Guyana Times Sunday March 29, 2020

Nationwide coverage coverage from from the the best best news news team team in in Guyana Guyana Nationwide Issue No. 4240 guyanatimesgy.com

THE BEACON BEACON OF OF TRUTH TRUTH THE

Sunday, March 29, 2020

PRICE

GECOM, APNU/AFC destruction of democracy: Day 27

PPP appeals Justice Holder’s jurisdiction ruling Page 3

$120 VAT INCLUDED

WHAT'S INSIDE: Bartica murder

Suspect attempts suicide, in critical condition P11

…files application to stay injunction hearing

APNU/AFC caretaker Govt to int'l community: Butt out!

…in face of int’l pressure for democracy to prevail

Page 12

No recognition for any illegitimate Govt – GCCI, gold miners’ association warn

CDC offers to deliver supplies to persons in quarantine P17 Local tourism sector using downtime to rebuild – THAG

P14

Page 16

GHRA to GECOM Chair: “Get on with it” See story on page 13

Gandhi's Variety Store, in collaboration with Dr Ruackel Easton, the proprietor of Alkaline Water, provided bread, snacks and water to the less fortunate, those who may not be able to access supplies as a result of COVID-19

COVID-19

See stories on pages 7, 10 & 17

PPP forms task force; outlines expert-backed plan

...3 new COVID-19 cases confirmed in Guyana

…caretaker President urges citizens to "avoid crowds, remain calm"

Applicant in landmark Region 4 recount case commits P13 suicide

10 years later...

Inquest into death of former GDF rank to finally commence P8

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SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

NEWS

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SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS

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

Sunday, March 29 – 08:00h – 09:30h and Monday, March 30 – 09:00h – 10:30h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Sunday, March 29 – 06:30h – 08:00h and Monday, March 30 – 07:05h – 08:35h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY There will be thundery showers and thick cloud during the day. There will be thick cloud and light cloud at night. Temperatures should range between 23 degrees Celsius and 29 degrees Celsius.

Winds: North-Easterly to East North-Easterly to North-Easterly to North North-Easterly between 1.34 metres and 4.47 metres.

High Tide: 07:13h and 19:31h reaching maximum heights of 2.59 metres 2.47 metres.

Low Tide: 13:13h reaching a minimum height of 0.62 metre.

SATURDAY, MARCH 28, 2020

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COMMODITIES Indicators Crude Oil Rough Rice London Sugar

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PPP appeals Justice Holder’s jurisdiction ruling …files application to stay injunction hearing

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he People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has filed an appeal against a decision handed down by High Court Judge, Justice Franklyn Holder, on Friday that he has jurisdiction to hear the case that was brought by A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance for Change (APNU/AFC) candidate Ulita Grace Moore.

That litigation seeks to block a recount of the votes cast in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) at the recently-held March 2 General and Regional Elections — a recount that had been requested by President David Granger and agreed to by Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, as part of a Caricom (Caribbean Community) initiative.

After his decision on Friday, Justice Holder had set Monday for the commencement of the injunction proceedings.

However, Attorney-atLaw Anil Nandlall has since disclosed that an appeal against Justice Holder’s ruling that the High Court has jurisdiction to hear and determine those proceedings, was filed.

In addition, the former Attorney General, who is representing Jagdeo in these matters, noted that an application for a stay of the injunction proceedings while the appeal is being heard, was also filed.

These matters will come up for hearing before the Full Court of the High Court at 11:00h on Monday, March 30.

Jagdeo, through his attorneys, had challenged the High Court’s ability to hear the case brought by Moore after lawyers for the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) vehemently objected to his request to have the Statements of Poll (SoPs) for Region Four produced. In fact, a previous application by Jagdeo to have these statements, which contain data from each Polling Station, submitted in court was also denied by Justice Holder on Friday.

The attorney-at-law for the applicant, Moore, Roysdale Forde, himself an attorney for the APNU/AFC coalition, told media operatives at the High Court that Justice Holder, in handing down the ruling against Jagdeo, noted that such a request could not be accommodated through such an application, but rather by way of an elections petition.

It was noted that the request by the Opposition Leader dealt with the issue of tabulation of the SoPs in order to determine fraud, but this, as had been previously iterated by the Chief Justice (ag), must be done by way of a petition.

But Nandlall told members of the media that the Opposition did not believe that Moore’s case could be heard by Justice Holder, since that application questioned decisions of the Elections Commission.

Nandlall insisted that this must be heard by way of an elections petition.

“We have signalled an intention to appeal that decision, because we believe that

Attorney-at-Law Anil Nandlall

the learned Judge fell into error and we will prosecute our appeal to the very end,” he said.

According to the former Attorney General of Guyana, the laws are clear in that all decisions of the Commission can be challenged by an elections petition.

This, he said, is opposed to the decision of an officer within GECOM Secretariat, such as the Returning Officer.

The tabulation of the Region Four results was mired in controversy and “credible allegations” of fraud by most of the political parties that contested the March 2 elections – and even by both the local and foreign observers that had monitored the contentious process. They are all calling for a recount.

This resulted in the intervention of the Caricom Chairperson, Barbadian Prime Minister Mia Mottley, who fielded a five-member independent team to supervise a national recount that was agreed to by the two leaders.

However, the regional team was forced to withdraw their services after the Moore injunction was filed, blocking GECOM from conducting the recount.

But in her submissions to the court, the GECOM Chair, (ret’d) Justice Claudette Singh, who was named a party in the Moore injunction, has indicated that she is prepared to discharge her duties under the Constitution.

Nandlall told reporters that the GECOM Chair in her submissions reiterated that it was that entity that was in charge of the electoral process and Moore’s application should not be granted, “because it would force GECOM to make decisions that are not truly GECOM’s decisions”.

GECOM Chair, (ret’d) Justice Claudette Singh

Justice Franklyn Holder

He said too that Singh, in her submissions, conceded that while Caricom was intended to play a role in the recount process, the actual decision to facilitate the recount was, in fact, taken by the Commission.

The GECOM Chair, in her submissions – a copy of which was seen by Guyana Times – argued that once there was evidence that the electoral process was compromised, then to ensure the impartiality, fairness, and compliance with the provisions of the Constitution or any Act of Parliament, the Commission was constitutionally mandated to intervene to ensure public confidence in the electoral process. “This means that the Commission can order a recount… the intention of Parliament was to vest GECOM with independent supervisory powers to ensure the fairness, transparency,

and impartiality of the electoral process”.

As such, she appealed that “this Honourable Court should not fetter GECOM in the exercise of its constitutional role and functions”, and added that GECOM “as an autonomous constitutional agency is guided by a legal framework and the decision to recount was in keeping with its supervisory mandate over the electoral process”.

However, lawyer for the Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield, Senior Counsel Neil Boston told media operatives on Friday that his submission was that a declaration has been made and a recount by the Commission based on a request by political actors would be ultra vires.

According to Boston, the Elections Commission does not have the lawful authority to accommodate an unlawful act.

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SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2020

Views Editor: Tusika Martin News Hotline: 231-8063 Editorial: 231-0544 223-7230,223-7231,231-0544, 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

Legal travesty on SoPs

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hat has, since the NCM of Dec 21, 2018, exploded to exponential proportions after the elections of March 2, 2020 demonstrates most pellucidly how the law, which was put in place as a shield to protect citizens, can be turned into a sword to frustrate their will and even oppress them. All it takes are men who refuse to acknowledge that there is the law, and then there is the spirit of the law. And it is the spirit of the law that fills any ambiguities in the law, so that those who look at the greater good rather than their own narrow and selfish aims can do “the right thing”, and not the expedient thing.

And how do we discern this “spirit of the law”? It really is not difficult at all: we simply have to answer the question, “When the legislators were framing the law, what were they seeking to do?” In law, that is called the “intent”. And from this perspective, we can ask: “What did the framers of the constitution mean when they inserted in our constitution the clause on no confidence motions (NCM)?” It simply stated that if the motion was carried on a majority vote, “the president and cabinet shall resign and elections held within three months to form a new government”.

The intent of the framers was to operationalise the notion that since governments are formed through the will of the people expressed through a majority of their elected representatives, if a sitting government loses that majority, then it has “fallen”.

In Britain and in other members of the Commonwealth that adopted the NCM clause, governments have regularly fallen, and elections have been held through its operation.

But not in Guyana. Here, the PNC-led APNU/AFC coalition insisted that the word “majority” could be parsed to mean that 33 was not greater than 32 to deliver the requisite majority in a 65-member house. The irony that they were in office through the same majority surely did not escape them, but that did not make a difference; they would us the contrived “technicality” even in a circumstance that the CCJ would, in the end, pronounce as needing “no gloss”.

And this is the identical attitude to the law being expressed by the PNC-led APNU/AFC coalition on the tabulation of the SOPs for Reg 4. The laws governing the electoral process as encompassed in the present “Representation of the Peoples Act” were explicitly amended to address the loopholes through which the PNC had rigged elections between 1966 and 1985. The counting of the ballots at the place of poll was resisted for the longest while by Desmond Hoyte, and only consented to in time for the 1992 elections.

The encapsulation of that count, as summarised by a “Statement of Poll” for each box into which ballots had been inserted, and the signatures on the statement, made by each of the polling agents of the political parties present as well as the Presiding Officer, was designed to address concerns that “every vote was transparently counted”. So also was the posting of a copy of the SOP in front of the Polling Station, and a copy given to each party representative and also to the Returning Officer (RO) for each region. This RO would tabulate the SOPs in full view of the party representatives (Counting Officers) and other stakeholders as a double check. The intent was to ensure transparency comparable to that at the counting of the individual votes.

This process was adhered to at every election since 1992 without any major problem. But, in 2020, we have now witnessed a tabulation by the Reg 4 RO in which, after more than half of the SOPs were tabulated, a series of contrived excuses were floated to deny that transparency by exhibiting the RO’s SOPs. We have now been returned to the courts by the PNC-led APNU/AFC coalition, which have refused to resolve the matter by simply producing the RO’s original SOPs, or the CEO’s.

And the Court has now ruled that those SOPs cannot be produced. Was not the intent of the law to facilitate transparency?

An Indonesian bride wearing a face mask is sprayed inside a disinfection chamber on her wedding day in Surabaya, East Java Province, Indonesia, in this photo taken by Antara Foto. (Reuters)

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

The trail of rigging Dear Editor, At this point of impending crisis, it will be instructive to trace the trail of rigging by the PNC especially since its rebirth from May 2015.

It is now an undeniable historical fact that the PNC rigged the elections of 1968, 1973, 1980 and 1985 as well as the referendum in 1978 and from all the pieces of evidence, there are now desperate attempts to rig the 2020 Elections.

After rigging the referendum in 1978, by which they gave themselves a two-thirds majority even though only 14 per cent of the electorate turned out to vote, it became clear that the PNC cannot any longer win an election in a free and fair manner so they used everything at their disposal to rig the 1980 Elections. In the 1978 rigged referendum, a number Caricom Government congratulated the PNC. In 1980 the PNC usurped the powers of the Elections Commission by appointing the Chief Elections Officer who ensured that the electoral list was padded, the lists were not adequately posted in all areas and the Claims and Objections time period was wholly inadequate. As in 1968 and 1973, the list was padded with bogus names, there were multiple registrations and the names of dead people were included. In addition, names were deleted in an arbitrary manner.

It must be noted that in the 1980 Elections, the observers were abused and harassed by the PNC, they were not given access to vital information, notes, films and tapes were confiscated and the man who headed the team, Lord Avebury was arrested by the police. We have seen attempts by the PNC’s Karen Cummings to do the same with the international observers, forcing those from the OAS to leave.

On Elections Day, many voters were denied the right to vote and some were told

that they were dead! But as expected, the military, the police and PNC thugs took complete ‘custody’ of the ballot boxes and in Region Four, it was 13 hours after the close of poll when the counting agents from the PPP and other parties were allowed to enter the counting station to witness the counting. The bogus ballots were counted to give the PNC the majority they needed. The PNC gave itself 77 per cent of the votes or 41 seats in Parliament.

The PNC also controlled all 10 Regions. Whilst the PNC bragged about its victory, the observer teams totally condemned the electoral process stating that “the violation of the electoral process have been confirmed”. In 2020 all the observers have condemned the attempts to declare fraudulent Region Four results yet the PNCcontrolled GECOM has declared the results based on fictitious SoPs. In 1985, after Burnham’s death, Hoyte continued the rigging and the counting of votes at the place of poll was not agreed upon by the PNC. Hoyte dismissed this demand by the opposition parties as a ‘red herring and an irrelevance’ and one which is ‘logistically difficult and unacceptable’. He further added that this will result in three different counts and will cause interminable delay in the declaration of the results. In this election again, the PNC appointed Roy Hammond as the CEO, without knowledge of the Elections Commission.

In this election, it became clear that the PNC controlled the Elections Commission and the CEO. In fact, the CEO was taking direct instructions from the Minister of Home Affairs. This is similar to the status of the now GECOM CEO who is apparently taking instructions from the Chairperson and the Commission.

In the 1985 Elections, the Preliminary List was not padded but the supplementary

lists were padded by 44,000 names. Thee supplementary lists of 9 regions which amounted to 17,000 names were given to the PPP the day before elections but the Region Four list which comprised 27,000 names was never given. It was clear that the Minister usurped the powers of the Elections Commission and that ‘fairness, impartiality’ were no longer present.

In this election, all the international observers were banned, these included the International Commission of Jurists, the America Watch, the British Parliamentary Human Rights Group, the International Association of Democratic Lawyers and the Caribbean Council of Churches. This paved the way for multiple voting, turning away legitimate voters and the hijacking of the ballot boxes by the military.

Will the banning of observers be the next step if an illegal coalition Government is sworn in?

The 1985 election took the same pattern as in 1968, 1973 and 1980, the military took control and the ballot boxes were stuffed with bogus ballots since all PPP polling agents were not allowed to accompany the ballot boxes to the place of counting.

The fraudulent result showed that the PNC had improved from 41 to 42 seats.

Sadly, after a hiatus of 28 years, the PNC reactivated its rigging machinery but failed to understand that the democratic world has no place for riggers and dictatorship. The rigging plan took a similar pattern to that of the four rigged elections and the referendum but with many added features, namely, control of the Elections Commission by firstly unilaterally and illegally appointing the GECOM Chairman; the control of the CEO who is clearly not taking instruction from the Chairperson but from the PNC; the House-toHouse Registration and the deliberate ‘bungling’ of the

voters’ lists and the production of a variety of those; the deliberate delays and pushing back of the elections date; the games with the polling places; the use of the claims and objections to delete legitimate voters; the direct targeting of the Region Four votes via the SoPs and the apparent pusillanimous action of the current Chairperson.

