could live- streaming of the recount -- you’re not live-streaming each ballot, but the recount -- be against any law? How could transparency be against any law, enhanced transparency?” he argued.

According to the Opposition Leader, this is the biggest setback to the recount of the March 2 votes.

He was further baffled that the GECOM Chair had also voted against releasing to the GECOM Commissioners the SOPs for Region Four, pointing out that this was done at the 2011 and 2015 elections upon the request of APNU’s leader, David Granger. In fact, Jagdeo noted that at that time the SOPs were made public, but in this case, the Opposition is merely asking for the documents to be released only to the GECOM Commissioners, whom he said statutorily should see them.

“Why would any person who wants transparency not allow a copy of GECOM’s SOPs (to) be given to GECOM’s Commissioners, not even the public; when, in 2011, after Mr Granger wanted it, they released it to the public - the same GECOM released it. It tells a whole story. But again, this is [Justice Singh] voting with APNU…,” he contended.

TURN TO PAGE 10

8 NEWS

SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Ex-cops get bail for narcotics trafficking

A

n ex-policeman and his wife, who also served in the Guyana Police Force, was on Friday granted bail by Magistrate Peter Hugh when they appeared at the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s Court where narcotics trafficking charges were read to them.

Rokeshia Collins and Khushyal Grant, of No 2 Village, East Canje, Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne), were jointly charged for having nine kilograms of cannabis in their possession on April 20.

Both parties pleaded not guilty to the charge when it was read to them.

The court heard that on the day in question, ranks

Khushyal Grant

intercepted a west-bound motor car at a police checkpoint in the vicinity of the Berbice River Bridge. At the

time of the interception, the couple and their two minor children were in the motor car.

However, a search on the vehicle unearthed seven parcels of marijuana and as the driver was being cautioned of the offence, Collins reportedly fled the checkpoint in the car along with the children.

Her husband was nevertheless arrested and the police launched a search for the woman. The police went to the home of the couple where they saw the motor car but there were no signs of the woman and the two children.

She was subsequently arrested and charged.

The couple was released

More…

Y Rokeshia Collins

on $150,000 bail each and will make their next court appearance on May 12, 2020.

Two busted with ganja at Bartica Stelling get 3 years each

A

Charged: Roxana Suarez

24-year-old man and his 20-year-old Venezuelan female companion appeared at the Bartica Magistrate’s Court where possession of narcotics charges were read to them.

Roxana Suarez and Abdul Leow appeared before Magistrate Crystal Lambert via Skype. The couple was charged separately and both pleaded guilty to the charge when it was read to them.

Police stated that on April 23, 2020, at the Bartica Stelling, Region

Abdul Leow

Seven, (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), Suarez had in her handbag three parcels of cannabis wrapped in transparent plastic which had a total of 1719 grams.

On the other hand, Leow had a black haversack which contained five parcels of ganja that was weighed and totalled 951 grams. Both parties pleaded guilty to their respective charges and were sentenced to three years’ imprisonment.

In addition, Suarez was fined $2,578,500 while Leow was fined $1,426,500.

Drivers involved in Berbice fatal accident granted station bail ...family calls for thorough investigation into accident

T

he two drivers who were involved in the fatal accident on the No 72 Public Road, Corentyne, Berbice, which resulted in the death of 63-year-old Laleta Rambaran and the hospitalisation of her husband were each released on $200,000 station bail.

Shevon Stewart was the driver of motor car PGG 6698 and Yogeshwar Dhaniram was the driver of motor car PMM 6565. They are requested to be at the police station on a daily basis until investigations are completed and charges are instituted.

It was reported that on April 21, 2020, the now dead woman and her husband, Rishiram Rambaran, were heading home on their motorcycle bearing registration number CE 8684.

However, motor car PGG 6698 was proceeding along the Public Road at a fast rate of speed as another motor car, PMM 6565, was heading in the same direction.

It is alleged that

Rishiram and Laleta Rambaran in happier times

Rambaran made a sudden turn and ended up into the path of motor car PGG 6698.

As a result, the driver reportedly swerved to avoid a collision but the front left side of the motor car collided with the motorcycle. Both the now dead woman and her husband fell onto the roadway.

Nevertheless, motor car PMM 6565, which was close behind, reportedly ran over the injured woman as she was lying on the roadway.

She was picked up in an unconscious state and taken to the Skeldon Public Hospital where she was pronounced dead on arrival.

Her husband, who re-

portedly suffered injuries about his head, spine and right leg, was treated and transferred to New Amsterdam Public Hospital where he remains a patient.

Meanwhile, the injured man after regaining consciousness told a different story. He explained that he had indicated that he was about to cross the road but while doing so, the speeding car with plates PGG 6698 slammed into his motorcycle.

He noted that after falling on the roadway, he lost consciousness and later woke up at the hospital. He immediately asked for this wife but was not told of her passing at that time.

In an interview with Guyana Times, the couple’s son, Akash Rambaran, who resides in the United States, is requesting that a thorough investigation is carried out by the Guyana Police Force to bring those responsible for his mother’s death to justice.

He stated that the family is trying to cope with the tragic death of his mother.

…clutching and unclutching ou would know, from reading your Eyewitness’s account from yesterday, that he didn’t expect anything different from GECOM today on its workplan. And when you don’t have expectations of any Damascene miracle, he’s not disappointed. Que, sera, sera! With the Commissioners split down the middle between Opposition and Govt, the thought in having an “unaffiliated” Chair was to get someone who would rise above the deadlock and use their casting vote for the good of the country. That, at least, was Carter’s intent.

And for the most part since 1992, it worked. Not this time. This Chair, Claudette Singh, might be sitting in the middle, but she’s firmly leaning towards the PNC. She throws the PPP a bone as she “clutches”, but then gives a big, fat porterhouse steak to the PNC as she inevitably “unclutches”! And so said this afternoon, as the “recount plan” was finally fleshed out after the crumb of a tencounting-station limit was offered.

The biggest non-surprise was her inclusion in the recount exercise of all the folks who’d fiddled with the first count to begin with, excepting Mingo. Let’s remember that while Mingo was the fella responsible, after he feigned the vapours, there were some other identified lowerlevel staff who did the dirty with the spreadsheets and with disappearing flash drives. Then, of course, there was Lowenfield’s Deputy, Roxanne Myers, who orchestrated the entire drams, including publicly bitch-slapping her boss!!

This coordinated affair, of course, has led to the need for the recount and to our becoming an international laughing stock for holding the longest elections in the world – and we ain’t even APPROACHING the finish line.

Now, Claudette got some kudos when she agreed to a recount; so, doesn’t it bother her that it was Mingo and company that precipitated it, and not Mingo by his lonesome?? Can she really trust the (fat) cats (including one pregnant one) to watch over the milk again??

Your Eyewitness is willing to bet dollars to donuts that one of these compromised worthies, which the OAS warned against including, will once again throw spanners (plural) into the works at strategic moments.

Now, another declutching for the PNC is the decision to have the 25-day timespan for the recount be open-ended.

The PPP had asked for 10 days and PNC’s Alexander 32. But all of that is academic, ain’t it??

The PNC (forget this talk about “factions”) have already declared they don’t recognise no recount – it’s “illegal”!! So the question remains as to how many times must Claudette clutch and declutch before we decide that she’s part of the problem and can’t possibly be part of the solution?

Somebody gotta say, “This confounded nonsense must stop!!” …backwardness in COVID-19 battle As our COVID-19 numbers move inexorable skywards, it becomes clearer every day that the generals in this battle are way out of their league. Let’s take the death rate as a percentage of deaths against those infected. Now, if we don’t have a robust testing programme in place - based on what we’ve seen in places like New York - the number of infected is at least twice what’s being reported.

Secondly, we have seen that some folks (maybe up to 20%) may be asymptomatic until literally the last minute.

Is it too much to suspect that some of these folks might’ve died at home and never been tested?? Since we know that COVID isn’t just a respiratory disease, but is associated with a host of co-morbidities – diabetes, heart problems – and can precipitate blood clots and strokes, etc…have the pathologists been instructed to test some who have died with last-minute respiratory problems??

Not for the deceased, of course, but for those who’d been in contact!?! …defiance Once again, the PNC-led caretaker Government are sticking their fingers into the eyes of the US Government.

They really believe the Americans will fall for the statements in their “Dossier” sent to their lobbyists.

They’re representing “Europeans” in Guyana!!

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

NEWS

9

SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2020| GUYANATIMESGY.COM

US Govt concerned over no start date for elections recount …says continued delay further violates citizens’ rights

T

he United States (US) Government remains concerned over the fact that more than seven weeks since the General and Regional Elections in Guyana, there has still been no credible outcome.

This position was communicated to the international media on Friday by acting US Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, Michael Kozak, who lamented that a start date for the recount exercise has not yet been identified by the Guyana Elections Commission.

Addressing the political situation in Guyana, Kozak told a media briefing “we remain gravely concerned that so much time has passed without a credible result.”

He said, “…further delays violate the Guyanese people’s rights to a transparent, credible, and timely electoral process.”

Kozak used the occasion to remind that “the relations we have with the Governments and the people of the Western Hemisphere are very important” to the US Administration and that “we will continue to stand with our friends as we confront the challenge of COVID-19, extend freedom throughout the region, and work to reignite economic prosperity for our citizens.”

US Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, Michael Kozak

GECOM on Friday— through individual Commissioners—indicated that it had completed the initial work-plan for the recount of the ballots cast at the March 2 elections but it is yet to Gazette the order since it is yet to come up with a start date.

It was explained to reporters by Commissioners outside GECOM’s Georgetown head office that the start date will be determined based on the response by the Caribbean Community (Caricom).

The Commission has invited Caricom to observe the recount process as part of the validation process given public outcry that erupted over the declarations of the

results of the March 2 vote, which led to street protests, resulting in one person being shot dead by the police and a litany of litigation.

Government-aligned Commissioner, Vincent Alexander on Friday indicated that the Commission will continue to engage with Secretary General, Irwin La Roque— through the Commission’s Chairperson, Retired Justice Claudette Singh.

It was explained that the availability of the Caricom delegation would inform the commencement date for the recount order.

The US diplomat had last month hauled in Guyana’s Ambassador to the US, Riyad Insanally, who was warned that any Government sworn in based on flawed results would not be recognised by the Donald Trump Administration.

The US has previously warned that there would be “serious consequences” for those who seek to benefit from electoral fraud in Guyana.

Additionally, the United Kingdom’s Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab had also warned of “serious consequences” for those who seek to benefit from electoral fraud in Guyana.

“Any Government sworn in on the basis of non-credible results will face strong international condemnation.

GECOM Chair, Retired Justice Claudette Singh

If the situation continues to deteriorate, this international response will include a range of serious consequences for those concerned” Raab said last month.

The French plenipotentiary representative to Guyana, Antoine Joly had also expressed his country’s deep concern at the situation in Guyana following the elections.

