14th June, 2020
'
‘Wide spread
No.106029
fraud’
…Chief Elections Officer tells Commission that polls lack credibility …says fraud recorded in all 10 districts ...cites close to 5,000 cases of voter impersonation, over 2,000 anomalies …more than 200,000 votes impacted …coalition says commission can’t turn blind eye to CEO’s report
Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield
SEE PAGE 03
“Finally, the summation of anomalies and instances of voter impersonation identified clearly do not appear to satisfy the criteria of impartiality, fairness, and compliance with provisions of the Constitution and the ROPA Cap 1:03. Consequently, on the basis of the votes counted and the information furnished from the recount, it cannot be ascertained that the results meet the standard of fair and credible elections.”
2
SUNDAY CHRONICLE, June 14, 2020
3
SUNDAY CHRONICLE June 14, 2020
‘Widespread fraud’ … Chief Elections Officer tells Commission that polls lack credibility … says fraud recorded in all 10 districts ... cites close to 5,000 cases of voter impersonation, over 2,000 anomalies
… more than 200, 000 votes impacted By Svetlana Marshall THE 2020 General and Regional Elections lacked credibility, according to Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield, who, in his Report on the National Recount, pointed to 4,864 cases of voter impersonation, and more than 2,000 anomalies that have impacted well over 200,000 votes across the 10 Electoral Districts. The Chief Elections Officer submitted his Report on the National Recount to Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh, and the six Elections Commissioners – Vincent Alexander, Sase Gunraj, Desmond Trotman, Robeson Benn, Charles Corbin and Bibi Shadick – on Saturday. The Report comprises a tabulation of the votes that were recounted during a period of 34 days (May 6-June 8), and a Summary of Observation Reports for each of the 10 Electoral Districts. In each of the Observation Reports, Lowenfield established that due to the anomalies and instances of voter impersonation, the General and Regional Elections held on March 2 did not satisfy the criteria of impartiality, fairness and compliance with the Constitution and the Representation of the People Act. “Consequently, on the basis of the votes counted and the information furnished from the recount, it cannot be ascertained that the results in this District meet the standard of fair and credible elections,” the Chief Elections Officer said in his Observation Report for District One (Barima-Waini), a position he iterated for all of the other Electoral Districts. According to the CEO’s Report, there were 143 instances in which Certificates of Employment were missing, 1,278 missing Oaths of Identity and 150 cases in which extra ballots were found in ballot boxes, and other instances of missing Poll Books and Proxies. Notably, in District Four (Demerara-Mahaica), 47 ballot boxes were void of the statutorily required documents. These anomalies, the Chief Elections Officer said, are breaches of polling procedures outlined in the Representation of the People Act, and the official manual for Presiding Officers and other Polling Day Officials. Across the 10 Electoral Districts, there were 4,864 cases of voter impersonation, in which persons voted in the place of the deceased, or electorates who were out of the jurisdiction on Elections Day. These 4,864 cases of voter impersonation, which were unearthed by the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC), were confirmed by the Elections Secretariat, based on official reports submitted by Chief Immigration Officer, Leslie James and the General Registrar’s Office (GRO). REGION ONE In his Observation Report on Region One, Lowenfield pointed out that the Electoral District has a voting population of 18,952 electors, which represents two (2) geographical constituency seats of the
National Assembly. A total of 99 Ballot Boxes were processed during the National Recount, resulting in a total of 12,111 and 12,060 votes tabulated for the contesting parties in the General and Regional Elections, respectively. For every ballot box processed in the Electoral District, an Observation Report was generated, based on irregularities, missing statutory documents, and allegations of voter impersonation. Overall, there were 36 missing Certificates of Employment, and 16 missing Oaths of Identity. Oaths of Identity are required by the statutes for electors voting without ID Cards. Additionally, there were 12 cases in which extra ballot papers were found in ballot boxes without the requisite documentation. “Recorded in the Observation Reports were allegations made by a contesting party that there were 29 instances of voter impersonation. The party alleged that based on their investigations in this region, there were 10 instances where deceased persons appeared to have voted, and 19 instances where electors who are alleged to be out of the jurisdiction were recorded as having voted,” Lowenfield stated in his report to the Elections Commission, while noting that based on the Reports from the Chief Immigration Officer and General Registrar’s Office, claims have been substantiated. Of the 99 Ballot Boxes, Lowenfield said approximately 33 stand affected, due to a total of 93 abnormalities, anomalies, and alleged voter impersonation. “In other words, approximately 35% of all votes cast for the general elections are associated with boxes that stand to be impacted, due to either anomalies or voter impersonation,” Lowenfield said. “Specifically, 20% of the votes cast are impacted by anomalies, while 13% were impacted by voter impersonation, and 2% by both anomalies/irregularities and voter impersonation,” he explained. Added to that, he said that at the end of the recount of votes for District One, 16 Poll Books could not be found, while there were 52 instances where the evidence of polling activities was not recorded in the available Poll Books. “In addition, the actual Certificates of Employment (Form 4) in 36 cases, and sixteen (16) missing Oaths of Identity (Form 19) were not available to support entries in the Poll Books. As a consequence, it cannot be reconciled that electors who cast ballots in these cases met the statutory requirements,” he noted. Notably, two ballots were rejected for want of an official mark (unstamped ballots). Based on his estimation, there is a potential that 2,407 votes in 23 ballot boxes stand affected by anomalies and or irregularities. These anomalies, he posited, impact 19.2% of the votes cast for APNU+AFC; 28.2% of the votes cast for the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP); 19.9% of the votes for the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C); 20.8% of the votes cast for the People’s Republic Party (PRP); and 33.3% of the votes cast for the United Republican Party (URP).
Added to that, 1,593 votes in nine ballot boxes have been directly impacted by allegations of voter impersonation. “Given the fact that it cannot be ascertained who perpetrated the acts of voter impersonation,” the CEO said, “evidence points to its impact on each List of Candidates. Of the nine (9) ballot boxes, 16.1% of the votes cast for the APNU+AFC; 16.5% of the votes cast for the LJP; 11.7% of the votes for PPP/C; 8.3% of votes cast for PRP; and 16.7% of votes cast for URP are impacted,” he told the Elections Commission. He reasoned that if the ballot boxes that are affected by the anomalies and voter impersonation are extracted from the process, the total will be 7,917 votes cast, with a distribution of 2,506 for APNU+AFC; 93 for LJP; 5,298 for PPP/C; 17 for PRP; and three (3) for URP. Based on the wide-ranging cases of irregularities and electoral fraud that occurred in the district, the Chief Elections Officer said it cannot be ascertained that the results meet the standard of fair and credible elections. REGION TWO In Region Two (Pomeroon/Supenaam) the anomalies were no different. Thirty-seven thousand, nine hundred and seventy-nine (37,979) electors were listed on the Official List of Electors, with a total of 135 Ballots Boxes, all of which were processed during the National Recount. While there were no reported cases of missing Certificates of Employment in this Electoral District, there were 35 instances in which the Oaths of Identity were missing. Additionally, there were 303 alleged cases of voter impersonation. “The Party (APNU+AFC) alleged that based on their investigations in this Region, there were twelve (12) instances where deceased persons appeared to have voted, and two hundred and ninety-one (291) instances where electors who are alleged to be out of the jurisdiction were recorded as having voted,” Lowenfield reported, while adding that Reports from the Chief Immigration Officer and the General Registrar’s Office confirmed that the allegations had merit. He pointed out that 86 ballot boxes from the District stand affected, due to a total of 338 anomalies and alleged voter impersonation. “Potentially, 745 votes in three (3) ballot boxes stand impacted by anomalies/irregularities, which is approximately 3% of all votes cast for the List of Candidates in District Two,” he stated, while noting that when the allegations of voter impersonation are taken into account, some 14,715 votes in 66 ballot boxes are impacted. “Against that backdrop, if the ballot boxes that are affected by the anomalies/ irregularities and voter impersonation are extracted from the process, the total will be 6,708 votes cast, with a distribution of 35 for ANUG; 2,787 for APNU+AFC; 48 for CG; 62 for LJP; 3,737 for PPP/C; 22 for
Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield
PRP; three (3) for TCI; and 14 for URP,” he submitted, while making it clear that based on the summation of anomalies and instances of voter impersonation identified in the District, credibility could not be established. REGION THREE Similarly, in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) the Chief Elections Officer indicated that the elections were compromised due to a mountain of irregularities and alleged cases of electoral fraud. With a voting population of 100,758, as recorded on Official List of Electors (OLE), the Region had a total of 355 Ballot Boxes, for each of which Observation Reports were generated. Based on those reports, the CEO reported that there were two Certificates of Employment missing, in addition to 48 Oaths of Identity, it therefore means that 50 persons voted without the requisite documents. Additionally, there were 11 instances where extra ballot papers were found or missing from ballot boxes without the requisite documentation. There were also three (3) instances where evidence to validate the usage of Appointment of Proxy were missing. Notably, there were 977 instances of voter impersonation, in which six (6) persons voted in the place of the dead, and 971 instances in which unscrupulous people are alleged to have voted for Guyanese who were listed on the OLE, but were out of the jurisdiction on Elections Day. According to the CEO, approximately 212 ballot boxes stand affected by a total of 1,041 anomalies, and alleged voter impersonation. “Potentially, 2,517 votes in twelve (12) ballot boxes stand to be impacted by anomalies and irregularities, which is approximately 4% of all votes cast for the List of Candidates in District Three. These anomalies and irregularities impact 4.3% of votes cast for ANUG; 5% of votes cast for APNU+AFC; 3.4% of votes cast for CG; 2.7% of votes for PPP/C; 2.9% of votes cast See page 5
4
SUNDAY CHRONICLE June 14, 2020
Parties differ on CEO report …coalition says GECOM can’t turn blind eye to claims of fraud
Sunday, June 14, 12:00hrs - 13:30hrs
THE Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield, in submitting his Report on the National Recount, not only complied with the Order, that triggered the process, but the Constitution of Guyana and the Representation of the People Act, the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU+AFC) said as it brushed aside contentions by the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) that the CEO violated the Order, when he pronounced on the credibility of the General and Regional Elections. In his Observation Reports to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Lowenfield said due to the anomalies and instances of voter impersonation cited during the recount process, the General and Regional Elections held on March 2, undoubtedly, did not satisfy the criteria of impartiality, fairness and compliance with the Constitution and the Representation of the People Act. As a result, he said it cannot be ascertained that the results of the Electoral Districts meet the standard of fair and credible elections. The CEO’s assessment of the electoral process did not sit well with the PPP/C. The party, in accusing the CEO of violating the Order, said he has no power or authority or any mandate to offer a view, opinion or judgement of any type. “In a clear and blatant violation of the Order, Lowenfield arrogated unto himself the role of an investigator, Judge
and executioner and made conclusive findings, in respect of the wild, reckless and baseless allegations made by APNU+AFC and rendered a judgement on them…,” the PPP/C contended as it launched an attack on the CEO. In a separate statement, the Private Sector Commission (PSC), an accredited Elections Observer, expressed satisfaction with the electoral process, inclusive of the recount. Notwithstanding the mountain of irregularities and alleged cases of voter impersonation, the PSC said the recount process produced an entirely credible tabulation of the results of the General and Regional Elections. “The Private Sector Commission is, therefore, appalled that the Chief Elections Officer of GECOM should submit a Report to the Chairman of the Elections Commission that from “the information furnished from the Recount, it cannot be ascertained that the results …meet the standard of fair and credible elections,” the PSC said. But the APNU+AFC, in a separate statement, said the CEO’s Report was submitted in accordance with the Order, and painted a vivid picture of the unlawful acts that were committed on Elections Day, even as it called out the PPP/C for seeking to misinform the people of Guyana and the Diplomatic Corps inclusive of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). “The Representation of the People Act is pellucidly clear in PART X1,
which addresses the Ascertainment of Election Results. Additionally, in Article 96 of the Constitution, the CEO is empowered to” calculate the total valid votes of electors cast and thereupon ascertain the results”. This therefore means to discover with certainty as through examination or experimentation. This is what was done,” the APNU+AFC said. The ruling coalition used the opportunity to underscore the importance of establishing credibility in an electoral process in arriving at the valid votes cast. “It is unfortunate that the PPP seeks to malign the CEO Mr. Lowenfield who has acted with the ambit of the Law and is in strict compliance with the Gazetted order,” the APNU+AFC said as it condemned PPP/C for its attacks on the CEO. The PPP/C’s remarks, the Coalition said, denigrates the work of the CEO and his staff together with everyone else, who contributed to the recount process, in GECOM’s quest to establish credibility. “It is noteworthy that the CEO’s report indeed has considered the fraudulent discoveries by our Counting Agents during the just concluded Recount process, which was agreed to by both the PPP and the APNU/AFC Coalition,” it noted while calling on Guyanese to allow the recount process to continue uninterrupted.
5
SUNDAY CHRONICLE June 14, 2020
‘Widespread ... From page 3
for PRP; 2.6% of votes cast for TCI; 5.4% of votes cast for TNM; and 2.3% of votes cast for URP,” the CEO submitted. When the cases of voter impersonation are taken into consideration, some 44,225 votes in 190 ballot boxes are impacted, representing 61% per cent of all the votes cast in District Three.
REGION FOUR In District Four (Demerara-Mahaica), there were a total of 285,617 electors listed on the Official List of Electors. In total, there were 879 ballots boxes, and based on the recount exercise, there were 202,077 and 201,575 votes cast in the General and Regional Elections respectively in the country’s largest electoral block. Based on the 879 Observation Reports generated, there were 18 instances where evidence to validate the usage of Certificates of Employment were missing; 56 instances where Oaths of Identity were missing; 82 instances where extra ballot papers were found in, or missing from, ballot boxes, without the requisite documentation; and 47 instances where the statutory documents required to reconcile ballots cast at the respective polling stations were missing. The statutory documents at reference included: The marked Lists of Electors, folios, counterfoils, unused ordinary and tendered ballots, spoiled and rejected ballot papers and poll books. “The Commission intended to reconcile the ballots cast for the List of Candidates with statutory documents contained in each ballot box as expressed in Order 60 of 2020. However, during the recount exercise, an unusual pattern of missing statutory documents was discovered in forty-seven (47) ballot boxes from Polling Stations in Sub-District East Coast Demerara. The absence of those key statutory documents rendered the required reconciliation of 11,566 votes allocated to the nine (9) List of Candidates impossible, and consequently void of accuracy,” the Chief Elections Officer explained in his report to the Elections Commission. He was keen on noting that the missing documents were not contained in the Returning Officer’s package dispatched to the Returning Officer’s office. He noted, too, that when the poll bags were checked, the documents were nowhere to be seen. Outside of those anomalies, there were 1,706 alleged cases of voter impersonation tied to electoral fraud. Of these cases, 16 involved instances in which deceased persons appeared to have voted, and 1,690 instances in which persons who were out of the jurisdiction on March 2 were recorded as having voted. “Potentially, 14,510 votes in fifty-nine (59) ballot boxes stand to be impacted by anomalies/irregularities; this represents 7% of all votes cast for List of Candidates in District Four,” the CEO reported, while noting that when the allegation of voter impersonation is taken into consideration, the affected votes jump to 79,137. REGION FIVE Meanwhile, in District Five (Mahai-
ca-Berbice), it was discovered that that one Certificate of Employment was missing when a total of 158 ballot boxes were processed during the recount. However, there were 60 cases of missing Oaths of Identity, and six (6) cases in which extra ballot papers were detected, and other cases of missing Poll Books. Further to that, there were 406 alleged cases of voter impersonation, in which there were seven (7) reported instances in which persons voted for the dead, and 399 cases of persons voting in the place of electors who were out of the jurisdiction. Based on the CEO’s assessment, 1,088 votes in five (5) ballot boxes stand to be impacted by the anomalies cited, and another 14,035 votes, if the allegations of voter impersonation are considered. “Given the fact that it cannot be ascertained who perpetrated the acts of voter impersonation, evidence points to its impact on each List of Candidates. Of the fifty-seven (57) ballot boxes, 31.5% of votes cast for ANUG; 27.4% of votes cast for APNU+AFC; 51% of votes cast for CG; 54.2% of votes for PPP/C; 40.4% of votes cast for PRP; 45.5% of votes cast for TCI; 40% of votes cast for TNM; and 63.2% of votes cast for URP are impacted,” the CEO reasoned. REGION SIX Over in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), there were five (5) recorded cases of missing Certificates of Employment; 43 instances of missing Oaths of Identity; 13 cases in which extra ballot papers were found or missing from ballot boxes; and 35 cases where electors appeared to have voted, but were not listed on the OLE. In Region Six, there were 1128 cases of voter impersonation, of which seven (7) were as a result of “ghost voters”, and 1,121 were as a result of individuals allegedly voting for people who were out of the jurisdiction. “Potentially, 637 votes in five (5) ballot boxes stand to be impacted by anomalies/irregularities; this represents 1% of all votes cast for List of Candidates in District Six. These anomalies/irregularities impact 0.6% of votes cast for ANUG; 2.5% of votes cast for APNU+AFC; 1.5% of votes cast for CG; 0.3% of votes for PPP/C; 1.2% of votes cast for PRP; and 2.3% of votes cast for URP, with no impact on the votes cast for TCI and TNM,” the CEO reported. Additionally, a total of 47,625 votes in 259 ballot boxes were impacted by allegations of voter impersonation, or 74% per cent of all the votes cast in District Six. REGION SEVEN In District Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), the CEO, based on the 82 Observation Reports generated during the recount, cited 34 cases in which the Certificates of Employment were missing; 390 cases in which Oaths of Identity were missing, and another 84 cases in which extra ballot papers were discovered without the requisite documents. Further to that, there were 32 alleged cases of voter impersonation. “In District Seven, two (2) Poll Books were recorded as missing, and four hundred and
APNU+AFC distances self from fake death certificate circulating on social media THE APNU+AFC Coalition says it has noticed the circulation of a death certificate of Lucille Medas on various social media platform’s with GECOM ‘s Observation Report for ballot box 6104 at Fort Ordinance Primary School. The coalition said it is unambiguous on the Observation Report that no observation of death was made, however, despite this fact, the author dishonestly accused the APNU+AFC of claiming that the person would have dead
and voted. Moreover, serial 217 on the Official List of Electors (OLE) for Polling Division 621211A at Fort Ordinance Primary School is not assigned to Lucille Medas but to one Kalwattie Davi Panday. “The APNU+AFC Coalition is convinced this is part of a PPP/C approach which presents misinformation and promotes fake news to create confusion and to discredit the claim that the elections were not free, fair and credible.”