We can now add the use of the courts to frustrate the electoral process which is clearly and unambiguously outlined in the Representation of the People Act. It is now clear for the world to see that the rigging of elections in Guyana could never be possible without the much-needed assistance from GECOM, especially from the CEO and the Returning Officer of Region Four and the ‘missing in action’ GECOM Chairperson.

All these uncertainties taking place today in our country would have been avoided if GECOM was independent and acted according to its constitutional mandate. What is more revealing is the fact that GECOM’s website has produced the declarations

by Returning Officers which gave the APNU/AFC a clear ‘lead’ even though the Region Four SoPs have not been tabulated in accordance to the Chief Justice’s (ag) order.

Why would GECOM commit such an illegality if it is not under the directive of the PNC? Is the current ‘loggerhead’ between the CEO and the Chairperson yet another drama or a valiant attempt by the Chairperson to salvage her eroding reputation?

Will Justice Singh be able to see the pieces of evidence which are in plain sight that the electoral process has been compromised and that there is a vital need for impartiality, fairness and compliance with the Constitution and any other Act of Parliament?

Only time will tell!

Yours sincerely, Haseef Yusuf

guyanatimesgy.com

SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 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

UN needs to act immediately, save Guyana Dear Editor, One would have thought that the Burnham dictatorship was an embarrassing blip in Guyana’s history, that we have gotten over that dark period and have moved into the light of the free world when democracy was re-

stored in 1992, but unfortunately, history is making a second round. And so, I say make no mistake Granger is right up there, Burnham’s soulmate entrapped in his world as embodied with all his traits and wirings.

It is high time we call out Granger for

what he is, for too long he has been hiding behind a curtain of deceptions, blatant lies and antics, projecting himself as a decent law-abiding leader. But for a large majority of Guyanese, including within his own ranks that do not get caught with his

web of narratives, is fully aware that he is the intellectual author of the relentless dismantling of our hard-won democracy ever since the GECOM awarded the top prize of the 2015 elections to the APNU/AFC with him occupying the highest office of the

Open letter to Raphael Trotman Dear Raphael Trotman, We, the children of Harold, wish to remind you, your parents Justice Donald Trotman and Shiela Chapman, your sisters, Anande and Vania, that our father, who was your mentor, was a person whose integrity was never in question. None of his colleagues, friends and relatives could point

fingers on him or question his judgement and morality. He had no cries from anyone and lived and died as a decent, humble and loving human being. He always taught us that whatever you do you will have to answer to God. All we ask is for you not to torment our father and make him uneasy in the afterlife. After all, he was there for you and your sib-

lings in trying and difficult times. Do not aspire to gain the whole world and lose your soul.

Harold told us that some people deserve punishment in this life, the grave and afterlife. Just do the right thing and save your soul!

Sincerely, Children of late Harold Singh

land. Those of us old enough know the role he played in the seventies and eighties and the younger ones have experienced his dirty escapades as President for the last five years. A close look into Granger’s characteristic make-up fits him into the unmistakable category of an authoritarian dictator Any political system that concentrates power in the hands of a leader or a small elite, similar to the present day squatters in Government, that are not constitutionally responsible to the wider body of the people is authoritarian. Authoritarian leaders exercise power indiscriminately and without regard to existing bodies of law, and they usually cannot be replaced by citizens choosing freely among various competitors in elections. Authoritarian regimes are violently autocratic in nature and rule by the use of the security forc-

es to inflict terror on persons standing up for democracy, eg the recent arrest and detention of Mr McIntosh. The doings of Granger and his cabal are consistent with the historical rule of authoritarian regimes like Burnham.

Guyana’s democracy is rapidly being eroded and taken over by the authoritarian dictator Granger and his authoritarian clique.

The will of the people was exercised in their votes on the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections but to date, GECOM, as evidently orchestrated by PNC kingpins within the constitutional body, vehemently refuses to conclude a proper tabulation of the votes and declare the winner.

Instead, Granger, his cabal and GECOM have employed similar manoeuvres of delaying tactics meted out to the successful passing of the No-Confidence Motion against his Government on November 18, 2018.

Granger has consistently trampled on our Constitution, having total disregard for Guyana’s laws.

This man is so mentally distracted that in his few public speeches he stoned-facedly looked away and repeated his narrative like a recurring decimal that he has always upheld the Constitution and acted within the laws. What a pathological liar he is. The world over knows the truth.

Granger is a monumental disaster to present-day civilised society.

It is incumbent upon the free world to act swiftly to rid Guyana of the scourge of the authoritarian dictator Granger and his authoritarian regime. Bring on the sanctions now. Start with the APNU/AFC leadership and their players in the GECOM. The UN needs to act immediately and save Guyana.

Respectfully, Parasram Persaud

Appeal to Chairperson of Inadequate corona response GECOM – get on with it! because of power grab Dear Editor, The Chairperson of GECOM now holds the future of Guyana in her hands.

It is no longer a question of what she wants to do but what she must do – now!

The Hon Chief Justice (ag) has provided her with legal cover for completing the tabulation of votes of Region Four in a transparent manner. As the Chairperson of GECOM, she, however, does not require the cover of this legal imprimatur.

It is her solemn duty. Is there anyone who would object to a re-tabulation in a fair and transparent manner? No? Then Madame Chairperson, the GHRA urges you to get on with it.

You have the support of the vast majority of Guyanese at home and overseas who would like to continue saying: I am Guyanese and proud of it.

In the midst of all the debates, interventions and controversies surrounding the debacle of the long concluded voting on March 2 – Election Day – the Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) has to date been silent. Four interminably long weeks have passed with no end in sight other than one which portends disaster for Guyana as a nation and, more importantly, quite unnecessary hardship for its people. All they were asked to do, and did, was exercise their constitutional right to vote for the party and leadership they wanted to entrust their livelihood over the next 5 years.

And all they asked for was that their vote be counted in an open and transparent manner consistent with the laws of Guyana and the statutory rights of GECOM. In exchange, what they

are getting is the pain, the shame and the embarrassment of being a Guyanese and the promise of a future, not one gilded by the impact of their newfound source of wealth, but one tarnished by the debilitating impact of international sanctions and a livelihood of unimaginable misery. And this is without the inescapable destructive impact, both at a personal and national level with which COVID-19 will certainly hit us. The GHRA is constrained to posit whether this unseemly hesitation to complete the voting tabulations for Region Four is worth such a price!

Have we as a people become so politically blinded that we are prepared to endure such humiliation and sacrifice in the cause of ensuring political victory. Surely not!

The GHRA has therefore been silent not because it is in disagreement with those voices of reason that have sought to focus on the essential issue at hand. Regrettably, those voices and the views they have expressed have been drowned in the posturing of what is good for Guyana, in the endless regurgitation of the errors of the political leadership since Independence and in the many prescriptions – with respect to shared governance for example – for a better Guyana.

The GHRA, while acknowledging the value of these commentaries made in the interest of a better understanding of Guyana today and of enhancing Guyana’s future, is of the view that they are misplaced in the present context. They serve to deflect our focus from what must

be regarded as the only issue of immediate relevance: the tabulation of the votes cast in Region Four and the manner in which this is done! The GHRA feels emboldened to speak out now, to point to the irrelevance at this point in time in focusing on recriminations regarding Guyana’s political behaviour and on prescriptions for a better Guyana in the years ahead.

Sincerely, Executive Committee Guyana Human Rights Association

Dear Editor, The world is in the midst of a corona pandemic and regrettably, our Government is focusing on a power grab after its defeat in the election. The Government knows the election count. From all available Statements of Poll and accounts of observers, it appears that the Government lost the election unless it can show otherwise with authentic Statements of Poll. The international community has signalled that it will not accept anything less than the swearing-in of the real winner of the election.

The Government is advised to do the honourable thing and concede defeat. Or if it feels it has won, then let there be an unhindered, publicly observed count of the SoPs or the votes. The behaviour of the Government (opposing a recount of SoPs and/or votes) suggests to the international community that it lost the election.

There must be no further delay on cession so that the (new) legitimate President and Government can immediately focus on tackling issues pertaining to the coronavirus. People will not give

respect to a Government that is not legitimate, and the USA and all other countries have made it known they will not recognise a Government not sourced from the will of the population from a fair count.

Why drag on the inevitable and put the country at risk of a pandemic from the coronavirus? Tens of thousands of lives are at risk.

Concede defeat and allow the new leader to address corona!

Yours truly, Vishnu Bisram

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SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2020

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Foundation

Guyana Times is pleased to publish the Education Ministry’s National Grade Six Assessment Past Papers. This is the first part of English Paper 1.

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

NATIONAL GRADE SIX ASSESSMENT PAPER 1

ENGLISH LANGUAGE

Reading Time: 10 minutes Writing Time: 60 minutes

READ THE FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY 1. This test has 40 questions. You have 1 hour 10 minutes to answer them.

2. Each question has four possible answers: (A), (B), (C) and (D). Read each

question carefully then choose the correct answer.

3. On your answer sheet, find the number that matches the question you intend to answer.

4. Shade the circle which has the same letter A, B, C or D, next to the answer you have chosen.

Sample Question 1. Anita received a _____Christmas gift.

For questions 1 and 2, choose the correct spelling of the word to complete each sentence.

1. Cycling is a form of which many children enjoy.

(A) reloxation (B) relaxation (C) relaxacion (D) relaxashun 2. Our school library has many books.

(A) intresting (B) interestin (C) interesting (D) interresting For questions 3 and 4, choose the most suitable word to complete each sentence.

3. A of African bees was spotted in the trees.

(A) flock (B) horde (C) crowd (D) swarm 4. A of books was presented to the headmaster.

(A) litter (B) class (C) library (D) bouquet For questions 5 to 7 choose the word that is similar in meaning to the underlined word in each sentence.

5. Have you completed the task I assigned you?

(A) begun (B) treated (C) finished (D) planned 6. Roger is so obstinate he will not change his mind.

(A) obedient (B) stubborn (C) naughty (D) mischievous 7. Mother prepared a delicious meal for the guests.

(A) tasty (C) quick

(A) beuitful (B) buteful ANSWER SHEET (C) beautiful (D) beauitful A B C D

The letter C is shaded on the answer sheet because outside, the correct answer, is next to C.5.

If you want to change your answer erase it completely before you fill in your new choice.

6. When the supervisor tells you to begin, turn the page and work as quickly and as (B) large (D) suitable

For questions 8 and 9 choose the set of words which is arranged in alphabetical order.

8. (A) bladder bottom brownie buffet (B) bladder buffet bottom brownie (C) bottom bladder buffet brownie (D) bottom buffet bladder brownie 9. (A) siesta signal signet sickle (B) sickle signal siesta signet (C) signet sickle signal siesta (D) sickle siesta signal signet For questions 10 and 11, select the correct order in which the names should appear in the telephone directory.

10. (A) Bibi Deen Alex Clarke Rick Samaroo Tessa Hooper (B) Tessa Hooper Rick Samaroo Bibi Deen Alex Clarke (C) Alex Clarke Bibi Deen Tessa Hooper Rick Samaroo (D) Rick Samaroo Tessa Hooper Alex Clarke Bibi Deen 11. (A) Susan Farley Eldon Fernandes Kim Foo Orin Fung (B) Kim Foo Susan Farley Eldon Fernandes Orin Fung (C) Eldon Fernandes Kim Foo Orin Fung Susan Farley (D) Eldon Fernandes Orin Fung Kim Foo Susan Farley For questions 12 to 14,choose the correct word

carefully as you can.

7. If you try a question and find that you cannot answer it, leave it and go on to the next one.

You may return to that question later.

8. You must not use calculators for this assessment.

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

to complete each sentence.

12. Mr. Layne said he could not read Paul’s handwriting; it was (A) legible (B) illegal (C) eligible (D) illegible 13. Did your parents ____you permission to go to the mall?

(A) offer (B) grant (C) award (D) obtain 14. As the coffee was hot, I ___ it.

(A) sipped (B) gulped (C) nibbled (D) gobbled For questions 15 and 16,fill in each blank with the correct answer.

15. The cows were brought to the to be slaughtered.

(A) cabin (B) orchard (C) abbatoir (D) hatchery 16. Please collect your medicine from the (A) nursery.

(B) university.

(C) laboratory.

(D) dispensary.

For questions 17 and 18, choose the meaning of the phrase that is underlined.

17. Miss Taylor advised Brian and Diane to bury the hatchet.

(A) make peace (B) be outspoken (C) have a fight (D) create a row 18. My father was late for work because it rained cats and dogs.

(A) was raining (B) was very wet (C) became very cold (D) rained very heavily For questions 19 and 20,select the opposite of the underlined word in each sentence.

19. The men painted the interior of the building.

(A) exit (B) inferior (C) exterior (D) entrance 20. Local programmes are commonly shown on television.

(A) rarely (B) usually (C) familiarly (D) excitingly For questions 21 to 23, select the sentence in each group which is correctly punctuated.

21. (A) “Here’s the box of oranges I bought, said Farah.

(B) “Here’s the box of oranges I bought?” said Farah.

(C) “Here’s the box of oranges, I bought,” said Farah.

(D) “Here’s the box of oranges I bought,” said Farah.

7 22. (A) “Are you awake”? whispered Julie from the door.

(B) “Are you awake?” whispered Julie from the door.

(C) “Are you awake,” whispered Julie from the door?

(D) “Are you awake?” whispered Julie from the door?

23. (A) The vendor sells, boulangers, ochroes, bora and tomatoes everyday.

(B) The vendor sells; boulangers, ochroes, bora and tomatoes everyday.

(C) The vendor sells boulangers, ochroes, bora and tomatoes everyday.

(D) The vendor sells boulangers, ochroes, bora; and tomatoes everyday.

NEWS

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SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

3 new COVID-19 cases confirmed in Guyana …44 tests conducted, 32 quarantined, 6 isolated ...no COVID death at West Dem Hospital

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uyana has recorded three new cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) as of Saturday, raising the country’s total number from five to eight.

Caretaker Public Health Minister, Volda Lawrence made the revelation on Saturday. While the number of deaths remains at one, some 32 persons have been subjected to institutional quarantine.

Apart from these figures, another six persons were placed in institutional isolation by health authorities.

“The number of confirmed cases has moved from five to eight with the number of deaths remaining at one. The total number of persons who have been tested has moved from 39 to 44. With regard to persons in institutional quarantine, the number is now 32, while the number of persons on home quarantine has not changed,” she announced.

Up until Friday, Guyana only had five positive cases of the virus, with the first one detected on March 11 following the death of a 52-year-old woman.

Lawrence said that the country is equipped with some 1800 testing kits, the plan now is to acquire ventilators for level three cases. This is to boost response

to the deadly virus, which is rapidly devastating countries around the world.

