Guyana Times Saturday July 11, 2020

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Issue No. 4343

THE BEACON OF TRUTH SATURDAY, JULY 11, 2020

Recalcitrant Lowenfield again refuses to deliver elections' report …given until 11am today to submit See stories on pages 3 and 7

…behaviour amounts to “gross dereliction of duty, insubordination” – Nandlall

GECOM should remove persons hindering democratic process – OAS …demands credible conclusion for Guyana to remain a democracy See story on page 16

GECOM must make democracy prevail – Sir Shridath Ramphal …demands Guyana return to state of respect

See story on page 9

Final APNU/AFC elections' incites CEO results must to violate be accepted – UN law – PPP See story on page 13

Page 15

…tells political leaders to refrain from acts that may fuel tension

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

P13 4 new COVID-19 cases recorded …active cases now 140

Post-election impasse, P11 instability could threaten Guyana’s oil wealth – Washingtonbased experts

Albouystown family terrorised, robbed by armed P14 bandits

P14 Police unearth 11kg ganja in separate raids

Sanctions needed against those delaying elections' declaration – P2 Shuman Pastor robbed at gunpoint P15 Man jailed for hammering WBD resident to death P8

2 NEWS

SATURDAY, JULY 11, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

GDF will not use force against Guyanese, Sanctions needed against those delaying elections’ declaration – Shuman will not condone any illegal act …Chief-of-Staff commits during meeting with diplomats

Chief-of-Staff, Brigadier Godfrey Bess, along with senior GDF officers, meeting with US Ambassador, Sarah-Ann Lynch, British High Commissioner Greg Quinn, Canadian High Commissioner Lilian Chatterjee, and European Ambassador Fernando Ponz-Canto on Friday

C

hief-of-Staff, Brigadier Godfrey Bess on Friday reiterated the “apolitical nature and posture” of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), during a meeting with senior diplomats of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and the EU, at the Conference Room, Defence Headquarters, Base Camp Ayanganna.

Bess reiterated that the Army will continue to abide by Guyana’s Constitution during the meeting with ABCE diplomats.

Brigadier Bess also emphasised to United States Ambassador, SarahAnn Lynch, British High Commissioner, Greg Quinn, Canadian High Commissioner,

Lilian Chatterjee and European Ambassador Fernando Ponz-Canto, that the GDF is fulfilling its mandate and will continue to abide by its role as stipulated by Guyana’s Constitution.

Speaking with Guyana Times following the meeting, Canadian High Commissioner Lilian Chatterjee said that Bess committed that the Army will not “use force against their own citizens and will not condone any illegal act.” She added that Bess also reassured that the military will stay in their barracks. She said that these commitments were welcomed by the diplomatic community.

Senior officers present

during the courtesy call included Inspector General, Colonel Trevor Bowman; Quartermaster General, Colonel Sherwin Anderson; Adjutant General, Colonel Raul Jerrick and Staff Officer One Special Duties Lieutenant Colonel Colin Henry.

Several stakeholders have called on the security forces to remain professional and not to follow any illegal orders during this tense period.

The incumbent APNU/ AFC coalition has been defeated at the March 2 General and Regional Elections and it is expected that there will be a transition of Government soon.

T

he international community should immediately impose sanctions against those who are currently trying to delay the declaration of the elections held more than four months ago.

This is according to Lenox Shuman, the Leader of the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP) – one of the newer political groupings that contested in the March 2 elections.

“Let’s start to see some sanctions on some of these people. Let’s bring it to bear,” Shuman said during a virtual update on his Facebook page on Thursday.

“I hope there is very strong sanctions since the words seem not to be registering with these people. It needs to be followed up by actions right now and I would urge our international partners to take a close look at this and see if it is warranted,” the LJP Leader posited.

Shuman’s statement came on the heels of the postponement of Thursday’s meeting at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), which would have paved the way for the anticipated declaration of the final elections results.

The meeting was postponed after the three Government-nominated Commissioners requested time to study the ruling of the Caribbean Court of Justice.

On Wednesday, the regional court invalidated the Appeal Court’s ruling and the fraudulent report submitted last month by Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield, who disenfranchised over 115,000 voters.

The CCJ had stated that it is for GECOM to ensure that the CEO submits a report in accordance with the Chair’s directives, that is, it should be based on the figures emanating from the National Recount.

The 33-day exercise confirmed that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic

Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield

(PPP/C) won the March 2 elections with 233,336 votes while the caretaker APNU/ AFC coalition obtained 217,920 votes – a difference of 15,416 votes.

To this end, Shuman called out the coalition for allowing Guyanese to continue to suffer.

“The country can only go through this torment for so long. Even though the court has ruled, [caretaker President David] Granger has always said he has abided by the Court’s ruling. There are reasons why people in the international community call him “sanctimonious gangster”. It is because he says one thing and does completely the opposite. He has the proclivity of doing exact the opposite of obeying the court ruling and the Constitution,” Shuman contended.

Following the postponement of the meeting on Thursday, the CEO was instructed to submit a report by 14:00h on Friday using the recount results.

Instead of so doing, he presented a letter, claiming that he needed clarity.

The GECOM Chairwoman has since given him until 11:00h today to submit the final elections report.

NEWS

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SATURDAY, JULY 11, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Saturday, July 11 – 09:00h – 10:30h and Sunday, July 12 – 10:00h – 11:30h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Saturday, July 11 – 08:15h – 09:45h and Sunday, July 12 – 09:05h – 10:35h.

Recalcitrant Lowenfield again refuses to deliver elections' report …behaviour amounts to “gross dereliction of duty, insubordination” – Nandlall

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

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Former Attorney General and PPP Executive, Anil Nandlall

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hief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield was expected to submit his final elections report to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) by 14:00h on Friday, but instead the Commission’s Chair, Retired Justice Claudette Singh, received a letter at the proverbial eleventh hour asking for “clarity.”

This is the second time that Lowenfield has defied the Commission’s instruction to submit his final report for the declaration of the results for the March 2 General and Regional Elections. It is now 131 days since Guyanese went to the polls to elect a new Government.

Justice Singh wrote to Lowenfield on Thursday instructing him to present his report pursuant to Article 177 (2) (b) of the Constitution and Section 96 of the Representation of the People Act Cap 1:03 using the valid votes counted in the National Recount as per Certificates of Recount. That report was submitted at 14:00h on Friday.

However, when that time came on Friday, instead of getting a report with the numbers to declare the elections, the Chair received a letter from Lowenfield in which he sought “clarity.”

In his letter, the CEO said he has reviewed the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) ruling and “some clarifications are imperative prior to preparation and submission of the requested report to safeguard against any action deemed to be unilateral.”

He went on to say that the CCJ endorsed the view that GECOM has no responsibility to determine the credibility of the votes, adding that Order 60 of 2020 (the Recount Order) caters for the determination of the credibility of the polls.

In keeping with the ruling, Lowenfield said that the final credible count cannot be ascertained. He further compounded his confusion by citing Section 96 of the Representation of the People Act Cap 1:03.

“Of particular relevance are two fact: 1) that the elec-

tion law envisages that ‘the votes counted, and information furnished’ would be provided by statutory officers and 2) the allocation of seats is premised on the statutory report of the Returning Officers. It is noteworthy that the CCJ clearly stated in paragraph 37 that “the allocation of seats in the National Assembly and the identification of the successful Presidential Candidate is determined on the sole basis of the votes counted and information furnished by Returning Officers under the Representation of the People Act.’ As you are aware the National Recount was not undertaken by Returning Officers,” Lowenfield said in an attempt to discredit the 34-days-long National Recount process.

Moving on with his modus operandi of further attempts to discredit the National Recount, Lowenfield’s ‘clarity’ letter outlined a scenario in which he now claims that the CCJ’s ruling discredits the Recount Order. He said that the CCI’s judgment explicitly states that Order 60 of 2020 is in conflict with the Constitution and that it could not create a new election regime and as such requested that the Chair tell him which results of the March 2 elections could be lawfully declared.

His question of which result he should declare stems from the fact that the CEO prepared the controversial results stemming from the initial count in which Returning Officer for Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica),

GECOM Chair, Retired Justice Claudette Singh

Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield

Clairmont Mingo, inflated the APNU/AFC’s numbers by 19,116 votes, deducting 3689 votes from the PPP/C. In what can only be considered as a proverbial slap in the Commission’s face, Lowenfield inferred that the Chair is overstepping by instructing him what results to use. However, it can be concluded that the Chair was specific because the fact remains that Lowenfield dumped over 115,000 votes to once again hand the APNU/ AFC a fictitious victory.

The Chair addressed Lowenfield’s pleas for clarity in a letter where she indicated that her instructions are crystal and he should have no confusion in utilising the numbers from the National Recount of the ballots.

ter instead of a report can be amounted to gross dereliction of duty.

“Lowenfield’s letter constitutes an expression of gross dereliction of duty, insubordination and possibly contempt of court. Lowenfield has been in this process from the beginning. He participated fully in the crafting of the Recount Order - Order 60 of 2020. He executed the recount based upon that order. He tabulated the results based upon that order,” he contended.

Referencing the now nullified Court of Appeal ruling in which the word “valid” was inserted in the Constitution, Nandlall reminded that Lowenfield also prepared a report from the recount citing the “total valid” votes cast.

He noted that the CCJ did not leave any room for confusion when it discarded the Appeal Court’s ruling and as such Lowenfield should have acted in accordance with the Chair’s letter.

Gross dereliction

Meanwhile, former Attorney General and PPP/C Executive, Anil Nandlall said that Lowenfield’s let-

TURN TO PAGE 7

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guyanatimesgy.com

SATURDAY, JULY 11, 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

APNU/AFC has lost rationality, fairness and morality

T

he overtures by the A Partnership for National Unity/ Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) to continue to insult the intelligence of not only Guyanese, but our bilateral development partners whom they have no qualms begging for aid, speak tangibly to the core values, or lack thereof, that characterise the body politic of the coalition.

The baby boomers who had first-hand experience of this culture of the PNC, which has now transmuted itself into APNU/AFC, already knew what to expect. With the millennials now experiencing the same thing for themselves, the move by the party to try to invalidate the 2020 elections will only embarrass and isolate it further.

Many have watched and heard in disgust the continued pushing of false narrative by the APNU/AFC that the March 2 polls were rigged in favour of the PPP. This continual stream of allegations of electoral fraud is contrary to the position taken by President David Granger, who told the world on March 3, 2020 that the elections were “free, fair, and orderly”.

It should also be mentioned that the credible and transparent conduct of the elections was reinforced by GECOM Chairperson, Retired Justice Claudette Singh, all the accredited observer groups (OAS, Commonwealth, EU, Caricom, Carter Center, PSC) as well as the diplomatic community.

As one letter writer stated, hardcore elements within the PNC are so immersed in holding onto power that they have become consumed in it, and in the process have lost rationality, fairness, compassion, and morality. The fraud perpetrated by those aiding the APNU/AFC, starting with Region Four Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo, was not only clumsy in content, but was also daring in modus operandi, having been committed in full view of the world.

It is clear that the APNU/AFC’s current posturing is further exacerbated by the fact that their only intent for assuming the reins of power is for their own self-interest. While there are multiple examples that can be used to demonstrate their self-interest, one only has to look at the US$40,000 per month that they are willing to spend on a lobbying firm to make their actions seem just and intelligible.

The contract that they signed with this company is for one year. This translates roughly to in excess of $98 million per year, or $8 million per month. This spending has to be contextualised against the backdrop of the economic and pandemic constraints that are afflicting Guyanese.

There are countless persons who have been laid off and who have no means of fending for themselves and their families. A party that has its country at heart, or even its own constituents, would see it fit to utilise that $98 million to help them during this recessionary period. Eight million dollars per month can go a long way in helping the multitudes who currently cannot help themselves.

What is clear is that the APNU/AFC has lost the 2020 elections, having failed in its attempts to rig and remain in power. The Caricom-supervised recount process unearthed the fraudulent moves to transgress the will of the people, and based on the moves by the APNU/AFC to continue to derail the process, it is only logical for one to conclude that this party would try everything within its power to discredit anyone and anything for its own fraudulent purposes.

Such reprehensible actions and conduct by any political party could inevitably lead to its demise as Guyana’s political culture slowly moves from blindly supporting parties based on race to supporting parties based on their morals, adherence to the Rule of Law, and proposed developmental policies.

PNCR coalition has lost the 2020 elections, it should make way for peaceful transition Dear Editor, One of the most controversial public servants in Guyana is Keith Lowenfield, who serves as the GECOM Chief Executive Officer. He was supposed to file his new election report to the Elections Commission on July 10, 2020; but, as predicted, he didn’t, having used some technical Congress Place legalisms for his dereliction of duty.

When the Court of Appeal (CoA) made its decision in the Eslyn David case, Lowenfiled did not seek legal clarification or guidance from the Commission, but hurriedly submitted his election report in less than 24 hours, despite being restrained by a ‘stay’ of 3 days. And he disenfranchised 115,844 voters in the process.

For his failure to prepare his election report as instructed by the GECOM Chair, Lowenfield wants to know which “results of the election of March 2, 2020 could be lawfully declared.”

This inquiry is startling! There is only one legal result flowing from the recount that was validated by the Caricom high-level team. What other result could Lowenfield be having in his mind?

Does he think that the fraudulent March 13, 2020 report that he submitted to the Elections Commission, which was held in abeyance, should still be under consideration? How could he dare to even suggest this when the tabulation for Region 4 was proven fraudulent at the recount and witnessed by the world? The full extent of that Region 4 electoral fraud was exposed at the recount when the tabu-

lated votes matched the figures of the SOPs of March 2, 2020.

Lowenfield and his allies are continually looking for openings to deny the PPPC its victory. The judgment of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) is clear. The direction of the GECOM Chair to Lowenfield is clear. The declaration of the winner must be made on the basis of the recount figures as reflected in the 10 certified Statements of Recount (SORs). Seemingly trying to defy the ruling of the CCJ, Lowenfield and his conspirators are trying to re-write and even distort the CCJ’s clear an unequivocal ruling.

Lowenfield refers to a so-called tension between Order 60 and the Constitution.

Sanjeev Datadin and other lawyers have already adequately addressed this matter.

Lowenfield enquires from the GECOM Chair: “The historic practice of submissions of the election report to the Chairman has been premised on ascertainment of the result by the Chief Elections Officer. The structure of your missive suggests a change in operational procedures….”

I say that the Chair reserves the right, and has the authority to change procedures once the existing ones are compromised and pose an imminent threat to the integrity of the election process. Given what we know about attempts by rogue elements at GECOM and the PNCR to rig the elections, the Chair has no other option but to move aggressively to check this evil

penetration.

Ralph Ramkaran, SC, highlights the powers of the Elections Commission.

He cited Article 162(1) (b) of the Constitution: “The Commission shall issue instructions and take such actions as appear to it necessary and expedient to ensure impartiality, fairness and compliance with the provisions of this Constitution, or any Act of Parliament on the part of persons exercising powers or performing duties connected with or relating to the matters aforesaid.”

It was precisely under this provision that the Commission instructed Gocool Boodhoo, then GECOM CEO in 2015, to change his report which had the PPPC incorrectly winning by one seat.

Lowenfield raises what he perceives as other technical /legal issues. He says that the election law “envisages the allocation of seats that are premised on the statutory report of the Returning Officers.” He continues: “It is noteworthy that the CCJ clearly stated in paragraph 37 that the ‘allocation of seats in the National Assembly and the identification of the successful Presidential candidate are determined on the sole basis of votes counted, and information furnished by returning officers under Representation of the People Act.’ As you are aware, the National Recount was not undertaken by Returning Officers.”

The votes were indeed counted and furnished by Returning Officers on March 2, 2020, and they show that the PPPC won the elections by a margin of 15,000 votes. The APNU-AFC re-

fused to make their copies of the SOPs public, likewise Mr Lowenfield’s copies were kept secret. Why? The recount was to authenticate/ validate the SOP figures, since Mingo, in collusion with Lowenfield, had declared fraudulent figures for Region 4 that did not match with the GECOM-certified SOPs. And the recount figures matched the figures on the SOP for Region 4.

