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FRIDAY,

MAY 18, 2018

VOLUME 112, No.20

www.thevincentian.com

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WILL SHOOTING SPREE SUSPECTS WALK FREE?

by HAYDN HUGGINS

TODAY (FRIDAY) is the final date set for the commencement of a Preliminary Inquiry (PI) into the October 14, 2017 shooting spree at Diamond.

Alaskie ‘Beaver’ Samuel, 30, of Redemption Sharpes, and Obandele Neverson, 43, of Murray’s Village, have been on remand since October 2017, charged in connection with the incident, which had left one man dead and several others injured.

The two are charged jointly with the murder of Gregory ‘Pecker’ Abraham, also known as ‘Woody’, as well as the attempted murders of Kenneth ‘Bullo’ Barzie, Venus Thomas, Kerwin John, Karime Benjamin, Karime Benjamin, Kamani Richards, Fitzroy Iris,

Oslin Thomas and Andrew Layne, all of Diamond.

They are also accused of attempted to murder Ricardo ‘Shrek’ McFee of Villa and Michael Richards of Choppins.

When the matter was called on April 23, 2018 at the Serious Offences Court, Chief Magistrate Rechanne Browne had given Tuesday, May 14 as the final adjournment date for the Preliminary Inquiry.

Senior Prosecutor Adolphus Delpleche had informed the Court then, that the case file had gone to the Deputy Commissioner of Police on April 13 and was en route to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

However, when the men returned to Court on Tuesday, the Senior Prosecutor indicated that Attorney Kay

Bacchus-Baptiste, representing Samuel, was engaged in a High Court matter, and requested an adjournment.

Based on this, Delpleche indicated that he did not come prepared for the matter. He also revealed that there was a witness to be brought from Her Majestry’s Prison.

Attorney Ashelle Morgan, representing Neverson, told the Court that the matter was listed for a final adjournment, and her client, “has been languishing without onlyreal evidence.”

At this point, Samuel requested permission to address the Court. His request was approved and he proceeded to say, “The main witness in this case is in prison saying the police force

Left: Alaskie Samuel

will or will not happen when the matter is called today.

Reports are that shortly him to say this and say that. I after 9 p.m. on October 14, went to Grenada, I came back 2017, masked gunmen to St. Vincent and heard I was alighted an unmarked white wanted. I never wanted”.

Toyota Sprinter and opened Samuel added that he was fire into the ‘Road Side Bar’ at sleeping on the Diamond, wounding several ground in prison. persons. Some persons “St. Vincent escaped unhurt. don’t have no Recardo ‘Shrek’ McFee, the justice,” he main witness in the case, had declared, but the POLICE OFFICIALS HAVE The report states that the told the Serious Offences Chief Magistrate INDICATED that all efforts are wanted man is a farmer, 5 feet 3 Court, while appearing in being made to locate 33-year-old inches in height, and is of light informed him that another matter, October 23, Simeon ‘Gabo’ Francois. brown complexion. if that was so, she last year, that the attackers He has a scar on his left eye This according to head of the would not have a had come to kill him. He was and tattoos about his body.

Criminal Investigations job. one of the persons in the shop The 33-year-old is considered Department (CID) Assistant Speculation when the incident occurred. armed and is to be approached Superintendent of Police (ASP) abounds as to what with caution.

Hezron Ballantyne.

It had been reported Francois is wanted by police for in the media that the questioning, as part of their girl had gone to a shop investigations into the report of an abduction and attempted rape close to her home, and relatives became of a 10-year-old girl, which concerned after she did occurred in Petit Bordel, North not return.

Leeward, last week Wednesday.

A search mounted by But up to Wednesday this villagers, discovered the week, an arrest was yet to be girl sometime around 9 made. p.m in a remote area of Police have issued a wanted Petit Bordel. (DD) bulletin for Francois, also a resident of Petit Bordel.

NO ARREST – POLICE ON A MAN HUNT

Simeon Francois – wanted by the police.

Obandele Neverson

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2. FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018. THE VINCENTIAN

News Basketball skills being displayed on the poles.

Ruddy’s Electrical was first in the Cut Out and Basketball tests.

Linesmen test their skills in CARILEC Rodeo LINESMEN from across the region, who were part of the 2018 Caribbean Electric Utility Services Corporation (CARILEC) Symposium held here last week, culminated their stay with a Rodeo on Saturday.

The Rodeo, staged at the St Vincent Electricity Services Limited (VINLEC) training facility at Diamond, was an opportunity for linesmen to put their skills to the tests in various areas of their work.

When the points were tallied, it was DOMLEC, The Dominica Electrical Services Limited, that won the Overall Experienced category, compiling 594 points, ahead of St. Lucia’s LUCELEC — 568 and VINLEC- 546.

Among DOMLEC’s triumphs were first places in the Basketball, Earth Installation and Fuse Cut Out. LUCELEC, The St Lucia Electrical Services Limited, was the overall winner in the Apprentice bracket, tallying 562 points.

Part of LUCELEC wins was their capture of the Speed Climbing and the Hurtman Rescue categories.

Ruddy’s Electrical of St Vincent and the Grenadines was second on 538 points and third was VINLEC- 486 points.

VINLEC trumped the mystery events in both the Experienced and Apprentice categories.

Other Electric Corporations participating were those from Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, and Montserrat. A private service provider, aWilliams and Company of St Lucia, was also involved.

The week of activities, which included a symposium, was held under the theme: ‘Celebrating Caribbean Linesman’.

The Symposium and Rodeo formed part of the utility companies’ preparedness thrust for the 2018 Hurricane season.

Overall Apprentice winners- LUCELEC

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THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018. 3.

News 3 Defence lawyer condemns sex crimes

Attorney Kay BacchusBaptiste defending her stance against sex crimes, even as she offered her professional service in defense of an ex-cop who was charged with sexual offences involving a minor.

by HAYDN HUGGINS precincts, to condemn offences of a sexual KAY BACCHUSnature, committed BAPTISTE, the lawyer against the nation’s who represented the women and children. police officer who Bacchus-Baptiste, also was freed on three an opposition senator, sex charges last has been criticised in Tuesday, joined some circles for picketers during the representing the former Jury’s deliberation, police officer, who was to protest the spate charged with incest, of sex crimes here. unlawful sexual The picket, said intercourse with a girl to be the brainchild under the age of 13, and of social and indecent assault, political activist allegedly committed Dave Roberts, and against his daughter. supported by But Bacchus-Baptiste members of the told THE VINCENTIAN, Opposition New “I am against any sort of Democratic Party sexual offence and (NDP) leadership, immorality, and my was staged just in record is there to show front the yard of that. I stood on the the High Court picket line, during the

Jury’s deliberations, to show my solidarity with the protesters, who were protesting sexual abuse and immorality.”

The lawyer, however, pointed out that, “not everybody who is charged is guilty. A person becomes guilty when the court or jury says so. Accused persons, according to the constitution, are entitled to a lawyer of their choice, and everybody has the right to the best defence. If that does not happen, the society will break down and we would go back to the barbaric days.”

Bacchus-Baptiste contended that she had a history of fighting for the underdogs, and that she

Ex-cop freed of rape, incest the incest and rape between December, 31, A FORMER POLICE 2007 and January 31, OFFICER who was 2013, and the indecent extradited from the assault in January 2013.

United States about two He was said to be a years ago to face charges constable attached to the in connection with the Special Services Unit alleged rape and (SSU) when the offences indecent assault of his were allegedly daughter, walked free committed, and the child from the High Court on was said to be eight Tuesday, following a when the story surfaced seven-day trial. in 2013.

The man was The trial, which acquitted after a ninestarted before Justice member jury, comprised Brian Cottle at the of five females and four Criminal Assizes, May 7, males, found him not was heard in camera, guilty of incest, unlawful and the media was not sexual intercourse with a allowed to cover the girl under the age of 13, proceedings. However, and indecent assault. journalists were allowed The jury retired at in Court when the 12:30 p.m. and returned verdicts were delivered at 4:22 p.m. with an on Tuesday. eight to one majority on When contacted, all counts. minutes after the former The former cop was cop was acquitted, Crown accused of committing Counsel Karim Nelson,

by HAYDN HUGGINS

who led the case for the Prosecution, told THE VINCENTIAN, “Such is the nature of the system that we have. The police have done their part and we (prosecution) have done our part.”

He made no further comment.

Attorney Kay Bacchus-Baptiste, who represented the accused, told THE VINCENTIAN on Wednesday she was satisfied that the jury returned a true verdict on all counts, in keeping with the oath they took.

She noted that the prosecution had dropped two additional charges of incest and unlawful sexual intercourse and had amended the others in relation to dates and addresses.

“The prosecution’s case defied logic, and was riddled with grave

inconsistencies,” the lawyer said.

According to her, none of the evidence that the alleged victim gave in court was said at Preliminary Inquiry (PI), in witness statements, or by her mother, doctors or social workers; it was completely new evidence.

Ten witnesses testified for the prosecution at the trial. The accused gave evidence from the dock but called no witnesses.

fought for the rights of victims, as well as accused, in several cases.

She said that if the former officer was unrepresented, or had a less experienced lawyer, he might have had to spend the next 25 years

in jail.

“It shows that in this case, the justice system worked,” the lawyer contended, and expressed the view that those who are criticizing her for representing the former officer, “have a vicious political agenda.

Woman died from heart failure POLICE HERE HAVE CONFIRMED that Jetonnia Stephens, the woman whose body was discovered by her husband early last week Thursday, died as a result of a condition known as Cardiac Arrythmia.

According to Police, that was the cause of death stated, following the post mortem which was performed on Monday, May 10.

Cardiac Arrythmia is a condition where the heart has an irregular heartbeat; it may beat too fast or too slow.

The 32-year-old former resident of Keartons, Barrouallie was discovered by her husband, Paul Stephens just before 6 am, on May 10.

She was discovered lying on her back in the living room of the house in which the couple and their 4-month-old daughter resided.

It was reported that there were no visible marks on the deceased woman’s body, but the police had indicated earlier that Stephens’ death was being treated as a homicide. (DD) The postmortem performed on the body of Jetonnia Stephens (pictured) put spend to the speculation that she had been murdered.

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4. FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018. THE VINCENTIAN

Politics

Activist brings out NDP leadership High Court yard, last Tuesday.

MEMBERS of the According to opposition New Opposition Leader and Democratic Party’s (NDP) NDP president Dr. leadership were among Godwin Friday, “Dave those who responded to a Roberts is a very call from well-known social important citizen, and he and political activist, Dave has encouraged people to Roberts, to protest the come out and stand up spate of sex crimes here. against sexual violence, The group of about and we have to support eleven (11) protesters him on this.” staged the picket Dr. Friday described adjacent to the Back the crimes committed Street entrance of the against women and

by HAYDN HUGGINS

children as a national disgrace, and a very serious matter which needs to be addressed with urgency.

“It would certainly be addressed when we take office, but we hope that it would be addressed sooner, that’s why we here,” he told THE VINCENTIAN from the picket line.

NDP Vice-President and Parliamentary Representative for Central Kingstown St. Clair Leacock told THE

Among those who joined the picket line were (from right) Opposition Leader Dr. Godwin Friday, NDP General Secretary Tyrone James and NDP caretaker for Central Leeward Benjamin Exeter.

VINCENTIAN, “I am here in the most personal and private of capacities to express my strong objection to the rape culture in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

“I have daughters and six grand-daughters, so I am even more sensitive to the violence. I am calling on us men to lead from the front, and to lead by example, to save the future of our country by respecting our women and children.”

Roberts, a regular caller to local interactive radio programmes, said

Dave Roberts, who called for the protest, being interviewed by THE VINCENTIAN’S Haydn Huggins (back to camera).

he used that medium to call on the nation’s men to protest the rape of women and children, and a number of persons responded to his call.

He said the initiative was sparked by a news report last week that another child was allegedly raped here.

He said he also called Ralph Gonsalves and the opposition leader to on Prime Minister Dr. make “a profound statement “on the issue.

“I am really disturbed with what is happening to our women and children,” Roberts said.

Among the other persons on the picket line were NDP 2015 General Election candidate for the Central Leeward constituency Benjamin ‘Ben’ Exeter, opposition senators Kay BacchusBaptiste and Shirlan Barnwell, NDP General Secretary Tyrone James, talk show host Bert Francois, political activist Robert ‘Patches’ Knights, and elder statesman and lawyer House Speaker Jomo Thomas (foreground) exchanged niceties Bayliss Frederick. with Lawyer Bayliss Frederick who had joined the picket.

Dr. Friday clears the air on his citizenship “I WAS BORN here in St. Vincent and the Grenadines… My navel string buried in Bequia…. I grew up in Bequia… .”

These assertions were part of a seemingly well-crafted response by Dr. Godwin Friday, Leader of the Opposition, to those who have claimed that his Canadian citizenship debars him from being a Member of

Parliament in St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG).

He made them during his weekly radio programme carried on Nice Radio last Monday.

The Bequia-born Friday emphasised, “So this is my home. My first allegiance is to St. Vincent and the Grenadines. If you wanted any proof, I came home when I was asked

to serve my country. I came because my first allegiance is to St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the place of my birth.”

But moreover, Dr. Friday dealt with the issue in accordance with the Constitution of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

He stated unequivocally that his Canadian citizenship does not bar him from being a Member of Parliament in St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG. Instead, he said, it makes him “doubly qualified” to do so. “… the thing that qualifies you to be a Member of Parliament is Section 25 of the Constitution [of St. Vincent and the Grenadines] – and it says …that you must be a Commonwealth citizen of the age of 21. I am a Commonwealth citizen twice over, if anything. I am twice qualified,” Dr. Friday said.

Turning to voting in elections, the Opposition leader, a practising lawyer, reasoned that the Vincentian Constitution recognises one citizenship, “Commonwealth citizenship,” …, that “it is not a question of dual citizenship [but] Commonwealth citizenship.”

He further reasoned, “I am a Commonwealth citizen because I am a citizen of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, having been born here.

I’m a Commonwealth citizen because I am a citizen of Canada.”

With respect to the issue of pledging allegiance, with some persons advancing the view that in order Dr. Godwin Friday, to become a Leader of the citizen of Canada Opposition, chose that he had to to deal directly swear allegiance with the issue of to that country, his citizenship, Dr Friday which he dispensed with described as a this as being distraction. frivolous and unfounded, with the argument that the pledge of allegiance he took in Canada was to Queen Elizabeth II, the same person to whom Vincentian parliamentarians have been pledging allegiance. Queen Elizabeth 11 is Head of State of both Canada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

“I swear allegiance, whether you like it or not, to the same person: to her Majesty The Queen,” he said.

