THE VINCENTIAN PDF - 04-08-23

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THE SMUGGLING OF CONTRABAND, prevalence of mentally ill inmates, illdiscipline among prison officers, and inadequate staffing, have been listed

among issues affecting the security and rehabilitation efforts at His Majesty’s Prisons.

Acting Superintendent of Prisons

Dwayne Bailey made the disclosure while delivering remarks at the

closing session of the Criminal Assizes on Monday.

Bailey revealed that among the contraband items which enter the Male Prisons in Kingstown, and the Belle Correctional Facility are cellular phones, drugs, cigarettes, alcohol, cigarette lighters, and scissors. He cited a consistent entry of cellular phones with over 200 of them found during searches at both facilities, so far for the year. He said that prisoners sometimes

account of factors affecting security and the proper dispensing of services

cut the fencing at Belle Isle Facility to facilitate the illegal entry of these items.

The Prison Chief added that up to Monday there were 41 mentally ill prisoners with 19 of them there in connection with offences of murder and manslaughter.

Bailey described this as a worrying concern, as prison officers are not trained to deal with the mentally ill.

“The mentally ill inmates are hard to manage. They are often disruptive and are a danger to themselves, staff, and other inmates,” he underscored.

The situation, according to Bailey, Continued on Page 3.

Even the ‘modern, secured’ Prison Facility at Belle Isle has not escaped a seemingly thriving contraband trade.

HAYDN HUGGINS

Dwayne Bailey, Acting Superintendent of Prisons, gave an insightful

in SVG. Prison facilities.

3

Road cleaning commences

THE ANNUAL SUMMER ROAD CLEANING PROGRAMMEgot

going this week.

The programme, a collaborative effort between BRAGSA and the Economic Planning Division of the Ministry of Finance, will temporarily employ 5,633 people across St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

These will include 499 gangs and 643 Jobbers who will be in charge of tree cutting and road cleaning in all 15 constituencies.

According to a release from BRAGSA, over 100 trucks and conductors will also be awarded contracts.

The cost of the eight-day program is expected to be $3 million.

The Road Cleaning Programme is part of the World Bank-funded Volcanic Eruption Emergency Project (VEEP), under its LabourIntensive Temporary Employment (LITE) component.

The VEEP project was set up to support the Government of St. Vincent and the grenadines in its emergency recovery and restoration of services in areas affected by the La Soufriere (Volcano) eruptions. The project was approved by the World Bank’s Board on November 30, 2021 and became effective on December 10, 2021 with an expected closing date on December 30, 2026. The project is funded through an IDA credit of US$ 40 million and co-financed with an EU grant of US$ 2

NBC to host inaugural summer programme

by GLORIAH...

COME AUGUST 7, the National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) will commence its very first summer programme. The activity, which will run up to 11th August, will cater to children between the ages of twelve and sixteen years old.

According to NBC’s Assistant General Manager Operations, Colvin Harry, participants will be exposed to a number of innovative and interesting topics during the programme.

“We’re looking at things like news preparation, presentation; we’re looking at things like social media, living with the studio, content production, audio recording, editing and for those who would be involved, (they) will also get an experience to be in the studio.” Harry said.

Security issues plaguing Prisons

Continued from Frontpage. is further compounded by ill-discipline among prison officers, inadequate staffing, and persistent sick leave.

He stressed that the lack of manpower to man the three facilities is affecting the security of those facilities, and hampering rehabilitation efforts.

On the issue of persistent sick leave, Bailey said that the long strenuous hours of work could be a contributing factor.

Despite the challenges Bailey said all is not lost as the prison farm continues to be a success, with the prison being self-sufficient in eggs and for a larger part of the year, able to provide vegetables for the prison population.

He also noted that the literacy programme has resumed, and the skills training exercises are ongoing.

million.

Under the VEEP programme, road cleaners are to be paid via bank cards, instead of having to line up for their payment as was done under the traditional road cleaning programme. BRAGSA is consequently urging vehicles and pedestrians to exercise caution in their use of the roadways as workers go about their business of cleaning the roads, etc. (KH)

NBC Radio has opened its doors to the youth in the hope of inspiring persons who will become media persons.

In addition, Harry said that participants will also be involved in what’s happening on air as well, and will interact with the announcers as they get a hands-on feel about what is done at NBC on a daily basis.

Participants will also be “going out and recording one of the programmes; you get to experience how we do our ‘Summer Adventures’ while you are doing your summer programme as well,” Harry promised.

As far as who will share with the participants, Harry promised that they will see much of Ms. Dionne John, General Manager, who, given her expertise will be expected to highlight actual areas of etiquette — “what you do in the studio and what

you shouldn’t do. Those are her very specific areas that she would like to tackle.”

Added to that, System General Manager, Public Relations and Administration, Mr. Demion McTaire, will lead the social media element, focusing specifically on social media for broadcasting.

This area, Harry pointed out, was “quite different,” from other forms of the media.

“We hope by doing this (Summer) programme, we will inspire a younger generation of broadcasters, journalists, those who are interested in news and current affairs, those interested in content production,” Harry posited.

Responding to a question from defense lawyer Grant Connell, Bailey said the Vonnie Roudette grass programme ‘Grow in Time’ is ongoing, and statistics show that inmates who participate in that programme have hardly ever re-offended.

Attorney Ronald Marks asked the Acting Prison boss to convey appreciation to Roudette on behalf of the private bar, for a good job.

When defense lawyer Carl Williams asked whether there was any discussion with state authorities regarding the issue of mentally ill prisoners, Bailey said that the prison authorities had spoken to the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of National Security, and a recommendation was made for the establishment of a special wing at the Belle Isle facility to house mentally ill prisoners.

In a follow-up conversation with THE VINCENTIAN, Bailey disclosed that, that the Ministry of Finance has recommended the permanent positions of a staff nurse and nursing assistant on the prison staff, and the prison authorities are awaiting action by the Service Commission to this effect.

Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Tameka McKenzie expressed concern about the number of cellular phones being smuggled into the prisons, saying that it is almost an average of one per inmate based on the statistics.

“We still have to wonder how many more are out there,” she suggested, and shared her concern with respect to the intentions of the inmates who are smuggling these phones into the prisons because there is a system in place at the prisons for inmates to legally access phone calls.

As of Monday 31st July, the prison population stood at 392 comprised of 381 males and 11 females, with 97 in connection with offenses of murder.

The Summer component of the Road Cleaning Programme is ongoing.

Double murderers jailed for life

Stories: HAYDN HUGGINS

TWO OF THREEmen who, six years ago, took the lives of two young brothers, including a police officer, have been sentenced to life in prison.

Schemel ‘Jacket’ Dunbar, 34, and Kendine ‘Hoody’ Douglas, 36, both of Rillan Hill, were on Wednesday, each sentenced to life imprisonment.

Richard ‘Carib’ Francis, 38, a former police officer, attached to the local coast guard, was sentenced to 33 years and 9 months.

The sentences stemmed from the May 4, 2017 murder of police constable Danroy Cozier, 25, and his brother, Nicholas Cozier, 19.

Autopsies showed that the brothers each received two gunshot wounds to the head.

A 12-member Jury comprised of six men and six women found Dunbar and Douglas guilty on each count on June

9, 2023, following a retrial, while Francis had pleaded guilty during the first trial.

Justice Brian Cottle discharged the Jury and ordered a second trial for Dunbar and Douglas, while adjourning Francis’ sentencing to a date to be fixed.

Attorney Carl Williams represented Dunbar at both trials while Grant Connell and Ronald Marks represented Douglas and Francis respectively.

Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Sejilla McDowall, attorney Richie Maitland, and Crown Counsel Rene Simmons represented the Crown. The plan unfolds

The facts showed that on April 26, 2017, the vehicles of Francis and Danroy Cozier were involved in an accident. Francis accepted liability, agreed to pay to repair Danroy’s vehicle, and arranged to pick up Danroy at Sion Hill on May 4, 2017. But Francis subsequently concluded that it was cheaper to hire a ‘hit man’ to kill Danroy, so he contracted Dunbar for the job agreeing to pay him $1,500. Dunbar took Douglas with him, as his ‘wingman’.

However, when Francis went to Sion Hill on Mary 2, 2017 to pick up Danroy, Danroy’s younger brother, Nicholas, also entered and left in the van.

Dunbar and Douglas were somewhere at the rear of the van and during the journey, Dunbar shot the brothers. Douglas assisted in dumping the bodies at Sion Hill Bay.

Fishermen discovered the bodies at the Bay close to 1pm the same day, and police, acting on information received, later arrested the three men. Bloody clothing was found in Douglas and Francis’s possession and they both co-operated with the police. They took the investigators to: where the

brothers entered Francis’ vehicle; along the route the van took; where the brothers were shot, and where the bodies were dumped. Douglas also gave a statement to the police during an electronic interview, narrating what happened.

The Crown’s case also relied on DNA evidence and phone records of conversations between Dunbar and Douglas, Dunbar and Francis, and Francis and Danroy, prior to the incident.

Judge rules

In handing down the penalties, Justice Brian Cottle noted that the Crown did not request the death penalty, and rightly so because this case did not fall in the category of being the ‘worst of the worst’ or the rarest of the rare so as to attract the death penalty, based on the Privy Counsel ruling in 2009 the case of Daniel ‘Compay’ Dick Trimmingham.

In his sentencing remarks on Wednesday, Justice Cottle said he was starting with a whole life sentence for Dunbar, ad Douglas. He noted that two persons were killed, one being a police officer; it was a contract killing; there was an exceptionally high degree of planning and pre-meditation; it was a deliberate killing for money; there was no provocation; it was done along a public road, and the bodies were disposed of in a public place.

Cottle noted that Dunbar was charged twice before with murder though not convicted, and had previous convictions for firearm possession, assault with bodily harm, and wounding. He found nothing mitigating for Dunbar.

While he agreed with Douglas’ lawyer Grant Connell that Douglas played a lesser role and co-operated with the police, and that based on a Social Inquiry report he was a man of good character, posed no threat to

society, and was a good candidate for rehabilitation, Cottle contended that Douglas knew of the plan and that he was Dunbar’s assistant in carrying out that plan. In fact, the Judge reminded Dunbar that there was a popular saying in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, ‘The upholder is worse than the thief’.

He contended that they acted as part of a team.

The Judge concluded that the aggravating factors outweighed the mitigating.

In relation to Francis who was considered the mastermind of the crime but pleaded guilty late in the first trial, the Judge started at 40 years.

Based on a Social Inquiry report, Francis was also described as a man of good character and posed no threat to society. The report concluded that he was a good prospect for rehabilitation. But the Judge said that when he weighed this against the senseless killing, the circumstance of the case and Francis’s role in the murder, he made no adjustments to Francis’s sentence of 40 years, but deducted the six years, and three months he spend on remand, bringing the sentence down to 33 years and 9 months.