“France warns against any hasty initiative aiming for the President to be sworn in until this verified count has been completed.

Only this procedure will ensure a legitimate, democratically acceptable process and avoid the clashes which unfortunately have already started in different places in Guyana,” the French

Ambassador stated.

Another of Guyana’s largest bilateral financiers, Norway also joined the international chorus in relation to the electoral brouhaha in Guyana since March 2.

That country’s Ambassador to Guyana, Nils Martin Gunneng had stated that, “Norway shares concerns expressed regarding recent electoral developments in Guyana” and that “the final election results need to be credible and transparent.”

Several other interna-

tional organisations which fielded observer missions to Guyana for the March 2 polls had also cited the lack of transparency in the declaration of the country’s Region Four’s elections results and called for the verification process to be completed to give credibility to the full electoral process.

These include the Organisation of American States (OAS), The Commonwealth, EU, Caribbean Community (Caricom) and the US-based Carter Center.

10 NEWS

SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2020| GUYANATIMESGY.COM

MotP's ex-army officers assume COVID-19 fight's draconian powers

…as Granger upends control of task force …hands responsibilities to Harmon, lets Nagamootoo keep title

T

Caretaker President David Granger

he coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic was first confirmed in Guyana on March 11 and as part of Government’s response, caretaker President, David Granger appointed a National Task Force, assigning his ‘caretaker’ deputy, Moses Nagamootoo to chair that body.

In an address to the nation at the end of last month, Granger announced that the Task Force had drafted a National Strategic Master

Caretaker PM, Moses Nagamootoo

Joseph Harmon

Plan that “will guide our approach to combatting the novel coronavirus disease.”

Granger has since had to intervene and overturn some decisions taken by the Nagamootoo-led Task Force and on Friday he convened a meeting of that body where he directed that Director General of the Ministry of the Presidency (MoTP), Joseph Harmon, carry out the functions of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the NCTF. As a result, Harmon, a retired Lieutenant Colonel of the Guyana Defence Force, will now be responsible for the setting up of a permanent National Task Force Secretariat in addition to assigning permanent staff to manage the national campaign.

MoTP in a statement to the media noted that the Task Force under Harmon would also be responsible for creating preventive measures against the disease to safeguard citizens’ health and collaborate with regional task forces and stakeholders to safeguard citizens’ health.

Additionally, MoTP stated that the CEO is now responsible, “for directing the NCTF operations and restarting interrupted activities; all important logistics measures necessary to prevent the disease from spreading further, directing rapid responses to unexpected and emergency incidents; developing short-term plans for disease prevention and safety of the people and communicating directly with agencies, Ministries, regional task forces, agencies and stakeholders”.

Harmon, as CEO, will also be responsible for disseminating accurate information with regard to COVID-19 to the public.

Meanwhile, Granger

Lawrence Paul

also announced that retired Colonel of the GDF, Lawrence Paul, Senior Executive Director of the Bertram Collins College of the Public Service has been seconded to the Task Force.

Dr Mark Kirton will assume Colonel Paul’s post, the statement said.

MoTP said too that similarly, Director of Public Information and Press Service (PIPS) Unit, Mark Archer has relinquished his appointment and will work with the NCTF on a fulltime basis. Ariana Gordon was announced as his successor.

The intervention by Granger comes on the heels of a recent widely reported incident where he amended orders made by the then Nagamootoo-led Task Force.

That Task Force had ordered that the officials re-invited to the country by the Guyana Elections Commission to observe the recount of the national elections would have to be subject to two weeks of quarantine.

This is in addition to restricting the hours of work by the recount officials to within the national curfew and as such, were not granted any exemptions as compared with those considered to be providing an essential service.

“Country now sees where...

FROM PAGE 7

The Opposition Leader noted that the caretaker Coalition is scared of releasing the SOPs since those documents will expose their attempts to rig the elections and show that the PPP/C has won the elections.

Moreover, Jagdeo pointed out that another act that highlights the stance of the GECOM Chair is her position on the fraudulent declaration from Region Four.

He pointed out that despite her previously setting aside both Mingo’s declaration and Lowenfield’s report, she indicated to the seven-member Commission on Friday that they are being held in abeyance until the recount has been completed.

This new position, the PPP GS stressed, comes one day after Governmentnominated GECOM Commissioner Vincent

Alexander told reporters that the declaration by Mingo remains legal until it is superseded by the completion of the recount.

“So it seems as though there is a great deal of pandering to the APNU and Vincent Alexander, and the rigging cabal…

We’ve seen an enormous amount of procrastination… APNU has been delaying recount through their Commissioners and the staff of GECOM, and enabled by Chair. This is why we had to put these motions to ensure that the country sees exactly where we stand today, so that they can judge the Chair based on what she’s been saying and based on her actions and her vote today at GECOM, whether she truly wants transparency in the recount,” Jagdeo stated.

NEWS

11

SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

PSC writes GECOM Chair about concerns of electoral fraud

T

he Private Sector Commission (PSC) has written to Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) expressing its concerns about fraud in relation to the elections, that was perpetrated by “senior staff of GECOM” during the tabulation of votes for electoral District Four (Demerara-Mahaica).

In its letter to GECOM’s Chair, the PSC pointed out that it “is now 52 days since the General and Regional

Elections have been held without the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) having concluded the count in District 4 in accordance with the law and in compliance with the decisions of the Chief Justice.”

“We are pleased that you have kept your word as regards your commitment to conduct a recount of the ballots,” the PSC said, adding that it is imperative though that this count is credible and concluded in the shortest possible time to enable

Old disco ravaged by fire at Ogle

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The fire raging on Thursday night

former disco at Ogle on the East Coast of Demerara was destroyed on Thursday night after a fire of unknown origin gutted the property.

According to information provided, the fire started at about 23:30h at the rear end of the building, located on the Ogle Airstrip Road, ECD.

other surrounding buildings were not threatened as the situation climaxed.

However, the structure was damaged beyond repair.

Guyana Times was informed that the building remained uninhabited after the business closed some years ago. It was later marketed as a banquet hall for other services but this did

The ruins of the Ogle property

Passersby in the neighbourhood reported seeing thick smoke emanating from the structure and immediately called the Guyana Fire Service.

The structure, comprising of four stories, was completely ruined internally while the concrete skeleton remained intact. From videos circulated on social media, high flames were wafting primarily from the upper part of the building. The interior then collapsed, leaving a pile of wooden debris behind.

A storage facility and

not work. As such, the rundown structure was completely closed.

On Friday morning, Divisional Commander of Operations at the GFS, Gregory Wickham was at the scene making an assessment of the remains. He told this publication that three tenders showed up to combat the inferno after calls were made to their hotline.

An investigative team would’ve also examined the nature of the fire to provide a report. At that time, he said they were yet to determine the origin of the blaze.

for District Four which was headed by Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo. Gouveia noted that this action resulted in the current stalemate in regards to the declaration of the national results.

Priority areas

Chairman of PSC, Gerry Gouveia

the Chief Elections Officer to provide the Commission with a credible report of the total count of all the Districts in order for the Commission to declare a final result of the elections.

Chairman of PSC, Gerry Gouveia in his letter reminded that all of the accredited observer missions have related that the count in the other districts were accurate and within the confines of the law, except

“We, therefore, urge you to accept the fact that it is only in District 4 that the verification and tabulation of the Statements of Poll for that District has not been completed in compliance with the Representation of the People’s Act. You may also wish to consider that it is only in District 4 and Districts 3, 5 and 6 that requests were made for Returning Officers of those Districts to grant a recount,” the letter stated.

The PSC proposed to the GECOM Chair, Retired Justice Claudette Singh, that the Commission considers commencing any national recount in those Districts in which a request was made for a recount. The business-

GECOM Chair, Retired Justice Claudette Singh

es representative body also suggested that the remaining Districts could follow after the priority areas have been tabulated.

They also urged the GECOM Chair to implement a system to complete the recount in the shortest possible time without any controversy and interruption in a fully transparent manner. It was noted that this is imperative since a democratically elected Government is need-

ed without any delay.

The letter outlined a number of measures that GECOM could consider going forward with the recount. Those measures include all contesting political parties be accommodated to record and monitor the recount; each ballot, as counted, is made visible to the party representatives and observers; challenges to the ballot count, as it proceeds, are permitted as provided for under the law; challenges to the ballot count are flagged for further verification at the end of the count; and the GECOM officials who have been publicly identified to have acted in violation of the prescribed legal procedures, namely, Clairmont Mingo and Roxanne Myers, are excluded from participating in the recount in order to avoid any further controversy. On Friday during a meeting at GECOM, it was stated that Mingo will not be part of the recount process.

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SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Complaint lodged with US Justice Department over APNU/AFC misleading dossier – Jagdeo

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he APNU/AFC coalition has misled the United States Government in the dossier that it recently filed with the Department of Justice, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo said on Friday, and as such, his party has filed a complaint in this regard.

During a virtual press briefing on Friday, Jagdeo disclosed that the PPP/C has written the Department of Justice, informing the US Government that it is being misled by the Washingtonbased lobbyist firm, JJ&B LLC, that was hired by the coalition to engage the US State Department on its behalf in changing the narrative on the current political and electoral impasse.

“We have filed a complaint with the Justice Department against the firm… we’ve filed a complaint that the FARA [Foreign Agents Registration Act Unit, which received the document from lobbyist firm] filings misled the US Government when they

claim to be representing the Government of Guyana,” Jagdeo stated.

The dossier that was filed late March listed the Guyana Government as the ‘foreign principal’; the Ministry of the Presidency was named the agency that is being represented by the lobbyist firm; and Director General of the Ministry of the Presidency, Joseph Harmon, was named as the official with whom the company engages.

Despite this, however, Harmon, who is also the campaign manager for the APNU/AFC coalition, had stated that it was the coalition’s supporters that wanted to change the narrative reaching capitals around the world and had even forked up the US$72,000 to pay the lobbyist firm.

In fact, both caretaker President David Granger and his Prime Ministerial Candidate Khemraj Ramjattan have since claimed

that i t w a s the party that hired the firm and not the Government.

However, the documents filed with the Justice Department state that the Government of Guyana is the foreign principal.

A statement from the Ministry of the Presidency last week stated, “the Government of Guyana has not hired JJ&B LLC and has no contractual arrangement or affiliation with the said firm. No Government funds were used to hire the firm.”

To this end, Jagdeo posited on Friday that, “So it meant that the filing with FARA [Foreign Agents Registration Act] was fraudulent, it was fake and all of the congressmen and the others to whom they have distributed this dossier, this company has illegally done so because they’ve done so on behalf of the Government of Guyana when the Government of Guyana, through President Granger’s statement, made it clear that he did not hire this company and he doesn’t know who they are.”

The Opposition Leader went on to point out that companies have been heavily penalised through huge fines and other measures, even imprisonment, for misleading the Justice Department.