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THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018. 5.

Regional

Embattled Antiguan Minister of GovÊt resigns

Asot Michael even in the faceof telephonic evidence, has denied he asked for or took bribes. (Photo Credit: St. Lucia Star) ASOT MICHAEL, an elected Member of Parliament in Antigua and Barbuda, who has been fingered in an ongoing bribery case in the U.K., involving property tycoon Peter Singh Virdee, has resigned as Minister of Investment and Trade from the Gaston Browne-led Labour Party government In a letter dated May 15 addressed to Prime Minister Browne, Michael advised that he was resigning with effect from May 17, 2018.

The Antigua Observer newspaper of Tuesday

16th May, said that The Prime Minister had confirmed that he had written to the Governor General, Sir Rodney Williams, telling him he has accepted Michael’s resignation.

Michael’s journey to this eventuality began October 27, 2017 when he was taken into custody by U.K. law officials, just about when he was about to leave the U.K. by air, for Antigua.

He was released after a day in custody without charge, but with the expressed knowledge that the investigation involving Virdee, in which he was implicated, would continue.

On his return to Antigua, Michael was dismissed as Minister of Energy and Tourism, but despite this and the ongoing investigation involving Virdee hanging over his head, he was reelected to Parliament in March this year and subsequently reappointed to the Cabinet.

The matter implicating Michael surfaced last week in the U.K. Courts as Virdee made an appearance to answer to charges accusing him of bribing high-ranking

Caribbean politicians.

The state presented into evidence, transcripts of secretly taped telephone calls purportedly involving Virdee and Michael, while he was Minister of Energy in 2016, during which he demanded money, a car and campaign financing from Virdee.

However, Michael has from the time the story broke in October 2017, denied the allegations made against him.

His most recent denial came in his resignation letter to PM Browne, in which he wrote: “I emphasize that I am not a party to the Court proceedings in the United Kingdom which have been reported in the media, nor have I been charged with any wrong doing. The media reports refer to recordings of conversations between persons other than myself, and I cannot be held responsible for their utterances.”

He added, “I will continue to work assiduously in the interest of the people of my constituency, and to do all in my power to counter and disprove allegations made against me. I am determined that the

Peter Singh Virdee, property tycoon and known donor of the Conservative (Tory) Party of the U.K. and embroiled in £43million fraud allegations, is now accused of bribing highranking Caribbean politicians. (Photo Credit: Daily Mirror) calumnies against me shall not stand.”

In the meantime, attention is mounting for an even more damning allegation made in the transcripts of the tapes presented as evidence against Virdee. Those tapes purport to have recorded conversations of a similar nature (i.e. bribery) involving the then (2016) Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis.

(Source: Mail Online (U.K.), Antigua Observer, Caribbean New Service)

Suspended COP takes action EMBATTLED COMMISSIONER OF POLICE of Antigua and Barbuda, SVG-born Wendel Robinson, has filed a challenge against the actions of the Police Service Commission (PSC), which had suspended him to make way for a probe into his alleged inappropriate conduct towards three male junior officers.

Robinson took the route of filing a “without notice application” after he was granted leave, on May 10, to file for judicial review.

A simultaneous application for the case to be treated as urgent was also granted, with May 18 being the date for formal filing of the application for judicial review, and June 6 set as the first day of hearing.

There has been some ‘goings and comings’ in the matter since the April 5 suspension of Robinson on 50 percent of his salary, to remain in effect until the outcome of the probe into alleged sexual harassment of several of his colleagues who complained to the Commission last month.

The PSC acted when it received complaints in writing from three junior ranking male officers.

Robinson, through his lawyer Sir Richard Cheltenham, argued from the day of receiving the suspension notice, that the actions of the Commission were unlawful, and on April 13, he wrote to the body, threatening legal action if the suspension was not lifted on or before April 20.

April 20 passed without any formal/official indication of legal action by Robinson, until late last week when Robinson’s new course of action (above) came to the fore.

Robinson has been serving as Antigua and Barbuda’s Commissioner of Police since 2015.

He is a lawyer and an experienced prosecutor.

But it seems he has fallen fowl of his colleagues and the Antigua public, with many citizens making use of the media — radio programmes, newspaper opinion columns, social media - to castigate Robinson, leaving many to conclude that even if he wins in the court, he

Wendel Robinson’s tenure as Commissioner of Police, according to reports, has not been without constant innuendo about his personal life. (Photo credit: antiguanewsroom) has already lost in the court of public opinion.

There has been no indication from the PSC about who will conduct the probe into the allegations against Robinson.

(Source: Antigua Observer)

Rastafarians to get apology THE LEGISLATION ALLOWING FOR THE POSSESSION of 15 grams of cannabis for personal use and allows each household to grow four plants in order to take the criminal element out of cannabis production in Antigua and Barbuda, was viewed as being particularly focused on reaching out to the Rastafarian community in that country.

Whther that is so or Ambassador Ron not, the Government of Antigua and Barbuda Sanders will deliver continues to demonstrate the official apology on that it is serious about behalf of the improving relations with government and the Rastafarian people of Antigua and Community in that Barbuda. (Photo country.

Credit: You Tube) Indication has come that Antigua and Barbuda will make a formal apology before the Organisation of American States (OAS) on Monday, for the discrimination against the Rastafarian community.

Rastafarians have until recently, been the subject of much abuse and imprisonment as a result of their use of marijuana, which they consider a sacred herb.

Ambassador Franklyn They have also been Francis – King Frank I denied certain services – long standing and privileges because of advocate on behalf of their general life Rastafarians across practices. the Caribbean, will Now, in an effort to create history when make a public, open he addressed the confession of these council of the OAS. transgressions, Ambassador to the United (Photo Credit: Antigua observer) States and the OAS, Sir Ronald Sanders was set to address the permanent council of the OAS last on Monday, to apologise to the Rastafarian community for decades of discrimination against them.

A statement from the Government said, Ambassador Sanders “..will also inform the council of other measures that the government has taken or intends to take to enhance the rights of Rastafarians who are a minority group in Antigua and Barbuda.”

The statement added, the apology “is in keeping with the Inter-American Democratic Charter of the OAS, which requires the elimination of all forms of discrimination and intolerance, as well as respect for cultural and religious diversity in the Americas, including the Caribbean.”

Ambassador Sanders was expected to be joined on Monday by Ambassador Franklyn ‘King Frank I’ Francis, a leading member of the Rastafari community, to also address the OAS Permanent Council on the actions of the Antigua and Barbuda government.

“When Ambassador Francis – King Frank I – speaks at the OAS council meeting, it will be an historic first for the Rastafarian community”, Sanders said, adding: “To my knowledge, no other Rastafarian has spoken to an international intergovernmental organisation before. “We are making history,” Sanders said. (Source: CMC)

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6. FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018. THE VINCENTIAN

News

New visitor tax not sitting well with hoteliers

Camillo Gonsalves, Minister of Finance, it appears, did not attach much credibility to the concerns raised by the SVG-THA, with respect to the new tax.

THE CLIMATE RESILIENCE LEVY BILL that was passed into law during the May 4, 2018 sitting of Parliament, and which is set to become effective by June 01, is not sitting well with the SVG

Tourism and Hotel Association (SVG -THA).

The Bill obligates transient (overnight) visitors to pay a US$3.00/EC$8.00 tax per night, per room occupied for not more than 30 days.

Government advanced the Climate Resilience Levy Bill as a tax measure, a stream of financing for the Contingency Fund.

The Contingency Fund was established in 2015 by Government, as a source that would provide the means to respond more readily in times of disasters which inflict damages to the physical infrastructure, to the environment generally and to other climate change related occurrences.

The Fund was originally captialised and continues to be funded — from a 1% increase on the rate of the VAT, increasing that rate from

15% to 16%.

Tourism Association registers concern The information is that the SVG-THA as early as February of this year, wrote to the Minister of Finance registering its members’ concerns about the proposed Bill, which had been introduced to the SVGTA during the Budget Consultations in preparation for the 2018 Budget.

As it stands, the expressions of concerns by the SVG- THA fell on deaf ears, and government, having made one adjustment in the Bill (a 30-day maximum as against an originally proposed 45-day), proceeded to table the Bill, and ensure its passage through Parliament in the face of strong objection by the Opposition.

The letter of February,

among other things, raised concerns about a new tax on an industry that was struggling to achieve 50% occupancy — on an industry that had recorded a lower occupancy rate in 2017 than it did in 2016.

In fact, the SVG- THA went as far as to impress upon the government that this tax on visitors was likely to impact negatively on SVG as a preferred destination, and warned that SVG could make itself

even more uncompetitive.

During Parliament’s debate on the Climate Resilience Levy Bill , Opposition Senator Kay Bacchus-Baptiste described it as an exercise of “climate change prostitution”.

Two days for CPEA TODAY FRIDAY 18TH May marks the second day of the final component of the 2018 Caribbean Primary Exit Assessment (CPEA).

Some 1,846 Grade Six students (940 females and 906 males) from across the state were registered to write the examination which began on Thursday 17.

Education officials said that the students were spread across seventeen examination centres.

The students are tested in four subject areas, using the multiple-choice papers format. Thursday was assigned to Mathematics and Social Studies, and Friday Language Arts and

Students writing the 2018 CPEA will do so over two days for the first time.

Science.

This is the first time that students are being assessed in Social Studies as part of the final component, which accounts for 60 per cent of a student’s final score.

Results, according to education officials, are expected to be published in June, following which the placement exercise into secondary schools will commence.

‘PSU SPEAKS’ returns THE INTERACTIVE RADIO PROGRAMME ‘PSU SPEAKS’, which was removed from the programme schedule of the National Broadcating Corporation in February this year, is set to make a return to the radio waves.

A press release from the Public Service Union, (PSU) hosts of the programme, said that it

will recommence Wednesday 23rd May, 2018, starting at 8:oo pm on Magic FM 103,7 FM, formerly knowns as Hitz FM. ‘PSU SPEAKS’ is described as ‘a live and interactive bi-weekly 90minute radio programme that addresses a wide range of topics, including pensions, collective

bargaining, decent work, promotions and appointments and occupational safety and health’.

Its on air hosts are the Union’s President Elroy Boucher, Grievance Officer Kenson King and Public Relations Officer Javelle Frank.

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THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018. 7.

Diaspora

Vincentian judge gets Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes an outstanding individual who has dedicated herself to law and policy before courts, agencies, US Congress, State Legislatures or other institutions,” BWBA said.

“Justice Ash is receiving this award in recognition for her commitment to law and policy spanning over 30 years,” it added.

Justice Ash was the fifth recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award in the 100-yearhistory of the association.

The award was presented to Justice Ash by her long-time friend and colleague, Justice Sylvia Hinds-Radix, the Barbadian-born Associate Justice of New York State Appellate Division, Second Department.

“I was very humbled to be the recipient of this award, especially coming from such a wellestablished and revered organization as the BWBA,” Justice Ash told THE VINCENTIAN on Thursday.

“I am not sure if I am deserving of a Lifetime Achievement Award, given the fact that I believe my legal career is still a work in progress,” she added. “Nonetheless, I must give thanks to all Justice Ash gives acceptance speech. whose shoulders I have stood on, those who have

by Nelson A. King at the Liberty Warehouse paved the way, cleared naking@verizon.net; in Red Hook, Brooklyn. the path and kingnaking210@yahoo.com The other honorees accompanied me on my US CORRESPONDENT were: Jenny Rivera, legal career journey. associate judge of the “I will continue to THE BROOKLYN WOMEN’S New York Court of dedicate my legal career Bar Association (BWBA), Appeals, New York’s to ensure that everyone the oldest incorporated highest court, who Women’s Bar Association received the Beatrice M. who comes before the court seeking justice is in New York State, last Judge Recognition given the opportunity to Wednesday bestowed its Award; and Attorney be heard and is treated Lifetime Achievement Helen E. Blank, who equally with Award on a Vincentian received the Sybil Hart compassion,” Justice Ash judge in Brooklyn.

Cooper Award. continued.

Justice Sylvia BWBA said it honored Justice Ash is a Gwendolyn Ash — whose Justice Ash, a justice of graduate of Howard father is the late the Supreme Court of the University School of Law Rudolph “Fire” Ash, of State of New York and in Washington, DC. Kingstown Hill, and the presiding justice of After 20 years of legal niece of Kenneth Ash, the Commercial Division service in the private the late pioneer of Vincy in Kings County community, in 2010, she Christmas Lighting at Supreme Court, for over Lowman’s Hill — received 30 years of service in the was elected to Kings County Civil Court, the the award during legal community. first Caribbean-born BWBA’s Centennial “BWBA’s Lifetime woman to be so elected in Awards Gala Celebration Achievement Award a county-wide race.

She is also the first person of colour to hold the position of presiding justice of the Commercial Division in Kings County Supreme Court.

In addition to her current judicial responsibilities, Justice Ash serves as a Board Director on the Brooklyn Women’s Bar Association, the Judicial Friends Association,

Judges and Lawyers Breast Cancer Alert Association, a Master in the Nathan R. Sobel Kings County American Inns of Court, and an Executive Committee member of the NYS Bar Association Commercial and Federal Litigation Section.

She was a member of the NYS Commission on Judicial Conduct and

previously served as the first female Chair of the Board of Directors of the 100-year-old New York Municipal Credit Union.

Justice Ash has been the recipient of numerous citations and awards, including the Brooklyn Bar Association Award for Recognition of Outstanding Achievement in the Science of Jurisprudence and Public Service.

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8. FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018. 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

Consumer guarantees THE REGULARITY with which consumers complain about the state and cost of products and services in this country, begs questions in relation to what protection there is for consumers here, and what are the rights of consumers and the responsibility of product and service providers.

Barring the Bureau of Standards and the National Telecommunication Regulatory Commission, we know of no other bodies with some legislative clout here, that purport to offer some surveillance on behalf of the consumer. The existence of a Consumer Affairs Department in the Ministry of Trade is still a cloudy issue — given the lack of any profiled activity on behalf of consumers.

The SVG Consumer Association, a worthwhile entity in name and purpose, has, sadly so, faded into obscurity.

It is time that we, consumers, demand our rightful, legal guarantees from those who pocket our hard-earned dollars.

When we buy a product, we expect it to last and do what it’s supposed to do. And when we pay for a service — and these include services offered by the banks — we should get what is paid for — no ifs and no buts — no hidden charges.

