The National Newspaper of St. Vincent and the Grenadines FRIDAY,

The National Newspaper of St. Vincent and the Grenadines
FRIDAY,
JANUARY 24, 2014
by HAYDN HUGGINS
Attorney Kay BacchusBrowne acknowledges that
the issue of sentence needs
to be dealt with.
VOLUME 108, No.04
THE CASE OF THIS COUNTRY’S
lone death row inmate, Patrick
Lovelace, is again before the
Eastern Caribbean Court of
Appeal, as his lawyers move to
save him from possible
execution.
The former long-distance
runner of Belmont was
sentenced to death February
26, 2010, for the July 2002
murder of 12-year-old female
pannist, Lokeisha Nanton of
Sion Hill. A 12-member jury
had found him guilty July 15,
2009, following a retrial
ordered by the Court of
Appeal.
On Monday, Lovelace’s
attorney Kay Bacchus-Browne,
in conjunction with the British
Law Firm Simmons, Muirhead
and Burton, filed an
application before the Court of
Appeal for extension of time to
file an appeal against
Lovelace’s sentence.
The British Law Firm is
representing Lovelace at the
Privy Council, but the issue of
sentence had not been dealt
with at the regional level.
In a judgment handed down
March 2012, the Court of
Appeal dismissed Lovelace’s
appeal against conviction, but
U.K-based lawyer Shiraz Aziz,
who had conducted the appeal,
did not appeal the sentence.
To date, Lovelace’s conviction
and sentence stand.
Bacchus-Browne, who was
retained to take Lovelace’s
matter to the Privy Council,
told THE VINCENTIAN on
Tuesday, “The matter is still
before the Privy Council, but
the issue of sentence needs to
be dealt with. If we don’t
exhaust all possible avenues in
the interest of justice, it is like
sending him to the gallows.”
Bacchus-Browne pointed
out that it was an omission on
www.thevincentian.com
EC$1.50
Patrick Lovelace remains on
death row as his lawyers
prepare for another round in
his appeal.
Left: U.K-based lawyer Shiraz
Aziz did not appeal the
sentence.
the part of Aziz not to have
appealed the sentence.
The lawyer stressed, “This
matter is extremely serious
because it concerns the life of
our client.”
Bacchus-Browne had told
THE VINCENTIAN in June
2012 that she had written to
the relevant authorities,
including the Prime Minister
and the Governor General,
requesting that Lovelace’s
execution be stayed pending
the outcome of an appeal to
the Privy Council.
Nanton’s nude body was
found hanging from a mango
tree in an area at Sion Hill
called London Road, on the
morning of July 2, 2002. An
autopsy showed she was
strangled.
Vehicle involved in
Hector’s death
VINCENTIAN on Tuesday,
James said that, based on the
HEAD OF THE CRIMINAL
result of Hector’s autopsy, “we
Investigations Unit, Assistant (police) believe that the
Superintendent of Police
deceased was struck by a
Sydney James, has indicated
vehicle.”
that a vehicle might have
The autopsy indicated that
been involved in the death of
he died from ‘crash injuries to
Rudolph Hector, a 54-year-old chest and abdomen, and
mechanic of
bleeding due to multiple
Fountain/Brighton, whose
injuries’.
body was found on the public
THE VINCENTIAN’s front
road outside Huffles Ranch, in page story on January 10th,
Brighton, on January 6.
entitled ‘Was Hector Killed?’,
Speaking to THE
indicated that, based on
by KENVILLE HORNE
ASP Sydney James, Head of
the CID, has advanced a view
that a vehicle might have
been involved in Rudolph
Hector’s death.
reliable information,
something heavy would have
had to have pressed on
Hector’s body to cause the
injuries visible on his body.
The story referred also
reported that members of
Hector’s family “believed” that
he was killed.
Rudolph Hector lifeless body
ASP James echoed the
showed clear injuries to his
Hector family’s appeal for
chest and abdomen.
persons who might have
information relating to
Investigations into Hector’s
Rudolph’s death, to contact
death are continuing.
the police.
V
2. FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014. THE VINCENTIAN
Diaspora
Nurses stage Winter Wonderland
Entertainment Evening
Story and photos by
NELSON A. KING
[email protected];
[email protected]
US CORRESPONDENT
DESPITE A PALL that was cast
on the Vincentian community in
the United States over the
unexpected Christmas tragedy
and destruction at home by a
freak storm, the Brooklyn-based
St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Nurses Association of New York,
Inc. still sought to put on a very
brave face in staging its
inaugural Winter Wonderland
Entertainment Evening.
“When we planned this
event, this was not in our
wildest dream,” Celia
Bramble, the Evesham-born
president and retired nurse
told patrons at St. Gabriel’s
Episcopal Church, on Dec. 29,
alluding to the Christmas Eve
storm.
“In one of our meetings, we
said we’ll reach out to the
rural areas — Biabou,
Chateaubelair, etc. But look at
what happened,” added the
retired colonel in the US Army
Reserve, while appealing for
Liturgical dancers from Doreen Swift and Company.
monetary contributions to the
relief efforts.
“When we heard about this,
we had to shift our focus to
support the people of St.
Vincent and the Grenadines,”
she continued. “Your proceeds
will support others at home.”
Bramble said patrons
instantly dug into their
wallets and pocket books in
raising US$1,200 for the
cause.
She told THE
VINCENTIAN that a check in
that amount will shortly be
delivered to US Consul
General Selmon Walters, who
was present at the event, and
who chairs the Brooklyn-based
St. Vincent and the
Grenadines Relief Steering
Committee.
Besides the lost of nine
lives, Walter spoke about
damage done to homes and
infrastructure, stating that it
would cost in the region of
EC$500 million to rebuild the
nation.
But, despite the gloomy
picture at home, patrons also
braved the rainy and cold
weather to enjoy the festivity.
“Despite the challenging
weather, so many people
turned out to support the
event,” Bramble said. “The
feedback was fantastic.
“We had a very short time
to plan it; and, despite the
short duration, it was really
well received,” she added. “The
atmosphere reflected the
whole issue of the ‘Winter
Wonderland’ theme.
“The performers were very
good, and they donated their
services,” continued Bramble,
noting that children of
member-nurses also
participated in the event.
Former president Clari
Gilbert, who served as
Mistress of Ceremonies, gave
an improvised serenading
speech; Doreen Swift and
Company performed a
liturgical dance to ‘Precious
Lamb of God’; and Tobagonian
crooner Hilton Samuel
rendered ‘O Holy Night’ and
‘Silent Night’, and urged
Vincentians in song to ‘Don’t
Give Up’.
Other featured artistes
included Cyril ‘Scorcher’
Thomas; Divine Praise Music
Celia Bramble, President of
the St. Vincent and the
Grenadines Nurses
Association of New York, Inc.,
addressing event.
Ministry; The Symphonic
Sound; Trinidadian Ngozi on
steel pan; poet Tajana
Edwards; and Garifuna
drummers from Belize.
Bramble said the annual
gala luncheon in June is the
group’s next big fundraising
event.
She, however, said the
current focus is sending
medical supplies to areas
severely affected by the storm.
Recently, the St. Vincent
and the Grenadines Nurses
Association of New York, Inc.
dispatched “a lot of medical
supplies” home, including
wheel chairs, suction machines
and oxygen.
V
THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014. 3.
News 3
‘You aint no General,’
says Eustace
OPPOSITION LEADER
Arnhim Eustace is not
falling in line with the
statement by Prime
Minister Dr. Ralph
Gonsalves that soldiers
must report for duty.
“I reject that notion. It
smacks of unbelievable
arrogance,” Eustace
stated.
There was a gradual
increase in Eustace’s tone
of voice, and the impact
of the comment appeared
to have riled him
intensely. “Mr Prime
Minister, you are out of
your place,” Eustace
added.
“It reminds me of your
contemptuous George
Bush remark,” the
opposition leader
expanded.
Prime Minister Dr.
Gonsalves interrupted
then, and asserted that
the George Bush
statement had “no racial
slur.”
“I invite you to obtain
the tape,” the Prime
Minister interjected.
Eustace resumed and
outlined that he was of
African descent and knew
the difference between
day and night.
He was at the time
responding to the near
four-hour 2014 Budget
Address hours by Prime
Minister Dr. Gonsalves
the previous evening.
Eustace acknowledged
that the budget exercise
was necessary.
The repercussions of
the flood damage caused
by the December 24
downpour shaped the
direction.
The opposition leader
noted that the disaster
struck less than two
weeks after the 2014
Estimates were
approved.
Before the wrangle
over general-ship
surfaced, there were
claims and denials about
discrimination in the
delivery of relief supplies.
Eustace found it
“totally unacceptable,”
that distribution of
(R-L): Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves and
Opposition Leader Arhnim Eustace in a face to
face exchange that continued during the debate
on the Budget Address.
Eustace mentioned
that he as Opposition
Leader was not invited to
any of the meetings
While the commanders squabble, the foot soldiers called to organise relief
efforts. A clear disregard
make do with the barest of essentials (Photo: Don for the fact that the New
de Riggs)
Democratic Party had 48
per cent of the votes.
Minister Gonsalves’
supplies was made to
“We have the
charge that the claims of
“party faithful (Unity
responsibility to look over
discrimination were
Labour Party),” while
the interest of our
“bogus.”
those in need were
“To some of us, that is constituents,” Eustace
overlooked.
outlined.
laughable,” the East
“We often ignore
“I am not falling in
Kingstown representative
comments made on this
line
with anybody
declared. He called the
matter,” Eustace
because
the general
names of several persons
outlined.
who he claimed were
“He has given the
denied assistance some,
impression that there is
after the passage of
no such discrimination,”
Hurricane Tomas in
Eustace added in
October 2010.
reference to Prime
Excise tax on
gasoline goes up
COIP backs reparations
initiative
by KENVILLE HORNE
EDITOR’S NOTE: The
following is a release from
the Caribbean
Organisation of
Indigenous Peoples.
The Caribbean
Organisation of
Indigenous Peoples
(COIP) welcomes the
initiative taken by
CARICOM member states
to establish National of
Reparation Committees,
to address the issue of
‘Reparations for
Caribbean Slavery and
Native Genocide’.
The initiative is
noteworthy, not only
because it seeks
reparation for Slavery,
but also for Native
Genocide, the latter
important since
descendants of the ‘First
Peoples’ still live on the
islands that constitute
CARCOM. The
descendants of the
Callinago (Yellow Caribs)
and the Garifuna (Black
Caribs) are distinct races
within the delightfully
mixed population.
The press release
issued on 10th December
2013, by the Regional
Reparations Committee
Chairman, Prof. Hilary
speaks,” Eustace
declared.
He painted a picture of
his party’s having
supported legislation
brought by the Unity
Labour Party on several
occasions.
We didn’t oppose for
opposition sake. We
approach this issue in
that context. The Prime
Minister is here to serve,
not to rule. You aint no
general,” Eustace
quipped.
The 2009 AGM of the Caribbean Organization of
Indigenous Peoples was held in Guyana.
Much literature exists
to show the inhumane
treatment endured by
Native/Indigenous Peoples
on the islands, at the
hands of the European
Action now, not later
settlers, and the
subsequent insult of exile
Beckles, highlights the
from their own country, as
issue of Native Genocide. is the case of the Garifuna
Among other things, the
of St. Vincent & The
release states:
Grenadines.
“The Commission noted
With regard to St.
that Caribbean societies
Vincent and the
also experienced the
Grenadines, oral
genocide of the native
tradition, and historians
population, which was
at home and abroad have
also declared a crime
kept alive the accounts of
against humanity by the
the barbaric action
United Nations. The
against the Garifuna and
victims of these crimes
their heroic fight to
and their descendants
defend their homeland.
were left in a state of
The naming of Paramount
social, psychological,
Chief Joseph Chatoyer as
economic and cultural
the country’s First
deprivation and
National Hero is
disenfranchisement that
testimony to recognition of
has ensured their
that struggle. One only
suffering and debilitation has to read Christopher
today, and from which
Taylor’s detailed account
only reparatory action can of the final battles to
alleviate their suffering”. conclude that Duvalle is a
strong contender for the
Second National Hero.
COIP, which comprises
membership from Belize,
Dominica, Guyana,
Suriname, St. Vincent &
The Grenadines, and
Trinidad and Tobago, all
CARICOM members,
stands ready to play a role
in building strong
arguments on the
Caribbean condition of the
descendants of Native
Peoples and in favour of
reparations for evils
inflicted on them.
Ricardo Bharath
Hernandez, Chief of the
Santa Rosa First Peoples
Community of Trinidad &
Tobago, is the current
Chair of COIP.
Nelcia Robinson
On behalf of the
Caribbean Organisation
of Indigenous Peoples
(COIP)
Tels: 1 868 664 1897/
1 784 456 1422/
1 784 492 9393
A 50 CENTS INCREASE in
the excise tax on gasoline
here is estimated to bring in
an additional EC$3 million to
government’s revenue.
This was disclosed by
Prime Minister and Minister
of Finance Dr. Ralph
Gonsalves during his Budget
Address at a sitting of
parliament held last Monday.
This was the only new
fiscal measure expected in
Dr. Ralph
2014, and Dr. Gonsalves
Gonsalves
assured that “the increase is
delivered a Budget
not expected to have any
that included one
immediate or significant
upward impact on the price of new fiscal measure
that he was
fuel at the pump, as prices
have been trending
confident could
downwards in recent months.” easily be
In fact, the Prime Minister accommodated by
announced a decrease in the
the current price
price of gasoline - from
regime for fuel.
EC$14.08 to EC$13.95 per
gallon - though users of diesel
can expect an increase - EC$13.32 to EC$13.67.
Diesel used for the purpose of producing electricity
will continue to be exempted.
Dr. Gonsalves was confident that for the gasoline,
the entire 50 cents increase can be accommodated by
the lower price of the fuel.
In introducing the fiscal measure, Dr. Gonsalves
pointed to the current economic situation, globally
and nationally, which makes little room to raise taxes
or large amounts of additional revenue.
“Similarly, there is little room to lower tax rates or
to make additional tax concessions,” said Gonsalves,
adding further, “Our fiscal policy stance for 2014 will
therefore continue to be a mix of prudence, patience
and enterprise.”
V
4. FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014. THE VINCENTIAN
News
ÂAlert system needed,Ê says
MartiniqueÊs Council Leader
Leeward Islands.
He made the call while in
St. Vincent and the
Grenadines following the
December 24 to 25 trough
system which affected three
Windward Island territories.
The Martinique leader
admitted that the immediate
attention was providing
humanitarian assistance. He
was happy that supplies sent
by his country were
appreciated and distributed.
He promised technical
assistance, and offered special
engineers in the restoration
Serge Letchimy, President of efforts.
the Regional Council of
Letchimy expressed interest
Martinique, is advocating for in cooperating with the
the installation of a weather
Organisation of Eastern
alert system in the
Caribbean States (OECS),
Caribbean, and closer ties
CARICOM and other regional
between his country and the bodies. He is concerned about
English-speaking Caribbean.. the impact of climate change.
