L-R: Daniel Cummings, NDP’s Parliamentary representative for West Kingstown; President of the Christian Council, Bishop Gerard County and Director of the Institute of Governance and Politics of Latin America and the Caribbean Augustine Ferdinand (representing the ULP), at the Signing and launch of Code of Conduct for 2025 Elections held on Tuesday at the the Methodist Church Hall.
by WILLIAM ‘KOJAH’ ANTHONY
THE TWO MAIN POLITICAL PARTIESare committed to a peaceful exercise for the general elections carded for November 27, 2025. Their pledges came last Tuesday morning at the Kingstown Methodist Church Hall.
Augustine Ferdinand, apologised for the absence of the Unity Labour Party’s general secretary Julian Francis. Ferdinand projected his party as being peacemakers, adding “we believe in conducting ourselves.”
peacefully, and in accordance with the laws of the country.” He thanked the National Monitoring and Consultative Mechanism (NMCM) for continuing the pattern of holding peaceful general elections.
Daniel Cummings, Parliamentary representative for West Kingstown, apologized for the absence of his party leader Dr. Godwin Friday and echoed his party’s mantra for a “kinder and gentler society.”
Ferdinand admits that the procedure is “competitive” but that his party is “doing so
Continued on Page 3.
V News 3
that his party has no idea who altered the ULP posters which were destroyed.
Director of the Institute of Governance and Politics of Latin America and the Caribbean Augustine Ferdinand signed on behalf of the ULP.
Continued from Frontpage.
He contrasted his party’s response to the 1998 general elections to that of 2020, and points that the “NDP respects the rule of law.”
Cummings, the sitting West Kingstown representative, pointed to amendments to this polling exercise.
Cummings finds it strange that his party submitted outlines for a series of meeting two weeks ago and that the ruling Unity Labour Party announced a meeting for West Kingstown at the same spot where NDP planned one of their sessions.
Cummings indicates that “errors can be made,” but describes that scenario as ‘mind-boggling.” He is hoping for “free and fair general elections.”
Godfrey Samuel, secretary attached
Political parties pledge peace
to the NMCM, notes that amendments are “minor” and that the 2025 outline is “identical to 2020.”
Samuel assures that the change is aimed at “protection for the leader of the Opposition.”
We would say if we knew:
Cummings
The New Democratic Party has no reports of “election violence” in the build up to the November 27 general elections.
Daniel Cummings is the Parliamentary representative for West Kingstown, one of six seats taken by the NDP in the last polls November 5, 2020.
He admits that reports have surfaced on social media of clashes, but as to actual reports, there has nothing direct.
Cummings used the opportunity to respond to reports of damage to posters erected by the Unity Labour Party.
Pertaining to the damaged posters, Cummings said: “We would say if we knew.” He added that his party has
“no idea” what could have caused the alterations to the banners.
Cummings is hoping that cameras trace the culprits, and that they are punished. He wants all candidates to have liberty to carry their campaign.
Cummings notes his party’s adherence to environmental sanity with the use of material which leave no scars on the surroundings.
Reports have emerged of a burnt ULP posters in the Northern Grenadines district of Bequia, at least three incidences of slashed posters in West Kingstown, and one in the area hovering on the South/ Central Leeward done.
You are being monitored
Persons mounting political platforms for these general elections will be advised to keep their presentations clean as the National Monitoring and Consultative Mechanism (NMCM) will have persons listening to the presentations. Any departures from the code of conduct set out by this body will be reported. Those persons will have indication tags, and they will be in contact with party leaders as to any violations carried out.
President of the Christian Council, Bishop Gerard County outlined that development at last Tuesday’s signing ceremony for the Code of conduct for the November 27 polls.
October Billing Update for some VINLEC Customers
ST. VINCENT ELECTRICITY SERVICES LIMITED
(VINLEC) wishes to advise customers residing in the following areas: Belmont, Fairbairne Pasture, Fair Hall; Spring Estate to North Union; Greiggs and Lowmans Windward to Colonarie; and Lowmans Leeward to
Announcement of the elections date came Tuesday October 28 at a rally staged by the Unity Labour Party at Richmond Hill in capital city Kingstown.
Nomination Day is Monday November 10, and persons attaining the age of 18 on or before November 13, 2025 can secure identification cards and become eligible to vote by ensuring their names are on the list.
The contest is a straight fight between the Unity Labour Party, elected for the first time March 28, 2001, and the New Democratic Party who won the June 15, 1998.
That poll turned out to be a watershed moment, which in the formation of the National Monitoring and Consultative Mechanism, (NMCM).
The nation was thrown into upheaval in 2000 after protests on the streets. Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and CARICOM governments intervened which led the Grand Beach Accord.
Prime Minister Sir James Mitchell and opposition leader Ralph Gonsalves signed an agreement in May 2000, which paved the way for the March 28, 2001 general elections.
The NMCM has overseen polls on: December 7, 2005; December 13, 2010; December 9, 2015; November 5, 2020, and the Referendum for proposed Constitutional changes on November 25, 2009.
Wallilabou, that October 2025 bills may be estimated due to a temporary system issue which affected the transfer of some meter reading data.
This is a short-term measure only, and accounts will be adjusted once actual readings become available. Be assured that if estimated readings differ from the normal usage, any variance will be corrected on the next issued bill.
VINLEC remains committed to accuracy, transparency and providing quality service to all. We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience this will cause and extend gratitude for your patience and understanding at this time. Customers who have queries are encouraged to contact the Customer Services Department via email at customerservices@vinlec.com, or telephone, 456- 1701 Ext 237 or 238. (VINLEC)
NDP’s Daniel Cummings, who signed on behald of the NDP says
Thief jailed for draining bank account
Stories by HAYDN HUGGINS
A VINCENTIAN NATIONAL who stole a debit card belonging to a Grenadian working here and used it to withdraw thousands of dollars from the man’s bank account, was jailed on Monday for his actions.
The defendant, Orrif Smith of Georgetown, who pleaded guilty to eight counts of theft in connection with the transactions, was sentenced to 15 months and 12 days in prison on each count, but the sentences will run concurrently.
Senior Magistrate Tammika McKenzie handed down the penalties on Smith’s return to the Kingstown Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
Smith was initially charged on six counts of theft I connection with the debit card and seven counts of theft in relation to the withdrawal of monies from the account belonging to Grenadian Francis Alexis, on various dates in September, 2025.
Smith had pleaded guilty to all 13 charges when he first appeared in
Court on October 22, but the matter was adjourned to allow Prosecutor Aliston Stapleton to seek instructions from the Director of Public prosecutions (DPP), on whether one of the dates in relation to the theft of the debit card should be amended.
When the matter resumed on Tuesday, November 3, the Prosecutor, acting on instructions from the DPP’s Office, made, and was granted, an application to have five of the six charges in relation to the theft of the debit card withdrawn, and to amend the date of the other one from September 11, 2025 to between September 10, 2025 and October 1, 2025.
As a result, the total number of charges were reduced from 13 to eight, and Smith maintained his guilty pleas.
The facts presented on October 22, showed that Alexis has been in SVG since June, 2025, during which time he stayed and worked at the Ottley Hall Marina on the Brand Bay Express boat, where Smith was also employed.
Alexis is an account holder at the Republic Bank, from where he holds a blue debit card, which gives him access to his monies via the ATM.
On July 17, 2025, he went to the Republic Bank’s ATM in Kingstown and withdrew EC$4,000 in cash from his account leaving a balance of EC$32,800. He returned to the Ottley Hall Marina, placed his debit card into his wallet and left the wallet in his room on the boat.
On October 9, he went back to the Republic Bank in Kingstown, and made efforts to withdraw EC$1,000 from his account, but was told that his account only had a balance of EC$12.62.
Alexis questioned this, because he did not withdraw any monies from his account, or give anyone permission to access his account. He was then given a bank printout which depicted that various sums of monies had been withdrawn from his account at various locations between September 11, 2025 and September 30, 2025. He reported the matter to the police and investigations led to Smith.
Conductor charged for wounding passenger
IRAN ROBAN, a 24 year old conductor of Brighton, was granted bail when he appeared in Court yesterday (Thursday), after allegedly beating a passenger. Roban has been charged with wounding Randolf Douglas, a 58 year old farmer of Richland Park. Roban pleaded notguilty when he appeared at the Kingstown Magistrate’s Court yesterday and was granted $2,500 bail with one surety, with reporting conditions, and the matter was adjourned to a later date for trial.
Reports reaching THE VINCENTIAN indicate that around 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Douglas boarded a passenger van to travel to Kingstown, and when the bus got to Sion Hill, he gave the conductor (later identified as Roban), $20 to take out his bus fare. The conductor gave him back his change, made up of a quantity of coins. The bus stopped at the bus stop at the Girls’ High School in Kingstown, and the
conductor indicated that the bus was going to turn back there.
Douglas exited the bus and told the conductor that his change was wrong. Douglas proceeded to count the change in the presence of the conductor, who reacted by hitting Douglas’ hand, causing the money to fall to the ground. As Douglas was picking up the money, the conductor reportedly slapped Douglas on the right side of his face.
Reports further
indicate, that Douglas pushed the conductor in his chest with both hands, causing him to stumble onto the bus. Further, the conductor apparently got annoyed, hurled two bottles at Douglas and ran him down with a spanner and a cutlass.
Douglas and the conductor fell to the ground in the process, and the conductor and two others proceeded to kick Douglas about his body.
Washroom conditions addressed
THE KINGSTOWN MAGISTRATE’S COURT
Resumed hearings on Monday, after a plumbing problem at the Court’s washroom was addressed. Several matters down for hearing at the Court had to be adjourned last week, due to the condition on the toilet, used by the public and prisoners, which could not be flushed.
However, things returned to normal on Monday, and up to press time yesterday (Thursday), the toilet was in good working condition.
Defendant, Orrif Smith
His Excellency Fikry Cassidy presents Letters of credence to SVG
HIS
EXCELLENCY FIKRY
CASSIDY,AmbassadorDesignate of the Republic of Indonesia to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, presented his Letters of Credence to Her Excellency Dame Susan Dougan, Governor-General of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, during a formal ceremony held at Government House on Wednesday, November 05, 2025.
In her remarks, Her Excellency Dame Susan Dougan extended a warm welcome to Ambassador Cassidy and reaffirmed the cordial and enduring relations between Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and the Republic of Indonesia. She expressed confidence that the ties between both nations will continue to strengthen through enhanced cooperation and mutual understanding.
