Guyana Times Friday, June 26, 2020

CCJ offers parties in Guyana P pathway to rule of law 14

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

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Issue No. 4328

FRIDAY, JUNE 26, 2020

GECOM restrained from declaring results – CCJ orders

PRICE

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

6 new COVID-19 cases recorded

– active cases now stand at 95 P10

Corentyne P2 man charged for illegal firearm, ammo

See story on page 3

…preliminary and substantive arguments set for July 1 – Lowenfield a no-show despite being served

CCJ ruling can bring a clear resolution to Guyana’s electoral impasse – Carter Center

See story on page 13

Declaration of elections results must be based on national recount – Norway

Early-morning fire leaves 81-year-old homeless P12

See story on page 7

GAWU tells ‘sugar belt’ workers to brace for no salary today Page 11

…flood-prone coastal villages now under threat, no money for fuel at pump stations

Guyana’s post-NCM image "took a severe beating" – Irfaan Ali Page 9

Police issue wanted bulletin for Berbice man following drug bust P12

RDC's revenue depleted below operational P15 costs – Linden's Deputy Mayor – cannot afford to pay its major bills

2 NEWS

FRIDAY, JUNE 26, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Teen in Enmore fatal accident loses memory Police yet to arrest suspect – Police yet to find perpetrator

Injured: Christopher Pollard

F

ourteen-year-old Christopher Pollard, of Enmore, East Coast Demerara (ECD), who survived a tragic accident on Sunday that also killed his brother appears to have lost his memory.

The teenager and his 16-year-old brother, Sheldon Cleon Major, were struck down by a speeding motor

car along the Enmore Public Road.

According to Police, it is unclear exactly what transpired in the fatal crash, since the driver fled the scene, leaving the injured boys on the roadway along with pieces of debris from the vehicle.

However, when emergency services showed up at the scene, one of the young boys was discovered motionless while the other was in a semi-conscious state.

The teens were found with visible injuries about their heads and bodies and were transported to the Georgetown Public Hospital.

The elder brother was pronounced dead on arrival while the younger was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in critical condition.

Family members had

Dead: Sheldon Cleon Major

told Guyana Times that doctors at the medical facility had given the injured teen 24 hours to live, but he managed to fight his way to partial recovery although his memory was lost.

Speaking with this newspaper on Thursday, the teen’s father, Jermain Peters explained that his son was walking and talk-

ing, but has no memory of his family members. “He is also saying things that don’t make sense,” the father related.

“When we went to visit him at the hospital this morning, his words were clear, but his words not making sense. It’s like he is awake and walking and talking, but yet he doesn’t even know what is going on,” the father stressed.

Family members said they were grateful that he was alive, but they were still hopeful he would recover fully. They are also calling on ranks of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) to “do their job”, to bring justice to their family.

Up to press time on Thursday, the Police were yet to arrest the person(s) responsible for the fatal accident.

Corentyne man charged for illegal firearm, ammo

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Corentyne farmer was on Thursday remanded to prison when he appeared at the Whim Magistrate’s Court for possession of an illegal firearm and ammunition.

Cloyd Davis, 59, of Limlair Village, Corentyne, Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne) pleaded not guilty to the charge which stated that on June 23, he

Cloyd Davis

had in his possession one .22 revolver and 39 live rounds of .22 ammunition.

The court heard that on the day in question at Limlair Village, Police observed Davis was carrying a haversack and acting in a suspicious manner. As such, he was intercepted, and a search was carried out during which the illegal firearm and ammunition were found

along with a quantity of cannabis.

Davis, who made a virtual appearance before Magistrate Renita Singh, also pleaded guilty to the possession of five grams of cannabis charge and was fined $10,000.

He will return to court on July 27 for the gun and ammo possession matter.

for neighbour’s murder

Dead: Florence Ford

Wanted: Timothy Evans

lmost two months after the shooting death of 59-yearold Florence Ford at West Ruimveldt, Georgetown, the suspect, 18-year-old Timothy Evans is yet to be arrested by the Police for the heinous crime.

Ford, of Lot 24 Front Road, West Ruimveldt, was shot in the left eye after she left her house to check on a commotion between the suspect and another neighbour.

It was reported that on the day in question, at approximately 01:30h, the dead woman’s neighbour Brian Wiltshire and the suspect were engaged in a heated argument over a motorcycle. After hearing the argument between the two men, Ford left her home to make enquiries.

However, the argument turned into a scuffle which saw both men drawing

weapons – one a cutlass and the other a handgun. In the heated moment, Evans reportedly discharged several rounds, hitting Wiltshire to the right side of his chest and a stray bullet caught Ford in the left eye.

The injured persons were rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where they were examined by doctors.

Ford, however, succumbed to her injuries.

Meanwhile, the suspect made good his escape and has not been seen since.

One day after the fatal shooting, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) issued a wanted bulletin for his arrest.

At the time, the Police had stated that anyone with information that may lead to the arrest of Evans is asked to contact the Police on telephone numbers 226-1389, 227-2128, 911 or at the nearest Police Station.

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NEWS

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FRIDAY, JUNE 26, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Friday, June 26 – 09:00h-10:30h and Saturday, June 27 – 09:30h-11:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Friday, June 26 – 07:35h-09:05h and Saturday, June 27 – 08:25h-09:55h.

GECOM restrained from declaring results – CCJ orders

…preliminary and substantive arguments set for July 1 – Lowenfield a no-show despite being served

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

WEATHER TODAY

Light rain showers will prevail into the midafternoon hours, interrupted by thundery showers in the mid morning until noon. Cloudy conditions are expected for the rest of the afternoon. Partly cloudy skies and light rain showers are expected in the evening. Temperatures should range between 23 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius.

Winds: North-Easterly to East North-Easterly between 1.34 metres and 3.57 metres.

High Tide: 08:09h and 20:47h reaching maximum heights of 2.53 metres and 2.42 metres.

Low Tide: 14:15h reaching a minimum height of 0.69 metre.

COMMODITIES Indicators

US$

Change %

Crude Oil

$41.05/barrel

+1.80

Rough Rice

$222.084 /ton

- 0.30

London Sugar

$356.60/ton

- 0.03

Live Spot Gold

USD Per Ounce

Bid/Ask

$1762.10

$1763.10

Low/High

$1755.00

$1771.10

Change

- 3.10

- 0.18%

PPP General Secretary Bharrat Jagdeo

PPP/C Presidential Candidate, Dr Irfaan Ali

CCJ President, Justice Adrian Saunders

Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield

he Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) on Thursday made it clear that its order restraining the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) from taking any steps to prejudice the fair hearing of the appeal filed by the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) remains in effect until the hearing and determination of the matter.

This was reaffirmed by CCJ President, Justice Adrian Saunders during the virtual case management hearing on Thursday.

PPP/C’s Presidential Candidate, Dr Irfaan Ali and PPP General Secretary Bharrat Jagdeo, through a battery of lawyers led by Senior Counsel Douglas Mendes and including Attorneys Anil Nandlall, Devindra Kissoon and Sanjeev Datadin among others, had approached the Trinidad-based regional court on Tuesday for special leave to challenge a decision of Guyana’s Court of Appeal, which asserted jurisdiction and ruled in the Eslyn David matter on Monday that “more votes cast” means “more valid votes cast” in the context of the recount order.

The PPP/C is contending that the Appeal Court’s pronouncements have “plunged the law in total confusion and it is now no longer clear how an election of members of the National Assembly is to be challenged and how the election of the President can be challenged”.

To this end, the Party secured an order from the CCJ on Tuesday restraining GECOM and its officers from taking any steps to prejudice the fair hearing of the matter, including but not limited to issuing a declaration of the results from the March 2 elections.

As such, Justice Saunders reminded the various parties on Thursday that the court order would remain in effect until the matter was determined.

“The order that was given on [Tuesday] that the status quo is to be maintained until the court gives its decision in this matter. We will naturally endeavour to give our decision in as timelier a manner as is possible, but until we do so, the status quo is to remain as it is on the ground,” the CCJ President reaffirmed.

During Thursday’s case management conference, the

Court established timelines for the various parties to make their submissions ahead of a marathon hearing set for next Wednesday, July 1, 2020 commencing at 09:00h.

The applicants, who are represented by SC Mendes, were given up to 09:00h on Saturday to file their submissions and the respondents will have until 16:00h on Sunday to respond. The applicants were then given until 09:00h on Tuesday to file their reply – one day before the Court hears oral submissions.

Among the respondents in the case are: A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) supporter Eslyn David, who is represented by a legal team led by Senior Counsel John Jeremie; Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield; GECOM Chair, Retired Justice Claudette Singh, represented by Attorney-at-Law Kim Kyte-Thomas; Attorney General Basil Williams, who appeared in person, and representatives from the newer political parties – the

joinder parties (A New and United Guyana, Liberty and Justice Party and The New Movement) represented by Senior Counsel Ralph Ramkarran as well as Change Guyana and The Citizen Initiative, represented by Attorney Kashir Khan – that contested the March 2 polls.

At Thursday’s session, the CCJ added the APNU/AFC and the United Republican Party as interested parties in

the case.

T

Lowenfield’s absence

Notably, however, CEO Lowenfield was unrepresented in the proceedings on Thursday as was the case during the Appeal Court matter last week.

In fact, SC Mendes indicated to the CCJ panel that steps were taken to notify the CEO of the proceedings.

TURN TO PAGE 8

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guyanatimesgy.com

FRIDAY, JUNE 26, 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

Reprehensible behaviour by APNU/AFC

T

he current political travesty that has been taking place in Guyana has been described by Chair of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) and Prime Minister of Barbados as “bizarre”. But here in Guyana, the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance for Change has not seen their action to steal an election as unusual or weird in any way. Rather, they are acting as though it is their democratic right to derail and discard the will of the Guyanese people.

Unfortunately, this dictatorship is being aided by none other than persons right within the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM). The most recent attempt was by Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield to magically discard over 115,000 votes at his own whim and fantasy under the disguised pretext that he was being guided by the recent ruling of the Court of Appeal.

These ‘new’ figures, which he claims are “valid and credible votes”, reflect the invalidation of almost 25 per cent of the votes cast at the General and Regional Elections. What is more tragic is the David Granger- led administration is pretending to be unaware of this deceit and is claiming victory on known fraudulent and fictitious figures.

Members of that administration have since launched an attack on not only Mottley, who questioned on what executive fiat Lowenfield can invalidate already certified votes, but accused the wider international community of interfering in Guyana’s internal affairs. This repeated accusation now comes from caretaker Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, who once fought against dictatorship in Guyana, but now seeks to materially benefit from it.

Nagamootoo accused the international community of using Guyana as a “pawn” in what he claimed is a “geo-strategic game that that they (international community) have mapped out in their own interest.” Nagamootoo’s comments come one day after the American, British, Canadian and European Union envoys issued a joint statement saying: “It is important, in our view, that every vote cast by every voter be reflected in that declaration, in order to ensure that the will of the people of Guyana is respected. That respect includes an election declaration of results that mirror the order and integrity displayed by the people of Guyana, GECOM and party officials, as witnessed by domestic and international observers during the 2 March General and Regional Elections.”

As a matter of fact, the international community is only an inconvenience to the APNU/AFC regime when calls are made for democratic principles to be respected.

In April, United States Ambassador to Guyana, SarahAnn Lynch, in an Op ed had said that a common criticism of diplomatic statements during politically charged election cycles is that they amount to foreign interference. To quote the ambassador, “…in foreign policy, the difference between meddling and practising good diplomacy is that the latter involves sticking to bedrock principles of human rights, good governance, and transparency and, whenever possible, underscoring the values that bind the country you represent to the country in which you serve.”

It is unfortunate and reprehensible that the APNU/AFC is seeking to resort now to an outright attack on Caricom and the international community for their strong stance on democracy. If democracy were to fail in Guyana because of the malfeasances in Guyana, as Mottley rightly said, it will not bear consequences for this country only, but rather it would “put the Caribbean Region’s image on the questionable spectrum.”

Rather than unjustifiably attacking our international partners, David Granger and his administration should stop the unprecedented level of gamesmanship, concede defeat, and respect the will of the Guyanese people. From the certified tabulation of elections recount figures, the will of the Guyanese people is clearly to eject APNU/AFC from the helm of Government.

Enough is enough: Caricom Leaders must tell Granger to go Dear Editor, Secretary-General of the Organisation of American States, Luis Almagro, has declared that “it is undeniable” that the dissonance over the March 2 general elections in Guyana “has gone on long enough”. Almagro is right.

And undoubtedly, he speaks for the entire Caribbean and international community by expressing his exasperation with the process.

Guyana has been known for election-rigging going back to the days of Forbes Burnham, the first leader of the Peoples National Congress (PNC), which is the main party in the APNU-AFC coalition that clearly lost the March 2 general elections, but which, in what has become almost a criminal enterprise, is overturning every pebble to maintain its grab on power.

The name Clairmonte Mingo has already been carved in infamy in the history of Guyana. It is he who, like the comic strip figure of old, Mandrake the Magician, conjured figures on his sordid spread sheet to declare APNU-AFC the winner of Region 4 by numbers that allowed it to overtake the Peoples Progressive Party lead in 8 of the 10 voting districts.

However much “Mandrake” Mingo may have gestured hypnotically, he failed miserably to hypnotise the regional and international Election Observer Missions into accepting his voodoo numbers. They all protested vigorously, including former Barbados Prime Minister Owen Arthur, who threw his observer badge to the ground

when the Minister of Foreign Affairs threatened to withdraw the accreditation of all the Observers if they did not kowtow to Mingo’s attempted fraud.

Enter at this point five Caricom Prime Ministers, led by their Chair, Prime Minister Mottley of Barbados.

They brokered an agreement between President David Granger and Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo with the agreement of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), that all the votes would be recounted under the now well-known mantra: “Every vote must be counted, and every vote must count”.

Ms Mottley spoke of “dark forces” at work in the elections’ machinery.

The man in charge of the elections machinery is now rivalling “Mandrake” Mingo for infamy. Keith Lowenfield is the Chief Elections Officer who, along with President Granger, on the day of the Guyana elections, proclaimed it to be “free and fair”; in other words, no fraud. All the Elections Observer missions agreed.

All that was left was for the votes in each electoral district to be counted and a winner declared. Then, with the PPP/C ahead after 9 of the 10 districts were counted, Mingo appeared with his magical numbers.

Thereafter, Lowenfield fell in line with the “dark forces” to declare that the elections, of which he was the man-in-charge and which he had pronounced to be “free and fair”, had now become fraudulent. According to him, and without producing one shred of evidence to substan-

tiate his claim, over 260,000 of the 460,352 votes cast were either persons who had emerged from the graveyards of Guyana or somehow managed to be “abroad” while presenting themselves, National ID in hand, to vote at the polling stations. He subsequently reduced the number of fraudulent votes without explanation or evidence.

So far, between Mingo and Lowenfield, the officials of GECOM have produced four different sets of figures at different times, not one pairing the other, but none of them matching the total votes as reflected in the statements of poll from each of the electoral districts on March 2.

Mandrake and Houdini have raised the standard of elections-rigging in Guyana to a new and preposterous high.

Meanwhile, a Caricom team of scrutineers, joined by a team from the OAS, scrutinised a National Recount of all the votes. The exercise began on May 6 and ended on June 8. The Caricom scrutineers and each of the supervisors of the recount certified that the PPP/C had won the elections by over 15,500 votes.

The “dark forces” then rushed to the Court of Appeal, where two allegedly faithful judges agreed to bypass the High Court, where elections matters are normally heard.

This was the third time since March 2 that APNUAFC agents have gone to the courts, and twice to the favoured Court of Appeal.

Lowenfield was given the opportunity to provide a report to the GECOM Commission, in which he bold-facedly stated, with no evidence, that 115,587 votes were fraudu-

lent, and he gave the elections to the APNU-AFC. The GECOM Commission is yet to pronounce on this extraordinary difference with the scrutinised recount.