He stressed his country’s
willingness to share
by WILLIAM ‘KOJAH’ ANTHONY information regarding that
phenomenon.
SERGE LETCHIMY, PRESIDENT of
Letchimy noted the region’s
the Regional Council of
vulnerability to dangers
Martinique, wants an (weather) associated with changes in
alert system installed in the
climatic conditions. He
area of the Windward and
speculated that there is the
“risk that it (flooding) happens According to their analysis,
the Armed Forces of the West
again,” and advised, “We need two systems collided and
Indies, is slated to arrive from
to structure ourselves to better created the system which was: Martinique today, Friday
handle these events in the
“unforecastable and
January 24, with more relief
future.
unpredictable.”
supplies, including medical
His Vincentian counterpart,
It was classified as a one in supplies.
Dr. Ralph Gonsalves was
a hundred years occurrence,
While here, Letchimy,
pleased with Letchimy’s
and possibly one in 500.
accompanied by a team of Red
solidarity. He announced that
World Bank estimates put
Cross officials, engineers and
the water, food and
the cost of destruction at $291 Prime Minister Dr. Dalph
mattresses, part of the
million. However, the
Gonsalves, visited the
Martinique relief input, were
Vincentian Prime Minister
Buccament Valley and Bay on
distributed by NEMO.
cited a figure of $350 million.
the South Leeward end of
He encouraged cooperation
Another vessel, the
mainland St. Vincent.
between the two nations, and
DUMONT D’ URBILLE, from
is looking
forward to
practical ways
of
collaboration.
He endorsed
the
establishment
of an early
warning
system.
by William ‘Kojah’
Dr.
Anthony
Gonsalves
DIRECTOR OF
pointed to
reports of the PUBLIC
Prosecutions, Colin
system by a
Williams, is pleaded David Cater (left) and John ASP Sydney James, Head
World Bank
with the way Police Bailey, the consultants
team.
of the CID (left) accepts his
officers here have
certificate from COP
who
conducted
the
grasped the
Michael Charles.
training
programme.
technique and
technology of
British consultants,
officers absorbed the
interviewing vulnerable information in such a
David Cater and John
and intimidated
Bailey, conducted the
short space of time.
witnesses electronically.
training.
Over ten days, 24
Williams described the Police officers in two
Cater described this
development as a
country as leading the
batches were trained in
“worrying sign for those areas of Electronic
way “in adopting
interested in crime.”
legislation for the
Interviewing of
He noted that St.
recording of electronic
Vulnerable and
Vincent and the
suspect interviews,” and
Intimidated Witness.
Grenadines “was
also “the witness Special
The British High
narrowing the space”
Measures Act” which
Commission, in
and “putting legal
includes provision for the
collaboration with the
mechanism in place
electronic recording of
Director of Public
through which Police
witnesses’ statements.
Prosecutions and the
Officers can continue to
He submitted that the
Royal St. Vincent and
perform.”
training will make a
the Grenadines Police
Commissioner of
major contribution to the
Force, ensured the
Police Michael Charles
fight against organised
exercise came off. Two
was proud that his
crime.
More training for Police:
Worrying signs for
criminals
COP wants good relations with
media
media is an effective
means of the police
NEWLY APPOINTED
getting out the correct
Commissioner of Police
information.
Michael Charles wants to
The top cop said that,
have a “good working
while he is elated to have
relationship with the
his position confirmed,
media.”
he feels no different to
Charles made this
when he started as
clear while speaking to
acting Commissioner.
THE VINCENTIAN
He assured that the
Wednesday, January 22, Police High Command
one week after receiving will work together with
his letter of appointment the general body of the
which had taken effect
Constabulary and the
from November 1, 2013. public to make St.
He had acted in that
Vincent and the
capacity from July 16,
Grenadines a safer and
2013.
better place for
“The media should be Vincentians and visitors.
free to consult with the
Charles is described
Commissioner at any
by many as a ‘people’s
time”, Charles said. He
man’.
pointed out that the
He was a keen
by HAYDN HUGGINS
Michael Charles,
Commissioner of Police
is considered a
people’s man by both
the constabulary and
members of the general
public.
competitor in the local
police calypso
competition, and is a
regular feature on the
local karaoke circuit.
V
THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014. 5.
Regional
St. Lucian Deputy
PM loses libel case
PHILIP PIERRE, Deputy Prime Minister of
St. Lucia, has had his libel case against a
local newspaper, the St. Lucia Mirror,
thrown out by the Eastern Caribbean
Supreme Court.
Media personnel around the
Caribbean had followed with interest
the case filed by Pierre following the
publication of a letter, April 2011.
The case was thrown out after
Pierre and his lawyers, akin to
throwing the towel, failed to make an
appearance.
Pierre had named then editor of the
paper, Guy Ellis, who resigned during
2011, and Mirror Publishhing
Company as defendants.
The case surrounded a published
letter by the Castries East branch of
the main opposition United Workers
Party (UWP). The Party Branch had
called upon Pierre to explain the
construction of a concrete wall along
the boundary of his private property,
using government funds. Cost for
construction of the wall was put at
over EC$70,000.
The letter alleged that many
residents of the constituency had
suffered damage as a result of the
destruction caused by Hurricane
Tomas in 2010, and that Pierre had
put his personal needs ahead of the
constituents.
Pierre had sought damages
including aggravated damages for
libel, interest and costs, on the
grounds that the contents of the letter
had accused him of “selfishly and or
corruptly expending tax payers’ money
on his property” and that his personal
and professional reputation had
undergone “extreme
embarrassment and hurt
feelings” as a result of the
publication. He also
claimed to have suffered
odium (hatred), ridicule
and contempt.
The Court upheld the
submission by the
Philip Pierre failed to
Guy Ellis, defendant,
defendants lawyer that,
make an appearance
thinks that Pierre knew
by failing to appear, the
before the Eastern
he was going to lose,
claimants had not (even) Caribbean Court of
hence his nongiven the Court the
Appeal.
appearance.
normal courtesy of an
excuse for their absence.
Guy Ellis, commenting after the
Ax far as the opposition United
ruling, said that he could only
Workers Party is concerned, Pierre
speculate about the reason why Pierre still has to answer to the people of
failed to turn up in court, and may be East Castries for the expenditure on
he had come to the realization that he the wall. (Source: Caribbean 360)
would have lost.
Fires rock St. Kitts and Nevis
THE TWIN
The Venezuelan Embassy was total
ISLAND
destroyed. (Photo: presstv.it)
FEDERATION
of St. Kitts and
Nevis has been
rocked by a
series of fires
between
January 4 and
18, and arson
is suspected in
at least two of
the incidents.
The latest
The burnt out interior of the Treasury building in
occurred on
The building owned by
Nevis (Photo: Caribbean News Now)
Nevis when the opposition politician Lindsay
of
the
Venezuelan
Unity
Party,
an
building
Grant up in flames.
handling, and the fire
transpired here,”
Embassy.
allegation denied by
housing Nevis
services. They will do
Premier Vance Amory
Two
suspects
were
party
officials.
Island
confirmed that arson was detained and later
their investigation and
told the media as he led
In
the
meantime,
the
Administration’s
suspected at the OAS
they will then advise us
his Cabinet colleagues on
released.
Prime
Minister
authorities
declined
to
Treasury, Inland
building due to what was Denzil Douglas added
as to what are their
a tour of the gutted
speculate
as
to
the
cause
Revenue and Value
discovered there, but
findings. Until this point, building. (Source:
fuel
to
fire
when
he
is
of
the
fire
in
Nevis.
Added Tax departments stopped short of blaming
we cannot say or even
Caribbean News Now)
reported to have blamed
“This is something
was gutted by an early
arson for the destruction allies of the opposition
speculate about what
which
the
police
are
morning fire on Janaury
17.
This followed January
5 fires on St. Kitts that
destroyed the
THE TRINIDAD NEWSDAY
local Strategic Services Agency
Venezuelan Embassy,
newspaper
is
reporting
that
a
(SSA) and the National
one that was started at
local group of criminals has
Operations Centre, to weed
the Organization of
been identified as the
out the persons behind the
American States office,
mastermind behind the
shipment.
and one that destroyed a exportation of US100 million
Sources, according to
building owned by
worth of cocaine to the USA.
Newsday, said that the group
opposition politician
On December 20, 2013,
of persons involved in
The cocaine
Lindsay Grant.
Customs and Border Protection organized crime was
was
Fire Chief Everette
(CPB) officers seized 732
responsible for the shipment,
concealed in
O’garro confirmed that
pounds of cocaine, concealed in and local and US officials
cans that
the Basseterre unit
700 sealed tins of Trinidad
believe that the December 20
carried
responded to a report of
Juice cans bearing the labels of seizure was not the first such
these labels.
Trinidad Orange and
shipment by the group.
a fire at the OAS office
Grapefruit
Juices,
at
the
Port
of
Meanwhile,
drinks
producer
just after midnight,
Norfolk in Virginia, United
SM Jaleel has since distanced The cocaine seizure worth $100 million in street
(Saturday 04), and was
product in
value is the largest drug seizure in the Port of
States,
on
December
20
last
itself from the particular
able to stop it spreading
this regard.”
Norfolk’s
history.
year.
consignment of goods which
to other parts of the
This
The juices carrying the labels included 700 sealed tins
building. The fire service
latest
In
a
release,
the
drinks
are manufactured by JM Jaleel. bearing the labels of its juices.
then responded to a
incident follows an earlier one
manufacturer said, inter alia,
The reference to a criminal
JM Jaleel had acquired the
report around 4.30 am
in December 2013, when a
“It
is
common
knowledge
that
group was apparently revealed Citrus Cooperative Growers
that the Venezuelan
young Vincentian British naval
the criminals involved in the
Association, representing all
Embassy was on fire, but to Newsday last Sunday,
officer, Joromie Lewis, died
drug trade have been using
purportedly by high level
major estates and farmers
after he ingested a cocaine
on arrival, the entire
National Security sources, who growing oranges and grapefruit, mechanisms to transport
building was already
cocaine such as fruit, car parts, laced Pear D drink. Pear D is
confirmed that US Drug
and started producing tinned
also manufactured by SM
engulfed in flames and
lumber, hardware, etc. It now
Enforcement Administration
juices under the Trinidad
Jaleel. (Source: CBS, Trinidad
could not be saved.
appears that someone may be
(DEA) agents are in Trinidad
Reconstituted Juices brand, in
Newsday, Trinidad Express)
The fire chief
trying
to
utilise
our
company’s
working with agents from the
2009.
Local group fingered for cocaine shipment
V
6. FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014. THE VINCENTIAN
Court
Youth charged, victimÊs
condition serious
Stories by HAYDN HUGGINS
Carter, who was not required to plea was
remanded. A preliminary inquiry is slated for
May 14. Ten witnesses are expected to be called.
WHILE attempted murder accused Lara Carter
awaits his next court date, Chief Magistrate Sonya
Young expects a medical report on the
condition of the victim, Bennisha
Baptiste, who was shot in her back
during an incident at Ottley Hall, last
week Saturday night, January 11.
The Chief Magistrate requested the
report on Monday when Carter, 23, of FIVE NATIONALS of
Ottley Hall, appeared at the Serious
Haiti, the only FrenchOffences Court, charged with the
speaking member of
attempted murder of Baptiste, 18, of
CARICOM, apparently
the same address. Senior Prosecutor
intended to make St.
Adophus Delpleche is expected to
Vincent and the
provide the court with the report by
Grenadines their home
February 4 when bail will be
or at least, to remain
reconsidered.
here for some time.
In objecting to bail, Delpleche
Unfortunately, their
stated that the victim was warded at
stay here ended last
the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital
Sunday when
suffering from a gunshot wound, and
immigration officials,
is being monitored closely by doctors. acting on information
He noted that she was heavily
received, confronted
pregnant at the time and the baby
them at their place of
had to be taken through surgery.
abode on the Northern
The prosecutor said the baby is
Grenadine island of
alive, but the victim is in serious
Bequia.
condition.
Their passports were The Haitians, one partly hidden, on
their way to the Kingstown
Baptiste was nine months pregnant examined, and it was
Magistrate Court under escort by
at the time of the incident.
revealed they were
immigration officials.
given one
month’s stay
in the country, but had overstayed without officially
extending their time. As a result, they were
arrested and charged.
The five — Margaret Saint-Vil, Mackvens Guerra,
Joseph Lochard, Remy Louis and Jean Betty Lewis
— appeared before Magistrate Rechanne BrowneMathias at the Kingstown Magistrate’s Court on
Monday, charged with breaching immigration laws.
Speaking through an interpreter, all five pleaded
guilty to the charges.
Browne-Mathias ordered that they be removed
from the country, but told them that they could
return on condition that they got their papers in
order, especially if they wanted to remain here.
The Haitians reportedly arrived at the E.T.
Joshua airport last year but the purpose of their
visit is not clear.
Some 250,000 to 300,000 people died, and more
than a million were left homeless when a
catastrophic earthquake struck Haiti four years
ago.
Haitians deported but
could return
Lara Carter leaves the
Serious Offences Court on
his way to remand at Her
Majesty’s Prison.
Alleged
police
shooting
death under
investigation
UP TO PRESS TIME
Wednesday, police
were continuing their
investigations into the
alleged police
shooting death of Alex
Matthews, a 33-yearold labourer of
Greiggs.
Police reports are
that around 6 p.m.
Thursday, January
16, Corporal Cuthbert
Morris, attached to
the Special Services
Unit (SSU), was in
the bedroom of his
girlfriend Colma
Durrant’s home at
Greiggs, when he
heard her scream and
shout from the
kitchen that “a crazy
man” was in the
house.
When Corporal
Morris came out, he
saw a man in the
house armed with a
cutlass. He advanced
towards Morris with
the cutlass, and the
officer shot him. The
civilian was identified
as Alex Matthews.
Morris was said to
have been off duty at
the time of the
incident.
An autopsy
conducted on Monday
showed that
Matthews died from a
gunshot wound to the
left side of his chest.
V
THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014. 7.
News
Interest in Greenhouse
Parks increasing
by: KENVILLE HORNE
INTEREST IN THE Greenhouse
Parks for vegetable production
continues to grow among
farmers here.
On Wednesday 15th
January, representatives of
farmers groups in the
Marriaqua community came
together for their second
meeting in the current
Greenhouse sensitization
campaign, spearheaded by the
Ministry of Agriculture, and
they plan to convene further
sensitization sessions with
their full membership later
this month.
Similar meetings have been
held with groups in the
Georgetown - Orange Hill and
North Leeward areas.
The Establishment of
Greenhouse Parks is a major
activity under the Fruit and
Vegetable component of the
BAM (Banana Accompanying
Measures) - a European Union
funded programme to
modernize and develop the
agricultural sector in St.
Vincent and the Grenadines.
The BAM agreement was
signed on March 19th, 2013,
between SVG and the
European Union.
Philbert Gould, BAM’s Fruit
and Vegetable Component
leader, is coordinating the
sensitization sessions.
Under the
programme,
government has
selected Mc Millan
in the Montreal
area, Dandrade in
Orange Hill and
Richmond in North
Leeward to
establish the
parks.