seventy-six (476) instances where the evidence of polling activities was not recorded in the available poll books. Specifically, thirty-four (34) Certificates of Employment (Form 4) and three hundred and ninety (390) Oaths of Identity (Form 19) were not available to support entries in the poll books. As a consequence, it could not be reconciled that electors who cast ballots in these cases met the statutory requirements,” Lowenfield further detailed, while also citing cases of unstamped ballots that were rejected. He believes that a total of 3,805 votes in 31 ballot boxes stand impacted by anomalies detected. However, 227 votes have been impacted, due to alleged voter impersonation. “Finally, the summation of anomalies and instances of voter impersonation identified in District Seven clearly does not appear to satisfy the criteria of impartiality, fairness, and compliance with provisions of the Constitution, and the ROPA Cap 1:03. Consequently, on the basis of the votes counted, and the information furnished from the recount, it cannot be ascertained that the results for District Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) meet the standard of fair and credible elections,” the Chief Elections Officer told the Commission. REGION EIGHT In Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni), there is a voter population of 7,431, however, according to the votes recounted, 5,000 electors voted, and of that amount, well over 1000 votes have been affected as a result of irregularities, and or voter impersonation. According to the CEO, 1,127 votes in 12 ballot boxes stand the risk of being affected due to a range of anomalies, from missing Certificates of Employment (21); to missing Oaths of Identity (182); and eight cases of extra ballot papers. He noted that another 533 votes in six ballot boxes were impacted by allegations of voter impersonation (52), or 11% of all the votes cast in District Eight. “Although it cannot be ascertained who perpetrated the acts of voter impersonation, evidence points to its impact on each List of Candidates. Of the six (6) ballot boxes, 9.5% of votes cast for APNU+AFC; 6.4% of votes for LJP; 14% of votes cast for PPP/C; and 27.3% of votes cast for TNM were impacted,” he reported. REGION NINE A total of 73 ballot boxes were processed during the recount from Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo), and based on the Observation Reports generated, there were 26 missing Certificates of Employment, and 408 instances of missing Oaths of Identity. Additionally, there were six (6) cases in which extra ballot papers were found or missing from ballot boxes without the requisite documentation. Further to that, there were 180 instances of voter impersonation, as pointed out by the
APNU+AFC, the majority of which were cases in which persons voted for Electors who were out of the jurisdiction on Elections Day. “In District Nine, there were four hundred and thirty-five (435) instances where the evidence of polling activities was not recorded in the available poll books. Specifically, twenty-six (26) Certificates of Employment (Form 4) and four hundred and eight (408) Oaths of Identity (Form 19) were not available to support entries in the poll books. As a consequence, it could not be reconciled that electors who cast ballots in these cases met the statutory requirements,” the CEO detailed. It is believed that 2,096 of the votes in 13 ballot boxes stand to be impacted by the irregularities, or 17% of all votes cast for the List of Candidates in District Nine. “On the other hand, a total of 1,729 votes in ten (10) ballot boxes were impacted by allegations of voter impersonation, or 14% of all the votes cast in District Nine. Although it cannot be ascertained who perpetrated the acts of voter impersonation, evidence points to its impact on each List of Candidates. Of the 10 ballot boxes, 16.5% of votes cast for APNU+AFC; 20.9% of votes cast for LJP; 12.2% of votes for PPP/C; and 11.1% of votes cast for URP are impacted,” Lowenfield further added. REGION TEN Meanwhile, in District 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice), there were 40 cases of missing Oaths of Identity, and 10 cases in which extra ballot papers were found or missing from the ballot boxes without the required documentation. Also, there were two cases in which evidence to validate the usage of Appointment of Proxy could not have been detected. Further to that, there were 51 alleged cases of voter impersonation. “The Party (APNU+AFC) alleged that based on their investigations in this region, these electors who are alleged to be out of the jurisdiction were recorded as having voted. In respect of the allegations of voter impersonation, responses from the Chief Immigration Officer and a review of the General Registrar’s Office’s Deceased Reports confirmed that these were of substance,” Lowenfield told the Commission. According to the CEO, 1,022 votes have been affected by the irregularities, while another 2,538 have been impacted by the allegations of voter impersonation, representing 11% of all the votes cast in District Ten. In closing, a total of 29,954 votes have been affected as a result of the anomalies detected throughout the recount, while another 204,268 have been directly impacted as a result of the allegations of voter impersonation. In accordance with the Gazetted Order, which triggered the National Recount, the Elections Commission is expected to meet soon to deliberate on the CEO’s report, and will determine the way forward.
6
SUNDAY CHRONICLE June 14, 2020
Crossing the line THIS past week has been especially eventful for our country as we continue to make sense of the aftermath of the March 2 election. Since that date, Guyana has seen the worst of our political culture as forces in the society seek to manufacture an outcome of the election that does not represent the democratic will of all Guyanese. We have also witnessed attempts by external forces to cross the line with regard to Guyana’s sovereignty in the name of preservation of electoral democracy. The combination of those two developments amounts to placing our country under siege from within and without. The week began with the completion of the recount after five weeks of activity against the background of a Recount Order that was duly gazetted. Although the order signed by all the parties was pellucid that the objective of the exercise was to determine the credibility of the elections, the PPP ignored that objective and declared itself winner of the elections based on a preliminary tabulation. That party then proceeded to make utterings, including threats to supporters of its rival, the APNU+AFC Coalition, as if it were the officially declared winner of the election. This induced panic in the society as citizens sought to clarify the truth of the situation. What is worse is that sections of the local media repeated the PPP’s narratives in bold headlines which were then
shared across the wider Caribbean and internationally. GECOM, the only body with the power to declare the winner of a general election was forced to put out a public statement assuring the Guyanese people that no winner was declared. The APNU+AFC coalition and other independent forces reiterated GECOM’s message. One must ask the obvious question: why has the PPP been so eager to prematurely crown itself a winner of these elections? This publication has drawn the conclusion, that, that party along with its domestic and foreign allies are determined to hide the tonne of evidence that points in the direction of systematic fraud committed on and before elections day by agents of the PPP. It is also trying to influence the deliberations at GECOM and the report of the CARICOM observation team. The APNU+AFC Coalition claims that it has unearthed almost 8,000 instances of anomalies and irregularities involving multiple aspects of the electoral machinery. It has concluded that these infractions which affect as many as 257, 153 votes, representing more than half of the votes found in the boxes. While the Coalition has been calling on GECOM to investigate these findings, the PPP has been either trying to deny their existence or to argue that they can only be used as evidence in an elections petition. We are satisfied that GECOM, having agreed to a recount that went beyond a
simple count of the votes in the boxes, is bound by its own gazetted order to give maximum weight to these findings before an official declaration. That it set itself the objective of determining the credibility of the elections within a legal framework, binds it to the findings of that exercise. The PPP’s attempts to sidestep this aspect of the process is an extension of the fraud it has been fingered in since March 2. Guyana, including the electoral contestants, must await the report by GECCOM’s CEO and the subsequent deliberations by the commission before an official declaration. When we thought that the PPP’s false declaration had taken the cake, St Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves decided to jump into the fray. In a clear departure from accepted protocol regarding the internal affairs in CARICOM member-states, he proceeded to directly threaten Guyana that failure to declare a winner based on the tabulation of the recount would trigger action by CARICOM. While he did not specify what action would be taken, it is clear from his tone that he has chosen a side in the ongoing impasse. Dr. Gonsalves’ threat is not in isolation. This publication has editorialised many times before on the naked attempt by foreign observers and the diplomatic community to become overly involved in the elections process. We feel that they
have crossed the line to the point of direct interference in our affairs, which can only be seen as an attack on our sovereignty. Now Dr. Gonsalves has joined two former regional prime ministers in mimicking the representatives of the larger countries. But Dr Gonsalves has done something else. He may have wittingly or unwittingly been trying to influence the report of the CARICOM observation team which includes a Vincentian. We endorse the pushback by the government of Guyana and the leadership of the APNU+AFC. There should be no place for such behaviour as exhibited by the prime minister. Guyana has never in its long association with its Caribbean neighbours engaged in interference in their internal affairs. It is not out of place to demand the same respect for our sovereignty. To put it bluntly, Prime Minister Gonsalves has crossed the line. He is entitled to have his friends in Guyana, but he is not entitled to use his high CARICOM office to influence an election in Guyana in his friends’ favour. Like St. Vincent and the Grenadines, we cherish our independence and will always do what is correct and necessary to protect it. As a keeper of the flame of the Caribbean civilisation, Dr. Gonsalves knows better than his words exhibited this past week. We join the chorus in saying to the esteemed prime minister—stay out of Guyana’s business.
Many single parents unable to supervise children because of work schedules
Dear Editor,
DURING the COVID-19 pandemic schools have been closed; and while some children and families have internet access and electronic devices, there are many families without internet access sometimes because of where they live and sometimes because they simply cannot afford a phone, much less Wifi. Parents however, still have a duty to ensure that their children are involved in some kind of learning during this period. Many parents during the pandemic made the time to support their children with school work: some parents put in extra data in their phones to access the information coming from teachers and/or researched materials online that support their children’s learning. Parents, give yourselves a pat on the back for being more supportive and for having greater appreciation for the role of teachers. Whether a child has internet access or not, the first step to a child achieving an education
is the interest and involvement of the parent. Whether the parent is educated or uneducated, their involvement is what helps the child to progress or succeed in their school work. Parental involvement is the involvement of parents in the upbringing and education of their child, both at home and at school. Because of the pandemic, children are required to be educated at home and parents are playing both the role of a parent and teacher. If a parent is unable to meet their children where they are academically, they can play the supervisory role and even take a non-traditional approach to teaching by allowing their children to teach them what they have learnt. Many children do not have access to the internet or devices to participate in online classes or have access to learning materials online. Poverty is one of the chief contributing factors here. Guyana continues to make improvements in addressing poverty, but the Household Income and Expenditure Survey and the Guyana Living Conditions Survey each
indicate that the proportion of households living in moderate poverty – that is, living on US $2 per day – is 36 per cent. The lack of these resources should not make educating children impossible, but should inspire a different approach to teaching and learning. Parents are now allowed to become more engaged in their children’s education by being the teacher and parent because children are at home. Parents can work with their children from home without using the internet. For example, at the kindergarten/ nursery school level, children are learning and developing their motor skills, so it is important that learning be creative, practical, and fun; for example, playing with dough such as ‘play-doh’ to make shapes. Additionally, parents can use household materials to teach children. For example, parents can use clothes to identify colours, use some salt in a pan or rice on the floor to write letters and numbers, peas and beans to count and write. These are just a few examples, but you can use your creativity to come up with your ideas. The main
point is, make learning fun and practical for children at their age. Parents should schedule a couple of hours in the day – perhaps from 09:00hrs to 12:00hrs -- for teaching and completing schoolwork. Creating a schedule builds consistency for both the parent and child, especially for students at the primary school level who usually have work prepared by their teachers. However, if parents cannot afford to print or get the work from teachers, then they can use materials from the Ministry of Education Interactive Radio Initiative -- a morning television show for children at different levels -- or use the lessons printed in the Sunday edition of the Stabroek News. These can be completed under their parents’ supervision during the time scheduled by the parent, or during the time that the programmes are aired or broadcasted. It is also important that parents are See page 8
Op-Ed
7
SUNDAY CHRONICLE June 14, 2020
By Adam Harris FOR years Guyanese have been looking to foreign countries for their salvation. Indeed, this was not only the case of Guyanese. People generally looked to foreign lands, some say to better their lives, others say that they were escaping persecution. In reality, though, man is nomadic, so he, through the eons, has been moving from place to place. History is full of those names. Some of these were so-called conquerors. These people left their homes in hordes to go to foreign lands. They more often than not slaughtered the people, particularly the men, and enslaved the women and children, and plundered the land. Some stayed behind while others moved on for further conquests. These people spanned every ethnic group. In some of these countries the stronger tribes preyed on the weaker. That led to some people ending up in this part of the world as slaves. They were sold as slaves to other marauding people-people who just could not stay at home. But enough of the history lesson. Guyanese began to look overseas largely because of the invitation from the warring north. Guyana was a British colony so whenever Britain was embroiled in a way it simply turned to its colonies for men to boost its army. So it was that many Guyanese travelled to Britain both during the First World War and the Second World War. As colonials they remained in the country when the war ended. Guyanese simply got involved in a matter that was not theirs. It was slightly different with the United States. That country wanted skills that Guyanese had. Teachers and nurses were premium recruits. Up until recently, agents were visiting the country for these skilled Guyanese. Canada offered a programme called self-sponsorship. Guyanese who were educated and possessed certain skills could ap-
Meddling is a case of self-interest
ply for Canadian residency. Many succeeded and are now resident there. The Caribbean countries became the next repository of Guyanese. When this country found itself in dire economic straits many of its people fled to the Caribbean and to the neighbouring countries. It is therefore not surprising that there are large Guyanese populations in Trinidad, Barbados, Jamaica, the smaller islands, Brazil, Venezuela, Suriname and Cayenne. In the Caribbean in particular Guyanese are needed. They are the artisans, the educators, the nurses and the minds behind the industry in those countries. Recently, Guyana discovered oil and is set to become the leading nation in this part of the world. The Caribbean is not sitting idly by. Trinidad, with its knowledge of the oil industry invested heavily in Guyana’s local content. They are still coming as are the Venezuelans who are experiencing hardships in their country, the Cubans, the Brazilians who are enjoying life in the goldfields and a host of people from other parts of the Caribbean. The end result is that these Caribbean countries are beneficiaries of Guyana’s largesse. Their citizens in Guyana are supporting their economies to the point that the leaders of these countries cannot envisage life without their people being in Guyana. It is this self-interest that prompted St Vincent Prime Minister, Ralph Gonsalves, to become involved in Guyana’s politics even before the recount is completed. He has citizens making hay in this country and he needs their presence here. Many years ago, when I was a schoolboy I learnt in a science class that water always seeks the point of least resistance. Political leaders be they Guyanese or others are the same. With his emphasis on being fit and proper, President David Granger is not the casual leader who would dissipate Guyana’s patrimony on the basis of friend-
Henry Jeffrey‘s article is to date, in my opinion, the most informative and robust contribution Dear Editor, PERMIT me to congratulate Dr Henry Jeffrey on his excellent column Future Notes article captioned, “ Votes in the boxes,” published in the Stabroek News, Wednesday, June 10, 2020 edition. Mr Jeffrey’s article is to date, in my opinion, the most informative and robust contribution addressing the pertinent issue of jurisprudence as it relates to irregularities, discrepancies and fraud in elections. His advocacy is enlightenment in the context of challenges coming out of the elections and the recount process. More specifically, the issue of the weight given to above-mentioned matters, when a court of law is seeking to determine credibility of the elections results. He cited two contending views: (1) whether the totality of irregularities/discrepancies etc, is sufficient to alter the logic of the vote (quantitative principle) and (2) that
discrepancies and irregularities even when it would not alter the vote, once proven, nullify the results (qualitative principle). Dr Jeffrey premised his argument on the qualitative principle: he stated that GECOM must address the anomalies to decide on the credibility of the elections. This qualitative principle is evolving and gaining growing acceptance in jurisprudence around the world. His political experience in national politics, expertise and his academic training allow him to produce a politically balanced discourse on the electoral crisis and the recount process that was well thought out and supported by appropriate authorities. Editor, I wish to add my support to this patriotic endeavour and to recommend Jeffrey’s column to your readership and more particularly,to our national decision-makers. Well done Dr Henry Jeffrey. Regards Tacuma Ogunseye
ship alone. At the same time he is not the philanderer and abuser of alcohol like some of the other boys in the Caribbean Community. He would not be comfortable sitting around people whose interest is in abusing women. The result is Ralph Gonsalves is one who would not feel very comfortable with Granger in the seat of Government. He would prefer Bharrat Jagdeo or Jagdeo’s surrogate because their social habits coincide. There is another side to the interference. These islands need Guyanese. The presence of the oil wealth, if properly managed would see the Guyanese packing their bags and returning home. Caribbean leaders do not want this to happen. People have pointed to the foreign entities that have been critical of the stance taken by the coalition in the face of the discovered electoral fraud. These people want a pliant government in place. Over the years the foreign powers have been dictating to the
governments in less powerful countries. Cuba, Venezuela, Libya, Iraq and Iran have been examples. Jimmy Carter came here and dictated the nature of the elections commission this country could have. He went further; he dictated the manner in which the elections should be conducted. Recently, despite the laws of Guyana allowing for elections petitions, the foreign powers pressured David Granger so that he aborted the only legal recourse and took Guyana into uncharted waters. Now we see another attempt to dictate. There has been a recount which is still incomplete. Yet I get the impression that the people on the outside want to dictate that the recount as gazette be ignored. And I reach this conclusion after no foreign diplomat or foreign observer has commented on the discovered electoral fraud which has the potential to vitiate the elections.