His Excellency Fiikry Cassidy, AmbassadorDesignate of the Republic of Indonesia to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (right), presents his credentials to Governor General of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Her Excellency Dame Susan Dougan, GCMG, OBE.
As part of his official engagements, Ambassador Cassidy paid a courtesy call on the Honourable Frederick Stephenson, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade, and Consumer Affairs, and visited the University of the West Indies Global Campus, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
Continued on Page 27.
The National Newspaper of St. Vincent and the Grenadines
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
Beware the wrath of God
THIS COLUMN has stayed away by choice from commenting on the approaches and pronouncements of Dr. Ralph Gonsalves and Dr. Godwin Friday, party political leaders, during the ongoing election campaign.
Up until recently, we found no reason, no cause to divert from that position. A recent prompting to ‘change course’ arose out of Dr. Ralph Gonsalves’ address to the Unity Labour Party’s (ULP) Youth Convention in Diamond, on November 02, five days after he had announced November 27, 2025 as the date for the next general election.
For reasons only he knows, Dr. Gonsalves chose to colour what should have been a simple but inspiring address all taken, with references to God and God’s plan for this country.
The first reference with which we take umbrage and consider it to be (as old people say) ‘flying in the face of God’, is the good leader’s implied status that he had some ‘direct line’ to God, which, without allowing his audience to assume, he openly declared that this set him apart from mortal man, and (this) was a blessing he had received while in his mother’s womb.
He let the Convention and the people of this nation know that he was destined to lead, and he was no longer simply the World Boss but, as he said, he was now akin to the biblical prophets, not unlike Jeremiah, making him, without saying it in as many words, a voice of God.
Jeremiah was responsible, according to the Bible, for prophesying the siege of Jerusalem and the captivity of Babylon, both actions being consequences for disobedience. Anyone for a thought that Dr. Gonsalves, the prophet, might be ‘warning’ us of some ‘disaster’ should the electorate disobey his urging that he and the ULP should be returned to office for a sixth term?
This brings to mind the caution that many will come declaring to be proclaiming on behalf of the Creator, speaking in His name and calling goodness upon themselves. This is borne out in Dr. Gonsalves bold message, one that he would want us
As we march towards elections
to believe is prophetic handed to him by God, that God will not allow the New Democratic Party and Dr. Friday to win the November 27, 2025 general election; and that God was on the side of the ULP, its leaders and all for which the party stood.
Unless others know otherwise, we haven’t heard that God is voting in the upcoming election. Why therefore, should the Creator take sides? Who is this mortal, and Dr. Gonsalves is mortal regardless of what he thinks otherwise, that he should position the hand of God to be in favour of one over the other? God looks both upon the good among us as He looks upon those who have transgressed.
Can Dr. Gonsalves fault us for warning him that with his references to God and calling out a distinct relationship between him and God, that only he enjoys, that he is but calling upon himself the wrath of God? That he should be warned against ‘flying in the face of God’ for fear that he receives a ‘blessed’ slap that wakes him up to the reality that contrary to what he thinks, he is mortal and no more blessed than others who would seek to lead, whether in politics or any other sphere of human endeavour?
No man has a monopoly on God’, lest of all Dr. Gonsalves.
We know Dr. Gonsalves to be a proclaimed Roman Catholic, a connection which he used in good stead in earlier times. One cannot write the history of his rise to the seat of government without reference to the contribution of the Roman Catholic and other Christian denominations in this regard. He seems to have distanced himself from his Church, preferring to be seen publicly expressing allegiance to the Spiritual Baptist faith. Whatever his allegiance, it would be a good thing if he sought the ‘cleansing power’ of the church in which he was christened, including making a confession, and or having a Spiritual Baptist cleric wash him between the ‘fresh and the salt’.
No man, especially a national leader in this land of God-fearing people, should feel he/she is free to use willy-nilly the name of the Most High, especially towards some political end.
AS WE COUNT THE DAYSto the upcoming elections, the cacophony of campaign promises and political fervor fills the air. After months of sifting through rhetoric and engaging with those seeking our votes, I am wrestling with a crucial question: What distinguishes these parties? Beyond the grand banners of “Democratic Socialist” and “Moderate Conservative,” a clear political philosophy seems to elude us. However, one eyebrow-raising policy from the NDP is deeply concerning to me. Several months ago, during a public address, the party’s vice president outlined a strategy to tackle the public debt associated with essential projects, such as the port and the hospital. His solution? Privatization–essentially, a plan to sell off these critical government assets.
This notion of selling public investments for short-term gain raises significant questions. Are we ready to trade our community resources and social responsibility for short-term fiscal relief? As the election draws nearer, reflecting on these choices and their long-term implications for our society is essential.
The most recent audited statements for the port operations indicate a profit of approximately $4 million. The reported profit from all ports operating in SVG; before, there was an over $700 million capital investment. It is worth noting that the ULP was initially projected to spend slightly over $600 million. As an aside, the ULP needs to estimate more accurately and account for the cost overruns on these highprofile projects. While the operations at the old deep water ports were approaching maximum capacity, there was no indication that efficiency or profit maximization was compromised.
Some have argued that Kingstown’s “modern seaport” was premature and only became necessary after the damage caused by Hurricane Beryl. However, as luck would have it, this advance investment in the port was both essential and timely.
Privatizing this operation or selling other essential government assets and services is never a good idea. This idea has been a significant topic of conversation throughout the developed world towards the end of the last century. For example, in the early 1990s, those delivering government services endorsed a notion that we must run government “like a business.” Would I shock you by saying that this does not work, and that governments
usually observe these services after years of poor service?
Let’s take the port, for example. Would that include privatizing the port authority’s services, or would they remain under government control? This new port costs us close to $700 million. Let’s assume we were to sell a 51% share of the port, which would reduce our debt by a similar amount. Assuming we use the proceeds to pay down the debt. We will lose control of the operations, pricing structure, or fees collected at the port. Name one investor who will be satisfied with a rate of return on investment of .005% per year. From my distant viewpoint, the fees at the ports will have to triple to make this venture attractive to any private investor. Let’s not forget that this will leave the government paying the debt service of $350 million.
Since no other projects for potential privatization were mentioned in the recent presentation, it’s tough to guess what else might be on the agenda. Maybe the new hospital? Oh yes, that was also mentioned as a possible option–another bad idea.
On the other hand, the ULP appears determined to keep us on a precarious path of perpetual borrowing, thereby risking our financial stability. Such borrowing could lead us to bankruptcy or, worse, a failed state. We will continue to struggle, pleading for debt forgiveness while grappling with soaring debt levels that account for around 100% of our Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
The ULP operates under the notion that every economic development project must involve the government. Take, for instance, the ambitious goal to double the number of hotel rooms in the nation–an initiative they wholeheartedly pursue by making excessive investments in this product.
As we approach Election Day, the choices may not be immediately apparent. Still, one thing is sure: the ULP is fully committed to driving the GDP through extensive vertical and horizontal government investments. Conversely, the NDP seems more open to divesting in essential government services, potentially stepping back from providing services traditionally under government control. The future of our economy is set to be a thrilling debate. Horatio.
Papa Sparks release of Drumbeat and
Jobless in Southern Grenadines
HAVING GONE FAR past his three scores and ten, Papa should have been preparing for his destination of Heaven or Hell. He has been frequenting Union Island within the last two years because of the influx of relief monies. He has observed the work done by the Canouan investors in rebuilding roofs in the constituency.
The portion of work that his government should have done is left for the new dependable people that are due to assume office on November 28th, 2025. Broken Badeau and Talyne bridges, inadequate port facilities, roads in disrepair, absence of a police station, revenue office, registry, clinic in Ashton, basketball court and police housing, all these are left for the incoming NDP government. Only the Ashton Clinic and Hard Court can be attributed to damage from Hurricane Beryl. All the others are longstanding projects that should have been
When the Drums of Sorrow Beat in SVG
constructed for the important purpose that need to be fulfilled.
Was the Union Island Friendly Society dissolved because Papa fears that if the unthinkable should happen on one of his journeys here, he would be given our Royal Sendoff? This cannot be because he is not eligible, because he is not a member.
Additionally, the local morgue that was funded by Unionites in the diaspora still lies in ruins. Papa apparently made no effort to restore the services of the Morgue and the Burial Society, and it is for this reason that descendants of our ancestors are perturbed. People of the Southern Grenadines have great regard for the dead. We take pride in the upkeep of our public cemeteries even more so than the rest of the country. When John Caldwell of Palm Island fame sought a resting place for his remains, many pleadings and negotiations had to take place.
The Morgue and Burial Society were established to facilitate the transition of residents from time to eternity, from
our earthly home to the great beyond. Destroying our history and hope is a great sin; some say that it may be unpardonable.
And so it is that groanings are emanating from the Southern Grenadines and the Drumbeats and Jobless “leggo.” Each Drumbeat at our 3rd, 9th or 40 night “Praise” will convey the story. In the aftermath of Beryl, the hotel and business places should have been restored so that there would not have been so many “jobless” on the loose.
Anthony G. Stewart, PhD
WHERE THE SUNRISE KISSESCane Garden’s shore, And the breeze hums softly through Mespo once more, There lies a land blessed by God’s tender hand St. Vincent, my heart, my soul, my land.
But beneath the blue skies and the emerald green hills, Echo stories of sorrow that the night still fills. For too many dreams have been buried too young, Too many songs of tomorrow left unsung.
Mothers weep where laughter once lived, Holding photos and memories, all they now have to give. Candles burn where children used to play, And another grieving family must kneel and pray.
Crime stalks the alleys like a shadow unstilled, Too many hearts shattered, too many graves filled. A nation so beautiful, yet bleeding within, As violence replaces what love should have been.
We losing our brothers, our sisters, our sons, The light in the eyes of our daughters, now gone. Funeral hymns drown out the church bells of cheer, And peace feels like a stranger we longing to hear.
Yet...
Through the heartbreak, the pain, and the tears, Through the trauma that steals the best of our years A whisper of hope still floats in the air, For God hasn’t forgotten this land of prayer.
So, we fall to our knees in villages and towns, Asking God to break chains, to tear evil down. “Lord, cover this nation, let Your mercy increase. Bring healing, bring comfort, restore us Your peace.”
Let forgiveness rise, here anger was grown, Let unity bloom where division had sown. Let the children once afraid to walk free, Run again in joy by the Caribbean Sea.