Farmers,
through a hybrid
Adventist Service
International
established
Delegates to the recent two-day Seventh-day
Adventist Church’s
conference that established a local chapter of
ASI. President of ASI, Ronnie Jack, is seated
second from left.
human resource.
At last Saturday’s
ST. VINCENT and the
closing of the
Grenadines now has a
Conference, the
chapter of Adventist
following were elected to
(Community) Service
the executive of the local
International (ASI).
chapter: Mr. Ronnie
The chapter was
Jack — President; Mr.
formalized here after a
Dave Baptiste and Ms.
two-day conference held Mineva Glasgow — Vice
on Friday 17th and
Presidents; Ms. Roxanne
Saturday 18th January. John — Treasurer; Mr.
ASI is described as ‘a Anthony Patterson membership-based
Public Relations Officer.
organisation of the
Mr. Westwick
Seventh-day Adventist
Williams heads the
lay people who are
Board of Directors, and
enthusiastic about
Mr. Igal Adams is the
actively participating in Co-ordinator of
the church’s worldwide
Evangelism.
mission’.
Meanwhile, the
It is committed to
Seventh-day Adventist
supporting the Seventh- Church here will provide
day Adventist Church’s
5,000 meals over the
various and diverse
next ten days to persons
programmes in health,
currently housed at
evangelism, community emergency shelters in
services, family concerns Spring Village, Rose
and special projects.
Bank and South Rivers,
Lay members who
following the December
comprise ASI chapters
24th floods.
avail their talents and
A memorandum was
expertise to the
previously signed with
implementation of
the National Emergency
projects that would
Management
benefit their
Organization (NEMO) to
communities
bring this outreach effort
economically, and build
into effect.
by PATMOS RICHARDS
cooperative structure which
can incorporate business
interests, will establish and
operate the parks which will
each comprise 25 greenhouses.
Each park will be equipped
with solar and irrigation
facilities.
The implementation of the
Greenhouses for vegetable
production is expected to lead
to higher and more reliable
output by reducing the
seasonal nature of production,
The Greenhouse Park at Peter’s Hope has been in operation
for some time now.
and ensuring a more
consistent quality. This, in
turn, is expected to help
secure better marketing
arrangements both locally and
in overseas markets. It should
also reduce the vegetable
import bill, which was
estimated at about EC$16.86
million between 2006 and
2010.
The farmers groups have
noted the benefits of the
greenhouse parks but have
signaled a strong desire for
technical assistance and
support with the
establishment of the proposed
cooperative structure. The
Ministry has promised expert
assistance under the BAM for
this process.
V
8. FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014. 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: [email protected]
Mailing Address: The Vincentian Publishing Co. Ltd.,
P.O. Box 592, Kingstown, St Vincent and the Grenadines.
Editorial
The case of an abrupt end
THE 2014 NATIONAL BUDGET DEBATE came to an abrupt
end, much to the revulsion of those who thrive on the
protracted submissions that last into a work-day week or so.
It was the first time in our history as an independent country
that there was no substantial debate on an Appropriation
Bill.
Mind you, there are many who will profess that the
proceedings described as ‘debates’, including the debate
on the Budget, in our highest law-making arm of
governance, the House of Assembly, have been anything
but debates, and through the years have been
characterized, instead, by some of the most incisive
‘political picong’ and if one may say, demonstrations of a
political immaturity from men and women who are
proclaimed as role models and leaders of a free people.
This year’s address by the Prime Minister/Minister of
Finance, while relevant in fiscal and financial terms to
the reality that currently pervades the society and bears
down on an already fledging economy, was prefaced with
reference that appeared to speak to an intention or
expectation of another cat fight. It appeared to have an
aura of disgust and blame about it.
There were aspersions after aspersions that one would
have expected belonged on a political rostrum in the heat
and height of an election campaign.
May be, just may be, this is an indication that an
election is neigh, and as part of the political strategy, it
was accepted that there was no better place for an early
disparaging of the other side, than on an occasion and
place when and where you call the shots, albeit a single
shot more that the opposing dueler.
That the opposition leader might have added gun
powder to an already overloaded (antiquated) musket
cannot be simply ignored. The old ‘call and response’
approach ruled the day, or was allowed to rule the day.
After all, the House is made up of two sides, regardless
of how unbalanced it is numerically, and makes for a
solid footing on which to begin the battle. The situation
in our case was that one side seemed so much more
prepared, armed, for the battle.
The question remains: Why didn’t members of the
Government side or for that matter the opposition move
to make their usual presentations, particularly, as we
have grown accustomed to have them, in relation to their
respective portfolios, references to which were made in
the Prime Minister’s Budget Address?
In a time of national imbalance, occasioned by nature
herself and our wanton disregard for her; in a time when
the country should be at one in support of the recovery
effort; in a time when we go cap in hand to the world in
search of aid and concessionary arrangements to fund
that recovery, the demonstration in the last sitting of the
House spoke of a country at war with itself, even as it
suffers as one through the hardships that breathe down
its back presently, and the hardships it will have to
endure for some time to come.
No one expected less from the Prime Minister; notice of
a Supplementary Appropriation Bill was obvious.
However, it may have been the extent of substantiation of
the reasons for this Bill and the inferences thus, that set
the tone for the eventual incompletion of an anticipated
‘normal’ Budget Debate.
This is no time to be making folly of what is necessary
for setting this country on a path back to some semblance
of normalcy. This is no time to be pointing fingers, by
either side, at who did what, who didn’t do what, and who
has to take the blame for past transgressions. Past,
present, future, there will always be transgressions; but
in the current milieu, perhaps some forgiveness could
prevail, and towards rebuilding this country, we could
discovery in a real and exacting way, a spirit of
reconciliation. Then and only then might future
transgression be avoided.
And, by the way, are we going to have a repeat of what
transpired during the 2014 Budget Debate when the
House meets to ‘debate’ the Supplementary Appropriation
Bill?
Parliament continues to act out a pantomime
LEROY PROVIDENCE is
a good friend since our
Grammar School days. I
welcome his thoughtful
political essays in the
newspaper, walking in the
footsteps of his own father
Leonard who wrote independently, albeit with a
built—in Labour Party bias.
As a token of appreciation of our long
camaraderie, I made to him, as I have done both to
George Howard and Jomo Thomas, a presentation of
a copy of Special Issue of Forum September 1972,
inviting them to read in particular my criticism of
“the Political System”, which bears over-riding
contemporary significance after 40 long years!
Divisive Tendencies
Nobody today doubts that the island has been
devastated by party politics. It has in fact become
something of a cliché to say that politics has divided
families, split friends, and separated communities.
Labelling is the newest thing; a person is either “a
dirty Labour dog” or “a stinking PPP”, or worse,
“one ah dem!” Neighbours, if they happen to support
opposing parties, no longer dwell on speaking terms.
Gone is the live-and-let live basis of good
neighbourly relations, as they haul each other before
the Courts every Monday morning, for the most
frivolous and trifling causes.
Politics has split the country right down the
centre. The medical profession, the Bar Association,
the civil service, the police, the business community
and even the so-called down-trodden masses are
divided along party lines.
In the House, the parties are engaged in a
veritable life-and- death struggle. There is no let- up
with the government setting about its business as if
the opposition does not exist. Government has
tremendous advantages, for it can wield virtual
dictatorial powers, without unduly straining the
constitutional instruments. This is because the
Westminster model of Government which we
supposedly operate, places very much formal powers
in the hands of the ruling group, powers which in
the metropolitan country are cut down by a sense of
restraint, a democratic attitude, and the censure of
an informed and critical public opinion, including an
independent press
In St Vincent, on the other hand, the population
is polarised as between support for the two
established groups, and the ruling motto is: “my
party right or wrong”. This sort of attitude filters
down from the leadership to infect their mass
following with an almost blind fanaticism that in
turn inflates the ego and strengthens the hand of
the leaders to do anything.
So, in the House, the Government of the day
bulldozes everything, riding rough-shod over
democratic niceties. The speaker is invariably a
party politician, actual or potential who tows the
line with gusto. The Council is too small to have
Government backbenchers, so the ruling party
moves like a well-oiled steamroller, crushing
everything in its way. Questions by the Opposition
are side -tracked and evaded, their motions struck
out, their contributions omitted from the
Government radio station’s newscasts. But although
the Opposition kicks up a lot of noise, it is not
unduly bothered, for, it knows that the day will
probably arrive when it will repay such actions with
vengeance.
Since the problems of the country are so
elemental and some of the less controversial
solutions so obvious, the Opposition often finds that
it must agree basically with the goals of the
Government. On the other hand, the Opposition
conceives its role as one of constant critic, and has
therefore to compromise its position: it agrees with
the Government in principle but begs to differ in
practice; or it supports the end while finding fault
with the means.
Politics of bossism
At this point, we might as well broaden this
specific question to touch on the elitist concept of
politics in the West Indies which we see at every
turn. The political leader bosses the party executive
which runs the party that dictates to the people. In
such a situation politics is loosely organised and
badly structured: you get the hero at the political
apex and the crowd of followers at his
feet. All the institutions which
apparently link them- party
conventions, conferences caucuses;
delegations and petitions; Town Boards
and Village Councils.- are a massive
hypocrisy.
Here, again, a system which taught that the
people’s lot was merely to do, not to reason why.
Accepting the view that a man believes in the
inherent goodness of his Party, he is afraid to
question some of the apparently dictatorial actions
lest he gives comfort to the other side. Indeed party
hacks often tell their supporters that the party is
not perfect, it has serious faults, but to bring them
up for serious discussion is to rock the boat and
enhance the chances of its rivals. Similarly, most
politicians realise that they are on to a good thing,
and resent the efforts of “upstarts” who attempt to
break into the system and threaten to upset it by
spreading education among the masses.
Political propaganda
True, the politicians go through the motions of
democratising the country. Appearances, not
content, is their trade. Political meetings do not
inform, they propagandize painting a totally
distorted picture of political events. At any rate,
given the polarisation of the society, both groups
preach to the already converted, while the
“Philistines” turn a deaf ear on them.
Nor does local Government serve its true purpose
of enthusing people about Government by placing it
so to speak,on their own doorsteps. The waspish
attitudes which render the legislative process an
almighty farce are also present among Village party
politicians. If anything, the fight is more savage
because of the smallness of the arena. The local
bodies are not allowed to live a life of their own:
they sheepishly co-operate with Government or
blindly oppose them, depending on whether or not
their party controls the central legislature. Intended
to be partly a nursery to train politicians at the
grass-roots, party politics has made these bodies
into nursing homes for defeated politicians who wish
to keep up their stocks until the next General
Election. Above all, local Government
administration is used as a primary base from which
patronage and victimisation might be carried out to
a fine detail.
Patronage and victimisation are the very
foundations of our politics. Both sides practise them.
The one might do it with sophistication, the other
with crudity; the one, while hiding its own misdeeds,
might have the machinery to show that the other
side is guilty of favouritism. But everyone deep
down knows that political patronage and
victimisation are rampant in the society. The EFP
believes that this phenomenon is a natural outgrowth of a two-party system operating in a two-byfour poverty-stricken island. The national cake
being so small, it is not surprising that after
supporters of the ruling party demand and get their
first bite, there is little left to go around. And the
facts of political life dictate that representatives will
sooner or later succumb to the pressures of a
starving clientele to find work for them. Since there
is scarcity of available jobs, there is an almost
irresistible temptation to replace “enemies” by
“friends” in existing positions. Especially is this so
where there is the belief- and this is the usual casethat the other side started the process or would have
done so if given the opportunity. In this way, a
spiral is set up in which victimisation increases at
every round as the Government changes and
political attitudes harden. After all, “ It is a policy of
winner takes —all”.
Comments
The current pappy-show made of Parliament is only
the logical conclusion drawn by a modern day Massa
who brooks no dissidence on his plantation. The
situation harks back to Gordon Lewis’ “darkened
theatre audience”, strangers in the gallery”, all
EXTRANEOUS’ people called by different names.
Only a change if Government could solve the
problem Arnhim Eustace and his team have
demonstrated time again that this country need not
descend inexorably into the mire, whither its seems
headed hell-bent.
V
THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014. 9.
Letters
Pain and Food for the mind
tears
(In memory of those
who died)
Sometimes in life,
We wonder what God
has in store for us,
Do we sit and reflect,
Or rush bout without a
prayer?
We never sing a song
of praise,
But when something
happens,
We are ready to fly to
God for comfort,
It’s true,
Many have left our
side,
So here we are
moaning and grieving,
Remembering the
times we shared,
But should we cry?
God has his arms
open,
He has our loved ones
safe and sound,
They are not crying or
are in pain,
So we thank God for
life and for our loved
ones,
Because one day we
will meet them and
God in glory!
Yanic Sayers - 2014
WE WILL NOT give justice to our
readers if we do not give to them a
brief history of Christianity.
The founding father of Christianity
was a brown, dark-skinned
Palestinian Jew, by the name of
Yeshua (the English called him Jesus).
He revealed himself to be the Messiah
appointed to liberate humanity from
selfishness and sin in general, and to
establish the Kingdom of God (a
society ruled by God’s laws).
The Jewish authorities refused to
accept him as the Messiah, and at
their instigation, the Roman governor,
Pontius Pilate, had Him crucified as a
political troublemaker. His small
group of believers, headed by the
apostles, won many converts from the
ranks of the ordinary people by their
teaching and preaching of the
Kingdom of God, and the doctrine of
redemption and salvation through the
Messiah.
Rome was then a world political
power, and as Christianity spread in
the Empire, the early Christians met
persecution by the Roman government
(similar to the ‘Converteds’ in SVG
under England rule in 1912).
Eventually, when Paul, one of the
chief persecutors, was converted, he
spread the gospel of the Kingdom of
God widely throughout the Roman
Empire.
The Ethiopian eunuch took
Christianity to Africa. The early
believers, as they were called,
practised true Christianity according
Faith
Editor’s note: This piece, written originally at
midnight, Friday 5th July, 1991, is shared on behalf
of the writer, who has found sustenance in
revisiting it, and hopes that by sharing it with
others who find themselves in bouts of despair, that
they may find some level of comfort and
encouragement.
AS I SIT here pondering in loneliness, staring at my
exhibition of poverty in various forms, a voice from
deep within me speaks;, it tells me that all is not gone;,
there is abundant hope and joy awaiting me.
I am confused, attempting to ignore the voice, but
it insists on reassuring me. It tells me that it is an
intangible object that I would not be able to see nor
touch. My perplexity increases as the voice declares
that it is wishing me well and testing my strength
of character.
“I am your friend,” it says. “My name is FAITH;
it is I who sustains you daily.” I shudder in fear.
FAITH also tells me that there are times when I
feel I can’t cope with living, and it is he who urges
me to go on living.
“I,” he asserts, “am the one who stops you from
doing bodily harm to others.”
FAITH tells me also that there are many people
whom I would like to destroy because I believe they
are responsible for my present plight.
I begin to laugh loudly, believing that I am going
a little berserk. “What is the matter with you?” the
voice inquires with fatherly authority.