This Guyana election has brought shame on Guyana, and risks tainting all of Caricom. The matter has now been taken to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) from which the people of our region expect fairness and justice. I hold no candle for any of the contesting parties in Guyana, but I hold aloft a blazing torch for democracy and the will of the people.

As the Secretary-General of the OAS has said: “GECOM is in possession of a result based on the valid votes cast on March 2, 2020, through a recount exercise that was approved by all stakeholders and a credible result was provided. The process in Guyana must be brought to an end, based on the results of the National Recount, and with respect for the will of the majority of the electorate”.

The dark forces in Guyana must not be allowed to contaminate or disgrace other countries in Caricom that value democracy and free and fair elections. Granger should be told by all Caricom leaders that all attempts to steal the elections have failed and are over. He should go now, put an end to the abuse of the Court system, and spare Guyana any further shame.

John Beale Former Ambassador of Barbados to the US, Permanent Representative to the OAS

The PNC has once again brought shame and destruction to the black community

Dear Editor, It is with a heavy heart that I pen this letter as a young black professional, to witness the destructive force of the PNC as it was once told to me by my father.

In the 70s, Burnham tricked my father and many others to bring all their wealth to Guyana on the promise of prosperity. They knew little of his criminal apparatus that eventually destroyed their lives, and by extension made it very hard for me and my siblings.

Like many black kids back then, we never understood the level of suffering the PNC would bring into our future. The PNC then and now was never concerned about lifting its political base up, much less for the country.

Its focus has always been to create a small elite group of supper rich friends and families as it sucks the life out of the country. It has always been comfortable, like Granger today, with watching the black community suffer as it tricks them to march

the streets in the name of “black development”.

This mindset of the PNC first made its major impact when PNC people strategised to destroy the WPA, and eventually killed the first and only true black leader Guyana ever had, Walter Rodney. From then to now, the black community continued to suffer from the PNC cabal, with no mercy or compassion.

The actions of Burnham to destroy the WPA are very similar to that of Granger today. As Rodney became the most influential black thought leader and global icon for underdeveloped countries, Burnham got scared, as he knew Rodney would destroy his scheme to keep his knees on the black community and all Guyanese.

As stated in his book “How Europe Underdeveloped Africa”, the updated introduction outlines the following: First Burnham cut off Rodney’s ability to provide for his family by blocking his appointment at the University of Guyana, he then moved

to have the police force murder two senior members in the WPA. After that the PNC blew up a government building and blamed Rodney to silence him.

During Rodney’s trial, Father Bernard Darke was killed while observing the proceedings in the interest of fairness.

When Burnham saw that Rodney was winning his trial, he made the judge postpone the trial for three months, during which time a plan was hatched to assassinate Rodney. And that was the end of it.

Sounds familiar? It’s because we see the same approach being used from the moment 34+32=65 to Lowenfield’s report. And the common thread to all of this is none other than David Arthur Granger, who was a protege of Burnham, who appointed him commander of the military. And of course we know now that it is the military apparatus that carried out the operation to assassinate Rodney.

Like many other upstand-

ing blacks in Guyana, I do not want to be associated with Granger and his cabal criminal and thuggish behaviour.

It is the kind of degenerate mindset we have been working hard to remove from our community from the time of slavery to now. PNC consists of a group of elitists who use black people’s suffering as a means to their end, and in turn they get rich.

I want a leadership that opens opportunities for all Guyanese, and not just a few.

I want democracy and good leadership. We want to have leaders who care for everyone, and can inspire positive change in the black community, like Walter Rodner did.

The PPP has always been the only party that was founded on the premise that all races must be a part of Guyana’s development.

Granger must stop this shameless behaviour and concede to the results of the elections of March 2 and allow Guyana to heal.

Sincerely, Malcolm Watkins

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FRIDAY, JUNE 26, 2020

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Roxane Burnham to Mottley: Our steel is sharper Dear Prime Minister Mottley, After a hard day’s work, I listened to the statement by Prime Minister Mia Mottley, Chairman of Caricom, regarding the election which were just held in Guyana, and who was asked to use her good office to assist in the finality of the results of the March 2nd 2020 election.

Your statement, Prime Minister, is one of blatant disregard for the respect which should be afforded a sister Caribbean State.

Listening to you, Prime Minister Mottley, and knowing of all the details related to this process, you should know what occurred during the 80s, when Barbados was against Caricom’s relations with the Republic of Cuba. You should know that Barbados was a leader in the gang of seven for the inva-

sion of Grenada. You should know that this is not the first time that Guyana was threatened with expulsion from Caricom.

Guyana has been down this road, and we have experience to withstand whatever you and the other members of the “cabal” may try to bring pressure on the Guyana Elections Commission.

I am amazed that you would walk away from a process which you started, but maybe you came like the Trojan Horse, but you must know that our steel is sharper.

Prime Minister Mottley, you are an attorney, and have been the Attorney General of Barbados, and hence should not be a stranger to truth. However, today your statement has raised serious doubts in my

mind. You were in agreement with the gazetted order which had established the process which should be followed in the recount. The process examined the ballots and identified the irregularities which were executed in a transparent manner.

Among the irregularities were votes cast by the dead; votes cast by impersonation; proxy votes cast without the requisite documentation, and many more categories of irregularities.

Now, as far as I am aware, Prime Minister, your mental health is optimum. So why would you want to ignore the objective and the defined recount process established by a legal process? I am indeed saddened by your behaviour, as the Chairman of Caricom, in showing your umbilical linkage to gamesmanship and the willingness to ig-

nore principles of truth and fairness. Your avoidance of these sacred principles must raise question marks in the minds of your political opponents.

One does not know what a retrospective analysis might reveal for Barbados.

I am sure that you are very familiar with the Order, and understood the relevance of the Observation reports in the recount process. If they were not important, why were the signatures of all parties required?

What is your message, Prime Minister? Are you in fact saying that you have a comfort level with the inclusion of fraudulent votes in the electoral process of Guyana? This is indeed worrying that the Chairman of Caricom, and sitting Prime Minister, would accept fraudulent votes in a demo-

cratic process. Would you accept fraudulent votes in your Party’s elections?

Guyana has its own Appeal Court, and of course its own Constitution. In a rather gross and disrespectful manner, you have issued a statement ignoring the ruling of Guyana’s Court of Appeal which, in a most bizarre manner, seeks to influence the Caribbean Court of Justice. Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.

Prime Minister Mottley, you have ruled yourself out of the Guyanese Electoral Process, and you are likened unto the families of Ananias and Sapphira and Judas Iscariot. Additionally, your silence was deafening when your colleague Prime Minister Owen Arthur called for the expulsion of Guyana from Caricom. But as the

good book says, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do”.

Lastly, as a University graduate and a person not wedded to mediocrity, you should not be guided by the report of your Caricom team of Observers/Scrutineers.

The report was severely flawed in the sampling methodology, and filled with bias.

No one who is serious will accept the report with the sampling frame and methodology. I am sure that if any of your professionals who work around you were to submit a report of that quality, you would deal with them condignly. Hence, Prime Minister, what is it that is in store for you? That is the million gram of MERCURY question.

Roxane Burnham Van West-Charles

Roxane Burnham, we are in 2020

Dear Editor, Today, 115 days after a peaceful and orderly voting process, we are going through the up-and-down, in-and-out ride of the PNC ring-aroundthe-roses we won the elections, the elections must be annulled, then we won again.

It seems the PNC want to change our national sports to “One, Two, Three Red Light”, and now you come at this moment to add your voice, but the young people of today will not have it.

People of a bygone era should just stay quiet. If you

are following the Black Lives Matter protest, you should be aware that, all over the world, oppressors’ statues and names are being removed. While you sit in Miami, the residents of Roxane Burnham Gardens have not seen one of the oppressors you are defending, not one mask or hamper.

For the scion of Forbes Burnham to attempt to engage the Chair of Caricom on her defence of freedom and the civil charter, it is calisthenics in dauntlessness of gold medal proportions that is redolent of LFSB’s the Führer comments:

“We are not a colony, let us settle our internal matter in Guyana. It is our right to say when they may come and when they may not come, I am tired of these busy-bodies”.

The Animal Farm comments are well documented and not lost is Guyana 55 years’ history.

Today, it is astonishing that the name Burnham would enter a conversation and try to engage Mia Motley on issues such as freedom and democracy. I ask: Is it an epiphany that a Burnham would seek to censure people

interested in safeguarding the will of the people? I say to you, plenipotentiary of the dark era, that neither your class nor popularity is anywhere close to that of Mottley’s and the free world’s, and the Guyanese people will not tolerate the likes of you, who represent the dinosaur mentality.

Guyana has freed itself of the economic shackles that we inherited from LFSB. We no longer strap ourselves with sardine, nor do we smuggle flour; we are not seen as the fleeing refugees in the Caribbean.

While it is routine for a daughter not to speak ill of her father, nor a wife of her husband, the new generation, unprejudiced of the Burnham epoch, is watching the daily as Richard Van West-Charles tries to reintroduce smuggling as a national economic activity vis-à-vis his fuel operations.

Mrs. Burnham-Van WestCharles, I respect your right to your opinion, but you should also respect the will of the Guyanese people, and be responsible in your ramblings. In case you did not hear, APNU-AFC has lost the

March 2nd 2020 elections by 15,461 votes.

The institutions of our state which your father once controlled with iron fist are not as politicised as they once were. Your dad’s fear of the Privy Council seems to be your fear of the CCJ and Caricom.

No longer is the PNC paramount, and no one would tolerate a dictator who refuses to adhere to democratic principles.

Respectfully, Rovin Adrian

The last refuge of a scoundrel Stop the vile sexist and homophobic comments about Mia Mottley

Dear Editor, Every government, organisation or person that or who has publicly condemned the flagrant, vulgar and incessant attempts by the rigging cabal and their acolytes to perpetrate fraud at the 2nd March 2020 elections held in Guyana and to attempt to defeat the will of the electorate and steal the new Government, has been met with public vitriolic abuse and vilification.

The latest victim is the Honourable Mia Mottley QC, Prime Minister of Barbados and Chairperson of Caricom.

One of the latest perpetrators is Lincoln Lewis. Lewis’s politics is well known. He has been a rabid and unashamed advocate and supporter of the fraudulent electoral machinations and illicit design of APNU+AFC and the undemocratic agenda clandestinely being executed within the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) from the inception.

It dates back to his public support for the unconstitutional appointment of James Patterson as the Chair of GECOM. He has been both consistent and unwavering in his public position on every attempt at electoral chicanery since. He supported the unlawful house-to-house registration exercise. He supported the attempts to remove tens of thou-

sands of registered electors from the National Register of Registrants (NRR) database.

He supported Mingo’s fraudulent declarations. He supports Lowenfield’s latest perversity. His position now, therefore, surprises none. The poison that toxicates his mind and which affects his every outlook is well known, but that is for another time.

He accuses the Honourable Mottley of making sub-judice comments on the case before the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ). He chastises her for so doing, citing her Queen’s Counselship. I am not sure how much Mr. Lewis knows about the sub-judice doctrine. I do not pretend to know much about it myself, but I do know that it relates to comments that are made with the intention of, or are likely to, prejudice the outcome of a pending case.

I also know that the doctrine must bend and bow to the might of free speech, which is universally guaranteed as a basic human right. The multiple frauds that are attempted in the Guyana electoral process are not only matters of high national importance, but are also matters of regional and universal importance.

In a free society, therefore, every citizen has a freedom to express a view on the issue, including one that is crit-

ical and condemnatory. Like Lewis, who publicly supports these fraudulent designs, Ms. Mottley is also a member of a free society, and therefore enjoys that freedom to be critical and condemnatory of the same fraudulent designs.

I have listened to Ms. Mottley’s entire speech.

Firstly, no reference was made whatsoever to the litigation at the CCJ; and secondly, nothing said in that speech can be interpreted as prejudicing the outcome of those proceedings.

No doubt, Ms. Mottley is aware of those legal proceedings. I am also in no doubt that she exercised her mind judiciously, taking into account the sub-judice principle when she spoke. Alas, she is Silk, and I dare say worthy of it.

In fact, in her capacity as the Chairperson of Caricom, Ms. Mottley has a duty to make the subject remarks for the following reasons: 1.) Guyana is a member of Caricom, of which she is the current Chair; 2.) Caricom fielded an observer team to the elections.

That team certified the elections as free and fair; 3.) upon Mr. David Granger’s initiative, Mottley brokered an accord for a national recount of the ballots to be done. Caricom dispatched a team to oversee the National

Recount exercise; 4.) Mr. Granger cited Caricom as the “most legitimate interlocutor” to observe the elections, and demanded that GECOM take into account the Caricom team’s report; 5.) the Caricom team’s report certified the elections to be fair and credible, and labelled the allegations by APNU+AFC to be false and unsubstantiated.

In the circumstances, as a result of Keith Lowenfield’s fraudulent Report, Ms. Mottley could not have remained silent. She was not alone. The Commonwealth and the Ambassadors of the ABC countries and the EU publicly expressed similar sentiments.

To the Lewises of Guyana, I say that the overwhelming majority of Guyanese, including objective supporters of the APNU+AFC, welcome these enlightened foreign interventions, and we will continue to encourage them. However, I do appreciate that political demagogues, autocrats, authoritarians and dictators will label them as “interference” and “attacks upon sovereignty” under the rubric of patriotism.

After all, “patriotism” has long been the last refuge of a scoundrel.

Mohabir Anil Nandlall, Attorney-at-Law

Dear Editor, They aren’t many female Heads of State in the world. It has been heartbreaking as a young lady to read the vile distasteful and disrespectful things supporters of the coalition are saying.

The Honourable Mia Amor Mottley became Barbados’s first female Prime Minister, she secured a historic landslide victory and won all seats in their parliament.

The glass ceiling was thoroughly shattered. Though I am not surprised by the new narrative of members of the coalition, after all, look at their representation, where are all the women? The women of the coalition have not impressed or inspired me.

Why are they silent when their supporters and colleagues are

making their distasteful comments about this inspirational female leader? Where is Sandra Granger? Why is Cathy Hughes suddenly silent?

Not only it is disrespectful to women everywhere, but it is also disrespectful to the LGBTQ community. To refer to a female leader as “man” and use male pronouns, clearly is a mockery and is unpalatable.

Not only it is rude, but you are also mocking an entire community who are fighting to be recognized, whom only a daily basis gets referred to by all kinds of degrading terms, and have to constantly have to explain the concept of preferred pronouns.

STOP with the disrespectful, unpalatable personal attacks!

Respectfully, Nutana Singh

6

FRIDAY, JUNE 26, 2020

Page

Foundation

Guyana Times is pleased to publish the Education Ministry’s National Grade Six Assessment Past Papers and CXC questions.

Below are the second part of Social Studies Paper 1, 2009 and CXC English.

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

NATIONAL GRADE SIX ASSESSMENT

SOCIAL STUDIES

1. WRITE YOUR CANDIDATE NUMBER ON THE ANSWER SHEET AND UNDERLINE THE SUBJECT.

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.

3. If you are not sure of the answer to question, then choose the one which you think is BEST. On

your 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 YOUR ANSWER SHEET. Here is an example done for you.

1.The capital of Guyana is (A) Linden (B) Georgetown (C) Rose Hall (D) Lethem

Study the map below, then answer question 17.

(A) (B) (C) (D) A heavy black line has been drawn through the letter B on the answer sheet because 9, the correct answer, is next to B. If you make a mistake, erase the line cleanly, then draw a heavy black line through the letter next to the answer have now chosen.

20. The great leaders who sought independence, for Guyana were (A) Janet Jagan, Arthur Chung, Desmonctiloyte.

(B) Hubert Nathaniel Critchlow, Forbes Burnham, Janet Jagan.