The United States has been at the forefront in mounting international pressure for the March 2 General and Regional Elections results to be credible and transparent, following fraudulent

declarations made by embattled Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo.

Mingo’s declarations have since been set aside, and the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is now preparing to conduct a total recount of all the votes cast some seven weeks ago.

No date has been set for the recount as yet.

Harmon had defended hir-

ing the lobbyist firm, saying last week that, “We believe [that] as a Government it was our duty, our responsibility, to ensure that our narrative – the facts as they occurred — should be placed there in these capitals [around the world]. And therefore, we felt it was necessary to have a company that has that access to be able to put out our side of the story.”

Contact tracing unearths Linden’s third COVID-19 case

Region 10 RHO, Dr Pansy Armstrong

Linden’s first case, Sydney Trellis, was laid to rest on Friday

fter two persons in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) were infected by a known associate, the regional administration had embarked on a contact tracing exercise to detect other possible cases of COVID-19.

On Friday the region reported its third case through this exercise.

In a statement, the regional administration insisted that appeals by Regional Health Officer, Dr Pansy Armstrong for persons who interacted with the first or second victim to present themselves for testing has “yielded fruits”.

Dr Armstrong had disclosed that a few days ago, samples taken from ten persons were sent to Georgetown to be tested as part of the contact tracing exercise. She disclosed that the results returned with nine persons being negative and one positive.

The third case, a 40-yearold patient, was taken to the Diamond facility on Thursday night by the Regional Health and Emergency Committee (RHEC). Initially, he was reluctant to undergo isolation but was told that it is mandatory once tested positive.

According to Dr Armstrong, the regional investigation has found the infection to be a cluster, rather than a community spread. This was based on the fact that the third victim had a close relationship with the first patient, who died recently.

While he tested positive for the virus, he was asymptomatic. This has raised questions about other persons carrying the disease without any documented signs of the coronavirus, she added.

“It’s interesting to see that the patient has not demonstrated no signs and symptoms of the disease but is tested positive, which is an indication that there may be

others in similar position,” Dr Armstrong shared.

Meanwhile, Regional Executive Officer (REO), Orrin Gordon reaffirmed his appeal for persons to take all required precautions, warning that the infection rate will continue to rise.

A

Stigma

He went on to say that there is a stigma attached to persons who were infected, even from their family members.

“The patient was very concerned about the stigma and it’s real and didn’t want his family to suffer any stigma and/or undue embarrassment, so he opted for the ambulance to pick him up somewhere else,” the REO said.

On April 8, Sydney Trellis was identified as the first patient from Region 10, who subsequently died after testing positive. Six days later, the second patient was detected and is still in institutional isolation. She was reportedly taken in after displaying mild symptoms of the virus, including sore throat, fever and cough.

On Friday Trellis was laid to rest in a sealed casket at the Christianburg Cemetery, Wismar. Trellis, who was originally from Georgetown, moved to Linden in 1980.

He lived alone at Wismar Housing Scheme prior to his death.

Trellis was taken to the Linden Hospital Complex after severe respiratory complaints and was later transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he died two weeks later while in ICU. He was remembered by family and friends for being courageous after losing his sight. Trellis, according to relatives, was also admired for his cooking abilities even after becoming visually impaired as well as being an ardent businessman.

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Helping in fight against spread of COVID-19 Civil society and business community volunteers assisted the People’s Progressive Party National COVID-19 Stakeholder Forum in distributing face masks and food hampers countrywide as they lent a hand of support to those most vulnerable.

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SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2020| GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Several persons to be charged for GTT billing issues lead to disconnection of over curfew violation in Linden 1000 internet services

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everal persons who were in violation of the 18:00h curfew are expected to be charged and placed before the courts as Police in Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) enforce efforts to combat COVID-19.

On Saturday last, Police conducted several roadblock exercises targeting drivers and as such, 80 persons were found to be in violation of the curfew orders.

The 18:00h curfew measure which is expected to run until May 3, was taken as a form of social distancing in light of the COVID-19 global pandemic.

As such, residents apart from essential workers are mandated to be indoors by the stipulated time and as such, the police have implemented measures to ensure that the system is adhered to.

Speaking with this publication on Thursday evening, Regional Commander, Superintendent Hugh

Regional Commander, Superintendent Hugh Winter

Winter noted that anyone who attempts to make their way into the community from Georgetown via the Bamia-Soesdyke-Linden highway route after the curfew time will be redirected back to their location or may be required to wait until the following morning.

“Because we are enforcing that you have to be

checked. So, you cannot pass through after a certain time, after the curfew, 6 o’clock.

Nothing is permitted to pass, unless it’s an essential worker meaning supplies coming for the hospital or whatever the case may be”, he explained.

Additionally, there are police roadblocks set up at various areas across Linden, including the Bamia checkpoint, Amelia’s Ward, the Mackenzie-Wismar Bridge and the Five Corner area.

There are also patrols traversing all areas and according to the Regional Commander, anyone found to be in violation will have their names placed in the curfew book and escorted to the nearest police station.

For drivers, their vehicles are lodged until the next morning. Henceforth, violators are given return dates to facilitate prosecution and virtual court appearances.

“If we don’t take that sort of action then definitely, we’re not going anywhere”,

Superintendent Winter stated when asked about the strict measures.

He noted that there were over 20 violating drivers on Thursday evening and about the same amount at Amelia’s Ward last Saturday when the exercise commenced.

As the crackdown intensifies, the Regional Commander said the numbers appear to be decreasing and as such, urged residents to adhere to the curfew, noting that they will not bend the rules.

The Commander noted that many violators have so far given frivolous reasons for being on the road after 18:00h.

Only two particular taxi services are authorised to operate past the curfew time but they are not allowed to solicit passengers.

Meanwhile, Winter noted that a date will be set for virtual court appearances before the Linden Magistrate via the Zoom app.

Timehri man beaten, robbed on way to shop

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46-year-old resident of Timehri, East Bank Demerara, is nursing a broken hand and injuries to his head at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) after he was attacked and brutally beaten by masked bandits on Wednesday.

Based on information received, on Wednesday

evening at about 19:30h, Andrew Jones of Timerhi Docks Area, EBD, was making his way to a nearby shop, when he was approached by a group of men who demanded that he empty his pockets.

At first, the man resisted but the bandits armed themselves with chains and beat the man before re-

lieving him of the valuable items he had in his possession.

As a result of the beating, Jones collapsed onto the roadway as the men made good their escape.

He was picked up by public-spirited citizens and taken to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre but due to the injuries, he was re-

ferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital.

His condition is regarded as stable. He reportedly suffered a broken left arm and cuts to the head which required stitches.

The matter was reported to the Timehri Police Station and an investigation has commenced into the alleged robbery.

– services restored; stores may need to re-open to deal with transactions

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he internet service of over 1000 Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) customers was disconnected on Thursday although they would have paid their bills before the specified due date.

In a statement to the media, the company apologised to the customers whose internet service was disconnected and would have restored their services in a timely manner.

“Having started the process of vetting claims of payment against proof provided, some 1200 customers would have had their internet service restored on Thursday,” the CEO of the telephone company, Justin Nedd stated.

For these customers, no reconnection fees nor penalties were applied.

“We are actively examining our payment system to see where something went wrong. But in the interim, we could not in good conscience leave our customers without internet service for an extended period of time – especially now, knowing that so many of us are at home needing to maintain connections with others,” Nedd acknowledged.

GTT would have closed

GTT CEO Justin Nedd

its stores weeks ago, as part of its continuous efforts to ensure the health and safety of customers and staff amidst the growing threat from the COVID-19 pandemic.

To this end, customers were redirected to several other points of payment to support physical distancing and e-commerce as the country tries to manage the spread of COVID-19.

Nedd hinted that GTT may need to re-open its stores in the interest of handling transactions directly in order to prevent another mass disconnection despite on-time payment.

CORONAVIRUS HOW TO HANDWASH? (COVID-19) WASH HANDS OR USE HAND SANITISERS

INFORMATION AND GUIDELINES

HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF?

People who think they may be affected by coronavirus need to call the Public Health Ministry hotline 227-4986/624-3067 for further advice.

They should not go to their GP, A&E, pharmacy or hospital.

If you have come into contact with somebody who may be infected, you may be told to self-isolate. People needing to do so should take "common-sense" steps to avoid close contact with other people.

(Adapted from BBC News)

NEWS

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SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

COVID-19 pandemic

Short-sightedness of APNU/AFC disadvantaging underprivileged children – PPP I

t has been more than a month since authorities in Guyana, like many around the world, were forced to close schools as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and have since released academic materials online for students.

However, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo said that this approach is putting many underprivileged children at a disadvantage since they do not have computers or any electronic devices to access the online materials.

Schools have been closed since March 16, and were scheduled to reopen on April 20 – the end of the Easter holiday. But authorities have extended the closure given the increased impact of the novel coronavirus, which now has 73 cases and eight deaths.

Last week the Education Ministry said it is currently formalising a new plan that would keep students, teach-

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

ers, and other stakeholders safe. In the meantime, the Ministry has made available academic material on its website, the Guyana Learning Channel, NCN Radio, Radios Mahdia, Bartica, Essequibo, Mabaruma, Lethem and Paiwomak.

But Jagdeo on Friday

called on education professionals to carefully think through their approach in order to ensure that this situation is addressed in an equitable way and that provisions are made for poor families and those who do not have internet connections to access the online materials.

According to the Opposition Leader, had the caretaker coalition Government not ended the One Laptop Per Family (OLPF) initiative when it assumed office then by now every household, particularly those which are underprivileged, would have not only had access to computers but also free limited bandwidth.

This, he explained, would have allowed the Education Ministry to roll out its academic programmes online.

“So a lot of those kids in rural hinterland areas and poor kids across the city and everywhere else, now will be

COVID-19 outbreak

at an enormous disadvantage because of this and because of the short-sightedness of this Government,” Jagdeo stated.

Nevertheless, the Opposition Leader noted that there is no solution at this point to address the situation since the safety of children is paramount during this global health crisis.

“So it’s something we have to address seriously to ensure that every home is connected to the internet - they must have a computer and internet, every household. Therefore, it’s not something we can address right now,” he noted.

According to the Opposition Leader, he does not expect the Ministry to stop online education for those who have internet.

But added, “…it’s so sad that many of our children would be left back and I wonder if they don’t [have access to] the curriculum, they will have to find a way when school reopens to ensure that those children are not at a disadvantage.”

In the meantime, Jagdeo urged parents to ensure that

Caretaker President David Granger

the children read a lot if they cannot access the curriculum, whether from the school or online.

“I want to urge parents to try to get the curriculum or even if they don’t have a copy or don’t have online means to receive work from schools, work with the kids especially to get them to read. If you just get the kids to read extensively in this period, get books for them... to read as far as possible. Anything you find, newspapers, this will

be useful at this time...,” he stated.