The sentences imposed on all three men were in relation to each count of the double murder, and they would run concurrently.

Justice Cottle pointed out that there was no Parole Act in SVG, but he ordered that Dunbar and Douglas be brought back to Court after 30 years of the life sentence, so that the Court could assess their progress and determine whether there are sufficiently rehabilitated to be release. If they are not sufficiently rehabilitated, they are to be brought back every three years until they are fit enough to be released. This means that Dunbar and Douglas could be released before Francis.

„Remove the tint!‰ Connell

A LOCALcriminal lawyer has called for the removal of tint from vehicles.

Even cursory observation here will indicate that an increasing number of vehicles, private and commercial, are resorting to extremely heavy tint on their windows.

Defense lawyer Grant Connell issued the call as he delivered remarks at the closing session of the Criminal Assizes on Monday.

Connell said that unless the tint is justified for medical or security reasons it should be removed, to allow the police to fight crime effectively.

The lawyer said he noticed that the police have returned to their stop and search exercises, but while this is commendable it is highly risky, given the sophistication of the criminals today, and the type of firearms.

Connell cited the possibility of, an outstanding officer, in the caliber of Superintendant Trevor ‘Buju’ Bailey stopping a heavily tinted vehicle, the glass goes down, and the officer is shattered by gunshots.

“What you going to say, Oh Gawd, if ah bin know”, he questioned.

The lawyer referred to the recent incident in which a heavily tinted vehicle drove into a dead end

at Upper Kingstown, and the lives of our men and a 13-year-old boy were snuffed out.

“You can’t fight crime blind. How can you fight something you can’t see? No matter how sophisticated your cameras are, you will never see beyond tint”.

Fighting crime in SVG

Connell also pointed out that the police cannot fight crime effectively using archaic methods and technology, at a time when the criminals are much more sophisticated than they were years ago. He said the police not only lack modern equipment, but whatever equipment they have is, most of the time, not working or out of service. He noted that the new fingerprint machine is down, and some of the machines used to do electronic interviews at the various police stations are either out of service or not working. He said the Mesopotamia Police Station has no transport and has to depend on Biabou.

“Sometimes you go to Court and a case falls, and the family approaches you and say, ‘Connell, what happen dey?’ and you have to provide answers.” he quipped.

“When the police suffer, the public suffers,” Connell said, adding that “the police force and the police stations are the Accident and Emergency of Justice; you get it wrong there, Justice suffers.”

He suggested , “We have to level the playing field, and to level the playing field we can’t put square pegs in round holes.

“Our countries are now at the crossroads. The captain of the ship cannot do it alone. We all have to play our role,” he said and took a swipe at his colleagues (lawyers) for not speaking out.

“Some police officers are present physically, but mentally they are not. They are frustrated,” he opined and stressed that some police officers remain constables for more than 22 years.

“Even at the stores you start as cashiers, and become store managers,” he advanced.

Not for the first, time Attorney Grant Connell has made an ‘unpopular’ call which might even nudge police officers who are owners of private vehicles which are tinted.

Speaking with THE VINCENTIAN shortly after, Connell stressed, “You have to move the tint. Taking such a measure would offend certain people in society, but now is not a time for popularity… SVG needs straightening up, it’s bending too much. Everybody doing their own thing. We have to take measures that may seem harsh to some people.”

Schemel ‘Jacket’ Dunbar

Kendine ‘Hoody’ Douglas (left) and Richard ‘Carib’ Francis.

Trinity School of Medicine forging ahead

Engaging Government Officials

The press conference was a culmination of a series of meetings held earlier that day with Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, Education and Health Ministers Curtis King and St. Clair Prince respectively, and other health officials.

AT A PRESS CONFERENCE

ON MONDAY,June 31st at Beachcombers, Trinity School of Medicine

Medical President and CEO Mr. Steven Wilson introduced the new Dean and Provost, Dr. John. P. Geisler and Associate Dean of Clinical Sciences and Curriculum, Dr. Kelly J. Manahan.

Dr. Naga Dharshan Devendra, the new Associate Dean of Basic Sciences, will arrive in St. Vincent in early August from Glasgow, Scotland.

The New Deans

President Wilson cited Dr. Geisler as a distinguished leader in OB/Gyn Oncology with an extensive background in medical education accreditation, residency training research and clinical practice. He anticipated that the students would benefit from his wealth of knowledge and vast experience, and that under his guidance Trinity will further solidify its position as a top choice for medical training in the Caribbean

In addition to admitting how wowed he was by the beauty of St. Vincent and noting that the environment was conducive to learning and well-being of the students, Dr. Geisler expressed his passion for medicine, but above all his love for medical education. He mused that to take care of a patient means to impact one person, but training one doctor means affecting a whole community.

In introducing the new Associate Dean of

Clinical Science, President

Wilson cited Dr. Manahan as trailblazer in the field of OB/Gyn Oncology, adding that she brings an unparalleled blend of medical education, accreditation, residency expertise and management, innovation and leadership, which will undoubtedly bolster Trinity’s efforts in residency placement, research, curriculum design and overall academic excellence.

Dr. Manahan stated that it was the first time she was visiting St. Vincent and expressed her gratitude for the warm welcome by the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. She is excited to see the continued growth in partnership between SVG and Trinity.

Mr. Wilson cited Dr. Dharshan Devendra as a highly accomplished medical professional with a strong background in clinical biochemistry, medical education and research, bringing a wealth of knowledge and expertise to his role. He noted that Dr. Devendra’s experience in preparing students for the USMLE Step I exam and the extensive knowledge of integrated organ system curriculum, will help propel the preclinical basic science curriculum to a new level

of excellence.

According to Mr. Wilson, both Dr. Geisler and Dr. Manahan have a very strong track records in academic research having almost 200 peerreviewed publications between them. Given that the amount and significance of academic research in medicine is growing exponentially, he shared that the goal is to bring research opportunities to Trinity students.

He reported that the meeting with the Prime Minister served to introduce the new leadership and to share Trinity expansion plans; and as an opportunity to thank him for his pivotal support and that of his government and the Vincentian community.

President Wilson referenced the close working partnerships with the Ministries and pledged to continue in this collaboration.

This would be centered around educational endeavors in public and private school in St. Vincent, to encourage students’ interest in STEM, and also to work on providing the options for students to stay in SVG to advance their education in the field of medicine.

This would create a long-term impact on the healthcare system in SVG through local students going through Trinity SOM and coming back to SVG after their medical education is completed.

Providing scholarships for local students is a continued point of focus for Trinity, Wilson said.

Campus Expansion

President Wilson announced plans to expand the anatomy lab and lecture hall as phase one of a two-phase expansion project, commencing in September, 2023.

The lecture hall is expected to seat 100 and will provide for the expected growth of MD and Pre-Med on campus programmes. The first construction phase will being in September of this year.

Phase two will entail the construction of a 400seat multi-use main floor, with lecture halls below and faculty offices and small group study rooms above. This phase is slated to being in late 2024 or early 2025.

Wilson described the multi-million dollar expansions projects as testament to the promises made 15 years ago to the people and government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

The plan is to design buildings that facilitate the use of technology to impact learners, Dr. Manahan assured.

Impacting Education in medicine

Trinity School of Medicine was established in 2008 and morphed into Trinity Medical Sciences University in 2014.

“We have come a long way since 2008 and we have a long way to go,” Wilson said, and highlighted that not only has Trinity been able to reach the ceilings of the Caribbean medical schools, but that Trinity stands on par with U.S medical schools.

That’s why, as Wilson said, “We’re

always pushing. That’s part of my job to keep the academic team moving, and to make sure that students are getting what they need and their outcomes are what we want and what they want.”

Trinity starts its 16th year in St. Vincent and this milestone, President Wilson emphasized, “would not have been possible without the support of the people, the government, the hospital system here… .”

Colouring this milestone is the ongoing graduation of more and more Vincentians, with four Vincentian currently in the U.S. with stellar residencies.

In addition to turning out Vincentian graduates, Trinity, which enjoys accreditation status with the Carribean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine (CAAM-HP), employs over 100 Vincentians inclusive of four Deans.

And in the name of all faculty, staff and students of Trinity School of Medicine, President Wilson expressed his gratitude to the Government and the people of St. Vincent for their unwavering support over the years.

Two of the new Deans (from left) Dr. Kelly Manahan and Dr. John Geisler.

Dr. Naga Dharshan Devendra, Associate Dean of Basic Science.

Trinity School of Medicine (TSOM) will begin expansion to its campus beginning in September 2023.

Mr. Steven Wilson, President/CEO of TAOM, spoke of enhancing the School’s faculty and expanding the campus facility.

Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves (back to camera) welcomed Mr. Steven Wilson and a delegation for discussions.

Managing Director: Desiree Richards

Editor: Cyprian Neehall

Telephone: 784-456-1123 Fax: 784-451-2129

Website: www.thevincentian.com

Email: thevincentianpublishing@gmail.com

Mailing Address: The Vincentian Publishing Co. Ltd.,

P.O. Box 592, Kingstown, St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Editorial

Emancipation Day gone haywire Keep calm and carry on

LAST TUESDAY,August 01, marked another anniversary of freedom from slavery for thousands of Africans bounded to sugar plantations in the British West Indies. As has been the custom, the day, Emancipation Day, was a public holiday.

A public holiday that we wishfully continue to convince ourselves would be used to reflect on the fact that, take it or leave it, slavery has got to be the most inhumane action wrought by one human on another. It is, according to some writers, the ‘gravest tragedy’ to have preyed on civilization.

It is so extenuating in its reach, that it has in this very century become the focus of a ‘reparations movement here in the Caribbean’, that demands justice and a commitment of development assistance that would ‘compensate’ for the murder, genocide and emasculation that characterised the history of slavery in the Caribbean.

All that said, we must be honest and admit that how we have marked Emancipation Day here in St. Vincent and the Grenadines has gone through radical changes.

The period of activism in the later 60s and 70s and even early 80s in the under-developed world/former colonies of European realms, the naked hegemony of the imperialist western countries, the subjugation of Black Africans to second class (if at all that is a correct classification) in their own lands — South Africa, Zimbabwe — heightened the meaning and associated circumstances that made Emancipation Day a day of real focus; a day around which oppressed and maginalised peoples could be galvanized into recognising the strength in unity.

Somehow it seems that as the ‘progressives’ who led the remembrance of Emancipation and who sought to explain the legacy of bondage in the Caribbean, and who advanced actions for a change of attitude and even a new and liberating system of governance, have either left the stage or have become members of the ‘ruling political class’.

In so doing, those said “progressives’ have become part and parcel of a systematic dismantling of that free and open sense of the right to opinion and a right to organization in pursuit of satisfying their every

(legitimate) desires and needs.