8
SUNDAY CHRONICLE June 14, 2020
Can GECOM rely on boxes with missing statutory documents? Dear Editor, THE critical question is whether GECOM can rely on data extrapolated from the ballot boxes where the statutory documents are missing altogether or in part? 1.The utility of the statutory documents is triggered by the circumstances captured by Sections 68-76 of the Representation of the People Act (RoPA) and more importantly, the closure of polls, Section 83. The statutory officers, whether presiding officer, polling clerk and/or returning officer, has certain obligations to perform in relation to these statutory documents. They range from ensuring that an entry is made in the poll book attesting to the fact that upon the first opening of the ballot box, there were no ballot papers or other papers therein (Section 68(a), to placing the different category of ballots into separate envelopes, Section 83(5),(6) to making up in separate packets the official list of electors or part thereof, notices of appointments to vote as proxies, copies of the lists of proxies, the poll book and other election documents. 2.The ballot box and the statutory documents are then delivered to the returning officer of the district in which the polling place is situated, Section 83(10) (c). Upon the delivery of these documents, the returning officer proceeds to ascertain the votes in accordance with the statement of polls, Section 84(1). In the absence of a counting agent requesting a recount, the declared results are forwarded to the chief elections officer for him to prepare his report. Importantly, and in this context, there is no need to examine the statutory documents, unless of course an election petition is filed post-elections. 3. It must be noted that it is that standard operating procedure (SOP) at GECOM for all the aforementioned documents with the exception of the poll book to be placed in the ballot box. 4. Where a counting agent requests a
recount (limited or general) and it has concluded, the returning officer shall perform the obligations as captured by Section 89 of the RoPA. Significantly, it requires the returning officer to verify the ballot paper account by comparing same with, inter alia, the unused and spoiled ballot papers in his/her possession and the record of tendered votes contained in the poll book section 89(1)(b) . Notably, in the context of a counting agent requesting a recount, select statutory documents are chosen to enable verification. These documents are critical to establishing the accuracy of the recount and by extension, the credibility of the process. At this point, the returning officer is prohibited from opening the packets containing tendered ballot papers, the marked copies of the list of electors or part thereof, or the counterfoils of the used ballot papers section 89 (2). Easily discernable is the fact that these documents are supposed to be in the possession of the returning officer, but he may only make reference to a select few with a view to determining the credibility of the count. 5. The gazetted order provides for a recount that is outside the framework of the Representation of the People Act, though it retains some of the modalities of the Representation of the People Act framework. This is because 10 lawful declarations have been made by the district returning officers and recounts have been rejected, aborted or held in abeyance. Fundamentally, it provides for a recount of the ballots casts in all the electoral districts, coupled with a reconciliation with a menu of statutory documents way beyond the select few identified by section 89(1)(b) . Inescapably, this extensive reconciliatory list ought to further give credence to the accuracy of the ballots extracted from the ballot boxes and enrich the overall credibility of the process. 6. It must be noted that the Order made under the Official Gazette number 60/2020 is what is considered as subsidiary legislation. Caribbean scholar and legal luminary
Rose-Marie Belle Antoine in her book, Commonwealth Caribbean Law and Legal Systems at page 235 made it clear that subsidiary legislation is a source of law and it has legal force and authority. Further, the Full Court in Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo v. Ulita Moore and Others at paragraph 64 acknowledged GECOM’s authority to legislate. 7. It would follow that the absence of these statutory documents or where there is excess or missing ballots in a box, resulting in inability to balance that box suggests that there was non-compliance by the statutory officers with the provisions and/or SOPs of GECOM that mandate the performance of certain obligations in relation to the said documents and/or the electoral process of GECOM has been compromised. In effect, both instances cast a tremendous cloud over the veracity of the ballots cast. 8. In Holladar v Returning Officer, Chief Elections Officer, Guyana Elections Commission, Chief Justice George highlighted that a statutory office holder ought to perform his or her duties in accordance with the law that governs their powers. Where there is non-compliance, the court can exercise its supervisory powers to direct that there be compliance with the law. It is patently clear that, at a minimum, there may have been non-compliance with the statutory provisions by the necessary office holders for the obligations that were to be performed. The non-compliance with these provisions carry ‘serious consequences’ in that where a recount is invoked, the returning officer will be unable to verify same. The intention of Parliament ought to have been to ensure that at the stage of a recount, the credibility of the ballots emanating therefrom can be cross-referenced with other electoral documents emanating from the respective polling station , so as to ensure that the outcome is a true reflection of the will of the Guyanese people. Understandably, and in the absence of these documents, the will of the Guyanese people cannot be logically accounted for by GECOM.
9. It would appear that the jurisdiction of the court can be invoked to vitiate the declaration of results that emanate from substantial non-compliance with provisions highlighted in paragraphs one and two. Instrumentally, the invocation of the court’s jurisdiction is not to challenge the results of the elections, but to ensure that the requirements of the statute are carried out. However, a distinction ought to be made between Holladar and the present circumstance. In Holladar, the court could have ordered compliance with the section because at the time in question, compliance was indeed possible. In the present circumstance, for compliance to be ordered would mean that one would need to return to polling day and ensure that the statutory officers comply with the respective provisions. Admittedly, this is an impossibility. This would require the beginning of the entire electoral process. Nevertheless, the absence of the documents gravely impairs the credibility of any result that may emanate from this still ongoing process (The case of Gladys Petrie makes reference to the term election being construed very widely). After all, GECOM is charged with delivery of ‘free, fair and credible’ results and must stay resolute in so doing. It would follow that where these documents cannot be found for reconciliation and scrutiny in compliance with the Order legislated by GECOM; and where there is excess or missing ballots, the data in relation to the corresponding ballot boxes would not escape the cloud that questions its accuracy and consequently will be unlawful for their failure to comply with the Order. 10. As a result, it is my respectful opinion that any advice tendered to GECOM by the chief elections officer in accordance with Article 177 of the Constitution with unverified and unreconciled votes will be unlawful for failure to comply with Order 60/2020. Yours respectfully, Darren P.W.Wade Attorney-at-Law
Many single parents unable to supervise ... From page 6
involved in this process to assist the child. This will help parents to understand how well their child understands the material and the pace at which the child is working. Parents can inform teachers as to whether the child understands what is being thought or not, and the teacher can guide the parent in what corrective action to take. Teaching children at their level should also be fun and creative. Parents can use simple techniques like labeling things around the house, for example, with paper and scotch tape label the cup, the plate, chair, to teach children to spell words or give them fun tasks such as using one word in three sentences, hiding the clues around the house and letting children find these to include some fun. Children at the secondary school level
are more responsible and resourceful. They can contact their friends or find other means to get their classwork assignments. The primary role of the parent of a secondary school-aged child is to supervise and ensure that their teen is revising and learning life skills, which are necessary skills for survival in everyday life. These are not limited to, but includes, how to cook a simple meal, social skills and manners, simple sewing, how to wash and fold clothes, teach them the value of money and how to save it for use in the future, etc. These are all skills that they will need. Many single-parents are unable to supervise their children due to their work schedules and children are left in the care of older siblings who might be at a school age. Though this is not the ideal situation, in
these instances, parents can have a reward system in place for their children. Parents can leave school work for their children to do during the day which can be reviewed by the parent and children when the parent returns from work in the evening. Rewards, for example, stickers, a gum, or a sweet, can be given to children for their effort and for completing their work. Parents must remember that whether there is access to the internet or not, teaching children is still possible and what is key is their parental involvement in the process. ChildLinK is working to create a Guyanese society where every child grows up in a loving, safe, and secure family and community. The Recovery, Safeguarding, and Reintegration initiative is supported by the Delegation of the European Union
to Guyana and partners with the Childcare and Protection Agency and several agencies to reintegrate children to safe families and educate the wider society on the prevention of child abuse. Please write us with your comments and questions. Let us know how you would like to get involved in protecting children in your community by emailing us at admin@childlinkgy.org. Report child abuse by calling the CPA on 2270979, the closest police station, or ChildLinK on 233-3500 or email: admin@ childlinkgy.org. Yours faithfully, Shaquita Thomas Communications Officer ChildLinK Inc.
9
SUNDAY CHRONICLE June 14, 2020
RECOUNT EXPOSES RIGGING FRAUD MANY years ago, commenting on one of our past bogus elections, I remarked that, “the eagles have landed” when ballot boxes were fetched away in a light aircraft. Today, looking at claims that persons voted for the dead and for those who have left the country, I add a new refrain, “the phantoms have landed”. In the old days when rigging was obscenely spelt differently and had become a norm at election-time, a joke was circulated about a woman who was crying hysterically. A reporter politely asked: “Why are you crying?” The sobbing woman replied: “My husband voted today at our village school.” Reporter: “So, why are you crying?” Woman: “He died 10 years ago, and I am hurt to know that Pa come back till hey and he did not come to see his faithful old wife!” SYSTEMATIC FRAUD I can see the 2020 elections becoming the subject of new jokes of how the dead resurrected, and voted. And there would be new ballads or rap songs how, at a time when airports were closed, some Guyanese travelled on broomsticks from overseas, voted and mysteriously disappeared! In other words, it is clear that the 35-day recount process has unmasked a calculated and systematic fraud on our elections. Voter impersonation on a wide scale has not just defied and defiled the standards of free and fair elections, but exposed Guyana to be ridiculed as a nation with jumbie, or phantom voters! Over 100 days have elapsed since the March 2, 2020 general and regional polls, but the long wait is about to end. It is expected that the Elections Commission will shortly make a final decision on the outcome of the elections, at the end of a four-stage recount process.
NOT FREE OR CREDIBLE Late yesterday, it was disclosed that Chief Elections Officer, Mr. Keith Lowenfield, has submitted his report on the recount and observations regarding each of the 10 electoral districts. Immediately, before anyone had an opportunity to digest the report, the Opposition PPP literally grabbed the Chief Elections Officer by the throat in a political chokehold, and questioned his right to interpret the multitude of irregularities and observations that led him to the conclusion that the elections were not free or credible. This has been a meticulous and protracted period that has given rise to anxieties as to the final results of an election held 106 days ago. For those who are still wondering why the recount has taken so long, it must be made clear that this process is manually driven. Each of the 460,352 ballots from the 2,339 boxes was counted, one by one. In addition, objections had to be heard and observations recorded, and all official documents used during polling had to be examined. If nothing else, the recount had to be a thorough, painstaking and time-consuming affair, which was done under restrictive conditions at this time as Guyana faces the COVID-19 pandemic. Though conceding that the process has dragged on for too long, I also recognise that it remains guided by the prescriptions of the Constitution, the directions of the judiciary and the scrutiny by all contesting political parties, foreign and local observers, and supervisors from the Caribbean Community. The administrative arrangements for the recount process have been as transparent as you could expect, though the same cannot be said about the credibility of the ballots, since over 7,000 claims have been lodged about irregularities and anomalies, including voter impersonation of persons who are deceased or are living in the diaspora.
BLOATED VOTERS LIST It seems that the bloated voters’ list for the 2020 polls has created the opportunity for the mischief of voter impersonation. Guyana, like all other under-developed countries, has experienced the dialectics of migration whereby citizens chose to work and live in the so-called higher economies. Over decades, we suffered from brain drain, as Guyanese became both political and economic refugees overseas. Over time, family members joined them in the seemingly unending travail in search of better opportunities. Looking at how our population suffered, Stanley Ming, an outstanding national investor, businessman, motor racer and statistical analyst, gave recent statistical data, that the total population in 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000 and 2012 was 745,000, 751,000, 723,000, 751,000 and 747,000 respectively. This gives an average of 743,000 for the past 42 years from 1970-2012. Based on the population trend, Mr. Ming published what I accept as credible figures on what the voters list should be, using a fair average of the population at 750,000 for the period 2012-2020. He then constructed as “logical mathematical reality” a voting population of 500,000 after excluding 250,000 children below the age of 18 years. Ming’s projected figures were based on the 2011 official list of voters which had 475,496 persons, of which 342,236 or 72
per cent voted. He based his case on the Suriname experience where voters in 2015 and 2020 were 64 per cent of total population. In the same years, in Guyana voters were 76 per cent in 2015 (with population at 767,432) and 84 per cent in 2020 (with population at 782,766). For 2015 and 2020, the number of registered voters was 585,527 and 660,998 respectively. PHANTOMS HAD LANDED Assuming that the registered voters realistically were 500,000 (and not 661,000), a turnout of 460,000 would be an incredible 92 per cent, as compared to 40 per cent turnout at the local government elections in November 2018. Indeed, the phantoms had landed! It does not need someone with a microscope to detect that something was so fishy about the 2020 elections that it stinks to the high heavens! It is not only fishy. It is fraudulent! I have walked the journey for electoral democracy over many decades, but little did I expect that towards the end of it, I would again stumble on the crooked rocks of deception and fraud, which the recount has now exposed. It seems that I have been walking in a vicious circle. This time around, it shall not pass scrutiny or judgment. The common resolve of our dignified people must be, “no more rigged elections!”
