Guyana Times Saturday March 14, 2020

Non-compliance with Court ruling P9 would violate Commonwealth political values – SG Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Issue No. 4225

SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 2020

PRICE

GECOM, APNU/AFC destruction of democracy: Day 12

$80 VAT INCLUDED

WHAT'S INSIDE:

PPP provides conclusive evidence of electoral fraud

APNU/AFC enforcer P14 confronts ANUG rep at SoP count

OAS observer mission withdraws from Guyana over GECOM irregularities

Suriname P12 halts ferry service from Guyana

See story on page 7

…ANUG rep arrested, released for assault

…finds votes cast more than registered electors …files private criminal charges against RO, Volda Lawrence Page 2

Resumed tabulation “not Parties, observers transparent and credible” pull out of illegal – ABCE Ambassadors Region 4 verification ...note intimidation tactics used against stakeholders

...as RO declares fraudulent, illegal district 4 results

See stories on pages 3, 7 and 13

…after confirming 1st coronavirus case

Women jailed P8 3 years, fined $5M for sharing sex tape of friend PPP/C blocked

by Police P15 from serving recount notice on RO …other parties suffered same fate

All public schools P11 closed for 2 weeks

Respect the will of Guyanese to choose their leader – US Govt

Page 15

…M&CC closes all municipal day-care centres

2 NEWS

SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Convict gets life imprisonment OAS observer mission for murdering fisherman withdraws from Guyana M over GECOM irregularities …gives credence to allegations of inflated numbers for APNU/AFC …process used by RO unlikely to give credible results

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he Organisation of American States (OAS) observer mission to the March 2, General and Regional Elections has withdrawn its delegation from Guyana with a warning that “the legitimacy of any Government that is installed in these circumstances will be open to question…This would be a terrible blow to the country’s democracy…The people of Guyana do not deserve this.”

This is according to an official missive from the OAS mission on Friday, which noted that “the process [being] employed by the Returning Officer (RO) for Region Four is not transparent and, based on the numbers that have emanated since the process was first disrupted, is unlikely to produce a result that is credible and is able to command public confidence.”

According to the OAS, the process being used by the Returning Officer to ascertain the results of the National and Regional Elections held on March 2, 2020, does not meet the required standard of fairness and transparency.

It was noted that the Chief Justice’s ruling handed down on March 11 required the RO or Deputy RO to determine the best method of tabulating the Statements of Poll and included the expectation “that the Returning Officer would

act reasonably in ensuring a process that allows persons to observe what is being tabulated and how”.

The OAS has since disclosed that this has not occurred, “instead, and without any plausible explanation, the RO continued to ascer-

tain the votes cast for each party list without affording the duly authorised candidates and counting agents an opportunity to see the Statements of Poll, in order to compare them with the copies in their possession…Such a process could have been easily facilitated using the same technology which allows the tabulation to be displayed.”

It was noted too that the RO’s defiance of the Chief Justice’s orders and expectations, and his refusal to allow the Statements of

Poll to be exhibited, “gives credence to the allegations that the numbers being tabulated do not correspond with the numbers appearing on the Statements of Poll prepared following the March 2 elections.”

The mission further noted that that images of the SOPs published by the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/Civic), on its website, which it claims were given to its polling agents after the ballots were counted at each Polling Station on the night of the elections, produce a result that is vastly different from that being declared by the RO and would have a decisive effect on the outcome of the national election.

The OAS has since also pointed out that “to date, neither the Chief Elections Officer nor APNU has challenged the authenticity of the Statements of Poll published by the PPP/Civic by producing the copies in their possession.”

According to the observer mission, “the implications are deeply troubling and make it all the more necessary for the Returning Officer to display the Statements of Poll on which he is relying.” The OAS Elections Observer Mission to Guyana was headed by former Jamaican Prime Minister, Bruce Golding.

urder convict, Errol Khan was on Friday sentenced to life imprisonment by Justice Brassington Reynolds at the Demerara High Court, almost three weeks after he was found guilty of murdering Haslington fisherman, Chetram Bharrat in 2014.

Khan was slapped with murder, robbery and felonious wounding charges on his first court appearance, all of which he plead not guilty Sentenced to life imprisonment: Errol Khan to. However, followproblem. ing his trial before He said she defected to her Justice Reynolds, the accused was found guilty of the charges, husband, which caused him to get hence, he was given life impris- upset and jealous.

During the attack, the woman onment with the possibility of pareportedly attempted to go to her role after serving 30 years.

The capital offence read husband’s aid but was chopped that on May 2, 2014, he hacked several times by the attacker.

After the incident, Ramdat Bharrat, a fisherman, to death, feloniously wounded the victim’s claimed that she and her husband reputed wife Lomattie Ramdat suffered the fate as a result of a and stole $370,000 during a rob- robbery but was forced to change bery at the couple’s Haslington, her story after residents who are familiar with her relationship East Coast Demerara home.

It was reported that Khan en- with the now accused man began tered the home of Bharrat and be- speaking about it, expressing the gan hacking away at the man and view that it was Khan, her lover, who committed the act. his wife with a cutlass.

During the trial, Prosecutors During his appearance at the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court in Abigail Gibbs and Sarah Martin 2014, Khan admitted that he was were representing the State sharing a relationship with the while Attorney-at-Law Ravindra dead man’s wife and they had a Mohabir represented Khan.

NEWS

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SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Saturday, March 14 – 8:30h – 10:00h and Sunday, March 15 – 09:30h – 11:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Saturday, March 14 – 07:40h – 09:10h and Sunday, March 15 – 8:30h – 10:00h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY Expect sunny skies throughout the day. There will be clear skies at night. Temperatures should range between 22 degrees Celsius and 31 degrees Celsius.

Winds: North-Easterly to East North-Easterly between 0.89 metre and 4.47 metres.

High Tide: 07:47h and 20:17h reaching maximum heights of 2.67 metres and 2.50 metres.

Low Tide: 01:22h and 13:48h reaching minimum heights of 0.61 metre and 0.56 metre.

Parties, observers pull out of illegal Region 4 verification ...as RO declares fraudulent, illegal district 4 results

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everal international observers and political parties on Friday walked out of the verification process for votes cast in Region Four (DemeraraMahaica) on March 2, General and Regional Elections, calling the entire exercise a fallacy.

Several stakeholders that spoke to media operatives throughout the course of the day spoke to the fact that the only discrepancy appears to be the fact that votes have been inflated for the incumbent A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance for Change (APNU/AFC).

US Ambassador to Guyana Sarah AnnyLynch, UK High Commissioner to Guyana, Greg Quinn; Canadian High Commissioner Lilian Chatterjee and EU Ambassador Fernando PonzCanto could be seen visible dishevelled as they walked out of the Returning Officer’s office minutes after the process had commenced.

tive of CG, we thought that this is open theft, open stealing, open cheating and we hope that the international community who have already spoken act more firmly…”

Chief Justice intervention

Open theft

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 2020

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Change Guyana’s (CG) Chairman Nigel Hinds, was among the first to withdraw from the process, calling it a sham and outright thievery.

Media operatives were told that the exercise began with the RO, Clairmont Mingo, firstly agreeing to commence the exercise by starting from where it was left off prior to the court challenge.

Among the first requests, according to Hinds, was an opening balance of the votes cast for each party and this was not done at which point in time the APNU/AFC representative directed Mingo to proceed with a total re-

start.

“When this process started Mingo’s assistant read off from her purported SoP and in every instance, it was at variance with SoPs held by the different political parties and the singular variance was for the APNU votes which were doubled or tripled or inflated significantly,” Hinds said.

Hinds gave as example situations where the coalition would have recorded at 51 votes at a location, the new SoPs would have it recorded at 151 and that the votes for each of the other parties would sync with the

copies of SoPs held by parties or publicly available.

He told reporters “what you have here is an open hijack of the election process, an open attempt to destroy and denigrate our fledgeling democracy”.

According to Hinds, it was within five minutes after the process started Friday morning with the use of the “farcical statements” that the diplomatic observers left.

Speaking to his rationale behind the decision to withdraw from the process, Hinds told reporters “I didn’t want to be part of the circus any longer, as a representa-

He—like other stakeholders that spoke with Guyana Times — said that representatives were not at any time given a chance to view the SoPs being used by GECOM to verify its legitimacy.

“At least 15 attempts were made by the party to let have a sighting of what they are reading from and they refused to allow us to look at that document,” said Hinds, as he maintained that the document being used by GECOM bears no relationship to the original SoPs. He was adamant that SoPs held by parties are copies of an original and as such it is impossible for each of the replicas to be bearing one set of information while the purported originals show different figures for one party.

“It fits with the attempt to rig the election openly; its open daylight theft.”

The count was not suspended as representatives begun leaving.

By mid-morning, Mingo appeared before Chief Justice Roxane George in relation to contempt hearings for failing to resume the verification court-ordered deadline.

While she did not make a ruling, the engagement did end up with a decision taken to suspend the process and relocate to the Commission’s Kingston, Georgetown headquarters.

TURN TO PAGE 8

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guyanatimesgy.com

SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 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

Guyana in political crisis

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t is a national disgrace that even after Chief Justice Roxane George ruled on Wednesday that the unverified elections results declared by Region 4 Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo are null and void given the blatant breaches of the law, GECOM officials, led by the Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo, derail the democratic process using fake numbers and then fake SoPs to give a “victory” to the APNU/AFC coalition.

It is now crystal clear that these elements within GECOM worked in collusion with the APNU/AFC, who are bent on seeing Guyana being destroyed, all because of selfish political interests and a hunger for power. One would have thought that Justice George’s ruling and orders were straightforward and simple and would have been respected by all parties involved.

The Court had already ruled that the Region 4 RO did not compile the tabulation of the majority of the SoPs transparently to ensure accountability in front of the statutorily authorised stakeholders as defined by Sec 86(1) of the Representation of the People Act. Mingo’s attempts, therefore, to once again use a questionable spreadsheet, to verify the results, was nothing more than provocative. His later seeming concession to move the counting process to the GECOM HQ so as to facilitate “transparency” turned out to be a farce since he used copies to project and not original SoPs since the former could and were tampered with.

As is presently stands, the political crisis has deepened and it seems that a solution is nowhere close, considering the players that are involved. By now, everyone knows who has won the elections, including the APNU/AFC, who tried every trick in the book to frustrate the process and blatantly steal the elections in front of the watchful eyes of the world. The final count is being done after all the representatives have walked out of a clearly fraudulent process.

In spite of President David Granger giving his word to the five Caricom heads who were here this week that he was committed to seeing the CJ’s ruling and orders being carried out in the national interest, he has clearly reneged. He has shown by his actions that he is determined to hold on to power at all cost, even if it means his country will face heavy sanctions and being isolated.

President Granger must be well aware of the firm statements coming out of the Observer Missions here and countries around the world who have all stated clearly that they would not recognise a government that takes power through a fraudulent process.

As it presently stands, the Organisation of American States (OAS) led by former Jamaica PM, Bruce Golding, has withdrawn from the process over the blatant attempts by GECOM RO and others to declare results that are highly questionable. In an initial statement, the OAS said that the process being conducted by RO Mingo for Region 4 to ascertain the results of the national and regional elections “does not meet the required standard of fairness and transparency”. It said that “without any plausible explanation, the Returning Officer continued to ascertain the votes cast for each party list without affording the duly authorised candidates and counting agents an opportunity to see the SoPs in order to compare them with the copies in their possession”.

It added that “the RO’s defiance of the Chief Justice’s orders and expectations, and his refusal to allow the SoPs to be exhibited, gives credence to the allegations that the numbers being tabulated do not correspond with the numbers appearing on the SOPs prepared following the March 2 elections”.

The GECOM Chair and the Chief Elections Officer must also share responsibility for the current crisis gripping the country.

As head of the constitutional body tasked with ensuring fair and credible are elections are held, the Chairperson, along with the CEO, has a legal responsibility to ensure that these electoral process is in keeping with the laws of the country and can withstand international scrutiny.

We are forced to ask why RO Mingo and others in GECOM were allowed to do as they wished in clear breach of the elections laws of Guyana. At some point in time, the GECOM Chairperson must provide answers on the entire episode regarding the conduct of these elections, especially as it relates to the declaration of the Region 4 results.

In the end, the actions of the Granger-led APNU/AFC and elements within GECOM will hurt the entire country. The US has already sent a strong warning, saying; “those who participate and benefit from electoral fraud, undermine democratic institutions and impede a peaceful transition of power can be subject to a variety of consequences”. It has also clearly stated that “De facto regimes do not receive the same treatment from US as democratically elected governments”.

A traveller reacts as a worker puts disinfectant on passengers' bags at the international arrivals terminal of Soekarno-Hatta Airport near Jakarta, Indonesia, during the coronavirus outbreak (Reuters)

A day of shame!

Dear Editor, Thursday, March 12, 2020, will go down as a day of shame in Guyana, a day when the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) with the constitutional responsibility for managing the electoral process, failed miserably in having one of its Returning Officers carry out the very clear orders handed down by the Chief Justice of Guyana on Wednesday, March 11, 2020.

Friday was the eleventh day since citizens voted for

the political party of their choice and yet the official declaration of results is still pending. How can we as a nation tolerate such obfuscation as reportedly took place on Thursday at GECOM? Is there a sinister agenda behind this delaying tactic being used to prolong the agony of a final declaration of the results of the 2020 Elections?

How can one man and his insistence on the use of a discredited spreadsheet, when the Chief Justice in her ruling made it mandato-

ry for the signed Statements of Poll for Electoral District to be used in the tabulation process, be allowed to hold an entire nation at ransom?

Chair of Caricom, the Rt Hon Mia Mottley predicted that the Returning Officer District Number Four holds the stability of this nation in his hands. I would add to this the GECOM, which cannot escape overall responsibility for this fiasco.

Is there a secret alliance at work here which is willing to compromise the integrity

of the final declaration of results of the 2020 General and Regional Elections, in pursuit of a hidden agenda?

I hope not, because it would be undemocratic, unpatriotic, and would not be tolerated.

Yours faithfully, Joseph G Singh Major General (retd) Former Chief of Staff (1990-2000) of the Guyana Defence Force Former Chairman (2000-2001) of GECOM

International community has to save Guyana

Dear Editor, It pains me immensely to see more pieces of evidence unfolding in full view of the world that I have been accurate when I wrote in several of my missives to the press that GECOM is compromised and will not be capable to deliver a free, fair and credible 2020 Elections. I also wrote about a brewing dictatorship in Guyana which is at the precipice of being manifested fully.

In one of my letters, I asked the question: Who is in charge of GECOM? I then went on to provide tangible evidence to support my conclusion that the CEO is in charge and not the Chairperson, Justice Claudette Singh. I further wrote that, “What is Chairperson Claudette Singh doing? Is she incompetent?

Or is she giving Lowenfield a free rein to do the PNC’s biddings? I simply cannot comprehend that until now she is unable to come to grips with the basics at GECOM despite holding umpteen meetings and being apprised of all the issues. She is not a novice in election matters if I could recall.” These statements were written weeks before the elections and are now valid than

ever before!