“Do you know that man is also spirit? Are you
silly?”
I learn from FAITH that there is an inherent
substance within man, all powerful, all knowing,
and that substance is he.
“Regardless,” he continues, “of your occasional
negative life style, I know you have a good
contribution to make in this life, and you will make
it when you get to your eternal destination.”
For some days now I’ve been feeling insecure,
occasioned by my situation of being povertystricken, and lacking positive companionship; but
from what FAITH tells me I begin to feel relieved.
to Acts 2:44-45; 4: 32-35. Christianity
became not only a religious force, but
also a social and political one.
After Rome failed to wipe out
Christianity, one of their emperors,
Constantine, became a Christian,
hence the formation of the Roman
Catholic Church, through which
changes were made to the collective
life and leadership of true
Christianity, including the
introduction of a one-man leadership
of the Pope.
England broke away from the
Roman Catholic in the 1500s and
established the Church of England,
known as the Anglican Church.
Further breaks with the Roman
Catholic Church followed, resulting in
various Christian denominations.
True Christianity is a social,
religious, economic and political
system where all of its members work
together and live together as one holy
family.
False
Christianity is
the
practising
of
capitalism
and manmade communism.
Christian
Democrat
“I
FAITH,”
he moves
Bout of despair and
on, “will
depression test our
provide
faith.
solace for
you, even
in your social drunkenness. I will never fail you.”
He also tells me that he understands the weakness
of man in this life.
“Sometimes I can’t help but laugh when some of
you mortals defy me and do ignorance, commit
suicide, among other evil acts,” he says.
I listen carefully to FAITH as he tells me that he
sees something special about me and will use up
some of his inexhaustible, infinite power to keep me
from failing.
“You haven’t gone through, my son”, he tells me.
“Some of your peers and foolish thinkers believe so,
(but) you have only suffered some severe setbacks
which are normal for any good man to experience.”
I start feeling light, tears of joy begin to flow from
my weary eyes, and the headache I was
experiencing shortly before I heard this voice,
begins to subside.
And the voice came again with thunderous
authority.
“We, on this side of the immortal plane, will be
dispatching what we call Angels, who would be
working along with some of your good friends on
Earth to help you to do wonders.”
The joy of which he speaks about starts bubbling
within me. I now feel confident that I could face the
world courageously. It would be only a matter of
time before the cycle of poverty and hard times
would be broken.
I shake my head in acknowledgement to the
musical counsel of this inner sage — FAITH - whom
I cannot see, nor feel, but will sleep peacefully
tonight amidst the chirping of birds in the distance,
convinced that I have found my best friend, FAITH.
Patmos Richards - SVG 1991.
BDS apologies to
Prime Minister
Dr. Ralph Gonsalves
To:
The Honourable Dr. Ralph E Gonsalves
Prime Minister of SVG.
On Friday evening’s 4pm and 5 pm news, Nice
Radio broadcasters, Laverne Phillips and Deion
Allen, out of ignorance, inadvertently broadcast
news originating from Barbados Free Press,
stating that you, Dr. Gonsalves, owned two
aircraft and were leasing them to LIAT.
This information has no basis of truth. I have
spoken to both broadcasters, and they have asked
to convey that they are truly sorry for their grave
error.
I, Douglas De Freitas, as manager, apologized
to The Prime Minister by telephone on 20th of
January 2014, and am now offering this apology
on Air and via the newspapers of SVG.
Douglas De Freitas
Manager
Licks don’t hurt
I WAS LISTENING to a discussion about ‘licks
for children; and was surprised to hear one of the
persons involved saying that you have to be
careful about beating children, because they
might grow up to be violent.
I am no expert, but I am now a fully grown
man, and I can tell you that the ‘licks’ I got when
I was young served me well through my life. I
lived in a house in which the rule was “spare the
rod and spoil the child”, and I got a good ‘cut a…’
from my mother and other adults in the house.
Funny thing though, the least licks I got was from
my father.
I can say that the licks we got, we deserved it
most of the times. And with all the licks, we did
not grow up to be
violent and furthermore,
we never held it against
our parents and others
for the licks we got. I
can’t explain it, but
regardless of how much
* When is some
hardship we faced and
attention going to
how much licks was
be paid to clean up
shared, we knew that
that drain that runs
our parents loved us
from Paul’s Avenue
and would not spare the
rod to spoil the child.
to Back Street next
I understand that the
to Pulse?
strap has disappeared
* Are the LIAT
from our schools. I
people taking note
believe strongly that
of the incident
that is one reason why
the children have lost
involving a CAL
respect for those in
ATR plane that lost
authority and older
a section of its
folks in general. I have
exterior panelling
heard stories about
shortly after takechildren back-chatting
off?
their teachers, and the
teachers not being able
* Why is CAL
to do anything about it.
looking to sell four
All this, and people
of their ATR
are still wondering what
planes?
wrong with our society.
* How many of
I say, give the children
the licks they deserve,
those laptops given
and bring back the
out to primary
strap in the schools.
school students are
in working order?
Dennis, G
V
10. FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014. THE VINCENTIAN
Views
A budget in challenging times
The Issue
LAST MONDAY January 20th
2014, Prime Minister Dr.
Ralph Gonsalves presented
his thirteenth budget
address, since the ULP
administration came to
power in March 2001. It
was a significant address,
coming at a time when the
country is still grappling
with the damage done by
the heavy rainfall on
Christmas Eve night, in
2013.
We do not need a
reminder of the lives that
were lost, and we do not
need any reminder of the
damage that was done to
our country, and the
citizens of our country.
Truly, our mettle has been
tested to an
unprecedented level, and
the task of rebuilding will
be great. The government
has already begun the
task of rebuilding the
country, and to source the
financing required for this
to be accomplished.
It is in this context that
the 2014 budget is crafted.
After the approval of the
2014 estimates in
December 2013, the
government now has to
find a way to conduct its
affairs as planned, while
at the same time meeting
the costs of the
rehabilitation process. The
state machinery must
continue to function.
Projects already approved
and ready for
implementation must go
ahead. Salaries and other
allowances have to be
paid, and work must go
on. It is true to say that
the developmental agenda
of the ULP administration
will be subjected to
enormous pressure; but
the mark of good
leadership, is the ability to
withstand these forces,
and move on.
The 2014 Budget
The 2014 budget was
presented as interim in
nature. To quote the
Prime Minister, “This
Budget is aimed at
strengthening our socioeconomic base for recovery
and reconstruction after a
natural disaster in a
context of on-going global
economic uncertainty and
downside risks. The
Supplementary Estimates
and Supplementary
Appropriation Bill which
would, of necessity and
desirability, come to this
Honourable House sooner
rather than later, would
contain both altered and
additional provisioning to
reflect the profoundly
changed circumstances of
our country”.
This is clearly
understood by all and
sundry, and the ULP
administration is expected
to return to parliament in
another two months or so,
with the Supplementary
Appropriation Bill, which
will reflect the resources
required for the
restoration work. Let us
repeat that the recovery
work must continue
alongside the planned
developmental agenda of
the government. That is
the reason for the
Supplementary
Appropriation Bill.
Meanwhile the ULP
administration will
continue to employ a
multi-pronged approach to
development. This is
based on the need to
provide critical services to
the people of St. Vincent
and the Grenadines
without unbalancing the
overall economy, a
situation that will lead to
cracks and fissures in our
social fabric. Prime
Minister Ralph Gonsalves
aptly states “So, to suit
the specific, unique
circumstances of our
country’s economy and
fiscal condition, we
advanced the fiscal
framework of prudence
and enterprise”.
So there will be a
number of initiatives in
2014. The health sector
will be strengthened
through an integrated
wellness policy to improve
further, and to support
and to sustain healthy
lifestyles of Vincentians.
This is all part of a
modernization project to
be funded by the
European Union to the
tune of Euro$ 8.6 million
dollars. A critical activity
in the health sector, is the
continued search for a site
to re-locate the Milton
Cato Memorial Hospital,
and the World Bank is
supporting a study to
determine the best
location.
The government has
made outstanding gains in
the field of education, and
these will be further
extended and consolidated.
In 2014, there will be a
renewed focus on the
professional development
of teachers at all levels,
and the child-friendly
initiative will be fully
implemented. ICT will be
taken to another level
with the distribution of
some 15,000 laptops to
secondary and post
secondary students.
The Legislative Agenda
The ULP
administration will have a
busy legislative agenda in
2014 with some critical
laws getting some focus.
Some key bills will be
introduced in this period
focusing among other
things on Geo-thermal
resources, public health, ecommerce and egovernment, data
protection, domestic
violence and consumer
protection.
Since the ULP
administration recognizes
that there is a critical
nexus in the relationship
between the public and
the police, more emphasis
will be placed on
enhancing this
relationship. This is
expected to result in a
marked reduction of crime
and violence in our
country.
It is expected that the
police will lift their game
to enhance their
approaches to community
outreach strategies, more
support for neighborhood
watch groups, and the
development of more
youth programmes.
Conclusion
In all of this,we have
not mentioned the
construction work on the
international airport
project at Argyle, whose
completion date is now a
matter of months, rather
than years. What we can
say is that preparation
has commenced to ensure
that there is a smooth
transition from ET Joshua
to the international
airport.
In subsequent articles,
the ULP will map out the
various strategies to be
implemented in the
sectors of tourism,
agriculture and forestry,
housing, culture,
renewable energy and
sports, to name a few.
It is regrettable that
the foolish and unpatriotic
opposition NDP could not
lift their game during the
budget debate, to provide
the citizens of this
country, who pay their
salary, the benefit of their
thoughts and suggestions,
on the plans and projects
of the government for
2014.
Eight of them refused
to respond in a positive
way, when the Speaker of
the House called for
further debate. The people
of St. Vincent and the
Grenadines are waiting
patiently to show them
how such unpatriotic
behavior is rewarded at
the polls, whenever the
Comrade rings the
electoral bell.
V
THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014. 11.
Views
The people know
who failed them
3D Faith
“I can do all things through
Christ who strengthens me.” —
Philippians 4:13
DR. ROBERT SCHULLER is an
outstanding preacher, motivational
speaker and author. His books, audio
presentations, and video recordings
have inspired many. It was while
viewing one of the video presentations
several years ago that I came across
one of his outstanding presentations on
the above-captioned subject. Schuller
asserts that faith should be channeled
and fuelled by direction, definition
(defining moment or commitment), and
drive. He considers these to be the 3Ds
of faith. Schuller concluded that these
were critical variables when pursuing
success in sport, education, business,
and life in general.
We can each benefit from
cultivating 3D faith. It is so
important to know which direction we
want our life to take. Floating
aimlessly along and simply wishing
and hoping that things will work out
for us is not good enough. We need to
set goals and arrange milestones
along the way. This will assist us in
retaining the focus; in keeping track
of our progress. Our goals must be
clearly defined and realistic. Setting
goals that are unreasonable will only
frustrate and de-motivate us. So
while we should aspire to be
ambitious and to constantly seek to
better our best, we must engage in
sober judgment and not seek to create
unrealistic goals for ourselves. Many
writers and academics have used the
acronym “SMART” to aid us en route
to achieving our goals. Hyrum Smith,
for example, writing in his book
entitled “The Ten Natural Laws of
Successful Time and Life
Management.”, reminds us that our
goals should be specific, measurable,
actionable, realistic, and time-bound.
Some writers use “achievable” instead
of “actionable” to represent the “A”.
However, I subscribe to Smith’s use of
“actionable” on two counts. In the
first place, “achievable” and “realistic”
tend to convey that the goal should be
within our reach. In the second place,
“actionable” gets us mentally
prepared to move in the direction of
making it happen; it invites us to
implement; it challenges us to be
proactive. Goals often fail when we
do not take action; when we do not
implement. Each step in the direction
of our goal will get us that much
closer to making the goal real.
Brother Francis, my 5th form
mathematics teacher at the St.
Martin’s Secondary School, constantly
challenged students to begin each
assignment promptly. He would say,
“Beginning is half done!” And he
would sometimes present us with the
“flip side” of that statement when he
cautioned us that “Procrastination is
a killer; it kills dreams and ambition.”
Having plotted the direction that
we need to head off in, and making
sure that our goals are SMART, we
then proceed to create and cultivate
that defining moment; that moment of
commitment. This is an imperative if
we are to pursue our goal with the
vigor that is needed to create and
sustain momentum en route to our
goal. That defining moment, that
commitment, will drive us to run
uphill when our legs appear to be
tired. It will energize and fuel our
resolve when obstacles appear. It will
give us the courage to go on when
others appear to have abandoned our
cause or mockingly discourage us
from pursuing the noble dream. It
will be wind beneath our wings when
we face the turbulences of
discouragement and self-doubt. It
will tell us that we can when others
seek to convince us that we cannot. It
will hold us firm and on course when
the various unwelcomed and uninvited dream-killers turn up.
Schuller reminds us of the
importance of having the drive that
all successful individuals nurture en
route to outstanding achievement.
The English statesman and author,
Philip Dormer Shanhope (1694-1773),
the 4th Earl of Chesterfield, stated it
so well when he said, “Perseverance is
an essential component. A man of
sense is never discouraged by
difficulties; he redoubles his industry
and his diligence, he perseveres, and
infallibly prevails at last.” And so, we
persevere, even when the obstacles
appear insurmountable. We press on,
even when the waves seem to swallow
us up. We move forward, even as the
winds of circumstances appear to be
pushing us back, denying us that ease
of forward movement. We face the
mountains of doubts and
discouragement, and resolve to climb
over them, move around them, or
tunnel through them. “Defeat” is not
in our vocabulary. “Direction” is.
“Definition” is. “Drive” is. These 3Ds
will hold us constant.
Sometimes we (you and I) need to
remind ourselves of the value of these
3Ds — direction, definition, and drive
as we seek opportunities to advance
noble personal and community causes.
In so many instances, we have the
capability, the power, to accomplish
great tasks, but need a template, a
checklist, to remind and guide us
along the noble path. And we can use
these to unearth the power and
perseverance to accomplish great
things.
For those of us who believe in the
relentless power of faith in Jesus
Christ, we can multiply our resolve
through these 3Ds of faith. We
remind ourselves of the many who
went on before us, facing endless
persecution and a variety of life’s
challenges, but remained firm in their
faith to become great over-comers.
They were human beings just like us
… but found extra strength and
courage through their close
relationship with God. They, like the
apostle Paul, would have whispered “I
can do all things through Christ who
strengthens me.” And they went on to
accomplish much in His name. We
are no less capable than they. With
3D faith we can do all things through
Christ who strengthens us.
Send comments, criticisms &
suggestions to
[email protected]
THE NOISE, WHICH is of little
substance, is being echoed on
Face Book and other social
media. Some, mostly opposition
sympathizers argue that the
government failed the people
when its members failed to
debate the budget. This argument is
hollow. The government presented the
estimates more than a month ago. All
budgetary debates are premised on the
estimates which lays out government
plans and intentions. Secondly, a
parliamentary debate in our democracy
is really aside show in which members
test their debating skills and again
repeat much of what they said during
the debate on the estimates.