10
SUNDAY CHRONICLE June 14, 2020
A review of David Granger’s British regiments in British Guiana DAVID GRANGER’s British regiments in British Guiana recalls the often overlooked presence of British regiments in the colony of British Guiana during the tumultuous pre-Independence period from 1953 to 1966. It is an enlightening and educative publication. A British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) report announced, publicly, the departure of the first regiment to British Guiana, in 1953, stating: Naval and military forces are on their way to British Guiana in response to what the UK Government says is a threat to the administration of the British colony. Troop ships set off to the South American country earlier today. A statement issued by the Colonial Office stated that in view of developments in British Guiana it had been necessary to send forces with the “utmost dispatch” to preserve the peace. Officials blamed “communists and their associates” for creating the problems, adding that some of those behind the unrest were in “ministerial positions”. ‘Operation Windsor’, which witnessed the arrival of the British troops in October 1953, supposedly, was to ensure public order following the suspension of the Colony’s Constitution, the removal of the elected members of the Council of Ministers and the imposition of emergency rule. The suspension of the Constitution and the arrival of British troops was triggered by Cold War fears that the six ministers – members of the original People’s Progressive Party (PPP) who had been elected in April – were pursuing policies and actions which were inimical to British interests in the colony. The troops anticipated local hostility. They were greeted, instead, with an atmosphere of gloom, with deserted streets and many citizens choosing to remain indoors.
The country’s national poet, Martin Carter wrote a poem, “This is the dark time my love” which became a powerful commentary on the suspension of the Constitution and the dispatch of troops to the Colony. Carter refers, metaphorically, to the troops as “brown beetles [that] crawl about.” The sad mood which their arrival represented is symbolised by the imagery of “red flowers [which] bend their heads in awful shame”. The troops’ presence is portrayed as an attempt to destroy the dreams and aspirations of the young government. Carter describes the troops as “strange invaders” who are “watching you sleep and aiming at your dream.” The troops who came were not made to feel welcome by some local political parties, initially. They did not encounter major hostilities, however. Photographs now available show the troops as being objects of curiosity by the public, including school children. Seventeen other battalions would follow in succeeding years. Their presence became a permanent feature right through to political independence, especially after the country descended into civil violence in the early 1960s. Political perceptions of the presence of the troops had changed by then and they were no longer viewed as intruders. Some who chanted “Limey go home!” in 1953 changed their tune when the then Premier wrote to the Governor requesting that the troops remain to quell unrest in 1963. The troops had moved from being perceived as invaders in 1953 to being protectors of public order ten years later. The last regiment was still in British Guiana on the night of Independence – 25th May 1966. The 18 battalions would have spent, collectively, 13 years in the colony. Many young soldiers who arrived as bachelor returned to Britain as married men, others
leaving their DNA behind. The story of their presence and the context in which they came make for interesting reading. British regiments in British Guiana represents more than a token recognition of the troops’ presence. It situates the regiments’ deployment in the context of the raging Cold War, British anguish about its evanescent empire and the volatile local political environment. David Granger is a keen scholar. The book benefits from his typically thorough research in writing this concise but commendable account of the British regiments deployed to British Guiana. Granger provides sufficient context to allow for a richer understanding of the factors which led to the troops’ introduction and retention in Guyana over their
thirteen-year deployment. The immediate pre-Independence years, 1962-1966, were a much darker period than when they first arrived in 1953 to enforce the suspension of the Constitution. The book’s strengths are its explanatory and descriptive content. The book provides useful information about the regiments, including their background, the problems with housing them upon arrival and some of the internal security operations in which they were involved. The book is recommended for general as well as academic reading. The book could have benefitted from firsthand accounts of the troops’ experiences in the Colony. It has neglected, also, to assess the effectiveness of the British presence during the thirteen-year deployment. The British military presence, despite its limited size and duration, did provide some amount of stability. The death and destruction wrought during the ‘Disturbances’, however, would call into question the regiments’ success in maintaining public order. David Granger, with this eloquent publication, reminds us of the presence of foreign troops during a turbulent period in his country’s history. It highlights how perceptions of outsiders can be altered by shifting political interests. David Granger wrote British regiments in British Guiana while in private life twelve years ago before entering public office. The book, nevertheless, is part of a relevant record that recalls a defining decade in Guyana’s political history – one which brought the contrasting emotions of both happiness and hope and disappointment and distrust. Readers cannot help but pause and ponder on what would have been the country’s fate had the events of October 1953 not occurred.
The battle for the soul of the nation
THE imminent decision expected from the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) on the national recount cannot be over-emphasized. It teems with the potential to shake, nay, crumble the very foundation of values and basic principles on which our society rests, and, if it pleases you, wherever humanity exists. It has become painfully clear that the March 2nd national and regional elections were replete with fraud, if only by public perception. As a consequence, consistent with Article 177(1) of the Constitution, it is very difficult to see a declaration that remotely suggests that the witch’s numerical brew before the commission is a firm basis to form a legitimate government. There is no question that the will of the people has been dashed by powerful corrupt interests and it has come down to a battle for the soul of the nation. BASIC VALUES As long as society exists, there are basic values that guide our interaction. If we attend school, we are taught that if an exam has been compromised by widespread cheating or fraudulent activities, the entire exam has to be quashed. In the
realm of sport, if a game has been tainted by ball-tampering and the digging up of the pitch to gain an advantage, points from the game or competition cannot be used to advance in a tournament. In the professional sphere, if workers submit fraudulent documents for promotion and it is discovered, those workers cannot be allowed to gain promotion. Our laws are replete with safeguards against fraud, if it receives the imprimatur of an elections commission, the entire state loses the moral high ground to pontificate on key arguments of morals and ethics. From the ordinary hustler in the street to the highest office in the land, we would cede ground to a criminal value system. THE CASE HAS BEEN MADE Some argue that there was no fraud and the elections were credible. They posit the case of a hoax created by a political party that is desperate to cling to power at all costs. While it is true that politicians will always cry foul in any process that appears not consistent with their interests, and while it is indeed true that elections are often replete with issues, the
value of both maxims is contextual. In the context of the March 2nd, 2020 elections, the case of discredited elections has been abundantly made by one political party. Ghost voting and voting by migrants completely kills any chance of the true reflection of the will of the people. Some may want to posit that the questionable votes are not enough to affect the overall results. This is the same argument used in the Zimbabwe elections petition case: Chamisa v Mnangagwa and 24 others (supra). This argument has been discredited by numerous courts, most notably the Malawi High Court which stated: ‘What if the numbers themselves are as a result of an inaccurate counting, intimidation, fraud or corruption? Surely, for an election to be truly free, fair and credible, it must be conducted in full compliance with the Constitution and applicable electoral laws’ (MSCA Constitutional Appeal No.1 of 2020). THE DANGERS If a government accedes to office by virtue of electoral fraud, the nation is immediately saddled with a kleptocracy from the outset that will invariably
morph into a dictatorship. In this, good governance and accountability are non-starters since the halls of government will be occupied by minds that embrace the idea of corruption as a means of survival. Therein lies the dangers for any population and for this reason, it is a battle for the soul of the nation. A critical national question is before the commission: what is the Guyanese character? Are we a people who eschew fairness and justice? Are we a people who would lend support to wrongdoing? What is our value system? With all of this in mind, there should be appreciation for the characterisation of this entire process being a battle for the soul of the nation.
11
SUNDAY CHRONICLE June 14, 2020
Understanding Energy
Explaining Flaring AS many Guyanese have already heard, the Liza Destiny production vessel has conducted controlled flaring over the past few weeks due to a technical complication with its gas compressor. While Exxon has indicated that it is working to remedy the situation, and that the amount of gas being flared has already been reduced substantially, it is important to understand the safety role flaring plays during the startup of an oil and gas development. Natural gas that is found at predominantly crude oil developments like Liza Phase One is called “associated” gas. When wells are drilled into an oil reservoir, that gas comes up to the surface under pressure along with the oil. Companies treat associated gas very carefully, otherwise it could lead to build up of pressure and potentially safety incidents. Depending on the situation, oil companies have a few options to handle this associated gas: they re-inject it to boost oil recovery; process it as liquefied natural
gas (LNG) and ship it via tanker; bring it ashore on a pipeline for use in power plants; or flare it. Flaring is the safest method of dealing with short term or unexpected gas coming out of a well, particularly at start up when other facilities are not yet built (like a pipeline to shore). Flaring involves igniting the gas as it emerges in a highly controlled continuous flame. While the government and Exxon have discussed a possible pipeline to bring gas ashore for domestic electricity generation, at present Exxon has to dispose of the gas another way. The Liza Destiny is designed to avoid routine flaring once it reaches peak production, primarily by using a large compressor to re-inject the gas back into the ground to help oil production. Due to the compressor issue, however, the Liza Destiny was forced to continue flaring gas for a few weeks as a safety precaution before reducing oil production, and flaring, in early June. It’s worth noting that it is standard procedure for government contracts to allow oper-
ators to flare during startup purposes and for safety reasons. Recent reports indicate that Exxon is working with the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy to keep them updated as they work to fix the machinery. The gas compressor system itself is an enormously complex and vital piece of machinery made by precision manufacturers under contract, not by Exxon itself. Exxon has indicated that a major complicating factor in resolving the malfunction has been difficulties in getting experts into the country in light of travel restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Experts from the compressor manufacturer are actively providing advice remotely and will be on site as soon as they complete the required two-week quarantine imposed on industry personnel entering the country. Though unfortunate, the operators will need to continue flaring gas as a precaution until the technical experts are able to leave quarantine and can fix the problem. While much has been made of the amount
of gas being flared, it’s useful to consider the global context. Guyana now has only one active production site and so temporary flaring on the Liza Destiny has a considerably smaller impact than that seen by many larger producers. Many other countries continuously and intentionally flare much larger quantities of gas. According to public data, even in the highly unlikely event Guyana’s present flaring rate continued for a full year, it would account for less than one fifth of one per cent of overall global flaring volumes. While it is very important that we be vigilant about how Exxon is operating off our shores, the company says the current flaring is the result of an unplanned event during project startup and notes that it is capturing lessons learned to apply in its other projects here in Guyana. When completed and at full production, Liza is designed to be a world class operation including by having no routine flaring. Let’s hope this only is a temporary blip in the decades of life ahead for Liza.
‘Don’t co-opt my revolution’ THE last few weeks have been trying for us all, not least the black community which has once again witnessed the murder of one of our own at the hands of the State. The resultant protests, marches and riots have spurred a global revolution of sorts. Incensed individuals of all colours and creeds have taken to the streets and social media in order to express their disdain for police brutality and racism. The #blacklivesmatter movement has been at the forefront of the revolution, calling for marches and other demands to be met whilst we work towards the eradication of systemic racism. Since the uprising, a number of States in the United States of America have signed into law legislation aiming to curb incidences of police brutality and systemic racism. For instance, Governor Andrew Cuomo has signed into law a number of police reforms, which include making the use of chokeholds by police, which cause injury or death, a crime. The reforms also prohibit false race-based 911 calls, and appoints the State Attorney-General as an independent prosecutor when an unarmed person is killed by police. Additionally, there has been a repeal of a measure known as ‘50-A’, which shields police disciplinary records from the public. Cuomo has also promised to withhold funds from local cities and police departments which are not taking reformative actions. Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C, the Mayor, Muriel Bowser, renamed a section of a street ‘Black Lives Matter Plaza’, and has painted in yellow, ‘black lives matter’ on a street in the city. Also in the USA, the mainstream
media has done a wonderful job of showcasing cases of ‘white guilt’ and virtue-signaling in numerous ways. I have seen Nancy Pelosi ‘taking the knee’ whilst wearing some Kente Cloth in order to protest racism and police brutality in a moment of silence with other Democrats. She has also called for the removal of several Confederate statues from around Washington, D.C as part of the structural reforms’ Democrats want to see undertaken. Over ‘The Pond’ in the United Kingdom, protestors have also found novel ways of revolting against police brutality and racism. Several statues of persons who have been linked to slavery and racism have been pulled down, damaged and defaced. The message coming from the movement is that no one wants to see someone edified who has contributed to the proliferation of racism in our world. Most interestingly, the proven racist and now Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has come out in defence of Winston Churchill, another known racist, as calls for his statue to be taken down are now circulating, following its defacement during the recent protests. On our very own shores here in Guyana, the #blacklivesmatter protest, which was scheduled to take place has been postponed, presumably as we are still dealing with the COVID-19 emergency measures which prohibit gatherings of this sort. Nonetheless, there have been growing expressions amongst Guyanese that the statue of Queen Victoria be taken down from its place at the High Court, for it represents a part of our history we would like to forget, such as slavery, indentureship,
colonialism and neo-colonialism. None of this, however, is good enough, and it is certainly not what persons who genuinely want to see change have asked for. Firstly, yes, Cuomo’s police reforms are long overdue, and will go some way in protecting citizens against nefarious State police, however, it is laughably insufficient, once you have truly analyzed what is needed in order to stem systemic racism. And, let us not be fooled, we all know exactly what is needed in order for the system to be fair. A complete overhaul is necessary; a drastic reshaping or law enforcement is needed, not just in the USA, but globally. We must start to ask ourselves why we need law enforcement, and how best we can police our communities without the intervention of these State agents. Secondly, no one asked for a street to be named ‘#black lives matter Plaza’, or for that slogan to be painted on the road, a place where people walk, drive, spit, urinate and pay scant regard to what lies beneath their feet. In my opinion, this represents precisely what black people have been complaining about; that their rights are being trampled on, disrespected and not taken seriously. It is even more insulting that we must remind ourselves and the global community that ‘black lives matter’ in this regard. Thirdly, and this is a lesson most black people in the post-Atlantic slave trade diaspora know all too well: The reason why these western countries have erected statues of persons who have raped, pillaged, tortured, enslaved, experimented on and colonised people is because they recognise the value in what they have done,
and how they are some of the original architects of the current system. It is like a badge of honour for them, as these individuals built the wealth and riches of these nations because of the egregious crimes they committed against black people, and human beings in general. They chose to erect and maintain these statues because they see no problem in what these people have done in order to secure wealth and power, which is why the same systems of oppression they used then, have been modernised and rebranded to continue said oppression now. Finally, the problem with group mobilisation and collective rebellion is that more often than not, it is sadly co-opted by shadowy figures working from behind the scenes to quell genuine revolution. I suspect the same has happened, or is happening with the #blacklivesmatter movement. We all know what is necessary in order to create the Utopian Earth so many of us dream about, and it is not going to come about by seeking to prop up the archaic and broken systems which are responsible for keeping us in our place. I will only be convinced that real change is possible, once the old system has been completely dismantled. Anything less does not capture my attention.
12
Op-Ed
By Minister of Public Security and Attorney, Khemraj Ramjattan
SUNDAY CHRONICLE June 14, 2020
Does Article 177 tie GECOM to only making a declaration of the presidency?
… does the recount affect Article 177?