In another of my letters, I wrote that “We are getting closer to the long overdue General and Regional Elections on March 2nd, the electorate are still understandably worried about GECOM’s seemingly inability at act in a fair and impartial manner since the successful passing of the No-Confidence Motion.” Again this has come to pass since GECOM’s inability to deliver a credible election is evidenced by the fact that the electoral process in the verification of the Region Four votes has been hijacked by no other than the Returning Officer, a GECOM appointee and collaborated by the CEO, the Chairperson and others. At that time I further wrote that “It is time that the GECOM’s Chairperson step up and deliver on her ‘pledge’ to ensure credible elections. At this current state, we can only guess what will happen on March 2nd and after the results have been declared.” I did not fathom that the rigging would actually take place after the voting has been concluded and that the rigging would occur in plain sight in full view of Guyanese, the ob-

servers and the entire world.

The PNC has taken rigging to new heights that would make Burnham an altar boy in comparison. Burnham used several techniques which included, tampering with the voters’ list, stealing the ballot boxes by the army, throwing some away and tampering with the rest but Granger has hijacked the Statements of Poll and replaced them with a magical spreadsheet which defies the SoPs held by the other political parties. This is ‘rigging made simple’! I am sure that Granger can now author a best seller with that nomenclature.

What is alarming and exposes the PNC’s innate propensity for dictatorial rule is the fact that they had openly flouted our Constitution and the CCJ’s rulings and consequential orders and now they have done a similar act with the Representation of the People’s Act and the Chief Justice’s rulings and consequential orders. This is the hallmark of a dictatorship!

This is not about GECOM as Granger would like the people of Guyana and the international community to believe.

The election is not completed until the results are declared!

Moreover, the pieces of evidence show that GECOM is controlled by the PNC! But GECOM’s Chairperson, being a retired Judge must know that to disregard the CJ’s orders is tantamount to contempt of court.

Furthermore, there is no ambiguity in the Chief Justice’s order: votes must be added in accordance with the SoPs, and then a public declaration is made. She further added that Section 84 (1) is mandatory because of the need for greater transparency in the actions of public officials. I wish to remind her that she had vowed that she will not sell herself for “all the oil in Guyana” and that, “there is only one way, in accordance with the law and in accordance with the Constitution, and nothing else”. It is sad to conclude that over the past months and especially since March 2nd, her pledge now seems weak, hollow and lacks any real substance.

Will our country see another era of PNC dictatorship? At this juncture, only the international community has to save Guyana!

Yours sincerely, Haseef Yusuf

guyanatimesgy.com

SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 2020

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

Guyana’s moment for Pastoral letter of truth and reconciliation admonition

Dear Editor, I am anticipating: the sky will not fall when the true results of voting in District (Region) Four are declared. I do believe that the true results will eventually, inevitably be declared, casting a bright light on each and every contortion leading up to and since March 2, and illuminating and discrediting our many rigged elections since 1968.

The sky would not fall but different, great burdens would be lifted from the shoulders of all of us Guyanese: supporters of the PNCR/APNU/AFC would be freed of the obligation to contort and deny the attempts to rig and subvert the results of our 2020 National and Regional Elections and many earlier ones from 1968; and supporters of the PPP/C would be freed from this and the preceding decades of apprehension, fear, worry, dread, anxiety and insecurity as times for our National and Regional Elections approached.

Some say that the supporters of the PNCR/APNU/ AFC face no less intent, though different fears and insecurities. We Guyanese may have before us and may we seize this moment as a door which opens to truth and reconciliation.

And, I am not wearing rose-tinted glasses nor inebriated with any brew. I

know that our huge challenges of every sort remain unchanged, but we would be approaching them in a different context, one where any inclination to stealing elections as a “solution” would have been wholly and totally discredited. With the door to subverted electoral processes closed, doors are opened to new cordial relationships and sound development of our people and country.

We are a young nation, a nation in the making, a work in progress. At this stage of our historical development, the fact that membership and support of our two large parties correlate strongly with ancestry/race of our peoples; the fact that the majority of Afro-Guyanese desire rule

by Afro-Guyanese, and similarly, that the majority of Indo-Guyanese desire rule by Indo-Guyanese, should not faze us, rather we should be surprised if it were different at this early stage in us living amongst each other.

These traditional correlations need not be so, will not be so for all time.

Indeed, one can see efforts at and signs of an increasing amount of crossover, that would reduce the strong correlation between ancestry/race and political party. In the dismissals of myself, Sam Hinds, and other Afros in the PPP/C, and similarly, Ms Amna

Dear Editor, Caricom came and Caricom went and what was substantially achieved?

Nothing! Save a meeting of the leaders of the two major parties during which emanated hollow statements and promises.

In full view of their pres-

ence, the shenanigans and masquerade, including the flouting of court orders, continued at GECOM. Again, the rhetorical question: Where are we as a nation?

What was achieved?

Sincerely, Shamshun Mohamed

Ally and other Indos in the PNCR/APNU/AFC as window dressing and tokenism, I sense a questioning of how real is the transitioning and maturing in our politics. Actions and time will tell. One can expect even more cross-overs with the exposure and rejection of rigged elections, for it has been exercising a great hindrance on our people, confusing their choices: there are significant real differences beyond race, between our two main political parties, and those differences will steadily matter more than race.

For, again, we are not a divided people but a people yet to be one, coming together out of six groups of peoples from different and distant places. There has been much closing in our nearly two hundred years of us being all together and we should celebrate that, rather than bemoaning, being frightened by and resorting to desperate actions in the face of the distances remaining for us to work at closing.

This may be Guyana’s moment for truth and reconciliation, for changed relationships between our peoples. Let us take it.

Sincerely, Samuel A A Hinds Former Prime Minister and former President

Dear Editor, “You are like salt for the whole human race. But if salt loses its saltiness, there is no way to make it salty again. It has become worthless, so it is thrown out and people trample on it” – Matthew 5:13. These are the words of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

How relevant is this for the church and more particularly its leaders in Guyana at this time. Eleven (11) days have now passed since Election Day for the General and Regional Elections 2020. No official declaration has been made, and our nation is on a path that must be salvaged.

The silence from the evangelical, Charismatic Pentecostal Church, both denominational and independent is unbelievable.

The church may very well not be able to be relevant and speak again on any matter of national importance based upon its present omission of duty. This is unacceptable. The hundreds of pastors and tens of thousands of congregants who believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God and should guide our actions must sit up, stand up and re-think this condoning of electoral fraud by choosing the way of saying nothing.

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing” When there was a suc-

cessful passage of the NoConfidence Motion and the subsequent events which included the spurious court cases, the attempts at delaying elections, breaches of our financial laws and breaches of our apex court; the leadership of the church chose in the face of these violations of our Constitution by the Granger Administration to remain silent. We were mocked by people who expected us to stand for righteousness.

The wrongs that we compromise with are the ones we are guilty of practising and condoning. Is it because of race, class, or political affiliation that our righteous garments are now tattered?

Where are the prophetic rebukes? Where are the prophetic directions? Where are the words that direct the nation and all who are are involved to act righteously and with integrity? Why the silence? Are we no longer salt? We boast that many of the actors in Government, GECOM, the Joint Services and in public service are our congregants. Shepherds lead the flock. Our leadership is being examined by the world.

I condemn in the strongest possible terms the indecency, the unashamed attempts to insult the intelligence of the Guyanese people by the deceptive and contrived statements being made on social media and in other circles, to excuse

the vulgar abuse of process and the conspiratorial ploy to rig elections 2020.

Where are the clean hands and the pure hearts in this matter? The APNU/ AFC is continuing with its unwillingness to obey the Constitution; to allow for the rule of law, and to follow democratic principles and international best practices because they are receiving tacit support by the silence of some but particularly the Charismatic Pentecostal Church community both denominational and independent. This is wrong and must come to an end immediately.

At the time of writing, the Private Sector, the Labour Movement, Muslim and Hindu organisations, the Roman Catholic Bishop, international observers, powerful political players from the USA, UK, Canada, the EU, Caricom, the OAS, the UN, Commonwealth, the Carter Center, more than 80 international civil society organisations, the Nelson Mandela Elders’ Group, the US Secretary of State and others have all expressed concern about electoral fraud and the need for credible election results to be arrived at in a transparent manner. Come on, my brothers and sisters.

I speak the truth in love.

Yours truly, Bishop Juan A Edghill

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SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 2020

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Foundation

By Rebecca Schrag Hershberg, PhD

M

y almost-six-year-old marched down the stairs a couple of days ago holding his baby doll. “My baby has coronavirus,” he told me. Then he spiked the (luckily rubber) doll like a football. “So, I’m gonna do that to him!”

My four-year-old is upset that his preschool class trips have been cancelled (as of now, the school itself is still open, though that’s likely to change soon, as all signs suggest it should).

“And it’s all because of the stupid virus,” he moped as he got dressed this morning.

Coronavirus. COVID-19. Social distancing. A week ago, these were obscure, unknown terms. Now our social media feeds are littered with them. We are being inundated with information. And then inundated again, because things change hour to hour. And as they do, we readjust our schedules, our daily routines, our expectations, our plans. The atmosphere is one of uncomfortable uncertainty at best, sheer terror at worst, and most of the time somewhere in between.

Articles about how to parent right now — how to talk to our kids and help calm their fears — abound. I’ve read many.

Contributed to some. And now I’m writing my own. Why? Because what I haven’t seen yet is a bulleted list, a set of short and sweet and pragmatic tips you could print out and hang on your fridge as a reference. And so that’s going to be my contribution. For today. Here goes: Be the grown-ups. It’s on us to start conversations with our kids. Continue to ask them what new things they’ve heard about the virus, to correct misinformation, and to answer their questions honestly and using short sentences. Kids get bogged down in words.

Point out things that are different. Birthday parties are being cancelled. Mommy is working from home. (Maybe) there’s no school. People aren’t travelling for spring break.

Point out things that are the same. You’re still having Honey Nut Cheerios for breakfast. You’re still watching your favourite shows. We still have to brush our teeth.

Play, play, play. Kids work things out with stuffed animals, dolls, action figures, costumes. Let your little ones be mad at the virus, attempt to control it. Maybe Elsa casts a spell so that it freezes in its tracks. Maybe Ryder and the pups go on a rescue mission to help those who are sick. Maybe you mix a COVID-19 cure potion involving food colouring, glitter, and whatever else.

Put your phone away for set periods of time. Our kids sense, and feel uneasy, when we are distracted. Mumbling

“Mmmmhmmm” as your child tells a story, while you simultaneously scroll and swipe, is not helpful. Being intentional and clear about your phone use is. “I am going to play with you right now, so I’m putting my phone on the shelf”; and “I am going to take a few minutes to check my phone right now, so I won’t be able to play for a bit.”

Structure and routines are your friends. Even more than usual, and particularly as daily life looks less and less familiar. The world may feel chaotic and unpredictable, but your home doesn’t have to. Consider making a daily schedule and hanging it up for all to see (use pictures if your kids can’t read yet).

Validate feelings of anger and disappointment. It stinks that you had to cancel your spring break travel plans.

Or your sleepover party. Or your school play. It’s OK to cry, hit the couch, even yell for a bit. Spending time at your local park as opposed to Disney World is not, in fact, a “super fun adventure.” Your kids are little, not stupid.

Simultaneously, model reframing and looking on the bright side. Maybe there’s a lot more family time now

that both parents are working from home. Or maybe your child can finally do that epic art project he’s been thinking about. Or maybe he can take on a new job or chore, now that the whole family needs to pitch in, and you can emphasise what a “big kid” he’s become.

Emphasise agency. Your family is not just sitting around at home passively waiting for forces out of your control to take shape as they will. No! Frame what you are doing, what we all need to do, as a set of actions. Your family is doing its part by helping to stop the virus, exercising agency by washing hands so thoroughly, working together as superheroes spreading health and safety around the world.

Answer questions with factual knowledge. Then stop.

If your children have questions about the virus, answer them honestly. Then stop talking. If they have follow-up questions, they’ll ask. And then you can answer again.

If your child asks the same question again and again, point that out. “But are we going to get it?” “Wait, are we going to get it?” “Are Grandma and Grandpa going to get it?” If your child continues to ask the same question, or very similar ones, then he or she is likely reassurance-seeking, which is a sign of anxiety. It’s okay to acknowledge that: “Sometimes when we are worried, we ask the same question over and over.

The worry fools us into thinking that will help, but it actually doesn’t.”

Then provide helpful, calming strategies. What does help when we’re worried is getting into our bodies (“Let’s do some jumping jacks!”), or doing some deep breathing (“Smell the cookies as they come out of the oven, now blow on them since they’re too hot to eat”). You know what makes worry get even bigger? Worrying about the worry! (“And then worrying about the worrying about the worry!” your child may say, and suddenly you’re in a playful interaction and things don’t feel quite as bad anymore.)

It’s OK to say “I don’t know,” or “I have to think about it.” Our little ones need us to project a calm, clear confidence. This is not synonymous with knowing all of the answers. Pause. Think. Look something up. Ask a parent friend how they might respond.

Move your body. Jump. Dance. Stretch. Family dance party. The mind-body connection is real. When we feel grounded in our bodies, our emotional state often improves as well.

Focus on community, both local and global. Talk out loud about how you are going to check in on your elderly neighbours to make sure they have all they need. Mention that right now everyone in the world is working together to solve this problem. Guess how many people on your street are washing their hands at the exact same time you are. Your family is not alone in handling these challenges; you are part of a greater whole.

Let your little ones play “Baby”. One common way that little kids ask for extra comfort and nurturing is by playing baby, either directly (“Let’s pretend I’m your baby”) or indirectly (eg, speaking in baby talk). Don’t shut this down right away; rather, play along. “Oh, my little sweet baby, yes, let me pick you up and give you snuggles.” Don’t you kind of wish you could play baby right about now, too?

Expect regressions. When children have to adjust to a completely new routine, or are sensing anxiety around them, their developing brains can’t always handle that shift on top of everything else; internal resources get allocated to the new task at hand, and something else goes. Your potty-trained toddler may start having accidents, or your self-assured kindergartner might start showing some clinginess. That’s okay, and to be expected.

Take care of yourself. The number one thing children need to stay calm during difficult times is a parent (or caregiver) who stays calm during difficult times. If you are feeling panicked or overwhelmed, do what you can to regulate yourself before attempting to calm your child. If your attempts to soothe your child are out of sync with your worried demeanour and energy, your child will notice, and this will be even more distressing for them. You’re better off being honest than faking it: “I am feeling a bit worried myself right now, and so I am going to take a few deep breaths before answering your questions. Do you want to come sit next to me and we’ll take them together?”

Reach out for professional support if needed. As always, if you are worried about, or even just confused by, something your child is doing or saying, please don’t hesitate to reach out to a child mental health professional for guidance.

We are in uncharted territory, and you don’t have to go it alone. (psychologytoday.com)

NEWS

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SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Resumed tabulation “not transparent and credible” – ABCE Ambassadors ...note intimidation tactics used against stakeholders

M

embers of the diplomatic community in Guyana have warned against leading Guyana into isolation, as they continue to lament the lack of transparency and credibility in the tabulation of the elections result for Region Four (DemeraraMahaica).

The ABCE diplomats, United Stated Ambassador, Sarah-Ann Lynch; British High Commissioner, Greg Quinn; Canadian High Commissioner, Lilian Chatterjee, and the Ambassador of the European Union (EU), Fernando Ponz-Canto, on Friday morning stormed out of the Office of the Region Four Returning Officer (RO), which is housed in the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Command Centre located on High and Hadfield Streets, Georgetown.