(C) Peter D'Aguair, Martin Carter, Cheddie Jagan.

(D) Forbes Burnham, Cheddie Jagan, Peter D'Aguair.

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

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

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

23. The information above would most likely be given by a (A) real estate agent. (B) post office.

(C) car dealer. (D) cambio dealer.

Study the picture below then answer question 24.

21. Value Added Tax (V.A.T) was placed on certain foodstuff to (A) control the eating habits of people.

(B) increase revenue collection.

(C) encourage the use of local foods.

(D) promote fair food distribution.

17. The shaded area is important because (A) the soil is rich and fertile., (B) all the towns are found thqre.

(C) gold mining is carried on there.

(D) forest reserves are located there.

18. The main economic activity of the area marked X X is (A) cattle ranching. (B) rice farming.

(C) bauxite mining. (D) balata bleeding.

19. Which of the following is not a fort in Guyana?

-( A) Nova Zeetandia (B) Kyk-over-al (C) Nassau (D) Damon's Cross

22. Caricom countries buy most of their sugar from Guyana because (A) of, the high quality of the product.

(B) Guyana is the only sugar producing country.

(C) it is cheaper to buy the sugar from Guyana.

(D) of its high degree of sweetness.

Read the information below then answer question 24

24. The picture best reminds us that we must (A) eat nutritious foods.

(C) support the local farmers.

(B) eat more foreign foods.

(D) drink more milk.

TO BE CONTINUED

CXC ENGISH

By Olive Senior

Summarise the poem Describe its form and whether it is used effectively Discuss two important literary devices

NEWS

7

FRIDAY, JUNE 26, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Declaration of elections results must be based on national recount – Norway

Norway’s Ambassador to Guyana, Nils Martin Gunneng

Caricom Chair and Barbados' Prime Minister, Mia Mottley

he Kingdom of Norway has now joined mounting calls for the figures emanating from the national recount to be used as the basis for the declaration of the winner of the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections.

In a post on Thursday, Norway’s Ambassador to Guyana, Nils Martin Gunneng urged that the declaration of the elections results be based on the Caricom-certified recount.

“Norway joins the call for a fair and transparent conclusion of the Guyana Elections. The declaration of the election result must be based on the national recount, as witnessed by the Caricom observer mission,” the Norwegian Ambassador tweeted as he reposted a joint Statement from the ABCE diplomats in Guyana as well as shared the link of a video statement from Caricom

Chair, Barbadian Prime Minister Mia Mottley – both made on Wednesday.

The 34-day national recount exercise showed a victory for the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) by over 15,000 votes over its main political rival, the caretaker A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/ AFC) coalition.

The recount process was scrutinised by a high-level Caricom team, which in its report to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) last week said that “nothing we witnessed, warrants a challenge to the inescapable conclusion that the recount results are acceptable and should constitute the basis of the declaration of results of the March 2, 2020 elections”.

Despite this, however, Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield on Tuesday submitted his final elections report to the

T

United States Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Michael Kozak

Commission in which he invalidated more than 115,000 votes.

Lowenfield’s new figures, which he says are “valid and credible votes”, have invalidated nearly 25 per cent of the votes cast at the March polls.

Since then, pressure has been mounting for the will of the Guyanese people expressed at the March 2 polls to be respected and for the results from the national recount, which were certified, to form the basis for the declaration of the election results.

The Caricom Chair had questioned “on what grounds and by what form of executive fiat does the Chief Elections Officer determine that he should invalidate one vote, far less 115,000 votes?”

Meanwhile, the Heads of the ABCE diplomatic missions in Guyana – United States, Britain, Canada and the European Union (EU) – stressed that “every vote

US Ambassador Sarah-Ann Lynch

Canadian High Commissioner Lilian Chatterjee

cast by every voter” must be reflected in the declaration of the final elections results.

Even acting Assistant Secretary for the US Department of State’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, Michael Kozak, also tweeted on Wednesday evening that Guyanese spoke clearly at the March 2 polls.

“Guyana’s electorate spoke clearly & respected international observers @OAS_official & @ CARICOMorg have certified the recount results as credible. We join them in calling for a conclusion to the electoral process in #Guyana & the announcement of a winner,” Kozak said.

Moreover, the Commonwealth Secretariat had also on Wednesday condemned the move by Lowenfield and warned of the consequences that this could bring to Guyana’s reputation as a democratic nation.

“We call on all responsible par-

ties to consider the consequences to Guyana’s reputation as a democratic country if such an approach was allowed to stand,” the Commonwealth Secretary General, Baroness Patricia Scotland posited in her missive on Wednesday.

Last week after GECOM had decided to go ahead with the declaration of the elections based on the recount results, the APNU/AFC, through its supporter Eslyn David, approached the Court of Appeal.

Now, the Appeal Court’s ruling that “more votes cast” means “more valid votes cast” is being challenged at the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) by the PPP/C which has contended that the Court’s pronouncements have “plunged the law in total confusion and it is now no longer clear how an election of members of the National Assembly is to be challenged and how the election of the President can be challenged.”

8 NEWS FRIDAY, JUNE 26, 2020

| GUYANATIMESGY.COM

APNU/AFC protest in New Amsterdam

Supporters charged for violating COVID-19 measures following protest

Et tu…

F

Former Member of Parliament, Barbara Pilgrim

S

ix supporters of the A Partnership for National Unity-Alliance for Change (APNU-AFC) who were part of a planned protest last week were on Thursday charged for violating COVID-19 restrictive measures and appeared at the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s Court to answer the charge.

They are former Member of Parliament Barbara Pilgrim; Director of Regional Health Services, Jevaughn Stephens; Executive Member of the Regional Arm of the PNC, Kirk Fraser; Karen France; Pollyann Shultz and Quacy Joseph.

They were all charged with attending a social event in contravention of Number 2 (1) (A) of the COVID-19 emergency measures.

Fraser, Shultz and France pleaded guilty and were fined

Karen France

$10,000 each, while Stephens, Joseph and Pilgrim denied the charge and were granted bail in the sum of $10,000 each.

However, some of the charges might have been as a result of media pressure on the Police, after the Police had initially said that they

Director of Regional Health Services, Jevaughn Stephens

Quacy Joseph

told the protesters to disperse when questioned about the protest.

Video recording emerged of the protesters marching through the streets of New Amsterdam on June 18, with the Police leading the procession and some officers diverting traffic so that the procession can have priority.

Following social media pressure, the Police subsequently announced that charges were expected to be laid.

On Thursday last, supporters of the Peoples National Congress (PNC), protesting under the APNU/AFC banner, marched from Princess Elizabeth Road to Strand and St Magdalene Street, where the Party’s Regional Office is located. There they were addressed by Regional Secretary

Shurla Scott and Member of the Central Executive Committee Barbara Pilgrim.

Meanwhile, at the court on Thursday, Attorney-atlaw James Bond accused the Police of falsifying evidence against two of the accused.

“The footage shows clearly that Mr Stephens was not at Princess Elizabeth Road, Quacy Joseph was not at Princess Elizabeth Road, and the Police would have trumped up these charges against these individuals.

The Police maliciously falsified evidence and statements to show that Mr Stephens and Mr Joseph were present. They were not present,” Bond reiterated.

Stephens, Pilgrim and Joseph are expected to return to court on July 14.

GECOM restrained from...

“We have ensured that the Chief Elections Officer has been served with all of the papers in these proceedings, including the orders of this Court… in particular the case management order. We reminded him up until this morning, that this case management was on and we’ve also ensured that the link for these proceedings were sent to him so that he’d be able to attend. So, everything has been done to ensure that he’d be here, and, therefore, it is surprising that he’s not,” Mendes stated.

Lowenfield on Tuesday morning presented his final elections report to GECOM, in which he invalidated some 115,000 votes.

The GECOM Chair had instructed the CEO to submit his filed report based on the figures emanating from the national recount, which show the PPP/C in a landslide victory with over 15,000 votes more than the caretaker APNU/AFC coalition.

However, before Lowenfield submitted his report last week, he was served with the Eslyn David Notice of Motion. After the Appeal Court’s ruling on Monday, the CEO went ahead and submitted his report to GECOM disenfranchising more than 115,000 voters. This was despite the Court of Appeal staying its judgement for three days.

But AG Williams was quick to defend Lowenfield’s action in court, telling the panel that there was confu-

sion, because the coercive orders sought by David in the Appeal Court to restrain the CEO from submitting his report were not granted, he believed that he could go ahead with submitting his report.

“I suspect that before your order came out, the CEO had no impediments there. So that’s why he felt that he could’ve acted, and they’ve done nothing since,” Williams told the Court.

On the contrary, however, SC Mendes told the CCJ panel that Lowenfield was present during the Appeal Court’s ruling on Monday when it stayed its ruling. Yet, by the following day, he was able to “find his way to invalidating 115,000 votes. I was hoping that he (Lowenfield) would be here today, so that in the event that what he did, as the Attorney General is suggesting, was simply an error, a mistake of some sort, that he would tell the court that he would be withdrawing his report…”

Nevertheless, the requests for the CCJ panel to intervene and have Lowenfield withdraw his report was not granted by the Court on Thursday, which contended that the CEO’s submission of the report was done prior to its order issued late Tuesday afternoon.

“We cannot undo what was done by the Chief Elections Officer,” Justice Saunders posited, urging the parties that they could address this matter in their submissions.

Meanwhile, the Court

also clarified that it was yet to ascertain its jurisdiction in the matter, telling the parties that this preliminary aspect of the case would be consolidated with the substantive hearing. This, according to the CCJ President, was in the interest of time and the urgency of the matter.

“We do not propose to drag out these proceedings by hearing preliminary points in a serial manner. We will hear preliminary points at the same time as we hear the points of substance…

There is nothing to preclude us from hearing all of these matters. And then if the preliminary points succeed, then we won’t have to delve into the other matters, but if the preliminary points fail, then we would have saved time by already having before us all of the submissions on those matters that go beyond the preliminary point that may or may not fail,” Justice Saunders asserted.

Moreover, the CCJ President went on to assure the parties that the Court would treat this matter based only on what was presented to it by the parties – as it has always done. This assurance was made after concerns were raised by SC Jeremie about statements being made by persons with “considerable influence in the Region” on the matter.

“You can rest assured that we are not going to have regard to anything that which is being said outside the court and which is not being fea-

FROM PAGE 3

tured as a relevant part of these proceedings,” Justice Saunders stressed.

The full CCJ bench is presiding over this matter. In addition to Justice Saunders, the CCJ panel includes Justices Jacob Wit, Winston Anderson, Maureen Rajnauth-Lee, Denys Barrow, Andrew Burgess, and Peter Jamadar.

Meanwhile, the APNU/ AFC in a desperate distortion conveniently plucked one sentence from what Justice Saunders had stated on Thursday’s case management hearing.

This was according to former Attorney General Anil Nandlall, who made reference to Justice Saunders’ statement on the submission of Chief Elections Officer Lowenfield’s recent report to the GECOM. Justice Saunders said, “We cannot undo what was done by the Chief Elections Officer.

If Counsel wish to include it in his submissions whether what was done was lawfully done or whether there is to be no consequence or whether there is consequence to what was done, you are free to do so but certainly did not intend in these proceedings to embark upon the substantive issues”.

“It is clear that the Judge was implying that the issue regarding the Chief Elections Officer may be dealt with at the hearing but not at the case management stage of the case, that is, at Thursday’s hearing,” Nandlall stated.

…PNC? or decades in the seventies and eighties, Burnham and the PNC made Guyanese ashamed to face their brothers and sisters in the Caribbean. Whatever we might’ve said about the British and their colonial rule, they did impart to all of us a respect for the rule of law and for dealing with our affairs with a sense of dignity. We sniffed haughtily at those “excitable” Latin types around us with their tin pot dictators and starving populace!!

Until Burnham – for us Guyanese.

When fellow West Indians complained about their hurricanes and earthquakes, we checkmated them by simply pointing out: “We have Burnham!!”

With the return of free and fair elections in 1992, the PPP didn’t just have to repair the shattered economy that had scattered our people as servants across the Caribbean, they also had to repair our reputations as a “starving guts” people. And they did. But we can’t forget the help of our Caribbean brothers and sisters, who didn’t just do so by taking is in; but even at the governmental level, when, for instance, T&T forgave almost half a billion in US dollars’ debt!!

And don’t forget they all came around to help fix our political system when the PNC insisted it had won the 1997 elections – even though all Observers certified them as credible. They brokered the Herdmanston Accord with its far-reaching agreement on Constitutional change. But here it is again, two decades later, the PNC is not only disputing another election – one that it was caught red-handed fiddling with the ballots! – but now biting CariCom’s hand that once again is stretched out to help our beleaguered Guyanese people.

As CariCom Chair, Mia Mottley, had cause to remind this bunch of ingrates in the PNC - starting with the Sanctimonious Gangster David Granger - she and four other Caricom heads didn’t have to come to Guyana when Granger suggested a recount - supposedly to fix the rig. But they did. And they didn’t have to send “the most trusted interlocutors” – the CariCom Observer team for both the elections and the recount – but they did.

And what did they get, just for reporting what they saw? One of the nastiest cussing out in the region since Toussaint defeated the French Expeditionary Force!!

Bruce Golding, ex-PM of Jamaica; Owen Arthur, ex-PM of Barbados; and incumbent PM (and current CariCOM Chair) Mia Mottley have been insulted in the worst way possible.

While the world is roiling from the anti-black racism, especially in white-majority countries, here in our Caribbean - where blacks have been ruling since the 1960s - the PNC have the temerity to accuse all these black Leaders of being paid off by the PPP!!

Et tu, PNC?? ...Basil Williams?

Yesterday, your Eyewitness dropped in on the CCJ’s “Case Management Meeting” dealing with the Appeal brought by the Opposition parties about our Court of Appeal arrogating itself jurisdiction to hear the PNC’s petition to prevent the GECOM Chair from instructing her CEO on what data to use for his report. He concluded that one of the positives that’ll remain after this COVID-19 pandemic will be these long-distance meetings via Zoom. Like “Google”, “Zoom” is destined to become a communications verb!

He also found out that as far as loyalty to the PNC cause goes, Basil Williams isn’t prepared to go down the line.

After PPP Counsel Mendes complained that after being served, Lowenfield still absented himself from the hearing, after he’d played fast and loose with the CoA’s order to stay put; Williams rushed to Lowenfield’s defence with a convoluted explanation, but after Mendes suggested that he (Williams) inform Lowenfield about his obligations, the newly-minted Senior Counsel huffily snorted, “I ain’t no messenger!!”

After all that Lowenfield has done!! Et tu, Bannuh? …Nagamootoo??

How far will PNC doormat Moses Nagamootoo go to save his super salary?? He just accused the US of “interfering” in Guyana’s elections because of their interest in ousting Maduro next door!!

Is it not enough to cuss CariCom leaders?

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

NEWS

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FRIDAY, JUNE 26, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Guyana’s post-NCM image “took a severe beating” – Irfaan Ali P

eople’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Presidential Candidate, Dr Irfaan Ali on Thursday highlighted that Guyana’s image suffered a ‘severe beating’ ever since the passage of the No-Confidence Motion against the Granger regime in 2018, which later catapulted the country into a state of instability.

International organisations, observer groups, and the diplomatic community have looked at the country in disdain after months have passed without the appointment of a Head of State.

For almost four months, the country has also been left at a standstill as it awaits a credible declaration from the March 2, 2020 polls. In the national recount, the PPP/C emerged victorious based on the number of certified votes garnered.

Speaking at a live forum, he emphasised that a country’s stature should represent its respect for the rule of law, democracy and international relationships – all of which are essential in building investments. But the fight by the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) to cling to power has changed the way the country is perceived on the international stage.

“The image of our country took a severe beating in the last few months, or maybe more. Maybe the last year and a half since the passage of the No-Confidence Motion.

