Guyana_Chronicle_Epaper_03_18_2020

WEDNESDAY 18th March, 2020

RECOUNT BLOCKED No. 105943

… Court grants interim injunction blocking national recount of ballots

… President says deeply disappointed

… CARICOM team withdraws from process

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Gov’t bans self-quarantine in range of measures in stepped-up fight against coronavirus 11 PAGE

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo (centre) with others at the head table at Tuesday’s Ministerial Task Force press conference; from left are: Director-General of the Civil Defence Commission, Kester Craig; Commissioner of Police, Leslie James; Minister of Education, Dr Nicolette Henry; Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence; Director-General, Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Egbert Field; and Director of Public Information, Imran Khan (Adrian Narine photo)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, March 18, 2020

I am deeply disappointed … President regrets CARICOM election initiative has been stalled

“I AM deeply disappointed that the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Initiative, which was agreed upon following the intervention of the Prime Ministers of Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago, has stalled,” President David Granger said in reaction to a court injunction that blocked the team from supervising a recount of ballots from the March 2 elections. In a statement, the Guyanese Leader said the Group was headed by the Right Honourable Mia Amor Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados, who is also Chairperson of CARICOM. “I welcomed the Prime Ministers, and embraced the Initiative, which was based on an understanding that a recount of the ballots cast at the 2nd March 2020 General and Regional Elections would be executed.” President Granger said the initiative saw the arrival of a High-Level Team of five distinguished Caribbean professionals to oversee the process. The team, unfortunately, was unable to

commence its task, as “The Supreme Court of Judicature granted an injunction, filed by a citizen on Tuesday 17th March, thereby preventing the Elections Commission and its agents from proceeding with the ‘total national recount’. This independent court action has curtailed further our thrust towards reaching a transparent conclusion to the 2020 General and Regional Elections,” President Granger said. The matter will be heard in the Supreme Court on 20th March 2020. “I have said repeatedly, throughout the electoral process, that I will abide by the Constitution of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, the decisions of the Elections Commission, and the ruling of the Supreme Court. I maintain this position. I iterate my commitment to the due completion of all electoral requirements, and the conclusion of the process, under the auspices of the Commission, and in the interest of all Guyanese. I assure the nation that I remain committed to the electoral process, and to the declaration of results by the Elections Commission, in accordance with the law.

I appeal for patience and public forbearance until this matter is resolved,” the statement ended. The High Court has granted an interim injunction, blocking the national recount of ballots that should have started on Tuesday evening at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre. The injunction, which was granted by Justice Franklin Holder in the High Court on Tuesday, was filed by a private citizen, one Ulita Grace Moore, against GECOM; its Chair, Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh; and Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield. Moore, who is being represented by Attorney-at-Law Mayo Robertson, secured a total of four interim orders, which will in effect bring the electoral process to a halt until the judicial review is completed. Chief among the Orders granted by the High Court is an interim injunction restraining the Elections Commission from setting aside, varying or substituting the declarations of the Returning Officers of the 10 Electoral Districts with any other document, until the hearing and

determination of the judicial review application. The interim injunction has also tied the hands of the Chief Elections Officer. “An Interim Injunction is hereby granted, restraining the Chief Elections Officer from submitting any Report

of the total votes cast for each List of Candidates, pursuant to Section 96 (1) and (2) of the Representation of the People Act, save and except for the votes counted and the information furnished by the Returning Officer under Section 84 (1) of

President David Granger the Representation of the People Act, until the hearing and determination of the judicial review application…,” Justice Holder said as he granted the second order.

Mottley regrets withdrawal of recounting team

CHAIRMAN of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Mia Mottley said it deeply regretted that the community has been forced to withdraw the independent High Level Team it fielded on Saturday, 14 March 2020, to supervise the re-counting of the ballots in Region 4 of the General and Regional Elections of 2 March 2020 in Guyana. In a statement Mottley who is also Prime Minister of Barbados said the fielding of the Team had been at the request of His Excellency David Granger, President

legitimacy of the electoral process,” the statement read. It added that this step forward had been anchored by an Aide Memoire signed by both leaders on 16 March 2020, and the Terms of Reference prepared by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to govern the role of the High Level Team on Sunday, 15 March 2020, for the supervision of the recounting of the ballots, not only in Region 4, but in all 10 electoral districts. A court order issued on Tuesday granted an injunction restraining GECOM

transparent vote count process would lack legitimacy. I would like to thank the High Level Team for offering to serve at such short notice and for displaying the patience they have displayed over the last three days,” Mottley said. The Team was led by Ms Francine Baron, former Attorney-General and Foreign Minister of Dominica, and included Mr Anthony Boatswain, former Minister of Finance of Grenada and Ms Cynthia Barrow-Giles, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Government at the University of the

The CARICOM team that was mobilised to supervise the recount of Guyana, on Saturday 14 March 2020. In response, and given the urgency of the task, the Team was mobilised immediately and arrived in Guyana in the early hours of Sunday morning. “Given that the tabulation process had been widely viewed as not being transparent or credible, President Granger and Mr. Bharrat Jagdeo, Leader of the Opposition, agreed that the only possible resolution was by way of a recount supervised by an independent team. This was seen as a significant contribution to bolstering the transparency and

from recounting any ballots of the General and Regional Elections of 2 March 2020, and set aside “any agreement between the President of Guyana and the Leader of the Opposition and or any agreement between the Guyana Elections Commission and the Caribbean Community”. “The Caribbean Community has no other choice but to withdraw the High Level Team. It is clear that there are forces that do not want to see the votes recounted for whatever reason. Any Government which is sworn in without a credible and fully

West Indies. They were accompanied by Ms Angela Taylor and Ms Fern Narcis-Scope, the Chief Elections Officers of Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago. “As I said in an earlier statement it is critical that good sense prevail. The preservation of law and order is paramount and all parties must work hard to ensure that there is peace on the roads and in the communities across Guyana. The Community remains committed to the people of Guyana,” Mottley added.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, March 18, 2020

National recount blocked by court injunction

THE High Court has granted an interim injunction blocking the national recount of ballots that should have started Tuesday evening at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre. The injunction, which was granted by Justice Franklin Holder in the High Court on Tuesday, was filed by a private citizen, Ulita Grace Moore, against GECOM; its Chair, Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh; and the Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield. Moore, who is being represented by Attorneys-at-Law Mayo Robertson secured a total of four interim orders, which will in effect bring the electoral process to a halt until the judicial review is completed. Chief among the court orders granted by the High Court is an interim injunction restraining the Elections Commission from setting aside, varying or substituting the declarations of the Returning Officers of the 10 Electoral Districts with any other document until the hearing and determination of the judicial review application. The interim injunction has also tied the hands of the Chief Elections Officer. “An Interim Injunction is hereby granted restraining the Chief Elections Officer from

submitting any Report of the total votes cast for each List of Candidates pursuant to Section 96 (1) and (2) of the Representation of the People Act save and except the votes counted and the information furnished by the Returning Officer under Section 84 (1) of the Representation of the People Act until the hearing and determination of the judicial review application…” Justice Holder said as he granted the second order. GECOM is also barred from authorising any agreement with the President of Guyana and the Leader of the Opposition and or itself with CARICOM until a final determination is made by the High Court. The GECOM Chair and Chief Elections Officer are also being restrained, temporarily, from authorising any person or persons to facilitate a recount of the ballots cast by the elections on March 2, 2020. In laying down the grounds for the application, Moore, through her attorneys told the High Court that though the votes cast in the General and Regional Elections were tabulated in accordance with the Representation of the People’s Act, Chapter 1:03, the declaration issued by the Region 4 Returning Officer, Clairmont

Attorney-at-Law Mayo Robertson Mingo, on March 5, 2020, was invalidated by the High Court, and a second declaration made on March 13, in accordance with the orders issued by the Chief Justice Roxane George-Wiltshire. Robertson, on behalf of the applicant, was keen on pointing out that applications for recounts made to the Returning Officers for a number of Electoral Districts were refused, including applications for a recount to be done in Region 4. It was noted that while the Chief Elections Officer, pursuant to Section 96 (2) of the Representation of the People Act, Chapter 1:03,

had tabulated the total number of valid votes cast, and had prepared and submitted his report to the Elections Commission, GECOM has failed and or refused to make the declaration. “Pursuant to Section 99, the Commission, upon receipt of such report, was mandated to make a public declaration of the results of the elections in accordance with Section 99 of Chapter 1:03,” Robertson argued. The attorney also brought the Court’s attention to a statement issued by GECOM’s Chair indicating that the Elections Commission would accede to and implement an agreement made between the Head of State and the Leader of the Opposition for a recount of all the votes cast during the just concluded elections. Such a recount, he noted, would be subjected to supervision by a high-level CARICOM delegation. While the move was taken to restore trust in the electoral process, which has since encountered a number of stumbling blocks, Robertson submitted to the High Court that the Elections Commission would be in breach of the Constitution and the Representation of the People’s Act, were it to proceed with the CARICOM led initiative.

High Court Judge, Justice Franklin Holder “Article 161 B of the Constitution of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana expressly forbid political parties and their nominees from being involved in the management of the electoral process. Article 162(1)(a) imposes a non-delegatable duty on the Commission ‘to exercise general direction and supervision over the registration of electors and the administrative conduct of all elections of members of the National Assembly,’ and any agreement, whether between the President of Guyana, H. E. David Granger and the Leader of the Opposition the Honourable Mr. Bharat Jagdeo or otherwise authorizing a CARICOM delegation to

supervise any recount of votes of the elections held on 2nd March 2020, is wholly void as being contrary to the Constitution,” Robertson submitted to the Court. He said it is Moore’s legitimate expectation that GECOM will comply with the provisions of the Constitution and the Representation of the People Act, more specifically, Section 99 of the Act. “If the Respondent is not restrained by this Honourable Court, it will proceed to embark upon the said recount in breach of the letter and spirit of the Constitution of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, the Representation of the People Act, Chapter 1:03,” Robertson said. The Judicial Review of the Fixed Date Application (FDA) Application will be conducted on Friday, March 20, 2020 at 9:00hrs in the High Court. In that FDA, Moore is seeking a total of 25 declarations from the High Court. In effect, the declarations, if granted, would set aside any decision of the Elections Commission to facilitate a recount, thereby paving the way for the Chief Elections Officer to submit his report to the Elections Commission for a final declaration of the results of the March 2 General and Regional Elections.

‘All must join the fight’ … PM Nagamootoo calls on Opposition, civil society to be part of national response to COVID-19 PRIME Minister Moses Nagamootoo said Tuesday that the government will be reaching out to Leader of the Opposition Bharrat Jagdeo, and other civil society leaders to be a part of the country’s national plan to fight the spread of the corona/COVID-19 virus. Nagamootoo is the head of the Ministerial Task Force which is coordinating the country’s response against the virus. Guyana recorded its first case of the virus on March 11, and has since recorded three additional confirmed cases. “I ask them all to join me as I urge our nation to remain calm but alert, and to follow all public health and other advisories. For me, this is not a partisan, political or exclusively governmental task; all of us, the entire nation, are in it together,” Nagamootoo said when the Task Force held a press conference at the National Communications Network. The Task Force was ordered by President David Granger. “President Granger has issued a direction for national response

to COVID-19 as an emergency that threatens the security and lives of our people, to coordinate and oversee the measures being taken by various frontline agencies and give them the support that they need,” Minister Nagamootoo said. Officially declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO), coronavirus has been sweeping the globe since the first outbreak originated in Wuhan, China in December 2019, and has since been responsible for over 7500 deaths. The Coronavirus is a large family of viruses that causes illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). According to WHO statistics, as of last Tuesday, the world had thus far recorded 184, 976 confirmed cases. “The whole world is waging war against this virus to stop it and save lives. If not, all of us will lose loved ones and be held accountable,”

Minister Nagamootoo said. Noting that the country has been preparing for some time now in case the virus came to these shores, the prime minister said: “Our preparations to deal with this virus started in January of this year, and a National Health Emergency Centre has been set up. We have moved from preparation to response. Since the confirmed reported case, the president, under provision of Public Health Ordinance, ordered several agencies to implement a table of measures to contain the spread of the virus, and save people from further exposure and infection.” Initally, the Task Force comprised several Government Ministries, including Public Health, Finance, Public Infrastructure, Education, Foreign Affairs, Citizenship, Public Security, Communities, Legal Affairs, and Natural Resources. At Tuesday’s press conference, Minister Nagamootoo was joined at the head table by Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence, and Minister of Education, Nicolette

Henry; as well as Commissioner of Police Leslie James; Director-General of the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) Kester Craig; and Director-General of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) Egbert Field. At the meeting, the public was apprised that the decision was taken to close the country’s borders to avoid the importation of further infected patients into the country. Guyana’s first confirmed case of the virus was a 52-year-old woman who recently travelled to Guyana with family members from the United States. It was also announced that the government, through the Ministry of Public Health, will be implementing mandatory quarantines for persons who are either confirmed, suspected or probable patients of the virus. Those quarantined will be accommodated at four facilities established across the country for that purpose. Public schools have also been closed for two weeks.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, March 18, 2020

CARICOM recounting team pulls out …after court injunction blocks recounting process

By Lisa Hamilton THE CARICOM High-Level Team which travelled to Guyana to supervise the re-counting of ballots from the country’s March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections, on Tuesday withdrew themselves from the process. At 17:30hrs, the team pulled up at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM)’s High and Cowan Streets office,

an intervention to do so.” CARICOM Chair, Prime Minister Mia Mottley of Barbados, on Saturday had announced that President David Granger had made a request for CARICOM to field an independent high-level team to supervise a planned national recounting of the ballots cast in the elections. This was agreed to by Opposition Leader Bharrat Jag-

and that GECOM is the only agency authorised to conduct elections. This being the case, the high-level team withdrew themselves from the process. Though conceding that the way ahead is “not quite clear”, Commissioner Alexander said that the Commission is expected to appear in court on Friday, March 20, 2020. The independent high-level team was chaired by former

The CARICOM team exiting GECOM’s High and Cowan Streets office following a brief meeting with the Commission

where they engaged the Commission in a brief meeting. Coming out of the meeting, Commissioner Charles Corbin said: “They have formally indicated to us that, given the developments that have occurred, they are currently in discussion, and it is quite likely that they are going to withdraw tomorrow.” Commissioner Vincent Alexander added: “They have not given up on us; they have withdrawn at this point in time; they have indicated that they are still available if the need arises for