No transparency

In a subsequent joint statement, locally accredited western diplomats explained that they decided to leave the Region Four tabulation process earlier in the day

as it was clear that a transparent and credible process was not put in place by the responsible officials.

“We must be clear that in the absence of a credible process, as directed by the Honourable Chief Justice [Roxane George], it is our view that any results for Region 4 which will impact the overall results of the 2 March elections will not be credible and a President sworn in on the basis of those results will not be considered legitimate,” they posited.

The Heads of Missions further outlined in the joint missive their concerns about intimidation tactics they have observed against those seeking to ensure that a credible process is followed.

Reminding that they are all long-standing friends of Guyana, whose countries have supported its development over many decades, the foreign envoys cautioned against leading the country into isolation.

“The betterment of Guyana and its people has always been our interest. In that spirit, we urge all parties to not do anything which could lead to Guyana’s isolation,”

British High Commissioner Greg Quinn, EU Ambassador Fernando PonzCanto, US Ambassador Sarah-Ann Lynch and Canadian High Commissioner Lilian Chatterjee leaving the Region Four RO office after walking out of the tabulation process on Friday morning

the joint statement from the ABCE diplomatic community detailed.

The Heads of Missions, who were all accredited as local observ-

ers to monitor the electoral process, had not returned to monitor the tabulation process which continued on Friday but not without more concerns raised over the methodology used by the Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo, who insisted on using excerpts from the Statements of Poll instead of the original SoPs as ordered and reasserted by the Chief Justice.

The ABCE diplomats had previously expressed deep concern over “credible allegations of electoral fraud which may influence the results of this election”.

The Heads of Mission, in similar joint statement last Friday, called “…on all to ensure proper procedures are in place to yield a credible election result. A fair and free process is vital for the maintenance and reinforcement of democracy in Guyana.”

They had also implored with incumbent President David Granger to avoid a transition of government, which they believe would be unconstitutional as it would be based on a vote tabulation process that lacked credibility and transparency.

PPP provides conclusive evidence of electoral fraud ...votes cast more than registered electors …private criminal charges for Volda Lawrence, Mingo

O

pposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo believes that the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) is in possession of conclusive evidence that the incumbent coalition along with elements in the Guyana Elections Commission colluded to hijack and rig the 2020 General and Regional Elections.

Region Four’s Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo, on Friday initially opted to restart the verification process using StatementS of Poll but things took a turn for the worse from the get-go.

According to officials observing the activity, the very first SoP presented for verification by Mingo showed inflated numbers for A Partnership for National Unity, Alliance for Change (APNU/AFC).

Jagdeo, in a subsequent press engagement at Freedom House, Robb Street, Georgetown, provided the results for four Polling Stations on the East Bank of Demerara, which he insisted illustrates that the figures being called out

by GECOM staff “from purported Statements of Polls (SoPs)” were fictitious.

More votes than electors

Qualifying his position, Jagdeo noted that at the four locations, there were a total of 1136 registered electors. The copies of the original Statements of Poll gave one set of figures for each party, according to Jagdeo.

He noted that when this was contrasted with the new figures being called by GECOM yesterday, there

lous lead given to the coalition on the SoP in question.

Jagdeo reminded that the coalition took office in 2015 with less than 5000 votes to qualify his assertion that the figures now being used by Mingo cannot be ac-

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

was an increase of 200 votes for APNU/AFC. He noted too that even more glaring is the fact that the new SoP being used by GECOM gave the total number of votes cast at 1150, more votes than the number of persons even registered to vote at those locations.

The Opposition Leader in positing collusion between the incumbent, GECOM and Police ranks, reminded of Volda Lawrence’s signature on the declaration form— that was later struck out by the High Court—for Region Four.

In fact, Jagdeo lamented that there has been no explanation forthcoming from the Commission and that fraud proceedings have been filed against her and Region Four RO, Mingo.

Criminal charges

Guyana Times understands that while the necessary documentation had been prepared, the interested parties were unable to file

the private criminal charges on Friday since the courts were closed. A notice was later circulated, which said the courts were closed early to facilitate a sterilisation exercise in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Opposition Leader in his media engagement disclosed too that the party has since begun informing the international community of the names of the Secretariat staff, Police and APNU/AFC officials that were “complicit in the plot to hijack the electoral process.”

These names have been provided to the international community, he said.

He used the occasion to debunk a number of aspersions being peddled in the public – one such being the claim that the PPP/C won Region Four.

The Opposition Leader was adamant his party never made the claim of winning Region Four but rather points to the discrepancy in the SoPs and the incredu-

curate.

He told reporters that he was not optimistic that the Region Four RO would, in fact, do the right thing in relation to the questionable SoPs and said the PPP/C takes solace in the resort to a total recount of the ballots for Region Four.

Jagdeo said the GECOM Chairperson appears to be

sympathetic to a recount.

The PPP/C General Secretary made mention of a recount and called on the GECOM Chairperson to ensure the preservation of ballots in storage since he is of the view that Mingo will go ahead and make a declaration despite staunch and credible objections from all and sundry.

8 NEWS

SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Women jailed 3 years, fined $5M for sharing sex tape of friend T

he years-long friendship of a female trio ended dramatically when two out of three women teamed up to publicly humiliate their other friend, two months ago.

Theresa Pollard suffered a great deal of embarrassment after the two women allegedly released a sex tape of her having intercourse with one of the duo’s spouse.

On Friday 21-year-old Melissa Ann Pestano and 23-year-old Janel Williams were arraigned on charges under the Cyber Crime

Act, at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

They both pleaded guilty to the charges after they were read by Magistrate Leron Daly. The first charge detailed that between January 20 and January 21, 2020, Williams used a cellphone to transmit data that was explicit to humiliate Pollard.

Further, it was alleged that Pestano used a computer to cause distress to Pollard.

Police Prosecutor Richard Harris informed the

court that the women and the victim are friends.

The court heard that prior to the day in question, Pestano was informed that Pollard was having an affair with her spouse. It was then that the two women and the spouse cooked up a plan to catch Pollard in the act, after which they would humiliate her. The court heard that the victim was taken to the K&VC International Hotel on South Road, Georgetown,

by Pestano’s spouse, who later shared the location with the duo.

Pestano later arrived and entered the room effortlessly, recording the sexual activity. The court further heard that a copy was sent to Williams who then circulated the video with others.

Magistrate Daly in handing down the sentence, told the women that they should reflect on what they have done during their time in prison.

As such, they were both given three years’ imprisonment along with a $5 million fine each.

Bus conductor jailed for choking, stabbing wife

S

enior Magistrate Leron Daly on Friday accepted a guilty plea from 47-year-old Rawle Thomas after an unlawful wounding charge was read to him for the second time in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

On his first appearance before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan, the minibus conductor of North Ruimveldt, Georgetown, was not required to plea to the indictable charge of attempted murder.

However, on Friday he admitted that on December 8, 2019, at North Ruimveldt,

Jailed for felonious wounding: Rawle Thomas

he unlawfully and maliciously wounded Akela Roger, his wife, so as to cause her actual bodily harm.

As such, Magistrate Daly imposed a three-year sentence.

According to reports, the now convicted man went

Parties, observers pull out...

Relocation

Mingo decided to shift the proceedings to Kingston location for a 16:00h resumption since the Ashmin’s Building, High and Hadfield Streets, Georgetown, reportedly did not have adequate media facilities to comply with the request.

Having relocated to the Kingston location, Police ranks manning the barricade cordons were provided with a list of those allowed to enter.

The People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) by this time had pulled out of the process, taking with it their copies of SoPs.

Rigged election

PPP/C Commissioner Sase Gunraj told media operatives candidly, “what we are experiencing is a blatant attempt to rig an election”.

He noted that despite the Chief Justice being pellucid in her ruling, it was not being complied with.

Gunraj explained saying, “When the process started this morning (yesterday) it was clearly contrived to perpetuate that same illegality and those same shenanigans that were started last week.”

The PPP/C member also gave an account of SoPs being used by GECOM bearing just one kind of error—inflated figures for the coalition.

He reminded that as a Commissioner at GECOM, he receives a copy of an SoP that has to be verified by all parties.

According to Gunraj, the new SoPs being used

by GECOM do not replicate what was originally certified

before being handed to him.

Old sheet & cardboard

“The statement of polls in my possession are initialled by two commissioners from both sides of the Commission.”

He said, earlier in the

home and began to accuse his wife of infidelity on the day in question. It was reported that the angry man collected a pot of boiling water from the stove and threw it on her. He then choked and stabbed her.

The woman attempted to escape, but she collapsed some distance away and was rescued by neighbours, who rushed to her assistance.

She was picked up in an unconscious state and taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation where she was hospitalised for a while.

FROM PAGE 3

day, the representatives were not allowed to see the SoPs being used by GECOM. By the time the activity was relocated to the Commission’s headquarters a screen, which Gunraj described as an old sheet placed in front of cardboard, was utilised.

Several representatives later complained of not being able to properly make out what was being projected on the screen but the process continued nonetheless.

“Importantly, we were not allowed to verify the authenticity of those SoPs by at least checking; that opportunity was not made available to us, so as a consequence, several of the persons have left, several of the observers have left the process….”

This, in addition to the fact that the representatives were cautioned that they could not record the activity, use mobile phones or even ask questions.

By 23:00h, GECOM had completed the entire process and Mingo declared the inflated and what has been described as fraudulent results for Region Four.

Grappling with…

I

…the PNC world n trying to make sense of living in a nightmarish world (to him) of being a German Jew living in Czechoslovakia, Franz Kafka begins his novella of alienation, “The Metamorphosis”, with this famous line: “One morning, as Gregor Samsa was waking up from anxious dreams, he discovered that in bed he had been changed into a monstrous verminous bug.” Yup!! How do you deal with the reality of being a bug in a world you think you know so well?!!

And this is the absurdist feeling your Eyewitness was overcome with as he tried to grapple with the goings-on at GECOM on Friday 13 – the day after the Court had issued its order on how the Region 4 RO ought to conduct the count of the SOPs. If those folks – who were blithely going on announcing the numbers on the SOPs at the speed of a rocket approaching escape velocity from earth – were Guyanese, what was he?? Was he even the same species as them since he just couldn’t grasp what the heck they were doing vis a vis the Court orders??

As a Guyanese, he expected them to use the arithmetic they’d all learnt in Lil ABC to share out marbles and then add up what each would get! Jeez, the teacher Miss Marks had even brought marbles to school, to let him and his buddies in the backbench get the idea. Your Eyewitness felt a little better when he heard the attendant stakeholders who been grudgingly allowed in object to the flitting numbers rushing past them!! And when the ABCE Ambassadors all got up and walked out of the pappy show, he realised that it wasn’t he who had metamorphosed into a “monstrous verminous bug”; it was those GECOM officials!!

And all of Kafka’s questions about identity rose to the fore. Who were these people who could bring such disgrace to our country? Your Eyewitness understands “party loyalty” and all that. But isn’t there a line where the country comes first?? Even if patriotism hadn’t been inculcated, weren’t they and their children going to be affected when sanctions were slapped on the country they’ll be living in? Since their visas would be revoked??

Your Eyewitness realised that these folks who were manipulating the SOPs in front of the entire world for the APNU/AFC had become automatons (Kafka’s equivalent in his time was “bugs”) for the “cause”. They HAD no independent identity as “Guyanese”; they simply jumped to the commands of Brigadier Granger!! It was, of course, the quintessence of the fascist view of identity.

All for the glorious world of the PNC. Hadn’t Burnham preached it once before??

But automatons don’t remember, do they?? …anarchy set loose Even though he knew what was coming, your Eyewitness followed the GECOM riggers over to the old GECOM HQ. They’d assured those who still believed the SOP count could be salvaged they would “do the right thing”. Some folks still believe in the tooth fairy!! The SOPs were going to be “projected “ onto a screen and all would then “see” them. Problem was – and of course, there was a problem – the RO chose to project a COPY and not the original SOP’s.

And of course, these were doctored and led to a walkout!!

All your Eyewitness could think was Yeats dire observation: “Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity.”

“And what rough beast, its hour come round at last, Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?”

A new PNC dictatorship, of course!! …the bullies At the final SOP dictation – and that’s what it always was!! – the PNC sicced their pit bull from Region 5 on the Opposition parties who wanted the court order obeyed.

Finally, it became too much for the mild-mannered ANUG rep. And he’s charged for assault!!

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

NEWS

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SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Non-compliance with ruling would violate Commonwealth political values – SG

…UN Secretary-General expresses concern about tensions in Guyana

C

Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland

ommonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland expressed her concern over the conduct of the Returning Officer for Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), Clairmont Mingo, in relation to his conduct in the tabulation of the Statements of Poll (SoPs) for the district.

“I have noted the concerns contained in previous statements issued by the Commonwealth Observer Group in Guyana, and those issued by other observers and member governments on the ongoing vote tabulation process in Guyana. If the tabulation of Region 4 results is not immediately and satisfactorily addressed in

accordance with the ruling of the Acting Chief Justice, this would represent a serious violation of the fundamental political values of the Commonwealth,” she said in a statement.

SG Scotland noted that the ruling of acting Chief Justice Roxane George was unambiguous that public and transparent tabulation of the SoPs is required to ensure the credibility of the process. In addition, she stated that the ruling also addresses continued contentions regarding the tabulation and declaration of election results.

“I am deeply concerned that the Returning Officer for Region 4 has so far re-

fused to comply with the ruling of the Court. Further, it is regrettable that contempt of court proceedings against the Guyana Elections Commission had to take place today 13 March. This morning’s 13 March ruling from the Chief Justice leaves no doubt that the Returning Officer for Region 4 is now required to ensure that all those present can transparently view the actual Statement of Polls during the tabulation process.

The tabulation of results in Region 4 must be fully conducted in accordance with the ruling of the acting Chief Justice,” the statement said.

Baroness Scotland reminded that the Commonwealth Charter, to which Guyana ascribes, recognises the inalienable right of individuals to participate in democratic processes, in particular through free and fair elections in shaping the society in which they live. She went on to say that there is still time for the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), including the Chairperson, the Commissioners, the Chief Elections Officer, and Returning Officer for Region 4 to ensure democracy is preserved in Guyana.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres

United Nations

for

Meanwhile, Spokesman the United Nations

Secretary-General, Stéphane Dujarric said that SG António Guterres is concerned about reports

of continued tensions in Guyana following the March 2 General and Regional Elections.

“The Secretary-General welcomes the HighLevel Mission of Heads of Government from Caricom countries, which visited Guyana from 11 to 12 March.

He encourages all stakeholders to continue their cooperation with Caricom.

The Secretary-General urges all political leaders and their supporters to resolve any dispute over the results of the elections through constitutional and peaceful means,” a statement from the SG’s Office noted.

10 NEWS Concerns over coronavirus COVID-19 will shut down local GBTI waives ATM and Point of Sale fees tourism industry T – THAG President SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

THAG President Mitra Ramkumar

T

he Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG) is fearful that the COVID-19 coronavirus has the potential to shut down the local tourism sector.

According to THAG President Mitra Ramkumar, now that Guyana has its first case of the virus, several cancellation reports have been received from the two major tourism operators.