“I am not referring to health facilities but to the levels of illness which are categorised as mild, requiring no hospitalisation; moderate, requiring hospitalisation and severe where more specialised care is a necessity,” Lawrence said.

Guyana’s first imported case died at the Georgetown Public Hospital after travelling to Guyana from New York. A short period after, four of her family members including a teen relative have tested positive. They were all quarantined at a state facility.

Since then, health authorities have prepared four facilities, which can accommodate some 350 persons.

All ten administrative regions also have the capacity to cater for an additional 134 persons.

There have been reservations by citizens regarding statistics coming from the Ministry, after confirmed reports that four Cubans tested positive for the coronavirus after leaving Guyana.

Reports coming out from the Cuban Health Ministry stated that an eight-year-old child and her mother were two of the latest to be tested positive. They both trav-

the UN expressed grave concerns that social gatherings are still continuing even after advisories were issued. The Government was reminded that Guyana is not insulated against the deadly virus, therefore, prevention is critical and complacency should not be tolerated.

No death at WCD

elled to Cuba from Guyana on March 21. A 31-year-old Cuban national, who arrived in Cuba from Guyana on the same day, also tested positive. All three persons have been hospitalised.

Precautions

Other than the preparations by health facilities across the country, other stakeholders have instituted measures to combat the spread of this disease. Three sensitisation sessions were completed and will continue with businesses, banks and other entities.

Public places will be visited to ensure that the correct protocols are implemented. This is coupled with the regular sanitisation of markets, border complexes and other public buildings.

The Public Health Minister said that in recent time, there were visits

to several non-conventional ports of entry.

“These visits revealed that the Brazilian army is present at several of the popular crossings and Guyanese Police are at several. The task force continues to work with the police, army and immigration to assist with the monitoring of these crossing.”

Additionally, village leaders have instituted two checkpoints at Sand Creek and Aishalton to monitor entries into the country.

Apart from hygienic precautions and urges to practice social distancing, a majority of the population has continued their daily routine as per normal.

The United Nations (UN) recently called on the incumbent Government to urgently introduce more stringent measures to fight the disease.

In a statement on Friday,

There were talks on Friday of a suspected case of the coronavirus at the West Demerara Regional Hospital in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara). The male patient would have visited the facility on Thursday and later succumbed.

Nurses and other health workers had refused to enter the compound when they showed up to work on Friday, insisting that proper sanitisation methods be followed.

However, the Regional Administration confirmed on Saturday that upon testing, the results were negative for COVID-19.

“The patient who passed away Thursday night at the West Demerara Regional Hospital and was a suspect of COVID-19 did not die from COVID-19. The test results have confirmed that the deceased was never infected with COVID-19,” the Region

Three Administration clarified.

While the Ministry has claimed that all major facilities are equipped with both medical supplies and disinfecting agents, the medical staff lamented that there are insufficient cleaning supplies to ensure that the surroundings are kept hygienic.

“A next thing is that we don’t have enough things to work with, like sanitiser, bleach, Lysol, alcohol and those things so how are we working? However, they promise to sanitise the place…We need to have the place sanitised,” one of the nurses told this publication.

Globally, the number of confirmed cases from 201 countries and territories stands at 621,636, with 28,658 deaths. In the region of the Americas, the total number of confirmed cases climbed from 81,139 to 100,314 with the number of deaths moving at a rapid rate from 1176 to 1485.

For now, Guyana’s ports of entry have been locked down. Local health authorities have advised that if anyone is experiencing symptoms of coronavirus, they should contact the hotline on 231-1166, 624-3067, 624-2819 or 624-6674 and a team would be sent to their location.

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SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

10 years later...

Inquest into death of former GDF rank to finally commence

A

total of five witnesses are expected to be called during the inquest proceedings which is expected to commence into the death of 22-year-old Rolex Clay, a former Guyana Defence Force (GDF) rank who was discovered hanging from the bottom flat beam of his grandmother’s home in 2011.

As always, the coroner’s inquest will investigate what caused the death of Clay, and will determine if

Dead: Rolex Clay

anyone should face criminal charges in connection with the young man’s death.

In a recent notice, the Registrar of the Supreme Court had indicated that Magistrate Esther Sam will conduct the proceedings at the Anna Regina Magistrate’s Court.

Kwesi Abrams of Anna Regina Police Station, Kevel Clay and Robert Clay of Lot 27 Hoppie Street, Dartmouth, Essequibo Coast, Leonie Clay and

Ramnanan Singh of Lot X Sparta, Essequibo Coast, are the witnesses expected to take the stand before Magistrate Sam. It has been 10 years since the now dead man was discovered by his grandmother hanging from his T-shirt in her Lot 165 Hoppie Street, Dartmouth, Essequibo Coast home.

At the time of his death, Clay’s relatives could not provide reasons as to why he suddenly took his own life.

Examining…

I

…Claudette’s case n the eight months since Claudette Singh was appointed a GECOM Chair, “enigmatic” is probably the kindest interpretation of her actions. “Erratic” might be more like it!! The self-styled “Iron lady” seemed to have rusted since her heyday on the Bench. Is it due to exposure to the elements, or was it an inherent weakness due to a lack of the oxygen of morality in her formative years that could’ve prevented from turning her into steel??

There was her Solomonic decision to halt the H2H surreptitiously introduced by her predecessor, Justice James Patterson, who would be Chief Justice of Grenada via a “slip of the pen” – but its partial data was “grafted’ to the existing NRR data!! It obviously slipped her that Solomon’s “decision” to cut the baby in half, was just a gambit to suss out the real mother!! Claudette’s decision was simply a weasel choice to seem to be giving a bone to each side. She clearly had no commitment to do what was right for Guyana.

Where was she, for instance, when all the hell broke loose at the Ashmin’s Building when the RO unilaterally announced the count? As the GECOM Chair, shouldn’t she have asserted her authority as the person at the top of the Chain and with whom the buck stops?? She was locked in some room?? Voluntarily or otherwise??

Shouldn’t she have cleared the air by now?? Anyhow we move past her other tacks and turns and consider her present interjection in the “recount” case in front of Justice Holder – the judge who Basil Williams had no compunction in dressing down in open court!!

What’s this nonsense about the “wrong” affidavit submitted to the court?? In that document she stated that the count in Reg 4 by RO Mingo was done in compliance with the statutory provisions!! And that GECOM couldn’t go along with any recount requested by Caretaker Granger and Opposition Leader Jagdeo. Is she saying that’s “wrong” in that she never saw the affidavit?

Or is it that several affidavits were composed with different positions on the recount – and the “wrong” one sent out?? In any case, whatever it was, she needs to make it clear – especially if the GECOM lawyers who no one knows who hired them – are doing their own thing.

But we now supposedly have the “right” affidavit.

The good Chair now says quite clearly that she’s in favour of a recount; she’s already given such a commitment to the CJ; and Granger and Jagdeo’s request came AFTER her stated commitment!!

She also submits precedents asserting GECOM’s authority to order the recount.

But will she do a Solomon, once again?? Who can tell with the rusted Iron lady?? …the COVID response Like everyone else your Eyewitness has been dealing with the COVID 19 crisis as best as he can. He’s marvelling that in this day of instantaneous communication, fellow Guyanese have maintained their “dong-kay-dam” attitude about the threat. Social distancing?? One meter distancing? His missus informed him that in the markets – including the supermarkets – shoppers were still cheek and jowl. She got some weird looks at her mask. But then we gotta make What will it take for folks to get serious about the threat?? A total lockdown?? We hear threats…but are we prepared for that?? Not if they keep Nagamootoo as head of the task Force!! But seriously, folks, let’s look at what the countries that got ahead of the curve did and those that didn’t. Right off the bat you can’t wait until someone walks into a hospital before you start testing.

We gotta get proactive! Are we still tracking down the folks that were in contact with the ground zero lady and her family??

Just show the people that there’s a plan! …the alleged suicide The first thing your Eyewitness thought when he heard about the “suicide” of the fella who’d filed the suit to demand a recount, was “Who killed him?”

If billions are spent to rig an election, where’s the line drawn??

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

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SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

COVID-19

Caretaker President urges citizens to “avoid crowds, remain calm”

W

ith eight confirmed cases of the coronavirus, including one death, Guyana’s caretaker President David Granger has sent out a warning to Guyanese to avoid large gatherings, in hopes of preventing further spread.

In an issued statement, the caretaker Head of State outlined all measures taken by his administration to limit social contact, and urged persons to “remain calm”.

“I urge you also to practise social distancing in public places and to avoid crowds, ceremonies including funerals and large gatherings. I urge also that persons remain calm and implement all guidelines relating to personal hygiene and infection prevention and control,” Granger indicated.

He said these warnings came in light of the fact that many persons have been ignoring advisories to take precautions. To this, the President said that the recently-established Task Force continues to monitor the pandemic.

According to Granger, the National Task Force continues to monitor the situation in Guyana, and this includes citizens’ conduct.

“We are concerned that too many citizens and businesses have been ignoring public advisories and warnings…

A cavalier approach in the face of this global pandemic can seriously impair our efforts to combat COVID-19.

Consequences will be devastating for the entire population.”

So far, schools have been closed until the end of the Easter vacation break, with the postponement of the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) to a later date. Both the Turkeyen and Tain campuses of the University of Guyana have also been closed.

As it relates to travel restrictions, the operations at the Cheddi Jagan and the Eugene F Correia International Airports have been suspended for two weeks; while there is a ban on travel between Guyana and its bordering countries and international vessels with the exception of merchant ships.

The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has also waived the Value Added Tax (VAT) on medical supplies associated with the testing, prevention and treatment of COVID-19. Meanwhile, public servants were placed on a rotational shift system.

Granger has issued an Executive Order under the Public Health Ordinance, which has since been gazetted and states that the Public Health Ministry

Caretaker President David Granger

shall take measures to “restrain, segregate and isolate persons suffering from the disease, or who may be likely from exposure to the infection suffer from the disease”.

Additionally, the Public Health Ministry shall speedily bury or cremate the corpse of persons who died as a result of the coronavirus in addition to providing curative care. It said too that the caretaker Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence may “remove, disinfect, and destroy the personal effects, goods, buildings and any other article, material or thing exposed to infection from the disease”.

The Minister has also been empowered to prohibit or restrict the movement of persons within, to and from an infected area. The order also empowers the Minister to call on the Guyana Police Force to provide enforcement assistance, as it relates to its duties under the Order.

Granger’s conferral of far-reaching ministerial powers on Lawrence did not sit too well with the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG), who said it would heighten anxieties among the Guyanese people, especially those infected with the virus.

FITUG has said it believed that every practical step should be taken to combat the spread of COVID-19, but it failed to see how the Government’s measures could be really helpful.

Former People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Member of Parliament, Dr Vindhya Persaud during an interview with Guyana Times also expounded on the minimal changes and draconian nature of the Ordinance towards the populace.

Dr Persaud highlighted that it was just “copied and pasted” by the coalition Government from a 1945 health ordinance without being revised. Adding to that, there were no direct measures for COVID-19 but rather those for other infectious diseases.

NEWS

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SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Bartica murder

Suspect attempts suicide, in critical condition Fears and Conflict

(The following opening paragraphs were originally published in 2006. The more things change…)

uyana is once more demonstrating the basic truth of the insight that ethnic conflict is caused by the “fear of the future lived through the past.”

The present impasse on electoral arrangements between the two major parties is merely the occasion for the conflict to escalate at this time, not its cause. Our collective fears, projected from our past, are the cause; we must remember this over the next few months.

“Our past has scarred into our collective psyches the conviction that our politics is not the politics of “in and out”, but the politics of “over and under” – the politics of “who pon top”.

That kind of politics is the politics of exclusion, and we should not be surprised at the present accusations of “marginalisation” Ravi Dev emanating from the African community. the charge flows out of fears based on the projections from our past. To dismiss the accusations out of hand is to miss the point; and, more importantly, to miss the opportunity to deal with the underlying fears that are the wellsprings of our intractable conflict.

“One fear that arises out of our past is the exclusion from the economic spoils inherent in controlling the state – leading to the cries of “marginalisation” mentioned above.

Violent reactions arise out of collective fears when groups that are fearful lose their confidence that the state can arbitrate between the competing groups in a fair, just, and credible manner.

This is a Catch 22 situation for governments in an ethnically divided society, especially when there has been a history of earlier conflict, since no matter what the reality on the ground may be, the fear of marginalisation is already in the subconscious, to be projected based on the group’s own history. Violent reactions are even more likely when the state is weak and has demonstrated an inability to protect the physical wellbeing of the citizenry.

“In Guyana, the PPP/C Government has never been comfortable about the loyalty of the army and police – the state institutions that are mandated to secure the physical security of the citizenry. Its early optimism that things would sort themselves out on their own belied a naivety about the wellsprings of ethnic politics; which, more than any other politics, illustrates the truism that politics is merely the continuation of war by “other means”. Its unwillingness to professionalise the forces to execute the legitimate interests of the state in an impartial manner ensured that its regime would be perceived as weak by all and sundry.

“In a situation where the regime is seen as weak, groups that view their future with intense fears – again, remember we are all conditioned by our past – will challenge the state violently, especially if they can mobilise the state forces, or even keep them neutral; unless, of course, the group feeling besieged is presented with viable alternatives. The political system was intended to be such a system – one that would encourage “out” groups” to play by its rules. The PPP should remember that even the PNC state, which believed that it was a strong state on account of its control of the police and military, was in the end vulnerable. Force, in and of itself, even at the disposal of the state, cannot guarantee security.

The only guarantee is that the state be seen as legitimate; that it be seen as impartial and just by all the groups in the polity.”

At the time of this writing (2006), the PPP was in office; today, the shoe is on the other foot. After five years in office, the PNC blew the legitimacy it gained through the ballot box in 2015. All it had to do was to understand the fears of the Indian-Guyanese constituency it had wooed the AFC to bring aboard. To its eternal shame, the AFC, unlike the UF in 1968, has remained in the coalition which is resorting to a rigging exercise cruder than anything Burnham had executed.

The PNC should know that, in this iteration, the international milieu has changed radically, and its regime survival will be even more tenuous. It should accept an internationally sanctioned, supervised GECOM count of the Reg 4 SOPs, or a recount of all ten regions, if it so desires.

Because there are now no inbuilt ethnic majorities, in five years, it will have an opportunity to compete on equal terms once again.

“G

T

he suspect in the gruesome murder of the Bartica teacher is now in critical condition, after he hacked his wife to death and later inflicted injuries about his body.

On Friday evening, 37-year-old Natoya Speede of Lot 34 Sixth Avenue, Bartica, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), was killed by her reputed husband, after being hacked to death with an axe.

On Saturday, Police information updated that the man was placed under Police guard at the Bartica Public Hospital, where his condition was labelled as critical.