Tuesday, said that it is most unfortunate that the CARICOM team, which acted swiftly with the intention of assisting Guyana in its electoral process, was prevented from meeting their objectives, due to the actions of the Commission and others. “As a consequence, they have come here, for several days now, and have not been given the opportunity to perform their functions for which they have come,” Gunraj said,

team was present in Guyana for three days, and yet the process to commence the recount remained stagnant. He believes that this was as a result of “deliberate actions” from within the Electoral body. Gunraj said that during their brief meeting with the Commission, Baron, the team’s leader, and CARICOM Secretary-General Ambassador Irwin Larocque had some “very strong words” for Guyana, as the country was

of events, beginning with the Returning Officer (RO) and his staff falling sick, to the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) repeatedly storming the GECOM command centre, to an injunction barring the declaration of the results and subsequently a series of objections. Eight political parties had requested a recount for the contentious Region Four on Saturday, the same day

Members of the high-level CARICOM team entering GECOM on Tuesday (Photos by Adrian Narine)

deo, and the two local leaders signed an Aide Memoire for the agreed recount. However, CARICOM requested that this agreement be followed up with an Order and the same gazette, but this was advised against by Guyana’s Chief Parliamentary Counsel, Charles Fung-a-Fat as doing so would supersede electoral laws and infringe on the rights of electors. This was coupled with an interim injunction and Order granted by the High Court to halt the recount, on the basis that the declarations that have already been made were final,

Attorney-General and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Dominica, Ms. Francine Baron, and comprises former Minister of Finance of Grenada, Mr. Anthony Boatswain; Senior Lecturer in the Department of Government of UWI Ms. Cynthia Barrow-Giles; Chief Electoral Officer of Barbados Ms. Angela Taylor; and Chief Elections Officer of Trinidad and Tobago Ms. Fern Narcis-Scope. ‘MOST UNFORTUNATE’ Opposition-nominated Commissioner, Sase Gunraj, who also spoke to the media on

adding: “We see the alacrity with which the CARICOM has acted, from Saturday morning, when they were engaged by the President and Leader of the Opposition. And by just after lunch, there was a statement issued by the CARICOM Chairman, and by 12:30 that night, there was a plane on the tarmac at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, with five persons; five experts drawn from various parts of the Caribbean sent here specifically to [assist].” He highlighted that the

in “a very precarious place”. “They both wished us well, and you could see the disappointment and dismay in their faces as they were doing so,” Gunraj said, adding: “Unless something happens that is deeply steeped in maturity, and level-headed and right-thinking members of society see this process through, we are one step away from descending into mayhem.” Since the March 2 General and Regional Elections, the tabulation process for Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) was marred by a series

that CARICOM Chairman, Barbados’ Prime Minister Mottley announced that President Granger had requested that the regional bloc field an independent high-level team to supervise the recounting of the ballots. It should be noted that the high-level team’s exit comes as Guyana announced on Tuesday that in order to slow the progress of COVID-19 in the country, it will be closing its airports to all international flights for two weeks, beginning at midnight today, Wednesday, March 18, 2020.

China expels American journalists over escalating spat with U.S. BEIJING/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - China announced early on Wednesday that it was retaliating against U.S. restrictions on Chinese journalists, with actions that include rescinding the press credentials of American correspondents with the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post. The move escalates a tit-for-tat between China and the United States over resident foreign media that saw Washington this month slash the number of Chinese nationals permitted to work at the U.S. offices of major Chinese state-owned media outlets. In a statement released in the early hours of Wednesday, China’s foreign ministry said U.S. citizens who work as journalists for the three organizations and whose press credentials expire by the end of this year must hand back their press cards within ten days and would not be permitted to work in mainland China, Hong Kong or Macau. It was not immediately clear how many journalists would be affected. China also said that “in the spirit of reciprocity,” the China

branches of Voice of America, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post and Time magazine must “declare in written form information about their staff, finance, operation and real estate in China.” China also said it will take further “reciprocal measures against American journalists”, without giving specifics. “We unequivocally condemn any action by China to expel U.S. reporters,” said Washington Post Executive Editor Marty Baron in a statement. “The Chinese government’s decision is particularly regrettable because it comes in the midst of an unprecedented global crisis, when clear and reliable information about the international response to COVID-19 is essential.” Representatives from the New York Times, owned by the New York Times Co (NYT.N), and News Corp (NWSA.O)-owned Wall Street Journal could not immediately be reached for comment. Beijing said the moves “are entirely necessary and reciprocal countermeasures that China is compelled to take in response to

the unreasonable oppression the Chinese media organizations experience in the United States.” U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters at a State Department news conference that the move would deprive the world and the Chinese people of information in “incredibly challenging” times brought about by the coronavirus. “This is unfortunate... I hope they’ll reconsider,” he said. In cutting the number of Chinese nationals permitted to work for state media firms in the United States this month, Washington said it was retaliating for what it called Beijing’s “long-standing intimidation and harassment of journalists”. Last month, Beijing expelled three Wall Street Journal correspondents, including two Americans and an Australian. “The action taken against The Journal correspondents is an extreme and obvious attempt by the Chinese authorities to intimidate foreign news organizations by taking retribution against their China-based correspondents,” said the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China in a statement at the time.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, March 18, 2020

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Chief Parliamentary counsel advises GECOM against gazzetting order for recount ― warns that such a move would supersede electoral laws, infringe on rights of electors

WARNING that an order intended to facilitate a recount of the ballots cast at the March 2 General and Regional Elections could have far-reaching implications, Guyana’s Chief Parliamentary Counsel, Charles Funga-Fatt, has advised the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) not to issue such an order on the grounds that it would be in contravention of the Constitution of Guyana and the Representation of the People Act. GECOM, on Tuesday, sought legal advice from the Attorney General’s Chambers, Office of the Chief Parliamentary Counsel after the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, who had brokered an agreement between President David Granger and Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo, to have a national recount of all the votes cast at the general and regional elections. While the two leaders had signed an Aide Memoire in the presence of CARICOM Secretary-General, H.E Irwin Larocque on the same, the commission later explained in a release on Tuesday afternoon that it was examining the “legal ramifications” of the agreement. This examination was necessary as CARICOM high-level team had proposed that an order be issued and gazetted to give effect to the agreement signed to pave the way for the recount. ORDER CANNOT BE MADE However, this is exactly what the Chief Parliamentary Counsel advised against after visited by of a delegation of GECOM Commissioners and the legal officer who presented the draft Order purported to be made under Article 162 of the Constitution and Section 22 of the Elections Law (Amendment) Act, No. 15 of 2000. “It is my respectful advice that this draft Order cannot be made,” he said, explaining that such an Order only caters for dealing with the removal of any difficulty which arises in connection with the application of the Representation of the

People Act, Cap. 1:03. He said that the provision that the Order is seeking to make has the effect of amending section 84 of the Representation of the People Act and would there be ex post facto. “Passing the order would be making a retrospective law and that would affect the vested rights of a person under the Representation of the People Act,” the Chief Parliamentary Counsel said.

Opposition-nominated commissioner, Sase Gunraj

“An Order cannot be made under this provision because any instructions or action that the commission takes must be in compliance with the Act. This provision empowers the commission to act administratively through an interpretation of the law as it now stands and does not empower the commission in a law-making capacity to modify the law.” Before the advice, GECOM had stated in a release that while it had implemented systems for the operationalisation of the recount exercise, addressing these legal issues were a necessary “safeguard mechanism” for stakeholders involved. It had hoped that “once finalised, the counting would commence immediately.” However, Commissioner Charles Corbin said following a meeting of the commission yesterday: “Where we thought that we were properly covered to proceed with the activity, in accordance with pieces of legislation which were identified and the Constitution, we could not get a firm view for support. In fact, it was the view that…we could not be properly covered in that.”

Earlier on, PPP/C Executive and former Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, had argued that the recount has nothing to do with the Constitution but is a facility granted under the Representation of the Peoples Act to be executed by GECOM. Where the Constitution becomes relevant on the matter, he said, is at Article 162 (b). “You will see that GECOM has wide and ominous powers to make deci-

the recount on the basis that final declarations were made by the Returning Officer (RO) from all 10 regions and those declarations are final. It was also made on the basis that GECOM is the sole supervisory authority responsible for the conduct of elections. The application for the interim injunction was made by private citizen, Ulita Moore, represented by attorney-at-law B.

Chief Parliamentary Counsel, Charles-Fung-A-Fatt-S.C (Adrian Narine photos)

sions that are in the interest of the justice, impartiality and expediency. That’s very wide powers that GECOM can make decisions over ruling decisions made by personnel within the hierarchy of the secretariat,” he said. In fact, Nandlall said that GECOM is empowered by law to make almost any decision possible in relation to its role and the elections body. “If you look at Section Five also of the Representation of the Peoples Act you will see the commission having the power to extend time if that is necessary and to also to perform the functions that would have been legally performed by any officer within the hierarchy of the secretariat. If you also look at Section 22 of the Elections Laws (Amendment) Act you will see that GECOM has a wide array of powers even to make orders, even to override legislation.” However, the commission will be acting based upon the advice of the Chief Parliamentary Counsel. A BIGGER PROBLEM Around the same period that the commission was receiving this advice, an interim injunction was moved to the High Court to prevent

Mayo Robertson. It came before Justice Franklin Holder, whose orders restrains GECOM from setting aside or varying any of the declarations already made by returning officers

(ROs) of the 10 administrative regions; restrains the Chief Elections Officer (CEO) from submitting a final report on the overall results of the elections and restrains GECOM recounting or counting any ballots cast in the elections. Commissioners Vincent Alexander and Corbin made it clear that no overall declaration can be made until a judicial review is conducted based on the application.

Commenting in his capacity as a Guyanese, Alexander said that he does not believe that the current situation is good for Guyana. He said fixing the same would take more than an electoral solution as it is not an electoral problem. “We have serious problems in terms of the plurality of our society, the distrust and the request for power from various segments to

Government-nominated commissioners Vincent Alexander and Charles Corbin

“Anything that has not happened cannot happen now while the injunction is in force,” Corbin said. “This injunction will certainly stymie the progress that we were about to make.”

the ignorance of the real problem and real appreciation of the totality of the Guyanese community and I think we have to find a solution in that regard,” he put forward.

Drug Trafficker fined and sentenced A 35-year-old market vendor, Shon Sam of Middle Road, La Penitence, was, on March 17, 2020, brought before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan, at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court, having been charged with trafficking in narcotics. The charge alleged that, on Monday, March 16, 2020, at 70km Police Outpost, Cuyuni River, Sam was found with 2301 grams of cannabis for the purpose of trafficking. Sam admitted to the charge when read to him. The prosecutor informed the court that, on Monday, March 16, 2020, at 12 hours, ranks at the 70km Police Outpost were on duty, when a white Toyota Land Cruiser was stopped and ranks requested to con-

duct a search on the vehicle and the occupant. Ranks first conducted a search on the defendant who was the lone passenger of the vehicle but nothing was found on his person. The ranks then proceeded to conduct search on a 5-gram Torginol paint bucket that was in the vehicle. There they discovered three bulky, transparent, plastic parcels. They slashed the parcels, revealing a quantity of leaves and stems suspected to be cannabis. The defendant was told of the suspicion and was cautioned. Sam then admitted to the act and was taken to the Outpost. In Sam’s presence, the cannabis was weighed and amounted to 2301 grams. Sam was then placed into custody. When given the oppor-

tunity to explain his act, Sam mentioned to the court that, while on his way to his destination, he was stopped by someone who had asked him, as a favour, to drop the bucket to a location. Sam further mentioned to the court that he hadn’t knowledge of the contents of the bucket, nor had he opened the bucket to check it while transporting it. Sam continued to tell the court that he had to take responsibility for the item as he had taken up the duty in transporting it. Having said this, Sam nevertheless requested leniency from the court stating that he was a father of five children. Chief Magistrate McLennan sentenced Sam to 3 years in prison and ordered him to pay $1,518,660.

Sri Lankans fined for illegal entry into Guyana ON Tuesday, March 17, 2020, five Sri Lankans were placed before Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs- Marcus at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court, having been charged with illegal entry into Guyana. The group of five consisted of four males and one female. The charge alleged that, on Sunday, March 15, 2020, at 63 Beach Corentyne, they entered Guyana by sea and ‘disembarked’ without the consent of an immigration officer.