He noted that this comes at a time when Guyana has been capped as the world’s best eco-tourism destination and having won several awards over the past two years.

“People are more hesitant to travel, there are certain countries that have barriers depending on where you visit. The COVID-19 has spread… it is spreading in our region, and so it is going to have a negative effect on travel, and travelling

is linked to tourism,” he explained on Thursday.

Just recently, the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) has upgraded the risk of transmission of coronavirus to the Caribbean Region from low to very high.

To ensure that Guyanese are well educated about the virus, THAG said that they are working tirelessly to disseminate information about the virus.

Ramkumar stated that hotels and guesthouses in Guyana have instated the regional and tourism health programme, which will help to improve the health and safety of local and international visitors.

“Employees [at the guesthouses and hotels] are required to go through this programme to report any symptoms that have been displayed by their guest.

The coronavirus is a treat to the industry and this why we have the CARPHA programme. An illness like this can shut down the industry.

People can stop travelling.

We have been experiencing some amount of cancellation because of this coronavirus,” he said.

On Wednesday, a 52-year-old woman died at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) of suspected coronavirus. Her family has since denied that she had the virus. The woman recently travelled to Guyana from Queens, New York.

he Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry Limited (GBTI) on Friday announced that they will be wavering fees related to the use of its Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) and Point of Sale service for the remainder of March.

According to the bank, this measure was taken because of the concerns about the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) that was recently discovered in Guyana.

“We are concerned about the safety and protection of you our valued customers as well as the safety and protection of our staff. We have taken a number of steps to protect persons visiting our various branches and our staff, with the aim of preventing and or reducing transmission of the disease.

Among these measures are the provision of hand sanitizers and wipes,” the bank

A GBTI ATM

said in a statement.

According to GBTI, the bank has also decided to waive all fees related to the use of local debit cards, at their ATMs and Point

of Sales for the rest of the month.

“We encourage our online customers to utilise the platform for basic transfers, bill payments, and balance

checks during this time,” the bank urged.

It was also mentioned that the bank’s branch staff will be ready to assist their customers while providing the option to use the ATM and Point of Sale whenever possible.

“We will continue to monitor and review the situation over the next few weeks and advise of any changes,” they said.

GBTI encouraged the public to adhere to all health and safety measures outlined by PAHO/WHO to help safeguard all families and workplaces.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Guyana confirmed its first suspected case of the coronavirus after a 52-year-old woman, who travelled from Queens New York, died at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).

Police issue wanted bulletin for murder suspect

T

he Police have issued a wanted bulletin for the gun-toting security guard, who reportedly shot and killed the 24-yearold miner, Akeem Caesar, at Black Water Backdam, Konawaruk, Mahdia, Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) earlier this month.

The Guyana Police Force (GPF) on Friday stated that ranks are currently on the hunt for 40-year-old Devon Harris for questioning in relation to Caesar’s murder. His last known address

is Friendship, East Bank Demerara (EBD).

Caesar was killed on March 3 and since then the cops have been unable to locate Harris in relation to the crime.

Anyone with information that may lead to the arrest of Harris is asked to contact the police on telephone numbers 225-8196, 2269834, 216-0254, 216-0251, 216-0252, 227-1149, 911 or the nearest police station.

According to the GPF, all information will be treated with the strictest confidence.

On March 3, Caesar was imbibing with his friends at a popular bar in the area when an argument erupted

Wanted: Forty-year-old Devon Harris

between himself and another man.

The verbal row quickly escalated into an altercation, which saw a

21-year-old miner intervening. However, after the fight ended, Caesar and his friends headed to their mining camp. At about 23:30h, the now dead man and his 21-year-old friend stopped along the roadway and were conversing when they were confronted by a man carrying a shotgun.

The gunman, identified as a security guard commonly referred to as “Tallman”, allegedly shot Caesar to his left foot and gun-butted him. He then fled the scene.

Caesar was immediately picked up and taken to the Mahdia District Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

NEWS

11

SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

All public schools closed for 2 weeks …M&CC closes all municipal daycare centres

Roxanne Burnham Nursery

Bishops’ High School

A

s precautions heighten amid the COVID-19 epidemic across the world and one suspected case in Guyana,

be provided,” the statement read.

For concerns, stakeholders can contact 226-1175 or the Public Health hotline on

St Winefride’s Secondary School

the Education Ministry has opted to close all public schools for two weeks.

On Friday the Ministry said this closure will commence from Monday, March 16.

“The Ministry of Education wishes to advise that with effect from Monday, March 16, 2020, al; schools will be closed for two weeks. Additionally, this decision will be reassessed during this period and further guidance will

227-4986 or 624-3067.

The decision by the Education Ministry comes just one day after the Ministry indicated that all schools would remain open. The Ministry had initially advised persons to take the necessary precautions as advised by the World Health Organisation (WHO); Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, UNICEF and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent

Fallen tree pins man to death at mining camp

A

27-year-old man is now dead after being struck and pinned by a fallen tree while he was visiting a friend at a mining camp in Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo).

Dead is Carlison Moses called “Sawman” of Lethem, Region Nine (Upper TakutuUpper Essequibo).

Moses died on Thursday at about 13:10h in the Kumung Backdam, Puruni, Region Seven (CuyuniMazaruni). He was employed by a Brazilian man.

Reports are on Thursday, Moses left his camp and ventured to another mining camp to visit a friend.

Reports are that upon arrival at that site, he realised that his friend was working in the mining pit and as such walked towards the area where the men were and stood there awaiting his friend.

One employee at that location, identified as Moses Bacchus, stated that he was “jetting” in the pit in an effort to remove some trees

when the now dead man went in close proximity of mining area.

Bacchus stated that one of the trees fell and one of its heavy branches hit and pinned both Moses and another male, identified as Malick Durant, to the ground.

This newspaper was told that other workers who witnessed the ordeal rushed over to the men’s aid but they struggled to move the branch from on top of them.

After repeated efforts, they succeeded. However, while Durant was conscious and complaining of back pains, Moses was unresponsive.

The workers, while moving him, noticed a wound to the back of his head.

Both Durant and Moses were rushed to the Bartica Regional Hospital where Moses was pronounced dead on arrival. Durant was admitted at that health facility.

The matter was reported to the police and an investigation has been launched.

Societies (IFRC) in relation to COVID-19. They later recanted their decision of keeping these institutions open amid the threats.

Meanwhile, the Mayor and Council also announced that all the municipal daycare centres - South Road, East Ruimveldt, Festival City and Industrial Site – will be closed for two weeks with effect from Monday, March 16, 2020.

While the public schools

were opened throughout the past two weeks, there was very low attendance with the heated political climate.

On Wednesday the University of Guyana also opted to close its two campuses – located at Tain and Turkeyen – until there is normalcy in Guyana.

The suspected coronavirus was announced on Wednesday. The 52-yearold woman who died had travelled from New York to Guyana. Caribbean Airlines has since quarantined its crew that worked during the flight on which the woman was a passenger. Local

medical staff who treated her were also quarantined.

This has led to a scramble for disinfecting supplies throughout the country.

As such, parents had raised concerns about the level of sanitisation practised in schools, since students spend substantial hours in the classrooms.

While the Coronavirus is not airborne, it can linger on surfaces for some time. Symptoms range from fever, dry cough, muscle ache and fatigue. As such, persons are advised to desist from touching their faces coupled with frequently

washing their hands with soap and water.

The World Health Organisation has advised that only persons who show symptoms or those that are caring for an ill person are required to wear masks.

Local health authorities have advised that if anyone is experiencing symptoms of coronavirus, they should contact the hotline on 2274986 ext 215 or 624-3067 and a team would be sent to their location. Under no circumstances should they visit a health facility, since the contraction rate would increase.

12 NEWS Int’l observers lament continued lack of transparency T SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

he international electoral observer missions in Guyana have reiterated concerns over the continued lack of transparency in the tabulation process of the Region Four (DemeraraMahaica) elections result.

In a joint statement on Friday, the Commonwealth, European Union (EU) and The Carter Center said that they are all deeply concerned about the continued lack of transparency in the ascertainment of results for Region Four.

According to the observer missions, not only was the March 11, 2020 order of the acting Chief Justice, Roxane George, not followed but the tabulation process also did not resume at 11:00h on March 12 as was mandated by the court.

They went on to say that when the tabulation process

resumed on March 13, it was not in line with the judgement, which required public tabulation as a safeguard and a measure for promoting transparency and accountability. In fact, the overseas missions pointed out that the Chief Justice even had to reassert on Friday that the actual Statements of Poll (SoPs) have to be displayed in this process.

“The orders issued with the judgement should be complied with, and the tabulation process conducted and concluded accordingly. Unless and until this is done in Region Four, the election results cannot be considered credible,” the observer missions noted.

Further, the international election observation missions encouraged all stakeholders to use all available means to conclude the ongoing electoral process in a transparent man-

ner.

They, once again, urged all political parties to adhere to the codes of conduct they

5 homeless after fire guts WBD house

signed and to do their utmost to ensure that a peaceful environment is maintained.

Guyana’s ongoing electoral process, which has been embroiled in controversy regarding the tabulation of the Region Four results, has already seen the Organisation of American States (OAS) Electoral Observation Mission (EOM) withdrawing from observing the local electoral process since the ascertainment methodology being used does not meet the required standard of fairness and transparency.

Only last Friday, the four international observer missions had called on the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) – in-

cluding the Chairperson, (ret’d) Justice Claudette Singh; the Commissioners; the Chief Election Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield; the Region Four Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo, and Deputy Returning Officers – to commit to establishing the results for Region Four in accordance with the law.

“The tabulation of results for the election in Region Four was interrupted and remains incomplete. The law requires that tabulation must be conducted in the presence of party agents and observers…

Until this occurs, the result of these elections cannot be credibly declared,” the four overseas missions had stated last week.

Suriname halts ferry service from Guyana …after confirming 1st coronavirus case

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The Canaiwaima Ferry

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The damaged house at Vive La Force, West Bank Demerara

fire of electrical origin has gutted a two-storey house at Lot 36 C Vive La Force, West Bank Demerara, leaving five homeless.

Reports are the fire started at about 08:30h in a bedroom in the upper flat of the home, but quickly engulfed the house.

Guyana Times understands that 20-year-old Shelliza Seepersaud was at home with her 18-year-old sister and two other cousins when they realised that the building was on fire and raised an alarm. Neighbours rushed to their aid but their attempts to extinguish the fire proved futile. The fire

tenders took some time to arrive at the scene and as such, by the time they arrived, the entire house had already been engulfed in flames.

The Guyana Fire Service (GFS) Fire Chief, Marlon Gentle has since said that the fire was electrical.

urinamese authorities have halted its ferry service from Guyana after the country recorded its first coronavirus case.

On Friday Suriname’s Vice President, Michael Ashwin Adhin told the National Assembly that a person who travelled from the Netherlands last week has tested positive for the virus.

He noted that the country’s borders and airports will be closed at midnight on Friday.

With respect to the fer-

ry service from Guyana, Surinamese authorities said that the service will be closed until further notice.

The Canaiwaima Ferry service plies the GuyanaSuriname route on a daily basis. On Wednesday Guyana confirmed its first imported case and advised of precautionary measures.

The patient, a 52-yearold Guyanese female, had arrived in Guyana on March 5 and five days later, she was found to have diabetes and hypertension.

On Wednesday the wom-

an died at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).

Meanwhile, on Thursday, President David Granger convened a meeting of Ministers to better coordinate Government’s action plan in response to the presence of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Guyana.

If you or anyone you know is experiencing symptoms of coronavirus, please call the hotline on 227-4986 ext 215 or 624-3067 and a team would be sent to your home.

PPP writes GECOM Chair not to accept report of total votes from Reg 4, CEO …as RO breaches Court order even after CJ insists that SoPs be used, displayed

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ttorney-at-Law Anil Nandlall on Friday evening wrote the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Chairperson, (ret’d) Justice Claudette Singh, requesting that she does not accept the Region Four (DemeraraMahaica) Returning Officer (RO), Clairmont Mingo’s tabulation for the region as he has failed to conduct the process in accordance with the order of the court.

During the Contempt of Court hearing on Friday, Chief Justice (ag), Roxane George reasserted her March 11, 2020 ruling, making it pellucid that the RO must use and display the Statements of Poll (SoPs) in the tabulation process – which is in accordance with her ruling on Tuesday.

This was after SC Boston claimed that when

the tabulation process recommenced that morning, figures were extracted from the SoPs and placed on the screens along with the Polling Station number.

However, the Chief Justice pointed out that those entitled to be there during this process are also entitled to see the actual SoP document under Section 84 of the Representation of People’s Act. “You have to produce the piece of paper [SoP]… so that person[s] see it. The issue is dealing with the observing of [the SoPs]…I can’t see why, what’s the particular difficulty of using [SoP],” she contended.

According to Justice George, the SoPs were used during the tabulation process of the first set of SoPs for the region, ie 421 SoPs, and there were no issues,

hence, the same process should be used again to continue the verification.

Boston, who represented the Returning Officer as well as Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield, and the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), committed in court that his client will comply and display the SoPs. The GECOM Chair, who was also present in court on Friday, indicated to media operatives that she expects the RO to comply with the order of the court.

“It’s the order of the court… It was a consensual agreement [in court that the Statements of Poll will be displayed…,” Justice Singh stated, adding that she does not know why this process was not used in the first place to continue the tabulation process.

Disregard for court’s order

Despite this, however, the series of events that followed Friday’s contempt of court hearing caused Attorney Anil Nandlall to formally write the GECOM Chair on what transpired.

In the letter shared

by Nandlall, he informed Justice Singh that after the court hearing, he went to the RO’s Office where the process was ongoing and observed a spreadsheet on a projector screen, as opposed to the SoP, being used for ascertaining the votes which is in violation of not only Section 84 but also the court’s order.

This process, he pointed out, continued uninterruptedly from 09:00h until about 14:00h, even during the court proceedings, using the same methodology.

However, Nandlall said he intervened, which result-

ed in RO Mingo halting the process and relocating it to the GECOM Headquarters at Cowan and High Streets, Kingston.

There, he noted, “a projector was used and where only what appears to be an excerpt of a document purporting to be a Statement of Poll appeared on the screen… In any event, the entire process was carried out at such a speed that made it impossible for anyone to competently observe the same.”

According to Nandlall, the same methodology used earlier in the day continued, therefore, neither the Chief Justice’s order nor Section 84 was followed or complied with.

“In the circumstances, I hereby request that you instruct the Returning Officer not to publicly declare the total number of

votes cast for the electoral district #4 for each list of candidates, nor communicate to the Chief Elections Officer the total number of votes cast in the electoral district #4 for each candidates…,” Nandlall stated in his letter to the GECOM Chair.

He further requested that she does not “… reiceve from the Chief Elections Officer the report of his ascertainment of the result of the elections pursuant to Section 96 of the Representation of People Act…, and that the Commission do not declare and publish any such elections results under Section 99 of the same Act.” Nandlall noted that if any of these processes are allowed then they would be in Contempt of Court and unlawful, illegal, null, void and of no effect.