Oh St. Vincent, land of the blessed and the brave, We speak life over every valley, every grave. From Fancy to Bequia, your future will rise For no darkness can hold back a people God guides.
So, wipe every tear, lift your heart once again, For after the storm, God will soften the rain. Our homeland will heal-hold that hope close and tight, Because even the longest night must bow to morning light.
And until peace returns like a dove to this land, We will pray, we will hope, and we still will stand. For love never dies-and neither will we... One people, one heart, one SVG.
Yanic
What can we do to avert the destruction of humanity?
THE EDITOR,
We are living in the end of capitalism and communism -the collapse of the two political systems mentioned in the book of Daniel 2 in symbols. After World War 1 (1914-18) world politics was controlled by two elementscapitalism and communism, with Islamism holding some powers in the East. These two political elements can be rightfully identified with the two feet mentioned in Daniel 2 ((41-43) mingling with the seeds of men). After the abolition of slavery, world politics was controlled by capitalism until the October 1917 communists’ revolution in Russia. At the end of World War II in 1945 we saw the establishment of the United Nations, a world court to avert a third world war.
The capitalists and the communists meet there regularly to strengthen their support links around the world, trying to unite at some point but never in reality, in as much as iron and clay will never stick together. This is where we are today with prophecy unfolding in our facesthe toes in Daniel 2, represented here as the European Economic Community (EEC) or the European Union (EU). Yes, this is where we are, from primitive communalism to the four world powers, in and out of slavery to the industrial revolution, feudalism, capitalism, communism, revolution, invasion and terrorism.
After World War II we had many conventional wars and the threat of World War III on/in our Caribbean Sea.
What can we do to avert the destruction of humanity? Change the government of SVG. Bring in China military as peacekeepers. Let Trump know that China and Russia and alliance will bring the
US military to an end if it attempts to invade Venezuela. We want the Caribbean to remain a Zone of Peace.
Now, with Gonsalves out of government, find a space for him to work as mediator for our fourIsland Union between the balance of forces. We need to have the USA, Venezuela, Caribbean and other concerned leaders meet somewhere in SVG with the leadership of the United Nations.
Christian Democrat.
PEOPLE ARE ASKING:
* WHY IS DR. GONSALVESspending so much of his time and energy trying to convince us that only the ULP has bright people in its membership, and therefore only they can lead SVG?
* Will the NDP introduce Integrity Legislation if it forms the next government? Are they committed to see that there will not be a storm among their own people?
* Which party spent the most money to bring in foreign artistes to perform at their rallies?
* One shake of the Financial Complex was enough for the PM to say that the structure is sound. What is he saying after a second shake?
* Who is Darren Sammy’s Godfather in Cricket West Indies Inc.?
* Why is Andy Roberts the only West Indies Cricket Legend who has called for Sammy’s sacking? Are there other Legends of similar mind but are too coward to come forward or prefer to be diplomatic and remain dumb?
* Was a container ship directed to Campden Park Port since the opening of the New Kingstown Port? Is the new port ready to accommodate containers?
* Will we ever learn how much of the rehabilitation money received from generous sources and from concessionary assistance from agencies like the World Bank was spent in Canouan, as against how much Mr. Wace contributed directly and indirectly?
* Did VINLEC not train those persons responsible for changing the meters in basic good manners and basic social skills? How many meters have been changed as of October 31st, 2025?
* How much are we spending on that International Masters Cricket Festival, after that whopping amount we spent on the Emancipation Cricket Festival? Is all of this money — state money — to get back at Dr. Shallow?
Relying on the Genius of The People
[Excerpts from Independence Day Address 2025 by the Hon. Prime Minister]
WE HAVE DONE PRETTY WELL
Fellow-Vincentians, out of the fever of our history, we have built a nation of high quality through our own efforts and the helpful solidarity of our friends and allies overseas, including some who had hitherto been our historical oppressors. What we have achieved thus far is absolutely amazing! To be sure, difficulties and challenges still weigh us down; they arise from our own inherent vulnerabilities and fragilities, from external and internal sources, and sometimes from nature itself which otherwise provides the basis for our sustenance. Taken as a whole, we have done pretty well; and we have a future of immense possibilities, despite limitations, ahead of us. On this our 46th anniversary of our reclamation of independence, we have good reason to celebrate; and we are justified, overwhelmingly, to assert that we are on the right track.
COLLECTIVE GENIUS OF OUR PEOPLE
Over the years, the collective genius of our people has ensured that we have not only survived but thrived against seemingly insurmountable odds. Our resilience and creativity in life, living, and production have been a marvel to others. Repeatedly, we have been able to summon this collective genius and embrace fresh hopefulness, not despair; we have arrived at a settled commitment to triumph and advance, always in concert with a leadership that possesses the requisite energy and will, vision and skill, inclusive of its ability to draw out of our people their goodness, high-quality, and nobility which the people may not as yet know that they possess.
Our people’s collective genius has built and improved home-made tools; fashioned beautiful music from steel drums; constructed lovely houses with abundant local material, and the hands and brains of skilled workers; produced tasty, nutritious foods and a selective cuisine of quality; ploughed our land, traversed our seas, welcomed and provided quality services to our visitors; traded in goods; migrated and sent back remittances from abroad, in building our economy; danced, laughed, and entertained; engaged in sports and leisure; worshipped our God joyously in prayer and song; cared for our young, the disadvantaged, the elderly, and the infirm; and buried our dead with touching solemnity and a celebration of their lives.
ROLES FOR EVERYONE
In all these endeavours, and more, teachers have taught; leaders have led; parents have parented; our elderly have guided; our young have been growing
gloriously; our public servants have served; our nurses and doctors have tended the sick; the police and jurists have helped to keep the peace; our farmers and fisherfolk have farmed and fished productively for our food and for export; workers have kept the wheels of industry turning and the construction sites buzzing with activity; and our prophets have prophesied and taught us about the gift of God’s amazing grace and mercy. Amidst all of this, our women have been exemplary as mothers, partners, producers; our rocks, our glue that holds us together with our fathers; our women and men, simply and profoundly, have been historymakers.
TOWARDS A FIRST WORLD NATION STATUS
It is from this collective, unconquerable source that we must draw, to build upon our existing strong foundations in life, living, and production, to shape and construct a first-world nation of a special type in our part of our Caribbean by 2040, within a period of fifteen years from now. The future is ours to own.
In this quest to uplift further our future and to enhance of our possibilities, everyone has a constructive role to play in disciplined, committed work and social solidarity. Central in this regard is a nurturing family in which the children’s welfare is paramount. In the society-at-large, good neighborliness in every material particular is more than ever required for our nation’s advancement; and the banishment of criminality and lawlessness must be an all-of-society priority. Our robust, competitive politics, too, must not descend into intolerance, hatred, bile, anger, hubris, and rank divisiveness. Particularly at this time of heightened political competition, it is necessary and desirable that we aspire to civil and truthful discourses even as we robustly promote or defend our political stances or choices.
OUR GENIUS MEETS THE CHALLENGES
It is this genius of the people in communion with creative, strong, and visionary leadership that has brought us safely through some extremely, challenging circumstances over the past five years. We have been buffeted and battered by the ill-winds of the COVID pandemic in 2020 to 2021; the volcanic eruptions in April 2021; Hurricane Elsa in July 2021; the knock-on economic effects of the exacerbated global turmoil consequent upon the start of the Ukraine-Russia war in February 2022; Hurricane Beryl in July 2024; and the elevated price increases of recent months arising from the external convulsions in the global economy.
This is a time for a change
(Excerpt of Political Leader of the NDP, Dr. Godwin Friday’s Presentation at the Warm-up Rally Pt. 2)
WE HAVE in the New Democratic Party a bold plan that will transform the north of our country. You will hear more about the details as we go forward. But while the present government, will present a few goodies here and there to win favour, we will introduce policies and programs to transform the economy in this part of our beautiful country. The Northern Development Plan will take advantage of the rich experience of our people in agriculture and fishing and rebuild using modern means and methods.
It will include a major thrust in tourism development to create new opportunities and livelihoods for the people here. This includes tourism facilities in Fancy, Owia and Sandy Bay. The development and improvement of sporting facilities that you heard Shevern talked about to enhance access to health care facilities and services that Shevern talked about. No longer will the remoteness be an excuse for less than equal treatment for the people in the north.
Our approach will be practical and balanced, paying attention to economic growth and to social development. In short, we aim to transform lives and living in the north. That is our commitment to you because you deserve better. Now, we are asking you to support the New Democratic Party because we are the only vehicle that will bring change come the next general election. But I will tell you, there are things that you will benefit from immediately. We talk about the 60 days after which when we form government, within the first 60 days, life will be dramatically better for you.
The VAT which is crushing you will be reduced from 16 to 13 percent. Public Assistance will be doubled. We will pay salary bonus to public servants. We will reverse the draconian vaccine mandate, giving people back their jobs and their benefits. All of that will happen within the first 60 days of my government. An NDP government will create a National Development Bank to invest in local businesses and boost exports and create jobs. We will also generate prosperity by building on the four pillars of the economy. We talk about agriculture, tourism, the blue economy and the new economy to increase exports, create jobs and deliver more money for our local people.
Also, an NDP government will create the Youth Guarantee Pledge you heard about to help our young people. Either you get a job, or you have an opportunity to enter a training program free of cost that will help you to find a job. And if you don’t, then we have an apprenticeship program that puts you in a job to work for a year, so you have experience that you can then find better employment with. This is for our young people. The NDP government will introduce a National Athletes Program again to help our emerging talented athletes
so that they can develop their skills and their abilities and find better opportunities for themselves when they grow older.
The NDP government will create a National Investment Program in our roads, our hard courts, our community infrastructure, playing fields all across the country to create better opportunities for our people. We will invest in national new projects such as the National Centre for Culture, the National Innovation Hub, and other key projects which will enrich our lives and again create opportunities for our people. The NDP government will create the Constituency Development Fund for each constituency to ensure that local projects are supported directly.
I tell you, and there is more, the NDP government will create a National Health Insurance Scheme, which will enable all of our people to have basic healthcare coverage so that when you get sick, you don’t have to get a sponsor sheet and walk around. You could still do it if you want, but you at least will have care in a timely manner under our new plan and young people, the NDP party is the party for you. I am speaking now specifically to our young people. The NDP party is a party for you. If this is your first election, I urge you to get out there and make your voices heard. Make your first vote count. Make a vote for change. You have it in your hands to deliver a better future for yourselves, for your friends, for your parents, for your families. And I am relying on you to make it better for the reality for all of us by voting for change.
