The National Newspaper of St. Vincent and the Grenadines
FRIDAY,
DECEMBER 09, 2016
VOLUME 110, No.48
www.thevincentian.com
EC$1.50
ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE PENDING IN BRUTAL KILLINGS Deputy Commissioner of Police Colin John said that the police wanted to have a watertight case with respect to the matter of four recent killings here.
by HAYDN HUGGINS UP TO PRESS TIME Wednesday, police were awaiting additional evidence in relation to three of four brutal killings, which occurred here within a few hours between November 13 and 14 this year. Deputy Commissioner of Police Colin John made the disclosure while speaking to THE VINCENTIAN on Tuesday, hours after 18-yearold Jurani Baptiste of Sandy Bay appeared at the Kingstown Magistrate’s Court charged in connection with one of those homicides. John was performing the duties of Commissioner in the absence of Commissioner of Police Renold Hadaway who was out of the state. Baptiste has been charged with murder stemming from the death of Pamela Williams, a 59-year-old retired nurse of Kingstown Park, who suffered stab wounds and blunt trauma injuries to her head, after allegedly being attacked at her Kingstown Park home around 1 a.m. on November 14. Williams’ face was smashed, and a stone met on her body. Baptiste had sustained injuries to his left foot
reportedly during an encounter with residents from the area, who had reportedly responded to screams coming from Williams’ home. As a result, he had to be warded at
the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital, under police guard. The teenager was discharged from the hospital last Friday, December 2. He was then taken to the Criminal Investigation
Department (CID) at the Central Police Station, where he was interviewed. He was charged on Sunday. Baptiste was not required to plea to the indictable charge when he appeared before
Magistrate Bertie Pompey at the Kingstown Magistrate’s Court on Monday, as the Serious Offences Court was not sitting. He was remanded. Continued on Page 3.
BAPTISTE GETS MAGISTRATE’S ADVICE Pompey set Baptiste’s next date with the court as December 12. JURANI BAPTISTE, the teenager Eighteen-year-old Baptiste charged with the death of Pamela hobbled to court, supported by a Williams, has been advised to direct female and a male Police officer. his concern about medical attention His left leg were in plaster, and for him to Prison authorities. there was signs of recently healed Bertie Pompey, presiding at the wounds to his head. Kingstown Magistrate Court last Baptiste’s voice sounded in good Monday, directed Baptiste to order, from his question to the complain to the Superintendent of Magistrate. No lawyer acted on his Prisons. behalf, and he made his departure “Prison authorities will attend to from the dock as quickly as he that,” Pompey stated in response to appeared. Baptiste. The Sandy Bay born youth He was not required to plea to the surfaced as a person of interest charge of murdering retired nurse following a bizarre weekend Pamela Williams at Kingstown November 13 - 14, in which four Park, on November 14, 2016. persons, including Williams, died in Prosecutor Sergeant Elgin a spate of horrific occurrences. Richards asked that the matter be transferred to the Serious Offences Continued on Page 3. Court. by WILLIAM ‘KOJAH’ ANTHONY
Jurani Baptiste made an assisted entrance to court last Monday.
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2. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 09, 2016. THE VINCENTIAN
People
The team takes a break at Barrouallie. (Inset): Mark Sardine is bent on extending himself on behalf of worthy causes.
Sardine and company triumph again THE WEATHER conditions may not have allowed for a trek by kayak to the Grenadine Island of Mustique, but the hearts of the members of ‘Team X’ prevailed, and instead, they made a 24mile journey along the west coast of mainland St Vincent, from Prospect to Chateaubelair then returning to Mount Wynne. It was all done for a worthy cause — to raise awareness about the conditions at the Lewis Punnett Home in Glen. And it was a first for the members of the team to have journeyed such a distance on kayak, including leader Mark Sardine. But it was not done in vain.
Sardine announced that he was up to the challenge, and that the trip would be followed by an event scheduled to take place in January 2017. They encountered some issues, with one of the kayaks developing a leak, so severe that the members had to head to shore in Kingstown. But for the others, it was a memorable occasion. “The birds were following us, the turtles came up, and at Chateau, the wind and the water usually make the conditions a little tough,” Sardine explained. Continued on Page 5.
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News 3
Glen Mental Health Centre reopened
BY TODAY, Friday 9th December, 2016, staff and patients would have been well into the process of returning to the Mental Health Rehabilitation Centre at Glen, following an official re-opening last Tuesday, December 6, of that facility. Staff and patients were housed in temporary quarters at Orange Hill, while refurbishment work was undertaken at the close to 78-yearold facility at Glen. Addressing the re-opening ceremony, Minister of Health and Wellness — Luke Browne, said that the Glen facility had fallen into disrepair. Refurbishment work which began in October, 2014, included the construction of a new roof, plumbing and electrical work, the installation of new shutters and windows, the construction of seclusion rooms, some external works and upgrades to the staff, kitchen and laundry areas. The cost of the project was estimated at EC$4 million, and was made possible through funding from the 10th European Development Fund (EDF). “From all reports, the Centre is now in supreme condition,” Minister Browne said, adding that the facility marked the beginning of a new era in health care in St Vincent and the Grenadines. While the refurbishment of the facility was necessary, Browne pointed to the new age of mental health care, which entailed the the need for strengthening and developing mental health services at the community level. “We must, out of necessity, increase outpatient coverage for mental health ….and more fully integrate a mental health component in primary health care,” he said. There was also the need to create communities that were supportive of the mental wellbeing of those
A section of the refurbished Mental Health Rehabilitation Centre at Glen.
THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 09, 2016. 3.
‘Hoping to make breakthrough’ THE MINISTER OF HEALTH and Wellness - Luke Browne has assured that his ministry is doing all in its power to have the required personnel in place, to address the needs of persons with mental health challenges. Browne said at Tuesday’s reopening of the Mental Health Rehabilitation Centre at Glen that one of the positions to be filled was that of psychiatrist, a post that became vacant in 2014 when the individual filling the position then, left to take up employment at one of the medical schools here. Luke Browne, “The search for a replacement Minister of Health, since then, has been hampered by purported that his a chronic regional and ministry was on a international shortage of doctors breakthrough trained in this area of course towards psychiatry,” the minister said. filling the position But, he said, they were on the of psychiatrist. verge of a recruitment breakthrough. Addressing the issue at last Tuesday’s re-opening ceremony, Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, said that an amount EC$116,868 was allocated in the 2016 budget for the Ministry of Health, to be the basic salary for a psychiatrist. According to Dr. Gonsalves, the package (also) included housing, travelling and an entertainment allowance, “And we can’t get somebody for that figure?” Dr. Gonsalves had said during an earlier press briefing, that he had been advised that the Ministry of Health was looking to make an arrangement with a retired psychiatrist from abroad, to fill the void until the position could be filled on a permanent basis. (DD)
suffering from mental health issues, Browne stressed. One of the new dormitories at the Diana Bailey, refurbished Centre. Senior Nursing Officer at the facility He cautioned that “The facility is said that the opening marked the only one part of the equation; there beginning of a new journey. are issues to deal with staffing, “The Ministry of Health, education, continuing care, Wellness and the Environment is supervision of those who do not working very hard to improve have to be institutionalized, but mental health services in St may suffer from mental health Vincent and the Grenadines,” she issues.” assured. The refurbished facility will cater Minister of Economic Planning, to 200 patients - 150 men and 50 Camillo Gonsalves, through whose women. (DD) office monies from the EDF came, also addressed the ceremony, saying, “… we have built this, not only because it was necessary, Continued from Front page. this was. but to indicate very John, however, pointed out strongly that we do not The matter was adjourned to that, “The police want to ensure hold the view that people December 12 and transferred to that they have a watertight case who suffer from mental the Serious Offences Court. as far as possible.” illnesses are in any way Following Baptiste’s Court Asked whether he thinks less than people who suffer appearance, persons who follow there could be another from other illnesses.” Court matters keenly, have been person/other persons allegedly questioning why the suspect was involved in the commission of not charged with all four the crimes, the Deputy matters. Commissioner said that, “Based But the Deputy on the evidence which is Commissioner told THE currently before the police, that VINCENTIAN that it is very is very unlikely.” likely that more charges of a About eight hours after Continued from Front page. similar nature would be laid Williams was killed, the bodies against Baptiste soon, but that of 75-year-old retired nurse Avis The others who perished in that spate were Nicholas Layne of the police were awaiting Israel and her son Ronald Israel, Edinboro who met his death in Campden Park, and Avis Israel additional evidence in relation to 44, were discovered in a house and her son Ronald, who were bludgeoned to death at their the other three homicides. He at Old Montrose. They also home in Old Montrose. did not disclose what evidence suffered blunt trauma injuries to
Baptiste gets Magistrate’s advice
Additional evidence pending in brutal killings the head. Police believe that the incident may have occurred around midnight on November 13. The first of the four homicides had occurred around 11 p.m. on November 13 when Nicholas Layne, 31, of Edinboro, , was reportedly attacked and killed in an area at Campden Park called Cocoa, where he was visiting his girlfriend. He had sustained stab wounds as well as blunt trauma injuries to the head. Meanwhile, the Deputy Commissioner has assured that the police are continuing to be proactive in their approach to tackling the crime situation in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
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4. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 09, 2016. THE VINCENTIAN
Court
Brothers charged with aggravated burglary Roger Williams at Campden Park and stealing $150 in cash and BROTHERS Lesroy Warren, items, including 21, and Les Warren, 18, jewellery and clothing, at both of Lowmans Leeward, a total value of were each granted EC$2,510, and at the $10,000 bail with one time had guns in their surety, when they possession. appeared at the Kingstown The two are also Magistrate’s Court on jointly charged with Tuesday charged with entering the Liquor and aggravated burglary and Provision shop of burglary. Lawrence Stapleton at The brothers are Campden Park and jointly charged with stealing drinks valued at entering the home at EC$1,017. STORIES BY HAYDN HUGGINS
Georgetown man jailed for pipe gun GEORGETOWN resident Glenroy Providence was last Friday, December 2, sentenced to five (5) years in prison for possession of a homemade pipe gun, and three (3) months for having one round of 12 gauge ammunition. Providence was also sentenced to six months each on two charges of assault with intent. The sentences will run concurrently. Chief Magistrate Rechanne Browne handed down the sentences at the Serious Offenses Court, after convicting Providence on all four charges, at the conclusion of a trial which started about a month ago. The prosecution’s evidence showed that on March 6, 2016, Providence and Georgetown residents Washington John and Zezzie Williams had a disagreement. Providence confronted them in the road next to his home and threatened to shoot them. A tussle ensued between Providence and John during which John was able to take the pipe gun which Providence had on his person. John informed the police of the incident and handed over the gun to them. It was found to be loaded with one round of 12 gauge ammunition. Investigations were carried out and providence was arrested and slapped with the four charges. In his defence, the accused denied knowledge of the gun and ammunition. He also denied assaulting anyone. Providence was represented by attorney Moet Malcolm who asked the Magistrate to dismiss the charges, arguing that there was no evidence on which to convict his client. Senior Prosecutor Adolphus Depleche made no closing submissions.
Thousands stolen from Insurance Company AT PRESS TIME Wednesday, police were continuing investigations into a report of theft involving approximately EC$80,000 from a local insurance company. THE VINCENTIAN understands that three employees of the Company are suspected to have relieved the business of the money between February 2015 and sometime this year. Information is that they stole monies that were paid in by clients, on various occasions. Up to press time, no charges were laid in connection with the matter.
Both burglaries reportedly occurred on July 2, this year. The youngsters were not required to plea to the charge of aggravated burglary when they stood before Magistrate Bertie Pompey, as that charge was laid indictable. The matter was adjourned to February 28, 2017 and
transferred to the Serious Offences Court. They pleaded not guilty to the other burglary charge and the matter was adjourned to December 12. The brothers were granted bail on condition that they report to the Questelles Police Station on Mondays and Fridays.
Lesroy Warren
Les Warren
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THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 09, 2016. 5.
News
The new normal Notice: ‘No riders in tray of truck. Exempt for certain vehicles’.