These are very basic consumer guarantees — what we ought to expect and what should be forthcoming from product and service providers.

In more detail, the consumer guarantees, at the very least, must be that goods and services purchased:(i) are of an acceptable quality — that they comply with claims made by the seller in advertising — that they are safe, long lasting and not defective; (ii) must be fit for any purpose represented by the business/provider, and that these purposes are made known to consumers before they buy, hire or lease; (iii) match descriptions made by salespersons, on packaging/labeling and in promotions and advertising; (iv) match the sample or demonstration model the consumer is shown before purchase; (v) that there are spare parts, and repair and service facilities available for a reasonable period after purchase or for the duration of a period of contract; (vi) come with full title and ownership, a right to undisturbed

possession and not have any hidden securities and charges.

The issues of title, ownership, undisturbed possession and hidden securities warrant some further explanation, especially given the hire purchase market that abounds here.

When a consumer buys goods, the supplier guarantees that ownership passes to the consumer. This means that nobody else can claim that they are the owner of the goods. This guarantee also applies if the sale is by auction or by private sale.

However, it does not apply to goods which are leased or hired.

Consumers must be guaranteed that they will have undisturbed possession of their goods. This means that no one is going to come to knock on the door and take the goods away.

This applies also to items bought at auction or private sale. For hired or leased goods, consumers should have undisturbed possession for the period of hire or lease.

Consumers have a right to be guaranteed that their goods and services will be free of any undisclosed securities or charges, unless these are clearly made known before purchase. This also applies to goods sold by auction or private sale but not to leased or hired goods. This means that if goods have previously been used to guarantee a debt, a debt collector can’t just come and take the goods away.

A note for service providers, including the very popular lawn care services that have sprung up in recent times: Services must be performed with proper (due) care and skill — consumers deserve this as a minimum. This means that these providers have to use an acceptable level of skill or technical knowledge, and they must take care to avoid loss or damage which come as a consequence of their own ignorance.

All in all, when a ‘contract’ is entered into between consumer and a service provider in particular, there must be a clear understanding of the result to be achieved.

As it stands, on the one hand, the question is how much of these guarantees are understood by the Vincentian consumer to be rights to be demanded. On the other hand, the question is how many sellers and service providers go out of their way to guarantee these guarantees.

Products, goods and services abound, but with what guarantees

Caribbean Pete OLSEN “CARIBBEAN PETE” PETERS was a simple and easy-going Vincentian fellowman, but in terms of social output he was a quiet unassuming giant. Following his death, a storm was kicked up by those who bothered to recognise the varied and tremendous contributions the silent icon had delivered to his country.

None so captured and collected the trophies that Pete deserved as did, perhaps a fellow cultural artiste as is Patches Knights, who operates at an admittedly lower level as Pete and gains so little admiration and respect.

Last week Tuesday, on a radio programme on Nice Radio, Patches unlocked the social treasure that was Caribbean Pete, pointing fingers at the government and elitist people who turned their heads the other way from where the multi-talented Pete was headed.

THE VINCENTIAN newspaper, albeit belatedly, dealt particularly with the total absence of emotional feeling and empathy when it refused to grant a State funeral to Pete, reserving same only to the politicians like Michael Hamlet- the first in timewho belonged to families of the ruling regime. Petey, on the other hand, really belonged to the masses, but voted always for Labour whose eyes he could never catch as their gaze was and is over his head.

Small wonder that some decent Labourites, and they do exist, refused the state funeral to which they are entitled and settled for the simple burial attended by loving family and genuine friends.

The beloved Dr. Sydney Gun-Munro was one such person. Although he contested a seat on behalf of the SVLP, he was not about entertaining political party patronage to be involved in his funeral, but had requested his inner family to invite me — KENDP of all people- to be numbered among those giving tribute. Ralph, Straker, Slater et al, including Julian, were all there but had to maintain a real ‘dignified silence’.

The ULP hit back in ways they know best; the “Searchlight” carried a report of the funeral with mention of tributes minus me. In the follow-up issue of THE VINCENTIAN, I tried to highlight their grave omission in which I was presumably buried. But

incorrigible as ever, the “Searchlight” retorted at the first anniversary with a repeat of their original offerings. They had “vapourized” me, ULP style!

Perhaps our greatest cultural artiste who was unrecognised, abused and finally hounded out of the country was Ellsworth “Shake” Keane. After his death abroad, our people then accepted and hypocritically desired now to include him in a Hall of Fame.

He had dared to cultivate the friendship of Son Mitchell, and that lapse secured his undoing. As a matter of interest, 1960, I was involved in a magazine, ‘Horizon’ which produced cover-stories on promising Vincentians. Shake Keane was among those highlighted. Fifty-eight years ago, we had noted the following three persons as budding heroes, so to speak: Cecil Cyrus, weight lifter Maurice King and Elwyn Iton, then a brilliant plant pathologist at the St. Augustine Campus of UWI. In the early 1950s, Rudolph Baynes had selected four “Leaders of Thought”- Christopher Wilberforce “CW” Prescod, Hubert Daisley Snr, Webster Clarke and Darnley Williams, whose photographs were emblazoned on children’s exercise books. Our colonial administrator stopped that noble gesture in its tracks. No dice, Black colonial people must know their place!

Since Independence, we have done, perhaps even worse. Now, only privileged supporters of the ruling party stand a chance of setting exemplary standards. True, the NDP tried to rationalise the system in 1997 but was rudely overtaken by vitriolic party squabbles. Interestingly, the original management team of a national award committee was George Bailey, Kenneth John, Jeanette Ballantyne France and Lennox Bowman.

There is an openly ULP bias for the past 17 years. Yvonne Francis our First Lady, still alive nearing 90 years, just achieved by Alphonso Dennie who by all reports had been a magnificent educationist, but neither can be blessed by an official award, all because they identified with the NDP. Olsen Peters’ case cries to high heavens for redress.

Pete you are missed, come blow up your horn.

V

THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018. 9.

Letters

A thought on OUR Carnival MR. EDITOR, I have finally taken to heart what you have been encouraging me to do, i.e. to put on paper some of the concerns I have about our Carnival — which we renamed Vincy Mas in 1977.

If I say anything out of the way Mr. Editor, I hope you would take some of the blame.

Imagine that the Chairman of the Carnival Development Corporation (CDC) — a young fellow if I may say so - boasting about the number (over a hundred he said) of soca songs for Vincy Mas 2018 recorded by the second week in May. I suppose this is a reflection of where we reach and where we going. I would have thought that the good young gentleman would have told us in the same breath, how many calypsos have been recorded so far!!!!

I want to let the Chairman know that I have never received a request from a soca artiste for help with a recording. On the other hand, I receive up to five regular requests from calypsonians every year, and this has been the case for some time now.

I wonder, Mr. Chairman, if there is a little message in there for all of us Carnival lovers — a message about who and what controlling ‘our’ Carnival?

And talking about Carnival lovers, I find it hard, as a man born in the the very late 1940s, to truly appreciate the total Carnival product. More and more, it seems to me that the organisers of Carnival are intent on catering to the younger generation, whatever and whoever that means.

They forget that is still my generation who has the spending power. Who you think sponsoring all them young people who attend the Soca Monarch?

How many of them have jobs?

My plea to the CDC, i.e. those people government put in charge of the Carnival on behalf of all the people: Remember that Carnival — which we like to boast and say it’s our premier cultural festival and of late the ‘Hottest Carnival in the Caribbean’ — is not a generational thing. You fellows have to remember that there are others with different tastes, even though I must admit that it got some fellows of my generation who ‘feel dey young’.

I think I should write a calypso about ‘Trying to stay young’.

I will be around for another Carnival, (nobody running me out of ‘town’) and hope that the Carnival would have a little spot for me, and that that spot would be of good quality.

Terrance Kingstown, SMSS

Get off the PM’s back THIS COUNTRY has got to be one of the freest societies in the world.

Certain people complain about how our Prime Minister likes to sue this one and that one; but I tell you, what I read being said about the Honourable Prime Minister on social media, he could put a person in court every Monday morning. It is some of the worst things you could think about that certain people say about this man.

Let me ask these people: What is it that the PM has done you?

Has he done each of you harm? Can’t you see what good he has done for this country since he took government in

2001?

Time that these people take off their blinders and admit that Dr. Ralph Gonsalves has been good for this country. The quicker we unite around him the better.

A Citizen of SVG

FLOW, VINLEC, have a conscience please WHY ARE WE being held to ransom by our utilities providers?

Flow, as a letter writer in last week’s issue implied, is the least concerned that its internet service is robbery with a capital R. I am certain that I am not getting the internet speed for which I am paying. It takes a lifetime to download anything from the internet, and don’t talk about uploading.

I have raised this concern on a number of occasions with Flow personnel, and all I get is, “Sir, perhaps you should think of upgrading.” Upgrading

when what I have is far from what I am supposed to be getting? I must be crazy!!! What guarantee is there that I will get what the upgrade promises? On the basis of Flow’s record, there is no guarantee that upgrading is what it is supposed to mean.

And now to VINLEC. I learned from my earliest times at school that the most days in months is 31 days.

VINLEC, it appears, has redefined what is universally accepted.

For the last two months, my monthly electricity bills have been computed on reading for 32 days and 33 days. This has

resulted, obviously, in an amount (bill amount) far in excess of what I budgeted — and that excessive amount is inclusive of a large figure for VAT. Is it that VINLEC has been given instructions to adjust the period for reading meters so that government can collect more VAT? I tell you, in a world of monopolies, only those in control win.

It is a pity that Public Utilities companies are not subject to a Public Utilities Commission like they have in Barbados.

Our NTRC that they say has jurisdiction over telephone/internet

A culture of vandalism THE OXFORD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English defines vandalism as ‘the willful destruction of art of public and private property’.

Additionally, ‘Vandalism’ is also defined as ‘the spoiling of the beauties of nature’.

Any keen observer would agree that a culture of vandalism now prevails over mainland St. Vincent. No research activity was done on St. Vincent’s sister isles, the Grenadines.

The primary and secondary school systems are the primary targets of vandalism. Students have no regard for how much government spends on school furniture. They vandalize them with gusto.

But, the culture of vandalism extends to the wider Vincentian community. In 1990, under the previous administration, Little Tokyo was constructed, courtesy

of funding from the Japanese government. Little Tokyo at its inception, attracted visitors, impressed by its pristine construction. Toilets and baths were installed to facilitate the shop operators at Little Tokyo, local patrons and visitors.

And while it should be a natural act of pride and obligation by citizens of any country, to cherish and preserve their public facilities, unfortunately, this patriotic zeal and duty seem not to be native to the Vincentian society. Most Vincentians, frighteningly so in this modern era, are not forwardthinking people. They do not believe in the preservation of national facilities; their joy is to deface, damage and eventually destroy public toilets and baths.

Little Tokyo is an eye-sore, hence the government’s hesitation or

service here, must be sleeping or is really set up to mamaguy the consumers. And what ever happened to the Consumer Affairs Department in the Ministry of Trade?

The longest rope has an end.

An exploited consumer

reluctance to improve conditions there.

When this present administration assumed office, it saw the need for and constructed a bus terminal for passengers travelling to and from the Leeward side of the island.

Minister of Transport and Works, Senator Julian Francis appealed to Vincentians to take care of this public facility. Before too long, the vandals went to work, damaging the wash- rooms along with engaging in graffiti, some of which was of an obscene nature.

Trinidad and Barbados are two model Caribbean countries where their nationals take care of their public washrooms, with the care that they apply to their bedrooms.

Perhaps the Vincentian people, for a start, should emulate their Trinidadian and Barbadian counterparts with respect to how they care for their public comfort facilities.

Patmos Richards

Traditional Mas versus Feather Mas I MUST THANK VC3 Channel 114 for the programming they have introduced regarding the build up to Vincy Mas 2018. I recall that in the old days, both Radio 705 and even SVGTV use to visit the mas tents and pan yards for on the spot interviews and

Response to Jomo Re. Venezuela will win Socialism almost always succeeds in raising the living standards of the poor in the short run, but it invariably leaves them even more impoverished and downtrodden in the long run.

All of Venezuela’s problems are homegrown, as the experience of dozens of other Latin American countries that chose a different developmental path clearly shows.

C. ben-David Editor’s Note: Website response.

updates.

I watched the recent VC3 interview with Blondie Bird, leader of the Blondie Bird and Friends Mas Camp. Blondie was clear that what he calls the ‘feather bands’ are here to stay, but so too are the traditional bands, like his.

He lamented how much it cost for the traditional bands to produce their mas, and how the prize money was still not adequate.

But one of the points that Blondie made that caught my fancy was when he said that his band is a competition band, while the ‘feather bands’ are not. As far as I know, when CDC announces the results, all the ‘feather bands’ are included, and this goes for all competitions that used to be held

in Victoria park and those Uptown. So, it seems to be that Blondie is making a wrong statement.

If Blondie thinks that it is unfair to ‘mix up’ the traditional bands with the feather bands, then maybe the CDC could consider having two separate competitions.

But if they do that, would the Band of the Year be considered from among all the bands — tradtional and feather?

We have to accept that Mas is changing, and it could change to the point where the so called traditional mas disappears. That would be a real pity, but you can’t rule that out.

Charles

V

10. FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018. THE VINCENTIAN

Views

More hypocrisy by the opposition New Democratic Party

Introduction ON THE 3RD MAY, 2018, two major Bills were laid before the House of Assembly, namely, the Climate Resilience Levy Bill, and the Attorney General’s Reference Bill. Both Bills, are highly progressive, and were supported overwhelmingly by the Unity Labour Party. Sadly, but as expected, the Bills were opposed by the New Democratic Party.

The Climate Resilience Levy, presented to the parliament by the Minister of Finance Mr. Camillo Gonsalves, is geared towards raising revenue to assist in building resilience to the effects of man-made climate change.

The Attorney General’s Reference Bill, presented by Prime Minister and Minister for Legal Affairs, Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, makes provision for constitutional and other questions to be referred to the Court of Appeal, by the Attorney General.

activities, like the banning of Styrofoam products, constructing solar farms at the Lowmans Bay power plant and Argyle International Airport, the construction of the Geothermal Energy plant, the construction of a coastal protection project at the Layou Waterfront.

Others include the relocation and re-construction of many homes that were damaged as a result of natural disasters or were in highly vulnerable and hazardous areas. Then there is the building and rehabilitation of numerous bridges, roads, river defenses and back walls that will see SVG as a leader when it comes to protecting the environment and tackling man-made climate change.