My friends, we will win! We will win, if we show our determination and fight for what we believe in. But remember this, the fight is not against your neighbours, no matter who they voted for. The fight is not against people who you may not like. The fight is against the ULP government. They are the ones who have brought this country to the state that it’s in and the other ones who need to go.
And, I end by urging you to remember this, especially at this time of national independence celebrations. We are one country. We are one people. And remember, it is not ‘us’ or ‘them’. It is ‘all of we’. Every single person in this country will be better off under an NDP government. It is a promise that I will not break.
Together, we will build an economy where farmers, fisher folk, businesses big and small can thrive and create jobs for all people. Together, we will raise productivity so that we can raise wages and people can have better pay and look after their families.
Together we will deliver better main roads, better village roads and agriculture feeder roads so that the farmers can do their thing. Together we will invest in better playing fields and sporting facilities for the development of our young people.
Justice, Mercy and Humility
“He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” - Micah 6:8 (KJV)
INADDITION to providing valuable guidelines for doctrine, reproof, and correction, the Bible offers priceless instructions in righteousness – living in a way that is morally right, just, and in line with God’s will. The quotation that was used to introduce this essay (Micah 6:8) summarizes what it means to live a life that pleases God, highlighting action (justice), attitude (mercy/kindness), and posture (humility).
Justice, mercy, and humility are considered to be foundational virtues that shape individual character and nurture a moral society. The Old Testament prophet Micah would have known that these three notions represent a balanced approach to human behaviour. Together, they influence how individuals respond to wrongdoing and relate to each other. As individuals and groups practice these virtues, they weave a strong moral and ethical fabric in society. The absence of these result in anarchy and societal disfunctions.
Justice embodies ideas of impartiality, honesty, and integrity. It embodies a concept of fairness and lays the foundation for laws that guarantee equity and the rights of all people. Justice, therefore, symbolizes images of impartiality, accountability, and transparency. In the absence of justice, societies descend into anarchy and chaos. In such instances the vulnerable can be so easily disadvantaged, exploited, and oppressed. However, justice, in its extreme, can become very punitive and unforgiving. This is where mercy becomes valuable in assisting with tempering some of the perceived harshness that may accompany justice. Mercy is the kindhearted response to the failures, foibles, and suffering of others. While justice gives people what they deserve, rewarding good and punishing evil, mercy offers forgiveness or compassion. Mercy appears to be magnified when the recipient appears to be undeserving. In such instances it should not be construed that mercy contravenes or refutes justice but somewhat humanizes it. For example, a magistrate or judge may deliver a fair sentence but demonstrate mercy by imposing a reduced penalty. This may be the result of disclosures in relation to the circumstances leading to the crime or situations in the offender’s life. We may also observe mercy on display in personal relationships as efforts are made to usher in reconciliation and healing following disruptions in the relationship. We are reminded that even in the most intimate of relationships we will not always see eye-to-eye and breaches may occur. When we are at fault it is normal to anticipate that we will be forgiven. We should therefore be ready and willing to show mercy when others say or do things that hurt us. We are encouraged by the thoughts shared by America’s 16th President Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) when he testified that, “I have always found that mercy bears richer fruit than strict justice.” Humility is often required when balancing justice and mercy. Arrogance can so very easily emerge when we consider that we are right (and someone else is wrong). On such occasions we can gravitate to
demanding “our pound of flesh” or seeking revenge. On such occasions we need to be reminded that we may periodically need understanding and forgiveness. However, humble individuals resist the temptation to exert justice with pride. They are mature and caring enough to extend mercy without a sense of superiority or arrogance. Instead, they display empathy, noting their own deficiencies. When such qualities are evident in our leaders and managers humility will build trust and generate untold respect; it must be seen as a strength and not as a weakness. Recent research has confirmed that this is a trait that many workers appreciate in their leaders and managers.
It is not accidental that Micah advocated these three virtues centuries ago. His thoughts emerged during the 8th century BCE but are as relevant today as they were back in his time. These three virtues are acutely interlocked. Justice without mercy appears callous and punitive. Mercy without justice appears lenient and unfair. Humility serves as the glue that binds and balances them, aiding our determination in relation to when to stand firm and when to exhibit flexibility. Our challenge as individuals and communities is to determine how that balance is to be determined as we seek to embrace all three within and throughout our society.
The proliferation of social media platforms, the far-reaching impact of cable television, and the impact of television news broadcasts regularly highlight that we live in a world tainted by inequality and injustice. The demand for justice is therefore considered urgent, important, and necessary. This is especially so as some nations appear to be flaunting the rule of law and disregarding their citizens’ cry for fairness and equity. At the same time, societal divisions call for mercy, empathy, and understanding across cultural, religious, ethnic, political, and personal boundaries. Navigating these complex challenges beckons for the inclusion of critical aspects of humility and an appreciation of the fact that no one possesses all the answers.
In the end, we understand and appreciate that living with justice, mercy, and humility is not about perfection. No individual or system of government is perfect. We are all flawed and have our varied shortcomings. However, this does not negate the fact that there is wisdom in striving for a life that uplifts others while recognizing our shared human fragility. As the ancient prophet wrote, the principle of a good life is to act justly (live with fairness and uphold what is right), love mercy (show compassion and forgiveness to others), and to walk humbly with our God (live with humility, acknowledging our dependence on our relationship with God). These timeless principles provide a valuable pathway to personal integrity and collective harmony in an imperfect world.
Send comments, criticisms & suggestions to julesferdinand@gmail.com
ULP Desperation Campaign
IN NEW YORK, the democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani won an emphatic victory with the significant support from organised labour, immigrants, working people and ordinary decent folks. He carried an inspiring message that the city belongs to everyone who lives in it, rather than the notion that the rich and powerful should have all the privileges while working people are pressed down by high taxes, unaffordable housing, a high cost of living, inadequate and expensive transportation and a lack of hope for the future.
Contrast that with the dark and nasty scaremongering campaign being run by Gonsalves' Unity Labour Party, with 3 weeks left before the crucial general elections slated for November 27. An observer with no knowledge of Vincentian politics will assume that the opposition New Democratic Party is the bogey man poised to eat the people’s supper.
What is unfolding across St. Vincent and the Grenadines is the most unimaginative campaign mounted by the governing party since it stormed into power in March 2001. The signs are unmistakable. Gonsalves is tired and washed up and can now only be relied upon to shout, curse, name-call in a negative sense, rather than present an uplifting agenda for taking our small and beautiful country into the third decade of the 21st century.
He and his party are evidently playing catch-up. They have no policy, programme or new ideas. The only thing they possess in abundance is money, and it now appears that the population, sufficiently matured beyond bribery and handouts, is poised to eat them out, drink them out and vote them out. They misused and mismanaged the generous relief received and borrowed money following Hurricane Beryl, and gave away plantains, eggs, chickens, and money.
The level of desperation is proof that the party is polling poorly. As my contract professor used to say, they are throwing everything and the kitchen sink at voters, hoping that something, anything, would stick.
Imagine a governing party with complete control of the election machinery, accusing its opponent of manipulating the process in some constituencies. Here is a party known for its high-handedness, crying foul and playing victim. Firstly, it came up with the unsubstantiated claim that opposition operatives had damaged the vehicles of officials and supporters at government event. Then the party posted on social media pictures of damaged election posters, implying it was under attack. Put aside for a moment the exuberance of some party supporters on either side of the political divide, why would an opposition party that is clearly riding an ascending crest of support direct its followers to tear down or damage posters in Bequia or West Kingstown, where the ULP does not have a ghost of a chance of prevailing?
And when you thought the governing party could sink no further, it has gone to the bottom of the barrel in search of muck. Some of its propagandists have now pulled out the race card, accusing the opposition of deploying supporters with lighter skin and textured hair to bolster its campaign. Such baffoonery is more than passing strange for a party led by a caucasian man and in a country where for 41 of the 46 years since independence, Vincentians have opted for leaders who are mixed race as opposed to those of a darker hue. Compounding ULP's negative and
backward campaign style is its subliminal anti-black messaging on social media. They have unleashed white and light-skinned ULP cartoon characters pummeling subdued, defensive and defeated NDP characters of distinctly African descent under the label ‘We {ULP} are the rulers of the land.’
In a vain attempt to beat back the opposition's vastly superior messaging initiative, the ULP again sinks to unimaginable depths. To counter the NDP’s $500 proposed payment to new mothers, the party invoked derogatory words such as ‘breeders,’ while accusing its opponents of supporting prostitution. But it gets worse. The ULP poster offers a stark contrast. The party released a poster of a lightskinned, well-dressed, well-groomed young graduate holding a certificate next to a young black woman, evidently poor, hair undone, with a baby on her hip and the distinct impression of another in her stomach. The low vibration, dark narrative of Gonsalves is also reflected in his bellicose command to labour warriors: ‘Tek dem on.’
Every election cycle, Gonsalves throws a pity party. In 2015, sensing that his sexual irresponsibility was about to be exposed, he tearfully begged supporters to stay with him. In the party’s 2020 manifesto, he beseeched party faithfuls to give him one more chance to complete unfinished business. As if that was not enough, he told the long tale about how his wife was about to undergo an operation that was so delicate she might not ever walk again and that his second son was gravely ill. On Monday, he took to the airways to announce yet again that he has an intelligence report that there are advanced plans to have him assassinated if he were to win again. One can only hope that this canard, first dropped on the nation in 2009, will be laid to rest on November 27, when the tired fellow, long past his prime, will be retired by Vincentian voters.
To gauge how bad things are for the ULP, Gonsalves conceded the North Leeward constituency last weekend. His ‘fight up’ is for seven constituencies on the Windward corridor, which he no longer describes as a ‘cardon sanitaire’ and Central Leeward. Who believes his grumble that NDP will tear down the international airport if they were to triumphantly win the election?
Outmatched by opposition initiatives aimed at alleviating the daily pressures of life for the population, NDP proposals are derisively labelled ‘Gimmicks.’ All the while, citizens wait in vain for an all elusive ‘master stroke.’ Remember when the opposition leader was said not to know St. Vincent? Now the claim is that Dr. Friday has copied ‘comrade Ralph.’
The next 20 days to decision 2025 will be wild and nasty. Let us all be vigilant and respectful of each other, and never forget that politicians don't beat up and shoot up and kill each other. Neither should ordinary citizens. Be robust in your debate and with your opinion in our quest for a more prosperous nation.