Young people, especially, were organized so as to safeguard their interest as a bloc and to understand and promote their intentions in light of the bigger issue — development and ‘liberation’ for all.

The strength of that zest and determination was put to good use by the non-traditional political aspirants who, now that they sit in positions of ‘national influence’ feel they are entitled to be the sole surveyors of a people’s future, and will act in a manner that ensures that there is no organization of people who can bring their ‘entitlement’ into questions.

Sadly, we have been subdued. We have become a society whose young people are ready to ‘jump and wine’ from one carnival to another.

Those whose time and expertise were availed to enlightening discussions, now spend their energy devising ways and means to ‘grab another smallie’ and race along a pathway whose journey is negotiated on a daily basis. All in all, we have become a society prone to influences that appeal to our emotions and not to our intellect and ability to reason.

So the CARICOM 50th Anniversary One Family Concert was held on Emancipation Day of all days, thereby removing any sense of what that day is all about and instead giving way to a concert — a free and albeit an entertaining one — thereby maintaining the agenda of ‘fete’ after ‘fete’.

To party is one thing. To give out cultural artistes their due is one thing. Both have their place in our milieu. But to use the strength of culture, of music and dance to deny an otherwise more impacting purpose in the real life of a people, to use what is genuinely representative of a vibrant people to focus on matters extraneous to what Emancipation is all about, add up to be a sad reflection on the path of those who continue to say how much they are informed by our history.

Big up to the artistes who performed at the One Family Concert. You were all paid so to do. Perhaps in another cycle of our developing Caribbean civilization, you will make amends for being party to an action that may have had a purpose about which you were either not aware or just couldn’t care.

“.... MERCY, MERCY ME Ah, things aren’t what they used to be ....,” Marvin Gaye.

On a Thursday morning a few weeks ago, we woke up to the disturbing news that we had arrived. We are now into Mass shootings. Not the place many of us were hoping for, but a place we have done little to avoid.

Then again, maybe we thought we did our bidding by going to church every Sunday, giving out tides dutifully, helping out in our community, visiting the Lewis Punnett Home on Mother’s Day, and even visiting the prison on occasions with other members of the church to pray for the lost and forgotten folks of our society.

Sadly, the killing continues… five people this time and the Police Commissioner is in the news telling us SVG is a safe place to live, work and play. Bless his heart.

I want to give him the benefit of the doubt, but God knows it is hard. More on him later. No, I have said all I am going to say about him over the last year.

Then the PM did his best to calm a troubled nation by telling us we will find those responsible. “The first thing I want to do is to indicate to our people, we must be calm, we must not panic, we have to be resolute in fighting the criminals,” said the PM speaking to us from Morocco, where he was at the time on official business. He told us that he was working with his Cabinet and the Commissioner of Police to address the number of shootings in our nation.

Then came the leader of the opposition, saying he offered to help but no one wanted to listen to him. He also reminded us that he was a victim of this type of senseless killing. Then get this, he said that the PM should come home now as if this was the kind of emergency that needs the PM present to address. We took a while to get to this point, and it will take twice as long to get out of this mess, my friend.

The sad news is that this event was years in the making.

By the end of the day, those in authority got their messaging organized. Right from the USA playbook, “thoughts and prayers” for everyone. A special pray session was organized immediately to bring “Peace

in the Land... .” The Commissioner of Police said these people were running with the wrong crowd. It seems like a drug thing gone bad. The Acting Prime Minister and the Police Commissioner held a press conference. Commissioner John said police have determined that some of the recent murders were “linked to each other.” The Commissioner noted this one dates back to a drug deal gone wrong in 2014. The Commissioner said, maybe as a point of pride, that the police knew some of the persons killed that night. His acknowledgment was an attempt to highlight some marginal success of his team’s proactive policing. Ok.

This feeble attempt to continue to explain away this killing epidemic as gang violence and reprisals is getting old and unacceptable.

Then they were those from the public who thought we should lock them up and throw away the key. Bring back the death penalty or lock these people up for twenty-three hours a day and bring them out for one hour a day; put them in a cage, feed them and let them enjoy a few minutes of sunlight. By now, you know my position on the death penalty; it’s barbaric and should never be reintroduced into our criminal justice system. Solitary confinement and complete isolation are just as inhumane and should not be considered. Some people understandably called for an increase in police funding and the militarization of police departments. Some even called for doubling the size of the “black squad” and an invitation to be sent to the other nations in the region for help.

I am totally against all these emotional reactions suggested as possible solutions. The solution lies in reforming our education system to reflect the changing times. The revolution never ends and is not stagnant. Market the country to encourage the appropriate industrial development to expand our economy. We must also continue to fund the Small Business Development programme to enhance small business opportunities. Developing a cultural art center and investing in the performance arts would also help provide employment opportunities for our young people and a distraction from a life of crime and drugs.

Horatio

The National Newspaper of St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Noise

I LIVE at Collins, Marriaqua Valley. Sometime last year, on a Saturday night, I heard much commotion, said to be music. That noise started about 9:00pm and went on until approximately 7:30am Sunday morning.

At about 4:30am that said Sunday morning, I called to the police at Mesopotamia Police Station to ask whether the music should not be stopped. I was told that permission was granted by the Commission of Police for the noise to take place and it would be stopped at the appropriate time.

This year, 2023, on Saturday night, June 3rd, there was again noise all night until Sunday morning.

This is most unsatisfactory for a country with about 50% unemployment among the young people. For the older folks like myself, it is most disturbing. For sick people, it is a message that they should exist this earth soon. For the churchgoing people, the noise deprives them of a night’s rest before attending church on Sunday morning; and for people who must work their farms on Sunday (harvesting banana, sweet potato or whatever), the noise must be most disturbing.

I could remember a few years ago, when similar noise was being made in the so-called tourism areas, it was stated that the noise halls had to be insulated and the noise kept indoor. Furthermore, the noise had to be stopped at a certain time.

For our Carnival celebrations, all bands must cease being in their revelry by a certain time.

I think permission should be granted for people to make noise but they shouldn’t be restricted. The noise shall start at 10:00pm and end at 2:00am; the noise will be better appreciated and the musicians play good music.

Hugh Stewart

CARICOM: After 50

MR. EDITOR,I meant to get this to you for consideration before the carnival officially opened, but I decided against it since it might have got lost.

Well the carnival is over and I want to share my little bit on CARICOM and its 50th anniversary.

The first thing I would advance as commendation for CARICOM, and I stand corrected by those who would know better than I, is that it is the longestlasting integration movement among developing countries. And what is remarkable is that it has come out of a failed West Indian Federation and an inadequate first step to integration we called CARIFTA.

To go further, CARICOM has grown from a humble fourcountry membership to 15 full member states and five associate members, indicating that there is a commitment to see the region as one given that we share a

common history, characterized by slavery and colonialism. Over the fifty years we cannot doubt and we cannot question the fact that we have deepened our cooperation in areas such as trade, health, education, disaster mitigation, security and justice, though we still have some way to go with our cooperation on the matter of Justice, with a continuing refusal by a majority of members not to accept the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) as their Final Appellant Court. The day the CCJ becomes the regional grouping’s Final Appellant Court will be a ‘red letter day’ in our history.

And yes, to repeat, we have much about which to be proud, we have to continue to work, with a clear conscience and commitment to realise full freedom of movement within the geographical space we know as CARICOM. We also have to work to make the region a genuine common

Minimum wage and the cost of living

EVERYWHEREI go people are talking about the cost of living and how it is so high it is strangling the small man. Now I have no problem with that, that is something that we need to keeping talking about all the time. But the thing that bothers me is that hardly anybody talking about wages and more importantly, a minimum wage.

I don’t recall exactly how long ago it was when there was an increase in the minimum wage, but if I was to make a guess, I would say it was a few years well, since a friend I have who works in one of those stores in Kingstown told me she has not had an increase in their basic pay for three years. And when she raised this with her boss, he told her when the government say to raise the wage he will do so.

I don’t know the terms of reference of the Wages Council but what I know is that a new one was appointed some time ago with Dr. Mineva Glasgow as Chairman and Tyrone Burke as Vice-Chair. These are two known

members of the Unity Labour Party, with Dr. Glasgow even running as the party’s candidate in South leeward in the last general election.

Whether or not the Council has begun its work I am not aware, but I am certain it is enough time since the Council was sworn in that we should have heard something, if not about possible wage increases at least about

what raise they are considering.

My hope is that the two leading members of the Council will be objective and impartial in addressing this crucial issue and factor into their consideration things like the monthly costs for a family of four and for a single person, not including rent in both cases.

Elliot

market so as to facilitate true movement of goods and capital. But CARICOM was always meant to be both a Community and a Common Market yet, we must admit, that while there have been some movement in this regard, the movement of capital between and among the member states remains a problem.

It stands to reason, therefore, that realization of a genuine Common Market and Freedom of Movement within the region must become the main agenda

items for the immediate future and until such time as they are achieved.

Thomas

PEOPLE ARE ASKING:

* If a man got three years and some months for attempting to bugger a 7-year-old, what would his sentenced have been if he buggered the boy? Would there have been the same degree of consideration in arriving at the sentence?

* How could Shallow think that the CWI can guide the governments on what needs to be done to improve W.I. cricket when the CWI has failed miserably in doing just that, for which it was elected.

* Will those responsible for that debacle at Brighton and those who gave the order to act please come clean and tell us the truth surrounding the matter since both the Representative for the area and the Minister of Tourism have both ’quickly’ removed themselves from any knowledge of and responsibility for the action?

* Is there going to be an “unofficial’ State of Emergency as the police move to “get to the bottom” of this mass shooting?

The NIS is in trouble

(Excerpts of the Leader of the Opposition, Honourable Dr. Godwin Friday’s, Press Statement)

THE NATIONAL INSURANCE SERVICES (NIS) is in trouble. That is not hyperbole; the Executive Director, Mr Stuart Haynes, said as much publicly when he started his consultations of the matter last year. The warnings were sounded several years ago, but apparently were not heeded by the government. As things stand, according to the actuarial review, the NIS is set to run out of money by 2034.

In one Budget Address after another, the finance minister acknowledged the problem, talked tough, but did nothing. In the 2020 Budget Address, this is what the minister said, “In the 2018 and 2019 budget speeches, the Government highlighted the urgency of pension reform in the near term. In 2018, the Budget listed six options for pension reform, in an attempt to initiate public debate on the issue. The response was tepid. Last year, we established a Pension Reform Steering Committee of senior officials, and mandated them to study the options, make recommendations to the Government and manage the public consultation process. In 2020, the Committee will engage extensively with stakeholders and the general public as we attempt to both educate and learn from others about the most efficient way to implement pension reform. In recent consultations with leaders of the labour movement, the Government was encouraged by the willingness to engage frankly and constructively on the issue. By year’s end, we hope to have arrived at a common understanding about how necessary reforms will be implemented.”