At Mingo’s June 13th declaration for Region 4, APNU-AFC was given 132,000 votes, compared with 74,000 for the PPPC. At the recount, APNU-AFC actually received 116,941 votes compared with 80,920 votes for the PPPC. M i n g o and Lowenfield gave the APNU-AFC a bogus lead of 58,000 votes in Region 4 over the PPPC when in fact that lead was just 36,021, as confirmed by the recount.

In my view, a recount does not necessarily have to be conducted by the Returning Officers. It’s always preferable to have independent people to conduct the recount, as this is an exercise to probe the validity of the original vote count. It’s like an audit function. Trying to engage in further legal manoeuvres would only delay the inevitable.

The Lowenfield legal team had the opportunity to raise legal and other issues with the CCJ. The ruling of the CCJ is clear: The declaration of the winner, PPPC, should be based on the recount figures. The transition must begin, as advocated by various national and international organizations.

Sincerely, Dr Tara Singh

Responsibility and authority of Justice Claudette Singh, SC, CCH Dear Editor, The letter dated July 10, 2020 from Mr. Keith Lowenfield, Chief Elections Officer of the Guyana Elections Commission, to the first female Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission trampled on the authority of Justice Claudette Singh with the utmost disdain and disrespect in this unending nightmare stemming from Guyana’s General and Regional Elections held on March 2, 2020.

Mr Lowenfield’s rambling letter, filled with a tangle of meaningless legal references, was dismissed

by the Chairperson within hours as she reinstated her request by letter for the certified recount numbers to be presented by 11:00am on Saturday, July 11, 2020.

Lowenfield will not comply with the recount request, and the Chairperson should be ready to use the legal powers vested in her office to ensure a declaration is made within three days, without any input from Lowenfield or his acolytes.

We, of the Change Guyana Party, have long held the opinion that Mr. Lowenfield should play no further part in the declaration process. It is fu-

tile to believe that the man who embraced the fraudulent numbers of Mingo, not once but twice, then used his unique and mystical math formulas to disenfranchise over one hundred thousand Guyanese on two occasions will suddenly drop his prejudice.

Thus it is no surprise that Mr Lowenfield has now brought the democratic underpinnings of the nation to a standstill by his absurd and outrageous request for “guidance” to prepare a report that he has already presented in the form of a certified recount of all ten regions to the Guyana

Election Commissioners.

There is only one solution: Justice Claudette Singh, SC, CCH, must use the powers vested in her as Chairperson of GECOM and use the fastest legal mechanism possible, without the involvement of Lowenfield or his conniving aides, and put in place a process that would allow for an official declaration of the winner of Guyana’s March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections.

Sincerely, Nigel Hinds Chairman Change Guyana party

guyanatimesgy.com

SATURDAY, JULY 11, 2020

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Madam Chairperson must act with firmness Dear Editor, Guyana has been held to ransom by the Granger PNCled APNU/AFC cabal for too long. The nonsensical narratives spewed by their frontline actors and intellectual authors reek of a corrupt mindset. They have, to some extent, corrupted the comprehension of a section of their diehard supporters into believing their tales, and has succeed in keeping them riled up, which hints of danger in the making.

Guyanese are exhausted, disgusted, crushed, and grief stricken, all because of the PNC/APNU/AFC’s hunger and thirst for power. The people are truly tired of the callous untruths being dished out in the public domain, and they want out.

Sherod Duncan and Christopher Jones remind

one of comedians Bud Abbott and Lou Costello’s shows. Mr. Aubrey Norton’s outpourings are more of a political discard, disgorging intellectual garbage. It is most unbecoming for a one-time Prime Minister to make such an asinine statement that Guyana’s sovereignty is on trial at the CCJ. It just goes to show the filthy level to which a man obsessed with power can sink.

The indignity and circus of lies and deception the Granger-led PNC/APNU/AFC cabal have subjected the nation to must end now. The GECOM Chair needs to act with haste to prevent the uneasy calm that now prevails from progressing into horrendous catastrophe.

Similar to how the APNU/ AFC misguided leaders had to be taught maths by the Caribbean Court of Justice, they must now most rueful-

ly be taught simple English Language and have comprehension knocked into their heads. What a shame and disgrace!

The Guyanese people’s lives have been put on hold, and held in suspense way beyond the limit. Fatigue syndrome has taken a hold of the population. The CCJ has spoken. It is now the turn of Madam Chairperson of the GECOM to act with firmness.

The actions of the Grangerled PNC/APNU/AFC cabal and their intellectual backers collectively only seek to engage in nastiness; to propagate discord and destruction, and to promote their narrow mind-set agendas. They are all haters of our Guyana, and are fanatical antagonists to peace. It is just plain madness and hypocrisy being heaped on the people when

they have done no wrong. The PNC/APNU/AFC have, in the vilest terms, condemned and castigated all the electors for exercising their universally embraced democratic right to vote at the 2nd March, 2020 General and Regional elections. It is time to end this madness.

It has been pellucid to the wide world for quite some time that the GECOM does not have a compliant Secretariat, but a PNC/APNU/AFCcomplicit Secretariat. Mr. Keith Lowenfield, having received all the goodies and presents from the Granger Government, is compromised and obligated. His hiring practice for staffing at the Secretariat set the tone for the present morass that has engulfed Guyana. The cherry-picking ERC saw nothing wrong with that racial-

ly-biased hiring practice. Mr. Keith Lowenfield moved with alacrity and hastily advised a declaration on his willing accomplice Mingo’s fraud, but now stands against the certified results of the National Recount of the ballots. He feigns ignorance of the fact that it was his staff at the GECOM that certified the SoRs and the tabulation certificates.

What an evil and despicable man Lowenfield has become. He sold his soul to the PNC/APNU/AFC for the goodies and presents; his integrity has proverbially ‘Gone with the Wind. He has, without any doubt, outdone Mr. Mingo’s fraud; but, fortunately, the CCJ has disqualified them both.

Madam Chairperson, retired Justice Claudette Singh of the GECOM, was most

justified in her Affidavit to the Court of Appeal to disregard the Eslyn David application that sought to prevent the GECOM CEO from submitting his report on the certified recount of the votes cast at the 2nd March, 2020 elections to the Commission.

Having lived the greater part of her life actively involved in the judiciary, she has no choice but to uphold the law.

It is time to end electioneering, rigging and fraud.

There is no place in modern society for leaders to exercise total disregard for the will of the people and to prevent the expansion of democratic rule. Madam Chairperson of the GECOM, make the declaration now and let Guyana be proud of you.

Respectfully, Parasram Persaud

UN Secretary-General’s message should be regarded as a final warning to APNU/AFC

Dear Editor, Guyanese would recall Prime Minister of Trinidad, Dr Keith Rowley, stating that “this will not end well” when he returned to Trinidad and refused to send another representative to observe the election recount.

New CARICOM Chairman Dr Ralph Gonsalves referred to the de facto Mr “G” as a “sanctimonious gangster.”

Exactly what Guyana predicted occurred. The latest corruption erupted from the caretaker Attorney General’s office itself deliberately misleading GECOM officers with illegal ramifications and misinterpretations of the law, thereby pushing his own party members to be involved with illegitimate activities and taking them down the road of criminal incrimination.

As a result, GECOM CEO Keith Lowenfield once again failed to submit his report to the Chair at GECOM’s meeting yesterday. Instead, this misguidance has led CEO Lowenfield to submit a letter to the Commission, seeking “clarification” on the Madam Chair’s directives as per her letter to him on July 8th, requesting him to use the figures from the election recount pursuant to Article 177(2)(b) of the Constitution and Section 96 of the Representation of the People’s Act. He needs the Chair to provide guidance, citing Section 96 (1) of ROPA 1:03. His insinuation is his zealous attempt to portray contradiction, purporting that the Madam Chair’s procedure is flawed with the practice of the sub-

mission of the elections report.

This is the level the APNU/ AFC has reached, a nursery student trying to degrade the headmistress of the school!

This is another assault on the election process; a low blow; another ambush of the electorate; a sleaze ball; another assault on the intelligence of Guyanese; merciless, deplorable and unforgivable.

Dr Jekyll/Mr Hyde and his cabal of cantankerous ruffians continue to wreak havoc on the election process and on the lives of Guyanese.

They have mustered, salted and peppered their nefarious agenda with a worse diabolical propaganda programme that keeps spitting out slanderous attacks that are so vehement and devious in nature, using the state machinery assets, including the newspapers, radios and television programmes, the Police and army, the Government agencies and offices, Government employees, state vehicles and state finances.

First, APNU/AFC disregarded and discarded the Constitution of Guyana, besmirched all the Opposition parties, then fooled and deceived their own supporters.

Then they lied to the Guyanese public at large, dictated the manipulation and control of the security and armed forces, and masqueraded in the streets with vile and foul behaviour. Following that came the vulgar display on all the stakeholders; members of the diplomatic corps were awfully and undiplomatically embarrassed. Then they truncated the Carter Center Team un-

der false and deceitful flimsiness: the atrocious, abominable, perverse and fraudulent manipulation of the election count and recount; the odious and fervent refusal to acquiesce the juggling of the counts and recounts; the obnoxious and fanatical denial of the legitimate recount result; the reprehensible and contemptible acceptability of fraudulent misdemeanors; the fiendish, horrendous and vicious attacks on the national and international communities; the undisguised and unabashed jamoon picking of excerpts from the CARICOM and OAS recount reports; wicked and flagrant assaults on the judges from the CCJ; and the veracious and contradictory reactions to the CCJ’s decisions.

Being careless, ruthless and heartless, they have not spared the honourable Madam Chair, Justice Claudette Singh. Yesterday, aspersions were smeared on her character, purporting a phone call between her and a GECOM staffer. This is not only mischief, but is another attempt at coercion and intimidation.

In February 1966, HRH Queen Elizabeth 11, Prince Phillip and their royal party paid a short but significant visit to Guyana, arriving on the Royal Yacht Britannia.

Also of memory, Guyana gained her independence in the same year on 26th May. A favourite ringtone is Ennio Morricone’s musical score from the famous Western movie “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”, released on Dec. 23, 1966 and starring Clint

Eastwood, Eli Wallach and Lee Van Cleef.

It is of some semblance that the de facto stand-in Mr “G” made mention of “bad” elements in our society during his unmasked (barefaced) speech last Wednesday. He spoke an iota of uncomfortable truth for once, but not without bobbing and weaving in Cassius Clay’s style, entangling himself in a web and being lost in a maze.

He finally spurted out that the election matter is being referred back to GECOM. APNU/AFC party would prefer to remember the evil and devious Mr. “G” and Mr. “H” as the “good” guys who came to the rescue, defence and protection of two crooks and scamps, Mr. “M” and MR. “L”, the “bad” guys, and the honest and decent CARICOM Team as the “ugly” guys who called out the “good and bad” guys for lying and cheating!

Such is life for “The Untouchables” and their “Godfather.” But let’s get one thing straight, and lay it on the table so that all can digest, regardless of caste, creed or colour; gender, political affiliation or not; local or international stakeholder: there was fraud, massive fraud in Guyana’s elections, and it was perpetrated by no other than the one and only…APNU/ AFC Party. Yes, put that in your pipe, huff and puff on it for the rest of your life. There is no fact to alter that uncomfortable truth, and that is “the truth and the only truth, so help me God,” signed, sealed and delivered by CARICOM and OAS, a household name trusted by both sides of the

Guyana could face serious setbacks in elections’ aftermath Dear Editor, Pivotal elections held on March 2, 2020 have unleashed a wave of uncertainty in our country; and that has pushed the pause button on several critical aspects of the country’s oil-and-gas development, and has prevented the people’s lives from returning to normalcy.

The many false allegations of vote tampering and the blatant thievery by the PNCR faction of the APNU/ AFC caretaker Government

have caused Guyanese to endure a 33-day-long recount process; and yet, any hope of a clear resolution has been dashed.

The ruling of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) on Wednesday, which opened the door for GECOM to go ahead and declare Dr Irfaan Ali as winner of the March 02 elections using the certified recount figures which showed the PPP/C winning the majority of the valid votes -has not yet been imple-

mented.

The international community has increasingly called on the current caretaker Government to step down, but the result is still unsettled more than 133 days after the initial vote.

The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) has now ruled against the Guyana Court of Appeal’s injunction to block the declaration of a winner using the election recount results of June 8, which had the Opposition winning by 15,416

votes.

The path is now clear for GECOM to reconvene and declare an election winner. However, the GECOM Chairman has had to postpone a schedule meeting after Government-aligned Commissioners requested time to “study” the ruling handed down by the Court. This is seen as another delaying tactic by the Commissioners to stall the declaration of the results.

TURN TO PAGE 17

fence.

Everyone in Guyana, CARICOM, and the rest of the world knows the truth, and they know that the APNU/ AFC knows that truth; and the world knows that the APNU/AFC knows that they know that APNU/AFC knows that hurtful but sole truth.

End of movie, end of story. It is time to move on to the next step.

Make no mistake, fellow Guyanese, this cabal is playing all its cards correctly.

Their sinister plan is to ensure that they remain in power by any means whatsoever, and they intend to accept all the challenges from anyone, local or international. They have openly forewarned every one of their intentions (war break), and they know that they have all the necessary forces to support them all placed in all the strategic positions and being well equipped with aggressiveness.

The ringleaders are happily celebrating by chuckling to themselves, their foot soldiers are laughing uncontrollably; but the sympathizers to the Guyanese electorate are grieving and hurting. Yesterday,

Guyana sulked, ashamed of the few sons of the soil who unreservedly continue to unleash the indignity of shame, disgrace, ignominy and degradation of this stigma, and contempt for simple Guyanese credibility. This ringleader has managed to forge another demeaning characteristic for sinking to the lowest level that there is no mercy left but to now let lose his dogs to rip the little bit of flesh Guyanese have remaining.

The cry for help and pleas cannot be louder than they currently are. There is no more energy left to utter a call for SOS. Is anyone out there listening, or is the plight of Guyanese lost in the land of wilderness? But the latest message from the United Nations Secretary General should be regarded as a final warning to the APNU/AFC Party and the de facto caretaker. But, then again, he is in hiding and would tell another a lie that he knows nothing about such a message.

Guyana sulks in a limbo and awaits the next move.

Respectfully, Jai Lall

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SATURDAY, JULY 11, 2020

Page

Foundation

Guyana Times is pleased to publish CXC English and Mathematics questions with specimen answers.

CXC QUESTIONS

MATHS

ENGLISH

B

Dulce et Decorum Est

By Wilfred Owen

Bent double, like old beggars under sacks, Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge, Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs, And towards our distant rest began to trudge.

Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots, But limped on, blood-shod.

All went lame; all blind; Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots Of gas-shells dropping softly behind.

Gas! GAS! Quick, boys!—An ecstasy of fumbling Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time, But someone still was yelling out and stumbling And flound’ring like a man in fire or lime.— Dim through the misty panes and thick green light, As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.

In all my dreams before my helpless sight, He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.

If in some smothering dreams, you too could pace Behind the wagon that we flung him in, And watch the white eyes writhing in his face, His hanging face, like a devil’s sick of sin; If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs, Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,— My friend, you would not tell with such high zest To children ardent for some desperate glory, The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori.

Questions

Summarise the poem What is the subject of the poem?

Who is the persona?

List and discuss the literary devices used in the poem Describe the mood of the poem and discuss how it is created List and discuss the themes of the poem Describe the form of the poem and discuss its effectiveness How do you feel about this poem? Discuss your reaction Suggest an alternative name for the poem, citing evidence found within the text

NEWS

7

SATURDAY, JULY 11, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

“My initial letter stands” – Chair to Lowenfield …given until 11 am today to submit report

GECOM Chair, Retired Justice Claudette Singh

C

hair of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Retired Justice Claudette Singh was pellucid when she dispatched a letter on Thursday to Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield, directing him to prepare his final elections report. However, Lowenfield has claimed that he needs clarification on how he should go about preparing the report.