NEWS

13

SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Lindener given 24-month “I have never seen such a barefaced attempt to rig elections” – local observer who witnessed rigging since 1968 sentence for unlawful wounding, fined for traffic violations Investors’ confidence

Chairman of the PSC, Gerry Gouveia (centre) and PSC member Kit Nascimento (left) along with other officials

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ocal observers said they witnessed a “barefaced, ugly and deliberate” attempt to rig the 2020 General and Regional Elections during the tabulation of votes for Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) in the morning hours on Friday.

Upon the resumption of the tabulation process at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) High and Hadfield Streets’ Command Centre, Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo used figures that do not correspond with that of political party representatives and observers.

Attempts by those stakeholders to query the figures were met with stern resistance and intimidation tactics – something which even prompted the walkout of ABCE diplomats and subsequently, other observers.

At an emergency press conference afterwards, the Private Sector Commission (PSC) expressed deep concerns over what had transpired, whereby the Returning Officer was still refusing to comply with the ruling of the Chief Justice (ag) Roxane

George for the verification process to be done in a transparent manner.

“In all my considerable life and career, in and out of politics, in this country, I have never seen such a barefaced, ugly and deliberate attempt to rig an election,” local observer, Kit Nascimento told reporters.

In justifying his remark, Nascimento pointed out that at around 10:00h, APNU/AFC representative, Carol Joseph barged into the Office of the Returning Officer, ordering him to begin the verification process.

“She begun to scream and shout in an entirely abusive manner, hurling and shouting at everyone in the room,” he explained, adding that “she virtually directed the RO as to how to do the process.”

Additionally, Nascimento said the elections officials were rushing through the process, allowing no opportunity for anyone to query the figures being called out.

Moreover, despite a commitment from GECOM to use the original Statements of Poll (SoPs) during the verification process, Nascimento

said they were, once again, using spreadsheets.

“It was immediately apparent that she [GECOM clerk] was reading from a spreadsheet and not from Statements of Poll. She read at an enormous rate, absolutely impossible to follow her. On each occasion that she read out figures, we were able to follow, it became absolutely apparent that the figures she was reading out did not match any of the Statements of Poll in the possession of the party representatives or indeed party or observers who had them,” he explained.

Expanding on this point, he highlighted that in some cases, the APNU/AFC coalition received about 70 to 100 votes more from GECOM’s figures while the PPP/C had received major deductions.

Furthermore, he said when the variations were raised by the stakeholders, the RO refused to have it addressed.

According to Nascimento, the entire process was descending into “chaos” and a “farce”.

These sentiments were endorsed by the PSC Chairman, who pointed out that the walkout demonstrated by the ABCE diplomats is a clear indication that the process was not transparent.

“When we saw the entire ABCE Ambassadors, the United States Ambassador, the UK High Commissioner, the Canadian High Commissioner and the European Union Ambassador walked out of the room and walked away from that process, we knew there and then that the entire international community has given up on that process and the credibility and integrity of that process,” he expressed.

Meanwhile, Gouveia contended that the current political climate has dire impacts on the business community, with major financial losses already recorded.

“The Private Sector has been suffering enormous impact and loss since the preparations of these elections.

This is exceptionally depressing for the business community that we cannot abide by the rule of law and which is essential to investors’ confidence and business development and the stability of our country,” he stated.

These activities highlighted by the PSC unfolded prior to the ruling handed down

by Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George who ordered that GECOM ensure the SoPs are displayed so that they can be reviewed by stakeholders.

F

Desmond Sanchara

orty-four-year-old Desmond Sanchara was on Thursday given a 24-month prison sentence and fined $70,000 by Magistrate Dylon Bess for an unlawful and malicious wounding charge along with four traffic offences.

Police stated that Sanchara, of Lot 7 Section C Christianburg and 1050 New Housing Scheme, Central Amelia’s Ward, Linden, unlawfully and maliciously wounded the Virtual Complainant (VC), Shemar Kennedy, on February 18, 2020, at Second Corner, South Amelia’s Ward.

He pleaded guilty to the charge.

The VC in a statement stated that Sanchara stabbed him to his neck with a knife.

Sanchara also faced four traffic charges including dangerous driving, failure to stop at the directive of a police offi-

cer in uniform, failure to stop after an accident and failure to produce driver’s licence for examination by Police in uniform.

The incidents occurred at Casino Drive, Wismar, Linden, on March 11. At the time, he was driving motor car PVV 7348.

The accused pleaded guilty to three of the four charges, while he pleaded not guilty to failure to produce driver’s licence for Police examination.

He was fined $50,000 for the dangerous driving charge, $10,000 for the failure to stop at the directive of a police officer and $10,000 for failure to stop after an accident or an alternative of six months in prison.

Sanchara is scheduled to return to court on March 25 for trial in the matter of failure to produce a driver’s licence for Police examination.

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

INFORMATION AND GUIDELINES

HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF?

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

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

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

(Adapted from BBC News)

14 NEWS

SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

APNU/AFC enforcer confronts Coronavirus…

Beepats commits to selling ANUG rep at SoP count …ANUG rep arrested, released for assault

APNU’s Carol Joseph charging towards Jonathan Yearwood

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xecutive member of A New and United Guyana (ANUG), Jonathan Yearwood, was arrested on Friday afternoon following a clash between him and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) activist, Carol Joseph.

Joseph had spent the afternoon haranguing and harassing other representatives from other political parties— including some GECOM staff. It would appear that she arrogated to herself the role of enforcing an APNU line, which the GECOM staff was facilitating.

A video showed Yearwood after the Statement of Polls (SoPs) count was shown to be a farce, projected from copies rather than original SoPs getting very upset. After forcefully telling Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo that he would be judged harshly for the tragedy he was bestowing on Guyana, he was leaving the GECOM headquarters when he was confronted by Joseph. She had been verbally abusing him from her seat and as he was

structions to Mingo and using abusive language to representatives from other political parties.

She even referred to Private Sector Commission member, Kit Nascimento as “Stinka”. Earlier, she also used derogatory remarks at Yearwood, who ignored her.

Despite being loud and offensive, she was not asked at any point to leave the premises but others from various political parties were asked to leave whenever they objected.

Carol Joseph was involved with several confron-

products at regular prices

The Beepats Store and Distribution Centre located on Regent Street where the prices of Lysol cleansing and sanitising products remain the same

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A New and United Guyana (ANUG) representative Jonathan Yearwood walking out of the Brickdam Police Station in the company of his lawyer

leaving, she rushed towards him screaming and gesticulating in Yearwood’s face.

In frustration, Yearwood pushed her away. However, Yearwood was arrested while Joseph remained untouched and continued with her obstreperous behaviour.

Earlier, it was reported that during the day, Joseph was creating mischief – first at the Command Centre where the tabulation exercise was being conducted earlier.

At the Command Centre, she was heard passing in-

tations in the Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice), Regional Democratic Council (RDC) where she was a councillor.

She was involved in a case where a nurse from Fort Wellington Hospital was transferred because she revealed that Joseph was collecting a narcotic drug without a prescription.

Yearwood was subsequently released from Police custody after his lawyer, Timothy Jonas, intervened.

midst the loathed practice of price gouging by local businesses due to the coronavirus threat in Guyana, the Beepats Store has assured that its prices for products that are now high in demand will remain the same.

“Loyal customers who actually come into our stores on a regular basis will notice no change in our pricing. We have been supplying all our regular and valued wholesale customers with the requested quantities at the same prices that the products have always been,” the company said in a press conference on Friday.

“At our retail outlet in Regent Street, we have decided to limit sales to two (2) per person, so that as many people as possible, may be able to purchase same,” Beepats noted.

In fact, Beepats explained that it has been the authorised distributor for the Lysol brand of cleansing and sanitising products for almost 35 years.

Some of the items for which prices have doubled and even tripled within the past 48 hours are respiratory masks, gloves, hand sanitisers, sanitising wipes and Lysol or other disinfecting sprays.

The company stated that many of its wholesale customers have already been “serviced” with such stocks and that others who are awaiting supplies will receive them within the next 24 hours. “…but we only had stocks for regular orders. We are expecting more shipments.

However, at this point in time, the parent company is unable to supply us with any

extra beyond our normal buying patterns because of the world pandemic,” the company said.

Moreover, Beepats assured that it will continue to do its best to serve the local populace, especially at a time when Guyanese are trying to protect themselves from the deadly virus, which has already killed thousands of people worldwide.

Following the announcement by the Government on Wednesday evening that Guyana confirmed its first case of the coronavirus, Guyanese began to ‘panic buy’ these products in bulk.

In light of this situation, some businesses have doubled, or even tripled their prices – a move which was condemned by the Private Sector Commission (PSC) and the Competition and Consumer Affairs Commission (CCAC).

The PSC had stated: “As the threat of the coronavirus induces panic among the general populace, the Private Sector Commission is dismayed at recent claims reported in the media of businesses inflating the prices of necessities needed to combat the coronavirus disease.

The PSC condemns all acts of price gouging by businesses.”

Meanwhile, the CCAC said: “It is morally wrong to take advantage of consumers during any national emergency, in this case, that of a possible public health crisis. We again appeal to suppliers to put your countrymen/people over excessive profit.”

If you or anyone you know is experiencing symptoms of coronavirus, please call the hotline on 227-4986 ext 215 or 624-3067 and a team would be sent to your home.

NEWS

15

SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

AFC’s Dominic Gaskin Respect the will of breaks rank: calls on Guyanese to choose GECOM to make SoPs public their leader – US Govt E A

s international pressure continues to mount on Guyana over the ongoing electoral fiasco regarding the tabulation of the Region Four (DemeraraMahaica) results, the United States has once again commented on the situation here.

In a post on social media site – Twitter – on Friday evening, Assistant Secretary for the US Department of State’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, Michael Kozak reiterated that there is no transparency in the tabulation of votes.

“Democratic nations can’t ignore this blatant disregard for rule of law. The world is watching. There is still time. Respect the will of the Guyanese people to choose their leader,” the State Department official implored in his tweet.

His comment comes on the heels of the Organisation of the American States (OAS) pulling out its Electoral Observation Mission (EOM), which said it had no option than to withdraw from

Guyana since the ascertainment methodology being used does not meet the required standard of fairness and transparency.

Only Thursday Kozak sounded the starkest warning yet from the US to the Guyanese election authorities, “to follow accepted procedures and allow international observers to verify the results”.

In a stern warning, the State Department official cautioned that “under US Law and Practice, those who participate and benefit from electoral fraud, undermine democratic institutions and impede a peaceful transition of power can be subject to a variety of consequences.”

He was adamant, “de facto regimes do not receive the same treatment from us as democratically elected Governments.”

As such, Kozak noted, “it is essential that the High Court-mandated elections tabulation in Guyana be concluded in a free, fair and transparent manner”.

The warning by the US Government comes a day after UK Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab called on President David Granger to preserve the sanctity of democratic elections.

Meanwhile, Stéphane Dujarric – Spokesperson for United Nations Secretary General António Guterres, had also joined the growing chorus on Guyana’s electoral melee.

On Monday, Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo announced that he discussed Guyana’s elections during a meeting with Canada’s Deputy Prime Minister, Chrystia Freeland.

Pompeo, in a tweet, said he spoke about several issues including “support for democratic transition in Guyana”.

Moreover, Kozak last week had declared that “no candidate should declare victory or be sworn in while serious questions remain about [the] credibility of [the] March 2 elections and whether procedures were followed.”

PPP/C blocked by Police from serving recount notice on RO …other parties suffered same fate

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ttempts by the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) late Friday night to serve Returning Officer (RO), Clairmont Mingo, with a notice for a recount of the results for Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) were blocked by Police officers.

In what has been described as an illegal act, Mingo went ahead at about 23:00h and declared the discredited results for District Four despite repeated objections from various party representatives as well as other stakeholders as to the method used to ascertain the Statements of Poll.

Immediately after he was done making the discredited declarations, the PPP/C attempted to serve the RO with a notice for a recount but was unable to do so as he was surrounded by a swarm of Police officers who prevented the service.

The ranks were seen lined up waiting, while Mingo was making the declarations.

Guyana Times was told that as soon as the formalities were over, he was immediately “surrounded by the police and whisked away”.

This newspaper understands that at least five other political parties that contested the March 2 General and Regional Elections also made attempts to serve the RO with recount notices but also failed to do so.

These include A New and

Officers on the sidelines of Friday’s declaration before swarming the RO and whisking him away before he could be served

United Guyana (ANUG), The Citizens Initiative (CI), Liberty and Justice Party (LJP), The New Movement (TNM) and United Republican Party (URP).

According to the Representation of the People Act Chapter 1:03 Article 84 (2), parties have up until “noon of the day following the declaration” of results in the General and Regional Elections to request a recount, otherwise the declaration is considered final.

Meanwhile, following the declaration, PPP/C Presidential Candidate, Dr Irfaan Ali in a statement said that what Guyana is “going through is an attack on our present and our future as a nation. This aggression is being carried out by a few individuals who are committing crimes against the dignity and rights of all Guyanese.”

According to Ali, the international community and observers have the SoPs and

they know who the legitimate winner of the March 2, 2020 elections is.

“If this mode of removing democracy and putting in place a dictatorship continue, sanctions will come and we will all lose. Our nation received an unimaginable amount of support from countries that share our democratic values. We will not become Venezuela as some are seen hellbent in making our dear beloved land,” he asserted.

Ali went on to say that he trusts that the Army and Police will stand by the people of Guyana and uphold the country’s Constitution.

“So, I call on every single one of you, no matter who you voted for, to join me in this journey that will put to test our individual love for this great nation. Now is a time for unity and respect for each other. The power of the people is stronger than the people who want to steal their way into power,” Ali stressed.

xecutive Member of the Alliance for Change (AFC) Dominic Gaskin, who served as Business Minister in the coalition Government between 2015 and 2020 appears to have broken ranks with the coalition and is now publicly questioning the credibility of the results for Region Four (DemeraraMahaica) for the recently held General and Regional Elections.

Gaskin, who is also President David Granger’s son-in-law, on Friday took to social media, where he stated publicly that “given all that has taken place over the last twelve days, I am not sufficiently convinced that the results of the Region Four elections as declared by the GECOM (Guyana Elections Commission) RO (Returning Officer) last

Thursday (March 5) accurately reflect the results recorded on the various Statements of Poll collected from the 879 Polling Stations.

In fact, he surmised: “I have a difficulty accepting that all the persons and organisations who have so far deemed the process to lack credibility have somehow gotten it wrong.”

According to Gaskin, “I have a difficulty understanding why GECOM, specifically the Region Four RO, would not be bending over backwards to convince the various observers that his tabulation process was sound and all his results credible.

The leading AFC Executive Member conceded “If our election results are as widely rejected as they appear likely to be, then there can be no win-

ners. We all lose. This is not what I campaigned for.”

As such, Gaskin has since demanded that “GECOM needs to publish their SoPs for all to see. If not, it can never hold credible elections in Guyana again.

He noted, however, “unfortunately none of us can prevent GECOM from taking this process to its obvious conclusion, however, I believe the nation deserves to see all the numbers on which GECOM intends to base its final declaration.”

He concluded his public missive by saying: “It is a shame that good Guyanese are now turning on each other simply because a few rotten eggs are attempting to pull us apart. Time to tone down the hate, accept that we’re all in the same shit storm, and work our way out of it.”

16

guyanatimesgy.com

SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 2020

Regional

Venezuela Opposition received Venezuela confirms 2 coronavirus bribe offers to give up congress cases, suspends school

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n January, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro claimed a major victory: congress lawmakers elected his favoured candidate as National Assembly leader, putting the increasingly authoritarian nation’s last independent institution within his grasp.