The prosecutor informed the court that, on March 15, 2020, immigration ranks acted on information and went to the city hotel where the Sri Lankans were staying. Their passports were checked and it was discovered that there were no entry stamps endorsed in any of the passports. They were arrested and taken to the Criminal Investigation Department where an investigation was conducted. The Sri Lankans were questioned and it was revealed that they entered Guyana from Suriname as they believed

Guyana was part of Suriname. Thus, they did not present themselves to an immigration officer upon entering Guyana from Suriname. The Sri Lankans were all charged and placed before the court for having arrived in Guyana by sea and disembarking without the consent of an immigration officer. Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus ordered the Sri Lankans to each pay a fine of $30,000 and, in default, be imprisoned for 60 days.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Putting COVID-19 into perspective

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HE novel coronavirus (Covid-19) has officially been deemed a pandemic, as nations the world over are grappling with the consequences of the disease. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has been at the forefront of the campaign to inform the public and nations on best practice in order to curb the spread of the disease. Guyana recorded its first case of COVID-19 on Wednesday, March 11, and since then, there have been confirmed reports of at least three more cases of the virus here. Following the confirmation of Guyana’s first COVID-19 case, President David Granger set up a ministerial taskforce in order to deal with the pandemic as it unfolds. A number of measures have been taken by the Government of Guyana, in order to circumvent the spread of the disease. The President confirmed that the list of high-risk countries, where passengers will be screened upon arrival in Guyana, has been extended to include a number of Caribbean nations where the virus has recently been detected. President Granger also confirmed that personnel working at seaports and other immigration agencies must be sensitised. The President further advised against public gatherings and non-essential travel. Separately, the Ministry of Health has issued public health warnings, and the Ministry of Education has ordered that schools be closed for two weeks. According to the government, Guyana is prepared to deal with an outbreak of the virus. Meanwhile, the international community has responded to the growing pandemic by taking a number of precautions. Severe travel restrictions have been implemented,

particularly in the United States, where they have declared a State of Emergency in order to implement strategies aimed at circumventing the spread of the disease. President Donald Trump has restricted travel from Europe, the epicentre of the disease, and that travel ban went into effect from last Friday. Meanwhile, many European nations have instituted partial lockdown policies. In Italy, the hardest hit country in the European Union, there is a full-on military lockdown, and the country has been brought to a standstill. Italy has so far recorded over 20,000 cases, and confirmed 2158 deaths from COVID19. Whilst the world appears to be grinding to a halt as the virus continues to spread, the world’s financial markets have been in turmoil amid high market volatility and some of the biggest downturns since the 2008/9 financial crisis. Commentators have expressed concern that the effects of this pandemic will be felt in the financial markets for some time to come, particularly as the supply chain has been affected, and the potential for widespread industry-specific job losses appears to be a real threat to the global economy. Nonetheless, as it concerns matters at home, although Guyanese have expressed concern regarding the novel coronavirus COVID 19, there have not been any reports of widespread hysteria. There have, however, been reports of price gouging, especially as it relates to recommended items such as hand sanitizers and face masks. This practice has been condemned by the relevant authorities and indeed civil society. It is disappointing that there are those within our society who would seek to benefit from a crisis; but, conversely, there are a number of small organisations that

Coronavirus and your environment Dear Editor,

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HE coronavirus has become a feared worldwide phenomenon; Guyana has four confirmed cases, with on-going screening being continued under the umbrella of the Ministry of Public Health. The coronavirus is a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as respiratory syndromes, according the WHO. The COVID-19 or Coronavirus disease, as it is known, is a new strain of the virus discovered in 2019 which was not previously identified in humans. Now, it is very easy to plunge into panic and fear because of the rapid growth of this virus, and the harmful effects it is associated with it. But we must prepare ourselves, to the best of our abilities; we can do this by taking precautions to remain in good health, equipping ourselves with accurate knowledge on the virus, and by considering and caring for each other, especially those who are most vulnerable. In taking the necessary precautions, standard recommendations include regular hand washing, covering of mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, and thoroughly cooking meat and eggs. Avoid close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illnesses such as coughing and sneezing. We must also supplement this with ensuring our bodies are stronger, by using vitamin C in every form available, such as fruits and vegetables as well as supplements. In the meantime, the Ministry has taken proactive steps to safeguard employees’ and the visiting public’s health, but adhering to the protocol enforced by the Department of Public Service, on the direction of President David Granger, by rotating staff, and by enforcing the preventative measures as mentioned earlier and stipulated by the Ministry of Public Health. We each have a personal duty to safeguard our health and that

of others by ensuring we take proactive steps to avoid getting ill, and if we do, we must isolate ourselves and ensure we do not put others at risk. I wish to especially use this opportunity to call on the National Toshaos’ Council, in their representation of their villages and communities, and all CDOs and Welfare Officers to join in supporting Regional and National efforts as we face this disease together. I urge all persons, including persons living in the Hinterland, to be cautious; no one is above getting ill, and as such we MUST be cautious, if not for ourselves for those persons we interact with, who may be at risk. Ensure you get your information, use safe reliable websites, and contact medical personnel, through the Ministry of Public Health. On that note, common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure, and even death. If you experience any of these symptoms, call the hotline number at 227-4986 (Ext 215) or 624-3067. Also reach out to your Regional Health Authorities, and seek help when you need it. Finally, it would be remiss of me not to recognise and thank our modern-day heroes, our doctors, nurses and all persons in the medical profession, including the Minister of Health and her team on the frontline fighting this virus and caring for our ill, and working tirelessly to strategise in the best possible way forward for our nation. I pray that this too shall soon pass and I wish you and your families good health, it is truly our greatest wealth. Thank you all very much. Regards, Hon. Sydney Allicock, MS, MP Vice-President & Minister of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs

have been distributing masks to the public, free of charge, a great reminder of the true Guyanese spirit. As it relates to the closure of schools, parents, teachers and citizens generally appear to be more concerned about the impact this will have upon our young people, some of whom were expected to sit the National Grade Six Assessments in the coming weeks. The Ministry of Education (MOE) has confirmed that the examinations will be rescheduled. The MOE will continue to monitor the situation as it develops, and issue any necessary notices to parents and teachers. Similarly, the Caribbean Examinations Council released a statement on Sunday indicating the closure of its Western Zone Office in Kingston, Jamaica, and noting that it is currently in talks with member states regarding the implications of the COVID19 virus and the examinations scheduled to take place in May/June. Member states will be notified as the situation continues to unfold. As Guyanese continue to await the outcome of the March 2 regional and general elections, we must be reminded of the need for a unified, concerted effort to fight the spread of the highly contagious and deadly virus. COVID19 attacks indiscriminately, irrespective of political or racial affiliation. Therefore, the time for partisan politics and division among us and our officials has passed. The policies and procedures they implement will directly affect our collective health and wellbeing and although Guyana has a fairly young and healthy population, we must nonetheless follow the necessary guidelines as issued by the respective health authorities.

Prayers needed here for us in Guyana Dear Editor,

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HE coronavirus originated in China, in the city of Wuhan. It has killed more than 1,000 people, and infected more than 42,000. The virus has spread to at least 24 more countries, including the U.S. The entire city of Wuhan, in China halted all transportation. Several cases in the U.S. have been reported so far. The virus poses a grave threat; it spreads quickly, with pneumonia-like symptoms. It likely came from a seafood market in Wuhan. People who have other illnesses and catch this virus will likely die. Let’s hope the virus can be controlled before long. Bad news is, there are no vaccines to prevent humans from contracting it. Prayers are needed here for us in Guyana. Regards, Rooplall Dudhnath

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, March 18, 2020

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The high rate of femicides in Guyana continues unabated, with no sign of slowing down Dear Editor,

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E are dismayed and concerned by the Spotlight Initiative advertisement in the press on Sunday, March 15 for a consultancy for the assessment and development of policy options on restorative justice (specifically for domestic violence) and for support for the implementation of the practice in Guyana. On 13 February, 2020, Help & Shelter and Red Thread were invited to a meeting at the UN Resident Coordinator’s office to discuss the concerns we had documented about the Spotlight Guyana Initiative. The meeting was cordial, and we left with the assurance that the concerns raised were acknowledged and heard, and would be shared among the other UN Agencies in Guyana responsible for the implementation of the project. Assurances were also given that Spotlight Guyana had processes in place for civil society oversight of this initiative through the Civil Society Reference Group, which at the time was open for nominations. The advertisement in the press indicates that either concerns raised were not shared, or that they were dismissed Help & Shelter and Red Thread, together with many other NGOs and CSOs, attended a number of ‘consultations,’ out of which the Final Spotlight Guyana Initiative Project document arose. In none of the meetings we attended - and we have consulted with other NGO representatives who are similarly unaware -was the issue of restorative justice proposed or discussed in any meaningful way. As such, we ask that the UN bodies, and in particular UNICEF, share the context in which restorative justice was proposed and discussed. Spotlight Initiative Guyana “will address the root causes of violence against women and girls (VAWG) with an emphasis on prevention. It will introduce and expand on preventive measures, address legislative and policy gaps, improve institutional capacities, augment service delivery systems especially in remote communities, enhance data collection and use, and build a stronger civil society response to ensure justice is delivered to women and girls experiencing multiple forms of discrimination and violence.” Help & Shelter and Red Thread have worked continuously over the past 25+ years with victims and survivors of domestic violence and children traumatized through exposure to domestic violence directly and indirectly. They have worked with communities, schools, service providers, the police, health professionals, social workers, teachers and students across all the regions of Guyana on prevention of, protection from and responses to domestic violence, and have offered free face-to-face and court support counselling and shelter services to thousands of survivors of domestic violence.

Help & Shelter and Red Thread have been integral to the development of Guyana’s National Domestic Violence Policy (NDVP), served on the Oversight Committee for the Implementation of the NVDP, and are the present NGO representatives on the recently reconvened Task Force for the Prevention of Sexual Violence. They were in the forefront of getting the Domestic Violence Act and the Sexual Offences Act enacted and fully implemented and have been in the forefront of advocacy campaigns and other initiatives in defense and support of the fundamental right of women and girls to live lives free from all forms of sexual and gender- based violence and the fear of such violence. It is our view, based on their expertise and substantial working knowledge, that the use of restorative justice in domestic violence settings in Guyana will put the safety and well-being of survivors serious risk, lead to re-traumatization of survivors and will ignore the power dynamic of domestic violence that entraps victims and survivors in a cycle of abuse, at the core of which is the exertion of power and control by one partner (the abuser) over the other partner (the victim/survivor). through the use of physical, sexual, psychological and economic abuse. “Historically, RJ is an alternative to repressive criminal sanctions, allowing the parties involved to participate in the solution of the conflict, and giving the conflict back to them” (Christie. (1997). Restorative Justice reviewed in 2019 by Legal Guidance cps.gov.uk “is a process through which parties with a stake in a specific offence collectively resolve how to deal with the aftermath of the offence and its implications for the future.” We know that RJ is often in juvenile justice cases and we support this wholly but not for domestic violence offences. We also note that the consultancy does not require certification, knowledge or working experience of RJ which seems very odd. Restorative justice uses mediation and negotiation supposedly between two adults on the basis of equality, while the power dynamic of domestic violence is unequal power and control by one person over another, which is how domestic violence occurs and re-occurs. No mediator or mediation process of one or two sessions will change this, especially due to the complexity of domestic violence. Unfortunately, more than likely the survivor will be intimidated by the presence of the abusive partner and the domestic violence violations will be trivialized. In such unequal conditions justice cannot be served. What is hard to fathom is why it is proposed to introduce restorative justice when it does not appear to have worked successfully in practice for domestic violence. Space does not permit us to go into this further. Evidence referenced in

the Spotlight document on the Domestic Violence Act shows that 71% of all applications for protection orders were granted, which is testimony to the success of the Act for survivors of domestic violence, bolstered by education of magistrates and judicial officers on the dynamics of domestic violence and the Act. And while Help & Shelter and Red Thread have advocated for years for revision to the Act to address its deficiencies, it has nevertheless proved its worth. It is hard to understand why a consultancy to address behavioural change such as capacity-building at community and regional levels in counselling, including lay counselling training and delivery and programmes for perpetrators of domestic violence, including court-sanctioned accredited counselling and behaviour change programmes for both survivors and perpetrators of domestic violence not be a priority instead of restorative justice and mediation. It would be a very mistaken to believe that survivors or perpetrators domestic violence will take advantage of restorative justice and mediation. All indications and research show that many do not opt to go that route and there is no guarantee that if they do, the perpetrators will abide by any agreements reached. It is well known that it is only after an average of 10-40 acts of physical, sexual, psychological and economic domestic violence experienced by women that reports are made to police and other agencies. Guyana Women’s Health and Life Experiences Survey (GWHLES) 2018 reveals that over 50% of Guyanese are subjected to some form of domestic violence, mostly intimate partner violence, a much higher rate than the world average of 30%. The high rate of femicides in Guyana continues unabated and shows no indication of slowing down. The greatest risk of restorative justice is, however, that all the gains made by the women’s movement in Guyana to move gender-based violence including domestic violence out of the private and into the public realm will be reversed and domestic violence will be driven underground and accepted as an issue for the privacy of the home and the partners involved. This will be a fatal blow to gender equality in Guyana and the fundamental right of women and girls to live lives free from violence and the fear of violence. Regards, Danuta Radzik & Josephine Whitehead for Help & Shelter Karen de Souza and Wintress White for Red Thread Vidyaratha Kissoon Janice Jackson

Any recount must be done by lawful means

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Dear Editor,

AM deeply troubled by what appears to be an attempt to blatantly breach the laws of Guyana in an effort to ‘cure’ what appears to have been determined by public opinion, rather than a court of law, to have been breaches of the laws of Guyana. The Guyanese public was first made aware by way of a press statement by the Honourable Mia Motley, Prime Minister of Barbados that President Granger and Mr. Bharrat Jagdeo, Leader of the Oppsoition, have agreed to a recount of votes of all 10 regions. Article 161B of the Constitution of Guyana states: “It is hereby declared that the role of political parties and their nominees in the conduct of elections by the Elections Commissions shall be limited to their participation in determining policy, monitoring the electoral process and the conduct of the election, but does not include active management of the electoral process.” The Representation of People Act Cap. 1:03 makes specific provision for the persons who can request a recount, the person to whom the request shall be made and who has the power to determine whether to permit a recount. Section 88 of the Act

states: “88. A duly appointed candidate, or counting agent present when the counting or any recount of votes is completed, may request the returning officer to have the votes recounted or again recounted; but the returning officer may refuse such request if in his opinion it is unreasonable.” It is therefore the Returning Officer who is vested with the power to determine whether to permit a recount. While perhaps well intentioned, I am unable to ascertain the basis in law for any agreement between President Granger and Mr Jagdeo with respect to the recounting of votes. There is no order by any court directing the Returning Officers to carry out a recount. I am perplexed as to the basis upon which Justice (Rtd) Claudette Singh, a former judge of the Court of Appeal and Chairman of the Elections Commission could lawfully have given the “undertaking” she allege she gave to the court regarding a recount. Such an undertaking has no basis in law since she is not the person vested by law with the power to determine whether or not to permit a recount. Yet, somehow, Justice Singh has elevated this “undertaking” to something that has the force of law which binds her to do what she has no statutory power to do. It appears to me that this approach, rather than providing a

sensible and lawful path forward, will only serve to exacerbate and further complicate the current crisis. It is unlikely that any court would uphold a political agreement for a recount or a request for a recount by persons not permitted to request a recount. Neither Section 22 of the Elections Laws (Amendment) Act 2000 nor Article 162 (1) (b) of the Constitution gives the Commission of GECOM the power to override the specific provision of Section 88 of the Representation of the People Act. Any recount must be done by lawful means and not by breaching the laws of Guyana. Throwing aside our laws for political expediency will have far reaching and long lasting consequences. It is most interesting that some of the same persons who are screaming the loudest about unlawful action are prepared to engage in equally unlawful actions to achieve their desired objectives. The silence of persons and organisations who hold themselves out as being guardians of the law is deafening. Where is the Bar Association on this issue? Their silence screams for all to hear! Regards, M. Pratt