Therefore, it was either willful ignorance or the usual propaganda Climate Resilience Levy tactics of the NDP, that saw the newly appointed NDP Senator, Kay “A prudent person foresees the Bacchus-Baptiste, making nasty danger ahead and takes precautions. statements, such as likening the Bill The simpleton goes blindly on and as climate change prostitution and suffers the consequences.” Proverbs making a mockery of the issue of 27:12.

The purpose and intent of this Bill man-made climate change, that has resulted in loss of many lives. is to build resilience to the adverse She poses the question “what it is effects of man-made climate change, the government doing to prevent through a levy of EC$8 dollars per room for persons staying in hotels for climate change”. Does this question make any sense? After all, SVG less than thirty days. The revenue cannot prevent climate change, since raised through this levy will be small island developing states deposited and retained in the contingency fund, to meet the costs of contribute less than 1 percent of climate change related activities. The carbon emissions that contributes to global warming which also accelerates NDP, which boasted of having man-made climate change. Did the surpluses during their time in office, learned Senator do any research on never paid attention to the issue of the matter? If yes, then what was climate change. Hence, they never stated was an intent to deceive and made arrangements to put aside any monies to address the costs associated mislead the public, but if not, then it was sheer ignorance which speaks with climate change. volumes.

The Unity Labour Party SVG can only mitigate, adapt and understands that the issue of manbuild resilience to man-made climate made climate change and its effects change, but not prevent it. Resilience are of great importance as it affects is about anticipating, planning and every stratum of human life and reducing disaster risk to effectively activity, from fishing and farming protect persons, communities and with damage to agriculture and countries, as well as their livelihoods, infrastructure, to damage to sea vessels, and tourism, with the erosion health, cultural heritage, socioand disappearance of our beaches as a economic assets and ecosystems. The result of an increase in the sea levels. ideas of ‘bounce back’, ‘spring forward’ Thus, the ULP government made a and ‘build back better’ are often used in the context of resilience. Hence, pledge and reaffirmed that pledge by stating boldly in its 2015 manifesto on this government is on the right track pages 47-48 “Comprehensive Disaster through this levy that will be used to fund repairs caused by climate change Management: Saving Lives and activities. It will also build resilience Property, Building Resilience in an so that persons and communities are Era of Climate Change”. This is a in a better position to respond when a clear intent by the ULP that climate disaster strike. change is an existential issue which goes to the heart of our very existence Conclusion as a country.

We have all experienced the Vincentians must always remember ravages of man-made climate change the attitude of the NDP to climate in our beloved country. In 2013, 15 percent of our Gross Domestic Product change and the efforts of the ULP administration to build resilience. disappeared in less than 24 hours, Many of you have seen the effects of with loss of life, destruction to the storms, hurricanes, droughts and property and displacement of heavy rainfall. Many of you have residents.

It is the ULP administration which experienced despair, and anxiety, wondering how you are going to pick has provided the issue of disaster up the pieces, after a climate change management with a new focus. It is this ULP led administration, in 2001, related event. Many of you have seen the anguish and sorrow on the faces of who established the National friends, relatives and families who Emergency Management Office have had to go through these (NEMO), inclusive of a permanent, well-staffed Headquarters. Under the experiences. The NDP don’t care about you, about how you prepare, NDP, there was only one person employed under the local government and how you recover from these office, with responsibility for disaster events. It is the ULP administration, in love and in communion with you preparedness. the people of St. Vincent and the Furthermore, this administration Grenadines, who will provide the has shown its seriousness and strategies aimed at uplifting the commitment in tackling man-made quality of life of every Vincentian. climate change through a number of

Accountability needed for Climate Resilience Levy (Excerpts from Senator Kay BacchusBaptiste’s presentation on the Climate Resilience Bill) I NOTE THE amendment to the Definition Section, Transient Visitor and also Section (3). Be that as it may, we still have a serious difficulty with this Bill.

In fact, the attitude of this government has been likened to, by some to what is known as Climate Change Prostitution, and I would define what an operator in the field, Haydn Billingy says about climate change prostitutes, “Climate change prostitutes are persons or countries who do not genuinely care about the phenomena of climate change, do not really understand the issues or even care to use the climate change momentum, but they use the climate change momentum to leverage money for development of their countries.

They will frame every project around climate change for a chance of ringing money out of tax payers.” And we are warned to beware of climate change prostitutes.

I say this because we do not get the feel in this country that the ULP is dealing with the symptoms of climate change, the real problems. We don’t see any initiative to deal with the reasons for the unusual floods, the destruction of our bridges, etc. What are the plans to eradicate these problems? How can raising a tax levy at $8.00 per night or per room really alleviate the problem, if we do not go to the root of the problem? Is it really genuine?

The other issue of course is, what does the government intend to do with this levy? We are well aware of the very poor accounting, dismal record they have for accountability, so how do we know what this money will be spent on and how it will even assist the problem with climate change? If it is merely to be spent on rebuilding bridges or roads etc; again I ask, how will that alleviate the root cause?

There is a gimmick to tax all our people to rebuild the bridge if that is the gimmick tax the people, so that you can rebuild the bridge and when you are finished building the bridge you paint it in red and you invite ULP people only to come to the opening.

How does that solve the problem of climate change? Or, is it just for merely getting election points, so you fix a road and rebuild a bridge.

What is needed is an education policy for vulnerability assessment to our roads and bridges. For example, over the past few months, years even; there has been no response to the broken bridges and roads in Sandy Bay, Magum, Couls Hill, Chateaubelair and other areas even some areas in East St. George. What about more training for health care professionals so that they can respond better to disasters and better management of our water sheds areas and depletion of our forests because those are the reasons for floods that flood our roads and cause the bridges to disappear.

We see a strategy emerging by the ULP to link taxes with a cause what they determine is a good cause, but

sadly no accountability for the money and I speak about the Life to live and the Zero Hunger project. How do we know what is the status of these projects? So you find a project that sounds good, hood wink the public that we are doing this for zero hunger or we are doing this for Life to Live and then we never have any follow up about how the money is being spent.

That’s why we over here are suspicious about this Bill as just another Zero Hunger, Life to Live raising money with no accountability.

The Bill itself- first of all: Are there going to be any regulations under this Bill? How is this Bill going to be executed, regulated, or are we going to leave it up to the whims and fancies of the Minister? I note that they removed the age restrictions from the definition of Transient Visitor. Does it mean, therefore, that if you have a six-year-old and a sevenyear-old living in separate rooms, they each should pay that $8.00 tax? It appears so to me… because there is no age restriction now which was good in the first before they removed it. It is now based on a tax per room. How could that be fair? You have a family say of five holidaying in four rooms, husband and wife in one room, four children in the other three rooms. Are the children supposed to pay? Is this going to impact our tourism favourably?

I look at section (3): (3) of the bill.

Section (3): (3) places a duty on the visitor, be it a minor or not, to pay the operator, serious duty because there are penalties associated with not paying this tax, is that the intention that the visitor has a duty to pay the tax regardless of age restriction for which you can be fined.

Section (5) of the Bill deals with Registration, subject to subsection (2), “Every operator who operates a visitor accommodation premises shall, within thirty days from the date the operator first began operating the visitor accommodation premises, make an application to the Comptroller to be registered in the manner as may be prescribed.” We don’t know what the manner is yet so there must be some regulation to prescribe as to how this is done.

Subsection (2), “Every operator who on the commencement of this Act is operating a visitor accommodation premises shall, within thirty days from the date of coming into operation of this Act, make an application to the Comptroller to be registered in the manner as may be prescribed.”

Again, I don’t know if hoteliers and would be operators know what this manner is. Is it an onerous way of applying? Can you apply on line? Do you have to go in personally to the Ministry to make your application, and what is the fee and how often do you have to renew this fee? There needs to be some regulations before this Bill is passed so that persons could know what is required of them.

V

THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018. 11.

Views

Commendations and criticisms We are failing ourselves again

“Seek the counsel of men who will tell you the truth about yourself, even if it hurts you to hear it. Mere commendation will not bring the improvement you need.” – Oliver Napoleon Hill (1883-1970). American benefit from individuals who reach self-help author. out to assist us in improving our OLIVER NAPOLEON HILL (1883-1970) skills, performance, and/or attitude. shared many useful insights about the The approach identified in the latter sentences in the preceding principles, attitudes, and behaviours considered essential for success. His paragraph must be recognised as a best practice when providing 1937 publication of “Think and Grow constructive criticism. Parents and Rich” is listed among the 10 bestselling self-help books of all time. He teachers who use such an approach when admonishing their wards, shared several pearls of wisdom and jewels of knowledge in that book. For discover that the recipients example, he noted that “Whatever the appreciate the fact that they portray mind of man can conceive and believe, good but can be better. The same is true when supervisors and/or it can achieve”. He also encouraged managers are required to reprimand readers to avoid the temptation to procrastinate - to put off for tomorrow their direct reports. Beginning the what can be done today. Many of his discourse with a good/positive comment can quite easily enhance essays also remind us of the the outcome of the discussion, even significant role that we play in when harsh/stern rebukes are motivating others. In this regard, it needed. We understand and becomes important for us to appreciate that there is good in the understand and appreciate the worst of us and bad in the best of importance of issuing and receiving commendations and criticisms. These us. We can all benefit from are timely and useful reminders as we commendations and constructive criticisms. pursue our noble ambitions.

Commendations and criticisms We have a tremendous responsibility to be the guardians of are often needed to encourage us to move from good to great. These are our thoughts and our minds. We considered essential if we are to have to be so very cautious about perform at our very best. Leaders the persons we allow to influence us. We also need to censor what we and managers who develop the listen to, the television programmes skills in the correct use of this “carrot and stick” approach confirm and movies that we view, and the that performances are enhanced and books and/or articles that we read.

All of these are doors to our minds. respect gained/retained when the culture in the organisation is If we allow negative thoughts to influence us through such conduits, perceived to be balanced/fair.

Alternately, the absence of either of we may readily observe the rapid degeneration of our minds, and the these (commendations and criticisms) can result in the creation speedy and destructive growth of and/or sustenance of anarchy. our negative thoughts. However, It is probably accurate to feasting on positive thoughts can be most rewarding, as these fuel us to conclude that we all like to receive accept the various challenges of life commendations; to be appreciated … and win. As we bask in the glow and recognised for having of such thoughts, we derive a great accomplished some feat or portrayed some positive character traits. appreciation of the value of having However, the more secure among us individuals around us who encourage our growth through their will also relish constructive criticism. Sir Winston S. Churchill commendations and criticisms.

These caring individuals encourage (1874-1965), former Prime Minister us to stay focused. The Bible is also of the United Kingdom, when rich with examples that assist us in interviewed the a journalist for New Statesmen on 7th January 1939, better managing our thoughts and noted that, “Criticism may not be the way that we interact with others. For example, many leaders agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfils the same function as pain in and managers can be guided and the human body; it calls attention to coached by the example of John as the development of an unhealthy he provides a useful model of state of things. If it is heeded in commendations and criticisms in time, danger may be averted; if it is the second chapter of the Book of Revelation. Although John needed suppressed, a fatal distemper may develop.” We can therefore be to reprimand the seven churches listed in that chapter, in each case, encouraged (and avoid taking offence) when others care enough to he commenced by identifying provide the useful guidance that is something good. He commended often garbed in the discomfort of a them ahead of his criticisms. This critique. These are often just as is a most useful model for us to valuable as the commendations that follow when we are required to encourage us to better our best reprimand or criticise someone’s efforts. We are forever grateful to actions; to begin with a those caring individuals who aid our commendation, a positive, so that development and strengthen our they understand and appreciate resolve by their commendations and that “they are not all bad”. Our criticisms. direct reports and our wards will realise that our motive is to Send comments, criticisms & encourage improvement (and not suggestions to necessarily to “pull them down”, julesferdinand@gmail.com embarrass, or humiliate them).

We are not perfect. We can all

DURING THE YEARS 2003 TO 2009, there were seven Plain Talk columns dealing with different aspects of the constitutional reform process. The final column before the referendum in November 2009 was entitled ‘We are about to Fail Ourselves’.

And so said, so done! The opportunity to make a better homegrown constitution was suffocated under a mountain of halftruth, lies, propaganda, opportunism and outright anti-national behaviour.

Literally everything in SVG is ensnared in the political logjam. No one, not even those claiming to be politically conscious, nationalist, patriotic or progressive bothers to stop and think about the future of our country and the positive development of our polity.

Everything is reduced to the political calculation about how a given move or posture may advance this or that political party’s political fortune. In times like these we are reminded of the biblical refrain in Proverbs 29:18; “Where leaders have no vision, the people perish.” The constitutional reform process is a case in point. All agreed that the proposed constitution was an advance on the old one. But neither the governing ULP nor the opposition NDP was prepared to place the national interest above narrow partisan, electoral consideration. In the end, years of good work to reform the colonial constitution was squandered.

We are back to the constitution again. And we are about to fail ourselves again. This time, it has to do with the constitutional provisions relating to who can be elected members of our parliament. The constitution says that anyone who swears allegiance to a foreign power or state by his own act is ineligible for election to our parliament , if they did not renounce citizenship to that foreign power or state.

The constitution also says that any Commonwealth citizen is eligible to vote and be elected to our parliament, once they meet some residency requirements.

Some have taken heart in a 2017 Australian court decision which strictly interpreted the clause ‘swear allegiance to a foreign power or state’, and concluded that some of our parliamentarians, as well as prospective candidates, may have or will run afoul of our constitutional provision.

Some say that this decision from Australia will be persuasive authority. I beg to differ. At best, it will be nothing more than instructive authority. Courts do not have to follow decisions from far afield, although increasingly they are inclined to do so. However, our courts must follow decisions from the Privy Counsel and may be more inclined to follow a decision from a country closer to us such as Canada, in arriving at a decision about the true intent of the drafters of a given constitutional provision.

Make no mistake about it. The British drafters of our colonial constitution had absolutely no interest in other members of the Commonwealth when they included the constitutional provision which said that citizens from Commonwealth countries were allowed to vote and/or be elected to our parliament. This was pure and simple imperial diktat. The British colonial masters were throwing us to the dogs, but were backhandedly leaving a window through which they could reenter and interfere with or influence our electoral process and sovereignty.

As a result, our laws make it easier for a Taliban sympathizer from Pakistan or a racist from the Conservative Party in England to be

elected for any position, including Prime Minister, than for many Vincentians in the diaspora.