Opponents cried foul, accusing the Venezuelan leader of intimidating and attempting to bribe lawmakers to oust Maduro’s arch-rival, opposition head Juan Guaido, in the January 5 vote.

An examination by Reuters of the circumstances surrounding the vote shows there was evidence to support their accusations.

A previously undisclosed recording of a conversation between two congressmen – along with interviews with a dozen other lawmakers and unreported text messages – sheds light on the ruling Socialist party’s strategy of making cash offers and threats to exploit divisions within Guaido’s coalition.

Maduro’s leftist government, branded a dictator-

V

National Guard officers try to stop Venezuelan Opposition Leader Juan Guaido, who many nations have recognised as the country's rightful interim ruler, from entering Venezuela's National Assembly building in Caracas

ship by Washington and targeted by US sanctions, denied using coercion, as did the newly elected head of congress, Luis Parra.

In the recording, at 09:00h on December 15, Kerrins Mavarez, a 34-yearold congressman for the coastal state of Falcon, took a phone call from a senior opposition figure worried the government was plotting to wrest control of congress.

The caller, Luis Stefanelli, told Mavarez he believed Maduro’s allies were trying to buy and scare opposition politicians into backing Parra.

Mavarez confirmed to Stefanelli he had received phone calls from an unnamed government emissary threatening him with arrest and asking how much money he wanted to change sides. (Excerpt from Reuters)

enezuela has confirmed two cases of coronavirus, Vice President Delcy Rodriguez said on Friday, adding that the country is suspending classes at public and private schools starting on Monday.

President Nicolas Maduro on Thursday said that all flights from Europe and Colombia would be suspended for a month over coronavirus concerns during a live televised news conference on Thursday.

"Early today, two cases were certified," Rodriguez said in a televised statement. "One 41-year-old citizen was travelling in the United States. The other was travelling in Spain."

The two patients arrived on a flight from Spain and have been put in quarantine, she said.

Those using the Caracas metro system will only be allowed in if they are wearing face masks, Rodriguez

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in light of the global coronavirus crisis.

In a statement, CXC said it convened a meeting with the representatives and discussed various scenarios as it relates to the administration of the examinations.

“The council will continue to work with the governments of the various territories to arrive at a regional consensus and will update the public accordingly,” the statement said. (Jamaica Observer)

said.

Maduro has said efforts to fight the coronavirus in Venezuela are being jeopardised by US sanctions, meant to force the ruling Socialist Party from power.

Years of recession, hyperinflation, and underinvestment in public services have left Venezuela in

poor condition to confront any cases of the coronavirus that is spreading rapidly worldwide, healthcare workers say. Its hospitals suffer from chronic shortages of medicine and supplies, as well as frequent lapses in electricity and running water. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Antigua: PM confirms 1st case of COVID-19 on island

CXC meeting to discuss A May-June exams he Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) says it is working with representatives from the ministries of education across the region in regards to the administration for May/June examinations

People wearing protective face masks crossing the border between Colombia and Venezuela at the Simon Bolivar international bridge in Cucuta, Colombia [Photo by Ferley Ospina/Reuters]

ntigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne confirmed the first case of COVID-19 in Antigua and Barbuda. Health officials were said to have met overnight to discuss the results from the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA).

The infected person is one of two suspected cases sent to the Trinidad-based agency on Thursday morning.

While one of the cases was cleared, the other sample came back positive for COVID-19.

The infected woman arrived to V C Bird International Airport on March 10 and was staying with family when she began to present with symptoms.

She is currently been isolated at home under the supervision of health officials on island.

Antigua and Barbuda joins 9 other Caribbean countries that have reported cases of the virus over the past week or so. There is concern that others may be infected since the visitor was exposed to a number of

people upon their arrival.

With the virus now in the Caribbean in recent days, residents have begun flocking to the supermarkets to stock up on hygiene-related products.

Even before today’s confirmation, officials were mulling over the status of this year’s Sailing Week activities, and considering imposing a ban on large gatherings and scaling down Carnival activities scheduled for July and August.

(Excerpt from Antigua Observer)

guyanatimesgy.com

OILNEWS

SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 2020

Around the World

Coronavirus: Europe now epicentre of the pandemic, says WHO

China’s top oil E trader to cancel Middle East crude imports

E

ven though OPEC is now flooding the market with cheap oil, Unipec – the trading unit of Asia’s largest refiner, Chinese Sinopec – is attempting to defer or cancel the loading of at least four supertankers from the Middle East in April, due to higher freight rates and expected reduction in processing rates, sources familiar with Unipec’s plans told Bloomberg on Friday.

Middle Eastern producers sell their oil traditionally via long-term contracts with buyers, and in this case, Unipec is looking to get out of buying some crude cargoes loading in April compared to the full volumes it was allocated by producers, Bloomberg’s sources say.

Unipec will be looking to cut at least four supertanker cargoes, each capable of transporting 2 million barrels of oil, to as many as eight cargoes on supertankers, according to Bloomberg. One reason is the higher freight rates, the other reason is that Sinopec plans reduced refinery run rates across its refineries in May because of the still depressed Chinese fuel demand, Bloomberg’s source said.

While the biggest state-held Chinese refiners continue to be cautious about crude purchases and to keep run rates lower than usual, especially because of depressed jet fuel demand, the independent refiners are not only raising their refinery run rates from the very low levels seen in February—those smaller refiners, commonly known as teapots, are also in the market for ordering crude cargoes for May and June arrival at much lower prices, and they have the friends-turnedfoes Saudi Arabia and Russia to thank for the cheapest crude in years.

After the collapse of the OPEC+ agreement last week, Saudi Arabia slashed its official selling prices to all regions and is getting ready to flood the market with an extra 2.6 million bpd next month. Russia can boost its oil production by 200,000 bpd to 300,000 bpd in the short term, with a potential for up to a total increase of 500,000 bpd, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said on Tuesday. (Excerpt from Oilprice.com)

17

urope is now the "epicentre" of the global coronavirus pandemic, the head of the World Health Organisation said.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged countries to use aggressive measures, community mobilisation and social distancing to save lives.

His comments came as several European countries reported steep rises in infections and deaths. Italy has recorded its highest daily toll yet.

There were 250 deaths recorded over the past 24 hours, taking the total to 1266, with 17,660 infections overall.

Spain, the worst-affected European country after Italy, reported a 50 per cent jump in fatalities to 120 on Friday. Infections increased to 4231.

Prime Minister Pedro

Sanchez said a state of alert will come into effect there today for two weeks.

Controls are also being introduced at an increasing number of borders in Europe, in response to the rapid spread of the virus.

US President Donald Trump has declared a national emergency, which allows the Federal Government to access up to US$50 billion (£40 billion) in funds.

Pakistan is shutting all of its land borders and limiting international flights for 15 days, its Foreign Minister said.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau began a 14-day self-isolation period on Friday after his wife tested positive.

Also on Friday, Australia's Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton was admitted to

Patients lie one metre apart in a huge building outside the Spedali Civili hospital in northern Italy

hospital after testing positive. He recently travelled to Washington and met President Trump's daughter, Ivanka Meanwhile, Iran announced another 85 deaths, the country's highest toll in a 24-hour period, bringing

the number of dead there to 514. The true figure is feared to be much higher.

The first cases were recorded in East Africa, in Kenya, Ethiopia and Sudan, which has had the region's first death. (Excerpt from BBC News)

South African King Dalindyebo arrested after 'axe rampage'

A

South African king, a nephew of the late Nelson Mandela, has been arrested after allegedly going on the rampage with an axe in the palace.

B u y e l e k h a y a Dalindyebo, freed from jail on parole in December, broke into the Thembu royal palace in the early hours.

Witnesses said he was searching for his son, the regent, who was appointed the acting monarch while he was in prison.

The regent escaped through a window, but his wife has been injured and taken to hospital, a royal spokesman said.

King Dalindyebo was

sentenced to 12 years in jail for kidnapping, assault and arson, but only served four years after the President granted some prisoners early parole last year.

He was the first monarch to be convicted of a crime in South Africa since white-minority rule ended in 1994.

The 56-year-old comes from the Thembu clan, to which Mandela, South Africa's first black President, belonged.

Since King Dalindyebo's release from jail, there have been tensions in the Thembu royal family and he has refused to see his son, acting King Azenathi Zanelizwe

raq condemned overnight US airstrikes on Friday, saying they killed six people and warning of dangerous consequences for what it called a violation of sovereignty and targeted aggression against the nation’s regular armed forces.

President Barham Salih repeated such violations could cause Iraq to unravel into a failed state and revive the Islamic State militant group. Iraq’s Foreign Ministry announced plans to bring a complaint to the United Nations.

The United States defended the airstrikes, saying all five targets were legitimate and stored Iraniansupplied weapons used by the Kataib Hezbollah militia to attack the US-led coalition. Washington launched the strikes in retalia-

tion for a rocket attack on Wednesday on a base north of Baghdad that killed US and British troops.

The Iraqi military warned the airstrikes would have consequences while the Foreign Ministry said it summoned the US and British ambassadors.

Long-standing antagonism between the United States and Iran have mostly played out on Iraqi soil in recent months, stoking deep-seated tensions between elements of Iraqi society who oppose the US military presence and those who see US-led coalition support as vital to preventing the resurgence of Islamic State militants.

McKenzie said the death toll from the strike appeared limited. Iraq’s Joint Operations Command said in a statement that three

King Dalindyebo recently spent four years in prison for flogging his subjects and burning their homes in the 1990s

Dalindyebo.

Last month, the royal household decided that Azenathi should continue on as regent for at least another year, South Africa's City Press paper reported.

Video footage shows

the troubled monarch later standing outside his palace, calmly smoking a cigarette, and daring the police to arrest him, which they eventually did. (Excerpt from BBC News)

US to fill strategic Iraq condemns US airstrikes, warns of consequences oil reserve 'to the top,' Trump says I

P

resident Donald Trump said on Friday that the United States would take advantage of low oil prices and buy a large quantity of crude to fill the nation’s emergency crude oil reserve, in a move aimed to help energy producers struggling from the price plunge.

“Based on the prices of oil, I’ve ... instructed the Secretary of Energy to purchase, at a very good price, large quantities of crude oil for storage in the US strategic reserve,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “We’re going to fill it right up to the top.”

Oil prices have collapsed to about US$30 a barrel on reduced demand due to the spread of coronavirus and after Saudi Arabia and Russia over the weekend launched a war for oil market share by pumping oil flat out.

The Strategic Petroleum Reserve, held in a series of caverns along the Texas and Louisiana coasts, has the capacity to store up to an additional 77 million barrels of oil, a Department of Energy official said. The official did not say how much oil would be bought for the reserve, which currently holds 635 million barrels. (Excerpt from Reuters)

A worker checks the damages at a civilian airport under construction which, according to Iraqi religious authorities, was hit by a US airstrike, in the holy Shi'ite city of Kerbala, Iraq March 13, 2020

soldiers, two policemen and one civilian were killed, according to an initial toll, and that four soldiers, two policemen, a civilian, and five militiamen were injured.

The civilians killed and

wounded were construction workers at an airport building site in the Shi’ite Muslim holy city of Kerbala, Iraqi religious authorities said. (Excerpt from Reuters)

18

guyanatimesgy.com

SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 2020

ARCHIE

ARIES (March 21April 19)

TAURUS (April 20May 20)

DILBERT

PEANUTS

Take a pass if someone asks you to do something questionable. Offer what you can, but don’t jeopardize your position or reputation. A financial opportunity or property investment looks inviting.

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

Be prepared to take care of emotional matters and professional concerns today.

Diplomacy will help smooth things over, giving you the upper hand. New information will lead to a better solution.

CANCER (June 21July 22)

Look over situations and take action. A setback will occur if you don’t take immediate steps to prevent it.

Push to get what you want.

Celebrate your victory with a loved one.

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

If you work on something that excites you, you will discover inner strength and a wealth of untapped talent.

Network with well-connected people.

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

Difficulties in your personal life will surface. Don’t make a decision that will stop you from following through with your original plans.

Focus on self-improvements, love and romance.

LIBRA

Don’t hesitate to speak up about your intentions. Be proud of your accomplishments, and let others know what you can do. Use common sense and intelligence when dealing with children and seniors.

CALVIN AND HOBBES

(Sept. 23Oct. 23)

SUDOKU

Take a chance and make a change that will take you a step closer to fulfilling your dream. Don’t stand by waiting for someone to do things for you.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Keep busy and don’t give anyone a chance to confuse you or lead you astray.

Tidy up personal matters that could interfere with your advancement. Selfimprovements can be made.

Don’t let anything upSAGITTARIUS set you. Protect your repu(Nov. 23tation.

Walk away from ill Dec. 21) treatment. Take control and do what suits you best. Take pride in who you are and what you do.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

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

PISCES (Feb. 20March 20)

Don’t reveal your intentions. Your plans will have an impact if you take others by surprise. If you keep things simple, a positive change will improve your life. Romance is featured.

Make a move or a change to your current living space.

Relationships will improve if you discuss your intentions and build a solid plan with the people you care about most.

Don’t let distress take the reins when you should ignore what others do and follow through with your plans.

The sweetest revenge is success, happiness and living life your way.

SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 2020

19

Japan says Olympics on track as Abe and Trump talk on coronavirus J

apan on Friday said it was determined to hold a “safe and secure” Tokyo Olympics on schedule, after U.S. President Donald Trump suggested a one year delay because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Lawmakers later granted Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe emergency powers to close schools and halt large gatherings. His economy minister also pledged "bold and unprecedented steps" to lessen economic fallout as financial market panic pushed the Nikkei .n225 stock market benchmark 6.1 percent lower.

Abe and Trump talked by phone for about 50 minutes Friday morning, agreeing to “strengthen cooperation” on fighting the novel coronavirus, but did not discuss postponing the Olympics or holding them without spectators, Japanese officials said.

After the call, Trump tweeted that he told Abe “that the just completed Olympic venue is magnificent. He has done an incredible job, one that will make him very proud.

Good things will happen for Japan and their great Prime Minister. Lots of options!”

On Thursday, Trump told reporters in the White House that he “just can’t see having no people there,” referring to the Tokyo Games. “I think if you cancel it, make it a year later that’s a better alternative than doing it with no crowd.”

In response, Japan Olympic minister Seiko Hashimoto told reporters, “the IOC and 2020 organisers are not at all considering cancelling or postponing the Games. I’ve heard they are proceeding with preparations for safe and secure

Games as planned toward the opening day of July 24.”

The IOC stands for the International Olympic Committee.

There were 1,387 confirmed infections in Japan, including 697 from a cruise ship that was docked in the port city of Yokohama for several weeks, according to public broadcaster NHK. By Friday morning, the virus had killed 26 in the country, including 7 from the ship, the tally showed.

Japan has sought to quash speculation that the games, which have cost it at least $12 billion in preparations and attracted more than $3 billion in domestic sponsorships, could be canceled or postponed as the number of people infected has reached 127,000 worldwide.

The outbreak has already crippled global travel and hit Olympic qualifiers and other sports events. Japan has shuttered schools. Public health officials have discouraged large gatherings to curtail the spread of the highly contagious disease, and major soccer tournaments, National Basketball Association games and other sports have been halted.