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, March 18, 2020

The question of ‘total recount’ Dear Editor,

T IS public knowledge that what has been described as a “total recount”, seemingly inspired, perhaps instigated, by CARICOM, of the votes cast in the ten (10) districts at the General and Regional Elections 2020 (GRE’s) is impending. Whatever semantic jargon be employed to cloak the Terms of Reference (TOR) that will guide the implementation of this so called “total recount” with some semblance of legality, any such “total recount”, if implemented, will be metaphorically dead on arrival at the Caribbean Court of Justice. We Submit, there is simply no constitutional or statutory basis for it. It is contrary to law. The well-known principle of generous or purposive interpretation of constitutional provisions does not mean that there must and can be some procrustean interpretation of the Election Laws (Amendment) Act #15/2000, Constitution and the Representation of People Act, cap 1:03 Laws of Guyana, to lend either legitimacy or credibility to such a patently misconceived idea. A crystalline distillation, of the relevant provisions of the Constitution, and EL (A) A and ROPA that touches and concerns GRE’s in the sovereign Cooperative Republic of Guyana, and consideration of case law and legal principles about ultra vires and (non) contracting out of statutes, yields the following conclusions of law ; and mixed fact and law. We summarize and state these conclusions briefly; First, the conjoint effect of article 60,161,162(1) and 226(1) & (7) of the Constitution is that GECOM is a creature of the Constitution which the framers intended in its conduct of GRE’s to be independent, fair, impartial, autonomous and not subject to the control or direction of any other person or au-

thority (except of the course, the Supreme Court of Judicature); Secondly, consistent with the (rebuttable) presumption of constitutionality of the EL (A) A and ROPA< GECOM is bound to give effect, and substantially comply with and obey the provisions of the ROPA. There cannot be violations by GECOM. Thirdly, the conjoint effect of in particular sections 84,86 ,87, 88, 89, 96 and 99 of ROPA is that the declarations by the ten respective Returning Officers, of the votes cast for each of the contesting political parties in ten (10) districts, are in the events which have happened, (and subject to ascertainment/ verification by Chief Election Officer) FINAL and ought to have been (on the assumption of such ascertainment) declared and published by GECOM. Fourth, the Ventose (2018) 92 WIR 118 decision of the CCJ which concerned Barbadian statue law corresponding to or in pari materia with our ROPA, is we submit, an emphatic rejection of GECOM’s “total recount” policy. That policy is but a flagrant violation of the clear, unambiguous wording of the ROPA. GECOM has no discretionary powers vis-à-vis the ROPA requirements. Fifth, Parliamentary sovereignty (we do not say supremacy) which by articles 51 and 164 of our Constitution is entrenched at the deepest level in our constitutional architecture, cannot be subverted by, and subordinated to, the whims and fancies of extra- constitutional actors. The ROPA which has imposed specific duties on PO, RO and CEO is an emphatic expression of such sovereignty. Sixth, (not necessarily in significance) consistently with the finality of the Returning Officers declarations, the APNU+AFC and its presidential candidate David Arthur Granger both have a fundamental right to complain that upon a generous and

purposive interpretation of the fundamental right to freedom of expression (article 147) that fundamental right has been, and is being contravened, in relation to it, and him, by GECOM’S delay in its declaration and publication. After all, the raison d’etre, the whole beneficent purpose of forming a political party, expending huge sums of money in the contestation of GRE”s every five years, is to attain victory at the polls by the democratic process encapsulated in, inter alia, the Constitution and the ROPA, and be the Government for the next five (5) years. In the events which have happened, midnight on March 17, 2020 is the expiry point for the conclusion of declaration and publication. We are fully convinced and have concluded that the proposed “total recount” if implemented, will amount to a blatant abdication by GECOM of its constitutional and statutory duties. Also, a usurpation of parliamentary sovereignty by extra-constitutional actors. Every voting elector- supporter of the APNU+ AFC list must be aggrieved by GECOM’s unreasonable delay in the declaration, publication of the results and the consequential swearing in as President of Mr. David Arthur Granger. Pacification of an electorally defeated, vexed and disappointed Opposition is not provided for in the ROPA, nor is appeasement a constitutional function of GECOM. And what if the “total recount” materially increases the amount of votes in favor of APNU+AFC? Would that increase be valid? We think not. On both principle and authority it cannot be supported.

Dear Editor, Most Guyanese would agree that there is never a moment in Guyana that lacks interest and excitement, especially since the 2011 Elections. Hardly anyone anticipated that a total recount of all votes cast in the 2020 general and regional elections, under the watchful eyes of a CARICOM team, was going to be required before GECOM could make a declaration of the final results of the poll. And still, this might eventually prove to be the best decision to help a deeply divided people at this time of a moral crisis; and to verify the credibility of GECOM’s administration and conduct of ELECTIONS 2020 and resolve the credibility gap created by the contradictory statements made by the leadership of the People’s Progressive Party/civic (PPP/C), the New Political Parties (ANUG, CG, PRP, TCI, TNM and LJP) and A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Coalition. A major theme during the 2020 general and regional elections campaign was honesty, decency and integrity in political leadership. Consequently, it’s no surprise that the credibility of GECOM and our political leaders are in the spotlight or under intense public scrutiny. Even though supporters on either side of the political divide do not always tell the truth, it is still true as stated by Donald T. Phillips that “leaders who tell their subordinates the truth, even when the news is bad, gain greater respect and support for ideas than their less virtuous counterparts.” Even now, it is better to tell the truth rather than to lie, for honesty is the best policy. What then are some of the important points to ponder as regards the proposed national recount? What will the recount do for Guyana, GECOM, the Observer Groups and Politicians? What are some important benefits of a recount? Firstly, Guyana will not be put on a blacklist and be regarded as a country with a government elected by an electoral process that was unacceptable or untrustworthy. By allowing an independent high-level Caribbean Community (CARICOM) team to oversee a full elections recount, with GECOM managing the process, it is expected that this move will satisfy the “required standard of fairness and transparency” necessary to ascertain the final results of the elections. Transparency is a most important issue in business, governance, media, and politics today. When a person is transparent, there is no attempt to lie or cover up. The word transparency implies “light shining through unimpeded” and it denotes openness, the absence of pretense and deceit. President David Granger and Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo must be commended for this agreement, the CARICOM Initiative to monitor a re-count of all ballots. After all, political leadership must model behavior that is guided by a commitment to ethics, transparency and accountability. Secondly, a national recount can help GECOM to redeem its credibility that has been seriously undermined by the con-

troversy surrounding the counting of votes polled in Region 4. The Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo, ascertainment of the total votes cast in accordance with the Statements of Poll (for the 879 polling stations) was the major obstacle or difficulty, preventing the Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield, from making a final declaration of the 2020 General and Regional elections results. The Region Four tabulation disputes triggered many reactions. First, the Organization of American States (OAS) on March 13, 2020 issued a statement explaining that it had no other option but to withdraw its presence from Guyana. According to the OAS team “the numbers that have emanated” since the tabulation process was disrupted is cause for concern and “it is unlikely that one can have a result that is credible and able to command public confidence.” This is a very damning statement. Then, on the same March 13, 2020, shortly after the start of the court-ordered tabulation of the Statements of Poll, the Ambassador of the United States of America, Sarah-Ann Lynch, British High Commissioner, Greg Quinn, Canadian High Commissioner, Lilian Chatterjee, and the Ambassador of the European Union, Fernando Ponz-Canto, walked out of the Region 4 tabulation process at the Ashmin’s building, High and Hadfield Streets. According to a joint statement released by the four missions: “we are concerned about intimidation tactics we observed against those seeking to ensure that a credible process is followed. We must be clear that in the absence of a credible process, as directed by the Honourable Chief Justice, it is our view that any results for Region 4 which will impact the overall results of the 2 March elections will not be credible and a President sworn in on the basis of those results will not be considered legitimate.” Such is the prospective of our western diplomats. Besides, the European Union (EU) Election Observation Mission had reason to write the Returning Officer of Region Four, Clairmont Mingo, asking to see the Statements of Poll that he used to prepare the spreadsheet of results which he intended to utilise for the declaration of results for Demerara-Mahaica. This request was made via a letter, dated March 12, 2020, and was being made “pursuant to Section 4 (1) and (3) of the General Elections (Observers) Act, as well as section 6,7,8 and 9 of the Administrative Arrangement between the Delegation of the European Union in Guyana and GECOM.” It clearly brings to light the nature of the Region Four tabulation challenge. These issues form part of the background for the recount. And, it is expected, that a total recount of the votes from all ten electoral districts (beginning with the largest and most hotly disputed region four) can provide the ideal opportunity to help restore ‘maximum public confidence’ in GECOM’s operations or expose its weak spots. If the recounted ballots’ final score is similar to the results previously declared, it will go a long way for the credibility of the Guyana Elec-

tions Commission. However, if the recounted ballots show significant differences from that which was declared for the ten electoral districts (and especially region four) GECOM’s credibility would be severely damaged. And, its staff, especially the presiding officers and returning officers, in particular Mr. Clairmont Mingo, would have demonstrated that they failed to serve with integrity. Also, the Chief Election Officer, Keith Lowenfield, and the Chairperson of the Elections Commission, Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh (although they are both well respected and honourable), because they said nothing as regards the authenticity of the Statements of Poll published by the PPP/C and those Statements of Poll used by Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo to ascertain the results for Region Four, they are answerable. Is this a case where silence is golden? Well, the recount is likely to answer that question. Thirdly, another benefit of a national recount of ballots, under the supervision of the independent high-level CARICOM team, is the recognition that the election results is likely to receive. The CARICOM Initiative is specifically geared to provide a solution and a final elections result that is expected to receive local as well as international recognition and approval. It will definitely clear the air and settle the facts concerning district four votes; for the electorate and all Guyanese; for the 18 international and local observer groups; especially the ABCE envoys, The European Union, the Organization of American States, CARICOM, the Commonwealth and The Carter Center. These observer groups will be more inclined to accredit elections results that are more in conformity with our electoral laws. Finally, the recount of ballots for Elections 2020 will definitely be a moment of truth for the political leadership of not only the two major political heavyweights in Guyana, but also for the new political light flyweights and flyweights. One of the heavyweights will be caught red-handed and would likely be tested to its deepest political muscles. The other heavyweight will be visibly happy, but would have to learn quickly a new way of getting things done (with the leadership of the other parties) and to understand, appreciate and navigate the politics of governance in Guyana. For the new political flyweights it will be a reality check for them. The recount will definitely bring us to that moment of truth when the people of Guyana will find out which one of two political heavyweights (both have claimed victory) has the legitimate right to form the next government for the world’s newest Petro state, Guyana. It will be another golden opportunity to make real the campaign slogans. ‘STRONGER TOGETHER! MOVING FORWARD TOGETHER!’

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Regards Maxwell. E. Edwards For: Concerned Lawyers

What the credible recounting of ballots is expected to achieve?

Regards, Pastor Richard Avert James

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, March 18, 2020

‘Recount has no legal basis’ … Legal luminaries say proposed Terms of Reference unconstitutional … assert GECOM’s sole remit to supervise elections

A NATIONAL recount of the votes cast during the March 2 General and Regional Elections under the supervision of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) would be a complete breach of the Constitution and the Electoral Laws of Guyana, legal luminaries are now arguing. They have pointed to the fact that the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is the sole authority responsible for the supervision of elections here. “There is no legal basis in the Constitution or Representation of the People Act, Cap. 1:03, to conduct such a recount; to do so will be tantamount to a usurpation of the functions of GECOM to independently supervise these elections, and equally, GECOM would be abdicating its responsibilities to conduct elections,” the group of concerned legal luminaries, who asked not be named, told Guyana Chronicle. Last Saturday, Chairman of CARICOM and Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, announced that President David Granger and the Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo, have agreed to a national recount under the watch of a high-level CARICOM team but the concerned lawyers said the proposed Terms of Reference (ToR) to govern the process has no legal basis. “The proposed Terms

mission shall exercise general direction and supervision over the administrative conduct of all elections of members of the National Assembly.

President David Granger of Reference, should it be implemented, would amount to a blatant breach of the Constitution and the laws of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana. Therefore, the proposal cannot be supported,” they argued. In justifying their position, the lawyers said after careful deliberation and consideration of the constitutional and statutory provisions governing GECOM and presiding and returning officers, it was found that the Elections Commission is the sole authority responsible for the independent supervision of Elections in Guyana. These provisions, they said, are laid out in Articles 62 and 162 of the Constitution. The Legal luminaries further pointed to two other provisions in the Constitution that bar CARICOM from supervising the national recount of the votes cast in the 10 Electoral Districts. 1. In accordance with Article 162 (1) (a), the Com-

instruct these bodies on how they must act and thereby pre-empt the performance by them of their constitutional responsibilities. It is not, for example, the role of the Court to establish a date on or by which the elections must be held, or to lay down timelines and deadlines that, in principle, are the preserve of political actors guided by constitutional imperatives.” Aside from the supervisory provisions, the legal

GECOM Chairman, Justice Claudette Singh 2. In accordance with Article 226 (1) and (7), in the exercise of its functions, the Elections Commission shall not be subject to the direction or control of any other person or authority. Besides, the lawyer pointed out that in the case Christopher Ram v Attorney General of Guyana et al [2019] CCJ 14 (AJ) the CCJ ruled at paragraph 7 that- “Article 106 of the Constitution invests in the President and the National Assembly (and implicitly in GECOM), responsibilities that impact on the precise timing of the elections which must be held. It would not therefore be right for the Court, by the issuance of coercive orders or detailed directives, to presume to

duct such a recount. ABIDE BY CONSTITUTION While President Granger has agreed to a national recount, he made it clear that the proposed initiative must be executed in accordance with the Constitution of Guyana. “…the CARICOM Initiative should operate within the legal framework of the Constitution of Guyana and respect the role of the Elections Commission and the rulings of the Supreme Court. It will not act independently,” President Granger said on Sunday. In his communication with the CARICOM Chair, President Granger indicated that the ToR governing the recount process should be crafted by GECOM and not CARICOM, but the legal luminaries are maintaining

CARICOM Chair, Mia Mottley luminaries submitted that the Representation of the People Act clearly states that declarations made by the respective Returning Officers are final as no lawful request for a recount was made. In the case of Regions Two, Three and Four, requests for recounts in those districts were all denied. On these grounds, the lawyers iterated that there is no legal basis in the Constitution or Representation of the People Act to con-

Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo that CARICOM’s role as a supervisory body amounts

to a breach of the Constitution and the Electoral Laws. Nonetheless, in iterating his commitment to the rule of law and the Constitution, President Granger said he respects the integrity and autonomous nature of the Elections Commission, and will abide with its declarations and the rulings of the Court. He said in the absence of such declarations, GECOM must be allowed to do its work as it seeks to bring the electoral process to an end. The Head of State was keen on noting, however, that the General and Regional Elections were conducted peacefully and in accordance with the Constitution and Laws of Guyana on March 2, 2020, but the events that followed it thereafter marred the excellent work of the Elections Commission. “Confusion ensued at the Office of the Returning Officer for District Four in the wee hours of Wednesday, 4th March 2020, as a result of an invasion of the premises by political elements. Statements following the events of 4th March by the observer missions also created uncertainty in the minds of the citizenry. The Opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) so far approached the Supreme Court on three separate occasions to obstruct the work of the Elections Commission,” President Granger summarised. He said those actions coupled with the calls for recount, allowed for the Supreme Court to determine the way forward.