Immobilization Notice when your vehicle is clamped. POLICE SIT ON Community Centre THE TOP rail of is still waiting for pick-up trucks ‘community’. with prisoners or The Argyle let them stand up Airport has a to get the breeze standing job. If it and wave at rains, vacuum the Overhanging trees from private property waiting for freeness friends. water off the from Government to have them cut. They clamp southern end of the Tail light damage, still on the road, and for hire? your vehicle, landing area. overhanging the road wait on except for the privileged, with a Spend six hundred million on a freeness for Government to cut note “MANAGEMENT NOT white elephant, then beg for them. The rest of us pay for it. Bet RESPONSIBLE FOR DAMAGE infrastructure money. if Government cut then charged TO CAR OR PROPERTY OF ANY Property owners with trees them, see how quick they get cut. KIND. This car has been immobilized rather than towing it away, thus saving time and expense” They have no means of towing the vehicle. Traffic collects Continued from Page 2. $70 for the police to remove the clamp. We all know when traffic However, the conditions last Saturday made needs money. it good for some smooth sailing. Regarding the Government vehicles now have cause, Sardine told THE VINCENTIAN that he a new placement for licence was making a request to the government to numbers which is a decal on the install heating, so the residents at the Lewis tailgate of trucks. Check Punnett Home will no longer have to put up G947/925/590. If you need barrel with the cold showers. transport,Government vehicles are He mentioned this as one of the problems at available. the facility, saying that he was told that one Mini vans cut the sale of sex can often hear the screams as residents take toys, when you need good their daily showers. vibration, ride one. To the parents The auto-body mechanic/philanthropist also of young children, check the stated that he is planning two events that will correlation of hearing to learning take place next year, in order to be able to We have a special interest in developing sports here. donate supplies to the home. ability, it might He did not disclose any details, saying that make you sit up if the idea was just now in the developmental you care about your stage. children. Van drivers Sardine also mentioned a more immediate pass like F1 drivers undertaking, i.e. his doing something for the then stop in the people of Sandy Bay who were affected by the middle of the road to passage of the trough system on November 29. pick up passengers On that venture, Sardine says that he twenty feet apart. intends to kayak 19 miles for the people of They should be fortySandy Bay. five to get a van “I am 100 percent ready to get back on my driver’s licence. kayak and do 19 after doing 24,” Sardine said. The Calliaqua For this project, he intends to team up with hard court has a new a few other partners including the National system - only one Emergency Management Organisation (NEMO) goal net, so teams if and the media. they ever play Following the most recent task, Sardine Netball or thanked the many sponsors and the members Basketball, have to of ‘Team X’, adding that he did not want switch sides on anything in return, but only to stand up for his Vacuuming the water from the airstrip at Argyle, every time it rains. Something’s possession. The country. (DD) not right!
Sardine and company triumph again
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6. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 09, 2016. THE VINCENTIAN
News
Vincentian woman suffers Âtravel shockÊ URCELLE JONES of Mt. Bentick, Georgetown, is a confused and irate woman. Her state of confusion, she claims, is not of her own making. The middle-aged woman turned up at the E. T. Joshua airport on Friday 11th November, on time and with every intention of taking nonstop LIAT Flight #771 to Barbados, departing SVG at 10:20am and arriving in Barbados at 11:00am. She had left home at 6:00 that morning, braving the inclement weather to ensure her timely arrival at the airport, with every expectation of travelling to Barbados to attend her aunt’s funeral. As has been the case for some time now with a number of scheduled LIAT flights in and out of SVG, Jones’ flight, #771, was delayed. In fact, Ms. Jones did not leave the E.T. Joshua until well into the evening, though she was now placed on LIAT flight #638 which headed for Trinidad. Whatever she was told, she was
under the impression that LIAT was going to get her to her intended destination, Barbados.
A Nightmare Trinidad proved a nightmare for Jones. She was refused entry into that country and detained, the immigration authorities there refusing to accept her Travel Permit, issued by the SVG Passport and Immigration Dept., on July 01, 2016 with allowed use until June 30, 2018, as a valid travel document. THE VINCENTIAN confirmed that the Trinidad and Tobago authorities had notified this country some four months ago that they would no longer be accepting Travel Permits as valid documentation to allow entry into that country. Jones was served with an official Rejection Order by the Trinidad authorities, an order which she said she did not understand nor was it explained to her.
She claimed not to have signed the Order as required, but it clearly shows her name signed in that area designated for the signature of the Rejectee. (THE VINCENTIAN was able to compare Jones’ signature which appears on her Travel Permit and that which appears on the Rejection Order. They do not show any resemblance.) All of this transpired during the early hours of Saturday morning. The confused woman was next taken under guard to a place of detention, not in any way the ‘hotel accommodation’ that she was expecting, as per indication from the authorities. In fact, the room to which she was assigned had “bars that look like a prison,” she described. Jones was kept in detention until 11:10am Saturday 12th November, during which time all she had to consume was a bottle of water which, “they throw
at me when I ask for it,” she said. She was taken, under guard, to the LIAT counter at Piarco airport. The authorities, it appeared to Jones, intended to “send me back to St. Vincent.” This was the first contact Jones was having with any LIAT representative since her boarding at the E, Joshua airport the day before. Better judgement prevailed, and Jones was assured by LIAT that she would be allowed to travel to Barbados. She left for Barbados at 6:00pm on Saturday 12th November, a full day and more after her originally booked, scheduled, and paid for departure from St. Vincent. Jones, after much worry, unexpected treatment of the worst kind, not to mention inconvenience, was able to attend her aunt’s funeral. She returned from Barbados as scheduled on Thursday 1st December, 2016.
Questions abound A self-professed simple woman with not as much exposure as others, Jones is adamant that LIAT owes her an apology; for had her originally scheduled flight not been delayed, she would never have had to endure the embarrassment she did at the hands of Immigration and Security authorities in Trinidad. She also demands an explanation from the Trinidad auithotites with respect to the grounds on which she was ‘deported’ since, as far as she was concerned, she committed no crime either in St. Vincent far less Trinidad. She intends to appeal the rejection order. Meanwhile, questions abound, not least being whether or not, the LIAT representatives or the Immigration officials at the E. T. Joshua airport informed Jones about the bar on SVG Travel Permits by Trinidad and
Veronica Jones – bounced, rejected and detained – is not a happy camper. Tobago. How could LIAT and Immigration officials, fully aware of the Trinidad and Tobago position, allow a person to travel to Trinidad, on an invalid travel document? Would these entities stand with Jones in her intended appeal against the Rejection Order imposed on her by the Trinidad and Tobago authorities?
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THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 09, 2016. 7.
News
ECGC Foundation gives bursaries SUSAN CHARLES AND CHANTELLE SOLEYN, both second year students at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Open Campus, were the first set of students to receive financial assistance from the East Caribbean Group of Companies (ECGC) Foundation Incorporated. Charles, who is L-R: Vern Kirby (Occupational Health Nurse ECGC), pursuing a Bachelor of Science Phyllis James (HR Manager ECGC), Chantelle Soleyn, Monica Browne (Program Officer UWI Open Campus) (BSc) Degree in and Susan Charles. Social Work and Soleyn, who is pursuing a BSc in Management Studies studies. This year, eight students at the at the UWI Open Campus, each received Technical and Vocational Division an amount totaling EC$5,000. received scholarships covering their twoAnd according to Phyllis James, Human Resource Manager at ECGC and year programmes. “The amount may seem small, Secretary of the ECGC Foundation Inc., the Foundation was started in May 2015 comparative with the total cost of the and is aimed at enhancing opportunities programme, nonetheless, as an organization, we recognize the hardship for education, health care and the welfare of needy children, and is tasked being borne by many of our students, with managing the company’s charitable and as such have decided to stretch the reach to assist as many students as we offerings. She further explained that in addition possibly can,” James said. Monica Browne, Programme Officer to the bursaries granted to students at the Open Campus, explained the enrolled at the UWI Open Campus., criteria, saying that the bursary financial assistance was also being recipients were selected on the basis of extended to students at the Division of Technical and Vocational Studies at the their academic performance, which required that they maintained at least a St Vincent and the Grenadines 3.0 Grade Point Average; and that they Community College, who are pursuing had to have already completed one year, studies in the areas of engineering, or covered at least five courses. (DD) agricultural science and business
SVG feels Earthquake: Another trough system expected A MAGNITUDE 6.2 earthquake was felt in St. Vincent and the Grenadines on Tuesday 6th December around 5:45pm. In a release since the shock, the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO), said, “According to information received from the Seismic Research Centre (SRC), University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad, at 5:42 pm on Tuesday 6th December, 2016, an earthquake of magnitude 6.2 occurred 16.0 km SSE of Scarborough, Trinidad and Tobago.” The release added, “The event was located at 11.04°N and 60.70°W with a depth of 29 km. These results are preliminary and may vary slightly when additional data is processed.” While residents across SVG reported that they felt the quake, to varying degrees of intensity, NEMO, in its release, stated that there was no damage reported. But, reports coming out of Port of Spain said that workers in high rise buildings, which swayed and rattled as the quake ensued — ran out of buildings. Persons were reported to have also vacated their homes. Supermarkets across cardinal points of Trinidad and Tobago experienced loud crashing noises as items fell off shelves, the result of heavy shaking, creating
Items on supermarket aisles after the 6.2 magnitude earthquake in Trinidad and Tobago. chaos and disorder among staff and customers alike. And as if the experience of an earthquake — albeit not having caused damage — is not enough for this country, NEMO warned on Wednesday that unstable conditions will continue here, and forecast that a westward moving Trough System associated with increased cloudiness, showers and thunderstorm activity, was expected to affect the island chain and linger into Friday.
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8. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 09, 2016. THE VINCENTIAN
Views The National Newspaper of St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Managing Editor: Desiree Richards Editor: Cyprian Neehall Telephone: 784-456-1123 Fax: 784-451-2129 Website: www.thevincentian.com Email: vinpub@thevincentian.com Mailing Address: The Vincentian Publishing Co. Ltd., P.O. Box 592, Kingstown, St Vincent and the Grenadines.
Editorial Ganja debate gone up in smoke What has happened to the great CARIBBEAN MARIJUANA-GANJA DEBATE?
WHY, AFTER ALL the excitement occasioned by the forthrightness of Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonslaves, the one who first broached the issue at a regional level, and the subsequent setting up in 2014 of a Regional Commission on Marijuana to examine the social, economic, health and legal issues surrounding its use in the Caribbean, and to determine whether there should be a change in the current classification of marijuana as a dangerous drug, has there been such a deafening silence here and across the region? The region seemed to have pulled the plug on this bottle of excitement, allowed all the interest to bubble over to the ground, and more literally, has failed to move any closer to a conclusion on this issue than when it sought to make it a CARICOM agenda item in 2014. Yes, there was much talk — and CARICOM leader after leader lent his/her voice to what now appears to be another hot spot of talk — rather than giving the issue the serious attention it deserved, i.e. working towards a regional policy on marijuana — both on economic and humane /legal grounds. By way of a reminder, marijuana has not disappeared from our landscape, and will not for a very long time to come, if it does at all. Marijuana continues to be cultivated in varying degrees right across the CARICOM jurisdiction, with some territories, like Jamaica, accounting for the greater proportion of cultivation and export. And if the truth be told, little people, small farmers, not large plantation owners or large scale farmers — are the ones who engage on a daily basis in the cultivation, marketing and sale of the herb, and have contributed directly to economic and social development across the region . To please the regional and international protocols to which we find ourselves subservient as sovereign nations, we destroy some fields of marijuana now and then; we seize quantities of marijuana whether on land or within our waters; we arrest a trader here and there; and we incarcerate thousands of young Caribbean people for being in possession of small quantities of the herb, destroying many lives in the process. And while we do all that, we (region) sit idly by as the rest of the world turns with heightened expectation on the axis of the potential of perhaps the most exciting industry in the 21st century. A report by a leading marijuana industry investment and research firm, found legal marijuana sales jumped 17%, to $5.4 billion, in 2015, and they will grow by a whopping 25% this year to reach $6.7 billion in total U.S. sales. These numbers, though confined to the USA, are simply staggering. And as though those figures are not already ‘hard to swallow’, consider that ArcView Market Research will release its fourth edition of The State of Legal Marijuana Markets report, and it includes the prediction that the legal marijuana market will see a whopping $21.8 billion in total annual sales by 2020. Does this not speak to the next wave of investors, business operators and who have you, as finding their feet on solid ground in the marijuana industry — cultivation, research, marketing and sales? Expect the cannabis industry to continue to gain legitimacy among entrepreneurs and investors in countries we might think have little to do with this herb. The reality is that after a period of ‘wait and see’, the rest of the world is ready to plunge into this mother-lode, on which we have been sitting for decades and seem ready to forfeit to the ‘rich world’ once again. Why are we at a standstill? On what in Zeus’s name are we waiting? Is it that there are those in leadership positions across the region who want to ensure that they are cut into the scheme of things before they venture into making the necessary political decisions? Is there the making of a cartel in the region who are angling to become primary suppliers, thereby taking the added value out of the hands/mouths of small, rural folk who have endured through thick and thin to keep the marijuana growing and going? We hope not. Oh for the want of continued open debate and honesty!