Justice Singh wrote to Lowenfield on Thursday instructing him to present his report “In accordance with this Section, and pursuant to Article 177 (2) (b) of the Constitution and Section 96 of the Representation of the People Act Cap 1:03, you are hereby requested to prepare and submit your report on the March 2, 2020, General and Regional Elections by 2 pm on 10th July 2020, using the valid votes counted in the National Recount as per Certificates of Recount generated therefrom.”

On Friday, the Chair was once again forced to write to Lowenfield demanding that he act in conformity with her directives and present his report no later than 11:00h today.

In her letter, Justice

Singh states: “In response to your request for guidance on which the results of the March 02, 2020 Elections can be declared, you are accordingly advised that my letter dated July 09, 2020 stands. You are therefore required to submit your report by 11:00hrs on 11th July 2020.”

However, before Justice Singh could present the letter to Lowenfield, he claimed to have received a death threat and immediately left the Elections Commission’s, Kingston Headquarters.

The decision to write and provide clarity to Lowenfield came about after the Commissioners met on Friday and discussed the contents of his letter instead of the report they were hop-

GECOM Govt Commissioner Vincent Alexander

ing to discuss.

Had Lowenfield prepared and presented his final elections report, it would have paved the way for a final declaration and subsequent swearing-in of a President.

In this case, it would have seen the People’s Progressive Party/Civic’s Dr Irfaan Ali ascending to the seat of power based on the recount results.

Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield

Hold Guyana ransom

“We cannot have one person holding up this country, right now that is what is happening,” was the reaction of Opposition-nominated Commissioner, Bibi Shadick, as she exited Friday’s GECOM meeting.

After emerging from the planned Commission meeting on Friday, Shadick bemoaned the fact that the CEO has failed to carry out his duties to allow for the electoral process to come to an end, almost five months after the electorate voted.

Meanwhile, when asked about the options available to the Commission should the CEO insist in refusing to comply with the directives of the Chairperson, Commissioner Shadick said: ”I don’t know, when that time comes we will deal with it”.

Shadick added that all of the Commissioners are well aware of what the GECOM Chair has directed the CEO to do.

Legally bound

Commissioner Sase Gunraj also expressed similar views with that of Shadick, saying that the

Recalcitrant Lowenfield again...

FROM PAGE 3

“For Lowenfield to come and say now that he does not understand that Recount Order which he participated in crafting and executed for two and a half months at the recount centre is absolute hogwash. It's disrespectful, it is malicious and wicked. For him to say that the CCJ has, on some basis, create some confusion is also another sad and despicable excuse. How is it he was able to understand the Court of Appeal’s decision that was so wrong in law?

That was put on hold yet he acted upon it and being unable to understand the CCJ decision. This man is perverse, he is dishonest and must be dealt with in accordance with the law,” Nandlall posited.

Second strike

This is the second time

that the CEO has failed to honour the request of the Commission and submit his final report. One can safely say that Lowenfield seems to be among the “forces” the Barbados Prime Minister, Mia Mottley, alluded to when she said there are forces bent on delaying the elections process in Guyana.

Justice Singh had earlier instructed Lowenfield to submit his final report, utilising the numbers from the National Recount, on June 18.

However, June 18 came and Lowenfield did not submit his report.

Instead, he sat in his office and awaited the arrival of Court Marshals to serve him with a Notice of Motion filed by APNU/AFC supporter Eslyn David.

Following the Court of Appeal ruling in that case,

Lowenfield went on to unilaterally and without any authority, invalidate over 115,000 votes.

That case has since been determined by the CCJ, clearing the way for the declaration but Lowenfield continues to stymie the process.

Guyanese and the international community have called on GECOM to declare the results of the elections on the basis of the certified figures emanating from the National Recount. The National Recount, which was conducted under the scrutiny of a special Caribbean Community (Caricom) team, shows the PPP/C in a landslide victory with some 15,416 more votes than its main political rival, the APNU/AFC coalition.

GECOM Commissioner Sase Gunraj

CEO is legally bound to carry out the directives the Commission and not act as he pleases. He noted that the Constitution expressly states that the CEO is a creature of the Commission and that the letter that he wrote seeking

ployees of the Commission, and for the appointment of all the staff to the officers thereof inclusive of all temporary staff, recruited for the purposes of boundary demarcation, registration of persons and elections and shall have the power to remove and to exercise disciplinary control over such staff.”

Based on the constitutional provision, Gunraj noted that the Chair was clear in her letter as to what she is instructing Lowenfield to do and added that if he fails to do so then he will face the consequences.

“The law dictates that the CEO is a creature of the Commission and if he fails to carry out the lawful instructions, obviously that has to be met with consequences and there is a raft of conse-

GECOM Commissioner Bibi Shadick

He noted that the nation has expectations and the declaration is long overdue. The attorney-at-law also indicated that the Recount Order – Order 60 of 2020 provides the legal basis for the CEO to make a declaration using the figures from the recount.

Unrealistic proposal

clarity is one that is “extraneous to his task.”

Article 161 (a) (1) of the Constitution states: “The Elections Commission shall be responsible for the efficient functioning of the Secretariat of the Commission, which shall comprise the officers and em-

quences which can flow from that…it is unfortunate that he chose to act in this regard…he has sought clarity and he has received clarity and I expect him to act properly now,” Gunraj told reporters outside of GECOM’s High Street, Kingston Headquarters.

Meanwhile, Governmentappointed Commissioner, Vincent Alexander called for a non-declaration of the results. However, he admitted that those non-declarations were made through legal proceedings and not by the bodies with the responsibility for administering elections.

In what can be considered an unrealistic proposal, Alexander said that the initial declarations, inclusive of the controversial District Four declarations, remain in place since no decision had been taken to disregard them.

All eyes are now on Lowenfield to see whether he will come up with another delay tactic or present the numbers from the recount.

8 NEWS

SATURDAY, JULY 11, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Teen dies due to injuries after fall while playing football

– mother suspects foul play, calls for thorough investigation

A

19-year-old miner died days after he allegedly injured himself while playing a game of football at Armu Backdam, Cuyuni River, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni).

The teen, Rickford Newtown, of Byderabo, Region Seven (CuyuniMazaruni), was injured on July 3, 2020, but succumbed to his injures on July 8, while receiving medical attention at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).

The young miner and breadwinner of his family, according to reports, attempted to get the ball but reportedly fell, thus causing injuries to his head, neck, spine, arms, and legs.

He was picked up in an unconscious state and taken to the Bartica Regional Hospital where he was examined and admitted by the doctor on duty. Due to the severity of his injuries,

Dead: Rickford Newton

he was transferred to the GPHC, where he remained until his demise.

Following his death, an autopsy was performed on his remains, which proved that he died as a result of a fractured spinal cord. The post-mortem was conducted

by Government Pathologist, Dr Nehaul Singh on Friday.

However, his mother,

Carol Newton, when contacted told Guyana Times that she was at home on July 3 when her son’s employer brought the news that the young man was injured and had to be hospitalised.

“When I went down to the hospital, I see my son lying on the bed panting for breath, so I asked the doctor what wrong with he and it was then he told me that his spine broke, his neck broke, his hands were also broken,” the mother stated.

She was then informed that he was being transferred to Georgetown to receive further medical attention.

The grieving mother related that seeing her son dying right in front of her was a scary experience. In tears, she noted that losing her son has left an empty place in her heart as the minutes go by.

“Right now, I am strug-

gling because I only working with the Government for $25,000 for a month, and that cannot do to maintain the family… it was him we depended on,” the grieving mother cried.

Meanwhile, she is holding out that her son’s death is questionable, claiming that he might have been beaten to death after he asked for money owed to him.

“I stand up here in the name of God, my son ain’t supposed to die like this.

I need justice for my son. I stand up here in the name of God, my son ain’t supposed to die like this. I need justice for my son,” she repeated.

When contacted, Regional Commander Senior Superintendent Linden Lord explained that the police have since launched an investigation into the accusations made by the now dead teen’s family.

(Shemar Alleyne)

Man jailed for hammering WBD resident to death

C

Dead: James Steward

hristopher Cheong, 20, pleaded guilty to killing 49-year-old James Steward, also known as “Buby,” when he virtually appeared before Justice Sandil Kissoon at the High Court on Friday.

Initially, the accused was indicted for murder, but opt-

ed to plead guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter.

He admitted that on July 17, 2016, he killed Steward.

The indictment against Cheong was presented by State Prosecutors Nafeeza Baig and Tuanna Hardy.

The prosecution’s case contended that on the day in question, the accused, while being intoxicated, went to his cousin’s house at David Rose Street, Bagotville, West Bank Demerara (WBD).

While there, he picked up a hammer and found Steward at his home in Unity Street, La Grange, WBD, where he dealt him one blow to the head.

He then returned home with blood on his clothes and the hammer in his hand and informed his cousin that he had killed someone.

He, nevertheless, retired

Christopher Cheong on August 3, 2016, when he was remanded to prison

to bed but later woke up and washed his blood-stained clothes. The deceased was subsequently found by Police, lying in a pool of blood at his Unity Street, La Grange home.

At the time he committed the heinous crime, he was 16 years old. Justice Kissoon had initially sentenced Cheong to 25 years’ imprisonment but reduced it by one year three months for

his early guilty plea and another eight years for a plea of mitigation by the defence and four years for the time he spent in prison.

An additional two years were added for aggravating factors presented by the State.

Cheong will serve a seven-year jail term for manslaughter. He was represented by Attorney Max McKay.

Linden man jailed for slapping wife

A

Central Amelia’s Ward, Linden man was sentenced to two weeks’ imprisonment by Magistrate Wanda Fortune on Wednesday after he was found guilty of assaulting his common-law wife.

The sentence was handed down to Priavan Ramanan

when he made a virtual appearance before the presiding Magistrate at the Linden Magistrate’s Court.

The court heard that Ramanan assaulted the Virtual Complainant (VC), Susan Hussain, by slapping her during an altercation on Saturday, July 4, 2020.

And the absurdity…

T

…at GECOM continues o her credit, the Iron Lady was all ready to belt out her song, but she had to observe the forms of this new kind of theatre of the absurd the PNC’s brought to Guyana. Even though the CCJ had provided the lyrics, CEO Lowenfield had to literally hand them to her before she could go on. And as your Eyewitness had predicted, Lowenfield wasn’t going to play ball – even with jailtime staring him in the face!! He was going to go down defending his old Force Commandant Granger’s Hail Mary.

So, in the face of the Iron Lady’s pellucid explanation of his duties in reference to producing the Elections Report, Lowenfield showed up and delivered a LETTER explaining why he wasn’t delivering the report!! He needed “clarity” on several of the instructions. For instance, he claimed that if it wasn’t GECOM’s job to determine the credibility of the elections’ numbers, then what was the point of the Recount Order 60? This, of course, was the identical argument of the Counsel for Eslyn David back in the day in front of Justice Holder!!

But he (or his PNC handlers) is conveniently overlooking that even their own Appellate Court ordered that “valid votes” be counted, and this is what the Recount process had delivered!! Lowenfield should go back and look at each of the Statements of Recount and Certificates of Recount and he would see that each of them certifies “VALID” votes counted from the March 2 elections!! And as the CCJ reminded all and sundry, the word “valid” as it’s related to votes had been made very clear in the Guyana Constitution and the enabling legislation, and the Court of Appeal’s insertion was quite banal and redundant!!

It’s Lowenfield who arbitrarily inserted the further qualification of “credibility” to the recount votes, and snapped his fingers and voila! made 115,000 valid votes disappeared!! Never mind that in so doing he’d arrogated to himself even greater powers than an Elections Court to evaluate the hearsay allegations of the PNC’s “irregularities”! Courts, after all, insist on evidence and throw out hearsay!!

Another limb on which Lowenfield jumped to seek “clarification” was ROPA Sec 96, which he claims stated that he, the CEO, must supply votes counted from “Statutory Representatives of the Returning Officers” and it’s from these he can allocate the seats garnered by the contesting parties. But since he’s being instructed to extract his numbers from the Recount, then he wouldn’t be complying with this requirement!! But Sec 96 has no such stipulation!

In any case, what your Eyewitness wants to know is: who were all those GECOM representatives who conducted the Recount, if not statutory reps of the RO’s??

…descends into farce After delivering his letter and listening to the “clarifications” he was purportedly seeking, Lowenfield suddenly exited the Commission meeting to enter an ambulance that had just arrived with sirens blaring, and had the waiting media workers jumping frantically aside to save themselves!!

Everyone wondered whether it was a repetition of Mingo’s GPHC sojourn for a still undetermined heart condition, but it wasn’t. Lowenfield quickly exited the ambulance and bounced back into the GECOM meeting. The press did wonder how the Ambulance Service knew that Lowenfield needed some medical emergency intervention – oxygen?? But it was soon all explained.

As soon as Lowenfield was told by the Chair that he had to submit his Report just as he’d been instructed on July 9th, and the letter was being prepared, he announced that he’d received a “death threat”!! How or when wasn’t explained, as he left immediately. Your Eyewitness figures that this was what the Ambulance manoeuvre was all about!!

He’d been told in no uncertain terms that he’d better not buckle!!

…will return Lowenfield’s supposed to bring his Report today at 11 am. But we know no matter what was explained, he ain’t bringing no Report.

Will the Iron Lady rise like Joan of Arc to save the Republic and compile the Report herself??

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

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SATURDAY, JULY 11, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

GECOM must make democracy prevail – Sir Shridath Ramphal …demands Guyana return to state of respect

D

istinguished Guyaneseborn diplomat, Sir Shridath Ramphal has called on the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to ensure that it upholds its constitutional duty and make democracy prevail in the country.

His comment came on the heels of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) ruling that invalided the decision by Guyana’s Court of Appeal’s decision that “more votes cast” in the context of the Recount Order means “more valid votes cast”, saying the local court does not have jurisdiction to pronounce on the matter. The regional Court on Wednesday also invalidated the fraudulent report which was submitted last month by embattled Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield, in which he disenfranchised more than 115,000 voters.

In an opinion piece published

by Caribbean News Global on Friday, Sir Ramphal lauded the CCJ’s ruling, saying the rule of law has prevailed and that a darkening cloud has been dissipated by the regional Court’s unanimous jurisprudence.

“The whole region must be grateful for the Court’s authority and the calm and courageous manner of its exercise. Now Guyana must return to its state of respect

Guyana, posited that the process of healing in the country must begin.

the pit of lawlessness,” he had said in a statement last month.

Following the CCJ’s ruling, GECOM Chair, Retired Justice Claudette Singh, on Thursday directed the Chief Elections Officer to submit his report on Friday using the recount figures.

However, instead of submitting his report, Lowenfield on Friday morning asked for clarity on the instructed given to him. This resulted in the GECOM Chair adjourning the meeting of the seven-member Elections Commission until today at 11:00h.

True and as appropriate now

Sir Shridath Ramphal

for the established will of the people, and the new Government must be declared and installed.

Caribbean democracy demands no less. Our country, our region, our hemisphere, our world – will not allow less. Guyana’s Elections Commission, GECOM, fortified by the Court’s judgement and the people’s demonstrated will, must make democracy prevail. That is its constitutional duty,” the Guyanese diplomat asserted.

With the exercise of this duty, Sir Ramphal, a former Commonwealth Secretary General and Foreign Affairs Minister of

He reminded of his statement at the inauguration of the David Granger Administration in 2015, where he had said that citizens had aspired, at independence, to Guyana’s worthy destiny through being one nation and one people.

“We were one people then and have been ever since – save in our politics through which we deceive ourselves into believing that our motto of ‘one people’ is false. It is not false, and we must not let the vicissitudes of politics and the discord inherent in the democratic process diminish our ‘oneness’. At moments of transition like this it is the duty of all to work hard at destroying the myth of otherness and at cultivating by conscious effort the reality of oneness that is our historical birth right,” he had stated five years ago.