US threatens consequences on allegations of electoral fraud

THE United States has again threatened sanction for persons allegedly engaged in electoral fraud here, although not providing evidence of its claims. US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, made the comments during a news briefing on Tuesday. “The United States is closely monitoring the tabulation of votes in Guyana ….we join the OAS Commonwealth, EU, CARICOM and other democratic partners who are calling for an accurate count. We commend CARICOM’s role in seeking a swift democratic resolution and it is important to note that the individuals who seek to benefit from electoral fraud and form illegitimate governments/ regimes will be subject to a variety of seri-

ous consequences from the United States,” Pompeo stated. The US has made similar statements recently regarding Guyana’s election without proffering evidence. After more than a week of confrontations and legal actions, the votes for District Four for the General and Regional Elections were finally declared by the Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo, last Friday night, amid heavy police presence at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) High Street, Kingston Headquarters. According to the declaration, the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) secured the highest number of votes in both the General and Regional Elections followed

by the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C). In the General Elections, APNU+AFC secured 136,057 votes in District Four (Demerara-Mahaica), while the PPP/C raked in 77,231 votes. A New United Guyana (ANUG) secured the third largest number of votes with 1,387 votes, followed by Change Guyana with 919 votes; Liberty and Justice Party (LJP) with 761 votes and The Citizenship Initiative, 463 votes. The People’s Republic Party got 389 votes and The New Movement (TNM) 128 votes, while the United Republican Party only managed to rake in 90 votes. Meanwhile, in the Regional Elections, the APNU+AFC secured 130,289 votes

while the PPP/C raked in 74,877 votes. Change Guyana received 914 votes, while 752 votes were cast in favour of the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP); 401 in favour of the People’s Republic Party; 125 in favour of the Victory of the People Party and 98 votes in favour of the United Republican Party. With being declared winner in Region Four, the coalition, based on GECOM’s results, would have won the elections, clinching both the presidency and a one-seat majority in the 65-seat National Assembly. The declaration was challenged by the opposition – PPP and GECOM is still deliberating whether to allow a recount of the votes for all 10 regions.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, March 18, 2020

‘Coalition’ Berbice supporters press GECOM to declare results SUPPORTERS of the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change political party, on Tuesday, converged in front of the Guyana Elections Commission offices in New Amsterdam, as well as on the West Coast Berbice, pressing for the swift declaration of the March 2, 2020 elections results. Coalition candidate, Mr. Jevaughn Stephen, told the Guyana Chronicle that the disgruntled supporters are calling on GECOM to make its final declaration with

District Four for the General and Regional Elections were finally declared by the Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo last Friday night, amid heavy police presence at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) High Street, Kingston Headquarters. According to the declaration, the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) secured the highest number of votes in both the General and Regional Elections, followed by the People’s Progressive Party Civic

APNU+AFC supporters up pressure on GECOM to declare elections results respect to the recently-held general and regional elections in light of the Constitution. Further, they are calling on the Chief Elections Officer to present his report to the commission and for the commission to declare its results. Stephens noted too that the based on the delayed declaration of the results, supporters have decided to take the streets so that their voices can be heard. Across on the West Coast Berbice, a group of supporters of the APNU+AFC Coalition also mounted a picketing demonstration outside the Office of GECOM at Fort Wellington, demanding that the commission swears in President David Granger for a second term. The protestors chanted: Swear in Granger now! Swear in Granger now! Former MP, Jennifer Wade, said that the APNU+AFC had been twice declared winner of the 2020 elections and it was time GECOM got its act together. “Anybody can shout an elections rigged but GECOM is the final authority and we want to see them taking decisive action now,” she said. A spokesman said that the protest started at 14:00hrs and will last until late this evening and will continue tomorrow and until GECOM discharges its responsibility of swearing in David Arthur Granger as President. After more than a week of confrontations and legal actions, the votes for

(PPP/C). In the General Elections, APNU+AFC secured 136,057 votes in District Four (Demerara-Mahaica), while the PPP/C raked in 77,231 votes. A New United Guyana (ANUG) secured the third largest number of votes with 1,387 votes, followed by Change Guyana with 919 votes; Liberty and Justice Party (LJP) with 761 votes and The Citizenship Initiative, 463 votes. The People’s Republic Party got 389 votes and The New Movement (TNM) 128 votes while the United Republican Party only managed to rake in 90 votes. Meanwhile, in the Regional Elections, the APNU+AFC secured 130,289 votes while the PPP/C raked in 74,877 votes. Change Guyana received 914 votes, while 752 votes were cast in favour of the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP); 401 in favour of the People’s Republic Party; 125 in favour of the Victory of the People Party and 98 votes in favor of the United Republican Party. With being declared winner in Region Four, the coalition, based on GECOM’s results, would have won the elections clinching both the presidency and a one-seat majority in the 65-seat National Assembly. The declaration was challenged by the opposition – PPP and GECOM is still deliberating whether to allow a recount of the votes for all 10 regions.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, March 18, 2020

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Gov’t bans self-quarantine

…implements mandatory quarantine measures in stepped-up fight against coronavirus By Tamica Garnett FOLLOWING allegations that the three persons confirmed with corona/ COVID-19 virus have been flouting voluntary self-quarantine guidelines, persons in Guyana suspected or confirmed as having the disease, will now face mandatory quarantining at Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) facilities. The three confirmed cases have since been moved to one such quarantine facility. The country has four facilities. The four facilities have capacity to host up to 421 persons within three categories of risks, while the ministry will look at the possibility of expanding capacity should the need arise. “There is no more self-quarantine, all quarantine will now be done at the Ministry of Health facilities,” Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence, announced on Tuesday. Minister Lawrence emphasised however that even as the ministry has an obligation to protect the health of the public and keep the public informed, it also has an obligation to protect the medical information of patients. Guyana’s first confirmed case of the corona virus was recorded on March 11, after the 52-year-old patient died. The three other confirmed cases thus far have all been persons related to the dead patient. Minister Lawrence explained that the three categories under which persons will face quarantine include: probable cases, which speak to

persons who have been tested for the virus, but the results were inconclusive; suspected cases, which are persons who have been exposed to persons confirmed with the virus; and confirmed cases, that is, persons who have tested positive for the virus.

pected to arrive in the country in a few days, as the ministry continues to beef up measures to fight the spread of the virus which has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO). “We have also sought to do monitoring of our stocks and supplies. We

Also present was Minister of Education, Nicolette Henry; Commissioner of Police, Leslie James; Director General of the Civil Defence Commission, Kester Craig; and Director-General, Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Egbert Field.

spread of the virus and save people from further exposure and infection.” Field shared that the GCAA will be monitoring the two international airports, where cancellation of all international flights have been imposed effective as of mid-

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo (centre) with others at the head table at Tuesday’s Ministerial Task Force press conference; from left are: Director-General of the Civil Defence Commission, Kester Craig; Commissioner of Police, Leslie James; Minister of Education, Dr Nicolette Henry; Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence; Director-General,Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Egbert Field; and Director of of Public Information, Imran Khan (Adrian Narine photo)

Persons who suspect that they may have the virus are advised not to visit a health facility, but instead call on several provided hotlines where it can be arranged for a health team to visit. Lawrence noted that an additional hotline numbers have been added, and staff has been increased to deal with this area. The numbers are 226-7480; 229-7490; 2311166; 227-4986; 624-6674; 624-2819; 624-9355. Minister Lawrence also disclosed that the ministry is awaiting a shipment of corona virus testing kits, which is ex-

are working with suppliers to ensure that our purchases to deliver in Guyana, have that free access and flow to ensure we receive those supplies,” the minister said. Lawrence was at the time speaking at a Ministerial Task Force press conference held at the National Communications Network. Minister Lawrence was joined at the head table by Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, who heads the Task Force, and a number of other heads of agencies involved in the country’s plan to combat the spread of the virus.

Nagamootoo said that the country has been preparing for some time now for the possibility that the virus would come to local shores. “Our preparations to deal with this virus started in January of this year and a National Health Emergency Centre has been set up. We have moved from preparation to response. Since the confirmed reported case,” Nagamootoo said. He added that: “The president under provision of [the] Public Health Ordinance, ordered several agencies to implement a table of measures to contain the

night on Wednesday, March 18. At the MoE, Minister Henry noted that the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) and Caribbean Examiniations Council (CXC) examinations have been rescheduled; while for the CDC, Craig said the Commission MoPH in the execution of several measures. “What is happening is, we have several things happening at the same time so we’re trying to ease some of the burdens of the MoPH. We are working to ensure if there are any challenges in the system we work to support the

response,” Craig said. He said the CDC is also working along with other agencies. “We’re looking at the implementation of the response and looking for weaknesses and working with agencies to strengthen weaknesses,” he said. He noted that if there is need to increase the quarantine capacity, means of expansion will be looked into. “What we will be doing is continuous monitoring, so if we see that there is an influx we start looking at other locations and start preparing those locations for increase in cases,” Craig disclosed. Craig explained that the CDC has also been working with helping to locate persons who have been on a flight that may have had an infected passenger, and playing a role in the continuous monitoring of those persons. “We have identified all the persons sitting close to that passenger and we’re checking on those persons’ temperature,” Craig noted. Commissioner of Police Leslie James, who is also Chief Immigration Officer, noted that measures have been taken to safeguard immigration officers, equipping them with the necessary protective gears and materials. He noted that the force has also increased its monitoring of backtrack ports, and ranks of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) have been advised on cautionary measures to reduce the spread of the virus.

Decentralisation of social services brings tremendous benefits to Linden A DECISION by the Ministry of Social Protection to decentralise all of its departments in the mining town of Linden, which also benefit residents from communities across Guyana, has been a major boost to the social development of the town. All of the social services are now available at the Mackenzie office. Those services include Child Care and Protection Agency, Probation Services, the Department of Labour, and the Board of Industrial Training, Recruitment and Man Power Agency. Senior Officer at the Linden Branch of the Ministry of Social Protection, Miss Huette Moore explained that the move was in keeping with the government’s mission to bring its services closer to the people, so as to enable those services to be more effective, and reduce the burden on residents to travel to Georgetown to access them. In addition to efficiency and cost reduction, Moore said that services are being provided at a faster rate, and with more tangible solutions. Speaking on Child Care and Protection Services, Moore said that the well-being of more

children is being attended to; that more residents are breaking the silence against abuse, resulting in more perpetrators being brought to justice. “It is a great importance to be able to have the opportunity to assist people in need. The Child Care Protection Agency we are able to reach more clients as if we were in Georgetown and make their reports and have their matters addressed. “It is cheaper on cost factor

for all our clients, as well as it helps to resolve some matters quite faster than going to the courts,” Moore said, adding: “People are speaking out, and want to ensure that children are safe and protected in our communities.” The Department was able to place a resident officer in the Sub-Region Two District, which caters for Kwakwani and communities along the Upper Berbice River. That move to

further decentralise, the senior official said, has also resulted in much benefit in fighting child abuse in those outlying communities. LABOUR PRESENCE With the Department of Labour now having a presence in the township, more negligent employers are being investigated, bringing much relief to employees who were either wrongfully dismissed, or

The Linden Social Services office

subject to some other form of mistreatment. One of the latest cases the Region Ten (Upper Demerara-Berbice) Department of Labour was able to deal with resulted in scores of loggers attached to a Chinese-owned lumber company being reinstated, after they were wrongfully dismissed. The conditions under which they’d worked were investigated and have since been improved. With the availability of the Recruitment and Manpower Department, hundreds of youths from Region Ten have benefited from training, facilitated by the Board of

Senior Officer at the Linden branch of the Ministry of Social Services Huette Moore

Industrial Training (BIT), and scores of those youths have since been employed. BIT has completed many courses, which saw youths graduating from technical and vocational courses, such as Early Childhood Development;, Garment Construction; Apiculture, and other agriculture-based courses. Moore related that the various departments work as a team, and many clients have been referred to the recruitment and manpower department for them to benefit from employment. If a single-parent seeking public assistance for his or her children is being processed by the Probation Department, then that parent is also likely to be referred to the Recruitment Department so he or she can be empowered rather than be wholly dependent on the State. The social standing of the mining town has significantly improved in recent months, and officers will continue to serve with diligence and zest. “I can safely say that a lot more of the communities’ needs are being met, and with the services there, it is good to know there is somewhere they can go,” Moore said.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Chinese experts share lessons from battling COVID-19 BEIJING, March 16 (Xinhua) -- Amid the rapid global outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), a couple of Chinese experts gathered Monday for a video press briefing to share with the world the lessons from battling the epidemic. Members of a national medical team sent to the hard-hit city of Wuhan, Hubei Province, from Peking Union Medical College (PUMC) Hospital underlined early-stage action to counter the disease. PREVENTION AND CONTROL PRIMARY Preventing and controlling is the most important thing in the battle, as treatment is only secondary, while prevention and control have primary effects, said Du Bin, medical ICU director of the hospital. “You must have plans, and failure to prepare is preparedness for failure,” he noted, saying that even now, with fewer newly

reported cases in Wuhan, they should stay alert. When asked about specific measures of prevention and control, Du simply stressed “test, test and test.” “Apart from testing, I have no idea how you can identify suspected cases and how to quarantine close contacts,” he said, adding that the turning point of the epidemic outbreak in Wuhan only came when all suspected patients and close contacts were isolated. BETTER CARE FOR MEDICAL STAFF Yan Xiaowei, an internal medicine expert with the PUMC Hospital, highlighted the importance of taking good care of medical workers as it is the precondition for offering good care to patients and protecting their colleagues and family members. Further public education on prevention such as washing hands and wearing face

China’s COVID-19 vaccine promises to enter clinical trials, emergency use soon BEIJING, March 17 (Xinhua) -- Some vaccines against the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) developed by Chinese higher education institutions are expected to enter clinical trials or provided for emergency use as soon as possible, a Chinese official said Tuesday. The flu viral vector-based vaccine is currently under animal experimentation for safety and efficacy tests and scheduled to apply for the clinical trial by the end of April, Lei Chaozi, an official with the Ministry of Education, said at a press conference in Beijing. The ministry has called on universities and colleges with advantages, including Peking University, Tsinghua University and Xiamen University, as well as sci-

masks should also be carried out, without which COVID-19 would overwhelm the healthcare facilities, Yan said. His words were echoed by Wu Dong, associate professor of gastroenterology at PUMC Hospital, who asked the public to take their necessary actions seriously, change their behaviors and be responsible. Moreover, Wu said that he knew firsthand that the environment in the ICU could be very stressful during the epidemic, and losing patients could easily damage the morale of the ICU staff. “Rest and relaxing are very important, and you need to take very good care of yourselves,” Wu told his overseas counterparts. HUMANITY AND LOVE “Although this is a chance for my colleagues and me to share our experience with the international community, the Chinese approach to control the epidemic may not be the only one,” Du said.