Fidel Castro: Viking goes to Valhalla in a blaze of glory FIDEL CASTRO died at age 90, a house-hold name in the annals of Caribbean History and the wider world in general. I was never a communist and ruthless dictator for which Fidel has been acclaimed and condemned, but I am convinced that in his neck of the woods, he did what was necessary, even essential to the freedom of the human spirit by total social transformation in the mid 20th century. His perhaps was the only way a backward, benighted and oppressive country could overleap and qualify for a vanguard place in the comity nations. Especially in the areas of popular education and socialised medicine of the prohibitively high standard accessible to the subsoils of his country. Instinctively, the unlikely Cuban Revolution smacked me in the face about the close of my secondary schooling. Instinctively, despite the colonial brain —washing, we took to the side of Cuba in what we saw as a David- and —Goliath encounter. We immediately produced a carnival band that was supportive of the Fidelitas, which was anathema to the dominant colonial trend. I recount with glee Rudolph (Junior) Baynes and myself hailing each other as the representative of Fidel himself. So much so that the ruling Labour Party and its counterpart in the Windwards did what little they could do to undermine the revolution’s flow and momentum. They refused for instance to recognise degrees issued by revolutionary Cuba to their own citizens. After “Son” Mitchell was installed as Premier, he accepted some Dominicans educated in Cuba, but rejected by Dominica’s “iron Lady” Eugenia Charles. The truth is that our people proved themselves “simpletons” in being discomforted by the aspiring Mitchell because he looked too much like Fidel. Mitchell’s answer was to clean shave his beard which apparently became acceptable when grown back on native soil! Mitchell in fact took advantage of his resemblance to Castro, glorying in a witticism of Castro who said at a conference that Mitchell’s attendance provided him with some security; they will not know which one to shoot! Such anecdotal incidents brought Castro and Mitchell into a fairly-tight embrace which significantly stopped short of the bear-hug reserved for the communist brethren. Of course, this leads us into the “charmed” life that Castro lived, especially after the Bay of Pigs invasion. Castro was ready to die for his principles, come what might. One of his American sympathetic writers Herbert Matthews described a scene at the lowest ebb of the Revolution.
The Fidelista were virtually wiped out, being reduced to a handful of fighters, surrounded in the hills by Government troops and facing imminent slaughter. Castro in his capture would be broadcast to the world as a revolution crushed. So he arranged his suicide if he were surprised at night: his gun nozzle was placed near his chin, with the trigger within easy reach of his feet. It is History’s gift that he lived to fight another day, which turned out to be about 30 years of progressive activity. This may sound far-fetched, but it is not. Luzette King and company for instance must take heart that often the greatest event has had a very small beginning: commitment, perseverance and the belief in the justice of one’s cause can in the end pay handsome dividends. It must never be forgotten that Castro met his home ravaged by a ruthless dictator acting in the interest of the USA. Cuba had degenerated into being partly brothel, a large casino, and a holiday resort on the US doorstep for the idle rich and famous. He left it a fairly stable and egalitarian society, but not quite democratic as we understand the term. Even after the Cuban revolution had got going, it received a setback to the fury of Fidel when Russia responded to the USA threat over Russian missiles emplaced on Cuba soil. The Russians simply moved them out to the chagrin of Fidel who later learnt that it was all part of a quid pro quo deal: that the US had quietly removed weapons which it had based in Turkey pointed threateningly at Russia! After that, Cuba became circumspect in its relations to the Russians on whom it nevertheless heaped praise shoring them up against an American embargo. Castro threw his weight behind Liberation struggles in Africa, particularly Angola and South Africa. He remained the Black man’s friend, even creating a diplomatic nightmare by staying in Harlem on official visit to the UN headquarters. The Caribbean man of letters, CLR James, saluted Castro warmly and spread his word particularly in Canada where he influenced Vincentian students such Alfie Roberts, Kerwyn Morris and Arnhim Eustace. Further, CLR’s favourite disciple Eric Williams in his epic “From Columbus to Castro,” virtually described Castro as the ultimate in the West Indian journey in selfdiscovery. So, whatever his short-comings may have been, Fidel remains a legendary figure for all time.
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THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 09, 2016. 9.
Letters
Editorial raises ire of reader THE MOST OUTRAGEOUS statement in your outrageously sycophantic tribute to Fidel Castro, Cuba’s Fuhrer, is that, “We know, comrade, you stood for world peace, for a nuclear arms-free world.” Nothing could be further from the truth, not only because Castro was a ruthless warmonger, instigating violent Marxist revolution around the world, but because in response to the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion of 1961, and the presence of American ballistic missiles in Italy and Turkey, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev decided to agree to Cuba’s request to place nuclear missiles in Cuba, to deter future harassment of Cuba. An agreement was reached during a secret meeting between Khrushchev and Fidel Castro in July 1962 and construction of a number of nuclear armed missile launch facilities started later that summer. When the United States learned about this, they demanded that they be removed. After several days of tense negotiations with the Soviet Union, the “Cuban missile crisis” was resolved to the mutual satisfaction of the two major parties, both of which wanted to avoid a nuclear holocaust. The Cuban disciple of Armageddon was outraged by this outcome. Timothy Naftali, a University of Virginia professor and co-author of “One Hell of a Gamble: Khrushchev, Castro and Kennedy, 1958-1964”, describes why Khrushchev thought Castro, who’d sent him a letter during those tense days in 1962, was mad. “Ultimately, what the letter says is, ‘Nikita, if you have to use nuclear weapons against the United States to defend my country, and even if that means the Americans will retaliate by blowing up my country, do it for the sake of international socialism’” (http://www.nationalreview.com/article/213436/ca stro-experience-catherine-se ipp). Castro went ballistic when he learned that Khrushchev was pulling his missiles out of Cuba. He kicked in a wall and smashed a mirror, calling the Soviet leader “an asshole” and a “son of a bitch.” This madman’s most lasting contribution to the world is to serve as a blueprint for today’s madman leaders such as Kim Jong-Un of North Korea to Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi of the Islamic State, who constantly threaten to sacrifice their people and the rest of the world to achieve their fascist goals. With a “Dear Comrade” like that, the editorial board of this newspaper needs no enemies. Submitted as a comment on our Website Name withheld by writer Editor’s Note: Carried as a demonstration of THE VINCENTIAN’s commitment to uphold free and open opinion
From Che to Fidel to Cuba. The only ties are of another nature – those that cannot be broken as can appointments to posts. Reviewing my past life, I believe I have worked with sufficient integrity and dedication to consolidate the revolutionary triumph. My only serious failing was not having had more confidence in you from the first moments in the Sierra Maestra, and not having understood quickly enough your qualities as a leader and a revolutionary. I have lived magnificent days, and at your side I felt the pride Fidel: of belonging to our people in the brilliant yet At this moment I sad days of the remember many things: Caribbean [Missile] when I met you in Maria crisis. Seldom has a Antonia’s house, when statesman been more you proposed I come brilliant as you were in along, all the tensions those days. I am also involved in the proud of having followed preparations. One day you without hesitation, they came by and asked of having identified with who should be notified in your way of thinking and case of death, and the of seeing and appraising real possibility of it dangers and principles. struck us all. Later we Other nations of the knew it was true; that in world summon my a revolution one wins or modest efforts of dies (if it is a real one). assistance. I can do that Many comrades fell which is denied you due along the way to victory. to your responsibility as Today, everything the head of Cuba, and has a less dramatic tone, the time has come for us because we are more to part. mature, but the event You should know repeats itself. I feel that that I do so with a I have fulfilled the part mixture of joy and of my duty that tied me sorrow. I leave here the to the Cuban revolution purest of my hopes as a in its territory, and I say builder and the dearest farewell to you, to the of those I hold dear. And comrades, to your people, I leave a people who who now are mine. received me as a son. I formally resign my That wounds a part of positions in the my spirit. I carry to new leadership of the party, battlefronts the faith my post as minister, my that you taught me, the rank of commander, and revolutionary spirit of my Cuban citizenship. my people, the feeling of Nothing legal binds me fulfilling the most sacred MR. EDITOR, on the passing of Fidel Castro, I went searching through my many papers, especially those from my ‘radical’ days of the 1960s and 1970s, and came upon this piece. It is a letter from the great freedom fighter Ernesto Che Guevara to his Comrade-in-Arms and freedom fighter Fidel Castro. I thought it a fitting tribute to Fidel, and one which I felt should be shared with your readers. I thank you for publishing it. James Bonadie, UK
Castro: A voice of humanity
YOUR EDITORIAL ‘Dear Fidel’ prompted me into doing my own reflection on the life and contribution of Fidel Castro. For what it’s worth, here is a very short version of a much longer piece that I hope to complete sometime. “It appears there are two laws, two sets of rules and two kinds of logic, one for the U.S. and one for other countries. Perhaps it is idealistic of me, but I never accepted the universal prerogatives of the U.S.” These are the words of Fidel himself, uttered to envoys of the Jimmy Carter administration who had travelled to Havana in 1978, purportedly to set
conditions for improving relations between the US and Cuba. Clearly, here was a man whose voice came out strongly and unambiguously in opposition to the powerful, and in support of what Franz Fanon called ‘the wretched of the earth’. There is no doubt, regardless of how many ‘Thomases’ there will be’, that Fidel Castro’s words spread across the plains, jungles and mountains of Central and South America, and the Caribbean. Take it or leave it, the Cuban Revolution and Fidel’s ideas have inspired all those searching for a different world; looking to
overcome the contradictions which world powers try to present as inevitable. In addition to his tireless revolutionary work, Fidel’s humanist ideas have alerted many to the major problems facing humanity, from climate change to the possibility of global destruction by nuclear weapons. No one can look back over 20th and 21st century history, without studying the work and ideas of this Cuban who wrote a small Caribbean island into the pages of “true global history,” as told by the people. Paul
of duties: to fight against imperialism wherever it may be. This is a source of strength, and more than heals the deepest of wounds. I state once more that I free Cuba from all responsibility, except that which stems from its example. If my final hour finds me under other skies, my last thought will be of this people and especially of you. I am grateful for your teaching and your example, to which I shall try to be faithful up to the final consequences of my acts. I have always been identified with the foreign policy of our revolution, and I continue to be. Wherever I am, I will feel the responsibility of being a Cuban revolutionary, and I shall behave as such. I am not sorry that I leave nothing material to my wife and children;
I am happy it is that way. I ask nothing for them, as the state will provide them with enough to live on and receive an education. I would have many things to say to you and to our people, but I feel they are unnecessary. Words cannot express what I would like them to, and there is no point in scribbling pages. Che
Cat and mouse
MY MOTHER used to tell us that she knows ‘wen de cat air dey, de mice will play’, so she expect that ‘wen she air dey,’ we the children will get up to all kinds of tricks. You know something? My mother was right down to the last letter in the word.. I can’t help but apply this to the mini-buses in this country. I am certain that the whole of this country know and have seen that when there is no policeman — traffic cop — around, the mini-buses do ‘dey own ting’. They stop all over the place. Pick up passengers all over the place. They blow their horns like they always on an emergency. The music so loud that you hear them before you see them. And it always have some conductor, hanging out the window or through a slot left by opening the sliding door, shouting out to would-be passengers. And don’t talk about the speeding!!! I wonder how they don’t knock down people on the side of the roads. I know that the traffic cops can’t be in all places at all times, but maybe, instead of walking and driving around looking to clamp people, they could be patrolling the main routes of the mini-buses, especially at the peak times of the day. Is time these fellows get caught in the act and be made to feel the full arm of the law. I know this will not go down well with the minibus fellows and their supporters, but is time we bring some order to this service. And by the way, I hope the mini-bus drivers realize that they behaving like the mice. Charles, Kingstown
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10. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 09, 2016. THE VINCENTIAN
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St.Vincent and the Grenadines has lost a great friend
Introduction ON NOVEMBER 25TH, 2016, the people of Cuba were plunged into a period of mourning and grief, when the news was announced about the passing of their beloved Commandante, Fidel Castro Ruz. Since then, international leaders and governments have paid tributes to the former leader, who in his own way, led a process to unshackle his country from imperialism, to a just and inclusive society, in the interest of all Cubans. History will record him as a visionary leader who worked extremely hard to ensure that a small Caribbean country, often regarded then as the resort for rich playboys, turned itself into an important country, and became a force to be reckoned with on the international scene. History will record that Fidel Castro, together with his brother, Raul, led his revolutionary group, the July 26th Movement, in a revolution against the Batista regime. Batista was overthrown in 1959, and Fidel became leader of Cuba. This iconic revolutionary leader led the political process to unshackle the people of Cuba from a debilitating imperialism, and worked towards the establishment of an inclusive Cuban society, free of exploitation.