Therefore, it is mostly incumbent
on the representatives in waiting to
demonstrate that they are ready,
willing and up to the task of
governance. This is particularly so
where the governing party is in office
for a long time and looking to prolong
its rule.
The government plans were laid
out cogently and forcefully in a 3 hour
plus presentation by the PM. Mr.
Eustace’s response of just over 2
hours contained an acknowledgement
about the severity of the Christmas
floods, the usual warnings about
importance of saving, precaution
against growing debt and the
foreboding prediction that the airport
will not be opened on time because
government does not have the
capacity to spend the amount of
money air-marked for spending. All
useful comments, but nothing that
shook the foundation of Gonsalves’
presentation.
My simple mind tells me that it is
the opposition party that really needs
to jump all over this budget and show
its holes, weaknesses and
inconsistencies. It was for the
opposition to present a narrative of
why the ULP government had
outlived its usefulness. And most
importantly, it was for the NDP,
through the individualized
presentation of its members to
demonstrate that it was willing, ready
and able to take up governance.
It muffed the opportunity by
engaging in the tired practice of
walking out of parliament. It is
always easy for one to revert to his
safe haven, but nothing is sweeter
when members and the party as a
whole can score convincing victories,
in debate and substance over its
opponent.
What about the argument that the
people were cheated because the
debate did not go on for the
customary 5 days? From where I sit
this argument is bogus. Everyone in
SVG knows that the main attention is
focused on the presentation of PM
Gonsalves and Mr. Eustace. For the
most part, everything and everyone
else is a yarn. After these two titans
are done, listenership and viewership
drop off dramatically.
For sure, I was prepared to address
the parliament on a number of
matters. Among them, the existential
threat which we now face as in the
frequency of heavy rain or long
periods of drought which are best
exemplified by Hurricane Tomas,
floods of April 2011 and the deadly
and destructive rains/floods of
Christmas eve, the state of the
economy and the centrality of the
Argyle airport in further
diversification and development of the
economy, the looming debt and the
relation of debt to GDP, the debate on
austerity versus government
spending.
I am absolutely certain that there
will be many more opportunity for me
to address the parliament and to
make some of the same points
planned for this budget presentation.
To be sure, that chance might come
by March when the supplemental bill
comes to the parliament.
It is also true that there were other
members on the government side
prepared and ready to debate and
defend the budget. But there was no
assault on it. Therefore, there was
really no need to defend what was not
under sustained attack. What is also
true is that there was absolutely no
plan by the ULP to shut down the
debate. The NDP had its chance to
debate and refused to debate the ULP
plans for the nation.
Further, it must be remembered
that this is a government budget for
which legislators on the government
side were in essential agreement. This
agreement was reinforced when the
budget was unanimously passed
following the customary opposition
walk out.
Democracy was not strangled on
Tuesday. Democratic government was
reinforced when government plans
were laid before the parliament in the
full glare of the people and passed.
One side failed to shoulder its
national responsibilities this past
week. And the people know who failed
them.
Send comments, criticisms &
suggestions to [email protected]
V
12. FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014. THE VINCENTIAN
Views
SVG economy needs trade-led
development and education
IN SPITE of its small economic size, low endowment of
natural resources and remoteness from world markets,
Mauritius, since gaining its independence in 1968, has
transformed itself from a poor sugar economy into one
of the most successful economies in Africa, by focusing
on education and trade-led development.
Real GDP growth for Mauritius averaged more
than 5% between 1970 and 2010. GDP per capita
increased more than tenfold between 1970 and 2010,
from less than $500 to more than $6,000. Its GDP
estimate was $20.2 billion and GDP per capita
income over $15,591 in 2012, one of the highest in
Africa.
Since independence in 1979, SVG’s economy has
performed poorly. Our GDP per capita in 1979 was
$548 and it has only climbed to $6,515.22 in 2012.
GDP in 1979 was $62 million and had only climbed
to $712.6 million in 2012. Mauritius GDP per capita
has increased 31 times since independence; SVG
only 11 times.
Mauritius’ economic success has been down to
good macro-economic policies, particularly fiscal
prudence and a competitive exchange rate policy; a
strong private sector; and a strong, pro-trade
orientation and a liberal trade regime. Mauritius
has been able to craft a strong growth-oriented
developmental path.
Mauritius has moved away from being a
labyrinth of poverty. Efforts at economic
diversification have been successful, and as a result
the country was diversified from a mono-crop
economy to a broad-based economy with sugar, seafood, information and communication technology,
textile and financial services as the main export
sectors.
The failure in SVG to diversify the economy and
focus on exports has led to our economy becoming
very weak, and created very high unemployment.
SVG unemployment rate is put conservatively at
22%,; for Mauritius it is only 8.18%.
Mauritius has, over time, judiciously invested in
human capacity building to meet the growing
challenges. Education has been a main factor in the
social-economic transformation of the country.
Human development — university education and
skills training - has increased the potential for
Mauritius to compete in a hostile world with stiff
market competition.
In 2005, government allocated substantial funds,
and in less than 5 years the number of state
secondary schools doubled, creating new
opportunities for quality education. Even transport
is now freely provided to the students by the state.
The total annual government expenditure on
education has increased tenfold over the last twenty
years, from 1.3 billion rupees to 11.7 billion rupees.
Mauritius built its first university in 1972, just 4
years after independence. SVG has no universities
still, 34 years after independence.
Mechanisation and computerisation have helped
Mauritius to make significant inroads in quality
improvement and productivity gains. SVG remains
uncompetitive in global markets, because of the lack
of manufacturing, industrialisation and lack of
computerisation in productivity.
For the fifth consecutive year, the World Bank’s
2013 Ease of Doing Business report ranks Mauritius
first among African economies and 19th worldwide
out of 183 economies.
SVG languishes on as a highly indebted country
with high rates of poverty and crime. SVG’s
economy needs to become more industrialised, and
we must have a university so we can provide highly
skilled services worldwide.
SVG Green Party
www.svggreenparty.org
Let floodplains be
ON CHRISTMAS morning, our nation
woke to a sight that sent shockwaves
through its psyche; a landscape we did
not recognize, and a death toll
unprecedented in our nation’s history.
What happened on Christmas Eve into
the early morning of Christmas Day is
the direct result of our own choices to
instigate: (a) deforestation and (b)
building on floodplains, both of which
severely affect the ground’s ability to
absorb rainfall.
Floodplains
A floodplain is an area of land next
to a river that stretches from the
banks of its channel to the base of the
enclosing valley walls, where flooding
during periods of high discharge will
occur. In St. Vincent, as in other
countries, persons have been attracted
by the ambience of the river, and have
chosen to build on floodplains; that is
on river banks and on lands adjacent
to the river. It is a part of the cycle of
nature that from time to time, a river
will flood. When it does, the soil of the
floodplain receives the water. An
increasing expanse of steel roofing and
concrete on the floodplain prevents
water absorption. In excessively
heavy rains, the water collects and
joins that from upstream to wash
away everything in its path.
This particular Christmas flood was
also exacerbated by the practice of
deforestation that we have been
engaging in St. Vincent over the years.
We have chopped down trees
indiscriminately, eroding vast areas of
our natural forest, which encloses each
watershed. The debris that was
washed down in the heavy rains
blocked bridges, which formed dams
that burst with (such) unnatural force
answering these
questions, we take note
that climate change is
real, and the fact that
we have seen a heavy
flood after the end of
the hurricane season is
testimony to this.
As I stood on the
devastated banks of the
river in Petit Bordel, I
heard the remark that
reinforces the tragedy:
“Government told them
not to build there and
they still did, and now
they have lost
everything.” The
Planning Authority
Towards sustainable development
must be able to act
decisively against any
It is tragic that for so long, the cry
construction that
that sustainable development is
critically important has fallen on deaf threatens the safety
ears, and making a dollar in the short and lives of our people,
term has taken precedence. Our
as well as that which
ancestors lived in harmony with the
destroys the delicate
environment. It is time that we as
ecosystem. We must
Vincentians stand up to preserve a
call upon the
delicate ecosystem that is being lost.
Government to
We call on Vincentians to let
strengthen the
floodplains be floodplains; let us not
enforcement powers of the Planning
build on them. Let us manage our
Authority.
forests in a sustainable manner, so
We must all familiarise ourselves
that most of our large trees are
with the interdependence of watershed
preserved. Now that so much is lost, it
components and understand that any
is time to re-plant.
changes we make at the mouth of the
Before the next drop of concrete is
river will affect the forest inland and
laid, ask these questions: “How will
vice versa. We must address the
nature respond to what I am doing?
challenge of deforestation and
Am I building on a flood plain? Am I
unsustainable farming practices. We
building too close to the shoreline?
must also examine the integrity of
With a clear pattern of climate change,
building structures that are built on
what are the risks of losing this
flood plains. Can we learn at this
investment to nature? And in
point what steps must be taken not
to devour banks and houses on the
river’s edge and further afield.
Through deforestation, heavy rain
washes off topsoil, and desertification
is the result.
The damage done upstream to our
forests intensified the devastation
caused by this particular flood.
Throughout the world, natural farmers
know that the best form of fertilizer is
the fallen leaves from large trees, and
forms an absorbent ‘sponge’. In St.
Vincent, few of us practise natural
farming. We believe that to cultivate
in large quantities, we need to first
destroy the trees, a practice that has
devastating consequences,
demonstrated in the Christmas Floods.
only to repair, rebuild or relocate what
has been damaged, but to prevent the
same extent of damage and loss ever
happening again?
The floodplains have spoken with
such a force (like a hundred voices
screaming), we cannot possibly ignore
it. On Christmas Eve, we were
powerless against it: let us now regain
our wits and act in accordance with
nature. We can no longer afford to
swim against nature’s currents.
Vonnie Roudette
& Louise Mitchell Joseph
V
THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014. 13.
Business
ÂTreat customers kindly,Ê
says outgoing businessman
friendly disposition in
general,” said Lewis during an
BERTRAM LEWIS, owner and
interview with THE
operator of the soon to be
VINCENTIAN, at the
closed Ross Book Store, is
Grenville Street location of his
urging his colleagues in
book store.
business to build and maintain
After some 32 years in
good relations with their
operation, the book store,
customers.
which specialises in the sale of
“Treat (customers) them
school (text) books, bibles,
kindly. Ensure as far as
hymn books, greeting cards
possible that you have the
and religious literature, will
things they ask for. Be flexible be permanently closed.
in your pricing, and have a
Lewis explained that the
by HAYDN HUGGINS
date for closure has not yet
been decided, as the stock,
currently priced at a discount
rate, is still on sale. He
assured that as soon as this is
sold, business would be closed.
The retired primary school
headteacher described
business as good generally
since beginning operation in
1982.
“I enjoyed it. There were
challenges like in everything
else, but we were able to meet
all our commitments,” Lewis
said.
He cited his age, which he
preferred not to disclose, and
the death of his wife, Rosaline,
as the main reasons for his
decision to close the book
store. Rosaline, who co-owned
and assisted with the
business, died September 2
last year.
On retirement, the father of
five intends to travel overseas,
during which he will visit his
children, four of
them residing
abroad.
The book store
was named after
his last son, Ross
Lewis.
Before entering
business, Lewis, a
product of the
Calder community,
was a primary
school teacher for
41 years. He
taught at Stubbs,
Mesopotamia,
Calder, Richland
Park, Union Island
and Mayreau.
The book store
was started in
1982 by his wife,
who ran a preschool at her
mother’s home in
Caruth before
getting married in
1964.
“After we got
Bertram Lewis will leave the
‘books business’ after 32
years.
married, we decided that she
(wife) will not work anywhere
until the last child was ready
for school. After the child was
able to go to school, she
opened the book store,” Lewis
recalled.
“The business was
registered in her name, and
when I retired from teaching, I
joined her in the business,” he
added.
The outlet was located at
the Saunders building,
Kingstown, before moving to
its present location in 1993.
Lewis said the business was
generally operated by himself,
his wife and one employee,
and about seven persons were
employed during the busy
period, July to September.
However, the busy period
staff was reduced to four last
year.
“From last year, we started
to simmer down our stock
because we anticipated the
closure of the business”, he
explained.
LIME partners with the
Barrouallie community
IN KEEPING WITH a
promise made to the
community of
Barrouallie,
telecommunications
provider LIME has
stepped forward to
partner with one of the
town’s stalwart
institutions.
LIME assisted the
Barrouallie Co-operative
Credit Union as it
commemorated 55 years
of existence, by donating
one android smart phone
for the organization’s
anniversary essay and
poster competition.
Donique Francis of the
Barrouallie Technical
Institute was the winner
of the Essay competition
in the secondary schools
category, securing
herself the smart phone.
In the primary school
essay competition, the
winner was Bernique
Haynes, while Philleak
Gould was second and
Jada Chambers was
third.
All students were from
the Barrouallie
Government School.
The Barrouallie Co-
operative Credit Union,
established in 1958,
serves the town by
providing money transfer
and utility bill payment
services, and of course,
helping its members
financially.
LIME looks forward to
working along with the
Credit Union and other
institutions in the area
in the future, and from
one national stalwart to
another, extends hearty
congratulations.
Donique Francis (left)
receives her prize from
Badine Kirby.
THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014. 15.
14. FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014. THE VINCENTIAN
Ex-Teachers honour Cordice,
Pitt; recognize Duncan
Photo and stories by
NELSON A. KING
[email protected];
[email protected]
US CORRESPONDENT
Godfrey Pitt giving acceptance
speech.
place at Grand Prospect Hall in
Brooklyn during the group’s 31st
anniversary celebration. The
celebration is an annual one held
on the Sunday before the Rev. Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.’s public
holiday, observed in the United
States on the third Monday in
January.
“Congratulations to our two
honorees!” Jackson Farrell, President of the St. Vincent and the
Grenadines’ Ex-Teachers Association of New York, Inc., told
patrons, in his introductory
remarks.
“They both deserve it (honour),” he added at the event,
attended by UN Ambassador I.
Rhonda King, US Consul
General Selmon Walters and his
deputy Edson Augustus. “Later,
we’re going to show our appreciation to Mr. Lennox Duncan.”
Farrell – a La Croix native,
long-standing teacher in New
York’s sprawling public school
system, and ex-teacher at the St.
Martin’s Secondary, Emmanuel
High School Mesopotamia and
Evesham Methodist School –
subsequently told THE VINCENTIAN that Cordice, of Clare Valley,
and Pitt, of Georgetown, have done
“impressive” work in the community.
He also said Duncan, of Paul’s
Avenue, Kingstown, a former
national footballer and who, with
his brother, Ainsley “Teerie”
Duncan, represented local
football clubs Roseans and
Avenues United in the 1960s
and 1970s, , has been a staunch
supporter of the group over the
years.
me to become the man I am today,”
Cordice, who spent the Christmas
holidays at home with his mom and
other family members, told THE
VINCENTIAN.
“My mom will always be my
ultimate teacher,” added the former
president of the Philadelphia-based
St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Organization of Pennsylvania. “She
will always be my anchor, because
she understands me.
“Teachers are also gifts from
God, and I am very thankful to be
honoured by my teachers,” he
continued.