For instance, they were learning from the experience of countries like Singapore and Japan, he continued, as with different numbers of cases and community support systems, countries can adopt different approaches that achieve similar success in controlling the epidemic. “It is an opportunity for us to learn from each other, just like what is true with traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine,” Du said. “The beauty of the world lies in diversity, not identity.” Wu said his motive for joining the battle against COVID-19 on the front line was not just about professionalism or responsibility, but also about love. “Human beings are mortal, but love is not, and I love my daughter, my patients, my country and mankind,” he said. “As humans, we’re all in this together, and we will get through this together,” Wu said.

TCM used on 96.37 pct of COVID-19 patients outside Hubei BEIJING, March 17 (Xinhua) -- Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) was widely applied and has proved to be effective in the prevention, treatment and recovery of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients on the Chinese mainland, said a TCM official on Tuesday. About 96.37 percent of the COVID-19 patients outside Hubei, the hardest-hit province, and 91.05 percent in Hubei have received TCM treatment, said Li Yu, an official with the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, at a press conference. In the national diagnosis and treatment plan issued by the authorities, all TCM prescriptions have shown very good clinical effects, said Li.

Nearly 5,000 TCM medics went to Wuhan, Hubei’s capital city and the epicenter of the outbreak, to join the battle against the virus, said Li. According to Li, among the 1,261 patients in 10 provinces and cities who were given a TCM prescription, no one developed from mild cases to severe cases. In the makeshift hospital which was fully supported by TCM doctors and medical workers, all 564 patients were considered mild or ordinary cases and no one became a severe case, said Li. When treating severe cases, TCM treatment helps in reducing fever, improving oxygen levels and relieving pulmonary fibrosis, Li added.

A researcher of Stermirna Therapeutics Co., Ltd. shows the experiment to develop an mRNA vaccine targeting the novel coronavirus in east China’s Shanghai, Jan. 29, 2020. (Xinhua/Ding Ting) entific research institutions and related enterprises to speed up research on the COVID-19 vaccine since the traditional Chinese New Year, Lei said.

He added that vaccine research conducted by Chinese universities and colleges has been pushed forward following regulations and laws as expected.

People work on the production line of a factory of Harbin Pharmaceutical Group in Harbin, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, March 16, 2020. The pharmaceutical enterprise speeds up its production to help the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic. (Xinhua/Wang Jianwei)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Berbice ramps up measures to tackle coronavirus

REGION Six Director of Health Services, Jevaughn Stephens, is assuring Berbicians that all measures are being taken to keep East Berbice, Corentyne, COVID 19-free. His assurance came against the background of a family of five, on the Corentyne, being quarantined as the region steps up the fight against the virus. According to information, one member of the family came in on the flight with the relative who died at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) from the virus. According to Stephens, initial testing on the family

Divisional Commander, Calvin Brutus did not reveal any of the obvious symptoms; however, he stressed that monitoring of the family will continue. “We were apprised of that matter, medical staff went to visit the person on Monday; five persons in the home, including a six-month- old baby. Everyone was examined and seemed okay, so we advised home quarantined for the family,” the director said. In the meantime, the family was advised to remain in home quarantine and will receive continuous monitoring by health officials. The regional health director is appealing to the public to not be afraid to call the hotline and ask for help. “We want to advise the public to feel free to call us; there is nothing to be afraid of. Coronavirus, while it is contagious and widespread, is not 100 per cent deadly. The death rate for coronavirus or COVID 19 is very low. So we don’t want persons to be afraid and isolate themselves without reaching out to medical staff to get help. We want to ensure Guyana is protected and we cannot protect Guyana if persons are not being honest with us. I want persons to understand that it’s criminal not to seek help or call,” he said. Meanwhile, the Region Six Health Services has been putting

measures in place to ensure the safety of their staff as well as patients. Medical Superintendent, Dr.Vasana

Director of Regional Health Services, Jevaughn Stephens Henry, said among the measures being implemented are reduction in the daily visits from three times to two as well as limiting the amount of visitors to two per patient. Further, there will only be one entrance in use at the Regional Hospital in New Amsterdam to screen patients. The guidelines as outlined by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to tackle the virus will also be followed. In addition, doctors will start to see patients earlier in the mornings to avoid a gathering/buildup of patients. There will also be increased sanitation, continuous staff education, quarantine area for staff and patients as well as close monitoring of hygiene supplies. Meanwhile, Divisional Commander, Calvin Brutus has confirmed that the police force is working closely to monitor the porous Corentyne border which has been closed. He noted that while it is a huge task given there are numerous ports of entry that smugglers and fishermen can use, the police are keeping a close eye on several known points and have also increased their road patrols and roadblocks to conduct checks on suspicious individuals. These persons, the regional top cop noted, will be taken to the nearest health facility to be tested and screened. In addition, there are increased security measures at the courts where persons are being sanitised prior to entry to conduct their business. This has already started at the High Courts and will from today be implemented at the magistrate courts region wide. Brutus noted that they are in receipt of necessary hygiene supplies such as masks, sanitisers and gloves that have been distributed to the various stations and outposts in Region Six. The commander noted as

well that they have stopped issuing permits for events and have revoked permits previously issued for gather-

ings. He is urging the public to limit social gatherings and desist from hosting events illegally since it will be putting

people at risk of contracting the virus. Many persons in East Berbice, Corentyne, have

been stocking up on essential supplies and staying at home to limit interaction with others.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Teen gets two years for raping seven-year-old

A 19-year-old young man was on Tuesday sentenced to two years imprisonment for raping a seven-year-old boy in 2015.

The teen was sentenced by Justice Jo-Ann Barlow in the Sexual Offences Court at the Demerara High Court, after being found guilty on two

counts of rape three weeks ago by a 12-member jury. He was found guilty of engaging in sexual penetration twice with a child who

WBD man pleads guilty to bludgeoning ‘Buby’ to death FOUR years after the brutal murder of 49-yearold James Stewart, called “Buby,” who was bludgeoned to death, his killer on Tuesday pleaded guilty to the crime. Christopher Cheong called Chris, although being charged for the capital offence of murder, opted to plead guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter. Cheong confessed before Justice Sandil Kissoon at the Demerara High Court that on July 17, 2016, he unlawfully killed Stewart. Sentencing was deferred until April 20, 2020, when a probation report will be presented. The Guyana Chronicle was made to understand that

Dead: James Stewart on July 17, 2016, Cheong, while intoxicated ,went to his cousin’s home at David Rose Street, Bagotsville, West Bank Demerara and picked up a hammer. It is alleged that Cheong was annoyed because Stewart had knocked him off his bike and made him fall to

the ground. Cheong went to Unity Village, La Grange, WBD, where he met Stewart and dealt him a lash to his head with the hammer. Cheong, with his clothes drenched in blood and the bloody hammer returned to his cousin’s home and told him that he had killed somebody. He then went to bed and woke up later to wash his clothes. Stewart’s body was found by the police lying in a pool of blood in his home with wounds to his head and face. Stewart’s cause of death was given as cerebral haemorrhage as a result of multiple blunt traumas to the head, compounded by broncho-aspiration of blood.

is under the age of consent, between December 1, 2015, and December 24, 2015. The accused was 14 years old when he committed the offence. The trial was conducted in accordance with the Juvenile Justice Act, since the defendant was a juvenile when he committed the act. He was represented by attorney-at-law Folio Richards, while the state was represented by prosecutor Teriq Mohamed. According to the prosecution, the defendant is known to the victim and during the period in question, he asked the child to suck his penis. The victim refused, but the accused forced the child’s mouth open and inserted his penis. He subse-

quently committed the act again. In his address to the court, the teen explained that he believed that the case was to teach him a lesson and has brought him closer to God. Justice Barlow explained that she noticed that there is a trend with young persons committing sexual offences and for the January session alone, she had dealt with three similar matters. She urged that the court needs to send a strong message to young people that such actions cannot be condoned. According to the Juvenile Justice Act (JJA), such offences carry a maximum penalty of five years. As such, the teen was sentenced to one year and six months for the first count

and two years for the second. However, the sentences will run concurrently and the teen will serve only two years. Justice Barlow also ordered that the teen undergo counselling for young sex offenders while in prison. Also, one week after his release from prison, he has to report to the Probation Department, Ministry of Social Protection for counselling and supervision. He was also ordered to enrol in the skills-training programme which is provided by the said ministry, whereby he can learn a trade and gain employment. If he fails to adhere to the court’s orders, he will be imprisoned for one year.

Teen jailed for raping 10-year-old girl twice AN 18-year-old young man was on Tuesday sentenced to three years and three months after he was found guilty of raping a 10-year-old girl twice. The teen was sentenced by Justice JoAnn Barlow in the Sexual Offences Court at the Demerara High Court, after pleading guilty to two counts of rape. He confessed that on August 21, 2015, in the county of Demerara, he engaged in sexual penetration with the 10-year-old girl. The teen further admitted that on February 16, 2016, he committed the act on victim again. The trial was conducted in accordance with the Juvenile Justice Act, since the defendant was 14-years-old when he committed the act. He was represented by attorney-at-law Maxwell McKay, while the state was represented by prosecutor Teriq Mohamed. According to reports, the defendant is known to the victim and on August 21, 2015, he was going to the shop and asked the victim to accompany him. He then took her to an abandoned house and threatened to kill her little brother if she did not have sex with him. He then raped her and sent her away. On the second occasion, he raped her in

a latrine under the same threat. The victim told her parent and the matter was reported to the police. In his address to the court, the teen explained that he is sorry for what he did to the victim and the trauma he caused her. The Juvenile Justice Act (JJA) prescribes a maximum penalty of five years for such offences. As such, the teen was sentenced to three years for the first count of the offence and three years with six month for the second count. The judge further deducted three months for his guilty plea. However, the sentences will run concurrently and the teen will serve only three years and three months in prison. Justice Barlow also ordered that the teen undergo counselling for young sex offenders while in prison. Also, one week after his release from prison, he has to report to the Probation Department, Ministry of Social Protection, for counselling and supervision. He was also ordered to enrol in the skills-training programme which is provided by the said ministry, whereby he can learn a trade and gain employment. If he fails to adhere to the court’s orders, he will be imprisoned for one year.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Lindeners continue to take strict measures against coronavirus

OFFICIALS and stakeholders continue to take strict measures against the novel Coronavirus which has seen the local cases increase to four. While schools are closed and many businesses have either shut their doors or limited their services, residents themselves are also taking precautions and are taking the advice of social distancing. Churches and other organisations have taken steps to limit large gatherings. The largest company in Linden, Bosai Minerals Group Guyana, has taken the initiative to do health checks on their workers as they report for their various shifts. Workers related that health and safety officials made it mandatory that the workersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; temperature and other vitals are checked. If any abnormalities are discovered, the workers are set home. The company continues to face financial challenges as their stock has not received any market as yet and remains in the store room. The company had taken a decision to send home casual and contractual workers until sales are secured and shipment is arranged. This newspaper also understands that international

shipment services for the company were also affected. In relation to social gatherings, Commander of Region 10 Division, Hugh Winter, told this newspaper that no police permit will be given for parties and other public social gatherings, until the situation returns to normalcy. The Linden Mayor and Town Council had already made a decision to cancel all Linden Town Week activities slated for April-May 2020. The Regional Democratic Council and the Regional Commemorative Committee have also taken a decision to cancel all planned activities that were slated for the last week in March in recognition of Lindenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 50th anniversary. This includes the Linden Mashramani celebrations. Mayor Arrindell said that the decision taken to cancel LTW is a proactive one and the council was advised by the Ministry of Communities. Arindell said however, that something special will be held on Lindenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 50th birthday, through the media, which will be sometime in April. A regional health team has also put measures in place for any person experiencing symptoms at home, to be

monitored and treated at home. If there is need to come to the hospital, isolation rooms are set up to at the Linden Hospital, the Upper Demerara Hospital and

the Kwakwani Hospital, to monitor those patients. There has been no reported case of coronavirus in Region 10.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Guyana-Suriname border to open today for stranded passengers