The international figure Castro became an international figure through his leadership style, his successes in Cuba, and his internationalism and solidarity with the poor and the oppressed worldwide. His defeat of the South African armed forces at the battle of Cuito Cuanavale has been hailed as the crowning moment which led to the release of former president Nelson Mandela from prison in South Africa. Indeed, during a visit to Cuba in 1991, Nelson Mandela credited the Cuban forces, by stating that the victory “marked an important step in the struggle to free the continent and our country of the scourge of apartheid”. Fidel Castro also attracted international attention for his role in the missile crisis in 1962, between the United States and Russia. For Castro, that further attracted anger from Washington, and further tightened the trade embargo. Naturally, his efforts to keep the Cuban economy afloat, despite the embargo, have been praised by the international community. The Bay of Pigs invasion, in which he defeated CIA trained forces, who tried to overthrow his government, brought him more admiration and support. The Cuban people revered him more than ever, because here was their beloved “Fidel” taking on the great United States, and emerging victorious. Cuba’s stature and position in the world soared to new heights.
That diplomatic relationship increased, and both countries became closer following the arrival of the Unity Labour Party in March 2001. Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, who regarded Fidel as a personal friend, has described him as “a warm and humorous person, a finished personality, full of a love for life and living”. A number of Vincentians have had the honour of meeting this great leader, and have found him to be a remarkable character. Cuba has provided immense support for the country in a number of ways. Let’s go back to 2001 where the country endured a shortage of personnel in the nursing sector. It was to Cuba that the ULP turned to find trained nurses, to ease the problems created by the shortage. Cuba has responded magnificently to requests for assistance for Vincentians, from all walks of life. Remember the Vision Now programme which allowed persons to travel to Havana to address their eye problems? And what about the campaign to reduce energy costs by installing energy saving bulbs in households here? Do we remember those initiatives? Perhaps the close relationship between this country and Cuba is demonstrated through the response of the Fidel Castro administration to the plans by the ULP, to construct an international airport at Argyle. From day one, Cuba has been part of the “coalition of the willing”, providing significant assistance in the construction of the airport. From the beginning of the construction, the Chatoyer-Che contingent, worked side by side in solidarity, Vincentian and Cuban workers, engineers and construction specialists, with one aim in mind - to complete this facility which will make a huge difference in the development of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Cuba has opened its universities and specialist schools to Vincentians to pursue their tertiary level education in a number of areas. This has been so for a number of years and will continue, even though Fidel is gone.
Conclusion
Without a shadow of a doubt, Fidel Castro was an extraordinary and towering political figure of immense historical and global significance. In the struggle for people’s liberation, he ranks alongside titans like Mohandas Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and Toussaint L’Ouverture. Like all human beings, he was not without fault, but these pale into insignificance when compared with the remarkable legacy he has left the Our Friend, Fidel Cuban people, and indeed, the rest of the world. There can be no doubt that Fidel To be sure, no other world leader Castro was a friend of St.Vincent and has steadfastly stood up to the might the Grenadines, and of the current of the United States, and survived. leader, Dr. Ralph Gonsalves. Former For almost fifty years, Cuba under administrations and leaders under the Fidel Castro has survived under an New Democratic Party and the illegal economic by the United States, Labour Party maintained diplomatic and was still able to provide Cubans links with Cuba, and Vincentians with a superior education system, and benefitted from studies in that exemplary health care. The world will country. remember Fidel.
Excerpts from the Hon. Arnhim Eustace’s presentation at Democrat House on Tuesday 22nd November AS WE MOVE to our next phase, I want to warn all of you about the desire of the ULP’s leaders to divide and rule us, so that they can share the spoils among their tight circle of family and friends. The ULP has spent an entire decade and a half trying to run me down, and now that I have decided to leave on my own timing, they want to shed crocodile tears. The ULP’s only mission is to try to destroy us in order to plunder SVG with impunity, and we must understand this clearly. Tell them to keep their mouths out of our business. Tell them to sit back and learn from us how democracy works. This current generation and the next will no doubt judge both party’s movements; and when the history of democracy in this country is written, it will show that the NDP always led the way. A friend of mine asked me recently if I had any regrets about not returning as Prime Minister. No, I have no regrets for me. But I do have regrets for the people of St Vincent and the Grenadines who, in two successive elections, have been cheated of getting the government they voted for and the government they deserved. I have regrets that these fine men and women of the leadership of the NDP, a cadre of men and women who make up the best leaders St Vincent and the Grenadines has to offer, have been cheated of the opportunity to give back to the country they love, as mandated by the people. But I stand here tonight hopeful. I believe there is an emerging new generation within the NDP that will take the struggle to remove this illegal family-owned government to a new level. This is not just about Dr Friday, and ‘Major’ and Daniel Cummings, who have stood with me in battle through the years. They are building a new team around them, and they are engaging fighters with the determination of youth. We are excited about the new people we are attracting, and about the eager combatants coming on board. Our party must embrace them all as we get ready for a new period of protracted struggle. My heroes on the Frontline! Today is the 345th day of the longest continuous protest in the history of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Your steely resolve and thirst for justice against all odds is an inspiration to every woman, man and child. Luzette King, Dexton Williams, Rohan “Pops” Simmons, Patburg Warner, ‘Patches’ Knights, Sharon Ince, Suzanne Duncan-Adams, Monica May, Wena Roberts, Kadmeil McPhee, Dexley Ashton, Vance Stewart, Guy Lowe, Jennifer Lavia and Alrick Lavia (a married couple) Claude Bascombe, Viola Grant, Gretel Gould, Mr Brackin and several others are towers of strength and role models for conscious citizenship. The make-up of the regular protestors is striking to me and has taught me some hard lessons about our people. Look at them! Some have been mocked for being poor, for being women, for being ardent believers in the democratic process, for representing the most marginalized demographics of our society, yet it is they who continue to stand every day to speak truth to power! To the NDPs battalion of lawyers:
Bertram Commission QC, Stalky John QC, and Kay Bacchus Baptiste. The late Nicole Sylvester, Sharon Morris Cummings, Keith Scotland, Zhinga Horne Edwards, Samantha Robertson, Andreas Coombs, Maia Eustace, Israel Bruce, Senator Zita Barnwell. And the battery of lawyers who have flown in from Trinidad, Barbados, St. Kitts and Nevis and St. Lucia to ensure free and fair elections, please accept my profound gratitude. Thanks to you we have secured irrefutable evidence of the miscarriage of the 2015 elections. Thanks to you our petitions are live matters before the Court of Appeal. Thanks to you, Benjamin Exeter and Shabazzah GunMunro are not on trial. Thanks to you, Winston Gaymes will face the prospect of prosecution. Thanks to you, a certain ineligible Member of Parliament will have to give account to the people of this nation. In your capable hands rests the accuracy of the historical record. Excerpts from Dr. the Honourable Godwin Friday’s acceptance speech (continued) Every sector of this society has been negatively affected by this maladministration. And so, my friends, fellow Vincentians —whether Green Party, ULP, NDP, or no party; I tell you that we are all one. And to win we must remain one. My people, this is a new day. We can’t continue like this. The Honorable Arnhim Eustace has told us that NDP has a big tent. And he is right. But it is now time to make that tent even bigger. We are now ready to put this country under one tent and restore our pride and dignity as a people. And so, today, I hold out an open hand to the youth and the women. Today, I come ready to embrace the disillusioned ULP supporters. Today, I continue to feel the pain of the victimized and I empathize with those fearing victimization. Now we are ready to march forward together, no longer fearful of each other, no longer suspicious of one another. We have put up a big tent. We have opened our doors and we are ready for the united struggle. We owe it to the enduring legacy of our outgoing President and to the next generation of Vincentians; to his and to our grandchildren. We are closer to victory than you might imagine. Let’s make it happen for all of us! I leave you with the words of US President Abraham Lincoln, who said to the American people battered by civil war: “We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory will swell when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.” If that advice has proven true for people battered by civil war, then we must be even more hopeful that we too will succeed. So, I recommend it to our party and, more importantly, I prescribe it for our nation.
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THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 09, 2016. 11.
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In the heart of a friend
They don’t make them like this anymore
“I SHOT AN ARROW into the air, it fell to earth, I knew not where; For so swiftly it flew, the sight could not follow it in its flight. I breathed a song into the air, it fell to earth, I knew not where; For, who has sight so keen and strong that it can follow the flight of song? Long, long afterward, in an oak I found the arrow, still unbroken; And the song, from beginning to end, I found again in the heart of a friend.” - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (the most popular American Poet in the 19th century, 1807-1882)
‘What a mind that ceased to reason; what a heart that ceased to beat.’ Frederick Engels at Karl Marx’s funeral.
IT IS RELATIVELY EASY to become cynical. Some persons have concluded that they have good cause to do so. They have decided that, for their own self-preservation, they need to approach life by being distrustful, contemptuous, or pessimistic. Such responses are often the result of persons feeling betrayed, misused, or abused. However, these are situations that we all face as we go through life. None of us must ever think that we will be protected from such hurts and disappointments. And, if the truth be told, we have been responsible for generating or sustaining such feelings in others too. We are not perfect and from time to time, we will hurt others; sometimes intentionally, but very often without meaning to do so. It is precisely because of this that we encourage greater empathy among our people; just as we wish others to forgive us, we must be prepared to forgive others also. Life is fragile, unpredictable, and relatively short. Good friends, sincere friends, genuine friends, are few. We may have many acquaintances, but in so many instances we can count our friends on one hand; individuals who will be prepared to stick with us through good times and bad; persons who will retain their emotional ties and bonds of love even after life’s tragedies appear to strip us bear. These kinds of friends are always in scarce supply … but they do exist. These are individuals who will remain close after our errors of judgment have become public knowledge. We can afford to be vulnerable with such caring individuals. We can be secure, knowing that we are wrapped up and treasured in the heart of a friend. It is so very refreshing to observe those individuals who love so much that they will talk to us about our mistakes and foibles. These caring individuals do not give in to the temptation to talk about us (behind our backs). They believe in being faithful to the absent. The eight words captured in the preceding sentence unravel the truth that so very often, individuals in our workplaces, neighbourhoods, social clubs, and even in our churches, engage in conversations that revolve around “a friend” who is absent at that particular gathering. We have to break away from such behaviours. We need to care enough, love enough, and be mature enough to talk to (rather than about) others. It is most unfortunate that some individuals will habitually engage in discrediting others. The situation is magnified when the “character assassination” is done by someone who masquerades as “a friend”. Regrettably, some may be
motivated by the misguided belief that if they pull someone down, they automatically lift themselves up. This “crab-in-a-barrel approach” is most destructive. It not only maims the individual whose character is being assassinated. It also reveals some deep, dark, dreadful personality traits of the perpetrator. It is certainly not surprising to discover that individuals who engage in such conversations tend to be very miserable. And therein lies a major problem — the negative behaviours feed on each other; the more misery we spout out, the more miserable we become. Such caustic behaviours are most destructive, unbecoming, and undesirable. We are forever grateful to those individuals who refuse to embrace such corrosive behaviours and attitudes. We appreciate the true friends that life will periodically allow to cross our paths. They become like winds beneath our wings. They encourage us to soar even amidst the turbulence of disappointments, diseases, accidents, and so on. Oh for more friends like this. But there is a still, small voice that now seeks our attention. It beckons us to examine what kind of friend we are. How do we measure up on the “friendship barometer”? Are we “dry weather friends” who conveniently become scarce when the storms of life are buffeting those around us that we may have labeled “friend”? Or do we keep them in our hearts where they are forever treasured? Can they count on us when tragedy strikes? Can they boast of our compassion when they are faced with a particular need (that we can fill)? What is really in our heart for a friend? Yes, life is fragile. Life is relatively short. Good friends are few. But we have the capacity to demonstrate true, caring friendships. We can will ourselves to do so … even after we may have gone through our rough patches in some “friendship relationships”. The deep love and compassion that we possess should enable us to learn to trust again — to rekindle that fire of love in the heart of a friend. We can erase that tendency to become cynical and mistrusting because of some unkind word, or “talking behind the back”, or act of indiscretion that may have occurred in the distant past. Wounds of this kind, as painful as they may have been, will heal if we let them. We rob ourselves of so many blessings when we neglect or refuse to nestle down in the heart of a friend. As we proceed to cement our relationships with friends and rekindle the connections with long-lost ones, we readily discover that melody, that rhythm, that song that Henry Wadsworth Longfellow penned about when he, like us, reflected on the priceless heart of a friend. Send comments, criticisms & suggestions to julesferdinand@gmail.com