If some persons are to be believed our constitution blocks anyone who, by their own volition, swears allegiance to a foreign power or station. For this group, even persons who obtained citizenship in a Commonwealth country as an adult will be ineligible to be nominated as senators or elected as representatives of the people. The fact that citizens of SVG and those from other Commonwealth countries swear allegiance to the same sovereign, the Queen, is of no moment to them. The fact that our law, the Citizens Act , clearly says that someone from the Commonwealth is not deemed to be foreign, is brushed over or disregarded.

Plain Talk has said before and repeats here for the record, that too many of our leaders across the political spectrum are wrapped in the garb of zealots and ideologues, and refuse to pay close attention to the law. Some have grabbed on to the constitutional provision which says that any citizen can bring a claim which challenges the election of a representative.

Indeed, the constitution gives that right to any citizen, but there is a process and the constitution says that this action is subjected to a set of predetermined rules. Those rules are basis on which the opposition brought petitions to challenge the legitimacy of Sir Louis Straker and Montgomery Daniel. Those are narrowly drawn and are intended to provide for certainty in the electoral outcome and continuity in governance. Therefore, a citizen who brings a claim in the high court now will be easily knocked out for being out of time, and possibly charged with bringing a frivolous and vexatious claim, with the attendant cost.

But then again, what does Plain Talk know? In some quarters, we are nothing more than turncoats, traitors and opposition sympathizers.

Because our constitution is essentially a British document, with the hidden agenda, that to protect British interest and offers more rights to the British than natural born Vincentians, the proper and nationalist position will be a bi-partisan initiative for an amendment to the constitution, which will remove the bar on Vincentians who, mainly out of economic necessity, sought citizenship in foreign lands.

Imagine how backward we sound when we encourage our diaspora to contribute to our national development, take up the invitation to come home and contribute and invest, as businessman Allan Smith and others did or as is reflected in the US #41 million this country got as remittances last year, and then tell them you can’t offer yourself to be elected to parliament.

Powerful countries, such as Britain, Canada and the USA, with national security interest that are far greater than ours, allow persons with dual citizenship to be elected to their legislatures, but we say no way.

This is calypso season. So I can only join Kaiso Bard ‘I-Come’ and declare ‘is joke we joking.’

Send comments, criticisms & suggestions to jomosanga@gmail.com

V

12. FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018. THE VINCENTIAN

Views

Camillo Gonsalves should resign as SVG Minister of Finance LEADER OF SVG GREEN PARTY, Warrant Officer Ivan O’Neal, BSc (Hons), MSc, MBA, is making a very strong call on the unqualified SVG Minister of Finance, Camillo Gonsalves, to resign for his short-sighted VAT on electricity consumed over the 150 units threshold.

This law was gazetted on Tuesday 24thApril 2018.

When one incorporates this new VAT on electricity with the 1973 Fuel Surcharge Act on electricity, it becomes quite evident that this foolish use of VAT is financially flawed and highly illegal.

The new VAT on electricity will knock the 1973 fuel surcharge formula out of balance and improperly cause a rise in the rate of fuel surcharge. The end result is that VINLEC customers will pay an artificially-inflated higher rate of fuel surcharge and VAT. This is highly illegal.

One has to wonder whether the unqualified SVG Minister of Finance Gonsalves did a simulation test with the new VAT on electricity, in relation to the 1973 Fuel Surcharge Act 1973.

If he did, then he would have realised the impact of VAT on the equation used to work out the rate of the fuel

surcharge.

Warrant Officer Ivan O’Neal is calling on the unqualified SVG Minister of Finance, Gonsalves to abolish this new VAT on electricity and resign as the SVG Minister of Finance.

Lowering the threshold from 200 units to 150 units for charging VAT, is a cruel thing to do and is socially regressive, in that, the new VAT on electricity will hurt a large amount of people on lower incomes. An additional 13 percent of VINLEC consumers will be subjected to the 16% VAT on their bill.

VINLEC customers will take a double financial hit: they will suffer an increase of 16% VAT for usage of 151 kWh and above, and the fuel surcharge will increase too.

Warrant Officer Ivan O’Neal, who has a BSc (Hons) in Accounting and Finance and Economics from Oxford Brookes University, England, believes that imposing a fuel surcharge on customers is an outdated and unfair system, and, imposing VAT, as well as a fuel surcharge, is an exploitation of VINLEC customers.

According to Warrant Officer Ivan

O’Neal, our country is in very deep economic and financial trouble, and it is a time for SVG policy makers to cut taxes on people with a low income, as one stimulant to financial and economic growth.

Electricity prices in SVG are very expensive, too expensive for many poorer households. SVG needs to produce more electricity from renewable energy sources in order to reduce the price of electricity and make it affordable to poor households.

A Green government would abolish the fuel surcharge and replace oil with renewable energy, making electricity virtually free. With electricity produced by solar, wind, hydro and geothermal processes, electricity will be cheap. We will ensure that every household has access to mains electricity.

We would also abolish the VINLEC Act, which gives VINLEC the monopoly to produce electricity, so

that Vincentians can set up electricityproducing companies.

A Green government would cut the price of electricity by 50%. The first 200 KWh used each month would be free.

Unqualified SVG Minister of Finance, Gonsalves, should resign for his short-sighted VAT on electricity consumed over the 150 units threshold.

SVG Green Party www.svggreenparty.org https://twitter.com/svggreenparty https://www.facebook.com/SVGGreen-Party-154937087877631/

WhatÊs in THE WORD ONE OF THE THINGS that we were commonly told that “come not back” is “the spoken word.” Young, immature, unconscious individuals are finding this out the hard way through saying things or placing things on the World Wide Web that they later regret but cannot get rid of. They are already “out there” and cannot come back.

Psychologists, psychiatrists, counselors, and other professionals trying to help persons “move on from bad experiences” have noted the consequences of words spoken by significant others in our lives. My Mother, now eighty-nine years old, recalls “words” spoken by her father in the course of her everyday life as a child in Tobago. So practical evidence shows the lie in this saying “sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never harm me.”

UNESCO personnel and other education experts and researchers recommend that children will perform better in learning as a whole if they are first taught to read in their “mother tongue,” whether that mother tongue is a Creole, Hindi, Mandarin or Swahili. They point to the fact that being fluent in your mother tongue connects a person to his/her culture, and helps him/her to learn second, third and other languages.

The Apostle John makes a loaded statement in the first line of his writing as recorded in the Holy Bible.

He states as written in the Good News Translation 2015, “In the beginning the Word already existed; the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” In Genesis the writer shows The Creator’s practical use of the Word.

The Greek word used in the Biblical Manuscript written in English letters is “logos.” This word actually speaks to not only the spelling form of the Word but implies the breaking of silence by

the utterance of someone with a motive. What is the motive of this intelligent someone, and what was the first thing that He said?

Even the scoffers and skeptics admit that significant things happened and continue to happen in our Universe with “a Big Bang.” Lots of light and heat are generated from the big bangs of fireworks or dynamite. Significantly, the first thing the Creator God commanded was” Let there be Light!” Are you thirsty to have Light in your life, or do you love the dark?

In the longest chapter in The Bible, readers are exhorted by use of the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet to love and obey The Word.

Scholars have it that the great King David, the sweet Psalmist of Israel, Man after God’s Heart wrote the Psalm. He demonstrates the answer to the question, “how can a young man keep his way pure?”

So you want to be “blessed and highly favored?” Then hear the words of the writer of Psalm 119 in the World English Translation “Blessed are those who keep HIS statutes, who seek HIM with their whole heart.”

Did you know that human beings are actually hearing from “in the womb?” Words are “hard-wiring” our hearts and minds from “in-uteri.” And every 21st Century parent, grandparent or guardian knows the creative or mind dulling power of the words coming through the T.V. , tablets, smart phones, and laptops.

Are you pursuing happiness?

Consider this as stated in the Good News Translation of The Bible: “Happy are those who reject the advice of evil people, who do not follow the example of sinners or join those who have no use for God,” and by extension “HIS Word.”

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THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018. 13.

Foreign Affairs

Vincentians celebrate the May Cross of Venezuela

Francisco Pérez Santana, Head of the Resident Venezuelan Mission to St. Vincent and the Grenadines, addressing the gathering at the Velorio de Cruz de Mayo (The May Cross) celebration. The May Crosses made for the occasion are also pictured.

THE VELORIO DE CRUZ DE MAYO (The May Cross) is a cultural-religious manifestation of Venezuelan tradition.

The celebration and festivities that have developed in its honour are meant to pay tribute to Nature — to mark the

start of the harvest season in May. The celebrations involve making a May Cross from wood which is then painted blue and decorated extravagantly with colourful paper and/or flowers.

The festivities that surround the celebration are filled with music, featuring instruments typical to the various regions of Venezuela, and the distribution of food and drinks.

This celebration of The Velorio de la Cruz de Mayo (The May Cross) was brought home to Vincentians in a concrete manner, when the Embassy of the Republic of Venezuela, through the Venezuela Institute for Culture and Cooperation, hosted a celebration on Wednesday, May 9, 2018.

The event, held at the Embassy of the Republic of Venezuela, Kingstown,

involved the active participation of more than 50 Vincentian students.

Francisco Pérez Santana, Head of the Venezuelan Mission here, addressed the gathering.

He highlighted the significance of the celebration and said that the objective of the May 9 event was ‘to promote and encourage Vincentian students of the Venezuelan Institute to know the culture and identity of Venezuela’.

Leading up to the day’s event, Vincentian students, who had been involved in a Workshop which sensitised them about the Velorio de la Cruz de Mayo (the May Cross), prepared the May Cross in different ways, adorning them with artificial flowers and natural country flowers among other decorative material, for display at the event here.

In addition, the

students rendered decimas (ten line verses put to music), recited verses in the Spanish, played the cuatro, drum and maracas, and performed a song by Venezuelan Lilia Vera, in honour of the May Cross, accompanied by the Resistance HeartBeat Drummers of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

At the end of the celebration, those who had gathered for the occasion shared the fruits and drinks, including Venezuelan arepas (corn patties) and SVG callaloo soup, which earlier, had been offered to the Cross.

The May Cross was officially declared part of the Cultural Heritage of Venezuela in 2014.

Students, invited guests, Venezuelan Mission staff and members of the Resistance HeartBeat Drummers come together to celebrate the May Cross with a special song.

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14. FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018. THE VINCENTIAN

Agricultural Feature

Cocoa industry here to stay

Islands Chocolate launches in UK

IF EVERYTHING GOES to plan, St. Vincent and the Grenadines will get further television promotion today Friday May 18.

That’s when Islands Chocolate is launched in the United Kingdom.

Chairman of the St. Vincent Cocoa Company Harry Marriot reflected on Company have changed, investment in his company’s pride of the company remains infrastructure. being “one of the few in entrenched as a vital The Company’s the world making player in the agricultural website says; “We are sector, and remains processing an increasing chocolate from beans Harry Marriot, Chairman grown and produced on committed to amount of cocoa, and in of the St. Vincent Cocoa our own lands in St. establishing, as its due course this will rise Company, highlighted Vincent.” mission statement says, to hundreds of tonnes the success of the Marriot spoke of his “… a successful business per year. In preparation company’s reception in the Vincentian chocolate on and viable cocoa industry for this, we have built a the UK market and UK, highlighted by the by producing rich, fine facility pointed to further fact that “prestart, who flavoured cocoa in a at Perseverance which initiatives. hold the royal warrant, responsible and comprises a cascade have used our chocolate to sustainable manner and, fermentory, solar dryer make the Queen’s Easter in doing so, support local and storage buildings.

Egg two years in a row.” communities by offering “Wet cocoa is batchThe chairman used that as a backdrop for the large-scale employment fermented in our announcement of today’s launch, describing it as a in the field as well as specially designed “prestigious event, televised by ITV, the UK’s largest management cascade fermentory then commercial channel.” opportunities within the carefully dried in our Marriot highlighted the new brand, dubbed Islands Chocolate, with its wrapper that carries information Company structure, and customised solar dryer The fermentory at Perseverance that serves the about the islands and features about farmers. thereby contribute to the before being bagged up cocoa industry here. (Credit: SVCC Website) “In addition to the 72 %, we will be introducing an overall economy and and stored ready to use 85 % extra dark Chocolate, and 80% with Cocoa Nibs,” development of St in our chocolate factory THE ORIGINAL of St. Vincent and the Marriot disclosed. Coconut tinged Chocolate bars, Vincent & the or for export purposes.

MEMORANDUM of Grenadines and Armajaro Grenadines.” mango, and Sunset and raisin are to be unveiled.

“At our Nursery at A tonne of chocolate was sent to the UK, according Understanding that gave Trading Limited in 2011, In order for the Dixon, we produce 15,000 to Marriot, of which a quarter was already sold. rise to the effort to revive trading as the St. Vincent Company and the cocoa high quality plantlets per And as if that is not enough about which to be the Cocoa Industry here Cocoa Company (SVCC). industry to thrive, there month and provide optimistic, a shipment of St. Vincent cocoa will leave was signed in 2011 While the principals in has been much farmers with free plants here on Friday, May 25 for Amsterdam. (WKA) between the Government the St. Vincent Cocoa that are adapted to

The Solar Dryer, perhaps the largest of its kind in SVG, is a vital cog in the cocoa industry. (Credit: SVCC Website)

thrive in St Vincent’s environment.”

The Company has established its Head Office — its Centre of Operations - in Kingstown. In addition, a “satellite office has been established in London in order to identify and secure overseas markets for our cocoa… ..’ the Company website stated. (Source: Website of the St. Vincent Cocoa Company Ltd.)

Optimism abounds about cocoa’s potential THE ST. VINCENT COCOA COMPANY is determined to succeed. And Aidon Shearman, Finance Director with the entity, is fully aware of what is required.

Shearman was “blunt” in his analysis of the cocoa business when he addressed a press conference last week Friday.

He posited that Amajaro, the company which revived interest in cocoa cultivation here, “failed because they weren’t prepared to make the investment necessary for success.”

Cocoa takes six years “before any meaningful production and revenue materialise,” Shearman pointed out.

As far as Shearman observed, situations like those are “investment nightmares.”

But the St. Vincent Cocoa

Right: Aidon Shearman, Finance Director of the St. Vincent Cocoa Company, is not shy about pointing to eventual gains on the million-dollar investment in cocoa here.

Company is prepared to take the risks, and Shearman is optimistic.

There are over 200 Vincentians currently involved in the industry, making it the single largest employer of workers in the agricultural sector.