With travel demand shrinking, Japanese airline ANA Holdings Inc (9202.T) said it will reduce flights to North America and Europe. Rival Japan Airlines Co. (9201.T) plans to slash 1,468 domestic flights this month.

The Tokyo 2020 organizing committee said it was monitoring the pandemic with the IOC, receiving advice from the World Health Organization, and coordinating with the government and the Tokyo authorities.

Japan’s government and the central bank shared a “strong sense of concern” over how the virus could affect the games.

Coronavirus: England Test series in Sri Lanka called-off

Captain Joe Root leads the players off after the warm-up tour match was abandoned (Getty Images)

E

ngland's Test series against Sri Lanka has been postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

All players and staff will return to the UK as soon as possible following the the decision which has been taken in "unprecedented times".

"The physical and mental wellbeing of our players and support teams is paramount," said the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in a statement.

The two-Test series was due to begin in Galle on Thursday, 19 March.

"We would like to thank our colleagues at Sri Lanka Cricket for their outstanding support and assistance throughout this situation," the statement added.

"We look forward to returning to Sri Lanka in the near future to fulfil this im-

portant Test series."

England's four-day warm-up match against a Sri Lanka Board President's XI side was abandoned on Friday, with the second's day's play already under way.

All-rounder Ben Stokes had withdrawn from the squad to undergo abdominal tests but team management said it was not linked to any coronavirus concerns.

The ECB's decision comes after it was announced the start of the 2020 Indian Premier League season has been delayed from 29 March to 15 April.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said the move was a "precautionary measure".

Meanwhile, Australia will play their three one-day internationals against New Zealand behind closed doors. (BBC Sport)

A man wearing a protective face mask following an outbreak of the Corona disease (Reuters)

A sponsor representative said the plans were confidential and were not being shared with the companies.

Tokyo 2020 chief Yoshiro Mori vehemently denied the games would be canceled, but added at news conference in the wake of Takahashi’s comments, “I am not saying there won’t be any impact. I think there will be. On that, specialists in each field are looking into what to do.”On Thursday, the prelude to the games got underway with the lighting of the Olympic Torch in a scaled-down ceremony behind closed doors. (Reuters)

Athletics: Boston Marathon moved to September from April due to coronavirus

T

he Boston Marathon, originally scheduled to be held on April 20, has been postponed until mid-September because of the coronavirus outbreak, the city’s mayor said on Friday.

The world’s most prestigious marathon, which is now due to take place on Sept. 14, generally draws more than 30,000 runners from all over the world ranging from decorated professionals and Olympians to amateur runners.

“Our expectation — and it’s an expectation and a hope right now — is that this date will get us to a safer place in relation to the spread of the coronavirus,” Marty Walsh said during a news conference.

“Our priority right now is making sure the health and safety of the runners, of the fans, of the medical personnel, first responders, residents of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (and) visitors from around the world.”

The Rome, Paris, Barcelona and Rotterdam marathons have all been postponed or canceled, as have the World Half Marathon Championships in Gdynia, Poland.

The Tokyo Marathon went

Officials chose to reschedule the Boston Marathon to September 14

ahead on March 1 with elite runners only. The London Marathon is currently still on for April 26.

The decision to postpone the Boston Marathon comes three days after Governor Charlie Baker declared a state of emergency in Massachusetts.

The Boston Athletic Association, which manages the Boston Marathon, said it has been meeting regularly with city and state officials to discuss all updates relat-

ed to the coronavirus.

“On matters of public health and safety we take our guidance from the officials entrusted with protecting the public in this area,” BAA chief executive Tom Grilk said in statement.

“We understand our role, along with our partners, in ensuring a safe environment for all participants, volunteers, spectators, and supporters that meets the standards set by those officials.”

(Reuters)

20

SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 2020

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Coronavirus threat: IPL 2020 deferred until April 15 I

PL 2020 has been deferred until April 15 following the global concern over the COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) outbreak. ESPNcricinfo understands that if the situation is safe for the IPL to start in mid-April, the new window for the tournament is likely to be April 16 to June 5.

The decision to postpone the tournament, which was scheduled to start on March 29, was taken by the BCCI top brass led by its president Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah and top management of the IPL in the wake of the advice given by various arms of the Indian government.

The IPL sent the communication to all eight franchises on Friday, saying it would meet the owners on Saturday in person in Mumbai to further debrief on the matter.

In its statement announcing the decision on Friday afternoon, the BCCI said it was "suspending" the IPL until April 15 as a "precautionary measure" against the coronavirus.

"The BCCI is concerned and sensitive about all its stakeholders, and public health in general, and it is taking all necessary steps to ensure that, all people related to IPL including fans have a safe cricketing experience," the release said. "The BCCI will work closely with the Government of India along with the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and all other relevant Central and State Government departments in this regard."

The IPL now joins a host of high-profile sporting events including the English Premier League and UEFA Champions League, the NBA and the ATP Tour to have been affected by COVID-19 (novel coronavirus), a respiratory illness that was declared as a pandemic by the World Health Organistion (WHO) this week.

With the outbreak rapidly escalating across the globe the Indian government has placed severe travel restrictions for people traveling in as well out of India. With the coronavirus being highly contagious and spread through contact, the government said sporting organisations would need to adhere to Health Ministry's guidelines to avoid mass gatherings.

ESPNcricinfo had earlier reported the possibility of the IPL being a severely restricted tournament - with at least some part of it being played to empty stands - because of the pandemic. While the central sports ministry had said it would not stop sporting events from taking place as long as

The captains pose with the IPL Silverware prior to the start of the 2019 edition

they adhered strictly to government guidelines discouraging mass gatherings, the external affairs (foreign) ministry had said that its advice was to not go ahead with the tournament at this time, but left the decision to the organisers.

No choice left…

In the end the BCCI was left with not much choice and was forced to change its initial stance of business-as usual when Ganguly had said the IPL was on and the board was taking all necessary precautions. However, the pressure on the BCCI was building up as state governments across India including those of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Punjab and Delhi on Friday insisting that they would not allow mass gatherings, something an IPL match would easily attract.

On the eve of the India-South Africa ODI series opener, on March 11, the BCCI shared its first public statement on the coronavirus saying a list of dos-and-don'ts were distrib-

uted to all stakeholders including the players who had been asked not to shake hands or use third-party phones to take selfies during interactions with the fans.

Later on Friday, it was confirmed that the final two ODIs of the South Africa series, in Lucknow (March 15) and Kolkata (March 18) would not be played for the same reasons.

Before arriving at the decision to defer the tournament, the IPL is understood to have consulted at least some of the franchises for their views. As far as the franchises were concerned they wanted the tournament to go ahead in whatever form even if behind closed doors. One franchise chief executive said an option that was considered, and, which might still be in play if the tournament starts in April, is to allow no spectators during the first few weeks of the tournament and then upon review resume ticket sales. (ESPN Cricinfo)

Premier League puts season on hold as football acts over COVID-19 A

ll Premier League and English Football League matches have been postponed up to and including April 3 amid the coronavirus crisis.

Confirmation came after meetings involving league officials and club representatives on Friday.

Synchronised Premier League and EFL announcements, released at 11:00 GMT, followed the news of Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta and Chelsea teenager Callum Hudson-Odoi testing positive for the COVID-19 virus.

The UK Government said on Thursday it was not yet necessary to postpone major sporting fixtures, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson declaring there was "no medical reason at the moment to ban such events".

However, the Premier League has taken the view that the time is right to call off games until the threat has subsided.

The Premier League said in a statement: "Following a meeting of shareholders today, it was unanimously decided to suspend the Premier League with the in-

Manchester City are the current holders of the Premier League title

tention of returning on April 4, subject to medical advice and conditions at the time.”

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said: “Above all, we wish Mikel Arteta and Callum Hudson-Odoi speedy recoveries, and everyone else affected by COVID-19.

"In this unprecedented situation, we are working closely with our clubs, Government, the FA and EFL and can reassure ev-

eryone the health and welfare of players, staff and supporters are our priority.”

The Premier League said its intention was to ensure the postponed fixtures were played at a later date.

England’s friendly internationals against Denmark and Italy have also been postponed, the Football Association (FA) said. Those games were due to take place on March 27 and March 31 at Wembley.

Liverpool are on course to win their maiden Premier League title, and a first topflight championship since triumphing in the old First Division in 1989-90.

Jurgen Klopp's side sit 25 points clear of second-placed Manchester City, having won 27 of 29 matches so far.

A number of Premier League games had already been postponed, including Wednesday's match between Manchester City and

Arsenal, which did not go ahead, and Arsenal's clash with Brighton.

The Women’s Super League and Women’s Championship have also been put on hold. The EFL said all academy and youthteam fixtures had also been postponed.

“In addition, clubs are being advised to suspend indefinitely all non-essential activities which include, but are not limited to, player appearances, training ground visits and fan meetings,” the EFL said.

The EFL explained why the decision had been taken to go beyond that recom-

mended on Friday by the government.

It said: “Whilst the EFL board has continued to take the advice and guidance offered by the government and its health advisors, emerging developments mean now is the time to implement football’s contingency plans in response to the crisis.”

The Champions League has also been hit hard by postponements, and a UEFA meeting on Tuesday could see decisions made on how that competition and the Europa League move forward, and whether Euro 2020 can take place this year. (Sportsmax)

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

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21

WDCA 50 Overs’ Competition…

CICC overcome Independence ‘A’ Cricket Club for place in final

T

he Cornelia Ida Cricket Club (CICC) overcame their Independence 'A' counterparts in a semi-final match of the West Demerara Cricket Association’s 50 overs’ competition played on Sunday last at the Joe Vieira Park.

They will now come up against the McGill Superstars in the final, to be played this Sunday.

Winning the toss and opting to bat, the Independence ‘A’ side had their work cut out for them.

There was no room for error, and things did not go as planned, as they lost crucial wickets in the powerplay overs, and that forced their batsmen to go on the defensive.

The Independence 'A’ team were eventually dismissed for 169 runs made in 40.1 overs. Mahindra Dhanpaul top-scored with 27, while Reaz Esau contributed 25. No other batsman made any significant contribution.

Cornelia Ida’s Arshad Azim led the bowling at-

The Cornelia Ida Cricket Club

tack with 3 wickets for 27 runs culled in 10 overs, and Naveed Ali kept things tight with 2 for 8 off his 4 overs.

Needing 170 for victory off 300 balls, it was a pro-

verbial walk in the park for the CICC side. Their batsmen were able to play themselves in, and they virtually had eternity to make the runs. Despite a couple of wickets falling, they ral-

Canal #2 defeat Zeeburg in warm-up game

T

he Zeeburg Cricket Club played the Canal #2 Cricket Club at the Zeeburg Cricket Ground in what was an eye-opening warm-up game for them during the course of the week.

Currently one of the top teams in the ongoing President’s T20 Tournament, Zeeburg registered a resounding 141-run victory over the All Youths Cricket Club in a warm-up game last weekend, but their performance had revealed some flaws in their technique, and those flaws should have been resolved before they took to the field in the warm-up game against the Canal#2 side.

Canal#2 won the toss and elected to bat. Playing in unfamiliar territory, they made excellent use of the conditions, as they performed as a unit, with every batsman being able to make a handy contribution to the score.

Canal registered a score of 213 for 9 in their 20 overs, with S. Suleman top scoring with 36, Cornelius Jaisingh

contributing 31, and N. Persaud contributing 30.

Zeeburg’s U. Balgobin took 3 for 16, while Richardo Poloram claimed 3 for 20 and Yutesh Dhanpaul had 2 for 23.

Extras accounted for 44 of the runs scored.

In reply, Zeeburg could make only 163 for 8 in 20 overs. Their batting failed them, as most of the top order batsmen could not go on to register a big score. Yutesh Dhanpaul was the only one who rallied through the innings as he played his natural game; but with wickets constantly falling around him, he was forced to attack, and this resulted in his wicket being taken.

Dhanpaul top scored with 66, and was supported by Andre Seepersaud with 29 and U. Balgobin with 21.

Zeeburg were cruising along before 14-year-old leg spinner Nityanand Mathura wreaked havoc with their batting. He eventually returned figures of 4 for 7.

lied on towards a resounding victory, reaching 170-5 in 26.3 overs.

Arshad Azim top scored with 51 despite retiring hurt, while Naveed Ali was left unbeaten on 35 and

Jamaica suspends all school sports starting Friday, March 13

J

14-year-old Nityanand Mathura bagged 4 wickets for 7 runs

Khellawan Tulcan made 21.

Strike bowlers for the Independence ‘A’ side were Seenauth Bissessar with 2 for 19 and Jagnarine Etwaroo with 2 for 66.

amaica’s Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) has suspended all its school competitions beginning Friday,

March 13.

However, ISSA has advised that matches scheduled for today (Thursday, March 12) will go ahead as planned.

Among the competitions that will be suspended at the Headley Cup and Grace Shield cricket finals, girls’ basketball and football as well as high school volleyball.

The Headley Cup and Grace Shield semi-finals are set to take place today.

On Wednesday, ISSA in conjunction with GraceKennedy, the ministries of Health and Education, took the decision to cancel the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls Championships scheduled for the end of March.

That decision was arrived at after the Ministry of Health announced that a woman arriving from the United Kingdom has tested positive for the Coronavirus that has so far infected more than 121,000 people across the globe. More than 4000 have died from the infection.

(Sportsmax)

22

SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 2020

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

West Indies Tests in spotlight as UK moves to COVID-19 'delay' phase

E

ngland's Test series in Sri Lanka has been cancelled due to the growing threat of the COVID-19 pandemic and their home series against West Indies in June - as well as the T20 Blast - is under threat, with both events scheduled for a period that the UK government has identified as the likely peak of the virus in the country.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed at a press conference on Thursday afternoon that sporting fixtures will not be banned with immediate effect, but said that such a move is under consideration, which could wreak havoc with the English cricketing summer.

England confirmed the series in Sri Lanka had been postponed on Friday, walking off the field on the second day of their tour match against a Board President's XI moments after the decision was announced.

"Due to the Covid-19 pandemic worsening globally, and after discussions with Sri Lanka Cricket, we have today made the decision to return our players to the UK and postpone the forthcoming Test series between Sri Lanka and England," a statement read.

"At this time, the physical and mental wellbeing of our players and support teams is paramount. We will now look to bring them home to their families as soon as possible. These are completely unprecedented times, and decisions like this go beyond cricket.

"We would like to thank our colleagues at Sri Lanka

Cricket for their outstanding support and assistance throughout this situation.

We look forward to returning to Sri Lanka in the very near future to fulfil this important Test series."

The global sporting calendar has already been thrown into chaos by the spread of the virus, with hundreds of events postponed, cancelled, or played behind closed doors. In England, four counties have cancelled their pre-season tours overseas, while at least two more are expected to return home early.

Sir Patrick Vallance, the UK's chief scientific adviser, said during the Prime Minister's press conference that the peak is "10-14 weeks away, maybe slightly longer", leaving the English cricket season in a nightmare situation which could result in a huge number of fixtures cancelled or played behind closed doors.

England are scheduled to play three Tests against West Indies, with the series starting at The Oval on June 4. That date is currently 12 weeks away, in the middle of the expected peak period. The T20 Blast is scheduled to start on May 28, with the group stage running until July 12.