According to the Guyanese diplomat, those words are as true and as appropriate now as they were then.

“I urge them now, at this moment of transition, as I urged them then. Let us follow [those words] and save ourselves,” he implored.

Sir Ramphal had previously urged Guyana’s political leaders

GECOM Chair, Retired Justice Claudette Singh

not to allow the country to descend into a “pit of lawlessness” and to ensure that good sense prevails.

“As Guyana nears the tipping point of its ‘elections crisis’ I plead with all my fellow Guyanese not to allow our motherland to descend into the darkness of denial of the rule of law and regularity… We owe it to ourselves, to the Caribbean Community which we have helped to bring to life, and to the wider global community whose respect we have earned as an enlightened democratic State – not to debase ourselves by descent into

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11 Post-election impasse, instability could threaten Guyana’s oil wealth – Washington-based experts NEWS

SATURDAY, JULY 11, 2020| GUYANATIMESGY.COM

G

uyana’s post-election impasse and the level of instability it has generated could threaten the long-awaited oil windfall, as many crucial projects are still awaiting approval – which could only happen after the draggedout electoral process is concluded and a democratic Government is sworn in.

This is according to the Vice President of Manchester Trade Ltd, David E Lewis, an international business advisory firm in Washington, DC; and Senior Associate of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Anthony T Bryan, in Washington, DC. In an opinion piece published recently by Caribbean News Global, the two respected international experts reminded that despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the IMF had projected that Guyana might be the only country in the Americas to experience any economic growth this year, let alone the double-digit bonanza expected by experts.

According to the IMF, Guyana is ideally positioned to ride a wave of oil

Vice President of Manchester Trade Ltd, David Lewis

development, with the economy likely to expand 86 per cent compared to 4.4 per cent in 2019.

ExxonMobil’s record number of discoveries offshore Guyana has placed the country at the top of the list for prospective offshore regions in the world.

Lewis and Bryan explained that with two recent discoveries in neighbouring Suriname, the GuyanaSuriname Basin (GSB) is now one of the most promising basins in the world.

Even as the recent oil price collapse forced the global oil companies to curtail spend-

ing and curb production in many countries, development plans for the major oil discoveries in Guyana and Suriname remain mostly unchanged.

According to the experts, all of this could be threatened if the current political impasse, following the March 2 polls, is not resolved soon.

“Amidst the chaos, Guyana could face serious setbacks, risking previous economic projections and potentially reducing off a recent flood of investments into Guyana. Even as oil wealth starts to flow into government accounts, key policies and projects remain unfinished and the country has not yet made firm decisions about how to spend the oil wealth,” they said.

They added that as many as 34 firms, including the largest trading houses and oil majors, are now competing to market Guyana’s share of the oil cargoes.

“Approvals for the next stage of Guyana’s oil development have also been delayed for months by the political uncertainty and regulators seem reluctant to act without knowing who might be in charge when

Senior Associate of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Anthony Bryan

the dust settles. Keeping development moving, unfortunately, seems to have become one more political playing card in an already chaotic situation.”

According to Lewis and Bryan, these delays are likely to be costly. They noted that Guyana has already earned close to US$100 million since production started earlier this year, with

billions more on the horizon if development proceeds as planned. “That’s revenue the government will desperately need to jumpstart the post-COVID recovery,” they noted.

According to the authors, political chaos is inevitably corrosive to a country’s economic goals. “But insulating Guyana’s burgeoning oil industry from politics would go a long way towards making sure that the country becomes a poster child for development, not a cautionary tale.”

It has now been over four months since the elections were held and the credible winner is yet to be declared.

Even though the voting process was endorsed by all stakeholders as being credible, it was the tabulation of the results for District Four which sparked much controversy, leading to a National Recount.

Even after the Caricomsupervised National Recount was conducted and confirmed that

the Opposition People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/) won the polls by over 15,000 votes, the incumbent A Partnership For National Unity/Alliance for Change (APNU/AFC) is refusing to accept the results and give up the reigns of power.

The coalition continues to make allegations of voter fraud, even though it claimed victory on this same basis.

On Wednesday the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) handed down clear, definitive decisions which now pave the way for the Guyana Elections Commission to move ahead with its final declaration.

The CEO has once again been instructed by GECOM to present a new elections report by 11:00h today, using the results from the National Recount.

Major powers have threatened sanctions against individuals who attempt to prevent the duly elected Government from being installed.

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Final elections' results 4 new COVID-19 cases must be accepted – UN recorded …tells political leaders to refrain from acts that may fuel tension

T

he United Nations (UN) has joined calls for the final declaration of the results from Guyana’s March 2 General and Regional Elections so that the current political impasse can be brought to an end.

This statement was made

by Stéphane Dujarric, who serves as the Spokesman for the UN Secretary General António Guterres, in response to questions on Guyana’s protracted electoral process.

According to Dujarric, the Secretary General took note of the July 8 ruling of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) as the final instance.

“He stresses the importance of announcing final official results of the 2 March General and Regional Elections to the Guyanese people as soon as possible to end an impasse that has lasted more than four months,” the SG Spokesman stated.

Dujarric went on to say that the Secretary General also calls on all political leaders and their supporters to recognise and accept the final official results and refrain from any act or statement that may fuel tensions or incite violence in Guyana.

This is not the first time the SG Spokesman has commented on Guyana’s situation. In the height of the impasse back on March 13, Dujarric had expressed concerns over the tensions and noted that the Secretary General had urged all political leaders and their supporters to resolve any dispute over the results of the elections through constitutional and peaceful means.

Meanwhile, even the UN Resident Coordinator in Guyana, Mikiko Tanaka, ear-

lier this month had called on political leaders and their supporters to refrain from acts that could incite hostility and violence. “…We call on all political leaders and their supporters to remain patient and refrain from acts and remarks that could incite hostility or violence. I would like to reiterate the United Nations’ commitment to continue to support the people of Guyana,” Tanaka posited in the July 3 missive.

Her statement was made as Guyana was awaiting the decision from the CCJ, which on Wednesday ruled that Guyana’s Court of Appeal had no jurisdiction to hear the matter filed by APNU/AFC supporter, Eslyn David.

As such, the CCJ invalidated the Appeal Court’s decision that “more votes cast” in the Recount Order means “more valid votes cast” as well as the fraudulent report submitted by embattled Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield, who had disenfranchised over 115,000 voters.

The Trinidad-based regional court in its ruling, which was delivered by President Justice Adrian Saunders, further stated: “It is for GECOM to ensure that the CEO submits a report in accordance with his directives of 16th of June in order to proceed along the path directed by the laws of Guyana.”

This refers to the instructions by GECOM Chair, Retired Justice Claudette Singh, who had directed Lowenfield in a letter dated June 16 last month to submit his final elections report using the figures from the National Recount.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres

The 33-day exercise confirmed that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) won the March 2 elections with 233,336 votes while the caretaker APNU/AFC coalition obtained 217,920 votes – a difference of 15,416 votes.

However, just before Lowenfield was required to present his report, the Elsyn David matter was filed in the Appeal Court. But one day after that court’s ruling, which was stayed for three days, the CEO went ahead to submit his report in which he invalidated over 115,000 votes to give the APNU/AFC a win with 171,825 votes while the PPP/C was given 166,343 votes.

Now that the CCJ has invalidated that report, the CEO was once again instructed by the GECOM Chair, Retired Justice Claudette Singh, on Thursday, to present a new elections report using the results from the National Recount. He was expected to submit this report on Friday but instead, asked for clarity from the GECOM Chair.

In response, Justice Singh told the CEO that she is standing by her Thursday letter and ordered that he submit his report at 11:00h today.

…active cases now 140

A

s the number of COVID-19 cases continues to climb in Guyana, the Public Health Ministry has recorded four new cases out of a total of 25 tests that were conducted on Friday.

This now brings the total number of confirmed cases in Guyana to date to 290.

In presenting an update, Deputy Chief Medical Officer (DCMO), Dr Karen Gordon-Boyle, related that there are 140 active cases with 19 persons in institutional quarantine and six in the dedicated COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

In addition, 134 persons have recovered and the number of deaths remains at 16. She also disclosed that nine of the 10 administrative regions have recorded cases of COVID-19.

Further, the DCMO noted that based on a survey conducted, 30 per cent of respondents reported their unwillingness to give up their daily practice and adhere to guidelines provided.

In light of this finding, the DCMO reiterated that the COVID-19 cases in Guyana continue to rise due to non-adherence to the guidelines.

“I wish you to recognise that our cases are still on the increase and that we all are susceptible; COVID-19 is a smart alec according to our Guyanese parlance, so the best approach is not to behave as the 30 per cent of

those persons in the survey who are unwilling to give up their free lifestyle; rather let us try to avoid being infected and to safeguard ourselves from the potential damage that COVID-19 can cause,” the DCMO explained.

According to the World Health Organisation, the total number of cases is 11,874,226 with 545,481 deaths. In the region of the Americas, the number of cases is 6,125,802 with 272,606 deaths

Palms COVID-free

Meanwhile, the Social Protection Ministry on Friday stated that the

Palms Elderly Care Facility is now COVID-19 free as its final three patients have made full recoveries from the virus.

The patients, 66-yearold Robert Baiku, 69-yearold Cleo Brotherson, and 57-year-old Gaitree Kaloutie, will spend a few days in the Facility’s Infirmary before they are moved to the General Ward.

Seven other patients have already convalesced, including 105-year-old Zorie De Mattos and 91-year-old Rosaline Hamilton. The dedicated staff and doctors from the Public Health Ministry are credited for this milestone.

14 NEWS

SATURDAY, JULY 11, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Albouystown family terrorised, Digicel donates over $8M robbed by armed bandits worth of masks, face shields

for students sitting CSEC

D

A

The armed men trying to gain entry into the family’s room

n Albouystown, Georgetown family is now traumatised after four armed bandits invaded their home on Friday morning and relieved them of cash, jewellery and other valuables.

According to reports received, the family was asleep at about 02:20h when they were awakened by loud noises. Upon checking, they realised that armed men were trying to gain entry into their home.

CCTV footage that was seen by Guyana Times showed that the men entered

the home through a door that gave them entry to the kitchen.

Thereafter, the suspects were seen kicking and forcefully hitting what seemed to be a tightly locked bedroom door.

A few minutes later, the perpetrators managed to get the door open but the family was seen fighting to keep the door closed. They were eventually overpowered by the four men.

After gaining entry into the room, the family was badly beaten and terrorised, as the men demanded cash,

jewellery and other valuables.

During that time, one of the suspects that was clad in a pair of three-quarter trousers and a hoody was keeping guard.

Regional Commander Phillip Azore confirmed that the men made their escape with a quantity of gold jewellery, and an undisclosed amount of cash.

“This robbery was done by four identifiable males,” the Commander explained.

The police are presently reviewing the CCTV footage as the investigation continues.

Police unearth 11kg ganja in separate raids

Some of the suspected cannabis found by the Police

igicel Guyana is once again honouring their corporate social responsibility with a generous donation of 13,000 reusable face masks and 2500 face shields to the Education Ministry.

These will be used by the close to 15,000 students and invigilators across the 10 regions during the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations which commence on July 13.

“We know it is a challenging time for all, so we thought it best to reach out to provide whatever support we could to the Ministry. We are happy that the Ministry responded favourably to our interest in partnering with them and we hope that this donation will provide some level of comfort to the students and invigilators,” Chief Executive Officer of Digicel Guyana, Gregory Dean noted.

Acting Chief Education Officer, Viola Rowe explained that “This donation will certainly go a far way in helping to protect our children and our future.” She indicated that protective gears will be disbursed across the country with efforts being concentrated on regions that are more vulnerable and have limited resources at this time.

These will be distributed to the Regional Education Offices and ultimately the schools within the respective regions.

Rowe expressed her gratitude to Digicel for its continued interest in the advancement of education, and in this instance, for the timely contribution towards the health and wellbeing

CEO of Digicel Guyana, Gregory Dean hands over the donation to acting Chief Education Officer Viola Rowe

of our CSEC students in a COVID-19 environment.

Digicel remains committed to supporting youths and communities in Guyana and across the region and more so in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of these efforts by the company so far include the donation of PPE gears to frontline workers, free data for healthcare professionals and teachers, donation of food items to children’s homes and orphanages and zero-rated calls to the Public Health Ministry’s hotlines.

Access to the Education Ministry, PAHO, WHO and the Public Health Ministry websites also remains free.

Digicel encourages customers to stay safe, remain indoors and wear a face mask when outdoors to help stop the spread of the coronavi-

rus and to only use information from trusted sites like PAHO, WHO, and local Government websites.

In addition, the company has also introduced several measures that will allow customers to stay connected during this time.

Some of these measures include Free Night Talk from 21:00h-06:00h and removal of Credit U transfer charges.

Digicel’s Customer Care agents can be reached by dialling 100, or through Digicel’s Live Chat (available on the website or MyDigicel app) and their various social media platforms. Customers are encouraged to utilise Live Chat as their first means of contact. Visit Digicel Guyana https://www.digicelgroup. com/gy/en/mobile.html for more information.

Hand-in-Hand offers free life insurance to healthcare workers

I S

The suspected cannabis found by the Police

even persons are now in Police custody after they were found in possession of a quantity of marijuana in two separate incidents on Thursday and Sunday last.

Based on reports received, on Thursday, Police acting on information intercepted a lorry - GVV 9756 in front of the Kurupukari Outpost, in Lethem, and requested to conduct a search.

During the search, several parcels containing over 10 kilograms of ganja were found.

As a result, the 39-yearold truck driver and his 41-year-old porter, who hail from Tabatinga, Lethem, Central Rupununi, Region

Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo), and North Ruimveldt, Georgetown, respectively, were immediately taken into custody.

Meanwhile, during a roadblock in front of the Beterverwagting Police Station, East Coast Demerara (ECD), on Sunday last, a motor car with five males was stopped and searched during which a haversack containing over 1 kilogram of cannabis was found in the trunk.

The men were arrested but were later released on bail after the 72-hour detention period expired. The seven men are expected to make their court appearance in the new week.

n light of the global pandemic, COVID-19, Hand-in-Hand Mutual Fire Insurance Company Ltd has pledged its support by offering free life insurance coverage for one year to all public healthcare workers countrywide.

In a simple presentation at the company’s head office on Wednesday last, Hand-in-Hand’s Human Resources/Admin Manager, Zaida Joaquin, presented the official group certificate of insurance to GPHC’s Emergency Medicine Specialist, Dr Melissa Rickett, and Human Resources Director Rohmena Chung.

The group certificate of insurance was issued to offer coverage for medical professionals who would have opted for the offer.

Joaquin expressed the company’s sincere appreciation for the dedication and commitment of all health-

From left: HIH Business Development Officer Savita Singh; HIH Assistant Life Manager Elizabeth Gopie; Zaida Joaquin; Dr Rickett; Rohmena Chung, and HIH Deputy Life Manager Lalita Sukhram

care workers, especially during this trying time.

Similarly, Chung expressed gratitude to the insurance company for recognising the efforts of the healthcare team, as they work tirelessly to ensure the health and wellbeing of

everyone, especially those infected with the COVID-19 virus.

However, Hand-in-Hand would also like to welcome other interested public healthcare workers to contact them on 225-18657/226-2197 or via social me-

dia (Facebook or WhatsApp: 592-618-7820) for more information.

The company also encouraged all to continue to take the necessary precautions as Guyana fights to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

NEWS

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SATURDAY, JULY 11, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

APNU/AFC incites CEO to violate law – PPP T

he People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) has slammed APNU/AFC’s Attorney General and caretaker Legal Affairs Minister Basil Williams for attempting to incite Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield to violate the law by not submitting his final elections report based on the recount figures as directed by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

Williams on Thursday had stated that GECOM cannot direct the Chief Elections Officer on what to put in his final report.