Shearman looked at the St. Vincent Cocoa Company as “probably the fastest growing business,” that is, as it stands, “half way to achieving our initial goal of achieving profitability.”

Already, the St. Vincent Cocoa Company, with its $25m investment, is having a positive impact on the economy, and

Sherman anticipates this impact to deepen, saying “Once we begin exporting USD millions worth of cocoa, our impact will become especially pronounced.”

The Finance Director noted that, “With a world shortage of fine flavoured cocoa, excellent chocolate, as a well-funded business and committed management and workforce, we are strategically poised to succeed in building a cocoa industry in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.” (WKA)

SVG: Ideal for cocoa cultivation GARNET JEFFERS, the Agronomist attached to the St. Vincent Cocoa Company, looks at his job as an amazing opportunity to work and help establish the crop here.

He thinks that “We are fortunate to have ideal conditions to produce excellent cocoa.”

Jeffers’ comments came during a press conference hosted by the Company last Friday, as he updated Garnet Jeffers, the nation on steps to Agronomist, assured expand production. that St. Vincent is The Agronomist is blessed with the ideal happy with the “superb conditions for cocoa genetic material” which cultivation. survived.

He vouched for the quality of our plant and that it surpasses that of other Caribbean countries, going as far as to describe some of our cocoa plant extracts as “super rare on the world market.”

He plans to “preserve and enhance” the genetics of the local cocoa strain, and “develop superb cocoa strains which will produce well and attract added value on the world market.”

The Cocoa Company has set up “gene banks and nurseries at strategic locations,” according to Jeffers, from which plants are distributed. Plants will be labelled “so as to monitor the progress and also select the resultant cocoa for different customers,” Jeffers stated.

Jeffers sees this period of cultivation and production as the “beginning”, and projects that “an exciting and sustainable future of development, innovation and discovery awaits us.” (WKA)

V SVG gets modern Long/Triple Jump facility

THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018. 15.

Sports/Community Feature

The facility is the brainchild of former national field athlete — Orde Ballantyne, who was allowed to jump with the idea, having being given the ‘green light ‘ to go ahead by the executive of Team Athletics SVG last year.

Ballantyne, who earned St Vincent and the Grenadines Carifta gold medal in the Male Under-20 Shot Putt back in 1981 in the Bahamas, recalled taking a few months to realise the EC$ 19 000, needed to complete the project.

This, he said, was achieved Ernesto Cooke, cutting the through help mainly from ribbon on behalf of Deron Vincentians residing outside of Grant, who was one of the main contributors to the new St Vincent and the Grenadines, along with donations from Long Jump facility. conscientious individuals here, as well as schools within the A MODERN LONG JUMP/ Triple immediate environs of the Jump facility at the Grammar School Playing Field, was officially Grammar School Playing Field.

Ballantyne lamented, though, commissioned last Wednesday.

that he got no positive response to requests for assistance made to the businesses here, including the National Lotteries Authority.

The facility is expected to be used mainly by the Orde Ballantyne, the schools in the area - the The St Vincent Grammar School’s Grammar School, Thomas initiator of the new Long Jump facility at the Handal Roban during one of his Saunders Secondary, the Grammar School Playing demonstration jumps last Girls’ High School, the Field.

Wednesday.

CW Prescod Primary, the Intermediate High School will be staged in July/ August. and the Kingstown Preparatory. echoed at last Wednesday’s Joseph also announced that opening ceremony.

Ballantyne urged the the next Jumps Classic to be The new facility has a 45 students of these institutions to hosted by Team Athletics SVG metre run up and the required take care of it.

“This is your facility… No one depth of the sand pit, making it is set for the newly commissioned Long Jump/ can stop you from jumping here, eligible for competitive Long Triple Jump facility.

Jump and Triple Jump. and when you see anyone of Following last Wednesday’s Building on this momentum, your fellow students throwing formalities, the facility was stones into the pit, remind them President of Team Athletics that one of you is going to jump SVG- Keith Joseph, disclosed at commissioned with students of the nearby schools involved in last Wednesday’s opening later and that stone is going to demonstration jumps. ceremony, that a Jumps Clinic be a hindrance,” Ballantyne

Walkers, Athletes RACE for a cause And, this was achieved, according to chief organiser- Julius Morgan.

“The targeted communities of Rose Place, Endiboro and Ottley Hall, all responded positively to the event, making it a big success as it drew persons from various parts of St Vincent and the Grenadines to the Ottlley Hall community,” Morgan related.

He said that it was good to see the participants uninhibited in being part of an activity which culminated in the Ottley Hall community, despite the stigmatization of the area.

Crediting Track and Field coach Michael Ollivierre for the idea of the 5k Walk/Run, Morgan revealed that Sunday’s event was part of host of activities geared towards erasing that perception of Ottley Hall.

“Later this month, we are hoping to get some goal posts to be placed permanently at the Ottley Hall Playing Field, so we can have regular football matches there,” Morgan projected.

Morgan disclosed that several teams from nearby communities in the past four months have been engaging in football matches versus the Ottley Hall team of players.

The event

Harris Grant (right) gets his award from Julius Morgan.

WALKERS AND ATHLETES used last Sunday’s 5k Walk/Run to help shine a positive light on the Ottley Hall community, as well as the larger neigbouring community of Edinboro.

Last Sunday’s 5k Walk/Run, which took on the acronym, RACE — Running Against Criminal Elements - engaged close to 100 participants, who either jogged, walked or ran from the Sion Hill Intersection to Ottley Hall.

The route to Ottley Hall was via Murray’s Road, along Bay Street to Rose Place, through Nine Steps on to the main road at Edinboro.

Although secondary in the purpose, first to reach the finish line was top

L-R: Junior Ashton, Linda Mc Dowall and Tamara Woodley national male athlete Junior Ashton of the Xcel Sport Club.

His winning time was 17 minutes 00:28 seconds. Akani Slater of IT- DAT Sports Academy was second in 17 minutes 00.56 seconds and third was another IT-DAT Academy’s representative in Ryan John, who registered 17 minutes 27.68 seconds.

IT- DAT Academy was first in the Open Female, with Linda Mc Dowall , whose timing was 19 minutes 52.36 seconds. Shantel Compton of the Police Training School in 29 minutes 50.81 seconds was second, and third was Rochelle Glasgow of the Coast Guard Services in 32 minutes 09.28 seconds.

The Male Under-20 champion was the Georgetown Secondary School’s Desroy Jordan, who stopped the clock at 18 minutes 41:28 seconds.

Handal Roban of the St. Vincent Grammar School was second in a time of 19 minutes 46.35 seconds. Enriko Wilson of the Sandy Bay Secondary School was third in 19 minutes 50.53 seconds.

Another first came to IT- DAT Academy through Tamara Woodley’s

clocking of 25 minutes 31.93 seconds, handing her the Female Under- 20 title.

Keifer Bailey, another of IT- DAT Academy’s representative, was second in 25 minutes 45.31seconds, Dr JP Eustace Memorial’s Odesha John in third.

The first in the Veterans Male was secured by Roger Young in a time of 22 minutes 44. 03 seconds, with Joonyah Garrick second in 24 minutes 37.03 seconds.

The lone entrant in the Veterans female bracket was Norva Laurent . Her completion of the distance took her 55 minutes 46 seconds.

And, there were two awards presented to the first places from the communities of Edinboro and Ottley Hall .

The Edinboro awardee was Harris Grant, whose run saw him clocking 22 minutes 18.31 seconds, with Lemron Mason taking the prize for Ottley Hall.

Mason’s time was 19 minutes 54.31 seconds.

Sunday’s event was executed by JAMpro Entertainment, which is headed

by Morgan, a member of the local constabulary who is stationed at Ottley Hall.

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16. FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018. THE VINCENTIAN

Culture

Canouan Regatta this weekend

Kieara Antoine

Tanika Mitchell Jay-Ann Harry

Mahlea George

THE ANNUAL CANOUAN REGATTA and related activities, hosted by the Canouan Sailing Club, got going in earnest yesterday, Thursday 17th May, 2018, this after last Sunday’s Church Service that launched the programme.

The formal opening, held on Thursday night at the Club House, heard addresses from Commodore Cuthbert Williams and Parliamentary Representative for the Southern Grenadines Honourable Terrence Ollivierre.

Activities will continue tonight, Friday 18th, with Saraka and card games.

Saturday 19th is the first day of boat races and will also feature a display of wares by local entrepreneurs.

The evening will see the muchanticipated Miss Whitsuntide Princess Pageant, to be held at the Canouan Hard Court from 8:00 pm. This will be followed by an after party.

Boat races continue on Sunday, and there will also be a ‘wet fete’, and the Regatta officially closes on Monday with a prize-giving ceremony.

As far as the Miss Julie Whitsuntide Princess Jacobs Pageant goes, there are five contestants: Kieara Antoine…Miss Entertainment Promotion; Mahlea George - Miss Club Nuevo; Jay-Ann Harry Miss Rocksteady Bakery; Julie Jacobs Miss Canouan Sailing Club; Tanika Mitchell Miss Bare Necessities.

They would be judged in five categories: Cultural Wear 15pts; Career Wear 10pts.; Talent 20pts; Evening Wear 25pts; Interview 30pts.

Last year’s winner was Emma Snagg - Miss Canouan Sailing Club.

THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018. 17.

V Farmers recommit to Bananas and WINFA 18. FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018. THE VINCENTIAN

Farmers

BANANA FARMERS gathered at the North Union Resource Centre on Tuesday, May 15, 2018, for the second time this year, to discuss the problems, challenges, and prospects for improving the yields and quality of bananas

grown here, and the prospects of profits to be had from growing bananas.

The farmers commended WINFA and its leadership for the initiative taken in mobilizing for the

meeting, and for the support and advisory service extended to them.

Among this support is the work in helping to manage the black sigatoka disease that now threatens the industry, and for

ensuring a good quality banana for the small regional market which WINFA has provided.

Foremost in the minds of the farmers was how to increase sales, with focus on why SVG had not yet returned to the

UK market, as St. Lucia services, and complement had done. this with a Farmer For WINFA was mandated Farmer Training to take this and related Programme . questions to the highest In this a Farmer For level of the Government Farmer Training of St Vincent, to the Programme, farmers Ministry of Agriculture will train other farmers, and to WINFRESH. under the supervision of The farmers agreed WINFA technical team, that every effort should on Fairtrade and Global be made to promote Gaps farming practices. readiness for the UK The farmers market, and they reaffirmed their demanded that all commitment to WINFA obstacles in this path be and pledged to pay into removed.

WINFA, membership The meeting also reapplication and recognized that the subscription fees to current system of relying support its work and role on the ground spray as their representative team and aerial spray and leader . was not working, and WINFA itself was that it was not being confident that its work done often enough to with farmers, supported contain the spread of the by the Ministry of disease. Against this Agriculture, WINFRESH reality, WINFA was and its network partners mandated to request of in CLAC, could return the Ministry of this country to exporting Agriculture that farmers Fairtrade and Global be allowed access to GAP certified bananas to spraying equipment and the UK, by early in 2019. supply of chemicals, so that they can carry out the frequency of spraying needed to bring the black sigatoka disease under control; WINFA was also mandated to work with farmers to ensure that they are certified under Global GAP and Fairtrade systems.

Towards this end, WINFA will continue its weekly WINFA is confident that, with the visits to support of local stakeholders and farms as part their regional partners, it can lead of its support banana farmers here to begin and advisory exporting to the UK by 2019.

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THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018. 19.

News

Beach Clean-Up at Sans Souci

The Clean-up team tackling the area of the Sans Souci river mouth.

THE NATIONAL PARKS, RIVERS, and Beaches Authority (NPRBA), in collaboration with the Fisheries Division under the SVG Sea Turtle Conservation Programme (SVGSTCP), hosted a Beach Clean-Up at the Sans Souci Beach on Friday, May 11, at 9am – 2 pm.

The Sans Souci Beach is a known sea turtle nesting site.

Approximately forty (40) participants, consisting of volunteers from the Sans The abundance of sea weed on the beach Souci Sea Turtle Monitoring did’nt make the clean-up exercise any easier.

Group, Caribbean Youth Environment Network At the completion of the Beach Clean(CYEN), Sparta Football Club, and Up, twenty (25) large bags of trash were Forestry Services, residents from the collected and piles of debris cleared, Sans Souci and neighboring including logs from the river mouth. communities and NPRBA were involved Residents were encouraged to collect in the exercise. the logs and to use them as charcoal.

The opportunity was taken to share This event was just one of numerous information about the importance of activities organized by the SVG Sea improving our coastal and oceans Turtle Conservation Programme, which ecosystem, and the effects of improper is funded by the St. Vincent and the waste disposal and plastic pollution, Grenadines Preservation Fund. a major threat to sea turtles.

Senior Citizens on tour THE MINISTRY OF NATIONAL MOBILISATION, through its Social Protection Unit, hosted some 24 senior citizens on a tour of the Windward side of the island on Tuesday 8th May 2018.

The group, comprised primarily of seniors from Calliaqua, toured the Argyle International Airport, visited the South Rivers and Park Hill communities, toured the Rabacca River and Rabacca Farms, and culminated their outing with a social gathering at Black Point Recreational Park.

Agnes Llewellyn, Coordinator of Senior Citizens at the Argyle the Social Protection Unit, was pleased that the tour participants International Airport. were visibly elated by the activity.

The Coordinator described the tour as senior citizens aware of developments in one in keeping with the Unit’s outreach the state.

The Unit is anticipating continuing which involves, among other things, organising activities that would keep the its outreach programme as it seeks to carter to an invaluable sector of society.

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20. FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018. THE VINCENTIAN

Advice

She stopped calling regularly Dear George, SOME WOMEN can be really unreasonable and downright wicked. I’m in St. Vincent and my girlfriend of 2 years lives in Barbados. She is Bajan and we plan to get married soon.

Recently, she has not been calling me as often as she did — sometimes only once or twice a month. I told her that wasn’t good enough, and that’s when she told me her phone ‘got knocked up’. I bought her a new IPhone, but things did not improve.

Her excuse then was that she had no credit. I started sending her credit every week, and she still did not improve on her calling. Her last

excuse was her work would not allow her to make private calls and she works 12 hours, and by the time she gets home she is tired.

We argued and I told her to return the phone and let whoever the man she has finance her phone expenses. I have not heard from her since. Now I don’t even know if I have a relationship because every effort to reach her has failed.

Missing in Love

Dear Missing in Love, Getting your girlfriend the latest phone and paying for her phone credit would only guarantee your calls from her, made at her convenience; it will never guarantee love and trustworthiness.