Since the decision was made to close schools in the interest of students’ safety, tests and other major examinations have been postponed.

However, no official date has been set for the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA).

Meanwhile, the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) via a virtual press conference in March had announced the postponement of the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE), offering alternate solutions to ensure that students can matriculate.

The deadline for SchoolBased Assessments has been extended by 30 days while candidates would only be required to sit a General Paper One examination.

Sister Caricom Member States whose students also sit the CSEC and CAPE examinations are working on the way forward for their schools.

Persons being screened before entering Region 6 Strive to practise excellence in faith this Ramadan – CIOG President

Persons are being asked to step out of their vehicles to be screened

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he Public Health Department of Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne) on Friday commenced screening all persons entering the region as part of a plan to avoid the spread of COVID-19.

With all ports closed, the main access to the region is via the Berbice River Bridge. A booth has been set up at the eastern side of the bridge.

Director of Regional Health Services, Jevaughn Stephen said persons who are red-flagged will be monitored. According to him, blood pressure is also being taken at the checkpoint.

He said if a person is flagged with a high temperature and a spike in their blood pressure, they are given a band and sent to the hospital for further screening. A record is made of

A woman being screened on Friday at the checkpoint at the entrance to the Berbice River Bridge

those persons to keep track of them.

The project commenced at about midday on Friday and about 120 persons were screened.

According to the Director, the team will be at the location between 06:00h to 18:00h.

Meanwhile, other screen-

ing is also taking place at the four hospitals in the region and some health centres, with the New Amsterdam Hospital being the main screening centre.

He said persons should also wear a face mask once they are out in public, embrace social distancing and observe the curfew.

P

resident of the Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana (CIOG), AlHajj Shahabudeen Ahmad called on Muslims to strive to practice Ihsan or excellence in faith during this holy month of Ramadan.

In expressing Ramadan greetings, Ahmad said that Ramadan bestows the opportunity to purify one’s body, mind, and heart so that they can get closer to Allah (SWT) who is the source of all peace and happiness.

“During Ramadan, our faith (Iman) is manifested through acts of obedience (Islam). We willingly submit to the guidance of Allah (SWT), who made it known in the Holy Quran Chapter 2: Verse: 183: ‘O you who believe, fasting has been prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may guard (against evil).’ During this Ramadan, let us also strive to practice Ihsan (excellence in faith). Ihsan refers to the attainment of perfection, beauty or excel-

lence, in worship and in actions. To achieve this, our every thought and actions must have the intent of being perfectly pleasing to Allah (SWT). In response to questioning from the Angel Jibreel, our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAW) affirmed: ‘Excellence is to worship Allah as if you see him, for if you do not see him, he surely sees you.’ (Vol 1, Book 2, Hadith 48),” the Islamic Scholar noted.

The CIOG President noted that when excellence in

faith is practiced then it allows one to be steadfast in the conviction that loving and obeying Allah (SWT) brings them perfect guidance, protection, and wellbeing. He urged Muslims to express their love to Allah (SWT) by being kind to one another while comforting those who are sick, sad or afraid.

“Feed those who are hungry. Protect the orphans, widows, and elderly. Be kind and compassionate to all people, animals, and the universe. Be caring of the environment, the trees and plants that provide us with oxygen and sustenance.

When we display mercy and love, then we shall receive same in return. I pray that Allah (SWT) gives us the strength and health to fast throughout the holy month of Ramadan and to stand in prayers during the nights of Ramadan,” he wished.

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SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

EU, Rotary Club help Deaf Association, Society for the Blind fight COVID-19 Singh of the Rotary Club of Demerara added “This unprecedented pandemic in Guyana requires coordinated efforts from us all, whether it be helping vulnerable groups or encouraging others to observe rec-

and Vice President of the European Commission, Osep Borrell Fontelles announced that the bloc of nations would be reformulating its bilateral programmes in Guyana to take into account the coronavirus dis-

one billion euros available to Latin America and the Caribbean as part of the global response in support of the efforts of partner countries to tackle COVID-19.

Also, in the Caribbean, the EU has been support-

EU Ambassador Fernando Ponz-Cantó hands over part of the donation to Cecil Morris and Ganesh Singh of the Guyana Society for the Blind

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s Guyana continues to battle against its newest enemy, COVID-19, European Union (EU) Ambassador to Guyana Fernando PonzCantó, in collaboration with the Rotary Club of Demerara made a donation of computers, smartphones, tablets and, sanitation and food hampers to the Deaf Association of Guyana and the Guyana Society for the Blind.

The donated pieces of electronic equipment were part of the reserve library of electronics of the recent EU Electoral Observation Mission (EU EOM) to Guyana for March 2, 2020.

The EU delegation said that it expects that the devices will significantly aid the beneficiaries in their communication needs and contribute to the existing educational programmes they each conduct, especially during this period where movement and regular daily activities are restricted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The hampers were put together from donations and by the Rotarians.

In handing over the devices to the two organisations, Ambassador PonzCantó remarked that vulnerable persons are those most at risk, not only from the disease but also from its side impacts including additional isolation.

“The EU makes a point of helping first those most in need. We are very happy to deliver all these materials… and we hope the computers and mobile telephones will make a difference in the daily lives of the final beneficiaries, alleviating their isolation and helping them to overcome this difficult period. More broadly, the EU is refocusing large amounts to help Guyana and other partners to fight COVID-19, and we have also just announced a regional EUR 9M package against the pandemic.

We are together in this and together we will get out,” Ponz-Cantó said.

The Ambassador un-

Labourer remanded for Corentyne burglary spree

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labourer of Number 57 Village, Berbice (East BerbiceCorentyne), was on Friday remanded for a series of burglaries in that community.

Mahendra Rambarran, also called “Vickey”, appeared before Magistrate Alex Moore via Skype and pleaded not guilty to the three counts of break and enter and larceny.

It is alleged that between April 17 and 18, the 31-year-old man broke and entered the business place of Gansham Totaram at Number 57 Village and stole US$4000 and a quantity of alcoholic beverages valued $101,000.

It is also alleged that between the same two days, he also broke and entered the dwelling house of Rita Khan of Number 57 Village and stole one TCL 32-inch television valued $63,000 and a quantity of groceries total valued $194,000.

Mahendra Rambarran, called “Vickey”

Another charge stated that between April 10 and 11, he broke into the dwelling house of George Narine of Number 52 Village and stole a quantity of groceries and household articles valued $150,000.

Bail was refused and he will have to return to court on June 6, 2020.

derscored that the equipment will enable the Deaf Association of Guyana to continue its efforts towards improving the formal education offered to deaf students and to ensure access to information and in other aspects of private and social life.

“The Guyana Society for the Blind will be able to further its CXC educational programmes, JAWS textto-speech software which is open to everyone from ages 6-65, and the Be My Eyes App which is a built-in accessibility feature which assists with getting help for day to day tasks,” he further stated.

President Hansraj

Donation to Quincy Richards of the Deaf Association

ommended measures. We thank the EU for partnering with us and encourage others to continue to consider their fellow man as we continue to demonstrate service above self”.

On Wednesday High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy

ease (COVID-19) reality.

He noted that in Guyana, specifically, the EU delegation is reformulating important parts of its sizeable cooperation programmes towards fighting COVID and its long-term impacts and also undertaking immediate concrete action.

The EU has so far made

ing the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) with nine million euros, and specifically, in Jamaica, the EU has financed 29 ventilators for intensive care units.

Guyana and Suriname are set to benefit from the CARPHA and PAHO interventions.

Britain nears grim milestone of 20,000 coronavirus hospital deaths

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lose to 20,000 people have died in hospital in the United Kingdom after testing positive for the new coronavirus, data showed on Friday, as Britain approached a milestone it had hoped never to reach.

As the death toll rose relentlessly, speculation mounted that Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who himself spent three nights in intensive care battling COVID-19 earlier this month, would soon get back to work after US President Donald Trump said he “sounded incredible” on the phone.

Whenever Johnson does return, he will face the conundrum of how to come out of a lockdown that is destroying swathes of the economy, while avoiding a deadly second wave of infections.

“In general, we’ll have to take decisions based on the best available scientific and health advice and it’s not going to be a case of choosing between the economy and public health,” Johnson’s spokesman said during a daily briefing.

The government has so far refused to discuss how it plans to ease the lockdown, but is coming under increased pressure to do so as evidence of economic disaster accumulates.

In the latest of a series of alarming signs, retail sales fell by the most on record in March. Even a surge in panic buying ahead of the lockdown was not enough to outweigh a plunge in sales of clothing and most other goods.

According to budget forecasters, the economy could be heading into its deepest recession in more than 300 years even after the finance ministry and the Bank of England rushed out a string of emergency stimulus measures.

Pictures and names of people who died during the lockdown, hang on crosses in a remembrance garden near a church, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Burton, in Staffordshire, Britain, April 24, 2020

The latest statistics on infections and deaths made even darker reading.

The number of people who have died in hospital across the United Kingdom after testing positive for the coronavirus has risen to 19,506, up by 684 in a day.

Britain has the fifth-worst official death toll in the world, after the United States, Italy, Spain and France, and government scientists have said that the death rate will only start to decline quickly in another couple of weeks.

Passing the 20,000 mark will be an uncomfortable moment for the government, whose Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance said on March 17 that keeping the toll under that num-

ber would be “a good outcome in terms of where we would hope to get”.

In reality, the total death toll is likely to be thousands higher than that already reported.

More comprehensive but lagging figures that include deaths in the community, such as in nursing homes, show the daily hospital toll underestimated the number of COVID-19 fatalities by around 40% as of April 10. Johnson’s government, which was slower than European peers to impose a lockdown, has come under fire over limited testing capacity and for failing to deliver enough personal protective equipment to front-line health workers. (Reuters)

guyanatimesgy.com

SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2020

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Regional

Brazil 'super Minister' quits in Peru indigenous warn of Bolsonaro's worst crisis yet 'ethnocide by inaction' as coronavirus hits Amazon tribes B

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ndigenous tribes in Peru’s Amazon said the Government has left them to fend for themselves against the coronavirus, risking “ethnocide by inaction,” according to a letter from natives to the United Nations and the InterAmerican Commission on Human Rights.

The formal complaint asks the UN and international courts to force the Government to take “concrete action” to ensure their survival, citing the 1948 UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

Health experts have

warned the spreading virus could be lethal for the Amazon´s indigenous people, who have been decimated for centuries by diseases brought by Europeans, from smallpox and malaria to the flu.

“They send messages every day about what the (Government) is going to do in the cities, but nothing for indigenous peoples,” Lizardo Cauper, President of AIDESEP, told Reuters.

“For us, this is discrimination.”

Government representatives did not respond to requests for comment. But President Martín Vizcarra said two weeks ago offi-

cials were working to bring aid to the region after natives had voluntarily isolated themselves to avoid the virus.

