Granger, Jagdeo meet on appointing new GECOM Chair: President David Granger and Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo met on Thursday, July 4th to begin talks on the appointment of a new Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Chairman. It was their first meeting since the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) declared the previous appointment of retired judge James Patterson to be flawed. They both described the meeting, which was held at the Ministry of the Presidency, as productive and they committed to “hammering out” modalities for nomination of a new GECOM Chair “within days,” thereby allowing them to return to the bargaining table before July 12th, when the CCJ is due to deliver consequential orders based on its finding that Patterson’s appointment was unconstitutional and also that a no-confidence motion passed against the government last December was valid. However, neither party would commit to assuring that the appointment would be made before the CCJ’s orders are issued.
Cabinet continuing to function: Despite the finding of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) that the PPP/C-sponsored no-confidence motion against government was validly passed on December 21st, President David Granger and his Cabinet are continuing to meet and make decisions and spokesman Joseph Harmon on Thursday said the administration has seen nothing that says it should do otherwise.
“We have seen nothing in the ruling of the CCJ that says that Cabinet should not meet and in fact Article [106 (6) and 106 (7)] speaks to the president and the government remaining in office and so this question of clarification, whether the Cabinet meets or not, is in fact one of the submissions made to the CCJ for them to give clarity. So, we will await the clarification,” Harmon, the Director General of the Ministry of the Presidency, said on Thursday when asked if Cabinet was still meeting.
The opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) subsequently accused the government of duplicity in respecting the findings of the court as the administration had previously suspended Cabinet meetings after Guyana’s High Court had upheld the validity of the motion.
PPP protests for elections date: Hundreds of the PPP supporters on Friday protested in front of the Minis-try of the Presidency on Vlissingen Road, Georgetown, to call on President David Granger to announce a date for elections.
Party supporters stood in the rain with placards, some of which read, ‘APNU+AFC illegal and shameless’, ‘Call elections now!’, ‘Yes! Yes! Yes! Elections now’, ‘Gecom is not above the law’, and ‘No parliamentary extension without early election date’.
The picketing exercise saw the party leadership, including General Secretary and Leader of the Opposition Bharrat Jagdeo and PPP/C Presidential Candidate Irfaan Ali, along with others marching through the crowd and calling for an elections date.
Friday also saw the PNCR, the largest party in the governing APNU+AFC coalition, reiterating the call for a national house-to-house registration, which it said is crucial for credible elections.
Party Chairperson Volda Lawrence told reporters at the party’s Congress Place headquarters that there will be no compromise on this issue.
Gov’t approves proposed reforms to ganja laws: The government on Tuesday announced a two-month-old Cabinet decision to approve a proposal to remove custodial sentences for persons found with 30 grammes or fewer of marijuana, which the opposition called a “ploy” to gain political mileage.
Education
Grade Six results still poor in key areas
There has been a marginal increase in the Mathematics pass rate at this year’s National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) but overall, students continue to fail the subject as well as Science and Social Studies. In fact, the pass rate for every subject except Mathematics has decreased in 2019, according to the results that were released on Wednesday, July 3rd. In English a 2018 pass rate of 60.6% decreased to 57.4%, in Science 42.4% of candidates scored 50% or more compared with 46.8% while Social Studies recorded an abysmal 39% pass rate, its lowest in at least six years.
Dave Chowtie, Venisha Lall share top spot at Grade Six Exam: With the highest attainable score for the NGSA being 536 marks, this year’s two top students both grabbed 532 marks, earning themselves places at Queen’s College. They are Dave Chowtie, of Graham’s Hall Primary and Venisha Lall, of CV Nunes Primary.