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The Caribbean’s new challenge
I
HAVE BEEN AROUND long enough, and involved in the politics of my country and the region, to recall that during the 1970 Black Power Revolution, Trinidad and Tobago, under the leadership then of Dr. Eric Williams and his People’s National Movement, refused to accept aid (military) from Venezuela, even as the Trinidad and Tobago army was beginning to get very restless. Dr. Williams emphasized as he refused Venezuela’s offer that this was a question of protecting his country’s sovereignty in the midst of an internal problem. In short, Dr. Williams was saying this is a Trinidadian problem that must be resolved by Trinidadians. And so it was.
This action contrasted with the action in 1983 when the OECS governments, led by Prime Ministers Eugenia Charles of Dominica and Milton Cato of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and ‘Tom’ Adam — Prime Minister of Barbados, invited the USA to intervene to restore stability in Grenada, after Prime Minister Maurice Bishop was overthrown and eventually murdered. The USA moved in, in support of the Caribbean Prime Ministers who cited political turmoil in Grenada, a Cuban military presence which they did not want in their region, and the safety of foreign nationals, including US citizens many studying and teaching at a US OffShore Medical College there.
All of this brings me to what is developing in the region with a growing US military presence. What
began as a pretext for waging action against drug cartels operating between Venezuela and Trinidad and involving pockets in other Caribbean territories (SVG considered as one in this regard). The drug cartels and their dealings were deemed responsible for fueling violence and destabilization, leading to a serious murder rate in Trinidad and Tobago in particular which, as I write this remains under a State of Emergency, in part to deal with its drug mad spiraling crime problem.
The Caribbean has largely relied on external support during crises, often turning to the US, regional agencies or individual territories to maintain stability and security. The latter is borne out in the Barbados ‘troops’ that were dispatched to Union Island in 1979, under invitation from PM Milton Cato, to help quell an “uprising” in that Grenadines island. But the dynamics in the Caribbean have shifted since the 1980s.
While some leaders acknowledge the need for greater co-operation to address the drug trade, the broader CARICOM, on the heels of Trinidad’s invitation to the USA to “take the drug dealers out”, seems, if they are honest, to be caught in a tangle of whether the region should remain neutral or oppose external intervention. Caribbean nations are now called to balance their sovereignty with regional security provided by their own resources and/or with the help of broader agreements. Thomas.
MCF awards bursaries to student-teachers
STUDENTS OF THE St. Vincent and the Grenadines Community College (SVGCC), Division of Teacher Education (DTE), continue to benefit from the generosity of the Mustique Charitable Foundation (MCF).
During a brief ceremony on Thursday, 30 October 2025, bursaries valued at US $72,626 were presented to studentteachers enrolled in the College’s full-time Primary and Secondary Education programmes. The bursaries are intended to assist recipients with expenses related to transportation, meals, programme fees, and teaching practice.
At the ceremony, Dean of the DTE, Dr. Marise Butler, expressed gratitude to the MCF for its steadfast support of the Division and its students. She also encouraged recipients to be thoughtful and intentional in their use of the funds, reminding them that the bursary represents an investment in their personal and professional growth.
Deputy Director of the SVGCC, Mrs. Veronica John-Luke, congratulated the awardees on reaching this stage of their academic journey and urged them to give their best effort as they prepare for their upcoming teaching practicum.
The SVGCC thanks the Mustique
Second-year students enrolled in the Associate Degree in Education programmes (Primary and Secondary); flanked by DTE Vice Dean, Mrs. Ann Dopwell (front left); and DTE Dean, Dr. Marise Butler (front right).
Charitable Foundation for its ongoing partnership and contributions toward the development of future educators. (SVGCC)
Priest Jah Winston on a Mission
PRIEST JAH WINSTON is making sure that paths of righteousness endure forever. He moves with assurance grounded on the passing of events.
Priest of the Ethiopia Black International Congress, Jah Winston is standing on the base of his culture and identity.
His lectures at educational institutions fills a void. November is a critical juncture in African history, observed and acknowledged internationally with dignity.
Jah Winston points to food and beverage use, everyday behavior, dress, and conduct as matters to take seriously.
“We are royal people,” he asserts. He appeals to women to value themselves.
He stresses the danger of drinking alcohol. He warns women about “nakedness” as opposed to regal splendor.
As to Ethiopian, Jah Winston suggests: “People must position themselves to learn about the throne
Priest of the Ethiopia Black International Congress, Jah Winston.
of David.” If things work out smoothly, an Ethiopian Black International Congress based School will be set up here. He is committed to his purpose. For Jah Winston, people must pray every day.
“Remember to keep the Sabbath. To correspond with Zion, you have keep the Sabbath.” (WKA)
Podium for Vincentian Sailor
fleet and 14-year-old Kai Marks Dasent in the ILCA 6 class.
In his first regional regatta, Joshua Weinhardt delivered a standout performance, finishing 2nd overall in the ILCA 4 fleet –an impressive result that highlights both his natural skill and disciplined approach to racing.
Joshua started sailing 6 years ago and more recently has benefitted from 2 years being coached as part of the Sailing Association Elite squad, he has ambitions to attend the Junior Olympics in Senegal next year.
Kai Marks Dasent the youngest competitor in the ILCA 6 fleet, achieved an impressive 4th-place finish. His performance demonstrated confidence and skill beyond his years.
THE ST. VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES Sailing Association proudly celebrates another step forward in its youth sailing journey after a successful showing at the 2025 Caribbean Dinghy Championships, hosted by the Antigua Yacht Club. This marked the nation’s second appearance at the prestigious regional regatta, following their debut in 2024.
After one day of training and three days of competitive racing, sailors completed 15 races across multiple fleets in testing, but exciting Caribbean conditions. Representing St. Vincent and the Grenadines were 13-year-old Joshua Weinhardt in the ILCA 4
Both sailors are the first of many to benefit from the Sailing Association’s Performance Pathway, which includes coaching, physical conditioning and sports psychology, based out of the High Performance Centre at Canash beach.
If you would like more information or learn to sail, email svgsailingassociation@gmail.com. (SVGTA)
L-R: Kai Marks Dasent, Joshua Weinhardt represented St. Vincent and the Grenadines at the Caribbean Dinghy Championships. Weinhardt placed 2nd overall.
Dasent and Weinhardt racing in Antigua.
Diaspora V
Vincy community leader calls for more nation-building
Laverne McDowald-Thompson, Vice-President of the Brooklyn-based Council of St. Vincent and the Grenadines Organizations, U.S.A., Inc. (COSAGO) and Chairperson of COSAGO's Fundraising Committee (fourth from left), gets bouquet of flowers for her hard work, flanked by from left: Counsel General to the US Rondy "Luta" McIntosh, COSAGO Executive members including President Crispoin Friday (fourth from right), McIntosh's wife, Semone (second from right) and Guest Speaker Sherill-Ann Mason-Haywood (furthest right).
Story and photos by NELSON A. KING US CORRESPONDENT naking@verizon.net
BROOKLYN, New Yorkbased Vincentian academic and community leader Sherill-Ann MasonHaywood has urged her compatriots to do more for nation-building.
“This year’s Independence theme, ‘Celebrating Our Identity, Celebrating Our Future,’ calls us to do more than remember; it calls us to renew — to look inward at the strength of Chatoyer (Paramount Garifuna Chief Joseph Chatoyer, St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ only national hero) and the Garifuna people who have shaped us and outward towards the future we must now shape together,” said Mason-Haywood, director of the SEEK Program at Brooklyn’s Medgar Evers College, City University of New York (CUNY), in delivering the keynote address on Sunday, Oct. 26, during a Gala Luncheon and Scholarship Awards ceremony at Russo’s on the Bay in Howard Beach, Queens, New York, marking St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ 46th
Anniversary of Political Independence from Great Britain.
“We are Vincentians, and we must rise to this occasion,” added MasonHaywood at the event organized by the Brooklyn-based Vincentian umbrella group in the US, Council of St. Vincent and the Grenadines Organizations, U.S.A, Inc. (COSAGO), in conjunction with the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Consulate General to the US.
“But independence is not nostalgia; it is an assignment,” continued Mason-Haywood, who is also chairperson of the Brooklyn-based St. Vincent and the Grenadines Diaspora Committee of New York, Inc., an organization that she said advocates for the well-being of Vincentians and promotes capacitybuilding in the community. “Celebrating our future means ensuring that the next generation stands taller than we did.”
Mason-Haywood said COSAGO’s new scholarship, named in honor of its late president Dr. Errol G. King and member Dollis Forbes, is “part of that assignment.”
“It is an investment in young Vincentians, who will study, lead and create in ways that uplift us all,” she said, congratulating the inaugural recipients, Laniya Simmons and Sarai McIntosh, “who are now trailblazers and in whom we have faith that their journeys to become agents of change in their chosen fields of endeavor will be realized.
“Maybe one of these recipients will become the next great surgeon, the next musical icon, or the next voice for our people,” Mason-Haywood added. “And, when they do, it will be because people like us in this room today believed that our country’s best days are still ahead of us. We are Vincentians, and we must rise to this occasion.”
As St. Vincent and the Grenadines marks another year of independence, MasonHaywood urged her compatriots to “remember that freedom was never a gift, but it was won through courage, through vision, through the defiance of Chief Joseph Chatoyer and the Garifuna defenders of our freedom who refused to bow.
“Their struggle was not only to resist domination and colonial rule, but to defend what it meant to be a free people on Hairouna (St. Vincent and the Grenadines),” she said. “It was about defining our sovereignty, selfdetermination, and shaping a nation in our own image, just as our Garifuna brothers and sisters in Honduras, Belize and Nicaragua still do.
“Today, we must continue to defend our sovereignty and culture with no less urgency,” continued MasonHaywood, stating that one of the most important elements of this fight is “to shape the minds of our young people, to prepare their hearts to love, and to free their imagination.”
She said Chatoyer’s spirit must live on in the ways Vincentians educate their children and young people.
“The future of our nation will not be secured by tradition alone, but by daring to teach differently and to think radically about how we learn, create and lead,” she said. “When we center our youth and embrace a radical approach to education, we open the doors of innovation, transformation and empowerment.
“You see, when we dare to rethink education, when we teach our youth not to just follow but to lead, we unlock a power that changes nations,” added Mason-Haywood, pointing to Jonelle “Jay Hova” Goodluck, who was once a DJ at Woodland on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn and has taken “Brunch and Soca” from St. Vincent and the Grenadines to the world stage.