According to reports, the incident occurred at about 19:30h at Potaro Road, Five Miles, Bartica.

Investigations revealed that the suspect would have taken Speede and their children out to the airstrip,

ficers arrived at the scene, the suspect was also discovered with multiple wounds, which he reportedly told investigators were self-inflicted.

Speede was rushed to the Bartica Public Hospital

Murdered: Natoya Speede

having said that they were going for a photo shoot.

Instead, a heated argument ensued, after which he armed himself with an axe and inflicted several wounds about the woman’s body in the presence of their three children.

When law enforcement of-

where she succumbed while receiving medical attention.

Reports are that the couple were experiencing domestic issues for the past several months.

Investigations are continuing.

12 NEWS

SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

APNU/AFC caretaker Govt to int’l community: Butt out! …in face of int’l pressure for democracy to prevail

Guyana’s Ambassador to the US, Dr Riyad Insanally

W

hile confirming that Guyana’s Ambassador to the United States was summoned to a meeting with a top US official, the Foreign Affairs Ministry is, nevertheless, maintaining that the Government did not interfere in the work of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) and that due process must be followed.

In a statement on Saturday, the Foreign Affairs Ministry, which is headed by caretaker minister, Dr Karen Cummings, confirmed that Guyana’s Ambassador, Dr Riyad Insanally was summoned

to a meeting with Assistant Secretary of State Michael Kozak.

However, the Ministry in an apparent act of defiance reminded the international community that Guyana was a “sovereign state”. “ … G u y a n a ’ s Ambassador to the United States of America, Dr Riyad Insanally, discussed with Acting Assistant Secretary of State Michael Kozak, at his request, the situation with regard to the General and Regional Elections in Guyana.”

According to the Ministry’s statement, in this context, and “for the benefit of all international partners and friends, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to affirm that Guyana remains a sovereign state governed by the rule of law”.

The Ministry went on to express appreciation for the work of the international observers, most of whom have condemned GECOM’s vote tabulation as flawed and urged that a president not be sworn in based on this flawed process.

Admonitions have flowed from the United States; the United Kingdom; Canada; the European Union (EU);

the Caribbean Community (Caricom); the Organisation of American States (OAS) and the Carter Center.

“General and Regional Elections 2020 were conducted according to the Constitution and Laws of Guyana on March 2, 2020,” the Foreign Affairs Ministry said.

In its statement, the Ministry claimed that the executive branch of Government has “never tried to influence, interfere with or instruct GECOM in any way. The electoral process is not yet completed and no declaration has been made by GECOM.” In the statement, reference was also made to the aborted Caricomsupervised recount of the votes from the March 2 General and Regional Elections. Caricom’s supervision of the recount was sought by caretaker President David Granger and agreed to by Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, Caricom, and GECOM. That was until Ulita Moore, a candidate in Granger’s own party, secured a High Court injunction against the recount.

Granger has since at-

Caretaker President David Granger

tempted to distance himself from the court case, and High Court Judge Franklyn Holder has, meanwhile, decided to hear the case seeking the dismissal of the recount while denying an application to have GECOM present the Statements of Poll (SoPs) in its possession.

“There is no breakdown in the rule of law in Guyana. The APNU/AFC coalition Government remains in place until a successor would have been declared and sworn-in in its stead,” the Ministry added in its statement.

Threaten international observers

On March 5, in a move that completely stunned stakeholders and attracted the wrath of elections observer missions in Guyana, caretaker Foreign Affairs Minister Cummings herself threatened to revoke the accreditation of foreign organisations in Guyana to ob-

serve the 2020 General and Regional Elections.

The threat was issued during a meeting with some observers at GECOM Command Centre at High and Hadfield Streets, Georgetown following a fifth dramatic delay in the verification of the results for Region Four (DemeraraMahaica).

Dr Cummings, a candidate for the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC), was accused of trying to intimidate the international missions that are keenly observing the electoral process in Guyana.

She told the international observers that she was instructed to withdraw their accreditation, but she was not in agreement that it should be done; she did not reveal who gave her those instructions and why.

However, her comments were quickly countered by observers in the room, who argued that her remarks are considered a form of intimidation.

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

The Head of the Commonwealth Observer Mission in Guyana, former Prime Minister of Barbados, Owen Arthur intervened and confronted the caretaker Foreign Affairs Minister.

“I speak on behalf of the

US Assistant Secretary of State, Michael Kozak

Commonwealth, the largest organisation of people in the world, and I am not going to have, not me, the Commonwealth, disrespected by a threat to take away the accreditation,” Arthur declared.

Dr Cummings then attempted to apologise.

But Arthur added, “I am going to speak to the Commonwealth Secretary General shortly… and I have a duty to her to report accurately and I cannot now avoid speaking accurately.”

Moreover, at one point, Arthur held out his accreditation badge to Dr Cummings, saying that he would hand it in voluntarily. As the Head of the Commonwealth Mission continued speaking, Dr Cummings was handed a cellphone by Deputy Chief Elections Officer Roxanne Myers. She began talking to someone on the line and then she was heard saying, “OK, I am coming out.”

NEWS

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SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Applicant in landmark Region 4 recount case commits suicide

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Dead: Reaz Holladar

eaz Holladar, the applicant in the landmark case filed in the High Court after discredited figures were being used to declare the winner of Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) at the March 2, 2020 polls, has committed suicide following a domestic dispute.

Twenty-eightyear-old Holladar died early Saturday.

According to Police, Holladar took his life at about 04:30h on Saturday at his Prashad Nagar, Georgetown home in the presence of his wife and a security guard.

The now dead man was the driver of former Attorney General Anil Nandlall.

The former

Attorney General in a subsequent social media post expressed condolences to Holladar’s family, describing him as “a loyal and dedicated employee”.

“It is with profound sadness that I confirmed that Reaz Holladar, my driver for several years, died this morning at or about 4:00 am.

From all indications, he committed suicide. He was a loyal and dedicated employee. He has left to mourn a wife and two sons. With his family, I mourn his loss,” the post read.

Nandlall, through Holladar, had obtained an injunction barring the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) from declaring an overall winner in the March 2 polls, following the declaration of unverified results from Region Four’s Returning Officer (RO) Clairmont Mingo.

The dead man’s body is presently at the Lyken Funeral Home awaiting a post-mortem examination, as a police investigation is ongoing.

GHRA to GECOM Chair: “Get on with it!”

T

he Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) on Saturday called on the Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), retired Justice Claudette Singh, to carry out her solemn duty and have a recount done in a transparent manner.

Justice Singh has been coming under heavy pressure of recent, with mounting calls for her to ensure that the recount of the votes cast on March 2, 2020, be conducted.

In fact, the GHRA pointed out in a letter to the Editor that the GECOM Chair holds the future of Guyana in her hands.

“It is no longer a question of what she wants to do but what she must do – now! The Hon Chief Justice (ag) has provided her with legal cover for completing the tabulation of votes of Region Four in a transparent manner. As the Chairperson of GECOM, she, however, does not require the cover of this legal imprimatur. It is her solemn duty…

Madame Chairperson, the GHRA urges you to get on with it. You have the support of the vast majority of Guyanese at home and overseas who would like to continue saying: ‘I am Guyanese and proud of it’,” the Association said in the missive.

It went on to acknowledge that it has been silent in the midst of all the debates, interventions and controversies surrounding the debacle of the long-concluded voting on March 2.

However, the Human Rights Association posited that nearly four interminably long weeks have passed with no end in sight other than one which portends disaster for

GECOM Chair: (retired) Justice Claudette Singh

Guyana as a nation and, more importantly, quite unnecessary hardship for its people.

“All [Guyanese] were asked to do, and did, was exercise their constitutional right to vote for the party and leadership they wanted to entrust their livelihood over the next 5 years. And all they asked for was that their vote be counted in an open and transparent manner consistent with the laws of Guyana and the statutory rights of GECOM,” GHRA stated.

Instead, the Association noted, people got the pain, the shame and the embarrassment of being a Guyanese and the promise of a future – not one gilded by the impact of their newfound source of wealth, but one tarnished by the debilitating impact of in-

ternational sanctions and a livelihood of unimaginable misery.

“And this is without the inescapable destructive impact, both at a personal and national level with which COVID-19 will certainly hit us. The GHRA is constrained to posit whether this unseemly hesitation to complete the voting tabulations for Region Four is worth such a price! Have we as a people become so politically blinded that we are prepared to endure such humiliation and sacrifice in the cause of ensuring political victory. Surely not!”

According to the Human Rights body, it has been silent not because it is in disagree-

ment with those voices of reason that have sought to focus on the essential issue at hand.

Regrettably, it posited: “those voices and the views they have expressed have been drowned in the posturing of what is good for Guyana, in the endless regurgitation of the errors of the political leadership since Independence and in the many prescriptions – with respect to shared governance for example – for a better Guyana.”

In fact, the GHRA, while acknowledging the value of these commentaries made in the interest of a better understanding of Guyana today and of enhancing Guyana’s future, said it is of the view that they are misplaced in the present context.

“They serve to deflect our focus from what must be regarded as the only issue of immediate relevance: the tabulation of the votes cast in Region Four and the manner in which this is done! The GHRA feels emboldened to speak out now, to point to the irrelevance at this point in time in focusing on recriminations regarding Guyana’s political behaviour and on prescriptions for a better Guyana in the years ahead,” the Human Rights Association stated.

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SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2020| GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Local tourism sector using CLIMATE downtime to rebuild – THAG ACTION

G

uyana’s tourism industry has had a boost since the country was named the number one eco-destination in the world, copping six awards including the most recent silver prize in the best of adventures from the international travel and tourism awards.

However, just after the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19), President of the Tourism Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG), Mitra Ramkumar announced that the tourism sector which grew by 25.7 per cent from January 2018 to December 2019, has been hit hard by the pandemic.

Not having a steady stream of international visitors and tourists due to the closure of Guyana’s ports of entries, the sector has suffered financially, losing millions of dollars.

Hotels, resorts, and eco-lodges have become ghost towns.

Ramkumar on Thursday said that stakeholders within the tourism sector are using this downtime to create new marketing strategies to facilitate the travel boom expected when the dust clears.

“We are upping our game in terms of our strategy and even product development and training. All of the things that you were unable to do while you were in full operation this is the chance to get those things done”, he stated He added that a major boost in travel is expected after the pandemic has settled, and the need for social distancing decreases.

“After this, how do we rebound as an industry? We believe that the demand after this, we will end up with a spike in demand because

President of THAG, Mitra Ramkumar

people would want to get out. As you know, right now one of the big this is to say at home and so people will want to get out... so we are preparing for that. We are also building our marketing

strategy for when the virus subsides,” he explained.

According to Ramkumar, a written request has been made to the Commissioner General of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), Godfrey Statia, for measures to be put in place to assist businesses that are currently faced with financial constraints due to the decline in income.

GRA has since announced the deferral of corporate and individual advance taxes and PAYE for businesses until June 30.

“While that is encouraging, it will go a long way we believe that if the virus is still here and we are unable to operate beyond that period then we will have to ask for an extension of that favour. However, we would also like to see it extended to all taxes for the industry, that was our request”, he said.

FOR EARTH HOUR 2020

E

arth Hour (EH) is officially in the teen years. March 28, 2020 marked thirteen years since the first lights out event occurred in Sydney, Australia. Started by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and its partners as a symbolic lights-out event, Earth Hour is now one of the world's largest grassroots movements for the environment, engaging millions of people in more than 180 countries and territories.

Earth Hour is coordinated in Guyana by the WWF and the Guyana Youth and Environment Network, with support from the Environmental Protection Agency and the University of Guyana, among others. Over the past two years, the Office of Climate Change has come on board to assist in coordinating EH activities in Linden and Bartica, taking the message of people power for environmental protection to other parts of the country. In addition to a ‘Lights out Concert’ held on the last Saturday in March, Earth Hour activities have also come to encompass outreaches to schools, and activities for the public, including seminars and exhibitions at the University of Guyana.

Climate Action This year’s theme for Earth Hour calls attention to climate change and adding our voices for the planet.

Scientists agree that we are the first generation to know that we are destroying our planet, and we could be the last to do anything about it.

On the international front, in 2020, world leaders will come together during key global conferences and forums (Conference on Biodiversity COP 15, UNFCCC COP 26, and UN High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development) to set the environmental agenda for the next decade and beyond. During these conferences, decisions will be made that would affect our future and that of the planet for many years to come.

Celebrating Earth Hour amidst COVID-19 This year, we are facing Earth Hour in exceptional circumstances, with countries around the world experiencing a health crisis with the outbreak of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). Given this dire situation, Earth Hour will be celebrated digitally. You can still participate, by turning off all your non-essential lights for one hour from 20:30h (8:30 pm). Given the need for social distancing and protecting each other from contracting COVID-19, we recommend that you: * Tune in online to one of WWF live streams * Make your voice heard digitally * Share your on-the-night EH experiences * Participate in EH online challenges and contests * Learn more about the issues and solutions * Remember a clean and healthy environment is not only for the present situation, but should be a lifestyle; and * Learn how to live more sustainably; avoid wastage and excessive use.

Sources: https://www.earthhour.org/ https://www.earthhour.org/take-part You can share your ideas and questions by sending letters to: The Environmental Protection Agency, c/o Communications Department, Ganges Street, Sophia, GEORGETOWN; or email us at: eit.epaguyana@gmail.com or follow us on Facebook, Instagram and You Tube.

You can share your ideas and questions by sending letters to: “Our Earth, Our Environment”, C/O Communications Department, Environmental Protection Agency, Ganges Street, Sophia, GEORGETOWN, or email us at: eit.epaguyana@gmail.com or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

NEWS

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SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

GPOC adds more measures to combat spread of COVID-19

The economic impacts of COVID-19…

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The resilience of the financial sector will be tested ecause of the current political crisis, coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic, Guyana is now grappling with certain effects which are having an impact on the economy. Businesses are shutting down, employees have been halved in some cases, and the crisis would only worsen without an administration being properly in place to address these issues.

Economic stimulus measures have been forthcoming by the Central Bank on the monetary side, while little has been implemented on the fiscal side. In these respects, over the next nine months, Guyana is likely to experience its worse economic recession for the first time over the last two or three decades.

As such, tremendous uncertainty lies ahead for the remainder of 2020. Also, these events have been compounded by a sharp dip in oil prices, which means projected oil revenues for 2020 will drop from US$300 million to under US$100 million.

Countries around the world have responded to the crisis engendered by the global pandemic, COVID-19, with appropriate economic rescue packages on both the monetary and fiscal sides. The U.S Government, for example, recently approved a massive US$2 trillion stimulus package to address the impacts on the economy.