‘DEATH IS NOT REAL once one has done his life’s work well.’ Ho Chi Minh ‘We cannot sit idly by and wait for the corpse of imperialism to pass by. We must act decisively in order to bring about change.’ Fidel Castro. The death of Fidel Castro was not a surprise. Death has been whispering its nasty noise for more than ten years, as illness forced Fidel to turn over his state responsibilities to the longstanding revolutionary compatriot, Raul Castro. Death has always been close to Fidel. It pursued him all of his life. Good fortune, a world class intelligence service and destiny allowed Fidel to deny and defy death. Even in death, Fidel Castro lives. For all of his public life, Fidel was the model example of courage, selfsacrifice, commitment, principled, people centred politics and international solidarity. Fidel loved life, and the people loved him. It is a fitting tribute to the persuasive power and example of Fidel and the revolution he led, that the establishment media has failed miserably in its effort to swear his name and deny the revolution its transformative impact and effect. Black people in Cuba gained tremendously from the revolution. They were virtual slaves before the revolution, the ‘work horses’ for the white privileged elite. Racism was rampant, and while Cuba still has serious problems with racism, black citizens have made outstanding strides, especially in health and education. Afro-Cubans, more than 50 percent of Cuba’s population, benefited greatly from the removal of class and racial ceilings that existed in prerevolutionary Cuban when the island was the playground of wealthy Americans. This may explain why we don’t see many Afro Cubans celebrating Fidel’s death. Those who disparage Cuba seem to forget that the island is a developing nation with few natural resources. Some even repeat the lie that Cuba is a failed state. Nothing could be further from the truth. For decades, the United Nations has credited Cuba with making world class strides in education and health and sports. Cuba offers to its citizens free education and free health care. Cubans enjoy one of the highest life expectancy rates as well as one of the lowest infant mortality rates. It boasts a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita of over $20,000, and ranks very high as it relates to the UN Human Development Index. Cuba’s scientific establishment is an envy of the developing world. Its scientists and researchers have done amazingly successful work. It has developed the diabetic medicine Herba prop B, which has saved the limbs of thousands of persons worldwide, including Vincentians. It has had successes with 4 cancer treatment drugs, and has pioneered treatment that may solve the medical problem albinism, where victims lose their melanin. Cuba is not rich, but its people are not poor. Cubans are probably the most organized and conscious group of people in the world. Fidel and the Cuban revolutionary leadership have held firmly to the mantra ‘tell no lies,
claim no easy victories.’ Proof of Fidel’s great leadership was tested over the years, but the test that history will forever remember is that which presented itself following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Because the Cuban economy was deeply linked with that of the Soviet Union, and because, the renegade leader Yeltsin, in collusion with the West, abruptly reduced most of the support which the Soviet Union offered Cuba, social and economic organization of the Cuban economy was disrupted. Cuba went through what was officially described as ‘the dark period.’ Fidel explained that the economy contracted by 40 percent, but socialist Cuba survived. As Fidel told the world ‘we survived and not a single school, not a single hospital was closed. Not a single Cuban was thrown on the streets and made homeless. There was no mass hunger plaguing our land. We did not cut back on a single obligation we made to our friends to assist with the education of their young people.’ No other country could have survived that kind of drastic economic dislocation without mass upheavals and a collapse of the system of government. If we are convinced that the Fidel and the Cuban leadership did an amazing job in organizing Cuban society in the face of an illegal blockage, in place for more than 50 years, a blockade that cost the country close to US$100 billion, a blockage that entailed sabotage of the Cuban economy, destruction of its agriculture, terror on its airlines and in its hotels, and effort to assassinate its leaders, then we should marvel at how Cuba was able to withstand all of this aggression and still contribute to the world. The world calls, Cuba answers. Fidel’s leadership was instrumental in bringing to an end colonialism and apartheid in Africa. Cuba offered strong support to Angola, Mozambique and Namibia in their final push against colonial rule. In 1975 the Cubans sent thousands of soldiers to help the Angolans halt and defeat the racist South Africans who had invaded Angola through Namibia. Nelson Mandela, the South African hero who never forgot Cuba’s assistance, publicly declared Fidel his friend, and reminded the world that it was the Cuban revolutionaries who offered their blood, sweat, tears, solace and assistance when Western leaders were ‘constructively engaged’ with the brutal Apartheid regime. Cuba’s assistance to the world is incomparable when its size and resources are taken into consideration. It has trained 1000s of foreign students, including our own children, who have returned to their countries and made outstanding contributions to their nations’ well-being. Fidel Castro is one of the most significant public officials in the last 100 years. His example, discipline and commitment, his leadership skills and most of all his trust and belief in the people, are noble traits we should study and pattern our lives on.
Send comments, criticisms & suggestions to jomosanga@gmail.com
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12. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 09, 2016. THE VINCENTIAN
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Argyle in a swamp - convert to renewable energy estate
SVG Green Party Leader, Ivan O’Neal and Kadmiel McFee did a fact-finding walk on Friday 2 December 2016, around the perimeter of the Argyle airport. It is apparent that Argyle Airport is in a swamp area. This is a flight safety hazard, and moreover, Argyle will be very costly when it comes
to maintenance. The area is continuously waterlogged, and as a consequence there is a significant amount of water under the Argyle airport that compromises the integrity of the runway. The idea is for jumbo jets to land at Argyle, but the 400 tonne
weight of a jumbo jet would break up the runway and cause it to sink, as there is so much water under the runway. The integrity of the runway could never be guaranteed under the weight of a 400 tonne jumbo jet for every landing and take-off. This is a major flight
safety hazard and could cause a passenger aircraft accident. There is a heavy flow of rain water from the hills into the valleys and all around the Argyle airport. When it rains, there is heavy flow of water and mud down toward the runway and the buildings of the
airport. The airport’s buildings and runway have been cut too low down, compared to the surrounding hills and valleys, and because of this, when it rains they are swamped with mud and water. This is a serious concern, and means that lots of money will have to be wasted constantly clearing away the water and mud that regularly inundate the runway and buildings. See photo No.1. The maintenance costs alone for Argyle airport will be unsustainably high. Even when there is no rain, water still comes out of the hills and flows on to the airport site. The collapse of the bridge with thick concrete walls on the old Argyle road, situated only a few yards below the Argyle airport runway perimeter fence, is a strong warning that the impact of sea water and heavy rain water can cause significant damage to the runway and the perimeter, resulting in high maintenance costs. The SVG Treasury does not have the revenue for the high maintenance cost of Argyle airport. The bridge collapse begs the question: How safe is the Argyle airport runway which was foolishly built in the path of heavy flood water? The sinking for the
second time of the bypass road, not far from the air traffic control tower, is evidence that heavy flood water is running under the surface. This has caused that section of the bypass road to sink for the second time, and will result in high maintenance costs. See photo No. 2. The intention of the international airport is to attract commercial jet service including jumbo jets. It is highly unlikely that Argyle airport will see jumbo jets any time soon. There are too many flight safety hazards, and furthermore, SVG lacks the medical facilities necessary to deal with a jumbo jet accident in which there are multiple injuries. To date, there has been no public disclosure of the important usability factor of the Argyle airport. Argyle airport will not work for jumbo jets. It should be aborted, and the airport site used as a wind farm estate and industrial estate. SVG needs a constant flow of clean, renewable energy in this age of climate change, and an industrial estate will be good for small business development and job creation. www.svggreenparty.org Find us on Facebook and Twitter
Photo 1: Airport site gets swamped by mud and flood waters.
Photo 2: Cost for maintaining the by-pass road will be costly.
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THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 09, 2016. 13.
News
Digicel rewards first ‘GET GIFTED’ winners Right: The lucky winners pose with their winnings.
A TOTAL OF $5,000.00 in prizes were on Friday December 2nd distributed among a group of five lucky Digicel customers, as part of the telecommunication company’s Get Gifted Christmas promotion. The winners are Heslin Burgin of Bequia, Andre Jackson of Arnos Vale, Dawn DeRiggs of Sion Hill, and Rhonda Mc Nichols and Kenna Questelles of Richland Park. The prize giving ceremony, held at Courts SVG limited on Friday morning, saw each winner picking a ball containing their winning amount from a glass jar. Each of them was then given two minutes to pick up an item or items on their wish list for Christmas 2016, amounting to the value they would have picked. Among the items the winners walked away with were weed trimmers, microwaves, washing machine, toasters, pillows and pot sets. The winners all expressed much thanks to Digicel for gifting them, explaining that, while they knew of the Digicel Get Gifted campaign, they did not expect to win or even win so soon. The five Digicel customers became
winners after paying they can win multiple their postpaid bill in full times throughout the life before the November of the promotion. 29th due date and also topping up their phones $15 or more. On doing so, the customers received scratch cards. Those scratch cards were activated after the customers texted the serial number found on the back of the scratch cards, to the short code 1130. They were then randomly selected. Another group of five winners will be named this Friday 9th December, and every Friday until December 30th , when the promotion comes to an end. Digicel is allowing Vincentians to scratch and win over $150,000 in cash and prizes in its 2016 Get Gifted campaign. Digicel SVG Country Manager- John Davies congratulated all the winners and explained that the Digicel Get Gifted campaign is strategically designed to gift hundreds of Vincentians, not only through significant cash offers, but with other prizes such as household appliances, free groceries among other great giveaways. He encouraged Digicel customers to continue participating in the campaign, stating that
The Digicel team (L-R):John Davies- Country Manager; Danielle Cupid- Marketing Manager, and Jamisha Wright- PR Executive.
14. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 09, 2016. THE VINCENTIAN
On Friday, November 25th, the OT Brands held one of the largest Black Friday sales ever to take place in SVG, with hundreds of shoppers visiting the OT Car Park and leaving clearly satisfied. Shoppers welcomed the return of Penta Paint, which has returned just in time for the Christmas painting tradition. The OT chain of stores thank all who turned out and supported the sale, and look forward to continued support in their upcoming event. Some shoppers, who missed out on the biggest Black Friday Sale in St Vincent and the Grenadines this year, will still have an opportunity to do so as the madness continues at the OT Car Park. By popular demand, the OT brand of stores, which includes OT Tyre Limited and Finishing and Furnishing, have extended their sale over the next few weeks, and have added more items to the list that shoppers can purchase at prices guaranteed to suit their pockets. Shoppers can visit the newly
opened Penta Studio inside the Finishing and Furnishing store, and take advantage of the great prices on selected paints. Shoppers will get a free gallon of paint when they buy four gallons, and will also get a free quart of paint when they buy one gallon of paint. Paint is not the only item that shoppers can get free. At the OT Car Park, buying a pine bed will get them a free bedside table, and customers buying a wardrobe, dressing table or chest of draws will get a free pine sitting chair. When shoppers buy a flat screen television set, they will get a free wall mount, and those buying a stereo set will get a free DVD player. For the kitchen, when you buy a stove, you will get a free gas head and hose. Of course, there are other items on sale at the OT Car Park, available at great prices, while stocks last.
V Pentecostals: Spreading GodÊs Word for 50 years
THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 09, 2016. 15.
News
Right: Sonny Williams, Presiding Bishop of the PAWI SVG District, gave an outline of a programme of activities that will run throughout 2017.
THE PENTECOSTAL ASSEMBLIES of the West Indies (PAWI), St. Vincent and the Grenadines District, is celebrating fifty years of labouring in the Vineyard of the Lord. The accomplishment, worthy of celebration, will be marked in such fashion, beginning with a march through the streets of capital city Kingstown January 1, that will climax with a rally at Victoria Park. Celebrations will be observed under the theme: ‘A brighter blaze.’ Sonny Williams, Presiding Bishop of the PAWI SVG District, outlined a programme of celebration activities at a launch of the calendar last Tuesday, at the Faith Temple Church, New Montrose. The launch had been postponed due to the passage of the recent Trough System. A Moonlight Cruise, February 10, will add a social air to the celebrations. March 12 will see The Convocation that will discuss the topic ‘Same sex marriages,’ at the Arnos Vale Sports Complex. April 17 will be National Sports Day.
