GUYANA GETS Another victory for AG James
NEW GOV’T
The coalition had demanded that
Gecom should have set aside votes affected
by alleged fraud including more than
11,000 ballots it said that Gecom had
found in nearly 50 ballot boxes stuffed
with votes only for the PPP and none for
any of the other contesting parties.
The ballots relate to voting districts
along the multiracial east coast that is
known to include coalition strongholds
but no votes were in the boxes for that
grouping.
The coalition remains bitter that these
votes were tabulated over its strident protests
and now rests its only hope on some
form of redress from an upcoming elections
petition it plans to file in a matter of
days. If Gecom had done so, the coalition
argues, it would have been the winner by
about two seats. As it its now, the PPP will
occupy 33 of the 65 seats, two more than
the coalition.
In the meantime, all attention in the
bloc of nations is turning to Trinidad
where Keith Rowley’s PNM leads by a slim
five percent over Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s
UNC in a race that most analysts say
is too close to call.
Like Guyana especially, voters cast
their ballots largely along racial lines
and both parties have been accused of
Caribbean L 12 ife, August 7, 2020
not so subtle acts of racial ‘dog whistling’
in recent days, appealing to racial sentiments
of voters. The two parties are contesting
for 41 seats with eight considered
as marginal. Whichever party does better
in these so called marginal seats mostly
along the east-west corridor will likely
emerge as the winner.
Former UNC minister and retired judge
Herbert Volney is among those predicting
that the PNM will win a second five year
term as the UNC remains beset by corruption
and untrustworthy politicians.
‘We know what we have in the PNM and
we know how much we can trust in them.
In this election, the UNC has not prosecuted
a case for change of government
other than a basis that it can do better. I
will vote PNM, the safe choice,” he said.
Continued from Page 1
seeking to make a better life for themselves
here,” she added.
Wednesday’s court decision
enjoined the Public Charge Rule in
its entirety in the plaintiff states and
localities (New York, Connecticut,
Vermont, and New York City), upholding
a decision issued by a trial court a
few months ago.
Because the original injunction had
been stayed by the US Supreme Court,
last week the trial court issued a second
preliminary injunction against
the Public Charge Rule, just for the
duration of the public health crisis
caused by the coronavirus (COVID-
19) pandemic, finding that the rule
was “exacerbating the spread of the
disease by deterring people from seeking
needed health care.”
US federal law allows lawful Caribbean
and other immigrants to apply
for certain supplemental health and
nutritional public benefits if they
have been in the country for at least
five years.
But, last August, the US Department
of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a
Public Charge Rule that changed the
established meaning of public charge,
which had long been that immigrants
who use basic, non-cash benefits are
not considered public charges because
they are not primarily dependent on
the government for survival.
James said this “bait-and-switch”
consequently jeopardized the ability
of Caribbean and other immigrants of
becoming legal permanent residents
or renewing their visas if they used
the supplemental benefits to which
they are legally entitled.
In Wednesday’s order, the court
held that the Public Charge Rule is
likely contrary to the immigration
law set by the US Congress, and that
it is “arbitrary and capricious.”
The court said that “Accepting help
that is offered to elevate one to a
higher standard of living, help that
was created by Congress for that precise
purpose, does not mean a person
is not self-sufficient — particularly
when such programs are available
not just to persons living in abject
poverty but to a broad swath of low-
and moderate-income Americans,
including those who are productively
employed.
“DHS goes too far in assuming
that all those who participate in noncash
benefits programs would be otherwise
unable to meet their needs
and that they can thus be categorically
considered ‘public charges’”, the
court ruled.
“Its unsupported and conclusory
claim that receipt of such benefits
indicates an inability to support oneself
does not satisfy DHS’s obligation
to explain its actions,” it added.
Continued from Page 1
Irfaan Ali, seen here as presidential
candidate for Guyana’s opposition
People’s Progressive Party, was
sworn in as Guyana’s new president
on Sunday, Aug. 2, 2020.
REUTERS / Luc Cohen, File
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