Commendably, in Guyana, the Central Bank has instituted regulatory relaxed measures to encourage the commercial banks to reduce interest rates on loans, defer loan payments for customers with good standing, waive and reduce fees and penalties, and restructure credit facilities. The Finance Ministry also instituted a few measures aimed at lending some amount of relief.

The questions remain however: Are these measures sufficient to cushion the impacts of a crisis? And for how long, given the potential gravity of these crises? With these notions in mind, it is noteworthy to examine key economic indicators and contextualise some numbers under a few scenarios.

Assuming that COVID-19 is brought under some control over the next six to nine months, and the political crisis is resolved within that time frame, the banking sector as of January 2020 has total liquid assets of $163 billion, of which $93 billion represent the total reserves in the banking sector and $40 billion of this sum constitute excess reserves. Though the Central Bank has issued directive to the financial institutions to not classify loans during this period as non-performing, the current state of the non-performing portfolio is close to some $30 billion. It goes without saying, therefore, that the existing portion of nonperforming loans will only increase in value during a period of prolonged crisis. This $30 billion, then, already eats into the $40 billion excess reserve; that is to say, the excess reserves in the banking system will evaporate in a period of nine months if the crisis period deepens.

Another good indicator to examine the liquidity strength of the banking sector is the loan-to-deposit ratio. This ratio shows a bank's ability to cover loan losses and withdrawals by its customers. It also indicates whether the bank has adequate liquidity to cover loans in the event of an economic downturn resulting in loan defaults. The loan-to-deposit ratio currently stands at 56% (total loans of $254B/ total deposits of $457B).

An ideal ratio is about 80 –90%, which means that if the local banking sector were to up this ratio to 90%, this would only translate to about $155 billion, provided that all things remain equal, to inject into the economy in the form of loans to cushion and/or stimulate spending and investment in the economy.

In terms of employment and income distribution, by looking at the last labour force survey, there were approximately 241,000 persons comprising the total employed workforce.

If one were to take this number and multiply it by per capita income of US$4800, this would give an average of $250 billion in income distribution (at minimum wage) in the economy, which would work out to about $20 billion per month. Suppose about 25 percent of the working class are out of employment for the next nine months and/or earning reduced income perhaps by 50 percent, this would be about $180 billion or $125 billion in loss of income for the most vulnerable working-class people.

The de facto Minister of Finance recently announced that there is restriction in financing – making reference to the extent to which the Government can offer economic relief, while noting that the reason for this is directly linked to the political crisis. Henceforth, putting this analysis into perspective, should the pandemic and political crisis continue through to the next nine months, any economic stimulus measure to cushion the economy would have to be within the region of Gy$200 to Gy$300 billion, or US$1.4 billion, in a worst-case scenario.

The banking sector does not have the financial capacity to handle this in a worst-case scenario, neither does the Government.

(The author is an experienced macro-finance and research analyst, Lecturer and Business & Finance Consultant. The views expressed are exclusively his own and do not necessarily represent those of this newspaper and the institutions he represents. For comments, send to jbbankingadvice@gmail.com).

J

ust a week after pensioners were urged by the Guyana Post Office Corporation (GPOC) not to congregate at post offices to collect their pension, the corporation has added more standardised measures countrywide, to help combat the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).

This is in an effort to further protect Guyana’s senior citizens, who are the most vulnerable to COVID-19. These measures were derived over concerns that thousands of senior cit-

izens would usually congregate at the various post offices to access their pension payment during the first and second day of the new month.

However, with the rise in the number of COVID-19 cases, the pensioners were urged not to visit the office, unless it is necessary since vouchers can be cashed throughout the month.

Nevertheless, in keeping with the guidelines provided by the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO), GPOC revealed

that they will be ensuring compliance by enforcing a “minimum distance of three feet between individuals accessing our services. This measure will limit the number of individuals who can enter the post office at any given time.”

The GPOC also noted that persons visiting post offices will be asked to sanitise their hands upon entry. “Those who present with coughs or colds will be provided with a face mask. Our public areas will be sanitised intermittent-

ly throughout the day. Our customer service agents, postal clerks, and postmen and women have all been provided with face masks and gloves to use while attending to our valued customers.”

Additionally, the corporation urged that senior citizens authorise their family members to uplift their pension payments.

“We are doing our part to minimise the spread of COVID-19; we encourage you to join us in the fight”, they said.

16 NEWS

SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

No recognition for any illegitimate Govt ꟷ GCCI, gold miners’ association warn

A

s pressure - international and local continues to mount on the Government to forestall an illegitimate swearing in of the President, the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) and the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) have made it clear that they will never accept an illegitimate President.

In a joint statement on Saturday, the two private sector organisations expressed support for the international community’s almost united call for a democratic and transparent transition of Government.

They made it clear that this can happen only when every vote is counted and democratic principles are adhered to. They also warned that every lawful measure would be taken by the local business community to resist an illegitimate government.

“Any Government that is sworn in on the basis of non-credible results will not be recognized by the local business community, and we will take every lawful measure to resist and condemn it. Every vote must count, and transparency and democratic values must at all times remain sacrosanct in our country”, they declared.

According to these organisations, over recent days, much of the management and staff

all ballots be done under the watchful eyes of independent local and international observers.

Supervision

GCCI President Nicholas Boyer

of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) have proven themselves to be “incompetent, compromised, biased and untrustworthy in their handling of our very precious national

They also urged that the process be supervised by a trusted independent arbiter like the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

It was pointed out that GECOM Chair, retired Justice Claudette Singh, has already promised that GECOM will do a recount.

“If such a recount does not come to pass, the egregious intentions of the “forces”, as referred to by the Hon. Miss Mia Mottley, will be realized, plunging our country into illegitimate rule and economic despair”, they said.

Local business, civil society organizations and

“Guyana cannot afford to face sanctions; we do not have the financial or manufacturing capability to support our largely import-dependent economy. Our exports of oil, gold, sugar, rice, timber, liquor, among others, will all suffer, as we will be unable to access the level of trade that we presently enjoy” - GCCI, GGDMA. elections.”

In view of the distrust the business community and sections of the general public have in GECOM, the two organizations urged that a national recount of

other groups, it was noted, have continuously pleaded for all and sundry to be wary of the grave ramifications that sanctions will have on Guyana, and that such a bleak eventuality

GGDMA President Andron Alphonso

should be taken seriously.

According to the two organisations, there has been a stepping up of pressure from the international community in recent times.

They noted that these are trading partners that the business community depend on to purchase their exports as well as provide essential imports.

Sanctions

“This therefore leads us to conclude that such sanctions are imminent if such a government is installed.

The local business community notes that all political parties have expressed concern regarding the prospect of the imposition of sanctions on Guyana.

“We remind all that sanctions are consequential, and would only apply if Guyana refuses to follow the democratic path and swear in a candidate based

on flawed election results.

Any government sworn in via this process would not be legitimate and will not be recognized. In this globalized world, no country is an economic island.”

They made it clear that at a juncture where Guyana lacks the manufacturing capacity and will need help from the international community to fight the novel coronavirus pandemic tearing apart other countries, they can ill afford sanctions.

“We do not wish for Guyana to become a pariah state, thereby facing sanctions that would cripple our fledgling economy and squander any gains that we have made over the many years of struggle.

“Guyana cannot afford to face sanctions; we do not have the financial or manufacturing capability to support our largely import-dependent economy. Our exports of oil, gold, sugar, rice, timber, liquor, among others, will all suffer as we will be unable to access the level of trade that we presently enjoy.”

Democratic pathway

Meanwhile, well known businessman and Giftland proprietor, Roy Beepat, echoed the sentiments of those urging Guyana to remain on the democratic pathway. He recalled the exodus of himself and other members of the commercial class when former

Giftland proprietor Roy Beepat

President Forbes Burnham was in power.

“I was forced out of Guyana by the Burnham regime 40 years ago. I left my friends and family to restart my life in a new and different environment. I never held this against my fellow Guyanese… I knew then, as I do now, that this was a handful of corrupt and ambitious persons, devoid of integrity, moral fiber or morality,” he said in his statement.

“These persons,” he added, “have no empathy for the masses, most of who are hoodwinked into believing the propaganda being spoon-fed to them. “Some who won’t even care if they were cheating the system and their fellow Guyanese, these people will scheme, plot and plan to steal your democratic rights without any moral regard to the devastating effects it will have.

“We are in for a ride, possibly air and sea embargoes, shortages of medicine and other commodities.

We (risk becoming like) Venezuela overnight, such a different scenario than what promised to be the start of our time to shine, we are right back where we were 40 years ago,” Beepat said.

NEWS

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SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

COVID-19

PPP forms task force, outlines expert-backed plan

…says not enough information, testing kits available

Former shadow Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony

PPP candidate Hugh Todd

he People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has formed a task force – COVID-19 Response Multi-Stakeholder forum – that includes various members of the party, who have medical training and former Health Ministers In a video broadcast via social media on Saturday, the PPP’s Presidential Candidate, Dr Irfaan Ali announced that the task force was formed out of necessity. He noted that not enough information and action is being filtered out and taken by health and other authorities.

For now, the task force will seek that information and provide updates, the next one scheduled for Monday. But Dr Ali also outlined the various measures

that the task force would do should the PPP enter office, even as the election results remain in limbo weeks after Guyanese went out to vote.

“For example, we have to look at social relief measures, to deal with the vulnerable in our society. Pensioners, salaried and non-salaried workers.

Workers that will be displaced. Workers that will be affected directly or indirectly. Workers that may have tested positively. And how do we support those workers and their families,” he said.

“The medical and frontline workers, because they are exposed. How do we ensure that they have safeguards? Accessibility to food.

Tax relief measures to help businesses. To ensure there is money in people’s pockets

T

Dr Vindhya Persaud

to survive this difficult period not only in the immediate but long term.”

On the task force team are doctors Frank Anthony and Vindhya Persaud.

Former Ministers of Health Dr Leslie Ramsammy and Gail Teixeira are also on the task force, as well as PPP candidate Hugh Todd.

It was made clear that the task force will seek the involvement of all stakeholders, including the various political parties.

Meanwhile, Dr Anthony is of the view that Guyana does not have enough testing kits, nor a comprehensive enough plan to tackle the coronavirus and deal with the economic fallout.

According to Anthony, 700 test kits are not enough.

He also noted that the Government has not provid-

CDC offers to deliver supplies to persons in quarantine

CDC Director General, Lt Col Kester Craig

T

he Civil Defence Commission (CDC) has taken up the mantle of offering to deliver items, which were sent by persons to their relatives in quarantine at no cost.

This is due to the high risk of exposure to families and friends of persons in institutional quarantine or isolation. Even though persons at the centres will be provided with meals and essential items for daily living, CDC suggests that persons who are desirous of sending items to their relatives in institutional quarantine or isolation should do so through the Civil Defence Commission

(CDC) Headquarters located at Thomas Lands, Thomas Road, Georgetown.

The Commission requires that: “all liquids are tightly sealed, all items inclusive of personal items must be neatly packed in boxes and labelled with the name and contact number of the person sending and receiving the package. However, CDC said perishable food items including cooked foods will not be accepted because of the risk of spoilage and contamination during transport”.

They further noted that: “all items are subject to inspection, alcohol, cigarettes, and cash will be refused while herbs or illicit drugs will be confiscated. Persons delivering packages will be required to sign off the necessary documentation prepared by the CDC. All items should be at the CDC no later than 15:00hrs or 3:00 pm (Monday-Friday), and all persons entering into the CDC compound must comply with the hygiene/sanitation rules. Persons failing to do so, will not be allowed into the compound”.

Meanwhile, a group

of Guyanese, who arrived on a chartered flight from Barbados on Wednesday evening, who were quarantined at a location on the Linden-Soesdyke Highway, have complained about the conditions in which they are being placed to stay over the next two weeks.

A relative of one of those persons told Guyana Times that there are not adequate arrangements in place at the quarantine facility to accommodate the group that arrived. In fact, it was noted that the group is being made to stay with persons who were already there, three of whom appeared sick.

This publication was told that while the males and females have separate sleeping quarters, there are two bathrooms and two toilets, with only one functioning sink, for everyone to use. It was noted that they all have to use the same utensils.

Some of the persons who came in on the flight stated that they do not have necessities, such as towels, as they were only allowed to fly with a 20-pound luggage on the light aircraft.

ed enough personal protection equipment to the health care workers The former shadow Health Minister further outlined the risks the virus poses particularly to vulnerable demographics. According to Dr Anthony, enough contact training to track persons who were exposed has not been done. He noted that persons who are trained for this are not being used.

“We have a number of doctors who are assisting us.

And we are going to be working to provide advice. We are going to be seeking information to ensure that we understand how this pandemic is unfolding in Guyana. And we’ll be asking the health authorities for more information. 80 per cent of those persons infected will have no signs or symptoms. Another 19 per cent will probably have the disease in a moder-

PPP Presidential Candidate Dr Irfaan Ali

ate way.”

“And those persons may include persons over the age of 80. Persons with underlying, chronic disease such as high blood pressure and diabetes, asthma and other respiratory conditions, they would be more vulnerable. We want people to pay special attention to this. We know that we have close to

60,000 persons with diabetes in Guyana.”

He added that judging from the pattern of infection around the world, there would likely be a one per cent of persons from the victim pool who would develop a more severe form of COVID-19. Such persons could develop viral pneumonia

Kenya Police under fire over ‘excessive force’ as curfew begins

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uman rights groups have condemned the “unnecessary and excessive use of force” by Kenyan police as the country imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew amid efforts to slow the spread of the new coronavirus.

On Friday, police fired tear gas at a crowd of ferry commuters in the port city of Mombasa before the 7pm to 5am curfew came into force, 20 human rights groups, including Amnesty International, said in a statement on Saturday.

This forced hundreds of people to touch their faces as they vomited, spat and wiped away tears, increasing the chance of the virus’s spread, the statement added.

Some health workers even reported being intimidated by police officers as

they tried to provide services after the curfew, according to the rights groups.

Elsewhere, officers were captured in mobile phone footage beating people with batons, causing uproar in the country.

“We continue to receive testimonies from victims, eyewitnesses and video footage showing police gleefully assaulting members of the public in other parts of the country,” the rights groups said.

Kenya’s interior ministry on Saturday replied to the criticism in a statement saying the curfew “is meant to guard against an apparent threat to public health.

Breaking it is not only irresponsible but also puts others in harm’s way”.

The guidelines issued to security forces on the cur-

few say that police can use “proportionate force where non-violent means are inadequate to achieve the objectives of the curfew”.

The government has not said how many people have been arrested. Because courts are also affected by the virus prevention measures, all but serious cases will now be dealt with at police stations, the government has said.

That means anyone detained for violating curfew faces time in crowded cells.