This was after Lowenfield was directed by the GECOM Chair, Retired Justice Claudette Singh to submit his elections report on Friday using the recount figures.

While the CEO eventually did not submit the report and instead asked for clarity on the instructions given to him, the PPP/C in a statement on Friday morning rubbished the remarks made by the Attorney General.

According to the party, the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) in its ruling on Wednesday had “tumbled” Williams’ arguments, one after the other, upside down.

“Just a day after that ruling [Williams] again shamelessly misinterprets and misapplies the law in his purported legal advice to Keith Lowenfield hours after he was directed by the Guyana Elections Commission to prepare the statutory Report using the total votes as per the Certificates of Recount…

Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield

Williams’ clear intent is to attempt, once again, to incite and invite the Chief Election Officer to violate the law and commit another perversity,” the party said.

Williams does this, the PPP/C said, in spite of the CCJ’s ruling which declared the CEO’s unilateral acts, whereby he invalidated over 115,000 votes, to be in violation of the provisions of the Representation of the People Act. The CCJ had stated: “By the unnecessary inser-

tion of the word “valid”, the Court of Appeal impliedly invited the CEO to engage, unilaterally, in a further and unlawful validation exercise unknown to and in clear tension with the existing, constitutionally anchored electoral laws. That further exercise, which the CEO was quick to embrace in breach of the Court of Appeal Stay of proceedings, also had the effect of facilitating a serious trespass on the exclusive jurisdiction of the High Court established

by Article 163…”

The party contended that the AG’s conduct amounts to clear defiance of and contempt for the many pronouncements that the CCJ made in its Wednesday ruling.

“Needless to say, Williams’ conduct will be drawn to the Court’s attention for its action. Even at this late hour, Williams is still to comprehend that GECOM is an autonomous constitutional institution insulated from political directions and influences of any type. His untutored advice is, therefore, con-

stitutionally prohibited.

Moreover, he has completely misunderstood and misinterpreted the legal relationship between the CEO and GECOM,” the party noted in the missive.

This relationship, according to the PPP/C, is not a matter for speculation but is explicitly set out in the Article 162 (1) (b) of the Constitution and is also consistent with Section 18 of the Elections Law (Amendment) Act 2000.

Additionally, Order 60/2020 states in pertinent part as follows: “15. For the avoidance of any doubt, the Chief Election Officer and every person appointed or authorised to perform any act or functions by virtue of this Order, are and shall remain subject to the general supervisory power of the Commission.”

On this note, the PPP/C pointed out that the culminating effect of these legislations is that the CEO is subject to the direction and control the Commission and enjoys no “independence” vis a vis the Commission.

As such, the party posited that Williams’ contention that Lowenfield can prepare a report of his own liking and not in accordance with the directions of GECOM is absolutely wrong.

“Under the Representation of the People Act and where there is no recount, the CEO is always mandated by GECOM and bound to prepare his report based on the declarations of the ten Returning Officers. Those declarations have been now replaced by the Certificates of Recount under Order 60/2020.

APNU/AFC Attorney General Basil Williams

Likewise, Lowenfield is bound to prepare his report based on those certificates and nothing else… On

multiple occasions throughout its judgment, the CCJ emphasised that the CEO cannot unilaterally prepare a report of his own but must at all times prepare the report in accordance with Section 96 of the Representation of the People Act, that is to say, based upon the total votes counted,” the PPP/C stated.

To this end, the PPP/C called for the immediate compliance with the Constitution, the Representation of the People Act and judgement of the CCJ, as well as the rejection of the puerile and erroneous advice and opinion of Basil Williams.

Pastor robbed at gunpoint

A

65-year-old pastor was on Friday robbed by armed bandits in Kingston, Georgetown.

Reports are the incident occurred at about 16:30h after Pastor Durswami Venkatasami of Enterprise, East Coast Demerara (ECD), uplifted his pension.

According to Venkatasami, he had just left the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) where he uplifted his pension which had stacked up for three months, and as he was in the vicinity of Kingston, he was attacked by the criminals that were armed with knives and

a gun.

It is unclear if the men trailed the elderly man from NIS. However, reports reaching this publication indicated that the men jumped into the path of the pastor’s bus, forcing him to stop. As the vehicle came to a halt, the suspects ran to the driver’s seat and held the pastor at gunpoint, while demanding that he hand over his valuables.

He was relieved of all of his money, his minibus keys, and his cellular phone.

Venkatasami was left traumatised.

Alex McFarlene

T

Vernon Lorrimer

wo young men of Three Friends Mines were on Thursday remanded to prison by Magistrate Wanda Fortune when they virtually appeared before her at the Linden Magistrate’s Court on a larceny charge.

The accused, Vernon Lorrimer and Alex McFarlene, were not re-

quired to plead to the charge which stated that they stole $60,000 from Kevon Daniels on July 5, 2020.

The incident allegedly occurred at Three Friends Mines, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).

The men will make their next court appearance on August 17, 2020.

GNBS to calibrate temperature guns Duo slapped with used during COVID-19 pandemic larceny charge

T

he Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) on Friday stated that all infrared temperature guns that are being used to check body temperature have to be calibrated.

GNBS in a release stated that it is necessary to prevent error in the accuracy in the measurement of temperature.

The organisation recommended that all users of infrared temperature guns follow the listed guidelines. One such guideline is to label temperature guns in English. The body added that the methods of use for temperature guns vary in terms of range and conditions, and the manufacturer’s guidelines should always be strictly followed when using these devices.

“Do not touch the sensory areas of temperature guns, cleaning must be

GNBS lab tech calibrating infrared temperature gun

done according to the set guidelines by manufacturers, the device should not be dropped or expose to physical shocks, always store the device properly when not in use; this is key to pro-

longing its life and accuracy, and the devices for ear measurement must not be used to take readings on the skin,” the GNBS stated.

The organisation further underscored that they

have the capacity to verify infrared temperature guns with a minimum measuring range of 16.5 cm.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) advisories on infrared thermometers which assist in efforts to combat COVID-19, highlight common problems that may occur if the thermometers are not properly handled.

“With the ear thermometers, it can most times show inaccurate and inconsistent measurements. The inconsistent technique can lead to contradictory temperature readings. Earwax and skin/oil build-up on the probe can lead to inaccuracy. Poor penetration, improper aiming, or obstruction will result in significantly lowered readings.

There can be many malfunctions result from thermometers if it’s being dropped”, the WHO stated.

16 NEWS

SATURDAY, JULY 11, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

GECOM should remove persons hindering democratic process – OAS …demands credible conclusion for Guyana to remain a democracy

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s deliberate attempts continue to further delay the declaration of a final results of the March 2 elections, calls are mounting once again for the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to remove those persons who are hindering the conclusion of the democratic process.

This call was reiterated by the Organisation of American States (OAS) in a statement on Friday night.

“The OAS notes that one of the principal obstacles to completing Guyana’s current electoral process is a person whose duty it is to defend Guyana’s democracy through ensuring respect for the results of elections. As already suggested in our April 15 press statement on the national recount, GECOM should exclude from the current electoral process, and indeed from all future electoral processes, those persons whose actions display clear partisan bias, and who apply this bias unreservedly in hindering the natural unfolding of the democratic process in Guyana,” the hemispheric body stated.

This statement comes on the heels of embattled Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield failing to submit his final elections report to

GECOM. He was directed by the GECOM Chair, Justice Claudette Singh, to prepare and submit the report by 14:00h on Friday, but instead of complying, he wrote the GECOM Chair asking for clarity on her instructions.

In response, however, Justice Singh indicated that her Thursday letter still stands, and that the CEO has until 11:00h today to submit his report.

Initially, the seven-member Elections Commission was scheduled to meet on Thursday, following Wednesday’s ruling of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) which invalidated Guyana’s Court of Appeal decision as well as the fraudulent report submitted

by Lowenfield, in which he dumped over 115,000 votes.

That meeting had to be postponed to Friday after the three Government-nominated commissioners at GECOM requested time to “study” the CCJ ruling – a move which has been described as a delaying tactic by many.

According to the OAS, these developments over the last two days suggest that efforts continue to avoid compliance with these obligations and to further prolong the term of the current caretaker

OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro

Government, the APNU/AFC Coalition.

The Organisation reminded of its June 23 missive in which it encouraged the Guyana Elections Commission to move forward in concluding Guyana’s electoral process based on the results of the National Recount, and in accordance with the will of the majority of the electorate.

“The OAS notes and commends the instructions of the GECOM Chair, Justice Claudette Singh (ret’d), issued on July 9 and reiterated on July 10, that the Chief Elections Officer should prepare and submit his report using the results generated by the National Recount. A credible conclusion of the 2020 elections is essential if Guyana is

to remain a democracy. The OAS will continue to support the efforts of the people of Guyana towards this end,” the statement on Friday further detailed.

Moreover, the OAS noted that the decision of the CCJ confirmed that GECOM has the final authority to declare these elections, and that the Chief Elections Officer is required to comply with the Commission’s directives in this regard.

The Trinidad-based court, in its ruling, which was delivered by President Justice Adrian Saunders, had stated, “It is for GECOM to ensure that the CEO submits a report in accordance with his directives of 16th of June in order to proceed along the path directed by the laws of Guyana.”

This refers to the instructions issued by GECOM Chair in a letter dated June 16, for Lowenfield to submit his final elections report using the figures from the National Recount.

The 33-day exercise confirmed that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) won the March 2 elections with 233,336 votes, while the caretaker APNU/AFC Coalition obtained 217,920 votes – a difference of 15,416

votes.

However, before the CEO could have presented his report, the Elsyn David matter was filed in the Appeal Court.

But one day after that court’s ruling, which was stayed for three days, Lowenfield went ahead and submitted his report in which he disenfranchised over 115,000 voters, to give the APNU/AFC a win with 171,825 votes while the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) was given 166,343 votes.

Now that the CCJ has invalidated that report, the CEO has been instructed for a second time in two days to present his final elections report using the results from the National Recount.

Meanwhile, on Friday morning, the OAS changed Chairmanship of the Summit of the Americas. The United States, which will host the 9th Summit of the Americas in 2021, took over from Peru as Chair of the process during a virtual ceremony.

The new Chair of the Process, Acting Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, Ambassador Michael Kozak, committed his country’s continued work with the

Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield

OAS in defense of democracy in the hemisphere.

“Through the Summit of the Americas, we can work together to address the region’s shared challenges and opportunities and advance freedom, prosperity and security of our hemisphere. We look forward to continue collaborating with the Organization of American States to maintain collective defence of democracy as a top priority for the hemisphere,” Ambassador Kozak stated.

This US State Department official has been vocal on Guyana’s protracted electoral process, tweeting on Wednesday after the CCJ’s ruling that, “It’s time for #GECOM to declare the winner of Guyana’s elections based on the national vote recount. The will of Guyana’s voters cannot be ignored.”

Take disciplinary actions against Lowenfield – TCI, TNM

T

wo of the smaller political parties that contested the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections are calling on the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to invoke Article 161A (1) of the Constitution and take disciplinary actions against Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield should he continue to flout the Commission’s orders.

The Citizenship Initiative (TCI) lauded the actions of GECOM Chair, Retired Justice Claudette Singh in attempting to bring a swift conclusion to the elections process but noted that it appears as though the CEO is unsure of how to comply with clear directives received from the head of the Commission.

The party explained, via a statement, that it is sure that Lowenfield has the experi-

ed Government can offer assistance to them.

Meanwhile, The New Movement (TNM) in a similar statement went a step further and called for the immediate dismissal of Lowenfield if he fails to comply with the instructions and present his report to the Commission today.

TNM said it will not stand idly by and allow Lowenfield to trample on the rights of the

ence as well as the ability to undertake the tasks he is so hired to do.

TCI said that it is now of the firm belief that the CEO’s action can possibly be construed as insubordinate action against the Chair. The party posited that Article 161A (1) gives the Elections Commission responsibility for the efficient functioning of the Secretariat, and appointment of its officers.

The Citizenship Initiative (TCI) Presidential Candidate, Rondha-Ann Lam

The Commission, therefore, has the power to remove and to exercise disciplinary control over such staff. Section 18 of the Election Laws Act No 15 of 2000 stipulates that the CEO is subject to the direction and control of the Commission.

“TCI proposes that should CEO Lowenfield appear to continue to be reluctant or perhaps even appear unable to efficiently complete his duties as per deadline issued, that Madame Chair exercises disciplinary control as the case may warrant. TCI respectfully requests this action from the Commission, for efficient functioning of the Secretariat and so that its work may be completed in a timely manner,” the party posited.

TCI said that it is cognisant that Guyana is now operating on a limited budget during a pandemic and the people require assistance and that only a legally elect-

Presidential Candidate of The New Movement, Dr Asha Kissoon

GECOM CEO Keith Lowenfield

Guyanese electorate while noting that it has been over 130 days since they went to the polls.

The party said that Guyanese and the international community witnessed yet another vile attempt to derail the declaration of the winner of the General and Regional Elections on Friday, adding that the attempt does not sit well with the members of The New Movement and the people of Guyana who the party represents.

“Mr Lowenfield has act-

ed ultra vires on numerous occasions and has done so once again today, June 10th, 2020, after he was written to with specific instruction from his employer, GECOM, on June 9th, 2020. His very actions have held an entire nation at ransom and snatched the people’s democratic freedom. Mr Lowenfield has been noted to peddle an erroneous statement in June 2020 saying that he is not bounded by the directives of GECOM but has stated publicly in 2019 that it was GECOM who by constitutional order, instructs him,” the party stated.

The TNM reminded that Lowenfield is avoiding being served a court summons after private criminal charges were filed against him. The party explained that the CEO is the person responsible for the suffering of the Guyanese people since he is the one bent on not executing the functions of his office.

17

guyanatimesgy.com

SATURDAY, JULY 11, 2020

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

Legitimate rights to safeguard national security in Hong Kong should be respected Dear Editor, On June 30, the Law of the People’s Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) was passed by China’s top legislature, the Standing Committee of National People’s Congress (NPC). It has been added to the list of national laws in Annex III of the Basic Law of the HKSAR, and applied locally by the Chief Executive of the HKSAR. This is China’s internal affairs, and to safeguard its national security is China’s legitimate right. However, my good friend H.E. Greg Quinn, British High Commissioner, published the UK position, stating that “UK will not duck its historic responsibilities to the people of Hong Kong”.

The fact is, there’s no responsibility for the UK in Hong Kong’s affairs. To facilitate the readers’ further understanding of the national security law for HKSAR comprehensively, objectively and accurately, I would like to share the following facts in addition to my previous letter on June 17. * The national security legislation in HKSAR answering the call of Hong Kong’s people. Maintaining national security complies with the “One Country, Two Systems” policy created by China’s previous leader Deng Xiaoping, and is the prerequisite and basis for Hong Kong to maintain prosperity and stability. Without national security, how can the “One Country, Two Systems” policy be comprehensively and accurately implemented in Hong Kong? * Since China resumed exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong 23 years ago, due to the obstruction of anti-China forces, the HKSAR has failed to complete the national security legislation, as required by the Basic Law, causing Hong Kong to remain in a “defenseless” situation. A number of HK residents (some are foreign nationals) openly clamoured for “Hong Kong’s independence” and “self-determina-

tion”, smashed and robbed stores, violently attacked the Police, assaulted the Hong Kong Legislative Council, and even cried for “waging armed revolution to gain independence”. These violent actions severely trampled the rule of law in Hong Kong, undermined social stability, hit the economy hard, and put national security at serious risk. Hong Kong people are heartbroken, and desperately hope that chaos would be ended quickly, order would be restored, and Hong Kong would walk out of the desperation. * In this context, the NPC decided to act in accordance with the Chinese Constitution and Hong Kong Basic Law, and established and improved the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for Hong Kong. Through multimode, multi-channel, NPC sought the views of HKSAR government and people from different walks of life, and obtained the signature of support of nearly 3 million Hong Kong people (including many employees of foreign-funded enterprises in Hong Kong) in 8 days. This fully demonstrates that the national security legislation in HKSAR is in line with mainstream opinion.