At least four natives from the Puerto Bethel region, a remote Amazon wilderness community two hours by river from the capital of Ucayali, have contracted the disease, according to a spokesman for the Ministry of Health.

The Ministry of Culture said earlier this week that it shipped supplies for improving sanitation and hygiene to Puerto Bethel and was monitoring the situation. (Excerpt from Reuters)

'We refuse to die in jail': Argentine inmates set fire to prison in coronavirus protest

I

nmates at an Argentine prison in Buenos Aires set fire to mattresses and protested on the roof of the jail, demanding some people be released due to fears of infection by the coronavirus, according to local media and a Reuters witness.

A Reuters witness outside the jail on Friday saw at least a dozen people on the roof of the facility in the Villa Devoto neighbourhood of the city. The group had protest banners and some were holding chains, sticks and other weapons.

“We refuse to die in prison,” one banner hanging from the side of the jail read.

Another, referring directly to the coronavirus outbreak said: “COVID-19 is in Devoto. Genocidal judges, silence is not my language.”

COVID-19 is the potentially lethal respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus.

The riot initially began late on Thursday after prisoners learned that a number of people in the facility were infected with the virus,

razil’s Jair Bolsonaro suffered the heaviest blow to his presidency so far as his popular Justice Minister quit on Friday and accused him of potentially criminal meddling in law enforcement, adding to the turmoil of a Government struggling to confront a fast-growing coronavirus outbreak.

Sergio Moro, who won broad public support for jailing corrupt politicians and businessmen as a Judge, said he was resigning because Bolsonaro fired Federal Police Chief Mauricio Valeixo for personal and political reasons.

The shocking exit and allegations from the so-called ‘super Minister’ were a hammer blow for Bolsonaro, whose popularity had already slumped for downplaying the novel coronavirus as a “little cold.” The virus has taken more than 3600 lives in Brazil and experts say the peak has yet to come.

Former President Fernando Henrique Cardoso urged Bolsonaro to step

Brazil's Justice Minister Sergio Moro speaks during a news conference in Brasilia, Brazil April 24, 2020

down, while the leader of the influential gun lobby in Congress – a longstanding ally – said he could be impeached.

The grave allegations against Bolsonaro are likely to expose him to serious political and even legal risks.

Moro said Bolsonaro had expressed concern about Supreme Court investigations, without giving further details, and he wanted inside information from his top cop.

Capitao Augusto, head of the gun lobby in Congress,

which has been key to the President’s threadbare coalition, said this was the “beginning of the end” for Bolsonaro.

The head of the Brazilian bar association OAB, Felipe Santa Cruz, also said the organisation would “analyse the alleged crimes highlighted by Moro.”

As Moro finished his televised address, protests rang out across Brazil, with people banging pots and pans from their apartments and shouting “Bolsonaro out!”

(Excerpt from Reuters)

IMF, World Bank yet to respond to request for coronavirus relief

T

Inmates are seen on the roof of the Devoto prison with a banner that reads "We refuse to die on jail" during a riot demanding health measures against the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Buenos Aires, Argentina April 24, 2020

local media reported. They demanded the release of inmates at greater risk of contracting the coronavirus.

The state-run Telam news agency said that prisoners had burned mattresses and taken over two floors of the prison. A large number of the inmates were involved with the riot.

A Reuters witness heard sounds like gunshots and

saw Police helicopters flying over the prison, which according to the Federal Penitentiary Service can house up to 1683 detainees.

Argentina, which imposed a tough nationwide lockdown in mid-March, has registered a total of 3435 confirmed cases of coronavirus, with 167 deaths, the latest official data show.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

he Government of Antigua and Barbuda said the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank have not responded in a concrete way to a request from Prime Minister Gaston Browne to assist Caricom countries deal with the socio-economic impact of the coronavirus.

Browne wrote to the IMF Managing Director and World Bank President last month.

He urged them to consider debt relief.

Browne said the IMF and the World Bank should also consider budgetary support through a mix of grants and low-cost loans

on a country by country basis.

The World Bank activated on April 15 US$6.6 million to provide immediate funding for Dominica’s emergency response to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, focusing on enhancing health system capacity and strengthening food security.

From the total amount activated, US$5.1 million will be used to bolster the capacity of Dominica’s public health system to manage COVID-19. Funds will be available to purchase drugs, medical supplies and equipment, and laboratory supplies to boost testing capacity and for minor retro-

fitting of isolation units.

Another US$1.5 million will be used to support agriculture and strengthen national food security during the pandemic. The intervention is targeted to reach an estimated 3200 farmers to ensure that the local food supply chains are better able to meet the needs of the island.

The World Bank also activated US$4.5 million on April 17 to provide immediate funding for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines’ response to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, aimed at strengthening the capacity of the health system. (Excerpt from Antigua News Room)

Bermuda starts testing essential Water shortage leaves poorer Mexicans high and dry in coronavirus fight workers for COVID-19

A

multi-lane drivethrough facility was due to open on Friday and continue through the weekend at Southside in St George's to begin testing all essential workers for COVID-19.

National Security Minister Wayne Caines said this would include the police, the Royal Bermuda Regiment, the Bermuda Fire and Rescue Service, as well as Customs staff and prison officers.

Premier David Burt said large-scale testing is “a necessary prerequisite to opening our economy”.

A lockdown is in effect here until May 2.

So far, Bermuda has conducted just over 950 COVID-19 tests, with 99 proving positive for the virus. Five people have died, the last person being one of 31 positive cases at two of the island's homes for seniors.

Thursday's 61 test results all came back negative, a Ministry of Health spokeswoman said. The previous day's 17 tests included one positive result.

Earlier in the week, Burt praised Bermudian biochemist Carika Weldon and her team for achieving a “dramatic” increase in test capability for the virus.

However, he said that it had been an uphill battle and asked the public to refrain from finger-pointing.

A second British Airways charter flight is due to arrive in Bermuda on Friday from London's Heathrow Airport, bringing more stranded residents home, but no numbers have so far been released.

Also on board are expected to be 10,000 COVID-19 test kits, part of a 35,000 order Bermuda placed with the Cayman Islands, but it remains unclear when the remaining 25,000 kits will arrive on the island. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

I

n the shade of a rust-coloured hill, a dozen women gathered on a dusty road to fill buckets from a water tanker truck that pulled up to service their modest community built on a former Mexico City dump.

Grappling with the largest public health crisis in modern times, Mexican health authorities battling to stem a jump in new coronavirus infections have made the phrases “wash your hands” and “stay at home” their mantras.

But that is easier said than done for those mired in poverty without access to clean water.

A spokesman for Iztapalapa Mayor Clara Brugada said lack of drinking water in parts of the borough was a historic problem, and that her policy was to provide free water by truck.

Still, residents, many of whom are out of work and short of cash, said they must often buy bottled water for personal use.

Meanwhile, the Government statistics agency’s 2017 National Household Survey said that in Mexico City, only 79 per cent of households have daily water supply.

That study found that 11 per cent of homes receive water

two or fewer times a week.

Francisco Moreno, an infectious disease expert and head of the COVID-19 programme at Mexico City’s ABC medical centre, underscored that like in other past crises, “the people with the most limited means are those that have the hardest time.”

Poorer Mexicans cannot afford to stay home because they live hand to mouth.

Moreover, social distancing is difficult at home for them because cramped living quarters are often shared by many, and a scarcity of clean water complicates hygiene, he said.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

18

guyanatimesgy.com

SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2020

Around the World

US states start to reopen as coronavirus death toll tops 50,000

Governor Brian Kemp hopes reopening will help ease economic woes, but experts disagree [Letitia Stein/Reuters]

S

ome state Governors in the United States began to reopen portions of their economies on Friday even as the death toll from the coronavirus

hit the grim milestone of 50,000.

Health officials at Johns Hopkins University reported more than 3300 new coronavirus deaths

in the US in the last 24 hours, one of the deadliest days since the outbreak began. There have now been more than 890,000 cases in the US since the virus was first detected in the country.

New York remains the hardest-hit state, with more than 263,000 confirmed cases and nearly 16,000 deaths. Though New York is still a hot spot, new hospitalisation rates are coming down.

Strict social distancing measures and business closures in New York and elsewhere, while potentially curbing the spread of the virus, have exacted a toll on the US economy.

At least 26 million people have sought unemployment benefits in the last five weeks, the most since the Great Depression of the 1930s.

Governors in at least three states - Oklahoma, Alaska and Georgia - announced that they would begin lifting some of those restrictions on Friday, even as other states such as California, Massachusetts and Illinois see spikes in cases.

Experts have warned that reopening too soon could backfire, causing another spike in cases. A model from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington suggests Georgia will not be ready to reopen until June 22.

The reopened businesses will have to adhere to social distancing guidelines, Kemp said, but it remains unclear how this will work in beauty salons and tattoo parlours. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Saudi Arabia to end flogging as form of punishment – document

S

audi Arabia is ending flogging as a form of punishment, according to a document from the kingdom’s top court seen by Reuters on Friday.

The decision by the General Commission for the Supreme Court, taken sometime this month, will see the punishment replaced by prison sentences or fines, or a mixture of both.

Flogging has been applied to punish a variety of crimes in Saudi Arabia.

Without a codified system of law to go with the texts making up sharia, or Islamic law, individual judges have the latitude to interpret religious texts and come up with their own sentences.

Rights groups have docu-

A Saudi flag flutters atop Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, October 20, 2018

mented past cases in which Saudi judges have sentenced criminals to flogging for a range of offences, including public intoxication

and harassment.

“This reform is a momentous step forward in Saudi Arabia’s human rights agenda, and merely one of

many recent reforms in the Kingdom,” the President of the state-backed Human Rights Commission (HRC) Awwad Alawwad told Reuters.

Other forms of corporal punishment, such as amputation for theft or beheading for murder and terrorism offences, have not yet been outlawed.

“This is a welcome change but it should have happened years ago,” said Adam Coogle, Deputy Director of the Middle East and North Africa Division at Human Rights Watch.

“There’s nothing now standing in the way of Saudi Arabia reforming its unfair judicial system.” (Excerpt from Reuters)

OILNEWS Oil ends volatile week lower despite nearly 50% jump over three days

C

rude prices rose on Friday as energy producers continued to cut the number of rigs drilling for oil in the United States and Canada. Both Brent and the US crude benchmarks, however, remained on track for their third straight week of losses as global production shutdowns failed to keep pace with the collapse in demand caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

US oil settled 44 cents, or 2.67 per cent, higher at US$16.94 per barrel, after surging nearly 20 per cent in the previous session. Brent crude traded 32 cents, or 1.5 per cent, higher at US$21.65. Each one traded in negative territory at certain points throughout the trading session.

US energy firms cut the most oil rigs in a month in April since 2015, according to energy services firm Baker Hughes Co. In Canada, drillers slashed the number of active oil and gas rigs to a record low.

The oil market has experienced unprecedented turbulence since US prices fell into negative territory on Monday for the first time ever and international benchmark Brent sank to two-decade lows.