Kenya has so far confirmed 38 cases of the new coronavirus, which causes a highly infectious respiratory disease called COVID-19.

The country has taken a series of measures to stop its spread, including shutting borders and banning most air travel. (Al Jazeera)

Coronavirus: Number of UK deaths rises above 1000

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he number of people to have died with the coronavirus in the UK has reached 1,019.

The latest government figures on Saturday showed there were another 260 deaths in the UK in a day, up from 759 on Friday.

There are now 17,089 confirmed cases in the UK. It comes as the government said it was ramping up testing for frontline hospital staff who have symptoms, or who live with people who have symptoms.

Critical care doctors and nurses will be prioritised first, with testing ex-

pected to follow for A&E staff, paramedics and GPs. In Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, health workers are already being tested.

The jump in deaths is the biggest day-on-day increase the UK since the outbreak began. The number of deaths is 34% higher than Friday’s figure.

The new figures include a further 246 people in England, with patients aged between 33 and 100 years old. All of them had underlying health conditions except 13 people, who were aged 63 and over.

In Scotland, 40 people

have died so far in total, while the figure in Wales is 38. Northern Ireland has seen a total of 15 deaths.

The Department of Health and Social Care also corrected figures that it shared on Friday, saying the number of confirmed cases was 36 fewer than it had tweeted, at 14,543.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Health Secretary Matt Hancock are self-isolating after testing positive for the virus. England’s chief medical officer, Prof Chris Whitty, is also self-isolating, but has not tested positive. (BBC)

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SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2020

guyanatimesgy.com

Regional

Ex-Venezuelan spy chief Carvajal discussing T&T records 3rd COVID-19 death; surrender with US authorities – sources

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he former head of Venezuela’s military intelligence unit, Hugo Carvajal, is discussing his possible surrender with US authorities, three people familiar with the matter said on Saturday, after prosecutors charged him this week with drug trafficking alongside Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Carvajal, a former general and ally of late Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez, has been in hiding since a Spanish court in November approved his extradition to the United States. It was unclear when or if he would surrender as the people said talks were ongoing.

One person familiar with the matter said US authorities were in touch with

Former Venezuelan Intelligence Chief Hugo Carvajal stands during his extradition hearing to US at the High Court in Madrid, Spain, September 12, 2019

Carvajal through a non-governmental intermediary trying to convince him to turn himself in, and there was a “50/50 chance” it would succeed.

Carvajal’s lawyer in

Spain, Maria Dolores Arguelles, said she was not aware of discussions over his surrender.

US officials have long sought Carvajal because they believe, if he is willing

to cooperate, that he could provide a treasure trove of information on the alleged drug activities of Maduro and his associates.

On Friday, DEA agents flew to Colombia to remand in custody retired Venezuelan general Cliver Alcala, three people familiar with the matter said, after he agreed to work with prosecutors who charged him in the same case.

The US Government on Thursday indicted Carvajal, Alcala, Maduro, and a dozen other current and former Venezuelan officials on charges of “narco-terrorism”, the latest escalation of a pressure campaign by US President Donald Trump Administration to oust the socialist leader. (Excerpt from Reuters)

House committee recommends conscience vote on abortion

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HE House of Representatives' Human Resources and Social Development Select Committee has recommended that Members of Parliament make a “conscience” vote to determine whether or not abortion should be legalised in Jamaica.

The recommendation was obviously the likeliest response from the 11-member committee, chaired by Opposition MP and Roman

Catholic Deacon Ronald Thwaites, after listening to the divisive views of more than 70 local and overseas institutions, individuals and emotional experts for a little over two years.

A conscience vote means that the MPs would vote according to their own conscience, rather than following party lines. However, it was obvious from the start of the process that the division was more religious than political.

It was also advised that a pregnancy crisis centre for women contemplating abortion — the Holy Innocent Crisis Centre in Kingston, founded by Father Richard HoLung, founder and superior general of the Roman Catholic Missionaries of the Poor (MOP) — offers shelter and counselling, as well as an option for the women to permanently or temporarily leave the children there for adoption, if unable to care for them.

The motion, which led to the committee's deliberations, was introduced to the House of Representative by first-time Government MP and former Olympic silver medallist Juliet Cuthbert Flynn, in 2018.

The committee received 780 e-mails rejecting abortion, and 145 supporting the changes to the current laws, in addition to submissions and petitions. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

positive cases now 76

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rinidad and Tobago has recorded its third COVID-19 death and a spike in cases between Friday and Saturday.

In its latest update, the Ministry of Health confirmed there had been a third death. However, it again did not divulge any details of the patient's age, gender or when they died.

The number of cases also rose by 10, from 66 on Friday to 76 up to the time of the Ministry's release at 4:14 pm Saturday.

The number of samples submitted to the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) for testing stands at 500, according to the Ministry.

So far, only one patient has been discharged from hospital.

In its second daily update Saturday, the Ministry advised that of the total number of positive cases, 49 came from the group of nationals who recently returned from a Caribbean cruise.

A breakdown of this revealed that 46 positive cases came from the group of 68 nationals who returned from the cruise together, whilst three positive cases from the group of nationals who returned from the same cruise, but separately from the other 68 nationals.

The Ministry of Health again reminded the public that placing your hands on your face increases the risk of contracting the virus, as it can transfer from your hands to your nose and mouth and then enter your body.

They are urging people to protect themselves by washing hands often with soap and water, or by using an alcohol-based sanitiser that contains at least 60 per cent alcohol, if soap and water are not available.

It is also advised that all public transportation vehicles should operate with windows open and limit their occupancy. (Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian)

Hundreds to be evacuated from coronavirus-hit ship off Panama

Mexican President toughens stance, urges people to stay home to contain pandemic

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exico’s President on Friday urged people to stay indoors to prevent an “overwhelming” spread of coronavirus, taking his strongest stance yet against the pandemic that has killed over 27,000 worldwide and infected nearly 600,000 so far.

“We have to stay in our homes, we have to keep a healthy distance,” Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said in a 14-minute video on YouTube, warning that the health system may not be able to cope with a mass outbreak of cases, although

Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador

Mexico has so far registered far fewer cases than other

countries.

Mexican health officials reported 717 cases of coronavirus on Friday, up from 585 a day before. The country has reported 12 deaths from the disease so far.

Lopez Obrador also acknowledged that the economic impact of a major outbreak would be worse in the long run if companies don’t send employees home, changing tack after warning earlier that a business shutdown could cause more damage than the virus.

“I know this is going to mean costs, but we could be

losing more. Without prevention, the economy could fall even more,” he said.

Mexico slipped into recession last year, and the struggling economy was one factor that pushed the President’s approval rating below 50 per cent for the first time in a poll on Friday.

All non-essential federal Government activities have been halted and he has taken care to preserve at least a meter of distance with other officials even as he continues his usual travel around the country. (Excerpt from Reuters)

50,000 fine for breaking Stay Home rule from Monday

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he public will still be able to go to the shop, grocery and drug store from Monday. But if you’re not doing that and aren’t among certain essential services which continue operating, you’ll have to tell Police why you’re outside and could ultimately face a $50,000 fine and six months’ jail.

National Security Minister Stuart Young on Friday announced essential sectors which will continue operating from Monday as

Government bids to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

Following the first COVID-19 death on Wednesday, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley announced a “deepening” of curtailing of non-essential operations until April 15. It’s not a state of emergency or lockdown but law enforcement is empowered to deal with those who violate laws and measures and they’ll be policing the “Stay Home” effort firmly, Young

said.

The long list of essential businesses includes corner shops, groceries, discount and convenience stores like Pricesmart - which supply food, pharmaceuticals and other supplies. He said no more than 10 people would be allowed in groceries and pharmacies at a time - but social distancing must be maintained.

Ministries and municipal corporations will remain open, as well as Inland Revenue, Treasury, Central

Bank and Customs/Excise.

All other Government services will close. Young said ministries and corporations will examine and decide on essential services and those who can work from home.

Other services continuing include the magistracy, judiciary, Industrial Court and legal services.

Parliament, Cabinet and Cabinet sub-committee meetings and Tobago House of Assembly meetings.

(Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian)

An offshore supply vessel is seen next to the cruise ship MS Rotherdam, which brought supplies and COVID-19 test kits to the MS Zaandam, where four passengers died, pictured off the coast of Panama City, Panama March 27, 2020

H

undreds of passengers on a cruise ship, where four people have died and over 130 others have influenza-like symptoms, including at least two with the coronavirus, will be transferred to a sister ship, Panamanian authorities said on Saturday.

“The ship which could not dock at any port in South America will remain in Panamanian waters 8 nautical miles from the coast, since it did not receive approval from Panamanian health authorities to cross the (Panama) Canal,” Panama’s maritime authority said.

It said 401 asymptomatic passengers will be transferred from cruise operator Holland America Line’s 238-metre (781-foot) MS Zaandam vessel to the

Rotterdam, a sister ship.

There are 1243 guests and 586 crew onboard the Zaandam, as well as four doctors and four nurses, the cruise operator has said.

Holland America, which is owned by Carnival Corp, said on Friday the Zaandam, previously on a South American cruise, was trying to transit the Panama Canal and make its way to Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

But Panama’s Government denied it access to the canal for sanitary reasons, leaving passengers and crew wondering when they would get home.

About 70 healthy passengers on the Zaandam have already been boarded onto tenders pulled up on the port side of the ship for transfer to the Rotterdam, according to a passenger.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

guyanatimesgy.com

OILNEWS Oil bust and pandemic strike is double blow for Texas

S

tate that outperformed the rest of the US on the back of the shale boom is heading for a crash.

Steaks and oysters Rockefeller were once served to oil executives at Opal’s Table restaurant in Midland, Texas.

This week the business closed its doors to customers to cook kerbside meals for the needy. An economic cyclone is ripping through Midland and the rest of Texas, the leading oil-producing state in the US. The Covid-19 outbreak has led to government stay-at-home orders that turned busy roads into empty blacktop. The ensuing collapse in fuel demand has halved the value of Texas crude amid an all-out price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia. Oil busts are familiar in Texas. Pandemics are not. The combination has cast a pall over its $1.8tn economy. At Opal’s, on the ground floor of an office building housing oil companies, owner Chip Hight said he decided to provide free food to the jobless and to medical personnel, magnanimity that will also keep his staff employed after the city banned dining out. “It appears that the winds are going to change very drastically,” he said.

Texas’s oil output quadrupled in the past decade. The heart of the production boom is in the Permian Basin surrounding Midland, where volumes have reached 2.7m barrels per day, state data showed.

Wes Perry, chairman of oil and gas explorer PBEX and a former Midland mayor, said the sudden bust recalled the mid-1980s, when Saudi Arabia chose to open its taps in a quest for market share and drove West Texas Intermediate crude to $10 a barrel.But the disappearance of oil demand due to coronavirus makes this collapse unique. This week, Plains All-American, a pipeline company, was offering sellers $18.50 a barrel for WTI, whose peak this year was $63 in January.“As much a tragedy as the coronavirus is, most states are dealing with one problem. Texas is dealing with two because we’re dealing with coronavirus and the dramatic drop in oil and gas prices,” said Dale Craymer, president of the Texas Taxpayers & Research Association and a former state budget director. The Texas economy is more diverse than its oily reputation suggests, with a broad set of industries that includes healthcare, transport and tech. For years, the state has been socking away a portion of taxes on oil and natural gas production into a rainy-day fund. (Financial Times)

Oil prices could fall another 20%

B

rent crude was down four percent Friday afternoon at $27.50 per barrel. US crude was five percent lower at $21.47 per barrel.

Prices were on track for their fifth weekly drop in a row as coronavirus ravages economies around the world.

Containment measures have caused demand to slump and supply chains to be severely disrupted, dramatically lowering demand for oil.

The price war launched by Saudi Arabia almost three weeks ago after talks with Russia over price stabilisation broke down has sent prices to their lowest level in 17 years.

The Brent crude price was around $65 per barrel at the start of January.

“In recent days there has been a lot of chatter that demand for oil is going to be hit severely in the months ahead, hence by dealers are dumping the energy,” said David Madden, market analyst at CMC Markets.

“The bitter price-war between Saudi Arabia and Russia is hurting oil too.”

Edward Moya, senior market analyst at Oanda, said the lack of storage for crude oil was a problem. Energy prices could tumble further if countries do not have anywhere to store the oil Saudi Arabia is producing during its price war.

“It seems market dislocations will happen as producers will start running out of room store crude. Roughly threefourths of the world storage facilities are already full,” Moya said.

“If the Saudis and Russians follow through with the unleashing of record oil supply next month, energy markets will have to brace for another plunge in oil prices.”

Faith Birol, head of the International Energy Agency, yesterday said oil prices could fall by 20 percent with 3bn people around the world on lockdown.

“One would expect that Saudi Arabia will provide a constructive support to the stabilisation of the global oil markets based on their past record,” Birol said. (oilprice.com)

SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2020

19

Around the World

Italy’s coronavirus death toll passes 10,000

T

he death toll from an outbreak of coronavirus in Italy barreled past 10,000 on Saturday, a figure that made an extension of a national lockdown almost certain.

Officials said 889 more people died in the previous 24 hours, the second highest daily tally since the epidemic emerged on Feb. 21, and that total fatalities reached 10,023. Confirmed cases rose by about 6,000 to 92,472, the second-highest number of cases in the world behind the United States.

Officials said the numbers would have been worse without a national lockdown.

“Without these measures, we would be seeing far worse numbers and our health service would be in a far more dramatic state. We would have been in an un-

sustainable situation,” said Angelo Borelli, the Civil Protection head who reads out the numbers daily to the media and an anxious Italy.

Italy, the first Western country to introduce severe restrictions on movement after uncovering the outbreak five weeks ago, has since increasingly tightened them, and hopes that they would be eased from next Friday were fading fast.

“There are elements that make us believe that all of the April 3 expirations of provision will have to be postponed,” Industry Minister Stefano Patuanelli told Italian broadcaster Rai. The Lombardy region, which has borne the worst of the contagion, recorded 542 new deaths, bringing the total there to 5,944.

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has urged the

Pallbearers wearing protective masks carry the coffin of a woman who died from coronavirus disease (COVID-19)

European Union to launch a “recovery bond” to help fund the response to the coronavirus outbreak, saying fail-

ure to tackle the emergency would be a “tragic mistake” for the bloc. (Reuters)

Coronavirus: Trump Abbott launches ‘considering quarantine 5-minute virus test for on New York’

U

S President Donald Trump has said he is considering imposing a quarantine on New York in a bid to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

“We’d like to see [it] quarantined because it’s a hotspot,” he told reporters.

“I’m thinking about that.”