Pitt – a former member of the
Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force, and Ex-President of the St. Vincent and the
Grenadines’ Ex-Police Association
of New York, who founded the
Brooklyn-based Friends of Argyle
International Airport, USA – said
he was grateful to the ex-teachers’
group for “considering me as one of
the awardees.”
He said a trip home a few years
ago – with some former local police
officers and current Caribbean ones
in New York, in which they experienced luggage and other difficulties
while in transit in Barbados –
inspired him to establish the
Friends of Argyle International
Airport, USA.
To date, the group has handed
over to Governor General Sir
Frederick Ballantyne over
US$35,000 from funds raised in the
United States, Pitt said.
Duncan – who, with Ainsley, was
also a top midfielder for Hairoun
Sports Club in the 1980s in the
Central Brooklyn Soccer League
and other soccer competitions in
New York – simply said “thank
you” after being presented with the
plaque.
“It was a surprise,” Duncan, who
was honoured on Aug. 23, 2008,
with his wife, Dawn, of Rose Place,
Kingstown, by the Brooklyn-based
cultural and educational group,
Club St. Vincent, Inc., told THE
VINCENTIAN afterwards tersely,
“They did not tell me anything
(before).”
More about Honorees
Cordice was the youngest
storeroom manager and purchasing
agent to be employed at the Cotton
House Hotel in Mustique.
He was also employed as a
storeroom clerk at Petit St. Vincent
Resorts before migrating to New
York in 1988.
Already certified at home in
French, Italian and English Carvery showmanship cooking, Cordice
worked as an auto mechanic in
Brooklyn to finance his advanced
culinary education.
He interned at the Waldorf
Astoria Hotel in midtown Manhattan, introduced French cooking to a
Russian banquet hall in Brooklyn,
and managed a restaurant with a
staff of 18.
After relocating to Philadelphia
in 1991, Cordice worked as a chef,
head chef, sous chef (second in
authority) and kitchen supervisor
at several restaurants and hotels,
including Mel’s Italian, Café
Raphael, Main Street Café, Howard
Johnson and Sheraton North East.
In 1992, he started a vending
business and later contracted for
Wade Cable, among other cable and
telecommunication companies.
Cordice also founded a construction company that specializes in the
design and construction of “fine
kitchens and bathrooms.”
Among other things, the untiring Cordice is a founding member
and research analyst with the
Philadelphia-based Caribbean
American Heritage Collaborative
(CAHCI), which hosts Pennsylvania’s annual Caribbean-American
Heritage Month celebration; and
sits on the legal and election
committees of Philadelphia Mayor’s
Commission on African and Caribbean Immigrant Affairs.
During his eight-year tenure in
the Royal St. Vincent and the
Grenadines Police Force, Pitt was
one of the original members of the
Special Services Unit (SSU), which
takes the leading role in combating
high profile crimes.
Under Pitt’s 13-year leadership, as
president of the St. Vincent and the
Grenadines’ Ex-Police Association
of New York, Inc., aid and medical
supplies were furnished to the
Georgetown Government School,
Georgetown Clinic, Milton Cato
Memorial Hospital and the local
constabulary.
In addition, Pitt worked with the
Community Affairs Unit at the 67th
Police Precinct in Brooklyn,
conducting outreach with Caribbean ex-police associations.
In 1999, he graduated from The
Citizens Police Academy of the New
York Police Department (NYPD),
and recently retired as a member of
the International Brotherhood of
Teamsters, Local 810 Union.
Patrons raised over US$1,100
towards the Christmas storm relief
Jackson Farrell making
introductory remarks.
James Cordice receiving award. Others in photo, L-R: Jackson Farrell, Ex-Teachers
Association member Desmarie Greenway, UN Ambassador Rhonda King and Consul
General Selmon Walters.
COSAGO President Laverne
McDowald-Thompson
addressing patrons.
effort in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Farrell said his group will
match that amount.
In its continuing community
educational outreach, Farrell also
said the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Ex-Teachers Association of
New York, Inc. will hold a forum on
Feb. 28, at Trinity Methodist
Church on Eastern Parkway in
Brooklyn, on the Argyle International Airport.
Godfrey Pitt (3rd from left) receives award. Others in photo, L-R: Jackson Farrell;
Pitt's wife, Rhonda; Ex-Teachers' Association member Dr. Ann Morris Sutherland;
UN Ambassador Rhonda King and US Consul General Selmon Walters.
The honorees speak
James Cordice giving acceptance
speech.
THE BROOKLYN-BASED St. Vincent
and the Grenadines’ Ex-Teachers
Association of New York, Inc. on
Sunday bestowed special honours on
stalwart community advocates James
Cordice and Godfrey Pitt, and recognized former national footballer
(soccer player) Lennox Duncan,
formerly Quinton.
The sell-out, gala ceremony took
Cordice – the architect
behind St. Vincent and the
Grenadines’ participation
in the illustrious Penn
Relays at the University of
Pennsylvania, and mastermind behind the flying of
the Vincentian national
flag on the Benjamin
Franklin Parkway in
Philadelphia – dedicated
his award to his mom,
Liliath Cordice, of Clare
Valley, who turned 88 last
month.
“It is really moving
when I think about being
honoured by my teachers,
who inspired and nurtured
Members of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Organization of Pennsylvania supports Cordice.
Patrons at gala ceremony.
Jackson Farrell, Lennox Duncan (Quinton), Dr. Ann Morris Sutherland, Ambassador King,
Consul General Walters and Edward Conliffe.
V
16. FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014. THE VINCENTIAN
Arts
Face Caribbean
auditions local
talent
duet tried out for the singing
segment. Rap and R+B were
FACE CARIBBEAN, a
presented. The judges
locally owned and
admitted their absolute
operated selfsurprise and delight when
development agency,
fifteen-year-old Haliah
held an audition,
Telesford-King came forward
Saturday, 11th January, and “blew us away” with the
at the Tiki Bar on Upper song ‘Stay’ by Rihanna.
Bay Street.
According to Ms. Latoya
With the acronym
Clarke, owner and Manager of
FACE representing the FACE Caribbean, there will be
agency’s broad
no eliminations. All who
mandate — Fashion,
auditioned will be given the
Art, Creativity and
opportunity to become a part
Entertainment - the
of the agency, and will begin
audition was held to
training in their particular
investigate the singing,
fields. Training was
dancing, acting and
scheduled to begin last
modeling talent among
Saturday, January 18.
young enthusiasts here.
“Most young people have
A total of twelve
talent,” Clarke explained, “but
prospective models, two
do not have many avenues to
males and ten females,
express them, except in shows
walked the make-shift
which boast many regional
runway to ‘strut their stuff’
acts. I am training them and
for the appraisal of the panel helping them to empower
of judges. Each gave
themselves.”
impressions of his/her grace,
Clarke told THE
poise, and overall impact,
VINCENTIAN that FACE
among other characteristics;
Caribbean started as Clarke
and the judges were quite
Fashion Agency in October of
impressed with the quality
2012, and was changed to its
and style which were
current name in February,
One of the prospective models portrayed.
2013. There are currently
trying to make her mark.
Three single acts and one
twenty young ladies who are
by GLORIAH...
Haliah Telesford-King ‘blowing away the judges’ with her
take on a Rihanna song.
models with the agency, and
the audition sought to broaden
the agency’s portfolio.
She outlined that the word
Caribbean was included in the
name of her agency because
she does not intend to confine
its activities to St. Vincent
and the Grenadines alone.
“We do not only want to be
local. We intend to become
regional and then branch off
into the international arena,”
she said.
Latoya Clarke is a fashion
designer from Spring Village,
who is known for her
swimwear designs. She first
came on the scene in 2010 in
Deon Paul’s ‘Escapade’ fashion
shows. She currently does a
series of fashion shows in the
Grenadines.
The judges seem rather pleased with what they
are seeing before them.
Latoya Clarke (centre) with models currently
enrolled with her agency.
THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014. 17.
18. FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014. THE VINCENTIAN
V
THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014. 19.
News
BEI donates to the blind
persons that are blind and
visually impaired.
The National Society of and for The
“In as much as we are
Blind (NSOFB)last Tuesday received concerned about preventing
a much needed donation from the
blindness, our Society cares
Beachmont Eye Institute (BEI).
directly for blind persons. We
The donation resulted from a
offer, for example, monthly food
partnership between the two
baskets to up to thirty blind
entities during the Christmas
persons. Each basket costs
season.
between $50.00 and $60.00. This
At the handing over ceremony
donation will come in handy to
at the BEI office in Beachmont,
assist our work,” Richards said.
Supervisor at BEI, Denise Jacobs,
He pledged his Society’s
handed over a cheque of EC 500,
commitment to assist BEI, “in
to President of the NSOFB,
ridding the country of needless
Stanley Richards.
blindness.”
Richards expressed thanks to
Jacobs said
BIE for the generous donation. He BEI was excited
said his organization looks after
about future
by KENVILLE HORNE
relationships with the Society Of
and For the Blind. “We see the
importance of this relationship as
a means of caring for the eyes,”
pronounced Jacob, as she thanked
the Society for getting on board
for the promotion .
The Christmas promotion saw
persons getting discount on
various spectacles at the BEI.
The Beachmont Eye Institute is
one of the leading providers of
ophthalmic care, including eye
surgery, in St. Vincent & the
Grenadines.
(L-R): Stanley Richards, President of the NSOFG
accepts a cheque from Denise Jacobs, BEI
Supervisor, in the company of Dr. Kenneth Onu,
CEO of BEI.
South Rivers rebuilding
Police Tank-full
by WILLIAM ‘KOJAH’ ANTHONY
The adage ‘I am my
neighbour’s keeper’ rang
out in South Rivers
earlier this month when
persons braved the
weather and came out in
their numbers to enjoy a
relief concert on behalf of
persons affected by the
Christmas floods.
The event was hosted
by the South Rivers
Police Youth Club and
some concerned persons.
Just over $4,300, a
large quantity of clothing
and some foodstuff were
collected to aid affected
persons from the area.
In addition to sharing
IF THERE is water shortage at the Chateaubelair
and Barrouallie Police Stations, officers there
should have no worry.
The Police Cooperative Credit Union handed
over two 800 gallon (water) tanks to Commissioner
of Police Michael Charles, last Friday.
Deputy of the Welfare Association Seymonde
Mulcaire made the presentation.
Station Sergeant Trevor Bailey, Vice President of
the Credit Union, acknowledged that the Police
must be in a position of comfort if they have to
carry out their duties
He is looking forward to the Credit Union
making further contributions to the Police.
Commissioner Charles
regarded the gesture as
fulfilling. He is Treasurer
of the Police Cooperative by KENVILLE
HORNE
Credit Union.
He remarked that: “If
the Police can’t take care The St.Vincent
Progressive
of themselves, they will
Organization of
not be able to fulfil their
New York
duties.”
(SPONY) Inc., a
Assistant
Superintendent of Police support arm of
Johnathan Nichols, officer the New
Democratic
in charge at the Public
Relations and Complaints Party, has come
to the aid of
Department, noted that
persons affected Jeremiah Scott hands over
the Police suffered as a
cheque in to Leather Hackshaw
result of the flood caused by the
who lost most what she owned
by the December 24 down- Christmas
in the Christmas disaster.
Disaster.
pour.
On
“It is unfortunate that
Wednesday,
SPONY’s representative in St.Vincent,
we have to put things in
Former MP for South Leeward, Jeremiah Scott,
place after,” Nichols
presented EC$3,000 to seven members of the
remarked.
Nanton family who lost five members during the
disaster in Rose Bank.
Later that day, Scott also handed over a
donation of EC$1,000 to South Rivers resident
Leather Hackshaw.
Hackshaw told THE VINCENTIAN that she lost
her house that provided shelter for herself and her
16-year-old son, and all her personal belongings in
the Christmas Disaster.
“I don’t know them (SPONY), but they were
thoughtful enough to help me, “said Hackshaw. “ I
lost everything and this money going to really
help.”
In addition to the monetary assistance handed
out, SPONY has already sent 12 barrels and two
crates of clothing, cleaning items and food stuff for
distribution to affected persons.
Scott expressed thanks on behalf of the
organization to all those who contributed, and
conveyed SPONY’s sympathy and sentiments to
the families who lost loved ones and those who
Commissioner of Police
were affected by the Christmas trough system.
Michael Charles (right)
He also gave assurance of the organization’s
accepts the tanks from
ongoing commitment to assist in times of need.
Seymonde Mulcaire.
SPONY assists disaster victims
with affected persons
from the area, a
presentation of some
items was made to Mr
Hainsworth Andrews the
South Rivers Shelter
Manager. The clothing
was also shared with the
Police Youth Club of
Spring Village to aid
displaced persons in that
area.
Mrs Avis Brewster,
Proprietor of Brewster’s
Auto Supply surprised
the organisers with a
contribution of $2,000.00.
The Brewsters grew up
in South Rivers, and it
was their small way of
giving back to their
family and friends.
Among those offering
support for the concert
were area Representative
Dr Honourable Ralph
Gonsalves, Carib Beer
through Coreas Hazells
Inc, Coreas
Pharmacy/Food Xpress,
The Soca Dans, Skinny
Fabulous, DJ Stump I,
DJ Cal and DJ Q,
Africano Disco, Radcliff
and Rivals Cricket
Teams, The Royal St.
Vincent Police Force, The Mrs Avis Brewster
Management of the
hands over cheque to
Kingstown Fish Market,
Decon Chewitt of the
the Media.
Police Youth Club.
V
ÂSparking-upÊ
a relationship
20. FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014. THE VINCENTIAN
Advice
Dear George,
I HAVE BEEN with my
boyfriend for 11 months,
and I was so shocked
when he told me that he
wants us to be seeing
other people. He claims
that his love for me has
not changed, but in order
to keep the spark in the
relationship, we can see
other people. He further
told me that if I am not
into seeing other guys, I
must allow him to see
other girls, in the interest
of our relationship.
He draws reference to
his Uncle who did that
same thing and has
remained married to his
wife for over 22 years. I
cannot believe that he
would even think of such
a thing.
I do not know what to
do, because I am
thinking if I don’t agree
with his proposal, he
would still go through
with it behind my back.
Would it be better to
agree? At least he is
being honest. My idea of
a relationship is one man
to one woman, and I am
not into my man
meddling with other
women; but if I have to
do this to keep my
relationship, then
wouldn’t it be worth it in
the end?
Unsure W.
Dear Unsure W.,
If after 11 months,
your boyfriend thinks
that the way to keep the
spark in the relationship
is to see other people,
then he seriously needs
to go light his fire some
place else.
I am not convinced he
was ever truly committed
In bed with my
boyfriend’s ‘ex’
Dear George,
MY HUSBAND introduced me to his ex-girlfriend
at a family BBQ, and she turned out to be quite a
pleasant individual. I was amazed at how beautiful
she was. In the past, I gave him stress whenever
he brought her name up, and he would say to me,
“You cannot judge her like that. She is a wonderful
person.”