ARTICLE 177 of the Constitution makes provision for the election of a President of Guyana. The marginal note so indicates. The relevant provision, namely, article 177 (1) and (2) says the following: (1) Any list of candidates for an election held pursuant to the provisions of article 60 (2) shall designate not more than one of those candidates as a Presidential candidate. An elector voting at such an election in favour of such a last shall be deemed to be voting in favour of the Presidential candidate named in the list. (2) Where – (a) there is only one Presidential candidate at the election; or (b) there are two or more Presidential candidates, if more votes are cast in favour of the list in which a person is designated as Presidential candidate than in favour of any other list, that Presidential candidate shall be deemed to be elected as President and shall be so declared by the Chairman of the Elections acting only in accordance with the advice of the Chief Election Officer, after such advice has been tendered to the Elections Commission at a duly summoned meeting. This provision is making clear a number of things or phases, one of which is that the same vehicle which is utilized for election of Parliamentary seats in the National Assembly is the same vehicle which will allow for the election of the President. Another thing it is saying is that when there are contesting candidates for the Presidency, as we have had in the March 2nd Elections, the candidate with the higher votes is deemed elected. “Deemed elected”, it must be said, is not the same as “elected”, although on the rarest of occasions this is to be contemplated. This Recount provides that occasion. To reach that “elected” state even a further phase has to be completed, namely, that a declaration to this effect must be made by the Chairman of the Commission acting on the advice of the Chief Elections Officer which advice has to be submitted to the members of the Commission at a duly summoned meeting. There are some points which ought to be noted here. The Chairman is required to act on the advice of the Chief Elections Officer after this advice is tendered at a duly summoned meeting of the Commission. The Chairman declares the President elected on the advice of the Chief Elections Officer. Not on the advice of the Commission! Of course there is another phase we all know which the duly elected President must pass; and, that is the swearing in by the Chancellor (or a Judge appointed by him), in accordance with article 97. For all intent and purpose, the “deemed President” is only completely morphed into being the “elected” President when the latter things happen in accordance with article 177. There is no automaticity from a “deemed President” to an “elected President”. This is made even clearer by a reading of article 91 of the Constitution which says: “The President shall be elected by the people in the manner prescribed by article 177.” These two articles 91 and 177 dealing with the election of the President and especially the words….“elected by the people”…. here must be via a process that is fair and credible. Gaining the higher number of votes cast by a process that is not fair or credible could never have been within the contemplation of the framers of the Constitution. Nor could it be the character and quality intended by these words….“elected by the people”. Further, “credible” certainly must be the dominant, underlying consideration in the mind of the members of the Elections Commission, especially the all important Chairman, when conducting this exercise of a general elections, to realise the “elected President” of a democratic country. The very wide powers given by the Constitution to the Elections Commission in articles 62 and 162, and the various derivative legislation thereunder, makes this presumptive. It was obviously under these constitutional powers that Order No. 60 of 2020 was approved, thereby occasioning a Recount; and, to avoid what allegedly was a process which had questionable credibility. It was with the purpose of having a final ‘credible’ count of the March 2nd Elections, (see para 14 of Order as amended). See page 21
SUNDAY CHRONICLE, June 14, 2020
13
14
SUNDAY CHRONICLE, June 14, 2020
‘This is not a horse race’ …President Granger says comments by Gonsalves, Arthur have no impact on process
NO foreign head of state should comment on Guyana’s internal politics until the results of the March 2, 2020 general and regional elections are announced. This is according to President David Granger in response to questions posed by the host of the ‘Straight Up’ radio programme, Mark Benschop, on Friday night. Recently, incoming chair of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Ralph Gonsalves, and former Barbados
Prime Minister, Owen Arthur, have come in for heavy criticism over premature comments they made regarding the recount process. Several days ago, Gonsalves noted, in media reports in St Vincent, that CARICOM expects GECOM will honour the results of the recount and that CARICOM will not tolerate anyone “stealing” the elections. Said President Granger: ”There is no need for this type of comment, it is not
a horse race, and I think people should be prudent in their remarks.” He said he was not attacking Gonsalves’ style of leadership but the President noted that Guyana is not a lawless state and that his government is not a rogue one. Asked again about Gonsalves’ statement as well as that of former Barbados Prime Minister, Owen Arthur, who supported Gonsalves’ utterances, the President said that he has put his
faith in CARICOM, noting that Guyana is aware of what the Treaty of Chaguaramas stands for and the “codes that bind our states together.” He said that people “must understand we are observant of the codes of behaviour in the community,” noting that he is not worried about the electoral process since it started about 100 days ago. Rather, the President said that he was “worried by the hooliganism that some elements in the Opposition
President David Granger
perpetrated in some rural areas.” He said that whatever is the finding of the election commission, his government will abide by them. GONSALVES, ARTHUR’S WORDS HAVE NO IMPACT President Granger noted that the words of Gonsalves and Arthur have no impact on the report of the CARICOM observers noting that this is a novel process. ”I have never had to wait so long for an outcome,” he said. He added that there is abundant evidence that elements tried to manipulate the outcome of the elections by committing certain actions in order to get an outcome in their favour. He said there have been many anomalies which the APNU+AFC has uncovered in the recount process. ”There are too many anomalies to be ignored,” he said, noting that that had been the main reason for the recount. ”That is the reason why CARIOM is here, that is the reason why we have had to wait a 100 days to get a report,” he added. The President noted that democracy is a process which must not be rushed.” All Guyanese regardless of the outcome will be satisfied with who they voted for,” he added. IF THE ELECTIONS ARE NULLIFIED The President, when asked if the election is deemed null and void, noted that he is committed to the people of Guyana and he would be prepared to obey the instruction of GECOM
and ensure that whatever it takes, the people must benefit from the outcome of the process. He said he is prepared to work with anyone to ensure the people benefit from the ‘good life’ which he promised when he assumed the presidency back in 2015. There is some misunderstanding about the process, the President said. He reminded the radio audience as well as those tuning in online that the tabulation stage is only one part of the tabulation of the votes cast at the March 2 polls. “It is also important that the report is prepared based on that tabulation,” he said and he noted it must include observations during the process. “It is not just the recount but also the observation,” the President told Benschop. He said the observation report of the CARICOM team will be sent to the CARICOM secretariat which will, in turn, send it to GECOM. He said the third stage is the review process by the commissioners. Finally, the fourth stage will see the results and declaration . “So it is misleading for people to think that the mere tabulation is the completion of the process,” he said. CEO of GECOM, Keith Lowenfield, presented his report to chair of the commission, Retired Justice Claudette Singh, on Saturday. In his report, Lowenfield concluded that many anomalies which were found in the recount process of the March 2, 2020 polls, indicate that the elections were not credible.
15
SUNDAY CHRONICLE, June 14, 2020
Parties differ on CEO report …coalition says GECOM can’t turn blind eye to claims of fraud
The Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield, in submitting his Report on the National Recount, not only complied with the Order, that triggered the process, but the Constitution of Guyana and the Representation of the People Act, the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU+AFC) said as it brushed aside contentions by the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) that the CEO violated the Order, when he pronounced on the credibility of the General and Regional Elections. In his Observation Reports to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Lowenfield said due to the anomalies and instances of voter impersonation cited during the recount process, the General and Regional Elections held on March 2, undoubtedly, did not satisfy the criteria of impartiality, fairness and compliance with the Constitution and the Representation of the People Act. As a result, he said it cannot be ascertained that the results of the Electoral Districts meet
the standard of fair and credible elections. The CEO’s assessment of the electoral process did not sit well with the PPP/C. The party, in accusing the CEO of violating the Order, said he has no power or authority or any mandate to offer a view, opinion or judgement of any type. “In a clear and blatant violation of the Order, Lowenfield arrogated unto himself the role of an investigator, Judge and executioner and made conclusive findings, in respect of the wild, reckless and baseless allegations made by APNU+AFC and rendered a judgement on them…,” the PPP/C contended as it launched an attack on the CEO. In a separate statement, the Private Sector Commission (PSC), an accredited Elections Observer, expressed satisfaction with the electoral process, inclusive of the recount. Notwithstanding the mountain of irregularities and alleged cases of voter impersonation, the PSC said the recount process produced an entirely credible tabulation
of the results of the General and Regional Elections. “The Private Sector Commission is, therefore, appalled that the Chief Elections Officer of GECOM should submit a Report to the Chairman of the Elections Commission that from “the information furnished from the Recount, it cannot be ascertained that the results …meet the standard of fair and credible elections,” the PSC said. But the APNU+AFC, in a separate statement, said the CEO’s Report was submitted in accordance with the Order, and painted a vivid picture of the unlawful acts that were committed on Elections Day, even as it called out the PPP/C for seeking to misinform the people of Guyana and the Diplomatic Corps inclusive of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). “The Representation of the People Act is pellucidly clear in PART X1, which addresses the Ascertainment of Election Results. Additionally, in Article 96 of the Constitution, the CEO is empowered to” calculate the to-
tal valid votes of electors cast and thereupon ascertain the results”. This therefore means to discover with certainty as through examination or experimentation. This is what was done,” the APNU+AFC said. The ruling coalition used the opportunity to underscore the importance of establishing credibility in an electoral process in arriving at the valid votes cast. “It is unfortunate that the
PPP seeks to malign the CEO Mr. Lowenfield who has acted with the ambit of the Law and is in strict compliance with the Gazetted order,” the APNU+AFC said as it condemned PPP/C for its attacks on the CEO. The PPP/C’s remarks, the Coalition said, denigrates the work of the CEO and his staff together with everyone else, who contributed to the recount process,
in GECOM’s quest to establish credibility. “It is noteworthy that the CEO’s report indeed has considered the fraudulent discoveries by our Counting Agents during the just concluded Recount process, which was agreed to by both the PPP and the APNU/AFC Coalition,” it noted while calling on Guyanese to allow the recount process to continue uninterrupted.
16
SUNDAY CHRONICLE, June 14, 2020
Edghill flip-flops on threats against public servants
…now says he was referring to political appointees PEOPLE’S Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) member, Bishop Juan Edghill, has switched his position on his party’s intention to fire public servants who were appointed after the December 21, 2018 no-confidence motion. Edghill, on Wednesday,
was heard and seen on a video programme on Facebook saying that public servants whose contracts were recently renewed, and any appointments post December 21, 2018, the individuals will have sleepless nights, and will be issued notices by the PPP/C.
However, via a press statement issued on Friday, the Bishop said that his remarks are being peddled maliciously. He said that the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) has lost these Elections and in an effort
PPP/C member, Bishop Juan Edghill
to bury the results of the recount process, “they are deliberating obfuscating issues and spreading propaganda.” “I never attacked or threatened public servants. I maintain that public servants have nothing to worry about and nothing to fear
from a PPP/C Government. Our professionals are valuable and important. However, the "political appointees" in the Ministries and Agencies who have recently renewed contracts should be put on notice that this is improper, unconstitutional and unlawful. I reiterate that it is wrong to tie a new Government down with clauses in new contracts to pay tax dollars to political operatives whose services would have concluded. In my comments, I was referring specifically to political appointees,” Edghill said in his statement. It further outlined that in contrast, persons appointed by the Public Service Commission have security of tenure and function under different arrangements. “So that is a separate matter. It is not surprising that the ones who are benefitting from these renewed contracts are peddling lies and
misinformation daily. Public servants, who professionally execute their functions and mandate, will continue to do so freely. That is to say, public servants irrespective of race, age, gender, ethnicity, class and political affiliation, will work and benefit under a PPP/C Government. Our manifesto outlines betterment for all Guyanese, inclusive of and specifically for, Guyana's public servants,” Edghill remarked. The position of the Guyana Elections Commission on the results of the March 2 elections is not yet known to the public, but the PPP/C is operating on a self-proclaimed victory. Meanwhile, the APNU+AFC maintains that only GECOM can pronounce on the outcome, and so the public is being urged to remain calm while GECOM performs its legal duty.
SUNDAY CHRONICLE, June 14, 2020
17
18
SUNDAY CHRONICLE, June 14, 2020
GECOM must be allowed to do its work
--says US Congresswoman Yvette Clarke “We are monitoring, from the Congressional side, all of the various players that are either interfering or trying to put their thumbs on the scale of the elections in Guyana.” Those were the thoughts of United States Congresswoman Yvette Clarke who was on Friday night responding to questions posed by so-
cial activist Mark Benschop on his radio programme, "Straight Up", as regards interference and threats made to the electoral process here in Guyana by officials of the US State Department. The results of the elections of March, 2, 2020 are still to be declared, and backand- forth movements within the courts here, as well
as a recent recount process have seen their release being delayed by almost three months. Added to this, a number of officials of the US Congress and State Department have been pronouncing on the process, and even making veiled threats as to what action the US and the wider international community are
likely to take, should the results not go a certain way. Among those officials is Assistant Secretary in the US Department of State’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, Michael Kozak who has been constantly sharing his views on Twitter about the Guyana situation. On Benschop Radio 107.1FM on Friday night,
US Congresswoman Yvette Clarke
Congresswoman Clarke began by saying that the United States, under the Donald Trump administration, is corrupt on many levels, and that it is “a travesty” that the principles on which the US Government stands are being diminished, because, the way it is structured, the playing field is seen as equal at every level of governance. A Democratic member of the US House of Representatives for the State of New York, Congresswoman Clarke is maintaining that the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) must be free to do its job without interference from any group, “so this can be a free and fair elections”. A Brooklyn native of Jamaican heritage, Clarke was elected to the House of Representatives in November 2006 and today represents the Ninth Congressional District of New York. LONG-AWAITED REPORT Here in Guyana, Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield, was expected to hand over his report on the national recount to GECOM Chairman Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh on Saturday. That report, which is to comprise a tabulation of the votes cast at the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections, will also include a summary of the observation reports for each of the 10 Electoral Districts. It is in these observation reports that the incumbent A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Coalition, has primarily highlighted over 6,000 cases it believes are tied to electoral fraud. According to the APNU+AFC, close to 90,000 votes have been compromised as a result of these suspected fraudulent
acts. These cases include: Missing Official Lists of Electors; ballots for one region being cast in another; ballots cast for the dead and persons who have migrated; persons voting without proper identification; persons voting outside of their districts without employment documents; large numbers of improperly stamped ballots at locations where Disciplined Services members voted; missing poll books; and documents from one polling station being found in the ballot boxes of another. The Guyana Chronicle reported on Saturday that, notably, on the eve of the submission, reports surfaced that the Elections Secretariat has confirmed that the names of the 48 persons for whom death certificates have been produced were ticked off on the Official List of Electors (OLE) as having voted. There is already division amongst government-nominated and opposition-nominated commissioners with regard to what should be done about the claimed and observed irregularities. The People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) has argued that every election will produce margins of error, and the ones discovered by the Coalition are minimal. However, the APNU+AFC is holding fast that there are “clearly-linked” patterns amongst the irregularities which invalidated votes cast for the party. It is also steadfast in its position that fraudulent votes ought not to be counted, and that GECOM has the responsibility to deliver credible results to the electorate.
19
SUNDAY CHRONICLE, June 14, 2020
Exam students have mixed feelings about returning to school THE students and pupils who are preparing to sit the upcoming Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations, the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE), and the National Grade Six Assessment next month, have been given the option of returning to school from tomorrow for face-to-face classes. Last week, this decision was made optional by the Ministry of Education so that the students and pupils will be better prepared for their exams, given the circumstances. The ministry as well as the school teachers have spent last week putting the necessary measures in place to have a safe environment for classes. However, some students are not quite comfortable with the idea, while some are thankful for the opportunity to be back in their school environment.
La Shelle Williams
This publication engaged with a few of these exam students to assess their positions on the entire situation. Donlee Castelo of Queens College, said “I have mixed feelings about this entire situation as part of me wants to get my examinations over with and another I’m really upset as little attention is paid towards mental health. Since the ministry is in a rush to get SBAs and IAs ready there is no better way than to have face-to-face interactions. As a CAPE student I had to write a module exam which plays a major role for my final grade. It was a really tough call, preparing and going through the examination process. Before the examination, just like many others, I haven’t left my home and being able to go to school after such a long time was very eye-opening. I realised that despite measures were put in place to
facilitate social distancing, it is difficult for a student to incorporate such. The ministry can only do so much, but can they really protect us from this virus?” “I'm really excited to see my friends again. That's the only good thing I would say,” said LaShelle Williams, a
letting schoolchildren out is just increasing the chances of us having more COVID-19 cases,” Boucher said In addition to the health issues, the student questions “how is one teacher-- assuming there's one teacher who teaches exam level for each subject-- supposed to teach about three-four rooms of 15 students the same amount of work in the even shorter time administrated to them now? My class has approximately 45 students, so that's 15 students in three classrooms; maybe they're going to just rotate and just teach the same thing over three times, but personally the online class where they can teach all 45 students in one sitting for an appropriate time is much better. Even Though they are taking safety precautions in
Jayda Overton
West Demerara Secondary CSEC student. “Because most of their home situations are not as good per se, so I'm really glad they could escape that condition. But for school I'm scared. So much [sic] risks involved in this; what if something bad happens, and not just to me to the other students and teachers that'll be going back to school. I really feel like this is unfair to us. All the pressure on our backs added to the pressure of doing well and to even succeed. To be honest I just want to get this stress, frustration and fatigue over with; I'm really exhausted from all of this. And to add to that a lot of schools haven't provided any proper type of online classes, some schools none at all. And I'm sure there are some schools where the teachers haven't finished the syllabi for their subjects yet and to pack everything into the three weeks. That's just so much more pressure.” Samuel Boucher, a Lower Sixth student of the Bishops High School, said he doesn’t see the need to reopen the schools considering how well the online classes have been going and the health risks that threaten their lives. “They've followed safety precautions in the classroom, but they haven't considered they are putting some students who have to take public transportation to and from school at risk. The number of cases in Guyana are now starting to decrease, and we’ve seen multiple examples around the world of countries opening certain places and experiencing a large increase of cases, so
“I’ve actually been to school before the scheduled date for
Samuel Boucher
reopening. I was scared at first, but it was for an exam so I focused mainly on the exam rather than the mask and all of the other things. At our school they have a system. When you enter the compound they check our temperature, you wash your hands and then you’re fully sanitised from your bag to your shoes.” However, pertaining to Monday’s return, the student said “I’m not too sure if I’ll be going since my teachers haven’t said anything as yet. I’m still scared because I don’t know where
Delicia Cameron
the classrooms, the thought of me being exposed and at risk for catching this virus, just at the back of my head might cause me to focus on that more than the exam.” Meanwhile, Delicia Cameron who is also from the same school as Boucher, said that she doesn’t see how the COVID-19 measure will be adhered to by a group of adolescent friends in school together. “I don't see how that is going to work out because they say to avoid mass gatherings, yet they’re gathering us. I know for sure that social-distancing thing not gonna work out, cause it's school for crying out loud. Everybody frenzy. I get they’re trying to push to get the exams over with, but health should be the number one priority right now. Education is important yes, but health is of more importance, at least right now,” she said. A student who wishes to remain anonymous, said
ing to normalcy.” Jayda Overton, of Central High, shared similar sentiments. “I'm set to write CSEC and I feel as though writing the exams put us the students at risk. I am very concerned health wise as it isn’t really safe for us, the future generation to write exams at such a worrisome time,” she said. Additionally, there are some concerns about the change in format for the exams. Overton said “I am also worried about CSEC’s decision to do only paper ones when paper ones aren’t exactly the best mode of test-
Jennay Duke
all my classmates have been, where the teachers have been, persons could be carriers and I’m afraid of risking the health of my family members just to go to school. I don’t believe we need to return because the online classes are quite fine for me. I understand the point of getting students comfortable with the situation of wearing masks all the time during an exam, but I believe that the students would become complacent with the situation and just start congregating and return-
and not the classes.
