14 NEWS
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM
Bouterse concedes defeat – but Granger clings on to power even though defeated twice P
resident Desi Bouterse of Suriname has conceded defeat at the country’s General Elections for the sake of allowing his country to move forward, but it is the opposite for his counterpart in Guyana; caretaker President David Granger, who has tightened his grip on power even though the results of a National Recount have confirmed that his ruling party was massively defeated by over 15,000 votes. The General Elections in Suriname were held on May 25, and the results were already declared and accepted by all parties. Bouterse’s National Democratic Party (NDP) has since congratulated the opposition parties on their victory in the recent polls and commended their decision to move towards the formation of a coalition Government in the Dutch-speaking Caribbean Community (Caricom) country. The opposition parties – Progressive Reform Party, Algemene Bevrijdings- en Ontwikkelingspartij, The National Party of Suriname, and the Pertjajah Luhur, and the Brotherhood and Unity in politics – together control 35 of the 51 seats in the National Assembly, while Bouterse’s NDP won the remaining 16 seats. “We wish you prosperity, wisdom, strength, and perseverance in the pursuit of the Surinamese goal, which is sacred to all of us, namely, to push Suriname to greater heights at any level,” the NDP said in a statement after the Independent Electoral Council of Suriname released the offi-
President Desi Bouterse of Suriname
cial results of the poll over the weekend. However, in Guyana’s case, President David Granger’s APNU/AFC coalition was defeated twice first in a no-confidence vote in Parliament in December 2018 and then at the March 2 National Elections. After prolonging the elections for more than a year following the no-confidence vote, the elections were finally held in March. It is now close to four months since the electorate voted but the results are yet to be declared even though they are widely known and certified by all stakeholders, including the parties themselves and local and international observers. The National Recount results, which constitute data generated from the 2339 Statements of Recount (SoRs), show that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) won the March 2 General Elections with 233,336 votes cast in
its favour. The APNU/AFC secured 217,920 votes. For the new parties, the numbers are as follows: A New and United Guyana – 2313; Change Guyana –1953; Liberty and Justice Party – 2657; People’s Republic Party – 889; The Citizenship Initiative – 680; The New Movement – 244; and the United Republican Party – 360. In fact, after their attempts to use Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo, to illegally inflate votes in their favour failed, Granger’s APNU/AFC coalition tried to every conceivable avenue to hang on to power illegally.
Caretaker President David Granger
Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Justice Claudette Singh last Tuesday voted to use the results from the recently concluded recount and have the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) declared the winner of the 2020 General and Regional Elections. But moments before Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield, was set to present his report to the Commission for final declaration, coalition supporter, Eslyn David, moved to the Court of Appeal to block the Commission from declaring the results.
The Court of Appeal on Monday determined that it has jurisdiction to interpret Article 177 (4) of the Constitution of Guyana which it claims, speaks to the election of a President when the interpretation of the Constitution is being invoked but the GECOM must determine “if more valid votes are cast” for a list. The PPP/C has since appealed the decision at the Caribbean Court of Justice and is hoping that the matter would be addressed “speedily” so that the way could be paved for the legitimate Government to be sworn in.
tech toolkit for consideration,” explained GTT CEO, Justin Nedd. Since the confirmation of the country’s first case of the COVID-19 virus in March 2020, GTT has been successfully able to transition its own staff to work from home. The telecoms CEO described this swift transition as “highly successful”. “Like us, the sectors are adjusting to working from home. They are trying to maintain productivity while remaining connected to their people, their clients and stakeholders. They are looking for ways to facilitate cashless payments and deliveries. It’s our new normal – and GTT is poised and willing to assist,” said Nedd. During the conversations, thousands of participants explored helpful solutions as offered by GTT,
including Cloud-based applications, the use of products such as Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Teams, PBX support, the convenience of Mobile Money Guyana (MMG) and the importance of cybersecurity. “The sectors can immediately benefit from the tech solutions that we offer – so much so that post-pandemic, they can be more digitally equipped to launch into any direction they chose; because while these are challenging times, there are opportunities for innovation that can serve Guyana well in the long run. We are in this together – and together we will rise,” Nedd stated. GTT’s business services can be tailored to solve specific challenges. Persons can email business@gtt.co.gy or call 227-9168 for further information about the solutions available.
GTT shares tech tools & tips to help businesses survive amid COVID-19
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Justin Nedd
G
TT hosted a series of virtual conversations with the general public and Private Sector organisations with the aim of equipping participants with technology-driven options
to survive and thrive during this pandemic. “It is business unusual. As the country’s largest technology provider, the onus is on us to share our knowledge and open up our
Some 400 relief hampers distributed at Parfaite Harmonie
A
n estimated 400 relief hampers were on Saturday last distributed to residents of La Parfaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara (WBD). The exercise was organised by the Victory
Scenes from the hamper distribution exercise
Deliverance Ministry, specifically for the residents and others who were in need of food supplies, especially during the trying times of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the exercise, the leaders of the church encour-
aged other religious bodies, community leaders, businesses and organisations to reach out to those in their community who are in need. At the distribution activity, Pastor Joseph Persaud spoke of the importance of
lending assistance, especially during this time. The Victory Deliverance Ministry is expected to host another hamper distribution exercise in the near future with the hope of reaching even more persons.