“In him, I see an example of what it means to think boldly and to act courageously,” she continued. “Our Vincentian young people are ready to make a bold statement that St. Vincent and the Grenadines is ready to
make a stamp on the global scene in a BIG way.”
She said that is what Vincentian 800meter Olympian Shafiqua Maloney did, “when she ran into the history books becoming the first Vincentian athlete to reach the finals at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games — a feat that came almost 30 years after our very own DJ, EzSounds (Ellsworth Coombs), became the first Vincentian to become a World University Games Champion.
“Our young people are ready,” MasonHaywood said. “The question is: are we ready to give them the opportunity and support they need to shine?”
As Vincentian celebrate their independence anniversary, she urged that they “channel the energy, style, and generosity that brought us to Russo’s on the Bay into something even greater, like an innovation fund or a mentorship network that can spark the next wave of Vincentian excellence.
“Chatoyer’s spirit challenges us to think boldly, creatively and courageously,” MasonHaywood said.
“Independence gave us freedom; the Diaspora gives that freedom endurance. As we gather here, we are proving that national pride does not fade with distance, but it multiplies.
Sherill-Ann MasonHaywood stands next to the Vincentian flag.
our people, our country, and our shared story of resilience and promise, we, as Vincentians, will rise to this occasion.”
Mason-Haywood is currently a doctoral candidate at St. John's University School of Education in Jamaica, Queens.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts (honors) in sociology and radio broadcasting from CUNY Baccalaureate Program and a Master of Science in urban affairs from Hunter College, CUNY, with a concentration in community development and social policy.
“Every act of giving, every scholarship, every cultural event is a way of keeping our flag flying high,” she added. “Together, we keep St. Vincent and the Grenadines alive in the hearts of people across the world. That is how we preserve our history, and that is how we shape our future.
“As we celebrate this year’s Independence, may we remember that our identity gives us roots, but our future gives us wings,” MasonHaywood continued.
“And together, by love for
Mason-Haywood said she also earned a postgraduate certificate in Strengths-based Education from Gallup University's Clifton Strengths School as an awardee of the Thurgood Marshall Pathways Fellowship Program.
She is the mother of Njeri and Makeda Haywood, and was married to the late Vincentian community activist and United Nations Social Affairs Officer Maxwell Haywood., who preceded Mason-Haywood as chair of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Diaspora Committee of New York, Inc.
„The Axe forgets but the Tree remembers‰
Message from the Caspar/Maria Marshall Centre on the occasion of the 46th Anniversary of Independence of St. Vincent and the Grenadines 27th October, 2025
AS A HOME-OWNER in Clare Valley cleared his land to begin expanding his ventures, the machine unearthed the remains of a Sugar Factory – a memory of the genocide and enslavement of the indigenous peoples, of Yuremein, now known as St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and subsequent trafficking of enslaved Africans.
Hidden aspects of the history of Clare Valley came to memory. As recorded by the late Dr. Earle Kirby. During the reign of King Sugar, three rivers flowed through Clare Valley, with enough strength to turn the Mill for the production of Sugar.
This memory reminded me of land being dug on another property in Clare Valley. Artefacts of the Saladoid Age of the Indigenous Peoples were unearthed, and now lodged with the National Trust, as can be seen in the photograph. (right).
In the philosophy of the indigenous people, the emergence of these previously buried artefacts is a sign of hope, a call to action against the oppressors, in the context of the CARICOM Reparations Commission.
The CARICOM 10-Point Plan states that, “As a result of European conquest and colonisation, the indigenous peoples within the Member States of CARICOM have been subjected to forced migration within countries and across the region; to brutal work conditions,
and genocide. Indigenous peoples were brutalized and killed as a result of official instructions to the European military commanders who came to the region. Those who were not immediately killed had their ancestral lands seized and a community of 3 million people in 1700 was decimated to less than 30 thousand in 2000. This also led to the destruction of their languages and unique cultural heritage. Their descendants remain traumatized, landless, and are one of the most marginalized groups in the region as a result of the deliberate and racist discrimination on the part of the European colonizers”.
The CARICOM 10Point Plan goes on to state the case against African enslavement.
“The descendants of African peoples stolen from their homes, lands, people, and cultures have a legal right of return; for unlike indentured workers, the enslaved had no contract guaranteeing the right to return or material incentives to remain. It is the responsibility of those States that are
responsible for the forced movement and enslavement of their ancestors to establish a resettlement programme for those who wish to return.
A fully funded resettlement programme that allows for the repatriation of the displaced Africans in CARICOM Member States who wish to return while also addressing issues such as citizenship and reintegration are crucial steps to correcting the wrongs of enslavement and colonialism”.
As we reflect on the journey to Independence, let us align our thoughts with the call for Reparations, and the requirements of certain areas of the CARICOM 10-point plan as quoted above.
As the title of this article says, the axe forgets but the tree remembers. Translated into everyday language, “The person who causes harm often forgets, but the person who is hurt carries the pain and remembers the scars forever. As it applies to Europe, their descendants have forgotten the atrocities of
their ancestors, but the descendants of the oppressed remember and continue to bear the pain and scars of those atrocities, and demand reparations”.
CARICOM has placed itself on the right side of justice by establishing the CARICOM Reparations Commission, outlining the 10-Point Plan for Reparatory Justice for Native Genocide and African Enslavement. Under this umbrella, CARICOM has called on its member governments to establish National Reparations Committees to carry forward this work and view their Independence in a new way.
St. Vincent and the Grenadines is home to the descendants of the
indigenous peoples, and the descendants of enslaved Africans, living in harmony with other ethnicities.
As a country independent of Britain and any other European country, it is incumbent on government and citizens of other ethnicities, to engage in a national effort for reparatory justice.
The collective effort of every creed and race is needed to heal the wounds of the past and continue to build a just sovereignty in our land, Yurumein and the Begos.
by NELCIA ROBINSON Coordinator Caspar/Maria Marshall Centre
Now known as St. Vincent and the Grenadines, let the resilient people of our country return to the atmosphere that inspired our National Anthem — “Hairoun — Our Fair and Blessed Land -May Peace reign from shore to shore, and God Bless and keep us true”.
Cost of port below budgeted amount
THE MONEY SPENT TO CONSTRUCT the Modern Port facility in Kingstown amounted to the original cost budgeted for the project.
According to Lenski Douglas, the Project Coordinator and Assistant Project Manager for the Port Modernization Project, the total amount spent to date for the construction was EC$650 million.
“The quality of work is evident for all to see, and when all is accounted for, by every indication, the total amount spent to date is tracking very close to the original $650 million which is less that the total EC$720 million in funding budgeted and or approved for this project,” Douglas said at the opening of the port on October 25.
“Government actually saved while
implementing the modern port project,” he continued.
Douglas added that up to January 2025, there were no unresolved contractual claims on the Port Modernization project.
“This is an impressive report card for the second largest capital project ever implemented in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.”
That despite the declutching issue which was observed.
And according to Douglas, the
assurance was given to the public that the rectification cost would fall within the contractor’s obligation.
“That assurance holds true,” he said adding that the government’s contractual management team deserved the highest commendation.
Douglas further noted that over the implementation of the project, he said
that the EC$135 million had been retained in the local economy with more than 500 Vincentians being employed over the 42-month construction period. (DD)
Lenski Douglas, the Project Coordinator and Assistant Project Manager for the Port Modernization Project (left).
Leisure
ARIES (Mar. 21- April 20)
Expect to have more people on your domestic scene. Competitive games will be your forte. You may be out of sorts If you have been extravagant or have let children or friends take advantage of you financially. Exercise programs will be effective.
TAURUS (Apr. 21- May 21)
You may find out that someone has not been completely honest with you. You can make moves, but they won’t be settling. Travel opportunities should be your first choice. Try not to argue about trivial matters.
GEMINI (May 22-June 21)
You will accomplish the most in the work environment this week. Secret affairs will only lead to deception. Don’t give your heart too readily. Get involved in worthwhile endeavors and meet new friends.
CANCER (June 22-July 22)
Try not to be too harsh with loved ones; there will always be two sides to an Issue. You will have problems with co-workers if you are too extreme about doing things perfectly. Be prepared to take care of the issues at hand. You will need to take a look at the renovations that are necessary and try to find the cheapest way to get things done.
LEO (July 23-Aug 22)
You may have difficulty trying to get your mate to understand your position. Trips, educational pursuits, or projects that could lead to new outlooks should be on your agenda. You have your own family to consider as well. Go after your professional goals. Opportunities for romance will flourish through travel.
VIRGO (Aug. 23 -Sept. 23)
Relatives may play an important role in your social activities. Better still, take your mate and let them foot the bill. You may find yourself in a heated dispute with a friend if you try to change your mind. Feeling under the weather may be a result of overindulgence.
LIBRA (Sept. 24 -Oct. 23)
Keep an eye on your weight. Your confidence is growing and advancement is apparent. You can complete any projects efficiently, especially if you put the effort in yourself. Try to accommodate them without infringing on your own responsibilities.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24 - Nov. 22)
Try to avoid being extravagant this week. Unreliable people will be negative about your ideas. You should not be concerned with coworkers who insist on spreading rumors. You have your own family to consider as well. Go after your professional goals.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23 -Dec. 21)
Watch your weight gain due to water retention. Don’t be a pest or a troublemaker this week. After all, they may have valuable information to pass on. You can’t make things better if you don’t know what to fix.
CAPRICORN (Dec 22.- Jan. 20)
Be honest in your communication and don’t lose your cool if someone backs you into a corner. Your creative imagination will help you in coming up with unique ideas. Do not invest in ventures that only appear to be lucrative. Some situations may be blown out of proportion.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 21.- Feb. 19)
Don’t say things that could be damaging later on. Cut loose. Your emotions have been pulled out of shape and you need to do a little backtracking. Don’t rely on others to handle the workload. Arguments with relatives may lead to a split in the family.
PISCES (Feb. 20-Mar. 20)
Don’t get involved in other people’s private doings. Someone is trying to pull the wool over your eyes, and if you’re gullible, it may cost you. Don’t shy away from potential mates they want to introduce you to. Your sensitive nature will allow others to read you well.