HKSAR will not undermine Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy. In fact, the law fully integrates the comprehensive jurisdiction of the central government and HKSAR’s high degree of autonomy. It does not affect the SAR’s administrative, legislative or independent judicial power, including that of final adjudication.

The law clearly stipulates that the HKSAR shall respect and protect human rights, while safeguarding national security and protecting the rights and freedoms of speech, of press, of publication, of association, of assembly, and of demonstration that the Hong Kong residents have never enjoyed under the British colonial rule, in accordance with the Basic Law and the relevant provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), and the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights as applied to Hong

Kong.

But the rights do not mean that there are no restrictions. The ICCPR clearly stipulates that the exercise of these rights must not undermine national security and public order.

The national security law for HKSAR includes four types of offences: secession, subversion, organisation and perpetration of terrorist activities, collusion with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security. It only punishes a very small number of criminals, and protects the vast majority of law-abiding citizens.

3. China is not failing to fulfill its international obligations by enacting the national security law for HKSAR. I must reiterate, the basic policies regarding Hong Kong, declared in the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration, is China’s unilateral policy statement, not its international obligations to the UK. The British side confused the Joint Declaration with China’s “One Country, Two Systems” policy and falsely accused China of failing to fulfill its international obligations. The Chinese Government governs Hong Kong in accordance with China’s Constitution and the Hong Kong Basic Law, not the Joint Declaration.

The British side has made irresponsible remarks on Hong Kong’s affairs after Hong Kong’s return, and now intends to break its promise of not conferring the right of abode to those holding British National (Overseas) Passports (BNO), claiming that it “will provide them with a route to British citizenship”.

This is blunt interference in China’s internal affairs, and a flagrant violation of the basic norms of international relations. China expresses strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to it, and has made solemn representations to the British side.

4. Hong Kong’s affairs are purely China’s internal affairs, and external forces have no right to interfere. Sovereign equality and non-interference in internal affairs are the ba-

sic norms of international law and international relations. China has never interfered in the internal affairs of other countries, and has resolutely opposed foreign interference in China’s internal affairs.

On July 1, 1997, China resumed the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong. Hong Kong has become a special administrative region of China, and is no longer under British colonial rule. Not a single word or paragraph in the Joint Declaration gives the UK any responsibility over Hong Kong after its return. Some British politicians should give up their outdated colonial mindset.

With the implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Law, Hong Kong society is changing from disorder to governance, and stability is expected to be restored. The freedoms and rights of Hong Kong residents can also be better protected.

Hong Kong is an international finance, trade, and shipping hub. Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability are in the interest of investors from all countries, including the UK. The UK and China have agreed to commit to building a global comprehensive strategic partnership for the 21st century. This requires the two sides to move towards each other. As State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on the phone with Dominic Raab, the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of the UK, “The Chinese side hopes that the UK will respect the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China and the Basic Law enacted in accordance with the Constitution; respect China’s legitimate right to safeguard national security on its territory; and respect the Chinese central government’s administration of Hong Kong under the principle of ‘One country, Two systems.’”

Sincerely, HE Cui Jianchun Chinese Ambassador to Guyana

Suggested concession speech for Mr Granger Dear Editor, It seems as if our “lame duck”, holdover, caretaker President Granger is having a difficult time conceding the election to the PPP’s Dr. Irfaan Ali, thus prolonging the national torment and agony since the PNC’s defeat at the December 2018 No Confidence Vote.

The longer the PNC overstays its time, the more it is getting into trouble and pretending to be a real government, doling out state lands and assets, and signing new procurement contracts that would land state functionaries into serious trouble once the new Government takes over. So, to help out Mr. Granger, here is my suggested concession speech.

“Guyanese, on July 8, the CCJ ruled against us, and now the matter has to go back to GECOM to make a final declaration using the numbers from the Recount. Once that is done, our “cork duck.” The only other recourse is an election petition. The CCJ ruling, while not surprising, was not what we were expecting.

“As you know, for the past 19 months, although the rest of the world was against us, we have tried every imaginable and unimaginable trick and every shenanigan to delay our exit from government. We were fighting

for you. Remember, while everyone thought it was hilarious, we went all the way to the CCJ to argue with a straight face that 33 was not the majority in a 65-member Parliament, although that was how we got into government. So, you see what I mean, we tried every trick to keep the PPP out, but every long rope has to come to an end.

“In addition, you remember that after the election we claimed that we won using Apostle Mingo’s concocted numbers, and that the election was immaculately run. Everyone said so, including me. But to keep the PPP out after the recount verified we lost, we came up with a ‘Nancy’ story about dead and migrated people voting, and Bro. Harmon added children voting; and we are beating this dead horse to death. But nobody is buying it, except the few of you in that category of ‘you can fool some of the people all of the time’.

“So, our PNC Guyanese, please give us some credit for trying hard to follow in the footsteps of our founder-riggers, Burnham and Hoyte. Those guys manufactured twothirds majority at the drop of a hat during their time, but I could not do that, even with Bro. Lowenfield’s help, supported by Apostle Mingo and other supporters in GECOM. “Already they are calling me ‘Rigadier’,

and I really don’t like that name, as I worked so hard to fool you all that I am a church man.

So, we tried hard, my PNC brethren. Don’t be angry at us. You know, GECOM now has only one option, and that is to swear in Dr. Irfaan Ali; and nothing can stop that, even if our PNC Commissioners are causing delays in GECOM meeting to do so.

“Our propaganda team of Harmon, Burke, Bond, Jones and Duncan is churning it up, but nobody is buying it, apart from a few faithful who are warriors on Facebook blogs. Bro. Norton, my former rival for Party Leader, would have gotten my new ‘Don Quixote’ award I would have created if we had won. He is seeing windmills everywhere!

I may give him a seat in Parliament for his efforts.

“So, my dear party supporters, you put me in a bad spot on Wednesday when you showed up at my gate. While I have been in hiding for most of the past 4+ months, I just had to come out and say something after I saw you looking so lost and leaderless. After all, some of you stood with me as we fed you lies upon lies that the PPP bribed everybody and rigged the elections. I could not let you down as I saw your sad, angry, despondent faces. I could not bring myself to tell you it’s

Guyana could face serious...

On Friday, GECOM CEO Keith Lowenfield was expected to hand over his report to the GECOM Chairman, but up to 2pm, no report was handed in. Instead, the Chairman received a letter from Lowenfield, seeking clarity on several aspects of the reporting structure and details.

It is clear that factions of the PNCR don’t want to see these elections declared, and this is yet another shameless tactic by the PNCR rigging cabals.

Today, PNCR have changed to a new narrative, calling for fresh elections.

Fresh elections would end the political life of the PNCR. The truth is that this is another shameless tactic to delay the declaration of the final results, and possibly to facilitate some subterfuge in the making.

Each of these actions is being noted by patient Guyanese citizens for future reference.

Reckoning day shall soon come. Let us see for how long they will be able to sustain these nefarious artifices. Time and history are on our side, the side of Democracy and the Rule of Law. People’s Power shall triumph in the end.

Amidst the chaos, Guyana could face serious setbacks, risking previous economic projections and potentially reducing a recent flood of investments into Guyana. Even as oil wealth starts to flow into Government’s account, key policies and projects remain unfinished, and the country has not yet made firm decisions about how to spend the oil wealth.

Approvals for the next

stage of Guyana’s oil development has also been delayed for months by the political uncertainty, and regulators seem reluctant to act without knowing who might be in charge when the dust settles.

Keeping development moving unfortunately seems to have become one more political playing card in an already chaotic situation.

Delays are likely to be costly. The country has taken in nearly US$100 million since oil production started earlier this year, with billions more on the horizon if development proceeds as planned. That’s revenue the Government would desperately need to jumpstart the post-COVID recovery.

Guyana also runs the risk that billions of dollars in in-

vestments may not always be forthcoming in a depressed oil market that’s making countries all over the world scramble to compete.

Historically marginalised and dependent on imports, this could be Guyana’s big year to finally reap benefits from its natural resources and invest revenues into improving living conditions for its citizens. The latest numbers from the Guyanese Centre for Local Business Development (CLBD) show that over 600 companies are already working with the oil-and-gas sector in Guyana, employing thousands of Guyanese.

Millions of dollars have already been invested to develop a burgeoning local service industry for the projects. Training programmes

over, that it’s only a matter of days before the PPP will be sworn in. So now, here is the truth: We actually lost fair and square; and as Mr. Gonsalves, Chair of CARICOM, advised me, we must ‘take our licks like a man.’

“Please do not be disheartened. We have 31 seats (and we won these fairly) and we will give the PPP as much hell as possible.

Maybe, we will rehabilitate ourselves and get back in power in 2025. So, do not lose heart. As the Pentecostal preachers are doing: pray longer, louder, and harder that we make it back in 2025. But remember, when we react with violence, that is never a good thing. Already, everybody thinks we are such sore losers that we have immensely harmed the country in the throes of bankruptcy and a health crisis. That’s not helpful to our image. Even the CCJ rebuked us yesterday, saying that we have not had a Parliament for over a year. So please understand that we have to concede now, and there is no other option.

“Thank you for believing in me, and let’s hope for the best under the PPP. As always, I am following the Constitution.”

Sincerely, Jerry Singh FROM PAGE 5

have prepared thousands of Guyanese for jobs on the offshore platforms, and local businesses have seized oil service contracts as a much-needed economic lifeline. All that is at risk if workers and companies cannot count on steady development, moving forward.

Guyana has a golden opportunity under the leadership of President-elect Dr Irfaan Ali, who will outline to every Guyanese important steps to ensure that revenues are saved for the future. An elected PPP/C Government in power will be looking at annual oil revenues that easily exceed Guyana’s entire current gross domestic product in just a few years. Every Guyanese will benefit, and enjoy the future.

Our nation will be at its strongest when we are able to see and acknowledge that we are all God’s children -- all equal in His eyes and worthy of His love. Across our great country, we have Hindus and Muslims, Christians and Sikhs, and Jews and Buddhists, and so many other faiths. And we must all remember the wisdom of Gandhiji, who said, “For me, the different religions are beautiful flowers from the same garden, or they are branches of the same majestic tree.”

Fellow citizens of Guyana, we are one people in this country: Guyanese. It is our votes that matter.

Sincerely, David Adams

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SATURDAY, JULY 11, 2020

Regional

Brazil acted too late to Antigua proposes travel bubble halt deforestation this T year, Vice President says

Brazil’s Vice President Hamilton Mourao

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razil’s Vice President Hamilton Mourao said on Friday that the Government started efforts to fight environmental destruction too late and that as a result soaring deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest is unlikely to im-

prove in 2020.

Deforestation in Brazil’s portion of the Amazon soared in 2019, the first year of right-wing Jair Bolsonaro’s presidency, with researchers saying his calls for economic development in the Amazon have emboldened illegal loggers and land speculators.

Mourao’s remarks were in reaction to preliminary data released by Government space research agency INPE on Friday that showed a further 25 per cent increase in the destruction for the first six months of 2020, compared to the same period a year ago.

Bolsonaro deployed the military to fight Amazon de-

forestation and fires in May, an operation that’s been extended through November, but Mourao said that this was not early enough.

“The operations against deforestation should have started in December last year,” he added.

Mourao said that the country has too few environmental enforcement agents and more personnel should be shifted into those roles.

The Government must find permanent solutions for policing environmental crimes in the Amazon and will continue efforts to fight deforestation through the end of Bolsonaro’s first term in 2022, he said. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Haiti PM urges talks after Police quell protests

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aiti’s Prime Minister today called on his new Justice Minister to meet with activists whose recent demonstrations over an uptick in crime have been suppressed by Police.

“When people come here to demonstrate, they don’t come to fight: they need a sympathetic ear,” Joseph Jouthe said at a ceremony swearing in Justice Minister Rockefeller Vincent.

“This population has been violated too much,” Jouthe added.

On Monday, Police fired tear gas outside the Justice Ministry to disperse a protest over spiralling violent crime in the capital Port-auPrince.

A week before, Police also halted an attempted sit-in, chasing the demonstrators

and tearing placards out of their hands.

For several years now, the majority of Port-auPrince’s working-class neighbourhoods have become overrun by crime, and beyond the control of law enforcement.

Areas close to the presidential palace, the Parliament and the Prime Minister’s office have been the scene of fighting between armed gangs.

During May and June, the National Human Rights Defense Network recorded 54 homicides in the Haitian capital alone.

“If there is no justice in the country, people come and ask you why — and then you either go out and join them or ask them to set up a committee to dialogue,” Jouthe told Vincent.

Haiti’s Prime Minister Joseph Jouthe

“We can no longer have continuous violence in this country,” he added.

In a message sent to AFP Thursday, the UN office in Haiti expressed its “concern over the use of lethal weapons, including tear gas, on peaceful demonstrators who do not present any clear or present danger”. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

he Antigua and Barbuda Government said it has established a “travel bubble” that will allow citizens from several identified states within the Caribbean Community (Caricom) to travel to the island without the necessity to have coronavirus ( COVID-19) tests and certificates to be presented upon entry.

A statement issued after the weekly Cabinet meeting on Thursday, noted that citizens from the sub-regional Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), Barbados,

Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and Jamaica will be accorded the privilege of being included in this “bubble”.

Minister of Information Melford Nicholas said while the decision to establish the bubble had been taken at the Cabinet level, the Ministry of Health has been tasked with ironing out the details.

Meanwhile, the Government has said that the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) has indicated to the Ministry of Health that a vaccine for COVID-19 “is not too far off, and will be made avail-

Mexico City lawmakers vote to outlaw LGBT+ conversion therapy

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awmakers in Mexico City on Friday voted to ban conversion therapy, part of a small but growing movement to end the practice of trying to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.

Under Mexico City’s proposal, which needs further approval before taking effect, anyone who forces someone to undergo the practice can be punished with up to five years in prison.

Widely condemned by medical groups, conversion therapy can range from psychological counselling to religious practices and even electroshock therapy in an

effort to change someone from gay to straight.

When a practice like conversion therapy is banned, young LGBT+ people will benefit from wider acceptance, said Temistocles Villanueva, a local deputy with the ruling Morena party who spearheaded the proposal The proposal to amend the city’s penal code was approved by a committee of deputies and now goes before the full Chamber of Deputies, where it is expected to be approved in the next two weeks.

Germany prohibited conversion therapy on children in May, but worldwide,

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pandemic.

In addition to the ongoing dissemination of a Tourism Accommodation Relief Grant totalling TT$50 million, the TTAL conducted an online consultation series with the island’s tourism stakeholders from mid-June to July 9, 2020, to develop a COVID-19 Tourism Health and Safety Manual.

The agency said the manual will provide Tobago’s tourism industry with the most adequate measures that can be implemented to reinforce destination safety and underline the trust of tourists, workers and residents.

The agency said stakeholders have shown their commitment to help TTAL position Tobago as a safe destination moving forward, by sharing their feedback and ideas for improvement and making the necessary recommended changes.

Hotels, restaurants, and other businesses within the industry have already responded to the pandemic with stepped-up cleaning and sanitation, staff training, and innovative changes to their business models and infrastructure to allow for social distancing and customer safety. (Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian)

only a handful of countries Brazil, Ecuador and Malta have nationwide bans.

On Wednesday, however, the United Nations’ expert on sexual orientation and gender identity, Victor Madrigal-Borloz, called for a global ban on the practice during a meeting of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

A recent UN survey of more than 8000 people from 100 countries found that 98 per cent of those who had undergone conversion therapy reported suffering psychological damage, including suicidal thoughts and depression. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Holness urges JLP supporters to listen to the public

Tobago stakeholders prepare for increased tourism he Tobago Tourism Agency Limited (TTAL) said it is steadfastly preparing the island for increased tourism activity and the eventual opening of T&T’s borders, through product development initiatives focused on collaboration, health, and safety.