THE `MB Sandaka’ which plies between the Moleson Creek, Guyana, and South Drain, Suriname ports, will operate today, March 18, 2018, only to facilitate the

transport of passengers who have been stranded in both countries, according to the management of the Guyana/Suriname Ferry Service. The ferry will depart

the Moleson Creek port at 09:00hrs with check-in to be done between 06:30 and 08:00hrs. However, the notice was specific that the service will facilitate ONLY “Suriname

nationals or Surinamese by naturalisation with resident status, that is, he/she must be the holder of a Surinamese passport.” Meanwhile, Guyanese desirous of returning home

are asked to check-in at South Drain, Suriname, between 6:30 and 8:00hrs (Suriname’s local time). Upon arrival here, port health officials will be present to screen each passenger, the ferry management stated, as it urged Guyanese to make a special effort to take advantage of the opportunity to return home. The management also apologised for any inconvenience being caused at this time. The fate of several passengers and traders who utilise the service had hung in a balance, after the Surinamese authorities on March 13, 2020, announced the closure of its borders after the country recorded its first case of the dreadful coronavirus. The following day, March 14, the Management of the Guyana/Suriname Service announced an indefinite suspension of the ferry service. Earlier on Tuesday, a source close to the ferry’s operation had disclosed to this publication that the Guyana authorities were willing have the MB Sandaka operate, for at least a day to transport the travellers stranded on both sides. Apparently, there was

some disagreement between the Guyanese and their Surinamese counterpart, regarding the Surinamese here who wanted to travel back home. It was pointed out that the today’s arrangement is similar to one that was brokered last year, when the original vessel, MV Canawaima, was rendered inoperable due to mechanical difficulties. On that occasion, a window was created that allowed the Transport and Harbours Department-owned MB Sandaka, to be re-routed and provide relief from May 31 to June 2, 2019, to stranded passengers from both countries. With no ferry service in operation, businessmen and others complained of experiencing undue hardship and inconvenience, while the ferry management lost much-needed revenue. In September 2019, the MB Sandaka was returned to service the route while the MV C an aw aim a remain s grounded on the mudflat at South Drain, as it awaits the needed repairs to be completed.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Correia Group of Companies implements programme to keep out coronavirus

THE Correia Group of Companies, which includes Trans Guyana Airways (TGA), has implemented an immediate and comprehensive programme to ensure the maximum possible protection and safety of its customers and its employees in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In a release, the group said it is continuing consultation with informed international and national health organisations to keep its protocols and practices updated in order to confront effectively, the threat posed by the COVID-19 virus for the protection and safety of all of its employees and customers. With immediate effect, all employees and customers entering the companies’ premises are subject to full screening protocols and practices involving a high temperature scanner check. Any person failing to meet the medically required standard test will be denied entry and will

be advised to return home and self-quarantine. Those persons will be advised to immediately contact the Ministry of Public Health hotlines (227-4986 or 624-3067). According to the release, the Correia Group of Companies, as a matter of policy and practices, implements stringent cleaning procedures throughout the company’s facilities and all company vehicles undergo rigorous cleaning and disinfecting after each pickup. Additional sanitisers and cleaning supplies have been made available for all employees and cleaning staff have been specially trained in an effort to minimise the COVID-19 threat. All Trans Guyana Airways aircraft are thoroughly cleaned and appropriately disinfected before and after every flight, and are thoroughly cleaned in preparation for every new flight. All passengers for Trans Guyana Airways flights, prior to departure from and on arrival in Guyana, and at all of Trans

Guyana Airways’ destinations, will be subject to full screening protocols and practices involving a high temperature scanner check and any passenger failing to meet the medically required standard test will be denied boarding. Passengers denied boarding will be refunded their fare or allowed the opportunity to reschedule their flight plans without any additional charge. Trans Guyana Airways’ established cancellation policy will apply to any passenger who chooses to cancel their reservation within 48 hours of the scheduled flight departure, however, TGA will waive the admin/change fee. Those passengers

who wish to make changes to reservations which have been made through an agent must do so through their agent. Trans Guyana Airways is implementing travel restrictions as advised by local and regional health agency authorities. The Correia Group of Companies have required all of its employees to attend mandatory virus awareness/sensitisation information sessions conducted by the group’s occupational health and safety personnel. The Correia Group of Companies have made sanitisers and cleaning supplies available to all employees and cleaning staff have been trained.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, March 18, 2020

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, March 18, 2020

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, March 18, 2020

IOC committed to Tokyo 2020 Games, no need for ‘drastic decisions’ By Karolos Grohmann

(REUTERS) - The International Olympic Committee (IOC) does not plan any “drastic” decisions about the Tokyo 2020 Games, saying yesterday it remains fully committed to the event being staged in four months’ time despite the global spread of the coronavirus. Following discussions with international sports federations the IOC said changes would need to be made to the qualifiers due to the impact of the virus, but it still plans to go ahead with the July 24-August 9 Olympics. “The IOC remains fully committed to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, and with more than four months to go before the Games there is no need for any drastic decisions at this stage,” it said in a statement. “Any speculation at this moment would be counter-productive,” it said, less than an hour after European soccer body UEFA postponed its 2020 European Championship to 2021. “The IOC encourages all athletes to continue to prepare for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 as best they can,” Earlier yesterday, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Group of Seven leaders had agreed to support a “complete” Olympics, but he dodged questions

about whether any of the leaders had brought up the possibility of postponement. The virus also forced the postponement of South America’s Copa America soccer tournament - one of the biggest draws on the football calendar - and speculation about whether the Olympics can be held has grown by the day. So far the coronavirus has infected almost 190 000 people and killed more than 7 500 worldwide, with the epicentre now being Europe.

COMPETITION BAN Sports competitions have come to a halt in many parts of the world, wreaking havoc with Olympic qualifier events across 33 sports. The IOC on Monday scrapped any remaining boxing qualifiers due to the virus. “The health and well-being of all those involved in the preparations for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 is our number-one concern,” IOC president Thomas Bach said. “All measures are being taken to safeguard the safety and interests of athletes, coaches and support teams. We are an Olympic community; we support one another in good times and in difficult times.” The IOC will hold further talks with National Olympic Committees and athletes’ representatives in the coming

days. The decision to proceed with the Games was not, however, welcomed by all athletes. “This is not about how things will be in four months,” 2016 Olympic pole vault champion Katerina Stefanidi said in a social media post. “This is about how things are now. The IOC wants us to keep risking our health, our family’s health and public health to train every day? You are putting us in danger right now, today, not in four months.” The Greek pole vaulter, who won Olympic gold in Rio de Janeiro, is also a former world and European champion and a multiple Diamond League winner. “It’s unbelievable. What about team sports that have to train together? What about swimming? What about gymnastics that they touch the same objects? There is zero consideration of the risk they are putting us in right now,” she said. So far 57% of the 11 000 athletes have already secured their spots, while for the remaining 43% of places the IOC is working with federations to adapt the qualifying procedures for Tokyo. Qualification could also be based on ranking or historical results as well.

‘Too Sharp’ Allen WBA Super Middleweight title fight on hold By Rawle Toney GUYANA’S Lennox ‘Too Sharp’ Allen will have to wait a little longer to get his hands on the WBA Super Middleweight title, after it was announced that his April 11 clash with Cuban David Morrell Jr, was postponed, thanks to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. The undefeated Allen was set to face Morrell over 12 rounds at the Minneap-

olis Armory, but organisers announced yesterday that the fight will now have to be held at a later date. A release from the event’s promoters said that they are exploring options for when to reschedule the fight card and will have a new date in the coming weeks. Currently-held tickets will be valid for the rescheduled date, and refund options would be made available via an e-mail from Ticketmaster. The 35-year-old Allen is the country’s highest ranked/rated fighter on the international scenes, flaunting a perfect ring-record of 22 wins, 14 of which came by way of TKO, as well as one draw from his 23 outings. His latest win, a unanimous-decision victory over Derrick Webster, saw him claim the WBA’s gold title at the Super Middleweight

division last year. Morrell Jr is the WBA’s No. 3-ranked Super Middleweight contender. A native of Cuba now fighting out of Minneapolis, Morrell recently joined the pro ranks after winning 130 of 132 amateur bouts. Morrell turned pro last August with a blowout win over Yendris Rodriguez Valdez at the Armory. He recently signed a long-term contract with Warriors Boxing of South Florida and Russia-based Ural Promotions. The Allen/Morrell fight will be on the same card as the Jamal ‘Shango’ James (26-1, 12 KOs) versus Thomas Dulorme (25-3-1, 16 KOs) bout for the WBA Welterweight title. The bouts will be the headline events for a Premier Boxing Champions card on FOX.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, March 18, 2020

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Narine slams century, Singh captures 7 for 12 in Essequibo T20 Big Bash League By Elroy Stephney FORMER national T20 all-rounder Ramesh Narine smacked the tournament’s fourth century and his first in the T20 format, while fast bowler Punraj Singh captured amazing figures of 7 for 12 in the highlights of the latest round of the Essequibo T20 Big Bash League played on Sunday at various venues. In the process there were wins for Bacchus Bulls, Reliance Hustlers, Affiance #1, Queenstown SC, Rising Stars, Young Achievers, Devonshire Castle, Walton Hall, Sparwin, Golden Fleece and Cotton Field Strikers. At the Reliance ground, the hosts Reliance Hustlers amassed a mammoth 2573 from their 20 overs with Ramesh Narine hammering a blistering unbeaten 107 (13x6, 5x4). He added an unbroken 161-run partnership with Essequibo Under-17 batsman Abdool Nadir who stroked 80 (12x4, 2x6) as the pair delighted the fair-size crowd. In reply, an unbeaten 68 (7x6, 3x4) from Beesham Dasrath was not enough as Crown XI could reach only 172-7 when their overs expired to lose by 85 runs. Medium fast bowler Seon

Fraser 3-24 (4) and Marvin Pearson 2-23 (4) did the damage with the ball. At the same venue in the second match, an unbeaten 55 (9x4) from Ramprakash Paul earned a 4-wicket win for Sparwin against Rebels XI who could gather only 127-7 from their 20 overs. Sparwin then flew to victory in just 15 overs. At Imam Bacchus ground in Affiance, Bacchus Bulls had a field day against Lima United, who were routed for just 29 runs in 7 overs. It was the pace, bounce and swing of Punraj Singh who terrorised his opponents with career-best figures of 7-12 (4). The Bulls then reached the meagre target without loss for an emphatic 10-wicket victory. Another low-scoring game saw Young Achievers gain a 35-run win after posting 77, to which the Jaguars crawled to 43 all out. A t t h e Wa l t o n H a l l ground, Devonshire Castle, despite an early setback after being precariously placed at 21-4, recovered to post 1629 from their 20 overs with Sudesh Lall 44 (5x4, 2x6) and Dinesh Chattergoon 31 (4x4) being the principal scorers. Medium fast bowler Rovin Doonauth grabbed 4-18 (4). In reply, former Essequibo senior inter-county bats-

man Elroy Stephney 37 (6x4) and Basil Persaud 22 (3x4) did not do enough, as Reli-

(4) including a hat-trick. were all out for 94 in 16 overs.

Punraj Singh claimed a personal-best 7 for 12

Ramesh Narine blasted 107 not out

ance Hustlers were restricted to 148-8 in their allotted overs to lose by 17 runs. At the same venue, Rising Star continue to shine with a massive 97-run triumph against Charity SC. After winning the toss and batting, Rising Star pitched to 191-8 (20) with a solid 66 (9x4, 2x6) from former national Under-19 batsman Latchman Rohit and 40 (6x4) from national wicketkeeper batsman Kemol Savory. Charity SC, stunned by a hostile spell of fast bowling from Essequibo Franchise player Quintin Sampson, who claimed 4-15

FIFA should move 2021 Club World Cup dates - Infantino By Simon Evans

MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) - FIFA president Gianni Infantino said the planned 2021 Club World Cup dates should be moved by the governing body of world soccer to make way

for the postponed Euro 2020 Championship and the Copa America, which have both been pushed back a year. Infantino said in a statement yesterday that FIFA would hold a conference call today in which it should accept those changes from UEFA

FIFA president Gianni Infantino

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and CONMEBOL and decide whether the planned expanded 24-team Club World Cup should be held “later in 2021, in 2022 or in 2023”. The new tournament was the brainchild of Infantino and was scheduled to be held in China in the 2021 slot that will now feature the European and South American tournaments. Infantino will also suggest to the bureau of FIFA’s ruling council to make a donation of US$10 million to the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund and also discuss the possibility of establishing a Global Football Assistance Fund to “help members of the football community affected by this crisis”.

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At the Pomona ground in South, Cotton Field Strikers defeated Jaguars Over-40 by 84 runs after scoring 177, then bundling out their opponents for 93. At the same venue, Aurora Knight Riders also gained victory after reaching 138-6 then reduced NOC for 1118 to win by 27 runs. At the Golden Fleece ground, the hosts held on to a nail-biter after scoring only 88 all-out in 14 overs. They then bowled and fielded superbly to rout Scheme Gunners for 73 in 16 overs for an exciting 15run win. In other matches, Queenstown SC made light work against WD Gunners who

suffered their third straight loss after batting first and scoring 119-8 (20). Queenstown SC were then led by Jonathan Fernandes who counted 9x4, 3x6 in his impressive 70, to guide his side to 120-5 in 17 overs. Also in winners’ row were Walton Hall and Affiance #1 but no scores were available. Meanwhile in a release, the Organising Committee has taken the decision to suspend the competition indefinitely due to the national threat of the Coronavirus. Clubs are also advised to take all necessary precautions and avoid being in large gatherings.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, March 18, 2020

‘I enjoy Virat Kohli’s aggression; we need a captain like him’ - Madan Lal

VIRAT Kohli’s demeanour on the field has pleased and upset people equally, with some welcoming his in-your-face pumped-up aggression, and others calling for a more restrained approach. As far as Madan Lal, the new head of the BCCI’s cricket advisory committee, is concerned, asking Kohli to “mellow down” makes no sense, and India “need a captain like him”. During India’s tour of New Zealand, Kohli gave his opposite number Kane Williamson a fiery send-off during the second and final Test. The act came as a surprise because Kohli and Williamson have spoken about sharing a close equation. “I don’t understand why people in India are asking him to mellow down,” Lal, the former India all-rounder, was quoted by the Times of India. “First everyone wanted a very aggressive captain and

now you want Kohli to stop to Williamson also came at the end of a tour that his aggressive streak. “I love the way he is on had not been rewarding the field. Earlier, people personally for Kohli, with used to say that Indians are just 38 runs in four innings not aggressive; now that in the two Tests, and a solitary half-century in the we’ve become aggressive whole tour across people question that the T20Is, ODIs and ask why we and Tests. are so aggressive. “He was out of I enjoy Kohli’s agform,” Lal said. “You gression; we need can say it was a loss a captain like him.” of confidence; that India eventually (the New Zealand lost the second Test tour) doesn’t take to be swept 2-0 in anything away from him. the series. AfHe is still the world’s ter the match, best player. At times, Kohli bristled technical flaws come in at the press and you then try harder conference and harder but still you over a quesdon’t come out of it. It tion about happens to the best of his send-off players.” and asked Lal, along with reporters to RP Singh and Sunot create controversies. Kohli’s Virat Kohli reacts to his dismissal (AFP) send-off

lakshana Naik, form the new CAC, and the three recently finalised two new members of the senior men’s selection committee, appointing Sunil Joshi and Harvinder Singh to take the spots vacated by MSK Prasad and Gagan Khoda. Joshi is also the new chairman of selectors. Lal said the decision to pick two candidates out of the 40 who had applied was difficult, but unanimous. “It was a difficult decision. There were 40 candidates and we had to pick only two. Since MSK Prasad, the outgoing selector, was from the south region, we picked Sunil Joshi, and Harvinder Singh from the central region. It was a unanimous decision by the committee. Out of all the candidates, he (Joshi) was best for the chief selector’s role.” (ESPN Cricinfo)