The image of a country is very important for stability, for in-

PPP/C Presidential Candidate, Dr Irfaan Ali

vestment. You are presenting an image to the international community that you are a serious country, that you take seriously the rule of law, issues of democracy, that you take very seriously the constitution of that country and that you respect the international charters that you are a part of,” he asserted.

Guyana has stood as a member of the Caribbean Community, Commonwealth, the United Nations, Organisation of American States and many other reputable organisations. According to him, they have proved important in lending a third eye in ensuring that the elections were transparent and credible.

Dr Ali further stated that these entities singularly pointed out that Region Four’s Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo provided falsified re-

sults thus calling for a national recount, which upon its completion showed the PPP/C emerging victorious.

“Unfortunately, what we have here in Guyana is that all the stakeholders who came here to oversee our elections are of the singular view that 1) the tabulation of District Four votes by Mingo was fraudulent and that everyone embraced a national recount. All these observers are also of the singular view that the outcome of the recount results which showed a People’s Progressive Party/ Civic victory is credible, acceptable, and should be result that is used by GECOM for the declaration of the President,” Dr Ali noted.

Meanwhile, Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield submitted a report on Tuesday to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Secretariat which did not reflect the recount results and more importantly, disenfranchised some 115,000 voters. Dr Ali lamented that this ‘concocted’ document was created with the intention of derailing the will of the people.

The Presidential Candidate contended, “He was a part of this deep-seated, deep-rooted conspiracy to steal an election, to steal a country and that is a fundamental point…The world and every democratic force are on the same page, that is, the results of the recount are acceptable.”

Meanwhile, he also called out the APNU/AFC coalition for playing mind games with their supporters as it contin-

taker Government launched an attack on current Head of Caricom, Barbadian Prime Minister Mia Mottley, after she spoke out on the recent move by CEO Lowenfield to invalidate over 115,000 votes.

The Caricom Head, along with Heads of the ABCE diplomatic missions in Guyana – United States, Britain, Canada and the European Union, expressed that the results from the national recount must form the basis for the declaration of the election

Caretaker President David Granger

ued to hinder the announcement of a winner from the polls. This has added to the impression created of Guyana by overseas entities.

“The unfortunate thing here is the way the APNU/ AFC have treated their supporters. Their supporters would have voted for them, but I’m sure their supporters, the majority of which, do not agree with the state of the affairs and for them to play psychological games with their supporters is not right.”

He added, “We’re in a situation where the group of persons who are trying to take away the rights of the people and to impose themselves on this country are trying to present a narrative, but the world has changed. When we say we live in a global village and are part of a global community, it means something.”

Just Wednesday, the care-

results.

However, they all came under attack by the David Granger-led coalition and Mottley’s statement was labelled as “ill-informed and ill-advised”. The coalition then retracted its statement, citing errors.

The coalition has also, in the past, insisted that other countries should not meddle in Guyana’s affairs and later reached out to these stakeholders for funding and monetary grants.

10 NEWS FRIDAY, JUNE 26, 2020

| GUYANATIMESGY.COM

6 new COVID-19 cases recorded – active cases now stand at 95

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hief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr Shamdeo Persaud on Thursday confirmed that six new cases of COVID-19 were detected, thus raising the total cases to 215 to date.

While delivering the daily update, he announced that another 84 tests were conducted within one day, but only six of those samples returned positive results.

The number of deaths remains at 12.

The total number of tests done is 2355 with 2140 persons being negative. There have been 108 recoveries.

In the various quarantine facilities, 95 persons are being presently treated with 16 persons in institutional quarantine and one patient

Chief Medical Officer, Dr Shamdeo Persaud

in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

However, it was indicated that the July-August vacation period for students will commence in just a few days and many may venture outdoors.

The CMO advised parents to find alternative activities to keep their children indoors this year, in order to protect their families.

“We empathise with you, because the pandemic has curtailed most of their outdoor activities, the most important being that they have been unable to attend school. The upcoming holidays will be challenging as you try to keep them engaged, but most importantly safe. We, therefore, ask you to start thinking ahead

of innovative activities that are just as fun which can be conducted within the confines of your residence. Keeping your children safe is a priority and we hope that you remain committed to this task,” he suggested.

The pandemic has not affected healthcare services to antenatal mothers, as clinics remain open and persons can be seen by doctors at these facilities. It was highlighted that they are working to ensure early detection and diagnosis.

Dr Persaud informed, “Our childhealth clinics and antenatal clinics continue to function as our children’s vaccination and growth monitoring is an ongoing process. Our antenatal mothers still need to be seen and examined at clinic for us to ensure that the pregnancy period is safe and without complications.

If complications arise, we would like to diagnose these in a timely manner so that management can be initiated early.”

Parents of children who are due for their HPV vaccines are asked to seek

this service at the nearest health centre. These children should be within the age range of nine to 16 years of age.

On Wednesday, the CMO had acknowledged the fact that repatriates were providing inaccurate information to health officials upon their return. This time around, Dr Persaud clarified that the publication of their names will help in tracking the disease across the country.

“Please note that the publication of your names is not designed to embar-

rass you, but is a part of our surveillance activities which help us to track this disease, so that the management can be more effective. So, we ask you to cooperate with the health officials, whose work is doubled when they call and are unable to follow up with you,” he expressed.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the total number of cases is 9, 129,146 with 473,797 deaths. In the Region of the Americas, the number of cases is 4,507, 006 with 226,504 deaths.

NEWS

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FRIDAY, JUNE 26, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

GAWU tells ‘sugar belt’ workers to brace for no salary today …flood-prone coastal villages now under threat, no money for fuel at pump stations Additionally, GAWU reiterated that with several more weeks before the second crop commences, the industry requires about $1 billion to meet wages and salaries’ expenditures, while additional monies are required to meet other operational expenses.

Flood threats!

Headquarters of the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL)

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housands of employees across the sugar belt are being told by their union representatives that the Guyana Sugar Corporation Inc (GuySuCo) is without funds to make good on payment of wages and salaries for this month, expected to be paid on June 26 (today).

This is according to the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU), which in a public statement on Thursday warned that the situation is compounded by the fact that the corporation has in fact ceased production and that sales from sugar and molasses have also come to an end.

GAWU additionally warned on Thursday that sources in the Governmentowned holding company National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) are still to make available to the sugar

corporation any of the promised support.

According to GAWU, this has led to a state of affairs where “the state-owned company will exhaust its remaining funds by this weekend.”

As such, according to GAWU, “…monthly-paid employees of the Company, who were to be paid on June 26, 2020, will not receive their salaries, as there are insufficient resources to offset the payment.”

GAWU said, “Persons in the GuySuCo, we have learnt, are very anxious at this time, considering production has halted and incomes from the sales of sugar and molasses have ceased.”

The sugar workers’ representative said in its missive that it has since been indicated that if “NICIL does not release any monies soon, the company will be forced to close its doors.”

The union noted also that “there are some worries that in the absence of sufficient funds, the Corporation may not be able to purchase sufficient fuel to operate its pumping stations.”

The union body has since posited that should reality be borne out, “We could see several villages being flooded, should the rainy season persist.”

GAWU said, too, “We have learnt that the Corporation is seeking the assistance of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) to avert such disaster.”

The workers’ representative union has since articulated in its public statement that GAWU, “like GuySuCo, is hopeful that this matter could be addressed soonest, and the worse could be averted.”

According to GAWU, “We remain most concerned about the heartless treatment of the sugar industry by the now de-facto Administration.”

The workers’ body is adamant that “thousands of lives hang in the balance and the need for urgent in-

tervention is needed” and that “such assistance is denied, arising from the naked attempts to thwart the will of the people and prevent the installation of a legitimate Government.”

Only recently, the union, in lambasting the administration’s economic machinations at the Ministry of Finance juxtaposed with the affairs at GuySuCo, had called on the caretaker President to account for the more than $330 million spent daily by the Government in recent months; a situation that has since depleted the national reserves.

The union’s position had come a day after the Ministry of Finance reported that Guyana’s national treasury is presently “inca-

pable of providing a bailout” to the Corporation, and the Corporation should seek to work out its bottlenecks, since any monies due from the sale of sugar lands still would not be for the industry directly, but rather to make repayments for a bond that was secured.

It was reported that during an eight-month period between July 2018 and February 2020, $9.7 billion was disbursed to GuySuCo to fund its Capital and Operational Expenditure – much of which was outside the terms of the bond.

The Ministry said too that additionally, NICIL, through the Special Purpose Unit (SPU), had sold lands that were vested to it, and garnered deposits of $2.1 billion. This money, howev-

er, was used to offset bond payments that became due in May 2020, the Ministry said, adding that the balance of $1.5 billion for the lands will be paid over to NICIL when the vesting orders are signed and gazetted.

The balance, however, is not expected to make its way to the Corporation in its entirety, since according to the Ministry, part of this sum will go towards a bond repayment which is due on July 4, and the remainder to GuySuCo. It was noted too that another disbursement is expected in the coming days; and as such, the Government had urged “that NICIL, GuySuCo and the syndicated lenders work assiduously to resolve any bottlenecks”.

12 NEWS

FRIDAY, JUNE 26, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Early-morning fire leaves 81-year-old homeless

Owner of the house, Dhaniram Haricharran

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n 81-year-old pensioner is now homeless after a fire of unknown origin completely destroyed his Kingston, Georgetown home in the wee hours of Thursday.

According to reports, smoke was seen emanating from the Lot 33 Barrack Street, Kingston property some time after 07:30h and the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) was summoned.

Three tenders were deployed to the scene and managed to contain the blaze, preventing it from spreading to nearby buildings.

The two-storey wooden and concrete building – situated at the back of a business establishment – was gutted. The outer structure remained intact while the interior turned to ashes.

At the scene, after the fire erupted, the owner of the house, Dhaniram Haricharran explained that

he worked as a gardener and would return home around 10:30h.

That morning, it was no different and his routine played out as per normal, but this time when he returned home, he was left in a state of disbelief after seeing his house in flames.

The pensioner, who remained composed throughout the entire incident, stated that upon seeing the fire tenders on site, he realised that the building was burning.

While standing among the ruins and debris, Haricharran explained, “I left home at about 06:30h to go to work and I normally come back at 10:30. But only when I reach here, almost at the entrance of the place, then I see the fire reel and hose working and so on.

Now, I know the place burn down.”

Since no one was at home, nothing could be saved. The elderly man estimated his losses to be about $20 million. Haricharran said he would be moving in with a son who resides on the West Coast of Demerara while contemplating his next move.

The pensioner noted, “I’m alright.”

Meanwhile, Divisional Officer with responsibility for Administration, Gregory Wickham told media operatives that three tenders responded to the scene after they received reports of a fire. Efforts were made by firefighters to prevent the flames from spreading.

“We received a call of a building on fire. The first ap-

The ruins of the house after the inferno was extinguished on Thursday morning

pliance (fire tender) reaching the scene sent a message that the building was well alight, so we increased to three pumps to lend support. By virtue of those appliances coming on the scene and lending support to the

first appliance, we were able to bring the fire under control and eventually, extinguished it,” the GFS Officer explained.

According to him, initial information suggests that the fire started on the lower

flat and later spread to the second storey.

“Our investigative team here on the ground will be carrying out their investigation to bring us to the conclusion to know exactly the cause of the fire. And upon completion of that, the Chief Fire Officer will be releasing information,” Wickham disclosed.

It was indicated that while there was sufficient water to bring the situation under control, the GFS’s work was somewhat hindered by the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) after the electricity supply did not cut off in time.

Wickham highlighted, “There are fire hydrants that are operable, but our tank’s supply of water initially able to bring the fire under control. The firefighters’ work was impeded a bit

GFS Divisional Officer Gregory Wickham

by GPL, because we still had current flowing in the mains and so we had to be calling back and forth.” (Rupa Seenaraine)

Police issue wanted bulletin for Berbice man following drug bust

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he Guyana Police Force (GPF) on Thursday has issued a wanted bulletin for 25-yearold Elroy Oral Bristol for questioning in relation to possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking.

Based on a release from the Police, the drug bust took place on Tuesday, June 23 at Patrick’s Dam, Angoy’s Avenue, New Amsterdam, Berbice – the wanted man’s neighbourhood.

Anyone with information

that may lead to the arrest of Bristol is asked to contact the Police on telephone numbers 333-2151, 333-5564, 226-7065, 911 or at the nearest Police Station.

Police said that all information received would be treated with the strictest confidentiality.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, a boat captain who was arrested with over 103 kilograms of ganja in his boat managed to escape law enforcement officers by plunging overboard and swimming to shore.

It was reported that ranks of the GPF were conducting a river patrol in the Canje Creek when they in-

Elroy Oral Bristol

tercepted the wooden vessel in the vicinity of Sandaka.

A search of the boat revealed nine taped and compressed parcels, each containing suspected cannabis.

Four men, including the Captain, were arrested.

While being escorted to New Amsterdam in the GPF’s boat, which was powered by a 60-horsepower outboard engine, the Captain held onto one of the ranks and plunged overboard with him.

The Policeman was quickly rescued, but the suspect swam ashore and escaped.

The other three suspects remain in custody and are being processed for court.

NEWS

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FRIDAY, JUNE 26, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

CCJ ruling can bring a clear resolution to Guyana’s electoral impasse – Carter Center the Court of Appeal seeking a number of reliefs. As a consequence, the work of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) was put on hold.

And following the Appeal Court’s ruling on Monday, the PPP/C approached the CCJ to challenge that judgment, claiming that it “plunged the law in total confusion”.

With a full hearing of

stated.

“And if it takes another short amount of time, what’s important is that there is a clear resolution that has a credible basis to it,” he added.

According to Dr Carroll, the current situation is not healthy, more particularly for a government that fell to a No-Confidence Motion more than one year ago to remain in executive office.

Director of the Center’s Democracy Programme, Dr David Carroll

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judgement handed down by the Caribbean Court of Justice – Guyana’s final legal recourse – can possibly bring an end to the current electoral crisis facing the nation, says the Carter Center.

Director of the Center’s Democracy Programme, Dr David Carroll, during an exclusive interview with Guyana Times, explained that the existing political climate in the country is not healthy, and an immediate resolution is needed.

Just when the country thought the process would come to an end with the declaration of the elections results last week, the APNU/ AFC Coalition approached

ble results and credible legal basis, and we can move toward the next phase.”

The next phase, he reasoned, is to address the flaws of the electoral and entire governance system in the country.

“Elections in Guyana are broken, and there is a real serious need to address the flaws of the elections’ legal framework in Guyana, and reforms are seriously needed to the electoral system in Guyana and frankly to the broader system of governance in the country,” Dr Carroll explained.

He added that “the winner takes all system is the problem”, as he alluded to the need for an inclusive governance approach.

Inclusive Governance

that party’s appeal set for July 1, Dr Carroll is hoping that the subsequent ruling would ultimately bring an end to this unprecedented prolonged electoral process.

“The ability to turn to legal options to try to address the disputes was anticipated; and ultimately, a ruling by the CCJ, we can hope as it did in the No-Confidence Motion (case) and previous important cases, can bring a final resolution to the question,” the Carter Center rep

“The elections process on a whole has not been healthy for Guyana,” he expressed.

Asked specifically about the fact that the APNU/AFC Coalition has grasped onto power since December 2018, Dr Carroll said, “I don’t think any of this has been healthy for Guyana. I really don’t.”

The Carter Center rep noted that “the best that can happen now is that there is as quick as possible resolution that is founded on credi-

CORONAVIRUS

(COVID-19) INFORMATION AND GUIDELINES HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF?

Guyanese went to the polls on March 2 to exercise their franchise; but now, some three months later, results are yet to be declared.

The issues were started in the tabulation center for Region Four (Demerara Mahaica) – the country’s largest electoral district – where Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo began tabulating numbers which were different from the figures on the official documents, the Statements of Poll (SOPs).