It is clear that this individual has either lost her love connection to you or never had one.

Do not waste any more of your time trying to figure this one out. Move on with your life!

George

Kissing other women Dear George, HOW MANY times do I have to catch my man kissing another woman, before I can conclude he does not have it in him to be faithful? I have caught my man well over 10 times kissing women I know and women I do not know. Each time, he would say he is just being friendly.

I suggested to him that he teach me how to be that friendly so that I could start kissing other men too, just to show how friendly I am. He objected strongly to that, and when I said that he was being unfair, he waved me off, saying it was different for men, and I had no reason to question his sincerity. Is he right?

Baffled Dear Baffled, Of course, he is not correct! A true relationship is characterized by trust, commitment, honesty and of course loyalty. Your boyfriend has demonstrated he does not subscribe to any of these, and worse, he is trying to have you accept his action as normal behavior for men and therefore, you must play along.

He got this one wrong, and it is now up to you to make the necessary correction.

George

Give it another try Dear George, I HAVE BEEN trying to no avail to get my husband to repair a leak in our house. According to him, “money is scarce.”

Imagine how I felt when I learned that he has financed a car for a woman with whom he said he had no relationship. I have the facts on this one, but he denies it although I showed him proof.

I don’t see myself continuing in this marriage, though I haven’t taken that step yet..

Hurt wife Dear Hurt wife, Your husband’s priority should be directed toward the home/family.

Any other thing is unacceptable. He

needs to know that his action can only serve to erode the marriage and destroy the trust between you two.

Encourage him to sit with you and recommit to the rebuilding of that trust. Of course, this is not possible if he doesn’t acknowledge his error.

It may come down to both of you getting profession help to sort this out. In that case, do not hesitate in doing so.

George

Leisure

ARIES (Mar. 21- April 20) Travel and communications will not run as smoothly as you had hoped. Make arrangements to meet friends at your local dance club. Financial limitations may add to your depression. You can come up with future trends in creative fields.

made during the heat of the night.

TAURUS (Apr. 21- May 21) Don’t be afraid to lay your cards on the table. For now just do the best you can.

Don’t get involved in secret affairs or underhanded involvement’s. Money may slip through your fingers.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24 - Nov. 22) Emotional up and downs have caused doubts in your personal life. Be careful what you consume this week. Your home environment may be hectic, which could result in emotional upset if you aren’t well organized.

GEMINI (May 22-June 21) Romantic opportunities will flourish through travel or communication.

Problems with peers is apparent. Don’t let criticism upset you. Hassles will delay your plans. Opportunities to make advancements through good business sense are evident.

CANCER (June 22-July 22) Any attractions toward clients will be one sided and must be put right out of your head. You may be in love this week, but who knows what tomorrow may bring. Offer good conversation and a nice soothing lunch.

LEO (July 23-Aug 22) Restrictions may be difficult for you to live with, but try to do things by the book. Be cautious of making any residential changes this week. Travel and social activity will bring about interesting talks, not to mention contacts.

VIRGO (Aug. 23 -Sept. 23) Older family members will make demands on your time. Changes in your home may be disruptive and upsetting.

Romantic opportunities will be plentiful if you get out and mingle. Passion is inevitable and commitments can be

LIBRA (Sept. 24 -Oct. 23) Read some books on self-awareness. Sign up for courses that will bring you more skills. This is not the time to lend or borrow money or possessions. Risky ventures may turn in your favor.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23 -Dec. 21) Try to spend some time on your own.

Female members of your family may be difficult to deal with. You may need a physical outlet that will help you relieve your tension. Avoid any confrontations with colleagues.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22.- Jan. 20) Don’t push your mate if you want to keep this union going. You may need to make a few alterations to your living arrangements. Work diligently and you will get ahead this week. You may be sensitive concerning friends and their situations.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 21.- Feb. 19) You need activity. Get together with those you find men tally stimulating.

Your ideas will be well received. You may have a problem at work with a female coworker.

PISCES (Feb. 20-Mar. 20) You will get drawn into groups that are not favorable to you. Hassles with female colleagues may lead to problems with your boss. You have your own family to consider as well. Go after your professional goals.

ACROSS 1. Criticize with scathing severity 5. Thrust with a knife 9. Strike lightly 12. River in central Switzerland 13. Hades 14. Atomic mass unit 15. Stains 16. Upon 17. Large cask 18. Alcoholic drink of fermented honey 20. Corpulent 22. Austrian composer 25. Worshipped 26. Area used for sports 27. Variety of chalcedony 28. Honey insect 29. Sorrowful 30. Racket 33. Not kosher 35. Tree 37. South American aquatic rodent 40. Composed 41. Follows orders 42. Potpourri 43. Spanish title 44. The villain in Othello 46. Title 50. Consume 51. Stoolpigeon 52. First man 53. Pigpen 54. Clarified butter 55. Charged particles DOWN 1. Craze 2. Put Down 3. Part of the verb to be 4. Sycophant

5. Weaned pig 6. Propend 7. High-pitched 8. Gory 9. Father 10. Entertain 11. Adjusted pitch 19. Period in history 21. A container 22. Fairy queen 23. Metal-bearing mineral 24. Letter Z 25. Besides 27. Idiot 29. Ocean 30. Brassiere 31. Statute 32. Definite article 33. Attempt 34. Ascending 35. Wreath of

flowers 36. Title of reverence for God 37. Swellings 38. German submarine 39. Attentive 40. Seaweed

LAST WEEK’s SOLUTION

V

THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018. 21.

42. Barbarous person 45. Exclamation of surprise 47. Fuss 48. Adult male 49. Printer’s measures

V

22. FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018. THE VINCENTIAN

Feature

SVG marks World Family Doctor Day The World Organization of Family Doctors (WONCA)

will celebrate the eighth World Family Doctor Day

on Saturday May 19th, 2018. The theme this year is: ‘Family Doctors – leading the way to better health’.

Like all countries across the globe, St. Vincent and the Grenadines has many Family Doctors who will join in celebrating this Day. These Family Doctors are special in their own way, for, among other things, they focus on

meeting the needs of the entire family. Unlike other doctors/physicians who specialize in treating one particular organ or disease, a Family Doctor is uniquely trained to care for a person as a whole person — their physical, mental and emotional needs regardless of age or gender.

Family Doctors are usually the first contact for most patients. They

representing some 500,000 family doctors in over 130 countries and territories around the world, grouped in seven regions — Africa, Asia Pacific, Eastern Mediterranean, Europe, Iberoamericana-CIMF, North America, and South Asia — each with a Regional President and Regional Council.

WONCA supports a number of Working Parties, Special Interest Groups, and Young Doctor Movements.

The mission of WONCA is to improve the quality of life of the peoples of the world through defining and promoting its values, as well as by fostering and maintaining high standards of care in general practice/family medicine. It does this by: * promoting personal, comprehensive and continuing care for the individual in the context of the family and the community; * encouraging and supporting the About the World development of academic Organization of Family organizations of general Doctors (WONCA) practitioners/family physicians; The World * providing a forum for Organization of Family exchange of knowledge Doctors (WONCA) is a and information between global not-for-profit member organizations of professional organization general representing family practitioners/family physicians and general physicians; practitioners from all * representing the regions of the world. educational, research and WONCA is an service provision organization in official activities of general collaborative relations practitioners/family with the World Health physicians before other Organization world organizations and (WHO) representing forums concerned with family doctors and family health and medical care. medicine.

Founded in 1972, Submitted by Drs Miriam WONCA now has 118 Sheridan and Francesca Member Organisations Burnham-Onu) interface with a collaborative network of doctors and other healthcare providers to ensure all the medical needs of their patients and others are met.

Additionally, Family Doctors: educate persons in disease prevention and health maintenance; assist with, among other things, weight control, nutritional counselling, stress relief and anger management; suggest best forms of exercise for a person’s fitness level; address and manage common complaints; diagnose emerging conditions and assist with the management of chronic illnesses.

In keeping with the theme for this year’s World Family Doctor Day, Family Doctors here appeal to all persons, not only their patients, to take control of their health, and encourage Family Doctors to give reduced charges for services rendered on the Day.

V CONCACAF Primary SchoolsÊ Football Programme launched

THE VINCENTIAN.

FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018. 23.

One of the stations in session at last Saturday’s launch of the CONCACAF Primary Schools Grassroots Football Pilot Programme at the Campden Park Playing Field.

A CONCACAF GRASSROOTS FOOTBALL Programme pilot project involving four primary schools here, was officially launched last Saturday at the Campden Park Playing Field.

Close to one hundred boys and girls from the Kingstown Preparatory School, the Georgetown Government, the Lowmans Leeward Anglican and the Barrouallie Government converged on the venue, to kick start the programme.

The launch involved the participating students taken through several stations, each with specific drills and outcomes.

Saturday’s launch marked the implementation phase of the

Local co-ordinator- Theon Gordon dealing with a group project, following a two-day of students.

Train The Trainers Workshop for coaches and volunteer teachers developing”. coaches/teachers held last involved in this phase, Gordon As it unfolds, the pilot month. advised: “Clubs can use the programme will ensure Speaking to the media at programme to attach two hours a week of last Saturday’s launch, local CONCACAF Development Officerthemselves to certain schools coaching for each of the co-ordinator — Theon Gordon, Kittitian Lenny Lake (left) in and assist in the programme.” selected schools. a former national football conversation with former SVGFF An evaluation of the pilot A schedule for each of captain, indicated: “It (the Technical Director and national programme will help to decide the schools has been pilot project) is not geared coach- Vincentian- Sammy on expanding it to include all worked out with the towards only football itself …

Carrington, at last Saturday’s launch. Ministry of Education, primary schools across St It’s about integration, Vincent and the Grenadines. which has given its full getting them to develop the participate and love the sport…

Apart from St Vincent and support to the programme, and right habits, using Football It is not in the essence of the Grenadines, similar pilot the SVG Football Federation, basically as a social tool for producing the next (Lionel) projects are taking place in which is responsible for its progression”.

Messi or the next (Cristiano) Jamaica, Barbados, the execution, and for which He added, “At this age level, Ronaldo… It is more about Bahamas and Trinidad and CONCACAF has provided the we are not necessarily looking developing good citizens, while Tobago. equipment. at the total technical aspects… using sports as a means of While there are designated It is about getting them to

Chateaubelair tops Scotiabank Kiddy Cricket

Danella Creese - Best Batter

Alston Hooper – Best Bowler L-R: Champions Chateaubelair Methodist School and Runners-up Georgetown Government School.

CHATEAUBELAIR METHODIST SCHOOL are the new champions of the Scotiabank Kiddy Cricket.

They emerged at the top when they beat Georgetown Government School in the finals of the Skills Festival staged at the Arnos Vale Sporting Complex, last Wednesday.

Georgetown Primary batted first and made 218; Chateaubelair responded with 250.

Cane End Primary School occupied the third position.

In the individual awards, Denella Creese of the Chateaubelair Methodist School was the

best batter. Park Hill Government School’s Alston Hooper, son of Windward Islands left arm spinner Alston Bobb, was the best bowler.

Park Hill also provided the best fielder in the person of Qumani Forbes.

The best all rounder was Mitchrum John of the

Georgetown Government School.

The Park Hill and Georgetown schools were assessed to be joint winners of the Most Discipline School Award.

Not to be left out, Jeffery Whyte of the Chateaulelair Primary School was adjudged to be

the Festival’s Most Outstanding Teacher.

Sixty students are to be selected, following the completion of the Skills Festival, to advance to the Annual Scotiabank Summer Camp where they Qumani Forbes – Best will be exposed to more Fielder basic coaching in the sport.

August 2018.

The Summer Camp is expected to be held in I.B.A.ALLEN

V

24. FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018. THE VINCENTIAN

Sports

SVGFF awards top 2017 performers The St Vincent and the Grenadines Football Federation (SVGFF) last week Wednesday evening, hosted a presentation ceremony to award top performers in its 2017 competitions.

Named as the Youth Female Player of the Year

was Barrouallie’s Kitanna Richards.

She got the nod over other contendersCavon Delpesche and Chelsea Cordice.

Copping the Youth Male Player of the Year was Avenues United’s Joel Quashie, who had to ward off challenges from Trezine Da Souza and Diel Spring.

In copping the Men’s Player of the Year, Chavel Cunningham, who plays for Pastures United, left Kemron Osment and Myron Samuel as runners up.

System Three Sports Academy’s Altica Benn was named the Women’s Player of the Year, beating out Jessica Miller and Roxanne Hannaway.

Meanwhile, Owia United’s Dwight Baptiste was adjudged the Coach of the Year, and the

Coach of the Year – Dwight Baptiste

Marvin FraserManager of the Year

Manager of the Year went to Marvin Fraser of Avenues United.

Baptiste warded off challenges from Bishon Williams and Kenrick Chambers.

Also at last Wednesday’s ceremony, trophies were presented to the top four finishers in the U-11, U-15, U-19, First Division, Women’s Division and the Premier Division of the National Club Championships.

System Three won the U-11, U-15 and Women’s; Avenues took the U-19 and Premier Division, and North Leeward Predators the First Division.

Teams had already collected their prize monies.

Additionally rewarded with trophies and cash prizes were the four top places in the U-11, U-16, U-18, as well as Women’s and Senior Men’s divisions of the National Community InterLeague Competition.

Champing the U-11 and Women’s was East Kingstown; Layou- the U-16; Central Kingstown — U-18 and

Barrouallie- Senior Men’s.

And, the 2018 zonal winners and eventual first, second, third and fourth places in the inaugural Futsal Club Championships were also rewarded with trophies and cash awards.

The zonal winners were Sparta FC, Youth Female Awesome FC, Player of the RSVG Police, Year- Kitanna Volcanoes/Green Richards.

Hill and Sharpes 09.

Awesome finished as overall winners, with Sharpes 09- second, RSVG Police — third and Hillviewfourth.

Basketball returns to Arnos Vale BASKETBALL made an impressive return to the Arnos Vale community when the Arnos Vale Male Invitational Basketball Tournament bounced off last Sunday, May 13, at the Arnos Vale Sporting Complex.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Winston Snagg, President of the Arnos Vale Basketball Club expressed delight that his club has been able to return basketball to the area after a prolonged period of dormancy.

“Basketball has been absent in the area and the country as a whole, and by opening a tournament, (it) will give players an opportunity to compete and open avenues for young players to obtain scholarships”, Snagg said, adding that his Club intends to host a Masters Tournament and Winston Snagg, President of the Arnos Vale Basketball Club, is looking forward to increased interest in the support in the Arnos Vale community.