Leshanah Bindah
Donlee Castello
ing, as it may not efficiently test all topic areas and may put additional pressure on students . The syllabus was not completed and the online learning is not as effective as classroom-learning. With the circumstances at hand, I feel as if my performance in the exams may be hindered. I just hope that enough precautions are taken to prevent further spread of the ongoing pandemic.” Another student also mentioned the change in format. She said, “the way CXC changed from a paper two to paper one and IAs only has majorly affected us. It has its pros and cons. For example the Pure Math IA weighting has went up since it would be considered our paper two and the IAs are usually pretty tough, so it places persons at more of a disadvantage. Also, some persons would prefer to have a paper two because they can better explain themselves and even put something on the paper to get a mark with the paper one if you’re right then you’re right.” Another Bishop’s student, Jennay Duke, said she will be attending school for the exam
“I honestly feel that it's very irresponsible and negligent to allow students to attend school physically despite the positive feedback we've received on the impact of COVID-19 in Guyana. I won’t be attending school because there is no certainty about the situation I would be putting myself in and it's a huge risk. I prefer to stay at home and study on my own and be 100% sure about not getting the virus. However, I will be attending school only on the days that I am absolutely required to sit my exams,” Duke said. Meanwhile, Leshanah Bindah said though she is worried, the school environment will be best for her preparation. “I am worried yes, because I'll have to use public transportation but in my home the exams are more important at the moment. I have a little cousin that had to be home from playschool as well, so I had the responsibility of looking after him while my aunt went to work. So I hardly got any school work done during the quarantine, and on top of that I'm totally fed up. So I guess being at school could give me four hours of quiet time to study,” Bindah said. There were other students who confessed about their living conditions and the implications on their ability to get quality school work done. These students, despite the health risks, prefer to be at school, as they believe they will stand a better chance at doing well in the exams.
20
SUNDAY CHRONICLE, June 14, 2020
‘Elections results tainted’ …AG says CEO should not be ordered to compile report for declaration
Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams said the irregularities, discrepancies and anomalies cited in the Observation Reports of the Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield, have tainted the General and Regional Elections, and as such the CEO should not be ordered to compile a report for the declaration of the results. The Attorney General weighed in on the matter, hours after the Chief Elections Officer submitted his Report on the National Recount to the Chair of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), and the Elections Commissioners. The Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield, in his report to the Elections Commission, cited more said more than 200, 000 votes have been affected as a result of anomalies and allegations of voter impersonation. In addition to the alleged cases of persons voting in the place of the dead and persons who were out of the jurisdiction on Elections Day, there were well over 2,000 cases of missing Certificates of Employment, Oaths of Identity, Poll Books, Proxies, marked Lists of Electors, Folios, Counterfoils, unused
ordinary and tendered ballots, spoiled and rejected ballot papers. Added to that, there were close to 5,000 alleged cases of voter impersonation. In each of the Observation Report tendered to the Elections Commission for the 10 Electoral District, Lowenfield indicated the elections that did not satisfy the criteria of impartiality, fairness and compliance with the Constitution and the Representation of the People Act. The Attorney General said based on the evidence before the Commission, as contained in the Observation Reports and other supporting documents, the Elections Commission should request of the Chief Elections Officer to submit a report under Section 96 of the Representation of the Peoples Act Cap.1:03 pursuant to paragraph 14 of the said Order, on the ground that the irregularities, discrepancies and anomalies affected the integrity and credibility of the elections. In support of his case, the Attorney General cited the case of Chilima anor v Mutharika Constitutional Reference No.1 of 2019, Malawi HC 431, in which, there were allegations of irregularities and anomalies. In that case, it was held that the irregularities and anoma-
lies had been so widespread, systematic and grave that the integrity of the results had
recorded in the tally sheet; accepted tally sheets from centers where the total num-
Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Bail Williams
been seriously compromised. Further, that the results of the elections could not be trusted as a true reflection of the will of the voters as expressed through their votes cast during the May 21, 2019 elections. “In this case the irregularities, anomalies and discrepancies were occasioned when the following occurred: - submitted, altered, varied and transmitted results in clear disregard of the process
ber of votes cast exceeded the total number of registered voters; total number of used and unused ballot papers was lower than the ballot paper issued; the number of votes of candidates was not balancing with the total number of valid votes cast; Presiding Officers failed to prepare and provide summary of the final results Record of the polling process, among others,” the Attorney General pointed out.
He noted that the five member Bench imposed a duty on the Elections Commission to respond to requests by contesting parties to resolve irregularities, anomalies and discrepancies before declaring the results of the elections. “The Court held that a failure to do so can amount to bias on the part of the Commission and a gross and unjustifiable dereliction of duty under the Malawian Constitution (similar to article 162(1)(b) of the Guyana Constitution) to conduct impartial elections,” Williams further submitted. The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), with support from the smaller opposing parties, has been up in arms against any move by the Elections Commission to investigate and or resolve irregularities that were unearthed during the National Recount of the ballots cast at the March 2 General and Regional Elections. On Saturday, it accused of Lowenfield of violating the Order, contending that he had no authority to pronounce on the irregularities. “…Lowenfield arrogated unto himself the role of an investigator, Judge and executioner and made conclusive findings, in respect of the wild, reckless and
baseless allegations made by APNU+AFC and rendered a judgement on them,” the PPP/C said in a statement. The PPP/C called on GECOM to ignore the irregularities cited by Lowenfield, and declare the results of the elections based on the tabulated votes generated during the National Recount. But the Attorney General said GECOM, under the Constitution and the Elections Law (Amendment) Act, has the authority to resolve irregularities, discrepancies and anomalies during any electoral process, and ought to resolve the anomalies before any declaration is made as he dismissed the contention of the Opposition. “Jurisdiction is conferred on the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) by the last recital in Order No.60 of 2020 which derives its authority from article 162 (1) (b) and section 22 of the Election Laws (Amendment) Act No.15 of 2000 to resolve irregularities, discrepancies and anomalies occurring in the elections process,” the Attorney General iterated.
105-yr-old woman recovers from COVID-19 …among three Palms residents to win battle against disease ing persons who leave the …rigorous screening ongoing at the facility facility and are returning.”
THREE residents of the Palms Geriatric Home, i n c l u d i n g a 1 0 5 - y e a rold woman, have beaten the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), proving that even the elderly can overcome the damning effects of the disease, which is said to drastically affect the elderly population. Those persons became the first of 10 infected residents to recover from the disease, said the Ministry of Public Health in a press statement, on Saturday. “They have fully recovered and will soon be integrated with the other residents at the institution,” said the ministry. From the inception, the World Health Organization
(WHO) had said that older persons, and those with underlying medical problems, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, and cancer, are more likely to develop the serious forms of COVID-19. Testimony of this reality was the death of two male residents of the Palms; Osa Collins, a 78-year-old resident of New Amsterdam; 77-year-old Colonel John Percy Leon Lewis; and 67-year-old Samuel Morris, who was diabetic. It is, however, evident that elderly persons can overcome the disease. And, the remaining seven infected residents of the Palms are being monitored in accordance
with strict control measures implemented by the local health authorities. “All positive cases are quarantined in a separate ward. The first case at the Palms was recorded on May 5, and due to rigorous screening of residents and staff, there has been no new cases since May 23,” said the public health ministry. The geriatric home, which falls under the purview of the Social Protection Ministry, provides 24-hour nursing care for elderly residents. Persons over the age of 65 years account for just about 6.4 per cent of the local population. And, with ‘The Palms’ being a facility which houses about 190 persons,
who form part of this section of the population, there was cause for concern. Director of Social Services, Wentworth Tanner, had told this publication that containment measures such as screening and isolation are necessary, especially since it was established that there are asymptomatic persons who may not show symptoms of the disease, but could spread it to others, who, in some cases, might be more at risk to severe forms of the disease. .“As most people know,” Tanner said, “not everyone would show symptoms, so even screening can go so far and only so much they can achieve… That poses a challenge, but we are still screen-
All visits to ‘The Palms’ have been suspended since March 30, and since then, persons, particularly staff of the facility, have been screened twice daily. Tanner assured the Guyana Chronicle that the Ministry of Social Protection has been doing everything possible to reduce the spread of the disease at ‘The Palms’, and at other such facilities, to the extent that the ministry has also been partnering with local health authorities from the Ministry of Public Health. INCREASED TESTING When asked about plans that are being discussed, Tanner had said the idea
“on the table” is to conduct regular testing, and to test a wider section of the elderly population, especially those persons being housed at staterun homes. “We will not just be testing the elderly persons, we will also be testing persons who are caring for those elderly persons, because we are faced with the situation where persons who work at those facilities do not livein,” Tanner said. The Guyana Chronicle had reported earlier that the Ministry of Social Protection has heightened measures at various local care centres to protect “vulnerable” groups from contracting the dreaded COVID-19, which has so far infected 159 persons here and killed 12.
21
SUNDAY CHRONICLE, June 14, 2020
The disingenuity of the PPP/C By Rawle Lucas I READ in amazement, the doomsday claims being made by supporters of the PPP/C in the Guyana Times, in Kaieteur News and on social media about the state of the Guyana economy. Some of the posts reference the negative balances in the government account at the Bank of Guyana (BOG), numbers inferring excessive tax collection and monies left for the government to spend when the PPP/C was leaving office. Their frenzied views about the data are not consistent with an objective interpretation it. A look at the contentions around the negative balances in the government account is a good example. These writers are not seeking to educate anyone in addressing the negative balance in the account with the BoG. Instead, they are making misleading claims that the coalition has recklessly grown the debt and has bankrupted the economy. I would like to quote Dr. Tarron Khemraj, a highly-respected author of this subject and the one who pointed out the negative balances in the government’s account in the Sunday Business Page of Stabroek News. Dr. Khemraj, who went to great pains to explain what he was talking about states: “Some observers might be tempted to use the over-
draft as a reason to blame political foes. This monetary system, however, was developed for an independent country with its own national currency. It was designed to provide the government with some policy space … to meet expenditure without excessive belt tightening…”. It is clear that Dr. Khemraj was saying that nothing was wrong with running a negative balance as long as it was not too excessive. The negative values do have positive implications for the country. Persons with sober heads would realise that that extra money would end up in the hands of private banks, which could use it to make loans or otherwise advance its business interests. Clearly, such negative balances have the potential of bringing benefits to the private sector as well through the intermediation process. Dr. Khemraj also noted that the decline in the balance in the account started under the PPP/C at a time when the economy started to decline dramatically. In seeking to denigrate the coalition, one commentator observed that most of the money was likely spent on personal emoluments. That is not a bad thing either if you are trying to help people to come out of poverty or from falling into poverty. For those who care about the welfare of ordinary Guyanese, those negative balances therefore actually serve a useful purpose. The signif-
icance of the money is seen in Guyanese workers being
would be treated equally. The tax collection of the
Dr. Rawle Lucas
able to retain an additional G$46 Billion in their pockets as a result of the salary increases provided by the government. That is clearly not the interest of the PPP/C, whose echo chamber has taken to social media and other platforms to criticise this sensitive and thoughtful act by government. As can be inferred from the writing of Dr. Khemraj, using its independent monetary system to prevent the public servants and vulnerable people of Guyana from suffering hardships is a worthy act. The logic of the harsh objection of the PPP/C to that action by the government is that people must stay impoverished as they were before being rescued by the coalition. This insensitive disposition to their fellow countrymen and women is incomprehensible. Yet, the PPP/C wants people to believe that if it got back into power, all Guyanese
Coalition was cited as being over G$300 billion more in taxes than collected by the PPP/C from around the time that it left office. They express wonderment as to where the money went. What the PPP/C alarmists are not telling Guyanese is that in contrast to the tax giveaways of the PPP/C that averaged between G$150-200 Billion, the Coalition was more judicious in the granting of tax concessions, with the result that more taxes and not less taxes were collected. Further, it must be recalled that the Coalition granted taxpayers a nine-month long amnesty programme in 2018, in which nearly 15,000 taxpayers stepped forward and honoured close to G$10 billion of their tax obligations. The money was owed by persons who did not pay their taxes during the years of the PPP/C. These are people and businesses who saw fairness
in the application of the tax laws under the Granger administration and probably felt that they no longer needed to evade taxes just to stay in business or make ends meet. In addition to income tax, people and companies paid their fair share of capital gains and property taxes. Guyanese need to understand therefore that the increase in taxes came from responsible citizenship and not coercive practices. The alarmists of the PPP/C want Guyanese to believe that the Coalition took their money and wasted it. In what looks like an ardent attempt to distort the truth, persons have referred to monies left with the Coalition by the PPP/C when it left office. With all that money that the PPP/C claimed it had in 2014, according to World Bank data, Guyana could only use 20 per cent of its GDP to invest in expanding the economy and improving the lives of the people of this country when the Coalition took over in 2015. Through proper management of the economy, Guyana is now able to use 37 per cent of its GDP for investments and to improve the lives of the people. All of this happened before the first barrel of oil was produced. As a consequence, the country has the capability to grow itself at a faster rate than before and that ability came from prudent spending of the taxes collected to help people and businesses.
Does Article 177 tie GECOM... So this now is the submission. If it was felt necessary, by what happened outside the ballot boxes, to go inside them to ensure credibility before a declaration as to the Presidency, then to have found so much that was repulsive and repugnant inside them must be given similar consideration, before a declaration. If having given consideration to what was found inside, namely so much taint and tarnish, then such will only result in a declaration that is not credible or fair. That being so then no declaration ought to be made but a vitiation of the process. That does
not require another Order. All the findings as adumbrated by the Statement of Recounts concerning anamolies, irregularities, and statutory violations, absent documents etc, meant that there was not that “impartiality, fairness and compliance with the provisions of the Constitution or of any Act of Parliament” by the persons performing functions as contemplated in article 162 (1) (b). Just assume for one moment, (and this is solely for emphasizing the point), that the boxes at the Recount had nothing in them, but the votes of the PPP, would article 177 apply? Could a Chairman proceed with a declaration
of a President in that circumstance? No! He or she would have had to vitiate the entire process by announcing that a declaration cannot be made. Not credible would have been a euphemism in that scenario. And that being so, the only answer would have been: “As Chairman I cannot declare a President in these circumstances. As a consequence, there must be fresh elections…..”. Though this be an extreme example, it certainly makes the point that a declaration of a President by the Chairman of the Commission is not mandatory, nor necessarily have to follow at all, by any reading or construing of the prose of
article 177. Absolutely not! The example here means then that the Chairman is not tied by article 177 into automatically making a declaration of a President simply because there is evidence on a Recount that shows a contestant with the higher number. It does not follow. That would have only followed if the process resulting in that higher number count was credible. It therefore means that by virtue of the broad functions and powers bestowed on it by the Constitution, GECOM’s Chair can call it as she sees it. Further, it is submitted that no authority with powers to call a winner is without the power to not call a winner, and in
If one wants to talk about reckless spending, one must look at what happened from 1992 when the late President Hoyte left Guyana with the ability to spend 51 per cent of its GDP to improve the lives of Guyanese. By the time the PPP/C left office in 2015, it was at 20 per cent after falling all the way to eight per cent in 2013. None of the critics can prove that the Guyana economy is unsound and incapable of sustaining the lives of its people. It is impossible for them to make that claim because the economy grew for five consecutive years under the Coalition administration. If one were to look back at the first term of the Jagdeo administration (2001-2005), one would see that the economy contracted on several occasions and the best growth rate of Jagdeo’s first term was below the lowest growth rate of the Granger administration. The performance of the first era of the Jagdeo administration culminated with a flood of the country in 2005 that devastated the lives of many Guyanese who were already struggling in a world of poverty. Yet, the propagandists of the PPP/C are stifling their conscience about the good handling of the economy under the Granger administration which could have only come from sound economic management.