June 4 sees the Pentecostal Rally, and June 26, a History of the PAWI, St. Vincent the institution’s History will be launched. Dramatists hit the Russell’s Auditorium October 8. An Awards Dinner and Magazine Launch are earmarked for December 1. Tuesday’s launch also heard an historical account of the Vincentian PAWI District, by Pastor Noel Clarke. Monsignor Michael Stewart of the Roman Catholic Church, speaking on behalf of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Christian Council, endorsed the celebrations as keeping within the common effort aimed at uplifting morals, deepening faith, and highlighting matters of national significance. He pointed to his Church’s thrust towards reaching out by going to the “periphery,” and encouraged Churches to reach out to the ‘gangs,’ so as to “bring the Good News to people hungering for the Good News.” Chiefton Charles, Vicepresident of the Association of Evangelical Churches of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, advised that it was time to “take a fresh guard.” Senator Deborah Charles, Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Education, National Reconciliation and Ecclesiastical Affairs, assured that the government stands “ready
Members of the various congregations of the PAWI SVG, join in a moment of praise at the launch of the calendar of events. Inset: Monsignor Michael conveyed sentiments on behalf of the SVG Christian Council.
to give assistance where possible.” The PAWI SVG District comprises 15 congregations with a
membership of over three thousand. Pentecostal Assemblies of the West Indies exists to fulfill the purpose of
God by transforming people and communities everywhere through the power and manifestations
of the Holy Spirit, according to its website.
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16. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 09, 2016. THE VINCENTIAN
Arts
(/(&75,&,7< 352'8&7,21 86,1* *(27+(50$/ (1(5*< By: Gestur Gislason, senior geochemist at Reykjavik Geothermal & Snorri Gudbrandsson PhD geochemist at Reykjavik Geothermal Emera Caribbean Inc. and Reykjavik Geothermal, in association with the Government of St Vincent and the Grenadines, are planning a 10MW geothermal power plant at the foot of La Soufriere on the northern part of St. Vincent.
Geothermal steam has been used for over 100 years to produce electricity. The first power plant was built in Italy in 1904. Since then, more and more geothermal resources have been harnessed for power production.
The recently acquired Art Center and Gallery at Villa.
Youlou Art Centre to come into being YOULOU ARTS FOUNDATION (YAF) is taking a giant step forward. The Foundation is in the midst of preparing a space to establish an Art Centre and Gallery, an eventuality about which it has been dreaming and fund raising. “It is very exciting news for the organization, and needless to say, we are extremely excited!” Camille Musser - Founder of YAF said in a release. For the past seven years, YAF has been eagerly fundraising towards Last year’s Art Show and Sale held at the establishing an Art Center Curator’s House, Botanical Gardens. and Gallery, and Musser admits, “We have been several locations. This sale is ongoing, bullish in our thinking of trying to and paintings can still be purchased at make our dream come true. To this the Theo Saunders Shop, Kingstown. end, the organization has been busily An annual Art Show and Sale was fundraising in a variety of creative launched in 2015. It featured an ways.” auction of gift certificates from various YAF was given the opportunity to businesses around the island. The rent the ground floor of the property of following year, 2016, the Art Show Mr. Basil Charles at Villa Beach, for and Sale was held in the Curator’s the purpose, and the organization has House at the Botanical Gardens. Plans seized it. to organize the 2017 annual Art Show Starting in 2009 until 2013, YAF and Sale in the new premises at Villa has organized five Art Fairs for are being made. This event will also children. serve as the launch of the Youlou Arts In 2010, the Foundation had its first Centre. gala which took the form of a cocktail Youlou Arts Foundation believes the party, with an auction of several time is right for a dedicated Art paintings, and the screening of the Centre and Gallery to serve St. film ‘Who Does She Think She Is’ - a Vincent and the Grenadines, the aforedocumentary film directed by Academy referred release said. It recognises Award winning producer Pamela that currently, there is a lack of Tanner Boll, and which tells the story appropriate venues where local visual of five diverse women artists from New artists can showcase their work, or England, New Mexico, the Midwest where visiting exhibitions can be and Hawaii, and their struggles to displayed. In addition, there are no lead creative lives while balancing educational institutions specializing in family and motherhood. offering art classes to children, and In 2011, funds were raised by adults. organizing a musical arts programme. “The goal is to have a selfIn December of 2012, YAF sustainable Art Centre and Gallery. It organized the “Six-by-Six” Art Sale would be an educational institutional inviting local, regional and offering art classes and specialized international artists to submit art training to children, and adults,” the work measuring 6”x 6”, which was release said. then sold online and outright at
With over a century-long history and world-wide distribution, geothermal power is a well-known and thoroughly tested technology. The USA has the world´s highest installed capacity at 3,450 MW, mostly in the Geyser fields and Salton Sea, CA. The Philippines has the second highest installed capacity with 1,870 MW, followed by Indonesia at 1,340 MW. Today, there are geothermal power plants in 25 countries with a total 12,635 MW installed capacity and an annual production of 73,549 GWh. For comparison, the annual production of VINLEC is about 140 GWh. The planned 10 MW geothermal power plant will potentially serve about 60% of the electricity needs of the island. Geothermal energy has proven to be a reliable energy source, ideal as a firm power source not subject to weather conditions, oil prices, etc. Geothermal systems Sourcing of geothermal resources suitable for power production are closely related to the Earth’s plate tectonics and volcanism. Most commonly the resources are located on or near plate boundaries, both where rifting occurs, such as in Iceland and Kenya, and on subductions boundaries, as is the case in the Philippines and Indonesia. With its complex tectonics, with both subduction and transverse faults the Caribbean Gulf and Central America is a promising area for geothermal energy for electricity production. The heat source of geothermal systems is magma that indirectly heats deep-flowing water which seeps through permeable bedrock at great depths. The magma transfers heat to shallower levels in the crust. As the magma cools, it conducts heats through the surrounding rock formations as wells as the overlying rock towards the surface. The heat transfer can elevate the rock temperatures to as high as 250 – 500 °C at 1-5 km depth, forming ideal conditions for a geothermal reservoir. At this depth, the rock is still permeable enough to allow surface water (either fresh rainwater or seawater) to percolate through the reservoir rock. As the water heats up, it starts to rise back towards the surface due to lowered density of the hot water. With time, the system will develop into a convectional system where the hot fluid will rise above the heat source to shallower levels where it cools and starts to sink away from the main up-flow zone. The circular motion is driven by the continuous heat being brought to the system from the deep-seated magma. The elevated water temperature will alter the reservoir rock and form the so-called cap rock, sealing the geothermal system from the surrounding colder environment. Leakages in the cap rock will enable some of the geothermal fluid to escape to the surface, forming surface manifestations such as hot springs, mud pools and steam vents. The Soufriere volcano on St. Vincent is an example of a geothermal system as described above, with manifestations of geothermal steam in the crater area and the warm springs of Trinity Falls in the upper reaches of the Wallilabou River. ADVERTORIAL
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THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 09, 2016. 17.
News
Buccament workers stand firm WORKERS who have withdrawn their services at the Buccument Bay Resort said that they will not return to work until all outstanding salaries are paid. Up to press time on Wednesday, salaries were still outstanding to a number of workers at the resort, and several of them remained on a picket line that was first mounted last week Friday. One estimate said that up to 75% of the work force had withdrawn their services since Friday last week, effectively crippling operations at the Resort. Dalwyn Coombs, a Security Guard and one of the primary figures of
the protest, said that he has not been paid for two months, and that there are other workers on the protest line who have not been paid for over three months. “Some folks have not got their September money,” said Coombs, who added that it was when he was not paid for two months that he began to investigate, and discovered that the salaries of most categories of workers at the Resort were in arrears. “That’s when we decided we are not going back, so we had the meeting last Friday, and we are not going back to work until we get all of our money,” said the
The sentiments of the distressed workers are summed up by these placards.
“We are not happy outspoken Security Officer, who added, “And right now, and we will we are not going back to remain on the protest work based on promises.” line. Persons’ light and Government water have been cut off. There are persons who intervention said that their landlord A report carried in one has given them a bit media outlet here, more time because of the quoted Trade Unionist situation,” said the and General Secretary of Security Officer. the Commercial, He said that the Technical and Allied workers who had taken Workers Union strike action were told (CTAWU) - Joseph ‘Burns’ Bonadie as saying that the workers would have been paid by Tuesday 2nd December. According to the report, Bonadie said that Minister of Labour Camillo Gonsalves had spoken directly with David Ames, a Principal partner of Harlequin Hotel and Resorts, developers and operators of the Buccament Bay Resort, and that Ames had promised to pay the workers their outstanding wages and salary. However, Coombs said that that was not the message that was relayed to protestors when they spoke with Minister Gonsalves. “What the Minister told us is that he had given Ames until Tuesday (December 02) to give his final words as to when workers will receive their salaries,” said Coombs. He disclosed that he spoke with Bonadie on Wednesday, and that Bonadie had said that the Minister would give the final word after the Cabinet Meeting on that day.
not to come on the compound. Before going to press, THE VINCENTIAN made numerous attempts to contact persons in management at the Resort, to no avail. (KH) Dalwyn Coombs, one of the workers in the vanguard of the protest action at the Buccament Bay resort.
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18. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 09, 2016. THE VINCENTIAN
Diaspora
Vincy group brings Christmas nostalgia including Jamaicans, Trinidadians, Guyanese and Grenadians — and kingnaking210@yahoo.com featured, among other US CORRESPONDENT things, carol singing, reflections, story-telling IN ITS CONTINUING effort and skits, with patrons to bring the Christmas reminiscing about the spirit of homeland St. “real” Christmas at Vincent and the home. Grenadines at home to New York Consul nationals in New York, the General Howie Prince United Vincie Cultural showcased his talents Group of Brooklyn (UVCGB) and versatility, and last Saturday night, hosted ability to “fit in” easily. its third annual Christmas He told the Caroling showcase, in the enthusiastic crowd about Fellowship Hall at the his renowned role as the Miracle Temple Ministries ‘Speech Man’ in his in the Brownsville section caroling days as a youth of Brooklyn. in his native Lowamns The concert attracted Windward. not only Vincentians but Prince also drew the also a number of best out of the normally Caribbean nationals — taciturn Mulraine ‘Mack’ Story and photos by Nelson A. King naking@verizon.net;
Richards, of Georgetown, a former SVG and Windward Islands cricketer, and public school teacher in Brooklyn. “You have to sing along, or you may have to pay the church US$200,” Prince threatened Richards, who obliged, agreeing to a duet with Prince. Later, after the youthful, Jamaican Roberts’ siblings of Merisalyn, 11, Jonathan, 9, and Nicholas, 6, sang ‘Jingle Bells’, Prince remarked, in jest, that it was the first West Indian Carol. When Mistress of Ceremonies, Dr. Roxie Irish, UVCGB president,
asked him to elaborate, he responded, that there was “dasheen in the snow,” referring to a line in the carol, “dashing in the snow.” Irish, in her reminiscing, recalled preparation for Christmas Day in most households at home, as a big event. She said, a few days before Christmas Day, the old carpet was removed, and the floors and windows were thoroughly scrubbed and cleaned. A new table cloth was
Donna Ash belts out Nat King Cole’s “Christmas Song.”
New York Consul General Howie Prince (L) and Mulraine “Mack” Richards, former national and Windward Islands middle order batsman, in duet. made and covered with plastic; then new linoleum (carpet) was purchased and laid down on Christmas Eve night. “You go to Christmas Morning [church] service; and, when you come back, you get your cocoa tea and bake bread,” said Irish, as some patrons chimed in, agreeing with, “Yes, yes, yes.” Other Caribbean nationals also told their Christmas stories. Trinidadian John Feracho, who lived in Barataria with his mother, who had 15 children — eight boys and seven girls — said the children had “chores for Christmas. “We had to whitewash the whole home, whitewash the stones [in the driveway leading up to the house],” he said. “Basically, it was the
Vincentian and Jamaican couple Jeffrey (Vincentian) and Carol Glasgow sing “Long time ago in Bethlehem”.
same thing as in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. “Next year, I’ll bring a Parang band [to the concert],” he promised. It was quickly welcomed by patrons. Jamaican-born Carol Glasgow, whose husband is Vincentian Jeffrey Glasgow, of Campden Park, said Christmas celebrations in Jamaica were almost similar to that experienced in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. “In Jamaica, we do [clean, scrub] the floors; we sit up all night [before Christmas Day]. “On Christmas Day, we have fried dumpling [known as bakes to Vincentians], we have callaloo, we have liver,” Mrs. Glasgow added. Grenadian Ann Cunningham, whose husband is Vincentian Ralphie Cunningham, of Chateaubelair, a UVCGB member, said preparation for Christmas in her family comprised boiling “a little sorrel with ginger,” adding: “We kill [ed] a little goat, and we have [had] a little beef.” On Christmas Day, she said Grenadians “go from house to house to serenade, we parang.” A number of song and poem recitals followed, after which the impromptu group, Sheka, performed a Christmas skit. All carolers were backed up by the UVCGB band, headed by prominent Georgetownborn cultural figure Gordon “Don” Sutherland, with new lead vocalist Shamika Richardson.
THEâ&#x20AC;&#x2C6;VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 09, 2016. 19.
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20. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 09, 2016. THE VINCENTIAN
Advice
Give the man some credit!