In the Executive Summary of the 11th Actuarial Review, it is stated at (p. 2): “None of the contribution and benefit related recommendations in the report of the 10th Actuarial Review were made during the review period.” (i.e., 2017 to 2019) The crisis at the NIS jeopardises the pensions of all its members, with serious financial and economic implications for the whole society. It threatens to shred our most important economic safety net. Most of the pensioners (85%) have no other source of income during their retirement. This means the NIS is their only lifeline in retirement. Therefore, as a country we cannot do without the NIS. It must survive and be made healthy again.

How did the NIS get to the point of crisis? The government must take responsibility for it. They failed to act when they were advised to do so. They dithered and postposed action that would have been easier if they had been done in a timely manner and would have averted the current crisis. They put politics ahead of the welfare of pensioners by giving the impression that things were not as bad as they seemed. They did so, for e.g., in their 2020 manifesto when they said to voters that the 11th Actuarial Review would likely result in improved pensions and other benefits. They knew better when they promised that because the previous actuarial review had made similar findings to those in

the current review.

I don’t have that review (10th Actuarial Review) because the government did not present it to Parliament though the law required them to do so. But, in the current review, when summarizing the projection sets, the actuary states (at p. 3): “These results are similar to those of the 10th Actuarial Review and once again show that the Fund is not financially sustainable over the medium and long-terms at the current benefit provisions and contribution rate.”

The Actuarial Review calls for action, urgently. At (p.5) it says, “With the National Insurance Fund projected to be depleted in less than 15 years, meaningful changes are urgently required. Even if all of the recommendations made above are fully accepted and implemented by January 2022, additional contribution rate increases will be required to ensure the continued payment of benefits without Government support. Policymakers should therefore not depend on ‘hoped-for’ results but instead adopt rational responses for the specific challenges that lie ahead.

Implementing the above recommendations will not be easy for the government to make or for stakeholders to accept. It is therefore recommended that extensive consultation be held with stakeholders and the Board publish audited financial statements and actuarial review reports during such consultation.”

The writers of the Review knew that the government had not been making the reports available to the public. So now that the situation is dire, they are urging transparency and consultation. Before now, the NIS was run like a hermit kingdom: no actuarial reports laid in parliament as required by law; the Board appointments secretive and opaque; last financial statement on their website date to 2020. The actuary prepared the current report by August 31, 2021 and said the report should be placed on the NIS website.

That was two years ago, yet it has not been placed on the website. Now that there is a mess that must be cleaned up, it is an all-inclusive approach that is recommended to be adopted. Given the great importance of the NIS to our well-being, we in the NDP and Opposition will play our part and continue to be constructive. That has always been our approach to the NIS, as Arnhim Eustace had taught us to treat the matter with utmost seriousness and sincerity.

However, in this matter the government holds all the cards. Therefore, the Government has a responsibility to present its plan for the NIS to the nation. There has been more than enough handwringing by successive finance ministers; and the proverbial can has already been kicked too far down the road. They want to lead so they must take the lead on this vital matter. Our future quite literally depends on it, whether many descend into poverty or enjoy a decent standard of living in retirement.

Temporary defeats

“Most so-called failures are only temporary defeats.” – Napoleon Hill (1883-1970) – American self-help author.

READING AND REVIEWING bibliographies and autobiographies often provide numerous learning opportunities. The life stories of accomplished individuals reveal that many such persons experienced varying degrees of failures prior to their successes. Their life stories and legacies remind us that defeats are often temporary in nature and that once we have the tenacity, the resolve, to persist beyond life’s setbacks and disappointments, we can accomplish so much to enhance the development of self, others, and the society at large.

There is wisdom in viewing failures as temporary defeats; refusing to let them permanently define who we are. Life’s obstacles and disappointments so very often provide opportunities to redesign our approaches and to learn from our mistakes and foibles. Regardless of the intensity of the trauma, if we look with enough intensity to learn from the experience, we will. We can rest assured that some of the most beautiful people around are those who have experienced defeat, gone through intense pressures and trials, known frustration and struggle, experienced great personal or communal loss, and rebounded. Their stories encourage us. We are energized and our hope in mankind rekindled when we discover that even amidst a crisis there are opportunities for growth and development. We need not cower and cringe because we may have fallen short of our goals and ambitions. We can try again. We can grow again. As strange as it may sound, we can shape a better future because of those devastations that we have experienced.

Denis E. Waitley (born 1933), the American motivational speaker and author of “The Psychology of Winning”, reminds us that life will periodically teach us some very hard lessons via temporary defeats in school assignments, relationships, finances, and so on. However, he reminds us that, “Failure should be our teacher, not our undertaker. Failure is delay, not defeat. It is a temporary detour, not a dead end.” The winners in the game of life must see failures as temporary. Winners are expected to be proactive … refusing to roll over and play dead. Winners will rest if they must. But they will refuse to be passive - doing nothing and being nothing. They reject the idea of embracing the mind-set of the loser who incorrectly concludes that the task (whatever it is) is beyond them. They know that being defeated is often a temporary condition and that giving up is what makes it permanent. They know that the greatest opportunities often come disguised as adversity or temporary defeat. They look beyond such situations to carve out a path and blaze a trail to outstanding achievement. Such individuals inspire us.

Many students, businesspersons, and politicians could identify with the foregoing. Their life stories portray episodes of falling down and getting back up with a commitment to the continuation of their noble efforts. They are not daunted or deflated by the temporary losses. They resume the race. They continue the journey. They

refuse to stop because of a fleeting setback. They reject the low selfesteem, inferiority, worthlessness, and poor self-image that so often entice the battered to accept defeat and call it quit. Such feelings of poor self-worth shackle many individuals who possess the potential to fly with clipped wings. They may have failed but they are not failures. They know that in the boxing ring, as in life, the defeat is not declared when the individual falls down; the defeat is affirmed when the individual refuses or is unable to get back up.

Some of the temporary setbacks in life may be due to errors of judgement. However, so many result from circumstances that are external to the individual and out of their direct control. Dr. Stephen Covey (19322012), the American educator, author, and motivational speaker, advocates that while we may be concerned about those situations that are considered to be outside our control (e.g., the weather, the traffic on the highway, etc.), we often have no ability to influence these. He continued by noting that it is therefore more beneficial for us to concentrate on the life situations that we can control. Regardless of the circumstances that create the setback, it is important to regard them as temporary defeats and to create the mind-set that facilitates the desire to forge ahead. That desire to pursue our noble dreams (even after a setback) is critical to our survival.

Aisha Tyler (born 1970), the American actress, director, and comedian, reminds us that, “Success is not the absence of failure; it’s the persistence through failure.” That ability to press on regardless of the circumstances can influence the outcome.

Several readers may recognize the name Brian Acton. Facebook rejected Brian’s job application. It is quite understandable that he felt disappointed, deflated, and defeated. However, he pressed on and founded WhatsApp. Five years later he sold his company to Facebook for US$19 billion. He could have cowered and cringed and wallow in self-pity when Facebook rejected his job application but he did not. He focused his energies on activities that he had been passionate about. He knew that while one door closes there are so many others that may open. We just have to learn to see from behind our eyes and forge forward with the pursuit of our noble dreams and ambitions. Temporary defeats have their value.

We can sometimes become so focused on what we have lost (including perceived lost opportunities) that we lose sight of the value of what we still have left. The Brian Acton example that was highlighted in the preceding paragraph becomes a timely reminder that “when one door closes another may open”. Defeats and disappointments may initially traumatise us (and some will) but there is value in reminding ourselves that many of these are transient. They are temporary. We can use the “down time” to regroup and be reenergised for the victories that are yet to come.

Huffles, Camillo, Carlos and iWitness News

‘Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations.’~George Orwell.

YOU GOT TO GIVE IT UP to Kenton Chance for the dogged determination with which he goes about news gathering. Here’s a young man who started iWitness News as a class project while studying in Taiwan. He has turned it into the go-to source for news from St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

The journalist is a torch bearer rather than a flame thrower in many respects. He brings light to dark places. Frequently, those with things to hide go running for cover like cockroaches. And so it seems with the Salt Pond beach story involving Huffles, Finance Minister Camillo Gonsalves, Culture Minister Carlos James and PM Gonsalves himself.

They all claimed no knowledge of the actions that destroyed Huffles’s efforts at the beach. As it turns out, the matter was discussed at the highest level of state administration. The cabinet and the board of directors of the National Parks, Rivers and Beaches Authority (NPA) discussed the matter and wanted to take action. As it turns out, some of the corrective action may have been justified.

The only misstep by the state employees might have been acting a day earlier than the scheduled date for dismantling the structures Huffles erected. The critical point is that Camillo admitted that Huffle’s enterprising work started when no one else, including the government, did anything at the beach. The area was a ‘jungle.’ As it turns out, for more than two years, promises were made to erect proper benches at the sight.

Within minutes of the news breaking with a video of the state workers destroying the creative efforts of Huffles, Camilo, James and PS Noel were on the scene. While Noel remained silent, Camillo and James played the role of pacifiers. Both men claimed they did not know who gave the order to dismantle the structures.

Camillo Gonsalves claimed that Huffles had permission to build the structures. The move to destroy them was ‘arbitrary, capricious and wrong.’ Moreover, he promised that the government would compensate Huffles for his losses.

Chances’ comprehensive investigative piece, published last Wednesday, is definitive proof that the government officials were not being truthful in claiming that they did not know the pending action of the government move against Huffle’s. Chance cited dates and names in his piece, which offered definitive proof that officials at the highest levels of government knew of the ‘problem’ and were planning to do something about it.

The problem for them was that the high-handed manner of the destruction was videotaped and brought to the public’s attention. The tape forced them to scurry into action and engage in damage control. They claimed ignorance and blamed the destructive action on out-of-control state employees.

The iWitness News exposé is essential for another vital reason. It reveals how dangerously disingenuous PM Gonsalves was when he claimed that the destruction of the Huffle’s structures may have been the work of ‘foreign operatives’ who entered our country to take advantage of our problems and difficulties.

Add to this the disclosure last week that the government had a baseline

budget of $522,000 to host a concert to mark Caricom’s 50th conversation on Emancipation Day. While the show, from all reports, was well-packaged and enjoyable, there is little evidence that those in attendance were educated about the history of CARICOM or the emancipation struggles.

These revelations point to the fact that more and more people are prepared to share information with the public that government officials would prefer to hide.

News is something that stirs emotions. We may laugh, cry or think. When we are moved to action, the journalist is doing his work. And so, I want to issue to Kenton Chance and iWitness News the Chatoyer award for journalistic courage.

Earth at boiling Point

‘The air is unbreathable. The heat is unbearable. And the level of fossil fuel profits and climate inaction is unacceptable.’ Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary-General.