He then proceeded to make a declaration based on those fraudulent numbers, and the APNU/AFC

Coalition open-handedly accepted those results despite objections from every other stakeholder, including the Carter Center.

A second attempt by Mingo to declare the results using fraudulent numbers was also supported by the APNU/AFC. Eventually, a recount exercise initiated by caretaker President David Granger and agreed upon by Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo was set to commence under the supervision of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

But despite agreeing to the recount exercise, Granger’s coalition party, through a supporter, approached the courts to stop the activity from happening.

After another legal battle, the recount exercise began, and Granger, who described CARICOM as the

most important interlocutors in the process, had agreed to accept the recount results.

The recount results clearly show that the PPP/C won the elections, but now Granger’s party is refusing to accept those results.

Asked if a shared governance approach with a party that has consistently demonstrated its intent to disregard the rules is likely, Dr Carroll said, “I think they have to commit, if they are really interested in all Guyanese…”

He explained that commitment is needed, not just from the political leaders, but from civil society and regular Guyanese citizens. “(Guyana’s) deeply polarised society and political system will really hold it back from what could be an extremely successful and bright future,” the Carter Center rep reasoned.

SYMPTOMS

People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness.

Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. People with these symptoms or combinations of symptoms may have COVID-19:

Cough

Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

Or at least two of these symptoms:

Fever 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)

Headache

Chills

Sore throat

Repeated shaking with chills

Muscle pain

Children have similar symptoms to adults and generally have New loss of taste mild illness. or smell

14 NEWS

FRIDAY, JUNE 26, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

CCJ offers parties in Guyana pathway to rule of law

By Sir Ronald Sanders

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here have been unhelpful and destructive attacks by leading members and zealous supporters of the APNUAFC caretaker government in Guyana against all with whose position they disagree. The targets are international organisations, CARICOM heads of government, other governments that have been major partners with Guyana and their diplomatic representatives.

All these institutions, governments and their representatives have urged that the political parties in Guyana accept an undertaking they solemnly gave. That undertaking was to accept a national recount of the votes cast at the March 2 general elections as the basis for the elections result.

Apart from its paid lobbyist in Washington, DC, Bart Fisher, who succeeded in printing an opinion in the obscure publication Washington Examiner, research has not revealed any credible supporters of the belligerent stand that APNU-AFC has adopted of rejecting the National Recount, which President David Granger helped to initiate and to which he said he would be bound.

The APNU-AFC stand is unfortunate. The party, or at least its two main components, the Peoples National

Congress and the Working Peoples Alliance, have legitimate places in the political life of Guyana. These are places that should be preserved, because every country needs political parties that offer ideas for good governance and hold themselves ready to form a government at the will of the people as expressed at the ballot box. These parties also need the recognition of the Caribbean and international communities that they are democratic entities, prepared to advance their ideas vigorously, and ready to accept the judgement of the electorate.

They squander the respect and the encouragement of the regional and international communities when they resort to slurs and calumny against heads of government and institutions as the only defence for refusing to accept a transparent and fully supervised recount that does not suit them.

The recent assaults on Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, as Chair of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), is loathsome.

Mottley carried out her duty to member states of CARICOM, including the nation of Guyana, and to the Charter of Civil Society of which Guyana is a signatory. She expressed “sadness” over events in Guyana that have caused the result of an

Sir Ronald Sanders, Ambassador of Antigua and Barbuda to the United States and the OAS

election, held on March 2, not to be declared more than three months later, and she repeated that the report of the CARICOM scrutineers “reflects the result of the recount process as certified by the very staff of the Guyana Elections Commission and witnessed by representatives of political parties”.

Nothing Prime Minister Mottley said was untrue.

Therefore, it is distressing that President Granger was encouraged to say that her statement “appears to be designed to exert undue pressure on the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ)”. To impute to Prime Minister Mottley such a disreputable motive is unacceptable and unjust.

The CCJ has been

brought into this matter as Guyana’s final appellate Court. The opposition Peoples Progressive Party (PPC/C) and others are appealing a decision of the Guyana Court of Appeal which ordered an interpretation of the words ‘more valid votes are cast’ and a stay of its decision for three days. The applicants claim that the decision was wrong for many reasons, including that the Court of Appeal did not have the jurisdiction to hear and determine the Notice of Motion. The APNU-AFC has been adamant that the CCJ has no jurisdiction to hear the case, claiming that the Guyana Court of Appeal’s decision is final.

Not content with making legal arguments to the CCJ to establish their case, zealots of the APNU-AFC turned to broadening their attacks to include the President of the CCJ, Adrian Saunders.

In a webpage constructed for political propaganda with an undisclosed writer, they claim that St Vincent and the Grenadines’ Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves, the longest-serving head of government in the region, who led his country to election to a non-permanent seat of the UN Security Council, is biased against them, and that Justice Saunders will be influenced by his friendship with Gonsalves to rule against the APNU-AFC surrogate in the case.

The attack on Justice Saunders is reprehensible as it is baseless. In the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, Saunders twice found against cases in which Gonsalves was the lead attorney. Further, Saunders’ judicial independence is recognised internationally, including by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, on whose advisory board he serves.

Justice Saunders will also be accompanied in the hearing by at least five other distinguished judges whose reputations are equally untainted.

Fortunately, those who were convinced that the judges of the Guyana Court

of Appeal were compromised by familial and other links did not similarly indulge in casting aspersions on their judicial integrity.

Luis Almagro, the Secretary-General of the Organisation of American States, summed up this sorry tale when he declared: “It is undeniable that this election has gone on long enough. The process in Guyana must be brought to an end, based on the results of the national recount, and with respect for the will of the majority of the electorate”.

The justices of the CCJ offer that conclusive opportunity. They held a lengthy case management session on June 25, with all the parties concerned except the chief elections officer, Keith Lowenfield, who discarded the CARICOM report of the recount and invalidated more than 115,000 votes.

He chose not to make a submission or be represented by counsel, and therefore not to be questioned by the court when the case is heard. They will begin hearings, after written submissions, on July 1.

The CCJ hearing and eventual decision will give the parties in Guyana a chance to adhere to the rule of law, behave lawfully, and salvage their own and the country’s standing. They should take it.

Granger demands ‘loyalty’ as GDF Commander-in-Chief …tells newly-commissioned Cadets ‘to demonstrate obedience’

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aretaker President David Granger on Thursday demanded loyalty and obedience to superiors in the hierarchy of the Guyana Defence Force in the execution of their duties and to, among other things, support and defend the state against all enemies whomsoever in upholding the preserve of the Constitution of

Guyana.

This, according to Granger, Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces.

He was at the time presenting Instruments of Commission to newly commissioned officers from the GDF’s Standard Officers’ Course No. 51 for 2020 at the Colonel Ulric Pilgrim Officer Cadet School.

The 25 Ensigns who were each promoted to the rank of Second Lieutenant

Granger, in addressing the newly minted officers, reminded that the Commission is unique in that it is an official certificate issued only by the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.

Addressing the ranks, Granger said the instrument “appoints a person to high office, conferring on him (or her) the authority to exercise the functions of command in the GDF.” He said, “The Commission distinguishes the officer from the non-commissioned officer and the private soldier”.

According to Granger, “The State Commission and Instrument of Commission are not merely certificates to mark the successful completion of a training course”, since they constitute the lawful licences to exercise authority as military officers.

Prefacing his charge that the officers abide by their oath of office, Granger iterated that “the State Commission demands trust, loyalty and good conduct on the officer’s part. It requires the exercise of diligence, discipline, and dedication in the discharge of his duties.”

According to the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) Presidential Candidate in the still-tobe- concluded General and Regional Elections, the instruments require an officer to “demonstrate obedience to his superiors, to demand compliance from his subordinates, and extend cooperation with his compeers.”

The GDF’s de-facto Commander in Chief, in his address, challenged the officers to uphold the oath which they have sworn, that “I…will bear true faith and allegiance to the state

of Guyana; that I will support and defend the state against all enemies whomsoever; that I will faithfully discharge the functions of an officer in the Guyana Defence Force without fear or favour, affection or illwill, and that in the discharge of those functions, I will honour, uphold and preserve the Constitution of Guyana.”

According to Granger, “I challenge you to uphold the Force’s five core values – duty, discipline, identity, integrity and loyalty” The de-facto Army Commander, in concluding his remarks, “required” of the newly commissioned officers conduct in consonance with the GDF school’s ideological training: of loyalty to superiors and state, in addition to “discipline and steadfastness”, among other maxims.

NEWS

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FRIDAY, JUNE 26, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

RDC’s revenue depleted below operational costs – Linden’s Deputy Mayor – cannot afford to pay its major bills

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inden’s Deputy Mayor, Wainewright Bethune, has indicated that the municipality of the Linden Mayor and Town Council (LM&TC) is presently operating below its operational costs, with additional economic hardships owing to the social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic having to be borne.

Bethune on Wednesday noted that the Council, which recently could not have afforded to pay its employees, has since managed

to do so, but is now faced with the issue of paying its major bills.

“We are trying…even under normal circumstances, the Council’s revenue is way below its operational cost.

With the impact of this pandemic, the COVID-19, that has depleted a lot more. So, we are limping along. We’ve managed to pay salaries to the employees so far, but some of our other major bills I don’t think we can pay that as yet. Hopefully, when the situation normalises, we’ll have to look and see how

we can talk to those agencies to see how we can find the monies to do that,” the Deputy Mayor said.

Just recently, Linden Mayor Waneka Arrindell indicated that the Council had sought financial assistance from the Communities Ministry, and had made representation to that Ministry through the Guyana Association of Municipalities (GAM).

Bethune noted on Wednesday that the Ministry is supposed to be looking into supplying eco-

Jonah Paul

Cain Edwards

Among the nine new guides were Bhagwandas Balkaran, Delven Adams, Kenneth Butler, Rovin Alvin, Ruffino Davis Edwards, Cain Edwards, Johan Paul, Vivian Smith and Quadad De Freitas. They were trained in First Aid/CPR precautionary and emergency measures, a requirement for licensing.

“Through this training, participants will be able to implement a coordinated response in emergency scenarios, which will ultimately build confidence to respond to incidents where time is of the essence, significantly reducing the potential for fatalities. In addition to its being

mandatory to improve their overall operations to ensure the health and safety of their guests, this training is pivotal now more than ever,” the GTA insisted.

In early May, the GTA assumed new leadership when Carla James was elected as Director to run the operations. James had said that in these challenging times, they will be preparing for the rebound, and would be improving the quality of services offered to return stronger.

She has taken up the role at a time when there was little to no tourism activity in the country.

9 new tour guides receive licence from GTA to operate

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total of nine individuals were conferred with the ‘tour guide’ badge after undergoing a series of training under the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) to ensure that they were fit to conduct excursions while ensuring that guests are safe.

In a press statement on Thursday, the tourism body highlighted that all fees associated with their training programmes were waived for six months in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, and this period ends in September.

The Guyana Tourism Authority Regulations of 2008 mandate that an operating licence is mandatory before conducting any services associated with tourism and hospitality.

“Based on the Guyana Tourism Authority Regulations of 2008, tourism accommodation establishments, tour operators, tourist guides and interior lodges and resorts are required to have a Guyana Tourism Authority Licence to operate, or can be fined by the Authority for not being in compliance with the associated regulations,” the statement indicated.

nomic aid to assist with the payment of workers.

“We would have asked the Ministry of Communities for some support, and this is for salaries for the employees. They’re looking into that. But we’re getting along, not fine but we’re trying with the little that we got; and so far, all our employees would have been paid…”, the Deputy Mayor said.

Nevertheless, Bethune urged residents to remain patient as he noted that the world is being faced with a unique situation as a result of the pandemic.

“We just have to be patient and make the adjustments and, hopefully, things will go back to normal soon.

In the meantime, I think we should show some respect and adhere to the guidelines that we’ve been given by the National Task Force, also all the other medical advice…”,

Deputy Mayor of Linden, Wainewright Bethune

he said.

In a recent interview with this publication, Arrindell indicated that it costs approximately $10 million a month to maintain the functions of the municipality, which include the provision of basic services and the

payment of staff.

As a result of social distancing measures, the Municipality, which has had to reduce its hours of work while most of its staff have had to remain at home, is now faced with issues such as reduced revenues and paying its staff. Arrindell had also explained that there has been an overall reduction in revenue collection, as many people across the Region are now at home.

“What has happened is that there’s a reduction in revenue collection. COVID has played a role, and we’ve had a reduction in revenue at our toll booth at the market, because, as you know (at) the market only essential workers are working. And then there’s the 6 o’clock curfew, so even the parks have reduced revenue collection”, Arrindell had told this publication.

16 NEWS

FRIDAY, JUNE 26, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Governments who steal elections to remain in power punish their citizens – Manickchand G

overnments who “steal elections” to remain in power do not serve their people’s interest, as they see no need to do so, since they are convinced that they would repeat the same actions in future elections to hang on to power illegally.

This is the view expressed by former Minister of Education under the Peoples Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration, Priya Manickchand, during a virtual programme titled “Government in Transition” on Wednesday evening.

“Governments who thief power to stay in office don’t serve their people. There is no need to win hearts and votes through your service, because you are going to steal the next elections…And if there is no need to win hearts and votes through your service, then there is no need to serve,” Manickchand, who was at the time commenting on the current political situation in Guyana, posited.

Manickhand, a PPP/C Candidate for the March 2 polls, explained that there

She reasoned that citizens were taking part in a peaceful action to register their concerns against the action of the Government, yet they were charged and placed before the courts.

Manickchand told viewers that the APNU/AFC Government thought that it could have gotten away easily with “stealing the elections” and remain in power. “They did not expect the world to resist this kind of

PPP/C Executive Member Priya Manickchand

is a massive resistance to attempts to alter the results of the elections by both local and international stakeholders because they are well aware of the hardships citizens would face if the incumbent APNU/ AFC Coalition is allowed to remain in power though fraudulent means.

“What you saw in the last five years: people going hungry and not being fed; people losing jobs and not being subsidised; electricity bills going up; water bills going up; farmers being left on their own etc, that is

what you will see again,” she warned.

The former minister stressed that the world is standing up and resisting this, “because people who thief power and go into office punish their citizens”.

Manickchand added that such governments take away the fundamental rights of citizens. She cited the recent peaceful protest by citizens against the draconian measures put in place to prevent the Washingtonbased Carter Center from returning to Guyana to observe the National Recount.

for Corporation Tax and Income Tax due for Year of Income 2019 which was payable by April 30, 2020. * Interest and penalties, though applicable for late filing and payment, may be waived by the Commissioner-General for a just cause. * The removal of VAT on water, electricity and domestic air travel is extended to September 30, 2020. * Waiver of VAT, Duties and Excise taxes on all medical supplies associated with the testing, prevention and treatment of COVID-19 (complete list on GRA’s website) to September 30, 2020. * The granting of tax deductions for all donations made by local businesses to the Ministry of Health. * Tax deductions for donations to staff and other health institutions for the prevention and treatment of the virus are allowed to the extent determined by the Commissioner-General.

It was pointed out that

individuals and companies not affected by COVID-19 would be required to comply with the statutory due dates for the payment of taxes.

Among the administrative measures taken to provide some level of ease to the taxpaying public during this pandemic, the GRA established early working hours at its Camp Street Headquarters and recently re-located some of its Licence Revenue services to its Smyth Street building.

The relocated services are Motor Vehicle Transfers, New Motor Vehicle Registration, Motor Vehicle Examination, and cashiering.

Additionally, an external station was established at the Guyana Post Office Corporation (GPOC) for payments for Internal Revenue, VAT, Customs transactions and Motor Vehicle licences.

A drop box is available for persons to submit their returns as well.