Take the high road
Dear George, MY WIFE admitted to me that she had a sexual relationship two months before meeting me, with a friend of mine. This friend has been coming to our house time and time again and there has never been the slightest hint that he had anything going on with my wife, whether past or present. I look at this as very deceiving and have told my wife that I do not want him around our house any longer, and that if he asked why, she should tell him the truth. I am wondering if that relationship between them is over or if she is just telling me this now to get me distracted from seeing what she does not want me to see.
Disappointed and mad Dear Disappointed and mad, I am wondering why you should be mad at your friend. Is it that you wanted him to tell you that he had a sexual relationship with your wife? Is it that you would prefer that he proves that they are no longer involved? Your friend, it appears, by him keeping quiet on the matter, wants your wife to be happy with her marriage, and is willing to allow her to move on. You should give him credit for that. Everyone has a past, and you ought not to hold a person`s past against him or her, especially when that person has trusted you with such delicate information. Do not let your petty jealous nature destroy a good thing.
George
Dear George,
Bewildered
MY MOTHER-IN-LAW contracted me to paint bedrooms at her home. I gave her a decent price and started the job. On the 2nd day on the job, she complained that the job was going along too slowly. I explained to her the magnitude of the job and why it would take some time. The next day when I arrived on the job, there were two other people already there painting. She informed me that she had hired them to assist me. Before too long, the two began criticizing my work, making it uncomfortable for me to work. I walked off the job and told her that the others would have to finish the job. Lo and behold, the very next day she called me to say the two people did not turn up, and asked me to return. I refused and stated why. She complained to my wife who immediately took her mother`s side. Now my wife thinks I shafted her mother, even without knowing the full facts. This has caused a rift between my wife and me. Right now, it does not look good for any of us.
Dear Bewildered, If your mother-in-law thought you were not capable of handling the job, then she should have discussed that with you before hiring other help. That could and did cause conflict as you described. Your wife should have gotten
the facts before taking a position. That said, I advise that you to try to put this behind you, and get on with the business of keeping your relationship intact. Do not let this incident cause things to erode to the point of no return. Be the man here and take the high road.
George
No time to ship out Dear George,
Dear Bad bargain,
MY HUSBAND is fifty-eight years old and he cannot maintain an erection for longer than five minutes. I do not know what is wrong, and when I asked him, he said he did not know why. I told him straight and plain that he has to fix the problem because I am not going to put up with a man who cannot satisfy me sexually. I know the marriage vow said ‘for better or for worse’, but I didn’t plan for this at all. I want to see which woman would blame me for saying what I said.
“For better or for worse” has no other meaning than what it actually say,s and threatening to ship out if he can’t get it straight up is not the way to go. If your marriage was based on love, then that love would require you to be more understanding and supportive. The problem your husband is experiencing could very well be remedied if the appropriate measures are taken. Seek medical and psychological attention for him and then take things from there. It’s not the time to jump ship because the Captain is `down`.
Bad bargain
George
Leisure
ARIES (Mar. 21‐ April 20) Your lack of attention may have been a factor. Don't overspend on luxury items. Don't cause a scene, but when you get home let your partner know how you feel and why. You may find it difficult to communicate. TAURUS (Apr. 21‐ May 21) You will want to complain about the in justice that is going on. Don't give your heart too readily. Get involved in physical activities that will stimulate you. Don't press your luck with your loved ones. GEMINI (May 22‐June 21) Opportunities for romance are present. You may find that your anger stems from lending or borrowing money. You may find yourself changing plans for some form of entertainment. Use your innovative mind to surprise youngsters. CANCER (June 22‐July 22) Help with your aspirations is likely, and profits could follow. Don't be too eager to dismiss someone who works under you. Be careful; your ideas are good but make sure that you're realistic and start off on solid ground. You can anger others quickly this week. Avoid overspending on items for your home. LEO (July 23‐Aug 22) Calm down and take a step back. You will be full of energy and you need to find something constructive to do. Look into the cost factor, but don't try to get backing yet. Look into ways to make your home more comfortable. VIRGO (Aug. 23 ‐Sept. 23) You may not be as well received in group endeavors if you try to force your will on others. Your magnetic, outgoing personality will capture hearts. You will not be able to contain your emotions this week. You can make major gains if you talk to your boss about your findings. LIBRA (Sept. 24 ‐Oct. 23) You will have a tendency to exaggerate,
which will lead to major confrontations with loved ones. You will be able to make financial gains. Don't blow situations out of proportion. Travel and social activity will bring about interesting talks, not to mention contacts. SCORPIO (Oct. 24 ‐ Nov. 22) Your sensitivity toward those you love will capture their hearts. New methods and innovative technology will make your job far easier than you anticipated. You will be encouraged to get involved in a moneymaking venture. Don't give up what you have until you can be certain just what it is you're getting. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23 ‐Dec. 21) You will be confused about the intentions of someone you work with. Depression may result if you don't get to do things your own way. Enjoy a quiet dinner for two and discuss some of the plans you have for the future. You should sit down with someone you trust and work out a budget that will enable you to save a little extra. CAPRICORN (Dec 22.‐ Jan. 20) You may be frazzled this week. Use your obvious talent to work with detail and you can come up with something great. Voice your opinions and contribute to the de bate. Any financial limitations will probably have to be dealt with on your own. AQUARIUS (Jan. 21.‐ Feb. 19) You will learn easily if you put forth an effort. Visitors may be likely to drop by. Empty promises are evident and deception probable. Don't allow someone to do a job that was designated specifically for you. PISCES (Feb. 20‐Mar. 20) Try to be reasonable. You can bet that someone in a higher position is watching to see how busy you are. Your need to use emotional blackmail will only cause more conflict. Try to understand their point of view.
ACROSS 1.Yodeler’s mountain 4. “Make Mine __” 8. Use a hatchet 12. “No fooling!” 13. Religious picture 14. Clock unit 15. Parisian pal 16. Mason‐Dixon __ 17. Lopsided 18. Airport sight 20. Long period 22. Apiece 23. Romans’ language 26. Concocted 29. Fisherman’s device 30. Dog’s coat 32. Hatchet’s kin 33. Grapefruits’ skins 35. HST’s preceder 36. Building extension 37. Sooner than, in poetry 38. Hooks’ partners 39. Escape 41. School course (abbr.) 43. Gdansk’s
locale (abbr.) 44. Permitted by law 47. Singer Burl 50. __ sax 52. Kitty’s doc 54. Egyptian river 55. Common lunchtime 56. Baby’s sound 57. Horse’s walk 58. Rickles and Knotts 59. Speedy jet (abbr.) DOWN
e.g. 21. Feed bag filler 1.Dentists’ group (abbr.) 24. Questionable 25. Bare 2. Sugar cube 26. “Bye Bye 3. Oprah’s Birdie” doctor mother 4. Author A.A. 27. Wheel 5. Chillier spindle 6. French 28. Farmer’s negative place 7. Prepared for 29. Compass dir. prayer 31. Monopoly’s 8. Monk’s four (abbr.) intonation 9. “__ are you?” 33. Renovate 34. Cork’s 10. Of us country 11. Meddle 19. Chimpanzee, 38. Hen’s product
40. Distraught 41. Sir __ John 42. Display lights 45. Batters’ concerns (abbr.) 46. Durocher and
LAST WEEK’s SOLUTION
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THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 09, 2016. 21.
Tolstoy 47. Verb ending 48. Itinerary word 49. Yale student 51. Brit’s washroom 53. Tyke
22. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 09, 2016. THEâ&#x20AC;&#x2C6;VINCENTIAN
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THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 09, 2016. 23.
RSVG Police: Double Champs in firmsÊ football RSVG POLICE became the first team to win double titles in the Digicel/ Aeropost/ St Vincent Brewery / Breakaway Masters firms’ football tournament. The lawmen, with reinforcement from top brass on the sidelines of the Grammar School Playing Field last Saturday, clutched the league title, to leave National Fisher Folks to settle for the runner-up spot. But it took sudden death kicks from the penalty spot for RSVG Police to add their second piece of silverware. The teams played to a one all draw in regulation time, and two apiece in the first round of five kicks from the penalty spot. In regulation time, Kevin Abraham had netted for RSVG Police, while Kendal Douglas registered National Fisher Folks’ item. Just prior to senior
finals, System Three Team One had a 3-1 win over United Strikers in the league final of the Agriculture Input Warehouse Under-16 division. Shayne Lynch, Zamora Mofford and Jerand Dopwell, scored for the new champions. Jason Parsons recorded United Strikers’ solitary reply.
RSVG Police - Double crowned champions of the Breakaway Masters Firms Football Tournament. National Fisher Folks — 11 goals. Customs and Excise won the Most Disciplined Team award, with SVG Port Authority- Most Improved Team and Massy Storesthe Most Supported team.
Awards
Additional awards
U-16 Division Taking the Most Valuable Player in the U16 division was United Strikers’ Shackeem Greaves, while Layou’s Javed Hunte was the top goal scorer with 15 goals. Adare produced the Most Outstanding Goal keeper — Jallando John. Richmond Hill, one of the debutants in the competition, collected two awards. Five year oldEmmanuel Doyle was the Youngest Participant and Nelisia Cromwell- the
Top Senior Goal scorerDaniel Patrick gets his trophy from Cleve Mc Kenzie of St Vincent Brewery. Female Player of the Competition. Largo Heights was adjudged the Most Disciplined Team.
Receiving the award for the Female Spectator of the Tournament was Top Goal scorer in the UPatrice James, 16 division Javed Hunte, Shackeem Greaves - MVP in with the Errol gets his award from the Under-16 division, Smith being Freddie Adams. accepts his award from adjudged Male Freddie Adams. Spectator of the tournament and Miller (CWSA); Most Senior Division Outstanding Goal keeper - Hot Ice the Best Liming Posse. Nigel Small (Massy Those receiving This was the sixth Stores); Female Player of accolades in this division edition firms’ football the tournament - Kyla were: Player of the Ottley (CK Greaves); Most tournament, organised by Tournament — Jaleen the Breakaway Masters. Goals- Daniel Patrick of
North East Masters: T20 Champions NORTH EAST MASTERS are the 2016 SVG Masters 20/20 Cricket Champions. They took a second hold on the title, their first being in 2014, when they dispensed of debut finalist St.Vincent Cooperative Bank P’tani Masters by 6 wickets, in the final match of the competition, played last Sunday at the Sion Hill Playing Field. After winning the toss and electing to take first turn at the crease, P’tani Masters were held to a less than challenging 119 for 6 in their 20 overs. After a bright start, they struggled in the middle overs to get away the bowling led by some steady overs by the likes of Deighton Butler. Their top scorers were Isaac Haywood with 35 and Jerome Samuel 32. North East, sighting an easy victory once they applied themselves, did just that, and eased to 120 for the loss of 4
wickets, in 17.5 overs. Arnold Gilkes led the runs chase with 31, Hollis John hit 24, Deighton Butler 23 and Winsbert Springer 23 not out. Michael Jack took 2 for 29. Butler, for his steady bowling and 23 runs, was named Man of the Final. In a presentation ceremony that followed the final, champions North East Masters received a trophy, $1,200.00 and Log Enterprises products. Second placed team P’tani collected a Trophy, $800.00 and Log Enterprises products. Among the individuals recognized for their performances throughout the competition were: Jerome ‘Parry’ Samuel of P’tani for the most runs scored — 308 with one century, 106 against Bequia Cricket Association Masters; Joseph Medford of Sion Hill as the highest wicket-taker (18); and Felix Greaves, the
North East Masters – 2016 SVG Masters 20/20 Cricket Champions. and 17 wickets with 2 fivewicket hauls. The Royal SVG Police Force were the defending champions. They made it to the semi-final Mustique Masters captain, Most round of this year’s competition, Valuable Player of the where they fell to eventual 2016 tournament for his 293 runs, champions, North East Masters. including 102 not out against Computec Belfongo Masters, I.B.A.ALLEN
Felix Greaves – Most Valuable Player of the competition.
Jerome Samuel scored the most runs in the competition.
Joseph Medford – leading wicket-taker of the competition.