A blistering heatwave is sweeping the northern hemisphere, including parts of Europe and the Americas, with record-high temperatures triggering devastating wildfires in countries such as Canada, Greece, Italy, Algeria, Tunisia and other countries along the Mediterranean.

The Caribbean is not being spared. Over the last few weeks, temperatures have topped out above 90 degrees during the day and don’t fall by much at night. In North America, more than 170 million of the US population of 340 million were under heat emergency watch.

The poor and those who work outdoors bear the brunt of these problems because they do not have access to cooling devices. Increasingly, people are saying, ‘We can’t endure this.’

July was listed as the hottest month on record, and this year is on course to be the hottest since records are kept.

Last week, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres pleaded for immediate radical action on climate change, saying that recordshattering temperatures show Earth has passed from a warming phase into an ‘era of global boiling.’

In New York, Guterres described the intense heat across the northern hemisphere as a ‘cruel summer...Climate change is here. It is terrifying. And it is just the beginning. The era of global warming has ended; the era of global boiling has arrived.’

In the face of ‘tragic’ consequences, he repeated his call for swift and farreaching action, again aiming at the fossil fuel sector.

‘Leaders must lead, Guturres said. ‘No more hesitancy. No more excuses. No more waiting for others to move first.’

Ahead of the Climate Ambition Summit, he is set to host in September, Guterres called on developed countries to commit to achieving carbon neutrality as close to 2040 as possible and for emerging economies as close as possible to 2050.

The ‘destruction’ unleashed by humanity ‘must not inspire despair, but action’, he said, warning that to prevent the worst outcomes, humanity ‘must turn a year of burning heat into a year of burning ambition.’

Flawless performance

(Editor’s Note: What follows is the exact style of writing of E.J. Paddy Corea. We respect it.)

SINCEI heard the first pong pong ping pong in 1948 in my aunt’s verandah on ERTHIG RD, BELMONT, PORT OF SPAIN, I have been involved in PAN. That band (I didn’t know it at the time), was RISING SUN brought to SVG later that year by the mighty HENRY “CAREY” WILSON, IMPRESSARIO SUPREME/

I lived in FRENCHES under the pans of COSMOPOLITAN and it was SAMUEL SPARROW DUNCAN (Poorben) who sold me my first pan in 1956 and my mom made him promise before she gave him the $5, to teach me the instrument.. He taught me to play and build PAN.

I have played on a lot of stages all

over the place like BOSTON, MIAMI, NEW YORK, ANTIGUA, BALTIMORE, and a few others. I also built the FIRST COMPLETE STEELBAND in ENGLAND circa 1963 - The MAESTROS ALL STEEL BAND - got them a recording contract, arranged the music, taught them to play and even played Bongos on the recording… see EMI-MFP1227 recording (still available) - read the cover notes..

I say all that to get to this. I stood

in front of MY panorama stage in VICTORIA PARK listening to MY band PANORAMA night 2023 and I was close to tears (of joy).. STARLIFT shone brightly from the very first note and it only got brighter. After 3 or so minutes as far as I was concerned it was NO LONGER A COMPETITION. I am a STARLIFT alumnaii for 40 odd years. Three words came to mind, IMMACULATE, FLAWLESS and MAGNIFICENT. The RIGHT TEMPO, the RIGHT STRUMMING, NO DROP STICK ERRORS, NO DISCORDANCE, NO DISONANCE (these 2 plague many arrangers). They were focussed and didn’t come to VICTORIA to shout slogans and jump around like KANGAROO (as TOUCH says).

The OLD STARLIFT KILLER INSTINCT CAME TO FORE and KILL they did. NO BAND IN THE HISTORY OF STEELBAND COMPETITION ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD HAS EVER BEEN BEATEN BY A 16 POINT SPREAD.

I have listened live to ALL THE GREAT BANDS (except DESTINATION TOKYO and PAN AM NORTH STARS) at PANORAMA time and NONE could top this performance. I’ve played in STARLIFTS halcyon years (1979 to 1999) and we couldn’t top this. TANNIE must have SMILED in his grave.

Steelband competition began circa 1948 (or 49) in T&T then in 1962 became PANORAMA won by MR TONY WILLIAMS PAN AM NORTH STARS the first 2 years. NEVER HAS THERE BEEN MORE THAN A 4 OR 5-POINT SPREAD OF A BEATING.

I hope SION HILL learnt a valuable lesson that night.

They had a great arranger and a

darn good musical arrangement but they simply DIDN’T EXECUTE. They spent their time, effort and energy doing mummenschanz and mimickry. WE COME TO HEAR YOU, NOT TO SEE YOU MAKE A SPECTACLE OF YOURSELF ON VICTORIA PARK STAGE. IT’S NOT THE COMEDY CLUB.

E.J. Paddy Corea MUSICIAN./PANIST/ MAS MAKER

PS. RISING SUN, the 2nd band to leave Trinidad, spawned ST VINCENT’S FIRST steelband CARIBBEAN BOYS. The FIRST steelband to leave Trinidad on tour was RED ARMY 1946 to Guyana. MY STAGE??...... I OWNED that stage since 1958 and the 3 years following KING OF THE BANDS I was just into my teens. In 1960 I took EVERY PRIZE they had to offer: KING OF THE BANDS, 2ND, 3RD and the CONSOLATION prize, PING PONG SOLOIST, STEELBAND COMPETITION, BAND OF THE YEAR, even the CARNIVAL QUEEN was out of my band. NOBODY ELSE HAS DONE THIS.

Some of the bands I have played with, PAN INVADERS, STARLIFT, ANTIGUAS HALCYON, METRO STEEL ENSEMBLE, DESPERADOES USA, GOLDEN STARS, CASABLANCA, ICKFORD TOMAZ and his LATIN AMERICAN JAZZ BAND (2 in 1).

My PAN INVADERS is the FIRST and only steelband to back up a CALYPSO SINGER (1958 the Mighty Pagan singing MABLE THE FLUTER) on stage in VICTORIA PARK.

Paddy

The flawless performance to which the writer alludes could well have been nursed by Starlift’s arranger, Danté Pantin (front right).

Hennessey Starlift Steel Orchestra – Panorama Winners 2023, Victoria Park, St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

CHAIRMAN OF REPUBLIC FINANCIAL HOLDINGS LIMITED (RFHL), Vincent Pereira, announced today

RFHL: US$189M in Third Quarter Profits

that the Group recorded profit attributable to its equity holders of US$189 million for the nine-months ended June 30, 2023. This

represents an increase of US$17.5 million or 10.2% over the US$171.5 million reported in the corresponding period of the last financial year. Total assets stood at

US$17.1 billion on June 30, 2023, an increase of US$214.5 million or 1.3% over the total assets at June 2022. This increase was attributed to growth in customer deposits across our subsidiaries in the Cayman Islands, Eastern Caribbean, Guyana, and Barbados.

In announcing the results Mr. Pereira said, “The Group’s performance for the third quarter of this fiscal year continued to be strong, boosted by sustained growth in our loans and investment portfolios across all subsidiaries. Both this growth and the stable or rising interest rate environments in most of our operating countries contributed to overall increases in net interest income. Ongoing resurgence of tourism activity in the markets in which the Group operates also supported growth in non-interest

income.”

As we approach our fiscal year end, the Group will maintain its focus on revenue generation, expense management, digital enhancement strategies, employee and client satisfaction. Our ESG initiatives will continue to be prioritized with the launch of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises lending programme in Trinidad and Tobago in June 2023. Together with the rollout of our Climate Finance solutions and our commitments under the UN Principles for Responsible Banking, they will provide a boost to smaller businesses in urgent need of financing for socially responsible projects.

In closing, Mr. Pereira said, “I express thanks to all our valued staff members who continue to serve our customers and key stakeholders who contributed towards the RFHL Group’s achievement of outstanding results for this period.”

(Source: RFHL)

Vincent Pereira – RFHL Chairman must have been pleased to make the announcement of increased profits at the end of the 3rd quarter.

RFHK acquired the holding of Scotiabank in St. Vincent and the Grenadines in 2019.

Twitter is now X.com

IF THE MAJORITY of social media users found the Twitter platform not to be ‘so friendly’, that attitude might have changed once the platform became the first choice of former US President,

Donald Trump.

Wikipedia records that ‘Trump tweeted around 57,000 times, including about 8,000 times during the 2016 election campaign and over

25,000 times during his presidency’.

By 2022 it was estimated that 42% of Americans ages 12-34 were using Twitter, compared to only 29% in 2020, and that it generated US$4.4 billion revenue in 2022, a 11% decrease on 2021 figures, and revenue was expected to decrease in 2023 due to a loss of advertising revenue.

Whatever the forecast, it did not stop the then richest man in the world, Elon Musk, from concluding a US$44 billion acquisition of Twitter Inc. on October 27, 2022.

On purchase, Musk noted that like WeChat in China, his vision is for a singular app that combines multiple features, from messaging, video, payments and commerce.

As expected, Musk immediately wrung changes at Twitter, not least being its modus operandi and went as far as to initiate movements aimed at closing Twitter offices in Hong Kong, the Philippines, Mexico, and Africa in a bid to cut costs.

But perhaps Musk’s most impacting footprint on Twitter came on July 24th, when he turned the social media stratosphere topsy-turvy with a name change from “Twitter” to “X.com”.

In short order, the familiar blue bird logo was replaced with a simple black X, and Twitter’s headquarters lit up with a giant X.

According to a CBS News article, “The rebrand is another step in the ongoing transformation of Twitter, …… that aspires to become an app that can do ‘everything’,” highlighted CEO Linda Yaccarino.”

On the day of the rebranding, Musk posted that “Twitter was acquired by X Corp both to ensure freedom of speech and as an accelerant for X, the

everything app.”

He went on to indicate that, “The Twitter name made sense when it was just 140-character messages going back and forth — like birds tweeting — but now you can post almost anything, including several hours of video.”

The 234-billion-dollar mogul who owns Tesla and Space X, explained that they “must bid adieu to the bird” as within months, there will be comprehensive communication and financial features explored.

ZDNET reported that Twitter users quickly chimed in with a slew of comments, some positive but many negative. Concerns cropped up that the Twitter people new and sometimes loved ones would go the way of the dodo, replaced by some mysterious X factor.

Several users questioned the wisdom of such a name change on the company and its brand. Others poked fun at the clumsiness of a name like X (what do you now call tweets?). And still, others saw this as just another kooky move from the mind of Musk.

In the meantime, analysts and experts have questioned the impact of the name change. Many have argued that the move destroys the Twitter brand and recognition that made the platform familiar to people around the world.

Twitter was created in March of 2006 by Jack Dorsey, Noah Glass, Biz Stone, and Evan Williams and launched in July of that year. (SG)

Elon Musk making the X sign with his hands as the name change from Twitter to X.com was implemented.