"We are considering the question of banning major public events such as sporting fixtures," Mr Johnson said, describing the virus as "the biggest public health

England are scheduled to play three Tests against West Indies, with the series starting at The Oval on June 4

crisis in a generation".

"The scientific advice, as we've said over the last couple of weeks, is that banning such events will have little effect on the spread," he said.

"But there is also the issue of the burden that such events can place on public services, so we're discussing these issues with colleagues in all parts of the United Kingdom. We'll have more to say shortly about further action in that respect. At all stages we have been guided by the science, and we will do the right thing at the right time."

The cancellation of a whole home Test series would be a significant financial blow for the ECB, while the T20 Blast generates a major proportion of most counties' income. It is possible that the tournament could be pushed back further in the summer possibly at the expense of the final rounds of County Championship fixtures - but there is precious little room in the schedule for change.

More immediately, the County Championship is scheduled to start on April 12. While crowds are typically relatively low, they regularly exceed 2000 at certain grounds, and

the main demographic of match-going fans is elderly, increasing their vulnerability to the virus.

It is possible that games - almost all of which are streamed for free online - could be played behind closed doors, and the ECB is in close contact with government to discuss its options.

Sir Patrick explained that the nature of the virus means that a blanket ban on sporting fixtures is unlikely to have a major impact on its spread. "On average one person infects two or three others," he said.

"You therefore have a very low probability of infecting

a large number of people in a stadium, or a rather higher probability of infecting people very close to you.

"And that means that most of the transmission tends to take place actually with friends and colleagues in close environments, not in the big environments. So, it is true, of course that any cancellation can have some effect.

"But if you get a displacement activity where you end up with everyone congregating somewhere else, you may actually have perversely an increased risk, particularly in an indoors environment." (ESPN Cricinfo)

Over-50 World Cup: WI stumble to 2nd consecutive defeat

D

Todd O'Keefe

efending champions Australia came from behind to beat West Indies by three wickets in a tense match at the Bishops Diocesan Ground in Rondebosch.

West Indies were sent in to bat, and stumbled to a below-par 168 all out from only 42.1 of their allocated 45 overs, but bounced back nicely to control the second half of the game, only to give it away in the penultimate over, to lose with 5 balls to spare.

Narine Bidhesi, in his first game of the tournament, looked set for a big score, but missed a full delivery and was one of the six LBW victims in the innings. The diminutive right-hander stroked 37 runs from 62 balls, with six sweetly timed boundaries that held the middle order together after the West Indies top order had again folded meekly.

Openers Rajendra Sadeo (3) and Ishwar Maraj (17) were both back in the pavilion with just 30 on the board, as Australia’s new ball bowlers extracted bounce and pace in the cloudy and windy morning.

West Indies then lost their most established batsman, Sudesh Dhaniran (13), and another debutant, Howard Jodhan (0), off consecutive deliveries with the score on 36 in the 12th over, and were on the verge of humiliation; but Bidhesi consolidated and got some small but significant partnerships to add respectability to the score. With Azad

Mohammed (12), Bidhesi added 28 for the fifth wicket, 24 with captain Amin Zamin (11), and 41 with Fareed Hosein for the 7th wicket, before he was trapped in front in the 34th over.

Hosein tried his level best to shepherd the lower order, but the defending champions were determined. With a heavy dose of pace bowling, the Aussies wrapped up the West Indies innings quickly, with Hosein running out of partners to end on 37 not out from 55 balls (1x4), while number 11, Kenny Girdharry (14), also showed some fight.

Seamers Nick Bole-Brown (3/22), Tony Clark (3/25), Phillip Melville (2/15) and Darren Smith (1/35) shared 9 wickets; while left-arm spinner Gary Eisernmenger (1/36) accounted for the other wicket.

The West Indies opted for a different approach, and mesmerized the Australians with spin on a two-paced track.

Dhaniram and Amin shared the new ball, and after the first power play (15 overs), Australia scored 30-3, then 81-5 after the second. At that stage, the champions were still looking for 88 more from their final 15 overs and partnerships, but Joe Santostefano was still there.

The compact right-hander faced 66 balls, scoring 37 (3x4) in difficult circumstances; but just when he was threatening, Amin won a LBW decision and sent him back at 87-6 in

the 32nd, leaving left-hander Todd O’Keefe to get 82 with the last four batsmen.

Eventual Player of the Match, O’Keefe, was up for the challenge despite the circumstances. He put on 52 runs for the seventh wicket with Darren Smith (28 from 36 balls; 3x4) before Amin struck again, this time from the outfield. O’Keefe played the ball to mid-wicket and set off for two with Amin chasing. The West Indies captain picked up with one hand and threw from about 40 yards, hitting the stumps direct to spark wild celebration for his team and drooped faces on the opposition. It was 139-7 with 30 needed from 22.

O’Keefe, who ended on 39 not out from 57 balls (3x4), then became a spectator as Bill Blair (16 not out) smashed 2 fours and a 6 to end the game with 5 balls to spare.

Amin ended with 3/21 while Bidhesi (1/26), Mohammed 1/39), and Fareed Hosein (1/44) supported but could not give West Indies their first win.

The defending champions remain unbeaten, and will now take on Sri Lanka on Sunday in round three, when the action resumes. West Indies will play Canada and New Zealand take on Zimbabwe to round out group ‘A’ matches.

In group ‘B’, India take on hosts South Africa; Pakistan come up against Wales, and Namibia match skills with England. (Cape Town)

Narine Bideshi

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 2020

23

CWI/PCL Regional 4-Day tournament...

Dark day! Roach, Holder rock Jaguars to 55 all out on 18-wicket day

ꟷ Jaguars need 330 runs to win Story and Photos by Brandon Corlette

T

he second day of this topof-the-table clash between the Guyana Jaguars and the Barbados Pride in the West Indies Regional 4-Day Championships was a dark day for the Jaguars. Test seamers Kemar Roach and Jason Holder shared nine wickets between themselves as the Jaguars were sent packing for 55 all out, their lowest total against Barbados Pride in the history of first-class cricket.

Having begun their second innings with a 119-run lead, at stumps the Pride were bowled out for 210 in 66.2 overs, with Keemo Paul capturing four wickets. Kraigg Brathwaite was left stranded on a marathon innings of 84, as he carried his bat to the end.

Roach, Holder rock Jaguars In one hour and 17 minutes, Barbados Pride completed a demolition job on the Guyana Jaguars, rocking the big cats out for 55 in 28.1 overs.

Test pacers Roach and Holder did wonders with the ball in making it hit the right areas.

West Indies batsman Shimron Hetmyer, who was troubled by Roach from the first over, broke the shackles with a delightful drive to the cover boundary; but Holder, who had his eyes set on this prize wicket, was rewarded for his consistency in that he remained composed and peeled one off the edge of Hetmyer to have him caught

at second slip by Ashley Nurse, although Hetmyer had played and missed one early in the over.

The left-handed Hetmyer departed after scoring 14 runs from 55 balls, including three fours; and the wicket tally quickly became 33-4 when Leon Johnson was removed by the impressive Roach.

Things became darker for the Jaguars after Vishaul Singh, who had survived a close call to Roach earlier, was dismissed in that same testing over. The lefthander who is known on the field as "Cheesy" had taken a few steps from his crease and, after a loud appeal, was adjudged caught at the wicket for an 11ball duck.

Bajan boy Raymon Reifer was trapped at the wicket for one by Holder with the score at 39-6, then poor communication between Anthony Bramble and Christopher Barnwell saw the latter batsman being run out at 39-7. Barnwell’s contribution to the run tally was five, while Bramble was removed for a duck

by Holder at 39-8.

The Jaguars innings was brought to an ignoble end at 15:17 hours after Keemo Paul was caught by Holder for a duck, and Romario Shepherd, who hit one six and one four in his contribution of 12, became the final wicket to fall -- Roach's fifth wicket.

Roach ended with 5-20 in 13.1 overs, including seven maidens; while Test captain Holder claimed 4-24 in ten top overs, which included six

maidens.

Brathwaite's marathon Pride began their reply with a healthy 119-run lead, but Kevin Sinclair, bowling wicket-to-wicket, removed Shayne Mosely for 13 at 23-1.

That was the Pride’s score at the first interval.

Upon resumption, Sinclair, picking up from where he left off, squared up Shamarh Brooks and destroyed his stumps for six, at 29-2.

Brathwaite and Carter joined forces and kept things going smoothly for Pride with an 81-run partnership.

Carter, who took his chances and counterattacked with his dancing shoes against Sinclair, looked set for a half-century, but was undone by a probing Barnwell at 1103. Carter was hit on the thigh pad and was adjusted legbefore after he had faced 66 balls and scored 43 runs which were decorated with six fours and one six. Leading run-scorer Kyle Mayers, who came in with intent to play his natural freeflowing way, was dropped early by substitute fielder Akshaya Persaud, but did not ride his luck, as he was brilliantly caught

by Tagenarine Chanderpaul at short-cover for seven when the score was at 121-4 in 31.4 overs.

Brathwaite, however, showed his hunger for scoring runs. After scoring 48 in the first innings, he reached his 50 this time around with some aggressive shots that included a sweet six down the ground off Permaul.

He reached his fifty in 87 balls, after striking eight fours and one six.

Tevyn Walcott who was flown in from Barbados on the second day as a substitute for an injured player was sent back for a duck by the upbeat Barnwell at 122-5.

At tea, Pride were on 129-5, with a lead of 248 runs and with Brathwaite and Holder unbeaten on 51 and four respectively. The pacers kept on probing, but Brathwaite remained solid with Holder.

Reifer then got the last laugh when he bowled Holder for 22 made from 57 balls and with the score at 160-6, ending a promising 38-run stand. Nurse, who was brave in his shotmaking, scored a 39-ball 19 which included three fours, but his innings was brought to an end when Permaul found his edge at 195-7. That wicket was Permaul's 50th this season.

Paul bowled Roach with a peach of a delivery, and wrapped up the innings with some top deliveries. He capped

off the innings with the wickets of Jomel Warrican and Chemar Holder, leaving Brathwaite stranded on 84 not out from 180 balls, as Pride ended on 210 all out in 66.2 overs.

Paul ended with 4-52 in

12.3 overs, while Sinclair and Barnwell had 2-28 and 2-26 respectively. Jaguars will need 330 runs within two days if they are to win this game. The third day will commence from 14:00 hours today.

SCOREBOARD Jaguars 1st Innings Tagenarine Chanderpaul c Brooks b Roach 6 Shimron Hetmyer c Nurse b Holder 14 Kevin Sinclair c Mayers b Holder 3 Leon Johnson c Brathwaite b Roach 9 Vishaul Singh c Brooks b Roach 0 Christopher Barnwell run out 5 Raymon Reifer lbw b Holder 1 Anthony Bramble c Brooks b Holder 0 Keemo Paul c Holder b Roach 0 Romario Shepherd c Holder b Roach 12 Veerasammy Permaul not out 3 Total (10 wickets, 28.1) (2 extras) 55 FOW 16/1 (8.5) Tagenarine Chanderpaul 19/2 (11.3) Kevin Sinclair 33/3 (19.3) Shimron Hetmyer 33/4 (20.5) Leon Johnson 38/5 (22.5) Vishaul Singh 39/6 (23.5) Raymon Reifer 39/7 (24.4) Christopher Barnwell 39/8 (25.1) Anthony Bramble 43/9 (26.1) Keemo Paul 55/10 (28.1) Romario Shepherd Veerasammy Permaul Bowling Kemar Roach (13.1-7-20-5) Chemar Holder (4-1-11-0) Jason Holder (10-6-24-4) Jonathan Carter (1-1-0-0)

Pride 2nd Innings Kraigg Brathwaite not out 84 Sheyne Moseley b Sinclair 15 Sharmarh Brooks b Sinclair 6 Jonathan Carter lbw b Barnwell 43 Kyle Mayers c Chanderpaul b Paul 7 Tevyn Walcott lbw b Barnwell 0 Jason Holder b Reifer 22 Ashley Nurse c Bramble b Permaul 19 Kemar Roach b Paul 4 Jomel Warrican b Paul 0 Chemar Holder b Paul 0 Total (10 wickets, 66.2) (10 extras) 210 FOW 23/1 (6.4) Sheyne Moseley 29/2 (8.4) Sharmarh Brooks 110/3 (28.3) Jonathan Carter 121/4 (31.4) Kyle Mayers 122/5 (32.2) Tevyn Walcott 160/6 (49.4) Jason Holder 195/7 (61.1) Ashley Nurse 200/8 (62.6) Kemar Roach 206/9 (64.5) Jomel Warrican 210/10 (66.3) Chemar Holder Bowling Keemo Paul (12.3-0-52-4) Romario Shepherd (10.5-2-33-0) Raymon Reifer (13-5-27-1) Kevin Sinclair (6-1-28-2) Veerasammy Permaul (13-0-41-1) Christopher Barnwell (11-2-26-2)

Coronavirus outbreak…

GABA postpones Andrew Ifill Knockout Basketball Tourney T he Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association (GABA) was set to commence the Andrew Ifill Knockout Tournament this Sunday with matches in the Open and U21 categories.

However, following announcement of the country’s first case of the COVID-19 virus, the GABA have decided to postpone the start of the tournament to a date to be announced later.

President of the GABA, Jermaine Slater, revealed in a statement that postponement of the tournament, which would’ve bounced off on Sunday, was agreed upon after the GABA’s affiliated players/ clubs had reached out in concern, especially after President David Granger, in an address to the nation

on Wednesday, had called for public gatherings to be discouraged.

“Despite only having one known case, the GABA is as strong as our members (clubs, players and officials), and as such, we are here to make our playing environment one where persons are comfortable and safe,” Salter highlighted.

The Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Second Lieutenant, who was elected to the helm of the GABA in January, noted that the GABA will “keep an ear to the ground and wait for a word on the country’s medical minds on when it will be best-suited to host the Andrew Ifill Knockout Tournament and other planned tournaments.

Sportsmen and women, es-

pecially those involved in contact sports, are at high risk of being contaminated, and as such, the GABA would like to issue a call to all involved in the sport of basketball locally, even if you play just for fun or to keep fit, to take the necessary precautions being advertised by the World Health Organisation, especially to safeguard yourself and family.”

GABA President Jermaine Slater

The Andrew Ifill Knockout Tournament will celebrate the life of

the late Andrew Ifill, a former national player who passed away last October at

age 40.

The tournament will be contested in the Open and Under-21 divisions, as Slater explained that the new GABA administration “has moved to exclude Second Division from our tenure to try and have more basketball played at the Open level, which would give more persons a chance to actually play the game.

A lot of teams have a lot of players, and sometimes these players don’t get to see court.”

The participating teams are Eagles, Colts, Sonics, UG-A and UG-B. They will contest the U21 category, while Guardians, Colts, UG-A, Vikings, Sonics, Pacesetters A and B, Eagles, Kobras and Ravens are down to play in the Open division.

SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 2020

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CWI/PCL Regional 4-Day tournament...

Dark day! Roach, Holder rock Jaguars to 55 all out on 18-wicket day ꟷ Jaguars need 330 runs to win

See story on page 23

West Indies Tests in spotlight as UK moves to COVID-19 'delay' phase Page 22

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