38. Type of floss 40. Gardner of films 42. Cutting tool 43. “__ the blue horizon …”
47. Horn sound
50. Thick rug 52. “__ Tripper” 53. Very unusual 54. British farewell (2 wds.)
55. Basis of heredity (abbr.)
56. Comedian Laurel 57. Director Craven 58. __ Marino DOWN
1.Type of luck 2. Poker stake 3. __ Scotia 4. Tex-Mex dish
5. Regulated the rate of 6. “People __ Funny”
7. Sales pitch 8. Chem. Classroom
9. Roman 3 10. Surgeons, e.g. (abbr.) 13. Revised copy 19. Earl __ tea 21. Low neckline 24. Fishing string 25. In a lazy manner 26. Playpen items 27. Attired 28. Candy striper 29. Small valley 30. “Love __ neighbor” 33. Whitest 34. Approve
36. Office machine
39. Captured 40. Ebb
41. Las __
44. Toteboard figures
45. Grandma
46. Actress
Cannon
47. Day’s 24 (abbr.)
48. Cereal ingredient
49. Gun lobby (abbr.)
51. Hem’s partner
As low as a crawling insect
Dear George,
IF ANYONE HAD TOLD MEthat my man would end up horning me with my own daughter, I would not have believed them. The man I chose to be with has settled to be in a sexual relationship with my 19 year old daughter. George, my daughter does not even have any remorse for what she did. She went as far as to tell me that he will never go back to me after experiencing her. I have since put her out of the house. My boyfriend is now begging me to give him another chance. I still do not speak to my daughter. She is a wicked witch and she deserves to be with him. Both of them are wicked! What do you think, should I delete his contact information from my phone etc.?
Deeply Shattered.
Dear Deeply Shattered,
Certain things must be off limits when it pertains to relationships etc.
Your daughter has surely overstepped her bounds messing around with your lover and he has demonstrated that he is as low as a crawling insect by tampering with your daughter and his future daughter-in-law. Do not even attempt to mend the bridge he has quickly destroyed. Trusting him again will be close to impossible. Your daughter on the other hand is your blood and despite the error of her ways you should try to reconcile with her. Do not close the line of communication between you two. At some point, you should try to engage the services of a counselor to help you get past this terrible hurt.
George.
Dad won’t take me back home
Dear George,
MY DAD HAS ALWAYS SAID that if any of his children choose to leave home for anything other than work, they would be banned from returning. I didn’t take him seriously until about 3 months ago when he and I had a fight and I left home and rented an apartment with my girlfriend. She ended up leaving me for another man and the rent became too much for just me. I have since reached out to my dad, but he said there is no way he is letting me back into the house. There are two empty rooms there and I think it is wickedness on his part to do what he is doing. Is there anything in the law that would compel him to take me back?
Repented.
Dear Repented,
Once you are over the age of 18 years your parents are not legally obligated to provide shelter for you. At age 18 you are considered to be an adult, and it then becomes a privilege to be entertained at home by your parents. It is unfortunate you had to part ways under such circumstances, but you never know, your dad may very well reconsider his position if you find the right words to apologize for whatever happened, causing him to part ways with you unceremoniously.
George.
Where should I begin?
Dear George,
I AM A THIRTY-FIVE-YEAR-OLD virgin and I desperately want to experience that other part of life before I get down in age. I do not know how to go about any of this. I am terrified of approaching a man to ask him anything that has to do with sex let alone opening myself to him. My girlfriends all think I’m heavily into sex and there is no way I can seek advice from them. I would like to one day have a family, but the problem is where to begin. I have a feeling I am not going to get my wishes as far as having my own man and family. At this stage I am ready to do anything just to say I did it (getting laid I mean).
Where should I begin? My sexual urges are very strong but at the same time I want to safeguard myself.
Should I continue to be very selective as to who I choose, or should I just close my eye and pick a man?
Deep in Heat.
Dear Deep in Heat,
You may have more time on your side than you think in terms of finding Mr. Right. Do not let the pressure of ‘breaking out’ force you into making rash decisions. There are consequences attached to the choices we make in life which is why enough time must be allotted to the decisionmaking process. At the end of the day, we must be able to live with the choices we make. It won’t hurt for you to get some relationship counseling before moving forward in ignorance.
George.
North East, Independence Masters Champions
North East Festival, division champion.
NORTH EAST MASTERS WERE CROWNED new champions of the Festival division and Woodland Masters Fete division champions, when the Independent International T20 Masters concluded last weekend at the Arnos Vale playing field.
Woodland Masters beat Monroe Road Masters by 6 wickets in the Fete division. Scores were: Woodland Masters 150 for 4 from 19 overs, with
Kalaparsad Sanasle 45 and Robert Mahabir 80 not out; while Monroe Road Masters were 147 for 3 from 20 overs with Swamy Reddy 40, Kumar Pampersad 38 not out and Vijay Ramsaran 30 not out.
In the Festival division, North East defeated New York/Stubbs Masters by 89 runs. Scores: North East scored 239 for 6 from 20 overs with Renrick
Williams 83, Lindon James 31, Shane Shillingford 87 and Kissinger McLean 3 for 33; while New York/Stubbs Masters were 150 for 6 from 20 overs with Newborn Joseph 31, Mark Audain 52 not out.
Naveed Sehrai scored the most runs in the Fete division with 218 and also scored the Fastest Century with 100 in 25 balls. Kisson Rampersaud took 11 wickets as the Lead Wicket Taker; Robert Mahabir was the Player of the Finals; Hyron shallow scored the Most Runs in the Festival Division with 228 runs; The Most Wickets in the Festival
West Indies ex-players inspire youth
A NUMBER OF YOUNG ASPIRING cricketers got the opportunity to meet and interact with some of the West Indies’ greatest cricketers of all time last weekend.
The players were in the presence of former players in the likes of Sir Curtley Ambrose, Courtney Walsh, Mervin Dillon, Sherwin Campbell, Dwain Smith, Dave Mohammed, Stuart Williams, Suliman Benn, Pedro Collins and Philo Wallace, during visits to the Cumberland and the Arnos Vale playing fields.
The players involved were players from the national under-15 training, as well as the national under-19 players. The former players encouraged the youngsters to work hard, be disciplined and be committed to the game. They also shared some of their experiences playing at the highest level for the West Indies in the 90s and 80s, as well as in the county championship in England. Reflections on their cricket journey before representing the regional team were also shared.
Former West Indies players interact with national youth players.
the world, at the conclusion of the NSC/SVG International Independence T20 Masters tournament last weekend at the Arnos Vale playing field.
division were earned by Rajiv Roberts with 12; Shem Browne scored the Fastest Century 100 from 60 balls and Shane Shillingford was the Player of the Finals.
I.B.A. ALLEN
The former players, along with local former West Indies players Nixon McLean, Deighton Butler, Ian Allen and Kenroy Peters formed the team to play against the rest of
The rest of the world team included players selected from the teams that took part in the NSC/SVG International Independence T20 Masters tournament. The Masters Tournament was made possible through the efforts of the Ministry of Tourism of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
I.B.A. ALLEN
Woodlands Masters, Fete division champions.
North East’s Hyron Shallow scored the most runs.
North East’s Rajiv Roberts took the most wickets (12).
National Basketball Tournament returns
AFTER YEARS OF RELIANCE ON OTHERentities to stage Invitational Basketball Competitions, the Executive of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Basketball Federation (SVGBF) has moved to host the National Tournament.
Hence, last Saturday, November 1, at the New Montrose Basketball Facility, saw the official opening of the 2025 National Basketball Tournament.
Six teams- Playaz Academy One and Two, Sion Hill Pacers, Advent Ballers, Heat Seekers, Northern Boyz, and Bequia are listed to be part of that renaissance.
Delighted that the tournament is back on the calendar, President of the SVGBF- Suzette Jackson noted that amidst the many challenges, her executive is able to reset a National Tournament, thanks to the input of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Olympic Committee (SVGOC).
“There are a lot of struggles in terms of resources, both human and financial. Notwithstanding that I want to applaud the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Olympic Committee, they have been behind us all these years; they have provided us with allocations that we can source not only equipment, balls, upright, but they are also responsible for this tournament”, Jackson highlighted.
Elected to the top position in March 2023, Jackson noted that having a National Basketball Tournament is one of the signs of the reconstruct of operations within the SVGBF.
“When I took office about two years ago, I met the Federation in a kind of state, but we are still working on trying to get things in order. We are not where we need to be or where we ought to be,
but we have to give thanks to where we are and work with what we have done thus far”, Jackson reasoned.
She further expressed gratitude for the six teams that are part of the 2025 tournament and wished for its success.
During the period of absence when there was no national tournament organized by the Executive
Committee of the SVGBF, entities convened Invitational Competitions, whilst the SVGBF hosted 3 x 3 tournaments.
The 2025 edition of the National Basketball Tournament will also host a 3 x 3 among Under-17 players.
Following the formal Opening Ceremony, Sion Hill Pacers and Heat Seekers were engaged in an Exhibition match.
Mitchell highlights the woes facing Basketball
SABRINA MITCHELL, LONG STANDING President of the Bequia Basketball Association, and a member of several regional Basketball organisations, as well as a St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sports Ambassador, has highlighted some of the woes hindering the development of the sport here.
Given a platform to speak at the Opening Ceremony of the 2025 St. Vincent and the Grenadines Basketball Federation’s National Basketball Tournament, last Saturday, November 1, at the New Montrose Basketball Facility, Mitchell highlighted two major hindrances. Hence, she named the lack of input from government and the self-destruct among some sections of the Basketball fraternity.
Citing her peeves, Mitchell commented: “I know the challenges we face in this country with negligible support from government and very little investment into the sport. When I look around and I see players with talent, beautiful locations for courts; opportunities for international teams to come here and all the contacts that I have; it
is just wasting”.
Identifying the deficiencies in facilities, Mitchell said, “We simply just do not have the facilities; this is not an opinion of Sabrina Mitchell, this is a fact, and this is not good enough and it needs to change because we deserve better”.
However, Mitchell opined that some of the issues confronting Basketball are self-inflicted, noting that persons would be critical of administrators rather than make their input.
“If you want to be part of the conversation, then you need to get involved. This is not about Suzette (Jackson) and the Executive; this is about you. And if you actually care about the sport don’t just come to a General Meeting and criticize her, say to her, how can I help Suzette? What can I do? How can I make this sport great? Because I have an opinion and I want to see such and such done”, Mitchell advised.
Jackson is the current President of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Basketball Federation.
As a means of changing the course of things, Mitchell
advanced that critics avail themselves and provide support.