Green energy: “The way to go”

OF LATE, social media is replete with memes depicting disconnections and ‘warnings’ from VINLEC. Even a cartoon in one local newspaper recently shed a humorous side to a serious situation. With the upwards spiral in fuel costs globally, one thing will continue to happen …. Our electricity bills will forever be rising!! This is a major issue of concern for all consumers, so please take note!

The move by VINLEC to introduce solar at some of their generation sites and buildings is indeed commendable, but is this renewable ‘plug-in‘ to the national grid reflected on our bills? I doubt. I will need the scientific data to show that the solar installations, save in Union Island, are or have been contributing to the reduction of consumers’ monthly bills.

The major concern for all consumers is the ‘fuel surcharge’, which in recent times is consistently higher than the basic energy cost, but why? The answer is a simple question: Who pays for the electricity used for street lights, at all primary and secondary schools, police stations, hospitals, clinics and government offices? You and I.

With the influx of multi-room hotels, one would have thought that all these facilities would have been powered by a renewable energy source. So instead of reducing our carbon footprint, we are actually adding the unpleasant effects of global warming. But it isn’t too late. Developers in Canouan and elsewhere can retrofit their operations and so help reduce the global carbon footprint, and tourism facilities currently under construction need to seriously factor in that development or face high monthly bills from VINLEC. There are also (potential) visitors who will be inclined to stay in a hotel that is powered by ‘green energy’ that is

also ‘cannabis friendly’. Yes, that’s the trend…. cannabis friendly hotels.

Then again, since all schools, police stations, hospitals and clinics use ‘free’ electricity paid by you and me, then the logically correct thing to do is to cover all these buildings with solar panels and connect them to the national grid. Hopefully that will balance out the high fuel surcharge that is now a burden on our monthly bills, and the cause for the multiple disconnections island wide.

It doesn’t stop there. In Dominica, street lights from the Douglas Charles Airport to Roseau, and from the capital along the West coast, are either powered by solar, wind, or a combination of both. The recent change to LED street lights in SVG though there is a marginal reduction in Kilowatt hours consumed, if they had moved to solar powered LED lights, the burden would have been currently less on consumers. Why couldn’t we borrow a good page from the Dominica experience?

Here is where we can use our diplomatic relations to seek partnerships with countries which can assist in our use of renewable energy technology. All of the homes disconnected are poor people, for whom food is more important than electricity. Today, electricity is central to our being, nothing electronic can work without it. But I want to say here, since renewable energy is free, it should also be a human right.

Children need at least a light and a USB outlet to power their portable computers, so they can do their homework. All low income housing projects should be powered from renewable energy and be provided with at least a 1000 gallon water tank.

Let the retrofitting begin !

Donald De Riggs

Solar panels line a school’s roof in The Bahamas, showcasing how clean energy can make the country more resilient and energy independent, while slashing energy costs.

Professor Justin Robinson: New UWI Pro ViceChancellor/ Principal

THE UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES (The UWI) is pleased to announce the appointment of Professor C. Justin Robinson as Pro ViceChancellor and Principal of its Five Islands Campus, located in Antigua and Barbuda and Pro ViceChancellor for Academic, Industry Partnerships and Planning. His appointment, which was approved by the University Council on July 17, takes effect on August 1, 2023, thus beginning his three-year term.

Professor Robinson is a national of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. A UWI Alumnus with a BSc in Management Studies (First Class Honours) from the Cave Hill Campus. He has an MSc in Finance and Econometrics from Florida International University, and obtained his PhD in Finance from the University of Manchester, UK. He is a Professor of Corporate Finance and has published over 50 refereed publications in a number of regional and international journals.

In more than 20 years with The UWI, Professor Robinson has served as Head, Department of Management Studies, Cave Hill Campus; Executive Director, Sagicor Cave Hill School of Business & Management; Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences; and Pro Vice-Chancellor, Board for Undergraduate Studies. He was also a member of the working group for the establishment of the Five Islands Campus in 2018.

Professor Robinson has been leading the implementation of the Policy to support the Multi-Campus Teaching & Learning Initiative, overseeing the conduct of a two-year pilot 2022 to 2024. This initiative facilitates the sharing of teaching resources across the five UWI campuses in order to expose students to the full range of UWI expertise and allows for economies of scale in the

deployment of teaching resources.

In addition, he has been overseeing the implementation of The UWI Foreign Language Policy which requires students entering The UWI from academic year 2022/2023 to demonstrate competence in a language other than English before graduation.

Professor Robinson is actively engaged in public service and serves as a Director of the Central Bank of Barbados; Member of the Fiscal Responsibility Mechanism, St. Vincent and the Grenadines; Director, Jamaica Money Market Brokers International and Director, West India Biscuit Company. He also serves as Chair of the Ratings Committee of CARICRIS (the Caribbean’s sole credit rating agency) and First Vice President of the Barbados Museum and Historical Society. He has been a Director of the Central Bank of Barbados since 2008 and a financial adviser to the Barbados Credit Union League since 2009.

Professor Robinson succeeds Professor Densil A. Williams. The UWI extends its gratitude to Professor Williams for his superb contributions over a tenure that included grappling with the challenges of a global pandemic as Campus Principal, while executing his role as Pro ViceChancellor for Academic, Industry Partnerships and Planning at The UWI. (Source: The UWI)

Professor C. Justin Robinson, newly appointed Pro Vice-Chancellor and Principal, The UWI Five Islands Campus and Pro Vice-Chancellor for Academic, Industry Partnerships and Planning.

Cheating husband

Dear George,

MY HUSBANDconfessed to me that he had been in a sexual relationship with the neighbour. I knew she did not like me but I never knew it was because of him.

He admitted she said she wanted him to make her his wife and also that the reason he kept going back to her was because she was free about what to do sexually not like me who he said was picky.

He said he told her he was done and she threatened to expose him. He obviously didn’t want his name out there.

George, I am not sure if to forgive him and keep him or forgive him and let him go.

Wondering Wife

Dear Wondering Wife,

It is not usual for a man to confess his cheating ways. It is usually only after men are caught that they do so.

Your husband has finally listened to his conscience and is ready to do the right thing. You now have a golden opportunity to forgive and start with the rebuilding process. It would take some time to rebuild the trust that has been lost but the end result should be rewarding.

George

No need to worry

Dear George,

EVERY time I talk about my boyfriend to my best friend, she gets more excited than me. It has gotten to the point where she is constantly asking after him. She wants to know his likes and dislikes, his favorite meal, etc. Why is she so interested in knowing all these intimate details?

The last thing she wanted was his number saying that she needed to ask him to check out her computer. Should I have reasons to worry, George?

Just Asking.

Dear Just Asking,

It is definitely off for your friend to be asking about your boyfriend in such detail. His likes and dislikes are for you to worry about.

You should have enough trust in your boyfriend not to be worrying about your friend moving in on you. It is entirely up to him to remain committed to the relationship.

George.

Sex is a short-term fix

Dear George,

MY LANDLORD just raised the rent on me. I am presently paying $500 a month and he now wants me to pay $740, which he knows I cannot pay. I begged him to lower the amount and he agreed to only if I slept with him.

I complained to his wife about what he said to me and she cursed me out accusing me of being malicious, saying terrible things about her husband because I wanted him to lower the rent. She might just believe me after I sleep with him and show her pictures to prove.

I find myself wanting to sleep with him not so much that I would get a break on the rent but rather to spite his wife. She is too much into my face and this I know would shut her down. Your thoughts.

Somewhat Frustrated.

Dear Somewhat Frustrated

There is no point in going down that road of lowering your standards and losing your dignity. Jumping into bed with him would just be a short-term fix and would certainly backfire down the road and cause unnecessary complications. It won’t

hurt to keep trying to negotiate a lower amount.

However, if he would not budge on the lowering of the rent, then it is time to start looking for alternative accommodation.

George.

ARIES (MAR. 21 - APRIL 20)

You should be trying to clear up legal contracts that have been pending. Concentrate on spending quality time with children and friends. Your home may be in an uproar.

TAURUS (APR. 21 - MAY 21)

Unrealistic promises will only get you in trouble. Find a quiet spot where you can work diligently and stay out of the way. You could make extra cash through creative hobbies.

GEMINI (MAY 22 - JUNE 21)

Your uncanny insight will help you make the right choices. Don’t be too hard on your mate. Do your job and then spend some time with family; you’ll be glad you did.

CANCER (JUNE 22-JULY 22)

Don’t be too eager to dismiss someone who works under you. Your personal life will be under the gun and you may want to avoid the questions your lover is going to want to ask you.

LEO (JULY 23 - AUG 22)

You need to get out and have some fun to reduce tension. You must take care of health problems that have been lingering. Your positive attitude and intellectual outlook will draw others to you.

VIRGO (AUG. 23 - SEPT. 23)

Self-deception regarding your own worth may lead you down the wrong path. You will be able to get along well with colleagues. Travel and entertainment will be pleasurable.

LIBRA (SEPT. 24 - OCT. 23)

Financial limitations will not be as adverse as they appear. Relatives may not be telling you the whole truth about a family situation. You will find that social activities will be enjoyable.

SCORPIO (OCT. 24 - NOV. 22)

You can make some money if you get involved in a conservative financial prospect that is presented to you. Changes involving your domestic scene may be unpleasant.

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 23 - DEC. 21)

This will be a very hectic day if you’ve made promises to too many people. Travel and entertainment will be pleasurable. Don’t lament to a friend about any grievance regarding your mate.

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22 - JAN. 20)

You may as well work on projects that will allow you to make progress. You must not allow them to force you to rush. There’s a good chance that they won’t come back.

AQUARIUS (JAN. 21. - FEB. 19)

Get on with business. Don’t let emotional upset force you into the poorhouse. You will need to finalize important deals this week. Be cautious not to get involved in office chatter.

PISCES (FEB. 20 - MAR. 20)

Get together with friends and do something entertaining but not too expensive. Don’t let relatives get the better of you. People trying to entice you to join in will be less than trustworthy.

ACROSS

1. Talented

5. Statistic

10. Lift up a mountain

14. Former heavyweigth champ

15. Dress cut

16. Inventor Elias

17. ___ Rabbit

18. Smart people’s group

19. Fiddler’s place?

20. Subject of a Van Morrison song

23. R & B and rap star

24. Plug away

25. “Is it soup ___?”