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24. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 09, 2016. THE VINCENTIAN
Sports
Shallow and Co. get show of confidence
Bascombe took up the First Vice nomination. President’s post, after Elson Crick The posts of Committee opted not to contest. Members were the only ones Bascombe, who previously was which needed the use of the a committee member, was ballots. unopposed in gaining his new In a five-way race, John topped position. the affiliates’ confidence as he Second Vice President — Denis garnered 37 votes, while Byam, Secretary - Samuel Holder, Wilkinson hauled in 33, Butler 26 SVGCA Inc.’s Executive: (standing from left) Cleton Treasurer — Jenry Ollivierre, and and Lynch and Andrew Bramble, Burnett, Miles Bascombe, Roland Wilkinson, Roxell Assistant Secretary — Cleton both tied on 25. John; (seated from left) Jenry Ollivierre, Kishore Burnett, were returned unopposed However, in the run —off, Lynch Shallow, Samantha Lynch, Samuel Holder. Absent from with the unanimous nod of nicked Bramble 20-17, to secure photo are Denis Byam and Deighton Butler. approval from the affiliates. another term as a Committee Committee Member. Members Among the plans and Deighton Butler programmee listed to be pursued and Samantha in the next two-year term of the Lynch were executive are: an increase in prize again voted in, monies for the various VINCENTIAN Junior Squash with the two competitions; a restructuring of player — Mikal Quashie pouched a new faces, the premier division to six teams gold medal in the Boys Under-17 Roxell John and with two rounds of competition; and silver in the Under-19, at the Roland the establishment of a cricket World Junior Circuit Massy Wilkinson, academy as well as an indoor taking up the facility; and the recording of this United Insurance Barbados Open, places of country’s cricket history. last weekend. Bascombe and Last Saturday’s meeting In taking the Under-17 top spot, Romel Currency, adopted the Minutes of the last Quashie had to come from behind who declined AGM, the Executive’s Report and Affiliates taking in last Saturday’s AGM of the to defeat his opponent in the finalfrom the Treasurer’s Report. SVGCA Inc. Chemar Burnham of Barbados. The Barbadian took the first two, 6-11, 3-11, but Quashie regained his composure and roared back to take the other three, 13-11, 11-4, Mikal 11-5, and the age group title. Quashie On his way to the finals showdown with Burham, Quashie had a similar encounter with another Barbadian, Darrien Benn, in the semi-final. Down two matches (12THE BETHEL HIGH SCHOOL auditorium was the 14, 7-11), Quashie repelled whatever Benn had venue of the second quarterly regional Junior to offer thereafter, and went on to win the next Taekwondo tournament last Saturday. three matches, 11-4, 11-9, 11-9, and a berth in Hosted by the Yom Chi TaeKwondo club and the final. attracting representation from Barbados, St Lucia Quashie could not repeat his Under-17 feat in and host SVG, a total of the Under-19 category. He raced into the finals 61 competitors fought in of that category, but went under 3-11, 11-4, 5-11, the 12 categories of the 5-11 to Zachary Proverbs-Harris of Barbados, and tournament. had to settle for the silver. St Vincent and the Quashie is ranked 76th on the World Junior Grenadines team which Rankings, which were released last month by the numbered 41, secured World Squash Federation. 25 medals (5 gold, 10 silver and 10 bronze). Taking the gold medals for the host were Neo Williams, Shakeys Fredericks, Lagnarda Soso, Nal Straker and Delrine Gaymes. Williams took the Boys 6 to 8 age group, while Fredericks was the winner in the Girls 10 to 112 age group. Neo Williams (left) taking on Josh Taylor of Soso topped the Girls Barbados in the Boys 6 to 8 category. 13 to 15; Straker- the competitors gained 13 Boys 17 to 18 bracket, medals in total. Along and Gaymes won the with the six gold, they Females 20 and over. pouched 2 silver and The five Vincentian gold medallists were all 5 bronze. St Lucia with a presented with trophies. But it was Barbados, lone competitor in the Male 20 and over, who won six of the age categories, hence getting won that category. The next six gold medals and six tournament is slated trophies. for St Lucia in April Delrine Gaymes poses The Barbadian 192017. with her 20 and Over member contingent of Female trophy. ALL MEMBERS of the outgoing executive of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Cricket Association Inc. who stood for re- election, were returned to their respective offices when the Association held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) last Saturday. at the President’s Suite of the Arnos Vale Playing Field. Kishore Shallow was returned unopposed as president, while Miles
Mikal Quashie takes squash gold and silver
SVG hosts regional Junior Taekwondo tournament
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THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 09, 2016. 25.
Sports
Saturated
HEAVY RAINS have taken a toll on the mountainous terrain marking the Vincentian landscape, even though that topography will have had its own way of minimising the impact. Loss of and damage to property mount as the water settles on a period of intense activity. The bad news is that the downpours are forecast to resurface, and given the nature of these factors, there can be no precise information as regards the direction they take. An era of uncertainty has overtaken our environment. We have a duty to fulfil our end of the bargain and keep our environment as conducive as ever to human existence. There are some measures that we must take, and those include showing more appreciation to our surroundings. Nothing remains hidden, even if it is swept under the rug. Sometime, that rug is going to be removed and everything will be exposed. It is the same thing with dumping debris over bank sides, in gutters, secluded spots and in cases all too common, anywhere along the road side. When it rains, the effect of our actions are laid bare for us. We see a reflection of our action in the rivers, streams, beaches, and coast line. Playing fields remain at the mercy of the weather patterns. The open space makes them susceptible to water logging, especially if attention is not given to proper drainage system. There is the tendency of abuse of those facilities with the absence of overall supervision. Mankind have to pay respects not just to the laws of the games, but to the laws of nature. This includes paying attention to land usage. One can’t take it for granted that it is ok to build on a dry piece of land because it may be nearby or convenient. A river bed is a river and can throw up the worst type of raging waters even though it might not have occurred in one thousand years. We are quick to talk about climate change. That is inevitable. Nothing remains the same, far more the weather. In spite of the nuances about the weather, we will never be able to predict it. We might be able to make some reasonable deductions, but accuracy will always be under scrutiny. By the time we get used to a certain routine, we may be surprised by the sudden turn of events. The changing pattern has forced us to take different approaches. It cannot be normal operations. The impact is there for all to see. Sadly, facilities are not areas of priority when it comes to reconstruction caused by natural disasters. The case of the Petit Bordel Playing Field is an example. Repairs to that field are still forthcoming three years after the 2013 Christmas Day floods. Walls bordering the Petit Bordel Secondary School are yet to be replaced, and another collapse to the western end of the ground nears hazardous proportions. Given that the pavilion provides some form of enhancement, the fact that the washroom is yet to be complete comes as a ridicule to the athletes who use that area. The scant regard given to the Petit Bordel Playing Field was tolerated in the context that improvements were on the cards at Cumberland. That area, beautiful, ecstatic and idyllic, continues as an ornament. Cumberland suffered years of neglect until it fell victim to natural elements. When rewards and benefits are to be made, they ought to be done with speed, so that they appear worthwhile and meaningful.
Police revel in double victory
THE ROYAL ST.VINCENT and the Grenadines Police Force (RSVGPF) football team has been crowned the 2016 Breakaway Masters Firms Tournament champions. The Police team wrapped up an almost perfect season at the Grammar School Playing Field on Saturday, December 3rd, 2016, when they defeated the Fisheries Department’s team 3-2, on penalties. (Sitting) Commissioner of Police (Acting) Renold Hadaway, (3rd from right), At the end of Assistant Superintendent of Police Benzil Samuel (left), Assistant regulation time, the Commissioner of Police Frankie Joseph (2nd from left), Deputy Commissioner hotly contested game of Police Colin John (3rd from left); and Assistant Commissioners of Police was tied 1-1, but the Christopher Benjamin and Carlos Sampson (left and 2nd from left respectively), share a proud moment with members of the SVG Masters Football team. Police, determined to take home the crown, and experience to keep the team sent the crowd into a frenzy when end of regulation time. together, and for helping to drive The loan female police officer they won on penalties. them to success. on the team, Police Constable 30 Assistant Superintendent of Charles used the opportunity to Police, Benzil Samuel, the team’s Carla Burgin, was applauded by manager, said he was elated with the Police team’s management for thank all the fans for their support. “Our performance was her sterling contribution the victory, because the team outstanding, thanks to the fans,” throughout the tournament. started the tournament without Inspector Hanif Simon, Leading said Charles. having the opportunity to Some 24 companies from across Seaman Gordon Charles, Cpl practise. St.Vincent and the Grenadines Quow, and captain of the team “This is an indication that we took part in the tournament. Police Constable 790 Kemuel have guys who are capable of Miller also came in for high (Submitted by the RSVG Police making the national team of praises for using their knowledge Force) St.Vincent and the Grenadines. ...I am sure if we train seriously, we have guys that can be selected nationally for training,” said Samuel, adding, “I am very proud of the guys.” Samuel commended the team’s coach, Sergeant 315 Meldon James, for his contribution towards the team’s victory. James said the team played extremely well. James reminded that in addition to clinching this championship and knockout segment of the tournament, the Police team placed second in the Barrouallie football competition, missing out on the title to Layou, who defeated them 2 nil. Corporal Casanki Quow, who assisted in captaining the team, said there are a lot of capable footballers on the team. “From the previous games we played, we improved drastically. The guys got fitter, and their skills developed as well as improved considerably.” As far as the Knockout segment of the Masters competition was concerned, the RSVGPF claimed that title when they beat Central Water and Sewerage Authority team before defeating them 4-3 on penalties, after a 1-1 score at the
26. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 09, 2016. THEâ&#x20AC;&#x2C6;VINCENTIAN
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THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 09, 2016. 27.
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Age: 84 Years Kingstown Methodist Church Wednesday 7th December, 2016 2:00 p.m.
Gomea Methodist Church Wednesday 7th December, 2016 2:00 p.m. MRS. DOREEN AUGUSTA PETERS ³'RHGRH´ Bible Missionary Church Saturday 3rd December, 2016 Viewing: 12-1 p.m. Tributes 1-1:30 p.m.
Faith Temple Church Wednesday 7th December, 2016 2:30 p.m.
EGBERT DAVIS WOODS
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Choppins S.D. Adventist Sunday 4th December, 2016 2:00 p.m.
Bethel Gospel Assembly Georgetown Saturday 3rd December, 2016 2:30 p.m.
The National Newspaper of St. Vincent and the Grenadines
F O R S A L E
FRIDAY,
DECEMBER 09, 2016
VOLUME 110, No.48
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FATHER PLEADS FOR SUPPORT eye witnesses had informed him that his son was struck, then dragged by A LITTLE OVER the truck after it failed to stop, this TWO weeks have even after the driver was instructed to passed since 9do so by the traffic officer on the scene. year-old Israel “I questioned my son,” James said, Cumberbatch and his son assured him that the and 11-year-old police assigned to the crossing had Alpha James stopped the traffic and then given him were both struck and the other student the go ahead to by a truck, cross. registration No. Both boys waited a while, and then TL258, in the as they proceeded to make their way vicinity of the across, they were struck by the pedestrian oncoming truck. crossing located James said that was the story that at Mahogany his son related to him following the Square, Michael Mannincident, and when he sought out the Richmond Hill. James of Glen is in officer who was on duty at the time Yet, search of answers and witnessed what occurred, in order according to the to an incident in to get answers, he was told that the father of Alpha which is 11-year-old officer was not at work. James, Michael son was hit by a And even given all that he and his Mann-James, truck. son have had to endure since the neither the incident, James said that he remains driver - Adolph Stephens or owner optimistic that the driver, and or Eddison James has stepped forward to owner, would come forward. offer any form of explanation for what To date, James said that he has transpired back on November 24, and spent EC$900, and this figure was far less support for the young man and expected to increase as his son his particular needs occasioned by the remains a patient at the Milton Cato incident. Memorial Hospital. According to the man, his son He further explained that he is the sustained broken ribs, a damaged sole breadwinner for the house and pelvis and fractured left leg, among that his income is barely able to make other severe injuries, and he (Michael) ends meet, now that he has the has had to spend, and continues to additional, unexpected duty of taking spend the little that he makes to care of his son’s medical expenses. ensure that his son receives the best And while he admits that Alpha is care on his way to recovery. showing encouraging signs of recovery He told THE VINCENTIAN that and is in good spirits, he said that he by DAYLE DA SILVA
hopes that the boy does not require further medical attention overseas. He said that he is aware of who the concerned (driver and owner) individuals are, but believes that he ought not to be the one approaching them. Instead, he said, the correct thing would be for them to reach out to him. “I just want them to do the right thing,” James said. Up to press time on Wednesday, investigations into the incident were still ongoing, and it remained
unknown if any charges would be brought against either the driver or owner of the vehicle. The intersection at Mahogany Square, Richmond Hill, is perhaps the busiest intersection in capital Kingstown between the hours of 3:00pm and 6:00pm on an given day of the school week. It is, during those days and hours, usually overflowing with commuters, both students and workers, not to mention the constant vehicular traffic going into and out of Kingstown.
Alpha James, on his hospital bed, shows a happy countenance as he is cuddled by a family member.
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