The GRA will soon be establishing a drive-thru facility at its Lamaha Street Parking Lot for persons to uplift their licences after completing the application/ renewal and online payment procedure.

The public is advised that the Authority will only allow a limited number of persons to enter its office.

The required body temperature checks, wearing of masks and sanitising of hands remain in effect.

theft.”

The results emanating from the National Recount of the votes cast in the March 2 General and Regional Elections show the PPP/C in a landslide lead with 233,336 votes, while the APNU/AFC secured 217,920 votes.

But there were several attempts by the APNU/ AFC Coalition, reportedly working in collusion with elements within the electoral

machinery, to alter the results in order to hand a victory to the incumbent.

Pressure is mounting from all quarters for the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to make its declaration based on the results of the National Recount, which was certified and credible and is a true reflection of the will of the people by both local and international observers.

M&CC extends rates and taxes relief

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he Georgetown Mayor and City Council on Thursday announced that it would be expanding tax relief for individuals and businesses in keeping with its response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the Department of Public Information (DPI), City Mayor, His Worship Ubraj Narine, has said the Municipality has also decided not to charge interest on the General rates and taxes for 2020 only, commencing from June 22 to December 2020.

Georgetown Mayor Ubraj Narine

“While the Mayor and City Council of Georgetown has offered the tax relief/ waiver on the interest for General Rates and Taxes for the year 2020, interest for the previous year remains unchanged,” Mayor Narine said in a press statement.

Ratepayers are encouraged to take advantage of the waiver on interest for General Rates and Taxes for the year 2020. For further information, members of the public are encouraged to contact the office of the Town Clerk via telephone number 226-7717.

GRA extends tax relief Lion’s Club donates computers to measures to September 30 boost Guyana’s COVID-19 fight

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he Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) on Thursday announced that the COVID-19 relief measures introduced in March and scheduled to end on June 30, 2020 would remain in effect until September 30, 2020.

The GRA, in a statement, said that having evaluated the impact of COVID-19 on the economy to date, the Government has granted a further extension to the timeline on the existing tax relief measures for affected individuals and businesses.

These include: * Extension of the April 30th deadline for the filing of tax returns to September 30, 2020. * All affected businesses will now be allowed to pay advance taxes on the current year basis for the Year of Assessment 2021 (Year of Income 2020). * All other taxes are due and payable in accordance with the law. This includes Balance of Tax payments

From left: Blossom Manbodh (Chairperson – Lions Club Zone A); Dr Sarah Gordon (Project Coordinator – Lions Club International District 60A); Dr Karen Gordon-Boyle (DCMO), former Minister Volda Lawrence; Denise Bentinck (Governor Elect – Lions Club International District 60A); Glendon Fogenay (Deputy Permanent Secretary-Finance – MoPH), and Sasha Walrond (Head of the Epidemiology & Surveillance Department – MoPH)

A

s Guyana continues to battle with the novel coronavirus, the Lions Club International Foundation in Guyana on Wednesday gifted the Public Health Ministry six computers and headphones to assist in its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, which has so far infected 206 nationals and killed 12.

Denise Bentinck, Lions Club District Governorelect, handed over the donation to public health officials which included former Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence, Deputy Chief Medical Officer (DCMO) Dr. Karen GordonBoyle, Deputy Permanent Secretary (Finance) Glendon Fogenay, and Epidemiologist Sasha Walrond.

Lawrence, in brief remarks, extended appreciation to the Lions Club for the timely gift, and noted that the donation will boost the MoPH’s Surveillance Department, whose role is critical in helping to protect the nation against diseases.

Bentinck said the MoPH is among numerous government bodies and agencies globally assisted in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Where there is a need, there is the Lions Club, and we are positive that this donation will make a difference in the Surveillance Department of the Ministry,” Bentinck alluded.

The District GovernorElect said the Lions Club International has made almost 300 donations interna-

tionally since the COVID-19 outbreak.

Walrond, who heads the Epidemiology & Surveillance Department, in brief statements said the computers and headphones are essential in the data collection process. Both she and Fogenay gave an undertaking to guarantee proper maintenance of the gifts.

“The equipment will serve as a great tool to facilitate better analyses and responses to pandemics such as the current coronavirus outbreak and other health emergencies in the country’s 10 Administrative Regions”, Walrond said.

On March 11 of this year, Guyana recorded its first case of COVID-19. As at today, the number of cases has climbed to 215, with 12 deaths.

guyanatimesgy.com

FRIDAY, JUNE 26, 2020

Regional

Brazil registers 39,483 new cases of coronavirus, 1141 deaths

Workers of the Rio Pax funeral home remove the body of Maria do Perpetuo Socorro Lavareda, 77, who died from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), from a hospital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, June 23, 2020

B

razil recorded 39,483 new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours as well as 1141 deaths, the Health Ministry said on Thursday.

Brazil has registered more than 1.2 million cases since the pandemic began while cumulative deaths total 54,971, according to the Ministry.

As the World Health Organisation (WHO) has

warned, the most worrisome development is the runaway outbreak in Brazil, the most populous country in the region. It is second only to the United States in terms of total coronavirus deaths and cases (surpassing an alarming one million) — adding thousands of new infections daily. One COVID-19 model projects a stunning death toll of 125,000 by August.

Not surprisingly, there are widespread claims of

insufficient testing in the country (especially in rural areas), acute shortages of personal protective equipment and an overall downplaying of the virus’s lethality. Moreover, the accuracy of the official death toll (closing in on 55,000) is in doubt, and no one knows for sure how many Brazilians have actually tested positive for COVID-19.(Excerpts from Reuters and The Guardian)

Trinidad: Missing businessman found in concrete grave

R

elatives of Carenage businessman Koongebeharry Jaisarie, 64, are demanding justice after his body was discovered days after he went missing.

Jaisarie’s body was found in a makeshift grave at the back of an unfinished church at Old Milford Road, Lowlands, next door to his E-Zee Breezy Hotel and Bar property on Tuesday.

According to reports, around 18:30h a party of officers attached to the Homicide Bureau of Investigations, Divisional Task Force and Divisional CID went to the compound

17

after receiving information. Well-placed sources said with the help of cadaver dogs, they found the grave and dug up the body, which was buried approximately eight feet deep and was cast in concrete. The body was clad in dark-coloured underwear and a multi-coloured striped t-shirt. Homicide officers said they believed it was Jaisarie’s body because of the site’s close proximity to his property.

Jaisarie travelled to Tobago on a business trip earlier this month.

Relatives reported that he was expected to stay at the

E-Zee Breezy Hotel, but was last seen alive on June 4.

A senior police officer told Guardian Media on Wednesday that the investigation was at a sensitive stage and they could not make any further comments on the matter.

Speaking from the United States on Wednesday, Jaisarie’s daughter Sparkles said she was in shock when she got the news from relatives. She said the family was demanding justice for the mafia-style killing of her father. (Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian)

Nations in Geneva.

“We do think the numbers are tragically a good deal higher,” Abrams added.

Referring to China and Russia, he said: “We would like to see them contribute more on the humanitarian side. There has been, I believe, some contribution of goods with respect to COVID-19 by Russia and China.

“But the scale, the dollar amount of this aid, is really quite low in comparison to the needs,” he said.

Venezuela’s economy is reeling from a six-year recession and a prolonged

political crisis that has driven at least 4.5 million Venezuelans to flee abroad.

Abrams said Opposition Leader Juan Guaidó and his interim government – recognised by more than 50 countries – would soon provide US$20 million in assets to the Pan-American Health Organisation – the WHO’s regional office – and other aid groups.

Abrams said the Government of President Nicolás Maduro holds 450 political prisoners and has sought to usurp institutions, including the Supreme Court. (Excerpt from Reuters)

2nd wave of Saharan dust on its way

A

second wave of Saharan dust is reportedly on its way and has already started to move across the eastern Caribbean.

Predictions are that it could start affecting Jamaica this weekend.

According to the National Hurricane Centre and Central Pacific Hurricane Centre, a plume of Saharan dust was noted across the tropical Atlantic generally from 10N to 24N east of 50W to the coast of Africa.

The Meteorological Service of Jamaica reported Thursday afternoon that the current wave of Saharan dust plume is reducing in the Region. The Met Service

Saharan dust plume, seen by the NOAA-20 satellite on June 17, 2020.

said to expect hazy conditions to continue over the weekend.

However, it said a trough would become the significant feature for the next few days. Additionally, it

said the low-level jet stream across the central Caribbean will continue to bring windy conditions across Jamaica, especially across southern parishes.(Excerpt from Reuters)

Panama sacks Health Minister as coronavirus cases soar

P

anamanian President Laurentino Cortizo fired his Health Minister and two other Cabinet members over two corruption scandals, as the coronavirus continues to spread in the country.

Cortizo promoted Deputy Health Minister Luis Francisco Sucre in place of the sacked Rosario Turner, while also firing Social Development Minister Markova Concepcion and Housing Minister Ines Samudio.

Panama has recorded more than 28,000 coronavirus cases and 547 deaths among its four million population, making it the worst-affected country in Central America.

New cases are accelerating with 700 a day compared to 200 before the country began reopening economic activity.

"The management of the health crisis requires the adoption of exceptional measures from our government,"

Panamanian President Laurentino Cortizo

said Cortizo in a televised address.

However, the Government is coming under increasing scrutiny over its measures.

And it has been weakened by an investigation into suspected corruption in the construction of a prefabricated hospital and the aborted purchase of respirators and sanitising gel.

Despite being implicated in the scandals, Vice

President Jose Gabriel Carrizo and Public Works Minister Rafael Sabonge remain in their positions.

To make matters worse, Cortizo's Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD) has been fined US$50,000 for violating lockdown measures.

Panama is in a first phase of reopening after tens of thousands of people lost their jobs during lockdown.(Excerpt from AFP)

UN Ambassador: Look US urges Russia, China to give Venezuela more aid in COVID fight beyond Barbados

T

he United States called on Russia and China on Thursday to provide more humanitarian aid to their ally Venezuela in its fight against the growing COVID-19 epidemic.

Venezuela, which has so far reported 4048 cases of COVID-19 and 35 deaths to the World Health Organisation (WHO), has jailed doctors and Journalists for trying to expose the true extent of infections, Special Representative Elliott Abrams told a diplomatic event organised by the US mission to the United

B

arbados’ Ambassador to the United Nations (UN), Elizabeth Thompson, is encouraging Barbadian students to aspire to work beyond their shores.

Speaking Wednesday morning at the donation of devices from Barbadians working at United Nations (BajUNs) in New York to the Education, Technological and Vocational Training Ministry, Ambassador Thompson suggested that Barbadian students need to look beyond Barbados for employment.

This, she believes, is necessary in order to assist the country in having a voice at the international level.

“Even though I see our

nationals perform with excellence in the UN system and at the international level wherever I go, we do not really, truly attempt to place our nationals in international organisations so that those international organisations can be more sensitive to issues relating to Barbados, as a small island developing state,” she said.

“If we train people and train them to a high level, we should be putting them out, not just in Barbados, but our marketplace needs to be the international space, that is where major decisions are made, that is where resources are determined for countries; that is where international policy is framed.”

Ambassador Thompson believes higher education, along with a foreign language, is key to having Barbadians receive employment in international organisations and Non-Governmental Organisations, however, she stressed a first degree is not enough.

“If you’re serious about working at the international level, I want to say to our young people, a first degree is not going to do it. You have to have at least one masters, maybe two, because everybody with whom you work and sit at the table at the United Nations at a certain level have a PhD; some people have two….” (Excerpt from Nation News)

18

guyanatimesgy.com

FRIDAY, JUNE 26, 2020

Around the World

Coronavirus: “Very significant” OILNEWS resurgences in Europe alarm WHO E Crude oil prices urope has seen an increase in weekly cases of COVID-19 for the first time in months as restrictions are eased, the World Health Organisation (WHO) says.

In 11 places, which include Armenia, Sweden, Moldova and North Macedonia, accelerated transmission has led to "very significant resurgence", said Regional Director Dr Hans Henri Kluge.

His warnings about the risk of resurgence had become reality, he said.

If left unchecked, he warned health systems would be "pushed to the brink".

More than 2.6 million cases of COVID-19 and 195,000 deaths have been reported in the WHO's European region, which is expansive, covering 54 countries and seven territories across Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia.

Almost 20,000 new cases and more than 700 new deaths are being recorded daily.

"For weeks, I have spoken about the risk of resurgence as countries adjust measures," Dr Kluge told a virtual news conference on Thursday.

"In several countries across Europe, this risk has now become a reality – 30 countries have seen increases in new cumulative cases over the past two weeks.

"In 11 of these countries, accelerated transmission has led to very significant resurgence that if left unchecked will push health systems to the brink once again."

The 11 countries and territories were later identified by the WHO as Armenia, Sweden, Moldova, North Macedonia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Albania, BosniaHerzegovina, Kyrgyzstan,

climb as US economic data lends support

Close to 20,000 new cases are being recorded daily in the WHO's European region

Ukraine and Kosovo.

Dr Kluge said countries such as Poland, Germany, Spain and Israel had responded quickly to dangerous outbreaks associated with schools, coal mines, and food production settings, and brought them under control

through rapid interventions.

Despite warning about resurgences, he said the WHO anticipated that the situation would calm down further in the majority of countries over the summer. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Senate backs bill to punish China over Hong Kong

T

he US Senate passed legislation on Thursday that would impose mandatory sanctions on people or companies that back efforts by China to restrict Hong Kong’s autonomy, pushing back against Beijing’s new security law for the city.

The measure also includes secondary sanctions on banks that do business with anyone found to be backing any crackdown on the territory’s autonomy, potentially cutting them off

from American counterparts and limiting access to US dollar transactions.

The “Hong Kong Autonomy Act” passed by unanimous consent. To become law, it must also pass the House of Representatives and be signed by President Donald Trump.

Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen, a lead sponsor, said in the Senate the legislation would send a clear message to Beijing that there would be consequences if it acts to under-

mine Hong Kong’s autonomy.

The Hong Kong sanctions bill almost passed last week, Van Hollen said, but was blocked by Republican Senator Kevin Cramer – who had co-sponsored it – at the request of the Trump Administration, which made a late request for technical corrections.

The delay underscored the complications of passing legislation pushing back on China, as the Administration pursues a

trade deal and the two powers grapple for international influence and clash over human rights.

US-China relations have worsened since the coronavirus pandemic, which began in China, hit the United States.

China’s security legislation prompted Trump to initiate a process to eliminate special economic treatment that has allowed Hong Kong to remain a global financial centre. (Excerpt from Reuters)

US virus cases continue to rise at near-record rate

T

he number of new coronavirus cases per day in the United States stood near an all-time high on Thursday, hovering close to the peak reached in late April during some of the darkest and deadliest days of the crisis.

While greatly expanded testing probably accounts for some of the increase, experts say other measures indicate the virus is making a comeback. Daily deaths, hospitalisations and the percentage of tests that are coming back positive for the virus have also have been rising over the past few weeks in parts of the country.

The 34,300 COVID-19 cases recorded on Wednesday were slightly fewer than the day before, but still near

A hairdresser wearing a protective mask cuts the hair of a man at a barber shop, as Miami-Dade County eases some of the lockdown measures put in place during the coronavirus disease outbreak, in Miami, Florida, US [Marco Bello/Reuters]

the high of 36,400 reached on April 24, according to a count kept by Johns Hopkins

University.

As the virus rises again in

the US and other parts of the world, some governments and businesses imposed new restrictions only weeks after lifting lockdowns, even as other areas loosened up.

"There are no magic answers. There are no spells here.

You can't divine this away," World Health Organisation (WHO) emergencies chief Dr Michael Ryan said. "We have to act at every level."