Crime
Bandits kill moneychanger, daughter in Better Hope home invasion: Armed bandits shot and killed an America Street moneychanger and his daughter on July 4th, in a brazen afternoon home invasion at Better Hope, East Coast Demerara. The attack, which claimed the lives of Aaron Latchman and Arian Latchman, 19, of 58 Robert Street, Better Hope North and sent shockwaves throughout the community, occurred around 3.30 pm, just moments after the man returned home. The Guyana Police Force said from preliminary investigations, the bandits confronted the elder Latchman as he exited his car. It was revealed that from all indications, he put up a fight and was shot during the struggle. The bandits reportedly took a bag containing money and escaped in a waiting car.
Man shot dead in apparent Middle Road hit: Leon Hescott, 36, was gunned down on Friday night at an abandoned building along Middle Road, La Penitence, Georgetown, in what appeared to be an execution-style killing. Hescott, who was shot multiple times about his body, died on the spot.
Hescott was no stranger to the police as he was charged and remanded to prison in 2007 over a $90 million diamond heist. He was the fifth Hescott brother to be shot dead.
Chopped Moruca woman dies: One of the two Moruca sisters who were chopped by their brother on afternoon of Wednesday, July 3rd, succumbed to her injuries. The woman, Cynthia Cozier, 26, of Moruca, North West District died at the Suddie Public Hospital. Cynthia and her sister, Beverley France along with an infant were severely chopped about their bodies after their, brother, who is said to be mentally unstable, went berserk and attacked them at their Moruca, Region One home. Beverley and her infant son Kevin Sudeen remain patients at the Suddie Public Hospital.
Cops under investigation for taking bribes from Haitians being smuggled to Brazil: Sunday Stabroek reported on Sunday, June 30th, that Guyana Police Force ranks are currently under investigation for allegedly taking bribes from Haitian nationals journeying from Linden to Lethem, from where they are being smuggled across the border to Brazil.
Teen dies after struck by car at Tuschen: Seventeen-year-old Azeez Mohamed died last Sunday after being struck by a car while crossing the Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo public road and a police constable, who was the driver, was subsequently arrested.
Ex-Berbice detective busted with 94.3 kg of suspected marijuana: Ex-police detective Khushyal Grant, 28, and his partner were arrested on Tuesday, July 2nd after Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) ranks swooped down on a house at Number Two Village, East Canje Berbice and found them with a large quantity of cannabis.
In the courts
Court denies Balwant Singh Hospital application for injunction against ‘Melly Mel’: Dr. Balwant Singh’s Hospital was last Wednesday denied its request for an injunction to restrain local social media personality Melissa Atwell, popularly known as ‘Melly Mel,’ from making Facebook posts compiling complaints against it. Justice Fidela Corbin-Lincoln in refusing the injunction noted that the hospital had supplied no evidence to substantiate that the posts made by Atwell were untrue, thus warranting the injunction.
Boy, 14, charged with murdering schoolmate: A 14-year-old was last Tuesday charged with murdering a schoolmate during an altercation at Matthews Ridge. The charge was read at an in-camera hearing that was conducted by Magistrate Faith McGusty in Georgetown. The charge stated that on June 27th, at Matthews Ridge, North West District, the youth murdered Joseph Bunbury.
Lusignan prison inmate charged with killing Stewartville man: Devendra Persaud, the inmate who is accused of fatally beating another while in custody at the Lusignan Prison, was charged last Thursday with the crime and remanded to prison. Persaud, called ‘Fish teeth,’ 31, of Unity Backdam, Mahaica, appeared before Magistrate Fabayo Azore at the Cove and John Magistrate’s Court.
Oil
Tullow spuds Jethro oil well, results due next month: Tullow Oil and Gas of the United Kingdom announced on Friday that it had spud its first well in the offshore Orinduik Block and results are expected next month.
The Orinduik Block touches the Stabroek Block, where ExxonMobil has made 13 separate oil finds. One of these finds, Hammerhead is close to the Orinduik Block. A commercial oil find by Tullow will further underline the feverish global interest that has been kindled in Guyana’s offshore oil with around 5.5 billion barrels of oil equivalent already being projected.
Spudding is the beginning of drilling operations for a new well.