FROM PAGE
that sense call off the race. That power is inherent. If the race is so badly conducted or corrupted, it could and should be called off. One ought not to go on to name a winner in those circumstances. In an electoral race where so much is at stake and political stability is an overall consideration, how could it be fair or credible when so many statutory breaches and non-compliance of laws and regulations and Manuals and even worse, like the dead and non-residents voting, could a winner be declared? It is my opinion that since no declaration was made of a President in accordance with article 177 prior to
12
the Recount, (consequent upon a quest for credibility in the Elections of March 2nd 2020), then there is no reason why after the Recount if one is left with considerable credibility issues still, albeit of a new and different strand, why such a non-declaration of a President cannot be maintained. Article 177 perforce cannot compel in these circumstances GECOM’s Chairman to proceed with a declaration of a President in such tattered and tainted circumstances.
22
SUNDAY CHRONICLE, June 14, 2020
NICIL gets big returns on investment in rice
THE National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) declared their “best production so far” since the transition from sugar to rice cultivation. This announcement was made on Friday by Supervisor of the Wales Rice production facility, Charles Brown. Brown said the yield of the national staple was sold at a higher price under “better arrangements, agreements, and accommodations” with several of the country’s millers and planters. NICIL’s announcement of improved profitability per acre under better overall conditions comes at a time under globalised fear that the dreaded deadly COVID-19 contagious disease will devastate the global economy. “We thought that with the COVID situation that the crop would have been affected severely taking into consideration the many challenges and difficulties that we faced in previous crops because of several issues. However,
for this crop it was a reverse situation. While we did not achieve a 100 per cent yield, we were able to achieve a great production, thus resulting in the investment that we made paying off significantly,” Brown said.
Supervisor of the Wales Rice production facility, Charles Brown
NICIL, he added, spearheaded cultivation of some
400 acres of rice and has harvested over 350 acres so far. The rest was victim of fungal disease. “We were able to secure 28 bags per acre before the mill and I must say that after the mill we secured 26 bags which was good. Looking at the previous crops that we had planted, I must say that this was our best production,” the supervisor explained. The government holding agency at the forefront of the agriculture innovation at the former sugar-cultivation facility said they have commenced planting the first crop for 2020 despite the numerous challenges thrown up by the COVID-19 pandemic. The nature of the rice industry from cultivation to milling, precludes close interaction by workers, a requirement under COVID -19. “You must understand that rice production is one crop which sees workers not generally being close to each other as during the production the workers work far from each other; so even before COVID
The former Wales Sugar Estate Office that now accommodates the Wales Rice Production
the workers are doing physical distancing and that is why COVID didn’t affect rice in any way. Further, even to those operating the machinery also operates apart from each other, so there is no need for workers to be together. As we continue to battle COVID,
it will help us to ensure that whatever we do, we keep the physical distancing etched in our minds,” Brown said during the interview. He anticipates reaping the full acreage planted this year expressing pleasure with the novel transition of sugar
Moruca boat captain tests positive for COVID-19
A section of the village of Kumaka at Santa Rosa, Moruca. (Jean La Rose photo)
A BOAT captain from the Moruca sub-region who plies the route to Charity, Pomeroon, is among the new cases of coronavirus recorded at the North West District area this week. Reports are that the boat captain has been defiant towards the sensitisation messages and health precautions being shared at the Region One sub-region. He was said to be the only boat captain who operated between Charity and Moruca when others took a break,
citing health concerns. This newspaper was informed that a passenger who usually travels with the man has also tested positive for the virus. Thus far, 12 cases, including one death attributed to COVID-19, has been recorded at Moruca. The new cases include that of a primary school teacher who travelled out of the area in recent weeks. A medical team was expected to travel to the area to carry out further
tests of other teaching staff of the school. A secondary school teacher was also tested positive for the virus at Santa Rosa. The Santa Rosa village, the highest populated indigenous village in Guyana, has seen a high rate of infections within the past month. The village council has been facing an uphill battle in its efforts to sensitise residents about taking precautions, including social distancing measures, in order to deter the spread of
the virus. Many persons at Moruca have openly questioned the reality of the virus in the area. One of the vocal critics at Moruca included a male relative of Vincent Torres, a former school teacher, who died of complications associated with the virus late last month at the Kumaka District Hospital. Two of the man’s relatives are among the 12 persons who have tested positive for the virus at Moruca. The health authorities
in Region One have been working around the clock to control the situation in the region. The first case in the region was recorded at the town of Mabaruma in April, and the all-round efforts of health officials saw that being the only case recorded in that sub-region. Guyana has so far recorded 159 positive cases of the coronavirus. To date 95 persons have recovered from the virus while there are 52 active cases.
to rice. “We are planting 510.8 acres as we are seeing that rice is a good return for us here as such, NICIL is doing everything necessary as it continues to diversify in a number of areas,” Brown declared.
No new COVID-19 cases recorded THE Ministry of Public Health is reporting that the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Guyana remains at 159. Of these 159 cases, the country has recorded 95 recoveries and 12 deaths. To date, 1,927 persons have been tested for the novel coronavirus with 1,768 of those yielding negative results. Fifty-two active cases remain in isolation at various facilities across Guyana; there is one patient in the COVID-19 ICU at the GPHC and 22 persons in institutional quarantine. Citizens are reminded to continue practising social distancing in the workplace, public spaces, and while using public transportation, to reduce the spread of the coronavirus disease. They are also reminded to practise frequent hand washing/sanitising and always wear a face mask if they have to go out. As of June 13, 2020, the WHO has reported that globally, the confirmed cases stand at 7,553,182 with 423,349 deaths. While in the Regions of the Americas, positive cases have reached 3,638,525, with a total of 196,440 deaths.
23
SUNDAY CHRONICLE, June 14, 2020
Modern asphalt plant 98% completed The $488 Million Eco 2000 Batch Mix Asphalt Plant is just one phase away from being completed. THIS was disclosed to the Guyana Chronicle by General Manager of the Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation (DHBC), Rawlston Adams. The state-of-the-art machinery at the plant will also be able to use plastic bags and bottles, as well as used tires to pave roads. This new technology has been proven to be cheaper and more durable, as well as time-efficient. It will
The soon- to-be commissioned Eco 2000 Batch Mix Asphalt Plant
GPF responds to video of Enmore fracas THE Guyana Police Force has responded to a local video which was circulated on social media on June 09, 2020, and which showed GPF officers exchanging blows with a male and female resident at Enmore, East Coast Demerara. A statement released by the police on June 12, 2020, noted that an investigation into the matter is underway. Additionally, the police, according to the statement, are adamant that the officers’ use of force in the video was a reaction to being “punched and kicked” by the female resident. The ranks subsequently were treated for several injuries as a result of the altercation. The injuries included abrasions about their bodies and wounds to their heads, for which stitches were administered. According to the police report, around 17:00 hrs on June 09, 2020, the police responded to a report of noise nuisance at Grassfield, Enmore, and upon arrival confirmed the report and also observed several persons consuming alcohol. As a result of the observation, the persons were warned to turn
off the music and reminded the residents of the presidential order with which they agreed to comply. The officers then left the premises. The report further stated that while patrolling the area later, the ranks on duty heard loud and continuous music and proceeded in the direction of the sound; upon arrival, it was discovered that the same individuals who were previously warned, had ignored the directive and continued to play loud music from motor car # PWW 8085; they were also consuming alcohol. After reminding the residents of the presidential order, the officers reported that they were verbally abused. The release further stated that while attempting to arrest the offenders, a male and female began to assault one of the ranks, causing the others to go to his assistance; two other males and a female however joined the melee and assaulted the ranks. As a result of this development the ranks summoned backup, which led to a patrol responding to render assistance using the said vehicle captured in the video.
also mean that more roads can be built faster with the use of the new plant. According to Adams, the plant is nearly 98% completed and has seen some delay due to the COVID-19 outbreak, which saw the German technicians who were required to make a final installation, departing the country. “We’ve had one electrical component that wasn’t a part of the original shipment and that delayed the commissioning. We have it in place, the company has
shipped it, we have already cleared it, and it’s there ready to install. COVID-19 is causing a delay in that part being put in, however, because the German technicians had to go back to Germany, and once the airports are reopened the team will make their way back here, and we do the testing and the commissioning.” He further stated that the Demerara Harbour Bridge has been recently meeting with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to work out agree-
ments on a way forward to fulfil some requirements that the company has to comply with to satisfy the EPA. Adams further stated that the DHBC is currently utilizing the services of its current asphalt plant to satisfy some orders from the ministry of Public Infrastructure that had previously been paid for; he stated that outside of that no current works are being carried out at that plant.
24
SUNDAY CHRONICLE, June 14, 2020
SUNDAY CHRONICLE, June 14, 2020
25
26
SUNDAY CHRONICLE, June 14, 2020
SUNDAY CHRONICLE, June 14, 2020
27
28
SUNDAY CHRONICLE, June 14, 2020
SUNDAY CHRONICLE, June 14, 2020
29
30
SUNDAY CHRONICLE, June 14, 2020
SUNDAY CHRONICLE, June 14, 2020
31
32
SUNDAY CHRONICLE, June 14, 2020
SUNDAY CHRONICLE, June 14, 2020
33
34
SUNDAY CHRONICLE, June 14, 2020
SUNDAY CHRONICLE, June 14, 2020
35
36
SUNDAY CHRONICLE, June 14, 2020
SUNDAY CHRONICLE, June 14, 2020
37
38
SUNDAY CHRONICLE, June 14, 2020
39
SUNDAY CHRONICLE, June 14, 2020
More now at risk to Child Labour AS a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, millions more children are at risk of being pushed into child labour, which could lead to the first rise in child labour after 20 years of positive progress. This is according to a new brief from the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) which reported, on Friday, that child labour had decreased by 94 million since 2000, but this gain is now at risk. Global estimates in 2017 showed that 152 million children were in child labour worldwide. Meanwhile, children already in child labour may be working longer hours or under worsening conditions, the report says. More of them may be forced into the worst forms of labour, which causes sig-
nificant harm to their health and safety. “As the pandemic wreaks havoc on family incomes, without support, many could resort to child labour,” said ILO Director-General, Guy Ryder. “Social protection is vital in times of crisis, as it provides assistance to those who are most vulnerable. Integrating child labour concerns across broader policies for education, social protection, justice, labour markets, and international human and labour rights makes a critical difference.” According to the brief, COVID-19 could result in a rise in poverty and therefore to an increase in child labour as households use every available means to survive. Some studies show that a one percentage point rise in poverty leads to at least a 0.7 per cent increase in child labour in certain countries.
“As poverty rises, schools close and the availability of social services decreases, more children are pushed into the workforce,” UNICEF Executive Director, Henrietta Fore stated. Vulnerable population groups – such as those working in the informal economy and migrant workers – will suffer most. Evidence is gradually mounting that child labour is rising as schools close during the pandemic. Temporary school closures are currently affecting more than 1 billion learners in over 130 countries. Even when classes restart, some parents may no longer be able to afford to send their children to school. As a result, the ILO and UNICEF state that more children could be forced into exploitative and hazardous jobs. Gender inequalities may grow more acute, with
DHBC reports business slowly turning around --after suffering a 10% revenue loss in March, due to vagaries of COVID-19
The toll booths at the Demerara Harbour Bridge (Adrian Narine Photo)
DUE to the adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on life as we know it, the Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation (DHBC) which initially recorded a ten per cent loss of revenue in the month of March when the virus first hit here, is now reporting that earnings for the months of May and June are almost back to normal. DHBC General Manager Rawlston Adams told the Guyana Chronicle recently that the coronavirus has not affected the company’s operations that badly, even though it has had to work with a reduced workforce.
“Due to COVID-19 and the regulations implemented by the Task Force, we have to work with a reduced amount of staff, so that has affected the rate of how we are able to operate, but we still have a compliment of staff who is working,” Adams said. “We are a self-generating agency, so we haven’t been affected by not having a budget; we still continue with all our staff and so on. We haven’t laid off anybody; we are still able to pay our salaries, and we are still in a position to continue,” he added. He went on to explain that in the event that there is any critical work to be done,
management will ask more staff to report for duty. “If we have critical work… I think Wednesday we had to bring out the entire team, and that was because we had some average work to be done,” he said. “So, once we have critical work to be done, we would bring out back everybody.” Adams said the DHBC has been preparing for its capital works, and has been engaging the national procurement administration to go to tender for some of the works to be done on its pontoons, buoys and anchor change.
girls particularly vulnerable to exploitation in agriculture and domestic work, the brief says. The brief proposes a number of measures to counter the threat of increased child labour, including more comprehensive social protection, easier access to credit for poor households, the promotion of decent work for adults, measures to get children back into school, including the elimination of school fees, and more resources for labour inspections and law enforcement. ILO and UNICEF are developing a simulation model to look at the impact of COVID-19 on child labour globally. New global estimates on child labour will be released in 2021.
Mentally ill ‘Jagan’ missing in Canal backlands IT has been two months since 29-year-old Lalbachan Bhagwandat known as ‘Jagan’ went missing at Canal Number Two, West Bank Demerara backlands. According to the man’s relatives, Bhagwandat was being treated for his mental illness, but he was not taking his medication. It is believed that this resulted in Bhagwandat becoming paranoid and believing that someone wanted to kill him. On April 17, Bhagwandat of Lot 11 North Section, Canal Number Two, along with other family members were next door at a relative’s house when he became paranoid and claimed that someone was going to kill him. He then ran out of the house and into the backlands; his relatives gave chase but
Missing: Lalbachan Bhagwandat
came up empty-handed. The matter was reported to the police after Bhagwandat did not return. As the search continues, the family has since offered a $100,000 reward for any person who can find Bhagwandat and bring him back home, or make contact with the family at 630-5006 or 676-6588.
40
SUNDAY CHRONICLE, June 14, 2020
SUNDAY CHRONICLE, June 14, 2020
41
42
SUNDAY CHRONICLE, June 14, 2020
SUNDAY CHRONICLE, June 14, 2020
43
44
SUNDAY CHRONICLE , June 14, 2020
SUNDAY CHRONICLE , June 14, 2020
45
46
SUNDAY CHRONICLE , June 14, 2020
India exploring ‘all possible options’ for 2020 IPL
INDIAN cricket chiefs are sticking with plans to salvage the IPL this year even if it means playing in empty stadiums, says the country’s board president, Sourav Ganguly. The world’s richest Twenty20 tournament is heading for the first wipe-out of its 12-year history after
being repeatedly postponed because of the coronavirus. Despite the worsening epidemic caseload in India, Ganguly - president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) - said in an email to state associations that every effort was being made to hold the Indian Premier League in some form.
“The BCCI is working on all possible options to ensure that we are able to stage the IPL this year, even if it means playing the tournament in empty stadiums,” Ganguly wrote in a letter seen by AFP. “The fans, franchisees, players, broadcasters, sponsors and all other stake-
holders are keenly looking forward to the possibility of IPL being hosted this year.” Players from India and abroad “have also shown their keenness on being a part of this year’s IPL”, he added. “We are optimistic and the BCCI will shortly decide on the future course of action
on this.” The BCCI’s planning has been hit by the ICC on Wednesday deferring a decision on the fate of the T20 World Cup, originally scheduled for Australia in October. If the T20 showpiece does go ahead, there would be little room in the schedule for even a shortened IPL.