He spoke as confirmed cases in the state increased to more than 52,000, around half of the total in the US. But the state’s governor, Andrew Cuomo, said he had not discussed such measures with the president. “I didn’t speak to him about any quarantine,” he told reporters shortly after he had spoken with Mr Trump by phone. “I haven’t had those conversations,” he added. “I don’t even know what that means.” New York state has the highest number of cases of Covid-19

in the US. Speaking before he left to visit a Navy hospital ship in Virginia, Mr Trump said that “New Jersey [and] certain parts of Connecticut” could also be quarantined under the measures. “We might not have to do it but there’s a possibility that sometime today we’ll do a quarantine — short term [for] two weeks,” he said. But Mr Cuomo, who was holding a daily press briefing at the time of Mr Trump’s comments on Saturday, expressed concern at the idea.

“I don’t know how that can be legally enforceable,” he said. “And from a medical point of view, I don’t know what you would be accomplishing.” “But I can tell you I don’t even like the sound of it,” he added. “Not even understanding what it is, I don’t like the sound of it.” (BBC)

Rockets intercepted over Saudi capital: state media

B

allistic missiles were intercepted on Saturday in the sky above Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh and the southern city of Jazan, state media reported, citing its own sources and the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen.

Residents in Riyadh reported multiple blasts around 2320 (20:20 GMT), followed by emergency vehicle sirens in some northern districts.

The source of the projectiles was unclear and there was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis battling the Saudiled coalition have launched hundreds of missiles and drones across the border, mostly at nearby military and civilian targets but also

at Riyadh.

The last attempted strike on the capital was in June 2018.

Saudi Arabia blamed Iran for a September 2019 drone and missile attack on two oil installations that initially halved Saudi oil output, even after the Houthis claimed responsibility. Tehran denies involvement.

The Saudi-led coalition intervened in Yemen’s civil war in 2015 to try to restore the internationally-recognised government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, ousted by the Houthis in 2014.

Tens of thousands of people have died in the conflict that is widely seen as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran. (Al Jazeera)

use almost anywhere

A

bbott Laboratories is unveiling a coronavirus test that can tell if someone is infected in as little as five minutes, and is so small and portable it can be used in almost any healthcare setting.

The medical-device maker plans to supply 50,000 tests a day starting April 1, said John Frels, vice president of research and development at Abbott Diagnostics.

The molecular test looks for fragments of the coronavirus genome, which can quickly be detected when present at high levels. A thorough search to definitively rule out an infection can take up to 13 minutes, he said.

Abbott has received emergency use authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration “for use by authorized laboratories and patient care settings,” the company said on Friday.

The US has struggled to supply enough tests to detect the virus, even as the outbreak threatens to overwhelm hospitals in New York, California, Washington and other regions. After initially restricting testing to high-risk people, and problems with a test designed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, US regulators have rushed out diagnostics made by the world’s leading commercial-testing companies.

“This is really going to provide a tremendous opportunity for front-line caregivers, those having to diagnose a lot of infections, to close the gap with our testing,” Frels said. “A clinic will be able to turn that result around quickly, while the

patient is waiting.”

The technology builds on Illinois-based Abbott’s ID Now platform, the most common point-of-care test currently available in the U.S., with more than 18,000 units spread across the country.

It is widely used to detect influenza, strep throat and respiratory syncytial virus, a common bug that causes cold-like symptoms.

The test starts with taking a swab from the nose or the back of the throat, then mixing it with a chemical solution that breaks open the virus and releases its RNA. The mixture is inserted into an ID Now system, a small box weighing just under 7 pounds that has the technology to identify and amplify select sequences of the coronavirus genome and ignore contamination from other viruses.

The equipment can be set up almost anywhere, but the company is working with its customers and the Trump administration to ensure the first cartridges used to perform the tests are sent to where they are most needed. They are targeting hospital emergency rooms, urgent-care clinics and doctors’ offices.

Last week, Abbott’s m2000 RealTime system got U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for use in hospitals and molecular laboratories to diagnose the infection. That system can churn through more tests on a daily basis, up to 1 million a week, but it takes longer to get the results.

Abbott plans to provide at least 5 million tests a month between the two systems.

(Bloomberg)

20

SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2020

‘Andre Russell now is “our Chris Gayle, our Brian Lara” − Dwayne Bravo

T

he Jamaican Andre Russell is one of the most valuable players in T20 cricket, and now his West Indies team-mate Dwayne Bravo has likened him to “our Chris Gayle, our Brian Lara” in T20Is. Bravo’s praise came in the wake of Russell’s impactful return during the two-match T20I series in Sri Lanka, which was also the first series Russell played for West Indies since being ruled out of the 2019 World Cup due to an injury.

West Indies won the series 2-0, with Russell playing a big hand, scoring 35 off 14 balls in the first T20I and 40 off 14 in the second.

The latter in particular was a whirlwind knock, as Russell had packed six sixes to add to the four others he had hit in the first match, enough to fetch the Player-of-the-Series award.

“He’s the best in the world,” Bravo, who was part of the West Indies side, said in praise of Russell in a chat with Trinidad-based radio station I955 FM on Friday. “It’s the same I used to say of Chris Gayle when Chris Gayle was in his prime. We are happy to have him representing us, we didn’t have to come up and bowl against him in an international match. It’s the same with Andre Russell. Andre Russell now is our Chris Gayle, is our Brian Lara, in the T20 format. He is the superstar.”

The Sri Lanka T20I series was Bravo’s second in the West Indies dressing room after he came out of retirement this January for the

home T20I series against Ireland. That series was Bravo’s first international assignment after 2016, the last time he had played for West Indies.

Despite being the defending T20 World Cup champions, West Indies have been inconsistent in a format wherein most of their players have become household names. Last November, they lost 2-1 to Afghanistan the T20I series played in India. Another 2-1 defeat followed immediately in the T20I series against India. In January this year, they bounced back in the final game of the threematch T20I series against Ireland to level the series 1-1 with one game washed out.

Then they started the Sri Lanka Tour by losing the ODI series 3-0 before winning the T20I series.

According to Bravo, the team management, led by captain Kieron Pollard and head coach Phil Simmons, had acknowledged that there was a lot of work to be done with West Indies preparing to defend their title in the T20 World Cup, scheduled for OctoberNovember in Australia this year. Bravo said the team had set itself the bigger goal of making West Indies once again the “dominant” team in world cricket.

“Prior to that [T20I series in Sri Lanka], we weren’t really consistent as a team over the years in T20 cricket,” Bravo said. “With the 3-0 loss in the ODI series, we T20 guys had a chat among ourselves along with the management, and made a pledge that we want to

start back winning series. We said we wanted to be back being the most dominant team in the T20 format.

“We have produced some of the best players in the world, and when we are together in the same team, we have to stamp our authority and get the cricketing world to respect West Indies cricket again, and especially West Indies’ T20 team.

We said, ‘All hands o n deck! Let’s start with this Sri Lanka series and make sure we send the message.’ Yeah, that’s what we did.”

Bravo said the depth of talent in the West Indies T20 set-up could be gauged from the fact that he, despite being the most experienced player in the squad, had to bat at a position he had never batted at previously.

“When the coach wrote the batting line-up, I was down to bat at number nine. I said to the guys, ‘This is the Andre Russell first time I’ve ever been in a T20 team and I’m happy to be like that – father figure, mendown to bat at number nine.’

“Putting all egos aside, I’m happy with tor, guide, to allow these young boys to go out that, because, at the end of the day, I accept there and showcase their talent to the world.

“All of us are on the same page, no egos in the fact guys like Rovman Powell and Fabian the dressing room, one common goal: to just Allen and [Shimron] Hetmyer, the talent and win cricket games and dominate.” (Cricinfo) the ability they have to hit the ball, I’m just

BHA stands down staff for ‘£1M monthly saving’ …suggests athletics’ changes following coronavirus crisis T W he British Horseracing Authority (BHA) will stand down the majority of its 260 staff during the coronavirus pandemic.

More than 200 people will benefit from

BHA Chair Annamarie Phelps said: “We will ensure that racing is ready to resume from 1 May onwards, if it proves possible to do so.”

A ‘resumption of racing workstream’ has

Horse racing progress

the Government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme at British Horseracing’s governing body, and all remaining staff - including board members - are taking pay cuts.

The BHA says the move will save the industry about £1m per month - a third of its usual operating costs. Those being stood down from their current roles include all race day staff.

All horse racing in Great Britain is currently suspended until the end of April. In a statement,

been set up, with any restart likely to be phased, almost certainly behind closed doors to begin with, and flat racing - rather than jumps - to lessen any need for emergency services.

On Thursday, the BHA announced the consultation into the use of whips b y jockeys during races had been postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

(BBC.COM)

orld Athletics President Sebastian Coe says track and field must not be afraid to “think bigger” after the coronavirus pandemic passes.

On Tuesday, it was confirmed the Tokyo Olympics – which had been due to start in July – has been postponed to 2021 due to the ongoing crisis.

World Athletics has welcomed the decision, with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) having initially been reluctant to postpone the showpiece event.

It appears inevitable that the World Athletics Championships, due to be held in Oregon in August 2021, will be nudged back a year to 2022 as a result.

Though disappointed at the 2020 schedule being hugely affected, Coe suggested there is now an opportunity to reinvigorate athletics.

“When we get through this, and we will, we will be braver and more innovative,” Coe wrote in an open letter on Friday. “We will be more collaborative and resilient. We will be stronger and more tolerant. We will be more global, not less.

“In sport, we have a unique opportunity not to tiptoe around things and tweak at the edges.

We have the chance to think bigger, to rip up the blueprints and banish the ‘that’s the way we’ve always done it’ mentality.”

Coe added: “The situation the world finds itself in today is a huge wake-up call for all of us – as human beings, as businesses, and as sport. We should capitalise on this and work out new ways of delivering events, create and plan new events that embrace the many as well as the few.

“We can use this time to innovate, and extend our sport across the year rather than just focusing on one-day meetings and one-day road races at one end of the spectrum, and 10-day extravaganzas

at the other end.

“We should look at weekend festivals of running, jumping and throwing that take advantage of the southern and northern hemisphere seasons.

“We should work with governments to reestablish sport in schools, rebuild club structures, incentivise people to exercise and get fit. This should and could be the new normal. We don’t have to do things the same way. The priority for all of us right now is to contain the pandemic, stay healthy and stay home. But where we can continue to drive our sport forward, we must.”

Coe also revealed his organisation would do all it can to ensure the outdoor season of oneday meetings goes ahead as soon as it is safe, with Diamond League events having been postponed until at least June. (Sportsmax)

SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2020

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

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he Wanda Diamond League has today postponed three more meetings which had been scheduled to take place in May, and said an alternative calendar for the 2020 season is to be announced in due course.

Following postponement of early-season events in Qatar and China last week, the decision was made to also suspend meetings in Stockholm (scheduled for May 24), Naples/Rome (May 28) and Rabat (May 31). The decision was made in consultation with all the relevant parties.

The dynamic global spread of the COVID-19 disease; the travel restrictions expected to be in force for some time; and, above all, concerns over athletes’ safety, have made it impossible to stage the competitions as planned. The meeting organisers, the Wanda Diamond League and World Athletics, remain committed to delivering a structured, extensive season in 2020. The aim is to ensure that athletes can compete at the highest possible level this year, and that fans will be able to see their favourite stars in action whenever the global health situation allows.

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New dates for the Wanda Diamond League events will be announced in cooperation with the World Athletics Global Calendar Unit as soon as the extraordinary situation makes a reliable plan possible.

“We are working intensively with all stakehold-

ers (athletes, managers, broadcasters, sponsors, local authorities and federations) to develop a new calendar for a 2020 Wanda Diamond League season which best serves the interests of athletes and fans.

(Sportsmax)

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T

he fate of this year’s British Grand Prix is dependent on how long the national lockdown is enforced. The meeting at Silverstone, due to take place on the weekend of 17-19 July, requires 12 weeks’ notice to prepare; and managing director of the circuit, Stuart Pringle, has said this could not begin with things as they currently are in the country.

“Sooner rather than later, we’re going to have to make a decision,” Pringle told the GPFans website. “But 12 weeks is the drop-dead date to get things prepared.” That would require work to begin on 20 April, one week after the lockdown is due to end.

However, if the restrictions are extended, Silverstone would be unable to prepare for the race.

“We would begin preparations with site infrastructure stuff, the marquees and things like that,” said Pringle. “But if we’re locked down and people can’t travel in, then that’s going to make the decision for us.”

The opening eight meetings of the Formula One season have already been called off,

F

ormer UFC champion Conor McGregor wants the Irish military to support the police to ensure the public complies with coronavirus measures.

The Irish mixed martial arts star also said the country's airports be closed immediately.

On Friday, the Irish government told people to stay at home for two weeks unless their work is essential or they need to buy food.

"I urge our government to utilise our defence forces," McGregor, 31, said.

"Our defence forces have been mentioned as a possibility in assisting our 15,000 available Gardai (Police) but only if necessary. However, it is necessary."

Dubliner McGregor said in a Facebook video that the military should assist the Irish police in

and Silverstone has shut down all track activities.

Motorsport UK has suspended all racing from the end of April to the end of June.

All the major summer sport

close communication, we’re trying to find the right answer.

events in Britain are under threat. Wimbledon, set to begin on 29 June, is expected to be called off; and the Open, from July 16-19 at Royal St George’s, is understood to be considering postponement.

Pringle has insisted that Silverstone would continue to pursue every opportunity to hold the race. “It’s not our decision alone,” he said. “We wouldn’t do anything without agreement with Formula One. We’re in very

The easy thing is to say: ‘Well, it’s not possible, is it?’. Actually, very extreme action is being taken at the moment, and we might yet get on top of things rather quicker than they have previously indicated.”

Pringle confirmed ticket holders will receive a full refund if the meeting is postponed. Last year, Silverstone was the best attended F1 meeting, with a total of 351,000 people over the weekend and 141,000 on race day. (Guardian)

"24-hour patrols".

"We cannot go by chance here," he said.

"Any less than full adherence to these newly put forth methods by any member of our society will not only be a mockery to what we are attempting to do it would put the rest of our great nation in danger."

While many flights in and out of Ireland have been cancelled, airports remain open.

"Our airports must shut," said McGregor, adding that the only flights that should be permitted were for "essential medical equipment or to bring our medical staff abroad home to support us".

'Make your current location your home' He also appealed to Irish people stranded abroad to make the current locations their home,

saying: "You are doing your country an incredible deed by staying put."

McGregor's four-minute address concluded by calling on his compatriots to maintain fitness levels by indulging in "small-space exercise programmes" in their own homes.

"We must encourage home workouts and healthy immuneboosting nutritional plans," he said.

"We need meal plans and the necessary vitamins we should be taking to boost our immune systems."