“This is how you make changes not just depend on somebody else and criticize them when you think they are doing a job that is not good enough, if it is not good enough then get involved and help”, Mitchel recommended.
An influential person in regional Basketball, Mitchell is a FIBA Americas Board Member, and holds the portfolio of General Secretary of the Central America and Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CONCENCABA).
Sion Hill Pacers, one of the long-standing teams in the National Basketball Tournament.
Heat Seekers got the upper hand of Sion Hill Pacers 43-40 in the exhibition match.
President of the SVGBFSuzette Jackson.
Sabrina Mitchell
Mahabir sets Arnos Vale ablaze
NAME IS ROBERT MAHABIR, from Gran Couva in Trinidad, part of the twin island Republic with Tobago. He displayed cricket skills on the regional scale between 1989 and 1994, as an all-rounder. Cricket flame burns in his soul, and he coaches youngsters. Coaches like to take lessons to the training ground and what better way of driving home instructions than by resorting to your own script.
If Mahabir wants a sample of executing a clinical run chase, he can summon the tape from the T/20 Masters Fete Title of the Masters Independent Cricket final staged at Arnos Vale Playing Field, Saturday November 1 where he turned up for his team Woodland Masters.
They had to make 148 for victory, set up by their compatriots Munroe masters. With 17 overs of the allotment gone, Woodland Masters were 45 runs short of their target, and by the looks of it, Munroe had everything in control.
No one saw what Mahabir had in mind. He plundered 27 making the equation a formality. The chase meandered into the final over, with Woodlands winning with balls to spare. Mahabir aroused a neutral crowd stirring up a frenzy with his stroke play. Masters or not, Mahabir’s knock was one of classical honesty.
His boundary hitting was phenomenal and timely. He will be toast of his team for a long time. Whatever the prize, Mahabir is worth plenty of it. But victory has no monetary value. The pride and prestige and just the pleasure of winning last longer and sweeter than any financial rewards.
Mahabir feels “great” about his performance. He was showered with admiration by all and sundry, shocked into admiration of an innings paced with precision and awareness.
Mahabir reflects on watching Caribbean League Cricket. Masters Cricket entails different stages. Mahabir is displaying his adaptability which applies for any category.
He recalls mingling with Jimmy Adams, Winston and Kenny Benjamin and Patrick Patterson during his regional excursion. He played for a President’s XI in a match against England at Guaracara Park. But of the battles he faced, no one will give him as much joy as that innings at Arnos Vale.
When arrangements are made for the Masters Cricket tournament in St. Vincent and the Grenadines in 2026, people will be curious as to whether Robert Mahabir.
Mahabir innings came in the setting where North East Masters outplayed a Stubbs/New York Masters squad at the same venue.
The Arnos Vale crowd was treated to another display featuring a West Indies Legend collection, and a Rest of the World selection. The line-up for those teams served as a who is who in regional circles. That game provided its intrigues, but there was nothing to match the Mahabir blitz.
THE CENTRAL LEEWARD SECONDARY School Warriors regained the title of “Double Champions”, in the 2025 NLA Inter Secondary Schools Road Relay on Friday, October 31st, 2026, when they won the Boys and Girls divisions of the event.
The race began at 1:00 p.m. from the Peruvian Vale Junction, with the second leg from the AIA Junction, third leg from the Stubbs Bridge, fourth leg from Pit Master in Diamond, fifth leg from Big John’s Shop in Prospect, and the sixth and final leg from the SVG Community College turnoff in Villa ending at the Arnos Vale Sports Complex.
The Warriors’ winning time in the Boys’ race was 53:06.90s with the Georgetown Secondary School Gladiators finishing second in 53.39.20s. The St. Martin’s Secondary School Saints were third in 55:56.30s, ahead of The Lions of the St. Vincent Grammar School. The rest of the Boys teams finished in the order of Canouan Secondary, Troumaca Ontario Secondary, Dr. J.P. Eustace Memorial, Sandy Bay Secondary, Bethel High School, Thomas Saunders, Bequia Seventh Day Adventist and Petit Bordel Secondary Schools.
Meanwhile, the Lady Warriors continued their dominance, retaining the top spot in 1:06:48.10s, ahead of the Girls’ High School in 1:13:17.90s in second and Lady Gladiators of Georgetown Secondary who placed third in 1:14:34.40s. Troumaca Ontario, Bethel High, Thomas Saunders, Petit Bordel and Dr. J.P. Eustace Memorial Secondary School rounded out the Girls’ field.
Points from the event, as well as the Cross Country, held previously, will go to the schools’ totals for the 2026 NLA Inter Secondary Schools Athletics Championships, slated for March.
The current standings are, in the Girl’s Division; Central
Leeward Secondary — 36, Girls High School — 28, Troumaca Ontario — 22, Georgetown Secondary — 20, Bethel High School — 18, Thomas Saunders Secondary — 8, WestSt. George Secondary — 6, St. Joseph’s Convent Kingstown — 4, Petit Bordel Secondary — 4 and Dr. J.P. Eustace Memorial — 2.
In the Boys Segment: Central
Dr. Adams earns double recognition Central Leeward Double NLA ISSRR Champions
THE WORK AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS of Dr. Lennox Adams have been recognized here in St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) as well as in the United States of America.
After Adams was listed among five Sports Ambassadors by Prime Minister, Dr. Ralph Gonsalves during his Independence address last Monday, October 27, 2025, at the Arnos Vale Playing Field, further north, in the USA, Adams, a medical doctor, received further honours as he was inducted into the Quachita Baptist University Athletics Hall of Fame on October 31, 2025, at the Walker Conference Centre, on the Quachita Campus.
Leeward Secondary — 32, Georgetown Secondary — 32, St. Martin’s Secondary — 24, St. Vincent Grammar School — 20, Troumaca Ontario 10, Canouan Secondary — 8, Thomas Saunders Secondary — 8, Dr. J.P. Eustace Memorial — 4, Bethel High School — 2 and Sandy Bay Secondary — 2.
I.B.A. ALLEN
He was among 10 individuals named for recognition in the auspicious ceremony. Adams won three successive Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference Indoor Triple Jump titles from 1987 to 1989, was the NAIA outdoor triple jump champion in 1988, and placed second in 1989. Adams was also a three-time AllAmerican honouree, and competed in the 1988 Olympics. In 2023, Adams was inducted into the Arkansas Track and Field Hall of Fame.
In the land of his birth, the records show him representing the St. Vincent Grammar School at local Track and Field meets, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines at regional and international championships, but Adams contribution off the track has outstripped his efforts in competitions. A former coach of the Bishop s College Kingstown, Adams was influential in the career of the likes of Yvette Haynes, Caroline James, Gail Prescott, and Jacqueline Ross, all of whom have represented St. Vincent and the Grenadines at various levels.
Still making his contributions to sports in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Adams captures performances of athletes at sporting events through his photography, a passion he developed in the dark room of the St. Vincent Grammar School in the late 1970s.
I.B.A. ALLEN
HIS
Central Leeward Secondary School’s Warriors Boys’ Champs.
Female Champs Lady Warriors, also from the Central Leeward Secondary School.
Dr. Lennox Adams
His Excellency Fikry Cassidy presents Letters of credence to SVG
Continued from Page 5.
Minister Stephenson conveyed the Government’s appreciation for Indonesia’s continued partnership and reiterated Saint Vincent and the Grenadines’ commitment to further collaboration in areas of shared interest, including education, trade, and sustainable development.
NOTICE
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The Republic of Indonesia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines established diplomatic relations on November 30, 1993. The Government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines look forward to deepening this valued partnership in the years ahead, in pursuit of mutual progress and prosperity for both nations and their peoples.
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PHOTOS OF SVG AWARDED IN CARIBBEAN CONTEST
Awarded by Judge Makil Bedminster, the Heart of the Caribbean Award goes to Jada Chambers for capturing the soul of our region. Not only its beauty, but its resilience, its spirit, and above all, its people. Taken in Baliceaux, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
Grand Prize Winners of the Seas & Scenes: Love the Caribbean Photo Contest 2025
Caribbean Choice Awards
THE CARIBBEAN IS FULL OF STORIESworth telling, found in its coastlines, its communities, and its culture. To help bring those stories into focus, Environmental Protection in the Caribbean (EPIC), in partnership with Caribbean Compass magazine, invited photographers to share their vision of the region through the Seas & Scenes: Love the Caribbean Photo Contest 2025.
Several photographs capturing the essence of St. Vincent and the Grenadines captured awards and are showcased below.
SEA & WIND AWARD
Awarded by Judge Lexi Fisher, the Sea & Wind Award goes to Nicolle Trudeau for celebrating the harmony between ocean and sky, current and breeze. Taken in Union Island, St. Vincent & the Grenadines.
THE HEART OF THE CARIBBEAN AWARD
CATEGORY CARIBBEAN NATURE & THE PEOPLE WHO LOVE IT
3rd Place – “Wave Jumper” by Nicola Cornwell
“Just a regular Sunday on Lower Bay, some kids were playing with a ball and errant throws required running into the sea to retrieve. The joy was infectious.”
AI REAL ESTATE
CATEGORY AUDIENCE CHOICE CATEGORY
1st Place –“Where the Blues Meet the Breeze” by Rusty Wallace
“I wanted to capture the feeling of freedom that comes from standing between two worlds–the calm, clear lagoon and the endless open sea. Flying my DJI Mini 2 high above, I saw how the island stretched like an invitation into the horizon, and I knew I had to freeze that moment of pure escape.”
CATEGORY SAILING & YACHTING ADVENTURES
2nd Place – “The Unsung Heroes of the Sea” by Anastasia White
“I ended up at the Calliaqua fish market and started snapping pictures of fishermen in their element. While taking pictures of them I learnt so much about, how everyone had different roles and how they also play an important part in ensuring food security. The excitement and passion they spoke with as they educated me on their reasons for becoming a fisherman and how they ensure that they’re being good steward of the environment. Managing the coasts, tracking ocean health , advocating for certain marine areas to be protected & passing down the information they learned from their forefathers, they
continue to protect and preserve the environment that provides not only them and their families, but the community with the products of their labor. It’s important to highlight the individuals who don’t publicly show the work they do behind the scenes. The unsung heroes of the ocean: Fishermen.” (Excerpt from EPIC News)
“A Beautiful Graveyard” by Jada Chambers
“Where the Blues Meet the Breeze” by Rusty Wallace