In the US, where Governors and other politicians have tried to strike a balance between the health risks and the threat to the economy, the number of workers applying for unemployment benefits last week declined slightly to 1.48 million, indicating layoffs are slowing but are still painfully high. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

France, Germany and Italy call for end to Libya fighting

F

rance, Germany and Italy on Thursday called on forces in Libya to cease fighting and for outside parties to stop any interference in a bid to try and get political talks

back on track.

“In light of the growing risks of a deterioration of the situation in Libya ...

France, Germany and Italy call on all Libyan parties to immediately and un-

conditionally cease fighting,” the countries said in a joint statement. “They also urge foreign actors to end all interference and to fully respect the arms embargo established by the

United Nations Security Council.”

Ties between NATO allies France and Turkey have soured in recent weeks over the Libyan conflict. (Reuters)

O

il prices edged higher in a volatile session on Thursday, finding support from signs of a marginal improvement in the US economy, but rising cases of COVID-19 in some states capped gains.

Brent crude rose 24 cents, or 0.6 per cent, to US$40.55 by 11:14 a.m. ET (1514 GMT), after trading as low as US$39.47.

The global benchmark dropped 5.4 per cent on Wednesday.

US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose 22 cents, or 0.6 per cent, to US$38.23.

Oil found some support after declining earlier as the number of Americans filing claims for unemployment benefits fell last week and orders for key capital goods rebounded in May. Still, the decline in jobless claims was less than analysts expected and other data support economists' expectations that GDP could shrink at as much as a 40 per cent annualised rate in the second quarter.

To kick-start the world economy devastated by coronavirus, central banks have delved deep into their toolboxes and unleashed trillions of dollars in stimulus.

"Part of the rebound here is the idea that all the stimulus measures that central banks and the world's governments are pumping into the economy is gonna have a positive impact on economic activity and that it will be supportive to demand," said Gene McGillian, vice president of market research at Tradition Energy in Stamford, Connecticut.

"The only roadblock is if the number of COVID-19 cases picks up and we have to reimpose shelter in place measures but I don't think we can conclude that it's on the cards yet."

New infections have surged in US states including California, Texas and Florida, while Australia posted its biggest daily rise in cases in two months.

"Despite the recent increase in the COVID-19 infection rate across large regions throughout the US, our real time geolocation data has, to this point, not suggested a material change in broad societal behaviour as vehicle traffic continues to improve, international flights re-gain ground, employees phase back to work and discretionary activity picks up," said Michael Tran, managing director of energy strategy at RBC Capital Markets in New York.

Still, the International Monetary Fund's prediction on Wednesday of a deeper global recession than previously thought has added to market concerns of weakened oil demand.

A record supply cut by the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies has supported the oil market, which is much stronger compared with April, when Brent hit a 21-year low below US$16 a barrel and US crude turned negative.

Investors are waiting to see if the producers, known as OPEC+, extend their record cut beyond July. (Reuters)

Trudeau rejects calls to release top Huawei executive

C

anada's Prime Minister is rejecting calls to step in to end the extradition trial of a Chinese Huawei executive.

Justin Trudeau said doing so would "imperil" Canadians abroad by opening them to potential random detention.

Two Canadians were detained shortly after Meng Wanzhou, Huawei's chief financial officer, was arrested in Vancouver on request from the US. Michael Kovrig, a former diplomat, and Michael Spavor, a businessman, have been held in China since December 2018.

Their arrests came just

days after Meng's detention in what has been seen by critics as an act of "hostage diplomacy".

Canada calls their arrests "arbitrary", and on Thursday, Trudeau said there was a "direct link", but China has denied they were retaliation for Meng's detention.

Her arrest has soured Canada-China relations.

American authorities accuse her of breaking Iranian sanctions and she is currently fighting extradition to the US. Last week, China charged Kovrig and Spavor with spying, more than 18 months after they were detained.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

guyanatimesgy.com

FRIDAY, JUNE 26, 2020

19

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

‘Lowenfield display’ is something you see in a comic book

Dear Editor, Guyanese, we all must remember that it was Mr Keith Lowenfield who required a total of 156 days to recount approximately 400,000 ballots; however, it took him less than 60 seconds to disenfranchise 115,000 voters.

The ‘Lowenfield display’ is something you see in a comic book. Lowenfield has proven to be the biggest phantom of all. Guyanese, was it not honesty integrity and decency that David Granger ran on the APNU/ AFC 2015 ticket, as the man with “Honesty, Integrity and Decency”? Imagine that!!

“Honesty” – as not prone to telling lies?? “Integrity” and “Decency” as with having moral principles and uprightness, and living in accordance with them?

After five years of watching Granger and his cabals in action, most Guyanese can only conclude that Granger has to be the biggest hypocrite in Guyana for fooling and lying to the Guyanese citizens and the APNU/AFC supporters.

The 2020 elections continue to unveil the unbridled hypocrisy on the part

of the APNU/AFC coalition Government. Of course, this is in the context of what it would have condemned while in Opposition, as against what it is now practising in caretaker government. Such glaring and unbridled hypocrisy has not only led to a Guyanese loss of confidence in the APNU/ AFC, but a dissipation of trust, making it virtually impossible for people to believe what it communicates to the populace. The question of trust is not just confined to the hypocritical stance on the electoral system and the efforts to steal an election, but on many other issues, including corruption, good governance, and the safeguarding of democracy.

On all these counts, while in the Opposition, APNU/ AFC vilified the PPPC Government with untold accusations. In doing so, it pledged to rid the nation of such undesirable traits.

Here we are today in 2020, and the reality is that, under the APNU/AFC tenure in government, corruption is deemed to be rife and unimaginable, with an absence of transparency. We have

all seen the numerous accusations of corruption levelled against the APNU/ AFC Caretaker Government with the various transactions made after March 02' 2020 General and Regional Elections and with reference to its pledge to uphold democracy.

This APNU/AFC has allowed the world to look at Guyana as a mockery. It’s clear that no influential government in the world that had held Guyana as a friend will accept David Granger’s presidency.

After what Prime Minister Mia Mottley said yesterday, it is clear that she will not be one of the CARICOM countries to recognize a Granger presidency. CARICOM’s vested interest in Guyana’s election stems from the body’s obligation to “stand for something” as it seeks to promote the continued development of Caribbean people. Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, in her statement said, “What is going on (in Guyana) is a little bizarre, to say the least, but we shall wait and see and let the process play out over the next few days".

One doesn't have to read

through the lines to understand the message she communicated to the people of Guyana. However, it was the CARICOM Observer team which was described as the “most legitimate interlocutor” on the Guyana situation by President David Granger.

The Guyanese citizens, including supporters of APNU/AFC, are convinced they were duped and fooled by the coalition, as trust has been replaced by hypocrisy. Among other things, the Coalition accused Mottley of being “ill-advised and ill-informed”, but this was later withdrawn, citing “errors.”

But Mottley set the record straight, noting that the Caribbean region has been one which has seen its citizens move from poverty to countries being on their way to achieving the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). And part and parcel of developing the Caribbean region has been the “Freedom of Choice”, which today has exposed the extent of that hypocrisy of the APNU/AFC cabals.

Sincerely, David Adams

Last hurrah!

Dear Editor, Over the past months, the words “evil” and wicked” have surfaced as descriptions of the acts of fraud being attempted by the PNC and its co-conspirators in the ongoing post-election crisis.

These words do not, perhaps, go far enough to depict what we are all witnessing as the PNC and its collaborators in APNU, the AFC, GECOM, the Guyana Police Force, and now the judiciary, try to carry out their plan to steal an entire election before the watching world.

Guyana is governed by both secular laws and by the doctrines of the world’s great religions, since most of our citizens are among the faithful who believe in either Hindu dharma, Islam, or Christianity. The independence of our judiciary is now in question, and with secular laws which are crafted to try and curtail our worst inclinations in jeopardy, it is time to also consider how much the words and deeds of the PNC and its cabal transgress the teachings of our great religions.

There might be some didacticism involved here, but the situation warrants a look at the nature of sin itself, which in Christianity arises from a departure of what is an acceptable standard of behaviour, that behaviour being inclusive of righteousness and lawful conduct. Hindu philoso-

phy teaches that such good conduct brings about happiness, peace and stability; while wrongdoing, greed, vice and crudity result in despair, the very kind of despair that currently obtains across the country due to the seemingly interminable post-elections shenanigans.

Islamic tenets support the idea that it is the greatest tragedy for anyone to turn away from belief in God, and that the unbeliever degenerates into a slave of his own base desires, as his life becomes consumed by evil and corruption.

Even those who do not subscribe to any formal religion still expect ethical and moral conduct from our leaders based on what is considered goodness in a universally acceptable sense. They would also agree that sinfulness lies not only in the betrayal of a nation’s trust, but in the lack of shame and good conscience that would prick and distress any decent and civilised being, but which seem woefully lacking in the PNC and its collaborators as they press on with their transgressions.

David Granger and his political allies knew that they had lost the election since the evening of March 2nd last, but no truth or fact has derailed them from their dastardly plot to betray the will of the majority in order to cling to illegitimate power.

Must we not all wonder:

what manner of people are these? As calls are being made for some kind of inclusive government once the legitimately elected PPP/C administration takes office, should the citizenry not ask: how can we trust any member of the PNC, APNU or AFC with any leadership role, especially since we know, as with the PNC after its previous iteration as a dictatorship, that there will be no admittance of wrongdoing and no remorse for any of the criminal acts of fraud.

Three times have the PNC and its cabal presented fraudulent figures to support their claim that the APNU/AFC won the election, and each time their “victory” has rested on making thousands of PPP/C supporters – those are, by and large, Indian Guyanese – invisible, non-existent, even dead.

I have been among the Indian Guyanese who for decades have spoken about our marginalisation in the nation’s cultural and social arena, where a token pres-

ence reduces us to exotica and makes us practically invisible.

The PNC and its cohorts have now taken these moves into the political sphere.

By disenfranchising thousands of Indian Guyanese, they make us non-existent and gain the election victory they covet. To win by stealth does not appear to shame or bother them, and this lack is perhaps compatible with a party strategy that seems embedded in a visceral hatred for the PPP and its supporters, and which makes them impervious to reason, truth or logic.

The PNC does appear to accept that it can never win an election by fair means; and this as long as it refuses to reform itself in order to appeal to voters outside of its minority partisan base.

Is this desperate clinging to power, then, the PNC’s last hurrah? And will we have to simply give them room to play out their disgraceful saga to its finality?

Sincerely, Ryhaan Shah

Long live democracy

Dear Editor, How do freedom, truth and justice die? They die when we allow ourselves to be misguided by lies and misinformation; when we allow desperate and shameless people to corral our minds; when, like bleating sheep, we mindlessly follow leaders who don’t care about our country, and will throw us off a cliff the second we are no longer useful.

Many of us cheered as our elected leaders tore apart the rule of law. Others hid their heads as lies and obvious deceptions distorted our national history and official records.

They would rather cut out their tongues than question what they’ve been told.

We who were silent have contributed to the death of freedom, truth and justice.

Civil society was built on a few simple ideals, and I have been thinking of the most important ideals we seem to have forgotten. The first is the rule of law, which is our agreement that no one should be above the laws we have agreed upon, and which are enshrined in our Constitution. Not so with Mingo, and certainly not with Lowenfield.

Another is the peaceful transition of power, which means that if you have lost the election, you must return the power that was lent to you by the people, because they have chosen another to lead. This is the most important function of a democracy, and it is not what we expect, but what we DEMAND from any of our elected officials. It is not too late for Brig. General Granger to respect this fundamental law of society, and concede that the people have spoken and he is no longer the choice of the majority. In fact, to do so would be an act of unity and incredible courage, which would do much to heal

the divisions the election has caused. To do otherwise would lead this country down a dark and terrible path.

The other ideal I’ve been thinking about is civic duty.

It means that we, the people, would not allow the rules and freedoms we have agreed upon to be tossed aside; that we should take an active role in determining the future of our country; that we should listen to each other, and encourage debate, and stand together when anyone tries to break our rules or pollute the public discourse.

And yet, for all the shame I feel that we, as a people, have compromised our integrity and our honour, there is an opportunity to stand up for justice, stand up for truth, and stand up for freedom; to not be complicit in the division of our country; to begin examining not just ourselves, but the people we put our trust in; and to make an effort to display what represents Guyana best. The idea of One People, One Nation, One Destiny.

We can reject tyranny and ignore the power-hungry that exploit divisions, and focus on building instead of breaking.

We can choose democracy.

I invite all freedom-loving Guyanese to speak out against this despicable act committed by this Regime. I invite you to take part in the public discourse, to begin healing divisions.

We must defend the integrity of our electoral process. We must follow that process with an eye for truth and an ear for feeble lies. We must stand for justice, truth and freedoms.

As long as we protect the integrity of our system, the people of Guyana will win, and we will be stronger together.

Sincerely, Vishal Ambedkar

20

FRIDAY, JUNE 26, 2020

guyanatimesgy.com

ARCHIE

ARIES

(March 21April 19)

TAURUS (April 20May 20)

DILBERT

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

Show discipline when it comes to learning, finishing projects and dealing with emotional matters. Selfcontrol will stifle temptation and deter others from emotionally manipulating you.

Personal improvements are favored.

A domestic change will improve your life tenfold.

Cutting your overhead, clearing a space to pursue something you want to do and expressing your feelings and intentions are encouraged.

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Change only because you want to, not because someone else is pestering you to be different. Surround yourself with people who like you just the way you are.

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

SUDOKU

Make a move for the right reasons. Boredom will lead to poor choices. Rethink your strategy and consider how to make the most with what you have.

CANCER (June 21July 22)

PEANUTS

CALVIN AND HOBBES

Listen, but don't agree to something that doesn't suit you. Concentrate on what you do best and the results you want to achieve. Fitness, health and overall physical improvements are encouraged.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

A demonstrative response toward a loved one will bring you closer together. Share your long-term intentions and make any necessary adjustments. An addition to your life is heading your way.

Don't overreact to a situation you cannot change.

Keeping the peace will allow you to tend to the things you want to complete without interference. Make physical improvements.

Make change happen.

Consider what makes you tick and what will bring you the contentment you are searching for. Think outside the box and do things your way.

Refuse to argue with SAGITTARIUS someone who doesn't fight (Nov. 23fairly. Devote your time to Dec. 21) personal growth, physical perfection and romance, and you'll achieve peace of mind.

Do your best to achieve happiness.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

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

PISCES (Feb. 20March 20)

Look over your options and consider the best way to improve your current situation. A domestic change will add to your assets and happiness.

Discipline will pay off.

How you conduct yourself during challenging times will affect your physical well-being. Do what's right and suitable to your abilities.

Channel your energy into something constructive. If you reach out and help an organization you believe in, you will feel that you are doing your part to combat global problems. Don't give in to indulgent temptation.

FRIDAY, JUNE 26, 2020

M

a r k Wood believes he had turned a corner in his career when he last faced West Indies in a Test match at St Lucia in February 2019, and he says the memory of his commanding performance in that contest could have a bearing on his performance when the two teams meet again at the Ageas Bowl next month.

After an injury-plagued start to his Test career, Wood had not even been a part of England's plans for the Caribbean 18 months ago, but he was called up from the England Lions tour of Australia when Olly Stone succumbed to a stress fracture in the first week of that tour. And though he played no part in England's two series-losing defeats at Barbados and Antigua, Wood made up for lost time in startling fashion at the Daren Sammy Ground, unveiling a new, more grooved runup to reach speeds in excess of 95mph and claim his maiden Test five-wicket haul.

And though a side strain sustained in the World Cup final ruled Wood out of last summer's Ashes, he proved that the St Lucia performance was no one-off with another ferocious display against South Africa at Johannesburg in January, where he sealed England's 3-1 series win with his second Player-of-the-Match performance in three Tests.

"It really gave me confidence going forward into the World Cup and into South Africa; so, yes, it probably was my consistent quickest," Wood said of the St Lucia spell, in which he claimed four wickets in the space of 23 deliveries on the second afternoon of the match. "I felt in a great place mentally and physically, and I still look back on that performance with fond memories.