BCCI treasurer Arun Dhumal told AFP the board would suffer losses of more than half a billion dollars if the IPL season is scrapped. The league is a huge revenue-earner for BCCI and estimated to generate more than $11 billion for the Indian economy. (AFP)
Two-thirds of sponsors unsure about 2021 Olympics — poll
Tokyo , Japan (AFP) — Two-thirds of Tokyo 2020’s corporate sponsors are undecided on whether to continue supporting the Games now the event has been pushed to 2021, according to a new survey. In the poll published late Thursday by Japanese public broadcaster NHK, 65 per cent of the sponsors surveyed said they had not made up their minds about whether to extend their financial backing for another year. According to NHK, some companies voiced concerns that their promotional activities around the Games could be curtailed due to crowd-reduction measures imposed against the novel coronavirus. They were also worried the Games could be scrapped altogether, with several senior Olympic officials saying the Tokyo Olympics must take place next year or not at all. Many also said they had not decided whether to extend their sponsorship because they had not
yet opened negotiations with the organisers — suggesting they may be open to persuasion. Tokyo CEO Toshiro Muto revealed late Friday that the organising committee had not contacted the sponsors due to the coronavirus state of emergency that was declared in Japan just after the Games were postponed in late March. However, he sought to ease their concerns that the Games would not take place. “I don’t think there is anyone who can really promise that the Olympics and Paralympics will be held in 2021 for sure — 100 per cent in any circumstance,” he admitted. But he stressed that the sponsors should be assured of the “commitment and dedication” from the organising committee to “somehow holding the Olympics”. More than two-thirds (68 per cent) of respondents said coronavirus had taken a toll on their own financial situation, as Olympic organisers
face having to fund the unprecedented postponement of the Games. GOLD SPONSORS Muto again refused to put a price tag on the additional costs of postponing the Games by one year, but the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has set aside US$800 million. According to the latest budget, the Games were due to cost US$12.6 billion, shared between the organising committee, the Government of Japan and Tokyo city. Tokyo 2020 “Gold” sponsors include such Japanese household names as Canon, NEC, and Asahi Breweries, while car giant Toyota is a worldwide Olympic sponsor. According to the latest version of the Tokyo 2020 budget, local sponsorship was due to bring in US$3.3 billion, more than half the projected revenues of US$5.9 billion. Since the postponement, officials
Tokyo Games CEO Toshiro Muto
have been stressing the need to slim down the Games, both in terms of costs and organisation. IOC President Thomas Bach told AFP, in an interview last week, that they were searching for ways to “simplify the organisation of the Games, how we can reduce the complexity of the Games, how we can save costs for these postponed Games”. Muto said there were 200 proposals on the table for simplifying the Olympics, but again refused to give further details. For its survey, NHK surveyed 78 Olympic and Paralympic sponsors, receiving responses from 57. Muto also announced yesterday that 80 per cent of venues had been secured for the postponed Games and negotiations were ongoing for the rest, including the athletes’ village and the proposed site for the media. He refused to say which venues were still under negotiation.
Messi scores as Barcelona return with 4-0 win BARCELONA scored 66 seconds into their return to action as Lionel Messi completed a comfortable 4-0 win at Mallorca in La Liga. Arturo Vidal headed the opener and former Middlesbrough striker Martin Braithwaite added his first for the club before the break. Luis Suarez came off the bench to make his first appearance since early January and Jordi Alba made it 3-0. Lionel Messi scored his 20th league goal of the season late on. Barca are now five points clear at the top of the table, and while Real will aim to trim the gap when they face Eibar on Sunday, this performance illustrated the size of their task to chase down the leaders. The league’s coronavirus suspension had given Suarez, 33, time to recover after the Uruguayan striker underwent surgery on his right knee in January. The former Liverpool man looked sharp enough and went close on several occasions, almost scoring the game’s fifth goal in added time. But, after Vidal’s powerful early
beardless Messi (seven goals, eight assists) has been directly involved in 15 of Barcelona’s 18 La Liga goals under Quique Setien. And right at the end
Messi reached the milestone of 20 La Liga goals for a 12th straight season, collecting a pass from Suarez, chopping inside and curling in via a slight deflection. (BBC Sport)
CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (SUNDAY JUNE 14, 2020)
Martin Braithwaite is the third Danish player to score a La Liga goal for Barcelona, after Allan Simonsen and Michael Laudrup.
header, it was Suarez’s shock stand-in who caught the eye. La Liga gave Barcelona permission to make a signing outside the transfer window in February after Ousmane Dembele was ruled out with an injury and they rather surprisingly moved for Braithwaite, signing him from Leganes. His first La Liga goal was excellent, thumping in from Messi’s header, and he was only denied a second by a fine
save from Manolo Reina. Mallorca had plenty of possession without causing too much drama, something which a pitch invader in a Messi Argentina shirt provided, somehow making his way on to the field despite the game being played without any fans in the stadium. No harm was done, and Messi then freed Alba with a perfect pass and the left-back slotted home. The newly
COMPLIMENTS OF XTRA ENERGY DRINK - STABROEK BAZAAR (Tel: 683-9500) &CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD-83 Garnett Street, Campbellville, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158) Answers to yesterday’s quiz (1)Javed Miandad-100* (Bourda, 1988) (2)Gordon Greenidge-103 (Melbourne, 1981-82) Today’s Quiz: (1) Who is the first WI to deliver a ball in an ODI
against Pakistan? (2)Who faced it?
Answers in tomorrow’s issue
47
SUNDAY CHRONICLE , June 14, 2020
Who crowned Lennox ‘Too Sharp’ Allen a World Champion? By Ras Wadada OVER the last week I have been bombarded with the question – Why was Lennox ‘Too Sharp’ Allen excluded from my list of eleven Guyanese-born boxers to have won a World Boxing title? The question aroused the interest of Guyanese, who were led to believe that Allen had won a World Boxing title over a year ago when he was received, presented and paraded around parts of the country by top Government officials and members of the media. The Brooklyn-based Allen was even given a plot of land for his accomplishment that occurred in February of last year. On February 15, 2019 Allen fought American Derrick Webster at the Grand Casino Hinckley, Minnesota for the World Boxing Association (WBA) Super Middleweight Gold Belt
Lennox `Too Sharp’ Allen
championship and won a unanimous decision over 10 rounds. This will go down in history as the first World title boxing contest to go over ten rounds and not the mandated 12 rounds as is known and practised in the world of championship boxing for men. A check with the listed Champion of the WBA Super
Middleweight reveals Mexican Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez as the holder of the title and the undefeated Allen as the number one contender. Consultations with heads of the two national Boxing associations in Guyana also confirmed that Allen is not the holder of the WBA Super Middleweight Championship belt. Trinidadian Shivana Inalsingh, Msc and Bsc also dismissed the notion that Allen is the WBA’s world champion. Inalsingh is the Director of female Championship committee of the WBA and also a member of the Medical Advisory Committee of the WBA. So what could have been the motive by the mastermind behind such misinformation? Reports have also unearthed that monetary donations were also being collected in NY by the said conveyor of the misinformation. The 35-year-old Allen (22-0-
David Morrell Jr.
1-14 KOs) is expected to fight for the Interim WBA Super Middleweight title later this year against the number 3 contender David Morrell Jr. (2-0). The fight versus the former Cuban amateur champion was originally scheduled for April 11, at the Minneapolis Armory but had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 global
John Barnes: Black managers given less time
BLACK football managers are given less time than white counterparts to turn poor form around, claims John Barnes. The former Celtic, Jamaica and Tranmere boss told BBC Scotland he believes unconscious bias is commonplace. The 56-year-old said: “Results get you sacked. For the vast majority of black managers, they will be sacked quicker than a failed white manager. “There is no evidence. It’s just a feeling that we get and the statistics will suggest that.” Barnes, born in Jamaica, starred for Watford, Liverpool and England in the 1980s and ‘90s. He was appointed head coach at Celtic in 1999, with fellow Liverpool favourite Kenny Dalglish installed at the same time as director of football. However, Barnes’ time at the Glasgow club was fraught and he was sacked following the 3-1 Scottish Cup defeat by second-tier Inverness Caledonian Thistle. His team had won 13 and drawn two of their 20 league games.
In the past week he has expressed his views on Twitter and responded to comments made by fans about the restricted opportunities for black managers and how quickly they may be sacked relative to their white counterparts. “I was just engaging with people,” he explained. “It went on to become personal, or all about Celtic and all about racism in football, but that was not what it was all about. “How can you prove it? You can’t. Even with statistics, it could still be coincidence. “There’s not one British black manager who has been at a club more than one or two years, which would suggest if it wasn’t anything to do with bias whatsoever, all black managers are not good enough, because they’re black.” ‘Celtic struggle nothing to do with my race’ Barnes believes the issue is not so much one of prospective black managers being given the opportunity, but “the opportunity to be given time, trust, belief”.
Of his time at Celtic, Barnes said his experiences “had nothing to do with my race”. “From the first week I lost the dressing room, but that had nothing to do with my colour,” he said. “There were other dynamics being told about me, my capabilities. “I was undermined straightaway by the fans who said, ‘Should John Barnes have been given the job?’ “The chief executive said, ‘It’s a risk we’re taking but we’ve got Kenny Dalglish here,’ which undermined me straightaway. “I know that the hierarchy didn’t want me there, but Kenny Dalglish insisted and I thank Kenny for that to my dying day because I wanted to be a coach. “You had a big split in the dressing room. You had players who were bigger than others. It was very obvious the disrespect they had for Bobby Petta and Stiliyan Petrov. I had them crying in my office. “I knew it wouldn’t last. I said to my wife after one week,
‘Don’t move up, because this is not going to work,’ and that was when things were going well in the first six to eight games. I didn’t get another job for nine years.” ‘Until we admit it, nothing will change’ Barnes believes football is no different from society in general and his view is that the first step to resolving the problem is to admit it exists. “Where do you see black leaders in mainstream institutions?” he said. “The first thing is to own it. People will agree with you (on bias) but say it’s ‘not at our club’. “People think that racists are people who throw bananas on the field and hurl abuse, and if we don’t do it, we’re not racist. There are degrees of discrimination amongst all of us, from a sexist point of view, a homophobic point of view and a race point of view. “We are all biased to a certain degree. Until we admit it, nothing will change.” (BBC Sport)
pandemic. The last Guyanese-born boxer to fight for a World title is NY-based Elton Dharry who confronted Andrew Maloney in Melbourne, Australia last year, November 15. The Australian won by a TKO in round nine after the ringside doctor brought a halt to the bout. The official list of 11 Guyanese-born boxers to have won World Boxing titles are: Men - Joe Walcott (Welter, 1901); Denis Andries (Light Heavy, 1986); Andrew ‘Six Heads’ Lewis (Welter, 2001); Adrian Dodson (Super Middle, 2002); Andre Purlette (Heavy, 2001); Vivian Harris (Light Welter, 2002); Wayne Braithwaite (Cruiser, 2001) and Gairy St Clair (Super Feather, 2006) and Female – Gwendolyn O’Neil (Light Heavy, 2004); Pamela London (Heavy, 2008) and Shondell Alfred (Bantam, 2009)
Former Pakistan captain Afridi tests positive for COVID-19
Shaid Afridi played 27 Tests, 398 one-day internationals and 99 T20s for Pakistan in a 20-year international career.
FORMER Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has tested positive for coronavirus. The all-rounder, 40, who last played for Pakistan in 2018 but still plays in global Twenty20 leagues, has been helping the relief effort in his home country during the pandemic. On Saturday he tweeted that he had been feeling
unwell since Thursday with body aches and has since tested positive. Afridi said he “needs prayers for a speedy recovery”. The coronavirus crisis has been worsening in Pakistan in recent weeks with fears the health system could be overwhelmed. There have been 132,405 cases and 2,551 deaths.(BBC Sport).
West Indies Head Coach Phil Simmons
Simmons wants massive effort from batsmen in England Tests MANCHESTER, England, (CMC) – Head coach Phil Simmons on Saturday underscored the importance of West Indies posting large totals, if they were to be competitive in next month’s three-Test series against England. Speaking in a media conference via Zoom, Simmons said if the Caribbean side’s “world class” bowling attack were to be afforded the chance to take 20 wickets consistently, the batting needed to fire on all cylinders. “I think that’s the important part of this tour,” Simmons said from quarantine at Old Trafford here. “There’s a lot of pressure on the batsmen to perform because the bowling unit has been carrying the Test team for a while now and it’s something that we are harping on a lot. “Not to put extra pressure because there’s enough pres-
sure playing a Test match, but we need to get that total of 400, 450 in order to give this bowling unit, which I think is a top class bowling unit – the fast bowlers especially – a chance in these three Test matches.” West Indies have struggled to post 400 runs in an innings in recent times, passing the mark just once in their last 16 innings. On that occasion, they raised 415 in the second innings of the opening Test against England in Bridgetown last year, laying the foundation for a commanding 381-run victory. Nine times during the same period dating back to the tour of Bangladesh in 2018, West Indies have managed less than 250 in an innings. They have lost eight of their last 15 Tests since inside the last two years and won six. West Indies’ task was made even more difficult with the withdrawal of of experienced Darren Bravo who averages 37 from 54 Tests and rising star Hetmyer, who was instrumental in the historic series win over England last year. Both batsmen expressed concern about their safety on the tour amid the COVID-19 pandemic and declined selection. However, Simmons said while they would be missed, it was critical other batsmen assumed responsibility in their absence. “We know and we understand the quality of these two individuals and we know what we will be missing but in situations like this, we have to work hard with the guys who
Former England batsman Michael Carberry
ECB vows changes to address racism in cricket (REUTERS) - The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has acknowledged that the sport is not immune to systemic racism and says it will address the issue and try to bring “meaningful and long-term change” to the game. Athletes across a range of sports have spoken out about racism after the death of George Floyd, a black man who died on May 25 after a white policeman knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes in Minneapolis. “We have listened carefully to those who have spoken out in recent weeks about their experiences of being black in cricket, sport and society,” the ECB said in a statement. “We admire them for being vocal on this crucial topic. “We know that systemic racism spans institutions and sectors across the country and we know that our sport is not immune. We truly believe that cricket is a game for everyone but understand that sadly, barriers to its enjoy-
ment exist for many communities.” Former England batsman Michael Carberry said cricket was “rife with racism” while fast bowler James Anderson said the team will consider a joint anti-racism protest with West Indies during their three-Test series next month. The ECB said they had made progress in bringing the game to more people and that they would “break down barriers and reform our structures”. “We will now work to engage community leaders and black influencers within cricket so that we can review and evolve our existing inclusion and diversity work and specifically address the issues raised by the black community,” it added. “From there, it is our overall desire to create demonstrable action, in order to deliver meaningful and long-term change that permeates every layer of the game.”
Printed and Published by Guyana National Newspapers Limi ted, Lama Avenue, Bel Air Park, Georgetown. Telephone 2 2 6- 3243-9 (General); Editorial: 2 2 7- 5204, 2 2 7- 5216. Fax:2 2 7- 5208
are here and just make sure that the work we’re doing is putting them in a position to be able to fill those two shoes for the series,” Simmons pointed out. “Hopefully whoever fills their shoes for the series can go on and be as great as they want to be. We’ve just got to work hard with whom we have here and try to get two players to fill those boots.” The series, which bowls off July 8 at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton, will be the first of its kind to be played in a “bio-secure” environment amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic which has already resulted in 294 000 infections and over 41 500 deaths in the United Kingdom. With cricket halted globally since March, both teams will enter the series without match practice and Simmons believes this will create a more even contest. “I think it’s a plus because England haven’t come from a tour or two tours recently and we’ve just been playing cricket at home,” he explained. “In a normal situation we would have been coming from camps and England would have been halfway through their season and the series would’ve been going right now. “So I think that’s a plus for us because it evens out things a little bit due to the fact they have not been playing competitive cricket for a while also.”
Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter
Former FIFA president being investigated over loan FORMER FIFA president Sepp Blatter is being investigated over the mismanagement of a $1M loan given by FIFA to the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association in 2010. In legal papers dated May 13, 2020 and seen by the BBC, Swiss federal prosecutors say Blatter is an ‘accused person’. It is the latest allegation of financial impropriety against Blatter. The 84-year-old has always denied any wrongdoing. The documents allege the interest-free and unsecured payment was made from a FIFA account on April 13, 2010. It adds the payment was subsequently waived. Former FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke and finance director Markus Kattner are also named as accused persons in the documents. The Swiss investigation is being overseen by Thomas Hildbrand, who joined the federal team handling soccer investigations last year. (BBC Sport) SUNDAY,JUNE 14, 2020