On Tuesday, McGregor called for the government to introduce an immediate lockdown, and on Wednesday he pledged 1m euros worth of personal protective equipment for hospitals in Ireland. (BBC.COM)

E

ngland captain Heather Knight has signed up to be a National Health Service (NHS) volunteer during the coronavirus outbreak.

Knight returned from

following day, people from around the country took a moment during the evening to applaud the NHS from their residences.

“Standing on our doorstep, joining in the #ClapForCarers

Australia, where she led England to the semi-finals of the Women’s T20 World Cup, only 10 days ago, and is now living under the UK’s lockdown rules with her boyfriend in Bristol.

She revealed in her BBC column that she had volunteered for the scheme, which will see people support the health service by delivering food and medicine, transporting patients to appointments, and making calls to those in isolation.

“I signed up to the NHS’s volunteer scheme as I have a lot of free time on my hands and I want to help as much as I can,” Knight said. “My brother and his partner are doctors, and I have a few friends who work in the NHS, so I know how hard they are working and how difficult it is for everyone.”

More than half a million people signed up when the volunteer programme was announced on Wednesday. The

was incredible, and getting involved and volunteering will help even more,” Knight said.

“I’m going to get the car out, as I’ve volunteered to transport medicine, and also speak to people who are self-isolating. If someone is home alone, you can ring them up and chat. They have had so many people sign up,” she said.

The ECB, meanwhile, has indicated that it could consider installing coronavirus checkpoints and isolation units at grounds as it examines the possibility of resuming cricket behind closed doors this summer.

Steve Elworthy, the ECB’s director of events, said games would need take place inside a “sterile” environment, likely with fewer than 500 people in the venue. “So, it’s how you test them at the gate, the isolation units that you have to put in,” he told the Guardian.

“These are considerations we are thinking about.” (Cricinfo)

22

GUYANATIMESGY.COMOM

SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2020

-Bishoo's strategy for Windies recall

By Brandon Corlette

D

iscarded West Indies leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo still has his eyes set on wearing the maroon colours, and is anticipating the day when he gets a recall to the West Indies set-up.

In an exclusive interview with this publication, the 34-year-old expressed that, for his dream to become reality, he would have to do well in the Regional Super 50 tournament and the Regional 4-Day tournament come next season.

“I have all year to prepare.

I just have to stay focused and train hard as I normally do, and do well when I get the opportunity again,” Bishoo opined.

Bishoo in ODI colours

Currently nursing a knee injury, Bishoo disclosed that he had already undertaken therapy therefor, and the ses-

sions of therapy are almost completed.

“The recovery is coming along well, but very slowly. It’s knee, so you have to really take your time and take care of that; it’s just a slow process,” he posited.

The Albion, Corentyne, East Berbice lad returned to competitive cricket in the 2020 Regional 4-Day tournament, wherein he played three matches for the Guyana Jaguars but took only five wickets in total.

He explained that he had still been recovering.

Speaking on his return to Regional cricket, Bishoo had this to say: “It was good (but) I didn’t have the best start that I wanted. Remember, I’m just coming back from injury and stuff like that, but I feel the last match in Grenada I bowled well. It’s not my standard and where I wanted to be, but as I say, I had an injury and you can’t push it too much.”

This leggie has played 103 first-class matches and has taken 387 wickets. He has a best bowling figure of 9-78, with 20 five-wicket hauls and 20 four-wicket hauls. He has four 10-wicket match hauls proverbially ‘under his belt’ at the first-class level.

Bishoo posited that he had not been bowling a lot during his recovery time at home, hence he accepts this phase in what he describes as a slow process. “I was just focusing on recovery, and how to get myself prepared for 4-Day,” Bishoo explained.

Bishoo's 8-49 is one of the best bowling efforts in a pink-ball Test

WDCA cricket competitions…

T

he Spice Rebels cricket team recently battled their Belle Vue counterparts in a thrilling two-match series promoted by the West Demerara Cricket Association, and emerged victorious after making light work of the Belle Vue team.

In the first encounter, a T20 affair, Belle Vue batted first and were bowled out for 143 for 6. Their stellar performances throughout 2020 were belied by disappointing recklessness employed against a team they had easily beaten in the past.

They failed to utilise the powerplay overs wisely, and found themselves influenced by a pointless strategy to abandon their naturally aggressive and wellthought-out game. In the end, their score could not be seriously defended. Their top-scorers were Nicholas Rajpat with 39 and Devindra Persaud with 32.

In reply, Spice Rebels ended on 145 for 4 in 14.5 overs. Their top-scorers Richie Looknauth and Andre Seepersaud made

light work of the total, producing unbeaten knocks of 52 and 30 respectively as they attacked the bowling from the first ball bowled.

These two teams then collided in a T10 affair, and again the Spice Rebels were too much for Belle Vue. Despite los-

ing wickets at key intervals, they maintained their net run rate at more than 10 an over, and eventually ended on 120 for 6 off their 10 overs, mainly thanks to the efforts of Andre Seepersaud with 41 and A. Singh with 26.

Belle Vue employed their best efforts in replying, but still lost by 6 runs. They ended on 115-7, with Devon Harris contributing 37 and Ryan Seecharran 20, being the two main run-getters.

England, has taken 117 Test wickets in 37 matches, and has four five-wicket hauls.

In the ODI format, he has taken 38 wickets in 42 matches.

Opinion…

C

Richie Looknauth top scored with 52 in the first game

Andre Seepersaud led with a blistering 41 in his T10 game

Bishoo, who last played for West Indies in March 2019 in the Home Series against

Devendra Bishoo

ricket West Indies’ (CWI’s) decision to award the regional firstclass title to runaway leaders Barbados Pride in the aborted season is untidy, but is nevertheless widely accepted.

The Pride were dominant all season, and would most likely have emerged champions in a completed 201920 campaign, but their lead was not unassailable considering that two rounds still remained.

To declare the season ended must have been a huge consideration, primarily because the championship was not completed, and an outcome contrary to the current standings was still possible, even if unlikely.

In future competitions, unforeseen circumstances should force the CWI’s competitions organisers to include a section in the conditions covering an incomplete season.

With 134.8 points, the Pride were a massive 40.2 points ahead of nearest rivals T&T Red Force (94.6) after eight completed rounds, while the dethroned champions Guyana Jaguars and the Jamaica Scorpions were joint third on 91.8 points.

The maximum points on offer for any winning team for each round in the 10game home and away format is 24 points, meaning the second-placed Red Force could have finished with 142.6 points after the 10 completed rounds, clearly ahead of where the Barbados Pride are now.

No one can foresee the dramatic turn of events in life; the COVID-19 pandemic had been the trigger and massive decisions had to be made.

The CWI Board of Directors “unanimously agreed” to award the Headley/Weekes Trophy to the Barbados Pride on the basis that a huge por-

tion of the season (80%) had been completed and on projection and form it was reasonable to conclude that the Pride would have gone on to easily top the championship table. The Pride needed a mere 7.8 points from their remaining two games to secure the title, and their performance curve was comfortably heading there.

Add to that their fast-bowling battery poised to earn valuable pace-bowling points -- world-class Test bowlers Jason Holder and Kemar Roach plus Chemar Holder and Keon Harding, No.2 and No.7 respectively on the list of the championship’s most prolific wicket-takers.

The CWI would have also considered recent precedents in the issue. In New Zealand, the 26-point league-leaders Wellington Firebirds were declared winners of their National Plunket Shield with the last two rounds of the competition cancelled even though their lead was not unassailable.

New South Wales (NSW) were also given the Sheffield Shield title in Australia after the cancellation of the final also as a result of the coronavirus outbreak. NSW were declared champions after “leading the competition through nine rounds” Cricket Australia said in a statement.

The CWI’s decision to award the Pride their first title since back-to-back wins in 2013 and 2014 had “no dissenting voices” in the Board room and I have, up to this point, heard not a single complaint about the unorthodox decision.

I am eagerly awaiting the 2019-20 English Premier League football conclusion.

Big leaders Liverpool are 25 points clear of nearest rivals Manchester City and need six

more points to be mathematically sure of the title. The push is to have the season completed no matter what but should it happen that the season is incomplete, would they award Liverpool the title?

Boxing has some clearly defined rules regarding aborted bouts, if for instance injury – example an accidental headbutt -- terminates a world championship contest. A technical draw, a virtual no-result, if the bout is halted within the first five rounds (halfway stage) but if the bout is halted beyond the halfway stage, a winner is declared by a “technical decision” based on who is leading on the scorecards at the point of the stoppage.

There is room for a leader being awarded a victory in an aborted competition, but I am more accepting of it, if the pre-existing rules stated it.

This uncontested CWI decision to crown the Barbados Pride may have also been an example of stakeholders recognizing in these times of a sweeping worldwide pandemic taking tens of thousands of lives, that understanding and compassion are human virtues winning over fighting and quarreling, which I guess is good.

Congrats to the Barbados Pride though who are rewarded for being the undisputed best in the championship.

They stuttered in an opening-game loss to the Windward Islands Volcanoes but then reeled off five consecutive wins over the Jaguars, Scorpions and Leeward Islands Hurricanes before a revenge win in the sixth round over the Volcanoes, and, to accentuate their supremacy, lashed five-time defending champions Jaguars by a massive 235 runs to close out the shortened season. (Lance Whittaker, SportsMax)

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2020

By Brandon Corlette

S

ince Kieron Pollard took over the captaincy role of the West Indies team in the latter part of the 2019, his team encountered mixed results in both the T20 and One Day International (ODI) format. In the T20 format, West Indies lost 2-1 against Afghanistan and followed up that performance with a 2-1 d e f e a t against India.

T h e men in maroon then drew a T20 series against an improved Ireland and then won the T20 series against Sri Lanka 2-0. That meant Pollard's T20 side won only one of their four bilateral T20 series in the post Carlos Brathwaiteera. In the T20 series against Afghanistan, West Indies top performers were Evin Lewis and Kesrick Williams.

Lewis made 106 runs in that series while Williams claimed eight wickets.

Pollard's second T20 series as skipper came in the India series that saw Shimron Hetmyer scored

120 runs and Pollard himself, scoring 105 runs.

West Indies had began to welcome the stalwarts back into the shorter format.

Lendl Simmons was the star performer in the Ireland series scoring 123 runs including a topscore of 91*.

Lewis continued his

Shai Hope

form scoring 101 runs while Pollard showed his skill with the ball picking up seven wickets while Dwyane Bravo made his return and claimed five wickets in the series. Simmons, Brandon King and the returning Andre Russell was in the runs. Oshane Thomas, another returning player was the star with the ball in the Sri Lanka T20 series grabbing six wickets.

ODI efforts

West Indies began in dominant fashion in the ODI series, sweeping the

Alzarri Joseph

Dwayne Bravo

Afghanistan team 3-0 under the carpet. West Indies showed an improve performance but India won a three-match ODI series against West Indies 2-1.

The men in maroon then wiped away Ireland 3-0 but Sri Lanka defeated West Indies 3-0.

The champion ODI batsman, Shai Hope showed his class in the Afghanistan series easing his way to 229 runs in the three-match series.

He was well supported by Roston Chase who recorded an all-round performance, scoring 145 runs and picking up six wickets.

West Indies lost against India 2-0 in the ODI series but Hope continued his class with 222 runs in three matches while Hetmyer made 180 runs.

Keemo Paul and Sheldon Cottrell shared 11 wickets between themselves. In the successful series against Ireland Lewis made 208 runs while Nicholas Pooran made 112 runs. Alzarri Joseph made the ball talk with eight scalps in his top bowling effort.

In the recent series against Sri Lanka, Hope was again the stand-out batsman with 238 runs in the three-match series. After Hope's aggregate, no other bats-

men reached 100 runs in that series. Joseph took 10 wickets in that series. West Indies looked a determined outfit under the helm of Pollard and Coach Phil Simmons but the results

23

have not been impressive.

The promise is there but the complete team effort has been lacking to an extent, especially in the ODI format with Hope steering the ship all alone.

Orion will be back in action

By Timothy Jaikarran

A

F

ollowing their acquisition of land in the ancient county of Berbice some eight months ago, the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) has finally begun work on a plot of land at Vrymen’s Erven, New Amsterdam.

“The GFF is happy to announce that works on the Berbice Football association ground (BFA) which was secured on a 30-year lease through the NDC last year have commenced with drainage and surface repairs,” A statement from the Federation stated.

When completely finished, the plot of land is expected to become the home of football in the county. In an invited comment, the GFF President Wayne Forde expressed pride at the Federation being able to commence the work and balance management of several other facility construction.

“I am very proud of the progress we have made in infrastructure. We have added approximately 12 acres of land to our portfolio for exclusive football development,” he said.

“These are the fundamental priorities that will place Guyana’s football on a sustainable development trajectory,” Forde went on to state.

Flashback! NA Mayor Heywood presents the lease to GFF President Wayne Forde back in July 2019.

It was revealed that a short term goal of the Berbice Football Association (BFA) is to have the field ready for community use in the near future, before mainstream construction begins.

The facility at Vrymen’s Erven will comprise of a full sized field, parameter fence, installation of lighting and construction of a football housing facility.

midst everything that is ongoing in the country, Marcel Crawford Jr, President of the Crawford Memorial Turf Club is hopeful that he will be able to host his annual horse meet on May 3,2020 after all the turmoil has ended.

In an interview with Guyana Times Sport when asked his view on the hosting of the meet Crawford said, “I am very confident that this meet will be a success, I am hoping to have some of Guyana’s top horses participating. I am extremely proud of Orion, who originates from the Crawford Stables. He has been training hard, and is most likely expected to come out on top in his event. Thus far, he has only lost a few races, and that was when he was still fresh, recovering from his injury.”

The turf club president also noted that the event will feature 6 races on the card for the day. He further went on to state that in order for the event to be successful everyone must put aside their differences and show unity and support each other regardless of their political affiliations. In terms of business and sponsors coming on board at the club said, “Well that has been tough since 2016 mostly because of politics but we do have our regular honest sponsors, we need to educate ourselves. Guyanese needs to cut the nonsense and live with unity and respect for each other.”

He also reiterated that what will make this day of activity on of the best patrons have seen for a long time is the simple fact that the Crawford Memorial Turf Club always provides fun and a fast racing surface. Besides its struggle of a small business trying to survive through racial tensions and red tape he noted that the club is moving from strength to strength.

Crawford has said he would like to thank all the fans and sponsors who have supported him over the many years, and is appealing to everyone to come and support the meet slated for May 3.

SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2020

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

guyanatimesgy.com

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Keiron Pollard

-Bishoo's strategy for Windies recall Bishoo's 8-49! one of the best bowling efforts in a pink-ball Test

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Flashback! NA Mayor Heywood presents the lease to GFF President Wayne Forde back in July 2019

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