Investors have sold oil aggressively since early March, in response to a 30 per cent collapse in demand due to the pandemic.

This week’s declines will mark the eighth week of losses out of the last nine weeks.

Storage is quickly filling worldwide, which could necessitate more production cuts, even after the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, including Russia, agreed to cut output by 9.7 million bpd earlier this month. The global economy may still see a record contraction this year.

“Despite the measures taken by OPEC, oil producers in various countries should be aware that they may be called to take more drastic measures,” Diamantino Azevedo, Angola’s resources and Petroleum Minister, told state news agency ANGOP on Friday. Angola is a member of OPEC. Russia plans to halve oil exports from its Baltic and Black Sea ports in May according to the first loading schedule for crude shipments since it agreed this month along with other major oil producers to cut output.

Continental Resources Inc, the largest oil producer in North Dakota, has halted most of its production in the US state and notified some customers it would not supply crude, people familiar with the matter said.

But with global storage space filling fast and oil demand shrinking by around 30 per cent, those shut-ins are too little to rebalance the market. Onshore oil storage is currently filled to nearly 85 per cent capacity, according to energy research firm Kpler.

In China, where the coronavirus outbreak started late last year, analysts said fuel sales should pick up in the second quarter as Beijing eases curbs to contain the pandemic.

(Excerpt from CNBC)

World leaders launch plan to speed COVID-19 drugs, Coronavirus: China rejects call vaccine; US stays away

for probe into origins of disease

C

hina has rejected calls for an independent international investigation into the origin of the coronavirus.

A top diplomat in the UK, Chen Wen told the BBC the demands were politically motivated and would divert China's attention from fighting the pandemic.

Information about the origin of COVID-19 and how it initially spread could help countries tackle the disease.

The virus is thought to have emerged at a wildlife market in the city of Wuhan late last year.

Meanwhile, an EU report accuses China of spreading disinformation about the crisis.

The bloc's External Action Service said Russia, and to a lesser extent China, have "targeted conspiracy nar-

ratives" in the EU and neighbouring countries.

US President Donald Trump has also repeatedly attacked China for its handling of the outbreak, and the state of Missouri is suing the Chinese Government, accusing it of doing little to stop the spread of the virus.

Scientists have poured cold water on speculation that the virus could have been engineered in a Wuhan laboratory.

On Thursday Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that he would push for an investigation at the annual meeting next month of the World Health Assembly, the decision-making body of the World Health Organisation (WHO). Australia sits on the Executive Board of the assembly.

Chen said there were lots of ru-

China said calls for an investigation are an unwelcome distraction

mours about the origins of the virus but such misinformation was dangerous, she claimed, and said it was like a political virus and as dangerous as coronavirus itself, if not even more so.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

W

orld leaders pledged on Friday to accelerate work on tests, drugs and vaccines against COVID-19 and to share them around the globe, but the United States did not take part in the launch of the World Health Organisation (WHO) initiative.

French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa were among those who joined a video conference to launch what the WHO billed as a “landmark collaboration” to fight the pandemic.

The aim is to speed development of safe and effective drugs, tests and vaccines to prevent, diagnose and treat COVID-19, the lung disease caused by the novel coronavirus - and ensure equal ac-

cess to treatments for rich and poor.

“We must make sure that people who need them get them,” said Peter Sands, head of the Global Fund to Fight on AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. “The lessons from AIDS must be learned.

Too many millions died before anti-retroviral medicines were made widely accessible.”

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the objective at a global pledging effort on May 4 would be to raise 7.5 billion euros (US$8.10 billion) to ramp up work on prevention, diagnostics and treatment.

“This is a first step only, but more will be needed in the future,” von der Leyen told the conference. (Excerpt from Reuters)

guyanatimesgy.com

SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2020

19

ARCHIE

ARIES

(March 21April 19)

TAURUS (April 20May 20)

DILBERT

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

CANCER (June 21July 22)

PEANUTS

CALVIN AND HOBBES

Use your charm to get your way. Reconnecting with someone from your past will be revealing and will help you make a decision you’ve been reluctant to make. Romance is featured.

Keep secrets to avoid breaking someone’s trust.

Revisit a situation and be honest with yourself about what happened. Don’t get upset or angry; learn from your mistakes and move on.

If you keep things in perspective, you’ll figure out what to do next. Stop talking and start living up to the promises you make. Show discipline when faced with temptation.

Organize your time and stick to your schedule. A change may not be welcome, but making it, facing facts and embracing the inevitable will help you ease your stress.

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Traveling, attending events and communicating with people who share your sentiments will make your day more enjoyable.

Romance is featured, and a positive lifestyle change looks promising.

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

Practice what you preach.

A levelheaded attitude will encourage positive change.

Keep the past at a distance and learn from your experiences. Surround yourself with people who offer positive support.

LIBRA

Take a step forward. Stop procrastinating and letting others interfere in your business. Be responsible and do things the way you see fit.

Expand your mind, philosophy and awareness.

(Sept. 23Oct. 23)

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

SUDOKU

Take a breather, rethink your next move and do your best to sidestep opposition, arguments and untrustworthy people. Concentrate on yourself, your talents and being positive.

Be straightforward, or SAGITTARIUS you will end up in a difficult (Nov. 23situation. Get along with Dec. 21) everyone, and avoid being challenged. Nurture the relationships that contribute to your emotional well-being.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

You may crave change, but taking your time can spare you from making a mistake.

Look at every angle, assess your current holdings and consider the long-term effects before making a move.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 19)

You can stabilize your life and gain confidence if you are diligent and pay close attention to detail. A romantic gesture will lead to a more intimate relationship with someone special.

SOLUTION FOR LAST PUBLISHED PUZZLE

PISCES (Feb. 20March 20)

Your situation is facing changes. Before you make a move, consider what’s best for you. Someone will try to intervene if you hesitate.

Question motives, honesty and integrity

20

SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2020

P

erhaps it is force of habit, perhaps it is hope, or maybe just a desire for normality; however, although football may have shut down because of coronavirus, the demand for transfer news is still a constant, if BBC Sport website figures are anything to go by.

Each day, the gossip column - which lists transfer news in the daily newspapers - is still among the most-read pages, even in these uncertain times.

Without football, there are no ticket sales; commercial deals are under threat; and if the Premier League season is not finished, clubs could owe broadcasters £960 million.

And yet, there are still stories of Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho being worth £100 million, and Tottenham forward Harry Kane being valued at £200 million.

One senior source at a leading Premier League club said they were "staggered" that those values were still being suggested.

Football will have to adjust to a new reality, and the transfer market is one area which could be hardest hit.

But while that might have the greatest impact on lower-league clubs, some suggest it could offer football a chance to hit the reset button and more positively change the way the game finances itself.

Spending big won't look great from a PR perspective

Even if a club can spend £50 million on a player, and it seems unlikely for most, there is also another factor to consider: how might it look?

At a time when people are losing their jobs, being placed on furlough, and the daily death toll is in the hundreds, the usual spending from Premier League clubs would seem out of sync with a country encountering hard times.

There was a huge outcry when five Premier League clubs placed their non-playing staff on furlough while still paying their high-earning players, with three -- Liverpool, Tottenham

ent level of finance. If we are paying big wages to players, are we going against everything that just happened in the world?"

Do smaller clubs face having players poached?

Burnley and Huddersfield are well-run clubs, and do not need to sell players in order to survive. But what if your team's financial future was so dire that offloading players became a priority?

Webb believes that bigger clubs will already be training their eyes on players at clubs that are in desperate need of money.

"Premier League teams and some in the Championship will have had targets who were

Fees could drop by 20-30%

The CIES Football Observatory has said transfer values could drop by 28% across the big five leagues in Europe because of coronavirus, wiping off more than £7billion. Others have told BBC Sport that in England there could be a minimum drop of 20%, because clubs simply will not have the same money to spend.

In addition to a loss in income, Premier League clubs still owe £1.6 billion for players they have already bought, according to figures compiled by football finance expert Kieran Maguire. Most agree that where the power used to lie with the selling club, it will now suit the buyer.

"I'd be amazed to see the transfer market continue as it was," says Huddersfield's head of football operations David Webb.

"Even the superpower clubs will think, 'We don't have to go out and pay this fee anymore'. I think it will lead to a big change in recruitment. Even the big clubs will be looking at salary caps, and recruiting within certain levels and saying they won't be dictated to by the markets anymore. If this can happen once, it can happen again."

The knock-on effect of that, according to Burnley's technical director Mike Rigg, is that the market will become more cautious.

"There's always an article somewhere screaming out, 'Who cares what it costs?

Just give them what they want and get the player'," he tells BBC Sport.

"The fans understandably want the player, but sometimes you have to say no [to the selling club] because sometimes it's not healthy; and there have been lots of cases where chief executives and managers get absolutely vilified for standing their ground. Hopefully, everybody understands that we have to do that now, and this will force people to be more cautious," he said.

There is also a flip side to that, he says.

"If you don't know how you're going to acquire a player, clubs won't want to lose their own players as easily as they have before," the former Manchester City technical director adds. "You might want to retain what you have, and if there is interest, you put even more of a premium on your best players, because you don't want to lose them."

That might be music to the ears of Burnley fans, after several clubs have reportedly shown interest in young winger Dwight McNeil.

Jadon Sancho and Harry Kane have been linked with big-money transfers

and Bournemouth -- reversing their decisions to leave Newcastle and Norwich as outliers.

It has led to calls from former Manchester United and England defender Garry Neville for clubs furloughing staff or cutting players' wages to face a transfer embargo.

"Football has to be more conscious than ever with regards to its image, PR and communications," says former Football Association director of communications Adrian Bevington.

"I don't think it would look particularly good

too expensive, but all of a sudden they will become more realistic," he says. "Smaller clubs will be at the mercy of the big clubs. They will know which ones need the money, and be able to manipulate the situation to their own advantage by going for their best assets."

However, he rejects any notion that this type of approach is opportunistic.

"There is a certain way we like to operate, and we wouldn't want to take the mickey with offers," Webb, who is set to leave his

Only 10 players have reached 10 Premier League assists at a younger age than Dwight McNeil

on any club that starts spending big money on the back of this crisis.

"A multi-billion pounds industry going cap in hand to the tax payer has not gone down well with the public, and I genuinely believe football has to ensure it is getting the mood of the nation right in the big decisions it takes."

Webb, who was formerly at Swedish side Ostersunds FK, adds: "Clubs like Manchester United or Manchester City are wealthy, but how would that look when NHS staff are on £20,000 a year? It's something they might have in mind. They might have to consider dropping down a level for a player at a differ-

Huddersfield role at the end of the season, adds. "We also know that certain clubs were over-valuing players by 50%, so you could argue all we are doing is taking back our own estimates of the players in the first place, and paying an honest price."

Time for football to hit the reset button

With so much uncertainty in football, one consistent theme emerges: things need to change.