The agency said while the onset of COVID-19 would have ground travel to a halt to the island in midMarch, the island’s tourism authorities grasped the opportunity to prioritise the developmental needs of the travel and tourism industry that was hit hard by the

able to Antigua if it so desires”.

“The Cabinet gave the Minister the authority to inform PAHO that Antigua and Barbuda will wish to have sufficient to inoculate its population of approximately 100 000 souls. An exact date has not yet been fixed, but states must indicate their desire to be provided with the medicine in order for the PAHO to determine how many vials of the substance it ought to order. A revolving fund within PAHO will meet part of the cost of the supplies,” the statement said.

(Excerpt from Nation News)

Prime Minister Andrew Holness addressing Wednesday night’s JLP 77th anniversary function at the Spanish Court Hotel, New Kingston

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rime Minister Andrew Holness is urging his Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) supporters to pay more attention to what the public is saying about current issues.

“We have to contemplate what is being said by the public. We have to consider it. We can’t, in any true sense, be considered a learning organisation if we don’t pay attention to what the public is saying,” Holness told a rel-

atively small group of party officials and candidate/ caretakers attending a JLP 77th anniversary function at the Spanish Court Hotel in Kingston, on Wednesday night.

Holness said that as a political organisation, the JLP must be responsible, as, from time to time, it would appear, internally, that there is a dissonance between what the public is expecting and what the political practitioners are pre-

pared to do.

He said that the party is on a mission to change Jamaica for the better, to make it “genuinely and truly a place of choice to live, work, raise families, do business, and retire in paradise.

The function was highlighted by the announcement of four more scholarships to tertiary institutions, which will be financed by the party’s Scholarship Fund.

The programme opened with the welcome from JLP Chairman Robert Montague, who argued that the party had always maintained that one of its “principles” was to promote “education for the masses”.

He was followed by General Secretary Dr Horace Chang, who said that the party was founded on the principles of “equity for the working class, marginalised and the underprivileged in our society”. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

guyanatimesgy.com

SATURDAY, JULY 11, 2020

19

Around the World Hagia Sophia: Turkey turns iconic Istanbul museum into mosque

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he world-famous Hagia Sophia museum in Istanbul - originally founded as a cathedral - has been turned back into a mosque.

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the decision after a court annulled the site’s museum status.

Built 1500 years ago as an Orthodox Christian cathedral, Hagia Sophia was converted into a mosque after the Ottoman conquest in 1453.

In 1934 it became a museum and is now a Unesco World Heritage site.

Islamists in Turkey long called for it to be converted to a mosque but secular opposition members opposed the move. The proposal

The Hagia Sophia has huge significance as a religious and political symbol

prompted criticism from religious and political leaders worldwide.

Defending the decision, President Erdogan stressed that the country had exercised its sovereign right in converting it back to a mosque.

He told a press conference the first Muslim prayers would be held inside the building on July 24.

“Like all our mosques, the doors of Hagia Sophia will be wide open to locals and foreigners, Muslims and non-Muslims,” he added.

Shortly after the announcement, the first call to prayer was recited at Hagia Sophia and was broadcast on all of Turkey’s main news channels. The cultural site’s social media channels have now been taken down.

Unesco has said it “deeply regrets” the decision to turn the museum into a mosque and called on the Turkish authorities to “open a dialogue without delay.”

The organisation had urged Turkey not to change its status without discussion.

The head of the Eastern Orthodox Church has condemned the move, as has Greece - home to many millions of Orthodox followers.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

MH17 disaster: New US visa rule leaves Indian, Chinese Dutch take Russia to European rights court students in panic

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he Trump Administration’s abrupt changes to foreign student visa rules have upended the plans of more than a million international students currently enrolled in institutions across the United States, with many fearing for their future.

The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Monday announced that it would strip the visa of foreign students whose entire courses have moved online due to the coronavirus pandemic, with critics calling the move “xenophobic” and part of President Donald Trump’s hardline immigration policy.

The directive by ICE’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program is likely to hit hundreds of thousands of students, particularly from Asian countries, hard, as they will have to leave the US or face deportation.

Many of them might face

the prospect of distance learning from the other side of the world, where time zones, unreliable internet connections, and internet bans would make completing their degree programmes difficult - if not impossible.

According to research conducted by ICE, nearly 80 per cent of all international students in the US are from Asia, with China and India accounting for nearly half of them.

Students currently enrolled in programmes taught entirely online must depart the country or take other measures, such as transferring to a school with in-person instruction to remain in lawful status.

Universities in the US were forced to shift classes online in mid-March in the wake of the coronavirus crisis. The country is the hardest hit by the pandemic with more than three million confirmed cases and 135,000 deaths.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

All 298 people on board the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 died when the plane was brought down in 2014

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he Dutch Government said it is taking Russia to the European Court of Human Rights for its “role in the downing” of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in 2014.

Foreign Minister Stef Blok said the “highest priority” is justice for the 298 victims on board the plane shot down over eastern Ukraine.

It happened after Russianbacked rebels seized the area.

Dutch-led investigators say they have proof the Buk missile system that shot down the plane was brought from Russia.

Russia has repeatedly denied involvement in the at-

tack.

Citizens of 10 different countries died on board the Boeing 777 airliner that was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

More than two-thirds of the victims were Dutch nationals.

In March, a trial opened in the Netherlands of three Russian and one Ukrainian citizens - still at large - for the murder of 298 people on board the plane. They are all linked to the pro-Moscow separatists.

The trial, in a court near Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport, is expected to last for months. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Mali Police fire gunshots and tear gas to disperse protesters

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olice in Mali on Friday fired gunshots and tear gas to try to dislodge protesters demanding the resignation of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita from occupying the state broadcasting house and Parliament, according to a Reuters witness.

Two sources said at least one person was killed outside the national assembly building.

Mali’s state television ORTM went off the air after

hundreds of protesters occupied the building in the capital Bamako.

The protesters, called to a rally by an opposition coalition, also tried to take over two major bridges.

The protest was the third since June, and came after the opposition coalition rejected concessions from Keita aimed at resolving a monthslong political stand-off that began after a disputed legislative election in March.

Mali’s neighbours and outside powers worry the impasse could further destabilise the country and jeopardise a joint military campaign against Islamist insurgents in the West African Sahel region.

Protesters pelted the national assembly with rocks and shattered its glass facade, then ransacked and set fires in parts of the building.

Leaders of the protest had called on supporters to occupy buildings, including the

Prime Minister’s office, as part of a civil disobedience campaign aimed at forcing Keita to resign for failing to tackle Mali’s security and economic problems.

Before the rally, influential Muslim cleric Imam Mahmoud Dicko, one of the leaders of the protest, told France24 television that they had dropped the demand for the President to resign but wanted further gestures from him. (Excerpt from Reuters)

OILNEWS Oil rises as International Energy Agency boosts demand forecast

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il prices climbed more than 2 per cent on Friday after the International Energy Agency (IEA) bumped up its 2020 demand forecast but record-breaking new coronavirus cases in the United States tempered expectations for a fast recovery in fuel consumption.

Prices also found support after data showed US energy firms cut the number of oil and natural gas rigs operating to a record low for a 10th week in a row.

Brent crude LCOc1 settled up 89 cents, or 2 per cent, at US$43.24 a barrel and US oil CLc1 settled up 93 cents, or 2.4 per cent, at US$40.55 a barrel.

A strong stock market also boosted oil prices. A slate of economic data, including a record monthly payrolls addition, pointed to a revival in US business activity in June.

US crude was little changed on the week while Brent notched a weekly gain of about 1 per cent.

The Paris-based IEA raised its demand forecast to 92.1 million barrels per day (bpd), up 400,000 bpd from its outlook last month.

Still, more than 60,500 new COVID-19 cases were reported in the United States on Thursday, a daily record and the highest daily count for any country since the pathogen emerged in China last year.

“While the oil market has undoubtedly made progress ... the large, and in some countries, accelerating number of COVID-19 cases is a disturbing reminder that the pandemic is not under control,” the IEA said.

Prices had dropped early in the session after Libya National Oil Corporation announced it had lifted its force majeure on all oil exports after a half-year blockade by eastern forces.

“The expected re-start of Libyan exports will only add to the vulnerability of the OPEC+ production restraint in keeping the energy complex heavily reliant upon a renewed expansion in risk appetite for any advances back to around this week’s highs,” said Jim Ritterbusch, President of Ritterbusch and Associates.

Oil inventories remain bloated due to the evaporation of demand for fuel during the initial outbreak.

“If we take a bigger picture view of the market, what stands out to us is that we have not yet seen much of a decline on the global inventory front,” JBC said.

US crude oil inventories rose by nearly 6 million barrels last week; analysts had forecast a decline.

Mounting tension between the United States and China also pressured prices. China said it would impose reciprocal measures in response to US sanctions on Chinese officials over alleged human rights abuses against the Uighur Muslim minority.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Russia, China veto Syria aid via Turkey for 2nd time this week

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ussia and China vetoed a last-ditch attempt by Western members of the UN Security Council to extend approval - which expired on Friday for humanitarian aid to be delivered across two border crossings into Syria from Turkey for the next six months.

The United Nations said millions of Syrian civilians in the country’s northwest depend on the humanitarian aid delivered from Turkey, describing it as a “lifeline.”

The remaining 13 council members voted in favour of the resolution on Friday.

The 15-member council has been split, with most members pitted against Syrian ally Russia and China, who want to cut the number of border crossings to one, arguing those areas can be reached with humanitarian help from within Syria.

This was the third failed vote on the issue by the council and the second vetoes by Russia and China this week.

On Tuesday, Russia and China vetoed a bid to extend for a year approval of the two Turkey crossings.

The remaining 13 members voted in favour of the resolution, drafted by Germany and Belgium. Russia then failed to win enough support on Wednesday for its proposal to authorise one crossing for six months.

The council is now expected to vote on a second Russian draft text to approve aid deliveries for one Turkish crossing for one year. But because the council is operating virtually during the coronavirus pandemic, members have 24 hours to cast a vote so a decision would not be known until today. (Excerpt from Reuters)

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SATURDAY, JULY 11, 2020

guyanatimesgy.com

ARCHIE

ARIES

(March 21April 19)

TAURUS (April 20May 20)

DILBERT

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

CANCER (June 21July 22)

PEANUTS

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

CALVIN AND HOBBES

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

SUDOKU

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Make a lifestyle change or revamp your look to suit the image you want to project. Personal growth, passion and better health are favored. Head in the direction that you prefer.

If you let your mind wander, you'll develop a plan to improve an essential relationship with a friend, relative or co-worker. Getting along will result in more significant opportunities or a brand-new start.

If you put some muscle behind a project you want to complete, you'll be happy with the results. A physical challenge will boost your confidence and encourage better health.

Think outside the box.

When someone does something you don't like or agree with, choose to put your energy into something you enjoy doing, not into a pointless debate.

Do something physical.

Go for a hike with someone special or give your time to a worthy cause, and you'll be inspired to pay it forward more often.

Don't lose sight of what you want because someone is using emotional tactics to push you in a direction that doesn't appeal to your needs or desires. Learn to say no.

Don't get angry; get moving. Push yourself to do something conducive to improving your health, appearance and emotional state. Make interesting plans with someone who appreciates you.

A change will improve your frame of mind. Take a walk in the wilderness and discover more about nature and the environment to inspire your creativity.

Don't leave anything to SAGITTARIUS chance. Gravitate toward (Nov. 23people you know well and Dec. 21) trust. Don't be fooled by a persuasive sales pitch or someone spreading false information. Romance is favored.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

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

PISCES (Feb. 20March 20)

Pay attention to the people who are closest to you. Make suggestions that will help you find more activities you can share and projects you can do together.

Use your imagination to come up with ideas that will change the way you earn your living or handle your money.

A creative outlet will motivate you to make healthy adjustments.

Consider your options before you alter your lifestyle.

Don't expect everyone to like the choices you make. Have everything in place before you share your intentions.

SATURDAY, JULY 11, 2020

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he Premiership will restart on 14 August with Harlequins hosting Sale, and finish with the play-off final on 24 October with clubs due to play several midweek fixtures, Premiership Rugby has announced. The fixture at the Twickenham Stoop will end the longest hiatus in Premiership history of 159 days.

A day later, four more matches will take place before a packed weekend of action ends when Northampton host Wasps on Sunday, 16 August. Clubs will have to prepare players for midweek fixtures, with a minimum turnaround of four days, but Premiership chief executive Darren Childs insists all 12 teams have been hugely supportive of plans to ensure the final nine rounds of the 2019/20 season are completed.

He said: “The reaction has been really positive. It was very clear early on we wanted to keep the integrity of competition and, if possible, we could avoid cancelling rounds and awarding points.

There has been a lot of conversations about how we deal with those demands, but every single club is absolutely on board and totally supportive of this schedule, and excited we have found a way.

“Many other leagues have not taken that choice and have cancelled rounds, but we have found a way of doing it, and think we have found a way of doing that safely.”

A major concern, given the packed schedule, will be player burnout; and Phil Winstanley, rugby director at Premiership Rugby, admitted the league were trying to be proactive with how to manage the load.

He confirmed talks were continuing with the Rugby Football Union’s director of performance rugby, Conor O’Shea, and Damian Hopley, chief executive at the Rugby Players’ Association.

“The clubs have been really in favour because competition integrity is important to

any outcome of a season,” Winstanley said.

“I think clearly we would have rather not played games initially, but working with Conor and Damian for midweek games, we are very proactive with that, and need to look at how that loading works; and we are engaging with the directors of rugby over how that works.

“Whether it is limiting game-time, limiting turnaround time, it is a proactive discussion, we recognise we need to come up with a solution that involves the RPA and

By Brandon Corlette

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F

ormula One has confirmed a further two dates for its 2020 calendar, with Ferrari to celebrate their 1,000th grand prix at their home track in Mugello.

F1 is still targeting holding at least 15 races this season, and the announcement before the Styrian Grand Prix in Austria this weekend brings the tally to 13, with the final confirmation of the remaining meetings expected shortly.

The race at Mugello, a circuit owned by Ferrari that has never hosted F1, will be designated the Grand Prix of Tuscany and take place on 13 September, forming a tripleheader after Spa and Monza.

The Russian Grand Prix at Sochi was also confirmed to take place on 27 September.

F1 is hopeful that both events will be open to fans, making Mugello the first meeting not held behind closed doors in 2020. Tickets for the Russian GP have been advertised, and organisers have confirmed they

intend to allow fans to attend.

The season would close with another triple-header, with two races at Bahrain and the season finale at Abu Dhabi on 13 December.

A race at Portimao in the Algarve will also be confirmed in the coming weeks. The Vietnam GP remains under consideration, but China has ruled out any international sporting events taking place this year, apart from trials for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

Austin, Interlagos and Mexico City are still in the frame, but are highly unlikely to take place because of coronavirus. Imola and Hockenheim are both in place to host races should they be required.

Heavy rain is expected for qualifying on Saturday, and consideration is already being given to running qualifying on Sunday morning. However, if the weather prevents that from taking place, the grid will be formed by the finishing positions in second practice.

Sergio Pérez was quickest in first practice, in front of Max Verstappen, with Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton in third and fourth respectively. In the afternoon session, Verstappen t o p p e d the timesheets in front of Bottas i n second, Pérez in third, and Hamilton in fifth. McLaren’s Lando Norris will take a threeplace grid penalty for overtaking under yellow flags in FP1.

After being off the pace at the Austrian Grand Prix last week, Ferrari fast-tracked aero updates and brought a new front wing and floor to this race in an attempt to begin bridging the gap.

Sebastian Vettel was 10th in first practice, with Charles Leclerc in 14th. Vettel was 16th and Leclerc eighth in the afternoon.

Leclerc was given an official warning by the FIA on Friday, after he broke coronavirus protocols when he returned to his home in Monaco and was pictured with friends there, outside his designated social bubble.

Bottas was also investigated when he returned home, but was found to have followed FIA regulations.