26. Strong cleaners

30. Carpenter’s friend

34. Nutrition author Davis

36. Can be pointed or drooping

37. Subject of a Beatles song

42. ___ Mountains (Eurasia divider)

43. Ornament with raised design

44. Rage

47. “Now, see here…”

48. H.S. math

51. Flip pages

53. Kidney-related

55. Health food shop offering

60. Native American tent, var. spelling

61. Insurance promoter

62. One of Chekhov’s Three Sisters

63. Bit of ocean flora 64. Missed the mark

65. Striking end of a hammer 66. Le Sage novel “Gill ___” 67. Recycle

1. Jurisdiction of a monastery

2. Girl’s doll

3. Eye with bad intent

4. Miscalculation

5. Rhett’s shocking word

6. Protected

7. Minuscule

8. Like liquidy Jell-O

9. Hayfield

10. Spooky movies

11. Churi

12. Absent without leave, for short

13. Call, as a game

21. Ralph ___ Emerson

22. Angelina’s title role in a 1998 biopic

27. Tree

28. Other

29. Drop in sales

31. Indian megastar

37. Deborah’s “The King and I” co-star

Time span

50. Learns slowly 52. “___ Jacques” (children’s song)

54. Split to unite

55. Patriots coach, first name

56. Org. for Annika Sorenstam

57. Couch color maybe

58. Scrapes (out)

59. Centering point 60. A bartender may run one

LAST WEEK’s SOLUTION

Vincentian officials pivotal at CYG

FIVE VINCENTIANS will play pivotal roles at the hosting of the VII Commonwealth Youth Games (CYG) set for Trinidad and Tobago, August 4- 11.

The five are Keith Joseph, Karl Woodrow Williams, Philcol Jeffers, Roxanne Williams and Moeth Gaymes.

Topping the list is Joseph, who is the Event Presentation Manager. Essentially, Joseph is the point man, ensuring that the entire event takes place as it should.

Meanwhile, Karl Woodrow Williams is part of the Meet Manager team. Williams substantive duties include, making certain

that officials are in stationed; that they work on time and ensure professionalism among them.

In the case of Jeffers, he attends the CYG in the capacity of Chief Judge for the Javelin

events, with Roxanne Williams filling the role as umpire for Athletics and Moeth Gaymes as netball umpire.

Apart from the five CYG officials, St. Vincent and the Grenadines will

be represented by 17 athletes and seven officials.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines participates in Athletics, Aquatics (Swimming) and Fast5 Netball.

The other disciplines

Seventeen to represent SVG at CYG

ST. VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES will be represented by seventeen young women and men in three sporting disciplines, at the VII Commonwealth Youth Games (CYG) that opens today, August 4, in Trinidad and Tobago.

The Fast 5 Netball’s representation accounts for ten females; Track and Field- two females and two males, whilst there are two females and one male among the three swimmers.

The netballers are Ketonna Campbell, Jamirah Coombs, Jamarah Coombs, Jada Berkley, Deonica Creese, Skye Baptiste, Kayla Miller, Zuandra Richards, Vatesha Pompey and Giada Small, with Thyra Charles, Shaquania Jacobs, AJ Delpesche and Keo Davis, the Track and Field athletes.

Kevern Da Silva, Brandon George and Jamie Joachim are the swimmers making the trip.

The Management contingent for Netball comprises Maxine Coombs (Manager), Nicole Sandy-Stevenson (Coach) and Yonick Murray (Physio).

Track and Field has Larissa John— Manager/Chaperone and Godfrey Harry- Coach; and Swimming, Tamarah St. Hillaire/Coach.

The Vincentian delegation is completed by Chief of Mission — Kevin Hannaway.

Fast 5 Netball which takes place at the Tobago Shaw Park Cultural Complex, sees St. Vincent and the Grenadines drawn in Pool B, alongside England, South Africa and Botswana. They will begin their quest (on August 8 versus Botswana and England, to be followed by a meeting against Botswana on August 9).

In the case of the Track and Field athletes, they go into action at the Haseley Crawford Stadium in Trinidad, Monday, August 7.

The Swim team gets going August 6, at the National Aquatic Centre, Caroni, Trinidad.

When that discipline starts, Da Silva will compete in the

Women’s 50m, 100m and 200m Backstroke; George is in the Men’s 50m, 100m and 200m Backstroke;

in CYG 2023 are Beach Volleyball, Cycling (Road and Track), Rugby Sevens and Triathlon.

Over 1000 athletes between the age of 14 and 18 years are set to compete in the one-week CYG. Additionally, over

500 officials are listed to oversee the CYG.

“Trinbago 2023”, as it is dubbed, was originally slated for 2021, but was affected by the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

and Joachim, the 50m and 100m, Backstroke and Freestyle.

The other sporting disciplines that make up, what is dubbed “Trinbago 2023” are Beach Volleyball, Cycling, Rugby Sevens and the Triathlon.

The Commonwealth Youth Games ends August 11.

Bible-based programme touches G’town

AN INITIATIVEof the Harvest Bible Chapel Georgetown has resulted in over 100 young people from the Georgetown area, becoming the recipients of football shoes.

The undertaking, a collaboration with the North East Football League (NEFL), is part of an overall Sports Evangelism Grassroot Initiative.

The Sports Evangelism Programme ran from July 17 to 20, at the Chili Playing Field, during which participants received basic training in Football, Basketball, Volleyball and Baseball.

During the sessions, members of the Harvest Bible Chapel Georgetown, as well as the Radiant Bible Church of the USA, used the opportunity to minister to the participants.

Excited about the gesture, President of the NEFL, Otashie Spring, expressed heart felt gratitude to Pastor Miché Paul of the Georgetown Harvest Bible Church and the missionary team of the Radiant Bible Church, USA, for the much-needed

contribution. Expounding on the initiative, Spring said, “The Sports Evangelism Grassroot Initiative remains critical for clubs and players alike and without the prerequisite tools and equipment to match the passion of the youngsters, development will be suppressed.”

Pastor Miche’ Paul of the host church lauded the partnership with NEFL in this inaugural venture, and stressed it is always a pleasure to serve the communities of the Northeast district.

Team officials

Keith Joseph Karl Woodrow Williams Philcol Jeffers

Roxanne Williams Moeth Gaymes

Participants pose with their Football shoes.

Some members of the SVG team, who will be seeking honours at the CYG.

Spencer leads National Trials

2nd also with 8 points, losing only one match to Romano Spencer. Caleb Howard was the 3rd best performer with 6 points, losing two matches - one to Sean Stanley and one to Damion Dublin.

ROMANO SPENCERdominated the male category when the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Table Tennis Association (SVGTTA) held its 2nd of three National Trials, on Saturday 29th July, 2023.

From the Trials, selections will be made to Male and

Female teams to represent SVG at the November 2023 OECS Table Tennis Championships, in Dominica.

Romano Spencer topped this trial with (8) points, losing only one match to Caleb Howard. National male champion Damion Dublin was

Akiel Deroche had to settle for the 4th spot with 4 points, as he defeated Sean Stanley and Mikael Hazelwood. Sean Stanley took the 5th position with 4 points, defeating Mikael Hazelwood and Caleb Howard. Mikael Hazelwood served in at 6th with 0 points.

SVG last in Windward Island Schools Games

AFTERfinishing third last year, St. Vincent and the Grenadines slipped to fourth in the 2023 Windward Islands Schools Games, which were staged in Grenada from July 21 to 29. The games were returning after a hiatus of two years occasioned by the Covid-19 pandemic.

While Semone Richardson, Manager of the SVG contingent admitted that it was the

best overall team the country could put together. She praised all the persons involved in the various disciplines as having done their best.

contingent will take the lessons of the 2023 Games into getting SVG properly prepared.

SVG participated in five disciplines — football, track and field, netball, volleyball and basketball.

(File Photo)

Two new national swimming records

TWO NEW St. Vincent and the Grenadines records were established when St. Vincent and the Grenadines competed at the World Aquatics Championships (WAC), held in Fukuoka, Japan, July 23-30.

Responsible for the resets, was Alex Joachim.

First, he timed 25.58s in the 50m Butterfly, beating the previous best of 25.65s he established earlier this year at the Aquatic Centre Invitational.

Joachim then went on to slash his own 100m Freestyle of 54.29s, accomplished at the World FINA Championships in 2019, when he clocked 52.78s at the WAC.

Apart from setting the new national marks, Joachim tallied 1361 ranking points.

Besides Joachim, St. Vincent and the Grenadines was

SVG finished third in football, third in track

represented by Shane Cadogan, Kennice Greene and Mya Defreitas. Cadogan, who competed in the Men’s 50m Breaststroke and 50m Freestyle, clocked 30.23s and 24.59m respectively. He, however, fell below his personal bests in both events.

He collected 632 points for his efforts in the Breaststroke and 614 points in the Freestyle.

Meanwhile, Greene equaled her best time in the 50m Butterfly, that of 29.90s, but was off by 0.42 seconds in the 50m

Among the senior females, Leah Cumberbatch was out front with 4 points, losing 0 matches. Shanecia Delpesche was 2nd with 2 points, losing one match to Leah Cumberbatch. Jessica McCarter settled for 3rd with 0 points, losing all her matches. Absent was Unica Velox.

Also competing last Saturday were Male Seniors Lower 6 among whom Shaquan Greaves who took the 1st spot with 8 points, losing one match to Lamont Gregg. Tykel Pierre was 2nd with 8 points, losing one

match to Shaquan Greaves. Lamont Gregg came in 3rd with 8 points, losing one match to Tykel Pierre. Kimoni Shoy was 4th with 4 points losing to the top 3. J’Quan St. Hill finished 5th with 2 points, defeating only Macahlie Hazelwood. Macahlie Hazelwood was 6th with 0 points, losing all his matches. Zayden Cyrus was absent from this category.

The final trials will be held on September 9th, 2023 at the West St. George Secondary School.

and field, last in netball, second and last in female and male volleyball respectively; last in

female, and third in male basketball.

Richardson noted the improvement in the female volleyball but conceded that SVG went down in most of the disciplines.

She added, “The Games in Grenada were full of lessons,” ….. and given that, “we are hosting the games next year what we are planning to do from September when school reopens, is to begin to ensure that all teams are in place at least in March, so we will be a

well drilled. … I know for 2024 we will definitely be doing 110 percent better while we are hosting.”

The team are expected to be selected from the various schools’ competitions, Richardson said.

Host Grenada was the eventual winner of the 2023 School Championship, with the Commonwealth of Dominica in second, Saint Lucia in third and Saint Vincent and the Grenadians in the rear.

I.B.A. ALLEN

Freestyle, as she clocked 28.23s.

For her efforts, Greene accumulated 1134 ranking points, spread over the two events.

And Defreitas timed 2:16.22 in the 200m Women’s Freestyle to earn 545 points, and gained another 574 points for her 1:2.19 clocking in the 100m Freestyle. Both times were below her personal bests.

I.B.A. ALLEN

Romano Spencer was in top form in second national trials.

Leah Cumberbatch controlled the female category.

From left: Shane Cadogan, Kennice Greene, Mya Defreitas, Alex Joachim.

Part of the SVG contingent to the Windward Islands Schools Games.