Since the day we met, we have kept in touch,
and one day she invited me to her house for a
drink, unknowing to my husband. I must have
drauk too much because when I opened my eyes, I
found myself in bed with this woman, totally
naked. I was at her house for more than six hours.
to the relationship, and
comply. It’s now your
I asked her what happened, and she told me that
what he may be trying to time to be honest and let I came on to her and, “we did it.” My husband
say to you is, he is not
him know that this is not never told me that she was an admirer of the
quite ready to settle into what you want, and he is opposite sex and I do not know that for sure; but I
a serious relationship.
free to go.
did not ask her for details of those hours we spent
Read between the lines
together. Before I left the house, she told me that I
and set him free to
George
can feel free to come back with my husband if I so
pursue his idea of a
choose.
‘sparkling relationship.’
I know I cannot tell
Be grateful that he only
my husband about this,
wasted 11 months of
and I do not want him to
your life! It could have
see her ever again. How
Dear George,
been much longer.
can I tell him that his
I am 32 years old and I have a 13-year-old
I get the feeling that
woman still has some
you want more from him, daughter. Her father and I are no longer
liking for him without
together and I have now started to date again. I
and deep down you know
telling him about my
met this guy about 2 months ago and he has been evening with her?
that you are not going to
sleeping at my house more often than not. He
get it. Because he is
has not officially moved in, but it would appear
honest in telling you
Twilight Z.
that way to anyone who is looking.
what he wants does not
On more than one occasion, he has seen it fit to Dear Twilight Z.,
mean that you are to
walk from the bathroom to the bedroom totally
naked and would not even make any move to
Keeping secrets can
cover himself when my daughter is around. He
push you into areas you
even went to the kitchen one time wearing just a
never wanted to reach in
shirt. I blasted him about it and he just shrugged
the first place. This
it off, saying that my daughter is not seeing
woman must not be made
anything that she does not know about. I asked
him what he meant by that, and up to this day he to think that she has
your secret, because she
has not given me an answer.
can use that leverage to
To be truthful, I am concerned about him with
make devastating
my daughter around. I do not trust him alone
inroads into your
with my daughter, and I am wondering if he has
relationship with your
ever attempted ‘to trouble’ my daughter. My
husband.
daughter has already told me that she does not
Explain to him just
want him around and that he is not good for me.
what you know about
I asked her if he has ever molested her and she
that evening, and tell
assured me he has not, but I am still wondering
him about your fears of
deep down.
My daughter id 13 years old but she can easily
her still desiring him,
be mistaken for a 17-year-old or even older
and that you are just
because she is very well developed physically. My giving him a heads up.
head is in a spin right now, and I need to know
Let him know that you
what to do.
are not fearful of her
getting to him because
Concerned.
you trust his judgement.
Admit to him that you
Dear Concerned,
did, in fact, allow the
alcohol to get the better
To begin with, you definitely moved too quickly of you that evening, and
and prematurely to bring this man into your
whatever you may have
house. You have to consider the safety and
done or could have done
wellbeing of your daughter, and to be careful to
was not because you had
whom and to what you expose her. He has
premeditations, and it is
demonstrated that he has no respect for you or
not anything that he
your daughter, and this cannot be the kind of
should worry about.
man you want in both of your lives.
Reaffirm your love and
It would still be useful to take your daughter to
commitment to him, and
the doctor for an examination if your gut feeling
let him know that the
is nudging you in that direction. Tell your
experience with his ‘ex’
daughter that you are doing so just to give you
has shed some muchsome peace of mind, and assure her that when
needed light on who she
that is done, she would no longer have to worry
really is, where she is
about this man because he would be history.
coming from, and that
Your daughter needs to have better examples of
what constitutes a good husband and what a
her pleasant demeanor
father figure ought to be like. She will respect
could be a front to get
you for considering her well-being by getting rid
herself wedged between
of that misrepresentation of decent man.
both of you.
Get rid of him!
George
George
Leisure
Aries (Mar. 21- April 20)
Problems with fire, gas, or oil may
cause disruptions and annoyances.
Plan events like camping or white water
rafting. Don't hesitate to talk to your
partner about rekindling your relationship. You should consider getting into
self-improvement endeavors.
Libra (Sept. 24 -Oct. 23)
Your mate may want to pick a fight but if
you're persistent with your affections
their anger should dissipate. Get
involved in a competitive sport that will
bring the challenges you thrive on.
Relatives will be cordial. Control your
anger.
Taurus (Apr. 21- May 21)
Do not give your heart to someone who
may not live up to your standards. You
may end up being blamed if anything
goes wrong. Try to curb your tongue
and let others at least get a word in.
Your passionate mood will be well
received by your mate.
Scorpio (Oct. 24 - Nov. 22)
Secret affairs will come back to haunt
you. Self-deception about relation ships
is a problem. Someone you live with may
cause drastic alterations in your usual
routine. Someone you work with may be
trying to make you look bad.
Gemini (May 22-June 21)
Changes in your home environment are
likely. Problems with skin, bones, or
teeth may mess up your schedule. Stick
to your own projects and by the end of
the day you'll shine. Someone close to
you may need help.
Sagittarius (Nov. 23 -Dec. 21)
Do not hesitate to help elders with legal
documents that are too confusing for
them. Don't let others saddle you with
guilt that isn't warranted. Ask others to
help, or you may feel that a burden is
weighing you down. Your partner may be
somewhat irritable this week.
Cancer (June 22-July 22)
Face any emotional problems head-on
to avoid situations getting out of hand.
Get involved in sports groups or hobbies that attract you. Look into making
changes to your personal papers and
don't neglect those bills that have been
piling up. Upheavals may occupy your
day.
Capricorn (Dec 22.- Jan. 20)
Don't jump the gun; you may find yourself getting angry at the wrong person.
Try to spend some time on your own.
People you live with will not be terribly
happy with you regardless of what you
do this week. Trips should be your
choice.
Leo (July 23-Aug 22)
You may have difficulty trying to get
your mate to understand your position.
Business trips will be more productive
than trying to fight the red tape facing
you. You need to keep busy doing
things that you both enjoy. You will have
the getup and go to con tribute a great
deal to groups of interest.
Virgo (Aug. 23 -Sept. 23)
You need to concentrate on solving
existing problems. Listen to the complaints of others. Strong willpower will
come to your rescue. Changes at home
will be necessary.
Aquarius (Jan. 21.- Feb. 19)
Unfortunately, your personal life may suffer from a lack spare time. You will feel
better about yourself and you may also
meet potential lovers. You may be upset
if someone has borrowed something that
belongs to you. Show what a dedicated
person you can be.
Pisces (Feb. 20-Mar. 20)
You can look into new jobs but don't
count on getting help from someone who
may have promised you assistance.
Assist a relative or good friend by setting
of a budget for them. You may have
taken on a little too much, but you will
enjoy every minute of it. Be sure that the
person you're drawn to is not already
involved.
ACROSS
39. “Uh-uh!”
41. Seeped
1.Baseball stat 43. Hostel
4. Newton
45. Leaves out
fillers
48. Libelous
8. Alibi __
one
11. Very long
53. Life’s
period
story, for
12. “What __
short
About
54. Managed
You”
55. Cuss
(2 wds.)
56. Conduc14. Deform
ted
15. Physician, 57. Suitable
slangily
58. Bull, in
16. Assign
Mexico
18. Fire indica- 59. McMahon
tion
and Asner
20. Tom
Watson’s gp.
DOWN
21. Comedienne
1.Some wines
Radner
2. Sonic __
24. Quick cut
3. Disguised
27. Closely con- 4. Castro of
fined
Cuba
29. “__ Lone- 5. __ du
some I
Diable
Could Cry”
(Devil’s
(2 wds.)
Island)
31. Opposite of 6. Boot camp
pos.
residents
33. Jackie O’s
(abbr.)
second
7. CD player
husband
problem
34. Western __ 8. “__ Man”
35. King Kong,
(2 wds.)
e.g.
9. Kit __ Club
36. Turned the
(“Cabaret”)
lamp on
10. Before,
37. Wooden
poetically
nails
13. Goads
38. Melt
(2 wds.)
together
17. A Bobbsey
Twin
19. Tool __
22. Eat supper
23. Roberto’s
friend
25. Unable to
be heard
26. Energizes
27. Heckle, to
Jeckle
28. Shamrock
land
30. Average
(hyph.)
32. “__ whillikers!”
34. Turns
over
38. Masc.’s
opposite
40. Rolling __
42. Antonio
Banderas
role
44. Politician
Gingrich
46. Fit to be
__47. Pieces of
turf
48. Mrs., in
Tijuana
LAST WEEK’s
SOLUTION
V
THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014. 21.
49. Racetrack
circuit
50. Toiling
insect
51. Car named
after
Ransom
E. Olds
52. Cup handle
22. FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014. THE VINCENTIAN
V
THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014. 23.
Football PresidentÊs
stands predominate
in weak executive
The building is
obliquely opposite the
main entrance to the
‘home of soccer’, Victoria
President Venold Coombs -man
Park.
with power.
Coombs, holding high
the purported documents,
“I CAN’T TELL YOU about that. I indicated to the Affiliates that
have no information on that
“the paper work was at an
thing. Can’t answer that
advanced stage” in getting the
question, Pressy.”
funds from FIFA.
“Coombs has the info so you
“We are going to do this
can check him and see what
project as part of our next
he can tell you.”
Goal Project…..the monies are
These were the responses of already approved so we would
some members of the Venold
be moving forward soon,” he
Coombs —led executive when
said, much to the surprise of
asked about the latest
his executive.
revelation that the St. Vincent
The executive members,
and the Grenadines Football
looking extremely
Federation is moving to
embarrassed, avoided the
purchase a building in
questioning looks of those
Kingstown, to the tune of
gathered for the meeting.
EC$1.7 million.
Coombs is said to have
Affiliates of the Federation disclosed that the Federation
attending last Saturday’s
will be purchasing fourteen
meeting at the rented quarters thousand square feet of land
at Bentick Square, were told
out of a possible near twenty
by Coombs that monies were
thousand that compromises
approved by FIFA, football’s
the entire property, which also
world governing body, for the
houses an abandoned building.
purchase of the property,
According to some reports,
originally known as Bishop’s
the president has indicated
Court and which, more
that the project, when
recently, housed the
completed, would include the
Emmanuel High School.
head office for the Federation,
with space for
meetings and
“the putting
up of
players.”
However,
Third Vicepresident
Elroy
Boucher,
Committee
Members Earl
Bennett,
Clemroy
Francois,
Yolande
London, and
General
Secretary
Trevor
Huggins have
admitted to being in the dark
about the project.
When accused of ‘being
weak and ineffective” and of
allowing the president to make
such decisions despite being
sanctioned a few months ago,
the executive members could
only stammer and stutter out
disjointed responses.
Many of the Affiliates have
expressed concern with the
cost of the property and the
eventual cost of construction,
but Coombs countered by
Property to be purchased by SVGFF.
saying that “structural
engineers have already
examined the abandoned
building along with FIFA
officials, and have given their
support for its purchase.”
Coombs has been accused of
singlehandedly employing
most of the paid officers on the
Federation’s staff. Reports say
that Raymond Trimmingham,
who was brought on from the
Joe Delves administration to
handle the Goal Project One,
is to be named as the
Federation’s project manager -
a decision which also comes as
news to the elected executive
members.
Goal Project One, a
technical centre in the South
East of the country at the
Brighton Playing Field, is said
to have met with its full share
of controversies and delays.
Information from the
SVGFF is that the project is
complete, but an opening date
has not been finalised. It
consists of housing quarters
for two teams and a training
area.
Waldron: ‘Football needs special attention’
ROLLIT WALDRON, one
of this country’s former
national players believes
that both affiliates and
the Football Federation
must take the blame for
the poor state of Football
in the state.
Waldron, a member of
the 1969 national team,
who now dedicates his
knowledge and
experience in the area of
coaching, said the state
of football reflects the
inability of affiliates to
recognize and select
knowledgeable people “or
persons with knowledge
of the sports, and who
can process development.
“They continue in a
vain selecting people for
their personal benefit
rather than
knowledgeable people
who can contribute to
developing the sport,”
Waldron pointed out.
He alluded to the poor
structure and operations
of the clubs, citing a
situation where some of
the owners of clubs/
teams don’t have
exclusive control over
some of their players. As
such therefore, “too many
players are playing in too
many different teams,
which indicates that
these players do not
train for any fixed team,”
Waldron explained..
Owners of clubs must
be made to ensure that a
qualified coach is
attached to each team;
“so players can train
with a level of
seriousness before they
get to the national set
up,” he said.
Waldron needs no
convincing that what
obtains at the club level
is a reflection on what
happens at the national
level, “and these are the
areas the Federation
needs to pay special
attention to.”
Waldron lamented
that SVG did not win a
single game at under 15,
women’s and senior;
didn’t win a
championship in 2013.
In relation to the
actual game, Waldron
cites the level of
unpreparedness as being
as bad as not being able
to construct set plays.
This is visible at the
local competition and it
reflects at the national
level, he said.
‘Take the ‘overlap’ for
example,” he said, “not
enough players know
how to position
themselves to effect such
a play.”
He advised that these
players need constant
practice, and once
players stay with their
team/club, he is of the
opinion we can produce
better national teams.
Waldron also called for
current day players to be
exposed to more former
players, especially those
known for their winning
ways.
He suggested that
teams engage themselves
in sessions with persons
of different expertise who
can assist them in
preparing for footnall
and for life.
“If one wants to be a
good footballer, then
he/she needs to have the
knowledge of how to
prepare properly. If you
Rollit Waldron, former
don’t have the
national player, has
knowledge, you won’t
some sharp
understand the
observations about the
importance of training,”
current state of football
Waldron advised.
in SVG.
Rollit Waldron was a
member of the Avenues
football.
Football Club of the
1960s and 1970s,
considered by many to be I.B.A.ALLEN
the heyday of Vincentian
V
24. FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014. THE VINCENTIAN
Sports
Jordan
off to
World
Cup
L-R: West Indies U19 World Cup selectees- Delorn Johnson, Dawnley Grant, Sunil Ambris and Ray Jordan.
Another Vincentian pacer in
Windies U19 World Cup squad
regional team’s 15 man
squad to the ICC
Under-19 Cricket World
ST. VINCENT AND THE
Cup in the United Arab
GRENADINES has put
Emirates next month.
another fast bowler on the
The pacey Jordan was
West Indies U19 team,
part of the West Indies
with the latest individual
U19 team which had to
to have gained this
cut short its recent tour
prestigious honour being
of Bangladesh following
Ray Jordan.
a bomb explosion close to
Jordan, from the
the team’s hotel.
Georgetown area, has
Jordan is following
been selected to the
other Vincentian
by E. GLENFORD
PRESCOTT
pacemen such as
Winston Davis, Stephen
John, Kenroy Peters,
Delorn Johnson and
Dawnley Grant into the
West Indies U19 team.
However John, Grant
and Johnson, like
Jordan, were part of the
regional team to ICC
U19 World Cups.
John was called up as
a late replacement after
the West Indies were
found to have selected
over aged players for the
1998 tournament in
South Africa.