Action in the opening match between Northern Boys and Trinity School of Medicine. install ‘hoops’ in the area so as “to increase interest in the sport.”

Wayne Williams, President of the SVG Basketball Federation (SVGBF), also addressed last Sunday’s opening, and by his presence accorded the Federation’s endorsement of the tournament.

He commended the Arnos Vale Bsketball Club for its initiative, saying that any such tournament will help with the development of the sport.

He admitted that the National Championships had taken a hiatus, but assured that it will be back next year.

Williams also took time out to note of some what the Wayne Williams, Federation has spearheaded President of the recently: a feeder programme SVG Basketball that distributed balls to schools Federation (SVGBF), across the state, and which anticipates a contributed to an increase in return of the participation in the secondary National schools competition; hosting Championship in several 3x3 tournaments 2019. leading to this country’s participation for the CAC Games in July, in Columbia; preparing for the FIBA qualifiers, to be held in Surinam in June.

In matches to mark the official start of actual competition, played last Sunday, Northern Boys beat Trinity Medical School 70 — 45, and Arnos Vale Heat Seekers 1 outplayed RSVG Police Force United 80-39.

In addition to the four teams referred to above, other participating teams are: Calliaqua United, Mavericks, South Rivers, Bequia, Blue Chip Blue, Blue Chip White and Arnos Vale Seekers 2.

Competition continued throughout the week.

I.B.A.ALLEN

Maloney qualifies for U20 World Junior MIDDLE distance runner Shafiqua Maloney was on the weekend named the MOST VALUABLE PLAYER (MVP) at the Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor finals, following her victories in the 200 and 400metres.

Maloney clocked a wind-aided 23.17 secs. to win the 200m, and overcame her rivals again in the 400m with a convincing 53.19 clocking.

Representing Southern Illinois University, she was also a member of both 4x100 and Shafiqua 4x400m winning teams.

Maloney - SVG Her times have qualified her Middle distance to compete at the World U20 runner.

Junior Championships, scheduled for Tampere, Finland, from July 10th to 15th.

Shafiqua, along with Annicea Richards, Zita Vincent and Tamara Woodley comprised the SVG Under 20 4x400m relay team at the 2018 CARIFTA Games, held in the Bahamas. That team initially completed that race in third position in a time of 3 minutes 48.24, but was awarded gold after the teams from Jamaica and the Bahamas were disqualified.

I.B.A.ALLEN

V

THE VINCENTIAN.

Sports

The Thomas Saunders Secondary School track team to the 2018 Penn Relays.

Coach pleased with TSSS Penn Relay performance GODFREY HARRY, coach of the Thomas Saunders Secondary School (TSSS) team to the 2018 Godfrey Harry Penn Relays, is pleased with Thomas some of the achievements of Saunders, Head the team, and is reconvinced Coach of TSSS, that his athletes have the has been able to ability to compete against the identify some best. encouraging Speaking to THE development viz VINCENTIAN on the team’s a viz the return, Harry said that he was school’s satisfied with the girls’ participation in performance. the Penn Relays.

“The girls, I thought they did well, especially given that they would have gone through a difficult period to qualify for the games.

The girls team erased the School’s previous 4x400 metre record 4.08.15 seconds set in 2015. They set a new time of 4.06.94 seconds. Males 4x100 metre finished 4th in heats in a time of 45.13 seconds to be ranked 245/556 overall. In the males 4x400 they were 4th in the heats in a time of 3.30.16 to be ranked 210/ 535 overall,” Harry recounted for THE VINCENTIAN. He continued, “For the past 8 years going to the Penn Relays, I believe we have achieved some of our objectives — not least in giving the athletes the exposure to international competition in an effort to obtain scholarships.”

On that score, the coach referenced Rodrick Thorpe, Kyan Kerby and Zenron Chance, all TSSS athletes who have won scholarships and whom he sees as being motivation for other athletes.

Looking ahead, Harry believes having the best athletes for these games is crucial. “We are constantly rebuilding, given the fact that students leave the school every year. What is good for us (going into 2019) is that we still have a core of the team from this year. We are destined to do better next year, but it’s a long process. Most schools in the USA and Jamaica have students up to grade twelve; so while we are losing athletes, they maintain their core of athletes which benefit them.”

And as far as minimum expectations are concened, coach Harry disclosed, “Our aim is to register better times and get us in the top 50 or ranked even higher, in both female and male categories, which will make the athletes more marketable as it relates to the scholarship market.”

And on the issue of scholarships, Harry reminded that in order to be considered for a scholarship, a student had to maintain a good academic record as well as one on the track.

The Thomas Saunders 2018 Penn Relay teams comprised: Girls - Zamesha Myle, Kaylia Edwards, Aaliyah Jordan, Almarie providence, Tiwanny john and Noleisha Ryan; Boys - Joel Jack, Micah Glasgow, Uroy Ryan. Dawson Samuel, Inglis Daniel and Keejuan Chance.

I.B.A.ALLEN

FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018. 25.

College unbeaten in T20 Competition THE SVG COMMUNITY COLLEGE (SVGCC) recorded double victories in last weekend’s round of matches in the NLA/Neil Williams T20 Cricket Competition, to remain unbeaten.

Their first win came against Saints whom they beat by 22 runs. Captain Dillion Douglas top scored with 77 in SVGCC’s total of 185 from 19 overs, in which Jeremy Haywood took 5 for 36 for Saints. Saints replied with 163 for 6 from 20 overs, Romel Currency leading the charge with 49 and Ryan Williams and Urel Thomas accounting for two wickets each.

SVGCC registered a more comfortable 84-run victory in their other weekend outing against Triumph United. SVG Community College made 181 for 7 from 20, Captain Douglas leading again with 56 and Alex Samuel contributing 41. Rangel Small took 4 for 35 for Triumph and also topscored with 21 in their reply of 97 all out. Vernon Thomas took 3 for 4.

In another weekend match, Smashers beat Marriaqua by 48 runs. Scores: Smashers 220 for 5 from 18 overs - Rawdon Bentick 85, Teishmer Davis 2 for 30; Marriaqua 172 for 7 from 18 overs. Oswald Soleyn 57, Marvin

Harry 3 for 26.

Police One beat Victors Two by 50 runs. Police One 205 for 6 from 20 overs, Victors Two 155 for 5 from 20 overs.

Flow Radcliffe beat ASCO by 9 wickets in a ridiculously lowscoring match. Scores: Flow Radcliffe 27 for 1 from 4 overs, ASCO 22 for 8 from 8 overs, Othneil Lewis 7 for 10.

North Windward beat Radcliffe 2 by 65 runs. North Windward Youths 135 for 6 from 15 overs, Radcliffe Two 70 for 6 from 11 overs.

Bequia Cricket Club beat North Leeward by 8 wickets. Scores: Bequia Cricket Club 84 for 2 from 8 overs; North Leeward 82 for 7 from 20 overs.

Keegan’s Bequia had the better of Victors Two by 59 runs. Scores: Keegan’s Bequia 162 for 8 from 20 overs, Razine Browne 58; Victors Two 103 from 19 overs, Javadeen Browne 4 for 12.

Saints beat Victors One by 8 wickets. Victors One 158 for 6 from 20 overs, Tilron Harry 51; Saints 160 for 2 from 19 overs, Seon Sween 76 not out.

This weekend, on Saturday, Team Rivals play Keegan’s Bequia from 2pm at Sion Hill, Police two oppose Guardian

Othneil Lewis took 7 for 10 for Flow Radcliffe against ASCO.

SVGCC captain, Dillion Douglas, hit half centuries (77 and 56) in each of his General Saints at team’s Park Hill, Victors weekend matches.

1 oppose Radcliffe Two at Stubbs, North Leeward take on ASCO at Buccament. On Sunday, Smashers face Community College at Sion Hill from 10, Strike Eagles take on Police 1 at Stubbs and Triumph United clash with Prime Consulting Marriaqua at Arnos Vale 2.

I.B.A.ALLEN

Enroy Lewis takes Subway Cycling road race COMPETING on the local circuit for the first time with his relatively new road bike, Enroy Lewis made it count, as he won the Elitie Category of the Subway Road Race staged by the St Vincent and the Grenadines Cycling Union, last Sunday.

Lewis, who christened his new bike when he represented this country at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast, Australia, was first to complete the 44-mile event, in a time of 2 hours 21 minutes 50 seconds.

The race rode off from the Subway outlet located on Grenville Street, onto the Windward Highway to Langley Park and back to the finish at the Sion Hill Intersection. .

In winning Sunday’s event, Lewis blotted Zefal Bailey’s unbeaten run for the 2018 calendar.

Bailey had to settle for the second place; he clocked 2 hours 21 minutes 55 seconds.

The third place in the Elite Category was secured

by Samuel Lyttle, whose time was 2 hours 28 Peter Durrant was minutes 27 all alone in the seconds.

Masters Category.

Brothers Marlon and Lucky Antrobus were the other two riders to complete the course in the Elite Category. Their times were 2 hours 47 minutes 15 seconds and 2 hours 47 minutes 20 secondsrespectively.

There was no shuffling among the Masters year to date results, with Peter Durrant taking that category in a time of 2 hours 17 minutes 20 seconds.

Durrant was the lone competitor in his category. He rode 36 miles, from the start point to Colonaire, to end at the Sion Hill Intersection.

The top three finishers in the Elite Category, along with Durrant, all received cash awards for their placings.

The next calendared event for local cyclists is Whit Monday (May 21) Hill Sprint from Happy Hill to Lowmans Hill. The race starts at 6am.

Enroy Lewis rode his bike for the first time in competition on local soil last Sunday, and won.

26. FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018. THE VINCENTIAN

V

THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018. 27.

Classifieds FOR SALE

FOR RENT

Property at Yambou 8 mins. drive to AIA For details go to www.st.vincentproperty.com

Newly constructed one bedroom furnished apartment, and unfurnished two bedroom apartment at Campden Park Contact: 431-7837

FOR SALE 3 bedroom dwelling house at Choppins Tel: 457-5640 432-4544

LOUANN BRIDGETTE DOWERS Revival Centre Carapan Sunday 13th May, 2018 Viewing: 1:30 p.m.

Service: 2:30 p.m.

HERMAN ALEXANDER BAPTISTE Sandy Bay Gospel Chapel Sunday 13th May, 2018 Viewing 1:00 p.m.

Service 2:00 p.m.

Interment: London Cemetery

REPAIRS

Washing machine and microwave repairs.

HOME SERVICES 455-5018/431-0539

IAN GARRAWAY

HYNFORD JAPHET ARRINGTON

Harmony Baptist Church Ottley Hall Saturday 12th May, 2018 Viewing 2:00 p.m.

Service 3:00 p.m.

Interment: Kingstown Cemetery

Emmanuel Baptist Church South Rivers Sunday 13th May, 2018 Viewing 1:00 p.m.

Service 2:00 p.m.

Interment: Park Hill Cemetery

DOREEN ANETHA ABERDEENMARKSMAN Calvary Baptist Church, Arnos Vale Saturday 12th May, 2018 Viewing 1:00 p.m.

Service 2:00 p.m.

Interment: Brighton Cemetery

MARION SKERRITT Roman Catholic Cathedral of the Assumption according to Anglican Rites Saturday 12th May, 2018 Service: 2:00 p.m.

Interment: 6W *HRUJH¶V Cathedral Church Yard

The National Newspaper of St. Vincent and the Grenadines

F O R S A L E

FRIDAY,

MAY 18, 2018

VOLUME 112, No.20

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‘BINGHI MEN’ UNEASY ABOUT ‘GANJA’ MOVES sativa seeds, which are unique to St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and AS THIS COUNTRY moves closer to recognized by the experts as being the legalizing marijuana for medical best. purposes, some members of the local “We would no longer be farmers of Rastafarian community are concerned the original sativa. We will have to about the farming of the herb. depend on the investors who will Bongo II and Ras Shaka, members determine what we grow, and how of a group called the Nyabinghi much, and they will be in control of Warriors, voiced their concerns as they what was supposed to be our seed spoke to THE VINCENTIAN on banks,” Shaka asserted.

Monday.

“We cannot be against medical While supporting medicinal marijuana because for years we have marijuana in principle, the Binghi men been saying that the herb is the are of the view that more open public healing of the nation, so this is nothing consultations on the issue should have strange to us. But while the medical been done. marijuana project is taking place, we “We are not fully detailed about must be allowed to grow sativa for our everything surrounding the issue. We spirituality,” he added. feel that it was not ventilated enough,” Bongo II pointed out that, according Ras Shaka said, adding that the to the Order of the House of spiritual aspect seemed to have been Nyabinghi, marijuana is used as a sidelined. burnt offering just as the Catholics They both expressed concern that if and Anglicans use the incense in their marijuana farmers were to give up rituals. their farming to work for the “We use the sativa as our burnt medicinal marijuana investors, they offering. The Nyabinghi House is (farmers) would lose the original incorporated and must be respected, so we must have a say. We are hearing all sorts of confusing reasons about green houses. We are hearing reasoning about medical marijuana and recreational marijuana, but we are hardly hearing anything about the spiritual aspect of growing the herb,” he underscored.

The men also suggested agroprocessing of the herb as a means of ensuring maximizing economic benefits for the state.

They noted there are

by HAYDN HUGGINS

The chart shows some of the uses, as the ‘Binghi men referenced, to which the marijuana pant can be put.

Bongo II highlighted the religious importance of marijuana to Rastafarians, and called for respect to be given to this practice. several by-products which could be processed from marijuana, including food, oil, wine, rope, paper, land and sea fuel, canvas, plywood and building blocks.

“Some people here are already making oil and wine from marijuana.

We now have to apply the technology and training to make it economically viable for the nation, as a whole,” Shaka suggested.

“The marijuana issue is not as complicated as some people think it is; everybody could benefit. It has the potential to create employment for all

Published by The VINCENTIAN Publishing Co. Ltd, St. Vincent and the Grenadines;

Ras Shaka is not satisfied that the marijuana issue, especially as it relates to freeing up the herb for medicinal purposes, has not been ‘well ventilated’ in the public sphere.

Vincentians, once we approach it in the right way, and on all levels,” he added.

“What happens if these investors decide to fold up the industry after a while, what happens next?” Bongo II questioned, reinforcing the concern raised earlier about the farmers losing the seed banks, if they were to give up their farming to work for the investors.

Printed by the SVG Publishers Inc., Campden Park.