Simone Richardson, manager of the SVG

Free and costly

THE DATEhas been set for the T/20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA. There will be many areas to be finalized. It appears however, that the groundwork has been set and it ought to be a matter of natural progression.

The strategy of trying to question the readiness of the Americans to fulfil their end of the bargain has fizzled. There might have been recollections of the English/American rivalry that same some aspects of the hemispheric dominance.

Whatever is at the heart of the conflict is something that outsiders like me will find hard to decipher.

The attempt to thwart the American drive of hosting the tournament might be viewed as part of a socio-economic competition.

The West Indian factor was overlooked. The actors in the English media, anxious to eliminate the American thrust to the cricket heartbeat, could not be bothered that the West Indies are slated as co-host.

The West Indies cricket squad gave ammunition to the English quest to hijack the tournament with a series of indifferent performances.

Changes in the cricket circles have created a new atmosphere surrounding the sport. The West Indies are reaping the rewards of their approach to anything. We have become victims of our legacy.

When we established our brand of cricket, the world took notice. There is an absence of advanced planning in the region. While we flourished, no concrete plans were put in place to ensure the sustainability of our game. Modernisation of everything has altered the course of activities.

Part of the trend is the marginalisation of those whom the world believe are inferior on the world stage.

The situation is that whatever your pedigree or degree, there is little respect for you once you are not in the circle of influence.

The new trend of thought is that those on the lower end of the economic scale cannot be allowed to determine any extent of international appeal.

West Indian cricketers and their administration have lost the respect of their counterparts. What led to that stage of morass is a matter of intense debate.

The West Indies Cricket Board is at the whim and fancy of the ICC big wigs. If is it convenient, the ICC manipulate the West Indies to fulfil their purposes.

Subconsciously, or perhaps unconsciously, we contribute to the international cause by our naivety. We are either not concerned, or can’t be bothered. West Indies cricketers woke up to the scourge of international condemnation when we experienced it firsthand. A generation of players took matters into their own hands and took revenge on the scorn heaped over the years.

That era of reassertion has not been well received and the thrust to rub salt into the wounds of regional cricket continues in obvious fashion, with great support by regional detractors.

Whereas a former generation took their duties of representing the underprivileged of the world, this present crop appears intent on glitter and glamour.

With the money enough to fulfil short term ambitions, West Indies cricket has been thrown into the hands of persons with no appreciation of the legacy of neither West Indies cricket nor their individual pride. Such tendencies have become widespread. There is a spoilage by government’s willingness to play with them just as long as it suits their agenda.

There is a system of complacency and connivance in matters of serious consequences of the region’s survival.

Jamaica trumps CWI Under-19 Cricket

JAMAICAare the overall 2023 Champions of Under19 cricket in the West Indies.

Having been assured the title as 50 Overs champions earlier this month, the men from the Land of Wood and Water added the title of the three-day format when they defeated Barbados by 56 runs at Arnos Vale One in the finals, played last Tuesday.

Barbados had inflicted Jamaica’s only defeat when they beat them in the 50 Overs format, and would have had hopes of repeating this victory.

Jamaica closed their first innings on 269, Jordan Johnson striking 120 and his captain, Brian Barnes 61, with Nathan Sealy 5 for 64 being Barbados’ best bowler.

Barbados were bowled out for 158, Nimar Bolden leading with 37, and pacer Deshawn James snaring 5 for 21 in 10.1 overs.

Jamaica were locked into a sense of defeat when they were beaten back for 87 in their second innings, Steven Wedderburn 39 and Saurav Worrell 4 for 14, and Raneico Smith 3 for 11.

Set 199 for victory, Barbados were restricted to 142 by some steady bowling, to hand Jamaica victory by 56 runs. Joshua Dorne top scored with 34. Tamarie Redwood and 4 for 47, Reon Edwards 3 for 31.

In one of the other two matches in the final round played at Park

Hill, Guyana and the Windwards played to a draw. Scores: Guyana 359, Windwards Islands 244 and 72 for 3. The match accounted for three half centuries: Rivaldo Phillips 98 and Mavendra Dindyal 94 for Guyana, and Stephen Pascal 88 for the Windwards. In the other match, Trinidad and Tobago defeated Leeward Islands by 9 wickets in a match played at Cumberland.

Scores: Leewards 118 (Carlon Tuckett 40, Vasant Singh 3 for 23) and 125, (Nathan Edwards 41 not out, Singh 4 for 37); Trinidad and Tobago 126 (Nick Ramlal 31 not out, Nathan Edwards 5 for 44) and 122 for 1 (Justin Jagessar 64 not out).

Jamaica took the top spot, with Barbados second. Guyana took the third spot with Windward Islands fourth, Trinidad fifth and Leeward in the six spot.

Barbados

Edwards, Sealy MVP of CWI U19s

TARRIQUEEdwards and Nathan Sealy captured the MVP Awards respectively for the One-Day and Three-Day formats of the Cricket West Indies Rising Stars Under-19 Championship that officially closed here earlier this week.

Edwards, the Windward all-rounder, took 11 wickets in the One-Day format and Nathan Sealy, Barbados’ captain, took 32 wickets in the Three-Day format.

In other outstanding individual performances, Jordan Johnson from Jamaica scored the most runs (339) in the Three-Day format; Carlon Tuckett from the Leeward Islands and Joshua Morris of Barbados had the most dismissals, 11 each, in the ThreeDay format; Joshua Dorne of Barbados took the most

Nathan Sealy- MVP of the Three-Day format, had the most wickets, 32.

Jordan Johnson from Jamaica scored the most runs, 339, in the Three-day format.

catches in the Three-Day format. Dorne was also joint runs-scorer in the One-Day format with Michael Greaves of the Leeward Islands, with 190 runs.

Jamaica won the U19 titles in both one-day and three-day formats.

was runner-up in the three-day format.

Tarrique Edwards - MVP of the One-Day format.

TRI-TRI fishers get freezers

TRI-TRIfishers in the North Leeward district of St. Vincent and the Grenadines can now enjoy some ease from the distress of having no way of storing their catch, thereby losing them to spoilage.

The ease came after Minister of Forestry and Fisheries, Saboto Caesar, handed over twenty-one freezers to groups of tri-tri fishers from that area, on Friday, 28th July.

In so doing, the Minister emphasized that the equipment will go a long way in preventing spoilage and increasing the potential revenue from sale of the catch, since there would be more tri-tri available for sale.

Mrs. Jennifer Cruickshank-Howard, Chief Fisheries Officer, disclosed that the freezers were sourced under the EnGenDER/ United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) project and thanked the UNDP for its assistance.

She went on to explain

that the tri-tri fishers in the North Leeward district usually fished in groups, and because of

this the freezers were donated use by groups rather than by individuals.

Some of the tri-tri fishers who will now have access to freezers to store their catch.

Dr. Vaughn Lewis, CEO of VINLEC, sought to quell any fears among the company’s consumer base that VINLEC was on a witch hunt.

by DAYLE DA SILVA

WHILEthe top management of VINLEC said that they are pleased with the response from consumers in settling their arrears owing to the electricity company, they are also reminding individuals to be mindful of what is posted on social media.

“The response has been surprising [and] we have received good rate of collections recently,”

Dr. Vaughn Lewis, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of VINLEC said on July 30 on ‘Issues at Hand’. And despite the

VINLEC CEO: ‘BE CAREFUL ABOUT POSTING’

month point.

response that the recent drive has had, Lewis said that it was not the intention of the company to cause panic.

However, responding to a notice ‘Pay your bill or be disconnected’, delinquent customers cued for hours at VINLEC’s Kingstown office last week, to pay their arrears.

According to Dr. Lewis, among the list of customers down to be disconnected were those owing slightly beyond that two-month point and there were others owing for a period of months beyond the two-

VINLEC said the disconnection exercise was in line with its “standard operational procedures” a phase of which began on 24th July 2023.

Less than two per cent of VINLEC’s 48,581 account holders were affected during this exercise, a release from VINLEC said.

Customers that were disconnected in the recent drive were from across the residential and commercial categories, according to Lewis, with outstanding debt ranging between EC$500 into EC$20,000 to EC$30,000.

Social Media barrage

But even as they sought to settle their accounts, many consumers took to social media to accuse VINLEC of being “heartless” in its disconnection activities as some bills posted on social media showed people were disconnected late at night for owing as little as EC$100. And in relation to cartoons and videos appearing on social media, Dr. Lewis described some as being quite hostile with others speculating about issues relating to the credit control department.

“Of course, you cannot limit what is said on social media, but some of it is quite misleading and some of it can be dangerous,” Lewis said.

“We are not saying that people do not have a right to comment, of course persons have a right to comment but I have seen some posts which are very, very misleading.”

For example, Lewis explained that there was a post made on July 29 of an accident involving a vehicle owned by VINLEC.

The post strongly implied that the accident occurred while a team

SHACKELL BOBB TO BE APPOINTED SENATOR

by GLORIAH...

LAWYERShackell Bobb has been named to take up a governmentappointed senatorial position here in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and will assume responsibilities as Parliamentary Secretary within the Office of the Prime Minister after her she is sworn in and taken her oath.

This was announced by Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves at a press briefing at Cabinet Room on 28th July, 2023, and follows on the recent appointment and swearing in of Benarva Browne as Senator and Minister of Urban Development, Seaports, Airports, Energy, Grenadines Affairs and Local

Government.

Bobb, a thirty-year-old mother of one, was called to the Bar in 2017. She was a former Crown Counsel at the National Prosecution Service and has been an officer at the SVG Financial Services Authority for the last eight months.

She will become the youngest member of the current Cabinet and will have oversight of the Prime Ministerial Council on Youth.

Along with her academic and professional excellence, Bobb has showcased her abilities in the beauty contest arena, when she was crowned Ms. P’Tani in 2011, and later competed as a contestant in Ms. SVG Pageant in 2014.

Bobb will replace Senator Rochard Ballah who will demit office in August and will assume the position of Director of Communications in the Office of the Prime Minister.

In making the announcement of Bobb’s appointment, the Prime Minister described her as “a young lady who has already distinguished herself in all her activities in which she is engaged and comes from the bowels of the working people in the Marriaqua Valley.. .”

He proceeded to laud the recent senatorial appointments, Browne and Bobb within one month, pointing to the forward-thinking agenda of his administration with the young ladies being fruits of the ‘Education Revolution’.

was making its way to a site to disconnect a customer.

“So basically, the post is saying look how far they are going, and they are endangering persons’ lives in their attempt to disconnect persons,” VINLEC’s CEO said.

But he explained that if the post was referring to the said date, July 29, there were no disconnections conducted on that day.

Other teams were at work, he said, and he was aware of the accident.

But it had nothing to do with disconnection, Lewis said.

Shackell Bobb brings the number of female Senators in the House of Assembly to five- four government and one opposition.