Johnson was part of
the team to the ICC
Under-19 World Cup in
Malaysia in 2008, while
Grant gained selection to
the 2010 team to the
tournament which was
held in New Zealand
after being switched
from Kenya.
Two batsmen in
Kenroy Martin and
Sunil Ambris were also
among Vincentians
who represented the
region at the ICC U19
World Cup. Martin
was called up also as a
late replacement in the
1998 squad, while
Ambris was the
wicketkeeper/batsman
in the 2012 team to
New Zealand.
In addition to those
mentioned, Linton
Lewis (now Dr. Linton
Lewis), who toured
England along with
Davis in 1978 and
pacer Cleus Lavia, who
played against the
Pakistan U19 team on
its tour of the
Caribbean in the late
1990s, have also worn
the maroon cap.
There are other
players in the persons
of pacer Ian Allen and
wicketkeeper Elton
Johnson who were
selected to go on a tour
of Canada with the
regional team, but
were denied the
opportunity to do so
after the tour was
abruptly cancelled.
Allen later went on
the play for the senior
team on its tour of the
UK in 1991 under ‘The
Master Blaster”,
Vivian Richards (now
Sir Vivian Richards).
Jordan, who is
currently in Barbados
as part of a one week
pre-tournament camp
at Sagicor High
Performance Centre,
expressed satisfaction
with his selection, and
was confident of doing
well, once he is given the
opportunity. (See
accompanying article on
this page)
The West Indies team
will be led by Jamaican
off-spinning allrounder
Ramaal Lewis. The vice
captain is Nicholas
Pooran, the left-handed
wicket-keeper/batsman
from Trinidad & Tobago.
The Head Coach is
Roddy Estwick. This
year’s tournament will
feature 16 teams in four
groups.
The West Indies will
play against South
Africa, Zimbabwe and
Canada in Group C.
Their opening
preliminary match,
which is expected to be
one of their toughest, is
against the South
Africans on Friday,
February 14 at the
Dubai International
Stadium.
The second match is
on Sunday, February 16
against Zimbabwe at the
Sheikh Zayed Stadium
in Abu Dhabi. The third
match is two days later
against the Canadians
at the Sheikh Zayed
Stadium Nursery
Ground 1.
WI U-19 squad:
Ramaal Lewis
(Jamaica), Nicholas
Pooran (TT), Fabian
Allen (Jamaica),
Tagenarine Chanderpaul
(Guyana), Bryan Charles
(TT), Tristan Coleman
(Jamaica), Jonathan
Drakes (Barbados),
Shimron Hetmeyer
(Guyana), Jerome Jones
(Barbados), Ray Jordan
(Windward Islands),
Brandon King (Jamaica),
Preston McSween
(Windward Islands),
Marquino Mindley
(Jamaica), Gudakesh
Motie (Guyana), Jeremy
Solozano (TT).
VINCENTIAN FAST
BOWLER Ray Jordan is
off to a one week training
camp with the West
Indies under-19 team in
Barbados prior to the
2013/14 ICC Under 19
cricket World Cup which
bowls off next month in
the United Arab Emirates
(Dubai).
Jordan, who had his
first stint with the West
Indies under-19 team
when they faced
Bangladesh in Guyana
last year in a sevenmatch series which the
West Indies lost, said he
is confident and excited
heading off to the World
Cup. “I feel excited
because it was my dream
to make a West Indies
team, and I always try to
do my best, and I am
happy to be in the team,”
Jordan said.
“I plan to do my best in
Dubai, seeing that I am
the only player from St
Vincent and the
Grenadines. It will be a
huge experience with a
little nerve, but I will be
going out and do my
best,” the young man
assured.
He admitted being
nervous during his first
match against
Bangladesh, but “in the
following games, I gained
more confidence and was
happy at the end,” he
said.
Looking ahead, Jordan
acknowledged that this
year was his last year at
the under-19 level, and he
was looking forward to
make it on to the
Windwards Senior team.
He also wants to focus
on the High Performance
Center (HPC), and has
his eyes set on the West
Indies A team and the
West Indies senior team.
He is prepared though,
to “take it step by step.”
Jordan represents
Victors One cricket team
in the local cricket
competition, and started
playing competitively at
the age of 14.
West Indies are
grouped with Canada,
South Africa and
Zimbabwe in the
preliminary round of the
2014 under-19 World
Cup.
I.B.A.ALLEN
V
THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014. 25.
Sports
Cup running over
IN ANOTHER four months, the world will be
glued to the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. One
would have thought that with all the hype
surrounding the game here, St. Vincent and the
Grenadines would have maintained its legacy in
the sport.
Whatever the reasons, we have found ourselves
on the lower end of the ranking. And there seems
to be hardly any concern about our languishing
fortunes.
We missed out on our recent efforts to qualify.
Nothing is wrong with being eliminated, but
towards the end of the campaign, we deteriorated
rapidly. How can we rise to become competitive of
the regional level is left to be seen. Given the
trend, the signs are not encouraging.
Football is a highly scientific sport. Don’t think
that we will be able to field a good squad in the
space of two or four years. It is a long term
exercise. If we continue to dream, we might fulfil
our ambitions some time or the other. But the
belief has to be sustained and shaped into some
kind of reality.
There has to be a culture of sport where
youngsters are encouraged to hone their skills
from early. With the absence of competitive
football at the primary school level, there is no
natural reservoir of talent. Some communities by
their own intuitiveness have cultivated something
of a natural inclination for football.
The areas of Layou and Barrouallie are
perennial bases. This has been borne out in the
recent championship which saw Besco Pastures
dethroning Avenues.
Avenues is a combination of urban and rural
talent including Layou.
Besco Pastures carries a Barrouallie connection.
Football talent is nationwide. What has been
lacking is the passion to harness the skills.
Somewhere along the way, the youths are not
encouraged to persist with the sport. They drift
into other spheres, perhaps influenced by the
demands of life. So while the women might
continue even with the factors of motherhood and
other roles, their interest in sport produces more
abundant results than their male counterpart.
When the National Sports Awards are staged
here next month, it will be a pity that not many
outstanding males will be on the podium.
No footballers have created any ripples over the
past year. That is a major indictment. But one
can’t blame them entirely. They have not been
supported administratively.
Sports lovers have the responsibility of instilling
some passion into our sporting generation. Plunge
them into the arena and make sure that they
persist with serious activity until we can boast of
some positive results in our programmes. Time has
perhaps run out on us. But it is not too late to pick
up the pieces.
We have been thrown into a state of recovery. It
is an ideal opportunity for a revitalisation.
Many nations are responding to the disaster
that has come down on us following the December
25 onslaught.
Those completing the assessment must consider
the sporting element as important as the river
defences, road repairs and bridge rebuilding.
The waters have swept away many of the
burdens that attempted to clog the paths to
progress. With the lessons evident, we should be in
a better position to go on with the development
process.
That will include respect for the environment.
We cannot take it for granted that we can set up
whatever anywhere and expect that it will be
business as usual. When the inevitable unfolds,
there should be no crocodile tears. We have a
responsibility to coexist with nature.
We have to take our quarter and allow a
natural flow to take place. Anything different
spells ongoing disaster.
First VP Elson Crick
points to some possible
changes in the 2014
national cricket
competition.
SVG U15 team – Youth development could well be a major part of SVGCA’s
agenda.
SVGCA to identify areas of
development, Crick says
by E. GLENFORD PRESCOTT
The St. Vincent and the Grenadines Cricket Association
(SVGCA) will be moving to institute changes, possibly for
the 2014 or the 2015 season, which they are hoping
would improve the standard of the sport here, according
to Elson Crick, first vice-president of the organisation.
Crick, while not divulging much, said that these are
among issues which would be discussed at Saturday’s
AGM at the Teachers Credit Union conference room.
According to the first VP, the Association is looking
at adjusting the First Division from a two-day
competition to a one day contest involving a 110 overs
allocation in that day’s play.
“This is not a limited overs competition but a format
which will see teams asked to engage in that amount
of overs. But it will be dependent on if the teams go for
that and what stipulations will be made to ensure you
do not have one team batting the entire day,” he
explained.
He said that the matches will be played on
Saturdays, with the introduction of a Sunday League
along the lines of what takes place in England.
He admitted that a number of persons with
knowledge of the game, have raised concerns about the
standard of the sport, and have suggested ways in
which things can be improved. The Association will be
looking at a number of things over time, but these may
not serve as part of Saturday’s discussions.
SVG Rugby Club targets schools
The SVG National Rugby Club is set to introduce a
brand new grass roots programme, ‘Get Into Rugby’, to
8 primary schools across St. Vincent and the
Grenadines.
The
initiative is due
to begin on
Tuesday 28th
January 2014.
Grade 3 and
4 students will
be introduced
to tag rugby
(non-contact),
learning the
basic skills and
knowledge of
the new and
upcoming sport Tag Rugby is set for introduction
of rugby.
in primary schools here.
At the end of
the introduction week, on Saturday 1st of February
2014, all participating schools will get together to
participate in a workshop and friendly competition at
the Arnos Vale Sporting Complex from 10am-2pm.
Parents/guardians, teachers, friends and anyone
interested in rugby or learning the sport are invited to
attend the final fun day.
In addition to this basic one-week programme, the
St. Vincent and The Grenadines Rugby Union Football
Club (SVG RUFC), with support from the
International Rugby Board (IRB) and in collaboration
with the Ministry of Education and The Sports
Department, will host a series of 1-hour sessions over
6 weeks during P.E classes at various schools across
the country.
I.B.A. Allen
Among the areas for which the Julian Jack- led
SVGCA has been heavily criticised is the absence of a
meaningful youth development programme and the
seeming fall off in the women’s game.
Crick admitted that there may be some truth in
what people are saying, but was quick to point out that
the SVGCA will be moving to improve on this in the
very near future.
“There is no perfect organisation, so for me to say
that the SVG Cricket Association has not fallen short
will be to be disingenuous, and you will know that is
not how I operate……we have work to do and we will
buckle down and get it done…..but people will have to
understand that it has to be done in a systematic way,”
Crick, who is being mentioned as a possible
replacement for Jack, said.
The SVGCA for the 2013 season introduced a new
competition, the Super40 which was contested by the
three top teams in the premier division and the
winners of the First Division. Team Rivals won that
competition.
Crick, in assessing the season, said that when
looking at a table of achievements, it can be said that
it was relatively successful, but was forced to concede
that hosting competitions and tournaments was not
necessarily a barometer of success.
The issue of an increase in prize monies has been a
bone of contention over the years, with teams calling
on the Association to make significant increase owing
to the high cost of gear and the lure of softball, which
sees the champion team collecting as much as
EC$2500.00.
Crick said he would be a little cautious to support
such an increase at this time, and pointed out that
there was actually an increase not too long ago.
Saturday’s AGM will see the executive committee
presenting the 2013 financial and executive reports to
its affiliates and discuss the 2014 local cricket season.
The 2013 National Cricket Competitions are set to
get going on February 8th, with registration closing on
January 31st.
26. FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014. THE VINCENTIAN
V
THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014. 27.
Classifieds
MARGARET
LOCKART JOHN
Mt. Sinai Spiritual
Baptist Church
Largo Height
Sunday 19th
January, 2014
/(52<³6$5',1(´
SAMUEL
Sunrise: 15th
October, 1941 Sunset: 3rd
January, 2014
Troumaca
Evangelical
Church
Saturday 18th
January, 2014
Service at
2:00 p.m.
(/&$9(521,&$
THOMAS
'(/+,:$//,6
Aka Nash
St Elizabeth
Spiritual Baptist
Church
Sunday 19th
January, 2014
Service at
2:00 p.m.
Methodist
church
Chateaubelair
Saturday 18th
January, 2014
Service at
2:00 p.m.
CASSMORE JAMES
HANNAWAY
/D\RX6'
Adventist
Church
Sunday 19th
January, 2014
Service at
2:30 p.m.
$/%(57/(:,6
New Testament
Church of God
Clare Valley
Saturday 18th
January, 2014
Service at
2:00 p.m.
F
O
R
The National Newspaper of St. Vincent and the Grenadines
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BANANA CHEQUES
BOUNCING
Eustace advised to go to the Police
by WILLIAM ‘KOJAH’ ANTHONY &
KENVILLE HORNE
OPPOSITION LEADER Arnhim Eustace
has been advised to go to the Police
to help solve the issue of bounced
cheques that he has received from
WINFARM, the body with responsibility
for marketing bananas from the
Windward Islands.
Eustace raised the concern on
Tuesday during his response to the
Budget Address delivered by Prime
Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves the
day before.
“Who is going to make those
payments to farmers, for the
bananas they have exported?”
Eustace inquired.
Eustace was lamenting the plight
of agriculture, referring to the
situation in the banana industry as
“a disaster”, and raised the matter
of his having received three cheques
for which no payment was
forthcoming.
“If I were you, I would take the
cheques to the Police. You might
actually find out something,” Dr.
Gonsalves quipped.
The Prime Minister outlined that issuing bounced
cheques was a “criminal offence.”
He contended that the persons who issue such
documents must be able to answer.
“Make them available to the relevant
authorities… ,” the Prime Minister added.
But Eustace was not impressed with Dr.
Gonsalves’ appraisal, and replied: “You see how the
Prime Minister ducking out of this issue.”
Dr. Gonsalves held his position and echoed:
“Report it to the authorities, and then you will see
what happens.”
Eustace pointed out that other farmers were also
stuck with the false money order, and the
Opposition leader pondered on their situation.
Prime Minister Gonsalves was given leeway to
Dr. Ralph
Gonsalves and
Leader of the
Opposition
Arnhim
Eustace
engaged in a
lively exchange
on the matter
of WINFARM
issuing ‘bad’
cheques, but
did not seem to
agree on a
resolution to
the misdeed.
explain that WINFARM was closed, to
which Eustace countered, “On the instruction of the
government.”
But Dr. Gonsalves rebutted, “Not at all,” and
went on to make it clear that his government had
nothing to do with WINFARM.
The Opposition Leader, not satisfied that he had
received no real clarification on the issue, repeated,
“Who is going to pay the farmers of St. Vincent for
those bounced cheques that they have received in
recent weeks? That is the fundamental question
being asked here.”
The cross talk continued, but Eustace then gave
way to the Prime Minister to adequately respond.
Published by The VINCENTIAN Publishing Co. Ltd, St. Vincent and the Grenadines;
Dr. Gonsalves told parliament that the issue
raised by Eustace was an important one, “but
always as Minister of Finance, I know how many
farmers are actually owed and what they are being
owed. I don’t want farmers being without money,
but persons who issue the bounced cheques must
first be made to answer.”
He stated that he would like the honorable
Leader of the Opposition and other farmers to be
paid for their bananas, but insisted that “the person
who issued the bounced cheques, knowing that they
have no money , can’t do that. Nobody have to tell
you, you are closing, you had to close”.
The Prime Minister appealed to those farmers
who were issued with bounced cheques to take them
to the relevant authorities.
“I would like to see that, and then we would have
a proper story as to what actually transpired,”
Gonsalves declared.
Printed by the SVG Publishers Inc., Campden Park.