After Bury dropped out of the English Football League in August, and with many

Championship sides posting losses, Tranmere chairman and former FA chief executive, Mark Palios, has warned that the number of clubs becoming insolvent could reach double figures.

The desire to amend football finances already existed, but the coronavirus pandemic has intensified that wish. Calls for reform range from salary caps to a wider distribution of broadcast income.

"Football has an opportunity, like a lot of society, just to press the pause and reset button," says Bevington, who was previously Middlesbrough's head of recruitment operations. "It means that we don't have to carry on doing things the way we have been. Players have received huge salaries over the past 25 years since the Premier League was established, but will those salaries be at the same level they have reached over recent years?

Perhaps not.

"I think there was a reset going on anyway last summer. There was a drop in wages that were being paid outside of the Premier League, and there weren't many big transfers, but there will be a requirement for that now.

That doesn't mean there won't be any big transfers moving forward; there are bound to be, but it's important that it is managed in a way that the clubs are protected."

Rigg, whose club has been described by Maguire as "financially, the best-run in the Premier League", believes some clubs have been playing "fast and loose", and the current situation could allow them to re-evaluate their business models.

"It will make everybody think a little more deeply, from owners right the way through to players and agents," he says. "It could also become an amazing opportunity for clubs' youth systems, where academy players can step up to the plate.

"Quite often, the transfer window is driven by the media circus that goes around it. It's big news and very interesting, but it's not always necessary to overturn huge numbers in order to be a guaranteed success.

“There are a couple of clubs in England who have spent absolute fortunes over the past few seasons for what they would consider good reasons, but it doesn't always work."

Webb believes that it will force clubs to recruit more wisely.

"The clubs who are best at recruitment find players that no one else sees," he says. "So, for clubs who do their homework, it will be really good for them, because they will get even more value; whereas the clubs (that are) used to paying whatever it takes, they might want to re-evaluate what they do and be smarter."

Perhaps even fans need to play their part in what Bevington calls the "race", by tempering their expectations.

"You only need to turn the radio on, especially at weekends, to hear fans from all different clubs who have high demands on their owners to invest in new players," he says.

"I'm not saying we won't have a transfer market; and for those clubs further down the leagues, it can be a Godsend. One or two really good transfers can make the clubs solvent for a sustained period of time, but it might just be calmer moving forward.

"It's about getting the balance right. Everything is not broken in football, but the model does need to be realigned." (BBC.COM)

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21

Burrow, Tagovailoa land in Cincinnati & Miami respectively

T

he first round of the 2020 NFL Draft returned some normalcy to the sports world, even if Commissioner Roger Goodell's basement does not quite exude the same glitz as the Las Vegas Strip.

Although the coronavirus pandemic forced the draft to be held remotely, with NFL general managers, coaches and scouts being isolated in their homes instead of inside team complexes, the virtual draft ran smoothly and without much drama early on Thursday.

In what has been widely expected for weeks and possibly months, the Cincinnati Bengals selected LSU Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Joe Burrow with the first overall pick.

Burrow led LSU to the national title last season, completing 76.3 percent of his passes for 5,671 yards and an FBS-single season record 60 touchdowns to just six interceptions.

The second pick also went exactly like how many draft experts had predicted for weeks, with the Washington Redskins drafting Ohio State edge rusher Chase Young.

Young led the FBS with 16.5 sacks and six forced fumbles in 2019, and was regarded as the most talented player in the draft class, even ahead of Burrow.

Had it not been for Burrow's incredible 2019 season and Tua Tagovailoa's injury concerns, the latter may have challenged for the top spot in the 2020 draft.

Tagovailoa became the second quarterback off the board when he was selected by the Miami Dolphins with the fifth pick.

PUPPIES FOR SALE

One pick after Tagovailoa, the Los Angeles Chargers took Oregon QB Justin Herbert.

This is just the third time since the 1970 merger that three quarterbacks were chosen in the top six picks.

Three teams that had selected quarterbacks in the first round of the last two drafts used the 2020 draft to beef up their offensive lines to protect their young franchise quarterbacks.

The New York Giants (Daniel Jones at six in 2019) picked Georgia tackle Andrew Thomas at fourth overall; the Cleveland Browns (Baker Mayfield at one in 2018) selected Alabama tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. with the 10th pick; and the New York Jets

(Sam Darnold third in 2018) used the next pick to select Louisville tackle Mekhi Becton.

After this run on tackles, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers took part in the first trade of the draft to insure their new – and aging – quarterback would also stay upright. They moved up one spot in a trade with the San Francisco 49ers to select Iowa tackle Tristan Wirfs at 13, to shore up the offensive line in front of Tom Brady.

The next trade came 10 picks later, as Brady's old team, New England Patriots, dealt pick 23 to the Chargers – who selected Oklahoma linebacker Kenneth Murray.

The Patriots received a second and third-

round pick from the Chargers, and now have five of the first 100 picks of the 2020 draft, and 13 overall.

While it is possible New England could use one of those picks to draft Brady's replacement, the Green Bay Packers have chosen the heir apparent to 36-year-old Aaron Rodgers, trading up from 30th to 26th to select Utah State quarterback Jordan Love.

The opening round concluded with the defending Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, selecting the first running back to bookend the first round with LSU picks, taking Clyde Edwards-Helaire – the 14th player drafted out of the SEC. Wide receiver is considered to be the deepest position in the draft, and six went in the first round – but none until 12, when Alabama's Henry Ruggs III became the first player ever selected by the Raiders in their new home o f Las Vegas.

While Las Vegas was not able to host the draft festivities this year, Goodell announced that the city has been awarded the 2 0 2 2 draft, with the commissioner saying, "We think you deserve another shot".

(Sportsmax)

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-before quitting Rugby Australia

R

ugby Australia Chairman Paul McLean has staunchly backed departed CEO Raelene Castle, whom he says had been subjected to bullying from “faceless people” during her nearly three years on the job.

Castle stepped down on Thursday night, with former Wallabies captain McLean replacing her in the “very short term” before the search for a replacement officially begins on Monday.

McLean described Castle as someone who would run through broken glass for the organization, and he said it was the criticism most did not see that led to her decision to quit.“Criticism is easy, being cynical is easy, but decision making is tough,” McLean said. “She was able to do that, and do that with some clarity. She would run through broken Raelene Castle glass to get things done; and she has done that.”Castle’s handling of the Israel Folau settlement and her rejection of Fox Sports’ initial broadcast deal beyond this season were a source of criticism from some quarters, while the code’s financial plight has been laid bare by the coronavirus pandemic.A group of 11 former Wallabies captains wrote to Rugby Australia earlier this week demanding administrative change, while long-time critic Alan Jones doubled down on Friday morning.“She knows nothing about the game!” the former Wallabies coach-turned-broadcaster said on 2GB. “It’s like putting someone to become the

first violinist in the Sydney Symphony Orchestra who can’t read music.”

McLean said it was not the media criticism that stung, though. “It’s the silent forces, the dark forces, that upset me most,” he said. “It’s the people who didn’t ask, didn’t know the facts, or just one of those faceless people out there that was the damaging thing from her perspective, and she shared some of that with me, which I found quite abhorrent,” he said. “[Were it not for the] unwarranted criticism, and in fact bullying, I think it might have been a different scenario,” McLean declared.

McLean insisted that most people in Castle’s position “would have thrown in the towel ages ago”, but he said that, inevitably, her departure had become the clear way forward.

He dismissed the impact of the former captains’ letter, saying they could easily align with recovery efforts that were already underway.“I’ve had numerous conversations with Nick FarrJones, and let’s be clear here: it’s a very small collective of [those] people who have been involved in the game of late,” McLean said. “The significance of that group is probably the people that aren’t on the list.”Newly installed board member Peter Wiggs, fellow director and former Wallaby Daniel Herbert, and Phil Kearns, one of the ex-captains to put their name to the letter, are among those being touted to replace Castle. (Guardian)

-when horse racing returns under BHA plans

R

aces with a maximum of 12 runners, ridden by senior jockeys in an extended ‘Flat’ racing season, are planned when the sport returns in Great Britain.Action has been suspended since March 17 because of the coronavirus crisis, but racing chiefs hope for a return behind closed doors next month. The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) is working on a revised fixture list. Initial proposals, dependent on backing for a return from the Government, have been sent to racehorse trainers.Analysis from the BHA's medical department indicates that more experienced riders are less likely to suffer injuries, and racing's leaders are keen that any return limits demands on the already-pressured NHS."Only the more senior jockeys will be able to ride, under initial plans. This will be reviewed continually as resumption progresses," says the letter to trainers. This would rule out apprentice jockeys riding in the races taking place immediately after the sport returns.

Initial plans outlined by a 'Resumption of Racing' working group include: * Publishing a proposed fixture list within the next 14 days for the first two months following resumption. * A maximum of 12 runners per race initially, to reduce the risk of injuries and help with social distancing. * More races per meeting, but some lower-rated horses may struggle to get a run early on. * Extending the ‘Flat’ season beyond its

normal end date, which was scheduled to be 7th November this year. * To reduce the risk of infection, no-one will be allowed to attend more than one fixture per day. Attendance will be limited to only those people required to deliver the fixture.

The BHA last week extended the suspension of British racing indefinitely, and said no spectators would be allowed until June at the earliest. It is hoped the season's first two Classics, the 1,000 and 2,000 Guineas, can take place in June, after the early May fixture was postponed.Organisers of the Royal Ascot meeting are planning for it to go ahead without spectators in June, while the Oaks and the Derby have been earmarked for July."The BHA, acting on behalf of the industry-wide Public Affairs Group, and alongside other major sports, has been meeting the UK Sports Minister by phone every week since lockdown commenced," the letter adds.One suggestion for the resumption of racing is the use of racecourse 'hubs', such as Lingfield, Newcastle and Newmarket, where jockeys, stable staff and officials could stay close by, or be on site in hotels.Early next week, the BHA's chief regulatory officer, Brant Dunshea, will meet representatives of other racing jurisdictions, including France, Ireland and Germany, to discuss how different countries are planning for resumption.

Racing has continued behind closed doors at tracks in Hong Kong, Australia and the United States. (BBC.COM)

22

SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2020

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Cricviz Legends…

T

skill has endured despite his huge growth in strength.

CricViz’s Timing

he central aspect of Chris Gayle’s greatness is his sheer weight of runs across an epic career that now spans almost fifteen years.

In that period, Gayle has scored an astonishing 13,296 runs - the most by any player in the history of the T20 format by more than 3000 runs, making him around 30% clear of the next best player.

Gayle has been a monolithic presence in the first era of T20 cricket.

As at April 2020, Gayle has played for 26 different T20 teams, and has scored at least 1000 runs in every continent in which he has played; except in Europe, where he is averaging almost 50 runs per dismissal.