NSW named Sheffield Shield winners as final cancelled

NEW South Wales (NSW) have been named the Sheffield Shield champions after the final was cancelled during the coronavirus pandemic. In a move that had been likely for some days following the abandonment of the final round of matches, Cricket Australia (CA) confirmed the decision yesterday as they also “strongly recommended” that cricket at all levels be cancelled while they were also closing their offices. New South Wales were well out in front during the regular season of the Sheffield Shield having already secured hosting rights for the

final with six wins in nine matches before the abrupt end to the season. Victoria, the defending champions, were in second spot with Queensland also pushing hard to contest the final which would have been played in Wollongong. Speaking in Melbourne yesterday, Cricket Australia chief executive said that New South Wales’ considerable lead in the table had made their decision easier. “When we were assessing it relative to the Shield final there were a number of questions: where do we play the final, if we don’t play the final, is the final postponed, do you not declare a win-

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ner?” he said. “I think it was perhaps helpful while we had after round nine five of the six states still in contention to win the Shield, which was fantastic. We did have New South Wales 12 points clear at the top of the table, so credit to New South Wales and to be open, that probably made our decision-making a little easier, given that they had such a gap on the field.” Regarding CA’s recommendation that all cricket be stopped, Roberts said. “I’m conscious that around the country a lot of cricket clubs existed in the 1800s, well before Cricket Australia was formed. Over that very long period of time they’ve been led by really capable voluntary administrators who are leaders in their communities. “We’ve got a role to be informed from the likes of the government and other experts and to then provide advice and recommendations, but it’s the role of those leaders, whom we trust and have trusted in some cases for well over 100 years, to make the best decisions for their communities, based on their advice, just as we’re seeking to do for cricket more broadly.” All Cricket Australia staff will now work remotely until further notice. While the ma-

jor impact of the coronavirus pandemic has hit at the end of the Australian season - forcing the scrapping of the last two Chappell-Hadlee ODIs when New Zealand had to return home due to tightened travel restrictions, which also meant the postponement of Australia’s T20I tour - it would appear that this will not be a short-term situation. CA’s next big decisions will involve involvement of their players at the IPL should the tournament go ahead then the tours of Bangladesh in June and England in July. “By effectively cancelling the remainder of our season, Cricket Australia is playing its part in protecting fans, players, staff, volunteers and match officials during this unprecedented global health issue,” Roberts said in an earlier statement. “As organisations around the world rally to slow the spread of the coronavirus, it’s important that we also provide decisive leadership. We hope that by taking these actions now - in addition to those announced in recent days - we can contribute to ‘flattening the curve’ of coronavirus and society returning to normal as quickly as possible. (ESPN Cricinfo)

Euro 2020 Championship postponed to 2021 over coronavirus crisis By Philip O’Connor (REUTERS) - The Euro 2020 soccer Championship, trumpeted as a continent-wide feast of football from Dublin to Baku to mark UEFA’s 60th anniversary, was postponed for a year yesterday as the coronavirus pandemic claimed its biggest sporting casualty yet. The fate of the 24-nation, month-long showpiece due to start in June had hung in the balance ever since Europe’s domestic leagues shut down in the wake of the sweeping health crisis, which has killed around 7 000 persons worldwide. UEFA relayed the news after an emergency video conference with all 55 of its affiliated national federations and representatives from clubs and leagues. “It was important that, as the governing body of European football, UEFA led the process and made the biggest sacrifice,” UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said in a statement confirming what the Norwegian and Swedish FAs had leaked earlier. “We are at the helm of a sport that vast numbers of people live and breathe that has been laid low by this invisible and fast-moving opponent. At times like these, the football community needs to show responsibility, unity, solidarity.” Even as the video conference was ongoing, Norway’s FA broke ranks to confirm via Twitter that the tournament had been postponed for the first time in its history. Swedish FA chairman Karl-Erik Nilsson also sent a message to Reuters during the video conference. “Postponed until 11/6 - 11/7 2021,” he said. UEFA confirmed those dates shortly after. On a frantic day for soccer organisers, South American confederation CONMEBOL agreed to delay this year’s Copa America, due to take place in Argentina and Colombia, to 2021. With normal life on hold in Europe, UEFA’s decision was widely expected, not least because of pressure from Europe’s powerful domestic leagues wrestling with the nightmare scenario of incomplete competitions. “The move will help all domestic competitions, currently on hold due to the COVID-19 emergency, to be completed,” UEFA said. Sixteen playoff matches were due to be held on March 26 and 31 to decide the full line-up of nations for Europe’s once every four-year flagship tournament - second only to FIFA’s World Cup in terms of prestige in soccer. They could now be played in the international window at the start of June, subject to a UEFA review, while all other UEFA competitions and matches are on hold. The new coronavirus has infected almost 180 000 people worldwide since emerging in China, and most of Europe is in lockdown in a desperate bid to stem its advance. All five of Europe’s top domestic soccer leagues - England, Spain, Italy, France and Germany - are suspended, along with the Champions League, Europa League and World Cup qualifiers. With the Euros and Copa America postponed, however, it provides a window for domestic competitions to resume and reach their conclusions even as late as July or August. Leagues had urged UEFA to give priority to completing domestic competitions, as clubs throughout Europe feared they would lose ticket and match-day revenue by not completing the season while still having to pay player salaries. “UEFA tabled a range of options so that competitions can finish this season safely, and I am proud of the response of my colleagues across European football,” Ceferin said. Many South American players play for top European clubs, one factor in CONMEBOL shifting Copa America. “This means that clubs and leagues in Europe will have as little disruption as possible in the availability of their players,” he said. “These coordinated and responsible decisions are deeply appreciated by the European football community.” While the domestic leagues welcome the news, next year’s calendar looks challenging to say the least. The Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon takes place in January/February, the women’s European Championship is due to be held in England in the summer, while FIFA’s revamped Club World Cup in China, featuring eight European clubs, is pencilled for June 17 - July 4, in the middle of the Euros and Copa America. World Cup 2022 qualifiers will also be starting. For now, however, there is a sense of togetherness from the federations about tackling an emergency that transcends soccer. “In the big picture, football is a really small matter,” Tim Sparv, captain of tournament debutants Finland, said. “Now it’s about life and death and trying to control the spread of the virus, so it’s a good decision.” Netherlands manager Ronald Koeman said: “It’s a pity (that Euro 2020 has been postponed) but football is not the important thing in life right now. I had anticipated it would not happen.” The European Championship originated in 1960 with a four-nation finals in which the Soviet Union beat Yugoslavia to lift the trophy. It evolved into an eight-nation tournament in 1980 and in 1996, when it was held in England, it grew to 16 teams.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, March 18, 2020

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Grand National cancelled because of coronavirus pandemic Campbell pleased with form, captaincy

Jamaica and West Indies opener John Campbell

KINGSTON, Jamaica (CMC) – West Indies opener John Campbell says he is pleased with his form in the Regional Four-Day Championship even though he did not achieve his personal targets. The left-hander has so far gathered 491 runs at an average of nearly 33, hitting two centuries and a half-century for Jamaica Scorpions. “Although I didn’t score the number of runs that I would have liked, to fall short of 500 runs by just nine runs is not bad,” the 26-year-old told the Gleaner newspaper here. “I will take three scores over 50 with two centuries any day.” Campbell, who has led Scorpions for the first time this season, struck 101 against Windward Islands Volcanoes in the second round fixture at Sabina Park here and followed up with 112 against Leeward Islands Hurricanes in the eighth round last weekend in Antigua. He endured a run of poor form during the third, fourth and fifth rounds when he managed just 108 runs from six innings. Campbell, who has played six Tests following his debut against England last year, said his captaincy had improved throughout the season. “In terms of my captaincy, I think I did a decent job and I would say it was very smooth as most of the guys supported me and the decisions I made,” he noted. “Sometimes you get it right and sometimes you don’t, but overall we did well in the end.” Scorpions are currently tied for third with reigning champions Guyana Jaguars on 91.8 points, following the eighth round of matches last weekend. They endured a rough start to their campaign with two losses and a defeat before blossoming to win three of their next five matches. “It’s been a season of ups and downs. We started out not doing so well with two draws and a loss and was in the last place but we fought back in the second half of the tournament and played some good cricket,” Campbell said. “We got more confident as we went on. First innings was a major problem for us but we turned that around on several occasions and started to put runs on the board and I must give credit to the young bowlers like Patrick (Harty) and Marquino (Mindley) who started off slow but in the end, Mindley and Harty finished with the first and second most wickets for us in the tournament.” Fast bowler Mindley has led the Scorpions attack with 24 wickets at 22 runs apiece while Harty, a leftarm spinner, has picked up 22 wickets at an average of 32. Scorpions have had two batsmen with over 500 runs with Test star Jermaine Blackwood gathering 768 – including a monumental career-best 248 last weekend – and Nkrumah Bonner compiling 523 runs. Cricket West Indies (CWI) has suspended the tournament for 30 days because of the coronavirus pandemic.

THE Grand National, due to take place on April 4, has been cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Jockey Club said, “It is no longer appropriate to stage the event” after the UK government advised against mass gatherings. It said that running the race behind closed doors at Aintree was “no longer a viable consideration”. “Public health must come first,” said Sandy Dudgeon, senior steward of The Jockey Club. “We were working on a plan to stage the Grand National behind closed doors given its importance to the racing industry and beyond, but following the new government measures confirmed this evening to help to tackle the coronavirus outbreak, this is not a viable option. “I know this is hugely

disappointing news for the many people who work in our sport and the many millions who were look-

to do.” The world-famous steeplechase attracts a worldwide audience of about 500M

ed third consecutive victory. More than 1 500 people have tested positive for coronavirus in the UK, but

The Grand National Festival was due to take place from April 2 to 4

ing forward to this year’s event, but very sadly these are exceptional times and this is the responsible thing

people. Tiger Roll, who won the race in 2018 and 2019, was favourite for an unprecedent-

the actual number of cases is estimated to be between 35 000 and 50 000. (BBC Sport)

Joshua’s heavyweight title defence could slip to July, says Hearn LONDON, England (Reuters) - Anthony Joshua’s world heavyweight title defence against Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev at Tottenham Hotspur’s stadium on June 20 could be postponed to July due to the coronavirus outbreak, promoter Eddie Hearn said yesterday.

European championship soccer finals postponed to 2021, any rescheduled fixtures could now run into the summer. That could mean the 62,000-seater stadium is no longer available on that date. “For the Anthony Joshua fight, (there are) already potential plans to

“A requirement for Anthony in his next fight, a necessity for him, was to box in the UK. June 20 is a long time away; it’s still in our plans. We have been speaking to Tottenham and making sure that we’re all on the same page.” Hearn has other big heavyweight clashes coming

FILE PHOTO:

Boxing - Anthony Joshua and Kubrat Pulev Press Conference - Cardiff, Britain - September 11, 2017 Anthony Joshua and Kubrat Pulev pose with promoter Eddie Hearn during the press conference (Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Couldridge/File Photo)

The bout would have been after the Premier League season finished but, with soccer on hold and

move that fight back to July. We do have a potential date for that,” Hearn told Sky Sports television.

up, with Dillian Whyte set to fight Russian Alexander Povetkin in Manchester on May 2 and Dereck Chisora

facing Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk on May 23 at London’s O2. Whyte is the mandatory challenger for the WBC heavyweight belt, now held by Britain’s Tyson Fury. Usyk is the mandatory challenger for WBA, IBO and IBF champion Joshua’s WBO crown. “All of those events are subject to change right now. We hope they won’t need to be moved but we also understand this is constantly evolving,” said Hearn. The promoter rejected a suggestion that fights could go behind closed doors. The British Boxing Board of Control (BBBC) said all public tournaments under its jurisdiction were cancelled until the beginning of April, when the situation would be reviewed. “What the BBBC has said, which makes any event a complete no-no, is that we’re not sure that the right doctors and medics can be provided at these events,” said Hearn. “And more so that if there is an injury at these events we don’t know they could receive the correct and right medical attention. As soon as that comes into play, it’s not even up for consideration.”

Jacobs Jewellery and Pawn Shop names Kevin Sinclair as Brand Ambassador JACOBS Jewellery and Pawn Shop, owned by former national cricketer Steven Jacobs, yesterday signed an Emerging National Cricketer Kevin Sinclair as Brand Ambassador for the business. At a simple signing ceremony, held at the entity’s 16 Pike Street Kitty location, the upcoming Guyana Amazon Warriors cricketer expressed gratitude for the opportunity given by Jacobs and his business and also encouraged others to follow Jacobs’ lead and support local athletes. Sinclair vowed to be an efficient ambassador both on and off the field. Meanwhile, Jacobs said he was happy to have Sinclair on board, pointing out that he saw a lot of potential in the player, and is looking forward to playing a major role in his development on and off the field. Jacobs, who represented Guyana at the first-class level, also stressed that discipline and hard work are key for any athletes’ success and encouraged Sinclair to hold that as a small reminder as his career moves ahead.

Kevin Sinclair (left) and Steven Jacobs following a simple presentation

IOC committed to Tokyo 2020 Games, no need for 20 `drastic decisions’

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‘Too Sharp’ Allen WBA Super Middleweight title fight on hold PAGE

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The Olympic rings are pictured in front of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Lausanne, Switzerland, yesterday. Picture was taken with a fisheye lens. (REUTERS/Denis Balibouse)

Lennox ‘Too Sharp’ Allen

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| WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18, 2020