(Guardian)

he use of saliva to shine the cricket ball has been banned with the rise of the deadly coronavirus pandemic.

Cricket has returned in grand style, with England and West Indies playing the first of three Test matches in a bio-secure environment.

The most senior of the West Indies Test bowlers in the team, Kemar Roach, speaking on Player Zone on the second day of the

ongoing Test, said he is still getting accustomed to not shining the ball with saliva.

"A couple times I almost did it, but luckily for me,

21

RFU.” Premiership clubs were given the green light to move from stage one to stage two of the training guidance on Monday. This allows clubs to hold contact training sessions in small groups; but on Wednesday, the governing body announced 10 people had tested positive for coronavirus following the first round of testing. Of the 804 tests, six players and four non-playing staff were found to have COVID-19.

Childs added: “It is in line with expectations in terms of the first round of testing.

We have had to put in one of most rigorous testing machines in elite sport, and that is why it has taken some time.”

No concrete update could be provided on London Irish, who are without a home ground due to their tenancy at Reading’s Madejski Stadium being up. The Exiles, who will travel to Bath on August 15, were set to move into the Brentford Community Stadium for next season, but the ground is yet to be completed.

Premiership Rugby chief financial and operations officer, Jan Gooze-Zijl, said: “This is a pretty unusual time for Premiership games to be playing, so London Irish do have to leave the Madejski Stadium. There are actually a couple of options available to them, and we hope to be able to confirm in the coming days. We think we have a solution.” (Guardian)

I didn't do it. You have to rub the ball on your clothes harder to keep it polished. I think we did a fantastic job with that, that's why we got a bit more movement.

It's all about mastering that and obviously taking it to the English bowlers in the second innings," Roach disclosed.

West Indies pacers “made the ball talk” on the second day, with Jason H o l d e r leading the way with his career best figures of 6-42; while steam train Shannon Gabriel claimed 4-62 in 15.3 overs as England were rocked to 204 all out.

Roach noted that Gabriel’s bowling was fantastic and at a high pace.

"He showed his ability to bring back the ball, that's always his strength. His rhythm was spot on," Roach said of his partner Gabriel.

Roach has highlighted that Holder has been impressive. "That's why he is number three in the World: his ability to move the ball both ways on a consistent length. He is doing a fantastic job for us, and I am urging him to keep pushing and doing as well as he can for the West Indies."

On the review topic, Roach said the team has improved in that area.

Communication between the bowler and the keeper has been spot on, hence West Indies getting the best out of the reviews.

With Roach approaching 200 wickets, he is among the top fast bowlers in the history of West Indies cricket. The pace ace is looking to execute the plans and give it the best shot.

"Not every day will be the same person day, but you just have to work hard for what is yours," Roach said after he went wicketless on the second day.

Roach had said a few years ago that being up there with the best was a bit off the radar, but now he is pushing towards greater heights and is aiming leave a legacy for the next generation.

At 32 years old, Roach has 193 Test wickets in the 56 matches he played (stats updated after day two of play). He has nine fivewicket hauls at an average of 27.1.

Roach, who was adjudged ‘player of the series’ the last time West Indies and England played, has a best bowling figure of 6-48 and a best match haul of 10-146.

22

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W

est Indies' captain Jason Holder says the unified display from West Indies' and England's players before the start of the first Test "meant the world" to him, as he thanked Michael Holding for his powerful exposition of the Black Lives Matter movement on the opening day of the match.

Speaking to Sky Sports after claiming six wickets in England's first innings at the Ageas Bowl, Holder described his emotions after the players, officials and support staff of both teams took a knee for 30 seconds in sol-

Holder, along with his team-mates, wore a black glove on the right hand in an apparent echo of the Black Power protest from Tommie Smith and John Carlos at the Mexico Olympics in 1968, after Holding, in a live segment during the morning rain delay that has now been viewed more than 5 million times on Twitter, declared that racism would not stop until we "educate the entire human race".

"It meant the world to me," Holder told Sky Sports. "Just the support from everyone, everyone understanding the moment, everyone

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idarity with BLM before the first ball of the match was bowled.

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understanding the occasion. And to see both teams coming togeth-

est Indies quick Sheldon Cottrell has clarified that he did not turn down the opportunity to play in the three-Test series against England, as was claimed

by Brian Lara on Sachin Tendulkar’s show, 100MB. Lara highlighted that the West Indies side was not full strength, as three players had declined to travel to England for the Test series, but he mistakenly named Cottrell as one of those who turned down the opportunity.

“I think it is a team that is not at full strength,” he said. “A few of the guys have opted out, and they’ve had the option to do so. Darren Bravo, Shimron Hetmyer, Cottrell, these guys felt that they don’t want to take the risk of going to England to play cricket. I am one who felt that if I had the opportunity to go and play cricket, I would be going to play cricket, especially [when] all the protocols were put into place. You’re playing for West Indies, and that is something you have dreamed of,” Lara explained.

However, it wasn’t Cottrell, but Keemo Paul, along with Bravo and Hetmyer, who opted out of the tour because of concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.

Surprised by the comments, Cottrell tweeted that it was not him ‘who refused to go to the UK’. This 30-yearold left-arm pacer has so far featured in only two Tests for the West Indies – against India in 2013, and against South Africa the following year.

er the way they did, it sent a really strong message.

I happened to be on social media last night, and I saw a few Aussies posting the same pic of everyone on the knee, and it just shows the cricket world is actually unified. But I think we could come a lot closer; we could do a lot more for cricket in general."

With Holding listening in on the live interview, Holder added: "I must say I saw the interview with Mikey yesterday, and I felt it in my veins, to be honest. To me it was powerful; I think he hit the nail on the head, he was spot on. For me, it's more of an education.

“Guys need to make themselves aware of what's in front of us.

There's a bigger picture sometimes in sport, but

T

he Jamaica Tallawahs franchise has been placed under the microscope once again, this time involving Jamaican player Ramaal Lewis.

Lewis, who played seven games for the Tallawahs in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) Twenty20 tournament last season, was selected in the 16th position in the 2020 online draft by the Tallawahs, only to find out later that he was replaced

by Guyanese spinner Veerasammy Permaul.

Permaul’s inclusion was confirmed on Monday when a public release of the recorded CPL draft was aired.

Baffled by the scenario, Lewis’s agent Brad Gillings contacted the Tallawahs for an explanation, only to be told that the team owner had mistakenly named Lewis instead of Permaul as their 16th pick.

In a statement sent to the Gleaner from the Gillings Sports Management Communications Team on Wednesday, Gillings said his client has been short-changed, and is seeking an apology and compensation for the

in the grand scheme of things, I just think we just need to be aware; we need to educate ourselves, and we need to have a level playing field for everyone.

"Hopefully, the message that you sent out yesterday can be viewed by all, and people just really need to understand and divulge it for what it was.

And hopefully, we can all get the systemic quality that we're looking for."

Responding to Holder's tribute, Holding, 66, added: "I don't think you need to thank me, Jason. I think you guys need to just take the baton and

scenario.

“This is a very unfortunate event, and we hope the Jamaica Tallawahs can own up to their mistake and the effects it can have mentally on a young player’s career longterm,” Gillings said.

“We are imploring the Tallawahs to be bold and do what is right; which is to apologise and compensate Mr Lewis for opportunities denied, or restore his place in the team, as there were four available spots after his selection, which could’ve been an opportunity for another team to draft him.”

The Gleaner reached out via telephone and WhatsApp for a response from Ta l l a w a h s C h i e f Executive Officer Jeff Miller, but up to press time, there was no response.

The Tallawahs had been in the news recently after star batsman Chris Gayle was not retained, leading

keep on running with it.

"My days are almost gone. They say the Lord gives you threescore years and 10. I'm only four years away.

You guys have a lot of years ahead of you, and not just in the sport.

It's about life, it's about teaching people around you, because when you're finished playing sport, you have to go back into society, you have to go home.

"That's what it's all about, outside of the cricketing arena, outside of the sporting arena, that's where we need equality." (cricinfo)

him to post a series of rants on his personal YouTube page. There, he said he was victimised by team management, spearheaded by Miller and assistant coach Ramnaresh Sarwan.

Gayle, who was drafted by the St Lucia Zouks, eventually pulled out of this season’s competition, citing personal reasons.

(Jamaica Gleaner)

23 WEST INDIES IN COMMANDING POSITION AGAINST ENGLAND SATURDAY, JULY 11, 2020

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

– thanks to Kraigg Brathwaite, Shane Dowrich half-centuries

B

attling half-centuries from Kraigg Brathwaite and Shane Dowrich put West Indies in a commanding position on the third day of play at the Ageas Bowl, before England's openers withstood a superb spell of new-ball bowling to cut the deficit to double figures.

Jason Holder said on the second evening that the first hour would help set the tone for the rest of the day, and Brathwaite and Shai Hope continued where they had left off on a sunny morning, dropping anchor and putting miles into the legs of England's seamers.

While James Anderson and Ben Stokes eventually made breakthroughs, West Indies followed the template for batting in England by leaving and defending watchfully, and putting away the occasional bad balls, to give themselves a first-innings lead of 114.

Questions will continue to be asked about England's team selection, and their decision to bat first, not least after Stuart Broad's candid c o m ments made immediately before the start of play.

gling for any kind of fluency in the morning session. It remains one of the great mysteries how he can look so settled at the crease in an ODI shirt but yet endure such a poor run in Test cricket since the 2017 tour.

He got a life when Archer trapped him lbw, only to have overstepped, but fell an over later, slashing ill-advisedly at Dom Bess's offspin and being caught at slip.

Brathwaite, playing the ball late and ticking the strike over when he could, dug in to bring up a first half-century in almost two years before lunch. He could consider himself unfortunate when given out lbw to a nip-backer from Stokes at the end of an over in which he had already hit three boundaries. He reviewed the decision after a long think, but it was upheld after the ball was shown to be clipping the stumps, and umpire's call on impact.

But while England had faltered in struggling to build partnerships, West Indies flourished. Shamarh Brooks, in his first Test innings

Mark Wood and Jofra Archer had been asked to bring express pace, and both did so, regularly passing the 90mph/145kph mark on the speed gun; but were set to go wicketless, until Wood castled No. 11 Shannon Gabriel.

Nevertheless, credit should go mainly to the West Indian batsmen, who managed to partreg-

build nerships ularly. There had been lingering doubts throughout the build-up to the series about their abili ty to occupy the crease for long periods of time, which were largely dispelled as the majority of the middle order managed to soak up balls in the middle.

Hope had dug in valiantly on the second evening, fending off a shortball barrage from Wood, but strug-

Kraigg Braithwaite on the go Shane Dowrich had a hard day in the field, but continued to rally on

Ben Stokes picked up 4 wickets

outside India, got up and running with four early boundaries - two off Jofra Archer, two off Bess - while Roston Chase defended well

SCOREBOARD WEST INDIES 1ST INNINGS KC Brathwaite lbw b Stokes 65 JD Campbell lbw b Anderson 28 SD Hope c Stokes b Bess 16 SSJ Brooks c †Buttler b Anderson 39 RL Chase lbw b Anderson 47 J Blackwood c Anderson b Bess12 SO Dowrich †c †Buttler b Stokes 61 JO Holder (c)c Archer b Stokes 5 AS Joseph b Stokes 18 KAJ Roach not out 1 ST Gabriel b Wood 4

Extras (lb 21, nb 1) 22 TOTAL (102 Ov, RR: 3.11) 318 BOWLING O M R W

JM Anderson JC Archer MA Wood BA Stokes DM Bess

25 11 62 3 22 3 61 0 22 2 74 1 14 5 49 4 19 5 51 2

ENGLAND 2ND INNINGS RJ Burns not out 10 DP Sibley not out 5 TOTAL (10 Ov, RR: 1.5) 15/0 Yet to bat: BA Stokes (c), JM Anderson, JC Archer, DM Bess, MA Wood, JC Buttler †, Z Crawley, JL Denly, OJ Pope BOWLING KAJ Roach ST Gabriel JO Holder

O 5 3 2

M 3 1 1

R W 6 0 5 0 4 0

and drove firmly whenever England pitched the ball up at him.

Brooks was looking certain to push on towards a meaningful score when he feathered an edge through to Jos Buttler; which brought Jermaine Blackwood to the crease.

Blackwood had insisted he was a more patient and focused batsman than his previous incarnation, but he looked his usual frenetic self during his brief stay, charging Bess and slashing him to Anderson at mid-off for 12.

Dowrich joined Chase to take West Indies through to tea, scoring freely to start his innings, before settling into a steadier rhythm.

The pair put on 81, the game's highest partnership to date, either side of the interval, as England strained for a wicket, but Wood failed to find much bite on a slow pitch. It was Anderson who eventually broke through with the new ball, trapping Chase in front on review, but

by that point West Indies' lead had begun to look commanding.

After trying to rouse his troops after tea, Stokes eventually realised he would have to do things by himself.

Jason Holder had landed the first punch in the battle of the allrounders yesterday, but Stokes fought back with a sharp bouncer which his opposite number flapped down to long leg, and Alzarri Joseph's enterprising cameo came to an end as Stokes nipped one through him and struck the top of off to reach 150 Test wickets.

He got the key wicket of Dowrich,

who had battled well for his 61, when a back-of-a-length ball flicked the back of his bat on the way through to Buttler, before Wood cleaned up Gabriel to leave West Indies with a first-innings lead of 114.

The final 10 overs of the day were gripping. After being bowled while leaving the ball in the first innings, Dom Sibley shuffled his stance across towards the off side and was given a working-over by Gabriel and Kemar Roach in the channel, but he survived until the close, nudging a single down to long leg off the final ball, to take the deficit below 100. (Cricinfo)

SATURDAY, JULY 11, 2020

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

guyanatimesgy.com

Strict health protocols to be followed during CPL 2020 in T&T S

trict health protocols will be implemented to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease during the hosting of the Caribbean Premier League 2020 Tournament in Trinidad & Tobago from Tuesday 18 August to Thursday 10 September.

CPL has said its board of medical advisors has worked with the Trinidad & Tobago Ministry of Health to create protocols which minimise risk of transmission of the COVID-19 virus to the population of Trinidad and among those who will be travelling to the twin-island republic for the games.

According to CPL, all teams and officials will be housed in one hotel, and everyone will be subject to strict quarantine protocols for the first two weeks they are in the country.

Everyone travelling from overseas would be tested for COVID-19 before departure, and then again on arrival in Trinidad.

Teams and officials would be put

into “households” where social distancing would need to be in place.

There will be smaller clusters within each household where these measures can be relaxed.

However, if any member of this cluster displays signs of COVID-19 at any time during the tournament, all members of that cluster will be expected to self-isolate for a period of 14 days from the time that a member of that cohort had first shown symptoms.

All members of the CPL party will be subject to regular temperature checks, and will be re-tested for the virus throughout their stay in Trinidad & Tobago, and again before departure.

Pete Russell, COO of Hero CPL, s a i d : “We would like to exp r e s s our gratitude and thanks to the Hon. Dr. Keith R o w l e y , P r i m e Minister

of Trinidad & Tobago; the Hon. Shamfa Cudjoe, Minister for Sport and Youth Affairs; The Hon. Terrence Deyalsingh, Minister for Health; Dr. Roshan Parasram, Chief Medical Officer for Trinidad & Tobago; Douglas Camacho, Chairman of Sport TT, and their respective ministries and organisations for their support and guidance in making this all possible.

“We are really excited to bring high-class cricket to the Caribbean and to the rest of the world. The standard of players involved in this year’s tournament will be higher than ever, and we can’t wait to get the tournament under way,” Russell said.

The Hero Caribbean Premier League and the Government of the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago have come to an agreement for the whole of the 2020 season to be played in that country.

Pg 23

“I ALMOST DID IT!”

...says Roach on using saliva

WEST INDIES IN COMMANDING POSITION AGAINST ENGLAND – thanks to Kraigg Brathwaite, Shane Dowrich half-centuries

Pg 21

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