"I wish I'd changed my run-up sooner," he added, having previously employed a long-jumper's sprint-start that put undue pressure on his joints. "That’s one five-wicket haul that gave me a massive boost. It sort of calmed me down, where I'm not trying too hard. I had the belief before, but I was frustrated I had not showed people how good I could be, and to get that five-for really allowed me to kick on”.

West Indies dished out plenty of chin mu-

Mark Wood

sic of their own in sealing their series win, not least through Kemar Roach, Alzarri Joseph, and Shannon Gabriel who looks set to be drafted into the full squad after recovering from an ankle injury. But Wood's pace topped the lot, and just as he recalled the discussions about Mitchell Johnson in the England dressing-room ahead of his maiden Ashes series in 2015, so he expects Jason Holder's men to have his performance firmly in their thoughts this summer.

"I think it's natural," said Wood. "We had a big chat [about Johnson] before the 2015 Ashes, so in a way it's actually quite nice to think they might do that about me, though it's a bit weird. It proves that they do rate me as a cricketer, and they are concerned about what I could bring.

"It does give me confidence as a bowler, knowing you've done well against that team. I think that is normal in any work environment; if you've done well previously, you thrive off that experience and use it to your advantage. That's what I'll be trying to do

−to fund apprenticeships & scholarships

F

ormula 1 is setting up a foundation to fund apprenticeships and scholarships to increase diversity in the sport.

The foundation has a start-up fund of $1m (£804,000), which has been provided personally

by F1 Chairman and Chief Executive, Chase Carey. The fund will grow with contributions from others, both within and outside the sport.

F1 and world governing body the FIA are to instigate a plan to promote drivers from diverse backgrounds. This will, according to a statement, "identify and systematically eliminate barriers to entry from grass roots karting to Formula 1".

World champion Lewis Hamilton is so far the only driver of Afro-Caribbean descent to make it into F1. The 35-year-old has in recent weeks been outspoken on the subject of race and diversity, in the wake of the global Black Lives Matter protests that followed the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis

last month.

Carey s a i d : "We fully recognise that Formula 1 needs to be more inclusive and diverse. While we set out our strategy last year to improve the position of our sport, we need, and want, to do more. That is why we will establish a task force to listen and ensure the right initiatives are identified to increase diversity in Formula 1. We want to ensure we give people from all backgrounds the best chances to work in Formula 1, regardless of their gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or physical abilities. We are therefore also taking the initial step of creating a foundation to support key educational and employment opportunities across Formula 1 that will give under-represented talent the chance to work in this incredible sport and build an exciting career." (BBC Sport)

again if I'm selected," he said.

However, Wood might not be the only 95mph bowler lining up against West Indies this summer. It was Jofra Archer's elbow injury that gave Wood his opportunity in South Africa earlier this year, and now that Archer has reported a clean bill of health, there's every chance that the pair could be united in a Test attack that Darren Gough believes could be England's best since the 2005 Ashes.

"It's a hell of a comment from Goughie; I love that!" said Wood. "I feel like 2005 is the top of the top. I wouldn't put myself in that [group]. I remember watching that series as a kid and was blown away by how good that line-up was. Then again, when you think about Jimmy [Anderson] and Broady, they're going to be the best legends of the fast-bowling department England's ever had; so, when you put them two amongst everyone else…

Jofra's as exciting as they come. You've got Stokesy, the great all-rounder, he might not be far off."

The prospect of Wood and Archer bowl-

21

ing in tandem in a Test match may not yet have come to pass, but it became a regular feature of England's 2019 World Cup triumph, and Wood admitted that the desire to outdo one another in the pace stakes was a key feature of their "friendly rivalry".

"I cannot speak for Jofra, but I definitely want to be quicker than him, and I'm sure he wants to be quicker than me," Wood said.

"Especially in the World Cup, he used to joke about it all the time: that they were putting my speeds up higher deliberately. If we were to play together, it would be exciting.

"I love that. But I feel like 2005 is the top of the top. I wouldn't put myself in that [group]" @MAWood33 responds to @DGoughie's comments that England's current pace attack is their best since the 2005 Ashes.

"I don't know how it's going to work, whether we'll dip in and out to keep each other fresh and stuff. But it's not a bad rivalry, it's a friendly rivalry. Now I want to bowl fast all the time, to prove that I can bowl as fast as Jofra. I would say he's probably quicker than I am, and certainly makes it look a lot easier than me, so I want to prove that I can be as fast as Jof, and that friendly rivalry does spur you on to be a better cricketer."

For the time being, however, Wood's primary focus is getting his head around the new normal of England's locked-down training camp at the Ageas Bowl, where their 30-man squad will live, train and play for the next three weeks, until decamping to Emirates Old Trafford for the second Test.

"It is slightly weird," Wood admitted.

"It is a bit like a sci-fi movie. Everybody is masked up, so you don't know whether they are friendly or not. Some people scowl more than you think. It is something we will have to get used to."

Meals, he admitted, were a particularly strange event at the moment. "You have to follow arrows and feet marks everywhere, then you go to the tables which are sporadically spaced out. It's a bit like when I was at school and you do a test with your individual table - apart from there's nobody scribbling on the table like I used to. This morning I had breakfast and looked at the back of Jos' [Buttler's] head." (ESPNcricinfo)

−Reds' 30-year wait for top-flight title ends

L

iverpool have become Premier League champions for the first time, ending a three-decade wait to win the English top flight again. The Reds' 19th league title was secured on Thursday when Chelsea's 2-1 victory over Manchester City at Stamford Bridge meant Pep Guardiola's side could no longer mathematically catch Jurgen Klopp's men.

The destination of the 2019-20 Premier League title has been a foregone conclusion for some time, though, with Liverpool having taken a remarkable 86 points from their first 31 games. Klopp's side pushed City all the way last season, but despite claiming 97 points on that occasion, they finished behind a City side that won back-to-back titles.

This time around, it has been the club from Merseyside who have set a relentless pace.

Liverpool dropped just two points from their opening 27 games, and did not taste defeat in the Premier League until the final day of February, when they were beaten 3-0 by

Watford at Vicarage Road. At that point, their lead over City was already 22 points, and only the coronavirus-enforced break has delayed their confirmation as champions for the first time since 1989-90.

That title triumph was Liverpool's 18th league championship, a record haul that has since been eclipsed by Manchester United following their glorious run under Alex Ferguson. However, Klopp's arrival from Borussia Dortmund to replace Brendan Rodgers in 2015 turned Liverpool into a force once more – at first on the continent, and now domestically.

Liverpool beat Tottenham in the Champions League final 12 months ago, a year after being beaten at the same stage by Real Madrid in Kiev, to win Europe's premier club competition for a sixth time. But it was the top domestic prize for which their fans had yearned for so long, and Klopp's men of 201920 have now ended that long wait, and with seven games to spare. (Sportsmax)

22

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an effort to help them “Say hand, witnessed people yes to education and No to struggling due to the coronavirus crisis and lack drugs”.

The final two projects of employment.

The GoFundMe will be done under the Basil Butcher Trust Fund, set up link is currentcirculating in tribute to this great West ly Indies player who passed on popular social platform away last December.

The BCB/RHTY&SC F a c e b o o k . has set themselves a tar- The link is get of US$10,000 for this published on Berbice GoFundMe project. BCB the President, Hilbert Foster, C r i c k e t is encouraging all over- B o a r d ’ s seas-based Guyanese to Facebook page and the support this project. Foster Rose assured that the money doHall nated will be used for the intended purpose, and regular reports will be submitted.

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Guyanese have also shared the link to the GoFundMe

− after household member was unwell

est Indies Head Coach Phil Simmons has given assurance that Captain Jason Holder will be ready for the start of the #RaiseTheBat Test Series against England.

J

ofra Archer has tested negative for COVID-19, and will join the rest of the England squad at the Ageas Bowl on Thursday afternoon.

The other 29 players in England's enlarged training squad arrived in

morning and the other in the afternoon.

Earlier this week, Archer used his Daily Mail column to declare himself fully fit, and Sussex have posted videos on social media of him bowling at

223-7230-1 (Ext 55)

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Jason Holder

H o l d e r didn’t bowl when his team fielded in the second innings, and wasn’t required to bat on the final day of the three-day match on Thursday; but Simmons has said there is no cause for concern.

"Jason has had a slight niggle on his ankle, and that is what has

held him back from bowl- i n g , ” Simmons said. “He will be b a c k to bowling in the four-day g a m e , and should be bowling his f u l l quota. As for the batting, if you get one ball and you’re out, t h a t ’ s all you can do.”

Simmons also spoke about the fitness of experi- e n c e d fast bowler Shannon Gabriel, w h o is making a return from an- k l e surgery. West Indies will h a v e a four-day warm-up match s t a r t ing June 30 at Emirates O l d Trafford, before they travel d o w n to Southampton for the first match at the Ageas Bowl, starting J u l y 8.

“He looks ready; that was evident here. When you see h o w he bowled in the first in- nings, then again yesterday, and e v e n more so this morning, you c o u l d see he's close to 100 per- c e n t .

Now we want to get him up to 100 just before the Test match.” (CWI)

Jofra Archer

Southampton on Tuesday, and began training on Thursday, ahead of the first Test against West Indies on July 8.

Archer's journey was delayed after a member of his household began to feel unwell over the weekend. They had all tested negative for COVID-19, but Archer underwent an additional test on Wednesday as a precaution, and will travel to Southampton on Thursday afternoon, after receiving a negative result.

Archer's first training session will be on Friday. The rest of England's players have been split into two groups for training, with one half having their first session on Thursday

full pace against Zak Crawley in the Hove nets. So far, no player or support staff member from either the England or West Indies groups has tested positive, with the ECB confirming on Wednesday that all 702 tests so far had been negative.

Ten of the Pakistan players due to tour England in August have tested positive so far, plus one member of that team's support staff. The PCB announced on Thursday that five reserve players and a back-up member of support staff would be tested for the virus, while those who have previously tested positive will undergo a second round of tests on Friday. (ESPN cricinfo)

FRIDAY, JUNE 26, 2020

By Brandon Corlette

T

he batting performance of this current West Indies squad has been placed under the microscope, and former West Indies stars and cricket pundits have not-

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

ed that the West Indies batting department is somewhat its weak-point.

The men in maroon have completed their first practice match on Thursday. It spanned three days, and despite solid starts, no batsman

Shamarh Brooks batting in the practice match during his unbeaten 66

W

est Indies captain Jason Holder maintained a watching brief as the tourists' threeday intra-squad match at Emirates Old Trafford ended with half-centuries from Shayne Moseley, Shane Dowrich and Shamarh Brooks.

Holder, who has been working back from an ankle niggle, declined to bowl once again, despite taking the field in the morning session, and did not bat in his team's second innings.

It means the all-rounder's time in the middle has been restricted to a golden duck on Wednesday afternoon, though word from the West Indies camp is that he has done enough in training to suggest a more active role awaits in next week's fourday clash.

"Jason has had a slight niggle on his ankle, and that is what has held him back from bowling, but that was always the plan for this match," Simmons told the PA news agency. "He will be back to bowling in the four-day game, and should be bowling his full quota. As for the batting, if you get one ball and you're out, that's all you can do."

There was also a moment of concern for wicketkeeper Dowrich, who injured his side midway through the final day, and was not seen again. He received treatment back in the dressing room, with Brooks and Shai Hope each taking a turn with

the gloves.

Simmons later confirmed that Dowrich would need to see a doctor, but insisted he was "doing fine".

The match itself - the first top-level cricket to be played anywhere in the world since mid-March moved gently towards its drawn conclusion, the intensity of the first two days was reduced as the prospect of a positive result receded.

Kraigg Brathwaite's XI were able to declare 313 ahead at lunch, with a stand of 131 between Dowrich (56 not out) and Brooks (66 not out) leaving them in a strong position.

reached triple figures during that time.

After the match, West Indies batsman Shamarh Brooks spoke to the media in a virtual press conference, predicting that the better batting team would win this historic bio-secure three-match Test series in England, come July 8. Brooks believes the West Indies batting group has the right tools to make strong batting statements.

"We are looking forward to this series. I personally believe that the team that bats well will come out trumps. It was good to get out there and spend some time in the middle, and nothing beats match practice," Brooks posited.

The Barbadian, who scored an unbeaten 66 in the second innings and third day of this practice match, noted that spending time ‘in the middle’ is important to getting runs.

Brooks, a former West Indies U-19 captain, was impressed with the energy shown by the reserves. During the game, Brooks disclosed that a majority of the Test batsmen spent some time ‘in the middle’ and that was vital as the maroon men move forward.

Moseley, with a well-constructed 83 not out, managed to outscore both in the final innings, following his earlier score of 40; but he is listed among 11 reserves, rather than in the 14-strong Test squad.

There is a chance to be promoted from one to the other before the first Test against England on July 8, with Trinidadian paceman Shannon Gabriel almost certain to having proven his fitness here, but the uncapped Moseley still has work to do to leap the existing pecking order.

Brathwaite's XI resumed on 99 for 3, and

Shane Dowrich and Shamarh Brooks

Reflecting on his warmup, Brooks highlighted that the more time he spent in the middle, the easier it got.

The last time Brooks rocked the Test whites for the West Indies, he scored a century against the Afghanistan team. Shedding some light on the absence of Shimron Hetmyer and Darren Bravo, Brooks noted that the West Indies have the experience in the dressing room.

In 2018, Brooks toured England with the West Indies ‘A Team’. Reminiscing on that effort, Brooks referred to the warm conditions and good batting pitches, in contrast with this one the practice match was played on in Manchester.

When asked

what batting position he prefers, Brooks disclosed that number three or four is fine.

"I think, as an international cricketer, you should not hide.

Batting three or four does not really matter," Brooks explained.

Clarity on Jason Holder's fitness

There has been noise emanating because Jason Holder did not bowl in this threeday practice match, but West Indies Media Officer Dario Barthley confirmed that Holder was padded up to bat prior to the close of play.

He further noted that the West Indies Test captain has bowled with his full runup during recent net sessions.

Brooks celebrating maiden Test century

Shane Dowrich

quickly lost Roston Chase lbw for 4 to Gabriel, who took his fourth scalp of the match, after which Dowrich and Brooks took over for the remainder of the session.

Brooks was dropped on five, a one-handed effort going down at midoff, while Dowrich was also in single figures when he found himself in the midst of an opportunistic appeal. The wicketkeeper had gloved a Gabriel bouncer to third slip, but seemingly missed a no-ball call - there were a sloppy 34 in the match - as he began walking away.

The catcher, Kyle Mayers, hurled down the stumps,

23

Holder has experienced some ankle issues in recent times, but his decision not to bowl in this practice game was more of a strategy born out of precaution. As number one Test all-rounder, Holder was also seen in the field with his team throughout the match.

West Indies will play their second and final practice match on Monday, June 29.

That match will be played across f o u r days, and the first T e s t match is scheduled for July 8.

his

dead-ball call.

The scoring was carefree thereafter, leading to the declaration on 231 for 4. The fourth and final innings of the match was by a distance the gentlest, with Moseley taking advantage better than anyone.

Joshua da Silva switched with Jermaine Blackwood to open the batting, but nicked off for 14, while Sunil Ambris was cleaned up cheaply by Raymon Reifer as the left-armer followed up his day two five-for.

Blackwood played Keon Harding into his stumps, but although Moseley was moving towards a century against some gentle spin bowling from Brathwaite and Chase, the decision was made to wrap things up at 5.30pm with the scoreboard

Shayne Mosely

but the ensuing celebrations were muted by the umpire's

reading 149 for 3. (Cricinfo)

FRIDAY, JUNE 26, 2020

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−Reds’ 30-year wait for top-flight title ends

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