Rating evaluates the contact made by the batsman, given the shot played and the bowler-type bowling. By this measure, Gayle is the 13th best timer of the ball in the world: not as elite as his Power rating, but still among the world’s best.

RARE COMBINATION Gayle’s gargantuan run tally is the product of his ability to combine very high scoring rates with excellent wicket-preservation. This is a rare trait among T20 batsmen simply because higher scoring rates are the product of greater aggression, which typically compromises a batsman’s ability to protect his wicket. Gayle, to a greater extent than any player in history, has managed to do this very effectively.

The scatter graph below plots average balls per innings against batting strike rate. This combines the two measures, run-scoring and wicket preservation, on one chart, and clearly shows how Gayle is one of the format’s most extreme outliers, returning better-than-average records by both measures.

Indeed, no batsmen with a higher ‘balls per wicket’ than Gayle’s 26.0 has a higher strike rate than Gayle’s 146.94. Maintaining the scoring rate and dismissal rate at the same time has never been done by any other player.

POWER The defining characteristic of Gayle’s batting, and the primary reason why he has had such an astonishing career, is quite simply power.

Standing at 6 foot, 5 inches and weighing around 100kg, Gayle is a huge man, and possesses great muscular

BOUNDARY-HITTER Gayle’s enormous power and

strength. These raw natural attributes have been combined with exceptional hand-eye coordination and big, powerful bats to produce a m o n st ro u s hitter.

CricViz’s Power Rating is a unique m e a s u r e which evaluates a

batsman’s power by analysing shottype data and assessing a player’s ability to clear the ropes when that player has made good contact with the ball. By this measure, Gayle is the most powerful batsman in the CricViz database, and is 15% more powerful than the next most powerful player.

TIMING Apart from his raw power, Gayle has exceptional hand-eye coordination, making him a brilliant timer of the ball.

Early videos of Gayle show him as a tall but lean and rangy young man, before he bulked out in the mid-2000s. This iteration of Gayle relied less on power and more on timing, and that natural

excellent timing combine to make him an astonishingly effective boundaryhitter, and it is this factor more than anything else that defines his batting.

Across his career, he has hit 978 sixes and 1024 fours - both are world records.

In T20 history, only Kieron Pollard has scored more runs in total than Gayle has in boundaries alone. This huge tally is, of course, partly a consequence of Gayle’s longevity.

His boundary-hitting is more

-West Indies Series postponed

E

ngland's Home Series against the West Indies will not go ahead in June, as planned after the start of the 2020 season was further delayed.

Having originally announced there would be no play on English soil before May 28 due to the coronavirus pandemic, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has now announced there will be no professional cricket played until at least July 1.

This decision affects the three-Test series with the West Indies, which had been due to take place in June, although the aim is to reschedule international fixtures for both the men's and women's teams from July until the end of September.

ECB Chief Executive Officer Tom Harrison admitted there is still no certainty of any cricket being played during the English season, with games being able to go ahead only if permitted by government guidelines.

"As much as we remain hopeful that we can deliver some cricket this summer, we are in the midst of a worldwide crisis, and our priority – over and above the playing of professional sport – will be to protect the vulnerable key workers, and society as a whole," Harrison explained.

"That's why, simply put, there will be no cricket, unless it's safe to play; our schedule will only go ahead if government guidance permits.

"Our biggest challenge, along with other sports, is how we could seek to implement a bio-secure solution that offers optimum safety and security for all concerned. The guidance we receive from Westminster will help us shape how we deliver this,"Harrison declared.A revised domestic fixture list will see the Vitality Blast Twenty20 tournament pushed "as late in the season as possible, to give it the best opportunity of being staged", according to a statement from the ECB. However, nine rounds of the County Championship will be lost this year, and the ECB will meet next Wednesday to decide what would happen with The Hundred, the new white-ball competition due to begin on July 17.

"Our plan is to reschedule international matches as late as possible in the season, to give the best chance of play," Harrison said of the potential restructuring. "The Vitality Blast will also now occupy the latest possible season slot, to offer as much time as possible to play a county short-form competition.

"I want to thank everyone involved in this complex and sensitive work. There have clearly never been times like this, and my colleagues at the ECB and across the game have been exemplary in this period,” Harrison said. “It has been refreshing, but not surprising, to see how cricket has come together." (Sportsmax)

effectively illustrated by the rate at which he hits fours, and more specifically sixes. Gayle’s ball per boundary is comfortably better than the global average, and his balls per six is the third best in T20 history - only behind Andre Russell and Seekuge Prasanna, both of whom bat towards the end of the innings, and are emboldened to take more risks as a result.

Gayle’s huge power, timing, and boundary-finding ability have translated into astonishing attacking effectiveness. Across his career, his strike rate, with attacking shots of 228.30, is the highest of any player in the history of the format, with a minimum of 1000 runs scored.

Gayle is an attacking sensation, and this is the cornerstone of his method and extraordinary dominance in the T20 format.

SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2020

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

23

Hundreds benefit, Foster thanks all donors

T

he Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club (RHTY&SC) and the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB), in their continued combined fight against the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, last Thursday distributed hundreds of food hampers to those less fortunate persons living in the ancient county of (East) Berbice.

The great initiative of these two outstanding cricket organizations received enthusiastic response from their community of supporters, listed hereunder; and several of their member/affiliate clubs received food hampers both for their members and for distribution to the needy in their respective locales.

BCB President Hilbert Foster disclosed that this initiative may evolve into an ongoing programme, depending on how long the pandemic lasts.

The RHTY&SC is comprised of the following teams: Metro Female Team, NAMILCO First Division Team, Bakewell Second Division Team and Pepsi U-19 Team; and Foster has declared that these teams will assist other individuals in need across the Berbice coun- BCB President Hilbert Foster ty.

Foster was proud to announce: "This donation has been made possible through assistance from West Indies players Shimron Hetmyer, Shemaine Campbelle, Tremayne Smartt, Sheneta Grimmond and Shabika Gajnabi. National players Kevin Sinclair and Clinton Pestano have also donated towards this project, (as have) overseas-based Guyanese Ravi Etwaroo of CricZone USA, Dr Puran Singh from Barbados, Mr Bish Pandey from PNP Insurance, and a host of other persons."

Foster has assured that these donations would substantially assist in the survival of families.

"Perhaps a month or two down the road we will look to

O

A special tribute by ISKF-Guyana n Tuesday April 22nd, 2020, a decorated Master, Shihan Teruyuki Okazaki, passed away from this earthly plane. He was in his 88th year, and he was the muse of ISKFGuyana. His demise was due to coronavirus complications.

ISKF-Guyana takes a unified “Rae” (Japanese for bow) and says “Osu!” with a clarion voice as a sign of respect and recognition to Master Shihan Teruyuki Okazaki’s passing and legacy.

This great man will be remembered as a remarkable human being, an adept teacher, and a mentor. He epitomized humility, gentleness, and all the qualities of a revered master, and stood in as a father-like figure to thousands of students. Shihan Okazaki was instrumental in the promotion of thousands of dan ranks worldwide as well as in Guyana.

A great deal of gratitude is owed to him for the knowledge he has disseminated over the years and the continued benefits the ISKF Guyana will derive from his legacy. In this regard, and on behalf of ISKF Country Director and Chief Instructor Christopher Chaves, the operating committee, instructors, students and parents, the federation would like to convey its deepest condolences, and pledge support in any way, to his family and home Dojo in Philadelphia USA, and our other brothers and sister in the Karate Fraternity.

Teruyuki Okazaki (June 22, 1931 – April 21, 2020), was a tenth-degree black belt in Shotokan Karate, as well as the founder and chief instructor of the International Shotokan Karate Federation (ISKF). Along

Foster presenting hampers to Port Mourant Groundsman Bengay

do this (again). Today (Thursday) marks the start of several days when hampers will be distributed. The RHTY&SC will be assisting over 150 Rose Hall Town residents," he highlighted.

Visits made to homes earlier this week saw hundreds thankfully accepting these hampers. Many of the recipient families are unable to work, and their children are suffering; thus this initiative is both timely and thoughtful.

Among the clubs that received hampers on Thursday last are West Berbice, Blairmont, Mt Sinai, R o s e H a l l Canje, Young Warriors, Chesney, Whim, Albion, Port Mourant, Guymine and Kildonan. (Brandon Corlette)

among the first graduates from this program.

Coming to North America As part of an effort by Nakayama to spread the practise of Shotokan Karate internationally, Okazaki came to the United States in 1961.

Originally planning to stay only six months, he later opened a dojo in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and settled there permanently.

[1] In 1977, Okazaki founded the International Shotokan Karate Federation.

Master Shihan Teruyuki Okazaki in his younger days

with Gichin Funakoshi and Masatoshi Nakayama, Okazaki helped found the Japan Karate Association's instructor training program.

Early years Okazaki was born in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. As a young man, he grew up studying judo, kendo, and aikido. In 1948, at the age of sixteen, he entered Takushoku University. It was here that Okazaki began his karate training. Teruyuki Okazaki studied primarily under Gichin

Funakoshi, as well as Masatoshi Nakayama.

In 1953, Okazaki graduated and was immediately appointed coach of the Takushoku team.

Later that year, it was decided that Okazaki would be trained as a "test case" for the still formulating JKA Instructor Trainee Program.

In 1955, he was appointed head of the program, which produced some of modern Shotokan's most integral leaders.

Takayuki Mikami, Eiji Takaura, and Hirokazu Kanazawa were

ISKF Independence In April 2007, as chief instructor of the ISKF, Okazaki proposed termination of the ISKF's relationship with the JKA and formation of an external independent body. This motion was supported by 25 other countries, which continued their relationship with the ISKF and discontinued relations with the JKA.This decision came following Okazaki's concern that the JKA had not been conducting itself in the manner appropriate to the teachings of Master Gichin Funakoshi.

At the following Canadian National ISKF Championships in Toronto, Canada in October 2007, the ISKF technical committee announced Okazaki's promotion to 10th dan, thus he became the highest-ranking karate master in the ISKF, and among only a couple of others internationally at the time. Yutaka Yaguchi was also promoted to the rank of 9th dan.

After Okazaki's retirement in 2015, Yaguchi served as Chief Instructor of the ISKF, beside Okazaki's nephew Hiroyoshi Okazaki as Chairman. Hiroyoshi Okazaki Shihan is now Chairman and Chief Instructor of the ISKF.

Professional life Although Okazaki had spent most of his adult life promoting Shotokan throughout North America, he also held a faculty position at Philadelphia's Temple University from 1970, and was an instructor at the University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University,

West Chester University, and Thomas Jefferson University.

To fond memories of a true Master: Osu! Shihan Teruyuki Okazaki, 10th Dan; you are loved and greatly missed.

SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2020

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

guyanatimesgy.com

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-West Indies Series postponed

Shihan Teruyuki Okazaki

Hundreds benefit, Foster thanks all donors Page 23

Foster presenting hampers to Port Mourant Groundsman Bengay

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